Rider Time Zi-O: Roze from Remnant
Chapter 86 – Rose of Remnant (III)
"And here we are now, in the aftermath of that fateful encounter," Summer narrated as she continued to walk through the void of the Gaia Library, the Rose Book underneath her right arm, "To think I would become a Kamen Rider. Even then… the climactic battle against Shocker isn't my only tale to tell. There is another important story that I must tell."
Earth – Tokyo, March 2015
Several Days after Shocker's Remnant Invasion
Tsukasa couldn't help but sigh in relief as he finally had a day off. Ever since Shocker had invaded Remnant, he and his friends made sure that no remnants were left on Earth trying to do the same thing their Great Leader attempted. With everyone making sure that Shocker was for sure dealt with, that meant today was the first day off since the start of that battle. In reality, that meant a fairly lazy day doing nearly nothing at the Hikari Photo Studio.
Tsukasa had decided to work on developing photos, having gotten the first batch out and like always, they were heavily distorted, with things not even in the pictures appearing as well.
"You know I think I'm getting used to these," Natsumi admitted as she looked the photo's over with Onodera in the main photography room.
"They've definitely got a charm to them," Onodera said before noticing them, "Hey, that Summer woman isn't in any of them?"
"I think he said he wanted to develop the ones with the scenery first," Natsumi said before staring at one of Remnant's Moon, a silhouette of a demonic western-styled dragon hovering in front of it, "This is an odd one."
"Might've been a Grimm we didn't see," Onodera suggested.
"Hey…" Tsukasa suddenly appeared in the door with a surprised look on his face. He quickly hurried over to the table and nearly slammed a photo on it, "Tell me I'm not going crazy."
"You're not going crazy," Onodera said with a serious expression only to wince when Tsukasa flicked him in the forehead, "What? I thought you'd want reassurance?!"
"Look at the picture," Tsukasa stressed as he pointed at the picture he had slammed down.
"Huh?" Natsumi finally looked over Tsukasa's arm before giving a gasp, "H-How?"
"What?" Onodera asked before looking over, his eyes widening, "T-This is…"
On the table was the first picture that Tsukasa had taken of Summer. But unlike all of his distorted photos, even the ones of the Riders he met… this one was different. It was different in that it was a perfect photograph. There were no imperfections, warping, distorting… anything. It was clean and perfect…
"Tsukasa…" Onodera finally asked, "What does this mean?"
"I'm not sure…" Tsukasa admitted, "But I've never had this happen to me before…"
"Wait, what about the ones on your home world?" Onodera asked as he tried to get a theory going.
"Even if Summer was from my world, which is a highly unlikely theory," Tsukasa said as he wanted to shoot that theory down immediately, "There's no way she should've come out this normal in photographs from Remnant."
"What about the others you took of her?" Natsumi asked.
"Still developing them… but…" Tsukasa trailed, likely realizing that this wasn't a fluke. But it not being a fluke only left him confused on what was even going on.
Years Later…
Remnant – Land of Darkness
Summer wasn't exactly sure why she felt the need to do this as she could have just continued to live her life. She could have continued to fight in the shadows with Ozpin, take care of her two daughters. But here she was… at the domain of the Grimm. Dark red skies, barren rocky land with oozing pits of Grimm Tar surrounded her. Standing before her was the one who had caused the world so much pain and strife, so much suffering and destruction…
Salem, the queen of the Grimm was standing before her.
She wasn't sure what she could do to prepare for this day. And really, all she could do is give a cryptic goodbye to her family before going off the radar for a 'mission' she knew only she could take. While she wasn't sure if her first method against Salem was going to work, she knew something that had to do the trick.
She made sure to take a precious gift with her, the Roseiber. It was currently dangling in a holster at the side of her waist. She figured that if her first plan failed, which was likely, she'd need to try something different. And what's more different and potentially game changing than a power never seen by nearly everyone on Remnant?
"Well now," Salem held a neutral look but she had a hint of amusement in her voice, already taking in Summer's features, "I know of your kind. Do you really think coming alone gives you any chance at winning against me?"
"Honestly," Summer admitted, "I knew I couldn't risk anyone else in this mission. So I came alone."
"Strength alone will not decide victory," Salem remarked.
"I don't plan on overpowering you the old fashioned way," Summer replied as she narrowed her eyes, "I know exactly what you are… I know exactly who you are."
"You do, do you?" Salem narrowed her eyes.
"I may not be able to kill you," Summer said before drawing Argent Venator out, "But I can stop you."
"You're welcome to try," Salem said in a bored tone before summoning several glyphs along the ground and unleashing a horde of Shadow Hands against Summer.
Summer quickly began to dodge around the Shadow Hands, soon throwing one of Argent Venator forward as it sliced through a few before embedding itself in the ground near Salem.
"I must admit, that kind of tactic is pretty sloppy," Salem raised an eyebrow as she held her hand forward, commanding the Shadow Hands to launch towards Summer again despite the Huntress dodging, "I hardly can believe the threat you gave me earlier."
"You say that… but…" Summer began hopping backwards at a rapid pace as she began to concentrate. She began to think of her friends, all the small people she met briefly, and especially her family. She needed this to count and she closed her eyes as she took a bigger leap backwards.
"It's over," Salem said as she pointed forward, the Shadow Hands converging on Summer.
SNAP!
A few Shadow Hands were cut through while the rest grabbed the half of Argent Venator that had originally been embedded in the ground near Salem. The immortal Witch could only blink surprise as she saw this, wondering if Summer had used a speed styled Semblance only to glance and see movement.
Salem's eyes visibly widened as she saw Summer in the place of the sword that had landed next to her, "You-"
"Got you," Summer opened her eyes, her silver pupils shimmering and shining brightly as she unleashed a flash of light that engulfed the entire area.
Location Unknown
Tsukasa gave a groan as he began to walk into the main area of the Hikari Photo Studio, rubbing his head as he had finally gotten dressed. He had to admit, it hadn't even been a full year for him since he had met Summer. But the strangest thing had happened when he had gone to sleep as he had ended up having a dream of sorts involving her. She seemed to be fighting in this dark and dreary area, against some strange white skinned witch with dark magic. Or at least that's what it appeared to be… he was confused so he gave a yawn as he noticed Natsumi wasn't at her usual spot manning the counter. To his surprise she was staring out the door.
"Hey, what's going on?" Tsukasa asked.
"Hey Tsukasa…" Natsumi said as she quickly shut the door, "Do we know of any worlds that have people with like, animal ears and horns on their head?"
