Unexpected Incarnate (RWBY Ozpin Incarnate SI)

Weiss POV

Four days. It has been four days since Nora suddenly burst into Ruby's room while we were there and told us that Zack had suddenly collapsed and for us to meet in his room. I… I won't lie that I felt as if my heart dropped again when I heard what Nora said, and for a moment, I thought he idiotically got himself into trouble.

Again.

Like so many times before that.

As expected, without any delay, my partner was the first on her feet and out of the room as we did the same, and what we saw was Jaune alongside Ren in the middle of tending to him on the bed. Even more so, Zack was deathly pale and shivering as if he caught a terrible flu. I remember how Ruby was the first of us to demand answers about what happened to him, and Jaune was quick to explain the situation to all of us.

He's undergoing his evolution to his second stage, as he calls it. It's a weird feeling to learn this information after the battle of Haven. It feels so out of the ordinary and unbelievable, like those fairy tales children read to go to sleep.

…

Besides learning that Dust originates from AWOR's blood, it took me plenty of time to get used to that revelation.

Back to the point, Jaune told everyone that Zack's last words were to watch over him. Or that's the part that he managed to say before passing out. He speculates that his incomplete request was to keep an eye on him until he reawakens. Of course, we've been doing that for three days straight with no changes observed.

Every one of us took turns watching over him, including me.

Jaune and Ren even had to strip off his Huntsman outfit and have him wear his shirt and shorts, and they did that. We all could see his tattoos flickering like malfunctioning light bulbs. I'm curious what's happening inside to have that occur and go on for days straight. And… I will not admit it, but ever since Ruby's birthday, I've been… distracted. Whenever it was Ruby's turn to watch him over, I would feel unusually resentful of my partner.

Which I should not be!

It's foolish of me to think like that because I've sworn to be the best partner I could be to Ruby. But as crazy and improbable as it may be, I have reasons to suspect that I may be developing an attraction to that reckless dolt. It's frustrating for numerous reasons, but it reminded me of my liking of Neptune back in Beacon.

Yes, he is handsome, confident, and straightforward with people, which is surprisingly refreshing to meet and speak with someone of his character. Or at least, that was before I learned that he's shown to be quite a womaniser at times, and I find that quite irritating to see him do that constantly, even when I am present.

Honestly, I'm surprised I found myself quickly smitten by his looks.

Neptune's a good man. I will not deny it. A womaniser, but still a good man and friend to be with. However, I doubt I can see myself developing deeper ties with him. Perhaps a close friendship with him is more appropriate for us.

Zack, on the other hand, is… complicated. When I first met him, I thought of him as a potential threat to all of us at the time. I have to be after someone we trusted became responsible for Beacon's fall. And yet, he has been open with us since day one. Well, yes, it's hard for him and cruel of me to make him spill his entire history to earn my trust, and indeed, he has kept some secrets from us, especially his 'knowledge' from Earth, but upon further thinking.

I find it justifiable to hide it to an extent.

While I can say that Zack's good-looking for his age, he is sometimes so confusing! The dolt can't make up his mind whether he wants to be mature or childish! And at times, he appears to switch it up on a whim! I do not know if this is a side effect of his memories merging with Professor Ozpin or due to his other memories from Earth. But don't get me started on his reckless streak! Seriously! There are times I honestly wonder if this dolt has a death wish or something!

But even despite his flaws, Zack has done so much for us in the past month or so he's been with us. Upon further thought, I never realised how much he'd given us without asking for anything in return. And that is strange. I learned in my youth that most people expect something in return after they lend aid to you.

Yet, he did not.

He even did his best to stop the tragedy that I would have gone through if it hadn't been for him!

Yes, it did not go according to plan as a result, but it is still shocking to see it happen before our eyes. I remember it as if it were yesterday. It took everyone off guard when we saw Cinder impaling a spear into his chest. While it is true Zack recovered well thanks to Jaune's Semblance, the experience still affected him badly, and it was clear that he was hurt in the aftermath. He was so hurt that he nearly attacked Ruby when he saw Cinder in her place.

It was painful to recall it. I could see the horror all over his face, and I was confident that he was about to descend into a panic attack after nearly hitting my partner in the face. It's where I first suspect that something's not right with me when I act rashly and hug him to calm him down in front of everyone.

I would have never done that so openly like that! Nor at all in the first place!

It was only later on that my suspicions were correct when Mr Branwen came and informed us that it was likely that Zack had developed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. He went into further detail and explained that he usually saw this in Veteran Huntsmans after they went through a near-death experience.

The same experience he went through during the battle for Haven.

I sighed while alone with Zack on his bed, still unconscious. His condition has not improved, and it is rapidly approaching midnight since I began watching him after dinner. I should close off for the night and let Mr Branwen take over after me. But that leaves me with one last question.

What do I do about my growing infatuation with a certain fox Faunus?

I don't think even he is aware of my growing feelings. Or even Ruby's. Or perhaps even his own. I knew something was up when I saw how close and attached my partner had been to him, and while I hate to admit it, that leaves me with a bitter taste of jealousy in my mouth.

