GKC: What's up,everyone! This is GKC here and his posse of peeps.
KRD: Today we're bringing you another special to Remnant's Climax Heroes! After all that epic battling in the movie special, we figured it's time for some down time.
SR: So hold onto your pants, dear readers!
KRD: As to what that down time pertains to. Well, Team JOKR is finally going home! Meaning after this, no more-
*BONK!*
KRD: ITE!
GKC: FOOL! Never say the adventure is over! For there will always be crazy, outrageous adventures!
KRD: I was joking… geez, take a chill pill.
GKC: *Pulls out a shotgun* How about I give you the Deadpool treatment? It involves me, this shotgun, and your face.
KRD: ._. …moushiwake arimasen deshita…
SR: But, wait! How would Team JOKR be able to get home? I mean they would probably… Oooooooooohhhh, now I get it. This involves our good old Pinky amigo doesn't it?
Decade: Pinku janai! Magenta da!
KRD: I mean it could involve the DenLiner too.
SR: I almost forgot our favorite color coded Taros allies.
Momotaros: Oi! Don't you dare forget us!
KRD: Yeah, yeah, we didn't forget. But anyways, think of this as Vol. 3, Chapter 0.
GKC: Now let's get this party started…
All: HENSHIN!
Disclaimer: Same thing as always.
Ironwood and Ozpin were back-to-back as they were surrounded by S.H.O.C.K.E.R grunts. The situation was dire. They took down so many S.H.O.C.K.E.R grunts, but whenever they took down ten, twenty more took their place. The destruction of Vale and everything else in between was something they couldn't imagine that would happen. They were on their last legs and their Auras were about to shatter.
"End of the line for both of us, Ozpin?" Ironwood asked.
"It was an honor to fight alongside you." Ozpin said with a nod.
As the enemies began closing in on them, a golden wave began flowing throughout Vale, causing the evil grunts and the destruction to fade away. Ironwood and Ozpin were befuddled by the recent development, and to make this even stranger, the golden wave started repairing any and all of the damage that S.H.O.C.K.E.R had caused, except for the original damage that was caused by Schwartz.
"Wh… What happened?" Ironwood was left dumbfounded.
"It appears that Team JOKR did it." Ozpin said with a sigh of relief. "S.H.O.C.K.E.R has been eliminated and the threat has been averted."
"I see."
The sound of a train whistle echoed in the air as a space-time portal opened up and the DenLiner came out of it.
"And not a moment too soon." Ozpin smiled as they saw the train, ready to descend on the platform.
RWBY RIDERS: HOMECOMING
The sound of a train whistle echoed in the air as a space-time portal opened up and the DenLiner came out of it. Its passengers looked outside the windows and saw that it was back to the way it was before Chou-Dai-S.H.O.C.K.E.R invaded Remnant. Other than the reconstruction efforts in the City of Vale that were still ongoing, everything else was back to normal, thanks to the space-time distortion correcting itself. Down below General Ironwood and Headmaster Ozpin were looking on as they saw the train making its way down.
Once the train had finally landed and stopped, the doors slid open and out came Team JOKR, RWBY, JNPR, MYYR, Miko, Koa, and Winter.
"We're baaaaack!" Ruby cheered. "Back from saving the multiverse!"
"Yeah! Saving the multiverse was awesome!" Koa and Nora cheered.
"I think I'm gonna be sick." Jaune groaned, almost vomiting.
"Here." Pyrrha said, having him a brown paper bag, which Jaune gladly took and vomited.
"At least we're finally back home." Ren added.
"Hail, the conquering heroes." Ironwood said to the group before meeting with Winter. "Specialist Schnee, I trust that everything is stable?"
"Yes sir. Everything is back to the way it should be." Winter nodded.
"Excellent work." Ironwood nodded.
Ozpin looked at the group of teens, "In any case, I think we're all entitled for some rest. Let us return to Beacon. We have a festival to prepare soon."
"Yeah, I'm just about pooped…" Koa agreed as she stretched out to loosen up. "I'm sleeping the whole day for this… cuddling my darling too." She emphasized the last bit by giving Orpheus a smooch on the cheek.
"Not in public, please? I have a reputation." Orpheus groaned despite the flush of red on his face.
"Oh, you know you love me, darling."
Nearby, a couple people were snickering whilst Rei was sticking out their tongue in disgust and embarrassment.
"Why must my mom be so embarrassing?" Rei lamented.
"Be glad that you're not seeing those two." Yin deadpanned, pointing a thumb at Melody and Miko who were kissing each other.
"Really? You two can't go… five more minutes without sucking face?!" Aaron exclaimed. The two looked at the group in embarrassment.
"We learned from you guys." Melody and Miko said nonchalantly.
"Jiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii…" Kurogasa stared, deadpanned at Ruby and Blake, complete with the sound effect. Weiss was doing the same thing, only to Orion and Aaron.
"Um… I, uh…" Ruby stuttered to say something.
"I don't think we're gonna get out of this one…" Blake whispered to Ruby.
"Why are we the ones being shamed?" Orion pondered.
"Honestly, at this point, I think it's karma." Aaron answered.
"Say… Just curious, but what's your family like?" Nora asked JOKR, whilst eating her pancakes.
"Well you've met mine and Jaune's." Orion said.
"I mean your family back on this Earth place." Nora took another bite of pancakes, making the four pause.
"Now that she mentioned it, I'm rather curious as well." Weiss admitted.
"We wouldn't know. We've been dead over there for nearly two decades." Orpheus stated.
"Well why not visit it? You said this train can do stuff like that right?" Koa said nonchalantly.
"It's not that simple." Aaron answered. "Time and space have rules. You can't just break them like these kids did." He gestured to Team MYYR and Miko.
"Perhaps I can help with that?" A familiar voice says, getting everyone's attention. The group turned around and saw Tsukasa standing there.
"Decade/Pink Rider?" The group and Koa said in surprise.
"Pinku janai! Magenta da!" Tsukasa shouted at Koa.
"What brings you here anyway?" Jaune asked. "Is the multiverse in danger again?!"
"No, no, nothing like that. That's the last time S.H.O.C.K.E.R will rear its ugly head… hopefully." Tsukasa corrected, forgetting his annoyance at the Greeed. "I'm just here to offer the boys here a chance to see their Earth families again."
"WHAT/NANI?!" Team JOKR exclaimed in shock and disbelief.
"WE GET TO SEE EARTH?!" RWBY, JNPR, MYYR, Miko, and Koa exclaimed excitedly.
"Yup, as thanks for saving the multiverse, I thought it'd be best for you guys to see your families back on Earth." Tsukasa explained. This left the four in a loop; they could finally see their families after so many years. "On one condition… none of those Atlas assholes are coming with. That includes your sister, dragon boy."
"Any particular reason why?" Winter asked, annoyed.
"Just don't want you guys getting any ideas from what you might see if you did go." Tsukasa deadpanned. "Especially Ironwood's track record of paranoia."
"He has a point." Melody admitted.
"So… field trip?" Ruby asked her friends with a wide grin on her face.
"Actually…" Aaron began. "I… don't think it'd be a good idea for you guys."
"Ah, what?! Why not?" Yang asked.
"Well, we did say that we know the events of Remnant and… well, in our world, you're pretty much famous worldwide, even in Japan." Kurogasa said. "Because, well… normally, people like you came to be in Japan, but… you guys are the first to not be made from Japan."
"I don't get it." Nora scratched her head in confusion.
"Okay, Blake's a Faunus, right? In Japan, people like girls such as her… specifically because of her ears." Aaron explained.
"What do you mean?" Blake asked, a little offended.
"Well they are rather cute…" Yang muttered to herself.
"We can always play them off as cosplayers, right?" Orion suggested.
"No, it's not gonna look good if they see her. Ribbon or not." Aaron countered. "Remember, RWBY and everyone else are known worldwide in our world. We can't risk them getting so much attention. Let alone the attention of… their creators."
"Our creators?"
"Oh yeah, you guys were actually made by a company called RoosterTeeth. They made the show and all that. The one who came up with it? Monty Oum? He's technically your God."
"We're… not real?" Ruby said, gripping her head. "Is this even reality?!"
"Let's not have an existential crisis. Remember, you were in the multiverse." Tsukasa reminded the teens. "And besides, one person's fantasy can be another's reality, right? Why else would Kamen Riders exist?"
"Y-Yeah, you're right. Sorry." Ruby said, shaking her head.
"And another thing… Monty, your God… well…" Aaron trailed off almost solemnly. "He's… dead in our world."
"What?" The people from Remnant were taken by surprise.
"Yeah, he, uh… passed away. He actually voiced Ren for a while. All the way up to the end of the Breach."
"My… voice?" Ren asked.
"Yeah, his older brother Neath took the role of voicing you after his passing," Orpheus said.
"But… in light of his passing, his friends… everyone who worked so hard on keeping you guys alive, they still continued on. They kept moving forward." Kurogasa added, before looking to the sky. "And while we, Team JOKR, can't speak for him, I think Monty is happy, knowing that his spirit and legacy is still being kept alive in those that loved him, despite the flaws and criticisms of your journey and adventures in this world. And how each of you grow as a person in your own way."
He heard sniffling, and saw the girls and the Taros brothers holding tissues and tearing up.
"That was beautiful." Ruby sniffled.
"I'm not crying, blondie! You're crying!" Momotaros said to Yang, tears streaming down his face.
"Yeah right! I totally see your tears!" Yang said even though she was crying as well and holding a tissue.
"Such a beautiful story~!" Koa said, blubbering with tears as she blew her nose.
*HOOOOOONK!*
"Well anyways… I don't think you guys should be going. The only people that could possibly get away with that is Team MYYR and Miko." Aaron said.
"Hey!"
"And Koa too. Because RoosterTeeth didn't make them." Aaron said, before clearing his throat with a slight blush. "We did… In the near future. W-With the exception of Melody of course, since she's adopted." This caused WBY and OKR to blush too in embarrassment.
"Somehow I knew in my heart that you were my real daddy, Aaron." Koa grinned goofily.
"Not like that…" JOKR deadpanned at her.
"S-So… we're not going to see Earth?" Ruby asked, as Orion patted her on the back.
"Don't worry, I'll be sure to bring back some cookies for you." Orion offered with a smile. "The chocolate chip and strawberry kind that you love really much."
"Thank you." Ruby hugged Orion tightly.
"I'll be sure to bring lots of souvenirs back from Japan, Weiss." Kurogasa assured with a grin. "And bring some food from there too."
"I know you will." Weiss said with a smile, as the two hugged.
"You better not forget about us, Aaron." Yang said as she gave him a playful slug on the shoulder.
"Because it won't end well if you do." Blake said, her cat ears drooping.
"Don't worry, I'll get you two a few things from there, no worries." Aaron said, before the two hugged him.
"Hey, what about us?" Nora exclaimed, gesturing to the others. "Where's our goodbyes?!"
"I mean it's not like we're staying there long." Kurogasa said. "But if it means that much to ya, then we'll see ya when we get back."
[Miami, Florida]
A silvery veil began to form in an inconspicuous area. Aaron, Miko, and Yin were the first ones to come out of the silvery veil. Since their homes are in different parts of the world, it was only natural that Tsukasa would drop them off at those said places. Plus, repairs to the City of Vale won't be done for another three weeks so JOKR decided to dedicate two weeks to catching up with their families and the last week would be devoted to helping in reconstruction efforts when they return to Remnant.
