Hibiya awoke on Izaya's couch the next morning feeling like he'd gotten no sleep at all. Izaya wasn't around, so Hibiya just helped himself to the coffee machine. He sat back on the couch, carefully sipping his hot drink as he waited for someone to come by.
In the meantime, Hibiya wondered where the others were. If they'd escaped, did that mean they were okay? More importantly, was Delic okay?
Delic was one of Shizuo's clones. He was suave, smooth, and charming. He had been created just before Hibiya and looked after the youngest clone. He'd never left Hibiya out of anything when they were allowed free time (provided, of course, that Hibiya actually asked to be involved), and often allowed Hibiya to come to him for comfort when it became too much. The scientists could care less about the clones, so long as they did what they were told. And even though Hibiya played it off like he could care less about Delic, it was really quite the opposite. If Hibiya had ever loved anyone, it was Delic, and he was very attached to the fun-loving playboy.
He knew Delic cared for him, too (on some level, certainly), and he wondered if Delic was just as desperate to find Hibiya as he was becoming to find Delic. Hell, Hibiya would be glad to see anyone right now. Surely they would have stayed together in a group? Psyche probably would have stayed with Delic- they were the best of friends.
Hibiya was broken out of his thoughts when there came a knock on the door. He carefully sat down his coffee mug (which he suspected of actually being Izaya's) on the coffee table and went to go answer the door.
When he opened it, there was a group of college age kids standing there. Three of them boys and one a girl.
"Can I help you with something?" Hibiya asked grumpily. Thoughts of being without Delic had put him in a bad mood.
"We were told there would be an Izaya look-alike here. We're supposed to bring you with us and look after you today." The tallest boy stated. He was wearing a hat over his hair and for some reason reminded Hibiya of a dog. "I'm Kyohei, and this is Erika-" He pointed to the girl. "-Walker-" The boy who had squinted eyes. "-and Saburo."
"…" Hibiya sighed. "Hibiya." He stepped out and shut the door behind him.
"That's not what you're wearing is, it?" Erika asked.
"I don't own any other clothes, so yes." Hibiya snarled, crossing his arms over his chest.
"He doesn't even have any shoes." Walker observed. They didn't seem to be affected by his brusque-ness.
Hibiya wondered viciously how he could see with such squinty eyes, and didn't deign to dignify that with an answer. Instead, he crossed his arms over his chest and scowled. Properly this time. He went ignored, however.
"Well, you can't just stay dressed like that, now can you?" Erika piped up.
Which is how Hibiya found himself in a cosplay emporium being forced into several different costumes. He didn't know what was going on- he'd tried on so many items already…
"How about this?" Walker said.
Hibiya looked up from his hands and saw that the teen was holding up a black, yellow, and white cosplay.
"You did say you were a prince, after all." Walker's eyebrows went up as Hibiya snatched the clothes from him and went to put them on. He wondered when he'd mentioned that he was a prince.
There were black leggings, white boots with odd white stripe attachments that went up the leg, a black long-sleeved shirt, a white sleeveless tunic, white gloves, and a yellow cloak. Hibiya had put everything on and was just unfolding the cloak when something tumbled out. He knelt down and picked it up. A yellow paper crown. Cardboard, with plastic to hold it in place. Hibiya brushed his hair out of his face, looking at himself in the mirror. Yes, he did look truly regal. He stood a little straighter, his eyes approving.
He walked out of the dressing room, hands curled into fists. He felt pretty powerful. Not some scrawny little kid anymore. He did know Karate, but he'd never looked or felt like it. And now, although he felt foolish admitting it to himself, he felt like he could do some serious damage. If he really wanted to get his hands dirty like that, which he didn't.
"Oh, it's perfect!" Erika gushed. "Dotachin, come look!"
"Don't call me that." Nontheless, Kyohei walked over anyways. "It does look good on you, shortstack."
"Don't." Hibiya's eyes narrowed.
The cosplay was purchased, and the group made their way out of the shop. Hibiya looked up at the glaring sun, remarking mentally how hot it was. He wanted to ask why they would purchase something for him when he had nothing to give in return, but he decided that maybe it was best not to know.
He followed the others into the van, sitting in the very back and leaning his head against the window. Ikebukero was a nice enough town, but he couldn't help but feel lost without those he'd grown up with. And really, who could blame him?
