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it was another night spent in the forest, with crickets ceasing their chirping as they could feel sukuna's presence, even though he didn't have any killing intent as of currently.

kiyo was by another riverbank, stripped down to a white kimono that she had brought as an extra as she rolled the sleeves up and stood near the calm waterfall.

the girl breathed in as she let her face get smacked by the pouring water, feeling the rest of the liquid soak into her kimono as it stuck to her body.

kiyo had stepped out from under the waterfall momentarily as she reminisced on today's events: the innocent child, the innocent mother, and the innocent villagers.

all because of her actions, they had died for no reason.

kiyo's fists clenched as her shoulders had lifted a bit before relaxing. she wished to cry; she wished that satoru was beside her to help comfort her, but that was not her job.

kiyo's duty was to show no fear, no sadness, no emotion when in the midst of completing a task. she was to contain her irrational feelings and serve those who were in need.

yet she had failed, as guilt had etched into her heart. the girl combed through her wet hair with her nimble fingers, feeling the droplets from her curly white lashes plop onto her face.

it was like kiyo was trying to wash the sin away, though no matter how strong or fresh the water was, she had still felt dirty with her hands stained with the blood of the innocent.

the girl was so engrossed in her own thoughts that she didn't even sense sukuna step into the river, slowly inching towards her.

"still mourning over those weaklings?", sukuna suddenly asked, making kiyo turn her head around, as her back was still facing the male.

"yeah", the girl softly mumbled, about to get out of the river before sukuna's voice had resurfaced once more.

"why?"

indeed, kiyo had no true reason to pity those that had no relation to her at all. they were strangers, acquaintances at most.

but they were human lives.

they were humans who didn't deserve to die because of her own shortcomings. kiyo should've never left the three teens alone in that room. if sukuna wasn't unsealed, then the demons wouldn't have risen from the dark.

all in all, it all came down to kiyo and her inability to complete a simple task.

"they were innocent", kiyo vaguely replied.

"and who are you to determine that? have you been with them their entire lives? do you know every little thing they've done?", sukuna scoffed, to which kiyo's eyelids had drooped a bit.

it reminded her of an old friend.

they too once asked her the same exact questions. asking why they should protect the weak when they are the ones that invade the territory of others.

and to that, kiyo had simply replied with that it was their duty, and the right thing to do.

"no...but...we're of the same kind. we should protect each other", kiyo said.

sukuna only lowly chuckled. "you're willing to take your time and effort to protect those that probably won't do the same for you? how foolish!"

kiyo weakly smiled, looking straight into sukuna's harsh red eyes.

"perhaps", the woman mumbled as she left the riverbank, leaving sukuna still standing there.

sukuna huffed as he fell backwards and nearly hit his head on the rocks, though that didn't matter, as he was sure that he could regenerate any body parts if necessary.

the water had nearly encased all of the male's face as it had soaked through his kimono and through his spiked up hair.

originally, sukuna had wanted to test the girl and see where the girl's morales stood, but now he knew that he wouldn't be able to get kiyo on his side, at least not willingly.

'pity. she would've been a pretty powerful piece to have'.

∞

"how did you come up with the name of your domain?", sukuna asked, trudging behind the girl as they were heading towards the hayakawa village.

"it kind of just came to me one day", kiyo simply answered.

"so how exactly does your power work?"

kiyo hesitated, side glancing at the pink-haired male.

"why're you asking?"

"you're the one that said that it was going to be a long six months together didn't you? well? I'm trying to get to know you better, as you humans say anyways", sukuna grinned.

kiyo still did not trust the male, to which she should've went with her gut feeling.

"I'll tell you about my domain in exchange. how about that?", sukuna bargained, as it wasn't like he had much weakness anyways.

kiyo softly sighed. "purity...is what I like to call it. when activated, anything with bad intentions cannot touch me", kiyo stated, looking over at the tattooed male.

unlike her twin brother who could manipulate space at the atomic level, kiyo's was solely based on her power that had miraculously manifested at the young age of four.

everyone was different after all, though she just didn't expect to diverge from the gojō clan's technique that much.

"ah, so I can touch you", sukuna hummed, to which kiyo just nodded, lifting her hand up as she prompted sukuna to do the same.

as sukuna's rough hand had smashed against the girl's palm, kiyo had intertwined their fingers, making sukuna realize how thin and petite her hand was compared to his.

"and other than my domain that you saw the other day, I don't have any more special skills, with the exception of my purification arrows and some minor healing powers", kiyo slightly smiled, slipping her hand out of sukuna's as she continued walking, leaving sukuna there, still feeling the warmth of the girl's soft hand.

"and your brother's supposed to be even stronger?", sukuna asked, catching up to kiyo, who had just nodded.

"satoru's special...it's always been that way my entire life", kiyo said, mumbling the last part.

"why don't you just kill those who look down on you", sukuna madly suggested, to which kiyo had let out a small chuckle, surprising the male.

"problems cannot always be solved by brutality. and plus, I don't mind that they think that, as they're not entirely wrong", kiyo said, her face brightening up as she witnessed a bustling village right in front of them.

"say, what was your goal in killing all those people? because they looked down upon you?", kiyo asked, to which sukuna had scoffed.

"I killed them because it was fun", the male darkly chuckled.

"humans, and demons too, are such entertaining creatures to watch when faced with death. some may cry and beg while others, who are stubborn, would die without a single sound. some plead for another way to live, even as to offering their pride, meanwhile others do it to protect their treasured ones. it makes me excited at the thought of someone kneeling at my feet and begging for life", sukuna explained.

"I see...so you want to play god".

"I am god. without this stupid bracelet, I could easily end village after village if I wished", sukuna cockily claimed.

"have you never tried taking pleasure in other things?", kiyo asked.

"like women?"

kiyo coughed, making sukuna snicker.

"I meant like classic literature or maybe even enjoying food with some friends or a significant other", kiyo clarified.

"literature is a whole bunch of bullshit. I'm not interested. and friends? perhaps servant is the better word choice. and as for a lover, they're unrealistic and a waste of time", sukuna stated.

kiyo just hummed, making the male glance over.

"I believe in love", kiyo unconsciously mumbled, making sukuna raise a brow as a teasing grin had made its way onto his face.

"oho? so you're telling me that you've been in love before? I thought mikos weren't supposed to feel?"

kiyo let out a pitiful chuckle, tucking a strand of her hair behind her left ear.

"that's what I thought too".