As to where they are now, they are in Miami, Florida, the very southeastern corner of the United States. It has a vibrant culture that is influenced by a diverse population from all around the world. And is also known as the "Magic City" for seemingly popping up overnight due to its young age and massive growth.
"Woah…" Miko and Yin said in awe.
"Yep, welcome to Miami, Florida." Aaron said with a fond smile. "My hometown back on Earth. Where the waves are awesome, the women are beautiful, the Dolphins football team sucks, and the Heats basketball team is awesome."
"Not to mention very hot." Yin said as he looked up and there was not a cloud in the sky, only the bright yellow sun which he had to shadow his eyes with his hand on his forehead.
"I feel like I'm melting!" Miko said, breathing heavily as she fanned herself.
"Then how about some ice cream?" Aaron asked his future children.
"Sure, but… don't you wanna visit the family first?" Yin scratched his head.
"We have plenty of time for that. Now c'mon." Aaron said, before gesturing to Miko and Yin to follow him, to which the future kids followed.
"Um… Papa, are you sure this ribbon is going to hide my ears well?" Miko asked, as she was fixing it.
"It worked for your mom. At least… for a while." Aaron said, looking over his shoulder. "Besides, you look cute with it."
"Aw, Papa…" Miko said, all flustered. "You really get me all flustered when you tease me!"
"Then there's no doubt you got that from your mother as well." Aaron chuckled. The three then came across a well known ice cream shop by the name of Royal Scoop. "Man, this takes me back. I always come here during summer vacation."
"Wow, that's something." Yin said in awe. "What kind of flavors do they have?"
"Well let's see, you got your classics like vanilla, chocolate, strawberry. And then there's the complicated ones like Cookies n' Creme, Mint, Rocky Road, Buttered Pecan, Neapolitan…"
"Neo's an ice cream?!" Miko and Yin asked.
"Uh, yeah? Seriously, how do you kids not know that?" Aaron gave his future children dry expressions.
"We always figured Neo was named after some fancy color." Yin shrugged.
"Yeah, it's called ice cream. Neapolitan is three colors. White, brown, and pink. Vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry."
"Oh…" Miko said in understanding.
"So are we gonna keep talking or are we gonna get some ice cream then?" Yin said.
"Right. Let's get it." Aaron said, before the three of them ordered the ice cream that they wanted. Aaron got himself his mint chocolate, Miko like her mother got chocolate with gummy fish on top, and Yin like his mother got a rocky road. "Heh, like mother and child." He mused to himself.
"What? It's my favorite. Mama got me hooked on it." Miko said with a pout.
"I'm not judging your preferences. Just… seeing the uncanny resemblance." He said with a smile as he patted between his daughter's kitty ears. "God, I made some good-looking kids."
Miko mumbled to herself in embarrassment as they began walking. They could feel the warm sun, smell the tropical breeze, but something caught the attention of Aaron's kids.
"Woah, look at the roads." Yin said in awe.
"There's seashells mixed in with the ground!" Miko added in awe as well.
"Hehe… considering our location is a very damp and tropical one, they use the shells for good reason." Aaron explained as the two kept looking in awe. "Usually after it rains, oil seeps into the roads and pavements, making them like ice."
"Wow… imagine if Menagerie started implementing this method." Miko said with stars in her eyes.
"Yeah, but it would ruin the tropical paradise I always thought it was." Aaron said with a jest.
"So Dad, what was it like here when you were a kid?" Yin asked.
"Oh, it was great. Grew up in a loving home with my parents, had a little sister, some friends, awesome relationships and painful breakups. I went diving once. Met a great white shark. It tried to eat me because I looked like a fish. Jokes on them, I tasted terrible." Aaron answered in a stoic way while still keeping up his smile. "Got a cool shark tooth necklace out of it too."
"A shark almost ate you?!" Miko looked on in horror.
"And lived to tell the tale." Aaron grinned widely. "Truthfully, it was curious about me. And like cats, they tend to use what they feel comes naturally. For them, it was their mouths."
"How are you so happy about that?" Yin looked at his father in shock.
"Uh, because next to wolves, sharks are my favorite animal. Who would wanna fuck with the apex predators of the sea?" Yin and Miko just stared at him in disbelief. "Oh c'mon, like you haven't heard me cuss before!"
"He has a point. He and mom, do curse up a storm when mad." Yin nodded in response. "And especially the times they were in bed…" He added in with a deadpan.
"We were that loud?" Aaron inquired. Yin's silence said it all. "Oh… I traumatized my son… I'm a horrible parent."
"That's how I walked in on you both in the first place…" Yin sweat dropped with a very dry look.
"Well… note to self: lock all doors before doing the nasty."
"And soundproof…"
"Right, and buy soundproof walls."
It wasn't long before they finally arrived at the neighborhood that Aaron once lived in. It was the same as before and after walking down a few streets and turning several corners here and there, they were finally standing in front of the Jaeger residence. A two-story house painted a milky white color with the shutters colored a dark blue and the door painted forest green. A white truck was present in the driveway along with a red Honda.
"Well… here we are." Aaron said, his nerves suddenly jittering. "Is it weird that after what feels like two decades to me, I'm scared to see my family again?"
"You've been through worse." Yin said.
"Yeah, but this is my Earth family we're talking about. I mean… I kinda died a stupid death after all. Stupid toaster exploding in my face…"
"Wait, what?" Yin blinked owlishly.
"Yeah, pretty stupid way to die right? I never told any of you this until now."
"Why would a toaster explode?"
"Faulty design?" Aaron offered. "Look, the point is, I don't wanna look like an idiot who decides to come back to life and visit them after nearly twenty years."
"Yeah, but they're still your family." Miko added. "And I always wanted to meet my Earth grandparents."
"I don't even know if they'll be the same or if they'll recognize me. I mean, I didn't exactly look like someone from a Crow movie." Aaron remarked.
"We're still gonna be with you either way." Yin said. "You got this."
"Okay… I can do this." Aaron said as he approached the front door. "I can do this." He repeated as he raised his fist. "I can do this." He prepared to knock… "I can't do this." He hesitated and started backing up. "This was a mistake. I wanna go home now."
"No backing out now, Papa." Miko said, as she and Yin pushed him back. "We'll be right behind you."
"Dammit, I don't wanna do this! I'll ground you both! You know I will!" Aaron complained.
"Grounding us is so childish now these days." Yin grinned.
"Yin, no! I can't do this! Stop! Miko, what are you doing? Stop-"
*CREAK!*
The three froze as the front door to the house opened to reveal a little girl, around eight or nine years old, with long brown hair, bright blue eyes, and light skin. She wore a simple pink t-shirt with a picture of the My Little Pony character, Fluttershy, white shorts, and white-yellow socks.
"Who are you?" The little girl asked in confusion. "Are you… dressing up for Halloween?"
"Uh…" Yin blinked.
'Oh gods, she's so cute and adorable!' Miko squealed in her thoughts.
The little girl then looked at Aaron before her eyes widened in surprise. "You look like my big brother!"
Aaron flinched but chuckled sheepishly, "Oh yeah? Guess I might look different. So… hey, little sis."
…
…
…
…
"MOOOOOOOOM! DAAAAAAAAD! AARON'S ALIIIIIVE!"
"Why would you yell, Nina!?" Aaron exclaimed to the girl. "And so close too! My ears are ringing."
"AAROOOOOOOOON!" The girl now called Nina cried out as she now threw herself into her big brother's arms. "YOU'RE ALIVE! YOU'RE ALIIIIIIIVE! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Despite his initial surprise and his clothes getting wet, Aaron couldn't stop the smile from spreading across his face as he held and hugged his little sister for what felt like forever. "I'm back, Nina. It's okay… big brother's here now."
"Nina, what's with all the yelling?" Another voice called out as two more people came to the door, and when they did, they were absolutely floored. "A-Aaron?!"
"Uh… hey Mom, Dad." Aaron said sheepishly.
James, looking like an older yet wiser copy of him, had the same black hair but it was neatly trimmed and combed back with a full beard on his face, blue eyes, and pale skin. His build suggested that he went through a lot of exercise and stayed in great shape over the years as evident by the muscles defined by his white high collared shirt, a pair of blue jeans, and white socks on his feet. His name was James Jaeger.
Fiona, despite her age, was beautiful with her long brown hair done in a braided ponytail, warm brown eyes, olive skin, and a voluptuous figure. She wore a simple red blouse, a black knee-length skirt, and her feet were covered by a pair of grey slippers. Her name was Fiona Jaeger.
"Aaron… is that… really you?" Fiona asked as Aaron let go of Nina and stood up.
"Yeah, it's me…"
"But… how did you- you were dead! We all saw the toaster exploding in your face!"
"Please don't remind me, mom…" Aaron groaned.
"And what happened to your eyes? Your hair? And what's with these clothes?! Have you become a hooligan?" Fiona started to ask her questions in a frantic tone.
"Mom, please." Aaron sighed.
"And who are these people with you?! Here I thought you were starting to get better after you left Rachel!"
"MOM, CAN YOU PLEASE JUST SHUT UP FOR A MINUTE?!" Aaron suddenly yelled.
Fiona looked at him in surprise while James gave him a disappointed look.
"I'm sorry… but seriously, I can't explain if you keep chattering. So can I tell my story inside? Standing out here is making me self-conscious about myself from other people." Aaron said. "And besides… there's a lot I need to tell you all."
James gave him a hard look, before saying, "Come on in." He said, before walking towards the living room with his wife and Nina going in too. Aaron sighed heavily, before Miko placed a hand on his shoulder.
"It's going to be okay, Papa. If you explain yourself properly, I'm sure they'll understand."
"It's not that they'll understand… it's more if they can handle it." Aaron told his future daughter.
"Well, if they can't, that's on them." Yin said, before letting himself in. Aaron sighed before he and Miko followed suit.
[Tokyo, Japan]
Yukina was in total awe at what she was seeing before her eyes. After walking through the Silver Veil in an inconspicuous area, Kurogasa and Yukina stepped out of an alleyway and into the streets of Tokyo, the capital of Japan, and home to anime and manga.
It was a bustling capital, mixing the ultramodern and the traditional, from neon-lit skyscrapers and anime shops to cherry trees and temples. The opulent Meiji Shinto Shrine is known for its towering gate and surrounding forests. The Imperial Palace sits amid sprawling public gardens. The city is famed for its vibrant food scene, and its Shibuya and Harajuku districts are the heart of its trendy teen fashion scene.
"Hehe, like what you're seeing, Yukina?" Kurogasa smiled.
"It's so beautiful…" Yukina said in awe. "There's so much to see! Look at all those stores!"
"Well we got two weeks to do all of that." Kurogasa chuckled.
"And visit your family too." Yukina added, causing Kurogasa to pause in his steps.
"Right… family…"
"Doushita no, Otou-sama?" Yukina asked.
"Sorry, it's just…" Kurogasa muttered, while looking down.
"You're nervous about seeing them, aren't you?"
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't." Kurogasa smiled sadly. "It's been nearly over twenty years since I've been reincarnated into Remnant. And… my unfortunate passing on Earth wasn't exactly… memorable."
"How?"
