Rick was ticked off; he kept seeing Jaune with Cardin but couldn't do anything about it. It had been a few days since the rooftop incident, Rick had been trying to figure out how to help out his blond friend but the options just kept getting smaller. The simplest measure would be to kill Cardin and be done with it, but that left a body, questions, searches, and, even though he was an ass, Cardin wasn't an evil person.

Rick had also thought of blackmail, give Cardin taste of his own medicine. That had its problems too; he would have to find said info. That meant either hacking into school records, which he had no ability to do and couldn't get help without raising suspicion, or raiding Cardin's room. This was even more stupid as he had an entire team behind him.

Rick was at an impasse, his mind working at a fast pace when he heard voices down the hall way. Well, voices that sounded more like a bunch of nope to a lot of questions. He hugged the corner and looked at the voices, he say Ruby giving Jaune a pep talk.

Clever girl, Rick though as he heard the conversation play out. Ruby may be young, but she had sound advice. She had left Jaune out alone, left him thinking about his position.

"So…How's life?" Rick said as he approached the knight, who looked at the psychopath in fright.

"Oh…Rick, how are you?" Jaune asked as Rick approached.

"Pretty well, I heard a little of what happened. You need help?" Rick asked once he was close enough.

"Oh…Uh…N…Yes," Jaune stuttered out, obviously still confused about his path, "I messed up, Cardin has something on me. Something that will hurt me."

"And your team," Rick said suddenly, "It will hurt your team as well."

Jaune looked at the ground in hopelessness, before asking, "Why? Why me? Why is it that I am the leader?"

"Well, you are certainly more suited than me," Rick stated, making Jaune look up in confusion, "Look, Jaune, I am not the leader that belong in Beacon. Hell, the only reason I'm here is that if I was to leave, my team would suffer. When you are a leader, you hold not just your fate, but your teams. Don't let your faults define you, let your team define you."

Jaune looked at his feet once more, thinking.

"Rick, I want to be the best for my team, but I just can't beat Cardin. I am no hero; I can't even face my team." Jaune said sullenly.

"Jaune, do you know what a hero is?" Rick asked the knight who looked up in suspicion, "It is a man who is brave, a man willing to fight for his beliefs, but bravery is also known as stupidity. Jaune, sometimes we have to make the right choice, no matter how stupid it seems. Be brave, Jaune Arc. And good night."

Rick left the teen alone as he climbed into his bed, there was to be no vigilante business tonight.

The next day…

Rick was still tired from the past few nights, so he barely understood what Goodwitch was saying. Something about getting sap, but all he was thinking about was Jaune. He saw that he had sulked off to Cardin, probably still considering what to do.

"Poor guy." Rick mumbled as his team broke off for the sap, Rick stayed behind. They had discussed what to do if this ever happened, Rick was to unstable to let him wander around so he was to stay back and guard whatever they brought back. At least in theory that was what was supposed to happen, in reality Rick was using this time to try to talk with Pyrrha about Jaune.

"Pyrrha, so what going on with you and Jaune? You seem pretty upset with him." Rick asked as EMBR, RWBY, and JNPR gathered sap.

"It's nothing," Pyrrha said defensibly, "I am sure that he knows what he's doing."

Rick gave her the "Really?" look.

"He made a bad call, that's all." Pyrrha said and stormed off.

"What's her problem?" Richard asked as he approached from behind.

"Team problems, Jaune being an idiot and Pyrrha had no idea what to do." Rick said as he sat down, watching Nora drink sap.

"Am I the only one who thinks that this is the start of a romance? They act like it." Richard asked the psychopath.

Rick laughed, "Yeah, probably. Anyway, how's Micca doing?"

Richard stifled a chuckle, "You gonna make a move?"

Rick reacted with a punch in the arm, "Nope, just worried that Cardin may be messing with her."

Richard saw through the meaning of those words, "Nope, she's fine."

"Good, Good," Rick said before Shaun came back with two jars of sap, "Good job buddy."

