Congrats to Aeonora for being my 150th reviewer and winner of the gift oneshot! :D And thank you to everyone else who reviewed, you guys are just so awesome! ^^ It's all because of your guys' encouraging words that I was able to work on this chapter and get it to you early.

I hope you guys enjoy this pretty long chapter (though I guess it doesn't beat Delic's chapter. I don't think anything I write from now on will ever beat that chapter's length O_o). This is the end of Tsugaru and Psyche's story. Next chapter will finally be the beginning of the couple you've all been waiting for: the original Shizuo and Izaya! After them is Shitsuo and Sakuraya. So please look forward to it~! :)

Also, have a great Thanksgiving everyone!

Disclaimer: I do not own Durarara or any of its characters.

Tsugaru & Psyche

"What is the meaning of this, Tsugaru?" Tsugaru's blue eyes steadily looked at Shiki's sharp, dark ones, conveying his seriousness. Shiki sat on the couch, his legs crossed as well as his arms as he frowned at his adoptive son.

"It's simply a precautionary measure, Shiki-san," Tsugaru explained. "Seeing as Erika and I do not have an heir yet, wouldn't it be better to be safer than sorry by me naming an heir just in case something were to happen to me?"

"Yes, I see your point," Shiki nodded with acquiescence. "But naming a guard as your heir? A guard who isn't even of our branch."

"But he will be once Erika and I marry," Tsugaru pointed out.

"He is still just a guard."

"A trusted guard," Tsugaru emphasized. "Even Akabayashi holds Walker in high regard."

"You hardly even know the man," Shiki snorted.

"Yes, but Erika trusts him, Shiki-san, and I would prefer that if anything were to happen to me, Erika would be able to depend on someone she trusts rather than a complete stranger."

Shiki still seemed skeptical about the arrangement, his eyes narrowing suspiciously at Tsugaru. But the blonde kept a serious and earnest look on his face. Finally, Shiki sighed in defeat. "Alright, if that is what you want, Tsugaru, I will allow it."

Tsugaru beamed, silently cheering himself in his head, "Thank you, father."

For a moment, Shiki's gruff mask was dropped as he looked at Tsugaru in surprise, hearing the blonde call him father for the first time. Although he did his best to hide it, Tsugaru knew that Shiki was happy to hear that. "Don't think this means you can convince me of anything," Shiki grumbled as Tsugaru chuckled.

"Wouldn't think that at all," Tsugaru said as he stood up and left the room, waving goodbye to Shiki as he did so.

"Eh? You want me to ask Kasuka for a favor for you?" Shizuo turned to look at his cousin with a confused expression, an unlit cigarette dangling from his mouth as he wiped some glasses dry.

"Please, Shizuo," Tsugaru pleaded his cousin. "He has an apartment in Los Angeles, right? I just need someplace to stay until I can find a place of my own."

"But why are you going to Los Angeles anyway?" Shizuo asked as he put down the glass he had been drying, throwing the towel over his shoulder as he looked at his cousin seriously.

Tsugaru paused in thought for a moment, wondering it was okay to reveal his plan to Shizuo. But he figured that he could trust Shizuo to not tell anyone, and his cousin always wanted him to get away from the yakuza lifestyle anyway, so why would he protest against it? "Well, Shizuo, I happened to meet someone…" And then Tsugaru went on, telling Shizuo his story about meeting Psyche, the arranged marriage, the plan to escape it, and how he and Psyche would leave Japan.

Shizuo listened earnestly, seeming deep in thought as he considered Tsugaru's words. When Tsugaru finished speaking, Shizuo smiled broadly at him and clapped his cousin on the back, "Good for you, Tsugaru. I'm glad you're leaving that place. Being the head of a yakuza clan…it just doesn't suit you."

Shizuo then paused, taking the cigarette from his mouth before he spoke again. "I'll talk to Kasuka about letting you borrow his apartment," Shizuo told Tsugaru as the barista threw out the unlit cigarette into a trashcan. "I'm sure he won't mind."

Tsugaru smiled gratefully at his cousin, "Thank you, Shizuo."

"Hey, anything for family right?" Shizuo ruffled Tsugaru's hair affectionately.

"You're going to come to the wedding, right?" Tsugaru then inquired.

Shizuo laughed, throwing his head back as his bellowing voice filled the café, "Are you kidding? I wouldn't miss it for the world! Even if it's fake."

"Good," Tsugaru nodded his head, his eyes twinkling with mirth. "It would be nice to have someone supporting me there."

"You just make sure to do the same for me when it's my turn," Shizuo said as he resumed drying the glasses.

"Of course I will," Tsugaru seemed offended that Shizuo would think he wouldn't do so, though there was a joking smile on the blonde's face. "Whatever girl captures your attention must be really special, Shizuo."

"Yeah," the barista murmured as he smiled somewhat bitterly. "That girl really does gotta be pretty special."

