Okee. Here's chapter fifteen.

I thank all of ye who are being faithful reviewers!

Also, I would like to clarify that this is not my first fanfiction. My third or second, actually. Whether or not there's going to be a sequel on this fanfiction is going to depend on how I decide to end it and if I ever get the desire to return to this story again.

Hahaha, I ran into a funny yesterday. xDD I went back to peek at a few chapters and learned that I'd killed Talim's grandmamma off. I went: "Wow! WTF, I did that? O.o" Am I evil? xD;;

I don't own Soul Calibur or Talim or Link or anyone else in here. This story, however, eez mine.

Talim says to enjoy the story. Dx

This chappie is dedicated to A Fan. He sent me a review and then another one on Gaia. His Gaian one had criticism and compliments. The fact that I actually got a review longer than a sentence totally got me spurred up and gave me the inspiration to write this chapter. xD

Chapter Fifteen: Thoughts, Decision, and a Sacrifice

Eventually Link returned to his room. It was done reluctantly, but after some thought he decided that if Talim were to come back that she would return to their room; not Maxi's. He sat down in front of the window at first; so that he could see her when she was coming. After an hour or two he ended up slouched on the windowsill with a hand hanging off of the edge. Another hour or so and he'd propped himself up on the side. After another two hours he began to worry. It was starting to get dark, after all. Talim could take care of herself, but… that wasn't going to stop him from worrying. As much as he wanted to follow Maxi's advice and wait for Talim to come back by herself; he couldn't keep on sitting there. Night was coming and Link at least wanted to be sure that she was in a safe spot or something before he went to bed.

He picked up his sword and shield, put then on his back, and then headed out. He didn't bother to look around the town. He knew that Talim liked open spaces or just being around nature. So, he figured that he would check the outskirts of town before he began investigating other places. He jogged around the small fields that surrounded the small establishment before taking a quick peek in the forest. He couldn't check the entire woods, so all that he could do was take a couple of steps in, listen for Talim, and then leave if he didn't sense her presence. After finding his search outside to be fruitless he went back into town. He wandered around asking if anyone had seen Talim, but it appeared as if she'd merely slipped by without anyone's notice. She was definitely trying to keep herself from being found, because with her clothes Talim was a girl very easy to pick out of a crowd.

Now it was dark and it was time for him to get back to the inn. Link felt icky about just giving up on his search. But, he concluded, if Talim wasn't back in the inn he would just keep on looking. Maybe he wasn't putting trust in her enough… maybe he should just wait until she came back like Maxi said. Link shook his lowered head as he trudged back in through the inn's door. Why were girls so hard to figure out? Link knew that Talim was a reasonable girl. She definitely wasn't like some of the girls at Hyrule who paid too much attention to their appearance. But it was hard to guess about where she was and what she was doing. Or was it better that way? Link grumbled as shook his head again as he approached the door to his room.

When he opened it he discovered Talim sitting by the window, slumped over on the edge. He didn't know why he hadn't seen her before. But then he realized that all of the lights were off, so unless he'd actually looked up at their window he supposed that he probably wouldn't have seen her. He sighed as he approached her, stopping as he noticed that there was a bird of some sort perched on her shoulder. It only ruffled its feathers in response before it returning to preening Talim's hair. Link sighed before walking up and laying his hand on Talim's shoulder. When she didn't react he leaned over and realized that she was actually asleep. Link smiled to himself before picking her up bridal style and setting her down on one of the beds. But as he set her down she suddenly sat up, smacking her head into Link's.

"Oh, Link!" Talim had one hand pressed to her head while the other was on Link's shoulder. "I'm so sorry; I didn't mean to do that…."

"It's fine, it's fine." Link assured her, bringing his hand up and smiling sheepishly at her. He rubbed his sore forehead before glancing over at the bird that was picking at a loose thread that was on his hat.

"Alun, off." Talim ordered, waving her hand at the bird. The bird off of Link's shoulder and resettled itself on the windowsill.

"…Alun? Oh no, wait- where've you been?"

"Oh… I was outside." Talim looked away from Link and over at Alun. "I wanted to think for a little while by myself." She moved her legs, pulling them into an Indian style position. "Thinking alone is good for the mind, but it is… lonely."

Link sat down on the side of the bed and then scooted over just an inch closer to her. He reached out to touch her arm, but as his fingers brushed against her skin she flinched and pulled away.

