Passion. In its loosest definition, it could be one of any set of emotions, save for the fact that the emotion is incredibly powerful and intense, oftentimes moving one to the point of decicive action. Another definition states it as a state of fervor or determiation, where one's resolve is steady almost to the point of stubbornness. These strong emotions, at their very core, are nothing more than energy passing through the body from certain areas. That said... energy can be controlled; focused and harnessed towards a goal. Whether released entirely or channeled towards some end, this energy is a potent and subtle weapon... When one can take control of it. These passionate, fiery emotions are the focal point and fuel for the Scarlet Thunder, a long-handled Chinese broadsword which was passed down through the Seong family from one generation to the next. It was the only weapon without a proper legend or tale behind it, for such things had been lost. Now, the legend is being reborn, told from a much different and more influential point of view... for the wielder of the Scarlet Thunder in this age of war is on a quest which will shape the destiny of the world forever. Taki, Huntress of Shadows ________________________________________________________________________ Black. Everything was black. It were as if she were placed in the void and locked there, in a sea of pain and sadness. Her very soul had been tossed into a pit of despair by the actions that she had committed. Though it was for the greated good, Taki's master and mentor was probably dead... and by her hand at that. (Toki... what... what do I do now? It is silly of me to feel this way, but I am... uncertain of my path.) Her mind was still wary; alive and awake. Though unconscious, she was still whole for the moment. She wondered why things had to be this way... and her mind quickly gave her the most logical awnser. That box. The one at the foot of the Bhudda statue. It had shards of Soul Edge inside of it, and they were perhaps forming into a new evil blade as she lie here. She had to move... But though her rational mind gave her the awnser, her body would not move. It was too drained of its strength- probably too drained of blood as well. She may die here in this cursed place without knowledge of where that strange aura was headed. But her best guess was clear enough. It was headed towards the cursed sword itself. She knew not why, but here in this state... she could tell that it was weak. It may have been her powers, informing her that the weapon that she sought was nearing its end. Perhaps it was a stroke of luck. Or just maybe... (The shards themselves are weakening... They are still potent, certainly. But still... if they are weak, then the sword is vulnerable as well. I have to move!) The sorrow was redirected; transformed into something else. But the energy would not flow- she was too weak to continue. (It can't end like this... I must do something before it is too late!) But something held her mind in place- some sort of oppressive weight bore on her as if it were placed there as a cruel joke. What was this that weighed her so, and why did she not have enough will to move it? She had to leave, regardless of her injuries. (*Move*, damn you! Don't you fail me now...) Slowly, the cool, level-headed demon slayer began to panic. ________________________________________________________________________ The four of them entered the main hall... and beheld a sight of blood and the smell of death. Talim gasped in shock and despair as she saw the two combatants... wait... one combatant. One of them was no longer of this earth. Not even his soul remained. The other- apparently, the one whom they had followed here- was almost in his position. But somehow, her will was strong enough to hold on to her very soul. Even now, she was fighting for what little life she had left. Talim immediately walked over to the woman, saying as she went, "Clean Xianghua up for me, will you? I'll take care of this one." Mi-na and Kilik nodded and headed towards one of the underground rivers that flowed through the place. Both of them, trained in the Ling Sheng-Su arts, could sense the energy within the waters, though Kilik, still unskilled, could sense them but faintly. Perhaps they could be used to not only clean the wound, but speed along the healing. "Well, this is just what we were looking for. I figure we should take advantage of it." Kilik nodded and looked behind towards the priestess, who was now kneeling beside the woman who looked as if she were barely hanging onto her existance. "What's she trying to do? Whatever it is, I certainly hope she doesn't get herself hurt." Mi-na looked back as well, and in a brief few moments, she knew exactly what was going to happen. An aura of sheer darkness surrounded an unconscious Taki. Whatever happened here had changed her but good... if she gave in to whatever plagued her, it wouldn't be good when she woke up. (I don't want to have to, but I just might