Hello everybody. I'm so thankful for 3,800 views, and for all the follows and favourites on this story. This chapter is gonna focus on one of Damien's old family friends coming back into his life. I originally had a completely different idea, that was dark yet deep at the same time, however I cancelled it because once again, it was too complicated and it would have made things too confusing. Anyways... enjoy!
It was a pleasant day at Beacon Academy. Students were relaxing outside the Campus quad, some catching up on some studying, while some relaxed in the tranquility. The large group of twelve were enjoying the day away.
Ruby and Neos were relaxing underneath a tree, with Neos lying on the trunk while Ruby rested her head on his shoulders. Blake, Ren, Ryu, and Gwen were holding a reading circle, with Weiss struggling to keep Nora from interrupting. Pyrrha was continuing to train Jaune, with him actually managing to keep his mentor on her toes. Finally, Yang and Damien were having a friendly sparring match, which ended in yet another draw.
After Yang tackled Damien to the ground, the two of them chuckled before their lips met. "Man, this day is so beautiful…" Yang stared at the crimson haired lad's eyes.
Damien smiled, as he put his hand on his girlfriend's cheek. "Tell me about it. I don't know how it could get any better."
"My, my. The day sure does bring wonders. Right, Mr. Crimson?" The two looked up to see Ozpin staring at them.
The two blushed, as they quickly scrambled from the ground. "Uh, P-Professor Ozpin! What are you doing here?" Damien stammered.
Ozpin chuckled, as he took a sip from his mug as always. "There's someone here to see you in my office. A young, female friend of yours I believe."
Damien gulped nervously, when he felt a strong hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Yang grinning menacingly, with her eyes glowing red, and hair ablaze. "Oh really? You didn't tell me you had a girlfriend before!"
"Y-Y-Yang, it's not what it looks like! Honest!" Damien tried to assure her, as she dragged the poor boy to Ozpin's office, with everyone following close behind to get a glimpse of the possible catfight.
As everyone made it to Ozpin's office, they opened the door, and were completely surprised to see Professor Goodwitch standing beside a little girl. The young girl appeared to be seven years old, with bright limestone coloured eyes, and maroon coloured hair that was tied in pigtails with pink ribbons. She wore a dark green jacket, with a yellow-and-black striped shirt, blue shorts, and was clutching a little doll. The biggest trait she had was the dark red cat tail, indicating that she was a cat Faunus, just like Blake.
"Mindy?" Damien asked, to the little girl clinging on Glynda's arm.
The little girl saw Damien, and ran towards him. "DAMIEN!" She screamed, as Damien crouched down to hug the little girl.
Yang was completely surprised, as her eyes were giving off a blank stare.
"Heh, bet you didn't see that coming, did ya?" Neos joked, as Yang faced him with red eyes. The ex-rogue backed up. "Hey, it wasn't me. He said it!" He fibbed, as he quickly pointed towards Jaune.
"Wait, WHAT?!" Jaune panicked when he saw what he was being pointed at.
Before a ruckus could break, Blake decided to ask. "Damien, who is this child?"
Damien looked upwards, as he decided to introduce her. "Oh yeah. Everyone, this is my cousin, Mindy Maroon! Mindy, I want you to meet my friends." Mindy was too shy to look, but Damien held her hand and assured her. "Don't worry, I promise, they're all wonderful people. Don't be shy." Mindy peeked, as she held Damien's hand tightly.
He smiled, as he introduced everyone. "You already know Neos, and this is Ryu, Gwen, Jaune, Pyrrha, Ren, Nora, Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and, my lovely girlfriend, Yang!"
Everyone awed as they crowded around the small girl, while Mindy tightened the grip on Damien's hand. "Aww, she's such a cutie!" Yang cooed.
"Yang, you're scaring her!" Weiss scolded. "But she's so adorable!" She spoke, in baby talk.
"She's seven years old! She's not a baby." Ryu reminded her.
"Hi there, young one. No need to be shy." Ren whispered quietly.
"You can trust us. We're Damien's good friends." Pyrrha assured, in a motherly voice, which attracted Mindy to her. Pyrrha picked her up, and held her in her arms. "Damien, she's such a sweetheart. How do you know her?"
