Finally!
The trip across the sea had taken a long time, but for Tira, the trip was longest. She had to bear one last journey in the presence of that man - but if she refused had to travel with him, then she would have been stranded in Japan until the next ship out. She decided to stomach his presence one last time, just until they reached shore - and now, they had finally made landfall.
The radical boost to Tira's eagerness for freedom and sudden lack of tolerance for her former Master's self-indulgence had been a result of watching him enjoy a night with Setsuka before they left Japan. Her initial resolve to refuse mistreatment from her Master had been weakened once she detected the possibility that he had sincere feelings for her, but she could not bring herself to believe that she held a place in his heart when he continued to enjoy other women as much as he did. She was a slave, meant to be used, this she understood - but she felt no appreciation, no gratitude, and no longer saw a reason to stay in Siegfried's possession.
The concern he'd shown for her was simply a result of possessiveness; of that, she was sure. She meant nothing to him besides comfort and pleasure at night, and she was through with it. Their association with one another was over. Now that they had docked at a port, all she had to do was leave to be rid of him. But she didn't want to go without telling Siegfried her intent to abandon him.
Feeling a confidence and empowerment she had not felt since her days with the Bird of Passage, she marched toward Siegfried when he was momentarily apart from the rest of the group to announce her resolve. Her eyes fixed on him in a way they had never done before; as a target, a mark to strike. Her mouth curled into a cruel grin, and she called out his name. "Master!" She said, making sure the word dripped with as much sarcasm and mockery as possible.
Siegfried turned at the sound of Tira's voice to face the woman. Something about the way she'd called out to him sounded off. Looking at her, he could tell that something was the matter. She looked pale and frightened. Her knees were together and her hands were at her lap, and her face wore an expression of anxiety, almost panic. Something was wrong indeed. "What is it? What's wrong?"
"I - um - " Siegfried heard Tira swallow, and her eyes darted back and forth nervously, as if she was lost. He put a hand on her shoulder. What event could have been so devastating? Were the others in danger? "What has happened? Tell me!"
Tira winced at the sound of his voice as if he had scolded her. She slowly hung her head down. "...I - I'm sorry. I bothered you for no real reason, M-Master. I was just - hungry. I didn't want to wait until the next meal to eat. I know it's improper for me to make demands, but I'm so hungry - could we eat as soon as possible?"
Siegfried breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time, felt a mild degree of annoyance that such a minor matter had caused him to become so startled. She could be a troublesome girl sometimes - although it was just because she was so meek and selfless. Siegfried smiled and caressed Tira's hair. "That is understandable. I'll let the others know that we're stopping to eat now. Don't be so afraid to make assertions every now and then." He laughed a little, silently marveling at the young woman who still managed to surprise him even after all this time. "You're a good girl, Tira."
Siegfried returned to the others to comply with Tira's phony request, leaving the girl trembling in fear and confusion.
What just happened? Why didn't I tell him what I wanted to? I knew exactly what I wanted to say, but when I looked him in the eyes, I...couldn't. Tira had spent hours planning every word of her speech to make her final words to Siegfried as biting as possible. When the time finally came, she felt not a single drop of nervousness, had all the self-assurance in the world - but the moment Siegfried turned his eyes upon her, she changed from a courageous and defiant woman into a timid and scared little girl.
Tira could not explain the reason why, but she knew in her heart that she could never bring herself to speak such words to that man, no matter how much she secretly loathed him. No - she didn't loathe Siegfried. His actions filled her with fury, but even now, as she thought of him, adoration and adulation filled her heart. Despite his mistreatment of her, she still wanted to feel his eyes upon her, wanted to hear his praise, wanted to make him smile, wanted to please him in bed. She could never say such things to a man she felt so strongly for.
I was so sure I hated him. Does my anger blind me from seeing my true feelings? Or do my feelings blind me from seeing what should make me angry? I hate this. I hate this...
Tira slowly turned her head to regard the exit of the dock with her cheerless eyes, and she saw the answer.
Just leave, Tira. Just go right now. Forget your goodbye speech. Just get yourself out of this awful situation as fast as you can. You're only worse off in his possession. Leave now.