have to put you out of your misery, Taki... I certainly hope Talim's plan works.) With that, she turned and followed Kilik. Behind them, Talim was indeed on her kness next to Taki, with her hands upon her scarred and bruised body. She could sense the heavy pressure that had surrounded the ninja. (Such a distorted wind! What's causing this?) For a brief moment, she expanded her senses through the room... and found that the aura around Taki was everywhere. The entire shrine was full of it. (What... what happened here?! The wind here is so tainted... full of death...) Her senses extended even further, reaching deep into the shrine itself. What she found there made her blood run cold. Every part of this shrine was unnatural... the very materials from which it was constructed were filled with death and desecration. The metal from which the statue was crafted... were the weapons which were confiscated from the peasants and rouge samurai. The wood from which the floor and support pillars were crafted... were centuries-old cedars. The very life force from them cried out to her in anger, as if it wanted to lash out at her just for spite. (No...) She immediately closed her mind to it all. It was too much. Her aura snapped back towards her as if it were a rubber band, retreating before any more could be gleaned from her examination. She had discovered enough about the place to know that it was just not right. (Goddess protect me...) She had not noticed that her heart rate had shot up and her entire body tensed as if it were preparing itself for flight... or a sudden response to an attack. Her hands were shaking as a result, still placed on Taki's body. It was too much. She may have been determined and with a firm resolve most of the time, but she was still afraid when an overwhelming force was presented to her. The place was one of such malice and hatred that it frightened her upon sensing it. Out of despair or some other instinct, she tapped into the mental link between her and her other two bondmates, not caring whether or not one of them could hear her. (Help... help me... Mi-na, Xianghua, help me! I'm... I can't...) She sobbed, her body shuddering as she did so. She had been completely immoblized by the realization of what she faced in this hall. Tears streaked her face as her defenses were swept away by sheer fear. (Someone help me!!) ________________________________________________________________________ Taki had given up her struggles. Panicking had gotten her nowhere but stuck in this darkness. She would eventually find her way out of this place and resume her task... or rather, someone else would help her find a way out. So she allowed her thoughts to drift... and found herself considering not only Toki's life, but her own. She had spent her entire life helping people, though it was in secret and in flashes of red. Her clan wasn't entirely comprised of noble or honorable people, but they did share the same goal- to rid the world of evil influences from the spiritual plane before they consumed all of mankind. However, it seemed that her own existance was fleeting. She had spent a good portion of it running from the same ninja that she once fought alongside. Now, after all this time, it was over. The very arts that were being used to save countless lives were all but dead... Toki had not named a successor and Hachibei would not return any time soon. In addition, she would not take the role herself to lead the clan- she did not know the first thing about such matters, nor did she know how to unite the two factions that had separated for different aims. Half of the clan would now have a new target once word went out about Toki's death. The other half would rally around her in defense. She had to prevent the internal conflict from reaching a full-scale war, or nothing would be accomplished. Which meant one of two things had to happen... (I must contact Hachibei and inform him of the events that happened here. Perhaps he will come back to lead again. I do not think I am capable of such a position...) But thoughts like this were futile. If no other options remained, she would have to do it anyway. Allowing that train of thought to derail itself, her mind wandered again. Soon, everything was silence... (Someone help me!!) A cry of despair, even in this darkness! It was no surprise however that she had visitors- in the world she lived in, such things were possible. Besides, her defenses were to the point where anything could infiltrate her mind and take over... And yet, this did not seem like a malignant presence. In fact, the voice sounded familiar. After a while, she knew who it was. The girl with the black hair, brown eyes, and an exotic tan. She was young, yet had the abilities of a shaman- which there were quite a few of, even among the Fu-Ma ninja. Soon, as her mind focused on the new presence, it was confirmed as she saw the young woman in question. She was on her knees, sobbing and weeping. Her body shivered as if she were deathly