A/N: Okay, I just wanna clear up something before any of you guys get confused. This fic occurs after Volume 1. And I'm sorry for my inactivity. I know that I may not be the best writer, (for sure), but that doesn't give me the excuse to just leave you guys hanging. Anyways, here's the chapter
Enjoy!
()()()()()
Earth, Kazuo's Apartment:
Ruby and Kazuo sat in Kazuo's room silently. The lack of sound was deafening, and, it goes without saying, awkward. Like, walking into your best friend about to shower, awkward. Ruby shivered at that thought.
Both parties were panicking, frantically trying to find a conversation starter in their minds.
Ruby was the first to speak. "S-So, um... Kazuo."
Kazuo looked up. "Y-Yeah?"
"Wh-What's your favorite dessert?" Ruby asked awkwardly.
The silence afterwards was deafening, so much so that a dropped pin could be heard.
"Uh... Cookies?" He answered, his reply more of a question than a response.
Ruby's eyes visibly brightened and Kazuo leaned back when she suddenly bolted up to him, directly in front of his face.
"Me too! Ohmygosh what's your favorite kind?! I like Chocolate chip because they are hea~venly! But I hate raisin ones because they deceive you so badly when you bite into a cookie! I also like sugar cookies, they're pretty awesome too! Do you have cookies here?! I feel like cookies now! To the kitchen!" Ruby blasted off after her little cookie rant.
Kazuo blinked twice, before he scratched the back of his head in confusion. "What was that?"
His gaze rested on the gun that was discarded to the floor, and he picked it up from its place on the wood. He inspected it, before carrying it over to his nightstand, where he gently placed the firearm inside a drawer, covering it with a cloth.
He went to check up on Ruby, before he realized something. He looked around his room. Closet, TV, nightstand, fan, a shelf, 3 book shelves.
One bed.
"Ah crap. Where is she gonna sleep?" Kazuo muttered to himself. He looked at his bed before sighing. "I guess I'll sleep on the couch tonight."
He shrugged before walking to the kitchen, only to that the red-cloaked scythe wielder had nearly finished all of his cookies. "Oi! What are ya' doin' eaten all those cookies eh?! My sister made those ya' know!"
Ruby seemed to be crying tears of pure bliss as she nibbled on said dessert. "Umf sowwy! Thur sho gwood!" She cried out with her mouth full.
Kazuo was about to take away the cookie jar when Ruby suddenly finished her cookie and jumped back away from him, hissing all the while. "These are too good! These are destined to be eaten, and they shall be! As in right now!" She exclaimed, striking an odd pose while the cookie jar was firmly tucked underneath her arm.
She was about to run off again before Kazuo grabbed her cloak by the hood and jerked back, causing Ruby to jerk backwards with it. Kazuo snatched the jar from her arm and slid onto the countertop before catching Ruby, preventing her from actually impacting the floor.
Ruby felt a little dizzy, holding her head in an attempt to stop the headache caused by the sudden pull. She glared up at Kazuo playfully before sticking her tongue out at him. It was at that moment, Ruby noticed there was something odd about this picture.
Ruby, at the moment, was below Kazuo, held up by his arms, with her head a few inches away from the floor. Their faces were close enough that they could feel each others breath, and the two were stuck there, staring into each others eyes.
Comically, they both blinked at the same time, before Kazuo quickly let go of Ruby, which in turn, caused her to drop to the floor.
He cursed under his breath before leaning towards her. She was rubbing the back of her head, a full pout aimed directly at him. This made Kazuo falter a little, but he quickly apologized. "S-Sorry. I-I was j-just surprised."
Ruby fidgeted a little while looking away from Kazuo's worried gaze. "I-It's alright."
Kazuo held out his hand for her to take, and she complied. He pulled her up. The two stood there in awkward silence for a full minute before Kazuo suddenly clapped his hands.
"Well! It's 10:56 right now, and I don't know about you, but I feel rather tired." Kazuo said, glancing at the clock before turning back to Ruby.
