Since it was brought up, I'll point out that Oscar in this story is still Volume 4 Oscar. He is the Oscar who, in an unarmed training spar with Ruby, couldn't even get his aura up in time to defend himself. Ruby, who has been shown to be very much handicapped when she doesn't have her weapon to hand.

Yes, when he is using Ozpin (or Ozpin is helping him) he becomes much, much stronger – able to face off against Hazel on even ground – but that isn't what is happening here. Much like Ozpin wanted to train Oscar in the show and thus had him sparring with Ruby, he wants to have Oscar grow here as well. Ozpin isn't going to `help` him in spars against Cardin or anyone else.

Oscar, like Jaune, has potential, but this story is still IN the six-month time skip that the show put us through. Oscar is a complete amateur who is literally a helpless boy relying on Ozpin to help him cope with any real threats.

Cover Art: Mystery White Flame

Chapter 24

"Are you sure I didn't come at a bad time?"

"Oscar, you came at the best of times." Jaune pushed the young boy into an adjoining room. It was a tiny storage room attached to the bridge that had been turned into a bedroom. He sat Oscar down on the only seat there and sat himself on the edge of the bed. The door closed electronically, cutting out the sound of Blake and Sienna bickering.

With any luck they'd have made fast friends by the time he came out. Or they'd be at one another's throats. Fifty-fifty, really.

"So." He cleared his throat. "Glynda tells me you've been having problems."

"Shouldn't I be talking to Miss Jinn about this?"

"I was student counsellor before I was headmaster. I know what I'm doing…" He considered the words. "Or I don't, but I can fumble my way along enough to look it."

"Are you really a therapist?" Oscar asked.

"I've not had any complaints yet."

"That… didn't answer the question."

"You ask too many questions." Jaune coughed into his fist and raised his voice. "Ozpin, I want you out of this conversation please. I know you must have a way to ignore what's going on. Please do that."

Oscar blinked and tilted his head. "He asks why."

"Because Oscar isn't going to be able to take my advice if he's got a backseat driver offering running commentary on everything I say. And also because it's private, you wouldn't even be interested and we're going to be talking about what it means to be a teenager."

"He's already gone," Oscar interrupted him. "He left while you were talking. Or went into the back of my head." He shrugged, looking down at the floor. "It's the best way I can describe it."

Which meant he might still be listening but that it was the best either of them would get. Hopefully Ozpin would catch on to the fact he was trying to help Oscar and stay quiet. Or just be lazy and leave him to handle it. If I can, he thought.

"Tell me what the problem is. Or if you can't, just start talking about what bothers you."

"It… It's stupid…"

"Most problems are," Jaune said frankly. The boy looked up and he laughed. "Yeah, I don't think any normal therapist is going to tell you that, but if there's one thing I've figured out it's that any problem one person has is going to sound stupid objectively. That's the thing, though. Pain is subjective. There are loads of successful and rich people who suffer from depression even though other people have lives much harder than theirs. It looks stupid from the outside – like they're just whining about their problems when they don't have any – but the truth is that it's not about what makes sense. It's about what the individual feels."

Oscar blinked. "I… guess…?"

"You don't get it, do you?" Jaune sighed. "Okay. Example time. Team RWBY is upset because Weiss isn't a member of their team anymore. They're moody and frustrated and they even snuck onto a trip to Atlas for a chance to get her back, risking a lot with it. You with me?"

"Yes."

"But the thing is, is Weiss leaving really that bad? I mean sure, it's distressing for them, but other teams have had people die. The biggest cause for huntsmen teams fracturing is one or more members being killed by Grimm. Weiss is alive, safe, communicating via mail and there's nothing to say they can't all meet back up in three years' time, yet they're all acting like if Weiss isn't back on the team within the year, it'll be the end of the world." He nodded to Oscar. "Doesn't that sound just a little overdramatic to you?"

"I dunno. They really miss her."

Not the reaction he'd expected but maybe what he should have anticipated. Oscar wasn't going to say anything that went against the team looking after him. That didn't mean he hadn't caught on, however.

"But the thing is that what bothers someone is subjective, so even if it's dramatic, it's a problem they have and it's important to them. Same with you. Maybe your issue is stupid or selfish, but it's still bothering you so calling it that and trying to ignore it isn't going to do anything."

"Even if it's selfish?"

"All problems of this nature are selfish – that's part and parcel of it being in your head. There's nothing actually wrong with being selfish, at least so long as you're not making people suffer for it. Nothing like that here." He knew what the real problem was, however. "Just so you know, anything you tell me here won't get outside this room. I don't benefit from sharing my students' issues. Team RWBY will never know."

