Wind Nocturne
By Gingivere the Shadowreaver
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Disclaimer: I do not own any character in this fanfics. All characters unless otherwise are copyrighted to Namco Ltd. This is for fan use only and should not be taken and published, because then you would get in trouble, and I would too.
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Chapter Three
-----"So… what's she like?"
If there was something about Hwang Seung Mina that Yunsung didn't like, it was the way she treated him sometimes, like a little brother or a child. If he did something wrong at the dojo, she would take up on his defense, but when the elders' backs were turned, she carried on with the scolding. And when something bothered him, she was always there to badger the information out of him. To be quite honest, she was part of the reason why Yunsung left as well…
She was his inspiration. Somewhat. Other than his quest of the Sword of Salvation, Seung Mina was a big influence on his itch for adventure. She was his inspiration… every time he thought of her, or the dojo and the nagging of the elders there, he ventured further and further away. Not just to avoid their badgering, but more so to prove them wrong and get the respect he felt he deserved.
Though now, he didn't mind her constant nagging; it was better than silence. Silence only brought depression. His face was still a bit red from her harsh slap, though the pain was worth it. A size D to remember…
Seung Mina traveled a bit ahead of him, carrying only her halberd as the youth carried all of her belongings, as punishment for catching a glimpse of her in the nude. "Well? Hey, get your head out of the clouds, will you?"
"What kind of a question is that?" Yunsung finally replied, giving a huff as he tried to get the luggage onto a more comfortable position. His neck still slightly ached from the fight, and the added weight wasn't helping at all.
"You know, that girl you told me about last night!" Seung Mina answered, turning about and seeing that his load was a bit too heavy on him. He had not told her about the fight, otherwise, she wouldn't have forced so much onto him. He gave her a blank look, until she explained further. "Talim… that's her name! You were calling it out in your sleep and you told me all about her!"
His eyes widened with shock, as he asked, "What?!"
"You talk in your sleep, remember?"
Now, Yunsung's eyes twisted with anger, however, all he did was give an angered shout as the woman giggled. Seeing that he was in a grumpy mood, she stopped, but she still kept her mirth as she badgered on. "Really, all you did was call her name once or twice… who is she?"
Yunsung looked away, as if his own eyes would betray him if he dared look at her. How could he describe how he felt about her when he wasn't completely sure himself? He proclaimed after awhile, "She's someone I fought against recently. Not my type."
"Your type? That's just like you, to have a list for women of your preference!" Seung Mina laughed, and they continued their trek to their destination. She, too, was in search of the Sword of Salvation, so the two decided to accompany each other. Sure, she was suppose to bring him back to the dojo, but they were already so far away! What was the point? Besides, both of them needed the adventure… "So tell me, Yunsung, what IS your type?"
The youth gave an almost dream-filled look as he began the list. "First, she must be my age, a few inches shorter than me, say, five feet six inches. Also, a set of healthy size D… breasts, a good tan, long hair, either red or blonde, and blue eyes."
The look she gave was a skeptical one, though typical coming from someone as seasoned as her. She shook her head, as if to pity him, "Well, keep your priorities so high and you'll die a virgin hermit, Yunsung. What's this Talim like?"
"Hey, I don't care about her-"
"Yes…" She stopped, walked up to him and stared at him face to face, all cheerfulness gone as it suddenly grew serious. "You do… otherwise, you wouldn't be wearing that depressing look on your face every time you think I'm not looking. This isn't the Yunsung I remember."
Immediately he began to make up excuses, "I'm tired-"
"You slept twelve hours."
"I'm still sore from a battle!"
"Quit whining! You never whined about an injury back at the dojo… since when were you a sissy?"
He continued in his sad attempt to deny her accusations, but it was already obvious that he was failing. "Look, I've been gone for a few months in search of a weapon that probably doesn't exist… I could search the world a million times over, and I still wouldn't find it."
Now Seung Mina's eyes softened, giving him a look that a big sister would give to her little brother. "Now you know how Master Hwang feels, to spend all this time searching and not finding anything. Are you going to give up and go back now without it, when everyone at home is expecting you to return with that blade?"
At this point, Yunsung wore an almost defeated sigh, one that worried his friend more. He didn't even answer… something was definitely wrong. After a few seconds of silence, Seung Mina asked, "What happened yesterday?"
"It doesn't matter… it's done and over with."