"Your grandparents and I were on a winter vacation trip to Lake Mashu in Hokkaido." Kurogasa said. "I… accidentally fell overboard and… well, drowned to death then froze… it's worse because I don't know how to swim."
"That's…" Yukina said wide-eyed.
"Yeah… not exactly how I wanted to go out…" Kurogasa sighed ashamed while looking down. Yukina looked at her father and gave him a big hug to make him comfortable.
"I'm here for you every step of the way." Yukina said with a smile.
"Yukina…" Kurogasa muttered. "You'd still have me despite my untimely and foolish death?"
"Of course, you're my father after all." Yukina giggled as she poked his nose.
"Hehe… I really did raise you well…" Kurogasa smiled softly. "Arigatou, Yukina." He said, before the two let go. "Alright, let's go see your grandparents and after we talk everything out with them, we're all going out to eat. As a family."
"I'd like that, Otou-sama." Yukina beamed happily.
And so Kurogasa and Yukina continued through the streets of Tokyo as the latter was enjoying the sight seeing. When they went through the Harajuku District, they were stopped by a few of the locals, thinking that Yukina was Weiss, which they were sort of right, and even got a couple pictures with her. But eventually they came out of the Harajuku District and after a few more minutes of walking, they arrived at a neighborhood and were now in front of the Kururugi residence.
It was a rather simple traditional Japanese house that one would actually find in the rural areas of Japan, but has been updated to modern standards.
"This is your… home?" Yukina asked.
"Yeah. In fact, some of Mistral's architecture was based on homes such as this."
"That's amazing," Yukina said with awe.
"Just wait until you see the inside." Kurogasa chuckled before the two went up to the front door. The young samurai breathed in and out in deep breaths. "Okay… I can do this… I can do this…"
He took a really deep breath, and brought a hand to the door.
*KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK*
"Ha~i!" A voice called out as Kurogasa heard footsteps from the other side of the door. When it finally opened, Kurogasa was face-to-face with a woman that had long flowing pink hair and grey eyes. She was currently wearing an indigo kimono with intricate flower design while wearing a red obi sash to keep it in place. However, the woman laid eyes on the young samurai, her expression changed to one of shock and disbelief. "K-Kurogasa…?!"
"Kaa-san…" Kurogasa muttered. "Eeto… ano… tadaima?"
"A-Are you… an OBAKE?!"
This made Kurogasa fall down, anime style, before getting back up. "Obake janai!" He cried out in comical dismay. "Mou~ Kaa-san! That's the first thing you say after all this time?!"
"Can you blame me? Here you are, right in front of me, alive and well." Kurogasa's mother said in shock. "But…" Her eyes had tears running down her face, before hugging him tightly, "Somehow… for some strange reason, I knew you were still alive…"
"K-Kaa-san… I…" Kurogasa got out only to have tears run down his eyes as he hugged her back. "I missed you so much…"
"Me too. My baby is finally home." His mother sobbed, hugging her son before breaking it. "Anata! Come here! Our son is alive!" She called out.
No sooner than she said that, immediately footsteps came running towards the door before revealing themselves to be, what appeared to be a spitting image of Kurogasa, only older and he was wearing his business suit without the jacket. This was Kyoshiro Kururugi. "Son?! Is that you?!"
"Yo, Oyaji…" Kurogasa waved weakly. Before he knew it, he was wrapped up in a tight hug from his father.
"My son… it's really you." He said with joy, tears threatening to escape.
"I'm… glad to see you too. Oyaji… you can let go now… choking… can't breathe… need air…" Kurogasa wheezed.
"Ah, warui." Kyoshiro apologized, releasing the samurai. "But how are you here? Where did you come from? And who is this with you?"
"Uh… that's a bit of a long story." Kurogasa said nervously, before looking at Yukina. "As to who this is… uhhhh… this is gonna be a bit of a shocker, but um… meet your future granddaughter?"
…
…
…
…
"What?" His father said in surprise.
"I have a granddaughter!? I'm a grandmother now?!" His mother exclaimed. "Wait, I'm a grandmother! Anata, am I too old?"
"Yukina, you're fine." Kyoshiro, sweat dropped. "But… is that true, son? This… girl is your daughter."
"Hai, what he says is true, Ojii-sama." Yukina said, before bowing to him politely. "My name is also Yukina. Otou-sama named me after Obaa-sama with the same name."
"How precious!" Yukina Sr. exclaimed, immediately hugging her granddaughter.
"Oi, Kaa-san…" Kurogasa sweat dropped.
"Still, I never thought my own son is now a father!" Kyoshiro laughed heartily as he smacked his son's back rather hard, making the latter wince. "So, who's the lucky girl, huh?"
"Um… would you believe me if I said that I'm dating Weiss Schnee from RWBY?"
"The character from that American anime?" Kyoshiro raised a brow. "She's real?"
"Yeah, like I said, it's a long story. We all need to sit down for this so I can tell you what I've been doing."
"Then what are you waiting for? Come in! I want to hear everything!" Yukina Sr. said, before pulling Yukina into the house. "Saa, saa, I want to know everything about you!"
"C-Chotto! Obaa-sama!" Yukina cried out.
[Corpus Christi, Texas]
"Arrrrrgh, no, I can't do it!" Orion said as he pacing back and forth towards the door then walking away from it, repeating the motion over and over again. After walking through the Silver Veil, Orion and Melody came out on the other side, right in front of his family residence, but now he was a nervous wreck.
"Dad, come on. Quit being such a chicken." The wolf Faunus told her adoptive father.
"Easy for you to say. I managed to keep my first name but not my surname. What if my folks don't recognize me?" Orion panicked. "What am I saying, of course they won't recognize me, because my whole face got eaten by rabid chipmunks when I died!"
"…What?" Melody blinked.
"Ahhh…" Orion gawked, as he realized that he screwed up.
"Rabid. Chipmunks…" Melody said in disbelief. "You realize how far fetched that sounds, right?!"
"Believe me, I know…"
"How did it even happen?"
"It involved a picnic, some nuts, peanut butter, and a lot of other factors that led to an unpleasant death by chipmunks." Orion said with a shudder. "It's not a pretty story."
"Oh for crying- I'm gonna ring the darn doorbell!" Melody said as she walked towards the door.
"Wait, no no no!" Orion tried to stop Melody as she pushed the doorbell.
*DING DONG!*
"Are you crazy?!"
"You're confronting your family one way or another!"
"But I'm not ready for this!"
"You're not running away!" Melody said, grabbing his shirt as he tried to make a break for it.
"No, you can't make me! Please! I-"
*CREAK!*
The two stopped, hearing the door slowly open. "Yes? Can I help you two?" Said a voice, making the two turn around. Standing at the door appeared to be a woman. She had a similar hair color to Orion's, albeit a bit faded. She was wearing a simple shirt and pants, plus some white socks. This was Jessica Forge.
"Um…"
"You better not be sales folks, because we don't want what you might be selling!"
"Uh… hey ma…" Orion waved.
"Now just who do you think you are to… call me…" the woman began before taking a closer look at Orion, her hands trembling. "…Orion?"
Jessica's trembling hands moved towards Orion's face, caressing it as tears filled her eyes. "Is it… really you?"
"Y-Yeah ma, it's me." Orion replied, grabbing one of her hands.
A few minutes passed, as she stared silently. "Um… ma?"
Suddenly, tears comically shot out of her eyes before pulling Orion into a strong arm hug. "My baby boooooy!" she sobbed uncontrollably.
"Ma, stop. You're embarrassing me." Orion said even though he was crying and hugging his mother as well.
"Honey, who's at the door? Are you falling for another business scam?!" A stern voice echoed from inside the house. Coming to the front door was an older man that had an uncanny resemblance to Orion, but the only difference was that he had a goatee. He wore a grey polo shirt with jeans and brown boots. This was John Forge.
"Orion?!"
"Uh… hey pops." Orion waved weakly.
…
…
…
…
*KA-CHINK!*
"WHOA, WHOA, WHOA, WHOA, POPS!" Orion panicked after his father had pulled out a shotgun from behind the door.
"Who are you and what have you done to my boy?!"
"WAIT WAIT WAIT, POPS! IT'S REALLY ME!"
"CRABAPPLES!" John shouted, trying to aim, as Jessica tried yanking the gun from his hand.
"Dear, calm down! It really is our baby boy!" His mother told her husband.
"Could've fooled me! We all saw his face chewed off!"
"Pops, don't remind me… it's bad enough that I still remember it to this day…" Orion groaned.
John paused, lowering his gun, still looking unconvinced. "Say something only the real son of mine knows." He said after a minute.
"You wear a trucker hat to hide your bald spot." Orion answered. His father put a hand on his head, whilst he continued. "And during my fifth birthday, you mistook tabasco sauce for ketchup…"
"That there was faulty labeling I tell ya!"
"And you made a hole in the wall while trying to hang my championship belt for display."
"It could have worked."
"You used a sledgehammer!"
"By god… it really is you…" John said, walking up to him. After a minute he then proceeded to smack him upside the head.
*WAPISH!*
"OW! What was that for?!" Orion shouted.
"For making us worry!" John snapped. "If you were alive, why didn't you come home, and why did you bring a girl with you?!" He gestured to Melody, who Jessica was fawning over by asking a million questions.
"Uh… there's an explanation for that…" Orion sweat dropped.
"Well, it better be a good one. So you two better get in and we'll talk."
"Yes, sir…" Orion mumbled. Even after all this time, his old man hasn't changed a bit.
[London, England]
"Uh… where exactly are we?" Rei asked as they, Koa and Orpheus had finally arrived at their destination in an inconspicuous alley and came out of it, before finding themselves in the middle of London. There were many sites, such as Big Ben, the London Eye, Tower Bridge, and of course Buckingham Palace where the Queen resides.
"Rei, Koa, welcome to Jolly Old England. My home." Orpheus said.
"Whoa…" Rei and Koa said in awe.
"Hey, darling… What weird dialect are those two speaking?" Koa asked, gesturing to two people talking in fluent French.
"That's French, Koa."
"Like those toasts and fries that you sometimes make back home?" Rei said, scratching the back of their head, remembering the food.
"In a sense. Kind of." Orpheus said.
"What's your family like?" Rei asked, changing the subject. This causes Orpheus to look up, lost in his own thoughts about his family.
"We're, uh… pretty notable." Orpheus told his child.
"How so?" Koa asked.
"My family is part of the upper echelon." He told his girlfriend.
"Upper… ec… echo… etch a lawn?" Koa stuttered, flubbing the words of her boyfriend.
"Translation is that they live in a setting similar to Atlas." Rei explained.
"You mean like how Blake complains about that place?" Koa scratched her head.
"Uh well… how should I… mmmm… you know what? How about I show you where I live and meet them? Then you can decide for yourselves, yeah?"
"Okie dokie." They both answer, following Orpheus to his home. And after a few long minutes of walking, plus a bit of distracted sightseeing from Koa and Rei, the trio found themselves in front of Orpheus's house. "Whoa…"
"Yup… welcome to my humble abode." Orpheus said, as his home… was actually a mansion?!
"…You never told me you lived like a Schnee, pops." Rei said, whilst Koa was still staring at the mansion in shock. "Your family must be loaded or something!"
"One: you probably never asked and two: we're not rich, rich, just happened to inherit a bit more than regular families."
"You call this inheriting a bit more?!" Koa cried out comically.
