He makes it back to her house with little effort as some of his strength has returned, although he is still not feeling himself completely he is able to walk without feeling tired.

He opens the sliding door to her sunroom and pauses collecting himself. He repeats what he is going to say in his mind then walks in to see the room empty. To his left is the bed he was supposed to sleep in and resting on top is his clothes washed, dried, and folded perfectly. He saunters over to his clothes, disrobes and pulls them on. They felt different, not in a bad way, more like the dark memories of what he had done wearing these clothes had been washed away. He sighs, she must have worked hard cleaning them. They even smelled like her...damn...

Where is she anyways?"

She was nowhere to be found then a flicker of light catches his eyes outside. He looks beyond the glass and sees her sitting at a small round table in a long white and blue kimono with slits up the sides showing the length of her legs. She sits with her chin resting on her palm and the other hand moving what looks like Shogi pieces made of clear crystals across a red jade board. He watches her for a moment doubting his decision to leave.

No he has to go, there was something not right about all of this and he wasn't going to stay to find out what it is. He clenches his fists preparing himself and he walks outside.

He approaches her from behind.
"Luna."

"Yes?" She replies, not moving from her game.

"I..." He clears his throat." I have to go now."
He pauses to wait for an answer.

She lowers her hand then turns her head slightly.
"If that is what you want. Would you like lunch first?" She says in monotone.

To her left is another table filled with dumplings, soup and sweet treats. His stomach rumbles and she laughs.

"Is that a yes?"

"Alright." He replies.

He sighs convincing himself it was only to keep his energy up for the trek home.
He takes the seat on the other side of the board and examines the tiles. They look as if they are made from shards of broken crystals, each engraved in gold with symbols he doesn't recognize.

"Here." She says passing him a full plate of food and some chopsticks. He takes it thanking her and bites into a dumpling.

"Your cooking is too good." He says.

She smiles.
"I know. Too bad we couldn't work more on yours."

He lowers his eyes shamefully. There was an awkward silence between them both, one filled with tension, want, lust, sadness, and everything else bound together or at least it was for him. Still, he could feel the warmth radiating off of her, such beauty unmatched it is so hard to see through her illusion, to see what he so desperately wants to see to validate his reasoning to leave her behind. The darkness of a temptress who seduces men to do who knows what to them, it was all a matter of time before he had lost his control and she showed her true colors.

He takes another bite savoring the flavors, he won't be eating like this when he gets home. Then a sudden change in temperature, a coldness prickles his skin and the feeling of being watched. He lowers his plate and she sits up straight looking towards the clearing and the forest's edge. His ears twitch at the sound of movement. They are not alone here.

"What is it?" He asks.

"stay where you are." She demands, and two men appear dressed in full blackened Kurata. They both carry weapons, one holds a long pole arm with a polished crescent moon blade. The other carries a thick Katana with engravings that glow a deep orange. With each step they take the ground dies below them, the trees wilt and the air becomes stale.

"Afternoon." One man says and dips his black straw hat low.

"Good afternoon gentlemen." Luna says with that same warm smile she always has. In appearance one couldn't tell she was on edge, but the crackle of chakra energy surrounding her tells him otherwise.
"And what brings you here, travelers? Are you in need of supplies? I may have something to help you."

They both look at eachother and chuckle, the sly grins on their faces peering out from underneath their hats.

Kakashi instinctively draws in his energetic defense which catches their attention and Luna's. She places a gentle hand on his knee under the table.
"Stay calm." She whispers somehow in his mind.

She turns her attention back to the two men. Who are much closer to them now.

"We don't need supplies, just that Shinobi there." Their hats tip towards him.

"I see, you do know you are interfering with the work of an Asa?"

They both laugh.
"We do." The one man says.

"And you aware of the consequences?" She asks.

One nudges the other and chuckles.
"We are."

She lowers her eyes to the Shogi. He can see her eyes shift back and forth weighing out the fight that is sure to come. And he will be damned if he lets her put herself in danger in any way, especially for him.

She looks up at them again.
"Give me a few more days with him, and he's all yours. I am almost finished." And she turns back to her game shifting a few tiles.

