Fate. The predetermined path for all mankind. This
mysterious path twists and turns in a variety of directions, but
only ends in one place. What is beyond this destination is unknown,
and few dare to cross into the unknown.
However because of this one end, and no other, very
few people believe in fate. They claim that they can define their
own destiny, and that "fate" has no effect on their lives. Perhaps
this is why fate is such a cruel mistress...
____________________________________________________________________
As the two held each other, Talim smiled in sympathy,
as if she also had some sort of connection to the two. Then, she
caught herself, and vigorously shook her head. 'No, I shouldn't be
connected to this sort of thing. It's perfectly normal for two people
to be in love, but not if they're of the same sex. I can't believe I
even applauded at that scene! Maybe I should stop it before...' Then
she heard the wind, and nodded. 'Right. I wouldn't understand, so I
shouldn't interfere. But to feel sympathy for them... why do I even
feel this way?'
Then she thought back to her training as a shaman. How, in
order to stay a virgin, she had to touch herself... but it didn't make
her feel guilty in any way, for it was only part of her training.
Besides, it felt so good... She blushed when she thought of what she
went through. 'Maybe I DO feel that way... but I've only done it on
myself. I still can't understand. Well, maybe I could just ask them,
but I haven't even known them for that long. But in any case, I felt
something while they were holding each other. Something warm inside...
But I guess it's nothing, for now. Maybe I'll ask after the
tournament.'
____________________________________________________________________
Jen, on the other hand, knew what was going on. "You
two are a good match, you know." Mina broke from the embrace and
replied, "And just how do you know that?" Jen looked at her with mock
aggravation. "Hello, monk here! Anyone home? I can read souls, just
like you." "Jen, I never told you anything about that." "Then that's
proof enough. I also know what that weapon is, and what it's really
capable of." "Hm. You like avoiding the subject, don't you?" "What,
you don't want to know?" "Of course I do. I'd rather find out about it
myself, though. Otherwise, It's no fun." Mina then noticed Talim's
silence... "Hey, are you okay?" Startled, Talim looked up and said,
"Who, me? Oh no, nothing's wrong."
Then, her gaze was frozen by Mina's penetrating stare.
After a few minutes, she simply closed her eyes and smiled. "Hey Xian,
I'm sure you and Jen have some catching up to do. Go back to the main
gardens; we'll be right behind you." Xianghua looked sternly at Mina.
"Fine. Just don't go too far with this." Jen, who was greatly
confused, stammered, "H-hey, let me in on it!" Xian simply began
pushing her along and said, "I'll explain later. C'mon, Jen."
____________________________________________________________________
After they were well out of earshot, Mina turned towards
Talim with eyes full of passion. Talim felt the energy of the older
woman, and backed away. "Don't be afraid. You wanna know how the two
of us can be together in a world like this." Talim nodded. "In my
village, such things are shunned, though they have happened more that
once. I'm a virgin, so I wouldn't know of such things." "Hey, you're
a virgin? Well, join the club." Talim was, no doubt, surprised. "You
mean, you two haven't... You know!" Mina laughed. "Oh, sure we have.
We just haven't gone ALL the way, you know?" Talim could sense this as
well. "You're right, it's not broken yet. But, surely you haven't
wanted to..." Mina nodded. "Yeah, we've had some close shaves. But
for the most part, we've kept ourselves clean."
"I still don't understand. If you love each other, then I would
guess that you'd have gone that far by now. Why haven't you?" Mina
simply shrugged. "Hey, we just haven't agreed to it yet. It's that
simple." Talim was almost speechless. 'They're both so strong...
holding in their desires like this. Maybe it'd be all right to ask
her.' "Um..." "Yeah, you wanna know how it feels to be with another
girl, right?" "Yes." Mina nodded. "Yeah, you've only done yourself,
right?" 'What? I never told her about this! How does she know?' "Of
course, I understand that it was part of your training and all, but
what makes you guilty is that you started to like how it felt."
"You're right! It's all true! How do you know so much about me?"
Mina simply shook her head. "I think you'll find out later,
when you've finished your shaman training. Who knows, you might find
out without any training. But I'm just going off the sublect again.