Oscar nodded and sat a little taller. He'd known that would help, even if he intellectually knew it shouldn't. Then again, he was no different. Embarrassment was a big motivator when you were a teenager, especially around girls you liked.

"Okay." Oscar took a deep breath, prepping himself. "Okay. I… I know this is going to sound stupid but here it goes." He closed his eyes and took another breath before speaking. "I don't feel special anymore!"

Special? Jaune nodded and made an approving hum. "Go on. Get it all out."

"Before – before this – I was just Oscar. I was just some nowhere kid living on a farm in territory that might be swallowed by the Grimm any day now. I shovelled manure away and clean straw in. Sometimes I'd scare birds away from crops or fill the water tanks. That was pretty much it."

Jaune hummed, writing `farmer` on his notepad and then `boring` next to it. He winced a second later, ready to scribble it out, only for Oscar to beat him to it.

"My whole life was boring. I… I wasn't unhappy with it but…"

"There's nothing wrong with admitting to not liking it," he interrupted. "You don't owe the career anything and you're not insulting people by not enjoying yourself."

Oscar nodded weakly. "Yeah. I didn't enjoy it. I mean, it was okay work, important and wholesome. Helping people by raising crops and rearing cows. And the cows were okay. Some were friendly. I even helped birth a calf. It's just… There was nothing there. Barely any people and nothing to do. My life was pretty much planned out for me. I'd raise animals, take goods to the nearest village to sell, take over the farm when my parents got older, meet some random village girl, marry her, have kids, raise them and let them take over the farm when I got too old."

"You wanted more."

"No, I… I actually didn't."

"Hm." Jaune noted it down. "But when `something` came along, you changed your mind?"

"Yes." He sighed and leaned back, for once getting comfortable. "I didn't like Ozpin being in my head at first. It was scary, you know?"

"I've no idea what it's like to have a disembodied person in your head but I think you get a pass on finding that frightening, Oscar." He winked and Oscar laughed. An honest reaction. He also relaxed a little further. "Let me guess, he didn't explain anything?"

"Not much. Just how we had to save the world."

"Typical Oz."

"I thought I was going crazy at first. But… I guess he proved he was real. Thing is, even if I kept complaining to him about how he was dragging me away from home and my parents I… I…"

"You jumped at the first opportunity."

"I did." Oscar looked down. "Does that make me a bad person?"

"No. It means your parents might be worried, but we can fix that by sending them a latter – we can't explain everything but if they know you're safe they'll feel better. As for the rest? I don't think going out to `save the world` makes you evil. Quite the opposite. And it's not like bad people have the monopoly on wanting to feel happier."

"Maybe. I… I think I should write them something."

"I'll help you if you like. I'm something of an expert on apologising to parental figures for lying, running away or risking my life in stupid ways."

"Thank you." Oscar accepted with a nod.

"So, you accepted Ozpin's plans and went off to save the world. I can see why you'd find that more interesting than growing old on a farm. You said you don't feel special anymore which implies you felt special at the time."

"Hm. I was the destined one. I was going to save the world. I was… I felt special, for the first time in my life. Like I meant something. A-And I'm not saying I don't have any worth or anything-"

"Don't worry. I get it." Jaune wrote `me` down on the notepad. "You got hyped. Things were looking up. Everything was possible, and it never had been before, so you started to think maybe it was something about you. Maybe you were what was special."

"Y-Yeah. And then I came to Beacon."

"And suddenly, you're not."

"Suddenly, I get beaten by everyone," Oscar confirmed. "Suddenly, I'm the weakest here. Suddenly, I'm waiting four years to study and I don't feel so chosen anymore. And maybe I never was. I can finally see that I was never going to be this single hero who slays the dragon. That's Ruby and her team. I'm the old man that gives them the secret or points them in the right direction." He grimaced. "Or that old man is in my head."

Video game logic. Something he was familiar with for once. All in all, Oscar's problem was a selfish one – and probably a stupid one too – but it wasn't too hard to understand. For the first time in his life he'd tasted pride. Or even just belief in himself. He'd begun to aspire to have more than just a farm. And then life had come and kicked him in the balls, as it so often did.

"Well, good news is you're not insane." Jaune put the notepad down. "I don't think you're mentally ill either – just frustrated about what you perceive as weakness on your part. Which is fair. Keep in mind you're literally a farmer who has joined a huntsman academy for people three years older than you, and everyone here has been training since they were ten."

"I know. Ozpin said that…"

"He's not wrong to say it. Training takes time. Getting strong isn't easy."

"I'm not afraid of hard work!"

