I know I should've continued Complication, but well, I wanted to take a break a little and make a oneshot, soo… enjoy! This is a crossover, btw. U will know when u read the rest of the fic. And becuz I was too lazy, I copy pasted some part of the fic from my other fic in drrrkink :P
OOC at first is purposed. U will understand why at the end of the fic.
…
"What's this place?"
The boy mostly asked the question to himself, not to the long haired woman in front of him. Nonetheless, the woman with the beautiful kimono reached the raven haired boy's chin with his hand, stroking his cheek gently.
"The fact that you can actually see this place holds meaning that you have a wish." The woman said, and the little brunette's eyes twitched.
It was weird. Not even once in neither Ikebukuro nor Shinjuku he had ever seen this place. This place showed up suddenly, as if it had always been there from long ago. The place looked like a shop, and the boy couldn't help but to wonder what was inside this place. So he came in and he saw that beautiful woman with the long hair.
"A wish?" The boy asked, and his eyes glittered a little. The woman simply smiled and bent over to see the little guest face to face.
"For such a little young kid like you to be able to come here… you must have a great wish. Well then… what is your wish?"
The boy looked shocked, if not embarrassed. "You… you can grant my wish?"
The woman gave him a small nod. "For everything you desire, you have to pay an equal price in return. You can't get more nor give more—can't be more or less, must be in balance. Or else, there'll be mishaps."
The raven haired boy felt his heart thumped in anticipation. This was a certain hope he had been holding. "Who are you?" he asked with barely a whisper, containing half shock and half uncontainable hope.
"They call me the Witch of Dimensions."
The boy's expression turned a little happier. He almost couldn't believe it. He thought something like this was just merely a fairytale. "Is this coincidence? I… I do have a wish. But I thought there will be no one to be able to fulfill it…"
The woman swung her kimono, inhaled the pipe she'd been holding and smirked. "Nothing in this world happened by random. Everything is fated."
The boy's face lit. "Then it must be fate that I met you, right? Please, can you grant my wish?"
She stared at the young guest in front of her. If you took a glance, it looked like the colors were red, but if you looked carefully; the boy's eyes were actually brown—reddish, beautiful brown eyes that looked like blood. The woman then turned her back from the boy and walked toward her long sofa before she sat comfortably.
"Tell me, what is your wish?"
The raven haired man decided to took a seat as well, with his eyes never leaving the witch's ruby eyes. His expression changed again. Sadness and pain painted in his face.
"Please save Shizu-chan."
***DRRR!***
A week after that, Heiwajima Shizuo was released from the hospital.
He was diagnosed to have leukemia, which was said there was no cure for this ailment, yet miraculously, the illness was suddenly gone. Of course, the doctors couldn't believe it and do some rechecks, but the results were the same. Shizuo was healthy. No illness. Mass media went ruckus on this, and it occurred for two months.
No one knew the truth, of course, except Orihara Izaya.
The witch once told him, that "There's no living thing that doesn't die. No matter how much we wish, people die." But Izaya told her that "As long as Shizu-chan's alive, if it can be prevented, then it's just prolonging his death—it doesn't mean that he wouldn't die. I just still want to be with him." Hearing the boy's strong wish, the black haired woman granted his wish. The price is not an easy thing to pay, of course. But for Izaya who was still a little kid back then, it didn't matter as long it saved his friend's life.
"This person's life was prolonged, but it was your wish. Thus, it wasn't his, but your duty to pay the price." The witch tilted the boy's chin with her thin fingers. "Even if you're just a kid, that doesn't mean the price will be reduced."
"I understand." Izaya put down his bag—which turned out to be full of money. "How much do you want?"
The witch gave him a sad smile and shook her head. "I told you it must be equal between the price and the wish. For you, money is not a big matter and just papers to grant what you want—yet this person holds special meaning in your heart. He was much more important for you than your money. Thus, this is not equal."
The raven haired boy's eyes widened in shock, confused and panicked. "But I don't have anything other than this. Or do you want to transfer Shizu-chan's illness to me?"
The witch shook her head. "There's no need for that. I don't have any authority to reduce someone's lifetime."
"Then what should I pay you with…? I don't have anything else…"
The woman smiled. "You have something precious which you don't know you hold for this person. You are the most important one for this person as well. Because of you, he kept struggling to live. You are his life backer."
The boy's cheeks pinked, whether it was from embarrassment or from happiness, the witch didn't know. "Really?" Izaya whispered hopefully. The long haired woman nodded and embraced the ruby eyed boy with a warm hug.
"But that's what I'm going to take from you," She gave the boy a sad smile. "Now that you wished for him to be released from death, you won't bring anything good for him. You are going to bring misfortune each time you meet him, touch him, or just being with him. You will be the one who take his life. This is your price."
