Well, here goes! Another chapter coming up!

Hope you enjoy!

Diego Kapila waited patiently outside the doors to the club for Yang to arrive. He honestly didn't know if she'd arrive tonight, but he was hoping to see her again. Now that her entire team knew about him, he no longer had to keep their involvement with each other secret from them. Heck, if she wanted to bring her sister along, he'd be perfectly fine about it, so long as he was sure that she could handle herself. But it still was something he was worried about. Sure, Yang and her team could take care of themselves, but what if they couldn't handle the fight ahead? What if Yang couldn't? He'd lose her, like everyone else...

Diego sighed. He still hadn't told her. He wasn't sure how she'd take it. Besides, technically speaking, they fought on different sides of the law. That alone made things complicated between them. But that's why he had gotten out of the game for so long, wasn't it? Because he didn't want to lose anymore people whom he cared about. On the other hand, if he didn't do anything, then she had already won. The thought made him clench his teeth in anger.

No, I WILL NOT let her win! Not again!

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a familiar motor in the distance. He smiled as the motorcycle known as Bumble Bee appeared in the distance. Riding it was Goldilocks herself. Diego couldn't remember being cheered up at the sight of a Huntress before. He stepped away from the doors of the club and met her as she parked outside the club.

"Well Goldilocks, I see that you have been getting better at arriving on time. Someone has been practicing her motorcycle skills."

Yang chuckled. "I guess you could say that I've been saving up for a rainy day. You never know when you'll be forced to get somewhere quickly."

"Too right," Diego nodded. He stretched and continued, "Well, we'd better get going. Those thugs won't be busting themselves. Unless they're just that bad at their jobs."

Yang laughed. "I am surprised that they haven't turned themselves in at this rate."

Diego laughed with her, then put his roller blades on his shoes while Yang revved her engine back up. The two started off towards the edge of town, where their target was expected to be.

"Funny. The place is empty. Where is everyone?" Yang asked when they got there.

"I don't really know. By all rights, they should be here..." Diego was peering around the empty warehouse, looking for any traces that would give away what was wrong with the place. Just then, he spotted a very slight detail, one which most wouldn't notice: the reflection of a human figure being reflected off a window and off of another reflective surface. It was a very small reflection, but it was enough to tell him what was wrong.

"It's a trap!" he shouted, pulling Yang to the ground. No sooner had he done so than a bullet whizzed past her head. Another bullet fired from outside, but Diego managed to deflect it off his gauntlets. He lifted Yang to her feet and pulled her behind a shipping container. A voice called from outside on a megaphone.

"Diego Kapila, this is the Vale Police," the voice said, "Come out with your hands up!"

"Diego, what's going on?" Yang asked, looking skeptically at him. Diego sighed and pulled out his rifle scope. Pressing a button on it, the scope turned into a megaphone of his own and he pointed it towards the entrance.

"Ironwood!" he called, "For the umpteenth time, I am not against you! Are you still going to hold that against me?!"

"You are charged with numerous crimes against Vale, and the whole of Remnant," the voice said.

"I was framed! I didn't want to-"

"Last chance! Come out now, or we're coming in!"

"Diego," Yang gave him with a questioning look, "what is he talking about?"

Diego sighed. "Ironwood and I have a bit of history. I'd hoped that he had put what I did behind him by now, but apparently not."

"Well, why didn't you tell me that you were in trouble with the law?"

"It's not so much the law as it is Ironwood. He's just using the fact that I'm a vigilante as leverage so it's legal."

"What do we do then?"

Diego sighed and spoke into his megaphone.

"Ironwood, I'm not alone. I have a friend with me, one whom I'd prefer not to have harmed. She has nothing to do with this. If you promise not to harm her, I will come out. Do we have a deal?"

There was a pause, then Ironwood said, "Let me speak with her."

Diego handed Yang the megaphone.

"Hello?"

"Mam, are you okay. Is he holding you against your will?"

"No, I am here of my own free will."

"Mam, I need you to come on out. You will not be harmed."