"O-Okay."
He looked at her for a few seconds, before smiling. "You can sleep on my bed. I'll sleep on the couch, until I get some sort of guest bed."
"S-Sure."
Kazuo sighed. "Look, I know you miss home. I can see it in your eyes. So, if you want to talk to me about... uhh..."
"Remnant?" Ruby inserted.
"Yeah, Remnant. Look, just know that you can talk to me if you feel down or anything. I should know, I have two younger siblings, so I know a thing or two about counseling." Kazuo said in an attempt to sooth any of the red-themed girl's worries.
"Y'know what, Kazuo?"
Said boy raised an eyebrow in response. "What?"
Ruby looked up with a small smile. "You're a really good friend." She said before giving him a firm hug.
Kazuo, surprised by the sudden gesture, panicked a little. "W-Woah! H-Hey we just met! I mean, I appreciate the gesture and everything, but aren't you the least worried about me doing something?" Kazuo asked.
Ruby shook her head, that radiant smile of hers plastered on her face. "Nope! I can tell that you're a really good person!" She exclaimed.
Kazuo couldn't help but give a smile in return. Dang, this girl was really getting under his skin. This is like his sister all over again, but much, much worse!
"Alright, well, tell me if you need anything. I'll be right here, so I won't be very far. Alright?" Kazuo smiled before giving a light ruffle to Ruby's hair. God, how tempting that urge had been since he first saw her.
"Okay. Thank you, Kazuo." Ruby expressed her gratitude sincerely, before she walked off to Kazuo's bedroom. Kazuo himself went to the living room and plopped himself on the couch, sitting there in the dark doing absolutely nothing.
He looked around him before he saw his Xbox One. Thanking his lucky stars that it was the weekend, he grinned. "Maybe a few video games?" He asked himself, before promptly going over and turning on the console. He put in one of the game discs, (Ahem* Destiny Ahem*) and waited for the console to boot up.
"Alright, let's see. A raid?"
()()()()()
Earth, Kazuo's Apartment,
The next day:
Ruby Rose opened her eyes to a creamy white ceiling. Half-expecting it to be the RWBY dorm, she absentmindedly greeted Yang. "Morning Yang..." She said with a yawn, before her eyes snapped wide open in realization. She got up from the bed and looked around, a sudden feeling of sadness washing over her when she saw that she was still with Kazuo. But then, that feeling of sadness was replaced with contentment.
"Ha! Take that Oryx you Taken idiot!"
A loud yell stripped her of whatever drowsiness that she had remaining, and caused her to get out of bed and find the source of the sudden noise. She walked down the hallway and into the living room, where she saw Kazuo wearing black and green headsets while holding a strange object in his hands. There were dark circles under his eyes, signaling his lack of sleep. Seeing as he hadn't noticed her yet, Ruby snuck around him to get a better look at what he was looking at.
It was a game, if the way his characters moved according to the positioning of the joy sticks were any indication. Ruby was fascinated by the weapons shown, including a large, belt-fed machine gun, a rocket launcher, a sword crackling with lightning, and others. She tapped Kazuo's shoulder to get his attention.
He whirled around, controller above his head ready to strike down any opponent. But, his grip on the controller faltered when he saw Ruby's scared expression, her body on the floor from the sudden reaction. He sighed.
"Sorry Ruby. You just startled me, that's all." He quickly apologized after setting the controller down. He slid off the head set and stood up to help Ruby. He held out his hand, which Ruby grabbed and pulled herself up with. Kazuo looked back to the TV screen and turned it off with the remote, before making his way to the console and turning it off as well.
He then went into the kitchen, a small area that was purely white and accommodated a single refrigerator/freezer, a microwave, oven/stove, and a sink. The rest of the kitchen was used for cabinets.
"So, what do you wanna eat?" He asked Ruby as he opened the fridge.