"It comes with being related to notable servicemen from the Royal Air Force." Orpheus said with a shrug. "My great-grandfather was even knighted and given a title by the Queen once."
"Woah, an actual Queen knighted him?" Rei said in awe. "Cool~."
"So that means… you're descended from a knight!" Koa said gleefully, blushing at the thought. "Ah… Orpheus, my noble knight in shining armor!"
The auburn-haired musician gave his girlfriend a dry look, "It only works for those actually knighted by the Queen. Other family members don't receive that sort of recognition besides being known as relatives to England's most notable figureheads."
"But it still kinda counts, considering you have your Rider armors." Koa pointed out.
"Just come with me." Orpheus said as he made his way to the mansion's front doors. Rei and Koa looked rather nervous as they followed Orpheus.
"Do you think they'll like us, pops?" Rei asked nervously.
"Who knows. My parents can be… eccentric."
The two looked at each other nervously as Orpheus went to knock on the door. Orpheus paused for a moment, taking a deep breath, before proceeding to knock on the door.
*KNOCK KNOCK!*
They waited for what seemed like an eternity before the door opened to reveal an elderly butler who was bald, had a white mustache and glasses while wearing a typical butler suit.
"Yes? How may I-" The butler said, before eyeing Orpheus. "My word, Master Orpheus, is that you?!"
"Uh… hello, Alfred." He chuckled sheepishly. "Are… mother and father here?"
The butler took a couple minutes to recompose himself by adjusting his glasses. "The family has gathered in the living room for a morning breakfast." Alfred said, before looking towards Koa and Rei. "Are these two your guests?"
"It's… difficult to explain, Alfred. They're… also uh… family."
"H-Hi." The two nervously waved as Alfred looked at them, before nodding. He gestured to the trio to come inside, to which they proceeded to enter the mansion.
"I shall inform the family." Alfred said with a bow, before turning to make his way to the living room, whilst Koa and Rei were in awe at the mansion's interior.
"Whoa…" Rei and Koa muttered. "This place is beautiful." Rei said as Koa looked at some antique items, including a large Ming vase.
"This stuff looks expensive!" Koa added in awe.
"Yeah, well… my house pales in comparison to Weiss's." Orpheus shrugged. The trio then made their way to the living room, where Alfred was speaking with the family.
"The guests have arrived, as I have mentioned." Alfred said, addressing Orpheus's family.
"Show them inside, Alfred."
The butler stood aside, allowing Orpheus, Koa, and Rei to step inside. Sitting on the couches were Orpheus's parents. The patriarch of the family had an uncanny resemblance to his son, the only difference was that his auburn hair was short and neatly combed and had a mustache as he wore a business suit. His name was Geroge Rhythm. The matriarch of the family had brunette hair tied in a bun, blue eyes, and fair skin while dressed in a white sundress. Her name was Veronica Rhythm.
"My goodness, Orpheus, is that you?" Veronica asked with a gasp.
"Uh… hello, mother." Orpheus said awkwardly. Koa and Rei looked at him strangely. Why was he talking so politely?
The woman stood up with a loving smile as she approached her son… and promptly chopped his head hard enough to send him face-first to the floor.
"OW!" Orpheus cried out. "What the hell?!"
"Don't talk with that tone of voice, young man!" Veronica scolded, putting her hands on her hips. "Goodness, how in the world are you still alive? Your father and I saw you slip and your head cracked open like an egg!"
"Wait, what?" Koa and Rei said with owlish eyes.
Orpheus growled as he got up, "Must you remind me of that bothersome day, mother?"
"Oh pish posh! The fact that you are here in the flesh is already baffling enough as it is!"
"Come now, my lovely wife. Let's not tease the boy." George said as he stood next to the matriarch. "For now, how about we all relax with a nice, hot cup of tea. Alfred, would you please?"
"Yes Master." Alfred bowed before turning on his heel to leave for the kitchen.
"He's… surprisingly calm." Koa noted.
"I expected my grandparents to start freaking out about this." Rei said, similarly confused.
"Ah, my apologies. Who are these friends of yours, son?" George asked.
"Um… this is Koa. She's… my uh… girlfriend." Orpheus said. "And Rei is uh… ahem… how should I say this? They're… Koa's relative."
"Oh, like her cousin?" Veronica inquired.
"It's a bit complicated." Orpheus sighed. "It's best that we all sit down and chat over the tea once Alfred comes back with it. There's… a lot we need to discuss."
"Well, we have all the time in the world." George stated.
"Yes… of course…"
Meanwhile, on Remnant…
"Ahhhhhhh… so boooooooored!" Ruby complained as she had her head on the desk, with absolutely nothing to do. Team RWBY were back in their dorm rooms as Blake was at her bed reading her… cultured novel, while Yang was playing with Zwei, and Weiss was making coffee and tea.
"Come on, sis. You're not still miffed that the guys left for their home planet with the kids and not us, right?" Yang questioned as she gave the corgi a belly rub, much to his delight.
"No, but it's so boring without them around…" Ruby whined. "It feels empty…"
"I have to admit, it… does seem that way." Weiss said as she placed the cups on the tray. "All this time, we were completely ignorant of what's beyond our universe and when they came into our lives, everything seemed… different."
"I know how you feel. It kinda feels like everything we've been doing was… I don't know, forced?" Yang tried to word it right. "But it's like those guys changed everything."
"They did say that they know the events of our world." Blake pointed out as she looked up. "And they've been trying to change it for the better. It is their 100th time that they're trying to do just that."
"Oh yeah, because that Azrael douchebag kept beating them the last 99 times." Yang remembered. "Which… happens to be the original Aaron and… you know what, I'm not gonna melt my brain over this…"
"Best that you don't…" Weiss deadpanned.
"I'm kinda confused though… if they know what's gonna happen, shouldn't those changes happen already?" Ruby asked.
"What do you mean?" Yang asked.
"I mean yeah, they're here to change things. But… the things they knew that were gonna happen, like the Breach, the train thing on Mount Glenn, for them those still happened. Why didn't they change that?"
"Yeah… that is strange. Well, actually, in a way, it did change because if they didn't exist, we'd have a lot more trouble with those particular events." Weiss admitted.
"Even without the Alters and Hybrids?" Ruby asked.
"Yes, even those."
"But… does it even matter at this point?" Yang questioned, surprising her other teammates.
"What do you mean by that, Yang?" Blake asked, as she closed her book. "If I'm being honest, I'd have to agree with Ruby on this. The way things played out, since they're here to change things, yet what they knew still happened, wouldn't they already have done it by now?"
"Well…" Yang tried to say but couldn't form the right words.
"If you really think about it, it's like… they still let it happen, just… adding their own twist to it."
"So… you're saying they wanted this to happen?" Weiss asked.
"H-Hold on! Aaron and the others would never do that to us!" Ruby protested, getting up from her seat. "Why would they? They have no reason to!"
"But the fact is, they still let this happen. If they knew what the White Fang were doing, they could've stopped them long ago." Blake stated.
"Blake, do you… honestly believe your own brother would do that?" Yang asked.
"That's just it, Yang. I don't know what to believe in anymore." The cat Faunus told her partner.
"Girls, c'mon, please don't fight!" Ruby begged. "Look, maybe they did intend to change it, it… just…"
"How about for now, we give them the benefit of the doubt." Weiss suggested. "Besides, they're on a two-week vacation to their homeworld. Do you really want to bring that up as soon as they get back?"
"N-No…" Blake and Ruby muttered, looking down.
"Wait…" Yang said, remembering something. "When they all met during the start of Beacon, they didn't recognize each other and looked like they got massive headaches… Does that mean they didn't know up till then?"
"Even if that was true, that still wouldn't explain Glenn or the Breach." Blake pointed out.
"All I'm saying is that some things are difficult to change, especially when JOKR knew the outcome. If comics taught me anything, is that changing the past might make the future worse. Plus there's also Azrael and ROGE wanting to stop them too."
"As much as I'm surprised to admit… she might have a point." Weiss said. "But as I said, we'll give them the benefit of the doubt until they give us a reason otherwise."
"I hope you're both right." Ruby pouted, before sitting back down and looking out the window.
[Miami, Florida]
Nina was playing with a couple toys, which Miko and Yin cooed at as they watched her play. They then turned their attention to Aaron, who was sitting across from his parents as he was finishing his story, starting from his rebirth in another world to his many endeavors as a Kamen Rider.
"And that's how I'm here now…" Aaron says, looking at his parents' faces of surprise and shock.
After what seemed like forever, the patriarch finally spoke. "Let me… see if I'm getting this right. You mean to tell us that… after the toaster exploded in your face, you were reincarnated into Remnant."
"Yes."
"Monty's ghost gave you Kamen Rider powers."
"Yes."
"And you've been adventuring up until the end of Vol. 2 so far."
"Yes."
"While dating two girls at the same time, one of which is your adoptive sister…" James added finally with a deadpan and very dry look.
"That last part was just as weird for me, okay?" Aaron replied with a deadpan of his own. "It's already weird enough that Nina's an aunt, with the whole future kid thing."
The man pinched the bridge of his nose, while his wife patted him on the shoulder.
"Moving past that, you mentioned an evil version of yourself trying to kill you… and Rachel is helping him, right?" Fiona said, making him look down.
"Yeah… she still hates me for what happened between us."
"Does this mean that you might have to…"
"I'm not even considering that as an option." Aaron said simply. "Even though she will never forgive me… I don't wanna kill her. It would go against everything I try to stand for as a Kamen Rider."
The patriarch of the Jaeger family sighed heavily, "Well, all of what you said is a heavy pill to swallow, but… what matters is that you're alive and well. And that we, as a family, are happy that you're back."
"Yeah… it's nice, seeing you again after so long." Aaron said, looking at them and Nina with a smile. The smile faded after he thought about something. "What did you all do… after I died, I mean?"
"It… was a tough transition for everyone." Fiona said solemnly. "Nina took it the worst. You were her role model, and she loved you a lot, same as we did."
"A few weeks after the funeral, Nina shut herself out from the world. We were so worried, she barely ate or said a word for days. You'd be surprised by who managed to finally help her out." James remarks.
"Should I be concerned about who it is?" Aaron raised a curious brow.
The parents looked at each other awkwardly, before looking back at their son. "Believe it or not… It was Rachel."
Aaron had the gall to look flabbergasted as did Miko and Yin who stopped playing with Nina for a moment. "I-I'm sorry, did I hear that right? Rachel… helped Nina from not becoming a hikikomori?" He asked, to which his father nodded. "You sure we're talking about the exact same Rachel?"
"Rachel… despite her feelings against you, attended the funeral." Fiona explained. "The look in her eyes… made us believe that she was almost a different person altogether."
"She came over one day, when Nina stayed in her room." James explained, thinking back to that day.
Flashback
"Nina?" Fiona said worriedly, knocking on the door. "Sweetie? Don't you want to come downstairs for lunch?"
"No…" Nina's depressed voice replied as her mother sighed and walked down the stairs to where her father was.
"Any luck?" James asked.
"No… she still doesn't want to come out…" Fiona sighed. "I'm worried about her, honey."
"I know. But what else are we supposed to do?"
*DING DONG!*
"Now who could that be?" Fiona pondered to herself as she walked towards the door and opened it. "Who is-! …R-Rachel?"
James turned around in surprise as standing at the front door was none other than Aaron's ex-girlfriend.
