Namie woke up.
The first thing she realized, before she had even opened her eyes, was that she had a splitting headache. That was already an unwelcome sign. She heaved a sigh as she opened her eyes.
The second thing she realized was that she didn't know where she was. It was dark enough that she couldn't see anything right away, but as her eyes adjusted she began to pick out little details.
It didn't look like a building. It didn't look like Ikebukuro. The walls looked like natural rock. A cave, then. As she sat up, her dark hair fell in her eyes, and she grumbled to herself as she brushed it aside.
I'm still dreaming. That was her first thought. The situation didn't make much sense to her otherwise. However, as her eyes continued to adjust, she had a third realization that quickly dispelled that notion.
She was not alone. It was a little difficult to make out exact shapes in the low light, but she'd recognize Izaya Orihara just about anywhere. She felt her headache get a touch worse as she confirmed with a light touch on his hand that he was real, and not an illusion.
"Okay, I'm not dreaming." She said quietly to herself. "I would never dream of this asshole."
Her voice echoed faintly off the walls of the cave, and a moment later she heard Izaya groan. She sat back and glared at him as, one by one, he went through the same realizations she had gone through a minute ago. He blinked several times, his eyes almost invisible in the darkness, before turning to her. "Uh, Namie. Where the hell are we?"
Namie's glare only intensified at the confused tone in his voice. "I don't know, but wherever we are, it's probably your fault I got dragged along for the ride."
Izaya chuckled at the frustration her voice, though she thought she saw him wince as he did so. Maybe his head was aching just as much as hers. "You're always a ray of sunshine, Namie. I'm so glad I could wake up to you." As he spoke, he slowly rose to his feet. She heard a couple pebbles scatter across the stone floor as he got up.
"What are you doing?" She asked.
"What do you think? Getting out of this dank little cave and finding out where we are." Izaya replied as he began to walk towards the lit part of the cave.
Namie scowled after him. Even in a situation like this, he annoyed her. As the distance between them increased, however, she suddenly felt just a little uncomfortable in the darkness of the cave, and she hastened to get up and begin following him. "Hey, wait up."
Izaya said nothing as he continued to lead the way. She caught up to him a few steps later and together they reached the mouth of the cave. Namie squinted against the orange-red sunlight as she took in their surroundings.
They were in a forest of some sort. Trees, grass, bushes and boulders stretched off into the distance as far as she could see. The sun was either setting or rising. She didn't see an indication of civilization anywhere.
"Well, I've still got no idea where we are." Izaya admitted as he looked around with her. He fumbled in his pockets one at a time before grimacing. "No phone. No wallet or keys, either. Whoever ditched us here must've taken them."
Namie flinched, before checking her own pockets and turning up nothing as well. She groaned as she set her head in her hands. "You idiot. What have you gotten me into?" She said.
"Hey now. Don't assume whoever did this was after me. Plenty of people hate your guts, too." Izaya replied. She felt him elbow her in the arm, and she turned to glare at him. He didn't catch it, however, as he turned to start walking in a random direction. "C'mon. We're not gonna get anything done standing around."
Namie stared after him for several moments more before sullenly falling into step behind him. She carefully schooled her frustration back, letting her think clearly for a few moments. If she had one talent, it was being hard to faze.
She and Izaya had been dumped somewhere unfamiliar and deprived of any easy means of getting out. She would likely be stuck with him for the foreseeable future. That was uncomfortable enough already.
But what nagged her most at the moment was Seiji. What would become of him with her gone? Had he somehow been caught up in this mess, too? Even if he hadn't, her chest ached as she considered the thought of him still in Ikebukuro without her. She needed to get back to him, and quickly. She hadn't been far from him in years, and she intended to keep it that way after this mess was sorted out.
She hurried after Izaya until she caught up to him again. "Do you have a plan?" She asked him.
Izaya shrugged, looking around as he did. He seemed to be searching for something, but she could only guess what. "My only plan right now is walking until we find something. Anything more elaborate is kinda hampered by the fact that I can't remember anything that led up to this point."
Namie blinked as she considered his words, then racked her memory. She felt a little cold as she realized that she, too, was missing any recollection of what she'd been doing prior to now. She didn't even know what day it was. The last thing she could recall was another ordinary day in Ikebukuro, working in Izaya's office. "I… can't remember anything either." She admitted.
