A/N: You know why you're here. You didn't like the ending to Samurai Jack either. Maybe you felt like it was rushed, it was too bitter, like it needed a bit more?

Well, that's what this is for.

Had a few different ideas for endings right off the top of my head, as well as some good ones suggested by others; not sure if I'll do all of them, depends on if you guys want me to or not. But I know I'm at least getting this one down. It's the most canon (to me at least) since it doesn't rewrite the ending, but more just adds onto it. Hopefully you feel the same.

Here we go.

The forest was still.

No sounds of battle pierced the air. There was no foe to overcome to ensure its sanctity. Instead, the forest remained tranquil and calm; for once, it was at peace.

So why did he feel anything but?

Dismounting from his horse, the Samurai walked several paces into the brush and allowed his steed to remain there for his return. For the moment, he wanted to be alone.

Deciding on a particular tree that called to him, he took his rest under its shade. Fog swept over the ground, obscuring vision and mirroring the clouded thoughts that ran rampant through his mind.

The Samurai- was that even who he was anymore? His life's purpose had been completed, the task he'd been trained for since he was but a child. Who was he at all? His former name had all but been forgotten, last spoken to him a lifetime ago when times had been simpler. All he knew now, all he'd known for the last fifty years of existence … was Jack.

The faces of the peoples of the future appeared in his mind's eye; all the civilizations he'd preserved, the lives he'd saved … they had disappeared, presumably been erased when he'd changed the past.

He'd always known deep down that this would happen … but even fifty years had not prepared him for the emptiness he now felt.

Knowing that you would be sacrificing the life you'd made for yourself, all the bonds that you'd formed over an eternity of fighting Aku … it was quite the monumental burden. But he'd had hope, or at least some semblance of it that he could get through it with someone at his side …

… with Ashi.

His eyes pressed tighter together, reluctant to allow yet another flow of tears like the many he'd already shed these past weeks. His people had seen their hero break, fall victim to the incurable disease that was a broken heart.

Over his life of battle, he'd all but lost hope that he'd ever return home. He had become a shell of his former self, simply fighting because it was all he knew how to do. But no matter how many people he saved, he could never replace the hollow feeling that gnawed inside of him …

… until her.

First, she was his hunter. With her six sisters, they'd been twisted by the words of those who had sought to destroy him at any cost- even the corruption of others. None of them had chosen their path willingly; they'd been born into it, their fate sealed since their inception. No matter their actions, he knew that they'd truly believed they were doing the right thing; they were just more innocents whose lives had been tarnished by Aku's evil. Nothing less.

When he'd first met Ashi, that startling realization had been made all too clear in his mind. There was no greater regret he had in that moment than the fact that he'd been forced to end her sisters, potentially the only positive influences in her life since birth.

It was because of this that he'd tried to find redemption, to make up for what had been done to her. He saved her life at great risk to his own when he could have left her for dead any number of times as she'd wanted. He'd wanted to show her kindness in stark contrast to the suffering she had endured in all the years previous.

Slowly, her eyes were opened. Enlightenment began to take shape, showing her the truth behind his words and seeing Aku's evil for herself. She could have left then, opting to forsake the draw of life she'd been given and start anew, maybe even find peace.

Instead … she'd chosen to fight.

He'd tried to assure her that there was no hope, but she'd refused to accept it. Her determination was unmatched by anyone he'd ever known, surpassing even his own at the time. It was then that he saw a spark within her; a spark that reminded him of himself from long ago.

Even when he'd finally given up hope and sought to end his own life for his perceived failures, she'd come to his aid. She may have been his hunter, but she became his savior; and in turn, his hope. Her dauntless spirit inspired him. Through her, he was able to see what she saw; not a world devastated by Aku and left in darkness, but rather a light that could grow brighter until it burned the shadows away.

He gave her the truth, and in turn she gave him hope.

It was from that point that they'd made their journey; he became balanced once more and reclaimed his sword. They traveled through the desert, gradually developing feelings for one another, feelings that he never thought he'd be given the luxury of experiencing. But just as he'd shown her there was more to her than she'd known, she opened new doors for him and his heart.

He tried to prepare, to leave her behind so that he could proceed with his mission without fear of her death. There were no more time portals, no way back to the past. He'd accepted that; all that was left to do was defeat Aku in the present, and give the world a chance to heal. Of course, he should have guessed that she would not be swayed. Even in Aku's control, she did not falter or waver in her resolve. When she was transformed, her only request was that he kill her and end the plague that was Aku. She did not fear death, only that hers would have meant nothing.

