After some time helping the infected gathered safety in a quarantine zone, Azura gazed upon the moonlight, praying for Jack’s safety on his journey. Her body was starting to ache as well as her chest. She was starting to lose hope until she heard some shuffling before the nearby bushes. Perhaps, Jack did come back safely!
“Jack? Jack! Is that you?”
But when she had peeked, there was no one to be found. Not a single soul… save for a very gleeful demon that stood behind her, towering over.
If things weren’t bad enough, they just got even w o r s e.
When he’d caught word of an infection going around, this was absolutely not what he’d had in mind. No, this was much better. Aku stared down at his ‘employee’ with an eerily delightful smile that exposed the barest hint of fangs most sharp.
“I am afraid not, Miss Azura. It is I, your Boss.”The final two words were spoken with a sense of finality, of ownership. He may not have owned her before, but he certainly owned her now.
“I came to see what has been keeping you away from your duties,” and perhaps to smite her purely out of annoyance, though this was more implied than stated. His eyes grew wide then in feigned shock as he took in the sight of her—the sight of himself in her.
“But now I see you have fallen very ill. What a shame, my dear!” Despite his words, Aku did not bother hiding the tone of delight in his voice.
In
the blink of an eye, Aku disappeared and reappeared on the step beside
the Samurai. There he sat with arms crossed and shoulders hunched inward
most broodily.
“Hmph… Respect is not easy to obtain. I remember a time when I could
gain the respect of many by crucifying only a few. But things have
changed and the old ways have fallen out of favor. Now there are fools
running around with no respect for Aku whatsoever.”
“Man, I get you. It ain’t always been like this fo’ me either. Like I used to be able to whip out my blade, cut up a few talkin’ trash cans an’ people get out my damn way! They respect Da Samurai. But now? Nah. Er’where I go, all I hear is Samurai Jack! People askin’ if I tryin’a be like him or sayin’ ain’t as good an’ all that. Who even is this fool? I ain’t never heard o’ him befo’. It’s like he popped outta thin air to step on my game! Ya know what I mean?”
At the mention of You Know Who, Aku’s attention perked and his head swiveled to look down at the human, his eyes wild and fangs bared.
“WHAT!
Samurai Jack?!” he roared and curled his talons into fists. “He has been stepping on MY game!
I have been trying to get rid of that fool for ages and STILL he survives! He is the source of my… ANXIETY.”
Aku refolded his arms then, even tighter than before, shoulders rising on either side of him like two jagged peaks of obsidian.
“Mmmmgh, I see I am not the only one plagued by Samurai Jack.” He was not happy but it was strangely comforting to know.
The Shogun of Sorrow 