Supreme Kai Zamasu surveyed the elegantly arranged table, adorned with an array of delectable dishes, beneath the comforting shade of his favorite tree upon the Sacred World. The late afternoon sky bathed everything in a warm, golden hue, while gentle breezes stirred the delicate seed pods of the surrounding trees, painting the air with a vibrant collage of yellow, white, and red. With a faint smile, he adjusted the folds of his deep blue tunic, harboring a glimmer of hope that this gathering would see his lower Kai exhibit a minuscule amount of decorum, rather than descending into the antics of mere mortal children.
He observed as his attendant, Yuna, methodically traverse the length of the table, carefully positioning tablets adorned with the emblem of the Tenth Universe at each designated place setting. The symbol, a green circle intersected by three vibrant zig-zags, was purportedly crafted by Rumsshi, their formidable God of Destruction, eons ago, symbolizing his reverence for strength and martial prowess. Despite Zamasu's private reservations regarding its artistic merit, one did not dare contest the design favored by a Destroyer, and thus it endured as a testament to Rumsshi's dominion over their universe.
Yuna knocked over several glasses of water as she hummed jovially and walked around the table. She blotted the messes in turn, each time having to readjust her glasses up on her nose. Zamasu sighed, exhausted just watching her. "Yuna, do you require assistance?" He yelled. Yuna continued her humming and cleaning, oblivious. "Grandma!" He yelled louder.
"Hmm?" Yuna looked up at her handsome employer and smiled. "Did you say something, Lord Zamasu? I'm finishing up now!"
Zamasu shook his head in exasperation. He hadn't requested an attendant, but had been "voluntold" by the elders back on World Core to become Yuna's employer. She had aged out of her position as a lower Kai in Universe 8, but with no other openings for a retired Kai, she was transferred back to her Core planet. News had spread about Zamasu's completion of his training in Universe 10, leading the elders to deem him the perfect candidate to be "informed" about the supposed law mandating that all new Supreme Kais must have an attendant for their first one thousand years. Conveniently, they had Yuna ready to fill the role. Unwilling to retire in spirit, Yuna had made everyone else's business her own, prompting the elders to eagerly arrange her transfer. While Zamasu knew no such law existed, he didn't want his first impression to be argumentative with his own elders, particularly with his old mentor, Gowasu, now among them.
Yuna was a nuisance most of the time and had no problem calling Zamasu out on his hypocrisies, which although he didn't appreciate, he tolerated; for now.
"I have a good feeling about this meeting," Yuna patted Zamasu on his shoulder after finishing her table setting. "I think they're finally starting to adjust to your leadership style ."
Zamasu nodded, though he couldn't muster the same optimism as Yuna. In truth, he was growing increasingly frustrated with the way the early stages of his tenure were unfolding. "If things don't start improving, I may need to make the first of several difficult decisions very soon," he remarked, his voice tinged with steel. "And rest assured, it won't be well-received," he added through gritted teeth, activating his own tablet to review the day's agenda..
Yuna offered a reassuring pat on the back, sensing Zamasu's growing agitation. "Well, you're doing a great job, I think. Certainly have more energy than anyone I've worked with before," she remarked, though she observed him with concern as he seemed to brush off her compliment, a habit he often displayed regardless of who praised him. "The rankings will be in our favor this time, go easy on yourself..." she continued before pausing and snapping her fingers in front of his face, finally capturing his attention. "And them. Be NICE to your fellow Kai today," she admonished with a wag of her finger, before adjusting her glasses and returning to her set-up duties.
Zamasu couldn't help but scoff, feeling yet another of Yuna's criticisms. Why was it he couldn't seem to get away from these stuffy old Kai and their need to say whatever was on their mind? First Gowasu, now Yuna. He shook his head again in growing anxiety as he continued to mull over his tablet and read over his goal for today's meeting one more time: getting his World Kai to finally properly use a standardized assessment tool that could more consistently rank the mortal levels in their quadrants.