And I will not deny this.

I'd never bothered with relationships until I found my way into Beacon.

And while yes, many did try to court me back in Atlas during various events organised by my 'father', it was clear as day that many were only attempting to do it for my title as Heiress and the influence they would get should they marry me. Something which no longer became a factor after my 'father' revoked my title to the company. In addition, as shameful as it may be, I'm inexperienced in topics such as romance.

I need to think about this further before I do something utterly foolish. But a part of me wants to admit my attraction to him before Ruby realises her feelings for him. But if I were to do that, that would no doubt break my partner's heart, and I do not want that to occur.

What are the chances that we are attracted to the same person?

Then there's the other part of my concern.

I'm a Schnee. Even if he and I managed to form a romantic relationship by chance, I feel Atlas will not accept him due to their bias against Faunuses and will look down upon us for it. Nor will Zack's fellow people due to their justified grievances against my family. But I highly doubt this would be an issue for now, for it is an issue for the future. But why am I suddenly thinking of all this?

Is it because I have the time to consider it through? Or is it because…

No.

I must be tired.

What else could I blame for thinking about that dolt right now and my relationship with him? Yes, it's getting late and close to midnight. I should leave and prepare for bed. I'm sure this will pass once I have time for my mind to rest.

With nothing else to do, I stood up from my chair and made my way out of the room, but before I did that, I found myself turning and giving my friend a final look. He still lay there motionless with a towel on his forehead, his face still as pale as he was from three days ago. I only hope he wakes up soon.

It's getting uncomfortably close to our deadline before our departure to Argus.

I felt a sigh coming before I departed and closed the door behind me.

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As soon as Weiss left the room with the sound of the door closing shut. Shuffling could be heard outside the window before the little white fox leapt through it and into the room. It landed silently on the bedside table, with its little eyes focusing squarely on the unconscious fox Faunus on the bed. But it wasn't alone. AWOR and Ishmael soon appear inside the room out of thin air as their eyes reach their champion.

"This is new," Ishmael murmurs with her hands under her chin while deeply observing her and her sister's champion. "Something's not right here, sister. His evolution to stage two should have been completed by now."

While Ishmael observes their champion, AWOR nods as she softly agrees with her sister. "Yes. That is what should be happening here, yet, this is not the case here." The embodiment of Remnant mutters as she kneels and brushes her thumb against Zack's forehead. "The current magical levels should be enough to push him into stage two… But something is interrupting it. Slowing his evolution and making him sick in the process…"

While her sister closely observes their champion, Ishmael's eyes glance around as she walks beside her. "I have reasons to suspect that the wizard marked by the Brothers is indirectly behind this. Magical Incompatibility, I presume?" The goddess of the moon shrugs as her sister gently brings Zack's right arm up for a closer look. Yet AWOR remained silent with her eyes closed before a gasp suddenly left her lips.

Her eyes then shot open in horror after a moment. "This… This is worse than I thought… I never thought the Brothers were willing to do this."

Ishmael demands an answer, understanding from her sister's tone that the situation is dire. "What is it, sister? What's wrong?"

Glancing at her sister with her hair gently brushing to the side as she stands up, AWOR explains. "I hate to admit it, but the brothers have a contingency plan involving the old wizard in our champion." AWOR's eyes showed worry as she glanced at their champion. "The combination of our Magic and the Brothers through Ozma. It's slowing his growth and making every use of magic or subsequent evolution more agonising as time passes."

"You're not telling me everything, are you sister? What else?" Ishmael folds her arms as her sister continues explaining.

"That's not all."

AWOR worriedly glances at her champion as she gently brushes his hand. "Suppose the soul merger between our champion and Ozma is complete. The process will instantly kill him as soon as it is done. Restarting Ozma's cycle into a new incarnate while depriving us of our chance to take back what's ours."

…

"You got to be kidding me," Ishmael growls as she pinches her nose and grits her teeth. "Of course, the Brothers are willing to do this against us. This cannot go without our intervention. We must do something before it's too late! Or we lose our champion and our chance, sister!" Ishmael hissed out with fury while AWOR calmly agreed, though it was apparent she was livid by the Brother's disruption to their plans.

"I know. We have preparations to make." The embodiment of Remnant agrees as her eyes go to the little fox sitting idly by. "Come, little one. You know what you must do." AWOR says as the little fox nods its head and its ear twitch. It then jumps right onto Zack's chest before it begins to glow and disappear into particles of light that diffuse into the unconscious Fox Faunus.

Zack's whole body shimmered in light for a moment before the light quickly faded, his skin returned to its lively shade, and his illness dissipated. "Much better. He will recover and evolve by morning." AWOR hums with joy at her champion's improvement in his health, though Ishmael frowns at the result.

"You are aware of what you've done, yes?"

"Yes, he needs a small sample of my essence to give him the necessary push for all his evolutions. Furthermore, he won't have to worry about any side-effects in any future evolutions." AWOR explains calmly. "But we've done what we came here to do. There is much to be done."

