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War Of Shadows	By : TurtleNinja Category: +S through Z > Samurai Jack Views: 3353 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Samurai Jack, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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"Lower your katana or we are authorized to use maximum force against you."

My gaze shifted from each destroyer to the next, counting up how many of them there were and guessing the distance between myself, them, and a thick, wooded area just behind them. It would not matter whether or not I dropped my weapon, they would simply shoot me anyways, and I would rather go down fighting if I was to die today. Even if I had managed to bring down these destroyers, there were always more in another time and place, waiting for me.

There were more than I would be able to fight before they wore me down and I had already been on the run for most of the day. If I wanted to live to see another day, I would have to give myself enough time to disappear into the woods and escape. I needed rest and food and these destroyers were not about to grant me such a thing.

The first one leapt into action and I ducked the razor sharp claw aimed at my head, my own blade slicing it in half before turning on the others. One by one they fell, yet more sprang up to take the place of those that had fallen at my hand. Oil slicked the ground, making it harder and harder to keep my footing until finally, I slammed hard into the ground, landing on what had once been a third of a bug destroyer.

I slipped and slid as I struggled to regain my balance, ignoring the pain coursing down my leg. I had no time to worry about how much it hurt, but whether or not I was going to survive this encounter. Yet all that struggling did nothing but land me on my back, looking up at a spinning rotary blade only a foot or two from my chest and it was coming down fast.

At the last moment, I rolled out of the way and found a solid foothold, pulling myself up in time to watch the spinning blade sink into the ground in a shower of sparks. Not wanting its robotic owner to get a chance to attack again, I swung around, first separating the arm from the rest of it before slicing the creature into pieces. I had now closed part of the gap, but there were still a great many destroyers and a fair distance between myself and the woods.

The others began to advance once more, some slipping over their fallen companions, others not even noticing. I had to find some sort of point to strike to distract them long enough to escape, some sort of weakness or way to cause an explosion of some sort. I scanned them over, looking for an opportunity to strike.

Eventually, I found it in an explosive-laden destroyer to the left, one of the few left in the group with something called rocket launchers. I quickly launched myself towards it, drawing a few out of formation and over towards me as I slashed down, striking the fuel tank and a few electronic wires. One spark was all that would be needed and these creatures could easily supply such a catalyst.

Once I had struck, I knew from previous battles that I would only have a split second to react and get out of the way before it would explode, taking anything in range out with it. I spun around, cut down two more, and leapt over a third before the spark ignited the fuel tank, setting off a deafening explosion.

The shockwave struck me from behind with a jarring force that slammed me into the ground hard enough to leave me stunned for a brief moment. My head spun and for a few seconds, I actually felt sick. My back burned as I pulled myself to my feet and I could feel blood trickling down the lower half towards the back of my legs.

Ignoring the pain in favor of a momentary distraction, I pulled myself to my feet and ran towards the trees, hurrying inside. It would not take long to find adequate cover to hide out of sight from them in and I quickly disappeared in the thick cover of a tree, hiding amongst the branches. I could hear them in the distance at the edge of the woods, debating on whether or not they could follow.

I waited patiently before I heard them retreat, deciding to hunt me another day, and I sighed softly, resting my forehead against a branch while I caught my breath. A few moments after that, I crawled back down and continued on my way, knowing that to stay in one place too long was to sign my death warrant and I was not about to do that. As soon as I managed to get down to the ground, I paused a moment to take a look at my leg, finding a large gash down the back of my calf.

I sighed softly and sliced off a strip from the bottom of my kimono to use as a temporary bandage before heading off to find water. Oil was quite painful when it got into a wound and I needed to clean off what I had slipped in during the fight. I knew that trees would not grow without a source of water nearby so all it would take was a bit of time and a bit of searching through these trees to find it.

Eventually I emerged on the other side of the woods to a grassy field and a stream running not far away. I knelt down and drank before proceeding to wash myself off, taking special care with the gash on my leg. Sitting back, I looked around and realized that this area seemed quite familiar, as if I had somehow been here before.

