Chapter Text
Patch Farmer's Market
The Patch Farmers Market attracted many people who wanted to buy fresh food items. The Rose-Xiao Long family often came here to buy some fresh food. However, that was not what seven-year-old Ruby Rose was worried about as she was on a mission. She looked under a nearby table and found nothing. She looked inside some bushes and found nothing. She climbed up a tree and found nothing, which was really bad as the branch she used to climb up in the first place broke, and now she couldn't get back down.
"Hey, kid! What are you doing up there?" cried a voice. Ruby looked down and spotted a man wearing a suit with a red tie and a white dress shirt underneath, with matching jeans and black shoes.
"I climbed up the tree, but the branch I used broke, and I can't get down! Can you help me?" the little girl asked. The man sighed before raising his hands and motioning for her to jump so he could catch her. The man thought she might be scared to jump, and he would have to convince her, but she surprised him by immediately jumping into his arms. The man gently set her down. "You jumped faster than I expected. I would have thought a kid your age would be scared jump from that height." The man comments
Ruby simply shrugs, " You seemed like you would catch me, and it's not like I would have gotten down by not jumping." The seven-year-old reasoned. The man raises an eyebrow at her logic. "What's your name, kid?" He asked. Ruby smiled up at him "My name is Ruby Rose, nice to meet ya. What's your's?" Ruby asked. The man nodded, memorizing the name "Shinosuke Tomari, Now, why were you up in that tree in the first place?" the man, now known to be Shinosuke, asked.
In response, Ruby pointed at a nearby stall where a little girl the same age as Ruby was crying, and her family seemed to be trying to comfort her. "That girl over there lost her cat, so I decided to help find the cat. I've been looking everywhere, under tables, inside bushes, and even asked some people nearby, but I found nothing! So I climbed that tree because I heard cats can sometimes end up in them, but it wasn't even there, so it was pointless." said Ruby, frustrated at her lack of result
Shinosuke raised an eyebrow. "Have you just been looking at random places and hoping to spot the cat?" Shinosuke asked. Ruby nodded in affirmation. Shinosuke sighed and shook his head. "You're not gonna find that cat by just randomly looking around. You have to think things through to find where the cat might have gone. Otherwise, you might be looking forever and not even find them."Shinosuke informs.
Ruby's eyes widened at the man's advice, and she thought over what he said. Suddenly, she sat down on the ground while crossing her legs and closing her eyes. She was tapping the side of her head, and the whole thing confused Shinosuke. "Um, what are you doing?" The man asked. Ruby remained as she was "I'm thinking of where the cat might have gone, like you said." Ruby answered.
Shinosuke thought this seemed over the top, but went with it. "Did the girl or her family give any information about the cat?" Shinosuke asked. Ruby hummed "They said the cat was a girl, had black fur, golden eyes, Oh, and she really loves fish and is attracted to flowers. They said they lost her while they were looking around for ingredients for their dinner. The girl said she lost track of them while looking at a booth near..." Ruby suddenly gasped before springing to her feet.
She excitedly looked at Shinosuke with stars in her eyes. "I think I might know where the cat is!" She exclaimed before rushing off. Shiosuke ran after "Oi, don't just run off!" Shinosuke called to her. Seeing her not hear him, Shinosuke sighed before running after her.
Patch Docks
The two ran all the way to the docks, where the fishermen would sell the fish they caught at sea. The silver-eyed girl looked around before spotting a large stall. Ruby rushed over to the stall and looked up at the man she knew as Mr. Bleu, a fisherman that her Dad and Uncle Qrow said they met years ago when they were on a mission with their team. "Excuse me, Mr.Bleu, can I see where you keep your fish?" Ruby asked the man urgently. Mr. Bleu raised an eyebrow at the random request. "Why would you want to see that?" Mr. Bleu asked. "There was a girl who lost her cat, and I think it might be around here somewhere." Ruby explains.
Ruby didn't wait for the man's reply and rushed inside to look for the cat. Shinosuke arrived and saw Ruby rummaging through one of the containers of fish. "Ruby, you can't just barge into someone's stall because you think the cat might be-"" I found the cat!" "-Eh?"Shinosuke is thrown for a loop at the girl's proclamation. Shinosuke and Mr. Bleu look in the crate and see a black cat in an empty crate with pieces of what they assume is the fish that were stored within. "It ate all the Salmon I was saving for everyone's dinner!" Mr. Blue exclaimed in dismay.
Shinosuke looked towards Ruby. "How'd you know the cat would be here, of all places? There's a bunch of other fish vendors here." Shinosuke questioned. Ruby gave a prideful smile to the man. "Well, I remembered how the girl said that she was looking for an ingredient for dinner, and she and her family faintly smelled like fish, so I figured they were here at some point. Cats love fish, and with a lot of stalls here, there were a lot of options to look for her. Then I remembered how they said she is attracted to flowers, and Mr.Bleu's stall always has pretty flowers for decorations from his wife's flower shop. So it seemed likely the cat would be more attracted to this stall than any other." Ruby explained.
