Can You Hear The Callin

By Rachel

A/N: Here's chapter two. Sorry it took me so long to get up. I started school, and a bunch of other writing stuff and kind of forgot about this for a while But I have this chapter done now! Although it will probably be a good while before can get the third chapter up. I'm thinking the third chapter will have a lot more from the game in it. Obviously I'm taking quite a few liberties here, and since the game is so vague in the detials hopefully I can get away with it.

Also a note. As it does have Hwang/Seung Mina in it, it's not centered around that. Although I do adore that pairing and that's why it's included. Unfortunately there won't be any in this for awhile.

Chapter Two

The very next day after she received permission, Seung Mina was ready to start her new adventure. Er… her mission to bring that stupid kid back. She carried a sack with a change of clothes, some food, a sufficient amount of gold, and a few knick-knacks she didn't want to leave behind. Besides she might be able to sell them later on her quest for gold or information. Her weapon rested against the wall as she said goodbye to her friends and family.

"Aww Mina, I'm going to miss you sooooooo much." So Na said, as she gave her friend the biggest bear hug she'd ever received. Mina wasn't used to good-bye's, she had always sneaked out in the past.

"I'm going to miss you too. Don't let it get too boring around here, So Na. Gotta keep the old man's heart going." She winked at her.

That was just about everyone. Well except for her father. And Hwang it seemed. She hoped that Hwang would have left by now, but she should have known better. It appeared that he did care for her and that led him to do strange things like stay longer so he could say goodbye to her. She moved in front of him feeling a little nervous. How did one say goodbye to their fiancé that they supposedly don't like? Well it looked like she would get to find out.

"Mina… Just, take care of yourself."

She frowned at her shoes. Somehow she expected more than that, "You've been saying that for the last two days. Can't you think or something original?"

He chuckled, "Guess not. I just—"

"I'll be fine Hwang. Seriously. Don't worry about me. We've been over this. Um…" She wasn't sure how to say this next part. Or she knew how to say, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to. Although she did. It was just… complicated. "You know, you be…careful. Too." He'd laughed again at that, which made her frown deepen. Now she just sounded stupid.

"I will. Promise."

She wanted to yell at him about making promises. She had when she was younger, this one time when he told her that he'd always come save her. She'd been seven then, he sixteen. Back then she had convinced herself that she had been in love with him. When she thought about it now it seemed petty and childish, and it had been. She was seven then.

Back then the neighborhood boys used to pick on her all the time for being so boyish. 'Girls should know how to fight' they would say, 'they should sit at home and be pretty.' At that time she'd try out the new move she'd learned that day. The boy would go running off then, only to return later with a group of friends. And then they would push her around. Usually at this point Hwang showed up to save her. As he'd promised he always would

One time when an oddly large group of boys had ganged up on her, though, Hwang had not shown up. Her yelling had eventually attracted one of the boys' parents and they were pulled away from her. Su Kim the neighbor woman had walked her home. Later that night when her 'promised savior' had come to check up on her she'd let him have it.

"You didn't save me!"

"I… Mina I was busy at the time. I didn't think the boys would take it so far."

"But. You. Promised!"

He sighed, "I know, but—"

"No! No buts, you lied to me. A promise is a promise and buts don't excuse a broken promise."

"Mina…"

"Go away. I don't want to see a promise breaker."

He'd gone, and back then she'd almost wished he hadn't. Ever since that moment she was reluctant to trust him whenever he said anything. And she'd become more distant toward him throughout the years. Mina had come to realize this when reflecting on her actions with the White Storm. Somewhere down the line she'd grown to resent him for no reason what so ever. But because she had clung to that idea for so long, even now aware of it, it was difficult to let it go.

"Are you ready now Child?"

She straightened up and met her father's piercing gaze. "Of course old man."

-

The boat rocked with the slow yet somehow quick motion of the waves as it drifted it's way across the ocean. Yunsung lay in his cabin one arm draped across his eyes, his other hand resting on his churning stomach. He never realized before how much he did not like traveling by sea, or how much his stomach disliked it. Already a day out on the waters and this was the first time he'd been able to handle being in his cabin. He'd spent the last night on the deck.