Izaya rolled his eyes. "That one was kind of obvious. I don't see why you'd remember if I didn't."
He had a point, but his attitude was as obnoxious as ever. She decided to take a different tack. "If you've gotten Seiji caught up in whatever is going on here, I'm going to kill you." She warned him.
Izaya paused as they strolled up to a fallen tree. He took a step back before nimbly hopping over the trunk, turning back to grin at her once he was on the other side. "I'm pretty sure you're the only one who's worrying about your precious Seiji right now." He said before turning away to keep on walking.
Namie scowled at him before ducking under the fallen tree, crawling through the small space before straightening up on the other side and hurrying to catch up to him yet again. It was starting to get dark, Namie realized. The sun was setting, then. As she glanced towards the horizon, she couldn't see more than a glimmer of sunlight left. "Lost in a forest in the middle of the night…" She brooded aloud.
"Sounds like an adventure, don't you think?" Izaya said merrily.
"Sounds more to me like a recipe for a broken leg." Namie retorted, keeping her eyes on the ground ahead of her now. She'd be damned if she'd let a trip and fall keep her from Seiji.
She was lost in thought as her thoughts drifted to Seiji again for a minute, before Izaya's grating voice brought her back. He was staring at her intently when she looked his way. "You've got the 'Seiji look' on your face again. Is he really the main thing you're concerning yourself with right now?"
Namie narrowed her eyes at him. "Why shouldn't I be thinking about him? You should know by now that everything I do is for his sake."
Izaya shook his head with a grin. "I don't know about that, Namie. You've got an awful lot of pride for someone who claims to be subservient." His smile gained a few teeth as he continued to stare at her. "Sometimes I think you just chase him out of habit."
She took a deep breath as she had to restrain her irritation once more. Izaya was always doing this to her - pushing her buttons, looking for ways to test her or set her off. It was just another one of his games, and she'd always hated it. She forced herself to smirk back at him as she replied, "The love I have for Seiji is something you'll never have for yourself."
She thought she saw a flicker of irritation on his features. She savored it as he looked away, his grin slowly fading. "And that is something I will always be grateful for."
The night grew steadily darker as they carried on walking. Namie ended up walking closer to Izaya to avoid losing track of him in the darkness. She didn't like him, but she was unenthused by the prospect of exploring a vast forest alone at night. She settled for not talking to him for now. Talking to him only gave him opportunities to play his games.
For his part, Izaya seemed content to just keep exploring. She found herself more interested in the way he moved than in their surroundings. She'd seen him at work plenty of times, but seeing him adapt to a new environment was interesting, to say the least. With nobody to rile up, his usual mischievous grin was gone, replaced by a distant, critical look as he surveyed his surroundings.
This was the Izaya she'd gone to for help back when she'd first run into trouble with Mika Harima in Ikebukuro. Crafty, resourceful, and intelligent. It was a shame that whenever he opened his mouth, he betrayed his unlikeable personality.
Namie's musings were broken by the sound of a distant rumbling. The branches of the trees around them shook ever so slightly as it drew closer. "Down." Izaya whispered, grabbing her wrist as he knelt beside her and dragging her down with him. She glared at him as she pulled her wrist away, though she stayed down as he'd requested.
The rumbling grew louder and louder until it coalesced into the clearer sound of a horse's hooves. For a moment, Namie wondered if they shouldn't be shouting for attention.
The moment passed quickly, however, when she caught sight of the source of the noise. A horse, seemingly made entirely out of inky-black shadows, led a carriage of similar composition through the underbrush, disturbing branches and leaves alike as it plowed onwards. In the carriage, she could just barely see what looked like a beautiful young woman.
The only thing off about her was that her head was in her hand, instead of seated on her neck. The woman's eyes surveyed her surroundings as the horse and carriage carried on. Namie froze as her gaze passed over the patch of brush where she and Izaya hid. Fortunately, she didn't seem to notice them, and she disappeared into the surrounding thicket as the rumble of hooves receded.
The two of them waited until the sound had faded completely before Izaya stood up. As she stood up with him, she realized he was only barely holding back laughter. She tilted her head to one side as she looked at him incredulously. "Is it really that funny to you?" She said.
