—CHAPTER 17—
Yesterday's rain had subsided by the morning, and the clouds had dispersed long before the sun had risen.
Almost ten in the morning, Jack was awoken gently by the sunbeams peeking through his window shades. Feeling well rested, he quickly realized he was alone, and immediately sat up to look around. Ashi was nowhere to be seen, and he briefly worried that last night was only a dream.
Just then, he caught a whiff of an enticing scent that wafted into his room. Someone was cooking in his kitchen. Jack got out of his bed and wandered out into the hallway.
Turning the corner, he saw Ashi at the stove, frying eggs and bacon in a pan, still wearing the same outfit she went to sleep in. Her hair was a little messy, but the new style had already grown on Jack.
Ashi finally noticed Jack gawking at her from the doorway, and her already pleasant expression gleamed even brighter. "Jack, good morning!" she rushed over to him, pecking him on the lips, "Hope you don't mind, I made us breakfast with the stuff you had in the fridge."
Jack blinked a couple times, then shook his head rapidly, "N-No, of course not! Here, I'll get us some plates," he smiled sheepishly.
Ashi beamed at him then went back to the stove as Jack moved to the cabinet. "By the way, when was the last time you went grocery shopping?" she asked.
"Uhh, it's been a while since I've… left the house, actually," he admitted looking down at the plates he had just picked up.
Ashi shook her head with a smirk, "Who would've thought you'd be so hopeless without me, Jack," she teased playfully as Jack came up next to her to set the plates down on the counter, "We'll do a supermarket run later today." There was a brief silence, then Ashi let out a small gasp as Jack's arms snaked their way around her torso, "Well, hello there," she cooed.
Jack was barely listening to what Ashi was saying to him, as it was only just now sinking in that she was actually there. They slept together, and now she was making breakfast, casually speaking to him about mundane things. It felt as though they had never even split up in the first place. When that realization hit Jack, embracing Ashi was the only thing he could think to do. As a result, he discovered that Ashi's hair would no longer be prodding his nostrils whenever he held her, which was also a pleasant revelation.
"Uhh, Jack? Our breakfast is burning…" Ashi's remark brought him back to attention, and he released her with a stammered apology, which she merely laughed off.
The couple then proceeded to sit down together to enjoy the breakfast Ashi made for them. It didn't take long for either of them to clear their plates, and they both sat back in their chairs with a contented sigh.
Jack then got up to get drinks for them, taking two glasses out of the cabinet and moving to the fridge.
Ashi spoke up when she saw him take out a familiar carton of orange juice, "I wouldn't if I were you." Jack looked at her curiously as he unscrewed the cap, and almost immediately started gagging at the foul odor that emerged from the juice carton.
"Told you," Ashi shrugged.
Carefully, Jack held the carton away from himself, pouring it over the drain. Once he rinsed the expired juice out of the sink, he brought the glasses he took out under the running faucet and filled them. "Water it is then," he remarked.
Jack handed her one of the beverages and sat adjacent to her at the kitchen table. They sipped in comfortable silence for a minute or two, until Jack remembered the elephant in the room that they had been ignoring all morning.
"Ashi…" he thought about how to approach the subject for a moment, then decided that mincing words would be inappropriate, "What about your Father? If you're here with me, then where do you stand with him?" he inquired.
Ashi gave a slight smirk, and with out speaking, she took Jack's hand and led him over to the couch. Sitting him down, she picked up the remote on the table and switched on the TV, which defaulted to the local news network, immediately airing the footage of last night's conference.
Jack was immediately fixated on the screen. Given Ashi's recently acquired fame, he was now quite used to seeing her face on Television. What Jack never would have expected, however, was to see Ashi furiously reproach her Father, then passionately defend his own actions and character in front of a focused crowd of cameras and press. Yet, he was now seeing exactly that.
And it wasn't just airing locally; Ashi started scrolling channels to show that the same footage was also being shown on national news networks, all over the country. With AKu's prominent role in politics, the internet soon got its hands on the story, meaning that the clip was going global. The entire world witnessed Ashi renounce her Father.
Suddenly, Ashi switched off the TV with the remote, which she then placed down on the coffee table, and took a seat to Jack's right on the couch. He turned to her with an almost vacant expression, still processing what he had just seen, as she started to speak again. "You and I are together again, Jack, and that's exactly what AKu was trying to prevent. We may not be able to fight him, but we can defy him; by staying together, we're showing AKu that he has no power over us," Ashi explained, clenching her fist in determination.