Of course, Izaya didn't really want it to happen. But he was still a kid. He didn't really understand how much harm he would bring to his poor friend. All he knew that Shizuo was going to be saved. And for him, nothing mattered except that.
***DRRR***
"Shizu-chan!"
The brown haired boy who was drinking his milk while walking toward his home with his friends turned his head to the source of the voice. Upon looking at the owner of the voice, he let a bright smile expanded in his face. He turned his face back to his friends and gave them an apologetic face. "Sorry guys. Just go ahead without me." There were some protests and groans, but Shizuo had already dashed to the little road where Izaya was, and tackled him friendly way.
"Hey," He greeted, and Izaya smiled sheepishly. "You look healthy, Shizu-chan."
"Yeah," Shizuo laughed showed his body proudly to the young brunette in front of him. "Can't believe I was still in the hospital 2 months ago."
"You were bald." Izaya snickered and Shizuo blushed.
"Oh shut up. You were crying nonstop when the adults told you that I'm going to close my forever and not waking up." Shizuo blurted, and realized he said a wrong thing to say when he saw Izaya's dark, gloomy expression.
"I thought you really are not going to wake up," Izaya 's voice was trembled a little, and Shizuo panicked.
"O-oy, don't cry." Shizuo quickly reached his hand to stroke Izaya's cheeks gently. And true, there were tears in the inner corner of Izaya's eyes. "I'm just kidding. Look. I'm here. I'm still here with you."
Izaya sobbed, trying to stop his tears from falling down, but stopped dead when he felt something wet just licked his tears. He fell backwards in shock, leaving the brown haired boy in confusion.
"Wh-wh-WHAT are you doing?" Izaya stuttered, cheeks blushing furiously when Shizuo simply shrugged.
"Well, I just licked your tears. I watched many dramas in TV where people tend to do that with his friend. And I've been curious what they tasted like. It's salty…"
"You shouldn't watch those series." Izaya huffed, still blushing from the little accident just now. The raven haired blinked as he suddenly remembered what he wanted to give Shizuo, and took out something from his bag. Shizuo raised his eyebrows, confused when he saw Izaya gave him something made from paper that looked like a crane.
"What's this?" Shizuo asked and Izaya sighed.
"You're really are stupid aren't you? You don't know origami cranes?"
"Of course I know!" Shizuo quickly said, his eyebrows furrowed and he was blushing out of embarrassment. "But yours are so ugly that I wasn't able to recognize this is a crane!"
Izaya pouted. "How rude! I made this for you!"
The brown haired boy's eyes widened. "…for me?"
Izaya smirked. "They said that anyone who folds a thousand origami cranes will be granted a wish by a crane. I didn't really believe that, until I try it myself."
Shizuo looked at Izaya, confused. The raven haired boy sighed before continued.
"You're so stupid, Shizu-chan. I made a thousand of them for you. You looked like a zombie two months ago, and you kept sleeping before." Izaya turned his gaze from Shizuo, afraid looking at him would make him cry again. "I really was afraid you would never wake up. Those adults kept saying that you would leave me. I was so desperate and before I knew it, I folded a thousand of these."
The brown haired boy stared at his friend with a longing gaze. "Izaya, you… pray so that I can survive?"
Izaya nodded.
And right after folding the thousandth crane, I met that witch.
"And here I am, with no trace of ailment at all." Shizuo let out a whistle of awe. "That's a miracle…"
"Isn't it?" Izaya flashed his smirk. "Do you want to see the other 999?"
Shizuo's face brightened. "Yep! Where is it? Where?" The taller boy was so enthusiasm that Izaya couldn't help but laugh.
"I made them in a secret place. No one knows where it is except me!" The raven haired boy said proudly. "You're special, Shizu-chan. I'm going to show it only for you. Follow me."
The time Izaya turned his back from Shizuo, he felt two arms embraced him from behind, tightly and gently. Izaya felt his cheeks blushed and confusion swirling in his heart. "Shizu-chan?"
"Thank you," the brown haired man barely whispered to his ear before he released his arms from the shorter boy. Izaya couldn't help a tingling sensation of blooming happiness grew in his heart and he smiled warmly, though Shizuo couldn't see it.
"Stupid."
***DRRR!***
At first, it was just a scratch.
They were playing together—there were also Shinra and Kadota. They were playing in the woods, and Shizuo got a scratch from one of the branches. Another time, they were riding bikes together, and Shizuo fell from the bike. And then, the brown haired boy would one day cut his finger accidentally when they were in Home Economics Class. Shizuo kept saying he was being clumsy. And his friends always told him to be careful. Of course, Izaya only thought Shizuo was being careless. It happened for few years, and Izaya kept telling Shizuo to stop being clumsy as they were going to attend Junior High School.