Tsugaru seemed confused by his cousin's sudden change in mood, but as Shizuo moved slightly to the side and paid careful attention to his work, Tsugaru sensed it was something he didn't want to talk about. So he didn't mention it, instead going on to tell Shizuo what the wedding was going to be like.

"When is the wedding anyway?" Shizuo asked as he looked up from making a drink.

"The last Saturday of this month," Tsugaru grimaced slightly. "The family wanted to hold it as soon as possible."

Shizuo had a sympathetic look on his face, "Good luck."

Tsugaru chuckled softly, getting up from his seat on the bar signaling he had to go now. "Thanks. I'll need it."

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Horada?" one guy asked, his eyes flickering nervously as he wrung his hands. "I mean, this is the Awakusu-kai we'll be going up against."

"So what?" Horada growled as he glared the man, the guy flinching at the cold stare. "Are you really satisfied with sitting here and twiddling your thumbs, letting our family being pushed to near extinction while those people are just as happy as can be? I don't know about you, but I hate that!"

There were some murmurs of agreement among the group of young men gathered by Horada. The blonde stood up on a platform, putting on foot up on a box and resting his arm on his leg. "Listen up! This Saturday will be the end of our family's plight! We'll take back what's rightfully ours from the Awakusu-kai and crush them! We will make them suffer as they have made us suffer!"

With each sentence the men got more heated up, cheering their agreements and nodding their heads enthusiastically. It had been a long while since any of them were able to be involved in a fight. Many of them still held grudges against the Awakusu-kai for various reasons.

"This will be our revolution!" Horada exclaimed. "Now who's with me!"

Most of the men cheered and held up their hands to proclaim their involvement. Horada smirked to himself in satisfaction. He was a natural born leader, wasn't he?

"Um, boss…"

"What?" Horada snapped as he turned to the man who had spoken.

The man didn't flinch but remained calm as he spoke, "Just what is our plan anyway?"

There was silence as all eyes turned to Horada. The man blinked, realizing he didn't make a concrete plan yet. He tried to cover it up though by being smooth, leaning back and pushing his hair back. "Well, you see, men…" he trailed off and tried to think. He then brightened as he remembered the photos he had, and the information it implied. He pulled the photos out of his pocket and held it up for the men to see. "I actually have come across some top secret information regarding the two heirs of the Awakusu-kai. Both of them have secret lovers."

"So are we going to kidnap them?" one guy asked.

"That's exactly what we're going to do!" Horada called out with excitement. It was a brilliant plan, and they could get a lot out of it. "We'll kidnap them on the wedding day and hold them for ransom! That way they have to stop wedding and we'll get money out of it. And while the family is in chaos over the kidnapping, that'll be the perfect time to attack them." Horada smiled wickedly at his devious plot. It was perfect. Absolutely perfect.

The men shouted their agreements with the plan. All they had to do was wait until the wedding…

"Shouldn't you be heading home by now?" Psyche teasingly asked as he lightly swung his and Tsugaru's intertwined hands. "Aren't you getting married tomorrow?"

Tsugaru groaned as he shook his head, "Don't remind me." The blonde then smiled before he tugged Psyche into his arms, holding onto the raven tightly. "I'd be much happier spending my time with you."

Psyche blushed but smiled happily as he wrapped his arms around Tsugaru's neck. "We'll be together soon enough."

Tsugaru sighed though, "Not as soon as I would like it." He looked down at Psyche, pushing some stray strands of hair out of the raven's face. "Have you already sold your apartment?"

Psyche nodded, "The new tenant is moving in next month."

Tsugaru smiled at that news, reaching down and chastely kissing Psyche on the forehead. "Thank you."

"For what?" an embarrassed yet happy Psyche asked with a slight confused look.

"For giving me a chance," Tsugaru smiled softly as he gently caressed Psyche's face. "If you had rejected me back when we first met…well, we wouldn't be here would we?"

Psyche's face became redder as he shyly looked at the ground, "I should be the one thanking you."

"For what?" Tsugaru questioned, this time being confused one.

Sneakily smiling, Psyche stood up on his toes and kissed Tsugaru softly on the lips, pulling away seconds later to see the blonde red up to his ears although the smile on his face was wide and deliriously happy. Psyche smiled softly at that look, "For loving me back."

"Of course," Tsugaru simply stated as he tightened his hold around Psyche. "Why wouldn't I love you back?"

Before Psyche could answer, Tsugaru had swept down and captured his lips, the blonde placing his hand under the raven's chin to tilt his face up. He had worked his tongue inside Psyche's mouth, tasting the slight peppermint flavor of the wet cavern. Their tongues were slow, gentle, yet loving as they caressed each other and tangled together. Psyche could feel his knees shaking and was glad Tsugaru was holding him up or else he'd fall. His hands worked their way from Tsugaru's neck to his hair, entangling themselves in the blonde locks. Psyche moaned lowly as Tsugaru did something with his tongue that made shivers run down the raven's back. A growl built in the back of Tsugaru throat as the two of them pulled apart for a moment to breathe before Tsugaru connected their lips again.