Tira gave her body the command to move, but it would not obey. She gave her legs the order to walk, but they would not. She gave her feet the instruction to push off of the ground, and in turn she nearly lost her balance. It was the same as it was before. One moment, she had all the resolve in the world to leave that man, and in the next, she simply could not bring herself to do so.
The realization struck Tira more heavily than an opponent's blow. Tears began to seep from the corners of her eyes as she slowly sunk down to her knees.
I could never leave him. No matter how much I want to, no matter hard I try, I will never be able to leave him.
Siegfried had become too integral a part of Tira's life to be severed. He was too deeply intertwined in her thoughts, her decisions, her desires for her to leave. She had based her life around him, and it would be impossible for her to pry herself away from him. She was with him, now and forever. They were one, and always would be.
"Tira! We're leaving."
The Master calls his servant.
Tira quickly wiped her tears from her face. She was simultaneously happy, angry, and heartbroken. Happy to be with the man she felt infinite adoration for. Angry to be cursed to receive mistreatment from this man. Heartbroken to be trapped, confined, ensnared in his possession for the rest of her life.
There was nothing she could do about it. Nothing but do her best to hide her true feelings, and continue to live the only way she knew how - serving the man who owned her.
"...I'm coming, Master!"
---
The group was optimistic. Their new purpose, to find shards of Soul Edge, seemed far more reasonable than to travel in the hope of stumbling across a method to destroy the invincible Soul Embrace. Now, they knew what they were looking for, and so, for the first time in months, they had a stronger sense of direction and bearing.
Their first order of business was to determine locations from which it would be likely to glean as many shards as they could. Each member of the group made several suggestions, most of which were to the west, scattered across Europe, where there the greatest number of shard discoveries had been made. Wishing not to extend the length of their trip, the group decided to take the Silk Road straight to Europe.
The clues were subtle at first, but rapidly became more apparent; as the group traveled into the Chinese mainland, Siegfried's health slowly began to decline. Although he exhibited no signs of sickness, he reported feeling ill, and his physical stamina became a fraction of its once-impressive level. He described a pain in his right arm, and as he pried off his armor to confirm his fear, his suspicion proved to be true.
The arm that had grown into a monstrosity during Siegfried's tenure as Nightmare was throbbing. The arm, and the rest of Siegfried's body, exhibited this reaction only when he was standing in a land seeped in powerful evil energy. The rest of the group had sensed an ominous shroud of evil covering the land they now tread through, but had not suspected the evil energy to be as severe as it was.
"Something terrible happened here." Siegfried said. "Something that blighted the land, covered it in this gloom."
"It might be dangerous to carry the Soul Embrace through this land." Ivy stated. "If Soul Edge absorbs enough evil energy, it could overtake Soul Calibur."
"Do we take an alternate route, then?" Sophitia asked.
"Before we consider that, there is something I would like to try." Taki said.
Cassandra drew her own conclusion fast. "No way! You're not gonna try purifying the entire land, are you?" She asked, wide-eyed.
"No. That is beyond my abilities." Taki replied. "However, I may be able to use my arts to shield us from the influence of the evil energy."
"If it's been getting worse the further we've been going in, something tells me it's only going to get stronger." Setsuka said. "Are you sure you'd be able to shield us? I'd rather be safe than sorry and just take another road if this route is giving us trouble."
"Let's try it anyway." Siegfried said, almost hurriedly. Whether or not Taki's plan could succeed in the long run, he wanted alleviation from the stress on his body, even if only temporarily.
Taki performed the incantation and cast the spell as the others watched in awe of her supernatural abilities. A bluish glow surrounded them, and within moments, they could no longer sense the evil energy.
"There." Taki said, appearing slightly fatigued. "This should prevent any evil energy from coming near us.
The others looked to Siegfried for a sign of the effectiveness of Taki's spell. His arm no longer throbbed, and he no longer seemed to be burdened with exhaustion and poor health. "It worked." Siegfried said with relief. "If my body begins to react again, we will know that we are bringing the Soul Embrace into danger. As things are now, we can continue through this land safely. Taki, will it strain you to sustain the spell?"
"...It will require concentration, but it will be nothing I cannot endure."
"Good. Thank you for your help."
