Summary: Natsumi is adopted by a Japanese man. Her love in the past, Siegfried Schtauffen, and her trouble with the future takes her on the adventure of her life. She reclaims her glory through hardships, and lust, but overcomes all obstacles with the Sword of Light.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in the Soul Calibur series. The History, Characterizations, and Design are the sole property of Namco.

"New Balance" is a trademark of New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc.

"Fallen Embers" and "Marble Halls" are the sole property of Enya and/or Warner Bros. Intl.

Here is the second Chapter, and I hope you like it. This chapter is Rated-R. There may be several or maybe a few descriptive sexual scenes, mild or extreme violence (take your pick) and maybe strong language (I do not spell out the words completely).

For some reason, I wrote 18 pages for this chapter, and to some people Siegfried may seem bizarre. I hope it is not too out there. Readers Discretion is advised

The Sword of Light

by Elysium's Hour

Chapter 2: Journey to the Past

Late 16th Century

The light gleamed bright as she closed her eyes. Natsumi was afraid to open them for what she might see. The sword showed her its history. She saw a familiar face, her grandmother. Pictures of her lined the fireplace mantle at home.

She saw her grandmother fighting a big purple demon, and a lizard man. She suddenly saw her grandmother's throat being cut by the lizard man. She saw the purple demon use the sword to open the time warp. She saw the time warp close and the sword in the corner.

She was confused. How did her grandmother return to her time without the sword? How could that evil thing wield the power of the sword? The keeper of the sword must be worth of its power. How could evil be chosen to be its keeper?

Where am I, she thought to herself. Where is it taking me?

Then everything went black. She saw the creature surrounded by darkness. The one Ian wrote her about. She saw its piercing green eyes. She followed its flowing blonde hair. She witnessed its eyes turning red, but she did not see herself in its eyes. It moved a misty black hand up and caressed her cheek. Her eyes gazed intently into its blood red eyes.

Then the darkness faded around it, and it disappeared. Was it a ghost? She did not know, but those eyes. They looked so familiar to her. She knew she had seen them before. Somewhere.

She felt her leg move as she slowly opened her eyes. She could feel pain in her right shoulder. It felt like it was on fire. She moved it a little but it hurt too badly. She slowly got up on her knees, and then she looked at her surroundings. She was by a riverbank near a forest. The forest was bright green, trees everywhere. She had never seen a forest look so beautiful.

This looks like the forest in my dream, she thought. It could be.

She looked around herself to see if she had lost her sword, cd/mp3 player, and messenger bag. They were all scattered in front her. The contents in her messenger bag spewed over the grass. She walked over to her CD player to see if it was broken, and it was in perfect shape. She smiled to herself.

Thank God, she thought. The player costs 280 dollars; she was relieved it wasn't broken.

She walked over to her messenger bag and raked all of her stuff back into it. Then she went over to her sword. She did not pick it up immediately she just stared at it. It glowed once more, its jewels sparkling in front her eyes. She slowly kneeled down to pick it up. She held it lightly, not really getting a grip on it. She sheathed it and looked into the forest.

"Nothing, but trees," she said softly to herself. "Where the hell am I?"

She turned around and looked across the river. Trees again, and she saw smoke rising up from their canopy. She had hoped that she would find someone to help her. She turned to walk into the forest. Her legs ached a little, but she figured they would be all right. She walked slowly into the mystical forest. Sunlight shot down into gaps in the canopy, and that made it look like a fairyland. She smiled to herself, wishing she had this kind of beauty at home.

The forest smelled of pine, she remembered walking through the state park back at home. Ian and she had gone together. It was a week before Ian moved back to Burghausen, Germany. It smelled just like this, she thought, thinking of the words Ian said to her before he went away.

Cincinnati, Ohio - 2000

They walked slowly when he told her the news. She turned her face away not wanted him to see her tears.

"Are you alright?" he asked her softly, putting his arm around her waist. He dropped the blanket he brought out of his car. He pulled her close to him, turning her around to hug her. She let out a quiet cry. He hugged her tighter. He always squeezed her when they embraced.

"Don't go. Stay here with me," she said, with tears staining her beautiful eyes. He pulled her face to his, and kissed her. His embrace warmed. It felt like his arms were like a vice squeezing her back. He cupped her face in his hands, and kissed her hard. His lips moved across hers as if sucking the life out of her. His hair touched her eyes as it always did when they kissed. She opened her eyes to look at him. His tears rolled down his cheeks as he kissed her. He did not want to leave her. He opened his eyes revealing shining emeralds.

She pulled away to wipe his tears away with her hands. He grinned at her taking her hands in his. He kissed them both softly, as his tears fell on them. His eyes caught hers as he grabbed her left hand, leading her into the woods off the trail. He stopped and looked around to see if he could see the trail. He could not. Natsumi looked at him confused.

