Juuzou's head snapped up from his blood red stitches he was fiddling with when there was a loud rap on the door. He took a deep breath in a futile attempt to calm the butterflies that flitted around in his stomach, checked the pocket of his slacks for the royal blue box, and opened the door.
He gasped when he saw his girlfriend. She looked absolutely astounding. A royal blue dress that came down off her shoulders made her skin almost glow. She wore a silver neckless with a charm of a little owl. Her usually unruly hair was straightened, making it even longer than usual. Her green eyes sparkled.
"You look amazing," he said, blushing.
"As do you," the author said, winking at her boyfriend.
The couple locked arms and headed out onto the streets and hailed a taxi.
"Going somewhere fancy?" the driver asked.
"Yes!" Juuzou said. "It's our one year anniversary!"
"Congrats!" the man said. "Where to?"
"Taikin restaurant please!"
The man whistled. "You're one lucky lady, miss," he said as he began to drive toward the high class establishment.
When the couple reached the destination, they bid the kind driver goodbye and payed him. A mustached, slender man greeted them at Taikin Restaurant.
"Welcome," he said, with a strange accent neither Juuzou or Eto could decipher. "I'm assuming you have reservations?"
Juuzou nodded. "The name's Suzuya."
The man flipped through a stack of papers. "Ah, Suzuya, a table for two." He beckoned to an attractive waitress who showed them to a table.
Inside was lavish and lit by candlelight. The ceiling was low and red tablecloths graced the tables.
"This is so romantic," Sen said, smiling at Juuzou.
He blushed. Service did not take long, and Juuzou ordered a dish he was not familiar with. He did his best to impress his girlfriend by not ordering from the dessert menu. All Sen ordered was an appetizer.
They ate and talked about many things, work being the main topic. Sen had tried desperately to interest him in literature, but it was all in vain. The investigator did not have the attention span to read a book.
They finished up their meal and the waitress brought a check, which Juuzou decided was quite pricey, even though the food was good. Suzuya and Sen clinked their glasses together as they finished their drinks.
"To one year," Sen said, smiling.
Juuzou's stomach clenched. It was now or never. "Sen," he choked out as they stood up. "Do you want to go to the zoo."
She blinked. "It's 9:00 at night," she said slowly.
"Sorry," Juuzou said, feeling miserable. Everything he had dreamed this night would be…
"Of course I wanna go silly!" she giggled.
Juuzou's heart skipped a beat. He smiled at her, and they left the restaurant and caught a cab.
They giggled like children in the back seat of the cab. Suzuya was unaware what this bubbly feeling that had swept over him was.
Soon, the couple was standing at the gate of the zoo. Sen scowled at the sign that said "closed" on the locked gates.
Juuzou's heart once again sunk. "Let's just go home then," he muttered.
"Are you kidding?" Sen laughed. "Do you see the size of the gaps between the bars? We can fit through there no problem!"
Juuzou's eyes widened as she slipped through the gate. "Come on silly!" she giggled.
He followed her into the moonlit zoo. They happily walked around, looking at all the animals that were always asleep during the daytime. They saw Shima the tiger and Hyo the panther.
Juuzou could feel his heart pounding. He tried to focus on the shadows around him, but he knew it was now or never.
"Let's go see the giraffes," Suzuya said.
Sen nodded and the two walked to the enclosure that held the large spotted animals. The author halted when they turned a corner and the bench in front of the giraffes came into view.
She stared at it with soft green eyes; the empty bench sitting still in the moon's white light. "How nostalgic," she said.
The couple walked over and sat down on the bench. They were silent for a few moments.
"Remember how you wouldn't tell me your name?" Sen said, sounding almost wistful.
"I was shy," Juuzou answered.
"Why?"
"I had never seen someone so beautiful."
Sen blushed and it was quiet for a few moments more.
"Pachi's all grown up now," she said.
"Who?"
"Pachi," Sen said, gesturing to the sleeping animal.
"So he is," Juuzou said, smiling. His hands were shaking and his palms were sweaty. He was silent for a few seconds, took a deep breath, and spoke. "Sen?"
"Yeah?" she said, turning to look at him. He almost gasped at her beauty as the moon beamed down on the person that he loved.
"Can—can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
Hand shaking, he pulled the little box out of his pocket. Sen's eyes widened.
Trembling, he opened the box, the silver ring sparkling. She gasped and covered her mouth.
"Will you marry me?"
Tears flooded the author's eyes.
"Yes!" she said, flinging her arms around him. "I will marry you!"
When she finally broke the hug, tears of joy were streaming down her face. Juuzou slid the ring on her finger.
Now, Suzuya Juuzou had had a lot of hardship in his life. But in that moment, every scar faded away.
She kissed him aggressively on the bench, and he parted his lips, allowing her tongue to slip into his mouth.
"Let's go back to my place," Juuzou breathed.
Sen, who was now sitting saddle style in her fiancé's lap, shook her head. "Why don't we go to one of those nice hotels," she said, pulling at his suspenders. "We can have a little—," she paused and ran her fingers down the stitches on Juuzou's throat. "Fun."
"I like that idea," he said, tugging at her dress.
The couple swiftly left the zoo and caught a cab.
"Kesshobei Hotel please," Juuzou said to the cab driver, voice heavy with lust.
"Yes sir," the cabbie said, and took off in northern direction.
Suzuya struggled to contain himself the entire ride. Sen's hand had snaked across his leg, and her nimble finger played with the button and zipper of his pants.
"Sen," he groaned quietly, not loud enough for the driver to hear. "You're teasing me."
"It's fun," she seductively whispered in his ear.
"We're here," the cabbie said, pulling up in front of a fancy hotel. "The fare is—."
Juuzou didn't give the man a chance to finish. He tossed him a big bill, and not waiting for change, rushed inside the elegant structure with Sen.
Juuzou quickly got a room, and him and Sen scrambled to the elevator.
Once inside the lift, they began to kiss passionately. Sen let her hands wander, and Juuzou let out a soft groan. He began to pull at the zipper of her dress, but the elevator dinged and the doors rumbled open.
They rushed down the hall, not caring if they woke anyone. Suzuya struggled to open the door; Sen was unbuttoning his shirt.
The door beeped and opened just as his shirt fell completely open. Sen ran her finger over the stitched, and he shivered.
He turned the "do not disturb" sign so that it was visible to the maids, and Sen yanked him inside.
Amon and Akira laid in a Kesshobei Hotel room, cuddled close under the sheets. Their apartment was being checked for a gas leak, so they were forced to spend the night in a hotel. They heard the thumping of two pairs of feet racing down the hall, and a few seconds later, the slam of the door adjacent to them.
Akira sighed. "How much you want to bet it's a couple who's going to keep us up all night?" Akira asked.
"Could just be kids," Amon said sleepily.
"Perhaps."
However, the gasps and breathy moans that could be heard through the walls long into the night proved Amon wrong.