"Glady." And so, both goddesses vanish into nothing right as Qrow walks into the room. Unaware that there were gods in the room just moments ago, had he arrived earlier, he would still not have seen them. It's not like it mattered as Qrow walked up and noticed that the fox Faunus looked much better than he had hours back.

A soft smile grew on the veteran Huntsman's face as he changed the towel on Zack's forehead. "Well, kiddo, hopefully you're feeling better now. Everyone's worried about you, you know?" Qrow gently pets the fox Faunus in the shoulder before going to his side of the room and closing his eyes.

But as Qrow slowly drifts into sleep, Zack's body begins to shimmer with light again and slowly begins to change.

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Adam POV

Three days have passed since several merchants and their caravan picked me up and promised to find a way to restore my memories. I've also learned much from them in the past three days I've been with them. The caravan leader, who calls herself Cervid, had told me much of what she knew of me. However, she did mention how most of it she heard of me was glimpses of rumours and informed me that the truth is messy coming from her.

She mentioned how I used to be part of a terrorist group and, at one point, the leader of them. The White Fang, as it was called. A group of Faunuses that fought for Faunus' rights and equality. Or at least that was before I took over, according to her, and twisted it into a Faunus Supremacy terrorist group with the sole objective of enslaving humanity before their betters.

Did I... really do that? And why? What makes me do that? Did I believe that Faunuses are better, to begin with?

I remember how Cervid told me not to worry about the White Fang since they had been stopped and reformed under Ghira Belladonna into a more peaceful organisation than it was before under him. Someone with whom I had some familiarity even though I'd never seen nor heard of him. Even more so when it was apparent that a splinter group of those who followed me became even more radicalised.

Now, instead of Faunus supremacy, they advocate for the full-on genocide against humanity and Faunus purity. How far has one fallen to, initially evocative of equal rights before devolving into genocide… And in a way, I'm partly responsible for it becoming what it is. Even so, Cervid assured me that the Khan would help me find who I am and perhaps even redeem myself, even if no one can forgive or forget my sins as they cannot be overlooked.

But that brings another question. How did I lose my memories? And why? I can't remember anything except the moment I woke up in the middle of the forest. I need answers. Hopefully, this Khan of theirs can give me answers.

"I hear movement ahead of us." One of the caravan members, a rabbit Faunus, called out as Cervid raised her hand to order everyone to stop. This was not the first time this happened. In the past three days, we had to delay numerous times on our journey because of those dark monsters, which I soon learned were called Grimm. They constantly attack us in packs and come in all shapes and sizes. But they were defeated with ease, thanks to everyone's training in combat. And my assistance as well.

"Who's there?" Cervid demanded as she got off her horse and drew her rifle, which appeared to be bolt-action from its looks. Yet, whoever was, there, did not respond as we jumped off our horses and drew our weapons. But that caution was not needed, for a woman in a white cloak and a similar white mask walked out from behind a tree and among the snow-covered pine forest. And I notice that she's armed.

But what surprised me was how everyone else reacted.

Cervid was the first to gasp in surprise before she suddenly kept her rifle and knees down, as did the others. I was baffled by their sudden actions, but I learned that sometimes it's best to follow them and not question them. And so I knelt. "Sister Nerium!" She cried out in reverence with her head still bowing down. "What brings you here?"

"Oh, little sister Cervid," the woman I now know as Nerium said as she stretched her back while walking straight for us. "Our great Khan has assigned me to escort you back to our home and bring a Bull Faunus named Adam Taurus to him. He has earned our Khan's interest, you see. I hope you're treating him well." Nerium says as I spot Cervid bringing her head up.

"Yes, Nerium! Adam Taurus is with us and treated fairly! He stands beside me and has assisted us against Grimm while with us!" Cervid gestures at me as I slowly look up to see Nerium suddenly in front of me! What!? How?! Yet, Nerium giggles at me as she gently bends over and places her fingers under my chin. She then tilted my head, and I could see her face with her mask suddenly gone.

And I see it.

Blood-red hair, almost like mine, and eyes that promise something I couldn't understand. And that smile. That smile… It's unnerving, and as if she sees me how a child notices a brand-new toy.

I do not like this feeling.

"Curious… For someone who has a horrible marking on their face and is known for originally being a terrorist scum, you're surprisingly good-looking." Her eyes continue to observe me in detail before pulling away. "It's a shame to kill someone of your looks." She had a teasing smile before her eyes looked at Cervid.

"Come, it's time we resume this journey. I've already got myself in hot water earlier with our great Khan and do not intend to fail him in such simple tasks. We're close and should reach before the day ends."

"Yes, Madam!" Everyone cheered as they returned to their horses, and I slowly did the same. Once we were back on the road with Nerium leading the caravan. I noticed that everyone seemed more motivated all of a sudden.

It is as if Nerium's presence alone suddenly makes everyone work even harder than before.

