Disclaimer: Durarara! I don't own thee!
"Were you talking to Akabayashi?" Shiki asked as he led the informant through the familiar lobby towards the elevator. He kept his gun against the other's back, just below Izaya's hood and hidden from view.
"Is it because of him you increased the security?" Izaya returned, watching as the door closed on the five men in suits standing idly in the room. They would of course be no match against Shizuo if Akabayashi led the fortissimo of Ikebukuro here, but the thought gave him little comfort. Guns always turned the tides of battle, and he knew for a fact that Awakusu-kai had plenty of them.
"We found that a few members of that group from several months ago survived, that's all," Shiki replied. "We wouldn't want them interrupting us, do we?" The elevator door opened, and the two of them arrived at the apartment after a short trek through the hallway. The yakuza finally lowered the gun as Izaya stepped out of his shoes into the room, his bare feet cold against the wooden floor. "Forgot your socks?" he asked, knowing that the informant didn't like the cold.
"I was in a bit of a rush," Izaya shrugged it off as he made himself comfortable on the sofa. He kept his eyes fixed on the yakuza, watching Shiki casually sit down across from him and light a cigarette. If it weren't for the gun earlier, it would've looked like a normal meeting between the two of them.
"You've found the actor, I take it?" Shiki asked after taking a breath, smoke escaping from his mouth and filling the room. Izaya wrinkled his nose in irritation. He could never get used to the cancerous vapors that the other, and what seemed like every yakuza he had ever encountered in his life, spewed.
"Why would you do such a thing?" the informant finally blurted, his anger clearly reflected in his voice as he finally waved his hand in front of him in an attempt to make the smoke dissipate quicker. The vapors had definitely made him angrier than he already was.
"Don't you know?" Shiki finally put out the cancer stick out on the ashtray after taking one last draw. He slowly leaned over from his side of the sofa and brushed the swollen skin under one of Izaya's eyes gently, making the informant flinch. "You wouldn't have come if I didn't."
The fingertips were cold. Izaya swatted them away. "Don't give me that. Why did you tell Shizu-chan? You know how he would act."
The yakuza leaned back into his sofa, crossing his legs. "I was testing him. You should be used to this sort of game by now, Orihara."
"Shiki…" Izaya warned.
"Tell me this, isn't he the reason for those eyes of yours? And your cheek…"
"He didn't hit me," the informant hissed.
"Then he made you cry, didn't he?"
Izaya looked away. Besides the occasional pain from the times they had slept together, he had never cried in front of this man. He couldn't. Tears were a sign of weakness, and in this yakuza dog-eat-dog world, Izaya considered it vital that he didn't show any more of his weaknesses to the other than the ones Shiki had already seen.
"I want you," the yakuza said simply, making Izaya look back at him. The informant could feel Shiki's eyes boring into his as the other patiently waited for an answer.
It took all he had to not look away from those eyes, eyes that he had wanted for himself just months prior. But, it was different now. "I told you," Izaya said after taking a deep breath to collect himself. "I've already changed."
"I don't see a difference." Izaya seemed taken aback by this, so he waited for him to continue. Shiki obliged. "You're the same as before, seeking safety from pain by hiding behind the strongest force you come across. I know for a fact, you hate pain."
Izaya flinched at this, clenching his fists at his side.
"There are many other ways of protecting yourself, you know," Shiki continued nonchalantly as if he didn't notice the other's expressions.
"What are you implying?"
"I've known you all these years. There's no way you would willingly team up with the one man you consider unworthy of your love."
"You didn't answer my question," Izaya demanded through clenched teeth.
"I am implying that you do not 'love' Heiwajima as much as you think or say you do," Shiki finally said sternly, his eyes never leaving Izaya's.
"I didn't say I…" Izaya stopped, his heart not letting him finish that sentence. This wasn't the way he wanted to protect Shizuo, not through denial.
Shiki didn't give him a chance to correct himself. "Look at yourself, Orihara. You only love him because you think he can protect you. Can he protect you when they come for you? Does he have the power to protect you from the bullets of your enemies? Knives? Drugs? He is but one person." He leaned over again and placed his hand over Izaya's. "I… am the only one who can truly protect you."
.
Celty rode into the warehouse, ready to dodge any bullets that came, her motorcycle horse neighing, but silence greeted her. The lone person in the room looked up at the intrusion and gave her a small wave.
"Hey," Kasuka greeted her as she got off her horse and walked over, eyes darting about under her helmet for any signs of a trap.
"Where are the others?" she finally asked, thoroughly confused.
