(UPDATE as of 5/22/19)
A/N: So just a day after I posted this chapter, I suddenly had trouble trying to get the next chapter going the way I wanted to. It just...wasn't flowing the way I wanted it to, and I was having trouble figuring out why. And then it hit me...I felt I ended the last chapter too early plot-wise. Like the ending just felt...rushed, despite the fact I spent over a week working on the finale of that chapter. I felt I was too anxious trying to get Link out of Japan and to Europe, and more importantly, trying to showcase his diplomatic abilities which I felt was too unrealistic if he always succeeded every time
And I promised I myself I would do my best to let the story flow on its own, regardless of how long it might take and yet without dragging it out (though admittedly still struggled with a prior chapter on that). And then shortly after coming to that revelation, I suddenly had an idea that I felt should have been used, and so I decided to redo part of this chapter. The first two-thirds or so is the same as what I originally posted, and it's the remaining third where the changes are made if you want to just skip ahead that way.
So, my apologies for forcing you the readers to have to go through at least part of the chapter again as well as unexpectedly deleting the chapter I had posted and causing confusion...and likely a little anger at seeing a new chapter posted only to not see it. I may be a new writer, but that was still no excuse, so I'm sorry for those who were upset from it all.
On that note, I could use some writing tips to avoid similar mistakes in the future. I have many ideas that flow through my head, but selecting the right ones is quite difficult, as this reloaded chapter demonstrates. What constructive tips can you give this novice (or idiot) writer so that I have the chapters EXACTLY the way I want them and minimize any such headaches in the future?
(UPDATE as of 5/16/19)
A/N: Wow! Thanks so much for the reviews! I don't mean to have been away for so long, just been busy with work and life as of late-
"It was over six months, dumbass!"
(dodges bullets and arrows and shuriken)
Eh, hehe...(ahem) quite. But, now that things have quieted down, I can update considerably more frequently. On a side note, I recently started a new story and posted a couple chapters already. It's basically a novelization of the game Ocarina of Time as depicted by the gameplay, with a few adjustments as needed to make it more realistic in certain ways that could not fully be replicated due to the gameplay's limitations. Go check it out!...please?
Now, to address some questions and comments about THIS story:
I know some were disappointed that Link wouldn't have the masks with him in this story. I just think it would have either detracted from the story a bit or made him OP, at least to an extent. Especially with like the Fierce Deity Mask which was REALLY OP even in the fight against Majora itself. However, Link's running speed in this story is now equivalent to his running speed as if he was wearing the Bunny Hood from Majora's Mask, if that's any consolation.
Link's age was never really given in OOT or MM (or most other games for that matter). In the OOT manual, Saria was specifically given an age of 12, and so I figured Link being 12 sounded about right. Some might argue she is actually much older and just looks 12 due to her Kokiri heritage, but that's another story.
Yeah, it does look like Link had progressed very quickly in his training with Hachibei, almost Batman-esque one might think. This is because I just didn't want to drag out a training montage of like four chapters or anything like that. Hopefully it did not seem too unrealistic.
Some may be wondering why Link is merely collecting the shards and has not flat out destroyed them yet. Don't worry. I will get to that at an appropriate time.
I also received a question on the bed conditions between Link and Setsuka in an earlier chapter. I had originally written that chapter as if there was just one bed, but then changed it upon further research on how people in Japan generally sleep. In Japan, they did not generally sleep in beds at all back then. In fact even today, most still do not; instead, they sleep on the floor. I did not specify in the chapter, but they generally sleep on what is called a "tatami" mat, which is basically a squared or rectangular mat a couple inches thick and traditionally composed of rice straw and maybe some compressed wood chips in it.
On top of this mat is a futon, but is not the same type of futon like what you might see in college dorms. It's mainly a puffy set of blankets that you lay in that, combined with the mat, almost feels like a bed mattress when laying on them. One article indicated they seem to provide less back pain, was more hygienic, and was more versatile compared to a usual bed mattress, but I digress (and I still sleep in a bed).
To save a little time, I've decided to only add Japanese translations when a new word is used in the chapter as opposed to every time I use it. Though the Japan arc is just about done, it will still take a couple more chapters to complete.
A shout out to Duke Serkol who made note of the Japanese language for the name Gel-O-Fury, which is "Mōdotakuyō." I admit, I was using the term as described on the Soul Calibur wiki page, and I did not see the Japanese wording for it on that site...which upon closer inspection, I later found was right by the English wording in parenthesis...hehe...(ahem).
Also a shout out to TypedSomeWords for the spelling corrections discovered in earlier chapters. I really appreciate it, as well as the other suggestions and helpful critique given. I'll keep them in mind as I go through the story.
Glad you're all enjoying the story so far! Keep the reviews coming!
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This is a sentence. - Narration. No character speaking or thinking.
"This is a sentence." - Character speaking out loud.
'This is a sentence.' - Character speaking in his/her head.
This is a sentence. - Emphasis placed on the italic word in the normal course of the narration or the character speaking or thinking.
This IS a sentence. - Same as with the single italic, just a variation of expressing the emphasis.
This is a sentence. - All italics means the event is happening in a dream or flashback of which I would give a quick note prior saying a dream or flashback is occurring.
This is a sentence. - During a dream or flashback, emphasis placed in the normal text word in the normal course of the narration or the character speaking or thinking.
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I do not own The Legend of Zelda or Soul Calibur.
