OG UNIVERSE! MANGA SPOILERS!
Mitsuri x Obanai
love at first sight trope!
My own take on how Mitsuri and Obanai met...
The spring was silent, as the breeze blew through the branches of the sakura trees, scattering petals while spreading a sweet smell through the air.
A young girl stood until the tree, quietly contemplating life and curiously picking at her fingernails.
On the veranda, Kaburamaru slithered aimlessly on the wood, soaking up the heat to his content.
"Kabura-" Iguro called. The snake had been missing for several hours. He looked up, and saw a girl, humming a little song while she fiddled with her hands.
He escaped from his owner's arms and slithered into the grass.
"Kaburamaru! You'll scare her!" Obanai protested. The snake did not heed his warning and crawled up her ankle, before slithering around her neck.
Instead of screaming in terror, the woman giggled in delight.
"Why, hello!" she laughed as she nuzzled the snake gently. Stunned, Obanai simply stared as he watched this girl... embrace the snake as if she would a friend.
"Where did you come from?" she inspected the reptile for a clue but found nothing.
"Perhaps I could give you to Oyakata-sama," she offered, and the snake hissed in protest. She laughed and nodded.
"Alright. Maybe you can stay with me for a while."
"Kaburamaru!" Obanai snarled. Not only was he already missing his favorite pet, but he was also jealous that this girl was spending more time with his snake.
"I'm surprised at you, Obanai. Didn't realize you would just let your snake fly off with someone else." Tengen teased.
Obanai gave him a hard glare.
"Snakes don't fly, Uzui."
"What- it was a joke-" Tengen slapped his forehead.
"Whatever. Anyway, she's cute, but I'd keep your hands off of her if I were you," he wiggled his eyebrows.
"What do you mean?" Obanai asked, not paying attention in the slightest.
"She's Rengoku's tsuguko." Tengen offered.
Oh.
It was never clearly stated by the rules, or by Rengoku himself, but everyone had agreed, albeit not verbally, that anything that was Rengoku's was Rengoku's.
The Flame Hashira had never said anything of the sort, but everyone held him in such high regard that they decided to give him his space.
At that moment, the Flame Pillar walked up the hill.
"Kanroji-san! It's time for training!"
The woman's smile brightened, and she lit up under his boisterous laughter.
"What are you doing with Iguro's snake?" Rengoku peeked over her shoulder.
"Iguro?" Mitsuri questioned. Rengoku nodded thoughtfully.
Hearing his master's name, Kaburamaru abandoned the woman, and slithered back towards the veranda, before slithering onto his shoulders. Iguro grimaced as the pink-haired woman looked at him curiously.
"We should go. Our subordinates are waiting for us." Rengoku urged. Kanroji nodded and walked off.
"Someone's in love..." Tengen teased, before earning a hard jab to the stomach via Iguro's sword.
---
"Ever since that day... I could never look away from you for too long. It was love at first sight."
"You make me want to be a better person."
"Your laughter was endless, never-ending. Your brightness lit up even the darkest of spaces. I'm sure the others felt the same way. Never let yourself see otherwise."
He gazed at her with such kindness that she felt her heart melt.
"I'm sorry... that I couldn't protect you. But in the next life, I promise, when we're reborn as humans, we'll get married. I'm so sorry,"
He fell to his knees and choked on his tears.
She was laying on the floor, her eyes half closed.
"I love you."
She closed her eyes, and he felt a part of himself disappear; he was gone too.
