Chapter 4 – Cold Hearts

BYR:

HEY GUYS! I'm like freaking hyper at the moment cause I've just been receiving news after amazing news from the wonderful world! THx for taking time out of your day to read my stories and review! I take every opinion and helpful advice from all of you VERY SERIOUSLY! SO THANK YOU! I shall do my best to make everything perfect XD Moving on~ If some of you haven't ready my first fanfic (Making My Way Into Your Life) then you will be confused, but for those of you who have! I'm writing a sequel to it! Just go back to the story and there will be an epilogue with a sneak peek and info on that!

ANYWAYS! Lol Just ranting at the moment sorry about that, to the next chapter then! I made it longer just for you! ENJOY!~ XD

"So Nii-san, how are you and Izaya-san?"

"I think we're in a good relationship. At least, I hope so."

"Have you heard the rumors around school yet? About the two of you."

"Rumors? What rumors?"

"Well I don't know what's true, but the most common one I've heard was that you two are going out. Of course I already knew that, but the other one I'm hearing is that you're just using Izaya to make other girls jealous."

"What? Which idiot started that rumor? I swear I'm going to kill him…"

"Now Nii-san, you shouldn't lose your cool so easily. They're just rumors. As long as you know the truth, it shouldn't matter."

"You're right… But Izaya wanted to keep this just between the two of us. Guess me sitting next to him today during lunch stirred those rumors… Dammit…"

"You'll be fine."

"I hope so… wonder if he heard any of these yet…"

They talked about the many rumors that were flying around the halls of the school, and the more he heard about them, the more worried he got about the brunet. Just as the two brothers turned the corner, the blonde stopped abruptly and looked up at the sky.

"Hmm…Looks like it's gonna storm tonight… I'm gonna head over to the flea's house and check up on him. I'll be home later."

"Ok. Be safe."

"Yeah you too."

The brothers waved goodbye to each other before they parted their own ways. Shizuo stood where he was until Kasuka was out of sight before he began walking over to the brunet's place. He wondered if Izaya was home yet. (If he had heard those rumors, I bet he wouldn't be fazed by them anyway. But still, better safe than sorry. And I didn't see him at the main entrance after school either… We said we would walk home together… Did he forget?)

Minding his own business, the blonde whistled a quiet tune to himself when he suddenly heard footing and heavy breathing behind him.

"Shizu-chan…"

Hearing his name, he turned around and saw that it was a little girl all bundled up in winter clothing.

"Kururi? What are you doing here? It's cold outside. Shouldn't you be at home? And where's your sister?"

Mairu had split up with her twin before so they could find the blonde faster and easier. Their telepathic communication came in handy during these points and the more energetic of the twin came rushing to the other's location.

"Here…to punish…."

"Huh?"

"Found you! Now you'll feel my wrath!"

She charged at the blonde headed teen full speed and started kicking and screaming at him. Kururi just stood back and silently cheered her sister on. Confused by the sudden attack, Shizuo picked the flailing twin up by the hood of her jacket as if she were a cat.

"Let me go and fight me like a man you coward! I'll show you what happens to people who makes Iza-nii cry!"

"Whoa whoa slow down. Izaya's crying? But why?"

"Don't act stupid! You're the one who made him cry!"

"I didn't do anything to him!"

"Nii-san said you don't love him…"

"I never said that to him!"

"Then why is he crying? Why is he blaming you huh? Because it's all your fault!"

"*sigh* geez…"

Still holding the frustrated twin in his hand, Shizuo tried to understand the situation he was in. Scratching the back of his head, he became irritated and set the little girl back down.

"So he's home crying right now?"

"He was when we left him. And we're gonna make you pay!"

"Pay."

An evil gleam shined in both girl's eyes as they inched closer and closer to the high schooler. Confident that he could handle two little girls, Shizuo stood his ground and just smiled a cocky smile. But he probably forgotten that they were related to Izaya, and anyone who's related to the brunet was a threat, no matter what age or size they are.

What they did next was possibly a bit over board, but hey, when handling a monster, you can never be too prepared! Mairu pulled a needle out of her coat pocket and jabbed it into the blonde's leg, making him moved back. But it was too late. The drug was already in his blood stream and was diffusing all over his body.

"What the hell-what was that?"

"Sleeping drug."

"Drug."

"Sleeping…drug…?"

The world became fuzzy as Shizuo tried his best to keep his knees from bucking. He held his right eye, trying to rub it but he couldn't keep it open no matter how hard he tried. He staggered forward, falling on his hands and knees as his breathing began to pick pace.

"Ok Kururi! We can tie him up now."

"Kay."

