Episode 3: Into The Blackwater

                                        Episode 3: Into The Blackwater

                      Jacobi Blackwater's voice-over:

Here in Valor there are two things that are constant: Combat and Heart. The heart is what we fight with. It's the most important part of our beings. Without it, we're nothing. With it, we can take on the world. But sometimes it's the heart that also clouds our judgement. It makes us do the most irrational things. Whether good or bad. It changes us. So having a heart can either be the best thing to happen to us or the worst. Because if our soul becomes darkened, what's the point of having one in the first place?.............

                                                      Valor

Amaya rushed through the streets of Kyoto on the motorcycle she stole from the Valor storage lot. Her silky smooth cocoa brown hair in a ponytail flapped in the tremendous winds. She didn't know exactly where her friends were headed. She didn't know if they were friends at all. Well, except for Jacobi Blackwater. Jacobi seemed like the only one willing to fight for her. He was her equalizer since she got here. She wondered what his reaction would be to her showing up. But she had to concentrate on the road. She speeded up and continued down the street.

Jacobi, Dex, Benson, Nash, and Russell propelled their motor vehicles onto Danbar avenue. They spotted five masked men dressed in black rushing outside of Japan Post Bank with bags of money clutched on their shoulders. 

Jacobi and the others halted their motorcycles and stepped off. "Stop!" Jacobi yelled, extracting his samurai sword from the side of his dirt bike. 

"It's Valor!" one of the concealed men boomed. He and his buddies dropped their bags and swiftly extracted Beretta Px4 Storm guns.

Russell immediately tossed several throwing stars at their foes.

"Aaaah!" they yelled, releasing their grip on their guns and clenching their hands.

"It's over," Dex told them, grinning and grasping his crossbow and aiming it.

One man arrayed in a silver ski mask started chuckling. "You really think it's that simple?"

"Well you don't have any weapons anymore, do you?" Benson solicited, amused. 

"Perhaps. But we need this money. We have very impatient people expecting it," he said, pacing back and forth slowly.

"Well, tell em to come get it themselves," Jacobi stated seriously. "Or send some more B's to do it for them."

"I don't think you want that to happen, Blackwater."

"Really? Why not?" he said, taking a step towards his foe.

"Because they're the Spiral."

These words rang through his mind. He had heard of a clan called the Spiral from Master Yukrina some time ago. But he'd never seen them.

"Who the hell are the Spiral?" Dex interrogated, puzzled. That name didn't mean a darn thing to him. 

"The most ruthless coldhearted mercenaries in Kyoto. They're Valor's better," the malicious man spoke with a grin.

Jacobi had heard enough. He snatched off the guy's mask and clutched him by his collar.

This man was a middle aged white man with ebony black ruffled hair, baby blue eyes, and thin colorless lips. He had a dried up slash across his right cheek.

"Where can I find them?!"

Unexpectedly, Amaya arrived on her motorcycle in the thick of the crowd.

"Is that Amaya?" Nash quested, squinting through the murky night.

He rotated to the side and glimpsed Amaya withdrawing from her motorcycle. "Amaya?"

This was just the distraction these enemies needed. The guy held in Jacobi's hand dropped a smoke bomb on the ground and pushed free from him.

Thick clouds of green smoke filled the air. Blinding all the members of Valor.

Amaya began walking slowly through the mist trying her best to find her friends. "Jacobi?" she questioned, coughing. "Jacobi, where are you?"

"I'm here!" he screeched, wheezing.

Within the next few moments, the haze had vanished and so did their foes and the money.

"They're gone!" Dex yelled, dropping his crossbow in rage. Unbelieveable! This can't be happening, he thought to himself. 

"Dang Amaya!" Benson cried."

"What?" Amaya grilled, confused. 

"You let em get away! We had them!"

Russell remained silent. He didn't want to add anymore fuel to the fire. But they did just lose their chance.

Nash too looked disheartened. This was their shot. And now he was filled with mixed emotions.

She didn't understand how she could've ruined something. She wanted to help them. "I didn't mean to." Then she turned her gaze to an agitated Jacobi. "Jacobi," she called, looking for some help.

Jacobi tried his best to keep his composure but he was ticked off. He had a chance to find out about the Spiral and Amaya is the reason they got away. "Wh-why are you here Amaya?"

"I wanted to help you stop them," she said, trudging toward him slowly. 

"Did Master Yukrina send you?"

She was speechless and began lowering her gaze.

"Of course not. You decided on your own."

"And ruined the whole mission," Dex added, walking back over to his motorcycle. "Thanks alot, Amaya."

"Great job," Benson joined sarcastically, moving to his cycle. 

"Tell me what I can do to fix this!" Amaya pleaded with them.

"Go back to Tokyo! Just go home, Amaya!" Dex bellowed, placing his helmet back on and turning over the engine.

Benson followed close behind.

Russell paced past Amaya without even glancing at her and hopped back on his motorcycle.

Nash put his head down, a bit disheartened.

"Nash, Jacobi, I---" she started.

He and Jacobi just ignored her and ambled away to their dual sport motorcycle without another word.

