"Real fucking smooth." Tengen says unemotionally.
"Shut up, Uzui." Iguro growled holding his his while he sat on a stump. tengen hasnt stopped chastizing him ever since setting foot in the training grounds and it was becoming more annoying than helpful.
"Why would you do that, Iguro? I said to talk to him not fucking destroy your relationship."
"Ugh, I don't know..." he says shaking his head lamentably, "I dont know, I don't..." he repeats over and over mostly to himself.
"Obanai." Tengen says sternly, "find Rengoku and talk to him."
Iguro looks at him with a mix of protest and incredulity. Debating in his head if he should argue or simply do as uzui says.
"Im serious." tengen reiterates firmly, "Apologize and handle this like men."
"What good would that do at this point?" he looks back down dejected, "He hates me, and so does she..." he covers his eyes with his palms again and hangs his head low.
Tengen sighs deeply. "Iguro do I really have to explain why it's important to apologize in a profession where we can die tomorrow? Listen to yourself! Mitsuri doesn't hate ANYBODY. disappointed? Sure. Depressed— Absolutely! But you and I know she'd sooner blame herself before she'd ever blame you. And Rengoku is much the same." Uzui sighs deeply thrusting his head back to the very heavens as if wondering how he got stuck in the middle of this drama (he butted his head, but Iguro knew better than to bring that up now)
"Look, you both fucked up," uzui continues, "but your fuck up was far more egregious so you have to be the one to approach him. Rengoku is a forgiving guy, he'll forgive you even if he doesnt quite understand," he kneels in front of his colleague,"Listen to me." he says in a quieter voice, more like a parental figure soothing a child. the seriousness in tone forces the snake pillar to look up again, "Mitsuri will come around if you set things right with him. Again it isnt about arguing who is right or who is wrong. You dont have to like his choice, but respect it. Because i know for a fact he respects your decision picking her." He straightens back again towering over his petite frame, "Afterall you made the same choice I would've."
Iguro lifts a confused eyebrow at that confession, "What do you mean?"
Tengen shakes his head, " personal conversation I had with the Master."
"Lord Tengen." Both hashira turn their heads to Makio who suddenly appears before the duo. "Hinatsuru is ready to deploy," she says confidently with her head bowed in respect.
"Good. Remember to stagger, can't have all three of you infiltrating at the same time raising suspicion."
"Understood." she bows signifying her leave and disappears in a puff of air.
"Where are you going?" Obanai asks.
"I'm not going anywhere." he jabs a finger at his chest, "But They're headed for Yoshiwara. Falsifying documents was a pain, but we're planning on it being a long one mission. There's been rumors— you know which kind—Though it's probably nothing." He waves before crossing his strapping biceps over his chest again.
Iguro chuckles, earning a quizzical look from Tengen, "If I were you I'd plan in heading over. When have your haunches ever been wrong, Uzui?"
"Does our conversation in the woods count?" he snides rather viciously, removing the smirk off Iguro's face permanently. But then as if realizing he went too far tengen drops his hands to hia sides and takes another knee in front of his companion.
"Obanai. Listen." He says placing both hands on his shoulders this time, eyes flickering to the trees. For the briefest of moments his jaw clenched thinking of the right words, which was very unusual for the flamboyant ninja.
After a moment he drops his gaze back to his mix-matched eyes and says, "Remember we are not our families, Obanai. You made a mistake, a selfish one but just because we act selfishly from time to time doesn't mean we're becoming evil people. Forgive yourself and move on." Then the sound hashira's entire body softens, "I get it Iguro, I do. We've been dealt a shitty hand in life..." he pauses wracking his brain for a minute before waving dismissively, "well YOU'VE been dealt a shitty hand, I'm a God so what can I say?"
Of course he had to take time to showboat earning a markedly exasperated sigh from the other hashira. After the boast, he quickly gets serious again "As two men coming from equally shitty families, we have a gift of recognizing good people when we see them. Rengoku and Kanroji are good people — practically family. So don't let this bitterness get in between that. Dont let this be the last conversation you have with eachother." He releases his shoulders and disappears leaving Iguro alone with his thoughts. Only the rustling of fluttering of leaves remained in the spot he once stood.
As he hoppes into a tree lamenting his actions. He leans back to stare up at the sky and like a confessional he says to Kaburamaru, "I really messed up."
Of course his companion simply coils into his lap for slumber, signifying that regardless they were still friends no matter what happens. Obanai peta the snake soothingly to sleep before closing his own eyes and with regret still on his mind, he dozes off in the tree.
They didnt talk much in person after the first meeting. usually through crow. But he much preferred it.
That way He could take his time and get all he wanted to say out on paper instead of stuttering and embarassing himself.
It took months to find the perfect pair of stockings that matched the beauty of Kanroji's eyes. They had to be tailor-made. The seamstress told him to place the order ahead of time if he needed new pair. Which is why he always checked in with Kanroji to make sure she was still sayisfied with the wear.
