Case Subject: One Seong Mi-na, age 23. Born Nov. 3, 1570 in Jirisan, Korea, during the tumultuous Joseon Dynasty. Jirisan was also known at the time as Seong Mountain, due to the fact that a training hall for various self-defense techniques and weapons arts run by Seong Han-meyong, was located there. Seeing as the mountain was named after the founder of Seong Shi Dadao Shu, the style and techniques were of note at the time. Korean descent; family has a military background in the Korean Coast Guard. However, growing up without the support of her mother, who died shortly after she herself was born, may have been a blow to her character due to being largely without a female influence. Grew up mostly alongside Hwang Seong-gyeong, then an orphan. The two of them were nothing more than friends, and oftentimes heated rivals in sparring, and lacked a desire to take the relationship further. This was a strain on Han-myeong, who wanted a son more than anything else, due to the fact that his own had died from the same illness that his wife had contracted. Thus, Mi-na was left as the sole heir to the long blade style, which had now reached legendary status. At the time, such notions were unacceptable, and he considered marrying her off, time and time again. He made an attempt twice to arrange a marriage with Hwang; both times failed, largely due to the fact that Mi-na considered herself more than a prize or treasure to be handed out for any personal ends. During the year 1586, rumors of Japan's invasion plans against Ming China, with Korea as a foothold, had reached the country. Now age sixteen, and proficient at multiple weapons with a mastery of the zhanmadao, Mi-na had grown fond of her motherland, and thus fiercely protective. However, after being rejected by the Coast Guard, a desperate plan formed in her mind. To find the Soul Edge and obtain it for the glory of her country. After running away from her home and entering Ming China with the aim of collecting information, She ran into the kunoichi known as Taki, and was informed of the blade's inherent evil. Unbelieving of her words, she struck blindly and was defeated utterly by an opponent who was far faster and more experienced. After recovering from her injuries however, the words seemed to stick with her... She began searching for rumors and tales of the blade, asking for anything she could find. Eventually, she pieced the story together, yet did not believe entirely, since there were so many conflicting pieces of information. Most of them, however, spoke of it as an abomination. She headed off on a journey in order to utterly destroy the cursed weapon, firm in her belief that such a blade should not be placed in her motherland. Along the way, near the Silk Road trade route that ran through Turkey, she ran into her old rival, Hwang. Surprised that she had run away, he scolded her for being so far away from home, and without her father's permission. Already a hardened and seasoned warrior, he was prepared to thwart Mi-na's advance, even going so far to claim that if she could properly disarm him, he would allow her to travel with him in search of the Soul Edge. He did not expect her to succeed... Though the battle was long and arduous, she finally managed to disarm the superior fighter, perhaps due to the fact that she was determined not to lose so badly as she had to the ninja. Eventually, she persuaded him to allow her to join, all the while informing him of the information she had gathered. Only her coaxing to continue their quest for the destruction of the Soul Edge prevented him from rushing back to Jirisan immediately with her in tow. With that, they continued along the Silk Road, pushing their way through one battle after another. Eventually, they had arrived in Venice, Italy, the closest they would ever get to the epicenter of the chaos unaided. It was here that the coalition between the five individuals who would tempt fate took place, the last one arriving a bit later than the rest. Mi-na had run into Taki once again, and after exchanging a few terse words, they fought. The battle had lasted for quite a while longer this time as Mi-na put up a much more focused and agressive resistance. In the end however, the battle was at a stalemate, due to the fact that it had been broken up by both Hwang and one Sophitia Alexandra, whom had persuaded Taki to join her in the quest for Soul Edge's destruction. As the four of them traveled together, Mi-na saw signs that the two of them had more... intimate contact than at first glance. Curious as to how this could be, she began following them around, taking in their movements and observations. She noticed that she herself was starting to become used to the idea of two women in that situation. Why not? A woman was the only one who truly understood another woman. It was simple logic, as far as she could discern. In any event, the last member of this group, Heishero Mitsurugi, was discovered when the five of them made a raid on the treasure hoard of an arms dealer named Vercci, hearing rumors that various weapons and artifacts were stored there. The possibility of Soul Edge