The … thing … he'd turned her into was not her, no more than a puppet was a person. Her actions were not her fault. He couldn't have brought himself to kill her, not after everything they'd been through together. He'd learned already that harming innocents at the cost of victory was no victory at all.

It was in the darkest hour he'd ever faced, when Aku was to broadcast his death to the world, that he felt the bond between them was strongest. He had confidence in her, in her ability to fight back the infection. Maybe not without help, but the deed would still be hers to do.

The final battle had passed in a blur; the Scotsman, the three hundred, the Woolies, the Archers, all there to save him from Aku's grasp. While they were saving him, he was trying to save someone else; the one person who he considered to be his other half.

In the end, it was his confession of love for her that gave her the strength to overcome its antithesis. She freed herself from the darkness that consumed her, and defied Aku openly. She did not hesitate to open a portal and fling them back into the past.

He'd never thought that he would see the passage of time again, but she'd made it possible. Even after he'd accepted his fate, she found a way to give him one last gift.

Together, they returned to the past and undid the future that was Aku.

He should have known from that point what would happen … but he had been blinded by the joy of of seeing his people once again, alive and well. The world was at peace, no longer under Aku's reign. He and Ashi had the prospect of a wonderful life together-

Tears began to form, but he denied them the right to fall.

Had she known? Had she understood the ramifications of changing the past, and still gone through with it? He would not doubt it. Her resolution was absolute, she would have sacrificed herself a thousand times over before she accepted failure.

As morbid of a thought as it was … he almost wished she'd died instead. At least then, she would have peace. She would know that she'd done what had been needed of her. He would be broken hearted, but not empty.

But she was not even given that courtesy. She had been erased from time, never to have existed at all. She would not know peace because she had never been born, and would never be born. None of them ever would be again, with so many variables over so many years to make up for.

Why did he still exist? If Ashi never existed, how could she have brought him back to the past at all? These were questions that plagued him, that only crossed his mind now that the deed was done. There had to be answers, and it crushed him to think that he would never know them.

He thought that Aku's evil would be over once the master of darkness had perished … but truly only someone as inherently wicked as he could have managed to curse Jack through the very act of dying.

Only now did he see that his life held no meaning here. These people were saved, they were liberated from their oppression … but while they would prosper, he would not. looking back on everything, he only wished that he too had disappeared with Ashi, wherever her soul had been taken.

A soft howl of the wind echoed through the forest as it weaved between the trees and their branches. The fog was beginning to dissipate, but only slightly.

Suddenly, he heard a soft flutter of tiny wings. Opening his eyes, he saw that a single ladybug had come to rest on his finger.

Curiously, he raised his hand up and towards his face to see it better. He remembered Ashi telling him on their journey through the desert of her experience with the artistic creatures, how his kindness with them had convinced her to hear him out rather than complete her mission.

As he watched, it returned his gaze and blinked.

He could not help but feel some sort of warmth rise in his chest from seeing that, and a small smile appeared across his features.

Standing up as the rest of the fog began to blow away, he outstretched his hand and watched as the small being began to fly away into the forest. As he watched, the fog completely disappeared and was replaced with an awe-inspiring sight of the hills and forest, lush with life and blossoming trees.

The same forest that he'd shown Ashi as proof of his truth; the turning point for her destiny.

It was true, her sisters had never had the chance to make their own path; but with him, Ashi had done just that.

Her choices and the actions that followed had reflected who she truly was at heart … kind, selfless, full of hope and life.

She was the most important person to have never existed.

He remembered what he'd told her in the ruins of the robot graveyard …

"All I have left are memories … I do not want you to become just a memory."

And by saving his people, she had all but fulfilled his worst fear.

He could not smile for the journey, because it had never happened. He could not mourn for her passing, because she had never died.

But … he would carry the memory of her with him always, and perhaps some way … somehow … she would live on.

TEN YEARS LATER

The sound of hooves against the dirt was the only sound in an otherwise quiet wood. Something spooked the horse, and Jack reached forward to calm it with a caress along its mane.

He turned about his mount to see what exactly had set his horse on edge. With his beard and red cape fluttering ever so slightly in the wind, there was no doubt that this area had a particular ominousness surrounding it.

The steed refused to proceed any farther, one direction or another. It would not move forward, and it would not retreat. It seemed as though, for the time being, he was stuck here.

