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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.

Chapter List
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"Don't."

It was not an order. Perhaps a plea. But her face held no hint of sorrow at the decision that she knew was mine alone to make. I knew that she would not try to stop me, and I knew that regardless of cowardice and honor and pain... it would be over. For me, and for those who would die because of me. Those who were already dead... they would just have to forgive me. But I doubted I could avenge them even if I tried. Right now, I did not have the strength to try.

For a long moment, we stood staring at each other. My hand remained steady, muscles tensed. One cut, pain and death that I was not the least bit afraid of, and it would be over. She would not turn away; I knew that. But I could easily close my eyes and I would not have to see her face. And I would not have to see one more drop of innocent blood spilled for my sake. My enemies would know the instant that I died, and they would know they had won. They could stop trying to prove it then. At the moment, I cared very little for the thought that I would die in defeat.

"Do it..."

The whisper was so quiet, so subtle in my mind, it might not have even been there. But I knew better. I knew exactly what and WHO it was.

I growled at the intrusion, but held back the instinctive urge to force him out. For once, I did not mind his presence. For once, I actually WANTED him here. For once, I was grateful for the connection that bound us together and instead of blocking off my end, I opened it, welcoming the intrusion. He would sense the moment I followed through with my intentions, so it made little difference whether or not he actually watched. His presence in my mind would do nothing but give me a moment to say all I had wanted to say to him for years before this was over.

"Do you feel that?" I growled back at him, not flinching at the pain.

There was a pause, but I knew damn well he felt it.

"Of course I feel it!"

He sounded much like an excited child, awaiting a long hoped-for present. Strangely, I knew that it was not far from the truth.

"Does it feel good?" I taunted him. I could only imagine how good it really did feel to a man who lived his very life for death. "Everything you have ever wanted to feel from me, just seconds away..."

He did not answer. I could feel his impatience. It made my own fingers itch with anticipation, my own breathing grow more shallow. He had waited so long for this, and I wanted to hold him here until I was well enough ready to move. For once, I could feel the power I had over him. I held him right in the palm of my hand. All he ever wanted, I was dangling in front of him, just out of reach until I chose to give it to him.

"All it will take is just a bit more pressure and you will be rid of me, as you have always wanted."

He hesitated. I could sense his careful planning of his words. I did not mind it; I was planning my own. Everything I had ever held back from him, ever wanted to say, I was going to say right here, right now. So he would know before I left this world.

"So do it already..."

I laughed at him. "Impatient?" I smirked. "I hand you my very life and you cannot even spare me a few minutes?"

He did not like that I was taunting him. I could feel a flicker of anger come through the link between us.

You hand me your life?" He chuckled at that. "You might die by your own hand, ahondara[1], but it is our accomplishment in the end."

"Do not lie to yourself, futago," I warned. "If I was not willing to do this of my own accord and for my own honor, you could not force my hand."

He laughed. "Who is the one lying to himself, baka?" he challenged. "Or would you end your life if not for all the noble thoughts of saving innocent lives?"

I could hear the contempt in his voice, and growled in reply, hand clenching tighter around my weapon.

"You know, Jack, I always wondered how long it would take before you finally crumbled," he sneered. "And now that I know, I'm rather disappointed."

"My decision is not an act of weakness!" I shot back. "You have not broken me. This I do for the sake of innocent men, women, and children. If you were not such a coward as to use them as weapons and simply face me yourself, I should be more than happy to continue on, and face you any time and place you intend to meet."

He was silent. Suddenly, a new feeling was stirring in him: nervousness. My words had struck a chord, and I paused for a moment to evaluate them. Suddenly, it was as if I had opened my eyes to see the world spread out before me. I did hold him in the palm of my hand, and in more than this moment. Suddenly, I realized why he had made the effort to link with me now, to encourage me. If I did not take my life now...he might never defeat me. He knew that.

He had done his worst. All of them had. They had done it to bring me to this place, this point where the grief was too great. They would not stop, even after I was long gone. They would go on killing and destroying, even if for no good reason.

"Go ahead, futago..." His voice was weaker now, but he was trying hard to hide it. "Go ahead and do it. Unless, of course you're afraid..."

