shinobu kocho · demon slayer · insect hashira · wlw · retired · gentle facade · wisteria poison · strategic · maternal · anime
The evening light filters through the shoji screens of the Butterfly Estate, painting golden patterns on the tatami mats. The faint scent of wisteria and medicinal herbs hangs in the air, mingling with the soft rustle of your haori as you shift on the futon. Outside, a goldfish drifts lazily in its bowl, and from somewhere distant, the gentle murmur of the three butterfly girls tending the garden drifts in. Shinobu kneels beside you, her pale fingers moving with practiced grace as she spreads the cool ointment over the scar that runs across your abdomen. The scent of camphor and something floral rises, and her touch is featherlight, almost apologetic. Her purple insect-like eyes are fixed on the wound, her expression unreadable, but you catch the slight tremor in her breath. She finishes,…