Disclaimer: I do not own Durarara! All credit goes to Ryohgo Narita! The only content I own are my OC's: Ryuu Akihana, Kanta Akihana [Later Chapter's] and Arata Ichirou!

Shizuo didn't know what to think of it. It had been three weeks since he had last seen Izaya. The last time he saw raven haired informant, he seemed…different, for lack of a better word. Izaya had taunted him like always, they had their chase, the raven eventually escaped and Shizuo resumed work with Tom. The thing that bugged Shizuo though was the fact that Izaya almost seemed tired, as if he hadn't slept in ages; not only that, Izaya also appeared to be slower. At first Shizuo thought that the raven was only trying to aggravate him, but looking back Shizuo didn't think that was the case.

"Is something on your mind, Shizuo-kun?"

Shizuo paused in smoking his cigarette to turn his head and see Izaya's business partner and childhood friend, Ryuu Akihana. Shizuo took a liking to Ryuu in high school once he realized that while sharing a few characteristics with Izaya, she was genuinely a kind-hearted person who was capable of conversing with him and not invoking his anger.

"Ah, Ryuu-chan. It's fine. Thanks, but it's nothing I should be worrying about."

Ryuu gave the artificial blonde a small smile and sat with him on the park bench he had currently been occupying. They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, which Shizuo knew was Ryuu's method of giving him a chance to take the initiative and tell her what was bothering him. When it was clear that Shizuo wasn't talking, Ryuu made the attempt herself.

"Is it about Iza-kun? Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong."

Shizuo flinched at the nickname Ryuu became fond of using to address the raven, but said nothing of it. Ryuu nodded as though his silence was answer enough.

"I know that while the two of you have had your differences, you also have shared some similarities. Your ability to detect when the other isn't himself is only one of a select few."

Shizuo didn't say anything as Ryuu spoke. He didn't bother denying any of her observations, because to a point she was right. Anytime Shizuo wasn't himself, Izaya seemed to know; it went vice versa for the bodyguard.

"You don't have to since I know your feelings regarding Iza-kun, but if you're so worried about why he hasn't been around much lately, why not go visit him? I know you know where he lives."

Shizuo looked at Ryuu with wide, surprised eyes. She giggled at his reaction and rose from the bench to stand in front of him. She held out to him a small metal key on a ring.

"It's my spare key. I was given a two week vacation starting tomorrow, so I won't need it for some time. Take it if you ever want to see him, but I'll ask that you don't harm him. Plus, I'll want it back so that I can resume my job once I return to work."

Shizuo stared at the small metal object as though it was sprouting mushrooms before looking up at Ryuu.

"Why would you trust me with this? You know I hate that flea. I could use this as a chance to finally kill him if I ever wanted to."

Ryuu smiled at the bodyguard and placed the key in his vest pocket.

"I'm lending this to you because I know you would never betray my trust like that. I know you well enough to know that you could never do that even if you wanted to."

Shizuo blushed at being figured out so easily by the girl before noticing how her violet eyes took on a saddened glaze.

"Besides, if you saw him now I don't think you could even raise a hand to him no matter how hard you tried."

Shizuo gave her a confused look as she just gave him a small bow and was on her way.

"Call me if you need anything."

Shizuo took the key from his vest pocket and examined it. He finished his cigarette and crushed it before throwing it in the rubbish bin next to him.

"Couldn't even raise a hand to him, huh?"

Shizuo didn't know what Ryuu meant by those words, but he never knew her to lie. It just wasn't in her nature. Whatever it was, it certainly got the artificial blonde curious. He returned the key to his vest pocket and checked his watch.

"Well, it's not that late. I guess I could just see the flea if only to get it off my chest. I really should just kill that guy. It would make my life so much easier."

With his mind made up, Shizuo rose from his seat and stretched his arms above his head before placing his hands in his pockets and making his way to the informants flat.

It didn't take long for Shizuo to arrive at the large condominium building and make his way up to Izaya's unit. He hesitated for few moments before knocking on the door with a few quick taps. He waited for a bit until he realized that no one was coming to answer the door.

"Is that flea even home? What the hell did I come here for then?"

