Chapter Text
Sanemi & Obanai + Kaburamaru ig…
It’s pretty obvious that Obanai is not a people’s person.
Just one bad first impression is enough for him to immediately dislike someone and it’s pretty hard to change his feelings on something like that.
Due to that, there’s barely any people in the corps that he can tolerate, much less actually enjoy spending time with. He will be humble enough to admit that it’s mostly his fault and rarely theirs. He’ll admit, if only to himself, that he’s the one who's hard to deal with. His personality has always been cold and harsh and he’s not above running his mouth against someone he thinks deserves it. Is it really his fault if so many of the demon slayers are just…so incompetent for their jobs. Most of them are weak and they start whining at the smallest things so gods forbid, Obanai doesn’t feel a little pissed when having to work with most people his rank when all they do is just weigh him down and make the mission they’re on harder.
Well, most. There are a select few he can endure being with.
Obanai’s…adopted family is a given. He trusts and has seen their strength firsthand to know that he shouldn’t be too uptight if he was ever sent on a mission with any of the Rengokus. Though, those rarely happen. Mitsuri isn’t too much of a shocker either. Although she can be a bit airheaded at times, it’s pretty hard not to at least be fond of her. Her kindness and positivity knows no bounds.
What did surprise him was who else he'd find himself pleasantly enjoying the company of.
Shinazugawa Sanemi.
Not that he’d ever admit that to anyone. Including the wind breather himself.
Is he a little embarrassed that he doesn’t mind spending time with a reckless idiot like Sanemi? That’s up to interpretation but perhaps he shouldn’t be so surprised. They’re both hot-tempered, sharp-tongued, and generally unpleasant to most people. In theory, they should hate each other. Though that also means they think pretty similarly and share multiple opinions about the Corps. However, the way they go about those things is drastically different. Where Obanai is snarky and calculating, Sanemi releases his anger in its full form and doesn’t bother keeping up appearances. Hell, he literally shows off his body.
There’s no pretending with him, no sugar-coating the cruel reality they live in and what kind of people they really are, and Obanai finds that… oddly refreshing.
So when his crow tells him that he and Sanemi are paired up for another mission, His heart may or may not start to race as an odd excitement takes over his body. Thankfully for him, missions like those are fairly common. Ever since the Flower Pillar, Kanao, first paired them up together, he’s noticed that they’ve been together a lot more often. Obanai wonders if it’s due to someone’s interference.
This mission was a lot like others. Straightforward and simple. They’re not high-ranked enough to be assigned to investigate possible lower moon sightings, much to Sanemi’s dismay. But that doesn’t mean that they don’t encounter stronger demons.
Like this one in particular. This one was getting extra annoying to beat.
Obanai took a harsh breath in as he continued to pair his sword movements up with Sanemi so they wouldn't clash. It was always so easy to fight alongside him. Understanding every little signal and movement without a word so that they wouldn’t stand in each other's way. Movements blending together despite the difference in their fighting styles. To the serpent breather, being in battle alongside Sanemi felt safe.
He was snapped out of his thoughts as a cleaver swung for his head. Obanai quickly ducked before it could do damage and spun his body around to move past the demon’s.
‘Serpent Breathing Third form; Coil Choke’
The raven haired circled around the monster’s body, twisting his sword so that it would pierce its body from all directions. The demon screeched as the lower part of its body spewed out blood that quickly disintegrated in the air. It turned its ugly head around to where Obanai was, preparing to lunge at him.
Perfect.
From behind, a white haired figure jumped up. His silhouette was dark from standing in front of the moonlight. An emerald katana shimmered in the night before violently lifting upwards and raining down on the enemy. Sharp slashes attacked it, only visible by a bright green path. The demon’s eyes widened before screaming in pain.
‘Wind Breathing Second form; Claws, Purifying Wind’
Obanai watched in silent awe as he dodged the demon’s weapon that mindlessly swung at him. Sanemi’s attacks were always brute but sharp. Heavy in power but with a wide striking range due to the slayer’s breathing style. Sanemi had a manic glint on his face as he landed, his gaze briefly matching Obanai’s who stood on the other side. In between them, the demon’s body slowly falls. Obanai straightened his posture, dropping his curved sword to his waist. He let out a shaky breath as the adrenaline from battle started coming off. The demon was probably done for. The serpent breather turned his body, ready to walk back. Despite this one taking a little longer to kill, they were met with no vital injuries. All in all, a good job done—
He felt the snake tighten their hold around his neck. Kaburamaru hissed from his right side.
