Revival

[Kenpachi Zaraki]

Nanaki could only gape as he stared down at the blank floor of the Nexus, his ‘new’ communicator’s screen dimming and finally shutting off entirely. A long few moments passed before he finally shook himself from his daze. He’d done it. After everything he’d gone through on that hellish island, he’d found his friend after so long. That was, if the mysterious Jack Fabre were to be believed. By this point, even the vaguest whiff of a scent was enough to put the beast back on the trail.

“Coruscant,” the feline mumbled aloud, turning his back on the fountain. The bird had evacuated the area some time ago, leaving him more or less alone. Given, there could very well have been others in the area, but in this moment he was really not very concerned with much else but Vincent’s safety. He thought back to his first day in the Omniverse, to his capture in the Vasty Deep. Those vagabonds had spoken of the city of Coruscant.

“Hello, my beastial compatriot!” The nasally voice of some newcomer split the air like a knife, grating harshly on Nanaki’s eardrums. “Are you a Prime?”

The crimson creature turned slowly toward the source of the commotion, spying the a lanky man in humble armor striding unsteadily in his direction. Upon further inspection this man was more of a boy, and the armor appeared to be several sizes too large for him. “I am,” Nanaki responded. “Do you know where I can find Coruscant?”

The youth’s previously hopeful face froze for a moment as his eyebrows vanished into his bushy brown bangs. “Um, yes, but I think I have a much better fit for you?” Red could tell that the boy likely meant this to come out more as a confident statement than a confused inquiry, but there was no helping that.

“Which way is it?” Nanaki growled back bluntly. He could sense the boy had some ulterior motive, purely by the way that he persisted to speak, even though his sharp nose could smell the fear in the boy’s sweat.

“B-but don’t you think you should consider your options? I d-don’t think you’d r-really fit in well with Stormtroopers, ya’ know?” The lad’s throat seemed to have constricted to the point that his voice was a closer approximation of a whistle than actual communication. The burgundy beast couldn’t be sure if maybe the speaker’s tone peeved him so because of his sensitive animal ears, of it perhaps the boy just had that effect on people.

“I am not interesting in being recruited,” Nanaki stated flatly, taking a few steps toward the boy. “Now, if you know in which direction Coruscant lies, tell me now. Otherwise, please leave me be.”

“I r-really think that the K-Kingdom would help you…” the boy trailed off, his voice failing as his lips continued to futilely mouth his words.

“Coruscant,” the scarred feline snarled, lowering himself into a more threatening posture and slowly stalking forward. “Where.” It was not a question anymore.

“R-right behind you!” the boy cried out, suddenly finding his voice as he stumbled backward, only to trip and tumble backward into the depths of a the Fountain. Luckily for the young soldier, the strange construct was presently taking the form of a shallow pond. He stuck his head cautiously out of the murky depths, a lilypad dragging the visor of his helmet down over his eyes.

Nanaki snorted in reply, not bothering to offer the lad even the vaguest semblance of thanks. He quickly tossed the the various items back into the metal briefcase and somehow managed to wrestle the thing closed, despite his lack of thumbs. It was at times like this that he missed Christa.Taking the handle between his teeth, he turned ‘round and began his dash toward the far end of the Nexus. He could spy what looked like a gate quite similar to the Vasty Deep portal, but this one seemed to have a fair few individuals milling around it. He sighed deeply and quickened his pace, hoping to avoid being accosted once more to join some army or another.

“Excuse me Sir, do you have a moment to stop and talk about Sheev Palpati-”

Before the white-clad recruiter could finish his spiel, Nanaki leapt through the air, vanishing into the portal.

“Well,” one Stormtrooper said to his companion. “It looks like our numbers are going to be down this month.”

A sigh. “Yeah,” the other replied. “Shame.”

