I feel a twinge of pain from my left arm, on reflex I go to sit up, but find myself strapped down to the bed I lie in. Glancing around the room in a panic I take notice of large machines making various beeping sounds, a few tables with varying utensils and medical supplies.
"H-hello? Is anyone there?" As my voice crackles the door on the other side of the room opens, out steps a young nurse accompanied by two others, a man and a woman. As the nurse goes about taking my vitals best as she can the man speaks up.
"Ah. Good to see you awake young man. My name is Ozpin. How are you feeling?"
Adjusting myself under the bindings I stare at him blankly.
"While I am sorry for such… accommodations you must understand that you are essentially an intruder. You have trespassed on private grounds and could be viewed as a potential threat to the people here. Suffice to say you are an unknown."
Sighing, I can't help but concede to his point. "Yeah I guess you got me there. Can I at least get a drink of water? My throat is dry as a desert."
After the nurse finishes assisting me and checking my vitals she hands Ozpin a clipboard before leaving.
"Hmmm. It seems other than some minor fractures in your left arm you're doing fairly well. You should be fully healed within a day or so I imagine. Considering the state you were brought in that's quite something."
"What do you mean? I quizzically look at him.
Ozpin looks at me for a moment. "Tell me. What exactly do you remember?"
Gathering my wits about me I try to think back to before I passed out. "I remember… falling, then after waking up in a small crater I tried to find someone who could possibly help me figure out where I was. Afterward, I decided to take a short rest in a cave I found. Then…"
Whipping my head back towards Ozpin I can't help raising my voice in panic. "What happened? Did that blonde girl and her friends make it out okay?"
Putting up a placating hand he gestures to the blonde woman who's been silently scowling at me this entire time. She steps forward adjusting her glasses before addressing me. "Both groups you encountered passed initiation with little more than scrapes and some bruising with the exception of Miss Xiao Long receiving a hairline fracture in her ankle which is reported to have healed some time yesterday."
"Thank goodness… Wait. Yesterday? How long have I been out?"
"Approximately two days now young man. To be fair you beat the doctor's estimate by about three days give or take." My eyes widen in shock at what I've just heard.
"Two whole days!? No wonder I'm starving…"
Chuckling, Ozpin walks closer to my bedside. "I'm sure you are, but I have to ask you some questions first before we can think of releasing you. Are you alright with that?"
Grinning ruefully I wiggle my legs under my bindings. "I don't think I have a lot of options in that regard, but sure."
"Right. Glynda? Could you give us a moment?" The woman stares in shock.
"Headmaster! You can't seriously expect me to leave you alone with-"
"With a young man who is injured and currently strapped to his bed? I would hope you'd have a little more faith in me Glynda. Plus, our young friend here has been quite open with us so far despite our less than stellar accommodations. I think I shall be fine."
The blonde sends another scowl at me before re addressing Ozpin. "As you wish Headmaster. Just give me a call should you have need of me."
With a light slamming of a door she departs "I apologize for her demeanor."
"No no, I get it. She's just wary. I guess I'd be too if I were in her situation."
Ozpin gives me a slight smile before pulling up a chair next to my bedside. "So, to start things off, I am Ozpin. Headmaster of Beacon Academy. Now to be completely honest with you young man. You… Shouldn't exist"
I freeze at that. 'Wait… What?'
"What do you mean I shouldn't exist?"
"I mean, we've looked everywhere. Hospital Records, Dental Records, Transcripts. No one matching your description could be found. So tell me. Who are you and where are you from?"
Shrinking under his gaze I struggle to find the words. Taking a deep breath I look at him and answer him honestly. "I… I don't know."
He looks at me incredulously. "You don't know? Care to elaborate?"
"I mean everything is hazy, my memories are… scattered. I can recognize certain things, but any time I try to remember the finer details I lose hold of it. The only other things I can remember are an accident of some sort, me falling, and fighting monsters with those kids."
Rubbing his chin in thought he addresses me once more. "I see. Do you remember this at least?"
Reaching into his pocket he pulls out a necklace not unlike the one I had with me. "This was the only thing we found on your person. In your state of unconsciousness you were clinging to it rather desperately."
My eyes widen. "My necklace! Give it back! Please!"