being there was quite high. However, what they found there was far more terrifying... Voldo, blind, deaf, and insane from the years in the darkness, was the guardian of the Money Pit, as it had been called. Completely thwarted by his odd movements and the fact that he could fight even with his back turned, Mi-na suffered grave injuries during the battle, and the other three companions were held effectively at bay. Only with the sudden intervention of the Japanese mercenary did they succeed... however, they were turned upon in an instant as they explained why they had come. Taki and Mitsurugi engaged in a fierce melee while Sophita and Hwang tended to the ailing Mi-na, who could do nothing but watch the battle. In the end, as the two of them exhausted their resources and fought to a draw, the rouge samurai reluctantly agreed to join their party, commenting on their skills... or lack of, in his opinion, save for the kunoichi. Believing that they would need his support and convinced that they would lead him to what he sought, he was the only one in the group with an ulterior motive. Thus, as they headed towards the final conflict, the tales of sheer devastation and desecration became more evident over time. Now confirmed as a twisted blade, the five of them were now determined to end the madness, once and for all. During their entrance into Spain, they took note of a man who seemed as if he were from Ming China. Seeing the grave wounds on his person, Mi-na trembled in fear for the first time... If it were this bad now... what would it be like when she actually fought him? With this in mind, she charged forward into the port where the pirate ship, Adrian, was located. The oppresive wave of force that met her was almost too much as she looked at a man who was no longer human... Now shaken to her core with dread, she rushed forward in sheer instinct, fueled by the desperation to wash away the being that caused this primal fear. The battle was fierce and tumultuous, but she had eventually recieved far too many blows from the twin swords, and was on the brink of defeat and death as the others entered. Hwang was the first to charge as he saw his one and only friend lying there on the floor, about to have her efforts end in vain. Mitsurugi joined the fray as well, his sword flashing and a wild grin on his face. Only Sophitia and Taki hung back, tending to a critically-injured Mi-na with whatever methods they could administer. The pirate's blades fed on their anger, pain, sadness, and fervor for battle, and thus grew ten-fold in strength. It seemed to increase in puissance and lethality with every swing through the air, until their weapons trembled under the shock of guarding against such a beastly set of weapons. Mi-na was healed quickly, her wounds not having much time to heal... and yet they were healing rapidly as the kunoichi's magic and the oracle's prayers rained on the Seong prodigy. However, all strength had left her. The bleeding had stopped; there were no scars; but the fatigue had already seeped to her very bones. It was then that she realized what had happened to her. She had been sapped of most of her very essence; her life force. Her soul. Just being *near* the blades was draining them all of their strength! Barely able to stand without the support of her weapon, she watched in dismay as her suspicions were confirmed. Hwang and Mitsurugi were sent sprawling to the floor by a wide, sweeping circle from the Soul Edge. All seemed lost... But as he glowered in victory, standing over the two of them as if deciding whose soul to devour first, Sophitia stepped forward, challenging the demonized pirate openly. With a sick grin and a raise of his weapons, he charged forth. However, her divine armor and weapons somehow protected her, their aura shining out against the waves of desecration. Becoming increasingly frustrated that the woman was still moving, even after all of his best attempts, his focused effort turned into one of rage as he allowed himself to sink into a berserked state. The weapons and armor were scarred terribly, and Sophitia lost her protective aura... but as her strength faded with every swing, she found an opening. Blocking the long sword with her shield, which almost buckled and broke completely under the might of the increased spiritual force delivered from Soul Edge, she let out a sharp, piercing cry... And shattered one of the blades. The twisted harmony between the two weapons had been destroyed, and the pirate, who had allowed its influence to completely enfold him, was almost torn in two by the loss. His mind was warped and twisted as the energy flowed back into him in a quite bad way, and he staggered backwards, his head reeling in pain. However, Sophitia could do nothing about it... She was in quite a bad state herself, the pieces of the weapon imbedded within several critical areas of her body upon the destruction of the short sword. In the end, it was up to Taki, the last fighter standing, to deliver the finishing blow to the dread pirate. But even with the loss of one sword, he was still formidable. Even the hardened, veteran demon