"Takashi," Ash began slowly, "If you have hurt my father, there is no power on this earth that can keep you safe from me."

Jack had never heard that quiet, serious voice come out of her before. He knew she was infuriated and fighting not to show it, especially since she'd left the honorific "san" off the end of the Yakuza leader's name.

"You always did have a flair for the dramatic," Takashi responded, "I never said he was a prisoner."

"Then – "

"You have also always been impatient," Takashi interrupted dryly, "I can see you will not let this rest until you see him. Why don't we dress? I shall order a meal to be brought to my rooms. We can all speak there."

Ash was out of the hot spring so quickly that her towel fell off her head. She caught it and dried off as she walked to the room with the baskets holding their clothes and effects. Jack followed, though not as quickly, and an amused Takashi came behind him. Once they were all clothed, Takashi spoke in a quiet tone to an attendant stationed nearby, then led them upstairs to a small room, seating himself at a low table in the center of the room. Ash sat across from him, folding her legs neatly under herself. Jack was not nearly so graceful in sitting, and marveled at the fact that she could sit on her legs for hours on end without moving or seeming to tire. Ash glanced toward the door suddenly, just as it opened and a man stepped inside. She immediately got to her feet, put her hands at her sides, and bowed in that curious way she did upon meeting Nakamura, bending the upper part of her body forward so it was parallel to the floor.

"Look at me," the old man said after a moment or two.

Ash straightened up and stared at him as he stepped over to her and took her face in his hands.

"I thought I would never see you again," he whispered.

"I feared the same, otousama," Ash replied quietly, "I have never been so pleased to be wrong."

They embraced while Jack stared at them and Takashi took a deep interest in the wall. The door opening made them separate, and they took their seats at the table as a parade of women carrying different dishes came into the room. They set them on the table and exited the way they came. Takashi took up the teapot and poured them tea, then they all folded their hands together and murmured, "Itadakimasu". Introductions were quickly made between Jack and Ash's adopted father Hiroshi, and then the meal began.

"So, what exactly happened after I left?" Ash wanted to know, "Nakamura-sama said the shoguns came for you and you ran away to become ronin."

"That is true," Hiroshi nodded, "I gave up my place guarding His Imperial Majesty when the shoguns ambushed me and attempted to slay me. Takashi-san was good enough to take me in, and we came to find a common bond between us."

If it wouldn't have been terribly impolite, Ash would have raised her brows. The thought of her honorable father finding anything in common with the leader of an organized crime syndicate caused her some serious cognitive dissonance.

"Which was what?" Jack asked.

"We both have grown tired of the shoguns reign," Hiroshi said seriously, "While I might not directly be serving the emperor, I may still do him some good by fighting to get him back in power."

Now it made sense why he didn't commit the "honorable" suicide by slicing his belly open when she'd left. While he might officially be ronin, unofficially, he was still serving his old master.

"It is good to have you back," Takashi said, "You would be a valuable ally for our cause."

Ash looked down at her food. Jack recognized that prolonged silence and decided it was best to keep quiet.

"As wonderful as it has been to be back home," she said, "And as relieved and elated as I am to find those dearest to me alive and well...I have returned for a very specific reason. Regrettably, I will not be able to aid you in your goal. As much as I also would like to see the emperor back in power, the enemy I face is far more dangerous, as they threaten the whole world, not just this country."

"Who could be so fearsome?" Hiroshi asked.

"The East India Trading Company," Jack put in.

"A plague if there ever was one," Takashi muttered.

"So you know of them," Ash said, "Good. Then you understand what I'm up against and would have no qualms about handing over your piece of the map."

"What map?" Hiroshi asked.

"A very special map that was split into multiple pieces and hidden throughout the world. I know you have one, Takashi-san. I found the mapmaker's ship, and his journal. You're mentioned in it as one of the people he gave one of the pieces to."

"I am honored," Takashi said flatly.

Sure you are, Jack thought. He barely restrained himself from scoffing heartily.

"Unfortunately, the very enemies you speak of are the ones that have stolen my piece from me. I no longer possess it."

