Here's the Ozpin and Salem Host fic I mentioned hefore. Due to the votes, I chose Ruby as the Salem host. Sorry for anyone who wanted someone else. We might see other variants, however. Check the later Authors Note at the end.
Special thanks to MrOreoMan for coming up with the new title.
This was the end.
Ozpin - Ozma, Orion, Octavius and more names than he could count - leaned against the wall and pressed hand against his bloodied side. The immortal was used to conflict, far more than anyone on Remnant, and yet now he felt like a lad off too his first bout of combat. His heart raced, his head pulsed, and it was a struggle to stand. His body wouldn't last much longer.
Ozpin closed his eyes and uttered one last thankful prayer to his latest friend. Every time he died and was reborn he damned the gods of choosing to revive him in such a way. It wasn't enough that he was denied the oblivion of death, but he had to steal the lives of others to continue his eternal war. Ozpin was just the latest in a long line of those who had sacrificed themselves for the betterment of Remnant.
"Perhaps I will see you soon, old friend." See them all. He'd had innumerable hosts through the centuries and yet he never forgot a single one. How could he? Just as they became him, he had become them.
He opened the door to the throne room and stepped inside. There she sat. Salem. His eternal enemy, the Queen of all Grimm, the monster responsible for so many deaths and, once upon a time, the woman he loved more than life itself. Seeing her so close brought a familiar pain to his heart. Gone was the woman who ruled with kindness and mercy, replaced with nothing more than a monster to be put down.
"Ozma," Salem said, not even bothering to get up from her throne, "I must admit, I'm surprised to see you here." A ghost of a smile passed her pale lips, "You must know how this will end."
"Perhaps." He smiled, bloody and weak, in return, "Or perhas this time a miracle will occur."
She raised a brow, both amused and annoyed at his unexpected confidence, "This conflict can end. Hand the relics to me and give - give us all - the mercy of death."
"Remnant is worth fighting for, no matter what you think." He stood up straighter and let the cane drop to the floor, "But I shall give you mercy, as both an enemy and the woman I once loved. Come, let us finish this."
She looked confused for a moment before her eyes widened in shock at what he held in his hands. It was a gambit, one that risked it all; but only for them. The afterlife existed. It wasn't something he remembered, but it was undoubtedly there; how else would the gods have plucked his soul in order to restore him? What he did now was a different kind of risk. If anything went wrong then they would not simply die. Their souls would be eviscerated and torn asunder. If they were lucky it would end with them reduced to nothing.
If they were unlucky then their fates would make the stories of damnation seem pleasant.
"Ozma-"
"This is the end."
And then he felt himself being torn apart. Ozpin screamed, as did Salem. Unspeakable pain, relentless agony. It felt like an eternity passed, bringing him to the precipice of madness. The only thing that kept him sane through it all was the knowledge that, if he was suffering in such a way, then so was Salem; and that meant Remnant was safe. For that he would suffer through anything.
And then...he was back. This wasn't the afterlife, and this wasn't oblivion. What this was, was the room of a teenager.
It didn't work. He went through all that for nothing.
...
"Son of-"
"-a bitch!"
Jaune screamed and fell off the bed, falling flat on his face at the unfamiliar voice's scream, "Bwuh?!" He stumbled into a standing position and looked around in a panic. That didn't sound like dad. Were they being robbed by the world's loudest burglar? He almost ran for Crocea Mors before he heard the telltale sounds of the twins arguing about who got the shower first and he calmed down. Alright, so not a burglar.
But that still didn't.
"You need to listen to me very carefully." Jaune screamed again as the voice returned, "My name is Ozpin, and the fact that I'm here now means that we are all in grave danger."
"What the hell?!"
"It is imperative that we leave this place now," the same voice said, "If am here then that means Salem is as well, and her madness will have only increased. We need to go to Beacon. I have allies there that will aid us."
Beacon? What was this...oh, now he got it, "I'm so stressed I'm hearing things." Jaune nodded. He wasn't going crazy; he was just hearing voices that weren't there. It made total sense. Anyone would have been nervous going to Beacon, but he was going there with fake transcripts and without any Aura. This was probably his brain trying to make him back out.
