"Ouch!" Barry hissed as Mineko attempted to treat his wounds. "Are you trying to help me, or to hurt me even more?"
"I apologise. I am not use to healing people that are so... fragile." Mineko replied lowly, moving to a large gash on his arm.
"F-Fragile?!" Barry huffed. "I'm not... I mean-... I think that's a bit of an oversimplification. In my time we use anti-biotics and advanced medicines. If I caught a cold it would barely effect me, someone from your time would find it deadly."
"Ah, but a cut is just too much for you to handle?" She teased.
"I didn't say that! I just... I'm not use to such primitive methods, so of course I'd find it more painful than y-" Barry paused, eyes flicking up to meet hers in slight surprised. "Wait, was that a joke? Did you actually make a joke?"
"I'm goal-oriented, not humourless." Mineko said though her blank expression told otherwise. "Now, are you going to let me help you? Or are you going to complain some more?"
The woman lifted the bottle of alcohol to eye level and waited for an answer. Barry bit his lip anxiously but nodded nonetheless. The moment Mineko had tightened her grip on his arm and tilted the bottle over the cut he yelped and the woman paused.
"I have not even done it yet." She said, this time with a slight smirk twitching onto her face.
"Y-Yeah... Well, I'm just preparing myself that's all."
Mineko struggled to hide the amusement etched on her face, and even less to control it in her voice. "Well, if it helps, I will allow you to ask me those questions again."
Barry blinked oddly at her but at least he seemed distracted from the pain. "Will you actually answer them this time?"
"I do not see why not. You have proved that you can be trusted."
His eyes lit up at her words. For the first time since they'd met, he appeared genuinely comfortable. This time he truly believed that she'd tell him, and that they could finally work together to find Thawne without the awkward tension. "I want to know more about the Monastery. Whatever you're okay with telling me."
Mineko agreed, tipping the alcohol over his cut and making the man gasp at the suddenness. He may have whined again if she hadn't started speaking soon after. "I found the Monestary when I was ten years of age, they saw my potential and allowed me to train with their recruits."
Barry's face, that had been scrunched up from the pain, softened and his head jerked to the side in confusion. "You were... ten? And they just took you in, that's it? No questions, no parental permission?"
"There was no need. As far as the rest of the world was concerned I was dead." Mineko said with little to emotional connection to what she was saying. It made Barry wonder how she was so indifferent to such a thing. "The Okiya did not bother checking the accuracy of this information."
"Okiya?" Barry asked with a wince as she wrapped his arm in cloth.
"I am not sure of the correct translation. I can only assume that 'Geisha house' is what it would be called in English." She tied the cloth into a tight knot, and after one final examination of the rest of his injuries, she found that the remaining ones were only minor. "My parents were quite poor. It is not uncommon, in such cases, to sell your belongings; including your children. I was sold to an Okiya on the seventh year of my birth. I did not want to be a Geisha so I ran when I was old enough to understand what it would entail."
Instantly, Barry's expression dropped into a frown. He averted his gaze, now regretting ever asking her about it. He could only manage to mutter out an "I'm sorry".
"You do not need to apologise. It is not something that requires sympathy." She said with indifference. "The Monastery taught me how to fight, to harness my nature and protect my country. I am grateful to have a purpose."
Even now Barry didn't understand her. As she unravelled her own mysteries to him, he found himself more confused than ever. This was worse than mere curiosity because there were no explanations that could dim it. She, by her very being, was an unanswerable question. The way her mind worked, her personality, all of it was incomprehensible to him.
There was one thing he could finally grasp though. Despite her casualness to being abandoned and brought up in an undoubtedly pressure based environment, she was strong. Unemotional and harsh, yes, but still stronger than he could have been under those conditions. To this day he mourned the wrongs in his life, but she... just accepted it as reality and moved on.
"The Monestary," She continued after a moment of silence. "It splits us into two groups stemming from our fighting style - Kaze and Tsuchi."
Finally one of his bigger questions had been quenched. He unknowingly gave a sigh of relief. "So, that's why they called you Kaze... I was wondering about that."
"Kaze means wind, Tsuchi means earth. When they take you in they give you a sword and force you into battle with one of the elders. There have been a few deaths during this initiation, it is not their goal, but when using weapons casualties are inevitable. If you fight with your heels in the ground and rely on brute force, than you are a Tsuchi. If you are more evasive and precise than you are made a Kaze. When divided into these groups they teach you how to control that nature that lays dormant inside of you."
It was a lot to take in. So much so that Barry couldn't think of an actual relevant reply. All he could ask, with an awkwardness in his voice, was "What about fire and water?"
"Do not be so ridiculous. Fire is too chaotic to control, and water is too fluid. No one can harness their power, it is impossible."
"Oh... really?" Barry laughed, mind instantly recalling people like Firestorm and Mera. "Well, which one would I be?"
