A/N: So, as it turns out, SC characters and having last names... yeah... I had to do some improvising on that one. Sorry for being late in getting this up. /shrug

To the lovely 1wngdngl: To answer your last question, so much. Oh. So. Much. I like Kilik (he's my favorite character from the games, which I guess is pretty obvious in my writing) so I have to torture him. I will say this, shamelessly using the infamous words of Kain, "Fate promises more twists before this drama unfolds completely."

Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Calibur or the characters therein, nor do I own the above quote or the game series (Legacy of Kain) that it hails from.

The Puzzle Pieces

"Just..." Siegfried stopped himself before he could say anything about the borderline freakish Seffect the Asian had on him or insult the other man by saying he was loose or that he acted that way pretty damn well for a virgin.

Clearly, he wants you to take him.

The voice in his head egging him on wasn't helping the situation. The German told it to shut up and received an insulted growl that made him sigh. He wasn't sure Kilik even knew what he was doing when he did things like stretch or look so... "Nevermind." He wasn't sure if it was directed at his train of thought or his employee, but he ignored it and continued speaking, "We'll stop by your place on the way there."

Before he could do anything he was going to regret or be bothered by the voice in his head, the German left the room with the clothing he had been seeking out in the first place. Part of him couldn't stop from wondering whether or not it really a demon in his head as another part of him snorted and pointed out how that made as much sense as wondering if Siegfried was the tooth fairy or if Kilik was the Easter Bunny. The part that disturbed him most was the half-laugh-half-snort that seemed equal parts amused and exasperated.

The German went back into his bathroom and showered, something he had neglected to do while taking care of the Asian. Despite the fact that he probably could have done so while Kilik was sleeping, he didn't. If the man had started screaming while he was in the shower, he'd have to go out there and get water everywhere or leave the Asian screaming until he had finished and dried himself. Neither of those options sounded worth it. Kilik being awake and less prone to loud violence against himself meant that Siegfried finally had time to wash himself and even relax a little. Granted, he had been relaxed from his first trip to the bathroom but that was a different kind of relaxed.

Siegfried, now clad in a fresh outfit, stepped out of the bathroom. His old clothes lay crumpled on the floor of the room he had just exited, ready to be picked up whenever he felt like it. The blonde was going to check up on his guest when he heard a knock at the door. That he heard something that would have normally been too quiet for him was less of a concern than it would have been if he hadn't been dealing with weird shit for a while. Of course, that didn't mean Siegfried had to like it. With his face set in a frown, the German made his way down the stairs to the front door.

When he opened the door, he was met with two women, one blonde and one with black hair- the blonde one of had her hand poised to knock again. There was half a moment when something flashed behind the black haired woman's eyes- some kind of recognition that Siegfried couldn't understand. The blonde opened her mouth to say something but, once again, the words failed to reach the German's ears. He felt himself being pulled back and struggled against it.

He shook his head and said, "I'm sorry?"

"I asked if you knew Siegfried Schauffen." The blonde did not look amused.

"That's me," the German replied. He had to deal with whatever this was and could only hope that maybe the feeling would go away. He would even settle for it not trying to pull him away. Neither was really likely.

"Really?" She didn't look convinced.

In the interest of moving things along, he reached into his pocket an fished out his wallet. He wasn't sure he could pull his ID out of it- it was getting harder to control his limbs- so he held it out. The darker haired woman took it, opened it, and pulled out his driver's license. After showing it to the other woman, clearly a police woman so the first one had to be, at least, a detective, she replaced it and handed the wallet back. Siegfried carelessly dropped it back in his pocket.

The black-haired woman offered up a tight smile and said, "I'm Agent Rekki-Maru and this is Officer Alexandria. We're here about your phone call." Her voice was controlled and neutral, unreadable.

The German's brow furrowed, "Oh. Well." That had been days ago. He had figured that, since hadn't come earlier, they weren't going to show up at all. That tugging feeling was back more urgently. He frowned slightly, internally struggling against it while trying his damnedest not to look like it. The last thing he wanted to do was seem crazy in front of a few police officers who were questioning him about murders at a crazy house. At least, he couldn't think of any reason other than that they might have been there for.

The blonde, Alexandria, looked like she was about to say or do something when Rekki-Maru shot her a look and gave a terse shake of her head. She pulled out an ID card and held it out for Siegfried to see. She looked as straight faced in her picture as she did in person. He blinked at it, trying to focus passed the pulling that seemed to come from the base of his skull. One thing stood out as a concern. This woman was not an ordinary police officer, like- he could only guess- Alexandria was. She was with Interpol. "May we come in?"