Realizing their advantage, Jack brought up his fist to mirror hers, "You're right, our relationship is our weapon in this fight. The best thing we can do is to carry on, the same as before."
"Yes, exactly!" Ashi affirmed, "And our first order of business is to rent that new property! If we pool our money together, we should be able to afford moving in."
Jack lowered his gaze, "Um, about that… I haven't been working much since we broke up. I can barely afford half the down payment. We may have to work a little longer before we move forward with this…" he sighed.
Ashi quickly got up from the couch, yelling to Jack as she went to grab her phone from the bedroom, "No worries, I should be able to pick up the slack. Not only do I have the money we made from our jobs, but I've been funneling all of my allowance into my bank account—the one my Dad doesn't have access to." She walked back into the living room, scrolling through her phone for the property owner's number, "We're not skipping a beat."
Jack smiled as Ashi dialed the phone and put it to her ear, taking her spot on the couch. After a few rings, Jack could hear a voice come through on the other end, which Ashi greeted.
"Hi! I'm calling about the property that was up for sale. My name is Ashi; I don't know if you remember, but we spoke in November of last year… You do, great! So, I was wondering if the space is still available because my boyfriend and I have the down payment…" her face fell as she listened to the tenant's response, "Oh, okay…" then mouthed to Jack, "He sold it…" who put his face in his palm.
Suddenly, Ashi's face lit up again, "Oh, really?" she said excitedly, prompting Jack to look up from his despair. "The new owner is also renting it!" Ashi cheered quietly, holding the phone away from her for a moment. Jack pumped his fist victoriously. "Yeah, that's actually perfect!" she sighed in relief, "So, who's the new owner?"
Jack watched expectantly as Ashi got her answer, and seeing the color immediately drain from her face, he felt a sickening pit form in his stomach. She didn't have to say a word, Jack knew exactly who it was.
/
"I can't tell you how grateful I am to have you both here with me today. Given our recent…disagreements, I was worried you would no longer hear me out. But, as I expected, you have proven to be above such petty grievances, and allowed me this opportunity to make things right! As such, I propose that we begin this meeting by burying the hatchet, once and for all. What do you say!?"
AKu stared across his desk at Jack and Ashi expectantly, but the scowling couple refused to budge, both sitting there with crossed arms.
The awkward silence lingered for a minute or so, then AKu spoke up again, "Alright, look… we've all said a lot of regrettable things, and I'm eager to put this whole mess behind us and move on; I trust you both feel the same, so let's get down to business…" he said, eagerly placing a document on his desk and sliding it over to the couple.
Jack picked up the piece of paper, and Ashi leaned in as they both examined it, quickly realizing what it was: a contract.
"As you can see, I'm prepared to offer you a residence at the property you've been working towards, at the same low starting cost!" AKu boasted, tapping the desk in rhythm with each word, "And just to prove that there are no hard feelings, I will personally finance every necessary renovation made to the building, to help you jumpstart your new business!" AKu sat back and crossed his arms with a smug grin, while his daughter grimaced, looking up from the contract.
"What's the catch?" she asked warily, her attention now completely on her Father. Jack's, however, remained on the paper he was holding, and he found the answer to Ashi's question.
AKu smiled warmly, "No catch, my dear. Only a… stipulation, if you will. Although your monthly rent will be the same, the total price of the property has been raised to five hundred thousand."
Ashi gaped at the figure, while Jack held his chin in contemplation, much less appalled at the large number. After all, he expected AKu to interfere somehow, and this was nowhere near as bad as it could have been. Hell, the bar was already pretty high at this point. Their hands were basically tied, but at least they'd still be able to follow through with their original plan.
"I know what you're thinking, Ashi: that this is just some feeble attempt at making up to you after I lied. You probably feel betrayed, and angry, but you must understand: You are still my daughter, and as such, know that I am still going to uphold my responsibilities as your Father—and that, to me, means financing your business venture! But I realize that you're a big girl now, and you wish to make your own choices. I get it! I get that you truly want to be with the… J-Jack, and I promise you—both of you—that I will not interfere with that anymore" AKu declared, holding up three fingers on his left hand while crossing his heard with his right index finger. His honorable pose lasted a good three seconds before he held up two pens and donned a cheesy grin to ask excitedly, "So, how about those signatures?"