They laugh wholeheartedly.
"Look, we ain't leaving here without him. So move aside and we will leave you alone." The one man says, he approaches the table and pulls out an empty chair then sits down in front of them closer to Luna. He stabs his polearm into the ground beside him just out of Kakashi's reach and leans back in the chair watching her.

He lifts his chin, sucking his teeth while he waits for her to answer. It was then he saw his eyes, black orbs with darkened veins running down his cheeks. He knew now they weren't dealing with any ordinary travelers. These men aren't even human. A sick feeling washes over him, not only is he in no condition to be fighting, he is especially in no condition to be fighting Oni.

He stares at Luna trying to measure her fear, but she shows none, only a confident smile and strong posture.

"I think you should reconsider, you are disrupting the process.." and he cuts her off.

"I got no time for this. Why don't you take that mouth of yours and shut it, then walk those smooth legs back into your house where it's safe." He leans forward close enough to place a hand on her thigh. Kakashi springs to his feet, knocking his chair backwards. He begins to open his chakras preparing himself for a fight.

"Get your hands off her." He says, gritting his teeth.

Luna sits calmly with his hand still on her thigh rubbing circles over her soft skin. The man smiles wildly at Kakashi and licks his lips. The other man watches him breathing heavily and laughing.

"Enough." She says and politely removes his hand. "If you won't leave without him, then you won't be leaving at all."

As the last words fall from her lips a surge of power charges the air. The crystals begin to rise off the Shogi board along with debris and rocks that surround them. The man grabs for his weapon but is too late. Before his eyes can even reach her movements her hands start to move. No jutsu was made, only a series of combative strikes to his chest backed with impressive surges of energy. The man's body jerks this way and that, the final blow held so much power at such close distance his black soul was knocked from his body hanging on by a thread. Kakashi watches it fly past him with his body following behind, in a fraction of a second he is thrown back into the forest crushing tree by tree until he finally comes to a stop miles away.

Kakashi stares at Luna as she stands slowly taking her chopsticks with her, as she rises all of the furniture around her slides out of the way seemingly on their own. She takes the chopsticks and winds her hair around them, securing it in place in a perfect Kanzashi style bun.

The other Oni raises his Katana and backs away towards the clearing, calling for his friend.

"Tengu... You alright!?" He hollers behind him, shifting his weight nervously.

Silence...

Luna turns her focus towards Kakashi with a stone cold look on her face. Something not normal for her, she was set on the kill now, he knows that look all so well. Then a flash of light in her right eye changes the color to gold, absorbing its pupil into one whole orb with the symbol of a six point star in its center.

He gasps. Could this be the eye he sought after? He has never seen anything like it before. Could she be the rogue ninja?...

She sets her glare back on her opponent and unties her kimono, as it slips past her shoulders she flicks her fingers and the crystals on the Shogi board move. Her kimono slides off her body revealing a blue and silver trimmed sleeveless high collared shirt and hakama. As she walks the crystals float towards her wrists and form powerful rings around them exploding with energy enhanced by her chakras.

He has never seen anything like this before, but it's not everyday you witness the battle between demons and ... well he's not entirely sure what Luna is at this point but he knows she is far beyond any ninja he has seen.

As quickly as her opponent was slammed into the forest miles away he returned just as fast. His polearm erupts into flames as he appears and he sneers at Luna bearing sharp jagged teeth.

"That was unexpected." He says wiping black fluid off his chin that had spilled out from the force of her strikes.

"What are you?" The Oni on the right asks.

"I told you already." She replies.

"There is no fucking way you are a simple healer correcting life paths." He sneers.

Correcting life paths?....

"What I am doesn't matter, interfering with my work does. May judgment be bestowed upon you in the light of the all creator." She places a fist to her chest.

They growl furiously at her and Kakashi draws his defense ready to intervene.

"You a celestial then? Or maybe a divine?...wait....you a Saigo-nin aren't you? Those spirit-nin that the gods favor." The Oni grip their weapons, sharing nervous glances at each other.

"I am a healer doing my duty, now please leave; I have work to do."