With Taki's spell in effect, the group could continue to travel through this land. Siegfried looked toward Taki, silently marveling at her. She was such an outstanding woman - she was skilled in combat, intelligent, reliable, reserved, and possessed stunning beauty as well. Her figure was perfectly formed, her curves ideal and her movements so arousing...
Siegfried winced. He had failed to uphold a personal goal. Upon beholding Taki for the first time, he quickly noticed that she possessed a gorgeous face, a slender body, a large, attractive bust, and a skintight outfit. At the time, he was too distressed to become aroused. But he knew that, when the tension of the moment expired, he would lust for her, just as he lusted for the others.
At the time, he still held on to a moderate degree of self-control, and had set a personal goal for himself. He decided to make Taki an exception - the one woman omitted from his desires. Her beauty was perfectly ideal to him, and he knew that he would hunger for her above all others, if he allowed himself to view her in a sexual way. And so, he had forbidden himself from doing so; he had prohibited himself from seeing Taki in such a way, had banished any thoughts regarding her as anything other than his ally.
Remarkably, Siegfried had succeeded at this personal goal. He had been proud, very proud, of the restraint he had shown in keeping himself from thirsting for Taki. However, his accomplishment was hollow. Although he had kept himself from one woman, he had succumbed to two others - Cassandra and Setsuka. Perhaps it was because he had fought so hard to keep himself from Taki that he had no restraint left to keep himself from the others? No, that was a ridiculous and unacceptable excuse...
In the end, Siegfried had failed himself, and yet, he had finally accepted it. His trip to Japan ended with the decision to embrace the feelings he had been denying - and yet, out of habit, he had continued to ignore the possibility of pursing Taki. However, now that his resolve to improve himself had all but vanished, he wondered if there was any point to keeping Taki 'off-limits'.
He decided to give in and nibble the forbidden fruit a little. With Taki's back to him, he ran his eyes up and down the curves of her sexy figure...yet the feelings of arousal this gave him were punctuated by guilt. It was simply second nature to avoid viewing Taki in such a way - yet it was a tradition only upheld by a Siegfried that had ceased to exist.
Either way, Taki was expending considerable effort to keep him and the others safe. It would be disrespectful to her if he should gaze upon her with lecherous eyes at this moment. ...But, would it not also be disrespectful for him to do so at other times, as well? Frustration appeared on Siegfried's face. He had resolved to accept his desires, but guilt pierced him now yet again. He began to second-guess himself and his decision to give in.
It would seem that there are two Siegfrieds. One is a gentleman who strives to be proper, one is an animal that cannot be controlled. Am I fated to be a hypocrite? Am I fated to possess two sides that contradict one another?
Siegfried wished he could discuss his quandary with someone, but he knew of no one in his group who would be able to relate to his unique situation.
If he could not control himself no matter how hard he tried, there was little point in trying to make decisions about what kind of man he wanted to become. Whatever would happen would happen, whether or not he wanted it to; he was no longer in control of his future...but he would never be able to make himself accept this, or enjoy it.
Siegfried silently waited for the next time he would disappoint himself.
---
Ruin. Devastation. Nothingness.
There were no terms that better suited the Ling-Sheng Su Temple.
The temple, located deep in the mountainous regions of the Chinese mainland, was widely considered to be the greatest martial arts school in China. The group's path through the mountains gave them a good view of the temple, and they felt that such a famous location warranted a quick detour. They could ask the temple's inhabitants for advice on navigating the region, and perhaps even receive shelter for the night.
No one expected that, once they drew closer, they would discover that the Ling-Sheng Su Temple was completely destroyed.
The temple had been extremely prestigious. Rarely would anyone have met the standards required to train there, so visitors were rare and far apart. Because of the small number of visitors the temple had received over the past few years, it was not common knowledge that the temple had been destroyed on the eve of the Evil Seed. Kilik had simply not mentioned it when the others had met him.
The sun had set, and a full moon had risen. The sky was an eerie color, almost brown, a white foggy mist covered the surrounding area, and the bluish clouds overhead did little to improve the creepy atmosphere. The temple was in utter ruin; stone walls and railing were missing chunks, the footpaths were shattered and upturned, banners and flags baring the temple's insignia were tattered and torn, and there was not a surface in sight that was not marred by the nicks and scrapes of weapons. Charms similar to o-fuda talismans could be seen hanging on ropes around the area, but the devastation was testament to how poorly those good luck charms had performed.