The two went to work, tying the blonde's hands and legs in skillful knots before they pulled him over to the sled they brought along. The sky was beginning to darken as they rolled the larger male onto the sled and pulled him towards home.

"Man! He's heavy! Iza-nii doesn't weight this much!"

"No eat."

"Ohh you're right, Nii-san hardly ever eats… We should fix that! I wonder if there's a drug that makes you eat…"

As the twins carried Shizuo back home, snowflakes started drifting down to earth and a chilling wind whirled around them.

"Tch, it's getting cold."

"Mmm."

"We better hurry up. I don't want to get stuck out here."

Mairu's glasses started to freeze from the harsh winds as she collapsed on the ground. Her younger sister rushed to her aid, helping her sit up.

"Mairu!"

"I'm fine. Just slipped. We need to get out of this storm. But we're still at least 3 miles from our house…."

"Stuck…"

"Yeah, we are stuck…."

Surveying their surroundings, the youngest of the three spotted an abandoned shop just a bit ahead and pointed to it.

"Shelter."

"Nice! Let's go!"

They dragged and tugged the heavy male with one last push to reach their destination. Safe from the freezing winds, they dusted off any remains of snow and searched around the place. It was an old abandoned café, tables and chairs lying around here and there. Going around the counter, they spotted an over and tried to turn it on. Luckily for them, it had some gas left and they made a fire. Warming up near the over, they huddled together, trying out their cell phone's to see if they could get any signal.

"No luck. The storm must've frozen all the lines…"

A groan coming from the other side of the counter made the two jump out of their skin and latch on to each other.

"Where…am i…?"

"Ohh! Shizu-chan is awake!"

"Awake."

They hopped over the counter and crouched down next to the tied up male. Smiling down at the detained blonde, they saw irritation in his eyes as he squirmed in the ropes that bound him.

"Good morning~"

"Mairu! Untie me right now!"

"Nooo can dooo~ we still have to punish you for making Nii-san cry."

"Cry."

"I didn't make him cry! I never did anything to him!"

"Mhm, suuure you didn't."

"Lie."

"I'm not lying! Come on! I just heard the rumors myself ok! And none of them are true!"

"Rumors?"

"What rumors?"

"You mean you went out hunting for me, drugged me, dragged me through the snow in a storm, and you don't even know why your brother is crying…?"

"Uhhh…well you see-"

"Yes."

"Don't be so blunt about it Kururi!"

"*sigh* great…"

"So what are these rumors you speak of?"

"Untie me and we can talk."

"Hmmm, should we Kururi?"

The apathetic twin leaned in close to the blonde's face and squinted her eyes, concentrating on the mocha colored one. Drawing back, she nodded her head and they untied the blonde.

"That's better. My arms almost lost their circulation."

"Now start taking mister! Or you'll be tied back up and thrown out in the storm!"

"Bye bye.~"

"Ok ok! Geez… well I only know what I'd heard, but apparently some idiot said that I was using your brother to make other girls jealous or something. I'm not using him in any way, shape, or form! I swear!"

"So…we have the wrong target…"

"Wrong."

"Hell yeah you do… *sigh* and now we're stuck in this storm. I was heading over to your house ya know! We could be safe inside if it weren't for the two of you!"

"*sniff sniff* we-we're *sniff* sorry…"

"Ok ok! Don't cry! I'm not mad at you. Just pissed at everything ok?"

"Mad at us too…"

"No no I'm not. Really."

The blonde hugged the two of them while he picked them up and moved them over to the fire. They soon fell asleep in his arms while he kept them safe from any harm.

"Hope this ends soon…."

Back at home, Izaya woke up from his little nap he'd taken when he cried himself to sleep. Rubbing his swollen eyes, he checked the clock on his nightstand and frowned at it. It read 7:26 pm as he pulled himself from the warmth of his covers and walked out his room. The entire house felt chilly and dark as he walked down the hall and down the stairs.

"Mairu, Kururi?"

No one answered him as he searched the house for any signs of life. The answering machine was blinking red, indicating that there was a message waiting to be heard. Pressing it, he leaned back against the wall and stared at the machine, listening to the automated voice.

*BEEP* You have one message. Message was from Mom, received at 4:21 pm. *BEEP*

"Izaya? I'm guessing you're busy with homework. Listen, your dad and I will be stuck at work tonight. A snow storm is coming and by the time we're done with work it'll be too late to go home. So you and your sisters stay inside alright! There should be left overs from last night or if you want you can make something. Be safe you three and I'll see you tomorrow night hopefully. Love you!"