"Talim?" Link asked; his voice barely audible. He tried to hide the hurt in his voice from the react he'd been given, but he didn't know how well he'd done. But whether or not it had come through wasn't apparent, as Talim wasn't even looking at him. Instead her eyes remained locked on Alun. Air rushed in through the window, blowing off Link's hat. It settled on the floor, but he made no movement to reach down and pick it back up. "Talim, please? What's wrong? Is it because of my ears or-"

"N-no, I like your ears." Talim blurted, looking away with a faint flush. "I… I don't know how to explain what's wrong."

Link couldn't help but frown at this. Talim was far better at explaining things than he was so for her to not be able to say anything only had a negative reaction on his part. "Well… gimme a piece of it then. Maybe I can help you say it."

"It's not like that…" Talim answered softly, her eyes lowering in a thoughtful gaze. "Actually… I know exactly what to say; but I don't know how to say it."

Link sat and looked at her, his lips sucked in to keep himself from saying anything. Zelda had often chided him for interrupting her when she was thinking, so he'd learned about to stay quiet during certain situations. Zelda was a master magician, but that didn't stop her from giving really hard smacks to the head without use of her magic.

"Just say it."

"Link, I don't think that Soul Edge should be destroyed."

Link was immediately taken back by this. He moved his body back without actually getting off of the bed, his head cocked back. "What do you mean by 'Soul Edge shouldn't be destroyed'?"

There must have been some kind of anger in his words, because Talim shifted in her spot and scooted closer to the wall. But the elf didn't seem to take notice, as he moved closer to her and grabbed her arm. "Talim, why are you saying that?"

"There is no such power that could destroy Soul Edge completely." Talim answered; her voice even lower than a whisper. Her eyes were looking down at the bed, as if she were watching how the wrinkles changed every time one of them moved. "Not here. Everything has a remnant left of existence. Even if you broke Soul Edge in a million pieces, it would still be there. Even if you burned it its ashes would still be there. No matter what, Soul Edge will always be in here. Soul Edge belongs here. The only way to set everything back in place is to restore the balance."

"Talim, why didn't you say anything about this before?"

"I'm not sure… it just never occurred to me that…."

Link released her arm and looked away from her. His eyes now rested on the wall, his mind slowly working. What she just said made sense, but at the same time, it didn't. He understood things like balance. He was part of a three-way balance- the Triforce. Link pulled off one of his gauntlets and then looked down at the image of three triangles that was imprinted on his hand. He wondered if these marks meant anything now. He could remember how he felt when he'd first seen these on his hand. He could recall being wide-eyed and wondering what the goddesses symbol on his hand meant. Then he learned that he had been gifted with one of the pieces of the Triforce. The Triforce of Courage- and in testimony to his rightful place as its temporary owner that piece was colored golden on his hand. Now it was just a darker shade than all of the rest. He vaguely wondered if his piece was still in Hyrule. He knew that it wasn't with him anymore. Balance… his balance. Did Soul Edge really have to be balanced just like the Triforce did?

"It's just a…" Link remarked aloud, rubbing his ungloved hand. "...Why does it have to be so powerful? And if it has to be in balance, what is its opposite power?"

"Actually, I don't know." Talim moved to where she was sitting down right beside him. "But I do know that Soul Edge can't be destroyed. Not only is it not possible, only disaster would come if someone were able to do so."

"But how can you be so sure that Soul Edge isn't just a thing that's throwing everything off of order?"

"I… I feel it. The energy that I used to feel when I would touch those shards of Soul Edge… I recognized it. It's everywhere. Soul Edge isn't just a thing of physical form, it's everywhere. It's part of the very essence that makes up this world."

Link sighed and rested his head in his hands. He wasn't entirely sure to make of what she was saying. Should he trust her just because she could "feel" it? His cheeks flushed in shame as he recalled how many times her high sixth sense had saved his sorry ass. So why shouldn't he trust her now? He turned his head to look over at her, his eyebrows high up.

"I'll… take your word on it." Link replied as he set his elbows on top of his thighs. "But Talim… if you're wrong, it'll mean a lot of trouble."

"I know," Talim responded quickly; moving her body closer to the elf and setting both hands on a single shoulder. "But I know in my heart that this is correct decision! Please Link, don't doubt me. I…. This has to be the correct decision. I am the spirit of the wind, and I know that Soul Edge mustn't be destroyed."

"But if we do finally find Soul Edge, what are we supposed to do with it?"

"I don't know exactly how to fix it, but when the time comes I will know."

