Azula ignored everyone else as she watched the building they were approaching. Not even the Fire Nation had been able to construct something so enormous. The spire of the building stretched almost to the clouds and seemed to have a working clockface. "Everything ok, Azula," asked Ruby. Azula realized she was staring at the building with a look of awe and closed her slightly open mouth and turned to her.

"Perfectly fine," said the Firebender.

"But you were just…"

"I said I'm fine. Now leave me alone." Ruby frowned slightly. They worked so well together during the exam. But now Azula seemed closed off. Reserved. Ruby had hoped to get to know the girl better, especially considering they both seemed to be the same age. They were the youngest girls in Beacon. Sure, she had her sister, but other than that she really didn't have anyone else to talk to. Well, there was Weiss. But she doubted that Weiss wanted to speak with her all too much. As they landed, Azula watched as a woman with blonde hair an odd looking outfit and carrying a rider's crop.

"Good work you nine. You're the last ones to make it back. Miss Agni." Azula turned to her, surprised. She had no idea how they learned of the name she'd just given herself, but now she was on edge. They managed to spy on them in such a small space. If that was the case, just how long were they watching them? Since her arrival? Since they started fighting the Deathstalker and Nevermore? "If you'll please follow me. Professor Ozpin wishes to see you before we get to the entrance ceremony." Azula said nothing and followed after the woman. She was led inside the building and toward what seemed to be a cramped room. She warily entered it beside the woman, ready to her way out if need be. She was not ready, however, for the room to seemingly start to move as he footing buckled slightly at the sudden motion.

After a few minutes, they came to a stop and the doors in front of them opened. She followed the woman out and found herself in a large room on the opposite side of the giant clock she'd seen on the flight to the school. She glanced back at the elevator, wondering just how fast they'd been moving. 'It seems the spirits were telling the truth about their technology,' she thought to herself. She looked forward and spotted a man with white hair wearing a dark green outfit and a calm and observing demeanor. One she'd seen so many times in her uncle, Iroh.

"Hello, Miss Agni. First of all, I'd like to say: Welcome to Beacon. Glynda, would you be so kind as to retrieve a glass of water for our new student?" Glynda gave him a look but nodded and left the room. Azula watched her leave before turning back to the odd man. "Please, Azula. Take a seat." Reluctantly, Azula sat down, keeping her eyes on Ozpin the entire time. Something about him made her feel uneasy. His age didn't seem to be as old as her uncle's, yet he seemed… older. Far older than he should be. "What do you think of Beacon Academy, Miss Agni?"

"…It's certainly an impressive work of craftsmanship."

"I suppose it is. Tell me, Miss Agni. How did you end up in the forest?"

"I wandered in there."

"And suddenly decided to take a nap in the middle of Grimm infested territory?" 'So those creatures are called Grimm,' thought Azula.

"I'm a very light sleeper."

"I'm sure. Then, can you explain what this was?" Ozpin pulled out what seemed to be a slab of glass to Azula. He tapped on it a few times and turned it to her. Azula watched with wide eyes as she saw vines, embers, and water droplets gather on the ground. The vines encircled the embers and water droplets before they formed a familiar shape. Hers. She watched as her naked form was swallowed by the earth before rising once more, her armor and clothes now donning her body. She turned her gaze to the man and saw a small smile on his face. "Care to try again?" Azula clenched her fists and sighed.

"Fine. But only since I can't fully explain that without revealing who I am and where I came from. I must warn you though. This will take some time to explain."

"Feel free to take as long as you need, Miss Agni. The Introduction ceremony won't start for another hour." Azula nodded and proceeded to tell Professor Ozpin about her world, her life, and her death. For his part, Ozpin listened to her tale with fascination. He was aware of the gods of light and darkness who had formed Remnant before it was even known as such, he'd even met them at least once. To hear of an entire dimension home to countless similar beings was of no surprise to him. What was a surprise was the knowledge that unlike his gods, the spirits directly influenced Azula's world and even taught them the art of Bending through beasts like dragons and the mysterious flying bison, an abnormality of any world.

