(Author's Note)

The end of Volume 1 already, huh? I'm honestly surprised that I'm here, and that this story didn't just die at the start.

I guess I have all of you guys to thank for this motivation to keep going, eh?

Right, well as I said, chapter 8 is going to be focused on the last episodes of Volume 1, and I cannot wait for what's planned out for Volume 2.

With all that said, I'll stop keeping you all held up.

Enjoy!

I let out a low whistle as I walked down the street with Team RWBY. Red, yellow, and green streamers and balloons were displayed all over the street. My eyes flicked to the right towards Weiss, who was currently leading the charge with the biggest smile I think I've ever seen on her.

"The Vytal Festival! Oh, this is absolutely wonderful!" Weiss said, looking around in awe.

"I don't think I've ever seen you smile this much, Weiss." Ruby said, looking at her partner before frowning slightly. "It's kinda weirding me out..."

I blinked as Weiss spun around on her heel and faced Ruby. "How could you not smile? A festival dedicated to the cultures of the world! There will be dances! Parades! A tournament! Oh, the amount of planning and organization that goes into this event is simply breathtaking!"

Yang sighed loudly as she crossed her arms. "You really know how to take a good thing and make it sound boring."

"Quiet, you!" Weiss snapped.

"Well, you guys certainly never have a dull moment, huh?" I said, shrugging, the sound of fog horns heard in the distance.

"Remind me again why we're spending our Friday afternoon visiting the stupid docks?" Yang asked.

"Why would I know?" I asked. "You guys invited me."

Ruby let out a groan as she grabbed her nose with her hand. "Ugh, they smell like fish!"

"Oh, really? I wonder why that might be?" I asked with a voice laced with sarcasm as I looked over at the nearby docks. "Ow!" I rubbed my side after Ruby jabbed her elbow into me. "I'm kidding!"

Weiss turned back to face us. "I've heard that students visiting from Vacuo will be arriving by ship today. And, as a representative of Beacon, I feel as though it is my solemn duty to welcome them to this fine kingdom!" She said, turning back around.

"She wants to spy on them so she'll have the upper hand in the tournament." Blake translated, as Weiss walked ahead.

"You can't prove that!"

"For now we can't." I responded.

"Whoa." I turned to look at Ruby to see what grabbed her attention, before following her gaze towards a shattered storefront down the street. The door was taped down with yellow caution tape."What happened there?"

"No clue… Wait, is that?" I blinked as I looked at a familiar officer step out of the store, two detectives standing near him. "Shinnosuke?"

"Isn't he working Beacon Security?" Blake asked.

"I'll be right back." I said, running ahead. "Shinnosuke!"

"Hm?" The rider looked up to see me approach. "Oh, Bryce! What are you doing here?"

"Team RWBY and I were looking around the area at the moment." I said, before looking around. "What happened here?"

"Robbery. Second Dust shop to be hit this week." Shinnosuke said. "We've done most of what we can here so far, so I called in some help to take a look at the place."

"Eh?" I blinked as I looked at Shinnosuke in confusion.

""Excuse me!" A voice said behind us. I turned around to see a man in a black suit and fedora walking towards us.

"Oh, Shotaro!" Shinnosuke called out, walking towards the newcomer. I quickly followed in pursuit, my eyes wide as I stared at the man in front of me. "Thanks for coming, think we could get your assistance here?"

I caught the glimpse of a smirk as Shotaro lowered the brim of his hat. "Yeah, what have you guys gotten so far?" He asked. I looked to the side, watching as Team RWBY walked into listening distance.

"Same as the last dust store this week. All the dust is gone, but they left the cash again." Shinnosuke said.

Shotaro crossed my arms as he looked at the storefront. I looked to the side, before speaking up. "Think it might be to drive the prices up to sell for a profit later?" I asked, Shotaro turned to look at me. "I mean, there had to have been a lot of dust there, yeah? And you said this was the second hit this week? No one should need that much dust for practical use, right?"

"Depends on how many people are involved or not…" Shotaro said, his gaze lingering for a moment before he pulled out a white card. "I'm Shotaro Hidari, private dick." I took the card out of his hand and stared at it. This was the detective agency card all right. "You know him?"

"Yeah, he's like that at first." Shinnosuke said, nodding. I looked up at Shinnosuke with a deadpan look on my face.

Shotaro looked off to the side, a far off look in his eye. "Alright, let me take a closer look inside and I'll see if any of my contacts might be able to help out."

"That would be appreciated." Shinnosuke said.

"Right, I'll leave you guys to it then." I said, walking back towards Team RWBY.

"Just doesn't make a lick of sense. Who needs that much Dust?" Asked one of the nearby detectives.

"I don't know, an army?" The other responded.

"You thinking the White Fang?"

The other detective let out a sigh as he removed his sunglasses. "Yeah, I'm thinking we don't get paid enough."

"Hmph! The White Fang." Weiss huffed out, crossing her arms as she pointed her nose in the air with her eyes closed. "What an awful bunch of degenerates!"

Blake turned to face Weiss. "What's your problem?"

"My problem? I simply don't care for the criminally insane." Weiss responded.

"The White Fang is hardly a bunch of psychopaths." Blake responded, crossing her arms, as her eyes narrowed. "They're a collection of misguided Faunus."

Weiss' eyebrow raised. "Misguided? They want to wipe Humanity off the face of the planet!"

"So then they're very misguided." Blake continued. "Either way, it doesn't explain why they would rob a Dust shop in the middle of downtown Vale!"

"Hmm... Blake's got a point." Ruby cut in, before giving a passive glance at me as she continued speaking. "Besides, the police never caught that Torchwick guy Bryce and I ran into a few months ago... Maybe it was him."

"That still doesn't change the fact that the White Fang are a bunch of scum." Weiss continued, as I felt a wave of anger lower over Blake. "Those Faunus only know how to lie, cheat, and steal."

"That's not necessarily true..." Yang said.

"Hey, stop that Faunus!"

I let out a sigh as I shook my head. "Perfect timing Yang…" I muttered as I chased after the Team as they ran over to the source of the shout. I blinked in confusion as a Faunus with a golden monkey tail ran down the length of the boat before leaping onto the edge as two sailors closed in on the Faunus.

The blonde smiled. "Thanks for the ride, guys! Haha!" He laughed, jumping off the boat before landing on the ground and sprinting through the docks.

"You no-good stowaway!" One of the sailors yelled out.

"Hey! A no-good stowaway would've been caught! I'm a great stowaway!" The Faunus said, before he jumped into the air, grabbing onto a nearby with his tail and hanger there, peeling a banana as the two sailors ran towards him.

"This is the strangest chase scene I have ever seen…" I muttered as I watched one of the Sailors throw a stone at the Monkey Faunus before the Faunus in question retaliated by tossing a banana peel on one of their faces. The Faunus hit the ground and broke into a sprint, passing by us as he made his escape, followed quickly by his pursuers.

"Well, Weiss, you wanted to see the competition, and there it goes..." Yang said, watching as the Faunus got further and further away.

Weiss seemed to snap to attention at that. "Quick! We have to observe him!"

