Chapter Text
Soulmates.
When Oz first arrived at another's body, he was unfamiliar with the concept. In the old world, there was no such thing as souls meant to be together. However, in every single right little finger rested a bright red string, tied to their very soul.
Oz came to know the concept over time, talking to his new self and the people around him. The red string of fate is present in almost every single person, though people can only see their own. It hangs loose and becomes invisible were it touchs the ground. This string ties two or more people together. When they are close enough, is possible to see where they connect, tied with a bow. People born without a string are rare and considerated pitiful.
Even so, people connected may never meet. If they do, they don't necessarily have a romantic relationship. They may already be in one, or maybe the age gap is far to big for them to feel comfortable to try. Race, gender, status, beliefs... Many things can come in the way to stand between two soulmates.
However, being a soulmate does not meant that they are necessarily romanticly attracted to each other either. Companionship, friendship... A soulmate should be the one that you can most relate to.
In his first incarnation, he was beyond shocked to see the string hanging from his little finger. He had two souls, two people in one body, so Oz tried to not bear hope. Even so, he looked out for Salem, thinking that, if they were soulmates, maybe the god of light would be wrong. Maybe there was hope for her yet.
"Soulmates? I heard this childish stories. Do you think they really can see them?" Salem answered his question when they finally met. The black and white woman let her tea down with a impacient expression in her face.
"I belive they do." Oz answered carefully.
"I don't know what the gods are thinking, making this new humanity. First these- faunus, is what they are called? And now this? They are so different than us."
"So, you don't have a string?" Oz didn't meant to ask, but his new soul was fast to inquire.
"Of course not. Isn't the same for you?" Salem's eyes fell on him and his heart sank.
"Yes. I belive that we, being souls of the old world, don't share this trait of this new generation." Salem nodded, satisfied with his answer. She smiled and put her hand on his thought the table.
"We don't need some god send sign to know who we love." Oz heart melted, ignoring the cold he still felt in his stomach.
"Yes."
Oz didn't lied. He did belived in his words. He supposed that, since he had two souls, the string attacked to his hand lead to his companion's soulmate.
Incarnation after incarnation, this belief only grew stronger. At every new soul he was paired with, he had different levels of assimilation. With some, their tune was so synchronized that they barely thought apart. Their train of thought and action was the same and they couldn't really point out were one feelings and beliefs parted from the other.
However, it was always different when he paired in someone who found their soulmate. Most of them were bothered by his presence, aware that their feelings and sensations were also felt by Oz. Even with the few of his incarnations that didn't really minded, Oz usually locked hinself in a small place of their mind, numbing hinself to ignore what was happening in the outside. He never achieved a complete synchrony with souls like this.
Even so, it was always hard to be unfased by the feelings of the soul shaking the body he lived. He would always grow found of their soulmates, even if not romanticly. In the same way, the heart break of losing them, to life's whims, grimms or Salem, were always as hard to bear.
Finally, living as Ozpin, he didn't thought much about it in this lifetime. Their souls, together by twenty years now, were as close as they could be. Being around their fourty years, they didn't really expected to meet their soulmate who's string attached to the red thread hanging from their hand. Their thoughts were much more focused in the upcoming arrival of the new students and the moviments of Salem and her pawns.
And, at the present moment, in the little girl dressed in black and red in front of him.
Ruby Rose. He knew her name since before she was born and discussed her life with her parents and uncle. When she was brought up in a conversation, it was always to ensure how they would protect her against Salem.
He couldn't say he was surprised when her father tiredly said that both his daughters wanted to become huntresses. After Summer's death, he just wanted to hide his daughter far away from Salem's eyes. Since he couldn't change her mind, he pleaded Ozpin to ensure she would at least receive the best training she could, to ensure she had a chance to protect herself.
Oz wasn't really satisfied in handing her Qrow, actually. The years he spent teaching at Signal to personally lecture Ruby in the scythe were a blind spot in Salem's moviments. However, after seeing the records of her in action today, he felt that the sacrifice wasn't gone to waste.
It was funny that he never really saw her face properly before.
Sure, he catched a glimpse of her as a child by pictures that Summer and Qrow carried, but very briefly. Looking at her now, Oz couldn't help to feel his heart wave with mixed feelings.
