GKC: What's up, everyone! This is GKC here bringing you another chapter of Remnant's Climax Heroes!
SR: And DragoKnightSR saying hello and uh… Lost my train of thought.
KRD: MMMMMMMMMMMMMRRRRRRRRRFFFF! MMMMMMMMRRRRRRRFFFF!
Kurogasa: As you can see, he's still tied up… -_-
SR: Right… so today's chapter is gonna be an Orion and Ruby one right. Wait what would the ship name be? It can't be Lancaster since that's used for Jaune x Ruby.
GKC: Uh… Rose Hunter? Because I mean, Orion is a constellation and apparently a well-known hunter. What do you guys think?
SR: Rose Hunter works for me.
Kurogasa: Anyways, let's move on to the chapter shall we?
GKC: Right, but before that, we need to do the disclaimer! We do not own, except our OCs, Kamen Rider or RWBY. All rights belong to their respective owners.
SR: So sit back, relax, and enjoy the fanfic.
Chapter 22: Reality and Roses
It's a bright morning for Beacon, as the semester slowly reaches a close. Students have been given assignments left and right. Such assignments included a hands-on mission out in neighboring villages that had run-ins with either Grimm or bandits. And two lovable characters are about to take them for necessary grades.
Ruby sighed as she looked at a quest board looking for possible quests. "Haaaaaaaaaa… nothing…"
"Still looking at that?" Kurogasa asked, approaching her.
"Yeah… Glynda said if I don't take one of these solos or double missions I won't get a good grade." Ruby lamented.
"Well, at some point in our careers, we're gonna have to learn how to work on our own or with somebody we've never worked with." Orion pointed out. "Everyone has to take them, Ruby. We just… have to pick a mission that will work for our skills."
"Yeah, I guess so…" Ruby pouted.
"I already picked and finished mine," Koa said happily.
"Aaron and Yang are still out on theirs. Weiss took one down in the city. Jaune and his team are doing their own separate missions. You and Orion are the only ones that haven't picked yet." Orpheus pointed out.
"And me." Kurogasa raised his hand. "You and Koa going out soon?"
"Yup." Orpheus nodded, "Though I still can't believe you picked this job, Koa."
"What's wrong with what I picked?" Koa asked incredulously.
"We're shadowing a small town known for its muffins." Orpheus deadpanned.
"Good muffins." Koa corrected.
"... Why did I let you pick?"
"Because you love me?" Koa said cutely.
"..." Orpheus stared at the Greeed in disguise for a solid minute then sighed, "Yeah, I do…"
"Well, anyway…" Orion said, as he looked around and saw a mission. "Huh… this could work. It's solo, but I can work with this."
"What is it?" Ruby asked.
"Oh, just a simple escort mission. The road apparently has debris blocking it, but they need a tank of a person to clear it out while protecting the clients from bandits. And it just so happens that my Lunar Divide's perfect for the job."
"You might need a little backup," Koa said. "Just in case he shows up." She shuddered, remembering what Azrael did to Blake.
"Right." Orion nodded.
"I'll join you." Ruby offered, raising her hand.
"You sure?" Orion asked.
"Well, yeah." Ruby said before looking away with a blush, "I-I need the grades and I figured w-we could do it… t-together."
The older Arc twin beamed happily and nodded, "Sure, I could use the company. Thanks, little Rose!"
"D-Don't call me that!" Ruby huffed.
"Well, I guess it's just you and me then Blake." Kurogasa shrugged.
"I suppose," Blake said with a nod.
LINE BREAK
"Whoo! I needed that!" Yang wiped the sweat off her head after making a pack of Grimm her punching bags/bullet practice.
"You mean punching them wasn't enough?" Aaron pondered as the blades of his gauntlets retracted back.
"Well, it was a start." Yang said, stretching her arms.
"Eh… I guess." He shrugged.
"How are you feeling though?" Yang asked.
"Huh?"
"You haven't used that upgrade wolf mask thing for a while now." Yang pointed out.
"It needed some modifications," Aaron said with a sigh. "After that last fight, the upgrade put a huge strain on my body."
"Yeah, we saw. You totally gave out after that kick." Yang said.
"Yeah. It's still a work in progress." Aaron sighed. He pulled a yellow water bottle from his backpack and tossed it to the blonde boxer who caught it and took a drink. "Not to mention we're on a tight schedule. Azrael's starting to get real serious. Weiss is next."
"Which brings me to my next point. I don't think it was smart of her to go on a solo mission." Yang frowned.
"Yeah, I'm worried too." Aaron confessed, "I still couldn't get over the fact Blake was turned into an Alter. I felt helpless like I couldn't protect the ones close to me."
"And with Weiss next, I can't imagine how livid Kuro would go if he saw Weiss turn into a monster," Yang said.
"He probably would flip his shit."
"I pray she's doing ok." Yang looks to the sky with concern.
"You and me both…" Aaron added.
LINE BREAK
"And why exactly are you with me?" Weiss asked as she, Nora, and Ren were walking with her.
"Oh c'mon, Ren and I just finished our mission. Plus, we just ran into each other! And with that Azrael saying you could be next, we'll be on the lookout!"
"Oh geez…" Weiss muttered.
"Surprisingly, Nora has a point," Ren said as he walked up. "Besides, he picked you to be his next target."
"Yeah, we don't want Kuro flying off the handle or anything if you turned into an Alter," Nora added.
"I guess you're right."
"Which is why you're not gonna leave my sight. I will be watching you 24/7 like a sloth!"
"You mean 24/7 like a hawk, right?" Ren deadpanned.
"Nope! Sloths are better!" Nora declares with pride.
LINE BREAK
"Oryah!" Kurogasa shouted as he slashed another Grimm down with his Kage Ryuujin. Another Beowolf was about to slash him from behind, but he managed to stab the Beowolf without looking before taking out his blade and letting that Beowolf fade to dust. He couldn't shake Azrael's words from his mind and it bothered him to no end.