Slowly, I stood and began to follow the stream's flow through the grasses until I bumped into a very old stone statue in the shape of a dragon. My eyes widened when I realized that this was the crumbling guardian that stood near the ruins of my childhood home, wondering how I could have been drawn back here when I had never visited anyplace I had been before. There was too much risk to go back to anyplace I had been before, fearing that Aku's bounty hunters would be waiting for me there.

I turned and followed the path up the stone steps to the bridge and across the dried up stream towards where Edo had once proudly stood. It saddened me to see my home like this, to wonder what had become of my people and my family that I dearly loved, but I could not let it consume me. If I ever wanted to find out or undo the damage caused by Aku, I would have to remain focused.

Moving on, I made my way through the ruins of the city to what was left of my father's castle, looking around. It had not changed since the last time I had been here in this future some odd months ago, still crumbling and in disrepair. Slowly, I reached up to gently touch the burned, crumbling wall, feeling something slip from my kimono sleeve and bump against my foot, rolling along the ground a few feet away.

Looking down, I spotted the aged ball that had once been a favorite childhood toy of mine. I had found it the last time I had been here, even though it should have long-since disintegrated with time. Like me, it was a survivor of time's cruel hand, seeing a world it was never meant to see.

As I bent down to pick up the worn ball, my eyes caught a slight movement ahead, just beyond a large, toppled pillar. I slowly slipped the ball back into my kimono before reaching for my katana, waiting for a destroyer or bounty hunter to strike. But it never came.

Once more I saw movement, only this time it appeared to be a large, white wing moving. Or what had once been a large, white wing. What was left of it was a few feathers and a broken armlike appendage, all of it splattered with blood as if it had been torn apart.

I moved closer to see what it was, ready for an attack, but once again, it never came. As I approached, I realized that there was a woman attached to the wing, huddled in a ball behind the pillar. I released the handle of my katana, knowing that it was unlikely she could or would attack me. She appeared to not only have had her wings ripped apart, but the rest of her appeared to be battered as well.

"Miss?" I asked tentatively.

The silent sobbing stopped and she looked up at me with a tear-streaked expression. She blinked for a moment before wiping at her eyes with tattered sleeves, trying to get a better look at me. Once she had managed to satisfactorily dry her eyes, they widened in what was clearly shock and a hint of recognition just beyond that.

"Are you all right?" I asked again, kneeling down to her level.

She rubbed at her eyes and blinked at me in disbelief, the emerald orbs shimmering with hope now.

"It's you! It's really you!"

I blinked and took a step back in surprise at her sudden outburst. I suppose that with Aku plastering my face on wanted posters all over this world, I was not entirely surprised to hear that she recognized me, but I had a feeling that her recognition went beyond those posters. I could see it in her eyes and that was what took me by surprise beyond the outburst.

"You...know me?" I asked.

"Of course, silly! Everybody knows you, Jack."

I sighed, knowing that was true, particularly when my day-to-day life regularly involved fending off money-hungry bounty hunters out to cash in on my head.

"True, but why do you not attack or run like the others? Usually strangers I meet are bounty hunters out for blood or people too afraid of Aku to associate with me for long." I said quietly.

Instead of being even remotely offended, she simply giggled.

"Why should I hunt or fear you when I have been waiting here for you?" she asked.

I blinked and looked at her in disbelief. Never before had I ever heard of anyone actually waiting to meet me before. Perhaps the occasional admiring child, but never an adult. There was something about her, but it did not seem to be anything to concern myself with.

"Waiting fo...."

Before I could finish the question, I tensed, sensing that the bounty hunters had caught my trail and were closing in. I could no longer stay, but I did not wish to leave this girl behind either, particularly if Aku was after her as well. Usually those who were not hunting me were those being persecuted by Aku, hence why they usually fled. They did not need to give Aku a reason to be harsh with them.

"They are closing in." I said.

"Who?"

"The hunters who had been pursuing me earlier in the day. We must leave this place."

"Honestly, Jack, I would love to, but I can't even get up on my own two feet, not with two broken legs."

