Chapter 16: Hello, My Name Is...

(Mistral, Pine Farm)

Oscar Pine took a large swig of his water. Winter was fast approaching, which meant that it was the weird time of the year. The time of the year where Oscar could simply do nothing. Normally he and his Aunt Olivia would be working every day to keep the farm going. It was only the two of them, so there really wasn't any such thing as a day off.

But harvest was over, thank the gods, and there wasn't any work to be down until planting next year. Usually Oscar would use this time to catch up on some reading. He was a voracious reader, mostly due to the fact that there wasn't exactly anything else to do on the farm. It helped that there always seemed to be a few new books every time Aunt Olivia came home from town.

Today though, he was restless. It felt like there was something he needed to do. Somewhere he needed to go? That made no sense. What was there to do, and where did he have to go? He had wanted to go to Combat School, become a huntsman, but Aunt Olivia had shut that down. He was needed on the farm, and much to Oscar's dismay, he couldn't exactly argue that.

He sighed, and tried to banish those thoughts, too much fretting would bring the risk of Grimm. Sure, they had the bunker, but it was downright miserable in winter.

He glared at the book he was flipping through. It was open to a picture of Beacon Academy. Recently he had started to get... feelings whenever he saw or thought of Beacon.

Safe. Purpose. Mission.

Oscar had always thought that he was supposed to be more than a farmboy, and those feelings had only been intensified by the visitor he and his aunt had a few months ago.

Normally bandits passed them by, they had nothing valuable, and if they needed food, Olivia kept extra on hand to keep things civil. This time however, it seemed that they had just wanted trouble. Things were starting to look bad, and Oscar was genuinely worried that the Grimm were going to come.

The man had fought off the bandits with nothing but a cane, then had accepted Aunt Olivia's offer to stay for dinner. As he was leaving, he turned to Oscar and said something that Oscar wouldn't forget any time soon.

"Oscar, one day you are going to have to leave this place. You have a greater calling than this."

Then he had left, almost vanishing with how quickly he left. Neither he or Aunt Olivia had ever brought it up again, so why was he...

"Hello, my name is Professor Ozpin."

Oscar yelped and fell out of his chair. Had he just heard a voice in his head?

"Yes, you did."

Wait, why did it sound familiar?

"Uh, were you the guy that fought off those bandits?" Oscar asked.

"Yes, that was me."

Oscar was quiet for a time, he got back into his chair, and contemplated his new situation. He had a voice in his head, but it was someone that he definitely knew existed. This was strange to say the least. Oscar decided to bite the bullet and ask the million Lien question.

"How and why are you in my head?" Oscar asked.

"I have the ability to reincarnate, more or less. I understand that you must have many questions, and it would take a very long time to answer them all like this, so I'll simply show you."

"What do you mean, show..." Oscar trailed off as he was bombarded by memories from a hundred lifetimes.

A tower rising from the horizon, holding a woman imprisoned by a cruel tyrant.

That same woman crying over him as he lay dying from some illness.

The gods (They were real?) telling him what his mission would be, to unite humanity, then gather all the relics so that the gods could judge them.

Dying to the woman he had saved before, made immortal by the same gods that had made him reincarnate, all because they differed in opinion on how to unite the world.

Multiple lives spent in exile, wallowing in grief, self-pity, and hopelessness. Unite the world? How could he do that when the Faunus are treated worse than garbage?

Bestowing magic on four sisters for dragging him out of that exile, and reminding him why he had become an adventurer to begin with.

Standing before an army on a desert battlefield, a crown atop his head, a sword and scepter in his hands, and a Knight, clad in shining white armor, at his right hand.

Gazing out the window, trying to figure out how to clean up team STRQ's latest mess...

His final argument with Raven, her telling him that he was a monster for setting up children to be nothing but lambs to the slaughter.

Seeing the light leave the eyes of Taiyang Xiao Long as he delivered the news of Summer Rose's passing...

Sitting across from Ruby Rose, and extending an offer to her, to attend Beacon Academy two years early.

Watching helplessly as a maniac cut through his barrier with his Semblance, and oh gods it hurts...

"And that brings us to the present." Ozpin concluded.

Oscar sucked in several breaths before doing anything else. "Okay, that's a lot to take it." Oscar said, a touch of sarcasm creeping into his voice, "What's going to happen to me though? There was something that came up a couple of times in... all that. A... merge. Am I going to..."

