estirose

This time, it's poor Koutarou. He's technically from Kamen Rider Den-o, but in this particular universe, his grandmother is Mio from Kamen Rider Kiva (who didn't do spoilery stuff), making him 1/4 Fangire.

"That's beautiful," Wataru said. She liked people being together, and these two seemed to get along just fine. "Who's next?"

"I'm next." Koutarou sighed. "You're just as stubborn as Taiga."

She gave him a smile. "It's part of having to put up with Taiga, really."

Koutarou nodded, but there was no enthusiasm. "I suppose that this is a safe place to talk about what happened...."

--

Koutarou looked up as his father was talking in the other room. "He's just fine, Uncle Taiga." Uncle Taiga was his grandmother's ex-husband or something like that.

"I'm sure he is, Rintarou, but I have to check. You know how your mother worries." There was a smile in that statement. Then a man a little older than Koutarou himself walked in, followed by Koutarou's father.

"Yes, as you can see, he's fine." His father was trying to mask worry - doing pretty well, but Koutarou knew. "Koutarou, this is your Great-Uncle Taiga. Our King."

King? Koutarou had to wonder about that, but kept the worry off his own face. "King." He bowed as well as he could, being seated. He'd ask his dad later about the whole thing.

"Hello, Koutarou. I see you take after Mio." Mio was Koutarou's grandmother on his dad's side, someone he'd never seen. Koutarou knew that there were some odd things out there, being bonded to an Imagin himself, but apparently there were some even odder things going on with his family. Like Uncle Taiga.

"I do?" he asked, trying to sound far more confident than he felt. Fighting enemy Imagin? He was good at that. Family, apparently, not so much.

"You do." Uncle Taiga - who shouldn't be as young as he was - put a hand on Koutarou's shoulder for a moment. A look of surprise and horror crossed his face. "Koutarou, have you been fed? At all?"

"Yes." He had a sense that he was missing something major going on in the room.

"Do you know what feeding is?"

There was a surge of panic on his father's face, and Koutarou didn't know how to answer. Taiga studied him for a moment. "Koutarou. Don't worry, as soon as this is over, I'll take you home and your grandmother will take good care of you."

Koutarou nodded slowly. Uncle Taiga gave him a big smile and patted him on the shoulder once more.

"Rintarou. You know what you did wrong, don't you? Your mother would be horrified if she knew what was happening." Uncle Taiga had turned towards Koutarou's father, his voice hardening. "How could you neglect your own child like this? He doesn't even know what he is."

"Um." Koutarou's father was fidgeting.

"You know the rules. Your mother enforces them." Taiga's tone turned even harder. "Don't think just because you're family that you're not covered by them. I nearly executed your mother once, under the old rules."

"Yes, Uncle Taiga."

Uncle Taiga sighed. "Do you realize how much not knowing what he was messed your Uncle Wataru up? This is why the rules are in place."

"Yes, Uncle Taiga." Koutarou's father was bowing deeply.

"I'm glad I'm here. It would hurt your mother so much to have to do this." Taiga briefly shook his head. "If You Glint Suddenly Heartbeat The Ghost, for neglecting A Young Archer Completes The Photo, this is the final judgement of the King: death!" And with that, there was a glow from his palm. Koutarou's father disappeared.

Taiga shook his head once more before turning back to Koutarou, who was still processing things. "Let's go home now."

"No!" Koutarou screamed, running past Taiga in hopes that he'd imagined everything that had just happened. Instead, the door lead to a richly-paneled lobby, and Uncle Taiga had disappeared.

Maybe, just maybe, he'd have time to breathe and work things out. He hoped.