A/N: Hey guys. I decided to redo this story since it wasn't making any sense and to be perfectly honest I can't remember all that I wanted to do with it before. So I rewrote it, still kind of the same idea just not in the way I wrote it before…anyway. Just wanted you to know that I did that.
Sorry!
Long ago in a distant land, I, Aku the shape shifting master of darkness, unleashed an unspeakable evil. But a foolish samurai warrior wielding a magic sword, stepped forth to oppose me.
*Shing! Shing! Shing!*
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.
Oh wonderful it looks like I have some more audience for this tale. You're very fortunate that I hadn't begun yet, otherwise you would have come in, in possibly the middle of the story and you would have been so terribly confused! You probably would have asked me to start over, which wouldn't be bad except that those who were here first probably have tight schedules to keep.
But I digress, welcome!
Our tale begins with a single man walking in a forest. This man has walked into possibly hundreds of forests in his life time but he hadn't come across one quite like this. The forest felt, in a word, old. Ancient; Deep-rooted; had history; as in this forest felt like it stood on possibly the oldest and most virgin soil in the entire world. This wouldn't have felt strange to you or me, but to this man, it felt ominous. Especially in a world where he resides in.
You see, dear audience, this world was ruled by a Tyrant. A strict and cruel and powerful ruler by the name of Aku, whose name literally means Evil. With each and every land he laid eyes on the soil became barren and dead, or if anything lived, it wasn't pure or good anymore. The ground on which you stood on wouldn't have had a "good feeling" to it, or a feeling that felt ancient and rich as this forest did. History didn't exist in this world, but somehow, in this forest, it did.
To the man it felt like home, his land was filled with history and good soil and felt healthy. Thus, he became all the more cautious. He didn't exactly know how he entered such a wood, for the night before he was in a barren wasteland – another sign of Aku's tyranny – and had woken up that morning here.
To say the man was confused would have been an understatement.
To see how long he had "traveled" the man decided to climb one of the towering trees. It would have been a near impossible task for any other man for the lowest limbs were too high even for the long necked creatures we call "Giraffes."
But this was no ordinary man.
He walked back a couple of paces, judged the distance good then started running. He ran as fast as he could to the base of the tree then effortlessly ran up the length of the trunk until he reached the lowest branch. He quickly grabbed ahold of it and lifted himself up almost as if it were nothing at all. Barely broken a sweat.
He started to climb.
He swapped between climbing and jumping to each branch as the situation demanded, sometimes disturbing the local animals that roamed the tall tree until he reached the very top branches. He moved the branches slightly so that he could maneuver through them without being caught and falling to very unpleasant bruising, and looked from one of the tallest trees in the area.
What he saw didn't exactly surprise him though, if anything it just made him annoyed.
There was no barren wasteland anywhere near the sea of trees.
The woodland seemed to reach the horizon almost all around, seemingly to go for leagues upon leagues. The man scrunched up his face in irritation and confusion. Irritation: he was on his way to a nearby village that had a – reasonably – cheap guide through a tunnel that lead underground which led to a cavern said to hold a holy object that would give the holder anything he desired. It was completely typical for something like this to happen. Confusion: how had it happen? The man was not a heavy sleeper, given previous events from his journey, so no one could have moved him. But if they had, why here and not straight to Aku?
And of course – just like almost all of his adventures – he had no answers and no way of knowing. Sighing, the man started his decent until he saw something glint in the corner of his eye. He turned and saw for the first time a slight clearing of trees not too far from where he stood on his tree and there was a glint of light in that direction. The man thought it could be a trap but he simply shrugged his shoulders. It was a place to start. So the man made his journey.
He occasionally had to climb some other trees as the time passed so he could see he was heading in the right direction but it was a painfully slow process and he was getting tired and hungry. There was an occasional animal that he would spy but they seemed to disappear when he would give chase, thus adding to his growing irritation. Not to mention the sun was steadily moving more and more west, faster than his liking. It was nearly dark when he finally reached the clearing.
The man looked around it. It was a large clearing of trees, big as a house was large, the grass grew freely with the occasional bloom popping out, but beside that there wasn't anything truly significant about it. The white robed figure looked up at the sky and had to let out a content sigh. At least it was a safe looking place for him to sleep. He sat on the surprisingly soft grass and sat for a long while, thinking about all that transpired (which means all that had happened) but finally he felt the fatigue of his body and allowed himself to sleep.
He awoke to the sound of footsteps.
He stiffened for a moment, listening to the woods around him. The footsteps had stopped, possibly sensed him waking so the man slowly returned to a slow deep breathing, but he was far from sleepy. He gripped his sword tighter against himself, getting ready to spring into action if something should happen. Nothing happened for a few moments and the man felt himself relax slightly, it was probably a started animal, none the less he kept listening. And it paid off for the footsteps resumed and were slowly getting closer. The man waited, the footsteps were closer, he gripped his sword even tighter. There was something odd about these steps. He listened even more carefully.
Da-thump du-thump da-thump du-thump
Hoof beats! But they sounded so light and calm. The man finally raised his head and beheld a sight he was definitely not expecting.
The beast was alone; he bore no rider, no saddle and not even a bridal. He was a brilliant color of white, more pure than freshly fallen snow and held an atmosphere that spoke volumes of powerful holy magic. The most recognizable feature of this Great Beast was the long sharp horn upon its head.
There was no mistaking this creature, as I'm sure all of you had guessed already, the Proud and Noblest of Beasts, The Unicorn. The man stared at the Unicorn in astonishment. Never in all his wonderings of the evil infested lands had he beheld such pure and innocent beauty. Not to mention that the tales of the Beast before him had told that they would only come before an innocent and pure maiden. He knew he was Pure and innocent, for his entire life had made sure that he would fight for the cause of good, but he also knew he wasn't a maiden and the tales all agreed that Unicorns came to maidens; rarely a Man. To have one come before him willingly was indeed a great honor.
The man felt a bout of shame come over him as he remembered the sword in his hand that he would have used on the creature. He bowed his head and knelt before the Unicorn holding the sword before him.
