Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or Persona 3.

Chapter 1

A not so inexperienced Fool

"I'm sorry Minato."

A girl in a place that could only be described as realm beyond space and time stood before a magnificent gate. She was pale in skin and wore what looked to be a dark blue stewardess uniform with five black-lined circles outside small yellow circles. Her face held no flaws but the sadness her amber eyes held at this moment.

In her hand was an unidentifiable power and a worn out piece of paper. The power in her hand was serene and chaotic, as if anxiously waiting to fulfill its purpose and be released. The paper was less than amazing to behold, but just as important.

"I finally found it." She began. "I finally found a way to bring you back, but…"

Her eyes were downtrodden and the realm between everything and nothing became silent again.

"I can't bring you back to your world Minato." She rose her head and tried to appear happy. "But I found a world you can go to."

She went up to the magnificent gate and stood before its patron. The body of a boy no older than 16 years who looked as though he was crucified. His face held no emotion except that of utter conviction. To the world he was their unknown savior, to another he was a lover, but to the woman he was a friend. A friend who she promised would be freed and undertook a great journey and made bonds as strong as life itself to accomplish this.

She placed the great power in his chest that would free him from his restraints. His body, that was as golden as the gate before her, regained its original color. But his eyes did not open and neither did he move. Then she took the contract and placed it against his chest as well. The old paper phased into him and for a second nothing happened.

His body began to rise and glow. Slowly he began to disappear, parts of his body becoming light and fading away, and soon he was no more.

The gate still held in place, she had made sure of that, and would remain until mankind no longer wished for death. But until then the girl would remain and fight off the evils of mankind, she would protect this gate with all of the power she governed, and she would be happy for she saved her friend.

Pass the realm between worlds, Minato was beholden to a choice. This choice would decide not only his future but his actions as well.

I chooseth this fate of mine own free will.

Signed: The Fool_

~Break~

When Minato woke up he wasn't sure what to think.

That he woke up at all was a surprise. He could vaguely remember being giving a choice, but beyond that he had no idea where he was or how he got there. He thought about the Great Seal and the ramifications of his soul no longer guarding Nyx from Erebus. But, oddly enough, he didn't feel any worry or fear.

Maybe Elizabeth had freed him.

It wasn't impossible, he knew that nothing was, for her to have freed him. But where exactly was he.

It seemed to be a forest of some kind. The trees towered above him with their thick branches and leaves blocking most of the sunlight. As he stood up Minato noticed that he was dressed in the same uniform he died in. The Gekkokaun High School uniform still fit him, yet he didn't know if his body aged at all during his time as the Great Seal. As he looked around to get his bearing he noticed the two items at his feet.

The first was a sword and sheathe. A katana to be more accurate. It was simple looking and at first glance had nothing special about it whatsoever. But when picked up they would notice an oddity. The sword felt empty, hungry, wanting as though it wasn't complete. Such was the nature of Nihil weapons, they were meant to be infused with the power Minato wielded to bring out their potential and hold the power legends of long past once held.

The second was an odd looking gun. It didn't seem to hold any ammo because it didn't require any. This wasn't a gun that would release burning metal but one that could summon the latent powers of a persona user into the real world. But without the Dark Hour it was a simple keepsake. A reminder of that year and those he would never forget.

Strapping the sword to his back and putting the gun in his pocket Minato began walking.

While having no idea as to where he was going Minato tried to concentrate. Since arriving here he couldn't access a great many of his persona. He remembered the feeling of their power, the force behind their presence, and their effects on his personality when they were at the forefront of his mind. When trying to access them it was like a damn had been built to block the floodgates of his soul.

Was this the result of his choice? He still couldn't recall what exactly it was, but if he made this choice then he would accept it.

The only persona he could feel was Orpheus. His first Persona came to him and remained. He wasn't sure if this meant that Orpheus would be the only Persona on his journey or if he would have to remake new bonds.

No… Minato wasn't sure about what his purpose was here, in fact he wasn't sure if he would even have one. But he wouldn't forsake the bonds he had made. But this brought up an even more important and dangerous question.

Where in the world was he?

He didn't remember too many forest in Tatsumi Port Island. And this type of tree was foreign to him. The best thing he could do right now was just walk and hope he found something, or someone, that could help him out.

~Break~

He had been walking for what seemed like an hour or two. The sun was still high in the sky so it was at least noon or sometime after. He hadn't found any sign of civilization or people in that time. Minato knew that forest could go on for miles and people could very well get lost within. He also hadn't found any nearby sources of food. No berry bushes, no rivers, and no wild animals to hunt.

It made him think that the survival movies he saw with Akihiko and Junpei made it look easy.

Minato was thinking of climbing one of the trees to get a bearing on his position, were he not interrupted by growling.

He turned and saw what looked to be a dog, but only is shape. It was much, much larger than any dog and much more frightening. Its entire body was black with white claws and armor. For a face it seemed to have a bone white mask with red markings. Minato was reminded of a shadow, and he slowly reached for his sword.