Yang gave the megaphone back to Diego and it turned back into a rifle scope. She looked at him with concern.

"What now?"

"Just do it. I'd rather not have you get hurt over something I did."

Yang nodded and moved out of hiding. In front of her, she saw a group of Vale's police force in front of the warehouse entrance. Some were already moving in slowly. Seeing her, they came up to her and escorted her to "safety" behind the line they had created. One of the men walked forward with those who were advancing towards Diego's crate. He wore a coat of some kind and a pistol was on his belt. Ironwood called out, "She's safe now. Come on out."

Slowly, Diego walked out from behind the crate with his hands behind his back. Several lasers lined up on him and all the police forces aimed their rifles at him.

"Hands in the air," one of the cops ordered. Yang watched, not wanting to believe that he would give up so easily.

Don't do it, she said to herself.

Diego smirked and brought his hands forward. In his hands were several smoke bombs. Yang smiled as he spoke.

"Sorry boys, but my hands are full!"

Diego threw the smoke bombs to the ground, causing a huge multi-colored cloud of smoke to fill the entire warehouse. The police fired wildly at his last position for a few seconds, then stopped and tried to locate him through the smoke. Ironwood in particular was the most wary of the bunch. Suddenly, a shadowy figure leaped out from the smoke and took down the police men around Ironwood. Ironwood fired a few shots, but they all missed. Yang couldn't see much from outside the warehouse, but she correctly guessed that Diego was picking them off one by one. More police moved in, but none came back out...at least not conscious. Soon, she could only hear Ironwood firing his pistol now and then.

"What a waste of bullets," a voice said behind her. Turning, Yang saw Diego leaning against Ironwood's vehicle in a relaxed pose. Yang smiled and shook her head.

"You have a lot of explaining to do once this is over," she said with a smile.

"I agree, but it most likely won't be pretty," Diego replied, "Well, I must go now before he realizes that I'm not in the warehouse anymore. Take care, Yang."

Diego blew a kiss in her direction, then threw down a smoke bomb and disappeared. Yang chuckled. She didn't believe that he was a bad person, not even after tonight. But she did agree that he had something he wasn't telling her yet.

"Well, at least he didn't get hurt," Yang said to herself aloud, "I don't know what I would've done if he-"

She stopped herself in realization of what she was saying.

"No way," she said in denial, then in defeat, "Yang Xiao Long, are you having a crush on Pretty Boy?"

Yang smiled and let out a sigh as she saw Ironwood coming out of the warehouse, before answering her own question.

"Yes, I believe I am."

Ozpin sat inside his office at Beacon Academy staring out at the city of Vale below. He seemed deep in thought on this particular night. So much was occurring lately that concerned him. He knew that the final battle was fast approaching and victory would soon be decided. But what he currently had wasn't enough. He needed more if they were to stand a chance...

"Calling the cops was the last thing I expected from you Ozpin," a voice said from behind. Turning around, Ozpin saw the form of Diego Kapila walking towards him. A small smile was on his face as he spoke.

"If you wanted to talk, you could've just asked. I would've come."

"Perhaps," Ozpin stated, "Or perhaps you would've ignored us like you have for a few decades."

"Who knows what could have happened, Oz," Diego replied. He then gave the professor a quick hug. "As much as I hated to work with you in the past, it's good to see you again old friend."

Ozpin didn't return the hug, but neither did it seem to bother him nor did he ask Diego to stop. Diego finally pulled away and asked, "So how have things been on your end?"

"We're getting stronger," Ozpin stated, "but the enemy moves fast against us. I'm not sure how or when the next strike will be, but we must be prepared for whatever comes next."

Diego nodded and looked out the window. Down below, he could see a solitary figure returning to Beacon for the night. Even from this distance, he managed to catch a glimpse of golden hair from the figure below. It made him smile, but then his smile soon faded and he let out a sigh.

