Identity Disorder {A Juuzou Suzuya Story}

Chapter 18

I'm so s o f t for black haired Juuzou. My only regret is I started this story so very long ago without the knowledge of such a thing existing...

"Emiko? Are you awake?"

Coffee eyes shot open in the dimly lit hotel room. The single-lit lamp in the space was the only light in the darkness. But Emiko did not need the lights to see who called her in the middle of the night. She only turned over in her bed to see the white-haired man laying in the queen bed beside her own.

When she closed her eyes, the bedside table that separated the two did not seem to create so much space. But waking up, Juuzou seemed like he was on the other side of the room.

"You do not have to speak. Just listen, okay?"

Emiko stared quietly at the ceiling, unable to decipher the tone he took. His voice was light, borderline girlish as always but he sounded pondering. Juuzou rarely slept as far as Emiko knew. But it sounded as if this was something he thought about all night up until that moment. So she held her tongue that swam with the need to complain about how late it was. Though the white-haired man deciding to speak up at two in the morning did agitate her.

Juuzou rarely thought before action. Pondering something all night.

"Emiko, I have been working more and that is because there is a raid coming up... It's pretty big. I'm excited!"

"You sound sad, Juuzou." Emiko's monotone rang in the dark room. Her brown eyes remained above her but turned to look at the practically glowing crimson eyes when she heard his small laugh. The laugh was hollow but Emiko was unable to discern the emotion on his pale face.

"I am supposed to take you to the evacuation buses tomorrow to get out of this ward. You'll be safe there, Emi!"

Emiko sat up in her bed, leaning to turn on the lamp.

Her heart pounded with agitation as she processed the words that left Juuzou's lips.

Evacuation.

Safe.

Her blood boiled as she thought of the many things her father failed to mention. Things that would have led up to the event that the ward would have to be evacuated.

She would have to be evacuated.

"I can help. I don't need to be hidden and coddled. My dad's trained me for years! I have blood on my hands too!" Emiko stood from her bed, seething out loud. Her hands balled into fists as she glared at the crimson-eyed man. Though her temper raged at the thought of the only two people she could care about leaving her behind, his expression stopped her from chucking the lamp at him. Her hands flexed with the itch to grab the fragile furniture but when she looked at his shadowed face closely, Juuzou looked so tired.

With the lamp light lit, the shadow cast on his pale face emphasized the dark bags hanging from his crimson gaze. The crimson gaze only stared quietly at her wrath. He looked so patient while he sat up in his bed. As if he was simply waiting for her to stop breathing fire. Ironically, she never thought that between the two it would be Juuzou having to hold patience for her.

Emiko figured that their dynamic would be only him needing a leash. She was always so cool and collected in her book. Monotoned and cold.

But her temper always flared in the face of her feelings.

Her hands relaxed and her lips frowned as she processed the two's positions. She lashed out and he only watched. He did not grow even a little violent. His violence never was truly in response to her emotional outbursts. Juuzou seemed to separate reacting to incite violence and not reacting to her emotions.