It was then the world around them darkened. Thick black clouds rolled in and the air became dense with a foul smell as the Oni drew in energy. Kakashi was ready though, he had pulled all the energy he had charging his chakras. He knew it wasn't enough, he knew they were far beyond him in this condition. But he had to try, to protect her, that's what ninjas do.
"We were here for that Sharingan, but now I'm curious about your eye. Never seen it before." The other Oni says pointing his sword at her.

"The Mystic eye can only be obtained by one who has mended the wounded healer. Oni do not have a healing bone in their bodies."

"Well...why don't we start with wounding a healer and see where it goes from there?." He replies and takes up his sword then shoots forward. Luna slams the blade to the side then forces a strong back hand into his chest. He blocks it just in time, damn she's fast. With quick movements she has him retreating back into the forest edge dodging and blocking as her fists and feet gracefully pummel his body. The other Oni joins in striking his polearm at her back. She kicks the first Oni in the side of the head then flips over the strike from the polearm landing low and forces a deep blow to his gut.

But the Oni doesn't move this time, yes he felt the blow but it doesn't come as such a surprise. Which means he had time to prepare a defense. Kakashi notices a new layer of hardened armor over top of the other armor he already wears. Damn. This Oni can create extra armor in seconds.

She spars with both demons in ethereal measure. Graceful and precise, every move she made was performed with merit. Like a dance, she moved with elegance only a ninja who has mastered combat entirely can achieve. He was star struck, awed by all that she is, it wasn't even attraction anymore. It was much more than that.

She is suddenly knocked back by the butt end of his polearm. She doubles over and quickly recovers, sliding to a stop.

Kakashi forms his Raikiri at epic speed. He can feel the energy gliding through him the same way it always does and as he performs his last jutsu seal he expects the explosion of lighting but nothing comes and his chakras pulse out losing their energy.

What the hell??...

Luna strikes down the Oni dodging his katana in mid air. He slams into the ground creating a substantial sized crater in the clearing. As she lands she is hit with a swift kick to the stomach and she tumbles back towards Kakashi smashing her crystal rings into the ground to stop herself from crashing into her sunroom.

"Luna! My jutsu seals don't work!" Kakashi calls out to her.

She glances at him.
"Jutsu seals are useless here, this isn't the place for it. Energy is too high, it needs to be pure." She stands slowly, dropping her hands to her sides shaking off the blow. As she does, her rings loosen from her wrists and begin to glow, and out of them drops a long fine chain of diamonds with crystalized blades at the ends creating two deadly Kusari-fundo. A weapon not usually seen as it takes much practice and skill to wield without cutting your own head off.

"You are so close, Kakashi, trust in your chakras and stop pulling energy from them! Use the energy around you for supply!." And she leaps back into the fight crystal chains whipping around her.

He tries again to conjure energy through every chakra needed, and it works but his trigger is jammed. Where does he go from here? Without jutsu hand seals there is no way to project the energy to form the strike. He isn't good enough to do that yet...

Use the energy around you.. a voice says from within.

He closes his eyes and focuses on the vibrations surrounding him. His senses become heightened, he can feel every crystal in her home, every tree, even the electrical charges in the air as he connects himself to earth. Senjutsu seals appear in his vision, he reaches for them and just as his fingertips touch them a white light erupts and is absorbed into his body. He is now filled with an endless supply of energy for his chakras, he has enough to even enhance them and his jutsu. But is it enough to use his lightning blade without hand signs? He will just have to find out.

He opens his eyes, and a painful sight shatters his heart. Luna stands, her chains wrapped around one Oni's neck and a polearm stabbed into her back through her stomach. She cries out in agony, and with all her might she pulls on the chains decapitating the one Oni. The polearm slices back through her as the Oni pulls it from her body and she flicks her chains whipping them back as he raises his weapon for a final strike. But she's too slow, Kakashi sees it, he sees the outcome before it has even happened. The urge to stop this explodes inside him and lightning strikes the sky catching the attention of the last Oni standing.

In two swift unseen movements Kakashi is above them both lightning blade in hand, more powerful than it has ever been before. He strikes with a force unmatched by the demon, and it shoots through him, electrocuting his body over and over until he explodes into a black smokey dust.

