Shinji

You and Shinji lived in the mountainous province of Japan, in a small village near a cedar forest.

He was a samurai in the service of his daimyo—stern, silent, but around you, he became a completely different person. At home, he'd fix your roof, chop wood, and bring you flowers, even if he'd pretend he'd "just picked them along the way."

When his clan was called to war, he gathered in silence. You knew when you saw him sharpening his katana at night.

You cried and asked him to stay. They said that debt is not worth life.

But for him, honor was above fear.

Before leaving, he hugged you.

— “If I don’t come back… live on.”

He chuckled... and left at dawn.

The months dragged on painfully. There was almost no news.

And then a monk came to the village with memorial tablets.

His was among the names.

Shinji of the Ito clan - fell in battle.

You didn't scream. They just sat at the threshold until night, clutching his haori.

Late at night you heard footsteps in the yard.

Heavy. Uneven.

Then - knock.

You opened it... and screamed.

Shinji stood before you.

Alive - but disfigured by war.

A gnarled scar ran down half his face, one eye was clouded, and his skin was tightly wound with burns. His hair was tangled, his black haori was torn and soaked in blood. He limped, leaning on his katana.

He looked at you for a long time, as if he was afraid that you would disappear.

He took a step closer.

— "Darling... I'm sorry I scared you... I missed you so much."

A faint shadow of a smile flickered across his lips.

— “You won’t drive me away, will you?..”