"It seems rather important to you. Why?"
I take a deep breath. "My memories may be hazy, but I'd recognize it anywhere. It… It was my grandmothers… It's all I have left of her. Please. Please may I have it back?"
After regarding me for several moments he places the necklace in the palm of my hand. "Thank you."
"Of course. However the question of what to do with you remains." As he sips out of a large mug an idea strikes me.
"You said you were the headmaster right?"
"Indeed."
"And based on what I've seen you are training kids to fight those… things, right?"
He gives a small grin seemingly knowing where I am going with this. "That is indeed correct young man. Why do you ask?"
"Well… I know this might seem strange but…"
"You want to enroll at my school?"
"Yes, I do."
He looks straight into my eyes, a serious look upon his face. "You understand that you would be fighting more of those 'monsters' correct? There are Grimm even stronger than the ones you've faced. You could have died back there. So why? Why do you, someone who has little to no memory, want to fight?"
'My reason to fight…' I think back to the fight with the deathstalker, how that girl, Ruby, could have been impaled had I not stepped in. How Yang could have been killed by that Nevermore if I hadn't pushed her out of the way.'
"Think young man. Why do you wish to put yourself at risk for the lives of people you don't even know? If you can't give me an answer I cannot in good conscience allow you to enroll."
As I sit there thinking about my answer Ozpin sighs before getting up from his seat.
"Because I can."
He turns around to look at me. "Elaborate."
"I have the ability to fight so I should. I would never forgive myself if I could have saved someone, but chose to sit on the sidelines. I don't care if my memories are lacking, I'll just make new ones! So whether you accept me or not, I'll continue to fight!"
He stares into my eyes, as if searching for any hints of doubt or deceit. When he finds none he walks back over to my bedside and begins unfastening my binds. As I stand up to stretch he reaches his hand out to me.
"That's all I needed to hear." I smile as we shake hands "However, there is one small matter we must take care of."
"What's that?" I ask him quizzically.
"Your name. We can't very well enroll you without a name now can we?"
Groaning, I face palm at my own stupidity. "Right. Of course."
As I'm humming in thought for a few minutes something flashes in my mind. What seems to be a memory of a man with old greying hair reading out of an old book to a young boy.
"This is a story about many gods, but one in particular goddess was stronger than most. She provided for all her children, she gave them animals to rear for sustenance, and trees from which they built shelter. She was a mother to all and as such she was often called Mother Gaia. She is formed from the very earth underneath us, watching over us, protecting us."
The child looks back to the old man in excitement. "Wow Grandpa! That was a great story! Gaia sounds really strong!"
The old man laughs heartily rubbing the child's head affectionately. "Yes, she was someone that everyone could depend on. Maybe one day you'll be that strong?"
The child beams a great toothy smile. "Yeah! I'll be so strong that everyone will be able to depend on me!"
I look towards Ozpin. "Gaius. Gaius Brakken."
Ozpin looks up in thought for a moment. "Yes. Gaius. A fine choice indeed. I'll do everything on my end to get you set up Mr. Brakken. In the meantime, maybe you should get freshened up, I'll have Miss Goodwitch guide you to the washroom and a temporary living space until we figure out what to do with you."
Smiling in gratitude I offer my hand out. "Thank you headmaster. Thank you for giving me a chance."
A small smile escapes him as we shake hands once more. "Just know I expect you to give it your all Mr. Brakken. We'll figure out a proper test for you and your subsequent placement at a later date. Don't make me regret this."
"Wouldn't dream of it sir." Afterwards Oz calls Glynda back in. It takes a little while to get her to accept my transfer into the school, but Ozpin seems to have it handled well enough.
Sighing, Glynda straightens up before addressing me "Very well then. If you'll follow me, I'll show you to where you'll be staying."
As we make our way through the halls of Beacon I take note of just how BIG this place is! I can only imagine how quickly I'd get lost in this maze of an academy if Miss Goodwitch wasn't here to guide me.
"Please don't dally. We wouldn't want to lose you before you even make it to your first class. Which reminds me. Due to certain circumstances classes don't start until tomorrow so be glad you don't have to worry about any work to make up."
