Chapter 87: Kikyo Wants to Confess? I Won't Allow It!
He didn't know how much time had passed before Hikaru finally drifted back to consciousness.
What met his eyes was a hazy play of light and shadow.
Moonlight spilled through the shrine's window, casting mottled silver patterns across the tatami mats. The air was permeated with the scent of incense, a sacred fragrance mingling with something softer, more comforting. It was a scent that reminded him of wildflowers in the mountains and the clean touch of morning dew. It wasn't strong or vibrant, nothing that would stun the senses, but it was deeply, immaculately clean.
Hikaru knew this scent. It was Kikyo's.
"You're awake."
A cool, clear voice drifted down from above.
Hikaru blinked, his vision slowly sharpening until the image before him resolved into focus. He saw Kikyo's face, framed directly above him. Her hair, a waterfall of black silk, cascaded down, obscuring part of the moonlight. Her pitch-black eyes were looking down at him, her expression calm, yet carrying an indescribable tranquility and gentleness.
His body went rigid.
Only then did he register his current position. This posture, this angle… his head was, without a doubt, resting on Kikyo's lap. Her legs, wrapped in the soft fabric of her red hakama, were warm and yielded slightly under his weight. Even through the cloth, he could feel a softness that sent an unexpected jolt through him.
But Hikaru didn't get up immediately. He simply lay there, quietly looking up at the serene face above him.
"How long was I out?"
As a demonic creature, he didn't require sleep. But he was, in essence, a spirit. Once his Yao Qi was completely exhausted, he would fall into a state of temporary immobility, unable to even maintain consciousness—a functional coma. After all, his physical body and even his thoughts now relied on Yao Qi to function.
Fortunately, his Blood Transformation was complete and his very bones had been reforged. They could now passively circulate and recover energy on their own, even without a conscious flow of Yao Qi. Had he been a regular Oni Samurai, it was hard to say if he would have ever woken up from such a depletion. Then again, if he hadn't possessed these two transformations, he never would have dared to gamble his 'life' in the first place.
"Two hours," Kikyo's voice remained calm. "Your injuries haven't fully recovered. Don't move around."
Hikaru glanced down at his chest. It had been skillfully wrapped with strips of white cloth. He wanted to point out the futility of it—what was the use of bandaging a ghost? He wasn't human. But he was emotionally intelligent enough to keep the thought to himself. He still had a brain, after all.
Instead, he just asked, "Did you do this?"
A moment of silence passed.
"...Thank you."
"You're welcome."
The conversation was brief, yet the atmosphere between them held no awkwardness.
Hikaru tilted his head back, his gaze returning to Kikyo. Under the moonlight, her normally cool features appeared exceptionally gentle. Her eyelashes were long, casting faint, delicate shadows beneath her eyes. Her lips were slightly pursed, a touch of cherry red that seemed particularly moving under the silver glow. The white top of her shrine maiden attire was dyed a faint silver by the moonlight, its collar slightly open, revealing a slender collarbone and the soft, vague curves beneath.
His gaze drifted downward.
Kikyo's waist was remarkably slender, cinched by the red hakama and outlining a smooth, graceful line. His head was resting on her lap, on those long, shapely legs. Even through the fabric, he could feel their warmth and supple strength.
"Have you seen enough?" Kikyo's voice floated down from above, tinged with something unreadable.
Hikaru withdrew his gaze and met her eyes directly.
"No," he said, with utter frankness.
Kikyo's expression stiffened for a fraction of a second. A flicker of something disturbed the calm surface of her pitch-black eyes, like a stone tossed into a placid sea, sending out layers of imperceptible ripples.
"You..." Her voice was laced with a hint of helplessness, but the corners of her mouth lifted into a faint, reluctant smile.
Silence spread between them once more, but it was a comfortable, tranquil silence.
In that moment, Hikaru's thoughts drifted. He thought of all the battles since he'd arrived in this world, the countless times he had narrowly escaped death. Though he was already dead, in a way, he was paradoxically recovering his 'vitality' step by step. With the Blood Transformation complete and a new soul born from his very bones, he was becoming more alive than ever.
After enduring so much hardship, exchanging it for this single moment of peace and softness… it didn't feel like a loss at all. The power he chased, after all, was always meant to be a tool for obtaining the things he truly wanted.
As he mused, Kikyo looked down at his pale face. She found that under the moonlight, Hikaru's crimson eyes seemed exceptionally deep. They were clearly an inhuman color, yet they inexplicably made her feel… that they were beautiful.
Her own thoughts began to drift.
She remembered the first time she saw him again after so long. She recalled her initial vigilance and hesitation, which slowly gave way to acceptance, and then to trust. It had all felt so natural, a matter of course. She couldn't deny it, nor did she want to.
She had long since grown accustomed to his existence. As long as he was by her side, she felt an inexplicable sense of ease. During the time he was away, she found herself looking forward to his return more than she cared to admit.
Kikyo closed her eyes.
As a shrine maiden, she had been taught from childhood to keep her heart as still as water. She had turned herself into an isolated island, needing no one to approach.
But this monster—this Oni Samurai named Hikaru—he hadn't stormed her island. Instead, he had been inching closer, bit by bit, with his sincerity, his reliability, and every single promise he kept.
By the time she realized it, he was already there.
In her heart.
He had landed on her island and taken root.
"Kikyo."
Hikaru's voice interrupted her reverie. "What are you thinking about?"
Kikyo opened her eyes and looked down at him. In the moonlight, those crimson eyes were staring straight at her. There was no evasion, no probing—he was simply looking at her.
"I was thinking…" Kikyo's voice trailed off as she took a deep, steadying breath.
In that instant, she made a decision. She, Kikyo, had never been one to back down.
"Hikaru," she began, her voice firm.
"Wait," Hikaru suddenly interrupted her.
Kikyo froze.
He sat up, moving off her lap to turn and face her. In the moonlight, his pale face wore an uncharacteristically serious expression.
"Let me speak first," he said.
Kikyo's brows furrowed slightly, a silent question in her eyes.
"Kikyo," Hikaru said again, his voice calm yet firm, cutting her off before she could speak. It was as if he could see right through to the thoughts in the miko's heart.
Then, he said the words.
"Let's be together."
Kikyo's body went completely still. The young shrine maiden stared at him, her dark eyes wide with shock.
And beneath the shock, a dawning, unmistakable joy.
A smile touched Hikaru's lips, looking both happy and as if this was the most natural conclusion in the world. For someone he had admired from his past life all the way into this one, his response was only logical.
"I know I'm a demon," he said, his voice steady. "I know there are too many barriers between humans and demons."
"But none of that matters."
"What matters is—"
He reached out and gently took her hand. Her skin was a little cold, but the simple touch sent a jolt through Kikyo's heart.
"At this very moment, I want to be with you."
"Kikyo."
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