Jack finally took his attention away from the contract to look at Ashi; having already made up his mind, he was now eager to know what Ashi thought of her Father's deal.
Ashi brought her pensive gaze up from her lap to look sternly at her Father, and she bluntly answered after a brief pause, "No." AKu's plastic smile collapsed, and Jack turned to her in astonishment. "I'm on to you, Dad. You think that making amends to us is going to fix your tarnished image; I bet you have another press conference lined up and everything!" Ashi rose abruptly and slammed her hands against the desk, "But I'm not going to let you do it. Jack and I are more than capable of making it on our own, and we don't need you or your dirty money!" she declared, turning away in defiance.
"Is that so?" AKu growled, visibly displeased by her response, "Well, then the two of you can just—"
But Jack stood up, interrupting him with a request, "Um, would you excuse us for a moment? I'd like to have a word with Ashi." AKu sneered at them both, grumbling and stroking his goatee in contemplation, then finally waved them off dismissively.
Before Ashi could interject, Jack grabbed her hand and led her over to the elevator. "What are you doing?" she asked in a harsh whisper as the elevator door opened with a chime.
The couple stepped in, and Jack waited until the doors shut to speak, "Ashi, we have to take this deal."
Ashi was stupefied, "H-How can you even say that? You of all people!"
"I don't like it any more than you do," Jack shook his head, "but perhaps it's not as bad as it seems. It's like you said, this is damage control; he wouldn't be helping us if there wasn't something in it for him. All we can do is try to get as much out of it as we can."
Ashi looked away in uncertainty, "I don't know…"
"We won't be deviating from our original plan at all, just skipping a few of the more expensive steps. Having someone else pay for renovations would save us a lot of trouble, don't you think?" Jack suggested.
There was a brief pause before Ashi spoke up again, "Do you honestly think he's going to keep his promises?"
His gaze was steady, "Do you honestly think we have a choice?"
Ashi was about to refute it, but hesitated once Jack's words sunk in. He was absolutely right. If they didn't take this deal, her Father wouldn't let them off easy. Even if they could find a similar property that AKu didn't own, he'd likely see to its acquisition before they could even get an estimate. Their options were scarce, and they both knew it.
After another pause, Ashi finally looked back at Jack, "Okay." Hands intertwined, the couple then stepped out of the elevator to face the music.
AKu was sitting at his desk, his back turned to them, facing out the window. As they approached, he slowly spun around and said, "Sooo, I trust you've had a successful deliberation?" with a sly grin.
Ashi scowled, and Jack squeezed her hand in reassurance. Taking a deep breath, she answered, "We have…"
/
Having establishing a shaky truth with AKu, Jack and Ashi were certain that the favors he had promised them would be fraught with frustrating delays and inconveniences. Much to their surprise, however, the next three weeks would pass by quickly and without much hassle.
The couple was given three days to pack everything they owned, before a moving crew would arrive at their current residence to take their belongings over to the new one. The movers showed up just as rush hour began and made it a point to block most of the road with their trucks as they loaded them. What little space was left for commuters was further obstructed by a mob of reporters, eager to document AKu's altruism in action.
By the end of the day, Jack and Ashi were officially moved into their new home. The first thing the couple did was scour every inch of their new home, suspicious that the movers had planted surveillance or recording devices in the nooks and crannies at AKu's behest. Surprisingly, as thorough as their search was, they found nothing.
The first floor of the mixed-use building was empty space, a long-forgotten convenience store that had been stripped clean a year prior. The top floor, however, was perfectly livable, almost a nicer version of their previous abode. It had housed several tenants over the years that all tried to keep the store going, but it finally became unsustainable. The store was abandoned but the apartment was kept up by the owner in hopes that it would one day sell.
The front of the property had two doors: the one on the right was for the first floor, and the second was a two-tier staircase that lead to the front door of the apartment. Once inside, one would find the small are of linoleum floor was a step below the main carpeted floor of the home, a perfect place for guests to take off and leave their shoes. To the right of that was a living room area with a couch and love seat, the former facing a television in front of a wall, and the latter across from a large window at the front of the building. An open-floor layout meant that the kitchen and dining room weren't separated from the living room and each other by walls, residing across from and behind it respectively. Between the kitchen and the dining room was a hallway that stretched far back enough to accommodate four rooms: two bedrooms, master and guest, on the right, a bathroom and an extra room that was converted into an office on the left. At the end of the hallway was a window, and to the left of that was a door out to the back of the building down a black grated staircase.
