Outside in the stone quad of the Temple, Zamasu paced nervously in a tight circle, his agitation evident in the tense movements of his body. His hands were clenched behind his back, fingers intertwined in a nervous gesture. Lost in thought, he stared intently at the ground beneath him, as if searching for answers amidst the stones. Yuna observed his pacing with a mixture of concern and curiosity, her gaze tracking his movements like that of a wary spectator observing an angry tiger pacing its cage
"I'm still sure it's nothing, Sir." She tried to say reassuringly. He stopped and looked at her.
"Yuna, exercise your intellect, if you would," Zamasu implored, his tone tinged with frustration. "Over fifteen billion mortals across five planets, disappearing, reappearing, then vanishing once more, yet remaining invisible to my investigations." He had dedicated the last several hours to uncovering the whereabouts of the missing mortals, but more questions remained than were answered. "How does one lose fifteen billion mortals?" he exclaimed to himself, his arms raised in exasperation as he slapped his sides in frustration.
"Perhaps we should alert Lord Rums-"
"NO!" Zamasu snapped as he invaded Yuna's personal space threateningly. "Don't you dare. I will just as soon die trying to fix this myself."
Yuna sighed and shook her head as the lower Kai began returning.
"Yo. Supreme Kai, you called?" Kosu blinked in, followed closely by the East and South Kai.
"Yes. I need you all to be working on your sectors taking every vital every couple of minutes until we can figure out what's going on."
"What's going on exactly, again?" Kosu scratched his head. He couldn't remember much of anything except the bickering from earlier.
"The East is missing a few billion mortals." Aoume reminded Kosu.
Kasai popped up anxiously. "Zamasu, I've been running my diagnostics all evening after the meeting. I saw that-"
"They left again and then came back, yes." He finished for him. "But they're not showing up on visual scan." He looked around. "Where is the North Kai?"
"Kosu suddenly perked up and looked around also. "I just talked to her earlier!" He had in fact convinced Hana not long ago to apologize and make amends to the Supreme Kai, and beg for her job back. She should've been back by now, though. "I'll go get her. Be right back."
Zamasu clenched his teeth suddenly remembering her suspension. "No! I'll go. I suspended her instant transmission."
Kosu looked irritated. "C'mon Zamasu, what? That's harsh." Hana hadn't mentioned a suspension earlier. "What did she even do that was so bad?"
"You will keep silent unless you wish to join her," Zamasu shot back defensively. He felt a twinge of shame at the pettiness of his actions regarding her suspension, now that he was on the other side of it. Without further explanation, he teleported away.
The North's planet was a wasteland when he arrived. As soon as Zamasu transmitted in, he was greeted with smoldering burning rocks, leveled ground and a thick dark energy signature left behind. He instantly readied for a fight, swelling his energy to an exponential level very quickly.
He walked around surveying the extensive damage and began to get anxious as he picked through the rubble looking for Hana. What was he even looking for? Her, or her dead body? Surely she wouldn't be so stupid as to allow herself to get captured or killed because she chose this moment to actually follow one of his suspensions. That was very un-Hana like. She had to have transmitted out to safety, any rational Kai who knew instant transmission would, given the clear danger that swept through here.
"Hanakotoba!" He yelled, when he suddenly spotted her shadow in the distance, to his great relief. He flew over to her, furious, and ready for an explanation. Hana turned towards him with a surprised look on her face, as if she was seeing him for the first time in her life.
"Wait…" She stopped and pointed at him after considering him for a moment. "YOU'RE the Supreme Kai of this timeline?" She laughed uproariously. "How perfect! So no Gowasu then?"
Zamasu sneered. "Hana, are you mad?"
She cackled again as she began to untie her pink sash, and remove her heavy outer robes, so she was wearing just the outfit underneath. "Of course, this may be a bit messy if you don't cooperate." She pushed up the sleeves on her shirt. "You will be a tougher kill if we need to get rid of the destroyer."
Zamasu clenched his right hand, channeling his energy to form a chi blade. The situation felt utterly absurd. Hana, threatening to kill him? She could barely land a hit in combat, she barely passed the exam necessary to qualify for a Kai in the first place. She also only completed the minimum training required of an employed Kai for her annual professional development requirements every year. Fighting was not her forte. Nevertheless, he steeled himself for whatever confrontation lay ahead. Whether he would incapacitate her or worse depended entirely on how much resistance she put up.
Hana put her hands on her hips and flicked her long white curls behind her shoulder. "Of course, I'm fairly certain you'll come around once we let you in on the secret," she added confidently, a smirk playing on her lips. She pushed her bangs out of her eyes as she pulled out a silver ring and put it on her thumb. "Supreme Kai or not, I know you don't truly care about this universe—its inhabitants, mortals, or even your lower Kai," she accused, her tone dripping with disdain. Hana gestured to herself as her hair fell into her eyes again. Annoyed, she grabbed it in her left hand, and twisted it upwards, as far as it would go, as a blade of light appeared on her other hand. "The only thing you really care about, is what they'll say about you." Hana cut her long hair off with a single slice of her chi blade. "Trust me, aligning with us will bring you greater satisfaction. In fact, I'll extend a courtesy and dispose of this one once our task is concluded," she asserted, her newly shorn hair unveiling a deep purple Potara earring in her right ear. "In my timeline, I eliminated her long before my training approached completion," Hana remarked with a shrug, feigning a semblance of remorse.
