Work Text:
Obanai let his gaze wander over the two dozen pale faces looking up to him, their features contorted with exhaustion and an ever so slight hint of fear. More than half of them were still rubbing their wrists and ankles where they had been bound to the wooden stakes Obanai had chosen to use for his training. He raised an eyebrow when he noticed two of them tending to their wounds that the wooden swords of their companions had caused. He fought the urge to shake his head and instead settled for a sigh. From the corner of his eye, he noticed that even this little sound made some of the young men flinch.
“You are excused for the day,” he said and tried to ignore the relief flickering through their eyes. Without any further comment, he turned away and walked past them. Only when he left the building, he allowed himself to take a deep breath. He felt Kaburamaru shift slightly on his shoulder, his tongue flicking. The soft sound did not fail to soothe Obanai and while he walked towards his residence, he felt his tension slowly subside until it reached a bearable level. The dark thoughts that clouded his mind, however, did not fade away.
“They aren’t ready,” Obanai said quietly, only loud enough for Kaburamaru to hear it. “And I don’t think they’ll ever be. None of them will be of help when the battle starts.”
Kaburamaru made a soft hissing sound and Obanai sighed. “I know,” he replied wearily. “I will continue to make an effort. Maybe you’re right and they will surprise me in the end.”
Even though he did not believe his own words for a second, he sensed Kaburamaru’s approval as the snake briefly touched his cheek. They both knew that even with the Hashira giving it their all to train them, the members of the Demon Slayer Corps would not be prepared in time. And Obanai was well aware that this circumstance had the potential to bring about their downfall. While even he had to admit that the demon slayers gave their best, he also knew that most of them did not stand any chance against even the weaker ones of Kibutsuji Muzan’s demons.
However, Kaburamaru did not tolerate any thought of defeat and Obanai was too tired to pick a quarrel with him about it. He grinned weakly to himself at the thought what Sanemi and Muichiro would say if they knew that their nightly training sessions finally started taking a toll on him. For almost two weeks now he had been training the demon slayers during the day and spent the nights fighting with Sanemi and Muichiro. Their own personal training, a training that was equally as straining as dealing with the mostly mediocre demon slayers but at least in a very satisfying way. If it hadn’t been for these nightly training sessions, Obanai felt like he would have lost his mind already. These sessions were the only thing keeping him sane right now. Well, the sessions and a certain letter that he had received a while ago.
The thought of the letter made him quicken his pace. He marched towards the little cabin that served as his residence throughout the Hashira training, his mind already at his futon where he had safely hidden the letter away. Kaburamaru seemed to have sensed his intentions and his hiss sounded more like a chuckle this time. Obanai pretended not to notice it and already reached for the door handle when someone called out to him.
“Iguro-san!” Obanai closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath before he turned around and watched as another member of the corps scurried towards him. The man came to a halt and bowed respectfully. “We have received a letter for you.”
In an instant, Obanai’s heart started beating faster and he was almost grateful for the bandage covering his mouth. He did not dare to look at the snake on his shoulder whose tongue flicked excitedly. “Who is the letter from?” he asked, trying to sound unfazed.
The man remained in the bow, his eyes fixed at the ground. “The Love Hashira, Iguro-san.”
Obanai’s heart skipped a beat and his voice trembled slightly when he said, “Give it to me.”
The man nodded quickly and handed him a letter before hastily retreating with another polite bow. Obanai barely noticed his departure and the beating of his heart almost drowned out Kaburamaru’s amused hiss. Hastily, he opened the door and stepped into his room.
When he was protected from any unwanted looks, he finally looked at the letter in his ever so slightly shaking hands. He instantly noticed the beautiful handwriting that adorned the letter. He did not have to compare it to the letter under his pillow to know that it was identical.
“Mitsuri,” he whispered to himself and Kaburamaru hissed softly. The snake peeked over his shoulder, curiosity glistening in his red eyes. Ever since they had met, Kaburamaru had a soft spot for the Love Hashira and he did not fail in making that known to Obanai.
Obanai sat down on his futon and glanced at Kaburamaru. Now that they were alone, he felt tension arising in his stomach. He had not heard from Mitsuri since her last letter and neither Sanemi nor Muichiro had been able to tell him what she was up to when he had casually asked them. And late at night, after their training sessions, Obanai had lain awake, asking himself whether he should visit her. Every time, he had decided against it, afraid of what she might say if he showed up to her training unannounced. And thus, he had not made another attempt to contact her, hoping deep inside that she would be the one to write another letter. And now she had.
Obanai stared at the letter and a thousand thoughts at once raced through his mind. What if the letter contained something he did not want to know? In her last letter, Mitsuri had doted on a young demon slayer called Kamado Tanjiro, excitedly telling him about how much she enjoyed Tanjiro’s company. What if they had met again in the meantime? What if she had fallen for this boy?
Kaburamaru’s tongue flicked against his cheek and when Obanai turned towards him, the snake gave him an encouraging look. “I’ll only find out if I read the letter, I know,” Obanai muttered and Kaburamaru tilted his head, almost looking like he was grinning at him. And with trembling hands, Obanai opened the letter.
