Four years ago... A nineteen year old Mina was excited for some strange reason. It was not her first time in the midst of the teeming masses of Ming Dynasty China. However, the young woman beside her, three years younger, had come to this majestic summer palace to introduce the young warrior to her superior... the emperor himself. Though she was enthralled by his very presence, she was nervous as all hell, no matter how much the emperor himself told her to relax. She explained that the only way to relax, at least for her, was to perfect her art. And so, on the center stage of that garden lake, she was asked to demonstrate. No one expected for her to do so well in the sight of the emperor, as well as her new friend. Even the most seasoned of veterans in the Personal Guard, which she was traveling with, broke out in applause. Blushing, she muttered sheepishly that she was not fully trained yet. The emperor begged to differ, going so far as to ask her to join his own Personal Guards. She was in shock, but her friend suggested it. It would be convienient, and aid in her training. But Mina refused. Until she was ready for such a task, she would not join this elite. However, she would keep it in the back of her mind, for the time being. It was then that the sixteen year old woman began to have her feelings shift toward the fiery Seung Mina... Chapter 2: The New Age ________________________________________________________________________ Seung Mountain. A lone woman walks down the stone steps in a state of thought. 'That presence... I can't shake it. What was it? Could it be a side effect of this "Evil Seed" that people are going crazy from?' Then, with horror, 'So that means that MY weapon is possesed by a demon! Wait... it didn't seem that way. That... thing or whatever helped me out at the school. But why? And it said something... I think it said 'It begins.' What begins?' At this point, Mina's head began to pound. "Whatever. Just think about it later." As she completes her walk down the mountain, Mina was already feeling better. She had escaped, and was once again on the road. But, of course, the effort involved drained her energy; she was hungry, and tired. "I think I'll stop by Beni's for a snack." ________________________________________________________________________ The local bar was not only the home of the best food and drinks in town, but also doubled as an inn. However, what it was really notorious for was the frequent stops of mercenaries and adventurers, mostly seeking information. And who better to pass out information than an informant: Benten "The Banshee" Shirou, a former warrior, and an active part of Heishero Mitsurugi's information network. And this day was no different. For the thousandth time that day, the door had opened. "Sit down," he said with an almost indifferent tone, "and I'll be right with ya." "Really now, is that any way to treat your customers, much less your friends?" with a surprised, and shocked look on his face, he turns toward the door to see... "Seung Mina! I heard that you were locked in the school-" "News still travels fast around here, I see." Beni finally calmed down and, with a smile, said "Hmph. It's not everyday that one has the element of surprise on me. I assure you that it won't happen twice." Mina ate with a passion, which didn't surprise Beni one bit. "You should slow down. Don't want you running out of breathing room, do we?" As she swallowed anoter mouthfull, she said "Point taken; I'll be careful. So," As she settled down, "What's happened while I was away?" The informant's face was suddenly stern. "You're sure you wanna hear it? You might not like what you hear..." Mina stopped eating. "Try me. I'm a really good listener." "Sure... fine, but I warned you." ________________________________________________________________________ Outside, a woman of age twenty had just entered the town by boat. Her outfit was white with a black bra. The top had a blue flame insignia on both sleeves, and a butterfly print on the back. The pants exposed almost all of her legs, save the hips. Her shoes were blue, and matched with the outfit quite nicely. But what surprised people the most was what was at her waist: A chinese double-edged sword. Her innocent look made it seem like she never engaged in actual combat, but she was quite skilled. And she had gone through quite a lot to find what she called her "one true treasure". "Seung Mina... where are you?" ________________________________________________________________________ "So, lemme get this straight... this "evil seed" is only the shards of the first sword that were spread by the wind?" "Told you. Sounds impossible, doesn't it?" "No, it makes perfect sense. A sword with that much influence and power could change anyone, even with a little piece of it!" Beni was more than impressed. "You know more about this than you let on, don't you? Anyway, those things are every where, maybe even here." And he cringed at the thought. "I don't wanna think about it." 'Neither do I... because that would mean my weapon is possesed as well! Then what would I do?' In the midst of her dismay, she managed to say "I'm a little tired, Beni. Whrer're your rooms at?" "You forgot the way already? What's happened to you?" At the same moment, the young woman from the dock had walked into the bar. She didn't have to announce herself; the combination of her figure and her clothes made enough of a statement. 'Hmph. Where is she?' "Lookin' fer sumthin', little woman?" The lady turned around to face a drunkard who obviously had the wrong idea. 'Not you, idiot, so move.' "Did a woman wearing red and orange walk in here?" "'Ey, what're you intrested in a woman for? I've got whatcha need." "Uh... okay, but I'm not interested, so please move." "Yeah, well jus' lemme show you..." He was cut off by a shot to the gut. "I didn't say you could touch me, now did I? So please move... before it gets worse." "Hey, girl. You can't do that without paying first." Three other drunkards stood to fight... "Over here, when ya start a fight, you have to finish it! Right, guys?" The other two said nothing, but only smiled and reached for their swords. ________________________________________________________________________ Sleep. A state of outward peace where the body gets to rest... yet the inner turmoil still exists. 'My weapon... my treasure. I've had it since I was a baby... how could this happen?' Mina had doubts from the beginning. Her weapon, possesed? Then it was no longer reliable! Without her weapon, she was... 'Nothing. You're naive AND predictable, you know that?' That again. She could get no rest. 'Who, or rather what, are you?' 'It is one of those things that is difficult to explain. But I will tell you this: I am not a demon... yet.' '"Yet"? What're you saying?' The stranger replied with 'It's funny... with all the world's confusion, there is nothing I can say or do that will convince you. That's why I speak in riddles... to make you think for yourself, since you say you can.' That didn't help. 'What, no clues?' 'Only this: "A weapon is only a saint or demon because of the owner's soul."' Now, that helped, if only a little. Mina had learned much about the power within all human beings from both Kong and Edge Master. She began to consider all that she learned... and one thing came up: "Where your mind is, there your soul is also." This is why she took up meditation when she got dragged home again, to clear her mind. Once her mind was cleansed, her soul would be cleansed also, not to mention the fact that she felt worlds better afterwards. And if she felt good, she seemed to have an effect on people, and a good one at that. But the biggest difference was how she fought. When she fought like that, it made her think that she was holding back for all this time... 'Hah. You've figured it out.' Mina knew the lesson. 'I think I have. A weapon is only as good or evil as the one who uses it.' But she still had no clue. 'Hm. Well, then. You'll know soon enough.' Silence...for now. ________________________________________________________________________ The fight had ended quite quickly, with Beni's help. After throwing the lushes out on their asses, he turned to the girl. "I should kick you out too, but I knew that you didn't start the fight. Besides, you'd have kicked my ass, too... miss Chai Xianghua." The warrior smiled at the mention of her name. "You would've figured it out anyway, Benten." "And don't forget it. By the way, she's upstairs..." _________________________________________________________________________ Mina had finally awakened. It was late, much later than she expected to wake up. But the bed was so comfy that she couldn't move. But that wasn't the only reason: she was frozen with surprise at her new guest... "Finally... we finally meet again, Seung Mina." She only smiled, and said, "Hello again, Xianghua." ________________________________________________________________________ -End- By the way, Chai Xianghua is the full name of the wielder of the Krita- Yuga. And Benten is the dude that I made up, in case you were curious. - Next Chapter - Mina begins to contemplate her relationship with Xianghua... the relationship that started as a friendship so long ago... may have become something more.
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