Chapter 22

Tsuki was alone in her room, packing her outfits into a suitcase that Ryuki had given her as she, along with everyone else, prepped for the move to the new safe house. Normally, Tsuki was energetic and enthusiastic about even the most mundane things as she believed it made the days more fun. But today, at this moment, she had a blank expression on her face; her usually mischievous eyes were rounded and half lidded, and she bore no smile on her face. Her golden eyes, which usually shimmered, were dull and lifeless. She folded her last shirt and placed it in the suitcase before flopping onto her bed and letting out a deep sigh, her arms resting above her head. She stared at the ceiling, her focus shifting from one spec of dirt to another, and her mind drifting from one invading thought to the next. She closed her eyes and let out another deep sigh as she tried to calm herself, but her mind continued to betray her and give her the negative thoughts that soured her usually cheerful demeanor.

While she calmed herself during the meeting, she was still trying to accept the fact that she was not a regular human; she was a copy of some powerful being that the Secular had kept around for 100 generations. Tsuki saw herself as an individual, as a unique person. But what Marie and Ichiro had said couldn’t be argued against. Her love of things she has never touched, her different tastes in foods that she likes, what she dislikes, her fashion, her knowledge of magic, everything that made up her personality could not be explained without the detail of her mind not being of a single life. The worst part to her wasn’t that she wasn’t the original or that she was a copy; it was that she didn’t know if how she felt now, how she felt about everyone around her, were genuine emotions that she could call her own, or if they were lingering ones from the past. From previous versions of herself.

“Lived for eighteen years in essentially one room... yet I have all these interests.” Tsuki muttered to herself. “It makes sense. I should have known something was wrong. I’m such an idiot.” Tsuki placed an arm over her eyes as she fought back tears.

Then she heard a knock on her door. Without answering, the knob turned and it slowly opened. Tsuki said nothing and kept silent as she laid on the bed, pretending to be asleep. From the door, Marie entered holding two cups of tea. She had learned from Ryuki that Tsuki also enjoyed tea, so she made a special blend for her. Seeing how Tsuki was laying on the bed, she let out a mild sigh of disappointment and placed the cups on the table in her room. She then sat down on the bed next to her with delicate movements, afraid to wake Tsuki, despite her only pretending.

“I know you’re asleep, but I want to tell you anyway.” Marie began to talk in almost a whisper. “I haven’t been very kind to you. Rather, I’ve been nothing but rude to you. And how I brought up everything about you, that was unbecoming. I should have told you in private first.” Marie fidgeted with her hands as she spoke.

Tsuki didn’t move and kept her face hidden with her arm as she listened to Marie speak. Though Marie was still speaking in her usual monotone voice, Tsuki could hear the slight quivering in her lips as she talked to her. She found herself caught in an awkward situation; she had to either ‘wake up' and interrupt Marie or pretend to be asleep the entire time and let Marie believe she never heard it. Before she could decide, Marie continued.

“I’m not good with people. I’m surprised Ryu puts up with it and treats me as well as he does. Perhaps that’s why I...” She trailed off before clearing her throat. Tsuki stopped herself from smirking reactively. “Anyway, I want to say that despite everything, I cannot empathize the situation you are in. And being ignorant to it and only seeing you as a potential enemy has caused me to treat you with disdain. But after a short conversation with Ryu, I realized we may be more alike than I could have ever thought.”

Marie reached over and placed a gentle hand on Tsuki’s head and brushed her hair softly. Tsuki fought back her own emotions, struggling not to let out tears or a smile on her face. But eventually she relented. “So, even if you are who you are, that’s okay. You are still Tsuki to us. To me. And I hope we can be fri-” Hearing Marie say that, Tsuki swung her arm off her face and jumped up, hugging Marie.

“It’s okay Marie! I get it, I really do! It’s obvious how you feel about Ryuki and I may have gone too far in places, so I get why you hate me, and I like all the same manga you do! We bought too much in the mall and- and-” Tsuki said through sniffles and tears.

“Wha-what are you saying?! I don’t know what you mean about Ryuki! But yes, you did go too far! I mean no, I don’t, I-” Marie protested, her eyes turning to spirals. “I knew you weren’t asleep!”

“I’m sorry for trying to trick youuu!”

“N-no it’s fine! I’m trying to apologize to you!” Marie was shaking her hands in the air, not sure how to react to Tsuki’s actions and words. “I just- I don’t- I want- AH! What are you doing!?”

Tsuki tightened her hug around Marie and pressed her face into her chest to hide her tears, causing Marie to go red and her eyes completely white. “I don’t know how to deal with this. I’m so lost. I do want to be friends. I want to just be me; I don’t want to be someone from centuries ago! I'm my own person!”

“I think I can assure you that no person from generations past would act like you do!” Marie said, still unable to react or move from Tsuki’s actions.

Tsuki held her tighter and more tears rolled out of her eyes, but her face also had a smile of genuine happiness. “Thank you for saying that...”

“Well, what’s going on in here?” A voice said from the doorway.

“R-ryu, help, I don’t know what to do here...” Marie said, still holding her quivering hands in the air awkwardly.

Tsuki turned her head sideways, resting it on Marie as she looked at Ryuki. Her eyes were red, but her face was content. “Ryuki, Marie wants to be friends with me. She says no one else is like me.”

“I think anyone could tell that you’re unique.” Ryuki leaned on the door frame. “I was about to come tell you the same thing, though. Didn’t realize that Marie beat me too it.”

“She’s a good person.” Tsuki said, nuzzling herself into her like a cat.

“She definitely is.” Ryu said with a smile.

“Don’t lose her, she’s a keeper, alright? And if you don’t take your shot, I will.” Tsuki stuck her tongue out teasingly.

“... Eh?” Marie and Ryuki both squeaked out.

“You’re both hopeless.” Tsuki said finally letting go of Marie, sitting up, and wiping her eyes. “I do think I’m all good now. It’ll still take a bit to get over the fact that I’m technically like a thousand years old or whatever, but if I have you two sticking by me, I think I’ll be okay. Now, please leave. I want to get changed. Unless you want to stay and watch?” She winked at them both.

“I think we’re good. Come on, Marie.” Ryuki said, leaving the room while shaking his head.

“Y-yes, I’ll leave too.” Marie followed him, her eyes still swirling, and her face was still red. “If you need to vent anything, just let either of us know. Also this tea here is for you.”

Tsuki smiled as they left, and she flopped back down on the bed with her arms over her head. This time, instead of the gloomy and depressed expression, she had one with hope and optimism.