"You are not going anywhere, Oscar. In time, you will gain access to all of our predecessors' memories, but they will remain separate and distinct from your own memories. Eventually, you will gain my muscle memory, particularly how I fight. Please never forget this simple fact, although there may be times where I need to take over, you will not cease to be you at any point."

Oscar felt the fear that was bubbling up and threatening to bring down every Grimm within a five mile radius on him bleed away, sort of. Oscar didn't like the idea of Ozpin taking over, no sir.

Ozpin could sense Oscar's doubts a mile away, figuratively speaking, so he decided to explain a little more. "I prefer the term of Companion for our situation. As long as you need me to guide you, I will remain. However, when you no longer need me, I will disappear."

This was all a little much for poor Oscar. "I know I wanted to go to Combat School, but this is a little much, don't you think?" He deadpanned, "Just give me a couple days to get used to all of this, alright?"

"Of course. I'll only contact you if your life is in danger."

That's not comforting at all!

(Mistral, Road)

What had originally been planned to be a two week mission had turned into a month long slog, and they hadn't even gotten to Oscar yet! Between all of the destroyed villages that they had to pass through, and every intact village practically begging them to deal with their Grimm problems, it had been slow going.

It was almost like the Hunters based in Mistral had abandoned the kingdom, since it seemed to Qrow like him, Ruby, and Yang were the only Hunters around.

Which meant that, barring possible circumstances where they would have to make a mad dash back to Beacon, it would be just as slow going back.

At least that meant that Oscar would get some combat experience on the way back.

Qrow glanced at Ruby, then he chuckled. Even when things had been at their worst, she had been a never ending font of optimism. Why shouldn't she? They were doing exactly what Ruby had wanted to become a Huntress to do. Saving people, making it better.

Yang, on the other hand... she had been in a perpetual state of annoyance for about a week now. It didn't help that none of the intact villages that they had passed through had the means to replenish her micro-rocket ammo. One would think that being restricted to melee combat wouldn't be a problem for Yang, but those Lancers that they had fought four days ago would disagree.

"We're close, right?" Yang grumbled.

Ruby checked the map on her scroll, "Yep!" She confirmed, "The farm where Oscar's supposed to be is only a couple of hours away."

"Alright, with any luck, Ozpin's already made himself known," Qrow said, the irony of him wishing for good luck not lost on him, "So, we won't need to have an... awkward conversation with this Oscar's aunt."

Famous last words.

(Mistral, Pine Farm)

Olivia prided herself on living a relatively normal life. Sure, Grimm came around occasionally, but that's what the bunker was for.

She had not been prepared for her sweet, wonderful nephew who she loved with all her heart to tell her that the headmaster of Beacon Academy had taken up residence in his head, and was now telling him that he had to go to Beacon Academy.

"Oscar," Olivia said, "Please tell me I'm dreaming, and that I'm going to wake up."

"Maybe it would be best if I talked to her, Oscar." Ozpin ruminated.

No, Oz. Oscar replied, That would only freak her out at this point.

Olivia's eyes narrowed, "You were just talking to him, weren't you? He's actually in your head."

Oscar winced. "Yeah..."

Oscar sat down at the kitchen table with his aunt and explained the basics. Her heart probably couldn't handle the details, anyways.

He explained how over time, he would gain access to the memories of his previous incarnations and gain Ozpin's muscle memory, as far as fighting was concerned.

He explained how at the end of his and Ozpin's partnership that they would merge, and how Oscar would not disappear as a result.

Finally, he explained how, eventually, circumstances would most likely force him to leave home, in one way or the other, and push him along to his destiny, whatever that may be.

Olivia sighed. "That's... a lot to take in, Oscar."

Oscar laughed, "You're telling me? It took a couple days for me to process it all!"

Olivia frowned, "Do you have to leave... immediately?"

Wait, she's actually considering letting me go?

"No, but I'm pretty sure that I won't have a choice eventually." Oscar said.

"Well, then, we'd better start-" Olivia was interrupted by a knock at the door.

She got up, and checked the peephole. With all the revelations today, Olivia decided that she couldn't be too careful.

She saw that there were three Hunters on her doorstep, which was odd enough, considering that all of the local Hunters had disappeared.

