How's it going, ladies and gentlemen? This chapter is quite the doozy, as I made sure to include my own twists, giving my OCs a lot more focus in order to flesh them out carefully. Let us begin.

Morning arrived at Beacon Academy as the newest teams arose to start their first day as students-in-training. In Team DRGN's dorm room, Neos had slept in once again. However, Damien approached him while he held a gong close to his friend's ear.

The crimson haired lad banged the gong loudly, as the spiky-haired teen jolted himself out of bed. "Jesus, dude! What the hell is wrong with you?!" Neos yelled out.

"Up and at 'em, you!" The newly appointed leader addressed him. "As one of Beacon's newest teams, we need to do our best to set an example for the other newcomers!" He turned to Ryu and handed the gong back to him. "Thank you for the gong, Ryu." He cordially bowed to him.

"Um, of course." Ryu nodded, while he sheepishly took it back.

Neos raised an eyebrow at his pal's behaviour, as he got up. "Taking this leader role a bit too seriously, aren't you?"

Damien sighed. "All right, I admit it. I really want to make a good impression, especially on the first day. Truth be told, I'm still a bit shocked that Ozpin appointed me as the leader for Team DRGN."

Gwen put a hand on his shoulder. "You mustn't get the pressure get to you, Damien. Many of the new leaders are still adapting to their role, so it will take time to get the hang of it."

"Yeah, just relax, would ya?" Neos spoke up. "Besides, just what are you guys wearing anyway?" He pointed to Damien, Ryu, and Gwen wearing school outfits, with Damien's trademark leather jacket hanging over his shoulders. Damien and Ryu's outfits consisted of black suits lined with gold, accompanied by a blue vest and a white shirt with a red tie, while Gwen wore a red plaid skirt and a brown jacket with a tan vest and white shirt with a red ribbon tied at the collar.

"Those would be our school uniforms." Ryu explained. "Every student is given these Academy-brand uniforms, though we free to customize it to our liking."

"That's right." Damien nodded, before he threw a set of clothes onto him. "So do me a favour and put on your uniform this instant!" Neos took off the outfit from his face, before he examined it. He shrugged as he started to undress immediately, much to his team's shock. However, Damien dope-slapped him in the back of the head. "NOT HERE, YOU IDIOT!" He yelled out before he pushed him into the bathroom and slammed the door.

Gwen blinked in confusion, as Ryu sighed. "He certainly is an impulsive one."

Damien nodded as he scratched his cheek. "You don't even know the half of it. But even so, he's a very loyal friend and down-to-earth kind of guy." He smiled. "Once you spend more time with him, you'll see just kind of person he is."

"That's true. After all, we mustn't judge a man by its cover - our tribe teaches us to deeply respect all living beings, no matter how rough they are." Gwen mentioned. "Besides, I am very excited to get to know all of you." She happily blushed while she held Ryu's hand. "Including you... partner." She spoke, as the young samurai blushed.

"Aw, how sweet. We have some bonding going on over here!" Neos spoke up, as he came out with his uniform on, the main difference was that his trademark yellow vest was on top of it, and his sleeves were rolled up. "Not a big fan of this outfit, but I guess I can adept."

Damien nodded, as he moved on to the next order of business. "Well, before class starts, let's try and re-arrange our dorm, since it'll be our living quarters for the next four years."

Damien and Neos had their beds on one side, while Ryu and Gwen put their beds on the other side. The two pals hung some posters on their separate bedside, as well as a boombox on a cabinet, and a basketball net between their beds. They also brought in a big flat-screen television, as well as Damien's Nintendo Switch from home, with lots of games included. Meanwhile, the two bladed fighters placed a small meditation net on their side, a small plant on the windowsill, and a large bookshelf on the wall south of their beds, full of ancient text. Gwen also put a bible in the shelf as well, and a small goddess icon on top. Finally, per Gwen's suggestion, the beds were re-arranged as bunk beds, for more room.

"Phew, good call on bunk beds, Gwen." Ryu complimented her.

"Well, we should get to class right about now." The crimson haired leader pointed out.