"Yeah, Yeah, Yeah," Shaun stopped himself, "Hey, just so you know, someone just dropped a jar of sap somewhere. Watch your step."

"Got it, wolf." Rick said as the faunas left.

"Got to love that sense of hearing," Richard said as he turned to Rick, "Hey, about Jaune, do you know anything about it?"

"Nope, wish I did, though I feel like it has something to do with Cardin." Rick replied with malice.

"You too?" Richard asked, now seriously, "So EMBR isn't the only one who wants to debrain the ass?"

"OH NO!" Rick said harshly.

"Yeah, I still need to pay him back for that faunas, Velvet," The monk replied, "I am going to break him."

"You go man," Rick said with an exaggerated bow, "I want to, but I will probably be kicked out if I do it my way."

"Dust or bat?" Richard asked with a grin.

"Yes." Rick said only to be interrupted by a roar.

"That can't be good." Richard said as he pulled out his weapon.

Emily yelled out, "EMBR, form a perimeter. Richard, find out what that was."

She was interrupted by some of CRDL running through the forest screaming "Ursa, Ursa!"

One was grabbed by Yang, "Where?"

"Over there, it's got Cardin!" The teen pulled out of the hold and took off.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha exclaimed, still showing care for her leader.

"Yang, Blake, go get Goodwitch. Be careful there may be more." Ruby ordered as she started off towards the Ursa.

"EMBR, back them up. Richard, go with them." Emily barked out as they headed off, as they left ROSA showed up.

"ROSA, make a perimeter. Make sure there are no others. I'm going with them." Rick yelled as he followed. They came to a clearing, where Cardin was having his ass handed to him. The Ursa had him on the ropes, one strike would finish it. It did not expect a shield to block it claws though, the teens watching all gasped, Jaune was protecting Cardin.

Better man than me. Rick thought as he watched the defense, Jaune was holding his own pretty well. He actually landed a strike on the thing before being hit and sent flying.

"Oh no, he isn't going…" Rick mumbled as he charged the beast, in a definite fashion that would get him killed. At least it would have, if Pyrrha hadn't raised her hand that was glowing black. Jaunes shield blocked the strike, and allowed him enough time to perform an impressive decapitation.

"Uh…what?" Ruby asked the Spartan.

"How did you?" Weiss asked.

"Ruby has her speed, you have your glyphs, my semblance is polarity." Pyrrha replied.

"Whoa, you can control poles." Ruby said in awe.

"Ruby, phrasing?" Richard asked in a creeped out tone

"No, you dunce, it means she has control over magnetism." Weiss blurted out.

"Magnets are cool too." Ruby said while Pyrrha turned to leave.

"Hey where are you going?" Weiss said indignantly.

"Yeah, we have to tell him what happened." Ruby said with enthusiasm.

"We could, or perhaps we could just keep it our little secret." She said as she walked off with Ruby and Weiss in tow.

"So, interested in him?" Richard asked Rick.

"Yep, definitely interested," Rick said with a chuckle, "He is too, this should be interesting."

A few hours later…

Rick was on the roof again, gathering his stuff. He was ready for another night on the town when he heard voices below him, ready for anything he peeked out to see the voices.

"…Help me become a better fighter." Jaune said to Pyrrha, which Rick chuckled at.

Oh would you two just kiss already? Rick thought as Pyrrha pushed him to the ground.

"Your stance is wrong; you need to be wider and closer to the ground." She said to him, firing the disarming smile that shouted 'would you just do it?' but Jaune either didn't pick up on it or just didn't act. Rick had to keep himself from shouting.

The two entered inside while Rick put on his disguise.

"This is going to bother me for a long time," Rick said under his breath as he broke off for the city, "At least until they make out."

A week later…

"Would teams JNPR and RWBY please come to the headmasters' office?" The PA sounded, it was the middle of lunch and Nora wasn't too happy to be interrupted.

"Can't it wait?" said as she shoved her burger into her mouth, right before she gulped down a drink of water.

"How does she do that?" Owen asked as he watched her eat.