Izaya's grin was the most visible part of him in the moonlight as he turned to her. "It really is." He replied as he slowly calmed down. "I guess we know where we are, now."
Namie sighed as she turned to stare at where the dullahan had disappeared to. "I guess so." She agreed. "That's one question down. The next one is, why would someone go to the trouble of ditching us in Ireland?"
"Dublin's in the eastern part of Ireland, right…?" Izaya had asked, consulting a somewhat shaky memory of geography. He and Namie had roughly figured out the cardinal directions based on where the sun had gone down, and for now they'd adjusted their course roughly east in the hopes of eventually finding a road.
With no watches or phones between the two of them, Namie couldn't tell how long they'd been walking, but eventually, her legs were starting to protest. Based on the way Izaya was slowing down, she could guess he was feeling the burn too. "Do you want to stop for a bit?" She asked him.
"The more time we waste, the longer you'll be away from your precious Seiji." Izaya snarked, though she could see his steps falter for a moment as he spoke.
She shivered. That was true, but she'd come to the understanding early on that she'd be of no use to Seiji if she got herself injured or killed on the way back to him. "The footing is bad, and it's gotten even darker since we started walking. If we break an ankle or collapse, it'll take even longer to get back home." She protested.
Izaya stopped for a moment, looking back over his shoulder at her with his usual grin. "Since when are you an expert on hiking?"
She matched his grin with her usual expression of boredom. "It's common sense."
"Fine, fine." Izaya said, putting on a good-natured tone as he sat down. She saw the way his legs shook for a moment as he finally gave them a rest.
She frowned as she sat down, too, leaning against a nearby tree as she eyed him. "So what's with the tough-guy act?" She asked.
Izaya blinked at her, still smirking. "Tough-guy act?" He said. Just by his tone she'd probably never have guessed he was faking.
Namie nodded. "Of course. Since we woke up in that cave, you've been acting like you're in total control of the situation, despite obviously being scared out of your wits and as confused as I am. I'm wondering why you bother with all that." She said matter-of-factly.
She saw Izaya's eyebrow twitch. "I don't know what you're talking about, Namie."
"Don't worry. I won't tell anyone if you cry." She said, one corner of her lips curling up as she leaned her head back on the trunk of the tree supporting her, letting her eyes drift off of Izaya.
She heard Izaya huff a breath and shift slightly, disturbing the leaves around him. She knew her barb had stung him, and that was all she needed to feel content for now.
Unfortunately, he decided to keep talking a minute later. "So while we're on the topic of coping mechanisms, why does your mind still go to Seiji whenever you could be doing something for yourself? It's been months since you went into hiding. You barely see him anymore, but still you use him as your little excuse to avoid growing as a person."
Namie grit her teeth and lowered her head to glare at Izaya. "We've been over this. I love Seiji. You don't just stop thinking about someone you love." Her little smile returned for a moment. "Like I've said before, I guess you wouldn't understand that."
Izaya was unperturbed. "You're a brilliant girl. You could've been a medical prodigy if you'd focused on yourself. Instead you got yourself fired and on the run from the police trying to please that little brother of yours. You got put on my leash to keep him safe." Izaya's eyes narrowed slowly in the low light. "And for all that he still barely even thinks about you."
For once, Namie was having trouble controlling her anger. Seiji was always a tender subject for her, and Izaya knew it perfectly well. "Don't talk to me about Seiji." She snapped. "You don't know what it's like."
Izaya leaned forward with a gloating note to his voice as he spoke. "No, I don't. I don't let people chain me down. I don't let people become my excuses."
"Bite me." She hissed.
Izaya gave her a bemused look as he tilted his head slightly to one side. "I would, but I don't think you'd like it. I'm not Seiji, after all."
Namie let out a shaky breath as she looked away. Why, of all people, did she have to be stranded with him?
Silence fell between them for several minutes. Eventually, Izaya got up, stretching as he did so. "I think I'm ready to keep going." He said. Namie glared at him from where she sat, before silently rising to stand beside him. Izaya gave her an expectant look. When she didn't say anything, he smiled. "Aw, did I hurt your feelings?" He said.
