CPL...is back! I sincerely apologise for slacking around, but I'm back! Exams nearly murdered my soul! My soul I tell you!

Anyway, reviews!

moki0316: I know I know, PI is a bit lacking, and I'm working on it. In fact, the bits and pieces of important developments will start happening in the next update, if I play my cards right that is. And do keep in mind that this is my creation for the Monty Oum Project, so uh...hehe...don't take the whole story too seriously. And Summer's true identity can wait until Phase II comes out, but it's pretty obvious already. Still, thanks quite a bunch for the thoughtful review!

GameboyNinjaUltimate Icarus: Glad you enjoyed their interactions! And yeah, that's going to happen sooner or later...

shadowedge27: I'm working on it. Thank you for the review, along with those ideas you gave me! I'm still having trouble trying to connect the whole thing though, but I'll try my best!

The 10th Wand: Well I'm glad you enjoyed their interactions! Just wait until you see Kval kicking the shit out of Adam's ass right in front of Blake in Volume...3...I mean...whoops? Was that intentional? I think not!

Flashback Trip Syndrome: Thank you for the long and thoughtful review, my friend. I'll be sure to take careful steps from now on, and I'll do my best! Also, trust me when I say that Kval will change a whole lot of events in V3...hehe...

Now, let us charge into the land of fiction!

-IIXII-

"Great! The gang's all here! Now we can die together!" Yang exclaimed, being sarcastic of course.

"Not if I can help it," Ruby said.

Yang's eyes widened. "Ruby, wait!" she called out, but was too late.

Ruby let out a loud cry as she charged her way towards the large Deathstalker, all the while ignoring the warnings which came from her older sibling along with the others.

This was it. The Grimm was within her range. Now, all she needed to do was land a handful of blows with her beloved scythe and-

A white portal opened up right beside her.

"Oof!"

Before she knew it, Ruby was knocked to the side by a certain green-haired vessel.

-IIXII-

"What on Remnant!?" Glynda exclaimed, wide-eyed.

Ozpin lifted his eyebrows a bit, his eyes trained onto the screen of his scroll device. "Hmm? This is..."

-IIXII-

What the heck did I just crash into?

Kval rubbed his sore gut and looked around, just in time to notice Ruby, who was sprawled across the ground, in the process of sitting herself up with a dazed look across her face. From the looks of it, it appeared that she hadn't noticed him yet.

So it was her...

And yes, his gut was sore. The blonde's punch was off the charts, and she was the very same reason why he was sent flying into his portal in the first place.

Hell, women were scary.

And besides, it wasn't his fault that he accidentally touched her hair without permission. He just wanted to get to his portal.

"Ruby!" a rather familiar voice called out.

T-That voice, Kval thought, paling a bit. It couldn't be, right?

"Get out of there!" the same voice from before yelled out.

Kval narrowed his eyes, and later turned so that he was facing Ruby. "Get out of here? What-" He nearly choked on his own spit when a large scorpion creature entered his line of sight. "W-What the hell is that!?"

"And you!" the blonde yelled, directing her attention to Kval. "I don't know how you got there, but stay away from my sister!"

Kval winced. "Of course she saw me..."

-IIXII-

"I-It's him again!" Blake exclaimed, wide-eyed.

"If he so much as touches my cute sister then I will make sure to bury him six feet under!" Yang roared.

Weiss began to sweat. "Aren't we...forgetting something?"

"The...Deathstalker?" Jaune said. "That being said, who is that guy?" He turned to the other three people who stood beside him for answers, only to receive confused looks in return.

-IIXII-

Kval pulled out his knives and faced the Deathstalker, but was confused to see the creature turning away from him, as if it wasn't interested in fighting him. Curious, the vessel looked to where it was looking at, and was somewhat taken aback to see the creature aiming its stinger in Ruby's direction, who was still dazed.

Shit, thought Kval, Am I supposed to save her? I mean, this girl is somewhat annoying and na茂ve, but...it would be a shame to watch her die so early. And I'd really hate to see her skills go to waste...by this creature of all things.

The Deathstalker screeched and brought down its stinger.

I just hope this won't bite me in the ass later on...

Ruby shook her head in order to clear her head, only to yelp when something crashed into her stomach, which ended up with her rolling a few feet away from where she originally was. "Ow..." She slowly opened her eyes, and gasped when Kval came into view, whose face was just a few inches away from her own. "U-Um..." A bright blush formed onto her cheeks. "U-Uh...you're...close..."

