A Samurai Jack Fanfic
By Laura McDaniel
Heads Will Be Rolled
Jack followed the tracks of Jill and her captors to Aku's castle. He'd never been inside it alone, so he wasn't quite sure what to do. Like Jill, Jack hoped that Aku would release her once he realized the mistake, but when he saw the two bounty hunters leave with a sack of money, he realized that must not be the case. He put a hand on his sword hilt and crawled closer to the castle, but thundering footsteps interrupted him.
He looked up to see what he thought was the mythical Hydra, but he quickly recognized that the heads bore Aku's features. Jack drew his sword and prepared for battle. "Where is Jill?" he asked, gazing firmly into the eyes of the central head.
"I have her," Aku replied, bringing his tail forward. It was coiled around Jill, who'd lost almost all her will to fight.
"I told you not to come, Jack!" she shouted. "Please, don't come any closer!"
"Silence, fool," one of the heads snapped as Aku moved his tail back behind him.
The central head turned to Jack and hissed, "If you want her back, you'll have to find some way to get to her, or else surrender yourself."
"I will not surrender," Jack snarled. "And I will be victorious!"
"Suit yourself," another head said, as the monster stepped closer to Jack.
Jack was, for a moment, frightened by the size of the creature, but he reminded himself that this was just another one of Aku's disguises. He gripped his sword tightly and lunged at Aku. He cut off one of the heads, but two more grew in its place. Jack was horrified by this fact because it meant that Aku was being true to the mythical Hydra. However, he decided to whack off two more heads to confirm his suspicion. Sure enough, four more heads sprouted. He cringed as he tried to think of a plan of action.
"They are just going to keep growing, Jack," one head hissed.
"Much to my dismay," the central head added. "But if this is what it takes to defeat you, Jack, then I...we shall put up with it." All fifteen of Aku's heads laughed in unison.
"It's not over yet, Aku," Jack spat. He decided to take a more direct approach, since cutting heads wasn't the solution. He leapt up and tried to slash at the monster's tail, but a swarm of heads came upon him and sent him flying. Jack skillfully landed in a crouching position, feet planted firmly on the ground. He sat there for a moment, panting and trying to come up with another plan. He thought back to the myth of Heracles and the Lernaean Hydra, which he'd heard when he trained in Greece as a boy. Heracles could not defeat the Hydra alone; he had the help of his nephew Ioulas. That, Jack realized, was the key element, but the only other person nearby was Jill, and he wasn't sure if she could free herself.
As if reading Jack's thoughts, Jill shouted down, "Jack! I think you had the right idea, because I don't think Aku's tail will regrow. But, I also don't think Aku's going to let you sever it. If I could sever it somehow..." Aku interrupted her by coiling his tail tighter.
Suddenly, Jack was filled with a strange feeling. Something inside him snapped and, without thinking, he stood up and hurled his sword in Jill's direction. It flew a straight course towards her and severed a few heads on the way. All of them gasped in confusion and looked all around to see what was going on. In the process, they all got tangled up.
"He is not supposed to do that!" one head hissed.
"Will that even work?" another asked.
"No...not the confusion!" the central head moaned.
The sword flew right into Jill's hands, even though neither she nor Jack appeared to understand how that was possible. Though she was uncertain just how she had managed to catch the sword at such a fast speed, she knew she had to act quickly. Using all her strength, she raised the sword over her head and struck down at the tail, severing it instantly.
All the heads shrieked in unison as Jill fell to the ground, still clutching Jack's sword. She sat there panting as she held out Jack's sword for him. "Jack, I don't know how long he's going to last, but you might have time to finish him off. I might have been able to make one successful cut, but there is no way I can beat Aku. But this is your chance!"
"No!" Jack replied sternly as he took the weapon back from her. He quickly sheathed it again and then grabbed Jill's arm. "We must get out of here!"
"But Jack, why aren't you going to try to..."
"Hurry!" he demanded, but she wouldn't move, mainly because she was too tired and frightened to do so. He picked her up and threw her around his shoulders, knocking her wooden sword out of her sash.
"Jack, my sword!" she said, as she tried to reach for it.
"There is no time, and you have proven you are no longer in need of that!" Jack answered. Jill had no idea what he meant, but decided it was too late to argue with him.
As they ran away, Jack turned back for a moment to see Aku turning himself into a giant crab. He muttered to himself, "He really knows his mythology!" He held Jill tighter as he increased his speed. Though Aku scuttled after them, waving his claws, Jack was faster, and pretty soon, they were no longer in the demon's sight.
"I will get you another time, Samurai Jack!" Aku shouted after them. "And you too, Jiiiiiill!"