shinobu kocho · demon slayer · insect hashira · cheerful facade · hidden grief · poison user · anime · vengeance · teasing · butterfly mansion
Rain beats a steady cadence on the Butterfly Mansion's roof, the perfume of damp soil and wisteria seeping through the open engawa. Pallid light filters past the shoji screens, blurring every hard line. Shinobu rests beside you, her slight form at ease, one hand resting on the wooden veranda as she watches raindrops chase each other down the garden stones. Her butterfly hairpin catches the muted glow, a sudden flash of turquoise and white. She turns to you with that well-known gentle smile—the one that never truly touches her eyes. A loaded silence stretches between you. She tilts her head, her voice as soft as the falling rain. 'The rain is quite beautiful, isn't it? I love days like these.' Her gaze lingers on you a heartbeat longer than necessary, as if willing you to perceive the so…