Obsession
Alrighty, this fic is sorta AU, but not too much. Yes, it has an original character, so many of you might be thinking, "Oh, a Mary-Sue fic! Boring!" Well, then, don't read it. But I promise it's better than my other two fics. I mean it. And there is a somewhat supernatural flair to it, but it's not something much more unreal than Ivy's alchemy, Talim's ability to control wind or Cervantes and Taki's abilities to jump like 30 feet in the air. And take Soul Edge itself into consideration. The whole thing reeks of the paranormal. Oh, and although I describe it early in the chapter, just in case you don't know, this story takes place with Maxi in his secondary costume. No reason, really, I just think he's one good-looking hunk of man with that long blonde hair. Mmmmm . Maxi.
Chapter One: Reflections
Maxi couldn't believe his luck. Not only had he been restored to full health by Okai, the medicine man from the village he'd ended up in, but he had a good lead on Soul Edge. If he found that cursed sword, he'd find the man he was looking for.
He set his drink down, left the payment on the counter in front of the bartender and began to leave. On his way out of the shady bar in Lyon, a city in central France, however, he heard quite a bit of commotion.
A man of 28, he was quite tall and fair for a Japanese, with dark hair and a muscular, lean build. However, in recent months, living in that village in eastern Europe, he'd let his hair grow slightly longer, and it had lightened quite a bit from the time he spent in the sun. His skin had also tanned to some extent, and he now sported a tattoo of a dragon on his right shoulder and back. With his handsome face and debonair demeanor, he'd become very popular with the women there. Perhaps that was why he promised he'd return.
"You stupid wench!" a voice shouted. Maxi turned to see a very large man raising a hand to strike a young Chinese woman who looked vaguely familiar to him. Maxi leapt forward, catching the man's fist in his own hand. He then punched him square in the jaw, and as the offending Frenchman toppled over, Maxi turned to the Chinese girl and smiled.
"You okay?" he asked.
She gaped at him with dawning recognition. "You're . you're Maxi, aren't you?" she demanded. When he nodded, though without an inkling as to why she knew his name, she embraced him. "Oh, I'm so happy you're alive! Kilik and I have been so worried about you! We were both sure you were dead! Well, not sure, of course, but you know ."
"Uh . do I know you?" he inquired.
The girl drew back and stared at him in disbelief. "It's . it's me, Chai Xianghua! Don't you remember me?"
"I've . never seen you before in my life."
Dismayed, she lifted up her sleeve and showed him a thin scar that ran across her forearm. "Don't you remember this scar? A huge monster attacked me and you saved me just after I got hurt, and you took care of this cut. I told you I loved you just before you left me and Kilik! You said you'd give me an answer when you got back, and then . and then ." Xianghua buried her face in her hands and began to sob.
"Look, my lady, I think you just have me mistaken for someone else," he said empathetically, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I don't know how you know my name or anything, but . I've never known anyone named Kilik or Xianghua. I'm sorry."
And as Maxi left the crying Chinese girl after a brief conversation, another person watched from halfway down the crowded street.
Maxi left the town after asking for directions to Marseille, a city that sat on the coast of the Mediterranean. He was told to follow the Rhone River south and then head east along the coast; he left immediately and began to hike through the lush forest. It wasn't long before he realized he was being followed.
"I know you're there," he growled irritably. Whoever it was, they weren't trying too hard to be subtle about it.
The same large man that had attacked the girl named Xianghua came out of the bushes brandishing a large scythe. Maxi rolled his eyes and grabbed Soryuju, his nunchaku, from his belt. "Come for a fight, have you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. The large man raised his weapon, and Maxi prepared for his attack, but suddenly a flash of gray knocked his opponent clear over. He blinked, and found that a large dog had tackled the Frenchman. "What the .?"
The animal snarled, baring its white fangs. It was a very fine specimen and very wolf-like, with sleek silver fur and bright eyes. Maxi noticed that only one was brown, however; the other was such a pale blue it was nearly white.
"Damned mongrel!" the Frenchman roared, struggling to stand. He swung his scythe at the beast, but it leapt skillfully away. "I thought I ran you out of town last week!"
The dog leapt forward again, hitting him square in the chest with its enormous paws and knocking him over again. When the man stood again, Maxi stepped in between him and the animal. "Leave him alone," he urged. "He's mine."
"Shows how much you know!" the other man spat. "That's a she-dog!"
"Okay, you got me," Maxi said with a shrug. "In any case, I'm leaving, and I'm taking it with me."
Maxi left the man where he was, spitting and cursing, as he snapped his fingers and offered the animal a piece of bread from his pack. It was shy, but took the food after a few moments. It followed him for the remainder of the day, until he decided to sit down and make camp for the night.
It hadn't been long since he'd been restored to full health by the village shaman, so he didn't have quite as much stamina as he used to. At least the seizures have stopped, he thought to himself with a sigh. He looked to his side and noticed that the dog was sitting not more than ten feet away from him. "You need a rest, too?" he asked amiably. "Well, come over here, I have some spare food you can have."