"I do not know. You seem to harness lightening when you run, which I previously thought impossible, but otherwise you are rather plain. It would be my assumption that you would have neither."
Barry's eyes narrowed at her. "Gee, thanks..."
For a split second, Mineko looked like her lips might break into a smile. She didn't quite make it there though, before she could her entire form stiffened and her eyes locked onto the distant wall. Barry, a little concerned, shook her shoulder with a quiet "What's wrong?"
She didn't answer for another second or so, and then she slowly broke out of her haze. "Fate contacted me." She said breathlessly. Barry honestly felt a little foolish for not figuring it out sooner. Fate could communicate through telekinesis if he chose, then again, he could do pretty much anything. "They have found Thawne."
Barry jumped out of his spot on the ground and twisted his ring. Mineko merely blinked and then he was dressed once more in his Flash costume. In slight shock, the woman jolted backwards. It was the first time Barry actually saw her physically react to something. He may have chuckled if he wasn't so focused on the task at hand.
"We need to go." He said sternly.
Mineko shook herself out of her own bewilderment and pushed back up to her feet. "We had best be quick. Fate informed me that Thane saw them heading to the North of here."
"Them?" Barry asked in a rushed tone.
"Someone's with him. They do not recognise her."
His face lost all colour beneath his helmet and he felt as if he might be sick. Knowing that anyone was with Thawne was an uncomfortable thought. Barry truly believed that the man was not entirely bad, or at least he wasn't always, but he was still dangerous anyway.
Mineko, sensing his stress, wasted no time in leading the way. She exited the shelter and started on her way down the pathway outside of it, but when she glanced backwards Barry had fallen face first into the dirt. He forced himself back up with a slightly embarrassed look and marched ahead of her before she could even ask what he had possibly tripped over... There was nothing there that could be considered an obstacle. Apparently he was a lot more clumsy than she originally gave him credit for, and that was quite an achievement.
The run to the place Thawne was last seen turned out to be longer than either of them had expected. No matter how far North they ran, they couldn't seem to find them. Barry's connection to the Speed Force had, apparently, been becoming much stronger the further they ran but he didn't want to risk using it in fear that it would dwindle away again. It wasn't worth wasting what could very well have been another flux in his powers.
Thankfully, they didn't need to rethink this decision. It took a while but Barry finally tugged Mineko's sleeve and pointed at two figures. They were in the middle of a forest, one lifting up the other.
"Thawne!" Barry yelled in annoyance and the man spun his head around with a feral growl.
It appeared as if the Reverse Flash wanted to say something, likely some cliche speech about how he was going to get his revenge. He decided against it though, and simply ignored that they were there altogether. In an instant, or at least close to it, he and the woman in his arms had disappeared but not before Mineko had sneaked a quick glance at her.
"He's going back..." Barry said with a furrowed brow. "What was the point of running if he was just going to leave of his own accord?"
"That woman, she is the leader of the Uesugi." Mineko spat out in pure guilt. "I was focusing so much on the Ashikaga clan that I did not predict that they were plotting something... She is dangerous, perhaps even more so than your 'Thawne'. We must return her to this era where her reign can be limited."
"Great, so that woman wasn't just some random chick that he seduced?" Barry groaned, now sounding more exhausted than ever. It was like this nightmare would never end.
"Unfortunately not. She has probably convinced him to assist her... She can be quite persuasive, which provides an even bigger threat to your future."
"So not only has she completely screwed the timeline by leaving the past, she has the capability to affect my future?"
"To rule your future, yes." Mineko said lowly. "That has been the clans goal for centuries now, to command the world under one country - one dictatorship."
"That doesn't sound good..."
"You have a gift for understatements, Ser Barry." Mineko sighed.
With a final look back at the forest they were in, The Flash gave an exhale similar to Mineko's. "I'll have to bring her back then."
"Is that possible with your power depleted?"
"The gaps in my Speed Force connection must have been a direct effect of pulling Thawne out of his own connection. When we landed here we were running through era's, and I forced him out before he'd reached his destination... and before my own could comprehend it. Time travel is a delicate matter, making a stop before you reach your goal is sure to have its side effects." Barry explained. "The fact that he was able to return to the future implies that the Speed Force has finally caught up with us completely, and so I should be able to use it without fault."
The best option, theoretically, would have been to go back in time a day or two and prevent them from leaving... but Thawne was just as fast and prepared as he was. He would have been expecting him to do that, and so going forward in time and bringing the clan leader back was the only option he could think of.
"Then I will accompany you." Mineko quickly said before the man could even consider leaving.
Barry's eyes widened at her suggestion as if he'd just heard the pleas of a mad woman. "Are you crazy? One person from the past is enough to destroy my whole future, could you imagine what two could do?"
"Perhaps a lot... Or nothing at all. It would depend on whether we caught the Uesagi clan's leader, correct?"
