Jack looked around the room. He was with Aster and Ikra in her home. He had to spend an additional month in jail before he could be released. Aster was very adamant in keeping him locked away but, to his surprise, it was Aku who fought for his release. He just could not fathom what Aku's intentions were, or what on earth was this world becoming to instill trust and obliviousness to its mortal enemy.
They were in a room with some sort of bed that had a plate like slap on top of it. Ikra was on the bed while Aster was on a computer. The doctor was busy working the computer to its limit, if the effort of her fingers slamming on the keyboard was anything to go by.
"You have a lovely home," Jack tried to initiate a civil conversation, but his efforts were rebuked by a stern look from the brown-haired woman.
"The charges were dropped under the confidants that you will not attack Ikra again. I do not trust you Samurai-" Aster looked down and gave a tired sight"-but I have heard of you, now that I had the time to analyze it.
"You have?" Jack asked in surprise.
"Yes... A friend of mine told me stories of how you were able to defeat bandits. He supplied you with different pairs of shoes to try and aid you in your efforts."
Jack remembered the man quite clearly. The odd referee character that had tried on a number of occasions to help him find the suitable footwear for battle. It was strange how small the world could be.
"Yes. He is a good man with greater intentions," Jack praised.
Aster's stare lingered a while longer until she looked back at the girl who was on her custom-made scanner.
"Uhhm, Aster? Are you sure this is safe?" Ikra asked nervously from within the scanner.
"It's alright, Ikra. Everything is safe on this end. The scanner will only give me readings on what is happening to you, nothing more," Aster reassured the girl from within the device.
"...But Aster. If I'm Aku then do you really think it's safe for me to be around here?" That statement only made Aster sigh in frustration. Ikra had been very hard on herself ever since the revelation, opting to let the Samurai end her life, but the good docter would have none of that.
"Ikra, you're not attacking me, are you? You're not going around asserting your dominance to the world as the Shogun of sorrow, are you? What reason do I have to be afraid of you?" Aster questioned seriously.
Ikra's mouth formed at thin line and a frown dawned on her soft features. It was pretty obvious that she would not be able to convince the good doctor of the dangers that came with harbouring an evil being.
"Just stay still and let the scanner work. After that, we will figure out what to do next," Aster said.
"...Okay" Ikra said softly and stilled her body as the scanner continued.
"...Ikra does make a good point doctor." Jack quickly shut his mouth when Aster looked at him sternly.
"And I have told you that she's just an innocent girl, a blank page," Aster chided.
"For now," Jack asserted seriously. He had no qualms with the woman, but recklessly puting herself in danger when all proof has been brought forth was very idiotic.
Aster only glared at the Samurai and would have retorted too if her computer didn't stop her. She looked at her computer with wide eyes and trepidation.
"...It's done," Aster whispered forlornly.
Jack held his tongue at that. This was it. The reading on this scanner would give them what they needed in understanding Aku's...condition.
"Okay, Ikra, you can come out of there now," Aster called to the girl.
Ikra exited the confined chamber and joined her other two companion, but made sure to keep a much larger distance from Jack. Of course she feared the man. He almost killed her, but she couldn't just let him rot in jail. It wasn't in her to make someone else suffer. Oh, she knew the irony well.
Aster collected some papers that came out of a printer that was linked to the personal computer. She started reading the contents with narrowed eyes, taking note of every detail.
Jack and Ikra also let curiosity get the best of them and peeked over the doctor's shoulders to get a better glimpse of the information. However, it was not as easy to decipher as they each realized.
"...My god," Aster whispered in shock as she double checked what had been written.
"W-What? W-What's wrong with me?" Ikra asked worriedly.
Aster looked at the girl in bewilderment. "Well, I'm not really sure what to make of this." Aster looked back at the stack of papers and bit her lip. "According to the readings. It seems that your change had been forced, and something seems to be blocking your body's attempt to mold itself into anything you see fit. Brain patterns still indicate amnesia however it also indicates substantial brain activity as well." Both Jack and Aster focused their gaze on the shy girl.
"What does that mean?" Ikra asked hesitantly.
"Have you been having...uhhm...memory lapses or vivid dreams?" Aster asked.
She had been having very vivid dreams for the past month and it had seemed to be getting progressively worse. She wasn't sure what those dreams meant, but now she wasn't sure she wanted to know. "I have been having horrible nightmares. People dying and stuff."
Aster's shoulders sagged. "Well, those could be just nightmares or..."
"Memories," Ikra finished in shock.
"Well, yes." Aster fixed the Samurai with a withering look as she saw him stiffen." It does not mean she is returning to the visage of Aku."
"You don't know that," Jack countered.
"I am a doctor, Samurai!" Aster spat in anger.
"Please don't fight," Ikra pleaded.
Aster huffed and decided to focus on the task at hand.
Jack looked at Ikra as if she had grown a second head. Aku...stopping an argument? What the heck?
"Ikra?" Aster called.
"Yes, Aster?" Ikra said.