"This Bending. That's what you used against the Grimm, correct?"

"Yes. I am a Firebender."

"Is it possible for you to learn the other Bending forms?" Azula snorted in amusement.

"I'm no Avatar."

"Avatar?"

"A person who's soul is reincarnated in every generation to preserve the balance of the world. The Avatar is the only being who can bend all four elements."

"So it's not possible for someone, say Miss Rose, to learn Bending."

"Miss Rose?"

"Ruby. I believe you met her in the forest and worked together with her sister, Yang, and the others as well."

"I see. To answer your question, no. In order to learn Bending, you need to either be blessed by the spirits later in life or be born with the affinity for Bending. Even then, it takes years to fully master a Bending form, much like basic martial arts. I was one of the few both born with the ability to Bend and blessed by the spirits to master it at a very young age. My flames are a direct indication of that. Blue flames have never been heard of before I mastered my Firebending and started Bending lightning."

"No other person?"

"No."

"Interesting…" Glynda returned then and handed Azula the glass of water.

"Thank you." Glynda nodded and stood next to Ozpin.

"Now then, Miss Agni. What do you say about attending Beacon?"

"Why should I join your school?"

"Truth be told? Your skills would be better off defending people against the Grimm rather than burning your enemies to a crisp. Here at Beacon, we train the next generation of Hunters and Huntresses."

"And these people fight those creatures. The Grimm?"

"They do. And ensure the safety of the Kingdoms of Remnant. Vale, Atlas, Vacuo, Mistral."

"And where exactly are we?"

"Beacon Academy is located in the Kingdom of Vale," said Glynda, having heard Azula's story from the doorway. She herself was astounded at the idea of other worlds besides this one and wished she could study them to see the differences between both worlds. "The central nation of the Four Kingdoms."

"I assume you heard my tale from the doorway? I heard it slightly open before pausing."

"You heard that?"

"I was the Princes of the Fire Nation. My life was constantly in danger. Father assured my senses were keenly honed to detect an attack. Though my ears are still slightly ringing from those damned weapons the others were using."

"Firearms," said Ozpin. "Projectile weaponry using Dust to propel small projectiles at a faster speed than the arrows you're used to seeing. Another name for firearms is guns. With the advances in technology, they've become a norm among Hunters, Huntresses, and the militaries of Remnant."

"Must they be so damn loud?"

"They can be modified to limit their sound," said Glynda. "If you plan on acquiring a weapon yourself, you can add that modification if you wish."

"I'll stick to my own fire, thank you." Azula thought for a moment before remembering the phrases Weiss and Ruby had mentioned when they first met. "Weiss mentioned this Dust before. What is it?"

"I suppose you could call it Remnant's version of Bending," said Ozpin. Dust is a unique mineral that has manifested as the natural and unnatural elements. The basic elements you're aware of, fire, wind, earth, and water. There are lightning, lava, ice, energy, steam, gravity, plasma, and hard-light."

"I have no idea what those last three are. The others I am familiar with. The Fire Nation used steam to power our war machines."

"Gravity keeps us on the ground," said Glynda. "Plasma is… well the same material as the sun." Azula glanced outside where she saw the sunset.

"And Hard-light," said Ozpin. "The rarest form of Dust, is well, it would be hard to explain without any to demonstrate its uses."

"I see," said Azula.

"Miss Agni," said Glynda. "If you don't mind my asking. Why did you save your brother if, as you said, you hated him?" Azula grew silent. She contemplated her words for a moment before turning to them.

"I don't know. I suppose some part of my broken mind still saw him as my brother. Even though I fought him in an Agni Kai, I don't think I ever could've brought myself to truly kill him, though my actions said otherwise. I never used enough lightning to kill him. It was his fool decision to jump in the way of the bolt even though that peasant easily could've evaded it. She and the Avatar had proven such in the past. Despite being groomed to be a warrior and leader, I've never actually killed anyone besides the Avatar, though that was temporary."

