Yes! I'm back! My computer is running again and I've been able to put work into these final chapters in between revising for my exams! This chapter is pretty long, but I've put loads of work into it and I really want you to read and review it. And don't forget that if you reviewed chapter 21 already (the note), you can send me a private message via my profile page. Thank you so much! This story has got the most reviews I've ever got for a story, and I'm hoping to reach the 100 review mark!

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Yunsung felt like his mind and his body were in separate worlds. He knew he was holding Talim's hand, and looking into her eyes as she lay propped up by pillows on the operating table. But he was finding it hard to believe they were his own hands and his own eyes looking at hers.

"I'm...I'm really really glad you're back." he said.

She smiled and went, "Mmm". Yunsung felt a rush to his head and realized he was blushing. He wasn't sure why.

"Everything seems to be in order here!" said Madam Sarene happily. She had been running checks on Talim. "She's completely clean!"

"That's great!" said Talim brightly. Yunsung reacted with another rush- her soft voice was too unbelievable to hear. It was something of Talim that he could never remember, but now that he had it was so familiar. It as if she was someone he never knew, but had always been there...

She was looking at him, "What's wrong, Yunsung? You look out of sorts..."

"Um..." his mind worked frantically, "I'm just...I'm really glad you're back, I guess..."

"Is that all you can say?" she asked him.

And he felt an alarm bell ring in his head. He tugged Talim's hand a little closer. "Talim, y'know, you're really...good...no wait...awesome, in fact...um..."

She began to laugh, "Why on earth are you acting so funny?"she exclaimed. As she continued to laugh, Yunsung felt a sinking feeling inside. Why was he acting like such an idiot? Why? He fell quiet again, as Talim looked at him curiously. Then he saw Heather appear at her side, and whisper into her ear. They both looked at him as they did so. "Oh...oh..." he heard Talim say, as Heather whispered on. When they had finished, Talim was frowning, but the edges of her lips had begun to twitch at him. Heather came over to Yunsung as well. But her words weren't quite as extended. "It's ok. You got this." She patted him on the shoulder in a friendly fashion, and went back to her work.

"Madam?" Yunsung's head whirled around as he heard Talim speak again. "Can I get up now?"

"Certainly- in fact I was just about to run a check on your little motor workings." said Madam Sarene, simply beaming at Talim. Yunsung guessed it was the thrill of a job well done, and the feeling of being back in charge. It made him wonder where Taki had gotten to, but just at that moment, Talim was on her feet and standing. She was right there standing in front of him. Her clothes were dirty and ripped and what he saw of her skin was scarred, but she was wonderful. And he was totally mesmerized.

Talim stretched and walked about. Yunsung rejoiced inwardly. His mind flashed back to when she walked beside him so long ago. Seemed such a small thing then.

Before long the motor skills test was done, and Talim stood beside him silently. Yunsung felt that he should stand up, so he did. They stood and looked at each other for a few moments, Talim smiling slightly. She held out her arms. He tried so hard to mimic the motion, his arms almost shaking as he held them out, and he took two steps toward her. And her body was against him. He had totally lost his bearings in this area. He didn't know where to touch, he didn't know where to put anything. But she already had her arms around him, her head above his left shoulder. The sheer confusion of it brought tears to Yunsung's eyes. He sniffed.

"It's ok, Yun, it's alright..."she said softly at his ear. He put his hands on her back tremulously. He found his niche, he found his place there, so warm and real. She was cradling him. "Ssh...it's ok, I'm here..." He felt her kiss his neck comfortingly. The tears stopped and Yunsung closed his eyes and took a deep breath, holding Talim close.

oOoOoOo

They didn't quite know what to do- something which met the verge between expressing dedication or moving too fast. So Yunsung suggested the seemingly tepid activity of fishing. They found a pond in one of the marshy and grassy valleys outside the small town and waded in. They simply stayed completely still and didn't make a sound or movement, until a fish swam below them. Then they would lunge. The tension was rife- Yunsung anxiously waited for either a fish to swim under him or the opportunity to laugh if Talim missed. He made the first catch- a modestly sized trout. They decided to cook it.

All the while Talim seemed to have been itching to say something to him. And Yunsung knew he had a few things to tell her as well. While the fish simmered above the makeshift range they had built out of twigs, Talim spoke up in a quiet voice.

"I really need to tell you something now..."she said tentatively, kneeling on the other side of the fire, an orange hue lighting up the right side of her face as the sun began to disappear..

Yunsung shook his head, looking determinedly at the fish cooking, "Let me go first."

"But..." Talim's voice was weak, "This is really...really important...and...bad..."

He nodded vaguely.

