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GarnetHikari: Okay, next one up for the block.

Disclaimer: Namco owns Soul Calibur, not me. The marble ashtray idea was not mine either, I took it from the movie, Creepshow. Perfect for Halloween, Stephen King helped out with that film.

Chapter 2: Tasteless Revenge

Later that day in Chester's hideout, he was smoking an ivory pipe while sitting in a leather covered wooden chair. The hideout was more or less a small room with few luxiouries. The floor was the ground, only paved and hardened. To his left sat a small side table with a marble ash tray I had stolen on my first real heist. The other brigands sat around on benches, sharpened their weapons. or rolled dice for the other's items. Of course, all of us had to give Chester rights to everything we had except our clothes, weapons, and one luxioury item. That one item I had was a choker that had a black ribbon around my neck. The pendant was a gold plate that held a black ruby in the center which was almost the opposite of my blue eyes. I had been told once that they were not a familiar hue, so that was another reason why others avoided me. But Chester took that as an opportunity.

"Are you ready for tonight's heist?" he asked as puffs of smoke seeped out his nostrils. My head nodded against my will. I knew that we were going to steal the Valentine family's black diamond. This was planned for a month and none of us knew who would go in and steal it. Miser was going to be the lookout, and according to Chester, I was revealed as the actual theif who had the hardest part: grabbing the damned thing and hiding it until we got back to headquarters.

Chester immediately recognized the expression on my face. "Don't be like that, Mel. You can steal anything else if you think that would help you avenge your parents. As long as I get them after you're done, that is." I sneered at that sarcastic red-head. If he wasn't my boss, he'd have something else to go with the scar on his face!

After my parents died, no, were slaughtered when I was about fourteen, I vowed to never rely on anyone but myself. For the past three years I found whatever about heartless and inhumane killers. but to no avail; nobody fit the region and/or the time. Japan...Spain...Germany, not England.

Isabella Valentine, I heard, studied the supernatural. Things that mere commoners would get burned for if caught. Chester was not a complete heretic, but he kept anyone in the syndicate from believing that there were occult factors in this world. But to me, it was reality. The one that killed my mother and father left them only in a sea of blood and a burning three-room cottage; we lived very simply. I had gone to town to buy bread and cheese that day. Upon my return, the house was in flames and the remains of my parents were nothing but charred bits that I could hardly identify. It smelled of burned meat when the heat died. I had made sure that no one decided to build over what had once been there. Luckily, the local people never went to the forest; there was an exception of a few wiccans that came for conjuring spells, but they were all tried and burned.

Whenever I didn't have a heist, I spent my time looking for evidence of the perpetrator. I'd continue my search tomorrow.

"Good luck tonight," Chester replied while a Cheshire cat grin crept across his face.

xxx

As the sun was setting, I sat in a white oak tree sharpening my new sword. All I could find was a smooth stone by one of the large roots that came up out of the ground. "You didn't show it to Chester, huh?" Miser's voice unexpectedly came from behind me. She flipped to another branch and sat on a limb in front of me. "That looks like a nice piece of work, that sword," she snickered, "But if we hafta fight, you'd better use that iron rod of yours."

"How come?" I asked. Not that I didn't trust Miser, I wanted to answer in what she knew about Ivy. I only knew that she was the only living heir to the Valentines, an aristocratic family of alchemists. "Well, not only is she an alchemist," Miser started, "and her weapon is a unique sword that extends in seven pieces like a sickle, but I heard that Ivy Valentine has some connection to that old pirate, Cervantes De Leòn."

No, I didn't think Miser wasn't smart. Thank goodness neither of us were assigned the "Black Tail Inn," yet. The old geezer used to go (and still probably does) to that place almost on a nightly basis! "Well, let's get that jewel," I sighed and sheathed my sword. "I like that scabbard, too," she added as we jumped out of the tree. The emerald grass we landed on was rather soft. Through the darkening forests, we sprinted and watched for travelers. "Remember, if you see people, call the person you want to take out," Miser reminded me. In a way, it humored us, but it sure made Chesrer pleased. Even on the biggest of heists, we can make a few "stops" on the way; whatever we did, the main objective was to retrieve the real prize and make sure that no one outside our group got their hands on it.