afraid of something- perhaps she could sense the darkness of this place within the mind of the ninja. Or maybe it was something else- something outside. Whatever it was, she was immobilized by the very thought of it. (Are you all right?) The girl, dressed in clothes which were an emerald green, looked up with a gasp of surprise. Her tear-stained cheeks were evidence of her despair, but other than that, she looked as she had when Taki had seen her from the treetops. No worse... but not entirely in the best of conditions at the moment. After looking around for a moment, the girl spoke. (Where am I? What is this place, and why is it so dark? There's all sorts of negative energy here...) The demon slayer quirked an eyebrow. So then, the fight had done more than just injure her gravely. Each strike that she recieved carried a portion of destructive energies with it, and every attack that landed infused her with more and more of it. She should have known that it was the case. And now that she was aware of it, she was also aware of something else as well. Mekki-Maru's aura was within her as well. She had been using it for so long during her travels and during the previous fight that its very presence had become a part of her. The very thing that she had been trying to avoid had happened anyway. And yet, she was not affected. Her will was stronger. With a smile, she reached her hand out to the girl. (This is... well, my soul- or my mind rather. You seem to have slipped inside while I was knocked out and my defenses were down.) Talim nodded and took the hand of the ninja. Here in this place, her armor and mask were gone. She was even bereft of her body suit. So what Talim saw took her breath away. A stunningly beautiful Japanese woman was standing there, looking at her with an apprasing gaze as if nothing were wrong with being completely naked. But then again, this was the realm of the mind; anything was possible. Talim's skin flushed as turned her head away, stammering out an apology as she did so. (I-I'm sorry. I didn't realize...) Taki chuckled warmly as she took note of the effect she had on the young priestess. (What are you so embarrased about? If it's the fact that I'm too... underdressed, you have no need to worry. No one else sees us here.) Talim nodded, and looked towards Taki once again. She had almost forgotten what she had come here for. Besides, her heart was for Mi-na and Xianghua. As her resolve hardened, she began speaking normally once again, any trace of fear leaving her voice. (I came to help you out of here. Your body is in an awful way, and that's without the poisonous energy within the wounds. I need to cleanse you before we can start healing you.) Taki nodded. She was not one to refuse help out of sheer pride. Besides, she would need rest anyway before leaving for her task. (I understand. I take it that a woman named Seong Mi-na is with you?) Talim's eyes widened slightly. (Yes. You know of her?) The ninja chuckled again. (We have had our share of... interesting encounters. She has gotten stronger- I can feel it. Yet I do not have time to ponder these changes. Let's hurry so I can get moving.) Talim shook her head and smiled. (Do not try and do whatever it is you plan to do on your own. We may be able to help in a way. You're after the Soul Edge as well, aren't you?) Taki nodded. (We might as well travel together for a while, then. My name is Talim. I'm sure I could ask Mi-na for your name, but why do that when you're right here? So... what *is* your name?) (Taki,) the demon slayer responded. (A pleasure to meet you, Talim. Now, let's get out of here...) Talim nodded and smiled, this time with a bit of sadness behind it. (When you wake up... it'll hurt. I don't want you to go through this, but it's the only way. I'll do this as quickly as I can... but are you sure you want to go through with it?) Taki smiled warmly. (It's touching that you care so. But I must.) Talim nodded, and winked out of existance. The demon slayer was left with the darkness again, but was now reinforced with the promise of being released from it, not to mention having her cuts healed. (I'm depending on you, Talim... and whoever else is with you.) ________________________________________________________________________ At once, Mi-na could feel the flashes of terror and panic being forced through the link that she had with Talim. Her eyes widened as the cries for help were heard more clearly than anything she had ever heard in her life. "Shit! Talim!! Kilik, take care of Xian!" As she ran off, he quirked an eyebrow. Just what was going on? As he looked towards Mi-na's direction however, he knew what was going on at once. The shard of the mirrored sash gleamed and shone, reacting to the evil energies. It was the only way he could tell that the place was tainted at all. But the girl... she could sense it on a deeper level than he could. Much deeper. (You poor girl... I hope she can do something to help you.) As if his very thought were a