I watched as Weiss, Yang, and Ruby give chase, before turning my head to look at Blake, who seemed to be lost in thought. "Uh, Blake?" I asked, catching her attention before we ran after them. We turned at the next corner, but stopped as Weiss crashed into someone. I looked up to see the Faunus jump onto a nearby building and disappear from view.

"No, he got away!" Weiss shouted from her position. I looked down at the girl in white before blinking owlishly at the sight before me.

"Yeah, Weiss? You might wanna…" I trailed off, pointing down at the girl pinned underneath Weiss, who was smiling for some strange reason.

"Hm?" Weiss looked down, before she quickly got off the girl with a quick shout.

I looked down at the girl still down on the ground, whose smile seemed to grow longer. "Sal-u-ta-tions!"

Ruby blinked at the girl in confusion. "Um... hello."

"Are you... okay?" Yang asked.

"I'm wonderful! Thank you for asking." The girl responded.

I looked down at the girl, thoroughly confused. "Do… Are… Y-you want to get up from there?"

I watched as the girl seemed to pause, think about the current situation, before smiling again. "Yes!" She said, leaping back to a stand as everyone else took a step back. "My name is Penny! It's a pleasure to meet you!"

Ruby nodded. "Hi Penny. I'm Ruby."

"I'm Weiss."

"Blake."

"Are you sure you didn't hit your head?" Yang asked, before being elbowed by Blake. "Oh, I'm Yang."

"And I'm Bryce." I said, giving a quick two finger salute.

"It's a pleasure to meet you!" Penny said, smiling still.

Weiss looked at the girl in confusion. "You already said that."

Penny paused for a moment. "So I did!"

"...Right…" I said, blinking at the girl.

"Well, sorry for running into you!" Weiss said, turning around.

Ruby waved her arm as she turned around. "Take care, friend!"

"She was... weird..." Yang said once we were out of earshot.

"Weird… Yeah, that fits." I nodded.

Weiss slowed to a stop as she looked around the area. "Now, where did that Faunus riff-raff run off to?"

"What did you call me?" Penny asked as she suddenly appeared in front of Weiss. I let out shout as I stumbled backwards.

Weiss looked back at Penny's previous position and then back to the girl herself, repeating these steps as Yang spoke up. "Oh, I'm really sorry, I definitely didn't think you heard me!"

"No, not you." Penny said, walking through the group as she walked over to Ruby. "You!"

Ruby leaned back slightly at the sudden invasion of her personal space. "Me? I-I don't know. I, what I, um, uh..."

Penny leaned forward, staring the girl in the eyes. "You called me 'friend'! Am I really your friend?"

"Um..." Ruby looked over Penny's shoulder towards her teammates, looking at their motions of denial before turning her attention to me, and almost pleading look in her eyes. I shrugged before giving a thumbs up. "Y-Yeah, sure! Why not?"

I noticed the rest of Team RWBY fall over to my left, but my attention was mainly drawn to the overjoyed look on Penny's face. "Sen-sational! We can paint our nails, and try on clothes, and talk about cute boys!"

Ruby groaned as she looked over to Weiss. "Oh, is this what it was like when you met me?"

Weiss paused for a moment before speaking. "No... she seems far more coordinated."

"So... what are you doing in Vale?" Yang asked.

Penny smiled. "I'm here to fight in the tournament."

"Wait, you're fighting in the tournament?" Weiss asked.

"I'm combat ready!" Penny said, saluting.

"...That's a catchphrase if I've ever heard one." I muttered to myself with a hand on my chin.

"Forgive me, but you hardly look the part." Weiss responded.

Blake looked at the Schnee Heiress with a raised eyebrow. "Says the girl wearing a dress."

Weiss crossed her arms. "It's a combat skirt!"

Ruby sped over to Weiss' side, arms also crossed. "Yeah!" Weiss held her hand out to her side, to which Ruby quickly low-fived it.

"...I've seen… less practical outfits…" I said, rubbing a hand over the back of my head.

"Wait a minute." Weiss said, as if a lightbulb went off in her head a second ago. She walked over to Penny and grabbed the girl by her shoulders. "If you're here for the tournament, does that mean you know that monkey-tailed... rapscallion?"

Penny blinked in confusion as she looked at Weiss. "The who...?"

Weiss brought out a sheet of paper with a… very poor recreation of the Faunus' face. Actually, how did she…? You know what, I'm not going to ask. "The filthy Faunus from the boat!"

"Why do you keep saying that?!"

Weiss turned away from Penny and looked at Blake. "Huh?"

Blake stomped over to Weiss, anger clear on her face. "Stop calling him a rapscallion! Stop calling him a degenerate! He's a person!"

"Oh, I'm sorry." Weiss began, as she released Penny. "Would you like me to stop referring to the trash can as a trash can? Or this lamppost as a lamppost?" I watched as she motioned to the various objects in question with sarcasm lacing her voice.

"Uh… Guys-?" I spoke up, only to be cut off by Blake.

"Stop it!"

"Stop what? He clearly broke the law. Give him time; he'll probably join up with those other Faunus in the White Fang!"

"You ignorant little brat!" Blake growled out, fists clenched.

Weiss looked at her teammate in shock, before Blake started walking off, followed quickly after by the Heiress. "How dare you talk to me like that! I am your teammate!"

"You are a judgmental little girl."

"What in the world makes you say that?"

"The mere fact that you would sort that Faunus boy with a terrorist group solely based on his species makes you just as much of a scoundrel as you believe him to be!" No, points to Blake there. Her argument stands.

I slowly backpedaled over to Yang and Ruby, the two of them sharing my current level of comfortability if the uneasy looks on their faces was to be believed. "Um, I think we should probably go..."

Penny poked her head out over Ruby's shoulder. "Where are we going?"

"So you admit it! The White Fang is just a radical group of terrorists!"

"That's not what I meant, and you know it!"

"Ugh, they're going to be at this all day…" I sighed.

"Should… Should I be sticking around for this?" I asked, as Blake and Weiss argued as we walked down towards our dorm rooms.

"Well… They are your teammates…" Ruby meekly pointed out.

"I mean, it is pretty ugly…" Yang said, motioning ahead at the two arguing.

"I don't understand why this is causing such a problem!" Weiss shouted as the two walked into the Team RWBY dorm.

"That is the problem!"

"...Alright, I'm too far in at this point." I said, walking into the room behind Ruby and Yang.

"You realize you are defending an organization that hates Humanity, don't you?" Weiss asked, walking over to one of the two bunk beds in the dorm. "The Faunus of the White Fang are pure evil!"

"There's no such thing as pure evil!" Blake shot back, a statement I didn't agree with considering… everything Kamen Rider going on in this world. "Why do you think they hate Humanity so much? It's because of people like Cardin, people like you, that force the White Fang to take such drastic measures!"

Weiss looked at Blake in shock. "People like me?"

"You're discriminatory!" Blake yelled.

"I'm a victim!" Weiss yelled, sending the room into an uncomfortable silence. Weiss leaned forwards, leering at Blake as her quiet voice practically boomed in the silent room. "You want to know why I despise the White Fang? Why I don't particularly trust the Faunus?"