Damien chuckled, as he rubbed the back of his head. "She's the daughter of an old family friend of mine. Her mother and mine are sisters." He stopped and thought for a minute. "Wait a minute, where is your mother?"
"Yeah, does Lydia know about this?" Neos wondered as well.
Mindy's eyes widened, as tears started to form up. "M-Mommy's dead! WAAAAAAAH!" She cried as Pyrrha rocked her gently, while Yang took out a handkerchief to wipe her tears away.
Ozpin spoke up, to clarify on this matter. "Yes. We did some looking into, and we found out her mother passed away very recently. We actually found the poor child wandering the streets alone, until she fainted right in front of our Campus."
Everyone was shocked when they heard that. "Wait, you mean she traveled through Vale? ALL BY HERSELF?!" Ruby shouted.
"It would seem that way. Her uncle will be arriving tomorrow, all the way from Mistral, to pick her up." Ozpin continued.
"Hold on. What about her father?" Gwen asked. "Isn't he there to look after her?"
Damien shook his head. "Her father died years ago. She's an only child, so she had no other siblings."
"We can contact any other relatives to look after her in the meantime." Ozpin offered.
Damien pondered, before looking to see Mindy enjoying herself, with everyone around her. He smiled and addressed him. "Actually sir, would it be all right if Mindy spent the day with us?"
Ozpin smiled, and nodded. "By all means, Mr. Crimson. I'd be happy to allow that. Professor Goodwitch, I believe we have a toffee piece in the cabinet!"
"Of course sir." Professor Goodwitch nodded, as she handed the candy to the little girl. "Here you go, little girl."
"Yay, thanks, Miss Goodwitch!" Mindy bowed, as Glynda smiled and nodded.
Damien walked over to Mindy, as Pyrrha set her down. "All right, Mindy. Today you're spending the day with us!"
Mindy's eyes shined, when she heard that. "You mean I get to play with you?"
Damien smiled as he tussled her hair. "That's right!"
"Yay! Playtime with Dami!" She cheered.
Neos burst out laughing, when he heard the nickname. "Pfft! DAMI?!" He stopped, when he saw Damien glaring at him. "Again, it was him who said it. Not me!" He pointed towards Jaune again.
"Aw, come on!" Jaune whined.
"All right, come on, Mindy. We'll show you around." He said, while he picked Mindy up, and gave her a piggy-back ride. "I hope it's all right with everyone if I bring Mindy along with us."
Everyone nodded, as Yang put a hand on Damien's shoulder. "Of course, Damien. Besides, I do love this nurturing side of you, very much." She smiled, as she kissed his cheek. "Hey there, Mindy, I'm Dami's girlfriend!" She smiled towards Mindy, while Damien groaned at the nickname.
"You're Yang, right? You're pretty…" She smiled, before she whined as Yang pinched her cheeks.
"Easy there, Yang! You'll bruise her cheeks if you keep doing that!" Ruby scolded, speaking from experience. Everyone exited out of Ozpin's office.
The three teams proceeded down the campus halls, with Mindy riding on Damien's shoulders. As they walked, students couldn't help but feel warm when they saw the little Faunus girl in their presence. Eventually, they all made it to the cafeteria.
After settling down, Damien allowed Mindy to sit on his lap, while Yang offered her a carton of milk, and Blake sharing some tuna with her fellow cat Faunus. Ruby and Nora couldn't help but coo at the little girl, with Neos and Ren trying to keep them away from her.
Soon, they are joined by their old friend, Velvet. "Hello everyone!" The rabbit Faunus greeted, before turning her attention to the little girl. "Oh, and who's this little lady over here?"
"Oh yeah. Velvet, I want you to meet my little cousin, Mindy Maroon!" Damien introduced.
"Hi Velvet!" Mindy waved to the smiling Faunus.
Velvet giggled as she held her hand. "Damien, she's so cute! I didn't know you had a cousin."
Everyone smiled as the lunch bell rang. Before everyone could get up, Pyrrha remembered something. "Wait, what do we do about Mindy?"
"Oh yeah. I don't think Professor Goodwitch would appreciate bringing any unwanted guests during her classes." Jaune added.
Everyone pondered for a moment, before Velvet spoke up. "I can look after her in the meantime. I'm sure me and my team would be happy to do so."
