Chapter 3 - Forming friendships

"Zack, what do you mean by 'Welcome to Haven ladies and gents'?" Ozpin then asked me urgently after I left everyone back in the hallway. I think he's just confused as to why I suddenly say that and want answers.

"Nothing…" I mumbled as I waved Oz off, as well as wiped the smirk off my face. "It's just that this would be a new experience both for me and them."

"I see…" Ozpin hummed after a short pause as we found the bathroom before I walked into it and closed the door. Carrying Qrow all the way here was a pain in the ass for me, since he's heavy. Glad he was way too drunk to hear me grumbling about it while I was carrying him over.

"How long do you think it would take for Qrow to sober up?" I wondered in my head since from what I could guess from the show, they had their talk as soon as they settled down. And Qrow was clearly sober again, how much time had passed though?

"Quite fast, I must say, aura does wonders for a Huntsman. While they still can get drunk, it takes much less time for them to sober up compared to others who do not possess an aura." Ozpin explained to me.

"That's helpful." I thought back. I always wonder how aura works. Since I know that it can speed up the healing of wounds and such, I suppose it would make sense that it would help the body clear the alcohol from one's system. Then again, I've also noticed that I was eating more than usual. I guess it takes a lot of energy to keep going for those who possess an aura.

As I was doing my own business in the bathroom, which includes using the toilet and washing my face, I could hear some commotion outside the bathroom thanks to my Faunus traits. Was it them sobering up Qrow? Because it's going to be awkward as hell for me if Qrow's still drunk as all hell.

No wait, I could hear their voices and heartbeats, all four of them just outside the door. Ruby, Nora, Jaune and Ren. Wow, they're really curious if they're willing to wait outside the bathroom for me. Don't know whether to feel flattered or shy about it.

"Uh… Is he alright in there?" I heard Ruby voicing her concern for me outside the bathroom. Did she really care for me already, or was it interest instead? We just met personally for the first time though… it could just be Ruby being Ruby.

"He does look tired. I am not sure whether that's just him or because he was carrying your uncle here Ruby." I heard Ren speak up next.

"Oh! Oh! What if he's hiding something from us?" Nora immediately theorised. You have no idea, Nora, hopefully, in the future, I'll reveal the truth. Preferably, after we retrieve the relics.

"I don't know, guys; can we trust him?" Jaune seemed rather sceptical of me. Not that I blamed him or anything. No doubt that their trust must be shaken after the fall of Beacon. Especially Jaune who lost Pyrrha.

Ruby seemed to speak next. "Let's just hear him out. If he's with uncle Qrow, I think we can trust him, he seems quite honest enough."

"If you say so, Ruby." I heard Jaune relenting as I just finished doing my toilet business.

"They all seem quite curious about us, huh, Oz?" A small smile appeared on my face.

"Yes indeed. It is understandable. Do not worry about their questions, allow me to handle them."

"Good." I nodded as I slowly reached for the door. "Because I have a feeling that all four of them have a ton of questions for us both." And as soon as I opened the door, I just saw all four of them star- no. Jaune was obviously suspicious of me, Ren looked intrigued. Can't get a read on him. But both Nora and Ruby were clearly fawning over me like I was a new toy or something. Can't say I know how to react to them both.

"Uh…" Shit, I'm getting nervous again! "Hi… you guys weren't exactly quiet outside; I could hear all of you loud and clear in there, by the way." I ended up giving a nervous smile as all four of them then looked genuinely embarrassed that I caught them talking.

At the same time, Ozpin could be heard in my head. "Calm yourself, there's no need to get nervous around them. I trust that they will understand."

"You try being watched by-" I was about to retort, only to remember that Ozpin had dealt with people before. "Oh wait. Never mind. Forget what I just said."

"Besides that," I snapped back into reality as I turned my attention to Ruby. "Ruby, right?" I then asked her as she stopped fawning over me before nodding. "Where's your uncle? I hope he is sobered up right now."

"Yea, he's in the kitchen right now getting himself a cup of water." Ruby answered me as I nodded. Talk about how bloody weird I'm speaking to Ruby. RUBY. The main character of the show, and here I am talking to her in person! Any other Ruby fan would lose their composure at the chance to meet her.

I think.

"Good, I know you have a bunch of questions for me, but." I raised my finger up as I continued. "This is not the place we can talk, let's go to the living room." All of them seemed to agree with me as all five of us walked toward it. Though… It wasn't a quiet minute I'd liked, as they all started asking me questions that I had no time to process or answer.

One could say, I was overwhelmed by the noise as I kept my lips shut. I think Ruby just asked about the Oathkeeper on my back…

As soon as we reached the living room, I proceeded to take out Oathkeeper which was still in its sheath and placed it leaning on the left of the red chair I was sitting on before doing the same with Ozpin's cane on my right and chucking my bag behind the chair. As I turned my eyes back on everyone, they were back to fawning over me again. And all of them were quite close to me just like they did with Oscar.

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Before I could say anything, all 4 of them began to say their own piece and it started with Nora, followed by Jaune, then Ren and finally Ruby.

"Did he age backwards?"

"He's possessed!"

"Or reincarnated!"

"Oh! Isn't it weird?"

"Ahhh… No, no, yes and… definitely yes." I blurted out as I couldn't fully lean back thanks to my tail, and it's getting quite uncomfortable over here. I kind of wish I could have some time to think my thoughts. Guess not with them around.