It took him the same amount of time to confess he was head over heels dor her spending so many long nights rationalizing to himself that he wasn't. Not really, anyways.
But thing undeniably began to change thanks to her. He stopped wishing death on people. Stopping being so angry all the time. Stopped training with such obsessive, single-track focus and began enjoying the small things in life, like lounging around, people-watching, appreciating the art and beauty of life. He slowly started to open up and reveal details about himself with other hashira, to enhance their cohesiveness. He stopped loathing working in teams so much and accepted his role as mentor.
He really felt like he had truly become a better person. And it was all thanks to the kindness she continued to show him through her example.
In fact, whenever he was around her he slowed his speech just so he could engage properly. (And to prevent from drooling and looking foolish.) It went on like this for well over a year, until one day he got a notice from Kanroji that crippled his excitement.
"don't know if anyone's told you, but we have a Hashira meeting at dawn." - Kanroji
He grimaces. It was already a long night, and now it was about to get longer with this damn hearing tomorrow. But why? It's obvious this Kamado brat broke the rules by harboring an enemy of mankind within their ranks. The penalty is death so why did the master need everyone here for this?
He tucks the letter away and heads back, ended up being the first in the zen garden. He figured if he got there early he could rest in a tree until the meeting.
"Iguro!"
Well. He thought anyways…
Rengoku greets him with an almost obnoxious hello just as soon as he got comfortable in the tree.
"How did patrol go?!"
Obanai sighs. "predictably." There was no point in explaining. He and kyojuro just didn't see things eye to eye. Plus the flame hashira was just way too happy this morning.
"Obanai, can I ask for your advice on a matter?"
"Hm?"He shifts his position so hes laying face down, arms folded under his chin on the branch. "What is it?"
This is...unusual...
"How often do you talk with Kanrooji- face to face i mean?" Iguro lifts an eyebrow. He didn't get where this was going so he answered truthfully. "We mostly exchange letters."
"But you seem fond of her?" Rengoku quickly replies.
Iguro faces away, leaning the side of his cheek against his folded arms and mutters, "We…have nothing in common…"
It's quiet for a long time. So quiet Obanai maneuvers his back again to make sure rengoku was still in the garden.
He was, but he looked exceptionally forlorn for some reason.
"You know I consider you family, Obanai." He even sounded somber. whats going on with him?
"And even thought its been a long timw since youve lived with us, I still feel I should let you know…" he drifts turningbhis head fixated on something in the distance.
obanai waited patiently but Kyojuro Never resumes. Almost like he was waiting for the go ahead from iguro to continue which was very bizarre when it came to the flame pillar.
"Kyojuro?"
"Sorry!" He laughs a little too loudly— timid even, while rubbing the back of his head. "yes. I think i have a family emergency to attend to."
Obanai raises an eyebrow again, and tells him to just simply go after the meeting
"yes but kanroji will undoubtedly want to know." He countered.
At hearing Kanroji's name mentioned it took everything inside Iguro not to jump,out of the tree and demand what this was about. But he remembered the master always lecturing him about jumping to conclusions and after meeting Mitsuri he was a changed man, so instead he did the responsible thing and took 3 deep breaths before reengaging.
"What do you mean?"
"She often jumps to incorrect conclusions. Even when the truth lies plainly in front of her."
Obanai could not stop the scowl from creeping on his face. "Maybe it's not the receiver of the message but the messenger." he rebukes aggressively. How can he say she's the problem when it's kyojuro who won't pull the damn trigger?
No. obanai won't stand for it. Well-intentioned or not, the problem isn't kanroji.
His outburst results in a long uncomfortable pause. "maybe… you are right." Kyojuro says reflectively with the faintest of smiles.
Iguro disregards it. "Is it your father?" he grumbles pivoting off kanroji.
"No...I think… it's me." Again He had no clue what that meant but he had a few ideas; being away all the time as the eldest son probably took a major toll. But, regrettably, Iguro said the infamous words that would later bite him in the ass. "Listen. I don't know whats going on, but… regarding kanroji, Just keep your conversation short and vague and she should be satisfied. Tell her the master needed you."
Works for him, should work for rengoku too. He really couldn't see what the fuss was about. So He never expected that one seemingly inconsequential utterance to cause so much mayhem later on down the road.
Kyojuro Rengoku was an abysmal liar. If possible, worse than Kanroji.
He idiotically told her he had to tend to the Kamados as if Kanroji couldn't simply walk next door to the butterfly mansion and confirm his lie. Or literally ask the master herself. Thiugh he admita he never thought itd be Shinazugawa's slip-up (seriously how'd he find out?) he knew it would be a simply matter of time before she discovered the truth and it would have to be Iguro who picked up the pieces.
Still, even though the cat was out of the proverbial bag, he kept rengoku's 'family emergency' to himself. At the time he wasn't entirely certain if it had to do with Mitsuri or not sonit disnt make sense to put that idea innthe poor girl's head.
But he never expected the rest of that night to turn out the way it did.