“Long ago in a distant land, I, Aku, a shapeshifting Master of Darkness, unleashed an unspeakable evil. But, a foolish samurai warrior wielding a magic sword stepped forth to oppose me. We clashed for ages, but eventually, the fool defeated me. Before the final blow was struck, I tore open a portal in time, and flung him into the future, where my evil is law. Now, the fool seeks to return to the past, and undo the future that is Aku.”
I
Walking up a mountain wasn’t a foreign experience for Jack. He traveled through the harshest of conditions, and lived to tell the tale of them all. He was caught in the dead of winter with just a gi. He shouldn’t have a problem with this. But something didn’t feel right about this journey. He thought back to his previous adventures. Climbing up a cliff with nothing but a sword and his wit. Almost being killed by a blue figure. Nearly freezing to death in a wintery hell. This should be a breeze. So why did he feel so uneasy?
He felt a presence behind him. That must be it, he thought to himself. Gripping his sword in case of danger, he turned around to face his would-be opponent..
…and found nothing more than a little goat.
“Oh, hello little friend,” he said nicely. “I don’t suppose if you know there is a time portal atop this mountain, do you?”
The little goat simply tilted his head in interest.
“No? Yes?” Jack tried asking once more. The goat was quiet. Jack sighed in disappointment.
“Aku has destroyed many. I worry that there are none left.”
He kept walking, the sound of his wooden sandals penetrating the air. Although he felt alone, he couldn’t help but notice the sound of hooves as well. But he kept walking. The sound of the hooves multiplied. There was no longer just one little goat, but two. Maybe more. Jack didn’t care for such things, however. They were harmless, and if they weren’t corrupted by Aku’s reign of evil, they were a friend.
Jack kept walking for hours, and as the sun began to end its rising phase, Jack reached the top of the mountain. Clouds loomed along the floor, indicating the height of the mountain Jack was on. Stones poked from the top, looking almost artificial in shape and texture. As Jack walked through this peculiar forest of boulders, he couldn’t help but notice the shape of a goat head carved into the boulder. Whatever these little goats were, they were important. He turned back and looked at three little goats who stared back at him. They locked for about a minute before one of the goats turned back and walked in a different direction. Jack, curious, followed it. The goat stopped, indicating that they arrived their destination. Jack, looking around, found himself in what seemed like a ground for rituals and ceremony. Those same boulders with goat heads carved into it circled the center. In the very center, lay a portal. It gleamed brightly and-
THE PORTAL.
Jack ran towards it, hoping he was early enough to outpace Aku. He jumped in, and a feeling of freedom washed over him. He had done it. His journey was over. He could finally go back and finish Aku. Everything was going to be just right.
Aku was bored. There was nothing to do. He already met his daily quota of innocents to be terrorized, and he couldn’t think up of a plan to stop any hero from getting into his base. His trusted scientists were explaining to him their latest invention, the Advanced Beetle Drone, and how their low cost and ease of production can be overwhelming to any opponent, but Aku just wasn’t into it. He lay in his seat, waiting for death to take him, even though he knew it would never happen.
“My lord, are you alright?” one of the scientists asked.
Aku simply replied, “Yes, yes. I’m fine.”
The scientists were looking up to him in anticipation of his approval or disapproval. Aku approved of the project, and they got to work on production. Aku sighed, worried that he might not want to do this forever.
But what about the Samurai? Yes, Aku thought, what about the Samurai? He glided over to a part of his fortress, pushed aside a flame, and revealed a hidden zipper. Unzipping to see his magic mirror, he saw what Jack was up to. The Samurai had found another portal and was closing in, fast. Aku gasped, and immediately sprang into action. Shooting himself into the air, he traveled at top speed to the mountain, where the last portal remained.
Arriving on scene, Aku frantically looked around for the Samurai, hoping he didn’t already jump in. However, it seemed as if he was too late. Desperately, Aku reached into the portal, extending his arm to unimaginable length, and was able to grab a piece of cloth. Aku smiled, for he had caught the Samurai in time. Pulling his arm up, he revealed the little fool, and tossed him out of the portal.
Jack rolled until he hit a boulder. But he didn’t care about the pain that ensued. Aku was here, and he had foiled Jack once more. Aku cackled as Jack looked at him, thinking of a plan. It seemed as if the only option was to run, and fend off the hand once he was in the portal.
“Whew, that was close!” Aku remarked. “I didn’t think you would get here so fast.”
