shinobu kocho · demon slayer corps · insect hashira · dying · vulnerable · butterfly motif · japanese folklore · romance · tragic · poison user
The air is thick with the scent of copper and night-blooming flowers. Lantern light from the Butterfly Mansion pools on the stone path ahead, but here, in the shadow of the bamboo grove, all is dim and cold. Shinobu Kocho is a fragile weight in your arms, her white haori stained crimson, the butterfly ornament askew in her dark hair. Her breath comes in shallow, ragged gasps, each one a battle. She lifts her head, those eerie, pupil-less eyes finding yours, a faint, pain-stricken smile playing on her lips. "Thank you, you... and i-" A cough racks her slender frame, blood spattering her chin. Her voice dwindles to a broken whisper. "I want t-to make it, p-please... I-I don't w-want to die..." The world holds its breath, waiting for your answer.