Rayonix, the Puella Magi Guardian

Mami Tomoe was a Puella Magi (Mahou Shoujo/Magical Girl) who fought against demonic Witches in Mitakihara City. She had been alone since the death of her parents and had nobody to share her secret with. This all changed when she met and saved two girls within a Witch's Barrier named Madoka Kaname and Sayaka Miki. Mami always thought that she would have to fight alone until Madoka offered to fight by her side. That was the happiest moment of her life. However, now her life was about to come to an end.

She thought she had the Witch Charlotte right where she wanted her but then a giant worm-like monster with a clown's face and a hungry expression burst from the plushy-like Witch's mouth. It opened its jaws that were filled with sharp teeth and Mami stood like a deer that was caught in the headlights. She couldn't move. She was going to die!

However, her death would not be coming soon as a blue and red beam of energy struck the worm in the head and knocked it aside, saving Mami's life at the last second. Madoka and Sayaka were stunned and Kyuubey was curious. What just happened.

"Looks like I made it just in time," a male voice was heard and the three girls and plus one Kyuubey saw someone standing atop a stack of cupcakes He was humanoid and clad in a blue bodysuit that sported red gloves and boots. He wore reinforced, silver chest armor and had spikes on his shoulders. His head was masked by a silver helmet that was equipped with a pair of blue horns, a blue mouthplate and he had glowing yellow eyes. He wore a belt with a blue and gold buckle that sported two points much like his horns. He had his arms in an L-formation and they were smoking.

He had been the one to save Mami's life.

"Kyuubey, who is that?" Madoko asked.

Kyuubey just stared with beady, red eyes. That was when Homura joined them.

"Hey!" Sayaka shouted as she saw the dark-haired girl.

"I see he's here," said Homura.

"Homura-chan, how did you get free?" Madoko asked, referring to Mami's binding spell. She then guessed and looked up at the male figure who'd just saved Mami. "Was it him?"

Homura didn't respond but her thoughts were trouble, 'Who is he? He didn't appear before? Why now?'

The Clown Worm, which was Charlotte's second form rose up and focused its deranged eyes on the newcomer. It licked its lips and lunged forward. The blue and red warrior leapt off his perch and Charlotte smashed face-first into the desert.

"Hey, you gotta be quicker than that!" the blue-red man taunted. Charlotte glared and lunged at him. He flipped back and with both his feet kicked into Charlotte's chin, tossing her head backwards. Looking at the girls, he realized he had no time to play around and so decided to finish it.

"Oi, blondie!" he called to Mami. "Back me up, will ya?"

Mami nodded and then produced her guns which she fired rapidly at Charlotte. Explosions erupted from the Clown Worm's body as it was being bombarded. The blue-red fighter's eyes glowed and he spread his arms out to the sides. Particles of light focused in his chest and his horns began to flow. The energy then transferred into his arms and he launched himself into the air.

"RAYONIX SLASH!" he shouted as he swung his arms forward. Crescent blades of energy shot towards the Clown Worm and cut right through. The Clown Worm howled in agony from the attack. Mami took advantage of the moment to execute her finisher. She summoned up her massive gun and aimed at the Clown Worm.

"TIRO FINALE!" The blast from her massive gun hit Charlotte's Clown Worm form and destroyed it explosively.

With the end of the Witch, the Barrier ceased to exist and the girls were all returned to the real world. All that was left of Charlotte was her Grief Seed which the blue-red figure picked up in his hand. "Here," he said as he tossed the Grief Seed to Mami who caught it. "Ja ne," he said before he turned to walk away.

"Wait," said Homura and he stopped. "Who are you?" she questioned suspiciously.

"Kamen Rider," he answered. "Kamen Rider Rayonix."

"Kamen Rider…?" Madoka said questionably.

"Wow!" Sayaka was awed. "You were so cool!"

"Well, of course I was," said Rayonix, smiling under his helmet. "Oh, by the way, Tomoe-san, I suggest that next time you don't tie up your allies."

Mami was surprised and questioned, "How do you know my name?"

"I've been watching you," said Rayonix. "I also know who you are, Homura Akemi, Sayaka Miki and Madoka Kaname. Not to mention…Kyuubey." His tone when he said Kyuubey's name was cold. "Consider yourselves lucky that I came just in time or else Tomoe-san would end up a head shorter."

Sayaka and Madoka gulped. It did seem that way. The Clown Worm would've bitten Mami's head off it weren't for his timely arrival.

