Unexpected Incarnate (RWBY Ozpin Incarnate SI)

Zack POV

Ah…

There's nothing like taking a nice morning shower to refresh myself after my untimely collapse unconscious. Then again, it's probably because I hadn't had one for days, and it also gave me something to talk through with Oz about my newly evolved form. I know I will gain more traits as I move on to the next stage before becoming a Kitsune Faunus.

But I never expect this many changes to happen just in stage two alone! I mean, growing an additional tail was one thing which I sort of expected. But gaining a new pair of fox ears, fangs, tattoo markings on my cheeks and an ability similar to the Branwens? If I say so myself, it's a bit too much for just stage two. And that made Ozpin, and I wonder what else I would change as I continue to evolve into my later stages.

In addition, showering proved to be a new experience for both of us, since water flowed into my second set of ear canals quickly and was a pain to deal with. And trust me. It sucks trying to get them out of my fox ears! Maybe when I get the chance, I should ask Blake about what I can do to prevent that from happening again in the future.

Then there's another problem I encountered.

It's a pain in the ass to perform daily maintenance when I now have a second tail. Sure, brushing one fluffy tail took time, but now it takes twice as long just to make them look well-kept, yeah? And that's where I found myself in my Huntsman outfit and on my bed, brushing my tail with a comb.

Something tells me that this will get worse the more tails I obtain in the future.

So, while I was still a quarter of the way brushing my second tail, I picked up footsteps and immediately recognised them as Ruby before she opened the door. "Hey, Ruby." I greeted her with my eyes still focusing on ensuring I brushed every corner of my tail. "Do you need something from me?"

"Not really, Zack. I just want to check on you after you run off." Hearing Ruby's reasoning made me pause my brushing. That can't be the main reason she's here, right? Giving Ruby the tell me the truth look, she immediately blurts as if the look I gave her was enough to convince her to speak the truth. "Uhm… I just want to see your fox form again. Please?"

Oh, for the love of.

"Maybe. Ruby." I said as I resumed brushing my tail. "I still have plans today, and I don't feel like becoming a huggable stuffed toy for a while now. But seriously, was I that cute that you and the others couldn't control yourselves?" I couldn't help but point out as Ruby blushed from what I'm sure was embarrassment on her face.

"You're so small and fluffy… I couldn't help myself, and for a moment, you reminded me of Zwei, and I missed him." A look of nostalgia grew on my friend's face as she continued. "But I guess we should have controlled ourselves better instead of doing that?"

Zwei? Oh right! Ruby has a pet corgi!

Speaking of which, "Hey Oz, were you aware that Tai dropped off Zwei to team RWBY in Beacon that other time?" I couldn't help but ask before I got a reply.

"Yes, I was aware to a certain extent. Dr Oobleck did inform me of Zwei's presence in their mission after the breach. While normally pets are not allowed in Beacon, I made an exception for him for his behaviour." Sure you make an exception for Zwei… Definitely not because you know Tai well.

"Sure you did." I couldn't help but snark at Oz before returning my attention to Ruby. "You should have, but I forgive you and the others for that. Just be sure to ask me for my consent if you want to do that again in the future." I said before silence overtook the room, and seconds passed before Ruby began moving again and sat on my bed next to me.

"Do you… need help with that?" She asks as I glance at her with surprise. Ruby? You wished to help me brush my tail? I mean… well… it's more of a Faunus trust thing to have someone else touch their animal traits… I do trust her! Always have! But do I want her help here? I will be done with it soon, and well…

I guess it should be fine and all… It would help speed up this process by a healthy margin, and I can finally get some food before… I don't know. Perhaps I can fulfil that promise and spar again with Yang or something? I… We still need to inform everyone that the Relic would attract Grimm to it so that they would be prepared when the time comes, though… Is it worth risking innocent lives when we can find another way towards Atlas?

"I guess you can help?" I shrug my shoulders. "There should be another brush in the bathroom, and while you're at it, can you text someone to make me a sandwich as well? Probably Ren since I'm sure he can cook up something quick for me."

