A/N:
Hey!
Just want to thank everyone for their reviews. We're coming to the end of the story soon (2 more to go after this) and it's been so fun to write. Maybe I lost readers over time, I don't know, but thank you to everyone who read and commented, you all kept me going and I couldn't have done it without you all!
Thank you so much.
Anyway, hope you enjoy the next chapter
Izaya woke up with a wince, shutting his eyes at the bright sun reflecting in his window, he really should get some blinds for that. he struggled to push himself up from the futon, damn his head hurt. Izaya swung his legs over, and stood up, rubbing sleep from his eyes. He swayed a little on his feet when he bent down to retrieve some clothes from his two draws. Grasping the shelf, he waited for the dizziness to pass. "God…. Why do I feel like shit?" Izaya blinked at the hoarseness of his voice, he couldn't be sick, it was the beginning of July! Shaking it off, he took his clothes into the bathroom to get ready for school. Because he was not going to be scared off by Shizuo, he needed to be there for him, no matter what. "Whether he wants to beat me or not…" Izaya coughed to clear the croakiness in his voice, he reached up and turned the shower on. Glancing in the mirror, he frowned, he really did look like shit. "Whatever…"
Shinra ran up to Izaya when he spotted him at the school gates; the raven turned to him with a raised eyebrow, why was Shinra panicking? "What?"
"Izaya! you shouldn't be here! are you crazy?"
Izaya didn't think he looked that back for Shinra to notice already, but then he realised, he was talking about Shizuo. "Dota-chan told you?" Shinra nodded and Izaya sighed. "I can't stay away just because Shizu-chan is an ignorant idiot, I'm not going to hide away from him."
Shinra gaped, the one-time Izaya didn't want to hide. "Izaya, I'm really worried, what if-" he stopped when he realised the raven wasn't listening. "Izaya?" Izaya glared, clenching his fists, Shinra turned around and then saw the result of his friend's anger. Kimori. She was walking across the school grounds, smiling and waving at someone she knew. "Don't do anything stupid, you need to stay away from her."
Izaya looked at Shinra with gritted teeth. "She told Shizu-chan that I hit her Shinra, I can't let that go, if Shizu-chan comes after me then-" Izaya looked up when Kimori began to walk toward them, Izaya's eyes narrowed, because he really couldn't stand her. "Get the fuck away from me."
Kimori blinked at his words, she then frowned at him. "Shizuo is mine." And then she just left.
Izaya and Shinra glanced at each other, the raven's frown replaced by confusion.
"That was odd, don't you think?"
Izaya nodded, there was no other context, just a blunt statement and then – nothing. Izaya sighed heavily, he wasn't feeling up to any of his classes today, and the day already felt like the worst. "Let's just get this day over with."
Shinra frowned as he fell in step with his friend, now he had time to look at him, really look. "You don't look so good you know, are you feeling okay?"
Izaya rolled his eyes, he wondered when Shinra was going to notice. They reached the locker room and he tweaked his dial until it clicked open, he toed off his shoes, replacing them with the black sandals and placed his bag inside. His eyes glanced over for a moment, looking at the locker that was Kimori's, there was a dent, caused by none other than him. Izaya sighed again, he'd been doing a lot of that lately. "I'm fine, just tired." Shinra snorted and Izaya frowned at him, his attention steering away from the locker. "What, don't believe me?" he really didn't expect his friend to believe him, Shinra was way too perceptive when it came to him; the raven almost smiled, but he couldn't help but feel annoyed instead the moment Shinra shook his head. Tch. "Don't worry, I'm used to it by now." Izaya slammed his locker shut and then left him alone, storming up the stairs. Yeah, great start to the day, fucking fantastic.
Shinra stared after him with a pout, he hadn't meant to upset Izaya, he sighed and closed his locker, only to let out a shriek when Kimori was suddenly standing there, had she been standing there all this time? A hand to his chest, he let out a shaky breath before speaking. "You scared me." Kimori stared blankly at him, Shinra tilted his head and he was about to apologise, then he remembered what she had done, and he frowned. "You-"
"Your friend, the dark haired one."
Shinra's frown deepened, he was quite sure she knew his name, so what the hell was with that? "Izaya. what about him?"
"He and Shizuo were lovers before?" Shinra wasn't sure what she was getting at, but he wasn't going to answer her questions. He turned to leave, but she placed her hand on his chest and slammed him against the locker. "Shizuo is mine!"
Shinra, surprised by her outburst, let out a small squeak, what the hell had gotten into her? He found himself wanting to defuse her temper, so he decided to answer her. "Yes, you and Shizuo are together now, but what you said to Shizuo was despicable, Izaya would never hit you. I will find out the truth Kimori."
Kimori glared at him and raised her hand to slap him –
"Oi!" Shinra glanced over by the door, sighing in relief when he spotted Kadota. Perfect timing!
Kimori turned her head, Shinra's eyes widened and Kadota froze.
Her head –
She was looking at him now, but –
Her body hadn't moved.
"Holy shit."
Kimori then stepped away from Shinra and turned her body around. "Shizuo is mine." And then she ran up the stairs.
Kadota took slow steps toward Shinra, who was still staring after her, that just wasn't fucking normal. He turned to Shinra; the boy had become white as a sheet. "Are you okay?" Shinra barely managed a nod. "She was different, right?"
Shinra looked at him, eyes wide, what Kadota said was the understatement of the century. "Well she certainly wasn't acting normal! Her head turned all the way around!"
Kadota cringed, he didn't need Shinra to confirm that, he was stood there after all. "I noticed. Shit, we better tell Izaya."
Shinra then groaned at the mention of his friend. "Funny you should say that, because he's here."
Kadota blanched and then huffed. "God dammit." Kadota rolled his eyes, he specifically warned Izaya not to come to school, at least until Shizuo knew the truth. "Let's tell him about Kimori and hope that Shizuo doesn't attack him in the meantime. Kinda hoping that he's calmed down enough not to go looking for him at least."
….
Izaya rubbed his temples when he made his way up the steps leading toward the library, his headache hadn't let up, and he just wanted somewhere quiet for a while. The roof was occupied with those damn bullies of Shinra's, and he'd rather not have to deal with them today, because if he was truly honest, they might just succeed in kicking his ass this time. Only ever once succeeding before, and Izaya wanted to keep it that way, so, he had opted for the library. What better place to go for quiet anyway, it was mandatory wasn't it, having to be quiet?
