AN: So, a long time in coming. I think I started this chapter almost a whole year ago. But I finished it at least. And as I reached the end of this chapter, I decided to go ahead and change the rating to M. Things are about to happen that aren't suitable for younger readers.

Sorry for the wait, everyone, but I hope you enjoy the story. I would like, very much, to hear your thoughts on it.

Disclaimer: Don't own it, just love it.

Kamen Rider: OOO

Bring Me to Life – Part VIII

There was a great disadvantage to sharing a body with Ankh. Okay, there were several. But the one Aia had been most concerned with at one particular moment, was that the Greeed didn't sleep. So, while they were joined, if she even started to drift off, his consciousness would slip in control. She knew he was as anxious as she was about tracking down the fire bastard, but after the day she'd had, her body was in desperate need of rest.

Plus, she didn't want him intruding any further into her nightmares. The night of the fire wasn't the only bad memory that plagued her dreams. Even as her consciousness slept, their minds were linked and he had pretty much free reign to its contents. There were some things she wasn't quite ready to share with him, not just yet. Although, if anyone would keep her secrets, he would.

It was surprising that he hadn't objected when she started pushing him out of her consciousness. Well, he did, but he didn't fight too hard about it. But, as his core spent the rest of the night in a box on her dresser, Aia discovered she hadn't been able to sleep at all. Ankh's presence had become such a comfort, that the absence of his core made her anxiety almost unbearable, even though it remained within reach all night. It was as if all these years something had been missing. And all of a sudden, he made her whole.

She'd been aware of his presence in the dream. She'd seen the number of times he tried to interfere, tried to do something. Ankh cared about their family, about her. This contradicted everything she'd ever heard about him from her father. Perhaps it was simply her father's bitterness toward the Greeed, but in no small part, she was beginning to understand why he sometimes looked at her the way he did.

Aia stared at the small, plain jewelry box sitting on the corner of her dresser. She pondered a moment or two about taking the chain out. Ankh's core had become an extension of her being. She felt empty without it. But she didn't want the intrusion. She needed a little peace in her mind. But… just to be safe… she grabbed the box, tucking it into her robe pocket. At least, maybe having it near would help. She'd need a few cups of coffee in her before she connected to Ankh again. He wasn't happy to have been kicked out, so she was sure he'd have a few choice words for her when she let him in again.

She stopped in the doorway to the kitchen, staring at her father. She was a little surprised to see him sitting at the table. From what she'd seen of him the night before, she didn't think he'd be conscious so early, if at all. Aia had to admit to Eiji that she'd known about his drinking. But she'd never had the motivation to do anything about it. If her father wanted to destroy himself, that was his business. Even before her mother and aunt died, he was distant. So she made no effort to form any sort of relationship with him or save him from poisoning himself.

He didn't look up from the folder sitting in front of him, which wasn't a surprise. He didn't even acknowledge her presence. Again, no surprise. But a slight movement in his eyes betrayed the fact that he knew she was standing there. Her hand instinctively reached into her pajama pocket, closing around the box. She didn't open it, not just yet. She just held it tightly as she walked into the kitchen, releasing it so that she could get together things to make a pot of coffee. But coffee had already been made. She glanced at her father, noticing his cup beside him was still steaming.

Shingo was not only up early, but he had also made coffee. Aia wasn't sure what to think about it. She knew it wasn't Eiji, he was still asleep when she passed his room. She stared at her father for a moment and was surprised that she actually felt a little annoyed he still didn't acknowledge her presence. She found herself slightly intrigued at his behavior as she poured herself a cup of coffee, doctoring it up with milk and a little chocolate syrup. She hesitated a bit before joining her father at the table, but her curiosity got the better of her anxiety, this time.

She sat down across from her father, nursing her coffee as she watched him over the rim of her cup. Shingo still didn't look up from the folder he was going through. But, to Aia, it seemed he wasn't really interested in the contents, it was simply a distraction. It bothered her, and she didn't know why. He'd done it so many times, keeping his attention elsewhere so he wouldn't have to look at her. She'd been indifferent about it before, but this time it was upsetting. She suddenly realized she hadn't looked at her father this closely in a long time, if ever at all. She remembered Ankh's first words through her to her father and she began thinking about it.

You didn't age well, did you?