Shinosuke and Mr. Bleu were astonished by the seven-year-old's astute thinking. While they were looking at Ruby in astonishment, A father with brunette hair wearing a tie with a white hare on it and a daughter with brunette hair wearing a jersey were walking nearby. The father looked at his daughter, concerned as she was holding a large amount of pots, pans, silverware, and assortments of food. "Uh, LJ, while I'm glad that you're helping me with shopping, don't you think you're carrying too much? We can just go pack this stuff in the car and come back when our hands are free." The father suggested. The girl was focusing solely on the many items she was carrying. "No way, if Luna can carry stuff like this, then so can I." She claimed. "Uh, wasn't Luna still under the effects of that serum your sister accidentally gave her?" The father questioned. The girl wasn't able to reply as she tripped over a rock and fell, the many items dropping to the floor loudly.
The sound startled the cat, who leaped out of the crate and hit one of the stall's support legs, the vibrations causing a large hanging flower pot to drop. Ruby saw that it was going to drop on the cat and instinctively tried to shield the cat with her body. She held the cat close and shut her eyes, preparing for the pain the pot would bring her. When she noticed that she didn't feel any pain, she opened her eyes and looked up to see why that was the case. She saw Shinosuke holding the heavy-looking potmere inches above her head, having caught it before it could hit her.
Mr.Bleu rushed over and helped Shinosuke with the pot. Once that was done, Mr. Blue let out a sigh. "I knew I should've listened to Fuchsia when she told me not to use the big pots from her flower shop as decorations. Are you two okay?" the fisherman asked. Shinosuke nodded "Don't worry, I'm fine." said Shinosuke. Ruby nodded as well, still holding the cat in her arms. "I'm okay too, and so is the kitty." Ruby said. Mr. Bleu let out a sigh of relief. "That's good, would not have wanted to get pummeled by yer father for you getting hurt." Mr. Bleu said half jokingly. Ruby giggled at the man's words while Shinosuke stared at the girl, what she had done earlier replaying in his mind.
Patch Farmer's Market
The little girl from before was hugging the cat with tears in her eyes. "Oh, Arryn, I'm so glad that you're okay!" the little girl said, happy that her cat had been returned. She looked at a smiling Ruby and Shinosuke. "Thank you both so much for returning her to me." She thanked the two. Shinosuke lightly chuckled "If anything, Ruby did most of the work, I just gave her a bit of guidance." said Shinosuke.
The cat owner heard her father calling her. "I have to go, thanks again for finding Arryn," she said before running to her family, the cat held in her arms. Ruby smiled at the happy girl before her stomach started to growl. Ruby looked embarrassed while Shinosuke chuckled at her and spotted a crêpes stand nearby. "Hey Ruby, how about a snack as a reward for finding the cat?" Shinosuke suggested while pointing to the crêpes stand. Ruby's eyes lit up with joy
Later, Shinosuke and Ruby were sitting at a secluded part of the farmers' market while sitting on a tree log. Ruby was happily eating her crêpe while Shinosuke looked around at the spot Ruby led him to. "This is a pretty quiet place compared to the rest of the farmer's market." Shinosuke commented. Ruby nodded. "Yeah, my Uncle Qrow took me and my sister here once. Said a quiet spot like this was better for his hangover, whatever that means." said Ruby, not noticing how Shinosuke froze for a moment.
Shinosuke clears his throat and attempts to change the subject. "Uh, so Ruby, I've been wondering something. Why is it that you jumped to protect that cat? You could've gotten hurt?" Shinosuke asked. While he meant for this to change the subject, he was genuinely curious. Ruby swallowed the food in her mouth before speaking. "Well, the pot would have really hurt the kitt,y and as a future huntress, I couldn't let that happen." Ruby said confidently.
Shinosuke raised an eyebrow. " A huntress?" Shinosuke questioned. Ruby nodded vigorously "Yeah, my Mom, Dad, and Uncle Qrow were Huntsmen and Huntresses, and I wanted to be one too. Going on awesome missions, stopping bad guys, rescuing people, it's awesome!" She yelled enthusiastically. Shinosuke hummed in thought, for a seven-year-old, that reason would be expected. However, Shinosuke could feel in his gut that there was more to it. "And is that your only reason for becoming a... huntress?" Shinosuke questioned. Ruby paused mid-bite, before staring at the ground. "...To be honest, that's part of it. However, I'd say the biggest reason I want to be a huntress is..."Ruby Rose then confided in Shinosuke the reason for her goal.
