chapter twenty-one - unconditional love
"So he's okay? Oh, thank God..."
Shizuo fell back onto his bed, smile spread across his face at the sound of the news, repeating to himself, He's okay...Kasuka's okay...
After pulling himself together rather quickly, Shizuo hurried down to the hospital, taking in a deep breath as he took the elevator up to Kasuka's room, opening the door and peering inside, smiling at the sight of him. Kasuka had a few bandages on his face, and he did have a broken arm, leg, and bruised ribs, but he was alive, and that was all Shizuo cared about in that moment.
"I'm so glad you're okay," he blurted out, instantly feeling flustered and turning away for a moment. If Kasuka, for one, hadn't been in pain, and two, been acting, he probably would've chuckled at the sight of his brother. He at least managed a smile.
"I'm sorry they made you worry about me," Kasuka murmured, attempting to sit up.
Shizuo stood at his side now, gazing back over at him. "Hey, take it easy."
"Sorry."
"Stop apologizing."
Kasuka's smile widened. "Sorry."
Shizuo managed a feeble smile in return, sitting down at his bedside when Kasuka continued on. "Do you know if Ruri's coming?"
"She stayed with me until the hospital closed, you know," Shizuo replied. "I'm happy you have someone who cares about you as much as she does."
"I am, too," Kasuka murmured. "And, I know what you're thinking, nii-san."
Shizuo raised an eyebrow at him.
"You'll fine someone."
"Great, now you sound like Tom," Shizuo muttered with a small, nervous chuckle. "I'm not looking for love, Kas. I gave up on that long before I had the chance."
Though, with all of this happening with Izaya...
Damn. That flea's over an hour away, and he still can't leave me alone.
"Don't say that," Kasuka replied. "You'll find someone."
So the whole world keeps trying to show me. "Anyway, when do you think you can get out of here?"
Kasuka's expression returned to normal. "I'm not too sure, actually."
Shizuo gave a solemn nod. "I hate to ask, but do you remember what happened?"
"Well," Kasuka started, staring down at his hands. A trait he adopted from Shizuo. "I'm used to being chased nowadays, but the people behind Ruri and I pulled out a gun and started shooting. Next thing we knew a car came up on our side, ad then another, and it turned into chaos..."
A shooting? Shizuo's eyes widened. "We're just lucky it wasn't something worse."
Kasuka gave a small nod. "I'm just happy Ruri's okay."
Shizuo managed a small smile. "She's shook up, but okay. She felt really bad about being the one to come out fine, too."
Kasuka frowned, genuine hurt in his eyes, startling Shizuo for a moment. "I hope she comes here soon."
"I'm sure she will."
The brothers sat in a small silence, with Shizuo asking him about the movie and how America was, trying to cheer him up while he could.
Ruri showed up eventually, a small tear rolling down her cheek as she sat at Kasuka's side, taking hold of his hand.
"I should probably go," Shizuo murmured. "Let me know when you can come home, okay?"
"Okay."
"I mean it," Shizuo teased, smiling at him before exiting, ready to head back to Ikebukuro, though feeling guilty for leaving Kasuka behind.
Though, he had his own demons to fight.
[Kasuka's fine, so I'm on my way back.]
[Aw, abandoning your brother so quickly?]
Shizuo sighed, leaning against the window of the train back to Ikebukuro as he typed. [He has Ruri.]
[This still seems unlike you.]
Stop being so human. Shizuo flinched at Izaya's lingering words, setting his phone down in his lap for a moment, gazing blindly out the window. Izaya...
This is in your hands to make. Not Izaya's; yours.
Shizuo frowned, clenching his fists for a moment before taking his phone again. Get a hold of yourself. Think about what's important.
A small voice in the back of his head told him Izaya was important, however.
How would life had gone had the kiss not happened?
Izaya's beaten, bloody corpse would probably be laying aside a vending machine had time gone that way.
Shizuo stared down at his hands, frown surfacing across his face. Damn... Does he really believe I've gotten better? I...I still know that I can hurt someone.
Shizuo Heiwajima was scared.
His phone buzzed again, and as expected, it was Izaya. [It shouldn't take this long to respond, Shizu-chan.]
[Sorry, you were boring me to death.]
[Someone's getting awful cocky today.]
Shizuo managed a feeble smile. [Learned from the worst.]
[I see someone wants to go a month without a paycheck.]
Shizuo didn't respond.