Damien happily bowed. "Oh, thank you, Velvet! I really appreciate it." Damien turned to Mindy. "Now Mindy. I want you to go with Velvet while we attend class. Is that okay with you?" Mindy smiled and nodded, before Damien turned her over to Velvet and Team CFVY.
"Aww, don't worry little Mindy. We'll be back as soon as possible." Ruby patted the little girl, before they headed to class.
After it ended, the three teams exited the lecture hall, where Velvet was panicking near a crying Mindy. "WAAAAH!" Mindy sobbed.
"What happened?!" Yang asked, as the group of twelve comforted the girl, with Pyrrha and Yang holding the weeping girl.
"It's Cardin!" Velvet explained. "He and Team CRDL approached us, and started picking on her! Coco and the others showed up to intervene, but Cardin took her doll!"
"WHAT?!" Damien growled. "CARDIN…!" He dashed outside the campus, to pursue Team CRDL. Everyone was shocked to see him dash so fast, as they followed after the fuming teen.
Damien stormed out of the campus, as he saw Team CRDL laughing malevolently. "CARDIIIIIIIIN!" He roared as he charged towards the team.
Team CRDL turned to see what the commotion, as Damien had already tackled Cardin to the ground, pinning him to the ground, and twisting his arm behind him. Cardin gritted through the pain, as his teammates looked on in surprise. "OW! What the hell's your deal?!"
"My deal is that you think it's a good idea to pick on the Faunus, especially MY COUSIN!" Damien yelled into his ear. Russel, Dove, and Sky were about to attack him, but one demonic glare from the crimson haired lad caused them to back away in fear.
The group approached the quad, as they were surprised to see Damien torturing Cardin. "Now, unless you value your arm, I suggest you return the doll at once!"
Cardin whimpered, as everyone else approached the two, trying to calm Damien down. "I don't have it! I-I-I… threw it into the Emerald Forest…"
Damien was shocked when he heard that, before his face contorted back into anger. "WHAT?! HOW DARE YOU?!" He increased the pressure onto Cardin's arm, as he started to scream out in pain. Eventually, Damien grabbed the intimidated boy's collar, as his fist was engulfed in flames.
The whole campus swarmed around the group, before Ozpin and Goodwitch broke up the fight. "Young man, what is the meaning of this brutality?" Ozpin asked.
Damien got up and explained the dilemma to the two professors. "Cardin here was picking on my cousin, and he threw her doll in the Emerald Forest!"
Goodwitch apprehended Cardin and Damien, as she started to scold them. "Mr. Winchester, how many times have I told you to not discriminate against your fellow classmates?! And Mr. Crimson, what makes you think you can inflict physical harm against one another?!"
Damien's anger continued to increase, as his eyes were glowing red with anger. "Are you kidding me?! Cardin's the bully here, and all I did was try and defend!" Damien's entire body erupted in fire, as all students, including Team CRDL ran for cover from the rage that Damien was radiating. Even Goodwitch was surprised, as she stepped away from the crimson haired lad.
"D-Damien?!" Ruby stammered.
"Whoa dude, just calm down!" Jaune tried to assure. "Let's not do anything we might regret…"
Damien roared from the top of his lungs, as even his voice sounded somewhat demonic. "Nobody messes with my cousin like that! NOBODY!"
Everyone was scared of what they saw, as Damien was blazing with fury. However, Yang slowly walked towards Damien with her eyes red as well. She stood in front of him and pulled Damien into a tight embrace.
"Yang! What are you doing?!" Ruby shouted, as she tried to stop her sister, but Neos pulled her back.
"Don't! It's too dangerous!" Neos stated.
"B-but what about…" She was about to explain, but Neos smiled and assured her that things would be okay.
As Yang held onto Damien, with her eyes tearing up a bit, Damien's eyes started to twitch, as tears started to fall from his face too. Eventually, the flames died down, as Damien shut his eyes, and started to limp.
"Damien!" Yang shouted, as he and Neos ran over to help him up.
Damien stood up on his feet, as he saw everyone staring at him. "I'm… so sorry, everyone…" He stammered. "I didn't mean to let my anger get the best of me..." He stated, as he sounded like he was about to cry.
Quickly, Yang tightened her hug as she softly whispered into Damien's ear. "Shh, it's all going to be all right. I promise." She assured him, while tears were flowing on her face. Damien sobbed gently into Yang's shoulder, while Yang did the same.