"What? What are you looking for?" she asked, curiously. Ian only looked at her and smiled. He walked a little ways back to where the trail was, and turned to look in Natsumi's direction. He could not see her, which is what he wanted. Natsumi looked at him as he came back to her. She smiled at him as she figured out what he was doing.

"Hmm…I know what you're doing," she said slyly, winking her eye at him. He walked up to her grinning and put his arms around her.

"Really," he said kissing her cheek, jokingly. "What, then?" She only smiled looking into his eyes.

He took the blanket and laid it out under a big pine tree. He pulled off his shoes and walked across the blanket towards her.

"I love you," he said, holding her face in his hands. "I'll never hurt you. When I leave, we will be together in our hearts. I'll never stop thinking of you. I'll never stop loving you." He kissed her forehead and locked his green eyes onto her. "Do you believe me?" he asked, grinning.

Her eyes searched his face as she began to speak. "Yes, Ian. Why would I not believe you? I love you too, but why must you go with you parents? We could get a place together, it would b………"

Ian interrupted giving her an annoyed look. "You know I can't, darling," he said, his German accent putting emphasis on the words. "I was accepted to Oxford, remember? I would have to go back to Europe anyway, right?" He hugged her, and kissed the top of her head.

"Yes," she said, in a pouting baby voice. "But I wish I could go with you," she grabbed the bottom of his t-shirt and slowly pulled it over his head.

Ian held his arms in the air so the shirt would come off easily. Natsumi started to unbutton the top of her jersey shirt. Ian helped her pull it off and he threw it to the ground. He pulled her towards him and kissed her neck, savagely. She put her arms on the side of his stomach so not to fall to the ground.

He grabbed her face and kissed her. There lips seemed to be candy the way they were kissing. Ian bent down to grab her legs and picked her up. One leg went on one side of his body, the other on the other side. He held her tight as they gazed into each other eyes. He moved to the middle of the blanket, and slowly laid her down.

His hair covered his eyes as he kneeled down to kiss her. His body was slightly muscular but not too much. He had those big manly hands and broad shoulders that she adored. She thought he was perfect, and his eyes were her favorite. They sparkled whenever he looked at her.

She stared up at him, and proceeded to take off her clothes. He looked down at her with no expression at all, and then he smiled.

"I guess I was just waiting on you, huh?" he laughed, standing up and taking off his clothes, slowly. He stood in front of his naked companion sliding off his boxers.

"Daydreaming?" she said, winking at him. He kneeled down moving between her legs while staring into her light brown eyes. He moved his hand slowly from her vagina to her breasts. He leaned to kiss her as she raised her legs. When he moved inside her, she shuddered. She grabbed his shoulders as he moved up and down slowly.

The wind blew and the pine needles on the ground stuck into her back through the blanket. Ian's hair blew around his head and covered his eyes. Ian put his arm around her shoulders and the other on her butt turning her on her side. He held her on to her as he slowly moved up and down. Her moans were soft and quiet. He gazed at her, as she kept her eyes closed in ecstasy. He put his ear near her mouth listening to the music that was her voice.

"Let me hear you," he whispered to her. He held his ear near her mouth, and held her close to him. She put her hand on his cheek, and moved her head towards his ear. Her soft sounds made him think this was a temporarily fitting ending to their relationship. They gazed into each other eyes as they kissed each other once more.

Late 16th Century

She had been walking for at least 4 hours. She had walked though countless brush, and over grown trees. She started to smell wood burning, the scent filled her nose. She walked slowed through a row of trees that looked like a big hall. She could hear the sound of clashing metal, and then she heard someone yelling. As she walked towards a tall bush, she could see two men through its leaves. Quietly, she walked closer and stood behind the bush. She could see the two men were in a duel of some sort.

One of the men had a tanned complexion, and had brown hair and eyes. He was swinging a red staff at his opponent. He wore a white tunic with gold embroidery lining, brown pants, and leather boots. He yelled and lunged at his opponent swinging his rod. His friend, who was also tanned, dodged the blow, swung his nanchaku (nunchucks), and hit his friend in the leg. The brown-eyed boy dropped his staff and grabbed his knee.

"Aowwww," he said glaring at his opponent. "I am going to be bruised from head to toe with that weapon of yours." His friend only looked on smiling at his victory.

He had the weirdest hair Natsumi had ever seen. His black hair was brushed back, but he had this long piece of hair curling in the front. It looked like Elvis hair. Natsumi smiled to herself, because he had on white pants and a white shirt with embroidery around his collar and the sleeve cuffs. He wore brown leather boots, but they looked like cowboy boots to Natsumi.

"I was thinking, Kilik, maybe you should trying blocking instead of complaining," the weird one said laughing.

Kilik smiled, but then he looked over at the bush where Natsumi was hiding. He saw something move, and felt that they were being watched.