He hesitated when he instantly realized that this letter was different than the one before. The first letter had been like a bouquet of flowers, colorful and vibrant, just like Mitsuri was. Her elegant handwriting had filled the whole page, dripping with joy. But this letter was short, barely three sentences. And while he still recognized her handwriting, he immediately noticed that it looked different, shaky and at times blurred, almost as if Mitsuri had been beside herself while writing it. His heart dropped when he noticed a stain that looked like a drop of water had fallen onto the paper.
Obanai and Kaburamaru exchanged a glance and he saw the same concern in his snake’s red eyes that had also befallen him. Kaburamaru nodded and Obanai got up, the letter clenched in his hand. Without looking back, he stormed out of his residence and left his training grounds, taking nothing with him except for his sword and the letter.
The letter that said “I am afraid”.
Obanai could not remember ever moving as fast as he did now, not even when fighting one of the stronger demons. His heart raced and his steps echoed through the empty streets when he hurried towards Mitsuri’s training ground. Only the gentle pressure of Kaburamaru’s slender body around his shoulders anchored him in reality. He tried to fight off the thoughts and fears, creeping towards him from the darker corners of his mind. Time and time again, the stain on the letter appeared in front of his inner eye. A stain that looked suspiciously like a tear had fallen onto the paper. An aching pain shot through his chest when he imagined Mitsuri crying. He quickened his pace even more and when the gate to her training ground finally appeared at the end of the street, he hastened towards it.
Behind the gate, everything was quiet. The lights in the narrow buildings had already been turned off and if he listened closely, he could hear faint breathing from one of the bigger buildings that looked very similar to the one on his training ground which hosted the demon slayers he was training. He quickly left this building behind and headed towards the smallest one. When he got closer, he noticed the flower boxes lining the porch. Even in the dark he could make out the array of different colors and shapes, every single flower looking unique but all of them coming together in perfect harmony. A quick glance at Kaburamaru whose tongue flicked through the air confirmed his suspicion. This was Mitsuri’s accommodation, there was no doubt about it. He mustered the building but he could not see any hint of light behind the windows and a knot formed in his gut. He walked over and timidly knocked on the door but everything stayed quiet.
“She’s not here,” he whispered and for the first time, he allowed himself to feel the fear constricting his throat. He turned around and his eyes wandered restlessly over the dark training ground. He contemplated waking up a member of the corps to ask about Mitsuri’s whereabouts when he suddenly felt Kaburamaru tense up. He looked at the snake whose tongue quickly flicked, his red eyes fixed on the far corner of the training ground that was bathed in shadows.
“That way?” Obanai asked intently and Kaburamaru gave him a determined nod. Without hesitation, he hasted in the direction Kaburamaru had pointed him.
Obanai dove into the shadows and in a snap, he was engulfed by darkness. Even his good eye was not able to see through the night that unfolded in front of him. Obanai closed his eyes and decided to trust his and Kaburamaru’s instincts. Carefully, he made his way through the narrow gap between the buildings. Ten steps into the darkness, he felt something brush against his shoulders and Kaburamaru hissed quietly. Obanai cautiously reached for it and his hand grazed a rough surface, maybe a part of the fence that lined the training grounds. When running his hands over the surface, he quickly realized that he was climbing through a narrow hole in the fence and the knot in his stomach grew bigger when he fought off unwanted images of Mitsuri being pulled into the darkness by a demon. The demons had been suspiciously inactive for a few weeks now but Obanai did not put it past them to attack unsuspecting demon slayers from behind, only to drag them into a night that they would not survive.
He violently shook his head and felt Kaburamaru flinch in surprise. No, Mitsuri was strong, stronger than most people knew. There were only a handful of demons who might be able to come out even with her and it was highly unlikely that one of them was here. This train of thought calmed his mind a bit and he tried to ignore the fact that his hands were still shaking.
When he had made his way past the training grounds, the darkness faded into twilight and he was able to make out the silhouette of the forest edge looming over him. He came to a halt and stared into the black forest. He could not imagine that Mitsuri had chosen to go in there without a good reason, especially not during the night, even one as seemingly harmless as this one. Unsure, he let his gaze wander over his surroundings. To his left, the training ground extended a bit farther into the forest. But to his right, he could make out a path, barely visible in the sliver of moonlight that peeked through the clouds above. Obanai clenched his fists and followed the path, time and time again glancing at the forest next to him. The further he followed the path, the surer he was that Mitsuri had taken the same way.
When the forest edge finally receded, Obanai quickened his pace again until he was almost running. The path steadily led him uphill and with each step, his heart started pounding faster in his chest. Kaburamaru sensed his tension and shifted uncomfortably on his shoulders, his split tongue flicking nervously. And just like that, the path ended. Obanai froze when the big cloud covering the moon finally passed, sending silver moonlight over the clearing in front of him. He blinked twice and when his good eye had adjusted to the light, he realized that he stood at a plateau that led to a steep cliff. And at the edge of the plateau, legs dangling over the abyss, he saw a lone figure.
