HELLO~! So, this is the sequel to my fanfic, 'Shadowed'! If you haven't read it yet, it's not too late! ^^ So, anyways, thanks to everyone who was with this story from the start. I really appreciate it. Also, I really love RedVengeance's stories, so go check her out, too! See ya at the end of the chapter! ^^
Shadowed: s/9971126/1/Shadowed
Chapter One
Shizuo woke up to a significant brightness shining through his window. He shielded his eyes with his arm and groaned, sitting up. He took his phone from the nightstand, checking for any new messages or missed calls. "Hm..?" He clicked on 'inbox' and found a text from Celty.
Celty Sturluson 12:43 AM.
Shizuo, did you see that, too? There was some… SHADOW or something! And I could've sworn it was Izaya! Text me back when you wake up.
His eyes widened. He texted her back immediately.
Shizuo Heiwajima 7:00 AM.
I did. I tried to find him, but… It was like he was a shadow. It was… sorta creepy, actually.
He waited for a few minutes, but decided when Celty didn't reply for a few minutes, she was on a job or something. He set his phone aside, changing into his usual bartender's getup. He looked at himself in the mirror for a moment, wondering if he should re-dye his roots. Deciding it was unnecessary, he walked out the door and waited at Russia Sushi for Tom.
"Oi! Shizuo!" Simon called out. "Is there problem?"
"Nah, I'm good, Simon," Shizuo smiled at him. Simon nodded and lowered his voice.
"You still looking for Izaya?" he asked.
Shizuo looked down, tapping his foot. "Honestly..? I don't know."
"Shizu-chan~!" A voice called out… But it wasn't Izaya's. No, it was Mairu Orihara. She skipped over to Shizuo, not followed by Kururi for some reason.
"Oh, Mairu. Where's your sister?" Shizuo asked.
Mairu shrugged. "We got into a fight. Izzy's usually there to break it up, but… without him… I guess we're just going to fight a lot more." She sighed.
Shizuo nodded, frowning. "Oh, I see…"
"But I thought I saw him! I saw his shadow in my room, but when I looked out the window, he wasn't there!" Mairu shook her head. "I know he's out there, though."
"Is that so?" Shizuo asked. He patted Mairu's head. "Alright, well," he looked over and saw Tom and Vorona waiting for him. "I gotta go now." He walked over to the two.
"Shizuo, I kind of… Have something to say," Tom rubbed the back of his head nervously as they started to walk. "I want you to… take the year off."
"What!?" Shizuo stopped. "Tom-san, I really respect you, but… what!?"
"Shizuo, you're looking for Izaya. I know you are, so… You could just do that, okay? You don't need to waste your time with this," Tom sighed.
"Tom-san, I need this job. You don't understand, I-"
"Shizuo, I'm still paying you."
"… WHAT!?" Shizuo threw his hands up in the air. "What do you mean!? Pay me for a year for doing nothing!?"
"Shizuo… Please don't make this hard," Tom sighed again. "Alright, fine. I'll tell you what. You either take a vacation, or you're fired."
Shizuo stared at him. "… I…" He looked away, pausing for a moment. "Then… I guess I'd better go," he shook his head, walking away with his hands in his pockets.
[Oh, Shizuo!] Celty stopped her motorcycle beside him. [Hey!]
"Hey…" Shizuo took a cigarette out of his pocket, but Celty smacked the box away.
[I thought you said you'd quit that!] Celty shook her head.
"I know, I know, but… I just…" Shizuo rubbed his temples. "Everything is falling apart. Izaya's gone, I won't be able to work for a year, and…"
[A year? Why not?] Celty tilted her head.
"Izaya. Tom-san told me to look for Izaya," Shizuo looked up at her.
[… But… You were planning on looking for him anyways.]
"No, not anymore. I realized that if he really is out there, then obviously, he doesn't want to see us. Why can't he just come out of hiding now? He doesn't actually care. He's just a rotten flea who drains the life out of everyone."
