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estirise"Unwanted Wings" has been a WIP for... several years now. Here is me attempting to write a shorter alternate version.
Fandom: Kamen Rider Kabuto
Rating: 8+
Alternate to episodes 20-21, and spoilers for same.
Summary: Kagami didn't want a partner after TheBee.
Squeezing Lemons
By Estirose
C 2009
Kagami had always wanted a Zecter, had become annoyed when Tendou had gotten Kabuto, but had no way to get his own. He had always been protected by his police captain - later, commissioner - father, and he often wished he hadn't been protected.
But his brief time as TheBee had dampened that desire to be a Zecter's host. Being a Zecter's host in ZECT meant that you had to do things you didn't really want to do, that you had objections to, and you couldn't do anything about that either. He had made up his mind; no more Zecters, not while he was in ZECT.
Of course, ZECT did try to bring non-ZECT hosts in, and if Kagami for some reason became a host after he left ZECT, he was sure that they'd pull him in. But there was nothing he could do about that, either.
So he, not wanting to be stuck doing anything stupid like confront Tendou again, hoped that he never, ever would be a Zecter host, ever again.
Which of course meant that he would be assaulted by one as he was walking down the street on one of his rare complete days off; one that he didn't know about. Of course, he hadn't known about Drake or Sasword until he'd met their wielders either.
The Zecter hovering around him and buzzing angrily was blue; Kagami wasn't sure how it mounted or anything, nor did he really care. He mostly cared that it was buzzing angrily at him, and he had no idea who its partner was or what he'd done to cause offense. Zecters could be very protective of their human hosts; he'd seen that, he'd lived it, he had no desire to be on the receiving end of a Zecter beating.
"So, who is your partner?" he asked, and the Zecter buzzed at him as if that was the most stupid question in the world and that he should be ashamed for asking it. But it wasn't like he'd chosen to be confronted by an angry blue Zecter with no clue why. "Give me some help!"
The Zecter, had it eyes, would probably have been glaring at him. As it was, he was sure that it thought he was the stupidest person in the world. Which he wasn't, but good luck convincing it. It lunged at him and he got quickly out of the way, not wanting to be on its bad side, and started running.
He was sure it was following him. Then it was in front of him, and he still wasn't sure what it wanted, but it was pissed and there was no way in hell he was dealing with a pissed off Zecter.
Then it hit him in the chest, enough to knock him to the pavement. He saved himself from being knocked unconscious, but he was helpless to do anything for a moment as the Zecter landed on the front of his shirt and burned what he was sure was a Zecter-shaped hole in it. He recovered after that moment and pulled the Zecter off - a layer of his skin went with it, leaving an angry mark with bleeding, and held it as it flailed. He wasn't sure what it thought it was doing, but he was sure that burning his chest was not what Zecters were supposed to do.
It buzzed even more angrily at him, and he fished out his cell phone with one hand. He struggled to flip it out, wondering who he should call. Tendou-san? No, he'd look at Kagami like he was stupid and do something that made Zecters fall in love with him. Misaki-san would probably laugh at him.
Tadokoro-san would probably know what to do. Kageyama-san too, but he didn't trust Kageyama-san, so Tadokoro-san it was. He somehow managed to dial his boss even as the Zecter struggled in his hands.
His immediate boss picked up. Kagami was surprised, as he was sure his boss was supposed to be off at some ZECT thing, but he was at least answering the call. "Kagami," he said briefly, no doubt wondering why Kagami was interrupting something important.
"Tadokoro-san," Kagami said, still dealing with the struggling Zecter. "There's a loose Zecter-"
"I know," Tadokoro-san said grimly. "I was going to brief you and Misaki."
"I'm holding onto it," Kagami said, wondering if he still sounded stupid. "It attacked me, and I got it off, but...."
"Kagami, tell me where you are, and I'll be right there," Tadokoro-san promised.
After a moment of reflection, Kagami wondered what Tadokoro-san could do, but decided not to ask. Instead, he dutifully gave directions to the park and once again, Tadokoro-san promised that he'd be there as soon as possible.
Which he did, which was good as Kagami really was getting tired of holding a Zecter that wanted to mate with his chest, which made no sense but also was the only thing that made sense. He let it struggle as Tadokoro-san came into view, followed by Misaki-san.
"Kagami," Tadokoro-san said, "Let's get you into the van."
