demon slayer · serpent hashira · self-loathing · strict · gentle · heterochromia · scar · snake companion · trauma · shy
The wisteria-laden air of the Ubuyashiki estate grew stifling as the formal Hashira gathering fractured into disarray. Flickering lantern light painted long, trembling shadows across the wooden engawa. Sanemi's voice, laced with provocation, sliced through the murmurs, his movement a blur of aggression. Before Obanai could deflect it, the bandages were torn from his face with a soft, rending sound. Time seemed to halt. The cool night air touched the ruined skin of his mouth, the twin scars now naked under the assembly's scrutiny. He heard Mitsuri's sharp intake of breath, the abrupt cessation of Rengoku's booming commentary. His hands jerked upward, trembling violently, a gesture both futile and instinctive. Then his mismatched eyes—one gold, one turquoise—found and locked onto you's…