Teehee, I know roleplay as Mairu...I'm such an anime nerd.
I'm like, the Erika of real life.
Or perhaps not, because I'm definitely not as much of a BL fan as she is...
Disregard everything I just said xD.
It hurt.
It hurt so much that Izaya couldn't breathe.
Couldn't speak.
Couldn't scream.
Couldn't even whimper.
All he could do was hold his breath and just hurt.
He could feel the blood stream out of his body. He wanted it to flow out of him. Every single drop. Let nothing remain in his body.
He wished he was completely hollow.
It was hot. Too hot. He was suffocating and he couldn't escape and oh God it hurt so much he wanted it to end to stop to be saved was that him screaming or his sister was he even still alive or was this hell he didn't know he didn't know he didn't know—
Something sharp was drilling down his neck. He couldn't tell if they were teeth or nails but either way they drew blood from his pale neck. He gasped for air but he couldn't feel the cold comfort in his lungs. He felt like he was drowning in lava. He wanted to lift his arms, to pull himself back to the surface, but he felt so, so weak.
So tired.
So battered.
Agony wracked his entire body and he clenched his teeth, swallowing down a scream. His muscles grew taut and he tried to curl into a ball to protect himself, but he was trapped under a heavy weight. He couldn't move no matter how much he thrashed and fought.
Scum.
Dirt.
Blood.
He was drowning in all three.
He was being buried alive in rot.
"Nnng," was the only sound he could utter. He gasped when the pain sharpened. He squeezed his eyes shut, his throat throbbing with the urge to just scream.
Don't yell.
Don't be weak.
"NNNNGGAAAAHHHH!" he screamed. He couldn't take it anymore. Screaming would not lessen the pain, but he couldn't hide it anymore. Dear God, it was killing him.
Yadogiri laughed above him and Izaya wanted nothing more to tear open his throat. No more—please, no more—
The phone rang.
Yadogiri paused. Both of them were dead silent, listening to Izaya's ringtone break open the silence. Izaya became limp, chuckling breathily in spite of himself. The only time that Izaya's phone found signal was when it was far too late.
Yadogiri ripped off Izaya's bloodied jacket and dug his hand into the pockets. He pulled out Izaya's cell phone, squinting at the caller identification on the screen. He leered before flipping open the phone and putting it on speakerphone.
"Flea?"
Izaya's eyes widened at the sound of that deep voice. He held his shaky breath as he tried to wriggle away from Yadogiri's grasp, but Yadogiri was too strong, like a dead weight on top of him. Yadogiri dug his nails into Izaya's throat, forcing him to lay still.
"Flea, where the hell are you?" Shizuo demanded. "If this is some stupid joke, or some damn trick that you're pulling—"
Izaya gasped so hard that the air clawed his throat. Excruciating pain tore at his insides and he thrashed violently, fighting to free himself. Yadogiri growled and pulled Izaya by the front of the shirt before slamming him down on the ground.
"Scream," Yadogiri hissed.
"Flea?" Shizuo shouted. "Oi, flea! I know you're on the other end! If you're only doing this to mess with Celty or me, I swear—"
"I said scream," Yadogiri growled. Izaya clenched his teeth, forcing his mouth closed. Yadogiri was hurting him so badly, but Izaya didn't want to let Shizuo know his weak side. His vulnerable, sick, disgusting, beaten side. He turned his head toward Yadogiri and spat in his face.
Yadogiri's fist collided with Izaya's chin and throat. He hurt him everywhere imaginable, in every way imaginable. Izaya held his breath as he was attacked.
"SCREAM, YOU REPULSIVE ANIMAL!" Yadogiri bellowed. Izaya squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the entire world. "SCREAM LIKE YOU DID ONLY MOMENTS AGO, YOU FILTHY BASTARD!"
Izaya only gave a quivering sigh, his eyes clouded with so much pain that his true self could barely be seen.
"S-Shizuo…" Mairu's voice was as cracked as her broken glasses that still hung on her face. She was huddled in the corner of her room, her face bloody and her clothes torn. She raised her head slightly, her face so pale it shone in the dark room. "Shizuo-san…"
"Flea?" Shizuo's voice was no longer hateful, but horror-struck. "Mairu? What's going on?"