"Hey…" Rachel said with a weak smile.
"What are you doing here?" James asked, crossing his arms.
"I'm not here to cause trouble, Mr. Jaeger." Rachel placated, raising her hands slightly in defense. "I'm here to see how Nina is doing."
"And why do you suddenly care-"
"Honey, please." Fiona said, stopping her husband from saying anymore, before looking at Rachel. "You're here to see Nina."
"Yeah. I know things between Aaron and I… aren't the best, but I still cared about him and his sister." Rachel said, almost solemnly. "I know she looked up to him a lot and I can't imagine how she's feeling right now. If there's anything I can do to make things right, this is the least I can do."
"…She hasn't left her room since the funeral." Fiona said sadly. "She rarely eats or talks."
Rachel winced hearing that, as James sighed.
"I'll set a seat for you." He said walking into the kitchen. "We're having sandwiches, so don't expect me to make anything else for you."
Rachel nodded before slowly walking up the steps towards Nina's room. She goes to knock on the door, only to hesitate. Taking a deep breath and raising her fist.
*KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK*
"Nina? It's Rachel…" She managed to say.
"Rachel…?"
"Yes… can I… come in?"
…
…
…
…
"…It's open."
Rachel opened the door, and saw Nina's room a disheveled mess. It pulled at her heartstrings when she saw Nina in a similar state. There she was, sitting in a corner by herself, her knees close to her chest in the fetal position. Her hair was disheveled, her clothes a mess, and her face tearstained as she looked up at Rachel with bloodshot eyes from all the crying she had done.
"Nina… I…" Rachel began, trying to think of what to say.
"Why'd you come back?" Nina interrupted, looking back down. "Big brother said you and him had a fight, and was really sad afterwards…"
"It's… complicated."
"So then why come back?"
"Because we both loved Aaron." Rachel said as she knelt in front of her. "What I've been through with your brother… that's nothing compared to what you're going through."
Nina's lip trembled, gripping her shirt.
"Why did big brother have to die? If you didn't leave him he-he could've still been alive!"
"Why are you blaming me?!"
"Because you're a stupid dummy!" Nina shouted, running up to Rachel and pounding on her stomach. Though, due to her still being a kid, the attacks aren't very effective. "Dummy, dummy, dummy, dummy, dummy, dummy!"
"Nina, stop it!"
"No, it's because of you, big brother is dead!"
"That's enough!" Rachel shouted, grabbing Nina's hands as the kid struggled against her. "I loved your brother, because he was the greatest part of my life! We both said and did things that we can never forgive ourselves for doing, but none of those things matter now! If he was still here, would you want him to see you in such a state?!"
Nina stopped struggling in Rachel's grip as she looked up at Rachel. She was taken by surprise as the older girl pulled her directly into a deep hug.
"You're not the only one… who misses him…" Rachel said, tears flowing from her eyes. Nina's own eyes widened and watered as she began sobbing into Rachel's shoulder.
Fiona watched the whole scene somberly, as she wiped her tears with a handkerchief.
End Flashback
"Rachel, you…" Aaron muttered, as he felt conflicted. And who could blame him? Here he was, knowing that things between him and her were toxic and downright vehement. But after hearing this from his parents, this changed everything, including how he felt about her.
"She kept visiting after that, helping us out, till she disappeared…" James explained. "But hearing your story, I guess now we know where she went."
Miko and Yin looked at each other, sharing Aaron's confliction.
"Big brother?" Nina's voice snapped her brother out of his stupor. "Are you going to fight with Rachel again…?"
"I…" Aaron got out, as he looked down in thought. "After hearing this, I… really don't know if I should."
"You saw how she is… she really won't stop trying to fight you." Yin said, holding his hand.
"Won't stop trying… wait a minute…" Aaron said, as something began clicking in his mind.
"Papa?" Miko tilted her head.
"Something didn't feel right when I fought with her." Aaron thought aloud. "Granted, she had every right to be mad at me, but… whenever she was afraid, she would mask it with aggression. Yet it doesn't seem possible unless…"
"You don't think it's…" Yin got out.
"It's just a theory, but… for now I'll worry about it later." Aaron shook his head before smiling a bit. "Right now, I wanna make up for lost time with all of you."
"You're right." James nodded in agreement.
"We missed you so much, and now you're all grown up." Fiona said, trying to dry her tears. "And we're grandparents too, no less!"
"There there, honey…" James soothed his wife as she was crying out the last of her tears, whilst Aaron smiled as he began to play with Nina and his children.
[Tokyo, Japan]
Kurogasa had sat down in the living room with Yukina and his parents and after being served tea, Yukina Sr. started bombarding Yukina with questions. She tried to answer them as best as she could, but Sr. was too excited. So, Kurogasa became the voice of reason to calm his mother down, with a little bit of help from his father. After the matriarch was calm enough, Kurogasa then went to explain everything that happened since his reincarnation into Remnant, and how he came to stay with the Schnee family, despite its difficulties, and the events that happened up until the Breach.
"And that's about what happened…" Kurogasa finished his long tale. "I can understand if you find it hard to believe."
"Son, you've returned from the grave with a beautiful daughter in tow. I'm pretty sure that's the last thing to surprise us, today." Kyoshiro chuckled.
"Yeah, I guess so…" Kurogasa sighed. "So… what happened ever since my… untimely passing?" He asked nervously.
"You were buried in the family grave… alongside our ancestors." Yukina Sr. said solemnly.
"And… what happened after?"
"Things were hard… but all our neighbors helped us through it."
"Sokka…" Kurogasa muttered. "What about Rika and Koji?"
"Who?" Yukina asked.
"Two of my best friends." Kurogasa smiled a bit. "Rika Ryuzaki and Koji Shinomori. Rika and her family run a restaurant while Koji's… a bit of a dance expert in disco, but he wants to be a police officer like his father."
The parents turned to each other before looking at Kurogasa.
"Well… about them…" Yukina Sr. was about to begin when…
*KNOCK! KNOCK!*
"That… would be them, son." Kyoshiro said, getting up to answer the door.
"Eh?"
"They've been visiting us often ever since your… untimely passing." Yukina Sr. said. "Of course, they were just as devastated as we were, but now… since you're here…"
"Rika's gonna hit me with the cast iron isn't she…" Kurogasa turned pale.
"Yes, dear…" Yukina Sr. sweat dropped.
"KURO?!"
Kurogasa flinched, turning around to hear two very familiar voices. He ratcheted his body towards the entrance and when he did, he saw the two he thought he'd never see again.
The first was a girl with long burgundy hair that reached a little past the shoulder blades, wearing a denim jacket she had over her white spaghetti strap tank top. She also wore white shoes while wearing white hot shorts.
Standing next to the young woman was a tall gentleman who seemed to have stepped out from the 1970's. Given by the plain stylish platform shoes he wore, he stood about at six feet. His light tan skin wasn't from a suntan gone bad as he combed his dark brown hair worn usually in a surfer cut halfway down his neck. Given his love for the 1970s, he wore retro styled red bell bottoms with a white wide collared shirt, exposing a gold male medallion symbol.
"Uh… hey guys." Kurogasa waved sheepishly as he stood up.
"I think I'm going bananas, Rika, am I hallucinating? Kuro came back to do the Thriller!" Koji exclaimed, pointing at Kurogasa. Rika rolled her eyes and slapped the back of his head. "Ite!"
"Baka, this is obviously an imposter who's trying to swindle them. Get me my cast iron." Rika threatened.
"Oi, chotto matte, Rika! Please don't!" Kurogasa panicked, waving his arms frantically.
"Oh yeah? Then tell us things only the real Kuro would know." Rika crossed her arms. "That's the only proof we'll accept."
"In third grade, Koji's bell bottoms fell down in front of the entire class whilst giving a book report."
"Ack!" Koji flinched whilst Yukina struggled to hold in her giggles.
"And during a family and friend trip, a garden snake went down Rika's back, causing her to scream and dance around." Kurogasa gestured to Rika, who was red faced in embarrassment. "And finally, when we first became friends, we sat in a treehouse making a promise to each other that we would follow our dreams no matter what."
"…Hold the 8-trak and call my mama." Koji said wide-eyed. "Sistah, it's really him."
Rika slowly walked up to Kurogasa, staring at him for what seemed like forever. And then…
*BONG!*
"ITEEEEEEEEEEEE! NANDEEEEEEEEEEEEEE?!" Kurogasa wailed in pain, holding his head while a throbbing lump grew out of said head, after Rika pulled out her cast iron pan from hammer space and whacked him hard.
"Otou-sama!" Yukina exclaimed, covering her mouth.
"Eh?! Otou-sama?!" Koji got out. "Who's this Foxy Mama?"
"Nande, bakayaro?!"
"That was for dying on us, you…" Rika said, before lowering her pan and trembling like a leaf. "You… you…" Rika fell to her knees, hugging him before exploding in tears. "You stupid best friend~~~!"
"Rika…" Kurogasa muttered, before hugging her back. "Honto ni sumanakatta…"
"You better be sorry…" Rika choked up.
"Uhhh… not to ruin the moment, but mind explaining why this foxy mama called you Daddy-O?"
"Wait, what?" Rika broke the hug and wiped her tears, before looking at the Weiss-alike. "Wait, aren't you… Weiss Schnee?"
"Not… exactly." Yukina said sheepishly. "I'm hers and Otou-sama's future daughter."
…
…
…
…
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH?!"
"Yeah, about that," Kurogasa said sheepishly. "Long story short, after my untimely death, I got reincarnated into the World of Remnant with three others making up Team JOKR and our semblances has us use the powers of all the Kamen Riders as well transform ourselves into our own Riders and we're going through the events of RWBY, having just finished Volume 2 and yes, I'm currently dating Weiss, Yukina is my future daughter that helped stopped an evil version of me and we just finished beating up Chou-Dai-S.H.O.C.K.E.R with the army of Kamen Riders from alternate realities and saving the multiverse."
"So… it's basically a Kamen Rider isekai with elements of The Tomorrow War and RWBY…" Rika deadpanned.
"Yeah, pretty much."
"Still… to think you'll eventually do the horizontal tango with Weiss." Koji chuckled.
"IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!" Kurogasa shouted, blushing heavily as did Yukina.
"Ku~ro~" Rika smiled sickly with closed eyes, while holding up her cast iron pan again. "Sounds like you're getting carried away with your ecchi fantasies and need to be punished! Isn't that right?! Haaaaaah?!"
"WAIT RIKA NO! IT'S NOT LIKE THAT, I SWEAR!" Kurogasa shouted, before running around the house with Rika giving chase and swinging her cast iron pan.
"Come back here!"
*WOOSH! WOOSH! WOOSH!*
"Yamero, Rika!" Kurogasa shouted as he ducked under and dodged over Rika's swings of the cast iron.
"BAKA! ECCHI! HENTAI!"
"TASUKETEEEEEEEEEE!"
"So… you're Kuro's kid right?" Koji asked.
"H-Hai,"
"Guess that makes me and Rika your um… what counts for friends and their friends' kids again?" He asked himself as he scratched his head.
"SOMEONE HELP MEEEEEEEE!"
[Corpus Christi, Texas]
"And here we are, where dad almost blew my face off with the shotgun… for the twenty-fourth time in my life." Orion finished his story.
