SMST 4: Samurai Jill! – By DS Wynne

Disclaimer: R1/2, SM, ST and other properties belong their respective properties.

Note: This is a multi-genre story.

Part 23: "Finale, Act 6"

For what seemed to be an eternity, the combatants stood very still. The wind could be heard blowing through the caverns. The trees with the red petals seemingly covered the glass roof above. If one was to look up, he or she would see a black sun…

"The interesting thing of this little dance ours, is that we men and women of violence are the stop gaps of civilization," Justice said with a smirk.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Jinno asked angrily.

"Think about it, my clockwork man: man creates fire, dominates nature, and man creates steel to dominate other men," Justice said. "That is poetry, my friend."

Justice turns towards Afroru.

"Your father Rutsuko wanted to bury the headbands forever as a way of breaking the cycle of violence that comes with these headbands," Justice said. "In my opinion, he did so because he was soft."

Afroru grips the handle of his sword, as he grits his teeth…

"He couldn't handle the pressure stemming from the handband wars. Feh. Did he REALLY think that others would-be 'masters of the universe' would just…give up killing each other for renown and power? As you can see around me, these dead men certainly didn't…"

A breeze blew through the throne room of blood, as the remains of other men shook and clattered…

"But I knew the truth of the matter, that chaos in a world gone mad is as natural as breathing. Only by having all ten headbands, can order be brought to this world, with me as the enforcer of the Creator's glorious will.

Pause.

"Of course, in order to be the best, I had to make sure that Rutsuko's little boy to fall in the lie. Oh, no. I did Afroru a favor, first by killing his pappy, and then killing his happiness…by destroying his little family of orphans. Mamoru the Master Swordsman was easy to manipulate."

"What about him?" Jill said.

"It's simple, my dear," Justice said, as he rotates his neck. "Ask yourself this: if he had the Number-2 headband, why didn't he go after me to begin with?"

"You're not saying that Master Mamoru…is a coward?" Jinno said.

"Oh, heaven forbid that. No, my little teddy bear. His job was to prepare little Afroru for what he was suppose to do."

"…"

"And when he refused to cooperate any longer, well, I had to push the situation. Too bad kids had to die in order to make sure that the son can be the man I want him to be…"

"You…you monster!" Jinno said, as he rushed forward, with swords in hand.

"Jinno-!" Jill said, as Afroru attempts to intercept.

CLANG!

Justice crossed his guns to block the sword strokes of the paired weapons, just as a third arm emerged from Justice's back with a sword.

SLICE-!

KLANG!

"Nice!" Justice said, as his sword arm was blocked by Afroru's blade. "But you still lose."

"No-!" Jill said, as she flexed her chest, causing bullets to fly out of her cleavage. She then produced a battle aura that allowed her to smack the bullets' casing like a hammer on a pistol.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM-!

The rounds hit their marks, sending Justice back to his throne of rock, ash and bone.

"Arrrgh!" Justice screamed, before recovering. He looked at Jill with contempt.

"So, you know the whore's trick…of the Grenadier."

"It worked, didn't it?" Jill smirked. "I simply took it to the next level."

"Then, so shall I," Justice said, as he suddenly stretches his arms, and embedded them into the ground.

BAM!

"What the-?" Jinno said, as Afroru moves in for the kill. However, pony protrusion came flying up from the floor.

SPLURCH!

"Ahhh!" Jill said, as she felt her limbs being impaled.

"Arrrgh!" Jinno yelled, as the rest of his body was run through.

Afroru managed to slice one of Justice's limbs, before he was impaled in the head…

"Yowtch-!" Afroru said, as he was lifted into the air by his afro…

"Game…over," Justice said, as he slowly walks towards his foes. "A nice little run, but it's over now."

"You're…a monster!" Jill said. "A demon!"

"I am that which the world made me, Cherie," Justice said. "And after I make you watch me finish off the kids, I will have some fun with you…"

Pause.

"And then, there will be peace in our time…as the hand of God of this world."

Pause.

"And when I have taken the Number Zero headband, I will BE GOD!"

"That's what you think," Jinno said, as he throws his two swords at Justice.

SWISH!

Justice catches the swords with his two remain hands, allowing Afroru to act, as he lifts him up from the bone protrusion, leaps high in the air…and brings down his own sword.

SLICE!

A red line appears where Afroru made the cut. However, Justice refused to fall apart.

"You…can't stop me!" Justice said. "I am…immortal!"

SNAP!

Jill manages to break one of the bone protrusions that held her in place. Her battle aura began to bubble up…"

"You're history, Justice," Jill said, as she palmed the very air around the mutant…

FWOOSH!

"Arrrrghhhhhh!" Justice yelled, as he felt the pure force of Jill's battle aura.

"Now, DIE!"

BWOOSH!

Justice is slammed against the throne, as he was crushed into a fine paste. Even then, all the anger and frustration fueled Jill's righteous indignation, as what was left of Justice was vaporized into nothing…

"For Mamaru," Jill said tearfully. "For all the pain and death that was needlessly caused over these stupid headband wars…"

As the Number One headband floated to the ground, the air around the three changed, from red to green-blue. The Fall was over, now comes the Spring…

"It is over," Jill said with a sigh, as the bone protrusions that held her and Jinno dissolved.

