So, this is starting to reveal a bit about Diego's past, believe it or not. As time goes on, you'll eventually be given the story about how he met Salem. Hopefully, I don't screw that up.
Please enjoy!
"Yang, are you okay?" Blake called on Yang's Scroll as she ran down the halls of Beacon.
"I'm fine," she answered, "Is Ruby with you? She's not answering her Scroll."
"No, she isn't," Blake replied. Yang stopped running for a moment when she heard this.
"Yang, I'm sure she's fine. She's our leader, she can take care of herself."
"Right," Yang said, clenching her fist. Just then, another call came on her Scroll, as well as Blake's.
"Yang? Blake? Someone, please answer me!" a male's voice shouted. Both sides of the conversation could hear this.
"Diego?" they all exclaimed.
"Where's Ruby?" Yang asked.
"She's fine!" was the reply, "A little traumatized, but otherwise she's good! She's at the arena with me, but the Grimm are closing in fast! You guys need to protect the people! I'll keep them busy over here if I can! Go to the docks and do your job! I'll see you when I can!"
"Got it!" Blake called, hanging up her end when she did.
"Be careful," Yang said, "I love you."
There was a brief pause, then he replied, "I love you too, Yang."
Yang managed a smile, then ended the call as she headed out into the chaos.
Diego looked up at the barrier around the arena, having managed to break free from the shock he had been in earlier. A Nevermore was desperately trying to break through into the arena, and from what the robotic announcer was telling him, it was succeeding. He took a quick glance at Ruby, who was still in a state of shock at the moment, then looked nearby at where he was standing. Pyrrha was also in shock of what had happened, standing there motionless. Jaune was calling to her, but she didn't seem to hear him. The Nevermore flew up at a higher altitude and with a powerful downward dive it broke through the barrier. It then looked straight at Pyrrha and dove for her.
Not on my watch!
With one swift motion, Diego leaped into the air and brought himself down upon the Nevermore, killing it in one blow. Standing up from his kill, he noticed that Ruby had apparently thought the same thing, as she was holding one of Penny's daggers. She looked at Diego, who managed to flash her a smile.
"You almost beat me to it, Ruby," he said. Just then, several pods dropped down around the arena, as tons of Huntsmen and Huntresses rushed inside. They grabbed their gear and looked around. Diego looked to Ruby, who hadn't done the same, and realized that her Scroll must've gotten damaged by Mercury earlier. With a sigh, he pulled out on of his own and fiddled around with it. In a few seconds, her own pod deployed with her equipment inside. As she gathered her things, Pyrrha spoke, her eyes filled with tears.
"Ruby, I-" She looked down at a piece of fabric from Penny's form that was in her hands, before finishing. "I'm so sorry."
"Me too," Ruby replied, "but it wasn't your fault."
"She's right," Jaune added, walking over to Pyrrha, "Whoever was on the microphone, they're the ones that did this." He held out Pyrrha's weapons to her. "And have to make sure they don't take anyone else."
Pyrrha took the weapons from him as all the Huntsmen and Huntresses readied their weapons. Then, Flynt and Neon looked to Diego.
"You!" Flynt shouted, "What's your part in all this?"
Diego sighed heavily. "I wish I could say that I didn't have one... But I'm part of the reason this has happened."
"Diego, you weren't-" Ruby started, but Diego interrupted her.
"No Ruby, they're right. I was once with the people on the microphone. I taught them much of the strategy they've used, I gave them the power they wield... I even helped create some of the Grimm you face. It's all my fault that they- they..."
Diego couldn't finish and simply hung his head in shame and guilt.
"That's all I needed to hear," one Huntsman stated, as he and his team surrounded Diego. Another team joined him and Ruby was shocked.
"No, wait!" she shouted, but it was too late. The first Huntsman brought his sword down upon Diego's head... only to have the vigilante's image disappear like a shadow. He then reappeared nearby, giving a look that pleaded to them not to attack. Ruby was simply surprised.
"That was... Blake's Semblance," she said to herself. Stunned by Diego's move, another Huntsman attacked. However, when he did, Diego simply disarmed him easily. He then lifted his hands and several circular runes appeared in the air, firing out shards of ice.
