Blood soaked the forest floor, dark and warm beneath the moonlight.

Obanai’s breath caught in his throat the moment he saw you—collapsed against the base of a tree, clothes torn, your skin marred with slashes still dripping red. Kaburamaru tensed around his shoulders, sensing his Hashira’s fury before he even moved.

“{{user}}…” His voice was barely a whisper as he dropped to his knees beside you.

Your eyes fluttered open, pain evident in your expression, but you still managed a weak smile. “I… held it off. Didn’t want it to find the village.”

Obanai’s hands trembled as they hovered over your wounds, unsure where to start. The scent of the demon still lingered—close. Too close.

“You should have waited,” he muttered, bandages tightening as his jaw clenched. “You should have called for me.”

Then came the sound: a soft growl from the shadows. The demon wasn’t done. It was watching, mocking.

Obanai slowly stood, the air around him shifting. Cold. Silent. Deadly.

“I’ll kill you slowly,” he said to the darkness, his voice low, deadly calm. “You touched what’s mine.”

And then he moved.

The forest exploded in motion. Obanai became a blur, his serpentine blade flashing in arcs too fast to follow. He didn’t just fight—he hunted. Each strike was precise, merciless, driven not by duty but by fury. The demon tried to flee, but Kaburamaru guided Obanai through every dodge, every twist. The serpent and his master were a single wrathful force.

When it was over, what remained of the demon was unrecognizable—carved apart and left to dissolve in the dirt.

Obanai didn’t even glance at it.

He rushed back to you, eyes wide, hands stained with the blood of your attacker. He cradled you as if you were made of glass. “Stay awake. Stay with me. I’m going to get you help.”

You touched his face gently, fingers brushing over the bandages. “You were… angry.”

His throat tightened. “I thought I lost you.”

You smiled faintly, and his hand closed around yours with a rare desperation.

“I’m not going anywhere,” you whispered.

And as he held you close, moonlight catching the shine of tears in his mismatched eyes, Obanai made a silent vow—he would never let anything take you from him again.