"Welcome once more to the Roze Gaiden Collection," Woz smiled as he stood within his black narrative void, this time standing on the clock that resided on it with little issue. He opened up the pages and stared at them before smiling, "The story of Ruby Rose from Remnant who became Kamen Rider Roze has grown exponentially. So much that there are some stories worth telling beyond the usual chapters and interludes of the main story."
With a simple hop he dropped down from the clock and closed his book with a slam as various different Rider visors began lighting up around him. One was Roze's standard Katakana, one looked like Drive, the other like Ex-Aid, but there were a few unknown ones and one that didn't even look like a Rider. Staring at him however within the darkness were dulled silver eyes.
"I suppose you could say this is where this particular story starts to pick up in intrigue," Woz mused, "While our encounter with Mi-Sougo and Mi-Ruby from last time set several implications… it is time to finally witness the first of the consequences of Tokiwa Sougo and his action to utilize Oma Zi-O's power so hastily."
Rider Time: Roze Gaiden Collection
"2019: The Eight Ruby Roses – Part 1"
(Placement: Between "2019: Hallowed Time, Oma Zi-O" and "1971: Showa Time?")
Everything was supposed to go according to plan.
But instead, everything fell into chaos at the most crucial moment.
"Ruby!"
First her sister fell…
She lost her weapon…
"And you… should have never been born…"
She fell too…
She was rescued by Blake…
But it didn't last…
Neopolitan had fallen at the same time…
It was a struggle but she got away…
Then she fell through clouds…
Everything went white…
Before turning black suddenly…
"Ruby…"
"Ruby…"
"Ruby…!"
Ruby let out a gasp as she bolted upwards, panting heavily as she tried to regain her bearings. She could have sworn she had heard Penny calling for her. Shaking her head she began to look around, trying to take in her surroundings. She seemed to be in a strange worn down city of sorts with plenty of tall buildings that had no real discernible landmarks. Despite being fairly tall there were still different heights to them, even if some felt the same after taking a long look at them.
"Where am I…?" she asked out loud as she went to walk forward, realizing that she needed to find some kind of direction, "If I'm here… are the others here?"
There was no real sense of direction however, and it resulted in her simply wandering around in what seemed like an endless set of roads and buildings. She could only wander forward for a while, at least until she was suddenly called out to.
"Hold up right there."
Ruby paused, hearing a very familiar voice… her voice…
"Just how do you have that form?"
"Huh?" Ruby asked as she looked around, "What are you-"
"Not like it matters, I'll eliminate you in a flash… so, Henshin!"
[DRIVE TYPE SPEED!]
Suddenly Kamen Rider Drive leapt into view from the side, startling Ruby as she backed up. This Drive was different from the prior versions though. The red armor was black with red highlights accenting the top shoulders, wrists, and ankles. The tire sash wasn't present, instead there being a red mechanical sash similar to that of Gold/Bronze Drive.
"Prepare yourself imposter," the Rider said as she stepped forward, "You're facing Zero Drive now."
"T-That voice…" Ruby gasped as she stepped back, even with the slight filter of the mask she recognized it as her own, "You're…"
"Kind of weird that you're acting confused since I'm pretty sure you copied me," Zero Drive admitted before shrugging and running towards Ruby, "But this'll all be over once I take you for a spin!"
Ruby quickly reached behind her, planning on drawing out Crescent Rose… only to grasp at air. She looked back and soon realized she didn't have her weapon on her. On reflex she split into multiple bursts of petals, spiraling around Zero Drive once she closed in before getting behind her.
"Huh?" Zero Drive turned in surprise.
Ruby looked back before quickly facing away from the Rider, leaping up and using Petal Burst again to launch off further into the city.
"You're not getting away…" Zero Drive muttered as she raised her Shift Brace.
[SP-SP-SPEED!]
Ruby had just landed out of her Petal Burst once she had rounded a corner, panting as she continued to run while looking back. She looked forward only to gasp as a black blur slammed into her, falling to the ground.
"Any last words, faker?" Zero Drive asked as she had caught up just in time.
"I'm pretty sure I'm real!" Ruby called out with a wince as she tried to figure out a method of escape.
Zero Drive turned the dial on her Driver ready to initiate her finisher when she was suddenly grabbed by the shoulder. Quickly shoving the hand off she turned and punched only for her fist to get caught.
"Huh?" Zero Drive perked up at what she was facing now.
The interrupting party appeared to be a different kind of warrior than a Kamen Rider. She wore a grey spandex bodysuit, the center of the chest being red alongside having red cloth shoulder guards. She also had red boots and fingerless gloves, the entire suit being lined with gold, having a gold diamond on her center chest. Her helmet was fairly rounded, having gold accents and a long black visor with a silver mouth plate, a red triangular gem lined with gold.
"What the hell?" Zero Drive asked before her arm was grabbed and she was dragged and tossed away, staggering and falling to her knees, "What's the big idea?"
"Clearly something bigger is going on here," the red warrior finally spoke up, her voice sounding just like Ruby's and Zero Drive's, "And you're not going to get anywhere by attacking someone who is clearly very confused."
"Your voice…" Zero Drive trailed, "How?"
"Again…?" Ruby asked softly in shock.
"I'm about as genuine as you can get by the way," the red warrior patted her chest before walking over and offering Ruby a hand, "For now you can just call me Omega Red."
"Thanks uh… me," Ruby spoke up in an awkward manner as she took the warrior's hand, using it to as support to stand up, "Uh, sorry this is…"
"A lot…?" Omega Red finished and received a nod, taking in the Huntress's appearance and noting that Ruby appeared to be dressed for Atlas in her attire, though it was a bit scuffed up, "Yeah, understandable."
"And how can I be so sure that you're not another copy sent after me?" Zero Drive finally asked, "I don't exactly like suddenly ending up somewhere I don't know."
"Wait, you too?" Ruby and Omega Red asked at the same time before looking at each other.
