Work Text:
Prompt: “It couldn’t be…the big guy was gone, he’d seen him burn…”
Warnings: Traumatized Oscar, Flashbacks, PTSD,
Oscar's POV
Leaning heavily on Long Memory he followed two of Team CFVY to Shade. He was part of the rear guard ensuring that no other civilians got hurt. Guilt ate at him for not being faster to protect the criminals. For not thinking through their plan and helping Ruby. No one knew what happened to the others. If they were okay or not.
Everyone was exhausted. Oscar and his friends were even more so. They had been fighting for their lives and the lives of everyone in the Kingdom. Now they were just a few minutes from safety.
Ozpin tried to share his energies with Oscar. It was like when they were being held by Salem. Involuntarily his hands shook at the thought of the torture he endured. All to prevent Salem from being able to use the Lamp.
"Oscar," came Ozpin's gentle voice, "You can't keep pushing yourself like this. Your body can't handle it."
Oscar replied earning some wary looks from the civilians around him, "I'm fine. I'll rest when we get to Shade."
"Oscar," reputed the old wizard, "Your body is on the verge of collapse. If you keep pushing your body you will collapse."
Oscar said quietly, "It's just a little farther Oz. Look I can see the city."
Sure enough there walls of the city were before them. Some of the civilians cheered at the sight of the city. Some had bustles of energy that had them moving faster.
Oscar struggled to keep up now. His body was on the verge of collapse. It was only through sheer force of will that kept him up. But it would only last for so long just as Ozpin said it was only a matter of time.
Just as he reached the gates he stumbled the sandy ground loaming closer now. There was no energy left in his body to catch himself. This was going to hurt and hurt a lot.
Only for a hand to grab his elbow and steady him. It was unfamiliar causing him to flinch but he didn't get any further than a few inches because of the hand. Due to his exhaustion his vision was blurred. All he saw was a tall broad shouldered man.
His heart beat picked up at the blurry sight. This was not possible. All he could see now was the one who beat him within an inch of his life. Like when he was brought back to Ruby and the others he heard on a mantra.
Hazel yelled, "This is what you deserve!"
Oscar shook fearfully in the grip of the man. Forgetting that he was not in the belly of the whale and that he had Long Memory. That he could fight back.
A voice tried to talk to him but he could focus on it. He was alone. What could a fifteen year old do here? He was all alone and was nothing anyone could do to change that.
Ozpin confirmed, "Yes! but Oscar? The people of Atlas, Remnant? You haven’t done what you’ve done for justice. You’ve done it for yourself. Because she pushed you to think it would help you. Well, has it?"
That brought him him slowly out of it. He wasn't alone and he never would be again. Ozpin was there and he cared about Oscar proving this time and time again when they went through the torture. In the end it was thanks to their combined strength that Oscar was able to talk to Hazel. To show the giant of a man that he was more than Salem's puppet.
The one who eventually tried stop Salem and to give his life for the fight. That was right Hazel hadn't just beaten him. Torturing him. He had also taken a chance on Oscar who decided to tell him and only him how to ask Jinn a question.
It was then that he remembered where he was. Where he was and how impossible it would be form this person to be Hazel. It couldn’t be…the big guy was gone, he’d seen him burn. Hazel was dead. He had died when Salem and Oscar clashed using magic.
Ozpin said his voice gentle and soothing, "Oscar it's okay. This is just one of my students. His name is Yatsuhashi Daichi a trustworthy young man who was part of Beacon. It's not Hazel."
Oscar sucked in deep breaths as he tried to recognize the differences. Even with his blurry vision he could see the small differences. Small ones became larger differences.
Exhaustion was clear in the young man's face. With the exhaustion hidden carefully was concern. Oscar opened his mouth. What he was going to say he didn't know. They wouldn't know what he was going to say. Oscar fully collapsed as the world went black.