Epilogue

Shizuo hardly remembered when he entered the apartment for the first time. His memories of that night were fuzzy, his vision clouded by his drunkenness. When he awoke the next morning, his sight still blurred, he looked down at the naked Tomoko next to him, put on his clothes, wrote a note for his temporary lover, and then promptly left.

He never imagined that twenty-one months later, he would have his arms open for his one-year-old daughter walking toward him.

"Dada, rawr," spoke Rei as she mimicked a lion before wrapping her arms around his neck.

Like most infants, the first audible words that left her lips was "dada." Shizuo was rocking her - ten-months-old at the time - as she refused to succumb to slumber. In between kicks and cries, she whined "dada", almost as if she was begging him to let her stay awake. Shizuo's eyes widened and forgot about his original intentions, replacing them by lifting his daughter in the air and placing kisses onto her giggling face.

Since then, she would copy the noises of those around her. The panicked responses and grunts of Shinra were replicated by the baby. Sometimes she stared at Celty, waiting for the Dullahan to finally speak. Shizuo never sweared nor demonstrated his anger in her presence, so she did not inherit his behaviors. Though he would watch animal documentaries and would copy the sounds of animals as he played with Rei. It was surprising when she didn't mimic the cry of an animal while she was awake.

"Hopefully she doesn't do that when she says goodbye to us," Kichirou whispered to his wife.

"Oh hush," Namiko scolded with heavy exaggeration. "She's just a baby."

"Don't even think that she can comprehend what a 'goodbye' is," answered Shizuo, somehow settling a squirming Rei into his hold. "She just copies what everyone else does."

His parents were visiting their granddaughter for her first birthday. They initially thought that Shizuo would maintain his indifferent demeanour and be confused as to why a first birthday - that Rei would never remember - was important. But as November approached, he excitedly asked his family if they wanted to come to his apartment for the special day. Namiko and Kichirou were further perplexed by their eldest son's disappointment of Kasuka's announcement that due to scheduling conflicts, he would be unable to make an appearance.

Perhaps fatherhood softened him more than they thought.

They gave her general gifts: toys, clothes, simple puzzles. As they told Shizuo about their lives, Rei shifted into each of their grasps, playing with the now one-year-old while she giggled at almost every action someone made. She was not as welcoming to the visitors, as she often requested, through whines and stretches of her arms, to be held by her father.

After three hours, his parents were prepared to leave. They offered to order dinner, but Shizuo requested that he have the birthday dinner alone with Rei. He phrased it as him wanting to create a sweet memory for Rei, but it was transparent that he desired a true father-daughter moment with her.

"Goodbye, Rei," spoke Namiko, her voice raised a few octaves.

Kichirou gave a light smile as he directed a wave toward her. Rei blinked for a few moments, confused about the sudden change in behavior. But since her new favorite hobby was copying the actions of others, she tilted her head while she composed her thoughts.

"Bye!" she exclaimed with an intense wave of her hand.

Namiko's eyes watered with cuteness, and Shizuo subdued the temptation to give his daughter a million kisses until after his parents had left (he didn't want to extend their stay further than they wanted.)

"Bye sweetie," responded Kichirou, seemingly unaffected by her playfulness. "Keep a good eye on your dad for us, alright?"

"Baa," mumbled Rei in agreement, leaning her head against Shizuo's neck with a giggle.

Her words were simpler than simple with gibberish mixed in, but she was communicating. A year ago, her only emotions were neutral slumber and tears. And now here she was, a little person forming her own, cheerful personality. Shizuo resided in anger and annoyance, and yet he raised a girl who loved nothing more than to smile and laugh. She was unaware of his strength and the attitude formed because of it, she cherished that he cared for and played with her.

And he was happy to say that her constant joy was bringing more light into his life.

He ruffled her wavy hair as his parents left. Her giggles continued as she lifted her arms to grab his fingers.

"Let's eat some of your cake before I settle you for bed," said Shizuo.

