[Tokusatsu Themes, Brainwashing, Corruption]
"You can't do this. You can't just leave me!"
"I can. And I will. After what you've done... I can't stand to see your face."
"But if you go, then... Then..!"
"You'll find somebody else. Just like you found me. Goodbye, Lumiere. We'll never meet again."
Those were the last words that her former champion spoke to her. The last words that she had to dwell on, as she watched the city that she swore to protect slowly but surely sink into the grips of Darkness. Into the grips of that infernal Tenebris, who wanted nothing more than to let the seeds of her chaotic soul sprout inside every corner.
She couldn't take it. She couldn't stand to see the bright lights being extingushed. Her perfect order, her sparkling happiness... She had to do something to make things right. Otherwise she'd be left without a place to watch over. She'd fade into nothing... And she couldn't handle that thought. She couldn't even stomach it.
As long as she, Lumiere, the Light of Equilibre, still stood tall... She would not let the city fall. Even if she had to find new blood to pump into it to protect it. As long as she had the light in her heart, she would not yield.
She just needed to find those that would share her passion. Those that would share in her vision to protect those that needed it. Those vulnerable lights that needed her guidance...
---
Equilibre. The city hanging perpetually in the balance. While the people were happy and lived idealistic lives where they didn't have to worry about the kind of troubles you would experience in an ordinary society, the Light blessing them day in and day out... The Darkness that was hiding within the shadows and the nooks and the crannies was more than happy to try and reach out to break them and make them fall into the underworld that was hidden within the city.
And one girl was on her way there, as she was violently slammed into a wall in one of the many alleyways that dotted the city.
"Well well, Araya. Looks like you've come up short on your debt again. Still thinking you can weasel your way out of it, or are you going to try and put up a fight this time?"
The girl grit her teeth as she slowly got up, the shock from being slammed against the wall making her tremble as her body had to adjust. It certainly didn't help that she wore little protective gear, as she didn't have the money for it. She wore a torn denim jacket that barely managed to reach below her bosom, a set of black jeans that she had cut off near the knees so they wouldn't get in the way because they were torn when she got them, a pair of biker's gloves and simple red running shoes. Combine that with her subdued crimson hair that reached across her shoulder after being tied into a ponytail, and she looked like she was stuck between a normal aesthetic and a punk's. The signs of scarring above and below both of her eyes certainly didn't help matters.
"You're not getting anything from me with that attitude..." The redheaded girl said as she clenched her fists. So what if she had been bested by these bullies? She wasn't going to take it. The only way they were going to get what they wanted was if they knocked her out.
Not that they hadn't done it before. These three delinquents that had been harassing people around her school. Musashi and her cronies, Nagato and Mutsu. They had tossed aside their own names as they terrorized their fellow students, adopting strong ship names to seem more intimidating. And it had definitely worked, considering the reputation that they had.
"Araya Akane..." The leader, Musashi, let the words slip off her lips as she walked forward. Her long blonde hair was tied in an equally long ponytail, reaching all the way down to her ankles. It complimented her choice to wear her uniform's jacket like a delinquent would, hanging off her shoulders as she showed off her muscled body. Whether it was her abs, her sarashi-bound chest, or her mildly muscled arms decorated with a couple of sashes to denote who had submitted themselves to her. Primarily red and black ones, she had even fashioned some martial arts belts into decorations. Finally, she didn't even wear shoes. Just geta, the sound of the wooden footwear announcing her presence wherever she went. "You really want to have a taste of what I can do, don't you?"
"I've had more than a taste. It's stale. Just like your fashion. And that bike of yours." Akane glared straight into the girl's eyes, without flinching as she felt the pure heat and hate pouring off her as her ponytail started to levitate.
She quickly dodged out of the way of the punch that crushed part of the wall behind her. "Oi. You can hate me all you want, Araya. But you don't get to diss the bike. Arashi and I have been together since I was little. And if you know what's good for you, you'll apologize." The muscled bully, the old-fashioned delinquent, had certain nerves that nobody would dare touch. Akane had just hit all of them in quick succession.
Akane's response was to just smirk. An action that quickly made her expression dissolve into pure pain as she felt a geta slamming into her stomach, her body threatening to release it all then and there. Of course her luck had to run out right then and there.
"Serves you right, Araya!" "Yeah! You don't mess with Musashi-sama!" The two goons, Nagato and Mutsu, cried out in unison. They weren't nearly as threatening as their leader, even if they tried to imitate her. But they definitely tried, as Akane could attest. Their kicks had gotten a lot tougher over the last few months, even if they paled in comparison to Musashi's...
Seeing the crimson-haired wretch forced onto the ground was enough for Musashi, as she stuffed her hands into her pockets and walked away. "I'll be back, Araya. You better have my money by then. Otherwise, it's going to be more than your stomach."