"I understand that it's for the greater good Ozpin, but I still don't like the idea of recruiting these kids. Many of them are still young and none of them have any clue about the plan. I'd hate to see any of them get hurt, especially-"

Diego stopped himself, but Ozpin already seemed to have caught on to what he was saying.

"I understand that you have some form of a connection with Miss Xiao Long," he said calmly, "You fear for her life, do you?"

"You have no idea," Diego answered. "I thought that I could never feel this way towards anyone ever again after what happened, but Yang proved me wrong. I just don't know if these feelings are only on my end or if she feels the same way towards me. But either way, I don't want to lose her..."

Diego fell silent as he continued to stare out the window. Ozpin paced around the room behind him, sipping from a tea cup.

"Tell me," the professor said, "You are known among us for your combat prowess. In all my life, I have never seen anyone who could fight as well as you do. You remain undefeated in the ring, you cause even the Grimm to fear you, and you can fool even the greatest technology of our day day if it helps you to complete your task. But you never bothered to explain why you do this. So why is it that you fight? If not for the same reasons I do, then for what purposes?"

Diego sighed. "You asked a similar question to me all those years ago. I told you that I'd explain the next time we met, so here goes. When I first met Salem, I was a weak naive fool, easily manipulated by her and used in her own schemes. As a result, I ended up losing my family and those I held dear to me. You want to know why I am so...proficient in combat? Because I was unable to help last time. I don't want to make the same mistakes. I WILL NOT let her win. If I screw up, I will only prove her right and it will be the last screw up I'll ever make, as well as my greatest. And that's why I'm so good at fighting. That's why I never miss. That's why I am undefeated. Because I can't afford to mess up; I can't afford to miss; I can't afford to lose again. Not this time..."

Ozpin was silent as Diego finished letting out his held-back emotions. The boy then straightened and said, "I should get going then."

He started to walk out, but Ozpin called, "Diego..." Diego turned to the Professor.

"It's good to have you back, in a sense."

"Good to be back," Diego sighed. "Just a heads up: the tournament. When it comes around, I'm signing up as a solo team. And I'd like to try the 1v4 challenge if that can be arranged. You don't need to answer my request now, just tell me in your own time. Good night, Professor Ozpin."

Diego left the room without another word and Ozpin let out a sigh. It wouldn't be easy convincing the boy to help them any more than he already was. He had already lost someone the last time.

How willing would he be to help if he lost another?

Yang looked out the window of her team's bedroom and heaved a sigh. Her teammates had fallen asleep a long ways back, but she herself didn't feel sleepy. She was still thinking about Diego's heist gone wrong. He had escaped alright, but she was still concerned about him as well as curious. What if Ironwood was right? What if he really was a dangerous criminal? Even if he wasn't, why would Ironwood hate him? If only he could answer that for her himself...

A small light flashed below her window and Yang looked down to see the culprit himself signaling her. With a smile, Yang gave him a hand signal asking him to wait for a short moment. She quietly exited her room, moved through the halls, and out into the yard below. Diego was waiting for her patiently and when he saw her approaching, Yang could've sworn that he was gazing at her as if she was some rare beauty he had come across. Diego smiled and said, "Couldn't sleep, could you?"

"Not really," Yang replied, "Plus, I wanted some answers from you."

"I figured you'd ask. So, where do you want to start?"

"How about with tonight and what happened with Ironwood?"

Diego sighed and moved to a nearby bench. "Sit down, Blondie. We need to talk."

Yang obliged and Diego began.

"The first time Ironwood and I met, it wasn't on the best terms. What's worse, I was being manipulated by a dangerous individual, someone who pretended to be my friend. She...mind controlled me more or less and as such, I did many things that crossed too many lines. I regret ever working for her and when I figured out that I had been played, I was devastated. I tried apologizing and making up for what she made me do...but Ozpin was the only one who accepted my apologies. Ironwood...He never truly forgave me. He vowed that the next time we met, he would have me arrested and he even told the most trustworthy of his men about me so they would be on lookout. The fact that I became a vigilante only served to give him some form of justification for my arrest. I hoped that staying away for all those years would cool him down, but you can see how that turned out."

