(A/N:) Hey, everyone! Welcome back to another chapter of Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time. We last left off with Kurokuu meeting the man in the brown cloak, which we all know by now is Shuichi. So now here we are at part two of the Zeronos Arc. Leave a review on what you think about this chapter and I hope you all enjoy.
I do not I own the rights to the series RWBY or Kamen Rider. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth Productions and The Kamen Rider Series is owned by Toei Company
"Normal Speech"
'Thoughts/Inner communication between OC and imagin'
"Third Person/Flashback"
"Imagin speech"
Back on the Den-Liner, Weiss and Momotaros are pacing back and forth as they await for Ryutaros and Kurokuu's return. "Grahhh! Where's Kurokuu and that brat?!" Momotaros said as he rubs his head stressfully.
"Momotaros, I think they're fine. This isn't Kurokuu's first time fighting an imagin on his own." Ruby reassured.
"Yeah. But he got his ass kicked hard the first and second time!"
Ruby sighed as she looked at Weiss and said, "Weiss, you need to calm down as well."
"How can I, Ruby? Have you seen the chaos the imagin did? What if he didn't make it out?!" Weiss said as she started panicking.
"Weiss, I know how you feel right now. But this is Kurokuu's choice to fight on his own. So let's just try to be supportive of him." Weiss slowly calmed down and sat back on the bench.
The silence slowly drag on as time seemed to move slower. The anticipation grew more and more as everyone started to become more anxious. Momotaros kept on pacing, Urataros is fidgeting with his fingers, Kintaros is staring at the clock on the wall, Mai is sharpening her arrows, Ruby is loading her magazines, Weiss tapped her foot over and over, Blake stayed completely quiet, and Yang cracked her knuckles and wrists. Then a purple aura formed in the center of the dining car as Ryutaros appeared from thin air. "Ryutaros, you're back!" Mai said.
"Yep, I'm home!" Ryutaros said cheerfully.
"Did you guys stop the imagin?" Blake asked.
"Nope, he got away." Ryutaros answered as he sat back down and listened to music.
"What?! Why didn't you go after him?!" Mai shouted.
"Oh, because Kuro-chan told me to leave. It looked like he was looking for someone."
"So you're saying that Kurokuu is wandering in the past?!"
"Yep." Ryutaros answered while drawing a picture.
Mai, Momotaros, Urataros, Kintaros, and Team RWBY started to panic as Weiss said, "What do we do?! We don't even know where he is!"
"Weiss, we have to stay calm." Ruby said.
"What is that idiot thinking?!" Weiss continued, ignoring Ruby's words.
"Weiss!" Yang shouted, getting Weiss' attention. "Freaking out is not gonna help us find Kurokuu."
Mai rests her hand on Weiss' shoulder and said, "That's right. For now, we split up and search around the city. Ruby, Weiss, you guys check near the park if he's still around there. Yang, Blake, and I will ask around."
Team RWBY all agreed as Momotaros asked, "What about us? We can't just sit here."
"You guys are gonna staying here. You need to watch Ryutaros to make sure he doesn't act on his own again just in case."
Momotaros was about to object until Urataros stopped him and said, "Got it. We'll stay here."
"Good. Team RWBY, let's go." Mai commanded as they go out on a search mission for Kurokuu.
Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time
Chapter 11: The Time Travelling Fiance
It was a cold, snowy, Christmas day at the Milk Dipper. As the harsh winter raged on outside, the Milk Dipper is filled with warmth and joy in the inside. Kasumi, Shuichi, and I gathered around the tree as we began opening presents for each other. I saw the name on a present as I grabbed it and shook it around, wondering what's inside. My curiosity couldn't handle it much longer as I tore through the wrapping paper. Once I tore through the wrapper, the cover of the box revealed to be a Scroll Box Console. Thankful, I got up and gave Kasumi and Shuichi a big hug. Kasumi and Shuichi were smiling happily at my childlike happiness. Then Kasumi walked over to the tree and pulled out a small present. She handed to present to Shuichi as he accepts the gift and opens it up. The present inside is revealed to be a stopwatch. Shuichi smiled happily as he gave Kasumi a loving kiss, thanking her for the present. Then the air around me feels cold as the scenery changed from the Milk Dipper to the lake.
Blossom petals flutter down onto an empty boat with the stopwatch resting on the edge. I ran as fast as I could and saw Kasumi, standing motionless on the water. She turned towards me with a smile on her tear stained face as I fell on my knees and shouted, "KASUMI!"
I woke up in fear and confusion as sweat poured around my face. Once the initial shock is gone, my breathing became slower and slower. I looked at my surroundings and noticed that I'm in some sort of alleyway. 'Why am I here for?' I asked myself. Then I felt something in my pockets as I reached for it inside. I grabbed the object and pulled it out, which is revealed to be the stopwatch that I took from the Milk Dipper. I stared at it closely until something triggered within me. 'Shuichi...He...was here.' I thought to myself as I reminisce about the event that occurred before.
The anger. The confusion. The sadness. I felt it all of those emotions in that one moment. Why? Why is he here? How is he here? Why didn't he come back? Why doesn't any of this make sense?! I gripped on the stopwatch tightly as I let the cracks inside me cave in. I pulled my knees close to my chest and started to cry. The tears run down my face as I block out everything and everyone around me.
Back on the Den-Liner, the imagins all sat down quietly as Naomi served them coffee. She gave Urataros his coffee as she said, "Kurokuu. I hope they find him soon."