It was a desperate attempt. He knew I was not afraid. I did not feel the slightest hint of fear at the prospect of death. I did not need to prove it to him. Suddenly, I realized that I was in complete control of him. This battle was over. Aku's attacks had failed. And I had won.

With that thought in mind, I moved. Chimitsu flinched just slightly as I drew my hand back and threw the sword hard into the wall. There it embedded, and I glared at it as if I could convey my hatred for my enemy through my angry expression toward it.

"Fuck you, futago." I shot. "And you had better prepare yourself. Because next time, it will be your blood on the blade!"

A long silence followed. I waited, expecting him to shoot something back at me. But he was deathly silent, and I was glad. I lowered my hand to my side again, and for the first time, I realized what I had very nearly done. My fists clenched, head bowing until my chin rested on my chest. Cowardly. That it was.

There was a long silence, then I felt Chimitsu's hand on my shoulder. I turned to look at her, she was completely calm. And at the same time, the relief in her eyes proved that she had known full well how close I had come.

"Let's get something to eat, Minamoto-chan," she whispered, running her fingers along the thin sheen of sweat that had come across my forehead. "We need to regroup and think this through."

I sighed and turned away from her, walking the few steps to the bed and sitting down on the edge of it again. There was a part of me that had been trained to fight, to kill if necessary, and yet, I was so very tired of it, and of everything that had become my day to day life here.

"You look so weary," she whispered as she sat down beside me, curling her legs underneath her.

"All I ever wanted was to go back home," I whispered. "To see my mother and father again, my life to return to how it once was."

"You know it can't ever go back to how it was," she whispered, brushing my hair aside. "Even if you do destroy Aku and return home, it will not be the same. You will not be the same."

"I know," I admitted. "But this war did not have to happen, either. It exists only because of Aku's thirst for evil and destruction, especially if it is mine."

"Mine as well," she reminded me. "So many lives destroyed or ended without any reason aside from Aku's crazed lust for chaos. So much has been thrown off course that I don't know if we'll ever be able to restore it."

"And yet I know that I will not return home until everything here has been restored to its proper place. I could not stand to leave this place in such a shambles because of me."

She moved behind me again and ran her hands up my back to my shoulders. I suddenly realized that we had returned to the same position we had started in. But now, I felt so much different.

"Minamoto-chan, don't make promises you might not be able to keep," she sighed. "We don't know how much damage Aku has made to the course of things now. Not just to the Elemental Circle and time, but to everything. Perhaps this was all destiny, meant to be."

"What do you mean?" I asked as she began to massage gently.

"The end of time," she explained softly. "Perhaps Aku's conquest of the Elemental Circle, of Time, was all meant to bring about the end. If that's true, then we won't be able to stop or repair what he has begun."

I considered that for a moment, and frowned.

"I do not believe that this is what this war is about," I said firmly. "Perhaps it was destiny for it to happen, but I do not believe that it is signaling the end of the world. Aku does not have such power, only wishes he did. You said yourself that he could not conquer the Light Elemental herself, that it was completely forbidden."

"Under usual circumstances, yes, but he's already proved that he can break Elemental Law. Look at how many times he's done it." I closed my eyes as her hands pressed even more firmly, working out the kinks that had formed in my shoulders all over again. "He has killed my sisters, sent you through time to this hellish future, created the Dark Elementals and unleashed them on humanity, things that were never, ever supposed to happen until the end of time."

She leaned down and kissed the top of my head, wrapping her arms around me again.

"We haven't even seen the Light Elemental, Jack. How are we to know that she even exists still? How do we know that he hasn't found a way to overpower her?"

"How do we find out?" I questioned. "How do we know?"

She was quiet for a moment.

"We could try summoning her," she finally suggested, her voice unsure. "But it's a dangerous journey to Asagi's castle and I don't know what sort of state it's in right now, if it's even intact."

"It should be," I sighed. "From what Asagi showed me while I was in my coma, he left after seeing her destruction. He was too bent on finding the Star of the Elements before you gave it to me to destroy her palace. The Altar of Infinity is still intact."

