Confession ~Juuzou x Reader AU~

Chapter 3: Her

Rui. My Rui.

It still doesn't feel real. But sure enough, it is. She's here, curled in the hospital bed. She looks so small in it. So tiny. Fragile, even. And she looks thinner. I was told all the kids were that way. They most likely weren't fed right or enough.

Even so. She's here. She's actually here. Her tiny chest rises and falls with each breath she takes as long lashes sweeps over rosy cheeks. Rui. My sweet, sweet Rui.

My fingers gingerly glide over her arm. Her skin is soft and warm. She moves a little. A stir, but not enough to wake. That's fine. She's probably exhausted. There's no saying how much sleep she got while there.

Then again, there's a lot we don't know. There's a lot unaccounted for. What they saw. What they heard. What they ate – if they ate. Where they slept. Everything. There is so little known, and to be honest, I'm scared to learn about any of it. I'm scared that I might...that I might...

I shudder. There's no saying what I'd do. God knows I already want to rip apart everyone involved with her kidnapping. Those ghouls. Clay.

A lump takes shape in my throat.

Though I'm relieved Rui is back, I am angry. I am furious – livid. Rage boils in the pit of my stomach, bubbling. I am angry that those women had to die. I am angry that Janelle and Sterling were killed. I'm angry that four children were kidnapped. I'm angry that seventeen families have to mourn. And I am angry that the man behind all of this...

...was someone I trusted.

So completely. So utterly. So naively. Never once did I suspect him. Never once did I consider him. Not with how kind he was. Not with how many times he offered to help me. Not a single time and that pisses me off.

I trusted him. I believed him. I even almost... God. I almost slept with him. I thought about it. I wanted to and now...now my skin just crawls. Disgusting. I feel as if I need to go home and scrub my skin clean with hot water. I might not have slept with him, but merely knowing I had considered it sickens me.

Because of him, seventeen women are dead. Because of him, four children were kidnapped. Because of him, three of those children are now motherless. Because of him, so many people were left hurt and broken in so many ways.

"Knock, knock," a voice whispers as the door creeps open. I turn and watch as Juuzou slips in through the slight gap, then quietly closes the door behind himself. He looks at me and smiles. "Hope it's okay that I came to visit."

The corners of my lips lift. "That's fine. She's asleep, though."

"That's fine." He quietly pulls a chair over and sits next to me. His eyes fall on Rui, watching her sleep. I observe him. He looks tired. Really tired. There are dark circles under his eyes, almost looking like bruises. They are bluish-gray crescents that fall from his lower eyelids. And his hair is a mess, more disheveled than it usually is. But his voice is soft as he speaks. "She must be exhausted. She's been through a lot."

I turn my gaze back to Rui and nod, "Yeah. She has."

Silence, then: "This is only the beginning, though."

I swallow. "I know."

"It's going to be a long and rough journey."

"I know."

"Mostly uphill."

"I know."

More silence. I can hear the rolling of voices bouncing through the halls as people go by. Nurses, technicians, doctors, and janitorial staff. They're all out there. I know they are. But I don't really care about them. Not right now. Not with Rui here.