"Thank you," said Mami, bowing gratefully, "I owe you."

'Could you remove your mask?' Kyuubey asked Rayonix.

"Sorry, but not right now," Rayonix declined. "Oh, Miki-san, Kaname-san, I hope that you both think carefully before either of you decide to be Puella Magi. Is it worth your life?" He then ran off, turning a corner. Sayaka chased after him but as she turned the corner she saw that he was gone. "Damn, missed him!"

"He's right," said Homura. "You both shouldn't try to become Puella Magi. It isn't worth it." And with that said Homura walked away.

"Well," began Mami as she clapped her hands together, "I do believe now it's time for some tea and dessert."

"Please, no dessert," groaned Sayaka. "I don't think I can look at another piece of cake after what just happened."

"And it's already getting late," said Madoka. She then went and hugged Mami. "Thank goodness you're alright, Mami-san."

Mami was surprised by the gesture before returning the hug tenderly. Sayaka whistled as she watched the exchange of affection before Madoka let go.

"I promise to fight by your side one day," said Madoka, "But I just need to think about it more."

"I can't blame you," said Mami as she rubbed her neck. Rayonix's comment had made her think of her own mortality. She then remembered she needed to do something and used the Grief Seed to purify her Soul Gem. The used Grief Seed was then tossed over to Kyuubey who 'ate' it.

Later that night, Rayonix stood on the top of a building and in a flash of blue light he changed into human form. He wore a red jacket which had two vertical rows of buttons, blue jeans and black shoes. He also had short brown hair and intense green eyes. Clenched in his right hand was his belt buckle.

"I was almost too late," he murmured. He stared down at the buckle. "Thank goodness I wasn't."

The buckle split open, revealing a blue screen with a dark silhouette on it that had glowing eyes and a mouth. The silhouette's shape resembled his Rider form and it spoke, "It was a close call, Rei. Hopefully, we can cement the bonds of trust between us and them."

"I hope so too, Raymon," Rei answered. "They're going to need all the help they can get for what's coming so none of them can die…and none of them can descend into darkness. I won't allow it."

"You should confront Homura Akemi about what she knows. I think she's just like us," Raymon suggested.

"That's the plan," Rei replied. "I'll ask her about it tomorrow at school. Right now I just want to rest in my own bed." The screen flashed rapidly in red. "Oh…don't tell me…" he groaned.

"A Witch's Barrier has formed nearby," Raymon alerted, "And the Puella Magi named Homura Akemi is already confronting the Witch responsible."

"Well, I guess now we don't have to wait until tomorrow." He then raised up the Ray Buckler and called, "Rayonix Reload!"

The Witch's name was Roberta and she was the birdcage witch. An appropriate name considering she was trapped within a birdcage. She appeared as a headless female figure clad in lingerie. Her minions were bird-headed men which disgusted her and who only tried to gain her favor which she never gave.

Homura had dealt with the minions and now was about to finish off Roberta. She summoned a rocket launcher and took aim before letting loose a rocket which flew towards Roberta. She could not escape and was consumed by an explosion. The Witch's Barrier faded and Homura picked up the Grief Seed left behind.

"Looks like you have it all under control," Homura heard and turned to see Rayonix. She whipped out a revolver and had it aimed at him. "Hey, relax, Akemi-san. I just want to talk."

"Then talk," said Homura as she pulled back the hammer.

"Walpurgis Night, let's talk about that," said Rayonix. Her eyes widened. "I knew that'd get your attention," Rayonix boasted. Homura put her revoler away and crossed her arms.

"What do you know about Walpurgis Night?" she asked.

"I know it's coming soon and I also know you want to face it alone," he explained. "You can say our circumstances are a lot alike." Homura winced a little but whether Rayonix noticed or not, he didn't say. "You're trying to dissuade those two girls from becoming Puella Magi."

"Because it's not worth risking their lives over," answered Homura.

"Aren't you being a little hypocritical?" he questioned.

"Weren't you doing the same earlier?" she returned.

"I was just asking them if they were willing to stake their lives like you and Tomoe-san, that's all," shrugged Rayonix. "However, I doubt just the two of you is enough."

"There is another," said Homura.

"Yes, Kyouko Sakura. She was supposed to come if Tomoe-san had died or something, right?" Rayonix asked.

"Or something. Now, how do you know all these things? You said our circumstances are alike," Homura pressed on.

