For centuries I have rested here. Many have tried to claim me as there own. Samurais, Greek Warriors, Nationals, Priestesses, Ninjas. Only two have ever successfully held me. The first a feared pirate. Yes, how I enjoyed being under his control. With him, we slaughtered many innocents, a never ending feast of souls. However, my time with him was short, as he was defeated by two mere girls. Yet even as his corpse lay near his ruined vessel, I lived on. It was then I sensed another madness, one that rivaled, and with time could even surpass, that of the pirates. A young German boy wielding a Zwheinhander sword approached the dead pirate, no doubt lured here by tales of an invincible weapon.
It was then I decided to test the youths strength. I reanimated the pirates body, using it as a vessel of my will. I battled this boy for what seemed like hours, and in the end he defeated me. It was then that I knew this child would be the perfect source of madness from which I could destroy this pathetic world. Thinking his opponent dead, the boy reached for the sword the pirate used, not knowing who his true enemy was. It was when he grasped the swords, no my, hilt when I struck. The boy watched in horror as I slowly began to warp his body, and twist his soul. Soon, I had found the source of his madness, the image of him holding his dead father's head. That memory was carefully buried in his mind, and it was a scene he had altered. The boy had convinced himself someone else murdered his father. By this time, the boy had been completely dominated by my will, and my hunger. Together we would spread fear throughout Europe as the Azure Knight, destroying countless villages and claiming many souls.
However, my reign of terror was ended abruptly by a man from the East, and a girl from China. The man defeated my Azure Knight, and the girl…that damned girl. She was the one who wielded that damnable weapon, Soul Calibur. Because of her, I was shattered, and broken. Yet, my knight had not failed me. Years later, he began to collect my parts, and complete me. But to my surprise, upon my completion he cast me into a deep chasm, and forever guarded my resting place.
But now he is dead, and I am beginning to stir. I can sense another, one more troubled soul. A soul drenched in sadness, rage and depression. Perhaps with this one, I can sedate my endless hunger. Now I will rise again, and with no Soul Calibur to stop me, the world will once again fear the demon weapon Soul Edge.
Year of Blood - A Ranma ½ / Soul Calibur Crossover
"Raining, again. How many times must I be made to travel through the rain?" the man named Ryouga Hibiki asked to no one in particular, hoping the rain wouldn't soak through his cloak and trigger his curse. Times had been rough on Ryouga. Once again, he had been humbled by Ranma, but not only that, he had heard Akane's confession the night after. He had been trying to find his backpack after his crushing defeat at the hands of Ranma when he found himself lost in the park, and at dusk no less. It was then that he heard it, those words that will forever drive him like hammers into the depths of despair.
"I…I love Ranma"
Ryouga had thought he was hearing things at first. He checked to make sure he was awake in typical Ryouga fashion (bashing his head against a tree, which collapsed and fell right on his face by the way.) when Akane heard the commotion and came to investigate.
"Ryouga-kun? What are you doing here?" Akane asked, not even bothering to ask about his injuries from his battle against Ranma.
"Ah…Akane-san. I….um….well, you see…Akane, I lo.." Ryouga was suddenly cut off by Akane taking him into a tight embrace, tears streaming from her eyes.
"Oh, Ryouga-kun. I finally did it, I admitted to myself that I love Ranma. But I never thought it would hurt me this much," Akane cried, resting her head against his chest.
Ryouga was completely dumbfounded. He had no idea what to do. As if constantly being beaten by Ranma wasn't enough, having his one true love admit her feelings for his bitter enemy was the final nail in the coffin. Ryouga could not only hear his heart shatter, but could feel the cracks in his spirit. His will broken, he broke off the embrace and collapsed on the ground.
"A…Akane-san….I…am happy for you," Ryouga looked up at Akane, smiling slightly, but tears starting to form in his eyes. He couldn't keep eye contact with her though. It was too painful. He couldn't handle this final defeat. He was truly happy for Akane, because Ryouga did truly love her. However, before Akane could respond, he acted.
"Akane-san, I must leave now. Farewell, my love," Ryouga said as he darted off, wiping the tears from his eyes. Akane wasn't even able to respond.
"Did he just call me his love? Oh, Ryouga-kun, I pray that I'll be able to see you again," Akane muttered as she collapsed on the ground, in tears.