huntress was hard-pressed to contain the threat, let alone neutralize it. However, he made mistakes; errors in judgement. Giving himself to the blade had taken its toll on him, and the destruction of one of the swords had almost literally made him half the man he used to be. With that, she completely defeated the evil pirate, knocking the sword away from his grasp and forcing him to the ground in an unconcious state. With Mi-na and herself the only two left fully conscious, they staggered away from the battlefield, before he could recover, carrying their wounded with them as best they could... After undergoing her rigorous training from her father as punishment, it would be a mere two months after her after her return before she left once again, tired of being hassled and harassed by the wealthy son of the Kim family. The next three years would change her entire life, as she was introduced to the world of Ling-Sheng Su rod arts. However, her teacher, named Kong Xiuqiang, professed that he was not officially ordained to teach her the full style, yet congratulated her on the fact that she knew enough to survive on her own, and within the short space of one year. Learning never to underestimate her opponent's strength or capability at first glance, she began her own training regimen, immersing herself in the rod arts and her father's style for two more years, growing to a point where she had become a seasoned fighter, and won most of the conflicts she had gotten herself into. It was also during this time that she made random trips around the world during her training, and picked up several dialects of Mandarin and a firm command of Japanese. By the time she had heard of rumors of the Soul Edge's resurgance, she was a woman of the world at age nineteen, who had seen her share of battles and conflicts by now. Running into Chai Xianghua was what she would call a lucky accident... but what others would call fate. Along with Kilik, Maxi, Sophitia, Taki, Mitsurugi, and Hwang, who was furious with Mi-na for leaving without permission again, They all sought to utterly vanquish the blade, once and for all. Along the way, they had run into quite a few new faces... including the evil stench of the Lizard Men, an army of beasts which were once human, twisted by arcane means. Time and time again, they met with what seemed to be droves of scouting parties, and soon knew that they too were looking for Soul Edge. Leading them was a hulking beast known as Astaroth, vile in temperament and immense in size. He drove the creatures onward in a plague that served more to aid the cursed blade than their own causes, which were at the time unknown. They had to fight this massive army over and over during their travels, ever hounded by an organization which they never could identify. However, not all of the meetings were bad. Finding that they were lacking the strength for their venture, the party headed towards the Himalayan moutain range, a massive natural defense between India and Ming Dynasty China. Led to this place by Kilik, they met a man known as Edge Master. He did not yet reveal himself as the former head of the Ling-Sheng Su temple, and as such, Kilik did not tell anyone. However, when she saw him hold his battered staff in his hands, she knew. It was the same stance as hers... with a grin, she challenged him on the spot. She wanted to test her strength and resolve. However, she was beaten quite handily... but because of it, she would undergo such rigorous training over the next few months that her skills were augmented to the point where she could match blades soundly with the ancient master. When they had finally fought to a draw one day after the months of near-torture she had endured, he declared her fit to continue her path, wherever it may lead. Due to her potential, he even considered making her a monk of the Ling-Sheng Su... though she politely declined. If there was one thing she had learned over the years from all her training, it was tact and courtesy, not to mention respect for her opponent. It was also during those months in the mountains... that she learned about love. Xianghua admitted openly to the woman that was three years her senior, that she had feelings for her. Admiration and respect, the girl of sixteen had expected. Love however, the young Imperial Guard had not forseen in the least. However, the tranquility was not to last for long- they had a job to do. And eventually, they found their quarry... He was known as Nightmare, and his blade, though one of a much different make and size, was another Soul Edge. Or was it the same one, but with a different wielder? Did it change according to who wielded it? Whatever the case was, she could somehow tell it was the genuine article. Furious that the last effort had been in vain, she lashed out with authority, once again the first person to charge forth. This time, however... the ensuing battle shook the grounds upon which it was held as a now more experienced Seong Mi-na clashed her blade against that of the azure knight's. It was still the dreaded spirit sword, just as powerful and just as malevolent- but this