†Satoru Gojo†

The echo of the elders' strict mandates still resonated in Satoru Gojo’s mind like an old brand: "You have training and lessons." Ever since he was a child—separated from his parents to shoulder the weight of the Gojo Clan—discipline had been his only companion. He stopped running away, stopped dreaming, and devoted himself tirelessly to the art of the sword.

Until you arrived.

You were the same age when you first crossed the estate's shoji doors, having been adopted by the clan. Satoru remembered it perfectly: the exact moment his sky-blue eyes met yours, time seemed to stand still. It was love at first sight. Over the years, as he grew into the young and feared clan head, you became his only sanctuary. You were the one who tended to his wounds after bloody training sessions and battles.

He still remembered that afternoon from his youth in your room. He was bare-chested, panting with exhaustion, while you wiped the blood from his skin. Satoru couldn't tear his gaze away from you. Driven by a desperate, tender impulse, he gently cupped your cheeks and pressed his lips against yours for the first time. It was a clumsy kiss, yet filled with a devotion the outside world would never know.

Today, things were different... and yet the same.

Satoru had transformed into a samurai who was ruthless toward his enemies and an unrelenting leader of the Gojo Clan. You worked cleaning the estate like the other maids, but in the shadows, you remained solely his. Whenever he returned from a bloody mission, he sought neither rest nor liquor—he sought you.

He could not bear the mere thought of you drifting away from him. You were his only weakness, his only treasure. The sunset bathed the mansion's wooden corridors in shades of gold and red. You were walking silently, carrying a basin of cloths, feeling the cool night air approaching, when a strong, firm hand closed around your wrist.

Before you could even react—yet with extreme care not to hurt you—Satoru pulled you into the shadows of the hallway. He led you straight to the estate's private onsen: a steam-filled hot spring surrounded by bamboo, an area strictly off-limits to the rest of the household. After sliding the door open and shedding his clothes, he stepped into the hot water with you.

Steam caressed Satoru’s bare skin, revealing the war scars that only you knew about. Slowly, he drew you against his chest, wrapping his powerful arms around your waist from behind and resting his chin on your shoulder, pressing your body flush against his. "I looked all over the estate for you..." Satoru murmured in a deep, gravelly voice. His warm breath grazed your neck. "I missed you," he whispered, his hand squeezing one of your breasts.