𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 | 𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐨𝐤𝐚 𝐠𝐢𝐲𝐮𝐮

❄️ 79

"Huh?" Shinobu questioned. "In times like this, I thought she visits you?"

"She's not with me, Kocho," Obanai said firmly.

Shinobu looked at the other girls, hoping that they might've seen her. All of them shook their heads and she looked back to face Obanai. "Maybe she's out on duty?"

"I thought she only gets her mission during weekends?" He asked, a little worried.

At some point, Shinobu feels a little nervous knowing the state F/N's currently in. "H-Have you tried asking Tomioka-san?"

"I saw Tomioka on his way home, alone," Obanai said. "He just got back from his duties. He couldn't be with F/N."

Shinobu bit her lower lip as she took a deep breath and looked down. "I d-don't know where she is..."

"You knew about her conditions, Kocho," Obanai stated. "Where was she last night?" He asked as he started getting paranoid. "Did she leave the mansion? Did no one see her outside?"

"Uh....S-Shinobu-sama..."

Both hashira's attention turned to the voice who's fiddling with her fingers and avoiding their eyes. Kanao's anxiousness is visible to her master, who knew about her actions and movements since. "Before I went to bed last night, I saw F/N-san at the garden. I thought she was training and was about to t-tell her to rest, but I found her doing n-nothing and she was just sitting on the bench... so I w-went to bed."

"Kanao..." Shinobu whispered, worryingly. She took a heavy breath before facing the Snake Hashira. "She must've left last night," she said. "I'll start looking for her and ask for the Kakushi's assistance, right away." Obanai watched her as she walked away from the scene and left him standing at the hallway.

A few minutes of calming himself, Obanai also left the estate for Giyuu's place, in hopes that she had slept there or at least Giyuu might now where she went.

Upon reaching his gate, as much as he wanted to knock softly, the loud, aggressive banging of the gate startled the resident inside who just got home and is also preparing a breakfast for himself. It's either Shinazugawa or Iguro.

He walked out and opened the gate in which he thought that was about to break and met Obanai with his unreadable and a slight shifting expression. It's Iguro.

"Is F/N here?" Obanai asked. The obvious tone in the way he asked never went unnoticed by Giyuu, making him straightened up, feeling that something's up and it's not right. He frowned and shook his head. "Figured," he said before hissing. "Had she at least told you where she went?"

"Is she missing?"

"Just this morning," he answered. "No one in the mansion knew about her whereabouts. They also didn't know that she had left."

"Wasn't she... on duty?" Giyuu stuttered.

"No. She gets her missions on weekends," Obanai said. "Tomioka...

...I'm afraid that she might've fainted somewhere last night."

"Don't say that," he said before shoving Obanai away and left his own place and later being followed by him.

When they reached the Butterfly Mansion once more, they were welcomed by Aoi who stood by the gate, waiting for her master's return. "They haven't returned yet," she informed.

Giyuu clicked his tongue and left, but before he could, he was questioned by Obanai. "Where are you going?"

"To the place where she always go." The river.

As fast as he could, he reached the place in a short time, only to be met with nothing. Giyuu also felt no trace of her coming into this place and it made him more worried. "F/N, where are you?" He whispered.

"I'm afraid she might've fainted somewhere last night."

Obanai's words lingered in his mind nonstop. Although he believed that it won't happen, there's a possibility that it would and it scared him.

If so, how long was she out since then? How long wasn't she able to get attended with medicines and help?

Feeling disappointed that she's not in the area, Giyuu took it as a cue to return at the Butterfly Mansion again; that maybe she had returned already.

But was it too much to expect that he'll just hear her apologies that she should've informed at least one person that she just felt like she needed to stroll around? Because no, she wasn't apologizing when Giyuu returned to the mansion, but to hear the cries of the little girls who're sitting in the same bench F/N was last seen.

When he emtered the gate, Obanai was there on the side of the door, leaning his back on the wall while facing down. He immediately noticed the incomee's presence and looked up to meet Giyuu's eyes. No one bothered speaking yet Giyuu already knew what happened, so he attempted to enter the mansion, but he was stopped by the other hashira. "I was told to stay out while they are treating her." Obanai sounded so down; it doesn't sound like him at all.

"What exactly happened?" Giyuu asked lowly.

"They returned her, carrying her unconscious body," he answered. "I don't know what exactly happened."

His shoulders dropped at what he heard and looked away. "She'll be fine... she's always like this."

"I hope so too."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Shinobu slowly sat down on the chair beside the bed they have placed F/N. She sighed before speaking. "This wasn't any similar to her last situations. I...could not see any signs of quick recovery in her."

Aoi pursed her lips. "But, she'll wake up soon, right?"

"I couldn't tell. She could wake up anytime, but I have no exact idea when," Shinobu answered. "This is much different comparing last time...She's giving no signs at all."

"Should I call them?"

Shinobu looked at her, hesitant. "Please do."

A minute later and the two arrived and entered the room. Giyuu immediately went beside her and the sight of her makes him uncomfortable than he ever was. She was too pale and the bags under her closed lids shows visible exhaustions. He held her right hand and the cold temperature gave him goosebumps. "This...isn't normal," he muttered.

"Her heartbeat is very slow and I could barely hear it," Shinobu started. "Her blood circulation is also unstable."

"When will she wake up?" Obanai asked, not taking his eyes off her.

Shinobu shook her head and gulped. "I don't see any signs of waking up."

Giyuu perked up and faced Shinobu. "What do you mean?"

"Her body doesn't give any signs of recovery...at least at the moment," she replied. "I'll check on her from time to time to see any changes."

to be continued.