I glanced down at her feet, realizing that I had failed to notice that her legs were turned at a wrong angle. If she had been attacked, I did not even want to know how she managed to get from there to here. Now I could not leave her, no matter what the reason could be. My honor demanded that I take her with me and out of harm's way.

Kneeling down once more, I scooped her up as gently as I could before taking off in a run, hurrying out of there as quickly as I could. Trained as I was, her weight would slow me a bit and I could not afford to waste any time and allow them to catch up with us. I could hear the engines of their mechanical chariots not far off in the distance and picked up speed, hoping I would be able to lose them.

Unfortunately for the two of us, we were in a very open area and that would give them plenty of room to not only catch us, but to shoot at us. I needed to find another place to escape in, for I would not be able to fight now that I had someone else besides myself with, a someone who could not defend herself in such a condition. She held on tightly, not making a single sound, but it was clear from the expression on her face that the running was hurting her.

I tried to remember the landscape near the former city, knowing that there was a chance that things would not be as I remembered them in a world controlled by Aku. Still, I would have to try and hope for the best. I headed for a river that I remembered to be nearby, hoping that it would still be there and not be dried up like the stream where I had once fed fish as a child.

Not far behind, I could hear the whirring motors of the destroyers and bounty hunters and ahead, I heard the sound of rushing water. By some stroke of good fortune, the river still existed where I remembered it to be and I knew that we would have a chance to escape if we could make it across. Unless any of the robotic creatures had flight abilities, they would not be able to get across for a number of miles and by then, we would be long gone.

I dashed for the water, hoping that the current would not be too strong for us to cross through. The water was icy cold as I splashed in with the girl in my arms, knowing that they were coming too fast to allow myself any sort of hesitation. The girl's grip tightened around my shoulders almost painfully as she hung on, not wanting to be swept away by the current. In her condition, she would not be able to kick her legs to keep herself afloat and would quickly drown as a result.

As I began to wade into deeper waters, something bit into my calf, just below my knee, taking me off my feet instantly. Throbbing waves of burning pain raced along my leg as we fell in, my hands slipping in their grip on the winged girl. I swore softly under my breath in my native Japanese a split second before plunging beneath the icy waters and being swept away by the currents.

For a few moments, I had lost track of where the girl was, fearing that she had been pulled under and taken further downstream where I would never find her again. Ignoring the pain of my leg, I kicked to the surface and looked around, seeing the bounty hunters upstream in the far off distance, but no sign of the girl. I could not believe that I had carried her all this way from my home, only to lose her in the waters of this river.

But the girl had more pluck than I had taken her to have.

Turning around, I saw her clinging for all she was worth to a nearby rock, digging in with her nails as she tried to brace herself against the icy waters. I swam over to her, attempting to help her stay afloat, only to be pulled downstream with her the moment she let go of the rock. The waters were hardly rapid, but they moved fast enough to carry us down and under away from the bounty hunters.

There was little I could do but keep us both afloat, despite my leg seeming to grow heavier and starting to grow oddly numb. The girl clung to me, doing the best to help, but it was not easy with two broken legs and two broken, battered wings weighing her down. I managed to turn to get her on my back, doing my best to swim and stay afloat, but it was growing harder and harder to do so. I would have to find shore soon.

Eventually, we washed up far downstream in a wooded, but less grassy area, more or less flopping onto the muddy shore. We were soaked from head to foot and shivering, but we were finally on dry land and had a chance to catch our breaths before moving on. We were so far downstream that it was likely that the bounty hunters would not be able to catch our trail for some time. That meant that now we would have to find help, at least for the girl.

"Are you all right?" I asked her, helping her to sit up.

She nodded shakily between coughs, her tattered robes splattered with mud in addition to the blood now. I pushed myself to my feet, once more ignoring the pain in my leg as I picked her up, looking around. This area was completely unfamiliar to me as I rarely was allowed beyond the gates of the castle, let alone the gates of Edo as a child. At least, I had never gone beyond them prior to Aku's invasion and that was into the bay in the boat with my mother, not down the river.

"Do you know where we are?" I asked.

