A/N: Hey there true believers I'm back with another chapter. As I'm sure you all know life has been hectic for many of us for many months and I'm not an exception, but I'm plugging along in the hopes I can provide a little joy for people in this trying time. A big thanks to MajorBrony95 for helping me out and as always be sure to let me know what you think.

White hot shame was burning through Clark's entire body. He felt so embarrassed, ashamed, and above all else, disappointed in himself. He could just hear his father saying his name with that disappointed tone whenever he did something he ought not to. And what had happened today most CERTAINLY qualified as one of those situations. He'd let his temper get the better of him and now he was sitting in the headmaster's office across from the very man who had tried to help him as Goodwitch read off a list on her Scroll, each word only making him feel worse.

"Three mild concussions- one severe, forty-three cracked ribs- three broken, three dislocated shoulders, two dislocated hips, cracked knuckles, six missing teeth... oh, and one of them is going to need their jaw wired shut," Goodwitch finished in a cold tone before casting a disapproving look at Clark. "I have a breakdown of injuries by the individual, but I thought you would want to hear everything laid out."

Ozpin looked from her to Clark before he spoke. "This is quite troubling. Mister Kent, what do you have to say for yourself?" he asked in a troublingly neutral tone.

Clark looked up at his headmaster, making sure to look him in the eye; he refused to not do him the courtesy. Ozpin's face, just like his voice, showed nothing. No anger, no disappointment, not a thing. Clark tried to listen to his heartbeat to see if that told him anything, but it was steady as a metronome.

"I'm so sorry, sir. Things just… I don't know. There's really no excuse for what I did," Clark said, his voice full of shame. And he really WAS sorry. He never wanted to hurt anyone, but he knew all his regret didn't change a thing.

"Perhaps it would be best if you started from the beginning. Tell me what happened," Ozpin said evenly, leaning his elbows on his desk and steepling his fingers as he stared at his student.

Clark took a deep breath and began to recount the events from earlier that day.

Clark had been on team CRDL for all of three days and to say it was different would be an understatement. Cardin was a strong leader, but "strong" did not necessarily mean "good." His team followed him, but he led through force and intimidation. Not to mention he was something of a bully and as Clark had no truck, no truck at all for bullies, he found his time with this team to be extremely trying. Still, Clark hoped it would get better. He had even hoped that he might prove to be a positive influence on them. Unfortunately, that dream proved to be VERY short-lived as they clearly had no desire to change whatsoever.

Right now he was walking across the quad to meet with his current team, and he used the term "team" loosely. If his feelings of being out of place in JNPR were noticeable, then CRDL was downright AWFUL! At least Jaune, Nora, Ren, and Pyrrha had liked him and tried to make him feel welcome. The members of CRDL however really seemed to dislike him. Most likely for the reasons Weiss had originally disliked him: he was a nobody from nowhere who seemed to do better than them all combined, be it in school or combat. But Clark would put up with it; he'd be a team player. After all, it was only for a month and then he would move on.

As he made his way across campus, through the litany of other students making their ways between buildings he finally caught sight of Cardin and the others. They were grouped around something Clark couldn't quite make out from where he was. He could hear them talking, but he wasn't really trying to hear what they were saying. He had started forming the habit of tuning them out. It perhaps wasn't the best solution for dealing with them. but it served its purpose for the time being at least. But when he got closer and saw what was happening, he felt his blood begin to boil.

"What's wrong, longears? Does this bother you?" Cardin cooed in a mocking tone as he pulled on the ears of a young lady, a rabbit Faunus who was crouched down gently tugging on her ear, desperately trying to free it from Cardin's harsh grasps without hurting herself. The rest of the team was laughing and Clark felt his normal reserve of restraint seemed to dwindle.

"HEY!" Clark yelled as he picked up his pace. "Knock it off!" he shouted and briskly walked over to them, Cardin merely turned to him and laughed. This only served to infuriate Clark "I said knock it off, Cardin!" he said louder and more sternly this time.

"Calm down Kent, we're just havin' some fun," he said and gave another harsh tug on the girl's ear as grinned cruelly down at her.