"Shizuo-san," Mairu sobbed. "Shizuo-san, Shizuo-san, SAVE US!" Her voice raised; it was practically hysterical. "PLEASE SAVE US, SHIZUO-SAN! SHIZUO-SAN, I'M BEGGING YOU! PLEASE HELP US!"
Her perpetually happy and devious façade had shattered and she was left raw and tearstained. She tried to reach out to the phone, their only connection to the outside world, but her arms were aching so much that she no longer had the strength.
In a swift motion, Yadogiri swiped the cell phone from the floor and hurled it at the opposite wall. The cell phone splintered and scattered across the floor, some shards slicing Mairu on the cheek. Mairu gave out a shuddering gasp but she wasn't even strong enough to wipe the blood from her face anymore. Brother and sister were crushed into weak, lifeless dust.
"Imouto-chan," Izaya breathed. He offered her his trademark crooked smile despite the blood painted on his much too pale face. "Laugh, imouto-chan…" His entire body was shaking. "Laugh, Mairu-kun. S-see?" He gave a weak chuckle that was not like him at all. "So easy…don't cry. Don't be afraid—Mai—Mai—Mai—" Izaya's voice dwindled and his face was frozen in a half-hearted half-smile before he screamed in pain.
At that very moment, a headless rider and a blond man in a bartender's suit burst into the Shimizu warehouse.
"DAMMIT!" Shizuo shouted as he threw two men at once against the wall, knocking them both out. "Just how many of you are there? They're swarming!"
He grabbed two by the scruff and rammed their heads against each other. They slumped to the ground unconscious, joining many of their comrades that had already faced Shizuo's wrath. Shizuo let out a yell of frustration as he was attacked from behind. Before he had a chance to crack any of their skulls, Celty swung her leg and kicked them in the face.
"Search (I'm going to go find my family!)..." Kururi said breathlessly to the adults before darting toward the stairs.
"Wait! Augh!" Shizuo drove his elbow into someone's stomach before tailing Kururi. "Celty! Come on!"
Celty didn't even bother giving Shizuo a response as she punched the last attacker so hard that he flew several meters before crashing against the wall. She barricaded the door be twisting off the doorknob and twisting it so terribly that it forced it shut. If she had a mouth, she would have spat on the men at her feet.
"Where would they be?" Shizuo demanded as they raced up staircase after staircacse.
[Mairu was supposed to be on the very top floor.] Celty responded as she darted past Shizuo. [I'm surprised you came. I thought you hated Izaya too much.]
Shizuo growled. Yes, he hated the flea with every ounce of him, but he was not cruel. He did not enjoy anyone's suffering even though he was usually the cause of it.
"I'm doing this for the twins, not for that flea," Shizuo insisted. "I couldn't care any less about what happens to him." He almost regretted saying that when he noticed Kururi wince at his words. Almost.
Celty did not show any sign of disappointment or agreement. She only ran faster up the stairs. Kururi silently reached out and grabbed Shizuo's wrist. Shizuo raised his eyebrows in surprise but did not pull away. Kururi hurried her pace and held onto Celty's hand. Celty looked back momentarily and returned the squeeze.
"What is it, Kururi?" Shizuo asked.
At first, Kururi did not respond. She only tightened her grip on Shizuo. When she did speak, Shizuo nearly did not hear it.
"Scared…" whispered Kururi, and Shizuo understood everything she held back.
The door slammed open just as Yadogiri rose from the floor, finished with destroying Izaya. Yadogiri spun around, blinded temporarily by the white light that flooded the dark room. In stumbled one of Yadogiri's men with a black eye and a terrible limp.
"We've been found out!" the scout spat. "The Headless Rider and Heiwajima Shizuo are here!"
Yadogiri sputtered with surprise. He wasn't surprise about the Headless Rider, the self-proclaimed agent of justice, but Heiwajima Shizuo, Izaya's enemy? He turned sharply toward Izaya lying motionless on the ground and Mairu in the corner, her eyes blank with shock.
"Yadogiri-san, they're coming this way!" the scout shouted.
Yadogiri let out a loud curse before pulling the gun out of his pants pocket. He cocked the gun and shot twice. His lips curled at the sight of spattering red before darting out of the room and pulling the door shut behind him.
"This way!" Shizuo shouted as they ascended the last pack of stairs. There was a turn in the middle of the staircase. Their footsteps clanged against the metal rungs of the stairs underneath them. It sounded haunting and foreboding.