Darkness finally descended upon us, which meant the time was soon ripe. We had stopped by a small creek to rest up so the two of us would have enough energy to steal the diamond. The Valentine estate was about two hundred yards away from our location. I went to fill my canteen with water as Miser began to break a loaf of bread for our dinner. The creek ran very slowly with clear, cool water. When it was full, I attached it to my belt. I splashed some of it into my face to stay awake; damn it, that Chester.

My reflection, even in the dark, was very clear. My short ebony hair fell over the right side of my face and no farther than past my chin. Even the light from the moon made my pale skin almost illuminate. I began to realize something as I looked down and saw myself. Why did I truly want to live a life of committting crime after crime? It didn't satisfy me, nor did I open up to anyone. Chester and Miser were the only ones I trusted, but I never relied on them. And I still didn't find any clues to my parent's killer.

Why...? Why...!?

Am I...crying...? No...but it still hurts. They were kept behind my eyes, in exception of one that fell into the stream. The remnants of it had rippled on the surface and revealed another's reflection across from mine. It was that of a man that I did not recognize; he did not appear much older than I was. He had a full, healthy face with long golden hair that framed it. "Get up," his stern voice demanded me. As I looked up, he reached out his left hand towards me. It with the rest of his body, was covered in silver armor. I couldn't act concieted towards this man, nor kind. But as far as I could tell from his expression, he couldn't either.

Taking his hand, I was still cautious of Miser seeing him with me. His grip was firm and secure, as were his sapphire eyes as I found my feet again. I saw that he was unarmed, defenseless if anyone came to sneak up on him. Yet there was an intimidating air about him in a way that made my tuition tell me not to underestimate him...nor fear him. "Mel! Mel, you've got to eat some time!"

"Scheize!" I swore under my breath. The stranger apparently heard and understood what I had said. His voice was deep, but not very smooth. "I see that you are still under another's influence and control, but I will leave you now. Farewell." As the blond walked away, I ran back to where Miser sat impatiently. "Come on, Mel. Do you know how much trouble I went through to get this bread? I had to threaten that Italian girl just to get to the front counter! Besides that, it's all that we have."

I took a small handfull from a loaf and ate a portion of it. The flavor of the sourdough was invigorating and melted in my mouth. "It's my favorite, Miser. You shouldn't have!" I joked. "Whatever," she muttered with her mouth full," do you think that we should've already gotten the diamond by now?"

Shaking my head, I looked into the distance, "No, not yet. Ivy's the type of alchemist who puts out all-nighters. When every light single light in the place are out, that's our cue." Miser shoved another piece of bread into her mouth as thoughts of the blond-haired stranger came to mind. Who was he, and of business did he have to find me? The armor he had shone in the moonlight and had gold trim at the feet, neck and waist. Was he possibly a knight?

Then I remembered what the shopkeeper had told me earlier today, about a man that looked similar to him. He was barely two inches taller than I was, as far as I can tell. Not only that, but I did see a thin scar starting from the right side of his forehead down past his cheek. Was this just a coincidence or fate? Either way, it didn't matter because he was already gone. It wouldn't matter if I even saw him again; I didn't know his name and he more than likely didn't know mine either. After taking a swig from my canteen, I got up and realized that the mansion was out in the open.

The two of us then picked up our weapons and silently sped towards the great building. I whispered to my partner in crime as we stood against an outside wall, "Miser, this room leads to the one Chester said has the diamond. But-" She stopped me, "And you want me to make sure Ivy doesn't doesn't wake up?"

I nodded, "Also, it's on the back end of the mansion. Can you get in?" Miser had her usual malicious grin, "Uh-huh; I'll be fine. You'd better let me know when you've got it so we can make a break for it." After that we held up our right hands and smacked the backs of them twice against the other's. This was the brigand's handshake and farewell gesture that we used as a sign of respect.

We split up after that. Actually, Miser ran to the back like a true ninja. She explained to me one day that ninja actually do not have permanent positions and can do almost anything. I think she said that now she was classified as a "missing nin" or whatever that was. From the window to the ground, it was twenty-five feet, at the least. Taking out my staff, I extended it to about twenty feet and elevated myself almost at the window. While holding on to the rod, I touched the wall and made a small platform from the material out of the wall and climbed on top of it. Quickly, I opened the window, contracted my staff, climbed inside the window and made the platform disentigrate back into the wall.