He had been feeling crappy all day, and he still had at least three lessons to suffer through, so using his free period to maybe nap in the library was on the top list of his priorities. Why did he feel like this anyway? He felt fine, he was positive he had, no signs of getting sick at all. There was maybe a slight headache after he left the museum the day before, but he figured with all the information he had to process from the shop owner, who wouldn't have a headache? Now though, he just felt completely exhausted, and he hadn't even really strained himself today. With everything that had happened in the last month or so, perhaps getting sick wasn't so unexpected as he had thought. Stress. It was most likely stress; he had broken up with Shizuo, got told he had been discovered by a fucking Ouija board by his parents, he left his home, almost screwed his best friend out of desperation, nearly killed himself and – and now this, Kimori had set him up and Shizuo hated his guts.
Yeah, getting sick sounded very plausible now, and yet – he was still here, that had to count for something, right? though he was almost at his limit, in fact he was, just one more thing – just one more thing would surely push him over the edge, and nothing would save him this time, because this time, he wouldn't miss. Izaya had never pictured himself as the suicidal type before, but right now, or even ever since he had moved here, the thought always lingered at the back of his mind, not quite at the forefront, but it was forever there, it never left him.
The thought scared him, because he knew that those moments when he couldn't cope, they were just waiting, waiting for another situation to happen that would set it off again. The only reason he hadn't fallen victim this time – because he was sure it should have happened the moment Kimori set him up – the only reason it hadn't, was because of Shizuo. Izaya couldn't stand leaving him like this, trapped somewhat, left in ignorance and falling victim to that bitch. Shizuo was too kind for his own good; Izaya wasn't stupid, he could tell that Shizuo was happy with her, and it made him sick to his stomach, because it was this reason why he just couldn't fucking see it, he couldn't see anything in her apart from purity.
Izaya hadn't the slightest clue what the blond was thinking when he fell for her. If you compared his two relationships to one another, the first being himself, and the second being her, they were the exact fucking opposite! That thought alone made Izaya want to pull his hair out, of course, he knew the blond was bisexual, obviously. But he had thought that if Shizuo ever dated a female, it would be someone a lot closer to how he himself was, then someone like her – he just didn't get it! did Shizuo have different tastes when it came to males and females? He preferred his male companions strong minded, stubborn and just a tad on the obnoxious side. Yet he liked his female companions quiet, shy, clingy and overly emotional? How damn stereotypical was that? Izaya could use a whole bunch of other words to describe her, but they didn't count because Shizuo didn't know about them, or at least, he wasn't aware.
Izaya was sure he wasn't those traits all the time, he had a vulnerable side too, Shizuo had seen that on more then one occasion, and he didn't turn away from him, he was always there for him, so what did that mean? the more he thought about it, every time he thought he'd figured Shizuo out, he just became more confused. Now did that mean that Shizuo liked that side of him? because he knew deep down that he was mostly the opposite the rest of the time?
Kimori hadn't shown any other side to herself to Shizuo, so perhaps, that was the reason why the blond didn't see what others were seeing. Izaya had been as open with him as he possibly could, and that surprised him, did Shizuo not realise how much he had let him in? how hard it was for him to do that, they had gotten to a point in their relationship where Izaya felt comfortable enough around him to allow him to see such openness, such honesty. Of course, he hadn't ever told Shizuo about the scars on his arms, how he had thought about ending his life once or twice recently, because he didn't want Shizuo to tiptoe around him, or stay with him just because of that reason. Then Shizuo told him that he loved him, and Izaya couldn't take it, he didn't know how to be on the receiving end of those emotions. He had accepted that Shizuo cared about him, a lot, and somewhere at the back of his mind, he knew, he truly did, but Shizuo never said it and Izaya was fine with that. then he did say it, and he felt pulled into a reality he wasn't ready for, maybe he would never be ready for. Why did he have to say it? why! Ignorance was bliss! Couldn't he have just carried on acting like – he didn't know, why did Shizuo have to always be so – him.
Izaya cared about him, so much, he had even told Shizuo that, he had admitted to that, why wasn't that enough? Izaya clenched his fists as he stepped into the library, regardless of how he was feeling, and how much he was hurting, Izaya wasn't going to abandon him, no matter what Shizuo thought of him right now. The raven was going to help him, even if he had to do it without the blond's knowledge, and if they never became lovers or even friends again, Izaya didn't care. If he still felt like it was too much to handle, his life in general, then at least he would know that Shizuo was okay.
Izaya looked up from the floor when he came to the corner of where those comforters were placed. The best thing for him to have done, was to just go home, but he didn't want to appear as though he was avoiding Shizuo, when he really wanted to help him. Izaya wanted to be here, at the school, to keep an eye on Kimori every chance he got, from a distance of course. For now, all he wanted to do was rest.
"Shizuo is mine."
Izaya almost jumped out of his skin, he stiffened for a moment, and then turned around. His eyes widened slightly, he hadn't even heard anyone approach him, how long had she been behind him? had she followed him? Izaya frowned, trying not to get angry, but they were in a library, so anything that happened here, there'd be at least one witness if she decided to lie again. Izaya glanced over to the checkout desk, the librarian was there, stamping whatever books had been brought back; surely, he would notice if something did happen, or rather, didn't happen?
"Shizuo is mine."
Izaya's attention came back to the girl in front of him, was that all she could say now? She had been acting this way since the beginning of the day. The change in her posture, even her attitude had changed, she was way more confident, way more confronting then before. Izaya stared at her, there was nothing but a frown on her face, no trace of other emotions, at least, not right now.
When he saw her this morning, she had been smiling and acting normal, but then she saw him and that side of her vanished in an instant. Was she finally aware that he was a threat? Not threatening in a physical sense, but a threat to her relationship with Shizuo, because he had been with him before her, in female terms, he was the competition. Izaya couldn't help but smirk, he didn't care how ridiculously girlish the notion was, he was happy that he had gotten under her skin. His smirk disappeared then, just like she had gotten under his, except for an entirely different reason, his couldn't be helped, but hers?
"Shizuo – is – mine." Izaya sneered at her, he was growing tired of that already.