"Maxi," he said looking over at the bush. He pointed over to the bush showing his friend what got his attention. Maxi turned around and narrowed his eyes. Kilik and Maxi armed themselves, and walked slowly towards the bush.

Natsumi slowly back away from the bush as they approached. She fell back tripping over a branch, and quickly got up. She ran towards a crowd of trees when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around to see if they were close. They were not; she had a good chance of losing them. When she turned back around, she tripped over a pair of rocks, and fell to the ground hitting her head on another rock.

She lay there dizzy. She closed her eyes to darkness, and then she opened them again to see two faces staring down at her. Then she slipped into unconsciousness.

In Dreams

The creature's armor faded in and out of the black mist. The wind was blowing furiously, and the only thing she could see was its shadow. It red eyes glowed as it disappeared and reappeared closer to her. It reappeared in front of her moving its hand towards her cheek. She could only gaze into its horribly beautiful eyes as if she was being possessed. It disappeared for a moment.

She whispered, Come back. Where are you going?

It suddenly reappeared as a skeleton clouded in black mist. The skeleton caught fire, and its ashes fell to the ground. On top of the pile of ashes lay a giant blade sword.

Late 16th Century

Her eyes shot open, and she began breathing heavily. Who was this ghost? What was it trying to tell her?

She looked at her surroundings, she was inside of a tent, and she lay on a bedroll. She suddenly got a piercing headache. She held her head in anguish, narrowing her eyes at the pain. With one hand on her head, she got up from the bedroll looking for her belongings. She did not see them. She stumbled out of the tent and fell flat on her face.

The three people around a fire pit turned around and looked at her. They immediately stood up, and readied their weapons.

Natsumi looked up at them and put her hands in the air. She slowly stood up enduring the pain in her head. The night air was chilly, not warm like it had been in the day.

"I'm not going to hurt anyone. I don't even have my sword. Please. I am really not going to hurt anybody," she said, holding her hands in the air. She stood there for a second getting a good look at all of them. She immediately recognized Maxi and Kilik. They were the first to lower their weapons.

The unknown girl soon followed suit. They all stared at her not saying a word. She looked at them with disbelief.

"Listen, I need help getting back home. I don't know where I am. I just…….woke up by the river, and now I'm here." Natsumi pleaded with them, her eyes filling with tears.

Kilik was the first of the warriors to speak. He sensed the girl a good-natured person. She looked harmless to him.

"Where do you come from?" he asked her, roughly. He walked over to her, his eyes reflecting the flames of the fire.

"I am from Ohio. Cincinnati, Ohio," she said, hesitating. She had got the feeling she was not near home. She looked at the clothes the warriors were wearing, and narrowed her eyes.

"I have never heard of such a place," replied Kilik, narrowing his eyes. He turned around and gave his companions a "have you heard of Cincinnati, Ohio" look. They both shook their heads.

Natsumi looked at Kilik and then looked at the ground. Kilik bent over and looked at the girl's face. He had never seen anyone so upset.

"You are in the south of Germany about fifty miles from Ostrheinsburg Castle. Many days have past since we fought the battle to free our friend from the clutches of the evil sword, Soul Edge," said Kilik, solemnly. Natsumi gazed at Kilik, narrowing her eyes. She had no idea what he was talking about.

"Our friend is not here now. He had been at Amberg Asylum healing of his wounds. The nuns and orderlies tended to him there. He sleeps down by the stream now. He does not speak English so good, and he refuses to learn. Amberg is a small town, not five miles from here. When he recovered from his injuries, we decided to stay here and heal ourselves. We sharpen our skills for the next journey ahead." Kilik's accent sounded Asian, but Natsumi was not sure.

Natsumi assumed none of them spoke English because they were of other nationalities. From what she saw, they were Chinese, Japanese, or Indian. Kilik walked into the tent, and motioned for Natsumi to follow him.

Natsumi followed him hoping he would be able to help her. Kilik sat down on the bedroll opposite the one she had laid unconscious. She sat down looking at her hands, and then at Kilik. Kilik looked at her shoes, and the clothes she was wearing.

She was wearing black cotton flares, and a white t-shirt she wore under a jean jacket. Her hair was curled upwards, and her bangs stuck out of the blue bandanna she had on her head. He had never seen a woman like her before.

"So you are saying that I am in Germany, near a town called Amberg." she asked, glumly. Kilik nodded his head. "How did I get to Germany? I don't understand. What year is it?" she asked hoping not to be surprised.

"It is the year 1584."

Siegfried sat by his fire gazing into the flickering flames. Dreams of Soul Edge reappeared in his mind from time to time. The carnage he had caused across Europe. The people he killed, sickened him. He could not stop thinking about it. He tried to block it from his mind, but he knew it would not be easy to break away from the curse Soul Edge had on him for so many years.

