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Title: Belief
Series: Kamen Rider Drive
Characters: Shijima Kiriko, Chase, Tomari Shinnosuke
Summary: Circa ep 25 & 26. Once more, Kiriko wanted to place her belief on Chase.
-----------------
“You're... strange.”
Kiriko sneaked a glance towards Chase before returning her attention towards the flowers.
“S-strange? What did you mean?”
“How could you save me just because of that? Since you're... Kamen Rider's partner. And I'm... your enemy.”
Kiriko froze. She took a short breath before turning around to look at him.
“Aren't... you a Kamen Rider too? Even if that was in the past... without you, Tomari-san wouldn't have become a Kamen Rider himself. And without you... things would've been different now. If you weren't there to stop the Global Freeze.”
Chase remained silent as Kiriko looked away.
“I can't... see you as the enemy.” She sighed. “Even if this current you were different than the one that saved me before, I still... want you to survive.”
“When Tomari-sa—I mean, Drive supposedly destroyed you back then... I was devastated. Even if... it was the right decision to do so; in order to protect the lives of people—I just, can't feel good about it. No matter what you've done as Mashin Chaser, it's not your fault. What ever the Roidmudes have done to you, you can't help it—”
“What are you talking about? Talking about things you don't even understand. Did you really forget how I tried to kill y—”
“But you didn't, right?” Kiriko spoke again, looking back at him again. “That time when I put myself in your path to shield Tomari-san from you. That time you didn't kill me. And also that other time during the Dark Eve incident. You let Tomari-san go to stop Volt. Because Tomari-san said that many lives would be lost if he didn't stop Dark Eve from happening. You... did that. Because you don't want to hurt other innocent people.”
“And so far... Chase, you haven't taken the lives of any human beings. Am I right?”
Chase turned his face away from her.
“You're saying that I won't hurt innocent people? Really? Weren't there people getting hurt during my last rampage?”
Kiriko nodded. “Perhaps. But those people only barely got hurt, and that was only because they were trying to avoid you. None of those people were hit by you directly. And if there was any other threat to those people, Drive prevented it from happening. Despite everything, you still haven't hurt anyone!” She bit her lips. "And... they did something to you, right? You did acted really different, after Brain revealed that you're Proto Zero. How could I blame you if you did something that they made you do?"
Chase glanced back towards her and frowned. Kiriko smiled weakly.
“When I saw that you somehow managed to survive, I was so relieved. I had to save you. I need to save you. Even if I couldn't restore you to what you were before, just the fact that you lived...”
Chase snorted. “Restore me to what I was before? A human tool?”
“You're not just—Chase, is that... what you think?” Kiriko snapped, before stopping herself. “You're not... a tool. Not to me. Back then... since then, to me... you've always been my savior. I wished—if it was possible, that you could return to fight on our side. I don't want to have to fight you again!”
Chase let out a snort. “Your side? Whose side are you trying to make me go—urgh!” He groaned as he was hit by a bout of pain when he tried to get up. Kiriko hurriedly tried to help him sit up before Chase pushed her away.
“I. Am. a. Roidmude!” he shouted.
“Yes! But you also used to be the protector of humans! You always was!” Kiriko snapped back. “Even after... what those Roidmudes done to make you serve them as their Grim Reaper, I still believed... that you somehow could return to what you used to be. That person who saved me!”
“Hah!” Chase growled, “you're just saying that because you want me to join your side!”
“Of course I do!”
Kiriko bit her lips again. “Of course I do. Why won't I? Even after finding out that you're the Kamen Rider that saved me, even when now you're with the Roidmude's side... I still, want you to be safe. But that won't be easy, would it? Because as long as you're fighting on the enemy's side... Drive, myself... all of us would have to fight against each other!”
Chase flinched as he leaned on the railing behind him. “Aren't you being selfish?” he spoke again.
“I am.”
Chase stared at her, surprised at the honesty.
Kiriko snorted half-heartedly. “Of course I am. Do you think you're the only one feeling conflicted here? Me too. I'm a police officer. My job is to protect people,” she glanced up for a moment before looking away. “Yet here I am, saving someone who almost killed a lot of people during the last rampage. When I should have reported it to my superiors. And I'm even doing this without their knowledge. Just because... I couldn't stand the thought of you being killed again.”
She glanced up towards him again. “And I still haven't said my thanks to you. For saving my life before... during the Global Freeze. How could I... allow my savior to be destroyed? True, before this... I did thought that perhaps it's futile to hope that there would still be chance to save you. Because compared to my selfishness, making sure other innocent lives were saved was the priority. Even if it meant... sacrificing my important person.”
