AN: So, as promised, the winner of my Halloween contest, Naturesshadows, gets a one-shot. FYI: I do take requests, but contest winners are the submissions I'll definitely do. Eventually. Anyhow, the prompt I received was this (edited very slightly):
Fandom: Durarara!
Characters: Izaya, Shizuo, Shinra, Celty, Kadota, and Namie.
Genre: Hurt/Comfort
Pairings can either be: Shizuo/Izaya or Izaya/Namie + Shinra/Celty
General Idea:
Izaya has gone missing, after 3 months, Ikebukuro is in chaos… Shinra, Shizuo, Celty and Kadota (who bumped into them on the way) decided to check out the informant's penthouse with the intention on fixing the fights in Ikebukuro. It's then that they find Namie looking after the horrible state the informant's in. Pale, sick, and fighting against something no one can see. What will they do to fix the only one who can save their city?
As this particular prompt is a bit… extravagant, this may evolve into something more than a one-shot. For future reference, if you win one of my contests, I will write a one-shot for you. However, as I already have two ongoing stories, four stories that need to be rewritten, and a story with a status I am currently unsure about (plus a billion other ideas floating around in my skull), I would like to make clear that submissions for contest winners should be set up as one-shots. If you believe that your story will be longer, let me know. I will probably still write it, but it will take longer. That said, enjoy.
TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of psychological torture
Heiwajima Shizuo had little to no patience, especially when it came to Orihara Izaya, his lifelong nemesis (ok, only since high school). If there was one thing he could count on, it was that that one particular flea in his life was not going to fuck off unless it got squashed. Problems like this, Shizuo had decided, were best taken before they became bigger problems. Izaya, however, seemed determined to be the biggest problem possible. Despite numerous warnings, he continued to show up as often as possible, either to cause trouble or to piss Shizuo off with the mere act of breathing. There were times when Izaya stopped showing up, occasionally for a few weeks at a time, but he was always back and stirring up chaos soon enough. Of course, even when he was gone, he sent gangs after Shizuo.
However, Izaya's longest absence had been seven weeks, and it had been because he'd had a broken arm (à la pissed off ex-bartender). This time, however, Shizuo had not seen hide or hair of Izaya for nearly three months. There hadn't even been any gangs sent after him. A few weeks of peace was one thing, but three whole months was just suspicious. Weirder still, gang activity was increasing – but few of the gangs had attacked or even gone near him, and when he'd questioned one of the foolish gangs that had, the guy had never even heard of Izaya. Even the other members of the Dollars were confused.
MONTA: Has anyone else seen Orihara Izaya?
Setton: No, I haven't. It's odd – he usually would've shown up by now.
Tanaka Tarō: He's been offline a lot lately as well…
Saika: Do you guys think Heiwajima-san killed him?
Bakyura: It's possible. One can only hope.
Kyo: We haven't seen him either. It's kind of odd, because he usually calls us at least once a week, but when we tried calling him, we only got his secretary, and all she said was that he couldn't come to the phone at the moment.
Mai: Gone?
Saki: Let's not get crazy. I'm sure he's fine.
Bakyura: Probably. Guy's like a cockroach or some thing (–.–||)
MONTA: Geez. What a pain. Has anybody gone to find out?
Kyo: No way. If he's dead, Shizuo-san will introduce us to Yūhei-san.
Mai: Brother.
Saki: I'd check, but I'm… busy… ^.^"
Bakyura: I'm busy too – with my girlfriend. O —8
Tanaka Tarō: Ew.
Since there was no way Izaya could have been killed by anyone other than Shizuo, the debt collector assumed that he was, as usual, up to no good. And, considering that Celty, Shinra, and Kadota all seemed to have agreed, he was probably right.
"Checking on Izaya?" Shinra asked as soon as he saw them.
"Murdering Izaya," Shizuo corrected. Kadota rolled his eyes.
"Karisawa said that if I didn't, she'd make me listen to a fanfic she wrote." He looked ill.
[[What was it about?]] Celty asked. Kadota shuddered.
"Izaya, Shizuo, Izaya's secretary, chopstick wars, and vaguely implied BDSM threesomes. It sounded awful. Can't see why anybody reads that crap."
"Ew." Said Shinra, hoping that Shizuo hadn't heard. Luckily, the bodyguard had developed the ability to tune out anything related to Erika and her depraved fantasies. Kadota was very, very jealous. He decided to change the topic in hopes of getting rid of any mental images. "So… how's everything with you guys?"
"Fine."
"Fine."
[[Fine.]]
"Hm. Me too."
There was an awkward silence.
"So, Shinra officially sucks at topic-changing."
"Shut it."
[[We're here,]]
"Oh thank god," Kyōhei massaged the bridge of his nose.
-This-Is-A-Line-Break-
When they got inside, they were unsurprised to see that they needed a card to access the elevator. Shinra had one, but it didn't matter, as their entrance had not gone unnoticed. The elevator doors slid open.
"So he is up there," Shizuo growled. "I'll crush his freaking skull!"
