The Guardian (Kamen Rider Ex-Aid Crossover)

Prologue

'I did the right thing.' A purple-haired goddess thought while closing her eyes.

'To save humans and their planet. I'm sorry for leaving without saying goodbye. Tachibana Hibiki, you're the one who helped me to pick up my heart pieces when Kanade was dead. You helped me to move forward and think of the good memories of her.'

'Kazanari Tsubasa, thank you for helping me adapt to the environment and lending your ears to listen to my problem.'

'Yukine Chris, thank you for helping me to voice out my thoughts of what I want or need. You told me not to be afraid of my powers because no one controls them like I do.'

'Cadenzavna Maria Eve, Akatsuki Kirika and Tsukuyomi Shirabe, thank you for being my sisters' figures to me.'

'Everyone, thank you for making me feel what it feels like to be part of your lives. Now, I can finally be with my family again.'

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An 8-year-old black-haired girl reads the book with a blank look. All of the children including their caretaker are terrified to approach or talk to her because of her high intelligence. She's the only child in the orphanage who would read advanced reading material and talk maturity.

'I guess, I'm here for an unknown reason.' The girl sighs quietly before glancing at the window. 'I know this is Earth but I'm on a different world.' She observes the children are playing without a care in the world. The girl senses the atmosphere is different and tries to search for her friends but only finds out they don't exist. She even tried to search the relics and history but the results are the same.

"Um... Ophelia-chan?" Someone called and turned around to face the caretaker with a cold look. "Someone is here for you."

"For me?" The girl muttered and stared at the two adults behind the caretaker with a suspicious look. 'Normally, no one would adopt me because I'm different from them. Granted I still have my abilities to fight but I refuse to use it.' It's a miracle for her to have abilities from her previous life. She didn't expect someone would like to see her because of the rumors of being a freak. It hurts to get bullied by them but she refused to show the feelings they wanted to see.

"Hello, Ophelia-chan." A woman in her mid-20s approaches with a warm smile. "I'm Barron Haruka."

"It's nice to meet you, Barron-san." Ophelia bows her head politely at the woman. "I'm curious and wondering about your presence." None of the adults except the caretaker ever stepped foot on her door because of the rumors and refused to be adopted.

The caretaker gives Ophelia a look to behave before smiling brightly at the married couple. "Please excuse her behavior. Ophelia-chan was surprised to see—"

"More like intrigued because no one ever stepped foot in my room except the caretaker." Ophelia corrected her and gazed at them. "Whoever is spreading the rumors about me is false. I'm not a freak just because I'm different from everyone."

Haruka and her husband, William, heard rumors of the girl with high intelligence and everyone treated her differently. They could see her eyes were filled with wisdom yet loneliness for being different from them. No one catches their attention but Ophelia.

"You're special in your own way, sweetheart." William assured and approached her calmly. "To Kill A Mockingbird? Isn't that inappropriate for a young girl like you?" He asked curiously and hint of amusement to know her interests.

"She did what!?" The caretaker shrieked in shock. She's struggling to understand English words from the book and simply shoves it on Ophelia's face.

"I find the story interesting and you're right about inappropriate age." Ophelia's lips twitched up in amusement but remained blank. "I can understand English fluently and learn how to speak from it." She caught the caretaker off guard while the couple stared at her with amazement for saying it fluently. "You haven't answered my question."

"We wanted to adopt you, Ophelia." William answered truthfully of their purpose. They tried to have their own child but Haruka is infertile. Both couples decide to adopt a child who happens to be Ophelia. They're drawn to her for a reason.

"It's not because we pity you, Ophelia." Haruka notices her expression and behavior. "We wanted you to become a part of our family. We're drawn to you for a reason it's hard to explain."

"You're a unique girl, Ophelia." They notice her eyes widen slightly in surprise. "We believe adopting you is a blessing for us."

Ophelia sensed no ill intentions but pure longing and hoped she would accept them. She could tell they wanted to have their own children. Haruka reminds her of Amou Kanade due to similar features. The girl misses her family and friends but the new life without them pains her greatly. She needs to move forward and find happiness for her own sake. 'Am I going to be happy again?' Ophelia thinks and struggles to let go of the past.

"We may not be blood-related, Ophelia." William holds her hand gently. "Or trying to replace them. We wanted to become part of your life. It would take time for you to get used to us. It's fine for us. The moment we laid our eyes on you. You're the only child we want." He consoles the little girl. The man senses her hesitation and discomfort about being adopted. 'No matter what happens, Ophelia. Whatever pain happens in the past, we're always been here for you.' He silently vowed and wished she would accept it.

Ophelia decided it was time for her to move forward.