Rider Time Zi-O: Roze from Remnant
Chapter 35 – Welcome Back to 2018
"As it was once written in this book, average high schooler Tokiwa Sougo would embark on a path that would lead to him becoming the overlord of time, Oma Zi-O." Woz explained as he sat on a box in front of an old warehouse. "He has since abandoned this dream and chosen to live as Kamen Rider Zi-O."
Staring at his book granted him images of Shadow Moon alongside showcasing Kamen Rider's Black RX, Shin, ZO and J fighting alongside Sougo and Team RWBY.
"After being forced to land in 1994, the group was met by the revived Creation King and his monster army. However the Riders of that era intervened, and Shadow Moon alongside his minions were put to rest once more. After an arduous battle Sougo and friends said their farewells and embarked back to December of 2018. While the path to the end of the year does not see much in the way of trouble, it is still certainly a sight to behold…"
The book Woz held closed with a slam, the chronicler walking off, "Perhaps I've said too much…"
Earth – December 22nd 2018
The time gateway opened up once more in the sky, the Zi-O and Geiz Time Mazine's flying through it and heading to a more discreet part of town. It wasn't long before the Time Mazine's landed in an old warehouse district that wasn't being used at the moment.
Woz walked over, giving a small smile as he saw the Time Mazine's open up, though once everyone began to exit his smile disappeared as he gave a more neutral expression. Weiss, Blake and Yang were looking around, noticing that they were now in a city instead of near it like in 1994.
Ruby meanwhile looked herself over, noticing that her clothes alongside her team's and Sougo's stayed the same from their time in Remnant. She wondered if the dimensional walls that Tsukasa could use alongside Oma's Time Portals had been the cause of her clothes changing. She did note that Crescent Rose was gone once more, though her teammate's weapons were still intact and able to be used.
Sougo blinked a few times as he saw Woz approach, "Were you waiting for us this whole time Woz?"
"Yes," Woz said before giving a bow. "It pleases me that you had a safe journey, even if…"
"It was a bit rough," Sougo admitted. "But that doesn't really matter, and I'm honestly surprised."
"Surprised?" Woz asked.
"That you're still around," Sougo admitted. "I'm… not your Overlord anymore, and I snapped at you pretty badly. But you still went through the trouble of helping out." He soon gave a smile. "So I'd like to thank you."
"M-My…" Woz caught himself before simply bowing further, "It was my pleasure to be of assistance."
Sougo couldn't help but chuckle a bit, "Well I know you won't be around as often but I'll still appreciate your company. Sorry about getting angry at you."
"It is fine, I realize that maybe it was not my place to act as I did," Woz simply answered.
"Looks like they made up finally," Geiz huffed.
"I'm honestly surprised he's still around…" Tsukuyomi admitted.
"It'd get a bit weird without him," Ruby walked over with her team. "Though I'm sure it'll still be weird without him rejoicing constantly."
"He seemed to have no issue with you," Geiz remarked.
Ruby blushed a bit as she put her hands over her face, "Please don't remind me…"
"Hey well it took you how many months to get an upgrade?" Yang reminded.
"I doubt you'll have to worry," Weiss pointed out.
"Anyway," Ruby quickly decided to shift subjects since there were quite a lot of issues that needed ironing out before they truly set foot into the city. The first was her looking over to her Senior Rider's who all walked over. "Thanks again guys."
Godai simply gave a thumbs-up, smiling at Ruby who exchanged the gesture.
"Take care, everyone," Godai gave a wave before heading off.
"As for us, just think of a fair service between us otherworldly people," Sento remarked as he crossed his arms.
"Yeah, but weren't we in the middle of something?" Ryuga asked.
"Hmm…." Sento tapped his foot before giving a light yell, "That's right!"
"Uh-oh, did Woz pull you two away from something important?" Ruby asked.
"Uh…" Sento stopped and shifted his hands in his coat pockets, "Not exactly…" He said before holding out an envelope. "Ryuga and I received this, it was addressed to you and we were worried since it showed up right after those big metal machines did."
"Dai Mazines," Geiz corrected and he was inwardly relieved as entering the city from the sky showed them that the Dai Mazines had completely retreated.
"Wait hold on, it was addressed to me?" Ruby asked as she took the letter before opening it up.
'Hello there Ruby, I just wanted to give you a bit of a Christmas gift for all the progress you're making. Now there's nothing on this letter, but I'd like you to humor me and check your bank account.'
"Huh?" Ruby was really confused as she took out her normal cell phone while admittedly feeling weird doing so. While she kept it when going to Remnant it felt weird that she had to switch back to her Scroll after so long since her cell had no service. Making sure the internet was connected she went online to check her account before her eyes began to shake and widen, "Wait what?!"
"Huh?" Sento went over before giving a yell, suddenly backing away and squatting down, arms wrapped around his legs.
"I don't see what the big deal is," Ryuga said, looking at the phone before giving a yell with his arms raised and backing away, "It's not fair…"
"What's their whole deal?" Yang asked as she walked over before her eyes widened when she saw what was on Ruby's phone, "Whoa!"
Geiz gave an annoyed growl, "Okay will you all stop reacting and tell us what's on the phone?!"
"Uh… so I originally thought living expenses was something that would be difficult and need priority," Ruby admitted as everyone else began to gather around. "But uh…" She quickly held her phone out. "I don't think that's an issue anymore."
"How in the…" Tsukuyomi trailed off as she stared at the phone.
"That… that's a lot of zero's…" Blake pointed out, she looked over at the earth native Riders, "So what exactly does this mean?"
"What does this mean?" Geiz asked. "I'm pretty sure it's obvious."
"Ruby just got super rich!" Sougo called out.
Weiss was in disbelief, "Wait, hold on, are you telling me that our team leader is now the richest person out of all of us?!"
"Well given you're the ex-heiress," Yang remarked playfully only to receive a glare, she playfully rolled her eyes a bit, "Just saying."
"So who gave it to you?" Sougo asked.