"Doesn't look like much fun to me," Clark said harshly as he reached them. He grabbed Cardin's wrist and squeezed it, perhaps a little harder than he meant to, but it served its purpose. Cardin hissed in pain as he let go of the girl's ear before trying to pull his wrist free from Clark's grip. "Leave her alone," Clark said in an even tone as cold as ice. He turned to face the Faunus and gave her a gentle smile "You can go," he said softly his voice instantly warming. She looked shocked for a moment, her brown eyes wide as she stared at him before she stood up and spoke in a voice so quiet Clark was certain no one but him could have heard it.

"Thank you," she muttered softly before standing and taking off.

"So, the farm boy likes long ears, huh? I always thought you were off," Cardin scoffed as he continued to try and pull his wrist from Clark's grasp. Not wanting him to accidentally dislocate it (no matter how pleasing that would have been) Clark let him go, causing Cardin to abruptly stumble. He righted himself and rubbed his wrist, which had a red mark around it that was already healing due to his Aura.

"I'm not the one with a problem here," Clark said icily as he looked Cardin in the eye. The other young man seemed unnerved for a moment before recomposing himself with a harsh glower.

"You better watch yourself, Kent. Don't forget who leads this team," he said trying to sound tough and not quite managing it in Clark's opinion.

"You're a lot of things, but you're NO leader. You're just a thug who bullies those weaker than himself to make himself feel better," Clark said calmly. It was a fact, not an opinion, and it surely sounded absolute coming from Clark's mouth. Seeing Cardin harass someone for being different had brought out a side of him that even Clark was not all that familiar with.

"You got a lot of nerve, hayseed. Where's this spine of yours coming from?" Cardin growled back as he walked up and got right in Clark's face, but Clark didn't flinch. Cardin was maybe an inch taller than Clark, and a little more broad, but Clark wasn't about to let that little bit of extra height allow this bully to throw his weight around.

"I'm not going to be like the others and just stand around watching you hurt people, Cardin," Clark said coolly. He saw Cardin's eyes flit to his teammates and Clark was certain he knew what was running through the other young man's head.

Cardin, from what Clark had seen, led through the force of his will. He was confident and unchallenged, but now Clark was challenging him. He needed to do something to save face with his team or the foundation for his leadership would be shaken.

"Is that so?" Cardin asked with a sneer as he poked Clark in the chest. "And just what are you gonna do about it, FARM BOY? This ain't no hoedown! Why don't you just go ahead and back up already before I do something you'll regret?" This elicited a chuckle from his teammates. However, all Clark did was continue to stare calmly at the bully. This caused Cardin's grin to fall flat as he seemed to realize what he was doing and saying wasn't having any effect on Clark. "Hey, what are you, deaf? Back up or-!" he started but Clark cut him off.

"Or what?" Clark asked in an almost innocently quizzical tone, which seemed to unnerve Cardin more than if he had spoken more aggressively. Once again though, he managed to get control of himself and again tried to take control of the situation.

"I. Said. Back. UP!" he shouted and shoved Clark hard in the chest. Clark didn't move an inch and Cardin actually fell back from the recoil. He tried to catch himself but fell to the ground anyway and glared up at Clark.

"You don't want to do this," Clark said calmly. Unfortunately, that seemed to be the wrong thing to say to calm Cardin down. The other young man then jumped to his feet, his breath hissing through clenched teeth and looking at his teammates. His glower seemed to be understood as they rushed Clark. They ran at the other boy but stopped short and seemed to hesitate when Clark didn't flinch.

"What are you idiots waiting for!?" Cardin shouted and that seemed to stir them to act, as ill-conceived as that might be.

Russel swung first. He stepped forward and put all his weight behind a haymaker. His fist met Clark's jaw with a sickening "CRACK!" Clark still didn't move and Russel screamed out in pain.

"AHHHH! MY HAND!" he shouted and clutched at his wrist. He glared at Clark with a mixture of rage and fear before straightening himself. He looked back at the furious Cardin then back to Clark. He seemed to find some resolve and moved to strike Clark with his good hand.

This time Clark caught the attempted attack, his fingers wrapping around Russel's fist and squeezing. Clark felt something pop in the other young man's hand before he struck him lightly (well, lightly for Clark) in the chest with the flat of his palm and sent him rocketing backward into the trunk of a tree. Clark felt guilty for a brief moment before Dove and Sky tried to rush him.

