Hello everybody! If you were wondering, I'm still working on my other Juuzou story (A Time for Healing). Until another update, here's another Juuzou story I thought up to at least tide me over, with more of a 'dark romance' edge. This will most likely be a short fic, set around the Re timeline. Tell me how you like it!

Being chased through the night by a ghoul was not how Rena was planning on spending that evening out with her friends. They were all sitting around an alley, sharing a smoke and minding their own business, when it happened.

"Do you hear that noise?" Jun had asked, getting up to go investigate.

They always say hindsight is 20/20.

Pretty soon the ghoul that was hiding there emerged from the shadows and caught onto Jun's leg, spearing right through the bone with its kagune, causing a loud crack to accompany his shrill screech, echoing throughout the maze of alley ways.

That's about the time Rena was hauling ass out of there, with the rest of their companions following close behind- poor Jun already being counted as gone.

Rena was never really close to anyone, even to her so-called friends, and she liked it that way. It meant her self preservation was strong in these types of situations, and she didn't have to deal with the guilt of leaving anyone behind. You know, whenever a man-eating beast was on your tail.

Unfortunately, it was too late for Rena by the time she realized all her friends had turned an extra right ages ago, leaving her at a dead end, between a wall and a hungry ghoul.

"Great," she mumbled to herself, leaning against the wall and sinking to the pavement. Perhaps this was a fitting end for her, amidst the dumpsters and sticky ground that reeked of booze. According to her parents, she hadn't lived the most fulfilling of lives, and maybe they were right. Hopefully though, whatever meagre existence she had led up to this point would be enough to carry her on to at least a somewhat decent afterlife.

At least, she was somewhat high, so the pain of being eaten alive would be somewhat lessened, right?

But just as the ghoul was about to chop her up into minced meat with its kagune still dripping with Jun's blood, sharp daggers came flying out from above, stopping the ghoul's movements at once.

Damn, maybe she was higher than she realized.

Almost out of thin air, the cramped, dead-end of the alleyway became filled with people, all attacking the ghoul as a unit. There were flashes and stabs, the sound of quinque on kagune, and blood spraying about. It was like a scene straight out of a slasher flick, and Rena was the main protagonist.

Yeah, if there was ever a movie with Rena as the main character, it would definitely be a slasher.

And then as quickly as the battle started, it was over. The team, with their specialized weapons and advantage of numbers were clearly no match for the lone ghoul, and it withered to the ground, seizing and convulsing. Rena had to try hard not to look at it too closely. She had limited supplies of guilt, and it'd be a shame if she wasted it on something that was out for her blood just seconds before.

The smallest member of the apparent suicide squad walked over to her, while the rest called on their beepers for backup and investigated the rest of the alley.

"Good evening, I'm Juuzou Suzuya," he said casually, as if he were wringing up her bags in a supermarket. "Me and my team are apart of the Commission of Counter Ghoul. Can you stand?"

Right, the CCG were pretty famous in the 13th ward lately. New doves from headquarters were causing quite the stir. Word on the street was even the Yakuza had some eyes on them.

"Rena Shibuya," she said, lying about her last name and accepted his hand in helping her up off the cold pavement. For the investigator's small size, he was surprisingly strong, and was able to lift her effortlessly to her feet. If he really wanted to, he could probably throw her over one shoulder and carry her off easily. "And I'm fine, thanks."

"Good," he said smiling and pulling a lollipop out of his jacket. "Then you can answer some of Hanbee's questions. If you answer them all, I'll give you this treat." With a click of his opposite set of fingers, a tall man with long black hair appeared, a clipboard and pen in hand.

Great, this was also not how Rena was hoping to spend her night.

"Look, no offense Marilyn Manson," she said. "But I kinda just want to go home. So if you and your little friend could let me off the hook here, you'd be the best." To add emphasis, she winked and flashed a smile, but Hanbee only cocked his head to the side, clearly not interested in letting her go.