"Damn," Tsugaru hissed breathlessly when they pulled away again. Psyche trembled slightly in his arms, his face flushed, saliva moistening his pink lips, and a lustful look in his eyes. Tsugaru so badly wanted to drag the raven to the nearest hotel and show him just how much he loved the raven. The blonde groaned in sadness and annoyance, placing his forehead against Psyche's. "Why can't I spend the night with you?"

Psyche wanted to ask the same thing. His body still had pleasurable tremors running through it as his mind yelled at him to ask Tsugaru to stay with him. But they had to accomplish their mission. It wouldn't do to give up this far in. "No," Psyche was a bit upset with how weak his protest sounded. "You have to go home."

Becoming a bit more determined, the raven pushed himself away from Tsugaru, half of him craving the blonde's touch again. Tsugaru also knew what he had to do was important, although that didn't stop him from looking disappointed. "You're right," Tsugaru sighed in resignation. "But I'm going to miss you all the same."

Psyche couldn't hide his glee from hearing so. He kissed Tsugaru quickly as a consolation. "I'll miss you too."

The blonde groaned again as he gave Psyche one last, tight hug, "It's going to be a long day tomorrow."

"You'll survive," Psyche laughed.

"Barely," Tsugaru muttered before he quickly pecked Psyche on the nose. "Good night, my love."

He left afterwards, Psyche blushing as he murmured something about silly, sexy, blue-eyed blondes under his breath. He then turned and headed towards his apartment, the street lights of the city lighting up as darkness filled the sky.

Psyche sighed sadly as he reached his apartment door, searching for his keys in his jacket pocket. It felt so lonely without Tsugaru here. Psyche finally found his keys and unlocked his door, stepping inside his dark apartment and pulling off his shoes. But before he could finish the action the door slammed shut and Psyche only had a second to yelp before strong arms grasped him and hand clasped over his mouth, muffling his screams.

"Word of advice," a voice whispered in his ear. "It's not a smart idea to put a spare key above your door."

Psyche tried to thrash about and fight back, but there was suddenly a chemical smell filling his nostrils that made him drowsy. His actions became sluggish as his eyes began to droop. He could faintly hear someone hissing, "Hurry up and tie him up!"

Tsugaru, Psyche tried to call out for help. He wasn't sure if he spoke out or not. His was getting dizzy now, and he could barely keep his eyes open. He felt someone's hands grab him roughly as his hands were tied together. His consciousness was now fading out, and the need to sleep overwhelmed him.

Tsugaru, Psyche thought one last time before he blacked out completely.

"Looking sharp there, cuz."

"Shizuo!" Tsugaru cried out in relief as he went to hug his cousin. The barista had pretty much dressed up his usual white button down shirt and black slacks he wore to work, adding a black vest, red tie, and a black blazer. Tsugaru, on the other hand, was decked out in traditional Japanese wedding attire. His montsuki kimono was baby blue in color tucked into white hakama pants. His haori was also white, with blue bubbles decorating it around the upper chest. The Awakusu-kai family crest was imprinted on the left and right on the haori.

And while dressed nice it was obvious that Tsugaru was a basketful of nerves. He tapped his foot impatiently and kept looking around as if he expected someone to pop out and proclaim that he knew what Tsugaru was up to. Shizuo just shook his head and patted his cousin on the back, waking Tsugaru up from whatever crazy situation he had thought up. "It's going to be alright, Tsugaru. Just relax."

"Sorry," Tsugaru apologized as he smiled sheepishly. "I'm just…worried, you know?"

"Yeah, I know," Shizuo said as he reached in his pocket and pulled out a carton of cigarettes. After getting a glare from Tsugaru though, the blonde sighed and put it away. "I wasn't going to light it," he muttered.

"You should really quit that habit," Tsugaru said pointedly but Shizuo just rolled his eyes at him and muttered something under his breath. Tsugaru opened his mouth to say something else when there was loud clamor from outside that made both the blondes look at the door.

It slid open, revealing a distressed Erika as maids ran after her, claiming she'd ruin her beautiful dress. "FUCK THE DRESS!" Erika barked at the maids as she glared at them. She then turned back to Tsugaru, a desperate look in her eyes. "Tsugaru! Something's wrong! I can't find Walker anywhere and I can't get a hold of him on his cell!"