"Cervid." I softly ask after I ride my horse close to her.

"Yes, Adam? Do you have more questions?" She asks with her ears perking up, tilting slightly towards me.

"I do. What do you know of Nerium?" I ask. "You and everyone else seem to treat her with deep respect? Is she the greatest warrior trained by the Khan himself you mentioned days ago?"

A pause of silence was all I got before Cervid nodded her head. "Yes. As I said a while ago, Nerium is the strongest, barring from the Khan himself. Many had tried to beat her in ritual combat, but none succeeded. No kidding. Her skills with her weapons and semblances make her unbeatable by everyone, and in our culture, it's a big thing for her to show up as it means that the Khan himself has ordered her. That and her role as his sword."

This is interesting. No wonder Cervid and everyone else seem to treat Nerium with respect. At the same time, I feel that there's another reason that Cervid is not telling me why she appears to be regarded highly like this. The rest of the trip was quiet except for the sounds of clopping against the ground and the caravan moving onwards.

But we soon reached it.

Deep in the snowy forest in the far distance, where the light seems to dim, I see tens of smoke trails and wooden walls with people on them. It's hard to catch the finer details from here, but I can tell they all have the same faceless white masks on their faces and cloaks covering their bodies. I won't blame them. The temperature here is not doing me any favours, and I had to borrow a parka from Cervid, so I won't use up all my aura just to keep myself from freezing.

"Well, Adam Taurus. Welcome to our home. The Kingdoms call us similar to bandits, while those we hunt call us the Hunters. But our true name is Wasure rareta mono tachi. An ancient tongue that translates to The Forgotten Ones." Nerium introduced her tribe as she walked backwards and faced me as the trib- no town more like slowly grew more prominent as the caravan approached it.

This is no bandit tribe…

This is more like an entire society here.

And they call themselves the Forgotten Ones?

Strange name, I will not deny.

When we reached the town gates, they were already open for us to enter since they saw us approaching them, and it was also because they recognised Nerium leading the caravan. And once we were through the gates, the place felt lively. In comparison, most of the buildings indeed appear to be house-sized tents. There were several wooden structures with humans and Faunuses of all ages, who can be seen walking and doing their daily lives.

Children ran across the stone-paved streets as individuals with white masks watched over everyone with spears and some with guns as they patrolled the streets. "This is our stop, Adam. Please follow Nerium." Cervid says as I nod and get off my horse before she takes the reins from me. "She will take you to our Khan and… I enjoyed our time talking together. Perhaps we may see each other again in the future."

Yes. I've learned much from her, and I owe her that.

"I believe that we might see each other again." And all I got was a simple nod from Cervid as she diverted the caravan towards the markets not too far from here. But I didn't have the opportunity to watch them go off before I heard Nerium calling me.

"Oi. We're almost there, and you're earning looks from everyone from standing here like a fool. Let's move." And she's right. Humans and Faunuses on the streets occasionally stop to watch me, and I see the distrust in their eyes. Some were whispering about a terrorist present here in their home, while others were expressing their hate and disdain for me.

I should get going.

As I follow Nerium deeper into this place they call home, we pass by numerous decorated fields with people fighting one another in regulated spars among a crowd. I think these are the ritual combat Cervid mentioned a while ago. And that wasn't all. I saw numerous statues of a woman with robes over her, her hands open invitingly. Even more so when I see Faunus and Humans worshipping them with incense and food offerings. So the Forgotten ones are religious?

I… I don't remember, but that face on the statue looks… familiar. But I can't piece it together.

That wasn't all.

I see buildings under construction by men and women with metal collars around their necks with more white-masked individuals watching over them like overseers. But what caught me off guard was how… well-treated they are. They looked relatively healthy and had winter clothing on them, but it is clear they were forced into hard labour by their despondent looks and exhaustion in their eyes.

They were given necessities like clothes and food but put to hard labour in return.

"Ignore those scum, and don't offer them your pity. All these bandits deserve their fate as penal labour for life after the sins they caused." Nerium scoffs coldly beside me as I turn to her. "Every one of them is responsible for the death and ruination of lives. They earned their fate as slaves for it, for many who made their new homes here had lost someone to these bandits scum and were left behind by their respective kingdoms. The world may have forgotten us. But we won't forget their sins."

I see…

As I look forward after listening to her, I can see a massive castle-like tent not too far from us once we approach the main gate. We were halted by man and woman guards wearing fish-scaled armour with a wolf symbol on their chest and shoulder pads. "Greetings, sister Nerium. The Khan is awaiting you and our… guest…"

"Mm. Continue with your watch," Nerium grunts before walking past the guard with me tailing behind her, though I could feel that every guard near me had their eyes on me. None of them trust me, which I guess is understandable, knowing who I was before from word of mouth. As we walked deeper into the tent, it started to get so warm that I had to take my parka off.

Good. I never liked wearing it.