"Forgive me, Holy One, for in my ignorance I had nearly drawn this weapon against you. Though it would not have harmed the likes of you it would have meant the greatest offense. I humbly apologize." He lifted his gaze to watch if the creature understood him and saw to his delight the white head bob in acknowledgement, the fine hairs of his mane flying through the air. The man placed the weapon on the ground and stood to his full height but didn't move another muscle in his body. They stood before one another each taking in the countenance of both. The Unicorn looked at the man calmly, as if it went about the world of men each and every day and so was not disturbed by the man's presence. The man waited though, he knew that he should not approach the Beast for fear that he would startle Him to run away, but He was there for a reason. Otherwise it would not be standing in front of a Man, no matter how righteous his cause. So instead he spoke, softly at first so the Unicorn wouldn't rear.
"I'm afraid I do not understand this honor that you had bestowed on me, O Great One." The Unicorns ears pricked toward him but gave no other motion. "But I know it to be important, for you would not have dared to approach me." It gave another great nod of its head. "Then what am I doing here? Had you brought me here?"
Instead of answering, the Unicorn simply turned around and walked calmly away. The man felt his heart sink in slight disappointment but it rose again quickly when the Great Beast stopped and turned His head toward him. Knowing the invitation he slowly took up his sword and placed it in its familiar place at his hip and walked carefully to Him. When the man was close enough, the Unicorn walked again out of the clearing and into the darkness of the trees, with the man in white following close behind.
It was dark in the forest, and as trained as he was to find his way the man had a very hard time keeping his footing. He nearly twisted his foot until the Unicorn lit up the way with the tip of its horn, the soft bluish white light illuminating the forest before them a small ways. They walked for a long while; the man spotted many animals coming out in their curiosity and also noticed that several started to follow. Once or twice the white clad man had dared to reach out toward the Great Beast but it neatly side stepped away from him both times each had given warning looks from the Unicorn. This was a Holy creature and would be touched on His account, no others. So the man contented himself that he had seen this Marvelous Being where none other would have even the pleasure of a glimpse. The moon was waning as the two walked in silence and that was another thing the man thought of about tonight. Usually the man would have been unnerved by the silence of a forest knowing that something wasn't right, but this silence was more reverent and respectful for the creature passing by rather than full of anticipated danger.
At last the Unicorn stopped at another clearing and looked to the man, motioning with the slight grace of His head that he was to enter. The man bowed his head in gratitude to the Beast and watched it walk away. It was now truly dark, the moon had set hours ago, so the man laid upon the soft grass and promptly fell into the most peaceful sleep he had ever had since being in this horrible world.
….Which was interrupted by consistent jabs to his left kidney (the kidneys are located in the lower back). The white robed man was groggy from sleep but it was quickly dispelled when he realized there were people present.
"Uop! Looks like this one's awake!" A man's voice boomed in mockery. Several other voices chuckled around the robed figure as he slowly sat up. Fighting was useless, seeing he was surrounded and his sword was nowhere near him –they must have taken it - and these men were young and fit looking. There were six men in all armed to the teeth in daggers, blades, fire arms, bows and a quiver of arrows each and they all had spears that were directed at him. The man made no move. He felt another jab in his back but gave no indication that he felt it. It jabbed harder and still he didn't move. He kept his calm stare to the speaker who had gotten closer to his face. The speaker was a very solid looking man, almost rivaling in height to a Scottish friend that the man knew. The speaker was broad in shoulders and stubborn in stance. He was ageing, a few wrinkles around his eyes and mouth, white lined his sideburns; his hair long but possibly shorter than his shoulders and was tied back at the nape of his neck; and his beard was graying in some patches but he was still a strong bear of a man.
"So what's a stranger like you doing in the middle of our territory? What's your purpose here?" The man said nothing.
The speaker was slowly losing his patience as he waited for this strangely dressed person to speak. When he spoke to someone, he had better get a reply!
"Are you deaf, sir? Are you not getting what I'm saying? Is something not quite reaching that small brain of yours?!" His comrades chuckled but he ignored them, he wanted a rise from this one, so he wasn't going to look away.
The stranger calmly returned his stare for a long while and the bear of a man's comrades were getting slightly fidgety. The silence was almost unbearable. Bear of man watched the stranger closely, they say silence can tell you a lot about a person, some would break under the pressure, tell their life stories, fidgeted around, or made some odd noises to pass the time. This one was still, and so was Bear of man, his comrades however, not so much.
"Crime-in-nettly! Can't we just tie him up and take him to Boss?" Dexler, one of the more earlier recruits, complained. Bear of man noticed that the stranger stiffened some when Dexler said "boss". So he's in some sort of trouble…how boring. Intriguing but boring. Bear of man shrugged his shoulders and stood to his full height.
"Sure Dexler, we'll just have to explain to Boss why there's a stranger where he's not supposed to be. Then we'd have blood on our hands." Bear of man was watching the stranger closely as he spoke. What he was saying was partially true, boss would question and then they'd have to do something with the stranger but any sort of violent act so far into "Its" territory can be a serious offense which would do very badly for them. The stranger, as Bear of man saw, was a young looking fellow, dressed up in a dress oddly enough but he looked strong and capable of handling himself, and the sword they confiscated was made of some really good quality metal. The younger man looked oddly familiar to him though, the topknot he tied his black hair into at the top of his head was a dead giveaway but Bear of man couldn't put his finger on who… He would hate for this young man to go to waste but whatever the boss ordered they'd do it.
Bear of man leaned really close to the stranger's face again and was again impressed with how he handled himself. "How about a name, stranger?" He looked into his black eyes and saw a hard glint of defiance. Though he surprised Bear of man when he opened his mouth to speak.
"They call me Jack." Bear of man smiled grimly. Now he remembered.
"There that wasn't so hard." He gestured over to his men with his head. "The curly headed one is Triston. Then there's Dexler, Kaseem, Zvuk dokazatel'stvo – but we call him Gaskit – and Fremont." Each looked at him in confusion but nodded to Jack all the same. He straightened himself again. "And I'm Arkoúda ánthro̱pos, but people here call me Ark. Much like the Biblical Ark." He said proudly, but to his surprise Jack looked confused. Ark shrugged his shoulders. Maybe someday he'll explain. He has to remember that a lot of these people weren't from Earth and wouldn't know of the forbidden holy text which he speaks of. No matter, Ark was sure that after a little persuasion he could get boss to let the young samurai stay and then he'll someday explain.
