Disclaimer: I do not own Durarara! :(
"Any luck?" Shinra asked when he opened the door.
"Barely passable," Izaya lamented as he entered with Shizuo, their hands full of plastic bags. He made a beeline for the sofa, depositing an array of convenience store bentos and bread on the coffee table before plopping himself down on the couch. "Even Russia Sushi wasn't open."
"We found plenty of food though," Shizuo pointed out before taking a seat next to the informant and grabbing one of the melon breads.
"I miss fatty tuna," the informant grumbled, reaching for one of the bentos. He also missed eating at restaurants and analyzing his meals, but he knew he had brought that on himself after all, having gone back to the village.
"Good thing some of the stores are still open though," Shinra noted, looking through the spread when the balcony door opened, the smell of cigarettes lightly permeating the room as Shiki stepped back into the apartment.
"The private restaurants are all closed, if that's what you're wondering," the yakuza informed the others as he slid the glass door closed behind him.
"Tch, of course the chains would stay open. It's not like their owners are in the city anyway," Izaya grumbled before taking a bite of rice. The bland flavors did nothing for his cravings, but he needed the sustenance. He had not used the spell since Kyoto, and he doubted he'd be trying anytime soon given the slight exhaustion that seemed to follow him wherever he went.
Shiki picked the fried chicken bento out of the batch and started on his breakfast as Celty came out of the kitchen with a pot of green tea and some cups.
"Thanks." Izaya carefully took the steaming cup from her, sipping slowly so as to not burn his tongue. He sighed with contentment, enjoying the rich flavors. "Was this from Uji?"
"We found a shop in Kyoto Station before we left."
"Yeah, Saku… whoa! Hot!" Celty cut the doctor off abruptly by thrusting a steaming mug in front of his face.
'Hmm…' The movement did not escape Izaya, and he decided to prod, hoping that his suspicions were unfounded. "What were you going to say, Shinra?"
"Oh, n-nothing!" The doctor laughed nervously, attempting to hide his slipup by drinking his tea. "Hot!"
"I could've sworn you were about to say my…" The door to the sickroom opened suddenly, interrupting him as Akabayashi hobbled into the living room, leaning heavily on his cane. The other definitely looked a little worse for wear, obvious bags under his eyes despite the wide grin plastered on his pale face.
"So, what's our plan of attack?" the man asked, fighting the urge to laugh at all the surprised faces in the room. He waved them off dismissively. "Relax, I'm almost healed up anyway."
"That is not considered healed," Shiki commented, nodding at the bandages.
"I'll be fine. The sign of an appetite is a good enough indicator."
"Sit down already," Izaya scolded him as Shiki moved aside for the other yakuza executive. Akabyashi plopped himself on the sofa and grabbed one of the bentos.
"I see we have a breakfast worthy of kings here," he joked as he popped open the container and grabbed a set of chopsticks, proceeding to shove a rather large piece of chicken in his mouth. "But in all seriousness, were you able to find out anything from that demon yesterday?"
Izaya swallowed some of the cold curry he had been chewing on. "You don't want to wait for Mamoru?"
"Oh yeah!" Akabayashi seemed to have finally noticed the one missing from the room. "Where did Dad go?"
"He said something about collecting information before he left this morning," Shizuo told him.
"I keep telling him not to do my job," Izaya muttered, a little discontented that his friend would go out and gather information without him. Mamoru had been the one who insisted for Shizuo and him to go search for food instead.
As if the older demon were listening to their conversation, a knock at the door indicated that the other had returned. Celty opened the door for Mamoru, whose solemn expression only showed that he had not found anything particularly useful.
"He's back now," Shiki stated, turning back to Izaya, "So, did you manage to get a name from the filth that you saved?"
Izaya shrugged off the animosity in the other's voice. "Uta," he told them.
"Like a song?" Akabayashi asked as he offered one of the bentos to Mamoru.
"She was the late Orihara-sama's closest confidant. I thought she would be the one to support Orihara-sama's wishes," Mamoru explained as he took the box from his son.
"Well if it's her, then it makes sense how so many of them would go and do something so crazy so fast. She has pretty good rapport with the rest of the clan," Izaya reasoned. "Although, it does seem a little odd. She never struck me as someone who would do something like this."
"You must know where they are then, since they are your family," Shiki interjected.
