Disclaimer: I do not own Durarara! or any of the Characters. All rights go the the original authors and creators.

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Chapter Nine


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Shizuo drummed his fingers against his desk and chewed the tip of his pen as he watched the clock above the door of the detention hall.

Tick

Tick

Tick

Tick

Tick

Only three more minutes and he would be out of this prison. The room was a bit empty today; the only occupants being Shizuo, a fourth year boy who was busy filling in the bubbles of a make up test, and the snoozing instructor.

The bell rung at last, and Shizuo let out a sigh of relief. The instructor jolted awake and wiped the trail of drool from the corner of his mouth. He placed his glasses on and looked up at the clock. "Ah..! Oh.. That was the bell. You both may go now." He croaked.

Shizuo stood from his desk and stretched his limbs before gathering up his notebook and papers into his bag. He rounded the corner and headed towards his locker to grab his jacket and school books and headed out the doors.

He sat on the wooden bench occupying himself with the Sudoku app on his phone to pass the time. His eyes lifted when a shadow casted over him.

He looked up to see a black motorcycle pulling up to the curb. It was Celty.

She tapped her fingers against her phone and held it up. [Need another ride?]

He eyed her suspiciously. "What are you still doing here? It's nearly 5 o'clock. And I know you don't stay after school for any kind of clubs or sports."

[I wanted to talk to you about something.]

"Well we can talk about it here."

She hesitated for a moment before typing out another message.

[It's about Izaya.. I don't think you should hang out with him anymore.]

"Where's this coming from all of a sudden? Look, I know he's a pain in the ass. And he's done a lot of awful things. But.."

She quickly stuck her phone in front of him. [Shizuo, listen to me! Stay away from him! He's bad news!]

He squinted at her and stood from the bench. "You don't even know him. No one around here really does. You only know one side of him; the side created by ridiculous rumors and gossip, just like everyone did to me! But did you ever stop for a moment to think that there could be more to a person than just what you hear?"

They both turned as the city bus stopped on the corner.

"You should get your facts straight before you come lecturing me on who I should and shouldn't associate with. Orihara's not a bad guy, and I can look out for myself." He told her sternly and climbed onto the bus. The metal doors closed with a swish, leaving her alone.

She held her hand to her mouth as she watched the vehicle disappear into the distance.

Izaya's completely brainwashed him.. This is bad.. This is really bad.

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The bus came to a screeching stop when it reached Shizuo's block and he thanked the bus driver before climbing off. As he walked up the stairs to his building, he thought about what Izaya might be up to.

And Celty.. What exactly was she trying to warn me about?

Shizuo let out a deep sigh as he pushed open the door to his apartment and threw down his school bag. He yawned as he walked towards his room. Today had been a particularly long one and he was in need of a nap.

He pulled off his shoes and climbed into bed, shutting his eyes and quickly drifting off into a deep sleep.

...

Clink

Clink

Shizuo slowly opened his eyes for a moment before they fell back shut.

Clink

Clink

His eyes fluttered open again and he lifted his head. What was that? He pushed the blankets off and stepped onto the floor, listening carefully. Was somebody in his apartment?

He balled his fists and quickly ran into the living room, ready to send the intruder flying off the balcony. He stopped in his tracks when he looked over into the kitchen.

"..Kasuka?" He gasped.

The younger Heiwajima boy stood in the kitchen at the sink. He turned around and pulled his hands from the soapy water and reached over to grab a towel.

"Oh, you're awake. I figured you'd still be out for a while so I thought I'd tidy up a bit. You had this place looking like a frat house. Don't you ever clean?"

He folded his arms. "I'm not here that often so I haven't actually had time to do all that stuff. I don't use the dishes since I usually just grab take out on my way home or I eat at school."

Kasuka's eyes widened a bit. "You actually started going places on your own while I was gone? Shizuo, I'm so proud of you. You're finally getting over your sociopathic phase."

Shizuo rolled his eyes and plopped down onto the sofa. "Whatever. So what are you doing back so early? I thought your flight wasn't scheduled until Thursday."

"It arrived quicker than I had expected, so I've got some time off. And what better to do than spend it with my big brother?" He said with a forced a smile.

"Yeah. I doubt that." He snorted, kicking his legs up onto the table.

Kasuka whipped the towel at him and put his hands on his hips. "Don't put your feet on the table. I just wiped it."

"Sorry mom." He muttered and dragged his feet down over the sides to the floor. Kasuka blushed when he realised he was still wearing their mother's cleaning apron. He quickly pulled it off and tossed it on the counter.

"I have to start filming in a few days, and I'll be staying in a hotel. So you can go back to living like a barnyard animal after I'm gone. But for now, I'd like you to treat our home with some respect. This place was disgusting when I got here.."

