Soul Caliber: No Future

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Soul Caliber 2, its characters, or any other part that is involved with the Soul Caliber Series created by Namco.

Chapter 5

Cassandra read and re-read the journal she took with her, constantly trying to see if it was a misprint. Every single time though it was the same words. Xainghua still worried about Kilik, but she hadn't heard from him since he left. They marched down the small mountain they were on, tiring from the wind that froze their muscles.

They rested half way down. Xainghua got out some cried salmon and gave a piece to Cassandra. She ate it slowly, savoring every bite. She hadn't left that book alone in a day. No wonder Nightmare looked familiar; it was her old friend Zigfried. The sky was bright but overcast, and no birds sang. The smell of moist earth filled the air, and the front was going away from them.

How could he kill Sophitia? He was my friend and he slew my sister. Then again, he wasn't Siegfried, he was Nightmare. She thought. Well, I need to kill him for her sake, but we need Kilik.

"Where do you think Kilik is?" Cassandra asked Xainghua. Her guess was as good as hers.

"Hmm... He headed west so somewhere near France by now. I always wanted to go there, but never had the chance."

They headed down the mountain and then something unexpected happened, the wind changed and the sky turned black. The front was closing in on them and they needed shelter. Xainghua spotted a cave and the two hid in it. As soon as they got in, the storm was well in full swing. The rain poured down and thunder rumbled in the distance. It was hard to make a fire with wet fuel, but they managed. They attempted to keep warm, and that was more difficult than making the fire with cold wind blowing in the cave. They put up a tarp they had in a backpack and that cut down some of the chill. In the distance, Cassandra could see a glint of steel. She went up to inspect it and sure enough, it was something made of steel. She brought it into the light and to her surprise that it was Sophitia's sword. This made her even more distraught.

"She really is dead. She never leaves this lying around." Spoke Cassandra, throwing it into the ground and it stuck there.

"Well if she was killed here, we could at least find a body right?" Xainghua asked. Her idea to go out and find a body was a great one, but the storm wad driving and if lightning struck a tree and hid Sophitia's body, it would be impossible to find it.

"I'm going out there to find her body."

"But you'll get lost in that storm! The rain is driving out there!"

"I don't give a damn! When I decide something I keep it that way!"

So Cassandra went into the storm accompanied with Xainghua. They looked everywhere, under brush, under rock, everywhere. The rain pounded down and the thunder was deafening. Lighting flashed every other moment. The eye of the storm was upon them. Gale winds were upon them, and walking became harder.

"Cassandra!" Xainghua yelled over the wind and thunder, "We need to get out of here! It's too strong!"

"NO! I'm not leaving until I find her body!" Cassandra replied.

"We'll both die!"

"Then so be it!"

Hours rolled on and the storm was not letting up. They couldn't see anything anymore. Their eyes were exhausted from squinting and they were catching a cold. All seemed lost, and then the storm turned into a hurricane. The westward wind blew them off of their feet and high into the air. The two screamed, but nothing was heard because of the wind spinning around and thunder roaring overhead. Then they went out cold.

Xainghua awoke in a warm room. She could hear water boiling and footsteps.

"Ah!" a woman's voice said, "It seems you are awake."

Xainghua woke completely up and gazed at a cloaked woman in red. She offered Xainghua some tea, which she drank immediately. She then remembered Cassandra.

"Do not fear about your comrade. She is sleeping as well."

There was an odd and mystic feeling about the woman. Xainghua could never get a clear look at her face and the most you could she was her lips and blond hair.

"Where am I?" she asked.

"Probably about twenty miles away from the capital of France. Why, are you looking for someone?"

"Yes! How did you know?" Xainghua explained to the woman about Kilik and why he left. The woman paced over to the corner.

"I would rather tell you both at the same time." Her voice sounded quite young.

An hour later Cassandra awoke and they both went outside to see the woman. Her shack was nothing special; mostly a lento, a rather large lento. They could feel the gentle breeze and see the rolling waves on the shoreline where they were. The woman gazed out to sea obviously not talking until they both talked to her.

"You wanted to see us?" Cassandra asked and at that moment the woman turned around. Her red robe complimented her figure. She put her hands up to her hood, and took it off, revealing her true face.

"SOPHITIA!" Cassandra cried and ran to hug her resurrected sister. Sophitia embraced her lovingly, "I thought Nightmare killed you."

"Nay sister," she spoke softly, holding her sisters head in her arms, "He spared me for some reason. I missed you so much. He let me live, but I had to go into seclusion. I couldn't talk to anyone of my previous life and I needed a new one."

"Excuse me Sophitia was it? We need to know how long we were unconscious." Xainghua asked placing her hand on her thigh, "And where's our equipment?"

"Approximately a week I'm sorry to say," Sophitia said with remorse.

"Cassandra is there anyone who knows this place well and you know the same?" Cassandra asked.