With the threat seared into her mind, Akane slowly but surely got up, coughing a bit as her vision was on the fritz. Taking a hit like that was way too much. It was like she had been slammed into by a truck, and the sheer disorienting sensations that came with it were enough to nearly make her puke...
But she bit her lip, letting a bit of blood spill out as her teeth dug too deep, and steeled herself. Because even though she had endured punishment like this for months, it was all worth it. And there was a very good reason for it.
Her fellow students... While she didn't care for them that much, she cared that somebody was suppressing them. Even if they felt hopeless seeing her get beat up, it was probably enough to make somebody take action. Even if Musashi would likely put up enough of a fight that even if the police got involved, it would still be difficult to imagine her as anything but the winner.
Akane let out a sharp gasp as she slowly but surely staggered out of the alleyway, only to see a girl standing there. A girl with gentle pink hair. Wearing a slim black and white uniform with frills sticking out from her skirt and her sleeves... The same kind of uniform that many from her school wore.
All that the pink-haired girl did was smile towards the crimson-haired girl, before walking off with a bit of relief inside her heart. Seeing the girl get beat up... And then get back up like it was nothing... It was inspiring. And it was enough to make her feel that she was safe.
Akane sighed and smiled a bit herself as she rested against the wall, looking up into the sky above as the afternoon sun slowly started to set. She had gone through a lot already. She really should head home...
But she had to make sure that those three didn't cause more trouble. Just so her fellow students could stay safe...
---
Musashi was fuming. Oh yes. She was fuming. In fact, she was on the verge of outright bursting as she kept stepping further and further down the alleyway leading towards her hideout. All while she could hear the sound of her underlings shivering and squirming in response to her growing anger.
"H-Hey, M-Musashi-sama?" "Y-You really should calm down!" The two goons cried out as they knew what would happen if their boss ever grew too angry. They had been privy to it too many times before. And it had never happened while she was busy pounding the crimson-haired idiot into the wall.
Musashi's response to her minions trying to stop her was to simply look over her shoulder, her skin rapidly shifting color before ending on a deep crimson, not unlike the hair of the girl that she had smashed into the wall. Not only that, but two thick yet rigid and pointy horns forced their way out of her forehead, making her look like a traditional oni. It certainly explained her traditional taste in aesthetics, as well as her strength.
"You two think that you get to criticize me? YOU THINK YOU GET TO SOUND LIKE YOU KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE? TO BE DISRESPECTED BY THAT PUNK?!" The living Oni shouted at her companions, who both started to shake their heads rapidly as they didn't want to incurr any kind of punishment from the girl that they looked up to. They also definitely didn't want her fist to meet their faces because they had done their makeup earlier and they were planning to go out later once they could ditch their boss...
"THEN YOU SHUT THE HELL UP AND STOP TRYING TO THREATEN MY AUTHORITY. NOW GET OUT OF HERE BEFORE I TAKE ALL OF THIS OUT ON YOU!" She roared, and both Nagato and Mutsu dashed off like they had seen a ghost. Letting Musashi stand there and just slowly let all her anger pour out.
This was how she dealt with her violent emotions. She had been born with them. Even though they had led her to grow this strong, even though she healed from any injury and kept getting into scrap after scrap after scrap, leading her to this role as the top dog of the school... She really didn't like it.
"Damnit..." Musashi muttered as she slowly rested against the wall, looking up at the setting sun. "I just want to see you every day... As I ride across the horizon atop Arashi..." The Oni muttered as she reached towards the sky, letting that hope grow within her heart.
But that hope was vulnerable. That hope was easy to manipulate. Something that Musashi became critically aware of as a deep darkness started to pour out from one of the windows that lined the wall above her. A Darkness that would choke out anything. She had heard about this. She just never thought she'd be the one to see it...
"Hello there..." The voice of the Darkness echoed as it drooped further and further down, dripping onto the girl's body. "What's an Oni like you doing, trying to fight against your nature?"
Musashi wanted to strike against the Darkness. But she couldn't. The tar-like substance was immediately seeping into her, forcing her to scream as a new sensation started to burn through her. And she swore that she could hear something familiar. Something like... A-Arashi's revving engine..?
The Darkness laughed as it fully consumed the girl, a sly grin forming on her face as the tar slowly but surely started to fade. Because as the Darkness sank into her form, a new member of the city's Darkness would come to life.
And it was time for her to rev up her anger and go wild, just like her heart truly wanted...
---
Akane came to a stop as she rested against one of the walls leading deeper into the alleyway network, trembling as her body still had to process the pain that shot through her. She was getting more than a little tired, and the natural adrenaline of chasing somebody down was wearing off. Right now she could use a nice bed, a hot bath, and maybe a couple of trashy romcoms to fall asleep to. Those things always put her to sleep. It was basically just soothing white noise to her.
