2 The enemy you know...

Cardin woke up early the next morning feeling a sense of purpose. He got out of bed and began his morning routine, still thinking about his plan to apologize to Velvet. He wondered how he could approach her without Coco finding out. He didn't want to make things worse than they already were.

As he walked towards the cafeteria for breakfast, he saw Team RWBY sitting at a table, chatting and laughing. He scowled as he passed them, feeling a twinge of jealousy. They seemed to have everything he wanted - power, fame, and respect.

"Look who it is," Yang sneered as he passed by. "It's the loser who got into Beacon by bullying others."

Cardin gritted his teeth, feeling his anger rise. "Shut up, Yang," he growled. "Mind your own business."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "Why are you always so angry, Cardin? Is it because you know deep down that you don't belong here?"

Cardin sneered as is eyes went to find Jaune. "Funny you say that, considering the company you keep..."

Cardin strode into the bustling cafeteria, leaving team RWBY and JNPR behind to join his own team already seated at their usual spot in the corner. They all looked up as he approached, their expressions ranging from mild hapiness to complete apathy.

"Yoo Cardin! What's up this morning?" asked Russel, the tallest and burliest of the group, his arms folded across his chest.

Cardin glared at him, his hands clenching into fists. "Not much. But if you must know, I'm here to make things right with Velvet."

The table erupted in laughter, with Sky, the most obnoxious member of the team, snickering. "Apologize to a faunus? What are you, a charity case now, Winchester?"

Cardin's jaw twitched. He knew his team were a bunch of jerks, but he had to try. He couldn't ignore the guilt he felt after he and his team had tormented Velvet after their initiation.

"I don't need your approval, Sky. And I certainly don't need your permission to do the right thing," Cardin shot back, trying to keep his voice steady.

Dove, the quietest member of the team, leaned forward. "What brought this on, Cardin?"

Cardin hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell them the truth. "I've been thinking a lot about what we did. What we used to do. It isn't right. And I'm going to change that."

There was a moment of silence around the table, and even Russel seemed taken aback by Cardin's sudden change of heart.

But then Lark, spoke up. "You can't be serious, Cardin!? We're supposed to be enemies with the faunus. It's just how things are. Remember what they did to our families."

Cardin gritted his teeth. He knew this was going to be an uphill battle. "I don't care what you think, Lark. I'm going to do this whether you like it or not."

Sky snorted. "Good luck with that, Winchester. You'll need it, you're going to be a laughingstock."

Cardin ignored him and turned to leave the table. He knew it wasn't going to be easy, but he had to try.

As he walked out of the cafeteria, he felt a sense of relief wash over him. He was done with CRDL. He didn't need them anyway. He was going to make things right with Velvet, even if it meant going against the people he had thought were his friends.

He didn't know what the future held, but he was ready to face it alone if he had to. He had a sense of purpose now, and he wasn't going to let anyone stand in his way.

As he walked down the hallways of Beacon, he thought about what he was going to say to Velvet. He didn't know how she was going to react, but he knew that he had to try. He owed her that much.

Finally, he reached Velvet's dorm room. He hesitated for a moment before knocking on the door. There was no answer. He knocked again, louder this time.

Still no answer.

Cardin stood in front of Velvet's dorm room, his hand poised to knock on the door once more. But before he could, he heard a faint sound in the distance. He looked down the hallway and saw his team, CRDL, walking towards him. He could feel their eyes on him, their judgmental stares weighing heavily on his shoulders. Had they followed him here?

"Hey, Cardin," said Russel hesitantly. "What are you doing here?"

Cardin straightened his shoulders, determined not to let his team see any weakness. "I was just looking for Velvet," he said, his voice laced with a hint of defiance.

Sky, the most obnoxious member of the team, snorted. "What do you want with her, Cardin? More bullying?"

Cardin felt a flash of anger, but he didn't let it show. "I'm not here to bully anyone and you know, Sky. I'm here to apologize."

Dove, the quietest member of the team, shook his head. "You're wasting your time, Cardin. Velvet's not going to forgive you that easily anyway."

Cardin gritted his teeth. He knew they were right, but he couldn't just sit back and do nothing. He had to try. "I know Dove, trust me I know. But I have to try."

Lark, the last member of the team, rolled his eyes. "Whatever, we have to go to class, Boss."

Cardin ignored him and turned to walk away, but he could still hear their snickers behind him. He knew he had a long way to go before he could make things right, and his team's mocking only made it harder.

