The Future – Near and Far

Sougo sleeps off a fever and dreams of various futures. His friends watch over him.

The same destructive scene. Buildings fall around him as people run, until there are no one buildings and no more people.

What's left falls to ruin and he rises over it. He is the world's beacon, it's king. A statue commemorates him.

Those who support him have his blessing. Those who do not live as he wills them to.

And those before him, those who would subvert time itself to try to stop him… There is no future.

He can tell he still has a fever when he wakes up. Neither the headache nor congestion has lessened despite the medicine, and his first instinct is to roll over onto his side and cough into the blanket. The cough feels like a knife between the ribs, and it makes the moving black blur in the corner of his vision stop.

Sougo follows the blur to find Geiz standing in the doorway and staring down at him with a frown. He's holding a couple of Ridewatches in one hand.

"You look pathetic," Geiz informs him. Sougo forces a weak smile.

"I'm alright," he replies, though it's obviously a lie. He was alright two days ago when all he had was a dry scratchy throat. He was alright yesterday when he had a slight headache and a low-grade fever to accompany it.

Today, he has the flu and is not alright, and Geiz knows it.

"You sure you don't want to go back upstairs?"

"This is easier for my uncle," Sougo replies. He doesn't fall ill often, but when he does, Junichiro panics and hovers and insists that Sougo sleep it off on the couch while he relocates his work to the dining table and put up a bell and a "Ring for Service" sign on the register. He wouldn't hear it as easily upstairs.

Geiz shrugs, and mutters a "Suit yourself", but he still sneaks glances towards Sougo as he shoves the watches into his pockets.

"Are you heading out somewhere?" Sougo asks.

"Yes," Geiz replies, and after a hesitant pause adds, "We suspect a new Another Rider's appeared."

"What!" Sougo shoots upright at the words then winces and clutches his throbbing head as an intense wave of dizziness hits him. It doesn't pass, but Sougo ignores it and throws off the blanket. This is as far as he gets though, before Geiz stomps over and physically pushes him back down.

"I'm coming too," Sougo protests, but is too weak to even remove Geiz's arm from his shoulder.

"You're as useless as a sack of potatoes right now," Geiz snaps harshly.

"But—

"I'll take care of it. You need to sleep. It's ridiculous that an evil overlord could be brought down by a cold."

The flu is a tad less ridiculous than a cold, he thinks, but Sougo agrees, nonetheless. He gives up trying to remove Geiz's arm and sighs.

"Sorry…"

"Don't be meek. It's creepy," Geiz says bluntly, and finally takes away his hand.

"Sorry," Sougo apologizes again, less quietly this time. "Just be careful, alright? And call if you need help."

"I just said you…" Geiz trails off and shakes his head. "Forget it, I'm leaving."

He's in the doorway when Sougo starts coughing again. The sound freezes him in place. After it passes, Geiz doesn't turn around again, but Sougo can hear the concealed concern in his voice.

"Hey Zi-O, don't forget that I'm the only one allowed to defeat you," Geiz says. "So, hurry up and beat this stupid bug already."

He storms off before Sougo can respond, so Sougo isn't sure if he hears his "I will." As soon as Geiz is out of sight, Sougo closes his eyes and groans. Of all the times to get sick.

He closes his eyes and hopes when he next opens them, the fever will be gone.

There's a park. The sun shines overhead onto the glimmering city surrounding it.

The location is different, but it's still a familiar scene. Hot-blooded Geiz with his collar. Composed Tsukuyomi with her pure white shawl. Theatrical Woz, draping his scarf over his shoulder. Bumbling Uncle Junichiro tinkering with a stereo on a picnic blanket.

And Sougo. He's there with them, sidling between Geiz and Woz trying to keep the peace.

They're all older now. A few years have passed and they're still here.

They run around the area freely. There's no more tensions, no more monsters, no more time machines.

There's only the gentle summer breeze and the warm sun overhead…

The warm dreamscape turns into sweltering heat and shatters. Sougo is back on the couch, his mind a fog and his body heavy.

"Uncle," he calls out weakly. He hears a chair scrape across the floor, and footsteps, but the hand that brushes against his cheek is too small and smooth. Sougo cracks open one eye and is greeted with a black and white haze.

"You're burning up," the haze that turns into Tsukuyomi tells him, and retreats into the kitchen. Sougo hears the sounds of cupboards opening and running water before Tsukuyomi returns, carefully balancing a bowl of water. She sets it down on the floor next to the couch, and sits on her knees as she carefully dips a folded handkerchief into it.

She squeezes out the excess water, and carefully starts wiping down his face with the cool cloth. She does it a few times before setting a freshly dampened cloth onto his forehead. The cool water stings, but Sougo breathes a sigh of relief.

"Thanks," he whispers.

Tsukuyomi nods. "Your Uncle had to step out on an errand. He'll be back in a few hours," she explains. Her expression is stern, despite her gentle tone. "He made you some soup though. Do you want me to heat it up?"

Sougo shakes his head. As Tsukuyomi rises of the floor, Sougo notices the tablet left behind on the table. "Researching?" he asks.