Weiss leaned up against the bookshelf next to the window, eyes narrowed. "It's because they've been at war with my family for years. War, as in actual bloodshed. My grandfather's company has had a target painted across its back for as long as I can remember. And ever since I was a child, I've watched family friends disappear; board members executed; an entire train car full of Dust, stolen. And every day, my father would come home, furious. And that made for a very difficult childhood."

The sound of Weiss' fist burrowing into the wood of the bookshelf reverberated throughout the room. I took a step back. "...Fuck…" I muttered quietly to myself.

Ruby moved forwards, a hand out in a calming motion. "Weiss, I-"

"No!" Weiss turned away from Ruby, moving right back up towards Blake as her voice began to ramp up in volume. "You want to know why I despise the White Fang? It's because they're a bunch of liars, thieves, and murderers!"

"Well maybe we were just tired of being pushed around!" Blake yelled back, as another silence filled the room.

Weiss backed away slowly, her eyes wide as she looked at her teammate. I watched as Blake's eyes opened wide, looking around at the rest of us in what looked like fear.

"I... I..." Blake began, before she charged forwards, slightly bumping into my side as she ran out the door.

"Blake, wait! Come back!" Ruby ran over to the door, calling down to her running teammate as I looked over at Weiss, who's gaze had turned down to the floor.

"..." I let out a breath as I turned on my heel and ran out the door, causing Ruby to let out a startled yelp as I ran down the hallway after Blake.

I slowed to a stop outside the school proper, finding myself standing in the courtyard. "...Where…?" I asked myself as I walked forwards, before stopping as I noticed the large statue of two huntsmen standing over a defeated Beowolf.

My eyes trailed downwards, locking onto a figure in black and white, a black fabric in her left hand and two black cat ears perched atop her head. "...Oh…" I blinked as I looked at Blake, before snapping my head up as the blonde faunus from earlier that day sat on top of the statue.

"...No time like the present." I said to myself, before running towards the two of them. "Blake!"

Blake spun around so fast I wouldn't be surprised if she got whiplash from that move. I saw her take a shaky step back, as the Blonde teen hopped down next to her, eyes locked onto me. "Wait, Blake! I just want to-"

I felt my body freeze in place, as time seemed to freeze around me. "-Talk!" I finished as I slowed to a stop, the two that were just in front of me now gone from sight.

"Well, this is interesting isn't it?" A voice asked behind me as I spun around to see the masked Sougo standing there with his hands in his pockets.

"You!" I exclaimed, taking a step back. "Why did you do that!?"

"Hmm… You know, I don't know." He said, shrugging as he began to walk to the right. "I saw you running towards the two of them and figured… I can do some good for some runaways."

"...If I found out you did anything to EITHER of them-!"

"I'm a man of my word. I don't lie, better keep that in mind… Zi-o." Sougo's filtered voice rang out. "Oh, and one other thing."

"The future doesn't look too pretty. I get the feeling that it's gonna be a real pain for you soon." Sougo said, before turning around. He flicked his right hand up over his shoulder. "Ciao!"

And as quickly as he appeared, the man was gone once more. I grit my teeth as I looked down. "...dammit. This isn't good."

"Can't believe this…" I muttered, walking the streets of Vale.

"A full two day and no one can make a decision…" I sighed, pulling my Scroll out. "...Ruby and Yang said they were going to try and convince Weiss to go take a look for Blake with them… I tried looking yesterday but that led nowhere fast…"

"How am I even supposed to find those two in this freaking city…?" I asked myself in exasperation, before I suddenly felt something solid collide with my front, sending me onto my butt. "Ow…"

"Agh…" A male voice said, as I looked ahead to see a teen in a red hoodie and black blazer on the ground in front of me. I squinted as I looked at the image on his shirt. A keyboard? Turn left? "I need to start paying better attention…"

The teen stood to a stand, before his eyes locked onto me. "Ack! Sorry" The teen said, grabbing my arm and helping me to a stand. "Are you okay?"

"I'm… Yeah, I'm fine." I said, looking at the teen. "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention to where I was walking…"

"It's fine. I wasn't either." The teen said, smiling. "I was looking for a friend of mine. Sorry about the trouble."

"Eh, no it's fine." I said, waving my left hand. "I'm actually looking for a friend of mine as well. We... Let's say there was a falling out of sorts between her and one of my teammates."

The teen nodded, before what I assumed his notification rang from his pocket. "Oh no! I'm late! I'll have to find her later." The teen said, before looking back up at me. "Oh right, I'm Aruto Hiden. It's nice to meet you."

"Bryce Bridged." I said, holding my right hand out. Aruto shook it before quickly running past me. "And good luck, Aruto!"

I let out a sigh as I watched the teen run off. "...Good luck finding your friend." I said mainly to myself before a stray thought burrowed it's way to the forefront. "...Wait, I know someone who's excellent at finding people…!"

I pulled my wallet out, before slipping out a white business card, the words 'Narumi Detective Agency' written on the front. "...Let's hope you two are able to help me out. Now, to figure out how this scroll's version of Google Maps works…"

"Well… here I am…" I said, looking at the familiar building in front of me. "Still working on the side of a pool parlor, huh?"

I let out a breath as I looked down at the business card in my off hand. "Right, no time like the present. If they can't help me, then… No, they'll help me out."

I walked up towards the front door of the detective agency, before knocking twice against the wood door. "Excuse me! Is anyone in?" I asked, lowering my hand as I waited at the door.

"Come in!" It appeared I wouldn't have to wait long.

I pushed the door open, taking a look inside the door. My eyes locked onto the man sitting at the desk at the back of the room, a fedora sitting atop his head with a typewriter in front of him. His eyes seemed to flick to me before back to his typewriter as I heard the keys clack as he typed.

"Hi, yeah, Uh… I need some help looking for someone." I said, taking a moment to ease my breathing. "See, a… Teammate of mine disappeared last night and we're…" I paused, thinking about my next words carefully. "Well, most of us are worried about her. I was wondering if you'd be able to help me out."

Shotaro paused, his head lifting enough so I could see his eyes peak from behind the brim of his hat. "Alright, I'll see what I can do to help."

I let out a sigh of relief, letting my shoulders relax slightly as I spoke up again. "Oh, that's great... Because I'm really going to need Phillips help."

"...Eh!?" Shotaro shot up from his seat as he stared at me.

"Uh…" I leaned back slightly, as the man stared at me. "I… I said I needed Phillip's help."

"No, I heard that already…" Shotaro said, his eyes narrowing as he moved away from his desk and walked towards me. I noticed one of his hands moving towards his waistcoat. "How exactly do you know Phillip?"

"...Well…" I took a breath as I eyed the detective in front of me. "You're Double, right? Why wouldn't I know your other half?"

Shotaro paused as he looked at me. "...How do you-?"

"I'm your junior! Or not exactly but sort of all the same and-Look just take this for a moment." I said, pulling my Zi-O Ride Watch off the holder and tossing it towards Shotaro yelled slightly as he fumbled with the watch before finally getting a good grip on it. "I'm a Kamen Rider, like you guys! It's why I know Shinnosuke as well!"