He tried to press on, but she would not step aside. Instead, she extended her hand and gave him a harsh push, making him lose balance and fall flat on his rear as she stood above him, hands on hip. As Yunsung looked up at her, she spoke harshly and vividly, making sure he heard and understood every word. "Hong Yunsung, this is not like you at all! You're going to tell me what happened between you and that girl, or I will castrate you this very instant! Do you understand me?"
The word 'castrate' made the boy close his legs immediately, a look of horror flashing across his youthful features. He knew she meant every word… and if he didn't answer her soon, she was definitely going to do it. So, he took a breath, an began as best as he could, "I thought I was getting close to the Sword, when she got in my way and tried to stop me."
"Why? Did she want it for herself?"
"No… she said something about it being evil…" Yunsung replied, giving a shrug as he dismissed the idea. "Anyway, I tried to go forward, but she still wouldn't budge, so we fought…"
To that, Seung Mina gave a sly grin. "You sure do know how to woo the ladies… first girl that actually shows interest in you and you duel her."
Looking, up, Yunsung barked back, "What do you mean by that?"
"She warned you about the sword possibly being evil… she didn't HAVE to, but she did it because she cares about what happens to the world should you awaken some evil power, as well as the well-being of yourself." Seung Mina answered, shaking her head and sighed. "Why don't you just admit that you knew that she liked you?"
He didn't even look at her as he got himself back up, brushing the dirt from his rear. "Because… well, because it's a hindrance!"
"A hindrance?"
Nodding, he let his pride speak for him, "Yeah… I mean, I was going after the sword, I don't need some girl getting in the way, no matter WHO she is!"
This seemed to anger Seung Mina greatly, however, she merely puffed her cheeks and let out a long sigh. "I suppose it's what's to be expected of you… yeah, a real lady charmer, Yunsung…"
"Shut up…" Yunsung tried to collect all of the luggage and belongings, positioning it into a more comfortable position as they started walking again. He didn't know if she wanted him to continue or not, really, as she grew almost deathly silent, but he did so anyway, "Anyway, we fought, alright? No big deal…"
"My ass… who won?"
He wanted to lie and say that he was the victor, but something encouraged him to tell the truth somehow. "Neither of us… we never finished…"
Now she laughed, "Did common sense stop the fight or was it the thought that you LIKED her?"
"Neither one, ok? We were interrupted… by some weird freak wrapped up in bandages." Yunsung admitted, not seeing her stop and look at him as he kept on going. "I don't know why… but he was after her. It was as if she had something that he wanted…"
"Did you save her?"
He scowled, "Yeah, but don't think it was because I was in love or anything- he interrupted our fight!"
"Oh!" She grinned from ear to ear. "So you DO like her!"
Realizing his mistake, he snapped, feeling the blush brighten his cheeks as she began to laugh. "What? It wasn't like that, I swear! He… he interrupted our fight!"
"Yeah, sure…"
"Really!"
Seung Mina obviously didn't buy it, and Yunsung realized now that living with her would be a lot more difficult now. So what if he DID like her? What was it to her?
"So, what happened next? Did the two of you team up and fight off this freaky bandaged man?" Seung Mina asked, not even realizing how deep she struck, as she never noticed Yunsung's expression. "I bet you two did… and I'm willing to bed you guys made a pretty cute team! Am I right, Yunsung?"
He was silent for a few moments, and she finally turned around, to see the anger in his eyes, as he answered, "Someone else showed up too… I don't know who he was, but she had something that he wanted, and he was just… too powerful. When I woke up, I was alone…"
"And…" Seung Mina's voice lowered, seriousness actually obvious now in her voice. "The girl…?"
"Dead for all I know… we were so high on that castle; he probably threw her off."
"Yunsung, I'm sorry-"
He cut her off, breaking past her and walking ahead, as if to not care at all for her concern. "Don't worry about it… she didn't mean anything to me anyways. Come on, let's go already. You're too slow."
That finally seemed to do the trick, as Seung Mina backed off of the topic all together. All she did was give a sigh, tapping her weapon against her boot and following up behind him. "Fine, whatever you say, Yunsung… but you know, I think that you still need to change your standards… you'll die a virgin."
And so the two continued down the path, both hoping for a village soon… Seung Mina only wondered how much longer her friend was going to stay in this bad mood. Yunsung, on the other hand, wondered if anyone in the next village to tell him more of that nightmarish creature…
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Sunlight.
That wasn't what woke Talim up, but instead, the fact that her savior was no where to be found.