"I think he'll return. He knows this is the past after all." Urataros answered calmly.
"Knowing that and disappearing means it's a big deal." Kintaros commented.
"I suppose."
Ryutaros continues drawing as he asked, "I wonder why Kurokuu wanted to chase that guy in the brown cloak for?"
"Well that's the million lien question there. We won't know until they find him." Urataros replied.
"It's all you guys' fault." Everyone turned around as Momotaros turned towards them and said, "When it was just me, none of this nonsense would happen!"
Urataros, Kintaros, and Ryutaros all stared at Momotaros confusingly as Urataros said, "That has nothing to do with it. It's about Kurokuu looking for the mystery guy."
"It does!" Momotaros shouted as he stood up from his seat. He walked towards them while saying, "This gives me a hazy feeling. I hate situations where I can't see where I'm going!"
"What?"
"I'm saying you guys get out!"
Urataros scoffs and said, "How stupid. Why lump us with you being kicked off?"
Kintaros turns towards Momotaros and said, "We said the useless one would leave."
"And everyone knows who's leaving." Ryutaros said as he fires bubbles at Momotaros.
Momotaros grabs Ryutaros by the collar and said, "You're the most dangerous one, maybe you should get kicked off!"
Ryutaros escapes Momotaros' clutches as he said, "Like I said before, dummy. I can't leave since I have a ticket to stay here as long as I want."
Momotaros clenched his hands tightly as he goes in to punch Ryutaros, but instead he punches Kintaros instead. Urataros sighed as he said, "Man...Why are you so irritated for?"
"Why are you so calm?!" Momotaros said as he kicks Urataros into Ryutaros.
They both glared at Momotaros as Urataros said, "That hurts!" Then Urataros and Ryutaros punched Momotaros and proceed to attack him.
As the imagin fight among each other, Naomi watches from a safe distance and said, "Stop it! It's dangerous! Momo-chan, hang in there!" She sighs exhaustingly as she said, "Kurokuu better hurry up soon or it'll be trouble."
Ruby and Weiss rushed around the city, searching high and low for the location of Kurokuu. "Kurokuu! Where are you?!" Weiss shouted.
"Kurokuu, come back!" Ruby shouted loudly.
"Where can he be?"
"I don't know. We checked almost all throughout Vale and still no traces of him."
Weiss sighed stressfully and said, "And not just that, we still have that imagin to get rid of. And we don't even know where he is."
Ruby rests her hands on Weiss and said, "Weiss, we're gonna find Kurokuu and stop the imagin, don't worry." Weiss looked down for a bit before looking up and nodded at Ruby. As they were about to continue their search, Ruby asked out of the blue, "By the way, why do you care so much about Kurokuu? You worry about him a lot more than us so what's the reason? And not the 'he's our teammate' stuff.
Weiss looked speechless since the only words that escaped out of her mouth was, "I-I...I"
"Weiss, you can tell me. I'm your best friend and leader, you don't need to hide anything from me."
Weiss stroked her hair nervously until she grabbed Ruby and asked, "You promise you won't tell anyone?"
"Cross my heart and hope to die." Ruby said as she made and drew an "x" across her chest with her finger.
Weiss took a deep breath and said, "I worry about Kurokuu because I care for him. Not as a friend, but something a little more."
Ruby looked confused by what Weiss meant by that until something clicked in her head, "Oh! You like-"
"Not out loud!" Weiss whispered as she covered Ruby's mouth.
Ruby looked so overjoyed as she whispered, "Oh my gosh, you like Kurokuu! AHHH! That's so cute!"
Weiss groaned in embarrassment and said, "Yes...that's right."
"You need to tell me everything! How?! When?! Why?!"
Weiss took a deep breath before explaining, "We'll I started to feel this way ever since we got to Beacon. He knew about my father's 'business practices' and who I was, but he never treated me badly like others would. And my family didn't treat me any better than the people outside. My father would tell me off and use me to make the company look good. And my brother doesn't want anything to do with me or my sister. The only decent people in my life is Kurokuu, you guys, my sister, Winter, and Klein, my butler. And over time, I just felt this way for him ever since."
Ruby covered her mouth with a surprised expression on her face as she said, "Wow, you really do like him."
"Yeah. He's what makes my life less lonely." Weiss said as she looked down somberly. Ruby looked at Weiss before smiling brightly and hugging Weiss from the side. "Ruby? What are you-"
"Weiss, I'm so happy for you." Ruby said cheerfully. She release Weiss from her embrace as she said, "After we find Kurokuu, you need to ask him for the dance coming up."
"Wait, what dance?"
"The dance happening in a few weeks from now. I heard a lot of cool things are gonna be happening so let's make that night special for you guys!"
"Wait, but how-""
"Don't worry, Weiss." Ruby interrupted. "I'll help you. I'll be like your wing man, I mean wing woman."
"Thanks Ruby, but for now let's focus on finding him." Weiss said.
"Okay." Ruby replied as they continued their search.
The night grew colder so I wrapped my muffler closer to my face to keep myself warm. I didn't move an inch as I stared at the stopwatch, reminiscing about the past. All the happy moments we had. But why did he disappear? That question still confused me to this day. Everything was so perfect. Kasumi and Shuichi were happy and ready to get married, Shuichi and I had a strong bond, and we were all happy with each other. So why did he leave her? Why did he leave us? I gripped the stopwatch tightly before letting it go and fall between my legs.
