L.P.: I'm back! This time, I will not let writer's block stand in my way! Yet still, I won't update frequently, so, again, bear with me, okay? And no flames, okay? Okay, Jayson, disclaim!

Jayson: Lightpaladin does not own Soul Calibur II and never will, even though he owns a copy of said game. And he does own me because I'm his OC, and if you take me, Lightpaladin WILL sue you. Got that?

L.P.: Well-spoken. Now on with the fic!

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Angel

Chapter II: Confrontation

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"Fighters ready? FIGHT!" the announcer cried. No sooner had he said those words, Jayson and Yunsung leapt into action.

Yunsung took the initiative and made a quick horizontal slash to the left. Jayson raised his sword and blocked the blow, the familiar sound of metal against metal clamoring aloud as the audience roared their approval. Jayson used the force of Yunsung's blade to step to his left side, leaving Yunsung's back vulnerable. Jayson took this opportunity to spin around and slam the flat side of his sword into Yunsung's back. Yunsung grunted in pain as he fell a few feet away from Jayson. Yet instead of falling face first, he caught his footing and stood himself up.

"Quick recovery," Jayson said.

"I must have lost balance," Yunsung retorted. He then ran for Jayson again and swung his sword vertically. Jayson held his sword horizontally and blocked the oncoming blow. Yunsung lifted his sword and swung again, but Jayson spun around, held his sword parallel to his spine and blocked the attack. Yunsung grunted and made another horizontal slash in the opposite direction. Jayson faced Yunsung again and deflected the strike, then in the instant, began spinning his sword wildly to and fro. Yunsung leapt back, observed the pattern of the sword swinging, and began blocking that pattern. Left, right, left, right, left, right, the sword kept coming at him. Then, after Jayson swung his sword to the right, he spun it around and made another right swing, throwing Yunsung off-guard as he forced himself back. He tried to retaliate, but to no avail as Jayson made an upwards vertical strike, and Yunsung was forced to guard. Jayson then spun around and thrust his sword forward. Yunsung jumped to the right, only to be greeted by another horizontal strike in that direction, which he blocked.

Dammit, this guy's good, Yunsung thought as a downwards slash came at him. He smirked. Now! Disrupt! He swung his own sword upwards so forcefully that he not only blocked the blow, but he forced Jayson's sword back, leaving him wide open for an attack…or so he thought. Yunsung swung his sword downward, looking forward to leave a large scar on Jayson's chest. But Jayson gave a smirk of his own as he used the force of his parried blow to swing his arm back and plant his sword into the ground. He then heaved his foot into Yunsung's stomach while he was still in mid-swing. All of Yunsung's breath was knocked out of him as he felt himself being lifted up from the ground. Jayson then flipped over his sword, taking Yunsung with him. Yunsung was brought to the ground hard with Jayson landing on top of him. Yunsung cried out in pain as he felt Jayson's full body weight bear down upon him. The crowd roared as Jayson withdrew his sword from the ground and back-flipped off of Yunsung.

"I must admit, you read my moves well," Jayson said, "until my 'Angel of Whim' kick. Now get up. I'm getting bored." Yunsung did more than get up. He threw himself up and right at Jayson and performed a solid vertical strike. Jayson jumped backwards and avoided the blow successfully. He has greater endurance than I expected, he thought. Oh well. That makes the fight more interesting. He smiled as Yunsung made a horizontal strike, which he blocked. Then Yunsung came at him with another horizontal strike. Jayson raised his sword, expecting to block it, but then he felt Yunsung's free hand grasp Jayson's wrist. Yunsung then spun around, jumped, and, using his sword hand, lifted himself up in such a way that he was doing a handstand on top of Jayson, but only for a second. Yunsung then pushed himself to the side, plowing both feet into Jayson's stomach. Jayson felt all of his breath being forced out of him as Yunsung fell to the ground, still grasping Jayson and lifting him off of his feet. Yunsung used the momentum to his advantage and drove Jayson to the ground, and then landed on top of him, forcing all of his body weight on him. He then back-flipped off of him.

"How's that?" Yunsung said cockily. "Like they say: an eye for an eye." Jayson groaned in pain as he forced himself up to his feet and faced Yunsung.

"Not bad," Jayson replied, "though I've been through worse." This guy's getting too cocky for his own good. I better finish this soon. "Now it's time I took this seriously." Jayson then did something unexpected; he sheathed his sword and crouched into a stance in which he looked like he was ready to unsheathe if anything got too close. Everyone was perplexed as to what he was doing.

What the hell is this guy up to? Yunsung thought. He just stared as Jayson stood still in that position.

"Come," Jayson spoke, a hint of darkness present in his voice. "If you want to see what I am capable of, then I dare you to attack me, unless you're a coward."

Yunsung's left eye twitched; it was an obvious sign that he was enraged. "What…did you…just…say?" he asked slowly and venomously.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Jayson taunted, never moving from his stance. "Perhaps I should rephrase that: attack me now, child."