I pulled the Ziku Driver out and held it up. Shotaro took a look over the item in his hand before looking back up at me with evaluating eyes. "...Alright. Let's say I believe you for now." He said, lowering the brim of his hat as he tossed the Ride Watch back to me. I raised my hand out and willed the Ride Watch back into my hand so I didn't have to deal with the hassle of catching it. "Then let's focus on your case. You said you were looking for someone?"

"Yeah." I nodded. "A teammate of mine, she ran off earlier-"

"Because of an argument, right?" Shotaro asked, before letting out a sigh. "Why were you asking for Phillip anyways?"

"I know Phillip has access to the Gaia Library, or the World's Library of whatever you want to call it." I said, putting my Driver and Ride Watch away. "In a city as big as Vale I don't think I'd have an easy time finding her and I figured with some keywords I might be able to find out where she is."

Shotaro nodded. "I currently have Phillip doing some research on the recent Dust robberies." He said, pulling the fedora off his head and placing it on a nearby hanger, alongside several other hats of similar design. My eyes lingered on the White Fedora on the top, a lone cut on the brim of the hat. "So for the time being he won't be of much help."

"Shit." I said, looking to the side.

Shotaro smirked. "This city is my garden." He began, pulling a grey fedora off the hanger as he walked towards me. "I'll find your friend, you have my word."

Shotaro placed the hat onto his head and walked by me, opening the door and leaving the room. I let out a sigh as I looked around, before looking over to the hidden door covered by fedoras. "...I'll meet Phillip some other time." I said, before running out of the building after Shotaro.

I ran over to the front, getting a look at the Green and Black Hardboilder in front of me before it quickly passed by. "...All right then." I said, pulling the Ride Striker off the Watch holder and tossing it in the air in front of me, watching as it opened up into its bike form. I pulled myself up onto the seat, before slapping the helmet onto my head. "Let's follow the Detective then."

"So, this is who you were headed to see." I said, walking over to Shotaro as he looked out at a man with an afro taking pictures of a waitress.

"Eh?" Shotaro turned his head to look at me before jumping back slightly. "What are you doing here?" He asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Calm down. You didn't get my number and this isn't a 'I found her now to do this myself' sort of thing. She'll just run since she's seen you already, probably will think you're police since you helped out earlier a few days ago." I said, crossing my arms as I looked back at the detective. "I need her location so I can talk this out myself. If that doesn't work then we'll try something else, but it's the best option in my head at the moment."

"Fine… But stay behind me." Shotaro said, walking ahead.

"For what danger, it's Watcherman…" I muttered as I followed behind the Half-boiled detective.

"Yo, info dealer." Shotaro said, walking over to Watcherman, who was currently looking through his scroll's image gallery.

"Oh, Shou-chan!" I blinked, it's weird hearing honorifics here. Maybe one of the other kingdoms was big on it? I don't know. "What can I help you with today?"

"I need information on a girl. Whereabouts mostly." Shotaro noted, sitting down on the chair opposite Watcherman.

"I've seen a lot of girls lately, you'll have to be a bit more specific." Watcherman said.

"Name or appearance?" I spoke up, catching the two adult's attention.

"Now who might this be?" Asked Watcherman as he looked back at Shotaro. "Didn't know you were taking on apprentices."

"He's my client." Shotaro said.

"I see. Names help but appearances are what'll get you the most results." Watcherman noted.

"Blake Belladonna. About… yay high-" I began, holding my hand up to the girl's approximate height. "Black and White clothes, some black ribbon tied over her forearms, Yellow eyes, long black hair and a big black bow on her head." I finished, crossing my arms as Watcherman paused and pulled his scroll up again and looked through it. He didn't have to look long before he held out his scroll to me and Shotaro.

"This her?" Watcherman asked, a photo of Blake on the screen of the scroll. She didn't look pleased with being in the photo but I could see what looked like a blonde tail off to the side of the photo. I nodded, as Watcherman smiled. "Ah her, I saw her a few minutes ago down by the cafe a few minutes that way." Watcherman pointed behind Shotaro and I. "I asked for a photo but she wasn't too keen on it. Her blonde friend persuaded her to join in."

"Blonde monkey faunus, male, white dress shirt open to show off the chest?" I asked again.

"That's them." Watcherman nodded. "They should still be nearby that cafe if you're still looking for them."

"Got it, thanks." Shotaro nodded, before handing Watcherman some lien as he stood up. "I'll go on ahead, get a look and see if she's around there. Give me your number, I'll give you a call if she is."

"Got it." I said, reaching into my pocket.

Blake let out a sigh as she placed her cup of tea down. Her eyes flicked up at the Blonde in front of her, who was holding his drink with his tail, his hand propping up his head. Sun took a sip of his drink as Blake moved her head up.

"So, you want to know more about me..." Blake began, eyes narrowing slightly. Off to the side, a black and green motorcycle pulled up on the other side of the road. The rider looked up before pulling out his phone. Blake looked back over to Sun as the Faunus spoke up.

"Finally, she speaks! Nearly two days and you gave me nothing but small talk and weird looks!" Sun said with a cheer as Blake gave a deadpan look at Sun. "Yeah, like that."

Blake rolled her eyes before closing them with a sigh. She opened them back up and looked at Sun, a hint of sadness on her face. "Sun... Are you familiar with the White Fang?"

"Of course! I don't think there's a Faunus on the planet who hasn't heard of them." Sun nodded, waving his hand. "Stupid, holier-than-thou creeps that use force to get whatever they want. Bunch of freaks, if you ask me!"

Blake took another sip of her drink as she listened to Sun speak. "I was once a member of the White Fang." She continued.

Sun's drink suddenly got caught in his throat as he began to choke, he placed the cup down on the table and wiped his mouth as he held up a hand as the information processed in his head. "Wait a minute, you were a member of the White Fang?!"

Blake nodded, her eyes trailing off to the side. "That's right. I was a member for most of my life, actually." She said, her eyes landing on a strange motorcycle closing in on them. "You could almost say I was…"

"...Was?" Sun began, before the Bike pulled up to a stop a few feet away from the two, as Bryce finally pulled the helmet off his head.

"Blake!" I said, looking over at the Girl in black, whose eyes widened as she hastily stood up from her seat. "Wait, wait, wait! I just want to talk!"

"Do you know this guy?" Asked the Blonde sitting across from Blake.

"Hi, I'm Bryce, teammate, sorta, it's complicated." I said, nodding at the blond faunus.

"Sun." He said with a smirk.

"Nice to meet you, Sun." I said, before turning back to my teammate. "Blake, please just hear me out."

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

"Uh, looking for you?" I said, raising an eyebrow. "You were gone for two days, Blake. We… I was getting worried."

"Where's the others? Are they near-"

"It's just me, I haven't told anyone I found you." I said, raising my arms into the air. "Can I… Can we just talk?"

Blake's eyes landed on me. I let out a sigh before pulling out my driver and tossing it over to the girl who looked like she was about to bolt any second. "Here, hold onto this if it makes you feel better."

"...How would that make any difference?" Blake asked as she expertly caught my driver out of the air.

