The Cafe was relatively new to the neighborhood but still a popular choice for the locals going to and from work and school. The colors being white and black with pink accents, bringing the entire atmosphere into a very warm and welcoming environment. Being 10am in the morning, though, on a Friday, the breakfast rush had already died down and it would be another hour or two before the next rush came in.
Zenitsu was sitting down in the small kitchen browsing his phone during this moment of downtime in an attempt to distract himself from his slowly growing anxiety. He had considered clocking out for lunch and hiding elsewhere but he had already agreed to wait until his friend stopped by, and no matter how nervous he was he wouldn't cancel plans without notice like that. The boy was late, though, and for every second that passed by the nervousness from within only grew.
The memory's from the night befores panic attack filled the recesses of his mind, and while he knew that no drama or confrontation would happen today, that still didn't stop the insecurities from deep within to whisper scenarios that he knew wouldn't happen.
Tanjiro wasn't that kind of person.
The chime of the door opening rang throughout the small cafe. He could already tell that it was Tanjiro before the owner sweetly called out.
"Zenitsu-San~! Your friend is here~!" Her sweet sing-song voice calling for him.
The blond poked his head out from the back and waved excitedly at his friend, a big grin plastered on his face. Seeing him there, hearing his soft sounds, it was a comfort to Zenitsu's ears and his fears hurried even further into the recesses of his heart, forgotten, if just for this moment. "Tanjiro-San~!" He called out and hugged his relatively new friend, who looked a bit awkward at the sudden show of affection but didn't pull away. He patted Zenitsu's back softly.
"Thanks for waiting. I'm sorry I got caught up with homework." He admitted bashfully.
"Do either of you boys want anything~?" The owner asked, her pink hair framing her delicate face.
"Two Latte's, Obanai-San." Zenitsu said sweetly and she gave a big nod and hopped off. "She makes the cutest latte art." He quickly explained to Tanjiro.
As the two sat down Zenitsu relaxed in his chair and smiled. "Thank you for the text. You have no idea how much that meant to me. I actually wanted to apologize for my own behavior." The blond said nervously. "It wasn't okay for me to push it. If I'm making you uncomfortable with the comments on your sister.." he trailed off awkwardly.
Tanjiro's expression softened a bit as the lingering regret began to subside. "Thank you, but I promise, that isn't the issue. I just… I can't talk about it much, but my reaction wasn't your fault." He spoke honestly. "I really appreciate the offer, it's just… Not something I can accept."
Did Tanjiro like Zenitsus comments regarding his sister? Well, yes and no. No, because the comments were a little weird coming from someone who had never met her, and yes, because to at least one person the idea of his sister wasn't a comatosed body but a beautiful, conscious woman, and that gave him some comfort. Zenitsu's ignorance of the situation felt like a guilty pleasure to the redhead. For a short while he could just pretend that she had normal problems like boy troubles, and this only filled him with guilt, as if he was using his friend as a secret comfort.
Zenitsu reached over the table and rested his hand on Tanjiro's forearm, bringing the young man's attention up to gaze into the golden orbs of the person he was apologizing to. He was met with kindness and concern.
"I'm not mad. I promise. I won't bring it up. But just know that you can ask, okay?"
Tanjiro smiled, a sense of relief filling him, and chuckled. The worry he had before washed away and a sense of euphoria filled his body. "Thank you."
"Here you two are~" the owner came back, her chipper attitude filling the air once again, and placed two small cups with snakes as the latte art, curled in on themselves with big smiles and cinnamon for the features, and a plate of sliced tamago sando for the two to share. "Please, let me know if either of you need anything else~!" She called out before bouncing off to the back of the cafe.
"She's really nice. It's weird that she called us boys, though. She looks young."
"Her and her husband are in their late 20's." Zenitsu corrected and grabbed a piece to eat. "She might be sweet and cute and absolutely adorable but I learned pretty quickly that if I even so much as think about seeing her as anything other than my boss her husband is going to gut me." Tanjiro laughs at his friend's outlandish claims.
"I'm not kidding!" He hissed under his breath. "First day on the job I tried complimenting her and he almost stabbed me in the face! I don't even know why he still lets me work here. Do you even understand how hard it is to work next to a beautiful woman when you can't even compliment her or try to take her out?" He asked, his voice beginning to rise, but Tanjiro put his finger in front of his own lips to indicate that Zenitsu was beginning to increase his volume.
