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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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"Jack..."

I stirred slightly, hearing someone call my name ever so faintly. The last thing I remembered was arriving at the village with the winged angel woman and collapsing in exhaustion. But I did not feel at all exhausted now. In fact, I felt quite the opposite, so much so that I did not want to awaken.

Once more I heard the voice call me, a soft, melodious voice that was difficult to ignore. I stirred again, trying to prolong the warm, safe feeling that reminded me of my mother's embrace from when I was a small child. For a brief moment, I forgot where I was, forgot all about the future and the nightmare world created by Aku. If only it was that easy to forget.

A cool breeze enveloped my body and I felt a warm tingling against my skin, a tingling that was quite similar to magic I had felt a few times before. Magic. Even the merest thought of the word brought back the chilling memories of all that I had been through at the hands of Aku or his minions, reminding me that I was not at all safe and most unwise to let my guard down for even a few seconds.

With a gasp, my eyes snapped open and I reached out with a hand, catching a slim, pale wrist in it. A small squeal of surprise came from its owner and I tensed, still staring at the hand, waiting for the attack. But just like last night, it never came. The agonizing seconds ticked by, yet there was no pounding at the door, or explosions, or shooting, only silence.

"Minamoto-sa...."

I sprang forward and used one arm to pin a pair of arms to the sides of a slim figure, one hand clamping over a full mouth. I did not get a good look at her face, only a cascade of long blonde hair pouring down her back almost to her knees. First the magic, now her nearly calling me by my true name...there was something about this woman that had all my senses piqued.

She may not have looked like Ikra, but I had trouble trusting women after Aku's shapeshifting escapade, particularly women that knew more than they should have about me. My muscles ached from the tension, my heart pounding in my chest as I waited, wondering if her voice had alerted anyone to my presense here. It was morning and destroyers had to be in the area by now, but still, none came.

The woman began to squirm a bit and I felt her push back against me, making it increasingly difficult for me to hold onto her. It was as if her very back was trying to push me away and eventually, my arms were pushed away from her body as two large, white wings sprouted from her back. They were covered in warm, downy feathers that tickled my face and under my chin as they flared out, fluttering a bit in what seemed to be a stretch.

Slowly, she turned around and my eyes widened as I took in her face. It was the winged lady from the night before, the one I had brought all this way in escape from the destroyers, only in one full piece. Her wings had regenerated and her wounds had healed to very faint scars and her clothing was different from the torn gown she had been in when I found her.

"Chimitsu?" I asked softly.

The wings flared out a bit more and she nodded upon completing her stretch.

"That would be me. Oy, you really know how to give a girl a heart attack, samurai. Good thing I know you well enough to know you didn't mean it or I might have had to hurt you." she said with a wink.

I was not sure whether to be frightened or relieved or insulted. Being in a world controlled by Aku had not exactly given me a reason to easily trust those that I came into contact with. However, her relaxed expression never wavered.

"Relax, samurai. I won't hurt you. Just a little joke there. Heh. Good to see you up and about again. Had us worried for awhile." she said.

"Us?"

"The villagers and myself. I healed a day ago back to normal, but you had collapsed and remained unconscious from our arrival until now, about a full four days. Between the blood loss and poison and not having eaten in a few days, it's a wonder you made it this far."

"Poison?"

"Not sure from what. The blood loss was from the bullet, the food...I imagine being on the run as you are doesn't give you much time to eat or rest as you should."

"Something from the bounty hunters and destroyers, I am sure. It is unlikely that it would be a fatal poison seeing as how it would be fitting for Aku to want to finish me himself, but it would likely be enough to make me ill or disable me long enough for him to get to me."

I caught the briefest of glimpses of fear in her eyes at the mention of Aku, but she quickly pushed it away as she folded her wings against her back. Her clothing now consisted of a Chinese-print dress with an open back for her wings and slits in the skirt going up almost to her hips, the hem revealing a pair of Grecian sandals. It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep myself from staring rudely or blushing from the sight.