It was during that time that Qrow walked in all sobered up already, and it has been like what, 10 minutes only? Damn, aura really works wonders. "Okay, okay." He spoke out as all of us faced him. He was also holding a cup of water. "Let's all just take a second and remember that this is very overwhelming for everyone." Qrow did exactly what he did in the show, which includes him emphasising the last word for severity.

Team RNJR then proceeded to look back at me before taking steps back while letting out a nervous chuckle when they realised what they'd done. Not that I blamed them or anything, I too would get curious about what it's like to have two souls. Never thought in a thousand years that I would get the experience first-hand.

"Thanks, they have been asking me so many questions and I have no time to process it all." I gave Qrow a smile before I finally pulled my hood down and let my high ponytail go free as RNJR gave me curious looks.

Qrow then takes a seat on the couch next to me while Ruby and Nora have taken a seat on the couch perpendicular to Qrow's. As that was happening, Jaune and Ren chose to remain standing. I then looked around a bit before my eyes landed on Ruby who just smiled before nodding at me. I just nodded back at her before speaking up.

"I'll admit, this feels weird as hell for me. One moment I was doing my own thing and the next, I'm dragged into a room surrounded by both Huntsman and Huntresses. One could say that it happened in a flash." I let out a soft chuckle as the others joined in.

"Well, uh... we've never met a person with two souls! So, first time all around." Ruby says it as she tries to lighten up the mood like what I did just now.

"Yup… First time for everything." I just smiled and shook my head as I then turned my attention to Qrow who just cleared his throat with a cough.

"Not to break up the whole 'getting-to-know-you' game, but we need to have a talk. Mind showing us your little parlour trick, kid?" Qrow made a request as he looked directly into my eyes as I turned my gaze back on everyone.

A small subtle smirk appeared on my face. Go time. "Right." One could say that the anticipation was rising rapidly as I leaned slightly forward and closed my eyes. But instead of me passing the controls to Ozpin. A white fluffy fox tail with black highlights at the tips then came out from underneath my jacket and rested on my lap.

I heard gasps of shock from pretty much everyone as I opened my eyes. I'm pretty sure Ozpin disapproves of me doing this, but it was worth it. I could then see everyone looking down on my lap and directly at my fluffy tail, but the one that had the best expression on their faces was Qrow. He looked so bewildered by it, and it got even better when he looked at his cup for a second.

"You're... a fox Faunus?" Jaune spoke out first.

"Surprise." I gave a grin before waving my hands for a second before bringing them down.

I then heard an exasperated groan coming from Qrow. "Ugh… Not what I meant kid. Besides, you never told me that you were a Faunus."

"Well… you never asked about it." I just shook my head as I heard giggles coming from Ruby and Nora. "And besides, it's way easier to tell everyone at once instead of you being first followed by them." I countered as Qrow just gave himself a facepalm and I started chuckling.

"I believe you have your fun with them, Mr Arakan. Can you kindly let me have control over your body? I wish to speak to my students." Ozpin made his request.

"Yup, totally worth it! But sure, just give me a moment." I proceeded to stop my chuckle before speaking to RNJR.

"Ok, I'll do it seriously now. But just to let you all know; I'm still here and just letting your headmaster take charge and stuff. Ok?" I got unsure nods as I then closed my eyes. "Alright, Oz. Do your thing." I spoke in my mind as I could feel Ozpin taking over.

As quick as it began, Ozpin was now in charge of my body as now I was in the back seat. Still dislike the idea of someone else taking control of my body. "It is so very good to see you again, students." Ozpin greeted his students as I just now noticed that my voice was overlapping with others for a second or so. Which I could only guess were Ozpin's previous incarnations.

Spooky…

Also, the once violet lines on my jacket like before, faded before it glowed again in green. Did Qrow just raise an eyebrow at us? At the same time, all of Team RNJR share brief looks of confusion at the fact that Ozpin is now controlling my body.

"Can I say that I can never get used to that happening at all? Because I hate it every time we do this. It just… feels uncanny to have my body move and talk on its own."

"It is… understandable."

"Yea yea. Say what you need to say, Oz, I want my body back soon. I'll just wait or just complain some more, I guess." I grumbled as Jaune then spoke out first and was understandably confused.

"Wait, what just happened?" That was quickly followed by Ren who sounds more unsure about it.

"Professor... Ozpin?"

"Correct," Ozpin confirmed. "And though I may be the one speaking, Zack is still present mentally. In fact, he's currently grumbling about having his body moving and talking on its own." Ozpin then let out a chuckle as everyone else joined in. "He's merely handed over the control, so to speak."

"I do not appreciate you making jokes about me, headmaster. Remember who owns this body." I proceed to voice my discontent about it. Sure, Oscar had gone through this shit but getting made fun of by Ozpin who's using my body wasn't on my bucket list. And I'm pretty sure Oz just ignored me.

"I'm afraid this all must be very perplexing." You have no idea, Ozpin. If we go the same route as you and Oscar did before, shit WILL hit the fan.

"And alarming, and bizarre, and just really kind of hard to believe overall!" Nora being Nora, just acts out like she usually does.

Ozpin just let out a chuckle or two before he spoke again to everyone. "It's good to see you children still have your sense of humour." He then began to frown. "I know you've all been through tremendous hardship already. I'm sorry." Ozpin then began to apologise. You would think Ozpin would have learned from his mistakes.