He could hear the smirk in Izaya's words. [I win.]
[Not for long.]
Izaya didn't respond, leaving Shizuo alone for the rest of the ride home, sightseeing his only salvation. Sitting here, however, reminded him of the ride to the airport, remembering how cold Izaya had looked, wounded and all. He remembered the ride to the beach with Mairu and Kururi's ashes...the last words he ever said to them involving Kasuka.
It was a guilt trip with no way out.
Had it really only been four months? It felt as if it been a lot longer. He assumed it was a side effect of knowing Izaya as long as he had. His twenty-fifth birthday was right around the corner, meaning...
Nine years. Nine years of Izaya and only four months that really meant something.
They threw knives. Vending machines. Barrels of acid. Street signs. Trash cans. Coke bottles. More knives. Chased one another for hours on end, always running.
Maybe, Shizuo supposed. We can stop running.
"Welcome back," Shizuo heard Izaya call as he stepped inside the apartment, though the informant's voice was muffled as he wasn't in sight. He appeared out of the bathroom a moment later, though, sliding his jacket on and flashing Shizuo a small smirk.
"Someone's in a good mood this morning."
Izaya sauntered past his secretary, plopping down in his chair and spinning around. "I suppose you could say that."
Shizuo feigned a frown, approaching Izaya's desk. "Who committed suicide today?"
Izaya raised an eyebrow. "You flatter me."
"Well, I hate to disappoint you, but I should probably head out."
"Tom gave you off again," Izaya said nonchalantly, halting his chair and turning his laptop on.
Shizuo sighed. "I should still go."
"I feel really flattered now."
"But," Shizuo dragged out. "I do want to talk to you about something."
Izaya smirked. "Sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of people dying."
"Did you crawl out of Hell when you were born?"
"Are you trying to call me a demon?"
Shizuo gave him a sideways grin. "Maybe."
"Fine then," Izaya said in mock hurt. "Go find Tom and Vorona, maybe work some overtime."
"Maybe I will," Shizuo replied smoothly, Izaya sticking his tongue out at him. The partial blonde returned the favor before disappearing down the hall, leaving Izaya's eyes to wander and find that Shizuo had left his phone on the desk. Izaya was hesitant, though he reached over and grabbed the phone, sliding it in his pocket, waiting for Shizuo to leave before he checked.
Shizuo left a while later, and as Izaya had expected, oblivious to his missing phone. Honestly, Shizu-chan, you make me pity you.
Izaya took no time at all to begin to scroll through Shizuo's texts, noticing that most of his recent texts had all been from the informant himself, uninterrupted. He should've expected what came next, however, with Shinra's name popping up, the date going back to only two days prior.
[...but I'm thinking Izaya's in love.]
"Love," Izaya murmured aloud, quite thankful that Namie was out. Shinra, you bastard. He abruptly flipped the phone shut, a lingering want to read the rest of the conversation claiming him, but he didn't find it all that necessary. Those were the only words he needed to hear.
In love... Izaya echoed. I guess that would make me a hypocrite. You've been on to me, Shizu-chan. Izaya managed a weak laugh.
He didn't want to admit it. He didn't suppose he could. But, the thought had struck his mind before, courtesy of Shinra.
This life is ruining me...
Time seemed to slow with the time that Kasuka was landed in the hospital. Shizuo had gotten updates that his condition was not stellar, with his bruised ribs leading into further respiratory pain, and that he was having issues with his left eye. After starting to hear all of this, the debt collector was not hesitant to visit his brother whenever he could, sometimes staying in Narita overnight, as much as Kasuka protested to it.
Namie had "recovered" all the while, so Izaya didn't really find himself missing company in general - it was almost as if things could go back to normal. Both were bitter as ever without Shizuo around to butt in, and Namie picked up on this.
"Does someone miss his monster?" She would taunt, lips curving into a pout as to imitate Izaya. "I should've known I'd come in second, even though I'm human."
"You're hardly human, Namie-chan," Izaya would reply, uninterested.
It was plain and simple; Izaya had become dependent on Shizuo's presence. With him gone, the informant could only feel a bit lacking.
He constantly asked himself why. Why, after Namie had been his company for far longer? Why, when he had almost always been alone anyway? Why Shizuo, the man he had supposedly hated the most?
