Chapter One: Rude Awakening

I try to force my eyes, glued closed from hours of sleep, open. After a couple attempts, I give up trying. A couple more minutes won't hurt, right?

Even though I can't see anything, something feels...off. I can't really put my finger on what it is, though. It's just a vague feeling of uneasiness. Then again, I'm pretty sure it's a Monday, so it's not entirely unwarranted.

After a couple more minutes of this, I become aware of a painful throbbing in the back of my head. It's nothing like my typical migraine, more akin to a hangover. I try to think of whether or not I went out last night, and nothing comes to mind. In fact, I can't remember anything about last night. I rack my brain for any details and come up completely empty-handed. I can assume I went out, that would explain a lot, but…

Alright, this is getting too much to handle. I'm opening my eyes now.

It takes a lot of effort, but eventually my eyes flutter open, and I immediately regret my decision. This is too much to take in.

I'm in a room, that much is obvious, but it appears to be some kind of dorm, because of the bunk beds. Speaking of the bunk beds, they appear to be normal beds, just stacked on top of each other with things like books and ropes keeping the top one from falling. The posters of male pop singers, along with the fact that many of the aforementioned books seem to be romance or what appears to be female-oriented smut (the muscular men on the fronts are a dead giveaway), seem to suggest that only women live here. Either that or some very feminine guys. This seems very very familiar. Too familiar. I don't think I'm supposed to be here.

Light pours from the window, accentuating the rose-red color of the curtains (one of them seems to have been stitched together). How long have I been asleep for? I don't normally sleep in for this long. Was it drugs? Drugs aren't my thing though, apart from cigarettes, but they wouldn't have got me into this mess. Was I roofied? Doesn't seem at all likely, I'm hardly the type of person you'd want to waste good roofie pills on. Alcohol, maybe, but I'm still not sure.

While I'm processing this, I hear a faint murmuring out of my field of vision. My hearing's pretty poor, but it sounds like some sort of debate. Guess the owners of the dorm didn't want to wake me up. How considerate of them. If I woke up to some random tosser sleeping on the floor of my room, I'd kick six shades of shit out of him.

Alright, what the hell am I going to say to the people who live here? They still don't know I'm awake, I haven't moved. As far as I can see, I can do one of three things:

Continue lying down and wait for them to attempt to wake me up, to which I'll react completely bewildered (as I know.

Go back to sleep and hope that it's all just a dream, which it might not be, which just makes my problem worse.

Actually confront the problem head on. Sit up and introduce myself, and hope not to get the shit kicked out of me.

As I lie here debating this quandary, the whispers begin to louden. I can only assume the argument has become more intense. I can make out individual voices now, two of them.

"Ugh, can't we just throw him out now? He's been asleep for ages. I don't know why you're being so considerate to a random pervert."

Oh. So that's what Person 1 thinks I was doing. Breaking into a girls' dorm room for less-than-holy reasons. For God's sake, I may be a pervert, but not to that extent.

"C'mon, I'm sure he'll wake up anytime now. It's nearly 10:30. Besides, I'm sure he's not a bad guy."

Now this person I like. She's got the right idea. What a sweetheart, seeing the best in me before she's even heard me speak.

"Either way, what'll we do with him when he wakes up? We can't let something like this go."

"Hmm...fair point. But it's not like he's done much wrong. I say we just ask him who he is and take it from there."

"I'm really running out of patience now. He's probably already awake and just pretending to be asleep."

This is the perfect time to make a good first impression. I see an opportunity and I take it.

"Bingo."

At this I hear a shriek, followed by what sounds like someone falling backwards. Huh. I guess that wasn't the right thing to say. Damn it, you only get one chance at a good first impression, better not stuff it up even more.

"Heh, sorry. Suppose I should've gone with option 1" I say, sitting up and rubbing my eyes. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"I-I wasn't scared, you just caught me off guard!" I hear what seems to be a stomp of indignation. "You've got a lot of explaining to do. Do you know what you've done?"

"Nope." I say with my best shit-eating grin, directed to nobody in particular. "But I might if you guys told me."

"Umm...we don't know either, mister." the other voice says.

"No need to 'mister' me, I'm probably around your age anyway. Now" I say, turning to address the higher voice, which seems to have moved from behind me to one of the top bunks, "who are..."

Oh.

Oh okay.

This is happening now.

"Ruby?"

Chapter Two: Greetings

Ruby Rose stares back at me, a mix of confusion and worry in her grey eyes, her pale skin glowing in the morning light.

Oh yes. THE Ruby Rose. Y'know, the one from RWBY? How the fuck did I end up in the same room as a fictional character. Either I'm high, I've finally gone insane, this chick's just a fantastic cosplayer with the exact same voice and personality as Ruby, I'm dreaming, or I've somehow entered their reality.

WHAT DID I DO LAST NIGHT THAT LED TO THIS.

I wish I could remember what happened last night, because whatever did happen, it's landed me in a...peculiar situation.

Alright, I've got one of three options now:

Begin fangirling like a little bitch (I will inevitably do this once formalities are out of the way, regardless).

