Disclaimer: Own nothing. Don't seek to gain any profits from this. Just borrowing my favourite characters for some fun.

A/N: Thank you so very much all for the favourites and follows! The response for the last chapter was heartening.

ClockRose, anotamous, stella. , The Two Best Book Lovers, Yaksher, Guest, AloisIsBootylicious: Thanks very much for taking the time to review. I'm very grateful for the feedback, and it serves as great motivation. jwfiredragon: thank you for pointing out my grammar error in chapter 5, I have now corrected it.

6: Beyond the Door

She hears his words. She listens to his silence.

In front of the fireplace, Ruby Rose was lying snug against a comfortable rug, supported by her elbows. Her legs swung up and down unconsciously behind her back as she read the book held in her hands. Resting beside her was a pencil and notebook, and she occasionally paused her reading to take a few notes. Engrossed in her book, she hadn't a clue about the pair of hazel eyes that observed her from afar.

Ozpin was sitting at his desk in the living room, and from there he could see the profile of the young girl who he had himself appointed as the leader of Team RWBY. It had been a purely instinctual decision at the time as opposed to his usual calculated ones, and despite all his failures with intuition in the past, for once he felt that he had done something right. Although RWBY currently stood disbanded, he couldn't imagine anything but Ruby's innocent charm being capable of bringing together four personalities who were as distinct as the elements themselves. No one hoping to assert their dominance and coerce them together with strength or smarts could have succeeded, for each of them was far too independent to submit.

It escaped Ozpin precisely when he had abandoned deciphering the tome sitting in front of him to observe Ruby instead. He could tell himself that his lack of success with the task that he had assigned himself had caused his attention to wander, but the truth of the matter was that it was an absolutely foreign feeling for him to have someone in his presence, and he could not recollect when it was last so. And although the motions came naturally, the experience itself was surreal, and he inwardly shook his head at something – someone – so small catching him off guard so easily in his own sanctuary.

He had gone to great lengths to protect his solitude, though as things stood, in some ways it was largely inevitable for him. Nevertheless, he meticulously sealed any chinks in his armour. In order to take impartial decisions and do what needed to be done, a certain degree of detachment was a prerequisite, and it was so much easier to foster detachment if he kept himself at a distance from everyone and everything.

How she and her partner had managed to reach him in his otherwise inaccessible realm in Remnant was in itself a bit of a conundrum. At the very least, it was proof of the fact that her magical power was no longer dormant. He didn't need to see her fight to know that she still couldn't actively use it, but he reckoned her subconscious was passively tapping into it, which is why she was now here, with him. Her semblance use had become increasingly honed, but she had a while to go yet before she could tap into the entirety of her potential – most especially its magical aspect.

As he regarded Ruby, who remained utterly oblivious to both his thoughts and his observation, he could already feel himself getting affected by being in her presence for the first time in such a manner, in the modest home he called his castle, and of which he had been the sole occupant and King.

Until now.

She was now alone with him, and in the same room no less – her teammate and partner having excused herself awhile ago. In front of himself he saw a carefree spirit, an adorable girl, and – as his eyes fell on Crescent Rose – a deceptively powerful warrior. However despite the truth of the last fact, the more irrational parts of him wished to deny it.

It was the only excuse he could give himself to keep her here, where he could protect her.

But he would do no such thing even if he could, he reminded himself, for there were countless others – far more helpless – who needed to be protected. And Ruby had chosen to become a warrior of her own volition. The best he could do was to nurture her, but just how many times had his best not been enough? It only served as the grim reminder of the reality of the predicament he found himself in, and never before had the weight of his mistakes settled inside him deeply enough to stifle his very movements. Yet, in this moment, he was overcome with paralytic indecision to answer the question he always asked himself.

Was he willing to make another mistake for the greater good?

He watched her head drop with small jerks as her senses slowly succumbed to the warmth of the fire; she was nodding off to sleep. Within a few minutes the book had slipped from her fingers, her eyes had drifted shut, and she had been whisked away to the land of dreams, the notebook she had been scribbling on serving as an unintended pillow.

Previously, there had only been one answer to this question; however, this time an option presented itself, and it did so with the vengeance of one having been left discarded and unseen far too long. For better or for worse, he decided that his answer had changed.

His answer was no.