"Okay!" That was all I got Ruby before she zipped out of the room with her semblance and left a trail of roses behind. Seriously, I know these things eventually crumble away in minutes, but they do leave a mess wherever she goes. Eventually, Ruby returned in a minute with a brush in hand after telling Ren to help make me something to eat.

Then things got awkward. I never let anyone touch my tail except for that other time Yang and Nora did it without my permission, and the former made me slam my face into a table in reaction. Yeah… After that, no one had ever touched me like that. I don't want to feel that again.

I gave some tips on what Ruby should do to brush my tail. (I can't believe I'm saying this…) By gently doing one stroke at a time. And she did just that quite well. Plus, it feels nice having a second hand in this. Though I make her swear to never speak of this to everyone, for both our sakes because we'll never hear the end of Yang should she catch news of me giving her permission to brush my tail.

Thankfully, she agreed, and it didn't take long before we were done and made our way to the living room as we chatted. "So… what should we do now?" She asked while we were in the hallway.

"Probably just relax for today, and then we'll prepare to leave on Saturday morning. Besides… Oz and I need to tell everyone something vital tomorrow." I explained as Ruby gave me a curious look as I glanced to the side. "Don't worry. It shouldn't be that bad."

"I hope…"

"Cool!" She smiles again before we finally arrive back in the living room as everyone can be seen resuming their game of UNO without Ren. He must be in the kitchen, I bet, making me a sandwich. Also, yup! I have the idea of introducing some games from my world, since entertainment in Remnant was surprisingly poor by Earth standards, despite the need for it to keep the people content and not attract the Grimm.

Therefore, UNO was introduced by yours truly! And that might have been both a good and horrible thing for me to do. Let me just say everyone was enthralled by such a little card game, though, as a side effect when it comes to UNO. The game caused some of us to get a bit…

Competitive and salty with it.

Which is an understatement.

Or calling bullshit when one of us gets skipped constantly. I can say that it happens more often than any of us would have liked. Also, Neo joined us, surprisingly and has a habit of being the troll of the game. I kid you not. She would sometimes purposely screw over one of us (Mostly Yang) by using either draw cards or skips not to stop or slow the competition but for the fun of it.

Even if it's not to her advantage, sometimes, she does it for the heck of doing it!

I mean seriously. I don't know if it's a habit of hers, but she likes pulling the carpet right off someone's feet. And even at one point, she worked with the others to stop me from winning under the guise of 'keeping the game running.' And then there's Qrow. I swear, his bad luck semblance is, ironically, a perk in this game.

Everyone now plays even poorer than before whenever he joins us! I swear, every time he joins, one of us would get screwed over heavily by his semblance. Or even himself, which was quite funny when I introduced the seven and zero rule. Oh, man did the entire game descend into chaos!

And I'm all up for chaos occasionally!

"Okay! I'm back. Did I miss anything while I was away?" I say as everyone greets me before I join in and sit on the couch. As I did that, Neo placed down a draw-four card with the smuggest grin on her lips, and I caught Weiss's eye twitching with what I guess was frustration.

She also pulled out a yellow card from her jacket as well.

Oh, right! Due to Neo's muteness, I gave her four coloured cards as a way to help her signal everyone about what colour she wanted her wild card to be. It was pretty helpful, since only a handful of us (including me) can understand sign language.

"Are you serious? What is it with you drawing plus fours cards?!" I couldn't help but offer a sly grin while Weiss threw a fit. Man, seeing my friends get mad over a card game is funny. Just wait until I throw in the draw until you can play, rule! Oh man, someone will rip their hair out once that happens! Thankfully, Ren walked in with a sandwich on a plate before Weiss could be her Ice Princess self and get angry over it.

"Here you go." He says as I offer him a smile, and thank him for it.

"Ah, thank you, Ren." Then, I bit into my breakfast. Oh! Egg Mayo with lettuce sandwich!

"So… Zacky, whatcha plan to do for today?" I heard Nora as she popped in beside me while I chewed on my breakfast. It also appears that Nora asking me had brought attention except Ruby, who was munching on some cookies.

