Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Soul Calibur.

Author's Note: Awwww yeeeeah, wrote, typed and posted this to FFN in two (from three) spare hours I had today for Uni. Sort of AU, sort of not, set around SC1; enjoy anyway. I had a lot of fun writing it.

HAUNTED

There was a woman's scream.

Please, stop!

It pierced the dead of night and every corner of his mind until it consumed him wholly, never letting go. Kilik did not want the nightmare tonight, he did not want to relive the decrepit gaze and the eerie stillness that always followed.

As if fate let him have a choice.

There she was again, her lips pressed firmly together in concentration as the Evil Seed held him close. He dodged one strike, two strikes, three – and Xianglian was then hit across the face with the Kali-Yuga. He was then hit from behind by another monk, as though he was being beckoned back into the depths of the fray. It was then that it keyed in for her – he would not snap out of it, and the only reason that she was okay was because of the Holy Mirror.

It was decided, then.

Everything changed – he felt free but weighed down – and Xianglian looked crazed, dazed and furious. She came at him again, sword in hand, and reached across – he deflected the attack. He wanted to outrun her, evade her – but she never let him pass. The only thing that frightened him more than her devilish eyes was what he knew he was yet to do.

He lunged forward, ignored the slice to his arm, and gripped her throat with the force of a man, but the mind of a boy. And then his name –

"Kilik!"

The world changed once more.

His eyes opened. He could feel the presence of soft skin in both of his hands, he could feel the blood slowly drip down his arm – his vision felt warped until he blinked a few times and saw Xianghua beneath him on the ground. Her hands were scratching, clawing at his to let go – her usually porcelain face almost burst with the colour red.

Kilik gasped and let go immediately, watching as she slowly regained her breath. It was only when he looked to her right did he see the Dvapara-Yuga on the ground. He had taken it off during his sleep or something, right? He didn't know. He couldn't remember. He wanted to ask, but he couldn't even open his mouth to apologise.

"I'm sorry," Xianghua choked, eyes watering, "I sh-shouldn't have thought aloud – I shouldn't have wondered!"

He must've been dreaming... or was this the dream?

It is a dream.

Where was Maxi?

Kilik merely put the Dvapara-Yuga back on, stood and walked away. He heard Xianghua mutter something about his –

"- eyes, Maxi," she remarked, looking out to the ocean. They were on his ship again, heading further West to find the Cursed Sword. Although the event had happened weeks ago for the second time, she had only just gathered the strength to confide in Maxi about the latter of the two events.

She and Kilik had not mentioned either of them again, "They were so strange... It was like looking into the eyes of the devil..." she swallowed, unsure of where those words had come from, "All I asked was who Xianglian was and then he woke up and started fighting me! He nearly killed me! He was not himself!"

"Probably just a one off. An accident."

"But I can't help wondering – who is she? His girlfriend?" Xianghua frowned deeply at the very thought, "His wife?"

"Dunno. All I know is... if he hasn't got that stupid belt on, he'll go nuts. Saw it at the Indian Port, and you apparently experienced it. I know one more thing too," he grinned, "He definitely cares about you, so I wouldn't worry about it happening again, okay?"

"If he cared, then why wasn't it my name?"

"Dunno," he repeated, shrugging in slight agitation. He was never really good at comforting women with words. Maxi then began to walk away, waving his hand about lazily, "If he starts up again, Xianghua... Call me and I'll come running, okay?" As smile as he vanished, "I can promise you that."

She looked to the creaky ground and nodded a little to herself – she could trust Maxi, she could –

- she should've known better than to believe the lies of the rebel.

Here she was, the Imperial Guard, alone in another dimension with a psychotic Kilik. She had just struck down Inferno, and this place was beginning to fall apart. Maxi had long vanished to fight Astaroth – and Kilik was on the offensive, shouting distorted things at her as he advanced, "You are not her! You will never be her! You will never mean as much to me as she did!"

Xianghua didn't quite understand why she felt so hurt as she shouted Maxi's name again. She continued to block every strike from the Kali-Yuga with the Krita-Yuga, and he sounds rung through this dimension as loudly as it did in Ostrheinsburg Castle behind her. She felt the ground's texture change as she continued to step backwards – it was no longer like dirt, but now like tiles – a more familiar surface. As Kilik left the rip, it closed behind him.

The castle was silent aside from the clangs and footsteps of the two combatants. Perhaps now Maxi would hear and come to help. Xianghua ducked beneath a horizontal strike and slashed upward, but it was only then did she realise something – the Dvapara-Yuga was still on. Whatever was possessing him, controlling him... it was far stronger here than in Asia. Strong enough to overpower the Holy Mirror itself.

The Krita-Yuga was suddenly flung far from her hand. She was defenseless.

She sniffed, felt her body tremble and simply ran.

Xianghua ran down the stairs, through the winding corridors and continued to yell, "Help! Someone help! Maxi! Maxi!"

Kilik was not very far behind her, his pace never relenting. He smirked when she looked over her shoulder and cursed when she realised he was close. His grip tightened on the Kali-Yuga – she was within reaching distance, "You'll not escape."

Xianghua was uncontrollably crying now. It was Soul Edge's influence – or another's, or both – controlling him. Whether she destroyed it or not, its influence remained. It hurt him, twisted him, played on his memories – feelings – Xianglian – and made him go after her. And here and now, in the castle, so close... She was a fool –

She fell.

Kilik descended, pinning her down with his weight. He gripped her throat again, and Xianghua looked back into his pupil-less eyes. They were in another time, almost. Tears continued to trickle down her face as she sobbed, "Kilik..."

...He did not recover.

A loud crack sounded in harmony with a woman's scream and a man's chuckle.

The quick pitter-patter of footsteps soon broke the minuscule silence that had lingered afterward. Maxi stopped not too far away from the scene, mouth open and fists shaking. He'd been too late. Much too late.

"What have you done?" the pirate roared, frozen in his place.

A voice, dear... Come, open your eyes. See.

Kilik's eyes opened once more. He looked around, noting the location – he was in that castle again, somehow. He looked behind him and saw Maxi, who was somewhere between rage, hatred and despair; he didn't understand why. It was only then did he realise that he'd been sitting on something.

Sweat dripped down his brow, and the knot in his stomach tightened as he looked down to Xianghua. He realised where his hands were, and he immediately leapt back, his legs struggling to hold his weight, "Xianghua?" He prayed for a sign of life, even though he knew that with her neck bent the way it was, there would be nothing.

"Not again! No no no no!" he brought his knuckles to his mouth and bit the skin, watching as his sight blurred further due to his tears.

Kilik looked to Maxi, who was also water-eyed, "What have you done...?"

He sobbed, feeling more haunted and tormented now than ever, wondering if –

So tell me now, sworn brother... Have you cleansed yourself of me?

Do you think you really could've swallowed what you had done to me?

My heart aches for you to come home. It aches for you to only see me. For us to be together again. I miss the way we would watch the sun rise and fall together. Your laughter made my world light up, you know – would you laugh a little for me? When will I see you?

Do you not feel... the same?

You want to see me again. Now more than ever. You need me, dear... You need me.

I will wait for you here, on the other side.

Come home, Kilik. Come home.