Shizuo walked into the apartment, damn what a day, the clients were just relentless. He was lucky he hadn't killed anyone today. It was as if everyone was on edge suddenly, why the hell was that? even for a town like theirs, even for Ikebukuro; everyone was acting like the world was going to end. "Bad day Shizu-chan?" he heard Izaya ask from his place at his desk.
"Don't ask," Shizuo replied as he toed off his shoes at the door, walked over to the couch and slumped against it. "Damn, everyone was acting weird today, what gives."
Izaya didn't stop typing, but he acknowledged Shizuo's indirect question. "That might have something to do with the new drug that's been leaked."
Shizuo looked over the couch. "What new drug?"
Izaya clicked his tongue. "I thought you at least kept up with the news Shizu-chan."
"Hey I've been a little busy."
"The drug is new, it's called Crimson."
"Crimson?"
"It's an untested drug; apparently people in the city are already abusing it. Many have found out what the drug actually does and are using it against people they hate."
Shizuo became annoyed. "Against them? What the hell does it do?"
"One poor guy woke up in the hospital with over a year's worth of memory gone, no explanation, other than he'd taken the drug - or been given the drug without knowing it."
"How'd they know he'd taken it?"
"Though the drug is new, they found abnormal signs of something in his bloodstream."
"Seriously?"
"It's happened to at least a dozen people now."
"That's pretty fucked up; have they all been forced to take this drug?"
"I read somewhere that a girl who lives in Shibuya, took the drug on her own, because her boyfriend broke up with her. She woke up in the hospital, absolutely no memory of even having a boyfriend."
"Damn it, what happened to good old-fashioned break ups."
Izaya laughed as he leaned back on his chair. "Like you're one to talk; when we broke up briefly, you wanted to throw a bench at me."
Shizuo snorted. "Yeh, then your stupid ass when and got yourself shot."
Izaya grinned at him. "Want to start a couples counselling? Because that seemed to work, we're fine now."
Shizuo laughed. "Great idea." He then became serious once again as he said, "We should warn our friends."
Izaya rolled his eyes. "Our "friends" actually watch the news."
Shizuo rolled his own eyes, he had no idea why Izaya placed quotation marks at the word friends. He chose not to question it, instead he focused on the conversation. "I still think we need to warn them, just encase, tell them to watch their backs."
...
~Setton entered the chat room~
~Taro entered the chat room~
Setton: Evening everyone.
Taro: Hi there, evening.
Setton: Just us two?
Taro: it looks that way.
~Saika entered the chat room~
Saika: Hi everyone, I hope I'm not too late.
Setton: Not at all, we just got here ourselves.
Taro: Hello Saika, how are you?
Saika: I'm good thanks, how are you both doing?
~Kanra entered the chat room~
~Natsukashii entered the chat room~
Kanra: Kanra is heeeeeere in the house!
Taro: Oh, hi guys, how's it going?
Natsukashii: Not bad. Work was kind of crappy.
Setton: Just don't push yourself too much, you'll overexert yourself.
Natsukashii: Thanks. But I'm fine. It's all good.
Kanra: Natsuk-chan can take care of himself, he's a big boy.
So did you hear about the Crimson drug!?
Natsukashii: Don't tell them like it's something to be excited over!
Kanra: Sounds like you know about it already, Natsuk-chan.
Natsukashii: Some asshole friend of mind told me.
Kanra: Harsh!
Taro: So what's the Crimson drug? I've never heard of it.
Setton: Drugs have been going around for centuries, it's not big news.
Kanra: This one is different! It's being forced on people and it's completely untested, the people that have taken it, have lost a lot of their memory. This one guy lost over a year's worth of memory, bam! Gone!
Saika: That's frightening...
Setton: Scary, what are the cops doing about it?
Kanra: Nothing, they've got no leads at all, it's all sceptical stuff.
Setton: Well...what if Aliens are responsible - you know, I saw that documentary once. People were abducted into ships and brought back with no memory!
Kanra: Those stories aren't true Setton...
Setton: Well - they could be!