"You should be grateful," Kval muttered, looking annoyed. "If it weren't for me, then you'd probably be dead for all I know. Watch your surroundings next time." He pushed himself off of Ruby and went up to his feet, which allowed her to sit herself up, all the while oblivious to how the young girl was feeling. "Anyway-"

One of the Deathstalker's pincers came in and slammed itself into Kval's side, knocking him away.

Ruby gasped as some of the vessel's blood splattered across her right cheek, and all she did was sit there in shock. Only when the Deathstalker turn to her did she finally regain her bearings and realise where she currently was. However, the shock from witnessing the horrid sight a few moments earlier was still in effect, and her legs wouldn't obey her commands, no matter how hard she tried. She looked to where Crescent Rose was located, and paled a bit upon noticing that it was way out of her reach.

Ruby quickly moved her gaze to the Deathstalker, and the two were then locked in a staring contest. She knew for a fact that if she were to look away right then and there, then the Grimm would waste no time in crushing her with its pincers. Either that, or she'd have a new hole in her gut, courtesy of the Grimm's golden stinger.

"Get out of there!" Jaune shouted.

"I'm coming, Ruby!" Yang called out, her voice filled with nothing but worry.

"You dolt! Move!" Weiss yelled, no doubt that she was getting worried as well.

With its patience thinning, the Deathstalker slowly approached its helpless prey and prepared its golden stinger.

I-Is this...the end? thought Ruby.

As if on cue, the Deathstalker let out a loud screech and rushed forward.

Ruby shut her eyes and shielded her face with her arms, only to flinch when a familiar voice reached her ears.

"Are you seriously just going to sit there!?"

Suddenly, some sort of green energy in the shape of a large serpent came slamming itself into the side of the Deathstalker, stunning it momentarily. But not long after that, a familiar red scythe came spinning through the air, flying in the Grimm's direction, before it was lodged into one of the creature's eyes. But the attacks did not end there, however. Seconds later, more and more serpents came slamming into the Deathstalker from all sides.

"No pressure or anything, but I just broke a few ribs and an arm to save your skin, so the least you could do is run! That being said, hurry up and run!"

"E-Eh?" Ruby backed away from the Grimm while she was still on the ground, and jumped a bit when a pair of hands pulled her up to her feet. With a quick look, it appeared that the one who helped her up was her older sister, Yang. Weiss was also there in fact, who was lowered into a fighting stance with her rapier in hand. "Y-Yang? Weiss?"

"No time for that, Ruby! We need to get out of here!" Yang said.

"For once, I agree," Weiss sounded.

"B-But..." Ruby turned to the Deathstalker, her legs trembling a bit. "...my scythe is-"

A black and white blur came slamming itself into the Deathstalker's face before Ruby could even finish her sentence, and it was then later revealed to be none other than Kazuma Kval. The vessel had the red scythe secured tightly in his grip. He then released a loud growl as he pulled the weapon out of the creature's eye, which caused it to screech in utter pain. "Shut up!" Kval shouted, and proceeded to throw the now freed Crescent Rose in Ruby's direction.

"Eep!" Ruby jumped back, just in time to see her beloved weapon stuck itself into the spot where she stood just moments ago. "W-Watch it!" She turned to glare at Kval, but what met her eyes rendered her speechless.

"Roll over!"

A large green portal appeared underneath the Deathstalker, and moments later, out came a large serpent with its fangs bared. The Grimm could do nothing as it was sent high up in the air by the serpent, and started screeching loudly when gravity began working its magic. Soon after the Deathstalker fell down and connected its back with the ground, creating a large-sized crater as results.

Kval stood there with his breathing labored, facing the upside down Grimm alone while clutching at his injured left arm. He was emitting some sort of green energy, but seconds later it faded away completely. The vessel turned away from the large scorpion and moved his gaze to the girls, who were too stunned to say anything, Ruby in particular. "You," he called out. "I told you to run. Why didn't you?"

"H-Huh?" Ruby eyed the vessel, and shook her head. "Forget that! Just look at yourself! You're injured! Why aren't you using your Aura?"

Kval cocked an eyebrow. He opened his mouth to speak, only to end up coughing up a bit of blood. "Gah! T-The heck...is an Aura? Never heard of it."

The air grew silent.

Kval narrowed his eyes upon noticing the stares he was getting, and all he said in response was, "Unless you're good with healing magic, staring at my injuries with those looks on your faces is considered rude, y'know."

"N-No...Aura?" Ruby muttered, wide-eyed.

"Are you even human?" Yang asked, equally shocked.

"How is this even possible?" Weiss muttered.

