*Double-length chapters all this week. Probably back to normal next week.*

Chapter 7

*Recommended Music: I'll Face Myself -Battle- (Persona 4 Soundtrack)*

"Oh come on!" Jaune shouted as he stumbled away from the thirty foot tall monster. He tried to run but clumsily tripped over his own feet. The shadow took the opportunity to slam its sword down on him. It struck him dead center, but there was a flash of blinding light and the sword just bounced off. Jaune looked at the sword, back at himself and then at the shadow. He laughed uneasily before fainting. Ruby rushed forward and scooped him up in a blur of rose petals, carrying him away from his shadow as it recovered from the shock of its initial attack.

The shadow was much quicker than its size would imply. It charged at the group, lowering its shield and slamming it into Helia who was not fast enough to get out of the way. She tumbled backwards, rolled and recovered to her feet, blasting the shadow with her flamethrower. It struggled to block the fire with its shield and retreated as it beat out the lingering flames on its arm. The shadow grunted and slammed its sword into the ground. It was briefly surrounded by a red-tinted dome before the sight faded. Weiss cycled Myrtenaster and lanced a line of fire at the shadow. The attack broke up on the now invisible barrier as the shadow laughed in satisfaction.

"It's immune to fire now." Helia warned. Yang charged the shadow, ducking under a swing of its sword before crashing into its leg. The shadow stumbled and fell to a knee, allowing Yang to jump up and deliver an Ember Celica-boosted punch to its face. The recoil pushed her into a backflip away from the shadow, and this gave it time to bring its shield around. Yang could not dodge the attack while midair and was sent flying across the room. The shadow attempted to pursue, but Ruby blasted it with wind from her Persona Summer Rose. Clearly in pain, the shadow reeled before slamming its sword down again. A green-tinted dome surrounded it and faded. Ruby's next wind attack did not reach the target, stopped by the unseen shield.

"I think it makes itself immune to any elemental attacks we hit it with." Blake said. The shadow charged at Ruby, but planting one end in the ground, Blake used Gambol Shroud, extended on its ribbon, to trip the shadow. It crashed to the ground, landing on its face with an angry growl. Using her glyphs and Persona, Weiss started to encase the prone shadow in ice. Ruby and Aigis each summoned Isis and joined in, completely surrounding the shadow in a frozen prison. The combatants took a moment to catch their breath. The respite was short-lived as the shadow exploded out of the icy trap, and slamming its sword down, generated a blue-tinted barrier.

Labrys ran at the shadow, swinging her axe with a boost from its rockets as she leapt into the air. The shadow blocked with its shield and Labrys was deflected to the ground. She landed on her feet just in time to use her axe to block a vertical slash from the shadow's sword. In a test of strength, the shadow attempted to force its sword down into her as she held it up with her axe. It was a complete stalemate. Aigis took the opportunity to unload her guns into the distracted shadow while Team RWBY formulated a plan.

"It just makes itself immune to whatever we hit it with, and it's too dangerous to fight up close." Weiss said. "What should we do?"

"Well, we've only got electricity left." Ruby observed. "We've got to take it down too fast for it to protect itself."

"And how are we going to do that?" Weiss asked.

The shadow finally gave up on crushing Labrys with its sword and simply swept her aside with its shield. Labrys struggled back to her feet. "Combine your attacks or somethin'." Labrys advised. "It worked with fire and wind, try somethin' else."

Aigis continued to shoot the shadow. It charged her, but she deftly avoided the attack, allowing Labrys to attack it from behind. It spun around, slashing its sword at the robotic sisters. Aigis ducked the swipe while Labrys leapt over it. "We will not be able to keep it busy indefinitely." Aigis warned. "Our attacks are not effective. You must act a plan quickly." Labrys pressed her attack but the shadow connected with a powerful kick. Labrys flew through the air and slammed into a wall. She did not get back up.