Seriously, a ton of problems wouldn't happen if he was more proactive and trusting. Then again, getting betrayed over and over again doesn't help his psyche at all. That and fighting a secret war for thousands of years. It must be really taxing for him, and I can't really blame him when his secret was revealed.

"I mean, it's not your fault." Ruby, being the ever-optimist, attempted to cheer Ozpin up.

"It's all my fault," Ozpin affirmed it as Qrow stood up and walked off to the kitchen. I always wondered what kind of drink he gets for Ozpin in the show... "I told you once that I made more mistakes than any man, woman, and child on this planet, and I wasn't exaggerating." The whole room went silent as he continued on.

"I'm... cursed. For thousands of years, I've walked the surface of Remnant, living, dying, and reincarnating in the body of a like-minded soul. The Professor Ozpin you all met was not my first form, and clearly wasn't my last. It's... an extraordinarily strenuous process, on everyone involved."

"No kidding, I never wanted to get involved in this mess with Salem or whatnot. But here I am."

"So who... what... are you?" Jaune then asked, still confused and trying to understand what Ozpin was revealing. If I had no idea what was going to happen and heard that explanation from Oz himself, I would perhaps ask the same question.

"I am the combination of countless men who've spent their lives trying to protect the people of Remnant." Ozpin explained as Qrow came back and passed a cup of what I can tell was tea! I think it's Earl Grey tea.

Eh, I guess this is fine.

"With every rebirth, my soul is eventually merged with another and I am changed, but my memories stay with me. This curse was bestowed upon me by the Gods, because I failed to stop Salem in the past. But we must stop her now." Ozpin continues with his boring ass exposition that was already explained to me weeks back as he stares into the cup filled with tea.

"And how do we do that?" Ruby then asked Ozpin.

"We start... by ensuring the safety of the Relic of Knowledge." And then you got your hidden secret revealed to everyone and lost their trust. Yea that sounds like a plan all right. Good thing I have intentions to change that.

"This should be good." I sarcastically said it in my head.

"This is perfect!" Nora suddenly yells out excitedly, cutting off any further thought or plan. "We were stuck at a dead end, but now, we can just take little cute fluffy boy Ozpin to Lionheart and have him set things straight!" Nora proceeds to do what she did in the show at the end of it, she jumps slightly into the air before placing her hands on her hips.

Also,

"Fluffy boy?" I wondered internally. Sure, I expected something similar but, fluffy boy? Then again, this is Nora we're talking about.

Ozpin however, disliked that nickname Nora gave us as he instantly rejected it. "Please don't call me that."

"Uh, sure I'm younger than them, but perhaps it's just me, but you should cut some slack. From what I know so far, they need it after dealing with the reveal and stuff." Technically, I don't really need to say anything, but I was getting bored already since I knew what they were going to talk about.

"Will take further notice." What is that supposed to mean, huh, Oz?

"We're not sure that's the best idea." Qrow objected to Nora's idea, which disappointed her. She lets out a groan before she walks back and sits down on the couch with a pout on her face.

"But I thought the Headmasters all took their orders from you." Ren was next to speak his mind while looking directly at Ozpin who was controlling my body.

"That was the intention. Four lieutenants I can trust, especially during times of reincarnation. But Qrow told me about your meeting with Leonardo." Ozpin then stood up with his arms behind his back.

"Hey! Can we stay put on the chair or something? I was getting comfortable on it." Seriously though, I was indeed getting comfortable on the chair despite Ozpin having control over my body

"No. Now stop distracting me, Zack." Ozpin denied my request as he began walking towards the paintings on the wall while continuing with his explanation.

"Bummer." I pouted.

"He isn't just behaving irrationally, he's disobeying specific instructions I had left him. Something's wrong. I don't want to jump to conclusions, but I don't want to rule out any possibilities, either." Ozpin took a short pause as he began to rub his chin or my chin.

No, OUR chin. Ha! Commie jokes!

"No one outside of this room knows that I've paired with Zack, and I think it may be best to keep it that way." Ozpin finished off his explanation as Qrow adds in.

"Play things close to the chest until we get a better hand."

Ozpin agreed with Qrow. "Precisely. Now, we have two steps ahead of us." Ozpin then turned and faced everyone. "The first is enlisting the aid of more Huntsmen." Yea that would go well since Lionheart send them all to their fucking deaths. But what to do with him? Should we save him? Hand him over… No that won't work…

Also, Ozpin just raised an eyebrow and glanced over his shoulder. Did he sense that I was thinking of something? Better stop thinking about it and save it for later.

"But the Mistral council–" Ren then spoke up only for Qrow to cut him off.

"Doesn't own every Huntsman in the Kingdom, and I've been here enough times to know where we can find some more."

"So long as they're trustworthy." Ozpin then adds.

"You can trust them to put up a good fight. I'll throw together a list by tomorrow." Qrow finishes it off by resting his feet on the coffee table for a moment before one of its legs breaks, startling him and also spilling the teacup.

"Dang, that's a shame it happened." I thought to myself.

"Indeed, that was Zack." Ozpin agreed with me.

"Also, I wanted to drink that tea…"

"Good luck with that." Nora pitches in as Qrow let out a groan before cleaning up that mess that was made from his semblance.

"After that, we can move on to step two." Ozpin explained as he walked back to where we had seated earlier.

"What's step two?" Nora then chose to ask as Ozpin grabbed his cane which was resting on the chair.

