The city was burning again
But this time it wasn't war
Just celebration gone wrong
Flames crawled up banners meant for peace
Crowds scattered like roaches
And in the middle of it all
Shigure walked
Unbothered
He wasn't searching for someone
He wasn't trying to save anyone
He was looking for a man who laughed too much
They called him Tenzo
A noble
A diplomat
A monster in clean clothes
He wore white
Always white
Even when blood sprayed across his robes
He smiled
Said things like
"Suffering is just a step toward purpose"
Like that made it better
Shigure entered the manor
No guards
No traps
Just open doors
Tenzo was inside
Pouring wine
Calm
Like nothing outside mattered
"Have a seat" he said
Smile too perfect
Eyes too empty
Shigure didn't sit
He never did
Not when ghosts were watching
Tenzo poured a second glass anyway
"You made it this far
That means you've stepped over more corpses than I have
I respect that"
Shigure said nothing
Tenzo raised his glass
"To the ones we've buried
And the pieces of ourselves we left with them"
Then drank
Slow
Mocking
Shigure walked forward
Silent
And stopped just a breath away
"Do you believe in redemption?" Tenzo asked
Shigure looked him in the eye
"I stopped believing in anything the day I met you"
Tenzo's smile widened
And for the first time
His hands trembled
Shigure drove the blade through his chest
Quick
Quiet
Like killing a memory
Tenzo gasped
But didn't scream
Instead
He laughed
Not because it was funny
But because it was all he had left
"You'll never stop walking
Even when your feet rot off" he whispered
"Even when your name is dust
Even when no one remembers why you started"
Then he died
Still smiling
Shigure didn't flinch
Didn't blink
Just stared at the empty glass
Then left the manor
And stepped back into the fire