Warning: If you have nothing nice to say about this story, don't say anything at all. It is called being courteous, being respectful of other human beings. If you have constructive criticism, it is greatly appreciated. Any ridiculous flames/spams will be deleted/reported.

This story is a crossover between Totally Spies and Soul Calibur. It contains large doses of femslash, quite a bit of violence, gore, cursing, and some nudity, sexuality and the like. Thus, it is rated M. If you don't like any of that stuff, or can't imagine how a crossover like this could happen, don't read it then. You have been warned.

I'm not describing the plot or anything any further, you'll have to read it to find out what's going on, heh. That's what makes you WANT to read it! ^_^

Disclaimer: I don't own Totally Spies, Soul Calibur, or anything from Marathon or Namco Bandai. Wish I did though.

----

Author: Deus Ex Machination

Title: Eye of the Storm

********

Prologue

********

"Finally, someone to whom I can give myself entirely..."

A simple statement spoken at the time, though never had the culprit imagined the full impact of the words separated from her emerald lips until now. Oh, such excitement, such utter glee...such death; she wallowed in it, content at the very least that her sadistic obsession was fulfilled daily. Her beloved Eiserne Drossel; it was like an extension of her own hand, and she treated as such. It claimed countless souls, ever drenched in the blood of their shells, and like its owner never looked back, never cared for what its victims' lives were worth, to themselves or to others. Just mindless killing machines.

That's all she was. A mindless killing machine.

Had Tira ever thought about this before? Had she always been to serve, and not to show gratitude? It was not so during her mercenary days in the Birds of Passage. Too long ago that now seemed, when her old masters spoke praise of her, rewarded her, and ever faithful she was, and grew, prostrating before them, and both sides were utterly pleased, delighting in their devices and feared little, save the dreams that haunted them, quickly brushed off upon wake.

But those days were long gone; she had since entered the service of the monster christened he Azure Knight. She had sought him, hearing the death toll rise; the thought of murder side-by-side grew inside of her like a parasite. Even turned down by the man with the scythe, whose meddling knew no bounds, she hunted for Nightmare across Europe. Her persistence paid off, indeed it nearly paid everything off, including her own life, but the monster, after a pause, accepted Tira's loudly proclaimed offer. Tira was ecstatic, and she sang as she slew; no one would dare assail her new master with her at his side.

But Nightmare did not place Tira by his side. The murderous assassin was let down slightly by the announcement of a great danger to Nightmare: Soul Calibur, and that she was to go destroy it in order to free the remaining pieces of Soul Edge, which Nightmare needed to regain his ancient strength and wrath.

"But I wish to be by your side, Master! Who will protect you?" she cried.

"I do not need protection. I need the revival of Soul Edge. This cannot be achieved if the spirit sword still exists. And afterward you will find me a host for Soul Edge, lest you tremble at my feet!"

"But Master, you are not strong enough! Not for this!"

"Did you not hear me, slave?" the monster snarled, with such a venomous bite in his voice that even Tira stepped well away from him. "You will deliver to me Soul Edge and a suitable host, or else pay the price for your insubordination!"

Tira's fear, however, vanished instantly as she set off. She would find Soul Edge. She would kill whomever wielded the spirit sword. Yes, she would destroy Soul Calibur, and anyone would stood in its way! Surely her master would be proud of her, just as the masters of the Birds of Passage had.

And yet...

Not once in her service with the Azure Knight had she felt any affection from the one she had pledged absolute loyalty to. She wanted love, trust, a spiritual bond to share with the one she felt the little emotion she had for, who was like her. Over and over she recounted this, as she slew and slew, and red stained the emerald clothing she bore, and wondered, at all, whether her master had felt anything she had felt towards him, towards her. But no, she came to the same conclusion every time: Nightmare was using her, using her as a mindless killing machine.

A mindless killing machine. That's all she ever was to him. An extension of his own digits, like Eiserne Drossel was to Tira.

And slowly, very slowly, presence of mind returned to Tira. It was as though she had been awakened after a long sleep, and was only now readjusting her bearings. She grew upset that her master wanted to distance himself from her. She became increasingly bitter every time she killed, now. Her eyes, encasing jewels of violet, grew wet at the thought of her master's indifference. But she kept holding on to what she believed would win her master over: the revival of Soul Edge. Indeed, when Nightmare was restored to his former glory, he would duly appreciate all she had strained herself doing, would he not?

So thought Tira as she made her way past the ruined castle, the malice of which made the few villagers and passers-by who visited the land quail. She would prove she was not worthless, as her master believed, and contented herself with that belief.

At least for a while.

----

Tira, tracking the spirit sword north, came in pursuit through the trees, hardly discernable through the oaken leaves that blended her patchwork outfit perfectly. If anything dared to give her away, it would be the violet pupils masked ever so often by her eyelids. Ever so she trekked, unpausing, swift as a hawk diving upon its prey. Yet her prey was not in her clutches. It knew it was being pursued. Ever and anon it changed direction, yet the hunter would not lose her bounty.