One of Zamasu's first acts as the newly appointed Supreme Kai of Universe 10, was to not only increase the discourse between his lower Kai, himself, and their destroyer, Rumsshi, but to ensure that they were all on the same page about which planets were thriving, which needed help, and which were on the chopping block. He personally found it to be impossible to elevate the mortal levels of U10 with every Kai and Destroyer in business for themselves, and so, the "Professional Universal Betterment Sessions" (or, PUBS, as the West Kai loved to call them, much to Zamasu's annoyance) were created.
Through these sessions, Zamasu endeavored to implement a new Universal Screener for Universe 10, a process devised by Ogma of Universe Five. This method held the promise of elevating any universe's ranking by at least four spots when faithfully executed. Zamasu had opted to spend the final quarter of his training with Ogma, engaging in an independent study to understand the specifics of how she consistently maintained one of the most favorable universes according to the Omni King's rankings.
Zamasu held a deep respect for Ogma and her dedication to strengthening her universe. He often felt a stronger philosophical connection with her than with Gowasu. They engaged in many lengthy conversations over tea, sharing similar beliefs about what constituted a robust cosmos. However, they did diverge slightly on what Zamasu termed the "mortal problem." While Ogma agreed that certain mortals could lower a universe's rank and should be swiftly dealt with, she emphasized the importance of fostering a close relationship with one's Destroyer to mitigate such issues.
"Oh Yuna…send out one final alert to Kusu to wake up Rumsshi please," he loudly yelled out again to his near deaf attendant, as he bitterly remembered Rumsshi not showing up at his last request.
Yuna offered a wave before departing to attend to her duties, just as the lower Kai of Universe 10 began to teleport in. Universe 10 was unique in the multiverse, as Zamasu permitted his Kais the freedom to utilize Kai-Kai, or instant transmission, as needed, provided they kept a small chi signature mapping device on their person at all times. Zamasu had commissioned this technology from Universe 3 toward the end of his apprenticeship. Universe 3 was renowned for their technological prowess, and Eyre was more than willing to assist the legendary Kai fighter, Zamasu, with what essentially amounted to his dissertation to complete his Supreme Kai training. Despite initial opposition, the elders had been thoroughly impressed with Zamasu's solution when he presented his proposal to them, much to Gowasu's surprise.
"Why do you want them to have such access to you, Zamasu?" Gowasu would say with curiosity. "You should be out of your lower Kai's reach, unless you decide it's necessary to see them." He'd wag a stern finger. "Mark my words, you will have a hard time making difficult decisions and asserting your authority should you close that necessary distance between yourself and your lower Kai."
Zamasu disagreed. He wanted to say that the fact Universe 10 vacillated between eighth and tenth place out of twelve evidence that Gowasu's method just might not work the best, but held his tongue out of reverence. He would have his chance soon enough to put his ideas into practice.
As the first of the lower Kai of Universe 10 zapped in, Zamasu put down his tablet and straightened himself with a stern look on his face, as if his seriousness could somehow neutralize the circus that was about to begin.
First, and always early, to arrive was Zamasu's favorite—the South Kai, Aoume. Aoume was a transfer from Universe 7 during the Great Famine, a period when Universe 10's Kaiju trees had become sterilized by a rogue Kai who had defected to the Demon Realm and literally brought the entire Other World to its knees. Jilted and jaded, he grafted a parasite into the entire Kaiju grove, ceasing all generation of new Kai in Universe 10 for several millennia. It eventually crippled Universe 10's ability to staff its vacant posts, as there was no cure save for pruning off the corrupted branches little by little, year after year..
Gowasu was a young Supreme Kai during the Great Famine, and often liked to talk about this volatile and quite scary time early in his tenure. He depended on the other universes to supply Universe 10 with Kai, and Aoume was one of those transfers.
"Good evening Lord Zamasu." Aoume waved and bowed politely to Zamasu, who smiled and nodded his head in turn. Aoume twitched his antennae and adjusted his large dark sunglasses on his yellow noseless face, as he took his seat next to Zamasu, which Zamasu always requested he did.
