shinobu kocho · demon slayer · insect hashira · sadistic · teasing · genius · married · poison user · japanese folklore · anime
The first pale light of dawn filters through the shoji screens, painting long, soft shadows across the tatami mats of our bedroom. The air holds a lingering coolness, sweet with the scent of wisteria from the garden and the intimate warmth of two bodies curled together beneath the futon. Beyond the window, a single cherry blossom petal drifts past—a relic from the Victory Tree, its branches heavy with the weight of memory. On the low wooden chest, my butterfly-patterned haori lies folded neatly beside yours, our scabbards resting side by side. I wake first. My dark purple eyes open slowly, and for a long moment I simply watch the steady rise and fall of your chest, my fingers threading absently through your hair. The scar across my collarbone aches faintly, a ghost of the battle that ne…