It wasn't a long time before we left the diner. Before we left, we did agree that looking for a map on this island would be a futile effort, so we took the first taxi cab we could find and let him take us off Manhattan Island. It was in the smaller towns around the island that we managed to find what we needed. At some gas station, we waited long enough to find a truck that could take us as far as Trenton, New Jersey. From here on, we continued on foot. Every now and then we had to sneak our way into another state, we encountered other people who could bring us as far as possible. We either stayed at cheap motels under false names and sneaked out in the morning, or we stayed outside and slept under the night sky.

Whatever happened during this period, of which I can't even remember how long it took, there aren't many things I can remember in detail. One thing specifically which I do remember is the fact that Talim always appeared to be in a hurry. She's going to sacrifice herself to save the world, and she doesn't even take her time to enjoy whatever life she still has left. In fact, there were moments that she made it appear as if I slowed her down. It was almost as if she couldn't wait to die.

Somewhere close to the border between Kentucky and Tennessee, we had spend the night somewhere in the woods. Despite all the psychical exercise I had, I wasn't exactly fast asleep. Talim wasn't either, although she did want me to believe she was. She was lying down, but I was sitting up. We had only one sleeping bag so we wouldn't be carrying around too much, so naturally she could feel it whether someone's lying or sitting in the bag.

She asked me: "Why aren't you asleep?"

I decide to come clean with her: "I don't understand you."

"I asked why you aren't asleep." she repeated.

"No, I don't mean 'I don't understand what you just said', I mean I don't understand you in general!"

This came as quite a surprise to her: "...Why not?"

"You do know that the closer we get to Soul Edge, the sooner you're going to die, right?"

Talim hesitated a little to answer: "... Yes!"

"Doesn't that bother you at all?"

Talim was about to make this clear to me once and for all: "I've lived for 429 years by now! Even my time comes some day!"

"Right..." I tried to understand that much, "But I still don't get this! You more or less know in advance when you're time comes, so you still have enough time to..."

Talim interrupted me: "We aren't the only ones looking for the sword! If I wait any longer, someone else may find it before us!"

"So you don't even wish to enjoy life now? See things you haven't seen before..."

"I've seen enough!" her tone made it pretty clear I had crossed a line, "I've seen world leaders turning against their people! I've seen how humanity suddenly became able to destroy oneself! I've seen a tsunami destroying the village where I used to live! I even lived to see everyone I loved die! I've seen everything now!"

Okay, I thought to myself. I didn't realize this could be a sensitive subject for her. therefor I apologized: "I... I'm sorry to..."

Talim, though not sounding comforting: "You didn't know! I don't blame you for it!"

"Still..." I still thought there was something else.

Talim sounded conflictive when she shouted: "What!"

She made it pretty clear to me that I had to be easy on what I want to say. Which I was: "After seeing so much misery, wouldn't you just wish for at least one moment of pure happiness? Something worth to remember?"

She looked down when I asked her that. She had an answer, but even that was sensitive.

"I did once!"

"Only once?" I asked curiously.

Talim began telling: "Before I cleansed the sword, I lived together with this man from Korea. We were taking care of some orphans, who were casualties of war."

I knew exactly who she was talking about.

"He was also interested in the sword, but he kept calling it the Sword of Heroes, believing he could help his people with it. I thought I could get to convince him he's wrong, and that the sword is evil. Perhaps, he would even become a lovable man. But then some older woman showed up, and convinced him to return home with her."

Unless I'm mistaking, she just described how Yunsung left her for Seong Mina. To be honest, of all characters I've encountered in the stories, Yunsung never made it to my list of favorites, so I actually expected less of him.

"And what about your village?" I asked.

"It took a few years before even I realized that I'm immortal. For the time I had stayed there, I saw many people age, and eventually die, whereas I remained young and... I couldn't stay there anymore."

"So you left." I concluded.

As if she thought I read her mind, she continued: "I've spend most of my life living in solitude. Any new friend I made was meant to last for a short while."

"Because you didn't want them to know you're immortal?"

"Yes." was her answer.

This got me to wonder about something else: "Then why did you tell ME you are?"

Talim seemed to need some time to think about her answer: "I... I don't know. Maybe I wanted to have a friendship that isn't based on hidden truths."

Or I already recognized her as someone who should have died long ago, so she had better come clean with me.

I had just one last question: "And there's really nothing else you want to see? Or want to know?"

After a moment of silence, she said: "Well... not really!"

I fell flat on my back as I heard her say that. I actually had hoped for a different answer.

Somehow, she seemed to realize as much, and said: "You know... after everything that has happened by now... I... I'm happy that I can spend the rest of my time with you!"

I got up again: "What? How... Why...?"

Talim, for the first time in what seemed like ages, was enthusiastic about saying this: "You didn't get angry with me for getting you in that fight with Yoshimitsu! You didn't yell at me, or anyone else because we kept using another language. You also helped me with that... that thing back in New York, even knowing it can't kill me!"

"Yeah... I didn't know what had gotten into me at that moment myself either." I tried to made my heroism seem not so heroic after all.

She smiled. If she didn't look so beautifully under the pale moonlight already, no matter how few light the trees allowed there to be in the woods, she sure did now.

"Although," I thought this needed some clearing, "I believe I owe you more than you owe me!"

She looked at me surprised. I explained to her: "Thanks to you, I've left Europe for once in my life. I actually got to fly in an airplane. And when I was hurt, you never left my side. That really meant something to me!"

Talim appeared to be speechless: "... Thank you!"

I added: "I could never wish for a better friend than you too."

Despite the darkness of the night, I could tell she was starting to tear. She laid herself down again, covered her eyes, hoping to shield her tears. My guess is that she just realized what she's going to miss if we succeed in doing this. Best thing I could think of to do was wrap my arms around her, trying to give her a bit of warmth. She turned her face to me when I did this. I couldn't exactly make out the expression she had on her face. All I do know is that there was something about this moment that was, for a lack of better terms, magical. Without any thought at all, I suddenly pressed my lips against her's. After about five seconds, I realized what I was doing. I had let go of her, and turned away. But she stopped me, saying things like: "No! Please don't stop!"

She pressed her lips against mine. She told me not to stop, so I returned the kiss.

This moment was a burst of emotions. There's no way of describing everything that I felt just then. I do remember that from that moment on, I know how it feels to be floating, to have reached the unreachable,... I have never felt as alive before in my life as I had at that moment.