But it was getting worse.
They had been hanging out for years, and Izaya realized that there was something wrong with Shizuo's unluckiness. It wasn't like Shizuo was distracted or anything. Izaya had been paying attention to the boy closely. No, this wasn't a mere clumsiness. Shizuo had almost been hit by a car. He had almost fallen from a cliff when they were camping. Izaya began to feel suspicious. He didn't understand. It was like Shizuo was a death magnet. The raven haired boy became worried and panicked. If it kept going on, then maybe one day Shizuo would really…
"Izaya."
A familiar voice shattered his reverie, and Izaya turned his back to Shizuo—who had his hair dyed blond by now. The raven haired boy blinked, completely forgetting that he was going home with Shizuo.
"You seem pretty distracted today," The blonde asked with a worry tone. "What's wrong?"
I'm worried about you idiot, the red eyed man grumbled. But Izaya didn't voice that out loud. "Nothing. I just really tired today, sorry."
Shizuo seemed not to believe him, but Izaya ignored him. He was afraid. He knew that he was forgetting something—something important that he was scared that if he didn't remember it fast, he would lose Shizuo for real.
But he couldn't remember it. And he was frustrated because of that.
Seeing Izaya with such a stressful face, Shizuo pulled his hand and began to run. Izaya was startled; he wasn't ready to be suddenly being pulled to run—he almost stumbled his own feet. "Shizu-chan! Where are we going?"
"Secret place." Shizuo simply replied, and Izaya's red eyes widened in surprise.
Eh?
It didn't take long for them to reach their secret place. No one would know in such a big city as Ikebukuro, there was a little garden with a very big tree, hidden by a big building. There was a little dirty door, with a 'no enter' sign written in it. No one approached that place before. Except Izaya and Shizuo, no one knew that behind that forgotten dirty door was a small utopia with colorful 999 origami cranes decorating the branches of the tree.
The time both of the boys reached their destination, despite being tired for being forced to run so suddenly, the raven haired man turned his confused face to the blonde, who in return smirked at him (which made Izaya confused even more).
"Shizu-chan… what…" he began, but a finger touched his lips, an indication to stop his words.
"Since you showed me this place, I've been coming here each time I feel frustrated," Shizuo admitted with a sheepish grin, staring at the beautiful scene where hundreds of origami cranes hanging beautifully from the branches of the tree. "You know my temper. I easily get angry since I was a little kid. But each time I step here, the anger is gone. This place is just like a miracle. And it's been a while since we came here, so…" The blonde's voice got smaller and the said boy turned his face from the younger brunette, hiding his embarrassment.
"Shizu-chan…" Izaya was shocked. He didn't realize how he had been worrying Shizuo. A little smile cracked at the corner of his face. "You really are stupid."
Shizuo glared at the smaller boy. "The hell? I've been thinking about you and you—"
"Thank you."
Shizuo stopped his words, and he felt his cheeks pinked from embarrassment, but he hide it. Instead the blond let out a friendly insult out from his mouth. "Crybaby."
"What? What the hell are you talking about out of nowhere?" Izaya felt his eyes twitched in annoyance. "I'm not crybaby!"
"You cried a lot before," the blonde chuckled and it annoyed Izaya even more. "You said, 'don't go Shizu-chan' repeatedly."
The brunette couldn't hide his embarrassment even more. "I-I was fake crying! I'm pretty good at that!"
"Hell no," The blonde smirked. "I know when you really are crying or not. If you really cry, the tears would leak from the inner side of the corner of your eyes."
Izaya gawked, and he blushed even more. "I… I don't even know that. Am I really that obvious…?"
Shizuo laughed and squeezed Izaya's hand gently. "Yeah. It's just somehow I will know when you're feeling down." The taller boy then turned his face toward the tree of cranes. "You've been so down lately. That's why I want you to sheer up a bit."
The raven haired boy's expression softened. When he was worried about the blonde, Shizuo was worrying about him. Izaya felt his heart blooming with happiness.
They stayed for a while there, chatting and laughing together, until night was come and they decided to go home. Izaya told Shizuo not to accompany him to go home, because their homes were on the opposite direction, but Shizuo insisted to take the smaller man to Shinjuku. Though Izaya was happy, he was kinda worried to let the blonde do that much for him, while Izaya never did anything good for him.
That time, Izaya never thought something bad will happen.
They were just walking, and the traffic light was blue when they walk crossing the road. It seemed like to be a simple coincidence, when there was a car that ignored the traffic light and ran with an incredible speed toward Izaya. Of course, when the brunette realized it, it was already too late to avoid it. As fear began to succumb to his mind, Izaya closed his eyes in reflects, expecting he would be a quite mess of meat with blood splattered everywhere. He never thought of dying before, as he was afraid of death. To think something like this would happen to him—he could only think of one thing at the moment—Shizuo's safety.