Jaune regained consciousness in time to witness the chaotic fight. "I'm so sorry for all this." He said. "This is all my fault."

"Not now!" Weiss shouted at him. "We don't have time for your self-pity. Shut up or fight it." Jaune looked at his weapons and frowned. Maybe he was useless. He certainly was not going to help in this fight.

"I've got it!" Ruby shouted. "Weiss and Aigis, I need you to make as much ice as possible." Weiss nodded and readied herself while Aigis continued to distract the shadow. "Yang and Helia, melt the ice." They were ready. "Now, do it!" Using their Personas, Weiss and Aigis created towering walls of ice around the shadow. It punched and kicked at the formations, but they quickly replaced them. Yang and Helia burned away at the walls and the shadow was soon soaked and standing in a large puddle. "Aigis, get back." Ruby warned. "Izanagi!" The Persona flew into the air above them before hitting the shadow with a powerful blast of electricity. The shadow writhed as electricity coursed through its body, aided by the extra conductivity provided by the water. With a scream it fell flat on its back, smoking. It returned to its original form, again taking on the appearance of Weiss.

The shadow ran up to Jaune and took him hostage. "Stay back or I'll kill him." The shadow warned as it put its sword to his throat. The shadow's eyes darted back and forth as the group carefully surrounded them.

"This sucks." Jaune said sadly. "I'm sorry Weiss." In a flash he knocked the shadow's sword away, drew his own and swung it around, cutting halfway through the shadow's torso in a single fluid motion. He lost his grip on the sword and stumbled back, staring at his own hands. "What have I done?" He dropped to his knees.

The shadow stood motionless with a look of shock on its face. "But you're weak." The shadow said weakly. "How did…" It abruptly dissolved and disappeared, Jaune's sword clattering to the ground.

"Are you crying?" The real Weiss said with disdain. "We told you over and over it wasn't really me."

Jaune looked up with a teary smile. "Yeah, sorry. You came to save, you really do care!"

"Don't read anything into this." Weiss said indignantly. "I wouldn't have come if they hadn't made me." With a huff she stomped away.

"Shot down again." Jaune said with disappointment. Suddenly, Jaune was engulfed in a purple light. A tarot card descended from above and shattered in front of him. Above him, the visage of an anthropomorphic fox in an approximation of Jaune's armor appeared. "Reynard." Jaune whispered the name of his Persona. He then fell unconscious.

"Well, I guess we should get out of here." Ruby said. "Let's get Jaune back to his room to rest." Yang nodded and effortlessly tossed him over her shoulder. "Is everybody alright?"

"I'm gonna' need some repairs." Labrys admitted. "Nothin' Aigis can't handle though."

"We should regroup with the others." Aigis advised. The others agreed and departed Jaune's shadow world.

Team RWBY, Helia, Aigis, Labrys and Jaune exited the portal. The Investigation Team was waiting at the entrance. "The next verse of that poem thing lit up so we figured you were finished." Chie explained.

"Is he going to be okay?" Yukiko asked, gesturing toward the still unconscious Jaune.

"He just needs rest." Blake replied. "He got his Persona."

"Why's she so angry?" Rise asked as Weiss stomped back to the dorms.

"She doesn't like it when Jaune hits on her." Yang answered. "Also, his shadow took her form, and he kind of stabbed it in the chest. I can't imagine that helped." She paused before pointing to Yosuke. "What's your problem?"

"I'm fine; we just met a shadow designed for me." Yosuke said. He was clearly trying to keep up his carefree façade, but was doing a poor job. "I'm going to head back. I need some rest. You guys coming?" The Investigation Team followed except for Yu who remained behind.

"The shadow took the form of a girl he liked who was killed in the incident we dealt with back in Inaba." Yu explained once Yosuke was out of earshot. "He'll be alright. He just has a lot to think about."

"If you don't mind, I'm getting a bit tired of carrying this guy so I'm heading back too." Yang said. She walked toward the dorms and Blake went with her.