And then she remembered the most obvious thing that would definitely delay her interrogation, if not put it off entirely.

"Jun!" she shouted out suddenly, earning the attention of all the ghoul investigators in the vicinity. "My friend Jun! He was injured just a little further down the street, and I think he still might be back there. I don't know if he's still alive..."

Suzuya sighed, and gave a signal to one of the investigators standing closest to the end of the street. "Nakarai, you and the others go to investigate. I'll stay here with Hanbee in case more ghouls show up looking for their friend." The investigator named Nakarai nodded, before leading the others down the street.

"Now where were we?" asked Hanbee, tapping the pen against the side of the clipboard, her plan at escape proving futile.

"Why were you out here in the first place, Rena-chan?" interrupted Suzuya, quickly losing interest in being the look-out, and coming over to help Hanbee.

"Does that even matter?" Rena countered, hand on her hip. The two men in front of her hardly looked like professional investigators at all. Why should she have to answer any of their nosey questions? They looked more like they'd belong at a Kiss concert, or in a hot topic commercial than in that alleyway interrogating her about ghoul affairs.

"We are the CCG, so naturally we have a right to know why you were out at the exact same time and place of the ghoul group we've been tracking for weeks now," said Hanbee, offering an explanation.

But Rena wasn't sober enough to deal with all this. "So I'm a prostitute, and this is my corner! Geez. Get off my ass already."

Almost in unison, the two investigators looked her up and down with a curious expression. Sure, she wasn't exactly dressed as a hooker, but her clothes were revealing enough to pass. Not that she cared if they believed her lie or not. What she was doing that night was none of their business.

Still, it was clear she would be in CCG custody for a while.

Digging her hands through her jacket pocket, she pulled out a cigarette. "Anyone got a light?" Immediately the shorter one named Suzuya pulled a match out from behind his ear, lit it and handed it over.

"I didn't know you smoked, sir?" asked Hanbee.

"No," Suzuya explained. "You just never know when you might need a match."

Right.

"Hate to break your little bonding time," Rena said, taking a puff. "But don't you have more questions for me? I'd prefer it if I wasn't out here all night."

Before the two investigators could answer back, an ambulance siren wailed loudly from close by, and more ghoul investigators could be seen filling the alleyway from the street corner with their large brief cases.

"Well, Shibuya-san. It seems you picked a dangerous alley to turn tricks in," said Hanbee gravely, addressing Rena. "The place is currently swarming with ghouls."

Rena tried not to look surprised as he said this, but there was clear relief washing over her in knowing that it was probably a lucky thing the CCG found her before any more ghouls decided to show up.

"Come on," continued Hanbee, as Suzuya looked intently at her, eerily not breaking eye contact with her the entire time. "Let's get you to safely and check you out at the ambulance car. You can make sure your friend Jun is ok too."

Rena nodded and pulled out her phone as she followed behind. A text from her friend Nina told her the rest of their friends made it out safely from the ghoul infested streets.

Nina 12:16 AM

Where are you? Rena?

Nina 12:17 AM

Are you alive?

Nina 12:19 AM

Please answer me back! Give me some sign you're still breathing!

Sent 12:19 AM

Dufus. Of course I'm alive. Text you the details later.

"What are you doing?" asked Suzuya suddenly from behind her. It was an innocently posed question, but startling enough to make her drop her cigarette and her phone, sending it clattering to the gravel of the alleyway.

"Damnit!" she yelled, turning around to face him. Only it was an awkward motion, because he was closer than expected. In an instant, he took advantage of her hesitation and had her pinned against the stone wall just behind an emergency vehicle, Hanbee nowhere to be found.

"You are lying about what you were doing here tonight, Rena-chan," he said calmly, although increasing pressure on her wrists. "I don't know why, but I'm gonna find out."