"Not sure, all I know is whoever typed out this letter gave it to me," Ruby admitted as she held up the letter in question.
"Not fair!" Sento and Ryuga called out as they were still sulking, the two having to get by via what scraps they could make would have enjoyed a blessing like this.
"Ignoring them," Ruby rolled her eyes slightly before going back to her phone. "With this much we could easily get the clothes and stuff we need. We could even find an apartment so we wouldn't be all jam packed at 9-5-DO."
"I was honestly about to say," Tsukuyomi admitted. "I didn't want to sound rude back on Remnant but I was wondering if you had a plan. Mr. Junichiro is generous, but I doubt we'd be able to pull off the eight of us living together for an extended period of time."
"Yeah, I was honestly hoping to get lucky," Ruby agreed before looking over at Sougo and giving a bow. "Thank you for giving me a place to stay all this time. But now that I have the funds I can live on my own with my team."
Sougo had a brief blank look before he changed it to a smile, "I'm just glad you're happy Ruby."
Ruby gave a small smile when she saw that Sougo was alright with her decision, "I'll make sure to visit as much as I can."
"You're going to have to given what we're dealing with," Geiz reminded.
Weiss thought about it for a bit, "If you know where the shop is, then you can easily just find housing nearby, right?"
"It shouldn't be that hard right?" Blake asked.
"Probably not," Ruby thought about it a bit. "But we're going to have to go apartment/house hunting."
"Before all that though you're going to need to go shopping," Geiz remarked.
"Oh that's right," Sougo said soon realizing he was still in his combat gear from Remnant. "Geiz, Tsukuyomi, could you all do me a favor?"
"You need us to get a spare set of clothes for you and Ruby right?" Tsukuyomi asked. "We can do that."
"Yeah, that'll make things easier," Ruby replied, putting a hand to her chin in thought.
"Speaking of shopping," Blake said before looking around. "You said Earth had no Faunus right?"
"Also I'm not that self-conscious but don't you think people will be staring at this a bit?" Yang asked as she held up her prosthetic.
"You're not going to have to hide your ears Blake," Ruby answered. "Trust me when I say that people won't really notice that. Most people usually keep to themselves, plus well, you'll see a bit more when we get into the city."
"If you're sure about it…" Blake trailed as he ears drooped slightly, she just didn't want to cause more trouble for Ruby.
"Trust me," Ruby put her hand on her friends shoulder and gave a reassuring smile, "You'll be fine."
"Prosthetics aren't anything new," Geiz added as he crossed his arms. "People will just think you have the latest kind of tech. So long as you don't activate that gun in public we should be fine."
"So that's how simple it's going to be then huh?" Yang asked, "Just like that?"
"Just like that," Ruby answered, "Trust me it's a lot easier to fit in than you think. We just need the right clothes."
"We'll be right back," Tsukuyomi said.
"If you could get a duffel bag too, we're going to need somewhere to put the weapons for the time being without them being seen," Ruby suggested. "As much as people won't mind our looks, our weapons are another story."
"Sounds good, just stay here," Geiz said before he took off with Tsukuyomi.
"Now that we have a moment to ourselves I did want to point something out," Blake said as she unloaded the cartridge she had from Gambol Shroud, soon showcasing it. "I could have sworn I ran through all my ammo yet I never had to reload."
"Come to think of it I didn't have to reload the chamber's of my weapon either," Weiss realized as she popped open Myternaster, "The Dust doesn't look like it's been exhausted in the slightest."
"… yeah that's weird," Yang said as she checked her prosthetic and gauntlet.
"Huh, it must have happened when you all became Riders then," Ruby realized. "Crescent Rose no longer needed ammunition after I first transformed. Maybe it's the same for you all, now that you're Riders too."
"That will definitely come in handy," Yang admitted.
"So what do we do about them?" Weiss asked as she gestured over to Sento and Ryuga who were still sulking.
"They'll uh… they'll be fine," Ruby admitted as she stared at her senior Rider friends. "They're sort of scrambling for money too so I can only imagine this is a hard hit to them."
"Well you did get it out of nowhere," Sougo reminded.
"I suppose this only means one thing," Sento immediately stood up, pulling his partner up with him. "I'll need to get inventing further to creating more revenue!"
"There we go," Ruby smirked.
"Eh? Do you really think people will want that junk?" Ryuga asked.
"You just need to be a better salesman," Sento reminded.
"My offer to be Ryuga's saleswoman still stands," Ruby reminded. "Plus who knows, I might throw some money your way once I get a better look at your selection."
"If anyone can appreciate my genius it's you," Sento admitted before turning to hurry off, "Well then we'll be off!"
"See ya around," Ryuga simply gave a wave before taking off as well.
Geiz and Tsukuyomi eventually arrived back, the two having gotten into their more casual clothes while also bringing some bags and clothes for Ruby and Sougo. The two Riders found a spot to change while putting their Hunstman Gear neatly in the spare bags. Of course one thing Ruby would soon realize was that she needed a replacement scarf since it had transformed back into her cloak permanently during the trip to 2068 and Remnant.
After getting all the minor fusses out of the way their next step was hiding the weapons. Utilizing the duffel bag they had the remainder of Team RWBY store away Myrtenaster, Gambol Shroud and Ember Celica.
Once that was done it was decided that Ruby would take charge of her Team while everyone else could just head back to 9-5-DO with the clothes and weapons. With everyone splitting up on their separate ways, Ruby led her friends through the streets of Tokyo in order to find a good clothing shop.
Blake looked around, noticing that they were relatively being left alone, "Huh, you were right, a few glances but nothing really… too bad."
"See, you can trust me," Ruby said as she looked around before gesturing a thumb towards her left, "Across from us."
Blake and Yang turned, seeing to their surprise several people in various bright and colorful costumes. With them was someone who was taking pictures and filming various short video shots via a camera.
"So they'll just think we're in costume?" Weiss asked.