It now wasn't a matter of when and where, only that it was certain.
"Damn…" he cursed as he sheathed his blade and looked around.
"You okay?" Blake asked, sheathing Gambol Shroud.
"My sister is being targeted by a megalomaniac, what do you think?" Kurogasa glared, before realizing his tone and sighed, "I'm sorry…" He apologized.
"I know, you feel concerned for her." Blake said in understanding, "Just like Aaron and the others care about me."
"It's just so scary to think that he could… find her and turn her into some kind of monster." Kurogasa said. "But then again…"
"Hm?"
"I… had a talk with her one night, while we were still trying to look for you." Kurogasa said as he went back down memory lane.
Flashback
"Huhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…" Kurogasa sighed as he sat upon his bed, sitting on the edge of it wearing nothing but his pajama pants on.
"Kuro, what's wrong?" Weiss asked as she sat up from the bed.
"I can't sleep…" He shook his head. "I'm worried about Aaron."
Weiss frowned, "I know what you mean… I'm worried about Blake."
"We all are…" Kurogasa said. "First Ruby, then Pyrrha, and now her. He's been targeting all of us, and it scares me. It scares me that you'll turn into one too."
"Kuro," The girl placed a dainty hand on the young man's right shoulder. "I won't become like that. I promise."
"I hope so," Kurogasa said softly, his left hand reaching over to his right shoulder to hold her hand. "I already put you through hell when I turned into Another Gaim. If anything happened to you, I-"
"Shhhhhh… don't talk about it anymore." Weiss whispered as she now wrapped her arms around him from behind, leaning her head on his back. "Even if I did turn into an Alter, I know that you'll come and save me."
Kurogasa couldn't help but smile softly, looking over his shoulder. "You really have that much faith in me?"
"I do. I have a lot of faith in you." Weiss answered with a smile. "Because I believe in you."
"Weiss…"
"Just… promise me you won't lose that faith if and when it happens."
"With a promise like that? I know I can't break it." Kurogasa chuckled. The next thing that happened was Weiss pulling him back to bed, with her on top, looking down on him with a serene smile.
"We'll get Blake back no matter what,"
"I know we will," Kurogasa said, caressing her cheek with his hand before the two of them kissed.
End Flashback
"That sounded really sweet," says Blake.
"Yeah, but… I didn't think about it back then, but… I had a feeling that she said that to convince herself and not me…"
"We're all afraid to lose the ones we love, Kuro." Blake said looking away. "But… it shouldn't stop us from trying. Especially you."
"Huh?"
"You're a good friend, Kuro." Blake smiled. "I mean, if you hadn't reached your hand out to me when I ran away, I probably would've stayed away altogether and went back to Menagerie. You believed in me. Even though I was pushing you away, you never gave up on me. Even though our loneliness is different, how we empathize with loneliness is the same."
"Blake…" Kurogasa muttered, before looking down with a smile and a light blush on his face. "Damn, you know how to tug at the right heartstrings…"
"I read a lot of books." The cat Faunus said with a shrug.
"You mean your Ninjas of Love?" Kurogasa chuckled teasingly.
"Oh, very funny,"
"Hey, at least I'm not Aaron. He always gripes at you for that." Kurogasa said. "Still, thanks. I needed that."
"It's no problem. Oh, and on your right." Blake said as she reloaded her weapon.
Kurogasa looked towards the Beowolf, who looked ready to pounce, but he swung with his katana before it could reach him. "Arigatou, Nee-chan." He grinned, but then covered his mouth and looked away, knowing that he slipped. Blake was staring at him with an incredulous look.
"N-Nee-chan?"
"Suman…!" Kurogasa cleared his throat nervously, looking flustered. "I just… that came out wrong. I didn't mean to- I mean, well, since we had this conversation, I thought I was starting to see you as an older sister and- oh gods, I'm so sorry! I'm gonna go!"
He dashed off, leaving Blake to ask one thing that came to mind.
"What just happened?"
LINE BREAK
Orion and Ruby were waiting at a rendezvous point for their assignment. Ruby was making sure her gear was in shape when she eyed Orion. She soon found herself lost in dreamily thought as Orion was stretching his muscles. Each rippling bicep coiled and moved in a way that enticed her more naughty side but she tried her best not to think about it…
Keyword: tried.
"Uh, Ruby? You're drooling."
"Huh!? Uwhawawawawawawawa!" Ruby suddenly panicked, wiping her mouth. "I was… just checking my equipment!"
"Were you? Or were you thinking about cookies again?" Orion pondered as he grabbed a few modified Dust ammo clips for his zweihander.
"Oh y-yeah," Ruby said with a sigh. 'Darn it, Rose, get it together! You came here to improve your grades, not… think filthy thoughts!'
"Well, get those sugar thoughts out of your brain, little Rose. We're going on an escort mission and I doubt they'll be serving up cookies." Orion informed the young leader of Team RWBY.
"Y-yes, sir!" Ruby blurted out before covering her mouth. She sweated bullets, hoping Orion didn't hear her.
"Hm? You say something?"
"N-no."
Orion stared at the little reaper for a few seconds before he shrugged, "Well, alright then."
Ruby sighed in relief. This was going to be a long day. Her attention turned to the group of clients. There were a few people alongside a Faunus family.
LINE BREAK
Azrael was standing in his lair, admiring a little side project he was working on. Since his Greeed idea failed, he needed a new minion that would be stronger. His project involved the use of the Aura Spheres and the data he could gather from his test subjects. Though there was that minor setback the other day. He was starting to enjoy his Panther Alter of a ninja, but that damnable Aaron had to ruin it with his little upgrade!