"Uh..." Blue eyes wavered as Siegfried's vision blurred slightly. "Sure." He opened the door wider and stepped back to allow them in.

The world darkened around the edges, closing in as the two women walked by him. He had fought it, but there was something there. Fear? Self-preservation? It was something that Siegfried couldn't place, but the pull for dominance was stronger than usual either because of that feeling or because this was the first time in a few days it had happened. Had the thing been waiting? Did it have to rest since the last, very long, stretch of darkness? All it took was a single slip of concentration, a thought of anything other than control of himself, for Siegfried to fall.

Reddish eyes narrowed slightly in concentration as he closed the door and turned to lead the two women further into the house to a sitting room near the kitchen. To Nightmare's credit, his voice was spot-on Siegfried's when he said, "Please, make yourselves comfortable. What can I do for you?"

His gaze went from one woman to the other. The first one, Rikki-Maru of Interpol, looked very familiar. Black bangs falling just short of sharp brown eyes that took in everything before her. There was something familiar about her. He had met this one before, long ago. His own expression was schooled into a small, mildly amused, smile. Her outfit was very professional in the same way Ivy's had been when he met her. It was tight enough to be distracting, designed to distract males- and maybe some females- into giving away more, being sloppy, while still being socially alright. All blacks and whites and professional agent. She was trying to hide her emotions, but Nightmare had had centuries of experience with human nature and, in his later years before the long years of dormancy at the hands of those accursed monks- Ah, yes, that was where he had known her- how to deal with people in such situations.

The other woman was equally as attractive as the first woman, but in a different way. Blonde hair, bright aquamarine eyes that burned with a strong will that he had seen- and broken- more times than he could count. Her uniform fit, but it wasn't deliberately tighter the way the agent's clothing was, the detail speaking volumes. This one was not ashamed of herself, but she was not going to use what she had been endowed with to her advantage in was that she could have. What a waste. Still, there was an air about her. She had something to prove, perhaps to herself or someone else. If he was going to be able to use that fact to his advantage, he would have to find out who, or what.

Two pairs of eyes stared at him in return, waiting. As much as he wanted to remain standing, a very subtle display that he had an advantage over them, he knew it would not be well received and that he did not need to go out of his way to upset either woman. Neither seemed particularly happy to be there and he doubted agitating the situation would turn out favorably for him. They had both chosen to sit next to each other on the manilla couches that Frederick must have picked out before his son had obtained ownership of the house. If he was going to be using this place as his fortress, Nightmare would have to redecorate or convince his host to do so. The demon seated himself on a matching couch that sat opposite of the one occupied by his guests, only a small light-colored wood table coffee between them.

To Nightmare's surprise- not that he showed it- it was the blonde who spoke, "How, exactly, did you know to call us about the Institute?" She didn't bother to try to look anything but suspicious. If it was an intimidation tactic, it would be better used on someone else. Anyone else, really.

Nightmare shrugged, using his host's face to look as innocently charming as he could, "I just..." He sighed, shaking his head slightly and letting his eyes close, as though remembering that night, "I should have explained more or told you guys who I was." He opened his eyes again, meeting Officer Alexandria's, "I was freaked out."

"Freaked out?" Alexandria snorted and crossed her arms, "After that... that place, all you can say is you were 'freaked out'?" There was a thread of anger in her voice, underlined very lightly with fear. She thought Siegfried had done it. As much as Nightmare wold love to claim such a high kill count, he couldn't. Though, if it had been him, the scene wouldn't have been as neat. The monk had a lot to learn about mass murder if he was ever going to know the fun of it.

"Alexandria!" Chocolate eyes that were similar to the monk's with less openness- perhaps Kilik's would be like that if he lived long enough for time to harden him further- snapped away from Nightmare and to the other woman, clearly the junior of the two.

Judging by Alexandria's frown, her whole body tensing as though holding back what she really wanted to do, the reprehension was an insult that she could not retaliate against openly. Siegfried's mind supplied the phrase good cop/bad cop but this seemed different. More of a tugging on the leash than a holding the partner back. There was clearly discourse between the two.

Rikki-Maru looked back to Nightmare, her expression an attempt to hide the fear and wonder and respect that she felt while looking at him. Had the demon been anyone else, he might have missed it, but he wasn't anyone else and he had noted the feelings her eyes tried desperately to hide. It was hard to hide one's soul from a creature that feasted upon such things. "What Officer Alexandria is trying to ask is what it was you were doing at the New Institute and why you chose to attempt an anonymous call instead of staying there and waiting for help."