Chapter 11 - The Hylian and the Ninja
The two had been riding for over fifteen minutes at high speeds before finally stopping briefly to address their wounds. Link was only lightly injured as his wounds didn't take nearly as long to patch, a few minutes at most, though he was upset of his Kokiri tunic being cut again. While Chie was sewing his tunic after his training with Hachibei, Link watched a little bit on how it was done, getting a few pointers from her. She even gave him an extra needle and thread for just such an occasion on his travels, although he hadn't actually practiced himself.
Taki, meanwhile, was trying to bandage her arm and stomach where she had been injured. The bleeding had finally stopped, but she was still low on energy after all the fighting with-
She shook her head as she tried not to think about it. "Are you alright, Taki," Link asked, getting her attention. "Do you need help with your woun-"
"I'm fine," she hastily replied, hissing in pain right after she said that.
"Ar-Are you sure? I have something that can hel-"
"I said I'm fine!" she stated angrily. "I can take care of myself!"
Link flinched at her tone, a little hurt at how she snapped at him but stayed silent. He still couldn't help but worry about her, though. She was obviously in pain and was having trouble bandaging herself up. Why wouldn't she accept help? But seeing how upset she was, he decided to just let it go.
After several minutes, they continued on at Taki's urging, altering their direction a bit. Taki hissed at her wounds every now and then, her injuries still bothering her from the constant motions on the horse. Link looked at her when she did, wanting to see if she was alright, and not just from her injuries but what happened at the temple. The angry/annoyed look she gave back, though, prevented him from saying anything.
After over forty-five minutes of riding in rather awkward silence, they finally came to a stop by a small pond in the woods a little ways off the beaten path. They wordlessly took a drink, along with their horses who were grateful for the reprieve. They then sat down to rest while the horses stood off to the side.
Link had since taken the hood off his cloak, revealing his face in full to Taki for the first time. He was definitely an outsider, she thought. It was a strange outfit he wore under that cloak, and yet it seemed to somehow suit him. She thought she may have seen something similar in one of the European countries, but wasn't sure which one. He looked relatively toned for his age, seeing a little muscle on his arms and legs, and the position of his sword and shield told her he was left-handed. The shield itself was another indicator of him being a gaijin as it was often seen as a weakness amongst warriors in this land. She couldn't see the front of the shield from her position, but it did look to be made of metal. She was curious as to where the bow and boomerang went, the latter of which was another odd weapon of choice, she thought. She expected it to at least see them stick out slightly or hang from his waist, but she didn't see them anywhere. Or those explosives he used. 'Odd. Where in the world did they go?'
Deciding to worry about that later, she continued focusing on patching herself up, the horseback riding affecting the bandages a bit. Her keen eyes noticed how the boy tried to look occupied, looking around the area and pet his horse as she tended to her wounds, but he would look at her direction every now and then, like he wanted to say something to her. Thankfully (to her), he had chosen to stay silent in that time. She mentally swore at her current position—injured and exhausted and on the run with the Fu-Ma potentially on their trail, with some gaijin kid who not only got himself involved and became a target of the Fu-Ma as a result, but also had shards of Soul Edge on him—something far too dangerous to be in possession of a child. And chances are, he had no clue as to just what he had in his possession. Time to let him know just how much of a mess he was in.
"(sigh) I suppose I should thank you for helping me escape from that shrine," Taki finally said after finishing patching herself up, getting Link's attention, "but, you should not get yourself involved in matters that do not concern you," she added with a rather cold tone at the end. The boy gave a frown and another somewhat hurt look at that. "While I appreciate your assistance, I can take care of myself. I do not need help from a child with no business in these lands to begin with."
At that, Link had an indignant look on his face, before looking off to the side a bit. He had met a number of people that were angry and/or difficult to work with in some way, like Darunia when he first met him, Ingo at Lon Lon Ranch, and the Deku King in Termina, but Taki was really starting to test his patience. Hachibei had mentioned this woman would be difficult to talk to if he ever encountered her but didn't think it would be this much, especially after he helped save her life. 'Geez...excuuse me for saving your life back there,' he said sarcastically to himself.
"What was that?" Taki asked sharply, suddenly making Link nervous. Uh oh...did he say that out loud?
"Uh, well, I...uh," Link started before letting out an exasperated sigh. "Look...I just wanted to help," he replied rather softly, still somewhat intimidated by her tone towards him. "You...looked like you were on your last legs back there fighting that oni, and so I decided to lend a hand-"
"And all you've done is get yourself in far more trouble than you realize," she angrily retorted, surprising him and making him flinch again at her tone. This was certainly not going the way Link expected it to. What was her problem? Why was she so upset about it?
Seeing his confused look, Taki merely responded with a sigh before closing her eyes and shaking her head at that. "As I expected," she stated, crossing her arms in emphasis. "You are in way over your head, kid, and have absolutely no idea what you have gotten yourself into, do you?" she added while giving him a very stern look. His continued silence only confirmed that.
"Yes, I thought so. Allow me to elaborate. Those people we fought and got away from were ninja of the Fu-Ma clan, the most secretive and dangerous clan in these lands of whom I used to be a part of. Anyone they perceive as an enemy, they kill. Without mercy. Anyone they deem a target, they pursue without hesitation. They will follow their targets anywhere and everywhere in the world until that target has been killed. No matter how long it takes," she emphasized. "And now that you so carelessly got involved in their affairs, they now perceive you as both an enemy and a target and will now hunt you down anywhere and everywhere you go for the rest of your days until you are dead...Child or not."