"Well, hopefully once you're done with school you can find a better job. You might even have some cute coworkers to fawn over." he teased.
"I'm already done with school." Zenitsu responded indifferently.
"Huh?!" Tanjiro looked shocked. "But then why work here?"
Zenitsu flushed up in embarrassment. "I just… I pursued my passion and all it got me was a worthless degree. It's fine. I like the idea of having a simple life anyways. There isn't anything I'd like more out of life than to maybe get a promotion, find a wife, and just get an apartment. That's all I could ask for."
Tanjiro frowned. Zenitsu's scent gave off an overwhelmingly suffocating amount of insecurity and regret. It was as if for a moment in time he was able to peer into his friend's soul and see the same kind of darkness he held within himself.
"Please don't worry. I'm fine!" His happy expression was a lie. Eyes softly staring at his friend. He could tell. The sounds within Tanjiro were ones of worry and sympathy.
"What was your degree in?"
"Don't worry about it. That's all in the past." he spoke, shaking his head. "What degree are you trying to get?"
"Criminal Justice." He responded casually. "Specifically for Crime Scene Investigations."
Zenitsu's eyes widened. "Wow! You should be finishing your last semester then?"
His friend's words faltered a bit. "Ah... No. I have about another year."
"But I thought you were 22?"
"I am!.. I just had to take time off for personal reasons during my first year in university."
"They allow that?"
"For special circumstances, yes."
"Like what?"
Tanjiro's eyes fell and Zenitsu sat back in his chair. "I'm sorry. You don't have to tell me. I wouldn't want to push you into talking about things you are uncomfortable with."
Red eyes widened and he looked up at his blond friend. He gave a gentle smile full of gratitude. "Thank you, Zenitsu, I really appreciate it." his friend flushed up and wiggled in his chair with an awkward smile.
"Don't mention it." He giggled.
The silence between them was nice. Tanjiro was slowly beginning to understand his new friends bit by bit and it was a welcome change to his isolation. "So why do you call the Sensei Ojii-Sama? Is he actually?"
This caught Zenitsu off guard and he smiled bashfully. "He is.. Well, sort of. He never had any kids so at a later time in his life when he was ready to settle down he adopted my brother and I. He's practically like my Ojii-Sama. I've been under his care since I was 12. He adopted my brother when he was around 10 and I met him when he was 15."
"That's… Really awesome of him."
"It is." Zenitsu smiles and looked down at his cup, fondness filling his soul for his Ojii-Sama.
"Wouldn't that make him your dad?" Tanjiro asked.
"Legally, yes. He encourages us to call him Ojii-Sama instead due to the significant age difference."
"So you live there, I presume? You've always been so hospitable."
He gave a nod and grinned. "I do! I help Ojii-Sama keep the house clean and the yard kept. He's a crazy old man, sure, but he is old all the same. He'll never admit it but I think he appreciates the help."
"What's your brother like?" Tanjiro asked. He couldn't recall ever seeing a 6th person there the last two times he had been on the property.
"Only if you tell me about your sister~" Zenitsu gave a sly grin which received a tired smile in return.
"Touché."
"Is there anything else I can get you two?" The owner's sudden voice caught the two young men off guard.
The blond opened his mouth to say something, probably flirt, but a head with black hair poked out from behind the door to the kitchen, glaring holes into the back of Zenitsu. Judging by how his friend locked up he was sure the blond could feel it.
Tanjiro chuckled. "I think we're fine. Thank you!"
The two friends walked down the street as they casually talked between themselves, a Taiyaki in their hands. Instead of going back to his shift the kind owner of the Cafe said that Zenitsu could head out early for the day, and they took the opportunity to hang out.
"We should do Karaoke one of these days!" He spoke out in excitement, his amber eyes pleading Tanjuro for him to say yes.
The red head awkwardly chuckled. "I haven't done that in a long time. Maybe someday soon. I just don't have a lot of free time."
"We could go now?!" He smiled brightly. "There's this place I like going to! The receptionist is so cute! I keep trying to get her to sing with me but she rejects every time." His voice trailed off into a whine.
"Well, you can't expect the workers there to be doing that while on the job." Tanjiro said, trying to subtly discourage his friend from his actions.