"Wow, I never expected Yang to be so adamant and nurturing at the same time like that…" Ryu said.
Ruby smiled, as she folded her arms. "Yup. Yang's always been the strong and caring type. When we were young, Yang would always comfort me in the exact same way whenever I felt angry or upset…" She explained, as Neos held her soothingly. Everyone was relieved as the two calmed down.
Damien wiped his eyes, before bowing apologetically to the professors. "My apologies, I didn't mean to snap…"
Ozpin smiled, and nodded. "That's quite alright, Mr. Crimson. We all get worked up for the sake of those we hold dear to us." He took a sip, before continuing. "And before you ask, I give you permission to go to the Emerald Forest to retrieve your cousin's doll."
Yang asked. "Is it all right if I go with him?"
Ozpin nodded. "Of course, Ms. Xiao Long. But be warned you two, the Grimm can be quite vicious during the evening, so I advise you to be quick about it."
Damien and Yang nodded, as they got their weapons ready. The rest of the group stayed to watch over Mindy, who was worried for the two fighters, who went through the dangers, for her sake.
"Don't worry, little one. Everything's going to be all right." Pyrrha patted the young Faunus.
"Yeah, Damien and Yang will get your doll back. They're tough as nails!" Nora added.
Mindy wiped away the tears on her face, before smiling. "Yeah, Dami and Yangy are strong!" Everyone smiled back, as they all waited outside, while the two professors entered.
Meanwhile, in the Emerald Forest, while Damien and Yang were looking for Mindy's doll, Yang decided to take the opportunity to ask what was on her mind. "So Damien, about what happened back there…"
"Um, can we talk about it later?" Damien asked, hoping to steer clear for now, but he knew she wouldn't drop it.
"Come on, Damien, please. I've never seen you get so emotional like that!" She said, causing him to stop in his tracks. "Please, if something's hurting you, you can tell me."
Damien sighed, before facing her. "All right, Yang. I'll tell you. The thing about me is, I was never always the strong type. Back when I was a child, I was the weaker one, who was constantly getting shoved by other kids, due to my half-Faunus trait. In fact, whenever I saw others like me being tormented, I was too powerless to do anything."
"I see." Yang said sincerely, as she continued to listen. "So, seeing how Cardin bullying Mindy like that must have brought up painful memories."
"This feeling of weakness reached its tipping point when I… saw my mother killed in front of my own eyes!" He spoke, with a heavy heart when he tried to recall that painful moment. Yang was shocked when she heard that. "At that moment, I didn't care about feeling weak, and I was about to dash towards her killer, preparing to do whatever it takes!"
"Whoa! So how did you survive?!" Yang asked, dying to know what happened next.
"Thankfully, my father stopped me from rushing into my own death! Though he scolded me for being so rash, he knew the pain and suffering I went through. That is why he decided to train me to become strong! After my training, I came across the same group of bullies who tormented me in the past as they were picking on my cousin, and I was tempted to punch them right through their skulls!" Damien shook his fist in anger, before taking a deep breath. "However, I knew that if I did, I would be no better. Instead, I gave them a taste of the pain that they brought me, and I made them swear to never come near me or my cousin ever again!"
Yang was relieved to hear that things didn't escalate as they would have originally intended to be. "I see. So, that's why you're always so eager to help someone in need."
Damien smiled, and nodded. "Of course. Seeing as I was once weak to defend myself, I wanted to help those who were in that same situation. That's why I gave Mindy that doll; as a reminder to always stay strong, no matter what happens." His face took a serious look. "No matter what happens, I will always do whatever it takes to help those who need it!"
Yang felt like shedding tears of joy, as she walked towards Damien, and cupped her hand onto Damien's cheek. "You know something, Damien? You are truly the kindest, strongest, and most caring person I have ever had the fortune of meeting." The two smiled, as their eyes met. "Well, then I promise you, that no matter what happens, I will always stand by your side."
"Thank you, Yang. I couldn't have asked for a more wonderful girlfriend such as yourself." Damien whispered, as the two shared a long, passionate kiss.