Obanai turned around by instinct, his body tensing and senses heightening once again before he could see the blurry image of a large, cold and clawed hand coming towards him at binding speed. He could barely react, just quick enough to stop it from putting too much force on his vital organs before it throwed him back, flying backwards. He landed roughly on his back on the harsh ground, he swore he could hear a few ribs crack. Not even a second later, he heard large footsteps bounding from his right side. His vision wasn’t as poor as Gyoumei’s, his hearing never needed to be developed as sharp as his. Especially when he had Kaburamaru to help signal to him presences, allowing him to focus his senses on other things. But there was no hiss from the snake to help him, in fact, his shoulders felt lighter—-
A hand grabbed him by the neck, a grip and force so rough that Obanai let out a strained cough through his bandages as he felt thick fingers tighten around his neck line. He could no longer feel his feet on the ground.
‘S-shit…!’
As he muttered under his breath, his hands instinctively moved towards the hand that held him captive. He could feel the sharp nails against his skin that peaked out of his uniform's collar. He tried to push away the fingers, squirming, but that only made the demon's grip on him tighten, cutting out more air. He coughed, trying to gasp for breath. The bandages covering his mouth felt tighter than usual. More suffocating. He couldn’t breathe.
“Useless now without your little companion, huh?” The demon mocked before giving out a laugh. “That’s what you get for distracting me, you little snake.”
As it finished speaking, the hold on Obanai’s neck strengthened. Sharp claw-like nails digging into the layers of skin. He hissed out in pain, his attempts of wriggling out or even just loosening the fingers were getting more desperate. The pressure increased and Obanai spluttered once more. His already bad vision was starting to blur. He sucked in a harsh breath, trying to get any amount of oxygen he could. The stupid demon was just so strong and Obanai had always been so physically weak. He tried one last time to push away as his body shook and he felt his head throb. Sweat rolled down his face and his eyes narrowed. He couldn’t…just…
The demon smirked, “Hm, should I just snap your neck or let you die from lack of oxygen-”
“Hey, asshole! Pick on someone your own fucking size!”
‘Wind Breathing Seventh form; Gale, Sudden Gusts’
Sanemi swung his blade forward from the air while diving forward. Instantly, a large gale force wind appeared. A huge torrent of air passed by the demon with a speed that could match that of a hurricane. Barely tinted in a pale green due to his emerald sword moving too fast. The attack shredded through the demon’s entire body before the monster could even say another word. Its head briefly lolled in the air before disintegrating with the rest of the ugly body parts. Sanemi didn’t even give it the time of day as he immediately sheathed his katana as soon as he could tell it actually died this time and catch Obanai before he hit the ground once more. His arms easily wrapped around the smaller teen’s body so that Obanai would land safely.
Obanai spluttered from the impact and he wheezed. Going into a coughing fit as the feeling of suffocation finally disappeared. Sanemi moved his hand so that Obanai could somewhat sit upright. The raven haired hunched forward as another hard rasp came out from his throat. His hand gripped on the fabric of his uniform as if an attempt to will himself to stop. Sanemi stayed silent, rubbing comforting circles on the serpent breather’s back.
When Obanai seemed to finally stop, Sanemi spoke up. “You alright?”
Obanai’s head snapped up to meet Sanemi’s gaze. Eyes widening when he realized their sudden close proximity. He felt his cheeks suddenly flush as he whipped his head to look away. He wheezed once more, this time more from shock than anything. When he finally calmed down again, Obanai felt oddly sheepish. Shame. The realization that he had almost died to an unranked demon and that Shinazugawa Sanemi out of all people had to save him was finally setting in. With that, everything felt a lot more heavier. The night air suddenly felt colder and Obanai felt exposed. For what? Even he wasn’t sure. It just…it just felt like something was missing.
“Iguro?” Sanemi raised a brow after a beat of silence.
Obanai flinched right as Sanemi spoke, the realization of what was gone finally hitting him. “Kaburamaru!”
Without any warning he shoved himself off the wind breather with enough strength that it caught Sanemi off guard, reminding him that he was still carrying the serpent breather in his arms. Anger flared slightly at Sanemi when he did do that but as he watched the smaller teen stumble around and go on his knees, looking desperately on the ground, he decided to hold back his tongue. He swung his head around to see if he could find the snake. It was already pretty dark but Kaburamaru’s bright white scales would probably be enough contrast for them to be easily spotted. Sanemi eyed Obanai worriedly, the sound of him shuffling had suddenly stopped.