Regardless, he still managed to gather some data on his previous creation. It wasn't much but it would be a step in progress. And he knew that his next target was that Heiress of a Schnee. Oh, how he would love to bring that boy of hers to despair. He turned that boy into Another Gaim, but that was a big mistake. This time around, he was going to make sure that it won't happen twice. By turning Weiss into an Alter he'll make sure that she stays an Alter. And even if the Riders managed to free her, his plans would still be relatively safe if he gathered enough data on the girl's Alter form.
Now all he needed was a plan to separate the heiress from the rest of her pathetic friends…
LINE BREAK
"How did we get roped into this?" Orion asked no one in particular.
Apparently, their escort mission was to take the Faunus family to a neighboring village so they could attend a family reunion. They paid for the job with cold-hard cash, which made Orion a little suspicious since the family didn't seem like they could come up with that sort of money. Still, he had a job to do so he decided to keep it to himself until he and Ruby could figure out what the real deal is. Plus it was double the rate since the road was apparently blocked by debris during a major storm. Which meant more work for him and a difficult sniping job for Ruby.
"Are you a real Huntsman?" The youngest child of the family, a little boy with the ears of a lion on his mop of red hair, asked out of child-like curiosity.
"Ehehe… we're Huntsmen in training actually!" Ruby chirped.
"So you're not real Huntsmen… just perfect…" The eldest child, a teenage girl who looked to be the same age as Ruby with dark blonde hair and cat-like green eyes.
"We're… still in training, really." Ruby sweatdropped. "But it's no big deal! We'll get you over to the village safely! I guarantee it!" She said, springing back up to her cheerful personality.
"Really now?" The girl said skeptically, causing Ruby to sigh.
"Look," Orion stepped in to help his girlfriend, "Ruby may seem childish but she's stubborn to a fault. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about."
"I'll believe it when I see it." The girl said, before turning around to leave.
"We'll prove it!" Ruby declared.
"Easy Rubes," Orion chuckled as he patted the little reaper's head. "You'll get your chance."
The caravan got moving as the two followed close, eyes peeled for any danger.
Ruby looked at Orion, a blush on her face. She then shook her head furiously! What is wrong with her!? She shouldn't be thinking about Orion that way! Sure, he's her boyfriend but now wasn't the time to be acting all lovey-dovey! She had a job to do!
"Are you okay, Ruby?" Orion asked.
"Eh? Um, I'm fine! Totally fine!" Ruby chuckled nervously.
"You've been staring at me more than usual."
"W-Was I?"
"Rubes…" Orion pouted.
The red reaper quickly moved up ahead to avoid the rest of the embarrassing conversation.
'Ruby…' Orion thought curiously. 'What's with you today?'
Ruby was trying to clear her mind from the filthy thoughts that filled her mind. However, they fail to realize a dark force watching them from afar.
"Well, well… fresh meat to exploit," A yellowish grin sprouted from the individual spying on the escort. "The boys are gonna love this. The individual pulled out a scroll to make a call. "Hey, got ourselves a target. Gather the gang. Time to earn some money."
LINE BREAK
"Stupid, stupid, stupid…" Kurogasa grumbled to himself in embarrassment after taking out another Grimm. "Just what was I thinking calling Blake, Nee-chan? Dammit, Aaron's gonna kill me, I just know it."
He then turned and kicked a rock that flew into an unsuspecting Beowolf's head, knocking it out.
The samurai went wide-eyed from that lucky shot. "Okay, didn't expect that."
He then went back to pacing, trying to figure out what to do. Suddenly, a group of Smash Hybrids surrounded him, taking him by surprise.
"Grimm Hybrids!" Kurogasa cried out in shock. "Dammit, looks like I'll have to do this!" He said before his Aura glowed and had the Build Driver attached to him. "Cross-Z Dragon, Koi!" He shouted, raising his hand in the air. Flying around is a small blue mechanical dragon with a techno roar. Grabbing the dragon, he folded up the dragon's head and tail upward before taking out the Dragon Fullbottle. After shaking it rapidly, he inserted it into the slot.
WAKE UP!
Then he inserted it into the Build Driver.
CROSS-Z DRAGON!
He cranked the lever on the Build Driver and began to turn it several times as a cranking, mechanical tune played. Two pipes began filling with blue liquids flowed into two frames that held armor pieces, both colored navy blue and orange respectively. Once it settled and the Snap Ride Builder completed the two halves, as Kruoagsa entered a stance as the belt declared-
ARE YOU READY?!
"Henshin!"
WAKE UP BURNING! GET CROSS-Z DRAGON! YEAH!
The two halves merged together to form a single as the blue 'dragon wings' draped over his shoulders to form his shoulder armor. The finished armor was pure navy blue, with orange flame decals on one side of the armor halves. Dragon wings covered the shoulders as well as a dragon-themed helm upon his faceplate. This was Kamen Rider Cross-Z.
"Yosh! I have a feeling I won't lose!" Cross-Z declares as he charged at the first Hybrid. He began by sending multiple blows similar to Yang's boxing style to send one flying before dodging a swipe by another Hybrid. He kicked out its leg and kicked the monster away. The Hybrids kept coming, forcing Cross-Z to send out blue fireballs at them.
"Damn, there's no end to them!" He grunted as he kept fighting. One came behind him, but a familiar ribbon pulled it back.
"Kuro, we got a problem!" Blake said as she and Cross-Z got back to back.
"I kind of noticed." Cross-Z rebutted.
"No. These things aren't just showing up here!" Blake said with concern.
"No…"
LINE BREAK
Koa kicked one of the Hybrids, whilst holding a basket of muffins.
"Darn Hybrids ruining snack time for me!" Koa grumbled, taking a bite out of a muffin. "Get lost!"
"Seriously, where did these guys come from!?" Orpheus, now transformed as Eternal said, as he slashed one of them with his Eternal Dagger.