He wouldn't have taken this ride if he hadn't had to have. But there was really only one way to Europe from Korea without trekking across China and hostile Mongol territory. And as dangerous as he knew this quest would be, he'd prefer not to go barreling headfirst into trouble. Since the Regulus Training Grounds, which is where he wanted to be going, were located in Mid-western Europe he had one hell of a boat ride ahead of him. And he hoped that the sickness wouldn't last him the entire time.

Getting on this boat hadn't been any easy feat. First of all he had to find a ship that was going all the way to Europe. That had been a difficult task in and of itself. Eventually he found a tourist ship that was sailing down the Korean Strait past Japan. The captain knew better to stop at two places that weren't on such good terms with each other. It would make a couple stops in China (Beijing and Hong Kong) , one on the border of Thailand and Malaysia, then two in India (Calcutta and Bombay), and then around the remaining countries, up the Suez Canal, stop in the Fertile Crescent, and then finally depart at someplace known as Isnkenderan in Turkey. It was estimated to take about two to three months. All this was according the captain and Yunsung understood, 'long boat ride, and many stops.'

The man who originally held the boarding pass was reluctant to give it up. Yunsung had head him on the streets bragging about this exciting trip that he would get to go on and how he would be able to collect dozens of rare antiques, even some from the fabled Mesopotamia area. It was the last part that had caught his attention. He'd quickly thought back on all those geography lessons that he hated—they were so boring--- and calculated where the Mesopotamia was, it was in what was now the Fertile Crescent, and that was in East Europe which is where Regulus was said to be according this his former source.

He'd closed his eyes remembering how the guy had refused to give up the ticket at first. The younger boy had even asked politely and the old geezer had turned him down. In a way Yunsung couldn't blame him, he wouldn't have given it up had it been him. In the heat of the argument he'd finally gotten fed up and threatened the man with a combination of moves that would end him up in a completely different shape and several pieces by the time he was finished. Instead of scare the man off, it piqued his attention.

"You are a fighter kid?"

"I…Wha? Yeah. I guess you could say that"

"Well, maybe I have a way you can earn this here pass then."

He should have known by the sly look on the man's face that it wasn't going to be any simple, 'carry my things, buy my food' kind of thing. This man had more than that going on in his mind. Apparently one reason he was so eager to get on this ship was because he was more than just some old antique collector. He did collect antiques, but not always legally. It seemed that he had taken a valuable Chinese artifact from the city of Dandong near the Korean border. So a gang had been following him ever since to try and get it back. If Yunsung could fend off this gang and take them out then the ticket would be all his.

At first the kid balked at the idea; he was not some old timer's bodyguard! He could find another way to Europe. Unfortunately for him, there was practically no other way out of Korea except on a transport ship that was transporting waste and Yunsung refused to take that. So he tracked down the man a few hours later agreeing to help. The man was delighted at this as, he had seen someone decidedly Chinese looking tailing him a short hour before.

The man proved himself to be honest when they were attacked not twenty minutes later by three men. Decidedly Chinese was an understatement. They were dressed in traditional Chinese fighting garb. Their hair was tied back in long braids that trailed down their backs. Yunsung was betting those braids could be dangerous weapons when used correctly, they were long and thick. He also recognized the fighting style as belonging to a certain group of Chinese gangs that often crossed boarders and caused mayhem all over Korea. Two of them had weapons; a pair of daggers and a short staff without a blade. Oh he certainly didn't mind fighting those guys. Wiping those self-righteous smirks off their faces was one of the best things he'd done and a long while.

He smirked himself pulling out the White Storm. It was no problem taking these punks down.

-

"Look at that woman. Now those are some curves." A man at the bar commented to his fairly drunken friend.

