CHAPTER THREE
Samurai Jack sat in a cushy armchair with his feet propped on a cushioned stool. Amy was ironing his kimono. Samantha was rubbing his feet. Kiki was assembling more sushi rolls. Linda was combing out his freshly shampooed hair. (Author's privilege!) Tomoko was brewing him up a nice hot bowl of ocha. And Ronelle was polishing his sword.
"Ladies," Jack began, "I can never thank you enough for all your kindness. And much as I hate to leave--"
"Leaving? Who said anything about leaving?" "Where would you go?" "You're no trouble!" "You stay right here!" "You're not well enough yet to leave!"
"I am fine. Thanks to all of you. And I must leave you."
The ladies protested. "You're not well enough!" "It's only been three weeks!" "If you leave now you'll get sick again!"
"I am fine," Jack repeated. "And I must go."
They all started to cry.
"Why can't you stay with us?" "Don't you like us?" "Did we offend you?"
"Of course not," Jack said. "You are my friends. But I must continue my quest. I must find Aku and set things right to save my family and my people." They all nodded in understanding, but continued to cry. "Ladies, if I survive, I will come back to visit you. And I will miss you."
There seemed nothing more to say. Sobbing quietly, the ladies followed him to the front gate. Sadly, he bowed and started off.
"Jack-san, wait!" Tomoko hurried after him.
He paused. "Hai?"
She spoke Japanese. "We want to know--must you wander always? Don't you ever get tired of wandering?"
"I do," he said. "But I have my duty."
"If you ever stop wandering--will you come back and see us?"
"I will," Jack said. "You will be the first people I would want to see. Sayonara."
Tomoko passed this on in English, and she and all the other ladies began to cry even harder. They were still crying when they saw him off. He felt very bad for them. As he wandered, searching for Aku, he sent postcards to them whenever he could. He had been searching for three weeks (and had sent five postcards), when one day, as he was walking through a pleasant little rural village, he saw a samurai coming down the street towards him. Something about the samurai's bearing looked awfully familiar. As he came closer, Jack noticed that the reason the samurai looked so familiar was that the samurai resembled him! He wasn't an identical twin, as Mad Jack had been, but the two of them could certainly have passed as brothers.
"Ohayo gozaimasu," Jack said, bowing politely.
The samurai halted. "Oh, good, it's you! I've been looking all over for you!"
"Sir?"
"I don't use the screen anymore, you know," the samurai explained. "It's an invasion of people's privacy."
"Do I know you, sir?"
"Of course you know me. How could you forget Aku?"
Jack stared. "Aku is a demon."
The samurai looked embarrassed. "I did things I'm not proud of, that is true. And that is why I've been looking for you." Right there in the dusty street, he sank into a formal kowtow. "Please forgive me the terrible wrongs I have done you."
This poor deranged soul needed to be taken someplace where he could be cared for. "Sir," Jack began, "I think perhaps you--"
The samurai sat back in a seiza position. "You don't believe I'm Aku, do you?"
Jack searched for a tactful response that would not exacerbate the madman's pitiful delusions.
"Do you believe it now?" And the samurai sprouted wings and hovered in the air.
Jack did believe. How this could be possible he did not know, but he did believe.
Aku descended to the ground and resumed seiza. Jack assumed daijodan.
"I knew you would want to kill me," Aku said, "and I don't blame you a bit. Go right ahead."
"Get up and fight!"
"I will never again raise a hand against anyone else. Especially not you. Go ahead."
Jack swept the sword down, pulling his cut at the last possible moment, because Aku had not moved. "Get up and fight! I can't strike down someone who has surrendered! Fight me!"
Aku looked up at him. "I have set everything right. I have corrected all other wrongs I have done. There remains only to make amends to you."
Jack started to answer, but then he felt an indescribable situation. Instinctively, he knew that he was feeling reality adjusting itself.
Aku smiled gently. "Better?"
"Go away," Jack said. "Leave me. Still I do not trust you. I will look around and see for myself. I know your tricks, Aku!"
Bowing again, Aku got up. "See for yourself, then. If you are still not happy, I will find you, and you may kill me if you like. I will neither blame you nor resist you." He walked off. Wide-eyed, Jack looked after him. This was certainly the most creative trick Aku had ever tried. It was, in fact, quite unlike him to be that creative. Jack wavered for a moment. Then he turned about and walked three blocks down the street to the little town's library. He pulled some history books off the shelf, sat down at a table, and began to read.