"I never said you were." More afraid of being trodden over and forgotten. Oscar wasn't likely to feel better from just words. This was the kind of problem that would solve itself in time. Give him a few months and he'd stat to find his footing and improve. A few more and he'd hold his own in spars. Seeing that and having proof that he was improving would buoy Oscar's confidence far more than any kind words could.

But that would take time. A long time.

Wasn't it his job to help him now? Or as close to now as he could? Oscar looked so defeated that his heart went out to the boy. A big part of that was because he could see himself in him. Trodden down and lacking in confidence, wanting to be a huntsman not because it made sense but because there was nothing else to be. He'd just wanted to be something.

"You know, I was as weak as you when I first started. Look at me now." Still weak, at least if he tried to fight someone head on, but he was quick on his feet, able to withstand a beating or two and vicious when he fought. Merciless, even. Anything to win. "If I can do this in less than a year, I bet you can do better."

"Train me."

"Hah…?"

Oscar's face turned red. "I… I mean can you…? Please?"

"You want me to train you…?"

"Yes. You're strong. You're respected. You're… You're so powerful!"

"Didn't Ozpin tell you the truth about me? I was sure he had."

"He told me some things," Oscar confirmed, "But that doesn't change what you are. You beat Cinder. You captured Sienna. You broke the White Fang."

"Cinder beat herself, Sienna collapsed in my arms and the White Fang is still a thing."

"You killed a dragon!"

"Okay, a huge amount of explosive ammunition from Atlas killed a dragon. I may have pushed a button but that's all I did." And really, even beating Cinder had been more a case of luck and him refusing to die. That was how he'd been trained. Dodge what you could, take what you couldn't dodge and keep on moving forward.

Neo's training had worked out, but in a twisted way.

"I want to be like you. Strong like you, clever like you, good with women like you. I want to be you."

The words hit him like a hammer. Shock warred with disbelief, skirmished with hilarity and then was ambushed and slaughtered by misplaced pride. He flushed, smiled, coughed and then looked away. "Well, I suppose that's… well…" In the back of his head, a voice pointed out that Oscar was buying into the hype around him, that Oscar wanted to be like what people `thought` Headmaster Arc was. It also yelled that Peter bloody Port was more successful with girls that he was. At least Peter had a girlfriend.

But all that was washed away. Jaune sat a little straighter, trying not to show how pleased he was.

"That's a very flattering thing to say, Oscar."

"Can't you take me as your apprentice? I'll do anything. I'll write paperwork- ow!" Oscar's head rocked forward and he cupped his temples. "Ow. Ozpin, I thought you were staying out – what do you mean I'm dooming us all? It's just a little writing. How bad can it be? Ow! Ow! Ow!"

"You don't need to do the paperwork," Jaune said. Oscar's head stopped shaking the moment he had, proof that Ozpin was letting him off. "I already have Blake and Sienna for that. Any more unpaid interns and I'll be accused of running a slave ring. I've already got faunus. I don't need to add child labour to that. As for training…"

Neo was bored lately. Wasn't she?

"I could put you through the same training I did. It's tough, though. I'll warn you."

"I'll do it! I'm not afraid of hard work."

"Cool." Jaune leaned forward. "Are you afraid of pain?"

Oscar leaned back. "Uh…"

"Sharp objects? Heels? How about being ambushed at random hours of the day? How are you with those things? Ah, never mind. You'll figure it out. I came out okay. I think." Jaune scratched his cheek and looked over one shoulder nervously. "At least I'm sure I came out okay. Just a little paranoid. But maybe that's not a bad thing for you. You've more reason to be paranoid than most. Alright, sure. I can introduce you to my teacher. Is Ozpin okay with this?"

The boy was quiet for a few seconds, probably asking Ozpin himself. Judging from the smile appearing, he'd probably gotten approval. That was good. The smile wouldn't last, of course, but it was good he was excited.

"Ozpin says anything would be appreciated. But he says he won't help me outside of real combat."

"That's fine. It's good, even. The more you rely on your own body, the faster it'll adapt and grow. If you rely on Ozpin for every fight, it wouldn't be you getting stronger. Would it?" Jaune tapped a message into his scroll, summoning the demon. "I'll take you as my apprentice, Oscar, but I'll warn you now it's kind of a two-for-one deal. I had someone who helped me train. You'll be training with both her and me."

"That's fine. Great even!"

Neo appeared a moment later, eyes alight, teeth bared.

Ah. She had her long heels on tonight. She always did like imprinting those in his body.

"Neo, this is Oscar. Oscar, this is Neo. She's responsible for making me the man I am today. From today on, she'll be in charge of your personal development."

Oscar looked Neo up and down and blushed. "She looks nice."

