Oscar sits on a red armchair, nervously looking at the members of the team fawn over him.
"Did he age backwards?" Nora asked.
"He's possessed!" Jaune said.
"Or reincarnated!" Ren guessed.
"Oh! Isn't it weird?" Ruby asked.
"It is very weird, yes" Oscar agreed.
"Okay, okay" Qrow and Dante emerge from the kitchen after discussing a few things, Qrow holding a cup in his hand "Let's all just take a second and remember that this is very overwhelming for everyone".
The Team all step back together and nervously chuckle.
"Thanks" Oscar said as Qrow then takes a seat on the couch next to him. Ruby, and Nora have taken a seat on the couch perpendicular to Qrow's, while Jaune and Ren remain standing. Oscar then shares a brief look with Ruby, who giggles, causing Oscar to blush "Ah, sorry! It's just I've never really met Huntsmen and Huntresses before".
"Well, uh... we've never met a person with two souls! So, first times all around" Ruby said.
Oscar took the hint, smiles and chuckles at them, before he hears Qrow clear his throat "Not to break up the whole 'getting-to-know-you' game, but we need to have a talk. Mind showing us your little parlor trick, kid?".
Oscar groans "Yeah, okay. Just so you know, I'll still be here".
The members of the team look at him in confusion. Oscar then lowers his head and closes his eyes. Suddenly, a green and white aura shines from his body for a moment, Oscar opens up his eyes, which are now glowing, and he smiles. When he speaks, they all hear a familiar voice overlapping with a bunch of other voices, including Oscar's "It is so very good to see you again, students".
All of the team share brief looks of confusion. Jaune was the first to speak "Wait, what just happened?".
"Professor... Ozpin?" Ren asked
"Correct. And though I may be the one speaking, Oscar is still present mentally. He's merely handed over the control, so to speak. I'm afraid this all must be very perplexing" Ozpin said.
"And alarming, and bizarre, and just really kind of hard to believe overall!" Nora voiced everyone's thoughts.
Ozpin chuckles "It's good to see you children still have your sense of humor. I know you've all been through tremendous hardship already. I'm sorry".
"I mean, it's not your fault" Ruby tried to assure.
"But it's actually all my fault" Ozpin said and as he continues to speak, Qrow gets up and goes back to the kitchen to get something "I told you once that I made more mistakes than any man, woman, and child on this planet, and I wasn't exaggerating. I'm... cursed. For thousands of years, I've walked the surface of Remnant, living, dying, and reincarnating in the body of a like-minded soul. The Professor Ozpin you all met was not my first form, and clearly wasn't my last. It's... an extraordinarily strenuous process on everyone involved".
"So who… what… are you?" Jaune asked.
"I am the combination of countless men who've spent their lives trying to protect the people of Remnant" Ozpin began to explain as Qrow walks back into the room and hands him a cup of tea "With every rebirth, my soul is eventually merged with another and I am changed, but my memories stay with me. This curse was bestowed upon me by the gods because I failed to stop Salem in the past. But we must stop her now".
"So, basically, the suckiest life ever." Dante concluded.
"And how do we do that?" Ruby asked.
"We start… by ensuring the safety of the Relic of Knowledge" Ozpin declared.
…
At night, Weiss awakens to find herself trapped in a cage and her wrists bound by rope. She looks around, and notices the bandits from earlier that took her. One of them is drinking, while the other notices Weiss waking up "Well, well, well, look who's awake".
"Wha… what's going on? Where am I?" Weiss asked.
"You know..." Vernal emerges from her tent "I never thought I'd see a Schnee in this camp".
"Vernal!?" The two bandits suddenly stand at attention. Vernal walks over to Weiss' cage, holding Myrtenaster in her hand. Weiss stands up, while her captor admires her weapon.
Weiss glares at her "What do you want?".
"Straight to the point. I like it. We don't normally deal in trafficking people, not really worth our time. But, once we realized we had a Schnee, that changed" Vernal said as she points Weiss own weapon at her.
"You're going to ransom me back to my father, is that it?" Weiss asked, her glare growing.