   • -     -

Despite Nanaki’s past experiences back home with AVALANCHE facing off against the technologically adept Shin-Ra, as well as his wanderings so recently through the Abyss, nothing could have prepared him for Coruscant. He knew quite well that the various Verses were eclectic and strange when compared to one another, though this was the purest form of culture shock for a simple nomadic creature like himself. The ground beneath his feet even seemed to hum with some kind of technological peculiarity, along with just about everything else he could lay his eyes on. He had a feeling he could easily spend hours wandering around the metropolis and taking in the sites. Now, however, was not the time for sightseeing.

“Tier 6,” Nanaki mumbled to himself, casting his gaze around for some kind of map or landmark. Was he on Tier 6 now? How many tiers were there? He hoped that he would not have to endure countless flights of stairs to reach his destination; his short legs were not conducive to such ascent or descent.

After what felt like an hour of aimless wandering through the immaculate streets of Coruscant, the crimson beast finally resigned himself to asking for directions. Though his senses were keen, he could not catch even the vaguest whiff of Vincent through the aromatic ocean of scents that wafted off of the various people he happened by. For all he knew, he could have walked right past his dear companion by this point. With a deep sigh, Nanaki approached a fancy-looking shop front, ignoring the obnoxious neon thrum of the overhead sign.

“Why hello fine...sir?”

The scarred beast slowly ambled into the boutique, sable claws clicking on the polished chrome flooring. The man who had addressed him had likewise begun to click his way toward him, though with a noticeable degree of reservation. The man stood only around a foot taller than Nanaki’s own shoulders, though the shopkeep hung suspended in the air, floating with the aid of some device strapped to his back that emitted an odd rhythmic clicking. The man’s skin was an interesting shade of blue, his hair a shock of white tied back in a tight bun atop his smallish noggin. A long silver robe rung past his feet, obscuring whatever high-fashion footwear he might have been sporting.

“Might I offer you...a...uh…” The man thought for a moment before continuing, seeming positively baffled. He looked around at the shelves around him sporting trendy new gizmos and gadgets, as well as more expensive enthusiast hardware. Nanaki suspected the man was truly trying to find some interesting widget to hock to the catdog that had just strolled into his store.

“No,” Red replied, cutting the man off before he made things more awkward. The merchant’s perplexed face instantly collapsed with relief at Red’s dismissal of his sales pitch. “I just need to know where I am and how I can get to Tier 6.”

“Oh, why you’re on Tier 1,” the tiny salesman replied, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a tiny capsule. With a quick tap of his finger, the metallic bean sprang open and revealed a luminous three-dimensional map of what Nanaki could only assume was Coruscant. “Tier 6 would be down here. There are many elevators and such that you can take to get down there.” He paused, waiting for a nod from his ‘customer’ before continuing. “I don’t advise going down that low, however. It is less...ideal, the farther down you go.”

“I appreciate the thought,” the burgundy beast replied brusquely. “But I need to go there. Where can I get one of those maps?”

“Free of charge,” the little man replied with a smile, floating down to Red’s level. He quickly popped open the attache and deposited the map before snapping it closed. “Have a wonderful day.” The merchant looked positively thrilled that he had found an item that the beast would appreciate, even if it had been a freebie.

“Thank you,” Nanaki replied simply, bowing slightly before taking his leave.

With case in ‘hand’, Red made his way through the streets and toward what he now knew to be an elevator hub. He supposed something like this would be obvious to others, as a small crowd seemed to be omnipresent around the hub, entering and exiting large metal cylinders before said vessels vanished below the artificial ground. Despite the crowd he quickly managed to find his own, following a few odd-looking humanoids into the car and tapping the large green ‘6’ with his nose. He ignored the quizzical looks as he made his way down, the group among him thinning as they descended further downward, stopping at each floor. Finally only he and a few other rather unsavory-looking individuals remained as the overhead speaker stated “Tier Six” pleasantly. As Nanaki stepped out of the elevator, a familiar scent met his nostrils.

“Vincent!”