Perhaps the most bizarre elements of the ruined temple were the faint, tiny green flames that wafted through the area aimlessly.
"Onibi." Taki said.
"O-what?" Cassandra asked.
"I believe the western term for them is 'will-o-the-wisp'." Taki clarified. "We Japanese think of them as the souls of people who died with unfinished business."
"Ghosts?" Cassandra squeaked meekly.
"Are they hostile?" Ivy asked.
"No. They are not harmful."
"These must be the spirits of the monks who died at this temple." Sophitia said sympathetically.
"What exactly happened here, anyway?" Setsuka asked.
"The energy in this area is familiar to me." Siegfried said. "I have only felt it once before. When I touched the hilt of Soul Edge...and it's power was too much for me to handle...the excess power exited my body."
"The Evil Seed..." Tira whispered reverently.
"This area…it was hit hard by the Evil Seed. The monks must have become possessed. They must have..."
Siegfried's voice trailed off as the others filled in the blank using their imagination. Turning to look at Siegfried, they saw him stricken with grief and misery. He could not help but visualize, in detail, what had transpired on the very ground they now stood on, on that day seven years ago. Siegfried considered himself wholly responsible for the catastrophe that had destroyed this temple and every life within, and the familiar sensation of guilt began to wash over him.
"...Taki, is there anything you can do for these spirits?" A sudden query from Sophitia saved Siegfried from despair. "Can you send them to the afterlife?"
Taki paused, then shook her head. "No, I could not do so. The evil energy in this area would counteract my purification spells. Besides this, I would have to lower the shield currently protecting us. It might be too much for Siegfried to - "
"...WH-WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"
This sudden explosion of words surprised everyone, and their heads whipped to the side to face the source. Standing amongst the wreckage of a temple was a young Korean man who appeared to be in his early twenties, wearing long brown hair back in a ponytail. A long weapon was strapped to the man's back - a Guan Do. His clothing was predominantly red with green outlines that covered every inch of his body except for his hands and some of his face. His clothing was adorned with elaborate designs; the sort of emblems that would decorate the uniform of a martial arts training school, but not the emblems of the Ling Sheng Su temple. The man appeared to have come from far away, and his presence here, as well as his outburst, was puzzling.
Siegfried decided to respond politely, so as to not draw the man's ire. "We are travelers who were passing by and decided to visit this temple. We were unaware that it was in ruin. We mean no harm or disrespect to this - "
"That's not what I meant! Of all the people to way find out here in a place like this, it had to be YOU?"
The man's voice was decidedly feminine, but this may have been due to his unexplained hysterical frustration. He was glaring at Ivy with confusion and disbelief.
"...Have we met before, or something?" Ivy asked in a disinterested tone.
"UGH! That way of talking! You haven't changed a bit!" The man growled, stomping a foot on the ground.
Ivy smirked. "I suppose he's a child I disciplined at some point in time."
"There you go again, calling me a child! Are you bitter toward the youthful because you're an old lady with white hair?"
Ivy's smirk disappeared, and then she appeared to be thinking hard. It was unlike her to be offended by the words of others'; it seemed that the man's words had triggered an old memory.
Siegfried's palm met his face. "This has the potential to escalate into an undesirable situation. I suggest that we leave immediately - "
"Oh, no! You're not going anywhere!"
The man leapt down from the wreckage of the temple, landing nearby. He drew his weapon, and pointed it at Ivy. The others began to prepare their weapons, but Ivy raised a hand in objection. "Don't bother. He's only after me."
"It's been over seven years, but I never forgot you. I have to thank you for one thing; after you defeated me, I strived to improve myself - and I definitely have. But that's the only thanks I owe to you! You were an awful human being back then, and it doesn't look like you've changed much at all. Ever since that day, I'd hoped I would meet you again, so I avenge my defeat, and punish you for being such a bitch!"
"Stop right now." Siegfried began. "No one here is going to get into a fight for anything as petty as - "
"Hush, Siegfried." Ivy said. "I doubt this man will take no for an answer, and it will only take a couple of minutes at the most for me to defeat him again."
