Chapter 5: The Badge and the Burden

Dante was always told that the first day of school was the best one. No homework, no work in general really, and just sitting there, listening to the teacher list off rules you are already pretty familiar with thanks to past first day at school experiences

By the end of the day, he wanted to take whoever started that rumor and slam their face into the dirt.

After initiation, the newly formed Team SHDW had found their way to their new dorm room, where Hazel then immediately set up some ground rules. Dante wondered why Skyler wasn't the one discussing that topic, but considering Hazel's female status, he could at least understand why she'd want to keep her own privacy a safe distance away from three not-quite-sexually-mature-yet teenage boys.

But back in the present, Dante started to wake up groggily, taking a tired look around the room. Hazel and Walker were both still fast asleep, but Skyler was already up, dressed and unpacking various clothes to put in the nearby dresser. Dante was a bit surprised by this, as this was the same guy who agreed with him about how the morning was evil, but perhaps Skyler just wanted to set a good example to two people he had quite literally just met yesterday who he would work closely with and lead for the next four years.

And just as Dante started to rub his eyes, a loud whistling sound echoed all around them. Hazel and Walker shot up in their respective beds, Skyler fell backwards onto his butt, and Dante just straight up fell out of his bed and hit his head on the floor, and then the rest of his body slowly followed suit. The team all looked at each other, all with frizzled hair, droopy eyes, and a sudden urge to kill whatever made that sound. Skyler and Dante looked at each other, and a quiet understanding passed between them. The two childhood friends knew and spoke as one.

"We are going to murder her."

Unfortunately, none of them got the chance to do so, as Team RWBY came barreling into their first class with just ten seconds to spare. By that point, neither Skyler nor Dante has the will or consciousness necessary to be angry anymore at the aforementioned team's leader, but Ruby was still left wondering why the rest of Team SHDW were giving her a nasty look.

Unlike Dante's previous first days, it seemed as though the teachers already expected you to know practically everything after the first minute of class was over. While a nice change of pace, it was quite the culture shock, as Dante didn't expect to be writing notes that soon into the class period. But he did manage to at least catch the basics as to who taught what.

Professor Peach taught their first class of the day, about a strange combination of Dust and World Geography. A bit much to pile onto one teacher, but she had assured she could handle it. Apparently, she only taught Dust until very recently, when the previous World Geography teacher, Professor Bullock, was fired for numerous cases of verbal abuse, and was finally only able to get fired when a student snapped and attacked him, though at the cost of that student getting expelled. Thankfully, it was a pretty laid back class, despite the two subjects and painful note-taking, so it was perfect for a first class of the day.

Professor Oobleck taught their second class, World History, and Dante immediately knew he was gonna have the most difficult time in this class. Not that he didn't like history, it's just that Oobleck spoke as though he had downed enough coffee to kill an elephant two times over right before class started. Then there was lunch, where SHDW found their spot sitting with RWBY and Team JNPR. Professor Goodwitch taught their third class, which was Combat. The good news was that there was no note-taking; the bad news was that Goodwitch was an extremely strict teacher. Dante felt that icy cold stare pierce into his soul when he accidentally let out a yawn.

And finally, the fourth and last class was Grimm Studies, taught by Professor Port. It was certainly... a class. Dante couldn't help but stare at the teacher with a widely open mouth (which was shared by the rest of his team) as the professor began a rant about a story from when he was an aspiring teenager like them. How that man kept his job, Dante will never know. But the upside was that it made a surprisingly good last class of the day, as there was little to no note-taking, most of it was taken up by a rant/story, and might actually have the potential to teach something in the future.

Unfortunately, not everyone seemed to share that opinion at the moment. He looked to his right to see Hazel's eyes blinking furiously, as if trying to pay attention, but it was not something her brain was meant to pay attention to. He then realized he was staring at her face for too long before swiftly turning to look in front of him at Team RWBY. More specifically, Ruby, who, for the entirety of the first day, had been sleeping, getting smacked awake before Goodwitch noticed, goofing around, or some strange combination of the three. And maybe the occasional paying attention, as Dante obviously hadn't devoted all of his own attention to his younger friend. It really only made him question more about Headmaster Ozpin's decision to let Ruby in early.

