#y’all this man had seen so many man-made horrors beyond comprehension | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

d-clarence · 7 years

Link

Y’all know what to do at this point.

Read and review, trust me, it really helps gaining some feedback!

As Ashi’s search for the lost Samurai intensifies, her hope wanes and falters. But little does she know that help will arrive from those she believed to be long gone. This takes place on my interpretation of events of Episode XCVII.

Here’s an excerpt from the story:

---

Ashi has now witnessed everything good about the former Samurai, but still retained her bitterness of heart towards him. The bitterness that stemmed from what he had to do to her own sisters. She fully understood why he did what he did, but that does not excuse seeing her closest family fall one-by-one into bloodied and battered heaps.

The sun began to set and the clouds thundered nearby as she was taking another rest stop in the woods. Ashi finally took the time to carve in the names of her sisters along the hilt of her katana, as she had long promised to do so weeks ago. She took care that each name was intricately carved in cursive lettering, as Arya’s name was done.

“… Avi… Ami… Aki… Aya… Alana…” she muttered.

All along the hard, textured surface of the sword, the former Daughter of Aku had carved in her sisters’ names with her dagger in the order they were murdered. Each name lay in succession of the other, trailing along the hilt, next to Arya’s, but a few inches of space remained between Alana’s mark and the handguard of the blade. She figured when the time was right, her own name would be added on right there. She deeply wished they would show themselves to her again. She never realized how lonely she was until now.

Upon returning her blade to her waist, it was time to move on, but where should she go? The Ronin could have wandered anywhere. While it was a blessing her search had certainly narrowed down to the small island nation of Japan, she knew not where to look. The journey seemed hopeless and pointless. Jack had truly abandoned her, despite all his promises and teachings.

At the moment all seemed lost, they showed themselves to her once more.

“A little lost, aren’t you, Sister?” Ashi’s eyes snapped open from her melancholy. Only one of her sisters had this playful of a tone whenever she spoke.

It was Arya.

But alas, she was not alone either. The other five stood with her, all of them with a change of attire as well. Each of Ashi’s sisters had adopted similar leaf dresses and some cases, a hairstyle change as well.

Arya now more fully resembled the waitresses from Gypsy’s, wrapping her chest in a similar fashion the dancers had. Her midriff, shoulders, and arms were fully exposed and she wore a short leaf skirt with thigh-high boots composed of reeds. Her bob cut now held a single cherry blossom over her right ear.

Aki came up next in a more modest and long flowing dress that extended to her ankles. Palm leaves made up the primary construction of the skirt area and the sleeves of her top stopped just shy of her elbows. Small, decorative fringes and seashells made up her belt. Her signature spiked cut remained the same.

The others were also fashionably dressed as well, with dresses, skirts, and tops of other varying designs. Some sported short braids in their hair, whilst others kept theirs long, curly, and adorned with flowers. Ashi couldn’t believe her eyes.

Before she could speak, Aki rose her hand up to her eldest one’s lips. “Yes, Ashi, this is very real.”

Tears cascaded down the trembling eyes of Ashi’s face. Her second-in-command’s finger tips were soft and warm to the touch. Unable to control herself for any longer, she jumped into the arms of her sister in a deep, loving hug and sobbed right into her shoulder.

Everyone joined in on the heartfelt group hug as the family seemed reunited, forever.

“It’s okay, Ashi, it’s okay,” cooed Ami.

“We will always be with you,” comforted Aya.

“No matter where you go," Alana assured.

Breaking the hug, Ashi wiped her face off with her arm and sniffled with a smile. ”I… I… do not understand… but… how?”

“That will take a while to explain,” Avi said. “Now come! We have something to show you!”

The six ran off, beckoning Ashi to follow. The young woman did so without hesitation. As the sun set, a multitude of stars lit the dark forest ahead, even as storm clouds raged closer and closer. The bioluminescent plant life glowed and lit in what seemed to be in all colors of the rainbow. To Ashi, this was a time to be merry and celebrate, for her sisters have returned to her.

They playfully giggled and danced through the forest as even Ashi found it hard for herself to keep up.

“Come on, Ashi!” Avi waved over from a fallen tree.

The tears the eldest sister shed were of the joy she was bereft of ever since she was born into this world. She darted past bushes, leaped atop shrubs and caught hold of Aki’s warm, soft, yet strong hand as they all traveled together.

Her joy exceeded to the point where her quest for the lost Samurai didn’t matter to her anymore. She knew Jack was around somewhere. The former assassin of Aku believed she can delay just this once. The dark and thick storm clouds fell upon the seven as a heavy downpour overcame them all. Ashi didn’t care as she laughed and played with her sisters for the first time in her life. Fearing she will get an infection, Alana generously wrapped her sister in a large tree leaf that enshrouded her entire body.

“Wow! Thanks, Sister!” Ashi giggled.