Well, it wasn't gonna work.
"You forged your transcripts? Why would would the gods put me with someone like this?" the voice lamented. Yeesh, his conscience(?) was kind of a dick, "Hold a moment, did you just say that you haven't unlocked your Aura?! You will die at Initiation! That is no exaggeration, young man. You will not make it past the first day!"
"Jeez, I thought my own brain would be a little more confident in me."
"I am not your brain. As I said before, I am Ozpin and I am in need of your help."
Ozpin? Like the former headmaster Ozpin? Yeah, now he really knew he was just hearing things. Of course his conscience(?) would take the name of the former headmaster. It wasn't gonna work. He'd spent so much money on those fake transcripts and convincing his family that this was a good idea. He wasn't gonna back down now on the day itself, no way. He was all-in.
"...I have had many hosts through the millenia, and yet I can safely say you are easily the most foolish. You're not even listening to me, are you?"
"Gotta get ready for Beacon," he said to himself, and not at all the other voice in his head that wasn't real in any way
"At least you're going to Beacon. I can talk to Glynda and we can go from there."
And then the voice went quiet. Thank the Gods. He had enough trouble without his doubts literally telling him how much of a bad idea this was. Shaking his head, he put on his favorite hoodie and went down to dinner with the rest of his family. Mom prepared a feast for his impromptu going away party. He tried not to think about the weird voice or how Lily clung to his side and tried to convince him not to go to Beacon. This had been his dream for years, he wasn't going to stop now.
Hours later and he was at the airship heading off to Beacon. This was it, this was the start of his new life.
...
Now if only he could keep his breakfast in.
"No Aura and you get airsick. My, what did I do to deserve this?"
"Hey, motion sickness is a very common afflicition!" Jaune shouted to the imaginary voice. He gripped the railing and took deep, gasping breaths, eyes closed. Motion sickness was something passed down from Arc line. His father had, his grandfather had it, and his great-grandfather had it too. It was a curse, one that they were forced to live with.
"Hardly the most galling curse I've ever seen." His conscience(?) sighed, "Well, since I imagine we'll be together for the forseeable future, I believe that I should do my part. Let it never be said that I didn't try."
Jaune didn't know what happened next. One second he was barely holding back from heaving his breakfast and the next it felt like he was covered in a thick blanket. His eyes snapped open and when he looked down at his arms he saw them coated in multicolored energy, white and green Aura - cause he suddenly knew what it was - rolling over his body in waves before disappearing, taking the warmth with it.
What the...
"Odd, my Aura and yours should have joined together at my rebirth, but it's...distinct. Could this be an effect of what I attempted to do?"
"...You're not just my conscience, are you?"
"Finally he understands. Now, I believe that we can-"
Jaune hurled his breakfast over the edge. It wasn't the motion sickness, at least not all of it. Mostly it was the fact that he had a guy's voice in his head and that was pretty damn freaky.
"...This is going to be a long incarnation."
Ruby Rose's day was off to a bad start.
It should've been great. Here she was, fifteen years old and getting into Beacon two years early after she helped Professor Goodwitch stop Roman Torchwick. Well, that and got a lecture about public safety. Then she muttered something about silver eyes and how she made a promise to the former headmaster Ozpin before very reluctantly asking if she would want to attend Beacon earlier than normal.
Ruby was so ecstatic she didn't even think to ask what she meant about the former headmaster and just accepted. Yang had been just as excited as she was and she could see why. They'd been together for years and Ruby didn't like the idea of her big sis going off to Beacon while she stayed behind at home. At least this way they could be professional Huntresses together instead of waiting.
Then her big sis betrayed her. Make new friends, she said. You can't just hang around me forever, she said. Why not, Ruby asked. She could just partner up with her and then go through the next four years together. No need to talk to people who didn't get her or understood why it was important that she had to clean Crescent Rose every couple of days. Way too many people treated their weapons like crap.
And then she exploded. Literally. She'd bumped into a girl ranting about Dust 'mined from the Schnee quarry' and when she sneezed everything kinda blew up. The girl left screaming about how much of an idiot she was and Ruby could only look up from the crater she'd made. This sucked. Her first day at Signal wasn't this bad, and both dad and Uncle Qrow taught there!