He looked at the ancient tome sitting on the desk in front of him, his gaze shifting for a while from Ruby's blissfully sleeping form. The text was cryptic and the tome itself was a forbidden legend. He hadn't believed himself it existed until Raven had procured it for him, during the time she still worked for him as a double agent. If he succeeded in decoding it, it would serve as the lynchpin of his strategic plan, a plan with which he could finally shake himself and Remnant free of the curse that clung to him like his very own shadow.

If he succeeded, he'd free Ruby from her fate.

His enemy's first move had been impressive, but she did not realize that he had yet to make his first move.

Every defeat was merely insight.

He vacated his chair and moved towards Ruby to rouse her so that she could settle in one of the bedrooms above, in a proper bed. The rug was comfortable and the fire's warmth was tempting, but sleeping on floors could ultimately lead to all sorts of unsavoury aches and pains. She couldn't afford that, not with the journey ahead of her tomorrow. Although a long journey had brought her and Weiss to him, their stay for now was short. He'd meet them again, and he would meet the others with them, outside of his current realm – an obscure inaccessible fold in spacetime.

He bent down and softly spoke to her. "Ruby, wake up."

She looked indescribably peaceful, and he couldn't bring himself to increase his volume. He was about to bring his hand to her sleeveless shoulder to give it a light shake, but instead his treacherous hand swept back the bi-coloured locks falling all over her eyes and curtaining most of her face. She murmured something unintelligible and reflexively leaned where his fingers had been moments ago.

He exhaled.

"What on Remnant am I going to do with you?" He whispered to himself in one silent breath, before summoning the most benign of magic to his hands. His lift was seamless and undetectable; despite this, he knew her hunter instincts should have woken her. The fact that they hadn't implied only one thing: a feeling of absolute safety. With significant effort he suppressed the torrent of feelings that threatened to overwhelm him, and willed his mind to focus on the present.

Practiced, it obeyed.

Up close, it was easy to notice that she had grown older, even if she was only a few months past sixteen. Her face had matured a tad, and her hair had grown longer, though it was barely noticeable. The cut was rougher than before, a byproduct of travelling outside the Kingdoms, he presumed. The rest of her was all the same really, and her small five foot something frame fit easily into his much taller one of nothing less than six feet and six inches. One of his arms was wrapped under her shoulders while the other was hooked under her knees. Subconsciously she curled into him, and made herself comfortable in his embrace. One of her hands found purchase on his shoulder, while her head rested on his chest, just above his beating heart.

He'd never felt human fragility as distinctly as he did in that moment.

Whether it was hers or his own, he had no idea.

It was likely both.

As he ascended the stairs with his precious cargo, he felt like berating himself and his recklessness. The seemingly innocuous and natural action of taking her to a proper resting place could compromise things greatly. He should, of all people, know the power and importance of the little things. He'd always felt close to her, but if in one stray moment of distraction he connected with the purity of her humanity, it stood to reason then that he would inherently value it above all else.

He should never associate an abstract ideal with a person, he knew as much, as the costs for such an association were paid for in blood, one way or the other. And he'd happily exchange his blood for hers if that was all it took, but alas things were not so simple.

Not yet.

In the here and now, however, was a moment that was beautiful for its sheer normalcy and simplicity, and he'd allow himself one indulgence – he'd only realize much later that one was more than none, and therefore more than enough. He set her down on the bed and pulled the covers up to her chin. She groaned lightly and shifted, a little displeased by the difference in temperature, having been pulled from her warm cocoon to rest on cold sheets. His internal debate lasted a split second, and the side that yearned to provide comfort won easily.

He stroked her forehead and hair, red and black strands soft under his fingertips, until the creases on her face smoothed out to give way to the content and innocent expression of her sleeping visage that he had become just as fond of in the past few minutes as he was of her brighter, more animated moods.

It was staggering how such a tiny person was full of so much life and humanity.

She was a miracle.

Like magic.

He wanted to lock the moment in time and to encapsulate the feelings he felt, and it wasn't for his lack of ability that he didn't do it. It was just one of many in the line of things which he shouldn't do, and so he did not. Perhaps there would be a day when he would feel no need to use magic with such restraint, but today was not that day. His hand lingered briefly on her cheek before he removed it, and took his leave from her bedside.