[Shizuo…] Celty shook her head. [I'm looking for him. You can come if you want. I'm doing this for you.] She looked forward and rode off. Shizuo frowned and went home, wondering what Celty thought of him now. Of course, he'd lied, but he didn't mean to insult Izaya. If he really was out there, what if he was listening? Had Shizuo hurt Izaya further than he'd already been?
Shizuo decided to find Izaya the one way he knew how- through Izaya's eyes. He watched people, studied them. He decided to twist some of them around without causing any real damage. He got on the chatroom in nearly all his free time.
- Shizuo H. has logged on.
Setton: Hey…
Indoor Scholar: Hello~! ^^
Bakyura: Sup?
Shizuo H.: Hey. And, sorry about earlier, Setton. I didn't mean to…
Setton: No. It's… It's fine.
Shizuo H.: You sure..?
Setton: Yeah. I'm sorry, too. I was kind of stuck up.
- Kanra has logged on.
Setton: Kanra!
- Kanra has logged off.
Shizuo H.: What..?
Indoor Scholar: I think Kanra's trying to tell us something.
Bakyura: x
Shizuo H.: Excuse me, I have to go.
- Shizuo H. has logged off.
Shizuo got up from his computer, going to Russia Sushi. He nodded to Simon and entered, sitting down. Dennis didn't think he looked too enthusiastic about speaking at the time, so he just let him be. Shizuo sat next to the window, staring out at all the people. He took out a notepad and a pencil, writing down the names of everyone he recognized and what they were doing. The door did its little ding that it did when someone opened the door, and Shizuo glanced over.
It was a short man in a leather half jacket, a red T-shirt, dark skinny jeans, converses, and short black hair. Shizuo didn't think it was possible. He stared at the man for a moment.
Dennis smiled at him. "Oh, hey, Daichiin," he nodded to the man.
Shizuo relaxed. Okay, so it wasn't Izaya. He continued to people-watch and record everything, wondering what to do with all of his information. He ran out of pages in the notepad and read over everything, actually finding some very interesting things.
The most interesting thing he found was that this was an extremely effective way to make time fly by. He stood up, leaving Russia sushi and starting his way back home. He constantly looked around, searching for the fur-lined jacket or the insufferable smirk, for the flea that would fix all his problems.
He would, right?
Shizuo had stopped paying any attention to the street, instead thinking to himself, when he bumped into someone.
"Sorry," the man said nearly inaudibly. Shizuo nodded, looking back at him, before noticing he took off. He thought about the voice for a moment…
"Izaya!" Shizuo called out, turning and running after the man. Though, somehow, when he turned the corner, 'Izaya' was gone. Shizuo knew it now. Izaya Orihara was still alive, and still walking. But why wasn't he showing himself?
Shizuo's phone dinged. "Hm?" He looked down at it.
Celty Sturluson – 6:00 PM.
Hey, Shizuo. I really am sorry for my earlier outburst. Anyways, I caught Izaya on one of the security cameras in your apartment building.
Shizuo Heiwajima – 6:01 PM.
What? Why would he be there?
Celty Sturluson – 6:01 PM.
I'm really not sure. All he did was walk up to your door, and kind of stood there with his fist a few inches away from it, like he was going to knock or something… But he never did.
Shizuo Heiwajima – 6:02 PM.
Hm… I wonder why. Well, anyways, thanks, Celty. I'll see you tomorrow.
Celty Sturluson – 6:02 PM.
See you.
Shizuo sighed and shook his head. There was no way in hell that Izaya actually wanted to see Shizuo. If he did, then he at least would have-
RING RING! RING RING!
… Called.
Shizuo slowly brought the phone up to his ear. "Hello..?"
There was the sound of crying- no, sobbing. "S-Shizu-chan..!"
Then there was the sound of a punch being thrown. Izaya screamed out in pain.