As I silently cheer in my head I notice Glynda stop in front of what I assume to be the door to my new room. Opening the door I notice it is a very spartan room in appearance. Basic things like a bed, dresser, and desk to do homework at with another door that I assume to be the bathroom.
"As you can see it has all the basic necessities that you will need. While you freshen up I will acquire some clean clothes for you to wear along with your uniform for tomorrow. The Headmaster has asked me to give you these before I go."
In her hands is a few plastic cards with numbers on them and a small rectangle with a yellow diamond on it.
"This is a scroll, press here and it opens up allowing you to make calls, message people, and in case of combat allow you to gauge your aura to see how much you have remaining. These cards are called lien."
After going into which cards were worth how much and how to use my scroll I head into the bathroom to shower.
After having freshened up I make my way out of the bathroom to see a small pile of clothes folded on top of my bed. A green T-shirt lays folded besides a pair of black jeans along with the Beacon Academy uniform off to the side.
'Oh god… I just realized I'm basically going through highschool again! Granted there aren't classes dedicated to fighting creatures of darkness, but still! Wait… How is Ozpin going to get me enrolled when I'm-'
As I finish getting dressed I happen to glance over to see a young man around six foot three with onyx black medium length hair with forest green highlights around the fringes. An angular face that is easy on the eyes. Speaking of eyes, emerald green eyes stare back at me that almost seem to glow. Wait a minute…
'Is...is this me!? This is a mirror! W-what happened to me? Hold up… Are my pupils slit? Did I get turned into a faunus somehow?'
Looking closer at my reflection I see my pupils are indeed slit,but without any other identifying features I can't be sure exactly what kind of faunus I am. It's at this moment my stomach begins making itself known.
'When was the last time I even ate come to think of it? Let's see here…'
Pulling out the scroll I was given I manage to navigate the menus to find some sort of map of Beacon. After lacing up a basic pair of black and white sneakers I start my trek down the long hallways in my mission for sustenance. What I didn't realize however, is the map is a little harder to follow than I first thought. After pacing around like an idiot for a good five minutes I feel a small tap on my shoulder.
"Ummm e-excuse me? I couldn't help but notice you pacing around. Do you need some help?" Turning around I see the young brunette girl with matching brown eyes. The most prominent feature however is the pair of large bunny ears sprouting from her head.
'She seems nervous for some reason. Maybe she's shy?'
"Oh uhh yeah. I'm a little lost. Do you know where the cafeteria is? I tried following the map on my scroll but I can't make heads or tails of it."
"The cafeteria? Ah y-you must be new. S-sure, I can show you where it is. I was actually on my way there." I thank my lucky star before noticing her posture relax slightly for some reason.
"My name's Velvet Scarlatina, what's yours?"
"Gaius Brakken, I really appreciate the help. Umm is there something on my face? You've been staring at me for a bit now."
"OH! I'm so sorry, It's just… If you don't m-mind me asking what kind of faunus a-are you? I've never seen a trait involving someone's eyes before."
I shrug. "Honestly? I couldn't tell ya. I wish I knew myself."
She looks at me strangely with a raised eyebrow. "W-what do you mean? You don't know?"
"Something like that. If I'm being perfectly honest I don't remember much. Memories a bit hazy, all I remember is falling, waking up in a crater and then fought some Grimm alongside two groups of kids in the initiation."
Velvet looks at me wide eyed. "You have amnesia!? I-I'm so sorry, that was insensitive of me…"
"No no it's fine really. You had no way of knowing after all." As I try to console her I notice us coming up on a large pair of double doors at the end of the hallway. Velvet having noticed perks up and turns back to me.
"Well. Here we are. I've gotta go m-meet up with some friends. Maybe I'll see you around?"
"Yeah, definitely. Thanks again for showing me the way."
"No problem. Take care Gaius." As she walks off I take a look around the room and notice the spread of various foods of different makes and styles.
'This is gonna be great! I don't know where to start.'
Before I can start on stuffing myself silly I hear a voice call out to me from one of the nearby tables.
"HEEEEEEY. Tall, green, and hungry looking. I remember you!" Turning my focus towards the voice I see a group of about eight people. They seem familiar… I know!
"Oh hey! You're the guys from the forest! Hah! Good to see you guys are alright." Making my way over to the table I see the entire gang's here.