Kasuka shrugged. "Don't know. They got a phone call and just suddenly left after telling me to wait for my ride. I take it, it's you?"
Celty frowned. "I suppose…" This made no sense to her; Izaya had made the job seem like a very big deal, and she hadn't been able to contact Shizuo at all since then to see just what was going on. She looked back at Kasuka. "Have you contacted your brother? I can't seem to find him."
"I already tried," the actor replied as he pointed at his phone and began scrolling down the call log. The entire thing was filled with Shizuo's name. "Nothing," he told her in his usual monotone, but she could tell that he was worried.
.
"Heiwajima! Just calm down for a second!" Akabayashi yelled behind him as the two of them moved further and further away from Ikebukuro. He ducked just in time when yet another vending machine flew past him and smashed against an unfortunate parked car. As much as he prided his own fighting skills, he doubted that he could go against Shizuo when the other was in a full-rampage mode like this. 'How the hell did Orihara survive all these years?'
He ran around a few parked bikes and headed into the alleys, attempting to lead the bodyguard back in the direction of Ikebukuro, towards the direction of Shiki's apartment. The plan seemed to work and even had a few unseen perks; the vending machines stopped coming thanks to the empty street. Akabayashi decided to take a few seconds to thank the higher powers every time he turned a corner and found it void of any dumpsters, without slowing down of course.
His luck held out until they burst into the streets right in front of Ikebukuro Station, and just when Akabayashi turned to see if the other had found a new a weapon, a hand grabbed the collar of his shirt and hoisted him off the floor. "Wait, Heiwajima!" he pleaded and threw his arms up in defense when something clacked on the floor below him. They both looked down.
It was Shizuo's phone, vibrating off the pavement. It seemed to take the bodyguard a long time to register that the phone was ringing, and he finally let Akabayashi go to pick it up. He frowned, recognizing the number.
"Kasuka?" he answered, bracing himself for another person's voice demanding money.
"I'm safe," his brother's voice said instead. "Your friend with the yellow helmet is here, so don't worry about me."
"Yellow… Celty?" Shizuo wondered.
"Here, I'll let her talk to you." A few sparks of static graced his ears as the cell phone traveled to Celty.
"Shizuo? Why didn't you pick up?" her worried voice came onto the line.
"Uh…" The bodyguard looked at Akabayashi, who was tapping his feet as he waited Shizuo to finish the call. He was surprised that the other hadn't taken the chance to escape. "I was busy. How'd you find Kasuka?"
"Izaya told me where your brother was. I tried to call him to tell him, but he's not answering now."
"What?" He felt his blood run cold.
"Do you know where he is?" Celty didn't seem to be as worried as he was.
"No… I'll go look for him," Shizuo tried to sound calm.
"Okay. Don't worry about your brother. I'll drive him back."
"Thanks." Shizuo hung up, turning to face Akabayashi. "Hey, where are you going?" he snarled when the yakuza turned around.
"There's no time. We have to go to Orihara." He sighed when the other didn't budge. "It's not a trap, trust me."
"Izaya's with Shiki?"
Akabayashi nodded solemnly. "Most likely."
Shizuo grit his teeth. "That bastard…"
"Listen," the yakuza stopped his string of insults. "I hope… we can resolve this without too many casualties."
Shizuo clenched his fists and took a deep breath to avoid yelling at the other. It won't do Izaya or him any good if he somehow killed Akabayashi before the yakuza got a chance to lead him to where Izaya was. Still, the request was ridiculous. "That depends on what I find when I get there," he finally said.
.
Izaya made to pull away from Shiki's grasp, but the other only tightened his hold and knelt before him, his height allowing him to still stay in eye contact with Izaya without even looking up.
"Are you willing to pull Heiwajima into our world? Didn't you stop me that time, when you sent him away to hide him from me?" he asked the informant.
Izaya grit his teeth. 'He knew?'
"I know you didn't love him then. You couldn't have. You just wanted your toy to last longer."
"Don't call him that!" Izaya snapped.
"Am I right?"
"He's not…"
"Then what were you hoping for, saving him?" Shiki almost demanded. The informant could suddenly sense a strange urgency in the other's tone.
"I wanted him to save me," Izaya answered, eyes unyielding at the other's mild surprise. He smirked, knowing he had finally hit a nerve in the other. "And he did, although not in any way I would've thought he would."
To Izaya's distress, the yakuza's face became unreadable again. "You wanted him to kill you?"
The informant took a breath. "Back then… I probably did"
Shiki regarded these words for a moment before finally gathering his own thoughts together. He shook his head. "He has only saved you from one event. The fact remains that any more, he'll be where we are, in the underworld. I've already tested him with his brother. You know he can't survive," he paused for effect before he spoke the next words slowly. "Would you sacrifice him to save yourself?" He knew he landed a blow.