The creature rushed him. A year of combat, ancient memories, and battle instinct saved him. As it lunged at Minato he had ducked and using its own momentum with his own he severed its head in one swipe of the sword.

Turning to get a closer look at the monster he was surprised to see it disintegrating. A horrible, terrible thought surfaced in Minato's mind. From its monstrous appearance and lack of corpse he could only think of one thing.

Were these shadows?

But that didn't make any sense, Minato thought. Shadows only appeared during the Dark Hour. With the lack of a green sky and major headache he could attest that it wasn't the case.

At least not yet.

He had also never seen a shadow like that before. While the creatures could take many forms, in his journey through the tower he had never encountered one so beastlike. Sure many were monstrous and even nightmare inducing, but this creature reminded Minato of a wild animal than a monster.

He was brought out of his reverie by a familiar sound of growling.

Turning around, sword in hand, he saw four more of the creatures. Each looked exactly the same as the one he killed. They slowly encircled him, making him lose sight of the one that went behind him. Orpheus increased his physical ability, usually above that of regular humans, but while he killed the first one easily it had been purely instinct and only against one opponent.

Now he was faced against several of these creatures. Minato guessed that the one he killed was part of their pack which explained their weariness. He placed himself in fighting stance, it was unorthodox with his sword always to the side, but it allowed him comfortable movements with fast timed strikes.

Minato barely had a second before they rushed him. His first reaction was to duck from the one coming straight at him, which was a mistake because while the first swipe missed his head the second creature slammed into his mid-section knocking him down.

The claws had raked his stomach, ripping his uniform in the process, and slicing through his unprotected flesh. The creature jumped onto Minato attempted to latch its teeth on his neck. Pure instinct saved him as a right hook to its face staggered it, he even saw pieces of bone and teeth fall to the ground. While it was stunned Minato thrusted his sword upwards through its stomach. It froze for a second and similar to the first began to disappear.

Minato only had a second as the other two rushed him. They were upon him before he could get up, swinging his sword at the first one he was able to cut of its arm. Unfortunately he wasn't able to stop the second one and it latched its jaws on his sword arm.

Intense pain fired up his arm and it took all of his power not to scream in pain. Minato punched the creature in the head, but no matter how many times he punched it wouldn't let go. He was losing blood fast and he couldn't reach his sword.

A roar behind him got his attention away from the wolf monster attempting to rip his arm off. The one whose arm he cut off was slowly coming towards him limping slightly as it clutched its severed stump.

Minato began punching with more fervor. If the other one got to him he would be done for. Even after breaking a quarter of the mask off it still wouldn't let go. Minato was slowly losing feeling in his arm and becoming much more tired. His clothes were soaked in blood and his wounds weren't showing any signs of stopping.

Was he going to die?

Is this how it ends. Coming back after so long only to be killed by some monsters. Minato was getting tired. His eyes were slowly closing.

"Call us."

Minato's eyes widened. It couldn't possibly be…

"Use it, call us once more."

Using his free hand he reached into his pocket to pull out the evoker. Without hesitating he placed the cold metal to his head. The familiar feeling blocking the pain allowed him to prepare himself. The other monster was almost on him and Minato pulled the trigger.

"WAIT DON'T!" a voice called out

"Per-so-na."

~Break~

Ruby Rose was having an awesome day.

Not only had she joined Beacon academy two years early, she also got to fight actual Grim on her first day.

The entrance exam had been a little… awkward. But that was because of her bad first impression with Weiss. Ruby was a clutz sometimes, she realized that years ago, but she could fight and even had Crescent Rose, a one of the kind Scyithle (she was so good with names). But after fighting that Nevermore, Ruby was sure everything had landed on the right foot. She and Weiss were even on the same team now.

Even better, her sister Yang was on her team too! Yang was super strong, even better she was like the best sister ever. Even if she could be a little teasing sometimes. And Yang has teamed up with this girl named Blake. Ruby wasn't sure of what to think of her at first, but she was undeniably cool. Her semblance let her make clone images and she has some wickedly cool ninja stuff.

Her team was awesome, so this made her awesome, which mean that they would become awesome Huntresses, which meant she would be the greatest huntress in the world!

They were walking back with the others they teamed up with.

The girl Nora was a bunch of fun, but a little weird, but Ruby saw she could hit like an Ursa and was probably stronger than Yang. Her hammer launcher was tough as heck and even made that death stalker stumble. Ren had some cool SMG blades and acted cool to match. She even saw him use some martial arts too. Pyrrha was something else. She did things Ruby had never seen, Ruby had high esteem of herself, but something told her that Pyrrha was on a whole other level. And Jaune was… Jaune was nice.

They were heading back to the starting point with their chess pieces when they heard growls past some bushes. Ruby was the first to check it out with everyone following in tow. Pushing past the bushes Ruby saw what was making the noise.

