"...Mother… I miss you"
Kagerou lay quietly with his head resting on Ruka's lap, eyes closed tightly as golden sunlight filtered gently through the canopy above, scattering warm light across his face.
The wind moved softly through the trees.
Leaves rustled overhead.
Everything felt peaceful.
Too peaceful.
Because despite the warmth surrounding him… There was no warmth at all.
"Hm~ now what is this child saying?" Ruka asked softly, her voice carrying the same gentle affection he remembered so clearly. "I'm always here… I'll always be here"
"...I know," Kagerou answered quietly.
Ruka smiled faintly at that and continued running her fingers through his hair with slow, tender movements.
"You've been working too hard lately," she murmured. "You shouldn't push yourself so much. Sometimes… resting is important too"
"...I know"
"And do you even eat properly?"
A small pause followed.
"...I do"
"Hm~ somehow that answer doesn't sound very convincing"
A faint breath escaped Kagerou's liyou Almost a laugh.
Almost.
Then silence returned beneath the shade of the tree.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Only the soft rustling of leaves remained.
Then gradually…
The world around them began to change.
The distant laughter of Kyojuro faded.
The sound of wooden swords clashing disappeared.
Infant Senjuro, sleeping peacefully nearby, dissolved like mist beneath sunlight.
Even the warm breeze itself began to feel strangely hollow.
And before long…
Only the two of them remained beneath the tree.
Kagerou slowly opened his eyes.
No longer a child.
The reflection staring back at Ruka now was the present him.
Older.
Tired.
Wounded in ways no blade could carve.
Ruka's expression softened further.
"...You've grown into a fine man, Kage-kun"
Kagerou lowered his gaze slightly.
"...I doubt that"
"Hm?" Ruka tilted her head gently. "Why would you say that?"
A brief silence followed.
Then quietly…
"...I made a girl cry"
The words came out rougher than he intended.
Not because he was defensive.
But because admitting it aloud made the guilt feel real.
Ruka blinked once.
Then a small, amused smile touched her lips.
"Oh? You did?" she asked softly. "And why?"
"...I don't know"
That was the truth.
Or at least… part of it.
"I just… did"
Ruka watched him quietly for a moment before letting out a soft laugh beneath her breath.
"Heh~" Her fingers continued brushing gently through his hair. "...Is she someone important to you?"
Kagerou's eyes closed again.
A small pause.
Then…
"...She is"
The smile on Ruka's face deepened ever so slightly.
"I see"
Silence lingered between them once more.
Gentle.
Warm.
Dangerously warm.
"...So," Ruka continued softly, "is this love?"
Kagerou hesitated.
For the first time since arriving in this false world… uncertainty crossed his face.
"...I'm not sure"
"Hm? You're unsure of your feelings?"
"No…" he murmured quietly. "I just… don't understand them"
Ruka's gaze softened.
"Love isn't something people understand immediately," she said gently.
Her hand rested lightly against his head.
"Sometimes… you only realize how important someone is once the thought of losing them becomes unbearable"
Kagerou fell silent.
Because those words struck too deeply.
"You're like your father in that way," Ruka continued with a quiet laugh. "You carry everything alone until your heart becomes too heavy to move"
"..."
"So tell me, Kage-kun…"
Her voice grew softer.
"When you think about this girl…"
A small pause.
"Are you afraid of losing her?"
Kagerou's fingers tightened faintly against the grass beneath him.
"...Yes"
"Does the thought of her hating you hurt?"
His throat tightened.
"...It does"
"And if one day," Ruka whispered gently, "you could never see her again… would that pain stay with you?"
This time, Kagerou answered without hesitation.
"...It would"
Ruka smiled.
Tenderly.
Almost proudly.
"And that, my son…" she said softly, "is what people call love"
The words settled quietly inside him.
Not heavily.
Not painfully.
But with terrifying warmth.
"...I see"
For a long moment, Kagerou simply lay there in silence beneath her touch.
Then quietly…
"...Mother"
"Hm?"
"...I think I understand now"
Ruka smiled gently down at him.
"I'm glad"
Kagerou's eyes trembled faintly before finally closing once more.
And in a voice softer than the wind itself…
"...I love you"
For a moment, Ruka said nothing.
Her expression softened with unbearable tenderness as she leaned down slowly and pressed a gentle kiss against his forehead.
"...And you know," she whispered softly, "that I'll always love you too… right?"
The sunlight above flickered gently.
The warmth deepened.
And somewhere far away…
Beyond the dream.
Beyond the illusion.
His grip around the hilt of his blade... tightened.
For a few quiet moments, Kagerou remained there beneath the great tree, saying nothing.
Then slowly… he lifted himself from Ruka's lap.
The movement was calm.
Gentle.
As though he feared that moving too suddenly might shatter the fragile warmth surrounding them.
He stood before her silently.
Ruka looked up at him with the same soft smile she had always worn.
"Hm?" she hummed lightly, tilting her head just a little. "What is it, Kage-kun?"
Kagerou looked at her quietly.
Not at the illusion.
Not at the dream.
But at the memory of the woman he loved most.
"...One last thing, Mother"
Ruka blinked softly.
"Are you happy?"
The question seemed to catch her slightly off guard.
For the first time since the illusion began… her smile wavered.
Just a little.
Then gently, she smiled once more.
"...I'm happy," she answered softly.
A small pause followed.
Then more quietly…
"...Very happy"
Kagerou closed his eyes.
The wind brushed softly against his face.
"...I see"
For a moment, his expression softened into something unbearably tender.
Relieved.
"...I'm glad"
Silence settled between them one final time.
Then Kagerou lowered his head slightly.
"...I'm truly glad"
---
"...I'm truly glad"
Kagerou opened his eyes.
The warmth vanished instantly.
Cold air rushed against his skin.
The sunlight was gone.
The great tree was gone.
And the quiet laughter of his family had long since disappeared.
The forest returned.
Dark.
Silent.
Wrong.
Standing before him was no longer Ruka.
The thing wearing her face twitched unnaturally beneath the fractured moonlight.
Its eyes were hollow black pits devoid of white.
Its smile stretched too wide.
Its skin flickered like unstable shadows desperately trying to maintain human form.
And through its stomach... Kagerou's ninjato had already pierced cleanly through its body.
The blade extended from its back, black smoke curling around the wound instead of blood.
"...Ka... ge... kun..." The creature's voice distorted violently, barely resembling Ruka anymore. "How... how can..."
Kagerou stared at it silently.
There was no hesitation left in his eyes now.
No confusion.
No sorrow.
Only stillness.
Slowly, he stepped closer until his face was inches away from the creature wearing his mother's form.
The shadows around it trembled.
"...Thank you," Kagerou said quietly.
The creature froze.
"For showing me such a beautiful dream"
His voice remained calm.
Too calm.
And somehow… that calmness felt far more terrifying than rage.
Then his eyes sharpened.
Cold.
Lethal.
"...But you made one unforgivable mistake"
The shadows around the creature began to distort violently.
Kagerou leaned closer, his voice lowering into something dark enough to make even the forest itself feel colder.
"...You dared to wear my mother's face"
For the first time... The thing before him trembled.
Not from pain.
From instinct.
From fear.
Kagerou's grip tightened around the hilt of his blade.
And though he spoke to the shadow in front of him… Those words were meant for someone else entirely.
Someone hiding deeper within the forest.
"...Prepare yourself"
A quiet breath escaped him.
"Because I will find you"
The blade twisted.
The shadow let out a distorted scream.
And Kagerou's eyes burned with murderous intent.
"...And I will kill you"