Natsukashii: On a serious note! You guys should watch your backs, you might get it forced on you no matter who you are.
Kanra: It's happened to at least a dozen already!
Taro: Whoa...That's crazy, didn't the pharmaceutical company have someone's memory erased once?
Izaya stared in surprise for a moment, was it possible that they were behind this?
Pm Kanra to Setton.
Kanra: Ask Shinra if he knows anything, wasn't he the one that made that boy's memory disappear before? He's dealt with that kind of thing often.
Setton: Shinra isn't involved!
Kanra: I never said that, I just asked if he knew anything.
Setton: He doesn't!
Kanra: Touchy!
Shinra scanned over the conversation from Celty's end, leaning over her shoulder. "Involved in what?"
Celty nearly jumped out of her seat. She typed on her pad and shoved it at him. [You scared me! Don't do that!]
"Sorry. Anything I can help with? You look kind of freaked."
[That's because you just gave me a heart attack!]
Shinra tilted his head with a smile. "How's that?"
[Figure of speech! You know what I mean!]
"Besides that, why were you just biting Kanra's - or rather - Izaya's head off?"
Celty's shoulders slumped. [Something to do with a new drug he's been hearing about. It's being abused among the streets and it's taking away people's memories.]
Shinra sat in the chair next to her. "He asked if I was involved?"
[Not directly. He just asked if you knew anything.]
"Oh Celty! I love how you care so much!"
[Shut up.]
Shinra laughed. "What's the drug called anyway? Does Izaya know?"
[Crimson, apparently. He said it's been mentioned on the news, though the stories vary.]
"Crimson huh? You know, come to think of it, I once heard my dad mention something about a drug he'd been working on. Quite sure he said Crimson - or it could have been Cremson - or maybe it was Crimbon? Hmmm..."
[Your dad!?]
Shinra smiled. "It's really not that surprising; but as freaky as my dad is, I doubt he intended to use it to "Attack" people."
[What if it got stolen?]
Shinra nodded with a frown then. "I'll give him a call in the morning."
Celty slumped again, Shinra sympathised. [Guess I better tell Izaya, damn I hate it when he's right.]
Shinra laughed. "He's mostly always right."
[I know.]
…...
Izaya leaned up and kissed Shizuo hard on the lips as he neared the door. Shizuo moaned against him and then they pulled away. "What was that for?"
Izaya grinned. "Happy Anniversary."
Shizuo's eyes widened a fraction. "Shit!"
Izaya's grin just widened. "Forgot?"
"Um...well, I didn't think we – were counting."
"I'm not a fan of counting how many days one remains together, but - I just wanted to see the look on your face when you realised that I remembered. You're the romantic out of the two of us."
"Are you sure about that? Because I seem to recall you booking us a table at Crista for Christmas last year."
"That was different, and-" Izaya yanked the hidden item that Shizuo had behind his back. "I know you didn't really forget." Izaya showed him the red rose, lightly hitting Shizuo on the nose with it, grinning.
Shizuo blushed, a hand coming to rub the back of his neck shyly. "Heh. I didn't think you'd notice."
"Like I didn't notice the little, 'I love you' on the bathroom mirror this morning? Or the heavily erotic sex-"
"All right!" Shizuo blushed again. "So you noticed."
Izaya chuckled and kissed him again. "You really do suck at subtleness Shizu-chan."
"Shut up."
Izaya wrapped his arms around his neck after placing the rose into the long empty vase. "I love you too." At that point, Namie entered the apartment, she scrunched her nose up.
"I just had my breakfast," she said and held her stomach to add to the effect of her disgust. Izaya grinned at her.
"She's just jealous because the only one she will ever love and except that love from, is with another girl."
"Argh! You rat!" Namie was about to throw her bag at him, but Izaya laughed and ran out of the door. Shizuo followed him out, he didn't overly like Namie, she kind of creeped him out, so he tried not to converse with her.
Izaya and Shizuo stood outside their building, ready to part ways for the day. "Given what happened last night, you're in a pretty good mood, so I trust you might take it easy on the clients today ne?" Izaya gave Shizuo a playful shove.