[[It could just be his secretary,]] Celty cautioned. [[Either way, this is Izaya we're talking about. Who knows what he's got planned.]]
"I'll go first then," said Shinra cheerfully. "He won't hurt me." Celty and Shizuo looked unconvinced, but Kadota seemed to get it. They filed into the elevator, which began to move before any of them had pressed any buttons. When the elevator doors opened, Shinra, true to his word, stepped out first. When no knife came flying at him, the others figured it was probably safe.
Izaya's secretary, Yagiri Namie, was sitting on the couch. She glanced over at them, scowling when her eyes passed over Celty.
"Kishitani-sensei." She greeted. "I don't think it was necessary to bring anyone other than yourself. Especially not those two," she jerked her head towards Shizuo and Celty. Shizuo tensed, but Shinra didn't look all that bothered.
"Yes, well, things happened." He said dismissively. "How is he?"
"Wait– you knew he was here?" Kadota asked, incredulous. "Why didn't you just tell us? Then I could've just gone home!" Shinra grinned.
"You didn't ask~" he chirped. His silly look disappeared, and was replaced with a more serious face. "Has he woken up recently?" Namie shrugged.
"Kind of," she replied. "He wasn't coherent, though." Shinra nodded, looking grim. "I did manage to get him to eat," Namie continued. "But nothing solid."
"I figured as much," Shinra said. "Like I said, a liquid diet is best for now."
"Ok, what's going on?" Shizuo demanded. "Where's that damn flea? I'm going to kick his ass! Is he here or not?" Namie wordlessly moved over. Izaya was lying on the couch, eyes closed. He was paler than usual, and his breathing was clearly off.
"What the– what happened?" Kadota asked. "Is he okay?" Shinra shrugged.
"We have no idea," the doctor said cheerfully. "He just turned up like this a month ago. My darling Celty found him in an alley~"
"You knew too?" Shizuo asked. It was odd for the headless woman to keep things from him.
[[Shinra asked me not to tell,]] Celty apologized. [[I would've ignored him, but it seemed bad, so I agreed.]]
Suddenly, Izaya's body jerked, and Namie, frowning, grabbed the bucket near her feet as Izaya threw up what little Namie had managed to get him to eat. His eyes were almost open, and he seemed to look at them for a couple seconds before his body decided that it wasn't done with its impromptu nap, and the informant returned to dreamland, which, for Izaya, was probably filled with little giggling ponies, tap-dancing cats in tutus, and lots and lots of knives.
"I'm assuming that's bad," Kadota, the only one in the room who hadn't spent gratuitous amounts of time in a hospital, said. Namie gave him a very flat look.
"What are you talking about?" She asked. "Vomiting up the only food he's been able to keep down for longer than an hour over the entire week is exactly what we want!" Celty sighed (well, she looked like she was sighing).
[[Yes, Kadota-san, that's bad,]] she said. [[He's extremely sick, and we have no clue what's wrong.]] Shinra placed his hand on Izaya's forehead, and hissed.
"His fever's risen," he murmured, mostly to himself. He turned to Namie with a very serious look on his usually silly face. "There's not much more I can do for him," the doctor warned. "You'll have to find a way to take him to a hospital soon."
"Fuck that!" Shizuo snarled. "He's not going anywhere until he tells those pet gangs of his to get the hell out of my city!" Namie didn't even bother to look his way.
"How do you plan to get him to do that when he's dying?" she asked coolly.
"Dying?" Kadota broke in. "But– Izaya's the only one who can get those gangs under control!" Namie shrugged.
"Unfortunately for you lot, he won't be getting anything done when he's unconscious," the dark-haired woman said. "You'd have better luck teaching a crab to fly."
"Dammit!" Shizuo drew back his fist, but Namie spoke before he could punch something.
"While I couldn't care less if you break this idiot's things, you're still going to have to pay for whatever you put a hole in, and if what Izaya says about your monetary status is true, that's not a situation you want to be in." she smirked. "That desk is probably worth more than your whole apartment."
"This isn't helping me not be pissed," Shizuo told her, lowering his arm. "I still want to break something." He inhaled, and tried to distract himself from the urge to crush the skulls of everybody in the room (which, unbeknownst to anyone but Namie, Izaya himself, and possibly Shinra, included Celty's). "So what exactly happened to him?"
"We don't know," Shinra repeated. "We do know that he disappeared and no one knew where he was. He only turned up a month ago, like I said." Namie nodded.
"There's no sign of physical injuries, but he was a little malnourished when he showed up. Other than a fever, he doesn't seem to have anything wrong with him at all," the woman explained. "We're guessing that, whatever the problem, it's mostly – if not entirely – psychological."
"Always knew that flea had a screw loose," Shizuo grumbled. "I'm getting out of here. Call me when he's healthy so I can kill him." Shizuo turned and began to walk off.
"You're the one with a screw loose," Namie sneered, glowering at Shizuo's back. "Sane people don't try to kill people." And this is it, where Izaya should pop up, saying something like 'sane people don't lust after their little brothers', or 'sane people don't fall in love with decapitated heads'. But he doesn't. He's still lying on the couch, unconscious, and, as much as Namie dislikes her employer, she hates this awkward silence even more. Shizuo turns around.