Instantly a sense of panic overcame her, as she quickly leapt to her feet, groping the ground for her weapons. Where has Yoshimitsu gone?! She could feel no blood, at least no new blood, from where Yoshimitsu slept, and that made her panic even more. What if was taken away? How long was he gone?
She cursed to herself, knowing now that she should have never had fallen asleep. She swore she only closed her eyes for a second…
Finally, as her fingers slipped onto the handle of one of her elbow blades, she rose to her feet, not even bothering with the second one as she rushed towards the opening of the cave; she didn't know why she went outside first… it never crossed her mind, as she dashed out into the open land, careful not to slip on the fresh, damp grass. The combined forces of the storm the night before and the morning dew made it just so easy to slip.. not to mention she still hadn't completely recovered from the attack.
'Please… let nothing bad happen to him…'
Somehow, blind fate led her to voices, and she heard a laugh, though it wasn't one that she wanted to hear. It didn't strike any familiarity to her at all…
"Listen, freak… you need to learn to mind your own business, or we'll take your other hand!"
That was all the proof that she needed, as she ran towards the direction of that voice. When another came, she tried her best to be the wind itself, "Yeah… we'll use that funky arm of arm of yours for our fire, then beat you senseless with the other! That'll teach ya!"
Finally, as she broke through the bushes, she could see what was going on. Four guys circled around two men, one of which was on the ground, trembling with fear, as the other, the one that had saved her earlier, stood his ground in front of the trembling man. She stood in horror, wondering exactly what had happened, until one of the disgruntled looking men spotted her. "Hey, little girl, go back to your mother! We got business to settle here!"
That was when they all turned to look at her, and Yoshimitsu gave a slight turn of his head, as the leader, a man with a rather tight face and his black hair half hidden under a red bandanna, gave a sneer. Talim took the time to notice their weapons, seeing their clubs stained with blood. Were these bandits?
"What are you doing?" Talim asked, regaining her strength as she, too, stood her ground. The leader's eye glanced towards her loan weapon, as he frowned.
One of the bandits laughed, "What does it look like, little girl? And what do you plan on doing about it?"
Though Talim wished to answer, it was Yoshimitsu who did, though his voice was almost unheard to the bandits around him. "Thieves of the lowliest kind, striving only to reap from those weaker than you. And, to answer the next question, I plan on taking back the gold you stole from this man…"
"What did you say, freak?!"
Now, their attention turned back towards Yoshimitsu, and Talim feared for the worse, as the leader raised his hand, ready to fight. "I'll knock that grin right off your face before I unmask you… die!"
"No, don't hurt him-" Talim instantly shouted, though it seemed too late, as the men threw themselves at the masked warrior. She knew Yoshimitsu couldn't fight… his wound would split right open! However, when she blinked, she stopped dead in her tracks, seeing both Yoshimitsu and the trembling man gone from sight.
And Talim wasn't the only one confused, as one of the bandits dared speak up, "Hey, where'd he go?"
She couldn't tell them; she didn't know. As the leader looked back at her, to ask, he heard one of his men scream, falling flat on his face as something struck him from behind. As the others turned to see their comrade face first on the ground, another joined him, but this time, Talim could see Yoshimitsu's hand, chopping him in the back of the neck. The final two bandits stared with disbelief, as he, too, went to join his comrade.
This time, though, Yoshimitsu did not fade away, as he stood across from them, his fists curled and feet spread apart, as if to wait for their attack. Nobody moved for a second, and Talim stood in complete shock. Wasn't it just a few hours ago that this man was leaning against the wall of the cave, nursing a wound? How could this be that he was standing there, looking perfectly healthy? Was her mind fooling her?
"You… you punk!" The bandit in the white headband shouted, rushing at the masked fighter with his club in the air. When the weapon came hurling down, to smash into Yoshimitsu's face, it only hit air, as he dodged the blow, side stepping and driving his foot into the man's head. As like the other two, the bandit was unable to keep hold of consciousness, giving a grunt before crashing down to the earth in defeat.
Now, there was only one man standing, and by this time, the leader seemed to know what he was up against. As Yoshimitsu regained his posture, the man just stood there, staring at him with confused brown eyes. Talim remained silent, as the bandit asked, "Who the hell are you?! What are you?"
It was as if he had been waiting for someone to ask, as Yoshimitsu did a rather cute pose, at least in Talim's mind. The bandit, however, took it as a form of mockery, as Yoshimitsu answered in a rather preppy voice. "I am Yoshimitsu! And I am a ninja!"