"Well… firstly is to eat and then find out what my new form and do. Then there's…" I glance at Yang as she gives me a knowing smile. "My spar against Yang."

"Are you sure you wish to do that? You just woke up." Ren points out as I nod before swallowing another bite of my sandwich.

"Yup. But I can say that I'm feeling much better after my three-day nap." I said while raising my tattooed hand as it glimmers with life. "In fact, I feel stronger than before." That's not a lie. Ever since I woke up recently, I felt different, and it's not because I can sense traces of magic on my body, but overall, I feel much more powerful.

"Really?" I heard Yang ask with curiosity while leaning forward on the sofa. "In what way? I believe we all want to know the juicy details, you know?"

Way ahead of you, Yang. "It's hard to explain, but there's this feeling of power in me. Like I have it flowing not just in my veins, but every cell in me has a coat of it. Plus, it isn't like anything I felt before. Similar to how it feels when Ozpin first unlocked my aura." I finish describing before taking another bite.

"I'm kinda worried how much I would change if this is just stage two. I'm sure we all know that some humans don't like Faunuses. I can't imagine their reaction to seeing me. Probably, they would see me as a demon or something along those lines." I worried about how people would look at me. Not just humans but Faunuses as well.

How would the modern Faunus see me?

Would they see my traits as a mutation or something else entirely, like, I don't know, a prophet of the sisters? I don't want that! Though I can see some who would worship me. I… I'm just a boy. A boy who happens to own another memory from another world and an ancient wizard's soul as well.

Then there's the fact the sisters are planning to make their return and return to take back what's theirs. I can't help but wonder. How would my people react to them? How would the whole of Remnant react to their return? I can't imagine anyone taking it well that the Gods of the Faunus were to reappear in the scene suddenly.

It would undoubtedly cause confusion and dramatic change in… well… everything.

After all… It's not every day that the Gods that created the Faunus race suddenly reappear.

"Well… I'm sure things will work out eventually."

Weiss hummed as she drank her tea. That's surprisingly optimistic from her. However, I can see that many of my friends agree with her. Mainly her partner. "Yeah! No matter what happens to you, Zack. We'll be by your side!" Hearing Ruby's words of encouragement makes me break out in chuckles. They are too kind.

"But something else concerns you, right?" Blake suddenly addresses me as everyone looks at her while I confirm.

"Yup. I'm more concerned about how our people will react to the Sister's return. Or, you can also say, to me." I murmur as I take another bite from my breakfast, and my ears sink slightly.

"Really? Well, that would make sense with everything you talked about them." Jaune says as he awkwardly rubs the back of his head.

"Us Faunus have been trying to find how we were made and come by for decades. For everyone to suddenly learn that we exist to help humanity grow and thrive in this world will change everything. Some of our people will never accept that we exist solely to help humanity. Some will no doubt ask why. Why weren't the sisters there when many of us were treated so poorly by some of humanity? Or even where were the Arakans the whole time." I explained as everyone was silent listening to me.

"Ah. Sorry about my ramblings. I didn't mean to push my fears and worries onto everyone." I finished off with an apology as Blake waved me off.

"It's alright. They are justified concerns that have to be addressed eventually. I feel the same way that this will become a problem eventually." She admits as I smile back.

"Well… no sense in wasting time. How about that spar of ours, Yang." It's about time I changed the topic away from this. Besides, I think this is an excellent opportunity to see what my evolution is capable of. "I'm sure you've just been begging for one since I promised you, yeah?"

"You betcha!"

"Now, hold on!" Weiss suddenly interrupts. What's her deal now, I wonder? "You shouldn't be going straight after a spar after breakfast! I recommend waiting at least an hour before you do that." Again, Weiss is acting concerned about my health.

What's going on with her?

"I agree." Ren nods his head before Yang pouts.

"Oh, come one, guys! I was about to issue a bet for this spar!" Yang… I do like what you're trying to suggest over here. I think she wants to play with my fox form should she win or something close to that.

