The night is a quite dangerous thing. Thieves, bandits, demons and spirits, all commune at this time of day. It is the hour when all of mankind goes to sleep, unaware of the dangers it faces while doing so... Yet there are a few who would stand up to these dangers, both within the mortal and sprit realms. Those who have honed their senses to the point where their bodies can traverse between the worlds and destroy spirits. They serve no lord; pledge allegiance to no clan. A band of assassins and rogues, dedicated to ridding the world of evil from the shadows in which they feel at home. Rest easy... for the night also belongs to the Fu-Ma ninja. Shadow War (Part 1) ________________________________________________________________________ Taki woke up to pain, unmistakable and undeniable. She was not prepared, and thus could not hold back her scream. The cleansing of evil from the ninja's body had worked, and she was conscious once more. However, there was little time to celebrate her recovery; Mi-na and Kilik had been busy cleaning her wounds and healing them with the spiritually-rich waters that flowed through this underground complex. Her scream made the Korean wince, an apologetic look flashing over her features before she strengthened her resolve and continued cleaning the cuts. Kilik on the other hand, just kept going. He made it look easy to detach himself from his emotions, and yet it was more difficult than one would think. Talim was checking on Xianghua, making sure that everything was all right with her. The brown-haired Korean decided to make small talk in order to get her friend to relax. Well, not entirely her friend... one would not call such a woman friend when she tried to kill you for even *looking* for the Soul Edge. And yet, the two had an understanding between each other- a kind of grudging respect that turned into friendship on Mi-na's second journey. "So, what's been going on? I hear you've been... busy." The pause before the final word in the sentence made it seem like she was having a hard time finding a proper word. One that did not sting. Noticing this, Taki nodded and sighed as the pain dampened into more of a tingle. It was a dull ache, but it was no longer the sharp pain that accompanied being healed so rapidly that one's body rejected it at first. "I have. Do you want the long version, or the short one?" Mi-na shook her head and smiled. "I'll take the short one. We don't have much time to waste, do we? Talim tells me that you were hunted by your own clan for a good while. Why didn't you come to me? You know I could handle anyone who challenges me," she said with a good measure of confidence. Taki shook her head. "Maybe you can now, but you could not back then. You've improved in these past four years- I can sense that. But earlier, you could not have done anything to prevent my being hunted and chased. I didn't want your death on my conscience, so I told you nothing. Hell, I didn't tell *anyone* about it." Considering this for a moment, Mi-na nodded. "I guess you have a point," she said as she continued cleaning the wound. The bleeding by now had stopped, thanks to the waters. But since it was a big cut, it took quite a while. However, Taki was sufficiently recovered, though she did need time to rest and let her body stabilize. "Anyways... you're going after the Soul Edge, right?" Taki nodded. "I have to. But then again, I'll probably need to settle things here first- I don't want to end up having absolutely zero help when the time comes. It's not like I don't appreciate you all helping me," she added haistily. "But this internal conflict must be settled before things get worse. I don't want the clan to fall to ruin." The Korean nodded, and turned to Kilik. "Got any ideas?" The monk turned toward Mi-na, quirking an eyebrow. "Don't we have an agenda here? We're supposed to be looking for the others..." Taki broke into the conversation smoothly, now curious about their plans. Perhaps they could benefit from one another; or at least those was her thoughts. "The 'others', hmm? Well, this sounds interesting. Care to explain?" Kilik opened his mouth to speak, but thought better of it. He didn't know who this woman was, nor did he know of her agenda. What did she do to deserve his trust? Besides, he was reserved about speaking to anyone at all about their quest. He felt it of such importance that only the six of them needed to share information. Mi-na however, wasn't of that persuasion. "I'll tell you everything I know... but you have to promise me you'll help us out." Taki's eyes widened a bit. That was a bold demand... one that should not be taken lightly. "And why do you think that I'll help you after hearing your story? I have my own agenda, and will follow it