.
Minato Mirai 21, Towards Cosmo Clock 21
7.07 PM
Something was missing.
Something was missing as he stopped suddenly on his way to his destination, as he looked up at the big wheel touching the sky.
Izaya soon realized what it was.
He slid out of Shizuo's jacket and held it up towards the blond.
"Here Shizu-chan, your jacket."
"Ah, you're alright now?"
"Yeah." Izaya said, as Shizuo put on his jacket.
"Hey Shizu-chan. Chase me."
"Huh?"
"I said chase me. Yell my name like you always do, and chase me to the top of the ferris wheel."
"What for?"
"Just chase me, Shizu-chan. Hurry, it's going to stop soon."
"You sure?" Shizuo said distractedly as he looked at the ferris wheel.
"…."
It took Shizuo a moment of silence to realize Izaya was gone.
…
…
Something was coming.
Even the more relaxed and laidback residents of Yokohama and tourists which had gathered in the Minato Mirai 21 felt as if something was crushing the very air they breathed in.
Footsteps. Loud footsteps. Stampeding.
A figure had been dashing through the amusement park, shoving through the crowd which gave way in surprise.
But that unknown black haired man had posed no harm, it was what was chasing him that made their nerves tingle with a sense of danger.
Something was tearing through the crowd. Something in blue and white with blond hair.
A human.
A human dressed nicely. A man in casual clothes like any other man in the amusement park. A man who could have just been walking past alone, or smiling at the girl who was his date.
But the man didn't look human; the expression on his face was more monstrous. He parted the crowd like a spear, his wide eyes zeroed in on something black in the distance –
"IiiiZAAAAAAAAA-YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Which apparently had a name that sounded more like a monster's roar, and the force with which he swept by was so great that they felt the wind blow past them as if under his control, and girls shrieked as they held their skirts down with their hands.
"W-Who was that?!"
"What was that?!"
"Za-ya?"
"What's a Zaya?"
"I only heard 'Ya'!"
…
He's here.
The black haired man smirked at the presence hot on his heels, and his feet crossed the distance faster as he ran in the open space, past the crowd.
Took you long enough, Shizu-chan.
"IZAAAAAYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
The adrenaline was pumping through his veins, and his heart pounded hard in his chest as he ran and ran, knowing he was being chased, and the knowledge gave way to an excited grin on his face.
"GET BACK HERE YOU FLEA! HOW DARE YOU RUN AWAY FROM ME?!"
Izaya turned and gave the angry beast the purest smile he could muster, fluttering his eyelashes as his eyes sparkled in amusement as the blond started, before his eyes narrowed.
"YOU'RE TRYING TO PISS ME OFF AREN'T YOUUUUUUUUUU?!"
"Of course not Shizu-chan! I'm flirting with you."
Shizuo's eyes widened and he almost stopped, until he saw the smirk on Izaya's face. Veins throbbed in his temple as an angry blush crept across his cheeks.
"Damn it…STOP MAKING FUN OF ME FUCKING FLEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Izaya laughed when Shizuo's shot out fist hit a lamppost, causing the metal pole to bend and the light to flicker, inciting panic in people.
"W-What?!"
"How?!"
"Did he just really - ?!"
Poor ignorant humans. The humans in our city are much more adaptable.
After all if this were Ikebukuro that lamppost would have fallen and crashed to the ground.
But that'll have to wait for another time.
- Right now…
The ferris wheel had stopped moving and it seemed people were getting out. It loomed in front of him, daunting due to its massive size and he felt a prick of insecurity as the colorful lights blinded him.
"IZAAA-YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
The loud roar shook him back to his senses. Izaya blinked and then shook his head, smirking wryly.
What am I hesitating for?
I can't stop now.
Not when there's a monster chasing me.
That thing behind me…something which isn't supposed to exist….
- Is more scary than that ferris wheel that doubles as a giant clock.
- I wonder, if I leap on it…
Will time stop?