"What?! But I didn't even eat breakfast yet!" Neos growled.

"And whose fault was that?" Ryu narrowed his eyes.

Gwen reached into her bag, and pulled out a snack bar for him. "Here, maybe this will suffice?"

Neos unwrapped it, and started munching away. "Mmmmph! Gwen, you're on a roll today..." He muffled, as Gwen shyly twiddled her fingers.

Damien smiled, as they headed out. He could hear the other teams still preparing, before he decided to give a hoot. "Guys! Class starts in five minutes, better hurry up!" He called out, as they eventually reached their classroom. When they got there, they saw a portly-mustached man in front of them. "O-ho, welcome to my class! I'm glad to see students arriving early, my name is Professor Port."

"Ah, hello, Professor Port! It is our pleasure to be here in attendance for your class, sir!" Damien quickly straightened his body and bowed, in a professional, yet hasty, manner.

"*Sigh* Here he goes again..." Neos muttered.

"Now, now, young man, there is no need to try so hard to be formal. Deep breaths now, come on!" He inhaled deeply and exhaled, as the crimson haired lad did the same. As he finished breathing, Teams RWBY, JNPR, DMON, and BLSS rushed through the door. "Ah wonderful, glad to see more students making it on time."

"Well, we would have been on time if someone kept better track of the time!" Weiss spoke as she glared as Ruby, while Leonidas did the same towards Iskandar.

"Wow, Gwen! Looking good with that outfit." Naomi addressed the young archer, as she whispered into her ear. "I gotta say, didn't expect you to have quite the chest. You sure can hide it." She winked.

Gwen's eyes widened as her face turned a dark shade of red, before she hastily repiled. "O-Oh, uh... Thank you. I, um... E-Excuse me...!" She covered her chest and walked away quickly as she sat very close by Ryu.

"I don't know what that was about. I was about to say she shouldn't be shy about flaunting her figure." The blue-haired girl wondered.

"Yeah, probably not a good idea to try and grope her." Neos pointed out. "Unless you want to piss off her older brother."

Naomi gulped as she imagined Doctor Nahyuta freezing her to death with his icy glare. "Yeah. Point taken!" She nodded as she sat right beside him.

Eventually, almost everyone had taken their seats. The last person to do so was Lee, who saw that the only spot left was next to Ryu. He gritted his teeth as he took his seat, before he scooted a few inches away.

"Lee..." Ryu muttered, as Professor Port's lecture began.

As class began, the portly fellow started to ramble on about tales of Grimm in the past, mainly about his adventurous feats. As Damien started writing notes, he heard a thump, as Neos fell asleep on the desk. "Ugh, already?!" He whispered as he poked his arm. "Can't you at least try to make an honest effort?"

"Yeah, not happening. The moment he started going on about stuff, I knew I not making it through." The spiky-haired teen mumbled. " Besides, I'm not the only one paying attention."

The crimson haired lad surveyed the classroom while Port kept blabbing. He saw Ruby fiddled around, which drew the ire from Weiss; he noticed Izzy passed some notes around, while Leonidas stared. He also saw several students sleeping or just not bothering to pay attention. "All right, point taken. But still, at least try to take this seriously...?"

"Pass." Neos muttered, as he covered his face in his arms, before he drifted off to Dreamland. "Just send me the notes afterwards for me to copy." He muffled, as his pal's eye twitched.

Meanwhile, Ryu continued to take notes. As he continued to write, he saw Lee with his eyes closed and his arms folded, he was in a meditation pose. "Lee, why are you not taking notes?"

Lee opened his eye towards him. "Why should I bother? This story isn't going to help me become stronger."

"Hmph, that cocky attitude of yours does nothing to assist you." He heard Leonidas mutter behind the two of them.

"Mind your own business, you oaf." He shouted, as the ninja leered at him before he tended to his own paper.

"Lee, stop this behaviour at once!" Ryu raised his voice, without anyone else hearing him. "You should know better than to act this way."

Lee slammed his arm down, before he glared daggers at his older cousin. "How about you leave me alone already?! I don't need you constantly breathing down my neck!"