Moved in, and ready to start their new careers—they took care of the needed registration during the renovations—Jack and Ashi invited Scotsman over for a small housewarming, their first time catching up since the couple got back together. The sat at the dining table with a few drinks, Jack and Ashi sitting across from Scotsman, and got their friend caught up on recent events.
"Five-hundred thousand dollars!" Scotsman held his forehead in awe at the number, "Yer gonna be payin' that off into yer forties!" he half-jokingly remarked.
Jack was slightly slumped over with his elbows on the table, clutching his beer, "Yes, these circumstances are most troubling."
"I'm sorry, Jack. This whole thing is my fault," Ashi lamented, sitting to Jack's right but looking away from him. "If I had caught on to my Father's schemes from the start, maybe I could've prevented him from interfering in our affairs. I should've done more to stop him, I—"
Jack interrupted her bemoaning by placing his hand on hers, "Believe me, it does no good to dwell on the past. We cannot change what has happened, but we can work to repair what has come of it." Ashi's sullen expression reversed as she turned to look at him, reminded that Jack didn't blame her for any of it.
"That's right!" Scotsman loudly chimed in, "The important thing is ye finally came to yer senses and saw AKu fer what he really is. Besides, even though yer payin' him off fer it, ye got this great new place! S' not all that bad, eh?" he remarked, taking a big swig from his mug.
The couple broke their loving gaze to address their conflicting feelings. "You're right, it shouldn't be hard to make the best of the new living situation. Plus, the rent is about the same as we were paying at the old apartment," mused Ashi, feeling nervously hopeful for what was to come.
"Still," Jack spoke up in a less positive tone, "We have a long way to go before we pay off our debts to him, and it's going to be another few weeks or so before the dojo is finished. If only there was a way we could make the money all at once."
His words seemed to set something off in Scotsman; his arm came to an abrupt stop as he was about to take another drink, and his eyes opened wide in realization. "THAT'S IT!" he shouted, slamming the mug down on the table, "I know how ye can make the money! Ever hear 'bout the 'Dome of Doom?'" he asked, and Jack shook his head as Ashi looked away in thought. "It's this game show thing where contestants compete in athletic challenges, and against the arena's champions for up to a million dollars! If you two signed up, you'd easily win that money!" he loudly declared.
"A… game show? On television?" Jack said pensively, mulling over the concept of competing in one. He was actually quite familiar with that kind of program; before he met Ashi, Jack spent a lot of time watching television, and often settled on the game show channel. There was the show where contestants picked from a collection of numbered briefcases, bargaining with an offscreen banker to get the best offer. Or the one where two families compete against each other in survey-based questions, and they would always give such raunchy answers that the host would make a big deal out of. While Jack would love to win so much money, he couldn't imagine them actually winning. Every game show involves some form of gambling, it all seemed too good to be true.
Ashi, meanwhile, realized she knew what show Scotsman was talking about. "You're right, we would dominate!" she said in an aggressive tone as she turned to Jack, "If seen that show, and the kind of challenges they do aren't far off from what we do all the time! Sparring, obstacle courses, that weird upside-down bike thing—well, maybe not that… but you and I could handle it, no problem!"
Jack held his chin in reconsideration, "Well… I suppose we could try signing up. I'm not crazy about being on TV, but what do we have to lose, right?" he shrugged.
"That's the spirit!" Scotsman cheered, "They have a booth set up at the gym I go to, where anyone can apply to be on the show. The two'a you come by tomorrow and sign up!"
"Then it's settled!" Ashi grabbed Jack's hand in determination, "You and I are getting into the Dome of Doom, and we're going to win that cash prize!" Jack nodded in agreement.
Scotsman lifted his drink, "Cheers to that!" and the three of them clinked glasses.
/
A flash of lightning lit up the night sky over AKu's tower, accompanied by roaring thunder. The pouring rain made its own cacophony as it pelted the tops of buildings, but AKu and his loyal assistant heard none of it from within the tower's descending main elevator.