Hibiya closed his eyes. These people just plain exhausted him. Granted, they were just under Psyche's level of nuts, so he probably could have taken them on a good day. And on the other hand, there were more than just one of them.
Delic hummed to himself, adjusting his white suit jacket. They'd all gotten separated when they escaped, but somehow he'd managed to stay with Psyche. Whom had just gotten back with matching outfits for the both of them. How he'd gotten them, Delic had no idea. Psyche wasn't telling, either, so he just gave up asking.
He wanted to find the others and then go find Hibiya. The little prince had never even made it into the van. Then again, they'd all been drugged at the time, so maybe Delic had missed him.
Until then, Delic pulled out a cigarette and lit it, blowing out a ring of smoke. Yep, still got it.
"Hey, look at that." Psyche's voice got his attention.
The black-haired man was pointing to a strange van that was crossing the intersection. One door had a manga Lolita on it. Then again, maybe the other door did, too- there wasn't really much of a way of telling. Delic gave a small noise of interest, watching the vehicle go by. It was a block away, so he couldn't really tell what kind of a person would drive such a thing.
"You've got really good eyes if you can see that, Psyche." Delic commented.
"I know." Psyche grinned, putting his hands in his pockets.
Delic rolled his eyes and laughed.
"Let's go find everyone else, alright?" Delic suggested. It had only been a day, but those kids with yellow scarves were looking pretty suspicious and there was strength in numbers.
Even though Delic could totally kick their asses by himself if he really wanted to.
Psyche just nodded with a happy grin, and off they went.
Hibiya ate lunch with the group at Russia Sushi. He decided that if he liked sushi, he definitely didn't like it from this place. But he choked it down anyways- Simon, as he learned, was almost as scary as Shizuo.
Still, all went well in the end, and Hibiya was dropped back at Izaya's office in the evening. He entered without the entourage- they appeared to fear entering the place. The office was just as empty as he had left it, and it appeared as if no one had been there since he'd left. So Hibiya took care of the mug he'd abandoned and decided to distract himself by reading a book. Izaya had plenty of them- surely he wouldn't mind if Hibiya borrowed only one.
Hibiya browsed the shelves, and when he didn't find anything on the first floor, he went up the stairs to the second. It was here that he discovered one lonely shelf in the back that held dusty books that Hibiya suspected hadn't been picked up in a long time. And they were all fairytales.
Picking one at random, Hibiya tried not to sneeze as he dusted it off and took it back to the couch with him. He sat down so that he could see the rest of the room (namely if anyone came through the door) and opened the book.
Sleeping Beauty. Hibiya found himself smiling fondly- western tales had always seemed better than the ones he knew. They were meant to terrify children into behaving, and Hibiya was pretty sure they worked. In the facility, they were educated very well, most of them being extremely intelligent due to the experimentations.
As he got deeper into the book, he drew his legs up to sit Indian style. He didn't notice when his left leg fell asleep, instead flipping a page and continuing on.
It was getting dark and Hibiya was getting hungry and nearing the end of his book when the doors finally exploded inwards with the force behind them. Hibiya didn't look up.
"You can't keep him here!" Came Shizuo's voice.
"Why not, he's my clone." Izaya actually sounded a little miffed.
"He's just a kid, Izaya!"
"So, what difference does that make?"
"You two fight like an old married couple." Hibiya interjected in a monotonous voice.
"We do not!" Shizuo snarled at him.
"Well. I'm Izaya's clone, correct?" Hibiya closed the book and looked up at the both of them with an unreadable expression on his face.
"Yes." Izaya looked puzzled, but curious as to where this was going.
"Then you're kind of like a dad, as we are technically biologically related." Hibiya found himself smirking. He already had the upper hand here.
"Okay." Izaya nodded after a moment of thinking this over. He could argue that actually they were technically the same person, but Shizuo looked either like he might be sick or like he might burst with frustration, and that was a fairly amusing sight to see.
"And no matter what either of you say, you fight like an old married couple." Izaya looked vaguely annoyed again. "And since you're dad-" Hibiya pointed to Izaya. "-That makes you-" His finger redirected to Shizuo. "Mom."
Shizuo stood there for a moment just staring at Hibiya and mouthing wordlessly. Izaya looked like he wasn't sure what to make of the little Prince's declaration, whether he should get upset or start laughing. Receiving no answer, Hibiya tucked his book under his arm and made to stand up.
