Chapter Five:'Good' Morning
It was happening again...
The darkness was so deep, the goddess was so near, she was everywhere, whispering, this time words of comfort and of pity, as if she were frightened.
Talim hissed at her, angry with pain. 'Did you think that I would not be hurt? Did you think that I would not be killed! This is your fault! Your fault!'
The wind whispered, weakly, gently touching. It amazed Talim, despite that she was the one doing it. How could she, a mere priestess beat down a goddess? How..?
The answer was so close, just around the darkening corner, whispering things that she was afraid to understand.
Then it broke, the dream shattered, and all she could see were worried green eyes...
The girl cried out, pushing him away sharply, scrambling backwards, though weakly.
He pulled back slowly, determined to make sure he didn't scare her anymore, she might rip open the healing wound in her arm if he did.
"It's all right... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." he stated, lifting his hands up in peace.
She was on the other side of the cave, her back pressed agains the rough stone, gasping for breath, large eyes fixed on him.
Who...? Who is he?
Yun Sung.
Talim let out a soft sigh, pondering the thoughts entering her mind. "...Yun Sung..." she whispered, eyes narowed.
The young man froze, his own gaze turning cold. "What did you just say?"
Talim drew back a bit more, hearing the slight tone in his voice that made her skin prick up. Her eyes searched the cave, looking for her blades, which she had realized weren't strapped to her belt anymore.
He stood and advanced towards her. "How do you know that name?' he snapped, reaching for her arm.
No.
With a sharp cry she kicked up, hitting him in the stomach. he fell back, caught his balance and drew his sword, one she had not noticed hung from his side.
"What do you want?' she whispered, panting for breath. at some point she had scrambled to her feet and was now standing in fighting position, her fists clenched.
Where are my blades...where?
Behind.
"I'm trying to 'help' you actually, you hot headed little-" He started, then gasped and dove towards her as she grabbed her blades.
With a grunt, Talim side stepped out of the way, grabbing her hilts and falling once more into fighting stance.
"You... help me? But..." she began, then gasped and blocked a sharp swing from his blade, her arm shuddering with the pain.
"How do you know my name?" he snapped back, pressing down on her.
Talim groaned softly, holding the blade there with all her strength... which wasn't much at the moment.
"...what are you talking about?" she whimpered, biting her lip.
"My name! My name is Yun Sung, how do you know it?' he snapped, and shoved her away.
She stumbled, regained her balance and backed up slowly, frowning.
"Your name..? But... I didn't know..." she replied, feeling dizzy.
Yun Sung froze, and frowned, watching her drop her blades and crumbled to the hard ground.
"What do you mean you didn't know?" he asked, a bit quieter, letting his blade lower, annoyed.
This petulant girl was more trouble than he had figured. He rubbed his shoulder where she had kicked him away.
She was painful too.
"I didn't know it was your name." she stated, gasping for breath, rubbing her face tiredly.
He stared and then stuffed his sword into his sheath, frowning. "That's rather unbelieveable." he stated.
"That's the only truth I know." she retorted, leaning against the wall.
Perhaps she had lost memory? Or he had? Had he seen her around somewhere? At the dojo maybe? She was trained... it was a possibility.
He frowned. No. That couldn't be it. She was younger than he was he'd probably have seen her about the dojo... and he'd remember her too. It wasn't often a younger, weaker fighter was able to keep him off, let alone a girl and in her condition.
He frowned. Who in the world was she?
"What's your name?" he snapped, still feeling a bit testy. She looked up at him again after examining her arm. "... I am Talim." she murmured.
He frowned, the name ringing no bells what so ever. She was dressed oddly... what was she?
"You're a strange warrior, where did you train?" he snapped, not moving towards her still.
She pushed herself to her feet, grunting softly at the effort. The fear of finding him near had made her jump away, but now she was tired. He wasn't a huge threat, he just seemed angry at her for attacking
She didn't really blame him.
"I trained at my village." she murmured. He opened his mouth to ask something else, but for some reason Talim didn't want to answer that.
"I'm sorry about kicking you." she put in quickly, cradling her arm.
He blinked, then frowned.
"All right..." he replied, though ruffly, as if he weren't sure of what to say to something like that.
She bowed shortly, in respect and bent to pick up her blades, wincing at the strain in her torso.
He watched her and was picking them up for her in seconds, annoyed with himself for it. Quickly he handed it to her. She hardly had enough time to grab them before they fell again, blinking.
"You broke a rib. Did that monster whack you with his fist or something?" he asked, brows furrowed as he walked over to pick up his cloak.
Talim carefully strapped her blades to her belt, moving slowly. "Um... no... he used a weapon." she muttered. "A full legnth axe, if I recall." she mumbled, looking up at him again, her blades hanging by her sides.
"What weapon?" he snapped, turning to look at her. Talim sighed softly, feeling a sharp splinter of irritation in her mind that did not often make itself known.
"An axe, i said." she repeated. Yun Sung shook his head. "What are you talking about? I didn't seen any by the body." he stated.