You wanted to know how it felt..." Mina suddenly walked forward.
Talim, knowing where this would probably lead, said "Don't do anything
you'll regret later." Mina ignored the threat, and only quickened her
pace. Talim raised her elbow blades, only to have Mina right in her
face. "I seem to have upset you... I just said 'don't be afraid' a
little while ago, didn't I? Besides, I just wanted to do... this." She
held Talim in a passionate embrace, which took her entirely by
surprise. But the surprise turned to comfort and safety, and the
preistess wrapped her arms around Mina as well.
"So... how does it feel?" "...Good. Really, really good."
In fact, Talim was almost lulled to sleep by Mina's warm, soft body.
"Hey, don't go to sleep on me!" Mina tried to pull away, but was
pulled back into the hold with "No, don't leave yet. Just a little
more..." Mina only smiled and said, "Hey, take your time. The finals
aren't until later." Talim didn't seem to hear, for she was wrapped in
the warmth of the hug. 'This is almost exactly how I felt back when
she held Xianghua... except this is much stronger. I wonder if this is
love? Just looking at her intrigued me. The same for Xianghua as well.
Were we fated to meet here?'
Mina was getting into the hold as well. 'Wait a minute.
She has this effect on me as well? This ain't good. At this rate,
we'll both miss the finals!' But then she reconsidered. 'Then again,
it wouldn't be all that bad if we did fall asleep here. From what I
saw, that wouldn't be too bad...' Indeed, Mina had seen much more than
Talim would ever know. While reading her soul, she had seen an image
of a naked Talim on the floor of her village temple. The beautiful
image of the fifteen-year-old preistess as she pleasured herself,
while being careful not to deflower herself, stood out strongly in
Mina's mind and was even engraved on her soul. 'She's especially cute
when she comes... that high-piched cry sounds so wonderful. I sure
wish I had that much fun when I did myself...'
Then, Mina suddenly realised what was happening. 'Oh man, these
are symptoms of a bond... it's only an image of the past, but it was
like I was there. I even heard her scream!' Then Mina smiled. 'I just
hope Xian's not mad at me for this.' The two of them reluctantly broke
the embrace, and strangely, felt revived instead of tired. "Mina, that
was.... you felt that, right?" "Yeah. So then, did it feel good?"
Talim noticed that Mina was being repetitive, but didn't seem to care.
'Even her voice sounds good now...' "Yes, I've never felt this good."
"Hmm. That's only how it starts." "W-What? You mean, that was only how
you two started out?" "Yeah. We were great friends before all this
started. But I noticed how good it felt to hold her before she even
fell in love with me. She felt so soft and warm... kinda like you."
"But even before that, I respected a whole lot of things about
her: the way she dressed, how nice she was, the way she fought, and
even how smart she could be at times. She's a great woman." Talim
simply replied, 'She's just like you, y'know." "Nah, she's nothing
like me. I still get angry and fly off the handle when it comes to
someone holding back their feelings, or when someone gets hurt without
just cause." Talim shook her head. "You're mistaking anger for
passion, Mina." "Passion, huh? I guess that's what you could call it.
But I can only fight for them, I can't heal them or anything. That's
Xian's specalty." "So let her use her talents, and you just focus on
yours." Mina nodded. "You're right. I won't forget that."
____________________________________________________________________
Jen was curious about what was going on in the forest.
"Forgive my intrusion," she asked, "but what exactly is going on
in there?" Xian simply said "They're sorting something out. Be
patient." Then, Xian felt it. The unmistakable merging of souls...
'What? It happened again? But they didn't even...' Then she smiled.
'Oh, I see. It doesn't always have to be that way, does it? Well,
whatever it is, I can feel Talim's soul within me, along with Mina's.
So it has to be true.' "They're done, Jen." She looked at her former
captain with confusion. "What? How can you tell?" "Oh, you can't feel
it? Well, I guess that's you're not part of the bond that we have."
"Bond? What are you talking about?" Then, jen understood.