"I'm afraid that soon enough most of your memories will return to you and as much as I don't want to agree with the Samurai, I have no choice. You might end up being the Aku of old. I'm not saying that it's definite but as a doctor I have to consider all possibility." Aster said seriously.
"I understand. So what now?" Ikra asked curiously.
"I'm not quite sure. It could go many ways. You could gain your memory back and be changed into the side of good, or you could just end up killing like usual."Aster said thoughtfully.
"Which is why-"
"Shut up! You are not killing her!"
"What else can be done!?"
"There is always more than one way to handle a situation!"
"Not this one!"
"You pig-headed idiot-"
"We could always find a way to erase my memory!" Ikra cut the arguing pair in stride.
"...How?" Aster asked incredulously. "There is nothing in this world that could make you amnesia permanent."
Ikra's shoulders sagged. Oh great.
"Hmm... Something like that is indeed possible. If the right source is sought," Jack said.
"What the hell are talking about? Science does not have that sort of power," Aster chided.
"Not science, but the mystical arts," Jack said. It was pretty obvious that he would not sway this womans mind in killing Aku, so a compromise was at least in order.
"Magic? Well I've seen my fair share of the sort, but where could we find such an ultanative?" Aster asked.
"That...is still a mystery even to myself," Jack said with a frown. Another road block.
"Be as it may we still don't know what exactly is causing you to retain a female form, Ikra." Aster adjusted her glasses and focused fully on the girl. "I still need to run a few more tests, but for now I think it's safe to say we are done for now. Go get some sleep. We will continue tomorrow."
"Okay," Ikra said then soon left the room.
"...You are free to stay on the sofa," Aster offered half heartedly.
"You would have me stay in your home?" Jack asked confusedly.
"Come of it, Samurai. It's pretty obvious that you are not going anywhere since 'Aku' is here. So you can stay, but do not harm Ikra."
Samurai Jack looked lost for a moment but soon nodded in agreement.
Ikra was walking to her room. She almost passed another but stopped herself. This was the room she would randomly catch Aster coming out of from on occasion.
Aster made it clear that it was off-limits.
But Ikra had always been curious of what Aster might be hiding in there. For a full month she would wonder on the possibilities of what this room would be hiding, and today her curiosity would finally get the best of her.
She looked around to make sure that no one would see her. When she saw that it was clear she quickly opened the door and hurriedly entered the room before closing it. She breathed out a sigh of relief and looked around.
The place was just like any other bedroom. With a bed, closet, cabinets, etc. There was nothing out of the ordinary at first glance but Ikra knew better. She looked around at the decorations and realized something very alarming.
This was not one of Aster's rooms.
She had seen through watching television what a teenager's room looked like, a girls specifically. The rock band deco, the boy band posters, the different kinds of make-up on the dresser. The place was anything but spartan, but it was very clean and tidy, irrespective to all the teen junk. This was not Aster's cup of tea. So, whose room did this belong to?
Ikra approached the nightstand next to the bed and looked at a photo. Her eyes widened at what she saw.
The photo held a slightly younger Aster, but there was someone else as well. A girl, who was wearing a black rock star T-shirt and some jeans. She had a beautiful and innocent young face. Ikra could not help but compare the girl's appearance to her own.
They looked very similar, Ikra deduced. The only vast difference between them was skin colour. If it wasn't for that then people might have confused them for sisters...
"...Sister." That's who the person was. She had distinct facial characteristics that matched the doctors. Aster was very secretive about her past but she had told Ikra that she had a few siblings 'back in the day' and nothing further. Ikra wanted to know more but Aster would just clamp up or change the subject.
Ikra looked at the bed and was surprised to see that there was a DVD case which had the words 'Past Memories' written in bold. She looked in front of her and saw the room's only television set. The title of the case had made her curious in what the DVD held. She knew how to operate most of Aster electrical components due to prolonged exposure. She took out the disc from the case and put it into the standard DVD player. There was a brief pause, and then a holographic projection appeared in front of her.
She was shocked at what she saw.
The younger Aster was there in all her glory.
"Are you getting my good side or not, Adam?" Asked an annoyed Aster to her cameraman.
Ikra could tell that this Aster was different. She looked a lot more loose and spunky compared to the usually stoic and clouded visage. This only intensified Ikra's interest.
"Okay, so -" Aster briefly looked at her watch and then back at the camera with a cheerful smile. "That's right everybody. I'm no longer just a nurse. This is doctor Cindy Aster! I'm making this documentary film on the life of West Underground City and it's inhabitants. obviously I'm going to appear more than anyone! Hahaha." Ikra could not help but gape at the screen. The Aster that she was seeing looked so...happy. In fact Ikra had never seen Aster this happy in the entire time she had stayed here. Looking at the Aster on the screen - Who was giving a sheepish grin - made Ikra's mouth twitch in happiness.
