Disclaimer: Durarara! I don't own thee!

Shizuo burst through the wooden gates of the compound, sprinting across the vast courtyard before he reached the entrance. He threw the door open, stopping just short of snapping the wooden structure off its frame as he stepped into the tatami mats.

"Hey Izaya, we're here," he muttered to the one in his arms. Yet, Izaya slept on, the slight rise and fall of his chest the only indication of the life that still flowed through him. Shizuo heard hurried footsteps from deeper inside the complex, and the inner doors slid open to reveal a beautiful female demon, her red eyes widening when she saw the two humans and their unconscious companion dripping water all over the tatami mats.

Shizuo braced himself for the possible confrontation, but the woman ignored everything else and ran straight to Izaya, placing a clawed hand on the demon's forehead gingerly. She let out a sigh of relief when she heard Izaya's faint breaths.

"Sakurako-sama?" another joined her, and this time Shizuo recognized the red hair from back in Ikebukuro.

Mamoru didn't have time to be surprised as the one called Sakurako motioned for him to hurry. "Change his clothes start the fire."

"Yes, Sakurako-sama," Mamoru replied before turning his gaze to Shizuo. "Please follow me, Heiwajima-sama."

The one called Sakurako jerked slightly when Mamoru mentioned the human's name, but she made no motion to stop them as they ran past her and disappeared with Izaya into the hallway. She looked after them contemplatively before turning to Shitsuo, who immediately began to wonder if the best course of action might have been to follow the other two after all. He could feel himself shrink under her intense gaze even though he knew her anger was directed elsewhere.

"Who did this to my son?" she asked him, her blood red eyes boring holes into him. She resembled Sakuraya greatly, and he would have thought they were twins if not for her eyes.

Shitsuo hesitated, not knowing if his answer would only anger her more. He supposed it was a good sign that she had not immediately blamed any humans first. "I am not completely certain," he answered her. "Shizuo found him inside one of the old wells in the forest. He jumped in after Izaya, and I was fortunate enough to find some rope nearby to pull them both out."

"That other one jumped in?" She placed a hand up to her chin contemplatively, seemingly taken aback by the revelation.

Shitsuo nodded.

"Of course, I cannot imagine one of you humans pushing Izaya in," Sakurako muttered.

This in turn caught Shitsuo by surprise. "Why is that?" he questioned despite his common sense screaming at him to not say anything that would shift blame to himself and Shizuo.

"I can tell by the way that other one was holding him," she replied simply.

Shitsuo decided not to press any further. Despite her appearance, he assumed that Sakurako had been alive for a number of years, and although the other demons most likely did not have many encounters with humans, they themselves had a variety of personalities to deal with too.

Sakurako sighed, massaging her forehead as Shitsuo tried to think of a way to reassure her. He could barely remember his own journey back into Kyoto after he heard about Aiko's attack after all. He could relate to what the woman in front of him was feeling now, knowing one of her relatives had nearly died.

"Izaya will be fine," he offered, although he did not believe the statement fully himself.

She finally chuckled, her features softening. "I do appreciate your words," she told him. "I know he will be fine, since demons are a strong species. Although, it is troubling that someone managed to overpower my son."

Shitsuo found himself gaping at her. "Izaya's your son?"

She seemed confused. "Of course he is. Do we not look alike?"

"Ah, strikingly so," Shitsuo agreed, attempting not to dig himself into a deeper hole.

Sakurako seemed not to notice as she continued. "Also, it is not that I do not appreciate you bringing my son here, but it is very strange that you two somehow went through the barrier. I am quite astounded that a human would be able to get past it."

"Perhaps it was because Izaya was with us?" Shitsuo offered.

Sakurako shook her head. "If the barrier had been working correctly, then he would have been taken away from you as soon as you passed it, and you would have been left alone outside without him."

"Ah," Shitsuo thought for a moment. "Shizuo went past it without a problem, and he pulled me in when I was trapped outside. If anything, I would say he didn't notice it at all."

"Is that so?" Sakurako frowned. "He is quite the human then."

They heard someone running through the hallways towards them, the footsteps intensifying as they approached them.

