Soul Calibur 2: Soul Edge Returns
By: Emily and Marcy
"It's so good to be home, Cassandra!" Sophitia said walking towards their home.
"I'm just happy that you've offered to let me live with you for a while. I promise that I won't stay long." Cassandra said in return.
"Mommy!" yelled Sophitia's daughter, Pyrrha.
"Hi honey!" Sophitia said bending down to hug her. "Your aunt Cassandra is here to stay with us for a little while. Say hello."
"Hi Aunt Cassandra." Pyrrha said hugging her.
"It's good to see you again." Cassandra said.
"Pyrrha, where is your father and your brother?" Sophitia asked looking around.
"I think they're inside. Come on, we can go find them." She responded already walking up the path to the front door. The three walked into the living room and saw Sophitia's husband, Rothian, and her son, Patroklos, attempting to complete a jigsaw puzzle.
"Sophitia!" Rothian said standing up. "You're home!" He ran to Sophitia and picked her up and swung her around in a circle. "It's so good to see you both again!" Rothian said after putting Sophitia back on the ground. Patroklos came up and hugged his mother and Cassandra, then returned to his jigsaw puzzle.
Mitsurugi's town had sadly been destroyed while he was on his quest to recover Soul Edge and there was no longer a training school to house him so he was grateful when Taki offered to take him in. They traveled together all the way back to Japan to live at her mother's old serenity garden.
"It's… uhh… very… pink." Mitsurugi said when they arrived.
"I know, it was my mother's and she loved it, so I left it this way in her honor. Trust me, you get used to it eventually." Taki said with a laugh. She showed Mitsurugi his room, where the bathroom was, and the kitchen.
"I'll make us some dinner." Taki said opening the refrigerator.
Talim and Kilik planned to travel to the windmill, but when Xianghua heard, she was ready to do anything that she had to, to make sure he came with her.
"Kilik, I'm sure that it must be cold up there at that windmill…" Xianghua began. "So, why don't you just come back to the temple with me?"
"Well, I don't want to leave Talim all alone up there on the windmill when she has a sprained wrist. I'm sure you wouldn't mind one more in the temple. There is plenty of space."
"Well, umm, I guess." Xianghua said a little disappointed that her plan didn't work. The three set off for the temple arm in arm, Kilik stuck in the middle.
"Okay, Cassandra, do you want to help me make dinner?" Sophitia asked.
"Yeah, I would love to." Cassandra answered.
"Mommy, can I help too?" Pyrrha asked.
"Of course." Sophitia said walking to the kitchen.
The family then ate the delicious dinner and then went to bed with Cassandra sleeping in the guest bedroom.
Taki and Mitsurugi ate dinner and then sat outside covered with a blanket.
"So, what do we do now?" Taki said.
"Well." Mitsurugi said and then kissed Taki, "Okay now what are we going to do?"
Taki laughed and then kissed Mitsurugi. They never answered the question because neither knew the answer. Later they went to bed in separate rooms in the huge house pleased with their day.
"Okay, well Talim I will take you to your room and Kilik you can tidy up our room." Xianghua said pushing Talim down the hall.
"Wait!" Kilik said and Xianghua turned around.
"What?" Xianghua asked irritated.
"I think Talim should sleep with us on the futon. You know just in case she needs anything." Kilik said.
"No really I'll be okay." Talim said turning back around.
"See, she will be fine!" Xianghua said walking Talim, but still facing Kilik.
"No! I want her to stay in our room. I'll go lay Talim down. Xianghua, why don't you go make some food." Kilik said putting his arm around Talim and taking her to his bedroom.
Xianghua didn't answer and got an angry look on her face and walked to the kitchen.
Kilik and Talim were alone in the hallway.
"Kilik, you don't need to do this." Talim said a little mad.
"I do what I think is right." Kilik said sitting Talim on the bed. "Lay down. Rest your arm. I'll bring you some food later." Then, Kilik kissed Talim's head and left. Talim sighed.
The next day, Sophitia and Cassandra went to their temple to pray to Hephaestus, the god of fire and forge. When they knelt down, a familiar hawk flew over head and dropped something in the field not far from the temple.
"You don't think…" Cassandra began.
"I don't want to." Sophitia said in return. "Come on, we have to go look and see if that hawk dropped a red stone!" The sisters began to walk toward the field in search of something that they hoped not to find.
"I – I think I see it." Cassandra said, her voice shaking. Cassandra was indeed correct. They walked a little further and lying before them was a small, triangular, red stone.
"She didn't destroy the sword Cassandra." Sophitia said bending down to pick up the stone.