She held onto my shoulders and looked around for a moment before gazing into my awaiting eyes as I searched for an answer. They were green. A brilliant, piercing, emerald green. I had to pull away for a brief moment to bring my thoughts back into focus instead of being pulled in by those eyes.

"I think so. Should be a village not far from here. I'm not entirely certain. The village I'm familiar with wasn't entirely far from your home, but I don't know for certain how to get there from the river. It should be in that direction, though." she said.

"All right."

I headed off as quickly as I could in the direction she had pointed to, biting back any indication of pain as my katana bounced against my leg with each step I took. I would not allow myself to acknowledge the pain until I had brought the girl to safety and knew that she was going to be all right. I pushed myself on, holding her firmly as I made my way up the bank and across a grassy field until I found a road, making my way along it as quickly as I could.

After some time, I did indeed manage to reach the village she mentioned, finding it quiet with the approaching evening hours. I silently prayed to the nearest kami that the villagers would give me a chance to get the girl to safety before proceeding to attack me on behalf of Aku's decree. I could fight for myself, but I would never allow this lady to be harmed after all that she had clearly been through.

As I walked down the main road of the village in search of a hospital or at least a doctor, people began to emerge from their homes, watching me carry the girl through their town. Unlike other villages, I saw nothing of the wanted posters bearing my face on them hanging around. It was as if Aku never existed here, but that did not mean that there could not be danger awaiting us.

Sure enough, a few of the men disappeared back into their homes, reappearing with guns, knives, pitchforks, and torches. They quickly surrounded us, closing in and parting only to let what had to be the mayor or magistrate of the village in close to us. I stood quietly, holding the woman in my arms, knowing that she was barely conscious now, the journey having taken its toll on her. I could sense the high tension in the village and did not want to bring about a fight, at least for the girl's sake.

"What're you doing with our dear Chimitsu, stranger?" the tall man asked.

"I found her like this in some ruins not far from here. It seems that she was being pursued by bounty hunters and destroyers sent by Aku."

"And what were you doing in those ruins, hm?"

"I, too, was fleeing from Aku's minions. I had nothing to do with the injuries she has sustained. I merely did what I could to keep her out of their way and get her to safety. If you do not intend to attack, then I kindly ask you to get her to the nearest doctor. I cannot do anything to repair injuries this severe beyond what I know of for use on the battlefield. Help her. Please."

A soft murmur spread through the crowd before the crowd parted, revealing a path to a small doctor's office. A small child hurried from the crowd and began to knock at the wooden door as I approached, the winged woman resting against my shoulder weakly, her eyes now closed. The crowd behind us began to break apart, the men returning to their homes upon realizing that I was clearly not a threat.

The door opened as I stepped up onto a wooden veranda, revealing a short, pudgy, balding man with a thick white mustache. He gazed at the child scoldingly for a moment before seeing me standing there with the girl. Immediately, he stepped aside to let me in, motioning to a room in the back with little more than a pair of beds inside and a couple of chairs.

I laid her down on the nearest bed and pulled the thick blankets up around her shoulders as the grandfatherly doctor hurried in, carrying a little black bag that seemed to be made of leather. I watched him take medical instruments from it curiously, not certain what they were or if I even wanted to know what they were or what he used them for. He turned to me with a kind smile, his eyes showing gratitude for bringing the girl back.

"Fear not, samurai, she will be fine. You don't know our Chimitsu like we do. She's a survivor. By tomorrow, her legs will have repaired themselves to normal and her wings will repair themselves in a few days after that. She's in good hands and so are you. If you were both fleeing his bounty hunters and destroyers, then you, too, are his enemy and any enemy of Aku's is a friend of ours. Rest, samurai, all will be well by morning." he said.

I nodded, the relief washing over me now that I knew that the girl I had found was now in good hands. Of course, in the relief, the pain of my own injuries made themselves known in full force and the room began to spin dizzily before my eyes. Not only had the day taken its toll on the girl, but it had taken its toll on me as well and I had not rested or eaten once today.

I managed to give the doctor one last look of gratitude for taking care of the girl before my legs gave out and the darkness washed over me.
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War Of Shadows