An SCII Christmas

Chapter 4:

Lost In A Big City

Hethra: Hey Everyone! I'm back! I'm not dead... yet. But anyway this is chapter 4, of An SCII Christmas and I'm just gonna take some time to thank all those who read this fic.

Spider-bear – glad you enjoyed the move Mitsurugi used in the last chapter. If you own a PS2 and you rent The Way Of The Samurai (great game), in the opening sequence the hero uses that move. It's my point of inspiration.

Jarock16 – I agree. I've really only found one story with a Link/Talim pairing, and I think it fits well.

To the anonymous reviewer (me, that's what it said "me") the general is a minor character, not gay, and I've really never seen a giant cobra before so I wouldn't know. And to all of you I apologize for the incredibly slow update times. I'm working on that, and I live to make your time spent reading these fics as enjoyable as possible (and I know that there are more of you). Now... that's done so...

The Disclaimer!

Ahem... I do not own Soul Calibur 2 or any of the characters in this fic (except for one!) and don't sue me.

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An SCII Christmas

Chapter 4:

Lost In A Big City

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As Mitsurugi and Siegfried entered the city, the German could not suppress a gasp of amazement. The city was brightly lit, and glowed in the evening sky. Merchants who were rolling up their display mats, upon seeing the two wanderers roaming the city, stood and began to ask if the samurai or the German would like to see anything. Mitsurugi almost got arrested when a polish salesman said that he didn't accept Yen, and Mitsurugi pulled out his sword. Siegfried quickly apologized to the policemen, and quickly paid for the sword polish. Mitsurugi grumbled various words at the salesman in Japanese, and there was no doubt to anyone what they meant.

Siegfried then spotted a jewellery store, immediately thought of Cassandra, and was about to enter when Mitsurugi grabbed him by the arm, telling him how important it was to save money in this town, and then brought him down numerous streets and back alleys to come to an expensive looking bar.

"I thought you said we weren't supposed to waste our money." Siegfried told the warrior. Mitsurugi sighed and said,

"If there's only one thing I teach you in life, it's that alcohol is never a waste." He smiled, patted Siegfried on the shoulder, and entered the bar. Siegfried smiled and walked into the bar.

The inside the bar, Siegfried saw as soon as he walked in, immediately betrayed the image established when one saw the outside of the "questionable" establishment. Smoke filled the air, various fights were occurring everywhere, and those who weren't fighting were too drunk to care otherwise. His throat immediately irritated by the smoke, he told Mitsurugi that he was going outside, and left. He got outside, took a deep breath and then considered his options. He could stay outside and wait for Mitsurugi to come out, or, he realized, he could try and go back to the jewellery store to buy something for Cassandra, or at least find the store so he would know for futurereferences. He grinned and walked down what he thought was the right street, never giving thought to the fact that he didn't know where the store was, or to the dark figure who followed him.

For what must have been half an hour he wandered the streets, searching for the store, and thought that Mitsurugi could have made the trip in five minutes. He was worried, it was completely dark out, with only the street torches lighting the roads, and there was no doubt that the store had closed long ago, or that Mitsurugi was looking for him. He sighed, and then half-jumped when steps arose behind him. He smiled and turned, thinking Mitsurugi had found him, but was instantly on guard when he saw three very drunk looking men walk towards him.

"Hey there buddy." One of the drunks slurred, "Yous is looking losht. Do yousa needs some assis- assis- assis, uh, help?" He grinned stupidly; proud that he had finished a complete sentence. Siegfried smiled nervously. Drunks were sometimes dangerous, and he had left his sword in the bar with Mitsurugi. He backed away from them, raising his hands to show that he was unarmed. The drunks continued to advance, and Siegfried noticed the blades that the darkness had concealed in their hands, glint in the light from a nearby torch. He continued to back down the alleyway until his back connected with the butt end of another blade. He stood shocked, realizing that he was surrounded, until a blunt blow to the back of his head sent him to the ground. As he slipped, shivering into the darkness, he heard only a deep familiar sounding laugh, low and resonating through the darkness...

... And he saw only red.

Siegfried was surrounded in darkness, blindly searching in the dark for... something, anything to assure him that he was all right. Then, a light in the distance, Siegfried slowly moved towards it. The light turned into Cassandra, calling for help. Siegfried broke into a run, only to witness Cassandra turn into a giant, bloated, bloodshot eye that Siegfried was only too familiar with. The eye of the Soul Edge glared at him, then turned into a dark cloaked figure. The figure laughed that deep familiar laugh before throwing off the cloak to reveal Siegfried's worst nightmare. The Azure Armoured Knight – Nightmare – Laughed the same laugh as the cloaked figure...

