After a nights rest in the clearing area, Jack finally wakes up and sees Ashi is not in her bed of leaves and has left her weapon on Jack's bedding.
"I wonder why Ashi put her weapon besides my bed?" Jack pondered as he woke up.
As Jack stretches, he then hears the sound of water by the nearby river in the clearing. Jack then walks along the trait until the sound gets closer, then he reaches and open river where he examines the environment.
"I remember this time as a boy of innocent and joy. My father and mother and I went on a trip to this garden in my homeland; Cherry blossoms and a nice Creek". Jack then continues to search around the river. There wasn't much around; some trees, a few animals for hunting, and a waterfall.
"I haven't bathe ever since my battle with on of aku's top assassin, Scaramouche."
Jack then proceeds to check his surroundings to make sure he is not being watched. The coast is clear; Then Jack takes off his loincloth and steps into the water, which is about waste deep.
He then proceeds to wash himself thoroughly. He then looks around once more, only this time, he sees a mysterious figure by the water fall making suspicious movements. Without thinking Jack grabs a nearby knife (the same one he was stabbed with before he had accidentally killed one of the daughters of aku). He then gets closer, and closer to the mysterious figure. Jack then proceeds to say...
"Whoever you are, show yourself!" Jack says in a demanding manor.
He then into the wall of water that is the water fall. To much of Jack's surprise; it was a naked Ashi, who had been bathing by the waterfall also.
"JACK!, um...who...I mean...why are you here?!?!" Ashi exclaims in a frightened, yet curious manor.
"OOOH My Goodness!" Jack yells in a embarrassed and frightened expression
He then immediately jumps back where he accidentally trips on a wet stone, causing him to fall backwards into the water.
"Jack wait!" Ashi yells "it was just an accident" she says, now calmed down and in a gentle tone.
Jack then starts to blush, as if he knew that, but was ashamed to admit it.
"Ashi, I'm terribly sorry, I thought you were a spy or one of aku's minions, I feel terrible for this" Jack says In an apologetic, but humble manor
Jack then proceeds "It's just that, where I come from, looking at a women in the nude was considered disrespect and utterly rude".
Ashi, with a innocent smirk apon her face, then tells Jack "it's okay Jack, I don't mind, as long as it wasn't purposely, I'm fine with it"
Jack then returns to his regular colour, then stands up and stretches then smiles back at Ashi and says "thank you for understanding". Ashi smiles then continues with her bath.
Then walks back to the land, where he puts back on his loincloth and picks up his knife and places it in his hand, then walks back to the campsite to get ready to go hunting.
Chapter 4
By now, Jack is collecting his materials to make a bow and arrow. Then he drifts off in thought about what happened by the waterfall.
Jack (pov)
"I don't believe what happened back there! I know she didn't mind, but it still feels wrong and inappropriate, I wonder what what my father would say about this?!?!"
Then Jack comes out of thought, and sees a big enough stick to make a bow, and the string from a nearby spiders web with strong silk.
Back at the waterfall, ashi is done bathing, she then proceeds to put back on her clothing she had made of leaves and twigs. She, like Jack, thought about the incident at the waterfall.
"I wonder why Jack was so nervous around me, even when I said that I was okay? But I was humble of him to think of my feeling like that, very respectful. I may not have noticed this but, Jack is very muscular and handsom-...wait!, what am I doing! he is my partner, and he saved my life, which, was very brave and selfless" Ashi then begins to blush sheepishly, then comes out of the waterfall walk toward land to find Jack.
When Ashi sees that the samurai is not here, she then walks down the trail to find him. As she walks down the trail, she starts to see Jack's footprints on the trail, she then follows them to lead to the samurai. As she walks along the path, she sees a beautiful aray of multicolored trees, being inside of her mother's lair her entire life, she would know of such things as that.
"These are very beautiful trees, I remember once when I was a child, I was in the midst of training and there was a hole In the wall, I was peaking out of it enough to see an array of colors like this in the sky, like it is in there trees".
Ashi, unlike most of her other sisters, was the more observant one, and was always into nature; but because of her training and duties, she had no time to do so.
She then, after walking through a range of trees sees Jack, who looks like is hunting for some food for them to eat on there journey to find his sword, or at least so good to eat for tonight.