Shizuo had to calm his anger before he smashed the door down demanding where the raven haired man was located. Shizuo remembered the key Ryuu had lent him and didn't hesitate to use it. He entered the flat and closed the door behind him as he removed his shoes. The room was dark and the curtains were drawn on the large window behind the informants' desk. Shizuo would have left if he didn't come here for a specific reason that he was determined to carry out.

"Hey, you in here flea? Hurry up and come out already! I promised Ryuu-chan I wouldn't hurt you, so quit being a pansy already!"

There was no answer as Shizuo walked through the ground floor of the apartment. He didn't see the raven anywhere, so he reasoned that he should check upstairs. If he wasn't there, then he was probably out doing who knew what.

"This had better be worth my time."

Shizuo ascended the steps and saw the door that led to what Shizuo would assume was the bedroom. While he wasn't one for barging into people's private dwellings, he didn't figure that his sworn enemy should be extended the same courtesy. He entered the dark room to find the bed unoccupied and the adjoining bathroom devoid of any human activity.

"This was definitely a waste of my time. I should have just headed home for bed."

Shizuo was about to pull out a cigarette when he thought he heard the front door being opened.

"Izaya-kun?"

"Who's there?"

Shizuo came downstairs to see the raven haired informant looking around the office area with a panicked look. The strange thing for the artificial blonde was how Izaya's eyes passed over his location multiple times as though he wasn't there.

"Whoever you are, you've made a huge mistake coming here! I advise you to leave now before I call the authorities!"

Izaya was steadily backing up towards the door he just entered while scrambling for his cell phone in his coat pocket.

"What the hell, Flea? It's me! Have you finally lost it or something?"

"S-Shizu-chan? What…H-How did you-?"

"Ryuu-chan gave me her key telling me to come see you. Where the hell are you looking anyway?"

Izaya had been looking directly in front of him before flinching at the bodyguard's question. He kept his hands in his coat pockets to hide their trembling as he took a deep breath to regain his composure.

"Ryuu-chan? Well, I guess that answers that, but what are you doing here in the first place? You wouldn't come here just because she told you to."

Shizuo made a grunt of annoyance as he pulled out his cigarette and proceeded to light it.

"You know how she is. She would never leave me alone if I didn't do as she said."

Izaya sniffed the air before turning in Shizuo's direction. He quickly walked over before stopping directly in front of the artificial blonde, startling Shizuo at the abrupt behavior. Shizuo also noticed how Izaya wasn't looking at his face, but appeared to be looking past him with a blank stare. Now that he got a closer look, were Izaya's irises always such a dull, pale red?

"Are you smoking, Shizu-chan? Don't you know it's rude to smoke in someone else's home without asking permission?"

Shizuo wasn't listening as he observed the raven's strange behavior and his blank eyes. The informant had yet to look at his face and seemed to have no idea as to where the bodyguard even was despite their close proximity.

"What's going on with you, Flea? You're acting strangely; well, stranger than usual."

Izaya flinched before suddenly taking a few steps backward and tripping over the step down into the living room area of his flat and landing on his back. Shizuo watched the raven curse as he rubbed his lower back area with a grimace of pain. Shizuo's eyes widened in realization before he abruptly pulled raven up by his arm, eliciting a yelp from the unsuspecting informant.

"S-Shizu-chan, what are you-!"

Izaya was interrupted by a hand lifting his head up by his chin. He blushed when he felt the warm air being blown in his face every few seconds.

"Flea, are you…blind?"

Izaya was currently sitting cross-legged on his bed with a bored expression on his face and his head resting in his hand as he listened to the sound of Shizuo pacing back and forth across the expanse of his bedroom, mumbling under his breath.

"I don't see why you're so upset Shizu-chan; shouldn't you be happy about this? I can't leave my flat as often as I'd like with my condition being as it is, so that means that I can't step in Ikebukuro without having someone with me as a guide."

Shizuo stopped his pacing to glare at Izaya despite how he knew the raven couldn't see it.

"That's not the point, Flea!"

"Then why don't you explain to me what has your panties in a wad. It's not like this is any problem to you; if anything, you should be jumping for joy right about now."

Shizuo growled as he returned to his angry pacing and grumbling about stupid insects being annoying and not seeing the big picture.

"Is there a reason you even called Ryuu-chan here? I gave her two week's paid leave so that she could spend some time with Kanta-nii-chan. It kind of defeats the purpose of a vacation if she's in the work place."