time, she seemed as if she stood a chance. However, she had overstepped her limits, forgetting entirely of the sword's powers- her strength was being sapped, even as she swung her weapon. Frustrated and irritated at her lack of defenses against it, Mi-na threw all of her weight behind one single, desperate attack, hoping to put at least a crack in his armor. Nothing. She missed entirely, and got hit with a massive wave of force. She hadn't been cut in any way, and yet coughed up blood. She was spent, and something had been broken instead of skin being pierced. Looking at her opponent through her blurred vision, Mi-na considered herself just about finished... And then, the others came, jumping in when it seemed as if the battle had died down. The fight was furious and highly destructive as the castle walls were wracked with the sounds of the conflict outside and the war within, until they were all drawn into the blade's center. Somehow, Xianghua and Kilik had beaten him off to the point where they had him cornered. She noticed then that the young monk had something slung across his shoulder- a sash with mirrors instead of cloth. It shone and pulsed as he fought against the monster... and she knew at once from seeing it that it was of great importance. It kept him sane- not only that, but it kept his strength from being sapped. The mirror was a divine artifact of some sort... the fog in her mind lifted enough for her to remind herself to ask the hermit about it later. Then, all was black... She awoke about an hour later in a cloud of swirling lights. A void; full of life and energy and possibilities, and at the same time chaos and dismay. She was *inside* of Soul Edge... She wanted to scream. The terror, the primal fear that had come over her the last time she had fought the weapon had returned, only now it was doubled in force. Tripled. Number upon number of screams filled her head- the death cries of the victims of the twisted steel. She didn't want to go through with it... not any more. She just wanted to go home... Then, another voice pierced through the screams. Something else was here. An order among the chaos- the very antithesis of all the evil around her. It shouted a call to arms; all at once, it was both calming and full of exuberance- of fervor. It were as if the call was coming from her own soul instead of an outside source. This voice had a name... Soul Calibur. When her vision cleared of the haze around her, she noticed that Kilik was busy trying to defend himself against the evil, rather than strike out against it. There seemed little he could do about it but defend... Mitsurugi and Hwang were circling, waiting for an opening. Taki and Sophitia were standing near Mi-na, looking upon the sight before them in awe as Xianghua reached up for the very thing that had called Mi-na to alertness. It was a sword... pale blue and magnificent- the most beautiful thing that their eyes had ever seen. Yet she knew it for what it was. It was a weapon, not a work of art, and it seemed just as alive as the Soul Edge. But this life was clean; untainted by any mortal hand. Only someone *worthy* could wield this weapon, she realized. And yet... she did not know that the weapon known as Soul Calibur had done something to her own Scarlet Thunder- it had undergone a transformation from within. There were legends behind every Seong heirloom, and the Scarlet Thunder was no exception. It had simply been waiting for an opportune moment in which it would be of use. This was the moment. She did not know how or why it had happened, nor did she question it. She simply knew what she needed to do, without hesitation. As her blade ignited in spiritual flame and searing heat without her knowledge, she leapt forward... and cut towards the malignant flames, her own passing through them as if to neutralize them. In fact, that's exactly what happened. The two powers cancelled each other out, and his defensive aura dissapated. The creature stumbled in surprise and pain... then attacked the newcomer, only to be pressed back by Xianghua's renewed strength. Not just renewed, but increased thousand-fold, as if she had been reborn. The beast could not properly defend against both sets of attacks, and the others simply watched in awe as the two of them landed signifigant, telling blows to their mutual adversary. With the demon sufficiently tamed and downed, Xianghua dealt the finishing blow to the opponent... but as silence fell and they were transported back to the now obliterated castle, not all was well. The devastation before them told the tale that thier battle in the void had effected the outside world quite harshly. On top of that, the mirror had been completely obliterated by the sheer wave of force that had been exerted when their foe had been vanquished, now in shards of emerald. Kilik sat on his knees, looking hopelessly at his now destroyed defense against the evils from without and within. Seeing the destruction and the sheer hopelessness of it all, Mi-na sank to her knees and wept. The sword -that beautiful, pale blue instrument of justice and potent healing- was gone. The screams came