Two beowolf's, one missing an arm, were in a small opening in the forest. But what caught everyone's eyes was the second beowolf and who it was on. The beowolf was latched onto his arm and looked to have its mask in pieces but wouldn't let go of the boys arm.

He was soaked in blood.

Ruby rushed forward readying Crescent Rose, she was about to shoot the beowolf until she saw the boy take out a pistol and place it to his head.

"WAIT DON'T!" she screamed, but it was too late.

She heard the gun go off, but instead of a blasting sound and a spray of blood she heard the sound of breaking glass. Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, a giant harp smashed into the beowolf that was on the boy. The beowolf smashed into a tree and its broken body began to disappear. The one-armed grim rushed forward and was crushed just as fast.

The sudden shock from what just happened faded and Ruby got a good look at what had just saved the boy. It looked like it was made of metal, its body had that shiny exterior. Looking closer it reminded her of a puppet doll, a very large and apparently very dangerous puppet doll. Seeing its face was the real surprise though, while being pitch black and having red eyes it was an exact copy of the boy's face.

The boy who was covered in blood.

Ruby and everyone rushed forward only to see the giant doll raise its harp and strum the strings. Suddenly the boy's body glowed in a warm light. His blood receded back in his body and the wounds he sustained knitted themselves together. His arm which had been mangled and nearly ripped from his body had re-attached itself and looked good as new.

The boy lifted himself up and rubbed his arm as if checking to make sure it was alright. He then turned towards the two groups with a completely calm face and raised his hand in greeting.

"Hello."

~Break~

His body felt great.

A rush of adrenaline couldn't compare to the power his persona gave him. While inside his mind he could wield their powers, but never to the actual degree and effectiveness of the originals, but summoning them gave him the rush of energy he had missed. Orpheus had taken care of those monsters as quick as possible, it knew that Minato was losing too much blood and needed to heal him fast.

His head was still spinning a little as he sat up. The surprise attacks had almost costed him his life and if it wasn't for his Persona he would probably be dead. Rubbing his arm, Minato tried to understand how he was able to summon Orpheus in the first place. He wasn't in the Dark Hour but there he was corporal form and all. Minato remembered hearing a voice before he used his evoker and looked to his right.

There were eight of them in total. The one in front was a petite girl dressed in a black skirt and a red hood. Next was another girl in black dressed in a form fitting outfit, one in a, slightly revealing, top and short shorts, and one in a white skirt and appeared to be much more refined. The ones behind them were just as oddly dressed. The first was a pink girl in another form fitting dress, a guy who appeared to be a martial artist, a woman dressed as though she was from ancient Greece, and a boy with armor over casual clothes.

But what really caught his attention were what they were holding. He saw a mechanical scythe that looked like it had a rifle muzzle at the opposite end. A Rapier that had a revolver with colorful canisters instead of bullets. A yellow gauntlet that appeared to have shotgun shells. A Warhammer, two sword and shields, cleaver and katana, and a pair of SMG's that seemed to act as wind and fire blades.

They had gunblades… alright then.

But these were also the first people he's seen since he woke up. So he did what any logical person would do and greeted them.

"Hello." He said as he raised his hand.

Minato barely had a second before the pink one of the groups started hoping all around him.

"That was amazing! What is that!" she pointed to Orpheus. "Is that a semblance, or your weapon? How did your arm get healed! Are you taking the test too? I didn't see you when we started, were you late? Oh what abou-." The martial artist put his hands over the pink girl's mouth stopping her mile a minute mouth.

"Sorry about that," he said, "She can get a little excited."

Minato was about to get up when the girl in the white skirt, or was it a combat skirt, walked up to him scowling.

"What are you doing here?" she started. "I don't remember seeing you this morning or when all of the first years arrived yesterday." She crossed her arms eyeing Orpheus warily. It never occurred that he might be trespassing.

"Hey, hey let's calm down alright." The yellow girl said. "Dude just got mauled by some beowolf's, let's give him some space." She reached down and offered a hand to help him up. He took it and was surprised by her grip, this girl was strong and effortlessly pulled him up. Her eyes started roaming around his body, mainly his arm and chest, and tilted her head to the side. "Heck not even a scratch after that grim was chompin on your arm huh? Must be some pretty handy semblance you got there man."

Minato looked at Orpheus, knowing its purpose was fulfilled and sensing no danger it returned to the Sea of Souls. Everyone stared as the Persona began to disappear in mid-air.

The girl with the red hood came up to him and looked at a mix between angry and relieved. "Are you OK?" she asked.

Minato nodded. Realizing that her voice was the one he heard before summoning Orpheus, she must have thought he was about to kill himself.

He picked up his evoker and brought it so the girl could see it.

"My gun doesn't shoot bullets." He told them. "It allows me to… activate my abilities. I'm sorry for worrying you."

