Freak ~Juuzou x Reader AU~

Chapter 7: The Others

I wake with a start, my body jolting up as my head spins. Dizzy with confusion, I glance around, forgetting where I am. But then I remember.

I'm back home. Back in my apartment, the space where my coffee table should be empty as the evening shadows sliver across the crème rug. Inside my chest, my heart races, the blood flushing to my ears. But as I try to ease myself, relaxing my muscles, I begin to wonder what had stirred me.

I look at the clock. 5:45 p.m. I glance at my lap, seeing my phone. I must have drifted to sleep sometime after Randy left. He left at what? A little after one, right? I was scrolling on my phone for a while. The time I recall seeing last was 4:03. Was that when I fell asleep? Have I really been sleeping for an hour and forty or so minutes?

Then I hear it. A soft knock, knock on my door. My blood runs cold. Muscles stiff, I sit up. I wasn't expecting any visitors. None that I recall. No one mentioned stopping by. Mrs. Warner would've called first and the other neighbors -

Knock, knock, then: "Y/N? Are you there?"

I breathe a sigh of relief and slowly climb to my feet, grabbing my crutch and hobbling over to the door. I unlock and open it, revealing a dark-haired man that I have come to recognize quite well.

"Hello!" he beams, giving me a friendly salute. "May I come in?"

I give a friendly smile, nodding, "Hey, Juuzou. Yeah, come on in."

I pivot my body, allowing him to slip in through the door, then close it. He walks to the living area, me shuffling behind him, wincing as I go. Even with the medication in my system, my foot is still tender, though I can't say I'm surprised, considering where the stitches are.

I make my way to the sofa and lower onto it, looking up at Juuzou. "So, what brings you here?"

He moseys over to where some pictures are hanging and shrugs, "I was in the neighborhood." He looks at me. "You look like you're doing better."

Am I? Because I feel like crap still. My mouth is dry and my throat still stings and Rui is still...

"I'm trying," I say plainly. "I'd offer you a drink or something, but as you can tell, moving isn't coming across as easy at the moment."

"Eh, that's okay. I'm kinda here for work."

I knit my brows. "For work? But you just said you were in the neighborhood? You made it seem like you were just stopping by."

He lowers himself in the chair across from me. "Yeah, well, I'm here for work too."

I observe him. All things considered; he is his typical self. He sits, his eyes still wandering around the room, looking so young and so...I don't know. Out of place, I guess.

Before I can say anything to probe him, he speaks. "I have to ask this as part of the investigation."

Investigation? That's right. The investigation. I am painfully reminded of the circumstances surrounding me and nod.

"Alright."

He observes me, then presses forward. "Okay. So, in the last few weeks, have you noticed anything out of the ordinary? Like, maybe someone following you, or anything like that?"

I think about it. Like, sit back and really think about it. I sit and rake my brain, scouring through my memories, trying to recall. Were there any out-of-place faces that I saw repeatedly? With the exception of the regulars at work, there has been nothing or no one that stands - stood - out.

I shake my head. "No. None that I recall."

"None?"

I shake my head again.