Dismounting and patting it gently to assure it of its safety, he returned his attention to the forest around him. He had to admit that something about this place felt …

… familiar.

Venturing into the thick of it, he felt an overpowering urge to discover the secret of this feeling he experienced. It was truly surreal, to be visiting a land you've never been and still feel as though you've known it your whole life.

Were … were his surroundings changing?

He looked around to notice that, while still in the middle of the woods, it seemed as though he had been completely displaced from where he'd been. He did not remember having walked the path that lay behind him, but evidence pointed to the contrary.

His eyes narrowing, he continued forward. He was no stranger to facades and illusions; he would find whatever lay at the heart of this wood and discover its nature.

As he continued to progress, the trees thinned. They became distant from one another, increasing the gap until finally he emerged into a large circular clearing which was empty except for-

He froze, his eyes refusing to believe what they were clearly seeing.

Erected in the center of the clearing was an obelisk, glowing white and blue with energy. Its glow extended to the entirety of the wood's perimeter, bathing him and the rest of the area in a ghostly aura.

And in front of that obelisk was the only opponent that Jack had never bested.

Upon seeing him, the blue-skinned Guardian gave a toothy grin. "S'been a while, huh?"

The silence between them now broken, Jack was able to find his voice. "Guardian! But … how?"

The Guardian gave a sigh, most unlike his usual blunt and taunting demeanor. "I told you, I've guarded this power of time travel for eons. Just like you I am unaging, and I will continue to be so until my inevitable death."

The Guardian knew that he still did not age? How much else of his nature was known to the eyes behind those red glasses?

He gave Jack a quick one-over, analyzing the warrior. "Similar … not quite what the portal foretold, but close. Missing the crown, but you got the beard and cape. I s'pose there must have been a hiccup here or there … but what matters is that you're here now."

Jack still did not understand. "But … you and I will not have met for thousands of years from now! We will have never met at all! How can you remember something which has not happened? I-"

The weight of his burden threatened to overwhelm him as he closed his eyes and softly spoke, "I erased everything. Aku's future, my friends, my … my love."

"Nope."

His eyes shot open once more to see the Guardian with somewhat of a smug grin on his face. "I guess you'd like an explanation?"

His eyes never moving from the Guardian, he nodded slowly.

Turning towards the obelisk, the other complied. "I told you once that time is a mystical power. Confusin', too. That's part of what makes it so valuable, its capability for destruction in the wrong hands … or healing in the right ones."

He faced Jack. "I always have been, and even after I take my final breath … I always will be. All of me is happenin' at every moment, all the time. The portal is destined to be used by one man in all existence. No more, no less. I refused you then because it was not your time to use the portal. You were not the man prophesied to use it. Not yet, anyway …"

His expression turned into an almost prideful gaze. "But you are now, man."

Jack's mouth widened as he understood what the Guardian was saying.

"Only by the person who bested me was this portal's to be used. Aku may have killed me, and he still will kill me. Nothin' we can do 'bout that. But if I'm defeated by Aku, and you in turn killed him …"

He shrugged with a subtle smirk. "Technicalities dictate that you are better."

Now, Jack understood his reasoning, however convoluted it was.

"You were never supposed to use it to return to the past," the stoic caretaker continued, "because it had already been used to return to the future. Or maybe it hadn't been, and never will. Who knows?"

Jack furrowed his brow in confusion. "By what do you mean, Guardian?"

"The future you left was never erased, Jack." The Guardian gestured behind him to the portal. "Instead, your actions here in the past have caused the timeline to split into two different futures; one where Aku has been beaten and your people, as well as the people of this world, will live without fear of his tyranny."

His voice became lower. "And one where Aku is still yet to get what's comin' to 'em."

Now Jack's eyes followed suit as his mouth had done.

The Guardian seemed to take a sense of satisfaction from his reaction, and smirked. "Yeah, it's true. All the people you saved, the ones who you grew to care for over so many years … they ain't dead, man. And … neither is she."

"Ashi," Jack whispered.

The Guardian nodded. "That's right. Aku was killed here, far earlier than any chance he had to partake in her creation. But she wasn't erased; just flung back to the only timeline that could make sense of her, the future where Aku is alive and still in control. The world you left behind for this one."

He pointed a finger at Jack. "That battle you escaped is still goin' on. It's happenin' every second of existence, and will for all eternity until it's finished, as is the power of time."

The Guardian gave another heavy sigh. "And now … you have a choice, my man."

"What choice?" Jack breathed.