And both fortunately and unfortunately, he was not alone in those thoughts, as he saw Weiss glaring a hateful glare at her partner as Ruby was beginning to fall asleep. And quite conveniently, Port was currently listing off all of the aspects that make a great Hunter, none of which Ruby was embodying at the moment. So when what happened next happened, Dante couldn't say he was all too surprised.

Professor Port announced, "So, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?"

Weiss then angrily raised her hand, "I do, sir!"

And Port immediately took upon that opportunity to start up the real show, "Well then, let's find out!"

He then pulled in a large container that would not stop shaking and growling. Everyone's eyes went wide at the sight that this professor had actually caught a Grimm just for a simple act of showmanship for the unfortunate someone to accidentally volunteer to do. Even Weiss looked a bit hesitant once she gazed her eyes upon the cage.

"Step forward, and face your opponent!"

While Weiss went back to change into her combat gear, the classmates began to murmur among themselves about the situation.

"Anyone else think that this is a little... dangerous?" Dante asked, "Especially for a first day?"

"I know, right?" Skyler replied, "The closest to this we've gotten is Qrow's demonstrations back at Signal, and even those were pretty lax. Catching a Grimm just to bring it into a classroom and put everyone inside within potential danger? That's a bit much, even if Port is a professional Huntsman."

"Oh, come on, lighten up!" Yang shot back, "I think it's a great idea! We're being treated seriously, like he knows we can defend ourselves!"

"Well... fair enough, I suppose," Jaune responded, "But still..."

"Oh, shape up!" Nora exclaimed with a grin, slapping her leader on the back, inadvertently slamming his face into the desk, "This is gonna be fun!"

"If anything, it would be fun to see Weiss get knocked around for a bit," Hazel muttered.

"What?" Walker asked, confused.

"Nothing!"

But before anyone could question SHDW's second in command, Weiss walked back into the room, wearing her regular attire, readying Myrtenaster at the growling creature in the cage. Her teammates turned back to observe and cheer on their teammates from their seats in the front row.

"Goooo, Weiss!"

"Fight well!"

"Yeah, represent Teeeeam RWBY!"

At that last one, which had been spoken by Ruby, Weiss lowered her sword and glared at her "Ruby! I'm trying to focus!"

"Oh, um... Sorry..." Ruby apologized sheepishly.

"Alllright!" Port announced next to the cage, pulling out his axe, "Let the match... begin!"

The professor swung down and broke the lock, dropping the cage door and revealing a Boarbatusk inside, which immediately charged at Weiss, who used her rapier to deflect its attack and roll to the side, readying herself for its next move.

"Ha-ha! Wasn't expecting that, were you?" Port commentated

"Hang in there, Weiss!" Ruby encouraged, though that most likely had the opposite effect.

Weiss sped towards the oncoming Boarbatusk, aiming the point of her blade straight at its skull, but unfortunately, Myrtenaster ended up trapped in between the beast's tusks, to which Port said, "Bold, new approach. I like it!"

"Come on, Weiss, show it who's boss!" Ruby cheered, and though it was a bit quieter than the rest of her cheers, Weiss still heard, and she glared at her partner, only for the Boarbatusk to turn its head and rip the rapier from her grip.

Myrtenaster landed far away from its master, who in turn was knocked back by the creature's tusks, causing Port to comment, "Oh-ho! Now what will you do without your weapon?"

Weiss looked up just in time to see the Boarbatusk charging at her again, so she rolled out of the way just in time to avoid getting trampled. She then rushed towards her rapier and slid to get it back in her hand.

"Weiss! Go for its belly!" Ruby advised, "There's no armor underneath-"

"Stop telling me what to do!" Weiss retorted harshly, causing Ruby to flinch.

And at that, Dante couldn't help but feel the increasing tension in the air, not being the result of the fight with the Grimm. While Ruby's cheering could get annoying to some, at least they were said with only the best of intentions. That's just how Ruby was. But there was clearly something unresolved between her and her partner, and Weiss was having none of it. Dante may not have been all too bright (by his own admission), but he had spotted Weiss' look when Ozpin announced Ruby's leadership status at the ceremony. And she had yet to move on from it.