"...I assumed it would put you at ease knowing I didn't have any alternative motives?" I said, slightly unsure now that I had just given the girl my driver. "...This was a bad call, wasn't it?"

Blake let out a sigh before sitting back down. "Alright, you win. Let's talk." She said.

"Thank you…" I said, letting out a sigh as I stepped off the bike. Sun blinked in shock as he watched the bike shrink down to it's Ride Watch like form. I turned around to pick it up and gave a quick nod to Shotaro, who quickly responded and kind and began to drive off. I picked the transformed Ride Striker up and moved over to the table, pulling a nearby chair over as I sat down by the side of the table, facing Blake.

There was an uncomfortable silence as the three of us sat there. Sun, being the kind of guy he is, decided to take it upon himself to play icebreakers. "So… Bryce was it? How did you do that with your bike?"

"I… Don't know the mechanics of it to be honest." I said, scratching the back of my head. "...Right, we should probably discuss the elephant in the room. Why exactly did you run earlier?"

"...Bryce, are you familiar with the White Fang?"

"Uh… Slightly? Most I know is second hand from what I occasionally pick up from the news if it's on. That and from the recent arguments between Weiss and you." I said.

"I… I was once a member of the White Fang." Blake said, looking at me, a hint of worry on her features.

"...Oh." I nodded my head as I looked at Blake. "Okay then, that… explains a lot actually…"

"...You're handling this well." Sun noted as he raised an eyebrow at me. "I almost spit my drink at her when she told me."

"It's not that I'm not freaking out, it's more that I want to hear the whole story before I make any judgments." I said, shaking my head. "Besides, jumping to conclusions is what got us here, so why would I act that way considering it wouldn't get me anywhere."

I felt a hand slam into my back. "You're not half bad, man." Sun said, a smirk on his face as he looked back to Blake.

Blake took in a breath before she continued. "I had been a member for most of my life. You could almost say I was born into it..." She let out a sigh. "Back then, things were different. In the ashes of war, the White Fang was meant to be a symbol of peace and unity between Humans and the Faunus."

"Of course, despite being promised equality, the Faunus were subjected to discrimination and hate. Humanity still thought of us as lesser beings. And so, the White Fang rose up as a voice of our people. And I was there." Blake said, a far off look in her eyes. "I was at the front of every rally. I took part in every boycott. I actually thought we were making a difference. But I was just a youthful optimist."

"Sometimes that's all that's needed." I said while Blake took a sip of her drink.

"Unfortunately, that wasn't the case." She said with a sad look in her eyes. "...Five years ago, our leader stepped down, and a new one took his place. A new leader, with a new way of thinking."

I let out a sigh, I could understand the implications of what that meant.

"Suddenly, our peaceful protests were being replaced with organized attacks. We were setting fire to shops that refused to serve us, hijacking cargo from companies that used Faunus labor. And the worst part was, it was working. We were being treated like equals. But not out of respect... out of fear." Blake said, looking up at us. "So... I left. I decided I no longer wanted to use my skills to aid in their violence, and instead, I would dedicate my life to becoming a Huntress. So here I am: a criminal hiding in plain view, all with the help of a little black bow." She said, as I blinked as I watched the black bow on her head wiggle slightly. Right, she has cat ears...

"...I always thought that bow was a bit big…" I muttered, only to be elbowed lightly by Sun. I shook my head as I looked back up at Blake.

"So... have you told your friends any of this?" Sun asked, his voice calm.

I watched as Blake's head lowered, as she looked off to the side, refusing to look at the two of us. Sun gave a glance over at me, and I shook my head negative. "Blake… Thank you for telling me this." I said, as her head rose to look at me. "...I won't sell you out, if that's what you're worried about. I believe you."

Blake stayed silent, but the look in her eyes was enough confirmation for me. I was making some amount of progress here.

"...I want to say something about how you should've told us…" I began, looking off to the side as I felt her gaze on my person. "...But that would make me a hypocrite, so I won't say that."

"I'm… sorry?" Blake asked in light confusion.

"...Blake, we all have our secrets." I said, looking up at the faunus in disguise. "And… I can't blame you for hiding yours… Since I've been doing the same."

"What, were you also a part of a terrorist group?" Asked Sun, before he leaned back as Blake's eyes narrowed on him. "Right, too soon."

"No, that might be believable." I said with a dry laugh. "What I'm hiding is nowhere near that believable."

I let out a sigh as I looked over at Blake. "So, what was your plan now?"

Blake looked down in thought before standing up. "I still don't believe the White Fang is behind these robberies. They've never needed that much Dust before."

"And it's unlikely their operations would've grown that much to warrant that much dust?" I asked. Blake nodded in response, as I let out a sigh as I stood up.

"What if they did?" Sun asked as the three of us began to walk away from the table, a few lien placed behind for the bill. Blake and I looked over to the Faunus in question as he began to ramble. "I mean... the only way to prove that they didn't do it, is to go to the place where they would most likely go to if they were to do it, and not find them there! Right?"

"...I mean… The logic is there." I said, rubbing the back of my head.

Blake let out a sigh as she looked at Sun. "The only thing is, I've no idea where that would be."

Sun moved in front of us, speaking up. "Well, while I was on the ship, I heard some guys talking about offloading a huge shipment of Dust coming in from Atlas."

Blake's eyes narrowed. "How huge?"

"Huge. Big Schnee Company freighter." Sun said.

"I'm going to assume a ship bigger than the one you expertly stowed away on?" I asked, a slight smirk on my face.

"Oh yeah." Sun nodded, crossing his arms, a similar smirk adorning his. "We're talking BIG here, man."

Blake looked up at Sun. "You're sure?"

"As sure as I can be." Sun said.

"...Well, I think we have ourselves a lead." I said, running a few fingers along the front of my bangs before pointing to the right. I paused, looking over at Blake and Sun, who were staring at me in confusion. "...I've spent too much time with Shotaro today." I muttered to myself and pocketed my hands, looking to the side, no sign of red on my cheeks, I swear!

"Hey, yeah it's me. Sorry about just ditching." I said into my scroll as I laid down on the grass overlocking the docks. "Listen, about my payment for this job... Yeah, send my bill to Professor Ozpin of Beacon, he'll know what's up. K, thanks, gotta go bye."

I hung up my scroll as I looked back over at the docks, watching as the crew of the Schnee freighter walked around, unloading crates and talking idly to one another.

"Who was that?" Blake asked, looking over at me.

"The private investigator I hired to help find you earlier." I said, stuffing my scroll in my pocket. "I kinda left with you guys and never got around to finding out payment for him so I needed to handle that real quick."

"Did I miss anything?" I turned my head to see Sun approach, dropping down on Blake's left.

Blake gives a passive look to me before turning to Sun. "Not really. They've offloaded the crates from the boat. Now they're just sitting there."

"Cool." Sun said, holding out one of the green apples that was being held in his arms. "I stole you some food!"

Blake blinked at the fruit held in front of her before looking back up at Sun. "Do you always break the law without giving a second thought?"

Sun raised an eyebrow at Blake. "Hey, weren't you in a cult or something?" He responded, before backpedaling as Blake glared at the Blonde. "Okay, too soon!"