"Oh, right. That bond. You know, I didn't think such a deep connection
was possible. But I guess that I shold expect anything when I'm around
you." "Well, duh. I'm never the same twice. But no more talking; here
they come." Indeed, Mina and Talim walked out of the forest, both with
dazed looks on their faces. Xianghua suddenly felt light-headed with
joy. 'What's this? I feel really dizzy... but in a good way. Is this
what I felt like when Mina and I bonded? I can't remember...'
"Hey, are you all right? You look kinda dizzy." "Hahahaha!
No Jen, I'm just fine. I just need to sit down." 'Whoa... this is way
too strong of an emotion for me. This must be what joy feels like. I
wonder what it's gonna feel like later...' "Mina, what happened in
there?" Mina looked at her friend as if she just noticed her. "Oh
Xian, there you are. I hope you're not mad at me for doing this.
besides, it just happened out of nowhere." Xian laughed and said, "No,
I'm not angry. If anything, I'm joyful that Talim knows what this
feels like. There's nothing like being one with someone you care for."
Talim however, looked like she was somewhere else. Jen had a grave
expression on her face."I don't think it went over too well with her,
though..." Mina shook her head and said, "No... she's just in a
trance. Her soul will come back to her body in a little while."
____________________________________________________________________
Talim was within a strange room. The brilliant light that
filled it was almost too intense. But what was even more amazing was
the object that produced the light... the Soul Calibur. 'What kind of
sword is this? It's got a peculiar design to it....' As she approached
it, the light got brighter. 'What? It's too bright! But I can't stop
myself!' she snapped her eyes shut and tried to will herself to stop
moving, but to no avail. Her hand grasped the blade, almost as if it
had a will of it's own, and as soon as it did, the light stopped.
'Huh, I guess that there was nothing to worry about.'
Then, a voice began to echo in her head. 'You are worthy
of the soul of this woman...' "What? What are you saying? Who are
you?" 'That, I cannot awnser. you must discover my identity on your
own. But know this: you have the purity of spirit that I am looking
for. If you are willing to do so, you may wield me in battle...'
"You're saying that I can use this sword?" 'Yes. The last one who
came here was not mature enough in spirit to wield me. However, it
seems that she already has one of my cousins... but I digress. You
must always use this blade to protect those around you. For if you
use it for anything else, the seal will be broken...' "What do you
mean? What seal?"
'Alas, another thing that you must discover on your own.'
Then, after a pause, 'The one who you are joined with are calling for
you. I will rejoin your soul to your body. Protect them...' "Hey,
wait!! I still have questions for you-" But then, she realized that
she was back in her body. "Uh, sorry. Did I say that out loud?"
Everybody hid their laughter. Mina, however, could barely hold it in,
so she flashed a cheesy grin instead. 'She's still so innocent and
naive. I hope she stays that way for a while...' After she took
control of herself, she said, "Talim, what you saw while in that
trance was for you, and you alone. You don't have to tell me or Xian
anything unless you want to."
'A trance... that explains the room. But the sword seemed so...
real. What was that, anyway?' Talim simply pushed the vision to the
back of her mind for the moment. "All right. I'll tell you when I'm
ready."
____________________________________________________________________
As the sun set, the women headed back to the main gardens
just as the final match was announced: Talim against Seung Mina.
"No!", Talim cried as the painful truth hit her. Jen and Xianghua
cringed in sympathy, but Mina just smiled. 'Finally, a match that
will test all of my skills! I can't wait!' Jen was shocked at Mina's
expression. "Hey, why're you smiling? This could be bad for the two of
you, and you just got to know each other! How can you possibly be so
calm?" "Because I listen to my soul. And it's telling me that this
will be a glorious fight. The best ever. If there were something
wrong with it, I'd have known by now."
Jen saw the truth in this, and admired Mina's foresight.
'If the monastery hadn't been destroyed, she'd have made a fine monk.'
"Then I wish you luck. Both of you." The call sounded for the fighters
to enter the arena, and they looked at each other. Talim searched
Mina's eyes, as if she were searching for some hint of anxiety or
nervousness. There was none. 'Why? Why is she so sure of herself? We
just got to know each other... and now we have to fight each other!
How can she be so strong?' Mina felt the fear of her new friend, and
simply said, "Be strong. This had to happen sooner or later. The two
of us were just too much for everyone else. I want you to be at your
best when we fight. So don't be afraid."