Scaramouche was exhausted from a day of non-stop damage control, meeting with several of AKu's personal investors on his boss' behalf. AKu, on the other hand, was perfectly calm. His hands behind his back, and a tranquil smile on his face, none of the recent tribulations seemed to faze him one bit. Scaramouche didn't understand it at all.
"Tell me somethin', Boss. The Samurai's out of his funk, and he's now got the public opinion on his side; your own daughter has turned on you and nearly the press too; and your poll numbers are lower than ever! So, why…how can you be so cheerful!?" Scaramouche asked desperately.
AKu chuckled lightly, "I know this looks bad," he responded without turning to his assistant, "but politics is all about appearances. As long as everyone thinks I'm occupied with these trivial distractions, they won't pay any mind to what's really going on."
Just then, the elevator had reached its destination: a top-secret basement level underneath the building. The doors opened to a massive pitch-black room, illuminated only by the elevator. The pair stepped out onto a bridge-like walkway, and each in a series of overhead lights flickered on as they passed under it.
"As for the Samurai and Ashi, they can have their little 'fairy tale love story'," AKu continued, in a mocking tone, "As long as it keeps them out of my hair, I don't care what they do. I paid them off so that they'd spend less time screwing up my other operations. And even then, they remain blissfully unaware of my real plan. In time, however, they will learn the truth…"
The two stopped at the base of an enormous machine, still hidden by the darkness. The sinister mogul held up his arms in reverence of his grand endeavor, "Yeesss, soon everyone will find out what's in store. And when they do, it will already be too late to stop it. Far too late…"
AKu's maniacal laughter echoed throughout the cavernous facility, as the machine lit up in an eerie red glow.
/
All that was left to do was to overhaul the bottom floor into the perfect space for martial arts instruction, a task which they had managed to milk out of AKu's deal. Fortunately, they knew exactly where to go for the labor they were looking for: Monk and his Grandsons provided the name of the contractor that did their "dojo" in the back room of Brewshido. Given the fact that not too many people in Burlington were in need of traditional Japanese furnishing, said contractor was more than happy to take the job.
The entire thing took about two weeks, even with Jack and Ashi lending the contractor a hand, but they made sure to get the deluxe package. Money was no object for AKu, after all. The contractors did an excellent job, and the place looked just as they had imagined.
The front of the building was stylized to look like a shōji, with three rectangular windows above them and the actual entrance on the right side, opposite the porch that lead to the upstairs residence. The dojo's interior was one big open space, lit up by four rows of high hat lights, and most of the floor being tatami matting; the first section of flooring as you walk in was carpeted and had several lounge chairs lined up, serving as a waiting area for those who weren't participating in the classes. There was also a small restroom on the left side of the waiting area, nestled underneath the staircase leading up to their home. The rest of the dojo matched the exterior of the building, decorated with various Japanese illustrations, martial arts codes, and different weapons hung up for both display and occasional use. There was a moderately-sized trunk sat in the back-right corner, containing spare gis and sparing equipment, and back door exit to the left of it.
Their new business was finally up and running, meaning they would once again have a source of steady income to pay off their loans. As for advertising, AKu's gloating about supporting his daughter's career choice took care of that. Furthermore, they had signed up for the "Dome of Doom" television show prior to the construction, and now were waiting to find out if they had gotten in. Everything was finally coming together for Jack and Ashi.
It was now the middle of May, and the opening day of "The Samurai's Dojo". Jack and Ashi were up, bright and early at the crack of dawn, to prepare for their first students to arrive for class, even though they had no idea how long they'd be waiting for someone to show up. But the more time to warm-up, they figured, the better. Both of them were wearing light workout clothing.
Ashi was sitting down on the tatami, stretching out her legs as she admired Jack, who was practicing his kata. Rarely did she get the chance to actually observe his form, usually preoccupied fighting side-by-side with Jack against some untrained thugs. But now that she could actually see him—his smooth, precise, graceful motions—she was mesmerized. Not to mention his toned physique, faintly gleaming from the beads of sweat that were beginning to form. He also wore an unruly topknot, the best he could do with all the hair he had.
She had been staring for some time, and Jack finally took notice, shooting her a sly glance over his shoulder, "Your legs should be properly stretched by now, don't you think?" Flustered, she quickly sat up and started stretching her arms instead, causing him to chuckle lightly.