Kval sighed. "Just get out of my sight, you three. I didn't plan on saving little strawberry over there just so I could watch her end up in a dangerous situation again. Go."

"B-But-" Ruby protested, only to silence herself when a sharp glare was sent her way.

"Go. Now." Kval turned around so that he was facing the Deathstalker, which was in the process of recovering itself. "I have this thing to deal with, and I can't afford to deal with the three of you at the same time. That would end up killing me."

"You better not die..." Yang muttered, much to Kval's surprise. "And thank you...for saving Ruby. I appreciate it."

"Whatever..." Kval responded. "Now go." He could hear their footsteps as the three ran to join in with the others in the distance, and he couldn't help but feel a bit relieved because of that. The reason to that was beyond him though. "Finally."

As quick as lightning, something came slamming itself into Kval's back, much to his surprise. It felt like a fist. A small one.

Still, the pain it caused was above average, if only for a bit.

"Gah!"

Kval turned around with a glare, and the first thing which met his eyes were the silver orbs of Ruby Rose. The look on her face showed concern, and it didn't help that red rose petals could be seen drifting down around her, which unintentionally made the sight of her face much more beautiful than it should have originally been.

His cheeks began to redden, much to his shock.

E-Eh? T-The hell are you blushing for!? Kazuma Kval, get a damn grip on your pathetic self! the young vessel scolded himself internally, sweating slightly.

"Y-You better survive this, y-you hear? And I'll be sure to thank you properly the next time we meet..." Ruby gazed up at Kval, then added, "Promise me."

"I-I...sure," Kval said, feeling unsure of himself. "I promise."

Ruby nodded, and ran off to the others with the help of her Semblance. Thus, leaving Kval standing there on his own in utter silence.

I...can't believe I just did that, thought Kval, as he turned his attention back to the now recovered Deathstalker. Oh well. A promise is a promise. Besides, I have a feeling that we're going to cross paths with one another again in the future...

The Deathstalker screeched loudly and rushed its way towards Kval, no doubt that it was pissed off for all the things the vessel had done to it for the past few minutes.

"As much as I would love to deal with you first," Kval lifted up a hand, and later brought it down. As if on cue, countless of green serpents appeared above the large scorpion and came down on it all at once, stunning it momentarily. "it would be fair if the bird were to receive severe punishment for watching our entire fight instead of participating."

True to his words, a large Nevermore came diving down towards him from above, but he was undeterred to say the least.

"Ouroboros."

Kval shot his arm out in the Nevermore's direction and, in an instant, the Nox Nyctores Geminus Anguium: Ouroboros came shooting itself out from his sleeve. Despite how far his target was, Ouroboros soared through the air as if it was powered by a couple of rocket boosters.

The Nevermore took note of the chain and attempted to move out of the way, only to shriek in pain when Ouroboros came in and locked its jaws onto its left wing. The weapon may have been small, but it still stung. Though, that was to be expected from a Nox Nyctores.

"Time to bring you down, you oversized chicken!" Kval clenched his teeth. He held the chain in a tight grip and pulled it down with all the strength he could muster. The satisfying shriek which came from the Nevermore brought a small smirk to his face, before the sound of something big crashing down onto the ground in the far distance was heard. Figuring that the bird was no longer a threat, at least for the time being, the vessel pulled Ouroboros back into his sleeve and dusted off his clothes. "I'm glad that's over with..."

Suddenly, the Deathstalker from before came in and attempted to knock Kval away with its right pincer, only for the vessel to jump out of the way thanks to his quick reflexes.

"Whoa there!" Kval backed away from the large scorpion with a shit-eating grin on his face. He held up his hands as if to calm it down, and said, "You seem pretty pissed at me for some reason. Care to explain?"

The Deathstalker merely screeched in response.

"I'm sorry, but can you run that by me again?" Kval taunted, his grin widening a few inches. To his surprise, however, a bright portal opened up beside him, which meant that he had to leave. The young vessel sighed at that, seemingly disappointed. "I was actually looking forward to tearing you apart, piece by piece, but...seems to me that my ride is here. Later, vermin."

The Deathstalker gave another screech and rushed forward, but it was too late.

Kval had already left.

-IIXII-

Ruby gazed up at Ozpin, her eyes filled with nothing but doubt and sadness. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"I mean it's only been one day." Ozpin chuckled. "Ruby, I've made more mistakes than any man, woman, and child on this planet. But at this moment, I would not consider your appointment to leader to be one of them." He leaned forward, eyeing his troubled student with a comforting smile on his face. "Do you?"

Ruby went completely silent at that, processing each and every one of the man's words with her eyes trained down onto the floor.