"I don't believe you," Ash retorted.

"It is true!" Takashi snapped, "On my honor!"

"What honor, Takashi-san?"

"Ashlyn!" Hiroshi reprimanded.

"No, normally, Ashlyn-san would be correct. But not in this instance. The gaijins," Takashi spat, turning the word into a curse, "came into port months before you. They killed many of my men before beating me and taking my piece."

"Is that what that was about?" Hiroshi asked.

Ash stared at him. If Takashi had offered one of his men as a corroborating witness, she still wouldn't have believed it, as any of his men would gladly lie on his behalf. But her own father, who was as noble as the sun was bright...

She directed her glare at her teacup so they wouldn't catch the look in here eyes and think she was impolitely upset with them.

"There is a consolation," Takashi said, "They attempted to get me to translate the symbols on the piece. But I did not know. Even if I did, I would not have aided them."

"What did you do to get out of it? They certainly wouldn't have believed it even if you told them."

"I pretended I could not speak English," Takashi said dryly.

Ash couldn't help it. She laughed. It was a short outburst that was rapidly smothered, but she still cursed herself for the slip.

"That's very good," she said, "I'm using that one day."

"So might I," Jack said nonchalantly.

"Of course you will, baka," Ash replied.

Takashi and Hiroshi both stared at her as if she had grown two extra heads. Jack caught it and looked back and forth between Ash and their hosts.

"What?" he asked.

What could make two men who had a lifetime to master their expressions look so shocked like that?

"I told you," Ash said smoothly, sipping her tea, "It is a term of great respect."

"Great respect," Takashi echoed, nodding seriously, his expression back to it's usual impassivity.

Jack looked at Hiroshi, who would not meet his eyes.

"Hiroshi-san?" he asked.

Hiroshi hesitated for a second or two, then caved.

"It means 'stupid' or 'fool'," he whispered.

Jack promptly turned to Ash, his jaw falling open, eyes widening.

"Otousama!" Ash complained.

"Ashlyn-sama!" Jack mocked the tone, but not the outrage.

She turned her attention to the wall, refusing to look at him as she responded.

"They were staring at you because it is an unthinkable offense to insult someone like that to their face, or even behind it, in our culture. But I only ever spoke it with the greatest fondness," Ash insisted, turning back to look at Jack with pleading eyes as she said the last bit.

"As may be, I am offended," Jack said crossly, putting a hand to his heart dramatically, "Deeply offended."

He turned to look at the two men.

"How do we settle this? Sword fight to the death or something? Pistols at dawn?"

"Jack," Ash sighed, exasperated, "If this is truly bothering you, we can discuss it later."

He put one hand on the table and leaned closer to stare into her eyes, suddenly serious.

"It doesn't, not really," he whispered, "But I will exact restitution later tonight, count on that lass."

Ash fought not to blush as her heart raced and her palms grew damp. She was both thrilled and nervous, but stuffed down her feelings so that their hosts would not notice.

"There must be a way we can find out what the symbols mean," Ash said, turning to look at Takashi.

Jack sat up straight again and went back to trying to use the sticks to pick up his food without dropping the morsels.

"I would think a student of the esteemed Nakamura-sama would know something about that," Takashi replied.

"No. I've already looked at my pieces and tried to determine the meaning behind them. They're not from any language I recognize, not even the secret one."

"Wait a minute, there's a secret language?" Jack butted in.

"Of course. Wizards write in a language entirely their own, to keep others from finding out arcane secrets in case they should happen upon a grimoire. There must be a reason they thought you could help them, Takashi-san," Ash said.

"Perhaps they knew I was acquainted with the mapmaker and suspected I knew how to translate it."

Ash stared down at her teacup as she thought about it. It wasn't due to his nationality. None of the symbols were anything close to Japan's written language. Suddenly, she blinked.

"I had a teacher in the ways of language and codes," she said, "Perhaps the mapmaker did too."

"But surely he would have been mentioned in the journal," Jack said.

