I've finally put up a new chapter! I know it's been a long time, but hopefully this new chapter makes you feel a little better. If all goes according to plan, time will start to move faster after this chapter and we'll be out of day one! I hope you enjoy this chapter and I would love to hear some feedback about it!

Izaya was completely drained. He hardly even noticed as Namie changed his bandages while he sat on the bed. He was just too out of it. With everything that has happened, the strain of taking a bath, admitting to himself and Shinra that he needed help, and practically breaking down in front of him, Izaya's body and mind just couldn't take any more stress.

'Why did I tell him?' Izaya thought sluggishly as Namie slipped the gray sweater over his shivering torso, 'Why did I tell Shinra all that? How do I know I can even trust him? What if he hurts me as well?'

Izaya vaguely felt Namie move his legs onto the bed and into the covers as warmth enveloped him. A feather-like touch brushed against his hair briefly before it was gone and Namie exited the room with a quiet click of the door. Izaya was too lost in his thoughts to pay this much attention though, 'No, I can trust Shinra, can't I? He's been my only friend for years, it's good that I told him... right?'

Izaya was brought out of his rumination by the sickeningly sweet aroma of food. He slowly looked up and saw Namie carrying a tray of rice porridge. Just the thought of ingesting any type of food brought a greenish color to his face and he felt the urge to vomit.

"Izaya, are you up for some food yet?" Namie inquired softly as she stepped closer to him. When she was close enough, she noticed the green tint his face had developed while eying the porridge, "Are you okay, Izaya? You don't look so good."

Izaya couldn't take his eyes off of the repulsive sight as memories flashed back into the front of his mind.

Izaya was lying on the floor, trying to ignore the pain in his brutalized legs. He couldn't remember how long it had been since they had been broken, but the pain in them seemed to get worse and worse as time went by. Even the slightest movement sent him into spasms of pain and the room was as cold as people probably thought his heart was. Izaya didn't know if he should be happy or worried about the prolonged absence of his captors, but either way he wished they would show themselves soon. The wait was unbearable and it made him nervous.

It would have been better if there had been a guard, but the room was completely empty except for Izaya himself. It was too quiet and Izaya didn't know what they were planning on doing to him. And that's what truly frightened him. Not knowing.

Izaya was almost relieved when the door opened. Blinding light came into the small room, forcing him to squeeze his eyes closed. As soon as the door was open, a feminine voice that sounded entirely too happy came through, "Izaya, you're hungry, aren't you? How rude of us to forget to feed our 'guest.'"

Izaya snapped his eyes open at the taunting voice and watched as the woman kneeled down next to him. She looked at him with mock gentleness, patting his hair. He quickly moved away and his eyes blazed.

She lightly laughed and cooed, "Aw, what's wrong, Izaya? Afraid I'll hurt you?" Her expression darkened suddenly as she clutched his hair viciously, pulling his head up to look her straight in the eye.

"Good. You've made my love angry and that makes me angry," she snarled.

Izaya laughed at her hollowly, a grin on his face, "You may want to fix that. It's really quite a bad habit."

Slamming Izaya's head into the concrete ground, the woman replied spitefully, "You won't be laughing for much longer, Izaya, I assure you."

The door creaked loudly and when the woman saw who it was, motioned the two gang members in. One was a man, but the other was little more than a teenager. Izaya recognized the teenager as the boy who had first stabbed him, but he didn't know who the man was. As he studied the two them, Izaya noticed the tray the man held.

And the smell of something rotting.

Izaya's eyes widened in realization when he saw the smirks they wore. He recoiled in disgust as the tray was stuffed under his nose and he saw what he thought was supposed to be food. It was all meshed up into a indecipherable blob of oozing color. It had the scent of a carcass, and Izaya was pretty sure he saw worms and maggots moving about inside of it. Izaya tried to crawl away, but he heard a clink and suddenly became all too aware of the chains entrapping his hands. He briefly looked back at them, wondering when they had gotten there, but just as swiftly snapped his attention to his captors.