"What?" Tsugaru exclaimed in confusion. In the past month in getting to know the blonde guard, Tsugaru had discovered that before anything else, Walker always put Erika first. So it was a bit surprising to hear that Walker wasn't answering her calls. But why would Walker be missing? He wasn't anyone important to the wedding, if this was about a grudge with the Awakusu-kai. The only thing he would be incriminating for was using him against Erika…

A bad feeling suddenly grew in the pit of Tsugaru's stomach then as he grabbed his cell phone off a table, quickly dialing a number. "Come on, come on," Tsugaru muttered as it kept ringing.

"Hello?" Tsugaru brightened up and was about to speak before the next words crushed his hope. "You've reached Psyche. Sorry I can't come to the phone right now. Just leave me a message and I'll get back to you." There was a beep signaling the start of the recording and Tsugaru slammed his phone shut with frustration.

"Tsugaru, what's going on?" Everyone turned towards the doorway as Shiki and Akabayashi appeared, frowns apparent on their faces. Tsugaru and Erika eyed each other warily, unsure of what they should say.

"It seems that their most important people are missing."

Everyone turned to the new voice to see a raven with bright scarlet eyes and a cattish smirk on his face sitting on the window sill, the window pushed open. Everyone then turned to the sound of something breaking as they turned to Shizuo and saw that the blonde had punched through a drawer stand. "I-ZA-YA-KUN~!" he growled as he moved to pick up the drawer stand to hurl at the newcomer.

"Shizuo! Stop!" Tsugaru called out, his cousin stopping in his tracks only slightly although he glared hatefully at Tsugaru for stopping him.

"Yeah, Shizu-chan~" Izaya snickered as he hopped inside the room. "After all, I have important information for these two." He nodded in the direction of Tsugaru and Erika.

"What are you talking about?" Erika demanded as she narrowed her eyes at Izaya. "Do you know something about Walker?"

"Perhaps," Izaya chuckled, his smirk devious. But suddenly the raven was thrown up against a wall, an arm held firmly against his neck and blue eyes glaring at him dangerously.

"Where are they?" Tsugaru snarled. "I know you know where they are!"

Despite the fact that he didn't have the upper hand here, Izaya still smirked and answered Tsugaru calmly, "They've been kidnapped by a guy named Horada. He belongs to the family that the Awakusu-kai fought with seventeen years ago."

"You still haven't told me where they are," Tsugaru said as he put more pressure on his arm against Izaya's neck. The raven winced slightly but still did not let it affect him greatly.

"Horada is holding them in an abandoned warehouse in downtown Ikebukuro," Izaya told him. "You'll recognize it right away because it's the only one that's bright pink."

Tsugaru gave Izaya one last warning glare before he let the man go and began to storm out the room.

"Tsugaru, where are you going?" Shiki demanded but Tsugaru ignored him.

"You better hurry up, Tsu-chan~!" Izaya's voice called out after him. "There's no telling what Horada will do to him because of his ties to you!"

Hearing that urged Tsugaru on as he began to run, cursing the stiffness of his rented clothes but knowing he didn't have time to change. "Tsugaru! Wait, I'm going with you!" Erika ran after him, her hair disheveled as well as the under kimono she had been dressing into prior to finding out about Walker's disappearance.

"I don't think that's safe, Erika. You shouldn't come." Tsugaru commented as he dashed through the hallways of the Awakusu-kai home, making his way to the main gate and getting a car.

"The hell I'm not!" Erika glared at Tsugaru, walking in pace with him. "My boyfriend has also been kidnapped, not just yours!"

Tsugaru frowned a bit still but nodded, "You're right. I'm sorry, Erika."

Erika seemed satisfied before she pulled out her cell phone and began dialing some number, "Hello Dotachin? Can you gather up the gang? I need some help."

Psyche groaned. His head was throbbing painfully and he felt like throwing up. His arms and legs felt numb and his side felt very sore. He was not a happy camper at the moment. "Psyche?" a voice whispered, breaking Psyche from his confusion as he stirred. "You okay?"

"Walker-san…?" Psyche moaned as his eyes cracked open slowly. The first thing he saw was the blonde guard looking worriedly down at him, and Psyche flinched as he wondered how much the bruises and cuts scattered about the blonde's skin hurt. "What happened to you?"

"They roughened me up a bit," Walker shrugged then winced at the action. "But it's alright. I've had worse."

"Where are we? What happened?" Psyche questioned as he sat up, the panic finally settling in. "The last thing I remembered was someone grabbing me inside my apartment and…" Psyche blushed slightly, remembering how he had tried to call out for Tsugaru.

Walker either didn't notice or was too polite to comment on it as he told Psyche what he understood so far, "We've been kidnapped, most likely by a rival group of the Awakusu-kai."

Psyche took in a deep breath. He had been a bit shocked when Tsugaru finally admitted he was part of the yakuza. But Tsugaru had told him he wanted to leave it and just be with Psyche. Psyche had been content with that. He hadn't thought Tsugaru's background would affect him. Boy, was he wrong. "What do they want with us?" Psyche quietly asked.