"What kind of ability needs you to shoot yourself to activate?" The boy in the armor asked. "Is that like normal or something or am I the only one finding this weird?" He looked around and noticed everyone's uncertain stares. "So it's not just me, great." He mumbled.

"Hey!" the girl in white yelled. "You still haven't answered my question. What are you doing here and who the heck are you?"

Minato sheathed his sword and put the evoker back in his pocket. He took a second to think very carefully about his words as this could have a wide array of effects. He decided the best course of action would be honesty. And right now they were his best chance to get answers for his situation.

"I'm sorry, but where exactly am I?"

They all looked at each other in confusion. The one in the Greek armor answered him.

"You're in the Emerald Forest near Beacon academy."

Minato furrowed his brows in confusion. He had never heard of Beacon academy or of an Emerald Forest. A thought came into his head, but he needed more proof.

"Could any of you tell me what the name of the world is?" he asked.

"It's called Remnant, everyone knows that." The girl in white said. "And what's with all of these weird questions? Do you have amnesia or something." She questioned him again.

"No, I think I'm just lost." He answered. "I woke up about an hour ago in this forest. I'm sorry if I caused you an inconvenience."

"Psh, don't worry about it." The red girl asked. "Were heading back to Beacon Academy right now. You can just follow us and Headmaster Ozpin can get this sorted out."

She offered her hand. "My name is Ruby Rose by the way."

Minato accepted the handshake "It's nice to meet you."

He looked to the others as they introduced themselves.

"Weiss Schnee."

"Blake Belladona."

"Yang Xiao Long, Ruby's big sis."

They had different surnames? Well different world, different customs he supposed.

"I'm Nora Valkryie!"

"Lie Ren."

"Pyrrha Nikos, hello."

"Jaune Arc."

Weird names, fusion weapons, and a forest filled with monsters with students to fight them. So far this is a weird world.

~Break~

"This guy is weird." Was Jaune's impression of Minato.

After everything that he and the rest of them went through today, he was ready to take a long nap. Being launched in the air, almost stabbed by a Deathstalker, and now a guy who can summon giant metal dolls by shooting himself in the head.

Maybe he made the wrong choice coming here.

'NO!' His mental voice screamed. 'You came here to be a warrior, running away now won't mean anything.'

But what could he do? Everyone here was amazing. Even the guy who was getting mauled a second ago by a beowolf got right back up like it didn't even happen. Pyrrha said he had a strong Aura, but he had no idea how to use it, so that just made him even more incompetent. He was nothing like Pyrrha or Weiss.

Weiss was the most beautiful girl he ever met. She had that nobility around her that he had only heard in fairy tales his mom told Jaune and his sisters. Everything from her clothes to her rapier shined with elegance. And that cold and brash exterior made her even more attractive.

Pyrrha was beyond cool. Her shield and sword blew his out of the water. She fought that deathstalker without even batting an eye. And she saved his but like a dozen times already. That made Jaune frown. He liked Pyrrha, but he came here to be a warrior. He came here to be a hero. If he's constantly getting saved then what's the point of being here.

On their way back he saw Weiss eyeing him warily. He was glad at least someone else thought this was strange. The guy was currently in the middle of talking to Ruby as she asked him question after question about his name, where he's from, and his Semblance. But he only answered in vague and short answers.

"So, where are you from Minato?"

"Japan."

"Where's that?"

"East."

"East of where?"

"East."

"Alright… then what's the name of your gun?"

"Evoker."

"So it's a gun that summons creatures!"

"Yes."

"That's so cool!"

"Yes."

"You don't talk much do you Minato?"

"No."

'What the heck kind of conversation is this?' Jaune thought. Yang and Nora looked like they were about to bust a gut just by listening. What kind of guy just answers every question with just one word? Heck why was he so calm right now. He was being mauled a second ago, found out he was lost in a forest of Grim, and had no idea what Beacon was. But the most emotion Jaune saw out of the guy was raising his eyebrows a little.

Maybe it was just him. Heck everyone had taken everything in stride today, so something like this wouldn't bother them that much. Well if they can do it so can he!

Jaune just hoped that coming here wasn't a mistake.

~Break~

Another hour of walking and they had finally reached the end of the forest. During that time Minato had answered what he could without admitting he wasn't native to the world. The girl, Ruby, had asked him question after question during the hour. This allowed him to find out, or at least infer, what this world was like and why they were fighting monsters in the forest. Apparently Beacon Academy is a training school for the hunters of Grim.

A small relief that they were not called shadows.

Apparently Ruby was two years younger than the rest here. She had apparently been invited to the school. Minato could see why. From when they showed up it was Ruby that had acted first. And since she could apparently use a hybrid scythe rifle, Minato was sure the girl could handle herself.

And right now the eight people here were completing an entrance exam. Apparently they had to gather chess pieces and group up into teams with the first person they met. An odd way to form teams, but Minato could see the merits. But before they could bring the pieces back they had to fight what sounded like a giant bird and scorpion.

