Back From the Future Chapter Twenty: Comfort and Care, a rwby fanfic

Chapter Twenty: Comfort and Care

Ozpin's Office… Beacon Academy…

"Salem got to you, didn't she? She captured you." Ozpin's voice was quiet, even as the realization settled over him. It made so much sense as well as explained everything – her late return from that final mission to Vacuo, her sudden anger and accusations towards him, her decision to stop taking missions related to his war… even her flight from her family once her daughter had been born. Fear of Salem – or fear of harm coming to her family – could have driven her to do all of those things. He'd seen it so many times with others, he should have recognized the signs.

But Raven had always been more standoffish than most of those he called ally, and between her upbringing as a bandit child and her own personality, he'd missed the indicators that would have told him exactly what had happened on her last mission. If he'd only known, he could have helped her so much sooner, rather than allowing Salem's discord to fester like a cancer for nearly twenty years. At heart, Raven was indeed a Huntress, but whatever Salem had done to her during those days she was missing had damaged her and she'd eventually fled – and now she hated herself for fleeing. But self-hate wasn't a natural emotion that people felt, and so she had turned that self-hate into anger and hatred at him, instead.

He wondered just what it was that Salem had done or what his former love had threatened her with.

"You don't know what you're talking about," Raven hissed, still moving towards the elevator.

"I do, Raven. I know her better than anyone alive – and you know that is true."

Raven stopped moving, mere feet from the elevator door, her shoulders tight with tension. Ozpin stood up slowly but made no move to approach her yet. The last thing he wanted to do was make her feel trapped or put her even more on the defensive than she already was. Instead, he kept his voice quiet, but full of sincerity when he spoke again.

"I know her voice – the tones and inflections she uses, so soft and gentle." He could still hear that voice in his memories and nightmares, after all. "I know the way she chooses her words so carefully to manipulate what she is saying – the way she can switch between charming and threatening in an instant. I know the way she places the blame on everyone else and deflects it away from herself, portraying herself as the innocent victim in all of this."

So many memories – they cascaded over him with each word he spoke. The first time he'd seen Salem in that little room in her father's tower – back when she'd been the Salem he had first fallen in love with, the Salem he would have willingly died for. Her powerful but untrained magic fighting alongside him as they raced to escape her prison. Her golden hair gleaming in the late afternoon sunlight as she stood a free woman for the first time in her life.

The joy on her face when they had found a priest of the Brother of Light to wed them a few weeks after he'd freed her. Lying in bed beside her on their wedding night, exchanging soft vows and gentle caresses. Her hands gently – if inexpertly – tending to him as he battled the illness that had eventually overtaken him while her voice begged him to hold on and stay with her. Even the nights beside her after he'd been brought back by the God of Light and they'd lain together, eventually conceiving their four daughters.

Crueler, darker memories as well – of times spent imprisoned in her fortress in the Land of Darkness while she tortured him and his current partner in ever more painful and sadistic ways. Listening and watching her attempting to turn his allies against him on the rare occasions when he hadn't faced her alone…

He shook his head to banish the memories and refocused on Raven once again. "Oh yes, Raven. I know her ways all too well."

"You…" Raven couldn't seem to finish what she wanted to say. Her hands curled into fists at her sides and a faint tremor went through her.

He continued speaking, trying to break through the barriers the emotionally traumatized woman in front of him had erected in order to reach the brave Huntress he'd once taught and trusted. "I know how insidious Salem's words and ways can be, Raven. I've seen it many times and experienced it many more. It's no fault of yours if you had trouble resisting her in that moment. If it's anyone's fault, it's mine for not preparing you enough."

Raven shook her head harshly, resolutely not looking at him. Her tension was plain to see, but Ozpin could almost see the internal battle she was waging. He pressed a little more, feeling like he was so close to a breakthrough with his notoriously difficult former student. "Raven. I will help you if you allow me. Please come and sit down again and let me try."

Raven seemed to be poised on the edge – to stay? Or to go? Ozpin wasn't sure which option she would choose. He wanted to believe that he could still reach her if he was given a chance. Oscar's warnings – it was about a chance to change their fates. If nothing changed, Raven would eventually betray them, but if he could, he wanted to set her on an alternative path.

Another moment of tense silence lingered in the air before Raven's shoulders sagged and her fists relaxed. Ozpin finally felt safe enough to approach her without pressuring her. He reached out, slowly –with extreme caution, prepared for her to lash out – and placed one hand on her shoulder.

With the contact, however, his magic flared in a way he hadn't anticipated as the resonance of her magic reacted with his own – far more magic than he had ever given her and with a peculiar tint that he recognized immediately, even though he hadn't expected to find it here and now.

Cerelia…but how...Oh Raven – I never wanted this for you… He closed his eyes for a moment, mourning the loss of another bright soul before he pushed the grief aside. In this moment, now, Raven was far more important – more so than he had anticipated, given Oscar's warnings about the future. "It's all right, Raven." With the slightest amount of pressure to guide her, he turned her back into the office and together they made their way back to the chairs in front of his desk.

She sank down into the one she'd used before, still refusing to meet his gaze. He simply crossed behind her to the second chair again and moved it a little closer to her before resuming his seat. Not enough to crowd her, but enough that she would know he was there. He gave her a moment to compose herself, and of course the opening to flee was still there if she chose to take it. Now wasn't the time to mention what he had just realized, nor was it the time to talk about the future Oscar was hoping to prevent. That would come much later, once he was sure that she was healing from whatever Salem had done.

"Will you tell me what happened to you on your last mission, Raven?" he asked, gently. "What did Salem say to you? What did she threaten you with?"

Silence.

Finally, he spoke again when it became clear she wasn't going to answer. "I can make some educated guesses, based on what I know of her and her ways." He paused, waiting to see if his words would prompt her to speak. Still nothing from Raven. But that was fine. He could be patient and take as much time as Raven needed. "No doubt she placed all of the blame for our war on my shoulders. I'm also fairly sure that she would have pointed to my curse as inherent proof of my faults, and she likely claimed that due to the nature of my reincarnations I use and discard people at my own whims."

Am I really just another body – another life to you? To use and discard when it's convenient?

He pushed away the memory of the raw pain in Oscar's voice when the boy had hurled that accusation at him, along with his own pain at hearing it. But a faint sound escaped Raven – so faint that he almost missed it. He couldn't quite make out the emotion behind the sound. Distress was certainly possible, given the topic of conversation, but it could have also just been a sound of acknowledgement of his words. Taking the sound as encouragement that he was on the right track, he probed further.

"I'm also reasonably certain that she would have been using magic in some way. Given that you have a trace of my magic in you, she would have been able to detect it. Magic calls to magic, and you would also have been more sensitive to hers. It would have given her another weapon to use against you, and it would have been easy for her to use her power to enhance her appearance to seem more threatening."

Raven actually looked up at that. Her red eyes were wide and – for a brief moment – he saw the young woman he had trained in her shocked and fearful gaze, before her expression shuttered again and he could only see the false front of strength she wore to hide the trauma that had been festering inside her for years.

It was an encouraging reaction and he pressed on, knowing what he needed to do. "I'm sorry, Raven. I will accept full responsibility for not taking the time to better prepare you, Qrow, Summer, and Taiyang further on what to do if you ever found yourselves facing her." His apology probably wouldn't mean much to Raven after all this time, but it needed to be said. "That was a failure of mine, since I never want my allies to face her, and especially never to face her alone." He sighed. "I would like to say that the four of you were some of the best I had ever trained, and I didn't think you needed further preparation, but I would be lying to you and to myself if I did. It was an oversight and a failure on my part. It was my duty as your headmaster and as the leader of this circle to prepare you to the best of my ability, and I failed you."