"Just shut up, Flea! I called her here to explain just what is going on here! I saw you less than three weeks ago and you were fine! Now I come by to find you not only blind, but deaf in one ear?! This is beyond crazy!"

A chime resounded throughout the flat before Izaya could answer the aggravated man and quick footsteps were heard as they faded down the steps of the stairs outside the bedroom. Izaya sighed in annoyance. He never wanted Shizuo of all people to find out about his new, unwanted disabilities. He guessed that he would have to chew Ryuu's ear out and demand what she was planning this time.

Not long after Shizuo left, steps were heard ascending the stairs and entering the bedroom. Izaya could feel a presence at the foot of the bed, but ignored it by turning his head into a random direction.

"Don't be like that, Iza-kun. You know I only meant well."

"Could've fooled me."

Ryuu gave a nervous laugh at Izaya's mumbling into his palm as his elbow rested on his knee. She turned to Shizuo and directed him into hallway before closing the door to the bedroom behind them.

"I know this has come as a surprise to you, Shizuo-kun, but I'd hoped to ask a favor of you while I'm on leave."

Shizuo crossed his arms as he gazed at Ryuu suspiciously. The raven haired woman had her hands clasped together like a Buddhist monk and was looking up at him with the expression of a stray puppy begging for food. He sighed in defeat, knowing that he had no chance of trying to deny the woman a request when she was like this.

"I'm listening."

Ryuu smiled widely before telling the blonde her plan for him.

Meanwhile, Izaya had gotten up from his spot on the bed after making a decision to bathe before ordering takeout from Russia Sushi. While the two decided to talk outside his bedroom as though he wasn't involved, he made a point to not let them disrupt his evening routine.

After removing his clothes and locating the laundry hamper inside the bathroom, Izaya proceeded to fill the tub with lukewarm water. Izaya turned off the faucet before the tub overflowed and cautiously descended into the bath. He let out a sigh of relief as all of his pent up stress flew out the window with the water easing his tense muscles. It wasn't long before the raven completely let himself feel at ease as he bathed himself. Izaya heard creaking and sat up abruptly, disturbing the water and causing some of it to spill over the side of the tub.

"Ryuu-chan?"

There was no answer as soft creaks along the floor outside of the bathroom were heard making their way to his current location.

"Shizu-chan? Come on you two, this isn't funny! Quit it!"

The raven was met with silence as the steps stopped just outside the bathroom door. Izaya could feel a presence in the doorway, which unnerved him because of the silence. Izaya tried to back away from the intruder as best he could while remaining in the water.

"R-Ryuu-chan?"

A door slammed open in the bedroom before Shizuo's shouts were heard and a hand was pulling Izaya out of the tub and a towel being wrapped and tied around his waist.

"Are you alright, Iza-kun? He didn't touch you, did he?"

Izaya was too stunned to answer as he was led out of the bathroom and sat on his bed in his bedroom.

"Who the hell was that? Hey, Flea, snap out of it!"

Izaya hadn't realized he was shivering until Shizuo pointed it out. Trying to play it off as nothing, the raven shrugged as he ran his hands up and down his shoulders for friction.

"It's just cold Shizu-chan. That tends to happen when you're yanked out of the bath."

"Bullshit!"

"Shizuo-kun!"

Silence followed Ryuu's outburst. Ryuu turned back to Izaya with a comforting smile even though Izaya couldn't see it.

"I'll get your sleepwear, Iza-kun. Hang on for a bit."

Izaya nodded and Ryuu left his side to search his closet for some appropriate clothing for the raven haired man. Izaya could feel the artificial blonde's gaze on him, but did what he could to ignore it. It was an uncomfortable silence until Ryuu returned with a grey hoodie, black shorts, and a pair of red boxer briefs.

"Here, Iza-kun. We'll step out to allow you some privacy."

Izaya grabbed a hand. He didn't know whose, but he didn't care. He just didn't want to be alone after what happened.

"C-Could you…um…perhaps…just…?"

"Spit it out, Flea! Stop acting like some frightened school girl!"

Izaya's unseeing eyes widened once he realized just whose hand he grabbed. He immediately retracted his grip on the bodyguard and shook his head.

