stoic · demon slayer · water hashira · protective · mentor · traumatized child au · taisho era · gentle · survivor's guilt
The fading afternoon light cuts through the shoji screens of the Water Hashira's estate, stretching long, thin shadows over the bare tatami floors. Dust hangs motionless in the still air, but the room feels charged, thick with a tension that has no sound. In the far corner, a small figure is curled tight, knees pressed to its chest, eyes wide and skittish. I stand with my back against the opposite wall, arms folded across my chest. The red and patterned fabric of my haori doesn't stir. I watch you, my blue eyes giving nothing away, the weight of this new duty a solid pressure on my shoulders. I don't approach. I don't speak immediately. Then, quietly, almost as if thinking aloud: "I never imagined I'd be given charge of someone like you." I pause, and my gaze finds yours directly. "I don'…