I do not own Samurai Jack or any of the characters.

Lost Now Found

Ashi slowed to a stop at the top of the hill, staring down into the ruins at the green mist filling it. He had to be here. Somewhere. He had to be. She dropped off of her horse just as a gentle breeze blew past them from the direction of the town. Shivers ran down Ashi's spine and her horse screamed, rearing up and turning way before taking off at a gallop. Ashi cursed before turning back to the village, drawing her twin daggers and starting down the hill. After a few minutes, she stopped before the mist. She hesitated. It could be poison. It could make her hallucinate. It could do almost anything. She took a breath and stepped into it.

"Ashi!" her mother's voice spat. "What are you doing? Return to Aku at once!"

"No mother," Ashi said. "I'm going to save Jack."

"Save him?" her mother spat. "He left you for dead!"

"No!" Ashi said. "He needs my help!"

"He abandoned you!" her responded angrily. "Return now and the great Aku may yet spare your life."

"Aku is a monster!" Ashi snapped, glaring back at the towering figure of her mother for the first time. "I will never serve him again. I'm going to help Jack kill him!"

Her mother glared at her for a moment before disappearing. Ashi turned, walking through the mist, tense and with her daggers ready. Then, finally, she stepped out into a massive open area and looked around. Even through the fog she could see the destruction. Buildings destroyed and burned, skeletons spread everywhere, broken weapons scattered across the ground. This village had been obliterated long ago. And since then Aku's evil had made the village rot.

She walked through the open area then stopped as she reached a cemetery. The graves were fresh, and there were dozens of them, each marked with a weapon. Ashi slowly made her way into it, swords ready as he eyes scanned the cemetery. Then, she stopped. There were a pair of graves with a massive stone marker each as opposed to the weapons. There was also something on top of it. She squinted to see through the fog but it was no good. She stepped forward and felt her foot land in something thick and wet. She looked down, eyes widening as she saw blood, her dagger falling from her hand instantly as her eyes followed the trail to the thing before the graves.

"Jack!" Ashi cried, hurrying forward, dropping to her knees beside him.

There was a deep gash across his chest and a stab wound all the way through his abdomen. His less serious wounds included smaller cuts all over his body and his left arm being bent the wrong way. She gently lifted him, holding him in her lap as she tried to slow his bleeding.

"Who is it?" Jack rasped. "Ashi?"

"I'm here," Ashi said. "Hang on Jack. I'll save you."

"Why?" Jack asked. "I abandoned you."

"Be quiet," Ashi said. "Talking's going to make it worse."

"I am sorry, Ashi," Jack said, staring up at her as she tore her own right sleeve off, beginning to bandage his stab wound. "It had to be me. I had to be alone. But, I failed. I could not do it. I do not deserve to be saved."

"Shut up!" Ashi said, gritting her teeth as her eyes began to water. "I'm not letting you die. Not until you help me stop Aku. You owe me for abandoning me. Don't you dare abandon me again!"

Jack stared at her before looking to the graves. She glanced at them to see that they were husband and wife.

"My parents," Jack said. "I don't know where their bodies are. But this was my home. I had to honor the fallen."

"It's fine," Ashi said, struggling to slow his bleeding. "Now just hold still and stop talking Jack, or i'll have to knock you out."

Jack nodded and Ashi finished bandaging his gash before giving him an apologetic look.

"This will hurt, a lot," Ashi said.

Then, she snapped his arm back around into its proper place and he shouted in pain. Once it was reset, she used a strip of her bodysuit across the stomach to form a sling, leaving her midriff exposed from low on her hips to about two inches above her navel. Once that was done, she carefully picked him up, carrying him away from the cemetery and into one of the ruined buildings, finding a bed and setting him on top of it gently.

"Hang on Jack," Ashi said. "I'm going to get a blanket."

He nodded weakly, beginning to have trouble staying awake. A few moments later, she returned, tearing one blanket into strips and re-bandaging his wounds, doing a better job this time, then covered him with the other.

"Where did you...learn to bandage wounds?" Jack asked.

"I wanted to be able to prolong my usefulness if necessary," Ashi said quietly.

"Thank you Ashi," Jack smiled before drifting off to sleep.

Ashi sat silently beside him as he slept, eyes alternating between scanning around them for any threats and scanning him to make sure his bandages were holding. Minutes turned into hours, which dragged on into days. Finally, after three days, Ashi was at the end of her rope. Her head was beginning to bob even as she stood and trained with her daggers to stay awake.

"You have been watching over me?" Jack's voice suddenly asked.

"Yes," Ashi nodded, turning to him, vision blurred with sleep deprivation. "How do you feel?"

She walked over to him slowly, kneeling beside the bed.

"I am in pain," Jack said. "But I will live. Thanks to you."

Ashi nodded slowly.

"I need to...change your bandages," Ashi mumbled, swaying slightly.

"You must rest," Jack said. "I can take care of my wounds now. Sleep. I will watch over you."

"I'm fine," Ashi said. "Besides. We need to...leave this place. My father's corruption is...strong here."

"I know," Jack said. "But we cannot leave if you cannot stay awake. Rest. I will protect you."

Ashi smiled slightly, barely awake.

"Why are you...always...protecting me?" Ashi asked before yawning. "Even when...I wanted to...kill you."