"Well, then we can try using the Star to summon Light, if only to see what she says about all this. But I'm not going to make any guarantees."

I looked up, over my shoulder, and offered a faint, sympathetic smile.

"You do not have to, Chimitsu-chan. All we can do is go and try."

"Yes," she agreed. "But not now." She lightly stroked the side of my face. "I don't think either of us has healed enough to make such a difficult journey."

I sighed as I looked away.

"We will have to recover soon," I reminded her. "We do not have much time. Each day, more people are dying."

"I know," she whispered. "But the army is gathering."

"Rothie and the others cannot possibly do all this on their own," I sighed. "None of them have the power to destroy Aku once and for all."

"Of course not," she replied, massaging my shoulders once again. "That power rests within your blade. The one that you alone can use."

My eyes flickered to the katana embedded in the wall.

"They would not have a chance without that sword."

"Without you," she corrected.

I sighed deeply, eyes sliding closed as my head dropped forward.

"Without me," I agreed, my voice a quiet whisper.

"But I think they'll be able to hang on for a day or two more until we have pulled ourselves together." I did not speak, and she moved her hands back to my shoulders. "You need time to recover, Jack. You cannot deny that."

I could not, and I did not try. I only hung my head and tried hard to calm the confusion inside of me.

"How many more must die because of me, Chimitsu-chan?" I asked softly.

She wrapped herself around me in an instant, hugging me tightly in the shelter of her wings.

"Don't say that, Minamoto-chan," she whispered into my hair. "Do not even think such things."

"It is true, is it not?" I asked quietly, my voice calm. "All these people have died because Aku has pulled them into his vengeance on me." I tilted my head to look up at her. "If he was not so hellbent on seeing me destroyed, all of them would be alive right now."

Her eyes were filled with compassion and care.

"Yes, but they wouldn't have the hope that you bring them." I sighed and looked away. "Jack, they may have died prematurely, but they were HAPPY. They were happy in a way that they never would have been if not for you. They died with hope in their hearts because they knew that you were still alive and as long as you were alive, you'd be able to destroy Aku. You're the only one who can do it, Jack. And their lives would be full of despair and hopelessness if you hadn't showed up to give them hope."

I let her words settle inside of me. I had not thought of it that way. This whole ordeal felt like one giant failure to me.

"Chimitsu-chan, I know these people believe in me, that they feel hope when they see me, but it is too much for me to think that they are dying in my name for something I am not sure I can even do."

She pulled away and sat next to me on the bed, watching me. I sighed softly and slowly raised my head to look at her, seeing an expression I was not certain I could read on her face.

"Their blood is on my hands, Chimitsu. I do not want anyone else to die like that, for the hope that I cannot expect to fulfill."

"But you will fulfill it, Jack," she whispered. "And until then, you cannot stop them from believing in you. It is the one thing they have to live for."

I gave another soft sigh and leaned forward with my elbows on my knees, contemplating her words. I had trained for twenty years for this moment, to fight this battle with or without help. But now that the time had come, a part of me was suddenly afraid. I was not at all certain I even wanted to do this.

I knew I would see more of my friends and other innocents die if I continued with this war. I knew I did not want to see it happen. I did not want to feel the pain of more loss and suffering. But even so, I knew this was my place. I had to do it. Nobody else could.

Finally, I lifted my head and rose, walking over to the wall and tugging my katana from it. I slid it back into its scabbard at my hip, ignoring the deep gash the blade had left in the wall and the lesser one on my side, bleeding through my clothing.

"We should head downstairs, Chimitsu-chan," I requested. "I want to see how many we have gathered already."

She nodded and rose, reaching out to slip her hand in mine before I opened the door and led her out into the hall. I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly as the door clicked shut behind us.

We headed down the stairs and to the briefing room, where Rothie and a few of the others were gathered around a table, looking over a scattering of papers.

"...and we're still getting reports of people coming in from the northern regions yet..."

A set of eyes rose to mine, and I was greeted with a smile. I nodded back, and he gently nudged Rothie, who turned around and smiled at the sight of us. I let go of Chimitsu's hand and walked the rest of the way over, glancing at the papers.