Ivy drew her snake sword, and began to approach the man.
"Ivy." Taki began. "You'll be fighting outside of the shield. You won't be protected from the evil energy. This is the epicenter of that energy - you will likely feel its effects, even if you are not sensitive to it."
"Don't worry. I'll be fine. That man is enduring it, and so will I." Ivy took a step out of Taki's protective sphere of energy, and then seemed to hunch over. The evil energy in this area was so potent that it was almost physical obstacle. Ivy felt as if she had weights on her arms and legs, but adjusted to the energy quickly.
"I've changed a lot since you last met me. I've got a new fighting style." The man said confidently.
"You changed in another way, as well." Ivy said. "I remember you now. But the last time we fought, you were a - "
"Shut up." The man said tersely, as if Ivy had almost disclosed compromising information. "We've spoken much, but done nothing. Let our weapons speak for us from now on."
Ivy grinned, twirled, and flicked her wrist, extending her snake sword into its whip-like form.
"Alright then. Let's dance."
The man needed no further encouragement, and dropped into a combat stance immediately. Ivy had fought this opponent too long ago to remember their style, but it didn't matter, as she didn't think this would be a challenging fight anyway. However, the man's current stance was something she had seen recently, within the past few months. Who else had they encountered who fought like this...
There was no time to ponder the matter, as the man had begun his assault. He started by swinging his weapon in a simple horizontal slash while spinning his body in a circle. Ivy countered the attack by flinging her snake sword out and coiling it around the shaft of the man's rod-like weapon. The man grinned, as if Ivy had played right into his hands.
He placed his palm against the back end of the Guan Do, and using his other hand's grip on the rod as a pivot point, he rotated and spun the rod rapidly, uncoiling the snake sword's grip on his weapon. Ivy had never seen an opponent escape the grasp of her sword so quickly. Apparently, the man had remembered her style well, and developed a few tricks with her fighting style in mind. Ivy grinned, but didn't raise her opinion of the fighter just yet.
The man went on the assault again, delivering more slashing attacks while spinning, this time adding short hops in unpredictable directions to his movement. Ivy was forced to go on the defensive, and dodged or parried the man's attacks as best she could. She saw an obvious flaw in her opponent's style of attack - such a long and thin weapon would be an inefficient shield. As the man spun his weapon behind his back, Ivy swung her sword, aiming for her enemy's head. However, the man, still holding his weapon behind his back, pointed it forward at Ivy, and brought the blade of the weapon close to his own face, blocking Ivy's weapon from striking him. Yet another unpredictable move - fighting from behind the back.
The man continued to trade blows with Ivy, once again primarily using the same style of attack. Just as Ivy was about to assume that the man had no more tricks left in his bag, he suddenly began to use kicks in his repertoire of moves, one of which caught Ivy by surprise and struck her across the face. She was angered, but at the same time, she was pleased - so this fight wouldn't be a bore, after all. She decided to take it seriously as well.
The fight continued, and the man demonstrated a wide variety of surprise techniques and unique stances. Ivy did not expect to be attacked with the backside of the bladed rod, nor to fight an opponent standing on one foot and assaulting her with stabs and kicks at the same time.
As Ivy increased the fervor with which she fought, so did the man. He seemed entirely determined to emerge as the victor of this match, fighting Ivy with a genuine desire to see her harmed and disgraced. Ivy was starting to become intimidated by this man, but on the whole, she could definitely hold her own against him - or so she thought.
Ivy conceded that the man was far more skilled than she initially believed, but her abundance of confidence prevented her from realizing that she was losing the fight. As the number of injuries across her body grew, and her stamina became almost nonexistent, Ivy realized all at once that she stood a low chance of defeating this man.
The man saw that the end of the fight was drawing near, and grinned. He prepared to deliver the final blow. He began to twirl his weapon very rapidly, moving it back and forth between either side of his body with almost supernatural speed. Then, he began to approach Ivy. The vortex he had created around himself was nearly impenetrable - Ivy knew because she had utilized this technique herself, and was aware of its effectiveness.
In her fury at being humbled by such a brash firebrand, Ivy decided to strike the 'man' where she knew it would hurt 'him' the most.