"Did you make any progress in the tower?" Aigis asked.

"We did, but our path ahead was blocked." Yu replied. Aigis briefly had a look of concern on her face. It was sounding more like Tartarus. The remaining four decided to head back for the night.

"Thank you for interrupting your duties to speak to me." Ozpin said as Glynda walked into his office. He did not look away from the window. "There's something I need you to do."

"I already know what this is about." Glynda said. "Something strange is going on here. The other professors have noticed too. I think James might know as well."

"Yes, there is definitely something odd happening at Beacon." Ozpin said. "Unfortunately, it seems to be something we cannot experience ourselves. It's frustrating to have a problem I can't solve myself."

"What are we going to do about it?" Glynda asked. "I assume that's why you called me here."

"We may not be able to do anything, but there are some who can." Ozpin replied. "We should see to it that they have our support. I need you to bring in Helia's two 'Huntresses' along with the eight 'guests' that have been hanging around the campus."

"Should I bring them to the interrogation room?" Glynda asked.

"No, this will not be an interrogation." Ozpin answered. "Still, be sure to bring along what support you deem necessary in case they resist. I doubt they would, but we shouldn't take chances."

"Of course." Glynda said. "You can never be too careful with liars and trespassers." She started to leave.

"Oh, one more thing." Ozpin said. Glynda stopped just short of the door. "I know it's not necessarily your nature to do so, but if they're cooperative try to be nice to them. We need them on our side." Glynda sighed and left.

"I thought Dr. Oobleck's class was very interesting." Aigis said. The others busily ate lunch around her. "I did not understand much of what he was talking about as I have little knowledge of this world's history, but it seems your history is rather exciting."

"He seemed to really enjoy teachin' it too." Labrys added. "He's got lots of energy."

"Yes, I wonder if it comes from something in his coffee." Aigis mused. "Caffeine is not enough to explain his behavior, perhaps it is some sort of chemical."

"How's Jaune doing?" Labrys asked.

"Helia's keeping an eye on him." Ruby said. "Oh, I forgot to tell you, she said Amber came by with more bullets for Aigis." She went back to eating.

After finishing their classes, the Team RWBY, Aigis and Labrys headed back to the dorms. "Blake, may I speak with you in private?" Aigis asked as they arrived at the room. She nodded and the rest of Team RWBY headed inside without her.

"What is it?" Blake asked.

"In Dr. Oobleck's class, he mentioned the Faunus and an organization called the White Fang." Aigis said. "It seemed to make you uncomfortable, at least judging by the change in your physiological signs. Also, given the way you played with your bow, I have come to the conclusion that your extraneous ears have something to do with it. Is there something bothering you that you'd like to talk about?"

"So you know about the ears?" Blake sighed. "You guys are robots with who knows what sensors, so I guess I should have expected this. I'm a Faunus. To keep things simple, some people in this world have animal parts. I'm sure you've seen some around campus."

"Why hide it though?" Labrys asked.

"We're an oppressed minority." Blake replied. "There's a lot of prejudice towards the Faunus, and I'd like to avoid it if possible. So I pretend to be human. Only a few people here know the truth."

"That's horrible." Labrys said. "Nobody should have to hide who they are. I hate when people are mean for no good reason."

"What about the White Fang?" Aigis asked. "It seemed to distress you more than anything else."

"They're a Faunus extremist group." Blake explained. "They started out as a peaceful group calling for equal rights, but under the current leadership they've turned into terrorists and killers. I used to be a member, but I left them years ago. It still brings up bad memories."

"That is awful." Aigis said, frowning. "I am sorry if my questions have caused you pain."

"No, it's alright." Blake said. "I should have been more upfront with you both. It's a problem I have."

"If you ever want to talk about it, we're here for you." Labrys said, putting her hand on Blake's shoulder.

