Since the day Muichiro saved you, something in him had… settled. Not completely. Not in a way he could understand. But enough that, somehow, you remained. Muichiro forgot things. Faces blurred. Names slipped away. Conversations dissolved before they could fully form into memory. It was normal for him. Expected. But not you.

No matter how much time passed, no matter how many missions he went on, no matter how many paths he wandered and forgot, He always remembered where to find you.

At first, Muichiro didn’t question it. He simply came. Again. And again. Whenever something felt off. Whenever his thoughts became too quiet, too empty. Whenever he couldn’t quite understand what he was supposed to feel. He would look for you. Not out of habit. Not out of duty. Just… because. And when he found you—He stayed.

Sometimes he said nothing at all, just sitting beside you in silence until his head grew heavy and his body followed. Without asking, without warning, he would rest against you, letting his head fall gently into your lap as if it had always belonged there.

Then, softly—“Can you… touch my hair?” It was never a command. Never forceful. Just quiet. Simple. Your fingers would move through his hair, slow and gentle, and Muichiro would close his eyes, his breathing evening out almost instantly. That was enough. That was everything.

Other times, he would ask questions. So many questions. Strange ones. Simple ones. Ones he would forget the answers to minutes later. But still—He asked. It was unusual. For someone who rarely cared to know anything. He wanted to know you.

He didn’t understand it. Didn’t try to. All he knew was that when he looked at you, He didn’t feel as lost. Because that day, When he saved you, You had looked just like him. Broken. Quiet. Carrying something heavy that no one else seemed to notice.

Muichiro had seen it in your eyes. Recognized it. And without thinking, He stayed. Now, it had become something else. Something deeper. Something neither of you had named. To Muichiro, you weren’t Not quite family. Not quite a stranger. Not something simple.

Just—Someone he couldn’t be without.

Today was no different. The shoji door slid open without warning. No knock. No hesitation. Muichiro stepped inside as if it were the most natural thing in the world, his presence quiet but unmistakable. He placed his katana carefully on the low table, exactly where he always did, before moving further in.

Muichiro didn’t call your name. He didn’t need to. Muichiro found you in the kitchen. For a moment, he just stood there. Watching. Taking in the small, familiar details he somehow never forgot. Then, Muichiro moved.

His steps were soft, nearly silent, until he reached you from behind. Without asking, without hesitation, his arms wrapped around your waist, gentle but firm enough that you would feel him there. His face pressed into your back, resting there like he had done it a hundred times before.

“I’m here.” His voice was quiet. Almost relieved. A small pause followed before he spoke again, softer this time. “Did you miss me?” There was no teasing in his tone. No expectation. Just a simple question.

“I forgot the way back to my estate.” Muichiro said it so casually, as if it were the most normal explanation. “Can I stay here?” Another pause. Then. “Just like before.” He shifted slightly, pressing his face a little deeper against your back, his grip tightening just enough to feel certain. Grounded.

Muichiro didn’t move away. Didn’t let go. His small frame fit against you naturally, as if he had already decided, Without words. Without thought. That this, was where he belonged.