CH328

CH327
Ren 
 
I swallowed but nodded, and he brought it back to me so I could sip it. For a moment, I couldn’t look away from him. Our eyes locked as I drank. I had a million questions on my mind, but I couldn’t articulate any of them. His eyes were focused on my mouth, eyes hot with desire that made my stomach churn, but his expression was neutral. If it weren’t for the flicker of light in his eyes, I would never know that he was thinking about other things. 
“You’re in the university hospital,” Ryuu continued. “Top floor. Private wing. You’re safe. No one gets up here without my say-so.”  
I nodded, still sipping until the taste of blood in my mouth was gone and my throat felt better.   
“You don’t need to worry about anything. The cost, your recovery, where you’ll stay.” His gaze held mine, steady and unwavering. “I’ll be taking care of it... Taking care of you from here on.”  
Something inside me unspooled. A knot I hadn’t even known was coiled tight finally loosened. I was wary a little, or rather the real Ren was wary, but I couldn’t help but be grateful. I couldn’t help but relax, knowing with complete certainty that if he was watching over me, everything would be fine.  
I wanted to thank him. Say something. Anything. But my throat wouldn’t cooperate even as I had finished the glass. He pulled it away, simply looking at me, staring at me as if he was trying to see right through me. I wanted to ask what he saw. There were other things I wanted to ask him, too, but most the questions wouldn’t even form in my mind. There was something buried beneath the pain and exhaustion and horror. It sat at the edge of my mind like a name, a history, a life I couldn’t remember, but so desperately needed to. 
I parted my lips to speak, but the world went hazy. I felt my body reclining; his eyes burned with something before he set the glass aside.   
A name was on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn’t get the name out. My eyelids felt heavy and as much as I tried to fight it, I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I felt him lifting the blanket back over me before I realized that I was falling asleep.   
Yet the quiet darkness of sleep had never felt so peaceful.  
I saw him in my mind’s eye. A man, standing in a field of darkness, seeing to be at once a part of it but separate from it. He had long dark hair that moved like silk in the wind, and his eyes were two dark opals watching me. There was desperation on his face and yearning as he lifted his hand. His eyes turning glossy with tears.   
I heard my own voice calling out to him, frantic, determined and sure even as we drifted apart.   
I’ll find you.  
 
I drifted through darkness and time, not sure if there was an up or down, but the next time I woke up, I was sure that hours had passed, but maybe not days. He was there again, or still. It was hard to tell since he was wearing all black again and poised on the other side of the room with his tablet still in his hands. There was a bowl of food sitting on the small table beside his laptop. He looked pleased this time. Reclining in his seat and eating. I couldn’t tell if he realized that I was awake, but it hardly mattered.   
“You don’t have to stay, you know?” I asked. “I’m sure you have more important things to do.”  
Ryuu’s lips twitched. He looked up, amused and smiling. “Nothing that can’t be done here.” I swallowed nodding. “And I believe I told you that I would be looking after you, didn’t I? How are you feeling?” 
“Better,” I said, biting my lip. “What’s going to happen next?” 
He looked up and paused chewing. My stomach turned as he looked at me. Had everything already happened? I didn't necessarily want them dead, but I wasn’t going to mourn them either. The real Ren seemed almost squeamish at the thought that she was the cause of so much death. Personally, I was sure that death was only one part of the justice Ryuu had planned.  
He seemed to be weighing his options, staring at me as if trying to figure out what exactly he should say.  
“Funerals, I suppose.” 
I blinked. “Funerals?” 
“Though I’m not sure how Nara’s girlfriend will afford to bury him,” he looked up. “Perhaps he and the rest will simply be left to rot on Hotaru’s Estate. Good fertilizer.” 
I blinked, staring at him.  The real Ren receded to the back of my mind, shuddering with horror at the image, but I felt nothing. He smirked.  
“It’s rare to find someone else so mercenary. Refreshing.” 
Can we trust him? 
I frowned. A rush of information floated through my mind. Worries and doubts about what Ryuu must think of us. How much did he know about why we were there? Did he care? He said he would look after us, but what did that mean? Was he just a... less nefarious, more blood-thirsty, less sadistic version of Hotaru? Did he know about the deal that rested on me? Ren’s history of with Hotaru? My eyes stung with her rising panic.  
I took a deep breath, hating this. 
Yes, we ca trust him. 
I knew that, even if I knew nothing else, but she was still worried. What had happened to Adele? Would we have to worry about Nara at all? I doubted it and I nudged her, pushing her further back into my mind in an attempt to soothe her. We were injured and in the hospital because of them. The shock would hit, but it wasn’t hitting just yet. Even if it had, we  shouldn't be worried about what Ryuu would do to Hotaru and his men.  
We should just... be grateful that we’d held on and gotten out even if we’d needed his help. 
And what is he going to ask of us? 
Nothing. 
I was sure of that. 
I settled into the cushion of the pillows behind me.  
“Are you hungry?” Ryuu asked. “I had them bring more food.” 
I nodded as my stomach growled. He stood, wheeling a half table over and setting bowls on it for me. I watched him in silence, parsing through Ren’s worries and my own jumbled curiosity. The scent of food made me even hungrier. Before I could try to sit up, the bed was whirring to get me into the seated position. I thanked him and reached for the chopsticks.  
“Slowly,” he said. 
I nodded and he retreated, grabbing his seat to pull it closer to the bedside. He said nothing, he didn’t watch me eat, but the constant calm of his presence soothed me. I ate everything faster than I expected and ended up dozing off again.  
I dreamed of the man again, but this time, he was closer, lying on his side looking at me, his eyes shining with care and love.  
Dear wife...