The cake and cupcakes were brought out soon after Masomi and Izaya returned to the party. They were chocolate cakes that were frosted with a blue colored frosting that matched the one year old's eyes. The adults all cut themselves a piece of cake, while Haru got a single cupcake to himself.

"You know, it seems kinda unfair that Haru only gets a cupcake and not some cake," Masomi casually mentioned, pointing his fork towards the raven.

Izaya snorted and turned towards the blonde, pointing the candle at him. "Well you can do that when you have your own kids," He said,"But I actually want to get some sleep tonight, so one cupcake is all he gets"

The others chuckled in response despite not really understanding, since none of them had kids. Of course, that sent Shinra into another spout about how he and Celty could understand once they had their own kids. Celty very promptly grabbed the candle from Izaya's hand and squashed it on top of his head.

As if he had known that would happen, Izaya pulled an identical candle out of a nearby drawer and placed it on top of the cupcake.

The group sang a happy birthday song to Haru who clapped and babbled along, and then Izaya helped the baby blow out the candle from behind. When Haru saw the flame on his small cupcake vanish, he squealed excitedly and wiggled all over in his chair.

As Haru dug into the cupcake with his hands, the adults all took a seat as well. They stuck their forks into the cake and raised them up, but Celty began typing something.

[I hope you guys enjoy! Izaya let me bake the cake!]

They lowered their forks.

[He helped of course]

They let out secret sighs of relief, and raised their forks again.

[But it was my own recipe!]

They all lowered their forks once more, until they saw Izaya rolling his eye. "She's just messing with you guys," He promised, giving the group the courage to dig into the cake.

"Mmm! This is delicious!" Erika squealed, and the others made excited noises of agreement, quickly going for more.

As they ate Izaya, Shinra, and Celty exchanged an amused glance. Celty had actually baked the cake, but they didn't need to know that just yet.

Haru held the cupcake in his hands for a while, just staring at it. Then, he gasped, whipping around to face Izaya. "Dada!" He exclaimed,"Look!"

"What is it, bud?" Izaya replied, looking towards his son. He didn't even have a chance to react when Haru suddenly slammed the cupcake onto his forehead, covering his hair with frosting.

"Ta-da!" Haru exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air and swinging his legs. "Happ' Buday!"

After they had all finished their dessert and Izaya had wiped Haru clean of the frosting he had managed to get…. Well, everywhere, it was time for presents!

They all sat down in the living room, Haru in Izaya's lap. They excitedly volunteered one by one to give their gift, which Izaya helped Haru open. Some were expected, like the new toys Celty managed to order straight from Ireland. Others were odd, like Saburo's gift of a Ruri Hijiribe CD so that Haru could, in Saburo's words, 'become cultured at a young age'.

The most amusing gift out of all of them was Erika's. She had gotten Haru a kangaroo onesie that came with ears on the hood, and Izaya a matching one. The main difference between the two onesies, however, was that Izaya's had a pouch on the stomach.

"For Mama-Iza and his little Joey!" Erika had declared, and the raven's face was completely covered in pink blush as everyone laughed in amusement.

After the last of the presents were open, Haru began to nod off. He was trying to play with his toys, but his eyes would start to slowly close, his head would nod forward, and then he would jerk back up with his eyes snapping back open.

After the adults watched in amusement for a while, Izaya chuckled and said,"Alright, I think it's somebody's bedtime."

"No bed," Haru mumbled, but didn't fight as Izaya picked him up and carried him back down the hallway.

Once Izaya was gone, Shinra let out a happy sigh. "Ah, the joy of children!" He exclaimed,"Seeing Izaya so happy due to Haru makes me imagine what life will be like when me and Celty finally have-"

His sentence wasn't able to be finished as Celty grabbed the cake filled plate in his hands and slammed it into his face. The underground doctor groaned underneath his punishment slumping forward in defeat.

The group of people watching just rolled their eyes in amusement, having grown used to Shinra's antics over the years.

"You're not going to get anywhere with dropping not-so subtle hints like that," Namie said, taking another swig of her wine.

Shinra grumbled and began wiping the frosting off his face. "You know, Namie," He began,"I've been meaning to ask this. Why are you even here? You hated Izaya."

Namie looked down at her glass, swirling the scarlet liquid around for a bit before she answered. "Well, I suppose I did," She answered,"But after he got Haru, he stopped making my workload ridiculous on purpose and was a lot nicer. I suppose it also helped that he was exhausted most of the time from caring for a newborn. And he did technically save my life… If he hadn't called Celty when that guy attacked us, I would have bled out."

