Disclaimer: I do not own the character of Soul Calibur.

It was noon when Tira began to reawaken. The sun was high in the blue sky. Not a single cloud was in the sky.

Tira was lying on a flat rock directly below the blazing sun, making the rock very hot. But the heat from the rock made Tira feel comfortable, even on the hard surface.

She slowly lifted up her left arm over her face. The wound on the arm stung, making her bite her lip. The wound was looking better than the day before but it still hurt.

Tira let her arm back down and closed her eyes. She began recounting the battle yesterday that caused the wound. Four men encountered her and tried to take her someplace with them She managed to hurt one of the men but, being weakened by hunger, she fled. She was able to get away but not for very long. All four men cornered her at a dead end. But just before she was about to lose, something strange came to her aid.

A little black cat came from the shadows and protected her. The men thought, at first, that this was a joke. But they learned it wasn't when the cat launched itself at one of them, latched itself on the man's neck with it's mouth and bit down on his throat till the man died. This act made the remaining men flee. Tira fell unconscious shortly after. In the end, she suffered three wounds; one on her left arm, one on her stomach and one on her leg.

Tira sighed.

'That's preposterous…' The Gloomy Side growled. 'How the hell could little cat frighten a group of thugs like that? And why would it save us?'

"Maybe because it felt sorry for us,' The Jolly Side chimed in.

'Humph! We could've easily defeated a couple thugs by our self.'

Tap-Tap

Something landed on the rock and interrupted Tira's train of thought. She slowly sat up, ignoring the stinging sensation her stomch wound was giving off, to see who or what was there.

It was a black cat. Tira narrowed her eyes to see the cat's features. The cat was in good condition and its pelt shimmered in the sun's rays. The cat had unusually pale blue eyes and had a scar on the right eye. In its mouth was a plump rabbit that made Tira's mouth water. Then, she realized the features from the night before. It was the cat that saved her.

The cat walked over to Tira. Tira tried to crab-walk back but the wounds on both her arm and leg stung harshly with pain. Tira groaned and fell onto her back. She looked at the cat, eyes full of anger and fear. The cat dropped the rabbit and tilted its head to the side, ear perked forward.

"Aren't you going to kill me?" Tira growled. "Like you killed that guy last night?"

The cat picked up the rabbit with its mouth and walked over to Tira. It dropped the rabbit next to Tira and pushed it towards her with it's nose. Now, Tira was confused.

"Is this…for me?" Tira asked the cat.

The cat responded by nodding its head.

'Wow…it understands human language,' Gloomy Side said, not at all impressed by the creature's unusual ability.

'But why did it bring us food?' Jolly Side questioned. 'Surely it can't be all that evil.'

"Um…Thanks," Tira said to the cat. She picked up the rabbit and took large bites of it. The meat was fresh and tasted surprisingly good.

The black cat sat still and watched Tira eat the rabbit. When she finished eating the meal, she gazed into the cat's pale blue eyes. Those eyes, according to Tira at least, were so mysterious and lovely.

"Why…did you save me and choose not to kill me?" Tira asked.

"Because I had to…" A voice answered.

Tira's eyes widened. The voice was lovely and sweet, automatically proving that whoever said that was a young woman or somewhere around there. Tira looked around. It was just her and the cat.

"Did…you just say something?" Tira asked the cat.

The cat blinked. "Well…kind of. I'm using telepathy to speak with you. If I were to open my mouth and attempt to speak with you that way, all you would be hearing is "meow". I don't think you can understand the language of cats."

Tira's jaw dropped. She could not believe what she was hearing. She was talking to a cat that could understand human language and could communicate with them by using telepathy.

'That's insane!' Gloomy Side said coldly. 'How can a stupid fur ball be able to do that?'

The two sat quietly for a few moments. Then, Tira extended her hand out to the cat and smiled warmly.

"My name is Tira," She said. "What's yours?"

The cat muscles got tense and looked at Tira's hand, looked up at Tira, then back at her hand.

"My name?" The she-cat asked quietly.

"Yeah! You know, the thing people call you."

The cat hesitated. Tira face went from happy to dismay. Then, the cat placed her paw slowly into Tira's hand.

"Anne Marie," The cat said. "My name is Anne Marie."

Tira smile returned and shook the Anne Marie's paw. "That wasn't that bad, was it?"

"I guess it wasn't," Anne Marie chuckled nervously as she took her paw back.