"Yep, not to mention if you look around hard enough you'll see people wearing all kinds of things on their head," Ruby mentioned, and as if on cue they had just passed a young woman who was wearing a pair of cat ears. "That's why I said you didn't have to worry. These kinds of things are pretty normal, and that's not counting the monster attacks."
"So these monster attacks…" Weiss mentioned. "Are they anything like the Grimm?"
"Not really," Ruby admitted with a shrug. "Sure Earth has faced its fair share of adversities, with this time being the Another Riders. But Earth is definitely relatively more peaceful than Remnant. There's a reason there's thousands of cities and towns all across the globe."
"Plus from what you mentioned it sounds like most of these incidents only gravitate around Japan," Blake noted.
Yang raised an eyebrow, "Any idea why?"
"Can't say for sure," Ruby replied. "Either way, prepare yourselves for something a lot more different than our past journey across Mistral along with a lot of downtime."
"So kind of like back in Beacon, but with less action," Weiss replied.
"And a lot more time to ourselves," Blake added.
"Basically, though I'm sure you all won't go stir crazy if nothing really happens for a month," Ruby admitted.
"That sounds oddly specific," Blake raised an eyebrow.
"Geiz sort of got that way after about a month had passed," Ruby admitted. "It was early on in the month when we got our last Another Rider case before things happened with Oma Zi-O."
"Yeah he sounds like the type to get like that," Yang chuckled.
Weiss put a hand to her chin, "So if today's the 22nd then that means the Time Jacker's haven't acted up in a while."
"Are they slowing down?" Yang asked.
Ruby gave a nod, "That's what I was thinking, plus Another Ghost was odd compared to most of the prior hosts. They were definitely trying to go more low-key after the Another Kuuga incident."
"Plus from all the names of Riders you listed… they're pretty much halfway through with their candidate's right?" Blake reminded to which she got a nod of confirmation. "Then they're probably taking things slower now, they need to pick their next targets well."
"Not to mention once we settle down we need to find Diend," Yang reminded. "Both Oscar and the Lamp are likely here and we have no idea where."
"Yeah, I figure once we get fully settled in we can start working on searches," Ruby admitted before stopping at a clothing store, "Here we go."
Weiss stopped to look at the store, "So why this place specifically?"
"I do some shopping here and they generally have a pretty wide selection of stuff," Ruby admitted as she looked back at her friends. "Just figure out something comfortable and casual to wear, while mobility is good we're going to be using the armor a lot more here."
Yang gave a light grin, "So we can basically get whatever we want right?"
"Try not to break her bank," Blake gave a small snicker.
"Oh please, she's basically as rich as I was when I was using the family funds," Weiss waved it off with a playful smile.
"Oh ha ha…" Ruby gave a fake laugh as she gave a more deadpanned stare. She shook her head, "Speaking seriously though, I doubt we'll make that much of a dent. Come on."
As Team RWBY entered the clothing store they were unaware of someone watching them from the rooftops.
Uhr kicked his legs up and down as he sat at the edge of the building that overlooked the clothing store. "Just what the heck is she doing?"
"You know you shouldn't be spying on girls," Ora remarked as she walked over, smirking when she saw Uhr visibly jump. "Someone's going to get the wrong idea."
"Y-You know exactly like I do that we're supposed to be figuring out what happened," Uhr called out, making sure he kept his back facing Ora as he crossed his arms.
"I guess you're safe for now," Ora smirked as she soon stood beside him before squatting down, "So what's up?"
"Well Roze seems to have more friends now," Uhr mentioned. "And not like the Rider allies she makes, I couldn't make out what they were saying but they look pretty close."
"Huh, odd," Ora admitted. "So what's so interesting about them that she'd spend time with them?"
"Not sure, but they were definitely oddly dressed," Uhr admitted. "Nothing like the modern styling we've seen. They almost looked like they were in costumes."
Ora raised an eyebrow, "Costumes?"
"Yeah, that's probably why they went in that store," Uhr replied. "This is concerning though, Roze was bad enough. If she ends up getting more allies then we're toast."
Ora could only give a grimace as she heard this. She hated to admit it but the addition of Roze alongside Zi-O's growth was putting a heavy dent into their supply of Another Riders. If they had three new allies then this would make things especially complicated.
"Ah welcome back again," Junichiro greeted as he saw Geiz and Tsukuyomi walk into 9-5-DO. "That was a quick errand."
"Yes," Tsukuyomi gave a smile, trying to act polite and unsuspicious. "It wasn't too much trouble. But we'll probably be staying in for the rest of the day."
"Ah okay then, do you know when Ruby and Sougo will be back?" Junichiro asked.
"It'll probably take a bit, Ruby's got some things that she needs to take care of," Geiz replied as he began to head up the stairs with his time traveling partner.
"Ah okay," Junichiro said as he went back to finishing up the clock that Woz had asked him to take care of. Despite the amazing state of disrepair it was in, he was able to get it right back to new. That was when he realized they didn't mention Sougo when he had asked. He turned to ask only to give a light sigh when he saw the two had already rushed up to their rooms.
"I'm home," Sougo called, having lagged behind a bit as now that the adrenaline was over he was still thinking on some things regarding being a Rider. But also a bit on how Ruby was also planning on moving out.
"Welcome back!" Junichiro greeted before noticing that Woz wasn't with his nephew. "Oh, where did your friend go? I finished his clock." He went over and gave a proud smile, fixing something in that state of disrepair put him in a good mood.
"Oh," Sougo said as he sat down and started undoing his shoes, "I don't think Woz will be coming around often anymore."
"He's at least coming around soon right?" Junichiro asked. "I fixed it for him…"
"Ruby also might not be around too often anymore either," Sougo admitted.
Now Junichiro was concerned, "Did something happen, Sougo?"
"Oh? Something really good happened for her," Sougo admitted with a softer smile before deciding to switch gears as he began to head upstairs. "I'm also done trying to be a king."
Junichiro was now even further confused, "But you were so passionate!"