"What do you insist on betting in this spar?" Weiss asked with her arms on her hips while I sat quietly.

"Simple! I win. He has to stay in his fox form for a day and let us pet him for the entire day. Except for meal times." Yang points her finger at me, and instantly, I spot every girl in the living room perking up to Yang's bet.

As for me…

well…

"Oh no… Now I have to win this! Like hell, I'll allow her to have her way with me!"

"If he wins, he doesn't have to do that." Oh, come on, Yang! At least make it fair!

"你開玩笑吧!" (Translation. You got to be kidding me!)

Silence overtook the living room with everyone's eyes on me after I uttered in Mandarin in disbelief. "What did you just say?" Nora asks, with Neo raising an eyebrow at me.

"I said. You got to be kidding me." I deadpan as everyone nods at what I said in my mother tongue. "If you're going to make a bet, Yang. You could at least make this a fair deal on both sides." I point out next as Yang shrugs at me.

"Fine. You get to order me around and get me to do stuff for today." Order Yang around, huh? It sounds like a bold decision on her part, but I'm sure I can work with it. I think. Though a fitting punishment would be to force her into a maid costume like that one fan art I saw back on Earth.

Ozpin must have partially read my thoughts because he immediately voiced his worry over my plan. "Arakan? What are you planning with Miss Xiao Long?" Hearing Ozpin's concern made me unable to help myself but display a smirk as I rested my elbow on my knee and my head on it.

"How about getting you to do my bidding for the entirety of today, huh?" My tails seemingly rose as my smirk changed to a competitive grin that displayed my tiny fangs. Now I have to win this, and I'll make her my maid for the day as payback for all the teasing she has given me.

I am a very spiteful person at times.

"Good enough for me. I accept your bet."

"Should we be concerned about the look he's giving her?" I heard Jaune point out before Ruby intervened.

"Na! I'm sure it will be fine." Everyone gave their brand of concern except for Yang, who raised an eyebrow at me before showing me the same eagerness I knew from her whenever it came to a spar. It has been a while since I had one, thanks to my… issues… Even more so when I feel Ozpin prodding my mind, and he finally realises my intentions with my friend.

"You… intend to put Miss Xiao Long in a maid costume, should you win? And… you have this idea from a fan art of her? Pardon the confusion, but excuse me?"

"Sometimes, you shouldn't question things, Oz. I like to consider myself part of one of the fandom's tamer parts. Sure, some drawings are of everyone in different costumes, but it isn't that bad compared to the more… lewd art of everyone. Which is kind of alarming, considering all of team RWBY and JNR are underage. I have standards, not like some people. Then again, there's a reason Rule 34 is a thing on the internet…"

I shake my head subtly before perking up to footsteps outside. We have guests arriving near now. And it's two people. One of them I recognise as Sun, but the other I do not… Is that… Is that Neptune?

"Zack?" Ren called out as I swivelled my head towards the main door.

"We have guests here. I think it best that we-"

*BANG!*

"Hey guys! Don't mind if I drop by?" Sun announces himself as he shoves the doors open and walks in. "And I also brought a familiar face here!" As he said, I spotted a familiar face from my memories with light blue hair and a red jacket as he walked in. Also, I picked up the sound of glass shattering, and it didn't take long to figure out that Neo pulled the plug and vanished from this conversation.

"Hey guys! Long time no see, huh?" Neptune greets every one of us with a wave.

"Neptune!" Ruby zipped towards the familiar face as I slowly lifted my hood and made my way out of the room. It will be very awkward having to explain to both of them, especially Sun, why I look like this now.

"Wait, Zack! Hold up!"

Shit. So much for trying to get away without attracting attention…

Making my best Metro Man impressions, I slowly turned around without moving my limbs and gave Sun a sheepish grin I could provide with a wave. "Hey… Sun… How are you doing?"

"Zack? Is this the guy you were talking about? Looks way off from the description." Neptune asks as I can see everyone giving me the oh shit look as I glance at the two of them.