Meanwhile, the Boarbatusk leapt into the air and rolled into a ball, spinning rapidly in the air and landing on the ground, consistently gaining speed until it launched itself at Weiss. In retaliation, Weiss activated one of her glyphs and blocked the roll, leaping up into another one so she could propel herself towards the Grimm and drive the blade of her weapon into its stomach. It squealed, but soon fell silent and disintegrated while Weiss gasped in relief.

"Bravo! Bra-vo!" Port congratulated, "It appears we are indeed in the presence of a true Huntress-in-training! But I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. Be sure to cover the assigned readings, and... stay vigilant! Class dismissed!"

Weiss made one last glare at her partner and turned away, walking hurriedly to the exit past her teammates, causing Jaune to ask, "Sheesh, what's with her?"

"I think she's got a serious case of 'butthurt'" Hazel retorted, "Somebody call the Wah-bulence."

"What's with you?" Skyler asked his partner, "You seem more... hostile all of a sudden."

"I'll... tell you later."

Dante, meanwhile, spotted Ruby attempt to chase down Weiss, and immediately decided to follow. He had a bad feeling about what was going to happen, and he was not gonna let his younger childhood friend get a harsh lecture from someone like Weiss.

"Ozpin made a mistake."

Oh, that was the last straw. Dante had barely managed to keep his composure while Weiss had gone off on an arrogant rant to rival Professor Port on how she should have been the team leader, but with that last line... that was it. He was not gonna let Weiss walk away with that one, as she was doing right now. So he was gonna try to fix this problem just like he fixed his other ones: joke shamelessly.

"Please, someone like you can't be leader of Team RWBY," he said, stepping out from his hiding place, catching the two's attention, "Neither your first name or last name start with an 'R'. Ruby's got you beat on both of those fronts."

Weiss, now appalled at his criticism, turned all of her anger from Ruby onto him, "Naming doesn't matter! She doesn't deserve the position she got! Besides, who asked you? This is none of your business!"

"Please, I've known Ruby since I was five years old," Dante retorted, still with an unwavering grin, "She's practically my little sister. It's plenty my business when someone starts blatantly bullying her in front of me. Same could be said for my own leader, who, unlike you, I have no doubts about."

Weiss snarled at him, "And what would you know?! You're a braindead idiot who probably got into this school by fluke and not by any actual credentials!"

Okay... that had hurt a lot more than expected. In fact, it straight up caught Dante off guard. Even Ruby, who had up until then been a nervous observer, was actually starting to look mad. It was at that moment that the thought of antagonizing Weiss may not have been the smartest move, but now he was more determined than ever to knock her down a peg. And though his smile wavered a bit, he still continued to speak.

"I don't know if you've noticed, Ice Queen," he seethed through his grin, "But not all of us come from the richest of the rich. Some of us actually had to work to get where we are now. Some of us lost stuff, Skyler especially. But you don't know anything about that, do you? You paid your way in, didn't you? You may have been on a high horse back in Atlas, but here? If nothing changes soon, I'm going to personally make sure that you choke on a pie of humility."

"What did you just call me?! You little nothing! How dare you! You know nothing about what I've been through! I've had to-"

"What you've been through?!" Dante actually laughed, this argument beginning to show that it was no longer worthy of being taking seriously, "Did you not hear me? Some of us lost so much on our way here. I don't claim to know what hardships you claim to have had, but if you can name something worse than immediate family members being murdered right in front of your eyes, I'll wait. I'm a patient guy. Now go ahead; show me what you've got."

And with that, Weiss was out of retorts, but though she was startled by the 'murdered family members' bit, she was still seething angry, at which Dante capitalized upon after a good ten seconds of silence, "And there we have it. Just remember: you brought this upon yourself. I suggest running along before you start to embarrass yourself. Because this is no longer an argument; it's a joke. And you're the punchline."

And with that, Weiss' eye began to twitch erratically before she let out a frustrated scream and stormed off. Dante straightened back up with crossed arms and a smirk of victory. Ruby then walked up to him, with a look of nervousness back on her face.

"Thanks for that..." she said, "But you didn't have to..."

"Maybe not," Dante shrugged, "But I did. Like I said, even with Diana in the picture, you're still the first little sister I've had."

