((( Its goinna be a short one this time guys. Im sorry but Im having a bit of writers block and Ive been really stressed lately. Looking back on the last chapter Im thinking I really screwed up Joker's and Ann' reactions to each other when their re united. Considering revising it a bit. Lemme know what you think. Thanks for the reviews as usual guys. I appreciate them.
If you pull up a map of Japan you can follow where they go. It'll give you a better idea of where there at. And thank you so much Gaara- frenzy for spoiling the surprise for everyone that doesn't know where Tokyo is. Lol. j/k)))
Chapter 29
Ann slowly turned her head to look at him. "Tokyo… As in Tokyo, Japan?" She asked in as calm a voice as she possibly could. He glanced at her. "That's right." He said with a smirk. She felt her temper slowly rise as she tried to control herself. "You dragged me half way around the world to go sightseeing in Japan? What the hell are we doing here?" She yelled at him. He laughed and stepped out of the plane. Ann belatedly realized that her little outburst had drawn everyone's attention to her. "What?" She yelled at the people staring who all conveniently lost interest. She growled in annoyance and followed Jak.
Once outside the plane her eyes adjusted and she looked around more extensively. There was a massive amount of tall skyscrapers a ways away from where they were. They surrounded three fourths of the area. It was warm, unlike in Gotham. Gotham was always cold this time of year.
It must be summer here.
Ann followed Jak across the tarmac as he walked towards a small white building. There were signs all along a fence connected to the building telling soldiers where to go to check in when they arrived.
Guess it's a good thing I learned Japanese
Next to the small white building was another building that was slightly larger. A sign on the side of the larger building said 'check in' in both English and Japanese. Between the two buildings was a narrow ally. Jak headed walked through it and they all followed him. Apparently security wasn't all that tight. They walked strait out of the compound and no one even noticed them.
They were on a gravel road that curved away from the Army base and down a gradual hill. The gravel road led to a paved road that took them off to the right. The city limits were still quite a ways away. "Well, now what genius. What the hell are we goinna do now?" Ann asked him snidely. He smiled. "We walk." He told her. Devon groaned. Sniper grinned sheepishly. "No we don't." He said confidently. Everyone looked over at him. "The guys said they'd pick us up after they were done checking in." He explained. "Alright! No walking!" Devon said excitedly.
It was another ten minutes before Sniper's friends showed up. The three of them were driving an army jeep. There were only five seats in the jeep and the Army guys took up three of them. There were two seats in the front and three in the back. Two army guys were in the front and the third was in the outside back seat. There was a small area behind the three back seats for cargo. They all threw their bags in the back. Sniper was riding in the middle seat and Ann wound up sitting in Jak's lap in the seat next to him. Devon ended up riding in the very back on top of the luggage.
She was slightly ticked off about being dragged all the way to Japan without her knowledge. But she had always wanted to come back. Now that the initial shock of being in a different country was over she was actually a bit happy about it. Jak had his left arm wrapped around her waist and his right arm reclined on the edge of the jeep. Ann couldn't help but laugh every time the jeep hit a bump and Devon was thrown up in the air with a stream of curses.
Sniper's friends had to stay in the Tokyo area so they agreed to take Ann and the others into the edge of the city so they could find their own transportation.
Sniper's friends dropped them off at a bus depot and said their good byes. Jak looked over the bus routs. After a moment he walked up to the teller at the window and conversed with him in Japanese. Ann heard him ask for four tickets to the Utsunomiya bus station. The man on the other side of the window told him the total and Jak pulled his wallet out of his pocket. Ann noticed that it contained Japanese currency. Jak handed several bills to the man and then the teller handed him four tickets. Jak gave Ann her ticket first then handed the other two theirs. "The bus gets here in 15 minutes." He told them. Ann nodded. There was a nearby food vendor across the street from them. Jak explained to Devon and Sniper that an American dollar was worth a little over 83 Yen in Japan. After he was sure they had figured it out the three of them walked over to the food vendor and they got something to eat. Ann leaned against the bus stop, content to let them pig out without her. She was looking at the architecture of a nearby building when Jak came up to her out of nowhere. "Here" He said as he handed her a corn dog and a few packets of ketchup. She looked at him strangely and took the corn dog. "They didn't have mustard." He explained. She smiled. "That's ok. I like ketchup on them anyways." She told him. He smirked at her. Devon and Sniper walked over to them eating corn dogs of their own. A few minutes later the bus arrived and they stepped on and took their seats along with about five other people.