Anyone observing would notice that Aoume did not look like the other Kai he shared a table with. Unlike Universe 10, whose Kaiju only bear one type of fruit, Universe 7 bears two. A bit stricter about the hierarchy of its deities, Universe 7 has a god's job ceiling determined at birth, depending on whether they are born of a golden fruit or a non-golden one. The deities produced from these fruits look vastly different from one another, with Aoume being from the latter.
Initially, Aoume was a bit of a curiosity in U10, as Kai would venture by, or find excuses to drop in on his planet just to observe him. Eventually a cruel term had arisen in reference to Kai like him - "unripened." Gowasu banished the term early on and enacted severe penalties on anyone he had evidence used the word in reference to Aoume, even in casual conversation.
Over the millennia, Aoume proved to be extremely competent, hard working, and loyal. Like Gowasu before him, Zamasu felt that Aoume was just built differently than the fussy, high maintenance Kai of Universe 10, and with no aspirations of anything greater than his current post genetically wired into him, he knew his place and worked it well.
"How have you been feeling, Aoume?" Zamasu asked as he took his seat and Yuna came around to pour tea. He was growing concerned that Aoume was beginning to age out a bit, and he couldn't afford to lose his most veteran Kai at this point.
Aoume pushed his glasses up and waved his hand from side to side. "Eh, I've got a lot of life in me yet, no need to worry about me sir."
Zamasu nodded approvingly as Aoume continued. "But YOU might need to slow down a bit, if you don't mind me noticing." He folded his hands as he looked intently at the Supreme Kai. "This here is a marathon, not a sprint your Lordship. You might flame out before I do at this pace." He leaned back in his chair. "We just met as a group it seems not too long ago. Surely you're tired."
Zamasu dropped his smile. Only Aoume was permitted to speak so openly to him like that without repercussion. "Do not be concerned for me, worry about yourself. The faster you all learn this new system, the less stress it will be on me subsequently."
He had confessed to Aoume that between every meeting he personally calibrated each Kai's planet assessments against his own. Each Kai was only responsible for their quadrant - Zamasu would then go in and assess every planet again himself afterwards - every last one- and then give personal feedback regarding where each Kai needed to improve.
Aoume held his hands up in defense. "I apologize Zamasu." He knew the remark was not aimed at him. He consistently calibrated within statistical relevance of Zamasu's own assessments regularly. It was the others Zamasu was trying to get up to his standards, with difficulty.
As if on cue, the West and North Kai came in exactly on time, together. Brother and sister duo, Kosumosu and Hanakotoba, known as Kosu and Hana, bowed in unison and took their seats.
Born of the same Kaiju tree during the same age and adorned with floral names, the attractive dusky purple and rose gold Kai regarded each other as siblings. Both were newly released off a long probation, instilled by Gowasu, when Hana was found to be transferring mortals around her sector unauthorized, with Kosu's assistance. It was then that Zamasu resolved he would be more involved in his lower Kai's affairs, when he was Supreme Kai, so they did not feel so emboldened to make such reckless decisions.
"Evening Zamasu. Yuna. Aoume." Kosu gave a wave to each and proceeded to hunt for food on the table. "Psyched for another riveting PUBS meeting so soon, Supreme Kai!" He said cheerfully in Zamasu's direction.
"If only you could translate all that enthusiasm into better scoring accuracy, Kosu." Zamasu arched his brow as he watched Kosu attack the divine food spread like it was prey.
Kosu laughed. He had known Zamasu for a long time, back when he was just the North Kai himself. It was an adjustment getting used to him as his superior now, a difficulty Kosu often tried to diffuse with humor. "Ouch! You got it Zamasu."
Aside from her initial bow, Hana did not greet anyone and avoided Zamasu's gaze entirely. She was still upset about how the last meeting concluded.
"Hello Hanakotoba." Zamasu said with an icy tone. "It's very impolite not to acknowledge your colleagues." He folded his arms. "Or your Supreme Kai." He and Hana had trouble seeing eye to eye on many planet indicators and she often made that everyone else's problem.
"Yeah, Hanakotoba." Kosu tugged on her long white hair with a mouth full of food, emphasizing her full name, which she hated. "Acknowledge me."