Coming at him from both sides, the duo was almost comically easy to predict. Clark just leaned back and grabbed each of them, cracking their heads together before driving his fists into both their abdomens just below their navels. He then placed a hand on each of their chests and gave them a rough shove. Again, he heard a few cracks as both boys traveled about forty feet before hitting the ground roughly and rolling before laying still. Clark realized immediately he had used too much force this time but his remorse was minimal, for the time being at any rate.

The whole exchange had taken less than seven seconds and Cardin was fuming. His team had been taken out as if they were nothing and now a crowd was starting to form around the spectacle. Clark knew what was obviously going on in his mind. He was making Cardin and his team look weak in front of the whole campus, and he also knew Cardin was going to probably do something crazy to try and save face. Clark had already done enough damage and he didn't want to cause anymore.

"You can still stand down," Clark told him, his voice ever even.

"You think I'm scared of you!?" Cardin shouted as he stood straight and leveled his eyes at Clark, his fists shaking with barely contained rage.

"I do," Clark answered simply.

"Ha! You're nothing! A nobody! You aren't even worth my time!" he barked, trying with a fair degree of success to sound confident.

"Fine by me. In that case, just walk away," Clark said. There was no mocking in his voice. He was just fine with what Cardin had said and it didn't bother him one bit. He turned away to try and leave, but this only served to infuriate Cardin even worse.

"DON'T YOU TURN YOUR BACK ON ME!" he shouted.

Clark stopped and turned around. "Why do you care? I thought I wasn't worth your time," he answered back, his tone unconcerned, almost pleasant even.

"DON'T...DON'T..." Cardin stammered, not really seeming to know what he wanted to say. It was clear as day to Clark what was going on; he didn't really want to fight Clark, but he also didn't want him walking away unperturbed. He wanted a reaction, some rage, something he could claim as a sort of victory.

"I don't want to fight you, Cardin," Clark answered back, trying to sound kind and compassionate, hoping against hope that Cardin would understand and give up before things got worse. However, it didn't seem to be working. If anything it had the opposite effect.

"Scared of me?" Cardin answered with an almost cocky tone, but Clark could easily hear the falseness in his voice.

Clark then answered his supposed "leader" in a single word.

"No."

It was abundantly clear to everyone watching that Clark was completely serious. This farm guy from nowhere wasn't scared of Cardin Winchester, the bully who'd caused so many problems for many students, human and Faunus alike. This sent a rippling murmur through the crowd as people whispered and pointed.

Unfortunately, this appeared to be the final straw for Cardin. Clark could hear his heartbeat increase exponentially and his breathing sped up to the point where his nostrils were flaring. Then, with a loud roaring scream, Cardin attacked. Clark, if he was being honest with himself, didn't mind at all.

He unloaded a flurry of blows on Clark. He struck his face, his jaw, the stomach, and his kidneys, letting out cries and shouts each time he landed one. Clark heard bones cracking each time, but knew it was futile now to try and stop Cardin, well, not futile for Clark but if Cardin wanted to break his own hands, that was his own business. He tried to injure every part he could reach, but Clark never flinched. When Cardin realized this; and most likely had broken and cracked almost every bone in his hands, he attempted to kick Clark in the groin. Clark however simply batted the leg away. It caused Cardin to stumble, but he quickly caught himself and turned around to strike again. Clark didn't want to have to hurt him, but he had had enough of Cardin's futile actions and frankly, he was becoming irritated.

"Cardin, for the last time, knock it off," Clark said in an exasperated sounding tone as shoved the other young man back, causing Cardin to fall on his back to the ground. The redhead then jumped up with a growl, his whole body shaking with fury.

"You think you're better than me, Kent?!" he shouted in an almost maddened tone. "Mister 'Evolved Semblance?' Mister 'Top of Combat?' Mister 'Ladies Man?!'" What Cardin said proved Clark's suspicions that he hated him because he was so much better at things than him. However, that last one shocked Clark, remembering what Jaune had mentioned about him attracting the attention of a lot of the girls at Beacon. Could that actually have been true? Clark was snapped out of his thoughts as Cardin continued to ramble and rant. "Well, you're NOT!" Cardin shouted as he panted, sweat running down his face. "You hear me!? You're NOT better than me, Kent! No one is!" Clark, however, didn't react and simply tried to appeal to Cardin's common sense again.

