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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
- 48
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"Welcome to Hell, samurai..."

Chimitsu-chan and I came to a halt upon hearing the voice, looking around for the source. We knew that it was not Mad Jack or Ekirei, which meant it had to be one of the other three. It was so dark that we could hardly see which one was here and where she was hiding.

Suddenly, the lights flared up, illuminating the room and the first of the Dark Elementals. She stood, perched on a rock with her tattered cloak wrapped around her thin, bony body, head bowed like an old woman. Slowly, she raised her head, her sunken eyes meeting mine and Chimitsu's.

It was Hideri, the Famine Elemental, who had come to greet us.

"Hideri. Haven't seen you since you starved the Woolies half to death. Is this what you've been doing all this time? Waiting for us?" Chimitsu asked.

"Hardly. Take a look around the globe, angelic one, and see what I've been doing all this time."

A pale blue orb hovered down, glowing with images of drought and starvation around the world. Crops dying, people withering away, lands turning to dust and blowing away on the winds. Hideri smiled nastily before dissolving the orb and standing, slipping down from her perch.

"Beautiful, isn't it? Their lifeforces slip away slowly, drop by drop, day by day, until they turn into empty shells, no longer useful to Lord Aku." she said.

"That's horrendous. Those people suffer for your sick, twisted amusement when you can just as easily alleviate that suffering."

"Now why would I want to do that?"

In a flash, she fired off a sickly yellow orb, forcing Chimitsu and I to dive for cover. I rolled out of the way and came to a stop near a stone pillar, watching the orb sail through the air until it collided with another stone structure. There were a few moments of silence before the pillar weakened, cracked, and fell to the floor, shattering in a million pieces.

"Ohh, you're quick, but are you quick enough?" she asked, firing off more sickly looking orbs in rapid succession.

I did not get a chance to see where Chimitsu went, diving out of the way as the orbs sailed through the air, colliding with stone pillars and walls. I sprang about, doing my best to avoid them although I tired of dodging about instead of getting closer to her. Only trouble was, she was firing the orbs off too quickly for either of us to get close enough to strike.

I ducked behind a large boulder, peeking out on occasion to see if Chimitsu was having any luck. I knew that those orbs could not affect her like they could me, but it seemed that she, too, was pinned down behind some rocks on the other side of the room. Hideri momentarily stopped, firing one off whenever either of us dared to poke our heads up and think about making an attack.

"You two can't hide forever. Sooner or later you're gonna have to come out and fight me." she said tauntingly.

Furrowing my brows, I knew she was right, but how were we going to get close to her? Chimitsu would be at a stalemate with her, both unable to harm each other because of Elemental Law. I was the only one who could hurt her, but if neither of us could get close, then we were stuck.

I looked down at the Star dangling around my neck, trying to think of what we could do to get in close enough to strike. It was not time to harness the full power of the Star in this battle and I was not entirely sure it would do much good just yet anyhow. That left only one other option for me and it had yet to fail me in all my months of being trapped in this future.

In a flash, I drew my katana and leapt out from behind the rock I had taken cover behind, drawing Hideri's attention. She quickly fired off the orbs again in my direction and I held my katana in front of myself in a defensive position, watching each orb carefully. Over and over again, my blade struck the orbs, dissolving them instantly into harmless smoke.

Hideri continued to fire for a little while before stopping and taking a step back, although she hardly looked ready to retreat.

"Well well, I must say I am quite impressed. You're quite skilled with that sword, young samurai. I don't stand a chance, now, do I?" she asked.

"In the end? No."

"Then I suppose I'd better surrender, hmm?"

"No. There is no surrendering this time."

"I see. Very well, then."

She fired an orb off to the side, bouncing it off the wall and sending it ricocheting behing me. I began to turn, but without knowing where it was headed, I was not entirely certain I could block it in time. In all honesty, I really did not want to find out what would happen if she managed to hit me with one of those orbs.

*pang!*

Hideri's triumphant expression melted away into frustration and I glanced over my shoulder to see Chimitsu standing there, blocking the orb with her nodachi before it could hit me. I smiled and turned back to Hideri, advancing with my katana in my hand, ready to strike. She backed up, clearly afraid now that she could not strike us down with the orbs.

"It is over, Hideri. It is time to pay for the suffering you have caused, not just for the Woolies, but around the world. Have you prepared yourself?" I asked.

"That depends, samurai. Are you prepared for what lies ahead?"

"I have been prepared for a long time now. I am willing to die for this, but I do not think you are ready for such a sacrifice."

I approached her carefully, watching her eyes, seeing the fear and desperate cunning within their sunken depths. She backed up until she walked into a wall, trapped between the orange stone and myself. I closed in, raising my katana to strike her down and move onto the next level.

Suddenly, I felt myself flying through the air until I landed on my back, my katana clattering on the ground beside me. I gasped and sucked in air, stunned from the impact that forced the air out of my lungs. I weakly rolled onto my side, trying to get to my feet before she struck me down, but the blow never came.