He never slept, it was impossible. He would wake up in the morning to find dead animals in his tent, and blood on his lips. The blood thirst that Soul Edge yielded in him had not went away entirely. He sighed, running his fingers through his long blonde hair. He had entered a depression that did not seem to want to fade.

He thought about leaving Germany for Venice. The city of water's beauty would surely bring him out of this darkness.

What would I do there? Lie around a dirty room, fuck a bunch of whores, and die of syphilis, he thought, sarcastically. Death would not be such a bad existence apart from this lonely life of mine. I could throw myself into the fire. I could withstand the pain very easily. I would not scream. I would lie there, not looking for pity from the Asians. Oh, yes! Death would be a welcomed friend, indeed.

His eyes narrowed as he thought of what it would feel like to be burned alive. Could he really withstand the pain? Could he lie there without screaming?

He looked on the other side of the fire. All the armor and mail he had ever owned was in a big pile. He was deciding whether to melt it down or throw it in the river. He did not want to fight anymore. He had enough battles to last him two lifetimes, but Soul Edge would not let him retire his wicked past.

His beloved Zweihander, Requiem, lay beside him. He had been using it to chuck the wood in the fire. Now it just sat beside him, its metal surface gleaming as if enticing him to use it once more. He clinched his fist feeling a surge of energy, and he longed to punch someone in the face.

He saw his handsome reflection in his sword as he leaned over to look at it. He ran his fingers through his long blonde hair when it covered his face. He was thinking of cutting his hair off, and becoming bald. He laughed to himself.

I would not be the Great Siegfried Schtauffen if I cut off my glorious mane, he thought.

At times, it made him look like a woman. He was mistaken for a woman many times. He had dressed as a woman once to hide from being captured.

The Grand Masters and the German Masters of the Teutonic Knights (Deutscher Ritterorden) had a bounty on his head. He had been in Bad Mergentheim, the village where the Teutonic Knights held their stronghold. He did not know it at the time. Rumors spread throughout the village that the red eyes manic had been in the town.

When he found out the knights were looking for him, he stole a worn peasant dress and a cotton clock off a laundry line. He was able to sneak out town, unharmed. He did not know why they put up the bounty, but he assumed that people found out he was the legendary Knight in Azure armor.

It all started when, Kilik, Xianghua, and Maxi found out that he left the Amberg Asylum in the middle of the night. They went looking for him not necessarily realizing how hard it would be.

Siegfried remembered that he had awakened strapped in a bed in an empty room. He started going berserk pulling his strong arms up to break the snaps. When he was free, he punched the glass out of the window in his room and climbed out. He did not remember anything after that.

Unwittingly, he had wondered into Bad Mergentheim, a small village near Amberg. When Kilik and his friends heard that he had been seen in there, he had already fled.

Kilik had talked to townspeople in a small town called Deidesheim. A woman told him of a crazed man living in the woods.

She told him she went into the woods to gather berries when she saw a man with leaves and small branches in his long blonde hair. Siegfried was running around in a woman's dress! She said he had dried blood on his nose, mouth, and hands.

Kilik and his companions went out into the woods to find Siegfried. When they found him, he was laying in a pile of leaves. When he saw them, his eyes were blood red. He started shouting absurdities in German, which they could not understand. Kilik had a soft voice so he tried to clam Siegfried down, but it did little to help.

"Siegfried we are here to help you. We will do you no harm," Kilik said slowly lowering his weapon to the ground. Maxi and Xianghua did he same.

Bleib weg von mir! Komm mir nicht nah! He shouted hysterically walking in circles, and pulling at his hair. Laß mich alleine oder ich töte dich!

Maxi stood besides Kalik in shock. He had never seen Siegfried act like this. He was always reserved, non-chalant, and sometimes violent.

"I say we hit him over the head with my nunchaku and get this over with," Maxi said, looking at Siegfried.

"I agree," replied Xianghua. "We will be here all night if we just wait for him to calm down."

Kilik looked at Maxi and nodded his head. It was either this or Siegfried was going back to the asylum with bruises.

Siegfried was being carried back to the village unconscious before he noticed Kilik and Maxi tackled him.

He awoke the next morning remembering nothing. His eyes were green again, and his wounds bandaged. Kilik and Maxi accused him of hiding a shard of Soul Edge. They believed he could not have possessed so much evil without it.

He moved his tent near the stream when he was let out of the asylum. He could not stand seeing their accusatory eyes any longer.

He wanted to forget the past. He needed to overcome the evil Soul Edge had embedded in him. He wanted to feel special again. He wanted to feel completely happy again.

Kilik looked at Natsumi as she put her hand over her mouth disbelief. Her eyes searched his face as she looked for an explanation.

"What……..How…..," she sighed, shaking her head. Kilik gazed at her, stood up, and walked outside of the tent.

