"Trapping everyone in a genjutsu? Why would anyone do something like that?"
Kikyo's eyes widened in shock as she listened to Kagetsu describe the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Her voice carried pure disbelief.
"War and hatred can drive people mad," Kagetsu replied calmly, his tone almost emotionless. "In short, the ninja world I came from was built on bloodshed and conflict. When a world runs on that much suffering… it's not strange for lunatics like that to appear."
Kikyo sensed that he had no desire to dwell on the subject, so she quietly let it drop.
The two of them remained wrapped in each other's arms as Kuro-Maru raced through the dense forest. The only sounds were the wind rustling through the leaves and the quiet rhythm of their breathing.
After a long silence, Kikyo spoke again.
"Kagetsu… do you really want to be with me?"
Her voice was soft, hesitant.
"A woman like me… is rather strange, isn't she?"
"Of course I do." Kagetsu answered without hesitation, a grin appearing on his face.
"In fact, I want you to give me lots of children so we can rebuild the Uchiha clan! Don't you like children? With our abilities, raising a few won't be difficult at all!"
"W-What are you saying?!"
Kikyo's cheeks instantly flushed scarlet. Embarrassed and indignant, she jabbed him with her elbow and tried to escape his embrace.
But Kagetsu only tightened his hold.
After struggling a few times to no avail, she finally stopped resisting. The tips of her ears had already turned a deep red.
After a while, she spoke again in a much quieter voice.
"Do you really mean that?"
A trace of sorrow lingered in her tone.
"My hands are stained with the blood of countless yōkai… and misfortune follows anyone who stays close to me."
"I'm not gentle like ordinary women. I don't dress in fine clothes either…"
She lowered her gaze slightly.
"Do you really like someone as out of place as me?"
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
Kagetsu clasped her hands firmly, his expression turning serious.
"You're beautiful. Why wouldn't I like you?"
"As for being an 'outcast'…" he continued with a faint smile. "There's far more blood on my hands than on yours. By your logic, that would make me the real outcast."
"Two outcasts together sounds like a perfect match to me."
He gently stroked the back of her hand, his voice softening.
"You're a shrine maiden who protects people by purifying yōkai. The fact that you've slain many only proves how strong and righteous you are. That doesn't make you an outcast."
"And if someone like you counts as an outcast," he added with a playful snort, "then a ninja like me,whose hands are truly soaked in blood,should probably just stand still and let you purify me."
Seeing the lingering doubt in Kikyo's eyes, Kagetsu understood.
For a long time, Kikyo had believed herself to be separate from ordinary people,someone who existed only to guard the Shikon Jewel, a priestess who had no right to personal happiness.
He gently rested his chin against her hair.
"Kikyo," he asked quietly, "do you know how old ninja are when we first kill someone?"
Kikyo looked up at him, startled.
Though he hadn't given the answer yet, she already sensed it wouldn't be pleasant. A trace of pity flickered in her eyes.
Kagetsu met her gaze calmly.
"Most ninja graduate from the academy at twelve and become full-fledged shinobi."
"Not long after that, we're sent on real missions,bandit exterminations, assassinations, things like that."
"I was actually lucky. I graduated during a relatively peaceful time, so my first killing mission happened when I was twelve."
He paused briefly.
"I still remember it clearly."
Looking at her steadily, he continued,
"So don't let your identity chain you down. Don't think of yourself as some kind of outcast."
"These things are simply part of life."
"The classmates who graduated with me all had blood on their hands too. But outside of being shinobi, they were ordinary people."
"They liked things, hated things, laughed, cried…"
"And when they fell in love, they weren't afraid to say it."
A nostalgic smile flickered in his eyes.
"I remember plenty of girls in my class confessing to me back then."
As Kikyo listened to him, warmth slowly filled her heart. The invisible shackles she had carried for so long began to loosen.
But the moment she heard that last sentence,
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
A gentle smile curved across her lips, yet her gaze held unmistakable scrutiny.
"So you were quite popular back then… girls even confessed to you?"
Kagetsu immediately sensed danger.
Realizing he had spoken far too freely, he waved his hands frantically.
"Don't misunderstand! Back then I only cared about getting stronger. I never paid attention to those girls! Before I met you, I hadn't even held a girl's hand!"
Kikyo stared at him silently for several seconds.
Then a faint smile appeared in her eyes.
"There's no need to explain," she said gently. "I believe you."
With that, she gestured for him to release her.
Kagetsu reluctantly loosened his arms, feeling an unexpected sense of loss as her soft body left his embrace.
Kikyo straightened and turned to look at the disappointment on his face.
Her smile deepened.
Suddenly, she leaned forward.
Her soft lips brushed lightly against his.
The kiss was brief,so fleeting it was almost unreal.
Yet it instantly left Kagetsu completely stunned.
A moment later, Kikyo pulled back and sat upright again, her cheeks flushed crimson.
"Thank you… for comforting me," she said softly.
After speaking, she gently patted Kuro-Maru's neck.
"Kuro-Maru, let's go faster."
Kagetsu slowly raised a hand to his lips. The warmth of that fleeting kiss seemed to linger there.
Looking at the faint redness spreading along the tips of Kikyo's ears, a wide grin spread across his face.
"I absolutely love this kind of thank-you gift!"
Kikyo didn't turn around.
But her ears had turned so red they looked ready to bleed.
"Welcome back."
In the courtyard of the shrine, Kikyo was sorting medicinal herbs when Kagetsu returned.
She immediately set her work aside and greeted him with a gentle smile.
"Was the exorcism successful?"
"It was just some weak yōkai," Kagetsu replied casually as he walked over. "Nothing worth mentioning."
"That's good."
Kikyo stepped forward and gave him a light hug.
"This is my thank-you for helping."
Kagetsu wrapped his arms around her, lowering his head to kiss her forehead.
"Thank you accepted," he said with a smile.
"Oh, right." He pulled a heavy pouch from his robe and handed it over. "This is the payment from the client."
"So much?"
Kikyo opened the pouch and glanced inside, surprise flickering across her face.
"It seems this lord was quite wealthy."
"I'll go store it away."
She walked toward the shrine's main hall.
Listening to the soft sound of her footsteps disappearing into the room, Kagetsu couldn't help smiling.
Ever since their conversation in the forest,that moment that had felt almost like a confession,their relationship had grown noticeably closer.
Hugging, kissing, small gestures of affection… these things had gradually become natural between them.
What amused him most was something else.
Perhaps because she had taken his joke about "expanding the Uchiha clan" seriously, Kikyo,who once cared little for money,had begun doing something unexpected.
Whenever wealthy clients came requesting exorcisms, she would now calmly insist on proper payment.
Then, upon returning home, she would carefully place the money into a small box in her room.
Saving it.
Watching her quietly prepare like that filled Kagetsu with warmth.
It was clear that Kikyo had already begun planning for their future together.
After sending Tsubaki away, their days returned to a peaceful rhythm.
They trained, accepted exorcism requests brought to the shrine, and treated villagers who came seeking medicine.
As Kikyo's reputation grew, more and more people came asking for help.
For distant commissions,or when Kikyo was too busy,Kagetsu would handle them himself.
This latest job had taken him far away. The yōkai had been weak; only the long journey had taken time.
But he didn't mind.
In some ways, this life,accepting missions and completing them,reminded him faintly of his days as a shinobi in Konoha.
Yet unlike those days…
This life carried a warmth that the ninja world had never known.