[7.15PM]
The roller coaster Vanish curled around the Cosmo Clock 21 like a long red snake. Izaya leapt onto a signpost, and then sprang onto a lamppost that was the same height as the elevated red slide, using the strength of his legs to get him to the surface. He hopped onto it, and found himself face to face with the time.
[7.17PM]
He heard the noise before he saw it, the roller coaster full of people and in a split second he jumped onto the clock in a crouch, turning and giving a smirk and casual wave, relishing in the stupefied expressions on their faces.
His fingers splayed over the orange numbers as the rush was so strong he would have fallen had he not grasped onto any support. One of his eyes squinted as a lock of hair brushed against his eyelid, the other eye open against the force of the wind and a surviving smirk on his lips.
"IZAYA!"
He saw the blond hair over the heads of his humans and was presented with the sight of Shizuo's conflicted expression.
- Why are you looking like that, Shizu-chan?
Didn't you say you would climb the ferris wheel with me?
The cars were gone. Izaya stood up, balancing on the top of the digital clock and spreading his arms as if he belonged there –
"What's wrong, Shizu-chan? That expression doesn't suit your monster face! Are you giving up? When you're on the ground and I'm all the way up here?"
"Idiot! That was fucking dangerous! What if the car hit you?!"
Izaya laughed. He threw his head back, his head touching the center of the ferris wheel and laughed his amusement to the air.
"WHY THE HELL ARE YOU LAUGHING?!"
"HAHAHAHA! Shizu-chan, Shizu-chan, who are you and what have you done with my Shizu-chan?"
"WHAT?!"
"Really…have you forgotten? I'm Orihara Izaya. I live for danger."
"Still -!"
"Hey."
Izaya's expression was no longer one of amusement.
"If Shizu-chan is worried about such a small thing, then I don't need him to accompany me. After all, if he can't get to where I am, he's not fit to stand by my side."
"WHAT? SO I'M NOT ALLOWED TO WORRY ABOUT YOU?!"
"Shizu-chan can worry all he wants…but he should also trust me more, don't you think?"
Izaya said. And then he smirked, looking down on the monster on the ground.
"Besides, if I had miscalculated, then Shizu-chan would have jumped in to save me right? He would have knocked the cars full of innocent people out of the way and caused an accident! Or would he…? What a moral dilemma, huh Shizu-chan?"
"IZAYA YOU BASTARD!"
"And don't you forget that." Izaya flicked his hand at Shizuo and directed his gaze away.
- How disappointing.
- The point of chasing me is to catch me, and you haven't caught me yet.
- Well, just stay on the ground like a normal human.
- While I ascend to the top.
With such thoughts in his heart, Izaya moved. He jumped as if from a trampoline and grabbed the nearest rod to the right with both hands. He hung from there for a while, then reached his left hand to the metal rod above him, clutching it and letting go of the rod below, his right hand automatically grasping the higher rod.
This is harder than I thought.
Ah, I should have started from the bottom rod instead of the roller coaster, then I could have built momentum even without a monster chasing me
He shifted his gaze, but the nearest cart was too far away. Steeling his resolve, he pushed with his legs and reached for another rod.
He repeated the same pattern with the other rods, climbing to the top as if on a vertical monkey bar.
And then the ferris wheel moved, and one of his legs almost slipped off. He righted his balance quickly, eyes widening.
"Hey."
A shift of his gaze revealed Shizuo on the left side of the ferris wheel, standing on a metal rod with one hand grasping it.
"You're not a monkey, you're a flea. And fleas jump. Like this."
And Izaya's balance was disrupted once again as Shizuo sprang off from the metal rod. He used one hand to pull himself up and soon he was standing eight rods higher, as if he had been there all along.
Izaya stared, and Shizuo smirked, then turned.
"Well, see you."
And then he was off, springing up with the superhuman muscles in his legs.
- Alright, that is unfair.
- How the hell does he jump like that?
Izaya clenched his teeth, forcing his legs up and his feet to stand.
- As if I'll let Shizu-chan reach the top before me!
"What's wrong, flea?! Scared of falling? Is that why you won't let go of those handles?"
Izaya glared at Shizuo who was smirking from above him.