"I can explain about the markings and other stuff… But that's gonna take a while." I said as Sun wrapped his arm around his partner and dragged him towards me.

"Well, that's why we're here! Also, I figured that I should visit you and bring my buddy here to introduce you to him while we are here." I can see that… Well… The cat's out of the bag. Or is it fox instead? Whatever. Giving a resigned look, I simply pulled my hood off, and Sun paused upon seeing my additional ears.

"That wasn't there when we met."

No shit.

"Yup, a lot of stuff happened while you were gone. Including the evolution part." I said before signalling to them with my hands to take a seat. "This is going to take a while to explain everything."

"Nah. It's not a problem. We have time to waste here." Sun shrugs while Neptune's eyes are on my features.

"Alright then."

And so I began explaining that I now have evolved to my stage two form, which came with many questions ranging from trying to convince Neptune that magic is real since he sees himself as a man of science or nerd if you are Sun. To Sun wishing to see my fox transformation with all my friends still present here.

"Dude, you got to show me that!" I could only stare at my fellow monkey, Faunus, as his eyes lit up. It didn't help that I could see the girls having blushes on their cheeks. This could go wrong in so many different ways. But… I feel obligated since he and Neptune already know much.

"Alright then…" I mutter while warning everyone with my eyes not to lose control of themselves. Thankfully, everyone caught the drift as I closed my eyes and thought of my fox form, and I changed. Like before, in a flash of particles, I was right back in my fox form, sitting on the couch as both Sun and Neptune gawked at me.

"Holy shit."

"I know, right… Can you… speak in that form?" He asks as I shake my head at him.

"Must… not… squish… fluff…" Nora… Don't you even dare! My head turns towards Nora as I glare at her. Then again, the others were not doing well while I was in this form. I have to change back before one of them cracks first. Quickly changing myself back to my Faunus form over my fears of getting glommed on by everyone, I heard Weiss, of all people, silently muttering to herself over my decision.

"I'd hoped he stayed in that form longer…" Even more so was Blake glancing at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, as you can see, I can turn into a fox, plus. There is no doubt that you can probably tell it's still me with the twin tails and arm tattoos. Part of the perks of magic, I guess." I said before sitting back down. "Also, promise me that both of you keep your mouths silent about what you have seen just now. The consequences if it gets out will be problematic. Got it?"

"Yeah, no problem with that. Just that it will take a while to get used to this." Neptune nods his head before Sun adds in.

"Welcome to my world, buddy," Sun assured his partner as he looked at me. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with us!"

A smile crept onto my lips as I glanced at the others watching by, especially at Yang. "Well… since you're here, how about you stick by for a moment? Yang and I were about to have a spar just before you came in, and I think we've delayed it for long enough."

"Seeing you go up against her? Sign me up!" Of course, you will be enthusiastic to see a fight, Sun.

"I don't see a problem with that." Neptune shrugs as I chuckle.

"Yup. Cos it about time I turn the tables on her." Yeah. I'm pretty sick of Yang whooping my ass all the goddamn time, but now that I've changed and am much stronger than I was before, I feel confident enough that I stand a chance of beating her in our spar.

However, Yang doesn't seem to believe that I can beat her. "Don't get too cocky, Zacky. Just because you got some new magic tricks up your sleeves doesn't mean I'll go easy on you."

"When have you gone easy on me?" I point out before she gives me a teasing smirk.

"I always thought you liked it rough." Those who caught the hidden meaning behind her words blush, including me. Seriously Yang? Last I checked, I'm not a masochist who gets turned on by pain!

However, it appears that Ozpin finds Yang's comment amusing. "I'd say otherwise with your reputation, Arakan. Her words might bear some truth on you."

And I do not find it funny at all.

Not. One. Bit.

"Oh my God, Ozpin! Shut up!"

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After a short period, everyone soon found themselves back at the patio with Yang and Zack in the middle of it with their weapons in hand. Though the fox Faunus was noticeably distracted as if his mind was elsewhere.