"Getting you four into fighting shape!" Ozpin explained as he faced them back with his cane in his hand. RNJR just looked confused as they exchanged looks.

"Can you also have Oathkeeper on my back please?" I made a request.

"Later." That was all Ozpin said as I pointed out another thing that was bothering me.

"Also, the way you said that sounds weird to me. I think you need to work on that statement." But before Ozpin could respond back, Ruby spoke up.

"But, uh, we already know how to fight." Ruby pointed out only for Ozpin to have his cane close to her face and explain in detail.

"You can only fight so long as you have Crescent Rose, but you're still lacking in hand-to-hand combat." Ozpin proceeded to scold Ruby as she relented.

"Well, uh, yeah." Poor Ruby sounds so defeated but with a smile still on her face as well as raising her hand in surrender. Before anyone could react, Ozpin then points at Jaune next.

"Mr. Arc, I'm glad to hear you've improved, but sorry to say, you've yet to unlock your Semblance." Ozpin mentioned it which caused Jaune to look disappointed as he looked away.

"Dude, you could have phrased it in a kinder way! Now look at what you did, you made your student sad." I pointed out. Seriously, I'm starting to think that Ozpin sometimes brings the hammer down on people when he could have phrased it in a kinder way.

"All of you still have a-ways to go before you're ready to pose any real threat against Salem and her forces. And though Zack can give me temporary control, he'll need to strengthen his body and his Aura." Ozpin explained to everyone, as I suddenly got a bad feeling about this.

"Please tell me you're not going to give me training from hell."

"You will know tomorrow, Zack."

"Oh bother." I groaned.

"He'll inherit my muscle memory in time, but practice will expedite the process. Though I'm pretty sure he would wish to practise with the sword he has." Ozpin then had a smirk on his face as he then rested his hands on Long Memory. He then turns his gaze on Oathkeeper, still leaning on the chair. Did I also forget to mention that his tail was wagging, unknown to him? And I think Nora and Ruby seemed more interested in my tail than the conversation.

"But if Qrow's out looking for Huntsmen, then who's going to teach us?" Ruby inquired after getting distracted.

Ozpin just smiled before he suddenly leapt into the air while spinning at the same time, he then landed directly on the top back rail of the chair, all while twirling his cane rather fabulously.

"Was that really necessary?" I questioned, sure it looked cool as hell, but a part of me wonders why they go to the extent of looking so cool instead of efficient. But like before, he chose not to entertain me as he spoke to everyone.

"Well, I believe I was the Headmaster of Beacon Academy." Ozpin explained that pretty much all of RNJR had awestruck looks on their faces. Though, Nora's face made me laugh inside my own head as Ozpin frowned for a second from my laughter. It's just the way she had the look of so tired of this nonsense. Then there's Ruby with that goofy smile on her face. Jaune just looked terrified, and Ren well… I think he just looked shocked or something.

Seeing their expressions from the show in real life was so surreal and totally worth it.

"We have approximately one month before classes resume at Haven. If Salem were to plan an attack, it would make sense that it would occur prior to students' return. It's not much time, but it's better than nothing." Oz then stopped twirling his cane as he continued. "Just don't expect me to go easy on you." A serious look appeared on Ozpin's face.

"Or you Zack." Ozpin then pats himself on the chest before passing me control again. Unfortunately, balancing on the top back rail of the chair was difficult as hell, so I chose to jump off it for the fear of falling on my back like what happened to Oscar.

This got team RNJR to back a step or two back as I landed just in front of them before keeping Ozpin's cane. "Well, can't say about that, it was one hell of a conversation but- Hang on."

Thanks to Ozpin suddenly speaking, I had to pause as I glanced to the left as everyone else just watched me. "One more thing, Zack, our training officially begins tomorrow. So, take today to settle down and get to know them, and you need to get sports clothes as well. Do also inform them that their training would also start tomorrow."

"Is… that all?"

"Yes."

"Kay."

I then turned my attention back to everyone else in the room. "Anyways… Got some news from Ozpin. All our training officially begins tomorrow, though I'm not so sure about the timing myself. And I need to leave to buy some sports clothing."

I got various nods of agreement before Ruby asked something which was expected of her to ask. "You're not going to go off to buy some clothing now, are you, Zack?"

"Not really, after I drop off my bag, then yes." I just shrugged as we all took our seats again. "I still need some time to settle down and stuff." My eyes then lay on my bag behind the chair I was sitting on.

"Right! I want to ask you about the sword you were carrying."

"You mean Oathkeeper?" I tilted my head as Ruby nodded.

"Is that its name? That's a cool name for it!" Ruby then asked, as I just nodded before reaching over to the side and grabbing my father's sword. I then carefully held it in my hand before pulling it out of its sheath for all of them to see it.

"Yes… that's its name."

"Whooaaa…" Ruby was clearly in awe of it, and so were the others. "Can I have a closer look at it? I won't do anything to it. I promise." Ruby was clearly excited about the prospect, but I wish to know from the others, was she like that the whole time when it comes to weapons?

"Is she normally like this?" I proceeded to ask the others who just nodded, with Ren answering me.

"When it comes to weapons, at least."

I then turned back to Ruby who was clearly giving me the puppy eye treatment and holy hell. I don't know how she's doing it, but she looks so innocent and cute! I'm pretty sure we're the same age but… Must resist… it…

Ah, fuck it.