"You're not fooling anyone, you know. You don't even try to make your voice deeper. The way you move your hips gives it away."
The man faltered, but kept spinning his weapon and continued to approach Ivy.
"Why are you hiding what you are? Are you ashamed? How pathetic. I would never mask what I am. I am a woman, and I make it clear for everyone to see and admire. Young or old, male or female, winner or loser of this fight, I am above you, for I am not embarrassed to be a woman."
"I have my reasons!" The man hissed, and charged recklessly at Ivy.
Too emotional. Fool.
Ivy ran forward to attack. As the man attempted to block a whip swing, she transformed her blade from a whip into a sword, and swung upwards, slicing the tip of the blade across the man's chest.
The fabric of the man's top split open from the hem to the collar, and the clothing hung loosely from his shoulders, exposing two breasts. A cloth wrapping that had been used to constrain the breasts slipped down.
"That looks like it was wrapped on very tight. Didn't that hurt? How could you breathe?" Ivy asked with mock concern.
The woman's face flushed bright red instantly, and she covered her chest with one arm as she scampered backwards hastily. The revelation had not been a surprise to some members of Siegfried's group, while others, especially Siegfried himself, had been completely fooled by the woman's guise, and were shocked by the truth. They watched silently as the two women began to trade words.
"So, why do you hate being a female?" Ivy taunted.
"Where did that even come from?" The woman groaned. "Don't assume your first guess is the truth! It's not that I hate being a woman, okay? ...It...It's the way I'm treated, the things I'm denied. I..."
"So, you hide what you are and pretend to be something you're not?"
"I just get more respect this way!"
"How dare you. Are you saying that men deserve more respect than women?"
"That's not what I think, that's just how other people act! Argh, you're so INFURIATING!"
"So are you." Ivy said with genuine distaste in her voice.
"So then what do suggest I do when others discriminate against me because I'm a woman?"
"Prove yourself to be as competent as a man."
"That's what I'm TRYING to do!" The woman wailed in irritation. "I'm searching for Soul Edge so I can prove myself!"
Ivy scoffed. "Seven years later, you still haven't learned that the sword is evil?"
"I know it's evil, I'm after it to destroy it!"
Ivy tossed her head to the side nonchalantly, facing the others. "My business with her is over. She's in your hands now."
"...Thank you, Ivy." Siegfried said sarcastically. He sighed, prepared himself, then turned to the woman. She was trying in vain to tie the front her clothing in a knot to cover herself. In the end, she ripped off her top, and bound the red strip of fabric around her chest.
"What is your name?" Siegfried began.
"...Seong Mi-na."
"Mi-na, we possess Soul Edge."
For a few moments, Mi-na's face transitioned back and forth from confusion to disbelief to shock. Finally, she sputtered, "What?"
"I speak the truth. Currently, Soul Edge is constrained by a sword of equal power but opposite polarity, in an inert state of being that makes it indestructible. The only chance we have to destroy this Embrace of two swords is to create a third sword, one of holiness and purification, and use that to break the bond between the two swords and destroy Soul Edge."
Mi-na clearly seemed disappointed. It was obvious that she had wished to find the sword herself, and regretted that it had fallen into the hands of others. "...Oh..."
An awkward silence fell over the scene. "...Siegfried. Shall we leave?" Taki asked.
"Wait!" Mi-na said. "I've been looking for Soul Edge for months...I can't just say 'Oh, it's in someone else's hands now' and give up!"
"You're still not worthy to be concerned with a matter such as Soul Edge." Ivy said.
"Shut up! I was going to beat you! You had to resort to trickery to defeat me! If we went another round, I'd - "
"I'm not talking about how strong you are. You're too emotional. Whatever your age, you're not an adult; you're still a child. You get too excited, and get too offended. Beyond this, you can't even accept your identity as a woman."
Mi-na opened her mouth to retort, but she could not. Ivy's voice had not been condescending, her eyes did not look down on her. Ivy was not mocking her, but was giving her honest advice. Mi-na looked away. These were things she had heard others say about her - and things that she sometimes thought about herself. She had to admit..."...You're right."
"There are many ways in which you need to improve and grow before you should think yourself able to undertake such momentous goals." Ivy concluded. "Return home, and strive for personal self-betterment."