back to her mind in force and en masse. The only thing she screamed out was to make it all stop. To kill her. It was the reason why she had once again gone into the mountains... why she had learned how to control her energies and to sense that of others... why she had become a full-fledged Ling-Sheng Su practitioner without even becoming a monk or swearing one oath. And now, after she had turned age 23 and was beginning to see the infinite possibilities before her, she had left home once again. This time, at the permission of her father and with her her own newfound sense of responsibility nagging at her every step of the way, she presses onward to warn the young pupil named Yun-seong of the danger into which he seems so ready to plunge head-first into. Chapter 10- Shadow War (Part 3) ________________________________________________________________________ It was the morning after they had been introduced, and Mi-na was meditating, her legs folded in lotus position as she breathed. The world around her seemed to simply fade as she considered the steps she had to take in order to help Taki out. She was already plenty sneaky- that much was evident enough. She could move fast as well- a good trait of a ninja, as far as she could tell. But what else? She needed something else, didn't she? A specialty of some sort? Her mind searched for the awnser, but after a while, let the thought drift off. She figured that she would simply take things one step at a- (Hmm? What's that?) Something behind her. It sounded like someone approaching- they were trying to be quiet. But the slight sounds of the grass and leaves gave the otherwise silent steps away- whoever this was, they were probably within two feet of her, maybe less. To get this close without her observation was the mark of someone experienced. She opened her eyes slowly, not daring to make it seem as if she knew someone was there. Her breathing was still steady and her body seemed as if it had been stopped in time. Her training had taken her to the point where she could control herself in a much greater extent than most. As soon as the person was close enough to smell on the wind, she leaned her upper body back and grinned up at whoever it was. It was a man- a young man, probably about sixteen or seventeen. His stealth was indeed impressive- he was closer than she had at first imagined. She had almost bumped into his knees. "Gotcha!" She managed to make him jump back a few inches in surprise. "You knew I was coming? When?" He asked, more curious than irritated. Good, she liked the fact that he could admit defeat. "I'm guessing you were about an arm's length, maybe two away before I could catch wind of you. Not bad!" She sprung to her feet, dusted herself off, and turned to face him. "I'm Mi-na, by the way." The young ninja, who wore mostly green and white with a bit of gold trim on his body armor, bowed respectfully. "Most everyone knows that now; your names, I mean. I'm Shinjiro." Mi-na bowed back and smiled warmly. "Cool. Anyways, did you want something from me?" Shinjiro placed his hand on his chin for a brief moment, as if considering what to say, then he nodded. "Yes, I did. I was wondering if you would spar with me for a moment- I wouldn't know what you needed to learn without some kind of examination of what you already know." Mi-na quirked an eyebrow and smirked. "You're sure about this? It's been said that I'm pretty good, y'know." He nodded, and she immediately threw a jab at him before his head was back up again! In effect, as soon as his face was looking at her again, he had to lean back in order to clear her fist, his eyes widening in shock. (Damn, she's fast,) he thought as he immediately went on the defensive, hopping a few good feet back. The only problem with that was, she was already upon him within a few shuffle steps, lunging towards him with a fierce straight to his gut. Her fist instantly retreated after the blow, almost leaving an after-image in its wake. She stepped forward again as he was sent reeling and slammed her right palm into his face, right between his eyes. With a dull thud, Shinjiro was sent further back, the sheer force of the attack almost making him fall to the ground. (*Too* fast! I have to do something about this before I'm down!) It was then that he heard it- something heavy rising upwards through the air. He saw it too- as his vision cleared, he caught a good front row seat of a front stretch kick, the instep of Mi-na's right foot heading towards his very vulnerable face. Or so she thought. "I've got you now," he said triumphantly as he grabbed her ankle with both hands, effectively stopping the kick. Unfortunately, he was suddenly flung upwards as Mi-na's left instep rammed into him, sending her sailing backwards with both legs extended and a wide grin on her face as she landed, returning to her ready stance. A flip kick. (She kicked at me like that... knowing that I'd see it... not bad...) Shinjiro managed to clear his head enough to right himself, landing on the ground on the balls of his feet, much like a cat does after falling from a tree. "Nice one," he said as he charged