"Huh?" Zero Drive's posture relaxed, "Wait so-"
Marching and footsteps were suddenly heard as the three were surrounded by familiarly dressed individuals. They wore a full black bodysuit that covered them from head to toe, their faces being obscured by a round mask with a pointed chin, having a single glowing red eye similar to that of a Geist. They wore a white two-tailed sleeveless coat that was held in place by a silver belt. They also wore white long gloves that reached out over their forearms and long white boots that reached halfway through their shins.
"Huh?" Ruby looked around, "What the… are they White Fang members?"
"I don't think so," Omega Red said, shaking her head before she looked around, "They look similar but they're entirely different."
"Whatever they are…" Zero Drive said as she cracked her knuckles, "They'll go down all the same!"
"Fang… Fang…" the grunts managed to get out between their gibberish, "Fang… Fang…"
"Fang…" Omega Red trailed off, "I guess even if they're different they still have some traits."
The Fangs all yelled out as some brought out tridents of all things before rushing forward to overwhelm the three.
"Not good!" Ruby yelped as she began dodging out of the way of Fang, gasping as she was grabbed by her arms from behind. She grunted just barely managing to strike the Fang's face with her head, wincing as she pulled away from a staggered Fang, rubbing the back of her head, "I can't fight like this!"
"Wait, what?" Zero Drive asked as she slammed her arm into a Fang to send it to the ground before grabbing one that tried to punch at her, throwing and slamming it into several others, "You don't even have a weapon?"
"I lost my weapon just before getting here!" Ruby called out.
"Crap," Omega Red slammed her fist into a Fang, her fist lighting on fire as the burst sent it to the ground. She held out her hand, fire erupting from her hand and forming what appeared to be a modified blade from Floating Array.
It was one piece entirely, there being no fold point with a full black strip running along the side of the blade without being cut up by the hinge. The edge of the blade was a bright red coloration, the guard remained the same though held Ruby's emblem glowing in red in the original power symbol's place. The hilt was the same though this particular grip had a trigger that was commonly found on most Rider weapons.
Ruby winced as she was grabbed again only for the Fangs grabbing her to suddenly slack and fall to the ground. She turned to see Omega Red standing there with the blade. Her eyes widened as she recognized it instantly, "T-That's…"
"Don't worry about it for now," Omega Red said in a low but understanding voice, she quickly turned and pressed down on the trigger. The black strip lit up with a red light before her sword lit itself on fire, the hero yelling out as she swung forward and unleashed a fire wave that burned through the Fangs.
[OMEGA BLAZE!]
"Huh, not bad," Zero Drive remarked before bringing out a Break Gunner, though the coloration on it was red instead of purple. She pressed down on the nozzle to change the weapon's mode before aiming and shooting out several blasts.
[GUN!]
Of course it didn't take long for the Fangs that were hit by the stronger attacks to suddenly explode.
"Ah!" Ruby yelped as she backed away, "What?!"
"What?" Zero Drive looked over, "You don't have guys that explode when hit hard enough?"
"Oh dear…" Omega Red muttered, a startling realization dawning on her even more than before.
Despite dealing with several Fangs, more began to erupt from various corners and crevices between the buildings, wanting to overwhelm the group before them.
"M-More…?" Ruby asked as she began to look around.
"Crap, are they endless?" Zero Drive questioned.
"We need to move!" Omega Red suggested as she cut through a Fang before blocking a trident and forcing it down.
It didn't take long for white and black blurs to suddenly speed through several Fangs, glowing claw and slash marks appearing on the strange grunts before they exploded.
[CLOCK OVER!]
Two Riders now stood before the group. One was a dark variant of Kabuto, the body staying mostly the same though the red armor was now black with red circuit patterns, the helmet being black as well with red stripes and yellow eyes.
Next to the dark Kabuto was a Rider that was wearing a black bodysuit, various white and black armor was attached to it via straps of all things. They had a wide popped up collar around their next, their helmet being quite angular but somewhat resembling a wolf's in the outer later, the center being black with piercing blue eyes. They also had extended claws from their wrists, the claws suddenly retracting into hand guards.
"Looks like we found the party," the dark Kabuto chuckled before noticing Ruby among the trio, "And suddenly…"
"The situation has become stranger," the white wolf Rider noted, "Perhaps we should inform them of our intentions."
Ruby, Omega Red, and Zero Drive briefly paused when they heard the two's voices, the newcomers voices sounding exactly just like theirs.
"Good idea," the dark Kabuto Rider said before gesturing to herself, "I'm Dark Kabuto."
"Kamen Rider Naki," Naki introduced, "Allow us to assist."
"The more the merrier!" Omega Red called out as she punched a Fang away, "But after this we need to talk!"
"For sure," Dark Kabuto said as she drew out her Kunai Gun and began shooting down and Fang she could.
Naki meanwhile extended their claws again, swiping out and striking against the Fangs they could find. They held up their claws to block a few tridents before disarming the Fangs, closing in and slicing through the grunts.
Ruby looked around as all the masked heroes around her began to effortlessly deal with the enemy soldiers before her. She couldn't help but quietly back up as she realized she wasn't really needed for this particular fight.
"Hey," Omega Red cut through a Fang before hurrying over before holding up her blade, "I can kick butt without this, do you want it?"
"Are… are you sure?" Ruby asked, looking up in surprise.
"Super sure," Omega Red held out the weapon to the Huntress, "Here you go."
"Thanks," Ruby said as she took the weapon, giving a fond smile as she looked it over only to catch something out of the corner of her eye. She could only let out a gasp as she backed away and held the blade at the ready, "Watch out!"
A Fang was currently rushing forward to skewer Omega Red since her back was turned only for its spear to get kicked upwards before it was bashed in the head with a white and pink edged hammer.
"Hey, hope you don't mind!"
Omega Red's savior was none other than Kamen Rider Ex-Aid, and of course her voice was exactly like the every other combatant there.
"Seriously…" Dark Kabuto trailed as she slammed her handheld axe into a Fang's back before dragging it across, "Another one?"
"This is quite perplexing," Naki admitted.
"Just how many are there going to be?" Zero Drive questioned.
"Not sure but the star has arrived!" Ex-Aid shouted as she slammed her Gashacon Breaker into another Fang's skull, "Headshot x2, let's go!"