Suavely introduce myself then woo her with my sharp wit and existential philosophies (that will never work).

Do something about the look she's giving me, probably caused by the fact that a complete stranger knows her name.

Before I can decide on any of these options, I feel a prick on the back of my neck. I sigh, guessing what's next isn't going to be fun and games.

"How do you know her name?" the other voice asks, which seems to have increased in pitch slightly.

"Et tu, Weiss?" I mumble, turning to face the ice queen herself. "You need to calm down, Jesus Christ. It's not like I've broken into private property or anythi-"

Weiss proceeds to slap me, right in the face. I should probably start taking this seriously. I now know that this is no longer a dream, so the time for cockiness is over.

"OK, OK, I'm sorry. I'll tell you whatever you need to know, alright? Please, put your sword down, I'm unarmed."

She seems to be considering this, before lowering her sword slowly. I let out a deep sigh of relief. "OK, now we can..."

Nevermind, she stopped the tip of her sword right in front of my groin. This is worse, this is so much worse.

"Don't think I'm going to let my guard down for one second, you perverted creep. All I know is that you've broken into my dorm room and you may be a threat. So convince me otherwise."

I look at Ruby, shooting her my best "Oh fuck what do I do" look, which involves my eyes being as wide as a church door and profuse sweating. She seems to nod at me, and mouths "Do it".

Alright, here I go. I swallow and begin.

"First of all, I'm unarmed, which you already know about. Second, do I look like a threat? C'mon, my arms are as strong as my will to live" I say, doing that dance move where you hold your arms akimbo and wiggle them, you know, that one. This seems to perturb Weiss, and she drops her weapon away from my nob.

"Thirdly, I have no goddamn idea how I ended up here, so even I don't know why I'm in here. And the final piece of evidence that I am of no harm to you..." This is going to be good. Wiess really looks like she's questioning herself now.

"If I came in here to hurt you, why did I not hurt you when you were asleep? That would've been much easier. And furthermore, why would I go to sleep in the same room as the people I meant to hurt, and in plain view at that?" I can hear the Cornered theme from Phoenix Wright playing, then again it's probably all in my head.

"Yeah! Nice job, strange boy!" Ruby shouts from her bunk, with her fist in the air, probably to annoy Weiss. I look at her and she seems to look away shyly.

"There. That's all the proof I have. Now maybe we can drop the hostilities and start working together to figure out why I'm here." I say, putting my sass into overdrive. I've got my hands on my hips and everything. Only thing I'm missing is the clicking in a C shape.

As I finish saying this, someone stirs from one of the bottom bunks. "You don't need to figure it out," they say, although their speech is muffled by the sheets on top of them. "Because I was the one that brought you here." And out of the bedsheets emerges the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my life.

"Y-Yang...umm...I-I...heeey." Killer introduction, dickhead. To be honest, this is how I normally greet people of the opposite sex. I devolve into a stuttering mess.

Yang giggles, and I'm too transfixed on her gorgeous hair and smile that I neglect to notice that I'm now not even talking, just staring like a giant creep. Shit. I slap myself hard in the face, and she giggles even more.

"I heard your debate against Weiss. Seems that you're possibly the smartest in the room" she says, with a killer grin. Knowing Yang, this is probably just some kind of lead-up to some terrible pun I decide to beat her to it, noticing that Weiss seems to be ignoring me now, pouting in the opposite direction.

"Looks like she's going to be giving me the 'cold shoulder' for a while now" I say, with finger guns and all.

This raises a chuckle from Yang. I reckon we're going to get along just fine.

"Hey, that's my line! Anyway, I don't quite know fully what happened, but I found you staggering along the streets of Vale at night. You seemed out of it, so I brought you here."

Oh. OK. I was picked up and brought to Beacon by my waifu. Either today is the best day ever, or one of the worst. I suddenly become aware of an insane urge to piss.

"Uhh, could any of you tell me where the bathroom is?"

Yang nods her head, and gestures towards a wooden door off to the side of the room. "While you're doing that, I'll explain to the girls what Ozpin thinks happened. I checked with him before I brought you anywhere near Beacon."

I nod, and begin walking towards the bathroom. As I reach the door, I get the feeling that something's missing. Taking a backwards glance at the room, it suddenly becomes glaringly obvious. How did I not notice this before?

"Hey, where's Blake?"

"Oh, she left for breakfast. Wanted to eat somewhere nice. She's picking up croissants for everyone, including you. I explained the situation before she left, so she's cool."

"Nice of her" I mumble, entering the bathroom. I close the door. Now I can afford to show some weakness. I fall onto the toilet, head in my hands, trying to figure out my next move. What should I do? There's little to no chance of getting home now. But...do I really want to? I could live here just as comfortably.

I look around the room. It's just like any other, isn't it? Most things are the same in this dimension, aren't they? Apart from all the Grimm and shit. But I reckon I can live with that, can't I?

I sigh and heave myself off of the seat, lift the seat and have the weirdest piss in my life. I wonder if anyone from my dimension has ever pissed in this dimension, if it is another dimension. Is it possible to piss between dimensions? Through a portal of some kind? I wonder if this is some kind of dimension shift? That's what I'm going with for now, until Ozpin clears this up.

