Coming to terms
AN: I was once again sleep-deprived when I came up with this concept. I wanted to write a short story about Ozpin reincarnating into Jaune's head instead of Oscar's. But I also wanted to look at post-volume 3 Jaune in a more serious light which I think the show didn't quite capture. Also, thanks for the reviews on my last story, very kind words along with excellent advice, I will try to put all of it to use. Hopefully, this story will be better than the last, idk though. Haven't written it yet.
Jaune awoke once more, disappointed once more. The noise of the forest greeted him along with the sky still being a dark blue, with just the vestiges of the sun coming up. He was seemingly the first to wake, small mercies. When he agreed to go on some quest across Remnant with Ruby he didn't really think about the in-between. The moments of tedium that offset the moments of heart-thumping excitement. He loved and hated them, stopping to rest was nice, and the food and sleep were even better. But he also felt like they were wasting time, time they could have spent moving towards their goal.
He had been dreaming of her again. Of course he would, he hadn't much else to dream of. The dreams never lasted long, they were painfully short. He wishes he could dream forever. They also tended to be simple affairs, glimpses of her smile, her tying her hair up in the morning, her grabbing his hand to pick him up when she knocked his ass down in a spar.
He never appreciated those things when she was alive. He never even thought of them, he had taken them for granted. What he wouldn't give just to see her smile with those sparkling emeralds again.
But that wasn't possible. He got up quietly to not wake the others and wandered to the nearby stream, after he splashed the water into his face, trying to chase away the dreams, he just sat and watched his reflection ripple away. Before it focused and showed him what he least wanted to see. A failure. A man so weak that his partner hadn't even given him the chance to try and fight. Maybe that was her way of telling him to give up, to leave his dream of being a hero behind. It clearly didn't fit him, as she had demonstrated.
That's part of why he was here because he was angry. At her, he thought going on this journey would be the thing that would piss her off the most. She had shoved him into that locker to save his life, not just to merely prolong it temporarily. Yet, here he was, risking his life every day. A failure indeed.
"While I hate to interrupt, we really need to talk."
He spun around already unsheathing his sword and shifting his shield. Nothing, the only noise was the stream's calming melody. Jaune shook his head and sheathed his weapon. It was just really early, yeah, that was it, he wasn't crazy. He went to stand before looking at his reflection once more. Finally snarling and turning away to head back to camp. But not before a green flash caught his eye. He turned once more and inspected the water, but nothing. God, he was jumpy today. He sighed, maybe he was going crazy.
"You're not crazy at all Mr. Arc"
Jaune did a full 360 again, throwing a punch, deeming it would take too long to draw his blade. His fist annihilated air. He froze, nothing was there, no one was here. He was hearing voices. Dear god this was it, he snapped. He was insane.
"Mr. Arc, please, you are not insane. Not yet anyway."
"Umm. Hello?
"Hello"
Jaune couldn't help but find the situation a little funny. He had just exchanged greetings with a voice in his head.
"Who are you?"
"We have met Mr. Arc, I would have liked to think you would remember me, after all, you were there the day I died."
Jaune's eyes widened at that. That voice.
"...Headmaster Ozpin?"
"Pleased to see you once more Mr. Arc"
Jaune just blinked. His mind was not yet caught up to the pace of this outlandish and insane series of events. Maybe he was still asleep. Yeah, that was it, hearing the voice of your dead former headmaster was simply not possible. Jaune let go of a breath he hadn't known he was holding. Thank god It was just a dream, Jaune really thought he was losing it for a second. With how things have been these last few months, that wouldn't be a shocking conclusion.
"I'm afraid we are not dreaming anymore, if we were, I suspect it would involve Miss Nikos."
Jaune flinched. Then glared at thin air, before pinching his arm, attempting to wake himself up. When that didn't work he held his nose, but no matter what he did, he never woke up. He just sat there on the river bank like an idiot.
"Why the hell can I hear you? You're dead."
"Not quite, but I can see why you would think that." The voice sighed. "This is going to take some time to explain."
It did in fact take some time. Being told that magic existed. And that Gods were real and had created the world. Along with the fact that your former headmaster is an immortal being who reincarnates into other people's bodies every time he dies did take some time to explain. And to top it off, a person was controlling the 'mindless' Grimm. Wonderful, this was just great. Assuming of course this was true and not a fabrication of his mind.
"It is not"
"You can read my mind?"
"Our souls now share the same body, there will come a time when you can read mine as well."
"Great. So you're just… here now?"