By the time Izaya had his attention back on the woman and thugs, it was already too late. One of the men had a big hunk of the toxic substance on a spoon and when Izaya completely face them, he stuffed the concoction through his slightly parted lips. Izaya's reaction was immediate. His gag reflex kicked in he tried to expel the nauseating fluid, but the man covered his mouth and nose, forcing him to either suffocate or swallow. The taste in his mouth was vile and repugnant. It was worse than he imagined, worse even than it had smelt. His eyes watered heavily and bile climbed up his throat, burning it with its acidic sting. Izaya choked and struggled against the man's hold, but his hand wouldn't let up and soon enough, he had no choice but to swallow.

He didn't know how it was possible, but the taste going down was even more horrible than when it was just sitting in his mouth. He could feel the worms and maggots wiggling down his esophagus. The back of Izaya's eyes burned, but he wouldn't allow them to fall. Not even when they forced the waste into his mouth again and again, until it was all gone. He would have thrown it all up when the man removed his hand, but he no longer had the energy to do even that. He almost felt too ill to even breath, let alone spill the contents of his stomach. The tinkering laughter of the woman just made him feel worse, so he pushed his face into the concrete and attempted to drown her out.

"See? Didn't I tell you?" she questioned rhetorically, kneeling down beside him again, "And if you think this is bad, just wait and see what else we have in store for you."

"Izaya?" Namie asked after a long silence had passed with no answer.

Izaya appeared not to have heard her, watching as the spoon shifted in the bowl, causing the rice to move slightly. Again, the image of maggots shot out at him and suddenly it was not longer a bowl of rice porridge, but of larva. Izaya's stomach couldn't take anymore. He felt what was left in his empty stomach come back up through in throat and clapped his hand over his mouth as he started to heave violently.

Namie acted with haste. She called for Shinra to bring a bowl, and, putting the food on the nightstand, placed a soothing hand on his Izaya's back, being careful of his injuries. Shinra came with the bowl a minute later and set it under Izaya's bowed head. When he noticed the object, Izaya removed his hand from his mouth and threw up. Unsurprisingly, the only thing that came up was water, but that didn't stop his stomach from trying to push his guts out as well. He continued to dry heave for a few minutes before his stomach calmed down, allowing him to catch his breath.

As Izaya slowly opened his eyes again, he became aware of the hand rubbing gentle circles on his back. He turned to see the worried looks Namie and Shinra turned his way and he tried to smile. It came out more as a grimace, though, and he soon dropped it. Izaya instead held out the bowl with a shaking hand and Shinra was quick to take it.

"Izaya," Namie started almost hesitantly, "did that have anything to do with what happened to you?"

Izaya nodded and looked away, ashamed of his weakness.

Shinra spoke up next, and his question was just as faltering as Namie's, "Do you... do you want to tell us about it?"

Shinra's encounter with Izaya was still fresh in his mind and he wanted to do what he could to help. Seeing Izaya so shaken was not something that Shinra thought he would ever get used to and he became deeply concerned at Izaya's reaction to food. Was there anything they hadn't used to torture Izaya? If Shinra ever saw the people who had done this, he swore he would kill them. And it most certainly wouldn't be quick or painless.

Izaya abruptly shook his head, but slowed the motion when he realized it displayed panic. He still didn't look up and when he felt a hand caress his face he instinctually flinched and pushed the hand away roughly. Izaya looked up at Namie and saw emotions in her eyes he never excepted to see directed at him. Affection, love, and an understanding of his rejection towards her touch.

Izaya felt misplaced anger well up in his chest. Suddenly, he was angry at her kindness. He didn't understand, he couldn't comprehend her recent attentions, and it overwhelmed him in his emotionally volatile state.

"Why are you so concerned about me?!" Izaya howled at her, ignoring the pain it cause his chest, "Just last week you hated my guts, and now you're being all affectionate and concerned?! I don't understand! Why do you all suddenly care so much about me now?! My sisters were crying earlier and actually seemed like they cared! Shinra has never showed so much concern for me before, and let's face it, we may be friends, but he'd be happier without me around! And you!"