Sanemi walked closer to him, trying to be careful with his words. “…Iguro, are you good?”
“I-I,” The raven haired stammered, his eyes locked onto the ground as his hands curled into fists. “What happens if—”
A sharp hiss came from beside them and they both quickly turned to where the sound came from. There on Obanai’s right side, Kaburamaru’s body rested on the dirt. The snake poked up their head and brushed their snout against Obanai’s arm who immediately went to pick him up with such gentleness. Almost as if they weren’t just away from each other for a couple of minutes. The snake seemed to be happy if not a little shaken, don’t ask Sanemi how he could tell that, and they slithered up on Obanai’s arm before moving to rest around his neck where he usually did. Only then did the raven haired actually finally seem to be able to calm down.
He moved his hand to pet Kaburamaru and the serpent leaned into his touch. Sanemi didn’t want to admit how serene Obanai seemed to look.
Obanai moved to stand up and turned his body to face Sanemi, only to find the taller boy glaring at him. “…What?”
“What the hell was that before? You could’ve died just now!”
Obanai stayed silent for a beat, caught off guard. “I…I don’t know. I suppose I thought the demon was already dead. I wasn’t thinking straight.”
“I meant,” Sanemi huffed, he wasn’t sure why but the response made him angrier. “Why you didn’t try running after the bastard threw you?”
Obanai’s eyes narrowed, Sanemi didn’t know that he was practically blind in his right eye. That he could be considered basically useless just because he didn’t have Kaburamaru with him which would always have a risk of happening. How could he call himself any better than the lower ranks that he and Sanemi loathe with such an easy weakness.
“I was just caught off guard. It won’t happen again.” He answered curtly as he turned to walk away. “Just let it go, Shinazugawa.”
That last part apparently irked him, which Obanai didn’t notice until Sanemi’s hand roughly grabbed his wrist, hard enough to let him know just how unwilling he was to move from this. “Let it go? Are you kidding me?!”
Oh, Sanemi was angry. Like actually angry.
Something about the strong grip Sanemi had on his hand made him slightly uneasy, surprisingly it wasn’t because of his recent experience but for something else that he’d rather not acknowledge right now. Still, Obanai slipped out of the grasp, pushing Sanemi’s hand off.
“I just couldn’t get up, that’s all.” Obanai responded tensely, his eyes couldn’t bear to meet Sanemi’s.
“Don’t fuck with me Iguro,” He snapped, his irritation growing. “I know damn well that you can stand back up from worse hits.”
The raven haired didn’t respond, only glaring harder at whatever he was staring at. He was just as stubborn as Sanemi was. Neither were willing to back down any time soon either.
Obanai bit his tongue as he muttered. “Is it so hard to believe that the stupid demon hit me harder than expected and I didn't have enough time to react?”
“Yes.” Sanemi responded without a beat which made Obanai’s eye twitch. “Don’t try to trick me, you didn’t even try to dodge.”
“I—”
Obanai was cut off as Sanemi suddenly grabbed him by the shoulders so that they were forced to meet each other. Sanemi braced himself as multicolored eyes met his. Somehow, the serpent breather’s two tone irises always caught him off guard whenever they looked straight at him. Not in a bad way, but the sharp colors just had a way to be piercing.
“Just tell me.” Sanemi spoke, his voice taking an uncharacteristically soft tone despite still being spoken firmly. “Tell me so I can make sure it won't happen again.”
Obanai choked when Sanemi shortened the distance between them. Now, their faces were only a few inches apart. He could feel his face flush and He desperately hoped that his bandages covered enough of his face for Sanemi not to realize how he felt. Kaburamaru must’ve noticed the change in his heart racing as the snake peeked out their head from where it was. Their beady red eyes darted back and forward between their companion and the wind breather. The snake seemed confused.
Sanemi stood still, hands clenching on Obanai’s shoulders still. Letting the smaller slayer know that he had no intent of letting him go. They were silent but the air between them filled with tension, charged not with anger but something quieter neither teen was willing to acknowledge. Obanai gave a wary glance towards him before he exhaled slowly.
The raven haired muttered, breaking the silence. “…Why are you always so annoyingly persistent.”
