The anomaly in the Kamen Rider Universe

Aaron stood with his arms crossed, gazing at Ikki and Daiji with a bemused expression. "You guys seriously gonna act like you don't know why you're here?" he asked, arching a brow. "Come on, stop playing dumb. We all know this is 100% about Akaishi."

Ikki and Daiji exchanged a glance before looking back at Aaron, their curiosity piqued. Aaron gestured for Sakura to step forward, her expression composed as she began her report. "I've been observing Akaishi's abilities closely. It seems like he's capable of manifesting whatever he imagines within a six-foot radius around him. Anything he thinks of becomes reality within that range. It sounds busted, but there's a limit." She glanced at Aaron, who gave her a slight nod to continue.

"However," Sakura added, "the moment he stops imagining something, it ceases to exist. During our last encounter, when Miyuki's ice attack entered the battlefield, the beast he had summoned vanished instantly. His control weakens beyond that six-foot range."

George, who had been listening carefully, smirked and chimed in. "I'm guessing you're bringing in Ikki and Daiji because their abilities directly counter his?"

Aaron grinned at the remark, not bothering to hide his satisfaction. "You know me so well," he said, a playful glint in his eyes.

Turning serious again, Aaron gestured toward Daiji first. "Daiji's ability to transfer all the damage he receives back to his opponent is a perfect counter to Akaishi. Whatever he throws at Daiji, it'll just boomerang back." He then looked at Ikki. "And as for you... your ability to rewrite fate is the real game-changer here."

Ikki blinked in surprise, clearly stunned. "Rewrite fate? I... wasn't aware I had that kind of power."

Aaron waved his hand nonchalantly. "Oh yeah, I like to call it your 'plot armor.' Nothing can go wrong for you in a battle as long as your ideals stay solid. It's like you're shielded from anything that could go sideways. If we can keep that plot armor intact, we can use it to make Akaishi imagine his own defeat."

Ikki looked thoughtful, trying to process the weight of Aaron's words.

"How exactly do you plan on defeating him?" Sakura asked seemingly glaring dagger at the back of his head.

"OH me?"

"Yes, You!"

"Well I am not fighting him"

"May I know why"

"I don't wanna"

A memory of a few days ago flashed in her mind.

"Are you...scared?"

She suddenly asked.

Everyone in the room seems to be paying attention to that.

He just shrugged his shoulder before saying.

"I frankly do not want to have to see that shit again, last time the only reason Yami did not take control was that it was taking everything I had to hold him back so unless any of you feel confident in taking Yami in a fight, one vs one or all of you against him then be my guest"

The room went quiet for a bit, the memory of that monster was still quite clear in their mind, even if the event was 2 or 3 months back, the memory was still fresh in their mind.

They could still remember this demon clear as day, raising down a city to nothing but ash in one single move, having a presence that felt as suffocating as Gifu.

This raised a question in their mind, if someone had such a powerful inner demon....how fuck was their life.

Such trauma could have driven someone insane.

This also kind of clarifies something with George, something that he had thought about for a while now.

This boy infront of him looking no older than 19 years old was probably tortured at some point in his life.

Considering the way his body was shaking, and the fear in his eyes when he saw the beast, he resembled a small child, a toddler one might even say.

So a good estimation of when the trauma occurs would be....from 6 to 9 years old.

The jokes were probably a way to cope, even if his major wasn't really the human psyche, he knew decently enough about people to be able to get a decent read on them.

When he was interested in something he would dig deep in order to find what he wanted.

"...What...did...you..see?" Ikki suddenly asked.

Aaron gazed at the boy a bit, he truly knew how to put his nose in stuff that was none of his business huh?

"Heh, just the usual stuff, childhood trauma, abandonment, and so on, no biggy," He said shrugging his shoulder a bit.

It didnt take a genius to realise that this was a lie.

The tension in the room thickened as Aaron continued, his face hardening. "Just like you guys are allowed to have secrets, so can I." His voice was sharp, leaving no room for argument. "Now, if you'll excuse me, the shop downtown is having a discount on sweets, and I gotta go."

Before anyone could respond, Aaron reached into his coat and tossed something small toward Ikki, who caught it instinctively. It was a vial containing a strange yellow energy that seemed to glow softly in his palm. Ikki stared at it in confusion, feeling an odd warmth from the energy, though he noticed something strange—it felt as if his own powers were being slightly negated in its presence.

Aaron turned to leave but not before offering an explanation. "If the plan doesn't work, make him drink that—or coat your fist with it and punch him in the face. Either way, just get it into his system."

As he walked toward the door, Aaron stopped for a moment to look at Daiji. With a grin, he added, "And Daiji... don't accept candy from shady old men. Last time that happened, your body was left sore and used..."