Just as they turned the corner, they ran right into Yadogiri Jinnai.
Kururi screamed the moment she recognized him. Celty pulled her away from the man, shielding her with her own body. Before Shizuo could run forward and attack, Yadogiri raised the gun and shot at Shizuo. Blood spurted out of his shoulder and he stumbled back as the bullet lodged into his muscles. Yadogiri shoved Shizuo to the side and shot at Celty and Kururi. Celty shoved Kururi against the wall, taking the bullets in her side but otherwise unharmed by the mere human infliction. Yadogiri didn't even take the time to check if they were harmed. He and his companion hastened down the stairs to escape. Shizuo started to chase after them, blood soaking his sleeve, but Celty grabbed his shoulder to stop him.
[Leave them; they can't escape.] she reasoned. [I've blocked the entranceways. We need to help Izaya and Mairu.]
"Are you okay?" Shizuo asked Celty and Kururi.
Celty nodded and patted her bloodless side. She pointed up the staircase and beckoned Shizuo to follow her. Still holding onto Kururi's hand, she ran ahead of Shizuo toward the door at the end of the stairs. Shizuo followed immediately, not understanding why his heart beat so wildly. It had nothing to do with the throbbing in his arm. He refused to label it as fear.
Celty shoved the door open with her side and stopped short immediately. Shizuo hurried to her side and his eyes fell on Izaya and Mairu in the middle of the room. His eyes widened and he could not deny it any longer; his heart beat wildly with astonishment.
Mairu was bleeding steadily from the leg, her white knee socks dyed red with her own blood. She was curled next to Izaya, holding his hand and whispering inaudibly. When Celty, Shizuo, and Kururi burst into the room, she looked up quickly, her glasses dirtied with cracks and blood. Her eyes locked onto Kururi and she let out a small wail. Kururi broke free from between Celty and Shizuo and dived down next to her sister, wrapping her thin arms around her and Izaya. The front of Izaya's shirt was drenched in blood; Yadogiri's bullet pierced him just above the stomach. He was breathing heavily, blood spilling from his lips.
Shizuo didn't even notice what he was doing. He wordlessly bent down next to Izaya, his eyes still wide with shock. When Izaya lifted his unfocused eyes to Shizuo, his lips curled into a smile. He suddenly began to laugh silently; his mouth twisted into a mirthful smile but not a single sound came from his lips.
"Flea? Flea!" Shizuo shouted, shaking Izaya by the shoulder. Izaya did not seem to recognize Shizuo. His hand covered his mouth; blood seeped through his fingers. His face was growing ghastly paler until it seemed as if he was already dead.
[We've got to get them to Shinra.] Celty typed furiously on her PDA. [I'm taking Mairu. Take Izaya.]
"Just go, just go!" Shizuo snapped. Celty scooped Mairu into her arms and rushed out of the room and down the stairs. Kururi immediately followed after her. Shizuo turned back to Izaya, unsure if he felt disgusted or horrified. Izaya's hands scrabbled at the bullet wound in his chest. He was choking on his blood and soundless laughter.
"Stop it!" Shizuo hollered. He dragged Izaya's torso off the ground, trying to hold him upright. "Leave it alone!"
Izaya was gasping for air. The moment Shizuo pulled him into his arms Izaya tried to fight him off. He tried to claw Shizuo's face, every sign of hilarity drained from him. His teeth were clenched so that every gasp of air was sharp as a blade.
"Calm down!" Shizuo ordered as Izaya tore at Shizuo's chest, ripping off the buttons from the black vest. "Do you want me to help you or not? STOP FIGHTING BACK!"
Shizuo held Izaya tight, trying to suppress his arms from moving. Izaya struggled in Shizuo's grip, heaving dry sobs. More than half of his body was steeped with his blood and he was losing even more quickly as he tried to free himself from Shizuo. He mouthed inaudible words to Shizuo, his eyes hazy and half-closed.
"Flea!" Shizuo shouted, gripping Izaya tighter. Izaya tried to speak, his lips former invisible words, before he shuddered and grew limp in Shizuo's grasp. His eyelids fell over his eyes and his head drooped over Shizuo's arm. "IZAYA!"
Shizuo was where he had always wanted ever since he met Orihara Izaya, but now he wished he was anywhere—everywhere—but here:
In a pool of Izaya's blood.