When I had successfully taken off my Parka, I found myself in a court where Faunuses and Humans of different ages sat on chairs with stone pillars that held torches. There's a yellow carpet with exotic patterns stretching from the entrance towards the throne, where I see a man sitting on it. He also wore a white mask, which seemed to resemble a wolf's skull more than anything else. Though challenging to spot the details with the cloak covering most of his body and head, I spot wolf ears sticking out of his head.

Is the Khan a wolf Faunus?

Moving to his overall appearance gives me the feeling that he's a fighter and a leader.

He wears a simple purple tunic and black pants, with padded leather and plate armour that covers his torso and legs. His boots seem to have blades layered over them like claws, and it gives me the impression that he had used them often on others, with how sharp those things look. The same can be said for his arms while they are… prosthetic. Which I find curious since society doesn't look advanced to an extent.

Both of his arms were prosthetic limbs and were painted in obsidian black with blue pluses of energy that seemed to run from his shoulder to his hands, but what was most strange of them was his forearms. They have blades on them. Four on each forearm, with his hands seeming to have rails extending to his thumb, index middle and ring fingers.

Something about how it was designed is putting me on guard.

"Nerium. I see you have brought Adam Taurus with you. Well done." The Khan speaks with a growl before standing up, and he's much taller than I expected. "Now, please stand aside while I address him." He continued as Nerium bowed and walked to the side as I glanced around awkwardly. Everyone here has their eyes on me.

The Khan's footsteps echoed as he walked towards me while I felt my body tense. Yet, he shows no hostility. Instead, he gently reaches his hand and rests it on my shoulder. "Adam Taurus. I heard from followers that you seek to learn more about your past. Am I mistaken?"

"No, you are not, your highness," I mutter as he nods.

"I see… Many here doubt the words that you truly do. Truly. You are seeking to learn more about your past. Some have even suggested killing you outright, where you stand for your sins for your actions against the world and playing a part in destroying Beacon Academy. Many of my followers see that you are beyond redemption for condemning so much to death and plunging the world into fear." I lower my head with my eyes closed.

"But I am not my followers." Wait, what? "While some say otherwise, I believe everyone deserves a second chance at redemption. Even people like you. And while your actions cannot be forgiven, we can help you find a better path. If only you are willing to take my hand."

I watch as the Khan extends his hand to me, and I find myself staring at them. A part of me screamed as if this was all a trap. A trap that will result in my death. But I believe that if the Khan can help me find out who I am, Perhaps I can come to terms with them and find redemption after what I apparently…did.

Yes…

That does sound nice…

Bringing my hand out, I gently grasped his hand as we shook hands. "Wonderful." He utters a single word that makes him sound happy with my choice. But I think there's a catch. "Since you have officially taken my hand, it's only fitting that you must go through what every recruit has to do when they join our society." The Khan turned his head to his court.

"Prepare the coliseum before sundown."

"Yes, my Khan!" Much of the court scampers off as the Khan removes his mask to show his sea-blue eyes. His face has numerous scars and signs of ageing features and an angular face.

"Come, let us make you feel at home here."

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Qrow POV

Another night passes, and it's morning. I'm glad to see that Zack's condition has improved last night. But when I woke up, I thought I had woken up later because Kiddo was not in his bed! However, as I got onto my feet to check on him, I spotted a bump underneath the blanket. I won't lie. I thought that he had left something under his blanket, but the fact that the bump seems to rise and fall means that something is alive underneath the blanket.

While I usually wouldn't touch his stuff, there's just something off about this that I had to investigate.

Gently pulling the blanket off, what I saw baffles me and I had to wonder if I was still drunk from last night. I did have several bottles of whiskey to down on. "What the?" I mutter when I spot a fox kit underneath it. But its features were what caught my attention. White fur with a very familiar black tattoo on its front right limb. But what surprised me was his tail! Besides its unusual size and fluffiness, he has two tails instead of one!

"What the hell? Kiddo?" I mutter out, yet I get no response except for his soft snoring. Did he just obtain a transformation form while evolving? "What time is it anyway?' Reaching for my scroll in my pocket and checking the time, it shows it's ten in the morning. Huh… Guess that explains it. I should probably bring him down and grab something for him to eat as well. Keeping my scroll, I gently picked up Kiddo and rested him gently in my arms before it struck me.

It is strange to know that I'm carrying Ozpin's incarnation in my hands, but I did not expect kiddo to begin snuggling himself against me with his tail wrapped around himself like a blanket. If I were an outsider looking at this, I would probably find it adorable, minus the fact that the fox has two tails. It makes me wonder what he would look like back in his original form.

If it's what I think he'll look like, kiddo would probably not be happy about it.

With him in my arms, I left our room and went to the living room. I figured they would be there after their breakfast since it's a pattern for them to gather in the living room after their meals, and I was right. I swear they don't even realise how loud they are most of the time. I can hear them from here!

I'm kind of glad that Zack here is a heavy sleeper. Then again, he gets cranky as hell if someone interrupts his sleep, as I know some of them learned it the hard way from experience. By the time I reached into the living room, I could see that everyone, including that pink lady, Neo, if I'm correct, were all playing a card game. UNO, I think it was called. A while back, kiddo got the idea to bring a card game from his world over for everyone to enjoy.