Shinra and Celty acknowledged that they would be unable to visit Rei during her first birthday. Both felt guilty and wanted to demonstrate their appreciation of Rei, so Celty dropped off gifts and a cake for her. It was a small cake, ten centimeters in length and consisted of a single layer of vanilla sponge cake. The frosting was the same flavor, though it was dyed various shades of purple. Shizuo did not care much for a flavor palette, and Rei was too young to know what flavors she liked. He knew that the cake would taste good, and that was all that mattered. He wanted to see Rei enjoy a small piece as a final moment of her first birthday.

Rei became impatient upon entering her high chair. Tiny hands patted her table as she mumbled languidly. Shizuo could tell that she was becoming sleepy but not wanting to fall asleep. The smallest slice of cake would surely excite her for the next thirty minutes.

He put a small plate of cake in front of her along with a plastic fork. Turning around to cut a piece for himself, he heard something fall on the floor; a soft sound echoed, telling him that the falling object was small yet durable. Ignoring the food, he moved his head to see that Rei had thrown the fork, deciding that her hands were much better eating utensils.

Her grin was cheerful and sly once their eyes met. Those hazel irises were a reminder of the woman he hadn't seen in a year, the woman who decided to not be a mother. Shizuo respected her decision, but part of him was furious that she left him to raise an infant alone. Was she honest about the life she wanted to escape from, or was it a lie concocted to leave behind the duties of motherhood? But he saw no signs of lying when she told him. There was raw, painful emotion in her body and voice felt sincere.

"Dada! Yum!" Rei squealed with delight.

Shizuo huffed a laugh and moved forward to ruffle her hair.

Tomoko sacrificed a presence in her daughter's life to protect her and Shizuo. He hoped she was living a good and happy life. Maybe she was pleased to know that he was doing his absolute best to reassure Rei's felicity.

Looking at his daughter's face, the corners of her lips and the curve of her cheeks covered in violet frosting, the definition of delight written in her expressions, he recognized that he was doing a good job.

Even during Rei's most confusing, unfounded wails, Shizuo demonstrated control over his anger, feigning a tranquil mood while his inner self panicked. His blood never boiled. The thought of throwing an object weighing several tons never crossed his mind.

But that was before the terrible twos arrived.

Shizuo was warned of the common occurrence of tantrums and random acts of vexatious defiance. He thought Rei's unreasonable tantrums would be a more contained version of the chaos caused by Izaya, so he did not consider it further. Talks with his mother outlining warnings of when Rei reached the fateful age of two were met with half-conscious nods.

Regrets were met soon after the celebration of her second birthday. She shed harsh tears over sensible matters like a sudden fall or an unwelcomed nightmare, and then there were tantrums over the smallest inconveniences. Her rice being too white, not being able to wear her father's shoes, the weather being too hot, the weather not being hot enough. Shizuo was surprised that the tears within never ran out of supply and how her lungs seemed to have an infinite power supply.

Tonight was slightly more reasonable, albeit selfish.

"No sleep!" yelled Rei, sitting down on the living room carpet with a pout, as if doing that would prevent her father from carrying her to bed. "I'm not tired!"

Shizuo released a sigh, placing his fingers on the bridge of his nose in exhaustion. He understood not wanting to sleep, but Rei was too young to stay up late like him. She would be in a terrible mood tomorrow if she didn't get enough sleep, and Shizuo knew he would have great difficulty controlling his anger during such an occurrence. Any trantum tipped his triggers, but that brash negativity could not be shown around Rei.

"I know that you don't want to sleep, Rei," he comforted, hoping that a little optimism might convince her to end her harsh tears. "But your body really needs to relax. I promise you, you won't feel great tomorrow if you don't sleep. Rei, please."

Rei responded with a glare, though there was a sparkle of consideration. Her pout moved back and forthing, wondering if her tantrum would continue. Shizuo understood that Rei had a poor concept of time, but perhaps, for his sake, she would consider her mood for the next day. Maybe she would-

"No sleep, Daddy!" she screamed, kicking her legs onto the carpeted floor. So far, she demonstrated no signs of inheriting his super strength. Through her indignant determination alone, she could break through the floor below.