"Yeah you too. We tried to ask Ozpin if we could visit you so we could thank you, but he turned us away. Now that you're here though maybe we can get some introductions. I'll start. Name's Yang Xiao Long. Good to meetcha!" She offers her hand out and I take it.
"Gaius Brakken, likewise." After shaking her hand the girl in red stands up. Looking at her she has medium length black hair with red highlights and silver eyes.
'Silver Eyes… Why is that so familiar?' My musings are cut short as she introduces herself.
"H-hi! My name's Ruby Rose. Thanks for your help saving me and my sister Yang."
"No proble- Wait. Sister? But you two-" Yang interrupts me wrapping an arm around Ruby.
"Half-Sisters. Same dad, different moms and all that. Also, why so shy sis? What? you got a crush on em or something?" As Ruby sputters and yells at her sister's teasing the girl in white with light blue eyes makes herself known.
"Moving along, my name is Weiss Schnee as you may know."
"Uhhhhhh… Know what?" Weiss looks at me dumbfounded before shouting.
"Don't tell me you haven't heard of me! Weiss Schnee! As in the Schnee Dust Corporation?"
Wracking my brain for any sort of memory I come up empty handed.
"Nope. Sorry, doesn't ring a bell. I uhh don't remember a lot of things actually."
Everyone at the table gives me a strange look before a girl with long red hair speaks up.
"What do you mean by that?" Seeing all their curious stares I recount the tale of my getting here, my loss of memory, and of my enrollment in Beacon. The girl in black adresses me after I finish. She wears a black bow on top of her long black hair and amber colored eyes.
"So you still have a test to go through…I'm curious what the headmaster will think of. Oh, I'm Blake by the way." After giving her a nod the young man with short blonde hair and blue eyes steps up holding his hand out.
"Hi, name's Jaune, Nice to meet you and I gotta say you did a real number on those Grimm." At this point the orange haired girl and electric blue eyes excitedly starts bouncing around.
"Yeah! It was awesome! At first you were all 'I'll save you!' Then you were all BAM and glowy 'n' stuff! And then you were like BOOM and POW! Oh, I'm Nora by the way! Nice to meet you! Do you like pancakes?" I try to keep up with the hyperactive orangette best as I can, but all I can do is nod dumbly and say yes.
"YAAAY! Hear that Ren? He likes pancakes too!" She gasps "Maybe we can throw a pancake party and be pancake pals!"
The boy I can only assume is Ren puts his hand on Nora's shoulder.
"Maybe we should take a moment to calm down. We wouldn't want to wear him out." He speaks calmly and evenly in an almost monotonous tone. Long, dark hair with a single pink streak running through his hair. He catches me staring and speaks up.
"Sorry about that. Nora can be rather… Excitable meeting new people. My name is Lie Ren, but my friends call me Ren."
Shaking his outstretched hand I turn towards the last person to be introduced. The girl has long, flowing red hair styled up in a ponytail and bright green eyes.
"My name is Pyrrha Nikos. It's a pleasure to meet you. Thank you ever so much for helping when you did."
"Please, I just did what I thought was right. To be perfectly honest I was kind of caught up in the moment." Yang gains a devious smile.
"I'll say. What was that line again? 'Burn in Hell' was it? Talk about aggressive, rawwr." Trying to keep my blush down I fire back.
"Hey! It was in the heat of the moment!" Yang places her hands up placatingly.
"Hey hey I get it. No reason to get 'Heated', we all had a 'Blast' watching you fight those Grimm right guys?" Everyone at the table groans at Yangs puns but I…
"Snrk…" Ruby's eyes widen at me in fear as Yang looks at me like she just struck gold.
"Ohhh? You liked that one huh?" I deny it vehemently, but Yang refuses to quit.
"That was quite the 'Explosive' situation wouldn't you say? Those Grimm really had us on the back 'Burner'." I try to contain my laughter as best I can, but in the end…
"Snrk...Pftt… Hahahah!" As the group looks on in wonder Yang is cheering and smiling like she just won the lottery.
"YES! SEE!? He gets it. At least he likes my jokes. You and me are gonna get along great Gai." Calming down from my fit of laughter I look at her strangely.
"Gai?"