He was about to exit her room to retire to his own quarters, but realizing that sleep would not come to him any time soon, he chose to step out into the balcony adjoining her room. It was one his favourite spots, giving a breathtaking view of Remnant's shattered moon – the only better view was on the rooftop. He rested his hands on the wooden railing and breathed in the crisp night air. He enjoyed the chill, and the thoughts saturating his restless mind trickled away to leave much needed stillness behind.

When another guest joined him on the balcony, he was unmoved both physically and mentally, well expecting her approach in the dead of the night. He didn't turn around to acknowledge her – he didn't need to – and gave a short greeting, all too aware of the one slumbering inside.

Weiss came to stand beside him, her long hair blowing in the slight breeze. Eventually, she crossed her arms and leaned against the railing as well, and they stood in companionable silence. "I thought I'd find you here," she started softly, her voice lost to the wind.

An intoned sound told her that he was listening.

"She really trusts you."

"And you."

Their conversation was whispered conspiracy and cryptic utterances, emphatic syllables but trails on the haunting sound of the wind.

Weiss shook her head, barely. "No. She trusts me to have her back," she paused. "The one she trusts is you."

"What about you, Weiss? Who do you trust?"

"I trust no one but her."

"Blake? Yang?"

"They're my teammates, I want to trust them. Just like I want to trust my family." Weiss's eyes were as hard as her words.

"And you can't because?" Ozpin probed.

"Before coming here," Weiss looked down at the dark ground below, her voice low as ever. "I sent them both a missive. To join us. I didn't tell Ruby. I didn't want her to be disappointed in case they decided not to come."

"A risky move," he pointed out.

"No risks, no returns, right?" She shrugged. "At least I tried."

She looked at the profile of his face: bathed in the moonlight, his pale skin had an ethereal glow, and his patrician features made him look otherworldly. His eyes looked a coppery hazel, and they always seemed to be changing colour. Something clicked within her, and she discovered the reason why Ruby thought their former Headmaster looked uncharacteristically young.

It was his glasses.

He wasn't wearing them, and without the accessory, it appeared he hadn't aged a day beyond thirty, despite his shock of silver hair saying otherwise. His eyebrows, she noted, her own brows furrowed, were dark. Black. Unlike his hair. He was an odd man, and despite having talked to herself and Ruby about myths and legends earlier in the day, he himself remained shrouded in mystery.

"What does the enemy want with Ruby?"

Ozpin noted that the Schnee heiress did not pose the question as: Do you know what the enemy wants with Ruby? She was a quick study indeed, and very astute.

"The enemy needs her dead – "

" – that's a little obvious."

"Needs her dead, Weiss. Doesn't just want her dead. The enemy wants all of us dead."

"So it's really true then, the silver eyes business? Like the maidens, she actually is a living legend?" Weiss queried again, although she already knew. She let the wonder she felt creep into her voice. She had seen Ruby freeze the Grimm Dragon, and she didn't find it far-fetched that her partner and team leader housed something ancient and legendary within herself.

"Actually, she's just Ruby Rose," he corrected softly but firmly. "You must always remember that." His point made, he confirmed the fact for her. "She does possess the potent magic of the silver eyed warriors, yes."

"So," Weiss ventured, "how do you know so much?"

"It's my duty to know."

"I asked how," the white haired girl repeated calmly. "Not why."

"This war has gone on for a long time Weiss, and regrettably, I have been a part of it."

"I can handle the truth," she whispered, turning towards him. He mirrored her action and seemed to consider his next words. "Can you?" On meeting the stubborn resistance of her ocean blue orbs, he continued. "Tell me, Weiss," he asked her, "should you face a situation where you can delay the inevitable, hoping to find a solution, or let nature take its course, what would you do?"

She didn't know how this was relevant, but she decided to humour him. "I'd delay it, of course."

"And should you face a situation where the sacrifice of one would be the salvation of many, what would you choose?"

"I'd choose to protect the ones I love."

"And if you must sacrifice the one you love to postpone the inevitable, to have a chance at changing fate?"

"I'd – " She licked her lips and her brows furrowed. "I'd choose neither. There has to be another way," she said with conviction.

Ozpin chose to remain silent for a while. When he spoke next, Weiss sensed something grave and deep in his voice. "In the real world, neither is not a choice."

She swallowed. "Is this about the SDC? The Faunus?"

He held her gaze, his expression unreadable, but somehow piercing. "It's about Remnant," he told her. "About humans. About the Faunus. The Grimm."