"You know~," Koa said, placing her basket on a table, before grabbing a hybrid by the neck. "I always wondered if I could do this with you little tinker toys." She held up a Cell Medal with a serpent-like smirk. "Let's find out Kay~?" She giggled as she moved the Medal closer to the Hybrids' forehead.
"Koa, where are you doing?!" Eternal panicked.
"Playing a game." Koa simply states as she inserted the coin into the monster's forehead. "Whoopsie~. My fingers slipped." The Hybrid backed up clutching its head in pain. Eternal was about to berate her when a Hybrid swung a blade at Koa, only to be blocked by a Yummy.
"It works! My new toy works!" Koa said, giggling with delight. "Now attack, my Yummy!" The Yummy charged at the hybrids swinging wildly.
"M-Maji ka…" Eternal sweatdropped. "That actually worked…?"
"Fufufu~, Now I can relax!" Koa said as she sat down to eat a muffin.
"This is no time to be having a snack!" Eternal cried out comically.
"Fine fine." Koa sighed as she got up to fight. However, she quickly grabbed a muffin to go.
"KOA!"
"It's just one!" Koa huffed before stuffing it in her mouth, chewing and swallowing it in one go before turning into her Greeed form. "Alright, I need ya to die so I can go back to my snackie time!"
The trio charged at the Hybrids.
LINE BREAK
The caravan had stopped to rest, giving Orion and Ruby time to look at the view.
"It's really a nice place, right Ruby?" Orion said as he practiced a few swings.
"Yeah, it's beautiful." She replies. She looked at Orion and blushed, fiddling with her fingers. Oh no, the dirty thoughts were coming back. 'Get out of my head filth!'
Orion then noticed Ruby looking flustered as he stopped swinging his weapon. "Okay, Rubes, you've been acting funny during this whole mission."
"F-funny?! Me, no I'm fine!" Ruby quickly denied.
"Ru~bes?" Orion crossed his arms with a frown.
"Okay, okay, fine. You win!" Ruby surrendered. "It's you, okay!? It's you!"
"Me?" Orion looked absolutely confused.
"Yes, you!" Ruby said, before looking away with a pout blush. "It's all your fault…"
"Huh?"
"I said it's your fault! You and your muscular arms and body… making me think filthy thoughts of you…" Ruby grumbled cutely.
"You're not really making a lot of sense, Ruby…" Orion sweatdropped.
"Oh, forget it!" Ruby said as she walked angrily to the other side of the caravan.
The elder Arc twin rubbed the back of his head in confusion, "What's up with her?" He wondered.
With our red reaper, we find her pacing around and arguing to herself in frustration. However, she was unaware of the dangers that were surrounding her. A group of bandits was watching the girl as she went through her little dilemma.
"Cute little thing, ain't she?" One of the bandits whispered.
"How much do you think she'll sell for?" Another inquired.
"I bet she'll be fun to sleep with." Another licked his lips.
"Quiet," The obvious group leader told his cohorts. "We'll capture the girl and search through the caravan for any useful items."
"Right boss."
Ruby sighed as she sat down. "What am I thinking?" She said to herself. "Maybe I should try telling him how I feel…"
"Or maybe you should stick your hands up." A voice said as a gun barrel jammed into her back. Ruby was about to scream her head off, but the person behind her placed a hand over her mouth. "Squeal and you die…" They threatened. Ruby nervously gulped but complied with the demand. She slowly raised her hands in the air while her captor nudged her in the back with their gun. They kept walking before they finally reached a small clearing away from the caravan as Ruby was surrounded by men.
"Lookie here, boys, we got us a fi~ne little lady!" One of the men cackled.
"Hehehe, she looks young but she's already pretty perky in the chest department," Another of the men lewdly commented.
"And I bet she got a firm ass too underneath that skirt."
"She'd sell high for a pretty Lien since she's a virgin." A fourth added.
Ruby wanted to shrink into the ground with each comment as the terror of being sold like a slave chilled her to the core. "EEP!" She squeaked when one of the bandits decided to get a little bold and groped her butt.
"Oho~ she is firm on the ass. I like that."
'Orion, help me… please…' Ruby prayed, hoping to be saved by her boyfriend.
Meanwhile…
After Ruby angrily walked off, Orion sat against a tree with his sword, Lunar Divide. He was still confused by Ruby's behavior but figured that it had to have been teenage hormones. I mean he had been working out recently just to get in shape. But the more he thought about it, the more he started to realize what Ruby meant.
"My god, Ruby is thirsty for me…" Orion muttered.
It should've been surprising for him. He knew that Ruby had feelings for him and he returned them as well but… she was fifteen years old! She's also too damn innocent that it could be used as a weapon against evil! Plus, he almost got his balls cut off by her Uncle Qrow during her physical therapy!
Now it wasn't that Orion didn't understand why Ruby was getting hot and bothered. His past life experience saw him with a few girls in his life that led to some heated bedplay but… this was Ruby! He couldn't do that to her… at least, not until she knew about the birds and bees… and was of legal age. Dammit, maybe it was all his fault!
"Ah, goddammit! Sometimes it sucks having the body of a shounen protagonist!" Orion furiously rubbed his blonde hair in frustration. "Maybe I should just go find Ruby… tell her that we should take it slow."
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Orion's eyes widened, hearing the scream. He knew who it belonged to.
"RUBY!" Orion shouted, as he grabbed his weapon and rushed towards the source of her voice.
LINE BREAK
"Let go of me!" Ruby cried out as she struggled against the grip of the bandits that held her. A few of them were laughing at her while another was playing with his knife against her blouse. A few unshed tears started to gather at her eyes.
"Oh, relax, little lady. Once we sell you off, we won't be able to see ya again. So, why not make our time together… memorable?" The bandit with the knife said with a malicious, lewd smirk.
"GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF MY GIRL!"
CHO BITE! URSINE CLAW!
"Huh?" Before the bandit could even react, a brutal fist slammed into his cheek, sending the would-be rapist flying until he crashed into a tree, unconscious. The familiar bear-themed Rider knocked away the other bandits in quick succession, sending them flying and tumbling to the ground.
"Ruby, you okay?" Azure asked.
"Orion…" Ruby whimpered, before she suddenly latched onto him, bawling her eyes out. "Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Azure held his girlfriend in a fierce, protective hug, letting her cry her eyes out after she experienced what would've been a traumatic episode in her life. He came upon the scene after hearing Ruby's cry and when he realized what the bandits were going to do to her…
The Kamen Riders' teeth were clenched to the point that they almost chipped from the strain. Those damn animals tried to harm his Ruby. They dared to put their dirty palms on his girl!
"Alright assholes, which one of you wants to die first!?" Azure demanded. He released Ruby and glared hatefully at the bandits, cracking his knuckles in a threatening manner. They dared to hurt this bear's mate... Well, now they're going to get the bear's claws. All the bandits looked at each other as fear seeped into their beings. They had no idea who this masked freak was, but he looked way freakishly strong. Their instincts were telling them to run. But then…
"Graaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!"
Orion gasped when he and they heard the sound. It was Grimm. And they smelled the bandits' fears.
Emerging from out of the trees was an Ursa Major… a very large Ursa Major.
"RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN!" The bandit leader shouted, as all the men ran for their lives. Screw the money, they have rules!
"Great… just our luck…" Azure groaned, before looking to Ruby. "Can you fight?"
"Um, yeah, but…" Ruby poked her index fingers together. "I don't have my sweetheart with me…"
"HUUUUUUUUUUHHHHH!" Azure exclaimed in comical shock.
"I-I'm sorry! It's just…" Ruby squeaked.
"Alright, I'll hold it off. Just get Crescent Rose back at the caravan. Go!"
Ruby hesitated for a second before she nodded and took off thanks to her Speed Semblance. While the young reaper left, Azure stood his ground against the Grimm.
"Alright, Yogi Bear…" The Rider pounded his fists together in a show of strength. "Bring it on!"
LINE BREAK
"Why is it always something!?" Nora shouted as the townspeople were running from the Grimm Hybrids as Nora, Ren, and Weiss were fighting them. With electricity in her hammer, she whacked a Hybrid by the head and smacked it away.
"This is bad. Nora, stay close to us." Ren said as he laid down covering fire. "I doubt that they would be fully affected by my Semblance."
Weiss blocked a few Hybrids before freezing them with a few glyphs. "They're trying to surround us and make us use up our Auras!" While the three fought, Weiss prayed that the hooded man was not here and that he would not take her away as he did with Ruby, Pyrrha, and Blake. "We have to escape."
"But how!? They got us surrounded!" Nora exclaimed.
"The only thing I can possibly see a way out of this is if we killed them all in one blow," Ren stated.
"Come on, think!" Weiss muttered before a lightbulb above her head turned on. "That's it!"
"What's it?" Nora asked.
"Ren, how effective is your Semblance?" Weiss quickly asked him, rotating the Dust chamber in her weapon.
"That depends how far you want my Area of Effect to be," Ren answered.
"Just for us three," Weiss said as her weapon clicked. "Nora, get ready to help make a big smokescreen."
"Alright, if you say so!" She said, changing Magnhild to Grenade Launcher Mode. Weiss got ready as the Hybrids charged at them, leaping into the air.
"Now!" Weiss yelled as she slammed her rapier into the ground. The three jumped away as Hybrids began to slip on ice that formed from Weiss's weapon. The Grimm Hybrids snarled and growled as they struggled to stand up but failed miserably.
"Nora, now!" Ren shouted.
"Eat my smoke!" Nora shouted as she shot three smoke bombs at the ground, allowing three plumes of smoke to puff out, covering the entire area. The three ran out, Ren holding both the girls' shoulders as they fled the battle.
Watching from afar was a silhouette who lazily watched them with interest. "My, my. Now that was a rather interesting spectacle." The figure reveals himself to be Azrael as he got up and brushed his suit. "Time to take what's mine…"
LINE BREAK
"ORA!" Azure exclaimed as he threw a right cross that hit the Ursa Major across the face. The huge bear Grimm roared in pain as it stumbled back. "Ooooooooh, c'mon Ruby, get back here!"
Ruby ran into the caravan and found her weapon. She smiled as she hugged it close.
"I'm never leaving you again!" Ruby said towards her weapon. "Now to help Orion!"
"KYA!"
Ruby turned to see another Ursa Major attacking the Faunus family. The children screamed as the beast raised a claw to end them swiftly and most brutally. The beast brought his huge claw down and…
*CLANG!*
The children opened their eyes to see Ruby using her scythe to hold back the claws of the Ursa.
"Don't worry, everything's gonna be just fine!" Ruby smiled at them.
"It's you…" The elder child of the family said with awe in her eyes.
"Told ya I'm a Huntress." She grinned wider before pushing the Ursa back and went on the attack. Ruby slashed with Crescent Rose, cutting the Ursa's black flesh. The Grimm roared in pain before it swiped a paw at the bothersome human that dared to hurt it. But she used her Semblance to dodge the Ursa, then flew around before slashing with her Crescent Rose again. This time the blade made contact with an opening in its bone armor, leaving a deep gash in its body.
"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"
"Uh-oh…" Ruby gulped.
BITE! URSINE CLAW!
"ORRAAAAA!"
Azure slashed across the beast's back, allowing Ruby to pull the civilians to safety. "Thanks, Orion!" The young reaper called out to her boyfriend.