"Yeah. Gai, short for Gaius. Ya know? A nickname." Thinking about it for a moment I start silently mouthing it to myself before speaking up.
"Gai huh? I like it!" Yang smiles brightly.
"Glad you do Gai. So got any plans after this?"
"I was just gonna grab a bite to eat before-" Before I can finish my sentence I look over to Ruby seemingly… Vibrating?
"Uhh What's up Ruby? Need something?" After having been called on by me she leans in closer with an excited look on her face.
"I've been trying to be patient about this but… Can I please see your weapon? I've been dying to know what it looks like!" Yang grins
"Wow Rubes at least invite the guy to dinner first sheesh." The young girls face turns as red as her highlights as she tried to hide from her embarrassment in her hood as her sister laughs uproariously. I chuckle a little before turning to address Ruby.
"It's fine Ruby, I knew what you meant. Sorry to say, though I don't have a weapon. When I got dropped into the forest all I had were the clothes on my back." Ruby's eyes bug out of her hood as she exclaims loudly.
"What do you mean you don't have a weapon!? A weapon is the very essence of being a Huntsman! They are an extension of ourselves. You sh- WAIT!" The young Rose halts in her speech and as the gears in her head turn at a rapid pace she looks back at me with a gleam in her eyes.
"Youshouldletmehelpyoubuildyourweapon! Pleasepleaseplease!" My mind races to try to keep up with what she's saying.
"WOAH woah woah! Slow down Ruby. I don't speak motor mouth"
"HAH that's a good one. I'm using that." Yang interrupts giving me a thumbs up. Ruby then takes a deep breath and this time speaks in a slower but no less excited tone.
"Pleeeeease let me help you build your weapon!" As I finally understand her I look up in thought before regarding her once more.
"Sure. I don't really know the slightest clue about that sort of thing so you'd actually be doing me a huge favor. Thanks Ruby."
Her eyes widen in glee as I excuse myself to go get some food. Looking at the spread I notice a ton of different foods all around, but for some reason there's a delicious smell that makes my mouth water. Finding the source I grab a plate and start filling it up as high as I can before making my way back to the table. There, Ruby turns to speak to me.
"So Gaius, for your weapon I was thinking- Woah! That… That's a lot of fried chicken."
As Yang tries her best not to laugh at my tower of chicken I set my plate down sheepishly.
"I don't know why, but when I smelled the chicken it was just so… Intoxicating. Like my mouth won't stop watering!" As I pick up a drumstick and start eating Pyrrha speaks up.
"It sounds like your faunus instincts acting up. Kind of like how some rabbit faunus really like carrots. Maybe this will give some insight on what kind of faunus you are?" As I go to wipe the grease from my mouth Weiss hands me a napkin.
"Please try using this instead of your sleeve? Just because your instincts are acting up doesn't mean you have to act like an animal." Sheepishly accepting the napkin I notice Blake glaring at Weiss from the side.
'Why is she mad? I'm the one who got insulted. Huh…'
"Anyways other than the whole weapon thing I was planning on heading into town to buy some things like clothes and toiletries seeing as I don't have much right now, but I don't really know the area. Anyone care to join me?"
Jaune speaks up apologetically. "Sorry Gaius, we got some stuff we gotta do before class tomorrow. Good luck on the whole weapon thing though. Hope to see you around"
"Nah it's cool dude I get it. You guys take care." As Team JNPR makes their way out of the cafeteria Team RWBY lingers behind with me.
"How about you guys? I'd really appreciate it." Weiss sits up from her seat.
"Sorry but I've got some last minute preparations for class I need to take care of." After Weiss leaves Blake trails behind her mentioning something about the library.
Looking over at Ruby and Yang I look at them pleadingly. "Please tell me you'll say yes?"
"What's it worth to ya?" Yang states jokingly, I hope.
"Of course we'll help out, right Yang?"Ruby looks over at Yang cheerfully.
"Yeah sure. I got nothing better to do anyway. Might as well have some fun and hang out with you guys."
Breathing a small sigh of relief I wipe my face after having finished my meal. After taking care of my plate the two sisters and I chat a little as we start making our way to the city of Vale.
"Wait… What's a Bullhead?"
Something tells me I'm in for a wild ride.