By this time, tears rolled heavily down Izaya's face and his breathing was labored, causing his broken ribs to cry out in protest. Turning his head towards his lap, Izaya weakly breathed, "You only care for your brother, so why? Why are you so kind to me? I don't understand."

Namie stood still, completely stunned. And from the looks of Shinra, he wasn't doing much better. Namie hadn't expected Izaya's outburst and thought about what he said. Just like Izaya, Namie was confused by her actions toward him. The only person she had even shown this level of consideration before had been her dear, sweet Seiji. So why was she now being so gentle with Izaya. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't figure out when, or how, this sudden transformation in her opinion of him had occurred. After all, he was right. She had hated him, no loathed him just a week ago.

Namie watched Izaya's shaking form and answered honestly, "I don't know, Izaya. I've been wondering the same thing myself."

As Shinra continued to stare at Izaya with a hurt shock, he immediately realized that Izaya's breathing wasn't slowing down. In fact, it persistently sped up. Shinra, afraid that Izaya was going to pass out, rushed to his side.

"Izaya! You need to calm down! You're going to cause more damage to your injuries!" Shinra placed his hands on either side of Izaya's face and forced him to look in his eyes. When he did, Shinra's stomach dropped at the pure panic he saw in his eyes and he spoke gently, "Izaya, I'm not going to hurt you. I just need you to calm down. Breathe as I breathe, okay?"

Shinra took slow, deep breaths and attempted to get Izaya to do the same. As Izaya strained to follow Shinra's lead, he grabbed a hold of Shinra's sleeve, slowly closing his tired eyes. After several minutes, Izaya was breathing normally again and Shinra moved his hands to shoulders.

"Are you okay now?" Shinra asked softly.

Izaya nodded slightly and, with his eyes still closed, murmured, "Shinra, can you tell everyone... who's still here to go home?"

Shinra glanced at Namie, and then over to the door to see Shizuo hovering near the doorway, looking surprisingly distraught. Shinra sighed, facing Izaya once more, 'Shizuo can be such a busybody at the worst of times.'

"Okay, Izaya, but you have to promise me you'll try to eat a little food when I come back, okay?"

Izaya didn't even bother to nod this time, and seeing his exhaustion, Shinra helped him lay down. He tried to ignored the way Izaya whimpered slightly when he was set down and left the room with Namie following close behind. Shinra made his way over to where Shizuo and Celty sat on the couch, mentally preparing himself for the oncoming conversation with the blonde.

"Shizuo, I'm afraid you're going to have to go home now," Shinra started off slowly.

"What? Why?!' Shizuo bellowed, jumping to his feet and ignoring Celty's attempts at calming him. He wanted to know what had happened to Izaya, but since he wasn't talking, Shizuo planned on staying until he could force it out of him.

"Shizuo, please, try to understand. Izaya is very emotionally unstable right now. You saw him earlier. This is the third time just today that he's broken down, and you've only seen two of them. He can't handle anymore stress, Shizuo, he just can't. And right now, having people he's not sure he can trust here is adding to his anxiety. Please, just go home for now," Shinra all but pleaded, trying to get Shizuo to see reason.

It seemed to work because Shizuo hadn't felt the need to throw him across the room, not that Celty would have let him in the first place, but still. Shinra could even say that Shizuo looked... thoughtful after hearing his words.

"Izaya..." Shizuo paused and furrowed his brow, "he's not doing well. Is he?"

Shinra shook his head sadly, "No, he's not."

Shizuo simply nodded and, without another word, left the apartment with a cigarette in his mouth, ready to be lit.

Shinra, Celty, and Namie stared after him for a while before Namie moved to follow him out the door. Shinra crinkled his eyebrows confusedly and walked after her, catching her by the arm before she reached the door.

"Namie, where are you going?" Shinra's was a mix of alarm and a whine as he questioned the long haired brunette.