Ruby and Omega Red looked towards each other before shrugging, the two quickly getting back into the battle. While Ruby wasn't too used to a sword, she was glad to have a means to go on the offense, slashing and managing to get a few hits in. Omega Red meanwhile went for a few punches and kicks, managing to force some Fangs back even without a weapon.
Just as it seemed to end, more Fangs suddenly rushed into view from behind a corner. They all yelled out as they rushed forward, hoping their overwhelming numbers would continue to force the similarly voiced fighters on the defensive.
Ruby, Omega Red and the rest of the Riders all prepared themselves, the six of them grouping up as they prepared for the next wave.
A sudden beam of energy pierced through several Fangs, soon exploding and forcing the group to scatter. More beams were launched outwards, striking through the Fangs and scattering them further.
"Huh?" Zero Drive looked around, "What's going on?"
"I think we've got another ally?" Ex-Aid guessed as she tried to figure out where the blasts were coming from.
"Whoever they are they're a pretty good shot," Omega Red said, Ruby simply nodding in agreement.
[RIDER TIME!]
From the building behind the grouping of Fangs, the already broken windows of the third floor shattered further. A red flash occurred as the mystery assailant revealed themselves, the flash bursting apart to reveal…
[KAMEN RIDER ROZE!]
Roze had launched out of the window with Crescent Rose armed in its scythe mode, she held the barrel back and shot a blast to launch her forward as she shifted. She spun and sliced into several Fangs as she landed, using the recoil to launch her back while spinning and swinging and dealing with several more Fangs.
The Fangs all backed up before yelling out as they charged at Roze who quickly began moving through the crowd. Recoil blast after recoil blast, slice after slice, Fang after Fang. Roze made quick work of the mysterious grunts, ending up near a window as the last remaining few fell down around her before exploding.
The lingering fires from the explosion flared up in the reflection of the window, creating a rather cool effect as Roze glanced down at the non-remains of the enemies before looking over at the window briefly while shifting.
"Damn," Zero Drive said.
"So…" Roze said as she looked back towards the group of six, staring at them carefully as her scythe retracted itself into its compact rifle mode. More particularly she was staring at Naki and Ruby, though her helmet hid the fact that she was doing so, "I'm going to guess some weird dimensional stuff is happening."
"Considering we all sound alike and there's the 'Ruby Rose' in the room in front of us all…" Omega Red spoke up as she glanced back at Ruby, "You just might be right."
"Well this makes things hard," Roze sighed as she walked over before noticing a few of them starting to undo their transformations, "Wait!"
"Huh?" Zero Drive looked up, "What's wrong?"
"I figure we need to get this out of the way," Naki mentioned, ready to dismiss their transformation, "Otherwise we'll be walking around in our transformations for long periods of time and that is probably not advisable."
"If we're going to all talk to each other we need code names," Roze said before gesturing towards herself, "Call me Kagemi."
"Kagemi…?" Ruby asked.
"Yes," Roze nodded, staring at Ruby for a while again before looking around at everyone and gesturing towards Zero Drive, "Keiji."
"Seriously…?" Zero Drive asked.
"Let's call you Kikai," Roze pointed at Naki.
Naki remained silent for a few seconds before simply nodding, "A clever name."
"You can be Mushi," Roze held a hand out towards Dark Kabuto though realized she'd have to clarify when the Rider tilted her head, "Bug."
"Wait, what?" Dark Kabuto asked, "We're really going with that?"
"Let's call you Kaen," Roze pointed at Omega Red who tilted her head as well, "It means fire."
"Oh, actually that's kind of cool," Omega Red admitted as she put a hand on her chin.
"What about me?" Ex-Aid asked.
"Hmm…" Roze thought for a bit before snapping her finger, "How about Meijin?"
"Oh, that's a sweet name," Ex-Aid replied before giving a sheepish chuckle, "I think..."
"I can only assume you're a gaming legend given your aesthetic," Roze admitted, "Meijin's a pretty cool title to give someone like that."
"I only dabble but I'd say I'm pretty darn good," Ex-Aid agreed before pointing in an amused fashion with her hammer, "Not bad."
"I just call them like I see them," Roze chuckled as she shrugged before dusting her hands off, "And that takes care of everyone-"
"Wait," Ruby spoke up finally, "Don't I get a name?"
"Honestly, I think Ruby Rose fits you just fine," Roze admitted in an almost gentle manner as she crossed her arms, "Unlike the rest of us, I don't think you need a code name."
"By the way," Ex-Aid spoke up, "Why did you choose Kagemi for yourself?"
"It's close to friend's name," Roze said with a genuine fondness, "So I figured I'd honor her by taking up a similar mantle for the time being."
"Aw, that's really sweet of you," Ruby smiled.
"Now then," Roze said as she looked around, "I think it's time…"
The other masked warriors nodded, all of them undoing their transformations… and revealing six other Ruby Roses alongside the current one. Everyone slowly realized that Kagemi was right to be calling each other by codenames the minute they all saw each other.
Kagemi's outfit was a simple style, wearing black jeans, a white shirt with the Rose family emblem on it in black, a black hooded jacket and a red scarf draped around her neck. Her hairstyle was similar to Ruby's but cleaner in how it was styled.
Kaen was currently wearing black pants, a red t-shirt with a black jacket over it, the jacket having red stripes along the biceps. Her hair was similar to Ruby's and Kagemi's but was more grown out and slightly wilder in appearance. Of course another accessory she had was a gold band with a red jewel in the center that went over her hand.
Keiji wore a long brown coat over blue jeans and a tattered red shirt she wore over a black tank-top. Her hair was more straightened than the others but fairly long while kept under control by a ponytail.
Mushi was wearing a simple black t-shirt, black spiked bands and baggy dark green cargo pants, her hair being around the same length as Ruby's but more neatly combed than hers.
Kikai was the most professional looking out of the bunch despite Kaen's outfit of choice seemingly being a uniform of sorts. They were currently in black slacks, dress shoes, a white button-up shirt, black gloves and a black vest. Their hair was also more neatly combed than the others though shorter by comparison. Of course there was another standout feature about them in particular, in that covering their ears were two angular headphones of sorts, the devices being fairly flat with blue lights lighting up rings on the headphone-like devices. Aside from the devices though, the biggest giveaway of something being off about them, was their eyes compared to the rest, they were a bright blue coloration.