That was three weeks ago. Ryouga was certain now that he was forgotten,. Many times during these past weeks he contemplated suicide, but shrugged the notion off. He couldn't do it, that would mean Ranma had won completely, and totally. As long as he was still alive, somehow he could defeat Ranma
"I swear it, by whatever means, I will defeat Saotome! I will make him feel my pain, my suffering!" Ryouga announced to no one but himself, or so he thought.
"Do you truly mean that?" An unfamiliar voice asked Ryouga. Ryouga looked around, his guard up. He was certain that no one was around. He knew that he was lost in the mountains of Japan, and no one besides himself was crazy enough to come here.
"No, boy. You aren't in the mountains of Japan. In fact, your in Europe. Near my resting place," The voice told Ryouga, with something of….excitement…in it's voice. Ryouga finally figured it out, the voice was in his head. So, he'd finally gone insane. It must have been his last encounter with Akane, forced him over the edge. Well, no need to listen to weird voices, Ryouga thought. He began to unpack his tent for the night, and maybe start a fire and get some dinner.
"Don't shrug me off, boy," the voice echoed through Ryouga's head. Anger and hate was all he could feel, like this voice somehow had infected his mind. Then pain hit him, and it was at this point when Ryouga Hibiki knew that the voice wasn't birthed from his depression, sadness and anger.
"Yes, you have much anger in you…towards this being known as Saotome. And a sadness of constant rejection. And what is this? Oh, a failed love from this girl called Akane Tendo. Yes, my friend. You'll do very nicely," the voice echoed in Ryouga's head. He couldn't stop it. What did it mean by "do nicely"?
Suddenly the ground began to shake. A deep chasm erupted near Ryouga's campsite. Ryouga began to feel his body move against his will, taking him towards the chasm. "Oh god! I'm going to jump in?" he thought to himself, but then smiled at the irony of it all. "That vow, my determination to defeat Saotome, all for nothing because some stupid voice has commanded me to jump into a bottomless pit. Is this the end of your cruel joke towards me, God? So be it, end my life so I may rest in Hell," Ryouga resigned to himself.
"Oh no, boy, you will not die. You'll become something far more powerful than you could imagine. Look, for now I shall reveal myself to you!" As soon as the voice said this, a huge beam of light emerged from the chasm, and lit up the sky as if trying to tear it in two. Suddenly, a large, almost organic sword emerged. Ryouga looked on in horror, and small curiosity, at the magnificent weapon. He almost jumped when he saw an eye emerge from it's center.
"Now, my champion! Grasp my hilt, and together we will cover this world in blood!" (extra points to whomever can figure out where this line was inspired from!) As if it were his destiny, Ryouga grasped the sword. He could feel it, the power, the anger, the hatred, sadness and the thirst for revenge. The flames of vengeance began to consume his soul, and all he could hear was the maniacal laughing of the sword. Then there was blackness.
He awoke three days later in the center of a destroyed town. He didn't know where he was, only that the smell of blood was heavy here. Then he saw it. The destruction and death, and for some reason he knew he was the cause. He looked for the sword, hoping this was just a dream, but then he saw it, in his right hand. The sword was bathed in blood, the blood of innocents.
"You've done well, my champion. The souls of this Russian village have sedated my hunger, for now." Yes, the voice that spoke to him. It was, warmer now, like the voice of an old friend. Ryouga looked at the bodies of their victims. Women, children, men. None were spared. And he didn't feel a shred of remorse. In fact, he enjoyed it. He remembered the madness, and wished for it to return, so he may bathe in it, relish it. Then one thought entered his mind, one consuming desire. That desire was for Ranma Saotome's blood, and his soul.
Ryouga let out a maniacal laughter as he looked at his surroundings, and said one sentence before vanishing.
"Ranma Saotome, this time I hunt you not for what you did to me, or for honor, this time I hunt you to kill you, to devour your soul and damn you to an eternity of everlasting pain within my cursed sword!"
Ryouga and his new companion Soul Edge set out for their new destination, Tokyo, Japan. The Nerima district. This would be the beginning of what would later be known as the Year of Blood.
Authors Notes: Phew, prologue done! I remember reading a one chapter fanfic about Soul Edge in the Ranmaverse, and decided to expand upon it. I plan on expanding this, but I have no real idea when the next chapter will be out, so please bear with me! Please, give me some constructive criticism and your ideas on this fanfic, I thrive on this stuff, and am really eager to see what you all think! Until next time.