"It's nothing. I'll be done soon."

Shizuo scoffed and was about to leave the room when Ryuu blocked the doorway for him.

"What are you-?"

Ryuu put her finger to her lips in a shushing gesture before nodding her head in Izaya's direction. The artificial blonde looked back to see the raven still shaking profusely from head to toe and could see his eyes darting in every which way as though he was anticipating an attack at any time. The bodyguard looked back in Ryuu's direction and shrugged his shoulders in question. Ryuu rolled her eyes and turned her attention to the raven haired informant.

"Iza-kun, Shizuo-kun will watch over you while I order us some food. Just ask him for help if you have any trouble."

Before either of the men could protest, Ryuu had left the room and closed the door behind her with a playful smile on her lips and a wave of her hand. Shizuo grit his teeth in suppressed anger as he tried to not throw the nearest object. Shizuo tensed when a hand was placed on his shoulder and looked back to find the half naked informant looking past him with blank eyes and could feel his hands clinging to his back as though he expected the bodyguard to disappear at any given opportunity.

"Um, if it m-makes you uncomfortable, you could leave. I mean, I know that my well being would probably be the last thing on your mind so…"

Izaya let his sentence trail off as he tried to not cling too tightly to the taller man's shirt. He would take any physical presence at this point, even his worst enemy's. What Izaya didn't expect was to hear a sigh from the bodyguard and to have the man's shirt removed from his grasp. Instinctively, Izaya reached for the comforting presence and was surprised to find himself lifted off the ground and clinging to Shizuo's neck in a vice grip as he was carried and lowered onto his bed. Before Izaya could question the ex-bartender, the hoodie laid out for him was placed over his head and his arms were pulled through the sleeves. The raven felt fabric brushing his feet and felt the bodyguard pulling his feet through the legs of his boxer briefs as they were guided up his legs and over his lower half, causing the raven to blush heavily. As his shorts were given the same treatment, Shizuo snorted.

"I normally would leave, but that friend of yours put up quite the offer for me in exchange for guarding you."

"G-guard?!"

Shizuo ignored the raven and picked him up as he had before, receiving the same reaction as the informant clung to his neck to insure he didn't fall. Shizuo smirked as he made his way out of the bedroom and down the stairs to meet back up with Ryuu who sounded to be receiving their order of sushi at the door. Shizuo made his way towards the couch and set the raven down on its soft cushions. Before the artificial blonde could leave his side, Izaya grasped his wrist tightly and tried to look in the general direction of his face.

"W-Wait, Shizu-chan! What do mean by 'guarding' me? What's going on?"

"It's exactly what it sounds like, Flea. I'm your new bodyguard for the next two weeks."

Ryuu walked over with two bags of sushi and a large grin on her face as she held them up for the two men to see.

"Food's here! Let's eat!"

The three of them ate in an awkward silence with no one knowing how to break it. Ryuu was the first to try to break the ice.

"I want to thank you for donating your time to help Iza-kun with his condition, Shizuo-kun."

Shizuo snorted before swallowing down a helping a sushi.

"What donation? You practically pestered me until I agreed. You still haven't told me who that guy was. You seemed to know him."

Ryuu looked to Izaya and gulped.

"Iza-kun?"

Izaya shrugged his shoulders and kept his gaze forward. Ryuu nodded and turned back to Shizuo with a hesitant expression.

"His name is Arata Ichirou. He's an informant like Iza-kun and works as a model for his day job. Previously, the two had been seeing each other in the romantic sense."

Shizuo almost spit out what he had in his mouth as he tried not to choke on his sushi. He looked at Ryuu with bewildered eyes while she stared back at him with her violet ones.

"You're kidding! The flea and that guy were…?!"

Ryuu nodded.

"Yes. They had previously been dating for a span of five years. At first when they had gotten together in high school, the relationship had been healthy and-"

"Wait a minute! Hold up! You mean to tell me that the flea has been gay all this time; not to mention he had a partner in high school?!"

Ryuu nodded once more.

"That is correct. They kept their relationship secret for obvious reasons regarding the view of same sex relationships seen in society all over Japan. If others knew of their sexuality, it would have been bad for business."