The first was old, for a Hunter, in his late thirties, probably? He carried a sword which was currently stored on his back, in a compacted form. The man was certainly the stereotypical image of a Hunter, to Olivia at least.

The next was a girl in her late teens, with hair as bright as the sun. Gods, that was a lot of hair. She looked as if she had just walked out of a spaghetti Vacuoan western, the only things missing were the cowboy hat and a Big Iron at her hip.

The other girl... while the man was Olivia's stereotype of what a Hunter should look like, this other girl was straight out of a child's imagination of what a Hunter should look like. A bright smile, what was most likely a hopelessly convoluted weapon hanging from her back...

The only thing saving the girl from Olivia delivering instant judgement on her attire was that the corset she wore wasn't... excessive.

She sighed, then opened the door. She had prided herself on having a normal life. Unfortunately that had been thrown out the window and carried away by a proverbial Nevermore.

"Hello, my name is Olivia." Olivia said, failing to keep sarcasm out of her voice, "I suppose you're here for my nephew and... um..."

Qrow breathed a sigh of relief, as he regarded the pudgy woman in front of him, her graying hair falling about her shoulders. Maybe his luck would hold a little longer. "Yeah, we are. Mind if we come in?"

There was a brief silence, broken by a raven cawing. "Of course, please come in." She said, "If you track mud in, I'll skin you alive."

Ruby's eyes almost bugged out of her head, "Wait, is she... are you serious?"

Olivia gave a slight smile, "No, I'm not." She turned around and went back in the house.

Ruby took extra care to wipe her feet off anyways, she had landed in a mud puddle by "accident" after all.

They found themselves in the sitting room, where Olivia instructed them to sit. "Introductions can wait until Oscar comes down, that way we only have to do it once." Olivia said.

"That makes sense." Qrow said, "Pop a squat, kids."

Ruby took a look around the room, she almost could say that she was back home in Patch, if it wasn't for the complete lack of Hunter memorabilia. No pictures of Beacon, no battered Grimm toys...

"Oscar, we've got company!" Olivia called out.

Oscar Pine's arrival was heralded by the thumping that sounded as he descended the stairs. He rounded the corner, and immediately froze. There was three Hunters sitting in his living room. After he found his voice, he opened his mouth, "That was quick, it's only been a week."

Qrow chuckled, "It hasn't been a week for us, kid. Take a seat so we can swap notes."

Olivia cleared her throat, "Introductions, if you don't mind."

"I'm Yang Xiao Long." Yang said. Oscar regarded her briefly, as he had never seen any one person with that much hair before.

The man was the one to speak next. "I'm Qrow Branwen."

Ozpin. Aunt Olivia is about ten seconds from freaking out.

"Why would... oh no." Ozpin replied.

"I'm sorry, what did you say your last name is?" Olivia said, anger clear in her voice.

Qrow's eyes narrowed, "Oh, we're in the tribe's territory, aren't we?" He then shook his head in annoyance, "I ain't with the tribe anymore. I ditched them after I graduated Beacon."

Oscar frowned when Qrow's gaze flicked towards Yang, all of a sudden she had gotten tense, almost like a coiled spring.

Whatever anger Olivia was experiencing melted away when the endless wellspring of positivity known as Ruby Rose opened her mouth. "And I'm Ruby!" She said cheerily.

"Well, then." Olivia said, "Now that I know who is who, tell me this. Why Oscar?"

Qrow fidgeted, "We don't really... know that." He admitted.

"Oscar, this may go smoother if I take over." Ozpin said.

Fine. Just... can I control when?

"Of course, Oscar."

Oscar took a deep breath, "Okay, Aunt Olivia? Please don't freak out."

Olivia's eyes went wide. The last time Oscar had told her to not freak out had culminated in Oscar telling her a riveting story of how he had fled from a Beowolf in the nearby woods, and had only gotten away because it had gotten stuck between two trees. Which she promptly dispatched by pounding it into dust with a sledgehammer.

Do it, Ozpin.

Oscar's eyes flashed, and he slumped over before steadying himself. "Now, Olivia," Ozpin said, "I believe that you had some questions about why Oscar was chosen as my next Companion?"

At this point, Olivia had hit her limit of Weird Things that she could handle in one day, so she just nodded weakly.