The bus ride was long. It took a little over an hour to get to Utsunomiya. Jak had given her the window seat. She spent her time watching the scenery go by as the bus took them where they needed to go. When they finally arrived Ann was eager to get out and look around. They all filed off the bus. "Now what?" Ann asked as Jak walked towards the bus stop kiosk. "Now we go to Fukushima." Jak told her. She looked around. "So how far is that?" Ann asked. He thought for a minute. "Eh, bout a hundred miles." He told her. She gaped. "A hundred miles?" She asked in disbelief. "Give or take a few. That's close to three hours." He told her. Devon groaned as Jak walked up to the window and got the bus tickets.
Ann adjusted the bags she was carrying to make them more comfortable. A moment later he returned to where they were waiting and handed them their tickets. Five minutes went by and they were filled onto another bus that would take them to Fukushima. This time Ann took the aisle seat and Jak had the window. Devon and Sniper didn't get lucky enough to sit together. The bus only had two seats open. One was the window seat across the aisle from where Ann and Jak were sitting and the other was the seat in front of them. Devon sat by the window across the aisle next to an elderly lady that was wearing a pair of glasses and had her hair pulled up in a bun. Sniper took the other seat.
After the first few minutes in the bus Ann was already ready to get out. She would almost have rather walked. After the first hour she wound up leaning her head on Jak's shoulder in boredom and looking out the window. He glanced down at her head on his shoulder and a smirk appeared on his face. He raised his arm and put it over her shoulder. She didn't complain. She just leaned over farther and rested her head on his chest. They spent the rest of the bus ride that way. She noticed that they were progressively going up hill throughout the bus ride.
When they were about 20 minutes from their destination the elderly lady started saying something to Devon. Ann and Jak glanced over to see Devon looking completely confused at what she was saying. He couldn't understand a word of it. Luckily, Ann could. The lady was telling Devon that his friends made an adorable couple. Ann's face flushed slightly. Devon shook his head and pointed at Ann. The lady looked over at Ann. Ann apologized to her and explained that Devon didn't understand Japanese and thanked her for the comment. From that point forward the lady was a non stop chatter box. She told Ann that she and her late husband had met on a bus and that she was traveling to visit his grave. She then talked about her late husband the rest of the trip. Ann just smiled and listened until the bus finally stopped and everyone began getting their things and exiting the bus.
"Please tell me we don't have to ride another bus." Ann said to Jak. Jak smiled. "We don't have to ride another bus." He said with humor in his voice as he started walking down the street and they all followed him. Ann was beginning to get the feeling she had been there before. Certain buildings and other things looked slightly familiar. They walked a few blocks and came to a slightly busier street. Jak walked to the corner and a few moments later he managed to flag down a taxi. The four of them managed to squeeze into the car and Jak instructed the driver on where to go. The driver drove through town a bit before heading out of town on a different road. Around 20 minutes later they were out in the middle of nowhere going up the side of a mountain. Jak told the driver to pull over and he paid the man for the ride.
Everyone got out of the car and Ann looked around. "Now where are we?" Ann asked as the taxi drove off. "Aizu-ni. Or Mount Bandai for the illiterate ones." Jak said over his shoulder. Devon made a snide face at him as he walked off the road and into the tree line that ran close to the road. Ann followed him. "So were hiking now?" Ann asked as the four of them slowly ascended the side of the mountain through the trees. "There aren't any drivable roads where were going." He told her.
Another half hour later and it was beginning to get dark. Up ahead of them it looked like there was a small clearing. Jak stopped in the clearing and looked around. He walked to the middle of the clearing and sat his bags and sword on the ground. Ann followed him. "Are we camping here or something?" She asked. "Shh" He told her and raised his hands like someone was pointing a gun at him. She gave him a strange look. Devon and Sniper were giving him the same look.