"Samurai?" Ashi says
Jack then sees Ashi then smiles and puts down his bow. "There you are" Jack says in an surprised, yet humble manor "I was just hunting for some food for tonight, and the journey we have ahead".
"Do you need any help?" Ashi asks politely
"Yes, as a matter of fact, do you know how to use a bow and arrow?" Jack asked as Ashi was about to grab her weapon.
"Well...um...not exactly" Ashi says nervously.
Jack, who is a little confused on why she doesn't know how to use one, despite her being able to hunt him down, thought she knew how to use a numerous amount of weapons, even ones as simple as a bow and arrow.
"If I may ask Ashi but, why don't you know how to use a bow and arrow, you claimed to be highly trained" Jack asks curiously, but yet respectfully.
Ashi's faces turns a little pink with embarrassment " I was never taught how".
She paused then continued,
"Me and my sisters were taught to act as a unit, and when a particular weapon was needed, one of us would use our assigned weapon, and that was the one we were taught to use".
Jack then understands as he went through a similar phase. Being stuck in the future taught him how to use a variety of weapons and gear, not just his magical katana.
"Don't worry Ashi, you don't have to use a bow for hunting, but in order to better yourself, you must learn how to use a large variety of weapons, not just the one you were taught to use. In fact I went through a similar phase when I first lost my sword", Jack explained to her calmly, reassuring her that it was okay.
Ashi then gives a small smile and says "I guess your right , but I would still like to learn how to use one, if it's okay with you" she says.
"Okay, I will show you how to use one, and it is quite simple actually" Jack reassures her.
Jack then shows her how to position her arms and aim for the target.
"Okay, that's good" Jack complements.
"I see a target, should I aim for it?" Ashi asks.
Ashi points to the large elk like creature in the forest near a tree. Jack then instructs Ashi to aim for the creature.
"Ready... aim...Fire!" Jack instructed
Ashi then releases the arrow, it flew about 45 meters before hitting the creature in the abdomen, killing it.
"Very good" Jack exclaims in affirmation. "Now we have our meal for the night, and maybe a week" Jack reassures her
Ashi, who on the inside is excited she caught their meal, and is even more excited that Jack is proud of her. She smiles and goes to pick up the game they caught and the two head back to the campsite to cook it.
Chapter 5
As Jack and Ashi are eating there meal, they talk about their day, and their journey they have ahead to recover Jack's sword.
"So Jack, about the waterfall today, were you nervous around me or something?" Ashi asks Jack out of the blue.
"It wasn't that I was nervous, it was just the fact that I've never seen a pretty lady like that before" Jack responds
Ashi starts to blush, as she had never been called that before, she'd only been called weak and distracted by her mother.
"Do you really think I'm beautiful Jack?" Ashi says innocently.
"Yes... I mean no!... I mean yes!, as in a friend-like sense" Jack studders out nervously, now sweating and blushing.
Ashi giggles to herself and then tells Jack "it's okay to like me Jack, and besides, the waterfall was just and accident you know" Ashi says.
Jack smiles and goes to get water to put out the fire, as he is getting the water, he thinks about what Ashi said "Maybe Ashi was right, I was overreacting a little wasn't I , but she is a nice companion to have around on days like this" Jacksaysthinkingtohimselfsmilingtohimself.
He comes back to the clearing, noticing that ashi's bed of leaves is gone.
Ashi then tries to find some more leaves to make her leaves with, but they are nowhere to be seen.
"Jack, is it okay if I could sleep with you in your bed?" Ashi asks nervously
Jack, a little starstruck, sees that her bed is mysteriously gone.
"Um...isn't that... a little inappropriate?"
Jack says nervously once more.
"Jack, I promise, nothing... you know...like that or anything, I promise" Ashi says reassuring him that nothing will happen.
"Alright then, I trust you" Jack says with a gentle face.
Jack's moves over so there will be room for Ashi to sleep too.
"Goodnight Ashi", Jack says sweetly
"Goodnight Jack", Ashi says while wrapping one arm around his waste.
Jack couldn't resist, he turns around and kisses Ashi on her forehead. The too then hold on to each other for the night, they lay there peacefully.