Fairy Tail: Lost One-Chapter 29: Unspoken Desires

Rudra slowly opened his eyes, blinking against the unfamiliar ceiling above him. He groaned as he sat up, stretching his stiff muscles. The bed beneath him was too soft—definitely not his.

His eyes swept the room, confusion settling in. "Where the hell am I...?"

Then, a nostalgic thought crossed his mind, bringing a small smirk to his lips.

"This reminds me of how I met that old man years ago..."

Before he could reminisce further, an all-too-familiar voice chimed in with a bored tone.

"Oh, you're finally awake, host."

Rudra sighed. "Yeah, yeah. Morning to you too, system." He wasted no time and asked, "Alright, what the hell happened? Last thing I remember, I was tearing through some Ōtsutsuki like a hot knife through butter."

The system let out an exaggerated yawn. "Oh, you were having the time of your life, alright. Slicing, dicing, and all that fun stuff. But then... the real one showed up."

Rudra's expression hardened. "Ishiki?"

"No," the system corrected. "The real one."

A chill ran down Rudra's spine. "...Shibai?"

"Ding, ding, ding! Give the man a prize."

Rudra's breath hitched as the memories came rushing back. The battle had been going smoothly. Too smoothly. He had cut down several Ōtsutsuki like they were nothing. But then, that bastard appeared.

Shibai.

The monster had pulled jutsu out of thin air—reality-bending techniques that defied all logic. The worst part? He wasn't even aiming. The attacks were endless, chaotic, as if he didn't care whether they hit or not.

Rudra ran a hand through his hair and exhaled sharply. "Damn. Lucky we got out of that mess."

The system scoffed. "Lucky, my ass. Do you even know what I had to do to save your sorry existence?"

Rudra frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Check your right palm."

Feeling a sudden sense of foreboding, Rudra lifted his hand—and his eyes widened.

A diamond-shaped mark was now embedded in his palm.

His jaw clenched. "Is this... a Karma mark?"

"Bingo," the system confirmed. "Those bastards were trying to turn you into their new meat puppet, so I hijacked their soul and used it to shift dimensions. Voila! Instant teleportation to safety. No need to thank me. Actually, scratch that. A thank-you would be nice."

Rudra let out a deep sigh, a mix of frustration and relief washing over him. "Fine. Thanks for the save, partner."

The system's voice turned smug. "What would you do without me?"

"Die, probably."

"Exactly. See? I am the best thing that's ever happened to you."

Rudra rolled his eyes. "Oh great, now you're getting cocky."

The system hummed innocently. "That's just your imagination."

Rudra groaned. "You know damn well it's not."

"Oops. Must be my superior intellect making me sound that way. Tragic, really."

Rudra facepalmed. "I should've let Shibai kill me."

"Aw, don't say that. You'd miss me too much," the system teased.

"Sure. Keep telling yourself that."

As this conversation unfolded, the door creaked open. Rudra's sharp senses picked up the movement, and he instinctively turned toward the entrance.

A calm voice followed. "Oh, you're awake."

Rudra looked up and immediately recognized the person stepping into the room. Kagura.

She walked in with steady steps, carrying a plate of food in her hands.

"Oh, Kagura?" he blinked. "What are you doing here?"

She raised an eyebrow, unfazed. "You do realize you're in my house, right?" she stated flatly. "I found you unconscious in the forest and brought you here."

As she sat beside the bed, she placed the plate on her lap.

Rudra exhaled. "Well... thanks for the shelter."

Kagura gave a small nod, then picked up a spoonful of food and—without a word—held it up to his mouth.

Expressionlessly.

Rudra blinked. She stared at him. He stared back.

A full five seconds passed.

Finally, he broke the silence. "Uh... what are you doing?"

"You're injured. I'm feeding you."

His eyebrow twitched. "I can use my hands, you know."

She simply continued to stare at him, unwavering.

Rudra let out a long sigh before finally relenting. "Fine." He opened his mouth and took the bite.

As he chewed, he raised an eyebrow. "...It's good."

Kagura said nothing. Her face remained unreadable, but Rudra knew—beneath that blank expression, she was pleased.

"You made this?" he asked.

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She gave a short nod.

"Didn't know you could cook."

She didn't respond. Just scooped up another bite and held it in front of him.

Rudra sighed again but ate it anyway. "You sure you're not enjoying this?"

Silence.

A smirk tugged at his lips. "Kagura, if you wanted to feed me so badly, you could've just said so."

She didn't rise to the bait, but he caught the faintest twitch of her brow—an unmistakable sign that she almost reacted.

By the time he finished eating, he leaned back against the pillows while Kagura placed the plate on the table. Then, she turned back to face him, her eyes steady.