Link stayed silent as she explained. With everything he had faced up to this point—from monsters to dragons to evil spirits to witches and even the undead—Fu-Ma ninja didn't really concern him...though he had to admit, he had never been actively hunted in his previous adventures. Even Ganondorf hadn't done that, or sent anyone to do that, despite the fact he had been secretly watching his movements as he went from temple to temple to free Hyrule. That actually would be something to cautious of, especially when Hachibei-sensei stated that ninja were not above killing someone in their sleep to complete a mission.
Before he could reply, she continued, her tone increasing in frustration as she spoke while also walking towards him. "AND they will put EXTRA effort in pursuing YOU in particular because of what you possess! Do you even realize what you have in your possession? And another thing! Just how did you acquire those shards in the first place!?"
By now she was right in front of Link, who was very much taken aback by the situation and too intimidated by her demeanor to move when she walked towards him as she spoke. While she wasn't outright yelling...yet, he could feel the barely restrained anger in her voice and tone. He actually was rather hurt on the inside with how she had been acting ever since they escaped, and so wasn't entirely sure how to respond in this situation. Usually whenever he helped someone, they gave him thanks and told him they appreciated his help, sometimes giving him a reward in doing so even though he never asked for, or expected, one in return. This reaction was just about the exact opposite, almost something new to him.
Growing up back home, despite how often Mido would bully him and call him names, Link would still help him in hopes that by doing so he would be more friendly to him. However, he usually just blew him off much like Taki was doing now. In fact when comparing the two, he thought Taki might actually be worse, if that was possible. Back then, he had Saria to help put Mido in his place every now and then to sort of help keep him in check. Now, he was on his own with a woman who was somehow upset at him for saving her life, and he wasn't sure why. Did that not matter to her at all?
Taki was glaring harshly at him as he remained silent, unable to form a reply. Seeing this, she shook her head again. Yep, this kid was way in over his head. She had to admit, the kid MAY have some moves and MAY have helped her escape, but she had a duty to perform in destroying Soul Edge, and having Fu-Man ninja pursue you didn't help matters. And she certainly wasn't going to drag a child into it, either.
"(sigh), forget it kid. Just give the shards to me," she stated, outstretching her hand. "That way they'll follow me instead of you. Then you can head back home, wherever that is. Your parents must be worried about you."
Ok. Now Link wasn't so much hurt as much as he was insulted. He helped save her from the oni AND those Fu-Ma ninja AND was instrumental in their escape, and now she's treating him like some clueless, helpless child? None of those described Link…and he'll have words with those who argue that last one. And frankly, though Link wasn't one to show anger, she was really getting on his nerves.
"Hey!" he started, somewhat surprising Taki by his sudden change in demeanor. "I'm not some helpless kid! I can take care of myself too, in case you haven't noticed. I took out that oni you were up against and helped get us out of there from your former allies, both out of the temple and out of the temple grounds! What was I supposed to do? Just let you die back there?" That was probably the most Link had ever talked back to anyone. Actually, that was the first time he talked back like that, period. It seemed one could only take so much on a particularly sensitive issue. For Link, it was constantly being referred to (and treated as) a child instead of as an adult.
Perhaps that was because he was an adult at one point in his life, if only physically. And with everything he had accomplished and experienced in his life that few, if any, other adults go through, he was used to being treated as one, and being called and treated like a kid often irritated him whenever they did—or at least a helpless and scared one. Even the guards at Clocktown in Termina showed him at least SOME respect when they saw he had a sword on him despite his age. Or perhaps it bothered him because it reminded him of how Mido had always bullied him growing up and kept calling him names, especially "Fairy-less" or "Mr. No-Fairy" which always had hurt him every time he did. At least after the seven year time-skip, he had the decency to acknowledge how he had treated him was wrong.
After that (surprising) outburst, Taki hesitated a little on that last part he said, tilting her head up while taking a deep breath before responding. "Be that as it may," she said a bit softer but her arm still outstretched, "this isn't something for a child to get involved in. You still don't fully realize just what you got yourself involved in, or what you have in your possession. As such, I suggest you give them to me, someone who has experience dealing with those shards you possess, and then head back home before the Fu-Ma find you again."
She saw the frustrated look on the boy was giving her upon saying that before he quickly looked down and let a sigh. Often, that was a sign that one had finally conceded a point or lost an argument, Taki thought to herself. Maybe he finally realized his situation and would give her the shards. "No," he harshly replied. She narrowed her eyes at that. It seemed he was too stubborn for his own good. She didn't want to, but if she had to take them by force, she would. Child or not. She was about to retort, only to be taken a back at the look the boy was now giving her, her eyes widened slightly at what she was looking at. The look the boy was giving her now was…fierce. Intense. Determined.
And above all, NOT the eyes of a child.
Before she could say anything, he continued. "I do know what I got myself into ever since I arrived in this world, and I know exactly what these shards are," he replied softly, but Taki could see the seriousness and sharpness in his tone. She actually felt...a slight bit intimidated by it (just a slight), surprising herself that she would feel that way about him at all. "They are shards of Soul Edge, an evil blade of great and terrible power that threatens my home, and I am on a mission to destroy it once and for all, and rid my home of its evil. I am going to be leaving for Europe where the evil blade is rumored to be, but I am taking the shards with me along the way. I don't care if those Fu-Ma will be after me now. I've faced far worse than anything they can do. If they decide to come after me, so be it. They won't get their hands on them. Ever."