"Yeah.. I keep asking her out but she always rejects me. But she's so beautiful!"
Man. This guy really was a simp. It gave Tanjiro a comfort in knowing it wasn't just directed at his sister.
"Well, unfortunately I can't. I have somewhere I have to be at in about an hour."
"Oh! Is it your sister again?"
"No.. Actually, it's an old family friend. We have some business to look over together."
"Are you and your family from the city?"
The question jolted Tanjiro to attention and he looked at the curious amber eyes of his friend who nibbled on his food.
"No, actually. We're from a rural town down west. I'm not even from this prefecture." He admitted.
"And it's just you and your sister here, huh?"
"Yeah.. Wait, how-"
"Because you never talk about seeing anyone else. I figured if your parents were in this city you'd mention them a bit more when talking about visiting your sister."
Tanjiro pursed his lips. He subconsciously placed his free hand over the scar on his forehead, a motion caught by the blond, his eyes watching his friend curiously. He was perceptive. More perceptive than he had expected.
When their eyes met there was a moment of silence heard by all but Zenitsu who was picking up subtle sounds of pain; pain that made him look away to give his friend space.
Tanjiro opened his lips to speak when-
"Look at her!" Zenitsu exclaimed, angling Tanjiro so he could see the woman that was crossing the street towards them. She was walking alone, her short hair framing her delicate face. "She's so gorgeous!" He squealed in excitement, shoving the rest of his food into his dumbfounded companion, and left his side in a scurry.
"Excuse me~!"
It eventually ended with a slap to the face and Tanjiro trying to console a sobbing Zenitsu.
Giyu Tomioka sat at his desk, overlooking an intense amount of paperwork as it sprawled out, covering every inch of the redwood, a younger, conscious, version of Nezuko was clipped to the large case file that his deep blue eyes were looking through. Long, thick hair pulled back into a ponytail, his stern expression processing information.
A soft knock at the door broke him from his concentration and he closed her file. "Come in." He spoke, his voice deep, low, little emotion seeping through.
Tanjiro opened the door and smiled at his friend. Giyu returned it. "Come. Sit. Thank you for being able to meet with me today."
"Of course!" The young man's voice hiked up a bit. It was always good to see a familiar face. "I assume this isn't because you missed me?" He asked, naturally trying to use humor to calm his nerves. Having conversations with Giyu was always hard as it was usually related to his sister.
The older man gave a heavy sigh. "I've spent some time discussing things with Dr. Abe, your sister's Neurologist. From the results of the fMRI he seems adamant that she won't wake up anytime soon in her current state. He feels that it's time you consider turning off her life support and seeing if she's able to continue to breathe on her own."
Tanjiro's own breathing stopped as his eyes widened at the words his medical social worker was saying, the feeling of dread filling his heart once again, his senses disassociating from his actual surroundings.
"I know the fMRI is still relatively new to the medical field, but we brought her here to be treated by one of the best hospitals in the country. There isn't going to be anywhere else to go after this."
Giyu's words were distant, muffled. What was he even saying?
"And I believe it's something we should consider-"
No.
"He doesn't believe she'll wake up while-"
No.
"The chances of her pulling through-"
No.
… Please no...
Harsh reality crashed down around Tanjiro as if he was being engulfed by the very ocean he used to love; being dragged into the raging sea of despair. The crushing weight of the water pushed him further and further into darkness. Would his bones crumble under the pressure? Would his lungs implode? Death felt more reassuring and welcoming than the harsh life he was given. If he could just… Reach out towards death's grip and accept it with open arms then maybe, just maybe, he'd find a moment of peace. Even the raging inferno of hell wouldn't torment his soul to this extreme.
".. Potential lead.."
His eyes shifted back to focusing on Giyu, the two simple words he had heard grounding him and pulling him out of his own agony for a moment of clarity. "... W-what did you say..?" He asked, breathless, weak.
"I said that we might have a potential lead." He repeated before Giyu's expression darkened.
"There was a break in at a different hospital's comatose ward one prefecture over; a sister hospital to this one."
Since chapter 4 is actually really short it'll be released it this upcoming Wednesday instead of Saturday! I hope this makes up for the lack of content! Also, I have since realized that it's Tanjirou and Giyuu but since I started down this path of messing the names up I might as well keep going to preserve continuity!