"Uh... Cookies!" She exclaimed.
The answer he received made Kazuo stop what he was doing and slowly turn to her. "Cookies? Really? This early in the morning? It's literally 6:14 right now. Did I mention that it was morning?"
Ruby placed her hands on her hips and gave him a sort of sassy pose. "I know that, I'm not an idiot. And yes, I want cookies this early in the morning. I have a certain amount of cookies I need to eat each day unless I-"
"No, not happening." Kazuo cut her off, returning to the fridge and rummaging through the food within. It was at this point, that Ruby had marched up to him and gave him the best pout she could muster, which was one of, if not the most, cutest pouts known to man.
Fortunately for one and unfortunately for the other, Kazuo was very tolerant. "Not happening, little reaper."
Ruby's pour turned into a frown. "Little reaper? Where did that come from?"
"Eh, nickname I thought of when I saw you with that scythe. By the way, you should really take off your shoes. I hope you took them off before going to sleep?"
Ruby nodded before she took off her shoes and dashed off to the where she assumed the front door was, before placing her boots right next to a pair of blue and black all-weather boots.
She went back to the kitchen to find Kazuo in the kitchen about to cook pancakes. He took out the pans and then found the quick mix in one of the cupboards. While Kazuo was cooking their breakfast, Ruby was walking around the apartment trying to find something to do. During her little venture, she found a small and thin, black rectangular object about 4 inches long, 2 inches wide and a few centimeters thick. It was all black except for a single icon on the back which was of an apple with a chunk taken out. There were a few buttons on the object.
Ruby pressed a button on the top of the object, causing it to come to life. An image of Kazuo and two other people, -seemingly younger than him-, standing in front of a large black banner with a golden circle and a spear with crossed guns within the circle. Underneath the symbol were the words, "Golden Laser Range: Laser Tag & More." They were smiling brightly, even Kazuo. They were all holding what seemed to be guns, but they were flashing along with the colored vests that they wore.
Suddenly, Kazuo's voice caused her to nearly drop the object in her hands. She pressed the button again, causing the image to fade away, before bringing it with her to the kitchen. She sat down at the small table right in front of the kitchen and waited. A few moments later, a stack of pancakes on a plate appeared in front of her, along with a bottle of syrup and another but smaller plate with butter. Kazuo sat down in the seat opposite of her and set down his plate as well.
Ruby placed the rectangular object on the table before grabbing the syrup and pouring it onto her pancakes. Kazuo raised an eyebrow at her while he chewed his food after seeing her pull out the object. "Um... Ruby? Why do you have my phone?" He asked her.
Ruby looked up from her plate and tilted her head in confusion. Seeing this, Kazuo pointed to the black rectangular object next to Ruby's plate. "That thing?" She asked.
"Yeah, why do you have it?"
"I found it while I was exploring the apartment," she replied as she handed it to Kazuo, "although I don't understand why you don't use scrolls."
Now it was Kazuo's turn to be confused. "Scrolls? Why would we use scrolls?"
Ruby blinked at Kazuo's question before taking out her scroll, which was in her pocket. She flipped it open, and showed it to Kazuo. "This is a scroll. It serves as a phone and a tablet, allowing us to manage our aura usage, as well as serve as a communication and gaming device."
Kazuo gingerly took the scroll from Ruby and touched the glowing holographic screen. "Woah. What the heck is this made of? The holograph doesn't even budge. It's completely solid! According to research, of course with modern technology taken into account, it's nearly impossible to change the physical properties of light and convert it into a solid, although that's only from what I've read. How does this work? It sure isn't glass, because glass doesn't alter it's size like that to change from a phone to a tablet."
Ruby assumed a thinking position before shrugging. "I don't know. I just received and used it. Never bothered to look into it."
"Well, this is obviously not a scroll. This is just way too cool and high-tech. I'm sure if people found this, the government would be hammering you with questions. You might wanna keep this a secret." Kazuo advised as he handed the device back to Ruby.