"Ha. Yeah. Nice. Ah, you sweet summer child." Jaune slapped a hand on the confused boy's back. "Have fun. And remember, if it hurts than that just means you're improving."

Neo grabbed Oscar's arm and the two vanished, taken away to whatever circle of hell Neo came from. He felt bad for leaving Oscar in her hands, but, well, Oscar wanted to be like him. He wouldn't wish Neo's training on his worst enemy, but Oscar really was going to be hunted down by Salem for the rest of his life. If anyone needed to improve quickly, it was him.

And Neo had a way of motivating you to get better.

"Good luck, Oscar. You'll need it."

His work done, Jaune stepped out back into the office.

Sienna and Blake froze, the former pinning the latter to the floor, one hand on her throat and the other holding a weapon high, ready to be brought down. Evidence of her victory was already splashed over Blake's face. Once on her forehead, once on her cheek and a third time on her chin.

"DENIED. DENIED. DENIED." the red stamp marks said.

Sienna had a singular `APPROVED` stamped onto her neck.

"She started it!" the two faunus yelled as one.

/-/

Ruby pushed Oscar down onto the bench and quickly sat next to him. He wobbled and fell to the side, collapsing onto her shoulder but thankfully not the floor. She sighed in relief and waved for Yang to fetch them some food. Yang nodded back.

"What happened to him?" Nora asked, sitting down on the other side of the table alongside Pyrrha and Ren.

"Oscar had training last night."

"Training?" Nora poked the boy's cheek.

He whimpered in his sleep. "Must… dodge…"

"Stop that." Ruby batted the finger aside before Nora could get even more into it. Oscar was a part of her team now and slept on the bunk below her. That didn't make him her partner – that was Weiss – but it kinda made her responsible for him. "And Oscar was personally trained by the headmaster himself."

"No way!"

"Way!" Ruby said, nodding proudly.

"That would certainly explain his exhaustion," Pyrrha said.

"Exhaustion?" Ren snorted. "He looks like he's in catatonic shock."

"Yeah. He came back to us like that." Ruby giggled. "Blake came back from her detention – it got extended for some reason." She paused, waiting for Blake to fill in the details. As she had last night, she crossed her arms and adopted the face of someone ready to face torture and not say a word. "She found him collapsed and leaning up against the door. He kept mumbling and whispering all night. And for some reason he started screaming this morning when he saw Yang's dressing gown."

"Really? Why?"

"I don't know. It was the fluffy pink one."

"No," Oscar murmured, rocking against her. "No, no, no."

"His training must have been difficult to earn that response," Pyrrha said. "I'm actually quite curious. I remember feeling on the verge of death myself after my first time, back when my muscles weren't quite so developed."

Ruby nodded along. It wasn't uncommon. Mom hadn't been around by the time she was old enough to be trained, but that didn't stop her. In fact, it only made her father and uncle Qrow more determined that she wouldn't suffer the same fate. She could remember the year Yang started training, and how the bright eyed and excited older sister had turned into a smoking wreck who could barely speak, let alone walk.

Yang got better, of course. After all the nightmare cramps, muscle strains and torn ligaments every huntsmen or huntress had to put up with early on in their careers. By now, they were both inured to it and capable of kicking ass.

Poor Oscar. He was still in the early stages.

"He's a lucky bastard is what he is," Yang said, returning with four trays stacked high. She dealt them out between the team. "Imagine it, personal one-to-one training with Headmaster Jaune Arc of Beacon. Ah, I'd sell my kidney for that! Do you think he teaches grappling? I want to learn some pinning moves."

"Yang, you can't interfere in Oscar's training!"

"Yeah?" Yang looked at her. "Funny that. And here I seem to remember you begging Oscar to let you come along to his next training session."

"As moral support. I'm not there to learn… to learn pinning… hah…" Heat crept up her neck and shoulders. It wasn't like she was trying to use Oscar to get close to Jaune. It was just that Oscar looked so tired. If she was there to help, then she could step in and spar with Jaune when Oscar couldn't. Just the two of them fighting. Late at night. Sweat running down their bodies. Ruby shivered as she imagined it. "Hee."

"Oi!" Yang barked. "I don't like the look on your face."

"I'm helping my not-partner. You help yours."

"Pft. Blake doesn't have any problems."

"Yang. Blake has all the problems. And she has a broken heart since she was turned down last night."

"Oh?" Pyrrha asked.

"I was not." Blake slapped her book down and glared at Ruby. "And I told you, that's not what the denied thing meant. I was in a battle for life and death. Sienna Khan is working at Beacon! How is that a good thing? How is no one panicking!?"

"Welp. We're doing this again." Yang took hold of Blake's wrist and held on tight. "Looks like I'm tying myself to Blake so she can't run off and do something crazy again. I'll grab the fluffy handcuffs later."