"But my home only re-enforces the things I hate about myself..."
"Then develop away from home."
"If I haven't changed after so much time traveling, traveling isn't helping me either!"
Ivy crossed her arms, and lowered her head. She seemed to have something on her mind, but refused to say it.
"...I want to change." Mi-na said. "I want to grow and improve and develop. I want to better myself. I want to become a woman I can be proud of, that others will be proud of. But I...I don't know how." Siegfried listened closely to Mi-na's words. Currently, she was reminding him of himself. He felt sympathy for the girl.
Mi-na paused, and then gradually began to look as if she had something foul in her mouth, but swallowed it anyway. She looked toward Ivy. "...You're...a lot more grown up than I am. I won't learn anything at home or on my own. I think I need to learn from...someone like you."
Ivy closed her eyes, smirked, and stroked her chin.
"I still want to defeat you, though! I want another match one day, in a better location, with no evil energy and no disguises, so we can both perform our best. But I don't just want to prove myself to be a better fighter - one day, I want to surpass you as a woman, too."
Ivy's smile grew. She seemed flattered and intrigued at the same time.
"...I've never been interested in the idea of having a protégé - but part of me thinks it would be quite fun to take you under my wing." Ivy said, being honest, before shifting her tone to a more playful one. "Oh, but alas! It is not meant to be. For such an undertaking would surely take so long, and my journey leaves me without the spare time for such a thing..." She rolled her eyes toward Siegfried and the others. "I don't believe such a decision is mine to make, when it would effect the others."
"Aw! But wouldn't you please let me come with you?" Mi-na pleaded. "Like I said, I can't just give up after all this time looking for the sword, and we both have the same goal! I wouldn't be a burden! I'll feed myself and pull my weight! Please?"
Everyone looked toward Siegfried for his judgment. Mi-na and Siegfried shared the same goal - personal improvement. If Siegfried currently could not achieve any self-betterment, he wanted to watch someone else do so, and learn from them. And, as far as he was concerned, Mi-na had defeated Ivy in combat - this made her stronger than most of the members of his group. He was also forced to note that Mi-na was a strikingly attractive girl, now that her guise had fallen and more skin was showing.
"Mi-na, whatever her faults may be, has proven herself to be a truly remarkable combatant." Siegfried began. "If she were to do away with her weaknesses, then she would be a very capable and competent ally. I consider our cause to be more likely to succeed with every powerful warrior we have on our side. I do not object to Mi-na joining us."
The others were a bit surprised to see Siegfried welcome such a hotheaded and emotional girl, but most were willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. Sophitia and Setsuka sympathized for the girl, and wished to join Ivy in mentoring her. Cassandra saw parts of herself in Mi-na, and was glad to finally have a companion similar to herself. Taki, without providing a reason, agreed to accept Mi-na as a member of their group. A thoughtful look in her eyes insinuated that she had a private reason for wanting Mi-na to accompany them.
Tira, who had been silent and absentminded ever since they had arrived on the continent, had no objection either.
Mi-na was overjoyed to have been accepted, and made this quite apparent. The first lesson she learned was to exhibit less enthusiasm in order to be taken more seriously.
With their business at the ruined temple finished, the group began to continue down their path across the Silk Road. The women of the group made themselves acquainted with Mi-na, while Siegfried shied away. He stayed near Taki so as to remain unaffected by the evil energy.
"She said that she does not hate being a woman, but I can tell that she wishes she was born a man. I think she hates being a woman because she sees it as weak - inferior."
The voice that had quietly delivered this proclamation belonged to Taki. She was the last person Siegfried would have expected to say such a thing - Taki was not known for abruptly volunteering her opinion about others' personalities, and her estimation of Mi-na's outlook seemed to be unwarranted. He turned to face her. Taki's eyes were once again fixed on Mi-na in a thoughtful way.
"The only real power a lot of women have lies between their legs." Taki continued bluntly. "It's not a steadfast rule, but it's true more often than most people would like to admit." To say the least, Siegfried was surprised to hear Taki speaking so frankly. Although she was serious in speech and manner, he had never known her to make social commentary or give her opinions on such matters. He wondered what had provoked these words, and why she was saying them to him.