"It's so good to see you out and about, my dear boy. We were starting to get worried."

I let go of Chimitsu's hand and walked the rest of the way over, glancing at the papers.

"Thank you," I nodded, looking up and offering a smile.

A part of me was glad to know that they had been thinking and worrying about me.

"Are you both quite all right?"

"Yes," I assured him. "Actually, Chimitsu-chan told me that you were gathering up resistance forces for our upcoming battle..."

"That we have," he affirmed. "We're still getting reports of groups coming in to join us from here and there, and other cells whom we're just now contacting."

I turned back to the papers scattered about on the table, looking them over carefully. The reports concerned me, knowing that the few they reported to be here already were in no way enough for us to defeat Aku. If we went out there with so few, I was certain we would be massacred within a few hours.

"Exactly how many do we have here right now?" I asked.

Rothie looked over another paper: some sort of registration or squad detail, I could not quite tell which.

"As of right now, perhaps two or three hundred." He glanced up at me and forced a smile. "But we're still getting people in, so it could well be several thousand by the time we finish gathering everyone up." He set the papers down and glanced briefly around the group. "The reports are so scattered, it's really quite hard to tell how many we'll have total."

I gave a small, frustrated sigh as I glanced over the papers again. It was by no means good, but I would simply have to hope we would have enough when everyone had gathered. If not, then we would have to make use of what we did have and hope that we succeeded in the end.

I set the papers back down, noting a map beneath them where they had circled areas of resistance hiding around the globe. I swallowed hard as I saw just howw few of those cells there were. Aku had made certain to wipe out any obvious opposition, reducing everyone else to hiding in small areas. They were small enough that they would be unable to really pull together for an effective strike. At least, until now.

I turned back to Rothie, leaving the papers behind on the table. I would not think of how few we had. I could not allow myself to think of that or I would fall to pieces with the fear that we would fail. Failure meant certain death, not only for me but for all of us. I could not let them know just how concerned I was about that, about their lives. If I was afraid, then they would lose their nerve altogether. And this had to be done.

"I want to speak to them," I demanded. "I know it is not everybody, but I want to speak to those we have here already. I want to see what kind of fighters we can expect to have on our side."

After a moment's hesitation, they began to nod in agreement. I knew that I would speak to everyone when we had fully organized, but I wanted a preliminary check, if for no other reason other than to boost my own confidence.

"All right, Jack. There's not very many right now, but we'll take you to them."

Rothie and two other Canines turned and headed out of the room, leaving the small handful of others to continue handling the registration. I exchanged glances with Chimitsu, and she forced a smile as she followed right beside me, heading down the halls of the compound to the other side of the building. There, we were taken to a room that appeared to be a makeshift locker room, with various soldiers milling about.

Within seconds, I could tell some already had prior experience and training, ready and eager to fight. But most looked very young, younger than myself even, and more than a little bit afraid. These were farmers and students, people who had never even so much as lifted a sword, yet were willing to take one up and either kill or die by it. They were not warriors by trade, but believed in the cause enough to go so far as to even lay down their lives for it.

A few looked up and glanced my way, stopping whatever idle chatter they had been engaged in. I could feel a nervous apprehension sweeping over me as I realized the way their eyes were all fixed on me, hope flickering in their eyes. They were relying on me and my strength to lead them into the greatest battle of all time. And a great many of these would-be soldiers were still mere boys...

Conversations resumed. I turned to one of the younger ones, who were watching me with slightly widened eyes.

"Is this your first battle?" I asked softly, trying to remain calm and keep my own fears from becoming too evident.

"Yes, sir," he nodded. "Most of us have never fought before." He swallowed and looked around. "It's kind of...nerve wracking."

All I had to do was look around the room to see that it was nerve wracking for all of them. Even a number of the seasoned soldiers looked afraid. This was not just an ordinary enemy they were going up against, and they knew it. Aku was the ultimate enemy, and they were overthrowing the only ruler they had ever known in their lives. It was clear that this all seemed impossible to them. They had never so much as seen a world without Aku. But I had lived in it. I would live in it again, or I would die in my journey to get there.