"Weiss's Semblance too?" Ruby was confused now, and even more so when a Grimm Griffon dropped down on top of a pod. For no sooner had it done so, than Diego turned into a red blur and flew across the arena, forming back into his normal self to lay a killing blow to the Grimm's head.
"And mine!?" Ruby was both excited and freaking out at the same time. Diego stood to his feet and looked to the Huntsmen and Huntresses around him.
"I may not have much trust left among you towards me, if you ever had any to begin with," he stated, "but I will not sit idly by and watch Vale or Beacon fall! I helped make this mess, and I'm going to clean it up if it's the last thing I do, with or without your help!"
Taking a deep breath, Diego launched himself impossibly high into the sky, jumping clear out of the arena as the Huntsmen and Huntresses all watched in shock. Ruby was silent as a thought came to mind.
"He used our Semblances," she muttered, "I read about that in the library..."
She stared in her friend's direction as her thoughts bugged her.
Is he the wielder of the Inherited Semblance?
Diego rushed through the streets of Vale towards Beacon, killing any Grimm that crossed his path. His rage seemed to build with every strike, he hardly noticed that some Grimm were avoiding him altogether.
Got to stop this! Got to stop this! his mind screamed over and over with each strike. In all honesty, he could feel his feral side building up around him. There was so much fear in the air. Could he keep it together long enough?
Keep it together! he said to himself, Just a little longer!
At last, he could see the school up ahead and several Huntsmen and Huntresses in front of the doors. Finding a familiar face in the crowd, he rushed over to the crowd.
"Weiss, where's Yang?" he asked. Weiss simply pointed in a certain direction as she panted heavily. Diego nodded, then handed her a vial from within the folds of his clothing.
"This will help you hold out longer," he explained, then rushed towards the building Weiss had pointed to, fighting his way through White Fang as he did. Eventually, he heard Yang shout in anger and he rushed over to one of the windows of the nearby buildings.
Just in time to see a familiar figure slice off her arm with a single strike of his sword.
Diego felt as if his heart had stopped beating and the world was moving in slow motion as he watched his girlfriend fall. Then the figure in question turned back towards his friends, just enough to let Diego confirm who he was seeing. Blake jumped in the way of Adam, leaning over Yang.
"Why must you hurt me, Blake?" Adam asked, and swung his sword once more... only to have it stop halfway in Diego's right arm, biting through his gauntlet and into the flesh. Diego cried out in pain, then delivered a quick blow to Adam's stomach before he could recover, sending him flying halfway across the room. Blake looked at him.
"Diego..." she managed, "Your arm..."
Diego winced a bit, then his hands glowed as the wound slowly closed up.
"Just a scratch, Blake," he stated, "I'll live." He turned to notice Adam standing slowly to his feet, then back to Blake.
"Time to tag out, Blake. I'll take it from here. Get Yang to safety, then run."
"What?" Blake shouted, "No! I won't leave!"
"There's nothing else you can do here!" he argued, "Beacon is fallen. I don't want you to die for nothing."
"I'm not running away from this!" she protested, "I've ran away for too long! I won't-"
"I'm not telling you to run away from the problem!" Diego countered, "I'm telling you to run towards it! You're needed elsewhere, Blake, and we've lost too many lives already!"
"Stop telling me to run-!"
"I lost my parents! I won't lose you too, Kitten!"
Diego seemed surprised at first, as if realizing what he had said to Blake. Blake was surprised to hear this too. He had called her by a pet name given to her by a distant cousin when she was still a child. But how would he have known about..?
A short flashback came over her as she recalled a moment of her childhood...
Flashback
Blake was just a child, still a toddler. Today was her birthday, and her family had taken great measures to make this a special day for her. It was a great party and everyone was happy. At one point, her dad pulled her aside to meet someone.
"Blake," he said, "This is your distant cousin... Diego Kapila."