forward, sacrificing all defensive efforts for an offensive attack. It was a good plan, at least to him. Mi-na had to agree. "*Now* we're talkin'! Come on!" With an equal speed, she rushed forward at the same instant, determined to meet her opponent head on. Not surprisingly, the two of them decided to throw the same attack, though Shinjiro didn't expect her to move so quickly. He wondered briefly how long she had trained for before the two fists met halfway, a resounding crack ringing through the forest in which they sparred. However, Mi-na had learned how to control her internal energies, and thus use them against an opponent. The shockwave of force that followed the attack from his opponent was more of a surprise than anything else to Shinjiro, and as the two of them flew backwards only a few feet away from their meeting place, he had to reconsider his game plan. But he didn't have long- she was coming at him yet again! "Nuts to this- let's go," he said, forgoing any sort of game plan what so ever and quickly getting into a ready stance, his hands in defensive open palms. And a good thing, too- he reacted against the next attack from her, a punch to mid-chest, much faster. As her left punch snapped forward, his right hand did so as well, negating the attack. He almost instantly sent a right reverse knife hand towards Mi-na's neck, which she ducked clean under. However, she did feel something else pass over her- a rush of air. She felt a few strands of hair being cut off as well. (What the... he's using the wind as a weapon, just like Talim! And me without my Scarlet Thunder... dammit!) Realising the situation she was in, she quickly rolled to the side as another knife hand swipe came downwards towards her left shoulder, almost taking her arm clean off. She quickly stood, turned towards the young man again, and found that he was gone. (Where did he... awww, man... now he wants to play hide and seek.) She figured that he was either out of sight, or moving too fast for her eyes to track. So she didn't use her eyes at all- she had other senses that she could use, including the ability to tap into the spiritual energies of all things and anticipate the intent of an attack, wherever it might come from. With that, she closed her eyes and listened. The wind seemed to be everywhere... and yet, she could hear him. She knew what the guy looked like already- it wasn't that hard to get a picture of him in her mind and how he was going to attack. But she couldn't block- his arms and legs were more swords than anything now, and she couldn't block a blade with her forearms or shins. So she'd have to move... quickly. Only a moment after she had thought such a thing, he approached. He was trying to flank her, from her right side. She did nothing to smirk or grin as he approached- play time was over, now that he was serious. She immediately dropped into a low tiger stance, her left leg bending at the knee and her right leg extended. One of her fists were raised above her head, while the other was level with her waist, hanging above her right knee. Thus... "What?" His attack missed, the blade of air cutting harmlessly where she used to be. With that, she quickly lunged forward, ramming her right palm into her opponent's ribs, adding a twist and an exhalation to the attack. Boom. He was sent flying as the energy that Mi-na had stored during the evasion was used against him. She didn't dare open her eyes as she returned to a fighting stance, waiting for his next move. (I gotta keep this up. I have to put him down so that he can't attack again... but without stopping him from moving, meaning killing him entirely. This is harder than I thought it'd be.) On the other hand, Shinjiro was breathing hard as he stood again, his body complaining from the hits that he was forced to take. (Well, that didn't work... she can hear me coming, no matter how fast I moved- and if I moved any faster, I'll just about kill myself with the strain on my body. She's that good, I'll grant her that. But even so...) He sprung to his feet and rushed toward Mi-na, seeming to vanish on the spot and re-appear right in front of her in order to deliver a front kick, the ball of his foot aiming towards the shin of her forward leg to slam into the tibia. She retreated quickly, taking a few shuffle steps backwards before launching forward with a side kick. Thing was, her eyes were closed, so she wouldn't have a counter like last time. She stumbled a bit as she felt nothing but air- he had dodged the incoming attack. Before she could retreat, he rammed his left shoulder into her solar plexus, knocking the wind out of her and sending her toward the ground. Without wasting time, he spiraled upwards with a leap, using the air below him as a support... before coming straight down onto Mi-na with his left leg extended in a falling side kick. She heard it. A fraction of a second later, she saw it, her eyes snapping open as she realized what he was going to do. She could feel the air pressure coming down on her- he was going to pierce her with the attack! She had to move, and right now, before... But her body wouldn't