"Oi! Are you good there?" Yang yells with concern over her fox Faunus friend, who blinks back to reality.

"Hmm? Oh… yeah! I'm good!" Zack says as he begins scratching his hair. "Just got distracted with some stuff in my head." He admits as he twirls Oathkeeper in his hand. However, Yang didn't believe that it was that simple.

"Are you sure? Looks like you got a lot on your mind for a moment."

"Yup! But I figured I could think about it later. Besides," The fox Faunus glances at the audience, watching patiently at the patio's edge. "I think we waited enough. Let's get this show on the road!"

"Hah! Now you're speaking my language!" Yang laughs as she cocks Ember Celica before getting into her stance while Zack does the same with Oathkeeper with a white Dust crystal floating over his left hand. Yet, unlike before, when he would have to drain the Dust of its power slowly, Zack suddenly crushed it in his hand!

And the results were instant.

Gusts of wind gather around the fox Faunus as one of his tails begins to puff out as a mini purple whirlwind gathers around it. This was surprising to witness for everyone since only one of his tails had obtained the elemental effect while the other remained free. This discovery was so fascinating that Weiss was again scribbling in her notebook.

The shock didn't last long before Zack stepped forward and flew towards Yang, commanding the winds to launch him at her at such speeds that it left a small crater behind. Yang barely had a slither of a second to react before Zack was in her face, with Oathkeeper swinging for her face with a certain glee in his eyes.

But Yang's instincts took over as she used her arm to deflect Oathkeeper from meeting her face. Though, due to how fast the fox Faunus was going at her, he flew completely past Yang before another current of air came and slowed him down while throwing dirt into the air.

"Is that all you got?" Yang couldn't help but taunt with a smile while getting into her stance as she straight for her opponent, yet simply gave a smile before bringing his free hand out before wind began to converge and condense into an invisible blade of super-high-pressure air that shimmered in purple.

The fox Faunus proceeds to bring the wind blade close to his face. "Well… Let's see what this baby's got." Zack kicks his feet off the ground and launches towards Yang, who grins and punches at him. But Zack predicts her move as he uses Oathkeeper's pummel to shove Yang's fist aside while thrusting his wind blade at her.

But Yang would not let that wind blade hit her face or, worse, mess up her luxurious hair! In half a second, she used her free hand to shove Zack's arm aside, and while she had her back against him, Yang fired Ember Celica, and her elbow flew back and struck the fox Faunus in the gut!

Feeling the sudden pain in his abdomen, Zack gasped in pain as he and Yang got into a dance of trading hits, only for them to be swiftly blocked or deflected. However, Zack does something unexpected during the clash that catches everyone off guard. When Yang has the advantage and her fist is about to hit his face, he suddenly vanishes into particles and becomes his fox form as her fist completely misses him.

He then uses his small size to slip under Yang's legs, followed by jumping and climbing up her back before sinking his teeth onto her collar and forcefully yanking it backwards! That results in a hilarious yet awkward situation before everyone in the form of Zack trying to use his weight to make Yang fall to the ground as she flails around while attempting to pull the little two-tailed fox off her back.

"Hey! Stop pulling on my jacket! Get off me!" She cries out as Zack tugs even harder than before and finally makes her lose her footing and fall into the ground. If everyone could pick it up, they would have heard Zack letting out a fox-like cackle as he jumped and changed back into his Faunus before blasting Yang with ice Dust with his gauntlet.

"Hahaha! Got you good, huh?"

Zack chuckles as he jumps back and pulls out a green Dust crystal from his jacket while, at the same time, Yang melts the ice covering her body with her semblance to free herself from the ground before pointing out. "That was a dick move you just did, and you know it!"

Yet, the fox Faunus could only grin while draining the green Dust crystal in his hand. "What? You expect me to take your fist to my face like before? Like I said, Yang, this fight will go much differently." He says as he fully drains the green Dust in his hand. Vines suddenly began to grow and harden all over his body, almost like protective armour made from hardwood. In addition, his other tail, which is not covered by wind, begins to sprout purple flowers all over it.