cue, Xianghua stirred. The first words that came from her mouth surprised him on a far greater level. "Nnn.. Talim..." His eyes widened. She was unconscious- *completely* out of it. How did she know that the girl was in trouble? He couldn't read minds, nor could he read emotions. Entirely stupefied for a brief moment with the sudden discovery, he remembered himself and ran towards the nearest stream of water, hoping to get her concious enough to speak. "Xianghua, hold on!" He set her down gently next to the river and pulled out a cotton cloth from his own travel bag. Dipping it into the surprisinly clear and pure river, he began wiping the blood from Xianghua's wound. Almost instantly, she woke with a gasp of pain. Her eyes snapped open as the cold water was used to clean her injury before anything else happened to it. But what actually hurt more was the energy within the water. Its healing properties were indeed coming to the surface, and with every wipe of the cloth, the bleeding slowed further and further, until it was stopped just a few minutes later. But that didn't make it hurt any less. "Aaaaaaah! Kilik, what are you-" He shushed her and replied, with a quite apologetic look on his face, "Try to relax. If it hurts, the water is doing what it should." Xianghua whimpered in protest, but made an attempt to relax, closing her eyes and steadying her breathing. "Where are we, anyways?" she asked. Kilik shrugged. "We seem to be in some underground temple. It looks like evil is everywhere down here- the shard of the Dvapara-Yuga is shining like crazy from it all." Xianghua nodded- her weapon was the same. She could feel it resonating; trembling as if it were afraid, even in its sheath. "Yeah. I might not be able to sense it like Mi-na or Talim, but my Krita-Yuga certainly can. We have to do something about this place before we continue on." Kilik nodded, his attentions to the wound slowing somewhat. He had so much he wanted to ask her, and yet he believed that not even she would provide a straight awnser. The water continued doing its work as the wound began closing slowly, a tingling sensation replacing the pain. "You look like you want to ask me something... well go ahead and do it. I won't bite... too much." She winked at him as she said this. Kilik managed to laugh, then nodded as he considered the best way to word his first question. Deciding that there was no nice or proper way to ask, he threw caution to the wind and decided to be direct. "What's up with the three of you? Just now, while you were completely unconscious, you were suddenly stirred when that girl -Talim, was it?- was in trouble. How can you tell when she's in danger, even when you're unaware of it otherwise?" Xianghua blushed a bright red, but answered none the less. A bit of a stutter was in her voice at the beginning, but she was truthful. "W-w-we have a bit of a conenction. Sometimes we can hear each other's thoughts as if one were speaking to the other, y'know? When one of us is in trouble, the other two feel the emotions that are felt at the time. It lets us know where the person is and how to help when we get there." Kilik nodded, still a bit confused. As far as he could see, that wasn't entirely possible. Sure, one could have a pure mind, but one could not speak to another mind- not without some ritual or magic. And he knew neither. He wanted to ask how, but something told him to watch and wait- see what happened between the three of them, if anything. In what was half a lie, he replied, "I think I understand. Some people are just like that." Indeed, he believed he and Xianlian were like that, way back when the temple was new and alive and pure. But he said nothing about it- it would only drag up more memories for Xianghua. The young warrior nodded and closed her eyes again. "But I think everything's better now. What a relief," she said with a warm smile. By the time they had finished talking, Xianghua's wound was nothing more than a faint scar. It had taken no more than a few minutes in order to cleanse the wound and heal it. Kilik sighed with relief and looked towards Mi-na, Talim, and the other woman, whose name he did not know just yet. (She was probably the one who fought here, judging by the injuries,) he mused to himself. (I hope she'll be all right- but more importantly, I hope she's not a threat.) The thought of having to subdue one of his comrades played on his conscience. After all, he had already killed one of his loved ones... the very notion of having to restrain one of his friends was almost as bad. ________________________________________________________________________ Speaking of Mi-na, she was busy rubbing Talim's shoulders, trying to call forth the warmth that had been there on the way towards this shrine. Eventually, it came... but it was lackluster. She quirked an eyebrow as what seemed no warmer than her own body heat radiated from her hands. (What? I did it just right last time.) As she tried again, Talim's eyes opened. "Mi-na..." She