"Would you have wanted to stay there?" His question was softly spoken and, though he looked to the Asian when he said it, his words were meant more for her European companion. He sighed and answered the two before they could respond to his question, "I have a friend who needed help. I was taking him there, but that place was already like that when we got there. I didn't want to make things worse for him, so I took him back here. It didn't help that he fell physically ill that same night. He's been recovering here."

"This friend of yours, can we talk to him?" Alexandria still looked skeptical, but she wasn't being as visibly angry as before. Holding it in, like a good little lacky in the presence of her superior.

Nightmare couldn't be positive the monk wouldn't attack him on sight, or try to purify him or something else to that nature, but the worst that could do at this point was back up the demon's statement about his 'friend' needing a place like Ravensharp. He nodded, his smile becoming somewhat nervous, "Of course. He's still sick, but if you insist..."

The senior of the two gave a small nod, "We're going to have to insist."

The demon stood and gave a quick, "This way," before turning and walking away. Their footsteps followed him through the house and up the stairs. If the senior of the two could feel the wax and wane of energies playing out around them as they walked, growing thicker with every step, she did nothing to show it. Officer Alexandria, however, gave a shuttering inhale of breath and Nightmare could practically feel her glare on his back as she walked. Her steps were heavier from either effort or discomfort; probably both. He doubted she could hear the conversations going on within those energies. They were nearly inaudible, even to the demon.

The monk had a choice to make, it seemed, over which blade would control his fate. It was an anomaly at the very least; nearly impossible. Souls were, by virtue of human nature, rarely truly neutral. It was, Nightmare had found, the nature of human souls to be differing degrees of passionate. Whether they leaned towards the constructed definitions of good or evil came down to forces within the mortal that the demon blade had never cared to understand. He knew simply that they did and the knowledge served him well. Even those that were caught close enough to the middle were usually there, not by choice, but by a certain lack of feeling and strength that kept them from being easily swayed in either direction. Those were the ones that lacked all flavor and held the least nutrients for the soul-consuming blades. The monk broke those molds by having both a neutral soul and passion and strength.

Holding one's spirit in the middle, not allowing it to drift into the direction nature intended, was a dangerous game that spoke of sheer will strong enough to force themselves not to be swayed by anything. Of course, Nightmare smirked- confident that the women at his back would not notice- such a stance was unnatural and no force was truly unmovable. He would simply have to force the soul to make a choice. One that suited the demon. It would simplify many things in his existence.

All those thoughts took place in the few steps it took to get to the door of Siegfried's bedroom. Without preamble, Nightmare grasped the doorknob and twisted. The sight that greeted the three in the room, when they walked in, was Kilik collapsed to his knees on the floor, hunched over with his head on the ground. He was hugging himself and the last bit of a tremor was working its way out of his body. He was still in those things Siegfried had dressed him in, but the self-inflicted wounds had vanished and his hair was different. Brown locks fell, not just over the monk's ear, but a little beyond his shoulders. It couldn't have been more than a handful of hours, if even that, since the demon had looked upon the monk with his own- or, rather, Siegfried's- eyes. This change was a minor curiosity, but nothing that merited a reaction in front of the women.

The two at the demon's back stilled. Nightmare cleared his throat, not trusting himself to talk just yet. The normal, human sounding, quality of his voice was getting easier every time the demon practiced it, but he doubted it would sound as such after walking through as much energy as he had. He would have to be very careful when he spoke so as not to draw suspicion from the women behind him. The blonde one was already skeptical of the demon's story and the other one was being almost too accepting.

When the monk looked up- the wound on his face, the demon noticed, hadn't vanished, but looked more like an old scar- Nightmare silently held his hand out for the other man. After obvious hesitation, Kilik's palm met his own and the demon easily pulled the smaller man from the ground. In a calculated move, he made the monk stumble specifically to catch him. Holding the brunette man would help Nightmare restrain him if need be, as well as make the two appear close for the authorities. It would make his alibi more believable if the man he was taking care of didn't attempt to murder him.

Kilik's skin was cool against the demon's, and he surprised them both by not actually fighting. Nightmare turned them around to face the two women and spoke, "I told you he was sick." His voice was not as bad as it could have been, but there was a depth there that had to do with how much energy he had walked through.

"If he's as sick as you say he is," Alexandria frowned, looking Kilik up and down as though judging whether or not he looked like he should to fit in with the story she had been given, "Why not take him to a normal hospital or a different institution?" The Interpol agent shot her another look, but didn't say anything.

"Please don't talk about me like I'm not here," Kilik shook his head, his arms moving to hug Nightmare's closer around his body, "I asked him not to take me to the hospital." His voice was quiet, but it sounded honest. Nightmare hadn't realized that lying was one of the monk's talents, but it made sense. Humans had a natural affinity for being dishonest with one another. That the monk had figured out enough to realize what the situation was was convenient. Clever worm.