"Yeah but I really don't like messing with time, even these past few days have probably changed something."
"You have already altered it, so this should be harmless in comparison. If we don't catch her I will still return, it will be as if I was never there."
Barry scrunched his nose at the proposition but still shook his head in defiance.
"She is my responsibility, Barry." She said firmly, and The Flash immediately noticed the lack of 'Ser' before his name. "I need to capture her, I'm the only one that can."
"We have a lot of strong heroes in my future, taking her in will be easy."
"No, it will not. She's manipulative. Only people that have trained as extensively as I have will posses the discipline to resist her." Mineko grabbed his arm, in both a plea and a way of preventing him from leaving... not that it would have done any good if he had chosen to. "Please, I have put my trust in you. Now, it is your turn to do the same."
What she spoke of sounded like some sort of mind control, though he couldn't be certain of that. Either way bringing her to the future sounded like an asset they needed, but one that would be a gigantic pain in the ass.
It took him a long while of considering his options before Barry made up his mind. He really didn't want to take her, but she made a compelling argument. One that couldn't be ignored. With a hesitant gaze back in Mineko's direction, he extended his arms out and slumped his shoulders in defeat.
"Fine, but I'm gonna have to carry you." He said rather grumpily.
Mineko blinked at him, then at his arms in unease. "You... carry me? That does not sound safe."
"What's that suppose to mean?"
Mineko's lips tightened into a thin line. She was taller than him, admittedly not by much, but even one inch was enough to warrant her concern. She had always been the tallest woman on the streets, and she wasn't without mucle mass either. Years of training had made her lean but defined in her strength. Being 'picked up' by anyone did not appeal to her, especially when she doubted they could hold her weight.
"Only that I am too heavy for you." Is how she replied after a moment being trapped in her own thoughts.
"I'm stronger than I look." Barry quipped with a reassuring smile. "But, if you've changed your mind-"
Mineko's own stubbornness prevented him from finishing that sentence. She wrapped her arms around his neck, very uncomfortably, and jumped into him. Barry, despite now having full access to the Speed Force, was sluggish when he wasn't using it so he only barely caught her before she fell.
He found himself surprised at how heavy she was, though he wasn't going to vocalise it. Instead he decided to return to the future as soon as possible so he could finally put her down. As he began to run though, she became lighter. It was a reaction he often had from the Speed Force. He became more durable when using it, which was why he could crash into buildings without instantly dying, and apparently his strength was heightened as well. It wasn't anything akin to super strength, but it was enough for him to no longer struggle when carrying her through the time portal.
It took all of Mineko's strength to not panic at the lightening clashing, and the blurs of colour that morphed around them. Thankfully it didn't last longer than a minute or so before Barry began to slow down, and eventually, come to a complete halt.
The first thing he did was put Mineko down, or more accurately, he dropped her and she only barely managed to land on her feet - she had years of training to thank for that. The second thing he did was ponder to himself out loud.
"It's most likely that he came back to our original time period, if he arrived before this era there should be significant differences to the timeline. That will make it fairly simple to figure out. The problem will occur if he went further than this time - into a future beyond my own... I might have to confer with the Doctor Fate of this time period to know for certain."
While he spoke to himself Mineko stared at the apartment they had appeared in. Around her were dozens of metal constructions that she couldn't even begin to understand; things with images playing through glass and buzzing sounds originating from nowhere. She understood many things that others of her time didn't, and now all of a sudden she comprehended nothing. It was new, it was advanced, it was confusing.
In a somewhat bewildered and hazy state, the woman stumbled through Barry's apartment and over to the open window. Soft city lights glowed beyond it, through a pair of billowing blue curtains. Mineko's scarred hands parted the silk fabric. Phosphorus moonlight spilled into the dimly lit room and a majestic view of the skyline appeared with startling beauty. There wasn't a cloud in the star-speckled sky. Rows of towering skyscrapers stretched above her, their windows alight from within.
A half-moon hovered at the fringes of the luminous cityscape, where the red blinking lights of distant radio towers were twinkling in the night. An industrial-based smog of pollution coated the whole area, acting as a milky filter. The fog softened the hard lines of buildings, and diffused the orange glow of sodium-vapour street lamps.
Mineko felt as if she might suffocate whenever she took a breath. Not only was her head spinning at the new environment, but the air in that industrialised future was too thick - there wasn't enough actual oxygen in it. Her short nails dug into the wooden window frame as she stared out at the sea of lights, ones that at first glance, she thought were simply stars that had fallen from the sky.
She took a deep inhale, though with such a polluted atmosphere it didn't do her much good. Mineko was part of the Monastery. She was a member of the Defenders of the Realm.Though fear pumped through every fibre in her body, she had to ignore it. Mineko was not allowed the luxury of fear. She had a job to do and that was enough to keep her from malfunctioning for the time being.
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