𝐒𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐁𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐬

Unbroken Bonds

Author's Note:

I've been up all day brainstorming ideas for the next chapters🥹, so I’m still in the process of writing them. I might post another chapter today, but stay tuned for updates! Thanks for your patience and support.
----

Iguro Pov:

The morning fog was just lifting as Iguro prepared for the day ahead. The previous night had been unsettlingly quiet the kind of silence that truly allowed him to rest. Even after all this time, the tension from their battles clung to him. Solitude was something he had long since made peace with preferred, even but lately, Tomioka’s presence had been gnawing at his nerves in a way that was difficult to ignore.

Obanai was a man of discipline, his life shaped by an unwavering sense of duty and strict of conduct. He didn’t like the differenc from the routine, didn’t like surprises. And Giyuu, with his frustratingly calm demeanor and silent strength, was becoming an unwelcome disruption to Obanai. It was anger,no matter how much he tried to focus on the mission, Giyuu’s presence was always there, like a persistent itch he couldn’t scratch.

As he gathered his gear for their nightly patrol, thoughts of  Kanroji briefly crossed his mind. Her kindness and warmth he admired, but they were also qualities that made him uneasy. Obanai didn’t deal well with warmth he didn’t know how. And then there was the jealousy, sharp and bitter, whenever he saw her with Giyuu. He hated that he felt that way, hated that it bothered him at all. But most of all, he hated that Giyuu had got his way into his thoughts, occupying space that should be reserved for the mission.

They set out as the night deepened, their patrolse to protect the nearby villages. The silence between them was heavy, charged with an unspoken tension that had been building for days. Obanai kept his focus on the task at hand, his senses sharpen for any sign of danger. But even as he concentrated, he could feel Giyuu’s presence beside him, a constant reminder of the irritation that had been beneath his skin.

During a brief pause by a riverbank, Obanai forced himself to focus on the steady flow of water, using it to center his thoughts.Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Giyuu sitting a few paces away, his back against a tree. There was a stillness to him that Obanai found amost irritating.
How could anyone be so composed all the time?

When they encountered a minor demon later that night, the battle was brief. Obanai fought with his usual precision, his movements calculated and powerful. But what disturbed him was how smooth he and Giyuu worked together. Their actions were in sync, their teamwork almost talented. It was as though they had been partners for years, rather than rivals forced into proximity. The thought made Obanai bristle with annoyance. He didn’t want this connection, didn’t want anything more from Giyuu than what was necessary to complete their mission.

After the fight, as they paused to rest, Obanai could feel the tension still running through his body. The mission had been successful, and yet he found no satisfaction in it. Instead, there was only frustration,frustration that he couldn’t shake off the feeling that something had changed between them, something he didn’t want to acknowledge.

Giyuu approached, his expression unreadable as always. Obanai didn’t bother looking at him for long, forcing himself to focus on their surroundings instead. He found Giyuu’s silence more irritating than ever, a constant reminder that there were things left unsaid, things that Obanai had no interest in discussing. He had no desire to understand Giyuu, no desire to bridge whatever gap lay between them. All he wanted was to concentrate on the mission, to get through the night without any more unnecessary distractions.

They moved through the village, their steps silent.
Obanai’s thoughts kept drifting back to their interactions, the grudging respect he was developing for Giyuu annoyed against his usual indifference. It bothered him, this creeping sense of something more—something that he refused to name. He tried to shake it off, focusing instead on the task at hand. But even as he pushed the thoughts aside, they lingered in the back of his mind, a persistent shadow that refused to be dismissed.

The cool night air brought little relief. Obanai busied himself with the routine tasks, his movements precise.
But despite his best efforts, he couldn’t completely ignore the tension that had built between them.

Giyuu sat by the fire, staring into the flames as if lost in thought. Obanai watched him for a moment, his gaze hard and unreadable. There was something about Giyuu that got under his skin, something that he found both irritating and… No, he wouldn’t finish that thought. Giyuu was fucking annoying, pain in the ass and simple. Whatever else he felt was irrelevant. Obanai forced himself to look away, focusing instead on the crackling of the fire and the sounds of the forest around them.

They sat there in silence,as Obanai forced himself to concentrate on what truly mattered,the mission. Whatever strange feelings had begun to surface, he would push them down, bury them beneath his duty. Giyuu was just another Hashira, another ally in the fight against demons. Nothing more, nothing less.

As the fire burned low, Obanai finally settled in for the night, the fog of earlier long gone, but the unease remained. He knew that the days ahead would bring more battles, more challenges.
But that was a problem for another time. For now, he would focus on what he knew best: the mission.

And as long as Giyuu Tomioka stayed out of his way, that was exactly what he intended to do.