"Which reminds me, you needn't be so defensive now, now that I know who you are Samurai Jack." Jack looked at him curiously. Ark nodded grimly. "Yes, I know fully well who you are Jack, your reputation precedes you. You needn't worry though, you're among allies." Everyone in the proximity was startled, especially his men, Jack looked wary still but his defensive posture had relaxed a little. Ark nodded then gestured to Jack with his head while turning away "Give him back his sword, we'll escort him back to the village." Kaseem, a dark haired and light purple skinned young male was the one who held the Katana and seemed almost reluctant to give it back, but with a firm look from Ark he placed the sword in the Samurai's hand. Jack looked openly relieved to have his weapon back and had immediately stood up to replace it at his hip. At a look from Jack, Ark gave a bark of command and the small party departed the small clearing.
The village was not the kind of village that Jack was used to, nor expecting. He expected another clearing full of huts and campfires and children running to and fro between the homes and people going about their day on the forest floor. What he saw however was that the village was built in the treetops, which made sense since the trees grew close together it would have been less work build tree houses in the boughs all being connected to each other than to cut down each large tree to make homes. Not too far from the tree houses was an area that was sparser in trees to which there was a bit of some activity there. People gathered around large campfires that were scattered in the area, children were playing a game of what looked like hide and go seek; many of the men were carrying packages or weaponry around to different locations.
There was a Smiths forge, a small bakery, a pottery shop, and any other stores and shops that needed large fire places to do their work that would have been too dangerous in the trees. Jack watched the hustle and bustle of the people with curious delight. Usually when he visited a village they were more secluded in their daily lives, always wary of others, even to their neighbors, or they were destroyed by Aku's minions, or the village was altogether deserted. It had been a long time that Jack had seen such a content and busy village, it was all too apparent that these people trusted one another and they all respected each individual. Jack felt a warmth come over his heart, even the atmosphere was good, it felt like home.
But even as he watched the people in their contented daily lives, the people also watched him with looks ranging from curiosity to open hostility. There were more than a few people that gave him a threatening look and followed the small group. Jack was beside Ark at the front of the line with the other men - Jack couldn't remember which faces belonged to which names – followed shortly behind. Jack glanced at Ark to see if he noticed the group that was forming behind them or the looks of the people's faces, but Ark steadily ignored them all, having one goal in mind. Jack decided that the hostile group was not going to attack them – at least not just yet – so he contented himself to the occasional glance in every way, wanting to keep each image in his mind. Even with the growing hostility, it was a peaceful, happy village. Jack was impressed that such a village existed in such a world.
At last they came to a nearby tree with a large house built in its bough, Ark grabbed hold of the rope ladder that was hanging down from the steps of the house and was nailed to the ground and gestured that Jack should climb. Jack nodded and began his ascent. As he climbed he saw below him that one of the people from the group came up to Ark and talked to him but he kept his voice low so Jack couldn't hear a word that he was saying. Ark only gruffed out a short reply.
"That'll be for her to decide, Clyde." Jack wondered who this "her" could be.
That is until he reached the top and looked over the edge of the first step and saw a pair of bare feet greet him. Those feet were attached to legs inside red flowing pants, which were attached to a mid-section that was inside a flowing shirt tucked into the pants and showed off its curves; Jack respectfully kept his eyes above her chest which was attached to some strong looking shoulders which was attached to a head. This was a very lovely "her" Jack concluded. From his point of view though she looked tall and imposing, her stance defensive with her hands balled into fists at her large hips and her feet spread apart. She looked down at him with a disapproving look, long dark red hair flowing down to tickle her lower back, her eyes were as almost as green as the brightest tree leaf. Above her eyes her eyebrows were slightly big but were neat and dark, one was raised in an arch. A white scar ran along her jaw and curved toward her ear. Or at least where an ear should have been if she were human, for Jack quickly noticed that she had ears atop of her head, like a fox would have. Jack also noticed that a bushy red tail – hidden behind her flowing pant legs – swished low and lazily behind her. Her face was toned and oval shaped, her nose was straight but turned up at the end, freckles dotted her cheeks and crossed over her nose.
Jack was in awe of this woman standing above him for not just her beauty, but the atmosphere around her demanded respect and compliance, she looked and felt like a leader. Jack was surprised but he quickly hid it, he didn't want to seem unprofessional and idiotic to this woman, beautiful or not she was still the leader of this village and looked like a capable fighter – if the knives and sword on her belt gave any indication. He placed his hand on the board walk in front of the building and boosted his knee to get some form of leverage when one of her hands came into view. Jack gripped the offered hand - It was a slender hand but strong in grip and calloused, a result of hard labor – allowed himself to be helped up. Once he was standing the woman released his hand and stared hard and coldly at him for a long moment, assessing him and judging his stance and such. Jack did the same only in mild curiosity, she looked tall but now that he was standing near her the top of her head reached his collarbone, the tips of her ears could have easily brushed his nose if they were standing closer.
She must have been satisfied for she turned away from him to offer her hand to Ark, who excepted it gratefully and was hoisted up on the front planking.
"Thank you, Miss." Ark gruffed.
"Mind telling me what this is about, Arkoúda?" She jutted a thumb toward Jack. Her voice was hard and low but it held some warmth to it as she addressed the large man. Ark scratched his chin absently as he glanced at Jack, he shrugged his shoulders.
"I thought I would leave him to you, Ma'am-"
"And lead him straight to the heart of our village when a simply call would have sufficed?" she snapped, her eyebrow raised fractionally higher. Her voice went low and lost most of its vehemence. "Ark, I'm surprised at you, you're not ever this careless."
"I'm not, I think you'll like him." Ark's mouth corner lifted slightly in a small smirk. The Boss snorted.