"Aigis and Labrys." A woman's voice said from behind them. "Please come with me." They turned around to see Glynda flanked by four armed guards. Aigis and Labrys knew Glynda as an instructor at Beacon, and she seemed to be the second in command of the academy. "The headmaster would like to speak to you."

"Are we under arrest?" Aigis asked. In her head she went over several possible escape strategies.

"No, but I have been ordered to bring you in by force if I must." Glynda replied. It was a thinly veiled threat. Aigis knew the guards would be no match for her and Labrys, but Glynda was tremendously powerful. "Please, I have no desire to fight, just come with me and everything will be fine."

Aigis glanced back and saw two more guards approaching from the other end of the hall. "Just go with her." Blake advised. "I'm sure it'll be fine."

Aigis nodded. "Very well, my sister and I will go with you." She conceded. Labrys handed her axe to one of the guards and the weight almost made him fall over. Another guard helped him carry it.

"Come this way, your other friends are waiting." Glynda said as she turned and led them away.

Aigis and Labrys were lead to an office on the top floor of the Tower. The Investigation Team was already there, seated in a row of chairs in front of an unoccupied desk. "Please take a seat." Glynda offered. There were two empty chairs to the mechanical maidens sat down as ordered. "The headmaster will be with you shortly." Without saying anything else, she walked out.

"How long have you guys been here?" Labrys asked.

"I don't know, maybe fifteen minutes." Yosuke answered. "This sucks. I never thought I'd be arrested on another planet."

"She said we weren't under arrest." Yukiko said.

"I know an arrest when I see one." Yosuke countered. "You usually don't get escorted by armed guards just to go have a chat." Their conversation was cut short when the door opened. An older looking man walked in and sat at the desk. Aigis and Labrys recognized him is the headmaster, Ozpin. Glynda followed him in and stood by the door.

"I'm sorry for the rather rude manner in which you were brought here." Ozpin apologized. "I felt it was too important to leave anything to chance however." He took a sip of his coffee. "Contrary to your apparent belief, the instructors here and I are not blind to what happens on this campus." He pointed to Labrys and Aigis. "At least the two of you secured proper authorization to be here, even if it was under false pretenses. The rest of you have been hanging around and asking a lot of questions. That of course made me quite suspicious. I take my position here very seriously. I've dedicated my life to protecting this academy and its students, so when something threatens them, I'm determined to get to the bottom of it." He stood up and walked to the window. "Something very strange is going on here, as I'm sure you're all aware. It started with wild rumors and escalated into bizarre occurrences and the disappearance of an entire team of students. Then a bunch of strangers show up, seemingly out of nowhere. It would make anyone suspicious."

"We're not the ones behind this." Chie protested.

"I know you mean no harm." Ozpin continued. "Originally, I had considered that you may be behind it, but then one of the missing students reappeared and your group kept checking on his wellbeing. Clearly you had something to do with his return." He sighed. "It's frustrating for me to have a problem here that I can't do anything to solve. Whatever is going on here at night, I can't experience it and neither can any of my staff. It seems, however, that you all, along with Team RWBY, can. It seems you've already started working on it."

"We could explain this to you." Naoto offered. "I warn you, you'll find it hard to believe."

"What?" Ozpin asked. "That you're from another world and have special powers that have also been acquired by Team RWBY. No, I think I can believe it." The group was stunned. He knew far more than they had anticipated. "Here's the situation. I need this problem solved. I don't know what the cause is and I can't directly intervene, but it the safety of the students hangs in the balance. You all are capable of helping, so I would like to help you. You are hereby all temporarily admitted as students of Beacon Academy."

"Are you sure this is wise?" Glynda asked.

Ozpin ignored the question. "I would break you into formal teams, but I feel like that would only reduce your effectiveness. I have prepared rooms for you and enrolled you in classes I think will help you. I also understand that most of you don't have proper weapons. I recommend that you talk to Team RWBY about correcting that, I'm sure they know someone who would be willing to help. Now, if you could all wait outside, I'd like to interview each of you individually." The group was stunned. This was not something they had ever expected, particularly given the circumstances. Ozpin gestured toward Aigis with his mug. "Please remain; I'll talk to you first." The others filed out to wait for their turns.