She still wouldn't meet his gaze and without being able to see her eyes, Ozpin couldn't tell if his apology had reached her – if his words were having any impact. The tension from before was back if the line of her shoulders was any indication. He paused, giving her time to digest his words and a chance to respond if she wanted to take it. When she said nothing, he continued, carefully. "Whatever she specifically said to you, Raven – whether my assumptions are right or wrong – know that you are not to blame for what happened. You were not – and are still not – weak because Salem got to you. Her words, her threats – they've taken so many allies from me over the millennia. If anything, you've proven yourself to be stronger than she likely believed."

Raven looked up again and Ozpin nodded. "You didn't give in to her, Raven. True, you decided to stop fighting alongside me, but her words didn't sway you to her side either. You took your own path, and in doing so, you resisted her."

"I…" Another tremor went through Raven's body before she slumped, all the tension draining out of her at once. "Damn you," she whispered.

"I am damned, Raven," he replied without even a trace of irony in his tone. "Unfortunately, that is a fact that I cannot change as long as my war continues." He sighed. "Raven, please. Stay for the night and tomorrow we can talk further if you are willing. It's important to me that you receive the information that I have – for more than one reason."

Her red eyes were still filled with distrust and pain, but after a very long moment, she nodded.

Feeling more confident that she wouldn't run, Ozpin rose to his feet and stepped behind his desk. He picked up his mug and carried it over to the kitchenette, washing it quickly and giving Raven a moment to compose herself without his eyes upon her. Once the mug had been dried and placed on the counter where he could find it in the morning, he moved back behind his desk again and retrieved Long Memory. "I'll give you one of the rooms reserved for visiting Huntsmen and I'll cancel my meetings tomorrow and the two of us will have a long talk with Qrow and Glynda." He moved back over to her and considered offering her a hand up, before deciding that she wouldn't take it in the spirit he intended. "I'm not asking for any commitment from you, Raven. Just stay for tonight so we can talk more tomorrow, and if you want to leave after that, at least you'll have all the information that we can give you and you can make an informed decision."

She shifted slightly, before she rose to her feet and tucked her helmet under her arm. Ozpin led the way to the elevator, already mentally rearranging his schedule for the next day. As soon as he got Raven settled, he could return to his apartment and deal with Qrow and Oscar. Tomorrow would bring its own challenges.

Together, he and Raven crossed the courtyard towards the smaller building where the rest of the professors lived. There were always a couple of empty suites kept for visiting Huntsmen and Huntresses who had been invited to either speak to a class of students or were there to lead a mission with a student team. Raven would be comfortable there for the night – the rooms weren't that different from the student dorms, other than being bigger and slightly more luxurious.

He unlocked the first door with his Scroll and opened it for her. "Have a good night, Raven. I'll let Qrow and Glynda know you're staying tonight and one of them will bring you back up to my office tomorrow morning after breakfast. If you would like to get something out of the dining hall, just let the serving staff know you're here with my authorization."

Raven only nodded tersely, and Ozpin decided not to press her any further. He nodded back before pulling the door closed. All he could hope for now was that Raven wouldn't change her mind. He had to trust that he'd at least started to crack the wall she'd built up and – as he had told Oscar – be willing to extend that hand of trust to her once again.

Glynda's quarters were just down the hall, so he headed there first. He tapped on her door, and a few moments later she answered, wrapped in a dressing gown. With her blond curls loose around her face instead of being pulled back into the severe bun she usually wore, she looked much younger and gentler than the stern, no-nonsense Deputy Headmistress – more like the girl he'd met and befriended at the beginning of his third year as a Beacon student.

She blinked in surprise to see him standing at her door. "Ozpin?" Almost self-consciously, she pulled her dressing grown tighter around herself. "Is something wrong? I didn't hear my Scroll chime with a message from you."

"No, nothing like that," he assured her. "Qrow returned tonight, and he had Raven with him." Her eyebrows arched upward in surprise at that statement. "She and I have already had a few words, but we decided to postpone our talk until tomorrow when we can take as much time as we need. I'll need to cancel or reschedule any of my meetings, and I've put her in the temporary quarters on this floor for the night, and I'll assign Qrow to quarters on the next floor up. If you could bring her and Qrow to my office tomorrow after breakfast, it would be appreciated."

"Of course," she said with a sharp nod. "I'll be happy to." She paused for a moment, clearly weighing her words. "With what Oscar has said, are you sure…?"

"I think we need to make the effort to extend the hand of friendship again," he said. "We have a chance to change things – we would be remiss not to take advantage of it." He wasn't going to mention his realization about what had happened to Raven to Glynda or Qrow just yet. Raven wouldn't appreciate her secret pain being made known to the rest of the inner circle until she'd had time to face it, come to terms with it, and move past it – which she clearly had not been able to do yet.

"Yes, you're right," she agreed. "I'll bring both of them to your office tomorrow. What about Oscar?"

"Until we're sure that Raven is fully back on our side, I want Oscar's involvement to be kept between those of us already aware of it," Ozpin replied. "I want to be able to trust her the same way we used to, but we need to continue to be cautious."

"What time should I bring them by?" Glynda asked.

Ozpin considered. It was already late, and he would need a few hours tomorrow to rearrange everything… "Mid-morning," he decided. "Perhaps around ten o'clock. That will give me time to clear my schedule or take care of anything that absolutely has to be done tomorrow. You have a class after lunch, correct?"

"The second-year students, yes," she agreed.

"Then Qrow and I can handle the situation so you can take care of your class. If necessary, I'll just have lunch sent up to us from the dining hall, rather than break up the meeting, unless it's starting to feel like everyone needs some time to absorb everything."

"Of course." There was another moment of hesitation. "Oz – what are we going to do about Oscar's warnings, ultimately? It's all well and good to plan for what he's told us – but even you must see the flaw in that plan."

"You mean the fact that if we protect against the things he does know about, we might be leaving ourselves vulnerable to some new strategy we don't have a warning about?" Ozpin asked. "I've considered that, yes."

"If it comes to that – it could be far worse for us… and it might not prevent your death or your bonding with the boy," she continued, her tone full of bitterness and fear.

Ozpin sighed. "I'm aware of that, Glynda. But even in such a situation, we continue to have an advantage." When she gave him a quizzical look, he offered an attempt at a reassuring smile. "Oscar has already been subject to a partial soul merger before. He knows something of what to expect from the experience, which is more than any previous incarnation has ever had. Based on how long he seems to have been undergoing the process in his own future, I would hazard a guess that he has more of my memories inside him than he realizes."

Glynda's expression indicated that she wasn't exactly soothed by his words. "If the worst should happen and the merge begins again… well, that previous experience should make our bonding occur much more smoothly the second time around. Not only that, but Oscar will be aware of all the plans we've made thus far, and he'll not only have a wider breadth of experience in dealing with Salem, he'll also be able to compare the events we know with the events he knows about and may be able to devise new and unique strategies to combat her. I'll still be with him in mind and spirit if not body, so not as much may change as you fear."

He could tell that his words hadn't entirely reassured her, but it was better not to push the subject. "At any rate, it's late, and I'll let you get some sleep. I'm sure Qrow and Oscar are anxious to hear about what happened as well."

She adopted a more professional attitude. "Yes, of course. Have a good night, sir."

He laughed lightly, since she only "sir'ed" him when she wanted to tease him, or in front of others that wouldn't be as accepting of their close friendship. "Good night, Glynda. I'll see you in the morning." He nodded and turned away from her door.

Raven looked around the room that Ozpin had escorted her to. Larger than the dorms she was familiar with from her days as a student, she had stayed in rooms like this a time or two at all of the Academies during her service to Ozpin. It felt… strange being back at Beacon, especially after she had sworn she would never speak to Ozpin again all those years before. What the hell had she been thinking when she had agreed to come back here with Qrow?