"It is all right to be a little afraid," I reassured him. "But do not forget what you are fighting for. This is a great deal of blood crying out for justice." I placed my hand on his shoulder, forcing a smile. "You have the honor and priviledge of bringing that justice."

He nodded and gave me a nervous smile, and I dropped my hand, backing away and allowing him to return to the card game he had been playing with others at the table. I scanned the small group before turning to Rothie and Chimitsu. She took my hand in hers, the concern quite evident in her eyes.

"They're all so young," she whispered, too low for the others to hear.

"And inexperienced and afraid," I added quietly. "They hate Aku, yet they are rightly afraid of him."

"Yes, but they're all we've got."

I sighed and nodded, knowing that no matter how many we ended up with, or how young and inexperienced and afraid they were, it was all we had. They were willing and this battle had to be fought before more generations suffered Aku's wrath. I had hoped for soldiers more prepared than this, but at the same time, I realized that it was far more valuable to have a young man who was committed to his cause unto death than to have an older man whose heart was not in the battle.

Still, I could not help but feel apprehensive at the thought of rising up against Aku's evil-hardened minions and emotionless drones with only a handful of inexperienced, terrified young soldiers.

I took in a breath and let it out carefully before heading towards the door. I needed time alone to think about this. Instead of boosting my confidence, seeing these soldiers made me wonder more than I already was whether or not we would be able to do this. I had to think, hope and pray that it would be enough, and I could not let them see how uncertain I was about all this.

"Where are you going?" Chimitsu asked, following me out into the hall.

"I am going to go back to my room," I answered quietly. "I need to think this through."

She considered this for a moment before shaking her head. I was almost surprised, yet a bit grateful. I did not want her to see how uncertain I was, either.

I nodded and turned to head back to my room. Once inside, I paused only to shut the door and remove my katana from my obi, setting it down on a nearby table. My eyes lingered on it for a long moment, on the thin line of blood still on the edge of the blade, and for the first time, I took a moment to inspect the thin cut on my side. It was not much. The blade had cut so cleanly through the fabric it hardly seemed split at all but for the blood staining it.

The cut was not deep, and did not need to be cleaned. It was only a scratch, really. Convinced that it needed no care, I considered sleep, but knew that would be nearly impossible with the nervous tension I could feel everywhere. Meditation was another option, and one that would make much more sense, really. But instead of setting my mind to that, I found myself staring at the window, looking out over the courtyard of the compound. Below me, I could see more soldiers gathering, slowly trickling in through the compound gates. I stood still, watching them, wondering if we could do this.

It was one thing for me to have trained twenty years for this moment, but it was completely different to have people abruptly leave their jobs and families to take up a sword and fight. Few of these men and women had training and I knew that the battle would be incredibly difficult. I also knew that we would lose a great many of them as well, and that weighed a bit heavily on my heart to think about that.

The sound of a quiet knock on the door startled me out of my thoughts, and I glanced quickly up at the clock. I blinked in surprise as I realized I had spent more than an hour staring out into the yard. "Come in." The door cracked open and Chimitsu poked her head inside. "Am I disturbing you, Minamoto-chan?" "No," I replied. "Please, come in." I watched her enter before turning to gaze out over the courtyard again. I sighed softly as I felt her hands on my shoulders, kneeding gently again. "You're troubled," she whispered. I sighed again and my eyes slid closed.

"How are we going to do this, Chimitsu-chan?" I asked softly. I dared not voice my concerns to anybody but her.

She slid her arms around my middle and rested her chin on my shoulder before turning slightly and kissing my jaw.

"We just will," she whispered. "Worrying about how won't make it any easier. Just know that we will. We have to."

I sighed again and leaned my head against the glass, feeling its coolness against my skin. With one more brief kiss against my cheek, Chimitsu slowly pulled away and I opened my eyes, turning slightly toward her. Her eyes flickered, and I could tell that there was something on the tip of her tongue, but she did not speak.

"What is it?" I asked, slightly worried by her silence.

She offered a faint smile, reassuring me that it was not bad news that she was keeping from me. A moment later, she gently took my hand in hers and I squeezed it, waiting for her answer.

"There's something you should know," she said quietly.