And it's hella fun and frustrating, I tell you.

"UNO! Ah ha! I have one card left! I'm gonna win!" I heard Nora yelling out with a grin as the others still had cards in their hands. And Mini Ice Queen has a handful of them. It looks like she got unlucky and was hit by plus-four cards. Who would have thought the rule of stacking draw cards could be hilarious? Heh. I remembered Pipsqueak dragging me into a game, and she drew ten cards in one of our matches, much to her dismay because everyone had to draw two cards in their hand.

"Oh no, you don't! Get skipped!" Firecracker was next to yell out.

"No! I was so close! This will not be the end of me!"

Nora whined as I finally made my appearance with Zack in hand. "Oi, kids! Got some news for ya." I walked in as everyone's eyes turned to me.

"Morning Uncle Qrow!" Pipsqueak greets me before she gasps upon seeing kiddo in my arms and zips towards me, leaving a trail of roses behind her.

"OHMYGOODNESSWHATISTHATTHINGITSSOCUTE!" She coos while everyone else gets off their chairs, and everything becomes messy quickly.

"Aww… It's so cute!" Firecracker coos as I can see Mini Ice Queen with the corner of my eyes, her hand covering her lips while her eyes bounce around as if trying her best not to let her temptation take over. Neo noticeably had a hand on her hip while the other on her chin with a deep thought.

"Where do you get it, Mr. Branwen?" Ren asked as I was about to explain when kiddo in my arms let out a rather adorable whimper from the sudden loudness of the room before bringing his hands- Paws? I don't know. The point is he carried them over his ears and covered them. That alone made most of the girls coo even harder than before.

Heh…

"MINE!" That was all I heard before Nora snatched kiddo from my arms before lifting him by his front shoulders into the air. That is when everyone gasped and went utterly silent upon noticing that he had two white fluffy tails.

"That's no normal fox…" I heard Blondie mutter.

Well, no shit.

What gave it away?

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Zack POV

Ngg… So noisy. Why don't everyone shut up? I'm trying to sleep over here.

…

Wait. Why does my body feel so weird? What time is it? Did I oversleep? And why does it feel like something is holding me up by the armpits?

Hold on…

Everything feels wrong. My body doesn't feel right… I can't feel my hands. Nor my feet. "Wait…" A yawn came in, and my eyes opened to white fur and paws. Wait, what? And are those hands holding me? Why are they so big? I blink before glancing around to see everyone looking at me in awe and Nora holding me. But why are they so big?

"Zack?" I heard Ruby calling me as I looked at her and around.

"What the hell is going on?!" I began to glance and notice that… I'm not in my body! I'm in the body of a bloody fox! How the hell did this happen?! A yelp left my muzzle as I squirmed out of Nora's grip. I can't even speak at all! What the hell is even going on anymore?!

"Wait, Zacky! Stop squirming!"

"No! I am not someone to be held like some soft toy!" Or at least, that was supposed to come from my lips, but I can't talk. So all that came out were variations of squeaks and panicked barks before I managed to break out of Nora's grip on me, and I fell and landed on the couch.

Thank goodness I didn't fall onto the floor, but what the hell is this?! My whole body is a fox now! And I have paws for hands! I can't do shit with these! I even feel my vulpine ears twitching erratically as I can't help but scratch them with a paw. Man, does everything feel so weird! Even my behind feels funny!

"Well, I shouldn't say this since I've never undergone what he went through, but he's adorable as a tiny fox." I heard Blake muttering to Yang as I placed my paws down on the couch and glared at her. But that just makes Yang choke at my icy gaze, while Ruby soon took over the conversation.

"Uh… Zack? How are you feeling?" She asks while I blankly stare at her. I can't speak, for goodness' sake. I ended up shrugging my shoulders before Ren asked next.

"Are you stuck as a fox or…" He glanced at Qrow, and I saw the old man grinning in the corner. Fuck you. I ended up barking again before glancing at my tails. So, I really am slowly becoming a Kitsune Faunus. The only question is how I can change back into my Faunus form.

At least, that was what I was thinking before Yang suddenly appeared before me and scooped me into her arms.

"Aww, I couldn't resist anymore! You're so cute, Zacky! Yes, yes, you are! Look at your little tails and paws!" She cooed at me while I glared at her as the tension of the entire living room weakened, with everyone else giggling at my expense.

Fine. Laugh it up, people!

"Fluffy boy Zacky's even cuter now! He's so small!" Nora proclaims before she uses her fingers and tickles my belly!

"Gah! Stop it! Haha! Stop! Too ticklish! Hahaha!" I squeaked while I tried and failed to keep her hands away from me with my paws, and to my horror, while I was squeaking in laughter, even Weiss and Ruby joined in while Blake herself looked tempted to join in.

Don't do it, Blake!