Rena glared straight back into his blank, red eyes, not allowing uncertainty to show through. "If you really want to know, then stop by here sometime tomorrow night. I'll give you a discount," she said with a wink. She didn't really know why she was taking this prostitute thing so far. Once you lie, you just kind of have to roll with it.

Suzuya didn't let go of her though, but smiled back. "Alright. How much do you cost then?"

What the hell kind of investigator asks a question like that?

But now Rena was stuck with a real dilemma. How much did a girl cost around this part of Shibuya? Was 20,000 yen too high? 500 yen too low? With one look to Suzuya's face, she could tell he was only messing with her, and just waiting to hear her answer something stupid back, to catch her in the lie.

"500," she said finally, deciding to low ball it. Unfortunately, Suzuya's face told her she automatically got that one wrong.

How the hell would he know anyway? The little pervert.

"Wow, that's pretty cheap for these parts Rena-chan. I wonder how you can afford all those nice clothes with a salary like that."

Realizing she was cornered, physically and mentally, Rena decided to give up, and started to laugh instead.

"Fine," she said through her chuckles. "You win. So what do you want from me?"

At this, Suzuya finally let go of her wrists and pushed himself off of her, allowing air to once again flow freely to and from her lungs.

"Meet me back here tomorrow so you can answer our questions for real. It'll give you some time to sober up off whatever drugs you're clearly on, too. I'll even let you buy me some cake afterwards, if you're a good girl."

What? Was that supposed to be some sort of pick up line? "Yeah whatever," she said, finding the strength within her not to roll her eyes and flip off all the investigators in the vicinity.

Taking the end of Suzuya's lecture as a cue that she was currently off the hook, she spun around on her heel and began storming down the alley towards the front of the medical van. Spotting Jun laying on a stretcher, she stopped to notice he was writhing in pain, clutching his bloodied leg as nurses began hoisting him up into the van.

"Idiot," she whispered under her breath at him. "At least you're still alive, though."

Unfortunately, she had not the time to stay and look further into his condition. It was nearly 1 in the morning, and she had to shimmy back through the windows before her parents caught her sneaking out again.

The next-day hangover, coupled with the sprinting-for-your-life ghoul freak show from the night before, was absolute torture on her body in the morning.

It was her parent's current pounding on the door, yelling at her to get up, that was the real icing on the cake though.

"Go away!" she grumbled, sticking her head underneath a pillow to better block out the noise. "Leave me the hell alone!"

"Rena!" shouted the shrill voice of her mother from behind the door. "You have a guest! Don't be so rude!"

Guest? Was it Nina finally coming to make sure she was alive? But Rena's mother would never dignify Nina with such an honorable title as 'guest'.

Kicking off the tangled sheets around her, she crawled lazily out of bed and swung the door wide open.

Standing in the middle of the hallway right next to her mother, was not Nina, nor any one of her friends, but the short, black haired investigator from the night before - Suzuya. And there she was, standing in the doorway to her bedroom, hair a mess, makeup askew and nothing but her underwear on.

What the hell is he doing here? How did he get my address?

Amid her mother's baffled attempts at apologizing to the 'guest', Rena slammed the door in their faces, and scrambled around the room. Finally finding some shorts and a crop top to throw on, wiping her face and combing her hair out with her fingers, she re-presented herself in the hallway.

Her mother gave her a curious look, as if begging her to explain what was going on. Suzuya only stood behind the woman innocently with a big, shit-eating grin on his face.

Now that Rena had a better look at the investigator in the artificial light of the hallway, she realized he was kind of cute. Like in a cuddly-little serial killer kind of way. And he totally looked the type that her mother would hate for her to bring home. In fact, she could almost see her mother reeling at having someone so unsightly land on their doorstep that morning, sipping her breakfast tea and clutching at her pearls.

"Do you care to explain something dear? How do you know this young… man?"

It seemed more like a question of Suzuya's gender identity than anything else.

