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You Aren't Fighting This War Alone

Summary:

Ozpin introduces Oscar to his future teammates, and then the day comes when it's time to leave home to start on the adventure of a lifetime.

Notes:

(See the end of the work for notes.)

Work Text:

The next month flew by in a blink of an eye.

Every day they trained, and every day Oscar got closer to leaving the farm.

It was daunting, the thought of leaving all he had ever known to go fight in a battle that he never had any part of until now. The more he trained, the more he realized that he was just a 14 year old.

And as much as he wanted to say that he was plenty old to go off to fight, he knew that Ozpin was right. He was just a kid.

“It’s okay to be scared.” Ozpin had told him during one of their breaks during training.

Oscar sighed as he looked at his worn gloves. “I know, but it just feels like I can't. This is such an important thing to the entire world, and I’m just 14…” He trailed off.

He felt Ozpin shift next to him, and then a cool hand was on his shoulder. “If I could keep you from this fight, I would. No child deserves to go off to war. However, I know you aren’t alone when you get to the battlefield. Do you have a scroll?”

“Yeah, why?” Oscar asked, pulling out his scroll from his pocket.

“I think you should see your future teammates. They will be vital in our mission, and seeing them, even if it’s only on a screen, may provide some comfort.

He couldn’t really protest as Ozpin walked him through getting onto Beacons old records, typing in the other’s password in order to access the student files.

After a bit of scrolling, they reached a section designated “Operatives”. It was locked behind another passcode, which Ozpin provided.

“This would be so much easier if I could hold things,” Ozpin muttered under his breath as he attempted to take the scroll for the fourth time. Oscar grinned at his frustration. There was nothing funnier than seeing an immortal being frustrated about the simplest things.

The site took a few seconds to load up after Oscar imputed the password, but soon he was faced with headshots of what appeared to be students and staff.

“Woah...” Oscar whispered as he scrolled through the information of each person.

“Indeed. These are going to be your allies. I trust each and every one of them with my life, and it’s likely that they will be waiting for us to join them.”

He directed Oscar to scroll back up.

“This,” he pointed his translucent finger at a group of four girls, “Is team RWBY. They are going to be the main people we are looking for. Their leader, Ruby, is a Silver Eyes, and she is also one of the best chances we have. Her sister, Yang, is one of the most motivated girls I’ve ever had the joy of teaching.”

Oscar glanced over the two of them, and then to the other two on the screen.

‘What about them?” He asked Ozpin.

“Those would be Miss. Schnee and Miss. Belladonna. Both of which are valuable allies as well. Weiss is one of the heirs to Schnee dust co., and Blake is a former White Fang member. Putting all four of them together was one of my best decisions. They are all great young women, and are our best bet at winning this war.”

Oscar nodded in understanding. It was weird, seeing the people he would eventually meet on a screen. But he did have one question.

“How are they supposed to know about us?”

Ozpin grinned. “That’s where a dusty old crow comes in.” He motioned for Oscar to scroll down a bit.

“Right there,” He said as a man came on the screen. “That is Qrow Branwen. He’s one of the very few people in this world who know the truth about our curse. He’s also the person who is most likely to be in possession of Long Memory. Which means he’s going to be the first person we need to find.”

“Oh, that makes sense.”

“Don’t worry about it too much Oscar, you’ll have me at your side the entire time,” Ozpin assured him as he stood up from the log they were sitting on.

“Now, put that thing away, we still have training to do.”

Oscar sighed and slipped the scroll into his pocket, wincing as his knees cracked as he stood.

“Okay, okay. This time I won't lose!” He exclaimed as he picked up his “staff”

Ozpin just grinned as he flicked out Long Memory.

 

And then suddenly, that day to leave came.

The leaves were just starting to turn colors when Ozpin told him they would have to leave.

Oscar had thought he’d be prepared for it when the day came, but it turns out leaving your home, not knowing if you’ll ever come home is harder than he first thought.

“You have everything?” Ozpin asked as Oscar slung his bag onto his back.

“Yeah, I double-checked last night.” The sky outside was still dark, not even a hint of sun that would indicate morning. Oscar had insisted on leaving early, not wanting to have to face his Aunt before he left.

A week prior, the day after Ozpin told him they would need to be going, he sat down and wrote a note to her. It wasn’t a short note in the slightest, as it outlined everything that was going on. He knew that there was a huge chance that his Aunt wouldn’t believe a word he wrote, but this way, he could leave without feeling guilty that he’d never managed to tell her the truth.

“You’ll be back one day Oscar, I promise you,” Ozpin said with a hand on his shoulder.

Oscar sighed, “I hope you’re right.”

He was careful to be quiet as he snuck out, his heartbeat so loud that he could swear his Aunt would wake up from it.

But they were out the door without a problem.

The slight chill from autumn hit him as the door closed, and the gravity of what was happening hit him all at once.

He was practically a child, and he was going off to fight a war against a literal immortal. His breaths started to get shorter, and it felt like the world was closing in.

“Hey, Oscar. Look at me,” Ozpin said as he placed both his hands on his shoulders and kneeled down.

Oscar complied and looked down at him.

Even though Ozpin was slightly transparent, his eyes were as brown as any other person who was real. “Things are going to be okay. You won’t be alone for long. Even though I may not be able to interact with things, I will still be here next to you until we find Qrow. It’s okay to be scared. It’s okay to not know if things are going to turn out okay. But what’s important is that you take the next step. You are stronger than you think you are Oscar, and one day, when all of this is over, I’ll make sure you get right back to this old farmhouse.” His voice was gentle and kind, washing over Oscar in a calming wave.

He took a deep breath in and let it out in a shudder.

“You’re right. I can do this.” Ozpin smiled at him and stood up.

“I never doubted you for a second. Now come on, we don’t want to miss our train.” His hands left Oscars’ shoulders, but he still stood close as Oscar finished composing himself.

Maybe, just maybe, things were going to be alright.

Notes:

Wowowowowow I'm having so much fun with this series. I know I said that in the last part, but man has it just gotten better. These two don't have nearly enough content around them, and I'm so glad I can provide some of that. I'm going to be rewriting a bit of cannon but also keeping some of it the same, so keep an eye out for that. I hope you liked this part, and part 4 will be out soon!

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