"What?" Tsukasa asked as he walked over to Natsumi before opening the door. When he exited the photo studio he was surprised at what he was seeing as he rushed onto the sidewalk near the street. It was a fairly normal city locale… that was until he noticed the finer details. A few people had animalistic features, they had strange looking phones, but there were also various holographic projected light posts and banners all around the street corners.
"You okay there buddy?" A passerby asked, noticing that Tsukasa seemed to be spacing out.
"Uh… just a question," Tsukasa cleared his throat, "Where are we specifically?"
"Is that a supposed to be a serious question buddy?" The passerby asked with a chuckle, "We're in the capital city of Vale obviously, one of the safest places to be in Remnant if I'm being honest."
"Vale… I see," Tsukasa gave a nod.
"You uh… you take care buddy," The passerby said nervously before walking off.
"Tsukasa…?" Natsumi asked as she stepped out of the photo studio.
"Yeah… I think we're somewhere familiar," Tsukasa said as he looked around, recognizing a few key details from his time in Remnant, "We're back in Remnant..."
Natsumi's eyes widened, "How?"
Remnant – Land of Darkness
Summer had leapt back after her initial blast from her Silver Eyes, her breathing a bit heavier as she used a lot of concentration to pull off that consecutive combination. She kept backing away in case it seemed like Salem wasn't affected by it, which thankfully it looked as though the queen of Grimm was. It seemed to have worked for the time being as Salem was completely entrapped in stone. While the stoned Witch didn't crumble, there was some solace in there being no cracks at the moment.
Summer went and retrieved her weapon, thankfully the Shadow Hands had also turned to stone and disintegrated otherwise it would have been annoying getting it back. She went to sheath her blades before a sudden cracking sound was heard. She turned just as a smashing sound was heard only to gasp as a Shadow Hand suddenly grabbed onto her arm.
Summer's eyes widened, "What?!"
Salem's right arm had broken free and had aimed itself towards Summer, having unleashed a Shadow Hand to grab onto the Huntress. It wasn't long before a fierce wind began to blow into the opening on the stone, cracks growing further and further as the stone casing around Salem shattered.
"Interesting that you assumed I'd be easily affected like that," Salem mused, "If you knew I couldn't be killed, surely you knew I was too old and powerful to be contained by a simple blast like that, right?"
"I figured…" Summer gritted her teeth as she stomped against the ground to keep from being dragged immediately.
"Then why attempt it?" Salem raised an eyebrow.
"I needed to know that it wouldn't work for sure," Summer admitted as she grabbed the Roseiber and sliced through the Shadow Hand. Summer then threw her arm to the side as the hand grabbing onto her fell limp and flew off, "Now I can go all out."
"That wasn't the true extent of your power?" Salem questioned, "How curious… you are definitely unlike any other of your kind I've met."
"Oh I'm out of this world," Summer smirked as she drew out her Kamen Ride Card before loading it in, "Henshin!"
[KAMEN RIDE: ROSE!]
Summer swung her weapon forward, the holographic cards shooting outwards as the grey-scale armoring of Kamen Rider Rose formed on her. The cards flew backwards and slid onto her helmet, fully coloring her armor as she stood before Salem.
"Oh?" Salem stared in half amusement/half curiosity. She had never seen any kind of armor like this at all, even with her time viewing the world's advancements. She had to admit that Summer was right wit hher 'out of this world' comment, "And what do I have the pleasure of calling… this?"
"Kamen Rider Rose," Rose said as she began to prepare a Weapon Ride Card, "Remember that!"
Remnant – City of Vale
Tsukasa had immediately rushed back into the photo studio and rushed straight for his room. He had gone straight for his bed and began rummaging underneath it. Soon enough he found a box labeled 'Perfect Shots', which he quickly uncovered. There were only a few pictures in there, but they were what he considered perfect. There were no imperfections, and while there were pictures of his home world, the more recent ones were of Summer during their brief meeting.
He was surprised to say the least, that this woman who became a Kamen Rider was the one person he could capture a picture of without any blemishes. Needless to say, he wasn't sure how to feel right now. Between the dream and now being on Remnant itself… something wasn't right.
"Tsukasa…" Natsumi said as she stood at the doorway, "What are you doing?"
"I need to find Summer," Tsukasa said as he grabbed the first picture he ever took of Summer and lifted it up.
"But how do you expect to find her?" Natsumi asked, "We don't even know where she lives, you never asked."
"I'll find a way," Tsukasa said as he turned and held the photo forward and soon enough an Aurora Curtain formed in front of him.
Remnant – Land of Darkness
Rose panted heavily, she had thrown nearly every weapon she had in her arsenal at Salem. But to her surprise, despite her overwhelming arsenal, there was nothing in it that could stall Salem heavily or put a dent in her that wouldn't be healed. Even utilizing her Silver Eyes based cards didn't do much aside from helping her defend against Grimm related attacks.
"I must admit… I've never seen anything like this before," Salem spoke up, her voice holding a curious but condescending tone, "However, it still cannot defeat me. And I cannot allow you to leave either…"
"I… I know you won't…" Rose rasped out as she shakily stood up straight, holding her sword with both hands, "But I'll fight till the end."
"So be it," Salem said before holding her hand forward, "However the best case scenario for me is that you stay alive after this."
Rose screamed out as a sudden gust of wind launched her up in the air. She had tried to right herself only to get struck by a fireball. Her suit sparked as she was thrown backwards further. As she tried to gain some sort of semblance of direction she was grabbed by a Shadow Hand that had suddenly extended from out of the ground. The Rider could only yell as she was grabbed by the leg and thrown straight into a nearby Grimm Pool.
Salem could only stare in indifference as she watched Rose sink into the pool. She admittedly wasn't this rash about things, but she had a theory she wanted to test. And with Rose being a Silver Eyed Warrior alongside holding a strange armored form, she couldn't help but feel now was the time to test things.
Rose coughed as she sunk into the Grimm Pool, her armor was starting to crack and slowly corrode away despite managing to hold against the destructive liquid. She started to breathe heavily as she realized this was likely the end… she closed her eyes as she began to loosen her grip on her weapon…
That was until she heard a voice.
"I need to find Summer."
Her eyes shot open widely behind her mask.
'Wait…'
'Tsukasa…?'
'No…' She thought as she gripped her weapon tightly, grabbing a card from her deck box and slotting it into her Driver, 'I can't… I can't give up yet!'
[ATTACK RIDE: BARRIER!]
The announcement was muffled within the liquid but the Roseiber's blade shined brighter than ever before. Soon enough she was bathed in a light that expanded and pushed the liquid away from her, containing her within an orb-like barrier that shot upwards.
