Tsuki ✔️COMPLETE

Chapter 10: The Man with a Hole in his Head

The demon sent Kai to their converted storage room like an angry parent would an unruly child. Kai slipped away from a dumbfounded Rubi despite her protests, asking to know more about what he had just told her.

"I'll be back, my demon needs to yell at me because I am, and I quote, disrespectful and out of line." he said, leaving her up on the deck and disappearing down the stairs.

"No, you come back here ri-" Rubi hissed but the lock on the door clicked shut. There was no lock on the inside. "Damn it."

The demon loomed inside the cabin, practically steaming. Sama sat right next to it without a flicker of fear, staring at it as fondly as she did Kai. It was her second closest friend and they enjoyed a silent relationship much of the time. It played sentinel, watching her closely.

The demon was in a sour mood, its socket-like eyes narrowed in a frown, all four arms crossed in displeasure.

You shouldn't have told her, the demon sighed to Kai. What can a human do with that knowledge? It's just a depressing memory and a liability to us.

"If Tsuki can understand, so can humans." Kai said back to him. "We're not all that different."

The demon shot him an especially annoyed look.

History would say otherwise, the demon muttered. Tsuki have served and protected this world for countless generations. They have preserved the natural order that this planet depends on throughout the ages. Humanity just wants to gouge out its heart and let it burn for a cheap payoff. They revel in compulsion and hedonism with no regard for their impact.

"This crew still treats us well, even though they know I'm not like them. These people are different."

The demon rolled its eyes.

"They're not the kind to be happily walled up in their cities and fed lies." Kai continued, ignoring it. "Rubi is the only Collector on her ship and she's organised all of them together under one flag. Collectors know what it's like to be different and persecuted. We can make allies. Allies are a good thing, you know. That's why they're called 'allies'."

That's not the point. I told your father I'd protect you from their idiocy and I've kept that promise. I will do anything I am capable of to keep that promise, as you well know. We've done just fine not telling anyone about what we're trying to do. Allies are potential traitors. Our mission is far too important to risk that.

"I'm not telling her about our mission." Kai said insistently. "But we're not going to get anywhere if we keep treating humans like they're stupid."

I watched your father die at the hands of humanity's stupidity. He thought very much the same way until mankind came crawling along to stab him in the back. Humanity never fails to come full circle. It's in their nature.

"I'm not my father." Kai said sternly. "And nothing will change if we don't try to do things differently. I like these people. Every last one of them. There's no politics to twist people's priorities or wealth to cheat for. They just want something better, like my father did."

There's something wrong with all of them, the demon grumbled. A male forest sprite? A winged boy? Whatever the other girl is? And Rubi... there's something deeply strange going on with her. There's something in her aura I've not seen before.

"What do you mean?"

A sickness. Rooted deep in her body.

"I know. She takes medications."