stopped what she was doing and looked at Talim with concern and relief. "You okay? You're not hurt, are you?" The young priestess shook her head with a smile. "No, I'm not. Thank you for coming to help me, but I'm fine now." Checking the link, she found that Talim was indeed calm and happy again. "Huh? But just a while ago-" Talim nodded again. "Yes, I was afraid. Deathly so." The young woman looked down at the prone ninja and smiled at her unconscious form. "But she helped me... I must have connected with her somehow during all that; I don't know. But she helped me." Mi-na looked at Taki with a bit of a surprised expression. How did she not sense such a thing? Any intrusion would have been noted... wouldn't it? (Unless...) She had a terrible notion. (Unless I can't sense other people's thoughts who are outside the link. That would mean...) If someone possessed Talim, she would not be able to help at all, if she were not in the vicinity. Talim felt the Korean's anxiety and held her friend, lifting her hands briefly from Taki's body in order to do so. "Don't worry... you're helping me right now, and you can help me again. Isn't that what's important?" Mi-na looked at the shaman-in-training for a brief moment, wondering how she could come up with the exact words to say, even when she wasn't reading her thoughts. Then, she closed her eyes and smiled. "Yeah... I guess you're right. So then," she said as she opened her eyes, "Let's get this over with. I need to talk to her anyway." Talim nodded and re-positioned herself, placing her hands on Taki's body while Mi-na placed one of her hands on Talim's, the other holding on to the Scarlet Thunder. (She's right,) she thought to herself as the ritual began. (I can't doubt myself now. I'll protect the both of them from *anything*.) Unbeknownst to her, her sheer determination to defend both Talim and Xianghua no matter what the cost made the blade sing. As the steel began to glow a bright crimson, energy and soothing heat flowed from the weapon through her body, and into Talim. Soon, a blanket of warm air radiated outwards from the two of them, covering the kunoichi in its wake. She could sense it now- the vengeful spirits and evil aura of the temple were pressing against the barrier she made. (I won't let you pass. Not until it's over. Matter of fact, not ever.) The sheild of heat and spiritual energy expanded for another five feet before stopping altogether. Her very will and emotions were controlling the Scarlet Thunder, and all without her notice. This was, of course, both a good thing... and a bad one. But that is for later... for the moment, the energy was used to protect life, not destroy it. Thus defended from outside influences, Talim lowered her head in humility and began speaking. "Winds... this woman needs your aid. I beg of you to lend me your strength and cleanse her of evil. Come forth and bless me with power so I may carry out this task. I ask nothing but your help, and gain nothing but this woman's aid. Please, come forth... and give me your awnser!" Mi-na said nothing; she simply held the barrier until it was over. Nor did she need to say anything- everything was explained, and she knew that the young priestess could do it. Soon enough, the air around the room seemed to gather around the three of them, as if it were ready to bear the burden of the tainted energies. Whether she knew such a thing or not, she began pressing her hands into Taki's side and lifted her head towards the ceiling, eyes still closed. Mi-na's mind reeled as something came to the surface- a sheer malice that threatened to take Talim's body and use it as a weapon. (No! Talim!!) Her grip tightened on her weapon, though she knew she was helpless to do anything. The air around the three of them heated even further, though no one inside the sphere of influence felt such a change in temperature. Talim's body filled with an unearthly presence as she continued absorbing all the tainted energies from Taki. Her will held fast against the assault, and before long the reason why her head was held high instead of low was revealed. Instead of radiating outwards, it went upwards instead, into the air. The energy was being removed even as Talim absorbed it, acting as a sort of pipeline for the tainted forces. Something else happened as well... she could read Taki's past. Just like before... she read the winds. Her eyes suddenly opened, showing nothing but blank white as her mind was taken from her body. Mi-na just about panicked. (Talim, hang in there! Talim? Talim?!) But the link was cut off. Her friend was somewhere else entirely. Her despair turned into anger. (I'll get you for this, I swear! Just you wait- I'll find out how!!) The heat in the entire *room* now increased, and even Kilik could feel it. As she lost control of the situation, she lost control of her power... (No! Calm yourself, Mi-na! I don't want to have to...) But Xianghua spoke up. "Hey, something's happenning to Talim. I can't feel her anymore..." Kilik