"When the hell did you get there?!"
"Huh? I was here all along. While you were climbing safely like a monkey, I was standing and watching you."
"But you were on the ground - !"
"Yeah and now I'm near the top. Got a problem? Sorry, am I too fast for you?"
"You bastard!"
"Just returning the favor, monkey-flea."
Shizuo said. He jumped, and then he let himself fall.
"S-Shizu-chan?!"
The blond landed on the clock. Unaware of the dent he had produced, he leapt to the right, and Izaya's eyes widened as Shizuo landed on the rod he was clutching.
"Need a hand?"
Shizuo had crouched and extended a hand. Izaya responded by pulling himself up with enough force so that he stood on the same rod as Shizuo, his hand free to slap Shizuo's hand away.
"As if."
Shizuo stood up, grinning viciously. "That's more like it. See?"
"What?"
"I was there." Shizuo turned and pointed to the rod on the far left.
And then he turned to Izaya –
"And now I'm here. And, it didn't even take me a minute." He gestured to the clock.
"What are you trying to say?"
Shizuo's expression turned serious.
"I'm keeping my word. If you fall, I'll do my best to catch you. Since I can't stop you, I decided to climb with you. If I don't, how can I catch you if you fall?"
"I won't fall."
"But you think you might. So you haven't been letting go of the bars."
"Not everyone is a monster like you, Shizu-chan."
"But you're the flea." Shizuo said bluntly.
"The flea I know wouldn't be daunted by the possibility of falling. In fact, didn't that same flea shout at me for being worried that he would fall? After all, Orihara Izaya lives for danger right?"
Izaya had no retort. Shizuo looked at him, then turned.
"Remember Izaya, I will catch you if you fall. I promise. If you fall, I'll fall with you."
And then he crossed the impossible distance in one long jump, reaching the other end of the ferris wheel only to spring up again.
- He really is a monster.
- No human can jump like that.
Jump.
- Jump.
The realization hit him stronger than the wind of the coaster car had –
That's right.
Parkour is about running and climbing –
And jumping.
This time, Izaya didn't hesitate. He jumped, as if he was leaping from window to window, reaching out his hands to pull himself up at the same time his feet kicked against the metal surface below him.
It was like he was jumping through the air, for he touched the rods with his hands for barely a second before his legs pushed him to the next.
It felt natural. It felt easy.
It was thrilling.
"Haha! HAHAHAHAHA!"
- Yes.
- This is it.
- THIS IS IT!
- This is what I was looking forward to.
- This THRILL!
With his new momentum, he was almost at the top. He looked north west and grinned at Shizuo –
Who had let himself fall.
…
Izaya realized too late that his moment of distraction had cost him his grasp on the bar above.
He felt his legs give way, and his hand reached out desperately as the air was below him –
And just when he thought he was going to fall from the top, fingers grasped his.
"Don't move! Give me your other hand!"
Izaya was too stunned to even think about the contradiction in Shizuo's commands. He raised his other hand.
Instead of letting go of his hand so he could have one free hand to grasp Izaya's other hand, Shizuo let go of the rod he was holding.
"Shizu-chan you -!"
"TRUST ME!"
- At this rate you really are going to fall with me
Shizuo was now standing on the rod, one of his hands holding onto Izaya's weight as gravity pulled him down. He gritted his teeth and as he spread his feet, pressing down hard on the metal beneath him, swung down to grab hold of Izaya's wrist.
At the same time, he let go of his grasp on Izaya's fingers to grab hold onto the metal rod above, using it to support himself as he pulled Izaya out of the air, the strength he exerted on the rods so strong that the metal groaned in protest –
Which Izaya realized, and he parted his dry lips and spoke.
"Let me go."
"Never!"
"Listen to me! Your strength is already too much for the rod! If you try to pull me onto it it'll break and we'll both fall!"
"I DON'T CARE! THERE'S NO FUCKING WAY –"
"SHUT UP! IT'S YOUR TURN TO TRUST ME! THROW ME!"
"Izaya –"
"NOW!"
"…SHIT!"