He walked through the halls of Beacon, his thoughts consumed with guilt and regret. He couldn't shake the memory of how he had treated Velvet, how he had bullied her and made her feel so small. He knew he had to make up for it somehow, but he didn't know how.

As he entered his classroom, he saw Jaune struggling to answer a question posed by Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck. Cardin rolled his eyes at Jaune's ineptitude, but then something in him stirred. He knew the answer to the question, and he couldn't help but speak up.

"The answer is the Faunus Rights Revolution," he said, his voice sharp and confident.

Doctor Oobleck turned to him, surprised. "Very good, Mr. Winchester. You seem to have a better grasp of history than I gave you credit for, still it does not excuse you from coming to class on time. Now chop chop to your seat"

Cardin felt a sense of satisfaction at the praise, but he couldn't shake the feeling of guilt that still lingered within him. He knew he had to do something to make it right with Velvet.

Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck paced back and forth in front of the classroom, his fast-talking and erratic movements making it difficult for some of the students to keep up. "Now, now, now," he said, "The faunus have a rich and complex history, one that is often overlooked in the history books. But we cannot forget the sacrifices and triumphs they have made in the face of adversity."

The green doctor continued his lecture, weaving a fascinating tale of Faunus resistance during the Great War. His voice was animated and his gestures were wild, but Cardin found himself distracted. He was lost in thought, still grappling with the guilt that gnawed at him. He had been a jerk even though he didn't have control of his body back then, and now he was paying the price for it. His own teammates were the only ones who seemed to approve of his words and action, but that was before this morning. Now? He didn't even know where he stood with them, and it was clear that most of the other students in the room were disgusted with his behavior.

Suddenly, Oobleck posed a question to the class. "Can anyone tell me why the Faunus won the Battle of Fort Castle? Despite being vastly outnumbered and outgunned, they managed to defeat General Lagune, a veteran who had a long and distinguished military career."

Silence filled the room for a moment, as most students were unsure of the answer. But then, Cardin raised his hand just after Jaune made a fool of himself to the laughter of all those present.

"Haa Mr. Winchester, do you have an answer for us? I hope it isn't binoculars as some students seem to believe." asked Oobleck, surprised.

Cardin stood up, a smirk on his face. "Yeah, I do. They won because the general was an idiot who underestimated his foes. Faunus have better senses than humans, most of them have night vision and great audition. A night raid was stupid, and they knew it. They used that to their advantage."

The room fell silent as Cardin finished his answer. No one had expected him to know the answer, especially not when it came to faunus history.

Doctor Oobleck nodded, impressed. "Very good, Mr. Winchester. Not how I would have put it but you seem to have a better grasp of history than I gave you credit for."

"Yhea well… know your friend well and your enemies best right?" Cardin replied with a cocky smirk as he looked directly at Blake who had failed to answer before him.

Completely oblivious of what was happening and of the potential double meaning, Doctor Oobleck looked impressed. "Excellent point, Mr. Winchester!" he said. "You have clearly been paying attention."

.

Blake could feel the blood rushing to her face. She clenched her fists and bit her tongue, trying to keep her composure. Cardin's comment had hit a nerve. He had called faunus "enemies" in front of the whole class, and she was one of them. But she couldn't reveal her secret. Not now, not like this. She took a deep breath and tried to focus on the lesson, but her mind was racing with anger and frustration. She realized what Cardin was implying. She clenched her fists tightly under the desk, trying to control her anger. She knew she couldn't let him get away with this.

"You can't just label an entire group of people as enemies," Blake spoke up, her voice low and controlled. "That's not fair, and it's not accurate. Faunus are not the enemy."

She couldn't take it anymore. " Is that what you think of us, Cardin?" she blurted out, her voice rising with every word. "You think we're your enemies just because we're different?"

Cardin's smirk faded as he realized what he had done. He had forgotten that Blake was a faunus, and now he had just insulted her in front of the whole class. He opened his mouth to speak, but Blake cut him off.

"You don't know anything about us," she continued, her voice shaking with emotion. "You don't know what it's like to be discriminated against, to be hated just because of who you are. You don't know what it's like to hide who you really are, every single day, just to avoid being attacked or ridiculed because of the way you were born."

The rest of the class had fallen silent, watching the argument unfold. Team RWBY and JNPR silently supporting Blake, while team CRDL was nodding at Cardin's words. Ruby tried to calm everyone down, but the tension in the room was palpable.