Link eyes moved over the room, taking their time about studying certain details that really had no significance. After a few more seconds his hand moved back to start tugging at the horse tail that he had. "Hyrule was created by the three holy goddesses; Din, Nayru, and Farore. Din is our goddess of strength, Nayru our goddess of wisdom, and Farore the goddess of courage." He lifted up his hand and flexed it into a fist. "I would give my life up if the goddesses asked me to, because I know that everything that they say is all for the better of the people. And for them, I would die without being asked to if it was what would keep them all safe. The three goddesses… they protect Hyrule, even when it seems as if they aren't paying attention. Why wouldn't they tell me that Soul Edge had to be balanced instead of destroyed?"

Talim offered no answer. Instead she remained still with her eyes closed. Then she took in a slow, deep breath and said this: "If you really trust your goddess that much, then Link…."

"I can't trust you if the goddesses' word opposes yours, b-but…" Link mentally swore at himself for letting his voice make a tiny crack as he spoke. "I trust your word more than anyone else's…."

"I've had my time to think," Talim replied softly, her hands gently squeezing his shoulders. "I think that it's your time to go."

Link nodded, stood up, and walked out of the room. All of these actions were performed without any words or a sound coming out from his throat. Talim listened as his foot steps thudded through the hall, the stairs, and then finally to the ground outside. She didn't move to the window to watch him. He would go where he needed to go. Talim laid down her side and pulled the pillow from underneath her head. She wrapped her arms around it and then curled her body up into a small ball. They had spent so much time together. Talim supposed that maybe now they should spend some time apart.

The night air was… refreshing. The breath in this world was starting to become familiar and was also beginning to feel nicer. He supposed that was what happened after spending so much time in one place.

Link was lying on his face, his hands tucked behind his head, his backpack dropped beside him, and nothing above him but stars. The sky above him… all of those tiny, glimmering lights, lay out amongst each other like diamonds sewed across a blanket. Each and every one of those blinking pearls was placed in such random spots, but they were all placed so… perfectly. What god had created this world? These skies? While it wasn't the same as Hyrule, in many ways it was just as beautiful. At least Hyrule and Earth shared one thing in common: stars. Maybe… maybe they shared the same sky? The same moon? Link had looked up so often at the night sky when he was just a kid and wondered about so many things. Some how just looking up there made you… lost. And thoughtful. Well… at least if you looked at it long enough.

Link's foot bounced from side-to-side as his thoughts took their own way. It was eerie being alone like this, but at the same time he'd forgotten about how nice it could be. The other times he'd been alone had been when Talim was injured and unconscious. That had not been a very good time. It'd only happened once, though, as he thought back about it. Hadn't that been when that strange being had attacked him? What had it been…? Charade? That was probably the name, but right now he really couldn't remember.

When you were trapped underneath so many stars like this… it was just… Link mentally shrugged to himself as he fought for a way to describe everything that had happened. Sometimes he resented having been sent here- he was willing to admit that. He loved everyone from Hyrule… the people, his family, the very land itself- and he was angry at times for being forced to give all of that up. He could remember leaving. So many more things that he'd wanted to say, and he'd also wondered who would save Hyrule when the next threat came. Who would protect his precious people? He would never be able to see their faces again. He closed his eyes, just for a second, and watched as memories flashed over his eyelids. He smiled faintly, reopening his eyes and searched for the moon until he found it; sitting perfectly still in some nearby corner of the sky.

Still, regardless of the anger that sometimes showed itself, if Link had been given the choice of changing his decision about going here or not, he knew that he would have done the exact same thing. Even if the goddesses had commanded him to come, it had been unneeded. He loved all of his precious people. For them he would be willing to sacrifice everything- even if protecting them meant never seeing any one of them again.

Now he was here; in this world that was becoming his home but still remained new and sometimes dangerous. He didn't have so many precious people anymore- Talim was his precious person; and maybe Maxi as well. He took in a single breath of air to try and help settle the thoughts that were traveling across his mind. It was true that he wasn't famous or renowned like he had been before, but Link had never sought to gloat in his own fame. He did miss being able to walk into a town and have everyone happily greet him, but it was because they were his friends. It had nothing to do with his desire to have every single person know his name and throw themselves at his feet. It wasn't that at all.

People to protect… he had to fulfill his mission. He had just one person that he knew that he really cared about- and that was Talim. Maxi was also his friend. They were only two people, but did that make any kind of a difference? Not in his heart.

Still… who was right? His goddesses or Talim?

