"...I've been better." Sanemi muttered.
Kanae couldn't help but reach out to him, she placed a reassuring hand over his and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"I'm sorry, Shinazugawa-kun." She whispered, her face etched with sorrow. Her eyes locked onto his.
Sanemi's gaze softened slightly, his eyes locking onto hers as he replied. "You don't have to be."
He leaned back against his pillows, her presence oddly comforting him.
It always has.
Kanae's heart sank. It was obvious that Masachika's passing had affected Sanemi deeply, even she herself had seen how close they were.
"Shinazugawa-kun. If you need to talk to someone, I'm here for you. If you feel like sharing your thoughts or emotions... I'll be here to listen."
There it is. The reason why he fell for her in the first place.
The unending concern— the way she fussed over him not taking enough care of himself properly during that week.
The way she was so determined to make him feel better alone warmed his heart.
It felt nice.
He long noticed the determination she had.
Sanemi's expression softened further, his eyes narrowed as he responded. "Thank you,"
He paused hesitantly. "..Kanae."
It still felt awkward, even if it were just a name.
She smiled at him softly. Not cheerfully or lively like she always was. Warmly, and it was enough to send the butterflies in his stomach into wild motion.
He had almost forgotten about his Ohagi at that moment, just frozen halfway to his mouth.
Sanemi silently looked down at the treat she had made for him, before he nibbled on the piece he had in his hand, savoring its taste
His cheek splashed in a slight reddish hue which was barely noticeable.
Kanae slowly reached out and unwrapped the bandage from around his neck, catching him off-guard.
"I think you're ready to be discharged soon, Shinazugawa-kun." She smiled, her touch delicate at his skin.
Her fingers traced against the new scar that had formed on his neck.
Sanemi blinked before she pulled away.
Kanae's soft touch lingered there for a fleeting moment.
"Alright." He whispered, his voice muffled by the Ohagi in his mouth.
***
Sanemi—who was now a Hashira, was discharged the next day and was back on duty.
He was patrolling around a village that night, and he couldn't shake the feeling of warmth that had wound its way up to his heart.
Besides being oddly silent, he started acting like himself again.
Just slowly but surely.
His crow, Sorai, hopped around on the roof whilst observing with silence.
Even he— Sorai, was concerned for his master.
It wasn't particularly a mission, since being discharged hadn't meant that Sanemi was completely healed, just mostly.
The village smelled like sandalwood.
Since he was now a Hashira, he had to patrol at least two or three villages every week just in case anything could've happened.
Apparently demon sightings had also increased intensely since the death of the Lower Kizuki, making the missions increase considerably for each demon slayer.
"Oh dear...apparently there had been whispers of missing girls or even old women in the village." A woman whispered around the corner.
'Speak of the fucking devil.' Sanemi thought to himself, the warmth within him disappearing swiftly at the possibility of a demon appearing.
"Tell me what you know." Sanemi commanded while approaching the group of women slowly, his voice matching his fierce and angry gaze.
"Well.. uh... we heard that the elderly ladies who worked at the ramen shop had all disappeared a few nights ago without a trace." One of the woman spoke hesitantly.
Another other woman, who looked slightly older than the rest, eyed Sanemi skeptically for barging into the conversation. "...The shop hadn't opened today yet either. I'm starting to think they'd moved out of the village."
'Old women..? Unusual.'
Sanemi concluded. Knowing that demons mostly liked to feast on younger people for better nutrition or whatever.
The woman spoke up again, her expression calm. "Every time someone had gone missing, an abnormal looking paper lantern was left behind."
"...A lantern?" Sanemi placed a hand over his mouth and rubbed his chin slightly.
The woman nodded, her expression shifting from calm to serious. "Yes, a husband of an elder lady who went missing, works at the police.." She paused, raising an eyebrow.
"Although, why must you know this information, sir?"
"..." Sanemi blinked briefly before replying. "I'm apart of the police too."
The woman's expression grew even more skeptical. "I don't recall the police having a uniform such as that."
'The fuck is she so questioning for...'
"I'm apart of a faction." Sanemi answered quickly, his expression irritated yet he kept his composure.
"I see." The woman's eyebrows shot up, but she didn't question any further. "As I was saying, I was told that the paper lantern looked ancient, as though it was almost shredded into pieces."
"..."
The woman continued the explanation smoothly, and Sanemi listened attentively. He couldn't seem to ignore the weirdly dark tone present in her voice. She calmly drifted through all the information and details she knew about the 'kidnapping'.
After, Sanemi thanked the women and left to continue his patrol.
Why the fuck were those women even outside at this time?
"..."
'The elderly ladies who worked at the ramen shop had all disappeared a few nights ago without a trace.'
'There had been a mysterious paper lantern left behind each crime scene, looking shredded. The flame inside burnt purple for a couple of seconds upon a person merely witnessing it...'
When Sanemi turned the corner, he caught sight of a huge, shadowy figure darting between the houses with remarkable speed. The movement immediately caught his attention, it was far too quick for a normal villager.
Sanemi silently yet swiftly ran across the path. He couldn't tell if it were a demon or human from that distance.
As he turned yet another corner, he witnessed the large figure in pursuit of a smaller one. However, the pursuer was a human.
"Hah?"
***
Author:
Just a normal chapter of Sanemi living his one-sided fantasies at the start/jk
😭
Thank you for reading :D