"Put simply," Ozpin continued, "Me and Oscar are like-minded souls. We both simply want to help people, even save them, as many as we can."

"Just like me..." Ruby mumbled.

Olivia had come back to her senses, allegedly. "So, it's random? You could've ended up... in anyone that met those criteria?"

Ozpin nodded, "Effectively, yes."

"So, why the hell is it Oscar? You could've chosen any hunter!"

Yang piped up, "The vast majority of Hunters, contrary to popular belief, aren't in it just to protect people. Some are in for the money, some for revenge, some for tradition. It's a bit of a grab bag."

Olivia sighed, "I'm sorry, I'm just a little overwhelmed. I only learned about all of this right before you all got here."

"To be fair, Olivia," Ozpin said, "You're taking it better than most."

Since Oscar had already explained how the memories worked, that statement didn't unleash another barrage of questions.

"Now, the main point of order for tonight. Oscar needs his aura unlocked." Ozpin said, "Normally, I would just do it myself, but I think it would be a good teaching moment for Miss Rose."

"Wait, what?" Ruby asked, "Why me?"

"Call it a hunch." Ozpin said, before his eyes flashed, and Oscar was back. "Ugh, that was not fun..." He muttered.

Ruby got up from her seat on the sofa. "So, uh, apparently I'm unlocking your aura."

Oscar blinked. "Oh... okay, that makes sense. I'm probably going to need that." He laughed, rubbing the back of his neck, just like a certain knight.

"Uh, Uncle Qrow, how do I do this?" Ruby asked.

"First things first, stand facing each other." Qrow said. "I'm going to warn you kids now, this can be... intimate. That being said, Oscar, all you have to do is close your eyes and concentrate. Ruby, you'll place one hand on his cheek, and one on his chest. Then you'll... push some of your aura into him, it'll find his aura and ignite it."

"One question," Ruby asked, "Jaune always talks about what Pyrrha said when she unlocked my aura. Am I supposed to say something?"

Qrow chuckled. "Yes and no. The words will come, but you won't need to worry about what to say."

Ruby nodded, then placed her hands on Oscar's chest and cheek. "Are you ready, Oscar?" Ruby asked.

The farmboy's eyes slid closed, and his brow furrowed in concentration. "Yeah." He said.

Uncle Qrow was right, this is pretty intimate.

Ruby closed her eyes, and pushed her aura out. She could see Oscar, a dim emerald light in the darkness. She pushed her aura towards it, but when it made contact, Ruby's awareness was swept somewhere else, All she could see was four Hunters facing off against Salem. One, dressed in red, wielding a scythe, Two, dressed in white, one in armor, and one in a dress, standing firm, looking for all the world like a pair of matched blades. And the final Hunter, wielding a cane, it's length crackling with energy.

As for where they were, Ruby couldn't tell. Somewhere in Atlas maybe?

Ruby came back to herself, and began to speak, the words flowing without thought. "For it is in perseverance that we preserve innocence. Through this, we become a weapon of virtue to protect those in need. Honoring the fallen, and defending the living, I free your soul, and by my heart, empower thee." Ruby felt a rush of understanding. She could see what made Oscar... Oscar. He just wants to save people... make it better... just like me.

Ruby stepped away as Oscar's aura began to glow emerald green. All of a sudden, she got tired and out of breath. "Ruby, are you okay?" Oscar asked.

Ruby took a moment to catch her breath, "Yeah, I just didn't think it would be that tiring." She sat back down and promptly fell asleep on Yang's shoulder.

Yang smiled, "Aw, she's all tuckered out."

"I have one more question, Qrow. What are you going to do for a weapon for Oscar? I don't exactly have anything here that will work..." Olivia said.

"We've got that covered," Qrow said as he reached into his satchel and retrieved a metal handle and handed it to Oscar.

Oscar took it and turned it over in his hands. Almost immediately, whatever fear he still had dulled, he could still feel it, acknowledge it, but it had no power over him. Oscar held it firmly in his hands, and activated a small lever, extending it.

"Well, I guess I'm starting to get Ozpin's muscle memory." Oscar deadpanned.

"Alright, that's enough for tonight, we're all tired." Qrow said, "We can worry about packing and the like tomorrow-"

"So, off to bed, kids." Olivia said, "Oscar, get the guest room ready."