Izaya laughed. That what had he always been thinking. He felt so stupid to think of him at time like this, but truth was, he what had always been on his mind. Shizuo. Shizuo's safety. Shizuo's stupidity. Shizuo's temper. Shizuo's feelings. Everything about Shizuo.
Oh, how pathetic he was. Yet he couldn't bring himself to regret it. Instead of regretting it, he was actually happy to think of the blonde at the time that could be his last time in this world.
He barely heard his name being yelled in horror by Shizuo's voice, before he felt something crashed upon him, sent him flying to the other side of the road.
That's weird... it wasn't as hurt as it seems it should be…
When the brunette opened his red brownish eyes, he saw the least thing he had expected, the worst thing he had ever seen, and the last thing he had ever wanted in his life.
No…
Izaya didn't get crashed by the car. His eyes caught a glimpse of blond before he was thrown. There were screams everywhere, but the brunette was still stiff in his place—shocked and confused. When splatters of blood hit Izaya's face, Izaya realized what happened
No…!
"Shit! There was an accident here!"
"Oh God! CALL AMBULANCE, someone!"
"This boy needs help FAST! Lift him!"
This was too unreal to be happened. That definitely didn't happen. Izaya felt the sting came to his eyes—especially in the inner side of his corner eyes. He wanted to yell. He wanted to scream. But he was too shocked to do so. The terror was too much, and the nightmare was mind raping him. Even when what his eyes actually saw was an unconscious—dying boy with blond hair on the middle of blood pool was being helped by the people, all he could see was his sweet memories being played by his mind—he and Shizuo playing in their secret garden, in the middle of 999 origami cranes.
A man approached the raven haired boy and tried to help him, but Izaya couldn't give any response. His body trembled in fear and shock while tears kept coming down from his widened eyes.
"Oy, there's another one here!"
"Hey kid, are you alright?"
When the hand touched his hand, Izaya felt a cold shiver ran toward his body and mind, completely set him back from his dream, and made him realized that this was real. This was happening.
Instead of him, it was Shizuo who was crashed by the car.
Shizuo saved him.
The siren of the ambulance slowly getting louder as it made its way to the horrifying scene, and the paramedics quickly lifted Shizuo's limp body carefully but quickly toward the prepared mat. And all too suddenly, something that had been lumped in his throat and muffled him from screaming was gone, and before his body registered what happened, Izaya was screaming.
"DON'T! DON'T TAKE SHIZU-CHAN AWAY FROM ME!" It was painful and hoarse, and almost everyone there pitied the boy. Horror, pain, sorrow and suffering could be heard each time the boy screamed and sobbed. Izaya ignored the people who offered their help and ran to Shizuo's side instead, but he was quickly halted by the paramedics there. No matter what sad, pity words those men told him, Izaya couldn't hear it. It was as if his body's malfunctioning was set to only react for Shizuo. "SHIZU-CHAN!"
"…I… zaya…"
Izaya stopped dead and he felt hope glimmering in the middle of his sorrow. He slowly looked up, and he saw Shizuo smirking at him, though he being limp on the mat and being helped by another people didn't make that smirk as annoying as it should have been. "Look, you crybaby…" He reached his hand, and for once, the paramedic let go of Izaya, giving the raven haired boy a silent permission to have his short sweet time with the blonde. Izaya quickly reached Shizuo's hand, crying like crazy.
"You… you STUPID PROTOZOAN BRAINED MONSTER!" Izaya roared, and Shizuo chuckled. The blonde's eyes softened though, which confused Izaya. Shizuo muttered something incoherent and gripped the brunette's hand tightly. He gave Izaya a last sad smile—which made Izaya's heart began to scream in panic and fear once again—before he slipped into unconsciousness. The fallen limp hand was the cue for the paramedic to hold Izaya back, letting the raven haired man saw his friend being taken away from him.
"NO! DON'T GO!" He kept screaming while he cried, as the ambulance took off leaving him alone with people around him tried to comfort him. "SHIZU-CHAN! SHIZU-CHAAAAAAAN!"
The time Izaya saw the pool of blood, he stopped screaming. His eyes were wide and full of tears. He couldn't see too well, it was too blur because of the tears, but he noticed something was tucked in his hand from Shizuo. He examined it, and his eyes widened in hock.
A small bloody origami paper crane.
And that was all Izaya need to realize that those bad things that had been happening to Shizuo weren't at all his fault, his unluckiness, and his mere clumsiness. As his legs lost their strength and he sat down on the road, mourning in horror, fear, and pain—he remembered what he had forgotten, and he understood then what was the meaning of the witch's words.