"Eh, still not enough as Paul." Shaun said, shuddering at one of his best friends' ability to eat and still be buff enough to kill you with a thumb.

"Nora, we have to go." Ren said, pulling her away kicking and screaming.

"Wonder what the problem is?" Rick said as he continued to eat.

In Ozpins office…

"Teams RWBY and JNPR, thanks for coming," Ozpin said as he sat down with his coffee, "I am sure you are wondering why I called you here."

"It better be good, I lost my lunch." Nora said with a pout, still pissed off at the loss of food.

"I called you here for a mission," Ozpin stated getting everyone's complete attention, "By now I am sure you've heard that the Axman is in town, taking down criminals."

"Yeah, we heard, is it him?" Ruby asked excitedly.

"Yes, we have confirmed that it is in fact him," Ozpin said with a straight face, "While he is a criminal, the police cannot seem to catch him. They have asked for hunter assistance, I have decided to assign you all to catch him."

The teams looked around in shock, not ever expecting to have to do something like this for school.

"We have already figured the next target," Ozpin said as he pulled up his scroll, "He operates in a pattern, one that he refuses to stray from. Problebly because the normal law enforcement can't stop him even when they know where he is going."

Ozpin showed them a nightclub, called the Demons Rest.

"It is a front for numerous crime syndicates, including the White Fang," Ozpin noted the twitch in Blake's bow, "The pattern suggest that he will attack this place next, due to its extreme crime inflow."

The teams pulled out their scrolls, copying the data. RWBY and JNPR started to leave when Ozpin stopped them, "Be careful, this individual has never taken an innocent life but he may be willing to make an exception."

As the teams left, Goodwitch entered.

"Director, are you sure it's a good idea to send them," Goodwitch said with a frown, "It seems that we could easily end this with a real team."

Ozpin smiled, "Trust me, some secrets need to be told."

A few hours later…

"Reeen, I'm Boooored." Nora complained, the teams where waiting near the night club. They were split up, Nora and Ren on a rooftop that was directly across from the front, Blake was with them, Yang and Weiss where in the club, taking notes on every patron, Jaune, Pyrrha, and Ruby where on the ground, waiting for a signal.

"Nora, we just have to wait until the Axman shows up," The stoic teen said before adding on, "Once we deal with him, we can have pancakes."

Nora looked up with a cute smile, "With chocolate chips?"

Ren smiled at his friend. He still had not idea what was wrong with here, but he loved it anyway.

"Quiet," Blake said sharply, "I see something."

The teen looked across the rooftop, hearing something on the club. She could barely make it out but is sounded like footsteps, she focused on the roof. She saw a figure, but she couldn't make a call unless she had solid proof. Then he lifted an axe.

"He's up top!" She yelled into her scroll, before rushing him. To disappointment, he had heard her shout. He turned as quickly as he could and jumped back, but was shocked to see a flash of red block him off.

The person looked around again, only to find that he was surrounded. Nora and Ren were to his right, while Jaune and Pyrrha were to his left. Blake had his back, along with Yang and Weiss who had been able to get up to the roof as fast as possible.

"Surrender and you will not be harmed." Ruby said, trying to sound intimidating.

The Axman eyed the teen, his eyes showing nothing but regret. He charged Ruby, using his axe to try and bludgeon her. She was too quick though; she quickly dodged it and countered. She slashed at his back but he had drawn a knife and blocked it, by then the rest of the group had joined in.

Yang came in full force, enraged at the attack on her sister. The man quickly turned and pressed his assault, using his knife to parry Yang's gauntlets. He had opened her up and was about to attack when he felt a blast of something blue near him. The man turned to see that Weiss was about to open another blast when he threw his knife, forcing her to dodge.

He tried to deal with Yang but didn't expect to be blocked by a ribbon, which wrapped around his hand and pulled him away. Blake had given Pyrrha enough time to rush in, her training giving her an obvious edge. The vigilante could tell that she could easily kick his ass, so he reached into his pocked. He threw down a vial of dust that exploded into smoke, allowing him to break off and run into Nora and Ren.

