TRIPPING BALLS

Nanami Kanroji, aged 16, was currently alone in the school gym in her basketball uniform. She dribbled a the basketball and looked towards the basket. Taking hold of the ball, she jumped and threw the ball towards the basket. It rolled around the rim of the basket before falling in dropping towards the floor.

She heard clapping coming from the gym entrance and looked to see who it was. "Hasuma?"

There was Ryuji Hasuma. She herself didn't know him personally but she'd heard about it from listening to Otome and her gang, and their complaints about him during practice. She also knew that this was Kotonoha Katsura's boyfriend. Heck, everyone knew since that night at the bonfire dance where they had kissed. Just what was he doing here?

The ball rolled over and touched his feet. "That was a three-pointer shot, wasn't it?" he asked as he picked up the basketball. "Pretty good, I would say." That was an honest compliment, but he wasn't exactly smiling.

"I have to practice," said Nanami, wiping the sweat off her brow.

"Because you gotta be the best," he finished. "You know, it's funny. Within this past week a lot of the members of your basketball team have been hospitalized." He asked, "Care to tell me why?"

"They had accidents from what I heard," she said.

"They were beaten up, by someone," he paused. "Or something." He tossed the ball back to her and she caught it before he took off his jacket and tie. Tossing them aside, he challenged, "Say, how about a little one on one? I bet it'd be better training then just shooting a basketball."

Namami smirked. 'Time to see what this guy's got,' she thought. "You're on!"

Meanwhile, Kotonoha and Loki were watching from the entrance, the girl wondering out loud, "What is he doing?"

"Maybe this is part of his plan," Loki suggested.

Kotonoha watched as Nanami and Ryuji played one on one basketball. She felt a little envious since she herself wouldn't be able to keep up, unlike Nanami. She shook the thoughts out of her head. There was no reason to be jealous.

Ryuji swiftly stole the ball from Nanami and jumped up, scoring another basket. "And that's another basket for me! 2 points!"

"You know," Nanami panted, "You should join the boys' basketball team."

Ryuji tossed the ball back to Nanami and said, "I don't play well with others."

"So I've heard. You're a loner, and yet you're Katsura-san's boyfriend."

"Even a loner needs friends," he shrugged. He saw sand spill from Nanami's hands and spill to the floor. His eyes narrowed as he asked, "Hey, a week ago, did you have any strange dreams?"

"Not that I know of," said Nanami as she dribbled the ball and raised it up to throw it into the basket.

"So a creature made of sand did not suddenly appear in your room and ask if it could grant a wish." Nanami became startled by the question and the ball slipped from her fingers. She stared at him, eyes wide.

"How…how did you know…?" she asked.

"Because from the very start of out match, you've been spilling sand," he pointed as he picked up his jacket. "So, you weren't dreaming. You really did have a sand creature visit you," he said as he slipped on his jacket. "And you did make a wish."

"I wish I was the best basketball player at school!"

"The thing you made a wish from is the one responsible for putting your teammates into the hospital," Ryuji said coldly, "Which makes you responsible as well." He walked up to her and Nanami stepped backwards in terror. His eyes were just so cold and sharp and were piercing through her soul. "And there's one way to get rid of the thing you made a contract with." In a flash of blue flames one of his Ifrit Dao formed in his right hand and he grabbed Nanami by the shoulder while resting the blade against her throat.

"Wha-what are you doing!-?" she cried.

"I kill you, I kill it," he stated. "Since it has yet to complete the contract, its life is still connected to yours which means…" He drew his sword-wielding arm back.

Kotonoha watched and ran in to intervene when all of a sudden the windows up on the wall of the gymnasium shattered and a figure came dropping in. Ryuji saw this and smirked before he withdrew his sword and stepped back from Nanami who stared.

It was an Imagin, a humanoid monster with animal features who'd taken its form based on Nanami's imagination and this Imagin looked like a Kangaroo with boxing gloves resembling basketballs. It hopped on the balls of its feet. Suddenly, it launched itself towards Ryuji with a punch aiming to break his bones only for Ryuji to catch it effortlessly.

"Now I've got you, you bastard!" Ryuji roared as he head-butted the Kangaroo Imagin, sending it staggering.

"Ow…" the Kangaroo Imagin groaned. "Dammit, that hurts!"

"Well, tough!" Ryuji looked to Nanami and told her, "What are you waiting for, idiot!-? Run!" She didn't need to be told twice and began to run but the Kangaroo Imagin jumped high into the air before landing in her way.

"Sorry, but I can't let you leave," the Kangaroo Imagin said as it opened a time portal to the past by opening Nanami up like a door. "Contract com-"

WHAM!

A kick to its head sent it flying away from Nanami whose body closed up before she collapsed to her feet.