She heard the click of Long Memory in time with Ozpin's footsteps moving away from the door, but the sound wasn't moving in the direction of the courtyard. Instead, they went down the hall a short distance and then stopped. Raven opened the door slightly and peered out, seeing Ozpin standing in front of another suite, the door of which opened a few moments later to reveal Glynda.

The two appeared to be talking. Not wanting to be seen eavesdropping, Raven listened intently, trying to gather as much information as she could with the door only opened a crack.

"…postpone our talk until tomorrow when we can take as much time as we need," Ozpin was saying as she focused on the conversation. He shifted his weight slightly and Raven missed the next part of what he said before, "…bring her and Qrow to my office tomorrow after breakfast."

Whatever Glynda's response was, Raven couldn't make it out as the woman's voice was soft, but it was fair enough to assume that it was probably agreement, given what she knew about Glynda and her role within Beacon and Ozpin's inner circle. After another moment, however, Glynda's voice became clearer. "With what Oscar has said, are you sure…?"

"I think we need to make the effort to extend the hand of friendship again," Ozpin replied. "We have a chance to change things – we would be remiss not to take advantage of it."

Glynda shifted and the rustle of clothing masked the next part of the conversation. Raven listened closely, wanting any scrap of information she could get. "…Oscar's involvement to be kept between those of us already aware of it," Ozpin was saying when she was finally able to clearly make out words again. "I want to be able to trust her the same way we used to, but…"

So, despite all his persuasive words up in his office, he still didn't trust her. Even after all these years, he was still trying to manipulate her into doing his bidding. Nothing had changed in the time that she'd been back with the tribe, clearly. Raven wished that she could be surprised by that – but she also knew the name of the informant now, and that information could be useful. Oscar. Who Oscar was remained a mystery, but the name was something, at least.

She'd lost the thread of the conversation for a few seconds, but as she refocused her attention, Glynda's voice came to her clearly.

"Oz – what are we going to do about Oscar's warnings, ultimately? It's all well and good to plan for what he's told us – but even you must see the flaw in that plan."

Whoever this Oscar was – a defector from Salem's side, perhaps? It would make sense, given what Qrow had already let slip – it appeared that he knew a lot about Salem's future plans, which did confirm what Qrow and Ozpin had both said, but it also seemed that Glynda, at least, wasn't sure how much to trust him.

"…be far worse for us… and it might not prevent your death…" Glynda was saying.

Again, that made sense – Oz was Salem's primary target after the Relics, after all. With Oz gone – or forced into reincarnation at least – it gave Salem free reign to work her will on Remnant. Given the worry in Glynda's tone, there must be a legitimate threat to Ozpin's life in whatever information they'd been given. It didn't surprise her – ever since she'd learned the truth about Ozpin's manipulations, she'd known that he would fail one day. It was inevitable after all.

Ozpin's voice had quieted, making it harder to hear everything he was saying when she focused back on the conversation. "…aware of that, Glynda. But… situation, we continue…advantage… subject to…soul merger before…something of what to expect."

That statement didn't make much sense unless Oz was talking about himself. For as many times as he had reincarnated, he must be used to it by now. But why remind Glynda of that fact? Just to reassure her?

The door wasn't open enough for her to see Glynda's reaction, whatever it might be, but Ozpin was still talking, and Raven listened closely, wanting every detail she could get. "…that previous experience should…bonding occur much more smoothly. Not only that, but…will be aware of all the plans we've made thus far, and he'll not only have a wider breadth of experience in dealing with Salem, he'll also be able…devise new and unique strategies to combat her. I'll still be…mind and spirit if not body, so not as much may change as you fear."

Well, that was interesting. The threat must be imminent if Ozpin was already starting to plan for what would happen once he was forced to reincarnate again. The Vytal Festival had just finished, and from what Qrow had told her, these plans would be occurring at the next Festival – which was still two years away. Was Salem making plans to eliminate Oz before the next Festival? That would certainly hamper his group in the lead-up to the next Festival and make it an even easier target, especially since the next Festival would be held at Beacon.

But everything she'd just overheard was just more evidence that they didn't really want her back on their side. They wanted another body to throw at the problem – after all, other than Qrow, they'd never made an effort to reach out to her once she'd declared that she was done.

Ozpin could talk about free will and choice all he wanted, but in the end, he manipulated people and said what he thought they needed to hear to keep them loyal, just like Salem had said – and Raven wasn't even surprised by that fact anymore.

"Good night, sir," Glynda said, and Raven quietly closed the door again as footsteps approached.

That had been… an enlightening…conversation to have overheard.

Ozpin's Apartment…

"So, what's it like being Oz? Or merging with him or whatever?" Qrow asked, waving a hand in the air in Oscar's general direction. The Huntsman was in a semi-sprawl on Ozpin's small loveseat, having slowly relaxed as their conversation went on after Oscar's comment about how confusing it must be for Oz with needing to constantly reframe his thinking whenever he reincarnated.

Oscar frowned, considering Qrow's question. In his efforts to not discuss the future, Raven, or the Maidens, he'd done his best to keep the focus of the conversation on Qrow himself, or on Ruby and Yang. He'd asked Qrow about the girls from before he'd met them and Qrow had happily obliged with stories about their childhood on Patch and learning to fight and use their weapons. In exchange, he'd told Qrow about some of the things that the girls had done in the future he knew – nothing that would make him worry, of course, instead focusing on humorous or kind things they'd said or done. Qrow was clearly proud of his nieces and had enjoyed the stories. His flask, at least, hadn't made an appearance so far, and Oscar was relieved by that. A sober Qrow was much easier to deal with than a tipsy or drunken one.

"It's…hard to explain," he said slowly. "I still don't understand a lot of it myself. There's definitely a weight?...I guess is the right word to use."

Qrow looked puzzled. "Whadd'ya mean?"

Oscar bit his lip, trying to put the feeling into words without giving away everything that he knew about Ozma and Salem's history. He didn't want to be the one to bring that up, and he still needed to talk to Ozpin about it. It would be better for the group if Ozpin could confess the whole story to his inner circle himself – give them a chance to process things and question him.

"Oz is…weighty," he finally said after a moment. "There are all these memories and experiences that are just…there. I was gaining them slowly, but there was always just a sense that there was so much more. More than I could ever hope to process or understand. Plus, there was just the weight of Oz's mission."

Qrow still seemed confused, and Oscar blew out his breath, trying to think of another way to express the feeling. "Have you ever been somewhere and felt like you were being watched? You could feel eyes on you, but you didn't know who was looking at you or where they were?"

"Sure, plenty of times," Qrow agreed.

"It felt like that I guess – like someone was always watching me." He paused to consider. "Actually, that's exactly what was happening since Oz was always there in my head. He was aware of everything I was experiencing, even my thoughts. And there was the added pressure of everyone looking at me, but still only seeing Oz and wanting his guidance in everything that was happening," he added.

Qrow frowned, clearly still trying to comprehend. "So…"

Oscar shook his head. "I'm not sure how else to explain it to you since you don't have context for it," he admitted. "For the most part, Oz was content to just be a voice in my head, but there were times when he needed to speak for himself rather than having me relay what he was saying to the others. When that happened, we would switch out who was in control of my body, and that's… not a sensation I can really describe."

Qrow shook his head in his turn. "Too much magic nonsense for me. I barely understand how the magic Oz gave me works, even though he tried to explain it to me. Just matters that I can use it when I need it."

"Yeah, I understand that," Oscar said. "Oz and I hadn't really got to the point where I could use magic reliably, so he hadn't started explaining it to me. We had… enough going on that just dealing with all the memories was hard enough, not even counting everything going on leading up to the battles," he said quietly, hoping that Qrow wouldn't ask more questions about the future.

The sound of the elevator car arriving on the floor drew both of their gazes over to the door. A moment later it slid open and Ozpin entered the room, a little more of his weight braced against Long Memory than was normal, but no sign of Raven. Oscar glanced at the grandfather clock and realized how late it was, which would explain why Ozpin looked so tired.