When he came back, he carried her sword, cd/mp3 player, and messenger bag. The sword's scabbard gleamed as Kilik gently put it in her hands.

"You have the legendary Sword of Light," said Kilik, nodding towards the sword. "The sword has a shard of the evil, Soul Edge, within its metal. I had heard rumors that there was sword that could completely destroy Soul Edge without any reemergence. Sophitia and Cassandra Alexandra, failed in their attempts to destroy the sword completely. Cassandra went mad fighting battle after battle fueled through her rage for Hephaestus, because she thought he had other interests. The last time she was seen she was battling Astaroth with Xianghua. Hephaestus was not in the wrong, he had been trying to find a worthy soul to fight to the death to destroy Soul Edge. The unknown woman's task was to go seek out a fragment of the evil sword, Soul Edge. She had a magnificent sword, and she had found a shard of Soul Edge after she defeated Voldo. Voldo is the guardian of the Money Pit in Palermo, Italy. When she bound the shard with her sword the evil tried to take over her mind, but she was too noble a person to be consumed. She fought the evil for days as she took on numerous battles. Finally, the sword lost it evil glow, and began radiating a white light. The fragment had turn into an immense power that could be used to destroy all evil. Hephaestus foresaw this glorious vision."

Kilik stopped a minute when Natsumi gave him a look of surprise. Her grandmother was the woman who was chosen by Hephaestus.

"My grandmother," she said, with lovely wide eyes. "She was the one who…….was chosen to destroy Soul Edge once and for all." She looked at the floor of the tent confused. "If Hephaestus gave Sophitia an oracle then why did he need my grandmother or me for that matter, to finish the task?"

"Sophitia had suffered massive injuries during her crusade to destroy Soul Edge. She went back to her home, and recovered. She married her betrothed Rothion, and took her sword back to the Hephaestus Shrine. She had two children and gave up fighting because she believed Soul Edge destroyed. Her sister Cassandra, took over Sophitia's quest to rid the world of the evil." Kilik looked at his hands and then her.

Natsumi's eyes were on the legendary sword. She could not break away her gazed. Kilik's eyes centered on her face. Her eyes were shining. Her lips looked as soft of rose petals. Her hair lay around her face so perfectly. The woman captivated him, but he showed not signs of affection. Her hands were delicate and slender. He did not believe she had any skill with the sword.

"What is your name?" he asked, smiling.

"Natsumi," she said, not looking up from the sword. "Natsumi Kaorukasuga Shinji." She finally looked at him grinning.

"But you are from Africa, yes?" he asked, confused.

"Ye..…No, I was adopted. My father is from Japan. Yokohama, actually," she said resting back on the wall of the tent. "He found me in a trashcan out……..," she cut herself off. She never liked to reveal too much about herself.

"I was orphaned as well. I was found near the Ling Sheng Su Temple. I was raised there, and I was taught the secret rod style," he said, solemnly. He looked at his hands reminding himself of what he had done. He had killed them all. They had taken him in and loved him, and he killed them. He thought of something interesting to ask her to change his mood.

"What is the future like?" he asked softly, trying to break her concentration on the sword. She looked up and grinned.

"Hmm……in the future….hmm…..well…..let me show you." she barely grinning, grabbing her cd/mp3 player. She held it out in front of Kilik, and he took it, making sure, he touched her hands. "Put the earphones on your ears," she showed him how to put them on, by holding imaginary earphones. He slowly put them on his ears looking at the player.

She moved to sit next to him, and pressed the "play" button. He jumped when he heard the music and took the earphones off. Natsumi laughed placing them on his head again.

"It's okay. It's just music, it won't bite. I'll turn it down for you" she smiled, unwittingly placing her arm on his leg and turning the player's volume down. Kilik shuddered inside, but his attention was taking to the beautiful music he heard within his ears. He listened to Enya's "Marble Halls", the voice rose, and fell beautifully, like a sparrow in the sky.

He turned to Natsumi who was still smiling. Forgetting she was in 16th century Germany, she searched his face. Kilik smiled, but she was now expressionless. She lowered her head, grabbed the earphones of his head, and snatched the player out of his hands. She moved back over to the other bedroll, and put her player in her messenger bag. Kilik was dumbfounded. He glared at her then lowered his head.

"I hope you will find your way home soon," he said abruptly, walking out of the tent.

In Dreams

The night was rough, she could not sleep. In the dark, Kilik lay asleep on the bedroll across from her. The sound of his breathing became her rhythm for counting sheep. When he moved she would start all over again because the rhythm changed.

Before she knew it, she was sleeping. As always, her encounters with the mysterious knight were her dreams. Only this time, the knight was not floating in black mist. He was enveloped in a white aura, and he was wearing his armor and helmet. His long blonde hair flowed though the opening at the bottom of his helmet. He did not move as she walked slowly towards him.

