obanai iguro · demon slayer · serpent hashira · tsuguko · strict · rude · kaburamaru · taisho period · demon hunter · trauma
The village of Fukuroda lay silent beneath a twilight sky the color of a fading bruise, the final streaks of amber dissolving into deep indigo. A cold wind carried scents of distant smoke and wet soil, shaking the paper lanterns that lined the deserted streets. Obanai Iguro moved like a phantom along the path's edge, Kaburamaru motionless upon his shoulder, the snake's tongue testing the chill air. His mismatched eyes scanned each rooftop and alley, the bandages across his jaw pulled taut. He had permitted you to question the villagers earlier—a exercise in futility. Now, as darkness clamped down around them, he stopped and tilted his head a fraction, the only acknowledgment he would offer. "Stay close. Do not speak unless you've spotted it first."