Realising I'm not going to get anywhere with these questions, I finish up and begin washing my hands. The thought strikes me: where am I going to live now? What about a job? I could just pursue a normal education, but if the chance to become a huntsman is available…

I begin to smile. All my life on Earth I lacked purpose. Whatever I did never felt like I was making a difference. Now, I have a chance to make a difference, become someone that others rely on.

Maybe this isn't so bad after all.

. . . . .

"So we're supposed to just accept that?" Weiss says, indignant as always. Will I ever get her to like me?

"Well, you don't really/ have a choice. It all adds up, doesn't it?" I say, folding my arms. Eventually I'm going to soften her up. Maybe we could become great friends. I almost laugh at the ridiculous idea.

"Hmm..." Ruby's face is scrunched up with confusion, or perhaps deep concentration. Maybe both (God, she's so cute). "It's farfetched, but it does make sense."

Ozpin's currently facing the outside world through the window in his office. I don't know how many times this has happened. I wonder if this has ever happened before, or if this is new to him. Hell, I think it's new to all of us.

"Well, until we know for certain, which may never happen, that is the most likely explanation. It explains why there was a TV show about our world in your dimension. In dreams, it is said that the lines between dimensions begin to blur. You say this 'Monty Oum' fellow got the idea from a dream?"

"Yep, that's where it originated. You're all quite a big hit over there."

Yang smiles. She always struck me as the attention-loving type. If she starts asking me about her role in the show all the time, I'm going to get really pissed off and tell her she spent a majority of Season 4 moping around at home after losing an arm. But I know that won't happen over here. The concept and characters came from Monty's dreams, but everything from Season 3 onwards kind of lost touch with the actual happenings in this dimension.

"Anyway," Ozpin says, addressing me. "What's your name? I don't believe you've told us before."

I consider this. I could stick with my real name, but everybody over here has much cooler names than Earth's. Now's the chance for a fresh start. I look Ozpin firmly in the eye.

"My name is Com. Com Kellner."

At this, everyone raises an eyebrow. Both Yang and Weiss look at me, trying to decipher what it means. Or maybe they just think that my name makes me sound like a giant bellend. Before anyone can say anything, I notice movement over Yang's shoulder. I stand on my tiptoes to take a look. The door is opening.

"Hey guys." Blake says this as she enters the room. "I got croissants. Anyone want any?"

At this, all the girls rush over to her. She catches my eye and sets the basket (yes, a fucking wicker basket) of croissants down on a nearby cabinet, and walks over to me. Oh god, not more introductions. Nope nope nope nope nope. I never really got Blake as a character. One moment she was sullen and withdrawn, she next sarcastic. I guess I'll let her make the first move.

She stands in front of me, and our eyes lock. This lasts for about ten seconds.

Oh crap, I think she's expecting me to be the first to introduce myself. I steel myself and prepare to play the long game.

Our eyes narrow. Our hands are at our sides. It's almost like a cowboy showdown. I feel like a cowboy hat and a revolver would really make this awesome.

After a whole nother thirty seconds, we both extend our arms at the exact same time. Perfect time for an opening line.

"So who wins?" we both say at the same time. At this, she smiles and withdraws her hand, settling for a wave instead. Understandable, considering her personality. I find my voice.

"Hey. Nice to meet you. I'm Com." I say, giving her my most winning smile.

"Com? Nice name. I'm Blake." If this is sarcasm, she doesn't show it. It seems genuine enough, which I'm happy about. We both lapse into silence, Blake looking out the window, me looking at the floor.

"So...I wasn't awake when you woke up. How did you react?"

She thinks about this for a second. "I remember being a little shocked, but I've dealt with worse. You didn't seem like the fighting type."

"Heh, you got that right. Not in the morning, anyway." At this the edges of her mouth raise slightly. She doesn't really seem like the smiling type, so I'm counting that as a small victory.

I take a sidewards glance towards Blake, who still seems deep in thought. She catches my eye.

"Well, what do you think will happen to you?" she asks.

I consider this for a second. "Well, I'll join Beacon. I don't know how powerful I'll be, but I'm sure I can be of some use."

"Most likely, the fact that you came from another dimension will be enough for you to gain admission. How old are you?"

"16, I think. Turning 17 in a month, I think."

"Well, you'll be in our year then. Most likely you'll share some of our classes."

"So, do you reckon I'll get along with the rest of your team?" I inquire, casting a sidelong glance towards the girls. It appears that Yang and Weiss are hitting Ruby with pillows to get her to surrender the strawberry jam. By the looks of it, they're going to be at it for a while.

She smiles, a subtle smile that makes me trust her. "Yeah. I reckon we'll get along just fine."

. . . . .

Author's Note: Hey guys, thanks for reading the first two chapters of RWBY: Reality Shift. I'll be uploading more later, I've got some more chapters stockpiled. Either way, I've been working on this for a little while, so I thought I might as well get it out there. Any criticism is much appreciated. Thanks again.