until the end..." Mi-na shrugged. "I just figured since we're both after the same thing... again... we might help each other again. I'll tell you something else, too: We'll help you clean up this mess that your master left behind." Taki's eyes widened even further. "I cannot ask outsiders to help us. Besides, you have things to do, do you not?" Mi-na smiled and nodded. "Yep. But this is something to help you out, right? I *never* leave a good friend when their time of need is at hand!" Taki closed her eyes and chuckled warmly. "So determined... well, I could let you in on this, but you're not officially members of the Fu-Ma clan. I'm not sure if the others will accept you all." Mi-na shrugged, the same unassuming smile on her face. "Why don't we cross that bridge when we get to it? For now, let's share stories. Here's mine..." ________________________________________________________________________ Talim looked at Xianghua's solemn, sleeping face with a hint of a smile. She most definitely looked better- and it was all thanks to her reading the winds. The evil was still everywhere here, but at least for the moment, it was subdued. The tainted air in the hall was afraid of them, though it still reeked of malevolence and anger. In any event, Talim stroked Xian's cheek affectionately, trying to rouse her gently from sleep. It didn't work, but the young woman sighed contently upon Talim's soft touch. She leaned in towards the delicate hand unconciously, as if some part of her mind were comforted by the mere presence of the priestess of the wind. If people told her that this journey would taint her purity, perhaps they should see her now, sitting next to one of the women who kept her pure... not to mention sane. She felt sympathy for the woman who had just found out about her long-since-departed sister, whom she had never been told about. There was love there as well, simply because they complimented each other so well. That was not to say that she didn't love Mi-na just as dearly. They were both important parts of her, and had put their lives on the line at least twice for her sake. She knew, deep within her, that they would continue to do so, and not just because she was younger. Age and experience, as her grandmother said, did not always go hand in hand. One could be a child and have such intuition that it would seem that they had lived for centuries. On the other side, one could be an adult and have the naivte of a newborn, mingled with the arrogance and stupidity of one who believes that they have found all the answers. "It is all a measure of what is within," she said. "You must transform yourself; change as the winds themselves change. Look to new things; absorb and learn them so that your understanding of this world may broaden. And yet remember to stay ever-innocent and pure in heart, for you are our last priestess..." And so far, she had been doing a good job of staying pure of heart and innocent of mind. She remained incorrupt and unspoiled, even with two women as the loves of her life. Her heart was drawn towards them because, like her, they had pure hearts and minds. Even Mi-na was pure- Talim could sense it. Sure, she wore the oddest clothes and spoke words which could bruise the ears of her own family if they heard it... but deep within, she had just as pure of a spirit and strong of a will as Xianghua or Kilik. Even when the fiery Korean fought as if she seemed to revel in the joy of battle, she did not fight for bad reasons. She fought to defend- to protect. And she did so fiercely, with a passion unmatched by anything the young priestess had ever seen. Yes, Talim herself had been forced to fight... but she never fought *for* herself, nor did she fight to kill. She fought to defend those who mattered to her; she fought to preserve the balance of all things, and also to understand why her opponent did what they did- their reasons and motives. Armed with that knowledge, she would make attempts to find a peace amidst the battle. In other words, she fought in order to end fights, not start them. Besides, it is said that there are two ways to get to know someone- fighting and eating. Usually, Mi-na's party was forced to choose the former option, but it was an effective method. All plans and intentions were revealed within flashes of steel and gunfire, and lies were swept away in the purifying flames of battle. Perhaps it was why Mi-na loved it so. It was the only place where real truth could be ascertained. But then, her mind reflected on the battle that had happened before they had approached the inner sanctum in which they were now occupying... "This isn't anger or compassion, or even your pathetic desire to protect. This is madness, just like me. Anger is what those who are