Nora coughed. "About those. Velvet… may have borrowed them."

Yang stared at Nora. Her eyes slowly swivelled to the empty seat beside her where Velvet would normally be sitting. They travelled further, to Team CFVY, where Velvet was also not sitting. Finally, they swung to Team CRDL, which was missing the C. She blanched.

"I don't want those things back. Ever. Tell Velvet she can burn them."

Ruby rolled her eyes and picked up a breadstick and poking it at Oscar's mouth. He mumbled something and shook his head, but once she worked it inside started to munch mechanically. Her broken teammate eating, she went back to her own food, listening only with half an ear as Nora and Yang talked about what Velvet and Cardin might be getting up to – eww! – and Pyrrha and Ren talked about what kind of training Jaune might do in his daily routine.

The latter was much more interesting, and Ruby jumped in with her own ideas. Since it was Jaune and he was super strong despite his age, it had to be intensive. Probably something like fighting Grimm on his own or facing off against all the teachers at once.

A loud electronic sound beeped twice before the PA systems in the school came to life. Miss Goodwitch's voice came through.

"Will Team RWBY make their way to the Bullhead docks. Team RWBY to the Bullhead docks. Thank you. Bzzt."

Every set of eyes in the cafeteria swung to them.

"I didn't do anything," Yang said.

"Well it wasn't me!" Blake hissed.

"I don't think we're in trouble." Hopefully not anyway. "Maybe we should just see what it is?" Ruby looked down at Oscar, still half-asleep though finally reaching with shaky hands for food himself. He really was out of it.

"I'll keep an eye on him," Pyrrha said.

"Okay. Hey Oscar. Can you sit on your own?"

She pushed him gently up and shimmied away. Oscar didn't so much fall forward as slump – but at least he moved the tray away with his hands and let his head fall atop his arms. He began to snore almost immediately. Pyrrha shot her a thumbs up.

If they needed Oscar along, they could come back for him, but the announcement would have said it was a mission if that was it. They didn't even have their weapons on them. Ruby, Blake and Yang hurried out the cafeteria, chased by the curious stares from all the others, and jogged down the central corridors of Beacon, out toward the main building foyer and the docks outside. There, Miss Goodwitch and the headmaster himself were waiting for them.

"Team RWBY," Glynda greeted. "No Oscar?"

"He's… alive. Sort of…"

"Recovering from training," Jaune said, whispering something into Glynda's ear. "It's fine. Thank you for coming, Team RWBY. This isn't a mission so you can be at ease. We're expecting a couple of arrivals today – most noticeably one from Atlas."

"Are they here to question Cinder?" Ruby asked.

"They are." If there was one thing she liked about Jaune – beyond the many other things – it was that he didn't refuse to tell them anything because they didn't need to know. "You're here more to act as the official welcoming party, but also to show face and offer your service as guides."

"We have lessons," Yang pointed out.

"There is almost no chance they will utilise you as such," Miss Goodwitch said. "We are expecting Winter Schnee, and she knows her way around Beacon. That said, propriety demands we make the offer of assistance."

"Basically," Jaune said, "It's for the sake of appearances."

"Sounds boring," Yang said.

"It is what it is, Miss Xiao-Long. Rest assured, it should not take long."

Ruby looked to Yang and Blake and shrugged. They returned the same to her. The three of them stood behind Jaune and Miss Goodwitch as two Bullheads approached. One was white in colour and of a sleek, military design. The other was dark grey and more functional. They hovered in the air, probably talking to one another over the intercom, before the one in White came in to land.

The Atlas emblem emblazoned on the side turned to face them as it did, showing off the insignia for all. Blake snorted and muttered "Show-offs."

"Atlas is always like this," Miss Goodwitch replied. "It's an important part of their diplomatic personality. The constant need to remind people that yes, this is Atlas." Her own voice lowered. "As though we could forget."

Stupid Atlas. Teammate stealing, arrogant, holier-than-thou…

Ruby ignored the fact that not only was Weiss from Atlas, but that she was all of the above.

The Bullhead's side door opened, and a tall figure stood within it. This time, Yang scoffed, and Ruby could tell why. Technically, you were supposed to remain seated while the airship landed – and even then, you wouldn't be at the door standing with your arms behind your back like Winter Schnee was. The whole thing was scripted so that the first thing anyone saw was her, ready, confident and apparently so weird as to ride the whole way from Atlas to Vale stood up.

Yeah, right.

"Winter Schnee." Jaune stepped forward and extended a hand. "It's so good to see you."

