The Moon Plan (RWBY X OP!OC)

Chapter 2: Into the Fray

The muffled hum of chatter reverberated through the darkened auditorium. Marshall's eyes snapped open, the soft glow of the rising sun forcing him to squint against the dull ache in his skull. For a moment, he lay there, letting the haze of sleep lift, before letting out a frustrated sigh. As his gaze swept over the room, he caught sight of a few other students beginning to stir. Some stretched, some groaned, but all appeared to be in the same disorienting post-sleep daze.

Juubi was already awake, perched lazily on Marshall's shoulder. She stretched her ten long tails, swishing them through the air with a casual flick.

"Guess you survived another night without blowing up the building, huh?" Juubi teased, her voice dripping with a mix of sarcasm and dry amusement.

"Barely," Marshall muttered, rubbing his eyes. Despite the comment, his body felt far more rested than he'd expected. His muscles didn't ache like they usually did after a long sleep, and he certainly wasn't as stiff. Maybe it was due to the Ten Tails' lingering influence, or perhaps his increasing control over the unstable fusion.

Marshall kicked his sleeping bag of him, clearly annoyed at being awoken by lights, standing and stretching. "Let's just get this over with."

As he gathered his belongings, he caught a glimpse of some of the other students still lazily moving about, one of them eyeing him warily. Marshall didn't care to make any conversation. He wasn't interested in small talk. He was here for one reason: to figure out how he could truly be free in this strange world. The rest of it—the people, the city, the academy—was just noise.

"Don't take it personally, Marshall," Juubi added with a bit of an eye-roll. "It's just a side effect of being godlike. They don't get you. And let's face it—you don't exactly try to make it easier for them."

"Mm-hm." Marshall said, walking toward the exit. He caught sight of some of the other students, including Ruby and Yang, who were still trying to make sense of the disarray around them. Ruby waved at him, a bright smile that never quite reached her eyes, clearly trying to draw him into some sort of conversation. Marshall, as usual, wasn't interested. He turned away, making his way through the hall towards the locker room.

The locker room was relatively quiet, save for a few students who were still shaking off the remnants of sleep. Marshall walked past them, disregarding any attempts at small talk. He had no interest in making friends, not yet anyway. His only focus was on preparing for whatever came next.

He tossed his clothes into a locker and stepped into the shower area. The hot water felt good against his skin, the steam rising around him as he let it wash away the fatigue from the night. His mind wandered briefly to the strange events surrounding his incomplete fusion, the unstable power growing within him. He couldn't afford to let it slip again—not with so much at stake.

While he was showering, Juubi spoke again, her voice a bit more serious this time. "That unstable form of yours? It's only a matter of time before it takes over. You'll need to learn more control, or you'll end up destroying everything around you."

"I know," Marshall replied flatly, his eyes closing for a moment under the hot stream. "I don't plan to stay this way for long. But I need more time. Time...and answers."

Juubi's voice hummed softly in his mind. "Answers. Heh. You might find them here, but don't expect them to be what you want."

Marshall didn't reply. He didn't need to. He knew what he had to do. There were bigger things than petty squabbles and meaningless conversations.

After finishing his shower, he changed into his usual gear—dark robes and his  crimson armor. His gunbai was strapped to his back, with the kama in his kamui dimension. The weight of his weapon felt oddly comforting. He was ready for what came next. Glynda's voice rang over the speakers as the initiation was about to begin.