"Oh relax, it's not loaded, son. Here I'll show you." John pulled out his gun.
"Pops, wait no-!"
*BLAM!*
A bullet bounced and ricocheted around the house, before hitting his father's hat clean off his head. "Huh… that happened before too…" John scratched his head.
"I-I-Is he a-always this trigger happy?" Melody stuttered, as she was comically shaking in terror on the couch while curled up in the fetal position.
"Yes." Orion deadpanned with a sweat drop.
"Honey, put away the gun, you're scaring the poor girl." Jessica chided.
"Alright fine…" John sighs as he puts it away. "So your story is indeed hard to believe… but we've seen weirder things happen."
"I… guess that's fair enough. But what happened after I died?"
"Things were rather tough…" Jessica said solemnly. "After the funeral, your wrestling friends gave us some money alongside their condolences. It was just difficult, without you."
"Ah, we were somewhat fine!" His father interjected.
"You wouldn't start the day without staring at a picture of you with our baby boy!"
"He didn't need to know that!"
Orion and Melody sweat drop at the two's side conversation. "Um… Ma, Pops? Focus?"
"Oh right… Your older brother and sister would stop by daily to check in on us."
"Wait, I have an Uncle and Aunt?" Melody looked at Orion surprised.
"Uh, yeah. Texas family, after all. We're usually pretty big." Orion told his Faunus daughter.
"Oh… about that-" Jessica said.
*DING DONG!*
"They're here." John said.
"Huh?!" Orion got out, surprised.
"Yeah, I called them a while ago. Told them you were here."
"You what!?" Orion gawked.
"They didn't believe me at first either," John shrugged.
"That's not the point! You can't just suddenly tell them I'm alive and hope that everything will be fine and dandy when they show up! Especially since you tried to shoot me again!"
"Oh relax, what's the worst thing that can happen?" John pondered.
*WOOSH!*
"WHERE IS HE?!"
Orion deadpanned at his father with a very dry look. "You just ha~d to jinx it, Pops…"
"WHERE IS THAT LITTLE BROTHER OF MINE?!"
John grimaced, "Well, this will end badly."
"I'm gonna go hide now…" Orion said, laying down on the ground before rolling underneath the couch. Melody raised her brow as she looked under the couch in confusion.
"Why are you hiding there?" She asked.
"Shh! Keep quiet or they'll find me!"
"They?" Melody whispered, still confused. She flinched when she heard the door to the living room slam open and a pair of footsteps entered. She poked her head over the couch to get a good view of Orion's siblings. His brother looked like a carbon copy of her father, except his eyes were a different color and had a bit more muscle on his body. He was wearing a white t-shirt and black sweatpants. Orion's sister was a beautiful young woman, with her hair done up in a long braid, wearing a shirt and shorts that showed off her lean muscles. These were Orion's siblings: Orson Forge and Olivia Forge.
"Ok, where is he hiding?!"
"Um…" Melody squeaked timidly.
"Huh? Who are you?" Orion's older brother, Orson asked.
"Oh. My. Gosh…" Olivia said, before zooming over to Melody. "YOU ARE SO CUTE! AND YOU HAVE DOG EARS?!" She asked, while touching them.
"They're wolf ears! Stop touching them~!" Melody whined, trying to struggle herself free from her aunt's grasp, but couldn't. She continued to struggle as her uncle was turning things over to find Orion.
"Liv, stop screwing around and help me find our idiot little brother!"
"Ugh… fine…"
The two looked around, as Orion tried to sneak away. But just as he was about to get away, he accidentally knocked over a small vase that was on a nightstand and it shattered to the floor, alerting the two siblings. "CRAP!" He shouted, before darting off.
"Get back here, Stupid!"
"NEVERRRRRR!" Orion shouted as the siblings began chasing him throughout the house. "I KNEW THIS WAS A MISTAKE!"
"Stop! Auntie, uncle, please stop chasing my dad!"
*SKREEEEEEE!*
The two skidded to a halt, with Orion comically running into them as they processed what Melody said.
…
…
…
"EEEEEEEEEHHHHHH?!" The two comically exclaimed. "ORION HAS A KID?!"
"I'm… actually adopted." Melody said sheepishly.
"But how?! And when?! You were dead, we all saw it!" Olivia exclaimed as she was tugging on her braids, trying to comprehend it.
"Ughhh, c'mon, sis, stop reminding me about the chipmunks." Orion groaned.
"Well, you have a lot of explaining to do." Orson said.
"Ughhhhhhhhh…!"
[London, England]
"And so after all that, we were given the opportunity to come visit home." Orpheus completed his explanation. They were all at the table on their outside porch, having tea and cakes.
"My, my, that's quite the tale." Veronica said, as she finished stirring her tea with a teaspoon and then sipping. "It seems you had quite the adventure."
"I wouldn't exactly call it an adventure but close enough."
"And that girl, Emily-" George added.
"Please, Father… now's not the time for that." Orpheus frowned.
"Yeah… we've met and they're um… not exactly on 'speaking terms'." Koa emphasized with her fingers.
"I figured as much." George sighed, "She was such a nice girl."
"It sounded like she was…" Koa said, looking at her tea.
"Yes, she was my best friend and if you're thinking what I think you're thinking then it is exactly what it is." Orpheus stated.
"I see…" Koa continued to fiddle with her cup, until she felt Orpheus's hand on her own.
"That ended long ago. I'm with you now and that won't change." He told his girlfriend.
"Orpheus…"
"Let's change the subject, shall we?" George said, before turning to his future grandchild, Rei. "I'm surprised that you're… er… how should I say this… non-binary?" He slightly winced, hoping to not offend Rei, since the fact that they're half-human and Greeed was something new to them and couldn't think of a better term.
"Oh, it's rather cool." Rei said, taking no offense. "I mean, being different is just a fancy way of saying I'm unique like my ma and pa!"
"Don't reptiles usually reproduce asexually?" Veronica pondered absent-mindedly.
"MOM!" Orpheus exclaimed, whilst Koa was rubbing her head.
"Wait, do they actually do that?" Koa asked, curious.
"Yes, ma. They do." Rei told their mother.
"Huh… never knew that."
"That begs the question as to how you were born then." George said to his grandchild.
"Ah ha ha well…" Rei said, their face suddenly turned pink and steamed. "It's a pretty long story…"
"Can we please talk about something else…?" Orpheus had his face in his palms, "This is embarrassing to hear."
"If I may interject, I believe your sibling has returned from school." Alfred interjected.
"Huh? Sibling?" Koa and Rei tilted their heads.
"Bugger…" Orpheus groaned.
*SLAM!*
"OH BIG BROOOOOTHER~~! WHERE ARE YOU~~~?!" A shrill, childish voice boomed out. Orpheus fought the urge to groan and facepalm. Of all people, he had yet to encounter his own siblings.
"Who's that, Pa?" Rei asked.
"Your future aunt…" Orpheus deadpanned.
"Awe, you have a little sister?! How precious!" Koa cooed, poking Orpheus happily.
"Koa, please don't…"
"But why? Don't you like your siblings?"
"I do, but it's still further from the truth… Especially her…"
"There you are, Big Brother!" Before he knew it, Orpheus felt small arms wrap around his neck and a small body impact against his back. Koa was immediately swooning at the cuteness of the scene, whilst Rei was facepalming at their mother's antics.
"Ugh… Sarah, would you please get off of me?" Orpheus sighed wearily. Letting go, Orpheus turned to see a small girl, with her short hair held up by a colorful hairpin, whilst wearing a school uniform. She had a cute rounded face with eyes that matched her mother, and a bright smile.
"I knew you weren't dead!" Sarah said, pointing at Orpheus. "Everyone at school said you were dead, but I didn't believe them for a second!"
Orpheus's eye twitched, before looking at his parents. "Mother… Father… What exactly did you tell Sarah?" His father cleared his throat, before sipping his tea whilst looking away. His mother was looking away whilst trying to whistle. "Mother… Father…" Orpheus said a bit more sternly.
"Well… we couldn't exactly tell her that you went… bye-bye…"
"We didn't have the heart to tell her…"
"So you told her I died?"
"Well…"
"They told me you went to the countryside with Poochie." Sarah said cutely.
"YOU WHAT?!" Orpheus gawked.
"What else was I supposed to tell her?"
"Poochie, in case you haven't noticed, is the family dog that's been six feet under! Why would you tell her that?!"
"What would you have told her then?! She was five!"
"I can't believe this! This is just typical of you guys!" Orpheus exclaimed.
"Stop fighting!" Sarah shouted, stomping her foot.
*STOMP!*
"YEOW!" Orpheus shouted, when Sarah stomped on his feet. "Sarah, what the heck?!"
"You always fight! Why must you be such a meanie?!" Sarah said as she gripped her shirt, her lips trembling. "Everyone at school says mean things about you being dead, they're all just big stupid lying meanies!"
"Sarah, c'mon, don't do this. Sarah, no, no, please don't-"
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
"Ah crap…" Orpheus groaned.
"AYE CARUMBA, MY EARS!" Koa exclaimed, covering her ears. "Is your sis a frickin' siren?!"
"Oh dear, you've done it now." Veronica sighed, "You better calm your sister down or she's not going to stop."
Orpheus could only facepalm at the situation. Then again, even after his death on Earth, some things never change.
And so for the next two weeks, Team JOKR and MYYR along with Miko and Koa had spent time with their Earth families, JOKR making up for lost time, while MYYR, Miko, and Koa getting to know their Earth families. Aaron's family had been going boating, playing games, enjoying the beaches, had ice cream, and definitely went to Disney World. Miko was so enthralled by the large amusement park that was Disney that they had to get all the souvenirs she could get for it.
As for Kurogasa's family, they had eaten at Rika's restaurant, toured around all of Japan, visiting the more cultural aspects of the country to sightsee all of Japan's nature, went to see Kamen Rider roadshows, staying at a ryokan inn and trying their onsen, and of course visiting Akihabara for all the Anime, Manga, Nintendo, and Kamen Rider merchandise that Kurogasa had to get his hands on for souvenirs. Of course, that included the Japanese snacks and food.
With Orion's family, they enjoyed the wonderful sights that can be found in Texas. Melody learned how to ride a horse, whilst her family got to spend time together again. Not only that but they enjoyed a traditional Texas BBQ, which Melody absolutely loved as evident by her wolf Faunus heritage and the plethora of BBQ sauce that painted around her lips.
With Orpheus's family, they enjoyed the finer sights of London while eating delicious high-quality food that Koa and Rei never had the chance to try. They also met some famous individuals from England such as the Sidemen and members of the Royal Family. Koa and Rei got a few chuckles at trying to make the serious guardsmen laugh, much to Orpheus's embarrassment. They visited Buckingham Palace, Parliament, Big Ben, crossed London Bridge, and even went to a few soccer games.
But as much as those two weeks were fun, all good things must come to an end. Their two week vacation with their families were up and now it was time for them to head back home to Remnant.
[Miami, Florida]
Miko and Yin were packing up the last few souvenirs they were taking back via many suitcases as Aaron was talking with his family for what probably could be the last time. Miko and Yin had already said their goodbyes, so now it was Aaron's turn.
"Do you really have to go, Big Brother?" Nina asked, as Aaron knelt on one knee to her level and placed his hands on her shoulders.
"There are still people on Remnant that need your big brother's help."
"Can't I come with you?"