The next morning when Taki awoke, she could smell something coming from the kitchen. She got up and ran to the kitchen. She saw large amounts of smoke coming from the stovetop.
"I can't find the extinguisher!" Mitsurugi yelled looking through cabinets. Taki quickly opened the drawer to her right and put out the stove fire.
"I was trying to make you breakfast, but I've never cooked before. Can you tell?" Mitsurugi said very embarrassed.
"Not at all." Taki said with a smile. "I'll help you with the rest of breakfast. If you don't mind." Taki said grabbing a rag but still smiling. Mitsurugi grabbed a rag as well and began wiping up the rest of the extinguisher remains.
After they made their meal a hawk flew in and dropped a stone on the table.
"No!" Taki said trembling.
The next morning Talim went for a walk in a field to listen to the wind when a red stone dropped in her hand.
"No! It can't be!" Talim shouted running to the temple.
"Xianghua! You told us you destroyed it!" Talim screamed showing the red stone then dropping it and grabbing her Crescent Blades with both hands ready to swipe.
"Talim!" Xianghua cried blocking her face with her arms. Then, Kilik grabbed Talim from behind and ripped her weapon out of her hands. He sat her down looking worried.
"She's a murderer!" Xianghua said walking to Talim pointing at her.
"I am not! And you are a liar!" Talim said trying to get out of Kilik's grasp.
"Talim calm down." Kilik said calmly, "And you," he said pointing at Xianghua; "you need to go sit down in our bedroom before you cause any more trouble!"
Xianghua stomped to the bedroom giving Talim a dirty look.
"Oh, that's it!" Talim said struggling more.
"Xianghua!" Kilik shouted, "Talim its okay. Take a deep breath or a few."
"I'm okay! Now get off of me!" Talim said pushing him off.
"Talim! Get a hold of your self!" Kilik said sitting by her. Talim started to cry and Kilik put his arm around her.
"It's okay. Now tell me what's wrong." Kilik said.
Talim wiped her eyes and pointed to the stone that was lying in the middle of the floor.
"Where did you get that?" Kilik asked worried.
"The bird dropped it in my hand when I was taking a walk in the field. That idiot didn't destroy the sword!" Talim said.
"Stay here." Kilik said getting up and heading to his bedroom.
"Xianghua!" Kilik said about to get his rod but stopped not wanting to act like Talim.
"What?" Xianghua said innocently.
"We trusted you. You disappoint me." Kilik said turning around so he wasn't facing Xianghua. "Think about what you did. We need to hurry. Oh," Kilik said turning around, "If I were you I wouldn't go near Talim."
Sophitia and Cassandra darted home to tell Rothian and call the team to tell them if they didn't already know. When they arrived Sophitia told Rothian, and Cassandra rushed to the phone in hope of reaching everyone.
Cassandra first called Taki. It rung three times and then Mitsurugi picked up the phone.
"Hello." Mitsurugi answered.
"Mitsurugi?" Cassandra asked confused.
"Cassandra? Is that you?" Mitsurugi asked equally confused.
"What are you doing at-, never mind. I called for a more important reason. I don't think that Xianghua really destroyed the Soul Edge."
"Taki and I don't think so either." Mitsurugi said. "I was about to call Kilik and ask him if he knew anything. I'll call him and we can all meet up on the island again and at least try to get something out of Xianghua."
"Okay, I'll meet you there. I'll talk to you soon. Bye Mitsurugi." Cassandra said.
"Bye Cassandra."
"Hello?" Talim said answering the phone as Kilik was giving Xianghua another lecture.
"Talim?" Cassandra asked.
"Yes?" Talim asked knowing it was Cassandra.
"Can I talk to Kilik?" Cassandra asked.
Talim looked behind her seeing Kilik shove the red stone in Xianghua's face saying something about how this was only suppose to happen once, "Um… well he's a little busy."
"Okay well did you get a stone?" Cassandra said still a little worried.
"Yes, yes I did." Talim said her voice a little quieter.
"Well, we're all gonna meet at the island. Can you come?" Cassandra said.
"Yeah, of course." Talim said, "Bye."
"Bye."
Everyone met at the island except for Taki and Mitsurugi. The team decided to go on with out them. Xianghua hid behind Kilik the whole time and no one even bothered to yell at her.
The team started going through the tunnel again when all the fire-lanterns went out leaving them in complete darkness. Kilik grabbed Talim and Sophitia and Cassandra held on.
"Ki-"Xianghua said getting cut off as Voldo grabbed her.