Zamasu stood still, rendered speechless by Hana's cruelty. Though her words held a bitter truth, they were unforgivable in his eyes. And what did she mean about her own timeline? He planted his feet firmly on the ground, assuming a fighting stance, prepared to confront the North Kai. Prepared to confront Hanakotoba.
Hana observed Zamasu's hurt confusion with a smirk, her demeanor unapologetically cruel. Without hesitation, she raised her arm, charging a chi blast. "But I'm not concerned about that at the moment. Let's first gauge the strength of the Supreme Kai version of Zamasu," she taunted, before unleashing a devastating blast in his direction. Zamasu felt the searing heat singe the side of his face as he narrowly managed to deflect the attack. The power behind the blast was immense—it could have genuinely inflicted damage upon him. Where had she learned such a technique? Anger flared within him as he redirected his focus back towards her.
"That's it!" She beckoned him as she crossed her arms in front of her and then brought them down with a cut, a two ring iridescent barrier of light forming behind her. "Let's do this."
Zamasu's mouth hung open for a moment, almost certain he hit his head and would soon wake up, knocked out cold somewhere. This couldn't be happening.
He was shook back to life, though, as Hana swung her chi blade and charged at him from the air, the sound of metal on metal clanging as Zamasu blocked her swing with the exact same weapon, knocked back a bit from the force of her attack. He stepped a foot back to brace himself. He was not expecting her to be that strong.
Hana swung around with her other fist, which he parried, as she smiled, rolled forward and swung her foot around under his boots, knocking him right off his feet to the ground.
"You know, I had intended to vacate this vessel at the earliest opportunity once I confirmed the success of the transfer," Hana remarked. She resumed her offensive, launching a series of attacks that Zamasu barely blocked and parried. "But females possess remarkable agility," she admitted grudgingly. Zamasu attempted a punch, but was intercepted as Hana seized his arm and delivered a punishing round kick to his gut, causing him to double over in pain, clutching his side. "There is indeed considerable potential here," she conceded, as she leaped into the air, unleashing a blast directly above him.
Zamasu endured the remnants of her attack, though he evaded the worst of it. Despite his efforts, it seared off part of his robes and left his skin tinged with violet streaks of blood. Without hesitation, he retaliated with a blast of his own, catching Hana off guard. She struggled to deflect it, her stamina visibly waning. Zamasu could sense her weakening.
Enraged, Hana charged with an iridescent glow and flew straight at Zamasu, grabbing the sides of his tunic and flying him top speed towards the base of a small mountain. Zamasu laughed and easy wrapped his hands around her small wrists and swung her around just before they crashed, forcing her to take the brunt of the collision, disintegrating her barrier of light, though they both took hefty blows.
Observing her fighting style, Zamasu noted an unusual disparity. She fought with the strength and aggression typically associated with males, and there was an inconsistency in her movements, as if she habitually overestimated her size and power. It was becoming increasingly clear to Zamasu that this wasn't simply Hana behind those eyes.
As his own stamina began to wane with the fading adrenaline, Zamasu ascended, distancing himself from Hana. Meanwhile, she regained her bearings after striking her head against the rocky surface. With determination, she sprinted through the air above him, gathering an immense surge of chi. Raising her arms, she conjured intricate patterns of light that coalesced into razor-sharp blades, unleashing a torrent of destruction upon Zamasu. Despite the onslaught, he managed to evade the assault, although his surroundings crumbled in the wake of the attack.
"Damnit all!" She yelled as she looked at her hands. "This girl's body can't hit the broad side of a Temple!" She observed Zamasu trapped, but relatively unscathed in the rubble below. She flew down.
"Well, I'm finished," she declared as she dropped down in front of him, her appearance bearing the marks of battle – torn clothes and streaks of violet blood marring her rose gold skin. "Not bad. Not great, but it's about what I expected from a Supreme Kai who spends his days lounging in luxury and watching screens."
Zamasu seethed as he struggled to free himself from the remnants of the planet's rocky landscape as well as what was Hana's home.
Hana regarded him with a hint of admiration as he struggled to free himself. "You know, looking at you now, I'm actually quite proud," she admitted. Spotting an intact bottle of goracha amidst the rubble, she poured herself a drink and raised the glass. "You're the first, and only, Zamasu I've found who managed to achieve the original dream," she remarked, her eyes narrowing with approval as she surveyed him.
"And I must say, I do look absolutely marvelous as a Supreme Kai," she added with a playful smirk, swirling her drink before raising it in a toast. "Oh, what the heck. Maybe it's the feminine energy talking, but I'm so proud, I could just kiss you." With that, she grabbed him and planted a long, generous kiss on his lips before lightly smacking the side of his face and bursting into laughter.
"While this has been amusing, I must go retrieve my original body," She threw the glass down so it shattered. "I have to say the fact that your lower Kai know instant transmission did take us by surprise, we weren't prepared for that little detail and it set us back some, well done." She looked over her shoulder. "Where do you suppose my body has fled to, by the way? It'll be with your other lower Kai, most likely."