Izaya took a breath, trying to find his voice. He suddenly noticed it, the way the other's voice seemed to rest on the edge of desperation. "Why?" he managed calmly. He knew Shiki was trying to get to him, and he would not allow it.
Shiki's hand rested on Izaya's again. "Don't you know the answer?"
Izaya looked right at him. "I love Shizu-chan, Shiki. I will never let him get hurt because of me."
"You're just confusing fear with love. He cannot protect you in this world, and you cannot protect him."
"You're wrong. You've read me completely wrong." Izaya found strength in that statement and went on. "You're the one confusing guilt with love," he finished.
Shiki finally lost his composure and got to his feet before pushing the informant onto the sofa. "Do you want proof that badly?" he hissed when Izaya tried to fight back. The informant could feel panic starting to work its way into his senses; he didn't expect Shiki to act like this. "Let me show you." The yakuza leaned over and bit down hard on the other's ear, earning a yelp from the man trapped underneath him. "What would he do if he knew about this?"
"He already does," Izaya answered between gasps.
This stopped the yakuza momentarily. "You told him?"
Izaya glared back. "I did."
"It matters not." Shiki kissed him, and Izaya tried to pull away, but he was powerless against the other's greater physical strength. The informant could feel all his past fears come washing back despite himself, and struggled even more to escape when Shiki finally broke the kiss. He remembered everything so clearly now, all those times he had wished for the other's heart but found only empty business in its place. 'I…' He suddenly thought of Shizuo, and just as quickly he felt his resolve come back, fighting his fears like a fierce lion.
"You're afraid. That's why you're confused," Shiki continued, caressing Izaya's chest as he caught the other in another bruising kiss. The informant attempted to push him away again, but the yakuza was just too strong. Shiki traced his fingers over the familiar body, feeling the soft skin and occasional rib on Izaya's thin chest.
'I don't want this!' Izaya could feel the tears welling in his eyes. Even as the lion in his head fought, his lack of physical strength was starting to affect his mind. He could feel the other's tongue tasting the roof of his mouth, threatening to further cut off his air. He felt lightheaded and hysterical, and tried to return his thoughts to Shizuo for strength. He suddenly remembered the switchblade in his pocket, and his hands were still free.
Shiki stopped and pulled away just as Izaya began to reach for the knife, and the informant gasped for air when the other suddenly lifted up his shirt. The informant was about to strike when Shiki touched the area above his heart curiously, mouth drawn into a frown. He realized that it was the bullet scar.
Shiki looked back up to the informant when he felt the cold metal of the blade against his neck. Izaya smiled weakly. "You're the one I'm afraid of."
Izaya took the chance and finally pushed Shiki off, running towards the door while straightening his clothes the best he could before he exited the apartment, barefoot. The yakuza stared after him for a few moments before finally pursuing.
"Hey you!" a man in a suit down the hallway yelled, and Izaya turned the other way towards the stairs.
He heard footsteps from the bottom and instead ran up, pushing his weak legs to their limit as he broke into the rooftop.
Izaya ran to the edge of the roof, looking for a close by building he could jump to, when something yellow running in the streets below caught his eye. He took a deep breath. "Shizu-chan!" The man stopped and looked up.
"Izaya!"
"Shizu-chan…" Izaya repeated, feeling tears of relief well up in him. He could see Akabayashi running into the building.
"Orihara!" Shiki called behind him. Izaya turned, evidently seeing something very strange in the man's expression. Was that… worry? "Get away from the ledge!" his voice shook, hand outstretched.
It hit the informant; Shiki thought he was going to jump. He took a step back when the other approached him, and the yakuza lunged, trying to grab him and hoist him back into the roof, away from the edge.
The sudden cold fingers on his hand startled him, and Izaya involuntarily wrenched away from the other in the direction of Shizuo when he felt his weak legs finally collapse under him. The bodyguard was still standing at the base of the building, eight stories below.
It was like déjà vu.
Hello! Wah, it's been a long time since this started, hasn't it? I'm hesitant to end it, but the backbone's already in place and ready to be written, so there's not much I want to add. The main story will be ending in the next chapter (2 if it gets too long), and for sure there's going to be one bonus chapter/epilogue kind of thing.
I hope you've all enjoyed it so far, and my bad to anyone who has come to hate Shiki X.X He's been very bad in his timing in this story. Ah, I'll discuss more next chapter haha! See you then!
Thank you so much for reading!