Kiriko snickered. “Making that choice was hard... it hurts. But then, I found out that you survived somehow.” She turned away to fuss over the flowers again. “You know what? I tried to become a Kamen Rider myself. But I can't. Because of that, I ended up being just a supporter. Not that I could do much.”
“I guess it was selfish of me, trying to convince you to return to being a Kamen Rider. Maybe it would be enough for you to just not be involved in this conflict, but I still hoped that you could join us. I really—”
“So you're saying that just because of your selfishness, you'd try to convince someone to fight against his own kind? Was that what you call being 'human'?”
Kiriko turned to face him again.
“Regardless, don't you dislike hurting humans?” she asked as Chase frowned.
“Even then, would that justify destroying Roidmudes indiscriminately?”
Kiriko remained still. After a moment, she shrugged. “If the Roidmudes don't hurt people, Tomari-san—Drive, wouldn't have any reason to destroy them. But right now, a lot of the Roidmudes are hurting people.”
Chase snorted. “Really? Would you not destroy the Roidmudes if they don't hurt people?”
“Yes! Tomari-san also have the same thoughts! I mean, the other time...”
“Do you think I'd believe you so easily?”
Kiriko opened her mouth to try convincing him again, before changing her mind and walking away. “Very well, I'll leave to give you room to think it over. But Chase—”
She turned around, just as she reached the door. “I hope that you would stay here for now. You're still hurt. And uh, my name is Kiriko.”
xxx
Even so early in the morning Chief Nira came to bother the Special Case Department regarding the current situation. Kiriko regarded Chief Nira silently. The man was really lively at this time of the day. Kiriko popped a fresh strip of gum into her mouth before getting lost in her own thoughts again.
Last night, she left Chase alone after telling him her name. Only for her to find the bed empty this morning. That alarmed her. A part of her was worried that Chase would go back to the enemy's side.
But Chase had listened to all of my words, despite everything.
“Right, Kiriko?”
Surely Chase would try to consider all the things she have said to him before making any decisions, right? Even when she seemed a bit too forceful on him... maybe? Perhaps, she worried too much?
Kiriko snapped to attention as she finally noticed Tomari's presence beside her. “Pardon?”
The man gave her a disgruntled look. “Ah, never mind!”
Series: Kamen Rider Drive
Characters: Shijima Kiriko, Chase, Tomari Shinnosuke
Summary: Circa ep 25 & 26. Once more, Kiriko wanted to place her belief on Chase.
-----------------
“You're... strange.”
Kiriko sneaked a glance towards Chase before returning her attention towards the flowers.
“S-strange? What did you mean?”
“How could you save me just because of that? Since you're... Kamen Rider's partner. And I'm... your enemy.”
Kiriko froze. She took a short breath before turning around to look at him.
“Aren't... you a Kamen Rider too? Even if that was in the past... without you, Tomari-san wouldn't have become a Kamen Rider himself. And without you... things would've been different now. If you weren't there to stop the Global Freeze.”
Chase remained silent as Kiriko looked away.
“I can't... see you as the enemy.” She sighed. “Even if this current you were different than the one that saved me before, I still... want you to survive.”
“When Tomari-sa—I mean, Drive supposedly destroyed you back then... I was devastated. Even if... it was the right decision to do so; in order to protect the lives of people—I just, can't feel good about it. No matter what you've done as Mashin Chaser, it's not your fault. What ever the Roidmudes have done to you, you can't help it—”
“What are you talking about? Talking about things you don't even understand. Did you really forget how I tried to kill y—”
“But you didn't, right?” Kiriko spoke again, looking back at him again. “That time when I put myself in your path to shield Tomari-san from you. That time you didn't kill me. And also that other time during the Dark Eve incident. You let Tomari-san go to stop Volt. Because Tomari-san said that many lives would be lost if he didn't stop Dark Eve from happening. You... did that. Because you don't want to hurt other innocent people.”
“And so far... Chase, you haven't taken the lives of any human beings. Am I right?”
Chase turned his face away from her.
“You're saying that I won't hurt innocent people? Really? Weren't there people getting hurt during my last rampage?”
Kiriko nodded. “Perhaps. But those people only barely got hurt, and that was only because they were trying to avoid you. None of those people were hit by you directly. And if there was any other threat to those people, Drive prevented it from happening. Despite everything, you still haven't hurt anyone!” She bit her lips. "And... they did something to you, right? You did acted really different, after Brain revealed that you're Proto Zero. How could I blame you if you did something that they made you do?"