"I'll be the judge of that." In a graceful movement she turned and headed inside the large tree house, Ark followed her closely with Jack not far behind. Once they were inside Jack saw that it wasn't a house but a Head Quarters, guards lined the hallway in respectful stances with swords ready to be drawn in any hint of danger, the woman walked through them, completely ignoring them as she made her way to a different room her tail swishing to and fro behind her. Ark didn't seem to have a problem following so closely behind her, he didn't stumble or lose his footing as to avoid stepping on the large and bushy tail. If anything it just swished unworriedly almost between his legs, Jack couldn't help but be fascinated by it. They entered through double-doors and into a large room. There wasn't a lot of furnishings other than a large desk center back, a few chairs in front of it, four chairs lined two walls and there was a cabinet on one wall holding curious little objects and a globe in the back corner near the desk. Behind the desk was a window overlooking the goings on in the market and most of housing in the trees. The woman walked purposefully to the desk and sat behind it, calmly removing sheets of paper from its top and putting them away, no doubt maps and important documents that she didn't want seen by a stranger. Once she finished she placed her elbows on the surface and laced her fingers together resting her chin on her thumbs, eyeing Jack coolly and calculating. Ark stood in front of the desk off to one side and gestured for Jack to do the same. She gave no other movement save for her eyes watching him and her ears occasionally flitting. It was silent for a couple of minutes.
"Now then," she spoke calmly. "Why don't you tell me your name and why you're here in our territory, stranger." She said the word "stranger" as if she very well knew who he was but wasn't impressed in the slightest. She had a mild voice that was a bit high in pitch but it no doubt was filled with authority and it held his attention with every word.
"They call me Jack. I have no knowledge of how I came to be in your forest, I was in a desert two days ago and woke almost nine leagues away from here. I climbed a tree to get a better look at my surroundings and found a clearing." He debated whether to tell them of his experience with the unicorn but decided against it. He doubted they would have believed him. "…and that is where your men found me." He finished. During his recount he noticed that the woman's ears had twitched toward him curiously at the beginning then they slowly turned down and her eyes would get colder and colder. It was silent for a time until Boss breathed deeply through her nose and rubbed her temples.
"You're not saying the whole story, though for what you say is true, I can't detect any lie from what you've said, yet you're keeping a lot of it from me, though I can possibly guess what." Ark glanced at Jack then looked at his leader with a questioning look, she met his gaze in challenge. "Yes, Arkoúda. I do believe that is what happened." She turned her gaze to Jack's hip where he kept his sword. She lifted her chin toward it. "May I see your weapon?" He didn't see the point of resisting so he lifted the sword, scabbard and all, and handed it to her waiting hands. She took the weapon and began an inspection. She studied the scabbard closely then drew the sword, her eyes widened and her lips parted in surprise but it was quickly hidden in a scowl as she drew the sword fully from the sheath. She held it up and studied the blade, her eyes glinting in approval, she tested its sharpness with her thumbnail, a very thin slice of nail fluttered to the ground. She nodded then re-sheathed the sword and handed it back to Jack, seemingly satisfied with the inspection.
"That is a very good sword. It looks like it was specially crafted for holy purposes." her eyebrow raised as she eyed him closely "It's a small wonder why the Unicorn would visit you but no longer a mystery."
Jack was taken aback. "How did you-" but she turned her back on him ears back in annoyance, her hair flying gracefully around her hands clasped behind her back.
"That is a pure and holy weapon, used strictly for the destruction of evil and unrighteous things. Be very careful with it. There would be many out there who would love to handle such a weapon."
"But how did-" She looked over her shoulder her eyes cold.
"The Unicorn has guided many of us here, each one had a uniqueness and purity about them and so could handle seeing the Unicorn. It would not have allowed an unpure being in its midst. Let alone in its forest. Also," She turned halfway toward him looking at him straight in the eye – She had before, almost always but now her gaze was sharp. "Your eyes are different than when they were before." Jack looked at her confusedly.
"A person who had never seen a Unicorn have eyes that are empty and seem without purpose," Ark explained. "dark and reflective. But once they have seen a Unicorn, they take on a hopeful light, filled with spirit it seems." Ark nodded to himself. "Almost everyone in the village had laid eyes on Him. They all have the same filled look." He glanced into Jack's eyes. "So do yours."
"That's how we know friend to foe." Boss continued her eyes narrowing. "If the Unicorn hadn't visited you, Ark would have killed you." Jack felt a cold shiver run up his spine. Her voice held cold surety, complete finality. "Though we don't fully rely on the Unicorn, after all, a creature of light has its own agenda than to visit strangers in forest. Hence our homes in the trees and our smiths and scouting parties, the planning and preparing, so on and so forth. The Unicorn provides a key from learning friend from foe but it will never visit big groups of people. The Unicorn also provides a security for us, He hides us from the eye of Aku since he is the form of evil and darkness itself. Nothing truly evil could come within the proximity of a Unicorn's lair. It wouldn't stand it." She eyed Jack closely, his head was reeling with the information. This place was free of Aku's tyranny? Is that truly possible? She nodded as if hearing his thoughts her eyes softening. "It's a lot to take in, but we give the same information to each of our new comers so that they understand that they are safe and also to warn that it's a very fragile security we have. For if the Unicorn is frightened away, we would be exposed to Aku's eye and immediately destroyed.
"I tell you this because you are the most wanted man in the world, Samurai Jack." Her voice turned soft but it was still commanding. "Although our home is open to such people you are the most dangerous to keep. If Aku had news that you were here, he would come and frighten away the Pure Beast and all would be lost. Everything that we had worked for, for years, would come crashing and burning down." Jack looked at her in surprise and saw the pained, regretful look in her eyes, her ears tilted downward but it quickly was covered and she returned his look with a hard stare. Ark made to say something but she held out her hand to him stopping him mid-word.
"Although you are welcome to stay here for a time to recuperate and to ready yourself for your next adventure, you cannot stay long. That is my warning to you. Stay longer than necessary and I will personally escort you out whether you are ready, or not." She turned away again, facing the window. "You are welcome to do as you like, Arkoúda will tell you our rules and you must obey them. I have to have a word with Arkoúda so you will have to wait for him outside. Understood?"
"Yes, I understand." He bowed his upper half slightly "Thank you for your hospitality, I hadn't realized I had put you in so much danger and makes your offer all the more appreciated. Thank you."
"More danger than you realize, Jack." She whispered it so softly he nearly didn't hear it. He bowed again and as he turned to leave a thought had occurred to him.
"What may I call you in the meantime? Boss?" He saw her shake her head, her hair swishing with the movement. He noticed her fox ears were up and twitching.
"I am called Nira, you may call me that." Jack heard the slight amusement in her voice but didn't comment. Instead he opened the door and left to wait for Ark outside.