His eyes lowered as he muddled in his mind. The goddesses knew everything. Their words… every action that they performed was always for some ultimate reason that was meant for the goodness of Hyrule- even if that goodness didn't come for many generations. But did their knowledge extend to this world? They were the goddesses of Hyrule, not Earth. He knew for a fact that their powers didn't come here. If that were true then he would have a chance at returning to his birth land.

Talim, though just a human, was connected to the energies that surrounded this world. Her ways of communication and control over nature was not made of magic. It was something… deeper. She could sense the properties in the air, earth, and the differences in the tide of good and evil flowing through the air. She had control over all of the winds of the earth and yet somehow managed to keep at her same personality level.

Both of them were level contestants. So… which one should he choose?

Destroying Soul Edge would be nearly impossible- or so he thought. It was true that the last time Soul Edge had been "destroyed" that it had merely been shattered into many pieces and scattered across the continent. Resetting Soul Edge's energies made it sound as if it would temporarily fix the problem. Maybe for a generation- maybe several hundred years? He didn't know. Either way it sounded as if there was no way to completely stop Soul Edge.

After several hours had passed Link got up, stretched, and then returned to the inn. When he reached the room it was pitch-black and he could hardly see a thing. He moved to the closest bed, lightly touching the top blanket to check and see if there was a body underneath it. There was. He moved his hand away but was quickly stopped when Talim reached out and grabbed his wrist. He heard her sit up, move her legs, and then felt his wrist being lightly squeezed.

"You're still awake?" Link whispered his tone of voice soft.

"I am. Did you make your decision?"

"Not… really." He responded, his lips moving slowly as they formed their words. "I thought about both ways… but it neither of them sound… right. Destroying Soul Edge has always been unsuccessful- after all, it's been here for a really long time, hasn't it?"

"Something like Soul Edge… can never be destroyed." Talim replied, her voice having the gentle edge of sleepiness lingering on it. "The blade is not what makes Soul Edge powerful. It's… just a shell."

"…Shell?"

"Yes. My body- your body- is just a shell of what's inside. Even if someone were to take a blade and stab it through my heart, I wouldn't truly die. My body would, but my soul would still exist. It's just the exact same way with Soul Edge. Destroying the sword Soul Edge is possible; but destroyed Soul Edge itself… that is impossible. A soul cannot be destroyed. It can be absorbed, faded, or locked away- but it cannot be destroyed completely. The soul of Soul Edge would lose power for a little bit but it would only move onto a new host. It could be another sword or maybe even a person. And Soul Edge is evil- in a manifested form. As long as there is evil Soul Edge will always exist. As long as there is goodness Soul Edge will always, forever, remain here as there must always be black with white. The only way to make it stop its actions is to restore the balance. It won't last forever, but peace would be in effect longer than it would if the sword were destroyed. It's the same as a roof. You can fix or replace the roof, but no matter what, it will need to be replaced from damage given by the sun and rain."

"If there is Soul Edge… what's the counter balance?"

"I don't know."

"If we want to restore the balance… we've gotta find it." Link's hand wrapped around Talim's wrist to returning her firm grip. "If we want to be sure it win… then… it's the best way to go."

"I don't know what the counter balance is, but… I know that we'll be able to find it." Talim moved her body forward, then wrapped her small arms around Link's waist and buried her face into his stomach. Despite their serious talking Link couldn't help but blush at her actions along with a humming feeling inside of his stomach and chest.

"Together." She said into his tunic. Link moved his hands, setting one on her back and the other on the top of her head.

"Together." His lips twitched for a smile, but the smile didn't appear. Despite this, Talim reacted to the sound of his voice with a tiny grin.

"Lay down, Link." Talim tugged softly at his tunic to reinforce her words. Link kicked his boots off before setting himself down beside her, listening as she lay down beside him. There was silence between them, though Link could hear her drawing in breaths of air. Talim's hand moved against the blanket they were laying on top of. She grabbed Link's hand, affectionately rubbed the top of his gauntlet with her thumb, and then linked their fingers together.

"So are you two like a couple or something?"

Two heads turned towards Maxi, who had finished his sentence by sticking a piece of toast in his mouth. Talim and Link blinked and then looked at each other at exactly the same time before returning their eyes to the pirate.

"Seriously," Maxi covered his mouth as he swallowed and then resumed his talk. "You two are all over each other."

"We are not." Link defended, bringing a hand up in defense. "I mean- we're not all over each other!"

"But you two are a couple?"

"Uhm…."

"I say yes!" Talim was practically beaming in her chair, her back strait and her eyes glowing. "How can someone not like another person who's wearing such a pretty hat?"

