「secret empire」ー 折原 臨也

Ch. 7: Silence gives you space

05/01:

Quivering.

Shaking.

Trembling.

That's all Yuzuki had been doing throughout the entire night. The young woman had been so scared. It felt like her anxiety had handcuffs wrapped around her wrists and threw away the key. She had no control whatsoever of her mind. Instead, the intrusive thoughts kept screaming in her head, leaving behind a stinging, unbearable pain.

He's back.

He's coming for you.

He's going to kill you.

It's your fault they're dead.

You are next.

Every single movement of Yuzuki was painfully slow. Every single bone and each muscle seemed to ache, every action, might it be the most simple daily activity, she feared it might be the last one.

She had been this close to death 6 years ago. But debt lingered in her mind. Surely she wouldn't be this lucky twice in a row.

Truly, she was powerless. Death was in control of her life, or more to say, the end of it. It stood right before her door, waiting for the right moment to knock. And she would be forced to open, welcome it with kindness. Fighting or any kind of struggle would probably make it more painful than necessary.

Would it be painful at all?

Was their death painful?

It surely did not look like it was fun. Obviously

Yuzuki's stomach twisted at the thought of that sight she had witnessed. She closed her eyes shut, trying to focus in order to push the images away, but they kept flashing right before her eyes. Covering them with her hands, burying her face in the pillow, none of it was of any use.

"What's wrong?"

Tense and distressed as she already was, Izaya's voice caused the girl to jump a little. She turned her head to his direction to see him doing the same, the dim moonlight not giving her too much opportunity to observe his features. What she could make out of it though, did surprise her.

She must've looked so exhausted, tired, devastated even. Even though nobody would describe that expression of his as a worried one, Yuzuki was not able to read it. It was an unknown and unfamiliar look on the informant. Of course, it lingered some sort of interest in curiousity, but it was more genuine than usually.

Almost as if he was truly waiting for an answer to his question for Yuzuki's sake, instead of directly wanting to take advantage of it himself.

Should she tell him?

What could he do about it though?

If anything, he would leave her. If anything, he wouldn't see purpose in keeping her around anymore. He'd be over and done with their relationship.

He'd be bored.

"It's nothing. I'm sorry, I didn't want to wake you." she whispered, shaking her head. She figured it would be unwise to spill her heart in this state of hers.

"If that's the case," Izaya sighed quietly, "you would surely refrain from turning around every damn three seconds." His words were interrupted by a yawn and he closed his eyes.

"Unless I'm mistaking by thinking you would respect the fact that my light sleep is interrupted very easily. You just want to see me suffer, don't you?" The usual tone of mockery lifted a little weight from Yuzuki's shoulders. It created the illusion of everything still being the same.