I stood and stretched before making a face in mid-yawn, realizing that I was in dire need of a bath. I was still coated in mud, blood, and I did not even want to know what else. I was hardly presentable enough to be in the presense of a lady. First a bath, and then I would try to figure out what it was about her besides the wings that had me wondering just who or what she was.

"Well, whatever it was, Doc took care of it for me and I handled the rest of the injuries." she said, tossing me something small, metal, and roundish my way.

I caught it and took a curious look at it, wondering what it was. It was no bigger than a marble or a pebble and was a rusty gray color. It hardly seemed important enough for her to give to me and I gave her a look, not sure whether to be insulted or to thank her.

"What is this?" I asked.

"A little souvenir. That would be the bullet Doc extracted from your calf a day or two ago. You're lucky those bounty hunters have terrible aim or it would have shattered your leg and you'd never have made it all the way down to the village."

"I see. Hmm...thank you, I think."

She chuckled as I tucked the bullet into the sleeve of my kimono, her wings fluttering slightly as she sat back on the edge of the bed. I looked around the small room, trying to find anything that resembled a bath. I felt a tap on my shoulder and saw Chimitsu standing there, holding out a towel.

"The bath is just through that door." she said.

I took the towel, looked to where she was gesturing, and then back to her.

"Thank you." I said, bowing.

She nodded and I turned back to head into the bathroom. It was not a traditional Japanese bath by far, but I would at least be clean. There was an open shower nearby and I shut the door before removing the tattered remains of my kimono and fundoshi. With a soft sigh, I stepped under a running hot shower, letting the water relax me as I began to wash up.

When I was certain I was clean enough, I shut off the shower and began to run a hot bath, letting the water fill the tub. Being on the run as I usually was, a hot bath was a luxury I rarely enjoyed. I could not even remember the last time I had enjoyed one as I slowly stepped in, sinking into water that was up to my shoulders.

I leaned back against the edge of the tub and closed my eyes, sighing again as the tension in my muscles began to slowly relax away. For now, it seemed that I was momentarily safe from Aku's destroyers and bounty hunters if they had not shown up just yet, but I knew they eventually would. No matter how hard I tried to find such a spot, I had yet to find a place that was completely immune from his influence.

The oceans, space, the Highlands, even the ruins of my former home were well within his reach. I had learned long ago to not think for a moment that anyplace was completely safe from him as far as I was concerned. It would be only a matter of time before he found this village and either destroyed it or tormented its citizens all for the sake of drawing me out.

Sensing another's presense in the room, I opened my eyes and in the same instant, drew my katana from its sheath nearby, waiting for the inevitable attack. Yet my gaze rested upon none other than Chimitsu. How she had managed to get in without me hearing the door, I did not know, but I was more than a little ashamed at my inability to remain alert at all times, among other things.

Slowly, I returned the sword to its scabbard, gently setting it aside, but within reach.

"Chimitsu-san, is something the matter?" I asked, sitting back.

"Of course not, why?"

"You would not have interrupted my bath otherwise."

I caught a glimpse of brief amusement in her emerald eyes, as if she found my discomfort at having her see me in the bath mildly funny. I shifted a bit to keep myself well hidden beneath the water, following her eyes, realizing that she was not even trying to size me up, keeping her gaze focused on mine. Very few women that ever saw me managed to do that, eyeing me up instead like a piece of meat laid out before hungry lions.

"Oh, believe me, if there was trouble, you'd know it." she said.

"Then why have you interrupted my bath?"

"Because our time is limited and I need to tell you about who I am before it's too late."

"Who you are?"

"Yes. I know you've been wondering about my wings and how it is that I know so much about you, things that nobody but yourself and Aku know about you. Before you even begin to jump to conclusions about me being in league with him, I will assure you right now that I'm not. He was the one who attacked me, after all. I have next to nothing to do with him."

"Next to nothing?"

She sighed and used her wings to hover up and over, sitting on the edge of the bath beside me.

"Once I explain, you'll understand and what I've said will begin to make sense to you."

"All right."

"I assume you've heard of the Elemental Circle?"

"Of Earth, Fire, Water, Wind, and Metal?"