She didn't say anything. She just scowled at him, and turned to continue walking. A moment later she heard a crunch of leaves behind her and knew that Izaya was following her. "Good to see you taking the initiative. That's how you'll win Seiji over, I'm sure." He said.
Namie stared ahead of her, carefully ignoring him. He knew he'd gotten to her; she'd already lost this one. Now it was simply a matter of minimizing the damage he could do. She was very good at not giving Izaya the satisfaction of seeing her boil over.
"You know, I'm really glad you got dragged out here with me, Namie." Izaya said, lengthening his stride to catch up to her. She turned her head and raised an eyebrow at him, not expecting much. "There's nobody I'd rather piss off while wandering through Ireland. You're really a special lady."
She'd expected about as much. She turned her head to look forward again, focusing on her footing and avoiding bumping into things. She could feel Izaya's eyes on her, waiting for a reaction that wouldn't come. Eventually, she heard him sigh ever so quietly and go silent. She smiled to herself. That was her victory.
A few minutes later, the foliage abruptly cleared as Namie and Izaya stumbled onto a clear section of dirt. As she looked around, she realized it was a small dirt road. "Finally, a trace of civilization." She said wearily, momentarily forgetting her quarrel with Izaya.
"Now the question is, which way do we follow it?" Izaya said, glancing back and forth along the path. It wound off into the distance both north and south, perpendicular to their previous trajectory.
Namie debated for a moment before gesturing down the road to her left. "I'd say north."
"Any reasons for that?" Izaya asked her, crossing his arms over his chest.
Namie knelt in the dirt as she gestured to what looked like a set of faded hoofprints. "More of them are going north than south. I'm assuming that means the nearest town is that way."
Izaya stared at the dirt she'd indicated. "I guess so." He admitted, not hiding his surprise for once. "Maybe I'll give you a bonus when we get back."
Namie smiled a little as she stood up and began walking again, this time to the north. "Wait until we find out whether I'm right or not."
It was just starting to grow light again when Izaya and Namie caught sight of the little village. It looked rural, mostly farmland, but it was obviously inhabited based on how well-maintained it all looked. "I guess you're getting that bonus." Izaya commented as the two of them looked it over.
"I better be." Namie said with a smirk as she surveyed the town before turning to Izaya. "How's your English?"
Izaya frowned at her. "Do they speak English in Ireland?"
Namie frowned back at him. "I think so. I certainly hope so. I don't speak Gaelic."
Izaya grinned as he turned and started walking towards the town. "We'll figure it out." He said.
It was a little strange how quickly he could switch between analytical and careless, Namie reflected as she followed him. Maybe he just reveled in being unpredictable.
To their good fortune, they quickly caught sight of someone as they drew near. An older-looking farmer with a greying beard approached them with a wave. "Hey there, strangers." He said amicably, in English.
Izaya glanced at Namie, and she took the cue to take the initiative. "Hello there." She replied, fairly confident she could at least hold a steady conversation. "We're a bit lost." She explained.
"Lost?" The old man said, stroking his beard. "Where are you tryin' to get to?"
She traded another glance with Izaya before replying, "Dublin, for now."
The old man's eyes widened. "Well now, that's quite a ways away. Certainly further than I'd want to travel on foot."
"We need to get there, regardless." Izaya said before Namie could think of a reply.
The grey-haired farmer looked back and forth between the two of them. "Do the two of you have any supplies between you?" He asked.
Izaya looked away. Namie frowned at the farmer as she replied for him. "No. We don't even have phones."
The farmer blinked several times. "I thought everyone your age had a phone these days. What exactly happened to you?"
"We were robbed." Izaya said, putting on an innocent smile. It still looked devilish to Namie, but she supposed it was enough to fool the farmer.
"You poor things! That must've been awful." The old man said. "Look, I think I can give you some food and water, and maybe point you in the direction of Dublin if you're really determined to head there. You can use my phone if you need to call anyone."
Namie nodded. "We'd be very grateful." She said sincerely.
The old man smiled at her. "Of course, the walk to the city is still pretty damn long. If you're willin' to wait a week, I could probably take you at least as far as the next town when I go to market."
Izaya blinked. "Do you have a car?" He said.