Meijin herself was one of the more standout ones due to mostly not using the same colors most of the others had. She was currently wearing khaki cargo shorts and a pink hooded jacket over a lime green t-shirt that held Ex-Aid's emblem alongside having lime green and pink checkered sneakers.
"Yep…" Kagemi trailed as she looked around, glancing at Kikai every now and again, "This is really weird... but admittedly kind of cool."
"I'm judging all of your fashion choices," Mushi remarked as she crossed her arms.
"At least I have the sense to actually change up my fashion," Meijin remarked as she held her hands forward, "Seriously, there's aesthetic and then there's boring."
"Fashion choices aside…" Kagemi said as she looked around, "We need to find a good place to hide out for a while."
"You really think we need to hide?" Keiji asked.
"Considering the sudden ambush," Kaen reminded, "I'm inclined to agree."
"Where would be a good hiding spot anyway?" Meijin asked.
"Somewhere high up would be good for our needs," Kikai suggested, "Having a better view of this area would come in handy."
"Wouldn't that put us out more in the open though?" Ruby spoke up as everyone looked over at her, though she was more concerned with the idea of finding a place to hide away at. She put a hand to her chin as she began to lose herself in her spoken thoughts, "We'd need somewhere with limited view of us, alongside limited ways to get in. Not too many windows or doors and an easy way to escape, nothing too high."
"Good idea," Kagemi spoke up as she walked over, "Going for height is solid, but it might be best to go for somewhere more fortified."
"Wait, really?" Ruby asked, having been lost in her own ramble that she didn't realize she had offered a solid idea.
"It's the soundest idea so far," Kaen said before looking over apologetically at Kikai, "Sorry."
"No, I can understand the logic," Kikai shook their head, "But where would we find such a place?"
"I say we split up and meet back here in an allotted amount of time," Meijin suggested, "There's enough of us for three teams, right?"
"So how do we split up then?" Mushi asked as she put her hands in her pockets.
"I'll go with Ruby."
Both Kaen and Kagemi looked at each other as they had both spoken at the same time in a near instant fashion, the two narrowing their eyes slightly at how quickly they had offered.
"Eh?" Ruby looked over at the two in surprise.
"Perfect, you guys can be our team of three," Meijin smiled as she walked over and put an arm on Kikai's shoulder only for Kikai to shove it off, "I'll team up with Kikai."
"Guess I've got Mushi," Keiji shrugged.
"I suppose that settles things," Mushi nodded, "So how about we meet back in half an hour? That should be long enough right?"
"Just be careful," Meijin suggested, "We have no idea what's lurking in these streets."
"Something tells me we'll be fine for the time being," Kagemi replied as she glanced towards a window before looking around, "So if no one has any concerns, let's get going."
"Alright…" Keiji let out a breath as she walked around with her hands in her coat pockets, trying to find a good building for them to use. Unfortunately most buildings seemed to be tall and filled with windows, oddly enough the longer they were in this city, the more it felt like someone copy and pasted the same several buildings over and over.
"Six," Mushi said as she had her hands behind her head.
"Huh?" Keiji looked over as she stopped, "Six what?"
"That's the sixth time you've done that 'alright…' while letting out an exasperated breath," Mushi replied as she gained a slightly amused but curious tone to her voice, "Are… are you trying to make conversation?"
"So you finally caught on?" Keiji asked.
"Terrible conversation starter," Mushi remarked as she went to walk past Keiji, "So I'll do you one better, why Keiji?"
"I didn't choose this name you know," Keiji remarked.
"I know you didn't but why did Kagemi choose it for you?" Mushi questioned "You seemed to understand it well enough."
"I guess she thinks I'm a detective?" Keiji shrugged, "I mean, she's not entirely wrong but I wouldn't say I'm an official one…"
"So you do understand that name then," Mushi said, recalling how Kagemi had to explain most of the names that were given.
"I understand the meaning yeah," Keiji replied, getting similar ideas to Mushi's, "If there's one thing somewhat consistent, there's that."
"So why do you think I was named the way I was?" Mushi asked.
"Because your armor is bug themed…?" Keiji asked back, a bit confused since it was fairly obvious.
"What's Kikai mean then?" Mushi asked.
"Oh it's used for machine," Keiji replied without missing a beat.
"Then why was the obvious wolf themed Rider named Kikai of all things?" Mushi questioned as she looked over, "Even with their mechanical appearance as a Rider, the wolf theme should have been the first to be referenced."
"You're pretty inquisitive for being an uh… what do you do?" Keiji asked.
"I just fight against those who mimic others," Mushi answered, "So I have a certain instinct about certain things, especially regarding you and Kikai…"
"Eh?" Keiji asked as she tensed slightly, "What exactly do you…"
"Don't worry about it," Mushi let out a genuine smile, "We're a lot more alike than you think."
"You're kind of freaking me out right now," Keiji said as she took a step back.
"Seriously…?" Mushi asked with a light whine as she slumped, "I swear I need to get better at interactions with people…" she sighed before shaking her head, "My point is I can't get a read on Kagemi."
"She does seem pretty suspect," Keiji nodded, "Admittedly a good chunk of us do."
"Even me?" Mushi asked innocently.
"Would you get offended if I gave you the obvious answer?" Keiji asked with a smirk.
"I'd be offended if you didn't give the obvious answer," Mushi admitted with a light laugh before looking around, "Seriously though, are we even going to find anything?"
"Well we shouldn't be slacking off," Keiji answered as she looked around before walking forward, "We've just started, and it would be in poor taste for us to not try."
"Fair enough," Mushi said with a shrug.
"This is most odd…"
"Yeah I'll agree on that."
Kikai and Meijin were walking through the various buildings and were noticing how uniform they looked despite being differently painted. It felt less like a city and more like a labyrinth designed to look like a city.
"So what's your deal?" Meijin asked suddenly, wanting to break the ice.
"Is it not obvious?" Kikai asked.
