RWBY: Innocence

Preparing For Departure

At the crack of dawn, Kenzo rose from his bed to the sound of his alarm. Quickly turning it off as to not disturb Yang's slumber, he quickly dressed, sheathed EMZ, put on the Aero-Gauntlets and left the tent. As he sneaked across the camp, Kenzo noticed that there was a streak of Orange light on the horizon, signifying that the sun was rising. He entered his Uncle's tent to find Ozpin at a desk, holding two mugs of coffee and smiling warmly. Taking a seat opposite his Uncle, Kenzo took one of the mugs and yawned.

"So...What did you need to talk about?"

Ozpin put his chin in his hands and sighed.

"There are...a few things that I need to tell you before you leave."

Kenzo almost took a quick sip from the coffee, but quickly pulled his lips away when he felt the burning liquid grace his skin.

"Let's get the more difficult story dealt with...You see..."

There was a short moment of silence as Ozpin collected his thoughts and planned out his words carefully.

"The truth is...You have a brother." He finished.

Kenzo's mind when completely blank with shock. He blankly stared at his Uncle in disbelief, unable to even comprehend the reveal of the truth. Kenzo could barely form a single word, but he eventually let out a quiet:

"...What?"

Ozpin continued:

"When your Mother was pregnant, the doctors discovered that she had twins. However, when she gave birth to the two of you and...after taking you back to my home, I realised that I couldn't afford to care for the both of you. So I...gave your brother away to an orphanage...I haven't heard anything about him since..."

Kenzo continued to sit in silence, still staring at Ozpin. The massive revelation of discovering that he had a sibling had stunned Kenzo into an almost broken state. Ozpin, concerned that Kenzo hadn't registered what he had been told, clicked his fingers to try and snap his Nephew out of his trance.

Then Kenzo blinked.

"I...have a...brother?" He asked.

Ozpin nodded.

"What's his name?"

Ozpin linked his fingers together, planted his elbows on the desk and placed his chin on the bridge that his linked fingers had formed.

"Your Mother never got the chance to name him...But I assume that the orphanage that I left him at gave him a name..."

Slowly nodding, Kenzo took a sip from his coffee and stood up. Ozpin stood up with him, wondering what his Nephew was thinking. Kenzo then let out a small smile, perplexing his Uncle.

"At least I'm not alone..."

Ozpin walked cautiously over to his Nephew, confused as to how Kenzo was happy and able to accept what he had just learned.

"I...You..." Ozpin stammered.

Kenzo turned his head and smiled at his Uncle. It was at this moment that Ozpin realised how much taller Kenzo had grown since he had arrived at Beacon. He used to be just as tall as Ozpin, but after the month that had passed, Kenzo now stood tall over his Uncle. His once scrawny figure had now grown into a much stronger build, but it would be a while before Kenzo's muscles would become more prominent.

"I used to think that I was the last of the Zanshi bloodline," Kenzo explained, "But now I know that, no matter where I go, I won't be the only one..."

Ozpin looked up at his Nephew and nodded, smiling. Kenzo then outstretched his arms and wrapped them around his Uncle, pulling him in close for a hug. Ozpin returned the hug and felt a deep sensation of warmth. Kenzo had grown and progressed so much in the past month, more than Ozpin could have expected and for that, he was proud of him.

"I'm gonna miss you..." Kenzo murmured.

"I will miss you as well..." Ozpin murmured back.

There was a moment in which Ozpin and Kenzo stayed in their embrace, neither one of them willing to let go. It was such a big moment for the two of them and since they both knew that it would be a long time before they would see each other again, Kenzo and Ozpin wanted to give each other a proper farewell. For Ozpin, it was a way of having a happy memory to remember whilst his Nephew was gone, but for Kenzo, it was so much more.

For longer than he could remember, Kenzo had grown up hating his Uncle. But after everything that had happened and after all that he had been through, he had learned to love him again. Ozpin had done so much for him and him only; if it wasn't for Ozpin, Kenzo would never have met Yang. Now that he understood this, Kenzo had nothing but love and respect for the man who had taken him in when he most needed it.

"One last thing before you leave..." Ozpin said as he parted from the embrace.

Turning back to the desk, Ozpin reached underneath it and pulled out a small sack. As he handed it to Kenzo, he smiled as Kenzo peeked inside and saw the bundle of Dust crystals packed inside.

"For me?" He asked in disbelief.

Ozpin nodded. Kenzo quickly pushed the bag inside of his pocket and hugged his Uncle once more, thanking him. With that, Kenzo turned and quickly left the tent, leaving Ozpin alone. As he sat back down at his desk, he noticed that Kenzo had left his mug of coffee behind.

"It's not like he was going to finish it..." Ozpin muttered to himself.

Opzin took a sip from Kenzo's coffee...