Salem approached the Grimm Pool she tossed Rose into. She gave a curious look as she saw the surface began to bubble. That was until it the shield that Rose was encased in pierced the surface and caused a splash of black liquid everywhere.
The shield launched past Salem, shattering as it hit the ground, Rose giving a pained gasp as she tumbled against the ground. Her armor broke apart as her transformation was forced off, her Rose Kamen Ride Card being flung away from her and embedding itself in the rock nearby. Despite this she still held on tightly to the Roseiber, coughing violently as she tried to push herself up only to fall.
"I must admit you are fairly sturdy to survive that long," Salem said as she began to approach, "Though I'm sure that armor helped you."
Summer couldn't do anything other than cough while trying to stand, only to fail and fall flat on her face this time.
"I suppose you could be very useful…" Salem said as she held out a hand.
"Do not touch her."
"Huh?" Salem turned as she felt and odd presence, soon seeing Tsukasa approach her, "Who are you?"
"Just a passing through Kamen Rider," Tsukasa said as he already had his Decadriver ready to go, "Remember that."
Summer coughed out, weakly glancing in the direction of the newcomer as her eyes were barely able to focus. Despite this she recognized the voice clearly despite the ringing in her ears, "Tsu… Tsukasa…?"
[KAMEN RIDE: DECADE!]
Tsukasa walked forward as his transformation completed into Kamen Rider Decade.
"Another one of you…?" Salem asked, "And what can you do?"
"Keep her safe of course," Decade replied as he drew out a bulky touchscreen cell phone, sliding a card in before pressing a combination of buttons.
[K-TOUCH!]
[KUUGA, AGITO, RYUKI, FAIZ, BLADE, HIBIKI, KABUTO, DEN-O, KIVA!]
A Kamen Ride Card formed in front of him before sliding back and attaching to his helmet. His armor flashed as he gained new chest and shoulder armor that acted as frames of sorts, the Rider Cards of the first 9 Heisei Riders forming along his chest and shoulders as his bodysuit became predominantly black with a silver coloration. His helmet had also changed to primarily silver with pink accents and pink compound eyes.
[FINAL KAMEN RIDE: DECADE!]
Decade then removed the center piece of his Decadriver, attaching it to the right slot on his belt strap before putting the K-Touch on his main buckle.
"These strange transformations won't change any results," Salem said as she gathered a multicolored sphere of energy before launching spiraling streams of energy towards Decade.
Decade responded by drawing out his Ride Booker, swinging and clashing against the stream of beams that closed in on him. He gave a grunt before he swung forward, dispersing the streams of energy. He then stabbed his sword into the ground before removing the K-Touch and pressing two buttons.
"He was able to dispel it so easily?" Salem questioned as she pulled her hand back in surprise.
[KUUGA! KAMEN RIDE: ULTIMATE!]
Suddenly, a holographic projection of Kuuga Ultimate Form solidified next to him. Decade then held his hand forward, Kuuga Ultimate doing the same.
Salem was confused by this action before suddenly screaming out as fires erupted in an instant on her and began to engulf her body. The fires continued to burn and burn, causing her a constant pain she hadn't experienced in ages.
[BLADE! KAMEN RIDE: KING!]
Decade wasted no time in summoning Blade King Form next with Kuuga Ultimate being dismissed as the fires engulfing Salem died down.
Salem gasped out and gave a glare, quickly summoning several glyphs between her and Decade and unleashing several Shadow Hands to grab at him.
[FINAL ATTACK RIDE: B-B-B-BLADE!]
Decade and Blade King held their swords up, the projections of the Rouse Cards forming in front of them before they sliced forward. Energy slashes of gold and magenta tore through the Shadow Hands and hurtled straight towards Salem.
Salem gasped out as her arms were sliced off and disintegrated by the energy. She gritted her teeth in anger as black liquid spewed from her wounds, slowly but surely reforming her arms.
Decade's eyes widened as he saw the arms reforming before bringing out the K-Touch yet again. He wasn't about to give Salem a chance to recover now that he realized why exactly Summer was having issues. Without another word he initiated another Rider summon while also loading in a new Final Attack Ride Card.
[RYUKI! KAMEN RIDE: SURVIVE!]
[FINAL ATTACK RIDE: R-R-R-RYUKI!]
Decade brought out Ryuki in Survive Form next to him as Blade King Form vanished. The two held their blades up, both lighting on fire as they performed a cross-slash, forming fiery X's mid-air that were launched directly after their second slashes.
The twin fire crosses impacted against Salem who screamed out as they exploded, catching her in a fiery blaze in order to keep her from easily regenerating.
"And now…" Decade initiated another Rider Summon as Ryuki Survive vanished, planning on this one being the last he needed.
[FAIZ! KAMEN RIDE: BLASTER!]
[FINAL ATTACK RIDE: F-F-F-FAIZ!]
Faiz in his Blaster Form appeared, holding out the Faiz Blaster in its gun form. Energy charging up in the barrel of the weapon as Decade held his sword like a rifle, energy charging at the tip of the blade. The two then unleashed beams of yellow and magenta energy respectively towards Salem. The beams struck Salem at once.
Salem could only scream out as the beams engulfed her, her body slowly but surely being disintegrated by the blasts alongside the lingering fires from before.
Decade lowered his weapon as he the Faiz summon disappeared. He then walked towards the smoking remains of Salem, noticing that she had reverted to a black puddle form that began to bubble.
"I hope you remember this," Decade said in a cold voice before quickly hurrying over to Summer. He quickly turned her over and held her in his arms, "Hey, Summer… hey, can you hear me?"
"Tsu… Tsukasa…?" Summer managed to murmur in a daze as her eyes were barely opened, her breathing raspy, "Is…?"
"Don't talk," Decade put a finger up to her mouth before drawing out a card. He then slotted it into the Deacdriver slot on his right hip as he lifted her up.
[ATTACK RIDE: INVISIBLE!]
Decade and Summer vanished from the area, but unfortunately in Decade's hurry to get his friend out of the area he had forgotten to grab the Kamen Ride Card for Rose that was discarded.
Earth – Tokyo, December 2015
Several Days after the Rescue…
Summer winced as she let out a light groan, slowly but surely waking up. Her eyes fluttered open as she tried to figure out where she was. She was staring at a dull brown ceiling, with light coming in from the side. She shifted her head and managed to spot a window nearby with a night stand, her Roseiber on it in its inactive state.
"W-Where…" Summer managed to speak up in a low voice, "W-What…?"