Ruby smiled at that, but then frowned, "But... do you think she had a point? I mean... did Ozpin really make a mistake?"

Before Dante could retort, a voice laughed softly behind them, "That remains to be seen."

The two turned to see Headmaster Ozpin himself walking up to them, looking as he always had so far; with a coffee mug in one hand and a cane in the other. Now Dante was beginning to wonder if whatever the heck Ozpin drank out of that mug was actually coffee, because as far as he's seen, that mug has never left his hand, and the headmaster was constantly drinking from it. A source of unlimited power, perhaps? Dante shook away these inner thoughts, knowing that he should take whatever Ozpin says next seriously.

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked

"I mean, it's only been one day," Ozpin explained before suddenly gaining a somber look, "Ruby, Dante... I've made more mistakes than any man, woman, and child on this planet."

"Come on," Dante said with a joking grin, "You're not that old yet, Professor."

Then Dante was quiet again when Ozpin did not reply, or even give him a reassuring smile. He just kept that somber look on his face. At this point, Dante had to raise an eyebrow. Who exactly was Professor Ozpin? But then, Ozpin turned his attention back to Ruby.

"But at this moment, I would not consider your appointment to leader to be one of them," the headmaster then leaned in so he can look more directly at the girl, "Do you?"

Ruby pondered that for a moment before Ozpin continued, "Being a team leader isn't just a title you carry into battle, but a badge you wear constantly. If you're not always performing at your absolute best, then what reason do you give others to follow you?"

At that, Ruby smiled at the advice, and Ozpin turned to leave, saying, "You've been burdened with a daunting responsibility, Ruby. I advise you take some time, to think about how you will uphold it. And Mr. Williams?"

Dante looked at the headmaster, who said, "While it is admirable to stand up for yourself and those you consider close, please refrain from comparing other's burdens to one another. Many people suffer in their own ways. And while the world may place a ranking on how horrible one is compared to another, suffering is still suffering. So while what Mr. Yin has gone through is deeply terrible, please do not try to use it as ammo for an argument. Can you promise me that?"

Dante flinched, but nodded, "I understand, sir. I'll try my best."

"I would expect nothing less," Ozpin smiled, "I did accept you into this school, didn't I? Don't let others drag you down because they think otherwise."

At that, Dante couldn't help but give a grateful smile, "Thank you, sir. I'll certainly try."

And with that, Ozpin left the two alone to ponder his advice. Yet for Dante, that lingering feeling of uneasiness towards Headmaster Ozpin was still there. Just who was he?

"Took you long enough," Skyler said to Dante as his teammate walked into the dorm room, "What took you so long?"

"Was Weiss more than you could handle?" Hazel asked cheekily.

"Please," Dante waved off as he shut the door, "Though she did catch me off guard once, I have a feeling I struck a rather large cord in her. I don't think we'll be hearing from her, at least for now. Also had a little chat with the headmaster alongside Ruby."

"Really?" Walker asked, intrigued, "What was that like?"

"Mysteriously encouraging. Man, those are two words I never thought I'd put together... But anyway, he pretty much told us not to doubt ourselves, and some other kind of cryptic stuff. Beginning to think he's some sort of fictional Eldritch god taken mortal form."

Hazel laughed at that, giving Dante a feeling of pride that he did not expect, "And what, his coffee mug is the source of his power?"

"YES," Dante pointed at her with an insanely large grin, "If I had any doubts about you, they are gone now. These next four years are gonna be fun!"

Hazel blushed a bit, but laughed at Dante's craziness. She couldn't help but agree. Skyler and Walker watched the scene between them unfold, with Hazel laughing while Dante was just being... well, Dante, and the two smiled. Despite the strange assortment of classes and teammates, they had to agree as well. For Skyler, Yang's logic was starting to make sense.

A tomorrow where none of them knew what the future may bring sounded like a heap of fun to him.

Holy crap, how did I finish it all in one day?! Seriously, earlier today, this page was empty. I never thought that this would be a chapter I'd be proud of, but it turns out even I surpass my expectations. Hopefully you guys enjoyed, so now I can either work on the next chapter, or Weiss vs. Asuna on My Death Battles. Probably both. Because I'm like that. Till next time guys!