"It's a shame you're a Schnee. You'd probably do quite well around here" Vernal commented.
"I would never sink to your level" Weiss said with spite.
Vernal's expression then changes to a frown "Just keep quiet and cooperate and you'll be back in your mansion before you know it" She starts walking away from Weiss' cage "Don't make this complicated".
"What's going to make this complicated is when my sister finds out I didn't make it to Mistral. You know my sister, don't you? Winter Schnee? Special Operative of the Atlas Military? She's in Mistral now, and when she hears I'm missing, it won't take her long to find me and you" Weiss said with a smirk. But suddenly, the bandits start laughing, much to Weiss' surprise "What's so funny?
Vernal turns back around. She then said "I am afraid your sister pulled out a long time ago after Atlas closed itself off from the rest of the world".
Weiss looked shocked, but then remembered her new ally: "Well, there's also V with me. I'm sure he won't be quite pleased when he finds me in a cage."
"Oh, he's here too, but our leader wanted to speak with him personally." Vernal chuckled, "I'm tempted to see what will happen to him."
Sure enough, as Vernal and Weiss were talking, V sat in Raven's tent across from her. Both held cups of tea as they spoke.
"She's just trying to get to Haven" V argued, "I see no need for your current treatment of her."
"If you were in my position, you would understand, V" Raven replied, "Or should I even call you that…Vergil."
V simply chuckled: "Very perceptive of you."
Raven narrowed her eyes: "It was surprising enough when I learned your brother was here, but you as well…"
"Things are intensifying more than you realize. The Night Sentinels are amassing and the Slayer is preparing to cross over."
"I thought he was unable to. Salem made sure of it."
"What Salem doesn't realize is that there's another who can open it. One that she created and one she has been desperately trying to get rid of, yet even now, the shield of Fate lies over him.
Raven slowly widened her eyes as she realized what he meant: "He's still alive…"
…
"This is perfect! We were stuck at a dead end, but now, we can just take little cute boy Ozpin to Lionheart and have him set things straight!" Nora said in excitement
"Please don't call me that" Ozpin said, not amused.
"We're not sure that's the best idea" Qrow said.
Nora pouts and groans and goes back to sit down next to Ruby and Dante as Ren spoke "But I thought the headmasters all took their orders from you".
"That was the intention. Four lieutenants I can trust, especially during times of reincarnation. But Qrow told me about your meeting with Leonardo" Ozpin said as he gets up and walks towards a painting of Mistral "He isn't just behaving irrationally; he's disobeying specific instructions I had left him. Something's wrong. I don't want to jump to conclusions, but I don't want to rule out any possibilities, either. No one outside of this room knows that I've paired with Oscar, and I think it may be best to keep it that way".
"Play things close to the chest until we get a better hand" Qrow summed up.
"I guess I can get behind that plan for now." Dante added.
"Precisely. Now, we have two steps ahead of us" Ozpin turns around to face the rest of the group "The first is enlisting the aid of more Huntsmen".
"But the Mistral council-" Ren began
"Doesn't own every Huntsman in the Kingdom, and Dante and I've been here enough times to know where we can find some more" Qrow said.
"So long as they're trustworthy" Ozpin said.
"You can trust them to put up a good fight. I'll throw together a list tonight" Qrow puts his foot on the table, but his Semblance causes one of the legs to break and spill his cup of tea.
"Good luck with that" Nora said as Qrow groans as he cleans up his mess.
"After that, we can move on to step two" Ozpin spoke.
"What's step two?" Nora asked.
Suddenly, Ozpin has his cane in hand "Getting you five into fighting shape".
The Team once again exchange looks of confusion.
"But, uh, we already know how to fight" Ruby pointed out.
Ozpin points to Ruby "You can only fight so long as you have Crescent Rose, but you're still lacking in hand-to-hand combat".
"Well, uh, yeah" Ruby admitted.
Ozpin then points to Jaune "Mr. Arc, I'm glad to hear you've improved, but sorry to say, you've yet to unlock your Semblance" He steps back "All of you still have a-ways to go before you're ready to pose any real threat against Salem and her forces. And though Oscar can give me temporary control, he'll need to strengthen his body and his Aura. He'll inherit my muscle memory in time, but practice will expedite the process".