"Is it?" Jinno said, as he looked at his reflection in the pool of water.

"It is," Afroru said, as he places the Number One headband on his head.

"Only if the other headbands are kept out of the public's mind," Jill said. "Headband Zero will always be mine."

"Then, I shall guard Headbands two through nine," Jinno said, as the other headbands fell into Kumo's hands. "No one will ever have to deal with this…"

Meanwhile, Ninja-Ninja and Sailor Chibi-Chibi Moon look on with a smile.

"Well, it looks like we are no longer needed, kiddo," Ninja-Ninja said, as he light up a cigarette. "Say, you want to hit the road?"

"Chibi-Chibi!" Chibi-Chibi Moon said excitedly.

"Then let's go," Ninja-Ninja said, as he took the girl's hand. As they walked away, they faded from view…

"Thanks," Jill said, as she looks on, as the three figments of Afroru's and Jill's respective imaginary friends disappeared, for at least for a while…

END FLASHBACK!

"So, that was that," Jill said. "Afroru reunited with Otsuru, and traveled for a bit before settling down at the old dojo with Jinno. I was able to get a new clone body for Jinno, so that Brother Two could transfer his brain into his new body. Afterwards, I left for the road…after giving birth to Afroru's child, Afroruki."

Pause.

"I…could be the mother of Afrouki, so I gave him up to his father and to Otsuru," Jill said with a sigh.

"That's just it, Mother," Usako said. "Afrouki…he killed my husband and his parents in order to be the hand of God."

Pause.

"And I am carrying your grandchild," Usako said, as she pressed her stomach.

"You…were married?"

"Yes," Usako said with a sigh. "I had just gotten married recently, when Afroruki went mad. He wanted me for himself, but I only saw him as a brother. Mother…he killed Afroru and Jinno, and reclaimed Mt. Kami-no-Itte as his throne."

"He's waiting for you, Usagi," Setsuna said.

"Then, I know what to do…"

Jill rises to her feet.

"Then, I know what to do," Jill said.

"Let us come with you," Minako said.

"No, this is what I have to do for myself…"

Some hours later…

"So, Mother," Afroruki (aka "The Golden Afro") said, as he sat on the throne at the top of Mt. Kami-no-Itte. "How was the trip?"

Jill looks at her son. He had a blond "Jew-fro" and tanned skinned. He was quite handsome. He wore his hakama pants proudly, as he had all headbands wrapped around his brawny torso…

"I apologize for abandoning you, my son, but you will be stopped," Jill said evenly.

"Really," Afroruki said, as he gets up from his throne. He took out his katana from its scabbard.

"Then, I suggest that you defend yourself."

"I'm not going to fight you, but I will defeat you."

"Then, defend yourself!" Afrouki said, as he moved at a speed that was inhuman.

SLICE!

Jill dodged and side-stepped her son's actions and strikes, while making no move to strike back.

"Why won't you strike back?" Afroruki said, as he breathed raggedly.

"Because I am tired of all this death," Jill said. "I'm sorry, my son…"

Using quick hand movements, Jill used her son's pressure points to manipulate his brain.

"Arrrrrgggghhhhh!" Afroruki yelled, as he clutched his head, after he dropped his sword. "What have you've done to ME-?"

"You won't remember this, so I will tell you," Jill said. "You will soon regress mentally to that of a child. Eventually, you will forget everything that has happened to you these past few years. But not to worry; I time, you will mature again, but not for a long while…"

Pause.

"Good-bye, Afrouki, my son…"

"YAHHHHHHH-"

Sometime later, weeks after the incident…

"Big sister, can I help you cook?" Afroruki asked.

"Sure," Usako said with a pleasant smile, as she hunched over a hot stove in her father's home.

"Thank you," Afroruki said. "I like to help…"

"Now, go get the potato peeler, and be careful."

"Don't worry," Afroruki said. "I will…"

After Afroruki leaves to get the potato peeler, Usako looks outside, where her mother is putting flowers on the grave of her family. Jill had already said her good-byes, so there was nothing for Usako to do.

"Good luck on your endeavors, Mother," Usako said, as she sheds a tear. For some reason, she had a feeling that she would never see Jill again, at least in this life…

"As Jill turns away from the graves of Afroru and the others, she adjusted the handbands that wrapped around her body like bandages. In time, the magic of the headbands will transfer to Jill, leaving the markings of the headbands like tattoos. Having the headbands on was the only way to neutralize the magic within them, and thus will render them useless.

"You won, Master Raoh," Jill said, as she adjusted her cloak. "Because of you, I am now the goddess of the world…of life, and DEATH, not of love and justice."

Pause.

"Damn you…"

And with that Jill hits the road again. Somewhere out there, Ranma was out there. What she would not know was that she would wander into a hidden valley in America, where she would be forced to go into a state of suspended animation for the next three hundred years. She would go on to become a "warrior princess" for an alien race, and take up a new identity. But for now, the legend of the samurai known simply as "Jill" was over.

Fin.

Author's Note: This story continues into "The Princess of the Splugorth". See you then!