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A notification was made that Inspector Tsunemori Akane was by his doorstep.
Ginoza placed a glass on the centre table and walked up to his doorstep.
When the door opened, the inspector wore a frown on her face.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
The enforcer twitched at her words.
“Tell you what?”
Tsunemori stepped inside and walked past him down the steps.
“Sugo-san told me,” she began slowly, “that it wasn’t him who shot Colonel Wong, but you.”
Ginoza blinked but said nothing.
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
“…It’s an enforcer’s job to take priority in the inspector’s safety,” he finally said. “I only did what I had to do to ensure that you weren’t harmed.”
“Ginoza-san, I’m not here to reprimand you.”
He sighed, stepping down the steps and walked up to her.
“I didn’t say anything because I thought it wasn’t necessary. It doesn’t really matter to an enforcer if they receive any credit, we’re latent criminals after all–”
“Ginoza-san, please!”
She raised her voice loud enough for Dime’s head to look up and whimper. Ginoza on the other hand jolted at the authoritative tone she used on him.
“Sorry,” she quickly added, but the look in her eyes didn’t changed. “Ginoza-san. Please. You may be an enforcer, but please stop saying that you don’t deserve anything. At the very least, allow me to do this much for you.”
Ginoza opened his mouth, hesitant to speak. He knew that if he uttered another word, the lid that he tightly closed in his heart would burst. He was scared. No. He really was terrified at the thought that he would once again lose someone he cared about in the middle of a case. He couldn’t take it at the very thought of it.
“Ginoza-san,” she said using her commanding voice. “Enforcer Ginoza Nobuchika. Look at me.”
He had his head turned to the wall, his eyes down casted. Then, he felt her hands holding both sides of his face. He turned his head towards her, only to have his head elevated down to meet her gaze. The sensation of her cool hands on him was slowly melting his resolve.
“Ginoza-san,” she began. “Sugo-san told me how worried you were during my time in Shamballa Float. I know that everyone else was the same, but, that part of you hasn’t changed. So, at least let me thank you for saving my life.”
His eyes moistened, but before she could have the chance to catch sight of it, he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her and tucked his head onto the crook of her neck.
“Ginoza-sa–”
“I… I was so scared,” he spoke in a whisper, his body shaking as his heart raced. “I really thought… I was going to lose you… back there…”
He unconsciously let his lips brush against her neck.
At that point, Tsunemori placed her hands onto his chest and pushed him away. It brought the enforcer to take a step back away from her from the shock of her actions. An awkward silence fell between the two of them.
His eyes gave her a hurtful, guilt-ridden look. When he had turned his back half-way, her hand grabbed hold of his.
“Sorry,” she said, flustered. “It’s just that… it surprised me.”
He wanted to curse himself for his lack of control. He frightened her. It was unforgivable.
“It’s alright,” he said, refusing to look at her. “What I’ve done was uncalled for.”
He felt her hand tugging at him.
He turned his head around for a brief second and saw her quickly striding towards him. Letting go of his hand, she reached out and placed it onto his cheek as her lips pressed onto his own.
His heart stopped. When her lips departed from his, Ginoza stood there, frozen in place. He never expected for his feelings to be reciprocated. And yet, there he was, and here she is.
Ginoza raised his hand and laced his fingers into her hair as he leaned over to touch his lips with his. She in turn placed her two hands on the sides where the jawline meets the neck and pulled him closer. As both were neither experienced, their exchange came out desperate and needy as it was clumsily. It didn’t matter to Ginoza as his emotions took hold of him. The sound of the room was filled with short gasps and the smacking of lips.
A whine came out Dime, bringing him to his senses. He parted from her, his hands on the sides of her shoulders and held her there to an arm’s length. Their shoulders heaved at a synchronized pattern, cheeks blushing into a rosy hue.
“…Ginoza… san…”
His name escaped her lips exasperatingly as she stared at his face. A short silence ensued, this time she crept her hands to his and gently pulled them away from her shoulders. Without letting them go, she took a step forward as she laced her fingers with his own.
“Tsune…mori…”
He couldn’t read her expression as her eyes flitted from the grasp of their fingers to the height of his stature. His heart palpitating at the shock of her own actions, that not only had he broken his vow of controlling himself, the fact that she had kissed him gave him the notion that his affections were reciprocated.
“Th-this…” she stuttered her words, blushing madly as she tightened her grip on his hands. “I… um, I… I can explain…”
He then loosened his metal fingers from her warm hand, softening his gaze as he sucked in a long breath and released it. Without word, he led her to the settee and prompted her to sit down, never letting go of her hand.
As soon as she settled down, he spoke;
“I think… I think that we should make things clear for our own sakes.”
The inspector beside him sheepishly nodded.
“You’re an inspector. I’m an enforcer. You are my superior and I’m a latent criminal who’s under your supervision-”
“-Ginoza-san-”
“-There’s a line that latent criminals can’t cross, even as an enforcer. But even with that knowledge; even though I kept telling myself that I shouldn’t cross that line… despite everything I have known and have been through I found myself watching you. Worrying about you. Having feelings… for you.”
Ginoza tightened his grip on her hand, Tsunemori in turn returned it with an assuring squeeze.
“…I’m not expecting anything from you, Inspector,” he said, emphasizing on her position of authority. “What I did was inexcusable. But… if I’m not… reading this wrong… then…”
His eyes met with hers and saw it glimmering with emotion. Her face dyed into a deep rosy hue as she appeared lost in his gaze. He felt the palm of his hand slick with sweat, bringing him to release her hand from his grip.
“… Since when?” he finally asked.
“Eh?” she jerked at the question, as if she snapped back into focus.
“Since when did you…” he stammered as he tried to string the words. “Unless… I’m reading this all wrong…”
“No, Ginoza-san. You’re… not wrong… I… I just… I only just realised…”
Tsunemori timidly lowered her head, biting her lip nervously as she looked at him like a blushing bride awaiting the ceremony. Ginoza opened his mouth, still unable to fathom the impending reality that was playing itself out before his very eyes.
“What are we going to do?” she said.
Good question, he thought.
With that confirmation held between them, it really was the question of what to do, now that they knew.
He sighed as he clapped his hand to his face, shaking his head at their predicament.
“Ginoza-san?”
He eyed the inspector across him, her face now lifted and staring straight at him intently. Despite that knowledge of how they felt, a fear loomed over them at what might come afterwards. Rather, for Ginoza, he felt more fearful for her future now more than ever.
His calculative mind tried to think over the possible routes they could take. And then from there, he realized that there were other things that he needed to clarify.
“Before we can discuss this… I need to clarify something,” he said.
She nodded in anticipation.
“You… What about Kougami? Didn’t you love him? After all these years since he’s been away?”
She lowered her head at the question and answered;
“Kougami-san is… he was someone I looked up to. I can’t deny the possibility that if he had been here through it all, it could have been much more than that…” She took a deep breath and sighed. “I don’t really know. I don’t actually know myself. This is… all very new to me.”
He nodded as he listened to her words, taking in every detail she had to offer in what she knew.
“Do you… do you want to talk about it?” he finally asked after she said her piece. “If that’s okay with you that is.”
After a long pause, she nodded.
As an afterthought he then said;
“Is there anything you need? A drink? Or something?”
Her eyes flit to the bottle on the coffee table and smiled.
“A drink would be lovely, thank you,” she answered.
He nodded at her request.
“I’ll go get another glass. Stay put.”
Throughout the rest of the night, the two of them sat down and shared what they had to say. Asking questions that had been hovering over their heads for sometimes. With each passing conversation, with every question answered from either party, they slowly got to know each other better.