Once the Samurai was gone and she could no longer hear his footsteps, Nira sighed tiredly and sat in her chair, rubbing her eyes. This was not what she needed at all. Arkoúda was still standing at her desk waiting for the inevitable confrontation that was about to come.
"So? Did you like him?" Ark said slyly. Nira groaned.
"Ark, why? I know you knew who he was, why didn't you turn him away like you usually do with Most Wanted's? He is not a person we need here." Ark merely shrugged.
"He made more of an impression on me than any of them, I liked him." Nira had to smile, that was Arkoúda for you. He was a battle hard man, an excellent judge of character, but was a complete sucker for the young warriors. Nira imagined he sees himself in most of them and wants to help them become something more. She shook her head, but he also knows the precarious danger that they were constantly in. Not just anyone that has seen the Unicorn could come to the village. That was carelessness. Ark looked at Nira seriously, giving her a probing look. "But do you like him?" Nira casted her eyes skyward as if asking for patience, then started to retrieve the papers she had hidden from the samurai, deliberately not meeting the huge man's gaze. She heard him shift his posture and she guessed that he had crossed his arms to look at her sternly. She kept her eyes on her papers.
"Well?" Ark asked finally. Nira risked a glance in his eyes then shrugged her shoulders almost dismissively.
"It doesn't matter if I like him or not. He's dangerous to the people because he is the only one capable of destroying Aku." She looked steadily into his eyes now. "And that puts us all in terrible risk. So yes, I'm impressed with him. To the untrained eye he doesn't look like much, but you and I both know how to pick our horses, don't we?" She gave a rueful smile. "He would have been a very powerful recruit, possibly one of the best we could have afforded. But it doesn't matter. He can't stay." She picked up her pen and started to write another document, purposely ignoring the big man's stare.
"And how long is he allowed to stay then if you're so keen on protecting the village. How long before Aku catches wind?" He raised one of his bushy eyebrows. From anyone less this would have been challenging the leader but Ark was second in command, his questions and advice were highly appreciated to Nira, it helped her think. Nira wasn't a hard leader, if anything she was a good and just person, only looking out for those she's in charge of, which was everyone in the vicinity. But sometimes she could be more stubborn than a muleck and when she gives an order Ark would question if it was wise and help her sort it out from her mind. She calmly set her pen down and laced her fingers together, leaning back in her chair to consider the question.
"I'd say if he's closely watched, it'll be about 16 hours. If not, at least three days before Aku is notified. I'd rather be safe than sorry and have him leave tomorrow morning."
"That barely gives him enough time for a decent meal and bed!" Ark exclaimed though he didn't raise his voice, which was another thing Nira liked about Arkoúda, he didn't raise his voice even when he was angry. "He might be against that, Nira."
"I didn't tell him how long he was staying," Nira reminded him "only that if he stayed too long I would escort him out. He would understand. Didn't you hear him earlier? He would be satisfied enough." Ark looked like he was about to say something else but he held it in. To Nira he looked like a puffed up bird of prey. She sighed rubbing her forehead. "Is there something else?"
"I want to see how he fights. If he's a good fighter we might be able to keep him here." It came out hurriedly, all in one breath. Nira let out a long patient asking breath.
"Arkoúda, we just barely went over why he cannot stay."
"But if he helped us-"
"You know exactly why that is a bad idea Ark! If you want to fight him and assess him yourself, be my guest but we will have no more talk of him staying. He stays for 16 hours, no more and no less. You are dismissed." Nira turned her chair away to face the window, but she watched the reflection rather than the outside. She watched Ark's reflection look heavenward then he bowed low.
"Yes Ma'am." He turned and left her alone. Nira sighed tiredly. She wondered when Danny would be home…
The day was nearly over by the time Ark had finished giving the grand tour of the village making sure to introduce Jack to everyone so that they knew for sure that he was a friend and Ark made sure he knew of the rules of the village too. Jack was a good listener and he was kind and respective to the people around him, but that wasn't what impressed Ark. Jack did things without having to show he could, without the general politeness. For example, one of the smith apprentices was having a hard time lifting a metal sheet for melting, while Ark was in the middle of a discussion Jack turned and immediately helped the lad. After the work was completed he stayed with the boy for a while asking him questions. Then he waved good-bye and turned back to Ark.
"My apologies, you were talking about the lack of roosters?" Ark had patted him on the back with a laugh and kept showing him around. Ark had gotten the fight he wanted and he wasn't disappointed. In fact he was disappointed in a different way. Their fight had lasted about three hours before Jack defeated him, unarming him after he made a mistake. Ark sighed. Here was a strong and capable warrior, and he had to leave. Ark shook his head roughly, he knew and understood why, he shouldn't be pouting like a spoiled child. He sighed though, it was really too bad. Now it was dusk and the honorary feast would begin shortly to honor Jack's presence in the village, it was something the village did for every newcomer but Ark felt an under layer of bitter sweetness. The large man lead the smaller man to the main clearing, since it was a feast everyone was to attend so the meal was to be held on the ground in the middle of a small clearing.
Villagers were already setting up the arrangements; cooks barking orders to their workers; mothers scolding their children for getting a garment dirty; children running around naturally disturbing most of the prepares, but no one really minded. Ark was interrupted from his thoughts when peals of laughter erupted the calmness of the dusk. Curiosity getting the best of him he followed the sounds till he came across a heartwarming sight. Jack was playing with the children in a game of – what the children call – "Tickle Monster." Much like tag, a player who is "it" has to chase the others and try to catch and tickle the other into submission, once the victim cries "uncle" they both chase the remaining players till one remains then that person is it next round.
Ark watched the round with a small smile. The children play a lot with each other but it was good for someone older to play with them once in a while. There were almost twenty kids in all, all ranging from as old as thirteen to as young as two. Jack had caught most of the children and all had delightfully cried in mercy. There was one child left, now he was it. The boy was a bit older, almost twelve years old and Ark knew him to be adept to running, he was interested how this round would play.
The boy had chosen to catch most of the kids first so that they could all have a better chance at catching Jack, which was a smart move. Jack had used his skills as a fighter to effortlessly dodge the children's attempts to catch him, but he was slow enough for them to come close, thus keeping their spirits up in the game. Finally when it looked like Jack would be "it" again, one of the children – a little girl aged 4 – caught him. By the rules, you couldn't run anymore and you had to submit to unrelenting tickling till you say "uncle" so when the little girl caught him Jack rolled onto the ground lifting the little girl above him, both were giggling like mad. The others caught up and started to tickle Jack.