"Foolish girl. If I was corporeal she would regret her words."
Oh, and there was the voice in her head, that was another thing she had to deal with. She didn't really know how to explain that one. She literally just woke up to a woman's voice ranting and raving about how 'Ozma would pay for this!' and 'what madness was this?!'. She tried to talk to her, still unsure if she was even real, but she just kinda kept ranting and raving about how she'd have her vengeance.
It was...pretty distracting. She didn't tell Yang, mostly cause the last thing she wanted was for her sis to think she was crazy. It was probably just nerves, or maybe she was having one of those weird Mistralian 'chuunibyou' things a couple of the kids at signal had. They were always ranting about dark forces or voices from the void of whatever. Maybe they actually had a point.
"Welcome to Beacon..."
A pair of footsteps drew close and a hand was offered to her, "Hey, I'm Jaune." Ruby looked up to see an unfamiliar blonde dressed in actual armor carrying a sword and shield. Another student.
"Ruby." She smiled slightly and took his hand only to nearly recoil once their skin made contact. It felt like her palm had been burned, and judging by the way he stepped back he probably felt it too. Suddenly panicked, she stood up on her own and took a few steps back to put some distance between them, "Uh...thanks for pulling me up, but I should get going."
Then she fast-walked outta there before he could say anything. Stupid, stupid, stupid, she thought. The guy was just trying to help and she totally spazzed out on him. It was probably just some of the lingering Dust that stuck to her. If it could explode with just a sneeze of course it'd burn her if she touched someone.
"No, this is something else..." the voice said. She sounded calmer than before, "There is something about that young man."
"I don't even know what the deal with you is!" Ruby shouted. A few of the students looked at the crazy girl screaming into the air and got the heck out of there, "Seriously, you just show up this morning and start screaming about how you're 'gonna have vengeance'! This is the first time you're actually talking to me!"
"Be thankful that I am in this state, child, else your disrespect would have been returned tenfold."
"Who are you anyway? Why are you in my head?"
"My name is of no importance to you, and my state is due to Ozma's machinations. Rest assured, I find no pleasure in this situation any more than you. To think that I would end up bound to a Huntress, and one with Silver Eyes at that. The Brothers truly have a sadistic sense of humor."
"Ugh, whatever! If you're just gonna keep being mysterious then I'm just gonna ignore you!" Ruby crossed her arms and walked over to the auditorium. The voice went back to promising vengeance on this Ozma and she just did her best to put it (and her) out of her mind. She was still here at Beacon and she was still taking her first steps to be a Huntress. She wasn't gonna let a mean girl or a disembodied voice ruin her day.
She barely managed to hear Headmistress Goodwitch's speech over the voice's rambling, but she managed to get the gist of it. Initiation was tomorrow and they'd be staying at the auditorium for tonight. She also caught sight of Jaune somewhere in the crowd, though she did her best to not catch his attention. She'd already made a horrible first impression running off like that and with that Schnee girl-"
"You!"
"Ugh, come on!" Ruby shouted. Even the white-dressed girl seemed surprised at her sudden yell. Normally she might've been scared or gone looking for Yang for support, but the voice was still ranting in her head and the last thing she needed was to have someone else shout at her too, "I already apologized, princess! It's not my fault your Dust sucks and blows up with just a sneeze!"
"Wha- how dare you?! That Dust was the very best, and it's not my fault that you-"
"What is going on here?" The two arguing teens shivered and shrunk in on themselves as Headmistress Glynda Goodwitch walked towards them, eyes narrowed. She hadn't raised her voice, but the sheer intimidating aura she expelled was enough to stun the two girls into silence, "Initiation proper hasn't even begun and you two are already arguing. Do you think this is the proper example to set as the future Protectors against the Grimm?"
"No, headmaster..." Weiss mumbled.
"We're sorry," Ruby said after.
"It is that white-haired cretin's fault. Apologizing when you bear no fault only shows your weakness."
Ruby desperately bit down the urge to tell the voice to shut up again. Something told her Headmistress Goodwitch wouldn't accept 'I have a voice in my head being a jerk' as a valid excuse. She was not going to get kicked out of Beacon before she even started.
