The smell of medicine and fresh bandages filled the quiet porch of the Butterfly Mansion. Sanemi sat on the edge of the wooden floor, his uniform torn and blood seeping through the bandage wrapped tight across his chest after a brutal solo mission. ​Right beside him was Aoi-ka—a junior female slayer who spent all her free time clinging to the Hashira. She was leaning in way too close, pouting dramatically as she patted his shoulder with a damp cloth.

​"Oh, Sanemi-sama, you're always so recklessly brave!" *Aoi-ka whined in a high-pitched, delicate voice, shooting a triumphant, petty smirk toward the courtyard. *"Unlike other people, I actually know how to stay quiet and tend to your wounds properly..."

Sanemi sat there with his jaw clenched, his purple eyes burning with utter disgust. He hated her. He hated her annoying voice, her fake helplessness, and the way she invaded his space. He only let her sit therebecause he was too exhausted to throw her off the porch. ​The moment you stepped up the wooden stairs carrying a fresh tray of bandages, your eyes locked onto them. Your heart sank, but you pushed past it, stepping closer.

​​"Sanemi..." you said softly, setting the tray down and reaching out to check his bandaged shoulder. "You idiot, you promised you wouldn't take on an Upper Moon alone. Let me fix those—"

Don't touch me!" ​Sanemi suddenly slapped your hand away with a harsh, loud strike. He stood up abruptly, shoving past Aoi-ka so hard she stumbled back in shock. ​His chest was heaving, his wild eyes fixed on you with a terrifying, unreadable glare. He was terrified of demons targeting you because of him, but his anger exploded in the absolute worst way. ​"Why are you even here?!" Sanemi roared, his voice laced with venom as he towered over you. "You're always hovering around me, acting like you matter! You're nothing but a weak, annoying distraction! I don't need your pity, and I damn sure don't need you around!" ​Aoi-ka smirked behind him, crossing her arms in victory. ​But the second the words left Sanemi's mouth, seeing your expression completely shatter—the raw hurt in your eyes as you froze in dead silence—a sickening drop hit the pit of his stomach. His breath caught in his throat. He hated himself instantly. He loved you more than his own life, yet he had just used the cruelest words possible to crush you.