a/n: Hello, sweet people out there! how are you, nonnies? I've missed you < 3 listening to Faye Webster I got inspired to write this, I'm obsessed again with KNY, so this wasn't a request(although you are more than welcome to request it ^^). I hope you enjoy this as much as i enjoyed writing it 🐻❄️ྀིྀི
Plot: Lady Tamayo didn't think it was possible to feel attraction anymore until she saw you at the Butterfly Estate. From that day, she developed something that for centuries she hadn't felt, love.
* Kind of out of character, Yushiro in this is not in love.
Interacting with humans was something I had grown accustomed to over the years. Patients came and went, each carrying their share of suffering, their voices adding to the endless chorus of the world’s chaos. And still, I try to remain composed, enigmatic, a shadow wrapped in silk.
Yet, working alongside the Demon Slayer Corps was… different. Accepting their invitation to aid in the search for a cure placed me in a dangerous position, exposed beneath the wary eyes of so many who carried no love for what I was. Nor did I expect affection or forgiveness, such things have never been mine to claim. But knowing this did not quiet the anxious pulse that ran through me, persistent as the beat of a war drum. I hid it well, as I must do. My headaches already stemmed from endless apologies for Yushiro’s sharp tongue, his lack of patience was beyond my limit. To my relief, however, the slayer's unease was tempered with politeness. Their restraint let me breathe again. In truth, I could not have been more grateful, it allowed me to see the beauty of their resolve, the way humanity fought with intellect and skill against despair.
It was then I approached the Insect Hashira, Kocho Shinobu. So small in stature, yet fierce in presence—her courage, her dedication, her calm strength stirred something like admiration within me. She had given so much of herself for humanity, and in that moment, I felt a quiet respect blossom in my chest. By the time our meeting had ended, the night lay heavy and quiet upon us. As Yushiro and I prepared to take our leave, Shinobu’s voice stopped us. With a subtle smile, she invited us to her estate, offering to show her experiments and discuss further possibilities. So we walked together beneath the stars through the silence of the night. The path was easy, untroubled, and before long, the Butterfly Estate rose before us in a graceful, delicate way with the fragrance of medicine and blossoms.
“Kocho, thank you for inviting us into your home. It’s lovely,” I said, my tone as composed as ever, though inwardly I marveled at the warmth of her welcome. The small smile she offered in return told me my words had pleased her. Stepping into the Butterfly Estate, I did not expect the chorus of voices that greeted us, six girls waiting, their faces bright with excitement. Three rushed to Shinobu’s side, cheering as though her arrival were a festival. The other three turned their curious eyes on Yushiro and me, their whispers quick and eager.
I felt Yushiro tense at my side, his irritation simmering like an approaching storm. Before he could unleash one of his cutting remarks, I caught his gaze and mouthed a single warning: “Yushiro.” He understood and swallowed whatever sharp words he had prepared.
“Are they staying for the night?”
Questions flew at Shinobu, who only laughed softly, her voice a gentle reprimand. “Good night, girls. I’m surprised to see you awake so far past your bedtime… though perhaps we may forgive it tonight.”
The girls pouted, cheeks flushed pink at her mild scolding. Their innocence was disarming, and despite myself, I smiled faintly at the sight. Shinobu continued her explanation, answering their endless curiosity.
I was listening to the whole dialog but then—
A woman among the girls, though not clad as a slayer. Her presence struck me like a sudden intake of air, so sharp it burned. I forgot myself, forgot to breathe until a faint gasp escaped my lips. At once, Yushiro stepped forward, ever protective, placing himself between me and the world.
“Tamayo-sama, are you well? Did something happen?” His voice was edged with alarm.
“I… I am fine,” I managed, though the words faltered. He did not believe me, but mercifully, he allowed the matter to rest. And so, once the attention shifted away, I let my gaze return to her. This time, she noticed. Our eyes met, hers shimmering with warmth, mine surely betraying too much and she gifted me a smile. Soft. Shy. Radiant.
Her smile struck me like lightning, and the heat it sparked spread mercilessly through my body. I forced myself to remain composed, though I could feel Shinobu’s eyes lingering, sharp and observant. When she said nothing, I released a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.
It must have been nothing. Surely a passing moment. The heat was only the weather, I told myself. Only fatigue. Nothing to do with the beauty of a woman’s gaze.
So weeks passed, and denial became impossible. I was doomed. Hopeless. Lost.
The woman,Y/N, wove herself into my days without trying. Her laughter was a spell, her scent lingered long after she passed, subtle but intoxicating. I wanted, no, needed more. To know her, to hear her, to touch the warmth I had only imagined.