looked at her again, wondering what was going on. As he looked back towards the center of the room, his eyes widened in shock and horror. His shard resonated as if it feared for what was about to happen. (No... she's absorbing the energy into herself! If that happens and she doesn't have a defense, then I'll have to take care of her as well! But she's just a girl- just like her-) His eyes narrowed as Talim took in the tainted spirits... before they widened again. A spectacle of light and color was leaving her once again, the beauty carrying a tainted aura with it. The wind, a quite tangible thing, was being used as a carrier for the spiritual power. (That's... that's insane... she's cleansing that woman with her own body?! But... how? And why is she not going berserk from it?) But questions would come later. For now, he looked on in wonder and fear. Fear for her; fear for them all if she went out of control. And yet, she held herself against the tide that flowed through her. In just a few short minutes -no more than five- Taki was cleansed. The angry glow that her wounds had taken on faded, then ceased entirely. And when it was all over, the air burst outwards, leaving as soon as it had come in order to carry the evil back to where it came from. Talim's eyes returned to normal, the brown irises returning after a single blink. Shaking her head a few times in order to clear whatever confusion remained, she lifted her hands from Taki's body and settled back into Mi-na's embrace, too weakened to do anything but speak. "Talim! Are you okay? Did it work?" Mi-na had broken out in a cold sweat just from watching her go through that without being able to do a single thing about it. However, she need not have worried so. Talim looked up at the Korean warrior with a smile and a nod. "Yes, it did. And the wind showed me something..." Mi-na nodded, suddenly understanding why the link between them had been cut. Apparently, she had been forced into a trance instead of bringing herself into one. Were it the latter, she would have known what was going on, but in this case it happened quite suddenly and without warning. Perhaps it would happen again. She shook her head at the thought and smiled at Talim. "Is that so? well, what did you see?" She closed her eyes and began recalling the images that flashed through her mind. She had been shown Taki's past, just like the wind had presented Kilik's. Mi-na heard things that not even the kunoichi had spoken of, like the fact that she was considered a rogue... and was hunted for quite some time. She looked at the short sword on the ground -Mekki-Maru- and frowned distastefully at it. "Such a little thing can be a big mess. Just like those pieces of Soul Edge. There's just so much evil around here... how can we fight it all?" Talim nodded, the same innocent, yet all-knowing smile on her face. "We'll find a way. The winds will guide us to the other three chosen ones, and we'll get through this together. I just know. I don't know how I know... but I just know. You know?" Mi-na laughed at this and nodded. "Yeah, I get it." She turned towards Kilik and Xianghua, noticing that her wound was closed and all better. "Hey, it worked! Bring some of that over here, would you?" Kilik blinked for a moment, for he was still in a state of shock over what had just transpired. He was used to things like this all the time, and yet this far exceeded his limits. Someone existed who could channel the evil spirits and tainted energy of the world through her own body- as long as it was within another person. How he came to this realization was beyond him, but he cared not. All he knew was that he had to get stronger in order to keep up. He had failed previously to land a true purifying strike -one that would cleanse the mind and soul without damaging the body- on his own master. It was a difficult thing to accomplish. But this girl could remove the evil entirely without an attack, though at great risk to herself. However, he had the feeling that she didn't care about herself too much. Otherwise, Talim would not have though about such a mad idea. (I have to get stronger. I won't be able to keep up at this rate if I don't.) He even doubted that he would be able to defeat Mi-na if she ever lost control of her powers. So he set it aside for now and got some water to heal the ninja's wounds. Even if he could not fight, he would help in any way he could. To Be Continued... ________________________________________________________________________ Yup, that's that. No fight, no battle, just story. Then again, that's what you guys came here for. =) Let me know if you all need anything else from me- story changes here and there, bits and pieces you'd like added. Heck, I'll even consider more pairings and scenes upon your request! Just visit the thread and let me know. No flames. Constructive criticism. visit the thread, vote in the poll. And remember... Shoujo-ai is not a crime. =)
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