"I'm not sure about college this next year yet, but I'm thinking of taking the mock-up exam to see how I do for 2020," Sougo explained. "What do you think?"
"Oh, well…" Junichiro admittedly wasn't sure how all of this came about so suddenly, but still wanted to offer some sort of guidance. "Y'know how I told you about that time I let my dream pass me by, right?"
"Yeah," Sougo replied. "I remember."
"That wasn't exactly true…" Junichiro admitted.
Sougo was curious now, "Really…?"
"Well, it was a half truth," Junichiro explained as he sat down near the steps, his nephew slowly but surely coming to sit with him. "The dream that I almost achieved was working for a world-renowned watch company. It's true, I gave up on that. But now I'm here, working in my clock shop." He then gave a smile to Sougo as he held up the clock in his hands. "And I'm still happy."
Sougo could only stare in silence as he contemplated his uncle's words.
Junichiro though continued to speak, "Time might seem like it moves the same for everybody, but it doesn't. We move through time at our own pace. So even if you give up for now, time might bring you back on the path of your dream."
"Back on the path of my dream…" Sougo trailed, while he had loudly and openly denounced wanting to be king, instead embracing the path of the Rider, it did still feel weird to him to do so. But he wondered if going back to the path that led to Oma Zi-O would even be a good thing.
"Just something to think on," Junichiro smiled. "By the way, what was it about Ruby that you were mentioning earlier?"
Sougo soon snapped out of his thoughts, "O-Oh… it might be better if she told you, but it's been something she's been planning for a while."
Uhr and Ora had both gotten tired waiting for Team RWBY to exit the clothing shop and had instead decided to report to Swartz their immediate findings. After leaving it was only him alongside Finis on a rooftop, the Time Jacker leader pacing around while the eldest member stared out into the distance.
Finis finally spoke up, "So from what they said, what do you make of the situation?"
"First let us review the events of today," Swartz said as he held a finger up to start counting. "The Dai Mazine's show up earlier than expected, one of Oma Zi-O's servants arrives. In the resulting battles, Zi-O, Roze and Geiz all disappear due to Tsukasa Kadoya."
"The servant vanishes as well and the Dai Mazines are deactivated before burrowing into the earth," Finis continued. "Then several hours later the Time Mazine's somehow take off before returning. Not to mention trying to find Tsukasa Kadoya at his usual spot resulted in a dead end."
"And now Roze has three new allies that are tagging along with her," Swartz finished. "Needless to say things are growing more complicated as this day passes."
"It seems as though laying low and trying to be discreet is not a good method," Finis mentioned as they began to walk towards Swartz. "If they've gained more allies, we are at a serious disadvantage."
"Then I suppose we can't hold back anymore," Swartz smirked as he turned away from Finis, taking out a blank Ridewatch and gripping it tightly. "And I've got just the idea…"
"Then I'll leave it to you," Finis remarked, turning to head off when they could feel their cape get snagged on something. They gave an annoyed look before glancing back at Swartz, "Yes?"
Swartz gave a more malicious grin as he kept his boot planted on his colleague's cape, "This is going to require everyone's cooperation. Please do make sure to tell Uhr and Ora about this, that after the New Year, we will start our next move."
Finis simply gave a sigh before looking away, "Very well…"
Shopping had taken quite a while, everyone going for various combinations, making sure certain items fit before they had Ruby pay for them. Once that was done it was time to change, Ruby's friends all entering the dressing rooms to fully show off their new looks. Ruby herself was standing with a set of bags that held Team RWBY's Huntress outfits. As she waited she adjusted her new scarf, having gotten a similar material to before. This meant she'd still have to keep going to Kikuchi Dry Cleaners, not that she minded anyway.
After that she went to view her phone, looking into various deals on residences that were near 9-5-DO. She gave a smile as she saw quite a few good apartments in the neighborhood. As she waited for her friends to finish she bookmarked a few locations before noticing someone coming out of the dressing room.
"Looking good Weiss," Ruby gave a grin as her partner was the first out of the dressing room once everyone had gotten what they needed.
Weiss' outfit was just a simple style just like her prior outfit. She had a high collared white long sleeved t-shirt, it being tucked into a high waist mid-shin length arctic colored skirt. A dull maroon belt wrapped around her waist to keep it in place as she opted to keep the pale blue tights she had but added stylish brown winter boots. With her collar not having the jeweled broach she was able to hang the Question Pendant around her neck without issue. She had also decided to keep her red scarf for the moment as well.
"You really think so?" Weiss asked as she gave a small spin while looking herself over. "I figured simple might be best when it comes to here."
"I think you pull it off pretty well," Ruby admitted.
"Not bad," Blake remarked as she soon came out. "Guess white's the in color this season."
Blake had opted for something similar in look to her prior outfit. She went for fit black jeans with a white belt, black boots running up to her knees. She wore a lavender sweater with a white button up leather jacket over, a black scarf wrapping around her neck. With Ruby's insistence and walking around with no issue, she had opted to not to go for a black bow like she was contemplating.
"I'm honestly surprised you're embracing the color white," Weiss admitted. "But I must say you do pull it off well."
Blake ran her hand through her hair a bit, "Thanks."
"Familiar but styled to our current location," Ruby gave a nod as she crossed her arms. "I dig it."
"Looks like I'm last," Yang called out as she flipped her hair over her shoulder and began backing up instead of walking out normally.
This was due to her taking a page out of Ryuga's book, having a sukajan styled jacket, it having a black base with yellow arms, the collar, wrists and bottom rim being black with green and yellow stripes. Two eastern dragons were emblazoned on the back, snaking around each other and biting at the sun which was high up. Yang turned around to reveal a white t-shirt, with simple brown ribbed cargo pants and casual white sneakers with yellow highlights.
"I said it while I was paying and I'll say it again, you would pick this kind of jacket wouldn't you?" Ruby nearly deadpanned as she had a feeling Ryuga would rub off on her, but not in this way.