"I'm serious." she said , glancing from him to her hands, which were closed on her lap. "It could be...it could mean..."

"Talim." said Yunsung suddenly, realizing he had to get out what he had to right now, "I'm sorry for not listening to you about Soul Edge. I was ignorant and arrogant and so goddamn sure of myself! I should have believed you."

"Oh." she said, quite surprised at his quick delivery, "That's okay."

"It's not okay." he said, shaking his head, "If I had just listened to you...the wind god is real, I could feel it helping me all through this journey, pushing me along. I've said your prayer and everything."

"That's good." she said, smiling weakly, "That's really good."

"It isn't!!" he said, unsatisfied with her lukewarm reaction, "I just got you possessed for months!"

"I didn't feel anything..."Talim replied slowly, "I mean, it was unbearable when it happened. But...but I feel like I've lost my memory...like I've just been lying dormant...except for once. I felt this unbearable pain, and I saw your face, and the face of a girl with black hair and small eyes and...and another time, and I saw you on top of me and pushing me down when I was on the ground..."

"That must have been Soul Calibur..."

"Soul Calibur???" Talim started, her face looking suddenly straight at him, her eyes very wide, "You got Soul Calibur??"

"Yeah...I mean...Taki got it. That's the girl with small eyes you saw. She said she found Soul Calibur at Osterheinsenburg..."Yunsung explained all about how he found Taki, and how she had found Soul Calibur at Osterheinsenburg. Talim explained that she was too weak after defeating Nightmare to destroy Soul Edge with Soul Calibur, so it entered and possessed her. Soul Calibur was left lying there for Taki to take.

"Taki must be very strong of will to have cut out the Soul Calibur." said Talim thoughtfully, "I was too busy thinking of you...I didn't wait for you, I just had to destroy Soul Edge. And I was thinking of how sad you'd be of not meeting me. But, anyway, the point is that I didn't feel anything until just now. I just feel a big gap in my life. And Yunsung, I forgive you for not believing me. You couldn't help yourself..."

"But...but..." Yunsung stammered.

"Turn the fish over." said Talim, pointing at the fast browning skin. He did, forcedly and quickly flipping it with a stick, so the scales were ripped off and stayed stuck to the twigs, "Talim, if I had just gone with you, we could have done it together! It's my fault for Soul Edge not being destroyed!"

"No. It was my fault." she interjected, then frowning so sadly it forced Yunsung into silence. She sniffed ashamedly. "I...it's complicated...Yunsung, do you still have the necklace you gave me?"

He had no idea what it had to do with it, but he took it out of his pocket. "Yeah, here it is." it was blazingly lit up by the flames. "You said-"

"I said I wasn't allowed to take it with me." Talim sighed miserably, hanging her head, her black hair covering her eyes, "I said it was my religion. Yunsung...I...I lied to you."

Yunsung paused. He still didn't realize the significance. "So...so you didn't want the necklace? You just didn't like it?"

She shook her head, "It's a beautiful necklace, and I was so touched when you gave me it. But Yunsung..."she took a deep breath. Her lips trembled. "It's so terrible of me..."

"What? Look, if you didn't want the necklace-"

"I was trying to forget you!"

Her voice seemed to echo a hundred times in Yunsung's head. A tear leaked down Talim's cheek, and eventually she reached up and placed her thumb and fingers over her eyes, her face turning redder. She let out strangled sob. Yunsung meanwhile turned the fish over a couple of times with the stick, turning the thought over in his mind as he did so. He spoke in a voice which didn't sound like his own. "Why?"

She let out another sob, covering her mouth and exposing her tearful, pretty eyes.

"You got..."Yunsung blew through his nose heavily, "You got someone else at home?"

"N-no." she shook her head frantically, more tears seeping from her eyes and taking deep breaths as her sobs continued to catch in her throat.

"Then what is it?"

She gulped, then cleared her throat and took her hand away from her mouth. "I was talking to Mina..."

Yunsung was more incensed- now Mina was involved as well? "Well, what's she been saying?"

"She said..."she gulped again, "She said you got bored with all your other girlfriends and just abandoned them. But that was a lie, it was a lie, i should have known...I should have-"

"It's true."

There was a pause. She looked at him, eyes wide and tears drying with shock, "It...it is?"

"Yeah." Yunsung said guiltily, absentmindedly turning over the fish. This was one of the main things he hoped Talim would never find out. But he supposed now it was for his own good.

"But..." she whispered, "How could you-"

"They were all crap." he said, shaking his head angrily at himself, "I went for girls who were flirty and exciting. They all just got boring. You were different."

"I haven't got much in front..."she said quietly, and with a quiver of humour in her voice.

