Disclaimer: Durarara! I don't own thee!

"Shinra?" Izaya called out before he suddenly realized that the front door was unlocked. He stepped cautiously into the doctor's apartment, slightly unsettled at the silence that greeted him. He tried to be rational as he headed over to the spare room Shinra kept for the worst of his patients. The others must have been in a rush earlier, so they'd forgotten to lock the front door. The untouched furniture in the otherwise empty living room reassured him, and he heard some muffled voices coming from the room in question.

Izaya opened the door slowly, letting out the breath he had been holding when he saw the heart monitor flickering a steady rhythm. Shinra was adjusting the IV pump on one side of the bed, while Shiki kept vigil on the other, eyes far away as he watched the quiet rise and fall of Akabayashi's chest, a testament of the life the other still clung to. Mamoru echoed similar sentiments, choosing to observe the scene from the other side of the room near the window.

The machine blared to life as it began infusing the new bag, and the doctor finally turned his attention to Izaya, motioning him with a nod for them to talk outside. After a final glance at Akabayashi, who seemed to be sleeping peacefully save for the mountain of bloodied bandages he could see under the thin sheets, Izaya followed the doctor outside.

He closed the door softly behind him.

"He'll survive," Shinra finally spoke. "If he weren't a half-demon, he probably would've died. He's actually healing quite fast now that I've realigned all his bones. I was surprised."

"Still, it's amazing how much human blood can dilute ours," Izaya muttered more to himself than his friend. Wounds like that would have been easy for a demon to heal.

"Well, it depends on the mix of genes, right? I think there's still a chance for a descendent of a demon to express some of their ancestor's traits more than others, assuming the right conditions."

Izaya raised an eyebrow. "Are you referring to Shizu-chan?" Now, that would have explained the other's monstrous strength.

Shinra shrugged. "Just hypothesizing like usual."

Izaya sighed, massaging his temple. He'd forgotten how eccentric Shinra became in regards to what humans considered "supernatural."

"Did you see Kururi and Mairu too?"

"Mairu's leg was bent all weird, but it started healing up nicely after I aligned it, just like Akabayashi. Shiki's already moved your sisters to a safe location after I treated them."

"That's good." Izaya sighed. "Thanks for coming back so fast."

"Shizuo's on the balcony if you wanted to talk to him, and…" Shinra closed his mouth, managing to stop himself mid-sentence. It took all he had to not blurt out that Sakuraya was somewhere in the city, as he had been made to promise the younger demon prince that he would not tell Izaya lest the latter panicked. He let out a sigh of relief when Izaya seemed to take what he said at face value and headed towards the balcony.

"You didn't tell him?" Celty asked, appearing from around the corner with a handful of medications she had dug out from the storage room.

Shinra shook his head. "Sakuraya can take care of himself. Besides, he's got Shitsuo with him too!"

"I don't think either of them can fend off a demon like the one who attacked Akayabashi."

Shinra bit his lip, looking back at the sickroom. "I'm sure they'll be fine. Probably."

Izaya found Shizuo smoking on the balcony while gazing out into the quiet city landscape, eerily void of any of the usual sounds of sirens and voices. The rain had stopped earlier, leaving behind the distinctive smell of wet pavement, quite unlike the forests back in Kyoto.

"How did it go?" the other asked him as he slid the glass door closed behind him.

Izaya let out a heavy sigh, leaning on the railing. "He told me the information I needed. Honestly, it went pretty well except for the part where Shiki almost killed me. I didn't expect him to lose control."

"Yeah, people tend to lose control when the ones they care about are in danger."

Izaya turned to look at him, eyes tracing Shizuo's silhouette outlined by the street lights down below. "And you? Would you lose control if I was the one in danger?"

"Don't test me, flea," the other growled.

Izaya gave him a wide grin before turning his attention back into the city. He felt tranquil, at peace almost, next to the Fortissimo of Ikebukuro, something he could have never imagined these past years. It reminded him very much of those sunny days back in Kyoto, before the war that took Tsugaru away from him. The memory washed over him gently like a wave, its nostalgia a dull pain that wrapped its hands around his heart.

Shizuo seemed to notice his sudden change in mood and to Izaya's surprise, a warm hand encased his own awkwardly. He could feel Shizuo's fingers tremble slightly, most likely due to embarrassment.

"Thanks for earlier," Shizuo mumbled.

"Earlier?" He couldn't remember doing anything that would warrant a thanks. If anything, he was the one in the other's debt.

"You kept me from attacking that asshole with the gun," the other elaborated.