"I know I shouldn't be doing this and should have stopped this, but… He's so cute!" No, Weiss! Bad! Stop it! Stop hugging me! You're crushing my insides! Someone help!

"Hey! My turn!" No! Ruby! Stop squealing over me! This is not helping at all, and I can't breathe!

Ruby! Your chest is in my face! Get it off my face!

Help!

And please stop fighting over me! I just woke up from evolving, and you guys do this?

Come on!

"Alright people! Give him a break, will you?" I felt Qrow grabbing me off Ruby as I finally had air in my lungs again. Thank god, and thank you, Qrow! Thanks to all the cuddles I was getting, I thought I would pass out from the lack of air.

OF ALL THINGS!

Not that I hate them or anything…

It does feel nice to be coddled up and hugged like that… It kind of reminds me of Mom and Dad… I missed them…

Wait! Wrong time to think about head pats, Zack!

"Thank you!" Honestly, Qrow. I want to thank you now, but I lack the vocal cords required to do that. So, an appreciative bow is all I can provide for now. And while I was in Qrow's hands, I began to wiggle out of his grip before climbing up his arm until I found myself resting nicely on his shoulder. Never would I have thought that the girls would fight over me over my apparent cuteness in this form.

Seriously. What the fuck, ladies.

"Aww…" Nora pouts, her whole body sagging as Ren rubs her shoulder, while team RW_Y at least has the gall to look sheepish for what they have done. Oh yeah, Neo is just in the corner of the living room sliently laughing at my 'misfortune' at the hands of the girls. I felt my tails flicking in response to my situation.

"Quite the situation you found yourself in." I heard Ozpin speaking humorously in my head.

Oh, thank goodness! I was hoping he could help me. Also, shut up. At least you're having fun with this mess I found myself in. "Shush about it, Oz. I need your help."

"Allow me to guess. Do you need my help in returning to your original form?" Gee, what gave it away? He must have read my mind because I didn't have time to say anything before he continued. "Very well, just think of your Faunus form in your head. Though, should we have the chance, I'd like to have the chance to talk about your new evolution."

Think about my form… Okay… I think I get it.

"Sure, but I need to see the extension of my evolution to stage two." I explained before leaping off Qrow's shoulder and onto the sofa with everyone's eyes on me.

"I have no arguments with that." Oz said as I closed my eyes and imagined my original form, and I felt a build-up of magic inside me. It feels weird, as if I'm powered up in a way. I'm not going to lie. It's difficult to explain the feeling.

"Zack? What are you doing?" I heard Jaune call out to me as I faced him and brought my arm up, only to remember that I had no hands to signal him. It was pretty awkward for me to signal my friends like a cat before I gave up entirely on it as I just shook my head before leaping into a clear space and gave the imagination of becoming a Faunus again in my head.

In a flash of magic, I felt my body changing and growing larger, and the thing is, the transformation took less than a second because I was back in my old body the moment I touched the ground. And huh… I'm in my shirt and shorts. Did they change me out of my Huntsman outfit?

Aww… Thanks, guys.

"Wow… Heh heh! That worked!" I couldn't help but smile as I turned to my friends. Only to see them giving me stunned looks. It was like I had something on me, or I suddenly grew a second head. "Is there something on my face?" I couldn't help but ask before Ruby stepped forward nervously.

'Uhm. Zack? You kinda got umm…" Ruby gestures her hand around her lower jaw and the top of her head. "Uhh… you got some new stuff on you."

New stuff?

What does she- oh. Kinda answered my question when I felt something twitch on the top of my head. Did I? No… Don't tell me I grew another set of ears on my head! Reaching up with my hands, I touched something soft and yep! That's another set of ears on my head!

Why? Just why?

"Wait, if I had twin tails as a fox, does that mean?" I wondered before I brought my tail, or I guess now it would be tails, and yep. I now have two fluffy tails! They wrapped around my body warmly like a soft blanket, and at this point, I'm sure I won't need an actual blanket any more thanks to this feature. But these physical changes I have gone through will undoubtedly earn more attention from everyone.

"Wow… This feels weird…" I couldn't help but mutter. Having a single tail was like an additional limb attracted to my rear end. But now that I have two of them? This will take some time for me to get used to, since I can control each of them independently of one another.

Okay, what was I doing again?

Right.

Ruby gestured something on my face for some reason. "Guys, is there something on my cheek?" I ask as I gently brush my cheek before Weiss speaks up.

Though she looks pretty uncertain about what she's looking at. "Yes, you seem to have gained a single stripe of purple on your cheeks. In addition, you grew fangs?" Wait, what?! My new ears perked up before I pat in my pocket for my scroll, only to realise that I didn't have it!

"Can someone lend me their scroll? I need to see this." I asked, slightly panicked. How much did I physically change? And when I brushed my tongue over my teeth, I could feel them! I think the Canine teeth are called. They feel much shaper than they're supposed to be, yet not to the point of sticking out of my mouth or looking out of place.

Jaune quickly rushed to my side with his scroll in hand. "Here!" He says as I gently take it from his hand with a smile.