“Anytime, Leaf Girl,” she joked.

“Ha, ha! Seriously?!” The remark was ironic in itself.

“Come on, you two, we’re almost there!” Arya shouted.

“Almost where?” Ashi raised an eyebrow. Her smile dropped in confusion.

“You’ll see…” Ami chimed in.

As Ashi hurried along with her sisters leading away, they exited the still-glowing forest as the seven came into a clearing where a tall building lay in the crossroad of several paths. The structure reminded Ashi very much of the aesthetics that Momotaro and Shinobi’s had. It stood seven stories high, with roof sections interrupting each story as it curled upwards at the edges. The dark-colored building had translucent windows that showed its guests of many cultures and races alike drinking, gambling, and lounging around. The sign that loosely creaked and hung on its hinges read, “Da Tavern of Da Sam-Moo-Rhai.”

“We both know how easily distracted you get, Ashi,” Aki confided, uncaring of the rain that cascaded down her slender body and dress. The rest simply lined up side-by-side as Ashi wandered forward.

Ashi fully knew now why her sisters had lead her here. Before her hand pushed the door open, she hesitated, wanting an answer.

“Why?” She turned and questioned.

“The Samurai needs you,” Aya rose her hand to Ashi. “He needs your help.”

“Why have you brought me here?” The eldest confronted. Her blood ran as cold as the rain as she could no longer tell if the water that fell upon her face was from the storm or her own tears. “Am I meant to forgive this man for what he did?”

“Ashi,” Aki softly spoke as more thunder crashed. “If you can’t forgive him for what he did to you, then forgive him for us.”

“No,” she turned away, closing her eyes in anger. “There is no turning back from the path he has chosen.”

“And yet, here you are,” Arya pitched in. “Please, Sister…”

“He killed you!” Ashi shouted back. “Now that I’m thinking clearly, he deserves any trouble coming to him!”

“You don’t mean to say that,” Avi shook her head. “What happened is history, and the now is a present. You can change that!”

“Come on, you have seen the evidence for yourself,” Ami groaned in reason. “He is a good person! That is something the rest of us never knew in our lives, but you did.”

“Hope lives,” Arya taught and pleaded. “It is everywhere! You have seen it; everyone he has touched and all the people Jack has helped!”

Ashi continued to shake her head in disbelief that such a merciful being could not do so for her own family.

“As we once were, he is being misguided by forces way beyond your comprehension!” Alana pointed out. “We know it as you soon will.”

“And most of all,” Aya turned her last living sister to her. “He showed you the truth! He proved there’s so much more to you than we ever knew existed!”

“’So much more?’” Ashi drooped and doubted. “Like what?”

Refocusing her sister’s gaze into her own, Arya begged, “The hope he gave to you that saved your life from the one we were imprisoned to!”

“Okay, okay,” Ashi eventually relented and gave in to her sisters’ pleas. “I’ll finish this…”

“We will always be with you, Sister,” Aki concluded. “We have to go now, but please, find Jack. Not just for you and me, but for everyone.”

“No,” Ashi shook her head trying to hold back another fit. “Just… please… don’t go…”

“I’m sorry, Ashi, but…”

“N-O-O-O!” The last Daughter of Aku hysterically cried as she pulled her sister in for a tight hug. “I won’t let you go!”

“I don’t want to either,” she reciprocated the feeling. She broke the contact only to cradle her saddening sister’s face in her caring palms. “But remember, we are here, we are watching out for you.”

With one last group hug, Ashi tried to hold as many of them in her arms as possible. In a cruel twist of Fate, they vanished with each flash of lightning that lit up the sky and earth. The first to go was Arya, then Avi, Ami. Ashi gasped in horror as she found them disappearing in the order they passed in, as she found herself grasping at thin air as each one vanished. Then, the next to go were Aki, Aya, and there stood only Alana and Ashi now.

“So, uhh,” Alana shyly muttered, rubbing her arm. “I… guess… this is goodbye…”

“I’ll miss you,” Ashi regained control over herself. “All of you…”

“We know,” she nodded once, holding her sole surviving sister’s hands in her own. “We will be there, when you need us.”

As the lighting and thunder clapped one more time, the last of the seven found herself all alone again. The only thing left to remind her of this experience was the large tree leaf Alana draped her in and a single cherry blossom that lay in the mud in front of her. Ashi had no other choice but to move on. Not just for her own or her sisters’ sake, but for Jack and the fate of the entire world.

She walked on, controlling her composure again as she wiped away the last of her tears. Taking in one last deep breath, she marched towards the entrance to the tavern. Once again, she hesitated at the door, bracing herself for whatever waited on the other side.

#samurai jack #season 5 #novelization #jashi #ashi #scaramouche #flora #da samurai #demongo #seppuku #episode xcvii

9 notes · View notes