Tsuki ✔️COMPLETE

Chapter 22: Mansunsing

Take'Ichi woke up covered in spores and back in his original body around sunrise. Kagemaru and Hiiro coughed and spluttered, brushing the dust out of their hair and shaking it from their clothes. The sprite repeatedly tried to apologise, but the other two could barely respond through their sneezing and hacking.

Rubi had not seen Kagemaru's wings for a while, but up here in the privacy of the great outdoors he finally took off his shirt to rid it of pollen. The skin where the bones were separating into two was reddened and itchy looking. Tiny downy feathers had started to grow in the new space between, giving the area the look of a baby goose or swan.

"How are those wings feeling?" she asked.

He replied with an unpleasant sniffle, like someone suffering from hayfever, and rubbed his eyes.

"A bit sore." he replied. "Not too bad though. Can't sleep so well, since I roll over a lot."

"They do look a bit irritated. Maybe they're nearly done splitting and it's almost over."

"Let's hope so. Maybe after they're done I'll be able to fly too."

Rubi grinned at him.

"That would be awesome."

Hiiro shook out his own shirt a few paces away. Only now did Rubi notice a long, thin scar running down the back of his ribs like a length of red twine. It was unmistakably from a blade.

"Where'd that come from?" she said, gesturing to her own back.

"Oh," he said, craning his neck as if to check it was still there. "A year or so ago I was being chased out of a private party I wasn't invited to. Lifted some trinkets to sell later, got busted. I escaped though, the guard mostly got my jacket with his sword. Merely skimmed me."

"Why would you steal from a place that was guarded?"

"I didn't plan to initially. I got snubbed by the girl I was into, who was attending. Stealing something just made me feel better after seeing her with someone else."

Rubi shook her head.

"I'm sorry, but I will never understand the lengths guys go to when there's a girl involved."

Hiiro shrugged back at her.

"Come on, you'd do something stupid for one of waitresses at Chandra's if it got her attention."

"Hey, you don't know that!"

"We're full siblings. You have inherited the same gift for stupidity as me. Ubaba started a war when he couldn't be with umama, didn't he? It's in our blood to risk life and limb for love."

"And to end slavery, overthrow a tyrannical ruler, and close the wealth inequality gap."

"Also important, but for the point I'm making, this is the most important one."

Hiiro smiled, glancing over his shoulder to see Kagemaru walking back to the tents.

"What about Gaku, though? You're pretty fond of him, aren't you?"

Rubi felt her stomach do a somersault.

"I like him a lot. But I don't see myself getting into a relationship with anyone. I'd rather not be nailed down."

"A relationship can be anything you need it to be. Gaku would understand your need for adventure, it's the same thing he lives for. You two looked at each other differently by the time we all went our separate ways."

"Don't be silly," Rubi replied, waving him off. She hoped she was able to hide the lie from her face. "Even if we would make a good couple, it's not what I want right now. I've got too much to do at this point in my life."