"Guys, we got company…" I said, grabbing their attention as the wind began to blow around us. I looked up, eyeing the bullhead hovering ahead, it's searchlights shining around in search of a landing spot. It seemed to narrow in, before it began to descend in the middle of the cargo containers.

"Moment of truth." I said, looking over at Sun and Blake, before looking back at the bullhead as a ramp extended from the side, as multiple black hooded individuals with metallic fanged masks began to pour out of the ship.

Blake's eyes widened. "Oh no..."

"Is that them?" Sun asked.

"Yes... It's them."

"Great…" I said, sighing. "You didn't believe they were behind it."

Blake sighed as she looked ahead. "No. I think deep down I knew. I just didn't want to be right." She said, closing her eyes.

"Hey! What's the holdup!?" A familiar voice reached my ears as I looked down at the docks to see a man in a white suit and a black bowler hat walk out of the bullhead, a cane in his hand. "We're not exactly the most inconspicuous bunch of thieves at the moment, so why don't you animals try to pick up the pace?"

"Oh great… Him…" I sighed, narrowing my eyes at Roman Torchwick.

"This isn't right. The White Fang would never work with a Human. Especially not one like that." Blake said, standing up as she unsheathed Gambol Shroud before walking over towards the edge of the roof.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" Sun quietly exclaimed as the two of us stood up.

"Uh, Blake?" I said, as the girl turned to face me. "I think I might be needing my Driver right about now."

The girl swiftly tossed it over towards me, as I fumbled to catch it. When I looked back up once I had a good grip, the girl had dropped down. I let out a sigh as I turned to face Sun. "After her?" I asked him, shaking my head slightly.

Sun nodded. I jumped down after Blake, crouching behind a nearby container as I placed the Ziku Driver against my waist.

[ZIKU DRIVER!]

I peeked over my cover, watching as Roman berated a White Fang member who was holding a coil of rope.

"No, you idiot! This isn't a leash!" Roman let out a sigh as he looked around the area, before a black blade suddenly found it's way against his neck, Blake standing directly behind him. "What the- Oh, for f-"

"Nobody move!" Blake shouted.

I let out a sigh as the White Fang soldiers pulled up their guns and equipped their swords in response.

"Whoa! Take it easy there, little lady." Roman said, leaning back slightly away from the blade.

"...I think she has this so far…" I muttered as I watched the scene unfold.

As the White Fang closed in, Blake reached up with her free hand and pulled on her bow, causing the ribbon to fall away as her cat ears were exposed to the night air.

"Brothers of the White Fang! Why are you aiding this scum?" Blake asked as she looked around.

The White Fang members lowered their weapons a little as they looked at Blake. I felt my eye twitch as Roman began to laugh.

"Oh, kid, didn't you get the memo?" Roman asked.

Blake narrowed her eyes. "What are you talking about?"

Roman smirked. "The White Fang and I are going in on a joint business venture together!"

Blake pulled the blade closer to Roman's neck. "Tell me what it is or I'll put an end to your little operation."

I suddenly felt the wind around me kick up as the sound of wind turbines from above drew my attention towards the two bullheads hovering above the dock.

"I wouldn't exactly call it a little operation..." Roman said, drawing my attention back to him as he aimed his cain downwards and fired. I raised my arms up as I felt the force of the explosion in front of me pass over.

I stood up and got out of my cover, pulling the Zi-O Ride Watch off the holder as I looked ahead.

I let out a sigh of relief as Blake emerged from the smoke, clearly dazed but looked to be without major damage. I sprinted forwards as Roman fired his cane at Blake, sending blasts of fire towards the girl as she jumped, flipped and dodged away from the continuous attacks, sending the nearby cargo containers up in flames. Blake jumped up once more, vanishing behind one of the containers, as a shadow of her person stood in the spot she had once previously been before it vanished.

"Here, kitty, kitty, kitty…" Roman said, walking up to the containers slowly.

"My turn." I said, holding my arm out to the side as the Zikan Girade formed in my right hand.

[ZIKAN GIRADE!]

[ZYU!]

I raised my weapon up and fired, sending a blast of energy towards Roman, who unluckily avoided it at the last second as he leaned back. "Hey asshole! Remember me!" I shouted, bringing the Zikan Girade to my side.

Roman swiveled and turned to look at me. "...Oh great, you…"

"Consider this payback!" I shouted as I raised my gun up again and fired on him, as he hopped back and avoided my shots, before a banana peel fell onto his head. Roman pulled the peel off and looked up, fixing his assailant with a glare.

"Woohoo!"

Sun leaped off the container above Roman, dropping down onto the criminal's face feet-first, before launching off and landing on the ground, rolling to a stand as he got into a stance.

I ran forwards, running up next to my new blonde friend. "Leave her alone!" Sun shouted, as I rolled my neck.

I blinked as I looked up, as multiple White Fang grunts dropped down from the bullheads above us, surrounding the two of us.

Roman stood back up as he smirked. "You two are not the brightest bananas in the bunch, are you?"

"Hey," I said, leaning over to Sun. "Want to see something cool?" I asked, twisting the dial of my Zi-O Ride Watch.

"Sure." Sun said, readying himself as Roman's eyes narrowed at me.

"That belt…" He said.

I brought my Ride Watch up, holding it up next to my head before pushing down on the activation button.

{ZI-O!}

I slotted the Ride Watch into the right slot as the holographic clock formed behind me. I pushed down on the release button and swung my arms up into my pre-henshin pose.

"Henshin!" I shouted, swinging my left arm back as I spun the driver around, the sound of the transformation ringing out as I crossed my arms in front of me and brought them down to my sides.

[RIDER TIME!]

{KAMEN RIDER! ZI-O!}

I brought my left arm up to the side of my helmet before flicking it open into a reverse L shape. I brought my arm down and pulled the Zikan Girade back up, switching it into its sword form.

[ZIKAN GIRADE!]

[KEN!]

"...Okay, That's cool!" Sun said with a smirk as we prepared ourselves for the assault.

"Zi-O, huh…" Roman spoke up, before he smirked. "Well, It appears you're no longer my problem."

I noticed the scroll he was holding at his side before the sound of a digital clock ticking rang out. "What… Sun get back!" I shouted, rolling to the side as a large object flew right through where Sun and I had just been standing. I looked up to see a red and yellow train riding through the sky. "Is that a… Den-O? No, that can't be…"

"Is that a train!?" Sun exclaimed.

I didn't have much time to think about what this thing could've been as it flew at me once more. Just as it was about to reach me, I heard the train announce something.

[TIME MAZINE!]

"Oh come on!" I shouted, jumping back as the train suddenly flipped, before transforming into a large red mech with yellow highlights, with the word 'Robo' written on the front of the chassis in japanese. My eyes locked onto the face, a large Ride Watch of a rider I wasn't looking forward to seeing. It was a good thing I moved when I did, because if I was a second later I would've been crushed by the robotic arm that has smashed into the concrete of the docks.

The giant mech suddenly began to lower down, as the front chest section of its chassis opened up. Then, three yellow objects shot out at me, forcing me to roll to the right as a figure in red armor walked out of the mech.