Azure gave his girlfriend a thumbs-up, "No problem!" The Ursa got back up and roared into Azure's face.
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGHH!"
"Geez, take breath mints why don't ya?" Azure waved his hand in front of his face.
The Ursa didn't seem to like the taunt and roared again until the Rider uppercuts it right in the chin, effectively shutting the Grimm up. "Shoryuken!" Azure exclaimed after performing one of the most notable fighting moves in all of video game history. After launching the Grimm into the air, the blue Kamen Rider turned to face his girlfriend. "Ruby, finish it!"
"Got it!" Ruby shouted as she Semblanced her way into the air and once she was above the Ursa Grimm she grinned. "Take thiiiiiiiiiiis!" She shouted before spinning and slashed the Ursa Grimm right down the middle. The Ursa gave one last powerful roar before collapsing dead and fading into dust.
"We did it!" Ruby cheered.
"Nice work, little Rose." Azure praised. Ruby ran over to Azure and jumped into his arms giggling as they spun around for a bit.
*Thump!*
However, their celebration was cut short by a rumbling sound. The kids turned towards a puddle, which ripples in conjunction with the sound.
"Please tell me that that's your stomach." Ruby said nervously.
"Uh, I wish it was…" Azure admitted with a sweatdrop.
*THUMP! THUMP!*
The two turned towards a bunch of trees that were rustling as a humongous silhouette was pushing past it. The creature broke through the forest, revealing itself to be a humongous Goliath. It shook its head before letting out a loud bellow.
"Oh that looks like trouble…"
"Great… and we got no backup too…" Azure added.
"What do we do now?" Ruby asked her boyfriend.
"Honestly? Pray to Oum… get everyone out of here." He said with determination.
"But what about you?" Ruby said with concern, grabbing him.
"I'll try and hold it off."
"Orion no, you could die facing it alone!"
"There's no other way, Ruby. My current form is the only thing that possesses the strength to hold that thing back." Azure stated.
"No! I'm not losing you!" Ruby shouts. "I won't leave you!"
"I said go, Ruby! Now! It's a Huntsman's duty to protect the people, isn't it!? Now go!"
Ruby hesitated for a moment before letting go and fleeing with the other civilians. The Goliath bellowed once more as it raised its large pachyderm trunk, poised to crush Azure.
"Come on!" Azure shouts, standing his ground. 'Oh man, this is gonna hurt really bad…' He held up his hands as if to catch it. The large trunk came flying down before colliding and causing a large amount of dust and debris to be sent flying.
A long way away with the caravan, Ruby felt the impact and turned back to see the dust cloud. She bit her lip concerned and worried for Azure. But this was no time to worry now. She had to protect the caravan. "Alright, everyone! Keep moving!" She shouted.
"What about that other guy?" The youngest Faunus child asked.
"Don't worry, he'll follow us! Go! Go!" Ruby said to the group.
"Are you sure he's going to survive? That Grimm was massive!" The Faunus teen said incredulously.
"He's dealt with worse before, trust me!" Ruby said. "Now get going!"
The girl hesitated but quickly followed her parents while leading her little brother after them.
LINE BREAK
"Damn…" Kurogasa panted heavily as he was on one knee, after fighting the last wave of Grimm Hybrids. "These guys… never end…"
"Yeah… Almost as if… They planned this." Blake said as she focused on catching her breath and recharging her Aura.
"No time to completely rest yet." Kurogasa said as he got back up. "We need to get back to- ergh…" He fell on his knee, holding his side. Blake quickly grabbed him and held him up.
"Easy… are you bleeding?" Blake asked, concerned for him.
"Doesn't look like it. Probably bruised." Kurogasa said, as he tried to stand up properly and walk but fell on one knee again. "No, it's not a bruise. I think I got a fractured rib…"
"Here lemme help." Blake said, gently placing her hands on the injury and using her Aura to help his.
"H-How are you…" Kurogasa got out.
"An old White Fang method… I'm using my Aura to speed up yours." Blake grunted, "Though it's at the cost of mine…"
"You don't have to do this…" I said.
"It's fine… besides, I'm supposed to look after my… otouto, right?"
Kurogasa blushed before looking away, "B-Baka. Don't just say that so casually. Your brother's gonna kill me that I even called you Nee-chan…"
"Don't worry. I'll convince him you didn't mean it." Blake said as her Aura flickered a little bit.
"Blake your Aura…" Kurogasa said, concerned.
"You need it more than I do." She said before her Aura shattered. "How do you feel?"
"I… feel better." Kurogasa said, as he slowly stood up and slowly walked. "It felt like my rib didn't fracture in the first place."
"Good. Now let's get out of here before they regroup." Blake said, getting up, but then wobbled.
"Baka-nee…" Kurogasa said, before carrying her bridal style before he started running. "You owe me big time for this."
Blake rolled her eyes. "Same to you, since I helped you heal."
"…Fair enough. I'll make you a lot of tuna sushi when we get back." He mumbled.
"And I'll get you that famous book you always wanted."
"Howling at the Moon?" Kurogasa perked up as he kept running. "I thought they'd sold out."
"For some reason, they got my order wrong and sent me an extra copy." Blake said.
"Huh… okay then, that works. Just… keep the Nee-chan/Otouto thing between us… okay…?"
"I won't talk if you won't."
LINE BREAK
"Achoo!" Aaron sneezed.
"What's wrong?" Yang answered.
"I don't know but… I feel like killing Kuro for some reason…"
"Why?"
"I don't know…" Aaron said as he sat down in thought.
"I'm sure it's nothing."
"I hope so…"
LINE BREAK
Koa was sitting at a table, enjoying her muffins as the Yummy was massaging her shoulders. "Best. Idea. Ever~!" She said, singing the last part.
"You're really enjoying this, aren't you…" Orpheus deadpanned.
