Jack and the Gate
"Why do you come here, Samurai Jack?" asked the enshrouded young man with a voice that resonated through the trees.
The years of battle had weathered away Jack's manners. Once, he may have explained his quest to return home and the rumors that had led him to this quiet grove in search of a passage through time. If Jack had come ten years before, he might have told his story to this blunt young man with a passion that could inspire a revolution, and humbly begged him for the opportunity to right the millionfold wrongs that could be changed if only he was allowed to return to the past. Unfortunately, the very same years which had further honed Jack's skills in combat had also shortened his ability to suffer fools, and so all he said to the young man was, "I need to use the Gate."
The young man sighed melodramatically and rose to his feet. A shower of leaves fell from him onto the ground, and he walked through the twisted branches of the trees into the clearing where Jack stood. Jack could see that the young man matched his height and build, had short, cropped hair, and wore a tunic that seemed to be a swirling mix of dark green and earthy brown. Standing eye to eye, the two created a sharp contrast; Jack's flowing hair, beard, cloak and crown appearing the exact opposite of the young man's functional and simple countenance. Staring the youth in the eye, Jack was impressed despite himself. Though even the mightiest of warriors usually crumbled under Jack's fierce glare, this boy matched Jack's ferocity with a quiet strength that seemed the equal of Jack's own.
Suddenly, the young man turned away and began to walk back to his resting place. "You may not use it," he said.
"Then the rumors are true?" Jack asked.
"They are," said the young man, "but it should make no difference to you, for you shall not pass through the Gate."
"The man who told me of this place said that you let him through to save the life of his love," Jack said. "Thanks to the Gate, she was saved from a horrible death at the hands of Aku's minions."
"I think I remember this man," said the young man, his back still turned. "He told you the truth; I let him use the Gate to save her."
"You would let him travel through time to save one innocent life, while denying me the opportunity to save billions?"
"I would," said the young man.
In a flash, Jack's sword was under the young man's chin, the razor edge pressing against the youth's throat.
"You are no murderer, Samurai Jack," said the youth.
"Let—me—through."
"No."
Jack pressed the edge harder against the youth's throat. "Why not?" he demanded. "Time and time again, I have been denied this opportunity; either by Aku, or by other guardians like yourself. Why do you and your kind willfully damn the human race?"
"Three reasons," said the youth. "First, you address me with exceptional rudeness. Second, the trees find it offensive that you bring a weapon into this peaceful place, and they fear such a powerful blade in the hands of such a fool."
At these words, Jack's grip on the hilt of his sword tightened.
"And finally," said the boy, "you do not have a good enough reason to enter."
"What greater reason can there be?!" Jack bellowed. "I fight for honor and for justice!"
"Undeniably true," said the youth, "but still, those reasons are wholly insufficient."
Incensed, Jack removed the blade from the young man's throat and shoved him forward. "Prepare yourself," he snarled. "I will not have you die with your back to me."
The boy knelt low and plucked from the ground a twig. As he stood up again, the twig elongated and twisted itself into a beautifully carved wooden sword. Wordlessly, he turned and pointed it at Jack.
Jack had been in far too many battles to scoff at the boy's weapon. He knew that even an ordinary wooden sword could be deadly in the hands of a skilled opponent, and he knew even better that one should treat magical weapons with extreme care. Cautiously, he stepped forward and began his attack. At first, neither opponent found themselves able to land a blow. The youth, though clearly not as experienced as Jack, moved with an inhuman speed and grace. Though Jack unleashed a torrent of blows, the boy slipped between them effortlessly. Likewise, Jack had no trouble at all reading the youth's sword, and could easily predict where and when each blow would appear. As the silent combatants battled on, Jack became surer and surer of his impending victory. Though the youth could use a sword, he was no samurai, and the first clash of Jack's enchanted blade against his adversary's bokuto would surely slice the stick of wood in two.
Suddenly, the swords met. To Jack's surprise, his enchanted blade made not even the slightest indentation into his opponent's weapon. Indeed, the clash of swords seemed to push Jack's blade back more than his opponents. Jack realized that the blade was clearly the equal of his own, and both contestants then knew that the first slash from either sword to connect would end the fight.
The boy smiled. "Do you see now, Samurai Jack?" he shouted. "Do you now understand your responsibilities?" Without warning, his swings became faster and harder, and Jack found himself struggling to keep ahead of the blows. "Honor? Hah! The state of your honor is of no importance, Samurai! Your duty lies not with some meaningless construct of the heart! Justice for you is not nearly as important as justice for all!"
With a brutal swiftness, the boy disarmed Jack and knocked him flat on his back. Smiling cruelly, the boy pointed his wooden sword between Jack's eyes, demonstrating the older man's helplessness. "If you truly wanted to help others, Samurai Jack, I would have let you use the Gate without hesitation," he said. "But you have proven yourself unworthy, as a warrior as well as a savior. As such, it is my duty to end this now."
Jack closed his eyes, defeated. Everything the boy had said was true. Not only had he failed to restore his honor and the honor of his people, but his weakness and selfishness had doomed all mankind to an eternity of torment at the hands of Aku. Death would be a kindness compared to the shame that consumed his entire being. And yet, Jack found that he did not want to die.
Suddenly, the will to live struck Jack like lightning. Jack grabbed the boy's sword and thrust it into the ground. Rolling to his feet, Jack snatched his own sword from off the ground and slammed it into the young man's chest with all his might.
The boy looked down at the sword in his chest with a mixture of pride and confusion. "Was I wrong, Samurai Jack? Do you truly want to help the people you claim you will save, or is this simply an effort to preserve your honor?"
"I need not choose only one," responded Jack.
The youth smiled. "A fine answer." He stumbled and fell backwards, but at the very moment he hit the ground, he seemed to be absorbed into it, leaving Jack's sword sticking out of the dirt. Jack picked up and sheathed the blade. Between two of the trees, there appeared a shimmering doorway of light. Slowly, Jack walked through it. On the other side, there was only a white void.
Before Jack's eyes, an army appeared. Immediately, Jack recognized the legion as past opponents; the keepers of a million different Gates, mystical items, and portals Jack had tried in his youth to use to return home. At the head of the group was mountain of a man with blue skin and red sunglasses. Jack recognized him as the powerful Guardian who had dealt him a crushing defeat at the Gate that Jack had reached after his encounter with the strange Traveling Creatures.
"You can use it now, Samurai Jack," boomed the Guardian.
The End.