The Zecter struggled even harder in Tadokoro-san's presence, and Kagami had to exert his strength to keep it off his chest. "Okay," he said.
He was helped by the two of them down the street into the van. "So, whose Zecter is this and why is it trying to burn a hole in my chest?" Kagami asked. He was sure Tadokoro-san would either give him an answer or evade the question and produce a box to hold the Zecter. Either was acceptable as long as the Zecter didn't come after him again.
"You're holding Gattack Zecter," Tadokoro-san said, as if it was the most natural thing in the world for Kagami to hold a struggling Zecter that wanted to eat his chest. "It doesn't have a host, yet."
"Oh," Kagami said. "So, it's trying to eat my chest...."
"Gattack Zecter has to bond with its host and make its host more compatible with it," Tadokoro-san said. "It seems, Kagami, that you are its choice."
Kagami eyed the Zecter, which was still trying to do its best to eat him up. "So, what do I do?" He didn't want to be a host, but Tadokoro-san and Misaki-san knew that he was the Zecter's choice. He'd get it to leave him later.
"Let it go," Tadokoro-san said blandly.
Kagami forced his fingers off the Zecter, though his mind was screaming "Bad choice! Bad choice!" at him. The Zecter flew in a circle before settling on the hole that it had made, and suddenly everything hurt so much that Kagami passed out.
To wake up in a hospital room, probably in the ZECT ward in the hospital. Tadokoro-san and Misaki-san were waiting. "What happened?" he asked.
"The bonding was successful," Tadokoro-san said, rubbing his eyes. Kagami realized for the first time that his boss had not wanted this either, but neither had a choice. He'd make it through, though. He knew he would. "You'll be released from the hospital in a day."
Kagami nodded. "I'll do what I can."
"I know you will," Tadokoro-san said. "I know you will." He reached out a hand to Kagami's, covering it. "Because you're Kagami."
Knowing his Boss had confidence in him, Kagami couldn't help but have confidence that he'd be a good choice, no matter how he felt about the whole thing. But he didn't say anything, just giving a satisfied smile. He'd be rogue if he'd have to, but he would make this work. Because none of them had a choice.
Sometimes you did have to make lemons out of lemonade, and he was sure that Gattack Zecter would help him squeeze the lemons.
Fandom: Kamen Rider Kabuto
Rating: 8+
Alternate to episodes 20-21, and spoilers for same.
Summary: Kagami didn't want a partner after TheBee.
Squeezing Lemons
By Estirose
C 2009
Kagami had always wanted a Zecter, had become annoyed when Tendou had gotten Kabuto, but had no way to get his own. He had always been protected by his police captain - later, commissioner - father, and he often wished he hadn't been protected.
But his brief time as TheBee had dampened that desire to be a Zecter's host. Being a Zecter's host in ZECT meant that you had to do things you didn't really want to do, that you had objections to, and you couldn't do anything about that either. He had made up his mind; no more Zecters, not while he was in ZECT.
Of course, ZECT did try to bring non-ZECT hosts in, and if Kagami for some reason became a host after he left ZECT, he was sure that they'd pull him in. But there was nothing he could do about that, either.
So he, not wanting to be stuck doing anything stupid like confront Tendou again, hoped that he never, ever would be a Zecter host, ever again.
Which of course meant that he would be assaulted by one as he was walking down the street on one of his rare complete days off; one that he didn't know about. Of course, he hadn't known about Drake or Sasword until he'd met their wielders either.
The Zecter hovering around him and buzzing angrily was blue; Kagami wasn't sure how it mounted or anything, nor did he really care. He mostly cared that it was buzzing angrily at him, and he had no idea who its partner was or what he'd done to cause offense. Zecters could be very protective of their human hosts; he'd seen that, he'd lived it, he had no desire to be on the receiving end of a Zecter beating.
"So, who is your partner?" he asked, and the Zecter buzzed at him as if that was the most stupid question in the world and that he should be ashamed for asking it. But it wasn't like he'd chosen to be confronted by an angry blue Zecter with no clue why. "Give me some help!"
The Zecter, had it eyes, would probably have been glaring at him. As it was, he was sure that it thought he was the stupidest person in the world. Which he wasn't, but good luck convincing it. It lunged at him and he got quickly out of the way, not wanting to be on its bad side, and started running.