According to the books, it was all true. According to the books, Jack's family had lived long, happy, peaceful lives, as had nearly everyone else. The books said that Aku had prevented World Wars I and II, cured cancer, eliminated smog, and jailed everybody who yapped on a cell phone in a theater or a house of worship. He was known as Aku the Benevolent. Thanks to him, the world was darn near perfect. Jack was frankly stunned. This seemed impossible, but all the books backed each other up...
...then again, the "all-powerful Aku" could probably get book publishers to publish whatever propaganda he wanted. Jack decided he would go from place to place and see for himself.
He spent three months on his investigation, at the end of which time he was forced to conclude that, unlikely as it seemed, the reign of Aku the Benevolent was indeed a reality now. Jack had seen no bounty hunters, no drones. He had not rescued anybody. Nobody needed rescuing. There was nothing left for Samurai Jack to do in this nearly perfect world. If he liked, he could get out of the hero business and spend the rest of his days doing whatever he darn well pleased. But, he thought uncertainly, what might that be? He was still in the future. If he went back in time, he might somehow alter this desirable state of affairs. It was safest for his family, and everyone, if he stayed when he was. But what could he do here in the future, where he was an anachronism? Where could he go to feel at home?
A possibility occurred to him, and, smiling suddenly, he stuck out his hand and hailed a ride with a passing farm truck.
******************************
Jack had left them five months ago. The ladies were still miserable. Today, as on most days, they sat around Ronelle's living room, sharing their misery with each other.
Holding the large flat box that had just been delivered, Kiki said, "Those jerks! They put the extra hot fudge on the pizza like we wanted, but there's no Snickers! How can we eat the pizza without Snickers?"
Samantha wailed, "Oh, Jack..."
Everybody burst into tears.
There was a knock at the door.
"I'll get it," Kiki said listlessly.
"While you're up," Amy said, "could you please bring me another quart of ice cream?"
"And another one of those giant chocolate bars," Ronelle added.
Knock. Knock.
"Hold it, I'm coming!" Kiki opened the door, ready to snarl at the impatient caller. Instead, she said, "SQUEEEEEEEEEE!"
The other ladies looked up. "SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" they all said.
The samurai at the door bowed. "Ladies, I have come back. To stay, if you like."
"SQUEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
"I missed you, too," Samurai Jack said, smiling.
And everybody lived happily ever after.
Samurai Jack sat in a cushy armchair with his feet propped on a cushioned stool. Amy was ironing his kimono. Samantha was rubbing his feet. Kiki was assembling more sushi rolls. Linda was combing out his freshly shampooed hair. (Author's privilege!) Tomoko was brewing him up a nice hot bowl of ocha. And Ronelle was polishing his sword.
"Ladies," Jack began, "I can never thank you enough for all your kindness. And much as I hate to leave--"
"Leaving? Who said anything about leaving?" "Where would you go?" "You're no trouble!" "You stay right here!" "You're not well enough yet to leave!"
"I am fine. Thanks to all of you. And I must leave you."
The ladies protested. "You're not well enough!" "It's only been three weeks!" "If you leave now you'll get sick again!"
"I am fine," Jack repeated. "And I must go."
They all started to cry.
"Why can't you stay with us?" "Don't you like us?" "Did we offend you?"
"Of course not," Jack said. "You are my friends. But I must continue my quest. I must find Aku and set things right to save my family and my people." They all nodded in understanding, but continued to cry. "Ladies, if I survive, I will come back to visit you. And I will miss you."
There seemed nothing more to say. Sobbing quietly, the ladies followed him to the front gate. Sadly, he bowed and started off.
"Jack-san, wait!" Tomoko hurried after him.
He paused. "Hai?"
She spoke Japanese. "We want to know--must you wander always? Don't you ever get tired of wandering?"
"I do," he said. "But I have my duty."
"If you ever stop wandering--will you come back and see us?"
"I will," Jack said. "You will be the first people I would want to see. Sayonara."
Tomoko passed this on in English, and she and all the other ladies began to cry even harder. They were still crying when they saw him off. He felt very bad for them. As he wandered, searching for Aku, he sent postcards to them whenever he could. He had been searching for three weeks (and had sent five postcards), when one day, as he was walking through a pleasant little rural village, he saw a samurai coming down the street towards him. Something about the samurai's bearing looked awfully familiar. As he came closer, Jack noticed that the reason the samurai looked so familiar was that the samurai resembled him! He wasn't an identical twin, as Mad Jack had been, but the two of them could certainly have passed as brothers.
"Ohayo gozaimasu," Jack said, bowing politely.