Shizuo didn't think he could sigh deeper. His usual restraints for anger involved clenching his fists, an attempt to divert all the frustration into a central location; admittedly, that probably augmented his desire to punch. He couldn't let Rei see the popping, scarily blue veins in his fist. Being afraid of her father, her only parent, was a fate that Shizuo desperately wanted to avoid.

For now, all he could do was take deep breaths and remind himself that Rei was a toddler that did not know better. She could learn to behave better after this moment if he calmly spoke with her.

"Acting like this will only make you more exhausted," he lightly scolded her. "And it won't stop me from getting you to bed."

An overlap of high pitched no's met Shizuo's ear as he picked Rei up. Little plump fists hit his shoulder, tempo decreasing as she gave in to her despair. She continued to glower at him, but at least she was becoming more tranquil. Shizuo disliked it when he received glares. Their tones always contained unnecessary judgement, their entitlement making them notice his flaws while failing to recognize their own. Rei wasn't like the grown people on the streets of Ikebukuro, he reminded himself.

As he opened the door to her room using his foot, he caught a glance of her red face, tear stains on her adorable face. Fuck, now seeing his upset was adding stress. He did not prepare himself well enough for the terrible twos at all.

The lilac walls of her bedroom remained the same, the furniture, however, greatly differed from the former nursery. A small bed, crafted from dark wood with a sky blue pillow and galaxy-patterned sheets, replaced the crib. A lighter wood was used for the small, low-footed table, two violet cushioned chairs Shizuo almost grunted a laugh at the unfinished drawings of flowers and stick figures made from shaky lines. Rattles had been discarded for dolls, though the stuffed animals did not suffer from the same fate. He would not dare scrap toys she cared about so much, especially Koko, her beloved mint bunny.

Shizuo bent down and picked up Koko from its place on the carpeted floor. Before he could give it to his daughter, she rudely removed it from his grasp. She tightly embraced the toy with a huff.

He gently settled his hold of her, placing her down on the bed. As Shizuo let go, he heard a light whimper.

"Daddy," pleaded Rei, her arms inextricably wrapped around his neck. "Please stay."

Toddlers were quite fascinating creatures. Their mood could change in less than a second. And here Rei was, forgoing her earlier anger for her need to be loved by her father. Her pleasing eyes were adorable. Shizuo recognized her previous unreasonable bitterness, and although he knew that it was not a behavior Rei should develop, he could see the guilt in her irises.

"Alright Rei," he whispered with a smile. "I'll lay with you until you fall asleep. Do you want me to read you a story?"

Rei shook her head, a hint of impatience as she waited for her father to lay next to her. Shizuo didn't mind sitting in a bed way too small for his lengthy body, as long as it helped Rei sleep. It wasn't exactly comfortable and his back felt unbalanced, but when Rei placed her head on his hip and leaned her entire body against his, all uncomfortable feelings went away.

He leaned forward to lay a kiss on her forehead. "Good night, Rei."

"Good night, Daddy," responded Rei with a sleepy smile.

So not every aspect of the terrible twos was awful. If he was trying his absolute best to give Rei a good life, then plenty of wholesome moments were experienced.

As Rei grew more of a kind, yet stubborn, personality, Shizuo worried about allowing Celty and Shinra to care for her while he was at work. The unpaid burden of observing her wellbeing was placed upon them. He hated making his friends handle his daughter's tantrums, but the couple always assured Shizuo that it was the best arrangement possible. Shizuo would feel calmer if people he trusted were watching Rei, and Shinra and Celty could manage a situation where Rei might throw objects triple her weight.

Luckily for them, Rei's tantrums never resulted in violence, though Shizuo always ended up apologizing anyway.

Lunch break during work was the calmest part of Shizuo's day: chatting with Tom and Vorona was one of the best ways to make him relax and there were no unnecessarily rude clients. Sometimes he got updates on Rei, usually in the form of a picture.