Cardin felt a pang of guilt in his chest. He had gone too far, and now he had hurt someone he had wanted to become a friend, again. But he couldn't back down now. Not in front of his team. He took a step forward, trying to sound confident.

"Look, Blake, I didn't mean it like that," he said. "I was just saying that we should know our enemies better than our friends…

"Don't try to play it off like it was nothing," she spat. Blake wasn't buying it. "You know exactly what you said." She felt a surge of anger coursing through her body. She stood up abruptly, her chair scraping loudly against the floor.

"I am a faunus!" she exclaimed, her voice ringing out in the sudden silence that had descended upon the room.

All eyes turned to her, and Blake felt a wave of panic wash over her. She had never revealed her secret to anyone before, not even her friends. But she couldn't let Cardin's hateful words go unchallenged. She walked over to him, her hands shaking slightly, and untied the ribbon that was holding her hair back.

As she did, her cat ears were revealed, twitching nervously as she stood before the class. There was a moment of stunned silence, and then a few students gasped in shock.

Blake's heart was pounding in her chest as she stood before the class, her cat ears exposed for all to see. She braced herself for the worst, expecting Cardin to start laughing or making fun of her.

But instead, she was met with a mix of stunned silence and gasps from some of her classmates. Weiss, Ruby, and Yang were the first to stand up, their faces etched with outrage at Cardin's behavior.

"What the hell, Cardin?" Yang exclaimed, her voice rising with anger as her hair started to dangerously rise and her eyes change colour. "How can you even say that about faunus? They're just like us!"

Ruby stepped forward, trying to calm everyone down. "Guys, please, let's not get too worked up," she said. "We can discuss this without yelling."

But it was too late. Jaune, Ren, and Nora had already joined in, their voices rising as they spoke out against Cardin's words.

"You're way out of line, dude," Jaune said, his normally cheerful demeanor replaced with a look of anger. "Faunus are just as much a part of our society as humans are."

Ren spoke up next, his usually quiet voice carrying through the room. "It's this kind of thinking that leads to discrimination and hatred," he said. "We're supposed to be better than that."

Nora, never one to back down from a fight, was practically fuming with rage. "I'm gonna break your legs Cardin!" she screamed. "Blake is our friend."

Weiss, meanwhile, had pulled out her Scroll and was rapidly typing away, her face set in a determined expression despite her personal history. "I'm going to report this to the headmaster," she said. "This kind of behavior cannot be tolerated."

Blake, for her part, was amazed by the support of her classmates. She had always been afraid to reveal herself as a faunus, worried about how people would treat her if they found out. But seeing everyone stand up for her made her feel like maybe things weren't so hopeless after all.

Cardin, on the other hand, looked like he wanted to sink into the floor. He had never expected his words to cause such a reaction, and he was clearly uncomfortable with the attention he was receiving.

But he didn't back down. "Look, I'm sorry if I offended anyone," he said, his voice sounding strained. "But I was trying to say was that we have to be aware of who our enemies are and how they acts so we can,"

Weiss scoffed. "And who exactly are our enemies, Cardin?" she said. "The faunus? Or the creatures of Grimm? Maybe you should start thinking about that."

The tension in the room was palpable, and Doctor Oobleck could sense that things were about to boil over. He stepped forward, clapping his hands together to get everyone's attention.

"Alright, alright, that's enough," he said, his voice firm. "We are hunters and huntresses in training, and we should be setting an example for the rest of the world. This kind of behavior is not acceptable, no matter who you are."

He glared around the room, making sure that everyone was paying attention. "I want all of you to remember that we are here to fight for what's right, no matter who or what we're up against. And if any of you can't do that, then maybe you should reconsider whether you have what it takes to be a hunter."

With that, the class was dismissed, and everyone filed out in a tense silence. Blake felt a mix of emotions as she walked out of the classroom, relieved that she had finally revealed her secret, but also scared about what would happen next. She knew that this was just the beginning of her struggle to be accepted for who she was, but she was determined to keep fighting. Maybe there was hope after all…

As the students filed out of the classroom, Professor Oobleck approached Cardin, his expression stern. "Cardin, I would like to speak with you for a moment," he said, gesturing for the boy to stay behind.

Cardin shifted nervously on his feet, knowing that he was in trouble. "Y-yes, sir?" he stammered, avoiding the professor's gaze.