As Professor Port continued his lecture, he posed a question. "Who among you has the traits of a true Huntsman?"

Weiss raised her hand, as she stood up from her seat. "I-" However, Lee cut her off as he stood from his chair.

"I'd thought you would never ask!" The hot-blooded samurai answered.

The heiress glared, as Lee stole the moment from her. "Excuse me! I had my hand up first!" She yelled out.

"Zip your lip. You weren't fast enough, just accept that fact and don't embarrass yourself." He replied dismissively, as Weiss' face contorted with rage.

Janey shook her head, before she thought to herself. "Does he have to be such an asshole to everyone?"

Port raised an eyebrow at the daring young samurai in front of him, as he had already changed into his combat attire. "Well, you seem to be a confident young Huntsman."

"Damn straight, now give me a real challenge!" Lee smirked.

"I see... If you're really so eager, I have something very special just for you, Mr. Yahto!" Professor Port grinned through his mustache, as he wheeled out a huge cage. "Feast your eyes on this!" He opened the cage door, and out came a large Komodo-Dragon Grimm with heavy skeletal armor on its back and head.

The class, except for Neos who still slept through the lecture, gasped. "Is that a Hellblazer?!" Sergei stammered.

The Hellblazer spewed out dark flames from its mouth, as Lee narrowed his eyes at the Grimm. "Oh please, is that all you can do? What a waste." He taunted as he drew Takumi Excalibur.

"What the heck?! Nothing ever fazes this guy!" Francesca mouthed.

"It's like fighting is the only thing he cares about." Blake muttered.

Gwen was worried. "Can he really prevail?"

"I would not be too worried." Ryu folded his arms. "Lee's skills with the blade are as sharp as his tongue."

"We can only hope." Ruby nodded.

The Hellblazer roared as it spewed its fire at the young samurai, who dodged it with ease. Lee adjusted a knob on his sword as the blade portion got covered in flames.

"So, his blade can use various dust elements too?" Weiss thought to herself.

He swung it forward as the Hellblazer got hit with a fiery shockwave. The giant lizard Grimm shook it off and charged straight at him, to which Lee leapt over and slashed at him from the back. "Ah, you sure are quick on your feet! Impressive." Port commended. "But will speed be enough?!"

"Please, I'm just getting started!" Lee grunted, as he landed behind the Komodo-Dragon Grimm. However, the Hellblazer swung its large tail at the teen, which knocked him back against the wall.

"Lee!" Ryu gasped. "You know you should never approach them from behind!"

Lee growled, as he muttered to himself. "As if I asked for your output!" He grabbed his blade once again as the Hellblazer shot out his dark-fire at him. The young samurai created a wind barrier which blocked the flames.

Ryu thought carefully, before he stood up and called out once more. "The Hellblazer has no armour underneath! Lee, you need to-!"

However, Lee gave his older cousin a venomous look, before he shouted at him. "SHUT UP ALREADY! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANOTHER WORD FROM YOUR DAMN MOUTH!" He coldly stated, as Ryu was taken back by his comment, before he quietly sat down. Gwen faced Ryu sadly, before she shot Lee a very angry glare.

Lee then moved his hands, as a burst of wing erupted from under the Hellblazer's spot. Once the Grimm was suspended in midair, he dashed towards him and sliced the giant lizard from underneath, as the wind blew at the class' faces.

Once both halves of the Hellblazer landed on each side, Lee sheathed his blade as Professor Port clapped. "Bravo! It seems we are in the presence of a true Huntsman!" He commended, before he sternly addressed him. "However, I would advise you to conduct proper behaviour towards your fellow classmates in the future."

Lee closed his eyes, before he bluntly answered. "I'll take your words into consideration." He shrugged and walked away as the bell for dismissal rang.

Rockwell and Sergei dashed towards their teammate. "Nice fight there, comrade!" Sergei commended him. "How about we all grab some lunch?"

However, Lee was still in a foul mood, as he glared at the purple-haired teen. "Do I look like I have the time for gorging myself?!" He yelled out as he shoved them out of the way, as he then noticed Jaune staring at him. "What the hell are YOU looking at?!" He roared at the surprised blonde knight and his team, before he stormed to the hall, leaving the entire class, including the professor, stunned.

