Amnesia: The Taste Of Solitude (SaneGiyuu)

Chapter Five

Sanemi paced the length of the training yard, the rhythmic crunch of his boots on gravel the only sound breaking the early morning silence. The sun had barely risen, and yet, his mind was already racing. Something felt off.

He hadn't seen Giyuu all morning, and that alone was enough to irritate him. It wasn't like the quiet bastard to disappear without a word—especially after their awkward conversation the day before. Sanemi had made it clear that he didn't appreciate being left in the dark, so why the hell would Giyuu do it again?

Mei had said that Giyuu had gone off to visit someone, but she hadn't specified who, before rushing off to finish her work. In her defence, she had even very busy at the time, but it had still pissed Sanemi off.

"Where the hell is he?" Sanemi muttered, shoving his hands into his pockets. His fingers twitched, itching for something to punch or someone to yell at—preferably Giyuu. But the raven-haired Hashira was nowhere to be found. Not even a crow with a message.

He scowled at the memory of yesterday, replaying the scene in his mind. Giyuu had stood there, stiff as a board, giving him those goddamn blank looks that always drove Sanemi up the wall. Even when Sanemi had tried—tried—to start a normal conversation, the guy had just clammed up.

"Maybe I should've smacked him upside the head instead," Sanemi muttered to himself. It would've been faster, and Giyuu might've actually said something for once.

Just as he was about to head back to his room, Mei, approached him, looking slightly out of breath. "Shinazugawa-sama," she called out, waving a small note in her hand.

Sanemi narrowed his eyes. "What's that?"

"A letter from Master Ubuyashiki. It's about Tomioka-sama." Mei handed the scroll to him with a polite bow.

Sanemi snatched it, eyes scanning the parchment, his frown deepening with each word.

Dear Sanemi,

Tomioka has fallen rather ill and will be staying at our residence until his full recovery. Do not worry; we are taking care of him. I will send word if anything changes.

Kind regards,
Kagaya Ubuyashiki

Sanemi crumpled the letter in his fist, his jaw tightening. "Fallen ill, huh?" How the hell does an idiot like Giyuu manage to get himself sick? And why the hell didn't he say anything?

"Dammit, Giyuu..." Sanemi growled under his breath. The irritation bubbling in his chest was quickly turning into something else—something that felt a lot like worry. But he wasn't going to let that show. Not to Mei. Not to anyone.

"Did the damned crow tell you anything?" he asked, trying to keep his voice steady, even though he was already mentally mapping out the quickest route to Ubuyashiki's estate.

Mei nodded. "It seems he collapsed during their meeting."

Collapsed. Of course, he did.

Sanemi gritted his teeth, his mind flashing back to all the times he'd seen Giyuu push himself too far without a second thought. The guy didn't know his limits, or maybe he just didn't care. Either way, it was reckless—and it pissed Sanemi off more than it should.

"Guess I better go check on the idiot," he muttered, turning sharply on his heel. Before he could take another step, Mei spoke again, her voice gentle.

"Master Ubuyashiki assures you that Tomioka-sama is in good hands. You don't need to worry."

Sanemi shot her a look. "I'm not worried." The words came out harsher than he intended, but he didn't bother correcting himself. He wasn't worried, not really. He just... needed to make sure Giyuu wasn't being a complete idiot again.