"As much as I want to, I can't. Planet Remnant is a dangerous place. And I don't want to see you hurt." Aaron said. "Besides, now I know that one day I'll come back. Sure, it'll annoy Tsukasa, but I'll make sure to visit."
"Promise?"
"Promise." Aaron smiled a bit, before hugging her. "I love you, Nina. Don't ever forget that."
"I won't." Nina hugged back, sniffling a bit. "I'll be a hero, just like you, and keep Earth safe."
"I have no doubt you will." Aaron chuckled, before standing up right. "Mom, Dad…"
"Oh, honey." Fiona hugged him as she tried to dry her tears.
"Always remember son, we love you very much." James patted his shoulder. "What you've done in Remnant, we couldn't be any more prouder."
"Thanks, Dad. That means a lot." Aaron said as Fiona let go of her son.
"By the way, while you were gone, Rooster Teeth did two more volumes of RWBY after Vol. 6. And a ninth one is on the way. You sure you don't want to find out what happens?" James asked.
Aaron looked down, pondering this option. "Much as I want to know, I think this time… I'll figure it out for myself."
"Well, if you're sure." James told him before placing a hand on the teens shoulder. "Make me proud, son."
Aaron grinned, "Count on it, dad."
Just then the Silver Veil appeared in front of him, Miko, and Yin. "Well, my ride's here."
"Take care." Fiona said before planting a kiss on his forehead.
"Ew, mom." Aaron groaned even though he didn't mind his mother's affection. He gave his mother, father, and Nina one last big group hug, before walking towards the Silver Veil. He and his children waved goodbye to them as they passed through it, with his family waving back.
[Tokyo, Japan]
"Do you really have to go, Kuro?" Rika asked as she and Koji were talking to Kurogasa while Yukina was talking with Kyoshiro and Yukina Sr., waiting for the Silver Veil to show up, the suitcases and boxes all ready to go.
"I have to, Rika. We still gotta get through the other four volumes. Well… six, since you told me that they added two more. With Vol. 9 on the way."
"You sure you don't want a sneak peek at them?" Koji asked.
"Nah. Besides, I have a feeling that things are gonna go funky in Atlas anyways as soon as we get there." Kurogasa said.
"Oh, you have no idea…" Rika mumbled under her breath.
"Hm? What'd you say?" Kurogasa blinked.
"Oh, nothing. Good luck working with Ironwood is all I'm saying." She said with an innocent smile.
"Well I'll try." Kurogasa said, before both of his friends hugged him.
"Don't forget us, Kuro…" Rika muttered.
"And you better come dancing back to us if things get too wild out there." Koji said.
"Right, I will." Kurogasa smiled, before hugging them back.
"It was nice knowing you both for these past two weeks, Ojii-sama, Obaa-sama." Yukina bowed to her grandparents.
"And you as well, Yuki-chan." Yukina Sr. She told her granddaughter. Yukina Sr. then approached her and held both of her hands.
"Obaa-sama?" Yukina said, confused.
"I'm so happy that my son has someone to cherish and continue his legacy. He may not show it, but your father was such a lonely boy, growing up. Even though he had friends, there was something missing in his life and you and your mother have filled that void. So I want you to promise me something." She smiled sadly, as a tear streamed down one of her eyes. "No matter what happens, promise me that you and your mother will be his home for him. To always be there for him, no matter what he has to endure."
"Obaa-sama…" Yukina murmured, staring at her grandmother for a moment before nodding. "Hai… I will."
"Arigatou." Yukina Sr. said, before wiping her tears and hugging her. "And if you ever need advice in getting that boyfriend of yours attention, come to me."
"H-Hai."
"You ready?" Kurogasa asked, approaching his daughter and parents.
"Yeah son, we're just about." Kyoshiro said, before placing his hand on his shoulder. "Son… just remember that you always have a home to return to. I'm so proud of you to be my son. Especially after Hongo-san gave you that huge endorsement." He chuckled.
"Oyaji…" Kurogasa muttered, before nodding. "Thanks. I'll be sure to uphold that legacy." He then felt his mother wrapping his arms around him. "Kaa-san…"
"I'm going to miss you, my little baby boy." Yukina Sr. cried.
"I'll miss you too." Kurogasa said, hugging her back. "But I'll be okay. Because I have family with me. That includes you both."
"Oh, I'm trying hard not to cry." Yukina Sr. whimpered.
"Come on, Yukina. If he says he'll be fine, then let's trust and have faith in that." Kyoshiro said, placing his hands on his wife's shoulders.
"Alright," Yukina sniffled before letting go of her son. "But that doesn't mean you shouldn't take care of yourself or your family. I don't want to have to see my baby buried again."
"It won't happen again. I promise." Kurogasa said. Just then, the Silver Veil appeared. "It's time." He said, before hugging his parents one more time. "I love you…"
"We love you too." Kyoshiro told his son, returning the hug along with his wife.
"Don't ever forget us." Yukina Sr. said.
"I won't." Kurogasa said, before breaking the hug and kissing his mother's forehead. Then with an almost reluctant and painful departure, he and his daughter went through the portal.
[Corpus Christi, Texas]
"Well, it's been one heck of a two-week ride." Orion said as Melody had already gotten their suitcases full of souvenirs and cookies for Ruby packed up and ready to go.
"You remember the secret family BBQ sauce recipe?" John said with his arm around his wife's shoulders.
"Wrote it down!"
"Good, make sure those folks in that fantasyland get a taste of good old fashioned Forge BBQ."
"Will do, Pops!"
"And the cookie recipe?" Jessica asked.
"Yep that too. Ruby's gonna love it." Orion grinned.
"I'm sure she will." Olivia said with a teasing grin.
"Our little brother gets married to a crazy gun nut." Orson said with a smirk. "I thought he would've ended up with the blonde bombshell or the cat girl."
"Actually… one of my teammates got both of them." Orion corrected, shocking the siblings. "Yeah, I know, weird. I forgot to tell that part of the explanation. But hey, what can ya do?"
"Lucky bastard." Orson said with awe before being slapped upside the head. "Ow!"
"Language!" Jennifer scolded her eldest son.
"Alright, alright, I'm sorry." Orson groaned.
"So uh… forgot to mention this, but, apparently Rooster Teeth made two more volumes while you were gone." Olivia said. "Vol. 9 is on the way. Are you okay with not knowing?"
"Yep, no need for spoils because I'm pretty sure canon has been diverted at this point due to us." Orion said with a shrug. On cue, the Silver Veil appeared. "Alright, best be going."
"You take care of yourself, ya hear?" John said, as Orion nodded and hugged his family before walking towards the portal. "Hey Orion, almost forgot!" He said, making the boy turn around.
*KA-CHINK!*
"Parting gift." John smiled widely.
"Pops, what the fu-" Orion cried out in shock.
*BANG!*
"WHOA!" Orion cried out as he Matrix dodged into the Silver Veil, making John laugh hard.
"Get on out of here, son." John chuckled. "You're a man now."
[London, England]
"Master Orpheus, your luggage is in perfect order." Alfred said, as he placed them on two luggage trolleys worth of souvenirs.
"Thank you, Alfred. I trust that Koa and Rei are up and about as well?" Orpheus inquired.
"Well one of them is completely awake." Alfred replied, turning to Rei and a somewhat drowsy Koa.
"I'm not surprised, honestly." Orpheus remarked, as Koa lazily gave a thumbs up. He then felt someone hugging his legs and looked down to see Sarah.
"I don't want you to go…" Sarah muttered, before Orpheus kneeled down to her level.
"I know… but I have to. There's a lot of stories I need to read. Six volumes worth." Orpheus said. "And maybe, if there's a chance I come back, I'll read them all to you."
"Pinky promise?" Sarah brought up her tiny pinky finger.
"Pinky promise." Orpheus said, before hooking his pinky around hers. After a moment, he let go of her and stood up to face his parents. "Mother… Father… it's time that I depart."
"It was so good to have you over, son." George told the auburn-haired musician. "Do come over to visit whenever you have the time."
"And be sure to bring your friends, I would love to meet them." Veronica added with a smile.
"Right." Orpheus said, as his mother hugged him closely, taking him by surprise.
"Be good…" Veronica said tearfully as she broke the hug.
"I'll make you both proud."
"You already do, son." George said, which Veronica nodded in agreement. "You'd best be off before your way back goes without you."
"Right." Orpheus said, as the Silver Veil appeared. "There it is."
"Oh, and if you ever get the chance, tell your cousin that her Earth family says hello."
"Sure. I mean, I did record your video message." Orpheus said, holding up his Scroll. "And I'm sure the others have too."
"Good luck, Big Brother!"" Sarah waved to him.
"Thanks Sarah." Orpheus smiled, before turning to walk towards Koa and Rei. "You two ready?"
"Yep." Rei nodded.
"Good. Koa, you're pushing."
"Awww, do I have to?" Koa groaned.
"At least you won't be sleepy." Orpheus said. "Come on."
"Fine…" Koa said as she began pushing with a grunt. "Ugh, What the heck is in these?!"
"Souvenirs?"
"Oh yeah…" Koa said, before pushing one of the trolleys with a grunt and growl and Rei doing the same with the other, minus said grunting and growling.
[Remnant]
Team RWBY and JNPR were standing at the crossroads of the main avenue as Ruby was pacing back and forth like a restless tiger in its cage. Today was the day that JOKR, MYYR, Miko, and Koa were to return, but she could contain herself. She was too impatient and she wanted to see them right now.
"Sis, relax. The pink Rider said they're gonna be here." Yang said.
"One, he says it's magenta, and two, I can't help it! I haven't seen Orion and Melody and everyone in two whole weeks!" Ruby exclaimed, bouncing around in Chibi form.
"By Oum, you think they were gone for months." Weiss pinched her nose in exasperation.
"Didn't you spend a full night staring at a picture of Kuro and Yukina?" Yang teased, giggling at Weiss's red face.
"You don't get to talk, Ms. Sniff my boyfriend's clothes." Blake pointed out.
Ruby immediately stopped bouncing around, "Okay sis, even I find that gross and disturbing,"
"You were sniffing them too!" Yang retorted to the cat Faunus, who got all .
"T-That's only because they stink and need to be washed!"
"That's BS and you know it!"
The two began butting heads as the others sweatdropped at them.
"Is this what everyone calls a 'lovers spat'?" Ruby said, causing the two to face fall anime style.
"It's not like that!" They both exclaimed comically.
"Really?" Ruby tilted her head confused.
"She still doesn't know about the birds and bees." Nora giggled, only to be slapped on the shoulder by Pyrrha. "Ow~"
"Be nice." Pyrrha chided.
"I found that actually disturbing, Nora." Jaune deadpanned at her.
"I think I see the Veil." Ren said calmly, only to get tackled. "Ugh! What-" He flinched when he saw it was Team RWBY, impatient and eager to find the Veil as it began to shimmer and take form.
"They're here! They're finally back!" Ruby cheered as she danced around. Decade walked out of the Silvery Veil, stepping to the side as JOKR, MYYR, and Koa walked out as if they were passengers on an airplane.
"Thank you for flying with Decade Airlines." Decade said sarcastically.
*WOOOOOOOOSH!*
Ruby suddenly Petal Burst towards Orion and tackled him to the ground. "Oooft!"
"YOU'RE HOME!" Ruby squealed in joy.
