A/N: My first fic, so it might not be as great as others, but I have to start somewhere, right? This fic occurs three years after Sophitia and Taki defeated Cervantes (which I think is during SCI. I'm not entirely sure since I started with SCII, so I based it loosely on character profiles and guessed from there) Anyways, enjoy.
Chapter 1: Getting More than Just Bread
Taki was sitting on a teak wooden bench, looking at the empty square of Athens. She'd been to Greece numerous times, but this was only her second time visiting this specific city. The first time was when she brought home the courageous (yet somewhat inexperienced) Greek sentinel that managed to destroy half of the evil sword, Soul Edge. Even then, she didn't get the slightest chance to view Athens since she had left in a hurry due to 'family matters.' In fact, the only reason that she and Mitsurugi were at Athens at the moment was because they had exhausted their supply of food, and it just happened to be the closest town nearby. Of course she did slightly hope that she'd run into the same sentinel she was thinking about, but the chances of that was slim to none. Taki figured that the Greek was probably halfway across the world chasing the Azure Knight that wielded the other half of the evil sword.
Speaking of in a hurry, the Asian tapped her foot impatiently. It was almost sundown and her samurai companion wasn't back from his short trip to the bakery. They had to catch up to the Azure Knight, and they surely didn't have time to waste on purchasing freshly baked pastries. "He's probably persuading the poor baker to sell his bread for a cheaper price," Taki sighed. Even if they were a bit low on cash, she couldn't let Mitsurugi harass the poor person.
She lazily stood up and strolled her way to the clear glass door of the brightly lit bakery. The shop was average in size with clear, wide windows. There were flamboyant cakes, cookies, pastries, and different types of bread displayed along the front window; all of them seemed to be made with great effort and attention to detail. She looked through the door and found herself correct when she saw a pleading Mitsurugi and an annoyed looking blonde haired girl across the counter.
Taki sighed as she opened the door and calmly made her way to Mitsurugi. "Do you always have to haggle down everything?! Can't you see you're just embarrassing yourself?" Taki angrily whispered. The Asian woman then set her chestnut eyes on the annoyed girl. "I apologize for my friend here," she glared at the slightly red faced samurai, who only muttered 'twenty coins' under his breath. "It was twenty coins for all the bread he wanted, right?" She took out her pouch and put twenty shiny, silver coins on the wooden counter.
"But Taki! Now we can't afford to-" Mitsurugi stopped in mid-sentence when he saw the counter lady run into the inner part of the bakery, frantically screaming in Greek. The two customers just raised their eyebrows in confusion.
Seconds later, the counter girl came back, along with a frustrated looking, apron wearing woman with similar physical features. Taki would recognize that lady anywhere, and indeed it was Sophitia. The woman that was sent by her gods—at least that was what the Greek told her— to destroy Soul Edge. She looked a bit more mature than she remembered. Her hair was a little bit longer as well, but of course the ninja knew that hair grows a lot in three years' time. They became close during their trip back to Greece three years ago, but they never contacted each other since. Taki never really had a chance to do so because she was always moving from place to place.
"Taki…? Is that you? By gods I missed you!" the Greek from the kitchen sprinted her way to the ninja and gave her a long overdue hug. She didn't even notice the Asian woman's companion, who had his arms wide spread, as if he was expecting a hug from her as well.
"Long time no see," Taki replied. She didn't know whether to return the hug that Sophitia gave her, but ultimately decided not to. Sophitia was very expressive of her emotions, something a ninja shouldn't be.
"You said you were going to keep in touch!" Sophitia frowned as she let go of Taki. She knew that the Asian wouldn't return her hug, and she didn't expect her to do so. She also didn't expect to see Taki without her facemask on, but she didn't mind. The Greek thought Taki looked better without it, although she made a mental note to herself to ask why she took off the mask in the first place. "Three years, Taki! My goodness, you couldn't even send me a letter from you and your family in Japan?"
Taki twitched a little. She had forgotten that Sophitia was completely oblivious to her family issues. "Sorry but I've been busy," she muttered.
Sophitia wasn't content with the blunt answer she received, but she figured that it was best not to pry. Sophitia averted her eyes, finally noticing the man that stood behind her friend. "Oh how rude of me! I haven't introduced myself," she went over to him and shook his hand. "My name's Sophitia Alexandra," She then pointed to the girl across the counter. "That's my sister Cassandra."
"You can call me Mitsurugi," he replied with a small hint of disappointment in his voice.
"How nice to meet you," the younger Alexandra smiled at Taki, and tried her best to smile at Mitsurugi. "See, I told you sis, I recognized her," her aquamarine eyes were set on Taki. Cassandra saw the ninja carry Sophitia back home three years ago, when she was merely fourteen years of age. She was still wondering why her sister was on Taki's back in the first place, since she walked just fine moments after the ninja left.