"I'm afraid so, I apologize for this, I don't choose whose body I end up in. Although, I am surprised it is you I would end up reincarnating into. I have never met someone in a previous life and then ended up with them in the next."
"Ok, so, assuming I believe you. What am I supposed to do, just keep going on like normal with you riding shotgun?"
"Keep on with your mission, yes. I need to go to Haven and meet a man named Qrow. He's Ruby's uncle."
Jaune sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"How do I tell the others, how can I even start to explain this"
"Don't."
"...What?"
"Don't tell them yet, wait until we meet with Qrow."
"I think they should know that you're alive and in my head."
"But will they believe you? All of you have a hard journey ahead of you. Telling them now will just make them worry that you actually are losing your mind. Best to wait until Qrow can confirm this to them."
That made a lot of sense actually. Jaune nodded his head.
"Also, you don't have to speak out loud to communicate with me. In fact, I suggest you don't."
"Like this?"
"Precisely."
With that, Jaune stood and started to make his way back to camp.
Pretending everything was fine while a voice that no one else could hear was talking almost as much as everyone else was difficult. He was starting to talk to the headmaster a bit more than his friends.
Also having someone always critiquing his fights was a bit annoying, but he was the headmaster of Beacon. So maybe his input was a good thing. However, some of the requests were ridiculous.
When he and the rest of team RNJR encountered Grimm, Ozpin took it upon himself to give Jaune a challenge.
"I'm not going to start fighting without my shield, are you crazy!? I'll die."
"No, you won't, you have Aura for a reason. Think of this as training, you should learn to not rely on a shield and to be more mobile."
Jaune wanted to argue, he really did, but this was the headmaster of the best huntsman academy on Remnant. He clearly knew best. But Jaune just wasn't sure, his shield had saved him countless times over, just… not using it wouldn't work.
Ozpin had been giving Jaune advice. Like when Jaune wanted to upgrade his sword and shield to merge and become a greatsword, Ozpin disagreed, saying that Jaune was too slow, and anything bigger might as well make him free pickings for Grimm and people alike.
"Screw it"
Jaune unsheathed his sword but left the sheath, not transforming it into shield form. He felt naked with that weight in his left hand. Charging towards the beast, he opened with a strong two-handed overhead swing. It worked, cleaving down the middle of a Beowolfs head.
"Try using one hand more."
Jaune rolled his eyes but still complied with the request. Slashing at Grimm with one-handed strikes.
"Thrust more often."
Taking that advice, Jaune stabbed through the head of another Beowolf, before ducking and piercing through the heart of an Ursa.
Something felt off to him, this felt… familiar? Jaune couldn't quite place the feeling. Sure, he always one-handed his sword, but that was out of necessity due to the shield. He used thrusts as well, but rarely, and usually on human opponents.
This was different, he felt oddly at home like this. He could think about that later, Grimm needed to be killed. Ozpin gave tips here and there.
"Move more. You have legs for a reason."
The fight concluded, it wasn't a grand, hard-fought battle, just a routine culling of Grimm they happened upon. Perfect for practice Jaune realized. The methods Ozpin had suggested were great. But Jaune still had a weird feeling about it. Things had felt too natural, too fluid. He'd talk to Ozpin about it later.
"Well, I think that's the last of 'em," Jaune called out while sheathing his sword.
He turned and saw his friends just staring at him. Ruby took a step towards him.
"What?"
"Uhh Jaune, you feeling ok?"
"Yeah. why?"
"Well, it's just, y'know, you fight with a shield. Right?"
Ah, Jaune knew what they were confused about. How could he word this? He can't just come out and say the voice in his head said not to use his shield.
"Oh yeah, that. I'm just trying to get used to fighting without it. In case I ever lose it in a fight or something, I don't wanna be reliant on it." Ruby seemed to like this answer, as did Nora and Ren. Once they turned their backs and started walking back toward the way they were headed before the Grimm interrupted them, Jaune let out a sigh of relief.
"You did well. In the fight and with the excuse."
"Thanks… I wanted to talk to you about that actually. Something felt off during that fight."
"Off?"
Jaune ran a hand through his hair, unsticking it from his forehead.
"Yeah, when I got into it, with one handing and the thrusts and stuff, it felt normal, like I've always fought like that? Is that weird" Jaune could hear Ozpin sigh in his mind.
"That's because of me I'm afraid, I fight one-handed, and I employ thrusts more often than not. The men I inhabit are usually civilians who have not trained yet, so my muscle memory takes longer to take hold of them. In you, it seems like it's beginning to work already."