"Your magic partially revolves around time manipulation, am I right?" Rayonix questioned. "You can do things like freeze time giving you an advantage over your opponents. You can also do other things like…travel through time, right?"

Homura's fists clenched.

"Then I guess we're alike like that," said Rayonix, crossing his arms. "Like Puella Magi I made a wish in exchange for this power but I also had to give up something just as precious."

"And what is this precious something you gave up?" Homura asked.

"Too little too soon for you to ask me about the details of my contract, isn't it? However, I think that the best thing to do is to make sure they do become Puella Magi," said Rayonix.

"I can't let that happen. Those who become Puella Magi…"

"Risk turning into Witches themselves," Rayonix finished.

'That's surprising,' said Kyuubey as he appeared out of the blue. 'I didn't think someone like you would know that.'

"You'd be surprised, Kyuubey," said Rayonix coldly, "Or should I say 'Incubator'?"

Kyuubey scratched the back of his ear and asked, 'So, who are you exactly?'

"Someone who has the power to stop the birth of new Witches," said Rayonix. "Akemi-san, may I see your Soul Gem?"

Homura's eyes narrowed. She didn't trust anyone but she felt she could trust Rayonix more than Kyuubey. She took it out and held it out to him. He detached his Ray Buckler and the screen opened. He held it over the Soul Gem which was partially tainted after Homura had used magic. The black aura was drained and the gem shone brightly as the Ray Buckler's screen closed.

Homura's eyes widened in surprise and Rayonis shrugged. Kyuubey was already gone by then.

"So, what about this Grief Seed?" she asked.

"Keep it. You might need it if I'm not around," said Rayonix.

"So, if you know about Puella Magi becoming Witches, then you would know that Sayaka Miki will…"

"Yes," Rayonix nodded. "Be careful on your way back and try not to run into anymore Witches or their Familiars." He then took off.

As expected, Sayaka Miki had made a contract with Kyuubey and became a Puella Magi. Her Puella Magi form was armed with a sword. It was a good thing since she came just in time to save Madoka from the clutches of the Witch H.N. Elly (Kirsten). The Witch had infected people with her kiss those victims of hers, which included Hitomi Shizuki, who were going to commit suicide by drinking mixed detergent, poisoning themselves.

On another Witch hunt, the Puella Magi Kyouko Sakura made her presence known and had stopped Sayaka from slaying a Familiar on the grounds that it wouldn't produce a Grief Seed. She wanted to wait until the Familiar had matured into a Witch itself even if it meant sacrificing innocent lives. She and Sayaka clashed over their ideals with Kyouko mocking Sayaka.

Sayaka's wish, which had allowed her to make a contract with Kyuubey, was to allow her beloved friend Kyousuke Kamijou to be able to play the violin again. His hand had been damaged and thus he wouldn't be able to play anymore so Sayaka used her wish to heal his hand and her magic allowed her to heal her body at an accelerated rate.

Fortunately, Rayonix was there to stop them from killing each other but he knew it was not yet over between the red and blue Puella Magi.

He knew of Kyouko's past. Her father had been a priest who ended up excommunicated for his controversial beliefs, sending their family into poverty and starvation. She had used her wish so that people would listen to him. However, once he found out the truth he lost his mind and killed his entire family before killing himself. Only Kyouko had survived.

Their second confrontation, however, resulted in all the Puella Magi finding out the true nature of their contracts. Their souls were actually contained within their Soul Gems (hence the name) and their bodies were merely hardware that could be controlled remotely. If their Soul Gems were over 100 meters away from their bodies then their bodies would be nothing more than lifeless shells.

Sayaka, overwhelmed by this revelation, fell into despair and started to fall further and further after Hitomi confronted her about her feelings for Kyousuke. Sayaka didn't think she could be with him anymore since she was now nothing more than a 'zombie'. Her despair was starting to taint her Soul Gem but she refused help from Madoka and the others. She wouldn't even accept any of their spare Grief Seeds.

Kyouko was able to find her at the train station and that was when Sayaka's Soul Gem was about to overload and crack. However, that was when Rayonix appeared once again and in the nick of time.

"No!" Rayonix shouted as he held out his Ray Buckler which was aimed at Sayaka's corrupted Soul Gem. The beam of light from the device purged Sayaka's Soul Gem instantaneously, stunning both girls. Madoka had also come with him and went to comfort her friend.