"You're awake?"
"Huh?" Summer tilted her head slowly the other way, soon seeing Natsumi standing at a doorway, "Natsumi… right?"
"Yes," Natsumi smiled as she walked over and went to sit down at a chair nearby, "I'm glad you remember me since it looks like it's been a while for you."
"Been a while for me…?" Summer asked slowly.
"The barriers between worlds aren't the only things that are annoying to deal with," Tsukasa spoke up as he was now at the doorway.
Natsumi turned in surprise, "Tsukasa?"
"Tsukasa…" Summer's eyes widened as she gave a light gasp, "So the voice I heard back there really was…"
"Hey there," Tsukasa said as he walked over to stand next to Natsumi, "Anyway, it turns out time runs differently in our worlds. It hasn't even been a year here yet but it looks like you've aged a decent bit."
"I see…" Summer said in a tired voice, "I guess that's why you barely look any older…"
"Mind if I have a moment with her?" Tsukasa asked.
"Sure," Natsumi said as she stood up, "Just don't take too long, I need to see what she needs to be comfortable now that she's awake. And I doubt you're going to do anything for her."
"So mean," Tsukasa sighed as he went to sit down while Natsumi walked out, "Can you believe her?"
"Given it's you we're talking about," Summer gave a soft chuckle before coughing a bit.
"Easy now," Tsukasa said, "You were pretty roughed up. Had to call in some favors too to make sure your body was really alright. Your Aura could heal you well but whatever happened really put you through the ringer."
"I took a dip in a pool of destruction… not surprised…" Summer sighed, realizing that the only reason she was likely wasn't dead or even worse a test subject was thanks to Tsukasa, "So why help me out?"
"I mean, I couldn't just abandon you," Tsukasa answered before rubbing the back of his head, "Besides… when we suddenly just had the photo studio appear in Remnant… well… I figured something was wrong. What were you trying to do?"
"I see… yes…." Summer said before staring at the ceiling, "I was trying to defeat the ultimate evil of our world, Salem. Well… defeat is a strong word, more like stop her."
"Stop her…?" Tsukasa asked before remembering the regeneration that Salem display, "Oh right… so that wasn't high speed regeneration but immortality…"
"I thought that maybe my Silver Eyes could seal her since she's just as much Grimm as she is human," Summer said before she started to cough out. Once she calmed down she spoke up, "But that only stalled her for… a minute I think? Even using my armor…"
"You still couldn't stop her, but I couldn't either," Tsukasa admitted, figuring there was a way but neither of them could do it at the moment.
"How long have I been out?" Summer asked.
"Nearly a week," Tsukasa answered before looking away, "And I'm going to say this now. After I brought you back here to the Photo Studio, we were booted out of Remnant. I've tried to get back but I've been unable to."
"So I can't return home…" Summer trailed before closing her eyes and giving a sad smile, "Not like I could anyway… it'd be more believable if I died after you took me given what she last saw of me. If I was to return and everything was fine… well… my family wouldn't know any peace…"
"There's also one other thing," Tsukasa said, "I couldn't find your Transformation Card on you. It must've gotten knocked away after you were defeated."
"I see…" Summer gave a frown, realizing that Salem now had access to it if it had scattered after she freed herself from the pool of Grimm liquid, "So I can't transform."
"Like I'd let you," Tsukasa remarked with a slight twitch in his eye, "For now you need to recover. You're alive but in no condition to fight anytime soon."
"Not like I'm in any shape to protest," Summer said before glancing at Tsukasa, "Thanks, by the way."
"It was nothing," Tsukasa said as he stood up, "I'm simply repaying the favor since you did save my life."
"Funny how we're reversed in our roles from when we first met," Summer chuckled.
"Yeah but in my case I was able to recover faster," Tsukasa gave a smug grin as he crossed his arms, "You're going to be like that for a while."
Summer could only give a deadpan stare, "Please get Natsumi back in here before I find the strength to smack you with my pillow."
"Yes ma'am," Tsukasa gave a mock salute before turning and walking out the door.
Surprisingly it had taken a while for Natsumi to come back, especially when she heard faint talking out in the hallway. Even when someone had entered the room it wasn't Natsumi but Daiki of all people.
"Daiki…?" Summer asked.
"Yo," Daiki gave a wave as he walked over and sat near Summer, holding a few pictures in his hands, "How are you feeling?"
"Like crap," Summer admitted, "But I am alive… thanks to Tsukasa."
"Despite being labeled as a destroyer he sure knows how to save people," Daiki mentioned before sighing, "That doesn't stop him from being stupid from time to time…"
"Like how he clearly went alone against Shocker without waiting for you all?" Summer asked.
"Stupider," Daiki answered.
"Oh you've got to be…" Summer started before giving a sigh, "How can you all put up with him?"
"We manage," Daiki smirked before he looked over the pictures he was holding.
"Photos…?" Summer asked before she took a few that were handed to her, managing to lift her arms up to where she was viewing them while laying down, "What… are these?"
"Tsukasa's photos," Daiki explained, "Terrible right?"
"Kind of… not really…" Summer said as she looked at them further, "These aren't like bad photos… they're just… very abstract when it comes to certain things."
"Here's another," Daiki said as he held out another picture.
Summer took it and stared in surprise as it was a picture of a mansion but it wasn't distorted, "What?"
"Supposedly he's unable to properly capture worlds other than his own in photographs," Daiki explained, "That mansion right there is where he lived in with his sister."
"He has a sister?" Summer asked.
"Yep," Daiki gave a nod.
"Why exactly are you showing me these?" Summer asked, a bit suspicious at Daiki's behavior now, "I doubt you're trying to make conversation."
"Because of this," Daiki said as he held out another photograph.
Summer took it before her eyes widened, "This is…"
"The first picture he took of you," Daiki said, "Notice how it's not distorted?"
"Yeah… but it had to be a fluke, right?" Summer asked.
"Nope," Daiki said, "Of all the pictures he took of Remnant, yours are the only ones that have yet to be distorted."
"I don't understand…" Summer muttered in near confusion.
"You're a special person to him, I can only assume," Daiki admitted as he took the photos and stood up. He then turned before glancing back, "Summer… make sure you take good care of him, alright?"
Summer stared at the ceiling in silence as she heard Daiki walk out of the room. She couldn't help but think back to Narutaki's words.
"…otherwise your destiny and your fate will be tied with his…"
Summer couldn't help but smile at those words however despite their original ominous nature. To her it felt like an omen turned into a blessing.
"I suppose I'm alright with that…"
World of Kuuga – April 2016
"Thanks for this Yusuke."