Yang searched his face, but his eyes held no lie. Yet one thing still confused her.

"You make it sound like it happened a long time ago, but it just doesn't seem to add up. You're eighteen, right? So, how does that work?"

Diego gave her a small smile. "I am eighteen, but I've been around much longer than that. It's not technically immortality if that's what you think. More like, being forced to remain a certain age no matter how the years unwind, stretching it out until it becomes almost unbearable. I've stayed like this for...gosh, I can't even know for sure! It's a curse, a real curse." He looked to Yang. "That's all I can tell you for now, but I promise that all questions will be answered eventually. I'm just sorry that I didn't tell you sooner."

Diego sighed and hung his head, but then a hand lifted it up again and he found himself staring into her pretty purple eyes.

"I believe you," Yang said, "and frankly, I understand why you would keep it a secret. I probably would do the same. But I'm glad that you told me. It really helps."

"Thanks Yang," Diego said with a sigh. "You know, I originally wouldn't share this with anyone, unless..." He stopped.

"Unless what?" Yang asked.

"Unless it was with someone I trusted with my life...or someone that I loved."

Diego felt her hand stiffen a bit when he said that, but a smile crossed her face.

"I...have had eyes for you for awhile now," Diego admitted. "At first I tried to shrug it off, but it wouldn't go away. I guess that I didn't want to admit that I could potentially fall in love again, not after all these years. My only fear is that you won't feel the same way..."

Diego waited for her fist in his face or something along those lines, but instead she smiled a little bit more and her hand brushed away a silent tear that had been running down his cheek.

"Well you don't need to worry anymore, Pretty Boy," she said, "because...I do feel the same way."

A small blush spread across her cheeks and Diego let out a small laugh.

"Easy there, Goldilocks. I think that you're falling asleep in Baby Bear's bed for too long," he joked, still not taking his eyes away from her own. Their faces came closer together, and soon they found themselves sharing a kiss. It didn't last for more than five seconds, but when they pulled apart, they were still smiling.

"We're actually going to try this?" Diego asked with a smirk.

"Why not?" Yang replied with her own smirk. "It sounds romantic doesn't it? Two lovers on opposite sides of the law. Sounds just like the kind of adventure I was looking for."

"Fair enough," Diego said, "If you're willing to give it a shot, so am I."

Yang giggled, then brought him into another kiss, this time longer than the first. One of his hands moved up and caressed her cheek and another moved up to her hair. He started stroking it gently, but Yang for once didn't seem to mind that someone was messing with it. When they pulled apart again, Yang said, "You know, you're probably the first person whose face I haven't bashed in for touching my hair."

Diego chuckled, then suddenly his watch started beeping. He looked to it, then back to Yang apologetically.

"Looks like I gotta run. Get some sleep, you'll need it."

"I will," Yang promised. "Good night, Diego Kapila."

"You too, Yang Xiao Long."

They stood up and left in opposite directions, Yang heading back towards Beacon and Diego heading for Vale. They gave each other one last backwards glance before they were out of sight. Yang sighed happily as she made her way back to her room.

This year at Beacon was taking a joyful twist.

Diego stared in the direction of Beacon from a rooftop far away, smiling lovingly. He had felt something tonight that he had never felt before with anyone before. Not even the last love of his life had made him feel this way. It almost made him guilty, until he remembered what she had told him before her death.

"She would want to see me happy this way," he said to himself. He looked up at the moon.

"I think that you'd like Yang. She's a really sweet girl."

Diego sighed and his smile disappeared for a moment as he turned back to Beacon.

"I won't make the same mistakes with you Yang. It caused too much suffering on both ends the last time, and you deserve better than that. I won't allow her to win. Because this time..."

Diego dropped down into an alley and disappeared into the shadows, out of sight of all eyes.

"I have someone worth fighting for."

Another chapter down, and the romance is already starting!

Hope you enjoyed! I'll see ya next time!

Peace!