Izaya did not use 'supposedly' loosely; yet another thing he could thank Shinra for, the crazy doctor and his lovey-dovey prattles. As early as the same week that Shizuo and Izaya had met, Shinra had already formed a hypothesis on why their meeting went the way it did.
The informant didn't want to remember.
Shizuo, too, had been plagued by this theory, and based on the recent months, a part of him hadn't forgotten.
"It might not be anywhere near plausible in your mind," Shinra had began one afternoon on the way home from Raijin. "But looking at this, maybe even a little unrealistically, it could be possible that your anger warped the lines of love and hate."
Shizuo gaped at him. "Hah?"
Shinra sighed. "What I mean is it could be possible that your mind confused love at first sight with hate at first sight."
"Hah?!"
"N-now Shizuo...!"
Shizuo merely sighed at the memory, both berating and doubting himself.
Guess I can't talk crap about your predictions anymore, Shinra.
The now brunette would stare blindly up at the ceiling of his hotel room, unbeknownst to him that Izaya would lay on his bed back in their apartment, both wondering how the days would play out. It was a troubling thought, with Shizuo terrified of what would happen to Kasuka, and Izaya, as much as he wouldn't admit it, began to feel something close to pity.
The informant knew the pain of worrying about siblings, even going as far to lose both of them. He supposed, just this once - and with Shizuo gone - he could sympathize in silence.
Some nights Izaya dreamed of Mairu and Kururi, picturing their cruel fate and knowing he was indirectly responsible.
The discreet violent nature inside of him told him he wanted this Nakamura's blood on his hands, but the more rational side allowed him to laugh and think that getting revenge would make him no better than the bastard himself.
"Namie-chan," Izaya called to her one night, actually turning to face his secretary.
Namie simply blinked at him, setting a bowl of miso soup down on his desk. "What?"
Izaya's eyes met hers, then ventured to the bowl, and landed back on his computer screen. "Nothing," he murmured. "It was a bit of a crazy thought, that's all. Don't mind me."
Namie raised an eyebrow. "Something's wrong."
"What?" It came out as a laugh. "Oh, no, I'm fine."
Namie exhaled lightly, turning her back to him. "If you say so."
Izaya managed a faint smirk. "Is that concern I hear?"
His secretary snorted, venturing off to the kitchen, not turning back. "Like I would be concerned about someone with the likes of you."
Izaya feigned a sigh. "Oh, if only Shizu-chan was here. You're such a ray of sunshine around me, after all."
Namie snickered. "You miss him, don't you?"
"I have no one to miss," Izaya lied, Namie catching him red-handed, though she chose to remain silent. "What are you still doing here, Namie-chan? It's almost ten."
"I suppose I can give you hell sometimes," she murmured.
One month of torture down, and Kasuka was released from the hospital.
"Are you absolutely sure?" Shizuo demanded when Kasuka came up behind him and put his hand on his brother's shoulder.
"Nii-san, don't worry. I'll be fine."
Shizuo frowned, gazing over his shoulder to face him. "Will you stay with me? Just in case. I just..."
Kasuka nodded. "I understand."
Shizuo looked away, embarrassed. "...Thanks."
He hadn't thought to think about Izaya's reaction, however.
Surprisingly, the informant was indifferent. "Yuuhei-san."
"Orihara-san," Kasuka gave him a small nod in greeting, making his way over to the couch and gently breaking free from his crutches. "I wasn't aware you were staying here."
Izaya shot Shizuo a small glare, and Shizuo shot him one back. "Shizu-chan and I have made some temporary arrangements."
Kasuka simply nodded, gazing over at Shizuo, though it wasn't returned.
"Want anything, Kas?" Shizuo asked, still not facing him.
"I'm fine."
The rest of the day was nothing short of awkward. Izaya was personally hit by Kasuka's presence, Namie was apparently a bit of a Yuuhei Hanejima fan, so she was hit as well, and Shizuo was thrown in the middle of it all.
Though, Kasuka was grateful, and that made up for part of it.
"Thank you, Shizuo."
Shizuo smiled. "No problem."
Kasuka managed to make his way down to Shizuo's room, and Shizuo faced Izaya, who was preoccupied on his laptop, per usual. In a bit of a mood to annoy him, Shizuo sneaked up behind him, peeking over his shoulder to see the Dollars chat up, reaching over for the keyboard, though Izaya smacked his hand away.
"Who died and made you like me?" Izaya murmured, eyes still on the chat.
Shizuo chuckled. "What? It's fun pissing you off."