“As if you’re any better.” Sanemi shot back with a smirk.
Obanai didn’t reply but his eyes crinkled at their edges. signaling to Sanemi that he was probably smiling under those bandages. The wind breather finally let go of his shoulders when Obanai let out a small, breathless chuckle. One that would’ve been missed by most people’s ears. Although the sound was only a few seconds long, Sanemi relished in its presence and he could feel himself cooling down as Obanai was.
Sanemi sighed as he crossed his arms. “So…Do you want to tell me what happened now?”
The immediate scowl that came back on the serpent breather’s face was almost comical.
“Tch,” Obanai clicked his tongue, the usual mask of indifference slipping back on. “Are you always so infuriating when someone nearly dies?”
“Only when they do it in the dumbest way possible.”
The smaller teen scoff, moving to cross his arms as well as he teased. “Ugh forget it. You’re annoying either way.”
Sanemi rolled his eyes at the jab. Honestly, it was kinda funny how quickly they could turn from almost an actual argument to their usual mindless bickering. The type of disputes that always tethered dangerously close to actual fights that never came. Maybe it was just Sanemi’s fucked up mind but he actually kinda enjoyed having things like that with Obanai. It wasn’t like things like those were bad anyway, the other knew it was never that serious.
Sanemi quipped, “Still waiting for my answer, Iguro.”
He groaned. “Do you ever stop talking?”
“Do you ever explain yourself without being forced to?” He shot back.
Obanai blinked. Though Sanemi probably couldn’t see, he opened his mouth before quickly closing it shut, hesitating. He was internally screaming. Debating on whether to brush Sanemi off and force him to let it go or actually tell him and possibly lose a really close friend. He had two options here, maybe more than that but his mind was too scrambled to think of any. He gulped, that stupid—half exasperated, half something else—made him pause.
“…Fine.” He muttered, head dropping so that his choppy bangs would cover his face. “You want to know why I didn’t run?”
Sanemi didn't say anything, only staying silent. Only waiting.
“I…I have limited vision in my right eye. Can barely see out of it.” Obanai continued, “ Without Kaburamaru, it’s worse. I couldn’t sense how far away the demon was from me. I’m practically blind on that side.”
Obanai felt himself still, mentally preparing for what would come next. He clutched his haori tight, scrunching up the fabric as he anxiously waited for Sanemi’s response.
He hears a snort in irritation or maybe disbelief before the words come out. “That’s it? Then your right side needs work.”
Obanai blinked then snapped his head up, confused and shocked. As the realization set in, he screeched. “What do you mean that’s it?!”
Sanemi only started walking away. “Was there something else you wanted to hear?”
The raven haired spluttered, embarrassed that he felt worked up over something that ended up to be small. “No insult or anything?! Not even a shitty joke?!”
The wind breather stopped walking and Obanai could see him tilt his head down. “I don’t joke about people almost getting themselves killed, Iguro.”
Obanai’s not too sure why but Sanemi’s answer slightly infuriated him. He lingered at his spot for a moment longer, watching the taller teen act like he didn’t just hear a confession that most people would use to tear someone down. He shook his head and jogged over to meet Sanemi’s pace. The wind breather raised a brow at him but Obanai stayed silent, pretending not to notice.
They walk for a few minutes in silence before Obanai speaks up, almost mindlessly. “Shinazugawa…If something like that happens again, you don’t have to save me.”
“Are you stupid?” He spat. “Why the fuck would I ever do that?”
Obanai glared at him, annoyed. “I’d rather you not die because of my faults.”
“It’s not your fault that you have that, Iguro.”
“But it is my fault for not trying to fix it,” He argued. “I can’t rely on Kaburamaru forever…”
“Yeah duh! Why don’t you try talking to Himejima about it, he can probably help.” Sanemi tried to joke but when Obanai didn’t even spare him a glance, he stopped. “…Look, even if it happened because of something stupid. I’m not just gonna leave you to die.”
The two of them are about near the place where they usually part ways but they stop walking. Turning around to face each other. They stare at each other, both unsure what to say, both do not know that the other thinks the same. Obanai is the first to break eye contact, moving his gaze down.
Obanai sighs. “Just…Forget about what happened today.”
“Are you that upset about it?” He muttered, Obanai looked down in shame and his body shook slightly.