Inside, she was VERY much surprised at everything he had said—not just what he said but how he said it. Outwardly, Taki shifted her head slightly to the side, very slowly crossing her arms in response as she processed this, trying not to let her surprise—or newfound wariness—of him, be known. Of all the responses (and reactions) she expected, that wasn't one of them. That wasn't the tone of a helpless, clueless child—that was the tone of a hardened and experienced warrior, one who had seen and been through much in his life...and then some. Just what had he, a kid maybe 15 at most, been through to have spoken with such conviction?
And then there was also what he said that caught her attention. Apparently: A) His home was being threatened by Soul Edge; B) The boy not only found himself in possession of shards of Soul Edge; C) He also knew they were shards of Soul Edge; D) He knew what Soul Edge was to begin with; and E) He said he was going to destroy it? And also, F) What did he mean by, "ever since I arrived in this world?"
She carefully scrutinized him, looking for any sign he was just trying to act tough with her to save face like the clueless child she had originally took him for. However, the sharpness of his eyes, the tone of his voice, and the posture he had now before her told her this kid actually did seem to have a decent amount of skill and experience under his belt. They stayed that way in silence for over a minute, neither one breaking eye contact as Link looked back at her with that fierce expression before Taki finally spoke up again. "So...you claim to know what Soul Edge is and you plan on destroying it? A child?" she scoffed before continuing. "Hmph. Alright, humor me. Just how does a child such as yourself plan on doing that?"
Link was still insulted how she kept referring to him as a child, but decided to ignore it and instead wordlessly drew out his sword, holding it out for her to see.
"Your sword? Hmph. Very funny, kid. I've fought Soul Edge before, and even I couldn't destroy it. What makes you think with that sword you can-?" The remaining words died in her throat when she suddenly sensed something, blinking once in surprise. It was very slight, and she almost missed it, but it seemed to be coming from…the sword?
She stayed silent, making sure it wasn't playing tricks on her, but she could definitely feel a faint energy coming from the boy's sword. She tilted her head at that while raising an eyebrow. Her raised eyebrow then turned into two raised and curious eyebrows as she uncrossed her arms and inspected it more closely, something that did not go unnoticed by Link who stayed silent as she continued observing it, leaning forward slightly to get a closer look. From what she could see, it looked to be a very well-crafted blade—she'll give him that much. And it actually looked pretty sharp as well. Her main focus, though, was the energy coming from it. It radiated a light, almost holy energy of some kind. It actually felt familiar, somehow. In fact, the last time she felt something like that was roughly seven years ago when that woman Sophitia had fought that pirate back in Spain-
Her eyes widened in surprise as felt her blade Mekki-Maru suddenly react in its sheath, causing it to glow and radiate energy. 'What in the…why is it acting up? I thought my new seals would prevent this from occurring again? Kuso, this isn't good!' She looked back at Link's sword, and to her surprise, saw it too was glowing and radiating energy. Too much.
"Quickly! Sheath your sword. Now!" Link saw the glow as well, and though he was confused why she was so worried, did as instructed. Instantly, the glow faded on both their swords, Taki noticed, no longer giving out any energy. 'Hmm...it seems if they get too close together, they react to each other's presence for some reason...and as long as they remain sheathed, neither one gives out any energy. Or at least not enough that can be detected long range.' Speaking of which-
"Come. We need to get out of here now. The Fu-Ma may have sensed that energy reaction. Hurry!" she shouted as she got on her horse and immediately took off.
"Hey! Wait for me!" Link shouted back as he rushed to catch up.
They rode for over half an hour, Taki leading the way with Link close beside her. He wasn't sure where they were going, but did not question her, lest it rile her up even more. By now it was getting too dark to see in the moonlight, and so she made the suggestion to set up camp.
The two gathered some firewood and made a fire while the horses laid down for a much needed rest. They then sat in silence for a while as Link watched the fire, while Taki. Taki looked at the boy as he admired the fire. This kid was just…she wasn't sure how to describe him. If it were anyone else, by now she would have just taken the shards, by force if necessary, and then let him fend for himself once they were out of danger, which she had seriously contemplated doing just that.
However, that…fierce look and response he gave her earlier brought her pause, and now that she felt more secure that the Fu-Ma would not likely find them in the near future (or at least for the night), she was curious enough to get some information from him. Particularly about Soul Edge, but also just where he was from and where he got his sword.
That was another thing. Just where did his arsenal of weapons all go? She could see the sword and shield, but where did the bow and arrows go? And the boomerang she saw earlier? Where did he keep those explosives? And why did his sword have such pure energy emanating from it and cause her own sword to react like it did? So many questions racked her brain as to what she wanted to know...
And as much as she didn't like to admit it, he did save her life back there. Without him, they wouldn't even be having, or have had, a conversation to begin with. She would be dead, and the Fu-Ma (or what was left of it) would now be in possession of the Mekki-Maru under Geki's leadership, who was fiercely loyal to Toki and would likely face the same corruption as his predecessor. So with all that, she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt for the time being as she mentally went through a checklist in her mind on what to ask.
"Alright kid," she started, getting Link's attention who had been gently petting his horse that was laying by him—and which seemed to appreciate the affection, she noticed. "I have to admit, social conversation isn't really my strong suit...especially when being chased by ninja who have been after me for several years." With the way she said it, he wasn't sure if that was a joke or not to lighten the mood, but stayed quiet. "But after witnessing your...abilities, I must admit I am a little curious as to who you are, and so I would like to ask you a few questions." she stated as she clasped her hands and rested her chin on them.