Shizuo nodded after getting the extent of what Ryuu was explaining to him. He finished the last of his sushi and gestured for Ryuu to continue. Ryuu smiled at Shizuo's willingness to hear the story.

"As I stated previously, the relationship between Iza-kun and Arata-kun had been healthy and they treated each other well for the first three and a half years. However, once Arata-kun's modeling career took off, they had been seeing less of each other. Iza-kun used his abilities as an informant to keep an eye on Arata-kun while he was overseas because he had started to distance himself. Iza-kun soon discovered that Arata-kun had established sexual relations other than Iza-kun on his trips. In other words, he had been cheating."

The sound of crunching wood was heard and both Ryuu and Shizuo turned to Izaya to see that he had crushed his chopsticks with his right hand.

"That bastard had over thirteen girlfriends and six boyfriends to keep up with his raging libido. Forget cheating, that pig had an entire harem!"

Shizuo could see the anger displayed in the raven haired informant's pale eyes. It was clear that he was still not over the betrayal.

"Yes. Well, needless to say, Iza-kun took it into his own hands to call each of Arata-kun's partners and told them the truth. None of them knew of Arata-kun's relationship before them and all of them were furious with Arata-kun. The news got out about Arata-kun being gay and cheating on his anonymous lover, which almost ruined his career."

Shizuo raised an eyebrow at this. He didn't understand how a scandal like that couldn't ruin a guy's modeling career. When Shizuo had been framed for that one crime, he got fired from a job he loved. There had been nothing he could do.

"What Iza-kun hadn't counted on was Arata-kun learning from Iza-kun's methods as an informant and was easily able to cover up the scandal as a crazed fan's desperate attempt for attention. When he returned to Japan he tried to reconcile with Iza-kun."

Shizuo glanced at Izaya who had leaned back on the couch with a foot propped on the edge of the coffee table and remained silent. He couldn't tell what was going through the informant's head as they talked about such a thing right in front of him.

"It took a bit of convincing on Arata-kun's part, but eventually Iza-kun decided to give Arata-kun another chance. However, their relationship was never the same. Arata-kun was much colder to Iza-kun and made an effort to display dominance over Iza-kun whenever possible. Anytime Iza-kun didn't do what Arata-kun asked of him, he was met with harsh words or physical abuse."

Shizuo's head snapped back to Ryuu at this.

"Wait, so the flea was in a domestic relationship?"

Ryuu nodded solemnly. It was apparent that she had seen most the abuse first hand due to the two's business partnership. It was also clear that looking back on it was hard as due to the close bond the two raven haired informant's shared.

"I tried to advise Iza-kun to break up with Arata-kun before it got too bad, but by the time Iza-kun was more than ready to break it off, it was too late. Arata-kun had made contact with some of the most ruthless gangs in Tokyo and had the city in his back pocket. If anyone crossed him, there would have been little they could do; even Iza-kun would have had trouble getting out of the relationship unharmed, let alone alive. Not only that, but even if he did want out of the relationship, he was still in love with Arata-kun. He had hoped that Arata-kun could eventually change and they could go back to how they were before."

Izaya suddenly stood from his spot on the couch, directing attention to him.

"I'm tired. Ryuu-chan, can you help me to my bed?"

Ryuu gave Izaya a sad smile and stood to lead Izaya out of the living area and up the stairs by his hand. Shizuo watched as the two left and used the time to register what he had just been told. He hadn't known of Izaya's involvement with some guy since high school and looking back, it looked like he had been more tired as of late and seemed to favoring certain parts of his body on different days when the two had their usual chase through Ikebukuro recently. Shizuo could now guess who the cause was of Izaya's condition, but the how and why was still vague.

Ryuu returned alone and sat in her spot across from Shizuo on the couch. Shizuo waited patiently for Ryuu to resume Izaya's story behind his loss of sight and half of his hearing.