"Why is that?"

"I… do not know… I'm not above it, part of my upbringing, but the few times I would have killed someone, some part of me diverts my aim to just injure them. Like my uncle…" Ozpin noticed her swallow and grip her clothes beneath her armor slightly. "When it was in the sense of duty to my father and the Fire Nation, I was able to kill the Avatar, if only momentarily. But other than that instance, I've never killed anyone." Ozpin hummed softly as he considered her words.

"Actually," said Ozpin. "If you think back. You've killed precisely two people. The Avatar, and the man who killed you." Ozpin watched her carefully. Azula replayed the events of her death in her mind. She felt the first arrow pierce her chest as she pushed Zuko out of its path and the heat of the flames as she fired on the archer. His screams, deafened by the flames, now reached her ears before they went silent almost immediately as she was hit by the second arrow. Azula clenched her fists as the screams filled her head, louder and louder as she relived the moment again and again. She covered her mouth as bile started filling her mouth. Ozpin was anticipating this and placed a trach bin under chin as Azula emptied whatever was in her stomach which wasn't much except for water she drank briefly on the flight to the school and the few sips from the glass on Ozpin's desk.

"It seems, Miss Agni, the Spirits were right about you. You aren't completely like your father. From what you've told me, your father wouldn't have thought twice about the man after killing him. But it seems you had an adverse to the thought of it. I would say you have a good heart. You killed someone, not in the sense of duty or revenge. You killed someone while protecting your family. Someone with a good heart, even if its been clouded by dark ambitions and a childhood such as yours, would still revile at the thought of killing someone. You may have a strong sense of duty, and that may help you kill at certain times, but this was not out of duty. He was one of your country's men. A soldier most likely with a family doing his duty."

"Shut up!"

"Don't deny it, Azula. When it comes down to it, that's why you saved your brother, and more recently Miss Schnee when she fell from the Nevermore. You had no obligations to save her."

"That was me simply helping an ally! I had no idea where I was! I was up against a giant bird and needed as much help as possible!"

"You can try and cover up the fact, Azula. But if it were truly because you needed as much help against the Nevermore, as you claim, you would've spent more time considering your actions. Instead, when she fell you jumped to save her, no other thoughts, no worries about if the Nevermore could've snatched you and Miss Schnee out of the air. You selflessly saved her without a second thought. Only someone with a good heart would act first to save a friend without hesitation."

"She is not my friend."

"Give it time. I think attending classes with her and the others will change that."

"And what makes you think I've decided on attending your school?"

"You're still here speaking with me. Not walking away, not rejecting my offer. And you willingly told me the truth about where you came from. You could've refused. Could've come up with some lie to explain your resurrection. Instead, you have been honest. Respectful. You wouldn't be here unless you were interested. And if you want to put a sense of selfishness, you're new to this world. It would be more beneficial to learn about this world, its inhabitants and its technology, in a place where you can easily hide." Azula glared at him before setting the trash bin down. "Now then. I believe we've talked long enough. Would you be so kind as to show me which artifact you grabbed from the temple, Azula?"

Azula reached into her pocket and pulled out the artifact before showing it to them. "I suppose my other question can wait. For now, can you tell me what the significance of this is?"

"First tell me. What drew you to this artifact?" Azula looked at the artifact in her hands. It resembled a rounded tower with pointed ridges around it with an elegant carving around the base.

"It's beauty. It has an elegant appearance to it. Elegant and strong. Why?"

"That artifact is known as the White Queen in a boardgame known as chess. It is the most powerful piece on your side, beside the pawn which can become a queen once it reaches the other side of the board. I don't know if the spirits have a sense of irony or if they see things we mortals cannot, but I'd say that piece fits you perfectly. Keep it."

"Why were your students retrieving these?"

"They were how we would assign them to teams. Only two pieces never had a twin in the set. The King and the Queen. Now then. Shall we be going? I think it's time to welcome the new students and form the teams."

"What will my team be?"