Zamasu sneered. "It's a big universe."
"Yes, it is. Though I guarantee they're all hiding in plain sight. I bet all your Kai are at the Sacred World." She smiled. "Waiting for you to return. They trust you, don't they?" She rubbed her hand along her mouth in thought. "Yes, their mighty Supreme Kai….we can use that to our advantage. Going to pay Gowasu a little visit- he's still alive isn't he?"
Zamasu didn't answer.
Hana shrugged. "All those antiquated, retired Kai, clinging to their imagined significance," she mused darkly. "I shall grant them an ordeal that will echo in their screams for eons." She smiled as she waved, winked, and disappeared.
………………………
Covered in dust, blood, and torn from the fight, Zamasu returned to the Sacred World where his Kai awaited, just as Hana had predicted. He required Yuna's immediate aid to heal his wounds. Anticipating their shocked expressions upon his return, he instead encountered uncomfortable silence and averted gazes. Despite his obvious need for assistance, he was met with slack-jawed stares. "Why are you all standing there gaping?" he demanded, struggling to catch his breath between coughs. "Where is Yuna?"
"In Universe Eight, she said it was urgent. But uh, Zamasu…" Aoume started nervously.
"WHAT." He growled.
"Hana…" Kasai began
A look of panic washed over Zamasu's face. "Where is Hanakotoba?"
"She's here…" Kasai started nervously. "Sort of." He looked at Aoume for back up.
Aoume fixed his glasses and walked up to the Supreme Kai ready to explain when a voice shrieked from inside the Temple. "No no no no no no!" It screamed. "How did this happen?"
I'll let you see for yourself." Aoume stepped back as Zamasu knocked him aside and ran to the door, the other Kai following suit.
He gritted his teeth, ready to admonish Hana for her inexcusable and indefensible display of aggression earlier; however, as he approached her, intending to deliver the rebuke, he suddenly froze in his tracks. A cold sensation washed over him as he observed Hana standing there, gazing at her reflection. It was him—or something that looked almost exactly like him. His mouth dropped open in astonishment.
It was his body, and his voice, echoing hauntingly as if in an empty room, yet clearly bearing Hana's cadence and inflection. "WHAT is going on!" Hana cried, near hysterical. She tugged at her dark grey gi and the generous amount of spiky white hair atop her head in frustration. A red Potara dangled from her left ear. "It's like a million degrees in this body! And can all the voices PLEASE stop yelling at me!" she wailed, covering her ears as she finally spotted Zamasu lurking near the doorway. "Zamasu! Fix this! You're the Supreme Kai! I'm going mad!" She rushed over to him, grabbing at his torn robes and shaking him violently. They were exactly the same size. Zamasu stared back into his own face, his own cold grey eyes. He had no answers. The alternate Zamasu suddenly started tearing up. Watching himself cry was disturbing, to say the least.
"Whoah!!" Kosu suddenly broke the tension as he entered the room and looked back and forth between both Zamasu's. "NO WAY. This is WILD!" He began laughing hysterically. "Hey Hana, you've achieved your dream, you're finally as pretty as Zamasu!"
Hana released the Supreme Kai and stormed over to her brother. "Shut up, Kosu!" She roared as she reached her fist back and blasted him with a punch that sent him flying across the quad. Hana looked at her fist nervously. She felt like she barely hit him at all. She ran over to him and the two started arguing as she helped him up.
Aoume walked up to the Supreme Kai who had yet to say a word. "Thoughts?" He eyed the beat up, disheveled god. "Clearly you had your own close encounter, as well. Did you see the real Hana?"
Zamasu swallowed hard. "I'm not completely sure what I saw, or who is in the real Hana," he admitted, his brow furrowing as he glanced at Aoume. "But I think… it was… me?" His mind raced back to the brutal words of the other Hana, how the entity inside her seemed to know him better than he knew himself. "Him... her." He gestured towards Hana, who was desperately trying to get the hang of controlling the other Zamasu's body and failing miserably. "Whoever was in that body is now in control of her.""
Aoume let out a small cough as he surveyed Hana trapped in the alternate Zamasu. He had a hunch, at the very least, to what might explain the altered look, taking into consideration the few comments Hana had made during her hysterics; the incredible heat, the voices, the increase in effortless raw power. "I don't think it's entirely you." Aoume twitched his antennae. "I think that version of you, wherever it's from, is merged with someone else." The single potara, of course, refuted his claim, as a successful fusion should be wearing both earrings, but most of the observations pointed in that direction by his calculations.
Zamasu's mind fuzzed out again as he took in Aoume's comment about fusion. He unconsciously grabbed at his own Potara, ensuring they were both still there. In the background, he heard Hana arguing inaudibly with Kosu before turning her wrath on Kasai. Was that what he sounded like when he disciplined them? She then stormed back over to Zamasu and pulled at him again, lifting him a bit off his feet.
"And why are you so damn sweaty all the time, it's disgusting!" She cried out a final wail of despair as she threw him aside and stormed out of the Temple.