"I can tell," Izaya grumbled, pausing to look up at him.
Shizuo's eyes met his for a moment, though he turned away, locking his gaze on the couch. "I'm letting Kasuka have the bed, so it looks like we're fighting over the couch this time."
"And it's very clear on who's going to win that battle," Izaya replied, standing up and spiraling past Shizuo, landing on the couch and claiming full ownership, victory smirk in tact.
"Not fair, flea," Shizuo countered, standing behind the couch and climbing over the edge, squeezing into the small space between Izaya the pillows, startling the informant and knocking him off completely. Shizuo seized the victory smirk now, with Izaya lifting himself back up and frowning at the other man.
"Look who's talking."
Shizuo's smirk did not falter, though he let out a small sigh and scooted over, making a small bit of room. "There. Sit on the other side, and we should be fine."
Izaya frowned, though did as he said, kicking his legs out and relaxing himself. "I know you're going to kick me off in my sleep."
"I won't."
"You're just full of lies lately, aren't you?" Izaya murmured, closing his eyes and resting his head on the arm of the couch.
Shizuo kicked him lightly.
"What did I tell you?" Izaya rambled, though it partially came out in chuckles.
Shizuo smiled. "As I said, it's fun pissing you off."
"Welcome to my world."
The two continued to talk for a while, and Shizuo found that his smile kept on coming back, listening to Izaya dramatize a rant after Shizuo had made another comment about him 'crawling out of Hell', listening to him ramble on about the Dollars - he particularly found that interesting, never thinking of Izaya to be a rambler. He didn't think the informant realized it, either.
"What are you smiling at?" Izaya eventually asked, realizing Shizuo's long-term expression.
Shizuo blinked at him for a moment, closing his eyes. "Nothing."
Is this...
No. Nothing happened. Just shut up. Dammit...
"And the lies continue," Izaya murmured, occupying himself with his phone instead of noticing Shizuo's minor freakout.
Eventually Izaya fell asleep, and Shizuo noted that he himself was smiling in his sleep, even if faintly.
"Good night, flea," Shizuo whispered, Izaya's smile fresh in his mind as he drifted off to sleep himself.
Shizuo awoke in a dream, starting off with Kasuka asking him if they could go out and spend the day they didn't get to have together. He was still reluctant to let Kasuka do anything, but if he felt fine, Shizuo supposed he could go along with his brother's wishes. After all, he did seem a bit better than earlier - definitely better than his early condition.
The brothers spent the whole day doing what they would do on an average day; see a movie, go out to eat, window shopping... Shizuo would admit he had missed it, and hadn't really realized how long Kasuka had been gone, now that he had more to occupy him.
As usual, Kasuka thanked him on the walk home and Shizuo sheepishly told him it was no problem at all, only to realize Kasuka was no longer at his side.
"Kas?" he called, gazing around him to see seldom a person walk by, wondering what was going on. Sure, it was dark out, but it couldn't be that late. Shizuo called Kasuka's name again, and one person appeared in view, but it wasn't his brother.
Subconsciously, Shizuo clenched his fists and found himself wondering why, but the figure began to approach, and when his face came into view, instinct kicked in for Shizuo to find the nearest item to throw.
"Nakamura."
Nakamura let out a light chuckle. "Surprised to see you remember me."
"It's bit hard to forget after what you did to Izaya," Shizuo muttered, tempted to approach him, grab him by the shirt collar and swing him across the park.
"So, how's Yuuhei doing? I haven't heard anything about him lately."
Shizuo wasn't holding back now. "What the hell did you do with him?"
Nakamura backed up. "Who says I did anything? This is just a friendly little meeting, right?"
"Tch," Shizuo grumbled, not holding back now. He went straight for Nakamura at full force, ready to send him flying, though it took him a moment to realize who was now in front of him, and by the time he did, it was too late.
Shizuo went flying straight into Kasuka, stunning his brother and sending him backwards, far farther than he would've intended, and at the sound of bones crunching, he found himself sinking to the ground, staring down at his fists fearfully.
"No...why..."
He only sat for a moment longer, picking himself up and barreling towards Kasuka, sitting down beside his brother's even further beaten body. Kasuka's eyes were closed, and Shizuo found himself completely terrified to look any further.
"Kasuka, I..."
Shizuo bolted up, then, realizing he was not on the couch with Izaya any longer, but in his own bed, clutching the sheets for comfort. "Wait..."