"Mostly likely money," Walker said as he leaned back, hissing when his tender wounds touched the cool steel wall. "They probably found out how we're connected to Erika and Tsugaru-san and are ransoming us."

"B-but how?" Psyche exclaimed, his eyes widening with shocked. He had thought they had been so good at hiding their relationship.

"I'm not sure," Walker murmured as he frowned. "Probably from an informant of some kind. Look, Psyche, we nee—" Before Walker could finish the door to the room they were locked in was thrown open, the door banging loudly against the wall causing Psyche to jump slightly while Walker glared up at their captor. The two of them looked up at the blonde man that smiled wickedly down at them.

"It looks like Sleeping Beauty finally woke up," Horada sneered, leering at Psyche.

Psyche already hated this man as the raven frowned and his eyes narrowed to glaring slits. Horada disliked that defiant look on his face and resolved to bending down and slapping the raven rather harshly that Psyche was pushed back to the ground, his left side scraping against the rough ground. Walker cried out in protest and tried to move but was suddenly detained by two more men who appeared from the doorway, pushing Walker to ground and laughing as they kicked him repeatedly.

"Stop it!" Psyche cried out as he pushed himself back up. There was the coppery taste of blood in his mouth as his dry lips had cracked and his cheek stung like hell, but he stared determinedly up at Horada as he declared, "If you hurt him badly, the Awakusu-kai won't pay you the ransom money."

Horada frowned, seeing the logic of Psyche's argument, and motioned for the guys to stop. They did, only after giving Walker one last kick in the gut for good measure. The blonde grimaced but made no sounds besides coughing up a bit of blood. "You better be glad you have him around," Horada said to Walker as he jerked his head into Psyche's direction. "Or you might be dead."

Horada then brightened with an idea as he suddenly reached down and grabbed Psyche by the scruff of his jacket. "Well, while he might be of some value to the Awakusu-kai, I know that you have no ties to them besides the fact that you're the lover of Shiki's heir. You technically have no value, especially since Tsugaru has yet to inherit and gain access to the Awakusu-kai money. So I don't think it would matter if we hurt you instead."

There was a moment of panic and fear that made Psyche's heart stop, but the raven didn't want to seem weak. He shouldn't be pathetic. He should be confident and fight back, that's what Tsugaru would have done. So he willed away the feelings of fear and hoped he had a strong, confident expression in his eyes are he looked at Horada squarely in the eye, "Fine. I'm not afraid of you."

"Psyche—!" Walker called out in warning, but was shut up when one the men kicked him into silence and then proceeded to gag him. Horada rolled his eyes in their direction and then turned to glare at the insolent look in Psyche's eyes.

"Cheeky brat, aren't you," Horada muttered as he whipped out a knife and slashed Psyche across the cheek in one swift motion. The small cut started to bleed but the still rebellious look in Psyche's eye angered Horada. His show of power wasn't frightening this kid like he hoped it would and that pissed him off. He suddenly smirked though as he gripped the knife in his hand, "Let's see if we can't make you scream."

Horada then stabbed downward, the knife cutting through the white fabric of Psyche's jacket and becoming embedded deep in his shoulder. The raven's eyes widened in pain and in the first few seconds he opened his mouth to scream but managed to stop himself before he did. He didn't want to give Horada the satisfaction of accomplishing what he wanted to. So Psyche settled on biting his to force the screams of pain back, biting down so hard that he tore the skin on his lips and it began to bleed. His body trembled slightly and he winced as Horada pulled out the knife slightly, only to slam it back in and twist in painfully. Psyche still held back his screams, but his body couldn't take it and he collapsed to the ground, his body writhing in pain. But Horada was still dissatisfied with the fact that Psyche wouldn't scream. He moved to kick and beat up Psyche, but was interrupted when one of his henchmen burst into the room, panic evident on his face. "Boss! We're being attacked!"

"What?" Horada snarled as his attention was deterred. He looked back at Psyche once more with the hateful glare before he 'tched' and walked out the door with his henchmen, leaving Walker and Psyche alone in the room again.

Psyche breathing was labored now as sweat perspired on his forehead. He groaned slightly as he rolled over on his back, blood soaking through his white jacket and dripping to the ground, the knife still protruding from his shoulder. It hurts…

"Psyche? Psyche, are you alright?" Walker's voice broke through his hazed thoughts. Suddenly Walker appeared beside him, free of his bonds and a worried look on his face. "You shouldn't have done that. I can take pain."

"If I didn't distract him," Psyche moaned slightly as he winced when Walker made him sit up. "You wouldn't have been able to free yourself, would you?"

"How did you know what I was doing?" Walker asked with a genuinely surprised look on his face as he worked on untying Psyche.

"That's what they do in action movies, right?" Psyche sighed in relief as Walker finished untying his arms and legs, the blood rushing back to them.

