Chapter 20!

The break is over, and I'm back!

I don't own RWBY.

Enjoy!

Team DHLA

Trigger

That night.

Daien was walking down the hall toward his dorm, humming to himself and filling in his journal on everything that had happened that day.

"It's important! So don't screw this up!"

Daien looked up from his Scroll to see Jaune closing his, a defeated look on his face. "Cardin?" Daien asked putting his Scroll away. Jaune just nodded. "You know I could always just kick his ass, maybe put him in the hospital for a few days? I'm sure Nora would help." Jaune smiled, reassured, and exchanged a fist bump with Daien before going off to do Cardin's bidding.

The next day.

Daien looked around at the gorgeous red leaves of the trees, an awed "Wow" escaped from his lips. Prof. Goodwitch addressed the students, "Yes, students, the forest of Forever Fall is indeed beautiful. But we are not here to sight-see. Professor Peach has asked all of you to collect samples from the trees deep inside this forest, and I'm here to make sure none of you die while doing so." Prof. Goodwitch held up a jar of thick red liquid for the students to see, "Each of you is to gather one jar's worth of red sap. However, this forest is full of the creatures of Grimm, so be sure to stay by your teammates. We will rendezvous back here by 4 o'clock. Have fun!" And with that everyone went their own way, except Jaune, who was dragged off by Cardin.

"Alright, Team! Let's get that sap!" Daien declared comically. """Aye, Captain!""" The rest of Team DHLA responded. Over the past few days Daien's team had started to call him their captain, and had made a point to use the title as often as possible. Just as the group was about to embark on their quest, Yang walked over. "Hey, Daien!" She said, causing all of Team DHLA to stop. "Hey, Yang, what's up?" Daien said turning toward her. Yang seemed to have something on her mind and that worried Daien, "Can I talk to you for a sec?" She asked, subtly hinting that she wanted to talk in private. "Uh, yeah, sure." Daien said, catching the blondes hint. Daien turned to his team and said, "You guys go on ahead, I'll catch up in a minute." Team DHLA exchanged some suspicious looks with their leader before saying their goodbyes and heading off to gather their jars of sap.

Turning back toward Yang, Daien asked, "What's up, Yang? Everything alright?" "It's about yesterday." Yang said, tiptoeing around the subject for reasons Daien couldn't fully understand. "What about yesterday?" Yang paused to gather her thoughts before asking, "Are you okay?" Daien sighed, "I'll be fine." "Is that a no?" "Yang, I'll be fine, just some things I'm dealing with." Yang pressed on, "Wanna talk about it?" "Yes… but I can't." "Why?" Daien paused before changing his tone, "Where is this coming from? Why do you care?" Yang recoiled a little bit with a look of hurt. "I know we're friends and all, but I said I'll be fine." "I just-" "So please… just drop it." Daien started walking in the direction his team had went, but stopped just few feet away.

"Enjoy the show?" Daien asked coldly. "Just keeping an eye on you, what with your fangs an' all." Dax said as he stood up from his crouched position behind the tree. "That was cold, man. She was just-" "I know. I know what she was trying to do. And I appreciate it, but I just can't." "Why?" "Because there are something's that, for the sake and safety of everyone around me, should just stay buried."

Dax went to say something, but Daien cut him off, "And if everyone just keeps pushing and prying it'll only make things worse. It'll make me hate her, and I don't want to hate her." The following silence seemed to stretch on forever, until it was unceremoniously broken by an uninvited guest. "Roooooaaaaaar!" Suddenly a large Ursa smash through a tree behind Yang, poised for the kill. Yang barely had time to turn around before the Ursa slammed its clawed paw into her side and sent her flying.

"YANG!" Dax yelled as the blonde girl fell at the base of a tree after crashing into it. In a flash Daien was between Yang and the large Grimm, shielding her. The Ursa roared challengingly. Daien responded by planting his feet in a low, powerful stance. As if accepting a challenge, the Ursa charged. "Daien?" Yang said in a slight daze that mostly cleared when she saw the large Ursa baring down on her, and Daien between her and it.

"Daien run!" Dax shouted, a trio of arrows formed on the string of his bow. Daien stood his ground. Dax loosed his arrows as the beast rushed past him, but the projectiles glanced off the Grimm's bone like plates and embedded themselves in a nearby tree. The Ursa connected with Daien.

Once the dust cleared it was revealed that Daien and the Ursa were locked in a battle of strength, the Ursa snarling and roaring in Daien's face as he held the monster's paws in a death grip. "Let me make something clear to you!" Daien said to the Ursa, a murderous hint to his voice. "No one hurts my friends!" The Ursa began roaring in pain as Daien began to over power it, slowly forcing the Grimm's arms in an unnaturally downward direction.

"No one hurts her and lives!" There was a loud, sickening crack as the Ursa's arms became vertical. "GOT IT!?" Daien yelled into the now crippled Ursa's face as he still maintained a death grip on its now useless limbs. "Return to the void you came from!" Daien shouted, before he reared back and headbutted the Ursa, sending it flying.

After crashing through a tree, the Ursa came to rest and began to dissipate into black smoke, stone cold dead. Afterward there was only silence, and such a silence had never been heard in all of the history of Vale.

