Yes, yes. I know it's far from delayed. A month or two I think? I know there isn't an excuse for it but I promise to start writing more soon. Summer is coming up and I'll be crashed into a piano theory course but I can do it. Have faith, I guess.

So now, on with le fanfic!


"Jack! They're getting closer!" yelled little Yori in shock.

"Can you pick the lock?" asked Jack to Kazuki. His secret ninja skills were coming in handy. If only Akiko could help with such a thing. thought Jack.

"Almost… there!" Kazuki karate kicked the door open and they charged out. They were far underground, they could barely breathe as the smoke was inhaled. They were in danger, and they couldn't find Masamoto while they were there.

"Come on!" Jack coughed as they ran from the guards who were already at their feet. Kazuki went first and Jack followed. It was long before they were out and away from the dim lights of the narrow towers only to be caught by one masked ninja.

Staggering back, the group turned around. Even Kazuki was in fear of his own kind. He followed Jack and his friends as they looked behind to see the metal knights catching up with them.

"If you want to live, come with me." said the ninja, a Japanese voice, his hand already clutching shuriken stars.

"Never! We will never give into the ninja!" Saburo yelled, standing up high as a samurai. Akiko's face sank as she had to abandon her ninja skills at this point. She was a truehearted samurai with some skill as a ninja. It was her destiny to die a samurai.

"Alright, suit yourself." and the ninja disappeared over the ledge of the stone wall, nothing but the sea left.

"Should we follow him?" asked Yori, hiding behind Jack's shoulder.

"Do you still know how to do kiaijutsu?" asked Jack, a glint of hope in his eyes.

"I can try." whimpered Yori, closing his eyes and concentrating. Within a second, the first row of guards fell to the ground and other guards behind them came to see what had happened. They were stunned for a moment, giving enough time for Jack to take a glance at Yori. He was tired out, he couldn't bare to strike again.

"What do we do now?" asked Kazuki, backing away from the guards that came from the opposite tower. Now, they were cornered.

"There's only one thing left we can do," Jack sighed, taking hold of Akiko's hand. "JUMP!"

Akiko! Akiko! This can't be happening. I couldn't have lost her like this. She couldn't have drowned, she couldn't have! I wanted to have our future together, go back and forth from England to Japan, watch little Jiro grow, visit the Niten Ichi Ryu and teach as the first foreign samurai along side my father. I wanted Akiko as my wife, to have two weddings. One of the Japanese culture, one of the English culture. Oh, Akiko. Where are you?

Bobbing his he'd out of the water, Jack searched around for Akiko as he surfaced from the ocean.

"Jack!" It was Yori and Saburo. They managed to stick together. But, where was Akiko and Kazuki?

Jack swam towards the two samurai and helped them to the sandy shore. Urgently, Jack went back deep under the water to find Kazuki trying to help Akiko who was stuck under a plank that was lodged under a rock. With all their strength, they held their breath and pushed the plank giving enough time for Akiko to regain her strength and let out her air with relief as she resurfaced. Jack clung onto the two worn out teenagers and pulled them to the shore with Yori and Saburo. They coughed and watched as the seas tides softened, water pouring out of their mouths.

"You tried… to save me… Kazuki…" Akiko chocked as she sat up right against a tree.

"Yeah…" Kazuki sighed. What was he now? Was he releasing his urge for revenge? Or was he just acting like this to get Jack to trust him on a way back home?

"We need to go back for Masamoto-sama." said Jack in Japanese. Yori and Saburo seemed to be the only ones in good condition right now, be he couldn't abandon Akiko or Kazuki, not in their state. So, he had only one option left if he wanted Masamoto to be safe and back with the group.

"Saburo, Yori, look after Akiko and Kazuki. I'm going to find Masamoto." The pair nodded in agreement and crawled over the sand to Akiko and Kazuki. They didn't feel very comfortable looking after Kazuki after they went against him in war but he tried to save Akiko so… they were about even.

Jack gathered up his swords and straightened out his clothes and obi. His swords were sheathed by his sides. That was all he needed at this point. Staring up at the castle one last time, he started to walk away, fearing that he wouldn't ever come back.

"Jack!" Akiko called back. She had recovered quicker than he thought she would, so did Kazuki who now sat up straight, but panted heavily, shaking in the cold.

"Yes?" Jack smiled turning around. He was glad he could hear Akiko's voice one last time.

"Promise you'll come back safely. Please." Akiko wrapped her arms around Jack's neck and tiptoed up to kiss him one last time before he left.

"I promise." Jack swore on it. He kissed Akiko's forehead and released her from his grasp on her waist. Soon, Akiko was watching Jack move on and silently run up towards the castle walls.

"Boy, do I wish to have a girlfriend like that." Kazuki muttered in jealousy.

Making it past the east gates of the castle, Jack managed to climb up to the top of the tower, knocking out two knights who stood guard there. Looking around, Jack managed to see King James walk along the courtyard and sit in the gazebo. A black figure sat next to him but he couldn't be sure whether it was Masamoto or a ninja.

At this height, Jack could see Kazuki, Akiko, Saburo, and Yori on the sandy beach of England. He wanted to hold Akiko again, tell her how much he loved her, but that was going to be harder than ever. An engagement ring would seal it, but that was going to be impossible while they didn't even have a master by their sides. And anyways, Masamoto had made a deal with his students.

The sounds of the knights wandering everywhere made it hard for Jack to listen to the conversation going on by the gazebo. He had no choice but to find a way to get closer to them. Dining hall, thought Jack. If he could get there, he'd be able to get to the gazebo and see who the black figure was.