Qrow pushed himself to his feet. "Oz? Where's…?"

"Raven and I have talked a bit," Ozpin anticipated the Huntsman's question. "We have more to discuss, so she consented to remain overnight and we'll continue our conversation in the morning. I've given her a visiting Huntsman's suite for the night." He pulled his Scroll out and tapped it a few times. "You can have the suite on the second floor for the night Qrow, and tomorrow after breakfast you, Raven, Glynda, and I will all sit down together."

Qrow sighed. "That's good. Did you tell her about the kid's warnings?"

"A little," Ozpin said. "Most of our conversation centered around trying to mend fences. I won't say we're back to where we were before she decided to leave, but I think we have a real chance at getting there again, given a little more time."

Qrow nodded. "Right. Okay. So, we'll have our conversation tomorrow, and then I'll call Taiyang and see if he needs me to go back to Patch to help with Yang and Ruby." He looked at Oz. "I'll head out then and see you tomorrow."

Ozpin nodded. "Goodnight, Qrow."

"Night Oz." He glanced over his shoulder at Oscar. "Night, kid." With that, he headed for the elevator.

Oscar watched as Ozpin made his way over to his own armchair. The headmaster paused as if he wanted to sit down and was debating with himself if it was worth the effort. He bit his lower lip for a moment, wondering, before… "What did Raven say?"

Ozpin blinked and refocused his attention. "Not a lot, honestly," he admitted before sitting down with a sigh and leaning Long Memory against the arm of the chair. "Though that didn't really come as a surprise. Like Qrow, Raven is not the most verbose on a good day." The headmaster's expression turned pensive. "Oscar, can you tell me more about the battle you mentioned at Haven?"

It was Oscar's turn to blink, not having expected that topic. "Um, sure. What did you want to know?"

"You said that Leo and Raven were there when you arrived, and Raven opened a portal to bring Salem's agents inside, correct?"

Oscar nodded. "The fight started after that. Jaune attacked Cinder, and Ruby tried to help him, but was stopped by…I think her name is Emerald. Raven ordered Vernal to take care of Weiss, Yang was fighting with Mercury – he was the one who set her up during the Vytal Tournament, and Nora and Ren started fighting Hazel. Raven and Qrow were fighting, and I tried to slip around the fight and deal with Lionheart. But then, during all the fighting, Ruby's silver eyes suddenly activated, but she was almost immediately knocked out. I didn't see what happened after that, but the next thing I knew, Jaune was screaming Weiss' name, and Weiss was lying on the ground bleeding from a hole in her abdomen. I ran to try to help Ruby, while Jaune and Ren were trying to help Weiss. Hazel suddenly realized I was there – or rather, he realized I was the next incarnation and he came after me. Qrow jumped in to try to help me, and Raven, Cinder, and Vernal took that opportunity to go into the Vault after Lionheart opened it for them."

"Cinder was the Fall Maiden at that point, and Vernal was the Spring Maiden?" Ozpin asked.

"As far as I know," Oscar said. "We kept fighting, and we eventually gained enough of a lull that Yang was able to chase after them. We wrapped up the fight and protected the Academy, and Yang came back out of the Vault alone. She said that Vernal was dead, and Raven fled. Cinder was nowhere to be seen, so Yang assumed Raven and Vernal had defeated her, but she didn't know if Cinder was dead or not."

Ozpin pressed his palms together and tapped his fingers against his lips, deep in thought. "I see." He fell silent and closed his eyes as he thought.

Oscar was confused. Why had Ozpin asked him about Haven and the Maidens? Yes, Raven had been there during the fight, but he had thought that Ozpin was going to give Raven information about the warnings that he had brought them and try to get Raven back into the inner circle. "Sir? Did something happen with Raven that makes you think she won't be convinced to help us again?"

Ozpin opened his eyes and considered Oscar silently for a moment. "I learned something unexpected tonight, yes. It's making me reconsider the approach I was planning to take with Raven," he finally said. "I touched her shoulder at one point, and her magic resonated with my own."

Oscar didn't get it. "Shouldn't it have? I mean, you gave her some of your magic so she could transform, right?"

"Yes, of course. It wasn't the fact that she had magic which caught me by surprise," Ozpin said. "It was the amount and kind of magic that I wasn't expecting to find."

Oscar was still lost. He knew so little about magic, other than the fact that whenever he and Oz had used it before, they had seemed to be merging faster. Amount and kind of magic? There's more than one type of magic? "I –" he paused, trying to think how to word the question. "What do you mean?"

Ozpin sighed and closed his eyes again. "Raven is the Spring Maiden."

Oscar blinked in surprise. "Wait, what?" Raven is the Spring Maiden… Was that something different from what he knew? No, that didn't make sense either. He'd gone back in time, so everything should be the same as it was during this same time frame originally, other than the fact that he wasn't on the farm with his aunt.

Raven is the Spring Maiden…

If that was true, then it meant that Vernal had never been the Maiden. So, when Raven, Vernal, and Cinder went down into the Vault… was Raven still secretly on their side despite everything she'd done? Had she and Lionheart set up the conflict in the Academy as a trap to stop Cinder and Salem, but everything just went wrong?

No, that didn't make sense either, because if so, Lionheart wouldn't have continued fighting them – he would have switched sides when Oscar confronted him and he realized Oz was there with him. Unless that was the reason that Salem had killed him in his office?

Oscar rubbed his forehead – he could feel a headache coming on. "I –"

"She never gave you any indication that was the case?" Ozpin asked.

Oscar shook his head slowly. "No. She specifically told Vernal to take Weiss out, but to not use her powers because Weiss wasn't worth it. Weiss uses Dust in her fighting, so putting an elemental Maiden up against a skilled Dust wielder would make sense, but Vernal only ever used her blades and her hand-to-hand skills until Weiss was down. Other than that, I only know what Yang said when she came back up with the Lamp."

"I see," Ozpin murmured. "I'll have to think about this a little more." The grandfather clock chimed the hour at that moment and Ozpin glanced at it. "It's late, however, and we both had a full day today. I have what is likely to be a lengthy meeting with Raven, Qrow, and Glynda tomorrow, so it might be best if we both get some sleep."

"Right," Oscar nodded. It was already much later than he was usually awake, being an early riser and now that Qrow was gone and his worries about keeping the Huntsman distracted were past, he could feel exhaustion creeping in. "I'll go take a quick shower, and see you in the morning, sir." He stood and moved towards the hallway, pausing to look over his shoulder at Ozpin in his armchair. "Good night."

"Good night, Oscar," Ozpin's smile was warm and genuine, if somewhat weary.

Oscar made his way into his room and gathered up his pajamas and a fresh roll of bandages, before heading for the bathroom and a shower. He washed quickly, knowing Ozpin would probably want to go to bed soon and not wanting to tie up the bathroom. Even while he was going through his routine, his mind was racing, trying to figure out the implication of Raven being the Spring Maiden. That was knowledge that he had never had before – so how would knowing that change things?

And at what point had Raven become the Maiden? Based on his understanding, she'd abandoned Yang when his friend was barely a month old – but the Spring Maiden had been missing for just over a decade by the time the attack on the Academy happened. So that meant that Raven had been out and on her own for about six years before – at the earliest – the Maiden powers could have passed to her.

There was so much to think about and reassess with the new information. How did Oz do it? Dealing with information coming in from the other Headmasters, his agents like Qrow, the Huntsmen who just went out on routine missions…

He patted his chest dry, taking care not to rub at the burn and irritate it. The burn cream would need to be applied in the morning again, but the scarring was already better after almost a week of careful tending. It still twinged a bit if he stretched too far, but it was much easier to get the bandages back on after his shower than it had been, and he was seeing signs of the swelling and redness going down, even though the white starburst pattern was still there.