Sanemi sighed, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. He wasn’t too sure why Obanai seemed so pressed or embarrassed about it. They were close enough to be considered friends weren’t they? The raven haired could tell him about such a weakness, heck, Sanemi would take pride in the fact that Obanai trusted him enough to tell him.
But if he was being completely honest with himself, this wouldn’t have happened if he had actually killed the damn demon before it even had a chance of hitting Obanai. If Sanemi had just been more observant, he would’ve recognized that Obanai had weaker vision on one of his eyes. Kaburamaru’s head always rested at the right side of Obanai’s shoulder after all and Obanai had rare moments where he would walk a little slower at darker nights.
Back then when Sanemi couldn’t recognize signs, his ignorance had cost someone their life.
This time, it almost did for Obanai’s.
He sighed, “If you’re so worried, then I’ll just have to make sure those demon bastards don’t even get a chance of pulling that stunt on you again.”
Obanai blinked. “What?”
Amusement starts to grow inside him along with an ugly pit in his stomach when he realizes that Sanemi is fucking serious. This is the last thing he’d ever want, Sanemi shouldn’t have to waste his energy and possibly even life on him. Obanai could handle himself, he wasn’t a child. He didn’t want someone risking their lives for one that barely had any value. One filled with sinful blood with rotten hands. He’d stain him. Infect Sanemi with the rot simmering beneath his skin all for the sake of his own selfish desires.
But the sight of seeing Sanemi say something like that with such conviction made his stomach flutter with nerves and sickness and a giddy feeling he didn’t quite know how to feel about yet.
Obanai doesn’t even realise that he’s laughing or notice that Sanemi opens his mouth and closes it with a face that’s flushed tomato red.
Sanemi’s expression twists, crimson blooming across his cheeks. “The hell are you laughing at?!”
Obanai’s still smiling, even as he shakes his head. “Nothing. You’re just… ridiculous.”
The wind breather has just realized how cheesy his declaration sounds. He’s cringing so bad right now, face heating up from embarrassment. For all of his cocky confidence, Sanemi has no idea how to deal with these kinds of…feelings. The whole thing was a damn nightmare.
But the way that Obanai just laughs is making him melt and his knees suddenly feel weak and somehow it kinda feels worth it.
This.
Whatever this is.
Sanemi decides, he’ll definitely protect this.
Extra scene;
“Oi, Tomioka. Move.”
“Hm?” Giyuu perks up, giving a glance towards Sanemi as he swiftly dodges one of the multiple attacks coming at them.
“I said move, damn it.” Sanemi spats, his irritation showing as he violently diverts a hit away.
Obanai grumbles, growing annoyed at the prospect of the two bickering in the middle of a fight. “What are you two fighting about now?”
“Just fucking move would ya?!” The wind breather growled as he swung his sword and successfully managed to behead one of the demon’s copies. “I need to be on that side!”
Obanai feels his blood running cold and he stills briefly before quickly continuing with his swift moves and killing multiple copies. He’s noticed something that Sanemi’s been doing to him recently, ever since that one night.
During missions, whenever they walked together, side by side, Sanemi would casually drift to his right. Not once or twice—every single time. At first, Obanai thought that he was making something out of nothing. Then, Sanemi started doing it in battle too—wordlessly stepping in without being asked, covering his blind side and weak spots with a kind of precision that felt far too deliberate. Heck, the idiot would sometimes even throw a fit if he wasn’t able to.
And when they weren’t fighting, just hanging out together or sitting beside each other in peaceful silence, Sanemi still stayed to his right. Always. Sometimes, he’d even shove Obanai into place without any explanation if he tried to switch sides. Sanemi never mentioned it and when Obanai tried bringing it up, the guy acted like it was just common sense!
His golden eye always caught the vague figure of his friend’s presence beside him.
Giyuu stayed silent, eyes widening at the last part of Sanemi’s statement. Obanai wasn’t sure why he felt embarrassed when Giyuu’s eyes travelled back and forth between him and Sanemi before he nodded and a knowing smile briefly laced his face. Without saying anything more, Giyuu jumped up, twisting his body and swinging his sword to kill a clone that was coming at the three of them from above, Obanai didn’t even notice that, before landing on Obanai’s left. The serpent breather glanced to his right and could see the blurry silhouette of Sanemi who seemed a lot more pleased.
He looked… smug. Smug and satisfied.
The bastard.
Obanai would never admit how much more at ease he then felt. Not even to himself.