"Exactly. I'm the Wind Elemental, guarding over the Four Winds of the planet. I...had....four sisters that guarded over the other four Elements, protecting them and keeping everything in balance."

"Had?"

"That's where Aku comes in. You have also heard of the principle of the Yin and Yang, correct?"

"Hai. Male and female, good and evil, light and darkness."

"The four of us are not the only Elementals. We are mere guardians of the elements of nature. There are two others. One would be the Light Elemental, the one who created myself and my sisters and the other is the Elemental of Darkness."

"Aku."

"Yes. The one you know as Aku is the Dark Elemental, the opposite of the one who created my sisters and myself."

"What has he done?"

"He has disrupted the balance needed to keep the Elements in check, tipping the balance in his favor and thus putting everything on the brink of nonexistence for breaking Elemental Law."

"Elemental Law?"

"Yes. We are generally free to roam about the world as we please, sending storms in one place, peaceful skies in another, but never one moreso than the other. Everything must remain in balance, including ourselves. The Law we must never break is that we cannot harm each other. It isn't that we can't physically do so. We have done so on accident in training before, but we cannot purposely go out and harm another Elemental, much less kill one of our own."

"And Aku, he has...done which of these?"

Her usually cheerful features became clouded with a great expression of sorrow and her gaze shifted away from me over towards where my ruined kimono lay folded on a bench. With a gentle sweep of her hand, she restored it to normal as if it had never been torn once since my arrival here. Slowly, the pieces were fitting together and I was beginning to understand where Aku and I both fit into this puzzle.

"He has...my sisters....koroshita[1]...."

My hand closed around around my katana, squeezing it tightly.

"I am sorry. I wish I could have done something." I said softly.

"It's not your fault. You are just one man. You can't possibly be in more than one place at any given time. Even we Elementals, as immortal as we are, can't do that. You wouldn't have been able to face Aku at his full power, not with as little as you know about him."

"I know little of him?"

"Of his Elemental powers, yes. You only know him as a power hungry, shapeshifting demon, but he is much more than that. He has many other powers beyond that. He is, after all, the opposite of the Light Elemental, and those two are the greatest of the Elementals."

"Then what do I have yet to know about him?"

"All in good time, samurai. I can only explain so much. The rest must be found out on your own. Even I do not know his full power, but I do understand Elemental Law and Elemental powers more than any mortal."

"If you do not know his full power, then who does?"

"Only he and Light know each other's full power. They have to, or the ultimate balance is lost. They cannot be destroyed by any Elemental or each other. As much as Aku hates it, he knows that he can't lay a hand on Light."

"What happens if he tries?"

"We don't know. He's never had the balls to try before and Light, well, she's good, so she's not stupid enough to try and let Evil win."

I furrowed my brow, not sure that I liked where this was heading. If an Elemental could not destroy him, then what could I do? Was my entire quest for naught?

"Can he be destroyed at all?" I asked.

"Of course. All of us can, save for Light. If Aku were to get out of hand as he has done, he can be terminated and a new Dark Elemental created to replace him and keep the balance. It's been done before. You think Aku's the first Dark Elemental we've had?"

I blinked. He was not the first? I did not even want to think of what his predecessors were like.

"What incarnation of the Dark Elemental is he?"

"Try the fourth. There were three others before him and while he ain't the worst, he's definitely the most psychotic and ambitious and clever of the four. He hasn't used brute strength to try and conquer the Elemental Circle like his three predecessors did. He's smarter and that's what makes him more dangerous. He's dangerous to everyone but Light herself. That's the other Elemental Law that's impossible to break. While Aku could physically harm us and has dared to kill my four sisters and try to take my life as well, there's no way he'll be able to take down Light."

"Without Light, there can be no Darkness."

"Bingo. He'd destroy himself."

"But without him, would Light not be destroyed as well?"

"Oddly enough, no, but she would have to create another Dark Elemental to keep everything in balance. I haven't a clue why, that's just what I've been told. You'd have to ask her and there's no guarantee that you will ever see her or that she'd ever tell you much either."

"I see. So tell me, if an Elemental cannot destroy Aku, who can?"