"Save it for the students," Ashi fired back, turning away from his smug expression, and was suddenly struck with a much more effective retort, "Actually, I think my legs could use a bit more stretching." Casually, she spread her legs and bent down to touch her toes, spending a considerate amount of time before switching sides, "Definitely my lower back, too…" she wiggled her rear end a bit before peeking upside down at him from between her legs, and could see his bright red face, "Don't you think~?" she teased.
Jack cleared his throat awkwardly, "Yes well, I should hope that you'll refrain from flirting during business hours. It's quite unprofessional, you know."
Raising an eyebrow, Ashi smirked, "Ohh, excuuuse me, Sensei. I didn't realize class was already in session. So, what are we learning today?" she walked over to him and leaned in uncomfortably close, slowly forcing him against the wall.
"Ashi, please, this is no time to be messing around," Jack scolded, still blushing profusely.
They stayed like that for a few moments, before Ashi finally stepped back with a shrug, "Yeah, never mind. I don't know what I was thinking, asking you to teach me." Jack's head snapped back in her direction, "I mean, there's nothing you could show me that I wouldn't already know. After all, between the two of us, I am the better fighter," she said, shooting him her own smug look.
"Excuse me?" Jack raised an eyebrow.
Ashi smiled innocently, "Well, yeah! Maybe we've had similar training, but with all that time you've spent moping about, I'd imagine you've lost your edge a bit."
Jack opened his mouth to retort, but quickly caught on to what Ashi was doing and why. Instead, he gave another chuckle, leaning back against the same wall he was forced against, this time casually with his arms crossed.
Now Ashi was thrown off, "What's so funny?"
"It's just that, well, we've already fought each other," Ashi's eyes widened, "And if memory serves, I was the victor every time," he explained matter-of-factly.
"Now hold on!" Ashi responded defensively, "We last fought like twenty years ago, you can't judge our skills based on that! You're just trying to cover up the fact that you're afraid of losing," she pointed a taunting and incriminating finger at him.
Jack scoffed, "Nice try, but our history speaks for itself. Besides, our first students should be arriving soon, we don't have time for—" Ashi cut him off mid-sentence by placing her hand firmly on his chest, right as he was about to push off the wall and resume his kata.
"No, it does not," she bluntly replied, "I'll have you know that I resented you so much when we were younger for always beating me, and I remembered those feelings immediately when we first met at that bar. Maybe I forgot about them for a while, but now I have the chance to do something about it, and I'm not letting it go. If you're so sure that you're still better than me, then you're going to have to prove it."
Jack could tell from her expression that Ashi was dead serious, and his amused grin fell as the two of them silently glared at each other for a tense moment. "Very well," he finally relented with a sigh, "If it means that much to you, then let's spar."
Ashi smiled, "Thank you, Jack. I promise not to humiliate you too badly," she teased. Ignoring the comment, Jack moved to stand across from her on the mat as they both positioned themselves appropriately. "So, what do you think? Best of five?" she asked, reaching up high for one final stretch.
Jack nodded, "Fine by me, anything goes?"
"Anything goes," she affirmed.
Jack and Ashi took to opposite sides of the tatami floor, where they faced and bowed to each other sportingly. The match was intended to be a casual spar, but once they assumed their fighting stances, a tense atmosphere quickly filled the room.
The two opponents faced off in dead silence for what felt like an eternity, so much so that Jack was about to speak up. Sensing an opening, Ashi immediately lunged forward with a right forward punch, which Jack just barely avoided, twisting back with his left shoulder reflexively. She followed up with a left hook which he caught with his right forearm, and then pulled back for a same side kick that Jack blocked with his same side knee. Jack then found himself assaulted with a flurry of swift blows, doing his best to block them all and not get overwhelmed, but finally he felt a light shove on his chest from Ashi pressing the ball of her right foot against it. She said nothing, only looking at him with a smug expression, her leg still outstretched. Jack grimaced, then the two returned to their starting positions. Score one, Ashi.
Without much pause this time around, Jack was the one to strike first, almost too quickly for Ashi to react to. But she did, managing to block the initial attack and the several successive attacks that followed. Sick of tasting her own medicine, Ashi retaliated when Jack threw out what appeared to be a wide right hook, when actually she was walking right into his trap; Jack tilted his forearm back to block her counterattack, stepping in counter-clockwise and poking her with his left elbow. Point, Jack.