Knowing her, it should be fine. I should at least trust her to not break it. "Ok you can, but please be careful with it. It belongs to someone precious to me and I don't want to lose it or see it destroyed." I sheath Oathkeeper back into its sheath before handling it to Ruby with both my hands on it.

"Ruby gingerly took it from me before she unsheathed Oathkeeper, and she began to observe it in finer detail. Did I mention that she was excited as hell, judging from the look in her eyes? Because it didn't take long for her to do a couple of test swings away from us to understand its weight distribution.

And while Ruby was distracted with Oathkeeper, my eyes then landed on our resident blondie, or at least until Yang arrived. Jaune. He obviously looked like he wanted to ask me something.

"So, uh Jaune, you got anything to ask me since Ruby's clearly distracted with Oathkeeper?"

"Huh? Yea I do have a question. Not to be racist or anything but, why did you choose to hide your Faunus identity?" That one? Eh sure, I can do that.

"Well… it's much easier to just blend in with humanity and not face any stupid discrimination nonsense. Besides, my jacket allows me to hide my tail, so I'm not going to complain about that." I answered back as Ren was next.

"Speaking of jackets, Zack, why did it change colours when Ozpin took over?" Uhm… shit. I actually have no idea how it works, the fact that Ozpin was also curious about that feature also shows that he's not familiar with it.

"It seems to be linked directly to my aura, as you can see by the glowing lines all over it. As to where I got it from, well… I got it as a… final gift. I'm not comfortable talking about it. I hope you understand." Ren just nodded at me as I heard an excited squeal coming from Ruby.

"Ohmygod! Theresatinybuttoniwonderwhatitwilldo!" Without any hesitation, Ruby pressed a small button on the guard itself. When Ruby pressed it, Oathkeeper's blade seemed to retract into itself as the grip extended out until it was taller than Ruby herself. The redlines on it also became more pronounced as it finished its transformation.

In the end, Oathkeeper had become what I could guess is a hybridised version of a Naginata and a Guandao, I think? But nevertheless, all of us were in awe of its design. Ruby for the most part was absolutely ecstatic, though I can tell that she thought that it would also be a gun as well. Ozpin also decided to give his thoughts on the matter.

"A single-edged sword for short to medium range, and a polearm for long-range engagements in melee. While it lacks proper range attacks against opponents at a distance, it appears that it was designed with versatility in heart."

"It's… definitely something. I wonder why Meiyo made it that way…" I wondered in my head why this was dad's choice of weaponry as Ruby found a compartment near the blade itself for Dust Vials to be inserted into it. I wonder… does that mean that I can enhance Oathkeeper with Dust? Hmm…

"Ah hah! That's an awesome weapon! I want to challenge you when we get the chance, Zacky!" Nora enthusiastically states her intention as he points directly to my face with a challenging look. I could only raise my hands forward in a panic while vigorously shaking my head.

"Nononono! Nope! I'm not ready to fight yet! I don't even know how to!" The idea of Nora smashing me with her hammer was in my head with my tail all fluffed up and standing like a pole again. Also, Zacky? I've just met her, and she's already giving me nicknames?

Ren then rests his hand on Nora's shoulder as he speaks. "No Nora. He's not ready yet."

"What? Renny, how could you?" Nora then turned to not her not boyfriend and pouted as I just looked at Jaune who just shrugged, and to Ruby who just changed Oathkeeper back to its sword configuration.

"Right… Thanks, Ren, can one of you take me to where I would be sleeping?" I then walked over to grab my bag, which was still behind the chair.

"Oh! Me me! I can take you to it!" Ruby started hopping on the spot with her hand raised up and the other hand still gripping onto Oathkeeper in its sheath.

"Well lead the way." I shrugged as I extended my hand to one of the hallways. Only to get giggles from Ruby and the others.

"That path leads to the backyard." I heard Jaune sniggering as warmth could be felt gathering around my cheeks. Wait, did I just hear Ozpin letting out a chuckle in my head?

"Come, I'll take you to your room, Zack." Ruby handed the Oathkeeper back to me as I wore it back on my back. "Oh, and, thanks, for letting me have a look at it. Oathkeeper looks great!" She just smiled as she walked off, while I followed her.

While both of us were walking, Ruby suddenly turned to face me and asked, "Zack, you don't mind sleeping with uncle Qrow? Or do you want to have a room for yourself?"

"While I prefer having a room to myself, I don't mind sharing a room with your uncle. He's a good man, despite his alcoholism."

"Yeah, I understand. It can get annoying to see Qrow come back all drunky and stuff." Ruby just let out a sigh as I snorted before we continued through the hallways until we arrived at a nice room that had two beds at opposite ends of the room. I think I remember seeing it in that scene in which Weiss and Yang were talking. Nevertheless, one of the beds had clear signs that it had been used recently. That must be Qrow's bed.

"Ugh." I pinched my nose as the smell of alcohol permeated my nose again. "Sometimes I hate my enhanced senses." I grumbled.

"Oh." Ruby's eyes widened in surprise. "Then would you, uh, like to have a room to yourself?" She suggested Only that I wave off her alternative choice.

"Na, that won't be necessary, Ruby, I'll just air the room up a bit. Or just get used to it." I just shook my head while Ruby just nodded understandingly as I dropped my bag near what would become my bed during my stay here. I could hear Ruby leaving the room, either to go back to the gang or back to the comics she was reading a while earlier.