The old man shook his head. "Nah, I just use horses. I never liked those noisy old things."
That explains the delay. Namie thought. "We'll give it some real consideration." She said. She didn't want to wait a week, to be honest. She wanted to get back to Ikebukuro and Seiji as fast as possible.
"May we use your phone, then?" Izaya asked.
"Of course, of course. Come on in." The old man said, leading them to a sizeable farmhouse and opening the door with a key he produced from one of his pockets. "I'll see about getting something simple together for you to eat."
With that, he turned and disappeared into what looked like a kitchen, leaving Izaya and Namie in the foyer, where an old-looking phone hung on the wall. Namie gave Izaya a look. "Who are you planning to call?"
Izaya grinned as he stepped over to the phone and began punching in digits. "Shinra. I'm sure he can do something for us. Maybe he can get us plane tickets."
Namie sighed and leaned against the wall, watching Izaya as he put the phone to his ear. He waited for several seconds before apparently getting an answer.
"Hey, Shrina. Sorry to wake you up so early, but I'm in a bit of a fix." Izaya said cheerily.
Namie faintly heard someone speaking to him from the other end of the line.
Izaya's eyes widened. "Huh? What're you so worked up about?" He asked. He frowned as he listened for a few more seconds before saying. "Are you serious?" The reply was shorter that time. "That's, uh… something else." He said. "We'll deal with that later. The short of it is, I'm in Ireland right now, and I don't have any money on me. Can you do anything for me?"
The old farmer came in and set down a pair of small packs on the table. They looked full. He gave her a smile as he passed her by. "I'm going to go wake up the kids now. Everything alright down here?" He asked.
Namie tore her attention from Izaya's conversation to smile back at the farmer. "Yeah, we're doing alright. How do we get to Dublin from here, though?" She asked.
The farmer nodded. "Well, there's only one road that passes through here. You just keep following it the way you were going and you'll eventually hit a freeway. From there, you just wanna go east and the signage will show you the rest of the way." He explained.
Namie nodded back at him. "Thank you, sir. Your generosity is very much appreciated."
The farmer grinned. "Of course. I just hope you and your boyfriend don't have too hard a time of it." He said with a wink. "You're always welcome to stay until we can take you somewhere you can get a car."
Namie flinched at the farmer's words. He had apparently misread her and Izaya's situation quite badly. "R-right, sir. Like I said, we're considering it." She said through clenched teeth.
The old man apparently didn't catch her irritation as he gave her one last smile and turned to head up the stairs in the back of the room. Namie turned her attention to Izaya, focusing her anger on him instead of the kindly old farmer. He was her real problem.
Izaya sighed. "If that's the best you can do." He said. The voice on the other end of the phone said something else, and Izaya nodded. "Okay, then I guess that's settled. I'll try to get in touch again when I reach Dublin." He said. "Later, Shinra."
With that, he hung up the phone and strolled over to the table, grabbing one of the bags the farmer had left there and slinging it over his shoulder. Namie watched him. "So, what's the situation?"
Izaya stared blankly at the wall for a second before turning to look at her, his expression unusually quizzical. "Well, apparently nobody in Ikebukuro's seen us in over a week."
Namie's jaw dropped. "Have we been missing that long?"
Izaya grimaced at her. "I have no idea." He admitted. "The good news is, Shinra's willing to cover the cost of our flights when we get to Dublin. He'll fax us the tickets and everything."
Namie whistled. "Wow. And here I didn't think you had any friends."
Izaya grinned at her, though this time it was more bitter than gleeful or mischievous. "I don't. I'm going to be paying him back for this, for sure." He said, before stepping to the front door and opening it. "Grab your pack and let's go."
Namie blinked at him before doing as he said, letting the bag settle over her shoulder before following him outside. "Are we walking the rest of the way to the freeway, then?"
Izaya shook his head with a laugh. "Hell no. We're stealing one of this guy's horses."
Namie stared at him in disbelief. He really didn't have any standards. "You're awful." She said.
"I'm efficient." He corrected her, hopping a fence as he headed for what looked like a set of stables.
Namie scowled as she followed him. The whole situation left a bad taste in her mouth, but she was as eager to get home as he was. She'd done worse things than this for Seiji. She'd get over it.