"Do you have to say that to keep it true? Is that your way of telling everyone to back off?" Izaya chuckled. "Do you think that'll work with me? I'm not going to be pushed away by the likes of you, Shizuo will see through your pathetic intentions, I will make sure of that."
Kimori continued to frown at him, Izaya glanced down and saw that her hands had balled into fists. She had never showed this side of herself before, and he didn't know what to think of it. "He belongs to me, and if I can't have him, no one can, therefore I will never leave him."
Izaya froze at her words, she didn't reply to anything he said, but those words she spoke – couldn't be what he thought she said, because they sounded awfully familiar, reminded him way too much of the merchant in the old man's story. His eyes widened, and suddenly, it was all too clear, it would explain why she was acting so differently, why she kept spouting that crap about Shizuo being hers. She opened it.
She opened the box and –
Izaya flinched just slightly, he had only been curious about the story, never really believed it to be true. Now that truth was staring him straight in the face, quite literally, and he was left feeling chilled. This couldn't be happening! How was this happening? He didn't expect – when he had been trying to get the box back, it was really to prove to Shizuo the truth, he didn't think the story was truly real – well, he was only thirty percent sure. Heh. Seventy percent of that had been his predictions for Kimori. Now, he was a hundred percent sure that the body of Kimori, had been taken over by a possible five-thousand-year-old Egyptian merchant spirit.
Izaya was prepared to deal with Kimori, whatever else she decided to pull, because he had realised just what kind of girl she was. only now he was left without the slightest clue how to deal with the spirit that possessed her. Judging from the story, she was one pissed off spirit, and that alone made her dangerous. However, Izaya did know one thing, he did not want her to know that he was aware of her. If she found out that he could sense and see spirits, became aware that both he and Shizuo had the ability to exorcise them, who knew what she could do. Another smirk crossed his features, displaying his all too calm attitude, but inside, he was almost nervous, possibly even scared. "If you say so." Izaya chuckled and simply walked past her without ever looking back. That wasn't out of character, right? she must have gained Kimori's memories of his personality when she took her over, he was sure that's how it worked. He wouldn't know for sure though, since he had only been possessed by a dog, there was no tangible way to know if the spirit gained any memories from their host.
She knew Shizuo's name though, but she could have heard it mentioned this morning in her presence while the blond had been with her.
Izaya let out the breath he was holding as soon as he left the library, placed his hands in his pockets because he hadn't noticed they were shaking. He had to find Shinra and Kadota, this wasn't something he could handle by himself; he was going to need them on his side. The raven stopped suddenly, his legs felt shaky and his sight blurred, dizziness became clear when his surroundings began to spin. Izaya closed his eyes, a hand to his head as he grasped the barrier leading to the stairs with the other. Crouching, he started to feel nauseous, his grip tightened when he felt himself sway. Frowning, he tried to shake it off, but he couldn't get his legs to straighten, he was almost sure he might pass out, but –
Had someone just called his name?
Blinking away the blurriness in his vision, or trying to, he tilted his head slowly to the side. Someone else was with him, he was positive he heard his name being called, god, why couldn't everything stop spinning just for a moment.
"Izaya?"
Izaya gritted his teeth, trying his damn hardest to focus, and suddenly there was a hand on his arm, it pulled him upright and the raven gasped. Soon, everything came back into focus, the dizziness stopped and the churning in his stomach calmed, dark spots clouded his vision for just a second as he adjusted to normalcy. He looked up, his eyes widened when he realised who had been calling his name just now, Shizuo.
Upon instinct, Izaya yanked his arm away and took a few steps back, he must have been having the worst luck today, he did not have the strength to deal with anything that Shizuo said or did right now.
So, the second Shizuo took a step toward him, Izaya turned abruptly and ran away.
Shizuo stared after him, his hand outstretched as if he was still reaching out. He had come up here to meet Kimori, he remembered rage building within him the moment he spotted Izaya in the corridor, then he watched him sway and was sure he might pass out, and the rage just – died. Shizuo hadn't stopped caring about him it seemed, even after everything Izaya had done, he still cared. He knew now that he probably wouldn't ever stop, because seeing him just now, caused a great deal of concern within him. Shizuo didn't know what was wrong, but he had wanted to help, reaching out for him had been out of habit. It wasn't until Izaya pulled away and looked at him with that – look, the fleeting looks of, fear? Did Shizuo understand what their encounters had done to them, what it caused between them. Shizuo had been so angry with him, so hurt by what he had said before, and what he and Shinra had done – that whatever Izaya did after that, just seemed to send him over the edge, over and over.
In just that one instance though, something snapped inside him, bringing him back from the edge he had been standing on this last month. He had never once stopped to think what Izaya might be thinking, how he might have been feeling, what the hell had been going through his fucking mind when he did what he did. Shizuo only wanted to move on, his anger took over when Izaya said those things to him in their homeroom, so he had no desire to see his side of things.
Seeing him like that, on the verge of collapsing – to what he could tell – his protective instincts that he had toward Izaya come rushing at him, and all he wanted to do was make him feel okay again. The funny part was, it had worked, whatever had caused Izaya to feel that way – was he sick? – whatever it was, stopped the moment he wrapped his hand around his small arm. Yes, it had worked, but Izaya ran away, because Shizuo had done nothing but threaten and gesture physical harm upon him, heck, he had already done that even.
That was why he hadn't pursued him, he didn't blame Izaya for running away from him, and yet, he couldn't help feeling like he should have, gone after him that is. Izaya wasn't one to ask for anyone's help so willingly, and Shizuo noticed right away that something was wrong. Taking a step forward, he decided to go and look for him, whether the raven wanted to be near him or not, Shizuo would do his best to convince him that he wasn't going to harm the damn flea. The anger he felt had subsided for now, at least until he made sure Izaya was okay, then he would confront him about all the crap he'd done, preferably without too much violence, or none at all, if he could really help it.
"Shizuo?"