The silence dragged on until I heard, "Kurokuu?"
I turned my head to the left and saw Weiss and Ruby standing in front of the alleyway. I rubbed my nose as I said weakly, "Hey guys…"
"Kurokuu, where were you?! You had us worrying to death and-" Weiss stopped for a moment as she noticed my red eyes and tear-stained face. "Kurokuu...you're crying."
I rubbed my eyes as I took a deep breath and said, "Yeah...I...I was."
"Kurokuu, what happened?" Weiss said worryingly.
"He...he was here."
"Who? Who was here?"
"Weiss, we found Kurokuu. For now, let's just bring him back to the Den-Liner." Ruby said. She pulled her scroll out and said, "Guys, Weiss and I found Kurokuu. We're heading back to the Den-Liner."
Weiss helped me up as she puts my arm around her shoulder. "Come on, Kurokuu. Let's bring you home."
The rabbit imagin became more and more anxious as he is still contemplating what to do. He growls as he asked himself, "Why does nothing come to my head?" The rabbit imagin pulled out his sickles as he shouts, "HEY! WHAT SHOULD I DO?! WHERE SHOULD I ATTACK?! HEY!" The imagin fell down on his back and stares at his weapon. "SOMEONE RESPOND!" Then he fired a wave of energy in the sky, causing an explosion to occur.
The door opens to Mai, Yang, Blake, and the imagins all waiting patiently for me. Momotaros got up and walked towards me. "Oi, Kurokuu. Are you okay?" He asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine." I replied as I limped towards a bench to sit on. I could feel everyone's eyes on me as I saw the worried expression on their faces. Then the sound of the door opening caught my attention as I look up and saw The Owner, standing at the entrance of the dining car. He walks to the counter and sits down as Naomi serves him his usual fried rice with a flag on top.
The silence dragged on as The Owner eats his rice. He consumes a spoonful of rice before saying, "Kurokuu, the ticket you use doesn't allow you to make stops. If you remain in the past too long, it causes some trouble for me."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stay there for too long." I apologized.
He continues eating as he said, "But, we left the imagin behind, so something must be done. And also," He turns around and places the spoon over his eye, "what did you see?"
Once the million lien question was asked, everyone stared at me intensely, waiting for my answer. I took a deep breath and said, "During the fight, there was this person that I recognize. That person was my sister's fiance."
Everyone looked shocked as Weiss asked, "Wait, you mean Kasumi?"
I nodded as I continued, "His name is Shuichi Nakamura. He went missing since the beginning of 2017."
"I see." The Owner cut in. "Perhaps you met the past version of him from nine years ago?"
"I don't think so. Because he has the-" I was about to reach into my pockets to grab the stopwatch, only to find out that it wasn't there. I began panicking as I checked each pocket. "The watch. It's gone!"
"Is it this one?" Ruby said as she pulled out the stopwatch.
I nodded as I walked up to her and grabbed the stopwatch from her hands. I thanked Ruby for finding it before continuing what I was about to say, "He had this stopwatch on him. My sister and I got this for him for Christmas, last year. The Shuichi from nine years ago wouldn't have this."
"This Shuichi Nakamura went missing around January?" The Owner asked again to be sure.
"Yes, that's correct."
"But, why doesn't Kasumi ask the VPD to plan search on him?" Mai asked.
I started tearing up slightly as I replied, "Because Kasumi doesn't remember anything about Shuichi. She puts all the memories of him deep inside her to the point that she was unaware of it herself." I stopped for a moment as I wiped the tears away from my face. I took a deep breath again and continued, "Shuichi disappeared a month before Kasumi's wedding. By the time I found her, she lost all the memories of him."
The tense atmosphere lingered for a bit until The Owner gasped loudly as the flag on his fried rice toppled over. He went back to his straight face and said, "I see. If that's true, then this Shuichi Nakamura can travel through time, that would be interesting. And being where the imagins attack, it might not be a coincidence after all." The Owner wiped his mouth with a napkin before standing up and walking out of the dining car.
We all stayed silent for a moment until Mai stood up and said, "I think we should let Kurokuu rest after everything that happened today. Come on, everyone." Team RWBY, Naomi, and the imagins agreed as they all slowly walked out of the room, leaving me by my lonesome. As I slowly fall asleep, I contemplate about everything that happened. All these questions. So little answers. How can I find the answers to these questions?
Morning came in the city of Vale as the rabbit imagin finally got up. He sharpens his sickles and said, "If nothing pops in my head, then I'll just erase everything!" The rabbit imagin jumped off the rooftop and into the busy highway. The sickles glowed green as he unleashed the energy at the cars, causing a chain of explosions to occur.. Then the rabbit imagin jumped off the highway and into the streets. The people started panicking as they all tried to flee from their attacker. But the rabbit imagin had no mercy as he slaughtered the civilians one by one. Pandemonium and chaos ran rampant throughout the city as buildings were destroyed, innocents dying, and people fleeing for their lives.
The VPD surrounded the imagin as they opened fire on him. Commissioner Church and the VPD Swat team pointed their guns at him as the Commissioner ordered, "Open fire!" The VPD Swat team opened fire at the rabbit imagin, but before the bullets landed, the rabbit imagin jumped up and out of the VPD's confinement. They were in disarray as the rabbit imagin began slaughtering the Swat team one by one. Commissioner Church hid behind cover as he kept on firing at him, but the sound of howling stopped him dead in his tracks. The Commissioner turned around and saw in the distance, the Grimm. "MEN! INCOMING GRIMM!"