"Thanks!"

And with Jaune's scroll in hand, I used it like a mirror, and they're right! I can see my newly acquired fangs, just like Weiss had described. A single stripe of purple can be seen on my cheeks that appears to start close to my ears and end halfway on my cheek. Why the hell does this feel a lot like a particular anime I used to watch back on Earth?

"Well then, I didn't expect this many changes to happen to me at once when I was evolving," I said after passing Jaune his scroll back. "So, how long was I out for?" Yet, upon hearing my words, some of my friends cringe in response.

Oh, I do not like this.

"You were out for three days straight. Close to four, and we're getting worried if we were to be able to board the train to Argus with you incapacitated." Ren said before Nora added in while I was stunned. I was out for three days straight?! That means that we only have two more day before we leave for Argus!

"But Zacky's better now! And even fluffier than before!"

Oh, for fuck's sake.

"Makes me wonder what his later stages would make him look like…" Jaune mutters, but I hear him loud and clear as my fox ears bend to his location. This is going to take some time to get used to.

"Aren't you all concerned that his new appearance would attract unwanted attention? You do remember how he mentioned that people were staring at his large, fluffy tail? Now, what do you think will be their reaction when people see a fox Faunus with ears and two tails?" Weiss brought up. And shit, she's right. How the hell am I supposed to avoid detection when my looks alone are like a bloody lighthouse in the middle of the night?

I could see the gears in everyone's head rotating as I was distracted with my tails. I don't know. Perhaps it is just me, but I swear the fluffiness level also grew. And well… the magic in me too, I can feel it flowing through my body and not just contained in my arm. Does that mean I could use the sister's magic now or something? If nothing else, the ability to change my form between a Faunus and a fox could be exploited in various ways.

Perhaps as an evasive manoeuvre in combat, or as a way to observe others without alerting them? There are so many opportunities to explore my new abilities. Without even realising it, my ears were twitching as if to show that I was contemplating, as were my tails slowly wagging. "What if I used my transformation ability and just hid in someone's bag? Yeah… That could work…"

"Perhaps we could just have Neo pretend to be me without my evolution as we board the train..." I mutter with my arms folded with a hand on my chin, and hearing me speak earns everyone's attention.

"And how is that supposed to help?" Yang asked with a raised eyebrow, as I smirked and imagined myself in my fox form. In a flash of particles, I transform back to my fox form. However, it appears that my transformation had left me in the air, as I soon found myself in free-fall for but a second and landed on the ground.

If I could smirk at my friends at the looks they were giving me, I would. Unfortunately, I couldn't, so instead, I simply sat on the floor and stared at them for minutes straight as I watched it click in Qrow's head.

"Kiddo. You're saying you want us to put you in a bag when we leave?"

Bingo!

Giving Qrow several rounds of claps with my paws and a nod of approval, I gather my strength and jump into the air while doing a whole backflip before changing back into my Faunus form.

Hah! Nailed it!

"Yep!" I said as I stood back up after transforming and landing on the ground. "I figured that my appearance alone would attract all sorts of attention, even those we wouldn't want. It would be wise to hide me from sight to minimise attention from potential onlookers. And while it is not the best plan I come up with, it's something better than nothing, I suppose." I explained as I saw nods of agreement from everyone except for Nora, who seemed more interested in something else than I had done.

"Cool flip!" She hopped on the spot, while I couldn't help but facepalm in response. Alright then, I guess you will be you, Nora. Weiss then suddenly walked up to me when I pulled my hand away, her cheeks slightly red for some reason.

"I'm glad you're back. Everyone was worried about you when we heard from Jaune that you collapsed. Though I will not lie, I thought you got yourself into trouble again." Seriously Weiss? Do you think so lowly of me that I would constantly get into trouble?

"Ms Schnee isn't wrong, Arakan. You have quite the track record of getting hurt more than necessary in but a month or two. More than any of my previous hosts." Ozpin added as my body stiffened up at his snarky response. Really, Oz?

"Shhh! Shush you, Oz." I internally hissed as Weiss continued.

"Though I won't lie, I believe it will take a while for everyone to get used to your new…" She glanced away from me as if Weiss is trying to find the right word to say as her eyes returned to me. "Features."

I could nod my head in agreement. It will take a while for me to get used to having an additional ear, tail and fangs. Whenever I get a chance to talk to the sisters again, I need some serious answers about how our biology even works! Because having two sets of ears sounds ridiculous! You might as well standardise it and keep it to one set, or something along those lines.

"I get ya." I smiled with a nod. "Though, a shower and some food does sound nice to have after being unconscious for days. Pardon me." I grinned. Before anyone could stop me, I transformed into my fox form and hurried away before any of the girls had the idea of having me stay in this form so they could hug or pet me.

"Hey! Zack! Get back here! I want to pet you some more before you go!" I picked up Yang yelling out before laughter broke out behind me.

Yeah, no. Fuck that! I won't allow you to treat me like some plush toy, Yang!