Resetting again, the two combatants began to circle each other, looking for potential openings in each other's guard. It was the that Ashi was struck by an idea, one that acting on would not provide any sort of advantage, but instead provide another layer to the fight; or, most likely, it would just be cringey and weird.
Regardless, Ashi took the risk; "Foolish Samurai," she barked in a malicious tone, "There is no hope for you! AKu is the master of masters, the one who controls all, and it is his will that I put an end to your quest here and now! Your destruction is at hand!"
"Never!" Jack was thrown off by her outburst at first, but once he caught on he immediately began playing along. "Nothing will stop me in my quest to return to the past and undo the evil that has been wrought upon this world! No matter what AKu has at his disposal, I won't give in; righteousness will always prevail," he declared heroically, becoming increasingly committed to the roleplay.
Ashi, meanwhile, was trying her best to maintain a menacing scowl through the giddy laughter that was erupting within her. "We shall see about that…" she sneered, slipping back into character, and went at Jack with a high right kick that he blocked with his left arm. She then immediately switched sides, coming around with her opposite leg for a similar attack, which Jack dodged this time by crouching instead, and retaliated with a low punch aimed at her abdomen; Ashi, however, was able to retract her foot in time, recoiling her leg and arms to block the attack. He followed the strike with another, aimed higher, which she bent backwards to avoid, then snatched his wrist and brought it with her behind his back.
"Give up now, Samurai, and I promise your death will be quick," Ashi whispered threateningly into Jack's ear, pushing his left arm up painfully.
Through gritted teeth, Jack retorted, "How merciful of you…"
Suddenly, in one swift motion, Jack spun himself around quickly enough to release Ashi's hold, grabbing and spinning her as well, then delivered a palm strike to her back that sent her to the floor.
"But I'm afraid you won't be able to keep that promise!" he growled, returning to his stance.
With a smirk, Ashi jumped to her feet and dodged as Jack came at her swinging a wide right hook. Jack's body went with the motion and he used the momentum while moving forward to roundhouse kick with his left leg. Ashi caught it and yanked it up to throw him off balance, but he jumped and twist flipped in the air before landing square on his feet, just in time to receive a hard knee to the gut that knocked him over.
Jack got back up just in time to avoid a leg drop, and the two reset themselves across from each other once more. Their intense gazes locked in a preliminary bout, neither showing the slightest bit of hesitation or fear. Although the score was now tied, it was no longer the deciding factor of the fight.
After another brief, tense standoff, the two opponents rushed in simultaneously. Their right forearms clashed, pushing against each other, neither combatant intending to lose the exchange. Their determined glances met; words would be pointless as their body language communicated the ferocity and aggression between them.
Finally, they both pulled back from the contact, and proceeded to exchange vicious blows and skillful blocks back and forth, neither giving any sort of advantage over the other. As the volley continued, their form and their sportsmanship began to falter; the fighters were made their way all over the tatami, making contact with each other several times, with much more force than their previous successes; Ashi had struck Jack in the face more than once, and he had nearly snapped her ankle, but neither of them would be stopped. The fight wouldn't end until one of them was KO'd.
Before that eventuality, however, Jack and Ashi clashed again, hands clasped together as they pushed all of their remaining strength against each other. Battered and bruised, but still fired up, the two were face-to-face now, close enough to feel each other's shallow breathing. They started off in a stare-down, but soon their competitive urges were replaced by a different kind of urge, finally seeing each other as more than just opponents.
/
Ashi burst through the apartment back door just as Jack had caught up to her. He practically tackled her into the wall, grabbing her and holding her steady by the waist, while aggressively kissing and biting at the base and nape of her neck. Gasping and moaning, Ashi dug her fingers into Jack's back under his shirt hard enough to leave scratch marks, a sensation that he reacted to by retreating further into the apartment.
She clung on, wrapping her legs around his waist after he let go of hers, but as Jack backed up, her fingers got slammed between his back and the perpendicular wall immediately ahead of them, causing them to let go. Jack instinctively snatched Ashi's wrists before she could fall backwards, her legs still locked around him; her eyes had closed in preparation of the impact, and she was jerked upward into another kiss as soon as they opened. Once she got her bearings, she reached behind Jack again, this time grabbing and yanking the shirt over his head and breaking their kiss. He reacted by grabbing her waist again and lifting her off of his waist.