Tsukuyomi glances in that direction, then brings the computer over. The graphics on the screen are a dizzying blur, but he recognizes the shapes to be people's photos. There's some text as well but it's blur.

"I'm trying to determine how the latest victims are all connected," Tsukuyomi explains.

Sougo nods. He thinks back to their past cases and wonders just how much work Tsukuyomi really puts in to figure some of those connections out. "How's the situation?"

Tsukuyomi's expression is unreadable. "Geiz encountered the new Rider, but it got away. He's patrolling now. Don't worry, he's alright."

Sougo nods, and tries to move closer to the edge of the couch. "That's good. Is there anything I can do? I know I can't go out and fight, but maybe I can help you?"

The slight raise in volume triggers a coughing fit, which leaves Sougo curled on his side.

"Don't worry about it," Tsukuyomi reassures him. "We'll take care of this. You just need to focus on getting better." What other answer could Sougo expect after that display? She carefully adjusts the blanket Sougo has partly thrown off in his fit and returns to her seat by the table. Sougo watches her scroll through the screen for a few moments, before she stops and turns back to him.

"If you need anything though, let me know alright?" she says.

"Yeah," Sougo says. He wants to go back to that dream, where all of them were laughing together. But despite the heaviness in his head, when he closes his eyes, sleep doesn't come. He tries rolling into different positions, but it doesn't help. Time seems to crawl to a stop, punctuated only by his raspy breathing.

"Tsukuyomi," he says, prompting her to turn around. "Do you think it's possible for us to have a peaceful future?"

"What are you talking about?" Tsukuyomi asks with a frown.

"I had a dream before," Sougo tells her. "You, me, Geiz, Woz, and Uncle were all together. There were no monsters or Dai Mazines… it was peaceful. We were running around and laughing together. Do you think after all of this is over, that's what our future will be like?"

Tsukuyomi doesn't say anything for a long time. Sougo is about to tell her not to worry about when she smiles slightly.

"I think it sounds like a nice dream," She agrees with a distant look in her eyes.

The Overlord of Time is dead.

His body lays in pool of water and blood, armor dented and chipped. Mask crushed completely.

His killer stands over him as someone heralds the new era.

Dark clouds hang overhead. The mechanized destroyers, stopped when the battle began, remain frozen in place.

A statue rises from the ground as the city morphs around it. It's the same statue that would commemorate Oma Zi-O's origins in another future.

The face on the statue belongs to…

Tsukuyomi is gone when he next wakes. A glance at the wall clock reveals that he was out for several hours this time and has slept through lunch. There's a gnawing emptiness in his stomach, but he's not entirely sure if it's hunger, or an anxious holdover from his dream. Hunger would be a good sign probably, but Sougo suspects the latter. He doesn't want to think about it though, and forces it out of his head.

The cloth on his forehead is almost dry now. The bowl of water has been moved to the kitchen table out of his immediate reach. He considers leaving it since he doesn't feel as awful now, but the cool water had really helped fight the fever's uncomfortable heat before. He grabs the cloth and makes a move to sit up.

Almost immediately, a hand gently presses down on his shoulder.

"Allow me, my Overlord," Woz says and takes the cloth from Sougo's hand before he can even process the sudden appearance. Woz strides over to the water bowl and dampens the cloth once more, as carefully as Tsukuyomi had done before. Unlike Tsukuyomi however, after squeezing out the excess water, he simply hands the cloth back to Sougo for him to replace himself.

The cold water feels good, and absently, Sougo wonders how it hasn't warmed up in all this time.

"So, it's Woz this time," he whispers with a small smile.

"Indeed it is," Woz agrees merrily and kneels down by his side with a glass of water in hand. Sougo accepts it gratefully.

"If you're here, then Tsukuyomi found what she needed," Sougo observes quietly. "How are things? Did Geiz stop the Another Rider?"

"My Overlord, please concern yourself the more important matter at hand," Woz replies.

"The Another Rider is the more important matter," Sougo begins but breaks off into a harsh cough. He wipes his mouth with his sleeve and looks up. "Woz, you'll help them, right?"

"To defeat the Another Rider, Geiz-kun would need the corresponding Rider Watch. It is hardly becoming of me to assist him in inheriting a power that is rightfully yours," Woz says, but Sougo must appear more miserable than he intends, as Woz sighs heavily. "However, if it were to put your mind at ease and hasten your recovery, I suppose I can check in on them periodically."

Sougo nods. He knows he can trust Woz with this. And he knows Woz wouldn't interfere if Geiz did obtain the right watch. He hopes they're alright out there. He wants so bad to go help them, but he knows all he can do is sleep and dream.

"Woz, this is just the flu, right?" he says suddenly, drawing his self-proclaimed retainer's attention. "There's nothing weird happening to me, right?"

"What prompts this question?"

"Just…some dreams, I guess." he explains. "One of them was me becoming Oma Zi-O so…" Sougo begins but trails off uncomfortably when Woz's face brightens. He doesn't want to say that wasn't the dream he'd just had because he doesn't want to think about that one.

"Ah, a premonition of your glorious ascension. On the day the Regulus star shines brightest and—

Another coughing fit interrupts Woz's prepared speech. He seems mildly put off for a moment, but then fetches another glass of water.