"But if Qrow's out looking for Huntsmen, then who's going to teach us?" Ruby asked.
Ozpin then propels himself into the air with his cane, spinning counterclockwise into a barrel roll before landing onto the seat of the armchair, twirling his cane "Well, I believe I was the headmaster of Beacon Academy".
"And don't forget about me" Dante said, "I learned under Oz here, so I think I can give you some good pointers."
All of The teens have various looks on their faces.
"We have approximately one month before classes resume at Haven. If Salem were to plan an attack, it would make sense that it would occur prior to students' return. It's not much time, but it's better than nothing" Ozpin stops twirling his cane "Just don't expect me to go easy on you".
Suddenly, he glows green and white again, switching control back to Oscar. He has a hard time keeping his balance on the armchair before falling backwards. Oscar groans at that "You've gotta be kidding me".
…
Yang has spent days searching for a special person. During the trip she met a Shady Man who said he would help her. Right now she is riding Bumblebee with the Shady Man through a forest in Anima. Julius was nowhere to be seen; he had oddly disappeared when Yang met the guy.
"How much further, pal?" Yang asked.
"This should just about do it" The Shady man said. Yang stops her bike at a clearing "You wait here. I'll go up ahead and make sure the coast is clear".
The Shady Man dismounts from the bike and runs into the bushes. Yang shakes her head in annoyance and discards her sunglasses, sleeve and coat tails before stretching a little. Suddenly, someone pulls the trigger of a gun and Yang blocks the shot with her arm. The Shady Man reappears with several bandits in tow.
The Shady Man smirks "I can't believe you were dumb enough to let me lead you here".
The bandits present all have their weapons drawn at Yang.
"Is this everyone?" She asked.
The Shady Man chuckles "Yes, little lady. This is it. Well, unless you count the whole rest of the camp back that way".
He gestures behind him with his thumb. Yang points a finger in the same direction "That way?".
The Shady Man grunts in confusion and looking at his tribe mates first "Yes. That way".
"Good to know. Thanks" Yang said.
"Now to pay me back for this tooth, we're going to take your bike. And you're going to take your lumps" The Shady Man punches his fist as he says this.
Yang engages Ember Celica on her left arm. The bandits get cautious and keep their weapons trained on her.
The Shady Man aims his gun "You got the jump on me last time, sweetheart. But you really ought to think twice about fighting all-" He cuts off when Yang engages the gun on her robotic arm. The rest of the bandits gasp "Alright... Get her!".
Before the bandits could charge, Yang says: "And what would Julius think if he learns you attacked his sister."
This causes the bandits to stop almost immediately; even the Shady Guy freezes, a look of surprise on his face. However, he quickly shakes it off: "Whatever, you're bluffing. If you knew Julius, he would be here. Get her!"
The first bandit decides to rush her with his bayonet outfitted rifle but Yang kicks at his legs to knock him off balance and punches him into the ground. A second bandit tries her with his machete but she dodges with a cartwheel in order to kick his arm away and doges another swipe before kicking him away. She then uses her prosthetic to block a volley of shots from a group of bandits firing their rifles, before proceeding to kick off another machete-wielding bandit to backflip and knocking all the rifle-wielding bandits down with a twirling kick. A female bandit tries to engage Yang in hand-to-hand, but she is knocked down with her prosthetic.
Yang uses her metal arm again to block a strike from another machete bandit, before uppercutting him with said arm. Yang then steps on the Shady Man's foot, knocking him to the ground, before Yang delivers a left twirling kick to a trio of bandits that try to attack her from behind. As Yang tosses another bandit to the ground, the Shady Man gets back up and fires his pistol at Yang, though she dodges the shot. She knocks out the two remaining bandits before using her Ember Celica to project herself toward the Shady Man. The Shady Man, out of bullets, uses the blade on his pistol's handle to try and slash at Yang as she gets closer, but Yang uses her left Ember Celica to twirl over him, before she uses her prosthetic to deliver a powerful strike that knocks the Shady Man into another bandit that got back up, only to be knocked down again. With all the bandits down, the fight is over.