Blake looked up at the eighteen year old boy standing before her. He was wearing a friendly smile and his eyes twinkled mischievously. When she looked closer, she noticed that he seemed to have viper pits in his nose and his eyes had an almost invisible layer of scales covering them. He knelt down to her level and smiled brighter.
"Well, hello there, little Kitten..."
End Flashback
Blake looked at Diego dumbfounded. His expression only confirmed what she was thinking.
"...Diego?"
Diego sighed and his hand reached out and caressed her cheek.
"Live to fight another day, Baby Cousin," he said gently, "Live to fight another day."
Blake was silent for a count of three, as the realization came to her. Then she suddenly hugged him tightly for a short while, which the boy returned just as quickly. She stood up and grabbed Yang, carrying her away. Before she left, she looked back and called, "I will come back." She then ran off towards the docks. Diego watched them leave, then turned his attention to Adam, who was chuckling as he approached.
"Well well well," he said, "Look what you have become. A street rat licking the boots of the weak and traitorous."
"Look what I have risen above," Diego retaliated, "A tyrant who believes that anarchy and fear is the road to equality."
Adam smiled and started pacing in front of Diego, who simply held his ground and kept his eye on the Faunus warrior.
"So you're a part of this rabble too?" he scoffed, "I thought you were better than that, Diego."
"Then I guess you know less about me than you thought," Diego replied, "Because the way I see it, they're a far better family than your ever was. After all, look at what you have lost. Your pride, your dignity, your very conscience. Even those you loved."
Adam seemed to get mad at this.
"Then what do YOU have?!" he snarled, kicking a pile of burning lumber. Diego was silent, but for a brief moment his eyes fell upon something upon the ground that had caught his eye. Adam followed his gaze and saw what it was: Yang's arm, with her gauntlet still upon it. An evil smile crossed Adam's face.
"Seems that I'll be killing two birds with one stone after all," he stated. At this, Diego took on a dangerous expression and pulled out a weapon he hadn't used much: his telescope/heavy club. He brought himself into a solid stance as he waited for Adam's attack. Adam only smiled wider.
"Do you wish for your death then? Even with your training, you could never beat me."
Adam quickly struck at Diego, but was surprised when the vigilante easily parried his attack and laid a successful blow to his face. Now Diego smirked.
"Time has it's way of changing things," he answered, "And for the record, I threw those fights. You were never the better."
Adam was surprised, then angry. He rushed at Diego again, striking furiously at the boy in question. All in vain, for Diego countered each flawlessly. Adam soon tired and looked to Diego in utter disbelief. Diego's smirk then faded and he looked to Adam with rage in his eyes as he began his own onslaught. Unlike Diego, Adam was unable to counter his blows and was soon overcome. Adam fell to the ground, battered and bruised. Diego quickly leaned down and held Adam's own sword to his neck. For a while, he was motionless as the battle raged around them, then the vigilante spoke.
"I spare you this one time only, because I once called you 'brother,' and I hope that there may still be time to turn you away from the path that you have chosen, slim though that may be."
Diego threw his sword away and turned away from Adam. He started to walk away, but then looked back to Yang's arm and gauntlet. With a heavy sigh, he picked up the dismembered limb and removed the gauntlet from it. He then removed his own broken gauntlet and placed Yang's gauntlet on his arm instead.
"Hope you don't mind, Goldilocks," he said softly, "It seems I'll be needing it more than you will currently."
Diego walked out of the building and back onto the school grounds. A Grimm charged at him for a second, but he killed it with a single punch without even turning to look at it when he did.
"Where are you going?!" Adam demanded. Diego ignored him. "Don't walk away from me! Come and finish this!" Diego continued to walk away.
"DIEGO!"
Diego finally stopped briefly and looked back to the fallen Faunus.
"Goodbye... brother," he said, too softly for Adam to hear. He then turned back around, ignoring the cries of the White Fang leader as he walked back into the thick of the fight...
In the direction of the large Grimm dragon that circled above Beacon...
Dun dun dun! The fight is starting to come to a close very soon! Wonder how it's going to end... not really! I'm the one writing this after all. XD
Hope you enjoyed, and I'll cya in the next chapter! BYYYYYYEEEE!