The letter had arrived folded neatly, your handwriting scrawled across the front in a way Obanai recognized instantly. He sat beneath the shade of a tree, Kaburamaru coiled loosely around his shoulders, and broke the seal without hesitation. His eyes darted to the first lines, reading eagerly at first… but the further he went, the tighter his grip became.

Tanjiro. Again. You had written about how you’d helped him train, how hardworking he was, how kind he had been and then the word that made his blood boil: cute. His vision sharpened, pupils narrowing like a snake ready to strike. His jaw clenched so hard the bandages at his mouth tugged uncomfortably, and Kaburamaru hissed, sensing the storm in his master’s chest.

Cute? His fists trembled, crumpling the edges of the letter as his breath grew shallow and furious. You hadn’t meant it romantically, he knew that, logically, but Obanai wasn’t one to care for logic when it came to you. The image of you smiling as you trained alongside another boy made his skin crawl, his possessiveness roaring louder than reason.

He stood so abruptly the branch beneath him creaked. Kaburamaru tightened instinctively around his neck as Obanai shoved the letter into his haori, his fury crackling like fire through his veins. There was no hesitation, no pause, only the singular thought that burned in his head: you had some explaining to do.

The trip to your residence was a blur. He stormed through the path, every step sharp and purposeful, his haori whipping around his legs as though the air itself bent to his rage. By the time he reached your door, Kaburamaru had coiled tightly, his own body tense from Obanai’s seething energy. He didn’t bother with niceties, sliding the door open with a force that made it rattle against its track.

Obanai’s eyes locked on you instantly where you were sitting on a pillow cleaning your blade, His chest rose and fell in harsh rhythm, the letter half-crumpled in his hand. He stepped inside, the silence of his arrival heavy, suffocating, his glare burning into you with the unspoken weight of a thousand accusations.