"Mother! What happened to Nii-san?" a new voice called out as its owner turned the corner and entered the room, moving so fast he nearly slipped on the wooden floor in the veranda outside. He paused when he realized that his mother was not alone.

"S-Shitsuo?" Sakuraya blurted before he could control himself, covering his mouth in surprise. Shitsuo managed to control his urge to run forward, but he knew it was already too late.

The two of them stared awkwardly at each other for a moment before Sakurako broke the silence. "So you were one of the humans my son was meeting."

Sakuraya faltered, his barriers crumbling, and he suddenly fell to his knees to the surprise of the other two.

"Sakuraya!" Shitsuo called out, running over to him before Sakurako could react.

However, the demon prince only shoved away his hand and prostrated himself on the ground. "I am so sorry for what happened to Aiko," he finally choked out, his voice quivering. "I-I couldn't do anything!"

Shitsuo knelt down down in front of him, raising him gently. "Please stop. It's not your fault." He wiped some of the tears away, cupping Sakuraya's face in his hand. He missed seeing those bright eyes, and he could feel his stomach clench at the sight of them filled with so much despair.

"If I only I came sooner..."

"She's safe now. You saved her," Shitsuo reassured him. "Don't blame yourself like that. You're not the one who attacked her."

"So it's true..." Sakurako muttered, prompting the two of them to look up. She shifted uncomfortably at her son's tear-stained face. "Forgive me."

Sakuraya shook his head. "Izaya told me you were only trying to protect me."

"Is that why he left the compound this morning, so he could investigate what happened?" she asked.

"Yes, he came to visit my younger sister this morning," Shitsuo answered. "He was already looking a little pale during that time."

"It was much too early for him to be using the spell again." Sakurako clenched her fists, her lips quivering with anger. "That would explain how he was so easily overcome."

Sakuraya gasped. "It is true, then. Someone attacked Izaya," he muttered, eyes downcast as he wiped some of the tears away.

Shitsuo held the young demon's shoulders firmly. "Listen, it's not your fault."

Sakuraya nodded, unable to speak at the moment.

The demon queen watched the exchange contemplatively as the human turned back to her. She thanked the stars that she had been correct in her initial reaction to not lash out at them.

"I can see I was wrong in my presumptions," she muttered.

"Mother?"

She bowed to Shitsuo in front of her son, apologizing the only way she could at the moment for not believing him.

"Thank you for saving Izaya."

.

He was walking through a thick fog, the smell of death suffocating him as he continued on aimlessly, letting his feet guide him to whatever destination they led him.

His could feel the cold biting into his fingertips, his toes, and through his clothes straight into his chest where his heart continued to beat.

He saw a flash of blue through the fog, and an ocean appeared before him, stretching across the horizon. Izaya continued on, feeling the cold intensify as the water rose to his hips, and then his neck, threatening to swallow him whole.

"Tsugaru…" he whispered, and as if this barren world existed to torment him, his lover appeared before him, just out of reach. Just a few steps more, and he would be with Tsugaru. He waded forward and the water rose up to his mouth.

"Tsugaru!" he tried to call out, but his voice was lost in the ocean. He reached out a hand and prepared himself for the eternal plunge when his lover smiled, the same smile he had missed for so long.

Tsugaru pointed to something behind him, and Izaya hesitated. The samurai shook his head when Izaya tried to take another step and motioned to the land behind him again.

"I want to be with you!" Izaya tried to explain, but his feet had stopped listening to him and he found himself stranded from moving forward, the water still threatening to cover his nose and extinguish his life.

A wave pushed him over but something grabbed his wrist from behind, pulling him away from his beloved.

"Tsugaru!" he yelled out desperately, but the hand would not let him go.

Tsugaru shook his head.

"It's not your time yet," Izaya heard his voice around him like a caress as the fog cleared up, revealing a bright sky.

He was on land again, the warm sand blanketing the top of his feet.

Izaya opened his eyes slowly, the soft crackle of a fire greeting him as a familiar ceiling came into view. He could still feel the remnants of the cold throughout his body, although he noticed that his right wrist felt unusually warm. Izaya turned his head weakly to the side, finding his arm caught in a vice grip by none other than Shizuo.