Looking up, I saw Chimitsu standing there, her nodachi's point at Hideri's neck, kept pushed back by an invisible barrier just a hair's breadth away from the Dark Elemental's neck. We all knew that Chimitsu could no more harm Hideri than Hideri could do harm to Chimitsu, but that did not seem to stop Chimitsu from attacking her. Hideri seemed unconcerned by me, having already struck me down with an orb in the brief moment I had lowered my guard like a fool.

"I might not be able to hurt you, but that doesn't mean that I'm not gonna hold you here 'till he recovers to do the job himself." she snarled.

"Who says he's gonna recover? That orb I struck him with should be taking effect any moment now and I know you can't heal anything but injuries. You won't be able to do a thing to help him. He's gonna die nice and slow, just like those people I showed you in the viewing orb. Soon he'll be nothing but a walking skeleton and then I'll let Lord Aku take care of him for me."

No sooner had she said this than I began to feel hungry. I knew that was impossible, because I remembered eating earlier in the day and was used to going for long periods between meals. I should not have been so hungry just yet, not by a long shot.

However, that was the whole power behind the orb she had shot me with. She was rapidly inducing starvation, making me hungry and weak, draining the very life from me. I soon felt sick inside, wanting to get up onto my feet and strike her down while Chimitsu-chan had her pinned, but could not seem to find the strength to do so. I pulled myself to my feet with my katana in hand, only to fall to my knees again, my stomach growling in protest, begging me to retreat and find something to eat.

"You're starving him! Recant the spell! Now!" Chimitsu snapped.

"I'm sorry, dear angel, but I can't. If you want to break that spell, you're just going to have to kill me."

I could see the frustration in Chimitsu's eyes, knowing that she could not strike Hideri down and knowing that I was gradually weakening beyond the point of being able to fight. I struggled to pull myself back up to my feet so I could strike her down, not wanting to be a weak heap of skin and bones by the time Aku came for me. Yet the moment I got to my feet, my vision began to swim violently, sending me back down onto my knees, my katana slipping from my hands and clattering to the ground.

"Minamoto-chan! Shikkarishite!"[1] she cried.

I once again forced myself up to my feet, leaning on my blade, but knew that the moment I lifted it, I would fall back to my knees. I simply did not have the energy to fight this hungry feeling long enough to fight. I needed food and water and I needed it soon if I wanted to have a chance to be of any use here.

"Damnit, Jack, don't you dare give up on me! You're the only one who can hurt her! You know I can't strike her down and I definitely can't do this alone! Snap out of it and pick up that katana and get her!"

I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment and then lifted my katana, feeling my head spin, but refusing to allow my legs to give out beneath me. I took a step towards them, lifting my katana behind myself to strike, willing myself to stay on my feet. Hideri's eyes registered a bit of shock, while Chimitsu's eyes shimmered with pride as they watched me move towards them.

"Most impressive, Chimitsu. You're able to encourage him onward through my spell, but words alone won't win this battle." she said, staring Chimitsu in the eyes.

Unafraid of Chimitsu's nodachi, she held up her hand in my direction, creating a banquet table loaded with all sorts of delectable goodies between myself and the two of them. Immediately, I halted, my stomach once again growling as the sights and smells invaded my senses. My tired arms slowly lowered and with them went my katana as I was torn between attacking Hideri and eating this meal laid out before me.

I barely acknowledged the furious look on Chimitsu's face as she shoved Hideri back up against the wall. She looked quickly in my direction before back to the Dark Elemental, who now wore a nasty grin on her gaunt features. If I had even but one bite, I would be able to fight again. It all looked so good that I was not entirely certain I could resist such a temptation.

"Go ahead, white samurai. Eat. The feast is there for you to have, so there's no need to waste it, right?" Hideri said, staring Chimitsu straight in the eyes again.

Suddenly, I no longer wanted to fight, my stomach aching savagely for food, food that was right there in front of me. She had created this delectable meal just for me, to ease my suffering and make me feel better. It would be dishonorable for me to let her generous meal go to waste and I could not allow that.

Slowly, I took my chopsticks from the sleeve of my kimono and began to reach for a roll of sushi. It had been so very long since I had last eaten sushi that I had almost forgotten what it tasted like. My mouth watered at the thought of enjoying a bite of hamachi[2] or perhaps some tako[3]. Even some unagi[4] would have been heavenly.

Before I could reach the sushi trays, Chimitsu threw out her hand and fired a green orb into my chest, knocking me firmly onto my rump. I landed hard, dropping both my katana and my chopsticks with a clatter on the floor. I looked up at her with a sharp glare, wondering why she had gone and done such a thing.

Hideri looked quite angry as well, almost pouty.

"Chimitsu-chan, why on earth did you do that? Do you not want me to have enough strength to fight?" I asked.

"Yes, but not that way. She's laced those treats with poison or perhaps a tranquilizer to make you sleep until Aku comes for you and what do you think will happen after that, hmm?"

"Aku...?"

"Yes, Minamoto-chan, remember him? Tall, dark haired, usually shapeshifted into the form of a demon? The guy who wants you dead?"

"I will be dead before he gets to me if I do not eat."