The Schnee stalked off, leaving Ruby to look for Yang before bedtime hit. At least her sister was having fun, and the voice finally stopped ranting. She still occasionally complained about how this was all foolish and how she was a queen, but again Ruby just ignored her. Maybe she'd get lucky and when she woke up the next day everything would be back to normal.
Sleep didn't come easy for her, and by the time she woke up there were dark circles under her eyes, "It has been a while since I've felt the need for sleep. This mortal body is an inconvenience." Ruby sighed and trudged to her locker. Nope, the voice was still there and it didn't sound like she was going to go away any time soon. Great. This was just what she needed on the most important day of her life.
"You excited, Rubes?" Yang grinned before catching sight of the dark rings, "Woah, couldn't sleep?"
"Yeah..." Ruby took some coffee with lots of sugar and cream and down it in one gulp.
"What is this? It has been so long since I've tasted anything...and the first thing I do so is something so overtly sweet? You, girl, I demand that you get something less saccharine. The next cup should be black."
'No way, black coffee's gross,' she thought.
"It is better than this overly sugary concoction you've created."
'Holy wow, you can read my mind?!' Then again, was that really a surprise? She had a voice in her head, why wouldn't it respond to her thoughts?
"I demand black coffee and honeyed hams."
'Uh...don't think we have time for that. I'm just gonna go get some toast.'
"Burnt bread is not food. You will-"
"Hey, Yang, we should partner up," Ruby said, ignoring the voice's ranting about how she would pay for her insolence once she regained her body. She was getting a headache. At least getting to kill some Grimm would cheer her up. It always did.
The sisters went over to their designated spots before they were suddenly separated. Ruby didn't even have time to protest before Headmistress Goodwitch announced, "All students will be separated into four groups and assigned to designated Bullheads. Said Bullheads will be flown over the Emerald Forest wherein the students are expected to jump and land into the grounds." That got some nervous whispers, "Don't worry, each of you will be handed a parachute."
"Ozma's trials are foolish as always."
'Shh, I'm trying to listen!'
"Your partner will be the one you first make eye contact with who isn't part of the same Bullhead as you." Ruby froze. Wait, what? "While this appears unexpected, this is exactly the point. I'm sure a few of you have already determined who you'd prefer as partners, but real life is not so simple. As future Huntsmen you are expected to adapt and overcome unexpected circumstances."
Ruby looked to Yang in a panic. She was in a different group, so at least that gave her a chance to find her in the forest. She had to. What if she ended up with someone like that Schnee girl?
"Before or after you find your partner, you're each expected to kill at least five Grimm inside the Forest grounds. Failure to do shall lead to failure and a re-evaluation of your place here." They all shivered at that, "After killing the requisite amount of Grimm you are to make your way to the rendezvous point. Now line up in an orderly fashion and go to your assigned bullheads."
'This is a waste of time.'
Ruby didn't bother responding to the voice and stepped up onto the Bullhead. She looked around and saw her future schoolmates looking anywhere from having a nervous breakdown to being completely relaxed. It was a simple enough test. Go in, kill some Grimm, get out. There were similar tests at Signal, except teachers were always nearby to help if needed. Here they were being tested to see if they could do it on their own.
Moment of truth.
Ruby took a deep breath and jumped out of the airship, the air rushing to meet her before she pulled on the parachute's cord. The red-cloaked reaper braced herself as the trees got closer and shucked the parachute off before they could get caught in the branches. With a burst of her Semblance, she rushed to the ground and unsheathed Crescent Rose. All she had to do was kill some Grimm. This was gonna be easy.
...Or at least it should have been.
"Get back here!" Ruby shouted, chasing after the beowolf that doggedly ignored her presence and charged into the trees, "I'm a Huntress and I'm trying to kill you! Why are you ignoring me?!"
"So it seems even in my diminished state the Grimm know their place." The voice laughed, "Perhaps not all is lost."