Walker just chuckled and shook his head slightly, his expression darkening as he saw Psyche's wound. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"Hey, it's okay," Psyche joked with a weak smile. "I can brag about my battle scars."

Walker smiled politely though his face was still grim, "Tsugaru's going to kill me for allowing you to get hurt."

"I'll make sure he doesn't," Psyche murmured as his eyes drooped slightly. He was beginning to feel dizzy and light. He wondered if it was from the blood loss.

"Look, Psyche, I'm going to have to take out the knife to wrap your wound," Walker told him as he worked on tearing up strips of Psyche's long coat. "This might hurt."

Psyche just numbly nodded, knowing it needed to be done. But that didn't stop the grimace on his face as he bit his lip again, his body trembling slightly as Walker pulled the knife out. Once the knife was out, blood gushed through the open wound and Walker quickly worked in tying it off. Blood still soaked through the white fabric but at a slower rate than had they just left it.

"We need to get out of here, while Horada and his men are distracted," Walker explained as he helped Psyche stand up. "The ones attacking them might be the Awakusu-kai, but if it's not, we should still take this opportunity to run away."

Psyche nodded his agreement and allowed Walker to be his support as they both quietly made their way to the door and peeked out. The warehouse was in complete chaos, with people fighting against Horada's men wildly. Psyche didn't recognize any of them, but was glad they seemed to be on their side.

"Walker!" a voice suddenly shouted out, making the two turn towards it.

"Dotachin?" Walker called out questionably. "What the heck are you doing here?"

"Erika called me," Kadota walked up to them, surprised when he saw who Walker was toting around. "Psyche?"

"Dotachin? What're you—" but Psyche stumbled slightly making Walker and Kadota move quickly to support him. "What's going on?"

"Your rescue, now let's go," Kadota muttered as he quickly moved Walker and Psyche out of the warehouse, warding off anyone who tried to stop them.

They finally made it to sort of dark gray green van where a brunette man sat in the driver's seat, nodding to Kadota. Kadota and Walker helped Psyche inside.

"Wait here," Kadota told them although Walker shook his head.

"Like hell I'm staying here! Erika's out there! I want to help," Walker grumbled as he moved to join Kadota. The serious brunette looked to be considering it before he sighed in defeat and allowed Walker to join him. They left Psyche with the driver of the van, Togusa, Psyche later found out. Psyche wished he could help but the blood loss was definitely getting to him as his eyes dropped dangerously low. Psyche wasn't sure when he drifted out of consciousness.

Why was it that the ones he loved always got hurt because of him? First his parents, who died protecting him, and now Psyche, who had been hurt because of who he was.

Tsugaru miserably placed his face in his hands, sitting outside across from the door of a hospital room. He was too afraid to go in and see Psyche like that. Hooked up to an IV, the bandages wrapped around his arm and shoulder, and the scars and bruises over his skin.

This wasn't meant to happen. Psyche wasn't meant to get hurt.

"You!" a voice hissed breaking Tsugaru from his thoughts. The blonde was shocked to see an identical reflection of Psyche, only with golden eyes, storming up to him, fury evident on his face. "This is your fault!"

The raven tried to lash out at Tsugaru but was stopped when a tall blonde with pink eyes similar to Psyche's reached out and grabbed him, pulling him away from Tsugaru. "Hibiya, stop it," the pink-eyed blonde chided. "It's not his fault."

"Like hell it isn't, Delic!" the raven, Hibiya, snapped as he glared up at the blonde, Delic, who held him. "It's his fault that Psyche was kidnapped in the first place! If he wasn't involved with the yakuza—"

"Hibiya," Delic started, but stopped when Tsugaru stood up, smiling sadly at the two of them.

"No, he's right," Tsugaru told them. "This is my fault." Tsugaru suddenly bowed very deeply to them, Delic and Hibiya looking shocked and suddenly embarrassed. "I am truly sorry. But don't worry, I won't approach Psyche again after this." Tsugaru stood back up, his eyes tight and hurt as he forced himself to smile. "Please tell him to not contact me."

And before Hibiya and Delic could say anything else, Tsugaru walked away, the weight on his shoulders feeling heavier with each step. As Tsugaru finally made his way past the automatic doors of the hospital and stepped outside, he took in a deep breath and let it out, looking up at the sky bitterly.

"Do you really think he'll be better off without you?" Tsugaru turned his head to the side slightly and narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Izaya who leaned against the wall of the hospital building, his head turned slightly towards Tsugaru as and his eyes curiously looked at the blonde.

"He will be," Tsugaru muttered as he stuck his hands into his pockets. "Being with me will only hurt him more."

"And you don't think he's strong enough to handle it?" Izaya said as he tucked his hands into the pockets of his furry jacket. "If you really think that way, you're more foolish than I thought, Tsu-chan."

Before Tsugaru could ask him what he meant, Izaya had already started walking off in a random direction. Tsugaru stared after him with a confused frown on his face, the raven's words echoing in his mind.

