Tainted Souls, Tainted Swords
Chapter Four: Conflicts without Confrontation
And then the East drawbridge came crashing down again, this time Taki fell to one knee unable to keep her balance along with Yunsung who just now came to and tried getting to his feet. Mina, however, managed to stay standing just fine. And there on the East Bridge stood a familiar Samurai, who locked gazes with Taki, "We meet again."
Taki cursed under her breath, remembering their encounter four years ago during the era when fear of losing herself to the fragment of Soul Edge prevented her from drawing Mekki-maru in battle (which crippled her combat style). Did she ever need both swords in a fight. As a result, she lost miserably, barely managing to escape certain death. Now having (semi) mastered Mekki-maru, she knew she'd fair much better against him . . . if only she were in a condition to actually fight him.
Mina, reading the faint hint of hesitation in Taki's expression, faced this new warrior, "If you want her, you have to deal with me."
The now conscious Yunsung just looked from Taki, to Mina, to the mercenary with a confused look on his face.
Mitsurugi stopped as he made it just within the cage, and leaned against the entry way with his arms crossed. "If you stay in this cage much longer, you won't live long enough to accept anymore challenges." And with that he pulled his attention away from the hurt ninja (still on one knee) to point outside the cage with his gaze.
Mina followed his gaze outside the cage across the river to a set of gunmen pushing through the crowds to take position on the bank to rain fire upon them. "Yunsung," She called out, "let's go."
Taki narrowed her eyes at Mitsurugi, and when he looked back she knew his disgust in her had not subsided. Another motive lurked in these actions, otherwise he'd just leave her to die an honorless death (the cowardly death he felt she deserved). And having just acquired a fragment of Soul Edge, it didn't take much imagination to figure out what he wanted. Biting her lip, she snatched up her cloak and made her way to the exit with a visible limp. Mina helped the weary Yunsung to the exit.
Taki let the Koreans leave first, and as she passed by her nemesis, she bitterly growled, "Don't waste your breath asking" and she shoved the fragment of Soul Edge at him. The first wave of gunfire came at them, but the new weapons had centuries of refinement ahead of them. These primitive incarnations didn't have the faintest hint of accuracy, especially from firing across a river through a cage.
"Don't think you're getting it back," he answered. His right hand never left the hilt of his Katana, Shishi-Oh. He'd cut the cowardly ninja in half if she even hinted at drawing her swords. A second wave of musketfire rained down, grazing Mina, Taki, hitting Yunsung in the foot, and a ricochet bounced off the steel bars and bounced off the Samurai's armor.
Swiftly crossing the drawbridge, and entering the safety of the crowd, Taki pulled her cloak around her, "I wouldn't hand it over if I couldn't get it back."
And fortunately for this foursome, the administrators of the arena assumed the gunmen would finish off the caged combatants and so didn't bother calling for melee guards until it was too late. The group literally walked out the front gate, but disappearing into the crowd would prove impossible. They had to get out of sight right away.
Ducking into an alleyway, Taki leaned against a wall to relieve her poor aching torso for a moment, "Okay. This is where we split up—"
But Yunsung wanted to pay her back, "First I owe you something—"
"Stop it right now," Mina snapped, silencing Yunsung. She shoved him back before turning her attention to Taki, "I think we should stick together. You're in no condition to go off on your own; we'll stay alive longer if we look out for each other."
"I'll be fine."
"Running away just like before, huh, Taki?" Mitsurugi venomously commented. And then he addressed Yunsung and Mina, "If the Kunoichi wants to leave, let her run like the coward she is."
Beneath the cloak Taki gripped Mekki-maru, and felt the temptation to bury the sword in this selfish samurai bastard's throat. She glared with the same hatred she felt years ago when their swords first clashed.
Sensing the tension, Seung Mina raised her weapon defensively, standing beside the ninja. Yunsung took a step back on his crippled foot with his sword ready for battle, but he didn't know who he'd be fighting.
Through her battle instincts, Taki knew Mitsurugi waited for her to make a move. More importantly, she knew her chances of getting a sudden kill in her current condition was near impossible. And she couldn't afford to delay their escape from the city any longer. Now wasn't the time to settle their differences anyway. She knew this, and so did Mitsurugi. What infuriated her was the fact Mitsurugi knowingly used the situation as a shield so he could bad mouth her without worrying about retaliation. Who was the real coward?
