After kissing, Jack and Ashi realize what they're doing, back away, and spit. They apologize and insist that the residue and the heat of battle drove them to it. Ashi starts to remove Jack's ki, but he tells her to keep it on. As sunlight shines in through a breach in the hull, Ashi says that she's going to get some clothes. They stare at each other for a long moment and then Ashi points out that Jack isn't wearing any clothes, either.
Jack climbs up to the hole and drops down into the desert. He hears a dripping noise and goes to investigate. Water is leaking from a pipe and Jack goes to shower.
Ashi looks flor clothes and comes to a locked chamber next to lockers with prison uniforms. She puts them on and drops down to the sands, and finds Jack naked and showering. She smiles and drops the robes on the sand, and then slips away. Jack emerges from the water and puts on his robe, and he hallucinates his past self asking what he's going to do about Ashi. the samurai admits that he doesn't know.
That night, Ashi catches a desert creature and cooks it. Jack finds it and says that it's lovely, and they sit by the fire. Jack has killed one of the creatures as well, and they eat. They soon realize that it's chewy, and Jack tries not to offend Ashi's cooking. Later, she asks him about home, and he says that he does so every day. Jack remembers his childhood and describes how his father was the emperor and they lived in a castle near the village. Ashi asks if there was a girl, and Jack realizes that she's asking if there was a girl. He explains that he was only 8 when Aku came and everything changed. He explains that he will only see his past as a memory and it's good to remember the past.
The next morning, Ashi wakes up and realizes that Jack is gone.
Scaramouch comes to Aku's castle and finds an Aku statue with a recorded message. It says that he will no longer be available for appointments. Undeterred, Scaramouch enters via a secret tunnel and calls to Aku. A depressed Aku tells him to go away, but finally emerges when Scaramouch says that he has news about Jack. Scaramouch tells him that Jack has lost his sword, and Aku cheers up. He restores Scaramouch's body and dances with him.
Jack walks across the desert and comes to an area filled with destroyed giant robots He investigates further and comes to a pair of shattered sunglasses on the ground. Ashi arrives and asks why Jack abandoned her, and he tells her to go back. She refuses and demands to know what's going on, and Jack tells her that he's seen everyone he knows fallen to Aku. All he has left are memories, and he doesn't want Ashi to become a memory. Ashi says that everything that has happened to them has brought them together, takes Jack's hand, and says that together they will defeat Aku.
Aku arrives and says that he knows Jack has lost his sword. Scaramouch steps out and repeats his announcement that Jack has lost his sword. He and Aku laugh, and Jack draws the sword. Aku glares at Scaramouch and then bows him up, and Aku tells Jack that he has to go. Jack runs at him, and Aku easily avoids his attack. However, he smells himself, and moves toward Aku. Aku smells her and says that he smells himself inside of her. He remembers appearing to the Daughters of Aku when they prayed to him, and gave them a bit of his essence to worship. Aku realizes that the High Priestess drank it and then gave birth to Ashi and the others.
Ashi insists that it's not true, and Jack attacks Aku. Ashi parries his blade with a borrowed sword, and she says that she didn't do it. She continues fighting, and Aku says that she wouldn't let her father get hurt. Ashi renews her attack and Jack tells her to fight Aku's influence. He says that she is her own person and that she can defeat him from inside. Bored, Aku tosses a robot on them. Jack and Ashi cut themselves free and Aku tells Ashi that she has to bring out her best part to defeat Jack. He transforms her with his essence and she turns solid black, transforming into a Priestess with Aku's flaming eyes.
Jack parries the Priestess Ashi's blows while Aku looks on with pride. The samurai shatters her sword and wounds her, and Ashi's face appears as she screams in pain. She tells Jack to kill her and destroy Aku as the darkness takes her again. Instead, Jack drops to h is knees and lowers his sword. Priestess Ashi prepares to skewer him, but Aku orders her to stop. He picks up Jack's sword and smiles in triumph.
Written by Gadfly on May 14, 2017