"So, tell me about yourself." Ozpin said.

"My name is Aigis." She started. "Labrys is my sister. We are…" She was not sure what to say.

"You're both robots." Ozpin finished her sentence for her. "Why not tell me more about that?" He asked helpfully.

"We were built to fight shadows." Aigis said. "Shadows are monsters created by humanity's collective unconscious. The incident currently occurring here involves shadows, which is why my sister and I are here."

"How do you fight them?" Ozpin asked.

"I was constructed with built-in firearms." Aigis responded. She took off her gloves and her fingers transformed into gun barrels. "Do not be concerned, they are not loaded. We are also capable of wielding Personas. They are similar to shadows, but are under our control. They represent our strength of heart. I apologize, but it is difficult to explain. Allow me to demonstrate." Aigis stood up and stood behind her chair. "Pallas Athena!" Her Persona appeared above her. Ozpin did not seem surprised.

"Impressive." Ozpin said. "You're a machine, why were you made to look human?"

"We were created with a human form to facilitate the development of a human personality." Aigis explained. "The development of a personality and an ego is required to wield a Persona."

"I think that about does it for my questions." Ozpin said, standing up. He reached out and shook Aigis' hand. She felt a sudden surge of power and Ozpin's eyes briefly dilated before returning to normal. "Please enjoy your stay." He continued as if nothing had happened.

"What did you do?" Aigis asked.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Ozpin said, obviously lying. "Now, be sure to speak to Glynda so she can issue a scroll to you. Thank you for speaking with me today."

"My name is Labrys." She said. "I'm Aigis' sister."

"Yes, she told me." Ozpin said. "And I already know about your being a robot, and about shadows and Personas."

"I guess you know all our secrets huh?" Labrys said uneasily. "Does it bother you?"

"Not at all." Ozpin replied. "No one can know everything, and learning new things makes life interesting. I must admit, I was surprised to find robots with personalities. Robots are common here, but robots that are so human are not."

"Yeah, we're not exactly common back home either." Labrys admitted. "Aigis and I are the last two left."

"You speak with an interesting accent." Ozpin observed. "Aigis has a very formal and somewhat robotic manner of speech. What accounts for the difference?"

"Her personality was developed from scratch." Labrys answered. "She just speaks the way she was taught to. My mind is based on a person's. She had an accent, so I have one too."

"Interesting, and why do you not use firearms?" Ozpin inquired.

"I'm an older model." Labrys said. "I was built without most of the safety measures my sister has, so they were afraid to give me guns."

"How did the whole group of you meet?" Ozpin asked.

"Well, most of them were friends already when they met me." Labrys said. "They fought shadows together and solved a serial murder case together. I was deactivated at the time. I was stolen and brought to their town where a shadow incident occurred when I woke up, and they saved me along with Aigis and some of her friends."

"How did you end up here in this world?" Ozpin asked.

"My sister ran into someone who helped her fight shadows in the past." Labrys replied. "She told us people in another universe needed our help and brought us here."

"Is she here now?" Ozpin inquired.

"No, she had to stay behind to keep the connection open." Labrys said.

"Alright then, I think that does it for this interview." Ozpin said, getting up from his chair. He shook Labrys' hand. She felt a wave of energy and saw Ozpin's eyes briefly dilate. "Please see Glynda before you go so she can give you your scroll." He said as if nothing had happened.

"I'm Yosuke Hanamura." He said. "Thanks for not, you know, kicking us out."

"Don't mention it." Ozpin said. "So, Yosuke, aside from fighting shadows and solving murders, what do you do?"

"I'm still a student and I work in retail." Yosuke said. "My father is a store manager."

"Something seems to be bothering you young man." Ozpin observed.