Link blinked a little at that. Before, she was almost outright hostile towards him despite what he had done for her, and so he was a bit surprised at her...relatively calmer tone compared to earlier. She still did not seem bothered by how she talked to him earlier, and even now it sounded a bit more like a demand than a request to ask him questions. But she did seem to acknowledge she was a bit harsher than she may had intended it to be. Maybe she'll be easier to work with now?
Link knew from Hachibei that Taki often struggled to show any emotion last Hachibei knew her. She often had a constant attitude about her to look and be strong, which required not only tough training but looking as strong and touch as possible as well. He said it was her way of trying to fit in and be accepted as "one of the boys" as he put it. Link knew the feeling of wanting to fit in, but was confused and rather upset that they seemed to judge by a person's gender. Why did that matter? It certainly wasn't like that back home that he could tell. Just ask Impa. Or Zelda. Or the whole Gerudo tribe for that matter, a warrior race consisting only of women...other than a certain Gerudo king who will remain nameless. Deciding it might be the best he could get out of her, Link accepted it. "Um...alright. What would you like to know?"
"Perhaps we should start with introductions. I am Taki of the Fu-Ma clan."
Well that was a start, he thought. "My name is Link. A pleasure to meet you, Taki," he replied. Almost cheerfully, which mentally caused Taki to raise an eyebrow at that. After how she had treated him earlier, she did not expect that response, but shrugged that off as she continued.
"Link, huh? And where are you from, Link?" As soon as she asked that, she immediately noticed a slight change of posture indicating nervousness. 'Hmm, looks like he doesn't want to share that piece of information.'
Link, meanwhile, had a feeling it sounded like this would turn into his talk with Hachibei, which was quite a long conversation to explain everything, and he doubted Taki was in the mood for such a long conversation anyway. Especially when she already didn't seem to like him that much despite saving her life. Then a thought came to him. 'Hmm…Maybe if I mention I know Hachibei-sensei and Chie, she'll be more receptive to me?' he thought to himself before finally speaking. "I am from a place called Hyrule. I doubt anyone here knows where it is, though," he answered, echoing his previous response to Hachibei.
Taki sunk her chin lower in her hands. He gave a name to his home, but not a location. 'So, he's being selective of what answers he gives? Hmm. This might be more difficult than I thought.' Though at the same time, she lightly applauded him for also not being so forthcoming to a relative stranger, which she half expected him to do.
"Hmm…Hyrule. Yes, I can't say I have heard of it myself. You mentioned you were going to Europe. Is that where your home lies, then? Somewhere in Europe? Like...England? Switzerland? Ireland, perhaps?...What's so funny?" she asked a little suspiciously when Link started chuckling for some reason.
Link shook his head but still was smiling. "Nothing. It's just that Hachibei-sensei asked me a similar question when he asked me where I was from."
Now, THAT got her attention. So much so, she wasn't sure if she heard him correctly. "What did…Did you just say 'Hachibei?' As in, 'Hachibei no Fu-Man?'"
Link gave a smile at her reaction and nodded. 'It seems she was more receptive after all when I mentioned his name.'
"Mm, hm. He explained how you were declared a nuke-nin for taking the Mekki-Maru and hiding it from the Fu-Ma, whom you used to be a member."
Taki blinked in surprise, eyes widened slightly in surprise and her mouth was even open a bit. She rarely showed emotion of any kind. At all. Some of her fellow Fu-Ma ninja thought she was particularly cold in her emotions compared to others, even Geki. For her to show any emotion beyond annoyance or anger was an accomplishment in and of itself, they had often joked...which often prompted Taki to put a sword near their throats in the process whenever she overheard that. Or throw shuriken near their nether regions—which was almost enough for her to let out a smirk in the process.
Despite this, she was still unsure of him actually meeting Hachibei, whom was notoriously difficult to find. Minus the specific of the Mekki-Maru, what he shared wasn't exactly uncommon knowledge in these parts, and so he could have simply overheard that somewhere. She narrowed her eyes again as she looked back at Link. Then another thought came to her. "Hmm, and you say you met Hachibei-sama? And just where did you encounter him? And why did you call him Hachibei-sensei?" she asked suspiciously, her previously harsher tone appearing once again.
Link was a little taken aback at that. He figured she would have been calmer at knowing that he knew Hachibei. Apparently she didn't believe him yet? "I met him about a month ago after his daughter Chie saved me from drowning in a river. He trained me for a bit before-"
"What!?" Link jumped a bit in surprise at her interruption. That was probably the biggest reaction he had seen from her all night. And for good reason.
Her eyes were now completely wide open with shock on her normally stoic face. "Did you-did you say Chie?" she said rather hesitantly?
"Uh huh…" he answered slowly. "Chie. Your childhood friend."
She stayed in shock for but a moment before shaking her head, an angry look suddenly appearing on her face. "No, I don't believe you!" she shouted as she quickly stood up, startling Link and the horses a bit, but she paid them no mind.
"But...it's the truth," he started as he stood up to try to calm her down-
"DO NOT LIE TO ME, BOY!" she yelled before suddenly pulling out her second blade Rekki-Maru and held it out threateningly towards him, who held his hands up in a placating gesture in response, her sword just a foot away from his face. Alright. Now, Link was getting nervous. Taki had spoken harshly to him before, but this was the first time she had outright yelled at him. Or threatened him. And the look on her face gave him the impression she was ready to kill him if he spoke again. 'Ho, boy...what do I do now?' he worriedly thought to himself before Taki continued speaking.