Link blushed and rubbed the fabric of his hat as Maxi snorted. Maxi leaned forward, pointing at Link's hat. "Where'd y'get hat thing, anyway?"

"III've…" Link patted the green lump sitting adopt his golden head. "Had this kind of a hat… forever. I don't remember what it's even for…."

"What is it, eating your head?" Maxi laughed and got a glare from the elf in return. "No wonder you never take it off! Y'can't because there's little teeth sucking on your head!"

"Hardy har har." Link retorted, pulling his cap down securely onto his head.

"Well, kiddos, I've gotta split." Maxi threw some money on the table before he pushed his chair back and stood up.

"Maxi," Talim looked up at the older man, her head leaning over to a side. "I have a little question... why are you going after Soul Edge?"

"About time that you asked," Maxi replied slowly, setting himself back down in his chair and pulling it back up to the table. "It's mainly for… revenge."

"Revenge?" Link repeated an eyebrow going up as he released his hat. "Against who?"

"Funny thing is," Maxi chuckled, leaning back into his chair with a cryptic grin on his face. "I really have no idea."

Link and Talim both frowned, and the latter of the duo tilting their head.

"Doesn't make sense, does it?" He rubbed the back of his neck, letting out a half laugh. "I just know that whoever I'm after is hunting for Soul Edge. What's your purpose?"

"To find Soul Edge and restore it's balance."

"Very innocent. Typical." Maxi closed his eyes and leaned his head back. "I gotta go now. I'll probably end up seeing you two again. Weird affinity we've got goin' on here."

Maxi stood up and waved to the other two who were looking remorsefully at him. They both gave him their good-byes and good-lucks before he walked out, Talim's eyes lasting on the door the longest.

"There he goes again." Talim sighed, slumping in her seat. She picked dully at the remains of an egg on her plate. "Where are we going to go now?"

"Wherever you think we should, I guess." Link stretched his arms up over his head, staring at the ceiling.

"We're so far away from Soul Edge…" Talim respected her head in her hands, a frustrated tone in her voice. "It keeps on moving! We can't keep up with it. All that we're doing is going in circles. It's impossible…."

Link almost jumped out of his chair, head immediately moving down to look at her. Link had never heard Talim speak so negatively before. He set his hand on her shoulder before pulling her onto his lap for a hug. Talim tensed for a moment before relaxing into his arms, a hand gently grabbing onto his tunic. "We can find it. We have to."

She made no reply for a few seconds. But then, soon after, she gave a small laugh and hugged his neck, resulting in a blush.

"Do we have enough money?"

The question came from Talim as the pair stood before several horses. Link sighed and scratched his head, shrugging. "I dunno… it would be so much easier to rent. Too bad we can't."

"If you two ain't got enough money then I ain't want you lookin' at my horses." A gruff voice stated from out of nowhere, making the two jitter in surprise. "No money, no business."

"I guess we'll just have to continue on foot, then."

"But that's too slow." Talim responded, her shoulders lowering as she began to think. A hand played with the ornament she had hanging around her neck. Her eyes lit up and she looked down, a look of happiness and sadness appearing on her face. "Sir… do you accept… items?"

"Depends." The stall owner replied, stepping up to look over at her. "What cha' got?" Talim unclasped the necklace around her throat and then held it the elaborate piece of jewelry out. He examined it, glanced at her bracelets, and looked up at her. "I'll give you one horse. A mare. For the necklace and both your bracelets."

"These are very precious items to my tribe!" Talim countered, setting her hands on her hips and looking stubbornly at him. "They were elegantly crafted specifically for me and are made of very good material." Talim put the necklace back around her neck and turned around to leave.

"Uh-"

"We'll come back later." Talim promised, giving the man a smile before motioning for Link to follow her. The elf did so, trailing after her with a mixed expression on his face.

"You really don't need to give up your jewelry." Link stated, trying to prevent Talim from doing whatever she was planning. "Walking is fine. Besides, getting used to riding horses takes a really long time."

"No… it's okay." The sadness in the disowned tribal daughter's voice was evident, yet there was still a tiny smile on her lips. "I am… no longer apart of the tribe from whence I came. I shouldn't wear these any longer. All that I'm doing is pitifully clinging to my past like a moth to candle light. They would be put to better use in getting money."

"Talim-"

"Don't worry, Link." Talim looked over at him, replacing her smile with a grin. "Besides, don't you think it's time I got something new to wear?"

And it has been ended.

Review, yo.

So Until Next Time,

CrypticElf….