Then, her head fell forward and she was asleep. Jack climbed off of the bed and carefully used his good arm to lift her onto the bed, a feat which was easier said than done. Once she was in the bed, Jack moved through the house, searching everything that was left. Finally he found a room with sewing supplies and got a needle. After that, he went back three rooms to the house's weapons room and got as much bow string as he could find. Then, he walked back to the room he had left Ashi in, carefully stitching his gash and the front of his stab wound closed.

With that done, he picked up Ashi's knife and watched her for a moment before leaving, heading to his old home. It took only a matter of minutes to retrieve his father's non-magical sword from over the bed and return to Ashi's side, sitting down with the sword across his lap. It felt good to have a katana again. Even if it wasn't his katana.

As he sat, he closed his eyes, listening. The wind whispered past the open doorway constantly. Outside, it began to rain. He listened carefully, ignoring the wind. And the rain. Ignoring Ashi's calm, slow breathing. Finally, he heard it. A horse snorted somewhere in the distance. He stood, opening his eyes and looking out the door, seeing the Horseman and staring at him, the Horseman doing the same.

"Not yet," Jack muttered. "I require more time."

The horse snorted again before the Horseman turned, riding away into the fog. Jack sat back down and sighed, the hand that had been tightly clutching his sword releasing its grip as Jack forced himself to calm down. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes again, listening carefully. he heard no movement, machine or otherwise. Then, hours later, Ashi finally stirred, rolling over before her eyes fluttered open. Jack looked over at her as she sat up, yawning, then smiled at him.

"You have no idea how good it is to see you," Ashi smiled. "Did anything happen?"

"No," Jack said. "Come. We must leave."

"Alright," Ashi nodded. "Where to?"

"I have a friend who lives not far from here," Jack said.

Ashi nodded and they walked out of the village, heading West into a forest. After several hours, they finally reached a small town where they bought a pair of horses. Then, they continued on. After roughly another half day of riding, Jack slowed to a stop, drawing his sword.

"What is it?" Ashi asked.

"I'm not sure," Jack said. "But I don't like it."

Ashi drew her daggers, looking around. Suddenly, a dozen robots designed as ninjas fell from the trees around them. Jack leapt off of his horse instantly, meeting one in midair, their swords clashing loudly. Jack flipped over the ninja, kicking him down into the ground then landed on him, driving his sword into the back of his head, oil spraying out of the hole. He looked up at Ashi, who was struggling to fend off three blades at once with her daggers. Finally, a sword slashed her horse's throat and a robot kicked the horse over, making it land on top of Ashi, pinning her and making her drop her daggers.

"Ashi!" Jack shouted, leaping over the horse and slashing the three stabs heading for her aside then slashed the robots.

The last eight all slowly moved to surround Jack as Ashi struggled to get out from under the horse.

"Stay where you are, Ashi," Jack said. "I will handle them."

Two charged and Jack began to fend off their blows, grateful that he spent about three years training to wield a sword entirely one handed. try as he might though, the robots were too skilled for him to be able to counter. Finally, a third joined in, slashing Jack across the back. He shouted in pain just before the other two stabbed him through the abdomen.

"Jack!" Ashi shrieked.

Jack spun, killing all three before falling to his knees and slowly pulling the blades out. He stood again as the last five charged. He narrowed his eyes then turned, leaping over one of them and sprinting at a tree. The five followed only for him to leap off of the tree and slash three. He rolled under a slash and stood, diverting a stab into the one that had attacked him before splitting the last up the front. Then, he spun, slashing the other one. The last of the ninjas fell to the ground and he sighed, sheathing his sword before staggering over to Ashi and kneeling beside the horse, gritting his teeth and beginning to try to lift it, blood pooling under him rapidly.

"Stop!" Ashi gasped. "I can do it!"

Jack ignored her, lifting the horse enough for her to scramble out from under it. Then, she caught him as he began to collapse. She quickly pulled the bandages and needle and thread she had gotten at the town where they got the horses, and quickly stitched and bandaged his newest wounds. Then, she lifted him back onto his horse, climbing up behind him and spurring the horse forward at a fast gallop. Jack began to lean forward so she wrapped an arm around him, holding him against her.

"Hang on Jack," Ashi said. "Just hold on a little longer. Please."

After a couple more minutes, they left the trees into a large open field with a massive town surrounded by a massive wall with soldiers in heavy armor lining the top of the wall. Ashi spurred the horse faster but yanked on the reins, stopping it as they soldiers all aimed either bows or guns at them.

"Who goes there?" a soldier asked, voice distorted by their helmet.

"Please help!" Ashi shouted. "Samurai Jack is dying!"

Instantly the gates were thrown open and soldiers rushed out, grabbing them and yanking her off the horse, treating Jack much more gently. They were both rushed into the village and Jack was taken away as Ashi was dragged into a massive fortress and dropped before a throne, a broadsword held to her throat. Before her, a woman with clothes that were too small, red hair in a pony tail, and freckles sat in a throne.

"Who are you?" the woman asked.

"My name is Ashi," Ashi said. "Former follower of Aku. Jack saved my life, please, you have to help him."

"We are," the woman said. "Our healers are tending to him."

Ashi eyed the swords in the room. Everyone had one.

"Please tell me you don't mean witch doctors," Ashi said.

"Of course not," the woman snorted. "We have the best medical technology we could steal from Aku. Jack will be fine. You...not so much. You see, former or not, you served Aku once. And so, you will most likely be put to death. However, we will allow my father to decide your fate."

Ashi nodded and waited on her knees, the sword pressing painfully into her throat.

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