The other members of his organization didn’t really get it, nor did they question it either. There were many things they didn’t understand about Uzuki, details buried beneath whatever version of him they clung to from their days at Al-Kamar. Still though, there was an evident difference in how he treated you, how he looked at you. Traces of tenderness beneath the ever-changing personality that was hard to grasp.

Uzuki wasn’t cruel, at least not to the ones he trusted. People like Gaku, Kumanomi, they had earned that place beside him. The thing is though, you weren’t a part of the little family they created, you weren’t from Al-Kamar like they were. You had been recruited, albeit under deception and a bit of force. They needed numbers, you were a convenient catch. Help them break apart the JAA and you’d be set free. Maybe.

But for Uzuki, it seemed there were emotions brewing within the man who seemed unreadable. Softer than what he gave to his members, a softness he gave to someone deep within his memory. You reminded him a lot of her, of Rion. The strength, the feistiness, the resistance to being ordered around. There was so much fire, he missed the burn of it all. Missed the person who made the world seem less cold.

His brain rationalized it, tried to cradle this feeling that was all too foreign yet familiar. He wanted to protect it this time, didn’t want to lose what he had lost all those years ago. When he lost Rion, he lost everything. What would happen if he lost you too? Lost this feeling?

As the rest of the members were sent off on a mission, Uzuki had you stay behind again, the warehouse being quiet. “They should be fine, I find no reason for you to go,” He says gently, looking you over as if the tiniest thing could break you. He tucks a strand of hair behind your ear, smiling softly. His eyes held a look of warmth yet possessiveness all at once, as if he had found a new resolve. To keep this thing he found precious.

He wouldn’t let go. Not this time.

“Just stay with me today.”