Yushiro began to tease me, his smugness unbearable whenever Y/N spoke to me and my hands trembled visibly. Worse still, Shinobu noticed first. She caught me faltering, caught my gaze straying again and again to where Y/N stood. Her giggles, soft and sly, told me she knew far too much.
I could not decide whether to scold or to thank Shinobu when she assigned Y/N to accompany me in gathering herbs. My nerves threatened to unravel, but they melted the moment she asked, shyly,
“Shall we go there to pick the best ones, Tamayo-sama?”
Her voice was hesitant, yet warm. Soon we were speaking about medicine, about food, about humanity itself and before I realized it, I was laughing softly with her, sharing small stories of adventures. Even when the basket was already full, I suggested we linger, that we sit together until almost dawn, I never seem to had enough of her.
In what felt like no time at all, closeness bloomed between us. More than good friends, though I lacked the courage to admit how my heart swayed. Shinobu, of course, noticed.
“Tamayo-san,” she teased one night, “I thought you were braver. There’s already a rumor that the two of you are a couple—so why not make it true? You act like it anyway.”
My eyes widened in shock. “Kocho-san, I most certainly do not!” I protested, clinging to composure. She rolled her eyes. “Please. The other day she fell asleep on your lap, and you spent two hours playing with her hair and humming to her.”
Heat rushed to my face. She wasn’t supposed to have seen that. “That is… what good friends do,” I lied, the words clumsy on my tongue.
“Not even you believe that, Tamayo-sama” Yushiro interjected, for once siding with Shinobu. The two of them united in their mischief, tormenting me without mercy.
The teasing ended abruptly when the door slid open and Aoi appeared in her nightclothes, her expression apologetic.
“Shinobu-sama,” she said, “some of the girls have caught a cold. Y/N seems to be the worst... she’s pale and not feeling well. I thought it best to tell you.”
Before Shinobu could respond, I was already on my feet. My body moved before my mind did, led by something deeper than reason. Using my senses, I found her room, knocked softly, and heard the faintest whisper:
The sight broke me, her fragile body curled beneath the blankets, her skin pale with fever. My heart clenched, and before I could stop myself, I bent to press a gentle kiss against her forehead. Quietly, I prepared the remedy, hands steady though my chest trembled. Shinobu tended to the other girls, leaving Y/N entirely in my care. And selfishly, shamefully, I was glad.
For the next days, she was mine to tend, like a precious child, like something more. My heart quickened whenever she leaned against me for comfort. And when she pouted at the bitterness of the medicine, lips pursed in the sweetest defiance, I nearly broke. Nearly.
Nights blurred together after her recovery. She returned to her duties at the Estate with the same light in her step, the same brightness in her smile, but for me… nothing was the same. I had tasted what it meant to have her near me, clinging to me in her weakness, trusting me as though I were not a monster at all but something softer. I still craved it. One evening, as the lanterns burned low and the halls had grown quiet, I found her alone in one of the workrooms, sorting bundles of dried herbs with careful hands. I found myself speaking.
She looked up at me, eyes warm, her lips curving into that smile that always left me breathless. “Tamayo! you startled me. I thought everyone was asleep.”
“I… could not rest,” I confessed, and for once my voice faltered. I stepped closer, unable to resist. The moonlight caught her face, painting her in silver, and I was undone. How can something mortal shine brighter than eternity itself?
She tilted her head. “You’ve seemed… different, these days. Quieter. Is something wrong?”
How could I answer? My heart thundered like a guilty thing, begging to be freed. For centuries I have spoken with measured words, precise and careful—but now, my lips betrayed me.
“It is you,” I whispered. “You are what is wrong with me. Or perhaps what is right. I cannot decide.”
Her eyes widened, but she did not move away. So I continued, the dam within me broken.
“You have unsettled me, Y/N. My composure falters when you are near, my hands ache to reach for you. I tell myself it is madness, that I must remain silent, yet silence has become unbearable. You have made me… human again.”
For a heartbeat, there was only the sound of the night—the rustle of leaves, the hush of distant wings. And then, softly, she reached for my hand. With a shuddering breath, before I could think my next words she lifted my hand to her lips, pressing a reverent kiss against my skin. She smiled shyly, radiant and in that moment restraint shattered.
“I adore you with my whole soul, Tamayo, I don't want to hide it, I want to be with you for as long as I live.” she murmured, voice trembling with courage, “please… let me.”
And then she kissed me. Boldly, softly, but with intention. Her lips pressed to mine, warm and alive, and for the first time in centuries, I let myself melt. My hands moved on their own, cupping her face, pulling her impossibly close.
For once, I was not Tamayo the fugitive.
For once, I was only a woman in love.
I'm not fuxking with the real events of the manga right now so bare with me lol, I really did enjoy writing this, let me know what you think! Please send requests 🐻❄️ྀིྀི