Unlocking her legs, Ashi complied and got back to her feet, as Jack slid his hands upward and taking off her tank, too. Immediately after her arms were freed, she violently shoved Jack against the wall by his back, her hands gliding sensually across Jack's torso and shoulders; pressing her chest against him, slowly sliding her leg in and out between his thighs. His face bright red, his expression was contorted in struggle and restraint.
"Jaaack~" Ashi cooed, leaning so close to his face that he could feel her hot breath, "Why are you still holding out? We both know this ends here…" she stated in a sickeningly-sweet tone. The growing bulge rubbing against her thigh was his tell for sure.
Jack was biting his lip while staring at the ceiling, finally spoke up in a beleaguered tone. "Oh, Ashi…" ready to hear him surrender, Ashi was instead startled when she felt Jack swiftly and firmly cup her butt; his now burning gaze and intimidating voice sent a shiver throughout her body and between her legs, "It hasn't even begun."
Suddenly, Jack hoisted Ashi up by her butt onto his shoulder, carried her into their bedroom to his left, and tossed her onto the edge of the bed. Before she even knew what was happening, Jack was yanking off her shorts and running his hands up her legs, his fingers leaving behind goosebumps as they explored the milky surface.
Ashi was taken off guard by Jack's aggressive enthusiasm, immobilized as he slowly and sensually traced the edges of her underwear. She shivered as Jack started peeling away her panties, and her hips jerked involuntarily as the undergarments made their way past her knees. Jack pried her legs apart carefully, as if he was trying to quietly sneak in; the only sound filling the air were Ashi's deep, heaving breaths. He leaned in, so close that she felt the hairs from his beard brush her bare skin and sex, causing her to let out a tiny gasp. Her thoughts were racing, and her legs quivered in anticipation, then all at once, a surge of pleasure shot through her body as Jack began going down on her for the first time. Trying and failing to repress her moans, Ashi instinctively wrapped her legs around Jack's head so tightly that he almost couldn't breathe; she didn't want to relinquish all control, but he was certainly making it difficult not to.
After several minutes of biting her bottom lip and gripping the bedsheets, Ashi released her leg lock and managed to sit up. Grabbing Jack's hair, she pulled his head out from her crotch and tilted his face up to look at him, taking notice of the sticky residue covering his beard. "Enough…" she whispered flatly, her beat red face drenched in sweat, "Not like this… we finish this together…" and smashed her lips against his.
Getting the hint, Jack quickly pulled off the rest of his clothes as Ashi pulled him onto the bed and on top of her body. All sensuality was pushed aside as the two opponents engaged in a violent coitus where both partners battled for dominance; their bodies were weapons as they thrust against each other without relent. It was the final stage of their contest of endurance, and the climax was quickly approaching. For the duration, Jack and Ashi were eye to eye. Not once did they break eye contact with each other, not even when switching positions. Although they were still competing, they were at the same time perfectly in synch with one another, minds and bodies intertwined as they breathed heavily in unison. Finally, Ashi's eyes shut forcefully as she tightened her legs, letting out an orgasmic shriek just seconds before Jack surrendered as well. The fight was over.
A few minutes later, the couple was sprawled out on the bed, still panting heavily as they held hands, staring at the ceiling; bodies battered and bruised, hair disheveled, the only thing they were thinking about was each other. Neither of them had realized it was already past nine.
Ashi spoke up, breathlessly, "I can't… believe… after all… that… that you won… by just," she held up her left hand weakly, holding her thumb and index finger just inches apart, "… this much."
Jack laughed, even though it pained him a little, "It was still… a great match… you are truly… a worthy opponent," he lauded.
Ashi smiled affectionately, rolling into and nuzzling Jack's chest, "It was an honor to face you in combat… Samurai…"
/
It was almost ten o' clock.
The sign on the door said that the dojo would open at nine. A small line of miscellaneous folks had been waiting for an hour now, but the Samurai and his girlfriend were nowhere to be found.
Most of the crowd were big fans of the Samurai and his reputation, and were grateful enough for the opportunity to train under a living legend that they didn't mind the wait.
They assumed that, wherever he was, he must be doing something very important.
—END CHAPTER 17—
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