"I was honestly surprised at how cool this place's fashion is," Yang admitted as she let her hair brushed her hair off her shoulder and let it drop to her back.
"I'm honestly surprised they even had a fitting design," Weiss admitted. "But yes, only you would get that kind of jacket."
"I think it looks nice," Blake simply replied.
"Jacket's and fashion aside, we're one step closer to settling in," Ruby said as she pulled out her phone. "Next is finding a good place to stay."
"I do hope you have a place in mind," Weiss huffed. "I'd like to get to relaxing given we've been out and about for quite a while."
"Don't worry, I managed to find a few good spots," Ruby admitted. "We'll likely have to stay at 9-5-DO for a bit but I think we'll be good."
"We won't be imposing will we?" Blake asked.
"I think we'll be fine, it's a temporary arrangement anyway," Ruby waved off the concern. "Besides finding a place to stay will give me the time to think of a cover story for you all. I was very, very vague about how I got here in the first place."
"Well if we're all settled on our looks let's get going," Yang suggested before audible growling could be heard, everyone looking down before giving a blush.
"We… technically haven't eaten since before enacting the plan," Blake realized.
"I think I've got a place we can go to really quickly," Ruby admitted, "Fast, cheap but also really good."
"Lead the way then," Yang gestured towards the exit.
Taking a detour by eating and then scouring the surrounding area of 9-5-DO for a perfect place to stay took another few hours. But by the end of those hours Team RWBY was successful in finding an apartment that would be able to fit the four of them with a good price range as well. Not that paying for the apartment was any issue given even a year worth of rent would barely put a dent in Ruby's bank account now.
The final stop for the day was 9-5-DO itself, Ruby entering first as she was greeted by Woz.
"Hello Miss Rose," Woz said as he held up the clock he had before passing by her and her friends without another word.
"Huh, he actually did it," Ruby remarked before entering. "I'm home."
"Ah Ruby, welcome back," Junichiro smiled as he came from behind the main countertop of the store, having just finished dealing with Woz.
"I'm surprised you managed to fix the clock," Ruby admitted.
"It was quite a doozy but I'm not well versed in clocks for nothing," Junichiro patted his arm a bit with a chuckle. That was when he noticed Weiss, Blake and Yang towards the entrance. "Ah, who are these three?"
"Weiss Schnee," Weiss introduced with a bow, "I'm a friend of Ruby's."
"I'm a friend as well," Blake gave a bow. "Blake Belladonna."
"I'm her sister actually," Yang said as she held her left hand out for a shake, "Yang Xiao Long."
"Ah her sister, I understand," Junichiro said before partially putting together what Sougo meant, he quickly took Yang's hand and shook it with both hands, "Ah it's a Christmas miracle… even though it's the 22nd… but still!" He called out in relief. "When she said she didn't have any immediate family I was really worried. I'm surprised she never mentioned you much, but I can only imagine some subjects were hard to talk about."
"Yeah, Blake and Weiss, we go way back," Ruby started the cover story but also made sure to keep everything very broad. "Yang was studying abroad elsewhere when I ended up stuck here after the issues I mentioned when we first met. I managed to contact her around a month ago and was surprised to hear she'd be transferring over to a university here. So I got together with her and to my surprise found out that Blake and Weiss were also in Japan."
"Yeah, we only came back into contact recently once stuff settled down," Yang explained, giving a light smile when she saw how worried and expressive he was in regards to her sister, "I hope she didn't give you too much trouble."
"Oh no, the opposite actually, her help was greatly appreciated," Junichiro admitted as he withdrew from the handshake.
"After a few short meetings we managed to work out an arrangement," Ruby explained, now deciding to drop the big news. "After Christmas we'll be able to move into an apartment we were all able to pitch in to help purchase."
"Oh Ruby that's wonderful," Junichiro smiled before hurrying over and giving her a hug, "I'm so glad, after a year things are starting to work out for you."
Ruby gave a smile and hugged back, her friends giving small smiles at seeing the interaction, "Sorry to be springing this on you."
"Its fine, it'll just mean I can open a vacancy during the New Year, though Geiz and Tsukuyomi's payments are more than enough," Junichiro explained as he pulled away.
"I was also wondering if my friends and sister would be able to stay briefly," Ruby added before starting to twiddle her thumbs. "The deal sort of involved them having to cut prior living arrangements earlier than expected. It'll just be until after Christmas, and I have enough room in my room for them to sleep over for a couple of days."
"Well it'll only be for the next few days," Junichiro answered with a soft smile, completely understanding. "It will just mean Christmas will be livelier this year!"
"Thank you for having us," Blake gave another bow.
"We'll try not to make things too difficult," Weiss added.
"And thanks for helping my sister out of that rough spot," Yang spoke up. "It means a lot to me."
"Ah well it was mostly Sougo who gave me the nudge," Junichiro waved the compliment off. "Ah that's right, I should let everyone else know about what's going on."
"Don't worry, we heard it," Sougo came from upstairs with Geiz and Tsukuyomi following.
"We met with them earlier in the day so we know the situation," Geiz answered.
Tsukuyomi nodded, "We figured that it would be best if you heard it from Ruby."
"Don't expect me to be gone forever though," Ruby smiled. "We found an apartment pretty close by, so we'll be sure to visit a lot."
"Ah even better, your company is always welcome," Junichiro gave a smile as he looked around before quickly hurrying to put his shoes on, "I'll be back, I need to grab some extra groceries but I'll start on a big dinner soon since you all were away during lunch." He said before hurrying out of the store.
"And that's the last obstacle cleared," Ruby sighed in relief as she hunched over.
"Well our cover story managed to work," Yang admitted as she rubbed her sisters back before looking at the others. "Guess we'll be staying here till our place gets set up."
"We could have moved in on the 24th admittedly," Ruby explained. "But I figured I'd at least spend Christmas with you all."
"That's sweet of you," Tsukuyomi said.
"We'll make sure it's a Christmas to remember then," Sougo smiled.