Shizuo clicked his tongue. "I could be in the best mood ever; the clients will still piss me off."
Izaya chuckled. "Lookout, Shizuo Heiwajima is on the loose!"
Shizuo frowned at him. "Shut up. Where are you going today anyway?"
Izaya shrugged. "Wandering the city mostly, then I'm meeting with an old acquaintance of mine later, he's in a bit of a bind."
Shizuo tensed. "Do I wanna know?"
Izaya gave him a small grin. "Probably not."
"Figures." Shizuo squeezed the tips of Izaya's fingers, because something didn't feel right suddenly. He got this twinge in his heart, like something bad was going to happen. He wondered, because things were going so well in his life now, that he was just expecting it. Izaya noticed Shizuo hadn't let him go yet.
Izaya then teased. "You need to let go of my hand at some point."
Shizuo let him go hesitantly. "Sorry."
Izaya noticed the worried look in his eyes. "What's with you?"
Shizuo chewed his lip, he wasn't going to burden Izaya with his stupid fears. "Nothing, just be careful, I guess."
Izaya wasn't convinced, but he decided to let it go, he'd question him about it later. "See you tonight." Shizuo watched Izaya walk away, the twinge in his heart got worse. What was wrong? Something felt off... why did his heart feel constricted? He felt like he was watching Izaya walk away for the last time.
Suddenly, Shizuo called out to him. "Izaya!" Izaya turned around, smiling at him, damn he was fucking beautiful. "Ya liublyoo tibya," Shizuo spoke the words Izaya had taught him, it was the only Russian phrase he knew, but it was enough.
Izaya's smile simply widened a little. "Ya tozhe tibya liublyoo." Then he continued to walk away.
…...
It was almost dark, the sun setting between the orange tinted clouds, letting everyone know that the day was almost over. Shizuo entered the low-lit bar, he sometimes came here with Tom after a hard day, simply to have a drink to unwind a little. Tom hadn't tagged along this time; the hopeless idiot finally had a date. Shizuo was happy for him, he smiled as he sat down in an open booth. The usual barman came over to him, Shizuo smiled his way. "Yo Jude, slow day?"
"You could say that." The barman placed a drink in front of him. "This is from that girl over there. She seems to dig you," Shizuo laughed a little. "Yeh I know; just humour her man."
The barman walked away, Shizuo looked over at her, he didn't recognise her though, but he lifted his glass up to her, nodding his thanks. She smiled over at him and returned the gesture.
Izaya clicked his tongue, he nodded a thanks as the waitress refilled his tea. The high-rise café was a favourite of his, he enjoyed the scenery, it gave him a clear view of the people below. Izaya sipped on his refilled cup, he looked at his phone, the bastard was half an hour late. He'd hoped to be home soon, yet he somehow doubted this was going to be a quick chat. As he looked up from his mug, someone sat opposite him; Izaya frowned.
"Sorry I'm late."
Izaya registered the man was talking, but he couldn't find his voice to reply. Something wasn't right, he looked down at his half empty mug, had he even seen the waitress that had refilled it? He was sure it was the same one from earlier.
"You okay?"
Izaya's vision suddenly became blurry and he began to panic. Shit, they've fucking drugged me! Izaya stood up, this wasn't good, he had to get the hell out of here. He swayed against the table, knocking his chair over. He could vaguely hear the person near him talking, but as he tried to move from him - or her - Izaya wasn't even sure anymore - he stumbled backwards. A hand steadied him, grasping at his arm.
A waitress looked over at them in concern. "It's okay, my friend isn't feeling that great, just taking him out for some fresh air, no need to worry."
Izaya recognised that voice, but he couldn't place it. God, he felt sick, he had to get the hell away, he didn't trust that the guy holding him, was out to help him. Just as he felt the fresh air on his face, he then felt another hand grasp his other arm. Shit!
Shizuo watched the woman pass by him. "Hey, thanks for the-" then she was gone. "Drink. Huh."
