Chapter 11: Confrontations

Cheza smelled his sweet scent before she heard him knock on the door. Why's he here all of a sudden?

She walked to the door and opened it, staring down into the crimson eyes of Juuzou Suzuya. The expression on his face was different than usual. The carefree and sometimes mischievous smile he usually displayed to her wasn't there. He looked serious, his eyes piercing into her.

Cheza furrowed her brows in confusion and then her gaze slowly shifted downwards when she noticed what he was carrying. A shiver ran down her spine as she laid her eyes on the familiar briefcase that Doves carried their quinques in. "Juuzou…wha…what is it? Why are you here?" she asked, her voice a bit shaky despite her attempts to control it.

He said nothing as he walked into the living room of the apartment and Cheza closed the door. She stood there, staring at the investigator with stitches now standing in the middle of the room. Juuzou let out a sigh before he spoke.

"Your mother's name was Juri Tsukiko and your step-dad's name was Kai Shirayuki. You also had a step-brother named Riku Shirayuki. Shirayuki was a CCG Investigator in the 20th ward. You and your family disappeared from there and were seen throughout different wards for the next few days before the bodies of Investigator Shirayuki and his son were found torn apart by ghouls on a construction site in this ward. The circumstances of you and your mother's disappearance and the investigator and Riku's deaths seem strange to me. What happened exactly?"

Cheza's blood ran cold and her chest filled with a deep and painful ache. Her hands began to shake as she slowly processed what Juuzou had said to her. She then clenched her fists to steady them and steeled herself for what would happen next. "How did you find out about that?" she asked, her tone of voice sounding more menacing than she meant it to.

"I was just curious after you told me your parents were killed by a ghoul, so I looked some stuff up to see if the incident had been documented." His face was unreadable and his voice was the same tone that it always was, but something was different about the way he spoke. When Cheza remained silent, he narrowed his eyes and said, "answer my question Cheza, what happened? As a ghoul Investigator, I'm curious about what happened. It's a cold case and you and your mother are still considered missing."

Cheza glared at him, anger rising in her chest at Juuzou's intrusion into a past she didn't want to think about. It was disrespectful of him to pry into what had happened to her family and her all those years ago. Does he truly suspect me of being a ghoul after all?

"How dare you investigate what happened after I confided in you about their death!" Cheza stated, clenching her fists with more force and digging her nails into her palms to hold in her anger. She was trying her best at the moment to keep herself calm. If she let the rage she felt take over, her kakugan might activate and reveal her true nature. "I don't have to tell you anything."

Juuzou's eyes then softened slightly as he asked her, "Were you kidnapped by a ghoul?"

Cheza relaxed some at his sudden change in demeanor and replied with a "yes." However, she was still peeved about the situation and hesitant to say anything further.

"Then my assumption was correct. I was kidnapped too when I was little and then given to my mama," Juuzou said, his gaze locked on her own.

Cheza's anger dissipated some as she stepped towards the crimson-eyed investigator. She figured that his ghoul mom had probably been abusive, but she didn't know the full extent of their relationship and how it came to be. She felt sorry for him. Her human parent had been good to her while Juuzou's opposite species parent obviously hadn't been.

"So are you going to tell me what happened or not?" Juuzou questioned her further, impatience evident in the tone of his voice. "Where is your mama and why haven't you reported your escape to the CCG since you're still considered a missing person?"

Cheza took a deep breath and then exhaled, quickly thinking up a slightly altered version of her story that would be close to the truth without revealing what she was.

"My father, Investigator Shirayuki, had killed a ghoul during one of his patrols that was a part of a certain ghoul group that had been passing through the 20th ward. This group was obviously angry about it and launched increasing attacks and threats towards him and the rest of us. My dad feared for our safety if we were to stay in the 20th ward so he had us quickly pack our things and leave. However, the ghouls found us in this very ward. We tried to run, which was why my father's and brother's bodies were found in a construction site. We were hiding there and then dad tried to fight them off. After they were killed, my mom and I were taken prisoner. A few days later, she was killed and eaten and I became a personal pet to their leader. I was there for several years after until I escaped around two years ago with Hiroto and Naoto. They had also been human pets as well and we had worked on an escape plan for about a year before we implemented it. I haven't reported my escape to the CCG because I'm still afraid of those ghouls. I know they've been searching for us and will kill us as soon as they find us. I can't let anyone know about us and where we are because I don't trust that the information won't be made public in some way."

