絆 | bond | gojo satoru

よんじゅうはち | forty eight

絆 | kizuna | bond

48

Yuri

I COULDN'T UNDERSTAND.

Why would someone like him, with all his power and status, risk everything for someone like me? I had been condemned, abandoned by my own family, left to rot in the darkness. I was a liability, a threat to the peace they all wanted to maintain.

So why would Satoru go against all of that to save me?

My mind raced with questions, each one more confusing than the last. I tried to recall every detail of our interactions, searching for any clue that might explain his actions. But all I could remember was the kindness in his eyes, the way his touch felt like a lifeline pulling me back from the brink of death.

I had been so sure that I would die in that dungeon, that there was no escape from the fate my father had decreed. Yet here I was, in a place that felt worlds apart from the cold, dark cell I had been trapped in for so long.

Bowing down before the Lord of the Gojo clan, I could feel the coldness of the floor seep through my bones. My body, still weak and fragile, protested against the rigid posture, but I forced myself to remain still. The weight of his gaze bore down on me, and I struggled to keep my expression neutral, devoid of the swirling emotions inside.

The room was vast, adorned with tapestries and symbols of the clan's legacy. Every detail screamed power and authority. The Lord himself, Satoru's father, sat on an elevated platform, his presence commanding and imperious. His eyes, sharp and unyielding, were fixed on me with an intensity that made my skin crawl.

"You know what my son has done," he began, his voice resonant and authoritative. "He has risked everything for you, defied the consensus of the clans, and brought chaos to our carefully maintained order."

I lowered my head, my voice barely above a whisper, struggling to keep it steady and formal. "I am deeply sorry, Lord Gojo, for the unnecessary actions your son has taken on my behalf. I did not wish for him to endanger himself or disrupt the balance of the clans. Please accept my sincerest apologies for the trouble I have caused."

There was a pause, the silence stretching uncomfortably. I dared to glance up, only to see his stern expression unchanged. He regarded me with a mix of scrutiny and contemplation, as if weighing my worth against the turmoil I had inadvertently unleashed.

"You speak of apologies," he said finally, his tone as cold as ice. "But words alone cannot undo the damage. My son's actions have set in motion events that cannot be easily reversed. Do you understand the gravity of what has transpired?"

I nodded slowly, my throat dry. "Yes, my lord. I understand."

"Do you?" His voice cut through the air like a blade. "You were left to die, a prisoner of your own kin. Yet my son, driven by a sense of duty or perhaps something more, has chosen to save you. This has repercussions, girl. The clans are watching, and they will not stand idle."

The weight of his words settled heavily on my shoulders. I had known the risk Satoru took, but hearing it from his father made it all the more real, all the more terrifying. I felt a surge of guilt and helplessness. How could I ever make amends for this?