"Is all that food really worth it to you? Is one bite of sushi worth the lives of millions of people around the world, believing that you'll be the one to free them? Is it worth more than the life of the woman you love?"

Slowly, I pulled myself up onto my feet, using my katana for balance as I stood before the table. I looked at the feast set out before me, then to Chimitsu where she was keeping Hideri trapped up against the wall. I loved Chimitsu-chan with all my heart, but I also wanted to eat, especially when the feast involved sushi.

But was it all worth it like Chimitsu had said? Was it worth the price I would have to pay to enjoy this feast? I looked to Chimitsu, then to Hideri, and then back to the feast laid out on the table before me.

And then...I made my decision.

With a sudden burst of strength, I raised my katana above my head and sliced down through the table and the feast that sat atop it, smashing it to the ground. Hideri's eyes widened in shock as I pushed the broken halves aside and strode in her direction with determination welling up in my heart. Chimitsu backed away, keeping her nodachi aimed at Hideri as I approached.

"That's...that's impossible!" she cried.

"Not impossible. I simply found something worth more to me than a mere meal. You see, Hideri, I am quite used to going for days without food and I would sooner starve...than have the lives of the innocents of this planet rest forever upon my soul because I chose a meal over their freedom."

"You should still be feeling weak and hungry! How'd you find such strength?!"

"Oh, I feel your spell working on me, but my strength does not come from the suffering of others. My strength comes from those who believe in me and trust me to end Aku's tyranny and that is worth more to me than any meal ever will be."

Hideri straightened and Chimitsu-chan backed away, her nodachi ready to strike if the Dark Elemental tried to attack again. I held my katana ready, muscles tensing as I waited for the inevitable attack from Hideri. She moved away from Chimitsu and the wall, trying to circle me to attack from behind, but I turned, circling with her, keeping an eye on her at all times.

Chimitsu kept to the side with her nodachi ready in both hands, but did not otherwise interfere, knowing that the most she could do was to keep Hideri at bay, not strike her down. Hideri knew this as well as we did and did not fear her as much as she clearly feared me, especially now that I seemed to have overcome her spell for the moment. If only I could keep it up awhile longer, I would be able to overtake her and we would be rid of one Dark Elemental.

And with Hideri's death, Chame would be free to be reborn.

Hideri took a few steps back, almost appearing to retreat, but I knew that Aku would not allow such a thing. If she retreated, she would simply meet her end at Aku's hands instead of my own. I sensed that she was not going to run, but, rather, try and fight me herself to the finish, futile or foolish as it may be.

In a flash, she sprang at me with her hands outstretched, a larger orb forming within her palms. I knew that if she hit me with an orb that large, especially after taking one of the smaller ones earlier, it would kill me instantly. I could only do one thing now.

I sprang at her, the two of us seemingly on a collision course, Hideri with her magical orb and me with my enchanted katana. Time seemed to slow down for a brief moment as we flew through the air towards each other, each ready to strike the other down. I pulled my katana back as we closed in on each other and finally, I brought it down.

As soon as my blade had followed through, I landed on my feet on the other side with my katana outstretched in my left hand. For a few agonizing seconds, I was not entirely certain if I had struck her or if we had somehow managed to miss each other. Nobody moved, nobody breathed, and I realized that I had not heard the sound that usually accompanied an orb striking the walls or some sort of rock fixture in the room.

Slowly, I rose and turned, ready for another attack, only it never came. I saw Chimitsu standing there, nodachi sheathed upon her back between her wings, a look of finality written in her eyes. Hideri had landed as well, but I could see that she had not landed in one piece as I had.

Instead, two halves of her lay bloodlessly on the ground, a look of utter shock and disbelief on her dead features. A second later, she turned to dust and blew away on the wind much like the dead crops she had infected around the world with her spell of starvation. I quietly sheathed my katana and stared at the very spot where she had vanished, knowing that one was down, but there were four more to go before we reached Aku.

"It's done then. We've defeated the first one, now to find the next one and work our way up through this tower." Chimitsu said.

"Yes. Three more to go...and then Aku."

Chimitsu gave a slight nod and then turned around, heading towards another doorway that led into another corridor that would lead us deeper within Aku's fortress. I followed without a word, pausing only when I reached the doorway, sensing something behind me. Slowly, I turned, almost expecting an attack or minion, but it did not feel like it was going to harm me at all.

It felt almost...grateful.

Once I had turned fully around, I saw Chame standing there in spectral form with a baby dragon sitting upon her shoulders, coiled around the back of her neck. She was smiling as she lightly stroked her pet behind its head, her entire aura radiating gratitude. I smiled back, happy to see that she was free at last and watched as she bowed deeply in thanks, even with the baby dragon upon her shoulders.

Then, she slowly disappeared with her pet, and I turned around, hurrying to catch up with Chimitsu down the hall.
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[1]"Minamoto-chan! Shikkarishite!" - "Minamoto-chan! Get it together!"
[2]Hamachi - Yellowtail tuna, a kind of sushi
[3]Tako - Squid, a kind of sushi
[4]Unagi - Eel, another kind of sushi

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War Of Shadows