Tengen pauses his game, raising an eyebrow at Sanemi's frantic state. "What did you do this time, Sanemi? And why are you all dirty?" He asks, setting his controller down. Sanemi runs a hand through his hair, leaving a smudge of dirt on his forehead.
"Not me. It's Mizu. He's hurt badly. I found him at the warehouse district." He starts pacing, his mind racing. "The police were there, and they're looking for him. I had to leave him." Giyuu appears in the doorway, looking worse for wear. His clothes are torn and there's a fresh cut on his cheek. He leans against the frame, clearly exhausted. Sanemi stops pacing, eyes widening at Giyuu's appearance.
"Giyuu? What the hell happened to you?" He asks, moving toward him with concern. Giyuu doesn't respond immediately. He's trembling slightly, and there's a strange look in his eyes - a mix of fear and something darker. Tengen stands up now, noticing the blood on Giyuu's sleeve. "Is that your blood?" He asks bluntly, pointing at the stain. Giyuu looks down at his arm, seeming to notice the injury for the first time. He doesn't seem bothered by it.
Sanemi notices the self-harmed lines he had when he was a high school and turns you to ask. "Did you do that, Tomioka?" Giyuu's eyes flicker up to meet Sanemi's, a flash of shame crossing his face before it's gone again. He clutches his injured arm tighter. Tengen moves closer, his usual carefree demeanor replaced by seriousness.
"Answer him, Giyuu. This isn't normal anymore." His voice is firm, but concerned. Silence hangs in the air as Giyuu remains stubbornly silent. His knuckles are white from gripping himself. The self-harm lines are long forgotten. Sanemi catches Giyuu as he leans, supporting him like earlier.
"Talk to us. We can't help if you don't speak." He says gently, though frustration is evident in his tone. He knew about the self harm, but thought he stopped. Giyuu finally lets out a shaky breath, his shoulders slumping against Sanemi. He's unusually clingy.
"Just... tired." He mumbles, his voice hoarse. There's a barely audible whisper in his voice. "Hurts." Sanemi helps guide him to the makeshift bed, keeping a close eye on him. He exchanges a worried look with Tengen. Tengen grabs the first aid kit from the bathroom, tossing it to Sanemi.
"I'll get some water. You clean that cut." He says, heading to the mini fridge. Sanemi starts cleaning the cut with antiseptic, his movements careful but efficient. He notices more fresh cuts on Giyuu's other arm, hidden under his sleeve.
"How long have you been doing this again?" He asks quietly, trying to keep his anger in check. He was helping him through it, but it seems he went back. The night passes with Giyuu drifting in and out of consciousness. Sanemi stays vigilant, alternating between watching him and keeping watch for any police activity outside.
Tengen stays up too, though he tries to lighten the mood with his usual jokes, failing this time. In the morning, Giyuu has a nightmare and wakes up screaming. The nightmare causes him to lash out, knocking over the water bottle beside him. He's drenched in sweat, breathing rapidly and muttering incoherent words.
"No... don't... please..." He thrashes weakly, caught in the nightmare's grip. Sanemi immediately rushes to his side, grabbing his shoulders to try and ground him. Tengen turns on the lights fully. Giyuu's eyes snap open, wild and unfocused. He sees Sanemi and for a moment, doesn't recognize him. Then he starts crying.
"They're coming for me again..." He chokes out between sobs, tears mixing with the water on his face. "The voices won't stop." The voices he mentioned were hallucinations. They were telling him to hurt himself more, to 'punish' himself. The nightmare was about being surrounded by those voices. Sanemi curses under his breath, realizing the severity of Giyuu's mental state. He knows about his depression, but this is worse than before.
"Who's voices? What are they saying?" He asks, trying to keep him calm while also wanting to know how he needs to help. Giyuu shakes his head frantically, tears streaming down. His eyes dart around the room as if the voices are physically there.
"Sabito... Tsutako... my parents... everyone. They're telling me I'm worthless. That I deserve this pain." He whispers, rocking back and forth. He doesn't care about the hallucinations of Tsutako, but the hallucinations of Sabito is different. The mention of Sabito makes Sanemi's blood run cold. He remembers how close they were. Giyuu was devastated when he died.
"They're lying. You know that right? Sabito wouldn't say that." He says firmly, though his heart aches for his friend. "Sabito would kick your ass if he saw you like this."A bitter laugh escapes Giyuu's lips at that. "The hallucinations" say otherwise.
"He's already kicking me... he says I killed him. That I should join him." His voice breaks, and he grips his hair with trembling hands. "I can see him standing there, judging me." Tengen looks sick at the mention of Sabito. Sanemi follows his gaze, but sees nothing. He can't see what Giyuu is seeing. He turns back to Giyuu, his voice becoming stern. "Sabito is dead. He's not real. Those are just tricks your mind is playing. You need help, man. Real help." He glances at Tengen, silently asking for backup.
Tengen nods, pulling out his phone to text someone - likely a therapist they know. Giyuu's eyes flicker between reality and hallucination, tears still falling. He's hyperventilating now, the hallucination of Sabito getting closer. "I can't... I can't take it anymore. The voices won't stop, Sanemi. They won't let me sleep. They won't let me breathe." He looks desperately at his best friend. "Make them stop." Sanemi pulls him into a tight hug, trying to shield him from the vision.
"I'll do everything I can. But you have to fight them too. Don't listen to what they say about you. You're not worthless. You're my best friend." He holds him protectively, shooting a warning look at the empty space where he thinks the hallucination is. "You're not going to join Sabito. Not like this." The hallucination smirks evilly, speaking only for Giyuu to hear. "He's lying again. Look at how pathetic you are, being comforted. You should be dead instead of me."
Giyuu flinches at the words, his body trembling against Sanemi. He whispers. "I should be. I should have died with him." Sanemi's grip tightens, his jaw clenched in anger at the hallucination's cruel words. He whispers back, loud enough for Giyuu to hear and the hallucination to hear too. "No. You have a purpose. You have us. You have me. I won't let you give up." He tries look directly at where the hallucination stands, as if challenging it, for Giyuu. "I'll fight these demons with you, Giyuu. Just like I fought those demons years ago." The hallucination laughs darkly, mocking their relationship.