"Stop! I said stop!" Another burst of her Semblance and she sped to its front before it could escape. Ruby swung her scythe and the Beowolf dodged back. It still didn't attack. In fact it actually looked hurt, and not in the 'she cut it in half' way, more the 'why are you doing this to me?' way. Ruby bit her lip and hated how guilty she suddenly felt. What the heck?! This was a Grimm! Grimm! The enemies of mankind and bane of existence! She was literally carving through them just a week ago!
Now it whimpered like Zwei when she accidentally stepped on his tail.
Ruby grit her teeth decapitated it in one hit, "Well done. You must feel proud taking down such a powerful foe." Ugh, why didn't that voice just shut up? "Next you should- wait, we're not alone."
The reaper turned and shifted Crescent Rose into her sniper rifle mode, expecting a Grimm that would actually attack her. Instead she was met with Jaune standing ten feet away with his hands up, "Woah, woah, I'm not a Grimm!" he shouted.
"S-Sorry." She shifted CR back to scythe mode and cringed. Great, her second impression on the guy was pointing a gun at his face. Her partner now, actually. Crap, so much for finding Yang and sticking to her like glue for the next four years, "So, uh, I guess that means we're partners now?" She offered her hand. The burn from last time was probably just a fluke or something.
He took it and she yelped when the same sensation from before returned. Ruby stumbled back, barely managing to keep herself level, and Jaune did the same. This time she actually looked at his hand and blinked at what she saw. There were two Aura colors. White and Green melded together and ran in waves down his arm as he shook his hand with a hiss. That was different.
The voice gasped, then it yelled as loud as when she first heard it.
"He's Ozma's host!" Ruby winced at the sheer volume of the shout, "He's the reason I'm stuck in this state! Kill him, girl! Kill him now!"
"What? I don't-"
"Kill him! Make him pay for doing this to me!"
Across from her, Jaune wasn't having much better luck with his own passenger, "I knew it! I was suspicious of her since yesterday, but somehow Salem is within that girl! I...you can't kill her, she's an innocent in this conflict, but you should have taken my advice and talked to Glynda yesterday! We need her help in order to deal with this...madness!"
"But-"
"This isn't a request, Jaune! Our lives depend on it!"
The two teens cringed and tried not to go deaf as their passengers continously screamed demands at them, one instructing murder and retribution while the other continously insisted that his orders be followed to the letter. Eventually even they got tired of yelling and whatever it was that kept them tethered to their unwilling hosts weakened enough for them to have a moment of peace and quiet.
It wouldn't last, something they were both all too aware of.
"So...I know this sounds weird, but I've got a voice in my head claiming he's the former headmaster Ozpin. Do you...have something similar?" Jaune asked.
"Uh...kinda. I don't know what her name is since she won't introduce herself, but she's been a real jerk...and I think she's the reason the Grimm aren't attacking me." Someone complaining a Grimm wasn't attcacking them. In an other situation Jaune would've laughed, "So, uh...is that voice telling you to to kill me too? Cause my voice is telling me to kill you." A pause, "N-Not that I'm gonna do it or anything! You seem pretty nice and she's been kind of a jerk so I don't really wanna do anything for her."
"Not kill you, but he really wants me to go to Headmistress Goodwitch. Apparently they were old friends." He coughed, "So...I'm guessing these two aren't friends."
"Yeah, don't think so." She sighed, "Ugh, this sucks! Today was supposed to be the best day ever. I was going to go to Beacon early with my sis and then I wake up with this voice in my head."
"Trust me, I know the feeling." Then again his voice did unlock his Aura, so there was one bright spot at least, "So...we're partners now, right? Unless you think we should go look for someone else considering, you know..."
She didn't get a chance to reply before a pair of Beowolves charged through the forest right for them. Or rather right for Jaune, cause they just ignored her. Again. The guy flailed around desperately and she charged ahead, scythe ready to help. It only took a quarter of a minute to take the Grimm down. His panicked reaction made her curious, but questioning him about it was also the last thing on her mind right now.
"Th-Thanks." He panted and borught a hand across his forehead.
"I don't think it's safe to go out alone looking for different partners." She looked up at the noon sky, "And I don't think anyone's gonna wanna partner up with me when they realize the Grimm are completely ignoring me." Partners were supposed to help take the heat off of you. It would kinda suck to have one that the Grimm always ignored unless you were someone like Yang.