"Izaya! What happened!? Where are you!?" Shizuo yelled, ignoring the stares he got from the people around him.
Izaya went silent for a moment as there was another voice that sounded somewhat controlling and proud, though it was too muffled for Shizuo to make out.
There was the sound of another hit.
"SHIZU-CHAN!" Izaya screamed. There was laughter after that. Not Izaya's laughter- no, he never stopped sobbing. But somebody else's. "Don't… Please… No… Anything else!" Izaya pleaded. "Just don't touch hi-"
The line went dead. Shizuo practically crushed the cellphone in his hand. "Whoever that was… They're dead," he growled.
This wasn't a rescue mission.
This wasn't a search party.
This wasn't even reality anymore.
This was something that Shizuo understood, something that would resort to… violence. It was something he could naturally work with. Conversation? Tried it, didn't work. Therapists? Even worse. But violence? That was the most relaxing thing to him, laughing as his victim crawled away, begging for mercy. He could use violence.
And right now, he could use it more than ever.
- The Next Day -
Shizuo sat next to Celty on the couch as Shinra drank coffee, leaning against the ottoman. "And… When he called me… He screamed my name, then… Something like…" Shizuo snapped his fingers. "Just don't touch… hi… hi…" He sighed. "It started in 'hi'."
[Shizuo, do you really need a rocket scientist to figure it out? He said him. Not hi, but him.] Celty sighed. [Do you have any idea what he was talking about?]
"I don't know… I heard a voice in the background, but I couldn't make out what it was saying… I really think Izaya's hurt," Shizuo sighed.
"He most likely is," Shinra stated with a shrug. "But, of course, we can sit around here, or the three of us can find another way to save him once again, unless you just want to let him suffer until he finally dies, which would take about a month given the information that you just provided. So, which one is it, Shi-san?"
Shizuo clenched his fists. "I'm finding him. Now. Today."
It was all Shizuo said before leaving the house, nearly breaking down the door.
Celty flinched. [S-Shizuo, I don't think…] She walked after him, picking her helmet up from the table and securing it onto her neck. [You can't do this alone. You're never going to get anywhere alone, and you know it. So… At least… Let me come with you..?]
"No. I'm not going to hurt anyone else," Shizuo replied sternly.
[Shizuo, you won't hurt me. I know that you're in a bad mood and everything, and so… If you need a shoulder to cry on, right now, I'm here. But until we get Izaya back, we're only wasting time. Just… Please.] Celty was practically pleading right now.
Shizuo sighed, turning and staring at her. "Celty…" He shook his head. "I can't believe I'm saying this… Fine."
[Okay, I'll get my bike.]
"No. If you want to tag along with me, we're doing this my way," Shizuo stared straight forward, walking along the sidewalk with his hands in his pockets. Celty followed.
[Well… Hey, wait up!] She shook her head. [But isn't motorcycling faster than walking?]
"Well, you can't exactly question people if you're speeding past them at 70 miles an hour. So, let's go," Shizuo continued walking, before he heard a female voice call out.
"Oh, Shizuo!" The brunette at the other end of the street smiled. Alicia, Shizuo thought to himself. "Hey!"
Shizuo waved to her and she walked over to him. "What's up?" she asked.
[Oh, well, we're just trying to find Izaya.] Celty held her PDA up.
"Oh! I think I know where he is!"
Shizuo tilted his head. "What? How?"
"Do you know Kaitoya Yairu?" Alicia asked. Shizuo's body stiffened. If that stupid redhead goes anywhere near Izaya, he'll be sorry…
"Yeah, what about him?" Shizuo asked.
Alicia tapped her fingers on the side of her bag. "Well, just check his place. He has a book filled with the names of everyone there."
[Wait, but, how do you know all of this?]
"Oh! Because!" Alicia rubbed the back of her head, looking somewhat nervous. "I'm his, um… Daughter," her smile was one of those please-don't-hate-me smiles. Shizuo frowned.
