VideogameFangirl - Now that I have stolen, I mean, borrowed your game, I can now write the next chapter! YEAH! It's a little short, I know, but this game's fun!
AznHalfBreed - That's no excuse. This chapter's nearly one thousand words short of your par.
VideogameFangirl - Uhhhh, it wasn't me?
Ad=znHalfBreed - What do you mean it wasn't you?! YOU WROTE THE STORY!
VideogameFangirl - IIE! Gomen nasai, gomen nasai, gomen nasai!
AznHalfBreed - Yuffie...
VideogameFangirl - Nan desu ka?
AznHalfBreed - I don't understand japanese. Whatever, before she says anything else--
VideogameFangirl - I OWN NOTHING! NAMCO OWNS SOUL CALIBUR! YATA!
AznHalfBreed - *sigh*

Chapter Eight – Humor and Possessed Souls

Awaking to the sounds of the forest around the three of them, Talim released a sigh when the sun hit her in the face. Her hand immediately shot up to her cheek but she was too groggy to remember what had happened after they had all said good night to each other. She sat up groggily, allowing the covers to fall around her body. She reached up and felt her bed head, and sighed again. Her hair really had to stop sticking up like this, it was terribly embarrassing. Xianghua was already doing her hair by the looks of it and was running a brush frantically through it. Her eyes located Talim's and she motioned for Talim to walk over quickly.

"Ah, my hair is a mess! How do I look?!" She said it in a sort of way that indicated she was panicking. Talim saw that Yun-Seong was not in his sleeping bag and looked inquiringly at Xianghua, who hastened to tell her everything that had happened.

"Oh mi gosh! Okay, so Yunny goes into town to go see about the inn prices, you know, 'cause the town's not far. Anyway, while he's there, he meets Kilik! Now my hair's a complete mess and I don't think my clothes look good! AH!" She said as she continued to run the brush through her hair. She grabbed a comb and tried that too with better success. Talim simply raised an eyebrow as she watched her friend, not knowing how to comment on what was happening to her. Talim figured she better do her hair as well but she was much more calm about it.

"Winds, please allow Xianghua to be her best when Kilik arrives… And please allow her to not mess up and look anything less than her best." She muttered under her breath. She felt a gentle breeze in response and felt better. She turned to see Xianghua looking stupidly at her reflection in the water. She turned to look at Talim, who had successfully finished doing her hair and smiled.

"Oh, Tali, did you do that? Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love you uber lots!" She said in a less refined voice. It looked as if the winds just helped her with appearance, but hey, what can you do? Talim nodded slowly and smiled in return. It was good timing, the two boys were returning to camp from the hill below. Yun-Seong arrived first, followed by Kilik, who was looking refined as usual.

"Hi, Kilik!" Xianghua said in a voice that was sophisticated. Talim knew she did this to grab his attention and laughed to herself. Kilik was so oblivious, he didn't know when his best friend loved him. Kilik grinned at her, causing the girl to turn red and again, he didn't seem to think this was out of the ordinary. Both Yun-Seong and Talim caught each others eyes and rolled them at each other.

"Hey, Xianghua. I wouldn't have expected you to travel with Talim, that's for sure. But regardless, how are you two doing?" He asked them both. Xianghua still was not capable of proper speech, her blush expanding to full face. It was almost entertaining to her, the girl was so hyper and carefree around others but turned like this around Kilik. Chuckling at the prospect, Talim answered the question to save Xiao some grace.

"Fine, Xianghua's feeling a little sick, that's why she's so red." Xianghua sent her a look that said, 'thank you'. Talim nodded at Xianghua and continued talking. "Oh, are you traveling alone and looking for companions or are you with someone?" The way she added the 'with someone' practically screamed, 'girlfriend. He raised his eyebrows and his grin turned into a smirk.

"You know, I had to wonder whether or not Maxi was a girl, what with his Elvis style hair and his fetish with talking care of it all the time. And, of course, there's his OCD with the way he looks and how he spends three hours in front of the mirror every day." He said with a laugh. The other three joined in with him, the hilarity of what Maxi actually did taking precedence over serious thoughts. Talim herself joined in with them, her serious nature starting to diminish with laughter. She hiccupped herself back to her usual nature and once again, was caught in the action of waiting for the others. What truly brought new waves of laughter to Talim was the arrival of Maxi, who happened to be coming up the hill at that exact moment. Everyone saw him and bent over laughter, the situation was so ridiculous. Their laughs closed with snorts from Yun-Seong and Xianghua, Kilik and Talim being decent about how they ended it. They had to explain to a very confused Maxi what they were laughing about. Since they had stopped laughing, Maxi filled the silence with his own booming laugh. He started to laugh by himself at himself, what an odd boy. Xianghua raised her eyebrows at him. Kilik tried not to snort and laugh. Yun-Seong did not remain dignified and his face scrunched in the effort to stop himself from laughing at Maxi. Talim was the only one who kept a semi straight face and scratched her head in order to keep her mind busy with something other than Maxi and his stupidity. Clearing her throat, she aimed to start a serious conversation.

