I do not own Samurai Jack or it's characters. That honor belongs to Genndy Tartakovsky.

Chapter 1: No second chances...?

"He's near..."

The whisper was carried by an icy wind which streamed through the black and bare trees of a silent winter forest. It twined around the black clad limbs of a horned masked woman, eager to chill any exposed skin. Her demeanor and emotionless almond black eyes outmatched the bitter cold of her surroundings. She was the daughter of the dark cult which honored the Lord and Master of all. Aku. Forged into the most perfect and lethal of weapons she stood against the one man who continued to exist and roam the earth freely in defiance of her god. The Samurai. Cold and hunger were trivial things compared to the fire and hardships she had endured throughout her training and upbringing.

Her gaze swept torwards the broken and bloody limbs of her once living siblings. Their corpses already cooling beneath the soft white funeral shrouds falling snow.

When they first ventured out of their dark temple and into the world beyond, they were strong, confident, and united under their sense of superiority over the lone warrior which they hunted. In their first encounter, together they had tracked him down and ruthlessly destroyed his transport, stripped him of his weapons and tore away his armor. In their eyes the samurai was a savage beast that needed to be slayed. He was the prey and they were his hunters. One of their sisters had perished in the temple which they pursued him in, but she had lived long enough to wound him deeply. He had as a result left a crimson blood trail down a rushing river and into the woods which she currently trekked. Privately, she felt grateful for her sister's final act and only hint of loss as they left their fallen kin behind. Wounded , unarmed, and alone the Samurai's death was inevitable.

It was only when they faced their adversary a second time did they realize the error of their assumptions.

Death is failure.

She silently repeated her mother's words, but why did she still feel such a far bigger sense of loss? Why did these words which once had such power to keep them alive and victorious throughout the trials of their childhood have no such power now? Pushing aside the strange ache in her chest and the hard lump in her throat she shifted her focus to the task at hand. She was the last of her sisters, but she would not fail.

Beneath the pale mask she breathed in the scents of her surroundings and listened with inhuman hearing for her prey. She could smell the crisp pine needles and see the soft white snowflakes drifting down all around her. The world was full of wonders that she had yet to experience or explore, but as her mother did to her she ruthlessly suppressed it. For a long time she could detect nothing, but years of hunting and survival within her temple kept her still. Her patience was rewarded with a faint crunch and the coppery tang of blood which reached her senses.

A dark shadow tainted with blood and long filthy black hair dropped silently above her head slashing downwards. Swiftly she rolled to the side at the last second and threw her chain scythe towards the ankles of her prey. The Samurai leaped over her weapon and lunged towards her, thrusting the point of his crudely made spear. As his weapon landed a shallow cut on her shoulder she lashed out towards his unprotected chest with the chains of her weapon. Beneath his tattered black beard he gritted his teeth in pain as the chains snapped an ugly welt from his right shoulder down to his belly. Her dark eyes narrowed as she caught sight of a familiar dagger tied at the end of the staff which the Samurai wielded. Blood pounded in her ears and a faint red tinge crept on the edges of her vision. Unbidden and toxic words tore out of her throat.

"Your death is inevitable Samurai! How dare you use the weapon of our sister! You will die by the name and glory of my master Aku! I will bask in your blood and give him your head!"

As she snarled insults and dodged his blows, the Samurai 's obsidian gaze became colder and more piercing as he searched for an opening. It was clear at this point that only death could wipe out the evil before him. Her hatred and her words proved to him that she had made her choice. As he did as well. No longer would he hold back under the foolish notion that perhaps the woman before him was merely misguided. He had given her chance to live but she continued to strive for his destruction despite his warning. If she continued to fight she would not only kill him, but also any hope left in ending the evil of Aku's reign once and for all.

Ignoring the cruel whispers of his inner demons claiming he was nothing without his sword, the samurai snatched the chains lashing towards him once more in midair with one hand and snapped them around the assassin's body. The other hand darted forward and seized her throat. Releasing the chains that now wrapped his captive securely he roughly ripped the mask from her face and gazed at the cold features of the young woman who hunted him so. Her raven hair was proudly swept back to a single point and eyes black as his own glared balefully at him. One could describe her as beautiful if not for the utter loathing that marred her expression. Red lips were pulled back into a snarl. For a brief moment they stared hatefully at each other. The assassin dangled helplessly in his grasp.

" It is clear to me through your actions on who you really are. You are a minion of Aku and only know of his evil and trickery. You must be stopped in order for me to destroy Aku and for all. Please tell me your name before you die. I do not wish to leave you an unmarked grave..."

She spat in his face and struggled fruitlessly against his iron grip.

" I would rather die than give you that privilege Samurai! Well? What are you waiting for? Kill me now," she jeered.

For a brief second the Samurai hesitated. His opponent was unarmed and bound. 50 years of doing no harm to defeated adversaries was not an easy thing to overcome. Seeing her face made it far more difficult to do what needed to be done but, he would not execute her with a mask on. Reminding himself that she had made her choice he hardened his heart. He gripped his spear and plunged it into the gap between the chains to stab her in the heart...

With a flick of her wrist she sent her scythe which she had hidden from view at the end of her chains towards the samurais unprotected neck...

Just as both weapons reached their targets... everything stopped.

I had deliberately left out the names of Jack and Ashi from the story in order for the revelation of their names to create a future impact in this tale. It has been a long time since I have written fan fiction but this idea in my head has been with me for weeks since The return of Samurai Jack and I could not bear to keep it inside me anymore. I cannot guarantee that the story will reach it's ending, but I will give it my best shot.

Please review and be kind with your critiques.