"I must admit your uncle is rather nice," Weiss said as she began to wander and look around. "Didn't bat an eye at us, super welcoming, it was pleasant."
"He's definitely nice to be around," Blake said as she went over to the left wall that had dozens of clocks lining it. "This is certainly a variety filled shop, I didn't even know so different clocks existed."
"Uncle's a bit of a collector," Sougo gave a sheepish chuckle. "But also a lot of these are donations that he puts up for display just in case anyone's interested. Since he repairs but also sells any time pieces here."
"I see you all managed to find some fitting clothes," Geiz remarked.
"Better fitting clothes than you," Yang grinned and pointed at Geiz's collar harness that he wore over his normal outfits. "Do you seriously wear that everywhere?"
"Even on his school uniform," Ruby giggled before stifling herself due to Geiz glaring at her.
"Honestly I don't get the collar," Weiss admitted before looking over at Tsukuyomi, noticing she still had her cape but now underneath had a rather normal long sleeved dress on now compared to the one she wore on Remnant. "The cape over the outfit though definitely brings back memories."
"Yep, we're cape buddies!" Ruby chimed in before realizing she was wearing her scarf. "Well… not at the moment but it still counts!"
"So did you get a proper scarf this time?" Geiz asked.
"Nope," Ruby responded much to the time traveler's shock, "I like visiting Takkun and the others so I purposely got a hard to handle scarf. Not to mention the others have a few pieces on their outfits that need that special care too so I figured I'd join in."
"Once we're all settled in and have more free time, we'll be able to search for Diend more easily," Weiss mentioned.
"Not to mention we need to keep an eye out of the Time Jackers," Tsukuyomi reminded. "Who knows how this entire thing will read to them. We need to be prepared for any retaliation."
"I mean, we should be fine," Yang replied. "There are six Riders now, Tsuki here has some cool time stopping abilities, and Ruby has a pretty substantial upgrade."
"We do seem to be holding a big advantage," Blake looked back briefly towards everyone before continuing her viewing of the various clocks.
"Oh right, a couple of rules that I've been mulling on," Ruby said before clearing her throat, "Even though we do have more Riders in our main group we should still go forward with some caution. Try to keep talk about Remnant to a minimum when in front of the enemy. And if at all possible I'd like it if Tsukuyomi kept her abilities a secret for now."
"Okay I get the first two," Weiss agreed. "But why exactly keep the secret with Tsukuyomi?"
"Yeah, having someone who can stop time sounds like it'd be pretty helpful," Yang admitted.
"No she's right," Tsukuyomi agreed. "Tid was very concerned that I had those abilities. Plus I'd like to get a bit more of a handle on them before wanting to use them constantly."
"Plus there's no telling if Swartz will take an interest," Geiz replied. "And that man is too dangerous when he's motivated."
"We'll have plenty of time to do some practice sessions in secluded areas," Ruby admitted. "But yeah, I'd rather keep our trump card close to our chests before unleashing it."
"I'll still offer support in my usual way though," Tsukuyomi added. "But yes, I'd prefer to keep to Ruby's plan."
Sougo put a hand to his chin, thinking a bit, "Should we have anymore guidelines?"
"Aside from not mentioning Oscar or the Relic in front of the Time Jackers alongside Diend…" Ruby started as she thought a bit. "Then we should be fine."
"Right, we don't need them gaining leverage over us or trying to trick us with fakes," Geiz gave a nod.
"And with all the boring details out of the way," Ruby clasped her hands together, "Who's thirsty? I can start up some tea for everyone. Or if you want there's some drinks in the fridge."
"Oh now this is a surprise, you can brew tea?" Blake asked.
"I can do things!" Ruby called out with a huff. "I've picked up a few things during my time here."
Weiss gave a scoff, "Clearly not enough to get out of that habit of putting ungodly amounts of sugar in your coffee."
"I keep telling her to stop that," Tsukuyomi sighed before giving a light glare at Ruby.
Ruby gave a yelp before quickly using Petal Burst to slip past everyone and enter the dining room.
"Hey, be careful!" Geiz called out.
Sougo couldn't help but give a bit of a laugh, "I think this New Year will be pretty cool."
Earth – December 29th 2018
Several days had ended up passing and at the moment Team RWBY was currently facing the end of one of their toughest challenges yet.
"Ugh, finally," Yang called out as she suddenly fell on her back.
"You know we have couches now right?" Weiss asked as she hovered over her.
"Yeah but I don't want to move…" Yang gave a groan before Weiss gave a light kick to her side. "Fine…"
"It'll be a lot more comfortable," Blake mentioned as she walked over to the two.
"I don't blame her for not wanting to move," Ruby admitted with a groan as she walked over in a hunch.
The four were finally fully moved into their apartment, one of the deals was that it only had basic commodities that were already built in which meant they'd have to buy whatever they needed. So the process of figuring out what to get and what would go where took a few days, with the four finally finishing up with only a couple of days left in 2018.
They were in a fairly spacious living area, a couch and two chairs towards the front with a television settled into place, behind that was a dining table and chairs that would be able to fit eight people with the kitchen area being towards the back. Off to the side was a set of glass doors that lead to a balcony. And on the opposite end of the balcony entrance was a hallway that had a few rooms. Two of the rooms were bedrooms, each having a bunk bed and a desk alongside a dresser. Another room was a bathroom, with the remaining doorways being miscellaneous small storage spaces.
Nothing about the apartment was immediately personalized just yet, the girls all deciding that furniture and living equipment was the first major thing they needed.
"Come on, let's get you up," Blake managed to lift Yang up before dragging her over and helping her onto the couch, sitting down next to her. She blushed slightly when Yang's head went to rest on her lap.
"Comfy…" Yang muttered with a smile.
Weiss just rolled her eyes and went over to one of the two chairs, sinking into it. "I'm honestly surprised we got done with it today. I thought we would have taken till next year at the pace we were going."
"It got easier but harder once we got everything here," Ruby admitted as she sat down on the last living room chair. "Having to set up basically all the furniture was killer."