The drunk grinned and turned to the door where his companion had pointed. He was met by a pair of long, smooth legs covered in front and back by a scarlet cloth, a toned stomach, and a nice and firm pair of breasts restrained by a red top that—to the drunk—looked about ready to pop off. His eyes stopped they're journey there, not bothering to look at the girls face. A girl's face could ruin her entire look sometimes, and he didn't want this ruined for him. That had to be the most perfect body he'd seen in a long time, much better than the thunder thighs of the woman who liked to call herself his girlfriend. He whistled to catch her attention, letting her know exactly what he thought of her.

And Mina knew exactly what the drunk thought of her as the whistle reached her ears. It was probably what most of the intoxicated men thought of her. She closed her eyes so as to keep her temper and haughtily tossed her chestnut braid over her shoulder where it rested midway down her back. When she thought she was calm enough she continued her way inside making her way to an empty area of the bar.

It wasn't too crowded yet seeing as it was only the afternoon. A few regulars and foreigners were at the bar, like the man who had whistled and his friend. There were a couple of Chinese sitting at a table in the corner, and a gaggle of women who probably just finished their market shopping. Mina liked it better when there were fewer people there. It made it easier to get around without being groped and to get information. The one thing she'd loved about taverns is that they were pure information holes.

"Hey! Barkeep!" she said with a grin, leaning over the counter. She'd set her Halberd beside her, keeping an eye on it to make sure it wasn't stolen.

The man serving drinks turned at the sound of her voice and then smiled himself. He was a good friend of her fathers and recognized her immediately. "Mina, what brings you in here? And at a time like this, you know I'd much prefer to see you later." He winked to let her know he was only kidding.

Mina chuckled, this man always had a good sense of humor. "I'm looking for one of our students. Hong Yunsung, feisty punk of a kid with one hell of a temper. Giant curved sword."

"It isn't as you don't have a temper yourself Miss Mina. But I know the kid you're talking about, although I haven't seen him today. There was a commotion out in the streets yesterday. I heard some punk kid got into a fight with some people. No one got names or faces really though."

" 'Some punk kid', huh? Certainly sounds like Yunsung to me. Thanks!" With that information she left the tavern. If he got into a fight the day before someone had to have seen which way, or exactly where he went perhaps. She just had to inquire around the streets about him, it wouldn't be too difficult she thought.

Unbeknownst to her however, she had caught more than just the attention of the drunks. The two Chinese men had been watching her the moment she came in. It was her weapon, however, that first attracted them and not her looks. Listening closely to her conversation with the bartender they ascertained what they needed to know. It wasn't him, but she was in league with him, and this girl would do just as well. Perhaps they could even hold her for ransom and have a little fun with her while they were at it. Just because her weapon was the first thing they noticed didn't mean it was the only thing. So the two had trailed a bit behind her when she exited.

However pre-occupied her mind may have been on Yunsung's stupidity it had not forgone it's training, and just a few blocks away she became aware that she was being followed. To confirm this Mina turned down a little used street, which was usually the hangout of a rougher crowd. Those who made underhand deals, and sold items and substances that couldn't be sold in open market. Luckily for her it wasn't swarming with the lowest of people that day. There was a homeless guy asleep against a wall, but she paid him no mind.

She stopped halfway down the street taking quick, careful notice of her surroundings. Carving out a feel for the place she looked over her shoulder at the two Chinese, "You know, boys, it isn't very polite to follow a lady around."

"Quiet woman, don't talk to us about politeness!" One of them responded.

The other soon followed with, "If you knew your place, girl, we wouldn't follow you. As it is, though, you're an acquaintance with that punk kid, with the large sword. Therefore you are our tool of revenge."

Her jaw dropped in momentary disbelief at the situation. Oh, that kid was going to pay for the trouble he was putting her through. "You're kidding me! That stupid brat got me involved in some kind mess!"

"Indeed he did. And what a mess it is girlie. Now, I would like it if you would come peacefully. However I see that may not be the case." The second guy said eyeing the Halberd.

That man was obviously the smarter of the two, and the leader as he did most of the talking so far. Mina could tell that his dark eyes were sharp and reminded herself not to underestimate him. Although they couldn't be too difficult, she thought, for Yunsung must have defeated them before for them to want revenge so badly. She decided to respond to the man though, for her temperament wouldn't allow her otherwise.

