Hunting for a Hero

Outcast

Ozpin waited by the cliffs patiently.

He had Glynda take them to the auditorium for the results. But he wasn't going to go with them. He wanted to speak to Izuku about a few things.

He caught a glimpse of a green blur running through the forest before it exited his vision as it ran towards the base of the cliff. After a few seconds, something jumped up and landed right beside him with a thud. Izuku stood up and looked around to see they were completely alone

"Where's everyone else?" He asked defensively.

"Gone. They've all left and are heading towards the auditorium for the final results. And I believe we should head back ourselves." Ozpin stated before turning around "Come. Walk with me"

Izuku followed the man as they walked back towards Beacon. He stayed on guard, watching the man out of the corner of his eyes. Ozpin noticed the subtle glances Izuku was sending his way, but didn't comment on it. Instead, he decided to ask a boy a few questions. "How did you find the exam? I saw you were able to defeat the Grimm in a matter of seconds."

"I don't know. It was easy, I guess?" He mumbled, shrugging his shoulders.

"I did notice you didn't kill them. Even though you were in the perfect position to do so." Ozpin commented

"I don't kill." Izuku stated.

"Even though they do not have souls?" Ozpin curiously asked, wanting to probe the boy a bit more to find out how his mind worked.

"Even if they don't have souls. They have lives. If I kill something living that does not have a soul, I'm still taking a life." Izuku reasoned "A Hero incapacitates and captures Villains. A Hero doesn't kill unless absolutely necessary, and I didn't see a reason to end their lives."

Ozpin hummed. The boy's reasoning was sound, but his mind was too fixated on the fact that his people didn't kill. If the boy was going to stay here for a while, he'd need to learn that killing Grimm wasn't an atrocious act. But the fact he wasn't willing to kill was also a good sign. The boy must have a high amount of empathy to feel the Grimm should be alive. So even though the boy might act cold, he still had a big heart.

But Ozpin also needed to know his mind was structurally sound. "Do you talk to yourself often?" Ozpin asked. "The camera's picked up your voice speaking out loud with no one in sight. Why was that?"

He carefully studied the boy's eyes, looking for any sort of reaction. His face was covered by his cowl and respirator. If it wasn't, he'd be able to see Izuku's teeth were clenched tightly in frustration

'Crap!' Izuku thought. Ozpin had told them the staff would be watching, that's why he kept his respirator and cowl on. If by any chance the Vestiges would come and talk to him, he needed a way to speak to them without anyone seeing his mouth move. But he never accounted for microphones. How could he be so stupid!

He had to think of a way out of this that didn't paint him as completely insane. "I sometimes mutter and talk to myself" He slowly admitted, coming up with the words on the spot. If he hesitated, it would paint him as a liar. "It helps me concentrate. My classmates have told me it can look kinda creepy, so I understand if you think it's weird." He finished. He mentally prayed that the man would take the bait and leave him alone. And as if a higher deity heard his thoughts, the man nodded.

"That is understandable. I sometimes talk to myself to clear my mind." Ozpin agreed with what Izuku had just said. The costumed boy mentally sighed in relief, but unfortunately he couldn't see inside of Ozpin's head. Because if he could, he would learn that the man didn't fully believe him.

Ozpin knew Izuku was lying. Even though he had no clue what the boy said, he could translate his tone. He started off annoyed, arguing with something... No. He was arguing with someone. But then he became hesitant, as if he was unsure of what to do.