Ruby raised an eyebrow at this. "Why?"
Kazuo just shook his head. "Trust me, if the movies I've watched and the games that I've played are anything to go on, government interrogations are long, exhausting, and most importantly, extremely boring."
Ruby sweat dropped. "Heheh, heh. Riight, because they're always true." She dryly commented.
Kazuo gave Ruby an odd glare, one that held no real menace. "I know that. But I'm just saying, as a precaution."
Ruby just sighed. "Okay, fine by me."
The table set into a comfortable silence as the two ate. The occasional clink of forks against plates rang out in the apartment. Suddenly, Kazuo's phone rang, and the screen lit up with the picture of a silver withered skull, not human, and shaped more like a horse's.
He pressed the answer button and stood up from the table. "Excuse me," he said as he left the room.
Ruby sat there eating silently for a few minutes. When Kazuo returned, dressed in lined lined jeans and a black hoodie, he quickly polished off his plate before taking it to the kitchen to wash.
"Hey Ruby? I... uh... I have to go somewhere today. I'm not entirely sure whether or not to bring you, s-so I'm kind of giving the decision to you."
'I don't know if she'll burn down the house if I'm not here.' He thought.
Ruby rested a finger in her chin, assuming a thinking pose, before giving a thumbs up.
"I'll go! I want to see if there are any candy stores around here. Or better yet, a bakery!" Ruby exclaimed.
Kazuo swore he saw cookies in her eyes. Has he lost his mind?
"Eh, why a bakery? I think I already know the answer, but I just want to make sure." Kazuo asked, a little uneasy. The reason why?
"For the holy goodness that is chocolate chip cookies!"
He worked at the bakery next to his apartment.
'Well, I guess I'm gonna be baking even when I'm not at work.' Kazuo mused.
"Turns out I was right. *Sigh* Let's just get going. Jake'll be irritated if I'm late." He grumbled before putting on his boots, the blue and black all-weather boots next to Ruby's. From her perspective, Ruby saw the same silver skull on his back. The same one she saw on his phone.
"Hey Kazuo?"
"Yeah?" He answered without looking, busying himself with securing his boots to his feet.
"What does the symbol on your back mean?" Ruby inquired.
Kazuo seemed to stop for a moments before sighing. "It was the insignia for my father's unit in the marines. Symbolizing the fourth horseman of the apocalypse, Death."
"Horseman?" The term wasn't new to Ruby. However, in the way that Kazuo had put it, the term seemed a lot more... divine?
'I really need to ask Weiss to help expand my... vocabulary. Yeah, my vocabulary. Right?'
"Yeah. Four horsemen shall ride unto the earth as harbingers of the Final Judgment of God. Pestilence, Famine, War, and Death," Kazuo explained, "wait, I think I got the order wrong. Does it really matter though?" He mumbled to himself.
"Anyway, we gotta go. It's already 7:05 and I need to be there by 7:20." He ushered Ruby out of the door as soon as she put on her boots.
After locking the door and checking to make sure it wouldn't open, the two walked to an elevator a few meters to their right. After getting off and walking through the lobby, they arrived on the sidewalk. Ruby got a few odd stares from the people around them, causing her to subconsciously lean towards Kazuo. Noticing her discomfort, Kazuo sent a few glares to anyone who stared for too long.
Ruby smiled up at him in gratitude. "Thanks. I didn't think the people here would have such different tastes in fashion. I mean granted that they're not completely different, back on Remnant, nobody ever stared at me weirdly when I was walking through the city."
Kazuo gave a small chuckle. "Heh. I'm surprised. You stick out like a sore thumb here. And I mean like, slammed by a door, stung by a bee, and smashed by a hammer, sore thumb. But I won't judge. If anybody wants to criticize your sense of fashion, then they'll have to talk to me first." He declared, giving her a smile.
And it was at this moment, that Ruby wondered if this was what it was like to have a big brother.