afraid to admit it call such a thing. This power of yours will only serve to destroy you in the end. No one has a strong enough will to master such a power..." Talim looked towards Mi-na with a worried expression. (Why does that haunt me so? She can control her impulses, can't she? She has done so before, surely! So why do I get this feeling... of fear?) Talim bit her lower lip in a fit of anxiety. She did not fear for herself. She never did. (I fear for you, Mi-na...) It was then when Xianghua stirred, opening her eyes lazily. Talim sensed her friend's mind returning to consciousness, and immediately returned her focus to the former Imperial Guard. "Hey, you. Are you okay?" Xian looked towards Talim with a gentle smile and nodded. "Yeah, I am. Thanks for asking." The dark brown haired Chinese woman looked towards Mi-na and quirked an eyebrow. "What's she up to?" Talim looked over as well and smiled. "From what I can hear, they are talking about something. Let me see if I can't find out what." The priestess closed her eyes and extended her aura just outside of Mi-na's range of perception, once again tapping into the winds. Soon enough, buzzing through her head were the words that Mi-na was saying to Taki... And was thwarted. "W-What? What's this? I can't..." Xianghua laughed. "She's got her ways of doing things. You can't understand what she's saying because you don't know the language. She's speaking Japanese- and really fast, too. Heck, I can read her lips from here, and even *I* can't pick up what she's saying!" Talim pouted and brought her aura back. "Shoot! What now?" She was comforted by a pat on the shoulder from the Chinese warrior. "We'll just have to wait and see, won't we?" She kissed her friend on the cheek, to which Talim could not help but smile in response. ________________________________________________________________________ Taki was now sitting up, her legs crossed in lotus position. She had her eyes closed, as if deliberating over what she had just heard... and after a few moments, she nodded and opened her eyes. "All right, I think I get it now. So then, there are six people chosen by fate and destiny to hold these artifacts of power. Your job -or at least you and those you have already found- is to find the other two. Is that right?" Mi-ma nodded. She was sitting in the same position as well, and had no trouble holding herself steady. She hadn't trained all those years for nothing, after all, and was quite flexible by now. "Yeah, that's about it. So then, you wanna share your story? What's going on with you guys?" Taki considered for a brief moment, then nodded. "Your quest this time seems important enough. Once the clan gets back together, you have our support. That is," she adds ruefully, "If it ever reforms again." Mi-na reached over and gently touched Taki's shoulder. "Tell me," she said with pleading in her eyes. "I can't stand seeing you all sad like that. Where's the determined ninja who tried to kill me for just speaking about the Soul Edge?" Taki chuckled at this. "It was a grave misunderstanding, but we certainly did run into each other a lot those days. I remember that girl who managed to destroy half of those twin swords. She had such a devoted look on her face when she ventured out... but she was so young. I felt sorry for her." Mi-na smiled warmly. She remembered that first outing before she was carted back home. It was just after she had bested Hwang at the Silk Road. She did not entirely know how to use the Scarlet Thunder as well as she did now, but she still had proficiency. In any event, when the two of them met again, Taki demanded that Mi-na take herself back home, saying that a girl such as herself would never understand the true nature of the cursed weapons. Mi-na was pretty much in disbelief at this statement... so she rushed in her anger, unfocused and blind. Taki had effortlessly outmatched her just by the intensity of her attacks, and the Seong prodigy came out with quite a few scars that day. They were all faded and gone now, but she remembered every one for what it was- a lesson. The only way the fight was ended was through the intervention of both Hwang and the woman, who later introduced herself as Sophitia. Blue eyes that shone with conviction and determination and blonde hair that seemed to have an aura of its own when the sunlight -or any light, for that matter- hit it just right. It seemed as if she were divine instead of mortal. She was beautiful- as beautiful as the older Taki, though she most definitely had a more alluring look to her, due to age. Chocolate brown, slanted eyes and ebon hair that shone like polished obsidian. The slight tan from being out in the sun more often than not (and being out at night twice as much to