Well it wasn't the strangest thing Minato had ever heard.

When they exited the forest he could see two figures waiting for them. One was a middle-aged man with tousled gray hair and thin brown eyes. He has a light complexion and sharp facial features. He wears shaded glass spectacles and a dark-green scarf with a small, purple, cross-shaped emblem on it. He wore an outfit of an unzipped black suit over a buttoned vest and green undershirt. He was also wearing black trouser shoes and long, dark-green pants. In one hand he had a cane, which seemed to have a sword handle, and a cup of coffee in the other.

Next to him was a woman who appears to be a middle-aged. She has very light-blonde hair tied back in a bun with a curl hanging down the right side of her face. Her eyes are bright green and she wears thin ovular glasses. She wears a white long-sleeved suit that exposes part of her chest, and puffy sleeves that tighten near the wrist before spreading back out near her hands. Her lower body has a black business skirt with buttons running in a vertical line up the front of it and lighter black-brown stockings. She was also holding a riding crop.

"Welcome back everyone. It's good to see that you all survived." The man said with a smile on his face. "And it seems," he started turning to Minato, "that we have a new guest."

"Oh! Headmaster Ozpin this is-," Ruby started but was interrupted when the headmaster raised his hand.

"I am quite aware of who he is Miss Rose." He motioned towards the train in the background. "Please, everyone take the train back to the Academy, I will personally take care of Mister Minato and we shall finish your introduction into Beacon Academy when I am finished."

They all left waving their goodbyes, or in Ruby's case waving frantically, as they entered the train. He waved back out of politeness. Minato turned to the adults who looked as though they were studying him.

"Now I believe we have much to talk about," he motioned for Minato to join him and the woman.

~Break~

Minato had followed Ozpin into the Beacon tower. It was an incredible sight, and Minato could see where the school got its name. The headmaster's office was at the very top and looked over the fairgrounds leading up to the main building. A way for him to watch over the entire school so to speak. And the headmaster's room was equally impressive.

It was large. Next to the window looking over the school was his desk. It looked very futuristic with the moving screen and high tech chair behind it. Minato noticed that the desk screen looked very similar to the pad that the woman held. Maybe a similar technology made into whatever it was convenient. But the room while large held a tranquil atmosphere. It reminded Minato of Tartarus floor room.

Oh and there were gears everywhere. Literally everywhere. On the ceiling, several giant ones to the side, and some gear shaped markings on the floor. Maybe it was a theme or a preference. Or it could be symbolism, Minato wasn't sure.

The headmaster took his seat while the woman stood on the side eyeing him closely. He motioned for him to take the seat in front of the desk and Minato accepted.

"Thank you for coming with us Mister Minato," he started. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am headmaster Ozpin and this is Glynda Goodwitch a teacher here at this academy. Now we have some questions for you and we were hoping you could answer them."

Minato nodded. It would benefit him to cooperate with them. They had given him no reason that they wanted to harm him so he would answer the questions he could.

"Excellent, now do you know where you are?" Ozpin started.

Minato shook his head. "I know this school is called Beacon somewhere on Remnant, but those words mean nothing to me."

"I see," Ozpin nodded. "I have a theory, if you will indulge me?" Minato nodded and allowed him to continue. "I have a feeling that we will not find you in any data base on Vale, or even Remnant for that matter."

"I am from another world." Minato could see where he was going and put the last piece of the puzzle in.

"I thought as much," Ozpin took a sip from his cup. "Tell me mister Arisato, what was the last thing you remembered before you woke up in the forest."

"I died," he answered flatly. He could tell that wasn't what they were expecting. The witch's cold eyes became soft and surprised for a second. While the headmasters face showed shock and sadness.

"You were killed before coming here?" he asked for clarification.

Minato shook his head. "It would be more accurate to say my body failed."

"You were sick?" The witch asked.

"In a way." He answered. The exact nature of his death and how he died were unimportant to them. Those were sad, but important moments for him and would be his and his alone until he deemed fit.

"I am sorry," Ozpin apologized. Minato could feel the honesty in the man's voice. "But, it seems that fate has given you a second chance."

It certainly seemed that way. Minato had guessed as to why he was alive, but he had an idea. He noticed that his Persona were not inside the Sea of Souls. He wondered why they didn't return with him, but he had an idea. He could re-ignite his bonds with the Arcana. Find souls that needed help, needed a friend, or simply needed a listening ear and reclaim his lost power. But that wasn't what struck Minato.

It was that he didn't have to.

In Minato's own world he gained power out of necessity. He needed that power to defeat the Shadows that came out of the tower. And he needed those links in order to truly understand what it meant to be human. Through those links he learned happiness, sadness, compassion, drive, and all that was needed to understand others. But in this world there was no Dark Hour, no shadows, and no tower. There were monsters yes, but this school had those training and ready to fight those monsters. He retained the power of his Persona, but it wasn't needed. It wasn't the only way to fight the monsters in the dark.