He smiled at her. "Have too. Have two. Sorry." she giggled nervously, and he went on, "But, yeah..I just abandoned them, pushed off and got another one. But none of them were really that exciting. Not like you are..."

"So..." she went on, "I tried to forget you by giving you back the necklace. But I never could. I was a day in that boat and I...I was so ashamed I cried. I thought about you all the time, all through the journey as much as I tried hard not to. And I thought of you too much when it came to destroying Soul Edge...and as a result, it captured me..."

"It was my fault, then." said Yunsung miserably, hanging his head, feeling worse than he'd ever felt in his life. There was a pause. Then Talim stood up and walked right over to him. She knelt down beside him as he stared at the fish and poked at it lamely. He felt her hands turn his head towards her. She was looking, unbearably, right into his eyes. Hers were red-rimmed. "Yunsung, we've both made mistakes, haven't we?"

"Yeah, I guess so." he said sadly.

"But...but I love you more than anything else." she said solemnly, "Do you feel the same?"

"Yes." Yunsung replied, reaching his hand to her side and rubbing.

"Then...as much as this sounds like sweeping everything under the carpet...then isn't that all that matters?"

Yunsung didn't know how he could shove the whole thing behind him. The rescue of Talim had been life-changing. He felt older, more responsible, more experienced, and even more afraid of what he might do next. But he also felt stronger. "Yeah."

She smiled, and he smiled back. They shared a kiss.

oOoOoOo

Walking back to the town with Talim's head resting on his shoulder made Yunsung feel as if he was feet tread on a path made of gold. He told her about some of the dreams he'd had about her. She was sympathetic and touched- she didn't laugh or tease. Her eyes were glazing off into the sky so he could admire her small face from an angle.

Entering the town, they saw Taki walking past. Yunsung hailed her.

"Taki!"He said, stuck for something else to say. Talim said nothing, looking curiously at the ninja.

"Hello." said Taki plainly, her eyes darting furtively between him and Talim, "So this is Talim."

"Hi." said Talim timidly, holding out her hand for her to shake. After a quick look-over, Taki shook it stiffly.

Yunsung spoke up, "Taki...Taki, I don't know what to say to you, I really don't." he said to her, stepping closer to look at her more solemnly, "Having Talim back, you don't know what it means to me...how can I ever thank you...?"

"A deal is a deal." said Taki dutifully, "I have the shards, you have Talim. That is thanks enough."

"What?!" Talim exclaimed, turning to look at Yunsung incredulously, "You promised to give her the shards? The shards that imprisoned me?"

"Talim, I was desperate!" said Yunsung, looking warily at Taki's disapproving expression.

"I don't care how desperate you were, Yunsung! I'd rather die than let Soul Edge live." she turned to Taki, "Give us the shards! I'm sorry, but they must be destroyed for the good of everyone."

"That will not be necessary." said Taki, folding her arms and smiling smartly, "They have already been destroyed."

"You have?" said Yunsung, quite baffled- this was not Taki's normal behaviour, "But I thought you needed them to give to your sensei?"

"After seeing the destruction it raged and the effect it had on Talim it was imperative that it be destroyed." Taki said dully.

"Yes!" said Talim, jumping on the tips of her toes "Finally, we've got it!"

Yunsung was amazed at this outstanding amount of care coming from her, "Taki...you're just making me more speechless!" said Yunsung, shaking his head at her, "How much more are you going to surprise me?"

"No more." she said, shaking her head back at him.

"Why?"

"I am going to leave and take on another assignment elsewhere." she said in an emotionless tone, "Preferably one which does not involve demon-possessed swords. Assassination was what a ninja was made for, and I haven't assassinated someone in a long time."She smiled to herself for a moment, then said to him, "and besides, if i stay around you much longer, I may end up assassinating you, Yunsung."

Yunsung grinned. "I guess this is goodbye."

"Hopefully." she replied.

Unable to thank her enough, Yunsung held out his arms and went towards her. She backed off a step, but he continued and hugged her around the neck. She didn't return it but allowed him a few seconds.

"That is quite enough." she said, and he withdrew, "Goodbye, Yunsung and Talim."

"Bye!" they waved her. And she turned around and headed for the north gates, and Yunsung and Talim watched her retreating body, her shoulder blades jolting with her upright walk.

"She's a bit strange, isn't she?" said Talim curiously to him, holding his hand, "Not too sociable."

"Yeah." Yunsung said, smiling at Taki's briskly disappearing figure, "But y'know what? I think she's really got a big heart underneath all that ninja stuff."

"Yes..." said Talim, as Taki took on a burst of speed and jumped over the city wall, "I think so too."