Truthfully, I had felt uneasy about stealing from another alchemist. But I couldn't abandon the heist, especially one this big. As an alchemist, I kept it a secret from everyone else. If Chester had found out what I was...I don't even want to think about the outcome. I only joined him because I had nowhere else to go. But if I find anything tonight that could help me, I'll make a break for it when nobody suspects it.

With two weapons, Ivy might have a match with me. However, I didn't want to have to fight her at this time of night. Stealthily, I crept out of the room until I felt a string against my ankle. Looking down, I grinned; trip wires.

They might have been set up throughout the mano. This now gave me another challenge...and another reason to get this done. Silently down the hall, I found the room in the next door. It was large and was almost a combination of a laboratory (a/n: Think Renaissance, people!) and a library when it came down to a comparison. There were several book shelves as well as tables full of glass instruments. What had really caught my eye, were the two mural-like portraits. One on each wall, they were painted accurately down to every last detail. One was a painting of Ivy in a dark blue ball gown. She looked to be in her mid twenties in that portrait, but she must now be around thirty.

Her appearance was rather suprising for her age as well, to most people. Most rich noble women would have long hair that would be tied up. Isabella Valentine, however, had hair a little shorter than my own that was white. That also made her blue eyes almost glow with her dark smile.

The picture opposite of it was of her and her parents. This was now more obvious that Ivy was indeed adopted. Both her mother and father had brown hair and neither of them had eyes like hers. But I shook the thought off for the moment to check for trip wires. On the desk that was next to a mahogany bookshelf, was a small wooden box. I opened it slowly, just in case of a hidden trigger, to reveal the black diamond. Not as big as a lemon, it glistened in the night sky.

After admiring it, I stuffed it into my bag and closed the box. My right hand seemed to stray across the desk. What it found was a leather-bound, hardcover book. I do not know what had come over me, but I just tucked it in underneath the diamond.

Miser came down the hall twoards the window. Although bleak in the moonlight, I could tell that she was anxious. "Mel, do you have it?" she asked me in a hushed whisper. I held it out a little from the bag as proof. After putting it back in I warned her, "You go first. This place is full of trip wires."

"Let's just go, now."

Then she opened the window and jumped out. I shortly went after her; slinging the bag over my shoulder and securing my weapons, I held on to the windowsill and closed the shutter-like glass. As soon as my feet the ground, the two of us dashed the field and into the dark woods.

We didn't stop to rest until the hideout was within reach. After I had caught my breath, a look of relief was in Miser's dark eyes. I didn't ask why she was exasperated right away; it wasn't a good idea to get her worked up after we had completed the mission. When we had entered the room, we saw him sitting casually in his chair and drinking brandy. The alcohol didn't leave any putrent odors in the hideout, which meant that he hadn't gotten drunk while waiting for us. It was indeed a rare occasion to see him not sober; in fact, Chester rarely drank more than two glasses of dry wine during a meal. "I assume you had no trouble getting in and out?" he asked as soberly as I had expected him to be.

"Not at all," I replied, "the timing had to be later than planned. We had to make sure that Ivy was fast asleep."

Chester stroked his scarred cheek and put his glass down on the end table. Taking his hand off the glass, he held it out, "Give me the diamond." I reluctantly handed it to him. If I hadn't known it before, I would now know that Chester has more than just a fetish for valuble objects. With a smile, he dismissed us both.

Outside, Miser still looked irritated. Usually, I wouldn't bother, but something told me that her expression was to cover up another. "Miser," I began, "if you have a problem-" She turned towards me, even more petulant, "It's not what you think, Melanie!"

I blinked; Miser never called me by my real name before! But then she shook her head and replied, "Sorry. It's just that...we weren't the only ones out there tonight."

"What do you mean?"

Miser continued, "I'll explain tomorrow. It's too dangerous to talk about it tonight. I only nodded in agreement, but now I was anxious to know who Miser spoke of.

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GarnetHikari: I'm back. Thanks for reading this chapter. The next will have guest appearances by Edward Elric and Roy Mustang from Full Metal Alchemist! Later!