You have something precious which you don't know you hold for this person. You are the most important one for this person as well. Because of you, he kept struggling to live. You are his life backer.
But that's what I'm going to take from you. Now that you wished for him to be released from death, you won't bring anything good for him. You are going to bring misfortune each time you meet him, touch him, or just being with him. You will be the one who take his life. This is your price.
It was not that Heiwajima Shizuo a death magnet, but Izaya was. Izaya was the one who brought the death to Shizuo. He was the one who made Shizuo crashed by the car.
When he realized it, Izaya had no more strength to scream or to cry. That's why he laughed. He laughed hard like a crazy person, with tears of sorrow kept leaking out from his inner side of his eyes. The people around him started to think he turned insane because of the shock; some felt pity for him. Each time a laugh slip out from his mouth, it was another crush in his mind. The rain began to pour as his heart began to shatter into pieces.
He was breaking himself up.
***DRRR!***
"So, you come here again."
"…"
The woman with the long, black hair stared at the boy in front of him who was soaked in rain with no expression. Nonetheless, she prepared a seat for him in one room of the shop, and told a young man with the glasses behind him to bring a warm tea. She gestured the boy to seat, but the said boy didn't manke even a flinch. She stared again at him, before she approached him and cupped his face gently.
"You're quite a mess," The witch said, and Izaya gave no response. "You sure is very broken, but I told you before that you will be the one to bring the death upon him."
Izaya laughed half heartedly. He wasn't angry at the woman, because he knew she was right. He forgot such an important thing because of his selfishness. He wanted to be with Shizuo longer and longer that he didn't think that all of this wouldn't happen if he had stayed away from Shizuo.
Humans… such greedy and selfish creatures.
And he was one of them, ironically.
"No matter how long ago it was, losing the most important people in your life is still hard to forget. You will still feel lonely." The witch's ruby eyes somehow softened, and for a little bit, Izaya couldn't help but to think that looked like she had lost something important. The witch turned his gaze to the sakura petals that were falling slowly from its branches, and she continued. "But you still haven't lost him yet. Though he was in the brink of death, you still don't want to lose him. You know you still can do something for him, and that's why you come here."
A silence confirmed her words. His eyes were still dead, but Izaya was now looking at the witch. In return, the woman smiled. When the young man with the tea brought a cup of tea and offered it to Izaya, Izaya sighed before he decided to loosen up a bit and took the offered tea. This woman knew everything. So there was still hope.
"I know this was my price…" Izaya finally found his voice. "I know I'm not supposed to ask something like this because it has been the deal in the past. I know this was unfair for me to ask something like this when I don't have anything, but you grant this wish and I promise I will not complain about the price anymore. You take everything you want from me. That's why please…"
His words were shaken and his body trembled badly. The tall man with the glasses looked at him with a worried look and then stared back at the long haired woman. The woman stared at her helper before she stared at the broken brunette in front of him. She sighed then. "I'm not the one who decides it. It's you."
Izaya's red brownish eyes widened slightly.
"You believe you can change this, that's why you come, right?" She took a smoke from her pipe and exhaled. The smoke formed something that looked like a crane before it was dismissed into the air. "If you believe so, then it's decided. But if you don't believe it, it can change."
The glasses wearing young man was surprised to see hope glittered in the brunette's eyes, though they were so dead and hopeless before.
"Then you mean, Shizu-chan can still be saved? Even though it will broke my deal with you before off?"
"It will cost more," The witch simply said."But everything will be determined by what you're wishing for."
Izaya shut his eyes tightly, trying with all his might not to cry and break as he tried to voice his selfish, uncountable desires.
"I want Shizu-chan to have a long, happy life." Izaya's voice was flat, but he could no longer hold his tears. He sobbed as he tried with his might to talk coherently to the woman in front of him. "I want him to have friends who care deeply for him, and I want him to have great strength that no normal vehicles can take him down…"
He broke into sobs, and the witch waited for him patiently.
"And please… remove the curse in me… from killing Shizu-chan… I know this was selfish… but I can't bear not to be with him at all, I can't do it… I don't want to avoid him…" Izaya was becoming more and more desperate each time another word came out from his lips. "I promise you can take anything. You need something equal, right? You can even take my life if you want to. Just please—"
"Izaya's eyes widened in shock when he felt s finger touched his lips, indicating him to stop. Before even he looked at the witch, she had already cut in. "I told you before that I have no power in taking someone's life. Besides… your life alone is not enough to pay all your desires."
Izaya let out a pathetic laugh and smiled sadly—streak of tears were traced in his white cheeks. "I knew it… it was too much wishes, isn't it? It should be equal, I knew it."