Going along with this plan, Jack descended the tower and swung himself through the broken glass the he had first jumped down from. It was closer to him now, not much pain really.

Inside the castle, Jack quietly walked from Akiko's room to his. No guards were around since they saw Jack retreat through the window. It was just his luck that no one was around that floor. Jack was lucky that his shoes made no noise. It was only a matter of time before he reached the stairwell that led down to the dining hall. He had to be careful there. Guards were swarming the place for some odd reason which Jack and his friends still had to figure out.

"I heard something!" A voice echoed from the stairwell. Coincidentally, Jack was just about to go down those stairs. Moving as fast yet quiet as he could, Jack went into his room and his behind the open double doors.

"There's nothing here," said a guard, groaning that they had to walk stairs. "lets go back. We have orders." The second guard agreed and clanked their armour down the stairs again. Jack followed them on their way down, a flight of stairs at a time. He counted the steps he took for one flight of stairs, and made sure he counted to same amount for the other flights. He went four flights down and was at the open doors of the hallway. Across the high ceilinged hallway was the dining hall. Now he knew where to go. The feast in the dining hall as as tempting as ever, even if he ate to his stomach just before he went to bed, it seemed to call for him as he tiptoed past, sliding his spine against the rigid columns.

Soon, an army of knights came from the dining hall, marching as their king watched from behind. Jack stayed flat on the column, waiting for the king to return back to his dinner. Hold on. Wasn't the king at the gazebo?

Oh, bloody hell. Who the hell is who? thought Jack, his mind whirling in circles.

Jack kept on going as the king had gone up the stairwell instead. Breathing out, he made it to the entrance of the courtyard. Guards stood around the gazebo, nearly blocking out everything in sight of the two figures. Taking a risk and turning, he saw the one person that he feared most and the one person he was searching for. Masamoto, and Kamakura.

Jack couldn't turn around in time. Masamoto had caught his eyes. They widened as if to say to turn around, but Jack didn't obey. Masamoto turned away, from Jack, hoping he could keep Kamakura's attention for the time being. It wasn't his speciality to keep attention, seeing as his face was scarred and blotchy, but it was a sign of battle. They were honoured marks.

"I believe," said Kamakura, his Japanese accent intense, "that if we collide both the English and the Japanese, we will be able to take over China. They have much of the goods we both want and need, and if the gaijin king does not accept this, I will begin war." Kamakura didn't say this as if it were a warning. He sounded reluctant to start another war. A coward at heart, thought Jack.

"I will discuss this with the king, Kamakura. For now though, I do not stand in the authority to provide you what you need for survival. However, I may know someone who can." Masamoto turned to Jack's blonde haired figure behind the tinted glass where his eyes were bulging out.

Jack stepped forward and out into the torch lit courtyard. Everything seemed to be in bloom, beautiful in every way. He walked along the stone and made his way through the guards. Kamakura had not been able to see his face until he had taken his first steps upon the gazebo. Kamakura seemed to be appalled. He believed Jack was a rogue, unable to live for himself but instead he was here, living in the palace, returning home tomorrow.

"You expect me to live with a teenage boy?" Kamakura was striking a glare at Masamoto who kept grinning.

"He is no ordinary teenage boy." Masamoto assured, smiling encouragingly at Kamakura.

"As you say so, Masamoto-sama. I will speak with you at his place tomorrow at dusk." Kamakura bowed and excused himself from the gazebo to gather his things. Knowing that his time was limited, Jack sat down by his Japanese father and asked him one serious question.

"Why is he here?"

"Daimyo Kamakura accepts his status in a different country. I expect you to respect him as he will to you." Masamoto bent his head down to look at Jack, his Japanese kimono shining under the torch light. Jack had thought it was gold coming from King James' capes. As it turned out, he was wrong.

"Yes, Masamoto-sama. But, I would like to ask you something else. It isn't about Kamakura." Jack felt embarrassed, but curious. Masamoto raised his eyebrows, waiting for Jack to speak. "Do you know what happened down in the dungeons? About the guards?" Masamoto laughed at Jack.

"Of course, my dear son. I was the one who ordered them to go after you."

"What do you mean by order?" Jack asked, the Japanese in him starting to come back.

"Jack, you and your friends have put up through much training, I do not want your talents to go on unknown of. Your friendship with Akiko, Yori, and Saburo have made it easy to see that no one can be more trustworthy than you. Kazuki has gone through a change of heart because of that, and I'm sure his revenge on foreigners has faded after all, he is the foreigner now."

"So, what you're trying to say is, you sent those knights after us just to prove how strong out friendship is, and to test our skills? Jack wanted to have that clarified.

"Put it that way if you want, but when you look much deeper, it's the heart that counts." Masamoto stood. "I'm going to let the east wing guards know of your departure. I'll send a carriage for you all. Bring the rest of your friends to the east wing at dawn. I'll tell the king to meet you there. We will have our regular training session at noon, I presume." Masamoto made it to the guards who stood far apart. "Now go. Kamakura is waiting."

Jack reluctantly stood and walked with Masamoto. He felt like a doll, being handed from one owner to another. Once he and Kamakura passed, they bowed politely and followed one another out to the east wing. Masamoto was long gone, deep in the castle, trusting Jack with the daimyo.

Jack started to reflect back on Masamoto's words. They were so full of mystery sometimes. Put it that way if you want, he had said, but when you look much deeper, it's the heart that counts. Jack couldn't help but think that he was talking about Akiko.