She frowned as she studied her father's face, realizing that it wasn't just age that had gotten to him. It was the years of alcohol abuse on top of the stress and worry she probably put on him. She was reminded of what kind of burden she was on her father. And the events of the night before just didn't help matters any, only made them worse. She quickly looked away from him, setting her cup down, a trembling hand sliding toward the edge of the table to reach for the comfort that Ankh's medal offered her.

She stopped about halfway when her father's gaze was drawn to the movement. She froze slightly as his gaze lingered on her hand while he pushed his work off to the side. Again, she was shocked, he'd never done that before. Her trembling was visible as he reached across the table, taking her hand in his.

He frowned as he looked at her hand, his thumb tracing over numerous scars that were apparently from her fighting. He still didn't say a word as he took her other hand, observing it just as closely.

Aia studied the concern on his face as he continued in silence. Then, after a moment, he released her hands, grabbing his folder as he stood. He hesitated for just a second before walking around the table, placing a hand on her shoulder. He leaned forward, gently kissing the top of her head. And then he was out the front door.

Aia sat, staring into her coffee for several moments while she tried to decipher her father's odd behavior. She finally just gave up. Whatever it was, she had a feeling she was in for a long conversation, or lecture, with him when he returned that evening. She left her coffee on the table, untouched, as she headed back to her room.

In the hallway, however, something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. She hadn't noticed it when she came through earlier. Her attention had been elsewhere. But how she missed it would be bothering her for the rest of the day.

She stared at her reflection in a decorative mirror hanging on the wall. The girl who stared back at her was someone she didn't recognize. And it felt like an eternity before she realized it was herself but it was... normal...

She quickly pulled the ponytail holder out of her hair, running her fingers through it, pulling long locks over her shoulder so she could see. Sure enough, the thick, blonde locks were replaced with thin, smooth locks that had a soft curl to them. She couldn't tell, in the dim light, whether it was black or dark brown. But it was a definite contrast to her pale skin. And definitely not the blonde that she was sure came from Ankh.

Her hair now was just as dark as her mother's was. And so were her eyes. They'd never been that color before. She looked normal, aside from the red streak that remained in her hair. And it scared her.

A shaking hand reached for the jewelry box in her pocket as she heard Eiji's bedroom door. She gripped the box tightly as she heard her uncle take in a quick breath.

"Aia-chan... your hair..."

On a typical day, no matter her anxiety level, her uncle's usual talent for stating the obvious would be enough to break her mood, if only for an eye roll. But nothing had been typical about the day. In fact, nothing had been typical since she merged with Ankh.

She clutched the box in her hand, not daring to remove it from her pocket just yet. But she could see her uncle's reflection in the mirror, his eyes searching for the core medal whose chain hadn't left her neck since she put it on the night before. She was afraid to look at it. And she couldn't make herself as she pulled the box from her pocket, handing it over to Eiji.

Her appearance only meant one thing: that the core was no longer separated halves. And as much as she knew that was supposed to be a good thing, the thing that her uncle had spent the last twenty years waiting for, there was a part of her that didn't want that to be true. She didn't want to be separated from Ankh. In the short amount of time she'd been joined with Ankh, she felt she needed that connection. Even though she had wanted the solitude for the moment, she didn't want to be permanently separated, not just yet. She couldn't actually explain why, but she needed Ankh. She wasn't ready to let him go. But she knew that look on her uncle's face. It wasn't fair for her to keep the Greeed for herself, especially since Eiji had waited twenty years for him.

Eiji held his breath as she reluctantly placed the box in his hand. He hesitated in opening it. And he could see Aia was too shaken to watch. He just watched her for a moment as she wrapped her arms around herself tightly, inching further and further away from him, her eyes never looking away from her reflection.

Suddenly, Shingo's behavior moments ago made a little more sense to Aia. Aia's appearance, without Ankh's influence, resembled her mother a great deal. Aia wondered if he'd seen a memory of his wife, instead of seeing his daughter. She trembled as she hugged herself even tighter, shaking her head as she looked in the mirror. Again and again, reality was hitting her in the face. She wasn't the one these people wanted in their lives.

"Aia-chan...?"