As the crimson-haired girl took a few moments to catch her breath, she swore she could hear something in the distance. An engine revving up? That shouldn't be possible, Musashi had parked Arashi way far away from her hideout. So what could it be..?
"M-Musashi-sama! D-Don't!"
Her eyes widened as the scene played out in front of her. The sight of an Oni grinding against one of her underlings, while an engine kept on revving. The sound pierced through the sky, drowning out everything else. All so that everyone could focus on the sight of the leader of that little gang... and how she had been twisted into something monsterous.
Musashi was an Oni at heart. That much was public knowledge considering how easy it was to rile her up and make her unleash her true nature. But this... thing... that was rubbing up against Nagato? It wasn't an Oni. It was a monster. How could Akane tell? Simple. Oni didn't have wheels growing out of their hips, nor did they have horns that looked like a set of handlebars or a set of eyes that shone as brightly as a bike's headlights. Nor did they have flame patterns sprayed across their incredibly glossy torsos, or exhausts sticking down their thighs.
"What did I tell you earlier?" Musashi said as she shone her lights down on the girl in front of her, all while her engine started revving louder and louder. "I've just about had it with you. You're no better either, Mutsu!" The wicked Oni cried out, with her minion quietly weeping against one of the other walls. It was her turn next. But first, she had to finish Nagato off...
Akane watched with horror filling her eyes as Musashi slammed her leg into the wall, positioning her exhaust just right... And then the wheels on her body started to skid as they came to an adrupt stop, as thick black fumes poured out of the pipes on her thighs. Fumes that almost immediately started to sink into the crony that had dared to speak up against the boss.
Nagato coughed and cried out in pain, only for those cries to turn into devilish moans and laughter as all of the evil that poured forth from the gas started to sink into her. Once it had disappeared completely, gone was the pseudo-delinquent. Now there was just another flame-patterned Oni, who still wasn't as decked out as her boss. But she had a need for speed inside her heart. A need that she couldn't possibly tame...
"Get her." Musashi said, and Nagato nodded. Before Mutsu had a chance to flee, the new Oni rammed straight into her, slamming her through the wall as her body made the same sort of revving sound... And by the time the dust cleared and the two were visible once again, Mutsu had been twinned into an identical copy of her best gal pal. Now they were nothing more than biking Oni, ready to tear up the streets with their Boss...
Akane, having watched all of that unfold, didn't know what to think. She could feel her heart pounding. Like she should do something. But... Was she scared? Sure, she had managed to outmaneuver the Oni before, but this was on a whole new level. If those smaller jerks were this fast upon being converted, then... Then she didn't have a chance against Musashi...
Just as she let that doubt fill her heart, just when she thought she wouldn't be able to stand up against this menace, she felt something welling up within. Something that she could tell wasn't hers. Something that wanted to give her a chance. But what was it..?
"Araya Akane..."
Light suddenly filled Akane's vision as soft steps echoed around her. "Who are you?" She immediately asked, trying to see the one that had tried to talk to her. She didn't know whose voice it was. Only that it was... Soothing. And not in the same way that her terrible romcoms were.
Slowly but surely, a woman's figure started to appear in the light. A woman clad in a light purple set of armor, with gentle white clothes draped across her shoulders and hips to make her seem more divine. Just looking at her, you could tell that she had the best intentions in mind. For whom, however..?
"Araya Akane... I am Lumiere. The Light of this city. And I've been touched by your heroic spirit..." Lumiere introduced herself, putting a hand across her chest as she gently bowed before the girl. "I can give you the power that you need to fight that monster. And by doing so, you'll be able to protect many more than just the ones you live alongside. You'll be able to protect the entire city. As an agent of the Light... As one of my chosen Natura..."
Akane listened. And... She was hesitant to step forward. She wasn't really on board with the whole 'protect the city' business. But at the same time, if it meant that she could protect her classmates and the others that studied at the school, stopping them from falling prey to the same kind of smoke that those two bullies had? Then it was... It was probably for the best.
"I'll do it." She said, a fire softly burning in her eyes, as she reached forward. "Lumiere. Give me strength. Strength to protect!" That fire burned ever slightly brighter as she affirmed herself, lighting the beacon that would light the city in the future...
Lumiere smiled as she took that hand, all while a light shone from her eyes. A light that pierced straight into Akane's eyes, stunning her for what felt like a minor eternity.
It was like... It was like something had been blanked from her mind the second she agreed. But... It didn't matter, did it? She had to focus on what was important. And that was protecting the innocents in the city. She had to protect those that needed her. She had to protect everyone!
Akane's eyes lit up with the same kind of light as she looked at her wrist, finding a strange looking dial-like device wrapped around it. Not only that, but the light had disappeared as well, putting her back inside the alley with the monster and her monsterized cronies.