Chase glanced back towards her and frowned. Kiriko smiled weakly.
“When I saw that you somehow managed to survive, I was so relieved. I had to save you. I need to save you. Even if I couldn't restore you to what you were before, just the fact that you lived...”
Chase snorted. “Restore me to what I was before? A human tool?”
“You're not just—Chase, is that... what you think?” Kiriko snapped, before stopping herself. “You're not... a tool. Not to me. Back then... since then, to me... you've always been my savior. I wished—if it was possible, that you could return to fight on our side. I don't want to have to fight you again!”
Chase let out a snort. “Your side? Whose side are you trying to make me go—urgh!” He groaned as he was hit by a bout of pain when he tried to get up. Kiriko hurriedly tried to help him sit up before Chase pushed her away.
“I. Am. a. Roidmude!” he shouted.
“Yes! But you also used to be the protector of humans! You always was!” Kiriko snapped back. “Even after... what those Roidmudes done to make you serve them as their Grim Reaper, I still believed... that you somehow could return to what you used to be. That person who saved me!”
“Hah!” Chase growled, “you're just saying that because you want me to join your side!”
“Of course I do!”
Kiriko bit her lips again. “Of course I do. Why won't I? Even after finding out that you're the Kamen Rider that saved me, even when now you're with the Roidmude's side... I still, want you to be safe. But that won't be easy, would it? Because as long as you're fighting on the enemy's side... Drive, myself... all of us would have to fight against each other!”
Chase flinched as he leaned on the railing behind him. “Aren't you being selfish?” he spoke again.
“I am.”
Chase stared at her, surprised at the honesty.
Kiriko snorted half-heartedly. “Of course I am. Do you think you're the only one feeling conflicted here? Me too. I'm a police officer. My job is to protect people,” she glanced up for a moment before looking away. “Yet here I am, saving someone who almost killed a lot of people during the last rampage. When I should have reported it to my superiors. And I'm even doing this without their knowledge. Just because... I couldn't stand the thought of you being killed again.”
She glanced up towards him again. “And I still haven't said my thanks to you. For saving my life before... during the Global Freeze. How could I... allow my savior to be destroyed? True, before this... I did thought that perhaps it's futile to hope that there would still be chance to save you. Because compared to my selfishness, making sure other innocent lives were saved was the priority. Even if it meant... sacrificing my important person.”
Kiriko snickered. “Making that choice was hard... it hurts. But then, I found out that you survived somehow.” She turned away to fuss over the flowers again. “You know what? I tried to become a Kamen Rider myself. But I can't. Because of that, I ended up being just a supporter. Not that I could do much.”
“I guess it was selfish of me, trying to convince you to return to being a Kamen Rider. Maybe it would be enough for you to just not be involved in this conflict, but I still hoped that you could join us. I really—”
“So you're saying that just because of your selfishness, you'd try to convince someone to fight against his own kind? Was that what you call being 'human'?”
Kiriko turned to face him again.
“Regardless, don't you dislike hurting humans?” she asked as Chase frowned.
“Even then, would that justify destroying Roidmudes indiscriminately?”
Kiriko remained still. After a moment, she shrugged. “If the Roidmudes don't hurt people, Tomari-san—Drive, wouldn't have any reason to destroy them. But right now, a lot of the Roidmudes are hurting people.”
Chase snorted. “Really? Would you not destroy the Roidmudes if they don't hurt people?”
“Yes! Tomari-san also have the same thoughts! I mean, the other time...”
“Do you think I'd believe you so easily?”
Kiriko opened her mouth to try convincing him again, before changing her mind and walking away. “Very well, I'll leave to give you room to think it over. But Chase—”
She turned around, just as she reached the door. “I hope that you would stay here for now. You're still hurt. And uh, my name is Kiriko.”
xxx
Even so early in the morning Chief Nira came to bother the Special Case Department regarding the current situation. Kiriko regarded Chief Nira silently. The man was really lively at this time of the day. Kiriko popped a fresh strip of gum into her mouth before getting lost in her own thoughts again.
Last night, she left Chase alone after telling him her name. Only for her to find the bed empty this morning. That alarmed her. A part of her was worried that Chase would go back to the enemy's side.
But Chase had listened to all of my words, despite everything.
“Right, Kiriko?”
Surely Chase would try to consider all the things she have said to him before making any decisions, right? Even when she seemed a bit too forceful on him... maybe? Perhaps, she worried too much?
Kiriko snapped to attention as she finally noticed Tomari's presence beside her. “Pardon?”
The man gave her a disgruntled look. “Ah, never mind!”
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