"Chie is dead," she said threateningly, her tone increasing in fury as she slowly walked towards Link, who slowly backed up with his hands still in front of him as if trying not to anger her. "She has been for nearly seven years now. I learned that from Li Long himself with whom she had relations with. She was killed at an inn by Mitsurugi, the One-Man-Army himself and whom Li Long had since been hunting for revenge before he disappeared and was never heard from again! There is NO way she is still alive! And I will NOT have you dishonoring her memory by making up lies declaring you've met and befriended her when she has LONG since been dead!" she shouted in fury as she continued walking towards him as he backed up, pressing her sword closer to Link's face.
A bead of sweat formed on Link's face at that. He knew Taki was not an enemy of any kind, and so had not drawn his sword in response, not wanting to anger her further. The blade right in front of him, though, was telling him that was looking less and less like an option at this point. He nervously swallowed a lump in his throat, trying to figure out what to do to calm her down. 'Ok, you can do this Link...just stay calm...and try not to think of the sword just inches from your face...'
Finally, Link took a deep breath before calmly replying...while also hoping she didn't try to kill him. "No...she is very much alive and well. Hachibei-sensei said she was heavily wounded and unconscious for a while, but she did wake up from her injuries about a week later. She then stated it wasn't Mitsurugi that nearly killed her, but a Fu-Ma ninja, though Mitsurugi was the one that started that fight," he stated, hoping that by emphasizing who the real culprit was, it would calm her down more.
For a moment, it looked like he had finally gotten through to her as she stopped walking towards him and had slight look of contemplation on her face, but she shook her head again in denial. "No, that can't be true. Regardless of who attacked her, I would have heard about it through my network of contacts, and I never received any hint of her survival! Otherwise, I would have looked for Chie and verified it myself years ago!"
"But...it's the truth! I am not making this up!"
"ENOUGH!" she yelled out, suddenly moving forward and thrust her sword at Link's face, who narrowly dodged to the side, only to face more swings from Taki. Link narrowly dodged each one, but after ducking underneath a slash to his head, he received a hard kick straight to his chest, pushing him back several feet. Taki did not waste time, quickly moving in again with a downward strike, only for Link to lock swords with hers after narrowly drawing his sword in time. "I'm through with words, boy," she declared before sending Link back again with another hard kick to the midsection.
"I am taking those shards now. Give them to me, and we'll part ways with no further hostilities between us. Refuse..." she started, getting into her fighting stance, "and I will not hesitate to kill you. Regardless if you saved my life or not," she stated coldly, with no hesitation in her voice.
Link could not help but feel saddened at this turn of events. He thought in mentioning their mutual friend and mentor, it would help earn her trust. And somehow the exact opposite happened, and instead, she now thinks he had insulted her and her friend Chie whom she still thought was dead. "Taki, please! We are not enemies! If you'll just listen-"
The words died in his throat as Taki attacked him once again. She gave a downward cross swing to Link's chest, followed by a slash in the other direction before making a forward thrust. Link parried the first two strikes before leaning back heavily and to the side to avoid the spinning thrust, and used his own momentum to spin around himself. As he spun, he pulled out his shield and swung his shield arm out, grazing her in the shoulder. The sudden change in momentum left her out of position, forcing her to be on the defensive as Link attacked with multiple slashes before giving a kick of his own to her already wounded stomach. She staggered back, expecting to receive a follow-up strike and keep her on the defensive.
She was surprised when no such attack came, as Link instead stayed where he was after the kick. She looked at him in confusion for a bit before scoffing."Hmph. You should have continued your attack, kid," she stated before getting into position again. "Granting your enemy such a reprieve will cost you on the battlefield,"
"But that's just it! We're not enemies, Taki. We're on the same-," Link tried to say same 'side' but Taki was true to her declaration and wasted no words in attacking again. She was already in grief at having killed her master, which Link suspected was likely in self-defense, and that combined with her thinking he insulted and dishonored her friend, whom she believed was long dead, seemed to have pushed her beyond reason. It seemed he had no choice but to fight her to get her to listen to reason, as he reluctantly readied himself. She moved forward and gave a pair of swings, first to her left and then right, both hitting against his shield before giving a hard, spinning upward slash.
The last strike pushed Link's shield to the side, of which she tried to follow with a left kick, but he countered with a thrust with his sword, lightly grazing her right thigh. However, he overextended himself, allowing Taki to take advantage of his momentum and pull him forward with her left arm to keep him off balance and elbow him in the right side of the face. Continuing her momentum, she then gave a spinning kick to the back of his head she tried to make earlier, the combined forces knocking him hard to the ground. She tried to continue her assault, but as soon as she got close, she was tripped up from a footsweep by Link, who quickly got up to his feet and retreated back towards the campsite.
'Oh no, you don't!' she thought as she quickly got to her feet and charged again. When she caught up, she swung twice again, this time Link parried with his sword instead of his shield. Seeing this, instead of a spinning upward slash, she gave a spinning thrust, catching Link off guard who was expecting the former. He tried to dodge, but he was out of position and her blade nipped him in the right shoulder. On instinct, he used his spinning momentum and gave a backhand with his shield, hitting her hard in the upper back/lower neck. Taking advantage this time, he thrust towards her stomach again, which Taki took a step back to dodge and was forced to parry a series of follow-up strikes, keeping her on the defensive.