The blonde stiffened a little, her frown deepening around the edges, "My apologies, Mister..."

"Su," The monk replied as he leaned more of his weight against the demon, probably to appear more relaxed and less conspicuous. The demon could feel a piece of himself still there as well as, very faintly, the other blade. It would be easier to call to the dark energies in the monk, but the demon's hand was stayed by the two women. Nightmare had a feeling Kilik knew that and it was the monk's only reason for being so relaxed docile in the arms of his enemy.

A delicate eyebrow rose as Alexandria repeated, "Mister Su. That's an odd name." She crossed her arms and continued, "Tell me, Mr. Su, what were you doing two nights ago?"

Kilik heaved a small sigh, "I'm embarrassed to say this, but I had a bit of an..." He shrugged, seemingly lost for words, "...an episode. Or, really, a panic attack. I have those sometimes, but it was a lot worse then." Nightmare's arms were held closer to the monk, a sign for the demon to tighten his grip around the other. The demon complied as the shorter man continued, "Siegfried helped calm me down and then said he thought I could use some rest. I don't," he shook his head, "I don't like hospitals or crazy houses or anything. If I knew that was where he thought I should rest, I never would have gotten into the car with him."

The police officer's frown never lessened as she listened to the Chinese man. When he finished, her eyes were narrowed, "I see. Do you usually go to Ravensharp for a panic attack." Clearly, she wasn't buying it.

"I don't usually go to Ravensharp for anything," Kilik replied.

Nightmare gave a small, almost embarrassed, looking smile that would have put any actor to shame in how sincere it looked, "I didn't think I could take care of him and wasn't sure where else he could get help. It was the first place that came to mind."

"...alright," the blonde woman still didn't look convinced, but she moved on, "What did you see when you got there?"

"Not much," the monk sighed, "I saw where we were going and the thought of being stuck in some nut-house terrified me. I started to panic, like everything I had been worried about before was back except things were worse because now I was going to be stuck in some crazy house." His body shook a little until a few deep breaths seemed to calm the brunette down. This worm was much better than Nightmare had previously given him credit for. "I remember yelling at Siegfried and freaking out. He practically had to pry me out of the car, being as calm an soothing as he could. It didn't help as much as I think he meant."

As much as he loathed to do so, it helped with the story they were feeding the two women, so Nightmare gave the soon-to-be servant a gentle squeeze and murmured, "Sorry."

Kilik returned the gesture with a gentle sideways smile at the man behind him, "You were just trying to help." The sound of the junior of the two officials clearing her throat caused Kilik to look back to the women and continue, "Sorry. So, we got there and I'm freaking out and Siegfried gets me out of the car. The closer we got, the worse I became. I know I hyperventilated and was trying to plead not to be forced there, and had passed out before we even got to the door. I was surprised I wasn't there when I woke up."

For the first time since seeing the Asian man, Rikki-Maru spoke, "You haven't been keeping up with the news the past couple of days, have you, Mr. Su?"

"No, ma'am. Should I have been?"

The senior of the two women looked over at her companion and was very calm when she stated, "I believe we're done here."

Alexandria opened her mouth to say something, and closed it again when hard brown eyes narrowed threateningly at her. She gave a stiff nod of her head, her hands falling into fists at her sides, "Yeah, we're done." She didn't sound very convinced of her words.

The black-haired woman nodded and held her hand out, "Mr. Schauffen. Mr. Su. Thank you for your cooperation. I believe we can find our own way out." She shook both their hands before turning and striding away, without waiting for the other woman.

Alexandria quickly shook both Nightmare's and Kilik's hand without a word. Her lips were a thin line, as though she might say something she would regret if she dared to open them. Then, she turned and followed the Interpol agent. There was clearly some dissension in the ranks with those two. If they ever showed up again, Nightmare would use that to get the better of them.

"Let me go," the worm had gone very still in Nightmare's arms and hadn't spoken until they heard the front door close. His voice was quiet and almost calm, but there was clearly anger just below the surface.

Nightmare snorted, "I was planning on it, but now that you ordered me..." He tightened his grip, a satisfied smirk forming at the smaller man suddenly trying to get away from him, "You'll either beg like a good worm, or you'll deal until I decide to let you go." The voice that fell from the German's lips was deeper and more commanding without anyone to pretend around. He also took the opportunity to seek out the bit of himself buried in the other's soul. "Ah... there it is..." the demon murmured.

The instant Nightmare found it, the monk's struggling to get out of his enemy's grip went from forceful to almost hectic, "Let go!" Pulling at the arms locked around him did nothing, pushing away or trying to squirm out of the grip all proved useless.

