𝐒𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐁𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐬

Shadows and Silent Resolve

Iguro pov:

The sun had barely begun to rise when Obanai woke, the thin morning light creeping through the small window of the Wisteria House. The night had been restless, the shared futon a physical reminder of the strained, unspoken tensions between him and Giyuu. Though he had tried to focus on sleep, his mind kept drifting to the uneasy truce they maintained.

Giyuu had remained distant throughout the night, his back turned and his body rigid. Despite the physical proximity, the emotional distance between them felt as vast as ever. The quiet, muffled sounds of Giyuu’s breathing were almost irritating in their steadiness. Obanai, for his part, lay awake, replaying the events of the previous day and his interactions with Mitsuri.

When Obanai had received her letter, he had been both surprised and heartened. Her words had carried a warmth he hadn’t expected, and he had felt a rare surge of affection as he read her concerns and questions. Mitsuri’s care was a comfort, and he had responded with equal warmth, though he had carefully avoided mentioning anything about Giyuu. The last thing he wanted was to reveal too much.

Today, as they prepared to leave the Wisteria House, the unease between him and Giyuu was palpable. They were both preparing to leave, gathering their belongings in silence. The elderly woman who had taken them in had prepared a modest breakfast, but the mood was tense. Obanai noted how Giyuu seemed to purposefully avoid eye contact with him, focusing instead on the simple meal in front of him.

Giyuu’s impassive demeanor irritated Obanai.As they ate, Obanai tried to break the silence. “We should get going soon,” he said, his voice sharper than intended.

Giyuu glanced up momentarily, his gaze cold. “Yes,” he replied, not going further with the interaction .

After breakfast, they both gathered their things and made their way to the door. The elderly woman, though kind, had done little to ease the tension between them. She smiled and bowed as they departed, her hospitality a stark contrast to the coldness that hung between the two Hashira.

As they walked along the path leading away from the Wisteria House, Obanai found himself lost in thought. He couldn’t shake the image of Mitsuri’s letter, her words echoing in his mind. Despite his attempts to remain aloof, the sincerity in her message had touched him deeply. It was a reminder of a warmth he yearned for, and he couldn’t help but feel a bang of jealousy whenever he thought of Giyuu.

The journey ahead was quiet, the two Hashira maintaining a significant distance between them. Obanai’s mind was a whirl of conflicting emotions—his frustration with Giyuu, his longing for Mitsuri, and the lingering shadow of their recent mission.

At one point, they stopped by a river to refill their water bottles. Giyuu, as usual, was silent, his focus entirely on the task at hand. Obanai took the opportunity to voice his lingering irritation. “You know, it wouldn’t hurt to acknowledge things once in a while.”

Giyuu glanced at him, his eyes showing a flicker of something—perhaps curiosity, perhaps frustration. “Acknowledging what?”

Obanai’s teeth clenched. “The fact that you’ve been a miserable presence since we started this mission. You’re always so distant, so… detached. It’s infuriating.”

Giyuu’s expression remained unchanged, but there was a hardness in his gaze that suggested he wasn’t entirely unaffected by Obanai’s words. “We’re here to complete a mission, not to indulge in personal grievances.”

Obanai’s frustration boiled over. “Maybe if you weren’t so hell-bent on pushing everyone away, you’d actually be able to work with others without causing problems.”

The words hung in the air, the silence that followed heavy with unspoken feelings. Giyuu turned away, focusing on the river as he filled his water bottle.

Obanai wanted to retort, but he bit his tongue. They had argued enough, and he was well aware that pushing Giyuu further would likely yield no results. Instead, he took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

As they resumed their journey, the landscape gradually shifted from lush greenery to more rugged terrain. The mission was far from over, and the challenges they faced were only beginning. Despite his frustration with Giyuu, Obanai knew that their success relied on their ability to work together, even if it meant enduring the silent, tense atmosphere that seemed to surround them.

The day’s events had left Obanai exhausted, both physically and emotionally.

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The night was quiet, the only sounds the occasional rustling of leaves and the distant call of nocturnal creatures. As Obanai finished his letter and placed it in an envelope, he allowed himself a rare moment of reflection. Despite the obstacles and frustrations, there was something comforting about the connections he hade eeven if they were complicated.

As sleep began to claim him, Obanai hoped that, in time, the rift between him and Giyuu would close, if not fully, then at least enough to make their partnership more bearable. And as he drifted off, he held onto the hope that things would improve, both with his strained relationship with Giyuu and his evolving feelings for Mitsuri.

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Wrote this while at the dentist appointment🤪

Hate waiting for 1 fucking hour