North, South, East, West. Every direction seems to blur, replicating one another. Beneath the perforated foliage, tall dark silhouettes creep in, moving like uprooted trees. "See? See? We should've gone much sooner, Lingling. Much, much sooner than this! But now, now they've caught up and now they're going to-"

With amble fingers, Xinling surprises him... by pinching his lips together. To force complete silence, it is her way of doing it... without sticking a blade under his chin. His constant yammer is useful, on most occasions, but at this very moment in time? Not needed. Silence gives in to soft rustling.

The fallen leaves surrounding them give off a weak smell of autumn. It grows stronger only in the presence of a gentle breeze. 

The autumn scent has the wind to make it strong. What does she have? It is a simple thought, a simple image... of her first teacher, her first lover. To know suffering... is to know strength.

She turns her head up towards the sky... to observe the pure sunlight trickling down through the thick canopy. How selfish it is... to be able to feel the full warmth of the sun while she is forever trapped in its shadow.

Donghae pulls back. Once safely out of her reach, he opens his mouth again. To do what? Complain some more? Yes, to complain some more. "Lingling... we're kind of surrounded by a bunch of men with bad thoughts in their heads. This might not be the best time to admire nature's fine creations. Perhaps you can do it on your own time?"

Selfish... always.

"Looks like you ran out of luck, kid. We got you cornered. There's no escapin' this time."

"You took something from us... and now we will make you pay handsomely for it."

"Hey, should we make his little friend pay up, too?"

"Why not? I'm feelin' mighty lucky today."

Donghae takes a quick glance at Xinling standing beside him. She is being aloof again. Donghae takes a hold of her wrist, planning to pull her behind.

He lets go soon after, from the electric shock. Her body is cold like the dead and it makes him shiver. He knows enough not to touch her when she steps beyond the boundaries he cannot cross himself. Whatever she has suffered in the past has consumed her, to commit atrocities for twisted ideals without as much as battering an eyelash. Has she lost something so important that it has caused her to lose herself? He can only guess for he does not know the true nature of her demons.

But... she is not lost. Her life has never strayed from that one path. Her tragic flaw. To have full focus on that one and only path. She is not lost... it is just... the world has lost sight of her. Hidden her away where it cannot find her. Under these shadows... under these selfish, selfish shadows.

She is sick. Sick of all the questions her frozen heart spurs.

Her hand slips pass the incoming blade, catching the overly confident, shirtless man by surprise. She rotates the sword out of its wielder's hands, disarming her opponent in one continuous flow of motions. And before anyone can breathe a gasp of awe, the dying man has fallen to his knees... with his guts spilling out. A deep clean cut to the abdomen. Deeper than what is required. Donghae bites his fingernails, debating on whether it is wise to intervene.

She rises to her feet, with the man's fresh blood slowly rounding her chin. Frozen, they stand rooted like trees. How unfortunate. They have provoked a master swordsman. And not just any master swordsman, it seems. He does not bother to rotate the blade back to its more practical hold. Instead, he keeps it in reverse grip, the mechanically inferior position. To start with such a stance, he is confident of his mastery at short range. They do not dare doubt his ability to get inside. He must be the infamous challenger. The one man who is banned from every arena on this side of the great sea. Because he... he is in fact a she.

• • • • • • •

"Lingling." He is carrying her over one shoulder like a sack of grain.

"What is it now?" She seems a little preoccupied.

"You nearly killed me. Aren't you ashamed of yourself? You almost killed your only friend in the world."

"You interfered." With her elbow resting against his shoulder blade, she props her head up with a hand under her chin. Being carried like this is not the most comfortable thing in the world, but neither is it the most uncomfortable.

"You didn't have to kill, did you? You could've just..."

"Just what?" Her other hand is holding a juicy red apple she found in his bag.

"Just intimidate them with a few non-fatal hits. Isn't that better?"

"Seeing the man kneeling with his intestines on the forest floor, I would say they were intimidated well enough." She rubs the apple on his back until it is squeaky clean... before taking a bite out of it.

The loud crunch alerts him to the possibility that he has just been ransacked. "What are you eating back there?!" He immediately stops in his tracks and drops her. Small and light, she lands on her feet like a cat... still munching on his apple.

Donghae spots it instantly, of course. "When did you... that's mine!"

He knows he cannot wrestle it out of her grasp so he thinks up of an exchange for the half eaten apple. "I will give you something better. I mean, you ate half of it already..."

She evaluates his offer and comes to the conclusion that she has nothing to lose... so she hands over his half eaten apple.

Donghae runs to pick a wild flower. "Look. A flower. Isn't it pretty? Didn't you like staring at nature back there?" He places it carefully into her up turned palm. Xinling takes a good look at the flower and flings it over her shoulder.

"What? You don't like it?"

"I looked at it. No use for it anymore." She snatches back the half eaten apple. "Now kneel."

He lets out a long sigh. She does not easily forget. "What did you promise?"

"That I would be your transportation if I 'abandon' you on a cliff again. But, really, I didn't anticipate it happening twice. I mean, what are the odds that we would fall off a cliff?"

"You should honor your promises." The silence that falls between them... it is a pleasant one. If she could ever love another human being, perhaps... it would be him.