With a roar of frustration and despair, Shizuo flung Izaya upwards, and jumped off the bent metal.
With Shizuo's throw, Izaya was soaring up into the air. He was so high that he touched the clouds, and when he looked down, he saw the top of the ferris wheel.
- Is this it?
- Am I going to become another Icarus?
But then he was falling, down, down, down. Shizuo was standing on the top as if ready to catch him.
Izaya didn't want to test Shizuo's strength. He was falling so fast. He feared that if Shizuo caught him his weight would exert Shizuo's full strength onto the metal, which it wouldn't be able to stand.
And then they would have singlehandedly destroyed the second tallest ferris wheel in the world.
"GET OUT OF THE WAY!"
"WHA –"
Izaya gave a glare to convey the message and Shizuo reluctantly stepped aside.
He counted in his mind, and flung out his hands to grab hold of the metal rod, and hung from it, his legs dangling in free air.
"IZAYA!"
"I'm fine!"
With the adrenaline pumping in his blood from the near fall and high flight, Izaya pulled himself up with the muscles in his arms, until his feet were on solid surface again.
He exhaled heavily, his hand to his chest and his eyes wide, his heart racing so fast that it hurt to breathe.
"Izaya! Are you alright?!"
"Fine…" Izaya put a hand out towards the cart next to him to steady himself.
"My…breath…need…back…."
Shizuo looked as if Izaya had voluntarily jumped off the ferris wheel. He stepped back slowly, as if afraid his strength would render all their efforts to waste.
"I…Izaya…"
"…I'm alive."
Izaya breathed out in wonder as he leaned against the cart.
Shizuo looked as if he wanted to take the other man into his arms and never let him go.
"You're alright."
Izaya nodded. Relief flooded Shizuo's expression and he let himself fall back against the other cart, letting out a loud groan.
"Ahh…damn it! DAMN IT DAMN IT DAMN IT! DON'T FUCKING SCARE ME LIKE THAT EVER AGAIN! I ALMOST HAD A FUCKING HEART ATTACK, YOU HEAR ME?!"
"What a coincidence, I too thought I was going to die. But looks like I survived."
"SHUT UP! THIS IS THE FIRST AND LAST TIME YOU'RE CLIMBING THE FUCKING FERRIS WHEEL!"
Izaya smirked. He laughed weakly, shooting out a hand.
"I give, I give. You caught me. Damn, you really caught me."
"But I let you go –"
"Doesn't matter. But seriously Shizu-chan, you're crazy."
"YOU'RE THE CRAZY ONE! JUST WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!"
"Logic? I told you, if Shizu-chan pulled me onto the rod with him, we would have both fallen. Shizu-chan's monstrous strength would have been too much for the poor rod."
Izaya said playfully, but his eyes were serious.
"…Ugh!"
Shizuo slapped a hand to his face, averting his gaze.
"But really, Shizu-chan. How did you do it?"
"What?"
"How were you able to get to me? You were all the way up there! When I looked at Shizu-chan, he was already falling towards me."
"This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't looked at me in the first place!" Shizuo grumbled, but answered, "I…looked at you first, and you seemed you were falling and it just hit me. So I ran and jumped off to where you were."
"What? How can that be? I didn't even know I was falling until I looked at Shizu-chan."
"I don't know. It was just in my head, 'He's going to fall'. Like that. Your hand looked like it wouldn't grab the bar in time. The moment I processed that, my body moved on its own."
"…Shizu-chan your instincts are insane. You basically predicted the future."
"What? No, it was just a feeling! It could be wrong but I didn't think of that, even if it was wrong, I didn't want to take the risk. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if you fell because I didn't trust my instincts."
Izaya opened his mouth, but Shizuo was continuing on –
"I mean, my instincts always alerted me when something is up in Ikebukuro because of you after all. They've never failed me concerning you, so…"
"So Shizu-chan's instincts are oriented towards me?"
Shizuo looked as if he didn't know how to reply. He scoffed and looked away.
"Maybe."
"Aw, I'm honored, Shizu-chan!"