Kilik's efforts were met with a deep, growling laughter. "Awe, how cute. It thinks it can get away." The lingering taint answered to Nightmare's call readily, and the demon could feel it rising, seeking him out as he pushed energy into the small body he held captive.

In a normal human, the process would not have taken overly long; longer with those who struggled against his influence, but none could deny the cursed blade's will forever. All of Nightmare's known problems would have been solved in that instant and all that would be left would be using the monk and the German to amass power and, when he got bored, start the slaughter. As though specifically to be a pain in the ass, the monk wasn't a normal human. Even with the demon's aura so close to the body, the spark inside Kilik that was Soul Calibur's influence responded. It did not taint or shrink away. There was not enough power there to destroy the demon, but it was enough to keep him from fully taking the man in his arms.

Nightmare growled, feeling the slow burn of purification creeping outward from the worm's soul, "Stop struggling!" He had thought the monk would be too weak for that after how much he had felt radiating from the small man when had been approaching the room. He redoubled his efforts, both pushing his taint into the Chinese man's soul and reclaiming the bit of himself that had been left there long ago. It wouldn't do to keep a piece that had been cut off from him for so long in the monk. Nightmare needed one that had been more intimately his if he was going to gain a foothold in the worm's will and control his actions. Something so distant had the chance of splintering off and attempting things alone, as the one that had been murdered in the asylum had done.

The onslaught of information gained from taking the piece back into himself was forceful enough to lessen the demon's grip. It was all the opportunity Kilik needed to push away. The monk made it a few steps away before collapsing to his knees again, his eyes falling shut as he focused on purifying himself. His aura pulsed and flared; in the middle of regaining and learning everything the wayward chunk of corruption had to offer, Nightmare could feel what he had just given the monk dwindling. He had been prepared to grab the brunette again and force more into the monk if it weren't for the purification suddenly stopping before the last bit of Nightmare was gone.

The demon's expression slid from anger into a vile smirk with what he had just learned. "I remember you now..." He stalked forward and held his hand out to grab the mop of brown on the smaller man's head and pull him up, but stopped just short of it. The evil hadn't dissipated completely within Kilik, but the energy surrounding him was clearly meant to burn the demon. He could feel it cracking and jumping under his hand, as though trying to get away from Kilik and attack the demon. If he touched the other man, he'd have that to deal with. It would be an unnecessary battle. There were other things he could do that would be easier. "You're the one from years ago."

It had been jumbled in Kilik's mind, but Nightmare was able to work out some of what had happened, and fill in missing bits with his own memories. It was before he had been broken off from the rest of Soul Edge. He had been trapped in that damned temple! Ling-Sheng Su. That was it. Then someone had come. That Interpol woman- curious, that. He could hear the screams and practically feel the blood being shed. Kilik had been one of the infected ones. He had been unprepared and lost his mind to the blade. So much delicious killing after that. He had been skilled and underestimated. Or maybe the others didn't want to hurt him and were holding back. No matter. Until they were stopped. Long hair... those eyes... Red eyes narrowed as he recalled the man who had been the vessel of Soul Calibur.

This new knowledge was actually worrisome for the demon. If this worm was from that place, if that woman who had been killed had been from that place... they can't have been the only ones. Kilik had known about him for a while. He would have had time to let that information trickle back to that damned Temple. The vessel of Soul Calibur had been consumed entirely by the holy sword. Nightmare was only a fraction of Soul Edge. He wouldn't survive that confrontation. Even as strong as he had grown since his little experience with Ivy. At least that had left him with places to run other than back to his imprisonment should the host body be destroyed.

There was one more bit of information the demon learned and his hand fell back to his side. Nightmare's face hardening into a grim expression, "Your body." Kilik didn't say anything. He didn't move. Nightmare growled, but partially through it turned into cruel, cruel laughter, "Of course that would make you such a pain in the ass. You were raised to resist me. Or rather..." the demon purred, "You were raised to accept him and you're terrified of it! You need me, worm! A monk using me to hide from the holy blade! Priceless!"

"Siegfried!" It was the only thing the monk said. He was shaking slightly, but it would have been impossible to tell that from his voice alone.

Just like that, Nightmare could feel the German stir within. He could have forced his host back into dormancy and killed the monk there, but there was no need for that. Nightmare was satisfied with what he had learned and would retreat until he had need to take control again. There would be other opportunities and, if he was going to be able to withstand being found by the vessel of Soul Calibur, he would need to be much stronger. He would rest and feast on souls later, when the monk was either consumed or out of the way.