𝐒𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐁𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐬

Shadows and Serpents

Iguro pov:

The silence of the night was oppressive, yet sleep remained elusive for Obanai Iguro. He lay on his futon, staring blankly at the ceiling. Despite his efforts to keep his mind clear, memories from the past crawled back into his consciousness like the snake he bore on his body—a constant, slithering presence.

The events of the previous day played out in his mind: the encounter at the Butterfly Estate, the dinner with Mitsuri, and the unsettling thoughts that had lingered afterward. But deeper memories, older memories, began to surface—ones he wished would remain buried.

He turned over, trying to push them away, but the darkness seemed to amplify his thoughts. In his mind's eye, he was no longer a Hashira but a small, frightened child. The shadows of his past loomed over him, his family's cold voices echoing in his ears.

Rough hands gripped his face, forcing his mouth open. The blade flashed in the dim light, and then came the paiun sharp and blinding. His mouth was split open, blood pouring from the wound as they forced his lips into a cruel imitation of a snake’s.

---

Obanai woke with a start, his hand instinctively going to the scars on his mouth. His heart was pounding, his body drenched in cold sweat. The nightmare had felt too real, too close. With a frustrated growl, he threw off his blanket and rose to his feet. He knew there was no point in trying to sleep again.

He dressed quickly and made his way outside, the cool dawn air a welcome contrast to the suffocating heat of his dreams. He began his morning training, moving through his sword forms with precision.

But no matter how hard he pushed himself, his thoughts kept drifting back to the previous night and to Giyuu Tomioka. The strange, unsettling feelings that Giyuu stirred within him were like an itch he couldn’t scratch, a discomfort he couldn’t shake.

His sword cut through the air with more force than necessary, his frustration bubbling over. He recalled the time they had been forced to share a futon during a mission, a situation neither had been comfortable with. The memory of lying so close to Giyuu, feeling the other man’s presence so near, made his chest tighten in a way he didn’t understand. It was… unsettling, to say the least.

“Why am I thinking about this?” he muttered to himself, slashing through the air again. “It doesn’t matter. Focus,just fucking focus.”

But no matter how much he told himself to forget, the memory lingered, as did the inexplicable feelings it evoked.

---

When the sun had fully risen, Obanai was summoned for a new mission.

The mission was serious—a demon was targeting children in a nearby village, and the Demon Slayer Corps needed to send their strongest to handle it. As a Hashira, Obanai was more than capable of handling it alone, and he was ready to do just that.

But then came the news that made his blood run cold: he would not be going alone. The higher-ups had decided that due to the severity of the threat, he would need to partner with another Hashira.

Giyuu Tomioka.

Obanai’s hand tightened around the hilt of his sword, his jaw clenching in frustration. Of all people, why did it have to be Giyuu again? He shot a glance at the Water Hashira, who stood across the room, as cold and unreadable as ever. Giyuu’s expression betrayed nothing, his posture rigid and aloof.

Memories of their last mission together,of sharing that damned futon, of the strange feelings that had arisen—flooded back to him. It was like a thorn in his side, and the thought of working so closely with Giyuu again made his stomach twist.

“Just my luck,” he muttered under his breath, glaring at Giyuu, though the other man showed no reaction.

There was no use protesting; the decision was final. But Obanai couldn’t help the wave of frustration that washed over him. Giyuu’s presence was like an unwelcome shadow, a constant reminder of the things Obanai didn’t want to think about.

---
The journey to the village was in silence, the atmosphere between them tense. Obanai walked ahead, Giyuu followed at a measured pace, his expression as cold and distant as ever. The silence between them was thick, almost suffocating, but neither made any effort to break it.

Obanai stole glances at Giyuu, his frustration growing with each passing moment. He couldn’t understand how Giyuu could remain so calm, so unaffected by everything that had happened. It made Obanai feel like he was the only one grappling with something he couldn’t name.

Finally, the tension became too much to bear.

“Don’t you have anything to say?” Obanai snapped, stopping abruptly to face Giyuu. “Or are you just going to keep staring at the ground like an idiot?”

Giyuu met his gaze with his usual stoicism, his voice as cool as ever. “What do you want me to say, Iguro?”

Obanai’s frustration only deepened at the calmness in Giyuu’s tone. It was as if Giyuu didn’t care at all, and that thought gnawed at him, making him even more agitated.

“Tch,” Obanai scoffed, turning away sharply. He picked up the pace, putting more distance between them. He didn’t want to think about why Giyuu’s indifference bothered him so much. All he needed to do was focus on the mission,on killing the demon.

But no matter how hard he tried to focus, the tension remained, a heavy weight pressing down on him.

---
When they arrived at the village, the air was thick with fear. The villagers had been terrorized by the demon for days, their eyes filled with desperation as they looked to the two Hashira for salvation.

They began their investigation immediately.
But even as they worked together, the unspoken tension simmered beneath the surface, a reminder that the battle ahead wasn’t the only one Obanai was fighting.

---
The demon revealed itself with a sudden drop in temperature and an  silence that fell over the village. Obanai’s hand was on his sword in an instant, and Giyuu was right beside him, both of them ready to face the threat

The battle was intense, but they were Hashira,the strongest of the Demon Slayer Corps. Their movements were fluid and preciseThe demon, though powerful, was no match for their combined strength. With each strike, they drove it back, wearing it down until, finally, Obanai delivered the finishing blow, his sword slicing clean through the demon’s neck.

As the demon’s body disintegrated into ash, Obanai stood tall, his breathing steady. There were no injuries, no weaknesses—just the cold efficiency of two warriors who had mastered their craft.

Giyuu sheathed his sword without a word, his expression as impassive as ever. Obanai glanced at him, his own face a mask of stoic indifference, but inside, the frustration still simmered.

“Let’s go,” Obanai said curtly, not waiting for a response as he turned to leave the village.

Giyuu followed silently, his presence still an unwelcome shadow at Obanai’s back. The battle was over, but the tension between them remained, unresolved and lingering like a bitter taste in the air.

And as they walked, Obanai couldn’t help but wonder why, despite everything, Giyuu Tomioka still managed to get under his skin.