The Middle Path

Rating: M

Summary: Sometimes, when two ideologies compete with each other, there is an understanding reached and the two sides come together. That is what happened to Kilik and Xianghua. An alternate road fanfic. Warning: Lemon ahead. If you don't like Lemon, please don't read it. You have been warned.

Disclaimer: Soul Caliber 2 belongs to Namco and blah, blah, blah.

Xianghua made her way to Ostrheinsburg Chapel, her sword in her hands. A fierce wind blew suddenly, chilling her body. The Chapel bells ring signifying the coming of the chosen fighters. The Chinese woman knew that her opponent has come. No matter who it was, she would not lose. Soul Edge cannot be allowed to continue its rampage.

Her mind wandered to her former companions, Maxi and Kilik. When they stormed Ostrheinsburg Castle where Nightmare, the keeper of Soul Edge was residing, three hearts made it possible for the evil weapon to be destroyed, though it cost Maxi his life. Maxi, she remembered, was a jovial guy. Always one to lighten the somber mood, the pirate from the Ryukyu Kingdom was a fun ally to be around. His mission was to kill the monster with the giant axe so that his comrades could be avenged. Then there was Kilik. For some strange reason, her heart pumped faster. There was a scar on his cheek and it took all of her willpower not to caress it, to ease his pain. He was a tortured soul. His heart called out to her, begging her to take away his pain. The man with the Boa Staff went on this journey to be redeemed of the crimes he committed. She never asked him beyond that; Xianghua could tell it was a sore subject with him.

Whomever it was, Xianghua would not be defeated. She will destroy anyone in her way. With eight fragments of Soul Edge, she made her way into the Inner Sanctuary of Ostrheinsburg Chapel.

Kilik, who was inside the forgotten Chapel, after hearing the bells ringing, awaited his challenge. The wind, although it racked his body and blew his jacket to and fro, did not affect him. Apparently, Ostrheinsburg Chapel was a gateway into the place where the spirit of Soul Edge resided. All a person needed was all of the sixteen fragments of the evil sword and the portal will open. He had eight of them and he won them because of his Boa Staff. Kali-Yuga has never let him down before and it will not do so in the near future. The nature of Kali-Yuga was to absorb spiritual energy and that is what he has set out to do. He closed his eyes.

His mind wandered to his last journey. He thought he had to make his journey of redemption on his own. However, a kinder power, be it coincidence or fate, allowed him to travel with companions. The pirate from the Ryukyu kingdom was a good guy. However, there was one who haunted his dreams, removing the images of the murders he committed. She was his North Star, showing him his way. Her name was Chai Xianghua. How someone that beautiful could ever be a warrior was something he couldn't fathom. However, he thanked that Higher Power for the chance to meet her. Although Kilik's soul was tainted with blood and could never be with this Lady of Light, the warrior counted his blessings just to catch a glimpse of her and to travel with her.

Kilik heard footsteps. His challenger has come. He turned around and, horror of horrors. It was her.

Xianghua was not prepared for her opponent to be Kilik. She shook her head. It can't be, she thought. Maybe this is a trick. No, I heard the Chapel Bells ringing.

"Kilik!" Xianghua whispered. She could see his brown eyes soften in pain.

When Kilik heard his name being said by his North Star, he flinched. He knew what her purpose was and, because he loved her, she could not complete it. The man with the Boa Staff could not let her end up like Maxi.

"You can't fight this with strength alone. Please understand, Xianghua." Kilik did not want hurt her. How can you destroy the one who has captured your heart?

Xianghua knew that Kilik would not back down. That was one of the things about him; he never backed down from a fight. She knew what his purpose in doing this was. Kilik planned to absorb the energy into Kali-Yuga and release it, little by little, thereby purifying himself. "I can't let you go any further." The Chinese woman told him. As much as it pained her, she took up an offensive stance against the man she loved with her Nameless sword.

It was going to come to this, Kilik thought. He prepared to stand against her with Kali-Yuga. "Is there no other way?"

It was a clash of two ideologies, two weapons, and two hearts, screaming for serenity and crying because of the turn of events.

Xianghua attacked first, a thrust to his chest, but Kilik deflected it with his Boa Staff. It was then that Xianghua noticed she was at a disadvantage; Kilik's weapon was long-ranged, allowing him to attack from a distance, keeping him away from her blade. Not only that, but Kilik was an excellent fighter. Kilik, after repelling her first attack, swung the Rod at her feet, tripping her. His North Star fell on her bottom.

Kilik jumped high into the air, reeling back Kali-Yuga to strike with all of his might, and slammed his Rod down, but the Chinese woman rolled out of the way and hit him with the blunt edge of the sword on his leg. Kilik stumbled a bit.