...until a sudden burst of light nearly burnt a hole through her left retina; with an unwitting gasp she stumbled upon a branch, and fell to the ground. Cursing, she drew herself up and turned her head to discover what had nearly blinded her in one eye.

Even from her distance, there was no mistaking him.

What is the man with the scythe doing visiting Osthreinsburg, Tira wondered. Obviously he wasn't there for any innocent reason. Then she cursed again. She had lost track of the spirit sword, and its wielder. Her master would be most displeased...

But she would witness what the man with the scythe was doing, yes she would. Maybe such a report would water down Nightmare's wrath that she had returned without the sword.

But he was not there.

That was strange. Tira could not feel her master's beloved dark aura anywhere around Osthreinsburg, now that she thought of it. Where had her master gone to? Surely...surely he hadn't gone after the spirit sword himself? He was still not strong enough! Tira turned her head away from the scene atop one of the castle battlements and fixed her gaze upon where she would have gone, had the blinding light not distracted her.

And then she jammed her eyelids shut, for another brilliant flash swept through the forested area around the castle.

Tira's attention was again drawn to the man with the scythe, for she definitely knew, by now, he was not there to see her master. He appeared to be summoning something, for his arm was outstretched, and bathed in a bluish glow. The glow intensified suddenly, and detached from his arm as he drew it away. Tira gazed, unable to tear her eyes away from the ancient magic, as the glow formed itself into a spherical shape, and darkened just as suddenly as it had separated from the man's arm, growing sizable enough to contain even a giant within its depths. Wearily, it seemed, the dark-skinned man drew out his arm again, which glowed bluish again. The darkened sphere emitted several beams of light alarmingly quick; one passed so close to Tira that she jumped back with a cry, but she wasn't the intended target, for bigger beads of light passed down from the beams towards the sphere as she watched.

Souls, the assassin realized. He's drawing souls from around here, and adding them to his power! But how? Nightmare already claimed all the souls around Osthreinsburg! This isn't possible!

Doubt left her as she jumped out of the shrubbery, escaping the forest entirely she leapt upon a raft that would take her directly across the river to where the battlement was.

"Grrrr, faster, faster!" Tira seethed at the raft, frustrated.

But something odd was happening, and the man with the scythe was already in the thick of it. The spherical ball of energy was no longer spherical, but churning, now distorting weirdly. Tira leapt from the raft and onto the tower's lower floor as she heard a "No!" and a rippling noise. It seemed as though he was losing control of his action. The beams of light had vanished. She jumped from plinth to plinth, with startlingly agility, and at last made it atop the battlements.

Evidently she had been expected, for a scythe nearly hewed her neck had she not rolled aside as the man swung at her, but still trying to calm the great deformed shape of energy that twisted and warped. Tira, with lightning-speed, lunged at the man, but instead of ripping into his torso, out of nowhere a boot to the midsection sent her flying back, almost over the tower.

"Begone! Little business do you have here, fool!" the man barked. "Leave me to my own!" He turned back to the energy shape, and this time it was his scythe that glowed, and a shockingly purple glow at that. He yelled and struck the shape at terminal velocity, intending to obliterate it.

His intention was denied; there was a crack, and Tira looked up in time to see the man, still grappling his scythe, go soaring, straight over her, and off the tower with a cry; she turned her head and looked down to see where he had gone, but he had already vanished. Giving no more thought to the man, she turned back to the mass of energy.

And saw that it was no longer just a mass of energy. Tira gasped; it appeared to be a doorway...but it was unlike any doorway she had come across; it seemed to be made of almost nothing but...

Soul energy...what...how is this possible? Questions exploded through her head as they never had before. She did not think it was safe, at any rate, but she felt a certain attraction to it that she could not identify. She felt strangely nervous, yet excited, and approached it slowly. She could feel the energy of countless souls through this path...she would go through and collect them all for Nightmare! Surely such a hoard of souls would please him! And Tira would not have found them anyway but for the man with the scythe. She almost thanked him, yet something about his 'gift' scared her slightly. She had not known fear for a long, long time, but it was there again. Tira could sense that if she went through here, whatever which way she felt, whether brave, foolish, greedy, timid...she would be changed. She did not like the unknown. Even Nightmare, at first, intimidated her the last time she felt fear.

Her eyes went dull, and they seemed to cloud over, as if a storm grew within her. This was not new; Tira had noticed this in her eyes before, rinsing herself in the streams of Osthreinsburg after a pleasure killing. She figured it was her 'mark', since nobody else, it seemed, had the same cloudiness in their eyes. Not even her master. Though this did not affect Tira much; Nightmare's eyes eternally blazed with a flare so intense his very gaze would scorch the landscape.

And with that final thought of the Azure Knight, the one she felt so close to, and yet so very far away from, a savage recklessness far beyond control seized her. Whatever changes she had to endure, whatever toil she must lay herself towards, she would not let them hinder her. She would not fail her master again. The storm in her, billowing inside, now thundered through her veins.

She dived.

She fell into blackness.

----

And that, my friends, is the prologue. The real first chapter will come, and the Spies appear in full force. Just have patience. Good things come to those who wait. ;)