"Did you… How could…. Is that even…" Dax said as his brain struggled to process what he had just witnessed. Yang's face was a bright crimson, her mouth moved as it struggled to form sounds, let alone words. "We should get moving, where there's one there's more." Daien said. "Y-Yeah, right!" Yang said snapping out of her trance. "Wha- wait, are we not gonna talk about what just happened?" Dax said, still a little baffled. Unfortunately for him, a loud roar from nearby took precedent. "Move!" Daien shouted, before he was off, moving like lightning in the direction of the roar. Yang gave Dax a shrug before following her savior. Dax begrudgingly followed a second later, muttering to himself.

Daien came to a clearing where Cardin was being knocked around like a rag-doll by an Ursa Major. The Ursa reared up to finish Cardin off. Daien had his guns drawn, ready, and on target in the blink of an eye, but Jaune beat him to it, putting his shield between the claws of the Ursa Major and Cardin. Yang and Dax caught up a moment later. "Jaune! D-" Daien cut Dax off by putting a hand on his bow arm. "This is his fight, all we can do is be ready if things go south." Dax didn't like it, but lowered his bow anyway.

At first Jaune seemed to be holding his own, until the Ursa smacked him across the clearing, but Jaune got straight up and charged. Unfortunately that wasn't any better, as he got smacked to the other end of the clearing. "Ready positions!" Daien said to Dax and Yang, hearing the strangely comforting sound of weapons being cocked and readied as he lined up two perfect kill shots. Then something interesting happened.

As Jaune and the Ursa Major each went in for a final attack, Jaune's shield changed course from a wide open slash to a defensive block. After the blocked blow made Jaune plant his feet, Jaune decapitated the Ursa Major in one swift, leaping slash. Daien smiled, "Come on, let's go."

As the trio turned to leave, Dax stopped and said, "So… are we just not gonna talk about what happened back there?" "Sure!" Daien said, "I can say with complete confidence that I was right!" Yang and Dax looked confused. "I mean, I never would have guessed he'd take on an Ursa that big so soon, but I always knew he had it in him!" Dax was not amused. "NO! I mean what happened with you!" Daien stopped and sighed, "What do you want me to say? I'm strong, so what?" he said turning to his teammate with a nervous half smile. "Strong?! No, I'm strong! You're… You're a monster!"

Any trace of a smile left Daien's face at the word 'monster', his entire body stiffened and his mood visibly went very sour. Both Yang and Dax noticed this and instantly became very concerned. "What is it?" Yang asked, moving to place her hand on Daien's shoulder. Daien roughly pulled away from her with a look approaching that of a scowl. "I'm not a monster." He said, his voice low and filled with angry hurt. Daien was upset, and they all knew it.

Dax took a step toward him, "Hey, man, I didn't-" "Tell Goodwitch I'll see her first thing tomorrow for whatever punishment she's got for me." Daien said, unholstering Strife and Fury. "What?" Yang asked as Dax and Her both began voicing their concern. "Tell Lilac not to worry, and tell Chichi I'll be fine." And with that he was gone. Like lightning he had vaulted over the Ursa Major's corpse and was deep in the treeline. "Daien, Wait!" Yang shouted after him. "DOWN" Dax shouted as he tackled Team RWBY's powerhouse to the side, just in time to avoid the explosion from an Ice Dust grenade… That was apparently a dud.

A little later.

After maybe thirty minutes of Goodwitch furiously raving, Ozpin started asking questions, "So he just left? Without provocation? Without warning?" "Well…" Yang began, "Not entirely." Ozpin raised an eyebrow, "Explain." "Well, see, Sir, we were just about to start collecting sap when Yang asked to talk with Daien in private." Dax said, "He sent us on ahead and said he'd catch up. I stayed behind a little to keep an eye on them and watch their backs." Dax looked to Yang.

"Go on" Ozpin said. "You see Sir, I was worried about him." Yang started this time, "He had been a little weird lately and I wanted to help, but he wouldn't really talk about it and kept telling me to drop it." "Then this huge Ursa came out of nowhere and attacked Yang!" Dax said, "And Daien..."

Dax and Yang exchanged a look, unsure whether or not to continue. "Yes?" Ozpin questioned. Dax gulped before continuing, "He killed it." Ozpin raised an eyebrow, unsure of what the big deal was, "Aaand?" Yang started to say something, but Dax interrupted her, "He freaking overpowered and killed it with his bare hands!" Silence settled over Ozpin's office for a moment. "When we finally got to talk about it, he said he was strong and I called him a monster. Then he just took off."

Ozpin gave a slight nod, "I see." he said, before pulling out his Scroll. "Peach, I'm calling you back." He said into the Scroll, "Yes I am aware of his location… No, at this time I am not concerned for his safety, nor am I concerned for that of the city….Professor Peach, we both know who he is and what he is capable of, I also know he deserves far more credit than you are giving him." And with that Ozpin hung up and put the Scroll back in his pocket.

"Wait, did I just hear you say you know where he is?" Dax asked. "That is correct, yes. During the first night you were here Professor Goodwitch slipped a tracking device into his armor, we believe he knows it is there." "Did he turn it off?" Yang asked. "No" "Why did you put a tracker on him in the first place?" Dax asked. "Mister Henna, we have been watching Mister Daien very closely for some time now, we suspect he knows this as well." "But why?" Yang asked.

Ozpin let out a sigh, "Mister Henna, Miss Xiao Long, there are a great many things that you do not know about young Mister Daien. However; I fear it is not my place to tell them to you. You will have to ask him yourselves, although I doubt he'll tell you anything." There was a small silence before Dax asked, "Why?" "Because, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, there are somethings that should just stay buried."

Aaaaand that's chapter 20!

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