He opened the fridge, pulling out a Snack Pack and reaching into the drawer for a spoon.

Shizuo glared over at him. "Wait a second.. Is that my last pudding cup?"

Kasuka pulled out a chair and looked up at him. "I don't know. I didn't look. It was sitting in the fridge, and I grabbed it."

He stood from the couch and scowled. "Well then put it back."

Kasuka rolled his eyes and peeled back the lid. "Look, I just spent the last four hours cleaning up after you. Don't get on my case over a cup of pudding, Shizuo."

"So what! Find something else to eat!" He snapped.

Kasuka dug the spoon into the dessert, trying to hide the smirk on his lips.

"I said drop it, Kasuka!"

He lifted the spoon to his mouth with a grin.

"You better not!"

Shizuo felt a vein twitch in his forehead as he watched his younger brother take that first bite.

The blonde gritted his teeth and grabbed the coffee table, hurling it over in his direction, just barely missing his head and smashing through the window above the sink. They both watched in awe as the furniture sailed through the air and crashed onto a parked car on the street below, denting the roof and cracking the front windshield.

They turned to each other in stunned silence as the car's alarm blared.

"Hey! Isn't that your car?" Shouted a man's voice.

"Gah-!" Another man screamed and began cursing loudly as he looked up at the building. "Whoever did that is gonna pay for this, you hear me?! HEY! "

The two boys bursted into laughter and quickly pulled the curtains closed. They crouched down onto the floor and Kasuka placed his hand on his brother's shoulder. "Man, I guess things never really change with our family." He panted, wiping his eyes.

Shizuo snickered. "It's been nearly a decade and we're still fighting over the same old things. You just never learn, do you? Stop touching my dairy products or you're gonna end up in a full body cast." He said, punching him in the shoulder.

"Ouch..! Okay I give! I give!" He chuckled and rubbed his arm. He stood from the floor and dusted off his pants. "Well it's only nine thirty. I've got the next two days off, what do you feel like doing tonight?"

Shizuo stood up and looked over into the living room and at the small shards of glass that covered the counter. "Maybe we should look for a new coffee table and get our window fixed.."

The two laughed again and Kakusa grabbed his jacket from the coat rack and pulled out his keys. Well go get your shoes on, we need to hurry before everything closes."

...

Kasuka hummed to himself as he looked along the vast display of sheet glass hanging above. The aisle seemed to go on for miles in both directions.

"Hmm.. Shizuo, how do you feel about awnings?" He called over his shoulder.

The blonde sat in a red arm chair tossing and catching a nickel he'd found on the ground. It felt like they'd been in this store for hours, and he was bored out of his mind. He leaned back in the chair and stared up at the flourescent lights. "I don't know. You've looked at a million of those things already. Why didn't you just get the last one?"

Kasuka tapped his fingers against his chin "No no no.. See, I don't want to choose paneling that might clash with the-"

"It's a window! Just pick one and let's go!" He growled.

"Okay, okay. Settle down! I don't need you getting riled up in here." He scolded, and called over a worker for some help.

"Hello. What can I do for you?" Smiled a familiar face.

"..Orihara? What are you doing here?" Shizuo said, jumping up from his seat.

"I work here. My first day on the job." He explained, pointing to his name tag.

Shizuo scratched his head. "Why'd you apply at a hardware store? It doesn't really seem to suit you -no offence."

"It's a job. As long as it pays I guess I can't complain." He shrugged. "An old acquaintance of mine pulled some strings and got me in here the same day."

Kasuka looked on in annoyance as the two teens chatted before Shizuo turned to him. "Hey, Kasuka. This is one of my friends from school."

"It's nice to finally meet you." The raven grinned, holding out his hand. "I'm Orihara Izaya."

The stoic boy kept his hands stuffed in his pockets and cleared his throat. "I see. Well if you're done with your little conversation, I'd like some assistance if that's not too much trouble." He said, pointing up to the windows.

Izaya's brows raised for a second, but his smile never faded."Of course. My apologies. I'll get that for you."

He pulled out a step ladder and grabbed the sheet of glass from the hanger. "Is this the one?"

Kasuka nodded and strode off towards the checkout while Izaya took the glass to the back room to get it boxed up.

Shizuo narrowed his eyes as he walked behind his younger brother. "What the hell was that about? I introduce you to one of my new friends and you act like that? Thanks a lot, Kasuka! He's probably never going to come over again!"

Kasuka laughed dryly and looked over at him. "I don't know what you're talking about. I just asked the guy to do his job."

"Well you could have done it without making a complete ass out of yourself!" He shot back.

Kasuka leaned against the counter and combed a few stray hairs out of his eyes. "I hardly need to waste my time trying to appeal to the likes of him."