"Geez... And I thought I had anger issues." Yang muttered.

"You still do." Ruby muttered, as she glared.

"But even so, that was way over the top..." Blake muttered, before she noticed Weiss was lost in thought from his outburst, as was Leonidas.

However, Neos yawned as he had just woken up. "Hey, what'd I miss?"

Damien narrowed his eyes towards his pal, before he pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "You're hopeless, Neos..."

Lee walked through the halls of Beacon, as students kept their distance from the fuming samurai. However, he heard a voice call out to him. "Stop right there!" He turned and saw Gwen, who glared at him while she trembled.

"I'm in no mood to chat, Gwen." He calmly addressed her as he continued to walk. But Gwen quickly stood in front of him, as she held her arms out to block his way. "What do you think you're doing?" He folded his arms.

"You are not avoiding this conversation, you hear me?!" She shouted, as she clenched her hands tightly.

Meanwhile, Ryu hid behind a wall as he listened to their conversation. "Gwen... Why are you doing this for my sake?"

"What's your deal?" Lee cocked an eyebrow.

"You have been constantly cold and distant towards everyone since we first arrived here, including your own teammates!" Gwen pointed out. "Why do you behave this way?"

Lee closed his eyes and answered bluntly. "I have no plans of forming bonds between anyone. It will get in the way of my training."

"Is training the only thing you think about?!" Gwen shouted. "Do you not care about anybody here at all?!"

"No. I respect anyone skilled in battle." The young samurai shrugged. "What you're saying, however, is too naïve. Bonds like that will only weaken your blade."

"Is that why you've been so distant from Ryu?" The archer asked.

Lee glared at her, before he spoke up again. "What are you talking about?"

"I've seen how much anger you spouted towards him, how much you belittle him! How much you push him away!" Gwen stated, as Lee clenched his fists.

"Gwen..." He calmly, yet coldly, addressed her. "You'd better stop talking about this now! You know nothing about what happened between us."

"Why do you act this way towards our own cousin?!" She shouted. "YOU TWO ARE FAMILY!"

"I SAID IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!" Lee shouted, as a gust of wind pushed Gwen back.

"Eek!" She screamed, before Ryu dashed to her and caught her.

"You!" The younger Yahto stared at him, as his older cousin glared back.

"Lee, that is enough!" Ryu stated. "Leave her out of this! This is only between you and me."

Gwen was at a loss for words, while Lee was intrigued. "Oh yeah? And what are YOU going to do about it?"

As the two Yahto teens stared each other down, a voice addressed them. "I don't know what is going on here, but I will not allow any fighting in these halls." The three of them turned to see Dr. Nahyuta heading towards them.

"Big Brother?" Gwen mouthed.

"Doctor Charlotte..." Ryu gasped.

"I have heard about the outburst from Professor Port earlier, and after seeing this dispute here, it would seem I have arrived just in time." The monk explained. "Ryu and Lee Yahto, you two will come with me this instant."

"Ridiculous." Lee dismissed, until he felt a cold hand clamp his shoulder.

"The only thing that is 'ridiculous' is your behaviour." Nahyuta glared calmly before he moved into his ear and whispered. "Or do we need to discuss how you tried to shove MY younger sister earlier?"

Lee's eyes widened in fear upon hearing that statement. "N-No. Sorry..."

Nahyuta smiled. "Good. Now if you would..." He ordered, as the two samurai followed the priestly doctor to his office.

Moments later after the Yahto cousins entered Dr. Nahyuta's office, Gwen waited outside anxiously, with her hands clasped together in prayer. "There you are." She heard Damien call out to her, as he, Neos, as well as Teams RWBY, DMON, and the rest of Team BLSS followed him. "How long have been in there?"

Gwen sighed. "Almost thirty-minutes..."

"Geez." Ruby grimaced.

"I don't know why we even came here to support Lee." Rockwell muttered. "Not after all he said back there!"