Shizuo stopped upon hearing his name, he turned around and a smile crossed his face. "Kimori, I was waiting for you." Well, that was partially true, he had come up here to meet her after all, and yet, he was about to abandon her to go after Izaya. Shizuo sighed, he should really be honest with her, she had his trust, so he needed to make sure she could trust him. "Actually, I was coming up here to meet you, then I ran into Izaya, he looked kinda sick," Shizuo turned his head to stare at the empty corridor, then he turned back to her. "I was about to go after him when he ran off – just to see if he was all right, so, but you're here now and-" the blond was cut off when she flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around him tightly. Shizuo wrapped his own around her, had he said something wrong? He was only being honest, that was the right thing to do, right? "Hey, what's wrong? I'm sorry if you thought I-"
She looked up at him, tears glistening in her eyes, a frown appeared on his face. Because he had only just realised, Izaya was here just now, and she had been in the library, had he just come from there? some of the anger that had subsided began to resurface until – "You're mine. You'll always be mine; I can't imagine not being with you."
Shizuo raised an eyebrow, well that was – sudden. They had only been dating three weeks, he had no idea she felt that way about him. Shizuo opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out, what the hell was he supposed to say to that? okay, so he was aware how ironic this was, but when he told Izaya that he loved him, they had been dating for a lot more then three fucking weeks! What had it been? Six months, nearly seven? Well, it wasn't as long as it felt, but still, he wouldn't have said it if he didn't mean it, then again, he wouldn't have said it at all if he knew how Izaya was going to react. Never had he regretted something so much in his life, and it wasn't even something bad!
Shizuo tried to smile, realising that he hadn't replied to her, maybe it was okay, she hadn't said it – she hadn't said I love you, so maybe she was just thinking out loud? That didn't make him feel any better about the situation, but it was better than the former gesture. "Didn't know you felt that way." Shizuo cringed at his stupidity, now she was going to get the wrong idea altogether!
She smiled brightly. "Then you feel it too?"
Fuck.
"I – like you?" Someone please – just kill me now!
Her smiled faded and Shizuo instantly felt guilty, but did she want him to lie? "I should confess something to you, because that is what is required of me, my duty as your girlfriend."
Shizuo raised an eyebrow then, her duty? What is required? He had never heard her talk that way before, what the hell was happening? He had heard of love making people act weird, but this was just – no, not love, she hadn't said that, he was going to hold onto the possibility that he merely misunderstood her context. Wait – confess to what? "Huh?" god he was so at a loss for words, he sounded like a caveman, Shizuo smiled inwardly, heh. Protozoan.
Damn –
He missed that flea.
Fuck.
"I confess that I-"
…..
Shinra, Kadota and Izaya were sat in their little office room, at least they wouldn't be disturbed here. Izaya had called them here to tell them what he had discovered about Kimori – or rather – the spirit, only to find out that they too had had their own encounter and concluded already on their own. Izaya grimaced, though imagining what their reactions must have been like was a little amusing. "Turning one's head halfway around is probably a good sign that she's definitely possessed." More so then his own encounter with her, though it just proved his theory outright, now he was more then a hundred percent sure.
"What do we do now?" Shinra asked the question, having forgotten their little disagreement this morning, scratch that, because there was no disagreement, Izaya was just being – him. Once again, Shinra had just forgotten about it, he had even apologised for upsetting him, the idiot.
"Whatever we do, we can't just keep this from Shizuo now, he has a right to know that his girlfriend is possessed by a spirit, right?"
Izaya glared at him, unable to help but feel annoyed, Kadota looked at him and tilted his head, wondering what he'd said that caused the raven to get mad. Izaya watched him, probably repeating his sentence in his head, and then he saw his expression change, recognition of his words. Girlfriend.
Kadota sighed. "Sorry Izaya, but – well, she is. I can't sugar coat that anymore for you."
Izaya narrowed his eyes, but he calmed himself, he needed them, he couldn't afford to get angry at Kadota for something that the boy had no control over. "Forget about it, but you're right in what you said, Shizu-chan needs to know, for his own safety if nothing else." Izaya thought back to their last encounter, different to what their others had been like prior, it was as though Shizuo still – cared? It had been the first time in over a month that he had seen him express such a thing toward him, Izaya could still feel the warmth on his arm from the blond's simple touch, could still see the flicker of concern crossing his handsome features – Izaya looked down at his arm, tracing fingers that were no longer there with his own.
"Izaya?"
The raven looked up in surprise, feeling slightly embarrassed about his daydreaming. "Wha?" Izaya cringed. Smooth. He had always been articulate, expressive in his words, but that right there, was even more embarrassing then being caught daydreaming. Izaya shook his head, damn Shizuo for distracting him.
"I asked what you wanted to do now?"
Oh. Good question. Izaya stood up then, ignoring the light-headedness that motion caused, he sighed. "You two try and talk to Shizu-chan, if you can even get him alone."
Shinra frowned up at his friend, there was an obvious gesture in what Izaya said, saying that he was heading off somewhere by himself. No way, not happening, not in the state he was in. "I'll go with you."
Izaya looked at him with a smile. "Dota-chin will need your help convincing the brainwashed idiot."
Kadota rolled his eyes, letting his disapproval of Izaya's terminology known. "Izaya-"
Izaya glanced at him to acknowledge his aggravation, but his stare remained on Shinra. "Just go with Dota-chin, Shizu-chan needs you right now."
Shinra clenched his fists. "And what about you? something isn't right with you, I don't know what, but there is. I don't like the idea of you going anywhere by yourself."
Izaya sighed, sometimes Shinra was just too much. "I'm fine. I won't be long, don't worry about me, just focus on Shizu-chan," Izaya looked at his phone, noted the time and said. "I doubt I'll make it back in time before classes end, so I'll phone when I get home, or let you know the details later."
Kadota frowned, he was sceptical, he wasn't quite as worried as Shinra was being, but he could see his point, Izaya looked sick, had the raven not realised how pale he was? so yeh, he was concerned that Izaya was just going off by himself like that, but with all the lies and disbelief that had been thrown around lately, he figured Izaya needed someone to believe in him at the moment. "At least tell us where you're going." That was a fair request wasn't it?
Izaya chuckled, clearly amused by their over concern for him, they were not shy about that. "The museum, is that better?" Kadota looked like he still wanted to protest, the museum was at least a forty-minute train ride, maybe fifty. Izaya rolled his eyes. "Honestly, I'm all right, once I'm done with that, I'll go home and rest."