The beowolves howled as they charged into the city. The remaining Swat team members shifted their attention on the Grimms as they opened fired at the incoming beowolves. In the sky, several bullheads hovered over the ground as two people stepped off. One was a man that has a light complexion with black, spiky hair, red eyes, and a slight stubble around his jawline. He dons a gray dress shirt with a long tail, black dress pants, black dress shoes, and a red tattered cape. He has several rings on his fingers and has a crooked cross pendant.
The second was a woman that has a pale complexion with black hair with red highlights and silver eyes. She dons a white cloak which is held up by a clip with a shape of a rose, a long sleeved thick white blouse with a high collar and black trim on the sleeves, a black waist cincher with red lacing up the front, and a white skirt with red trim. She also wears a pair of thick black stockings and black combat boots with red laces, red trim around the top and red soles. "This is...pandemonium." The silver eyed woman said as she gazes at the chaos ensuing in front of her.
"Tell me about it." The red eyed man said as he pulled out a flask and drank the contents inside. "Everything was calm until yesterday. And here I thought I would just stay home and take a break for once."
"Well, duty calls when you're a huntsman." The silver eyed woman said.
"Summer! Qrow!" A voice shouted. They both turned to see a man with a tanned complexion, purple eyes, and black, shaggy hair. He is wearing a purple happi coat with the kanji 鬼 (oni) on the back. He also wears black cargo pants, black combat boots, and dark purple sweat wristbands.
"Hibiki, what's the status at the moment?" The silver eyed woman, now dubbed Summer, asked.
"So far, the VPD is quarantining the remaining civilians in a small sector of the city. Right now, the local huntsman teams are evacuating the people out."
"Now, what about this 'monster' people are screaming about?" The red eyed man, now named Qrow, asked.
"I don't know what that is. From what I'm seeing, this monster is close to the one Team NXUS (Nexus) encountered back in 97' when Kuroyuri was still standing." The man, now named Hibiki, said. Summer and Qrow looked shocked at what Hibiki said as he asked, "So what's the plan?"
"Gather your team and a few others to aid the VPD in holding off the Grimms. Me and Qrow will find and handle the monster." Summer said.
Hibiki agreed as he pulled out two clubs. The clubs has a leather handle, the top half of the club covered in metallic red, and the clubs themselves has a red dust crystal, shaped to look like a demon. "On it." Hibiki said as he charged into the streets of Vale, firing fireballs at the beowolves.
Qrow took his last sip of alcohol and notices something wrong with Summer. "Hey, you alright?
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just memories is all." Summer replied solemnly.
Qrow pulls out a large sword as he said, "Well, whatever you're remembering now, you best put those memories away. We got company."
Summer nodded as she pulled out a large scythe and said, "Yeah, let's do it." And with that, they both charged straight into the city, hacking and slashing away at the Grimms.
I open my eyes as I awoke from my slumber. I yawned loudly and noticed that I'm still on the Den-Liner. I looked around the dining car and saw Weiss setting a tray of food on the table. "Weiss?" I said to get her attention.
Weiss yelped as she turned around and said, "Kurokuu, you're awake!"
"Yeah, I just woke up. What're you doing?"
"Oh, Naomi told me to bring you some food. You haven't eaten in awhile."
"Oh, thanks." I said to Weiss. "You wanna sit down with me?"
Weiss stays quiet for a bit until she decided to accept my offer and sit down with me. I grabbed the bowl of ramen and began chowing down. Weiss groans and said, "Kurokuu, manners."
"Right. Right." I said as I wiped the soup off my face.
As I continued eating, Weiss asked, "So, how are you right now?"
"I'm doing better. Just trying to get my mind off of all of this." I answered.
I slurped up the last remaining noodles before picking the bowl up and drinking the rest of the soup. I set the bowl down and exhaled loudly, completely full from the meal. "Kurokuu...If you don't mind me asking, what happened in the alleyway between you and Shuichi?" I froze when she asked that question. "If you don't want to talk about it, it's fine. I'm sorry for being insensitive."
"No, no it's fine. I was just surprised at the question." I said to Weiss, trying to reassure her. "Well, after the fight, I chased Shuichi throughout Vale until he cornered himself in the dead end alleyway. Then I started asking him questions, trying to figure out what all of this is. He didn't utter a single word. And then…" I stopped for a moment to take a deep breath. "I just-just snapped. I was so blinded in this anger, I just attacked him again and again without any remorse. And it would've gotten worse if he hadn't put me to sleep. I have never felt so angry, confused, and betrayed when I saw him at that moment. When I saw him, I was reminded of all the pain my sister felt when he disappeared. And I...just can't forgive him for that." I looked up and saw the concerned expression on her face. I realized that I've gone on for too long and said, "Oh, I'm sorry for being inconsiderate. I know you went through a lot more of harsher experiences than I did."
"No, it's okay." Weiss said calmly. "You went through a lot. And I can understand that." I sighed stressfully as I stared up into the ceiling. She stood up from her seat and sat next to me and said, "Kurokuu, you've always helped me and other with their personal problems. But sometimes, you don't realize that you need some help from time to time as well."
I was surprised by Weiss' words as I said, "I didn't take you much for a preacher."