He had been wrong.
This wasn't a dream.
He remembered now, as his phone buzzed with worried texts from Shinra, Celty, and Tom, snapping him back into reality, and he soon found that Izaya was outside, perking up at the sound of Shizuo's voice.
Shizuo clearly remembered now. He was scared. Too scared. This wasn't right. It just wasn't.
That's why he had locked the door.
For once in his life, he feared hurting Izaya.
Outside, the informant was attempting to turn the doorknob, and Shizuo, out of nowhere, called to him, "Open the door and I'll kill you."
He was so disoriented he didn't even know if he meant as a threat or as a warning.
"Ooh, someone's in a bad mood today," Izaya sing-songed, Shizuo groaning in response, though he continued on. "Why?"
"Maybe because there's a chance I just killed my brother!" Shizuo yelped, his voice cracking in the process.
Vulnerable.
Yeah, I suppose I know that feeling. Izaya let out a light sigh.
"Try and kill me all you want, but I'm still coming in."
Shizuo snorted. "Don't sound so nonchalant."
Izaya raised an eyebrow defensively, still persistent to open the door. "Who says I'm being nonchalant?"
"Maybe because when the twins died, you didn't give a shit!"
Izaya gritted his teeth, swinging the door open, sending Shizuo into a backwards spiral, and when he turned right again, the informant flicked out his switchblade and aimed it at his throat. "Don't you ever say that again. I loved my sisters."
"Oh, really?"
Izaya was infuriated now. "Where the hell were you when I found out? On the flight home? What about the beach? Huh?" His voice cracked at the last part as he spat it out, moving to hold the blade right across Shizuo's throat when the other man took a hold of it, breaking it clear in half. Izaya was caught off guard for a moment when he saw blood trailing down both the blade and the brunette's fingers, releasing his half of the switchblade and watching it fall to the floor, letting himself go down with it. "Dammit, Shizu-chan..."
Shizuo snapped back to reality then, releasing what he had done and dropping the blade, sitting on his knees in front of the raven haired man. "Izaya..."
Izaya didn't look up. "Shut up."
"I'm-"
Izaya cut him off. "You're not sorry, and I don't deserve your pity, so don't even bother."
Deserve? Shizuo blinked. "Don't say that."
Izaya let out a light laugh, and it eventually turned into hysteric spats, raising alarm on Shizuo's part. "Look at us. Absolutely pitiful..."
"Izaya..."
"I'm sorry."
Shizuo froze, eyes widening at the informant. "What?"
Izaya simply laughed again. "Never thought I'd see the day where I lacked stability. Congrats on being the one to bring that out in me."
Shizuo was about to say something else, though Izaya lifted his head up, placing a finger to Shizuo's lips. "As I was saying, I'm sorry about Kasuka. I would say I feel pity for your attitude, but it's not your fault."
"Izaya, he went flying probably halfway across the city," Shizuo murmured. "Just when I thought things were getting better, I went and fucked up again. So, I guess you were right about one thing."
Izaya was silent.
Shizuo's face fell as he gazed upon his cut open fingers, mindlessly bleeding out onto the floor. "Monsters never do change."
Izaya retained a chuckle in his throat. "You really are an idiot."
Not giving the brunette a chance to respond, Izaya lifted his head up and briskly brushed their lips together, earning a noise of protest from Shizuo, though he didn't pull away, and when Izaya did, he returned the kiss, shocking Izaya, though only briefly.
The informant smiled faintly. "You'd better not have gotten any blood on my jacket," he started, slipping the coat off to examine it. "Or I'll be the one killing you."
"I still don't understand how you can be so nonchalant about all this," Shizuo murmured, smiling, but only for a moment. "Are we really going to keep doing this, like it means nothing?"
Izaya frowned, sliding his jacket back on and standing up, leaving Shizuo to stare blankly at him. "I'll let you figure that out."
Shizuo, using his other hand to help him stand up, turned towards Izaya, frown also in tact. "I think you're just evading all this. I know you have an answer."
"And what if I do?" Izaya murmured. "Not that it matters."
Shizuo let out a light groan. "See, you're still evading it. Is there any way to knock some sense in you?"
Izaya chuckled. "I've asked myself that same question for the past eight years, Shizu-chan, and we can see how far that's gotten me."
"About me, or about yourself?"