"Oh!" Izaya remembered now. He had been so preoccupied with trying to get out of there in one piece with Shiki's cooperation that he had thought nothing of it. "Uh… you're welcome."

Shizuo smiled, relieved.

Izaya found himself staring into expressive brown eyes, orbs as warm as the hand that entwined itself into his fingers. Just when did Shizuo pick up these moves?

His breath hitched in his throat and Izaya cleared it nervously, turning his gaze back into the city.

The two stayed like that for a while, neither willing to leave the temporary peace before the inevitable storm.

.

"Likely not here either," Sakuraya muttered as the two stood in the middle of the paved clearing of East Ikebukuro Central Park, the backdrop of trees invaded by the looming skyline of the Sunshine City shopping mall. The rain tapped repeatedly against the umbrella Shitsuo had bought at the station, adding to the melancholy.

Shitsuo's eyes darted around them uneasily as Sakuraya continued to look through the park, jumping nimbly into the small line of trees in search of something he could not see himself. He took the chance to survey their surroundings outside the small green space once again. He found no signs of life under the massive highway looming above the crosswalk to the left nor across the street in the several large anime stores, all currently closed. He had been to Tokyo before, and this haunting emptiness was a stark contrast to the usual bustle of people and cars in this part of the city.

"Sakuraya, I think we should find someplace to stay for the night. We don't want them to catch us off guard in the dark," he finally suggested when the demon prince walked back to him.

Sakuraya sighed, attempting to brush off some of the water from his hoodie. "I suppose you're right. Are you able to contact Shinra on that little box of yours?"

"He said Izaya and Shizuo are currently at his place. Mamoru's son was injured."

Sakuraya bit his lip, trying to suppress his frustration at the senseless violence the demons were causing. He wanted to continue searching, but he knew Shitsuo was right. If the demons of the East had truly gone rogue, then he could only do so much to protect the both of them if they were attacked.

The two of them settled in a hotel room an hour later with a pile of snacks and bentos they had purchased from one of the convenience stores. The front desk didn't ask any questions when the two checked in, although Shitsuo knew that they had their suspicions. No one in their right mind would willingly stay in Ikebukuro at a time like this. He supposed that they were lucky that they had opted to retire before dark; most of the stores closed early in light of the attacks.

"Shitsuo, what is this clear wrap?" Sakuraya asked, holding up a rice ball. The demon had taken many lengths to contain his excitement while inside the convenience store, his eyes sparkling at all the varieties of food.

Shitsuo smiled, taking the rice ball from the other. "It's plastic. We use it a lot to store our food, but it's not edible. You just follow the numbers to open it," he explained as he peeled off the plastic and handed the rice ball back to the demon.

Sakuraya took a tentative bite, the fresh seaweed crunching in his mouth. He swallowed, eyes widest than they've ever been. "Delicious!"

Shitsuo laughed, opening one of the fried chicken bentos they had heated up for them. "What do you usually eat?"

"Hm… mountain vegetables, meat from the forest, fish from the river," Sakuraya pondered. "Our lands cover a huge portion of the forest once you get past the barrier."

"Was that why you were searching the parks and shrines earlier?"

The prince nodded, licking his fingers before he reached for one of the bentos. "I would imagine that they would've stopped the humans from constructing an entire building on top of their home. If all of Ikebukuro is as developed as you say, then the only place that they could be is in one of the open spaces." He took a bite of chicken, enjoying the sweet sauce on his tongue.

"The barrier warps the area inside of it, doesn't it?" Shitsuo inquired.

"To a point. I'd imagine that if we ever undid the spell, the outside land would be pushed quite far apart to accommodate for the space within."

Shitsuo scratched his head. Demons were already difficult enough to understand. He supposed he shouldn't be surprised that they came with an array of strange magics as well. He looked back to Sakuraya only to notice the strangest look on the other's face, realizing that the prince had opened yet another bento, this one full of sushi.

"Is this not cooked?" Sakuraya asked once he swallowed.

"Oh! It's sushi. The meat has already been treated for parasites, so we eat it raw. Try it with some soy sauce and wasabi," he explained as he poured the packets in question on one of the container lids. "You can eat it with your hands too, like this." He picked up one of the tuna sushi and dipped it into the mixture before holding it up for Sakuraya to see.

Before Shitsuo could bring it up to his own mouth, the prince leaned forward and ate the piece of sushi straight from his hand. "A-ah…" Shitsuo stammered as the other chewed contemplatively. "I-it's nowhere close to quality sushi. I can take you to an actual restaurant once this is over."