"Hey, it's no issue."
Summer smiled as she was currently in a wheelchair, Onodera pushing her along the sidewalk as they were arriving at a costal park.
The Hikari Studio had decided to make a stop at the World of Kuuga to meet up with Onodera since he'd usually head back home for extended periods of time. After a few days of visiting, everyone in the studio was busy with a surplus of photos that needed to be taken, this also included barring Tsukasa from taking any photos for obvious reasons.
So that left Summer trying to figure out what to do to pass the time when Yusuke offered to take her out for a walk. The two were currently taking in the start of spring as they made their way to a walkway that overlooked the ocean.
In the months of her recovery, and realizing standard Remnant fashion was a bit more unique than Earth's, Summer had gotten more comfortable and appropriate clothing. It was a simple in execution and cost, especially since she wasn't going to be going out often. Standard black slip-on shoes, with black jeans, a red t-shirt and a loose white jacket were enough for her.
"I really need to go out more often," Summer closed her eyes as she let the breeze brush against her face.
"As much as I had fun traveling with them, that studio gets too stuffy sometimes," Yusukue agreed as he went to face Summer towards the ocean, "So I figured while everyone's busy I could help you out."
"Again, I appreciate it," Summer glanced back with a smile before looking over at the ocean, "While I can walk around the studio with ease I can only last so long on my feet outdoors given I'm still recovering."
"You're still recovering pretty fast," Onodera complimented, "I mean, it's only been like four months and you're doing pretty good."
"For getting dunked in a pool of pure destruction, I did manage to get pretty lucky…" Summer trailed off with a light frown as she glanced down, "If I didn't have my armor…"
"Hey, hey," Onodera said as he quickly knelt down at her side, "There's no use thinking about what could have happened. I understand that fight didn't exactly go how you wanted but…"
"I know," Summer sighed as she stared at her hands before looking back out at the ocean, "I'm thankful I'm alive, but I've still failed and I hold a lot of regrets of how I handled things leading up to that fight… it keeps me up sometimes thinking about my choices, if I should've done something differently."
"We all make mistakes," Onodera said as he put a hand on his friend's shoulder to reassure her, "We all have things we wish we could've done differently… so we need to live with them while moving forward. We can't let them tie us down."
"I suppose so," Summer smiled, "You know, you're a nice guy Yusuke."
"Would you believe I used to be a brat that just wanted attention?" Onodera asked with a chuckle.
"Given some of my teammate's reactions, I was quite the brat myself," Summer smirked a bit, "So take it from one brat to another, you're a nice guy."
Earth – August 2016
Summer hummed as she was currently carrying some bags of groceries in her hands. She was currently walking back to the Hikari studio with Natsumi who also had bags of groceries with her.
"You seem pretty chipper," Natsumi noted, "Though I suppose that's because you've managed to get back into the swing of things."
"I can finally walk around again for prolonged periods," Summer nodded as she did a quick spin while keeping her momentum, not missing a beat, "Though I'm a far cry from how I used to be."
"That doesn't sound like it bothers you too much," Natsumi pointed out, noticing that her friend was a lot more chipper than usual.
"I'm just glad I can go out and about on my own without help," Summer replied, "I'm not exactly one to keep still if I'm being quite honest."
"Given how you were when we first met…" Natsumi trailed, recalling that Tsukasa had mentioned how Summer had constantly been taking the lead, alongside what little she saw, she nodded before continuing, "I shouldn't be too surprised."
"I take some getting used to," Summer said with a shrug, "My teammates very much had to put up with me and my antics back in Beacon."
"That's the school you went to, right?" Natsumi asked.
"Yep," Summer gave a nod, "Got to learn how to fight monsters somehow, you know?"
"If only it was that straightforward with Kamen Riders," Natsumi chuckled, "We all had to learn on the fly, myself especially…"
"Ah right, because of your adventures," Summer recalled as she shifted her bags to one of her arms before crossing them as she looked up, "You all have mentioned a few of them offhand and I've seen your adventure photo book… though I don't think I've heard them in full…" she trailed off however and quickly held her arms forward with a nervous smile, "Not that I'd want to intrude or anything of course. I can only imagine those are very personal stories for you all, and given I'm an outsider…"
"Summer, like it or not you're a part of the Hikari Studio just as much as Yusuke, Daiki and Kiva-la," Natsumi said as she took her friend's outstretched hands in her own before giving a smile, "So don't think any less of yourself just because you showed up several years later."
"Natsumi…" Summer stared at her friend in surprise before smiling back, "Thank you."
"Besides," Natsumi let go before walking off and looking back, "I'm glad there's finally another woman in the building. You would not believe the headaches I've had to deal with involving the guys."
"I can only imagine," Summer giggled as she walked after Natsumi, "Though, what about Kiva-la? Doesn't she count?"
"I mean she does… but that doesn't stop her from also adding to the headaches," Natsumi admitted, "And there's also the fact that she likes to make herself scarce unless she wants attention."
"Ah…" Summer nodded in understanding as she caught up to Natsumi before patting her back, "I completely get what you mean."
It wouldn't take long for the two to arrive at the studio, Tsukasa currently leaning near the doorway.
"You two took your sweet time," Tsukasa remarked as he had his hands in his pockets.
"Sounds like someone was waiting for a while," Summer said with a very teasing look, "Don't tell me the big bad Kamen Rider Decade is actually lonely."
"More like hungry," Tsukasa added in annoyance, "And somehow ever since you got here and started helping out Eijiro the food's been twice as good as it's usually been."
"He was totally bored without us," Natsumi whispered.
"For sure," Summer giggled before clearing her throat and heading inside, Natsumi following after her, "Alright then I suppose I'll try and keep up the continued good work. But only on the condition that you tell me a fun story from your original adventure."
"That's all?" Tsukasa asked as he followed after, the request clearly not bothering him before giving a devious smile, "Fine then, I'll tell you of the time Natsumi finally snapped and was tried for murder, where yours truly had to defend her in the court of law as Decade."
"Tsukasa…" Natsumi turned with a glare, "I thought I told you to stop making up stories of what happened when we were in Ryuki's world!"
"But it did happen," Tsukasa answered, staring down his friend with a serious stare.
"Tsukasa…!" Natsumi glared further as she held up her thumb.
Tsukasa paled at this, "No…"
"So are you going to tell that story?" Natsumi asked with a kind smile.
"I don't get why you're threatening me when it's the truth!" Tsukasa called out as he quickly ducked and rushed past Natsumi and Summer and slipping into the studio space.
