Uchiha Retsu had originally thought that after Kanna and Kagura left, it would be quite some time before they returned again.
But to his surprise, only three days later, with a faint breeze quietly dispersing in the air, Kagura appeared abruptly in the shrine courtyard, dressed in her magnificent pink-purple kimono.
It was the night of the new moon.
The shrine was wrapped in darkness and silence. Only a faint glow from the main hall's window spilled into the courtyard, illuminated by the flickering light of candles inside.
Inside the hall, Retsu and Kikyo were sitting on the tatami floor playing a game of cards.
Retsu had gotten the deck from Kagome out of boredom.
Sensing Kagura's presence, he raised an eyebrow slightly, surprised at her sudden arrival.
"The incarnation of Naraku named Kagura has entered the barrier," Kikyo said thoughtfully, having sensed her as well.
"It's so late—what could she want?"
As she spoke, she quietly slipped the cards in her hand back onto the table, casually stirring the deck with her fingers and letting out a silent sigh of relief.
"Kikyo, you're cheating! You were clearly about to lose!"
Retsu immediately saw through her little trick and protested irritably.
"I did not!" Kikyo retorted, her cheeks slightly flushed with embarrassment.
She quickly turned to the large black bear sitting beside them.
"Blackmaru, hurry and put the cards away. We have a guest."
Blackmaru lifted its large bear head and gave its master a helpless look before extending its thick paws and skillfully gathering the cards on the table.
If it could talk, it would surely complain.
Being dragged into card games whenever they couldn't find a third player was one thing—but having to shuffle and organize the cards after every round had trained its bear paws to become more dexterous than human fingers.
Seeing Kikyo shamelessly cheat, Retsu could only sigh and toss his cards onto the table.
The deck had been hard enough to get from Kagome—losing it would mean no more card games.
"Come in. The door isn't locked."
Sensing Kagura lingering outside the door, hesitating about whether to knock, Retsu called out directly.
Outside, Kagura stood in front of the softly lit doorway, inwardly struggling with her thoughts.
When she heard Retsu's voice from inside, she felt a small sense of relief.
At least he was here—meaning half the purpose of her visit had already been accomplished.
Taking a deep breath, she pushed open the sliding door.
Inside, the room was lit by several candles.
Unlike what she imagined a shrine to look like, there was no grand altar or sacred stone. Only a shrine deep within the room, encircled by a sacred rope, sat quietly in the background.
In the center of the tatami floor stood a small table where Retsu and Kikyo were seated, both looking directly at her.
Beside them sat a black bear demon, busy organizing a stack of strange paper cards.
Along the left wall stood tall medicine cabinets filled with drawers labeled with the names of herbs. On the right side was a simple table and chairs, giving the room an unexpectedly domestic feeling.
While Kagura was still observing the room, Retsu spoke first.
"Kagura, what brings you here so late?"
"I want to make a deal with you."
Kagura stepped forward and sat down on the tatami beside them.
She opened her right hand.
Two fragments of the Shikon Jewel lay quietly in her palm, glowing faintly in the candlelight.
"I can give these fragments to you," she said quickly, noticing the surprise in their eyes.
"But in exchange—Uchiha Retsu, you must help me kill Naraku!"
Retsu blinked in surprise.
Seeing the familiar situation, he suddenly remembered—today was the night of the new moon.
In the original story, Kagura had gone to Sesshomaru to make the same request, only to be rejected.
He hadn't expected that she would come to him instead.
Whether Sesshomaru had already refused her or she had come directly to him, he couldn't tell.
"You want to betray Naraku?" Kikyo asked curiously, glancing between the jewel fragments in Kagura's hand and her determined face.
"I want freedom!" Kagura declared, gripping her fan so tightly that her knuckles turned pale.
"I want to escape Naraku's control!"
She lifted her head, her pink eyes shining with hope as she looked at Retsu.
"I know Kikyo is collecting the Shikon Jewel fragments. If you kill Naraku, the fragments he has will all be yours as well! With your strength, you can definitely kill him!"
Retsu remained silent, simply watching her.
Seeing this, Kagura clenched her teeth.
Suddenly she bowed deeply, pressing her forehead against her hands in a formal prostration on the tatami.
Her voice trembled slightly.
"Please! I can't escape Naraku's control on my own. Tonight his power suddenly weakened for some reason, and I seized the chance to slip away and come here to ask for your help!"
Retsu glanced at Kikyo.
Their eyes met, and Kikyo gave a faint nod.
Clearly, Kagura's plea had moved her.
Since they had already helped Kanna once, helping Kagura too wasn't much trouble.
Besides, he was curious what expression Naraku would make when he discovered his own incarnations betraying him one after another.
Turning back to Kagura, Retsu spoke calmly.
"Although killing Naraku wouldn't be difficult for me, I won't do it."
Kagura's head snapped up.
"Why?!" she demanded, eyes wide with disbelief.
"Are you afraid of Naraku?"
"No."
Retsu shook his head firmly.
"Naraku's existence is tied to too many causes and consequences. He must die at the hands of certain people—only then can everything truly end."
"At the hands of certain people? Who?" Kagura asked urgently, confused.
"I can't tell you," Retsu replied.
"If Naraku finds out, it could ruin everything."
"Hmph!"
Kagura's hope collapsed instantly.
She stood up abruptly, ready to leave.
"Wait."
Retsu suddenly spoke again.
"I may not kill him for you—but that doesn't mean I won't help you."
Kagura froze.
Hope flickered back into her eyes.
She turned around quickly.
"How?" she asked. "What kind of deal?"
"I want you to provide us with information while you're by Naraku's side," Retsu said slowly.
"His plans, his hiding places, the movements around him—anything useful you can tell us."
He paused.
"That shouldn't be too difficult for you."
Then he continued.
"In return, I'll place a technique on you.
"When you finally retrieve your heart from Naraku, the technique will activate instantly and teleport you away.
"It will help you escape Naraku's pursuit."
"What you need to do is simple—find a way to take your heart back from him."
Retsu fixed his gaze on Kagura's eyes.
"Well?
Do we have a deal?"
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