Namie looked back at Shinra and he could see a melancholic undertone in her eyes as she replied, "You said Izaya couldn't have people he doesn't trust around. He obviously doesn't think he can trust me, so it would probably be best if I go home for now. I don't want to cause him anymore discomfort."

The last part she said in almost a whisper. Shinra could tell that it pained her to leave Izaya. She so wanted to be there for him, to help him in his time of need. It hurt her to think that Izaya couldn't have her around.

Shinra smiled slightly and told her, "Actually, I think it would be better if you stayed here."

When Namie gave him a puzzled expression, Shinra felt he needed to elaborate, "I think the fact that Izaya was able to tell you all that earlier is proof that he does trust you. And believe it or not, Izaya seems calmer when you're around. Happier, even. He's more open with you than I've ever seen him with anyone else. He trusts you more than you realize. Believe me, he wants you around."

Shinra patted Namie's arm again as she gaped at him and headed back to Izaya's room. He slowly opened the door and peeked inside. After laying his eyes on Izaya, Shinra was almost positive he was asleep. He came into the room, shutting the door behind him, and stepped up to Izaya's bed. Looking down on him, Shinra could see the sickly white pallor of his once beautiful alabaster skin and the gauntness his face held after days of starvation. He also had dark circles under his now swollen eyes and bruises on his cheekbone that Shinra hadn't noticed before. Despite all this, Izaya still somehow managed to have a serene expression on his face. He seemed to find a little peace in his sleep this night and Shinra felt bad for having to wake him up, even if it was to get him to eat.

"Izaya," Shinra shook him lightly by his right shoulder, "Izaya, wake up."

Izaya groaned and his expression was immediately changed to one of pain. I blinked his eyes open and tried to focus on the face in front of him. He soon realized that the face belonged to Shinra and groggily asked, "Wha izzit, Shinra?"

"You need to eat. You promised, remember?" Shinra reminded him gently, pushing down his guilt at waking the poor, exhausted man.

Izaya surprised Shinra by actually whining, and not in the 'I don't want to' kind of way, but as though the thought actually caused him physical pain.

"Izaya, you only have to eat a little bit. Just a few bites, and then you don't have to eat anymore today, okay?" Shinra tried to coax Izaya into agreeing.

Izaya looked at Shinra with a pitiful expression, but Shinra wouldn't let him off that easily and Izaya was forced to give in. He sighed and, though the green color came back, nodded and allowed Shinra to help him sit up. Shinra got the rice porridge from the nightstand and scooped up a spoonful of porridge. Izaya reluctantly opened his mouth and let the food sit on his tongue before swallowing. He had to bite back the urge to vomit and the process repeated three more times before Izaya just couldn't stand to eat anymore. He put his hand to his mouth and forced himself to keep the food down, shaking his head when Shinra tried to give him more.

Shinra sighed at this, but set the food down anyway. Izaya had done good enough and Shinra didn't want to force him to do anything. Once he was sure Izaya got his stomach under control, he helped him lay down.

As Shinra moved to leave, Izaya soft voice called out to him, "Shinra? Is Namie still here?"

"Yes, she's still here," Shinra answered as he turned to look back at Izaya.

"Can you tell her I'm sorry? I didn't mean to get so upset. I was just... confused," Izaya's voice sounded small and unsure, so unlike his usual self that it was painful to Shinra to listen to.

"Of course I'll tell her. You don't have to worry," Shinra answered, but it fell on deaf ears as Izaya had already fallen asleep.

When Kururi and Mairu came home ten minutes later, they found their brother fast asleep. They had hoped he would be awake, so they could talk to him, tell them they loved him, but they knew he needed his sleep. They quietly went into his room and climbed on his bed next to him. They watched over him as he slept, petting his hair and making sure he was adequately covered by the blankets on his bed. And when they got tired, they fell asleep on his bed beside him. When Namie came in to check on them later that night, she saw the girls huddled together as they both gripped Izaya's blackened hand.