Kamen Rider Hime Vol. 6

Note: This one's gonna differ from previous posts since it's an exposition-heavy volume.

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This volume opens up with Kamen Rider Hime sitting in a luxurious private study wrapping torn pieces of scarf over her wounds. Kamen Rider Pluto stands at attention nearby, watching curious as Hime ignores the first aid kit with actual bandages that has been left for her to use. The two Riders sit in silence for nearly an hour until the door opens, admitting a slight, pink-haired girl. Hime looks up for a moment, dismissing the newcomer while Pluto stands stiffly at attention. The girl walks up to Hime and looks at her intently.

"Are you going to stand up?" the girl says.

"Should I?" Kamen Rider Hime asks.

The girl almost smiles. "You ought to. I'm the one who asked that you be brought here. My name is Komeji. Satori Komeji. You may call me Lady Satori."

Beneath her helmet, Kamen Rider Hime's eyes bulge. The infamous shadow boss of Bridge City herself was standing before her and had a Kamen Rider at her beck and call? Hime slowly stands.

"Then I owe you my thanks, Lady Satori." Hime says. "Kamen Rider Pluto saved my life."

Satori nods. "Under ordinary circumstances, I wouldn't have sent her. I've been watching you for years, leaving you to your own devices as you haven't needed any assistance. Things have changed though."

Satori walks over to a bookshelf, searching for a specific book. Hime watches, sitting back down.

"Your enemies this time aren't militant environmentalist humans or greedy Kappa bank robbers this time. They're a group of immortals from another part of the world called Greece. They call themselves the Sins."

Satori finds the book she was looking for and levitates it over to Hime with a particular page open: a fable called Pandora's Box.

"I think I've read this before," Hime says. "What's the point?"

"Pandora wasn't a person, like in the myth. It was a school for sages," Satori explains. "The wisdom of the greatest philosophers being taught to children gifted with the power of the gods in the hopes of creating a class of leader with the wisdom to rule responsibly and the power to defy any evil."

"Sounds good so far," Hime says with a nod. "What happened?"

"The philosophy was of no interest to one student; she only wanted the power. She secretly dabbled in forbidden tomes, knowledge only the most experienced sages were allowed to read," Satori answers. "She learned a ritual that could give her the power she craved at grave cost. Sin was nothing new at the time, but she befriended seven students who exemplified each sin, unwitting pawns to use in her bid for power."

The floor lights up showing eight figures: one in the center surrounded by the other seven. The middle figure, a short girl in an elaborate costume, is reading from a book, increasing the intensity of the glow. Finally, she shuts the book, causing an explosion of light. The other figures scream silently and writhe as mist flows from them to the girl in the center.

"Once the ritual was over, she crowned herself the Queen of Sin and ordered her Knights to slaughter the academy and its students. It was a blood bath; the ritual had given the Knights incredible power but bound their souls to the Queen's will. By the end, only the eight Sins remained."

Kamen Rider Hime flinched as the display suddenly vanished.

"Amazing tale. How do you know all this?" Hime says.

"It was told to me in passing by one of the Knights." Satori answers. "Centuries again when she first arrived in this land."

"Why-?"

"I don't know what she was doing in Gensokyo. We only met once. I have tried to keep an eye on her descendants though."

"Descendants?"

Satori nods. "Indeed. The Hashihimes. They began appearing shortly after I met her and radiate the same Envious energy as she did."

Kamen Rider Hime freezes as Satori walks up to her.

"I expect you would know more about the Hashihimes than I would, Kamen Rider, so why don't you fill in the gaps for me." Satori says.

"It's a family secret." Hime counters.

"You do owe me one since I've shared with you," Satori says back.

"...alright, fine." Kamen Rider Hime stands and begins to pace. "The Hashihimes have been fighting injustice for centuries using the power of Kamen Rider Hime, a magical talisman passed down from mother to daughter for generations. We're excessively jealous - it's in our blood - and we can use that power for our danmaku and spell cards, but we need the talisman to bring forth the power of the Rider."

Satori nods. "Likely a legacy of the original Envy. At your peak, you can fight one of the Knights on even footing - as shown when you killed Wrath, though he had been severely injured prior to your battle - but any less than your best and you get overpowered, like when you were nearly defeated by Gluttony."

Hime turns to face her host. "Alright, I've given you a secret for yours. Now...why not tell me why you brought me here. "

"Of course. I've brought you here because I wish to join forces with you." Satori says, staring back. "I have....good reason to believe that the Sins are here for something of mine but they won't hesitate to ruin this city to get it. Neither of us wants them to succeed."

Kamen Rider Hime turned to Kamen Rider Pluto, who nodded back.

"Very well, Lady Satori. I accept. Just one more question: who is Pluto?"

Satori smirked. "Are you sharing YOUR identity?"

"No."

"Then Pluto's is a secret too. Visit my physician before you leave. We'll be in touch."

As quietly as she entered, Satori left, leaving the two Riders alone.