'She's too strong for me... I can feel it. The winds blow
fiercely around her. I could die in this fight.' Talim began to
tremble... "Stop that." "I-I C-c-can't. I.." "Stop it!" Those in
the hallway stopped and stared silently. Xianghua and Jen were
speechless. 'She yelled at her... for no reason... Why, Mina? You
never acted like this before.' Talim however, simply stared into the
emerald eyes of Seung Mina... and felt her confidence rise. She heard
a voice inside of her soul say, "Show me your power. The power that
lies deep within you. Within all of us. Look to the part of you that
commands the winds. Can you feel it?" Talim nodded. Mina closed her
eyes and smiled.
"Great. Now, I expect great things from you. Show me your
real self when you're fighting me, okay?" 'My real self... I
understand.' "Allrighty. I won't let you down!" Tailm ran off to
prepare for the fight. Mina then turned toward her two onlookers.
"That's why I yelled at her. She was afraid, and that'll block her
spiritual energy. If I'm gonna have a good fight, then I want to fight
an opponent without obstacles or distractions. Otherwise, It won't be
fun!" Then, without another word, she left to get ready.
Jen was angry at the conduct of the firebrand. "That wasn't right,
yelling at the little kid like that. And only for a selfish reason."
Xainghua shook her head. "No, I felt something else from her. It
wasn't just out of spite, or anger. She's passionate about people's
souls. She's been that way ever since she finished her training. She
was inspiring confidence within Talim and, using her will, was
bringing out the latent energy within her soul. Didn't you feel it?"
Jen thought back, and concluded that she didn't. "You're losing it,
Jen. You really are losing it."
___________________________________________________________________
As Mitsurugi headed out of the gardens, he heard someone
following him. He checked to see whether anyone else was around to
report him, and when he was satisfied, began walking towards the empty
walkways. 'Good. I was getting bored anyway.' They were pursuing the
mercenary from a distance, and were trying to be as discreet as
possible. 'How pathetic of you. If you wanted to kill me, you
should've come at me directly. But if you want something to chase,
then I'll happily oblige you.' At this, he broke into a run. His
pursuers were hard pressed to follow him, but managed to keep up.
Soon, they reached their destination.
Mitsurugi simply stopped and turned around. "I trust you're
not happy with my loss in the competition?" One of the men, who
happened to be a member of the Japanese pirates who had been raiding
China, smiled and said "Hell yes. Our boss doesn't like failure. He
sent us to kill you in case you didn't win. It's too bad... you
would've made a fine addition to our forces." The samurai scoffed at
this. "Ha, you wish! The last people I want to work with are petty
theives and murderers. Now leave, before it gets bad for you." The
raiders drew their swords and laughed at his feeble attempt at a
bloodless solution. "What, you're afraid of us now? Maybe you won't be
so hard to kill after all!"
"If you're so confident of yourself, then why don't you come
and get me? See for yourself just how strong you are." Then, without
another word, they struck. However, they didn't get far. The agile
mercenary simply blocked the back attack with his scabbard, and broke
the weapon of the man in front with a Bill of Fire. Then he quickly
cut behind him with a Sudden Gale, and killed his comrade in one
attack. "This is it? This is your strength? It's no wonder you resort
to theivery; you're too weak to fight!" The other attacker, now
helpless, had no choice but to run. "Our leader will avenge us!" "Yes,
go get him! Have him fight me instead! Weakling!"
___________________________________________________________________
'My true self... the person inside me. Who is it? I've never
questioned my strength, never doubted myself. If I believed in myself,
everything would be okay. That was what I used to think. But... this
is different. What is a "soul", anyway? If it's just a part of the
energy that exists within everything, like the elders at my villiage
said, then that would make sense. But the way she defines it is...
different. As if there's another side of me...' Talim was thinking on
the things that were happening within her. It was the first time that
she thought about such things, and she felt that the issue had to be
put to rest before she fought with Mina.