"Honestly, what I wasn't expecting was a visit from that… what that company's name again?" Blake asked.
"Kougami Foundation," Ruby answered before glancing over to a free spot on the wall, a phone sitting on a small nightstand with a label that read: 'Team RWBY Rider Hotline'.
"Barely even a week here and we already got contracted and hired," Yang mentioned. "Guess being Rider's is our job now."
"Well we were training to be Huntresses," Weiss reminded. "It's not that different aside from locale and what our job entails."
"It just means we'll also have more money flowing to help us not run Ruby dry," Blake added. "Not to mention both job descriptions are the same when you boil them down to their basics."
"Yeah, while getting everything managed to put only a tiny dent in, it is relieving to see we won't be completely out of money," Ruby gave a nod.
"Also complimentary cake," Yang pointed out, giving a small grunt as she lifted herself off Blake's lap and sat up. "Didn't think that would be included with the phone they sent over."
"Mr. Kougami really, really, loves to bake," Ruby admitted. "He even handled the cake for my birthday."
"So expect plenty of sweets, got it," Yang gave a thumbs-up.
"I'm curious as to who he's giving our number to," Blake admitted.
"Well he mentioned major groups related to Riders as well as Riders that Sougo, Geiz and I have previously interacted with," Ruby said as she looked up in a thoughtful manner. "Plus he did say if anyone came to him he might redirect them to us. So I can only imagine we've got quite a lot of people who have this number."
"He did also mention that he wouldn't give the number out until the very last day of the year," Weiss added. "So only time will tell."
"If I wasn't tired from the move I'd be super excited," Ruby gave a groan as she shifted a bit to sit up only to sink into her seat further.
"So I take it we just chill and maybe turn on the television?" Yang asked.
"You know we've been so busy that I forgot we made sure we had cable and wi-fi up first," Blake realized.
"Well let's get comfortable and see what's on," Ruby replied. "We've got an exciting last two days of the year ahead of us after today. I know Sougo mentioned he had some plans since this'll also be Geiz and Tsukuyomi's first New Year that isn't in 2068 not to mention yours here."
"Well, better get comfortable then," Yang gave a sigh of content before relaxing further.
"One question," Weiss admitted as she looked around. "Who's getting the remote?"
All four girls suddenly stared at the coffee table in front of them that held the remote, and all of them were content where they were. The four members of Team RWBY looked at each other for a tense few minutes. That was until they all declared…
"NOT IT!"
Elsewhere in an old chapel, something odd was under way. Red ominous lighting filled it alongside various vines lining the wall with tempting alien-like fruit dangling from various points. The pews that once made up the chapel were all smashed up and broken into small pieces, all scattered around. In their place were several crates that held the logo of a tree, though the company name was marked out via tape. On the sides of the boxes were white stickers with a black cobra insignia attached to them.
At the end of the chapel was an altar, and behind it a near mechanical and artificial bodhi tree, various small glows pulsing through the branches and roots.
All around and inside were various people wearing open black coats that covered the top half of their face. Each of them had a strange buckle on, it having a silver rimmed yellow knife on one end with a blank plate on the other end. In the center was a hexagonal slot with a hook above it to lock something in place.
At the altar several cloaked members began putting the finishing touches on a similar buckle, this time attaching a second slot similar to the center onto where the blank slot would normally be placed. A red pulse echoed through the room as a ghostly hand grabbed it, the hand becoming corporeal. Soon enough the full body formed, revealing it to be a man in an all black suit with bushy well kept hair and a goatee.
"A long restless journey but I am once again here," The man said with a smile as he placed the Driver on, holding out his hands as the wall of fruits began to glow, two in particular shooting over and landing in his hands. Soon enough in a flash they shifted forms entirely, now having an appearance similar to a padlock, a silver front with a black back button and lock, the front containing two different fruits, a blood red orange and a blood red pomegranate.
"Kugai Kudo," A voice beckoned from the entrance as none other than Swartz entered. "This is certainly quite the little Sengoku Driver and Lockseed factory you've grown. Being a spirit you've kept yourself quite busy."
[MATSUBOKKURI!]
Immediately the cloaked individuals all drew out Pinecone styled Lockseeds, placing them onto the Driver before pressing down on the cutting blade and slicing the Lockseeds open.
[SOIYA!]
[MATSUBOKKURI ARMS: ICHIGEKI IN THE SHADOW!]
Pinecone casings descended upon all of the cloaked figures before a black simplistic Japanese styled bodysuit with silver accents formed. The pinecone unfolded forming upper armor and revealing a plain black helmet with a silver mouth and headband, a yellow uninterrupted visor completing the look. The grouping drew out a black poled su yari, with pinecone additions below the blade of the weapon.
Without another word they all aimed their spears at Swartz, all of them on edge as they began to inch towards him.
"Kurokage's…" Swartz merely gave a scoff and began to walk forward, undeterred by the show of force that was upon him. "My name is Swartz."
"Have you come to be saved?" Kugai asked as he kept his arms in a relaxed position, but kept grip of his Lockseeds.
"I am a Time Jacker, one who wishes to help you with your goals," Swartz explained as he held up a Black Ridewatch. "I've seen the end of your story, and you will not win with your current strength. But I can give you the power you need."
[GAIM!]
Swartz smiled as the Blank Ridewatch reacted, a transformation overtaking it as it became the Gaim Anotherwatch.
"What is that?" Kugai asked as he began to raise his arms, only to blink and suddenly gasp out.
All the Kurokage Troopers turned and rushed towards the altar, Swartz having disappeared from where he was and now behind Kugai who was in pain. The familiar click of time stop occurred as the only ones now not frozen in time were Swartz and Kugai.
"I won't take no for an answer," Swartz grinned madly.
[GAIM!]
Kugai could only yell out as a dark transformation overtook him, a blue and gold accented monstrous body formed. It had rotten orange branch-like samurai armor covering it, a crude version of the Driver everyone wore wrapping around his waist. He had a demon-like plated face with gritted teeth, a blue helmet over his head with a orange visor covering his eyes. A branch stuck out from the helmet, red cracks stemming from it.