"You betcha I won't go out without a fight! And if you think you can beat me, you sure have another thing coming." That being said she lifted her weapon and expertly spun it giving the two Chinese some idea that she knew what she was doing.

The first, brasher man rushed her immediately much to his partners dismay. Mina quickly put him with the blunt end of the Halberd and he sprawled face first. He recovered quickly and jumped up, reaching into a previously undetected pocket he pulled out a dagger lashing out toward her hands. Swiftly Mina sidestepped the blade and brought the flat of her own swinging toward his head. The man avoided it with all the agility of a Chinese fighter, then renewed his attack on her.

He came at her with fast, rapid movements and she couldn't evade all of them. An elbow hit her ribs here, a kick landed on her back there, and a few close calls that ended in a long gash from her right shoulder almost all the way down her forearm and another lighter knick across her face was dealt before she got her bearings back. Ignoring the searing pain in her arm she was finally able to get the Halberd in-between herself and her opponent. Once she had that accomplished she began her own series of adept actions, the first of which sent him sprawling backward, the last of which left him unconscious.

"Give up now and you won't have to end up like your buddy here." She said to the other Chinese man, whom had stood calmly by the entire time.

He cocked his head to the side regarding her. "You are indeed skilled, girl. Much more than I had anticipated, and under normal circumstances I would leave you alone out of the respect of your skill, and that I would prefer to walk away unscathed. However I cannot forgive what your friend did to mine, and therefore I will not 'give up now' as you have asked."

He then gave her a slight smile, which didn't make her feel any better. It told her that he was a serious guy, and that he wasn't afraid of doing what he had to, even if resulted in death on either side. He then added, "Besides girlie, you're injured. And as much as you're holding up fine now, you can only keep swinging that blade around so long before your injury makes it impossible."

She willed herself not to openly acknowledge the truth of what he said. He, however, was right. Mina was already having trouble keeping at a ready stance. The wound on her arm really needed immediate attention, but there was nothing she could do for it at the moment. She tried to remind herself that she had been in worse situations before, even on the verge of death itself. It didn't seem to be helping a whole lot, considering that if she wasn't careful here, she might once again find herself on the verge of death.

However Seung Mina would not be one to give up either, and if he was looking to fight her, he would get it. She lifted the Halberd, despite the screaming protests of her arm, and leveled it at him. She was no coward and would not back down no matter what. "So be it then. It'll be your funeral."

"We shall see girlie, we shall see."

He laced his fingers together stretching them above his head. The bones throughout his arm cracked with a sick popping sound. Mina cringed, she hated that noise and never understood why men felt the need to crack their bones all the time; knuckles especially. Next he stretched his legs much in the manner as if he were about to train. This was insulting to the young Korean woman and she fixed him with a stubborn glare those at the dojo had often received from her. It was often used to signify her impatience and displeasure at a situation, and was definitely meant as such here.

Suddenly he wasn't stretching anymore. He was one moment taking his sweet time, the next he was at her side plunging his fist into her mid-section. She doubled over clutching at her stomach with one hand. She then fell backward as his elbow connected with the bridge of her nose. She quickly cleared her mind and ignored the pain and did the only thing she could do at the moment. She rolled. When knocked on the ground with no idea what's going on around you, rolling was quite the skill to have. When she recovered enough to see straight she sprung into a standing position and brought the Halberd crashing down where she had last seen him. It just barely missed him, so she lifted it from the ground and swung it sideways catching the man in the hip with the staff portion. He lost his balance but was quickly back up and dodging the flat of her blade again.

It was like a deranged game of cat and mouse, where while on the run from the cat, the mouse would sometimes try to claw the feline's face. In this it seemed like Mina was the mouse. She'd fallen back on the defense and wasn't holding up well. Her right arm was still bleeding and she was starting to feel the effects of it. She would stumble or every now and then her vision doubled and she would dodge the wrong fist or leg. And each time it was getting harder to get back up after falling. At this rate it really did seem like she would lose. She let out a cry of frustration as her backside came in contact with the ground again.