"Yeah, Guitar Hero's right! I hope Dr. Nahyuta gives him what's coming!" Francesca nodded. "Stupid swordsman's got an ego like nobody's business!"

"You're wrong!" Gwen raised her voice, startling everyone. "Despite all that arrogance and hostility, there is a looming darkness inside him; one that has plagued him for quite a while."

"What do you mean, Gwen?" Iskandar asked.

Gwen trembled, before she addressed them. "There is something he told me in the hall, which concerns his relationship with Ryu."

She recalled all the things Lee told her, as she shared it with the group: "Me and Ryu used to have peace, until over a year ago...!"
"...Now every time I see his face, it fills me with rage!..."
"...That's why the only thing I care about is my swordsmanship. After all, what good will opening your heart do when all it does is allowing it to be impaled?!

The whole gang was at a loss for words. "Damn... I had no idea he felt that way." Sergei solemnly spoke.

"So because of what happened in the past, he decided to push everyone away to avoid anymore pain..." Blake figured, as she then spoke in her mind. "Something I know all too well..."

Gwen sighed. "I don't know what is going to happen to them now that they are forced to confront each other like this. I only wished to stand up for Ryu, so I wanted to try and help connect them together..." She started to tear up. "But now I fear I had only make things worse. I didn't mean to press Lee on such personal feelings... *sniffle* What have I done?" She buried her face in her hands as she cried.

"Gwen... You shouldn't hate yourself for that." Damien sat next to her as he comforted her. "I know you had good intentions for doing so, and I am certain that once those matters are confronted, the two of them can start mending their bond."

"Damien's right, Gwen." Naomi sat on the other side on her, before she put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You are a very kind-hearted person, and I know you want peace to co-exist between them."

"Sniff* Thank you..." The young archer wiped her tears.

After a moment, Weiss spoke up. "Well, despite Lee's cockiness, he did actually open my eyes to something."

Damien turned to her. "And what would that be, Weiss?"

"I realized that I was also the arrogant one in my own sense. Up until this morning, I had felt that I deserved to be leader when I watched Ruby fool around in class." The heiress guiltily confessed. "It got me so upset because I worked so hard to get here compared to everyone else, and I... thought Ozpin had made a mistake in picking her to be leader."

"You what?!" Yang yelled at her.

"But after seeing him breakdown like that, I know I was the fool for acting all high and mighty..." Weiss glumly stated. "I'm really sorry, Ruby."

"Weiss..." Ruby muttered, sadly.

"If we are being honest, I am also in the same boat as her." Leonidas spoke up. "I also felt the same way about Iskandar's role as leader. Now that I think of it, since I was a bit too condescending to Lee, I have no right to lecture anyone on how to conduct themselves." He bowed towards the large dragon Faunus. "I do hope you can forgive me..."

"It's all right, Leonidas." Iskandar nodded.

"Hey, I don't mean to break up this happy moment, but can y'all keep it down? I can't hear what they're saying." Neos pointed out, as he tried to listen through the door, before everyone else inched closer.

Inside the office, Dr. Nahyuta sat on his chair as Ryu and Lee sat on mats in meditation poses. "Now then, Lee. When you are ready..."

Lee sighed, as he got ready to share his story. "I'll never forget that moment. It was a large-scale attack on our village by our enemy clan, as the Yahto tribe were ambushed by our enemy clan. It was a bloody-battle, as me and Ryu commanded two different sections of our village." He explained to the doctor. "In the end, we drove our enemies away, at the cost of many casualties. We lost a majority of our clan members, including the leader and my uncle!"

"Father..." Ryu sighed.

"I see. Such a tragic loss of life right there." Nahyuta shook his head.

"But that wasn't all! The biggest news was that the leader's son was also missing in action. One search later and everyone concluded that Ryu was dead!" He yelled, as Ryu flinched.

"And yet, here he is, alive and well. How did that happen?" The doctor asked.

Lee faced his cousin. "Care to answer?" He sharply asked.

Ryu nodded, as he told the events from his perspective. "When I surveyed the damage done, I was horrified. So many of our tribe's people... slaughtered! I could not bear the failures that weighed on me that day... so I ran from our village, and kept myself hiding in isolation." He revealed. "I made sure to leave no traces of my presence."