He could live a normal life. He was truly given a chance to have a completely normal life.

Should he though? Yes he had complete and utter control over what to do with his life. Power was not meant to be wasted away and left to rot, it was meant to be used. He retained his power, as fractured as it might be, and he could use it however he saw fit. But to do nothing, to simply live a normal life when given the opportunity to use his powers to help others again.

"This is a very… unique situation. I'm truly not sure how to proceed with this." He turned to the witch, "Do you have anything Glynda?"

"He was capable of defending himself against the Grim and has shown a unique Semblance." She broke her eyes from Minato to look at the headmaster. "If it were up to me," she looked back at him, "I would enroll him into Beacon."

They were offering to make him a student? It seemed rather sudden, but considering he had no identity in this world as well as no knowledge of it besides a few terms. It would be a mistake to not accept. But first he had some questions of his own.

"Excuse me," Minato said having gained their attention. "What is a Semblance? From what I have heard it seems to be a unique power one holds. Is this correct?"

"In simplified terms, yes." Glynda answered. "A Semblance is a tangible projection of one's Aura which is the manifestation of the soul."

That surprised Minato. It seemed that their powers were similar in a way to Persona. Though while their use of the soul manifested in separate abilities, Persona manifested in legendary figures from the collective conscience of mankind. Maybe this was why he was able to summon Orpheus. Coming to this world also allowed him to follow its rules.

Same, but different.

"Your Aura is still dormant, isn't it?" Ozpin questioned.

"I would not believe so," he answered, "my power has protected me since, and I do not know if I could unlock my Aura."

"Well then," the man stood up, "let us check and see."

He knelt next to Minato and placed a hand on his cheek. While the closeness was odd, Minato had no illusion to what the man was doing. It was the how that concerned him.

"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality." His and the headmaster's body began to glow. His blue to Ozpin's green. "Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee."

Ozpin rose and took another sip of his coffee. He looked slightly tired, maybe the process had tired him?

"So," he started, "how do you feel?"

Minato looked at his hands thinking of how to answer.

"Strange and open, like adrenaline, but not at the same time."

"Then we can safely assume that it worked." He took another sip.

It was a strange feeling to Minato. His power had always come from his mind. The connection to the Sea of Souls was through the soul, but it was the mind that gave them form and coalesced power. It felt as if a pressure had been removed from just his mind and now spread throughout his body. While he doubted that it would affect how he utilized his Personas, there was still an oddness to this. He would have to experiment with to better understand what exactly had changed.

But, right now there was still a choice he must make.

"If I were to accept this proposal, I would need to know more about this world." He asked and they gave him everything he needed to know.

What the Grim were and the similarities they had with the shadows from his world. The four kingdoms and the relative peace the world is now in. That humans were not the only intelligent creatures on the planet but also a race called Faunus, who were humanlike people with animal attributes. The racial tensions between them and mankind. As well as the White Fang a radical and sometimes terrorist group of individuals who believe that humanity should be under Faunus control. Of dust and its properties. And of school and what would be taught.

In return he answered their questions. While he could only give them bits and pieces on specifics he was able to tell them the nature of his power and how it works. He also informed them that he was far weaker than when he had died, but that he would be able to regain his strength should he see the need. When asked what he would require, Minato found that the best answer would be meeting new people.

He truly considered accepting. But there was a nagging question in his mind. One that if put in the wrong context could eliminate all sense of hospitality. But he needed to ask this question.

"Why are you being so generous?" he asked.

"It's quite simple actually," Ozpin set his coffee down and looked directly into Minato's eyes. "It's to keep an eye on you," his voice had become cold and serious. "I truly believe you have no ill intentions for my school or students, but you are still an unknown factor. You are from another world of which we have no knowledge of. And until you decide to share that with us, if and ever that time comes, it shall remain that way. However you have abilities that are unheard of." He smiled at Minato, the warm part of his voice returning. "And I would rather see that power used to help others here at Beacon."

Minato nodded. He could respect the man. He had been completely honest and had answered each of Minato's questions. He truly cared for those under his protection and sought to help others as well. He was a good man and it was people like him that Minato had wished to save in his world.

"Thank you." Minato answered and saw a smile form on Ozpin's face.

"Excellent," he said. "Now, we'll need to get you a new uniform because of your tattered clothes. We have several open dorms for first years so that will be no problem. Money for personal supplies. A fake, or in this case new, ID and history. And enrollment in classes." He got up and started typing on his digital pad. "Now due to this unique situation I am afraid that you will not have a team of your own during these next four years at beacon, but considering your ability allows you to summons constructs of your soul it wouldn't be a far stretch to say you will not be fighting alone."

Minato nodded, agreeing with the statement.