"Lu Tian Fu!"

The fight stopped. Mina had an angel from above. A familiar angel, she thought because she recognized the voice. She couldn't quite place it though. Just the same though, an angel that stopped her death as she saw it in her woozy state. She'd have to thank that angel later when she thought she could speak again. Instead she was content to stare at the man's feet for any sign of movement lest she not roll away in time.

"You! What in the Emperor's name are you doing here?"

"That exactly what I'm doing here. I'm on a quest for the Emperor. What are you doing beating up on poor defenseless girls." There was a mocking note to the angel's tone, and as she continued speaking Mina was beginning to think her angel was really a demon. To Mina's ears it definitely sounded like a voice from the depths of the underworld.

She did manage to yell out a feeble protest, "I'm not defenseless!"

"Quite agreed girlie," the man replied to her. Then back to the so-called angel, "She's far from defenseless, and I'm only seeking justified revenge to something a friend of hers did to Mao Rong. And you can see what she herself has done to Sheng Tan here."

"So her friend beat up one of your guys, and you two take it out on her?"

"If you want to put it that way." The Chinese man sounded aggravated.

"Well I'm right aren't I? That's not the point though. See I need that girl alive."

"I had no intention of killing her. Merely using her to lure her companion."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you Tian Fu. That girl there is the daughter of Seung Han Myong, the owner of the most renowned dojo in Korea."

"Seung Han Myong, huh? I knew her style seemed a bit familiar. That must mean that brat is a student there as well."

The "angel" let out an exasperated noise and approached closer. Mina could see her shoes. They were blue, Chinese style, with golden patterns intricately sewn into them. She frowned at them. It seemed to her as if the shoes had come to condemn her to some kind of fate. Moving into a more comfortable sitting position she shook her head of the dizziness and followed the legs of the shoe's owner upward. Vibrant, tight blue pants with similar golden designs greeted her. The shirt was a silky white, almost light blue with some sort of familiar emblem sewn into the chest. It was the face she recognized though, and she wished she'd kept her "angel" a mystery, because this girl was no angel.

"Chai Xianghua!"

"About time you recognized me. Now pull yourself up, I know you're better than Tian Fu here. At least you better be, unless you've gone soft in the last few years."

"I've not gone soft!" Her face flushed in anger at the Chinese woman. She and Xianghua had never really gotten along before, and they weren't getting on any better this time either.

"We'll see. Anyway Tian Fu, as much as I'd love to leave Seung Mina here for you to do with her as you will, I really can't. I need her help, and this is a mission given to me by the Emperor. So unless you want me going back and complaining I'd leave her alone. Forget about your stupid—or honorable as you probably see it—revenge for the time being."

The Chinese man glared at her and looked like he might hit her. It seemed though that he changed his mind. Peering down at the girl he'd been fighting he thought it over. He certainly didn't want to get himself involved in the Emperor's affairs. He was already on thin ice, causing trouble in foreign nations. Xianghua often caught him and his gang causing trouble, and while she agreed not to be a snitch she was still a thorn as she often stopped them herself. Plus if that punk kid was at all intelligent he'd be long gone by now, not sticking around waiting for them to get revenge. And if this girl was indeed the daughter of Seung Han Myong he could get himself into a good deal of political trouble, and he wished to avoid that. So he came to the conclusion that the best option here would be to give Xianghua the girl. But damn her for being right, as she always seemed to be.

"Fine, have at her. I'm leaving." He said and did indeed take his leave of them.

Mina had passed out at some point after the man had left. She wasn't sure when exactly. She'd known that she was trying to push that insufferable Chinese woman off of her, and that it wasn't working. She was awake now though, and in a room of some sort. After looking around she realized it was the room of the town's Inn. Her arm had been bandaged and all the bleeding had been stopped. When she sat up she realized she'd been changed out of her clothes into a fancy silk robe with Cherry Blossoms embroidered onto it. It was really nice, and comfortable although she'd prefer not to acknowledge that. Her hair had also been removed from it's bindings and was hanging freely over her shoulders.