"Goodness! That seems like a heavy decision to have been made." Nahyuta documented the events. "So, how did you come to return to your homeland?"

"My father, Fujin, managed to find him over a year ago." Lee cut in. "He was able to bring him out of hiding, and brought him back here. Everyone was thrilled to see in alive and well."

"Everyone... except you." He deduced.

Lee exhaled sharply, as he faced away from him. "I have nothing but contempt for cowards. When he vanished that day, he left everything - the Yahto clan, our home, he abandoned me!" He yelled out, which surprised his older cousin. "The Ryu I knew would never run from any problem, but I realized that it was all a farce. The samurai I remembered was long gone, replaced by this shell of a weakling!" His voice cracked.

"Lee..." Ryu muttered.

"Now I see why you adamantly refuse to forge new bonds. That moment made you develop abandonment issues, and you refuse to relive the same torture caused by Ryu's disappearance. That is why you strictly focus on honing your swordsmanship - to divert your attention from your emotions."

Ryu swallowed hard, as he slowly walked towards him. "I had no idea how much pain I caused you. I truly never wished to do this to you." He got on his knees and bowed to him. "I am so very sorry, Lee."

Lee gritted his teeth, as his resolve faltered. "S-Shut up! Just shut your mouth!"

"But I want you to know that when I returned, I wanted nothing more than to repair the kinship between us. You were always the first person on my mind when I vanished, and I wished for the two of this to be as close as we used to." He continued. "I know things will never be the same, but I do not wish to be apart from you again." He reached his arm out. "What say you? Can we tread this journey through Beacon together?"

"No matter how far we may be, even if we no longer live beside one another, the bonds we make will always be around." Dr. Nahyuta pitched his two cents in. "Never be afraid to forge new friendships."

The younger Yahto cousin breathed heavily, before he slowly faced him, and eventually pulled him into a tight hug, as tears streamed down his face. "Never... cut ties... with us... AGAIN!" He stammered.

Ryu hugged back, while he cried. "I promise, cousin... I promise."

As the breakthrough shined on, Dr. Nahyuta smiled. "It would seem that the bridge between the two of you has slowly been fixed. It will be a long time until it is fully repaired, but I am certain you both will able to make it."

However, the three of them started to hear noises from the other side of the door. "I've got this." He blew a gust of wind from the side to turn the knob, as everyone fell forward through the door.

"W-What the-?!" Ryu was shocked.

"Come right in." Nahyuta sighed.

"Oh, uh, this isn't... cooking class." Yang sheepishly smiled.

Lee stepped forward, as he had an uneasy look. "So, is the offer for lunch still standing? Because... I've got a hankering."

Sergei squealed, as he tugged his arm. "Of course, buddy! You have got to try the morsels of food here, it is heavenly!"

Lee gave a small smile. "I'd like that." He turned towards the rest of the gang. "If anyone would like to spar with me later on, I'm free anytime you want." He grinned.

"Lee... is there something else you wish to say?" Ryu nudged him.

He sighed. "Also, I'm... I'm sorry for acting like a giant sack of shit!" He rapidly spoke, as he followed his team.

Janey smirked. "Well, it looks like he's finally opening up. It's a start, but it's about time."

"Well, how about we follow his example and go eat?" Neos clapped his hands together, as everyone followed Team BLSS to the cafeteria.

Everyone except Ryu and Gwen stood in front of Nahyuta's office, as Ryu approached his partner. "Thank you, Gwen. I know this would not have been possible without you." he smiled wholeheartedly hugged her.

Gwen was taken aback, but she happily returned it, with a huge blush. "Of course, Ryu."

Dr. Nahyuta smiled as he watched the two of them hug. "Better run along now, you two. Don't want to keep everyone waiting." He addressed them, as they headed off.

Phew, I did not expect this chapter to be this long. Like I said, I wanted to give each member of Team DRGN their own chapter to focus on as part of the plot. And while I continue to pump out chapters on a constant basis, it will very like slow down at some point. Okay, that's all I got right now, see you next time!