After the fight, Yang's left hand is shaking once again, but she calms herself down before walking back to her motorcycle.
The Shady Man is coughing as he struggles to get up "Who are you? It doesn't even matter. When Raven finds out what you did, you're dead!".
Suddenly, a second motorcycle appears out of nowhere and slams into Shady Guy, sending him sprawling. As he groans and looks up, he sees Julius walk up and look down at him with a smug grin.
"You did say I would be here, right?" Julius asked before walking over to join Yang.
The Shady Man's eyes widen in recognition as he groans "I'm so dead" before passing out.
…
Oscar and Ruby are training hand to hand combat whilst Dante, Jaune, Nora and Ren are looking on.
"Man, Oz wasn't kidding. Oscar's picking up on this stuff fast" Jaune said.
"It's impressive, for sure."
Oscar hits Ruby straight in her face. Ruby recoils from the blow and looks visibly angry.
"Oh my gosh. I'm so sorry!" Oscar said before Ruby hits him back and he lands a few feet away on ground as Jaune and Nora wince.
"Ha! Yes! I did it!" Ruby said but her brief moment of cheering is replaced with concern as she looks back "Oscar?".
"You forgot to engage your Aura, again" Ozpin spoke inside Oscar's head.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Oscar demanded
"Because this method makes you less likely to forget" Ozpin said and Oscar groans as gets to his feet "Mind if I give it a shot?".
Oscar stiffens briefly while his eyes glow in a yellow light "Not bad, Miss Rose. But Oscar doesn't have the years of training that you do. Or I do".
Oscar's body shimmers green as Ozpin engages their Aura. Jaune and Nora realize what Ruby is in for. Oscar determinedly approaches Ruby.
Ruby backs up nervously "Oh, ha, well, maybe we should uh... take a break".
Ozpin attacks Ruby with a few punches aimed at her head, forcing her onto the defensive until he lands a blow to her face which knocks her back several feet. Ozpin closes the gap with a leap and kicks her in the face. Ruby leaps at Ozpin to throw a left cross which Ozpin evades by ducking and retaliates with a headbutt from below.
"Ouch" Nora said.
"The next time you want to throw a left cross, remember to push off with the appropriate foot. And as always, do be aware of any openings" Ozpin said.
"Gooooot it" Ruby said in a strained voice as she sits up.
Ozpin relinquishes his control and Oscar falls to the ground, panting
Ruby asked "Oh! Hey. Are you okay?"
"How is this so exhausting?" Oscar asked
Ren who was meditating near the wall spoke "Your body isn't used to this kind of training, not to mention generating a defensive Aura on your own. It takes intense concentration at first, but in time it will become second nature, allowing you to deflect attacks and gradually heal your wounds. After that, you can begin focusing on your Semblance, whatever that may be".
"Semblance?" Oscar asked
"You know! Like your very own superpower! Everybody's got one. It's just a matter of finding it and mastering it. Ruby moves super-fast, Electricity makes me stronger, Ren can mask emotions, Lena can control her time and Jaune... can, uh, um. Hmm" Nora remembered Jaune had not unlocked his semblance yet.
"I can't do anyth-" Jaune began but Ruby's voice stopped him
"Jaune's like you!" Ruby takes Oscar by the hand and leads him over to Jaune, "He hasn't found his Semblance yet, but we all know he will. And you will, too. We all just have to try and help each other get stronger".
"Cool" Oscar said.
"A common philosophy is that a warrior's Semblance is a part of who they are. Some say your personality and character can define your Semblance while some claim that it is the other way around. Of course, there are still many who don't see a connection at all" Ren said.
"It's hard to know when you know sometimes. Ren's Semblance was unlocked from intense stress" Nora said.
"And mine kicked in during training one day" Ruby added.
Oscar looks at Nora "And what about you?".
"Oh. Struck by lightning. Didn't die. Craaaazy Thursday" Nora answered.
"Oh..." Was all Oscar could say.