And promptly fell flat on his face.
Hibiya felt the pain only distantly, mostly overtaken by shock. His leg screamed with pins and needles, and he easily pieced together what had happened. Shizuo had momentarily forgotten that he was supposed to be mad at Hibiya and Izaya and was desperately trying to stifle laughter. Izaya, on the other hand, was laughing outright.
Prepared for the pain this time, Hibiya tried to get up again, pointedly ignoring the both of them and trying to gather together his last dregs of dignity. He didn't notice Shizuo had moved until he felt someone take his elbow and hoist him up. Hibiya adjusted his crown and sniffed, drawing his cloak closer around himself.
"You alright, kid?" He asked, giving in to his slight weakness for children.
"I'm fine, mom." Hibiya started brusquely, but ended in a taunting smirk.
Surprisingly, Shizuo did not rise to the bait. Instead, he helped dust Hibiya off and sent him up the stairs to go and replace the book. The young prince could hear Shizuo and Izaya talking in hushed voices (and a few hissed comments) but he couldn't actually make out anything that was being said. He wondered if he was going to get it later for calling Shizuo 'mom'. He didn't know the man that well, but he obviously wasn't one to stay calm. Especially around Izaya.
He waited for a few moments before going to the top of the stairs and looking down at the two of them. Izaya looked surprised as hell- absolutely shocked. Possibly because Shizuo had grabbed the front of his shirt and was kissing him with a great look of concentration. Hibiya's hand tightened on the banister. He wished Delic were here. He made a face for a moment before, becoming a mask of indifference yet again.
"Please don't do the nasty in here. There is a child present." He interrupted.
The two men jumped apart as if they'd been burned. For a moment Shizuo actually looked ashamed. Hibiya raised his eyebrows in surprise. He nearly felt guilty for interrupting like he had. Shizuo cleared his throat.
"C'mon, kid. Shinra wants you back at his place, and I've gotta get back to Tom."
Hibiya advanced wordlessly. As he passed Izaya, the raven took Izaya's hand and squeezed briefly, looking up at the other for a moment before letting go and passing Shizuo into the hallway.
There was no masked rider waiting for them. Shizuo eventually exited and passed Hibiya to press the elevator button. There was a tense silence as they rode the machine down to the ground floor. Hibiya walked a little behind Shizuo as they left the building, watching his body language and gauging whether or not it was safe to speak.
They were about halfway down the block before Hibiya finally decided to go for it. Delic was always saying 'what the hell', wasn't he?
"Mom…?" Hibiya started. Shizuo's shoulders tensed, but he kept speaking anyways. "Why are we walking?"
"I'm not your mother." Shizuo snarled, walking a little faster.
Hibiya, having the body of a thirteen year old, jogged to keep up. He was careful to keep just behind Shizuo, just in case seeing Izaya's face would set the other off. Hibiya knew that the fact he shared Izaya's face affected Shizuo- that much was already clear.
"You're avoiding the question." Hibiya said quietly.
"I don't have a car, and Celty isn't here right now." Shizuo growled.
"Oh."
They walked on in silence for a long while. The street lamps came on, and they were still weaving in and out of a crowd. Eventually they got to the residential district, and the streets became much emptier. Hibiya stopped walking, looking down at his boots.
What was he even doing here? He obviously wasn't wanted. The first thing out of Izaya's mouth had been that he'd get rid of him soon. And Shizuo obviously didn't want to be around him. And maybe that was just the sort of people they were, but it hurt. It hurt so much more than Hibiya would ever admit. He was smart, sure, but he couldn't wrap his head around this. Were the only people who wanted him those who were forced to be around him, forced to get to know him? Even if their care was genuine, would the outside world ever accept him?
"Kid- why'd you stop walking? We have places to go, you know!" Shizuo turned around, a few steps ahead of Hibiya because he hadn't realized the kid had stopped walking for a moment.
"Do you really not want me to call you mom?" Hibiya asked, the light of the street lamp causing his hair to shadow his eyes.
"NO, I DON'T. I'M NOT YOUR MOTHER. AND IF YOU SAY ANYTHING ABOUT WHAT YOU SAW, I'LL-"
"Hibiya-kun!" A man had turned the corner behind Shizuo and had seen Hibiya. He began running towards the Prince, and as he ran past, Shizuo realized it had to be another clone.