Kadota shook his head, because there was really no sincerity in Izaya's tone, but if he said he was fine – Kadota had to believe him, whether he truly did or not, he wouldn't object. "Okay, you win. Just – be careful I guess."
Izaya smiled and nodded.
Shinra huffed and stood up. "But Izaya-"
Kadota quickly put a hand on his shoulder, stopping Shinra in whatever he was about to say. "Let's go and talk to Shizuo, Izaya will be fine."
Shinra pouted then and then slumped. "He's not going to listen to me! I'm quite sure he hates me." Kadota didn't listen, he grabbed hold of Shinra's shirt and simply dragged him out of the room.
Izaya chuckled with amusement as they left, then his smile disappeared, replaced with a frown as he sat himself on the couch. He let out a shaky breath and ran his clammy hand through his hair. Shaking his head, he stood back up and then left the room. "I don't have time to ponder a fever right now."
…..
The old man smiled at Izaya when the boy walked into the shop, he chuckled and walked around counter to greet him. "I'd suggest a free pass for you, if the museum wasn't already free."
Izaya shrugged lightly and then smiled, placing his hands in his pockets. He was only glad to be off the train, he hadn't expected it to be that crowded today, it was so stuffy and hot, Izaya really thought he was going to faint. "Did you find the camera footage?" it had occurred to him that he didn't even know the man's name, and since he was about to request something peculiar, he probably should become more acquainted. "I'm Orihara, Izaya, by the way."
A hand rose enthusiastically in greeting, followed by a bright smile. "Sasuki, Roji." Izaya took his hand, glad the exchange of pleasantries was over, now he could ask his questions. "I found the footage, I burned a copy for you, so I'm glad you stopped by again, of course, I would have phoned you."
Izaya followed him over to the paying counter, he glanced behind and noticed that the samurai Shizuo liked was still there, he shook his head, he wasn't here for that. "About the black box." He should go straight to the point. Izaya watched the man tense at the mention of it, Roji turned to him with a smile though, how odd.
"Did you find it?"
Izaya shook his head. "No, sorry. There's a bigger problem."
"Oh?"
Izaya sighed, he wasn't sure how this was going to sound to him, as far as Roji was concerned, the story was just – a story, a myth. Probably. "I need you to keep an open mind about what I'm going to say."
Roji chuckled, leaning over the display case. "Always do, I work in a museum after all."
Izaya gave him a tight smile. Not a great comparison there, but it'll do. "When you told me the story, you asked if I believed in it."
Roji smiled. "Changed your mind eh?"
Izaya cringed inwardly. More like someone changed it for me. "You could say that, you said that the story suggests to never open the box, that her spirit will be free, and she'll seek revenge." Izaya watched his expression carefully, looking for any of the nervousness he had displayed a moment ago, but Roji just nodded.
"That's right," Roji smiled and placed his palms flat on the surface. "Are you telling me that you really did find it, and you opened it?"
Izaya shook his head, where in his statement had he suggested that he opened it? or even had it to start with. "No, I don't have it. I didn't open it, but she did."
Silence.
Yep, there it was, that nervous expression, it looked more like fear. "She opened it?"
Izaya nodded. "I'm positive."
Roji took a step back, he huffed a laugh, but Izaya could tell he was worried. "How do you know?"
Izaya opened his mouth to reply, he was going to tell him about his abilities, but for some reason, his gut was telling him not to. "A hunch." Believable, he hoped.
"A hunch?"
Izaya shrugged with a laugh. "A good hunch. Look, you don't have to believe me, I was just wondering if you knew anything else about the story, something that might explain how to entrap the spirit again if released? Or even exorcise her for good?" Izaya took his hands out of his pockets, laying them on the glass, his face took on a seriousness. "This must sound crazy to you, I realise that, but – if the spirit really is possessing her, then it poses a threat to my-" Izaya's heart clenched for a moment, because it still hurt not to refer to Shizuo as anything but his boyfriend. "My friend."
Roji tilted his head in thought, he paced a couple of times and then stopped. "I can't think of anything else that might help. I just told you what I was told, it's really nothing more than a myth."
Izaya gritted his teeth then, had he even listened to a word he said? "It's not. It's real, the spirit is inside my friend's girlfriend," ugh, now he really did feel sick. "Whatever, like I said, you don't have to believe me, but can you think of anything at all?"
Roji sighed. "Have you tried researching the story? I never thought about it, but it might help you," Roji slid a blank piece of paper over, he wrote on it and then handed it to Izaya. "This is a private website, it's only used by a select few here at the museum, me included, it's also used by at least two archaeologists, it's content has some rare finds that aren't even public knowledge. Perhaps your story is there."
Izaya took the slip of paper with surprise. "Thank you, this might really help."
"Not a problem. The site isn't easily found unless you know the address of course, it's also protected by a password, which I've written below."
Izaya nodded. "I really appreciate this."
Roji smiled. "My pleasure. Perhaps that crystal I gave you really is lucky."
It took a little while for Izaya to remember what he was talking about. "Right. yes, the geode, maybe." He'd forgotten about that, he placed it on his window seal and just forgot. "Well, thank you for the help."
Roji then leaned over the counter and brought a squared case with him. "Don't forget this, the disc I burned."
Izaya took it with a smile and then left the shop; he had some serious researching to do tomorrow. Too bad it really did have to wait until tomorrow, because he had no internet at home, so he could only use it at school.
…..
Kadota looked at his phone and rolled his eyes, Shinra glanced at him, tilting his head in questionable silence. Kadota then showed Shinra the message he had received from Izaya. 'I'm home! Safe and sound~'
Shinra chuckled, though he was very relieved to see that message, a little disappointed that he hadn't received one, but he was glad to know that Izaya was okay. His phone bleeped and he pulled it from his pocket, couldn't help the smile that crossed his face. 'Didn't forget about you! so don't sulk. See you both tomorrow x.'
Kadota snorted. "Happy now?" Shinra nodded sheepishly. The two were stood at the exit of the school, waiting for Shizuo, they had convinced him to spend time with them, and it was the perfect opportunity to talk to him, alone. Finally. "I hope he listens; I hope he doesn't just think we're making it up."
Shinra shook his head. "It's Shizuo, he should know we wouldn't make up something like this, we don't joke about the paranormal world."