"First your weapons; I've been working on repairing your old ones." She led them back into the shack and presented newly repaired weapons, "Now as for a guild you are in luck. He's recently been exiled from Paris but is a good soul nonetheless. I will take you to him at midnight. His name is Raphael."

Nightmare abandoned following Kilik, as it was no sense to continue tracking something that Soul Edge could see at anytime, but he did decide to go to France in case his fellow comrades followed him as well.

Kilik decided that he needed medical attention. (Sorry, but if you're vomiting, I'd think so too no?) He staggered as his rod hit the ground and took another step. It was a burden to walk for him now. Mud splattered on his face from collapsing days before with nothing to wash with, it was cakes on and difficult to tolerate.

His mind wavered from the memory from hell and his present situation. The rash on his arm wasn't quite a rash now. It was turning hard, tough and it no longer burned. He did fell however less kind everyday. It seemed even his more pleasing activities to accomplish made him even more miserable. He didn't know if it was him, but he blamed it on the illness.

To his luck, Kilik came across a gargantuan town. He was so happy (well, for those days that he wasn't grumpy) that he collapsed again. A man, hooded and carrying a thin sword picked him up just as he was happening to be traveling. He looked at Kilik, sighed, shook his head and carried him into town. He was now in France.

Kilik was dragged into a doctor's office by the highwayman, "This man, to the emergency room now!" he ordered the clerk at the counter.

"Why sir, you need to sign this form if you want in," she replied. The man sighed yet again and put his hand on his sword, drew it and thrust the point of it into the form in front of him.

"Look at it and be glad it's not your face. On ward now!" said the man with a rather gallant voice, "I have other business to attend to." With that he left after giving the fee to the clerk.

"Where...where am I," Kilik asked opening his tired eyes into a brightly lit room.

"Why, you were through quite the ordeal: Head injuries, bad case of sunstroke and a very bad case of a rash. Let me just see it now and we're off!" said a voice that once Kilik regained his sight came from a Healer. As he touched Kilik's rash, his hand was scorched and burned. A loud yell came out and Kilik's already pounding head created nausea and he vomited again, "Get this freak out of here! He's good to go except for that rash!" The Healer bandaged his hand and after a few minutes Kilik left.

The city was strange to him; so many people, but not as many as there was back home. The bakery was cooking fresh bread, Kilik could smell it. He went in for a bite, but was kicked out for having foreign money. After a not so quick trip to the money changer, Kilik got his fill and was feeling much better. As soon as he was done, he asked some questions and was astounded to be in France. He remembered seeing a vague shape of a man outside the town and wanted to repay him for his kindness.

"Excuse me. Excuse me! Why will no one listen to me?" Kilik did not know that most of these people did not tolerate nor like foreigners. He kept walking and finally got some information. Apparently the man lived outside the town and occasionally came back to see a small girl; an orphan was more like it. So that's where Kilik left to.

Back in the outskirts, Kilik searched for someone, or something. He couldn't count on this man being Nightmare in disguise. But then again, Nightmare wouldn't pull something like that. It was late noon and he was in the middle of the forest. Kilik gave up then and sat on a log.

"Face it, I'll never find this person." He said to himself, looking through his legs at the grass below. This was a heavily forested place so he needed to be on guard at all times. Too bad he let it down.

"Tell me young rod wielder, do you like to dance?" came a voice from out of the distance. Kilik looked around and he saw a man, hooded and carrying a sword walk through the trees towards him. He asked again, "Well boy, do you or don't you."

"I like to make my own dace steps!" yelled Kilik as he ran with great speed with Kilia-yuga, his faithful rod at the man.

It seemed as it was about to hit him, then the man was behind him with a sword drawn to Kilik's neck. He was mesmerized at how he fought. Every time he attacked, he avoided the blow then countered. He was annoying as a fly, but as graceful as a horse. He favoured a thrusting motion rather that slashing, forcing Kilik to have to be more careful on how he blocked.

"Jolly good boy! Keep it up! My, my! My mother can fight better than you!" criticized the man.

This was enough for him; he didn't feel like fighting a jokester. He unleashed his soul into his attacks. Now that old fool as Kilik was thinking of calling him was parrying his attacks, making him lose his balance. He couldn't stand this! His right arm burned with his anger. He spun his Rod around himself and all of his hits landed.

Knowing when to retreat, the master duelist ran shouting, "I know where your friends are! Come here at midnight in three days!"

"Who are you!?" Kilik shouted as the man ran out of sight.

"Just call me Raphael."

As Raphael left, Kilik's arm burned. This was no rash on his arm; he finally understood what was going on. Every time he fought and let his anger rise, his arm became something otherworldly.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not again!"

Soul Edge cackled silently in its own domain. It had taken over Kilik. All it had to do was set the pieces, and let the game progress like chess.

Check Mate Kilik.

A/N: I dunno about this one. Not up to my standards either. Oh well, a good story needs a chapter to lead to other events like this! R&R! Please don't flame me. Criticism is ok, but no flaming on the chapters. If I said they were bad and you agree, keep your mouth shut.