"Wait wait," Izaya stopped him, wondering if he should bother explaining everything from the beginning. It was none of the yakuza's business, but if he wanted the other's cooperation, he supposed he should offer some information first. "First of all, I'm not actually an Orihara."
He wanted to laugh at the other's blank stare. "Kyouko took me in when I was in Tokyo, so I lived with Mairu and Kururi. The main house didn't let them in, and I never found the need to visit."
"I wasn't asking where you lived, Izaya-san." The other seemed to regain his composure, and Izaya knew exactly what Shiki had in mind.
"We're not going to storm their compound, Shiki."
"They've brought this on themselves. How else do you think we could resolve this?"
"Actually, I went to the Orihara Clan's main house today. They've sealed off access to the outside world," Mamoru spoke up before the sparks could fly any further.
"Well break it then," the yakuza executive growled.
"The barrier spell is strong, so it actually cannot be taken down and replaced as easily as you may think. It is not something one uses if one wishes to go in and out at will," the demon explained. "Since some of them have sealed themselves in, I do not think the entire clan is involved in the attacks. The rest must be waiting for the conflict to resolve itself."
"So we'll need to find this Uta person then," Shizuo mumbled.
"That is correct," Mamoru told him. "It is likely that she still has quite a few of the others with her, given that we have already unfortunately dealt with two demons from the Orihara Clan."
"It doesn't matter how many of them there are," Shiki reinforced. Izaya raised his hand up to stop him.
"Before we continue, please know that I'd like to resolve this without as much bloodshed as possible," Izaya told him sternly.
"You know that would not be possible," Shiki returned. "Why are you so adamant about it anyway? You've never seemed to care."
"Demons do not kill each other," Mamoru explained. "If it devolves to that point during this transition of power, then it is likely that something like this will happen again."
"Tch," Shiki leaned back on the sofa, the tension slightly defused after the older demon's words. "Well…" A buzz sounded through the room, and Shiki picked up his phone, mouth pursed at the interruption.
"Yes?" The yakuza's expression darkened even more. "I see. Don't do anything until I get there." He nodded to the T.V. next to Shinra.
The doctor switched the widescreen on to find it already on the news, a breaking story banner flashing across the screen. Izaya recognized the location as the arcade-lined street outside the west exit of the station, and it took another moment for him to see the message painted neatly in red on the pavement.
"Ikebukuro belongs to us now."
He breathed in slowly, eyes trailing to what looked like a blurred object to the side on the road, the likely source of the "paint." They were running out of time.
Shiki stood up abruptly, placing his finished bento on the table. "They've killed one of our men who was patrolling the area. I need to go to calm the others down."
"I'll come with you," Akabayashi started but the other held up a hand. "Stay here. You're not fully recovered."
"But-"
"Shizu-chan will go with him, so you stay here," Izaya stopped him. The bodyguard agreed without a fight and stood up to join the other.
Akabayashi sighed. "Thanks."
"I'll keep you guys updated on the situation," Izaya told them, his eyes meeting Shizuo's. "Stay safe."
"Same to you."
Izaya watched as the door closed behind the two, leaving the room in silence once again before he finally let out a sigh. He placed his empty cup down on the table, turning his attention to Shinra.
"So what were you going to say about Sakuraya and Kyoto Station?"
He watched as the color drained from the other's face before the doctor looked to Celty for help. She shook her head in exasperation.
Izaya's eyes narrowed. Normally, he'd enjoy watching the different reactions from the other, but if what he suspected was true, then he had a much bigger problem on his hands. The doctor promptly prostrated him across the coffee table.
"I'm sorry!" Shinra exclaimed. "Sakuraya and Shitsuo are here in the city!"
Izaya blinked, knowing that Mamoru must have a similar expression on his face. "They're what?"
"Your brother saw the news about the attacks and wanted to give the demons a piece of his mind. I tried to stop them, but he was adamant, so he came with us here."
"We really did try to stop them. Aiko too," Celty added.
"Where are they now?" Mamoru asked. Izaya could see the cold sweat dripping down his friend's face.
"He's searching the shrines and parks around Ikebukuro for their home."
.
"I can't believe that he would come all the way here," Izaya fumed as they made their way to Koyasu Inari Shrine. It was quite far from the main station and Shinra's house, and their surroundings eventually turned from high rises to individual homes as they entered a residential area. Izaya had to look twice before he spotted the entrance to the shrine, a bright red gate surrounded by walls in the middle of a narrow intersection.