"If you chase away your friends when you need them the most, you truly will be a lifeless husk," he advised.

"I don't think it'll be a good idea to tell them," denied Homura.

"Well, it would be too much of a shock, but they'll need to know why letting their Soul Gems to become completely tainted would be a bad idea," said Rei. He finally trusted her enough to show him his human form and she recognized him as a classmate. He then told her his story as she told him hers. Apparently, in another timeline, he'd been friends with the girls but then a series of tragic events which led to Walpurgis Night left them all dead, Homura included. Rei then made a contract with a strange man in a top hat who gave Rei his powers. However, in exchange, Rei himself would cease to exist in everyone's memories. Not even his own family would remember him, if they existed in this world at all.

Homura was trying to save Madoko while Rei was trying to save all of them.

"I managed to prevent her from turning into a Witch, but she still has self doubts. Let's just hope that boyfriend of hers can help her through it," said Rei. Earlier, he had a talk with Sayaka. He'd told her that it didn't matter if she wasn't human physically anymore. What mattered was that she still had a human soul. Of course then he had somehow arranged for Sayaka and Kyousuke to talk which was followed by a tearful confession from Sayaka. She didn't tell him he was a Puella Magi but she did tell him she was in love with him.

At least a happy Sayaka wouldn't fall deep into despair like she had in a previous timeline and turn into a Witch. However, the girls needed to know but according to Homura, Mami had gone insane and tried to kill them all to prevent them from turning into Witches, herself included. There was a chance it could happen again.

Mami had cried hysterically, denying Rei's words. This time he revealed himself to them in human form and told them the truth about the Puella Magi and Witches. Kyuubey confirmed it all. He had no reason to lie to them. Rei doubted he could lie. The Incubator did, however, withhold important information which was just as bad.

After comforting a hysterical Mami, Rei then explained that they didn't have anything to fear as his Ray Buckler allowed him to purify their tainted Soul Gems. However, it could not revert Grief Seeds into Soul Gems. So, those who became Witches had no chance of turning back to normal. What he could do was prevent future Witches from being born.

Homura then confessed to them her true identity and about the past timelines where all she wanted to do was protect Madoko and prevent her death. However, when Walpurgis Night came, Madoka too became a Witch and one of the most powerful called Kriemhild Gretchen. Madoko was shocked by the revelation but Rayonix also confirmed that they would need Madoka's power to face Walpurgis Night. Homura still denied Madoka from ever making a contract. With Rayonix and four active Puella Magi, they had enough manpower to face Walpurgis Night.

Rayonix continued to support the girls in all their future battles, battling Witches and purifying their Soul Gems. When he was asked what he did with the dark energy he absorbed, he only said that he was keeping it safe for a rainy day. Modoka could only watch from the sidelines whenever they fought, powerless to do anything else.

The Walpurgis Night finally came during a heavy storm and as the citizens took shelter, the Puella Magi all stood to confront this great force of evil. Their resolve had strengthened and even Mami didn't seem afraid despite the fact that this fight might exhaust their magic and they would risk turning into Witches after it was done. They might even lose their lives. Kyuubey and Madoka had come to watch, the latter to support her friends while the former expected Madoka to make a contract with him and become a Puella Magi as planned.

Walpurgis Night appeared as a female doll-like figure with no face except for red lips and white hair in a horned hairstyle. She wore a flowing Victorian dress and hung from a set of gears.

"Alright, girls, it's time we fight," he said and they all went to do battle.

They had sustained injuries and nearly exhausted all their magic. Rayonix was able to purify their Soul Gems but then something happened and his Ray Buckler began to overload. It changed color, becoming black and red as he roared. He changed from red-blue to black-red with red eyes and a berserker's fury. At first he used this power against Walpurgis Night but then he turned on the girls who were powerless to stop him and they were injured by their own ally. As Rayonix loomed over Homura to kill her, Madoka made her wish and became a Puella Magi. Her wish was to have the power to protect everyone.

Her power managed to purify Rayonix, causing his armor to vanish. Finally, Madoka dealt the deathblow to destroy Walpurgis Night.

The city was saved as a result and by five Puella Magi who'd survived and one Kamen Rider. Only they would know the truth but their secret was their bond.

KAMEN RIDER CHROME: Well, that's my prologue for the story. It's more of summary of key events which became altered with the involvement of Rei. I will go into detail with those scenes in future chapters in the form of flashbacks which can act as chapter openings.