Chapter Twelve: The Kindest People

Oscar ducked, blocking a punch from Ruby. They were outside a dojo, mid training, and Ruby was not holding back. They exchanged punches and kicks, mirroring each other's moves.

"Man, Oz wasn't kidding," remarked Jaune, leaning against the dojo wall, "Oscar's picking up on this stuff fast."

Nora smiled, propping herself up with her hammer. A few feet away, Ren sat cross-legged, eyes closed.

Oscar swung a well-aimed punch that connected with Ruby's jaw. "Oh gosh, I'm so sorry!" He reached out a hand in apology. She snarled and sent a left hook straight into his face. He flew backwards, landing sprawled on the ground a few meters away.

Jaune and Nora winced.

"Yes, I did it!" Ruby yelled triumphantly.

Oscar groaned quietly.

"Oscar?" She turned towards him, concerned.

Oscar brought a hand to his forehead.

"You forgot to engage your aura again." Ozpin advised.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Frustrated, Oscar raised his voice.

"Because this method makes you less likely to forget."

Sadist, Oscar thought. He sat up, rubbing the side of his face.

"Mind if I give it a shot?"

Oscar's eyes glowed yellow, and his face took on an expression of practiced smugness. "Not bad, Miss Rose," Ozpin said, "but Oscar doesn't have the years of training that you do. Or I do." He smirked. Green energy rippled over his skin, and he stood up. Jaune and Nora shared an apprehensive glance.

"Maybe we should take a break?" Ruby backed away slowly, hands outstretched.

Ozpin raced towards her. Ruby threw an arm up to block him, and attempted to counter his punches. One connected with her jaw. She stumbled back. Ozpin jumped, throwing a kick at her head. She tried to dodge, and fell back onto the dusty ground. She slammed a fist into the dirt in irritation, then leapt back up. She jumped, aiming a punch at Ozpin's face. He ducked, then pushed up, headbutting her in the chin.

"Ouch..." Muttered Nora. Jaune winced.

Ruby lay sprawled on the ground.

"The next time you want to throw a left cross, remember to push off with the appropriate foot." Ozpin smirked. "And as always, do be aware of any openings."

"Got it..." Ruby mumbled, her voice strained.

Ozpin's eyes flashed yellow, and with a gasp Oscar fell to his knees, back in control.

Ruby rushed over. "Hey, are you okay?" She placed a hand on his shoulder.

"How is this so exhausting?" He said, breathing heavily.

"Your body isn't used to this kind of training," Ren said, still sitting cross-legged in the shade of a small tree, "not to mention generating a defensive aura on your own."

Oscar sat up.

"It takes intense concentration at first, but in time it will become second nature, allowing you to deflect attacks and gradually heal your own wounds." Ren smiled slightly. "After that, you can begin focusing on your semblance, whatever that may be."

"Semblance?" Oscar muttered.

"You know!" Nora interjected. "Like your very own superpower. Everybody's got one, it's just a matter of finding it and mastering it." She gestured to Ruby. "Ruby moves super fast, electricity makes me stronger, Ren can mask emotions and Jaune can..." Her face fell.

Jaune looked down, rubbing the back of his neck. "I can't do-"

"Jaune's like you!" Ruby cut across him, pulling Oscar over. "He hasn't found his semblance yet, but we all know he will." She smiled brightly at him, and he returned her smile gratefully. "And you will too." Ruby turned to Oscar. "We all just have to try and help each other get stronger."

A small smile settled on Oscar's face. "Cool."

"A common philosophy," Ren said, "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's the other way around. Of course, there are still many who don't see a connection at all."

"It's hard to know when you know sometimes," Nora said, one hand on her hip. "Ren's semblance was unlocked from intense stress."

"And mine kicked in during training one day." Ruby offered.

"What about you?" Oscar asked, turning to Nora.

"Oh, struck by lightning, didn't die. Crazy Thursday." She smiled awkwardly.

Ren stood up.

Jaune looked sadly at the ground. "I just don't understand what's wrong with me. I train, I meditate..."

Oscar's eyes flashed yellow, and Ozpin spoke. "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. Provided you're willing to put in the work, who knows what could happen?"