"Araya... ARAYA!" Musashi cried out as her engine whined, having finally noticed the crimson-haired girl watching her. "THIS TIME YOU'RE GOING TO REALLY PAY!" She wasn't about to play nice, as she sped straight towards the target of her hatred. The motorized Oni was going to pay her back tenfold for all the times that she had humiliated her by resisting!
Akane could feel time slowing down as the bike-flavored Oni headed right for her. She was going to crash into her, destroy her, and possibly transform her just like she had done to the other two girls. And yet, she didn't feel fear. Fear wasn't in her vocabulary. Not after she accepted Lady Lumiere's blessing.
"NATURALIZE!"
Instead, she just thrust her hand into the air and let the device on her wrist do the rest. Activated with a simple command, the device transformed the light that she had been embued with into something she could use to fight. A long red skin-tight suit, with extra black padding around the most vulnerable areas. On top of those parts, and stretching further around to form the basis of her armor, was a layer of white that complimented the red and blacks and allowed her to conduct her powers more accurately...
"Flames of Justice! Natura Rouge has arrived!" Rouge cried out, not missing a beat as she immediately dodged out of the way of the incredibly fast bike Oni, who proceeded to slam into a wall and send several bricks crashing down as a result.
The two goons weren't far behind, intending to make their boss proud. But although the new heroine had only just gotten into her role, even though she should be wet behind her ears since these powers were completely new to her...
"Rouge Saber!" Her dial shone brightly as flames extended from the tips of her fingers, as she dashed right past the two goons and slashed through them with her saber-shaped flames. She didn't listen to the cries they let out. They were monsterized, after all. Once their leader had been defeated, they would return to normal. Knocking them out like this, where they'd feel the aches after everything was said and done, was totally fine.
Musashi burst out from the building that she had slammed into, covered in a mixture of soot and rubble from smashing straight past the heroine. At this point she was seeing red. Even the light coming from her eyes had turned violently red as she did what she did best. Let her exhaust run wild and charge straight ahead, blazing a trail of smog behind her as she intended to destroy that girl. No matter what!
Rouge grinned a bit as she used that predictable anger to dodge straight out of the way, getting more than enough time to avoid the smog in the process, as she grabbed a few of the shattered bricks that had been strewn across the ground thanks to the initial crash. These would come in handy, especially against such a fast yet meatheaded opponent...
"ARAYAAAAAAAAAA!" Musashi cried out, this time not charging straight ahead but rather kicking up dust as she used her motorized speed to circle around the heroine, waiting for her moment to strike as she spun faster and faster. Making it harder and harder to keep track of where she was.
The engine grew louder and louder. And Rouge just stood there, unflinching as the sound poured through her ears. Right until the engine started to choke, and the Oni had to go on the offensive. Only then did she act.
"YOU'RE MIIIIINE!"
In what felt like a split second, Rouge, without looking, jumped and flipped behind the monster, grabbing ahold of her handlebars in the process. In that moment, when her opponent's guard had been circumvented, the hero used the grip on those 'horns' and throttled even harder, causing her to speed up as the girl let go.
Musashi screamed violently as this made her go out of control, the horns connecting directly to her corrupted mind. And with this much speed, she couldn't think of anything else but ramming. She had to ram. She didn't even think about what the hero was holding, nor how vulnerable she was in this state..!
Armed with nothing but a few bricks, Rouge tossed the sharp ends towards the exposed tires on the speeding girl's hips. An act that caused those very same tires to pop when she couldn't dodge out of the way. And that was enough to slow down the girl and leave her completely exposed to the hero's strongest power.
"ROUGE CROSS!"
By stretching her arms as far out as possible, Rouge's body instantly heated to the point where it could melt steel. And though it started to burn her as well, the light of her Lady Lumiere allowed her to use that powerful fire that she had started as a source of strength.
In an instant, the heat left her body in the form of a violent torrent of beam-like energy, firing straight at the vulnerable monster. Musashi could only cry out in frustration and eventual relief as her monsterization and connection to the Darkness of Equilibre was burnt away by the beam, causing her to collapse alongside her companions...
Rouge let out a sigh as the heat faded, and her transformation was undone with little more than a tap against her dial. And she smiled, looking up into the skies above as the sun shone down.
So this was what it felt like to save people... And to protect the city at large. To do Lady Lumiere's will... It was nice. She could really get used to it.
But... She was just one girl. And the light inside her told her that she should seek out allies. Introduce them to Lady Lumiere's light... And let them discover their heroic spirit as welll. All while the light slowly glinted in her eyes, forgetting how important her school had been. She had a new duty to tend to.
As Natura Rouge, of the Natura Couleur.
---
Silently, atop the rooftops of Equilibre, a single woman kept watch. As she had done, ever since she broke ties with that filthy Light...
And as the heat of her justice poured through the city, she scowled.
"So this is your answer, Lumiere..?"