Between Trust and Fear

"Is there somewhere I can take you, Haruka?" Jun gently asked.

Akari stiffened. "Don't call me that." Her voice practically a whisper.

"Then tell me who you really are."

"Isn't it obvious?"

Jun started driving, his eyes focused on the dark road ahead. "I'm assuming you're a celebrity with that response, but I do not watch TV. To me, you're just a regular woman."

A bitter smile tugged at her lips. "Lucky you."

He glanced sideways at her, catching the faint reflection of neon lights across her face. "You don't like it."

"What?"

"The fame. The cameras. The pretending."

Her jaw tightened. "You think you've figured me out?"

"No." Jun said flatly. "But you look tired in ways fame doesn't cause."

Akari looked away, watching the rain gather on the window. Each drop streaked through the blurred reflection of her face - her perfect smile, carefully made image, dissolving under the glass.

"Akari Ito..." She finally admitted. "To the public, I'm twenty-two and from Tokyo..."

"And in reality?" His tone steady. 

She bit her lip. The words refused to leave her mouth. Years of denying her true self wasn't easy to break.

The silence stretched. Only the rhythmic hum of the tires filled the space between them.

Finally, she whispered. "In reality, I'm no one worth remembering..."

Jun's gaze flicked toward her. "That's not what he thought. The man who attacked you knew your real name."

Akari didn't answer. Her hand tightened around the seatbelt, knuckles pale.

After a long pause, Jun spoke again, his voice low. "You don't have to tell me everything tonight. But if you want my help, I need something to work with."

Akari's eyes turned to Jun, studying his focused face. "Your help?"

He glanced at her, then back to the road. "If you don't want it, that's fine, but I'm already involved."

"I can't trust you." Her voice slipped out without her realizing.

"You trusted me enough to get in my car."

Akari's breath caught. His bluntness stung, maybe because it was true. Jun had saved her twice now, but she couldn't shake the feeling of what if. What if he was just trying to get her to lower her guard? What if he was in on it? What if this was just another trap?

"That was desperation. Don't confuse it with trust."

"I'm not asking you to trust me. I'm asking you to stay alive long enough to decide if you should."

"You sound like you've said that before."

Jun's face turned rigid for a moment before relaxing again, just enough for Akari to notice. "I have." He gave a half-smile - not arrogance, more like resignation. "I used to be good at this sort of thing."

"Used to?"

"Let's just say the police and I didn't part on the best of terms."

The windshield wipers clicked steadily, keeping time with the silence that followed.

Akari turned her gaze back to the window, watching the city slip away. "I don't need a savior." 

"I'm not offering to save you... I'm offering to give you a chance."

The silence that followed was deafening. Jun's focus never left the road as he cautiously drove. Akari's thoughts spiraled around in her mind, conflict rising in her heart.

Before she knew it, the car slowed as they turned off the road into a dim, narrow side street. 

Jun parked in front of an aging apartment building - the kind that looked forgotten by time, its walls stained with years of weather and neglect.

Jun got out and opened Akari's door for her. "We're here."

Akari got out of the car, following closely behind Jun into the building. "Where are we?"

Their footsteps echoed as they climbed the poorly lit stairwell to the third floor. "My house." Jun simply said, stopping in front of one of the doors to unlock it, the sound of the deadbolt heavy in the silence.

Jun entered first, flicking on the light. Akari hesitantly followed.

The apartment was small and dimly lit, more like a place someone used to live in than one they called home. Thick curtains blacking out any light from the outside world. The furniture was minimal - couch, coffee table, small desk pushed against the wall. The floor cluttered with unopened moving boxes, stacks of old newspapers, and files marked with fading case numbers.

Akari cautiously stayed near the front entrance as Jun set his keys down on the counter and then made his way over to the coffee table. Folders laid open, edges worn from time and desperation. Jun gathered the papers quietly to close the folders, putting them away in a drawer. For a moment, one file tilted just enough for Akari to catch the faded stamp on its cover. 

COLD CASE.

The words glared up in red ink, stark against the yellowed paper.

"Old work?" She asked.

"Old mistakes." 

Akari didn't press further. She knew all too well that everyone had their own secrets.

Jun made his way down the hall, grabbing spare towels and blankets from the closet. "The bathroom is on the left if you want to wash up. You can use my room to sleep in; I'll stay on the couch."

Akari slowly followed Jun down the hall to his room. The simplicity rivaled that of the rest of the apartment with his room only containing a bed and closet. 

Jun placed the towels and blankets on the bed. He made his way to the closet, glancing over Akari before throwing a few items of clothing on the bed. "Can't promise they'll fit, but it might be more comfortable in comparison to what you have now."

He grabbed a few more clothes for himself and exited his room. "The locks on the rooms work, feel free to use them. If you need anything I'll be on the couch."

Akari looked at him, truly looked at him finally - the tired lines under his eyes, the unshaven stubble, the disheveled hair, the quiet steadiness in his movements. There was something in him that reminded her of herself - worn down, but still standing. 

"Jun." She said softly. 

He met her gaze.

"Thank you."

"Get some sleep, Akari." He turned, disappearing down the hall.