"I mean kind of given how you speak and the aesthetic you've got going on," Meijin admitted, "But I'd rather get a full introduction you know."
"If you have a general idea then that's fine," Kikai answered, "I am surprised no one asked, though I suppose certain aspects didn't stick out too much."
"Really, you're going to leave a girl hanging?" Meijin asked with a light huff.
"I would rather reveal it to everyone at the same time," Kikai admitted, "Though it would appear as though Kagemi knows already."
"What do you mean?" Meijin asked before realizing something and giving a light gasp, "Wait your name…"
"Indeed," Kikai nodded as they took the lead, "It would appear as though Kagemi is more than they seem. Whether that leads to a best case or worst case scenario has yet to be seen…"
"I see…" Meijin trailed as she stared at Kikai long and hard before walking after her, accidentally bumping into them but simply walking past to take the lead, "I don't think it'll matter in the long run, we're probably all strong enough to handle whatever comes our way."
"I would hope so," Kikai replied, pausing briefly before shaking her head.
"Now come on," Meijin said as she began to hurry off, "I've got a good feeling about our luck."
Ruby, Kaen and Kagemi meanwhile were running into the same problems the others were. Mostly in that they would simply be passing by similar buildings over and over. Of course the streets were different when they were intersections and there were some notable changes, but the city definitely felt more artificial than anything else.
"This is getting too strange," Ruby admitted, "I feel like falling into a fairytale would have been less weird."
"Honestly I can agree," Kaen nodded, "The Ever After sounds a lot more fun, and potentially more manageable given I can remember some of the story beats."
"Oh so you know about 'The Girl who Fell Through the World'?" Ruby asked in surprise.
"Well I guess we share some similarities because I remember it too," Kagemi nodded, "Admittedly my memory is not the best but ending up there would be either interesting or frustrating…"
"I think it might have been fun," Kaen replied, "Getting to deal with a Jabberwalker, running into the Rusted Knight…"
"Rusted Knight…?" Kagemi raised an eyebrow.
"You know, the Rusted Knight," Kaen said, raising an eyebrow at Kagemi's confusion, "Met and helped out Alyx with the Curious Cat tagging along too."
"Ah, right, right… I guess I must've forgotten more than I thought," Kagemi chuckled with a sheepish smile as she rubbed the back of her head. She turned however and crossed her arms as it wasn't that she forgot, but that particular detail was different, lowering her voice, "I thought it was the Golden Knight though…"
"Alright," Ruby spoke up as she let out a sigh, having gone a bit further ahead only to look back at her allies, "I'm starting to think Kikai might've had a better idea…"
"Don't say that," Kaen spoke up, "Even if your idea doesn't pan out, it's still a solid one."
"Yeah," Kagemi nodded.
"I-I guess…" Ruby let out a slow nod as she began to slow down.
Kaen and Kagemi both looked at each other, though it wasn't as hostile as their previous glances. It was as if they knew what exactly Ruby was going through, Kagemi however held up a hand before Kaen could speak.
"Hey," Kagemi said as she walked over, "You're pretty good with your Semblance right?"
"I'd like to think I am," Ruby said before looking over, "Why?"
"Think you can get up high enough to try and scope out the area?" Kagemi asked, "Kikai had a solid idea on height but I think we could spin it to try and find a better hiding spot like you suggested."
"It might take a couple of tries, but yeah," Ruby nodded as she looked around, "I think the buildings are lower in this area too. But…"
"You need something to help see, right?" Kagemi asked before bringing out Crescent Rose, "Saw you fighting with that sword earlier, and while that was a thoughtful gift, I think this might be more your speed."
"W-Wait, really…?" Ruby asked as she stared at Crescent Rose, shuddering slightly as her hands began to shake, managing to take hold of it. Like she had suspected, it felt foreign to her, it wasn't her Crescent Rose. And yet… there was warmth… a familiarity to it, it felt comforting despite being afraid to take hold of it. She couldn't help but give a fond smile at the weapon, "Seems like you take pretty good care of it."
"Of course," Kagemi smiled before ruffling Ruby's hair slightly.
"H-Hey…!" Ruby called out with a laugh as she backed away, "What was that for?"
"Nothing," Kagemi chuckled as she put her hands in her pockets.
Kaen meanwhile crossed her arms, since while Kagemi's actions felt sincere, part of what she said felt entirely off. And it wasn't just now but before, especially with the nicknames…
"Hey," Kagemi called out, catching Kaen's attention, "You good?"
"Y-Yeah, just thinking about this whole situation," Kaen admitted before looking around and catching rose petals out of the corner of her eye, watching as Ruby used Petal Burst to scale one of the buildings, "She seems to be taking this in stride."
"For better or for worse," Kagemi replied, "While I'm not entirely sure about what she's going through, she's going to keep pushing and pushing until she hits her breaking point."
"Is that so…" Kaen trailed off as she thought on Kagemi's words before shaking her head, "You sound like you know a lot."
"I've been through similar situations," Kagemi answered, "But I'm not exactly sure what she's going through…"
"Well… I might have a clue," Kaen admitted.
"Wait, really?" Kagemi asked in surprise before narrowing her eyes, "How so?"
"You've been to Atlas already, right?" Kaen asked, not wanting to sugarcoat it, "You tried to work with Ironwood, he turned against you, and you've had to make desperate plays, right?"
"Kind of…" Kagemi trailed off to a surprised Kaen, "While I wouldn't say we were entirely desperate, we managed to get through the worst of it with a lot of extra help."
"So you really don't know then…" Kaen's eyes widened as she could only stare at Kagemi in surprise, "Just how did you…?"
"What do you mean I don't really know?" Kagemi asked before suddenly realizing something and now having a dangerous question hanging over her that she needed answered, "How did the Battle for Atlas go for you?"
