The Last Avenger and the World of Omni: Homecoming

[Kuzuru]

Over the course of several hours Kuzuru had adopted a deep and profound hatred of sand. Unable to recover one hundred percent of the omnilium from his buggy he was relegated to walking. Sure the demon had spent some time summoning an appropriate set of clothing and provisions for this sandy hell, but they paled in comparison to a self-guided 4-wheeler. However it wasn’t the weather that got to him the most. No, it was the pure undiluted boredom that this sea of sand brought. No stimulation beyond heat and sand existed in this barren world of dehydration, and it absolutely sickened him.

Eventually the haggard demon reached a settlement that looked worse than he did. Nippur, stood as a tormented shell of its former glory. Kuzuru had never been there, but his binging of Dataverse videos had given him a fleeting familiarity of the locale. How many nights had he spent staying up late and watching the few videos that chronicled the city’s siege. His eyes scanned the exterior walls, or what was left of them, and a smile played across his lips. It was perhaps one of the greatest disappointments of the demon’s life. He had missed one of the greatest battles he had ever seen and had to live vicariously through grainy dataverse videos. Still, it was in the past and he was here to forge a new future.

As he walked through the decaying city he would stop every now and again to simply observe and listen. Hushed voices echoed off the walls and he could see the shadows of vagrants hiding in hovels. Were they scared, or were they plotting something? Kuzuru welcomed any assault, but having to keep his guard up against rats and scoundrels proved to be tiring. He removed the cloth wraps that were draped around his head. Perhaps his notoriety would serve as a better deterrent. His red-tinged eyes pierced through the darkness, skewering any would-be assailant with dread.

“Go ahead and try to mug me,” Kuzuru declared openly, “I’ve got nothing for you cockroaches except an untimely end.”

With his threat made he continued towards Nippur’s marketplace. Suddenly a scent that he was all too familiar with tickled his nostrils and sent a shiver down his spine. Sweet to the demon’s altered senses the heady stench of blood and death filled his nose. He inhaled deeply, savoring the saccharine aroma. Drawn as if by an otherwordly force he followed the scent and soon came upon a grisly scene. Several men, carved to pieces, laid scattered across a clearing. He knelt down next to the nearest corpse and pressed two fingers against its neck. Fresh and warm, maybe only an hour old. Kuzuru dragged a finger through the puddle of blood and tasted it. He shivered and exhaled.

Kuzuru’s inspection was cut short as a commanding voice boomed across the city. Gilgamesh’s voice resounded off every hard surface, projecting his declaration loud enough for every citizen of Nippur to hear. Intrigued by the king’s return Kuzuru began to walk towards the palace. A sizeable crowd had gathered before the golden king, their voices hushed as their monarch spoke. The demon scanned the crowd and a blur of blue caught his attention. His heart skipped a beat as the unmistakable form of Sasuke Uchiha zipped into an alleyway. Without waiting another moment Kuzuru broke into a sprint, tailing the young shinobi. The demon’s nose crinkled as he commited the ninja’s scent to memory. This bloodhound-like ability practically painted a line straight to Sasuke.

As Kuzuru rounded a corner he came face to face with the Uchiha. For only a moment, not even a fraction of a second, the two locked eyes. Kuzuru caught sight of steel and reacted immediately. The horrible screech of blade against blade carved through the king’s speech. Kusanagi bit into Kuzuru’s blades, cleaving completely through one before coming to a stop in the other. The demon struck forward, slipping a fist through Sasuke’s guard, nailing him in the chest with a purple burst of ki. The ninja was forced back and Kuzuru chose not to advance and instead held up his hands.

“Woah, woah, woah,” Kuzuru said, “slow down hotshot, I’m not here to fight you, I’m actually a big fan of your work, you know I tried to buy the flamethrower you used in D.A.? Unfortunately the collector that had it wanted a prettier penny than I was willing to give up.”

“Who are you?” Sasuke responded, “why were you following me?”

“Come now, boy wonder, I think you know the answer to that,” Kuzuru said, retracted his blades, and held out a hand, “name’s Kuzuru and it’s a pleasure to finally meet you Sasuke Uchiha.”

Sasuke eyed the hand warily.

Kuzuru smiled and said, “what? Your mommy tell you not to talk to strangers?”