Hana flicked a crumb in his direction so it bounced off his forehead. "Aoume, can we switch seats, please?"
Aoume laughed as Zamasu's eyes widened as he shook his head a definitive "NO."
"Sorry, love." Aoume shrugged his shoulders.
Hana pouted as she looked at the center of the table and panicked. "Yuna, I said no flowers please next time!" She shrieked as she gestured to the flowers arranged in the center of the table, and could feel her eyes starting to water and itch. Ever since the lavish ceremony celebrating Gowasu's retirement and Zamasu's appointment as his successor—where Hana had inadvertently ruined Zamasu's entire recitation of the oathe of the Supreme Kai with her sneezing (Kosu always teased her, claiming he overheard Zamasu vowing never to forgive her for it)—she had been determined to maintain a generous personal distance from anything floral. Especially considering her already strained relationship with the Supreme Kai, which seemed on the verge of fracturing completely.
Yuna patted Hana on the head and grabbed at the center pieces, hitting her square in the face with a bouquet as she gathered them in her arms.
As Hana started her sneezing fit, the last of the four quadrant lower Kai, the relatively new East Kai, finally appeared.
"I'm here, I'm here!" A very young, bright red-headed and blue skinned Kai came sprinting to the table.
"Relax man, you're right on time." Kosu said as he clicked his chopsticks between mouthfuls of noodles .
Kasai grabbed the chair on the other side of Zamasu and sat down, out of breath, suddenly wondering why everyone was staring intently at him.
"Oh!" He forgot to bow. He popped up and knocked his chair back as he did. "Good evening Lord Zamasu. Aoume. Kosu. Hana. Yuna." He did an individual bow to each Kai separately, turning himself like the hands of a clock as he did.
"Hey it's 'Kosumosu.' Respect your elders." Kosu pointed at him with his chopsticks with a glare. "I'll need you to try that again…."
"Enough Kosu." Zamasu cut him off. "Kasai, please move down two seats."
Everyone went silent and looked at each other. Hana sneezed.
"Those are for Lord Rumsshi and Kusu, young man." Yuna shouted out what everyone was thinking, as Kasai complied with the request.
"If they show up." Hana snickered as she wiped at her nose and stole a look at Zamasu, whose grey eyes burned back at her with ferocity. She lowered her own in a silent apology and sneezed again.
In an instant, the room erupted into a symphony of various arguments. Kasai voiced his frustration, complaining that he didn't understand the assignment from the last meeting and feared he would fail today's as well. Hana chimed in, lamenting that Zamasu was too stringent with his assessments of mortal levels. Kosu's voice rose above the fray as he yelled at Hana for perpetually dragging him into trouble. Aoume interjected, asserting that they were all too young to grasp the true gravity of their responsibilities and urging them to show more respect to Zamasu. Meanwhile, Yuna remained composed, humming softly as she poured tea, while Zamasu charged his chi into his right hand, a silent indication of his growing impatience.
-when a piercing roar suddenly rippled through. Every Kai grabbed at their ears and braced against the ferocious sound.
"That's better," Rumsshi interjected, seizing a moment of respite as the Kai collectively nursed their temples from the earsplitting trumpet of Universe 10's God of Destruction. "Zamasu, what kind of ship are you running here? Is this some sort of joke?" he demanded, surveying the bickering table of Kai with a disapproving "tsk." "And you wonder why I often ignore your requests to participate in these meetings." With a glare directed at his Supreme Kai counterpart, Rumsshi took his seat. "Stop wasting my time."
Zamasu could feel his chi rising even more as he was being insulted, his subconscious very eager for a fight, as Rumsshi equally stared him down.
"Go ahead, Kai," Rumsshi interjected, rising to his feet once more and fixing Zamasu with a narrowed gaze. His frustration with the new life link was evident; he longed for the days of Gowasu's more hands-off approach. This new arrangement resulted in constant interruptions for meetings and destruction requests, a far cry from what he preferred. If it weren't for Kusu's constant mediation, reminding Rumsshi of Zamasu's youth and ambition to elevate Universe 10 in the Omni King's rankings, he might have resorted to drastic measures out of sheer spite by now.