Weiss nudged me playfully as she said, "Well, I kinda got it from you dummy."
"Yeah, I guess you're right about that. I'm kinda oblivious to a lot of things."
"Besides that, just remember that you got us to help you get through these problems." Weiss said.
"Right, got it. Thanks for listening to me." I said.
Weiss laid her head against my shoulder and said, "No problem, you dolt." I blushed slightly and stood completely still. Okay, calm down. This isn't the first time it happened. Just relax. I breathed in and out slowly as I try not to disturb Weiss. I could feel my heart pounding rapidly. Strange, why does this feel so nerve-racking? Suddenly, I felt breathing behind my neck as I turned my head around and saw Kintaros. I jumped up slightly, which startled Weiss. "What? What's happening?"
"Hello, Kurokuu." Kintaros whispered.
"Kintaros, what is it?" I asked, still slightly startled from what just happened.
"Kurokuu, tell me your wish."
I was taken back by his words as the only thing I said was, "What?"
"Your wish. Please, tell me your wish. I'll accept anything."
"Wait, Kintaros. Why are you asking this out of the blue?"
"If the contract is finished, I can leave you. I want to leave. It's way too crowded with the others and I don't want to be a burden on you."
"But, Kintaros…"
"Please tell me your wish!" Kintaros pressed on.
Weiss and I are baffled by Kintaros' behavior. Why would he want to leave? Why did he think he was a burden on me? I tried to diffuse the situation by saying, "Kintaros, your sentiment makes me happy and all. But, I don't want to make a wish. I don't want any of you guys to leave because you think you're a burden to me."
Kintaros didn't listen as he kept on pushing, "It can be anything, just tell me!"
"You bear bastard!" I hear Momotaros say before drop kicking Kintaros, only for him to get pushed back.
Kintaros turns to Momotaros and asked, "What is it?"
"What do you mean, what? Acting on you own like that! And how dare you use the same idea as me!" Momotaros shouted as he gave Kintaros a light push.
"And how was I supposed to know that?"
"Don't tell me you didn't know!" Momotaros said before pushing Kintaros on the floor. Weiss and I tried to pry them off of each other until the lights came back on. We all stopped and looked towards the door. And standing near the lights were Urataros and Naomi.
"Man, how pathetic." Urataros said. He walked over to me and asked, "Kurokuu, if you have any wishes related to women, that's my speciality. Although, I think you already reel one in."
Weiss looked furious as she walked over to Urataros and gave him a huge smack across the face. "Don't act cool when you're cutting in line!" Momotaros shouted as he pulled Urataros off the bench.
Urataros quickly gets back up and said, "I was born cool."
"Shut up, you perverted turtle!" Momotaros shouted as he pushes Urataros. "Alright, I've got it! Since you two are so keen on leaving, why don't you both go?!"
Kintaros shakes his head in disappointment and said, "You're the one to talk."
Urataros rolls his eyes and said, "How lame, Senpai."
Momotaros growled in anger as he said, "What was that? Say that again!"
I could see where this is all going as I stopped Momotaros in his place and said, "Guys, stop! Thanks for worrying about me, but what is all of this about?"
Urataros scratched his head and said, "Well...Mai said it's our fault that you collapsed."
And we heard that you would kick one of us out for being such a burden on you." Momotaros added.
"Guys, I'm fine. I would never kick anyone of you guys out." I reassured.
"But, you're getting stronger. And if we stayed here, we would cause more harm than good." Kintaros said.
"Guys, the only reason why I'm trying to get stronger is so you guys can stay here."
Momotaros, Urataros, and Kintaros looked at me with a shocked expression on their faces as they said, "What?"
"He's right." I looked around for Ryutaros until he jumped out of my body, playing with some puzzle. "He's been doing lots of endurance training to keep his stamina longer, not just weapon training."
"Really?" Kintaros asked with some comical tears coming out of his eyes.
"Yeah, he is." Weiss said for me. "You guys are important to Kurokuu, he would never kick any of you guys out. That's why we've been training for the past several days."
The imagins all sighed with relief except Momotaros. He exhaled loudly and said, "In that case, you should've said something so none of us would freak out like that!"
"I'm sorry for worrying you all. I should've told you guys." I apologized.
"Yeah. Should've." Momotaros said in a grumpy tone.
Then the door opens as Ruby came in and said, "Guys, big trouble! The imagin is back and he brought the Grimms in the city."
We all looked shocked except Momotaros, who looked more frustrated than anything else. "Like I care! This ain't funny! All this nonsense, then Kasumi and that time traveling guy, and now this! My useless brain is used up! You guys do what you want!" Momotaros said as he turned away from us, not making eye contact.
I stood up and pulled out the ticket and said, "Regardless, we have to take him down now, together." Weiss, Ruby, Urataros, and Kintaros agreed as I checked the date on the ticket. The date changed from 7/28/2008 to 7/29/2008.
Qrow and Summer tag team in order to take down the rabbit imagin. Qrow dashes forwards with a downward strike, but the imagin blocks the attack with his sickles. This left the imagin wide open though as Summer ran up to the imagin and slashed him from behind. The rabbit imagin growled in pain as he jumps up and slashes Qrow in the back. "QROW!" Summer shouted as she helped him up.
"Damn, this thing is tough." Qrow said as he got back up.