Together they walked into the stables. It smelled of unwashed animals and dirt. They passed by a few cows before coming to a horse. It nickered as it looked them both over cautiously. "Hey there." Izaya said in a remarkably soft voice as he leaned a little closer.
The horse took a hesitant step back. Izaya reached out his hand slowly. "I'm not gonna hurt ya. Just need to borrow you for a bit." He said. The horse stayed where it was, and eventually the palm of Izaya's hand brushed against its snout. It let out a soft breath as he stroked it a few times before pulling away. "Good boy." He said.
Namie, for her part, stood back and watched with a neutral expression. "Is there just the one horse?" She asked.
Izaya looked around for a moment before shrugging. "I only see the one." He said, before starting to unlock the horse's pen. "Go find a saddle and reins, will you?"
Namie glowered at his back before turning to search the stables. It didn't take her long to find what they needed, and by the time she got back, Izaya had the horse out and in the main aisle of the stables. "Here." She said simply.
"Thank you, assistant." Izaya said with a smirk as he accepted them. He set the reins in place before saddling the horse. It let out a few more hesitant breaths as he worked, but didn't react otherwise. He strolled to the horse's front and pet its neck a few times before grabbing the lead and beginning to guide it out of the stables. "C'mon."
Namie led the way out, followed by Izaya and the horse. The sun was creeping up ever higher in the sky, and the sky had turned a warm shade of blue now. She stared at it as Izaya looked around for the farmer before clambering up and into the saddle. "Namie?" He said, distracting her from her thoughts.
"Get your head out of the clouds." He said, patting the spot behind him.
"Do I really have to ride with you?" She protested flatly.
Izaya smirked at her. "If we take the time to look for another horse, that farmer might catch us. We should probably take our chances with just the one."
Namie closed her eyes and took a deep breath before nodding. "Fine." She said, stepping up to the side of the horse. Izaya offered her a hand up. She glared at him before taking it and hauling herself onto the horse, sitting behind him in the saddle. "Let's go." She snapped irritably.
Izaya turned to look at her over his shoulder. "You, uh, might wanna hang on. Horses aren't exactly known for being gentle rides."
She blinked at him. "Hold onto what?" She asked.
Izaya's grin was back. "Well, I'm the one holding the reins."
Namie looked at him like he was used tissue paper as the answer came to her. "I am not holding onto you."
Izaya's grin widened. "Suit yourself." He said, flicking the reins as he spoke. The horse whinnied before taking off.
Namie felt herself jerk backwards as the horse went into motion, and instinctively grabbed at the nearest handhold she could find - which in this case was Izaya, to her chagrin. Her arms were around his torso before she could think about it, and she growled as the horse turned and headed down the dirt path. "Fuck you! I could've died!" She spat.
Izaya laughed. "Sometimes you can be a little thick, Namie."
Namie grumbled under her breath as she turned to look away from him, reluctantly maintaining her hold on his midsection. She could already tell it would be a long ride.
It took them more than an hour to get to the freeway, and by the time they got there, Namie's legs were sore beyond belief. She had little experience with horses, and after this, she wasn't sure ever wanted to ride one again. It was a great relief to her when Izaya pulled the horse to a stop as they reached the paved road, a car zipping past them a moment later.
"Finally." Izaya said with a sigh of relief.
"I'm sick of riding this horse." Namie reported flatly, momentarily pulling her arms away from Izaya, where they'd reluctantly stayed the whole way.
"So am I. Are your legs sore?" Izaya said with an amused note to his voice. He waited until the highway was clear to walk the horse across to the other side, where eastbound traffic would be passing. "Let's get off." He said, letting go of the reins before hopping off and to the ground. He visibly winced as he landed, rubbing at one of his thighs afterwards.
Namie grimaced as she watched him before hopping off as well. The horse huffed a few times as it watched them. Namie's thighs protested painfully as they were finally freed from the position enforced by the saddle. "What now?" She said wearily.
Izaya watched the road with a thoughtful expression. "I think we should hitchhike the rest of the way." He said.
Namie had to admit that she'd like that too. She'd had more than her fair share of horse-riding for this lifetime. "What are we going to do about the horse, though?" She said.