"The hell?" Zack mutters as he finds himself distracted by this sudden change on his tail.

"Huh… This is new." Ruby could only observe as her sister and Faunus friend broke out of their confusion and clashed against one another, with Zack holding his ground as if his reflexes had also improved after his evolution. Though occasionally, he would hesitate for a split second, which allowed Yang to land a hit or two.

Zero guesses what is happening to him there…

"Where did he get plant Dust from?" Jaune could only wonder before Weiss admits up while still scribbling in the notebook.

"That would be from me." The ex-heiress says as she looks up at her friends. "I figure it is best to supply Zack with every type of Dust available in Mistral, so I may record its effects once used with his semblance to help him. Though I will admit, the flowers are uncanny on his tail."

"It is. From the looks of it, he can now use two types of Dust at once." Ren observes Zack spraying some sort of purple pollen from his tail into the air before using the wind to blow it into Yang's face. And the presence of this pollen in her nose makes her cough uncontrollably before Zack comes in with a kick to the face.

"He wasn't lying about becoming stronger if he can hold Yang off like this," Blake murmurs before Yang roars as her semblance activates and shockingly, it sets fire to all the pollen in the air, causing a minor explosion that throws both opponents away from each other and rolling on the ground.

"Never mind."

"Hah! So you can keep up!" Yang announces and pushes herself back as Zack does the same. "Then let's turn up the heat!" Yang slammed her fists together as her hair glowed ever brighter, and her eyes were now blood-red before she got into her stance. On the other hand, Zack quickly formed wind and plant Dust into his hand before swapping them for fire and water Dust from his jacket.

"Yeah! As I said, I've become stronger, and the game's changed!" Planting Oathkeeper into the ground, Zack confidently smiles as water and fire Dust in his hands are absorbed by his semblance as Yang charges in for a haymaker. And like before, Zack's tails gained the elemental effects, with one of his tails now on fire and the other covered in water.

"Come on!" Yang yells as she does an overhead hook, while Zack quickly counters by dodging back and sending a blast of water at her. But Yang used her momentum to swerve around the oncoming blast and fired Ember Celica into his chest while launching the fox Faunus back. Though only briefly before he digs his feet into the ground to slow down as balls of water and fire form and launch straight for Yang.

"Can I just say how much your combo sucks to go against?" Zack mutters as Yang swerves and weaves around the projectiles of water and fire, all missing, before she counters back.

"I can say the same about your semblance! It's a nasty piece of work, and I can't imagine how dangerous you'll be once you evolve again!" She points out as she jumps into the air and does something that catches Zack off guard. Yang fired Ember Celica into the ground, and the recoil of it launched her ever higher into the air and came down like a meteor onto her opponent!

"Oh… shit."

"Zack! Move!"

Ruby suddenly cried out before a loud bang rocked the patio with a massive cloud of dust covering it, everyone covering their eyes with their arms as the air grew harder to see through. "Damn! I hope he's alright there." Sun was the first to utter his words.

"No kidding, that was amazing! But yeah. I hope he's okay there." Neptune utters before a gust of wind blows the cloud of dust away to reveal Yang standing in the middle of a crate. But the Fox Faunus was not there!

It was as if he vanished!

"Wha?! Where did Zacky go?!" Nora gasps before everyone stands up and is about to move in, and simultaneously, Yang herself is also baffled as to his sudden disappearance.

She swore she hit him when she came down on him, but… Where is he? He should be in the middle of the crater, yet he is not there. "Where did he go?" She could only wonder before looking around while everyone caught sight of a little white fox clinging tightly to her back in a way that did not alert Yang of his presence on her back.

In fact, it took quite an effort to remain silent and not break out into laughter when Zack looked at everyone and shook his head as if telling them not to say a word.

"Guys? What's with that look?" Yang asks while Zack slowly gets off her back and changes into his Faunus form. And with a cheeky smile, the fox Faunus pounced on his friend while using his limbs and tails to lock her limbs before pulling her to the ground from behind!