You're more foolish than I thought.

"Are you sure about this, Tsugaru?" Shiki asked as he threaded his fingers together and rested his chin on them. "You know you don't have to do this."

"Didn't you want me to?" Tsugaru muttered. "Why are you protesting now? I thought you always wanted me to take over for you one day. And now I'm saying I will, but I won't marry Erika. She told me she loves someone else, and I'd rather not get in the way of her happiness. I'll marry anyone else you want me to."

"I see," Shiki murmured as he leaned forward. "Tsugaru?"

"Yes, Shiki-san?"

"Are you sure there isn't someone else you'd rather be with?" Tsugaru looked at his adoptive father with slight surprise on his face before he became impassive once again.

"Yes, I'm sure."

Shiki frowned before he sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Alright then. But Tsugaru," Tsugaru stopped in his tracks from when he began moving to leave. "I hope you remember that before I'm an Awakusu-kai executive, I am still your father. And I just want you to be happy."

Tsugaru had never heard such words from Shiki before, and hearing them caused his heart to swell with emotion as the tiniest of soft smiles graced his face. "Thank you…father."

It hurts, Psyche thought with a grimace. His shoulder burned and itched like hell. He wanted to scratch it so badly, but he couldn't move his arms far enough without something tugging on them. Just where the hell was he anyway?

"Delic, I think he's awake!" Hibi-nii?

Psyche opened his eyes slowly as he looked around the room, seeing his brother Hibiya and Delic standing next to his bed, relieved looks on their faces. "Hibi-nii? Deli-nii?"

"I'm so glad you're okay, Psyche!" Hibiya cried out as he hugged his brother tightly. "What the hell were you thinking, antagonizing your kidnapper into stabbing you!"

"But I wanted to…" Psyche started slowly, his eyes still searching around the room for a blue-eyed blonde. I wanted to be strong…for Tsugaru. "Where's Tsugaru?"

Hibiya suddenly became quiet and his face emotionless while Delic looked slightly apologetic. "Hibiya sort of sent him away."

"What, why?" Psyche became panicked, moving slightly and cursing when he tugged on various strings attached to him.

"Because it's his fault you got hurt, Psyche!" Hibiya insisted angrily as he crossed his arms. "It doesn't matter anyway, I'm not the one who sent him away, he left on his own. He said he wouldn't come near you anymore."

"But—but," Psyche's head was spinning with confusion. Why did Tsugaru leave him? Didn't Tsugaru say he loved him? Why would he abandon him? Why?

But before Psyche could recover from this news, the door was thrown open and in burst Erika with a slightly angered look on her face. "Psyche-chan! You've got to do something about this!"

"Erika-san?" Psyche was beyond confused now as Erika ran up to him and shook him slightly. "Erika-san, what's wrong?"

"It's Tsugaru!" Erika stated with slight despair in her voice. "He was able to call off the marriage with me, but now he says he's going to take over for Shiki! They're holding his inauguration ceremony today!"

"But what—what does that mean?" Psyche didn't get it, his head still trying to wrap around the idea that Tsugaru had said he wouldn't come near him anymore.

"It means that once he's tied to the yakuza as their leader, he'll never escape! You've got to go and stop him, Psyche-chan! He'll only do it for you!" Erika pleaded.

His heart pounded nervously in his chest, the sound ringing in his ears. He didn't quite understand what was going on or what he should do. But a part of him cried out, missing the presence of the blue-eyed blonde who had just so suddenly entered his life and turned it upside down. Or maybe, he had turned it right side up.

A determined look on his face now, Psyche pulled out all the wires connected to him, a machine beeping erratically at the action. "Erika, take me to him."

Tsugaru had tuned out the official talk of Shiki long ago as he sat in a seiza position, his hands fisted on his thighs. He wondered how much longer this would take as Shiki's voice seemed to drone on and on. Finally, they came to the part where Tsugaru would drink some sake and officially be named as the new leader of their clan. But just as Tsugaru was about to take a sip, the sliding doors of the room were opened and a voice shouted out. "Tsugaru!"

"Psyche?" Tsugaru looked up with shock as the crowd that had gathered as witnesses murmured curiously and questionably.

Psyche stood in the doorway, still clad in a hospital gown, with Erika standing right behind him, her eyes shining with anticipation. Psyche spotted the small cup in Tsugaru's hand and ran up to the blonde and smacked it out of his hands. "Are you crazy!"

"…?" Tsugaru was at a loss for words as he blinked in shock at the raven's bold actions.

"Didn't you say we'd leave Japan together?" Psyche demanded as he grabbed the collar of Tsugaru's suit and shook the blonde wildly. "Didn't you say we'd spend time together? Weren't we going to go to the beach? Weren't we going to escape to our own secret hiding place? Weren't we?"

