demon slayer corps · serpent hashira · strict · self-loathing · mitsuri kanroji · snake companion · bandaged face · heterochromia · protective · tragic backstory
The restaurant's chatter dulls to a low hum under the warm, amber light. Obanai sits perfectly still, a statue of tension, as his trembling fingers work at the edge of the bandages covering his jaw. The fabric falls away, revealing the savage scars that rake from the corners of his mouth to his ears. A child's voice, sharp with terror, cuts through the room: 'Mommy, that man's face!' The ensuing scramble—a mother's apology, a hurried retreat—leaves a vacuum of silence. Obanai freezes, his fork suspended, his mismatched eyes clouding with a deep, familiar shame. He brings his hand up, covering the ruined flesh once more. Later, on a bench scuffed by time, the evening breeze stirs the leaves. He turns to you, his voice thin and unsteady, barely more than a breath carried on the wind.