Sakuraya's eyes lit up. "You'd really take me?"

"Of course."

The brightest grin flashed across the other's face. Shitsuo's heart skipped a beat, and he looked away, unable to contain the furious blush that had made its way across his cheeks. The two continued eating in silence for a while with the T.V. as background noise, the prince entranced by the drama that started to play. Shitsuo glanced over every now and then, searching for the right words to continue the conversation from before. He had been keeping everything cordial since reuniting with the other, but he knew the tension was still there.

"You never told me why you had to move to Osaka," Sakuraya broke the silence first after they had finished all of the food.

"I found a job there at one of the luxury hotels," Shitsuo attempted to explain, but he instantly knew the other didn't buy it. Why would he have left so suddenly without a word? It was obvious he was trying to run away.

"Aren't there many in Kyoto as well? The city looked pretty big from a distance. Even Aiko said so."

Shitsuo looked down at his hands, unintentionally balling them into fists as he tried to calm himself. "It was also for Aiko. I didn't want her to feel like she was holding me back." He sighed. "She was the only reason why my family even tolerated me. I'd give anything to her."

The silence from the other was uncomfortable, and he was beginning to suspect that Sakuraya didn't believe him.

"Even me?" he finally heard a quiet voice.

"Y-you're a prince!" Shitsuo stuttered. "And we're human. We don't live as long as you. I can't sacrifice her happiness for mine." He stopped when he saw tears at the corners of the other's eyes, unable to continue.

"Don't decide on your own what others want." Sakuraya wiped at his eyes. "I know our time is short. I've seen what it has done to Nii-san." The tears did not stop and only added to the frustration that had built up all this time he had spent alone. "I don't want to live with this regret for the rest of my life. I can't believe you would even suggest-" He was cut off by the other's lips on his, the kiss fervent and hungry. It caught the prince by surprise, taking away the rest of his words as he returned the gesture, reveling in its warmth.

He had waited far too long for this.

After a few heated seconds, they finally broke the kiss, and Shitsuo pulled him into a warm embrace, arms trembling.

"I'm sorry, Sakuraya. I really do want you," he whispered.

The demon laughed, wrapping his arms around the other's broad back. "Me too, Shitsuo."

.

Akabayashi blinked, the ceiling slowly coming into focus as he came to before waking with a start, instantly regretting the motion when a sharp indescribable pain made him double over.

"Hey!" Someone beside him exclaimed, and he felt arms around him, easing him back onto the bed. The one they called the Red Demon groaned, finally noticing the bandages around his chest and several IV lines running in his arm. He looked over with bleary eyes to the one who had helped him and saw white.

Akabayashi blinked again.

"Shiki?"

What was the other executive of the Awakusu-kai doing here? The man in question let out a tired sigh and sat back down onto the chair next to the sickbed.

"Have you been here the entire time?" he found himself blurting out despite himself. Shiki chose not to answer and instead averted his eyes. Akabayashi decided on a different approach. "How long have I been out?"

"Only a day," Shiki replied, digging in his jacket for some cigarettes. He found them finally and pulled one out only to realize that he had forgotten his lighter. He stopped, unable to find anything else to do with his hands. "I thought you weren't going to survive." Shiki looked up to see the other offering a lighter to him.

"How'd you get that?" he asked, taking the object from Akabayashi.

"Right there," the other answered, nodding to the table. His clothes were a lost cause with all the blood he had thrown up, but someone had thankfully emptied their pockets on the desk before discarding them.

"Thanks." Shiki lit the cigarette and took a long drag. The nicotine seemed to calm him.

"So your father's a demon?" he finally asked, causing Akabayashi's eyes to widen. He could see the other fight with himself, wondering whether or not he should acknowledge or deny the question.

Akabayashi finally looked away, muttering, "It's not something to parade around."

Shiki took another drag from his cigarette. "I suppose not."

"I thought the official story was supposed to be a gang of cosplayers."

"You should know I wouldn't buy that," Shiki said, causing Akabayashi to snort. He finally smiled in relief, glad that the tension between them had been broken.

"Hey…" Akabayashi said after a while.

"Hm?"

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"You could've left Ikebukuro with the rest of the Awakusu-kai executives, but you immediately chose to stay when I said I was planning to hang around for a little bit. Then you went and saved my ass. So thanks."

Shiki averted his eyes. "Don't flatter yourself."

Akabayashi laughed.

Hello! Sorry for the long wait! I can't believe it's been 3 years since the last update T_T. I'm going to try to power through this time *crosses fingers*

Thank you for reading and stay safe everyone! *hugs*