Ark was getting too embarrassed by the display, and turned away to see a lot of the villagers – mostly the women – had stopped to watch. Ark was nearly ready to break up the crowd when he spotted someone.
"Daniel Barkain! Good to see you, boy!" Ark's muffled booming voice was heard in Nira's study, her heart quickened. She had been watching from her window the display of Jack and the children and she had to sigh regretfully. When she first met him he seemed hard and distant, like many of the warriors who find their way here, the land is extremely hard and foreboding outside the forest and can leave even the most reasonable man cautious and skeptical of almost everything. When she had told him that this place was free and safe from Aku's reign, she had seen the stress and the hardness of his countenance melt away. It made her feel bad about his inevitable leave, he seemed to be able to relax without having to worry too much about the people around him.
Nira noticed that he while he was a soft spoken man, he was also very sociable, the children warmed up to him immediately when they were told that he was the hero they've heard so much about. With the people it took a little longer but soon they were all accepting of the samurai. Nira hated to be the bearer of bad news but what choice did she have? This was her being lenient. If it was truly up to her, if she had been out in the forest instead of Arkoúda, she would have turned the samurai away. But what done is done, she was not there and thus had to deal with the short staying guest.
Nira's gaze strayed from the samurai to Ark and Danny as they conversed and felt herself grow impatient. She wanted to talk to him, wanted to run to him in a full run and ask him how he was doing and such, but she had to wait. She would get her turn, after all, he had to bring his report to her and he would do just that as soon as he was done socializing, he had been gone for eight weeks. She took a deep, cleansing breath and turned back to her work. He'll come when he comes.
"So you're back from your trip out west, how did it go?" Ark crossed his arms in a social manner. Daniel "Danny" Barkain was a young humanoid man, his features were mostly human save for his sharp teeth and glowing brown eyes making them look like burning embers, his ears were also pointed and slightly larger than a human's ears. His hair was a light brown with strips of darker brown streaking his hair. Other than that, he was a good looking fellow and was one of the more eligible bachelors around the village, with him being one of the better swordsmen in the land, well third to Ark and Jack. All of the eligible ladies were always fawning for him, that is until he handed his heart over to their beloved leader. Ark had to chuckle at the memory when she accepted his offer of proposal, the girls of the village were nearly green with envy – not counting those who were already green. Danny smiled easily with a crooked smile as he replied.
"Everything went as expected. I snooped around and managed to overhear some more news on the goings on at the main city. It seems that Aku is putting nearly all of his forces to find this one man. I have it all written in my report but I'll have to hand it over to Nira first, of course." Ark smiled broadly.
"Of course. You might be wanting to go now, I expect she would be anxious to hear of your return." Danny smiled sheepishly
"I'm anxious to see her too, I've been gone a long while and have missed her terribly."
"Then what are you doing talking to me? An old, gruff, cold hearted man like me shouldn't be the subject of your conversation. Get going. There's going to be a feast tonight so make sure you get Nira to dress up for the occasion." Danny's eyebrow raised in question.
"We have a newcomer? How many had come by while I was gone?" Ark shrugged his broad shoulders.
"Not many, a new family of three arrived just after you left and then this fellow today." Danny nodded absently.
"I'll have to meet them then, see how they're doing settling in and all. And who is this newcomer?" Ark's eyes held a twinkle.
"I think you've heard of him but I'll leave it as a surprise. Get going, Nira would be growing impatient." Danny bowed to his large friend and waved good-bye as he left, Ark returned the gesture then turned to find the Samurai. He needed to get himself ready for the feast.
Jack was now talking to a few of the parents of the children he was playing with and Ark noticed that the Samurai looked lighter, as if some burden was gone from his soul. He nodded to himself, that was the definite work of the Unicorn, seeing Him gave a feeling of peace and fulfillment which could lift the heaviest of spirits, but Ark also knew it was the security of the village. Jack didn't feel the constant threat of the world anymore, he was safe. For a time. Ark shook the feeling of melancholy for the young warrior and gripped his shoulder. Jack was startled from his conversation with a young mother who cooed at her small daughter then returned her attention to Jack, he turned around to find Arkoúda broad smile.
"You wouldn't mind if I take him with me, do you Mrs. Chival? I need to get him some sleeping arrangements before the meal." Mrs. Chival giggled behind her hand and nodded, her pink fuzzy hair bobbing with her. The child in her arms looked at Ark with a shy smile and Ark smile grew wider to her. She ducked her head with a giggle and he turned Jack away.
"I hope you're enjoying your stay here, boy. These are good people and they seem to be taking a liking to you." Jack felt himself get embarrassed, playing with the children was a short notice but he enjoyed himself but now he seemed to have attracted some attention because of it. Women are a confusing folk. He grew to love the children and the people of the village, once they got over their fear, they became a welcoming people.
"I am very grateful for your hospitality, even when I have placed you all in terrible danger, I want you to know I appreciate it very much." Ark merely shrugged.
"It's a terrible business that we're dealing with here, risks at every turn and every scout that we send out. We'd be straining ourselves hosting you but we are not a cruel people. We have a soft spot on those on the run. But trust me when I say, you've only placed us in a little more danger, nothing more than usual."
"But Ms. Nira said-" Ark waved his hand.
"Nira is a good leader and she cares for her people, she's afraid of what is to come but sometimes she exaggerates the issue. I'm a cautious man, Jack right, and I trust her to make the right decision for her people but it's times like these when I have to question her fear." Ark was saying this to try and reassure him Jack knew, but he felt even less sure than he did that morning after talking with Nira. He suspected that the man beside him had a soft spot for the weary traveler and that he felt bad about the entire affair. Jack knew the man was struggling with his loyalty with his leader and his heart to do all that he could to help Jack feel welcomed and unburden-some. Jack appreciated the man's efforts but he had to put a stop before he did something reckless, as in making the leader angry.
"Thank you, Arkoúda, but I really don't want you to get in trouble for all you've done." Again he was waved off.