She suddenly found herself surprised as Link unleashed a series of very rapid thrusts towards her. She narrowly deflected each one, but on the last one, she had to lean back heavily to avoid. Link tried to continue but stepped back slightly to avoid a counter swing. The two both stepped back slightly after that, gaining a little breathing room as they tried to plan their next move.
Taki found herself breathing a little heavier than expected already while Link looked calm, save for the hesitant look on his face. He was reluctant to fight, that was for sure, but he was apparently much faster than he looked, especially after that last set of attacks. 'Kuso...This will be much harder than I thought.'
They circled around each other, waiting for the other to make the next move. Finally after about half a minute, Taki suddenly charged forward, but rather than lead with a sword, she suddenly rolled on the ground and gave a series of spin kicks, spinning on her back to do so. Link awkwardly stepped back and blocked the surprise attack with his shield, only to get knocked down as Taki suddenly used her momentum to quickly maneuver into a crouching position and then immediately launch herself at Link who was left wide open to attack, tackling him down. As soon as they landed, though, Link quickly kicked her off to prevent any follow-up attack.
Undaunted, Taki quickly used a handstand and landed on her feet before turning around and briefly sheathing her blade as she continued her assault. Link's eyes narrowed at that, seeing she was going to use iaijutsu. 'Seems to be a popular trick in this land,' Link mused to himself. He dodged the expected first strike from the iaijutsu, then blocked the follow-up strikes with his sword and shield before ducking under a kick, spinning around to keep his balance. Link countered with a cross slash during his spin, which Taki deflected before giving a straight kick to Taki. However, she saw it coming and deflected it as well, following it up with a thrust that Link was forced to step back and parry before countering with an overhead strike, which Taki blocked straight on, the two locking swords.
Taki found herself frustrated as she struggled to overpower her smaller opponent. Normally she wouldn't be having this much trouble, despite the skill she briefly saw from him earlier in the night. But she knew why—she was only using Rekki-Maru and not also Mekki-Maru. In addition, she was not using any of her ki to use her more advanced techniques as she was drained from her prior battles. However, if she resorted to such tactics, she knew the Fu-Ma might be able to detect their presence, despite the head start they had on them earlier. 'And chances are, this kid is fully aware of it too. In fact...it looks like he is holding back himself as well. He's not fighting in such a way as to overwhelm my defenses—merely keeping me at bay for the most part. Why...Of course! He's trying to wear me down!'
Taki was still not 100% after the fights at the temple. She still had her injuries, which were progressively affecting her as the fight continued, especially with Link attacking her stomach. A clever strategy on his part, she thought. Link, however, was fresh from his injuries, almost as if he never suffered any at all and did not look to have fought at all prior to meeting her, which allowed him to better dictate the pace of the battle. At this rate, the combined handicaps against her will likely result in her defeat—and that was absolutely unacceptable to Taki. She would NOT let him insult her friend without making him pay. Though risky, she decided it was necessary in this case. When she saw Link add more force to push her back, she made her move.
Using the added force, she jumped back slightly and parried the pair of slashes Link followed up with to keep her on the defensive. 'Now!' she said to herself as she used her momentum to spin to her left and pull out Mekki-Maru with a reverse-grip before thrusting it hard towards Link. Link, surprised from the move, managed to move his shield in time to block it. However, the hard thrust deflected it off to his right, and Taki followed by jumping forward and connecting with a double-kick. She first connected with a left kick to the chest, which immediately was followed with a powerful kick to his face, launching Link back almost ten feet.
Link shook his head as he came to a stop, slightly dizzied from the unexpected attack when he heard a loud "CHAA!" cry. His eyes suddenly widened as he saw Taki make a fast diving strike in the air right at him. Link narrowly kicked his feet up into a backflip from the ground to dodge, only to continue moving backwards on the defensive as Taki kept up her assault. He suddenly found it more difficult to keep her at bay as she suddenly started using her second sword Mekki-Maru. He was rather worried about that, not just because it allowed her to get the upper hand, but of the energy he knew it released when unsheathed, of which Taki said the Fu-Ma could possibly detect.
He had no more time to ponder this as he blocked another set of three strikes, the latter he deflected with his shield as he slowly backed up as she attacked. He then ducked a high kick to his head and countered with a slash of his own which Taki blocked, the two locking blades briefly in the process. Link, being fresher of the two, shoved her back to slow down her offensive and moved to strike, only to have to slow down to block a strike from Taki's second blade with his shield. It was at that point Link noticed something as he continued dodging and parrying her attacks. Despite her using her second sword, she had thus far only swung Mekki-Maru at him but without forcing him to block with his sword. It was always with his shield or otherwise he dodged entirely...
'That's it! She's deliberately avoiding clashing swords with Mekki-Maru! After that glowing thing with the swords, she must be worried of them clashing and so is timing her strikes to avoid that from happening!' Link deduced as he blocked another strike, locking swords again with her main sword. 'Ergh...don't necessarily blame her. I don't want to find out what would happen if they did. But now I can better anticipate her moves,' he thought as he moved back from a kick from Taki.
They traded blows again, engaging a series of strikes and thrusts that were parried and dodged. However, Link was having a much easier time now, better timing his blocks to block her second sword. Taki narrowed her eyes at this development. She found herself tiring again at trying to find an opening. Though Link had not managed to hit her either, she suspected he was still trying to wear her down as opposed to trying to kill her. 'Foolish boy. Your enemy will show no mercy, and so you should show none in return. Time to finish this.'