Oobleck crossed his arms, his eyes boring into Cardin's. "What you did today was not acceptable, Cardin," he said sternly. "As a hunter, it is your duty to protect all of humanity. All of it, not just those who look like you or share your beliefs."

Cardin nodded, looking chastised. "I know, sir. It's just…I didn't mean to...I mean, I wasn't trying to-"

"Regardless of your intentions, your words were hurtful and divisive," Oobleck interrupted. "If you want to be a successful hunter, you need to learn how to work with all kinds of people, regardless of their differences."

Cardin hung his head, feeling ashamed. "I'm sorry, sir. I didn't mean to cause any trouble. It's just...I have trouble expressing myself sometimes, and the words that come out aren't what I want them to be."

Oobleck sighed, his expression softening slightly. "I understand that, Cardin. But as a hunter, you need to be able to communicate effectively. And that means learning how to express yourself in a way that doesn't hurt others."

Cardin nodded, looking contrite. "I'll try to do better, sir. I don't want to be expelled."

"Good," Oobleck said, nodding approvingly. "I believe you have the potential to be a great hunter, Cardin. But you need to work on yourself, both as a fighter and as a person. Can I count on you to do that?"

Cardin nodded eagerly, relieved that he wasn't going to be kicked out of the academy. "Yes, sir. I'll do whatever it takes."

"Good," Oobleck said, clapping a hand on Cardin's shoulder. "I'm glad to hear that. Now, why don't you go and apologize to Blake? I think that would be a good start."

Cardin nodded, grateful for the chance to make things right. "Yes, sir. I will."

With that said, Cardin walked toward the door.

"Oh and mister Winchester?" Oobleck paused, letting his words sink in. "As punishment, I will be assigning you extra homework on the history of the faunus rights movement. And if I hear of any more misconduct in this or in any other class, there will be further consequences."

Cardin nodded, and with that, he left the classroom, determined to do better in the future. To Be better.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

As the class ended, Team JNPR and Team RWBY walked out together, all of them still high on emotions. Jaune was the first to speak up, turning to Blake and giving her a warm smile.

"You did the right thing, Blake," he said, patting her on the back. "We're all here for you, you know? No matter what."

Ren nodded in agreement, his usual calm demeanor masking the anger he felt towards Cardin. "I can't believe he would say something like that," he said. "It is disgusting."

Nora, always the most outspoken of the group, was practically vibrating with anger. "I'll give him a piece of my mind! With my hammer!!!" she exclaimed, her fists clenched at her sides.

Weiss, who had been quiet up until this point, spoke up tentatively. "I...I just wanted to say that I support you, Blake," she said, looking slightly uncomfortable. "I know that my family has a...complicated history with the faunus, to say the least, but that doesn't mean I feel the same way. I think what Cardin did was terrible, and I want you to know that I'm here for you."

Yang, meanwhile, was practically seething with anger. "That guy is such a jerk," she growled. "I wish I could just punch him in the face!"

Ruby, who had been listening quietly up until this point, spoke up. "Guys, we can't let ourselves get carried away," she said, her voice calm and measured. "We're here to be the best huntresses we can be, and that means not giving in to our emotions. Professor Oobleck said it himself: we have to fight for what's right, no matter who or what we're up against. That means not wishing harm on others, even if we don't like them."

She looked around at her teammates, her eyes shining with determination. "We have to be better than that," she said. "We have to be the bestest of the best. And that means supporting each other, no matter what!"

Yang grinned and ruffled her little sister's hair. "Look at you, acting all mature and stuff," she said, stretching Ruby's cheeks. "You're so cute!"

Blake rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but smile. Despite everything that had happened, she knew that she was lucky to have such supportive friends by her side. And with their help, she was sure that she could overcome any obstacle that came her way.

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Wow did you see that one coming? Honestly I didn't either... chat gpt do some weird stuff sometime... Blake outing herself was NOT on my script he/it came up with the idea itself and just rolled with it. I found it great so I encouraget it to continue on this way and here we are now... I must say I am happy with the result, definitely not how I would have done it but damn... we'll deal with it now. Littles stones and ripples I guess. Also chat gpt came out with like 99% od the dialogues, I tweaked some part here and there or gave him the general idea of what to do and what I wanted for atmosphere but GODAMN!!! This tool is going to write absolutely beautifull story in a few years if not even months I tell you!