“It was even easier than I thought it would be. The fool played right into my hands.”
Casper shrugged. “Just saying it like I see it. You’re just an incredible being all around honestly.” But then, she had weird interests, not that Aku had to know that.
No matter what form he was in, Aku enjoyed flattery. Ikra smiled.
“Compliment accepted. I appreciate a little honesty now and then.”
“Hot ash and- Did they suffer any serious burns? That sounds-…” Yikes, that was kind of a scary thought.
“Sounds like she had only one thought in her head, and that was to be sure she remained in your approval. In any way, even at the expense of her own children. You would think she would have worshiped them, being a part of you and all. Or at least treated them with more dignity and respect.”
“EXACTLY. I do not believe she realized their true potential nor was she aware of their powers. In her eyes they were simply a means to an end. She had told them that Aku was the Father and Ruler of all, but they did not know I was their true father.”
Casper raised her brows high at that. “Whoa…so she like…drank it or…stuck it…in her body some how. That’s super wild! And seven at once?! Holy crap, that’s just as insane! I can barely imagine how that would feel!” She clutched her stomach with a shudder.
“Dude…that must have been- Oh wait! So, you have seven girls, I’ve not seen them though, do they live with you or their mother?”
“I do not trust their mother,” Aku grunted in disapproval. “Her intent was to break my daughters of their spirits and transform them into near-mindless assassins. I have taken full custody of them.”
“Really!” Casper looked impressed. “…You’re a good Dad, Aku.” She sat down on the floor beside his throne, crossing her legs. “That’s really refreshing to hear. So, why was their mom so coo coo then?”
“That is a question I cannot begin to answer. I know nothing of her personal life beyond her leadership of the cult and her training methods. Her methods were especially strict, even cruel. She performed rituals upon my daughters using hot ash and tar. When I first received them into my home, I soaked and scrubbed them to remove it from their skin.”
Casper raised her brows high at that. “Whoa…so she like…drank it or…stuck it…in her body some how. That’s super wild! And seven at once?! Holy crap, that’s just as insane! I can barely imagine how that would feel!” She clutched her stomach with a shudder.
“Dude…that must have been- Oh wait! So, you have seven girls, I’ve not seen them though, do they live with you or their mother?”
“I do not trust their mother,” Aku grunted in disapproval. “Her intent was to break my daughters of their spirits and transform them into near-mindless assassins. I have taken full custody of them.”
Casper took in every word with rapt attention. “But, how did she come to be? I mean, if you had no idea you could create life?” she asked softly.
“How did that piece of you become?” It was a little strange to think that a piece got away somehow.
“You don’t have to answer, I’m just curious.”
The demon’s gaze drifted away from her. This part was a little embarrassing for Aku to explain if only because it hinted at his own blind ignorance.
“I once paid a visit to an all-female cult whose sole function is to worship Aku,” he began. “Upon discovering them I made a one-time donation to reward them for their dedication and bestowed upon them a small bit of my essence. I am not entirely sure how she did it… but the High Priestess used it to become pregnant and gave birth to 7 of my daughters.
“Nah, I’ve accepted the dog is dead in some way. Sad as I am about it, no, I wanted to ask about your daughters. Like, how did you discover they were yours? Did it make you feel something when you learned you were a father?”
Aku straightened a bit, blinking at the unexpected question. How had he felt upon discovering he had daughters? He’d felt many things, many things all at once. The Shogun pondered the question for a moment longer before he answered.
“Yes… It was a startling revelation, one like no other,” he recounted with clarity. “At the time I had no reason to believe that I, a being of great destruction and darkness, could create such life. Until I discovered Ashi wandering alone as a young child in the forest. Or perhaps I should say that she discovered me. Our meeting was purely by happenstance.
As for how I realized she was my own, the answer is by scent. I could smell the Aku within her, flowing through her veins. At that moment you might say I was struck. She was a piece of Aku taken a life of its own. I knew then I could not lose nor part from her. I felt I could allow no harm to come to her.”
The Shogun of Sorrow 