"I'll explain at the end of the ceremony. Shall we?" Azula sighed and followed after him, Glynda close behind. As they rode, what Azula now knew as an elevator, down, she thought on what Ozpin said. 'Stop trying to fool yourself,' she thought. 'The only reason you are attending this school is to learn of this world's history, culture, and technology. Otherwise surviving here will be more difficult than you need it to be! Then why did I save Weiss and try to save Ruby? I barely knew them. You were gaining their trust! They'd be more than willing to side with you if you seem more like a friend than an uninterested person who could care less! Having supporters will make conquering this world simpler! You'll prove those spirits wr-' Azula's thoughts faltered as she saw her mother's face in the reflection on the metal door in front of her. She had a small smile on her face and placed her hand on Azula's shoulder, which Azula thankfully didn't feel this time around.

"Are you alright, Miss Agni," asked Glynda. Azula blinked as the image of her mother faded away.

"Just fine…" 'I thought those spirits fixed my mind! Why am I seeing her again?!' She clutched at her chest as a deep pain rose in her heart. A pain she's finally recognizing had been there since childhood. When her father took interest in her Firebending and her mother started paying more attention to Zuko than herself. A pain of longing, of sorrow. Her father showed her no amount of affection, only preference at what she could become. Because of the attention her father gave her, Zuko was neglected. And Azula noticed her mother spending more time with him as a result. 'And jealousy ensued… Spirits… why? Why is this only now coming up? Is it because of him?' Azula glanced at Ozpin and saw him looking at the strange device he'd shown her in his office.

"Oh yes," said Ozpin. "Before we reach the bottom floor. Do you know what a Faunus is?"

"Faunus? Isn't that the scientific classification for animals?"

"Technically yes. But in this case, Faunus is the name for the other race of beings on this world. Humans with animal traits. This can range anywhere from an extra set of ears, a set of horns or spikes, a tail, enhanced senses. Some even have wings either on their forearms or protruding from their back."

"I suppose you're telling me this, so I don't stare if I encounter one and make a fool of myself?"

"Very perceptive, Azula." A ding caught her attention as she felt the elevator come to a halt and she followed both teachers off of the elevator. "Now, you can enter the auditorium through the doors on the first right down the hall there." Ozpin pointed down a hall to his left. "Glynda and I will entered from backstage on the opposite side. Try and find a seat and we will begin assembling the teams for this year."

"You still have yet to tell me who my team will be."

"All in due time, Azula. Now then. Hurry along." Azula watched them run off and sighed before following Ozpin's directions. Her thoughts once again went toward her mother as she walked. She was lost in thought she didn't watch where she was going and bumped into someone. Years of combat experience and training kicked in and Azula grabbed the person she bumped into, tripping them up and throwing them to the floor. She aimed her fist at them, flames appearing on it and heard a girl shout out in surprise. On the ground in front of her was one of the Faunus Ozpin had told her about. A girl about a year older than herself with brown hair and rabbit ears wearing a brown black and yellow outfit looked at her in fear.

"Sorry," said Azula as she stood up and helped her up. "I'm a bit jumpy when I'm distracted. And I was heavily distracted when I bumped into you."

"I-it's alright."

"I really am sorry. My mind was… away from me. My father trained me to be a fighter at a young age. Wanted me to be his perfect weapon. Instincts got the better of me."

"Why would your father do that," asked the bunny girl with what seemed to Azula as an odd and rather pleasant accent.

"He was a cruel man. Wanted nothing more than to rule everything. I managed to get out from under his thumb. Ozpin extended an invitation to me to join Beacon when he learned of me."

"I'd say you're rather lucky then. So this is your first year at Beacon?"

"It is."

"It's my second year. My name is Velvet. Velvet Scarletina."

"Azula Agni."

"Azula. That's a nice name."

"Not as nice as Velvet, I'm sure." Azula saw the bunny girl blush lightly and smile. "Sorry to keep this short, but I need to get to the assembly."