"Shut up! And stop moving or you'll fall again!"
Shizuo barked, but Izaya only laughed. He held out his hand and Shizuo looked at it in confusion.
But Izaya smiled, and Shizuo's eyes widened. Swallowing, he stepped forward until he was close enough to take Izaya's hand.
"I was wrong."
"Eh?"
Izaya's hand grasped Shizuo's as he spoke –
"You're more than fit to stand by my side, Shizuo. You saved my life. Thank you."
"I didn't –"
"Oh don't be shy. I'm thanking you so can't you just accept it? Really, Orihara Izaya is thanking you, that happens only once a decade you know!"
"I-I'm just glad you're safe."
"Haha. You're so sweet, Shizu-chan."
Shizuo blushed as Izaya clasped his hand tighter.
"I- um your hand –"
"What? You don't like me holding your hand?"
"No! I like it! Just –why?"
"Hm? Does there have to be a 'why'? Can't I hold your hand just because I feel like it?"
"You can…"
"Then there's no problem, is there? Haha look at me, using Shizu-chan's logic….I must be high from my near death experience!"
"…."
"Shizu-chan, your expression looks like you're thinking 'oh my god I'm holding Izaya's hand what should I do what if I crush it' – is it something like that?"
"….!"
"Heh. Think of it this way. This is the hand Shizu-chan refused to let go of just now, so I'm just giving you a little reward."
"…Can I really?"
Izaya nodded with a smile. Shizuo's shoulders relaxed and he slowly intertwined their fingers together as he drew closer to Izaya.
"Thank you."
Shizuo murmured. Izaya looked at him.
"That's the third time today."
But he was smiling as he said it, and he turned his head as his fingers touched Shizuo's.
"Look, Shizu-chan. The view's gorgeous, isn't it?"
…
At the top of the ferris wheel, the city was laid out in splendor beneath them, presenting to Shizuo and Izaya a bird eye's view of the road they had traveled, as they gazed upon the glimmering lights of the city illuminating the night. Over the water surface, the ferris wheel's lights were reflected in a shimmering pool of colors on which boats sailed, seeming as if they were engulfed in an aurora borealis.
It was as if time had stopped in that moment.
Only to move again when Izaya moved –
"This," said Izaya as he swept a hand across the city –
"Is the Harbor of the Future 21. That is the Yokohama Landmark Tower, the tallest building in Japan."
"Over there is the Statue of Michibiki, the winged-goddess said to be a good luck charm that grants wishes. That ship over there is the Nippon Maru, which doubles as a museum. Those buildings are known as the Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse. It's a famous shooting place for movies and dramas. Kasuka-kun probably has done his movies there before."
"That large bridge is the Bankokubashi, another popular shooting location. Rinko Park is there and Yamashita Park, Yokohama's most famous park is that one over there."
"And last but not least, we have the three buildings. The 'King', the 'Queen' and the 'Jack'. Legend says if you view all of them at the same time your wish will come true."
Izaya's smile widened. He laid his hand out so that his palm was facing the sky –
"This is the view you don't get to see from the ground. It's beautiful, don't you think so?"
"Yeah."
Shizuo said in awe as he looked out at the city of lights before him.
He then turned to Izaya, and was met with the genuine smile on the black haired man's face, which took his breath away.
"…It really is beautiful."
So this is the view he wanted to see.
"Oh?" Izaya's smile widened as he peered down from above – "Looks like people are calling us, Shizu-chan."
"Well, people do want to ride the ferris wheel."
"Somehow, I think they're more concerned with that stunt we pulled." Izaya turned, and his hand slipped away from Shizuo's as he hopped onto the cart, laying back and taking out his phone.
"What are you doing?"
"Taking a picture." Izaya replied as he held his iPhone. "It's not everyday I get to see this type of scenery."
Shizuo climbed onto the cart. He sat down next to Izaya, stretching his legs and pulling one knee back so he could rest his chin on it. Inadvertently, his hand reached for Izaya's free hand, which didn't move away from him.