Ash shook her head slowly.

"Not necessarily. In the journal, there was mention of the 'rojin' helping the mapmaker. At first I thought he might have misspelled 'ronin' and wondered if maybe a former samurai was involved. But perhaps I was wrong. Rojin means 'old man'. Annoying that he was never mentioned by name."

"Maybe it was your sensei?" Jack suggested.

"No...he would have told me about this."

"Would he have? We didn't tell him why we were here, exactly. He couldn't know about what we're up to."

Ash's eyes narrowed as something Nakamura said to her flashed through her mind.

What makes you think I don't?

She could see that look in his eyes as the memory hit her. She tilted her head to one side, considering her theory.

"Suddenly, I'm not so sure..." Ash murmured, "But there's only one way to be sure."

"The sun is up," Hiroshi said, "I am not certain it is a good time for you to be moving about."

"Time is of the essence," Ash protested, "We have two pieces of the map, the company has two, that leaves three unaccounted for. I don't want them getting to them first."

"Does it matter?" Takashi asked, "They cannot reach Cibola without all of the pieces. If you possess two already, they have to take them from you eventually. A confrontation between you is destined to occur. All you need to do is wait for them to obtain the pieces and come to you, then you defeat them."

"I'm not leaving this to chance," Ash said, "Besides, if we get the pieces first and go after them first, we have the advantage. Might be able to surprise them before they find out we have the final piece."

"The element of surprise is always a valuable tool," Hiroshi agreed, "Very well. Go, with my blessing."

They stood, Ash and Hiroshi hugged once more, Takashi and Ash bowed to each other, and Jack executed his palms together, bob of the head bow that made Ash sigh. Nakamura was outside taking in the bedding Ash had left out to air the previous night.

"Good morning, rojin!" Ash called.

Even from several paces away, Jack saw Nakamura freeze in place, his back and shoulder stiffening. Slowly, he turned to face them, his expression perfectly blank.

"I bet there's only one other person in the world that's ever called you that," Ash said more quietly as she went over to Nakamura.

"I believe we should speak inside," Nakamura said neutrally.

"Good idea!" Ash replied with a cheerfulness Jack saw as entirely fabricated.

She was annoyed, and trying to hide it, but she was too annoyed to keep it under a still face and bland tone of voice.

"Did you know what I was really here for before?" Ash demanded once they were inside.

"Perhaps," Nakamura said.

Ash looked at Jack.

"Translation – definitely," she explained.

She turned to look at Nakamura again.

"Why didn't you say anything before?"

"Because you needed to settle things with Takashi," Nakamura said stubbornly, "It is not good to leave a burned bridge in disrepair."

Ash felt like banging her head against a wall.

"Sensei," she groaned.

Why did he always have to be so well intentioned yet simultaneously infuriating at the same time? The wise old man always had to do this his own way, for his own reason. She was starting to suspect where she got it from. And since when did he know the name of the leader of the Yakuza?

"Did you also know my father was with him?" Ash thought to ask.

"No," Nakamura said, "But I am pleased he is alright, if a little disappointed in the company he's keeping these days."

"You won't tell the shoguns about that, will you?"

"No. I have as much to say to the shoguns as I do to the Yakuza."

Which meant nothing at all. Her father was safe. All the same, Ash decided not to mention what project Hiroshi and Takashi were working on together.

"Let's talk about the company you've kept," Ash said, "You helped create the map to Cibola?"

"A little. The mapmaker was my student."

"I can't believe you never told me!"

"It is best that a city of gold is kept as quiet as possible."
"But you told me where to find Atlantis!"

"What?" Jack interrupted.

They ignored him.

"It's underwater," Nakamura said, "No one can reach it. Besides, only a wizard could know about that. We keep our secrets close."

"Oh I don't know, I'm learning plenty today," Jack said.

"And if you ever talk about my secrets, I'll slit your throat," Ash said seriously.

Jack didn't know if she meant it or not, but he decided not to press his luck. Not that he'd ever tell anyone any secrets of hers anyway.