Masomi hummed curiously. "Izaya did mention that he'd been attacked," He said,"But he never gave me details. What exactly happened?"

[Izaya told me it was the husband of one of his old clients] Celty explained. [She hired Izaya because she thought her husband was cheating and it turned out he was also doing some pretty illegal things. She left, and he went after Izaya for revenge.]

"He heard Haru cry and ran upstairs to kill him and Izaya followed after him even though the guy had already beaten him up pretty bad," Namie explained,"I don't know what happened after that since I was downstairs, but I do know that guy's obituary said his death was accidental"

Akabayashi then grew a mischievous smirk on his face. "That would be Shiki's doing," He explained,"He didn't take too kindly to someone trying to kill his info broker. Izaya didn't kill him, but Shiki's men made sure that the bastard didn't leave the hospital."

Mikado turned to Kadota with a questioning glance. "I thought you said that Izaya quit his job as an informant broker?" He asked.

"I did," The raven's voice cut through their conversation, and they found the one eyed man standing in the hallway. "But every now and then Shiki still contacts me when they really need help."

Akabayashi nodded in agreement as he laughed. "I still remember his face when he found out about your new job! He looked so shocked!" He exclaimed,"I don't think anyone could have predicted it!"

The teens turned their curious eyes towards Izaya, and Masomi bravely asked,"What is your job now?"

"Oh, that's easy," Izaya said,"I'm an investigator with the National Police Agency now."

Kadota choked on his drink in surprise, Saburo doing the same with his fork, while Erika and Walker squealed, and the teen's eyes widened in shock. Shinra, Celty, Namie, and Akabayshi didn't react other than looking proud since they already knew.

"Ahh! Izaya-Kun, you are Hasie Sakaki in the flesh!" Erika exclaimed, jumping up and down and twirling in a circle.

Izaya stared at her in complete confusion, hesitantly saying,"I… Don't know who that is."

Erika gave a shocked gasp, and then grabbed her hat, pulling a manga out of it and handing it to him. "He's in this! But don't watch the anime, it ruins everything that made this series a foundation for discussion about society-," She ordered.

"Why do you even have that?!" Kadota exclaimed from afar, but was ignored by his friend as she continued to chatter about the book in front of her while Izaya looked thoroughly confused.

Wanting to save Izaya from the pain Masomi knew, he quickly asked,"There's gotta be a story behind that. How did you end up becoming an investigator."

Erika stopped talking and instead seemed to grow just as curious as everyone else. She quickly went back to her seat with an expectant glance at Izaya.

The raven gave the blonde a relieved smile and then took a seat at the table as well, leaning his elbows on it. "Well, you're right. There is a pretty interesting story behind it…" He began.

Three Months Ago

Izaya let out a loud sigh, flopping onto his plush cream couch with a sigh. He wanted to curl up into a ball and sleep for a thousand years.

As if moving wasn't hard enough, Haru started teething as well. Sometimes nothing would calm the baby down, he'd wake up over and over again and keep Izaya up late into the night.

He'd been unpacking the best he could, but there will still some boxes and missing furniture as he spent most his time with Haru. Not that he minded, but time with his son was less enjoyable when the baby was in a very fussy mood due to teething.

Finally, finally he had managed to put Haru down for his nap without much fuss. Although Izaya wasn't one for naps, he felt like he needed one as well. He curled up into his couch, his eyes drifting shut.

But before he could reach the sweet release of sleep, he heard the sound of someone knocking on his door.

If Izaya was a little more awake, he might have realized how strange it was that someone was knocking on his door. In his new apartment, people needed to be buzzed in if they were guests, Izaya wasn't expecting any. If you lived there, you could knock, but Izaya hadn't even met any of his neighbors yet. There was no reason for anyone to be at his door.

The half-asleep raven forced himself off the couch and dragged himself over to the door. He unlocked the door and pulled it open, bluntly asking,"What do you want?"

"My, my. Is that any way to greet some guests? Not a very good first impression, Orihara-san!" An unfamiliar voice said, jolting Izaya out of his sleep addled state and giving the stranger his full attention.

There were three men outside of his door, two who were dressed in fancy black suits with black trench coats over them, and black earpieces. The one in between them had wavy silver hair that reached his shoulders, his eyes were closed and reminded Izaya of Walker's eyes. Over his shoulder was a black mantle with white borders, and underneath that was a black kimono with a white obi around his waist and sandals with long white socks.