He was sure it was following him. Then it was in front of him, and he still wasn't sure what it wanted, but it was pissed and there was no way in hell he was dealing with a pissed off Zecter.
Then it hit him in the chest, enough to knock him to the pavement. He saved himself from being knocked unconscious, but he was helpless to do anything for a moment as the Zecter landed on the front of his shirt and burned what he was sure was a Zecter-shaped hole in it. He recovered after that moment and pulled the Zecter off - a layer of his skin went with it, leaving an angry mark with bleeding, and held it as it flailed. He wasn't sure what it thought it was doing, but he was sure that burning his chest was not what Zecters were supposed to do.
It buzzed even more angrily at him, and he fished out his cell phone with one hand. He struggled to flip it out, wondering who he should call. Tendou-san? No, he'd look at Kagami like he was stupid and do something that made Zecters fall in love with him. Misaki-san would probably laugh at him.
Tadokoro-san would probably know what to do. Kageyama-san too, but he didn't trust Kageyama-san, so Tadokoro-san it was. He somehow managed to dial his boss even as the Zecter struggled in his hands.
His immediate boss picked up. Kagami was surprised, as he was sure his boss was supposed to be off at some ZECT thing, but he was at least answering the call. "Kagami," he said briefly, no doubt wondering why Kagami was interrupting something important.
"Tadokoro-san," Kagami said, still dealing with the struggling Zecter. "There's a loose Zecter-"
"I know," Tadokoro-san said grimly. "I was going to brief you and Misaki."
"I'm holding onto it," Kagami said, wondering if he still sounded stupid. "It attacked me, and I got it off, but...."
"Kagami, tell me where you are, and I'll be right there," Tadokoro-san promised.
After a moment of reflection, Kagami wondered what Tadokoro-san could do, but decided not to ask. Instead, he dutifully gave directions to the park and once again, Tadokoro-san promised that he'd be there as soon as possible.
Which he did, which was good as Kagami really was getting tired of holding a Zecter that wanted to mate with his chest, which made no sense but also was the only thing that made sense. He let it struggle as Tadokoro-san came into view, followed by Misaki-san.
"Kagami," Tadokoro-san said, "Let's get you into the van."
The Zecter struggled even harder in Tadokoro-san's presence, and Kagami had to exert his strength to keep it off his chest. "Okay," he said.
He was helped by the two of them down the street into the van. "So, whose Zecter is this and why is it trying to burn a hole in my chest?" Kagami asked. He was sure Tadokoro-san would either give him an answer or evade the question and produce a box to hold the Zecter. Either was acceptable as long as the Zecter didn't come after him again.
"You're holding Gattack Zecter," Tadokoro-san said, as if it was the most natural thing in the world for Kagami to hold a struggling Zecter that wanted to eat his chest. "It doesn't have a host, yet."
"Oh," Kagami said. "So, it's trying to eat my chest...."
"Gattack Zecter has to bond with its host and make its host more compatible with it," Tadokoro-san said. "It seems, Kagami, that you are its choice."
Kagami eyed the Zecter, which was still trying to do its best to eat him up. "So, what do I do?" He didn't want to be a host, but Tadokoro-san and Misaki-san knew that he was the Zecter's choice. He'd get it to leave him later.
"Let it go," Tadokoro-san said blandly.
Kagami forced his fingers off the Zecter, though his mind was screaming "Bad choice! Bad choice!" at him. The Zecter flew in a circle before settling on the hole that it had made, and suddenly everything hurt so much that Kagami passed out.
To wake up in a hospital room, probably in the ZECT ward in the hospital. Tadokoro-san and Misaki-san were waiting. "What happened?" he asked.
"The bonding was successful," Tadokoro-san said, rubbing his eyes. Kagami realized for the first time that his boss had not wanted this either, but neither had a choice. He'd make it through, though. He knew he would. "You'll be released from the hospital in a day."
Kagami nodded. "I'll do what I can."
"I know you will," Tadokoro-san said. "I know you will." He reached out a hand to Kagami's, covering it. "Because you're Kagami."
Knowing his Boss had confidence in him, Kagami couldn't help but have confidence that he'd be a good choice, no matter how he felt about the whole thing. But he didn't say anything, just giving a satisfied smile. He'd be rogue if he'd have to, but he would make this work. Because none of them had a choice.
Sometimes you did have to make lemons out of lemonade, and he was sure that Gattack Zecter would help him squeeze the lemons.