Kadota looked toward the school with a frown. "Yeah…. but what if he really fell for her? He already believes that Izaya hit her and refuses to believe that she could steal anything. I'm just worried we're not going to get through to him."
"Don't think that, besides, he listens to you, I'm sure it'll all work out. Even if it doesn't, eventually, he's going to notice for himself, about the spirit I mean, if nothing else."
Shizuo growled angrily as his fist repeatedly pounded against the wall on the school roof, several cracks marred the brickwork, there were tear tracks down his face. "How could I be so damn stupid!" he hated himself, he didn't think he could look any of his friends in the face again, and Izaya – oh god, he would never forgive him for believing those things. That wasn't to say that the raven was innocent in this, but – for his part, Shizuo was distraught, completely and utterly ashamed. The blond fell to his knees, still smashing his fists at the wall, though lighter now, he had to get away from those around him, lest they feel his anger. He come up here to vent, and damn he fucking needed it, why! Why had he – god, he didn't know what to do, where to turn….
Kimori had told him the truth, that she really had taken the black box, Shizuo had listened to her side, honestly believed that she did it on impulse, that it wasn't out of spite. She had even been willing to return the box with him tomorrow and hope that the owner didn't call the cops, if he hadn't found out already.
That wasn't the reasons for his anguish, no, that he could let go, he could forgive her for that; it was what he had found out after that had him feeling like the worst person in the world. He had told her that Kadota and Shinra had invited him to catch a movie, or mess around in the arcades for a while, maybe even just go get some food; it had been his choice apparently. She said she wanted to spend time with him after school, but for amends to what she did, she wanted him to spend time with his friends. The part that had got to him, even though at the time, he understood her point, was that she said, 'Only if Izaya wasn't going to be there.' it was what he had said to her in response to that, had just added to his anguish later on. 'I wouldn't hang out with someone who hurt you.'
Shizuo gripped his hair and howled in rage. "Fuck!"
Shizuo smiled as he stood up from his chair, the bell had rung, it was the end of the day. He was looking forward to spending time with his friends, well, one friend, because him and Shinra still weren't really talking. Regardless, it had been sometime since he had hung out with them, and he couldn't wait. He gathered his books and walked toward the door, his friends were going to wait by the gates, he didn't want to keep them waiting too long.
"Oh, Heiwajima-kun, just one moment?"
Shizuo groaned inwardly, of all the times she could have spoken to him about his work, she picks now. Shizuo turned around with a sigh and walked over to his teachers' desk. he hated this class, though it mostly had to do with the fact that he didn't like anybody in it, none of his friends were in it, nor Kimori. Languages. He knew it wasn't a reason to hate the class, but he had problems concentrating at the best of times, at least if one of his friends were in the class, even Izaya, he could ask them for help. "Sorry about the test last week, I'll do better." It was the first thing he thought of to say, what else could he say? Though he might have tried to sound a little more meaningful. Oh well.
She smiled though and shook her head. "Your test was fine, you got a 60, not the highest or excellent marks, but not as bad as you thought. The passing mark is 50, so good job."
Oh. Wait, what? "I passed?"
She nodded at him. "I wasn't supposed to tell you yet, you'd have got it in the post. But you seemed concerned so, just don't tell anyone." She smiled and he chuckled.
"So, what did you call me back for ma'am?"
"You're dating Ai Kimori, right?"
Shizuo blinked in surprise, was it normal for teachers to be aware of who their students were dating? And Kimori wasn't even in this class. "Yes, I am."
"How's her eye?"
Shizuo's eyes narrowed slightly, but he wasn't going to tell this teacher how she got it. "It's fine, nothing too bad." Shizuo wondered why she was asking him, he seriously hoped to god that she didn't assume that he'd done it, because he really would lose his shit.
"That's good, I was concerned there for a moment."
Shizuo tensed, she seriously wasn't going to, was she? "She's fine."
"I think she was quite embarrassed," she giggled.
Shizuo's frown lightened, embarrassed? Why should she feel embarrassed?
"I would be too if I ran into a door like that."
The blond stiffened then, what did she say? "Ran – into – a door?" fuck no! no way, Izaya punched her!
The teacher nodded. "She ran into the door just as I opened it, I didn't expect anyone to be right there, I told her to go to the nurse's office, but she said she was fine. She only had one class to go after all, I assumed it was her extracurricular, since it was just coming up past the end of lessons."
Shizuo had to be dreaming, he had to be, because what the teacher was telling him, it couldn't be true! "Today?" maybe she already had the black eye and she just used the running into the door as convenient cover?
"Huh? No, yesterday."
Fuck.
No way.
It wasn't – then Izaya hadn't –
Shizuo felt himself becoming angry quickly, he needed to get the hell out of here. Kimori, she had lied, lied directly to him, and – he believed her! He believed that Izaya had really hit her! Shizuo clenched his fists, nodded in the teacher's direction and then quickly left.
Kadota and Shinra glanced up at the roof when a loud yell caught their attention. They then looked at one another, instantly reaching the same conclusion. Shizuo!
By the time the two bursts through the door of the roof however, their blond friend was no where in sight.
…..
Izaya felt around for his phone in a haze of sleep, he couldn't even remember when he had even fallen asleep in the first place. He remembered thinking about the story and how he was going to plan his research, remembered wondering if Shizuo had listened to Kadota and Shinra today, if they even had a chance to talk to him. today? Was it still today?
Izaya rolled over with a groan, he felt awful, worse than before. he sat up lightly when his hand finally brushed past his phone, it hadn't stopped ringing, and that was doing his head no favours. It was dark, so he must have been asleep for a while. Taking a hold of his phone, Izaya flipped it open and grunted in greeting.
"Izaya!"
Izaya winced heavily, pulling the phone away from his ear, speaker phone would be best. The raven frowned, was that –
"Izaya! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"
Pushing himself up, he opened his eyes, his body felt so heavy, and he could feel his clothes clinging to his skin. "Shizu-chan…?" dizziness overtook him instantly when he tried to sit upright, so he opted for laying down instead.
"You were right…you were right about everything! I'm so sorry…. I – I don't know what to do…. I'm so – I can't even-"
Izaya held his head. Please stop yelling…. Fuck.
"Izaya, how could I be so stupid… I'm so sorry!"