There was no picture update today, which didn't worry Shizuo, as it wasn't an everyday occurrence. He thought he would have an average conversation with his fellow employees until his phone suddenly buzzed. Instinctually, he removed the phone from his pocket, thinking that the text was either spam or a late update on three-year-old Rei. Upon opening his texts, he saw that it was the latter. But reading proved it was far more dramatic than he initially thought.

Rei lifted the coffee table. She broke her arm. Shinra is taking care of it now. I know you have work but she's crying for you.

Shizuo almost broke his phone in panic. Tom and Vorona immediately noticed and asked questions about his well-being and then shifted to asking about Rei, as they knew that he became instantly stressed whenever something negative was inflicted onto his daughter. Tom caught a glance of the text and excused Shizuo from his shift. Vorona nodded along and offered "good luck."

Shizuo jogged down the sidewalk, not paying attention to the reactions of those he scared. He imagined that everyone thought he would go on a rampage, similar to those he did when Izaya was pulling the strings. If only they knew that he wasn't. All he wanted was to comfort his daughter.

His worst fears came true. Rei had inherited his strength at a younger age than him. Did that mean she would be angry like him? No, Shizuo told himself. Rei was a cheery young girl. She would not bring destruction like he did. Shizuo would make sure of that.

It felt strange walking into Shinra and Celty's apartment complex during lunchtime. The atmosphere was eerie. He wasn't preparing to take his daughter home as he heard the groans and sighs of relief of people ending their workday. He was unsure if he would be returning to their home at all today.

He approached the door to the apartment and turned the knob, glad that he could not hear the possible wails of Rei, though opening the door would force his ears to listen to the sorrows of his little girl.

Silence entered his ears when he walked into the apartment. A cloud of black smoke was in the corner of his eye. Footsteps followed, and Celty reached his vision. The typing of her phone was swift, sometimes Shizuo couldn't see her fingers lift from the digital keyboard.

"Her arm isn't that damaged," the screen read. "Shinra said that she broke her ulna, a bone in her lower arm. It's in a cast now, and Shinra gave her some medicine so she can't feel the pain. I'll let Shinra explain more of it to you. He has a much better understanding of it, and Rei really needs you right now."

Shizuo felt his chest tighten as he read the message. He pondered if it was guilt, as it wasn't Rei's fault that she was this strong. Thinking further would do nothing. Comforting Rei was far more important.

"Thanks Celty," he spoke with a nod.

Celty led him to Shinra's office. As he furth approached his destination, the familiar sounds of sad snuffles reached his ears. He moved quicker, opening the door with a harsh rush of air.

Tears entered his eyes as he saw his daughter, teary eyed and clearly uncomfortable as Shinra inspected the cast on her left arm. Her eyes lit up with excitement and desperation when her father entered.

"Daddy!" she yelled with her arms stretched.

Shizuo moved the bed and sat down, lifting her onto his lap.

"Oh, Rei," he said, almost a sorrowful, ashamed whisper. "I'm so sorry."

He pulled her into a tight hug. He felt tiny arms wrap around his neck and a head leaning against his collarbone. His vest became wet, most certainly connected to the sobs escaping from Rei.

"I don't know what happened, Daddy," she said between cries. "My doll was under the table, and I couldn't reach it. I picked up the table and then my arm started really hurting."

Shizuo felt his tears stop in an instant. She lifted a table because she wanted to get her toy? She didn't lift a heavy object out of anger?

"You wanted your toy?" Shizuo questioned, not allowing Rei to see his flabbergasted expression.

"Celty noticed that the doll was under and was about to get it, but Rei beat her to it," answered Shinra, removing his gloves and placing them in the trash. "We were shocked at first, but Rei's cries brought us out of it. Celty created some fake animals out of shadows to calm Rei down while I looked at her arm.

"She broke her ulna, though it didn't fracture much. It should take at least a month to heal."

"I have to wear this for a month?" asked Rei, slightly lifting her injured arm for emphasis.

"I'm sorry Rei, but you do. It helps your arm heal. I'll give your daddy some stuff to help you. Speaking of your dad, I think he has to explain some stuff to you."

