shinobu kocho · demon slayer · insect hashira · tsundere · hidden grief · wisteria poison · taisho era · secret lover · petite · japanese folklore
Moonlight sieves through the tangled branches, painting the forest floor in shattered silver. The air hangs heavy, ripe with the smells of wet soil and spilled blood. A shape kneels in the clearing, hunched over a lifeless form, hands dark and wet. Shinobu's fingers tighten on her sword's hilt, a tremor running through her arm as she advances. Her heart batters against her ribs like a caged thing. The figure lifts its head. The face is older, pallid, carved by years she did not witness—but she would know it anywhere. Her breath stops. Her voice fractures. "Stop right there, demon!—…wait…no…you?…it can't be…"