Shizuo looked taken back for a second. "Are you serious? Have you become that absorbed in your idol career that you think you can treat normal people like dirt?"

"That's not what I meant, Shizuo. And you know that. I'm saying that I can tell when a person is genuine or not, and that guy had the word conniving plastered on his forehead."

"What-! You too? God, what is wrong with everyone! This judgemental bullshit is exactly the reason why I earned the reputation I did, and those kids started calling me the 'Bleach Blonde Beast' at school!" He shouted.

"Well it's not my fault you can't keep yourself under control! I mean seriously! You wouldn't even attended the anger management classes I set up for you! Do you have any idea how much that cost my assistant?"

Shizuo lowered his eyes and clenched his fists. "You know what.. just go to your stupid hotel room tonight. I don't care if you're back in Ikebukuro. All you've done is piss me off." He spat and shoved past Kasuka, bumping his shoulder.

"Where are you going?"

"Away from you!" He called back.

"Tch! Fine.. Go ahead! Walk out on me like you always do! You never let anyone help you!" Kasuka shouted.

Shizuo held up his middle finger as he stormed through the automatic doors and disappeared around the corner.

He walked over to the back of the building and leaned against the dumpster. He was still fuming and needed to let out his aggression. Before he knew it, his fist was slamming into the metal bin, crushing the side and contorting the container into an odd shape; like a crumpled ball of paper.

He took in a few deep breaths and sat down on the ground.

"You know my manager is going to flip when he sees this, right?"

Shizuo lifted his eyes. Izaya stood over him, holding a large box. The blonde hung his head. "I'm sorry.."

"So what made you go all Mike Tyson on the dumpster? Did it say something cheeky to you?" He giggled, earning a sharp glare from the blonde. He held up his hands and apologized.

"It's just my brother.. He's always trying to tell me what to do. I can make my own decisions without him butting in all the time." He sighed.

Izaya tilted his head. "Well you two shouldn't be fighting. He's just looking out for you."

"I don't need anyone going out of their way to try and protect me. Like I'm too stupid or too weak to fend for myself. It's irritating.." He said, kicking a pebble with his feet.

"You should feel pretty lucky you have people like that in your life. Not everyone has friends and family who care about them like you do.."

"I don't feel lucky. I just wish there was one person who understood what I was going through.." He muttered, bringing his knees up to his chest.

Izaya frowned."Listen.. My shift ends in five minutes. My boss wouldn't care if I punched out early. What do you say we go for a walk somewhere? You know, just to put your mind at ease for a bit."

He thought it over for a moment and slowly stood up and dusted off his jeans. "Okay."

"Let me just go run this inside and I'll meet you back out here."

Shizuo nodded and watched the boy step through a small side door, returning just moments later.

"Okay, come on. Let's go!" He cheered, and snatched the blonde's arm, pulling him through the streets. The pair ran through the far end of the city, and made their way up to the park.

They passed through the gate and walked along the path. The night air was cool and crickets chirped in the distance. Izaya hummed as he hopped along the bricks lining the pond.

Shizuo couldn't help himself as he nudged the raven with his elbow, knocking him over into the water. Shizuo clutched his stomach as he hunched over in laughter.

Izaya squinted his eyes and quickly grabbed his arms, pulling him in with a large splash. He scowled at him and shivered like a wet cat. "Orihara you bastard!"

"That's payback~" He chimed.

Shizuo looked up at his smiling face and his nerves seemed to settle in moments. It was strange.. His bad moods could do a complete 360 when he was around.

The two hopped out of the water and tried their best to dry themselves off; Laughing and chatting as they walked over to the playground.

Shizuo hopped onto the plastic twin slide. Izaya took a seat on the other side and kicked out his legs. "Ahh.. Well that was fun. Stupid. But fun." He said, rubbing his hands together.

Shizuo sat up and faced him. "Are you cold? You can take this if you want. I'm almost always overheating." He explained, passing his jacket to Izaya.

"Thanks." He smiled and threw the hoodie over his shoulders. Shizuo quickly looked down at the ground. "Y-yeah.. No problem."

"Hey, Shizuo. Let's play truth or dare."

The blonde flinched for a moment. "Are you serious?"

His eyes flashed with excitement as he spoke. "Yeah! Doesn't it sound fun?"

Shizuo folded his arms and pondered it for a moment. "Eh, what the hell. Sure."

Izaya sat up indian style and smiled. "Yes! Alright! Should I start, or would you like to?"

"I doesn't matter to me. You can start."

"Okay then.. Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Aw.. you're no fun! Everyone knows dare is the most exciting!" He whined. "Well let's see then.. hmm.. tell me about something you've never had the guts to share with anyone."