... And Siegfried awoke, gasping into the night. Except, he was no longer outside, but he was on a bed. He sat up and looked around, and noticed a strange figure sitting by the fire in the room. The figure turned to reveal a man, about 30, worn and weathered by the wilderness, with long wild hair, and wearing a garb that he had once seen Mitsurugi wearing. A common Japanese cloak, a Kimono or something like that. The man stood, revealing a Katana blade much like Mitsurugi's and he spoke to Siegfried.

"Well my friend, it would seem that you're awake. It's been 3 hours since I found you in that street, in case you were wondering, and I'm sure you have many questions, none of which I have time to answer for you," he added, "But I'm sure are very important. I will only tell you that my name is, well, I am known as the Ronin Hiazoki by many, and I believe your friend will be looking for you shortly. Give him this parchment, and I'm afraid you will have to be on your way, as I have business to attend to."

The Ronin walked him out the door, told him that the bar where Mitsurugi would be waiting for him was at the end of the street, patted him on the shoulder, and walked into the night. Siegfried stood stunned for a moment, amazed at what had just happened. He looked at the note the Ronin had handed him, but couldn't read it, as it was in Japanese characters, and turned to walk to the bar.

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"What are you talking about?" Mitsurugi asked him. Siegfried had found Mitsurugi at the bar and had explained his strange story. Mitsurugi sat with his mouth agape as Siegfried finished, and then just looked at him. Mitsurugi then just shook his and stood up. "If we want to get to the Alexandra's house anytime soon, we should leave now. Maybe the fresh air will knock some sense into your head." He laughed and pushed Siegfried out the door. It was then that Siegfried remembered the note. He stopped Mitsurugi.

"If you don't believe my story then here," he said, handing Mitsurugi the note, "That guy, oh crap what was his name... uh, Hiazoki! That was it! He gave me that to give to you." Mitsurugi looked at him as if he were crazy and started to read the note. Had the sun been out, Siegfried would have seen the blood leave Mitsurugi's face as he read the contents of the note. He looked at Siegfried again, this time with a tiny bit of fear cleverly hidden in his face. He stammered a bit and then cleared his throat.

"Who did you say gave you this?" he stammered. Siegfried looked at him and said,

"He said that he was known as the Ronin Hiazoki. Why?" Mitsurugi answered him in a serious tone.

"He is known as the Ronin Hiazoki from time to time, yes. But more often he is known as Hethra Hiazoki," he swallowed loudly and continued, "The Unknown Warrior." Siegfried looked at him, and Mitsurugi continued, "It's true that he can't be 'Unknown' if people know his name, but almost no one does. I fought with him in an earlier time, and he may have been one of the greatest Samurai to live, next to some of the earlier Daimyo and Shogun of Japan and a man named Kenshin, but if what he said in this note is true..." he stopped, looking at Siegfried. So young, he thought to himself, yet so much has already happened to him, and he only came here to have fun, should I tell him, or not?

"What's true?" Siegfried asked. Mitsurugi looked at him, then smiled.

"Then we'll have one hell of a time at that party. This thing is just telling me how to get there and, uh, what to expect, that's all." He began to walk towards the outside of the city. "We have to follow this road to get there the fastest." Siegfried continued to look at him, knowing that there was something wrong with what he had just heard. He then realized what it was, pushing aside all other thoughts on the sudden topic change to yell after Mitsurugi.

"You mean you didn't know how to get to where we were going!?" Mitsurugi only started to run faster, laughing, and Siegfried ran after him, yelling various obscenities in German, the other events of the night long forgotten, as he looked forward to his friends and the party to come.

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Hethra: Well that's gotta be the longest chapter I've written for this story (or any for that matter) and it feels good. I hope it makes you want to read more, cuz I know it makes me want to write more. Hethra was (if you couldn't guess) my character and that may be the last we see of him (or not). I also added a little Easter egg in there. See if you can find it and add it to your review to earn...

Your name in the next chapter!

Well I hope I left you at a bit of a dead end, with lots of questions, but R&R and all will be revealed later. Until next time!

- The Unknown Warrior