{KAMEN RIDER GEIZ!}

The three yellow objects slammed into the figure's helmet, forming 'Rider' on the armour's visor.

It was at this moment I remembered something I was told a few days ago. 'The future doesn't look too pretty. I get the feeling that it's gonna be a real pain for you soon.'

"...God damn you, Sougo…" I muttered as I stood up as the armoured figure walked out into the open.

"...I finally found you… OHMA ZI-O!" Kamen Rider Geiz shouted, charging forwards at me with his weapon drawn.

[ZIKAN ZAX!]

[OH NO!]

I brought my sword up just in time to block the attack as Geiz pushed against me, slowly but surely pushing me back. "You took everything from me!"

"God, future me can eat a d-Woah!" I let out a yell as I pushed Geiz back and rolled to the side, avoiding another swing from the Rider. "Look, I'm not exactly happy about me being the future demon king or whatever too, Geiz!"

Geiz's response was to raise his weapon up and switch it to its bow form.

[YOU! ME!]

"Agh, even the announcements are cool…!" I let out in despair as I rolled once more to avoid the now incoming wave of arrows.

"Well, while your friend is busy with mine, how about we play?" Roman asked, as he held his cane up and fired upon Sun, the other White Fang members charging in at the Monkey Faunus.

"Sun!" I shouted, pushing Geiz back as I turned to face the Blonde.

"I got this, focus on your guy!" Sun shouted, pulling out a red staff as he batted aside a White Fang Grunt.

"Got it!" I shouted, turning around a bit too late as an arrow slammed into my armoured chest, sending me back as I hit the ground rolling, forcing me to drop my weapon as I rolled to a stop. I pushed myself up to a stand, glaring at the red rider from the future. "Alright then, terminator, how about this?"

I pulled the Build Ride Watch off my Holder and twisted the dial, before quickly pressing down on the activation button.

{BUILD!}

I slotted the Ride Watch into the left side of the driver before pushing down on the release button and knocking the driver into a rotation.

[RIDER TIME!]

{KAMEN RIDER! ZI-O!}

[ARMOUR TIME!]

{BEST MATCH! BUILD!}

I let out a sigh as the Build armour flew and connected onto the Zi-O armour. "The law of victory has been set!" I shouted, bringing the drill crusher up.

Geiz seemed to scoff under his helmet, before pulling out a familiar purple Ride Watch.

{GEMN!}

"Oh… That's where that went…" I said, grimacing under my helmet.

Geiz slotted the Gemn Ride Watch onto his driver before gripping both sides and throwing his arms outwards, sending the driver into a spin as the Gemn armour formed in front of him.

[ARMOUR TIME!]

{LEVEL UP! GEMN!}

I let out a sigh as I stood up, watching as Geiz calmly walked towards me, the Gemn armour zipping over and connecting on as he closed in.

"Great, as if this day wasn't bad enough…" I muttered, before raising my weapon up as Geiz surged forwards, throwing his fist towards my front. I grit my teeth as I side stepped him, swinging my Drill Crusher at his side.

Geiz expertly tilted his body to the side, quickly grabbing onto my now outstretched arm as he pulled his arm back before punching me in the gut.

[HIT!]

Oh yeah, and that for the added effect.

Geiz pulled back one more before sending his fist into my stomach again. I felt his grip on my arm disappear, before the force of the punch sent me flying back, as I slammed into the backs of three White Fang members, rolling to a stop next to Sun.

"Oh, nice of you to join us!" Sun said, holding a hand out for me.

"Thanks, hope you don't mind me dropping in like this…" I let out with a grunt as I stood up to a stand.

"What's with this guy in red?" Sun asked, ducking to the side as he dodged another shot from Roman's cane.

"Calls himself Kamen Rider Geiz. Don't know if that's his actual name or not." I said, swinging my right right arm out to my side as I batted one a White Fang member that was getting a bit too close away. "He's from the future to kill me. I'd explain the details of that, but now isn't exactly-"

I was cut short as I jumped back and leaned to the side, avoiding the two fists Geiz threw at me as he closed in. "NOW ISN'T EXACTLY THE TIME FOR THAT, SORRY!" I shouted in apologies as I stumbled backwards as Geiz continued his attempted assault.

My foot slammed into the ground as I regained balance. I pushed off the ground, shooting towards Geiz as he pulled out his Axe once more.

[JIKAN JAX!]

[OH NO!]

I let out a shout as my Drill Crusher collided with his axe, the weapon in my hand spinning aggressively as sparks flew between us. "Can we talk about this!?"

"What's there to talk about!?" Geiz yelled back, swinging upwards, sending me off balance as he quickly shifted his axe into it's bow mode.

[YOU! ME!]

I felt my armoured back slam into the concrete, forcing me to involuntarily let out a gasp of pain. I rolled onto my front, looking up as Geiz pushed down on a silver button near the back of his bow.

[TIME CHARGE!]

"Guh…" I pushed myself up to a stand, noticing Blake and Sun charging at Roman off to the side, the many after images of Blake left to take stray attacks as they closed in on the thief. I looked back at Geiz, as he pulled back on his bow, stray energy slowly closing in on the front of the weapon.

[5… 4… 3… 2… 1… ZERO TIME!]

Geiz released the slinger on the back of his bow, sending out a blast of energy towards me. I threw myself to the side as the blast sailed over my side, colliding with a shipping container behind me, sending it up in flames.

[Giwa! Giwa! Uchi!]

I grit my teeth as I looked up at Geiz, who lowered his weapon and tossed it aside. "Sayonara, Ohma Zi-O." Geiz said, pressing down on the two activation buttons on his equipped Ride Watches.

{FINISH TIME!}

{GEMN!}

I pulled myself up, staggering slightly as Geiz pulled an arm back, purple energy slowly forming in his fist.

"HEY!"

I snapped my head over to the source of the shout, looking up to see Ruby standing above the entire fight on one of the nearby rooftops. I narrowed my eyes as I noticed the girl standing beside her, the one I had met a few days ago, Penny if I recalled.

I looked over at Geiz, who seemed to have also been distracted by Ruby's… distraction. I pushed forwards, slamming into his side as I charged over towards Blake and Sun, and by extension, Roman.

"Well, hello, Red! Isn't it past your bedtime?" Roman asked, looking away from his earlier opponents.

"You two okay?" I asked, running over to Sun and Blake.

"Are you?" Blake asked, looking at me.

"...No." I answered honestly. "I don't believe I am, at least. It's been a day…"

"AAAAAH!" I swiveled my head around, looking up at the large explosion where Ruby had been standing previously.

"RUBY!" I took a step forward as Roman laughed in front of me, my eyes flickered to the thief before zipping back over to the rooftop, watching as Penny stepped forwards. "What is she…"

My question was quickly answered as I saw a blade pop out from behind the orange haired girl, before it seemed to split into multiple other blades of the same make, all floating behind her. "OH, that's what she's doing…" I said, watching as Penny jumped off the roof and flung multiple blades at some of the nearby White Fang soldiers, knocking two of them onto the ground before she even touched down.