"But it's getting weaker. Just a little bit more and it's down." Summer said. "Now, come on. We got this." Qrow got up and stretched his arm out, with the weapon still in his hands. With a push of a switch, the large sword switched into a scythe like Summer's. They were ready to charge in until a portal opened up. "What is that?" Summer asked.
Qrow stared at the portal until he saw the Den-Liner coming out of it. "The Den-Liner…" Qrow muttered.
The Den-Liner made the stop as Mai, Team RWBY, and I got off. We saw the rabbit imagin fighting against two people. One who had red eyes and the other who looked eerily similar to Ruby. I looked over to Ruby and saw the tears coming out of her eyes as she muttered, "Mom…"
I realized who this person was as I said to Ruby, "Ruby, stay with me."
Ruby snapped out of her trance and wiped her tears away as she said, "Right. Mai, Weiss, Blake, Yang, you're with me on handling the Grimms. Kurokuu, can you handle the imagin?"
I pulled the Den-O belt out and said, "I got it." Ruby nodded as she lead her team and Mai to the horde of Grimm.
I wrapped the belt around my waist as the rabbit imagin said, "Perfect. Fight me! If I have nothing to do, it bothers me!"
Ruby's mom stepped forward and said, "What are you doing?! You're gonna get hurt!"
But the red eyed man stopped her as he said, "Summer, wait."
I clicked the blue button as it played an aquatic tune. "Henshin." I swiped the pass over the belt as it called out.
ROD FORM
The armor materializes as the blue armor pieces and faceplate combine with it. "I see. You look like the one who wants to be strung along." Urataros said.
Ruby's mom looked shocked as she said, "Wait...is that?"
"I think so." The red eye man said.
"Try to reel me in if you can!" The rabbit imagin said as he charged towards Urataros.
"But…" Urataros stops for a moment as he uses the Den-Gasher to turn it into a rod. "You're not my type." The rod extends into its normal height as it stabbed the rabbit imagin in the chest. The rabbit imagin fell on the ground as Urataros smacks him again and again until he rolls out of the way.
Ruby's mom looked surprised as she said, "Wow, he's strong."
"Yeah, I think he can handle himself." The red eyed man said. "Let him do his job while we do ours."
"Are you insane? He's a child! What if he gets hurt?!"
"He'll be fine. If he's the one that Ozpin is talking about, then we have nothing to worry about. For now, we need to help aid the teams and VPD on fighting off the Grimms."
Ruby's mom thinks about it until she reluctantly agrees. "Okay. Let's go." And with that, they both ran off to fight off the Grimms. I focused my attention back on the fight as Urataros seemed to be handling the rabbit imagin quite well. The rabbit imagin tries to attack Urataros from the side, but he blocks the incoming attack and delivers a thrust to the stomach. The rabbit imagin growled as he jumps and drop kicks Urataros.
Urataros quickly gets back up as he blocks the incoming strike from above. He pushes the sickles away before striking the rabbit imagin in the shoulder. The rabbit imagin stumbles back a bit, giving Urataros the opportunity to thrust him in the chest multiple times. Urataros was going in for another thrust until the rabbit imagin catches the attack with his sickles. "DON'T MESS WITH ME!" The rabbit imagin shouted as he redirects the attack and slashes Urataros repeatingly. Then he grabs Urataros by the neck and throws him into a wall.
"He's one hard fish to catch." Urataros said as he got back up.
'Let's try overpowering him. Urataros, switch out with Kintaros.' I said.
"Hai, hai." Urataros said as he press the yellow button. It played a calm instrumental tune as Urataros swipes the pass over the belt.
AXE FORM
The blue armor pieces disconnected as it changes into the yellow armor pieces. As the armor pieces combined, the rod form faceplate is replaced with axe form's. The rabbit imagin steps back as Kintaros cracks his neck. Tissue papers fell from the sky as Kintaros said, "My strength has made you cry!"
"Just die!" The rabbit imagin said as he charged straight at him. Kintaros throws the pieces of the Den-Gasher in the air as he combines the pieces to make the handle. The imagin got closer and closer until the last Den-Gasher piece combined with the handle, creating the axe. Kintaros quickly retaliates and slashes the imagin. The imagin stumbles back as Kintaros power walks towards him and slashes him again. The rabbit imagin slashes Kintaros across the chest, but that didn't bother him as he kept on going. Kintaros slashes the imagin relentlessly before kicking him into a car. The rabbit imagin got up and does a downward strike, but Kintaros blocks the attack and slashes him across the chest. "If you want to cry, then I'll make you!" The rabbit imagin said as he attempts to strike Kintaros again, but he redirects the attack and does an open palm strike back on him.
'Kintaros, why don't you switch out with Momotaros?' I asked.
"Why should I? I'm about to finish him." Kintaros said.
'You know how Momotaros can be.'
"Oh well." Kintaros said as he press the red button. It played an electronic tune as Kintaros swipes the pass over the belt.
SWORD FORM
The yellow armor pieces detach from the armor as it changes into the red armor pieces. The red armor pieces combined as the axe form's faceplate is replaced with the sword form's. Momotaros stood still as he said his catchphrase in a monotone voice, "Ore...Sanjou."
'Uh, Momotaros? Are you okay?' I asked. He didn't respond as the rabbit imagin dropped kick him. Momotaros tried to get back up but the rabbit imagin slashed him across the chest, keeping him at bay.
