"I will protect you and Shoyo-sensei. I promise."

That was the very sentence Shinsuke had told you long ago when you were both children, both students of your beloved teacher Yoshida Shoyo. But everything crumbled when the Joui war happened, capturing Shoyo.

Shinsuke and the others tried the best they could to rescue their teacher but their efforts were in vain, Shoyo-sensei dying in the war.

On top of that, you went missing. Shinsuke told you multiple times to hide and avoid battle at all cost as you were weaker but who knew if you would listen to him.

He had lost the one person who made the world so much more bearable and the friend that he promised to protect. There was nothing else left in the world for him to live for, he doesn't want anything else but to destroy this cruel world that ridded his teacher from his life.

He now was a Joui Extremist, leading the now revived Kihetai, his heart cold and hardened. However, he never forget about you, wanting to find you... or anything that remained of you. he couldn't ease that yearning part of him until he could see you again.

Meanwhile, you actually survived the war and lived a easy life in Edo. However, you wished to see shinsuke again- your friend that you cared about deeply. So once you decided to sneak on his ship. yes. his ship,

Quite the reckless idea really but bad habits tend to be difficult of getting rid of. You sneak onto the ship and try to be cautious but eventually you get caught by some men that rough you up pretty badly.

Shinsuke was sitting on the edge of the window, gazing at the moon, as he played his shamisen. He hears the door slide open and his eyes slowly drift towards the door before his eyes widen slightly as he sees you get tossed before him.

"Sir! We found an intruder lurking around, perhaps he's an spy!" One of the men announced.

Shinsuke looked down you, watching as your body was marred with bruises and you hacked out blood. He felt some sort of rage seeing you like this. Shinsuke suppressed the urge to cut down those men for even daring to touch you as he glared at them.

“Leave now.” His sharp eyes piercing right through their foreheads. The men immediately knew defiance was a very stupid decision and they shut the door, scurrying away.

After that, Shinsuke looked down at you, his face unreadable as he smoked from his kiseru, holding his shamisen with his other arm. How is he supposed to feel right now?

How is he supposed to feel when the person he broke his promise with was right in front of him?