"I never said I was, Cardin, but I'm not going to tolerate the way you act," he said. Cardin simply scoffed.

"What?! You have a problem with us putting some longear in her place? Is that it, you goody-two-shoes?" He then gave a sinister smirk. "Or is that what you like? Is that it? Some furry girl with ears to hold on to while you do it? Or maybe you're more of a tail man." He then let out a cruel laugh. "I knew you were off, I KNEW IT! You're a freak just like the rest. Then again, considering you're from the boonies, I'm not surprised you and your whole lot would try to get it on with-!" Cardin's monologue was cut off by a blow from Clark's fist. A resounding crack filled the quad and Cardin was sent soaring back through a wall. He did not get back up.

Clark heard a few whoops and cheers and he suddenly felt himself come back from the dark haze that had surrounded him when Cardin had spoken those words. He realized he had gone too far and his regret hit him immediately. The cheers and claps from the crowd only served to make him feel worse. He shouldn't have done this, any of this. Well, that wasn't entirely true. He didn't regret for one moment helping that girl, but he should have controlled himself better.

Suddenly, the cheering died down almost instantly. And Clark could easily see why as the crowd immediately parted to give a wide berth to who was coming. Professor Goodwitch marched forward, an ice-cold expression on her face with only the twinge of pink on her pale cheeks to tell just how furious she was.

"Mister Kent!" she stated in a cold snapping tone.

"Y-yes, ma'am?" Clark asked, feeling his heart drop into his feet.

"Report to Headmaster Ozpin's office this minute. I will be with along shortly." With that, she pulled out her crop and her Semblance activated. The members of Team CRDL were soon levitated into the air, rubble and debris falling off Cardin as he was picked up in the telekinetic field. Goodwitch then turned to the crowd that was still standing and staring. "Well? Do you all not have classes to get to? Move along."

This immediately caused the crowd to disperse as students fled as quickly as they could to avoid the Deputy Headmistress's wrath. She then turned to Clark and her green eyes narrowed coldly. "I told you to move along as well, Mister Kent. I will be there once I have taken these four to the infirmary. Now. Move."

Clark simply nodded and walked in the direction of Ozpin's clocktower office. As he drew closer, he then paused to look behind him and, using his enhanced vision, saw Goodwitch walking away with the four battered, bruised, and bleeding bullies floating carefully behind her towards the nurse's office. He then turned and looked up at the tower. He then saw something that nearly made his heart stop. Ozpin was standing by the window and looking down at him, hands on his cane in front of him as if he knew Clark was going to becoming. Clark let out a heavy sigh. He then trudged forward to the elevator.

He could only wonder and dread what the Headmaster would say.

"And that's the whole story, sir."

Clark finished recounting what had happened and he had tried to be as truthful as possible, but he still felt terrible. He looked up and cast his glance from Goodwitch to Ozpin. Neither's face seemed to betray much emotion. Goodwitch seemed to be reviewing footage on her scroll, her face never changing. After what life like a month, a year, an eternity, no time at all, she spoke.

"The footage seems to support his version of the story, sir," she said, her voice unnervingly unperturbed.

It was then Ozpin's face broke into a small smile.

"Well then, it appears while Mister Kent may have overreacted, he clearly appears to have been simply defending himself," Ozpin said in an almost cheery voice. His smile then faded slightly. "Of course, this can't go unpunished. Thankfully though, it's not as severe as I first thought," he finished calmly.

"Of course, sir. It does appear as though Mister Kent was not the aggressor, but his force was excessive," she responded in her ever even voice.

"I will deal with this. Miss Goodwitch, if you'd give us the room I'd like to talk to Mister Kent alone," Ozpin asked in a kind voice and Goodwitch nodded.

"Of course Headmaster Ozpin," she said in her normal calm tone, and she turned and left. The silence that followed was among the most oppressive quiets Clark had ever experienced. Ozpin then sighed and his positive expression fell altogether as a deep frown crossed his face.