balance it out) just made her all the more alluring. Mi-na remembered admiring them both for their courage and sheer prowess in battle, though she herself had lost to the kunoichi twice. She did not like losing, and often buried herself in wild, uncontrolled training routines in order to forget it all. Neither of them fought with any particular grace -well, perhaps Sophitia did, with her aerial manuvers- but both exhibited a ferocious intensity in battle that one would highly expect from the ninja... but not the maiden. For a good while, Mi-na teased Sophitia for being far too much like a girl in order to fight properly. She simply smiled, and said nothing. And with good reason- when the Korean woman finally saw the Grecian in action, her eyes widened with both disbelief... and admiration. To think that such a beautiful woman could mow through enemies, her sword and sheild flashing and whirling in the sunlight. She had changed her focus back then from Hwang and her father, to Taki and Sophitia. She wanted to be strong and independent, just like they were. Powerful, determined, willing to fight for what they knew was the right path. Over time, she became more and more attached to the two of them, though they seemed as if they were starting to get even closer. She followed them around as if she were a lost puppy, waiting for the chance to either see them in action, or fight them herself. It was at this point in the tale that Taki laughed. "We couldn't get rid of you for five seconds without you being somewhere nearby only a moment later. For a while, I wondered why you kept on bothering us." Seong Mi-na shook her head and smiled warmly. "Hey, I'm older now, okay? I'm over that fan worship stuff. Besides, I've got myself someone to care for too. Two of them, matter of fact." Taki nodded at this. "I can sense how close the three of you are. It's a good thing, really. But that's enough for the moment; I believe I'll speak about my troubles now, and save the stories for later. We've been holding off long enough." With a nod of her own, Mi-na's gaze became set and determined, the look in her eyes changing from one of mirth to one of a more solemn nature. "Go on then- tell me." Taki closed her eyes, and after a time... began to recall the events that were still fresh in her mind. ________________________________________________________________________ "You *can't* let him have it," Hachibei stressed. "It's tainted; trust me on this, Taki." She quirked an eyebrow, crossing her arms below her breasts as she eyed him suspiciously. "And this is why you stole it? It's nothing but a blade. I could sense nothing from it when it rested within the temple." Taki's other father figure shook his head vigorously. "This is truth, I swear it. The Mekki-Maru is *not* a holy blade of any kind. Toki is obsessed with the damn thing... which means that the sword is slowly taking him for itself. I'm betting he wants me killed and his personal blade back- Chie and I are probably nukenin by now." The woman considered it for a moment... then nodded. She could see the desperation in his eyes. Perhaps he knew the truth; had known it all along. He himself had said that he would rather die than give such an evil artifact back to its master. She turned her thoughts toward Toki, and wondered to herself why anyone would consider such a mere weapon a holy artifact. It was an unassuming tanto- nothing more than a knife. Suspicion rose within her mind. "Give that to me," she said after some time. "I'll decide for *myself* whether it's an artifact of evil or not." Hachibei nodded, smiling with relief. "I'm sorry for all this; you were expecting to see Chie after all this time, right?" The ninja nodded and smiled faintly, thankful for the welcome diversion from the dismal conversation. Still... "The offer is welcomed, but I must depart. I believe that my fellow clan members are on their way- I cannot risk being seen right now. However, I may have a way to rescind the order to kill you. It will require you to run from this place- head somewhere else. Somewhere far from here, preferrably." Hachibei nodded and smiled sadly. "I won't forget you, Taki. Chie will miss you, but I believe she'll understand in time. Please, get going. We'll prepare to leave as soon as possible." Taki nodded before gathering her energy, moving her arms in a wide circle in order to do so. "Farewell, Hachibei..." As she said this, she pounded the ground with her gathered force, her left hand slamming into the dirt. With a flash of light, she simply winked out of existance. She returned to the clan, and gave the council the story that Chie and Hachibei had been slain by a Chinese assassin by the name of Li Long, taking the Mekki-Maru for himself. But instead