"To imagine that this used to all be a forest," he muttered, following Mamoru through the gate before a strange sensation stopped him in his tracks.
"The barrier is still sealed," Mamoru told him.
"Yeah, I can see that." Izaya frowned, looking around for any signs of his brother. The area seemed empty at the moment, and assuming that neither Shitsuo nor Sakuraya had been to Ikebukuro before, this would not be a location they would seek out first in their search. He sighed, wondering if they should just return for now. Shinra had told him not to worry, but the last thing he wanted was for his brother to come into contact with Uta and her demons.
"Izaya-sama," Mamoru's voice took him out of his reverie. "There is something I think you should know before we decide on our course of action."
"Oh?" He supposed this was something the others were not meant to hear, given how long the other had waited to bring it up. His friend seemed contemplative, turning his gaze to the main shrine building.
"There was a rumor."
"Pardon?" He could only imagine how many rumors the older demon had heard in his lifetime.
"Back when you were up in Hakodate, I spent some time down in Edo to collect information about the war."
"Oh? Were you in contact with the Orihara Clan back then?"
"I merely informed them of my presence since Edo was quite close to their ancestral home. The humans had started building quite close to them, so they would send out patrols regularly to gather information about the war."
"Hmm, so I take it that some of them must have gotten too close to the humans, like Orihara-sama," Izaya mused.
Mamoru nodded. "One of them was Uta. I heard that she even had a child with her human lover."
"That doesn't make sense." Izaya gently touched one of the trees, feeling its ancient rough bark under his fingertips. "Why would she order the others to attack humans like this then? Unless…" he trailed off, suddenly feeling very cold.
Mamoru nodded solemnly. "Apparently, someone had found out about her nature. I heard the humans came and slaughtered her family while she was at a meeting back at the Orihara household. They were gone by the time she returned."
Izaya's hands tensed, and he barely managed to control himself at the last moment as a piece of bark fell to the floor. He stepped back from the tree to avoid damaging it further. So, Uta was like him, he thought bitterly. If she had gone through the same tragedy, then he couldn't say that he didn't understand why she was doing this right now. He breathed in unevenly, trying to rationalize his thoughts. He needed to analyze this new information objectively.
Kawamoto had purposely led him into the forest that day, alone. The humans had waited for his father to visit Yoichi's father before attacking. He remembered that much from what they told him after the fact.
Something here seemed off.
"They purposely waited for her to leave the house before attacking?" Izaya muttered under his breath.
A rustle in the trees broke his train of thought as he instantly took a defensive stance, not trusting his own body to move instinctively like it used to.
Mamoru positioned himself in front of him as a demon came out from around the shrine building, bowing before he approached the two. The other looked relatively young, his horns barely the length of the first joint of his smallest finger.
"What are you doing outside the barrier?" Mamoru asked.
Izaya raised an eyebrow at that statement. He thought that the barrier was difficult to manipulate.
"They sent me as a messenger. We heard that Izaya-sama had returned to Edo," the young demon replied.
"Don't get me wrong. I'm only here because you're about to expose us to the humans," Izaya returned. "I know how it will end if this continues."
The demon nodded. "We'll be exterminated, right?"
Izaya nodded, lips pursed. "Yes."
The other smiled and reached into his sleeve, removing a round object wrapped in a cloth before offering it to the two. "We wish for you to have this."
Izaya raised an eyebrow as the other moved the fabric slightly to reveal a glowing sphere, its contents shifting beneath the glass like entrapped smoke.
"A memory orb?" Mamoru inquired, seemingly unfazed by the offering.
The other demon nodded. "Uta-sama's, to be precise. I have been instructed to give it to you."
Izaya took the object gingerly, careful not to touch the glass. He could feel the warmth through the cloth, its call almost ethereal.
"And what am I supposed to do with this?"
The demon smiled. "We hope that it will serve you well in your answer."
Izaya grimaced at the orb and looked up to ask the other for more information, but the demon was gone.
Thank you for reading!
Some references:
Uji is a city south of Kyoto famous for their green tea. Their matcha is distinguished from other teas (ex. Uji matcha Kit Kats vs. matcha Kit Kats).
Uta (歌) means "song."