A group of birds flew out of the trees, startling the she-cat. Her back arched and her tail began to poof up. Tira tilted her head, confused by the cat's reaction to a couple of birds. When her fur began to settle, Anne Marie walked over to the edge of the rock.

"What are you doing?" Tira asked.

"I placed a mixture of herbs on your wounds," Anne Marie informed, switching the topic. "It will not get infected and it will heal a lot quicker than it would unaided. But it will sting every time you move so try to be still."

"That's great and all…but what are you doing?"

Anne Marie turned around and looked at Tira.

"Honestly…I don't know what I am doing," Anne Marie admitted.

"I don't what I am doing either. Hm…" Tira placed a finger on her chin. Then, she snapped her fingers and looked at Anne Marie, eyes shining with excitement. "Maybe we can travel together!"

Anne Marie's eyes widened at the girl's suggestion. For some odd reason, it felt like a dagger to the black cat's heart in a way.

"I'm sorry…but I must refuse," Anne Marie answered.

"Why not?" Tira asked.

"Because…I don't know. I just do not want a companion with me."

Tira suddenly lunged at Anne Marie with her arms wide open. The wounds stung during the movement. She wrapped her arms around the cat and brought her close to her body. The cat did not struggle, just remained still in Tira's arms. Anne Marie felt tears drip onto her pelt.

"Please…" Tira pleaded. "I do not want to be alone. After what you did for me yesterday, I owe my life to you."

Anne Marie remained still. Tira couldn't see the cat's face but Anne Marie felt touched by Tira's request. The cat's eyes showed sympathy for the girl.

Tira heard a purring noise and stopped crying. She looked at Anne Marie and found that she was making the noise.

"If it truly means that much to you…then you may accompany me."

Tira felt her heart flutter after she heard Anne Marie's answer. She hugged Anne Marie tighter. The she-cat let out a little "mrrow".

"I promise, whatever you want me to do, even if I don't like the idea, I will go through with it," Tira said quietly to the cat. "That's my promise to you."

Anne Marie's eyes widened when she heard that. Tira stopped embracing the cat. Anne Marie backed away and licked down her chest fur. Tira crawled over to her ring blade and got up, swinging the blade onto her shoulder.

"Come on!" Tira said, eager to begin the journey. "Let's get going!"

Anne Marie cocked her head. "But what about your wounds?"

"I'll be okay," Tira said with a smile. "A little pain won't hurt anyone. But let's get going! We're losing daylight!"

Anne Marie purred with amusement and her eyes glimmered with both joy and excitement. 'This girl will be a paw full,' She said to herself. 'But I like her attitude.'

"Alright…alright," Anne Marie said. Her ears perked forward. "Let's get going then, if you are so eager."

Tira was grinning from ear to ear. Anne Marie trotted over to the edge of the flat rock with Tira following. When they were at the edge, Tira looked over the edge. She estimated that they were at least ten feet from the ground. This brought up the excellent question of how such a little cat was able to bring her up to the top of the rock. But Tira didn't want to be a nuisance already and didn't ask.

"You don't have to jump down," Anne Marie advised. "There are rocks that can get you down. All you have to do is balance yourself on each rock and climb down."

Tira nodded. Listening to the she-cat's advice, she turned herself around and placed one foot on a rock that was near the rock the two were standing on. She was able to maintain her balance and placed her other foot on a different rock, near the rock she was already on. Tira slowly descended till she reached the ground. She looked up at Anne Marie, who was still at the top.

"Aren't you coming down?" Tira hollered up at the cat.

Anne Marie jumped from rock to rock, gracefully. Tira was amazed at how accurate the she-cat's leaps and landings from rock to rock were. When Anne Marie landed on the ground, she gave her front paws a quick lick each. Them trotted into the woods.

Tira waited before following the she-cat. She looked at the surroundings and took them in. Then, something caught her eyes. On the hard rock ground she was standing on, she saw a fairly large blood stain with a paw print in it. She remembered what happened there. That was where Anne Marie killed the man that attacked Tira.

'The cat can not be trusted…' The Gloomy Side growled. 'She will kill you when she gets the chance.'

The Gloomy Side's words echoed in Tira's ears. Tira did not want and tried not to listen to her angry emotion's words. She tried blocking them out, but they kept echoing.

'Tira! Come on!' Anne Marie called out.

This stopped the Gloomy Side's words. Tira shook her head and smiled. Her eyes full excitement.

"I'm coming!" Tira yelled.

She ran into the woods. Now…the true journey begins….