respond. Her breathing was too shallow, and that hit to her stomach hurt like nothing else. (Come on, *move*!) With an outcry of pain, she rolled to her right side, allowing the kick to slam into the ground. She was pretty much right about what would happen as an impact crater five inches deep and six inches wide was made upon impact... and he didn't even hit the ground with his foot. The resulting miss of an attack sent the ninja into the air again, albeit safely. Landing just a few feet away from Mi-na, he grinned wildly. (Just as I expected- I'd have to use everything I had on her. That last attack I hit her with wasn't anything special, but it certainly did a number on her... still, I think that's enough.) Mi-na stood slowly, finally regaining her breath. She smiled weakly, knowing that she would have to push herself to the limits which she had trained herself in order to keep the young man down. But as soon as she assumed her stance again, he raised his hand. "You told me all I needed to know on that last dodge. You're good. Really good. Determined, too. But the fact is, you need to know a bit more about tactics- you're relying too much on luck and sheer force." Mi-na pouted at this and dropped her stance. She wanted to come at him with something biting; derisive. But she knew why it hurt... it was because he was right. "Okay then.. what do I need to learn?" The young man smiled and nodded, glad that she was taking everything so well. With the pout and things of that sort, he was expecting her to attack. "What I'm going to teach you is the art of Buryaku- military tactics. Actions that you can do on the fly, almost to a point where you don't have to think about it." Mi-na's expression brightened a bit. "Interesting... tell me more." ________________________________________________________________________ Taki sat in the council room from now on, listening in on most of the meetings and offering input where needed. Of course, she wasn't an official member, but none of the ninja who had been on the council were in any position to lead. They simply discussed and decided on matters, told the others about it, and it all seemed to work. Today's meeting was a rather important one- Kageboushi's scouting party had returned with information. Indeed, the body of their former clan leader, Toki, was found rotting in the underground Hoko Temple. It was swarmed with demons and vengeful spirits, hoping to use the battered and torn corpse for their own ends, but after disposing of the body and dispelling the sprits, the threat was effectively neutralized. The only question now was this: how would they go about dealing with the other faction, now that Toki was dead? They were effectively a headless body, without a successor named before the man's death. Surely, they could look for Hachibei, who was the rightful leader in the first place? But Taki squashed that notion. "He wouldn't want to be involved if the Mekki-Maru were still around and the shards were still active. We need to take care of things here first until further actions are taken to choose a new leader. Besides, I've lost his location- he's probably hidden himself so well that not even my network can find him." Ookamikingin considered this for a moment, then nodded. "Then explain to us what you would do in this situation." Taki quirked an eyebrow. "All I did was kill Toki for you- why should I be involved in rebuilding the clan when you all are here to do so?" Kishiumi looked at Taki with an intense gaze. The rest seemed to follow suit, only waiting for her awnser. "If a successor were named... you would be the one," she said. "Toki and Hachibei both considered you like a daughter. Therefore, you carry more weight than you realize around here, even with them gone. We ask your opinion because you are the most skilled of all of us- and surely the most prized. So then, what would you do?" Taki almost blushed from all of the attention she was recieving. But she would not show her flustered inner state to them- not when she was expected to say something. So then, she considered. What would they want more than anything, were Toki gone? To carry out his will? Perhaps to honor his death? But that would mean that they would want to fight, which would not be too good for the clan in general. They wouldn't be a clan if they were mostly dead. "They will want to fight- to avenge their master. We might not be able to avoid this, but we have to try. Soul Edge may have thwarted us long before we even start this plan, mind you... each of those in Toki's faction has a shard. Who knows what it could be doing to their minds?" They all thought about it and nodded. This much was true enough. She continued. "What else would they want though? What would they care to have more than the very thing which they were sent for? We may not be able to find out, but we can at least make a guess. They would want soemone to lead them, first and foremost. Their leader is currently dead, after all." One of the men who hadn't introduced himself quite yet spoke. "Perhaps they will try and contact Hachibei. We must do something to secure him before they