"Then let's get back to it." Ruby said enthusiastically, a confident smile on her face.


"Here you go." Ruby smiled, handing Oscar a glass of water.

"Thanks." Oscar accepted it gratefully.

She sat down next to him with her own glass, leaning against the dojo wall.

"You studied at Beacon Academy, right?" Oscar asked hesitantly.

"Yeah." Ruby looked down.

Oscar sat up straighter. "What was Ozpin like? As a teacher, I mean."

"Isn't he in your head?" Ruby twisted to look at him. "Don't you know what he's like?"

"He doesn't really tell me much." Oscar fiddled with his glass. "It's weird. It's like he knows everything about me, and he's listening to everything I say - he can even read my thoughts! But I don't know anything about him." He wrapped his arms around his chest.

"That does sound pretty weird, yeah." Ruby shot him a sympathetic glance.

"I don't wish to intrude on your life Oscar, but I have no choice." Ozpin didn't sound apologetic.

"It doesn't make it any better, Oz." Oscar hissed, curling his hands around his glass.

"Oscar?" Ruby frowned.

"Sorry, I didn't mean..." He sighed. "He was talking, in my head. It's really hard to ignore him, and he doesn't seem to hear me if I just think at him." He brought a hand to his head in frustration. "And when I talk out loud to him, people look at me like I'm crazy."

"I don't think you're crazy." She offered, placing a hand on the ground next to him.

"Yeah, but you know the truth. And that's worse." Oscar crossed his legs. "It's almost funny. Your old headmaster is the voice in my head."

Concern flickered across her face. She shifted closer to him, a worried frown creasing her brow. "Hey..."

"So, what was he like?" Oscar turned to her. "Tell me anything."

"Well, he was pretty intense when I first met him." Ruby looked up at the sky. "You know, the first thing he said to me was that I had silver eyes. Just like you." She glanced at him. "He offered me a place at Beacon, even though I was two years younger than everyone else, just because he saw me take on a bunch of guys who were robbing a dust shop."

"Wait, what?" Oscar looked at her in disbelief.

"I nearly caught Torchwick, their leader, too." Ruby's hands curled tightly around her glass. Then she looked up, and a bright spark was back in her eyes. "But, anyway, after Ozpin saw what I could do he wanted to talk to me."

"What did he say?"

She frowned in concentration. "He was interested in Crescent Rose, my weapon, and knew that my uncle had trained me just by watching me fight. He seemed kind and generous, but scarily intelligent at the same time." Looking down into her glass, she smiled softly. "He made me leader of team RWBY, and reassured me that it wasn't a mistake. I guess, he showed me how to be a huntress."

"She has made an excellent leader."

Oscar shifted uncomfortably, bringing his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around his legs.

Ruby shot him a concerned glance. "You okay?"

"Oz is still talking in my head, and I am really done with how weird it feels." Oscar sighed heavily.

"Maybe try not to think about it?" Ruby offered, shrugging slightly.

"Seems like my only option right now, huh?" Oscar mumbled to the floor.

"I am afraid so."

"For the love of the gods Oz can you please not do that!"

Ruby laughed, covering her mouth with her hand. "Sorry." She apologized, trying to hide her smile.

Unable to stop himself, Oscar laughed too. "Thanks, Ruby."

She stood up quickly, gesturing to Oscar's glass. "Hey, do you want me to take that upstairs for you?"

"Oh, yeah." He handed it to her. "Thank you."

"No problem." With a fleeting smile, she disappeared around the corner.


Oscar yelled and swung the cane down hard. Breathing heavily, he straightened up and repeated the strike. A cool breeze wafted through the dojo and ruffled his hair.

"You're really getting better, huh?" Ruby appeared at the doorway. Oscar looked up. "Are you hungry? It's almost dinner time."

"Uh, yeah, that sounds good." Oscar rubbed the back of his neck. "I was about to call it a night anyway."

"So," Ruby said conversationally, "you've never fought before?"

"Just the occasional small Grimm. Nothing like this though." He looked down, voice quiet.

"Well, you look like a natural." Smiling awkwardly, she walked over to him.