Yang gently shook Ruby awake, and Oscar showed them to the guest room.

"I assume there's something you wanted to talk to me about without the kids around." Qrow said.

"Yes, there was." Olivia said, "What are the odds on Oscar coming back here after... whatever you're going to be doing is done?"

Qrow laughed, "I'm not exactly the best person to ask about odds, but I'd say somewhere in the ballpark of astronomical."

Olivia nodded, as if making up her mind on something. "I see, and the odds that one day, the farm and I get trampled by a horde of Grimm?"

Damn, lady. I get that you're pragmatic, but... damn.

"Pretty good, unfortunately." Qrow said.

"I see. Please come with me."

Olivia led Qrow to her bedroom, where she came to stand in front of her meager jewelry box, her hand on the latch. "When Oscar was five, his parents died in a Grimm attack, and I took him in. I've been saving this until he's ready."

She opened the jewelry box, and withdrew a wedding ring. "Since he probably won't be coming back here... could you..." Olivia stopped for a moment to wipe away the tears that were forming.

"Yeah, I'll hold onto it for him." Qrow said, pocketing the modest ring, "But if you're about to ask me to be a male role model for him, you're asking the wrong guy."

Noting the disappointment on Olivia's face, Qrow continued, "I know a guy, though. He's one of the Hunters in training that Oscar will be working with regularly. He's got a good head on his shoulders, when he remembers it." Qrow frowned, "He's been through some shit, but he's stronger for it."

Olivia swallowed, "Is he a good man?"

"Yeah, he is."

(Pine Farm, Guest Room)

Ruby couldn't explain why she was still up, she had fallen asleep on Yang's shoulder after unlocking Oscar's aura for goodness's sake! So, of course she couldn't fall asleep now that she was in an actual bed.

Ruby decided to chalk it up to worrying about the vision that she had seen. Was it Oscar's future? If that were the case, then was she, Jaune, and Weiss there? Were they going to be the ones to stop Salem, or were they going to die trying?

"Hey, Yang," Ruby asked, "Are you awake?" Due to the complete lack of snoring, Ruby already knew the answer to her question, but age-old formalities had to be upheld.

"Couldn't sleep either?" Yang replied.

"Obviously." Ruby snarked. "Yang, something weird happened when I unlocked Oscar's aura."

Yang grinned, "I'll say. I never thought I'd watch my little sister's first time."

Ruby lightly thumped Yang's shoulder. "Yang! I'm serious!" Ruby sat up in the bed they were sharing, "Before I said the chant, there was... something. A vision maybe?"

Yang turned over to face Ruby, "A vision of what?"

Ruby let out an internal sigh of relief. She loved Yang dearly, but getting her to can the jokes was like pulling teeth sometimes. "I saw me, Oscar, Jaune, and Weiss facing off against Salem."

Yang's eyes went wide. "Holy shit. Do you know where it was? Could you tell?"

Ruby shook her head, "No, not really. All I could tell is that there were big ice crystals and a giant door."

Yang knew her sister well, and knew that this would drag her into an endless spiral of what-ifs, making her question every decision that she made. "Whatever happens, happens." Yang said, "We'll deal with it, and we'll all make it out at the end."

Ruby frowned, "How can you be so sure, Yang?"

Yang laid back down, "Because, if you can live through landing in front of Adam and saying 'haha silver eyes go woosh', we can survive anything."

There was still something bothering Ruby, Yang still seemed... tense. "Yang, are you okay?" Ruby asked.

One thing that made Ruby a good leader was that she could quickly zero in on what was bothering someone. In this instance, however, Yang was not a fan. "I'm fine, Ruby."

There was silence for approximately three seconds before Yang admitted defeat.

"Fine! I'm not okay!" Yang whisper shouted, "I'm closer to Raven than I've ever been, and I can't do a damned thing about it!"

"At least your mom's still..." Ruby trailed off before continuing, "Even if she is the worst."

Yang shook her head, "No, Ruby. Summer was my actual mom, and I can't wait until I can tell Raven that."

The daughters of Summer Rose laid there in silence until sleep took them.

(Pine Farm, Oscar's Room, Two days later)

The next two days were a frenzy of preparation. Food was prepared, long procrastinated weapon maintenance was done, and belongings were packed.