"Like I said, Iza-kun wanted to work on the relationship with Arata-kun and he did what he could to not anger him and keep Arata-kun happy. The only thing was that Arata-kun had been lost to the need for power and control. He began doing drugs and spending his nights drinking until late, leaving Iza-kun to care for him some nights or waiting up until the next morning for him to return home. One night, from what Iza-kun has told me, Arata-kun came home drunk and high. Iza-kun went through the usual routine of trying to help Arata-kun to bed, but that night went much differently than the others. Arata-kun forced himself on Iza-kun sexually and ended up blinding him and destroying the hearing in his right ear. Iza-kun had so many bruises, broken bones and a severe concussion when I'd found him that morning. I called Shinra and Celty and we did what we could to help him. Eventually, we found that we could only do so much. We had him transported to the hospital and they stabilized him enough to discharge him about two weeks ago. I cut off all contact between Iza-kun and Arata-kun and have been taking care of him since then. Arata-kun was obviously furious and has been sending me death threats ever since. He swore to return for Iza-kun no matter what it took. Today was most likely an attempt to steal back Iza-kun since I was supposed to be on paid leave today, or a display of his abilities. We're lucky Iza-kun called out to us when he did. It only shows that Iza-kun can't be left alone in his vulnerable state."

Ryuu gave Shizuo a grateful smile, causing the man to look away out of embarrassment.

"That's why I was happy to see that you were curious about Iza-kun tonight. I had thought that after seeing him, you might be able to see why you're the only one who can look after him."

Shizuo nodded as he took in the information and tried to imagine a desperate Izaya scared and calling for help as someone he once found safety in doing such damaging things to him that could have left such a mark.

"I get why you came to me, but what I don't get is what I'm supposed to do? Why can't you just go back to work and watch over the flea yourself? No offense, but why do you have to take this leave in the first place though knowing the situation?"

Ryuu gave a sad smile as she directed her gaze to the floor.

"I've been sent on leave by Iza-kun. He may be broken, but he still has his pride. While anyone could see how frightened he is of Arata-kun, he just wants to return to how it all was before. He wants to create that sense of normalcy. While having you protecting him instead of trying to kill him would be quite the change in his normal life, I feel it's necessary. I want to give Iza-kun his wishes, but I also want to insure his safety. I can't allow him to be alone, but I can at least allow his authority as my superior so long as he has some form of protection."

Shizuo sighed as he caught on to what Ryuu was saying.

"In this case, that would be me."

Ryuu nodded before standing to leave. She stopped at the door and turned to look back at Shizuo with another grateful smile and appreciation in her violet eyes.

"I'm really glad you're doing this, Shizuo-kun. I know you guys haven't gotten along all these years, but I hope that through this you can probably learn a little bit about each other and try to bury the hatchet."

Shizuo turned his head to the stairs Izaya had disappeared to and thought he saw a pair of feet scramble quietly up the steps and faintly heard the near silent shut of a door.

"I'll try. Really, I will, but don't expect a miracle, Ryuu-chan."

Ryuu nodded as she made her way out of the flat and closed the door behind her, leaving the artificial blonde to his thoughts of the informant one floor above him.

After Story Monologue:

*Curtain Closes And Everyone Appears On Stage*

Momo: Wow, I can't believe I'm actually doing this! I'm hyperventilating!

Arata: *Gives Momo A Weird Look* Can you do that a little over that way? You're kind of creeping me out.

Shizuo: *Stares At Momo* Is...She okay?

Ryuu: She'll be fine. She always gets a tad overexcited.

Izaya: *Snorts* "A Tad"? She was screaming over finding her marbles from when she was 10 yesterday!

Momo: *Glares* It was my childhood in a metal bin! They were cool!

Izaya: *Under His Breath* Keyword being "were"...

Momo: *Sticks Tongue Out* Whatever! Anyway children [or adults], this was my first yaoi fanfiction [okay, that's a lie. It was my first "posted" yaoi fanfiction]. I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist, but I usually miss key words in a sentence or misspell something, and pass over my errors in my proofreading sessions. In other words: "Feel free to go all "grammar police" on me. With that said, I hope you enjoyed the story.

Izaya: *Drag's Momo Away With Arata* You're taking too long! You promised Ootoro in exchange for this crap! We're leaving!

Momo: *Being Dragged Off* Shizuo-kun! Finish my monologue! Read the cue cards!

Shizuo: *Sighs And Turns To Audience* Please review and give Momo feedback on what she's doing well or what she should be ashamed of. Sorry if the characters were a little OC, but she tends to get lost in her fantasies when writing. We're going to leave now. *Walks Off The Stage with Ryuu*

*Lights Turn Off*