She stood in front of him as he towered over her. He moved his head as she walked closer to him. Her arms touched his iron breastplate. It was ice cold. She slowly moved her hand up to open the plate that covered his mouth. She revealed a mouth with no expression. His pale skin seemed to glow under the dark shadows of his helmet.

She slowly raised her hand up to touch his lips. She wanted to see if he was real. She wanted him to speak to her, but he knew her thoughts. He knew what she wanted. He knew why her touch ended a man's existence.

The knight slowly moved his hands under her arms. He pulled her up to his helmet and held her close to him. She caressed his silver mask wishing she could pull it off and reveal the man beneath it. She kissed him holding his helmet between her two hands. His lips were soft and moved across hers like a sail in the wind. She opened her eyes and through tiny slits for him to see, she saw them. His emerald eyes gazed at her while his grip got tighter around her waist.

In an instant, he vanished and she fell to the ground. She looked around frantically in search of him.

Come back! Please! Come back!

Late 16th Century

She sat up breathing heavily. Her heart was beating fast, and sweat covered her forehead. She looked over at Kilik he was asleep. He moved over on his side, his back facing her. She ran her fingers though her hair, and grabbed her small brush out of her messenger bag. She brushed her hair back into a ponytail, and tied it with a black scrunchy she had on her wrist.

She put on her black and blue sneakers, pulled her cd/mp3 player out of her messenger bag, and grabbed her jean jacket. She decided to go for a walk to clear her head. The knight was revealing more of himself every time she closed her eyes.

She quietly walked out of the tent looking at Kilik as she stepped out into the dawn. Smoke rose from the fire pit filling the air with a burning stench. She slowly put on her jacket trying not to disturb the warriors within their tents.

She walked towards a clearing near the end of the campsite. A warm wind swept her lose hair across her face. The trees were swaying as the wind blew harder.

It's going to rain today, she thought to herself. I can smell it.

She brushed a strand of her hair out of her face, and pressed "play" to turn on her player. She walked down a hall of trees looking up into its canopy. Various birds flew from tree to tree. She could hear them chirping as they flew over her head.

A family of ducks ran past her and she smiled at them. She loved animals, she felt like she was a princess like in the cartoons, waiting for the animals to gather around her. She knew she was close to a river or a stream, because she could smell the water. She took her earphones from her ears, and left them around her neck.

Her instincts told her to find the river. She walked through green hall after green hall as the sound of rushing water got louder. A clearing was up ahead. She could see a black horse with a saddle on it, chewing on some nearby hay. She heard the sound of a fire burning and footsteps. She slowly walked towards the opening sliding her shoes across the grass. As she rounded the corner, the horse looked at her and neighed.

In the corner of her eyes, she saw movement. She turned to see a man with long blonde hair trying without luck to put on his black rompers. When he finally got them on, he pulled cow skin boots, which laced all the way to the top, out of his tent. He pushed his feet into the boots and began to lace them up. He moved his hair out of his face, and then stopped. He stood up straight and turned his head a little.

Natsumi stared at him waiting for him to turn around. He turned around quickly and she flinched. He stood there narrowing his eyes in confusion. He looked at her from head to toe and quickly grabbed his Zweihander from inside his tent.

Natsumi ran through the hall of trees and felt her hip. She had forgotten her sword in Kilik's tent! She heard footsteps behind her, and ran through a bush.

Have these people ever heard of the word, Hi, she thought to herself cutting through another bush into another hall of greenery.

She ran faster as the footsteps got closer. She dropped her player and ran back to pick it up. She heard the footsteps stop, and looked around her. She was breathing heavily, and had to rest a minute. She kneeled down near a tree and held on to her player tightly.

The shirtless stranger watched her behind a group of trees as she panted heavily. He was ready to charge at her, but his instincts told him to wait.

Natsumi took off her jean jacket and tied it around her waist. She leaned against the tree wiping the sweat away from her forehead. She stood up looking in every direction before she walked on. The stranger jumped out as she neared the group of trees he was hiding behind.

She jumped back falling onto the ground. The tall blonde advanced on her as she crawled on her hands and feet facing him.

"Wait! Please! I know your friends!" she pleaded, turning around to get up. He grabbed her hair pulling it as she fell to the ground again.

"Vhat friends?" he said in a thick German accent, pulling her along the tree-filled trail. He let go of her hair and grabbed her arm holding the tip of the Zweihander to her neck.

She stumbled over rocks as he yanked her towards the clearing. He threw her against a tree and kept the Zweihander near her body.

"Kilik!" she yelled. "Do you know Kilik, and…...uuuh……Maxi, and u…ummm….Xianghua!?" she said, scared for her life. The green-eyed man glared at her, and turned his giant sword towards the ground resting on it.