Something snapped in Yunsung. This bastard's got some nerve! First it's coward, now it's child! Nobody ever calls me those names and lives to tell about it! Those thoughts ran like a raging rapid in Yunsung's mind as he clenched his fist to the point that it bled. He then swung his sword back and yelled, "DIE!" at the top of his lungs. Jayson noticed that fire started to build up in Yunsung's sword.

That's no ordinary blaze, he thought, it's the fire of pure will. I can sense his undying craze to defeat me. I never knew that a warrior such as him was capable of such a feat. Still…that won't help him. He then saw Yunsung strike his sword against the ground. Yunsung used the force of the blow to propel him higher, enabling him to perform a flip, all while leaving a spectacular tail of flames in his wake. Despite the fact that Yunsung homed in on him, Jayson never budged from his stance. I have to time this right. Even though he's annoyingly egotistical, I can't afford to kill him. Wait for it, wait for it…

"FIRE STORM!" Yunsung yelled as the impending attacked came down upon Jayson at an alarming rate. Time itself seemed to slow down as the blow came closer and closer to striking its target. Then, Jayson saw an opening present in Yunsung's chest, and that he was almost at the right distance for the awesome timing of what was to come.

Now! "ANGEL'S JUDGEMENT!" Jayson yelled while lashing his sword out at such a speed that one could call it godly, performing a lightning-fast diagonal strike to the left. Yunsung stopped in midair. The fire from his sword had been extinguished. He then fell to his feet, shocked at what Jayson performed. Blood began to slowly eke out of his chest as he saw a long, thin red line run diagonally from the left side of his waist to his right shoulder.

"S-so…f-fast…ugh," Yunsung muttered in shock as he fell to his knees. That's impossible! No one's ever countered my Fire Storm attack! But he did it with just one swing! Just who the hell is this guy? he thought as he fell on his back with a satisfying thump.

"YUNSUNG HAS BEEN WOUNDED! FIGHT OVER! JAYSON WINS!" the announcer yelled. The crowd roared excitedly in approval of Jayson's astonishing victory. Jayson took a look at his sword and smiled; only the tip had pierced Yunsung's flesh, judging from the small amount of blood on it. Perfect timing, he thought. He then looked at Yunsung with some degree of pity.

"You're lucky that the cut isn't deep," Jayson spoke. "Had I attacked later, your death would have been imminent." He then turned around and sheathed his sword. "Please wait here while a doctor is called," he said before leaping across the moat to the main base of the arena. The crowd was still cheering wildly as Jayson picked up his white cloak and slid it over himself, the hood hiding his identity once more.

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Cassandra was astonished by Jayson's skill. The way he handled his sword, the way he moved his body...it almost seemed like he was dancing. And the way he executed that last move so perfectly…she concluded that he was no ordinary warrior. His long, pointed ears had especially gotten her attention, for she knew that was not normal. She also found it strange that no one but her noticed them in the first place. Just who or what is this guy? she thought. He seemed nice enough…I mean, he did congratulate me after my fight. Oh well, I guess I'll find out for myself. She then saw the white-cloaked Jayson leave the arena. Setting her goal as to find out more about him, Cassandra followed quietly behind him, keeping a good distance from him.

She followed him until they were halfway from the inn. At that point, Cassandra ducked behind one of the buildings to a side street, and from there, she raced back to the inn in only half a minute's time. She then headed to the front entrance, taking a glance down the main street in order to catch sight of him. Seeing that he was still quite a ways away from here, she then entered the inn and searched her brown belt for her key. Finding it exactly where she had put it, she strode to her room door and unlocked it. Judging from where he stayed last night, Cassandra noticed that he had to walk by this door in order to get to his own. So, she hid behind her door, waiting until he walked by so that she could confront him.

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Well, thought Jayson as he strode towards the inn, that was quite fun. That Yunsung guy put up a fight. Also helped to relieve some of my stress. True enough, ever since those unfortunate past occurrences, he had been under more stress than he usually was. Fighting was one of the few yet effective ways he could lessen its weight on him. He couldn't let his losses blind him for why he was on this quest at all. What's done is done, he thought, and the past cannot be changed. A slight frown played upon his face as he made his way past busy villagers and towards the inn.

Upon arrival, he let himself in and trotted to the hall where his room was located. I could use a nap anyway, he thought as he walked down the long hallway. About halfway down, he suddenly felt something grab his cloak. He turned to see a slender, white-gloved hand firmly gripping the cloak and tugging him into the open door where it was poking out of. "Whoa!" No such luck. He felt himself being pulled into a room with enough force to almost make him topple. His instincts told him immediately; if something grabs you, take it down. As a reflex, he broke free of the grasp and spun around to face his ambusher…

…only to realize that the ambusher was that Cassandra woman from earlier. His visible eye went wide, and he stopped himself from lashing out his sword almost as soon as he laid his hand on it.