"We can pick this up another time," Woz says quietly, half to himself.

"Sorry?" Sougo offers weakly.

"To answer your question, my Overlord, I do not think this is anything more than a simple illness," Woz assures him. "History writes that you shall ascend on the Day of Oma, and your reign shall continue unimpeded for at least 50 years."

"Your written history has been wrong before," Sougo points out, his eyelids growing heavy again. He does not point out that the future Woz wants won't come to pass. He knows this is Woz's way of comforting him.

"A trifling setback," Woz says flippantly. "You have nothing to fear, my Overlord. Rest. I shall guard your sleep."

Woz's words radiate assured confidence. As Sougo drifts into sleep again, he decides the subsequent pacing he hears to be a trick of the fever.

There's an empty black room this time. A clock ticks in the distance, it's chime echoing across the room.

There's a path ahead of him straight and clear, framed in blue lights. The path to his future.

Behind him is another short route, blue lights surround it. The path to a future without him.

Fragments litter the other directions. A world untainted by time's machinations. A gauntlet of heroes. A future where machines reign supreme. A King down each road.

The scenes play and replay before him as he travels.

Voices echo around him. People he knows, people he'll meet.

There a cacophony of images and yells around him, urging him to go, to stop, to choose.

Pressured by them, he reaches…

Sougo's sweating when he wakes up. The lights are on and the windows reflect darkness revealing the nighttime faster than the clock can.

His heart races. He's not really sure what he's dreamed about this time, but his head is a heavy mess.

There's a chair in front of the couch now, and as Sougo groans as he tries to move, the figure sitting on it jolts slightly.

"Oh Sougo-kun, you're awake," Junichiro says gently, leaning over. "How do you feel?" He presses his hand to Sougo's forehead, and smiles. "Oh, I think your fever's going down. Good, good. You should still take it easy tomorrow, but I think you're past the worst of it."

"Y-yeah," Sougo agrees and sits up slightly. His body still feels like it's breaking, but perhaps a confirmation that his uncle is correct, his head feels a lot clearer now. "What time is it?"

"A little after 10," Junichiro answers, then frowns. "I'm sorry, we already had dinner. You were sleeping so peacefully that I couldn't bear to wake you. Oh, but I can heat something up for you."

"We…" Sougo repeats the word, then his eyes widen. "Geiz and Tsukuyomi! Are they alright?"

"What?" Junichiro is startled, but taking in his nephew's panic, places a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Did you have a nightmare? Don't worry, everyone's okay. Geiz-kun and Tsukuyomi-chan seemed a little tired at dinner though, so I told to them to get some sleep." He frowns suddenly. "Oh dear, I hope they're not coming down with the flu as well. Maybe I shouldn't have let them stay here with you."

His uncle seems deeply troubled by this oversight, unaware of Sougo's surfacing smile at the knowledge of their safe return home. "I wonder if we can set out some futons here," Junichiro mutters to himself. "Oh, that reminds me. Tsukuyomi-chan asked me to tell you things are settled. Do you know what she was talking about?"

Sougo feels another weight lifting from his shoulders and lets out a shaky relived breath. "Yes, I know," he answers, but doesn't elaborate to Junichiro's visible disappointment. "Thanks Uncle. I'm feeling a lot better now."

Junichiro cheers up immediately. "Thank goodness," he says brightly. "You looked so ill this morning. It tore me up inside to have to leave you. I'm so happy the others insisted on staying with you."

"They did?" Sougo asks. He remembers someone being there every time he woke up. But that had just been a coincidence, hadn't it?

"Yes, yes, your friends were all really worried," Junichiro insists. "Make sure you thank them when you have a chance."

Sougo nods slowly, still unsure of what to say. He'd seen their concern, but he hadn't thought they were taking care of him all day on top of dealing with the Another Rider.

Sougo's grip on the blanket tightens, a move that doesn't go unnoticed by Junichiro.

"What's wrong?" he asks. "Does something hurt?"

"No," Sougo breaths out, closing his eyes. "I just didn't even notice, that's all."

"That's alright. They said you were pretty out of it all day." Junichiro rubs his back soothingly.

"Yeah… I was pretty much just sleeping and dreaming," Sougo admits.

"Oh? Good dreams? Did you become a benevolent king?"

"Something like that," Sougo admits. "I had lots of dreams…they all felt like possible futures."

Dreams where he rose to power. Dreams where Geiz stopped him. Dreams where nothing happened, and he could have peaceful days with all his friends.

"Which is the real one, I wonder," Sougo ponders quietly.

Junichiro smiles, and squeezes Sougo's shoulder comfortingly as he lifts himself up.

"That's easy," he says warmly. "The real one is the one you choose to fight for."

Notes: Thanks for reading! :)

I have no clue where in the timeline this is supposed to be, but I wrote this after binging the first 28 episodes and I have no regrets! The plot is a little all over the place but I really love these characters! They have a really good dynamic 3 I hope I was able to capture it here :)
(This was written before Ep 30 aired though so Geiz and Woz still have their tension haha...I kinda miss it ^^")