The other had somehow fallen asleep while sitting up, and his gruff exterior combined with the yukata he was wearing and messy hair made him look awfully vulnerable. Izaya tried to still his surprise, but Shizuo had already begun to stir from the slight motion. Warm brown eyes met his.

"Hey, Shizu-chan," Izaya greeted him, a soft smile spreading curiously across his tired features.

"Hey yourself," Shizuo muttered, letting go of the other's arm. He rubbed his eyes, not noticing what he had been doing when he fell asleep.

"How long have I been asleep?" Izaya asked him, bringing his now exposed arm under the blankets to warm it.

"Since yesterday," the other replied. "How are you feeling?"

"Terrible," Izaya answered as he suddenly remembered the dream. He wanted to drift back into oblivion, but that was not happening now that he had finally fully awaken. Everything came back to him at once: the well, the blurred memories of him being carried through the forest by the one man he hated most. He didn't understand any of this. "Why would you go so far to save me?"

Shizuo hesitated, not really understanding the reason himself. "If you died, Shinra would thrown a fit," he opted for a cop-out answer.

Izaya blinked. "Shinra's here?"

"Yeah, you can thank him for dragging me out here or your sorry ass would've drowned."

Izaya laughed lightly. "How ironic." He became quiet, and this seemed to unsettle Shizuo as the other shifted uncomfortably, not used to Izaya not throwing off mocking remarks left and right at him.

"Are you okay?" Shizuo couldn't stop himself from asking.

Izaya sighed, closing his eyes. "I just happened to have a lot of time to think. Being stuck in a well for a few hours in freezing water does that to you, Shizu-chan."

Shizuo frowned.

"I waited so long before I met you. So long…" He raised a hand weakly to the ceiling, grasping at an invisible hand as he contemplated what exactly he wanted to say to Shizuo. The one who took his hand so long ago was gone now, and he wondered if he would ever get used to this emptiness. If Tsugaru would not let him be at his side, then what was he to do? All he had left in this world was a human monster who resembled Tsugaru, who had saved him even though everything he had done up until now was to torment the other.

"You know, everything was normal until you appeared," he commented.

"It's hard to picture your definition of normal," Shizuo growled.

"I loved humans," Izaya explained, smiling airily. "I didn't try to interact with them any more than I did before, and I was…" he hesitated, "still waiting, patiently."

"So now you're blaming me?"

Izaya thought for a moment before finally meeting Shizuo's gaze. "Well, imagine finding the one you've been waiting for all this time only to have him throw a punch at you."

Shizuo remembered those same red eyes from that day, so long ago during their time at Raijin, those eyes that had been ingrained into his memory these past few days and weeks since Izaya returned to Kyoto.

"Sorry," Shizuo muttered, looking away.

"And..." Izaya stopped, the weight of his archenemy's firm declaration slowly sinking in. His smiled to himself. It was all so simple now. Why had things gotten so convoluted these past years?

"Same here," he replied.

"Huh?" Shizuo seemed taken aback.

"I'm apologizing to you too, protozoan," Izaya reiterated. "I may have overreacted a little back then."

"That's quite an understatement," Shizuo muttered, frowning. "And stop calling me a protozoan."

"Would you stop calling me a flea then?"

"I can't guarantee you that," Shizuo replied.

"Knew it." Izaya smiled. He'd never expect that he would be able to hold such a normal conversation with Shizuo. It was strange indeed.

Shizuo suddenly thought of the letter back at the Kawamoto household, the cause of their current predicament. "So what happened back at Aiko's place? They told me you just suddenly ran out, and then you had to go get yourself thrown in a well."

Izaya looked away, biting his lip. He didn't want to think about it yet, and he had already began shrinking away, pushing it to the back of his mind. He didn't want to think. He wanted to be empty.

"Izaya?" Shizuo's voice brought him back from his thoughts.

"Sorry, I can't," he whispered.

"Hey, I saved you, so you at least owe me that much," the other growled.

Izaya frowned, not expecting Shizuo to press on so much. He hesitated. "I was angry."

"Yeah?"