"She wanted me to show you around and to make sure you enjoyed your stay for as long as allowed. And don't worry about my talk, I've said far worse and she's done no less." Ark sighed. "I don't talk behind her back in ill, I worry about her and I tell my concerns to her face, she knows my view and she's said hers. Although I wish it could be different I understand and will respect her wishes. All I can do is help you feel that you have allies, even if we're readying the boot to kick you out." Jack chuckled quietly.
"I do not mind, again, I appreciate all you've done and I honestly don't expect any more from a cautious village. I understand and can sympathize. A village's need comes first other than one man." Ark smiled slightly at the Samurai. He clapped the smaller man on the shoulder and talked about the weather as they made their way to Ark's tree house. Since the samurai wouldn't be staying long Ark had offered his house for the samurai to sleep in for the meantime. Jack was grateful since he couldn't remember the last time he had slept on a bed and had excepted his offer. He received a gesture from Ark to climb the rope ladder first and so he complied. This was one of the more taller of the trees, Ark explained that he wanted to be able to see across the valley to watch for any sign of trouble, Nira's house was the tallest as her wish was the same. Although the view was nice and clear it was a hard climb, Jack was already breaking into a slight sweat, he figured that the villagers didn't argue with the arrangements since many had young children to carry. Finally Jack reached the edge of the porch and he was breathing heavily, he boosted himself up to the porch and waited for the large bear of a man to make the climb. As he waited he looked out over the balcony's edge with approval, even if the climb was heinously ridiculous the view was more than worth the climb. The stars were just peeking out in the pale purple sky, the sun barely casting its last ray of sun over the horizon, the trees turning into a black sea in the fading light. Ark's grunting interrupted Jack's thoughts as he turned to help the older man up the final steps. Ark wiped his brow.
"I'm getting too old for this." He grumbled, Jack only smiled and contented himself to wait for the older man to catch his breath. He didn't wait long though for Ark stood up a few minutes later stretching his back. "Well enough of that, let's go in."
It wasn't a big house, if anything it was barely a hut, it was built to circle around one of the more bigger branches which gave little room for much but it had the necessities of any household would need. A fireplace built in the large trunk with a kettle; three beds (Ark shared the tree house with his son who was out scouting); a table with a few wild flowers in a vase on top; and three chairs standing around the table. It was a humble place, but it was also cozy, Ark moved to start a fire and motioned Jack to set himself on a bed. Jack complied and sat in silence while the old warrior worked at the fire. When the fire was lit and catching the timber and logs splendidly Ark walked over to his son's bed and pulled out an "under-the-bed-drawer" and rummaged around in it, most of the contents hidden from Jack's view. Finally Ark made a triumphant sound, he turned to Jack and held out some clothes to him.
"These are my son's, I believe he's about your size, if not a little bigger, but these should do for tonight. Why don't you head on in the back and clean yourself up, you'll have these to change into." Jack looked curiously at the garments that Ark produced to him. They were simple, a navy blue cotton shirt; some brown cotton pants; a white under garment; a regular leather belt; and some leather hide boots. He looked down at his own clothes. His kimono had not been washed in a few days and was starting to smell in *ahem* some areas, and contained a lot of hidden stains, especially blood. He felt his cheeks grow hot, but even though his clothes weren't in the best of repairs – they were nearly thread bare- they were still his clothes. They were from his own time, from his home. Ark seemed to notice his hesitation for he grinned kindly.
"I'll have them washed by tomorrow, these would only be temporary since they are still my son's but you are more than welcome to use them." He handed Jack the clothes, which he accepted slightly reluctantly then he felt a large hand on his back as Ark pushed him to the back of the house. "The water will take a few minutes to heat up but you're more than welcome to start." Then Ark left Jack to his own devices.
Jack opened the door that lead to the back porch and saw that it was wide enough to be a patio. He spotted the shower curtain sheet and made his way toward it, untying his kimono on the way. He looked behind the curtain and found a small tin bath and an even smaller bucket beside it with a washcloth and a bar of soap inside. Ark's voice called from inside from the window,
"I'm afraid that you'll have to fill it from inside, we hadn't quite figured out the pipes so they could lead outside without the animals messing with them…" He trailed off. Jack smiled ruefully and retied his kimono in place, grabbing the bucket and heading in for some hot water.
Jack had finished tying his hair up in his traditional topknot when Ark came into the house.
"Are you ready, lad?" Ark stopped short at the young warrior, the clothes were a little big on the man, especially around the waist – his son was a bit more barrel chested than Jack- but Jack tucked the most of the shirt into the pants and fastened them with the belt. Ark noticed approvingly that Jack had also placed his sword at his hip via belt. Even in safety it was always wise to keep a weapon handy in any time of need, it was a lesson Arkoúda had learned the hard way. But never mind that. Jack bowed to the seasoned warrior.
"Thank you, Arkoúda, for allowing me to borrow your son's clothing." But Ark waved his hand dismissively.
"No thanks needed," he said gruffly. "I'm just happy to help. And it's 'Ark' to you, you hear?" He didn't give Jack enough time to reply, instead he turned and beckoned him with his hand over his shoulder. "Come here, let's do something with that hair of yours." Jack took a step back and raised an eyebrow.
"What is wrong with my hair?" Ark eyed him closely, just something wasn't quite right with the getup but he shook his head.
"I mean no offense, just come here and I'll show you a few tricks." Jack's eyebrow raised another notch but moved closer to the man. He motioned Jack to untie his topknot and Jack obeyed, his jet black hair tumbling down around his shoulders, it was still damp as it hadn't had time to dry. Ark opened his hand silently asking for the hair tie and again Jack obeyed, Ark handed him a comb. Jack eyed the man with a frown. Ark was a big burly man but he kept himself neat, his beard – although graying in places – was neatly trimmed and his hair, tied back as it was, was smooth. His eyebrows were the only things that were bushy and unkempt.
"You want me to tie my hair like yours?" Jack asked slowly. Ark snorted.
"Hardly, but humor me for a moment." Jack's frown deepened. He didn't want to insult the man who had given his home as shelter and his only son's clothes to clothe a wandering traveler, but he wasn't sure if he liked where this was going. Ark noticed his hesitation and embarrassment so he turned away to fiddle with the flowers. As Jack brushed through his hair with the wooden comb Ark began to speak.