In two days, he had the checkup with Dr. Ashburn, and he was hoping that she would be pleased enough with the progress of his recovery that he could start doing a little more than just walking. He wasn't finding himself out of breath nearly as much as he had just a few days ago, but he wanted to be able to really start training soon – before he lost what muscle memory he'd so painstakingly gained in Mistral and Atlas. Even if he couldn't actually move to fighting with a weapon yet, just being able to do more stamina-building or overall fitness exercises would help keep him from losing too much progress.

Oscar exited the bathroom and climbed into bed. How was he going to sleep tonight knowing everything that he had just learned?

Ozpin unlocked the cabinet where he kept his liquor. He wasn't planning to drink himself numb tonight – the hangover wouldn't be worth it, especially since he would be dealing with Raven again in the morning – but the memories that had been stirred up when he had been talking with her were bad enough that he needed to put a degree of separation between them and his mind or sleep would be difficult to find.

It wasn't a good sign that he was drinking again – it would be far too easy to devolve back into a cycle of abuse and dependency if he wasn't careful. The need to drink couldn't become his first reaction to upsetting news or he would fall back into the bad habits of his previous lives.

Plus, there was the fact that – after almost a decade – they finally had confirmation on Cerelia's fate. Another bright light extinguished… another story brought to an early end.

He had never known Cerelia as well as he'd known other Maidens in the past. He'd spent only two short weeks with her when she first found herself as the new Spring Maiden. She'd been terrified, and Leonardo had summoned him immediately, exactly as he'd ordered. He'd arrived in Haven and spirited the new Maiden away to the safe house he kept in Mistral, where he'd be able to contain any uncontrolled magic without anyone else being in danger.

Despite her fear, he'd seen a girl who – with some time and maturity – could have become a fantastic Maiden. She had been – like other Huntresses – dedicated to the idea of protecting people. It was always hard to tell what a new Maiden would become when the powers first came to them, of course. In a world that believed that Dust was the closest thing there ever would be to magic, it was always overwhelming to be so disabused of that notion. She'd learned enough control of her powers in the two weeks he'd worked with her that he felt safe enough in allowing her to return to her classes. Leonardo had promised to keep a close eye on her and notify him if it seemed like she was having difficulty in controlling her magic.

He'd asked about her often in Leonardo's reports and had been told that the information she'd been given about the Maidens, Salem, and magic (limited though some of it was, to avoid overwhelming the child, of course) had seemed to dampen some of her previous enthusiastic temperament, but that was also not uncommon. Being a Maiden meant taking on a burden most people couldn't comprehend.

He'd arranged with Leonardo to send her to Beacon the summer after she graduated, so that he could work with her more intensively, and give her a better idea of what being a Maiden was all about and what her life would look like moving forward. She'd seemed agreeable to the idea, according to Leonardo – and then just two days before she'd been supposed to leave Mistral she'd disappeared and hadn't been seen again.

At least sometime after her flight, she'd encountered Raven – but what had happened after that?

He poured a little into the glass and drained it quickly, feeling the artificial burn in his chest. He put the bottle back into the cabinet and shut it firmly so that he wouldn't be tempted into having another, before carrying the glass into the kitchen and washing it quickly. Once dry, he returned the glass to the cabinet as well – resolutely not looking at the bottle inside – and locked it, hiding the key back in its storage place, resolving to himself that he wouldn't have anything more to drink. He would take coffee or cocoa instead of liquor, depending on his needs.

He turned out the lights and headed for his own room. Despite the drink he'd had, he knew it still wouldn't be easy to find sleep that night… and he needed to be at his best for dealing with Raven and Qrow in the morning.

By the time he slipped beneath the covers of his bed, his mind felt somewhat calmer – though he knew sleep still wouldn't be completely easy. Raven and Cerelia both weighed heavy on his mind, and in addition to talking with Raven about Oscar's warnings, he would need to bring up the Maiden powers he'd sensed in her. An untrained Maiden was dangerous, and he hadn't known Raven was the Spring Maiden, so he'd never been able to give her that training.

To be fair, of course, he'd given her and Qrow a little foundation work in magic when he'd gifted it to them, but their powers of transformation were so miniscule and for such a specific purpose, it hadn't needed much. But a Maiden, armed with the powers of nature and the very elements themselves, could be extremely dangerous. He didn't know if Raven would be willing to take the training from him, however, given their history and the animosity she still seemed to hold for him.

He rolled over beneath his blankets and sighed. If I continue to worry about Raven, I won't sleep at all and that would be a disaster tomorrow. Raven's here, and for now that needs to be enough. I need to take it one day at a time, one problem at a time.

Easier said than done.

Ozpin's Office… Thursday, October 17th, 78 AW…

Ozpin took another sip of his cocoa and cleared another task off of his to-do list. He'd gotten up earlier than usual, intending to go up and spend a little time clearing his schedule before the meeting with Raven and Qrow and then returning to his apartment so he could have breakfast with Oscar and help the boy treat the burn scar on his chest, but Oscar had already been awake when he went out into the kitchen to make his cocoa.

"I had trouble sleeping last night, with what you said about Raven being the Maiden," Oscar confessed when Ozpin had entered the room. The granola and milk were already out, and Oscar had even put the kettle on the stove to heat water for Ozpin's drink.

He'd helped Oscar with his treatment, just as he had every morning for the past few days, before having his breakfast and heading upstairs to get his work done. Fortunately, he hadn't had many meetings that he'd had to reschedule – most of his agenda for the day had focused on administrative tasks related to Beacon, rather than Council matters. It would likely mean a heavier-than-usual workload at the beginning of the week and leading up into the monthly open forum for the people of Vale to comment on proposals, but that wasn't unusual either.

The access request notification popped up on his terminal with Glynda's name and he accepted it and took a steadying breath.

When the elevator door slid open less than a minute later, it was only Glynda and Qrow who entered the office. "Where's –"

"Raven?" Qrow finished bitterly. "She's gone."

"We knocked on the door of the room you gave her, and she didn't answer," Glynda added. "When she didn't respond, I used my access to open the door. The bed didn't even appear to have been slept in, and there was no sign of her. As far as we can tell, she portaled away after your conversation last night."

Ozpin sighed, feeling disappointment over Raven's choice, but not really surprised either. "I see."

"She promised me she would come and talk to you," Qrow growled. "I tried texting her and she's not responding."

"We did talk Qrow, and I did promise her she could leave without repercussions if she chose to," Ozpin reminded him. "I won't say I'm not disappointed, but it was her choice. Hopefully, once she has some time to consider the things we discussed last night, she'll change her mind and come back again."

Qrow scoffed. "You really think she might change her mind?"

"I don't know, Qrow," Ozpin admitted. "I want to believe I was making progress with her last night, but she may just need more time. Forcing her back here will only push her away from us, even if she never chooses to side with Salem."

"Did you learn anything from her last night?" Glynda asked. "What did you talk about?"

He considered the members of his inner circle, wondering how much he should say. Raven wouldn't like people to know about her capture… but it also might help Qrow, knowing the reason why she had fled in the first place. It might help him to respect her decision, as well as give him something he could share with Taiyang. The information might be enough to allow what was left of team STRQ to come back together again. With Summer's death, they would never fully be a unit again, but…

"Oz?"

Ozpin refocused his attention on Glynda and Qrow. He considered for another moment, before nodding. He'd protected Raven as long as he could, but with the revelation that she was now the Spring Maiden, that was information the others needed to know if they were going to avert the events that Oscar had warned them about. "I believe the root of Raven's decision to leave our group was fear."

Qrow scoffed again. "Fear? Raven?" He shook his head. "Raven isn't afraid of a damn thing, Oz."