The samurai halted. "Oh, good, it's you! I've been looking all over for you!"
"Sir?"
"I don't use the screen anymore, you know," the samurai explained. "It's an invasion of people's privacy."
"Do I know you, sir?"
"Of course you know me. How could you forget Aku?"
Jack stared. "Aku is a demon."
The samurai looked embarrassed. "I did things I'm not proud of, that is true. And that is why I've been looking for you." Right there in the dusty street, he sank into a formal kowtow. "Please forgive me the terrible wrongs I have done you."
This poor deranged soul needed to be taken someplace where he could be cared for. "Sir," Jack began, "I think perhaps you--"
The samurai sat back in a seiza position. "You don't believe I'm Aku, do you?"
Jack searched for a tactful response that would not exacerbate the madman's pitiful delusions.
"Do you believe it now?" And the samurai sprouted wings and hovered in the air.
Jack did believe. How this could be possible he did not know, but he did believe.
Aku descended to the ground and resumed seiza. Jack assumed daijodan.
"I knew you would want to kill me," Aku said, "and I don't blame you a bit. Go right ahead."
"Get up and fight!"
"I will never again raise a hand against anyone else. Especially not you. Go ahead."
Jack swept the sword down, pulling his cut at the last possible moment, because Aku had not moved. "Get up and fight! I can't strike down someone who has surrendered! Fight me!"
Aku looked up at him. "I have set everything right. I have corrected all other wrongs I have done. There remains only to make amends to you."
Jack started to answer, but then he felt an indescribable situation. Instinctively, he knew that he was feeling reality adjusting itself.
Aku smiled gently. "Better?"
"Go away," Jack said. "Leave me. Still I do not trust you. I will look around and see for myself. I know your tricks, Aku!"
Bowing again, Aku got up. "See for yourself, then. If you are still not happy, I will find you, and you may kill me if you like. I will neither blame you nor resist you." He walked off. Wide-eyed, Jack looked after him. This was certainly the most creative trick Aku had ever tried. It was, in fact, quite unlike him to be that creative. Jack wavered for a moment. Then he turned about and walked three blocks down the street to the little town's library. He pulled some history books off the shelf, sat down at a table, and began to read.
According to the books, it was all true. According to the books, Jack's family had lived long, happy, peaceful lives, as had nearly everyone else. The books said that Aku had prevented World Wars I and II, cured cancer, eliminated smog, and jailed everybody who yapped on a cell phone in a theater or a house of worship. He was known as Aku the Benevolent. Thanks to him, the world was darn near perfect. Jack was frankly stunned. This seemed impossible, but all the books backed each other up...
...then again, the "all-powerful Aku" could probably get book publishers to publish whatever propaganda he wanted. Jack decided he would go from place to place and see for himself.
He spent three months on his investigation, at the end of which time he was forced to conclude that, unlikely as it seemed, the reign of Aku the Benevolent was indeed a reality now. Jack had seen no bounty hunters, no drones. He had not rescued anybody. Nobody needed rescuing. There was nothing left for Samurai Jack to do in this nearly perfect world. If he liked, he could get out of the hero business and spend the rest of his days doing whatever he darn well pleased. But, he thought uncertainly, what might that be? He was still in the future. If he went back in time, he might somehow alter this desirable state of affairs. It was safest for his family, and everyone, if he stayed when he was. But what could he do here in the future, where he was an anachronism? Where could he go to feel at home?
A possibility occurred to him, and, smiling suddenly, he stuck out his hand and hailed a ride with a passing farm truck.
******************************
Jack had left them five months ago. The ladies were still miserable. Today, as on most days, they sat around Ronelle's living room, sharing their misery with each other.
Holding the large flat box that had just been delivered, Kiki said, "Those jerks! They put the extra hot fudge on the pizza like we wanted, but there's no Snickers! How can we eat the pizza without Snickers?"
Samantha wailed, "Oh, Jack..."
Everybody burst into tears.
There was a knock at the door.
"I'll get it," Kiki said listlessly.
"While you're up," Amy said, "could you please bring me another quart of ice cream?"
"And another one of those giant chocolate bars," Ronelle added.
Knock. Knock.
"Hold it, I'm coming!" Kiki opened the door, ready to snarl at the impatient caller. Instead, she said, "SQUEEEEEEEEEE!"
The other ladies looked up. "SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" they all said.
The samurai at the door bowed. "Ladies, I have come back. To stay, if you like."
"SQUEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
"I missed you, too," Samurai Jack said, smiling.
And everybody lived happily ever after.