“Mitsuri,” he whispered and his heart sank.
She was sitting at the edge of the cliff, her face buried in her hands. For a moment, he stood there motionless, deeply unsettled by the eerie sight. He had never seen Mitsuri any other than beaming, almost overflowing with the warmth and joy that made her the ray of sunshine she was. His heart thundered in his chest and he felt a cold shiver running down his spine. Slowly, he walked over, trying to ignore the lump that formed in his throat. Even though she must have heard him by now, Mitsuri did not turn around to greet him. Instead, she sighed and lifted her face, staring at the night sky above that revealed its beauty in a thousand stars, embedded into unflawed darkness.
Obanai swallowed hard when he saw a silver line running down her cheek. “Are you … are you alright?” he asked, his voice sounding hollow.
A somber smile appeared on Mitsuri’s face and she closed her eyes for a moment, her fair features illuminated by the light of the moon. “The stars are beautiful tonight.”
Obanai took another step towards her. She did not look at him and for a moment, he lifted his hand as if to reach for her. Then his hand sank down again and he looked at the ground. “You didn’t answer my question,” he said quietly.
And this time, Mitsuri turned around. Her green eyes darkened and she softly shook her head. “I don’t want to lie to you.”
She gave him a sad smile and turned back to the abyss, and for a moment, Obanai saw her falling in his mind’s eye. His heart skipped a beat and he quickly moved closer, close enough to reach for her, should she fall. But Mitsuri did not move, her gaze was fixed at the starry sky. Obanai looked down at her and his heart ached. She was so close and yet so far.
It was Kaburamaru’s soft hiss that gave him the courage he needed. Carefully, he sat down next to Mitsuri, so close that he could smell her flowery scent. For a while, they sat next to each other in silence, staring at the bottomless abyss beneath them and the night sky above.
And eventually, Mitsuri spoke up. “I have been having nightmares,” she said hesitantly, avoiding Obanai’s gaze. “I know, I’m a Hashira, I shouldn’t –“
But before she could finish the sentence, Obanai intently shook his head. “Nightmares?” he asked calmly.
For a moment, Mitsuri kept silent. When she continued speaking, she blinked several times, her face still turned towards the sky. “I … I keep dreaming horrible things,” she said quietly, her voice trembling. “Every time I close my eyes, I see people dying.”
Obanai did not dare to move a muscle. He held his breath and listened as Mitsuri struggled to speak. “Every night, I see all of us dying. I see you dying,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “I think something horrible is going to happen.”
Obanai paused and struggled for words, trying to make sense of what she had said. Mitsuri glanced at him and when he kept quiet, her face fell and she quickly turned away, looking down at her legs. Obanai flinched when Kaburamaru softly nudged him. He nodded and tried to gather his courage. If he did not speak up now, Mitsuri would misunderstand his silence. He took a deep breath and asked, “You dream of me dying?”
Mitsuri’s shoulders dropped and she nodded faintly. “I know I should be stronger. I’m a Hashira, after all. I shouldn’t have sent you the letter, I am sorry.”
Obanai winced and shook his head. “No,” he quickly said, reaching for the letter in his pocket. And almost without noticing, he quietly said, “I am grateful for it.”
Mitsuri looked up in surprise. “You are?” she asked and Obanai felt his cheeks turning red. Once again, he was almost thankful for the bandage covering the biggest part of them.
“I … yes, I am. I am grateful that you told me about your fears,” he replied, avoiding her gaze.
Staring at the ground, he could not see her reaction, but the smile in her voice made his body tingle. “And I am grateful that you came when I needed you here,” she said softly. “It is good to see you.”
There was a small pause and when she spoke again, Obanai could hear the anguish in her voice. “The nightmares are unbearable and they happen every night. And when they end, I lie awake and ask myself whether they are a sign of what’s to come.” She hesitated and then tonelessly added, “If they are a sign that we will lose the battle against Muzan.”
A shiver ran down Obanai’s spine and when she turned to him, her big green eyes were full of tears. He felt her fear almost viscerally and just like that, he conquered his own fear and reached for her hand. Mitsuri’s eyes widened when she looked at their hands, but she did not move away. He felt her warmth on his skin when he gently held her hand.
“Look at me,” Obanai said softly and Mitsuri lifted her head. “This nightmare will not come true.”
A single, silver tear ran down her cheek. “Promise?” she asked, a million stars reflecting in her eyes.
And Obanai could not help but smile at her tenderly. “You have my word.”
Mitsuri held his gaze for a moment, then she sighed softly and closed her eyes. All tension seemed to leave her body and after a moment’s hesitation, she leaned against him, her head resting against his shoulder. Kaburamaru hissed softly and gently wrapped his body around their shoulders, embracing them both. In this moment, the stars shone even brighter than before. And while staring into the abyss that now seemed miles away, Obanai made another silent promise. He would make sure that Mitsuri survived the battle, even if it cost his own life, for his life was a night without any stars if Mitsuri was no longer a part of it. And with this thought, he also closed his eyes, shutting out everything but her warmth beside him.