"Hi Ruby… good to see ya." Orion coughed and wheezed.
"Mom!" Melody exclaimed as she tackled Ruby.
"Ohhhhhh! My back!" Ruby cried out in pain.
"That's karma biting you in the butt." Kurogasa shook his head, before approaching Weiss and held her by the waist, "Tadaima, Weiss."
"D-Dolt, I missed you." Weiss said, blushing.
"You're not the only one." Kurogasa smiled, before kissing her, much to her surprise, but she eventually returned it. "I certainly missed that…"
"Okaa-sama." Yukina said as Kurogasa let go of Weiss, and Yukina hugged her mother. "Taidaima."
"Oh Yukina." Weiss smiled before hugging her back. "Okaerinasai."
"Glad to have you back, bro." Jaune said, helping up Orion.
"Yeah, same here."
"Orpheus, welcome home," Pyrrha said as she hugged her cousin.
"I'm glad to be back, Pyrrha." Orpheus smiled.
"I didn't forget you two." Pyrrha said as she hugged Koa and Rei.
"I missed ya too, Pyr." Koa said with a smile, hugging back.
"Group hug!" Nora exclaimed with her arms outstretched.
"NOOOOO!" Team JOKR cried out in fear. Nora was about to do it when Ren held her up by the collar of her shirt.
"Hey, let me go, put me down!" Nora cried out, flailing about.
"No…" Ren deadpanned.
Aaron, Yin, and Miko then approached Blake and Yang, "Hope you two weren't waiting long." Aaron grinned sheepishly. Before he knew it, he was pounced on by both young women and lathered with kisses as small cartoon pink hearts appeared with each kiss.
"Oh Ma…" Yin facepalmed.
Miko looked around before she saw Melody who was fidgeting upon seeing her. The future cat Faunus smiled as she approached her. "Hey, beautiful."
"Hey, good-looking." Melody grinned shyly. "Did you… miss me?"
"It wasn't so bad. But… with you here," Miko said as she held Melody close. "Things are going to be a whole lot better."
"Oh Miko…" Melody blushed.
"Oi, you can suck face later. Come help with the souvenirs." Yin called out.
"Souvenirs?!" Ruby said excitedly as she clung onto Orion, her legs wrapped around her boyfriend's waist and grabbing his collar. "Whatcha get me?! Whatcha get me?! Whatcha get me?!"
"Well, as promised I got you cookies."
"Yaaaay!" Ruby cheered happily.
"That reminds me." Kurogasa said, as he went to one of his suitcases and opened it up and pulled out a beautiful kimono set to give to Weiss. "Here. This is yours."
"Oh Kuro, I love it!" Weiss said as she planted a kiss on his cheek.
"I didn't leave you two out of the souvenir department." Aaron said to Blake and Yang, ruffling through his bags. "Let's see… where is it? Aha! Here we are!" He said, before pulling out his souvenirs for Blake and Yang. It was a beautiful novel series as well as some well known hair products.
"A new book series?" Blake said as she looked at the title. "Harry Potter?"
"It's a very famous series from my world. Hopefully it'll get you to stop reading Ninjas of Love."
"I told you it's art!"
"Sure, if you could even call it that." Aaron rolled his eyes. "And Yang, I got you the finest hair products from my world, which will hopefully untangle a few of those small knots of a mane you call hair."
"What makes you think that?"
"I found a lollipop in there during one of our kissing sessions."
"I was wondering where that went…"
"And I seriously don't wanna know how it got in there."
"Hey, what about us?!" Nora cried out. "Where's our souvenirs?!"
"Oh, I got you something Nora." Aaron said, before pulling out… Mjölnir?
*BONG!*
"A… hammer?" Ren tilted his head.
"Not just any hammer. It's Mjölnir, the Hammer of Thor. Forged in the heart of a dying star. It's power has no equal as a weapon to destroy, or as a tool to build. It is a fit companion for a king." Aaron quoted.
"Ooh~~! Can I lift it?"
"Sure… that is… if you're worthy." Aaron smirked.
"Huh?"
"This hammer can only be held by someone who it deems worthy of lifting it. Otherwise, it will be impossible to lift it."
"Well, I'm pretty sure I can." Nora grinned as she cracked her knuckles and held the handle, pulling it. "Erghhhhhhhhhhh… erghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! ERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH! It… won't… lift… uuuuup!"
"That means you're not worthy."
"What?! No fair, I want a do-over!" Nora said as she cracked her neck, before grabbing it again and pulling with all her might. "ERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH! C'MON~ LIFT! UP! ERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH! C'MON THUNDER THIGHS! LIFT! ERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!"
"How the heck did you get that?" Kurogasa muttered to Aaron.
"I asked Decade to take me to the Marvel Universe then asked Thor if I could borrow his hammer for a bit." Aaron whispered.
"You are gonna give that back, right?" Kurogasa deadpanned.
"Eventually."
"Which means never…"
"Yep."
"But then how are you gonna get that to JNPR's dorm room?"
Nora stared at the hammer, as if trying to get a reading from it.
"Simple." Aaron said as he held out his hand and in a split second, the Hammer flew from the ground and into his waiting palm. "I'll take it there myself."
"HEY! HOW DID YOU DO THAT?!" Nora shouted, as the rest were also in shock.
"Simple. I'm worthy."
"That's BS and you know it!" OKR said at the same time.
"Then how else would I be carrying it, dumbasses?" Aaron looked at his teammates with a dry look.
"…Stupid power?" Koa said, causing everyone to laugh.
"Can I hold it?" Ruby asked.
"I mean, you can try but I don't see-" Aaron held Mjölnir over Ruby's hands and dropped it.
…
…
…
…
"Wow, it feels light."
"HAAAAAAH?!" Aaron was shocked. Ruby was worthy?!
"You gotta be kidding me." Orion deadpanned.
"Well, she is a simple soul." Kurogasa pointed out.
"Fair." Orpheus shrugged.
"In hindsight, I should have expected that."
"In any case, Jaune, I got something for you." Orion said, rummaging through the suitcases before pulling out a sword, but not just any sword. "Andúril, the Flame of the West."
"Whoa…" Jaune looked at the blade with awe.
"Isn't that from Lord of the Rings?" Aaron pondered.
"Yeah. While it's just a replica, I figured Jaune would like it." Orion shrugged. "So whaddya think, bro?"
"This is so cool!" Jaune said as he unsheathed the sword and gave it a few practice swings.
"Here you go, Ren. This is from me." Kurogasa said, as he rummaged through his suitcase and pulled out four hanging scrolls, each depicting a scene of nature of ancient Japan which also connected to make one big scenery. "I spared no expense having these hanging scrolls personally painted."
"These are thoughtful… What do they say?" Ren asked.
"It's not so much on the characters, but the scenes of nature." Kurogasa said. "And since you're all about tranquility and meditating, most of the time, I figured this would help."
"Thank you."
"I got this specially for you, Pyrrha." Orpheus said as he pulled out something for his cousin. It was a peculiar talisman that was blue and it resembled an eye. "I had that ordered from Greece. It's a mati-talisman. It protects the user from people that have bad glares and want to bring misfortune to you and send it right back at them."
"Oh my… it's beautiful." Pyrrha gasped with amazement.
"Now you can wear that so you don't have to worry about those kinds of people." Orpheus said.
"Thank you, Orphee." The Invincible Girl told her cousin.
"I said not to call me Orphee!"
"Look at me! I'm worthy!" Ruby cheered, holding up Mjölnir, much to JOKR's horror.
"Ruby, don't lift it in the air!" Aaron panicked.
"What?" The girl said before Mjölnir glowed blue before a crack of thunder rocked the sky and a bolt of lightning came down. "KYAAAAAH!"
"Hit the deck!" Kurogasa shouted, as they all hit the ground prone as electricity crackled along the ground.
"Are you trying to fry us?!" Weiss snapped.
"Sorry, I don't know what to do!" Ruby panicked as she swung the hammer but she was whipping electricity across the air, causing the group to stay down.
"Why must a weapon made for a Thunder God be in the hands of a fifteen year old girl!?" Orion cried out.
"Yeah, forget simple soul! She's complex!" Orpheus added.
"This is all your fault, Aaron!" Kurogasa yelled. "You're giving that back to Thor! Now!"
"Ruby, can I see that for a sec?" Aaron asked the girl, who timidly handed it back to the JOKR leader. "Thank you. And by the way, zap." He pointed Mjölnir at Kurogasa and hit him with a small bolt of electricity on his rear end.
"YOW! REALLY?!" Kurogasa shouted.
"That rhetorical? Because it was funny as hell to me. Laters!" Aaron said after spinning the hammer several times before taking off into the air. Everyone then stood up as they saw Aaron take to the sky.
"MY SOUVENIRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!" Nora cried out in despair before falling to her knees and screamed to the heavens with arms raised. "COME BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!"
"I'll bring you a better one! Promise!"
"Welp, just another day at Beacon Academy." Orion sighed.
"You mean just another day of antics for Team JOKR." Orpheus corrected.
"Yeah…" Kurogasa said. "But… at the very least, I think it's safe to say that we're finally back home."
GKC: And scene!
KRD: WHOO! What a way to end this special chapter!
SR: Amen to that!
GKC: Yep, we got all the warm and fuzzies out of the way. Now we get back to the action.
KRD: And it's gonna be the official start of Vol. 3 finally! And you all know, we're gonna be changing things for that!
GKC: Indeed, we already did so in Vol. 2 but now we have a little something to show on what's to come.
SR: Ah yeah! You know it!
KRD: So let's roll the Preview Clip for Vol. 3!
PREVIEW
Announcer: Jikai! Remnant's Climax Heroes!
Azrael: You are worthless, Kurai! Always have been!
Koa: No! You're wrong!
Rachel: You're nothing but a monster pretending to be a hero!
Azrael: I'll be doing the world a favor and rid it of a pathetic pile of medals.
Gou: Why don't you just die like the monster you are?
Next Time: Shine on, Kurai!
? ? ?: AURA SPHERE CONNECTED! COBRA!
Cinder was in Vale's library on her own as she was typing something into the school's computer in a private study room. At first, she tried to install the Queen Virus from there, but it proved fruitless as the firewalls have proven to be even more secure than ever. No matter what hacking trick she tried, the system always kicked her out. It was all because of that boy Aaron. He had to ruin her plans by interfering with that… astronaut persona of his. That also included the red reaper that was with her. Something about him though… felt annoyingly familiar. It was gnawing at the back of her skull, as she managed to pull up the full roster of different Freshman team profiles and began scrolling through them.
"Aaron Jaeger… why do you feel so familiar…?" Cinder pondered to herself as she pulled up the profile of the Team JOKR leader. "Wait…"
She clicked on the picture of the leader, staring at it intently. Suddenly, her eyes widened in both shock and realization as she slumped back into her seat.
"It's you… it's actually you…!" Cinder said as she sat up. Then the realization that he was against her soured her mood completely. "But then why…? Why must he be my enemy?!" She then took a moment to calm herself as she pondered some more. "No… I won't let him become my enemy. I will ensure that he fights on my side no matter the cost!"
"Cinder? Are you ok in there?" Emerald's voice asked, snapping the Fall Maiden out of her thoughts.
"Yes, Emerald." Cinder smiled, looking back at the profile. "Everything is just fine…"
…Fine indeed.