Rei turned her gaze upward to Shizuo as Shinra left the room. Shizuo heavily sighed. He wished that she was older before he explained this to her, but he couldn't put it off. For the sake of his daughter, he needed to step up.

"So, uhh…" Shizuo stumbled on his explanation, not fully prepared. "I don't think you know this, but I am really strong. Like really strong."

His heart almost melted when her eyes widened. He had to tell her the truth, though he didn't want her to be scared of herself. It was already an emotional day for her, and he did not wish for her tears to continue.

"I got my strength from you?" Rei asked, a surprising amount of excitement in her eyes. "That's so cool."

Some guilt arose in him when he responded to her joy with blinks of confusion. "You're not scared."

Rei shook her head with a smile. "Of course not. This means that I'm just like you Daddy!"

Well this was not what he expected. She was taking this much better than he initially thought. She was proud to have his strength because she got it for him? He didn't expect this conversation to turn so wholesome.

"Well, I'm really glad you think that, Rei. But you should know that I mainly use my strength out of anger. I have a lot of anger in me. I'm happy that you don't use your strength the same way as me, and I want to help you keep it that way. I can teach you to control your strength."

"You're angry, Daddy?" asked Rei with the tilt of her head. "You're never mad around me."

"Because you never make me mad," he responded, ruffling her hair in reassurance. "You're the sweetest girl I ever met, and I want to keep it that way."

Rei's smile grew bigger, and Shizuo couldn't help but smile back.

"Thank you, Daddy," she said before hugging him. "I love you so much."

Shizuo released a breath of relief and happiness. He always considered himself an irritated being, incapable of forming stable relationships. His friends initially valued him for his strength, but they grew to understand and like his true passive nature. And then there was Rei, his own flesh and blood that cherished him despite having a cheery personality. Raising Rei was the one thing in his life that he did right, and she loved him for that.

"I love you too, Rei. I love you more than anything."

Though only three and a half, Rei was becoming more and more independent. And now she would become more so, as the adults who typically cared for her during the work day, as she was entering her first year of kindergarten.

"Alright Rei," said Shizuo as he straightened the skirt of Rei's uniform. "We have to get going soon."

Rei shifted in her new outfit awkwardly. Despite appearing uneasy, Shizuo couldn't deny how adorable she looked. She wore a white button-down polo with a sky blue skirt that included suspenders. Shizuo was proud that he managed to braid her hair. She looked like a cute little lady. Even with her wrist cast, caused when she lifted an armchair in curiosity of what was underneath, she was the cutest thing.

"Uh, I guess so," she responded, nervously shifting on the tips of her toes.

Shizuo could sense how nervous she was. He was confident that she would be an intelligent student with many friends, though she needed to have that faith as well.

"Rei, I know that you're a bit scared," he comforted. "But I know that everything will be alright. Your teachers and the other kids will love you. You're so happy and kind, so there's no reason for them to not like you."

"You really think so, Daddy?"

"I'm certain. And if it makes you feel better, I will pick you up when the day is over. We can also visit Shinra and Celty sometime this week. How does that sound?"

Rei nodded. "Do you think they'll be lonely without me?"

"They will definitely miss you. You light up every room you're in."

"Thanks Daddy."

Shizuo gave her a kiss on her forehead as she giggled. "Now, before we go, I have to remind you of something."

"I can't use my strength at school and in front of other kids," responded Rei with a sigh.

"That's right."

Shizuo told her that using her strength in public might frighten others, and make them confused when she broke a bone. Rei had a good handle on her prowess, but sometimes her cheeriness made her forget about possible injuries. He didn't tell her about the fear that the mere mention of the Heiwajima name caused. He hoped that the parents were unaware of his legacy.

Rei was too young to know this, and being aware of it would certainly increase her nerves. And he was confident that she would go beyond the name. She would be her typical cheery self.

He stood up and gently took her hand.

"Are you ready, Rei?"

"Yes Daddy!" exclaimed Rei as she straightened her stance in assertiveness.

Shizuo smiled down at her. Rei would have a great day today.

He and Rei would have an amazing life. Everything would be alright.