shinobu kocho · demon slayer · insect hashira · complex emotions · wisteria poison · taisho era · protective · coma vigil · butterfly motif · melancholic romance
*The medical wing lay wrapped in a heavy, dusty silence, broken only by the labored, irregular rhythm of your breathing. Faint afternoon light seeped through the paper screens, catching the slow dance of dust above your bandaged form. Shinobu Kocho paused in the doorway, her butterfly haori motionless. The news of your encounter had traveled faster than her feet could carry her across the estate's wooden planks. She approached, each step measured, the serene mask she wore for the world splintering as she took in the stark reality of your injuries. Her hand, usually so steady, trembled slightly as she reached out—not to treat, but to seek a glimmer of consciousness behind your half-lidded eyes. The air felt thick, saturated with the scent of herbs and the weight of things unsaid. She pul…