"But I will see that you do joint work with other teams. It always helps to become closer to one's classmates no?" he continued.

Minato waited for Ozpin to finish typing. When he did Minato stood up and the man held his arm before him.

"I hope you do enjoy your stay at Beacon mister Arisato," he lifted his hand. Minato accepted it and heard the familiar sound of glass breaking inside his head.

Thou hast re-ignited the Hierophant Arcana

The great Yellow Dragon has returned

Remember to understand what guides oneself

"Are you alright?" Ozpin asked. Minato, had stumbled for a second the shock of a Persona returning to the Sea of Souls. It seems that he had made his first bond in this world, and not one he would regret.

"Just dizzy," Minato answered.

"Good to know," Ozpin said. "Now before we go, are you sure this is what you want? We could let you go somewhere else, and I'm sure the other headmasters across Remnant would agree with me if you simply wanted to leave."

Minato didn't need to think it over. The answer was already there. He simply nodded in agreement.

Ozpin nodded understanding the meaning.

"Well then, let's not keep your new classmates waiting."

~Break~

Turns out that the entrance exam to Beacon would commence in an hour. This gave Minato enough time to find some new clothes to replace the ones that the beowolves destroyed.

Vale had a bustling shopping center, which luckily included several clothing stores. Minato knew that a large part of his clothing would come from the school's official uniform, but it would be nice to have diversity. Walking around, Minato saw a mannequin that caught his eye.

It was a dark blue, long sleeve, button-up collared shirt with a black and white striped undershirt. It had dark blue pants with a brown belt that had several cosmetic clips. Around the neck was a long yellow scarf. (1)

While changing he emptied his pocket and found that another object was in his left shirt pocket. Pulling it out, his eyes widening a fraction, was the velvet key. The key was same in shape and form with the picture of the dual sided mask at the base. The ultra-marine key was a quite literal key to his mind and soul. But the glow that accompanied it during that year had faded. It was a key with no lock, a secret that only he held. He pocketed it in his new clothes while changing.

He had purchased it for personal reasons. It reminded him of a dear friend, a friend he was sure was long gone, and the memory no matter how feeble was comforting. He paid the fitter, discarded his old clothes, and made his way towards beacon.

~Break~

He had arrived at the amphitheater during the team assignments. The assembly area takes the form of a glass-domed amphitheater with raised bleachers arranged in a circle around a circular stage that has a tall, ornate (possibly wooden) backdrop with blue lights. There is also a large, open area in front of the stage where currently four students were standing.

Three of them looked relatively normal with simple clothes. It was the large one to the left that was the odd one out. He was dressed in armor, with an ornate symbol in the middle of his chest piece, and had a brutal sort of look to him. Similar to how the gang members in Tatsumi looked, or appeared to look anyhow.

Minato stood to the side of the stage out of site as Ozpin spoke.

"Russel Thrush. Cardin Winchester. Dove Bronzewing. Sky Lark," the screen of the auditorium shows each of their profiles as the boys are lined up for the applauding audience to see as Ozpin continues, "The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team CRDL (pronounced Cardinal), led by... Cardin Winchester!"

The large teen in the armor sported a proud smile which was followed by several high fives and pat on backs from his new teammates. Minato wasn't surprised, he looked like the typical leader type. Also considering that they finished much sooner than the groups he met, and that they didn't even see them when they exited the forest surely spoke of their skill. Or their luck, Minato wasn't sure.

The next four that walked onto the stage were Jaune Arc, Pyrrha Nikos, Lie Ren, and Nora Valkyrie. Minato truly found their names odd. Two were named after crossdressing warriors of his history's past, one was akin to a Norse warrior, albeit less serious, and the last name literally meant 'sacrificial victory'. Maybe it was just an odd coincidence in this world.

Ozpin resumed speaking, "Jaune Arc. Lie Ren. Pyrrha Nikos. Nora Valkyrie. The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team JNPR (pronounced Juniper)."

"Led by…" the group to already be celebrating, happy with their group obviously, that they almost missed their leader's name. "…Jaune Arc!"

The boy in question looked shocked. "Huh, l-led by…"

"Congratulations young man," Ozpin didn't allow Jaune to finish.

Minato saw Pyrrha try to give Jaune a playful, or encouraging, fist to the shoulder. Which led to him falling on his butt off the stage. The boy was unsure of himself, but Ozpin had shown Minato that he was a wise man, so there was probably more to meets the eye.

There usually always is.

The last four were Ruby, Yang, Blake, and he believed the white one's name was Weiss. Their names floated above the screen just like before.

"And finally," Ozpin motioned towards the girls, "Blake Belladonna. Ruby Rose. Weiss Schnee. Yang Xiao Long. The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team RWBY. Led by... Ruby Rose!"