"If you're so worried about him, why's he still here?" the blond asked. "He should be at Shinra's, or an actual hospital, right?"
"I have to agree with Shizuo," Kadota said. "It doesn't make sense that you'd keep him in here. His pride can't be more important than his life, right?"
"Both his pride and his life are directly involved in my paycheck," Namie said coolly. "However, he can't leave this room."
[[I only found him because he managed to text me and ask for help,]] Celty explained. [[He was unconscious by the time I got there, so I assumed he'd had a particularly nasty run-in with Shizuo. I just took him back here. Yagiri-san called me the next day, saying he hadn't woken up yet, so Shinra and I came over to check on him. When we tried to carry him back to our place, we were unable to do so.]]
"What's that mean?" Kadota asked, ignoring Shinra squealing about his house being 'their place'. "How difficult can it be to get an unconscious guy through a door?" Namie shrugged.
"Harder than it should have been," she said. "We can leave just fine, but we were literally unable to get him through the door. It's like there's an anti-Orihara wall in place. Izaya can't get out, and the twins can't get in."
"Mairu and Kururi? They were here?" Shizuo asked. "Did they say why?"
"Something about 'this being a good time to meet Yūhei-san'," she responded.
"Huh? Why would they think Hanejima Yūhei would be here?" Shinra asked.
"My bad," Shizuo spoke up, not looking all that sorry. "I said I'd introduce them to Kasuka if they killed their brother." Shinra sighed.
"Of course you did." The doctor muttered. He shook his head and turned to Namie. "Yagiri-san, can you think of anyone who might know something about Orihara-kun's current condition?" She hesitated.
"I've found a couple of contacts since last week," she said. "I've also managed to get in touch with Mikajima Saki and Kida Masaomi. Kida should be able to reign in his gang, and Saki learned a lot from Izaya, so she might be able to learn something. I know she's got a lot of his contacts – he's quite proud of her." Kadota frowned.
"I know a couple people," he offered. "Let's see – Izaya hung out with us, mostly, but there was that one girl… what was her name?"
"Sharaku Mikage," Shinra and Shizuo said simultaneously. Shinra grinned.
"She hates my guts," he added. "She's also Mairu-chan's martial arts instructor." Kadota nodded.
"Yeah, her," he said. "She had a crush on him, didn't she?" Shizuo snorted.
"Her and every other girl in the school," the blond grumbled. "She was the only one that actually knew him."
"They go way back," Shinra said. "Izaya's known Mikage since before I ever met him. She knew exactly what he was like, but it never seemed to bother her. She liked him anyway."
"Was she insane?" Namie asked innocently.
"Ne… That isn't very nice, Namie-san," her eyes widened, and she glanced down at the man on the couch. His eyes were open, and, while he looked exhausted, he was alive and – barely – conscious.
"Oh! You're awake!" chirped Shinra. "That's good, I suppose."
"You're horrible," Izaya mumbled. His eyes slid shut for moment before opening again. "How long have I been gone?"
"Six years," Shinra lied. Izaya rolled his eyes.
"I'm injured, not retarded." He said. "Seriously, how long?"
"Three months," Namie told him. She hesitated before asking the question she was sure she'd regret. "How long was it for you?" Izaya shuddered, his eyes slipping again as his consciousness faded.
"Longer."
AN: Wow, I actually got around to writing this. I've been working on this for over a month now, and I never thought I'd actually finish. This was a lot harder than I thought it would be. For those of you who don't know, Sharaku Mikage went to Raijin Academy with Izaya, Shizuo, Kadota, and Shinra. She was apparently one of Izaya's groupies, and it's implied she had feelings for him (whether she still does is unknown). Her older brother claims Izaya is the reason Mikage dropped out of high school, and, while she has neither confirmed nor denied this, she seems to hold no grudge against him. Other characters from the novels (such as Aoba, Nakura, Akabayashi, Tsukumoya, etc.) will also be appearing, and certain plot points and canon pairings will also show up, like Kasuka x Ruri. If that's not cool with you, then this probably isn't your story. I'm more interested in plot than romance or smut.
On another note, before anyone even opens their mouths, the only pairing that was requested by Naturesshadows was Shinra x Celty. There will also be either Shizuo x Izaya or Izaya x Namie. Other relationships are mine to decide. Before anyone asks, no, Kida will not randomly decide he's gay and dump Saki. He loves her, not Mikado. Mikado is not going to abandon his feelings for Anri, and Anri is not going to randomly decide she's a lesbian. Finally, regardless of whom Izaya ends up with, everyone is staying in character. Izaya and Shizuo are not going to get lovey-dovey; they'll have a love-hate relationship. Izaya and Namie are not going to get lovey-dovey; they'll be throwing insults at each other from across the office. Also, Izaya has admitted to being a masochist. He is a pathological liar, so this might be false, but it would explain a lot. I will not be changing this regardless of anything.