'I have to free my mind of such things... including this
attraction, this connection that I have with her. It's too bad, but I
have to win. Even if it defies what's really within my heart, my
mission is more important. But... the bond is so strong. I can't get
rid of it. Maybe the only way to do so is to defeat her, but I... I
don't want it to go away. I think... I love her.' Some part of her
seemed to be at peace when she admitted this. 'Yes... I really do love
her. And I wish with everything within me that we didn't have to
fight. Maybe the winds guided us to this meeting, and the battle that
was to follow.'
At this, another weight was lifted from her. 'Yes, of course.
That's the only explination for our paths crossing like this. The
winds do intertwine with one another... just like the lives of people.
I'm going to trust the winds. And whatever the outcome of this is... I
will accept it. My heart and will are devoted to the winds alone, for
they are a part of me. This attraction to her can't be real. Not in a
million years.' She was finally satisfied, and broke her meditation.
However, as she headed to the arena, a part of her cried out in
anguish...
'What's this? Why is this happening? I can't be with her,
you know that!' Yet the pain continued. 'No! Stop this! I'm not in
love with-' But the pain only got worse, and Talim collapsed to the
floor. 'What do you want from me? Are you forcing me to-' The pain
died down, and was replaced with Mina's voice. "Show me your real self
when we're fighting, okay?" 'I... I can't. I have other things to
worry about.' Then the voice within her spoke out. 'What other things?
What excuse do you possibly have for hiding this wonderful feeling
within you?' 'What are you? Why do you torture me so?'
'That's not me. That is the part of your soul that longs
for the one which you are bound to.' 'Bound to? But I never made this
bond!' 'Oh, really? You wanted to know what it felt like to love
another woman, correct? Can you recall what it felt like?' 'No, I
can't.' 'Well, I certainly can! It was amazing. The most wonderful
thing that could happen. Don't tell me that you didn't think so as
well!' 'I... Well, I...' 'I thought so. Admit your true feelings. You
love her, but are afraid because your paths may be separated after
this fight. Stop me when I'm wrong.' She could say nothing... 'Haven't
you asked the winds if they approve of this unity? I'm sure they would
agree to it.'
'But I don't have time! Listen, the fight's starting!'
'Stop being so naive. You can hear it's voice, read it's paths and
directions. Certainly there were signs, and still are! They're
everywhere, you only have to interpret them. Look, head over to your
fight, and read the signs for yourself.' '...I'll do that, if it'll
get you out of my head.' 'That will never pass. I'm always a part of
you, and we will meet in person someday. Until then, try to make sense
of this.' 'Wait! I'm not done with you yet!' But the voice was gone,
and only the echoes of the wind remained.
'I have to sleep a little more...' She shook her head
and headed to the arena.
___________________________________________________________________
Mina however, was anxious to start the fight for a
different reason. 'I hope Talim's over her little pity party.
Ohterwise, this won't be as good of a fight as I thought it'd be.' She
was passionate about the battle between the two of them, so much so
that she trembled with excitement and anticipation. 'Hurry up! I can't
wait anymore!' Then, she saw her opponent. She nearly ran out to meet
her, but composed herself and, with as much restraint as possible,
casually walked toward the young priestess. Her excitement only rose
as she felt the energy of the growd, as well as Talim's own fighting
spirit. 'This is it, Talim. Remember to show me your true self...'
As she limbered up, she noticed something about Talim's
expression. It was one of determination and resolve, but it seemed...
forced, somehow. As if she had screwed up her courage for the fight.
'Talim...' "Mina, it's come to this. Only one of us can advance now.
There's nothing left to discuss about our connection, for there is
none. I must win, and I won't hold anything back." Mina simply looked
at her with shock. "Well, what're you staring at? Come here, so I can
have my say with the emperor!" 'You speak as if you've already won.
Fine, then.' Mina stood to face Talim with sadness in her eyes. She
tried to speak, but the words were stifled by sobs.
"Don't you dare cry over me! I said there's nothing between us!
I can't even believe that I thought of such nonsense!" Mina seemed to
believe it, for she threw down her weapon, despite the crowd's
displeased reaction. 'She won't be able to do it, not when I'm like
this. Wake up, Talim. This isn't how you really feel, is it?'
"Talim..." "No! Stop looking at me like that, and pick up your
weapon!" Mina didn't awnser ao act, but simply stood still and waited.
