1 Contorted Monuments Dust. There was dust in his mouth, in his eyes, the helmet broken, the cool summer air against the cold sweat on his forehead, angled, black sunglasses shattered, shards of glass at his feet.

1 Un nuevo despertar A chill ran down his spine. He was no longer the man he had been when Quartzer had been founded, all of them former members of the Unidentified Life Form Related Cases Special Joint Investigation.

1 Beneath the Mask All that work they did on him, all the terrible things they did to his body, and he still woke up sweating when in the thrall of nightmares.

Lost Wisdom Wasn't this over now, Sarah had wanted to cry; hadn't the war ended? There had been peace for twenty years, Crisis was gone, Imperador Crisis was dead, all of those with Crisisian blood had found a new home on Earth, she had found a new home with—"Joe," she whispered, folding her hand over the card, crushing it beneath her fingers.

1 Nuit Féérique She was a Santa Claus, not some sort of freelance magician called in to assist a child in his investigation. She did not care one jot about how talented they assured her he was, nor was she interested in how much the Council of Santas currently was indebted to the Edelfelt family, she would not be a party to this a moment longer! A/N: Sherry from Itsudatte My Santa! festive cameo!

3 Stranger There was still work to do at home. Instead, she was here, in the mountains, in the stands in early November, watching a school production of what was probably Romeo and Juliet, hoping that her younger half-sister would turn up like they agreed. Spoilers for Wonderful Precure #41 and all of Kamen Rider Gotchard.

1 Channelling the Power of Souls When they had stolen Joe's past from him, Crisis had also transformed him into a weapon, a cyborg intended to aid in their invasion of Earth. The old guys, those other warriors who had aided them in the battle against the invaders, had all been in the same boat, reforged by circumstance, a part of their youth traded for cold machinery and new circuitry.

Sayonara no Imi He had brooded over its loss; he had grieved over it. It had been more than his motorcycle, it had been his friend, a kindred spirit that had come to him without summoning when he had been in need.

Blood and Iron "This metal you gave me to work with is strange, gentlemen," he said, the weapon revealed at last in its entirety, a large companion key nestled amongst the rags, the sword revealing a lock in the hit where it might be turned.

Matenrou Kids "That's my cat." She pointed with a finger at the table, indicating the cat carrier below. "She was a cat, then she was a yokai kunoichi, now she's a cat again." A/N: Featuring Araki Hideki from Yuugen Jikkou Sisters Shushutorian.