Siegfried sensed a second layer of meaning beneath Taki's words - as if they were aimed at specific individuals...such as the other women of their group. Was this Taki's subtle way of letting Siegfried know that she thought those women were sluts because they had slept with him?
"I don't think she wants to be regarded as a woman, because she knows that, in the eyes of men, it would make her an object of sexual desire before anything else." Siegfried felt embarrassed, as if he should be ashamed for being a man. Taki's words were difficult to listen to. Then, she turned to face him. "Tell me, when you first saw her, what was she to you?"
It was a sudden question, and a somewhat ambiguous one. Siegfried tried to spit out an answer. "...A mysterious troublemaker who demanded a battle with Ivy, and seemed skilled at fighting."
Taki nodded, as if Siegfried had confirmed something for her. "And what is she to you now?"
"...A woman who fought Ivy. A woman who strives to improve herself."
Taki nodded, as if Siegfried has confirmed something for her. "In the beginning, Mi-na was a mystery. A fighter. Not a mysterious man, or a man skilled at fighting. You didn't bother making the gender distinction at all, did you? The standard is to be male, after all. However, after her gender was revealed, you made that distinction. A woman is a different matter to men entirely."
A pang of shame hit Siegfried as he realized that he had proved Taki's words to be true. He had hoped to gain her respect by not conforming to her statements about men, and he had failed. Even worse, he knew that for his inability to control himself, he deserved neither Taki's respect nor to be thought of as a gentleman.
"That a woman could even think of being a combatant is remarkable, never mind any other accomplishments." Taki continued. "At best, she would be a good fighter with a 'hot body' and 'nice set of tits', though I expect most would not even bother with the 'good fighter' part."
While slightly taken aback by her use of vulgar terms, Siegfried was more surprised to hear such remarks from a powerful female warrior who was now traveling with six other powerful female warriors - but he had to admit that she spoke the truth. Nine out of ten times he had ever done battle, the combatant had been a male. Females were not encouraged to become warriors - in fact, they were discouraged from it, and men were often naturally better fighters. Although he had seen women perform the role of the warrior well, he was far more used to seeing women performing the role of the housewife or the maid. He did not feel a woman's 'place' was in the kitchen, but seeing a woman in a man's role was, sometimes, admittedly unnatural.
Taki's second remark rang true, as well. Before he had discovered his sexuality, he had not regarded even the most attractive of women in such a way, but after Tira had made him into a man, he observed the female form in a far different manner, whether consciously or subconsciously. He'd had thoughts such as 'hot body' and 'nice set of tits' about his own traveling companions, and felt a wave of guilt upon hearing Taki speak aloud thoughts that he'd secretly had about her. Siegfried began to wonder if Taki meant to let him know that she was aware of his desires, and that she disapproved of them.
"As the women here have demonstrated through their own actions, females are not inherently inferior to men. Gender is a pointless distinction - yet people seem quite fond of making it as often as possible."
Now Taki's statements did not seem to be directed at Siegfried at all. She seemed to be speaking to herself now, as if she was trying to convince herself that her own words were true.
"She said that she does not hate being a woman, but I can tell that she wishes she was born a man. I think she hates being a woman because she sees it as weak - inferior."
Was Taki so fascinated by Mi-na because she believed they had something in common? If so, were these Taki's feelings? Did Taki see herself as weak and inferior for being a woman, and wish that she had been born a man?
Siegfried got the impression that Taki's beliefs were born from personal experience, from the discrimination she had faced for being a female. She was, after all, an attractive woman. A very attractive woman...
Not again. Siegfried wanted to slap himself for allowing his mind to drift in such a direction once more, but he could not help himself. It was a natural desire, a part of being a living organism. And yet this natural desire had caused the rise of sexism and the oppression of women. He did not wish to dwell on such awkward thoughts, as they made him feel guilty for being a man.
"...I'm sorry." Siegfried said suddenly. He did not know why he had spoken those words. He knew that he had no place apologizing for the actions of other men, and knew that a simple apology would solve nothing. But he had become so filled with guilt that he would not have been able to go any longer without expressing regret in some form.
Taki studied Siegfried for a moment, nodded her head as if to accept his feelings, and then said no more.