*BEEP*

"Hmm, so we're home alone tonight… Wait… Where are those two trouble makers? Mairu! Kururi!"

The house echoed his calls back to him as he shivered and rubbed his arms up and down. Walking to the window, he pushed the curtain aside and saw how heavy it was snowing; it was almost impossible to see at all. Passing the front door to check the kitchen, he noticed something rather odd. The twin's snow boots were missing from their usual spot and now that he investigated further, their coats were gone as well.

"No…they couldn't!"

He flipped his cell phone out and dialed Mairu's number. No answer, all he heard was static. Trying the other twin, he received the same answer and snapped his phone shut.

"Dammit! They're out in this blizzard? Shit! It's just one damn thing after another today!"

Rushing to his room, the brunet got dressed and was about to walk out the room but stopped. The white scarf that Shizuo had given him was lying lazily on his chair, waiting to be worn. Sighing in defeat, he wrapped the warm cloth around his neck, placed on his snow boots and was out the door, hunting for his sisters.

"Sh-Sh-Shizu-ch-channn…I'm c-c-colddd…."

"C-cold…"

"I know… Me too. Just huddle closer to me. We'll share body heat. That'll help."

It'd been a little over three hours since the storm had started. The fire in the oven finally died out when the gas finished and they were left in the dark; cold and hungry.

"I wanna g-go home…"

"I know Mairu. I would take the two of you home, but I don't think I can ever handle this blizzard…"

"Are we gonna die here…?"

"What? Are you kidding me? Of course not."

"Promise…?"

"I promise Kururi."

"I'm really sleepy…"

"No you can't sleep!"

"Just for a little bit…?"

"Please?"

A worried look crossed the blonde's face as he sighed in defeat.

"Ok, just of an hour. I don't want you two going under on me."

"We'll be fine as long as we're with you."

"I hope so…"

"I bet Nii-san is worried about us… I hope he's ok…"

"Worried…"

The twins fell asleep in Shizuo's arms shortly after and he tried his best to keep them warm. His mind kept roaming back to Izaya. (Is he ok? Maybe he's out looking for these two. If so, what if he's caught in the storm too? Dammit! If he is, who'll save his ass? Shit! Now I'm freaking out over him again! Izaya! I'm gonna kill you if I ever get out of this alive!) Pissed for not knowing the situation outside, Shizuo began nodding off into a slumber as well, praying in his heart that the brunet was alive and well.

"MAIRU! KURURI!"

The howling winds threw back his cries as he squinted and shielded his eyes from the sharp blades of snowflakes flying at him. The landscape around him looked the same wherever he turned; pure white covering everything in its path. Izaya shivered violently when the death chilling winds passed through his jacket and clothing. Tightening the scarf around his neck, he pressed onward, determined to find his missing sisters.

He'd searched everywhere he could think of; the school, the playground, he even tried a couple of their friend's house, but they weren't there. The night was drawing later and later, making it harder for the brunet to see. Even the street lights provided him no help since the snow covered them. The depth of the snow had built up to his knees now and he struggled to even make the slightest movements. Stumbling around, he felt his head feeling heavier and fuzzier. Falling over, he met with the icy small crystals and felt frozen.

"Dammit…s-so cold… Mairu… Kururi… where the hell are you….?"

"Huh?"

The blonde woke up in a startle from his nap, noticing how much colder it had gotten. The twins were still sleeping in his arms, warm enough to still be alive. He sighed in relief as he patted their heads, but something was still eating at him. He'd woken up so suddenly, like a force of nature was trying to telling him something. Cautiously setting the two girls down, he stood up and looked out the window. All he saw was dark snow whirling around. Worried that they might be stuck there for a while, he left the window, but not before his eye caught something. Turning his attention back, he confirmed that there was something lying in the snow. It was hard to determine from the distance and the darkness, but there was definitely something there. Stepping outside, he carefully stumbled over to the mysterious figure.

"A person? What the hell is he doing out here?"

The person was facing down in the snow, so Shizuo couldn't see his face. Turning him around, he nearly had a heart attack when he identified who it was.

"IZAYA?"

The brunet was unconscious, he face a bit blue from the snow. Picking up the light weight male bridal style, he rushed back to the abandoned store. Dusting the white off Izaya's face, he lightly patted his cheek, trying to wake him up.

"Hey. Izaya! Wake up! Dammit flea! Wake up!"

"Ughh…Whaaat…?"

"Geez, I thought you were dead for a minute there!"

"Shizu-chan?"

"Yeah."

"Mairu…and Kururi…they're missing… I have to….find them…"

"You were out looking for them? Idiot… they're here, safe with me."

"Here? Where?"