"So, the idiot holding the camera is my older brother, Adam." Ikra briefly saw Adam's hand as he gave Aster the middle finger and Aster retorting with a raspberry of her own. "As you can see, he can be quite the moron." To which the camera shook side to side in an affirmative no. "But you can't choose your family, right? So let the documentary begin! Aster's log, day one..."
The more Ikra watched the feed. The more her heart ached, since the main problem that Aster and her city seem to have, in progressing and developing, was...Aku.
"...Aster's log, day two hundred and seven. Things are getting progressively worse. Aku has demanded that we hand over half of our resources to 'satisfy' his service in 'protecting us'. My people are having none of it. We have followed Aku's orders for decades and all he does is take from us. Our lead scientist are beginning to conduct research on possibly finding a weakness to the shogun..." Aster trailed off and looked at something that could not be seen on the camera. Her face split into a full-blown grin as she started to run.
"Ella!" Aster screamed and Ikra could finally see what the commotion was about. Aster had rushed and enveloped someone in a bone crushing hug, said person only eeped in surprise. Ikra looked closely at who Aster was holding and was surprised yet again to see that it was the girl from the photo she had seen earlier.
"Gee, Cindy, stop doing that! You keep embarrassing me!" Ella muttered and then noticed the camera. A heavy blush formed on the little girl's face. "Kyaaa! Cindy! Do you have to do this in front of big brother?!" Ella said as she started flailing her arms about.
"What? Show my favourite sister some good loving? You can bet I'll hug you and kiss you any time, any place." Aster said, proud of her endeavor.
Ella only buried her head in the crook of Aster's neck. Her face aflame from embarrassment. "...I'm your only sister, Cindy."
"...All the better!" Aster replied cheerfully as she continued to hug her sister.
Ikra watched on and finally started to understand the real Aster. All looked fruitful until the feed reached the half an hour mark.
"Aster's log! Day two hundred and thirty! Aku had discovered our plot to rebel against -" There was a large explosion and the image briefly distorted. When the image came back however, Ikra was treated to the image of a rushing Aster and a towering figure that she had become much aware of in her nightmares. It was a war. It seemed that the whole city was trying to take Aku down, but the Shogun seemed unfazed as he proceeded to destroy West Underground City. Aster's brother was recording most of the carnage as it was taking place. Ikra could only watch on in pure horror at the decimation.
"God, where is she?!" Yelled a frantic Aster as she rushed past wrecked buildings after wrecked buildings.
"Maybe she's at the school! Aku attacked us by surprise! Maybe the school didn't evacuate in time!" Ikra heard Aster's brother say.
"Right!" *BOOM!* Aster and her brother quickly ducked to cover from a nearby explosion. "We have to hurry! And bloody hell, Adam, turn that stupid thing off!"
"It's for evidence!" Adam defended.
They hurried to the school and Ikra was praying that Ella was alright. When they arrived, they were treated to an absolutely dreadful sight. The school was destroyed.
Ikra held her breath as she continued to watch.
"Ella! Ella!" Aster and Adam would usually yell as they searched frantically for the girl. It didn't take long for them to find her, not in the way the hoped.
The look on Aster's face said it all. Despair, Sorrow and unbridled sadness.
"ELLA!"
Ikra was bawling her eyes out as she watched the horrific scene in front of her. Ella's body lay on the ground, bloodied and bruised, covered by rocks. It looked like a roof caved in on her.
"Ella! Ella! Ella!" Aster frantically called as she tried to revive the girl using CPR. She worked tirelessly and all hope seemed lost until Ella made a groggy cough.
Aster's eyes lit up in happiness, but almost as soon as it came, it was gone with what Ella said next.
"...I'm not going make it, Cindy, Adam-"
"No! You'll be fine! I'll take care of you! I promise Ella! Please, hang in there! We'll find help!" Aster shouted frantically.
Ella only smiled at her. "I know I acted annoyed with they way you two used to baby me, but the truth is..." Her face showed discomfort as she struggled to continue.
"Save your strength! Don't say anything!" Aster yelled as she tenderly held her sister.
"Yeah! Listen to Cindy! She's a doctor!" Adam put in frantically.
"I... I love you Adam, and I love you Cindy. You two meant everything to me."
"I love you too, Ella," Adam said sadly.
"I love you, Ella! Please, don't leave me! Don't do this! Please!" Aster pleaded as she continued to cry.
"It's okay, Aster. I-I know it's my time. I'll be seeing mom and dad soon. I'll be sure to say hi...for...you..."
"Ella. Ella! Ella! ELLA!" Aster screamed in anguish and sorrow as she tried to revive her sister once again.
Ikra cried hard as the video continued. She was responsible for that. She killed Aster's sister. The revelation devastated her. She was Aku. She did this. She was a monster.
The television suddenly turned off.
"...Ikra." Ikra's head whipped to the voice and she stared in surprise at Aster, standing at the door with a remote control in hand, and looking at her with an unreadable expression.
Ikra couldn't tell what Aster's emotions where at the moment, but she had a feeling that she was going to find out.