"Oh… Has he ever-"
"Yes. I don't… want to talk about it. And… Shizuo, do you have any hope?" Alicia asked him. Shizuo nodded.
"Yeah, why?"
"Because… Hope is amazing. Hope is something everybody has, no matter how much they deny it. And Izaya? He probably has so, so much hope for you to come and save him… Because it's what you've been doing for his entire life. Even if it was because of you, you'd always make sure he was alive, breathing, safe… So… Don't crush his hope, Shizuo." Alicia paused and took a breath. "Okay. Well, I'll see you around, then." Alicia walked away.
Shizuo was deep in thoughts before Celty interrupted.
[So, Kaitoya Alicia, huh?] Celty walked beside Shizuo, as they took off once again.
"Yep… Kaitoya's place… I wonder where that is," Shizuo replied.
[Huh?] Celty stopped, turning her head to look at the television store. The screens in the window had the news on, and surprisingly enough, there was… Shinra. Then, Mairu. Then, Kururi. Then, just add Simon, Dennis, Mikado, Kida, Anri, and even Kasuka. They were all getting moved into police vehicles. [What!?]
"Hold on… Read it. It says they're being put on a psychiatric hold," Shizuo's eyes widened. "Maybe it's because… They're saying Izaya's still alive?"
[Well, they're not psycho, so it has to be!] Celty was trembling. [Shinra… Shizuo, we have to get them out of there!]
"I know, I know. We can do that by proving Izaya is alive. That makes what we're doing so much more important," Shizuo sighed. "But, then again, we're still targets for the cops, now, huh?"
Celty nodded. [Yeah, I guess…]
Then, everybody quieted down. Everybody stopped. Everybody looked behind them as they heard the piercing scream. Shizuo almost covered his ears, and he would have if he didn't recognize the scream. He'd heard it a few times before. And even though it was only a two second scream, it was as clear and obvious to Shizuo as ever.
"I-Izaya…"
Suddenly, the crowd parted as the raven-haired man sobbed in the middle of the street on his knees. He looked like he'd just been…
Shot.
Because he had.
Shizuo and Celty froze.
A girl from the crowd hesitantly walked over to Izaya and tapped his shoulder. He flinched, not looking back at her. She was whispering something in his ear. Something everybody in Ikebukuro knew- except for Shizuo Heiwajima and Izaya Orihara.
Izaya's eyes widened. He clutched his left side, and attempted to stand, but failed horribly. He was breathing heavily, losing his strength as the time passed.
Shizuo and Celty looked at each other. [Shizuo, you have to do something!]
"Why me!? What could I possibly do!? It's my fault this is-"
[Just shut up and do something! You're supposed to clean up your own messes!]
"WELL, HE COULD JUST GO AND DIE, THEN!" Shizuo yelled. He was too afraid and too worried to move. It wasn't that he didn't want to help, it was just that he couldn't.
Nearly everyone in the crowd heard him- including Izaya. Izaya stopped moving, stopped trying to stand up, and stopped trying to survive. It didn't matter anymore.
And Shizuo was left there, wondering what he could do.
Somebody, Alicia, Shizuo thought, pushed Shizuo out of the crowd and towards Izaya. Izaya looked away. He didn't want to see Shizuo now. Not after what he did.
"Izaya…" Shizuo choked. The crowd watched the two intently. It wasn't a cat and mouse game. No practical human would kick a man when he's down, especially if that man had just been shot in the rib. "I've been looking for you, you know."
"Y-You told me to… d-die," Izaya coughed.
Shizuo rubbed his temples. "Izaya, I was just angry. I didn't want to see you hurting yourself."
"That's no reason to… to…" Izaya couldn't finished the sentence, clutching his side even harder. He winced, his tears hitting the ground.