"We were somehow pushing our way through but Ironwood gave us an ultimatum…" Kaen sighed as she gripped her right arm tightly, "Penny was infected with a virus and it was either we give her to him to open the vault or he blew up Mantle, and we had only stalled Salem… we needed to get everyone out of Atlas. Penny also needed to be saved from auto-destructing after opening the vault thanks to the virus and we managed something with the Staff of Creation…" she paused as she closed her eyes and shook her head, "My team and I… we're a long way from home compared to everyone else on our world who I hope managed to get to Vacuo, and even I don't know how the others are doing… so I can-"
She was cut off when Kagemi had quickly walked over and hugged her, letting out a choked gasp as her emotions overwhelmed her. She had hugged back for a few seconds only to push and pull away as she let out another gasp, quickly making sure she wiped any tears away.
"Sorry about the sudden hug," Kagemi apologized as she adjusted her jacket and scarf, "Just instinctive I guess…"
"I appreciate it," Kaen admitted with a slight sniffle before turning away, "Admittedly I have a feeling I'm doing a lot better than Ruby is… my circumstances are likely different despite both of us being separated from Remnant."
"I can only imagine given she seems to have nothing, and you are…" Kagemi trailed, "A Sentai member, right?"
"Sentai…?" Kaen tilted her head before shaking it, "No, I'm a Power Ranger."
"That's… a new one for me admittedly," Kagemi admitted before mentally noting that Sentai and Power Rangers seemed to overlap given the design similarities from what little she had seen, "So I guess all of us Kamen Riders are foreign to you?"
"Pretty much," Kaen admitted, "But we're very much the same, transforming heroes and all, fighting to try and get out of here."
"To try and get out of here…" Kagemi muttered as she turned away and put a hand on her chin, "Right…"
"Is everything alright?" Kaen asked.
"Yeah, just thinking," Kagemi said as she glanced over before hearing a noise, she turned to see Ruby break out of Petal Burst and land nearby, "Well?"
"All the buildings nearby end up at near the same height," Ruby explained as she hurried over, "I hate saying this but something tells me wherever we are… is purposely like this."
"You're getting the same feeling too huh…" Kagemi trailed as she pulled out her phone, there was no signal but she was able to see the time pass just fine, "We've still got some time left so let's try and scope out what we can regardless."
"Sounds good," Ruby said as she holstered Crescent Rose before hurrying off.
Kagemi followed Ruby at a reasonable pace while Kaen lagged behind, staring intently at Kagemi as something definitely felt off to her now.
Back at where the seven different Ruby Roses had met, Mushi and Keiji had arrived first after finding nothing. It didn't take long for Ruby, Kagemi, and Kaen to show up next, the trio sharing their find with the other two.
"Unfortunately we might just have to settle up deep into one of these buildings," Kagemi explained, "Getting higher didn't seem to work either."
"Damn, just what the hell is this place?" Keiji asked.
"Whatever it is, we're going to need to do a more thorough search sooner than later," Kaen replied.
"The hard part will be figuring out a location to go to," Ruby said, "Everything looks too similar."
"Hopefully the others had better luck," Mushi sighed.
"Hey, sorry we're a bit late!"
The grouping of five looked over to see Meijin hurrying over with Kikai walking at a steady pace.
"We may have found a good location," Kikai said as they looked over at everyone.
"Yeah, pretty much fits the criteria that Ruby was talking about," Meijin nodded.
"What did you guys find?" Keiji asked as she crossed her arms, "Because we've found jack and squat."
The location that Meijin and Kikai had brought everyone to was an old restaurant in an area of the strange city that had lower buildings than most. In fact the area seemed to have the most unique set of buildings in the entire city.
The restaurant itself was fully closed down, boards covering any and all glass which included the windows and the windows on the doors themselves. Of course the doors were locked, but it didn't take long for the group to break open the doors, making their way inside and managing to set up base.
Various chairs and tables had been set up against the back entrance in the kitchen, making a barricade to try and keep anything out. Meanwhile the rest of the tables and chairs had been set up for everyone to sit at.
"Unfortunately it doesn't look like there's any food," Kagemi said as she walked out from the kitchen with Mushi, "Not like it matters considering how weird this city is."
"Yeah, it feels less like a city and more like a labyrinth," Keiji agreed, "So even with a familiar locale, of course we wouldn't find what would obviously be in it."
"Hopefully we can figure out something now that we're in a new area," Ruby admitted before sighing, "I just want to know what happened already."
"We'll figure it out, don't worry," Kaen said as she sat next to Ruby and put a hand on her shoulder.
"So how long do we just wait here?" Meijin asked.
"At least an hour or so," Kikai suggested, "Now that we're no longer out and about, we might be able to make progress once enough time passes."
"Admittedly I'm surprised we weren't attacked during our patrols," Mushi spoke up, "You'd think they'd strike if we were separated."
"Maybe we just got super lucky," Meijin spoke up.
"Super lucky or not, we will need to get to the bottom of this soon," Kagemi agreed as she went to sit down in a chair, "But taking a short break will do us some good."
"What do we even do though?" Keiji asked.
"How about we get to know each other," Meijin suggested, "If we're sticking with each other for a while we might as well."
"That sounds fun," Kaen said as she looked over at Ruby, "Share some stories while getting to see what makes each of us different, right?"
"Y-Yeah…" Ruby nodded, admittedly curious about her various alternate versions present. She looked over at Kikai, "It's admittedly weird to see myself without Silver Eyes."
"That's because I'm not exactly human, or Ruby specifically," Kikai admitted as they shifted their collar to fix it, "My designation is Naki and I am a Humagear."
"Humagear…?" Kagemi asked.
"A synthetic A.I. based Android with high intelligence," Kikai explained, "Ruby Rose was simply the template I was given."
"Huh…" Keiji trailed off before glancing at Mushi.
"A template, what do you mean by that?" Kaen asked, "You guys can copy real people?"
"In a sense, yes, though it is illegal," Kikai replied, "However my case is unique, the group I was assigned to was given various templates to copy. In this case the template choices were of very skilled and noble warriors."
"Huh, guess we should all feel flattered," Meijin chuckled as she looked around.
"So what exactly is your equipment?" Kagemi asked, still curious about the Humagear before them, "I noticed your Rider form seemed kind of pulled together."
"Where I come from we use Progrisekeys or in my and a few others case, Zetsumerisekeys to transform," Kikai explained as they held up the silver Key they were using earlier, "In this case, mine is based off of the extinct subspecies of gray wolf, the Japanese Wolf."