"I see…" Juuzou started, then seemed to trail off in thought. Cheza nervously bit her lower lip as she watched him. He didn't seem fully convinced that her story was true.

"Please…," Cheza pleaded, "don't tell anyone about me, I just want to keep my friends and I safe. I just want to live without worrying about them coming for us."

Juuzou stared at her for a moment before the corners of his mouth slid up into his usual smile. "I understand, I won't tell anyone that you're still alive."

Cheza could barely believe what she was hearing and sighed in relief. "Thank you." She then returned a smile of her own and stared into his bright crimson eyes. He didn't seem threatening at the moment, so maybe he wasn't still suspicious of her after all.

"Did you ever come across anyone known as Big Madam when you were that ghoul's pet?" Juuzou asked, his tone sounding sadder than usual.

Cheza froze as a sharp pain pierced her skull, then dulled into a headache. "I…don't think so, Wh…why do you ask?" she managed to voice through gritted teeth. Big Madam is Juuzou's ghoul mother.

"The ghoul known as Big Madam was my mama," Juuzou replied and then looked away from her for a bit, only to return his gaze to her form. "Did that ghoul give you scars like my mama gave me?"

"Quite a number of them," Cheza answered. She felt a pang of sadness in her chest as she looked at him.

Juuzou's crimson eyes then met her lilac ones and without much thought, she closed the distance between them and gently wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

She felt him tense up at first and almost pulled away, but then he relaxed and wrapped an arm around her waist. His body sunk closer to her, his face nuzzled into her neck. Oh yeah, I'm taller than him, she thought as she rested her cheek in his black hair.

His sweet scent hit her full force now as she closed her eyes. Her mouth watered a little, but she had no desire to kill and eat him. It was a different desire instead. He was such a warm human.

"Juuzou," she spoke, her voice coming out soft and warm toned.

"What?" he replied.

"We're friends right?" she asked.

"Yup! Of course we are."

"I hope it stays that way."

"Why do you say that?"

Cheza pulled herself a part from him just enough to look him in the eyes to answer, "Because I don't want to lose you. You're weird and funny. Those ghouls one day might find me and my other friends."

"You have nothing to worry about," Juuzou beamed at her, his voice strangely cheerful. "If they find you, I'll just kill them for you!"

They aren't the only thing I worry about that could ruin our friendship, she thought, sadness engulfing her. If you find out what I am, you will have to kill me as an investigator. I don't think you're someone who would throw away their duty like my dad did…the CCG took you in…

Cheza leaned down and planted a light kiss on Juuzou's right cheek, making his eyes widen and a light blush appear on his pale skin. She could also feel her own blush warming her cheeks. "You're sweet, thank you," she said as she pulled out of their embrace.

"So, I should probably return to work now," Juuzou stated. "I just wanted to talk to you." He then turned to the door and opened it to leave. Before he left, he looked at her with a smile spreading across his face. "See you later!"

"See you later," she repeated back to him with her own warm smile.

When he closed the door behind him, Cheza let out a sigh. It felt like with each passing day, he was getting closer to truly finding out what she was. It was becoming reckless of her to keep seeing him. She might have to tell Hiroto what Juuzou found out about her. No, she would most likely need to tell him. This information was important in their eventual decision to leave the ward. The time to depart was coming. She just knew it and her heart sank at the thought.

A/N: It's been a long while since I last updated. A lot has happened and I've been dealing with a lot. I'm now just currently trying to get by in life and I'm busy often. However, my desire to write has returned and I'm working on chapters again. I'm sorry it took this long, but I promise to continue this story until I finish it! :)