To his surprise, the animal just stood there, watching him with those eerie eyes. "You're a strange one," he mumbled, then closed his eyes to sleep. When he awoke he found that the animal had curled up next to him, its back against his hip. The sun had just barely begun to break the darkness of the pre-dawn sky, but it was already time to start out again.
"Are you coming, too?" he asked it as he stood and started hiking south again. It gave a yip of acknowledgement and followed eagerly. It was strange, how human this dog seemed, and it bothered Maxi to think about it. However, he also enjoyed the company, and found it rather pointless to complain. It was his own fault for offering a stray dog some food.
By the middle of the day Maxi needed another break; he felt light- headed. So much for being completely cured . he thought bitterly, but then realized it was a miracle he could walk. He hadn't had a single seizure since the ritual was performed, and he didn't miss them in the slightest.
Suddenly the dog bristled. It began to growl deeply, glaring into the bushes nearby. "Aw, dammit, the stupid mutt blew our cover!" a deep voice groaned.
"Never mind, we can take that guy!" another assured.
"Oh, my God ." Maxi muttered. He took out Soryuju and took a fighting stance. Two men leapt from the bushes - they were obviously bandits of some sort. "This is getting ridiculous."
"We saw you offering gold to anyone who told you about Soul Edge!" one shouted, pointing an accusing finger at him. "Hand it over or you'll die here and now!"
"We'll slit your throat!"
"I'd like to see you try," said Maxi with disinterest.
The dog yipped and tackled one of the would-be thieves. Maxi found it interesting that the dog hadn't yet bitten anyone, but found very little time to reflect on it - he was in the middle of a fight.
One of the thieves lunged for him, but he slapped him away with his nunchaku. When the other recovered from the dog's attack, he wrapped the chain of Soryuju around his arm, pulled the bandit over his back, and dislocated his shoulder by slamming it against his own (one of his throws from the game, in case you didn't know). "Get out of my sight!" he growled, and the beaten thugs scrambled away, whimpering in pain. Maxi then turned to his companion and said, "You're one strange mutt. Why haven't you been biting anyone? That's what dogs do."
Suddenly the dog leapt to its feet, and glowed with a bright light. Within moments Maxi was facing a human, not the animal that had once stood there. "I guess you figured out my secret," laughed a silvery voice with a heavy accent. "My name is Ilya Strucov . it's a pleasure to meet you."
Yeah, so that's it for the first chapter. Kinda short, but to make it any longer would drive me insane. I hate writing the beginnings of stories - it's just so boring to me. So, if you like, review - I enjoy constructive criticism, but NO FLAMES. I'm VERY sensitive! Thank you for reading.
Alrighty, this fic is sorta AU, but not too much. Yes, it has an original character, so many of you might be thinking, "Oh, a Mary-Sue fic! Boring!" Well, then, don't read it. But I promise it's better than my other two fics. I mean it. And there is a somewhat supernatural flair to it, but it's not something much more unreal than Ivy's alchemy, Talim's ability to control wind or Cervantes and Taki's abilities to jump like 30 feet in the air. And take Soul Edge itself into consideration. The whole thing reeks of the paranormal. Oh, and although I describe it early in the chapter, just in case you don't know, this story takes place with Maxi in his secondary costume. No reason, really, I just think he's one good-looking hunk of man with that long blonde hair. Mmmmm . Maxi.
Chapter One: Reflections
Maxi couldn't believe his luck. Not only had he been restored to full health by Okai, the medicine man from the village he'd ended up in, but he had a good lead on Soul Edge. If he found that cursed sword, he'd find the man he was looking for.
He set his drink down, left the payment on the counter in front of the bartender and began to leave. On his way out of the shady bar in Lyon, a city in central France, however, he heard quite a bit of commotion.
A man of 28, he was quite tall and fair for a Japanese, with dark hair and a muscular, lean build. However, in recent months, living in that village in eastern Europe, he'd let his hair grow slightly longer, and it had lightened quite a bit from the time he spent in the sun. His skin had also tanned to some extent, and he now sported a tattoo of a dragon on his right shoulder and back. With his handsome face and debonair demeanor, he'd become very popular with the women there. Perhaps that was why he promised he'd return.
"You stupid wench!" a voice shouted. Maxi turned to see a very large man raising a hand to strike a young Chinese woman who looked vaguely familiar to him. Maxi leapt forward, catching the man's fist in his own hand. He then punched him square in the jaw, and as the offending Frenchman toppled over, Maxi turned to the Chinese girl and smiled.
"You okay?" he asked.
She gaped at him with dawning recognition. "You're . you're Maxi, aren't you?" she demanded. When he nodded, though without an inkling as to why she knew his name, she embraced him. "Oh, I'm so happy you're alive! Kilik and I have been so worried about you! We were both sure you were dead! Well, not sure, of course, but you know ."
"Uh . do I know you?" he inquired.
The girl drew back and stared at him in disbelief. "It's . it's me, Chai Xianghua! Don't you remember me?"
"I've . never seen you before in my life."