"I couldn't control my own actions, so I ran before I could make any mistakes." The memory really stung him as he allowed it to come back to him. His anger was a like a knife that had dug itself into his ribs, threatening to tear the life out of him. "It was quite terrifying, losing control like that."

"Lose control?" Shizuo still found it hard to imagine someone like the calculating flea losing hold on his own actions.

Izaya looked a little amused at his reaction. "Isn't Shizu-chan quite familiar with that?"

"Shut up, we're talking about you."

The demon grinned. "Yes, we are."

"Why did you lose control?" Shizuo decided to press on, curiosity getting the best of him. He wanted to know just what had gotten the flea so riled up, what was still tying him down to the past. He still didn't understand why he cared so much, but he decided to just go with it since he had gone this far.

Izaya did not share the same sentiments and instead shrugged it off. "Stuff."

"The letter?" he played the trump card.

Izaya gasped. "How did you…"

"Aiko and Shitsuo told me." Shizuo explained.

"Ah…"

"Why are you so afraid of it?"

"I don't want to read it." Izaya paused and rephrased his words. "No, I don't think I'm ready to read it."

"It's been over a century now."

Izaya paused, suddenly remembering that Shizuo did have fragments of Tsugaru's memory. He wondered if that was why the other was pressing him to read the damn letter so much. "I'm scared that I will forgive him," he whispered after a moment.

"You forgave me," Shizuo offered.

"It's different," Izaya retorted.

'You're the one who forgave me first,' he thought as he turned to look into Shizuo's eyes. They were unmistakably brown, soft, fiery, warm. Calm. When had they become so calm?

"It's going to bother you until you read it, you know," Shizuo's words snapped him out of his reverie.

"Yeah…" He sighed. "I just can't take that first step." He chuckled. "So ironic. Humans have such little time in their lives, yet they accomplish so much."

Shizuo, a human who had lived a mere two decades, had already done something he couldn't bring himself to confront after over a century. He knew it was immature of him to stay so fixated on the past like this, but every time he thought of Tsugaru, he would lose all of the rationality he had built up over the course of his long demon life.

His chuckle turned into a full-blown guffaw as the reality of everything hit him. He had allowed this to happen to him by falling in love.

"Humans are truly amazing."

He had lost completely to them.

.

Mamoru headed for Izaya's room with some warm food and a change of clothes when he saw Shitsuo and his young master Sakuraya sitting on the veranda staring quietly at the garden, the soft periodic tap of bamboo on rock the only sound that played in the tranquil scene. He hesitated and opted to take the longer route.

To be truthful, he had nearly completely missed Sakuraya's excursions to the outside world, and he found it ironic that everything seemed to play out the same way it had done before. His grip on the tray tightened, but he caught himself before he broke the wood. He vowed to not let things turn out the same way.

Although, he supposed that everything was okay now with Sakuraya, given that Shitsuo had safely made it inside into their world. He had a strong suspicion of who was the culprit responsible for this entire fiasco, but he opted to keep quiet for now, knowing such an accusation would drive the others into a frenzy. He was certain that Sakurako knew also, giving how she had been eyeing that particular demon the past day.

He was surprised the other would still dare stay, but he supposed that if that man ran, then his guilt would be proven.

Mamoru sighed. The most he could do now was wait and keep his guests and Izaya safe.

Shizuo exited Izaya's room as he approached. The human closed the door shut behind him, nodding to Mamoru. Humans never ceased to surprise him, and Shizuo was an exceptional example. He couldn't thank the other enough for what he did.

"Izaya's awake now, so I'm going to go back for a bit," Shizuo told him in a low voice when he got closer. "Forgot something important back in Kyoto. Don't tell Shitsuo or Izaya. I don't know if Shitsuo can get back in after he leaves, and Izaya..." He paused. "Just don't let him know."

"Will it be quick?"

Shizuo nodded. "Yeah, and I have to tell Shinra and Celty what's going on. They must be worried sick by now."

"Ah, that is true," Mamoru agreed. "Please be careful." He looked around. "I fear that the enemy may act at any time."

To his surprise, Shizuo shrugged him off. "I highly doubt it."

Mamoru watched in awe as the other disappeared around the corner.

Thanks for reading!