As the two continued fighting, the fragments of Soul Edge resonated, loving the feelings of despair, pain, and betrayal. However, although the fighters were battling at their fullest potential, there was something in the air, dissolving the former feelings. It was a feeling that Soul Edge could not feed off of, Love. Love is what powered its antipode, Soul Caliber. Somehow, it needed to make the fighters angrier. It needed to influence the weaker link, and that was Kilik because of the darkness in his soul and blood on his hands. What would make them hurt one another, it thought. The fragments that Kilik won began to show some imagines of the Ling Sheng Su Temple the day the Evil Seed appeared. Blood, carnage, massacre began to infiltrate Kilik's mind. To quell it, he had to kill her, the Lady of Light, Xianghua. Oh, the Evil Blade knew who destroyed it before. It was her and that Soul Caliber, hidden so cleverly inside Krita-Yuga. She has to be destroyed, the fragments told Kilik inside his head. Only then, can you find solace.

Kilik heard the fragments whisper evil tidings to him. It wanted him to destroy the only thing that gave him a meaning to smile in a long time. First, it was the one whom he considered a sister. But he killed her through the influence of the Evil Seed. Now, it was Xianghua, his bright and morning star. Well, he was not going to be influenced by Soul Edge anymore.

He moved back and stopped fighting. Xianghua was puzzled but she also stopped fighting. "Kilik, have you stopped fighting?" she asked hesitantly. Kilik stood guarded but relaxed. "Why are we fighting? We both want the same thing?" Kilik cried out to her. "We both want to make sure that Soul Edge does not harm any more people. Why should we be divided by our choice of methodology?"

Kilik, in a surprisingly bold move, creeps closer to Xianghua, still guarded for an attack that might come. Xianghua, although softened by his eloquence, and nervous about his coming over to her, still kept her guard up. Soon, he was in her personal space, breathing the same air that she was. "I may never get the chance to do this ever again, but I can't let you go without telling you this." He leaned towards her face, their noses touching.

"I love you, Chai Xianghua." Kilik whispered softly. Xianghua moaned quietly but kept her eyes on him.

Inside his jacket, the fragments of the Evil Blade resonated fiercely, trying to gain some sort of leverage against him. No! Do not give in to the enemy, it told him.

He loved her? That was the thought going through her head at the moment. This is almost a dream come true. However, his timing was terrible. They were suppose to be locked in mortal combat. But her heart and her hand refused to attack him anymore. Tell him the words that you want to say, her mind told her mouth.

"I love you, Kilik." She whispered back.

Kilik was taken aback by the simple declaration of love. Never in a thousand years would he have dreamed of her returning his love. Such simple words made tears collect in his eyes. Such a declaration emboldened him to do another thing he thought he would never do.

He lean in closer and placed his lips on her own. All of his expectations of their first kiss was discarded as the feeling of real, warm lips surpassed all of his dreams. The excitement he felt when their lips connected was a feeling he was loathed to lose. Kilik continued kissing the Chinese woman's lips, noting the fullness of them. He dropped Kali-Yuga on the floor, having no use for it, and cupped her face with both of his hands.

Xianghua, weak on her feet after the kiss she was given, also dropped her sword and placed her now free hands on Kilik's strong shoulders. He stopped his kisses to look into his North Star's eyes. They shined with love. He leaned into her neck and nuzzled her. "You have no idea how much you mean to me." He spoke into her neck. Xianghua arched it so that Kilik could have more access to it. The wielder of Kali-Yuga rained butterfly kisses on that column of flesh. She moaned quietly as her skin electrified under his torture.

Kilik stopped his kisses and smiled at Xianghua, removing his torn red jacket and placing under their feet. He gently maneuvered her onto the jacket so that she was on her back and he was on top of her. Kilik's heart was warmed when he looked into Xianghua's eyes and saw only love.

The fragments of Soul Edge were furious as only a possessed inanimate object could be. This wasn't suppose to happen. The evil sword writhed in agony at this … this… feeling of love. They are suppose to shed blood. Why is this happening, it thought?

Kilik looked into Xianghua's eyes for permission to love her further. "I want to make love to you, Xianghua, but I don't want to anything that you don't want to do." Xianghua was touched that he would hold so much respect for her that he is willing to forgo his satisfaction for her sake. Luckily for the two of them, she wanted this more than anything.

"Please," she pleaded, almost begging for something. What it was, she didn't know, but she needed it. "Please don't let up."

Xianghua lifted her hands and let them caress Kilik's bare chest. A feral growl escaped his lips as the simple touch of her hand on his chest. After hearing that she wanted this as bad as he did, Kilik proceeded to remove her shirt carefully. When it was off, he gazed upon her magnificent upper body. Her arms were toned as a result of her sword training.

But his eyes were more focused on her breasts, two mounds of succulent flesh complete with stiff rosy tips. He felt himself harden below his waist. She was beautiful when she had her clothes on, but naked and aroused, there were no words to describe such magnificence. His right hand, in awe, made its way to one of her breasts and massaged it gently. Xianghua moaned quietly as she was being fondled. The sensation of his gentle ministrations excited her and her lower body began to seek release. What he did next drove her crazy.

He lowered his mouth on the other breast and began to suck, lick, kiss and nibble on it. Xianghua cried out in ecstasy as he continued pleasuring her. After giving his attention to one of her breast, he turned to the other and carried on his ministrations. She moaned louder as the cool air kissed her wet breast and Kilik gently pinched her nipple. Although he did not realize it, the ministrations were so arousing that she climaxed between her legs.