My concern returned with the quiet, serious tone of her voice.

"What?" I turned around to face her fully, concerned. "What is wrong?"

"I love you."

I blinked, stunned. The world around me froze in that one moment. I was glad, in a way. It gave me a chance to comprehend her words. They had certainly caught me off guard, and for a long moment, I could not fully grasp them. She had just spoken the words I had longed to hear her say and somehow could never manage to say myself. And yet, somehow, the truth of them did not stun me. It was only the shock of finally hearing them spoken that rendered me speechless. I realized I already knew that she loved me. I had known for quite some time now. Looking back, it had been so obvious.

But I found myself unable to voice that, or any of the emotions that were suddenly breaking the surface for the first time. I could not seem to think straight, let alone speak and make any sense.

"Chimitsu-chan..." I began, struggling to find words that made coherent sense.

She reached up and gently hushed me, her slender fingertips brushing my lips in a way that made my breath catch. I quieted, still trying to find some organization to my thoughts, if only for my own peace of mind.

"I wanted you to know, Minamoto-chan," she breathed. Her voice was so quiet and gentle, I could feel my soul warm at the sound of it. "Before I lose my chance to tell you tomorrow."

"Why...would you?" I managed, confused.

I felt her hand slip from mine and watched her closely as she raised both hands to the sides of my face, leaning in until her lips touched mine. She lingered there for a long moment, her eyes sliding closed as her fingers moved back, into my hair. I felt her lips part, and I swallowed hard before allowing my eyes to slid closed. I opened to her slowly, and tensed just slightly as I felt her tongue slip alongside mine, caressing the inside of my mouth.

Her breath came shallow as she slowly, gently kissed me, much more deeply than she ever had before. Hesitantly, I returned it, letting her guide me into something altogether unfamiliar to me. Something that felt...incredibly intimate. It sparked thoughts inside of me that continued to grow in detail even once she had pulled away, very slowly. Her eyes locked on mine again, and she dragged her fingertips along my jaw. I could feel her breath, and hear it, and I stared into her eyes as her thumb traced my lower lip.

"I love you, Jack..."

I stared at her, speechless as she leaned in and kissed my upper lip briefly, then pulled away. Her warm hands left me, and she left one last kiss on my cheek before she turned away. My skin seemed to tingle in the wake of her gentle touch, and I opened my mouth to speak as she walked to the door. But no sound came out.

"Stay with me."

My breath caught as I realized I had spoken that. She froze mid-step, and turned back, a confused look on her face. But she did not speak. Instead, she waited for me to say more. I was not sure I would be able to. I stood, and hesitantly walked the few steps toward her.

"I mean...please..." I managed quietly. I took a deep breath as I reached out with an unsure hand and brushed the side of her face. "Please...do not go."

She turned to face me, and I watched her for a long moment as she studied me carefully, as if she were trying to figure me out. I swallowed hard, and took her hand between mine, lowering my eyes.

"I want you to stay the night with me, Chimitsu-chan."

Now it was her turn to be speechless. I dared a glance up and saw her eyes widen slightly in surprise. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

"Please," I whispered, eyes locked on hers. "Ai shiteru..."

She did not speak, only leaned in, bringing her lips to mine again. It was more than enough to answer me. The passion in her kiss took my breath away, and I squeezed her hand tightly as my other arm circled her. I did not hesitate after that. There was no reason to.

I pulled her close and held her tight as I tasted her deeply. I paused as she pulled back, taking a moment to catch my breath.

"I want nothing more than to have you close to me tonight," I breathed. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears as I searched her face, and found her smiling. "To make love to you..."

Her hands cupped my face for a moment before her arms slid around my shoulders, holding me tightly.

"Yes," she whispered back, leaning up to kiss me again. She moaned softly into it, and I slid both arms behind her.

I shifted, scooping her up without breaking the kiss, supporting her behind her back and knees as I carried her over to the bed and lowered her to it. She spread out, and I straightened for just a moment, letting my eyes run up and down her body. Finally, I leaned down again, lowering over her as I claimed her lips again.
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[1] Ahondara - Idiot, dumbass...
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War Of Shadows