AN: Hey everybody, still getting used to the set up on fanfic so if spacing and what not seems less than awesome know that I am working on it.

He had no expectations of what he'd find and yet he was still surprised.

He had found himself outside a truly ominous cave, hopelessly dark with stalagmites and stalactites jutting out like the razor-sharp fangs of some demonic beast about to chew him to bits. Along the outside were warnings in many dialects, few he could translate.

This wasn't what had surprised him.

What caught him off guard was the nearby stables and what appeared to be a quite lovely tea-house.

Jack pulled his horse round to the side of the stables and was greeted by a man in strange garbs, frills extending from every joint, a hat that seemed to form fit onto the man's head with strange feathers coming off that belonged to no bird he had ever seen at ANY point of time.

Jack dismounted and bowed towards the man, "Please forgive the intrusion, I was wondering if this might be a public stable?"

The man cocked his head to the side, "It very well might be. Personally if I were you I'd assume it was, rather a strange place for a private stable."

Jack couldn't tell if the man was mocking him or not but decided to go with the latter.

"Yes…it would be a very strange place indeed…the tea house at the front, is it good?" The man stroked at his impressive mustache, "Depends on whether you like tea or not." Jack grimaced, he'd never been much on small talk. "I suppose it would…"

An awkward moment passed and Jack let out a nervous chuckle. The man just kept staring at him.

"Have you seen a stable boy around?" Said Jack when he was sure the man would not be offering up help in the conversation.

The man bounced slightly from foot to foot, clearly uncomfortable standing still for so long, "You wont find too many people here who would consider themselves stable..."

"As for the guy who manages the horses, I never see him around and I haven't talked to him for many hours." The strange man adorned in various shades of yellow and purple then took the reins from Jack and walked the horse away from him.

"Of course there aren't any mirrors in here so that's hardly a surprise and I'm trying to cut down on talking to myself as much. The horses offer better dialogue anyway." Jack stared at the man as he left. "What a strange fellow…" The man didn't turn but shouted back, "That's why I like horses. Less judgmental."

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Jack sat at the opening of the teahouse and waited patiently.

He would rest here a moment, enjoy a refreshment, and then head inside the cave. The server was busy in the back preparing drinks, which was odd because Jack seemed to be the only one there. He closed his eyes and listened to slight noises around him, the wind rustling the trees, birds chirping far away, and other ambient noises.

"One hot water with green tea leaves." It wasn't Jack who said it but the server who had made his way to the front.

Jack stared at the drink he had been handed with suspicion. "There a problem, sir?"

"Yes…" Jack said slowly, "I did not order this drink…" The server smiled in a way that Jack found unsettling.

"Yet we both know that's what you would've ordered. I just saved you a little time. You seem like the type that time is always on your mind." Jack pushed the drink away from him.

"How could you possibly know what I was going to order?" The grin faded and the man shrugged.

"You just seem like the type who would order that drink. Simple as that." Jack stared at him, trying to read whether or not he should draw his weapon. Years of always being on guard had made him paranoid but his gut had never steered him wrong. He didn't feel danger, per se, from the man but he definitely knew something was off…

The man slouched and rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah sorry about that, guess I'm still getting used to the nuances of the job. Here sit over here instead, it's a better seat." The man pointed one seat over.

Jack scowled slightly but had learned long ago that any time one finds themselves in an unknown place, the best bet was to strike up a conversation with a local.

So bearing that in mind, he did move to the new seat but made sure he didn't break eye contact with the man; if he made a move for any weapon Jack would be ready.

But as he sat down again he found himself less on edge.

A few moments later he felt the uneasiness leave him completely.

The man relaxed and poured himself a drink, "The last man to sit where you were sitting was a warrior with a serious drinking problem. I wasn't sure what if he was trying to forget things he'd done or just make it through the day." He shook his head. "I suppose it doesn't really matter in the end. The years of that kind of life style was catching up to him, he didn't have long for this world and came to this place seeking a cure. To change his fate. Some are worthy enough to do so. He was not."

The server sighed. "I gave him the last drink that would ever pass his lips and he told me it was the best one he'd ever had. High praise for someone in my line of work."

Jack stared down at his drink. "It's not poisoned if that's what you're thinking."