Overcome with so much emotion and talking at such a rate, Psyche took in ragged breaths as fat tears began to roll down his face. "Were you lying to me?"

"I-I wasn't lying!" Tsugaru suddenly found his voice again as his hands grabbed Psyche's shoulders. "I was being honest!"

"Then why did you leave me alone!" Psyche sobbed as he weakly held onto Tsugaru's jacket now, his body curled up and leaning against Tsugaru's chest. "Why did you leave me at the hospital?"

"I-I just didn't want to hurt you anymore," Tsugaru said quietly, distressed by the tears on Psyche's face.

"And you thought that by leaving, it wouldn't hurt me?" Psyche looked up to briefly glare at Tsugaru. "That hurt! That hurt a lot more than this hurt." Psyche pointed at his shoulder wound.

Tsugaru grimaced at that revelation and moved to envelop Psyche in his arms, his grip tight. How did he ever think he could just leave so easily? He had missed this—having the raven in his arms even if it was gone for only a little while. He just hadn't known just how much he had missed it until Psyche was in his arms again. He was foolish to think he could just leave Psyche. Izaya was right. He was so foolish. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Psyche. I swear I won't leave you again."

"You better not," Psyche whispered more softly this time as he returned Tsugaru's hug, smiling gently against the blonde's shoulder.

It was only when he heard the tall-tell fangirl squeal of Erika and an awkward cough that Psyche and Tsugaru remembered where they were. The two of them blushed profusely as they broke away, though their hands were still clasped tightly together. They both turned to look at Shiki, who looked at them with a slight frown on his face.

"Tsugaru," Shiki started, and Psyche flinched slightly, expecting to get yelled at. But the look on the man's face then softened as he smiled somewhat gently down at them. "I guess you won't be taking over for me after all."

Psyche blinked, not sure if what just happened was real or a dream. But Tsugaru seemed calm, like he expected this to happen, as he smiled back at his adoptive father. "No, father, I don't think I will."

"Humph," Shiki grumbled although there was still that joking smile on his face. "Guess I'll have to find me a new heir then."

"I-I don't quite understand," Psyche whispered to Tsugaru, still shaken up by the turn of events. "Does that mean he accepts us?"

Tsugaru just smiled lovingly at Psyche as he brought their intertwined hands to his mouth and kissed Psyche's palm. "So, which beach do you want to go to?"

Psyche's mouth curled up into a smile.

A few months later…

"Shizuo-senpai~! Whatcha looking at?" Shizuo grunted as his blonde kouhai, Kida Masaomi, thumped against his back, peeking over Shizuo's arm. In Shizuo's hand was a couple of pictures of a sandy beach with the sun high in the sky and water crystal blue. Two figures laughed as they snapped the picture. "Waiiiii~ senpai, what a pretty place! Where is that?"

"None of your damn business, brat," Shizuo growled as he gently pushed Kida away from him. "Now get back to work!"

"Eh~" Kida playfully complained. "Senpai is such a meanie!" Kida's honey colored eyes then caught his next target as his devious smile widened and he jumped his coworker. "Mi-ka-do~!"

"K-Ki-Kida-kun!" Mikado blushed at the suddenly appearance of the blonde. "Don't scare me like that!"

Shizuo shook his head and tuned out their chatter as he turned back to the letter that came with the photos.

Everything's just wonderful here in California, Shizuo. You should take a vacation someday and visit us here, maybe it would help cool your temper. Speaking of vacations, Erika sent us an invitation to her and Walker's wedding next month, so I'll come and see you first actually. Well, Psyche and I are off to check out Santa Monica now. I'll write to you when he and I plan to leave for Japan.

Sincerely,

Tsugaru

Shizuo smiled and chuckled as he shook his head. His eyes then caught the postscript at the bottom of the letter.

P.S. Also, we both know you don't really hate Izaya as much as you make it out to be. Better do something about him soon, Shizuo, or you might regret your actions later. Trust me. It's better to love and maybe be hurt than fear love and not do anything.

A sad smile played on Shizuo's lips as he slowly folded up the letter. "If only it were that easy, Tsugaru."

He then put the letter down, pulling out a carton of cigarettes from his pocket. It was the last box of cigarettes he had ever bought. He pulled one out but didn't light it. He hadn't smoked a lit cigarette in a long time. Not since that person had mentioned he hated it. And now Shizuo only chewed on them out of habit. He would completely quit once this box was gone.

And maybe when he finally threw away the last cigarette, he could throw away this hopeless love of his.

You guys got a little sneak peek of what Shizuo and Izaya's story entails in this chapter (there were actually a lot of hints in this chapter and last chapter). I'm so excited to write Shizuo and Izaya's story guys! I'll try to have the start of theirs up soon! But anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed Tsugaru and Psyche's story, and I hope everyone has a great holiday~!

Thanks for reading and reviewing!

-Xaleria