"Get back here!" Natsumi shouted as she went to turn into the studio space, "Tsukasa you-"
SMACK!
Natsumi upon entering had been smacked by a pillow, courtesy of Tsukasa who currently had a small set of them in his arms as he was in a defensive stance. Natsumi slowly but surely set the bags down as she held an annoyed smile now.
Summer couldn't help but hold a hand over her mouth as she tried to suppress her laughter. She had to clasp her mouth further when Natsumi grabbed the pillow before literally leaping into the studio space. Despite it being a little over half a year with her melancholy at being unable to head back to Remnant still taking space in her mind, she somehow felt at home in the Hikari Studio.
World of Decade – November 2016
The Kadoya residence was mostly quiet as usual, the only sounds being heard through the halls of the estate being the simple pings of a piano's keys. A few notes were strung together, but nothing immediately resembling a song.
It was coming from the highest room in the estate, a piano being set in it with a few chairs off to the side. In one of them was Tsukasa who was currently looking over some photos.
Summer was currently sitting at the seat alongside a young woman who was currently watching over her. The woman in question was the younger sister of Tsukasa, Sayo Kadoya.
It had been quite a few months since Summer had made a full recovery, and one of the things Tsukasa wanted to do was introduce her to his sister. This resulted in quite a few trips to Tsukasa's home world in which Summer and Sayo got to meet and talk, Summer taking a small interest in piano after hearing enough of Sayo's playing.
"So like this?" Summer asked as she hit a few notes, though rather slowly.
"Yes, try it a bit faster this time," Sayo said.
"You know these are some pretty good pictures," Tsukasa spoke up as he held up a few photographs of various buildings and wildlife, "You're putting dad's camera to good use."
"I'd like to think so," Sayo said as she turned her attention to her brother, "Though your photos still manage to make me jealous."
"Well of course, I am a master," Tsukasa said with pure confidence.
"They are rather… I think the term is avant-garde, in terms of appearance," Summer said as she picked up her pace slightly with the practice sheet she was using, "I know people would complain, but there's a good artistic flare that I think other photos are missing."
"Aside from any that are of you," Tsukasa scoffed.
"Well of course, I don't need any extra steps to look perfect," Summer paused briefly as she put a hand to her chest, pride emanating from her before going back to practicing.
"Of course you don't…" Tsukasa muttered as he rolled his eyes before noticing Sayo move over to him, "What?"
"Looks like you found a keeper," Sayo teased in a low voice.
"Oh hush," Tsukasa playfully shoved his sister away, "We're not anything like that… she's just a friend."
"I guess," Sayo said before leaning closer, "Though I wouldn't complain about suddenly getting a big sis."
"Just go back to teaching her how to play," Tsukasa groaned.
"Sure thing," Sayo gave a mock salute before going back to help Summer with learning the basics of playing a piano.
"It is nice to see this place a bit more livelier than it was before," Tsukasa muttered as he continued to look over Sayo's pictures.
Earth – Late August 2017
Summer was currently breathing heavily as she sat on a park bench, a towel draped over her shoulders as she had a water bottle nearby. She was currently in some track pants and a t-shirt, having just finished a heavy run.
"Okay, cardio training is going well," she muttered to herself as she began to chug some of her water down before giving a sigh of relief, "I'm not surprised I'm this out of it but I need to keep at it just in case something happens…"
"Hard at work like always," Tsukasa said as he walked over, "So how'd it go this time?"
"Cut my time down by like two minutes," Summer said with a smile, "I know I can't exactly transform again, but I figured my Huntress skills can help out alongside the Roseiber."
"True," Tsukasa said, "But given the most we've had is individual Riders whose stories don't necessarily impact us, I don't think you'll have to worry too much."
"True, we just got finished with…" Summer trailed as she tried to recall the last Rider before snapping her fingers, "Ex-Aid, right?"
"Yep, I think he finished his fight a couple of days back," Tsukasa nodded before sighing.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Summer asked.
"Listen, you're aware that you may never be able to go back right?" Tsukasa asked as he turned away, "I've tried everything I could and gone to everyone who I thought could help, but there is no way to Remnant right now."
Summer softly sighed at those words before she gave a smile, "I sort of figured I wouldn't be able to go back around December last year, especially when you never had any real concrete breakthroughs."
"So you've already accepted it, huh?" Tsukasa asked.
"I've had over a year to accept that it was a slim to zero chance," Summer admitted as she stood up and walked over to Tsukasa, placing a hand on his back, "Not to mention the fact that more time is likely passing over there than it is on this set of worlds."
"Even if you went back you'd likely be a stranger in your own home world," Tsukasa remarked as he looked back, "I suppose that's another feeling that's similar with us."
"That's right, your amnesia," Summer recalled the stories that Tsukasa had told, especially when he was explaining about his personal world, "I can only imagine things were so confusing."
"Even after getting my memories back, home never really felt like home again," Tsukasa admitted as he stepped away from Summer, "But that's fine."
"I suppose its fine by me as well," Summer closed her eyes with a smile, "We still have a home to return to if we can't return to our original ones."
"Huh, look at you," Tsukasa turned with an amused tone, "Looking on the bright side despite everything."
"I always did feel like the positive sunshine of my team, much to their annoyance at times," Summer giggled a bit.
"Well you can shine too brightly," Tsukasa added, "Especially with those eyes of yours."
"Sad to say but you're stuck with it," Summer stuck out her tongue.
"I suppose I am," Tsukasa said before he let out a light groan, "How did this end up happening again?"
"You were stupid and thought taking on Shocker ahead of your friends would work out," Summer said as she held out a finger before holding out another, "And then you were about to be a Beowolf's next meal had I not spotted you in time."
"Right…" Tsukasa groaned further as he turned away again.
Earth – Late September 2018
"Alright, here we go," Summer said as she walked into the main studio section of the Hikari Studio with a plate of fresh chocolate chip cookies, "Some fresh cookies that I'm sure you all have been waiting long enough for."
"Ah you're the best Summer," Onodera smiled as he clasped his hands together, "Thanks for the snack."
Summer drew out a smaller plate and set it to the side before placing a single cookie on it, Kiva-la quickly zooming in to start nibbling on the cookie. Natsumi meanwhile gave thanks as she went to grab a cookie alongside Onodera, the two giving satisfied smiles after biting into and chewing the cookies.
"Glad to see I'm not losing my touch," Summer smiled.
"Your talent at cooking is simply sublime," Kiva-la said.
"Yeah," Onodera nodded, "I suppose home cooking or baking in this case really is the best."
"So what's the occasion?" Natsumi asked.