With that being said, the fight was over, and Talim did not know whether to applaud him, for his excellent work, or to begin to fear him, as he disappeared into a green smoke and reappeared behind the leader of the bandits, who merely coughed up a little blood and fell into unconsciousness. By the time he fell to the ground, Yoshimitsu was adjusting his helmet, brushing back the hint of hair that had gotten through to the last hit.
And still, Talim could say nothing, as words escaped her. What had just happened?!
Now, Yoshimitsu walked over to a rather odd looking pair of bushes, grabbing the branches and moving them aside as the frightened man finally looked up at him. The man had the same curse upon him, as he said nothing when Yoshimitsu asked, "You there! Do you acquire any assistance… though granted, it is a bit late for that…"
"Sir… I don't care who you are, or what you are…" the man began to say, and a relieved smile sprung upon his once troubled face, as he rose from the bushes, hug his savior. "But thank you… thank you so much…"
Finally, Talim found words, as she began to approach them, "Sir… are you alright?"
They didn't know who she was addressing, but as the man began to sob with relief, Yoshimitsu turned his head, to show off the plastered smile of his, though anyone could imagine his grin right about now. "He will be alright… he took a nasty hit to the back, though. Might want to get that looked at."
"That's good at least… but what about you?" Talim asked, and Yoshimitsu turned completely around, to look at her. Though she couldn't see his expression because of the mask, she could almost sense it, "What about your wound… from last night?"
Suddenly, as if it had struck him, he replied, though it was very quick. "Oh, no worries, young lady! Everything is just fine!"
Though Talim couldn't truly believe it, she let it go, as the sobbing man finally gained control of himself, and his joy was ever so obvious. "I was coming back from the city… I had just sold off most of my family's belongings, just to get the money for my daughter. God, I should get back to her now… I may be too late!"
"What's wrong with your daughter?" Talim asked, though whether or not it was considered rude never crossed her mind.
"She's very ill… and we couldn't afford the medicine… but now I have it! I can save her…" Again, he hugged onto Yoshimitsu, and Talim could hear his grunt. "Thanks to you… thank you!"
'Poor man…' Talim could not help but think to herself, and she watched, as Yoshimitsu tried to free himself from his hold. She thought it was generosity, until she noticed the blood that now seeped through his clothing. The wound… had it reopened?! "Yoshimitsu, your wound, it's-"
"I know… but don't worry about it…" The man replied, hiding any and all discomfort as he finally removed the man from his hold. It was only so obvious now, as the light in his eyes seemed to dim a little. "Let's waste no time- tell me where the village is and I shall take you…"
The man had noticed the blood as well, as he asked, "Sir?! Will you be alright?"
Now there seemed to be a hint of urgency, as the masked ninja hissed, "No time, no time! Quickly grab your gold and jump on my back! You'll never get back in time by running…"
No one could question his order, and it was Talim that had actually grabbed the pouch that the leader of the bandits dropped. As Yoshimitsu allowed the man to crawl onto his back, somehow avoiding the fan, Talim asked, "Where are you going? I'm coming with you…"
The man replied, pointing towards the south, "It's about twenty-five miles southward… if you take the path left of here, you should be able to get there by nightfall. It'll be much safer there…"
He could not say anything more, as Yoshimitsu gave a high pitched scream, the green mists dancing about him once more as he and the man disappeared. Talim stood there, confused as to what had just happened. Strange… it was all so strange! Who was Yoshimitsu, and, as he took a glance towards the unconscious bandits, she, too, began to wonder. What was he? How could he have moved so fast?
Still, as she held her one tonfa in her hand, she realized that now was not the time for this. So, with her one weapon, she followed the man's advice, breaking off into a sprint as she went towards the village. Maybe there Yoshimitsu could get the healing he needed, and she herself can get a few questions answered. There was just… something about that Yoshimitsu that made her so curious!
Had she had taken the time, though, to go back to the cave to find her other weapon, she would have noted the foot prints of Yunsung and Seung Mina, heading in the same exactly direction as the village… and also, the sight of the bandaged creature that followed them, holding his broken weapons in his hands and giving a pained hiss as he, too, continuing his own fruitless search…
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Author's Note: Jesus H. Christ on a 4-wheeled bicycle… this took way too long to get out. I am very sorry about the lack of updating… but I almost forgot about this one! I missed it, too… so thus, I revive it! Ho-ha!