do." Taki did not consider it. She sighed, dreading to have to involve her more prominent father figure in this conflict, but saw no better option. "You do know of his daughter, Chie... don't you?" The man nodded. "Keep her safe. If anything, these ninja will be predisposed to violent means, now that they have possession of Soul Edge fragments. I want them captured if they try to resist- I brought a few people with me who can neutralize the evil influences within their minds, if there are any." The man stood and bowed. "Immediately, then. I'll set up a team right away." He just about vanished, which didn't surprise Taki in the least. Nothing did anymore. Kishiumi smiled and nodded. "You see? You're doing better than you thought you would, are you not?" Taki managed to smile, just a bit. "Yes... yes, I am." With that, the meeting continued. ________________________________________________________________________ It had been three days. Shinjiro was calmly sitting down, his legs folded in tailor fashion. He was meditating, contemplating something of which he would not reveal. Suddenly, he heard something out of the blue- a twig snapping. He did not take it to mean anything, so continued focusing on clearing his mind. He did not bother with looking out for attacks and seemed completely vulnerable. He wasn't. But there was no attack for quite a while, so he went undisturbed. He heard something passing in front of him- by the noise of the wind it was a rock- a small but weighty stone which was thrown at the left side of his head. He caught it, crushed the rock with little thought, and repositioned himself. Almost immediately after, another rock came from the right side. He caught this one as well, but didn't expect another one to come from the front right. The attacker was trying to distract him, and was doing a good job. The rock whacked him upside the head- his headband defended him somewhat, but he didn't entirely care at the moment. He was forced to open his eyes and rise to his feet, getting irritated at whoever this was. He looked around him, wondering who was doing the rock-tossing. A throw from his right, at his side! Caught- He felt a tap on his left shoulder from behind, just as he caught the stone. Turning his head, he saw a grinning Seong Mi-na. "Flanked from the left rear. You're dead." Shinjiro grinned. "Nice work. I didn't even hear you coming. To think that it only took you three days to get it down." Mi-na couldn't help but giggle at this. "Hey, it's always been said that I'm a quick study." He nodded and turned towards Mi-na. "I'd have you do an ambush, but it's just one of you... then again, if you think you could do it, give it a shot. I'll give you a few minutes to hide if you want." Mi-na shook her head and smiled. "Hey, not so fast. I want to try and do it in the middle of a fight." He quirked an eyebrow. "You sure? You have to be damn fast in order to do that sucessfully." Mi-na smiled sweetly and moved to her left, her body seeming to disappear as she did so. Suddenly appearing on his right side, she spoke to him as he jumped in surprise. "This good enough?" He looked... she was gone. A voice to his right side; "Or this?" He looked- she was nowhere to be found. She had moved again before he could catch sight of her. Completely disoriented, he could not tell where she had gone until the last moment... He felt a tap from behind his left shoulder. Turned, nothing there... turned to face his front again, and he had to lean back in surprise as he saw a fist two inches in front of his face. Mi-na laughed mockingly. "Relax; I didn't even throw the punch- I just left my arm hanging there! But have I proven myself now?" (Amazing,) he mused to himself. (She got it down pat, and didn't even use her ki... is she just that fast?) She stood there, waiting. "Well? Have I proven myself?" Shinjiro shook his head to clear himself from the daze he was in and nodded. "Erm, one question... did you use any spiritual energy during that whole thing?" Mi-na scoffed. "That'd be cheating. I wouldn't cheat on one of my own teammates, you know. You're the one who taught me how to be this fast; at least give yourself some credit for it." He shook his head and smiled. "Oh, don't worry about that- I do give myself some credit. But I give you the rest of it- that's outstanding work, Mi-na." She bowed, her eyes cast to the ground. "Thank you for everything." He smiled and ruffled her hair. "No worries." Mi-na frowned a bit as he did so. "Stop that- you're making me feel like some little kid." He couldn't help but laugh as he apologized. To Be Continued... ________________________________________________________________________ Well then, that's one for you. As you may have guessed by now, there are three more to go: Talim's training, Xianghua's, and Kilik's. I think that was a rather nice one, don't you? In any event, let's hear the ins and outs of this one. Tell me what you think and I'll change the next chapter based on your comments. That's how this criticism thing usually works, after all. Stay safe, guys. I'm outtie.
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