of sorrow, Toki became outraged with the news and ordered the assassin executed by any means neccessary. Taki was surprised, actually. Hachibei would have been mourned... Toki and the former Fu-Ma leader were almost inseperable when they formed the clan, and even now they were like brothers. Until now, when his treasured sword was in danger. (Hachibei... perhaps you were right. I can't let him have this weapon, no matter what. I have to stop this evil before it spreads any further.) Hiding the Mekki-Maru in an undisclosed location, she set out immediately in order to utterly destroy the source of this evil. But after the events of that harrowing battle, where most of the members of that small company consisting of herself, Sophitia, Hwang, Mitsurugi, and Seong Mi-na were gravely injured, her life was never the same again... Her suspicions had doubled when she had tried to meld the Soul Edge fragment with the Mekki-Maru and it greedily sucked it up, as if welcoming the aura of malice and woe. Taki's eyes narrowed in sheer contempt as she looked at her now confirmed evil blade. (Just as I feared. This isn't good at all- this weapon really *is* evil. I have to tell Hachibei about this, but where is he now? I told him to flee while I distracted the council...) Taki shook her head, clearing away her doubts. Sealing the tanto with a series of O-fuda -small pieces of paper with holy writings and magical incantations inscribed upon them- she delved into her information network once again, searching for the former Fu-Ma clan leader. To her surprise -or perhaps not, seeing as he was the best of them all, as far as blending into a crowd went- he was still alive. Unfortunately, he offered no help for her. He was as baffled as she herself was, and did not know how to seperate the two. "It looks like we'll have to destroy it, once and for all. Could you do this for me? It's not entirely safe to come out of hiding yet." The ninja agreed, and left once again. Unfortunately, someone had been spying on that meeting... and Toki heard the entire story. His eyes widened greedily as he heard of Soul Edge... the man wanted both his blade back, and the other weapon. With that, he sent Geki in order to recover the tanto for him, as well as gather information. Geki and Taki had never been on even footing, nor had they been friends. Completely overpowered by a sneak attack, Taki had fought for her very soul as she made strike after strike, hoping to fend the superior ninja off. It was to no avail... Taki, for the first time in her life as a demon slayer and ninja, was captured. Just before he was to kill her however, he wondered what was so great about Mekki-Maru for Toki to clamor after it so. Taking the weapon from her, he made an attempt to unseal the sheath that held the tainted steel. His right arm was vaporized upon attempting to do so, a viscious explosion blasting it to pieces upon the attempt of removing the seals. They had done their work, and would do so again as long as they were still wrapped around the sheathed blade. With that, she had made her escape. From everything. Onward from that point, She was hunted and chased for the next four years, a rogue without a clan and a ninja without a master. She made her way slaying demons as a freelance agent, constantly helping those who were in need of her skills. Then one day, an entire squadron of the Fu-Ma clan came after her. Within the space of the next two days, a battle to decide her fate would rage onward... but they used less-than-lethal tactics. Flash bombs and smokes, paralysis needles, diversionary tactics... they were trying to take her alive. A mistake. They were all decimated by Taki's skills, which had improved during her four-year period of flight from her own clan. And most, if not all of them were carrying shards of Soul Edge. Her eyes widened in shock and horror as the realization hit her full on... (So many of them have pieces of that sword... if that's true, then...) She wasted no time in shaking the rest of her trails and vanishing without a trace, only to arrive in front of Hoko Temple within Kyoto. Thus, the situation was what they saw before them. Now all that was left was to spread the word of Toki's death to both factions of the Fu-Ma clan... and prepare for the worst. ________________________________________________________________________ Mi-na's eyes were closed during the entire tale, her breathing steady and her ears attentive. Kilik was leaning against one of the supports to the temple, his eyes closed as well. Talim and Xianghua had long since approached their position, and they were all sitting neatly on the floor, unheeded by the hard, cedar pine surface. When the story was complete, Talim had a concerned expression