Out of nowhere at least two dozen men rushed out of the trees brandishing katana's. They were wearing gi's and hakama pants. Ann was startled by the sudden attack and was about to reach for her pistol but Jak stopped her. "Don't fight back." He told her. She noticed that he looked completely calm as the men surrounded the four of them. A man stepped forward. He didn't look like he could be much older than 17 or 18 years old. He had his sword sheathed. He had long black hair that was pulled back in a pony tail. It looked like he was the one in charge. He asked Jak who they were and what business they had. Jak told him that he had business with the sensei. The man looked at him warily then at Ann, Devon, and Sniper. The man turned around and told the others 'bring them' then walked out of the clearing. Jak picked his things back up and began walking towards where the man had disappeared into the trees. Ann followed him closely, as did Devon and Sniper. "I can't believe I got dragged into flying over 6,000 miles in the back of a cargo plane just to ride busses, go hiking, and get taken prisoner at sword point." Ann mumbled to herself as she glared at Jak. "At least you know how far you are away from home." He told her sarcastically. She looked at him. "Did you forget?" She asked in slight amazement. He waited for her to continue. "Home is where the heart is." She said then looked away. He smiled. "I didn't forget." He told her.
Ten minutes later and it was officially dark. Several of the men 'escorting' them had lit torches and they continued despite the dark. It wasn't long after that when Ann began to see glowing lights up ahead of them. They reached the end of the trees and Ann gasped.
It's the village from my dreams!
It looked just like it had the last time she had been there. There were several additional houses that hadn't been there before, but other than that it was the same. She belatedly realized that she had stopped walking and that Jak was looking back at her with an intrigued look on his face. She caught up with him and they continued.
They walked down the middle of the village and towards where she knew the dojo was. Ahead of them a man was walking towards them. Ann peered through the darkness to get a better look. A picture of Jak's sensei flashed in her mind for a second. It was him. He looked a bit older than he had when she was a child. But she could tell it was him. He looked to be in excellent health and very fit despite his age. The man who had talked to Jak in the clearing walked up to the sensei and began to explain but the sensei held up his hand. The man immediately stopped talking. Ann was suddenly tense. Sensei walked passed the group of 'escorts' and strait up to Jak. He gave Jak a look up and down then he looked at Ann and smiled. He looked back at Jak. "You found her." He said to him in Japanese.
I knew it! I told you he had been looking for me the whole time!
You never forget a friggin argument, do you?
Nope.
Jak smiled. "Hai sensei." The sensei looked back to her. "You have grown since last I saw you. Welcome to Tsuki Village." He told her in English. She smiled at him. "It's an honor, sir." She told him in Japanese as she nodded her head slightly in respect. He gave her an impressed look then glanced back at Jak with an amused smile on his face. He turned to the man he had cut off and told him to show Jak's two friends to the guest houses and to prepare a meal for the four of them. By 'Jak's two friends' she assumed he meant Devon and Sniper. The man, whom Ann now knew as Shinto, nodded and walked towards the guest houses. Jak instructed Devon and Sniper to follow him and said that he would find them later. By now the armed guards had dispersed. The sensei then continued walking like he had been when they crossed paths. Jak walked towards the dojo and Ann followed him.
I wonder if we get to sleep under the stars.
A few minutes later they walked up the steps to the dojo and walked around the corner. Ann froze. She stood staring at the place where they had first met. The memory played through her head as she walked up to the railing and ran her free hand along the spot where she had sat so many years before. She looked up to see that he was watching her with a smirk on his face. "And that's why were here." He told her. She smiled.
She followed him around to the back side of the dojo and down the stairs. "You wanna hold my hand?" He asked sarcastically as they reached the bottom of the stairs. She just smiled at him as he began walking along the edge of the cliff. She followed closely. She wasn't clinging to him like the last time she followed him through here. But she did make a point to stay close.
Once the cliff widened and they rounded the corner Ann was expecting to see the same open clearing. She wasn't disappointed. The only difference here was in the middle of the clearing was a small cabin that over looked the pond and waterfall. The cabin had a small porch that ran along the side facing the pond. It was slightly larger than the small houses that were in the villages. "That wasn't here before." Ann commented as they walked towards the cabin. "No. I built it about a year after you left." He told her. She glanced at him. "You built this?" She asked in a surprised voice. He nodded. They walked up the steps that led to the porch and Jak slid the door open.
She followed him inside and shut the door. Jak pulled out his Zippo and a small amount of light illuminated the room. Ann couldn't see anything. Jak walked across the room and lit a set of candles that were on a candle holder. The room got a bit brighter. Jak then lit another set of candles that were off in the other corner. Ann could see easily now that the candles were lit. There was a small round table that had two chairs on either side of it. A candle holder supported three glowing candles in the middle of the table. There were several chairs and a few end tables along the wall opposite the door. On of the end tables held another set of candles. Against the wall to the right was long and wide wooden bench with a slanted back. So far all the furniture was made completely out of wood. Next to the bench was a doorway that led into another room. There was another door on the opposite side of the room. There was a fine layer of dust on the surface of just about everything.