Shizuo snorted and leaned back onto the slide. "Tch! Why would I do that? I'm not telling you shit."

"You picked truth! You have to! That's the rules!" He said matter-of-factly.

"Ugh.. You're such a kid." He breathed. "Uh, well.. Sometimes.. when I get bored.. I like to write." He said nervously.

Izaya perked up at this. "You like to write? About what? Be more specific."

His face began to turn red as the raven boy pressed him to spill the details. He sighed and dug into his pocket, pulling out a folded slip of paper and tossing it into his lap.

"Hm. What's this?" He chimed as he unfolded the small note. It was a poem.

How does it feel? ..to be in love.

These emotions carried in our hearts.. I want to find them.

It's hazy and clouded inside. But I search for them endlessly

It's as if they're hanging right above my head; just far enough out of my reach to where they cannot be caught

The higher I climb, the farther I fall into a blurry state of confusion and anguish

If I could ever grasp onto these feelings.. I would send each one to you in soft whispers, so you could hear them

I'd place them on your lips, so you could feel them

I'd pull my heart from my chest, so you could see them

I don't know how.. or when.. but I know I'll get there

I'd walk the ends of this Earth a thousand times until I found them

And I would give them all to you

Izaya put a hand over his chest and made a dramatic sigh. "Oh, Shizuo.. That was touching. I think I might shed a tear."

The blonde narrowed his eyes. "You're an asshole. I'm done with this stupid game."

He huffed and rolled over, turning his back to Izaya.

"Aw.. Come on! I was only joking. Don't be so sensitive!" He giggled.

Izaya peered at his face. His gaze seemed to be elsewhere, as if he were deep in thought.

"Shizuo? Hellooo?" He called and tossed a few wood chips at his head. The blonde gave no response and merely stared past him.

"Look, I'm sorry." He started. "I didn't mean to offend you. It wasn't bad. It was kinda nice, actually. Really nice."

Shizuo's expression hardened a bit. "I was just thinking.. You and I are sort of the targets of all the gossip running through school. What would they all think if they heard someone saw us here? They'd go nuts with that."

"Why would it matter? Don't you like hanging out together?" Izaya said, tilting his head.

"I do.. But.. I don't know. I'm just sick of everyone and their stupid opinions. You stand out even just a little and you're labeled as a freak or an outcast. You hear all the time, 'just be who you are!' 'stay true to yourself!' "

"And then they judge you.." He said, shutting his eyes.

Izaya leaned down onto his elbow. "Why do you care what they think? You shouldn't let those stupid kids at school make you feel like you need to change anything about yourself."

"It's far too late to change anyone's perspective of me here even if I wanted to. Everyone in this city knows my name. People take one look at me and run. They pick fights with me on the street or they gang up on me at school. All I want is to be left alone.."

Izaya lowered his eyes. "You know.. I've gotten to see what kind of person you really are in these past few days. The person those kids at school are too shallow to give a chance. You've got your issues, just like I do. But that doesn't make you a bad person. Everyone breaks stuff, gets in trouble, says embarrassing things, and tells their share of lies. We're human. We all have flaws." He said with a small smile.

"It's not about changing yourself. It's just a matter of deciding who you want to let see the real you; Someone out there you'd do anything for to show them how great you can be."

Shizuo kept his eyes closed and he spoke softly. "Is there anyone out there who you're thinking of?"

Izaya looked down at the grass, clutching the jacket around him tightly. "Maybe. But a tormented soul like me could only bring others suffering. It's better that I just stay by myself."

Shizuo's eyes opened as the bundle of cloth was laid down next to him.

He looked up at Izaya as he stood over him. Their gazes locked and he felt a stinging in his chest as he watched the boy turn and disappear into the trees. Leaving him alone, once again.

Izaya ran as fast as his legs would carry him. He kept running and running until he felt like he'd collapse. He stumbled onto the sidewalk and leaned against the side of a building.

He sighed and slumped down onto the ground. He began to feel that familiar ache swelling up in his chest again; far heavier than before. A dozen things flashed through his mind. The student council president, the deal with Harima, what he'd done to Ayana, the bet with Shinra, and the days he'd spent with Shizuo.

Everything in his life had been going exactly the way he had planned. He had the entire school in the palm of his hand. His reputation was reaching its peak. And Shizuo Heiwajima should have been his biggest and greatest conquest.

Then why? Why couldn't he just do what he'd planned to do from the start and move on?

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the folded paper. His eyes traced over the words Shizuo had written down.

How does it feel? ..to be in love.

These emotions carried in our hearts.. I want to find them.

He clutched the note his chest and squeezed his eyes shut.

"This feeling.." He whispered. "What the hell is going on?"