"Huh, cool…" Kagemi trailed as she put a hand to her chin in thought, "What about the Driver?"
"The Forceriser is our method of utilizing Progrise or Zetsumerise Keys," Kikai answered, "It was based off a prototype model though the function is similar. Due to how the keys were created, a high level of access was needed, the Forceriser as the name suggests, bypasses that."
"Why would you need to bypass stuff?" Mushi asked.
"There are certain rules in place, and the group I am a part of is simply not part of those rules," Kikai explained, "So we've had to make due."
"Sometimes you just have to do what you have to," Meijin agreed before noticing that Kikai had stayed silent, so she cleared her throat, "So who wants to go next?"
"I'll keep it short and simple," Keiji said as she looked around, "I'm a freelance investigator that's trying to take down the Roidmudes. They're mechanical humanoids that have infiltrated society and caused a lot of damage but no one can catch them. So I may be bending a law here and there while fighting as Kamen Rider Drive."
"Huh, pretty unique spin on Drive's formula," Kagemi muttered.
Kaen managed to catch this, being close enough to Kagemi to hear the muttered words. Despite this short distance, Ruby was too enthralled by the various stories to really pay attention.
"Funny, I've got a similar story," Mushi admitted as she clasped her hands while looking upwards, "I fight against the invasive species from space known as The Worm. They infiltrated society rather well, and have taken control over most of the Rider System to use for their own ends. So as Dark Kabuto my mission is to take back the Rider System even if I'm pinned as the bad guy to mostly everyone."
"Tragic, but that's the way some of these things go sometimes," Keiji spoke up, "You've got guts to stand against the whole world like that."
"I honestly thought I was out of my depth at first," Mushi nodded in agreement, "But a little push here and there managed to help me become the hero, or rather 'villain', I was meant to be."
"Interesting way to look at things," Meijin said before clearing her throat, "I'll go next, nothing too big but my world discovered this weird evolving digital virus known as the Bugster Virus. Eventually they needed people to fight against it and I ended up being one of them. It wasn't the easiest but I managed to win in the end."
"Huh, so you're at the end of your fight," Keiji remarked, "Lucky."
"What can I say," Meijin chuckled at the remark while giving a shrug before looking over at Kagemi, "What about you? You look pretty unique for a Rider."
"Not much to say on my story, I was separated from my friends and met someone who helped me out," Kagemi said as she kept her story short but simple, "He hasn't quite fully gotten to his goals just yet, but after he helped me I returned the favor. And that also meant helping out a lot of other Kamen Riders."
"Really now, that sounds neat," Keiji said.
"I'm curious as to what Riders you've met," Mushi admitted.
"It'd honestly be too long of a story to tell which is why I settled for my abridged version," Kagemi admitted as she waved off the curiosity, "Lot's of chapters, some interludes here and there… way too much to be told."
"Right…" Keiji rolled her eyes.
"I suppose I'll go next," Kaen said since she figured that Kagemi was done sharing for the time being, "I'm not a Kamen Rider like you all, in fact I feel like my life wasn't really shaken up as much as yours. But my team and I basically got separated from everyone else after trying to evacuate a lot of people. We ended up on this strange planet and after a bit became a group of heroes known as the Power Rangers. Right now we're just traveling to different planets, trying to find a way home and helping out where we can."
Ruby had been curious and intrigued at all the stories, at least until she went silent at Kaen's. She suddenly began recalling the last minutes of what had happened to her and it being very, scarily similar. She did wonder if she had survived then where Blake and Yang could even be at the moment. But her worries also turned towards Weiss since she wondered if she had fallen as well, alongside wondering if anyone else had fallen. There was also the worry about Penny who was now a lot more vulnerable in her new state and Cinder was actively hunting them at the Central Location.
"Hey, Ruby, hey…"
"Huh?" Ruby looked over to see Kagemi had moved closer to her, "What's…"
"Are you okay?" Kagemi asked.
Ruby began to look around, noticing that everyone's eyes were on her. Admittedly while she didn't like the attention, it was definitely odder than it would be. Since the ones that she was receiving attention from was different variations of her.
"Uh yeah… just thinking about what I was doing before all this," she admitted as she quickly stood up and bowed, "Sorry if I don't have any kind of special story to tell, it's just I'm not really like you all, and if you'd please excuse me…"
The Riders and Ranger could only watch as Ruby quickly hurried off to the restroom.
"Poor kid," Keiji said, "She definitely seems to have been through a lot, I mean we all have, but her…"
"Her stress levels are unusually high," Kikai finally spoke up, "She also has not had proper rest or nutrition in a while either."
"I'd say we should fix up something for her," Meijin said before gesturing around, "But even if we did find something to eat, would it be safe?"
"Yeah, there's that issue," Mushi agreed, "For now we should just rest and let her have some time to herself."
"Some time alone for her would be good," Kagemi agreed, "Though we should check on her after a while."
"Some personal space sounds nice," Kaen admitted as she stood up and went to stretch, "I won't go too far but I could use some air to be honest."
"Mind if I join you?" Kagemi asked.
"By all means," Kaen replied, realizing this was her chance to get to the bottom of what was bothering her, "I figure we should probably be out in at least pairs if we go outside."
"Try not to stray too far from our hideout," Meijin called out as the Rider and Ranger began walking towards the front doors while simply waving before fully exiting, "Alright… anyone know any good ways to pass the time?"
"Tell more stories?" Keiji shrugged.
"Actually… I wanted to talk about Kagemi now that she's not here," Mushi admitted, "Anyone else feel suspicious of her?"
"Kikai and I had a similar conversation," Meijin replied, "Right Kikai?"
"Yes, it appears as though Kagemi is more aware of us than we realize," Kikai nodded.
"She did suddenly show up to finish up everything at the end," Keiji said as she crossed her arms, "Very conveniently…"
"Yes, but also she has to have been spying on us from before we met up," Mushi replied, "Purely because I met up with Kikai first. And no offense Kikai, but your headphones are kind of a giveaway for you not being normal."