"I suppose I'm just in a good mood," Summer shrugged, "I feel like you don't need a good reason to have cookies."
"I'm surprised Daiki hasn't tried to steal your recipe yet," Onodera joked, "It's a real treasure, that's for sure."
"Luckily it's all in here," Summer smirked as she tapped her forehead a few times, "He isn't getting it from me without a price."
"Always a good business move," Kiva-la replied.
The sound of the front door opening was heard before Tsukasa soon peaked through.
"Oh, I see someone baked cookies for today," Tsukasa said as he walked into the studio space before snatching one from the plate and biting into it, "Delicious as usual."
"You were out for quite a while," Summer said, "Find something interesting to take a picture of?"
"Something like that," Tsukasa replied, "You know how I said something felt off around last November/December, right?"
"Right," Summer nodded, "But wasn't that the Enigma Incident?"
"Not really, no," Tsukasa said, "I decided to do a bit of investigating and well…"
"Well don't keep us in suspense!" Kiva-la shouted as she began to flutter over to Tsukasa to try and pester him, "Don't just pause!"
"Stop it!" Tsukasa shouted as he batted Kiva-la away, Natsumi just barely catching the tiny Kivat. He sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck, "Somehow, someone's managed to brute force their way into Remnant last year, and the barrier between our worlds and Remnant has grown weaker as a result."
Summer stared at Tsukasa in silence, unsure of what to say given this new information.
"Wait…" Onodera trailed before his eyes widened, "WHAT?!"
"Doesn't that mean…" Natsumi muttered as she looked over at Summer.
"I would be able to get back finally," Summer spoke up before gripping her fists tightly and staring at the floor, "But… I'm more concerned as to what brute forced its way into Remnant."
"Could it have anything to do with the fact that there was no Rider on this world after Ex-Aid?" Natsumi asked.
"Potentially," Tsukasa replied, "There's been a string of incidents involving past Riders, and I plan on looking into them soon enough."
"Tell us if you find out anything," Summer said as she held a serious expression, "I don't like that after a long silence, something like this pops up."
"Will do," Tsukasa nodded.
Earth – Late October 2018
"So you wanted to talk to me?" Summer asked.
"I did," Tsukasa nodded.
The two were currently alone in the Hikari Studio, as both Natsumi and her Grandpa were out for errands and Onodera was currently off world.
"Is this about what you mentioned last month?" Summer asked.
"It is," Tsukasa said as he began to pull out a few photos and began putting them on the table one at a time.
The first was a distorted image of Kamen Rider's Wizard, Beast, Mage, and Zi-O, all four of them surrounding a blackened spot on the ground with the distortion showing a mix of Carbuncle and Another Wizard.
"What is this…?" Summer questioned, "Those are Wizard and his allies right… but that monstrous Wizard-like creature and…"
"The new Rider," Tsukasa said, "Kamen Rider Zi-O, the 20th Heisei Rider."
"20?" Summer asked, "But aren't we only up to 19?"
"The 19th appeared off world before they merged their world with ours," Tsukasa said as he put another photo, this one showing Sento and Ryuga just walking through the city. Of course, Kamen Rider's Build and Cross-Z were overlaid on top of them respectively, "Kamen Rider Build."
"Do you think their world's fusion caused the weakening of the barriers?" Summer asked.
"More like helped it," Tsukasa said, "This only happened at the end of August this year, not in November of last year."
"Okay…" Summer nodded slowly before seeing the third photo, Zi-O in OOO Armor, OOO as Super TaToBa and a second OOO, this one being Ankh in his Lost Blaze form. The three were facing down Another OOO as the distortion this time showed Ankh's Greeed form behind his temporary Rider form, "So what exactly are these monstrous Riders?"
"From what I could gather, Another Riders," Tsukasa replied, "However, this is the most interesting one… and I need you to brace."
"Okay, but why?" Summer asked.
"Just… you need to be ready for this," Tsukasa said as he placed the fourth picture on the table.
The last picture was of Geiz, Tsukuyomi, Woz alongside most shockingly to Summer, her daughter Ruby. The four were having their discussion of how Knight's and Ryuki's Ridewatches survived. With Ruby and Geiz's Rider forms overlaid on top of them being the distortion for the picture.
Summer gave a light gasp as she covered her mouth and quickly snatched the picture away, staring at it long and hard as her eyes began to water. She quickly closed them as tears began to drip down, trying to wipe her eyes as she needed to compose herself.
It took several minutes, but Tsukasa was patient, staring at Summer with a neutral expression as he wasn't going to try and make light of what she had seen.
"Ruby…" Summer choked out, "Ruby is here? How…? When…?"
"November of last year," Tsukasa said simply, those words being enough for Summer to piece together what had happened, "And she's become a Kamen Rider too."
Summer finally managed to stare at the photo without her eyes water, sniffling a bit as she set it down before looking up at Tsukasa, "You need to get to the bottom of this. Why was my daughter taken from our world? What exactly is going on with Zi-O that involves her?"
"All excellent questions I plan on getting answered," Tsukasa nodded, already noticing the phrasing of Summer's request. While it would make sense that he'd take the lead since he could still transform, he knew that he'd run into Zi-O and Roze eventually, and given Summer's likely status on Remnant, she couldn't risk being seen.
"Thank you," Summer bowed her head.
"I'll leave you alone for a bit," Tsukasa said, "And I'll make sure no one else bothers you, alright?"
"Sounds good," Summer said as she stared at the picture in her hands, too focused on it to notice Tsukasa leaving. She stood up and began to pace around, giving a proud but sad smile, "You've grown so much, haven't you?"
Earth – December 22nd 2018
Over the months since learning about Ruby, Tsukasa had learned a lot about the current situation. Of course, the information wasn't all there and there were still some curious gaps. But the important factors were taken note of, Oma Zi-O, Sougo's desire to become King which would lead him on the path of Oma Zi-O, the Time Jackers, and Ruby's arrival on Earth alongside her meeting with Sougo.
The Dai Mazines had revealed themselves and Tsukasa had sent Sougo, Tsukuyomi and Ruby to 2068. When the group didn't return to the present, Tsukasa and Summer both realized that the three had been sent to Remnant. So they had enacted an emergency plan, stopping Kasshine from killing Geiz and getting him to Remnant with the others.
While they couldn't do much beyond their quick involvement, they still needed to try and keep watch over the situation. The result was the two heading back to the Hikari Studio to prepare for their return trip to Remnant.