"Jaune Arc," she replied, with the exact same amount of enthusiasm. Enough so that even the Grimm would have been scared away by the lingering negativity. Winter took his hand and the two rather pointedly began crushing one another's fingers.

She knew because she could see their auras sparking and flickering.

"I'm surprised daddy-dearest let you out of Atlas."

"I do not answer to Jacques Schnee."

Jaune's smile turned feral. "I was referring to Ironwood."

"W-What!?"

"Did I get it wrong? My apologies. I forgot Ironwood is just the one you wish you could call `daddy`."

"Oh," Yang hissed. "Burn."

"A nine out of ten," Blake whispered. "Even I felt that one."

Ruby giggled and looked to Miss Goodwitch, waiting for her to step in.

Glynda wore a tiny smirk of her own.

"Beacon," Winter hissed. "For a moment I'd forgotten how asinine you can all be. Still using stolen equipment as a dormitory, I see. You should get your own affairs in order before criticising ours."

"Yeah, sorry about that. What with capturing Cinder, stopping an attack on Haven, dealing with the White Fang and holding off an incursion of Grimm in our Kingdom, we've been a little busy. Oh, but I'm sure Atlas has accomplished just as much in that time," he said, snapping his fingers. "I mean, with the world's largest military you guys must be on top of things."

Winter bristled.

Yang made a sizzling sound.

"Jaune." Glynda stepped forward and laid a hand on his shoulder, ready to stop the fun. "It is unbecoming to act in such a manner. After all, you shouldn't pick fights with those weaker than you."

"Daaamn," Yang whispered. "Even Miss G. I take it back, this is amazing!"

Is this a part of diplomatic meetings? It seems weird. But they're both taking shots at each other and neither side can give in. The soldiers aren't even doing anything. The two Atlas soldiers that flanked Winter had waited behind and were pretty much fulfilling the same role as Team RWBY, making sounds whenever a particularly brutal return came through.

"Ah. Is that Miss Goodwitch? I thought you would have retired by now."

Glynda's eye twitched. "I am not that old."

"Older than Jaune and I, however," Winter replied. "Significantly older, I believe. Isn't it time you left Beacon to the next generation? I hear Vacuo has a rather nice resort for those looking to spend their twilight years in peace and quiet."

"I'm not even forty!"

"Double the age of your own headmaster." Winter smiled as the older woman flinched. "How… improper."

"I'm not sure what you mean."

"Oh, I'm sure you do." Winter stepped past Glynda and an awkward-looking Jaune, claiming her victory. Ruby pouted, for once on Glynda's side. "And I see Team RWBY is here to greet me. That is convenient if nothing else." Her eyes slid back to the Bullhead. "I have brought a team along who will need looking after. I'm sure you can accommodate them in your dormitory."

"Wait, what!? You can't just dump some team on us an-"

"WEISS!"

Blake's sudden gasp tore through Yang's words – and Ruby's focus on Winter. Her eyes snapped to the Bullhead.

There, with a strangely wobbly smile on her face, stood their missing teammate.

Winter chuckled as she walked by. "You're welcome."

"It is good to be back," Weiss said, stepping gracefully down the ramp. She looked different. It couldn't just have been that her white dress had turned to a pale shade of blue. There was something more to it. "No reaction? And here I thought you might-"

A streak of red struck and bowled her from her feet.

"Argh!" Weiss struck the grass. "Blast it, Ruby! What have I told you about using your Semblance around me!?"

"Weisssss!"

"My dress is covered in grass stains. I'm filthy now!"

"Weeeeeiiiiiissssss!"

"Well? What do you have to say for yourself? Improper, embarrassing and so childish. You haven't change at all, have you?"

"Criticise me more, Weiss!" Ruby begged, not quite aware of how that sounded. Not that she'd have cared if she was. Weiss yelling at her was normal. It was something she'd put up with every day, until suddenly it wasn't there.

Weirdly enough, she missed it.

"You dolt." Her partner's voice softened. "I suppose I missed your idiocy as well…"

A second pair of arms wrapped around them as Yang fell to her knees and swept them up. Her mouth opened, some snappy comment on her tongue, but it broke off into a sound no one could understand. Rather than try again, she just hugged Weiss and Ruby tight to her.

Blake came a moment later, joining the hug from the other side. "Welcome home, Weiss."

"Y-Yes." Weiss tried to wipe her eyes but couldn't. Her arms were pinned to her sides. "It is… It's good to be home again. Even if it's only for a while."

Only for a while? No, Ruby shook such a thought away. All that mattered was that Weiss was here now. Team RWBY was whole again. Ruby buried her face in her partner's hair and sniffed loudly. Weiss yelled about snot, but she ignored it. Or rather, she revelled in it. It was a flash back to how things used to be. How they were supposed to be. Just her, Weiss, Yang, Blake and a random middle-aged woman all huddled in a group hug.