Because it looked exactly like him.
"Hibiya-kun, if I might ask, what's wrong?" Hibiya didn't look up at the man, only reached out a hand and fisted it in his jacket. "Uh- Hibiya-kun?"
"Tsukishima." Hibiya mumbled. "I'm… pleased you're okay."
"Of course I'm okay. Everyone else is alright, too." Tsukishima's voice became softer, gentler. "Though I seem to have gotten separated- I'm terrible with directions." He laughed nervously and adjusted the glasses on his face.
Shizuo took note that he always seemed to have a light blush on his cheeks, and was obviously much more kind than the original. He cleared his throat to get the other's attention.
"Who the hell are you?" Shizuo asked.
"Oh, forgive me." The man bowed deeply, his glasses nearly slipping off his nose. "My name is Tsukishima, but most people just call me Tsuki." He had a soft voice. "You must be Shizuo."
Tsukishima wore black jeans and a white shirt, a black jacket over it and a white scarf. He had a brown satchel thrown over his shoulder like a messenger bag. And something was moving in there.
"Arf!" A little gray dog poked it's head out of Tsuki's bag.
Well, it wasn't entirely gray. It had little brown-blue dapples all over its coat, and large floppy ears. Hibiya was obviously immediately taken with the little dog, lifting it out of Tsuki's bag and distracted from his despair by the little pink tongue bathing his face with attention.
"Oh, that little guy." Tsukishima rubbed the back of his head nervously. "I'd gotten so lost I forgot he was there. He was in a 'free to good home' box- I couldn't just leave him."
"Mom, can I keep him?" Hibiya asked, not looking away from the puppy.
"No. And I am not your mom." Shizuo snarled. "I hate dogs. You're coming with us."
"Who, me?" Tsukishima pointed at himself, surprised. "Alright."
Surprised that Tsukishima had agreed, Shizuo just grunted and turned around to keep going.
"We still have a long way to go, so hurry up."
"Why don't we just call a cab?" Tsukishima suggested.
"Fine, call a damn cab!" Shizuo threw up his hands in frustration and lit another cigarette.
So the cab was called, Hibiya did nothing to contribute to the conversation other than announcing that the dog was now named Arthur ("WE ARE NOT KEEPING THE DAMN DOG!"Shizuo's protest fell on deaf ears), and Shizuo learned that for being a wimp, Tsukishima was actually an alright sort of guy. He was good at coming up with poetry off the top of his head. It was really kind of interesting, if Shizuo was to admit it.
They all piled into the cab, Shizuo at the far door, Tsukishima next to him, and Hibiya sliding in in the last seat. Arthur sat on Hibiya's lap, quite content to just wag his tail and lick the boy's face. Shizuo gave the cab driver the address and off they went.
It only took ten minutes, and Hibiya was slumped against Tsukishima and half curled on the seat sleeping like a baby, Arthur curled asleep in his lap. Tsukishima smiled at Hibiya fondly for a moment.
"I need him to get rid of that damn dog. And I wish he'd quit calling me mom, too." Shizuo growled to himself.
"He called you mom?" Tsuki asked hesitantly.
"Uh- yeah, why?" Shizuo looked over at Tsuki, who looked away, back at Hibiya.
"He doesn't get all that attached to people. If he called you mom, he must really look up to you. Or like you, whichever." Tsukishima shrugged the shoulder Hibiya wasn't leaning on. "I can't believe he hasn't asked me about Delic yet."
"Delic?" Shizuo asked suspiciously.
"Another of your clones. He was always with Hibiya-kun. He's a real playboy, and he two-times a lot, but Hibiya doesn't hold it against him." Tsukishima pet Arthur softly, and the pup only rolled over in sleep. "It's sweet of him, really. Even though he acts like a jerk to everyone."
Shizuo leaned forward in his seat so he could see the sleeping Hibiya. He kind of saw the kid in a new light- he looked up to Shizuo? That was interesting. They'd only known each other for going on two days. How could one form a bond like that in such a short time? It was strange, but he found that if he really scrutinized it, he didn't actually mind.
"Hn." He leaned back in his seat again and looked out at the passing town, thinking about what was going on quietly instead.
And chapter 2. XD I hope you all enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it. (:
Thank you all for reading! X3