Kilik grew even harder when she moaned and the pants that he had on now became constrictive.

His wandering hands made it to her pants. Kilik looked into his love's eyes. "Are you truly sure about this?" he asked, concern laced in his voice.

"Please, Kilik. Don't stop." His North Star breathed. She smiled at him, giving Kilik the courage to do what he did next. His hands carefully slid down the slacks and Xianghua was left with the final barrier between her and Kilik, her undergarments. With great reverence, he removed the final barrier that prevented their joining.

Kilik then joined her in her nakedness. Xianghua could only stare at him. He reminded her of the Greek statues, built in that fashion. Her eyes traveled down his chest to his abs and finally to his manhood, standing proud from his body. The guy was huge, at least in her opinion, having never seen another guy's nakedness. His hands search out hers and interlaced his fingers with her own.

"Are you ready for this?" he asked her quietly. She nodded, granting Kilik the permission to deflower her.

Kilik positioned himself between her legs and slowly joined himself with Xianghua. He could see tears forming within her eyes as the unfamiliar sensation burned through her. It was mild compared to what she had experienced with sword fighting, but it hurt her nonetheless. She squeezed on Kilik's hands until he finally was completely connected within her.

As that instant, there was no more pain, just fulfillment. Here she was, joined with the man she loved in the most intimate of ways. All was forgotten except the two of them.

Within the belly of Tartaros, the creature known as the Evil Presence within the blade writhed in agony in the presence of Love and its energy. There was no hate between these two warriors, just love. And it was painful to the Evil Presence.

Kilik began to move, each stroke eliciting moans of pleasure from Xianghua. Their bodies became one, moving in a dance as old as time. Xianghua wrapped her legs around his waist to draw this man deeper. The strokes became faster as they rose higher and higher to that great crescendo.

As the two made love to each other, the Evil Presence's life force, whose essence was hellfire, began to be extinguished as the feelings of Love intensified. The screeching of the Evil Presence could be heard all over the world, except for the two lovers. The Presence was dying and it knew that. Its reign of terror is coming to an end.

Kilik continued withdrawing and plunging into Xianghua's body. His chest, like hers, was glistening with sweat. Xianghua felt her body responding to the pleasure that Kilik was giving her. Her climax was not far away. "Kilik," she breathed. "I … gonna…"

Kilik was not far behind. "Me… too." With every stroke, Kilik met the darkness in his heart and was finally able to dismiss it. It was long overdue and it was thanks to his North Star. "It's time to let go, Xianghua." He exhaled.

Although she didn't want this to end, Kilik was right; she had to let go to finally be free. That is when her climax passed through her, blinding her with a multitude of colors. She moaned the name of her lover as she came. "Kilik!" Said lover was not far behind as he spilled into her. "Xianghua!"

Against the torrent of love, the Evil Presence lost its sustenance and faded into nothingness.

Kilik collapsed on top of Xianghua, exhausted. Both were panting heavily. Kilik looked into his lover's eyes and brushed away strands of hair that fell underneath her eyes. "Do you have any regrets?" he asked, searching her beautiful brown eyes for an answer.

"Only one. Not telling you sooner that I love you." Tears began to form around Xianghua's eyes. "Please let this not be a one-time thing." She pleaded. "I can't live my life without you. I want you more than anything. I want to love you forever." Xianghua's eyes widen in realization of what he really wanted to say. "I guess what I am trying to say is, Will you marry me?"

"Yes!" Xianghua squeaked as the powers of speech failed her and all she could do is hug his naked body. The lovers closed their eyes and felt something strange in the air.

"Kilik, do you feel that?" the Chinese woman asked. "I don't feel anything except you." He responded.

"Exactly! Normally, you could feel Soul Edge's presence everywhere. Now, it seems to be gone."

Kilik concentrated on finding the evil presence and could not find it anywhere. She was right.

"Maybe it was because of us. Love is stronger than hate and darkness." Kilik went into his pockets to search for the fragments of Soul Edge and could not find them at all, confirming the theory. "It's gone. I guess lost its power in the face of Love."

The two stayed there, silent and basking in each others' warmth.

A year past and the couple returned to China. They got married and had twins, a girl named Xianglian after the woman Kilik called sister and a boy named Maxi after their fallen friend. The love between them has not waned even after the events that change their world as well as the entire world.

Compromise is the key to their relationship and it was the lesson these two learned. Within the two extremes, there is always a middle path and that is the road these two took. Neither would change that for the world.

OWARI

Author's Notes: Yes I know that Maxi is alive, but Kilik and Xianghua assumed that he was killed in the battle with Astaroth. So please do not write in a review that he is alive.

Another thing would be I assume that there were sixteen fragments of Soul Edge, one for each fighter: Kilik, Xianghua, Maxi, Astaroth, Nightmare, Raphael, Voldo, Yoshimitsu, Mitsurugi, Taki, Talim, Yunsung, Cassandra, Charade, Ivy, and Cervantes. The other characters: Sophitia, Necrid, Seung Mina, and the console exclusive characters are add-ons for the home version. That is what I assume anyways.

Now that I have explained myself, please review my story and tell me what you think.