Izaya frowned, though it was out of concern now, he shifted onto his side, shivering – why the hell was he so cold? "Shizu-chan…. calm down…. tell me what happened…." Izaya wrapped the blanket around himself, he couldn't stop shivering.
Shizuo told him everything then, about Kimori's confession to stealing the box, to how he found out the truth about her eye. He was frantic, Izaya could tell how guilty he was feeling, though Izaya still couldn't understand that Shizuo could believe it at all. He was mad at him, pissed even, and yet, right now, he couldn't bring himself to hang up, despite how sick he was feeling.
Izaya sighed, shifting up just the slightest bit. "Shizu-chan…. despite what has happened, there's something even more important going on. I can't explain it over the phone…. but I'll tell you everything tomorrow." He just wanted to go back to sleep.
"What?"
It sounded like Shizuo had calmed down, that was a good sign. He then had a thought – "Shizu-chan, did you confront her yet?"
There was silence for a moment and then – "No. I didn't trust myself; I was too angry…. Izaya-"
"Shut up. I need you to act like you don't know anything, like you never found out about the door hitting her eye."
"Why!? I can't do that!"
Izaya gritted his teeth, he couldn't explain why over the phone. "Just for once listen, just-" Izaya gasped when blinding pain gripped his abdomen, he curled up on his side, a small whimper escaped his mouth.
"Izaya? oi! Are you okay? Izaya!"
Izaya opened his eyes, a hand cradled his stomach, he breathed deeply and shifted toward the phone. "Sorry…. I just…. stubbed my toe."
Shizuo sighed loudly. "Fucking Christ, you scared the crap out of me."
Izaya managed to chuckle, though he was biting his knuckles to keep himself from expressing any pain. "Just do what I said, I'll explain later…. Okay?"
"Okay, I don't like it – but I – I trust you."
Izaya couldn't help but snort. A bit fucking late. "Go to sleep."
"Yeah… night."
The instant Shizuo hung up, Izaya shot up from the bed and dashed into the bathroom. He grabbed the sink tightly - since that was the closest – and vomited, he retched painfully, and his legs buckled. He collapsed on the tiled floor, panting in short breaths, he groaned and reached one hand to pull himself to his feet. "God…." Turning on the faucet, he cupped his hand and tipped water into his mouth, spitting out the disgusting taste left there. rinsing his mouth out with mouthwash, he glanced in the mirror, he could barely see anything, but he knew he didn't look good.
Izaya crawled his way back into his bed, pulling the blanket over his head and wrapped it around himself, now he really was cold. His skin felt like it was on fire and his stomach just felt like it was burning itself away. He almost wished he had kept Shizuo on the phone, because this couldn't be a common flu virus.
…..
The next morning, Izaya was glad that he was at least feeling better than he had last night. Meaning that he was able to stand up without the room spinning, he cringed at his reflection though, he was white, and his eyes were heavy. "I can't stay home…." He dragged his weak body out of the apartment, he needed to go to the school, he still had all that research to do.
"Izaya?"
Izaya jumped at the sound of his name being called, when the hell did he even get to school? He was sat on the bench in the locker area, head in his hands, crouched over. "Shizu-chan?"
Shizuo frowned at him, something was so very wrong here, he walked over and knelt in front of him. "What's wrong?"
Izaya tried his best to grin, but he just couldn't muster it, he sighed and retreated to his earlier position. "I don't know…."
Shizuo's frown deepened and he swatted Izaya's hands away, placing one of his own on the raven's forehead. "Your skin is burning Izaya! what the hell are you doing here?"
Izaya tried to stand up but Shizuo wouldn't allow it, he was held down by the strong hand on his shoulder. "Shizu-chan, I have work to do…" Shizuo gritted his teeth and Izaya frowned at him, though it barely had the effect he wanted it to.
"The hell you do! I'm taking you straight to the nurse, in fact, I should call an ambulance, because that temperature of yours is borderline dangerous." Shizuo took his phone out, but Izaya grasped his arm.
"Don't. I – I feel a little better."
Shizuo snorted. "Bullshit. D'you think I'm stupid enough to fall for that?"
Izaya couldn't help but retort – "You were stupid enough to believe I hit your girlfriend." The raven avoided his gaze then, because Shizuo looked incredibly dis-heartened at those words. "Seriously though, I actually do feel a little better." He wasn't joking either, that wasn't normal was it? now he thought about it, it happened in the corridor before too. One moment he was ready to collapse, and then Shizuo shows up and he was fine. Though he had gotten worse since then, but still, he felt better. "Sorry… my last comment…"
Shizuo shook his head. "No, I deserve that; also, ex-girlfriend."
Izaya sighed. "Not yet, I need you to play your part." He stood up, with Shizuo's help, and then lightly shoved him back. They hadn't been this close in some time; he didn't need his emotions running wild right now.
"You still haven't told me why."
Izaya nodded. "This might sound crazy at first – but bear with me."
"I'm listening." Izaya quickly gave him an explanation on what he had found out about the black box and its story. Shizuo appeared to be listening, though his expression looked nothing but confused. "Okay, so this black box holds some evil spirit woman, but what does that have to do with Kimori?"
Izaya frowned, he shoved Shizuo against the locker with whatever strength he had, fisting his hands in his shirt. "Did she take away the last of your brain cells?"
Shizuo glared at him, clenching a fist. "Just answer me!"
"Do I need to spell it out for you? If the box is opened, the spirit is freed. Shizuo, Kimori opened the box, she's-"
"Leave him!"
The two snapped their heads to the doorway, Kimori stood there, her hands balled into fists.
Shizuo stared at her, he hadn't ever seen her angry before, she looked – psychotic. Then –
Then he saw it –
The spirit.
It was briefly, but he saw it, Kimori was possessed by the spirit. He caught Izaya stepping back out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at him, the raven wanted him to act like he didn't know anything, now he knew why. Shizuo's attention snapped back to Kimori when she come storming toward them. "Kimori-" he tried to say, but her focus was on Izaya, and before either of them could react –
"Shizuo is mine!"
Shizuo's eyes widened as Izaya was flung backwards, grunting upon impact when his body hit the wall. "Shit…" he was about to dash toward him, but Izaya locked eyes with him quickly, Shizuo watched him shake his head and he got the hint. But – how could he just – Izaya couldn't expect him to leave him like that! it was obvious he was hurt from the blow, he was crouched, a firm grip on his shoulder. The blond noticed the water fountain next to him, Izaya might have hit the fountain, and not the wall like he had thought.