"I just don't understand what's wrong with me. I train. I meditate" Jaune said.
Oscar's eyes glow momentarily as Ozpin takes control of his body again "Don't worry, Mr. Arc. Your journey is far from over. And the same might be said for all of you. Unlocking your Semblance isn't the end. It can still grow and evolve. Providing you're willing to put in the work, who knows what could happen".
Ruby smiles "Then let's get back to it".
…
Yang and Julius finally enter the camp, escorted by a few bruised bandits who Yang had roughed up earlier. She notices more bandits lining up along the path, giving angry glares at her, only to back away in shock when they saw Julius glaring back at them. Vernal steps out of her tent to see what the commotion is about. The two bandits guarding Weiss Schnee are playing cards with each other, before joining the rest of their tribe to see Yang walk in. Weiss notices this and once again summons a small Arma Gigas, who begins to get to work on freeing her from her confinement. Yang and her escorts arrive at the camp's main tent. Raven emerges from it with her mask on.
Julius nudged Yang forward: "All yours."
Yang nodded and stepped forward: "Mom"
Raven removes her mask "Yang. So, after all this time you finally decided to visit me".
Yang feels her left hand shaking once again, but she uses her robotic hand to calm it down "You know that I searched for you. I spent years looking for you".
"And you've found me. You were patient, determined, and strong enough to make your dream a reality. Well done, Yang. But did you have to be so rough with my men?" Raven asked though the smile on her face clearly told she was not upset about it
"I didn't want a fight. They started it" Yang said.
"Well, you certainly finished it" Raven said before silence loomed over them for a few moments "Right. I'm sure this is all very overwhelming. But I must admit that you've proven yourself. So any questions you have I'll be happy to answer. You can stay with us tonight. I'll even have the cooks whip up something for you".
"That's not why I am here" The bandits react to Yang's irreverence.
"What was that?" Raven asked, her face changing from happy in to a frown.
"I'm not here for you. Ruby is somewhere in Mistral. She's with Qrow, and she's going to need my help. I just need you to take me to her" Yang said.
"And why would I do that?" Raven asked.
"Because we're family" Yang said simply.
Raven scowls, and mutters "Family. Only coming around when they need something" She looked back up "I have to say, I'm disappointed. After all, you found me, didn't you? Why not take that drive and use it to find your little sister if she means that much to you?".
"Because you're going to save me time. Ruby was heading to Mistral, but there's no guarantee she's made it there. Looking for her in Anima could take ages. But... Dad told me how your Semblance works" Yang said.
Raven mutters under her breath "Tai..."
"You can bond to certain people. And when you do, you could create a portal that takes you straight to them. You've got one for Dad. One for me. And you've got one for Qrow. He promised me he'd watch out for Ruby before he left. And I trust him. So, make a portal to my uncle and sister, and I'll be on my way" Yang explained.
Raven looks over at Julius: "I suppose you, one of my tribe's finest fighters, is on the same page and not here to stay."
Julius chuckled: "The guilt tripping ain't gonna work. And yes, I am going with Yang, but it is nice seeing you guys again."
Raven simply looked at Julius with a stone faced expression before turning back to Yang.
"You know, it takes real strength to march in here and demand such a favor of me. I've got to say, I'm impressed. It's very noble to want to help out your sister. But if she's with Qrow, then she's already a lost cause"
"What does that mean?" Yang demanded
"You don't want to get mixed up in all of that, Yang. Ozpin is not the man you think he is. And Qrow is a fool for trusting him. I would know, I trusted him once, too" Raven said.
"I don't care what you think" Yang said, clearly not interested in her mother's problems.
Vernal, holding Myrtenaster, looks on disdainfully, and places her right hand on her hip.
"Your choice is your own. All I'm suggesting is that instead of getting wrapped up in something too big for you, for any of us, that maybe you take a moment to wonder if you're already where you belong" Raven said.
"Save your breath. You can spout off whatever you want, but nothing is going to keep me from my sister" Yang declared.
"Well, aren't you stubborn" Raven said.
"I get it from my mom" Yang replied. Julius nodded agreement in the back; he could totally see the connection.