"Surprise!"

"Ah! Where did you come from!" Yang couldn't help but yelp as what was once a spar became a full-on wrestling match between the two, constantly flipping on each other on who was on top with the other below. "Get off me! Where did you even come from?!"

Yang could only cry out as Zack countered her. "No! Also, I was on your back the whole time!"

"Ga! Seriously?"

Yes! Also, yield! I have the high ground!"

"No! How about YOU yield!"

"Whuaa! Oof!"

"Ah! Haa!" Yang smirked as she had Zack in a headlock with her legs wrapped around and locking him in place. However, the fox Faunus was not done yet, as he suddenly reverted into his fox form and scampered away and out of the crater while Yang chased him.

"Hey! Get back here! I'm not done with you yet!"

It became as clear as day to everyone watching that neither Yang nor Zack was taking this spar seriously any more Though unaware at first, everyone soon noticed that Ruby and Weiss bearing complicated expressions of jealousy on their faces while Yang tackled the little fox, who squealed when her arms grabbed him.

"Are they okay?" Sun whispered to Blake, who was beside him, as she shrugged.

"It's complicated." Yet, the monkey Faunus couldn't help but be ever more curious. It's not every day you see the leader of Team RWBY and Ice Queen act the same way.

"You sure you can't give me more info?"

…

It took a while before Blake relented with a sigh and explained, "Fine. Let us just say that I have evidence to believe that both like him. But I think they are unaware of their feelings. Nor do I believe that he's even aware of their attraction."

"Oh…" Sun utters in fascination with his tail scratching his chin. "So basically, we got a love triangle going on here."

"In a way, yes…" Blake nods before Sun leans back on his arms as he mutters.

"Huh… I never thought I'd see a Schnee crushing on a Faunus…"

"Yep."

Back to Yang and Zack, both had tired themselves to the point that neither could continue whatever they were doing and could barely stand. Not that it matters because they were smiling the whole time. "So…" The fox Faunus gasps out first. "Who wins?"

Yang could only tiredly laugh in response with a grin on her lips. "Haha. I say I win, foxy."

"No, I win!" Zack counters with his grin before an idea strikes his mind.

"Wait, how about we call this a draw? We can both win. Or lose." He suggests while sheathing Oathkeeper into its sheath and extending his hand to her. "Your choice." Hearing her friend's offer, Yang pauses for a bit before giving an agreeable smile and taking her friend's hand into hers.

"Sure. That was fun. Though, I didn't know you could not absorb more than one type of Dust." Which was true. Yang didn't expect her Faunus friend to suddenly gain the ability to use two types of Dust at once, but at this point, it got to be a bonus from becoming stronger. Even though she was a bit jealous at how fast he was growing.

Still not strong enough to beat her.

"Me neither. But I figured my semblance received a boost from my evolution."

…

"Soo… about that bet of ours."

Zack immediately snorted as he covered his mouth while everyone else ran towards them. "Our bet… I'll uphold my end of the bargain."

"Yes!"

"But you'll need to wear a maid costume for the rest of the day."

"Yea-Wait what?"

Silence overtook the patio, with everyone staring at Zack, who simply chuckled at their reaction. "Yang… Do you honestly think I'll let you off so easily when I say I get to order you around if I win?" The fox Faunus points out as she gives him a stunned look. "And since we agree that we both win… well…"

Zack gives a mischievous grin as he claps his hands and leans forward. "I'll make you suffer from embarrassment as I have at the hands of everyone here."

"Damn, bro. Chill." Sun mutters in the background before Zack turns himself into his fox form and jumps into Weiss's arms with a self-pleasing smile, while Nora pouts that the ex-heiress gets to hold him first.

"Aw… I want to hold Zacky first!"

"Remind me never to deal with you again without checking the fine print for any potential loopholes, Zack." Weiss points out to her friend, only to get an affirmative squeak as he calmly sits in her arms.

Meanwhile, Blake walks up to her partner with a teasing smile.

"You are going to uphold the deal, right?"

"Shut up."