Imagine Book 2

Scars of the Heart- Obanai Iguro (Kimetsu no Yabia)

Fem Y/N

𝓢𝓶𝓾𝓽 𝓦𝓪𝓻𝓷𝓲𝓷𝓰

The evening air hung heavy with the scent of spring blossoms, a gentle breeze carrying petals across the Butterfly Estate's gardens. Y/N sat alone beneath a weeping cherry tree, her knees drawn to her chest as silent tears tracked down her cheeks. The day's missions had been particularly brutal – too many civilians lost, too many close calls, too many moments where she questioned if she was strong enough to continue as a member of the Demon Slayer Corps.

The soft rustling of grass announced another presence, but Y/N didn't need to look up to know who it was. She'd recognize that graceful, purposeful stride anywhere. Obanai Iguro, the Snake Hashira, moved with the fluid precision that marked his every action.

"Y/N." His voice was soft, lacking its usual edge of stern authority. When she didn't respond, he settled beside her with uncharacteristic gentleness, close enough that she could feel the warmth radiating from his body but not quite touching. His white snake, Kaburamaru, slithered from his master's shoulders to coil nearby, keeping watch.

"You don't have to pretend with me," Obanai said after a moment of silence. "I saw the reports from today's mission."

Y/N's shoulders trembled as she tried to maintain her composure. "I should have been faster. Should have been stronger. If I had just—"

"Stop." The word was firm but not unkind. "You did everything you could. Sometimes, despite our best efforts, we cannot save everyone. That's the burden we bear as demon slayers."

Finally, she looked up at him. Even through the bandages that concealed the lower half of his face, she could see the concern in his mismatched eyes – one green, one yellow, both focused intently on her. Those eyes that usually struck fear into demons and corps members alike now held nothing but warmth and understanding.

"But how do you bear it?" she whispered. "How do you keep going when it feels like you're drowning in failure?"

Obanai was quiet for a long moment, his gaze shifting to the falling cherry blossoms. "We bear it together," he finally said. "None of us walks this path alone. You've shown me that, Y/N. More than anyone else has."

The weight of unspoken words hung between them. They'd been dancing around this for months – the lingering glances, the way they gravitated toward each other during meetings, how he'd grown to trust her with his rare smiles and even rarer moments of vulnerability. Y/N had become the exception to so many of Obanai's rigid rules, and they both knew it.

"Obanai," she breathed, reaching out hesitantly. Her fingers brushed against his hand, and to her surprise, he didn't pull away. Instead, he turned his palm upward, allowing their fingers to intertwine.

The touch sent electricity through them both. Y/N's tears had stopped, replaced by a different kind of tension that made her heart race. Obanai's thumb traced gentle circles on her skin, each movement deliberate and careful, as if she were something precious he feared might shatter.

"Y/N," he murmured, his voice rougher than usual. "You see me in a way no one else does. Sometimes I wonder if you see too much."

She turned to face him fully, their joined hands resting between them. With her free hand, she reached toward his face, hovering just inches from the bandages. "Let me see all of you, Obanai. Please."

He stiffened, conflict visible in his eyes. The bandages weren't just a physical barrier – they were his armour, protecting him from the judgment and disgust he'd faced his entire life. But Y/N's gaze held nothing but acceptance and something deeper, something that made his heart stutter in his chest.