Ren rushed around firing his weapons while Nora tried to crush him, the Axman dodged her strikes as well as Rens bullets. He proceeded to sidestep Nora and trip her, while he threw a knife at Ren who dodged it easily. The Axman was ready though, for he leapt up and slammed his knee into Rens gut right before he slammed his fist in a downward arc to make him slam into the roof.

After Ren was out he heard a battle cry behind him, he turned to see that Jaune was charging him. To his credit, Jaune did have enough force to send him and the Axman into the building that was on the other side of the club, but due to poor planning he ended up on the ground while the opponent was still standing.

Jaune looked at the Axman, expecting no mercy but was shocked to see the eyes. He had seen those before. The man took off, heading through the window and running towards the forest. The fight had been a total of 2 and half minutes.

The Axman ran as fast as he could, but the teams where on his trail. He had another trick though; he jumped, turned, and threw another vial of Dust. This one exploded, sending the teams to their backs. They got quickly however, and charged again. Only one problem, they where really far behind.

"I've got him." Ruby said as she raced after despite the protest, using her semblance to catch up. They had made it to the forest by the time she had got to him, she cut him off. The Axman had no options, he had to fight. He charged, this time with a knife and ax, and locked blades with Ruby.

Ruby, while not the strongest, was able to hold her own long enough to slam her foot into the vigilantes crotch. The man broke off in horrible pain, before attacking again. He let her attack first, catching each blow with a block. Ruby was to fast, though, she gave him no time to attack gaps in her defense.

Finally, the man locked his blades with hers, but this time he allowed no chance for her to pull a trick. He slammed his head into hers, stunning her, before he rolled over her back and slammed a knife into her cloak, trapping it to the ground. He then completed his maneuvered with a roundhouse kick to her face, allowing him to run.

Now, Ruby would be fine if luck was good. She could easily get free in a few seconds, if not for the Ursa that had wandered in. Teams RWBY and JNPR had just come into the forest, but not the clearing. They did hear the roar, which sent them into overdrive.

The Axman heard to roar too, he stopped.

"Don't do it, she be fine." He told himself, then he heard her yelp, "Oh come on!"

The teams had found the clearing, but they were too late. The Ursa had Ruby, and it was about to have some nice tender meat. Yang watched horror as the Ursa was going to crush Ruby, when something happened. Out of nowhere, an ax flew through the air. It slammed into the creatures' head, no killing, but really hurting. The Axman tore out of the forest, two knives at the ready.

He slammed into the Ursa, knocking the ax off of its skull, and it landed near Ruby. She observed the ax, and remembered something.

(First day of new transfers)

"Splitting wood gets you fit." Said Rick as he took the axe.

(End flashback)

The Axman had just finished off the creature; he had dragged his knives across the things guts before leaping up and slamming a knife into the Ursa's head. He landed with a thud, as the teams ran towards him.

The Axman ripped the knife out of Ruby's cloaks, ripped her up, and put it to her throat.

"You come closer, I kill her." He said in a deep voice, trying to keep his identity a secret.

"No, you won't." Ruby said with confidence.

"And why not, little girl?" He asked back.

"Because I know you, Rick." Ruby replied to the shocked faces of every one.

"What did you call me?" The man said.

"Rick, let me go please." Ruby ordered, to which he obeyed.

"Well crap, is it that obvious?" Rick asked, switching to his normal voice.

"No, I saw your axe." Ruby said, pointing at the thing on the ground.

"Oh, yeah, you saw that when I first got to Beacon." Rick laughed, before noticing that the teams had surrounded him.

"OK, take me in." The psycho told the teams, who grabbed all of his visible weapons.

"Is this all?" Blake asked, hoping for a yes.

"You want me to strip?" Rick asked, "You should be good."

The teams escorted Rick to the airship back to Beacon, and as soon as the got there they turned over to Ozpin. The teams left for their dorms, but were surprised to find EMBR and OSA.

"So, you caught him?" Ben asked, with a smile.

"Yes," Weiss said before realizing what had been said, "Wait! You knew?"

