Frankly, he should have known that even carrying a bouquet of overly pricey roses wouldn't have softened the spiteful glare he received from the teenage girl.

"…I'm here to see Izaya."

Mairu's gaze failed to lighten up.

"He's busy."

Her words were short and sharp, hands clasped tightly around the edge of the door as if she was prepared to slam it in the man's face.

"I won't be long."

"You know, I don't really care, Shizuo. There's nobody in this house who wants you here. Even Kururi hates you now."

The small mocking smile that danced across the girl's lips was infuriating.

"Please. I just want to apologise."

"Hah! You? Apologise? Do you think I'm that stupid, Shizuo? If you knew you were going to regret it, why would you do it in the first place?"

With every passing moment, the resemblance between Mairu and her older brother grew, which formed a tight coil within the blonde's stomach.

"Please, Mairu. You'll never have to see me again after this."

The offer sparked a light in teen's eyes.

"…Really?"

Shizuo heaved out a gloomy sigh.

"Yeah."

The prominent look of joy that coated the girl's face merely intensified the repulsive feeling in his abdomen. Was he really that unpleasant?

"Okay, you can come in. But only for ten minutes."

Mairu fully opened the door, stepping aside to reveal a spotless yet melancholic living room. It appeared to be the exact same as the last time he had entered the apartment. However, there was no Izaya seated behind the black desk situated by the expansive windows.

"…Where is he?" Shizuo questioned, stepping into the abode, only to be met with a monotone stare directed at him from the leather couches.

"His bedroom."

Eager to evade Kururi's disapproving glower, he nodded his head fleetingly in a silent thanks and promptly strode up the stairs.

Once he was in front of the entrance, a voice in his mind suggested that knocking before walking in would be polite. Yet, that idea was contradicted by how he couldn't be stopped from entering, even if Izaya wasn't glad to see him. So, in the end, his manners would have been proven needless.

Despite his inner conflict, Shizuo decided to knock anyway.

He raised his fist, lightly tapping on the birch wood with his knuckles.

"Kururi? Is it time for lunch already?"

The concept of the other having to depend so severely on others did not sit well with the bartender.

"…No, it's me."

Silence had been expected and Shizuo took it as his cue to slip into the room.

After gently shutting the door, he glanced over at the slim figure, who was sitting neatly by an unfamiliar grand piano. Izaya's face was mostly turned away from him, so it was difficult to read his emotions. Even then, the raven had never been exceedingly open with his feelings.

From his current spot, Shizuo could see a bitter smirk forming on the male's lips.

"Which one of them let you in? Monsters aren't welcome in this residence."

"…Mairu."

"Typical."

In order to test the waters, the blonde took a couple of steps forward, shortly halted by the frail hand that Izaya held up.

"Don't come any closer or I'm calling the police."

Shizuo remained still as the raven tentatively rose from his seat, stepping around the padded stool with practised ease.

"Why are you here anyway? Didn't I make it clear that I didn't want to speak to you ever again?"

"I just wanted to apologise."

"…That's a horrible joke, Shizu-chan."

"I'm serious! I even brought you roses..." His voice trailed off weakly as Izaya choked out a sour chuckle, slowly making his way over to his bed.

"And do you think little pretty flowers will fix anything? Are those flowers going to give me back my freedom? You really are senseless, Shizu-chan. It's almost laughable."

There was barely anything Shizuo could reply with as the grim tone within the male's voice tore his courage into limp shreds.

When Izaya tripped over a haphazardly placed book and fell to the floorboards, the blonde rushed to his aid. He had planned to lift the man back up onto his feet, but that idea crumbled when a guttural yell pierced his ears.

"Don't touch me! I don't need your help!"

To put it lightly, Shizuo was alarmed and internally distressed by the harsh rejection to his actions. Nevertheless, he backed away, wearily observing as the other shakily stumbled upright. His body appeared to sway back and forth, hands outstretching support himself.

"I simply do not understand you, Shizu-chan. You proclaim to the world that you hate everything about me and pray for my early death. Yet, when I am rendered vulnerable, you act as if you care about my wellbeing."

Dry amusement coated his every word.

"I do care about you, that's why I want to apologise!"

Izaya smiled without a single ounce of happiness in his entire being.

"So, is that why you threw that glass bottle and blinded me?"

Shizuo's breath faltered as the raven's head turned so he was able to finally rake his eyes over the former informant's fragmented expression. His once lively scarlet hues had been diluted into a glassy hazel. A number of unsightly scars littered around his cheeks, considerably aging his previously youthful look by several years. It was as if it were a completely different person.

And in a way, it was.

"Izaya…I'm so-"

"Iza-nii! Iza-nii!"

The twins suddenly barged into the room, the younger brandishing a stun gun with full intent of putting it use.

"Are you okay?" Kururi asked, pattering up to her sibling's side and carefully leading him towards the closest chair.

"There was a loud 'thud' and a scream! We thought that Shizuo had attacked you or something!" Mairu explained, waving her weapon in the vague direction of the said man.

Izaya wordlessly shook his head, leaning into Kururi's palm as she smoothed out wayward strands of glossy black.

"I'm fine. Just get him out of here."

Shizuo had no choice but to comply, despite how much he wanted to spill out his apologies and pleads.

"You heard him! Get out! And don't come back!"

Mairu hopped into the space in front of the blonde, jabbing his chest relentlessly with her stun gun, finger poised at the trigger.

"Go away, Shizuo." Kururi added, sounding surprisingly calm whilst fury bubbled up in her eyes.

After gingerly setting down the bouquet on a nearby drawer, the debt collector ambled away. He was trailed closely by Mairu, until they reached the exit, where the teen stood and watched Shizuo walk down the corridor before shutting the door.

I'm so sorry, Izaya.