In Ashi’s eyes, she was doing a fine job with her empire. The people were happy, the economy was great, and there was beautiful nature all around. It was a stark contrast to the rest of the planet, yes, but her district was successful, and wasn’t that all that mattered? Ashi never possessed the same iron fist as her father, but with a small agricultural area like this, she didn’t think she needed one.
A tingle ran up her spine, and she could immediately sense her father’s presence in the general area. A large raven swooped down into the throne room, and Ashi gave it a small smile. “It’s good to see you Dad. How are things in the capital?”
There was a great cloud of smoke and where the raven had landed now stood Aku in his true form. He was pleased to see his daughter and threw his clawed hands into the air, grinning excitedly.
“Ashi! It is good to see you too,” he said, bending at the waist to enfold her in an enormous hug. Now that his daughters were living apart from him, Aku missed having them at his citadel. After a moment, he released her and pulled back a bit.
“All is as it should be in the capital,” he answered. “And how are things here? Are you feeling well?” The demon looked at her with some measure of concern. She appeared perfectly healthy as far as he could tell, but what else could explain the pitiful state of her empire?
Recurring things I wonder about:
If Aku wanted Samurai Jack dead so badly, why didn’t he just blow up Jack’s head with one glance like he did to Scaramouche? It would have been so much easier than trying to fight him. On a similar note, why didn’t he use his telekinetic powers to toss Jack over a cliff or steal his sword away?
I mean, I know the technical reason: there would be no show, Aku would win, the end. But trying to come up with an IC reason is baffling. Stupid cartoon logic…
The Tiger, though very, very powerful, is a dangerous, mysterious, and unpredictable familiar. They are often the companion of one who has strong feelings of vengeance or hate to another person. However, you are most likely very independent and sure of who you are, and strive to be yourself and not conform to others. You are pushed through even the toughest of situations through willpower and wise decisions, if you are able to keep your feelings of anger in check.
A Tiger familiar is a very strong, vicious partner in battle, helps their master through mental stress, and gives them the will to continue on.
Even in his sleep, Aku felt the gentle caresses. The fiery red hair of his beard was exceptionally soft to the touch and loved to be stroked by the right individual. It wasn’t long before a very loud and deep purr rumbled up in his throat. Blissful and relaxed, Aku tightened his arms around his counterpart with a happy sigh and resumed purring.
Well, he was certainly enjoying it. Much as he as well with a tight grasp on him, making a deep rumble in his throat. He returned the purring as he leans up to his face to nuzzle while caressing his beard, Aku didn’t even realize that he was nuzzling against his neck while sighing happily.
The demon was more than happy to bask in all the affection. It was definitely the most soothing sleep he’d had in a long time, or perhaps, ever. His purrs only seemed to grow more intense the longer his counterpart stroked his beard and snuggled into him.
After some time Aku shifted in his sleep and rolled to face his bed mate. His long body curled loosely around his alternate as he held the smaller form even closer and buried his nose in her hair with a nuzzle.
Sixer peers out the door with a cautious expression. Aku doesn’t look too happy from his perspective. “Ah, yes? What is it?”
Sixer nodded at Aku’s statement of Azura’s relation to the demon. He could understand that sort of connection.
“Star is…my niece,” Sixer said carefully. “She, like me, was changed by Cipher into…something else. She’s a fairy with control of gravity manipulation and star physics. It took some time, but it wasn’t too difficult for her to take what is required for a black hole and take it a step further.”
Star didn’t really make black holes anymore – she’d caused the ends of far too many people with it to want to do something like that again.
“Bill Cipher. Yes, I have heard of him.” Aku likened him to Gaster, an inter-dimensional monster with magical powers who’d also had his sights on Azura.
“He operates through dreams and deal-making to enter other realities and warp them to his desire.” Or so Azura had described to him. “How did you manage to defeat such a creature?”
The years passed and Aku’s daughters had grown from little girls into powerful young women. He had given them each her own section of earth over which she would learn to rule like her father, the Shogun of Sorrow and Emperor of Evil. That had been Aku’s plan, at least. But when he arrived in the section of land ruled by Ashi, he found that things were not as they should be.
In an effort to be inconspicuous, Aku had taken the form of a large raven and flew from place to place, observing the land and its inhabitants under his daughter’s rule. The people seemed strangely at ease as they went about their lives. None of them appeared afraid or sorrowful and none were toiling away like slaves under the lash of whips. The natural landscape was mostly unblemished by major industrial activity and the air was pleasantly clean. He spotted only one tribute to Aku, an aged statue built centuries ago which plant life had overtaken.
In short, things were a mess! Someone wasn’t doing her job properly. After inspecting Ashi’s empire, the demon went in search of his empress daughter, hoping to find her in the palace.
The Shogun of Sorrow 