"Hi everyone!! I'm so happy to see you all again!" Right on cue, Kusu popped up between the two and did what she did best, which was diffuse the situation between the two gods. She took her seat next to Rumsshi and tapped his arm so he would sit back down. Aoume blushed and gave her a shy wave hello, which she playfully returned. "Sorry we're late Zamasu! Please go ahead, we're all listening to you!"
Zamasu stood with his hands gripped tightly on the edge of the table, and with his head lowered between his arms in a moment of temporary defeat. He took the moment to breathe deep and suppress the desire to drop kick the teeth out of almost everyone at the table before he finally collected himself and spoke.
"As you are all aware, the Omni King's rankings come out soon. Lord Rumsshi and I will be traveling to see Lord Zeno and the Grand Minister in a few weeks' time, along with the other eleven universes, to see where we fall," Zamasu informed the gathering, allowing a moment for any questions. "Our last ranking was ninth out of twelve," he continued, observing the lack of reaction among his audience. "What do you all think about that?" He scanned their faces, finding them mostly blank. With a sigh, he continued, "Unacceptable, in my opinion!" His gaze hardened as he locked eyes with each Kai. "We can do far better than that, and we have been working tirelessly to rectify our standing since I assumed the role of your Supreme Kai."
Rumsshi "hmph'd" and shook his head disapprovingly, which Zamasu noted in the corner of his eye and ignored.
"Today is the day we've been working toward. We have one last opportunity to elevate our total mortal level before the rankings are locked in," Zamasu proclaimed, snapping up his tablet and activating the screen, prompting the accessory ones on the table to follow suit as each Kai dutifully picked them up to follow along. "We've been diligently focusing on learning how to balance our sectors better, but our attention has primarily been on evaluating informal indicators of mortal health, such as geosphere activity and overall biodiversity richness of the planets they inhabit." He raised his finger dramatically before bringing it down with a loud tap. "Today, we evaluate the mortals themselves."
A murmure went through the group. Kasai raised his hand anxiously.
"Zamasu, I'm still not clear though on the geology part from last session."
"Duh dingus." Kosu threw a piece of bread at him. "If the planet's nuclear core is weakening, it's going cold and the atmosphere will start to change dramatically in a pretty short time." He then made a chopping motion with his hand. "That's called the chopping block for that planet."
"Maybe." Zamasu interrupted. "Though you are mostly correct, a lot of other indicators come into play, such as the size of the planet, volume of planet's hydrosphere, strength of the greenhouse gases, and advancement of the mortals all ready there." This is what he was trying to train his stubborn Kai on. "You are all so used to ignoring small details and it shows in your sloppy work."
"It's ok Kasai, you're doing your best, don't put too much pressure on yourself." Hana said sharply while looking at Zamasu.
Kasai shook his head. He didn't want to be caught in the middle, he just wanted to ask his question.
"Listen up," Aoume barked. "Lord Zamasu can teach you all these skills, but he can't make you all care."
"Zamasu doesn't care about anything except rankings." Hana shot back.
"Enough!" Zamasu finally raised his voice. "Hana you will bite your tongue before you speak to me in such a way! You can be replaced." He waited until she respectfully nodded and looked down. "You can all be replaced."
Everyone grew silent as they pretended to read their tablets. Rumsshi started laughing.
"Yes Rumsshi, what is it that amuses you?" Zamasu looked up to the sky in exasperation.
"Oh nothing much, just looking ahead at your scoring rubric for the mortals." He tapped the screen with his trunk. "You do know you actually need mortals in your universe to have a mortal level ranking?" He laughed again. "Or am I to kill them all according to this?"
"I knew it!" Hana exclaimed, shooting up from her seat and pounding her fists on the table. "You've set the cut score too low!" Her arms folded defiantly across her chest. "I refuse to do this. I won't condemn my mortals like this." She sneezed, again and wiped her nose. "It's barbaric. As Kai, our duty is to aid them whenever possible, not simply sentence them to destruction by Rumsshi because they don't meet some arbitrary assessment criteria."