The woman still stared at the raven haired boy in front of him with an unreadable expression, but her act by stroking his face gently and wiping his face from the tears were showing affection toward the boy. "It must be in balance, but it wasn't because your wishes and desires are too much that you can't pay it with your life. It's just your life alone is not enough."
Izaya wanted to voice his confusion, but again, the long haired witch cut in. "I know that you're afraid of death. You are afraid to find nothingness behind it, and it's very brave of you to offer your life for me." She then stared at the boy with that sad expression again. That sad, lonely expression. "You showed me how much you care for your friend. But that means your friend is the one paying your price. You won't lose anything. Instead, he will be in a great grief to lose his most important person."
"Because when one sacrifices oneself to help another, it could actually be painful to the person being helped, especially when that person is of importance to them."
The brunette was speechless. A tingling of happiness swirled in his heart to know that he was the most important person in his life. But at the same time, he felt pain succumbing into his heart, knowing how much the equal price he had to pay for his selfish desires.
"… Your wishes will come true," The woman spoke softly. "He will have a long, joyful life. He will have friends who care for him, though maybe he has some obstacles in his life which he has to overcome himself… And you will always be part of his life. These wishes are the result of your deepest affection of him. In return, I must ask you something that is the most precious thing you have."
Izaya was silent. The witch knew that Izaya had already known what she asked for, but she continued.
"What will be your price are his memories of you," She started. "… and his feelings for you. After all of this, he won't remember a thing at all about you. And what will bind your relationship from now on is not affection and love, but hatred. Do you accept?"
There were a lot of things Izaya could have said to the witch.
He could say a big 'HELL NO!' to her as that was his real feeling. He wanted to be a part of Shizuo's life, to be the one who supported him and caring for him. The one who would always be Shizuo's most important person.
The one who loved him.
But to be gladly receive Shizuo's happiness—no matter in what form it would be—that was sacrifice of love. He wasn't doing this for himself. He was doing this for Shizuo's sake. That's why, even though it would broke him, he would accept, he knew it. It was much better like this than Shizuo forgetting him anyway. He didn't care he was going to be hated by Shizuo—as long he was still part of Shizuo's life.
As the tears flowed from his eyes—despite his crushed heart and his pain—Izaya answered the witch with a firm, confident voice.
"I accept."
***DRRR!***
Few years later.
"IIIIIIIIZZZAAAAAYYYAAAAA-KUUUN!"
That, was the sign for the Ikebukuros to just walk silently while continuing what they had to do, and pretending like there wasn't anything happened.
A street sign—followed by a vending machine—just flew straight over the road, and crashed against a new apartment building, creating a loud crack on the new poor building and crushing everything insides the vending machine entirely.
That, was the signal for every sane people in Ikebukuro to avoid the main road.
"Ahahahahaha! Is this all you have, Shizu-chan? So booooooooriiing~"
And that, was the sign for every people who appreciate their dearest life to leave the place at once.
Heiwajima Shizuo and Orihara Izaya.
If you wanted to symbolize them with something, it must be something that opposites with each other, different with each other, and contrast with each other. They stood for the balance in each other. They covered each other's differences. And what bonded them was something strong—hatred.
They represented blue and red.
Good and evil.
Wrath and calm.
Alpha and Omega.
But all those things—just like humans couldn't live with water—they were intertwined. Like two sides of the coin. They hated each other—and balancing each other. They loathed each other—and couldn't live with each other. Like love and hatred, they needed each other—despite their unlimited hatred toward each other—because that's just what they were.
The street sign barely hit the laughing informant who jumped into another bridge, giving the angry blonde a little wink before taunting him.
"Hahaha! Too bad Shizu-chan, you almost got me back then!" Izaya laughed, and Shizuo felt another vein popped in his forehead upon seeing that arrogant expression. "I'm sorry to cut our little game this early, but I'm a busy person you know~ I need to go now. Well then, byee!"
Shizuo's honey-ish brown eyes widened angrily when Izaya's body slipped smoothly into a back alley of a building. In the time the ex-bartender followed him though, the informant had already disappeared in the crowd of humans and traffics. Furious because for once again he lost the flea, Shizuo was about to release his painful rage that he had been holding in one loud—long scream, before his eyes found something Izaya dropped.
"Hm…? What's this?"
Upon seeing what it really was, Shizuo's honey colored eyes widened in surprise.
***DRRR!***
Same place, later that night. 11.00 PM.
"Fuck! Where is it?"
Izaya never even once felt like more than an idiot. Later that night, he went back to Ikebukuro to search for something. He ran from the spot to another spot, looking to every detail place he never gave attention before. Some of people who passed that road were looking at him ridiculously, but the brunette didn't care. He had lost something precious.
