Chapter 4: Hunted
The monster was watching them.
He always had his eyes on Jack of course, and it pleased him to see the samurai heartbroken. But his eyes burned with anger and surprise as he saw the child Jack cradled in his arms.
"It can't be!" Aku cried. "The Jewel of Niel! I thought I destroyed her, and now the samurai has her? I cannot let them go on together. I will destroy them both."
The trouble started when they were walking through a forest. Jack felt a sudden whoosh of heat, and immediately a fire sprung up in front of them. Jill screamed and grabbed Jack's robes. "Quickly," Jack advised, "let's turn around before the fire--" Just as they turned, the fire appeared on their other side. "--spreads."
Jill cried out in fear and held tighter to Jack. "What're we gonna do?"
"Do not be afraid. We will get past this." So saying, he picked Jill up and put her on his shoulders. "Now, hold tightly to my neck, and keep your head down." With that, he broke into a run. They got as quickly as they could through the burning forest. Burning twigs got into his eye and scratched at his robe, and the smoke was making him weak, but somehow Jill wasn't hurt.
"Jack be nimble, Jack be quick!" she said quietly in his ear. And he was definitely both. As they reached the edge of the forest, Jack used his good jumping skills to leap over a huge, burning tree to safety on the other side. "Jack jumped over the candlestick!" Jill said triumphantly.
"That was a little bit larger than a candlestick."
"I know, but that's how the Mother Goose rhyme goes."
"Oh. It's cute."
At that second, many of Aku's robots and bounty hunters crowded around them. Jack took Jill off his shoulders. "Stand back," he ordered her.
So he unsheathed his sword and did his thing. To his surprise and horror, however, they weren't attacking him as much as they were Jill. This made Jack absolutely furious! In his training, he was taught that if one hurt a child, he should double-retaliate, but this was beyond even that! He struck every villain with more strength than ever before! They were destroyed in minutes.
Meanwhile, Aku was still watching. If he had hair, he would have been pulling it out. He cried in fury. "Insufficient idiots!" he yelled. "Well, if you want something done--"
Jack quickly ran to where Jill was standing. "Jill! Jill! Are you alright?" To his amazement, Jill was standing at a distance as if hardly anything happened. "You're--you're not hurt?" She shook her head. He ran to her in disbelief. Looking closely at her, he didn't see a scratch. "Oh, Jill," he whispered. And before he knew it, he was giving her a hug.
Suddenly, Jill gasped.
"What is it?"
"I, I know where I am now!" She looked around. "This is Blackberry Hill! Mommy and me, we pick blackberries here in the summertime!"
"So, that means, you're not far from home?"
"No! In fact, I think it's just down the hill!"
"Jill, Jill, I am so happy for you!" Jack said hugging her tighter.
But suddenly, Jill's hug went stiff. Jack looked at her and saw pure terror on her face. "What is wrong?"
"I don't know. I just suddenly feel really scared. And cold."
Jack felt it in the air too. He saw the shadows of the forest starting to gather and glared. "Be strong and courageous, Jill," he whispered. The shadows became a monstrous form before the two of them.
Jill clung to Jack as he drew his sword. She started to cry, "It's the monster!"
"Yes, Jill, I know," he whispered. "I'll make him go away."
Aku smiled at her. "You are still afraid of me, little one?"
"She has every reason to be," Jack answered. "You have hurt her and her family deeply! Now, tell me, what have you done with her father?"
"Samurai, that is beyond your concern."
"When innocent children are involved, it becomes my concern."
"Put this behind you, samurai. I have come to make you an offer you can not refuse."
Jack glared and gripped his sword even more tightly.
"I swear on all my domain to send you home to your own time where you can do with me whatever you wish. You can claim your crown as emperor, raise a family, anything that you desire. All you need to do is surrender to me the girl."
Jill went pale and whimpered.
"Absolutely not!" Jack cried.
Aku knelt down and looked directly at Jill again. She nearly died of fright. "What is the matter? You are afraid I am some sort of boogey man? Come to eat you?" Aku laughed. "I assure you, I do not abase myself by eating such slime as humans."
Jill started to dry her tears as she heard this. "Then, can you let me go home?"
Aku smiled slyly. "Yes. Of course, my dear."
Jill took a couple of steps forward, but Jack stopped her. "I will die before I surrender a child to you!"
Aku shot him a look that seemed to say, "And die you shall."
"Jack, let me go!" Jill said. "I'll go home, you'll go home, we'll all be happy!"
"Hasn't your mother taught you anything about lying?"
"How can you know he's lying?"
"Because I know the monster."
Aku gave another mysterious smile. "You know, you two make a cute couple, Jack and Jill. Have you ever heard the poem about you two?"
"Not the whole thing," Jack answered.
"Then let me fill you in." Aku waved his hand, and the two seemed to float up to his eye level. Then Aku said slowly and sarcastically, "Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water." At that, his eyes glowed with an evil light, and shot some kind of black lightning that surrounded Jack. Then he said more quickly, "JACK FELL DOWN AND BROKE HIS CROWN AND JILL CAME TUMBLING AFTER!!!!!!!"
