I do not own SoulCalibur or its characters.
Two
He watched intently as her head rested on his chest. She seemed unworried, unlike him. It was remarkable. After all they had been through together, he still felt uneasy when she put herself this close to him.
The festival carried on as the sun gave its warning that it was going to set, coloring everything with an orange glow. Preparations were being made so it could continue into the night. They sat on the ground up against one another, quietly observing the activities of the village locals. Lines formed for food, loud music played, children ran around in costumes, but they remained silent. He wasn't sure why she hadn't spoken yet but as for him, he did not want to give himself the chance to spoil this moment.
He felt his heart beat faster as he thought about putting his arm around her. He didn't. He wanted to do nothing more than wrap his arms around her and tightly embrace her as tightly for as long as he could. He couldn't.
He brushed her hair with his finger, the most he would allow himself to touch her with. She stirred, an acknowledgment that she knew what he was doing. And that she didn't mind, even inviting him to continue. As gently as he could, he extended his finger again, this time stroking her cheek, jerked it away as memories suddenly penetrated his mind. Screams of horror. Cries of anguish. Terrible silence and death.
She turned her head toward him. Startled eyes. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," he muttered, shaking his head. They were no longer touching.
"Don't lie. Was it that time again?"
She knew him too well. He did not even have to answer.
She grasped his face with her hands and stared into his eyes. "We'll get through this. I promise." Her face seemed to call out to him. So close.
She held his head to her chest this time as a mother would do to comfort a child. His face heated up and he felt helpless, wondering if he should move at all when she spoke.
"I've…been meaning to talk to you about something," he heard her voice say. He didn't respond as he felt her run her fingers delicately through his hair. She continued and said what he had been wondering himself recently.
"I… need to know where we are." Her voice faltered, as if she had been debating whether or not she should have even brought the subject up.
He broke free from her. "What do you mean?" Two children ran by happily screaming in costumes, chased by another and he suddenly felt small. She seemed a bit worried.
"What exactly are we? What is this? What am I to you?"
He gave the answer he had grown accustomed to giving. The default. "What can I say? You are one of my dearest traveling companions, an excellent sparring partner…and a great friend." He wasn't sure if it was the whole truth now. He couldn't deny that he had feelings for her. But he didn't want to say it. It would be damning her to a hopeless future.
She stared with a hint of sorrow. "Is that all?"
"I…" he didn't finish as he saw a man approaching them.
"So you two were here all this time! Are you enjoying the festival?"
"Hello Chief," she smiled in response to the greeting. The tension from before was gone as if it was never there.
"Very much, Chief," he added. "We can't thank you enough for letting us stay in your village."
The man smiled. "Come now, we don't need to put on airs here. If not for you, our village would not even be standing here!"
"I assure you, that is not the case," he responded a bit awkwardly. He truly felt what he had done for the village was nothing major. Simple bandits.
"Tch. You're being modest again, Kilik," the village chief scolded. "Anyway, I'd like to ask you for a favor."
"What is it?"
"As a token of our appreciation, we want to present you with a sacred treasure from our village in a ceremony."
"Oh no, I couldn't possibly accept such a great gift."
"It would be more of an offense if you rejected our offer," the chief said in a half-joking manner. "And it would give the villagers a great morale boost. What do you say?"
He looked to see her reaction. She seemed happy as usual. But he knew their unfinished conversation was still on her mind.
She turned away and wiped her eyes before facing them with a smile. "Go on," she said, giving him a playful shove.
He didn't pay particularly close attention to the ceremony. The words the chief spoke escaped his ears. Sounds of applause fell to the floor before reaching him. He looked into the crowd, searching for her familiar face of encouragement, but was unable to find it.
"…and so, we would like you to present you with this amulet. Guard it well, Kilik," the chief said.
He bowed and graciously took it into his hands. One more look into the crowd. Still not there.
Immediately after the closing ceremony, he marched into the wave of people. While receiving congratulatory pats on the back and cheers, his eyes darted desperately darted around for a hint. After some time, he grew frantic, bumping into people more frequently in his hurry. Did something happen to her? He felt something dig into his chest as he moved into the path of yet another villager. The amulet. He stared at it, unsure of how he felt about the whole affair, as his legs kept moving in his search.
He was still being greeted by the excited crowds of villagers the two of them had saved. Plenty of faces but none of them hers. All of them smiling but his.