"Everyone can be subject to fear under the right circumstances, Qrow," Ozpin corrected him gently. "In Raven's case, however, she had more reason than most to be afraid, but she was too ashamed to admit it to us and get help before the fear had time to fester and grow until it drove her away. I've seen it before, more times than I can recall. In Raven's case, her fear began when she came face-to-face with Salem during her last mission to Vacuo."

Glynda and Qrow both blinked in surprise.

"She…what?" Glynda finally managed after several minutes of silence while they processed the information.

"I don't know all of the details, but the signs are there to see if you know what to look for – and unfortunately, I do," Ozpin replied. "I didn't realize the truth until last night, and that is a failure on my part as much as it is on Raven's. If she had told me the full truth of what happened, I could have done more to help her in the initial days and weeks after the scare. If I had been paying more attention to her and less attention on the reports and events of the time, I might have deduced the full truth a long time ago, but I allowed Raven's previous behavior and attitudes to influence what I was seeing, and I failed to recognize the signs I should have seen." He sighed. "We both failed in that regard, but Raven paid the price."

"She –" Qrow didn't seem able to get past the revelation that his sister had been captured by their enemy and he hadn't known it.

"…was captured by Salem, yes," Ozpin said matter-of-factly. "I don't know the circumstances or how she escaped, but I can make some guesses as to what happened. I doubt that she was physically injured in any way, since I don't recall seeing any signs of it when she returned, and in order for her to hurt Raven enough for it to be true punishment for siding with me, she would have had to have shattered Raven's Aura. Raven wasn't overdue by long enough to make that probable – if that was the case, there would have been physical signs of injury when Raven returned."

"Then…?" Glynda ventured cautiously.

"I suspect there were threats, primarily," Ozpin replied. "Perhaps – and this is far more likely – a display of Salem's power to try to intimidate and cow Raven into switching sides. I also have no doubt that Salem attempted to spin the truth of our war in a way that portrays her as the victim." He sighed. "Raven was always suspicious of my motives – it likely wouldn't have been difficult for Salem to confuse her or place further doubts in her mind."

Qrow still seemed to be in shock. Ozpin continued, directing most of his comments to Glynda since she seemed to be adjusting to the information best. Qrow was hearing, but he likely wasn't listening, so Ozpin knew he'd probably have to talk to his friend at length later, once the shock had had time to settle. "It also would not surprise me if Salem voluntarily released Raven, rather than Raven escaping. That would have been a further blow to Raven's pride and self-confidence – that she couldn't get out of the situation on her own merits, and Salem would – in her own mind – have been showing mercy and planting further seeds that I could not be trusted." He sighed again. "As concerned as I am for Raven, however, I'm more concerned by the other fact I discovered last night." He looked between both of them. "Raven is the Spring Maiden."

Stunned silence again. Ozpin took a sip of his cocoa and allowed the silence to fill the office, giving his friends time to process the information. After all, he had the truth of what he had sensed when he had touched Raven the night before, and the night and most of the morning to process the information, whereas Glynda and Qrow had had no idea.

"What are we going to do?" Glynda finally asked.

"Right now, nothing. I offered Raven my help last night, and she chose to leave again. I hope I managed to plant enough seeds and provide enough warning that if trouble does come to the Branwen Tribe, that Raven would reach out for help instead of trying to fight a losing battle on her own." He fixed them both with a serious look. "Above all, we need to protect Raven's secret until we can be completely confident in the security of our own circle. No one other than the three of us and Oscar can find out Raven is a Maiden, or she will be in danger. She's untrained, without any real protection. Her tribe wouldn't be able to stand up to the sort of full assault that Salem could bring to bear on them if word reaches her about Raven's identity – and no one else would be willing to aid the bandits if such an assault were to occur."

Both of them nodded, though Qrow's expression was still one of shock and incomprehension. Revisit this discussion with him sooner rather than later, Ozpin noted to himself. Ideally within the next day or two. "Qrow, if you'd like to go back to Patch and resolve whatever happened last night with your nieces, I don't think I'll need you for a little while. If Taiyang would like to talk or you feel he needs some more information, please let him know that he's free to contact me and I'll tell him what I can."

Qrow nodded, almost automatically. "Sure. I'll let him know." With that the Huntsman nodded and headed for the elevator, though Glynda lingered.

Once the elevator door closed, Ozpin let out a slow breath. "Well, I was hoping today might have gone differently."

"Do you think Raven will come around?"

"I have to have hope that she will," he replied. "Ultimately, whatever she decides to do will be her choice. It's uncertain how long she's had the Maiden powers, but Salem has yet to discover her, so at least Raven isn't flaunting them in a way that would bring Salem down on her, nor does she seem to have decided to ally herself with Salem like Oscar warned us. The possibility is still there, but we still have time before that tipping point occurs, so we may still be able to reach her."

"Right." Glynda nodded and turned to go as well. "We'll just have to keep trying."

Vale General Hospital… Friday, October 18th, 78 AW…

Ozpin and Oscar entered the hospital together and Ozpin led the way up to the nurse's station. "Hello. We have an appointment with Dr. Ashburn."

The nurse looked up and nodded. "Yes, Professor Ozpin. I have you on her appointment log right here. Go ahead and take a seat and I'll let her know you're here." She reached for the phone as Ozpin led Oscar over towards the chairs.

Oscar seemed more anxious than he had over the past week, bouncing his foot rapidly and twisting his hands in his lap and Ozpin looked down at him. "Is everything all right, Oscar?"

Oscar nodded. "Yeah – just… hoping that she can give me a good prognosis so I can start doing more. I've been feeling stir crazy ever since I woke up here. The daily walks have helped, but it's not the same as the training I was doing before, or even all of my chores on the farm."

"It's likely that level of fitness you had before is why you've recovered so quickly, Aura or no Aura," Ozpin commented. "I do understand the frustration, but if Dr. Ashburn doesn't think you're ready yet, you'll need to be patient. The last thing you want to do is injure yourself further."

"Oscar Pine?" a nurse called before Oscar could reply. The boy jumped to his feet and walked quickly over to her, Ozpin trailing behind him, shaking his head with amusement at his future incarnation's eagerness.

They were shown to an examination room, where the nurse quickly got the basic information to update Oscar's chart and advised them that Doctor Ashburn would be in shortly. Ozpin settled into one of the chairs, while Oscar perched on the exam table, his feet swinging in the air given his small stature.

"I know I don't want to make anything worse if I'm not ready to do more, I just want to be ready," Oscar said in answer to the conversation they'd begun in the waiting room.

"I understand, but we have plenty of time to get you back into shape once Doctor Ashburn is satisfied with your recovery," Ozpin said. "Two years until we would arrive at the events you spoke of may not seem like a long time, but you already know more than you think you do, and once you are able to train in earnest, I believe you'll make a lot of progress very quickly. It's the nature of the merge for my partners to learn quickly."

A tap on the exam room door heralded an interruption as Doctor Ashburn entered a moment later. "Hello Professor Ozpin. Hello Oscar. How have you been doing this past week?"

"A lot better," Oscar said immediately. "I've been able to take longer and longer walks around Beacon's campus without getting tired or feeling any strain in my muscles."

"That's good to hear," she said with a smile. "You aren't doing anything too strenuous, however?"

"Just a few easy walks a day from the Tower down to the landing pads at the edge of the campus, or to the dining hall and back," Oscar reported.

"He did have one incident last Saturday where he got a little overwrought over what happened to him and had a little trouble breathing," Ozpin added. "He used the oxygen you sent with us and was able to calm down quickly. I haven't observed anything else that could be detrimental to his health."

Doctor Ashburn frowned a little. "Well let's start there. Your lungs were what I was most concerned about when I released you last week. Your ribs will mend with time, provided you don't take any other serious impacts there again before they fully heal, and the rest of your injuries were taken care of by your Aura." She set the chart down on the nearby counter and pulled out her stethoscope, placing it carefully over Oscar's chest as she inserted the other end into her ears. "Breathe in for me."