on her face, as if she were going to speak about how dangerous it all was and how she should not have been alone. But still, she did not have a right to say anything. She was not in her position, and did not go through what she had. Still, she had a look of open sympathy on her face and in her eyes. Xianghua however, spoke. She sounded slightly irritated with it all. "This is all good, but what can we do? We're not exactly ninja, after all. And we have no way to communicate with these guys at all -the faction that wants to take over, I mean. So then, what do you suggest we do?" Mi-na looked at Xianghua with such an expression that the younger warrior knew that it was time to cease her questions. (That was kinda rude of you. She's got a plan- just listen before you talk, okay?) Xianghua wanted to retort with something... but once again, her words had hit too close to the mark, and Mi-na had not done anything wrong. (Fine, I'll do that.) Taki however, did not take offense. Instead, she chuckled warmly. "I think I like you... always wanting to know the entire situation before carrying out a mission. What was your name?" The Chinese woman, her head hung in chagrin, now looked towards the ninja with a nod, grateful that she wasn't admonished by more than just Mi-na. "Chai Xianghua..." Taki nodded and smiled. "Well then Xianghua, I'll let you in on exactly what the plan is. It should be just about nighttime now- everyone will be out on their runs. There's a certain place where the faction against Toki meets, and it's somewhere in these mountains. I have no idea where Toki's supporters are, but they need to be informed that their little game is up. So when they come back to this temple after their Soul Edge shard hunt is finished for a period of time, they will deposit what pieces they've collected in this box here." Taki pointed to the sealed box at the foot of the Bhudda statue. O-fuda were everywhere on it, though the box still resonated a dark, dank aura from all the fragments of cursed metal that were inside of it. With Toki dead, they would no longer have need of all these shards, and they could be rid of them. "Hopefully, with Master Toki dead, they will see reason and stop the hunt before another Soul Edge is formed. Which, I can sense, is close to happenning..." Mi-na nodded, her face set in a determined expression. "Right. That seems simple enough- we just need to know what we're to do. After we meet up with these guys, what's the next step here?" She figured she knew what it was, but she needed to hear it from the kunoichi first. Sure enough, it was stated. "Why, your training, of course. If you're going to be a temporary part of a ninja clan, you should at least act and fight like ninja, no?" Seong Mi-na grinned. Kilik groaned. Talim and Xianghua simply looked at each other, eyes wide. No one was sure about this- especially not Kilik. He wasn't one to sneak around in the shadows, but it was for the best. Survival and evasion tactics were not entirely his strong point... "Why so down, Kilik? Come on, cheer up!" Mi-na said with that same silly grin, now directed at Kilik. "This'll be great!" Kilik quirked an eyebrow, and then looked at Taki again. (Well, she means us no harm... but I'm starting to wonder what good this will do us. I'm not one to sneak around and such... but I'll do anything to defeat this evil within me. If this helps, even a little, then I'll give it a shot.) "It's decided then. We leave tomorrow night, for the mountains to the north. I suggest you be ready for a nice, long hike..." This time, Xianghua groaned. "Awwww, man... *Another* one? You guys are trying to kill my feet, aren't you?" Mi-na looked towards Xianghua with a smirk. "We came here on horses, Xian." "Um... oh. Well it still bites." Xian blushed. Talim and Mi-na laughed. Kikik sighed and closed his eyes again, shaking his head at the silly scene. Taki chuckled at the interesting cast before her. If nothing else, this should be something that she would be able to laugh at for quite a long while. To Ce Continued... ________________________________________________________________________ Uh oh... ANOTHER MINI-SERIES! Yup, that's right. I'm going to make this an epic inside of an epic. For the next few chapters, we'll be taking a ride with Taki and the Fu-Ma ninja. I promise that there will be some "extra scenes" in here for you guys who have waited so long. The fact is, I love character development, and I love writing fight scenes. But the fact is, nothing beats a good, well written, well plotted lemon. You will be getting one soon, I hope. Just be patient. Anyways, post in the thread, vote in the poll. Catch you guys later- I'm going to bed. G'night.
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