During The Storm [Giyushino]

Chapter 6

As Shinobu eats with Mitsuri, Aoi comes to her with concerns and Shinobu ends up having an enlightening talk with Giyuu.

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Aoi was entirely sure that this was beyond her pay-raise but here she was, on her lunch break having to deal with a situation entirely out of her line of expertise.

It all started when she spotted the bathroom door wide open, lights on, and not a sound coming from inside it. With a huff, cheeks puffed up she walked towards the door, ready to be greeted with an empty room only to be dealt anything but such.

Nope. Instead, it's their current Water Hashira, lying on the ground unconscious. 

What the fuck. 

Immediately alarmed, Aoi rushed out of the room and looked around, she called out the name of the butterfly's local trio and they come rushing towards her. Thankfully, they haven't had many people getting injured nowadays so they're most likely not busy, especially with the rain. They bounced towards her, pep's in their steps and beams on their faces. They were always happy to be of service, she knew that the look on their faces would soon diminish as quick as it had come. 

"Did you need us Aoi-san?" She nodded and pointed towards the Water Hashira that was passed out on the ground. "Pick him up and take him to his room, quick and get him out of his current clothes. Make sure his fever doesn't go any higher than it already is, quick, I'll go get Shinobu-sama."

The trio, alarmed, is quick on their feet and they try to pick him up, struggling slightly, she watched as Sumi went go get Goto for help as she turned and rushed towards the occupied dining room. As she said before, this job is in no way her expertise, so it's best she gets the one who knows how to deal with it: Shinobu.

As she hurries towards the room she's in, she can't help but think of other situations they've faced in the past and how strangely rare this one exactly is. Situations like this are rare, yes they've dealt with people with broken bones, ginormous wounds, and situations where they're poisoned, and that poison turning them into spiders but not something like this. Anytime someone got sick they either were just sick or sick from some kind of outside source, like an infected wound or stress; their fevers were never on and off, but Giyuu's was, and the symptoms were all over the place as well.

It was strangely fitting for a demon blood art as confusing as it was, after all, demon blood arts were a confusing idea in general. Were they created with it or did make their own, were they changeable or unchangeable? She shakes away the thoughts, now with a little more rush in her step she sharp turns the corner and bursts through the doors her master and her friend are in. If her lunch break has to be interrupted then so does theirs.

"Aoi-chan!" Mitsuri exclaims upon her sudden introduction. "It's so nice of you to join us for lunch!"

"I'm... I'm afraid that's not why I'm here!" Shinobu tilted her head at the statement but silently urged her to continue as Mitsuri let out a sound of disappointment in the background, her posture slumping. 

Aoi thickly swallowed before she continued. "It's Tomioka-san..." Shinobu's posture stiffened and Misturi let out a small squeak of surprise tilting her head to the side, leaning over the table. "What... What happened?" The Love Pillar cautiously asked, the hesitance of her voice obvious. Her brows pinched in concern and her eyes wavered with concern and curiosity, lip quivering.

"I..." Her eyes flickered away from her, staring deeply into the ground as if she were trying to burn a hole in it. "I think you should just come to see for yourself," With a sigh, Shinobu gets up and excuses herself from her conversation only for her friend to tug at her sleeve. She only had to spare her friend one look for her to understand what she wanted by her pleading eyes.