The young priestess rubbed her face, annoyed by his tone of voice and cocky self rightous way he seemed to be directing himself towards her.
"It... was some kind of orb, it transformed once or twice during the battle, and when i slayed him it vanished." she replied, her voice wary and tired.
Yun Sung heard it and frowned, picking up the torch. Talim looked up sharply, as her source of light was moved.
"What are you doing?" she asked, blinking.
He started to walk away, heaving a light pack over his shoulder.
She gasped softly and pushed herself to her feet, scrambling to catch up.
"Where are you going?' she enquired, falling into step beside him His eyes flickered to her quickly as if simply acknowledging her pressence. "Out of here." he stated.
Talim blinked at him and stopped walking. "But... there's a storm out there, it nearly killed me. It took the mountain from under my feet." she insisted, attempting to keep him from going out into what she was sure would be unneccesary danger.
At this Yun Sung only scoffed softly and ignored her again. She ran after him, wincing at each step. "I'm serious. Please, listen to me."
He glared at her momentarily, pulling the hood o fhis cloak over his head.
"You've been out of it for five days now. The storm ended the day before yesterday. All that is left are high winds and the wrecked remains of the woodland." He snapped, giving her a little shove into the open.
Talim stumbled and froze, as if cought like a deer in the headlights.
The cave ended at a sudden drop off, not the one she had been left on to enter the cave though.
It continued all around, leaving only a miniature pathway to her left.
The winds were blowing like all of the Goddess was crying out, making her clothes swirl around her, her hair dancing to the rhythm of the breeze.
Talim stared in awe to the rising sun, which could now be seen past the catastrophe that as the crumpled field of trees and rolling hills which used to be the forest.
"Oh... Goddess, your Cousins were angry indeed." she whimpered, putting a hand to her mouth in slight horror.
All that had been the woodland, the mountains, it was completely nothing, as if the territory was recreated.
"I am lost..." she whispred, licking dry cracked lips in vain.
The sound of a stone falling into the dark abyss of the cliff made her turn to look at Yun Sung, who was carefully making his way down the mountain by way of the four foot ledge surrounding it like a staircase.
The young Priestess gasped softly and walked over to the beginning of the path.
"Where are you going?" she cried, a bit distressed.
Yun Sung glanced over his shoulder at her, frowning. "My own way."
She stared after him, wincing. "But... what about me?"
He glared. "What about you? You were climbing these mountains on your own before i came along. You'll find your way." he snapped.
The wind hurled the words at her, hissing and dancing as she watched him turn a sharp corner and disappear.
She sighed, hanging her head, stuffing a hand in her pocket. Anger she was growing accustomed to grew in her chest.
Damn you, Damn you and your so called destiny of mine...
The wind whispered in her ear, making her hair dance around, wary, as if trying to make amends.
Something small and hard bumped into her hand. Talim frowned slightly and pulled it out, to find the red shard of something...
The evil...
She stared at it with wide eyes, examining it. A faint mental tug made her blink. It was like a persistant thought you simply couldn't remember making her irritable.
the tug came again, harder. SHe frowned, turning the piece over and over in her hand, rubbing it with her thumb.
Use it.
She frowned, hearing that soft voice in her head. The same that had whispered Yun Sung's name.
How?
Concentrate.
The young Priestess frowned slightly and finally closed her eyes concentrating on the simple existance of the shard.
Her eyes saw darkness, all was dark, then...
A string, a red string It was ahead... it turned, twisted, rushing downwards. Something was coming up, distand... It was a person... it was a man... no... it was...
"Yun Sung." Talim breathed.
The red string led to his pack and inside glittered a red shard, just like the one she was holding.
Her eyes nspaped open and she ran, ran down the path, ignoring her dry throat, worn muscles, painful arm, throbbing torso and deep hunger... gasping she sprinted, her blades bumping her side.
How... how did her get a shard? Does he know what it is? Does he know what it means...?
She turned sharply, nearly slipping off the edge. Her eyes flickered to the fall a long ways below and she could do nothing but gasp, and keep going, her footsteps rhythmic, like the breeze .
I have to figure this out... I have to.
NOTE: There is the next chapter in an all too complicated fic. I just want you guys to know that I have no idea what I'm doing. None. I have the game and I've played it and I have a very vague understanding of the plot. The story I am writing has no plot as far as I know. I haven't any clue where any of this is leading.
Anyway, enough excuses.
To Veronica: Heh, about time I answered your reviews, huh? Thanks for reading and your reviews, it keeps me going. And no, I don't plan on making Raphael evil, He's unfortunately not the next character coming up though. Sorry.
To DilaZirk: Um... yeah, character deaths. That was a lack of action. I had no idea what i was doing so I just decided, what the heck, let's make a battle. Necrid was the last character i had played on the game and he kicked my butt, so I kicked him around in my mind... and killed him... yeah... insanity...
To Animefan113: Gee... thanks. I don't particularly think that I'm too great at fanfics either, so... we're in the same boat, i guess.