"Well yeah! I got my Muffins, a nice toy to play with, and my darling to keep me company." Koa said, winking to him.
"Again, why do you have to be so adorable…?" Orpheus facepalmed, trying to hide his blush.
"I've been learning from Red and Ice cream on cuteness as a weapon." Koa said, before stuffing herself with muffins. "I plan on using it to get more stuff!"
"Don't think your cuteness will let you get away with everything…" Orpheus muttered.
"It got me you didn't it?"
"Dammit, that's different!"
Koa laughed as the Yummy pantomimed laughing at him.
LINE BREAK
After what seemed like forever, Ruby and the caravan finally arrived at the village gates where they were let through. The members of the village all came to greet them, some of them having family members as they hugged each other. While Ruby was glad that the mission was complete, Orion was still out there. She had to go back for him.
"Where are you going?" The Faunus kid asked.
"I have to go back to Orion!" Ruby answered.
"But-"
"Just stay there!" And in a flurry of rose petals, she was gone.
With our heroic Azure, he was being pummeled into the ground by the Goliath. His armor was protecting him but it would be a matter of time before it would wear out.
"C'mon… is that you all got, you big Dumbo reject!?" Azure growled and taunted. The Goliath bellowed and stomped on him, making him yell in pain. "Okay, that one hurt…"
"ORION!" Ruby shouted as Azure heard multiple slashes onto the Goliath's back, causing it to roar in pain and step backwards.
"Ruby…?" The Rider groaned.
"Thank goodness, you're still alive." Ruby said relieved. Ruby then fires a few shots into the beast's face, one hitting its eye. It bellowed in pain before swinging towards Ruby in rage.
"Ruby, I told you to let me handle this!" Azure shouted with worry.
"This is my fight too!" Ruby countered as she dodged the Goliath's trunk.
"The damn thing is too big and dense for you to handle!" He shot back, pushing himself back onto his feet. The Goliath swung its trunk again, but missed as she Semblanced out of the way before going up high and going trigger happy with her scythe rifle, shooting round after round as she fell. "Idiot! You can't beat it on your own!"
"I don't care!" Ruby shouted. "I'm not leaving you again! Because I… because I…" She quickly used Crescent Rose's sniper barrel to shoot away from the Grimm elephant's massive trunk. "Because I love you, you big dummy!"
Orion's eyes widened behind his helmet when he heard Ruby say that, "Ruby…" He said softly.
All of a sudden there was a red glow from… Ruby's pocket?
"Eh?" The young reaper noticed the glow before it suddenly shot out of her pocket and flew directly towards Azure, who caught it out of reflex.
The Rider opened his palm to look at the glowing object before gasping in surprise when he noticed that it was… the Aura Sphere with the rose symbol. "How did…" He tried to ponder why Ruby possessed the Rose Aura Sphere but instead… he opened his Driver, removing his own Aura Sphere and replacing it with the one he held in his hand.
AURA SPHERE CONNECTED! ROSE!
A new tune began to play. One that sounded eerily similar to Red Like Roses. A crimson glow erupted from the Aura Driver as a red silhouette that looked similar to Ruby appeared behind Azure. The blue armor of the Azure Bear disappeared, leaving him in only a black bodysuit and helmet.
"Soul Switch!" He declared before closing his Driver's mouth over the new Aura Sphere as the eyes of the bear flashed silver instead of green.
RED LIKE ROSES! SPEEDY SHINIGAMI!
The red silhouette overlapped onto Azure's body, covering him in a red glow before it diminished to reveal him in a new form. His torso was clad in a lightweight red-black chest plate with Ruby's rose symbol emblazoned on the center in silver. He also had red shoulder guards, elbow pads, and knee guards with silver accents. Red-black boots with silver skulls on the ankles. His arms and legs had black vines with red thorns wrapped around them like a protective covering. His helmet remained black with a red mask that resembled a skull and his visor was silver while his mouthplate was silver. The most distinguishing factor about his new armor was the long red hooded cloak wrapped around his neck.
"Oh hell yeah! I'm a Shinigami!" Azure exclaimed in happiness. All of a sudden, Ruby's Crescent Rose suddenly flew towards Azure to which he caught, to his surprise.
"My baby!" Ruby exclaimed.
"Holy crap! It just came to me on its own!" Azure freaked out. "And it actually feels light in my hands."
"Give back my baby!"
"Sorry, Rubes, I'll be back with it, promise!" Azure said before he suddenly sped off… in rose petals?
"He took my Semblance too!?" Ruby cried out in shock.
"I'M SUPER FAST!" Azure exclaimed as he sped around the Goliath like a literal red blur. He took hold of Crescent Rose with both hands and started slashing with it just like how Ruby would if she were fighting at such intense speeds. The Goliath roared in pain as it kept getting sliced each and every time, when he was up in the air, he opened up the jaw and had it bite down on Ruby's Aura Sphere.
BITE!
Azure's visor flashed before he took off faster than even Ruby could think possible for her Semblance. A red blur rapidly struck the Goliath as it cried out in pain, receiving a new cut on its tough hide. The red streak shot up into the air to reveal Azure, wielding Crescent Rose over his head… as the silver blade grew bigger and bigger until it became longer than the Rider himself.
"EHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!?" Ruby cried out in shock.
"Have some of this, you bastard! I'm going beyond…" The Rider hefted the supercharged weapon and swung it down with a roar, "...PLUS ULTRRAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
SHINIGAMI CHOP!
The creature bellowed as the blade sliced through it quickly, leaving no apparent damage whatsoever. But when the silver blade began to shrink, the Goliath was covered with multiple slices as it fell apart and faded away.
"Ahhhhhh…" Ruby was totally slack-jawed by the display of power that Azure used. She was so amazed that she couldn't even speak full sentences but sputtered our random words.