"Yeah, I guess so." Yosuke admitted. "Last night, we were fighting shadows here. The shadows sometimes do this thing where they take on a form and say things designed to hurt a specific person. This time, it took on the form of a girl I had a thing for who was murdered."

"If this is a normal thing shadows do, why does it concern you so much?" Ozpin asked.

"The things it said really bothered me too." Yosuke sighed. "It wouldn't be so bad if it just insulted me, but it hit on the exact elements of my personality that I don't like. It's sort of a specialty for shadows. It was a lot of stuff I thought I was over, but I guess I'm not."

"You have nothing to be ashamed about." Ozpin encouraged. "No one is perfect, and we all have parts of ourselves we wish weren't there. Just think, you're brave and selfless enough to travel to another universe to risk your life to save people you don't even know."

"I guess you're right." Yosuke said.

"This talk has been quite enlightening." Ozpin said. He stood and shook Yosuke's hand. Yosuke felt a burning sensation and saw Ozpin's eyes briefly dilate. "See Glynda so she can give you a scroll." Ozpin said as if nothing had happened.

"What the hell was that?!" Yosuke exclaimed.

"Please calm down." Ozpin said softly. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Please, tell me about yourself." Ozpin said.

"I'm Chie Santonaka." She said. "I'm a high school student. I'm a big fan of martial arts and I want to be a police officer."

"Why that line of work?" Ozpin asked.

"I want to protect the people and places I care about." Chie answered confidently. "I realized that I was thinking too much about myself and not enough about my friends. They've always been so nice to me and I was kind of a jerk. I decided that the best way I could give back was to protect them."

"That's quite noble of you." Ozpin said. "Why come here?"

"Well, my friends wanted to go, and I couldn't let them go without me." Chie replied. "Helping them is way more important than anything I would be doing back home. Besides, if there are people I can help, no matter where they are, it would be wrong not to."

"Excellent." Ozpin said, starting to stand up. "Thank you for talking to me today." He shook Chie's hand; she felt a surge of power and saw his eyes dilate momentarily. "Please speak to Glynda to get your scroll." He said as if nothing had happened.

"My name is Yukiko Amagi." She said.

"Why do you fight Yukiko?" Ozpin asked.

"Well, I guess it's because I used to feel totally helpless." Yukiko explained. "Back then I felt trapped, in my town, in my job, and I didn't think I could do anything about it. Then, my friends showed me that I could do things on my own. Once I got my power, I knew I could help do something important. I didn't need someone to help me escape from my life, and I didn't really need to escape at all. I could be in control of my fate and change the world."

"Why did you feel helpless?" Ozpin inquired.

"Well, my family runs a historic in, and as the only child I was in line to inherit it." Yukiko explained. "I didn't have any choice in the matter. Everything was decided for me. I thought I didn't want to inherit the inn, but eventually I realized I just wanted to live on my own terms. Inheriting the inn was okay, just so long as it was my choice."

"Thank you for indulging me." Ozpin said as he stood. He shook Yukiko's hand and she felt a strange sensation overtake her and saw Ozpin's eyes dilate. "Talk to Glynda before you go so she can give you a scroll." He said as if nothing had happened.

"The name's Kanji Tatsumi." He said.

"You seem irritated." Ozpin observed.

"You would be too after being arrested." Kanji said. "You don't ever get used to it."

"I told you you're not under arrest." Ozpin said. "This isn't an interrogation either. That said, your comment implies you've been arrested before. Are you a troublemaker?"

"No, but look at me." Kanji said. "If somebody gets beat up or something is stolen, I'm the prime suspect."

"So why choose that appearance then?" Ozpin asked. "Surely you'd be better off if you looked less intimidating."

"It's a long story." Kanji said.

"I've got time." Ozpin pressed.

