Chapter Text
Haru was working the afternoon shift in his café, when Sousuke entered, asking to speak with him in private. He was still wearing his navy-blue police uniform.
“You’re his emergency contact, so it’s my responsibility to tell you- there was an incident this morning.” Sousuke was straight to the point, elaborating: “Rin was taken to a hospital. Before you panic, it’s nothing serious.”
Then say that first, Haru wanted to reprimand- though now wasn’t the time for bickering.
“What happened..?”
“He was bitten by a vampire.”
Centuries ago, a single vampire was enough to strike fear across Japan.
Once bitten, the person would become fixated with the desire to consume human blood, introducing their contagious saliva into their victims’ venous systems… increasing the number of infected cases in the process. Overnight, entire villages could become quarantine zones.
Nowadays, vampirism could be equated to a rough case of influenza.
Modern pharmacology had advanced enough that the condition was understood to be a curable disease, rather than a supernatural phenomenon. Should the treatment be taken as intended- and providing the patient wasn’t re-exposed in the meantime- the infection could be reversed entirely without side-effects within one week.
Haru knew that vampirism cases still occurred, since he’d occasionally hear reports on outbreaks, but they were typically contained to areas with reduced access to health care… and they dampened down quickly enough after drawing regional attention. It was never something he’d assumed anyone he knew would experience.
Since the café was busy, they’d migrated to the produce area.
Hunched on the staircase to the back exit, Sousuke took sips of the expresso that Haru had prepared for him.
“For the past several days, our unit has been conducting surveillance on an abandoned warehouse,” Sousuke explained, slowly. “Since there were links between that location and missing civilians, we were expecting to find a trafficking operation, but it turned out to be the hideout for a cult who treat vampirism as a way of life, and intentionally prolong their infections. One of them lunged at Rin as we detained them. Bit him on a side of his throat.”
Haru said nothing.
“A hospital confirmed he’s positive and issued the treatment course; Rin’s going to isolate in his apartment for the full seven days that it’ll take him to recover. During the next week, you should refrain from seeing him. And under no circumstances should there be any physical contact.” Sousuke reiterated: “Those are his wishes. The last thing he told me was that he wanted you to keep away.”
It sounded like Rin, to try and work through this alone, but… unquestionably abiding by that felt unnatural.
Haru knew scarcely little about vampirism. He was aware that a biological transformation transpired, but… what, specifically, did that entail? Was Rin suffering? And if Haru reaching out made him feel slightly better, then… wasn’t that his responsibility?
A call to Rin’s cellphone wouldn’t connect, but Haru refused to be deterred easily. For now, he assured himself Rin must be resting: resolving to check up on him tomorrow.