Everyone looked at each other and than at Zamasu, who's face was flushed with anger.
"How come we never talk about that? How we can better help our planets instead of just ranking them indiffere-."
"Hanakotoba-" Zamasu walked over to where she stood and stared down at her. "A word, please."
"Ooooh…" Kosu ribbed his sister before Zamasu shot his hand out and lifted him up by the scruff of his robe.
"You'll be on the chopping block next, West Kai, if I hear one more word. If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem," Zamasu's tone carried the sharp edge of authority.
Kosu scowled and returned to his screen after Zamasu dropped him.
Rumsshi laughed at the scene. "Don't worry sweetheart, come find me later and we'll go over your list together in private," he yelled to Hana as Kusu wagged a finger at him disapprovingly.
Aoume shook his head and began his task diligently, tapping a 1,2,3 or 4 for each of the scoring categories on Zamasu's rubric for the first three mortal dwelling planets in his sector. These younger Kai hadn't seen enough dark times to understand the important work that was being done here. They'd save every last living organism if they could, not realizing it was misplaced empathy in the grand scheme of the universe.
Kosu just sighed. He enjoyed working with his sister, but he had a feeling she would not be coming back to the meeting and feared she'd be gone for good soon.
Hana pushed out her chair and followed Zamasu respectfully until they were far enough out of earshot of the others. He stood tall in front of her as she stared down at her feet. The absolute insolence of his lower Kai talking back to him like that, in front of everyone, was beyond absurd. Another hangover from Gowasu's laissez-faire regime he was exhausted trying to correct.
"Your bleeding heart is becoming a hemorrhage, Hanakotoba, and I'm growing weary of both it and your impertinence," Zamasu stated firmly, crossing his arms. "Perhaps this position isn't a good long-term fit for you." He paused, awaiting her response—typically a rebuttal, an apology, or a series of excuses.
"So transfer me." Her gaze fell to the ground, her eyes betraying a profound sadness. "I don't think I can do this anymore."
Zamasu could feel his face flush at her unexpected answer. "That can be easily, and quickly, arranged... if that is what you wish," his voice remained cold and calculated. He observed her expression, registering the hurt in her eyes at his equally unexpected response.
"Whatever it'll take to get to the top I suppose!" She snapped back before immediately clapping her hands over her mouth realizing she sounded like an angry child, and had finally gone too far. She quickly turned and teleported out, not wanting to deal with the retribution she was due.
Dumbfounded, Zamasu stood in silence for several moments before turning away from the now-vacant spot where the North Kai had been. He couldn't afford to dwell on her departure now; he had a meeting to conduct and a disgruntled Rumsshi to work with still. As he made his way back to the others, he was pleasantly surprised to find everyone diligently engrossed in their work, each Kai focused intently on their tasks. Rumsshi had his eyes closed, seemingly in a moment of rest, while the others furiously tapped away on their tablets. Colorful flashes danced across their faces, matching the numbers they inputted into each category with precision.
All looked calm, save for Kasai, who had a frown and a furrow on his face, as he was being assisted by Kusu, who was looking for something to do while Rumsshi cat-napped.
"Oh!" Kusu saw Zamasu. "Zamasu! Something odd is going on with the East sector over here."
Of course there was. Kasai always had a problem. Zamasu tried to have patience but the young East Kai just wasn't able to hang with the rest of them and he was growing tired of having to do his own job and Kasai's. "What is it? Is the screen frozen? Did you glitch it out?" Zamasu's tone was laced with impatience. He rolled his eyes as he held out his hand for Kusu to give him the tablet.
"No- the mortals in sector e6.234, they're…gone." Kasai tried not to show the panic in his voice. "I swear I didn't do anything, I was just uploading it to the rubric when the numbers starting plummeting."
Zamasu snatched the tablet and began running his own diagnostics. "Probably a glitch," though he didn't believe it. Divine technology such as theirs did not fail. The chaos in the cosmos would be unimaginable if even 0.01% of their tech was unreliable; however, the alternative was equally disturbing in this case. "Hmm. Skip over it for now, finish the other planets and leave it with me." The numbers already appeared to have stabilized since his first glance, it was probably nothing. He handed it back to Kasai who looked like he was going to be sick.
