On the shrine porch, the afternoon sun shone in at an angle.
Kikyo sat there quietly.
Her white top was simple and form-fitting, the collar slightly open to reveal a section of her slender collarbone and the curve of her neck. The red hakama wrapped around her long legs, the fabric clinging to her as she sat cross-legged, tracing the contours of her knees and calves, with the curve of her hips full and the shadows deep.
Her jet-black hair was tied behind her head with a white ribbon, the ends scattered over her shoulders, with a few stray strands by her ears framing that delicate and elegant face.
She didn't speak.
Kanbe Hikaru didn't rush her either.
He had just recounted everything that had happened over the past few days from beginning to end.
The Echigo Army had marched south, flying the 'Bi' banner, sweeping through everything in the name of demon extermination.
He had moved to intercept them and killed their general, Kakizaki Kageie.
The remaining army of a thousand had retreated.
There was also a deceased Hojo Clan Ashigaru who had reached the village entrance through sheer obsession to deliver a message.
Over twenty small demons whose homes had been destroyed by the Echigo Army knelt before him, begging for shelter.
And—
The power contained within that general, suspected to be related to a deity.
"..."
Kikyo's gaze fell on a corner of the courtyard.
A group of oddly-shaped existences were huddled there.
There was a Hitotsume-kozo with a tattered umbrella, a little girl with fox ears, a giant rat with a broken leg, and a Kappa that looked like a pile of mud.
They crowded together, shrinking into the furthest corner inside the Barrier, not even daring to move.
Seeing Kikyo's gaze sweep over, the bravest Tanuki Spirit immediately pulled its head back behind the Hitotsume-kozo's umbrella.
The eye painted on the umbrella also quickly squeezed shut.
Kikyo withdrew her gaze.
In those pitch-black eyes, there was no disgust or killing intent, only contemplation.
She saw the weakness of these small demons and could feel that they bore no resentment from indiscriminate killing.
"You want to take them in."
She spoke.
Kanbe Hikaru nodded.
He said very directly: "I need to establish my own faction."
Kikyo's eyelashes fluttered slightly.
"Kikyo, you should remember I told you before that we are now being watched by the Hundred Demon forces in Kyoto."
Kanbe Hikaru's voice was flat, but he was actually quite certain: "With just the two of us, we can stop a Kidomaru, but we can't stop all of Kyoto."
"That Great Yokai, the existence known as Hagoromo Gitsune, has more than just him as a subordinate."
"Furthermore, things aren't quiet on the human side either. The Imagawa Clan, Hojo Clan, and Echigo are all circling Musashi Province. One day a troop of soldiers comes, the next day some subordinate of Bishamonten shows up."
"I can't stay in the village forever, and neither can you."
"But we can't let what happened to those slaughtered villages out there happen to Kaede Village—"
Kikyo looked at him.
She naturally understood Kanbe Hikaru's thoughts and intentions; he was always preparing for danger in times of peace.
"So you plan to use these small demons?"
There was no mockery in Kikyo's tone.
She just glanced at the shivering existences in the corner of the courtyard.
"They are very weak."
"I know."
"So weak they couldn't even defeat an ordinary samurai."
"I know that too."
Kikyo frowned slightly.
"Then you—"
"The weak will become strong."
Kanbe Hikaru interrupted her: "Just like me."
"When I crawled out of the pile of corpses on the battlefield three months ago, I wasn't much stronger than that broken-legged rat."
Kikyo fell silent for a moment.
She couldn't refute those words.
And so, here.
Kikyo stood up, walked to the edge of the porch, leaned against a wooden pillar, and looked at the group of small demons in the courtyard.
The afternoon sun fell on her, tinting her white top with a faint, warm color.
The wind blew, and her jet-black hair fluttered by her neck, revealing a section of her fair nape.
The line of her collarbone was faintly visible in the shadow of her collar.
Kanbe Hikaru's gaze lingered on her for two seconds.
Then he looked away.
It wasn't that he didn't want to look.
It was that continuing to look would be impolite—though they were already lovers, he didn't want to disturb Kikyo while she was thinking seriously.
"I am a priestess."
Kikyo spoke.
Her voice was calm, yet carried a certain solemnity.
"From childhood, everything I was taught was about exorcising evil and protecting the human world."
"Demons are the enemy. This is common sense."
Kanbe Hikaru didn't say anything.
He waited for her to continue.
Kikyo turned around and looked at him.
Her pitch-black eyes were clear as day in the sunlight.
"But in truth, I know very well that common sense is sometimes wrong."
She said: "The line between good and evil lies not in race, but in actions."
"Those minor demons never harmed anyone, yet they are hunted simply because they are 'non-human'."
"Those armies, marching under the banner of demon-slaying, burn and pillage along the way, yet their actions are taken for granted simply because they are 'human'."
Her lips pursed slightly, that faint cherry color standing out distinctly in the light.
"If even I cannot distinguish between the two... then I am not fit to be your priestess."
This had, in fact, always been Kikyo's attitude toward demons.
For those demons who, at a glance, did not possess much resentment or commit excessive innocent slaughter, Kikyo had always merely driven them away rather than intending to directly eliminate them.
Just as she had done with Kanbe Hikaru at the beginning.
Exorcism—to heal and to repel—there was a distinction between the two.
Her words fell.
She walked over to Kanbe Hikaru and sat down opposite him.
Their knees were almost touching.
She reached out and took his hand of her own accord.
Their fingers interlaced.
Her palm was warm.
"Whatever you want to do, go do it."
Kikyo's voice was soft yet clear: "Whether it's taking them in or building a faction—"
"I support you."
Kanbe Hikaru held her hand, feeling the warmth emanating from her fingertips.
"Aren't you afraid others will say you're colluding with demons?"
"I'm already colluding."
Kikyo suddenly smiled.
Then Kanbe Hikaru smiled as well.
He pulled her hand toward him, lowered his head, and gently touched his lips to her fingertips.
Kikyo's fingers twitched slightly, but she did not pull back.
"Kikyo."
"Hmm?"
"Thank you."
"No need for thanks."
Her voice grew even softer: "I'm only doing what should be done."
Silence spread.
The afternoon sunlight slowly shifted westward, lengthening their shadows.
The group of minor demons in the corner of the yard had poked their heads out at some point, peeking over at them.
Hitotsume-kozo's single eye was wide and round.
Fox-eared Girl's ears were pricked up.
Tanuki Spirit's mouth was agape.
What were they seeing?
A terrifying Oni Samurai and a priestess so powerful they didn't even dare approach her.
Holding hands.
Looking into each other's eyes.
And then—
With a resonant hum.
Every little demon and monster was completely shut out.
Inside the shrine, Kanbe Hikaru paused.
Kikyo pursed her lips, then slightly tilted her head up and leaned forward of her own accord.
Lip met lip in a gentle press.
It was very natural.
No hesitation, no shyness.
As if they had done it many times before.
Kikyo's eyelashes lowered, masking the turbulence in her eyes. Her free hand rested on Kanbe Hikaru's shoulder, her fingers unconsciously tightening on his collar.
The wind blew, catching the ends of her loose hair and brushing them against their overlapping faces.
When they pulled apart, the tips of Kikyo's ears were flushed red.
But her expression remained calm.
Only her breathing was a bit more hurried than before.
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