Yoshikatsu

Yoshikatsu knew only the discipline of fire and steel. Their days in Waterfall City were a metronome of sharp commands and the clang of training swords, their inner flame burning for perfection. Then they accepted a student, Tomonosuke, who moved less like a warrior and more like the river that flowed beneath the city—persistent, gentle, and unbothered by heat. At first, Yoshikatsu saw only weakness. But Tomonosuke would bring them sushi after grueling sessions, asking not about battle, but about the patterns in the water below. One evening, watching their student by the plaza statue, Yoshikatsu found themself explaining the story behind a scar. The admission was quiet, but it cooled the scorching embers on their back into a gentle warmth they hadn't felt in years.