The monster was watching them.
He always had his eyes on Jack of course, and it pleased him to see the samurai heartbroken. But his eyes burned with anger and surprise as he saw the child Jack cradled in his arms.
"It can't be!" Aku cried. "The Jewel of Niel! I thought I destroyed her, and now the samurai has her? I cannot let them go on together. I will destroy them both."
The trouble started when they were walking through a forest. Jack felt a sudden whoosh of heat, and immediately a fire sprung up in front of them. Jill screamed and grabbed Jack's robes. "Quickly," Jack advised, "let's turn around before the fire--" Just as they turned, the fire appeared on their other side. "--spreads."
Jill cried out in fear and held tighter to Jack. "What're we gonna do?"
"Do not be afraid. We will get past this." So saying, he picked Jill up and put her on his shoulders. "Now, hold tightly to my neck, and keep your head down." With that, he broke into a run. They got as quickly as they could through the burning forest. Burning twigs got into his eye and scratched at his robe, and the smoke was making him weak, but somehow Jill wasn't hurt.
"Jack be nimble, Jack be quick!" she said quietly in his ear. And he was definitely both. As they reached the edge of the forest, Jack used his good jumping skills to leap over a huge, burning tree to safety on the other side. "Jack jumped over the candlestick!" Jill said triumphantly.
"That was a little bit larger than a candlestick."
"I know, but that's how the Mother Goose rhyme goes."
"Oh. It's cute."
At that second, many of Aku's robots and bounty hunters crowded around them. Jack took Jill off his shoulders. "Stand back," he ordered her.
So he unsheathed his sword and did his thing. To his surprise and horror, however, they weren't attacking him as much as they were Jill. This made Jack absolutely furious! In his training, he was taught that if one hurt a child, he should double-retaliate, but this was beyond even that! He struck every villain with more strength than ever before! They were destroyed in minutes.
Meanwhile, Aku was still watching. If he had hair, he would have been pulling it out. He cried in fury. "Insufficient idiots!" he yelled. "Well, if you want something done--"
Jack quickly ran to where Jill was standing. "Jill! Jill! Are you alright?" To his amazement, Jill was standing at a distance as if hardly anything happened. "You're--you're not hurt?" She shook her head. He ran to her in disbelief. Looking closely at her, he didn't see a scratch. "Oh, Jill," he whispered. And before he knew it, he was giving her a hug.
Suddenly, Jill gasped.
"What is it?"
"I, I know where I am now!" She looked around. "This is Blackberry Hill! Mommy and me, we pick blackberries here in the summertime!"
"So, that means, you're not far from home?"
"No! In fact, I think it's just down the hill!"
"Jill, Jill, I am so happy for you!" Jack said hugging her tighter.
But suddenly, Jill's hug went stiff. Jack looked at her and saw pure terror on her face. "What is wrong?"
"I don't know. I just suddenly feel really scared. And cold."
Jack felt it in the air too. He saw the shadows of the forest starting to gather and glared. "Be strong and courageous, Jill," he whispered. The shadows became a monstrous form before the two of them.
Jill clung to Jack as he drew his sword. She started to cry, "It's the monster!"
"Yes, Jill, I know," he whispered. "I'll make him go away."
Aku smiled at her. "You are still afraid of me, little one?"
"She has every reason to be," Jack answered. "You have hurt her and her family deeply! Now, tell me, what have you done with her father?"
"Samurai, that is beyond your concern."
"When innocent children are involved, it becomes my concern."
"Put this behind you, samurai. I have come to make you an offer you can not refuse."
Jack glared and gripped his sword even more tightly.
"I swear on all my domain to send you home to your own time where you can do with me whatever you wish. You can claim your crown as emperor, raise a family, anything that you desire. All you need to do is surrender to me the girl."
Jill went pale and whimpered.
"Absolutely not!" Jack cried.
Aku knelt down and looked directly at Jill again. She nearly died of fright. "What is the matter? You are afraid I am some sort of boogey man? Come to eat you?" Aku laughed. "I assure you, I do not abase myself by eating such slime as humans."
Jill started to dry her tears as she heard this. "Then, can you let me go home?"
Aku smiled slyly. "Yes. Of course, my dear."
Jill took a couple of steps forward, but Jack stopped her. "I will die before I surrender a child to you!"
Aku shot him a look that seemed to say, "And die you shall."
"Jack, let me go!" Jill said. "I'll go home, you'll go home, we'll all be happy!"
"Hasn't your mother taught you anything about lying?"
"How can you know he's lying?"
"Because I know the monster."
Aku gave another mysterious smile. "You know, you two make a cute couple, Jack and Jill. Have you ever heard the poem about you two?"
"Not the whole thing," Jack answered.
"Then let me fill you in." Aku waved his hand, and the two seemed to float up to his eye level. Then Aku said slowly and sarcastically, "Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water." At that, his eyes glowed with an evil light, and shot some kind of black lightning that surrounded Jack. Then he said more quickly, "JACK FELL DOWN AND BROKE HIS CROWN AND JILL CAME TUMBLING AFTER!!!!!!!"