With her prompting, Oscar took several deep breaths in and out as she listened to his lungs. After a few moments of that, she put the stethoscope away and made some notes. "Your lungs do sound clear, which is a good sign, especially since one was punctured. Have you noticed any pain when you breathe, or any feeling of not being able to breathe as deeply as you used to before the injury?"

Oscar hesitated in his reply and both of the adults noticed. "Oscar?"

"No pain, but…" Oscar sighed. "I did have a nightmare a few nights ago – not the incident that Professor Ozpin mentioned. I somehow got tangled up in my blankets and felt like I couldn't breathe. I didn't need the oxygen, but I did have a little trouble breathing until I calmed down and realized where I was."

Ozpin frowned, unhappy that he hadn't heard any signs of Oscar's distress. If the boy hadn't been able to wake himself up, he could have been in real danger again.

"Hmm…" Dr. Ashburn didn't look pleased by the answer either. "All right – I want to do a couple of additional tests just to make sure that the injury hasn't affected your lung capacity. You're still young enough that you should make a full recovery, but trauma on the level you sustained can have unpredictable side effects. I'll be right back, and then I also want to take a look at the burn on your chest while we wait for the equipment I need for the tests." She picked up Oscar's chart and left the room.

Ozpin was tempted to ask Oscar about the nightmare but decided that it was probably not a good idea since the doctor could walk back in at any moment. Oscar must have read the expression on his face because he shook his head. "I'm fine, I swear. It was just a few moments between waking up and realizing what had happened. It didn't take me long to calm down."

Ozpin nodded but resolved to keep a closer eye on the boy – especially after they got Doctor Ashburn's verdict on his prognosis.

The doctor re-entered the room. "Okay, Oscar. The equipment I need will be here soon, so let's take a look at your burn. Can you take your shirt off for me?" She began pulling on a pair of sterile gloves as she spoke.

Oscar nodded and unbuttoned it, sliding it off to reveal the clean white bandages wrapped around his torso. Doctor Ashburn moved to stand beside him and picked up a pair of scissors and began cutting through the bandages. Once the soft cotton was cut away, the burn was exposed again to their view.

The redness and swelling had noticeably diminished over the past week of care and applying the burn cream every day, but it was apparent to even a casual glance that the white scars hadn't reduced much in appearance. The starburst pattern was clearly defined, splayed across Oscar's chest. A few smaller, cleaner scars – clearly surgical in nature, most likely from where the doctor had had to cut the melted fabric of Oscar's coat and shirt out of his skin – were much closer to being healed. To Ozpin's trained eye, those scars would likely heal in their entirety, or at the very least fade away to be nearly imperceptible unless one knew where to look.

But the starburst scar – the remnant of Salem's magical strike – would undoubtedly remain clear and defined for years to come, if not for the remainder of Oscar's life.

"Hmm…" The doctor probed the flesh around the edges of the scar carefully, her attention shifting between the scarred skin and Oscar's face, watching him for a reaction. "It looks better, although I was hoping that this large scar would have started to show at least a little sign of healing. How did this even happen?"

Oscar shook his head. "I'm – I'm not sure. After a while, everything was so blurry and I lost some time in between what… what was being done to me."

"Have you tried healing it with your Aura at all?" Doctor Ashburn asked, her fingers moving along the raised white lines, again watching Oscar for any sign that the gentle contact was causing pain.

"I've tried a few times," Oscar admitted. "I haven't had a lot of training though."

"Scars can be difficult to heal, even with Aura," Ozpin volunteered. "It's much easier to use Aura on a fresh wound than to try to heal an old one. Some Huntsmen and Huntresses I've known have been able to manipulate their Aura with the necessary level of finesse to accomplish it, but not many."

"The rest of it seems to be healing well, at any rate," the doctor said. "Does it feel sensitive or painful when something touches it?"

Oscar shook his head.

"I'd keep applying the burn cream for another week and keep it covered until then. In another week or so, it should be fine to leave it uncovered and to stop using the cream." Doctor Ashburn said with a nod before she began gently prodding Oscar's ribs. "Any pain here?"

Oscar shook his head a second time, and Ozpin could see the satisfaction in the doctor's face. "You're healing much more quickly than I expected you would when I first treated you, Oscar. You've got a good strong Aura, and you're young enough that you bounce back quickly."

There was another tap on the door, before a nurse entered with a cart that had a monitor attached to it, along with a few other items.

"Excellent. We'll take care of these last few tests, and then you should be good to go." Doctor Ashburn turned on the monitor and set it up, entering some information from Oscar's chart, before she picked up an odd, clamp-like device. "I'm just going to attach this to your finger, Oscar. It won't hurt, but I want you to just sit calmly and breathe normally for a few minutes. This is going to measure how well your blood is receiving oxygen from your lungs." She picked up Oscar's hand and slipped the clamp over the tip of his index finger.

She watched the monitor carefully while Oscar did as he had been instructed and just breathed at a normal rhythm. After three minutes, Doctor Ashburn made some additional notes on her chart, before removing the clamp. "Good. I don't see any issues there, but there's one last test I want to do." She moved the cart closer to Oscar, and Ozpin noticed a long tube with a mouthpiece attached to the monitor. "This test is going to measure how much airflow you're able to push through your lungs and if there's any restrictions in your breathing, since you mentioned having difficulty breathing after your nightmare, " she explained. She held up a small clip. "I'm going to put this over your nose to pinch your nostrils shut, since you need to breathe through your mouth for this. You'll take as deep a breath as you can manage, then put your lips around the tube and exhale as hard as you can until your lungs are empty. We'll do that three times and see what the results say."

Oscar nodded as she moved the cart close enough that he would be able to reach the tube and mouthpiece without leaning, as that would constrict his lungs. Once she was satisfied with the position, she wiped the mouthpiece with a sterile cloth and disinfectant, before approaching Oscar with the clip. "Tell me if this hurts or is uncomfortable, and I'll adjust it," she advised, and Oscar nodded again. With careful motions, she placed the clip over Oscar's nose, pinching his nostrils shut so he wouldn't take air in that way. "Okay?"

He nodded. "Feels weird, though," he offered, his voice sounding different due to the pinched nostrils.

"I'm sure it does," she said with a smile. "Take as deep a breath as you can manage, put your lips tightly around the mouthpiece, and then exhale as hard as you can."

Oscar followed her instructions, and they ran through the test three times before she removed the clip from Oscar's nose. "Good job, Oscar. Your results look good. I would say that you can slowly begin increasing your activity level, but make sure you stop if you feel any pain, discomfort, or have trouble breathing. Don't push yourself – your punctured lung may have been sealed, but overexerting yourself could lead it to tearing again, especially where it was already punctured, since that's now a weak point in your lung tissue."

Oscar's look of relief was almost comical, and Ozpin hid a smile at the boy's obvious excitement.

"Do you still have the oxygen that I sent home with you last week?" the doctor continued. Both Oscar and Ozpin nodded and she seemed satisfied. "Good. If at any point you feel yourself getting short of breath, use it." She went to the cabinet and pulled out a familiar tube of cream, disinfectant, and a roll of gauze. With quick, efficient motions, she cleaned the burn on Oscar's chest, applied the cream, and re-wrapped the boy's chest. "You can put your shirt back on now." As Oscar began to do so, she studied his movements, looking for any sign of pain or strain. "I did want to ask you one other question, Oscar."

The boy looked up at her. "Yes?"

She stepped closer to him and traced the side of his neck where there was an old, white scar. "How did this happen?"

