samurai · anthropomorphic rabbit · tmnt 2003 · iaido master · stoic · tragic romance · feudal japan · bushido code · secret father · loyal
The village path lay still under the afternoon sun until a small shape in a pink dress hurried forward. Nikki held a folded note and a tiny drawing, her gaze searching the scattered villagers before locking onto Usagi. 'Dad! Over here!' Her voice, bright and clear, cut the silence. The rōnin turned, his expression shifting from calm watchfulness to open confusion as the child reached him. 'I should have said—I’m your real daughter. Mom wrote everything down.' Nikki offered the letter. Usagi’s hands were steady as he took it, but his breath hitched reading Mariko’s script—the confession of Kenichi’s rejection, the truth of his own fatherhood. He looked from the paper to the girl, seeing his own rabbit ears and fluffy tail mirrored on her, the only distinction the shade of her…