After using his finishing move, Azure landed in a crouch with Crescent Rose resting on his shoulders. "Damn, I'm good." He then looked back at his girlfriend. "What?"
"I-You-How-He-It-..." Ruby sputtered before her brain stopped functioning from all the awesomeness she just witnessed. She faints, sporting a blushing red face and a bloody stream coming from her nose. "I have one hunk of a boyfriend…"
"O-Oi! Ruby!" Azure shouted as he ran over to her. "Hey c'mon, wake up! This is no time for you to be dying from how awesome I am!"
LINE BREAK
When our heroes returned to the village, partying the town celebrated the two's success at bringing their families back safely and defeating a Goliath. Ruby herself was sitting on a nearby chair watching the stars at night.
"Nice night right?" Orion said walking up and sitting down next to her.
"Uh… y-yeah." Ruby laughed nervously.
The two sat in silence for a while.
"Um…"
"I'm sorry…" Orion said. "About earlier… it is my fault…"
"Huh?" Ruby looked confused.
"I should have realized it sooner…" Orion said. "You… being thirsty for me…"
"Huh? Thirsty?" Ruby tilted her head cutely. "I don't recall needing any water."
Oh, the sweet innocence of youth at its finest yet again.
"You, thinking dirty thoughts of me… that's called being thirsty…" Orion muttered with a blush.
"Oh…" Ruby got out.
"So uh… I… think we should take things slow…" He suggested.
"Eh? What do you mean? Are you…" Tears started building up in Ruby's eyes. "Are you breaking up with me?" She whimpered.
"Huh? No, no, no, no! I'm not saying that at all!" Orion waved his hands. "I'm just saying that we should slow down a bit… you know, take our time."
"Oh. OOOOOOHHH!" Ruby said in realization. "Sorry I didn't mean to misunderstand."
"It's ok Rubes." He slipped his hand in between hers and the two gaze up at the stars. Ruby leaned against the Arc's shoulder and slowly drifted to sleep. Today's mission might have been hectic, but the two came out with their bond stronger than ever.
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"
Their sleep was ruined when the sound of bandits suddenly stormed the gates of the villages.
"Let's raid this town!" The bandit leader shouted.
"Damn!" Orion groaned. So much for relaxation. A Huntsman and Huntress's job is never done. "No backup and we're outnumbered." He scoffed.
"Hey, nothing we can't handle, right?" Ruby smiled.
Orion smirked and stood up, offering a hand to the young reaper, "Ready to get to work?"
"Yep! And you're not taking my baby this time."
"Deal."
LINE BREAK
"ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!" Ren and Nora suddenly plopped to the ground their Aura having been shattered, leaving Weiss the only one standing.
"You…" Weiss seethed.
"Looks to me that you're the only one left." Azrael chuckled, slowly stalking her.
"Stay back!" Weiss said as she prepares to fight the hooded man.
"Cute. And here I thought you wouldn't make this any less interesting." Azrael chuckled as he walked towards her. "Tell you what. I'll give you the first move."
"Gh…" Weiss gritted as she summoned many Glyphs before speeding towards him bouncing off of one glyph after another striking Azrael with Myrtenaster. But each blow seemed to barely even faze the man as he held up a hand, lightly flicking it which caused Myrtenaster to be sent flying from the force before she fell to the ground.
"Gah!"
"Are you finished? I'm getting bored here."
"You…" Weiss gritted her teeth as he stepped forward towards the fallen Heiress.
"Now then, I believe it's time I did what I came here to do." Azrael said, holding up a tainted Aura Sphere.
"Tch… go ahead. Do it." Weiss said in defiance. "Just know that my brother will save me. I know he will."
"Oh, I'm counting on it. In fact, I wonder which of you will win. Your brother… or you after you kill him?" Azrael smirked beneath his hood. "Let's find out!" Without another word, he shoved the Aura Sphere directly into Weiss's chest.
"EYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHH!"
KRD: And that's the end of the chapter! By the way, that bit with Ruby and the men, we completely do not, I repeat, do not endorse gang rape whatsoever!
GKC: And if any of you trolls try to say otherwise… Well, go f*** yourselves. Just writing it was painful enough. So go ahead, make a filthy comment. You're disgusting human beings anyways. All bark, no bite.
SR: *comes in wearing bunny ears*Yeah, tell them, guys! We don't like that crap at all!
GKC: Wait a minute… how did you get out of your chair!? *points at KRD*
KRD: I don't know, but we needed to reinforce the unendorsement, otherwise people would really think we're into that stuff. Ugh… *shudders*
SR: Yeah! And crazy Easter too am I right?
KRD: Yeah, and- *looks at the chapter* You… bastard…
SR: I can see where this is going. *Slowly closes KRD and GKC in a room* Now while they settle things, let's see what awaits us next.
Announcer: Jikai! Remnant's Climax Heroes!
Kurogasa: Weiss is missing!?
Azrael: Now my pet. Eliminate the white Rider.
Kurogasa: I'm not letting you keep my sister in chains!
Azrael: No! What have you done!?
Next Time: Frozen Conflict! Shiro's Chilling Battle!
?: AURA SPHERE CONNECTED! SNOWFLAKE!
SR: Will the Riders save their frosted friend? Or will the cold-hearted Azrael give them an icy demise? Tune in next time for another chilling chapter of Remnant's Climax Heroes! *snickers* ice puns…
GKC: Your jokes suck, man.
SR: Buddy, I'm hilarious.
GKC: You're about as hilarious as Yang… which is nada.
SR: Talk about giving the "cold shoulder"…
*BA-DUM! PISH!*
GKC: *Pulls out a shotgun* Oh, I'll show you a muthaf***ing cold shoulder! COME HERE!
SR: *Flees for his life* MAMMAAAAAAAAA! Woo Woo Woo Woo Woo!
