𝐒𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐁𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐬

Unsettling Encounters

Iguro Pov:

Butterfly Mansion Early Evening

He had just come from dinner with Mitsuri, a rare occasion that had left him with a mixture of warmth and discomfort. Mitsuri had been her usual cheerful self, chatting interestingly  about her day and the latest happenings among the Hashira. Obanai had listened quietly, contributing only when necessary, his thoughts often wandering.

Mitsuri’s infectious energy had, as always, lifted his spirits, but he couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that lingered after their time together. It wasn’t Mitsuri’s company that troubled him—no, it was something else entirely.

Or rather, someone else.

As he walked through the mansion, Kaburamaru lazily draped around his shoulders, Obanai’s thoughts drifted back to the moment he had decided to head here. Mitsuri had been concerned about Kaburamaru’s lethargy, gently suggesting that he take the serpent to Shinobu for a checkup. Though he had initially dismissed the idea, Mitsuri’s gentle insistence had convinced him to make the detour before returning to his estate.

“It’s nothing,” he muttered to himself as he approached the medical wing. “Just a routine check.”

But as he turned a corner, lost in thought, he collided with something—or rather, someone. The impact was enough to jolt him out of his reverie, and he immediately stepped back, his eyes narrowing.

“Watch where you’re going,” he snaped, his voice harsh.

It was only then that he realized who he had bumped into.

Standing before him was none other than Giyuu Tomioka, the Water Hashira. His expression was as unreadable as ever, his eyes cold and distant as they met Obanai’s glare. For a brief moment, neither of them spoke, the air between them thick with unspoken tension.

“Fuck off, Tomioka,” Obanai hissed, his voice low and filled with disdain. He tried to push past Giyuu, not caring in the slightest about him, not wanting to be around him for even a second longer.

Giyuu’s response was a simple, icy glance. He stepped aside wordlessly, allowing Obanai to pass without further incident. But as Obanai brushed past him, he couldn’t help but feel the weight of that gaze lingering on him, unsettling in its silence.

He kept walking, determined to ignore the strange, uncomfortable feeling that was creeping up his spine. Why did Tomioka have to be here, of all places? And why did it bother him so much?

He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts as he made his way to Shinobu’s office. His mind, however, betrayed him, pulling up memories he had been trying to bury since the last mission.

The memory of Giyuu’s arm, injured and bleeding, flashed in his mind. Without thinking, he had bandaged it, his hands moving almost of their own accord. The recollection of the firmness of Giyuu’s muscles under his touch, the warmth of his skin—even through the cold, blood-soaked fabric—stirred something within him that he didn’t want to acknowledge.

“Why did I do it?” he muttered under his breath as he finally reached Shinobu’s door. “Why did I bother bandaging his arm?”

He stopped just outside the door, frowning as the memory continued to torment him. Giyuu could have bandaged it himself. But Obanai had done it..

“No,” he told himself firmly, shaking his head as if to dislodge the thought. “It was just… convenient. That’s all.”

But even as he tried to convince himself, he couldn’t help but recall the feeling of Giyuu’s arm beneath his hands, how he had lingered just a moment longer than necessary, how the touch had left him with a strange, unsettling sensation.

“It doesn’t matter,” he growled softly, brushing the thoughts aside with frustration. “I should have just let him deal with it himself.”

He knocked on Shinobu’s door, and when she called for him to enter, he pushed the door open with a little more force than necessary. Shinobu looked up from her desk, her serene smile greeting him as she noticed Kaburamaru’s sluggish state.

“Iguro-san, what brings you here this evening?” she asked, her tone as gentle as always.

“Kaburamaru isn’t well,” Obanai replied curtly, trying to focus on the reason he was here. “I need you to take a look at him.”

“Of course, let me see,” Shinobu said, standing up and moving around her desk with her usual grace. She gently coaxed Kaburamaru onto her arm, examining the serpent with practiced care.

As Shinobu worked, Obanai tried to force his mind to stay on Kaburamaru’s condition, but his thoughts kept drifting back to that hallway encounter. Why had Giyuu been there? Was it for his arm? The one Obanai had bandaged?

“Ridiculous,” he muttered to himself again, his irritation growing. He was the Serpent Hashira, not some sentimental fool who wasted time on unnecessary thoughts. His only goal was to protect and kill demons, nothing more. He didn’t have time for these… distractions.

Shinobu’s voice broke through his internal monologue. “It seems Kaburamaru is a bit under the weather, likely due to the changing seasons. I’ll prepare some medicine that should help him recover quickly.”

Obanai nodded, grateful for the distraction. “Thank you, Kocho.”

“Of course,” she replied with a kind smile. “I’ll have it ready in just a few moments.”

As Shinobu prepared the medicine, Obanai found himself glancing at the door, half-expecting Giyuu to walk through it again. He mentally berated himself for the thought. Why should he care where Giyuu was or what he was doing?

“Enough,” he growled softly to himself, determined to banish the thoughts once and for all. He was here for Kaburamaru, nothing else.

When Shinobu returned with the medicine, Obanai carefully administered it to Kaburamaru, feeling a slight sense of relief as the serpent’s eyes brightened just a little.

“Take care, Iguro-san,” Shinobu said with a nod as he prepared to leave.

Obanai muttered a quick thanks and turned to leave the Butterfly Mansion, his mind set on returning to his estate and putting this entire evening behind him.

But as he walked down the halls, he couldn’t help but glance around, half-expecting to see Giyuu again. When he didn’t, he told himself it was for the best. The last thing he needed was another encounter with the Water Hashira.

And yet, as he stepped out into the cool evening air, he couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t the last time his thoughts would betray him.

As he made his way back home, Kaburamaru resting a bit more comfortably now, Obanai resolved to focus on what really mattered—his duty, his mission, and nothing else.

But deep down, he knew that the thoughts he was trying so hard to suppress were only growing stronger, more insistent, and that eventually, he would have to face them.