"Well, if that's how you feel, then it sounds like we're done here. Take her away" Raven said as she turned around.
The bandits surround and begin to move in on Yang. Yang sees this, before turning her head back to Raven "Did you not hear me?" Raven turns back around before she can enter her tent "I said send me to Qrow, damn it!" Yang's eyes turn red as she spouts her last statement.
"That's enough! You watch your mouth in front of our leader!" One of the bandits snapped as some of the bandits tense up behind him.
"Make me" Yang said in a deadly tone. As the first bandit approaches, Julius whips out one of his revolvers and aims it at the bandit's face: "Try it. I dare you."
Bandit Two tries to attack Yang, only for Yang to punch him into a tent, revealing Weiss in her cage.
"Yang?" Weiss asked in surprise, "Julius?"
"Weiss?" Yang and Julius asked in unison, equally surprised.
Everyone else present is surprised that the three know each other.
"Alright, well, subtlety is out" Weiss said to herself before turns to her miniature Arma Gigas and makes it grow, destroying the cage in the process. She quickly makes her way towards Yang, with the now giant Arma Gigas following close behind.
"What is that?" Yang asked, looking at the large knight.
"If it's good for smashing, I don't care what it is." Julius said.
"Don't worry about it. What are you doing here?" Weiss asked.
Yang gestures to Raven "Well, that's my mom and she can take us to Ruby. Julius helped lead me here."
Weiss had an incredulous look on her face "Your mom kidnapped me?!"
Yang looks Raven "You kidnapped her?!".
Julius gave Raven a look of both shock and frustration: "Really?!"
Yang, Weiss and her summon turn and run to fight the bandits, but a bolt of lightning strikes the ground in front of them, stopping them in their tracks.
She then looks at Vernal "Give the girl her weapon back" Vernal looks surprised at the command, then tosses Myrtenaster to Weiss "You two. In my tent. Now".
"Why?" Yang demanded
"If you're really going after your sister, then you need to know the truth" Raven enters her tent and the bandits go back to their own businesses. Weiss places her hand on her chest in relief.
"Sorry about-" Yang began until suddenly, Weiss drops Myrtenaster and strongly hugs Yang.
"I missed you so much" Weiss said with tears in her eyes.
"I've missed you, too" Yang puts her hand on the back of Weiss' head and hugs back. The two girls remain embraced.
Julius coughed to get their attention: "Um, I'm here too."
"Oh don't think I forgot about you" Weiss said before going to embrace him as well, "I thought you were dead."
"Nah, I don't die that easily." Julius said.
Weiss smiled: "I used our song by the way. At one of my father's parties back in Atlas. I sang the song you and I made."
Julius raised his eyebrows: "Did you now?"
Weiss nodded: "Thank you."
"JULIUS!" said another girl's voice as Julius was suddenly tackled by an incredibly fast moving object, revealed to be a cat faunus with chocolate brown skin, darker brown hair done back in a braid, and both light brown cat ears and a tail.
It took a few seconds for Julius to recognize who had tackled him: "Katrina?"
Yang got a puzzled look: "Uh, who is this?"
Julius quickly pushed the bandit faunus off of her before getting back up: "Yang, this is Katrina, one of my friends from here in the tribe. Kat, this is my sister, Yang, and my friend, Weiss."
Katrina eagerly shook Yang and Weiss's hands: "It's soooo great meeting you two!"
"Likewise" Yang said.
"Well, Raven's called the three of us to her tent, so we'll talk more later. Alright?" Julius said.
Katrina looked back, "Oh, sure. Don't want to disappoint Raven now. Well, catch you guys later!" she said before taking off in a cloud of dust; her semblance kicking in.
"She's fast too?" Weiss asked herself, "Interesting."
"I'm starting to see how you were able to handle Ruby back at Beacon" Yang said.
Julius chuckled: "Oh, Kat's always like that. Now come on, let's go talk with Raven."
The three then went into the tent.
Katrina is another OC creation of mine, and she'll get her moments in future chapters as well. Other than that, let me know what you guys think so far!