The older sister rushed Ruby shaking here after exclaiming how proud she was. The team dynamic balanced itself out as far as Minato saw. Ruby was hyper and a lot younger than the rest here and Weiss would bring out that maturity with her personality. Yang was an extrovert who would be a perfect balance for the reserved Blake. He had only known the groups for less than an hour, but that had been enough to get a good idea on their personalities.

As of making the younger sister leader. The girl was a mix of shy and excited. But leaders didn't need to be the strongest or the smartest. Some just need to be the glue that holds everything together.

Besides that he believe that the name was a joke of some sorts. It had to be. The coincidence was most likely to good to pass up. Not only was the name of the team the leaders name, but the firs initials also reflected their color choices. Red for Ruby, White for Weiss, Black for Blake, and Yellow for Yang.

It was a joke, Minato couldn't accept that it was just coincidence.

Ozpin cleared his throat, "Now we have one more student to welcome here at Beacon."

He took that as his que to walk up on stage. Standing in the middle of the stage all of the eyes in the amphitheater were on him. Even now it was uncomfortable to have so many eyes on him. He was better suited to small groups and one-on-one conversations. Having them stare at him made him antsy, but reigned it in with control.

He looked to the side and noticed Ruby waving at him and her sister giving him the peace sign. The others still looked unsure about him, with Jaune looking more shocked by being leader of his own team. He acknowledged them with a nod, it was some condolence that he knew some students before starting at Beacon.

His name and a picture appeared on the screen above him.

"This year we will be implementing a special program," Ozpin motioned to the screen and where it said team there was only his name, "Minato Arisato, due to his unique abilities, prior experience, and a miscalculation on how many students would be attending this year, will be working without a team during his four years at Beacon Academy."

That announcement caused the amphitheater to be filled with murmurs and whispers. Minato himself was unsure what to think. He had simply thought he would be an extra edition to another team or would be part of another team itself.

The wall towards the back of the amphitheater became much more interesting.

"Yes, yes, I know this is a surprise to you all," he continued causing the room to become silent again, "But I believe that this will be an excellent learning experience for you all. Here at Beacon you will learn to cooperate and work together with your teammates for the next four years, but mister Arisato will add to that dynamic. During the next four years, for missions, assignments, and even school projects, mister Arisato will be joining one of your teams. This will teach that not only will you eventually have to be able to work alongside your own teammates, but you must also learn how to work with other Hunters and Huntresses."

When the headmaster finished Minato looked back towards the audience. He saw unsure looks, questioning, and even some worried. Looking back at Ozpin the man simply smiled and went to leave with Glynda.

Minato had a feeling it was going to be a long year.

~Break~

It was lost.

It had woken up and been in an unfamiliar place. The world was wrong, the people wrong, the monsters wrong.

But they died all the same.

Monsters of beast and bone attacked it. It responded by ripping them to shreds. The bear ones were crushed. The flying ones plucked from the sky. Each one that attempted to attack it fell like the rest. They were perversions, filthy perversions of animals of the world. But they were not shadows. The monsters didn't become slime in its hand when it killed them. But they were monsters all the same.

Frightened not humans fired upon it when they saw it. Their deaths were swifter. It had come upon them by accident. But they weren't humans, they had parts of beast on them. They reacted in fear, it reacted in defense.

The not humans were similar to the humans. It would kill them only if they attacked first.

But something was worse than all of these wrongs. Worse than monsters and not humans. Worse than the cold landscape it trudged across.

Why couldn't it find him?

It went through the snowy tundra in search. It left and returned to only be lost again.. It would search for him. It would find him. It had to find him.

It wouldn't be alone again.

Author's Note

(1). outfit is by DeathNapalm's P3/P4 Ultimax version of Minato.

Hey everyone so this is my new project. After rewriting Chapter 7 of King of Souls about 12 times I decided to take a break and try something new. After finally being convinced to watch RWBY I kinda fell in love with it. Honestly the only thing I don't like about the show is the villain, but that's a rant for another day.

Now King of Souls is on hiatus for the time being. I know it sucks and I've really thought hard about this. But if I can't finish one chapter without hating it I'll never finish the damn thing.

So this is my rebound story and I'm gonna be working on this in my spare time.

So to everyone waiting on King of Souls I am really, truly, honest to god sorry. I haven't given up on the story. I just need to get away from it for a while.

Not much is going to deviate from cannon until around the end of season (volume?) 1. After that were gonna be deviating from main points and things are gonna get real.

On Minato's power I thought real long and hard about this one concerning his abilities and I believe this is the best course. My biggest reason is that when doing a crossover in Fate, Index, and Bleach or whatever. Minato can have all of his powers because when he hits in those worlds something else can hit back, maybe even harder, but when in a world like RWBY it would simply be to OP. Now in regards to his persona when Minato re-ignites a bond to the Arcana he will gain the apex persona. It's regaining not restarting.

Gonna do my best to meld this worlds powers with Minato's and I have some really cool ideas.

I hope I can give you guys/girls/trans/fish a good story with this.