Dismayed, she lifted up her sleeve and showed him a thin scar that ran across her forearm. "Don't you remember this scar? A huge monster attacked me and you saved me just after I got hurt, and you took care of this cut. I told you I loved you just before you left me and Kilik! You said you'd give me an answer when you got back, and then . and then ." Xianghua buried her face in her hands and began to sob.
"Look, my lady, I think you just have me mistaken for someone else," he said empathetically, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I don't know how you know my name or anything, but . I've never known anyone named Kilik or Xianghua. I'm sorry."
And as Maxi left the crying Chinese girl after a brief conversation, another person watched from halfway down the crowded street.
Maxi left the town after asking for directions to Marseille, a city that sat on the coast of the Mediterranean. He was told to follow the Rhone River south and then head east along the coast; he left immediately and began to hike through the lush forest. It wasn't long before he realized he was being followed.
"I know you're there," he growled irritably. Whoever it was, they weren't trying too hard to be subtle about it.
The same large man that had attacked the girl named Xianghua came out of the bushes brandishing a large scythe. Maxi rolled his eyes and grabbed Soryuju, his nunchaku, from his belt. "Come for a fight, have you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. The large man raised his weapon, and Maxi prepared for his attack, but suddenly a flash of gray knocked his opponent clear over. He blinked, and found that a large dog had tackled the Frenchman. "What the .?"
The animal snarled, baring its white fangs. It was a very fine specimen and very wolf-like, with sleek silver fur and bright eyes. Maxi noticed that only one was brown, however; the other was such a pale blue it was nearly white.
"Damned mongrel!" the Frenchman roared, struggling to stand. He swung his scythe at the beast, but it leapt skillfully away. "I thought I ran you out of town last week!"
The dog leapt forward again, hitting him square in the chest with its enormous paws and knocking him over again. When the man stood again, Maxi stepped in between him and the animal. "Leave him alone," he urged. "He's mine."
"Shows how much you know!" the other man spat. "That's a she-dog!"
"Okay, you got me," Maxi said with a shrug. "In any case, I'm leaving, and I'm taking it with me."
Maxi left the man where he was, spitting and cursing, as he snapped his fingers and offered the animal a piece of bread from his pack. It was shy, but took the food after a few moments. It followed him for the remainder of the day, until he decided to sit down and make camp for the night.
It hadn't been long since he'd been restored to full health by the village shaman, so he didn't have quite as much stamina as he used to. At least the seizures have stopped, he thought to himself with a sigh. He looked to his side and noticed that the dog was sitting not more than ten feet away from him. "You need a rest, too?" he asked amiably. "Well, come over here, I have some spare food you can have."
To his surprise, the animal just stood there, watching him with those eerie eyes. "You're a strange one," he mumbled, then closed his eyes to sleep. When he awoke he found that the animal had curled up next to him, its back against his hip. The sun had just barely begun to break the darkness of the pre-dawn sky, but it was already time to start out again.
"Are you coming, too?" he asked it as he stood and started hiking south again. It gave a yip of acknowledgement and followed eagerly. It was strange, how human this dog seemed, and it bothered Maxi to think about it. However, he also enjoyed the company, and found it rather pointless to complain. It was his own fault for offering a stray dog some food.
By the middle of the day Maxi needed another break; he felt light- headed. So much for being completely cured . he thought bitterly, but then realized it was a miracle he could walk. He hadn't had a single seizure since the ritual was performed, and he didn't miss them in the slightest.
Suddenly the dog bristled. It began to growl deeply, glaring into the bushes nearby. "Aw, dammit, the stupid mutt blew our cover!" a deep voice groaned.
"Never mind, we can take that guy!" another assured.
"Oh, my God ." Maxi muttered. He took out Soryuju and took a fighting stance. Two men leapt from the bushes - they were obviously bandits of some sort. "This is getting ridiculous."
"We saw you offering gold to anyone who told you about Soul Edge!" one shouted, pointing an accusing finger at him. "Hand it over or you'll die here and now!"
"We'll slit your throat!"
"I'd like to see you try," said Maxi with disinterest.
The dog yipped and tackled one of the would-be thieves. Maxi found it interesting that the dog hadn't yet bitten anyone, but found very little time to reflect on it - he was in the middle of a fight.
One of the thieves lunged for him, but he slapped him away with his nunchaku. When the other recovered from the dog's attack, he wrapped the chain of Soryuju around his arm, pulled the bandit over his back, and dislocated his shoulder by slamming it against his own (one of his throws from the game, in case you didn't know). "Get out of my sight!" he growled, and the beaten thugs scrambled away, whimpering in pain. Maxi then turned to his companion and said, "You're one strange mutt. Why haven't you been biting anyone? That's what dogs do."
Suddenly the dog leapt to its feet, and glowed with a bright light. Within moments Maxi was facing a human, not the animal that had once stood there. "I guess you figured out my secret," laughed a silvery voice with a heavy accent. "My name is Ilya Strucov . it's a pleasure to meet you."
Yeah, so that's it for the first chapter. Kinda short, but to make it any longer would drive me insane. I hate writing the beginnings of stories - it's just so boring to me. So, if you like, review - I enjoy constructive criticism, but NO FLAMES. I'm VERY sensitive! Thank you for reading.