"Now then. To buy some sports clothes. Where can I find it?" I rubbed my chin as I swore Ozpin just facepalmed himself.

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Well, long story short, I ended up just walking around for quite a while as I got lost in the process, but either way, I found a sports store and bought myself a grey sleeveless T-shirt, black trousers and running shoes. And by the time I got back, it was already dark and team RNJR could already be seen in the dining room about to eat.

"Zack! There you are!" Ruby called out to me as she waved to me, all while I was carrying my new clothing in a bag. "We're about to call you since you disappeared a while ago and stuff."

I could only give a sheepish smile as I sat down and joined them, and damn, it smelled good. "My apologies, I've… uh, gotten lost, but I eventually found my way to it and back. A minor mistake." This earned chuckles from everyone else as I joined them while scratching the back of my head.

"You got lost in Mistral for an hour, Arakan, I wouldn't call it minor."

"Shhh… I'm hungry headmaster, you can disturb me later."

"So, may I ask who cooked it?" I ask as it consists of rice, some vegetables, meat and soup. Kind of reminds me of home in a way. Dang, I missed home.

"Renny did it!" Nora casually points at Ren who just nods.

"Well, thank you for the meal, Ren." I gave a small bow. Ren just gave a small smile back at me.

"Zack, you're with us now, it would be rather mean of me if I didn't cook for you." Just by Ren saying that I could feel my cheeks heating up as I started laughing nervously.

"Wow… uh… thanks. Despite us only meeting for less than a day." I said back as I picked up the utensils on the table for me.

"Enough talking! Time to eat!" Nora proceeds to raise her hands into the air as we all nodded and began eating our dinner and wow. Ren's food is pretty tasty. Makes me want to try cooking as I did back home! I think they'll like it.

Ren's food was so tasty in fact that I devoured it all in less than ten minutes, much to their and Ozpin's surprise. All due to the fact that I would usually eat slowly, and this was the first time he saw me eat my meal at such speed. Ren, Ruby and Jaune's eyes were wide open in surprise, while Nora saw it as a challenge to see who can eat their dinner the fastest. Come to think of it, I think I just saw a tiny bit of fire in her eyes.

Then after that, we began talking about other stuff of interest, like my likes and dislikes. Jaune even asked about my origins, and I was… less than inclined to answer it as the scars, despite them being years old already, were still fresh in my mind. I have to politely decline his question because I'm not comfortable sharing it yet.

But Ozpin interrupted us all when he suddenly took control of my body, much to my displeasure. "My apologies for disrupting your conversation with Zack, but I believe it's time for him to get some rest. We have a big day for us all tomorrow. I'll leave it to you all to clean it all up."

"What the hell, old man!? Don't just suddenly take control of my own body like that?! What happens to consent? Or does it not exist in your vocabulary?" I proceeded to rant as the rest of RNJR just nodded and began clearing up. I don't like every second of it.

"Our work schedule would be 3 in the morning Zack unless you wish to wake up exhausted. Do continue with what you're planning." Jeeze, Oz can be an ass if he wants. He then passed the controls back to me, and a frown appeared on my face.

"You could have at least told me about it…" I mumbled as I got up from the dining table and walked away to brush my teeth and pass out while leaving RNJR to clean up everything. Now, why do I have a bad feeling about tomorrow?

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Hours later, after RNJR cleaned up their dinner, they decided to hang out in the living room before having the following conversation starting with Ruby. "Soo… guys, what do you think about Zack so far?" She asked first.

"He seems friendly and kind enough, while occasionally acting serious, it's clear that he can act mischievous at titimes,udging from when we first met him. "Ren took a sip of water before continuing. "Zack appears to be extremely uncomfortable about sharing his past, however."

"He looks fun to mess with, plus he's so small and cute with his fluffy tail and when he gets awkward! Though, the two souls thing gets confusing sometimes." Nora admits it happily, while Jaune looks like he's still thinking.

"He's cool, I guess? It's only been one day and such but, I think we could get well together enough since he doesn't have a gun like me. I have nothing much to say." Jaune just shrugs. "How about yoyou,uby? What do you think of him?"

"Well, I like him enough! He's fun to hang around, and he even lets me see Oathkeeper which was expertly crafted! I want to know who made it! Besides, I now have a new friend to be around with." Ruby answers with a smile on her face.

"I wish he would see me that way sooner than later…" Another voice joins the conversation in the form of Ozpin in my body as he joins them and rests on an empty chair.

"Uhh... is this Zack or Professor Ozpin in control right now?" Nora asked with confusion as to who was in charge. I unfortunately was unaware of what was going on since I'm sleeping.

"I assure you; this is Professor Ozpin," Ozpin says with a soft chuckle. "As I was saying before, I wished Zack would see me as one, but while you all may, or may not be able to tell, he's still rather reluctant in his heart to be on this journey, and he's just doing everything just for the sake of doing it." Ozpin was clearly downcast about the whole thing.

"Before we talk, how can we know that he's not listening to us all? I mean, it was clear that Zack could hear us talking while you're in control of his body." Ren asked as Ozpin just nodded.

"Zack has proven to be a heavy sleeper during my time with him and I can tell that he's currently unconscious right now." Ozpin explained as everyone nodded.

"Why won't Zack accept you then?" Ruby then asked.