"You're a smart girl Weiss, so I'll tell you two things, and you can do with that information what you will," Ozpin kept speaking, and while one part of her was eager to hear this information even if it was cryptic, another part dreaded decrypting the truth from it. "It's common knowledge that the Grimm do not attack animals, territorial skirmishes aside." Weiss was about to make a snide comment in response, but withheld it until he finished. "What isn't common knowledge is that the Faunus haven't always been around on Remnant."

"I don't understand...?" She trailed off, puzzled. Then all at once her eyes widened at one possible implication of the statements as the wheels turned in her head.

He cemented her suspicions with his next words. "As I told you, Ms. Schnee, a great many sacrifices have been made to escape our fate."

It took her a while to recover from that. If what he was saying was true, then her family line had been privy to what had been going on in the shadows for a very long time now, and they were prepared to go to any lengths to ensure their survive, but at what cost? The very fact that they needed to go so far, however, said volumes about the power of their enemy.

"How strong is the enemy?"

"You cannot beat her with strength," he replied. "Else I would have."

"Her?" She let the pronoun hang in the air. "Is she...like you?"

"I was like her once."

"She's not human," it wasn't a question. She couldn't help but voice her traitorous thoughts, even if she knew it might be going a step too far. "Are you?"

"I hope," those two words held more weight than anything he'd said the entire evening. There was a faraway look in his eyes then, as if he wasn't there at all. He gestured with a small nod to the room whose balcony they occupied. "Because hope, Weiss, is the best weapon we have."

The next morning, Weiss and Ruby began their journey back to Atlas from the mystical place that was Ozpin's permanent home and refuge. Their plan of action was simple: to gather everyone, have a meeting where Ozpin would brief them, chalk out a strategy, and then strike back against the enemy no holds barred. Things were now coming to a head, and there would be no more secrets. Ozpin was not very inclined on revealing his cards just yet, but there wasn't much he could do to stall anymore now that they had found him. He would join them later, however, when they were all ready.

"Weiss," Ruby stopped suddenly. "I need to go back."

The Atlesian turned around and raised an eyebrow. "What, why?"

"I, uh – I forgot something!" Ruby said hurriedly.

"You're a terrible liar, you know that right?"

"Well I –" Ruby scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "I just. Can I go?"

Weiss smirked. "Don't take too long." Ruby bolted as soon as the words left her partner's mouth, disappearing in a flurry of rose petals. Once back at the wooden abode she wasted no time in running up the steps to open the door.

She didn't expect him to be standing right there.

"I, um, I was wondering, uh," She skidded to a halt in front of him and looked up, her eyes shy. "I'm going to see you again?" She said a bit breathlessly.

In an unhurried movement he took a sip of his morning hot chocolate before replying to her. "Won't you?" His voice was deep.

Ruby felt that he always seemed to have an answer at the ready, as if he read her thoughts beforehand. It seemed so easy for him, to turn anything around on her. She kicked her feet and looked at the ground. "You know that's not how I meant it..." she muttered unhappily.

"I'll be there, Ruby," he said warmly to assuage her fears.

Would he? Would he be there at the meeting, and would he be there after it? Would he be there with her, and would he be there for her? Would he be there when she needed him, and would he be there when she didn't? Would he really be there?

Forever?

His gaze was languid and reassuring when she searched his eyes with hers. The statement was a loaded one for her, he knew, and he had every intention for her to take in its full meaning. She seemed satisfied with him after her scrutiny, but he could sense she needed to verbalize it once to make sure.

"Do you promise?"

"I promise," he said easily.

He made the promise despite being well aware that it was nigh impossible to keep it, despite his best intentions.

She gave him a big smile after that, and turned around to leave. She walked a few steps uncertainly, and Ozpin sensed her hesitation immediately. "What's the matter?" He asked her, before he set his mug down and ambled in her direction. Two steps into his approach he was stopped midstride as a wave of red suddenly descended upon him. She threw her arms around his midsection haphazardly and held him tight – by the time he recovered from his surprise in order to respond to her awkward embrace either physically or verbally, she was already gone.

He shook his head, a smile forming on his usually passive features.

She really had become quite skilled at using her semblance.

R&R! Constructive critique, ideas, comments, everything is welcome! I can also do requests.

Thank you for reading!