When Ruby finished speaking, Shinosuke's eyes widened. After hearing Ruby's words, he started to see himself in the young girl. No, more than that, he saw the potential to be more than himself in the silver-eyed girl. Shinosuke looked to the sky. "Heh, now I see what you meant, Zi-O, but you're gonna have to convince more than just me. Then again, you probably already have." Shinosuke muttered. Ruby looked towards Shinosuke, not quite hearing what he said. "What was that?" She asked
Shinosuke chuckled. "Don't worry about it. More importantly..." Shinosuke trailed off as he stood up and dug through his coat. He took out a strange item and offered it to Ruby. "Should a certain someone agree to it, I would like to make you, Ruby Rose, my successor as the next Kamen Rider Drive." Shinosuke proclaims. Ruby is confused by the offer but takes the item from Shinosuke. The Item seems reminiscent of a clock. Seeing that it had a dial, Ruby turned it before pressing the button.
~DRIVE~
The device began to shine a light so bright that Ruby had to cover her eyes. When the light faded and she opened her eyes, she saw that there were three strange items in place of the weird clock device. There was a strange brace of sorts on her wrist, in the palm of her left hand, there was a red miniature car, and finally, in her right hand, there was a strange belt. Oddly enough, it almost seemed like the belt was looking at Shinosuke fondly.
Before Ruby spoke up, something unexpected (to her) happened. "It is good to see you again, Shinosuke." The belt said. Ruby jumped in surprise. "Did this belt just talk!?" She questioned. Shinosuke chukled. "It's good to see you, too. Ruby, this is Mr. Belt, an old and close friend of mine. Mr. Belt, the girl that is holding you right now is-" Shinosuke started before Mr. Belt interrupted him. "Ruby Rose, a young girl who aims to become a huntress." Mr. Belt stated. Shinosuke and Ruby looked stunned, though Shinosuke's shock only lasted a second before he let out a knowing chuckle. "So he spoke to you, too." Shinosuke stated rather than asked.
Mr. Belt nodded, something Ruby found bizarre for a belt. " Yes, I was hesitant on the idea, but let's just say Zi-O was rather convincing." Mr. Belt said cryptically. Mr. Belt then looked towards Ruby, which slightly startled her. "It's nice to meet you, Ruby Rose. I've seen your potential, and with the proper guidance, I believe you could excel." said Mr. Belt. Ruby lightly blushed in embarrassment at the light praise. "I don't know about that-WAIT, that's not important!" Ruby cuts herself off.
Ruby looks back and forth between Shinosuke and Mr. Belt. "How is this belt talking!? What do you mean by your successor!? And is that miniature car doing donuts along a tree stump?!" Ruby rapidly questions before pointing at the miniature car that she knows for certain was in her left palm a minute ago, who was indeed doing donuts along a tree stump. Mr. Belt lightly chuckled. "There is much to explain, but I have a feeling Shinosuke won't be here long enough for me to finish." Mr. Belt said before looking towards Shinosuke.
Shinosuke rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, Kiriko hates it whenever I'm late for dinner and I'm not on a case. Besides, with you by her side, I have no doubt Ruby will be in good hands." Shinosuke said, smiling, though with a touch of regret, that he had to say goodbye to his old friend so soon. Mr. Belt could see this as well. "We'll meet again someday, Shinosuke, this I know." Mr. Belt said confidently. Shinosuke smiled at the statement before looking towards Ruby. "It's your turn to get behind the wheel, Ruby. I can't wait to see how far you'll go." Shinosuke stated.
Before Ruby could think, she heard her father's familiar voice. "RUBY, where are you?!" he called frantically. Ruby's eyes widened with fear. "Oh no, I forgot I ditched Yang and Dad to go help find the cat. I'm going to be in so much trouble." Ruby lamented. She looked at Shinosuke to ask for advice, but he was no longer there. She scanned around but saw no sign of him. "Do not worry, it's just as I said, we'll meet him again someday, that goes for you too." Mr. Belt reassured her. Ruby stared at the spot where Shinosuke was, feeling comforted by Mr. Belt's words, before walking to the stump and picking up the miniature car. "Oh, that reminds me, you can probably already guess this, but you're going to need to keep me and Speed a secret." Mr. Belt stated. Ruby stared at Mr. Belt for a moment before exclaiming loudly, "EH, EVEN FROM YANG?!"
Border of Patch
Shinosuke was currently on the phone with someone. "Yeah, yeah, don't worry, I'll be there before dinner. I'm on my way now." Shinosuke states. The person on the other line speaks. "Yeah, I wasn't sure before, but now I know that Ruby will make a better Drive than I was, especially with Mr. Belt by her side." Shinosuke said confidently, looking up at Remnant's sky, the sky of the planet that will someday see the arrival of the next Drive.
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An: Hey, everyone, Dragon here with the prologue to Drive Type Rose! I am really on fire lately and I'm hoping to keep it going. There is not a lot to say since it's only been a few days since my last post, and I don't have much to announce, so I'm just gonna wrap it up her. Thanks so MuCh For Whdgfj dfcjeficuhv 1010 01fj-
"Mwehehehe, You may not have anything to announce, but I certainly do."
"You think we were gonna let Little Red hog all the attention?"
"Well, think again, after all, she's not the only Rider"
Lupin, The Trickster Kamen Rider
"Never saw it coming, did ya?"