Taking a deep breath, he said in a mock-cocky tone, "You really shouldn't be doing that. You never know who you'll drag in."

"Well, it seems I've dragged in the right person, haven't I?" Cassandra said.

"Whatever do you mean by that?" Jayson asked.

"I was hoping you could explain a few things to me," she replied.

"Such as…?"

"A few things. First off…," Cassandra grabbed the hood of his cloak and pulled it off his head, revealing blonde hair, a scarred green eye…and two long pointed ears, one of which had three blue earrings piercing it. "…your ears."

"What about them?" Jayson asked innocently.

"Don't play dumb with me," Cassandra said hotly. She then reached down without warning and pinched his left ear at its tip. Needless to say, Jayson felt the sting, for her grip was tight.

"Yow!" he cried while she released her grip. "That hurt!"

"See? I knew it!" Cassandra exclaimed. "Now, who or what are you?"

Jayson sighed. If she can see my ears, he thought, then she must have a very strong will to go against Soul Edge, too. Perhaps she would make a good acquaintance. For now, however, let's see how this turns out. "I guess the secret's out," he replied.

"What secret?" Cassandra asked.

"The fact that you can actually see my ears," he replied.

"What? Am I not supposed to see them?" she inquired.

"Actually, only those who share the same goal as I do can see them," Jayson said.

Cassandra blinked; the same goal? She wondered what he meant by that. Then she remembered Soul Edge; could that be his target? She feared to ask, but she had to. "You're searching for Soul Edge, aren't you?" she asked somewhat cryptically.

Jayson nodded. "That I am," he replied. He then reached down his blue vest and slowly pulled out a shard of red and black metal.

Cassandra felt it pulse with an evil aura, the same aura that the shard she possessed emanated. No way, she thought. He has a piece of Soul Edge, too. That must mean he's searching for it. Can I…actually trust him? No…I don't even know anything about him. The ears are kinda cute, though…wait, what am I thinking? "Are you serious?" she asked.

"I'm dead serious," Jayson replied as he put away the metal shard.

"But why are you after it?" Cassandra asked. "If you really are, then you should know that Soul Edge is vile and manipulative. It also takes souls and uses them to its own evil ends."

"Exactly," Jayson said. "That is why it must be destroyed."

Cassandra hesitated for a moment. She hadn't expected a response like that one. Most others she had asked described it as a "Sword of Salvation" or "Heroes' Sword" that would give its wielder great power. Yet this guy was different; he seemed to actually know what Soul Edge was capable of. But how did he know that Soul Edge was evil? This guy might be useful, but I can't be too sure. Just go with the flow, Cassandra. "That doesn't answer my question," she said sternly.

"Personal reasons," he replied simply. "Let's leave it at that." He looked at Cassandra and studied her, his bright, emerald eye piercing into her bright blue ones. Her will is strong, he thought. I can sense it. Something is driving her to destroy Soul Edge, but I can't tell what it is. Maybe I can trust her, but can she trust me? "Perhaps you can help me out."

"In what way?" Cassandra asked.

"You see, I don't know this place very well," he replied, "and I've only been here for two days. I'm afraid that if I go on alone, I may become…well, lost, and that would be a great hindrance to my quest. I'm in need of a guide." He stared at Cassandra again, but with less intensity. "Will you be willing to aid me? After all, we both share the same goal."

"Well, how can I know whether I can trust you or not?" she asked intently. "I mean, you are a great swordsman and all, but I don't even know you that well."

"You can trust me. I'm a man of my word," Jayson replied. He then flashed a smile at her. Cassandra was taken aback; she had never seen a smile like that one before. It looked so peaceful and sincere that it could bring even the most troubled of souls at ease. She could instantly tell from that smile that he was being honest. She couldn't see any sign that he could deceive her somehow. Most of her doubts about him were washed away, yet some of them still remained in her head, such as what his "personal reasons" were for going after Soul Edge in the first place, and, well, his long, pointed ears. Still, she felt like she could trust him.

"Okay," she said calmly. "I'll be your guide…at least for a little while. One question, though: why do your ears look the way they are?"

He smiled again. "It's a long story. It'd be best if I save it for the road." He then turned to the door leading to the hall. "Now if you'll excuse me, I shall take a nap. See you tomorrow." He then left the room, closing the door behind him.

Cassandra collapsed onto the bed. This is crazy, she thought. I just met some incredible swordsman who's out to destroy Soul Edge. And I just agreed to help him find it. On top of that, he has strange ears. I wonder…is he even from here? And why is he even after Soul Edge, anyway? Hmm…maybe he can help me find Sophitia. I don't know. "Okay, Cassandra," she told herself, "you need to relax. It's been a long day." She then closed her eyes and dreamed about Athens.

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We are inclined to believe those whom we do not know because they never deceived us.

Samuel Johnson, "The Idler"

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And that concludes Chapter III. Remember to Read and Review! And no flames!

Lightpaladin;)