"This is really starting to feel like an interrogation." Kanji sighed. "Well, you may not be able to believe it, but I'm into knitting and sowing and stuff like that. People used to make fun of me for being girly, so I decided I'd show them how much of a man I am. My friends showed me I was wrong to act like something I'm not, but old habits die hard. They might accept me for who I am, but I still have to work on accepting myself."

"I commend your desire to do so." Ozpin said. "Your world and mine would be better places if we could accept each other and ourselves for who we are."

"You're talking about the Faunus aren't you?" Kanji asked, surprisingly observant. "Yeah, prejudice sucks, no matter what form it takes."

"You're not what I expected, but I suspect you hear that a lot." Ozpin said. "Thank you for this enlightening conversation." He stood and shook Kanji's hand. Kanji felt like he was being electrocuted and saw Ozpin's eyes dilate. "Just talk to Glynda before you leave so she can give you a scroll." Ozpin said as if nothing had happened.

"What the fuck?" Kanji said as he stumbled out.

"My name is Rise Kujikawa." She said. "I'm an idol."

"An idol?" Ozpin asked.

"I'm a singer and actress." Rise explained.

"How did you end up with this group?" Ozpin inquired. "Surely you're very busy."

"Well, I decided to quit because of the pressure." Rise said. "I returned home and was kidnapped. They rescued me. Eventually, my friends helped me see that I didn't really want to quit. I've been working on making a comeback, but I'm doing it on my own terms."

"That's wonderful." Ozpin said. "As an entertainer, fighting probably isn't exactly second nature for you. How do you compensate?"

"Well, I don't fight directly." Rise admitted. "My Persona has supportive abilities. It can scan for enemies and once it finds them, it can determine their weaknesses. I can also strengthen and even heal the others, but I don't have total control over my powers. I think cheering them on helps too. When I'm on stage, I definitely get a boost if the crowd is into it, so I try to give them the same feeling."

"It's been a pleasure." Ozpin said, standing. He shook Rise's hand and she felt a wave of energy pass over her as she saw Ozpin's eyes dilate. "Glynda will give you a scroll before you go." He said as if nothing had happened.

"And who or what are you?" Ozpin asked uneasily. The one in the bear suit had a distinctly different feel about him than the others.

"I'm Teddie!" He said excitedly. He opened up the suit to reveal the blond boy inside. "Ta-da!"

"You're different than the others." Ozpin observed. "You don't seem to have a care in the world, and you had a totally different…presence about you."

"I'm not sure I understand what you mean." Teddie admitted. "I am different though. I was originally a shadow, but I developed human emotions. I took on this form so people would like me and grew a body so I could visit my friends in their world."

"Now I'm the one who doesn't quite understand." Ozpin said. "How did you grow a body?"

"I just really wanted to and tried really hard." Teddie explained. That did not really help explain things. "Everything in their world is so fun! In the shadow world, I was alone, but now I have so many friends."

Teddie reminded Ozpin of a small child. It was endearing to him, but he could see how it could be annoying. "Well Teddie, it's nice to meet you." Ozpin said as he stood. He shook Teddie's hand. Teddie felt weird and saw Ozpin's eyes dilate. "Talk to Glynda so she can give you a scroll." Ozpin said as if nothing had happened. Teddie walked out, happily humming to himself. "How strange." Ozpin said to himself.

"I am Naoto Shirogane." She said. "It's an honor to meet you."

"The honor is mine." Ozpin said. "The others seemed quite alarmed when I brought you all in, but you remained perfectly calm."

"I'm a detective." Naoto explained. "I've dealt with the authorities before and know the difference between an arrest and bringing in a potentially hostile witness for questioning."

"A detective at your age?" Ozpin asked.

"I come from a family of famous detectives." Naoto said. "I have been working on cases with my grandfather since I was very young."

"And your parents?" Ozpin inquired.

"They were killed in an accident." Naoto replied. "Before you ask, yes it was tough. I was alone for a long time. I didn't have a single friend until I met this group."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Ozpin said. "Why do you dress like a man? With the exception of Teddie, your group all seem to be wearing school uniforms, but yours appears to be the male variant."