Xianghua was knelt in front of the fireplace, adding in a couple more logs and blowing on it to keep it ablaze. It must have been going for a while because the room was comfortably warm. And judging by the darkness outside the window night had fallen and the temperature had probably dropped a good deal. The shorter haired woman stood up and blinked slightly as she noticed her companion had awoken. She was slightly surprised to find that Seung Mina could actually be really pretty when she wasn't acting stubborn, and she allowed herself to seem girlish. No, not girlish, like a woman. Mina looked like a pretty young woman, suitable for marriage. Only Xianghua couldn't imagine her married.

"What are you staring at!" the girl on the bed demanded, and Xianghua's image of an elegant beauty was shattered. Probably for the better because Seung Mina—in her opinion—should never be thought of a anything elegant. Or beautiful for that matter.

"I was just thinking how wrong it was for you to be in such fine Chinese robes."

"Well then maybe you shouldn't have put me in them."

"Well excuse me for trying to be nice. I just figured this would be the last nice, comfortable, peaceful night the both of use would have for a while, so we might as well make the best of it, and enjoy ourselves and be relaxed."

"What are you talking about? Why'd you save me anyway?" Mina didn't feel like arguing at the moment. She'd lost her momentum at her former rival's attempt at kindness. Besides she was curious as to both those questions.

Xianghua had sighed and sat at the edge of the bed. "It's about the 'Hero's Sword' or I believe as your people refer to it the 'Sword of Salvation' either way, it concerns Soul Edge. You've heard the rumors I assume."

"A little. Something about fragments being found and old nemesis reappearing."

"Yes. I too have heard the stories of Nightmare's supposed reappearance in Europe. It's disconcerting to say the least. And I actually had my own fragment incident. The Emperor had attacked a castle near my town claiming that the sword was housed there and that the area was planning a revolt. Of course I knew this couldn't be true. We destroyed the sword, I'm sure you remember. But I was ordered to investigate it, and in doing so I learned of the fragments. The man living in the castle was consumed by the power of the fragment alone.

"After asking around is some really shady places, including—and I was outraged at this—a cult devoted to Soul Edge I heard of the problems in Europe. So I set out once again to try and stop the evil from spreading. I was hoping to enlist the help of that wonderful Hwang, but when I got here I heard he was leaving for the front lines of the Navy in a few days to head of the Japanese invasion. I only hope now that the gods protect him. Those Japanese are ruthless! That's when I found you though, and I figure you were there with us all. And as much as I'm not particularly fond of you, you could probably be some sort of help."

"Thanks…I think."

The younger girl waved her hand in a dismissive manner, "A Chinese fleet ship should be sent here tomorrow to escort us to Western Europe where my leads pick up. That is if you'll help me. And by the looks of you, you were already planning on going so I'm thinking you will."

Mina frowned at her. She was right of course. If Europe was where everything was happening then that's where Yunsung would be going. And who was she to turn down free passage to Europe. Especially such a trustworthy one as an official Chinese ship. Besides it would be so much better then trekking there by foot.

"You think we'll be able to stop it again?" she inquired.

Xianghua grinned. She'd gotten the girl to agree. As much as she didn't like her a whole lot, she did need all the help she could get. And as much as she wouldn't admit it, especially to the Korean, the girl would be a good addition to her investigation and personal mission After all they'd only ever had the same intentions.

"Of course we will! But for tonight we relax. I've booked us tickets to some supposedly amusing theatrical play that starts in an hour then we can come back here and order the best food this place has to offer. After all, if we're saving humanity I think we deserve it!"

Mina laughed. They did deserve a night of relaxation before their world spiraled down into hell. And even if it was with Xianghua it might be fun. The two women could set aside their differences for one night maybe and get along and have a good time. The next day they would be off to sea, adventure, mystery, and danger lurking beyond every wave.