"Yep, we all did," Richard replied, "He started after an incident with a White Fang, they tried to recruit Micca for an undercover operation. They didn't take no for an answer, Rick got involved."

Micca broke in, "We tried to go through normal channels, but the authorities didn't care that a faunas had been attacked by the White Fang. Rick's involvement began after they pretty much said 'Jack Off.' He started investigating on his own, and ended up being in a fight with one of them."

Emily also broke in, "After that, he was never the same. He was still Rick, but he kept leaving in the middle of the night. He came back with cuts and bruises; he always had that smile on his face."

Ben cut in, "Shortly after words, we noticed that White Fang where being attacked in the streets. This was after Rick had lost his ability to carry more than two weapons, all the attacks where carried about with an axe."

Richard finally broke in, "We decided that it was necessary, he did most of his fighting non-lethally and put more criminals up than the police ever could. Then we came here, and you guy's came along. You captured him, and now the thing crumbles."

"That doesn't excuse vigilantism." Pyrrha stated, a little shocked by this tale.

"We know," Alex burst in, "But he is our teammate, not only that he is our leader, but above that, he is our friend. We could never bring him in; he was doing what our police didn't do. He put criminals behind bars, criminals that had been in plain sight for decades because of corruption. He started and the police followed suit, investigations where opened and things started changing. He actually said that he was going to stop, and then we came here."

"People like him never stop." Blake said defensively.

"He would have," Shaun jumped in, "I could smell if he was lying, he wasn't. He was going to stop."

"Guys," Emily broke in, "RWBY and JNPR, we congratulate you on your capture. We hope that you guys have a good nights sleep. We bare you no ill will."

RWBY and JNPR where all puzzled by this as they went to their dorms, all pretty much passing out on their beds. Meanwhile ROSA and EMBR stayed outside.

"This is a problem," Ben said in a whisper, "We know he was going to stop, but was HE going to stop?"

"You know what we planned," Alex told the group, "I have already found the formula, and I am going to make some tomorrow."

"Good," Micca said, "They won't hurt him?"

Alex almost replied when Emily cut him off, "It doesn't matter, as long as they work."

Alex answered, "No, Micca, it won't. I designed them to be as painless of possible, and non-lethal."

"Good," Micca said before turning to her dorm, "Alex?"

"Don't worry, he does." Alex said with a smirk, Micca smiled and closed the door.

"All right people, time for bed." Shaun called out, an order which all followed.

"Hey, Alex," Ben called before he left, "If you kill him, I'll kill you."

Alex shrugged at this, before going to bed.

Meanwhile…

In the headmasters' office, Rick felt like he was being grilled. Ozpin hadn't said a word, just stared.

"Uh…sir?" Rick asked, uncertain to his fate.

"Rick," Ozpin interrupted, "Or the Axman, I know your story. The White Fang, the corrupt cops, and Micca. I am not here to take you in."

Rick looked shocked at this.

"I am here to offer you a deal," Ozpin said with certainty, "I want you to stay at Beacon and I will let you, if you give up this vigilante business."

Rick stuttered, "What…Uh…Sure?"

"I want your word. I hear that that is good enough for you." Ozpin replied.

"You have my word." Rick stated.

"Good, now on to business," Ozpin said sliding a piece of paper towards Rick, "Your weapon forms."

Rick stammered as he picked them up, they were all signed and approved.

"But, sir?" Rick asked before being cut off.

"I watched you on the rooftops; I saw how you were able to handle yourself. I feel like your abilities would be much better if you could train them. Though, I feel like you know how you would fair in a fight with team RWBY."

"You mean with my butt kicked?" Rick asked back in a joking manner, "I only got lucky. Hell, Pyrrha alone could beat me in a fair fight."

Rick got up to leave when Ozpin stated, "That is why you don't fight fair. By the way, I feel like everything that you have done was quite brave."

"Don't get brave confused with stupid." Rick mumbled as he approached his room.

Well, that took a darker tone, I will say that this is the part where Rick will seem OP but don't worry. He is definitely going to feel the burn later.