"Fine, then I'll fight you, with or without a weapon!" Then she
charged forward with a shout. Mina however, didn't flinch. 'I know
you'll make the right choice. I just know it.'
___________________________________________________________________
Talim was like an empty shell. Her body seemed to move
on it's own, as if some outside force was commanding it to assault her
new friend. It was like watching a nightmare. 'Hurry up and move,
Mina! Please, I don't want to hurt you!' Yet she didn't react.
'Mina... Mina, please. It can't work out.' 'Are you sure about that?'
'Yes... No. I don't know, and not knowing frightens me.' 'Yes, but has
that stopped you before?' 'No, but-' 'Then why does it stop you now?
You know what has to be done. So stop thinking and do it.'
Time seemed to slow down as the attack neared its target.
'Do I really feel this way? I can't decide. I don't want to decide.
How could I explain this to the village? I couln't. This isn't right.'
'Why not? It felt right an hour ago. Why fight what feels right?'
'Because it isn't. It would compromise my...' 'Innocense? Purity?
My dear, no one is pure or innocent. They just have choices, just like
you. What's important is what's done after the choice is made, how one
deals with the choice that was made.' 'But I don't know where to go
from here.' 'Well if you want my opinion, go with her. You may even
find a way to defeat this evil force that defiles the winds.'
'But...' 'Time's up! Choose!' A million images flashed through
her mind. What seemed like years was actually a few hours, and she
came to a conclusion. 'We do have a connection... a bond of some sort.
But is it love?' Though she didn't know what love was yet, she hoped
it was... Then the moment passed, and Talim had control over herself
again. Had it been a moment later, Mina's nose would've been broken.
But as it was, the elbow blade stopped within a fraction of hitting
her. "Mina..." "I knew it. I knew you felt that way." "Now hold on a
sec! I'll admit that we have a connection or something. But I don't
know how deep it is yet. We can't call this love yet, just a feeling."
Mina nodded. "Fair enough. Ready yourself!" Talim was taken
by surprise, for she had forgotten that they were fighting. Still, she
managed to evade the attack. The fight was underway. However, Talim
seemed to be more relaxed, and actually smiled at her opponent. And
amidst the dance of blades and footwork, she found contentment. 'Maybe
is love... maybe not. It'll be interesting to find out!'
The warriors leapt back for one final charge, and did so in
sync. Mina cleanly evaded Talim's Paayon Thrust, and stopped her blade
at her neck. "There goes your head. Unless you want to call it a day?"
Talim only smiled. "That I will." She dropped her weapons, and the
battle went to Mina. 'I don't mind,' Talim mused. 'I'll just hang with
you for a while. Besides, I want to know how far this thing between us
will go...'
___________________________________________________________________
As the sun set, and the cheers of the crowd resounded,
Mina felt that she had won herself more that a mere audience with the
Emperor. 'She agrees to be friends, for now... and that's all I want,
for now.' She smiled as she lowered her weapon, and waved to the
crowds.
Yet she still had her doubts about the future...
'What if she was telling the truth about this not being able to work?
Yeah, I know that there'll be obstacles and problems along the way...
but could this be a star-crossed meeting?' She shook the doubt s from
her mind, and headed back to the inn. 'I guess that I'll worry about
that in the morning. Hey, we might not see each other ever again after
this. But... I'm just glad that she knows what it feels like to be
loved, and to be in love. At least, I hope she knows...'
She saw Xianghua and Jen standing in the distance, and
ran to them. 'I do hope she knows that she doesn't just have the winds
to keep her company anymore... because I think that's just not
enough.'
___________________________________________________________________
-End
Phew! I'm sorry if it wasn't a good fight, but the fight
isn't what mattered. Or was it? Tell me your thoughts on this chapter.
You know where the thread id by now, but remember to take the poll
as well! It's good feedback!
- Next Chapter
It's not wrong to correct the wrongs that have been done.
But one must be ready for the enemies that are made by such an action.
Mina and her allies decide to deal with a problem before they leave
China for their next destination. But their intervention may lead to
dire concequences. Are they prepared? Are you?
- Chapter 12- I Hate Pirates
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