He gave her a wicked grin, and nodded his head letting her have her say.

"I was looking for the river and I saw your horse. I was going to walk to the steam but I saw you. I did not mean to intrude on you," she said, putting her hands up in defense. She gazed into his eyes, they were familiar, but she could not place them.

The handsome stranger looked away and grabbed her arm again dragging her to a tree near his tent.

His voice was deep but smooth, he yelled at her in German. She took a year of German in high school so she could peace a little together of what he was saying.

"Bleib dort! Beweg dich nicht, oder ich bringe dich um!"(Stay There! Do not move, or I WILL kill you!) He gave her an angry glare andwalked towards his horse unwinding the rope that was around it.

Natsumi stood up from the tree slowly, and ran after the mysterious man. She kicked him in his back and punched him in his face. He touched his face wiping away the blood from his nose. He glared at her balling up his fists ready to attack.

Natsumi did a series of high and low punches and kicks. He blocked them all, and picked her up slamming her on the ground. She winched, and grabbed her right shoulder in pain.

Before she could get up, he grabbed her by the hair again, and dragged her back to the tree bringing the rope with him. She struggled to get up, but he put his hand on her head pushing her into the ground.

"Don't touch me you fucking asshole!" she screamed, struggling to get away as he tied her hands with a short piece of rope. He pulled the back of her shirt dragging her closer to the tree. He circled her with a longer rope a few times then tied it behind the back of the tree.

"Let me go, you Nazi mother fucker. When I get lose from here I'm going to take your head, you HEAR ME!!" she screamed twisting around the rope.

He laughed and kicked her in the side. She winced shaking from the pain. Her father had taught her how to prepare for attacks. She would be able to endure pain longer when tightening the muscle around the supposed attack area.

"LET ME OUT OF HERE!! UNTIE ME NOW!!", she yelled, spitting on his boots. He turned around taking a knife out of a carrier on his hip and knocked her out with it. He grinned wickedly putting the knight back in his carrier.

"Niemand spuckt auf Siegfried Schtauffen!" (Nobody spits on Siegfried Schtauffen!)

Kilik held her sword in his hands. Gazing at its marvelous gleam he laid back on her bedroll. He heard her rustling last night and wanted to go hold her. He dreamed of her beside him and smell her light fragrance.

He was thinking of going back to the Ling Sheng Su Temple there was nothing for him in Germany. To be with his friends, Xianghua, and Maxi was a joy to him, but he felt something was missing. He felt there was a void in his life. He felt the years of battles were for nothing, but pain.

He walked outside the tent and looked up at the gray sky. The rain was coming and where was she? He looked through the trees hoping to see her walk through them, smiling.

Xianghua looked up at Kilik, from a log by the fire pit, as he stared into nothingness. She had been concerned for her dear friend. He had not been acting himself lately.

"What is the matter, Kilik?" she asked him with a concerned looked on her face. Maxi turned around by her side and looked up at Kilik.

"Nothing," he said, solemnly as he always did. "I'm thinking of going home. Our friend Siegfried wants nothing do to with us. Why must we stay here?" He looked at his two friends and narrowed his eyes.

"Because he might change back into that horrible creature, Nightmare!" said Maxi, roughly. "You do not want that to happen do you?" Maxi stood up from the log, and held his hand on Kilik's back.

"Of course. I don't. We cannot let that happen again," said Kilik, looking into the forest. A sprinkle of rain started to fall. "What about that girl, Natsumi? What do we do about her? She is the keeper of the Sword of Light. We must help her destroy the fragments of Soul Edge." Kilik went inside his tent as the others followed.

"You said her name is Natsumi?" asked Xianghua, sitting on Natsumi's bedroll. "Does she know about her grandmother?"

"Yes," said Kilik, running his fingers through his hair. "She was surprised, but then she said the sword showed her."

"What did she mean by that?" asked Maxi, sitting beside Xianghua.

"I guess the sword shows the keeper its history. I do not know," said Kilik shrugging his shoulders.

"Is she skillful with the sword?" asked Xianghua, slyly. "Because if she's not we are in a world of trouble." She looked at both Maxi and Kilik, nodding her head. They both nodded back. The three of them were like triplets sometimes.

"Well I do know this," said Kilik, looking at his two friends. "Astaroth and his horde of monsters will be looking for her soon. She will need all the help she can get." Kilik looked at the entrance to the tent as the rain fell harder.

Siegfried watched her through a little opening of the entrance to the tent. He lay on his back looking as the rain began the fall. Who was she? When he saw her he had to keep her there, he wanted her to scream at him. He wanted her attention. Suddenly she started coughing, and he sat up.

Natsumi coughed hysterically while slowly opening her eyes. The rain drenched her clothes as she moved her head towards the sky. She quickly put her head down as the rain caught her eyes. The shirtless man was nowhere to be seen. She looked over at his tent and saw the tip of two boots hanging out of the tent.