Although she was low on energy, all she needed was one fatal blow to end this fight. Then she could take the shards and escape on her horse and leave him to the Fu-Ma, if they manage to find their location. She backed off a bit by a tree and channeled her ki as she sheathed her blades. She then briefly turned around, initially confusing Link, before suddenly jumping backwards high into the air. Still using her ki, she channeled it through her legs so her momentum would allow her to not only quickly jump high in the air but also make a large backflip. Once she started descending, she channeled her ki so as to quickly fall and land behind Link, the move taking only a single second to complete. While in mid-air, though, just as she was over Link, she hurled three shuriken at him as a distraction. As soon as she landed, she charged forward at the surprised Link, who narrowly blocked the shuriken but left him out of position.
Link was then grazed in the right side of his chest as he tried to dodge a thrust. Still out of position, he managed to back up parry another set of blows, only to suddenly receive a powerful palm strike to his stomach. The force of the blow sent him backwards, his back hitting the tree he had hoped to corner Taki at, but he still managed to stay on his feet, albeit keeled over as he looked up towards Taki. She tried to follow with a thrust to his face and finish him off, but she was a split second too slow as Link instead moved forward and used his position to jump high into the air and into a flip, kicking her hard in the chin in the process and staggering her back. His jump launched him over 15 feet in the air, with Taki still right below him, and as he descended, he followed with an overhead strike.
Taki was caught completely off guard by Link's last move, thinking she finally had him, but her fatigue cost her as her head snapped back from the kick to her chin. As she opened her eyes, they widened at seeing the attack coming from above. Out of instinct, she raised both blades to block the attack, but in her haste, she crossed her swords—with Mekki-Maru on top. And when Link's sword made contact...the swords of opposite energy reacted.
A sudden shockwave erupted from the point of impact. Both of them yelled out in surprise and pain from the unexpected explosion as they were both blown back. Taki felt as if she was hit by a falling boulder as her upper body primarily absorbed the impact as she hit the ground. Thankfully, her blades did not recoil back into her, but the resulting impacts of the shockwave and hitting the ground made her drop both her blades when she landed, before the added momentum made her do half a somersault and land on her front.
Link was similarly affected, though from his falling position in the air, the shockwave resulted in him essentially becoming almost entirely upside-down in under a second—which caused him to land hard on his head and his momentum make him somersault backwards before landing and sliding on his back, releasing his grip on his sword and shield as he stopped.
They both tried to get up, but after a few moments of struggling, they collapsed into unconsciousness.
A/N: And done! Hooooly crap, that took a lot longer than I thought. Man, I think I reworked this chapter dozens of times, trying to get the interaction right between Link and Taki. And essentially posting a mulligan of a chapter didn't help...again, sorry bout that.
I found when I changed the wording or the order of the wording by just a little bit, it seemed to greatly impact the flow and tone of the story, in turn requiring changes in other parts, and so it took many edits to try to get it right the way I wanted it.
I honestly have only played SC II as I never got a PlayStation or X-Box system, so anything outside of that I researched online regarding stories and plot lines. SC V implied Toki could still be alive, but I found that didn't make sense. If somehow Toki survived his fight with Taki, how could he have escaped the temple without being pursued by Taki, weakened and exhausted as he was? And wouldn't he have returned to the Fu-Ma in that seventeen year stretch if he was alive?
So, I thought it made more sense for him to not survive the encounter. Of course, since SC V technically doesn't exist with the reboot of the series, it's probably a moot point.
Some might be mad or disagree with how cold Taki may have been to Link, perhaps being a little out of character even with her background as a ninja, as going so far as to try to kill him possibly seeming too much in the way I presented it. Keep in mind, she just lost her master and the closest thing to a father by her own hands. That's enough to make anyone emotional and not think straight, no matter how trained one is in controlling their emotions. Add in suddenly having to look after the well-being of another, a young teenager no less, who also has shards of Soul Edge on him, AND her enemies discover this fact, and that's just a recipe for trouble in Taki's mind. And so, her first thought would likely be to escape, take the shards from the boy at first chance, and then get away from him as far as possible so as not to burden him with her problems. That was my reasoning for why she acted the way she did towards Link, anyway.
In regards to Taki thinking Chie was dead, from what I could gather, she last saw Chie alive after taking the Mekki-Maru from Hachibei, and Li Long was there, too. As such, Chie had to have been attacked at some point after that, since Li Long was told by Hachibei that Chie was dead in the Soul Edge canon. After finding out she was actually alive, Hachibei—being the ninja he is—would have wanted to keep it a secret that his daughter survived, and would likely have kept word from spreading about that as much as possible by spreading false information that she had indeed died to fool the rest of the Fu-Ma clan, and thus, keep her safe. This unfortunately also meant fooling Taki, which I reason would have unintentionally made her act colder to those around her, friend and foe alike, after thinking she lost her only friend in life.
From what I read, Mekki-Maru could be detected even by common folk after Taki fused it with a shard of Soul Edge and so made it easier for the Fu-Ma to track her location. And yet, the Soul Calibur series canon made no indication that the Fu-Ma found her on a regular basis on her journeys in Europe. As such, I reasoned that after seven years since that incident she would likely have made stronger seals in that time to suppress its energy from radiating like it usually did, and thus make it harder for the Fu-Ma to track her.
But now, the unexpected force from Link's sword colliding with Taki's Mekki-Maru knocked them both out. What will happen to them now?
Find out next time!
For now, this is Agent Ghost-Writer 000 signing off.