"That's odd, Maxi. Anyhow, Xiao, Yun, we should head out somewhere besides here. If what you've heard is true, then we should find the girl right away." She said with raised eyebrows. The grins immediately faded off her surrounding party's faces and Yun-Seong grimaced at the thought. It was he who spoke first, cutting Maxi off before said person could speak.

"It's dangerous. Think about it. Soul Edge… and Soul Calibur haven't been spotted for eight years. It's been a long time and the war's dimming. If that girl really is Soul Calibur… then that means Soul Edge is somewhere out there… We have to find it, and destroy it." He said with surprising determination in his voice. Talim nodded to his words and looked to Xianghua, Maxi, and Kilik. However, Kilik began to shake his head as well as Maxi.

"Sorry… you guys can go along on your own way. Maxi and I have a different lead and we think we'll take it. If we find the sword before you guys, we'll let you know… somehow…" Kilik said in a low voice. Xianghua looked quite distressed to be leaving his presence right after they had been reunited. He nodded slowly to her and Talim rather thought she saw a flicker of something beyond the normal realms of affection in his eyes. But the moment passed and he turned on his way. Maxi bowed quickly and after snatching a meat bun from Yun-Seong (Yun-Seong had just taken one from the sack of food), he hurried on after his companion.

"G-Good bye!" Xianghua yelled after them. "Good luck! See you again!" She continued to say even after the other two had disappeared out of sight. Yun-Seong scratched his nose and in obvious disdain, he grabbed another meat bun, not happy that he was deprived of one because of Maxi Xianghua continued to look after where the two had departed until Talim put a hand on her shoulder and offered her a kind smile.

"We should be on our way, Xianghua." She said the words slowly. Her elegant Chinese friend nodded and managed a small grin as they both shot looks at Yun-Seong. He was stuffing his face and seemed not to care what was going. Talim grabbed the food out of his hands and put it back in the sack. With a look that screamed, back off, she turned, ready to head down on their own way. They progressed through the clearing, their pace slowed due to exhaustion. None of their surroundings looked vaguely familiar to her and she wondered more than once if they should head on back. But every time the thought came into her head, she remembered the events that ad caused them to depart in the first place. They sprinted onwards, the sun high in the sky, until some parts of civilization seemed apparent. Out of breath, Yun-Seong fell down on his knees, breathing hard. Xianghua jogged over to him and knelt down beside him, most likely feeling softer due to her encounter with Kilik. Talim scanned the area. She ascertained a train ticket booth. Striding over said booth, she put on her best innocent face.

"Hello. May I have three adult tickets to Fräisuwa, please?" As her tickets were printing, she chanced a shot at her friends and saw they were rapidly discussing some other topic. Turning back around, she took the money out of her wallet and laid it out for the lady. After receiving said tickets, she thanked her and grabbed a nearby rock. She threw it at Yun-Seong's head; the stone making contact with his head. The behavior was a little uncalled for but she was feeling a little reckless and needed to vent off some of her feelings. Xianghua watched the procession and broke out laughing, snorts and all, as Yun-Seong went down.

"Xiao, Yun, let's get going." She did not wait for a reply, but headed over to the train station. They hurried to find where she was going and hastened to follow her. She assumed they were following her for she quickened her pace and hurried to the train. She heard uneven footsteps behind her as she boarded the train and shot a look over her shoulder. She saw her two friends gasping and sputtering behind her and felt a smirk cross her face despite the current events. Her legs carried her inside the train and feeling relieved to find it empty, she took a seat in the middle of the train. Pretty soon, she heard the dragged footsteps of both of her friends as they walked into the train. The doors shut behind them. The windows rattled slightly as they all sat down. Sighing, she crossed her arms and legs and glared at the pair of them.

"So…on our way home at last, huh?" She said in an attempt to start a conversation with them. Yun-Seong sighed as he stretched and let his arms relax at his sides.

"Yeah…C'mon, Talim, don't be a spoiled sport. You're always so uptight, aren't I right, Xiao?" Talim raised her right eyebrow until it immersed in her bangs and placed a frown upon her lips as she stared across the chair. Xianghua shook her head at Yun-Seong and began to laugh at him again. It looked as if the girl was back to her normal self. She managed to control her laughter and spoke.

"Weirdo… Honestly, Yun-Seong, who would agree with you? You're so--" he cut herself off as her eyes strayed to one of the doors connecting their car to an adjoining one. All three looked towards the creaking opening of the door. A family of five walked in and took seats near to the door. What had caught her attention weren't the people. It was the fact that so many people seemed to be filing into the car with them. Such even caught Talim's attention as she gazed over the proceeding events. She tensed and leaned in closer to her friends. Another girl had entered the car. She had sparkling blue hair and hesitant eyes. Her eyes led her over to them, she looked nervous but determined.