"Mister Kent, I can't say I'm not disappointed," Ozpin said coolly.

"I understand sir," Clark said meekly.

"I'm not entirely sure you do."

"I'm so much stronger than anyone else here so I have a responsibility to control myself more than anyone else. You brought me here to try and help me, trusted me, and I betrayed that trust and hurt your students," Clark said in a somber tone and Ozpin was quiet for a moment.

"You have more self-awareness than most people your age," he said finally. "Still, that doesn't deviate from the fact that those boys were in serious condition when Professor Goodwitch brought them to the infirmary. We should be lucky they began waking up shortly after and their Auras started kicking in around that time. Otherwise, I shudder to think of what would have happened."

"So do I, sir," Clark stated in a somber tone. He had wanted them to quit being bullies, but he'd never wanted this to happen. Not by a long shot. "I'll go pack my things, sir. I know you told Miss Goodwitch there wouldn't be a severe punishment, but I don't deserve to be hereafter what I did," he said glumly as he started to stand.

Suddenly, Ozpin spoke in a slight sharp voice.

"Mister Kent, did I say you could leave?"

Clark then turned to the headmaster, shocked. In the time he had known Ozpin he had never spoken like that, even a few minutes ago. Ozpin's brown eyes narrowed with irritation.

"Um… N-no, sir. You didn't," Clark answered, unsure exactly how to respond. "I just thought-"

"Then wait until I tell you to leave before you do so," Ozpin stated. "Now sit back down please."

Clark, not wanting to make the headmaster more irritated than he seemed to be, quickly sat back in the chair. Ozpin then stared at him for a few seconds before he spoke. "As I said, I am very disappointed, Clark." Then he surprised Clark by actually smiling at him. "But I am also surprisingly impressed."

"Sir?" Clark asked, confused the man's change in attitude.

"Fundamentally, you didn't act incorrectly. You saw an injustice and stood up for someone who couldn't stand up for herself. It was actually admirable."

"R-really?" Clark asked, shocked by this statement.

"Indeed. That's largely what a Huntsman does, Mister Kent. People may say our main purpose is to fight off the Grimm, but that's not quite it. Oh certainly we do, but a Huntsman's main purpose is to defend those who cannot defend themselves. Since many people cannot properly fight or use Aura and weapons the way we do, we defend them against threats they could not. Not just Grimm, but bandits, criminals even renegade Huntsmen as unfortunately true as that is." His face then turned slightly serious again. "I know the rabbit Faunus you aided quite well and, while she has the makings of a great Huntress despite her appearances, she greatly lacks in self-esteem and is often unable to stand up for herself. I don't want to think of how the situation could have spiraled downward if you had not decided to step in as you did, Mister Kent."

"I understand sir," Clark said with a nod. He also didn't want to think about what Cardin would have done. Obviously nothing TOO horrendous what with them being out in the open and on chill grounds, but it would probably make the girl feel humiliated or worse.

"And then there is the fact you mainly used your powers to defend yourself, which was corroborated by the evidence Professor Goodwitch showed," Ozpin continued.

Clark sighed sadly. "Not that that did much good. They were still badly beat up, remember?"

"Yes, that is unfortunate. But in a way, while you ARE to blame for that, THEY are also to blame by attempting to attack you in the first place. As you said, they seemed to hesitate upon trying to attack you. Were it not for Cardin's orders, things may have gone better and they perhaps would have gotten away unscathed. Even when they attacked, you barely did much."

"I guess,," Clark conceded with a nod.

"And then, there is the part that impresses me the most, Clark. During that fight, she showed something most people in your position or with your power would have either tried to throw to the side or ignored altogether in favor of revenge or sick pleasure."

Clark looked at Ozpin curiously. "And… what is that, sir?"

The green-clad headmaster then gave a warm smile to his student. "Compassion, Mister Kent. Up until Mister Winchester began spewing his heinous words about your lifestyle, you were more than willing to give him every chance he had to simply walk away with nothing more than a hurt ego."

Clark then let out a bitter chuckle. "Again, a fat lot of good. If anything, it only made him angrier."