"For a long time I was ashamed of being a woman." Naoto admitted. "For one thing, it doesn't exactly fit the image of an ideal detective; at least not in my mind. It's also inconvenient in dealing with a male-dominated police force that already resents having to work with a child. A child and a woman? How would they take me seriously? With the help of my friends I got over it, and now I accept who I am. Old habits are hard to break though. I tried wearing a girl's school uniform once, but it made me feel…it didn't feel right."

"I'm glad to hear you've come to accept who you are." Ozpin said. "It's important for us all to accept ourselves, but I'm sure you know that already." Naoto nodded. "Well detective, that's all for now." He stood up and shook Naoto's hand. Naoto felt a surge of energy and saw Ozpin's eyes dilate. "Before you leave, speak to Glynda so she can issue you a scroll." He said as if nothing had happened.

"Thank you." Naoto said. "I think I know what you just did."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Ozpin said.

"So we finally come to the leader." Ozpin said.

"Why do you say that?" Yu asked.

"It's obvious from the way you all interact." Ozpin replied. "Now, please tell me about yourself."

"I'm Yu Narukami." He said. "And yes, I guess I am their leader. It's not exactly by choice; I was just the first one to get my power."

"There's more to it than that." Ozpin observed. "I can feel tremendous power in you, but you also have a special presence about you."

"So I've been told." Yu said. "I don't think I'm that special. I'm not even that strong. My friends are the ones who give me my strength. Without them I'm nothing."

"Isn't that true of everyone?" Ozpin mused. "What is a man in isolation?"

"There's nothing I care about more than my friends." Yu said. "That includes the friends I've made in this world. That's why I'm here. If there's anything I can do to help my friends, I'm going to do it."

"Would you sacrifice your life?" Ozpin asked.

"Without hesitation." Yu answered.

"No wonder you're their leader." Ozpin said. "From one leader to another, it's been an honor to meet you." Ozpin stood up and shook Yu's hand. Yu felt a new power fill him and saw Ozpin's eyes briefly dilate. "Talk to Glynda before you go to get a scroll." Ozpin said as if nothing had happened.

"From one leader to another, I won't rest until I find the truth about what's going on here." Yu said. "Thank you for your help." Yu turned and walked out.

After a few minutes, Glynda entered the room. "You awakened their auras?" She asked with concern. "We don't even know if we can trust them."

"If you can't trust them, trust me." Ozpin said. "They may be the only ones who can save this world. They didn't say it, but I got the distinct feeling that they believe the things going on here are very serious. It may just be that the fate of the entire world is at stake. If that's the case, they'll need every advantage we can offer."

*Recommended Music: Like a dream come true (Persona 4 Soundtrack)

"Are you guys alright?" Ruby asked the group as they exited the Tower. "I heard you were arrested."

"Ozpin just wanted to see us." Yu said. "He knows something bad is going on here, but he doesn't experience it. He wants us to help him."

"Yeah, we're students now." Yosuke said. "We even got scrolls like you guys." He pulled his scroll from his pocket and showed Ruby.

"Let me see that." Ruby said. She took Yosuke's scroll and tapped at it. "That can't be right. Yu, can I see yours?" Yu nodded and handed his over. Ruby tapped at it too. "No way." She said with a look of shock on her face. "You have auras now!" Most of the group looked at her with confusion.

"I thought so." Naoto said. "I felt something strange when Ozpin shook my hand. It was like a surge of power. I suspect he activated our auras when shaking our hands."

"Aigis and Labrys too." Ruby said while examining their scrolls.

"Ozpin said we should talk to you about having weapons made." Yu said. "He said you'd know someone."

Ruby thought for a moment. "I know exactly who to call!" She exclaimed. "I'll set everything up and we'll work on it tomorrow since we don't have any classes."