"I know you think of my request strange but I've been taught when I was small to hide. To 'look the part' so to speak." Jack paused in his brushing to look at the ageing gentleman finding a particular nasty tangle in the process but Ark continued. "My family were travelers, see, they were more like Nomads than anything. When we moved to a different part of the world my mother would study what the people were wearing; how they wore it; how they groomed themselves; yadda, yadda, yadda. It was hard for a growing boy, to be honest. Always wearing different things and learning how to act over and over. But my mother had taught me a lesson that I loathed to learn but never forgot. 'When in hiding, my son, you must look like the others, enemies would have a harder time looking for you if you looked like everyone else.
"When I was old enough to leave my family it was easy for me to move to a different place and assimilate since I had done so my entire life. My mother must have known that I would be a swordsmen I became one hell of a spy." He gave a rueful smile. "So bear with me on this and remember this lesson from an old foggy like me. Your clothing is too conspicuous if you want to hide from an enemy, so in a matter of dire need, you'll have to give up your old ways. Even if it would be painful. Blend to defend." He turned his gaze back to the samurai who had now just finished tying his hair back. "That's what I've been taught and it's what I've been teaching, and somewhere in that line of teaching there's something about fighting but I can't remember." Jack smiled. "Now," he clapped his hands "ready to eat?"
As Ark helped Jack get dressed, Danny was handing in his report to Nira, after a *ahem* small and lovely reunion. Nira read over his report, her once happy expression slowly turning into a business frown. She shook her head as she laid the last page of the document down on the desk, she felt suddenly weary. Danny walked to her side and slipped his arms around her, not entirely sure why she was so gloomy, she should be happy.
In his report, Danny had written that Aku's men and minions were after a single man who had been last seen in the desert just north where Danny had obtained the information, which meant they were far away looking for that man, which meant now they have a bit of breathing room. Danny thought Nira would have been ecstatic by the news, but instead she was in a state of despair her ears lowered till it seemed as though they were filled with lead at the tips. Danny couldn't bear it any longer.
"Nira, what's wrong?" he finally asked. Nira kept rubbing her temples in a soothing motion. Finally she looked up at him.
"Oh Danny, I'm sorry." She whispered she continued with a small smile "You thought I would have been happy with the news, didn't you?" Danny shifted his hold on her so he could see her face more clearly. He brought up a hand to rub her ears soothingly, she closed her eyes and leaned a bit closer to his touch but her expression didn't change.
"That was part of the plan, so what part of my report didn't you like?" She opened her eyes slowly, and drew in a breath.
"All of it." Danny paused, he was definitely confused.
"Why?"
"Because they are hunting this one man this, Samurai Jack…"
"Yes, and?" Danny urged softly. Nira buried her face into his chest.
"Danny, he's here!" Danny froze. "He arrived with Ark this morning. And Danny," she looked into his eyes, a helpless feeling overcame him, she looked torn. "Danny, he saw the Unicorn!"
Danny gasped dramatically. "It's a SIGN!" Nira pushed him away roughly.
"Daniel." She warned. Danny smiled and pulled her to him,
"I know, I know. You couldn't send him away?" Nira shook her head.
"How could I? The poor man has been running for who knows how long, Dan. While he was here I visibly saw the tension leave him." She shook her head, pulling herself away from her fiancé's grasp. "But he must leave, tomorrow at the latest. If not sooner."
"Nira, look at me." It took a moment but she did, the icy mask was back but Danny didn't let that stop him. "Aku's men are far away to the northwest. It would take a long while for any of them to reach here, but even if they did there's no way for them to cross the forest. Not with their tainted souls and the purity of the Unicorn." He placed his forehead against hers. "We'll be safe, we'll put up a few more guards around but we'll be fine."
"Except this is a man that is being hunted with such vehemence by Aku and his men. They'll be here sooner and if not them, Aku himself. The Unicorn would be frightened away-"
"And we prepared for it. We've prepared for the worst and keep our daily routines, everyone should know them by now." Nira shook her head.
"You and I both know that's to keep them from panicking." She sighed tiredly. Danny waited a few minutes before asking
"How much time do we have do you think?"
"I said around 16 hours, if we're lucky."
"That soon?"
"Aku has more spies and many different ways to keep track of his enemies. Not only that but he has magic as well. If the Samurai is being watched so closely it's only a matter of time before we expect the entire army at our front door. And your report," she grabbed the document and waved it before slamming it down again, "had just confirmed that, yes, he's being closely watched, more closely than I realized and more strongly than I would have originally thought! I'm surprised that we hadn't heard the guns exploding by now! He's too dangerous to keep, even with all of our precautions, like a house of cards, our fortress will crumble!" Danny took a deep breath, then released it with a tiny smirk
"Well aren't we the spirit of sunshine and happiness today?"
"Daniel!"
"Have you even been outside today?"
"Do not change the subject."
"You've been around too many war documents, you're starting to get frazzled. I'm not dismissing your concerns, my dear." He said softly. "They are extremely valid. As you say, the Samurai can't stay and he would have to leave as soon as possible, but you're tired. I don't think you've been outside in over a week." And he wouldn't doubt it either. As loving as she is to her people, she could be an obsessive workaholic. Ark and Danny took it upon themselves to make sure she got enough to eat, sleep, and enough outside time so that she didn't injure herself, and she was prone to listen. Sometimes. Nira shook her head impatiently.
"I train in the mornings before I work and Ark bugs me in the afternoons to take a walk. We're having a feast outside tonight, I don't think I'll get more outside time than that." Nira sighed again, and said quietly "Never mind. It seems to you that I'm over reacting. I will see you at the feast tonight." She turned away from him, dismissing him without another word. Danny felt a twinge of guilt. He was worried too, now that Nira had voiced her concerns he was beginning to worry also, but he also knew that they both needed to calm down, and the feast seemed like a good place to start. He walked up to her and kissed the top of her head before leaving the room leaving Nira to her thoughts.
A/N: Oh dear! Jack has stumbled across another Secret Village free of Aku's reign! And how do they receive him? Very mixed feelings here. Anyway, I'd love feedback. I had my brother read it but he didn't exactly critic it as much as I wanted him to so...just make sure that it makes sense and won't crush my ever loving hope and dreams, K? Helpful criticism is the best criticism.