"You keep on changing!" The rabbit imagin complained. Momotaros got back up as the imagin kept on slashing him relentlessly. "What? Giving up already?!"
The rabbit imagin slashed Momotaros in the chest before delivering a powerful kick, pushing Momotaros to the ground. This didn't seem to faze him as he said to me, "Oi, Kurokuu. No more sneaking around in the past. And tell Kasumi about all of this. I hate things left unresolved."
'Momotaros…'
"Got it?!" Momotaros asked as he changed the pieces of the Den-Gasher around.
'Got it. I'm sorry and thank you.'
Momotaros scratched his head as he said, "As long as you get it."
The rabbit imagin glared at Momotaros and said, "What are you babbling about? Just fight me!" Without waiting another second, he charged straight for Momotaros.
"Argh! Shut up you asshole! I'm trying to have a moment here!" Momotaros cursed as he trips the imagin. The imagin attempted to retaliate, but Momotaros blocked the attack and slashed him. Momotaros got up and said, "Today I let you attack me in the beginning. But from here on out, this is the climax! IKUZE! IKUZE! IKUZE!" Momotaros and the rabbit imagin both charged towards each other, as their weapons made contact with each other. The rabbit imagin performs a diagonal strike, but Momotaros evades the attack and slashes him across the stomach. The imagin stumbled back as Momotaros moves in and slashes him again and again before thrusting his sword into his stomach. Sand poured out of his stomach as Momotaros pulled out the pass and said, "Here's comes the hissatsu." He places the pass over the belt as it called out.
FULL CHARGE
Lasers entered the sword as it glowed bright red. "This is my hissatsu attack. Part five!" Momotaros said as the blade disconnected with the hilt. Momotaros moved the hilt right and left to control the blade's movement. The blade slashed the rabbit imagin twice before Momotaros raises the hilt in the air and performs a downwards strike. The blade followed his exact movement as the blade descended on the imagin, cutting him in half. The rabbit imagin glowed red before spontaneously exploding, leaving nothing left of him. The blade returns to the hilt as Momotaros rests his sword against his shoulder and said, "That's what I call a finisher."
As he said that, for some reason I remembered all the finishers he did. Did he skip a number? 'Hey, Momotaros. Did you skip a number? I think you forgot four.'
"No I didn't. Remember the finisher I did on that whale fish guy?"
'Yeah, but you didn't say the number so I don't think that counts.'
Momotaros looked confused as he started counting out loud, "One, two, three, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten."
I laughed a little and pointed out, 'Yeah, I think you did skip number four.'
"No, I didn't! It just that the finisher is so great that I skipped a number."
'Yeah, right.'
"The hell is that supposed to mean? Stop looking down on me!" Momotaros said angrily. "ONE, TWO, THREE, FIVE, SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT, NINE, TEN!"
I laughed even harder as I said, 'Yep, it's confirmed. You clearly can't count.'
"SHUT UP, KUROKUU! I GET IT!" Momotaros yelled as he sat back down.
'Okay, I'll stop. For now, I need to regroup with the others.' I informed.
"Right, I'll see ya' later." Momotaros said before disconnected the belt. The armor dematerialized as I got up and went on a search for Team RWBY. My heart beated faster and faster as I got close to the outskirts of Vale. 'Please let them be okay.' I thought to myself as I arrived on the scene. I saw groups of huntsmans and huntresses escorting injured civilians and police officers as I saw that all of the Grimms were handled.
I moved around the crowd and saw Team RWBY and Mai, tired and covered in sweat. "Guys! You're okay!" I shouted as I ran towards them. Suddenly, I tripped over myself but Yang and Weiss caught me before I hit the ground.
"Woah there, Kurokuu. Of course we're fine, we've been training for this." Mai said as she cleans her bow.
Yang started stroking her hair as she said, "But man, I can't believe I lost several strands of hair!"
Blake leaned over to me and whispered, "She lost a few strands of hair today and let's just say that the Grimms didn't dare mess with her."
I gulped loudly as I knew what Blake meant by that. Then I hear footsteps coming towards us as I looked up and saw the red eyed man and Ruby's mom standing in front of us. "So, you're the Den-O, huh? I thought you'd be more taller." The red eyed man said as he took a sip from his flask.
"Thanks…" I said sarcastically.
"Ozpin told me about who you are. Just didn't expect the Den-O to be a kid."
"What would Ozpin say right now? 'You only think with your eyes, so you're easy to fool.' Is that something he would say?"
The red eyed man chuckled at my remark and said, "Yep, sounds about right. So I'm assuming you guys are from the future?"
"What makes you say that?" I asked.
"Well, I see two kids who should be in bed right now." The red eyed man said as he stared at Yang and Ruby.
Ruby's mom then walked up to both of them with some tears in her eyes and asked, "Are you two...Are you two really my beautiful baby girls?"
Ruby started crying too as she said, "Yes...Yes, mom. It's us."
Ruby's mom didn't hold back her tears anymore as she gave both Yang and Ruby a big hug. "My beautiful baby girls...All grown up and becoming huntresses like me! I love you both so much!"
Ruby and Yang hugged her tightly as Ruby said, "Mom...I missed you so much…"
The red eyed man joined in and said, "Hey, no hugs for Uncle Qrow?"
Ruby's mom smiled as she said, "Join in." The red eyed man, now named Qrow, joined in on the group hug, filled with tears of happiness.
Weiss, Blake, Mai, and I watch the touching moment play out as Weiss said, "This is actually...heartwarming."