Summer was currently preparing a letter that she had been working on for a few weeks. She figured that Ruby could use some extra help in regards to her financial situation when arriving back on Earth, and that this would help. Of course she had to speed up a few things given the sudden appearance of the Dai Mazines.
"So how's it going?" Tsukasa asked as he walked over.
"I think I've got it set," Summer said as she held up the letter, "I just need to transfer everything, then slap this letter on Build's door, and we'll be good."
"I'm still impressed you managed to get the funds for this," Tsukasa crossed his arms, "You never exactly did work aside from helping out with our clients…"
"Well when you know the right people…" Summer trailed.
"…I highly doubt that," Tsukasa held a bored stare, "What did you do?"
"So you know how Daiki has terrible tact and gave me a bunch of old antiques for Get Well Presents, right?" Summer asked suddenly as she pulled out her phone.
"Yes…" Tsukasa trailed, recalling that while Daiki was a treasure hunter he'd often get bored of the more generic treasures and toss them wherever.
"Turns out that those antiques are actually rare, valuable, and absolutely belong in a museum," Summer said with a matter of fact smile and tone as she worked on getting the transfer of funds done, "So, guess who made sure they were put to good use and got compensated?"
"Just don't let him know," Tsukasa chuckled, "So are you ready for this?"
"As ready as I'll ever be," Summer admitted with a sigh, "Still have a few jitters though given this will be my first time back in a while…"
"Well luckily with how we operate you won't have to worry about being seen at least," Tsukasa replied before he began to head for the entrance of the studio, "We should get going."
"Right," Summer nodded, she made sure she had the letter in hand before going over and gripping her Roseiber which was leaning on a nearby wall. She held it in a firm grip as she looked up and walked after Tsukasa, walking out of the studio as she realized this was the first true step towards her inevitable meeting with her daughters…
"There's not much to say after that," Summer admitted as she let go of the Rose Book and let it float away, it vanishing back into the Gaia Library, "We watched from afar in Argus, assisted Oscar after Diend took him, and helped here and there when it came to incidents like the Another Blade issue while recently trying to keep an eye out for anything while you all were in Atlas. And then well… when you all were confronted by Salem, I don't think anything else needs to be said."
Present Day
Remnant – Atlas, Schnee Manor
The light faded away as Summer lowered her arm and removed the wrist device from her as Philip removed his hand from Summer's shoulder. Brief sparking could be seen as a small amount of smoke exited the device, it having just overloaded once Summer's narration was over.
Philip stepped away and relaxed his posture while taking the broken device and memory. He kept quiet since he was sure there were a lot of questions for Summer herself.
"And that's… that's the story of how I became a Kamen Rider," Summer explained before taking a deep breath and letting it out, "With a few side notes from my recovery days before we found out about the situation going on with Sougo."
"Whoa…" Sougo muttered as he looked over at Ruby who seemed to still be processing the information.
"And here we thought Ruby being a Rider would be the most mind-blowing revelation," Blake admitted.
"Apparently not," Weiss said, "Our new mind-blowing revelation is that becoming a Kamen Rider runs in the family."
"Wait…" Ruby finally spoke up when she suddenly realized something, her mind flashing back to Kasshine's words when he had come to take her away.
"I am here for a Rose."
"Hair and Eye Color Match, Ms. Rose I have come to take you to my Overlord."
"He was after Mom…" Ruby spoke up in realization, "But because I took after her, Kasshine thought I was her instead."
"That would explain why Oma Zi-O knew about Remnant then," Blake added to the theory, "It wasn't just a random occurrence, he must've somehow found out about Kamen Rider Rose."
"That explains Kasshine's reaction to me when we met briefly," Summer admitted, "He was surprised and likely because he finally realized he took the wrong Rose."
"But Oma Zi-O seemed completely fine with Ruby despite her clearly not being Kamen Rider Rose," Weiss said.
"Maybe he figured he could still use Ruby," Blake guessed.
"Given everything that's transpired since then…" Weiss thought on it a bit before nodding, "I suppose he didn't really make a mistake."
"I still can't believe it," Ruby said, deciding to backtrack a bit as she was still trying to process everything. She looked over at her mom, "You're a Kamen Rider."
"Was," Summer reminded with a sad smile, "Currently the card that allows me to access my transformation is not on me and likely with Salem."
"Do you think she actually has it?" Sougo asked, also curious if Salem had taken the card, though that wasn't shown.
"I would be surprised if she didn't," Summer answered as she crossed her arms. Despite this she didn't seem too bothered by not being able to transform, "Regardless, I think I'm fine for now acting as support. Plus it's not like I lost my transformation device, I can still use it to fight somewhat."
"Just… just one more question… that I'm sure Yang also is going to ask," Ruby said as she stepped forward, looking directly at her mother, "You said back during our meeting that you wouldn't abandon us… what you said was true right?"
"Of course," Summer frowned before shifting it to a soft smile, "And it won't just be for this battle. While I'm sure it won't be the same given our current living situations, I don't plan on disappearing like that again."
"Right," Ruby nodded in a rather composed manner before she blinked, her eyes welling up with tears in an instant as she rushed forward and leapt at her mother, smiling despite the tears, "Mom!"
Everyone watched as Ruby wrapped her arms around Summer, giving her mother a big hug as she began crying, but still kept her smile.
"I'm so, so sorry," Summer apologized as she closed her eyes and hugged her daughter back, keeping her daughter close with one arm while cradling her head in the other, "I can't even begin to imagine how you're feeling. But you don't have to worry, I'm back."
"Welcome back," Ruby smiled as she kept hugging her mother, her tears continuing to flow as she just let everything out.
"I'm happy for you Ruby," Philip spoke softly with a smile as he saw this, glad to see that the reunion between the two Riders had ended up working out well.
Weiss, Blake, and Sougo also couldn't help but smile as well at the interaction. Despite their current situation, everyone in the room could feel that this was a sign of good things to come.
To Be Continued…
Next Time:
"I don't need to fight you directly."
"I'm a Huntress and Kamen Rider."
"She's just a tool to be used!"
"I don't have time for questions my dear."
"So then… if you're here…"
Chapter 87: Signal for the Future
Author's Note: And with Summer's origins as Rose finally brought to light, we can go back to our standard broadcast of Roze from Remnant. And just in time too as we're getting to the turning point of this Saga with the next chapter.
But yeah, not much to really say on this part since a lot of it is Summer's recovery and her interactions with the Decade Crew for the most part. Originally it wasn't going to have most of the chapter to itself, but I decided to add it in later. As a result a lot of events from the prior two chapters got shifted back a chapter or two to give this chapter a bit more room to breathe with its slower pace.