Shizuo stood up, he expected Izaya would probably be done soon with whatever he had planned for today. He waved at the barman as he stepped out into the now darker streets. As he began to walk, his vision blurred slightly, he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, blinking to clear away the blur, well that was weird. Shizuo looked up, streetlights seem to mould into a pattern of colours all of a sudden. "Shit...what was in that fucking drink?" Shizuo opted to turn back, to go back into the bar, but as he turned, he began to lose his bearings.
Just then, he could have sworn he heard someone briefly call his name. He began to panic, his fists clenched, ready to defend himself, he had concluded that the drink was spiked. His mind becoming hazy, he remembered the conversation he had with Izaya a month ago. Crimson! Shizuo was frantic now, he'd rather not assume, but it was too coincidental. Shizuo stumbled down an alleyway, he'd prefer to keep out of sight. Desperately, he pulled out his phone, what if it was Crimson? What if he'd been targeted? What if someone had gotten to Izaya too? Izaya.
Izaya was roughly shoved forward, he felt his hands skim across the ground. He could barely see anything, but he assumed they'd forced him down an alleyway. He tried to reach for his flick blade, a lot of good that was going to do him now, but it was his only way of defending himself. Suddenly, he heard a ring, was that his phone? He tried to turn so that he could at least connect the call, he wasn't sure where his attackers were until he felt something slam into his side, a kick - he imagined. He coughed and his back hit the ground. Fuck. This wasn't looking good, he couldn't even stand up, how fucking powerful was that drug? Izaya then gasped. Drug...Crimson! Izaya pushed himself up, newfound strength burst within him, and he just knew -
He'd become a target.
It could also mean - at least it was likely - Shizuo had too.
Izaya's eyes widened. Shizu-chan!
"Izaya...please... pick up." Shizuo swayed against the wall, he could hear voices again, nearer to him now. He'd made the mistake of coming down here, because now he was trapped. He tried again, one last time to reach Izaya, but he wouldn't be able to do a damn thing if Crimson was the case. He feared what would happen, what would happen to them? He only preyed that Izaya was okay; if he himself was to be targeted, it didn't matter if Izaya was safe.
Someone picked his phone from his pocket, adding another kick to his already bruised ribcage, and abdomen. Izaya groaned, desperately trying to protect himself, he wasn't doing a decent job of it so far. He heard the ring of his phone being cut off, and his phone thrown somewhere down the alley. They weren't even talking to him; he hadn't heard them speak at all since they'd gotten outside.
Shizuo forced himself to his feet for the third time, he had to stay awake, if he surrendered to the drug... Damn it! Izaya wasn't answering his phone and panic alone was the only thing keeping him from falling unconscious. Shit, he wished he'd asked Izaya where the hell he was meeting that acquaintance of his. He knew he should have trusted his instincts today; he had a bad feeling and he was right! There were voices again, louder. Shizuo stumbled, vision darkening, threatening to pull him down. "Who's there!?" He got no reply. "I'll fucking kill you!" Still no reply, then...
Izaya hissed as his back hit the wall with great force, pain danced along his shoulder blade. He tried to throw a punch at one of his attackers, as feeble as it was now, he then felt something smash against his side again - something harder than a kick this time - more akin to a bat, maybe. Izaya choked out a whimpered yelp as he hit the ground. He was sure he was going to pass out soon, he tried his hardest not to, but the pain was becoming intolerable. Izaya rolled over, trying to get a glimpse of his attackers, not that it would help when his memory vanished when he woke up again... if he woke up. He panted with agonized breaths. "Who...are you?" Shizu-chan... shit, please...be okay...
Three loud shots rang out, the sound echoing around the walls, ricocheting off the pipes. Shizuo blinked, pain suspended him from moving. He coughed, blood seeping through his wounds quickly. Izaya. the raven was the last thought that entered through his mind before he collapsed to the ground, the last thing he heard was footsteps retreating.Shizuo faded into unconsciousness, hadn't he had something like this happen to him before? it felt worse though, maybe it was the drug... god it fucking hurt. I'm sorry...Izaya...please be okay…. please. Darkness loomed over him, blood pooling around his body as he tried desperately to hold onto his memories.