Ruby looked so much like Summer but, were the late was calm and collected, her daughter was bursting in energy and brightness. Her silver eyes, far too shimery to be even considerated simply gray, glowed even brighter with her enthusiasm. Ozpin could only pray that the flame of hope in her wouldn't die when she saw the dark times that inevitably would come in the future.
Oz wished he could say that, if he new back them that his lineage would have such power, he would never allowed so. However, he knew he couldn't deny such thing of the souls who he shared the body. Most of them were luck to find their soulmates and twice as fortunate to be able to sattle down long enough to rise a family.
This feelings made him want to help her as much as he could. Shelter and prepare her for the future while he still could. He quickly discussed the matter with Glynda and, even with her unwillingness, decided to allow Ruby at Beacon earlier, if she wished so.
"Do you know who I am?" Ozpin asked curiously. They never met in person, and he was not sure if she heard his name being spoked by the adults of the house at any point.
"You are professor Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon." She answered way more calmly now. Trying to make a good impression maybe. Ozpin couldn't help but smile.
"And you want to come to my school?" Well, she did had more options of were to study. Every academy had their own prestige. However, Ruby answer was fast and warm with sincerity.
"More than anything." Ozpin didn't bite back his grim this time, infected by her wholesome bring.
"Well..." He looked at Glynda, that looked away grumply. Well, her father could always deny the paper work later if they oppose. He looked back a Ruby, still smiling. "Ok them."
Her smile was blinding she barely managed to stay in her seat.
"Really?!"
"Yes. I will send you a indication letter, as well as all proper paperwork." With a final tone in his voice, Ozpin get up, preparing to leave. He still had to look if anyone were able to track Torchwick's ship.
"Thank you very much sir! I- I won't let you down!" Ruby promised with sparkling eyes.
"I will most certainly held you back at this words, miss Rose." Glynda rolled her eyes at the scene while Ozpin quietly chuckled.
"I will contact your guardian to come pick you up. Wait here." She annonced and left first.
"Them, I also have more matters to attend to. Have a good night miss Rose." Ozpin turned to leave rising his hand to the door knob.
"Yes, of course! Have a goo-"
Ruby's excited voice sudenly faded until die off completely. Confused, Ozpin turned around once more to see what happened to the girl and found her looking pale and shocked beyond words. His eyes followed her and he immediately found the source of her surprise.
Ruby had rised to wave him goodbye and his hand was also rised up to open the door. This brought up what had been laying under the table to whole time they been talking.
A bright red string, leaving both of the little fingers of their rised hands to meet at the middle of the room in a tight bow.
A long moment passed with both of them just staring at the red thread like it would disappear at any moment. However, even when both of them lowered their hands, the string remained attacked, retracting and stretching with their moviments.
Ozpin was the first to look up, searching Ruby's face. He was expecting rejection, disappointment or maybe disgust but, when she met his eyes, he found numb shock of someone that still didn't assimilated the reality.
He thought quickly about the situation and spoke.
"Will you stay the night at Vale, miss Rose?"
"What- hm, y-yes sir. We will be staying the whole week." She answered the unexpected question. "I-"
"Them I will make a appointment to meet your guardian at the end of the week personally. It is best to talk in person about something as delicate as skipping two school years straight to Beacon. Until then, you can let it all sink in before we talk again about..." He glanced at the string. "All the details."
"Talk- Yeah, ok, sure... WAIT- SKIP YEARS?!" Ozpin completly ignored the girl confusion. He did let her misunderstood the agreement of when he would let her enter Beacon, but he was not willing to discuss anything else today.
"Them, have a good night miss Rose."
"What- Wait, sir-!" Ozpin just turned around and left, leaving Ruby behind. The teenager just fell back at her chair with her head spinning.
Only when Oz layed down in his bed that night he finally allowed the full meaning of the past events to sink in. Ozpin's soulmate was Ruby Rose, a fifteen years old, 5 foot nothing silver eye huntress-to-be. He couldn't help but laugh at the empty room of absurd fate could be.
With their souls as close as they were now, Oz and Ozpin thinked the same of the situation: there would be no romance between them and miss Rose. She was far too young and their status of student-to-be and teacher spoke volumes against it. It was no trouble for him, since at this point he didn't expected a soulmate and learned to live without one. However, young Ruby must had layed down to sleep heartbroken. Sure enough she had her own romanticized expectations, like all teenagers have at her age. He felt bad for breaking them in suck a way.
He feel asleep while thinking what to say to little Ruby Rose to comfort her, almost like a speech.