"Yes but still, in this day in age, compassion is, unfortunately, a rare sight to see, even among Huntsmen. As I said, many with your abilities would have taken up the chance to get serious payback against Mister Winchester for the hell he's put them through. The fact you have it and did not is a good sign. Also, after you hurt his teammates and even after you lost your temper against Cardin himself, you said you felt horrible. One could say it was merely an act, but I saw your eyes as you said it; You truly DID feel awful for having hurt them as you did."

He then backs into his chair, the smile still on his face. "A good and noble heart, amazing abilities the likes of which I myself have never seen in all my years, the willpower to not go haywire with it, and above all, a compassionate soul. If these are not the ingredients of a truly great Huntsman, I have no idea WHAT they are."

Clark stared in shock at the headmaster, his heart starting to feel a little bit lighter. "So, I'm not being kicked out, sir?" he asked hopefully.

Ozpin merely gave a chuckle. "Certainly not, Mister Kent. To deprive the world of a possible Huntsman of your caliber? Well, I would have to be insane."

His smile then fell quickly. "However, you DID still injure my students and you used far too much force in the matter, and I must impress upon you that I will not tolerate another transgression like this," he stated, his voice calm but carrying an enormous weight.

"Yes sir. I understand completely," Clark said quickly, the relief in his voice clearly evident.

"So, here is what will happen. You will not be allowed to leave school grounds for the next two weeks and you will repair the damage you caused to the campus during your little excursion. How does that sound? Fair enough?

"Yes sir, that is more than fair," Clark said quickly as he reached out his hand, careful to limit his strength this time. Ozpin took it and shook it with a smile.

Clark then frowned slightly as he let go. "Sir, if I may ask, what will happen to Team CRDL?"

Ozpin then let out a heavy sigh and put a hand to his head. "As of now," he began, "nothing. Mostly because they are in no shape to DO anything." He let out another sigh as he shook his head. "You'd think that all those classes with Miss Goodwitch would drill into their heads that Aura must be MENTALLY activated in order to heal and shield. Cardin seemed to remember that at first if what you say about him healing that bruise is true. Unfortunately, after he began losing his temper, he got more reckless, as did his teammates. Now, what most likely would have taken a few hours to days to heal will no doubt take a few weeks at most."

"I see," Clark said, looking down at his feet a bit. Again, the guilt of what he had done rose up.

"However, you can rest assured that once they are fully healed, they WILL be punished to the fullest extent Professor Goodwitch and I are able," Ozpin said, his expression darkening. "Their actions today were COMPLETELY unbefitting of ANY Huntsman. Mister Winchester's actions, in particular, have shown that he is more willing to put his team in danger and stoop to very low levels for petty vengeance. As such, I may have him suspended from his leadership duties until he learns his lesson. Perhaps even have him attend counseling for anger management."

"It can't hurt," Clark said. He had hopes that Cardin would maybe come around if this horrible instance played in his mind for a while, but he wouldn't quite hold his breath (even if he could for a VERY long while.)

"Quite. That being said, I also believe it'd be best if we moved you from Team CRDL and that they be removed from your team cycle altogether. This incident makes it abundantly clear that your ideals clash far too much."

"Oh. I see," Clark said. Secretly, he was jumping for joy on the inside. Not having to put up with that bunch of bullies anymore was a good thing on a number of levels. Then after a moment, Clark asked, "So, where will I go?"

"Back to Team RWBY, I think. Then Team JNPR. Hmm. Teams are few in number this year," Ozpin said, the slightest amount of worry evident in his voice.

"Oh," was all Clark could say. Having so few Huntsmen in Training was concerning, but he couldn't completely hide the positive note in his voice at the thought of going back to those he got on with the best.

"Yes well, chin up Mister Kent. We'll find some solution. Perhaps a Second Year team would be willing to take you on," Ozpin said with a tiny smile. Clark could already see the wheels in his mind turning as he was already thinking of something. He then recomposed himself with a larger smile now. "In any case, my enrollment issues aren't your concern. But since I have you here, I believe now would be an opportune time to start your next lesson. We have upgraded all our equipment and I think we might be able to get a more proper baseline for your abilities now." Ozpin's voice had cheeriness to it that didn't sound entirely organic, but Clark wasn't about to press anything at the moment.

"Okay, sir. Let's see what we can do."