"Easy." Izaya said, strolling over to the horse and grabbing its reins. "Get out of here!" He snapped the reins as he spoke. The horse whinnied and began to run away, and he let go of the reins as it did. It disappeared into the forest a few moments later.
Namie frowned as she watched it go. "You better hope we won't need it anymore." She said.
"It'll be fine. Nobody can resist picking up a pair as mysterious-looking as us." Izaya said before strolling up to the side of the road and pointing his thumb in the direction of Dublin. Namie stared at him for several seconds before joining him, and together they waited for someone to stop.
It took about ten minutes for a car to pull over for them. The driver's side window rolled down to reveal a young man with red hair and a close-cut beard. "Hey, where're you two headin'?" He asked in English.
Izaya smiled at the young man as he replied in the same dialect. "We're trying to get to Dublin. That on your way?" He asked.
The young man grinned. "That's exactly where I'm goin'. You're in luck." He said. "G'wan and get in."
"We appreciate it." Namie said, and she followed Izaya as he opened the back door and stepped in, sitting down on the other side. She sat down soon after and shut the door behind them, and a moment later they pulled back out onto the freeway.
"So, what're you two doin' in Ireland?" The driver said. "You don't look like you're from these parts."
Izaya grinned as he replied. "One part vacation, one part soul searching. It's been a very enlightening trip."
"Sounds like a good time." The driver observed, eyeing the two of them in the rearview mirror. "No car, though?" He said.
Izaya got that tone he always got when he started soliloquizing. "No, I'm afraid not. We wanted to see what the world was like without the ease of our own transportation. We wanted to explore this place as wanderers, at the mercy of nature and our fellow man, and let me tell you, it's been quite enlightening. I wouldn't trade the experiences I've had here for the world, my friend."
Namie rolled her eyes as she looked out the window at the passing greenery. The driver laughed. "I like you. You're just the right amount of crazy." He said. "My name's David, by the way."
Izaya nodded agreeably. "I'm Izaya, and this lovely lady here is my companion Namie."
David's eyes widened ever so slightly. "Say, are you two from Japan?"
Izaya's smile grew a little. "Why yes, we are. Why do you ask?"
David smiled as he stared out at the road. "Small world. I was just in Japan last month to visit a friend."
Izaya's mock surprise always irritated Namie. He was such an exaggerated actor; how did nobody ever see through him? "You're kidding me!" Izaya said. "That's an amazing coincidence."
"I'll say." David replied. "It's a great place, Japan. I'd live there myself if I could afford it." He paused for a moment before adding, "My Japanese ain't so great, but if it'd make you more comfortable I could certainly switch." He said.
Izaya shook his head and waved one hand dismissively. "No, no, please don't inconvenience yourself on our behalf. You're doing more than enough already by taking us where we need to go."
David laughed again. "Suit yourself, mister Izaya." His eyes went to the rearview mirror again, and Namie could tell he was looking at her now. "Your friend's awful quiet." He observed.
Izaya's smirk grew wicked, and Namie flinched when she saw it in the faint reflection of the window. "Oh, don't mind her. She's a bit preoccupied; You see, she's in love with her b-"
Izaya was interrupted as Namie's hand shot out to cover his mouth. He still finished his sentence even as it was muffled into unintelligibility. "I'm just feeling a bit under the weather, that's all." She said curtly with a glare at Izaya.
David wore a look of surprise for a moment before chuckling. "I definitely like you two. You're a very strange couple."
"We are not a couple." Namie said firmly, ignoring Izaya's predictable smirk.
David blinked before smiling slightly. "I didn't mean it that way, but based on your reaction I'm guessin' you get that quite a lot."
"If I did, I'd probably kill myself." Namie growled.
"You wound me, my dear Namie." Izaya said, his voice dripping with feigned concern.
David whistled from his seat up front. "Now that's tellin'."
Izaya sighed. "One of these days, Namie, I'm going to nurture that spite of yours into the tenderest sort of love." He said with a smile that only she could tell was mocking.
She smiled right back at him with the same level of scorn. "And until then, I'll carry on spiting you." She said with her own variety of mock sweetness.
"I think I'm goin' to enjoy this ride." David said as he settled in for the long trip to Dublin.