Blake raised her eyebrow and asked, "Weiss, since when did you care about all of this?"
"Hey, just because I don't show affection doesn't mean I can't enjoy it!" Weiss said with a pouting expression on her face.
Mai smirked as she laid her hand on Weiss' shoulder and said, "What's this? Is Ice Queen's heart melting?"
"Shut up, Mai." Weiss said as she pushed her hand off her shoulders.
"And then, Weiss' heart grew three sizes today." I said jokingly. Weiss groaned as she rests her hand on her face.
The touching moment ended as Ruby's mom said, "No matter what happens to me in the future, just remember that I'm proud of who you are."
Ruby wipes her tears away and said, "Thank you, mom. It means so much to hear that from you."
As Ruby gave her mother one last hug, Qrow said to Yang, "Remember Yang, always look out for your sister. Got it?" Yang nodded as Qrow walked up to me. "And you, you better keep my nieces safe. Got it?"
"Got it." I replied.
"Good." Qrow said as he ruffled my hair. Then the portal opened as the Den-Liner appeared and made a stop for us. "Looks like it's your stop. I'll see you in the future, kiddo." Team RWBY, Mai, and I walked towards the Den-Liner and entered inside.
As we departed, Ruby and Yang waved happily as Ruby said, "Mom, Qrow, I love you!" We see Qrow and Ruby's mom give a small finger salute to them before the Den-Liner enters the portal.
We entered the nurse's office and saw Team JNPR and CF(V)Y huddling around the unconscious Velvet. Weiss walked up to Coco and said, "Hey, will Velvet be okay?"
"Yeah, she'll be fine. Velvet will just be away from combat for a while." Coco replied.
We all sighed in relief until Professor Ozpin walked in, "Hello Team RWBY, Mai, Kurokuu. I believe you have already dispatched the imagin?"
"Yeah, it...took awhile though." I answered.
"I expected that to happen." Professor Ozpin said as he opened up his scroll, which should a newspaper clipping off 7/29/2008. "Well, at least there wasn't any heavy casualties that day so we thank all of you for stopping the imagin."
Pyrrha looked surprised as she asked, "Wait, the attack on Vale was caused by that rabbit imagin?"
"Yes, Ms. Nikos. The council decided to fabricate the existence of the imagins so it wouldn't cause a global panic. They already have much on their plates with Grimms and they don't want to deal with the imagins." Professor Ozpin said before closing his scroll up. "Anyways, Beacon will start again on Wednesday for a new semester, so you all should best prepare soon." Ozpin said before walking out of the room.
Coco walked up to me and said, "Kurokuu, I just want to say thanks for helping Velvet with what she's going through."
"No problem. Besides, what are friends for?" I said with a smile on my face.
Coco smirked as she puts on her shades and said, "Right, friends. Well, we're gonna stay here and check on Velvet. You guys can go."
"Alright then, Coco. We'll seeya next time and I hope Velvet gets well soon!" Ruby said as we walked off to our dorms.
As we walked to our dorms, I pulled out the stopwatch and stared at it once more. Weiss peered over my shoulder and asked, "What's that written there?"
I looked over to Weiss and said, "'The past should give us hope.' When I found this watch where Shuichi disappeared, this was written here. He must've added it on there before he disappeared."
"'The past should give us hope.'" Mai recited.
"Is that something familiar to you?" I asked.
"No, I don't think so. But it feels familiar."
I sighed and said, "Well, Shuichi is still out there somewhere. Maybe one day, I'll see him again in the past and he'll talk to me."
Ruby faced us and walked backwards as she said, "Don't worry, Kurokuu. We'll find him." She pulled out her scroll as we arrived near our dorms. "And whatever we have in store for us in the future, we do it as a team!" Then Ruby swiped the scroll over the lock to unlock the door to our dorms. But when we opened the door, we saw something we didn't expect to see.
It was a man, who looked like he was in his early twenties. But what scared me was the eerie resemblance he has of Shuichi. Mai pulled out her bow and arrow and asked, "Who the hell are you?!"
Team RWBY all pointed their weapons at him, but he didn't seem fazed or frightened by it at all. He ignored them as he said to me, "I've been looking for you, Kurokuu Akarui."
I stepped closer to him as I asked, "Who are you? How do you know my name and why do you look like someone I know."
He didn't say another word as he pulls out a ticket with a picture of an armor fighter with a bull motif. My eyes widen as I wondered how he got the ticket. "A ticket? How did you get that?" Mai asked.
The man puts the ticket away as he said, "My name is Shuichi Nakamura." Once he uttered that name, I froze still in place. Just when I thought this could get any more confusing, this happens. The man, who claims to be Shuichi, stared at me as he waited for my response. How? How could this be? This can't be him. Right?
(A/N:) And here he is, Zeronos appears! Now I know you wondering about a few things like why I had Weiss tell Ruby about her crush on Kurokuu. Well to answer the Weiss and Ruby scene, Weiss hasn't been very active in trying to get Kurokuu to notice her. So I added this scene so in the future, she has someone like Ruby to help her strive to be with Kurokuu, essentially being Weiss' wing woman. (And yes, by now, this is an oc x Weiss ship. Sorry, if you wanted Ruby x oc or anyone else, but I chose her because I like Weiss' character on the show.)
Anyways, leave a review on what you thought about this chapter and I'll see you in the next one. Bye!