"Smartass," Izaya muttered, almost in a whisper, and he turned to face the door, though Shizuo came up behind him and placed his bloody hand on his shoulder. "You bastard! Get a bandage like a normal human, would you?"
Shizuo laughed in response, and Izaya rounded to see him with a wide smile, still laughing.
"Do I humor you that much?" Izaya murmured bitterly, smudging the blood on his shoulder and frowning at his red specked fingers, looking up from them to still see a small smile present on Shizuo's face.
"Yes."
Izaya gaped at him for a moment, not forming a reply right away when Shizuo continued. "Guess I'll go clean this up. And sorry about the jacket. Heaven forbid you get blood in it a third time."
Again, Shizuo cut Izaya off from another reply, pausing in the doorway. "Hey, you haven't been stalking Nakamura lately, have you?"
Izaya simply inquired, "Why do you want to know?"
Shizuo gulped. "He was the one who..."
"Ah," Izaya broke him off. "That's a little strange, actually. He shouldn't really have reason to go after you, save for the fact that the last he thought we were conspiring. But that was four months ago..." He placed a hand on his chin in thought. "What's worse is that he seems to want target whoever we care about."
Shizuo nodded in agreement, though remained silent.
Izaya let out a light laugh. "Ah, humans. Targeting loved ones to prolong someone else's torture."
There was a brief silence when Shizuo spoke up, reluctantly. "How did you cope?"
Izaya blinked at him. "Shizu-chan, you're talking as if he already died."
"Well..." Shizuo trailed off, staring down at his hands.
"Has anyone died from you attacking them like that before?"
"Well, no, but considering the shape he was in, I doubt he could live through that."
"Why aren't you with him?"
Shizuo gulped. "I've let him down too many times, but this is the worst I've ever done. I just don't think I can face him."
"Shizu-chan," Izaya started, expression stoic as he spoke. "If someone loves you as much as Kasuka does, then they end up loving you unconditionally. No matter what you do, if a person truly cares about you, they can forgive you. That's what love is about, right? Accepting someone, even with their flaws?"
Shizuo managed a faint smile. "You sound as if you're talking from experience."
"Humans, my dear Shizu-chan," Izaya replied, reverting back to his usual tone as he strolled past the other man. "Hell, I love them because of their flaws."
Shizuo shook his head in amusement. "You and your stupid god complex."
"There's nothing wrong with philanthropy," Izaya said as he gazed over his shoulder before making his way over to his desk. "Now, are you going to bandage that hand up, or would you rather have blood stains all over creation?"
"I'll take the stains," Shizuo murmured with a smirk. "I know you'll be so thrilled if I do."
"Guess I'm off to buy a beach house."
Another silence.
Shizuo disappeared into the bathroom and came out moments later, finishing up with tying the bandage around his fingers. "Guess it wouldn't hurt to call Shinra. I think there's a piece stuck somewhere."
Izaya frowned. "Stuck?"
"I'm not entirely invincible, flea," Shizuo replied, taking his place on the couch.
You're not supposed to be vulnerable.
Izaya laughed internally, murmuring, "I suppose that makes two of us."
author's note~
Well then, this chapter's long! xD" The longest chapter so far, and if I can say so, this seems to be the chapter closest to my old writing style, not to mention it seems like the best written to me - at least, with Izaya and Shizuo's final conversation. I wrote it out yesterday and read it over and over because it felt so right, and I can only hope you guys feel the same.
Anyway, yay, Mr. Bitchy Plot Convenience Antagonist made an appearance. ಠ_ಠ Just by an invisible show of hands, how many of you hate him as much as I do? xD
Thing is, Nakamura's hate-worthy with a reason behind it, considering I tried to stick to the typical minor antagonist trope we see in most one-time drrr antagonists, particularly the human traffickers who were after Rio, the American smugglers in episode 12.5, the guy who tried to kill Kasuka in episode 25, etc. etc. etc. Besides, he's stupid enough to go up against Izaya. Point is, I don't want you to like him, because I don't even like him myself, and he's hardly important. He's really just here because angst.
Anyway, I know this still won't satisfy a lot of you in terms of having these two trying to get their shit together, but I tried here. I want this process to be gradual, as I've probably said a million times now, but I will try and pick it up soon, maybe in the next chapter. I don't have an outline for it yet, so we'll just have to wait and see.
Finally, I hope you guys enjoyed, thanks as usual for all your support, and I'll see you in the next chapter~!