Aia looked at the reflection of the box in Eiji's hands. She never would face Eiji, never even looked at Eiji's reflection in the mirror. Just the box. The tone of Eiji's voice wasn't one she wanted to hear. Pity, but yet excitement. Eiji wouldn't open it with Aia standing there, no matter how he desperately wanted to. Eiji knew how much the core had come to mean to her. But she knew he deserved it more than anyone. Twenty years of his life had been spent trying to find a way to mend the core. And she'd been the key all along. He would never look at her the same way again now that it was over.

She couldn't bear the weight anymore. She had to leave. Running was all she could do at that moment. Eiji couldn't be her confidante anymore. Her resemblance to Ankh was the reason he cared for her like he did. She doesn't have that anymore. And now that he has Ankh, he doesn't need to care for her like that anymore. He doesn't need her. Shingo didn't want her. There was no reason she needed to stick around.

Still in her robe and pajamas, she ran out the door. She didn't know what she was going to do yet, she just needed some space to think. To breathe. And there was only one place she could do that. Eiji would eventually follow, but maybe she'd have something decided by that point. Then again, maybe she'd go ahead and go through with the demolition and near suicide that Ankh had prevented the night before. Either way, that was her decision to make, right?

She didn't stop running until she reached the restaurant. It was a little unusual to see the gate wide open, but she didn't remember closing and locking it the night before when she left with Eiji. She closed the gate, fastening the lock. If it was closed, maybe Eiji would believe her not to be there, and she'd have a little more time. Would Eiji even come, since he has Ankh now? She wasn't sure if she wanted to know the answer to that question.

She pushed the restaurant door closed after entering, breathing heavily as she tried to calm herself. She wasn't really a runner, but the physical exertion felt good. It released some of the stress, but not near enough.

She held her breath for a moment as she felt something strange. The air was colder all of a sudden. So cold, she could see her breath when she finally exhaled. That wasn't supposed to happen. Sure the temperatures had dropped to freezing the night before, but it had gone back up with the sunrise. There's a little chill in the air outside, but not enough for her to see her breath. It made her give second thought to the open gate out front. Something was wrong here.

Aia turned around as she heard a crackling noise echoing in the empty space. Now, she was used to strange sounds in the restaurant. Rodents and strays had made their homes in one space or another. But this was something entirely different. This noise, coupled with the sudden drop in temperature...

The floor was encased in a thick layer of ice, and it was spreading up the walls. Aia had a feeling she was about to meet the man she labeled as "Iceman". But after the events of the previous night, she had a feeling this wasn't going to be a pleasant meeting. She pushed against the door, but it wouldn't budge. Aia didn't even have to look to realize it had been frozen shut.

"Izumi Aia-chan..." The man approaching her wasn't too much taller than she was, but he was definitely larger. And it was all muscle. He was fair skinned, which contrasted with the dark spikes of his hair. He was an older man, thirty at least. He was a handsome man, overall, save for the dark grin playing across his lips.

How did he know her name, much less were she could be found? The tone of his voice sent chills down her spine, but upon seeing him, the feeling was so intense she didn't even feel the freezing door as she pressed her back up against it. Where had the warning been? The sound of medals that usually rang through her head when one of the medal users was near... That must have been another thing she didn't have without Ankh's core.

He stopped just in front of her, smiling down to her. She couldn't fight the tremble as he placed one hand on the door beside her head, leaning in until he was almost nose to nose. His voice took on a much softer tone as he spoke. But for some reason, that tone was more frightening than the first.

"Oh, I've been watching you since your first fight. Such a small thing with such a powerful punch. You've piqued my interest from the beginning. And, I know that you had nothing to do with the police raid on my club last night, even though it was led by your father. I've already dealt with the snitch responsible. And I'll even forgive you for paralyzing one of my most favored participants. It's not like I really lost anything. Your unclaimed winnings go right back in my pockets. They always have. For a while there, I didn't understand why. You've won a considerable amount of money from me, but you've never taken a dime. Why is that? After finding out what happened last night, and seeing the video, I realized something. It's information, you want."

He leaned away ever so slightly, but still too close for Aia's comfort, especially as he reached up with his free hand, running his fingers through that one red lock in her hair.

"Tell me something, Aia-chan..." He leaned in again, and his voice took on that darker tone in a whisper against her ear. His hand gently slipped her robe off one shoulder.

"What is that information worth to you?"