"Yes Zamasu." Kasai prayed it didn't happen again and bring any more unwanted attention to himself from the agitated Supreme Kai.
"Zamasu, would you like me to complete the North Kai's sector for you?" Aoume pushed his glasses up as he completed the South's assessment in record time. "I'm happy to take it off of your plate."
This was why Aoume stood out above the others. "Absolutely not!" Zamasu snapped, his hand extended as he made Hana's tablet vanish into thin air. "I will deal with her later. She will complete her own assessment," he declared firmly, his thoughts echoing with the threat of transferring her if necessary.
"Aaaand done." Kosu did a final tap with a flourish of his wrist. "Somebody want to wake Rumsshi up so we can wrap this up?" Kosu said irritably. He was keen to talk to his sister.
Kasai sighed audibly and began to sweat. He was no where near done.
Kusu nudged Rumsshi who promptly awoke with a snort. "They're ready your Lordship!"
Rumsshi looked around disorientated for a moment. "Let's see how much work you're putting me to do this time." Rumsshi grumbled as he opened his screen and saw all the planets that scored below the cut score scroll down….and down…and down even further…. "This is a joke isn't it Kai? Is this all four sectors?"
"Two, actually." Aoume gestured to Hana's empty seat and Kasai sweating buckets trying to finish his sector up.
"Oh so you scared the little fire-cracker off? She has a point you know. I don't know how much longer I will tolerate you Kai having a say in my job." He looked at the list again. "Preposterous. This will take me forever." He gestured to Kusu. "We're leaving."
Zamasu could say nothing. Without his destroyer's cooperation, this whole process was for nothing. "Do as you wish with that list Rumsshi- it is merely our assessment. You have the final call." He narrowed his eyes. "Remember though, you're a part of Universe 10 also, should these rankings determine more than just our personal merit as Gods. I for one feel safer near the top." He reclipped his potara that he suddenly felt loosen on his right ear. "But that's just me."
Rumsshi growled and stomped off, Kusu behind waving to everyone. "Goodbye all! It was a lovely time, I hope to see you all again soon!" She truly meant it.
………………………………
After the meeting had officially ended, and his lower Kai all departed, Zamasu spent the evening trying to forget every moment of the past few hours. He told Yuna any interruption, save a black hole swallowing Universe 10 atom by atom, would be met with such suffering it would be legendary even in Hell.
The East Kai's tablet emitted slow, rhythmic chirps and clicks as Zamasu held it in his hand, updating with mortal vitals for Sector e6.234 every few seconds. Each chirp seemed to signify a death, while each click represented a birth, creating a morbid symphony reminiscent of a radioactive counter. The numbers had stabilized after their earlier erratic episode, but they never fully recovered, leaving Zamasu increasingly skeptical that it was merely a technological error.
"E6.234, what's happening with you that we can't see? Where did 15.3 billion of your mortals disappear to?" Zamasu murmured, sinking deeper into the hot spring that bubbled up at the center of Sacred World's Temple. With the tablet held just above the steaming water, he lazily observed the planet indicators scrolling across the screen. Having just finished cross-referencing the South, West, and East sectors, he attempted to relax, but his mind remained preoccupied with the mystery of the East sector; however, what he truly craved was a good fight—a prolonged battle that would allow him to channel his nervous energy, frustration, and anger into a devastating chi blast, obliterating something, or someone, entirely. Then, he could refocus on the affairs of Universe 10.
Recalling Rumsshi's earlier challenge, Zamasu smirked at the thought of the looks on his Kai's faces as they watched their Supreme Kai engage in combat with their Destroyer. Perhaps they would think twice about speaking back to him after witnessing his prowess in battle
He let out a sigh and set the tablet aside on the rocky edge against which he was leaning. The almost boiling hot water of the spring would have to suffice in lieu of a battle. This, he admitted to himself, was the hardest part of the job—not the pace or the pressure, nor the stress of navigating the hills and valleys, but the long stretches of flat nothingness in between. He couldn't deny feeling disappointed that the East Sector glitch was seemingly much ado about nothing.