Jack didn't look up, thinking back to all the years he'd spent making sure he poured his own drinks as much as possible, needing to be ever cautious. Those times were over now, all the friends, enemies…loved ones…they were gone.

Time would run its natural course but this future would be bright. A happy ending for all. Jack sipped the tea absentmindedly, having briefly thrown caution to the wind. "Truly delectable. Your skills as a server of beverages was not understated." The man's retort was a slight grin.

Jack glanced at the cave. "This place is strange. It's as though a presence hangs here. I've never known a place such as this."

The server nodded. "It must be a special place if a man of your…history…finds it odd." Before Jack could ask the server shrugged again. "You just seem like the type who's well-traveled. This is a place that isn't always here or there, exists but few can find it. It's the final rest stop for those who are searching for something they lost. Whether it's faith, someone special, meaning, home, the will to live all those who come here do so because they can't find what they're looking for anywhere else."

"Do they find what they're looking for?" Jack asked with guarded skepticism.

The man nodded sadly. "Very few do. Of the people who find this place most never come back out of that cave, the dangers prove to be too much for them. That's why we keep stables here and serve drinks, here they can have one last moment of peace before their likely end without having to worry that their horses will be cared for." Jack finished his tea, it warmed him to his core and brought him a fair amount of confidence. He briefly considered asking for another but he didn't want to delay. No cave would be the death of him.

"I apologize for my earlier mistrust. Time in strange lands has not done wonders for my manners. How much do I owe you friend?" Jack reached inside his gi for his money purse but the server waved his hand dismissively.

"All services here are free of charge. I am The Server, it is my duty to be generous and I gladly serve all those who are worthy of coming here." Jack stood and bowed, "That is very kind of you, would you also offer my apologies to your stable hand, I fear I misspoke earlier and was very rude."

The man laughed, "I'll let him know but by now he's gotten used to it."

"Thank you my friend, now I must depart." The Server raised an arm quickly to get Jack's attention, "Before you go, may I ask you reconsider your path? It is not too late to turn for home. For some this is the place they need to be but for others it's just a place to lose your mind, your life or both." The man pointed his thumb behind him, towards the stables, "Not everyone who comes back is happy they did."

Jack genuinely considered it for a moment. He wasn't even sure what he was looking for, going off the vague wishes of his father who had only sent him here because he had a feeling it might help. He doubted that his father thought it was worth dying for...

He tossed the thoughts to the back of his mind, one does not question their duty over such fleeting concerns. Besides…there's worse things than dying.

His mind conjured her briefly and as much as it hurt he was glad for the glimpse. Resolute he turned and walked towards his destination, "Thank you for your concern friend but this is something I must do."

The server sighed, "Figured. You didn't seem like the type to give up." Without looking he placed the drinks he had prepared earlier in front the two men that had just sat down. I wish you luck Samurai…

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The light felt different.

It could move faster now, bobbing and weaving from place to place.

It was unsure when it had left the abyss but it did not want to go back. It would not go back. The abyss scared it.

It was unsure how long it had had emotions but it didn't want to lose them either. It was still unsure what it wanted, all it knew was what it didn't want. It didn't want to forget, to be forgotten, to be so unsure of everything.

It didn't want to float aimlessly anymore…it wanted to explore. Needed…to explore.

The light would go as far one direction as it could until it hit something that would push it back, it would stumble but not be deterred, simply choosing to move in a new direction to do the same thing.

It was unsure how long it had done this but the light knew very little else other than it wanted to see as much as it could.

Somehow it knew that there was more than just this place. Other lights were around, ones that did not fade away but they simply hung in place, uninterested in the world around them. The light couldn't help but find them so pitifully dull. It wanted away from such hopeless things.

Want out. Need out. More space.

Unbeknownst to the light it was being watched.

A man stifled a laugh as it plowed into the nearby wall then bounced off with a comical popping noise. It would shake briefly then dart for another wall, unable to comprehend that it was trapped inside this room.

"Well points where they're due, you're a spirited spirit aren't you?" He knew it was unlikely the orb could understand him, if it could that would mean something interesting was about to happen and that was never the case.

Still as the light stubbornly rammed against a wall, fighting the enchantments placed upon it, with more zeal then he'd ever seen a light show he felt the slightest flicker of hope.