"It's strange," Oscar said, studying the cane in his hand, "I've only had this cane for a few weeks, but I feel like I've had it for a lifetime. Longer, even." He sighed and hung his head. "I sound like a crazy person..."

"Yeah, just a little." Ruby shrugged. "But, at this pace, you'll be combat ready in no time!" Her face fell suddenly, the enthusiasm draining out of her expression.

Oscar's eyes widened in concern and he took a step forward. He opened his mouth to speak but couldn't find the words.

"Well," Ruby said, turning away, "I'll see you upstairs."

"How do you handle all of this?"

Oscar's outburst caused her to stop and look back.

"What do you mean?" Her voice was small.

"I'm... scared." Oscar looked at her with wide eyes. "I'm more scared than I've ever been in my life, than I ever thought was possible..." He shook his head slightly, and walked over to the weapons rack. "I always knew that I wanted to be more than a farmhand, but this? Who would ask for this?" He leaned his cane again the rack, the slim dark wood looking very small next to the huge metal swords. His vision blurred, and a tear dropped to the floor. He knelt next to his backpack, opening it and placing the cane carefully inside.

"We all went to Beacon because we wanted to help people, but you're right." Ruby said, walking over to him. "None of us asked for this either." She reached out to place a hand on his shoulder. "We just have to press on-"

"How can you be so confident?" Oscar pulled away from her. "People have tried to kill you, the world's about to go to war all over again, how are you okay with any of this?" He stared at her with wide eyes, panic written all over his face. Ruby's shocked expression gave way to a kind of sad patience, her silver eyes looking far too old to belong to a teenager. It knocked the anger out of Oscar, and his hands slowly fell to his sides.

"When Beacon fell, I lost two of my friends. Penny Polendina and Pyrrha Nikos." Ruby turned away and walked over to the open door, staring out into the twilight sky. "I didn't know them for very long, but that doesn't change the fact that they were two of the most kind-hearted people I'd ever met. But that didn't save them." She looked down. "Pyrrha thought that if there was even the smallest chance of helping someone, then it was a chance worth taking." A small, proud smile flickered across her face. "And because of that, she died fighting a battle she knew she couldn't win. And Penny was killed, just to make a statement."

Oscar walked towards her. "I'm sorry..." He looked away.

"I am scared," Ruby said, turning to face him, "but not just for me. What happened at Beacon shows that Salem doesn't care if you're standing against her or not." Her voice took on a hard edge. "She'll kill anybody, and that scares me most of all. Pyrrha, Penny..." Her eyes brimmed with tears, and she turned to face the open door. "I'd be lying if I said it didn't hurt, that I didn't think about them every day since I lost them, that I didn't wish I had spent more time with them." Her hands curled into fists. "If it had been me instead, I know they would have kept fighting too, no matter how dangerous it was. So that's what I choose to do, to keep moving forward." She looked up into the night sky.

Oscar walked over to stand beside her, and she looked at him with a small, sad smile. He returned it, sympathy and hope glittering in his eyes.

Wiping her eyes with her sleeve, she turned to face him. "Come on," she said, placing a hand on his shoulder, "if we don't hurry, Nora's gonna eat everything. It wouldn't be the first time." Smiling, she began to walk away. One foot on the stairs, she stopped and looked back. "Hey Oscar?"

He tilted his head slightly. "Yeah?"

"This isn't gonna be easy, but the fact you're even trying says a lot about you. You're braver than you think." She smiled softly and walked up the stairs, disappearing from Oscar's view.

"She really is remarkable, isn't she?" A hint of pride entered Ozpin's voice.

"Yeah. She must have been one of the best huntresses at Beacon, huh?"

Ozpin chuckled. "In some ways, yes, but in many others, no. She has her quirks, her faults, just like everyone else. But she also possesses something unquantifiable, a spark that can inspire others, even in the darkest of times."

"This must be really hard on her too."

"It most assuredly is."

"She doesn't deserve this, none of them do. They're the kindest people I've ever met in my life." Oscar looked out into the night sky.

"And yet, it is precisely their kindness that drives them to do all they can to protect the world."

Oscar sighed quietly and, shouldering his backpack, he followed Ruby up the stairs.