At least, it looked like the investigator hadn't ratted Rena out yet, as her mother looked to be completely in the dark about the whole situation. Rena wondered just how far Suzuya would be willing to run with it, if she took the opportunity to come up with a lie.

"This is my boyfriend Juuzou-kun, mom," she said, running up and placing an arm around his waist. His whole body stiffened at her touch, but he surprisingly keep silent.

And watching her mother's pursed-lip expression drop into a horrified, mouth-agaped one was well worth the lie.

"Silly me, I almost forgot to tell you! He's here to pick me up for our date, so toodles."

Even more surprisingly, Suzuya allowed her to lead them down the stairs and out through the front door, straight into the ritzy district of the 13th ward Rena and her family lived in.

"I didn't know you were such a liar, Rena Shibuya," he said once they were far enough away from the house. "Or should I say Ogata? I can't believe you gave the CCG a fake name. Now how am I supposed to trust you'll give me accurate information about the case?"

"After helping me out back there and not telling my parents about what happened last night," she said, turning back on the sidewalk to face him, finally letting go of his waist. "I'll give you whatever you want."

"Good. Then first, let's go get some cake!"

… Was this guy for real?

Once they arrived at the little bakery across town, Rena began to reflexively pull on the hem of her shirt, attempting to hide at least her belly button piercing. Even if she was dressed for the weather, she was severely out of place in the fancy bake shop. So was Suzuya, but he didn't seem to mind the stares they received. Together they made an odd couple.

The only real reason she dressed like this was to piss of her prissy mother, but it honestly made her feel self conscious out in public. Not that that was enough to drive her to change.

"Here," Suzuya said, pulling his unbuttoned CCG jacket off and tossing it around her shoulders. It was uncertain if he did it though, because he could sense her discomfort, or because he thought she was cold.

After the investigator ordered the most expensive thing on the menu and made Rena pay for it, they sat down and began the interrogation.

"So, what were you really doing in the alley last night?" he asked in between mouthfuls of dessert.

According to her, the type of guy who had saved her life, had stitches all over his body, and didn't sell her out to her parents was someone who could be trusted. It's not like she particularly cared what happened to the people she was involved with anyway.

"I was out partying with some friends, that are associated with the yakuza. Not Jun though. There was supposed to be some business dealings later that night, and we were gonna make a ton of money off it, all we had to do was give the package to the right guy. Of course, we got chased out by that ghoul instead. That's all I know."

"I figured as much," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "That ghoul we were stalking has some sort of connection with the yakuza as well. We're still trying to fit all the missing pieces together." Suzuya took a pause from his cake to look her up and down. "How old are you anyway?"

"20," she replied easily.

"Come on Rena-chan, I thought you weren't gonna lie to me anymore. Is it because I'm being rude and not letting you try a piece of my cake? I'll let you have a bite then, if you tell me your real age?"

Not having eaten anything proper since lunch the day before, Rena accepted this offer and shoved a spoonful of the delicious, overpriced dessert in her mouth. "I'm 16. Turning 17 next month."

Suzuya looked genuinely surprised. Although she was short, Rena had always looked… very mature for her age. It was easy to pass as 20 with a body like hers and get into all the bars at night. He did see her in her underwear after all, so he would know.

"Aren't you in highschool or something then?"

"Who are you, my dad?" she asked, mostly teasing. "Of course I'm in school, when I decide to go."

Rena dropped a hand in her pocket, deciding it was about time to text her friends back so they didn't think her and Jun were sitting in some ghoul's stomach, but then realized something. "Shit!" she exclaimed suddenly. "I think I forgot to pick my phone back up when I dropped it last night! Sorry, but I gotta go."

"Wait," said Suzuya, rapid firing the last few bites of cake into his mouth. "I'll come with. There's something I dropped there too."

So together, the two took a train that would lead them to the shady end of the 13th ward.

"How did you find my house anyway?" she asked in the bumpy train car.

"What, did you think I stalked you home or something?" he asked with an eerie grin.