"I figured," Kikai nodded, "But that is the only logical way for her to have figured Kikai was an appropriate name. Otherwise she would have gone with Okami or something of a similar sort due to my wolf theme."
"So you're suggesting she saw you two before you transformed," Meijin guessed, "And that she's been lurking this entire time?"
"Pretty much," Mushi nodded.
"Are you saying she saw you two before you transformed?" Meijin asked.
"Good, you figured it out too," Mushi replied, "She had to have been spying on us from before we all met up with each other."
"Well there's also the fact that she seems to have a lot more knowledge on Riders as well," Keiji added, "Especially with what little she gave us and how calm and collected she's acted around us, like she's already seen our armor or variations on it."
"Her meeting Riders similar to us would explain a few things," Kikai agreed.
"Yeah, and that was probably also how she was able to figure us out," Keiji added, "I don't want to exactly want to point fingers but…"
"She's the most suspicious of us, that's all there is to it," Meijin nodded, "We need to be wary of her, and see what we can get from Kaen about her after they come back."
"So you trust Kaen despite her not being a Rider and being the one that breaks the pattern?" Keiji asked, "What if they're in league?"
"Doubtful," Kikai replied, "Because there is another pattern breaker that isn't with us right now."
"You mean the Vanilla Ruby, right?" Meijin asked as Kikai nodded, "Yeah, I don't think being a different hero is enough to not trust someone."
"I'm sorry," Keiji let out a little snort, "Vanilla Ruby?"
"I mean she seems to be a Ruby without any extra additions," Meijin replied though with a slight giggle, "It's a common game term."
"It still seems a bit odd when you just say it out loud like that," Mushi admitted.
Kaen and Kagemi's walk had ended up going much farther than the restaurant they were all hiding away at. The two had made it towards a street that led towards the maze-like portion of the city.
"Alright," Kaen said as she glanced back at Kagemi, "We need to talk."
"Talk about what?" Kagemi asked with a raised brow.
"I think I know what's going on here," Kaen answered.
"You do?" Kagemi asked as she raised a brow.
"We were gathered here by a singular individual," Kaen replied, "And clearly whoever they are, they only wanted Ruby Roses. The Huntress is an odd one out, but all of us have unique Hero Powers one way or another."
"I'm following so far," Kagemi replied.
"Bring in the relentless horde that tried to overwhelm us, and it's clear that someone wanted us captured," Kaen said, "The question is…"
"Who did it," Kagemi continued for the Ranger, "And if we were already brought here, why try and capture us if we're already in a trap?"
"Likely whoever snagged us could only drag us somewhere and not fully capture us immediately," Kaen theorized as she began to pace around, "Now they're going to want to wear us down, especially since we have no clue on who even brought us here. This is especially the case since they have weird grunts that look similar to the White Fang."
"Yeah…" Kagemi nodded.
"That being said I know who the mastermind is," Kaen said though Kagemi didn't seem to remark in any sort of surprise, "They showed up in the nick of time, seem very curious overall, and just in general feel off…"
"Sounds like you're on the right track," Kagemi said, "Is what I'd like to say…"
"No I'm definitely on the right track," Kaen said as she held her gold glove-like device while gripping her hand tightly, fire beginning to erupt from it, "It's Morphin' Time, Omega Red Power!"
Fire erupted from Kaen as she turned, the flames bursting off to reveal her form as the Omega Red Ranger. The stray fires gathered in her hands as she formed her personal weapon.
[OMEGA ARRAY!]
Gripping her blade in both hands she swung downwards at Kagemi to not even give the Rider a chance at transforming.
[R-R-R-ROSE!]
A flash occurred as Kagemi now held the grip of the Roseiber, positioning the sword and allowing Omega Red's blade to clash with hers. However she began to twist and slip the blade around the Omega Array's while pushing it down further. As she did she slipped in a card as the blade shined a bright white, the flash momentarily blinding Omega Red.
[ATTACK RIDE: SHINE!]
A single slash was all it took, Omega Red standing still as her blade was aimed towards the ground. Kagemi held her blade in both hands, it aimed towards the ground as she had completed her counter.
THUD
Kagemi had stepped back and stood up straight as Omega Red fell to her hands and knees before falling onto her side while her transformation broke apart.
Kaen could only stare in a dazed fashion as she began to lose consciousness, not able to tell that Kagemi had begun walking away right after she had fallen. The Ranger could only slowly but surely black out, her vision blurring that she saw a black armored figure walking over towards her, its round red glowing eyes piercing through her as it stared down at her before leaning in closer as she fully blacked out.
Kagemi meanwhile walked away from the brief battle, dismissing the Roseiber as she prepared her Ziku Driver and walked towards the restaurant. She had a neutral expression on her face, showing no real reaction to what she had just done.
To Be Continued…
Author's Note: Yes, I decided to do my own variant on the Rider Time Zi-O/Decade duology. Considering those are kind of impossible due to how I handled Zi-O's TV Finale, I couldn't exactly directly adapt them for Gaiden ideas. But that's also why I had so many references to Decade Mansion's Death Game in Roze's main story. But this is my way to make up for the lack of Sougos by giving you all multiple Ruby Roses!
I'll probably get into reasons for which Riders I decided towards the end but this is the final roster after having a lot of candidates for alternate Ruby Riders. Ex-Aid and Dark Kabuto just fit well enough for me, Zero Drive was mostly a reference for the original concept of Roze, Naki was mostly a fun curveball to utilize as was Omega Red Ruby with her ties to Power Rangers and not Sentai. Roze is like, well obviously I'm going to use her, and of course tying in with more of the crazy concepts I figured utilizing the "canon" Ruby would also provide some interesting angles.
Speaking of interesting though… how's that for ending a chapter? And unlike past Gaidens this one's a bit more spread out so you won't be getting your answers as quickly as before. I look forward to the speculation so thanks for reading and I'll see you all next time.
Note Specifically for FF: So I'm sure you noticed the recent outage. Please remember I have a twitter that you can follow ZeroEnchiladas that gives you updates on when I post chapters. Mostly because I do cross-post to Ao3 and I did post on that site first since it was available. I also have a link to a community Discord if you want to chat with other readers or just receive updates that way since I do updates on there too.