She felt extremely terrible. The one time she wanted to fight with them and she screwed the whole quest. Maybe Dex and Benson were right. Maybe she didn't belong here. No doubt now Master Yukrina wouldn't support her. And she now had alienated Jacobi. The ONLY person that completely stood by her side since she'd arrived. 

Several hours later, Jacobi, Dex, and Benson waited outside of the board room together.

Dex stood there with his arms folded while Benson twirled his Miao Dao sword. And Jacobi just paced back and forth.

Jacobi for sure was angry with Amaya for screwing up the mission but he still didn't wish to see her go. And she was in the board room with Master Yukrina. They had been in there the last forty-five minutes and the wait was killing him.

"Why don't you just stop, Jacobi?" Dex petitioned, placing his right hand on Jacobi's shoulder bringing him to a halt.

"Get off me, Dex," he spoke, heated and shrugging him off. He just knew Dex and Benson were enjoining this. They were at last getting what they wanted. "I know you two are enjoining this."

Benson grinned and exchanged delightment with Dex. "Be that as it may, we know how much you cared about her. After all, it was you that discovered her for Master Yukrina."

"And despite everything else, you're our brother, man," Dex stated, trying his best to sound sincere.

"Cut the crap, Dex!" Jacobi snapped, stepping up to him. "We both know you've always been envious of the fact that our master made me leader over you."

He scoffed loudly. The audacity of this one! Who the hell does he think he is? "Oh yeah?" he finally responded, standing his ground. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

"Enough!" Master Yukrina shouted as the black doors slid open. He stood there looking a bit enraged himself, Amaya close by his side. "What's gotten into you two?"

"Gee, I wonder," he said mockingly, gazing with daggers at Amaya.

Amaya didn't say a word. The news she just got was about to break her heart. She couldn't even speak. She rushed past all of them and through the fighting gym navy blue doors.

"Amaya!" Master Yukrina cried out.

Jacobi raced out after her.

He sighed deeply and placed his fingertips on his temples.

"So she's out," Benson spoke gleefully.

"Yes! She's out!" he retorted, hostile.

"Finally, we can get back to normal around her," Dex said, pacing toward the fighting gym doors.

"If you call the Spiral normal."

"Who are they Master? Are they really a threat?" Benson queried with curiousity.

Jacobi walked up to Amaya's bedroom. At least he thought it was. If his Japanese was corrrect, then her name was written on the wine red doorway. He knocked three times slowly. There was no answer but he could hear swift movements from the inside. He tapped once more on the door. "Amaya."

"Go away, Jacobi!" Amaya's voice vociferated loudly.

"I can't do that, Amaya." He slowly slid the vented interior door open. He gaped at the Amaya Nakamura on the other side packing up her family picture frames in a medium sized hiking backpack. She had her katana blade inside the sheath on her side. 

Amaya finally looked up Jacobi with a very distressed expression. She wasn't gonna cry. She promised herself she wouldn't. She hadn't shed any tears from her honey gold grown eyes since her mother died. And she wasn't going to allow herself to now. Even gazing at Jacobi and considering all the trouble she had been. She had to fight the waterworks away. She broke eye contact and snatched up her backpack. Then she tried to pass by him.

He instantly grasped her wrist and held her back.

She rotated to him awaiting him to speak.

He wanted to tell her not to go. That they needed her. He needed her to stay. But that's not what he said. Instead he told her, "Take care, Amaya."

She really wanted him to fight for her like he did before. But she had ruined it. How could she blame him for not wanting her to stay now? She nodded and hugged him briefly. Then she made the long walk toward the exit for the last time. As she strolled to the entrance way, she spotted Dex and Benson, Russell and Nash, and lastly Master Yukrina.

Nash wasn't gonna let her go without telling her how he felt. He stepped out in front of her. "Amaya Nakamura, I have to let you know it has been an honor getting to know you, fierce warrior."

She felt a smile creep across her face.

"I'm really gonna miss you," he said, holding out his hand to her.

"Likewise," she said, shaking his hand. She looked past Dex and Benson because neither was a real friend to her while she was there. And Russell.

Russell gave her a soft smile as to say 'I'm gonna miss you' without actually saying it. He didn't want Dex and Benson to bully him about it.

And lastly Master Yukrina wrapped his arm around Amaya's shoulder and ushered her to the huge entrance doors. "I will miss you, my child. Unfortunately, your time in Valor has come to an end but know this....you always have a part of it in your heart."

"Thank you," she responded, becoming teary-eyed. 

"I have a taxi waiting outside," he stated, releasing her. "They'll take you to the train station where you will be taken back to Tokyo."

She nodded in agreement and whirled back one more time. She caught sight of Jacobi finally catching up with everyone else. She waited a few seconds to see whether or not he had anything else to say.

Jacobi hated seeing Amaya leave but there was nothing he could do. She was the most special girl he had ever encountered in life. He wanted to tell her that but he couldn't.

Then she finally traipsed through the exit.

Master Yukrina shut the doors behind her immediately, sighing once more. Jacobi could tell Amaya having to leave really disappointed him too.

"So are you gonna tell us now, Master?" Dex asked, growing quick-tempered. This was now the third time he was asking this question, and the fact that neither he or Jacobi had enlighted him was fast infuriating him. "Who is the Spiral?"

He moderately shuffled past them all. "Come. We have much to discuss."