Jak walked over to the wood bench and sat down his bags. Ann put hers down in a nearby chair. She noticed that all the furniture had pillows in various places.
Jak waked over to her. She was still holding her silk wrapped katana. He took it from her and sat it on the table next to her. He leaned his hands on the wall on either side of her and leaned in to stare at her inches from her face. She leaned backwards but that was as far as she could go. "You were 'pining' for me. Well here I am." He told her. He was so close she could feel his breath on her face. Ann closed her eyes leaned forward slightly. Just enough to close the distance. Their lips touched softly. He leaned in farther and deepened the kiss. He grabbed her hips and pulled her into him roughly and she couldn't help but moan in his mouth. He pulled her away from the wall long enough to strip her of her coat then he slammed her back against the wall again. He trailed kisses down her jaw line to her neck. She leaned her head back against the wall as he kissed his way to her shoulder. She ground her teeth as he bit down on her soft flesh. She slid his coat off his shoulders. It landed in a heap at his feet. He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He pressed his midsection into her and his hips ground against hers as he kissed her forcefully. She dug her nails into his shoulders and moaned when he did it again. He carried her through one of the doors and into a small bedroom. She was thrown onto a queen sized bed. She didn't have time to move as he was suddenly on top of her. She ran her fingers through his hair as he kissed her and grinded against her.
A knock at the door startled both of them. Jak hung his head with a sigh. He walked out of the bedroom and slid the door open to find a kid about the age of 14 or 15. Ann watched from the corner of the bedroom door as the kid handed Jak a cloth bag. Jak thanked him and the kid left. Ann looked strangely at the bag. It had fresh blood stains around the bottom of it. "Tell me there's not a head in that thing." Ann said. Jak laughed. "That is dinner." He told her.
She looked back at the bag as he walked outside. She followed him. He walked down closer to the river and she noticed a small ring of rocks for a camp fire. There was a four foot long log on one side. There were two forked sticks with a metal bar laid across them over the fire. He dropped the bag on the ground and then went to the other side of the cabin. After a minute he came back with a stack of firewood in his arms. There was a fire going in no time. The bag turned out to be a deer leg that was now cooking over the fire.
Ann and Jak were sitting on the log next to the fire waiting for the deer leg to cook. Ann was staring into the fire watching it twist and crackle. She had always had an attraction to fire. As it was now, Ann and Jak were sitting a few feet apart from each other. The noise of the waterfall echoed in the background. She glanced over at him. He was leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees and staring into the fire like she had been. He glanced over at her and a smirk appeared on his face. The light from the fire bathed him in deep orange and red colors. Their eyes locked and they just stared at each other.
Damn.
Looks like your bout to give up on being mad at him.
This is driving me crazy.
Just tell him you forgive him and make up already. Your goinna end up doing it anyway.
A moment went by and he looked away and ran his hands through his hair with a sigh. He looked back to her. "Come here." He told her. She scooted a bit closer. He turned to look at her a bit more directly. "I'm sorry." He told her. Her eyes widened slightly.
Did he just apologize? Really?
"I should have talked it over with you. Forgive me." He said. Her mouth dropped open slightly.
Am I missing something here?
It took her a moment but she finally got past the initial shock that came with his apology. "Your apologizing? You?" She asked in amazement. He raised his eyebrows at her. "I forgive you. But your goinna have to start keepin me up to date on shit." She told him. He grinned. "Life isn't fun without surprises." He told her. She scowled at him. "Would you love me if I was anything but who I am?" He asked with that sarcastic flare that he was so famous for. Her face flushed a bit as her mind flashed back to when she had told him she loved him. "I suppose not." She mumbled as he stood and turned the meat cooking over the fire.
Another ten minutes later she was eating on the piece of cooked deer meat he had given her. Curiosity got her, "So, how did you get a mattress and box spring over here anyways?" She asked in wonder. "Very carefully." He told her before taking another bite. She laughed as a picture of him slowly dragging a mattress along the cliff came to her mind. He glanced over at her. "It's harder than it looks." He told her. She smiled. "Sorry, it just brings a funny picture to mind." She told him.
After they were done eating Jak threw the bone over the edge of the cliff then walked back to her. She yawned as he sat back down next to her and she leaned on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her back and they sat watching the fire slowly die. It wasn't long before she fell asleep.