Shizuo stiffened when Kimori's arm wrapped around his. "I won't let him hurt you, love makes us strong."
He looked down at her when she looked up at him with a smile. How could he do this? He had liked Kimori, at least, before she done what she did, how did he not see it? now he couldn't even figure out what he saw in her…. She fooled him.
This girl, however, wasn't Kimori, this girl was plain fucking nuts! A spirit hell bent on some serious revenge, but then, why was she only defending him from Izaya? was it because they used to date? It was possible, given how the story went, yet, why did it have to be him she attached herself to?
Kimori led him toward the stairs, snapping him from his thoughts. He forced himself to link his fingers with hers, he glanced back at Izaya with concern, but the raven smiled and nodded.
…
Every chance he got, Shizuo stole glances over at Izaya, the raven looked worse than before, his arm wrapped around his head as he lay face down upon his desk, his other arm in a sling. Shinra had told him that the impact had dislocated his shoulder, and the bespectacled boy was not at all happy, but Izaya had defused the situation quickly, telling him that neither one expected it and that Shizuo's part in his plan was to pretend nothing was wrong. They couldn't afford Kimori to figure out any of them knew yet, not until Izaya had done his research.
The bell rang to signify the start of classes, the students rushed out of their seats to get to their first lesson. Shinra and Kadota shared a worried glance, they watched Izaya struggle to his feet, his hand supporting himself on the desk. "Izaya," Kadota spoke, "You shouldn't be here, something is seriously wrong with you, look at you, your fucking shaking."
Shinra lay his hand on Izaya's shoulder, he could feel the heat coming off him, even through his clothes. "Izaya, he's right, you'll only make yourself worse."
Izaya smiled briefly, placing his hand over Shinra's. "We – can't stop – yet – I have research – to do," he looked at him through half lidded eyes, still with that slight smile. "Help me – to our office, please?"
Shinra looked at Kadota who sighed in annoyance, Shizuo looked at them from the doorway, a hand clenched. He should be with them, he should be at Izaya's side right now, he felt so damn useless. He tore himself away, guilt clutching at his heart, painfully, wanting nothing more then to hold that damn flea.
…..
Izaya slammed his hand on the desk, he had high hopes for this site, but he still came up with nothing. He couldn't find a single thing related to the story or a black box made to seal spirits. His concentration was wavering, his head fucking hurt, and his hair was clinging to his forehead. Why could he not find anything? It began to grate on his last nerves, to the point where he wanted to fling the computer out of the window.
He groaned as he lay his head against the desk, its temporary cold texture cooling his skin. "Shit…" he could barely keep upright, he felt so weak, his temperature hadn't dropped, in fact, he was sure it had increased. He felt sick, and he wanted to give in to the darkness and just – sleep. "I have the worst luck…" Izaya frowned then, hadn't he heard something about luck recently? he pushed himself to sit up, though slowly so as not to trigger any dizziness. What was it…?
"It might look like an ordinary geode crystal,"
"This one however, is supposed to give the owner protection or something, it's given me quite the luck over the years."
"Consider it a token of my gratitude, a gift for all your honesty, and for listening to an old coot like me."
Izaya's eyes widened slightly, it couldn't be. "That crystal…." He had been feeling ill ever since he had gotten back from the museum the first time, right after Roji gave him that geode. He didn't want to believe it, but it could not be a coincidence, and suddenly, everything had a whole new meaning. Izaya opened a fresh browser page, he started his keyword search without the Egyptian details, and without mentions of a black box or any hauntings. He scanned through his new links, they looked more promising then anything he had come across so far. Then he stopped, there on the second page, something caught his attention. He clicked on the link and it took him to a news article, frowning, he ignored the exhaustion of his body's weakened state and read through it.
The story printed –
Matched the story Roji gave him –
But with one stark difference.
Izaya gasped and his body shook for a whole different reason. "It was him; it was him all along." Scrolling down, he then found two pictures to go with the print. "That picture…."
"My late wife, heh, wasn't I a stunner back then. She was too, everyone said we were a cute couple."
"She looks sad."
"I travelled a lot, could never quite stand to be in one place for long. but I loved her, and always came back to her."
Izaya clenched his fists, the story – it was them! Izaya glanced at the second picture, the woman from the photo was in it, but she was with someone different, and Izaya couldn't help but think he looked a lot like Shizuo. Blond hair, tall, handsome, slim built but slightly muscular. The more he found, the more everything began to click into place.
Roji had been nervous the moment he realised the box was missing –
He might have sensed Izaya's intellect and guessed he would figure it out –
"He fed me that Egyptian scene to throw me off, it didn't come from thousands of years ago, it came from him…. his late wife…. thirty years ago." The story was true, though the article didn't specify on any black box or mention any paranormal matter. "How…. how is that – sick… how is he not rotting in prison?" the article read that the blond in the photo had murdered the woman, but Izaya knew better, there was no way, he was not the victim in this! He could have been honest, could have said that the story was about him and his wife, but he must have known Izaya would figure it out too quickly. He didn't know how he knew Roji was responsible, he just did. The man gave him that crystal, to keep him from finding out, to curse him or whatever. Which would certainly explain why Shizuo's presence influenced the curse whenever he was near him, why he had begun to feel better during those times.
Izaya gasped. "I told him she opened the box…." He stood up, maybe a little too quickly, his head fogged, and his vision blurred.
He had to tell them what he had found.
Kimori's involvement in this really was just a coincidence, he hated her, he despised her, but unfortunately, she was a victim in this too, and he had put Shizuo in danger by telling Roji that the spirit was freed. He wasn't going to just leave them alone, he knew their school, he knew what they looked like – because Izaya had told him.
He was so angry with himself. "It's all my fault…. if I hadn't gone to the shop and told him about the box…." Izaya stumbled on his way to the door, desperately needing to get to his friends, he had to warn them. "Shizu-chan…." Darkness replaced his vision, he grabbed his head, the room span and suddenly –
His body collapsed to the floor.
A/N: The final part of the story will be revealed next time, but betting you guys have already figured it out
Hope you enjoyed!