"Being a team leader isn't just a title you carry into battle, but a badge you wear constantly," explained Ozpin. "If you are not always performing at your absolute best, then what reason do you give others to follow you?" He examined the girl's face closely, and figuring that she at least understood the gist of it, he turned around. "You have been burdened with a daunting responsibility, Ruby. I advise you take some time...to think about how you will uphold it."

Ruby remained silent, and merely nodded in response, despite knowing the fact that Ozpin couldn't see it with his back turned to her. With no words to say, she turned and walked away, deep in thought.

Ozpin spared the young girl a brief glance from the corner of his eyes, and later took a small sip of his coffee. Poor girl, he thought. Burdened with something so heavy...at such a young age at that. But she's very determined, so why stop her? That being said...

Ozpin narrowed his eyes.

"Reveal yourself this instant. I do not take kindly to eavesdroppers."

The air grew extremely silent, but then, a small chuckle resonated throughout the empty hallway.

Ozpin took another sip of his coffee, and squinted his eyes as he waited for his observer to come forward.

"Seems that I have been found out. I applaud you." Kval stepped out from his hiding spot, which appeared to be one of the nearby pillars. A wide smile was plastered across his face. "Hi there."

"Kazuma Kval, correct?" Ozpin guessed, much to the vessel's shock. "I've been watching you, and I've grown wary of your recent actions. Pray tell, Mister Kval. What are you doing wandering around in the hallways of my academy?"

"How do you know my name?" Kval inquired, unintentionally dodging the question. His wide smile was now nowhere to be seen, but the vessel paid it no mind.

"Well, let's just say..." Ozpin tilted his head to one side. "...a dusty old crow told me. That being said, I am Headmaster Ozpin, but you can just simply call me Ozpin, if you so prefer."

"Ozpin...huh." The vessel cocked an eyebrow. "And a dusty old crow? Care to explain?"

"I am the one asking questions around here, Mister Kval. Not you," Ozpin clarified.

"That sounds like a warning to me, but whatever. Go ahead. Shoot." Kval set his hands within his pockets, but something told him that he shouldn't let his guard down, so he didn't. "I don't have much time though, so be quick about it."

"Very well then." Ozpin adjusted his glasses. "I do not expect a clear answer, but what is your reason for spying on Team RWBY?"

"I...beg your pardon?" Kval raised an eyebrow, genuinely confused.

"Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long. Together, they are known as Team RWBY," Ozpin explained, his gaze hardening. "The question has been bothering my mind for quite a while. Why are you keeping a close eye on them? In fact, you've even personally met each of the girls before they attended my academy, so clearly there's a reason behind your actions."

"The old crow told you all this, I take it?" Kval asked, only for him to receive a cold stare from the white-haired man in return. He sighed. "Yeah, I've been following the girls around. I admit it. But please, rest assured that I harbor no ill will against any of them...other than the one with white hair, of course. She has a knack of getting under my skin, so..."

Hey, at least he was being honest about this.

Ozpin examined the vessel's face for any signs of hidden motives, and later took a small sip of his coffee before asking, "Tell me, Mister Kval. Who do you work for?"

Kval lifted his eyebrows a bit at the question, genuinely confused once more. "I'm...not quite sure what you mean."

Ozpin wanted to ask more questions regarding Kval himself, truly he did, but the sudden appearance of a bright portal prevented him from doing so. And if he was even in the least bit taken aback by the mere sight of the portal, then he did a pretty good job at hiding it.

"Well, it looks like my portal is here. I apologise, Ozpin," Kval offered the man a small smile, and turned so that he was facing the portal. "but I think it's time I take my leave. I am needed elsewhere."

"So soon?" Ozpin sounded.

"I have little time on my side, so you could say that I'm..." Kval swiftly whirled around and parried an incoming attack with his knives, locking eyes with Ozpin, and later allowed his gaze to wander to the man's cane. "...busy."

"Hmmm..." Ozpin held out his free hand, just in time for him to save his favorite coffee mug from crashing down onto the cold floor. He must've threw it up in the air at some point. "So it would seem." He pulled his cane away from Kval and took a few steps back, his eyes never leaving the vessel.

Kval smirked, kept his knives, and soon made his way to the portal, but not before saying, "Take good care of your students now, Headmaster Ozpin. I'm actually looking forward to our next meeting."

-IIXII-

Kval has either made an enemy, or a friend. I honestly don't know which, so you guys get to choose.

Anyway, thanks quite a lot for reading and please leave a review so that I can improve my way of writing! Stay safe now, and have a good day!

This is CPL, over and out.