"During my time with him, I've learned about his past through his memories and…" Ozpin noticeably paused before continuing. "He still has scars from it until now, I won't say it out of respect for him, but he had lost much during his childhood. As a result of that, you only see a glimpse of his personality, and it's obvious that he just tolerates me for the sake of respect. To a certain extent." Ozpin had a look of pity on his face.

"What do you want us to do, Headmaster?" Jaune then asked.

"Help him feel more comfortable in his time here. While he doesn't show it openly, I can tell that he wants to be friends with you all. But he seemed unsure as to how to do it. I'll do my best to make him feel more comfortable, but need your help. Can I count on you four?"

"Yes, we can help him! But…" Ruby then suddenly lets out a tired yawn. "I think we can do it tomorrow; it's getting late yea?" Ruby only got nods as Ozpin smiled.

"Then I won't take any more of your time. Have a good night." With that, Ozpin stood up and dismissed himself from the rest of the group.

"But just what are you hiding Zack?" Ozpin could only wonder as he made his way back to the room in which Zack sleeps. Ozpin could only wonder one thing, is Zack truly who he says he was, the fact that Zack had said words or phrases multiple times that had no meaning in certain situations made Ozpin suspicious of his new incarnate.

Hopefully, Zack would open up and reveal what he was hiding from him himself.…

And besides, Ozpin was already getting fragments of said sealed memories but none of them made any sense to him. Perhaps with time and effort, these fragments could piece together into something that makes sense.

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The next day…

Remember that bad feeling I got yesterday before I went to sleep? Well, that proved to be correct as Oz woke me up exactly as he said he would. I have no idea how he does it but as soon as he got me on my feet, I was subjected to one of the worst experiences so far in my time on Remnant so far.

Asking me to run for kilometres without break was one thing. Immediately putting me through all sorts of straining physical exercises without rest was a nightmare. The only reason I barely managed to finish it all was both thanks to Ozpin yapping away in my head if I try to stop and my aura which helped soothe my aching muscles all over my body.

But in the end, I was on the floor completely sapped of energy while gasping for both breath and water. And that's just the warm-up for today!

"Can we… take a short break? I feel like I'm going to die over here." I gasped for breath as Ozpin countered me.

"You're going to end up fighting against people who can do this without breaking a sweat, Zack. It's better that we get your body up to standard as fast as we could within a month. Besides, I still need to train the others later after breakfast." This understandably got an exhausted groan out of me.

"Then can I at least have a drink before we do anything else? I think my throat is as dry as the deserts of Sanus." I mumbled.

"Fair enough, since you've been cooperative so far." With the thought of water to soothe my dry throat, I pushed myself back onto my feet and shuffled towards my bottle of water before grabbing it and chugging it all down.

Did I also mention that I was in the middle of a forest not that far from Mistral and it's still decently dark outside since it's like 6 in the morning? God, I've been put through hell for three hours straight.

"Now that you had your water break, we can begin your actual training. Could you please show me your fighting stance?" Ozpin then asked me for a fighting stance. I don't even have one since I'm no fighter, but I doubt he would take that as an excuse.

"I'm no fighter but sure I guess I can try." I muttered as I placed my bottle down before getting into a stance that I guessed I'm supposed to do.

I ended up positioning myself so that the left side of my body was facing forward with my arm out and bent so that my fist would be in front of my face. My right fist was closer to my chest as my legs were spread apart shoulder wide, and my knees slightly bent down.

"It's… passable, it could be better, but it's not the worst I've seen compared to some of my students." Ozpin gages my stance, and I'm relieved that it worked out.

"Thanks? So… now what?" I asked Ozpin as he hummed.

"Do you see that tree in front of you?" How does this have to do with anything again?

"...Yes?"

"Punch it."

Wait, what?

"Did you just order me to punch a tree Ozpin?" A ludicrous look formed on my face as Ozpin confirmed it.

"Yes. Now do it." What the hell is this? Minecraft? Do I need to collect some wooden planks for Ozpin?

"Well then… who am I to reject the wise words of the Headmaster of Beacon to punch a tree." I snarked as Ozpin gave me a piercing headache for my comment. Okay, maybe I deserved that one.

"OW! Damn. Your point was made clear." I rubbed my forehead as I walked up towards the tree before getting into my stance. I should probably enhance my hand with aura, so I don't break it against a tree.

I then closed my eyes and imagined focusing my aura on my fist. I could then feel something over my fist and when I opened my eyes, I could see my violet aura all over my fist before I sent it towards the tree.

"Yah!"

As soon as my fist collided with the tree, there was a rather satisfying crunch noise that came from the tree, as parts of its bark fell off it as well as a rather small crater from the punch, I'd given it. Also, my hand was still intact, so that's a plus.

"Well done, and you didn't break your hand in the process. Unlike some of my previous incarnations who forgot to activate their aura before they punch." Oz proceeded to compliment me, which had me blush from it. I'm not used to being complimented for anything I've achieved before, so this was a new experience for me.

"Thanks, Ozpin." A small smile formed on my face.

"Good. Now keep punching it harder than before until it falls."

"Oh. Ok then."

That was followed by me punching the same tree over and over again which took a while since I wasn't using that much strength because I was tired from earlier, and totally not because of my fears of accidentally logging my hand into the tree and getting my hand stuck in it.

