“You are most welcome, Azura. I’m glad you enjoyed it,” he grinned. Then his gaze fell upon the necklace.
“Ah, yes. It is a charm that contains my physical being so that I will always be with you wherever the universe takes you.” And when activated, it would help him to locate her across the dimensions. But that part remained unspoken.
“You are most welcome, Azura. I’m glad you enjoyed it,” he grinned. Then his gaze fell upon the necklace.
“Ah, yes. It is a charm that contains my physical being so that I will always be with you wherever the universe takes you.” And when activated, it would help him to locate her across the dimensions. But that part remained unspoken.
“I am aware of the holiday and the festivities surrounding it but I have not specifically involved myself in its ‘celebration’,” Aku answered candidly. He didn’t care one way or another about holidays unless they had something to do with Aku. But if Azura wanted to decorate the place, he wouldn’t put a stop to it.
As for her second question, the demon actually considered it.
“That’s great then! I have the perfect thing in mind,” she giggled as she scribbled along her notepad with ideas of how the decorations might look like.
“It’s gonna be festive and fun, you’ll love it! And not the typical holiday cheer either. It’d be like a present, for you! Because you definitely deserve one other than a massive neck massager.”
Aku craned his neck to look over her shoulder at the sketches but couldn’t really make heads or tails of what he saw. (Being upside-down didn’t help either.) Perhaps he would just have to let Azura unleash her creativity upon his domain and surprise him.
At the mention of deserving another present, he couldn’t help but feel especially flattered and straightened out of his bent position, grinning.
“Heh heh heh, well. I can’t say I disagree. I am fond of receiving presents… so long as they are not made of mud.”
“…That’s a nice thought, but I don’t think I deserve that.”
He was still pretty tall so Aku leaned down just enough to let Azura wrap her arms around his neck. He, in turn, held her close until she was all but lost in his long limbs and claws.
“That’s it. Don’t be afraid,” he said, giving the back of her head a gentle pat.
The more he assured her that she had no reason to be afraid, the more scared she actually got. She could feel goosebumps rising as he patted her head gently.
“I don’t think I have much control with that, sir.”
At that, Aku let out a laugh big enough to shake them both.
“HAAA HAAA HAA! I suppose you wouldn’t,” he crowed, giving her head one final pet before pulling away. His hands, however, remained to engulf her shoulders. He wasn’t through with her yet.
“But know that you are one of the few people I would not intentionally harm,” he smiled warmly. Very comforting words in his own opinion.
“I am aware of the holiday and the festivities surrounding it but I have not specifically involved myself in its ‘celebration’,” Aku answered candidly. He didn’t care one way or another about holidays unless they had something to do with Aku. But if Azura wanted to decorate the place, he wouldn’t put a stop to it.
As for her second question, the demon actually considered it.
There was entirely no reason for her boss to lock her up this way! Something was wrong, did any of the demonic henchman saw her helping Jack out with a burned down village the other day? Did someone snitched on her position? She didn’t know!
“But I am being good, haven’t I been good to you all this time?!”
His back had been to her while Aku gazed into the world through his spy screen but now he turned toward her, his face bloodied and smiling, and approached the bubble-like terrarium where she was being held. Her new ‘home’ had an adorable little house for her and a garden and a cat, everything a human could want. And most importantly, its magic prevented her from escaping into other dimensions.
“You have been good to me for quite some time,” he answered in a calm slow voice as if speaking patiently to a petulant child. “But lately you have wandered too far from me.”
His hands encircled her and her little ‘world’ protectively. Blood coated his splayed talons but Aku was seemingly oblivious to it as he drew her closer.
“I think you know as well as I that there are great dangers lurking around every corner in this vast multiverse, each of them waiting to destroy your spirit and devour you from within.
Monsters. Pain. Betrayal. Heartache… These are all that await you out there. But in here Aku can keep you safe from harm. Forever.”
The Shogun of Sorrow 