"Taki, would you and your friend like to stay for dinner? It's almost closing time and we have tons of catching up to do." Sophitia invited.
Taki hesitated. They wasted enough time in Greece already. Surely the Azure Knight and the Soul Edge would be too far ahead if they stayed for dinner. He could easily annihilate a whole entire town in one night, making the Soul Edge more powerful than it already was. Besides, the ninjas from her clan were after her as well, and she didn't want anyone to get involved in her own personal matters.
"Of course we will, right Taki?" Mitsurugi patted his friend's shoulder happily, interrupting her train of thought. He told himself that the only reason he accepted was to let Taki and Sophitia have a pleasant conversation together. However, he also didn't deny that was hungry, tired, and didn't want to spend money.
"Great! Cassandra and I will finish up here. It's only a few minutes until closing time." Sophitia exclaimed cheerfully before Taki even had a chance to open her mouth. The blonde promptly headed back to the kitchen to tidy up.
At least she forgot about her issues with Rothion, Cassandra thought. That guy should get hit by Zeus' lightning for cheating on her! Sophitia hasn't been herself lately, ever since she saw Rothion with a brunette headed girl practically eating each other at the park. She broke off their relationship on the spot. She also gave Rothion a painful slap across the face, followed by a knee to his groin. Sophitia hasn't been this happy for a long time, and it scared the younger Alexandra how her sister turned from gloomy to almost ecstatic in a couple of minutes. As her sister, she was obligated not to ruin this pleasant moment for Sophitia, even if she did want to hit the haggling Asian man across the face.
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Rothion's cobalt eyes were set on his newest creation, finally feeling content of his work. He had been working on this particular set of sword and shield for the longest time, and now it was perfect! He wiped the sweat trickling on his forehead and moved his auburn bangs away from his face. He put the weapon set on the floor before him and stared at its blade with awe. The sword was broad, able to withstand the harshest conditions without breaking. The shield was thick as well, but it's light considering its size. Its face was pink, with a decorative silver emblem on the middle of the shield. He took the sword and swung it horizontally with ease. He then held it above his head, as if he was going to slice his imaginary opponent in half. Next thing he knew, a million volts ran through his body, frying his internal organs into burnt toast. He died before his body even hit the cemented floor, and his sword fell with a loud clang.
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Cassandra jumped when she saw a quick flash of light, followed by a loud 'boom!" Oh my gosh, I think I killed Rothion! She squealed in her head. She anxiously waited for her sister to come back from the kitchen. She wanted to see for herself if Rothion was really gone. Of course one would think that she had the slightest feeling of guilt or regret in her head. However, she was so thrilled about Rothion's death it was almost inhuman.
"Everything's cleaned up now. Is everyone ready to go?" Sophitia's apron-less figure popped out from the kitchen.
"Yeah sis, I just need to check up on something first," Cassandra smiled a little too sweetly. Mitsurugi swore he felt a slight twinge from one of his back teeth just by looking at Cassandra's smile. "I'll meet you guys at home." And with that, she exited the bakery and headed to the direction where the town blacksmith lived.
Sophitia locked the glass door after Taki and Mitsurugi came out. Taki seemed to be deep in her thoughts as usual so the other Asian felt obligated to break the silence. "So you're Sophitia," Mitsurugi started. "The one Taki helped after you destroyed the evil sword?" The blonde merely nodded. "Why aren't you chasing Soul Edge right now? Did your Gods tell you to-AGH!" The samurai yelped, followed with a loud thud. He found himself a couple of meters away from where he was standing, groaning as he felt the dull pain coming from his abdomen. He shot a glare to the red suited woman who kicked him and yelled, "What the HELL was THAT for?!"
"Soul Edge…" Sophitia interrupted before Taki could yell back at the angry Mitsurugi. "I thought I destroyed it three years ago…What happened?" Sadness struck her as she remembered her previous encounter with the evil sword, and how many people died because of its greed for power. Why didn't Hephaestus tell me do pursue it? She pondered.
Mitsurugi pulled himself up and dismissed the little 'incident' that just occurred. He could just feel the anger emitting around Taki, even though her face was completely calm. He tried to ignore it and instead, answered the Greek's question in a 'matter of fact' voice as they resumed walking. "There's still the other half of the Soul Edge, since you only destroyed one of them. The other half uses a man in blue armor as a host. He's growing more powerful by the second!" He suddenly pulled back when the blonde in front of him stopped walking and turned around to look at Taki, who was a couple of steps ahead of him for safety measures.