"Glad you finally asked that question, Jack. That, my dear samurai, is where you come in."

"Oh?"

She smiled and reached out, taking ahold of my katana and withdrawing it from its sheath.

"Did you honestly think that this mystical katana came from mere mortal hands? I think not. The three monks that forged this blade for your father's family to fight the Dark Elemental whenever he began his attempts to conquer the Elemental Circle were avatars of my sister, Metal. She had knowledge of swordmaking and the martial arts and infused a blade with a bit of her own magic to keep it from breaking easily and Light gave it the ability to destroy the Dark Elemental if it was ever needed. She couldn't destroy him directly, but the right amount of her power infused with an weapon in the hands of a mortal could do so."

"My sword."

"Yes. She saw the purity of the hearts of your family's line and knew your heart would be just as pure, hence why the six of us decided to create the sword. Aku doesn't have a clue that we were behind it. He doesn't know that we were the ones who sought out a member of your family to destroy his predecessors, why we sought you out now. We initially created it to only seal away the Dark Elementals, but after each of the seals were weak and the Dark Elemental eventually had to be destroyed, Light infused it with enough power to destroy him without it being her hand that directly destroys him."

"But why us? Surely a pure heart alone is not enough."

"No. It is not. You have the strong will, but will and physical power alone is not enough to handle the cleverness of Aku. That is why I am here."

She made a few expert slashes with my blade before returning it to its sheath without removing her gaze from my own. I faintly heard the soft click as it slid into place, all without once touching my hands. Even I could not have done that.

"We may not be able to destroy Aku directly, but nothing in Elemental Law says that we can't help you destroy him." she said.

"Destroy him? With what? If this mystical blade cannot destroy him, then what more can I do? I have already failed to save Edo. That attempt, foolish as it was, landed me here, in this hell called Aku Earth."

"Do not lose faith so easily, samurai. You didn't think we'd just leave ya hangin' without extra help, did you?"

"Well...not exactly, but I am curious as to what kind of extra help you had in mind."

"Ah, yes, that. Well, that would be the Star of the Elements."

"The what?"

"This."

She reached into her gown and pulled out a crystal pendant in the shape of a star, hanging on a silver chain. It sparkled in the dim light, casting prismatic colors of the rainbow around the room.

"It is beautiful. Can it send me home and end my quest?" I asked.

"No. Sorry to say, the Star of the Elements can't send you home. But...it can prevent some of Aku's attacks. For example, if he were to try to send you into another timeline, the Star would block that and keep you where you are."

"I see. Is that all it does?"

"Nope. There's more it does than just block some of Aku's magic. It can also lend you the powers of we five Elementals, if only for a short while."

"How does it do that?"

"Aside from guarding over the Elements, the five of us were meant to guard a piece of this amulet. Five points, five of us, we each guarded a piece. Green for Wind, blue for Water, red for Fire, orange for Earth and silver for Metal. Light created the Star for your family line, along with the sword, one defensive, the other offensive. While that mystical katana you carry can kill Aku, the Star of the Elements protects you from a great deal of his magic seeing as how few mortals possess any magical ability themselves. We were instructed to join the pieces only when there was grave danger from the Dark Elemental and its power was needed."

"And it is needed now?"

"Apparently, yes. I'm not entirely certain because we didn't have the usual ceremony to form the Star. The four joined pieces appeared to me one day while I was in meditation for me to add my piece to form the Star. I knew then that my sisters were dead."

"Do you know how they died?"

"No. I didn't know until the Star appeared to me. I didn't even know who did it until Aku came after me to destroy the Star that was now in my hands and completed. He knew that I would be looking for you and seeing as how he has been unable to touch you so far, he came after me, hoping he could destroy the Star before it fell into your hands. Now that I have given it to you, he likely knows about it and will do anything he can to destroy us both."

"Then we cannot stay here any longer. If we are in danger, then so is this village you protect."

"Indeed. I shall leave you alone to dress for now. Be ready in five minutes."
--------------- [1]koroshite= from korosu, to kill; ie: killed them
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War Of Shadows