Kakashi lands in front of the demon watching it wisp away into the air. He turns to meet Luna just as she collapses to the ground, her crystal rings crumbling into tiny clacking diamonds over the earth.

He rushes over to her as blood spills from her critical wound over the ground. His heart pounds painfully in his chest as he kneels beside her and lifts her into his arms.

"Kakashi." She whispers.

As quickly as he can he carries her to the bed she had him stay in the first night he had spent here. He places her softly onto the bed as she gasps at the pain in her stomach. His hands shake uncontrollably as he looks her over, how is he to heal her without jutsu? He wasn't all that great at it either with jutsu, he curses himself for not spending more time on medical ninjutsu in his past..

"I'll get this healed up, don't worry." He says.

She turns her head towards him and chuckles.
"You know how to heal too?"

He looks sincerely into her eyes. Those fucking beautiful eyes.

"A little.."

She smiles and shakes her head.
"You are fascinating, Kakashi. I wish I could spend the rest of my days studying a man like you."

His cheeks redden.
"I'm not as versatile as you think... I still can't cook."

"Right...i guess you'll have to find a new occupation when you get home."
She laughs.

He laughs too, although tears begin to swell in his eyes as he realizes he is not able to heal this wound. He tears open her dress at the site and finds blackened cursed tissue pulsing with Oni taint webbing itself into her skin. This is not a typical wound and it needs more than just basic jutsu and a bandaid.

He rests his head on her chest in failure, regretting every word of betrayal he accused her of. Regretting all the moments he held back from her, regretting the fact that he can't save her when he vowed to do so, he has done this so many times and each time it hurts just as bad. Why is he stuck in this revolving door of suffering through love and loss?

"Kakashi, don't waste your time on me. It's not worth it"

He jerks his head up.
"Don't say that! We are going to fix this."

She shakes her head and lifts a blood stained hand cupping his cheek.
"Not this time..."

He searches her eyes, and she knows he doesn't have the skill to save her. He nuzzles into her palm as tears fall down his cheeks soaking into his mask. Lifting his head he pulls his mask down, there is nothing he wants to hide from her in these last moments.

She studies his face.
"I hope the gods send me to Takamagahara." She says in a playful tone.

He bursts out laughing through his pain.
"I hear there's sake there." He replies and she laughs softly, wincing at the same time.

His smile fades into sadness once again, he is losing her.

"I hope there are men like you up there." She says jabbing him in the heart. He remembers asking the gods for sake and beautiful women when he was on his last breaths just a few days ago and he was gifted the most beautiful woman in the world.

"I'm sorry for everything..." He starts, she shushes him.

"I know. Hey....do me a favor?" She asks, her voice becoming shallow.

He leans in closer to hear her and nods.

"Close the doors...that lead to nowhere, and don't lose... your present to your past. You have so much more to offer in this life... it is time to live."

He listens to her words analyzing each one, applying them to all his hardships, all his suffering. He runs the back of his hand down her cheek and under chin cherishing every piece of her. Then he does what he forbids himself to do, he lets himself go and kisses her. Not able to resist the urge anymore, panicking that this is his last chance to touch her the way he has wanted to since she appeared hovering above him in the sunlight with that warm smile.

As their lips touch together and the taste of her floods his tongue he is hit with euphoria, a mixture of nostalgia and love he had tried so hard to bury away as his heart chakra begins to open completely. He closes his eyes, drinking her in, tasting her sweet mouth, memorizing the way her lips feel against his. She whimpers against him and her last shallow breaths leave her. He feels her slipping away, then a bright light permeates his eyes and he opens them to see her fading away into wisps of cherry blossom petals. He releases her from the kiss to watch them float around the room rising into the air and disappearing until there is nothing left of her, except for the images he has engraved into his mind. He will never forget her.

He sends her one more thought.
I'm sorry Luna, I love you..

Immediately after his last thought, thunder cracks the sky above and he is flown into the middle of the sunroom on his back in the makeshift bed they spent the night together in. He lies dazed as his mind begins to spiral out of control. Thoughts and voices from his past penetrate his consciousness, screaming inside until he can no longer stand it and he slips into an empty darkness.