Izaya was lifted off his feet and shoved into the wall again, pain laced across his already beaten body. "Ngh! Stop..." he was sure he heard one of them laugh. He didn't know what else to do, he could barely move, he was doomed right from the start, no way of ever defending himself at the first moment he realised he'd been drugged.
"By the way," he heard one of them speak now, at least he thought so. His body held against the wall by an arm. In a last-ditch effort, he reached into his pocket, there! His flick blade was still in his pocket. "Gok sends his regards."
Izaya just froze. Gok, did he hear that right? He felt his feet touch the ground for a moment, then suddenly, there was a sharp pain, worse than the other injuries that had been inflicted on him. Izaya's throat closed around the blood that etched its way up as he choked out a strangled cry of pain. He collapsed to the ground, hearing faint laughter and then nothing.
Izaya rolled over, if he could just find his phone... maybe it hadn't been broken. He moaned in pain as he shifted across the ground, further down the alleyway. He realised, when he decided to call Shinra, that this felt awfully familiar. Izaya coughed, he could barely breathe; but he had to get a hold of someone, someone had to know! Just then, he saw his phone light up. It didn't ring, so it was most likely telling him he had a missed call or a message, he didn't care, his phone was working!
Gritting his teeth as blood trickled from his mouth, he reached forward, his blood slicked hand making it hard to grip the phone. He couldn't move his left arm; his shoulder grated when he did so. His vision darkened when he tried to focus on his phone screen, he could see the letters enough to read Shizuo's name, it was him that he'd missed the calls from. He wanted nothing more than to call him, to hear his voice, to see if he was okay… to tell him that he loved him. but he knew he was running out of time, if Shizuo was in the same dilemma, then they needed someone to help them.
Izaya groaned as he curled up on his side, his injuries were bad, he knew he'd suffered multiple bone fractures, at least four or five on his ribs, possibly one on his shoulder blade and probably his collar bone too. Then there was the fatal blow, the one that was the cause of all his blood loss, he'd been stabbed, again! Izaya found Shinra's name at last, he wasn't even sure if he could speak anymore. The phone rang a couple of times and Izaya was starting to lose hope. Please...please pick up...
{Izaya?}
Izaya closed his eyes in relief. He tried to say something, but a strained whimper came out instead, damn it. He coughed, trying to clear his throat. "Shinra…" Izaya curled up in agony. "God..." this was some serious déjà vu, damn it, he was in serious trouble, and in such fucking pain.
{Izaya? I can barely hear you.}
Izaya gritted his teeth, gasping and panting. "Crimson…. Shinra... help... hurts."
Shinra could hear the breathless sounds coming from the phone, he had never heard his friend sound so awful. Shinra began to get a horrible feeling. "Izaya, what happened? Where are you? Talk to me!"
"I can't... see."
"Izaya tell me where you are!" Shinra ran into Celty who was sat at the computer desk, she turned to him and saw his panic-stricken face, then stood up.
[What's wrong!?]
"Izaya, he's in trouble, but I can't hear him." Shinra turned his attention back to the phone. "Izaya! Please, where are you! Give me anything!"
Izaya felt his vision fade. No! not yet, they had to know where he was, they had to know what was happening! "Café... Shinjuku...alleyway."
"The high-rise one?" No reply. Shinra gripped the phone. "Izaya! Keep talking to me okay? Is it the high-rise one?" Shinra and Celty were already on their way out of the door.
Izaya couldn't stay awake, another trickle of blood passed his lips. "Shinra..."
"We're on our way, just hang on okay?" Shinra turned to Celty. "Any luck getting hold of Shizuo?" Celty shook her head - or rather - her helmet. "Damn it!" Shinra's heart thudded against his chest.
With a last-ditch effort, Izaya spoke faintly. "Tell Shizu-chan... that I love him... and I'm sorry."
Cold fear swept over Shinra as he stared at his disconnected phone. "Damn it!"
Celty pushed her phone in face. [We must go now!]
Shinra nodded and he got on the bike. This was bad, so bad. Izaya, don't you dare fucking die on us now.
58