Pushing past Mitsurugi, "We don't have time for this. Trust me. Split up." And Taki left the group, walking down the alley still using the wall to support herself. Beneath the cloak (clutched in her fist) Taki held the re-acquired fragment of Soul Edge and thought to herself, 'Told you I'd get it back.'
"Wait for us!" Mina called out quietly, putting an arm around Yunsung to help him walk as she started to pursue the ninja.
Mitsurugi grabbed the girl's arm "Let her run."
Snapping free, Mina glared at the samurai, "Don't ever touch me. Got that?" But when Mina looked down the alleyway again, the ninja had vanished.
---
Taki managed to escape to the north without incident; the others stowed away on a freighter bound for France after barely surviving a failed attempt to leave by land. All three had gained a slew of new wounds from that pursuit. Now, with their injuries wrapped and tended to, Yunsung sat with his back against a crate, Mina perched atop that same crate, and Mitsurugi stood across from them, leaning into the side of the ship. All were tired, and all were weary from blood loss.
Staring off into space, Mina stated, "She was right, you know—"
"Stop it, Mina." Yunsung looked up at the girl above him, "She just up and left us."
"Look at us, Yunsung" Mina bluntly answered, "we don't exactly blend in here. It'd be one thing if they weren't actively looking for us. How long would it take you to find a group of Europeans back home?"
"We got away, didn't we?"
"Barely."
"How do you know that Taki woman got away?"
"She did." Mitsurugi spoke up, but he did not praise the ninja. In fact his voice held the hints of restrained fury that the ninja managed to get the fragment off him so quickly and easily. "When it comes to thievery and running, she's unmatched."
Mina closed her eyes and bit her lip to keep from making a smart ass remark; she was, quite frankly, getting tired of him insulting Taki every chance he got. Mina agreed that the ninja fleeing a battle and stealing was dishonorable, and the tale lowered Mina's respect for the ninja . . . but was there honor in Mitsurugi obsessing over it? Was bitching constantly about it honorable? She was dying to ask, but refrained.
"Hey, if you want, Mitsurugi," Yunsung began, "I'll be there with you so when she tries to run again I'll put her down with White Storm here. I owe her one."
"Knock it off," Mina rolled her eyes, and kicked the youth in the head, "You won't be there, so just shut up. You'll be back home."
"Ow! That's it!" Pissed off, Yunsung stood up despite the pain in his foot and got in Mina's face, "I'm not going back! I don't care whose daughter you are, if you give me one more condescending remark, if you so much as touch me again, you'll regret it! Got that, Mina!"
"Don't you threaten me—"
"Enough!" Mitsurugi cut both of them off. "If you alert the crew of this ship with your arguing, there'll be hell to pay. Is that understood?"
Mina looked from Mitsurugi to Yunsung and quietly, authoritively answered. "You are going home."
But Yunsung shook his head, and in a more controlled tone he challenged, "While you hunt for the Sword of Salvation?"
Mina's face went pale, and she looked away from him; that was her plan, but after today's fight with Taki . . . "I don't know."
"Right," Yunsung answered, disbelievingly. "You had this planned out from the time you handed me White Storm. You used me as an excuse so you can run away again without Hwang coming to your rescue again. You know what? You got more than you bargained for because unlike you, I'm going to find the Sword of Salvation."
Mina gripped Scarlet Thunder so hard from anger that her knuckles turned white, she cast a deathlook Yunsung's way. He was completely right . . . except now she honestly didn't know her intentions regarding Soul Edge.
"You're the one who should go home; you've taken advantage of your lineage to the point that it's spoiled you. You're a disgrace to master Myong, and you dishonor him every time you run away and come back empty handed. Well, if you get in my way, I won't hesitate to put you in your place. Go home, Mina. Got that? Go home."
Through her teeth, Mina answered, "When we get to port, you and me, Yunsung." Her father and Hwang would be proud of the discipline she used to contain her rage for now. When they weren't in danger of being caught by some authorities, "You and me. No one talks to me that way."
Mitsurugi remained silent, despite the fact their agendas conflicted with each other. He wasn't concerned. At this rate, they'd kill each other, leaving Soul Edge to him.