"Xiang-" Kilik said getting cut off by Talim, but got found anyways. Nightmare grabbed him leaving Talim alone.
Ivy lunged at Talim but she moved out of the way. Then Talim fell into Heihachi's arms.
Ivy and Voldo grabbed Sophitia and Cassandra.
Then, they found themselves in the same hole as last time.
"Nice one, Xianghua." Cassandra said, "You are totally useless!"
"Be quiet! It wasn't her fault. I should have grabbed her." Kilik said
"Well, who's going to save us now?" Sophitia asked, "Talim is stuck here too."
Every one seemed to sigh together with no hope.
"Hello?" Taki called out.
"Great they left!" Mitsurugi said madly.
"They didn't leave; they are probably just too far down the tunnel to hear us. Come on, but be quiet for now just in case." They walked through the jet black tunnel, feeling along the wall.
Taki was leaning against the wall, so when there was an open door leading from the side of the tunnel she was against, she tumbled in.
"Just go on. I'm fine, but I'm going to investigate." Taki said. As she walked farther forward, a dim light could be seen at the end of the corridor. She walked into the room that the light was coming from and inside was Ivy!
Ivy grabbed Valentine from her side and Taki snatched up Mekki Maru and Rekki Maru and they began to fight. Ivy used Valentine to steal Taki's weapon and then used it again to grab hold of her arm tightly. Taki tightened the muscles in her arm and Ivy's whip/sword-like weapon shattered into shards of metal that chased Taki. She used the last of her strength to create a force field that continued to get larger until it knocked Ivy into the wall.
Taki said "Not good enough." As she grabbed her weapons and ran back toward the main tunnel. She then caught up with Mitsurugi.
"Ivy's taken care of." Taki said with a faint smile.
A little in the distance they could hear, "Let us out of this stupid hole!" and "Sophitia, just be quiet. I have high doubts that they will actually let us out."
"I know those voices anywhere!" Taki whispered to Mitsurugi. "I told you that they didn't leave." she added triumphantly. They continued down the tunnel whispering out their trapped friends names.
"Tak-!" Sophitia began but was obviously trifled by someone else in the hole.
"Be quiet!" Mitsurugi whispered as loud as he could. "We are coming to get you, just hang tight."
"Good thing I decided to bring rope with me." Taki said to herself. Taki walked a step ahead of Mitsurugi which caused her to stumble on the bars and almost fall in. Taki fed one end of the rope into the prisoners and helped Mitsurugi tie the other end securely to the bars.
One at a time, the five scaled up the rope and found their footing in the darkness.
"Now, let's go and find the Soul Edge, and actually destroy it." Taki said. They all walked down the hall and Taki told them all what happened in the second room. That happened to be the very first time that Taki had made a force field. Everyone was amazed because they didn't know anyone with force field powers.
"Alright, so as far as we know, the plan is to just go in and attack?" Cassandra asked.
"Yes, that's pretty much it." Xianghua said, speaking for the first time. "Or we could use my plan."
"I don't think so. It didn't turn out that well last time if I remember correctly." Talim said immediately.
"We don't have a very big range of choices Talim. What's your plan Xianghua?" said Sophitia.
"Taki, you and Mitsurugi are going to attack Nightmare because you make a great team. Cassandra and Sophitia, you two can take care of Heihachi because after you've already done it once last time, you should be mastered at it. Talim, you and I can take on Voldo and that leaves Kilik, to get the Soul Edge. That way he can decide what to do with it."
"Sounds good to me." said Taki. "Now let's get this done the right way. They swiftly and silently made their way down the tunnel and put Xianghua's plan into action. They took the evil masters by surprise and in only about ten minutes, they were all unconscious lying on the ground.
This time, instead of just putting them in the hole, Mitsurugi dug the hole about six and a half feet deeper, then put the unconscious bodies in. After closing the bars on them, the team emerged from the tunnel, ready to destroy the evil sword.
Kilik had the Soul Edge and was waiting for them. They decided to destroy the weapon all together. They each grabbed their weapon, and struck the sword all at once. It shattered into hundreds of shards of metal. It was finally time to go home.
Epilogue
Xianghua came out of denial and realized that Kilik didn't love her anymore, but only loved Talim. About two years later, Mitsurugi proposed to Taki and she said yes. The date has not yet been set. Mitsurugi has also learned how to make a mean batch of fried eggs. Cassandra moved in with Sophitia full time to help with the kids and to stay in touch. Talim and Kilik are still dating with no problems from Xianghua because she has all her interest directed to Raphael Sorel. Everything was well in their world, but things were coming together in evil master Cervantes' world as well.