Damn, how could he lose it? He cursed himself. That item he dropped was the only proof that his memories were not fake. It was the only precious thing that shared his sweet, yet painful memories of his beloved one, though the said person didn't remember of it.
The raven haired man laughed half heartedly at his pathetic actions. Beloved one? That was not the right word right? He just cared about him as a friend. Care that far deeper than he could love anyone, even humans.
But what was the point of having the proof actually, if you were not allowed to love him? The fact that the person who didn't return your feeling back, didn't remember a single thing about you and hated you for new memories still were not going to change, even though he still had that item. That was Izaya's only mere hallucination to think that person maybe would remember everything, if he still kept a hold of that proof.
Izaya smiled sadly, maybe it was the time for him to let go of his past.
They said that anyone who folds a thousand origami cranes would be granted a wish by a crane.
But now that he lost his thousandth crane, may be that was something must be really happened. It was his price, anyway—to be hated by him. It was no use clinging to a piece of paper that was already in the past. The witch he barely could remember had said before, that there were no coincidences in this world. Everything that happened must happened. The fact that he had come across the witch was the fact that Shizuo was still alive because it was fated that way. Even though it must be in the painful way, Izaya realized he didn't regret his actions at all. Because he was the one who made the fate work that way. Shizuo was still alive because he asked the witch to save him. And there he was, strong and loved by his friends—living his life happily with his brother and went on.
"Farewell, memories." Izaya spoke softly, as he took his first step to leave that place and went home to Shinjuku.
When he was about to leave the place though, a familiar—strong voice he knew very well called him from his back.
"Oy, flea."
Izaya was stopped dead in his track, eyes widened in shock and body trembled. He slowly turned his face and wore his usual smirk—a mask to protect his real feelings—to the blonde with the bartender suit behind him.
"Shizu-chan, fancy meeting you here." Izaya said with a playful tone—a tone he usually used to irk the blonde. The blonde's honey eyes did twitch a little, but the debt vollector stayed firm in his place, for Izaya's surprise. "I'm really sorry, but I can't play with you—I'm tired. You want to chase me out from Ikebukuro anyway, right? Well, good news. I'm going home. We can play again tomorrow! Byee!"
Izaya was about to leave that place once again, but Shizuo's words made him stop—once again.
"… I never thought you will come back for here."
Izaya turned his face to Shizuo with a confused look. "Whatever do you mean, Shizu-chan?"
The reddish brown eyes went in shock, when they traveled to Shizuo's hand and realized what the blonde was holding.
A small, bloody piece of origami crane.
"You dropped this before," Shizuo started as he scratched his head, while Izaya was still looking at him with shocked eyes. "I was surprised to know you have something like this. At first, I thought this was only rubbish for you, and you purposefully threw this away before when I was chasing you… but you came back later, and you seemed like searching for something."
Izaya felt anger rose from his heart when he heard that. "So you've been hiding with my crane while I was looking for it? Very polite, Shizu-chan."
Shizuo gave him an apologetic look, though he defended himself. "No! I went home and came back here to have a drink with my sempai! I just happened to past here and see you here. What's this for you anyway?"
Izaya stared at Shizuo for a while before he huffed. That crane, meant so much for him that Shizuo would never understand its meaning for their relationship. But it was in the past. "It's not of your business, Shizu-chan. I don't need it anymore anyway. Just throw it away. I'm going home now."
Izaya really wanted to go home—he really did. He was tired—physically and mentally. He barely could even walk rightly after running from miles to miles in order to search for something he should have disposed a long time ago, and now his pain must be multiplied by meeting the last person he expected to see. But Shizuo's words stopped him again. And this time, without forgetting to leave him stunned.
"… this sorta give me some kind of déjà vu." Shizuo spoke softly. The blonde stared at the brunette, and surprised to see Izaya's expression. He had seen Izaya in shock, but he had never seen Izaya looked like in shock, and pain, while something in his reddish eyes held something that most likely was hope. Shizuo decided to ignore it though—there was no way Izaya would be like that—and though he found it weird for himself to talk casually like this to the flea he hated so much, he continued. "You know, like in the drama movies."
"You still watch those movies?" Izaya groaned, and it was Shizuo's turn to look surprised.
"How do you know I watch those movies?" Shizuo asked with a confused look. Izaya was silent, before he replied with a playful wink to annoy Shizuo. "You're just the type to watch those stupid, low rated movies, Shizu-chan."
Shizuo felt a vein popped in his head and he gritted his teeth. But realizing that Izaya purposefully did this to annoy him, the bartender suited blonde ignored it, not wanting the flea to get his achievement. "I don't know why, but weird enough I… think I had one of these before. Someone made it to me."
At that, Izaya froze.
