Story written: August 20, 2005
Submitted: September 12, 2005

Disclaimer: Samurai Jack belongs to Cartoon Network and Gendy Tartkovsky, or however you'd spell it. Tetsko, forest concept and original plant names belong to Erica Erlandson, also known as Anaes. All rights reserved.

Hallucination: Jack and the Forest

By: Anaes

Crunch, Crunch. A mixture of pine needles and deadened leaves crunched under his wooden sandals, covered by his ghi, stained within the dirt as it trailed very lightly on the ground, also bearing wears and small tears from the great journey, now taking him to his year-long anniversary of this torment demonic Aku had placed upon him. Jack's thoughts wandered as he so absent-mindedly passed by a warning sign, worn like the hem of his ghi. This neglected sign read "Forest of Hallucination, Be weary, and carry Tetsko root with you always."

Jack glanced up upon hearing the sound of a long, drawn out creak, and the hasty fleeing of birds in flight, cawing madly while they left. "What was going on? What was this creaking..." he thought, attentive to his surroundings now. The creak sounded again, this time, behind him, his glance was only just in time, the grip upon the hilt of his mystic katana tightening, preparing to draw, or perhaps...he wasn't just in time, for a long, brown, rough hand swept out and nearly scratched him, he of course, fell back, his sword drawn, ready now for any more wise attempts at attacking him.

The tree he fell against now erupted itself as well, swooping its branches out to scratch at him. A forest that mauls! Jack quickly slashed his great blade, the reflexes attuned to such attacks, slicing the branch off the tree. But...when he looked again, it was a simple innocent branch, and he screamed in fury. Was he going mad? Had this fruitless journey at destroying Aku really be driving him insane? He hissed out a cursing in Japanese then ran his sword through the other attacking tree, who's branch fell to the ground, not even evading him, not fighting back.

As though the other trees were irritable at his act, they began attacking him too, the creaking, sounding before their attack, and a wisp of wind brushed through his tightly woven hair, nicking at his ear. Perhaps this creak and this wisp was the magic that caused all this! At that very thought, Jack hurled about in a frenzy towards the noise, slicing limbs off attacking trees, falling to the ground and returning to their normal state before their furious attack upon the Samurai.

In all this, Jack didn't notice that he hadn't taken even one hit or a scratch, the branches just came towards him, never slicing at him at all. Just as he absent-mindedly ignored the sign's presence before entering this forest. His eyes grew bloodshot and bags formed wearily under his eyes as he struggled, rasping for air to enter his lungs. Running a mile through a forest, swinging a sword would conduct such a thing to one's body. He lowered his head, closing his eyes and breathing heavily, leaning against a moss-covered rock, taking a seat, now trusting himself to not be attacked by any more vicious trees. The Samurai glanced down next to him. A flower bloomed from an odd appearing root. A small, blue flower, which altered in color whether the sun was facing it or not. The clouds moved quickly in the sky, sending a calming change of colors in the flower's petals. From blue...to red, much like those...those...fiber optical doo-dads in the stores lining large cities. Soon, a shadow was cast in the shape of a woman over the flower, and it turned to blue, while light from the sun acted as an outline to everything else.

Jack couldn't help but allow his curiosity to be fed, gazing up into the crimson optics of a woman. Obviously nearing his age, and dressed in uncommon wear for the era. A violet-crimson kimono, lined in a gold floral pattern, mimicking the flower seen below her. The woman lowered the white silken fan that covered her mouth and chin, lightly tinted lips smiled upon him and he felt himself stare, but couldn't look away. The woman was oblivious to his stare, violet tresses falling around her face, while the rest was tied uniquely into a braided bun. Long, pointed ears protruded from the sides of her head and twitched whenever she was attentive, which she was, gazing upon this newcomer into her forest attentively. "Hello..." she trailed off, glancing at his now sheathed katana. "Samurai...I am Tetsko, lady of this Forest..." Tetsko...he felt like he heard of such a name once before...or glanced over its sight...why was this girl resembling someone so familiar to him... "Jack..." he let out, simply, staring still. Gawking, really. The girl seemed to barely notice, as though she were used to it.

"Get up, then, Jack. You seem tired. I will lead you out of the forest." She said, apparently his new guide through this horrifying experience. Turning around quickly, the woman started off, not really very attentive to whether Jack moved or not. Jack, allowing her several steps ahead of him, stood up and followed her, watching her back to keep himself from getting lost.

Several hours, it seemed to go by, and Jack felt a red tint of warmness falling upon his cheeks. A sunburn? Probably. He didn't bother to take a hat with him, as he traded it for goods before entering the forest. Weariness shrouded over him, while the woman just continued along, fanning herself lightly whilst she moved effortlessly through the maze-like forest, shooing off small wood-land beings when they came into their path every-so often. Soon, a bright light hit him, as though it were magic, and the burn on his face stung furiously, so much so that Jack clenched his teeth tightly together and lifted his arm to shield away the light from his cheeks. The woman stopped in the middle of the light, then ushered him through it...

...It was the opening, he made it out. To thank the woman who assisted him, he turned around, while he stood at the threshold of the forest, he saw a transparent being with blue eyes, that disappeared quickly, the more he walked backwards out of the forest. And then he realized...it was all a Hallucination...the attacking, the color changing, the girl...the kind, but quiet, and nonchalant girl who held such beauty and grace was now gone, and never existed beforehand...

He gazed upon the sign near him. And it read: "You are either Entering or leaving the Forest of Hallucination, if Entering, be wary, and always keep Tetsko root with you!" Tetsko root...the girl...she truly did never exist...

Jack pondered this for a while as he trudged off again, towards the East, towards Aku's main territory...the capitol of his evil...as his quest was not complete. But when he looked down into his sweating fist...he saw a crushed, slightly moist flower, attached to a gold root with blue petals, that at the light of sun, turned a brilliant ruby shade.

End.

Author's notes: I know the ending seemed very, very dull, although, it was somewhat intended to be, as it was supposed to be a short one-shot for my great debut upon Reviews are loved, but keep them Constructive. Flaming is bad mojo. Thank you for Reading,

Aneas.