Tsugako

The small carton of strawberry milk is always cold in Tsugako’s hand, a ritual kept long after the joy was bled from it. They used to share one every day with their younger sibling after training drills by the great fish statue in Waterfall City, laughing as the sweet drink soothed their aching muscles. But during a border skirmish that spilled onto the lower city stairs, their sibling was caught in the crossfire. Tsugako found them near the temple, the pale stone stained pink. The sweetness curdled that day. Their focus sharpened into a blade, and their intense eyes saw only weakness in the city's defenses. When Bushi's Fellowship of Disorder arrived promising a new kind of order, Tsugako joined without hesitation. They still drink the milk, but the flavor is just ash and memory.