His eyes widened and he jumped up from the blonde's arms and began searching around the place. He found them behind the counter, sleeping soundly. Relief came over his face as he pulled them into his arms.

"God I was worried to death! I need to bring them home!"

"In this blizzard?"

"I don't care! I came this far, I can go back!"

"You barely got this far by yourself! What makes you think that you can handle two more people?"

"Well I have to try! I can't leave them in this storm! They'll get ammonia or something!"

"Tch! Fine…. Put them on the sled, I'll pull them home."

"You…you'll help?"

"Of course."

A suspicious frown crossed Izaya's face as he switched looks from the blonde to his sisters and back. (Well…I do need his help whether I like it or not… But out of all the people in the world, why him? I bet he's gonna use this as a bargaining chip or something in the future to play me… Bastard… I shouldn't trust him! But Mairu and Kururi… Shit!) Finally making up his mind, the brunet carried his sisters over to the sled and covered them with his jacket.

"You'll freeze to death!"

"Like you'd care. My health isn't important right now. Let's just go."

They stepped out into the continuous snow, Izaya soon regretting his decision on the jacket. But his sisters were more important at the moment. They began their long journey home, the whole way Izaya was shivering like crazy. Shizuo couldn't help but notice this and stopped, making the brunet bump into him.

"E-e-ehhh? Wh-what's wr-wronggg…?"

"You're annoying when you shake. Here!"

Taking off his jacket, the blonde roughly placed it on Izaya and grabbed his hand, pulling him along. Blushing at the kind act, he reluctantly followed Shizuo all the way home. (Why? Why am I experiencing this weird feeling? When I'm near this monster… I can't help but feel light and all flustered….Even though I know he might be using me, I still feel this… What am I suppose to do? Should I confront him?)

Making it back to safety, the older Orihara stripped off the heavy jackets from his sisters and tucked them in bed. Satisfied that they were safe and sound at home, Izaya turned on the fireplace, and collapsed on the couch, exhausted. Shizuo had used his kitchen and made some hot cocoa for them both. Sitting down next to the brunet, he handed Izaya his cup and took a sip from his own. Taking the warm cup that melted into his frozen hands, the brunet scooted away from the blonde, not making any eye contact with him whatsoever.

"Ok, what's up with you? Why have you been ignoring and avoiding me?"

"Tch…you know why…player…"

"Pl-player? What?"

"You're using me Shizuo! Don't make it sound like I don't know!"

"….So you've heard the rumors…"

"Yes I have!"

"….And you believe them…?"

The brunet was taken aback by the sound of Shizuo's voice when he asked that question. His tone, his expression, they clearly showed pain in them. And he couldn't help but feel like it was his fault that the blonde was looking at him with such sad eyes.

"I… I don't know what I want to believe. Part of me truly wishes they aren't true… but the other part is preparing me just in case they are…"

"So what do you believe?"

"Me?"

"What do you believe to be the truth?"

"The truth… I… I believe that Shizu-chan does care about me…and that he wouldn't use me … That…that's what I believe…."

"*sigh* you really are a pain sometimes. Silly flea."

He pulled Izaya closer to him, allowing him to lie on his chest. Shocked by the sudden movement, Izaya almost spilt his cocoa as he giggled at the blonde.

"A bit of a warning next time?"

"Sorry."

The blonde smiled a gentle smile at his loving flea as he set his cup down on the side table and hugged the thin male in his arms. Pulling a blanket over them, the brunet drank all his warm chocolate drink before setting it down and fell asleep on Shizuo.

"Thank you Shizu-chan…for everything… I'm sorry that I doubted you…"

"Haha, it's ok, no harm done. And it only took a blizzard to settle our fight!"

"Hahaha, yeah… how troublesome…but I'm glad you're here with me tonight, safe and warm with me…"

"Yeah, me too…"

And they fell asleep on the couch, cuddling near the roaring fire, safe and sound from all the world's troubles.

A/N:

Happy dance~ Happy dance~ So excited, I just can't hide it lol! Also the BACKSTREET BOYS ARE BACK! LIKE FOR REAL! Ohh the nostalgia… I also just brought a whole bunch of songs on iTunes from my favorite J-pop artist (FLOW & Yuya Matsushita~) and I can't stop listening to them XD This week just keeps getting better and better! AHHH!

Ok, so after the good news, comes the bad news… I shall be starting college in exactly one month from now, so you know what that mean…. Less updates D'X I know, sad, but I will try my best to upload as much as I can! School comes first before other things apparently! Lol But I still love to hear from you lovely ppl! SO REVIEW PLZ~ You're so kind to me :')