The obelisk pulsed, and projected a sight that he had not seen in a long time; the tree beneath which he had first come to accept Ashi's assumed nonexistence.

"Man, ain't that a beautiful sight." The Guardian gave a satisfied hum before returning his attention to Jack and gesturing at it. "Much like the branches of this tree, the timeline has split off into separate possibilities. There's nothin' we can do to change that, what's done is done. This reality will continue to exist just the other will. What matters now is what you choose to do with that knowledge."

The Guardian snapped his fingers, and the picture of the tree changed; it showed two individuals standing underneath it, amidst a dead forest of ruination.

Him and Ashi.

"That is why you do not disappear like she did; you are the bridge between worlds. That tree has seen both possibilities, just as you have. And just as much as it was a site for you to come to peace, it was the ignition of a spark within someone to change their path and make their own destiny."

He knew that the Guardian was saying; it was on the grounds of that tree that Ashi had first come to understand the truth of Aku's nature, and the first steps of her new purpose in destroying the demon had been taken.

"I have seen your path Jack. You fulfilled your purpose here, saved your people and this world's future from the wrath of Aku. You are at peace that they are happy … but you yourself remain empty inside."

He swallowed hard.

"You feel that your life has no meaning, and you know that you are no longer needed here now that the shogun of sorrow is gone. You wander aimlessly, having said your goodbyes to your parents and people years ago. They understood your reasoning, and did not try to stop you. All they hoped was that, eventually, you'd find what you were looking for. There's nothing left for you here in this life. If you continue along this course, you will know peace of mind … but not peace of soul."

The Guardian stepped to the side slowly, and indicated the obelisk. "Or … you can make a new destiny for yourself just as she did. But be warned," he said with a finger held up to draw attention, "There are no more time portals in the future you'd be entering. Aku saw to that. Once you leave, there ain't no comin' back."

Finally, the terms of their circumstances were out in the open. Silently, the Guardian watched Jack as the gears turned in his mind while he assessed his options. Slowly, Jack looked to his side where his sword remained in its scabbard, just as it had always done for the last decade. After several seconds, he gazed back at the blue warrior.

"If I were to go back … where would I appear?"

"A little bit after you left. No more than a few minutes, most likely. That battle needs to be won by someone, after all."

Jack nodded. "And what would happen?"

The Guardian gave a wide grin and shrugged. "Who knows? The future isn't set in stone; it's yours to create." Then, he crossed his arms and leaned against the obelisk casually, "But why you askin'? We both know your mind's already made up."

Indeed it had been.

He began to walk forward, silently as the Guardian awaited his arrival. As he did, he reflected on his current choice. If he went through with this, these would be the last steps he'd ever take in his original time, in the land he'd sought for so long to save. Behind him, footprints were left in the dirt from his sandals upon the dirt.

They would be the last sign of his presence here in this time. But just because they were the last ones he'd make here … it did not mean he could not make new footsteps somewhere else … perhaps with his alongside someone else's.

The Guardian held a hand out gently but firmly to stop him just before he entered. "One last thing; the source of your eternal youth."

Jack stared at him, all but ready to enter.

The Guardian did not smile, not this time. "It wasn't just the portals; it was them combined with Aku's own magic that keeps you from aging. Once he's gone, you will be mortal once more, aging normally just as any man would. Same goes for your girl, now that she ain't part Aku anymore. And one day, just as all eventually do … you will find death."

Jack surprised him by responding with a smile. "You say that as though that is a bad thing." He closed his eyes and enjoyed the breeze on his skin. "What you call death … I will call solace. I will finally be able to live out my days amongst my friends and pass into the next life when it is time."

He looked at the Guardian. "What more could I ask for?"

The Guardian grinned, and bowed deeply in a sign of uttermost respect. "My man."

Returning the Guardian's smile, Jack looked at the obelisk a final time and leapt into its light.

All around him was the familiar passage between timelines, flashing and filled with void. He felt the weightless sensation of himself flying forward to his new fate, the new destiny that he'd created for himself.

Behind him, the words of the Guardian echoed through the portal …

"May your destiny bring you the peace of soul you so desire. There is no man that has fought harder and more valiantly than you, and as such no one else as deserving of a happy ending. I, like the people of this world, hope that you find a new purpose."

"Good luck, Samurai Jack."

(1/2)

A/N: As that number suggests, this is half of the ending I was talking about. Next chapter will finish it, and then you can let me know if you want the other endings after that.