Jaune let that information linger. He would have Ozpin's muscle memory? That was a good thing right, Jaune thought it was. But it was a bit scary as well. If things like muscle memory would transfer over, what else would.
Ozpin's lack of a response was all the more worrying
Jaune got up early again, to train, he used to do it at night when the others had already gone to bed, but Ozpin had whipped that out of him.
"You need your rest. Just wake up before them, it lets you train without interruption and gets you into a good habit."
Jaune knew this was good advice. But man, waking up at 4:30 in the morning was going to kill him.
Going to a clearing a bit away from the campsite. Jaune set up his scroll on a nearby tree stump, ready to listen to her recording.
"I wouldn't recommend that."
Jaune stopped in his tracks.
"What? Why?"
"Jaune, I realize that Miss Niko's death weighs heavily on you. Trust me, I feel the same. But listening to this recording, over and over again. It Isn't healthy."
"It helps me, she was a champion. And this was made specifically with my style in mind. Training with this will help me."
"You are just torturing yourself."
"Well, maybe I deserve it!" Jaune knew he did. If he was just stronger. If he was better. If he just hadn't gone to Beacon at all, maybe she would have gotten a partner that was worth something, that could have helped. But that didn't happen. She got Jaune. And now she's dead.
"JAUNE!"
Jaune flinched at the volume. Ozpin had never yelled like that. Having it reverberate in his head didn't help.
"It is not your fault. It's Cinder Fall's, she killed her. If anyone is to blame, it's her."
Ozpin could tell Jaune was not convinced.
"Jaune, dwelling on the past does no good. It can make a man go crazy, thinking about what he could have done, or should have. You have made mistakes, and you will make many more. But going to Beacon and becoming Miss Nikos's partner is not one of them."
Maybe. But, if she just hadn't pushed him into that locker, if he had fought with her-
"Then you both would have died. Pyrrha pushed you into that locker to save your life Jaune. She did it because she loved you, and wanted you to live. It is a tragedy that she died, and the world is a worse place without her in it. But in giving her life to delay Cinder, and giving Miss Rose time to get up there to freeze the dragon. She died being what she aspired to become. She died a hero, a true huntress."
Tears leaked from Jaune's eyes. As wrong as it sounded, hearing those words made her death a bit more bearable. Knowing she stayed true to herself, that she died a hero, was at least some relief. It would still hurt, it always will. But it was dulled a little now, not as 'sharp.' Jaune felt like he could breathe again. The last few months he felt like he was dying, his chest felt heavy, and the world had lost its color. He had started to go to bed wishing he wouldn't wake up just so he could see her in his dreams.
Now, he was glad to be here, it's what she died for, it's what she would have wanted. It's what he wanted too. After Jaune collected himself Ozpin spoke into his head once more.
"I do still think you should train."
"Yeah well, you didn't want me to use the video, what should I do? Just swing my sword around like an idiot?"
"No. I shall be training you. However, I will warn you, I'm not one to go easy on my students"
Yeah right, Pyrrha was a brutal teacher. Jaune seriously doubted Ozpin could top her.
After a strenuous hour of training, Jaune had to admit it. This was harder than anything Pyrrha put him through. Just what he needed, on top of everything else, he now had a hardass teacher to train him.
Panting, and covered in sweat, Jaune sat on the ground, waking up early wasn't that bad now. It being around 5:30 in the morning meant the night's chill was still lingering, allowing Jaune to cool off.
Minutes passed with just the sounds of the forest to accompany him. Or should he say them?
"Hey, Ozpin?"
"Yes?"
"I'm kinda glad you're here."
"...I'm glad to be here as well, there's no one I would rather reincarnate into if I'm being honest. I consider myself lucky to be in your head."
They both chuckled. Jaune looked to the brightening sky. Thinking that maybe, just maybe, things might be alright.
AN: Pretty angst ridden huh? I always thought RWBY's handling of Jaune's character after Volume 3 was a bit inappropriate. He was shoved into a rocket locker and sent away to safety by Pyrrha because she knew he was too weak to fight Cinder. He was stuck in that rocket locker knowing Pyrrha would die if she fought Cinder and he was completely helpless. IDK bout you guys, but that would fuck me up for life lol. But no, Volume 4, and Jaune is still the goofy idiot he always was. I feel like he should have been changed by the fall of Beacon. Anywho. Fun fact, I wasn't going to end it here but this just felt like a good place to stop. A possible chapter 2 is already about half way written. Don't know if anyone wants it. Hell, I don't know if I want it. Personally I like this story a bit more than my last. What about you? -NeroCaus