"Oh! Of course! Sorry! The whole school is supposed to be there, but I slipped away to use the bathroom. Come on, let's go. It's just through there." Azula followed Velvet to the auditorium and looked around at the assembled students. "I think that girl there is trying to wave you down." Azula looked where Velvet was pointing and spotted Ruby waving to her. Azula sighed.

"That's Ruby. We met during the entrance test."

"Well, I'll let you go to your friend, Azula. I need to get to my team. I'm part of Team CFVY, by the way."

"Good to know. And to meet you Velvet." Velvet waved to her before heading off to join a team close to the back. Azula went to Ruby and found her sitting by her sister, Weiss, Yang and the girl in the black and white outfit, Blake.

"Who was that," asked Ruby.

"Velvet of team CFVY."

"Do you know her?"

"Only just met her."

"Oh. Ok."

"Both of you be quiet," said Weiss. "The four of us are the last ones to go up to the stage, from what we've been told."

"Wait. What about Azula?"

"She goes right after us, I'm guessing," said Yang.

"Then who is going to be her team," asked Blake.

"Ozpin said he'd announce my team at the end of it," said Azula.

"What did he want to talk to you about," asked Weiss.

"My past." Azula watched as the new teams were formed from the new students attending beacon. As the teams were formed, Azula glanced around the room and looked at the students who were already students at Beacon and counted the ratio of Faunus to human. She noticed there was significantly less Faunus than humans. 'So they're a minority. No doubt this has either caused or is a result of prejudice. I remember reading a report about similar things happening to the colonists in the Fire Nation controlled towns in the Earth Kingdom. From both sides. Fear and hate. I suppose it's the same no matter what world you live in.' Azula was broken out of her thoughts as Ruby nudged her arm.

"We're about to go up with Jaune and the others," she said. "You should as well." Azula sighed and turned to her.

"Very well." Azula followed them to the stage as she saw Jaune, Nora, the boy in green, Ren, and the girl in crimson and gold, Pyrrha form team JNPR with Jaune acting as leader. 'Him? He must've directed the team when they took down the Deathstalker. Let's see if Ozpin truly knows what he is doing.'

"And finally," said Ozpin. "Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, Yang Xiao Long. You four collected the White Knight pieces. From here on out, you four will form team RWBY with your leader, Ruby Rose." Azula nodded as she agreed with Ozpin's decision. Ruby, when they were in a crisis scenario, took charge and led the other girls against the Nevermore with an ingenious and insane plan Azula herself would've done given the circumstances.

"All of the official teams have been formed. However there is an announcement to make. Azula Agni. Please step forward." Azula walked over to his side and blinked as a bright light as shone on her. "Miss Agni is a late addition to the new students. While all of the students were launched, she was already on the ground. Her instructions were to wait to encounter any students and travel with them to retrieve this years artifacts. She has retrieved the White Queen piece." Azula noted some mutterings from the older students. "As such she is granted the unique honor of forming her own team with whoever she views can work best with her. Until such time, however, Azula will be interim co-leader with Ruby of team RWBY. Azula turned to him and shook his hand as he extended it to her. "Good luck, Miss Agni."

"Thank you, Professor Ozpin."

"Do try not to burn anyone for the duration of your education."

"I make no promises, Professor."

"I thought as much." When the assembly had been dismissed, Azula found herself in the middle of a bear hug ala Ruby.

"Oh my god," she exclaimed. "We're going to be co-leaders!"

"Only until she forms her own team," Blake reminded her. Ruby deflated slightly.

"I know…"

"Until then," said Azula. "I'll make sure you four can work without my supervision."

"Hey," said Ruby. "We worked well together against the Nevermore!"

"Yes, but before that, you and Weiss got lost. With you two it's clear there will be a clash of egos. That being said, we need you both to work on working together without someone there to act as a catalyst. Luckily for you, we have the weekend to train. So we have a chance to improve that."

"What are you planning," asked Yang.

"Simple. Tomorrow, when we wake up, you four will spar with me and attempt to defeat me."