"Would it be all right if I helped you destroy the Soul Edge?" Sophitia suddenly asked. She gave it some thought, and she found that even if this wasn't a mission from her gods, she couldn't let the corrupted sword inflict chaos across the world. She wanted to finish what she started, since her family could be in danger if she ignored this problem. At least, that's what she told herself. She knew there was another reason to why she wanted to leave Greece, but she quickly shook away the depressing thought.
Taki was about to say her blatant response to the question when her almond eyes met Sophitia's green, almost pleading ones. The demon huntress suddenly found it difficult to say no to the sentinel's request. She swore those eyes would get her killed someday. She let out a sigh then asked, "Are you sure? You don't even know the full extent of what you're getting yourself into…"
"Oh I know full well of what I'm getting myself into! Besides, would you rather let me travel with you or let me travel by myself?" Sophitia responded.
Taki's eyes widened, knowing that the person she was talking to was dead serious just by looking at her determined aquamarine orbs. Who knows what would happen to her? She nearly died last time she ventured by herself! The ninja sighed in frustration. This was turning out to be more complicated than she would've liked, and she blamed no one but Mitsurugi. She found it hard not to lunge at him and beat him until there was no tomorrow. "Fine," she reluctantly agreed, not wanting to be an indirect cause of Sophitia's death if she did venture by herself. "It's not like I have a choice…"
"You're right, you don't," Sophitia responded playfully. She felt slightly guilty that she took advantage of Taki's helpful (though the ninja clearly denied it) nature, but she figured that she'd make up for it by not letting her down. "I'll meet you guys at the western part of town, where the gates are. I just need to fetch some supplies!" She went to the direction of the Eurydice Shrine, forgetting all about her dinner plans for she was too excited about her journey.
Cassandra happily skipped her way through the moonlit streets of her hometown, heading towards her family's home. She was delighted for three reasons. One, her sister was cheered up, even if it's only temporarily. She certainly needed a break from her usual slumping in her bed crying about Rothion. Speaking of blacksmith, he has indeed passed on to the afterlife, much to the younger Alexandra's delight, thus making him her second reason why she merrily made her way to her house.
The third and final reason was strapped on her waist. It was a sword and shield that Cassandra picked up beside Rothion's dead figure. The blade was thick but it was very light, and it could definitely withstand Cassandra's rough ways when she was equipped with a weapon. ('Rough' was an understatement however, according to the perverted Greek boys that tried to woo her) The shield was also durable, and its pink surface (along with a detailed silver Greek symbol) earned extra points from its new owner. She hesitated taking them at first, but decided that the blacksmith didn't deserve her respect since he cheated on Sophitia.
Cassandra suddenly paused when she saw Sophitia run towards the opposite direction of their house with the sword and shield from Eurydice Shrine in tow. "Hey!" Cassandra beckoned. "Sophie where are you going?" she asked in her main language when Sophitia arrived in front of her. She preferred speaking in Greek, since she thought that English made her sound funny.
The older Alexandra's eyes widened when her emerald orbs laid upon the sword and shield that her dear sister carried. However, she quickly dismissed the issue, realizing that Taki was waiting for her by the gates. "Cassie, I have to go! I'm sorry, but you'll have to watch over the house for a while," Sophitia gave her sister a hug then pulled away moments after. "Tell mum and dad and Lucius I'll be gone for a while! I have some 'duties' to attend to. Soul Edge is back and I have to stop it," she explained. "Try not to get into trouble while I'm gone. Love you!"
Cassandra took her sister's arm before she could even try to step away from her. "No sis, you're not going! You almost died last time you went to venture by yourself!" Cassandra stubbornly said. Sophitia opened her mouth to protest but Cassandra interrupted her and proclaimed, "I'm going with you, and that's final!" She clung herself to her sister's arm and refused to let go, no matter how much Sophitia tried to shake her off. She held on even after Sophitia gave an exasperated sigh and gave up to her wishes.
Sophitia started to walk (with Cassandra in tow) to the direction where her companions waited. She knew that Taki would be more than a little upset when she finds out that Cassandra wanted to join them as well. And what made matters worse was that she knew that Cassandra would be more than happy to have more than just a small argument with her. I actually wouldn't mind if Cassie comes. I'm confident about her fighting skills, since none of those boys who teased her ever came back, Sophitia thought If I'm ever bored and no one's available to talk to, Cassandra wouldn't hesitate for a second to talk to me. She does after all love to talk, she noted to herself
Moments later, they arrived at the town gates, where Taki leaned on a nearby tree, waiting patiently. Mitsurugi however, didn't look too well. He looked so hungry that he could literally eat a horse, and his stomach clearly agreed with the idea by grumbling loudly. Sophitia suddenly realized that she'd forgotten about her dinner plans, but she knew that Taki wanted to leave as soon as possible. If Soul Edge really was back, it would be the utmost importance to eliminate it before it obtained too many souls.
