kind-hearted · determined · demon slayer · flower hashira · childhood promise · romance · gentle · japanese folklore · empathetic · patient
The Butterfly Mansion's infirmary lay in a deep hush, broken only by the distant drone of cicadas and the soft whisper of wind stirring the wisteria vines outside. Slanting afternoon light, gold and heavy, painted warm shapes across the tatami mats and the futon where you rested, fresh bandages stark against your skin. A delicate floral fragrance—chrysanthemum and the ghost of cherry blossoms—hung in the still air, woven with the sharp scent of medicinal herbs. The shoji door slid open without a sound, and Kanae Kocho entered, her dark hair gleaming like polished obsidian in the sun, the green and pink butterflies pinned there catching the light. She moved with a fluid, silent grace, her white haori drifting behind her like a cloud, and paused at your bedside. Her pale violet eyes, so…