"You must teach me how to read that map, once I've got all the pieces together," Ash said to Nakamura, "I know the reason you've kept it a secret and helped the mapmaker to do so. That much wealth is dangerous, especially in the company's hands. But they already have two pieces, as I do. I have to reach it first."

Nakamura stared at her.

"Or you could burn the pieces you have already. That would keep Cibola safe."

Ash stared back at him. The silence and tension grew between them until Jack suspected he could cut it with a blunt cutlass.

"I can't do that," Ash whispered at last, "A lot has happened since I left this country. And I've discovered my parents graves are there – my real parents. I've tried contacting their spirits, to no avail. I'm hoping that if I can get to Cibola, to their graves, I'll be able to speak to them again."

"I see."

Nakamura looked to be deep in thought for a minute or so, then he spoke again.

"Very well. I shall teach you what you need to know. But not with him in here."

They both turned to look at Jack, who frowned.

"You don't trust me?"

"No," Nakamura said honestly.

"Yes," Ash said at the same time.

Then she sighed, and went on.

"But I must respect my sensei's wishes. The secret of how to read the map must be something we do not share."

Jack shrugged.

"Alright. I'll go back to the ship and get it supplied for our journey back to Tortuga. I assume we'll be leaving as soon as you're done here?"

"Aye," Ash said.

Jack nodded and turned to leave. Ash was giving him a pleading, apologetic look as he left, but he didn't say anything to her. He understood, even if he wasn't happy about it. While he spent the next few hours getting supplies onto the ship, Ash stayed locked away in the small house with Nakamura. When she at last emerged, Jack guessed she had already said her goodbyes to her sensei, and when she gave him the nod, he knew he was correct. She went below decks while he and the crew got the ship out to sea. He found her in their cabin hours later, staring at the silver locket Renzo had given her what seemed like years ago now.

"Are you alright, love?"

"Yes."

"Missing them already?"

"Missing the onsen."

Jack chuckled.

"Say what you like, I know you miss them."

"It helps that I got to say a proper goodbye this time. As much as I hate to admit it, sensei was right. Leaving it the way I did before...it was like an open wound. And now it's healed."

"I'm glad to hear it. But there's one other matter to be settled. Between us."

"Oh? What's that?"

"Baka."

"Oh."

"Aye. Clothes off, now."

Ash smiled wryly as she got to her feet and began to comply.

"Aye, aye, captain."

At first, Ash wasn't certain how he would "punish" her with sex. But it soon became clear. Every time she came close to rushing over the edge, Jack would back off, taking the pulses of pleasure with him. Ash whined and squirmed, but he was ruthless. She was beginning to wonder if he would keep this up all night only to leave her flushed with heat and need, unfulfilled by the end. Until finally, he allowed her release. As she lay breathless, Jack looked deep into her eyes, their faces close together.

"I trust we'll have no more issues?" he whispered huskily.

Ash shook her head.

"No, captain," she said meekly.

He kissed her passionately, and she made a noise of delight as she kissed him back, wrapping her arms and legs around him. Jack was soon inspired to start a second round which lasted late into the night. Their nights were often like that on the voyage back to Tortuga, while the days were filled with Ash continuing to learn Italian from Renzo, and French and sword fighting from Jack. When they got back into Tortuga, Ash wanted to check on Taiyō before going with Jack to the King's Arm to talk to the Rogue.

"Well, the company beat us to this one, so the score is two to two," Ash sighed, "But at least I know how to translate the map now, so we didn't get nothing out of going all the way to the other end of the world."

The Rogue didn't look pleased.

"What is it?" Jack frowned, "What happened?"

"Well, I too have some news," the Rogue said, "Felinus, the other name you asked me to look into..."

"If you say he's dead, I'm gonna – " Ash began.

But the Rogue shook his head.

"No, no, he isn't dead. But he might as well be."

Ash and Jack exchanged glances. What was that supposed to mean? They looked back at the Rogue, who sighed before explaining.

"He's been arrested. By the Royal Navy. They've taken him to England."