"Izaya… I'm sorry. You have no idea how much I've regretted it since you…" Shizuo kneeled down next to Izaya. "Since you died. I don't know how you're here right now, but I just want you to stay. Don't hurt yourself, or… Don't think you're worthless, because you're not. You know how many people care about you? Everyone who got caught by the police and thrown in an asylum or something for saying you were still alive. We were all so caught up in trying to find you that we forgot about everything else. And… Hey," Shizuo hugged Izaya gently, careful not to touch his wound. "You knew I'd come, anyways."
~~ Three Days Later ~~
Shinra walked into his apartment, sitting down on the couch. "Thank God… I was released from that crazy place!" he exclaimed. "Along with all the others, of course… Hey, how's Izaya?"
[Oh, he's fine. I treated him.] Celty stared at him, and Shinra thought she would probably be smiling if she had a head.
"WHAT!? How!? Did you do it RIGHT!?" Shinra began to panic.
[Shinra… I've seen you fix up gun wounds… What, a few hundred times now? It's okay, I know how to do this. It must have been good, since Izaya's alive.] Celty shrugged. [So, don't be all worrisome, okay?] She tilted her head.
"Oh… O-Okay…" Shinra sighed. "Alright, so, where is he?"
[Um… Shizuo and Izaya are over at Izaya's. Believe it or not, Namie's actually taken a liking to Izaya. I don't know, he's just getting along with a lot of people better.] Celty turned. [I could take you over if you want.]
"E-Eh? No, thank you!" Shinra smiled. "So, anyways… What's up, Celty?"
~~ Meanwhile ~~
Izaya hugged his knees to his chest, nuzzling into the blanket. He was still shivering, though. "Namie?" he called out. She looked up from her computer desk.
"Hm?"
"Could you please make some hot chocolate? It's freezing," Izaya asked her.
Namie chuckled. "Well, you said the magic word, so…" She stood up. "Whatever." She walked into the kitchen, seeing Shizuo. "He's a really high maintenance person," Namie breathed.
"Yeah," Shizuo sighed. "But, I wouldn't blame him, especially after what happened."
"But… I didn't think Kaitoya would know when Izaya was vulnerable… Maybe you should ask him about it," Namie poured a glass of milk and set it in the microwave. "Y'know. Just talk."
"I don't think 'just talking' can help me right now… I'd need a miracle," Shizuo frowned. "I mean… I wouldn't blame him for anything. Most of this is my fault."
"I can't even try to disagree on that one," Namie shook her head. "Well, it's best to talk to him anyways. Just… start a conversation or something. Oh, and give him this," She stirred hot chocolate mix into the cup of warm milk, handing it to Shizuo. He sighed.
"Yeah… Okay, I guess," Shizuo took it and left the kitchen, walking over to Izaya and sitting in the chair next to him. He set the hot chocolate down and Izaya's head popped out of the blanket.
"..?" Izaya looked at it for a moment before realizing what it was. "Oh."
"Yep. Hot chocolate… From Belgium. You know, I used to drink Belgium hot chocolate. Then, my mom got food poisoning from it and was sick for three months," Shizuo said, trying his best to strike a conversation. Izaya slowly pushed the cup away from himself.
"… Okay…" Izaya cuddled back up into the blanket, somewhat creeped out.
Shizuo tapped his foot. "… So… How are you? Are you feeling fine?"
"I… I'm not in the mood to talk," Izaya turned away, avoiding Shizuo's stare.
"… Izaya, everything that happened was my fault. It's my fault you jumped, my fault you were hurting so much, and-"
"It isn't your fault this time," Izaya replied quickly.
Shizuo blinked. "What do you mean?"
Izaya paused for a moment, still not looking at Shizuo. "… Because. It's mine."
OKAY... So, I'm REALLY eager to spoil everything in the next chapter for you, but I'm not going to do that! xD I hope you guys liked the beginning to the sequel o3o Bye~
Also, I got a new Arkapasso Alpaca today! ^^ His name is Dave. xD
So, on a related note...
GOODBYE, MY ALPACAS.