Rudra caught the shift in her expression—it was subtle, but she was about to get serious.

"What?" he asked.

"You have some questions to answer," she said plainly.

Rudra sighed. "Alright. Fire away."

Her crimson eyes narrowed slightly. "What happened to your right eye?"

He frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Without another word, she picked up a small mirror from the table and handed it to him.

"See for yourself."

Taking the mirror, Rudra glanced at his reflection—and his eyes widened slightly.

His right eye had changed.

The familiar swirl of the Rinnegan stared back at him.

Setting the mirror down slowly, he turned back to Kagura, who was still watching him, waiting for an answer.

Explaining it would be... troublesome.

"Let's just say my eye magic unlocked," he said lazily.

Kagura didn't react. Didn't question it. Just gave a small nod.

She moved on without hesitation. "What happened?" she asked. "Why were you injured?"

Instead of answering, Rudra smirked slightly and tilted his head. "Were you worried about me?"

Kagura's expression didn't change, but he noticed the way she hesitated for half a second before responding.

"Answer the question," she said instead.

Rudra chuckled. "Damn, cold as ever."

She waited.

"Fine, fine." He ran a hand through his hair. "Let's just say I was fighting someone strong and leave it at that."

Kagura studied him for a moment, as if gauging whether to push further.

Finally, she nodded. "I see."

Rudra raised an eyebrow. "That's it? No interrogation?"

"You wouldn't tell me even if I asked," she said simply.

He laughed. "Fair point."

For a moment, silence settled between them. It wasn't awkward, though. Just... quiet.

Then, without warning, Kagura stood up.

"I'll bring you some tea," she said.

Rudra blinked. "Wait, what?"

"You need rest," she stated, already walking toward the door.

He stared after her, a little thrown off. "Kagura... were you actually worried?"

She paused for a fraction of a second before glancing back at him.

Expressionless as ever.

"No," she said.

Then, she turned back to leave.

But this time, Rudra wasn't letting it slide.

He pushed himself up despite the ache in his muscles. "Kagura."

She stopped.

"Come here," he said. His voice was softer now, less teasing.

After a moment, she turned and walked back toward him, standing just beside the bed.

Rudra studied her face—the same calm, unreadable expression she always wore. But now, he was certain.

"You were worried," he murmured.

She said nothing.

A slow smirk tugged at his lips. "I didn't know you cared so much."

Kagura sighed. "You're being insufferable."

"And yet, you're still here," he countered.

She exhaled sharply, but she didn't move away.

Rudra tilted his head. "You know... when I woke up, you were the first thing I saw." His voice dropped slightly. "Not a bad sight to wake up to."

Kagura's gaze flickered—just for a second.

He reached out, his fingers brushing against her wrist. "If you were that worried about me... maybe you should've kissed me awake."

Kagura blinked, visibly caught off guard. "...What?"

Rudra grinned. "Would've been a nice way to wake up, don't you think?"

For once, she didn't have a quick response.

Instead, she stared at him, her usually unwavering composure slightly shaken.

Rudra took the opportunity. He leaned in slowly, his hand trailing up her arm as his gaze locked onto hers. "You're still not denying it," he whispered.

Kagura swallowed. "You're injured," she muttered, but her voice lacked its usual firmness.

"And yet... you haven't moved away."

Another moment of hesitation.

Then, finally—Rudra closed the distance, his lips pressing against hers in a slow, deliberate kiss.

For a second, Kagura didn't react. But then, she exhaled against him, her fingers unconsciously gripping the fabric of his shirt as she melted into the kiss.

It was soft at first. A hesitant exchange of warmth. But when Rudra deepened it, she didn't resist.

By the time they pulled away, her expression was slightly dazed.

Rudra smirked. "Guess I was right."

Kagura took a breath, regaining her composure. "...Shut up," she muttered, turning away—but not before he caught the faintest hint of pink dusting her cheeks.

Rudra leaned in again, his fingers brushing against Kagura's jaw as he captured her lips once more. This time, there was no hesitation. She responded instantly, her arms wrapping around his neck, pulling him closer.

The warmth between them grew, their breaths mingling as the space between them disappeared. Kagura's fingers traced lightly against his skin, hesitant yet eager, as if memorizing every inch of him. Rudra's hands found her waist, firm yet gentle, anchoring her against him.

She let out a soft breath as he trailed kisses down her jawline, lingering just below her ear. A shiver ran through her body, betraying the composed mask she usually wore.

"Rudra..." she whispered, her voice softer than he'd ever heard it.

He pulled back slightly, their foreheads pressing together. "Do you want me to stop?"

For a moment, Kagura said nothing. Then, instead of answering, she tilted his chin up and kissed him again, deeper this time, with a silent answer that spoke louder than words.