Oscar's hand came up to cover the scar. "An accident. I was four, and a bookcase fell on top of me. I was trying to reach one of my story books on the lowest shelf and the shelf wasn't anchored to the wall properly. That scar was caused by a nail or a bit of broken wood, I don't remember which. When it healed and left that scar, people would always stare, and the other kids in town would ask questions, so my mother started covering it." He looked down. "I think most people assumed that it was caused by a Grimm, but even after I moved to live with my aunt on her farm when I was eleven, I just kept it covered out of habit." He lowered his hand. "With everything that's happened, I sort of forgot about it."

The doctor nodded. "I see. It looked older than any of the injuries, so it wasn't a priority for us to worry about it when you were brought in." She made a few final notes on his chart. "I think you're all set. Just remember to start increasing your activity level slowly for a few days. Don't try to jump right into doing what you were doing before you were hurt."

"I won't," Oscar promised.

"All right then. If you notice anything that doesn't seem right, come back and see me and we'll see what's going on." Doctor Ashburn smiled. "Professor, it's good to see you again as well."

"And you, Doctor," Ozpin said agreeably. "Thank you for taking such good care of Oscar."

"Thank you," she replied insistently. "For being willing to step up and take charge of him so that we could treat him."

"Of course."

Beacon Tower… later…

"Perhaps tomorrow we'll take some time and test your fitness levels," Ozpin commented as they entered the tower lobby and headed for the elevator. "Once I know where you're at, we can start working on a training plan for you."

"That would be great," Oscar said.

Ozpin scanned his scroll and called the elevator down. "Amber should be here soon if she's still on schedule."

Oscar hesitated. "What is she like?"

"She's a Huntress first and foremost. She graduated from Beacon about six years ago, and she's been a Maiden for four of those. She's the youngest of the current Maidens in age, but skilled, nonetheless. Her only real limitation as a Maiden is the fact that she hasn't had her powers as long as Summer and Winter have. The Maidens tend to become more powerful with age, so she will continue to get better and better with him. Do you want to wait with me in my office for her, or would you prefer to go to the apartment?"

Oscar considered. "I never met her before, but I would like to."

Ozpin nodded. Once they were in the car heading for the office, he broached the topic he'd been thinking about since they'd left the hospital. "Oscar – have you been having nightmares?"

Oscar immediately looked down at the ground, his hands coming together as he twisted his fingers in a nervous gesture. "I – " He looked up at Ozpin and sighed. "Not many, and not as bad as the one I mentioned to Doctor Ashburn, but yeah."

Ozpin reached out and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, gently. "I did mean it when I told you if you needed anything, you could ask," he said softly. "I know how bad the nightmares can get when Salem is involved. Even if that means waking me up because you need someone to talk to – or a cup of hot cocoa to soothe your mind before you sleep again," he added with a smile.

"I –" Oscar paused, clearly thinking about the offer before he nodded shyly. "Okay. If I need to, I will."

Ozpin nodded and dropped the topic as the elevator arrived in his office. "Why don't you pull a chair, and we can talk about what you do know and have trained in before Amber arrives?" he suggested, moving to the counter to put a pot of cocoa on.

Oscar nodded and moved to the closet at the back, pulling out a chair for himself and moving it over to Ozpin's desk while the headmaster busied himself with his self-appointed task. "I wasn't in training for very long," he admitted. "There was about a month between when I met Qrow and the battle at Haven where we worked really hard on combat skills and defensive Aura manipulation. Then after Haven, we were in Atlas for a couple of months, and I was training every day. I was either working on my own to build up muscle memory, working with RWBY or JNR on Aura and sparring, or working with J – the General on sparring."

Ozpin let out a faint hum as he considered that. "How quickly did you feel like you were picking things up?"

"It varied," Oscar admitted. "When I was working on my own and tested myself against my previous benchmarks – how fast I could run an obstacle course, how many of a certain exercise I could do – I saw improvement all the time. But when I compared myself to the others, I always felt like I was lagging behind them. All of their Semblances were starting to show signs of evolving, and I hadn't even unlocked mine yet. But when I was working with the General, I just felt like a new student on the first day of classes."

"James is a skilled opponent, so I can see why you would feel that way," Ozpin said as the kettle whistled. He poured the water into his teapot, stirring the concoction together. "What were you focusing on primarily?"

"Hand-to-hand combat and using Long Memory," Oscar said promptly. "I took out a few Grimm myself on the way to Argus when the train we were on was attacked, and then I took out a few more in Mantle."

Before he could continue, there was a chime from Ozpin's terminal. "Come in," the headmaster called over his shoulder as he tidied up the counter.

The elevator door slid open, and a tall woman entered the office. She had lightly tanned skin – not as dark as Oscar's, which was well-earned from long days out in the fields on the farm – along with shoulder-length brown hair and light brown eyes. She also had a small beauty mark below her left eye. Her clothing was clearly that of an active Huntress – practical and simple for ease of care and movement when fighting, but carefully fitted and attractive. Her dark brown pants were paired with an off-white blouse with a frill at the neck and shoulders and pleated bottom half, while she also wore a brown vest with a built-in corset, and thigh-high brown boots. For protection she wore golden plating over her boots up to her knees, a bracer on her left arm, and a gold spaulder on her right shoulder. Over top of the whole ensemble was a dark green hooded cloak, and Oscar could make out the shape of some sort of staff attached to her back.

"Hello Oz," the woman said as she crossed over to the desk.

"Amber," Ozpin said, his tone one of warm welcome and relief. "It's good to see you again." He left the counter where he'd been working, carrying his silver teapot. After setting the teapot carefully on his desk, he reached out and took the Maiden's offered hands, squeezing them gently in greeting. "I'm glad you made it back safely."

"It was a long trip – we were in the far south of Sanus, but it's good to be back in Vale," Amber replied. She glanced at Oscar, before returning her attention to Ozpin. "So, what did you need to see me about?"

"I'm sorry, Amber. Let me introduce the two of you – Oscar, this is Amber Lebrun, a Beacon graduate and Huntress. Amber, this is Oscar Pine from Mistral. For the time being, he's my ward."

Oscar slid off his chair and offered his hand to the Maiden. "Nice to meet you."

Amber offered a warm, gentle smile that lit her face up. "Same to you, Oscar." She glanced at Ozpin. "Your ward, though? I knew you loved kids, but to take one in? Aren't you busy enough?"

Ozpin chuckled. "I can see why you would think that," he agreed with a nod. "Oscar is a bit of a special case, and his presence does relate to why I asked you to return."

"Oh?"

Oscar quietly moved over to the closet and pulled out a second chair, carrying it over for the Maiden. She offered him another warm smile before turning her attention back to Oz as Oscar reclaimed his own seat.

Ozpin looked at Oscar, who nodded slowly. Trusting more people with the truth was a risk, of course. He understood wanting to keep when he was from secret from most people, but Amber wasn't Cinder and wasn't likely to betray Ozpin, since her life was in danger as well.

Ozpin nodded as well and began filling the Fall Maiden in on everything that had happened, beginning with Oscar's arrival.

Okay - so...a little sooner for this update than the last one? That's progress, I think?

This is mostly going to wrap up Raven's arc for the time being - we're definitely not done with her, but I can just leave her plate to spin on its own. I didn't intend for her to take up so much of the current story, but it just worked out that way. Next chapter we move onto Amber and check in on some other familiar faces and events.

As for Oscar's neck scar - this is actually based on something that happened to me when I was four. I did pull a bookcase down on top of myself while I was trying to reach my coloring supplies. Unlike Oscar in this story, I was completely uninjured, but I did freak my mom out a lot. Since we have yet to see what's underneath the bandages on Oscar's neck, I figured this was as good an explanation as any. If we do eventually see Oscar's neck fully revealed or hear a reason for the bandages - well, we can just consider this even more of an AU!

I've already begun work on the next chapter. Hoping I finally have my groove back!

Thanks again to TheFullMetalBitch for beta reading this chapter for me.