On his left shoulder pauldron he had the year, 2013, while on his right shoulder pauldron he held the name Gaim. Kugai gasped as he looked himself over, gripping his fists, "This power…"
"With this power you can move forward without worry, after all, Gaim's power ends at that of a God's." Swartz said before vanishing, the time stop fading with him.
Kugai looked back towards all his troops who suddenly were released, all of them stumbling but charging forward. They however slowed and lowered their weapons, recognizing Kugai despite his new monstrous appearance.
Kugai could only give a small laugh as he held his hands up, zippers forming above him and unzipping to reveal a forest, two green pillbug-like monsters dropping down. With a wave of his hand two of the Kurokage Trooper's moved to the sides, both grabbing a fruit.
[ZAKURO!]
The Zakuro Lockseeds began to glow as the two Kurokage's walked over to the two monsters, the monsters snatching the Lockseeds away and eating them. The two creatures shrieked out before hunching forward, their eyes shining a bright red.
"And so I can control the Inves absolutely…" Kugai remarked before giving a laugh. "Very well Swartz, I shall use the gift you gave me to realize my dream!"
Elsewhere in what seemed to be a laboratory, three men in sunglasses and suits ran throughout the hallways. Sengoku Driver's and Pinecone Lockseed's were at the ready as they made it to a set of doors. The three activated the Lockseed's before attaching them to the Driver's and cutting them open.
"Henshin!"
[SOIYA!]
[MATSUBOKKURI ARMS: ICHIGEKI IN THE SHADOW!]
The trio of Kurokage Troopers broke through the doors with a kick before yelling and charging through.
"My, my, what terrible manners," A voice called as a guitar riff could be heard.
[DURIAN ARMS: MR. DANGEROUS!]
Two of the Kurokage Troopers yelled as they lunged forward.
In a flash, two green broadswords with serrated edges and spikes blocked the first set of two spears. A lime suited Rider was the culprit, purple spiked armoring on his arms and legs. He held green and silver accented spiked durian styled armor, his helmet having two yellow eyes and a roman gladiator motif with a galeae topping it off.
"Armored Rider Bravo is back!" Bravo called out with joy as he easily disarmed the two Kurokage Troopers before lashing forward, sparks flying as both grunts were sent sprawling to the ground, losing their transformations. Bravo gave a huff, "Come now, you all should be the cream of the crop."
The last Kurokage Trooper backed up in fear, unaware of a black suited man with ruffled thick hair walking from behind, a Sengoku Driver on his waist as well with a Melon Lockseed in place.
"Henshin."
[SOIYA!]
The Kurokage turned and jabbed forward, a green melon styled shield blocking the spear.
[MELON ARMS: TENKA GOMEN!]
Before the Kurokage Trooper was a Japanese styled warrior in a brilliant white bodysuit, black lines accenting alongside gold armoring on the legs and arms. The main top armor was melon themed with a samurai motif, having a melon backed samurai helmet with a white front, two pale white eyes peering through with a silver mouthplate and a gold crescent head crest.
[MELON SQUASH!]
In an instant the Kurokage's spear was forced towards the ground, as he raised it back up the white armored Rider rushed past him in a flurry of green energy. The Kurokage gasped out before falling to the ground, losing consciousness as he lost his transformation.
The warrior had drawn out was a blue katana with a trigger and gun barrel alongside a slot for a Lockseed to be placed inside.
"Just like my lovely Melon Prince to get the job done in such little time," Bravo fawned as he hurried over, "Armored Rider Zangetsu."
"First off," Zangetsu stared straight at Bravo, "Do not call me that first name again. Second, while it is true we were named Armored Riders, I would rather choose to go by the title of Kamen Rider."
"If you say so," Bravo gave a sigh as he kicked the ground a bit. "But I must say your intel is good, this place definitely has connections to Helheim alongside defunct Yggdrasil technology."
"Yes, if my suspicions are correct then we might be dealing with the resurgence of a terrible group," Zangetsu admitted. "It's to the point that the rest of the Rider's in Zawame City alongside the two of us won't be enough."
"Then what might you suggest?" Bravo asked. "With me being a mercenary again I can surely call for the backup we need."
"As appreciative as that is, no," Zangetsu answered before walking over to a specific computer that had a flash drive sticking out of it. The screen showed that various data from the computer itself was being copied. "We're going to need the help of other Riders, and luckily I know a man who might be able to provide me with some."
To Be Continued…
Rising Riders of Remnant Arc – END
"As 2019 approaches so does the Day of Oma! A day of judgment for the past and future of the Kamen Riders! Will it herald the end of history, or a new beginning? And what role do those from Remnant hold? Now, we must choose our future!"
Arrival of Oma's Day Arc – START
Next Time:
"We've got our first mission girls!"
"Just accept that I will be the one who saves this world."
"It's likely we have an Another Rider on our hands."
"Swartz is not going to like what we have to say."
"Everyone please step aside, I'll deal with this."
Chapter 36: Blooming Next Stage 2013
Author's Note: And with that we've ended off the year of 2018 in Roze alongside officially starting our new Arc. We've got our new status quo set up with our heroes and it's time to start delving into probably my favorite stretch of episodes from Zi-O itself. Well… sort of, since next time is Gaim Time since I wanted at least one tribute before all the Mirai Rider related plot starts to rear its head into everything. Now I should mention ahead of time that this Gaim plot is based on the Gaim Novel that came out a while back. It's not a straight adaptation, more so my own take on it but I figured its base content would be good for a tribute for Gaim.
Of course as we get closer to the end of January I will bring up a reminder that I have a community interaction still running till the 31st. Just mention your favorite Showa Monster and I may find a way to include them in an upcoming thing I'm writing for Roze. I've already gotten some fun submissions, but there's still room for more. Now then, thanks for reading and I'll see you all next time!