"Um… Can I sit with you? I am traveling far and you look like the warrior types." She said in a voice shaking with tension. Talim lost her annoyed expression and felt her familiar smile creep on her face. It was Xianghua who answered, due to her hyper nature.

"Sure you can! Though, I'm not REALLY a warrior, I'm a cat!" This statement made no sense and freaked the girl out more. She sat down next to Talim, who was sitting across from Xianghua. This placed the girl across from Yun-Seong, not that she seemed to mind. The girl sent a look over her shoulder to the family and looked back at the group.

"So, where are you from?" Asked Yun-Seong, professionally entering into his flirting mode that he used on other girls. Talim rolled her eyes but did not say anything.

"Um… nowhere in particular. I have just been looking for people to travel with, that sort of thing." She sent another look over her shoulder, invoking Xianghua's interest once again.

"Whatcha lookin' at? I know the family's weird but it's kinda rude to stare." Xianghua's speech reverted to a uncivilized way of speaking that she adopted whenever she was at ease. She caught herself and bit her lip, bonking herself lightly on the head because of her mistake. Yun-Seong awaited a more decent answer but none came. Talim herself looked behind her and heard the warning all too late.

"No, don't…!" The instant she moved, she regretted it. They looked up and she saw that the people had no eyes; more over, no pupils, black slits where eyes should have been. She reeled and shot up like an arrow, back against the window. With a sinister grin that alit the face of all the other passengers, she watched the group step closer to where they stood.

"Crap…." The word left the girls' lips and then, the attack plunged on them. Nimbleness from the wind that lived within her, she jumped the attack of an incoming fist and slid to the floor to avoid several more. Xianghua caught an incoming attacker's kick and threw it down. She expertly began aiming for pressure points on the enemy's body. Yun-Seong had extended out his sword and also, as Talim's stood up, had now taken out a switch blade. He attacked without conscious. He only sought to defend both Talim, the girl he cared about, and Xianghua, his innocent, if slightly cocky, friend. The girl didn't do anything, she seemed to shocked to move. The four backed up against one another and Xianghua spoke in a harsh voice.

"We've got to escape…we can't kill these people…" Yun-Seong made a snorting sound, but shook it off before it developed into anything more. Talim searched desperately for a way out; her eyes trying to see past their opposition. Yun-Seong's eyes were faster and his hand closed around her wrist as well as Xianghua's. He motioned for Talim to grab the girl's wrist, who did with slight hesitation.

"The window." He motioned to the escape window located at the back of the car. "Ready?" The three nodded, but Talim knew before they moved that their attempt was futile. Their feet were kept in place by powerful waves of dark toxin. Swearing, she tried to remove her feet, but to no avail. She struggled against the bonds and shook her head. She knew they had to move fast, else they would be dead. Yun-Seong thought the same way for he threw the knives he was holding at the demi-humans. The knives passed right through and half their attackers disappeared. He had been good with aim, however, as the knives hit their mark of precision at the escape window. It shattered into smaller pieces. Staring, she wondered how he had gotten so strong, but apparently he thought the same thing because his face was identical to herself and Xianghua as well as the girls. Not caring in the slightest, Yun-Seong pulled them along. She had just enough time to grab the pack that held food and other such necessities. She started to move her legs into a sprint and with a sickening force, the four of them jumped off the train. Wondering why these things always managed to find her, Talim summoned the winds to her aid immediately upon leaving said train via the window. The winds cushioned her fall but she heard a scream from somewhere on her right.

"TALIM!" She heard her name yelled by a voice that was most definitely Xianghua's before the force of winds and the noise of shattering glass filled her head and she ceased to hear any more. Yun-Seong perhaps, had yelled after her, but she did not hear him or whatever else Xianghua had shouted. All she knew was that the four of them became separated, Talim and this girl from the other two. She hit the ground with a crunch but felt no pain; the winds had done well to defend her. She realized at the exact moment that the sack of food should've been with her but remembered with a sickening feeling that it had flown out with Yun-Seong and had long been separated from her frail body. She couldn't help but feel frustration at what had just happened to them… Why had it happened to them? What made her a target for these sort of things? Why had the winds not told her of what was to come? But she could not linger on such negative thoughts. Talim sighed and shook her head, getting up slowly. By the looks of things, they had flown quite far from the train, the others somewhere completely different in a different part of the forest. Talim asked the wind for guidance and was able to get up, feeling it support her injured body.

"Why…?" It was with this word that Talim felt her breath leave her and felt blackness take over…

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VideogameFangirl - I think I'm in love with cliff hangers or something... Although, I married Cliff in HM:MFoMT...
AznHalfBreed - Ugh, that has NOTHING to do with Soul Calibur WHATSOEVER.
VideogameFangirl - Oh, stufu.
AznHalfBreed - ...What?
VideogameFangirl - Nothing! I said nothing! La-la-la-la!
AznHalfBreed - *sigh* Oh, the melancholy of myself...