"Please, oh PLEASE tell me you're here to say goodbye!" Mitsurugi pleaded at the younger Alexandra when he noticed the sword and shield on her waist.
"Uh-huh," Cassandra agreed cheerfully, much to the samurai's surprise. "Goodbye to Greece! There's NO way I'm allowing my sister to go on this journey without me!" She demanded as she gripped her sister's arm so tightly Sophitia swore she was cutting the blood circulation off her arm.
Sophitia was flattered that her sister cared for her so much. However she was making this situation more complicated it should be. "Look sis, we've been over this. I'd love for you to go, and you know that," she said sincerely. "However, I don't think that Taki and Mitsurugi would appreciate it very much if you came along, and I don't think it would be fair for them since-"
"So?! Screw them sis! Do you really think I care if Taki and that dirty samurai think this was fair or not? They're taking away my only sister from me, even if you're the one who volunteered to go. Do you think that's fair?!" Cassandra retorted with an alarmingly huge amount of rage in her voice. Sophitia pulled back slightly at her response, mostly because she didn't know she meant that much to her sister.
Mitsurugi said something to Cassandra's 'dirty samurai' remark but Taki wasn't really listening. She realized the truth in the young girl's words, knowing full well how it felt to be apart from a sibling you deeply cared for. At first, she knew that she was absolutely going to refuse to let the young Alexandra come with them, but after hearing her words, she was suddenly uncertain of what her decision should be. Plus, somehow she got a feeling that Cassandra would come with them with or without her approval. Snapping back to reality, Taki realized that there was a full on war going on between Mitsurugi and Cassandra, since their weapons were both drawn out and pointed at each other." That's enough both of you," Taki quietly but sternly said to the fighting duo.
Cassandra slowly strapped her new weapon by her waist while never taking her glare off the samurai that provoked her into drawing her sword. Mitsurugi however, averted his almond eyes to Taki and sheathed his katana. At least Taki found out that the girl was confident with her battle skills by the way she reacted to Mitsurugi's challenge. However, this didn't convince the demon slayer to completely let the young blonde accompany them in their journey. She had to ask Sophitia about what she thought about all this, and if Cassandra was capable of holding out on her own outside of Greece. It was then that Taki realized that she was in an unbelievably nice mood that day, letting Sophitia and even considering Cassandra to come with them.
"Cassandra," the ebony headed woman finally spoke, making both the person she was talking to and Sophitia look at her. "Do you really want to come with us?" She asked. She knew the answer already, and she didn't like any part of it. It was enough that Sophitia wanted to get involved, but her sister was a whole different story. Taki received a vigorous nod from Cassandra, much to her disappointment. "Are you even aware of the dangers you'll be facing?"
The blonde thought for a second then answered, "Well…no, but I'm perfectly capable of defending myself in hazardous situations!"
Taki glanced at Sophitia, who only nodded in agreement with her sister's response. The ninja's chestnut orbs then fell on Mitsurugi, who merely shrugged at her as if to say 'the more the merrier.' She then looked at the accused Alexandra, who was so eager to hear a positive answer that she was leaning slightly towards Taki's direction. Feeling defeated, poor Taki finally gave in and uttered, "Alright, alright. You win…" She heard Cassandra squeal with an ear deafening, high-pitched voice. I'm starting to regret my decision already she thought to herself. She strolled her way outside the gates, her party not too far behind her.
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A mysterious shadow hid himself inside a large, oak tree nearby Athen's main gates, his eyes fixed upon the traitor ninja that his clan was hunting for. Oh how he hated that traitor, and he was sure that his father Toki would gladly bring his rank up if he brought the rogue ninja's head and her weapon, Mekki-Maru to him. However, it seemed that it would require more planning than he thought, since she gained three more allies. One of which, being the samurai, he knew very well. The other two allies came from the city nearby; he could tell by their clothing and weapons. He sighed, knowing that he couldn't take on all four of them and be victorious. Taki was a challenge enough; she used to be one of the high-ranking ninjas in the Fu-Ma. He waited until Taki and her party was well out of sight and headed back to his search party's encampment. It looked like they would need more people to capture the wench than they estimated, all for the sake of keeping the ninja arts secret and to obtain Mekki-Maru.
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A/N: Mm, good place to end? I'm not entirely sure, but I had to somehow hint the conflict right? Or else this chapter would've been slightly short in my opinion. I'm not quite sure what the pairings would be at the moment, but I'm leaning towards Taki/Sophie for this fic...even though romance is one of my weaker points and I probably won't put too much focus on the lovey doveys... Rothion is dead FTW!
What did you think? Good? Bad? Too long?
Review please :)