She had figured he was sleep, and began to cough again. She tried to move her hands out of the rope but it was not use. He had tied the rope tighter than she thought. The rope was wet so she knew she could get out somehow. She tugged at the rope slowly moving her right hand out of the rope. She kept it behind her back so she would not alarm the stranger.

When she got her left hand out of the rope, she looked over at the tent. The BOOTS were GONE!! Her heart started to flutter as she hurried to untangle herself from the larger rope, and ran towards the trees.

That familiar grip on her arm tightened as she was pulled through the muddy dirt.

Kilik eyes wondered around his tent as Xianghua and Maxi joked with one another. They had sat in the tent reminiscing about their childhood, but Kilik's mind was on the mysterious girl who had transfixed his heart.

"It's been a long time, maybe we should go out and looked for her," Kilik said, making his two friends stop laughing and gaze at him. Kilik was always the serious one, because he would always ruin their fun.

"Why should you be worried about someone you don't even know?" said Xianghua, shaking her head.

"Yeah," said Maxi. "She's probably somewhere getting out of the rain, she'll probably return when it stops." Maxi scratched the back his ear looking up at Kilik.

Maxi started to laugh to himself putting his hand over his mouth. Xianghua and Kilik stared at him in confusion.

"What if Siegfried tied her to the tree near his tent? Remember that farmer whose nose he broke when he wondered into his clearing?" said Maxi, laughing.

"He needs to go back to the asylum. He's still crazy," cried Xianghua, rolling her eyes, and standing up.

"Come on, Maxi. We need to go check up on him," Kilik said as Xianghua and he exited the tent.

Maxi followed laughing running slowly.

"He does this….allllll the timmme!"

Siegfried dragged her towards his tent and stood her up. Natsumi kicked him sending him flying back. She took in her attack stance as she wiped the forever-pouring rain from her eyes.

"Come on, you son of a bitch! COME ON!!" she yelled. She watched the blonde mystery stand up glaring at her. He ran towards her and threw his left fist out to hit her. Natsumi blocked the punch and kneed him in the stomach. He straighten up throwing his fists and legs into her. He closed his eyes sighing as he connected punching her in her stomach. He hadn't snapped a neck in a long time. He thought about killing her, but he was not so sure.

She fell to the ground and grabbed his legs sending him toppling over.

She quickly stood up and began kicking him in the side. Kilik and his companions appeared in the clearing. They ran towards Natsumi and pulled her away from her fallen foe.

"I'LL KILL HIM!! LET ME GO!! NOOO!!" Natsumi yelled, trying to free herself from Kilik's and Xianghua's grasp.

Maxi walked over to Siegfried and pulled him up off the ground. Siegfried yanked his arm away, and pointed his angry gaze towards Natsumi.

"Siegfried, calm down," cried Maxi. "She's not here to hurt you. Calm down." He let out a quiet laugh and grinned.

Siegfried pointed his finger at Natsumi and balled his hand into a fist. Natsumi spit on the ground daring him to challenge her. Siegfried walked towards his tent refusing to speak to any of them.

Kilik let go of Natsumi and walked towards Siegfried.

"Siegfried! You have to stop doing this. One day, we will not be here when the people of Amberg hunt you down and hang you." Siegfried stopped in his tracks turning and walked up to Kilik's face.

"Death vould be a vorthy adversary. I vill kill him, just like I vill kill that vitch," Siegfried's German accent riddled with pain. Kilik knew that Siegfried was going through a phase. Soul Edge still had an affect on him somehow. His anger was getting dangerous.

"Siegfried, please think about it. We don't want to find you dead, all right?" pleaded Kilik. Siegfried had been through a lot, Kilik could understand how his was so angry.

Siegfried put his hand up waving Kilik away. He walked into his tent as if they were never there.

"I need my stuff. He has it in his tent," Natsumi said, as Siegfried tossed her belongings out of his tent into the mud.

Kilik ran after Natsumi things, she looked on as Xianghua patted her on the back.

"It will be alright. Siegfried is going through a phase; we have to check up on him sometimes. He'll warm up to you, don't worry," Xianghua smiled, as Natsumi gave her "are you out of your mind" look.

"A phase! Pigs will fly…… before I even let that weirdo touch me again," said Natsumi, ringing the water out of her hair. The rain had stopped, and the sun gleamed over there heads.

They walked towards the forest and entered the hall of trees again. She quickly glanced back at Siegfried's tent and saw him standing in front of it looking at her. She looked at him but only for a second, then she walk into the trees.

Author's Notes: Ok…there's Chapter 2. It's a long one, but inspiration comes in many forms. Hope you like. Please Rate.

I am hoping to have Chapter 3 up before I go back to school for spring semester, Jan 13th. I'm not promising anything, though.