W… what?
Shizuo chuckled. "I don't know. I'm SURE I never had this, but it feels like I have forgotten something when I look at this. There is someone who made it for me. He was such a crybaby and annoying, but he cared so much for me, and I…" The debt collector scratched his messy blonde hair and smiled. "That's weird. I forgot what his face looked like. It felt like he was suddenly disappeared…"
The blonde looked at the crane in his hand warmly, while he gently held it with his thin fingers. "I must be crazy to talk about something like this with you from out of all people. But I'm surprised to see you have this. It's just unlike you, and what confused me the most is that how your belongings could have any relations with me. This must be only my hallucination."
Hearing no response, Shizuo began to feel annoyed. Had the flea been ignoring him? "Oy you flea! Were you liste—"
And Shizuo stopped his words, as his eyes widened in shock to see the most unbelievable scene in front of his eyes.
Heiwajima Shizuo had seen Orihara Izaya being in shock.
But he had never seen Izaya cried.
"O-oy.. fle—Izaya?" Shizuo stuttered in shock, and confuse, panicking of what to do. He reached his hand unsurely to touch the younger man, but before he did, the brunette had turned his back and ran as fast as he could, not caring about the screaming pain his legs were feeling. The bartender suited blonde could only stunned in confuse and shock as he replayed the scene when Izaya's tears flew out from that shocked face.
"Shizuo." A familiar voice with a worry tone called. Shizuo turned his face and Tom approached him, looking worried. "Are you okay? Was that Izaya?"
Shizuo nodded and Tom furrowed his eyebrows, noticing the weird silence from his kohai. "Are you alright? What did he do to you?"
"He's crying." The tone was flat, despite the confused expression.
Tom's eyes widened in surprise, unsure what to say to the other debt collector. "Really? What did you do to him? Don't you think he is just fake-crying?"
Shizuo shook his head, as those familiar bitter sweet feelings flowed into his mind. His chest fluttered, and he wanted to forget that fake illusions—but this nostalgic feelings… what did you call it?
"He is not fake-crying." Shizuo said again, though he was unsure why he knew it. His sempai, who looked at him with a confused look, could only stay in silence. "He is crying."
Now that he thought of it, that crybaby person in his illusions resembled Izaya a little… but it couldn't be, right? First time he saw Izaya was in Raijin, introduced by Shinra—and they tried to kill each other.
But…
"The tears were flowed from the inner side of the corner of his eyes." The blonde's eyes softened and his chest tightened with nostalgic, painful illusions he made. "He really is crying."
***DRRR!***
"Miss Yuko… do you remember the young brunette who had come to this shop place to save his friend?" The boy with glasses asked at the beautiful, tall woman with the long hair, who just inhaled from his pipe.
"Ah, yes… that child," Smoke came out from her lips as the one called Yuko spoke. Her red eyes fluttered as they softened. "What's with him?"
"No… It's just… I wonder if he's okay," The wearing glasses boy said with sad eyes. "It's been years since we last saw him. He did everything to make his friend safe and happy. To think that the person he cared the most must hate him and forget everything about him…." The boy closed his eyes. "I know it's the equal price, but it seems very cruel."
Yuko stared at him for a long time before she threw her head back to the comfortable sofa she'd been sitting. "Watanuki, do you know? There are two memories, memories of the heart and memories of the body." The witch smiled as she played with her pipe. "The memories of the heart are important, but the memories of the body are very important as well. Sometimes, even if the heart forgets, the body remembers."
Watanuki's eyes widened a little. "So there is a chance that… probably his friend still remembers him?"
"Who knows?" Yuko gave the boy named Watanuki a smirk. "It depends of the feelings he had for that boy. The stronger the feelings are, the stronger they will be marked into someone's body to remember. You do must know, I gave him a little discount back then, because you helped him pay too, by feeling half of his suffering through your right eye..."
Watanuki's blue eyes softened, and he smiled warmly. "I didn't regret it though." The wearing glasses boy stared at the witch, and in return, the witch smiled.
"I know you don't."
Another sakura petal fell to the ground, before the witch smirked and sang again.
"Okay, Watanuki! Bring more sake~~~!"
"HELL NO! WHY MUST YOU DRINK SO MUCH ALCOHOL? YOU BETTER NOT EXPECT ME TO BUY YOUR HANGOVER MEDICINE LATER!"
Huh? You're able to read it this far without pressing the back button? YAY I DID IT :D! Crossover with xxxHolic. Weird huh?
About Shinra introducing Izaya and Shizuo… well, Yuko have all everyone related to Shizuo's memories brainwashed, if anyone's worried about that.
*cough*maymakeasequel*cough*
And now, back to continue Complication~~ XDD
Please review X3