Oscar took one last look around his room, at all the things he was leaving behind, correction, had to leave behind. Ruby had been pretty clear on what he should and shouldn't take. Nothing heavy or cumbersome, nothing fragile, and finally, if it can be replaced, then it's not worth packing.

In the end, there wasn't much. A couple changes of clothes, a fire starting kit he had made when he was ten, and a small photo album. Oscar smiled, he had been about to double down on the photo album, expecting Ruby to tell him not to be sentimental, that it wasn't worth the space or the weight, but instead she agreed with him.

We Hunters like our photos, Oscar. Ruby had explained. They're small, weigh next to nothing, but their power to remind us why we keep fighting is unmatched.

Oscar opened the album to its first page, it was occupied by one photo, a picture of a man and a woman holding a baby.

"Hey, Mom, Dad." Oscar said, "My life's... well, it's been turned upside down."

That's the understatement of the century. Oz commented.

Feeling a wave of annoyance from Oscar, Ozpin retreated, leaving Oscar alone, as alone you could be with someone in your head.

"Uh, so you know Professor Ozpin? Headmaster of Beacon Academy?" Oscar continued, "He died, and ended up in my head. Yeah... it's complicated, but now I have to leave and go to Beacon... and learn to be a Hunter."

Oscar chuckled, "It's funny in a way, Aunt Olivia told me no, but fate said yes." Oscar frowned, "That doesn't stop me from being scared though, our enemies, not Grimm, our actual enemies scare me. From what I've learned from Ozpin... they're bad news."

"I'm going to keep fighting, though, fear or not. I'm not going to let them tear any more families apart."

Oscar closed the album, placed it in his bag, and shut it. He had said all he needed to say.

There was a knock at his door, "Oscar, it's time!" Ruby said from beyond it.

"I'm coming!" Oscar replied. He shouldered his bag, and opened his door to... a faint scent of roses. Huh, I could get used to that.

Oscar descended the stairs, to find Olivia waiting for him, arms folded, and a frown on her face.

"The others are waiting outside." She said flatly, "Do you have everything, Oscar?"

"Yes, Aunt Olivia." Oscar said.

"Do you have your fire starting kit?" Olivia asked, "Your toothbrush? Your-"

Oscar interrupted her with a big hug. "I'm going to be fine, Aunt Olivia. I promise."

Olivia drew back from the hug and wiped her eyes. "You'll forgive me for worrying about you?"

Oscar smiled sadly, "I'd be worried if you didn't, Aunt Olivia."

She nodded and reached into her pocket, retrieving a small notecard, and handed it to Oscar. "My scone recipe. It was always your favorite."

What went unsaid made Oscar cry. Damn it, she always said she'd wouldn't give me the recipe unless it was over her dead body...

"It's never easy, Oscar." Ozpin said. "Whenever... our past selves had to leave family and loved ones behind, it is always painful. Especially since Salem will always come for anyone close to you."

What makes it easier?

Ozpin chuckled, "That, I'm afraid, eludes even me, Oscar."

"Alright, enough moping around, Oscar. You've got an adventure to get to." Olivia said. "So, get going!"

Oscar wiped his eyes with his rag, then ran out the door before the waterworks could start again.

Qrow noticed him first, "There he is. You got everything, kid?"

Oscar nodded, "I think so. I'm ready as I'll ever be, I guess."

Yang chuckled, "Sometimes that's all it takes."

"What about the other times?" Oscar asked, worry tinging his voice.

Ruby shrugged, "We wing it. Hasn't failed us yet."

Oscar looked back at the farmhouse one last time. Just have to do it, rip it off, like a band-aid.

"Alright." Oscar said, "Lets get going."

Man, was this chapter rough to write. I'm not a fan of exposition dump chapters, but sometimes, they're necessary.

So, let's tackle the elephant in the room. The Merge. I didn't want to focus on the existential dread of Oscar being like, "Will I still be here? How much of it will be me?" I want to focus on Oscar as an individual, coming into his own as a Hunter and as the next Oz.

And in case anyone's forgotten, Ozpin sent the location of the farm with the trigger on death message last chapter.

Next Chapter: Jaune faces off against his most cunning, most diabolical foe yet... Atlesian High Society.

Before I forget, props to TheGoose2012 over on the RWBY Nook discord for coming up with Ruby's aura unlock chant.