Only the shutter of Izaya's iPhone produced noise in the peaceful silence as Shizuo and Izaya sat on top of the cart at the highest point of the Cosmo Clock 21, as Shizuo laid his hand upon Izaya's between them, their fingers brushing together, the gold and silver bracelets touching each other.
The Harbour of the Future huh? If the future were like this, it wouldn't be too bad.
Shizuo thought vaguely, as the wind toyed with his blond locks. Time seemed to fade away as he closed his eyes and immersed himself in the peaceful silence with the flea by his side.
He opened his eyes only when he felt Izaya's shoulder brush against his. Izaya didn't seem to have noticed, and Shizuo smiled as the wind surrounded them, and their jackets fluttered behind them in the breeze.
He leaned down and brushed his lips against Izaya's cheek before he was aware, only realizing when Izaya blinked and pink covered his cheeks.
"S-Shizu-chan?"
"It was the perfect moment, so I'm not apologizing."
"…Idiot."
Izaya glanced away, and the pink on his cheeks turned to red. Yet he didn't move his hand away from Shizuo's, and Shizuo's smile widened.
Ah…it was worth it.
All that excitement and danger
All that anger and frustration
That anxiety and fear
Just to be with him like this.
And it was then that a sudden epiphany came to him –
- I want to stay with him.
- I want to stay by his side.
- …For as long as he will let me.
"You're more than fit to stand by my side, Shizuo. You saved my life. Thank you."
Those words resounded in his mind as his gaze was on the owner of that voice.
- …Ah I see.
Shizuo's fingers slid in between Izaya's as he smiled, almost absently, as a sense of peace filled his entire being.
So this is what I was searching for all along.
…
…
…
The Cosmo Clock 21 really is a giant (digital) clock, feel free to google images of it. I can totally see Izaya jumping onto the cart after a near death experience and sitting there like it's a couch and just taking pictures as proof he made it on top of the second tallest ferris wheel in the world and the tallest ferris wheel in Japan. And Shizuo going along 'cause why not. Let's hope he took a picture of himself and Shizu-chan as well. The two most dangerous men of Ikebukuro, on top of the tallest ferris wheel in Japan. It could even be made into a postcard. Give Shinra and Celty a shock. Or not. It's Shinra after all.
Shizuo could reach the top in like ten jumps considering how he climbed up that building and how he climbed to the top of Sunshine 60 (the Cosmo Clock 21 is of course shorter than Sunshine 60 which is like 787 feet) But of course he's only there for his Izaya. (Lucky bastard it's not even your brithday anymore but at least you were more honest this time)
Well there's one last part left to their date so I hope to not disappoint. And there you have it, the kiss. One-sided and on the cheek but at least there's still a kiss right. It's a scene I actually like and makes me wish I could draw. Shizuo's and Izaya's jackets fluttering behind them in the breeze, Izaya's his usual fur-trimmed one and Shizuo's his new blue one with silver buttons, Izaya's slender shoulder brushing against Shizuo's and Shizuo smiling and being unable to resist, lowering his head towards the oblivious Izaya who's contentedly taking pictures with his phone and kissing his cheek with their hands laid together in between them and couple bracelets touching gently. Sharing such a nice peaceful moment after the tumultuous adrenaline filled one of earlier.
Anyway. I know I said I would update It Just Happened before this but I'm not really inspired to write at the moment and I'm not sure people are even still interested. Sorry. It's quite an old story to me so. I'm actually thinking of discontinuing it. The reason is explained in a post on my tumblr. I haven't decided yet so if you have any comments (or protests) it'd be nice if you could let me know, either here or on tumblr. I hope to make the decision in a week.
Seeing the date it's been one month since I last updated, what a coincidence huh. Well it's a good time to release the chapter I guess. My exams are over so besides this I will be writing The Butterfly Effect which I'm quite interested in. It's a Shizaya Raijin High slight AU. Updates will be quite regular I think so feel free to check that out too. I have stuff planned but I'm still a bit unsure 'cause it's my first time writing Raijin High setting so reviews would really encourage me to write more. If you want to, of course. Freedom of will being my priority and all.
Thanks for reading.