"So...partners?"
"Yup." Ruby nodded, "Uh...do you mind if we use you as bait? Like I said, Grimm are ignoring me so I can't really pass Initiation like this. I promise I'll back you up!"
"S-Sure." He gave her a shaky thumbs up.
The rest of Initiation was a blur. Literally, she could barely remember any of it cause eventually the voice - who Jaune told her may or may not be called Salem - came back and started demanding she murder her new partner again. There was something in there about a Nevermore they had to kill with that Schnee girl and that other girl Blake, but aside from that it was blocked off with the constant demands of retribution.
Soon enough they were standning at a stage while Headmistress Goodwitch announced the teams. She had no idea how the teams were assigned, but really she just wanted the day to be over. Salem at least had stopped demanding when she realized Ruby would not, in fact, commit cold blooded murder and instead grumbled and hissed about how she really hated the gods.
"Ruby Rose, Jaune Arc, Blake Belladonna, and Weiss Schnee. Henceforth you are now team RABW (Rainbow), with Ruby Rose as the leader." The audience clapped while Yang shouted about how proud she was. Ruby did her best to smile and looked over to her sister with her own team, team YLNN (Yearling) with her partner Pyrrha Nikos, Lie Ren, and Nora Valkyrie. She was a leader too, so at least there was someone she could turn to for advice.
They were walking back to their dorms feeling absolutely exhausted. Weiss grumbling about how unfair this all was and how she deserved to be the leader didn't help her mood at all, "Ugh..." Ruby practically collapsed on the closest bed, ignoring Weiss telling them they should unpack before doing anything. Jaune followed suit, crashing on the bed next to her with a cry of his own.
"How could I be on a team with such slobs?" Weiss groaned.
"Not everyone's uptight as you are." Blake rolled her eyes at her partner.
"I'm not uptight, I'm simply sensible!"
Great, now their teammates were bickering too. Ruby grabbed her pillow and stuffed it over her head, 'Just please let me sleep,' she pleaded to her unwanted passenger.
"You are a fool. Ozma will cage us both. Your Silver Eyes will not save you then."
'Just let me get some sleep.' Jaune thought as well.
"Procrastinating seeking aid will only lead to disaster for us all. For all you know Salem might be corrupting this girl as we speak while you let fear of Glynda keep you from speaking to her. We must-"
The disembodied voices continued to rant for the next half an hour before they mercifully faded once more. Both Ruby and Jaune almost cried in relief at the silence and slept like the dead. Even as their hosts slept, however, the two disembodied spirits continued to glare at the other's host. This would not be the end. Even as diminished as they were, the conflict would continue till a victor was decided.
Poor Ruby and Jaune. Don't worry, the next chapters won't be as dark for them both. Salem and Ozpin are obviously much more high strung given that they were recently bound to the teenagers. They'll eventually get less annoying to deal with and talk more with their respective hosts outside of giving demands. Right now I just wanted to set the stage a bit.
Speaking of that, I have a big question about that:.
Questions:
1. Alright, so a bunch of people have pointed out Summer Rose being killed by Salem as a possible plot point for Ruby or why Ruby shouldn't be the host. I could see a lot of possible drama with Ruby being forced to house the spirit of her mother's murderer and living with the fact that, as long as she's alive, so too is Salem. This could be a story all on its own.
The issue is that this story is primarily meant to be romance and comedy, so this would kinda feel jarring. The beginning with Ozma was made deliberately dramatic to contrast when the hosts are introduced and we veer to more lighthearted shenanigans. I wanna avoid heavy stuff for the fic if I can since people seemed interested in this being a humor story.
So here's the question: Should I avoid this plot by having Summer Rose be alive? Granted this means Salem is still responsible for the thousands if not millions of deaths of unknown people, but Ruby having to deal with that is something all of the Salem hosts have to live with, not just her.
2. Would you guys be interested in possible future omakes where Salem is bounded to a different host? Some people have expressed interest in Pyrrha, Weiss, Nora and even Velvet as the hosts. Or a reversal where Salem is bound to Jaune while Ozpin is bound to the female character.