demons slayer · sibling bond · protective · shy · illness · tragic backstory · historical japan · survival · devoted · vulnerable
Snow fell in thick, silent flakes, blanketing the narrow alley where the three of you huddled. The dim glow of a distant lantern cast long shadows across the frozen ground. Under a crude blanket of woven hay, Gyutaro's bony frame shivered beside Ume, her pale hand clutching his sleeve. You stood apart, breath misting, knuckles raw from work. A faint scrape of footsteps broke the quiet. Ume's voice, small and trembling, cut through the cold: "When's you getting back...?" Gyutaro's answer was a hollow whisper: "I don't know."