Daiji's eyes widened in realization, his face reddening as the room stifled laughter. "R-Really, Aaron?" he stammered, clearly embarrassed. Aaron didn't even glance back, casually waving as he exited. The door shut behind him, leaving Daiji stewing in his humiliation.

"He's never gonna let me live that down, huh?" Daiji muttered to himself, already dreading the future jokes.

Aaron strolled casually into the nearby sweet shop, his mind wandering as he browsed through rows of brightly colored candies and chocolates. He bought quite a bit—more than necessary, but he stored the majority of it in some sealed space, seemingly oblivious to the glances of the store clerks who wondered where it all went.

Stuffing a handful of sweets into his pocket, he left the shop and began walking back toward his base. But after a few minutes, something felt off. His sharp instincts kicked in as he felt the unmistakable sensation of being watched. He slowed his pace, eyes scanning his surroundings without turning his head.

It wasn't just paranoia.

With a casual gait, he changed direction, walking in an elaborate circle, doubling back on his own path for a solid half hour. Whoever was following him, they were persistent, sticking close yet remaining unseen. He could feel it.

Finally, Aaron came to a stop in an alleyway, seemingly bored but inwardly sharp. "Alright," he said out loud, glancing toward the empty space behind him. "You've had your fun. Show yourself."

A heavy, eerie presence filled the air as the invisible creature materialized slightly, its form resembling the same twisted beast that had shaken him to his core just days ago. A flicker of panic stirred deep within Aaron, but before he could react—before he could do or say anything—the creature seemed to disintegrate, erased from existence as if it had never been there.

A soft but familiar warmth enveloped him from behind, two hands gently wrapping around his chest as a soothing voice murmured into his ear. "Abi... that might be overdoing it," Aaron muttered, recognizing the unmistakable presence of Abi, her warm aura comforting but also a little overbearing.

Abi held him in a way that made him feel like a child—something that annoyed him slightly, though a part of him welcomed the comfort. "You need to rest, my little marshmallow," she whispered softly, her voice carrying a tone of gentle concern. "You've been pushing yourself far too hard."

"Rest?" Aaron snorted, shrugging against her grip, though not fully breaking away. "I don't recall that being part of your code. Isn't it against your rules to interfere this much?"

Abi sighed, her hold on him not loosening. "I don't care about the rules," she replied softly, her words uncharacteristically defiant. "I care about you. And right now, you need help, whether you want to admit it or not."

Nah, was he really such a mess, why was his mental health really that bad that she was going to toss away one of the rules to help him?

He thought he was mostly fine, pretty numb but he was fine right?

What about him seemed to scream that he was insane.....he was as sane as a human could be.

Sure he was numb to the act of killing, he practically did not react to it at all.

Sure his inner demon was way too strong but he could thug it out.

He had to thug it out.

On a side note that meant Gifu really wanted him to die huh?

Trying to break him down mentally before they fought.

Sadistic bastard..... I can't blame him as he probably would have done that too if given the chance.

On a side note...he couldn't feel the floor underneath him anymore....one quick look down and he realized he was floating.....

"Abi...."

"Just a minute" The girl added as she hugged him tighter.

Wasn't this just fantastic?

Also wasn't she made out of cosmic energy so why could he feel himself being suffocated between her breasts.....well if that's how he was dying.

He will accept with open arms.

This felt too sweet, too nice, someone had to be rewriting his fate, something about this wasn't right.

He wondered what was the pin that broke the camel's back.

Aaron blinked and found himself in his room as if the entire episode had been a dream, or maybe Abi had just teleported him there. Either way, he wasn't going to question it. He felt the weight of exhaustion finally crash into him, his body sinking into the bed. He hadn't realized how drained he was until this very moment.

"Sleep... yeah, I need sleep," he muttered to himself, pulling the blanket over his body and surrendering to the heaviness in his eyelids.

Hours passed, or maybe just minutes—it was hard to tell in the dark. But in the middle of the night, Aaron stirred, feeling the bed dip slightly beside him. His instincts flared for a split second before settling. It wasn't a threat.

Thinking it was Rui, his sister, sneaking in as she used to when they were kids, Aaron pulled the figure closer to him without opening his eyes. His arms wrapped around the person, feeling the coolness of their skin.

"Rui... were you playing in the freezer again?" he mumbled sleepily, too tired to question why her body felt so cold. "Whatever... I got you."

Without a second thought, he pulled the figure deeper into his warm embrace, his mind drifting further into unconsciousness. He didn't care if something felt off; the comfort of holding someone was enough to lull him back into a deep sleep.

The coldness of the body in his arms faded as his own warmth spread through, and Aaron's breathing slowed, completely at ease. Whatever this was—whoever this was—it didn't matter. For once, he could just rest.

And with that, he let go of everything, slipping into the darkness of sleep.