"That's right!"
Kansuke paid no mind to Kikyo's look of surprise and went on, "I remember it clearly,he had a spider-shaped burn scar on his back. That man was a scoundrel a hundred times worse than I ever was!"
A flicker of memory stirred in his clouded eyes. "He was the one who came to me. Said the Shikon Jewel could grant any wish… and that it was in the hands of a priestess named Kikyo."
"Onigumo urged me to kill Kikyo and take the jewel. In the end, I was the fool,he tricked me. His real aim was to lure all my men away!"
Kansuke lifted a hand and touched his blind right eye. "I lost this eye when I attacked her… struck down by the demon at her side."
"After I failed to seize the jewel, I searched everywhere for Onigumo. I swore I'd settle that score."
He suddenly chuckled. For a moment, the frail old man vanished, replaced by the ruthless bandit leader he once was. His breathing grew heavy.
"I found him in a pleasure district. To repay him for scheming against me, I locked him in a room… and burned the entire place to the ground with gunpowder!"
A harsh laugh escaped him.
"But that bastard didn't die so easily!"
His wrinkled face twisted with grim satisfaction. "I threw his charred body off the same cliff where I first met Kikyo,cast him straight into hell!"
"…Is that so?"
Kikyo listened quietly, a complicated emotion flickering across her eyes. After a pause, she asked, "And after that?"
"That was the end of it." Kansuke shook his head and pulled out the Shikon Jewel fragment again. "I never saw Onigumo again. Later, I heard the priestess Kikyo had died… and the jewel was buried with her."
He gave the shard a faint shake, his voice thick with self-mockery. "I only got this fragment recently,from a dying demon. But it can't grant my wish. It's just kept this old body of mine alive… long enough to be hunted like a dog."
"Heh… even in death, that Onigumo's still playing me for a fool."
His bitter smile lingered as he added, "Though I'll admit… it's been useful for dealing with demons."
"I see…"
A faint, complicated smile touched Kikyo's lips. She said nothing more. Rising to her feet, she brushed past Kansuke and walked forward in silence.
Kagetsu watched her retreating figure. He understood,this encounter, steeped in the past like a twisted cycle of karma, had shaken her deeply.
He glanced once at Kansuke, slumped against the tree, then turned and quickly caught up to Kikyo, leaving the old bandit behind to await his end.
"Wait…!"
A weak voice called out from behind them.
Kikyo stopped.
Kagetsu looked at her, then reached out, taking her hand. His fingers slipped between hers, gripping tightly in silent encouragement.
Meeting his gaze, Kikyo took a slow breath, steadying herself. She squeezed his hand in return, then turned back.
"Is there something else?" she asked softly.
"I have one last request… Miss Priestess."
Kansuke looked at her face. For reasons he couldn't explain, that resemblance to the Kikyo of his memories stirred something in him,a desire to entrust her with his final wish.
"As I said… I've been searching for a place to die."
His throat worked, and a flicker of fear crossed his eyes.
"I've lived as I pleased. Murder, arson… every sin you can name. But now, at the end… I find myself afraid of hell. So…"
"You want salvation?" Kikyo finished gently, her gaze calm.
"…Yes."
With effort, Kansuke extended the Shikon fragment toward her. "Take this. In exchange… grant me one request."
Kikyo glanced at the shard but made no move to accept it. "What request?"
Kansuke gave a hoarse, self-deprecating laugh. "Pathetic, isn't it? Rakushaki Kansuke… begging a woman for help at the end of his life."
He lowered the shard, placing it carefully on the ground.
Then, bending slowly, he picked up the short blade beside him. With trembling hands, he raised it behind his head and cut off a lock of his graying hair. He placed it beside the fragment with deliberate care.
By the time he finished, it seemed as though his last strength had been spent. With the fragment no longer sustaining him, the color drained rapidly from his face.
And yet,
His eyes suddenly flared with life once more.
"I've heard… of a place," he said quickly, his voice gaining urgency. "A place where even someone like me can find redemption. I searched for it… wanted to die there… but it seems I won't make it…"
His gaze dropped to the lock of white hair before lifting again, filled with desperate pleading.
"At least… take this there. Please."
Kikyo remained silent for a few seconds.
Under his imploring gaze, she finally nodded.
"I promise."
"…Good…"
Relief softened Kansuke's features. His breath grew faint.
"That place… Mount Hakurei. A sacred land where even sinners can atone… Head north from here… you'll find it…"
His voice trailed off.
His breathing quickened briefly,then slowed… and weakened.
Kagetsu watched his unfocused eyes and knew the end had come.
"…What is your name?" Kansuke asked weakly, using the last of his strength. "Your real name…"
Kikyo hesitated.
"…Kikyo."
Kansuke froze.
For a fleeting moment, clarity returned to his clouded gaze,as though he truly saw the priestess from fifty years ago standing before him.
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"…That's… not funny…"
His head tilted gently to the side.
And just like that,his breath was gone.
"He's dead."
Kagetsu spoke softly, noticing Kikyo still staring at the body.
Kikyo turned, her expression conflicted, a trace of confusion in her voice.
"Kagetsu … is this what they call karma?"
"…Perhaps."
He pulled her into his arms, gently patting her back.
"But to me… this feels less like karma,and more like someone guiding you to Mount Hakurei."
"…You mean Naraku?"
Kikyo looked up sharply, realization dawning.
In Kansuke's story, besides the two of them, there had been one other figure,
Onigumo.
Now known as Naraku.
"Exactly." Kagetsu nodded faintly. "A dying man couldn't have carried a Shikon fragment this far and just happened to cross paths with us."
As he spoke, his hand moved swiftly through a series of seals. He drew in a breath,
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive fireball burst forth, roaring through the air. It illuminated the dim sky as it slammed into the distant cliff,
BOOM!
Flames erupted outward in a violent explosion.
From the shattered rock, a grotesque figure emerged,its body stitched together from multiple demons, writhing as it clawed its way free. Thick, suffocating miasma poured from it.
"This presence… Naraku's miasma!"
Kikyo's expression changed as she watched the creature struggle within the flames, its life rapidly burning away.
Her attention had been completely drawn into Kansuke's story,
And she had failed to notice the demon lurking nearby.