The Sun Prince

Ch26 P3 - Not Even a Cat God Will Save You

"But you're right," Yumi admitted, "the samurai will find us soon. The Shogun's plan is going ahead tonight. We need to stop it."

They didn't need to stop it. They needed to stay safe. "The Shogun's won. Your precious brother betrayed you. Let it go."

"I can't," she said. "Right now, the Shogun is marching every human in the riverbank settlement, every criminal charged, to that fortress. To feed them to the—to the demons—" She broke off, her shoulders shaking in fury and grief.

"Then you'll have to learn to live with it." Kuro couldn't sacrifice Ren's safety for a bunch of humans.

"I refuse," she said. "And I can't believe you don't care either. At the very least, if we let the Shogun have this victory, then instead of concentrating his forces on keeping the Night Parade at bay, he'll throw them all at finding us."

And by 'us', she meant 'you.' Kuro closed his eyes. He'd have to do something then. He didn't want to think about it. He didn't want to think about how the only option he'd have was to attract attention away from Ren, to put himself in danger and probably get killed. If he thought about it too much, he'd probably refuse. "It's a stupid plan."

"It's not even a plan yet," she said. "You're the one who's stupid."

His lip pulled away from his teeth. "Fine. Go kill yourself. But leave me out of it."

"But you have to help."

"I don't have to do anything."

"But the Shogun is going to let all those people get slaughtered—"

"You say that as if you haven't already told me that a thousand times. I know. My answer's still the same. I don't give a flip about saving humans. Why should I care about them?"

He inhaled Ren's scent. He already cared too much about one human. He didn't need the fate of random strangers also dangling above him.

"Even if I do help you, it's still a stupid plan," he told her. "Or idea, if you're being insistent. If the Night Parade, more than one hundred demons strong, can't defeat the Shogun — if more than a hundred demons are too weak, then what are the two of us going to do?"

Yumi had no reply. She crossed her arms and pressed her lips together, as if she had to repress a tumult of abuse because no matter how many insults she slung, Kuro was still right.

So she finally understood. Kuro rested his muzzle on his paws, staring up at Ren's blank face. A darkness roosted in his eyes, darkening his liquid brown to an impenetrable black. Just like Kuro's fur. Only the dimness of the storehouse, he told himself.

He wanted to tell Ren so many things, but Ren couldn't hear him in this form. Even if Ren cared to listen.

But Yumi wasn't dumbfounded. She peered at the spirits gathered in the storehouse. "But if everyone here helps..."

Kuro snorted. "You'd accept help from demons?"

"They're not demons," she said. "Or so you keep telling me." She addressed the spirits, "If you all help me—"

He stopped her with a bark. "They don't want to help."

"Then they can tell me themselves."

"Why should I let you harass them?" he asked. "What gives you the right? Because you're a human?"

"I'm not harassing them. I'm asking them nicely."

"You're asking them to get killed to save a bunch of fleabag humans, who were happy enough yesterday to cheer on the samurai as they rounded up and slaughtered their friends and family. Now remind me, were you just happy or were you downright giddy about the hunt?"