"You're not heading to the past on my watch!" Ryuji shouted as he put his Ifrit Belt on. "Loki, Koto-chan, get her out of here!" he ordered.

Kotonoha and Loki came rushing in and helped Nanami up before leading her towards the exit. The Kangaroo Imagin jumped to stop them only to once again be knocked to the ground by a flying kick courtesy of Ryuji.

"Damn it! Who are you!-?" the Kangaroo Imagin demanded.

"Let me show you!" Ryuji slid his Rider Pass into the belt. "Henshin!"

"IFRIT FORM!"

His armor formed over his body as he went to engage the Imagin in battle, his twin Ifrit Dao manifesting in his hands as he started his attack. He slashed but the Imagin jumped backwards to avoid the blade only for Ifrit to move at incredible speed and bury his elbow into its stomach, sending it flying into the wall. Grunting, the Imagin pointed his basketball-themed boxing gloves at Ifrit and fired them like missiles. They hit Ifrit and drove him backwards before returning to the Kangaroo Imagin. Grinning, the Imagin charged towards Ifrit and started to attack with a series of powerful jump kicks, causing Ifrit to staggered with each strike. He also attacked with punches to force Ifrit on the defensive.

"You can't beat me! You can't beat me! You can't beat me!" the Kangaroo Imagin repeatedly taunted while attacking until Ifrit caught its fist in his hand. Ice began to creep up the Imagin's arm, causing him to shiver before Ifrit swung his sword down and chopped the Imagin's arm off. It screamed as it recoiled, sand spilling from its stump as Ifrit discarded the severed arm. Holding his lone sword, he stared at the Imagin coldly as his Killer Intent manifested while his aura flared up and took the shape of a beast of blue flames with the build and mane of a lion, the face of a wolf, horns of a demon.

"Gengi: Jigokuha!" The flaming aura beast was launched towards the Kangaroo Imagin, mauling it as it screamed in agony from the creature's bites and claws before it vanished and Ifrit joined his swords together, pommel to pommel. "Time to put you on ice for good," he said before slamming his thumb down on the button atop his buckle.

"FULL CHARGE!"

An intensely cold aura burst from Ifrit's body, causing ice to cover the floor and creep up the Kangaroo Imagin's body, immobilizing it. He then skated along the ice in a straight line and he accelerated before he slashed the Imagin twice with his combined Ifrit Daos. He skidded to a stop, scattering ice shavings caused by the friction of the boots. The Kangaroo Imagin stiffened as its body was covered in ice before shattering into small pieces. Twirling his swords around, he banished them and dusted off his hands.

"Well, that was almost too easy," he scoffed before leaving the school gym, his armor disappearing once he removed the belt.

He found Kotonoha and Loki standing near Nanami who was unconscious and propped up against the wall. He squatted down and inspected her. "Well, she's a lucky one. She almost became a one way door to the past for that freak."

"Ryuji-kun, you wouldn't really kill her to get to the Imagin, would you?" Kotonoha asked. Ryuji didn't answer her question. "Ryuji-kun?" He stood up and walked off. "Matte!" she called as she followed after him.

Loki sighed sadly and looked to Nanami. She had indeed been lucky and he knew the answer to Kotonoha's question due to his connection to Ryuji. Would Ryuji kill Nanami to get rid of the Imagin?

Most definitely.

Sometime later, the members of the basketball team who'd been hospitalized had recovered and were able to participate in their next basketball match. Ryuji was sitting next to Kotonoha, watching with a bored expression. He looked towards Nanami who scored another basket and smirked. She didn't have to make a wish to become the best. The fact was that she was among the best already and would only get better with time and practice.

Ryuji had answered Kotonoha's question once they were alone. He'd told her honestly that he would've killed Nanami to get rid of the Kangaroo Imagin, in which Kotonoha had responded with a slap and a scolding. She was trying to teach him how to value human life, which was something that he didn't possess. Besides Kotonoha and her family, he possessed a general loathing for the human race.

The only reason he ever became a Rider was to protect Kotonoha and to protect the world for her sake. He didn't care much for the people though.

Kotonoha knew she had her work cut out for her but she didn't regret ever becoming Ryuji's girlfriend. Despite being rough around the edges and possessing homicidal tendencies, Ryuji was actually a very kind person to her. She loved him because he wasn't afraid to be himself around her and he was, unlike Makoto, honest with her.

Well, honest with certain things. He had yet to truly reveal all his secrets to her but she would be patient and wait. They had all the time in the world.

KAMEN RIDER CHROME: Just wanted to write this. I doubt I ever did a story involving Nanami making a wish from an Imagin. Anyway, if you guys ever want to expand on this, be my guest. You can just imagine how the story started itself since this is just the ending. It's good enough for a short story, though.