Wait a minute. Something about that was different.

Ruby blinked and raised her head. Weiss was in her arms – and Weiss' hands were around her back. Yang had hold of them both, while Blake was behind Weiss, face visible over Weiss' shoulder and looking awfully pale all of a sudden. So, whose arms had wrapped around all four of them from the left?

"I'm sorry!" the black-haired woman said, sniffling loudly with her chin pressed atop Yang's head. Yang looked very, very confused to suddenly have a pair of large breasts pushed up against her back, or a woman of at least forty years to be there in the first place. "I always love moments like this. I couldn't help but get involved."

"Uh…"

Black hair, yellow eyes, cat ears. If someone asked her why it took so long to put two and two together, it was because the woman was so happy looking and wore a massive smile, whereas her teammate would at best offer a small smirk if she saw something funny. Blake rarely smiled, and never like this.

She wasn't smiling now, either. Blake looked horrified.

"Oh, you've made such wonderful friends, kitten. I'm so proud!" The woman rocked the whole bundle of them from left to right, squeezing tight and squashing Yang and Blake against her chest. "Which one are you dating? No, don't tell me. I'll guess. It's the blonde, isn't it? You always did have a thing for blondes."

A keening noise escaped Blake's mouth, sounding strangled and desperate. "M-Mom…"

"MOM!?" Yang yelled.

"That's right, you can call me mommy if you like. Ah, my daughter has such wonderful taste."

"No wait, I -ack!" Yang's face disappeared into the woman's neck.

"Oh, you're so precious. I can't wait to introduce you to Ghira. And you as well," she said, scooping Ruby and Weiss up before either of them could make an escape. Ruby managed an `eep` before they were crushed under the woman's other arm. "So adorable. So cute. So many different colours. I'm Kali, but you three can call me `mom` if you like."

"Ahem." Jaune Arc cleared his throat.

"Hm?" The woman, apparently Kali Belladonna, looked up. "Yes?" she asked. "There is room for one more if you would like it. I would ask your relationship to my daughter, however." Her eyes widened. "Blake! Have you been playing the field so wide?"

"W-What?" Blake stammered, "No!"

"So shameful!" Kali's voice lowered as she whispered, "He looks good, too. Go for the harem route!"

"Moooom!"

"I'm not actually a member of Blake's harem," the headmaster said. Annoyingly, he didn't point out that they weren't either. He left her, Weiss and Yang to suffocate in the strange woman's arms. "I'm Jaune Arc, Headmaster of Beacon. I believe you wished to meet with me to discuss matters relating to Menagerie."

"Those can wait!" Kali giggled. "How about tomorrow over breakfast? Or after it." She eyed Blake. "My girl is looking so thin. She obviously needs to eat a heartier breakfast and I'll cook one myself if I have to."

"Mom, no…"

"Mom, yes! Why, I bet you eat nothing but fish, fish and more fish. And with your face buried in a book as usual, I bet. You need to get out more, sweetie, or people will start to think you're a vampire. And what's with that silly bow covering your ears?"

"Mom! It's my disguise!"

"Blake, it's a bow. I can see it moving – as can anyone with a working pair of eyes. I doubt there is a person in Beacon who hasn't figured out you're a faunus. Really. Your father and I are officially known as the leaders of Menagerie and confirmed faunus. Who are you fooling?"

"Tomorrow sounds good," Jaune said, realising he was getting nowhere and giving up. "Team RWBY, you have the day off to show catch up with Weiss and… Mrs Belladonna?"

"Kali. But you can call me mom if you like."

"Kali," he said carefully. "You can have the day off to show Kali around. Have fun."

"We will!"

Kali let go – or maybe Yang found a way to pry her off. The four of them collapsed in a heap on the floor, Ruby and Weiss panting for breath after being crushed in the middle. Weiss' hair was frayed and coming out its ponytail. Sweat ran down her face.

Blake, free at last, scrabbled and tried to crawl away.

A hand caught her ankle. "You don't think I'll let you run away again, do you?" Kali Belladonna scooped her daughter up before she could do anything more than cry for help. With flailing limbs and more dexterity than Ruby thought possible, the older woman managed to fold Blake into her lap, somehow working her around until they were sat with Blake looking caught between surly and humiliated, cradled against the body of the older woman.

One of Kali's hands was stroking Blake's hair, the bow missing, and the other supported her back. It was how one might have cradled a baby, if said baby was seventeen years old, indignant and constantly trying to wriggle free.