Honestly, she wouldn't be surprised if that were the case. But Rena only shrugged her shoulders.

"You're not that special, civilian-chan. It was that friend of yours, Jun or something who confessed. I told him you got eaten, and he had to give me the address to your house so I could inform your parents."

"What? Why did you… Now who is the liar?" she muttered under her breath.

"It wasn't a lie," he stated indignantly. "It was a joke. I told him the truth afterwards. That's how you can tell the difference."

Joke, my ass.

Once the train came to a complete stop and they arrived in that seedy part of the neighborhood, Rena quickly ran ahead to begin her search. The alleyways around these parts all looked the same, so she had to start somewhere to avoid having to look around all day.

"Where are you going Rena-chan? It's this way," Suzuya said, standing a few meters back. He was pointing his thumb in the direction of the darkest, most eerie looking walkway.

Of course that's where they were last night.

Taking a deep breath, he led the way down the back alley. She decided to trust in Suzuya's tracking abilities and sense of direction, because if by herself, she would have been completely lost by the fourth turn.

And then by some miracle, she spotted it, up ahead in the distance.

Quickly, she ran over and gathered up the pieces of her cell phone that broke open over the cement, after Suzuya scared the living shit out of her last night and made her drop it.

"Battery's dead," she mumbled. Oh well, that was fixable. Turning back around however, her stomach sank when she found herself alone.

"Investigator-san?" she called out. He couldn't be too far away, right? "S-Suzuya-san?"

The alley at the other end of the street seemed deserted as well, although after a few minutes of peaking around the area, she heard a rustling behind a dumpster.

"Alright Suzuya, let's go. This place is giving me the creeps."

Walking over to the dumpster, she slowly realized that whatever was rustling around in the trash was not the investigator.

Rena turned around to begin booking it over to the main street, but barely made it a few steps before the ghoul was on top of her, pinning her down.

"Looks like today's my lucky day," the ghoul growled, two kakugan shimmering out from under his greasy bangs. "Young girl meat is the best."

His hot, stale breath heaved in her face as he lowered his head to take a bite from her neck. Once again, Rena resigned herself to death.

- But it was premature. The ghoul's teeth sank into her soft flesh, but just barely penetrated enough to cause it to bleed, before his head lopped off its body, and rolled over onto the ground beside them.

Relief.

"You should have gotten here sooner! This is the second time this week I've been nearly eaten by a ghoul," she complained loudly.

"How often does this sort of thing happen to you?" asked Suzuya, genuinely intrigued. In a second, his large scythe-type weapon was withdrawn and flowed easily back into it's briefcase. Was he carrying that briefcase around the whole time? It definitely looked new.

"This week sets the record!"

He smiled and reached down to help her up, once more showing off how easily he could manhandle her if he so desired.

"Normal humans hardly ever encounter ghouls," he scolded. "Maybe that says something about the type of losers you're hanging out with."

Excuse me?

"Who are you to judge me?" she said, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "You're one to talk, you know. You don't look professional at all. You dress and act like you were raised in a circus."

"Close," said Suzuya with a smile.

Normally grown ups offered some sort of resistance to her like this. "Why do you treat your mom like that?" or "If you want to make it anywhere in life, you have to at least graduate high school." She knew they did it because "I just don't want to see you throw your life away and turn out like your dad." Nobody actually cared about her, just about her family's image. Although Suzuya seemed to be coming from a different place, it still made her uncomfortable to hear his scoldings.

"Whatever!" she said. Throwing her arms in the air, she stormed off. Her phone was dead, the front part of her clothes were soaked in a ghoul's blood she just watched being decapitated, she was in the middle of nowhere with a psycho ghoul investigator, and she was so done.

"I'm going home now," she yelled back at him. "Have a nice life killing ghouls and sticking your nose into other people's business!" And with that, she rounded the corner, tossing Suzuya's bloodied jacket off onto the ground as she went.