Here is chapter 9. In the scene with Namie and Izaya, you can see it as friendship or whatever you want. I don't really care. I hope you like this chapter and review. Sorry for the late update.


It had been half an hour since Izaya had been locked in the closet, and still, no one had come to his rescue. He was starting to give up hope and he grew more and more scared as time went by. He wondered briefly how long he would be stuck in here and if he would ever be let out. He didn't know how much longer he could stay in here before having an all out panic attack. Sure, he had been in a dark closet for days on end during his childhood, but that only made it worse. Now, he couldn't even stand being in small, dark places for two minutes, let alone thirty. He was surprised he hadn't passed out from the lack of air he was feeling, yet.

Lucky for him, some girl had cleaning duty and was heading for the janitor's closet. That girl being Namie Yagiri. As she got closer to the closet, Namie heard soft banging noises coming from it. She tried opening the door, only to find it locked. Looking around, she found a key to the closet placed on a hook next to the door.

Taking hold of the key, Namie quickly opened the door and spotted a lithe form curled up on the floor. When she realized who the figure was, she was utterly shocked. She couldn't believe that it was Izaya Orihara who had been pounding on the door and Namie was even more surprised to see him shaking, rocking back and forth on the floor in the closet. She didn't think Izaya could be so vulnerable.

Cautiously, Namie lowered herself to Izaya's level and spoke to him, unconcerned, "Hey, are you okay?"

She waited for a while, but Izaya gave her no answer so she tried again, "Hello? Anyone there?"

Namie reached her hand out and put it on his shoulder. As soon as she did, Izaya turned to face her and hugged her.

When the door opened, Izaya couldn't move at all. He just sat there, trying to regain his composure unsuccessfully. He vaguely heard someone talk to him, but couldn't decipher what they were saying. Even if he could, he didn't think he would be able to answer them. He was still too consumed by fear to do anything. But, when they touched his shoulder, he could move again.

He somehow knew by their touch that they meant him no harm. That they were trying to help. So he did the only thing he could manage at the moment.

He hugged them.

He hugged them like they were his lifeline. And in a way, they were. It was only then that he realized who it was, Namie Yagiri. He was hugging the girl of ice, but he really couldn't bring himself care. Izaya was focused more on getting himself to breathe normally again and calming himself down. He would deal with the consequences later.

To his astonishment, and hers, Namie found herself hugging him back, also trying to calm him down. Izaya was confused, but welcomed the unfamiliar tenderness, as he was sure this would be the only time he would get it from anyone other than his sisters. She started whispering to him, saying that it was okay and he found that it helped push down his fears.

Namie wondered why she was hugging Izaya. She had heard the rumors going around about him and despised him greatly. Yet, here she was, finding herself hugging the guy and telling him everything was okay. She thought about it and supposed that it was because, at this moment, Izaya reminded her of her precious Seiji after he had a nightmare. Of course, Izaya was no where near the level of Seiji, but she couldn't help the thought.

Izaya was still shaking, but he had calmed his breathing down to where it was almost back to normal. Slowly he released his hold of Namie, making sure not to make eye contact, and stood up. He turned to face the exit and spotted Shizuo standing there. He had a very perplexed expression on his face, but Izaya ignored him completely and walked right past him, out the door.

It had been thirty minutes since he left Izaya in the closet, and Shizuo didn't feel like staying at school any longer. He had to let Izaya out of there sometime and he thought leaving him in there overnight was a bit cruel. Plus, the guy had sisters and judging from what he overheard the other day, no one to take care of them except Izaya.

So, out of begrudging kindness for Izaya's twin sisters, Shizuo decided to let him out now. He hadn't expected someone else to do it first. When he got into the hall he left Izaya in, he spotted a girl kneeling on the floor. On closer inspection, Shizuo noticed that she was being hugged by someone and hugging them in turn.

Realization hit, as Shizuo saw Izaya's raven hair pressed up against the girl's shoulder. He didn't know what to think and just stared at them with deep confusion. Then his ears picked up on the comforting whispers and he noticed that Izaya was shaking. Not only that, but he was breathing in short, heavy gasps and he was clutching tightly onto the back of the girl's shirt, like something terrible would happen if he let go.

Wait... What was going on? What was Izaya scared of? Was it... Was it the closet? Izaya was claustrophobic? That couldn't be it. He was too proud for that.

Shizuo watched as Izaya reluctantly let go of the girl and refused to met her eyes. He was still visibly shaking, but he stood up and prepared to leave the school. Shizuo and Izaya's eyes met for a brief second before Izaya looked away and rushed past him.

Shizuo just stood there until he saw the girl get up off her knees and she turned to face Shizuo. She looked at him blankly before saying, "Judging by the way he avoided you like the plague, I'm guessing you're the idiot who looked him in the closet."

Shizuo was too stunned to answer her and stared straight ahead. She continued, "I suggest you consider otherw people's circumstances and fears before acting so rashly. You may end up regretting it."

She walked away and left Shizuo to think about what she said.

Shizuo roughly scratched the back of his and and walked off, 'All this thinking is hurting my head.'

He met up with Shinra and they headed home together.

Not being able to keep it to himself, Shizuo asked, "Hey, Shinra, is Izaya claustrophobic?"

Shinra looked at Shiziu curiously and answered, "I don't really know. Why do you ask?"

Shizuo growled and responded, "You don't know? Haven't you been friends with the guy since Middle School or something?"

Shinra laughed, "Yeah, I have, but Izaya doesn't really talk about himself or share any personal information. He's very secretive."

Shizuo looked at him doubtfully, "So, you know nothing about him?"

"Not really," Shinra beamed up at him, "why did you ask if he was claustrophobic?"

Sighing, Shizuo answered, "After he was out of the room, he looked really shaken."

"And you left him in there for thirty minutes! How could you?" Shinra asked exasperatedly

Angry, Shizuo shouted, "It's not like you're any better! You left him there too, it's not all my fault!"

Shinra shook his head and looked forward, "I couldn't do anything about it. You're a lot stronger than me and I doubt you would let me get him out anyway."

Shinra and Shizuo walked the rest of the way home in silence, wondering why Izaya kept so many things hidden. Shinra and Shizuo realized just how little they really knew about Izaya.