"I missed this," Kali crooned, nuzzling her daughter's hair. "I remember we used to sit like this while Ghira read you books. Ah, you were such an adorable little kitten back then. I still have the pictures on my scroll. Maybe I should show your girlfriends."

"Not girlfriends," Blake whined. "Mom, stop…"

"Aren't they? They're friends, after all. And girls…"

Ruby managed to get onto her knees, though even then she was shaky. Weiss fell against her, the two reunited teammates counting on one another for support. They stared at the woman who had Blake in hand, all the while Yang gasped for breath on the grass.

Hurricane Kali had arrived.

And Ruby still wasn't sure she knew what was going on.

Hurricane Kali indeed.

I'm trying to give Oscar a little more love than I usually do, and to give him some emotions. He always felt so passive in the show, not to mention polarising. Going from "can't spar evenly against a handicapped Ruby" to "fighting off Hazel" and the whole "muscle memory" thing from Ozpin rings hollow for a few reasons.

And then when we did have a moment of potential conflict where Jaune scares him off, Oscar basically comes back having sorted himself out off-screen. Which was annoying. Anyway, here, Oscar feels inadequate – which he isn't wrong to feel.

Don't worry, Jaune-Senpai is the master of feeling that way and will look after his Kouhai. Case in point with the below:

Omake:

Team RWBY watched as Oscar stepped up onto the stage once more, ready to fight off Cardin for what felt like the tenth time. "Go Oscar!" Ruby yelled. "You can do it! Get his aura in the yellow this time!"

"Even if you don't win, try your best!" Yang echoed.

The odds were against him, they knew.

"You're not showing much faith in him," Weiss criticised.

"He's new to being a huntsman," Blake explained. "And fourteen. It's not really all that fair a fight but someone has to go against him, and Cardin is a good sport about it."

"Yes, but isn't he being trained by Headmaster Arc now?"

"Yeah, for like a few days." Yang chuckled. "I mean, I have faith in the Prof, but what kind of training can turn around a fight in under a week? Got to give Oscar a little more time before we start expecting him to kick ass."

On the stage, Cardin offered his hand. Oscar took it, the two shaking and Cardin apparently saying something supportive. Oscar nodded back with a weak smile, stepping away as the two took their positions on either end of the ring.

"Fighters, you will begin on my call." Miss Goodwitch stood to the side. "Mr Pine, please remember my advice to you in your last bout and focus more on dodging."

Oscar shivered. His lips moved quickly, like he was whispering feverishly to himself.

"And Mr Winchester, please put a little more effort into this. While I commend you not wanting to harm a fellow student, please stop allowing him free hits on you. He won't learn if you keep doing that."

"Yes ma'am. Sorry ma'am."

"Good." Glynda drew out a small pink handkerchief.

Oscar froze.

She tossed it in the air between them. "Begin!"

From outside the ring the only thing Ruby saw was the pink handkerchief fluttering in front of Oscar's eyes. As it passed, she saw such an expression of terror on the boy's face that her heart clenched. Was he that intimidated by Cardin? Was he that afraid?

And then, Oscar began to scream.

"Uh-oh…" Yang said.

Oscar screamed and he screamed. He screamed as Cardin charged in. He screamed as he bent back with surprising grace, dodging the mace swing by an inch. He screamed as he scurried back, ducked another, leapt over a third and sprinted to the other end of the arena.

"Aieeeeeeee!"

"This looks disturbingly familiar," Blake said.

"Aieeeeeeeeeee!" Oscar stepped to the left as the mace crashed by. He leapt the shaft, ducked under the return and swayed out the way of a fist. Cardin was panting now, sweat running down his face. And still, Oscar screamed. "Aieeeeeeee!"

"The headmaster's personal style," Pyrrha whispered. "It's incredible…"

"Is that really a style, though…?"

If it wasn't one, it ought to be. Ruby watched as Cardin over-extended and lost balance. Oscar, still screaming, leapt on and bore him to the ground. Oscar knelt on Cardin's breastplate, bringing down his bare hands on Cardin's face like a wild animal going to town. Above them, Cardin's aura meter began to tank rapidly.

"The match is over!"

"Aieeeeeee!"

"THE MATCH IS OVER! Oscar Pine! Enough!"

"Aieeeeeeeeeeeee!"

Glynda dragged Oscar away, a hand under each shoulder. He kicked and thrashed as he did, howling like a banshee the whole time. She carted him out the room, leaving behind a moaning Cardin, aura in the red, and a startled audience.

At the back of the room, a pink and cream-haired girl wiped a tear away from her eye.

They grew up so fast.

Momma Neo training the next generation.

Next Chapter: 5th September

P a treon . com (slash) Coeur