Jack was furious. With his plan in mind, he made a beeline for the portal. It was in reach. It was so close. He could almost feel its energy.
Aku’s light lit up with a red energy. He focused on the portal, and in a flash, it was gone, replaced by an endless hole. Jack was blasted back, and lay on his belly.
“FOOL!” Aku shouted.
Jack, recovering from the blast, looked up in surprise. It was gone.
“Oh, Fun Fact,” Aku began. “That was the last remaining time portal in existence.”
Jack was shocked. He couldn’t comprehend it. His journey was over, but not because he made it, but because his only way of making it back home was completely gone. All the doors, all the opportunities, all gone. Jack became angry beyond his own belief. Aku simply laughed at his nemesis’ failure.
“Ooh, so angry! Be careful, Samurai! Too much stress will give you a heart attack,” Aku joked. Then he realized his mistake. “OOH! What am I saying? Please continue; never mind what I said.”
Jack cried out. It was the loudest he had ever been. His lungs might have given out had he not been so full of adrenaline. He unsheathed his katana, and charged at Aku, with only fury guiding his blade. Aku was taken aback by the sudden movements, even as so much as letting out a yelp. Luckily, Aku recovered quickly, and as Jack continued the assault, Aku began poking fun.
“Oho! Not so fast Samurai! I know better than to mess with that sword!”
Aku was right. Jack’s real only weapon that can hurt Aku was the element of surprise. Without it, the sword was useless, as Aku can simply weave in and out, dodging any strike or blow. Jack calmed down, and composed himself.
Aku smiled. He had won that battle. Now, if someone were to kill him now, that would be great. Aku, spotting the goats, had an idea.
“But, before I go, I leave you someone to play with.”
Aku’s eyes lit up and using his powers, turned the little harmless goats into giant, flesh eating bulls. Aku knew that the logic didn’t make sense, as goats are not the same animal as bulls, but Aku didn’t care for logic. He just wanted the Samurai dead.
The bulls roared, and Jack turned around to face them. The bulls charged at Jack, destroying everything in their path. Jack was still angry, and it showed through when he cut open the head of the first bull. The bull let out one roar before it fell, the life escaping it. The second bull charged at Jack at full speed, and sent him flying across the gap. Recovering quickly, the bull and Jack charged at each other, jumping over the hole and meeting in the middle, where Jack sunk his sword into the head of the bull and jumped off, his legs pushing the creature into abyss, never to be seen again. Landing, Jack was caught by surprise again by the third bull, who was able to rip the top part of Jack’s gi off. Jack got off, and jumped at the last second before the beast smashed into the boulder behind where Jack used to be. Jack landed on the head, and once again, sunk his sword into the head, killing the beast.
However, to Jack’s surprise, the bull began shrinking, and in a moment, what was once an evil creature corrupted by Aku became the little goat that helped Jack. Jack was shocked at this revelation, and turned around to see that the other little goat was dead as well. He had killed them in his rage. He was responsible for this. Devastated, Jack dropped his sword and got on his knees, wishing there was a way to bring them back. However, the sound of crumbling rock alerted Jack to a falling boulder, and he got out of the way before the sheer rock crushed him. But, within the microsecond, he was no longer concerned with his life. His sword hung over a cliff, and the shockwave caused by the falling had given it a reason to fall into the hole. Jack sprang to the cliff, and reached for the sword, but it was too late. His signature weapon, the only thing he truly can trust, was gone. While he didn’t need it, he used it as a part of his daily routine, his battles; the sword didn’t become a part of Jack, Jack became a part of the sword. And now without it, he was lost. Jack blinked a couple of times, arm still outstretched into the inky blackness that was his doom. He was done for.
In another part of the world, a woman held out her baby in pride. It didn’t cry. Smiling, the woman put it down, and sat down on a seat. Such a wonderful child, she thought. Her mind took her back to the one day months ago where she lost it to some ogres. The samurai had saved it, but in the process, the baby achieved sakai, the spirit of a samurai. The woman let out a smirk, and thought to herself: She would make a fine servant to Aku.
Someday…
Author’s Note:
I’d like to thank @orenashii for giving me the courage to begin writing this. I was pretty iffy on the idea of a fanfiction, but this person has some great content, and for that reason, I decided to start up on my own. Now, I know that some people might be angry at the fact that they already watched this before. Do not worry, this first chapter is simply to set everything up for the next chapters, and for the story.
If you read this far, then thank you, too. I’ll try my best to keep you guys updated on the next chapter.
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