"Zi-o!" I swung back around as Geiz charged forwards once more. I let out a sigh as I quickly pulled the Build Ride Watch off my belt, before spinning around to avoid another attack from Geiz's fist. I jumped back, flipping in the air as I put the Build Watch back on one of the holders.

My feet hit the ground, sending me stumbling as my landing was a bit rough. I shook my head and stood up straight, the Build armour vaporizing off me.

"Come on!" I heard Sun shout to my left, as I turned to look at him and Blake making a swift retreat. I blinked behind my helmet before nodding as I ran after Sun, not sparing a glance at Geiz who was probably running after me now that I think about it.

I gave a passive look behind, looking over at the rider in red who looked out at me, before giving another look at the girl in green who was currently fighting a bullhead and looked to be winning. He turned to face me again, and while I couldn't see it, I could feel his glare through his visor.

Geiz turned around, his giant robot quickly moving in front of him as he stepped inside the cockpit, the main door closing behind him as he flew off, his Time Mazine turning into it's train form as it disappeared into a portal of some kind.

"...I need to sit down…" I muttered, stumbling back as the adrenaline from the fight began to wear off, idly noting the giant laser of green that penny had just used to cut a nearby bullhead in two.

"...So…" I began, breaking the silence we had as we sat on some boxes just outside of the docks. Police cars were lining the streets, and officers were looking around. Shinnosuke had already talked with us about this incident, so now we were just waiting. I blinked, looking out at the street as a pair of two figures walked towards us, one white and one yellow. "...Is that Weiss and Yang?"

Ruby quickly turned around a panicked look on her face, before standing up and walking over towards Weiss and Yang. "Look Weiss, it's not what you think, she explained the whole thing. See, she doesn't actually have a bow, she has kitty ears and they're actually kind of cute..." Ruby said, her voice coming out fast before slowing down as Weiss walked past Ruby, focusing on Blake.

Blake looked down at Weiss, a lot more calm than I was expecting from her. "Weiss, I want you to know that I'm no longer associated with the White Fang. Back when I was with the-"

Weiss held a hand up. "Stop! Do you have any idea of how long we've been searching for you?" Weiss asked. Blake opened her mouth slightly, only to be cut off as Weiss continued talking. "Twelve hours. That means I've had twelve hours to think about this. And in that twelve hours, I've decided..."

I narrowed my eyes and gripped my pant legs as silence picked up once more.

"I don't care."

Blake's eyes widened as she looked at her teammate in surprise. "You don't care?"

"You said you're not one of them anymore, right?"

"No, I-I haven't been since I was younger-"

"Ah-bah-bah-bah-bah!" Weiss held a finger up to Blake's face, shutting the girl up. "I don't want to hear it. All I want to know is that the next time something this big comes up... you'll come to your teammates. And not some..." Weiss looked behind her, facing Sun before she pauses. "Someone else."

I give a firm pat on the back to the Faunus beside me as Ruby and Yang grinned at the two girls making up in front of us. Blake takes a moment and wipes a tear from her eye, nodding as she looked at Weiss. "Of course."

There's a comfortable silence that forms, before Ruby decided that it was time to shift moods. "Yeah! Team RWBY is back together!" She shouted, her arms flailing.

Weiss gives a look towards Sun. "I'm still not quite sure about how I feel about you!" She said, causing Sun to laugh nervously. "As for you."

I blink as Weiss points at me. "Uh… Yeah?"

"Same thing I said to Blake. If something big comes up, you go to your teammates, not ignore us." Weiss said, pressing a finger on my chest as she glared at me.

"To be fair…" I began, only to stop talking as Weiss' glare intensified. "Duly noted…"

"Hey, wait a minute…" Ruby began, looking around at the group. "Where's Penny?"

"She was here a moment ago…" I said, crossing my arms.

"Penny… You should know better than to go running around in a strange city."

"I know, sir." Penny said, lowering her head.

The man standing next to the girl sighed, before placing a hand on the girl's shoulder, smiling. "Cheer up, Penny. I'm not mad." He said. "But you were under a lot of attention back there, and some pretty specific people don't…"

The man paused, shaking his head. "Alright! Tell me about your trip then?"

"Eh?" Penny looked up in surprise. "Well… I made a friend!"

"Oh? Who did you make friends with?"

"A girl named Ruby! She's a huntress in training at Beacon." Penny said, smiling. "I met her on friday, after running into her teammate. We met up again today when she was looking for her friend."

"Looking for a friend, huh? Funny, I ran into someone else who was also looking for someone earlier as well." The man said, looking off to the side.

"President Aruto." A feminine voice cut in as a girl in white and green walked towards the duo.

"Izu…" The man smiled, turning to face the girl in front of you. "Sorry about the hassle. Good news is I've found Penny."

"Hello, Izu!" Penny said, waving at the girl in front of her.

Izu smiled, before the two white modules that sat in place instead of her ears began to flash blue. "President. Should I remind you that we have a meeting with Penny's father scheduled in 20 minutes."

"Oh no!" Aruto's eyes widened as he grabbed Penny and Izu's hands, sprinting ahead with the two in tow. "We're going to be late!"

"How very disappointing, Roman."

"Whoa!" Roman spun on his heel, turning away from the table in front of him to face the source of the voice. "Hehe... I wasn't expecting to see you guys so soon..."

"We were expecting... more from you." Said the feminine voice, hidden in shadow aside from the bit of light cascading on her pale skin.

Roman laughed for a moment before glaring at the woman. "Hey! You were the ones who suggested working with those stupid mutts from the White Fang."

"And you will continue to do so." Cinder said, chuckling lightly as she stepped forward, a ball of fire bursting to life in her hand. Behind her, two figures stepped into the light. One a green haired tan girl and a silver haired man. "We have big plans for you, Roman. All we ask is... a little cooperation."

"Hm… A little huh?" Geiz spoke up, leaning against the nearby wall. "That's a neat trick you have there, Cinder..."

"Ah Geiz. You seem to be in a pleasant mood." Cinder said, turning her head slightly to look at the armoured figure. "I take it your personal mission has proven some fruit?"

Geiz remained silent, his features unreadable through his mask. "Ah yes, the brat." Roman said, sighing with a roll of the eyes. "Annoying little shit that one, but not too dangerous."

"Right now." Geiz spoke up, steel in his voice. "And I'll make sure that's as far as things go for him."

"It appears our warrior from the future is serious now." Roman said, crossing his arms.

Geiz shook his head, kicking off the wall and walking past Cinder and her entourage. "And where are you going?" Roman asked.

"Away from here. Reeks of death from these three." Geiz said, looking over his shoulder towards Cinder.

[TIME MAZINE!]

Geiz stepped inside the train as it pulled up in front of him, taking a breath as the doors closed behind him, the train beginning to move back into the sands of time. "Finally…" Geiz muttered, pulling the Ride Watch off his belt as he walked over to the nearby bathroom.

Geiz ran the tap, splashing some cold water onto his face as he looked at his reflection in the mirror. "I found him… Finally…" He uttered, before slamming a hand onto the counter, knocking over the nearby boxes of hair dye and coloured contact lenses. "...Tsukuyomi… Mom… Everyone... I'll destroy him without a trace for what he's done!"