In the end, the tree fell and Ozpin was satisfied with my progress that our training was concluded for now. And with that, I headed back, as it was now nearly seven in the morning, and I'm tired as shit. I want to take a nap or something…

When I made it inside the house, I could see Ruby and Jaune on the couch talking about something. I think Nora and Ren are in the kitchen right now,I could smell something being made there. I think it's pancakes that sound great to have after a shower.

"Hey, Zack! How was your training?" Ruby asked as I paused for a bit to stretch my still aching back.

"Don't you mean Ozpin's training from hell? I'm sweaty, tired and every single muscle in my body is begging for mercy right now." I deadpanned.

Ruby now looked unsure how to react to what I said. Now things feel awkward. "Oh… uh."

"On the plus side, Ozpin worked on my fighting stance and I punched a tree."

"You punched a tree?" Jaune then scratched his head rather confused as to what I meant.

"Yea, he asked me to punch a tree until it fell. Also, after breakfast, Oz will train ya. I'm just… going to take a cold shower… Everything hurts…" I proceeded to stretch my shoulder before walking off.

"Well, have a good one!" Ruby just waved at me as I gave my own back and walked off to take a cold shower.

Time passed rather quickly as I took a cold shower to wake myself up before arriving back at the dining table in my combat outfit. The smell of pancakes permeated the air as I approached the dining table to see all of team RNJR were about to enjoy their pancakes.

"There you are, Zack," Jaune called me as I quickened my pacing. "Nora was about to eat your pancakes if you didn't come just now." When I heard that I could only glance at Nora who nervously denied it.

"What? No, I did not say that! I would not touch Zacky's pancakes!" As if to make her point, Nora began to wave her hands in front of her. But it appears that Ren decided to correct her.

"You just told us that you wanted to eat Zack's pancakes if he doesn't show up right now." Nora, most likely feeling betrayed that her crush sold her out, grabbed Ren by the shoulder and shook him vigorously as I sat down.

"Renny! How could you do this to me?!" She cried out as everyone else including me began to chuckle at their shenanigans.

"Nora, if I'm unable to finish my pancakes, you can have it. Is it alright with you?" I just smiled as the number of pancakes on my plate was like seven of them,all stacked up with butter right at the top of it. How did he get them so thick and fluffy? I must know…

"I'm not sure with myself that I could finish it, so I don't mind an extra mouth to help me out."

Nora suddenly ended up beside me and gave me one hell of a bear hug as she cheered. "Yayyy! Thanks, Zacky! You're the best fluffy boy!" This, however, got an agonising scream out of me.

Because bloody hell I feel like my bones gonna break!

"AAHHHHH! My back! Everything hurts! Nora, please let me go! You're crushing me!" I cried out in absolute pain. Bloody hell! Despite looking like an average person, Nora's strength is insane! Then again, she wields a hammer.

Nora, now realising what she'd done, immediately let me go from her bear hug before looking away nervously as I was slumped onto the table. And not on my pancakes, thank God. "Ooops. Hehe… You ok?"

"I'll be fine… I think." I groaned as I pushed myself back up, only to notice that Qrow was missing and decided to ask his niece.

"Ruby, where's your uncle?" Ruby just looked unsure as she spoke back to me.

"I don't know, he left quite early this morning, I think he went off to do what Ozpin wanted him to do yesterday." She just hummed as I felt my stomach grumbling

"I see… Anyways, no sense in wasting time, since I'm here, we can eat." I said my piece as we all began eating our breakfast. "You guys will be training with Oz later. And God have mercy on ya, he doesn't hold back."

"Should we be worried about that?" Jaune then wondered as I shrugged.

"Probably?" I just gave an uncertain smile as Jaune started laughing nervously while I noticed that both Ren and Ruby were looking at each other before nodding. Is there something going on behind my back?

"Zack," Ruby called me as I just shoved a pancake into my mouth.

"Mmm?" I couldn't really say anything so I just gave her my attention.

"Yesterday after you went off to sleep, all of us had a discussion and came to a decision." Ruby began to explain as all of them had smiles on their faces. "We all agreed officially to add you as our newest member from now on! Welcome you to the team Zack!" Ruby says it loud and clear as all of them started clapping and as for me, I was speechless.

Wow, that just feels right. They all trusted me already and chose to invite me to their team. I quickly swallowed my pancake before muttering. "Aww… Thanks, guys…" I wasn't sure how to deal with it so I just smiled and gave a small bow to them all. Before giving them a determined look.

"I won't let you down!" Also, I think I just felt Ozpin giving a smile for a second…

"We know you won't." Ren was next to add in.

"Wait!" Ruby suddenly shouted, which garnered all our attention. Is there something urgent that she needs to say? "What are we going to call ourselves now?!" Or that, apparently. Can't say I didn't expect it.

Ruby then began listing a whole bunch of potential team names like RNJRZ or RJZNR or something along those lines, honestly, I couldn't care less, but if it makes her happy, I won't mind. Though we ended up having a discussion for quite a while, that was until good old Ozpin stepped into the conversation when my eyes flashed green suddenly. Much to my utter annoyance at how he keeps on doing that without telling me.

"As much as I enjoy seeing all of you trying to decide on your team's name, I still need to train all four of you. Therefore, we should clean it up now so that we can begin." Ozpin just smiled as he stood up.

"I can't believe you just do that again Oz." I pointed out.

And so RNJR plus Ozpin, who's controlling my body, cleared up the dining table before heading onwards to the Rear patio for our training. And we all are in for one hell of a pain that's one thing for sure later.