Determined to delve deeper into the matter after his soak, he resolved to visit the observatory afterwards. Perhaps it was the beginning of a cataclysmic mass extinction event, though he prided himself on typically staying ahead of such crises. Nonetheless, the timing seemed perfect, especially in case Rumsshi decided not to address any of the items on his destruction shopping list, truth be told.
Zamasu breathed in the steam and closed his eyes, finally feeling himself relax and slip into a meditative state, which was near impossible for him to do these days, when the silence was interrupted by the loud introduction of an instant transmission, made even louder, as it reverberated off of the ceramic and stone of room.
"WHAT IN THE H-" Zamasu abruptly sat up in the water, his hand instinctively reaching for the cloth he had draped over his eyes. As he pulled it away, he was met with the sight of Hana, her back turned to him as she searched the room in confusion. When she finally turned around and caught sight of her indecent Supreme Kai, her eyes widened, and her cheeks flushed dark violet. With a gasp, she slapped her hand over her eyes and swiftly spun around, unable to bear the awkwardness of the moment.
"Ooooh my Kami!" Hana shrieked in horror. "I am so sorry!" With a trembling hand, she held out a small blinking fob in her right hand. "I just came back for my tablet! I didn't want to bother you, so I used the tracker you gave us in case we lost it, hoping I could just grab it and go! I thought it was still outside or something."
Hana peeked between her fingers down at her feet, slowly sidestepping to the edge of the spring to reach out her other hand. "I'm not looking, I swear!" she yelled. With her hand extended over the water, she waved it back and forth, beckoning for her tablet as if she were a runner reaching out for a baton in a relay race.
Zamasu stared at the scene in silent horror. Please tell him his lower Kai was not- she was NOT- unannounced in his private quarters right now. This wasn't happening. He could hear Gowasu laughing at and scolding him from a billion light years away. Somehow, someway, Gowasu knew this was happening, Zamasu just knew it.
"Sorry sir, is it in here? My tablet I mean." She took a peak at the fob which was glowing a steady red, indicating it was.
Zamasu snapped out of his shock snd frantically searched around the steamy room for Hana's tablet, finding it right next to the East Kai's, to his great relief. He snatched it and waded over to where Hana's hand wagged in the air.
"Also I just wanted to say I'm sorry," Hana continued nervously and much too loudly for the generous acoustics in the room. "Please don't transfer me. I'll finish my sector tonight, I don't want to quit. I just get frustrated and think maybe sometimes we might talk about some of my ideas or something, I have some and-"
Hana felt the wet tablet slip into her hand. She grabbed it and spun around as she dried it off with the pink sash tied around her black Kai robes. "Thank you sir, again I just want-"
"Hanakotoba!"
"Yes?"
"OUT." He lifted his arm out of the water and pointed towards the exit. "NOW."
"Oh! Yes, sorry, I'm going right away." She gave a small bow and spun around again, ready to transmit out.
"-Hana."
"Yes?"
"After you get back to the North, you're suspended from instant transmission until further notice."
"Oh…ok. Yeah, that's fair I guess. I understand sir."
"Oh- Hana."
"Hmm?"
"If you ever tell Kosu, or anyone else..if you EVER mention this…"
"I would never!" Hana said hastily, though she hoped he didn't notice her struggle to stifle a laugh. "I'm very sorry again, Zamasu. Good night!" With a sly smile, she vanished in a flash of light, leaving behind an ear-piercing exit that echoed through the room.
Zamasu held his breath, allowing himself to be enveloped by the water for a moment, as if hoping to wash away the events of the day entirely. When he emerged, ready to exit the spring, he was abruptly jolted by the explosion of the East Kai's tablet. The chirping sounds became so rapid that they melded into a single, sustained note. His heart sank as he observed two new sectors, in addition to the first, displaying rapidly depleting mortal populations across several planets.
"One is a surprise, two a coincidence, three a pattern." Zamasu thought to himself as he grabbed the tablet, dressed, and headed to the observatory.