After breaking away, Yang spoke up. "Now then, let's go find that doll." After looking forward, they spotted it nearby a giant Ursa. "Look! There it is!" Before the Ursa could hold it in its mouth, Yang fired a blast from Ember Celica, while her eyes glowed red. "Back away from the doll!"
The Ursa turned its attention to the two brawlers, but it was swiftly defeated when Yang and Damien punched through the Ursa's chest. After retrieving the doll, the two exited out of the Emerald Forest. As everyone waited outside the campus, they were happy to see Damien and Yang emerging, with the doll in hand.
"Hey, you guys made it!" Jaune cheered.
"And you got the doll too!" Neos added.
"Yup, sure did. Thanks to Yang!" Damien smiled towards his girlfriend.
"Oh please, I couldn't have done it without your help!" She smiled, as she punched his shoulder. She then walked over to Mindy, and handed the doll back to her. "Here you go, Mindy."
Mindy squealed, as she hugged her doll, and then hugged Yang. "Yay! Thank you both so much!"
Damien laughed, before sighing. "Listen guys, I wanna apologize deeply for losing my temper back there."
"Don't sweat it, Damien. You were only trying to help your cousin, and that's what really matters!" Ruby motioned.
"I guess, but even so…" Damien was about to explain, but Weiss put her hand out to stop.
"Relax Damien. We know all about the lengths you're willing to go through to help those who can't help themselves." The heiress pointed out.
Damien was surprised when he heard that, to which Blake added. "Neos told us about your past back there. We had no idea how much it means to you."
Ryu nodded. "Regardless, you've shown that you are truly the most compassionate person in all of Remnant."
"No matter what happens, you are always our friend Damien. We'll always stick together, as one!" Pyrrha stated.
Damien smiled, as he closed his eyes. "Thank you everyone. This means so much to me. I am so grateful to have such wonderful friends."
Everyone went "Aww" before Neos decided to spoil it. "All right, that's enough mushiness for one day. I think it's time we all turn in for the night!"
As everyone turned in for the night, Mindy tugged Damien's sleeve. "Dami, is it all right if I sleep with Yang tonight?"
Damien turned to see if Yang was all right with it, to which she nodded. "Sure Mindy." He smiled as he handed his cousin over to his girlfriend.
Everyone entered their respective dorms, as they all got a good night's sleep. The next morning, all three teams waited outside the Beacon gates, where they saw a tall, blue haired man drive up beside them. He exited his vehicle, where he hugged his niece. "Hello there, Mindy! My, you've grown a lot!"
He turned to the three teams, and then hugged Damien. "Damien, my boy. It's been so long!"
Damien hugged his uncle back. "Hi, Uncle Sapphire. It's good to see you again."
He turned to the three teams. "And you all must be Damien's friends! Uncle Carl Sapphire here. I wanna thank you all for looking after my dear little niece. I can assure you, I'll be taking her back to my home in Mistral, where my kids are looking forward to seeing Mindy."
Mindy walked up to Damien, and embraced him. "Thank you for everything, Damien."
Damien held her while everyone else crowded around her, and gently whispered. "Of course, Mindy. Just remember that you are never alone. We'll always support you."
Mindy smiled, as she got into the car with uncle Sapphire, as they waved good-bye to her.
Yang smiled, as she kissed Damien's cheek. "You really are such a sweetheart, Damien." She smiled toward him.
The crimson haired lad smiled back, as he returned his girlfriend's kiss. "Thanks Yang. You're sweet too."
Neos chuckled as he tussled their hair. "Aww, there goes Dami and Yangy being all lovey-dovey again!" He grinned, as the two fighters glared towards him. "HE SAID IT!" He pointed towards Jaune again.
"DUDE!" Jaune barked.
Neos dashed away, with Damien and Yang chasing after him. "Aw come on! Can't you guys take a joke?!" He yelled, as he ran from his pursuers. Everyone else laughed before heading back into the academy.
There you go, another chapter done. If anyone remembers from the first chapter, that's where I gave an extremely small introduction to Mindy. Small note here, while Yang is usually depicted as the mother figure of the group, I personally see Pyrrha fitting that role much better; Yang would be the cool older sister that she already is. Now, I know I haven't given Ryu and Gwen a lot of attention, but don't worry! The next chapter is going to have them as the main focus, so you can bet it will be something to remember. Anyways, take care!