Izaya looked between them nervously, his mind constantly thinking about how to protect the sleeping baby a down the hallway as he asked,"Who are you?"

The man in the middle gave another smile, and casually replied,"I am Kyomi Surai, and I am a head investigator within the National Police Agency. You don't have to introduce yourself, however, as I already know who you are. May we come in?"

The raven had to admit, this man's sudden appearance and his association made him curious. He gave a slow nod and opened the door further, letting the trio into his apartment.

A few minutes later, they were all sitting at Izaya's dining room table with cups of tea. Surai seemed to be examining the apartment curiously, that fox-like grin still on his face while his bodyguards sat on either side of him.

"So, Izaya-san, I'm sure you're curious as to why I'm here," The investigator finally said,"Well, I'm actually here to get some information…"

Izaya quickly shook his head. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I am not an informant broker anymore. You'll just have to find someone else," He firmly said.

Surai chuckled in amusement, waving his hand through the air. "No, no," He said,"It's not about your old occupation. It's about some of your more… Recent endeavours." He leaned forward, his eyes seeming to bore into Izaya despite no orbs being visible. "Tell me, do the names Hiro and Kimi come to mind?"

The raven felt his heart skip a beat. How does he know about that? How does he know I was involved? He wondered, forcing himself to not react outwardly. "And if they do?" He probed.

"It would mean that I've found the person I've been looking for," Surai answered,"Your skills are impressive, and you've been monitored for much longer than you realize. You saving Hiro and the other missing people was just what we wanted to see. The police force here has been trying to catch that crime ring for years, and yet you did it in only a couple weeks. And yet, you've been unemployed for several weeks since quitting your more illegal activities. Why haven't you looked for more work?"

The raven frowned, not really having an answer. "I suppose… It could be because I know I have enough money to live comfortably for a while, and that life has been so hectic I just wanted to spend time with my son," He explained.

Surai nodded in understanding, sipping his tea for a moment before he replied,"Then I suppose that my offer wouldn't be that appealing to you, would it?"

Izaya narrowed his eye, his curiosity getting the better of him. "What exactly is your offer, Investigator Kyomi?" He asked.

"I am asking you to join me in my work," Surai declared,"You can help give back to the world and protect and save those who can't do it themselves, just like you did when you tracked down and stopped that auction. You saved dozens of lives, and it felt good, didn't it?"

The raven didn't even have to think hard about that question. Despite how much glee he once got from tormenting humans, he found that making up for his actions felt even better. "Yes," He admitted. "It wasn't just out of duty, I wanted to save them…"

"Then do you really want to stop?" Surai questioned,"Your skills shouldn't go to waste, you can do so much more for this world."

The offer was tantalizing, but he didn't feel completely convinced. "But what about my son?" He asked,"If people find out I'm…. They'll go after us again… And what if something happens to me? Who will take care of Haru?"

Surai quickly calmed him. "You will not have to worry about that, Izaya," He promised,"Those within my circle are well protected. Nobody will know you work for me except the ones you tell, which you are allowed to do."

The raven bit his lip, thinking about it more and going through all the possible outcomes he could think of, good and bad. Finally, he made up his mind.

Looking back up at Surai, his eye sparkling with determination; He nodded and firmly said,"I'm in."

Surai smiled happily in return, reaching across the table and shaking Izaya's hand. "Welcome to the team, Investigator."

"Wow…" Mikado whispered,"That's insane! N-no offense Orihara-San, but I never expected you to end up like this."

Izaya smiled and waved away his nerves. "Don't worry about that, kid, neither did I," He admitted, his cheeks becoming dusted with a soft pink.

"Honestly, neither did I," Kadota admitted,"But… You did. I'm proud of you, Izaya."

[Me too!] Celty agreed. [You're loyal and very kind, I'm glad I became your friend and got to see this side of you]

Izaya blushed even further, and softly replied,"I'm glad I can be friends with you all now. But if anything, I should be thanking you."

"For what?" Masomi asked curiously.

Raising his head to look at them all, Izaya grinned. "For giving me a second chance!" He declared.

When Mikado left the apartment later that night, he felt as though his whole world had been turned upside down.

Stay away from Izaya. Many people had told him. He's dangerous, unpredictable, and evil. He'll never change.

And yet he did. He was kind, and caring and incredibly protective of those he loved. He also genuinely regretted his actions, and had apologized to all of them independently.

He smiled as he walked down the street, carrying some leftover cake in his hand. I'm glad Orihara-San was able to change.

But as he got closer to his apartment, he had to pass through the streets of the busy city. That's when his thoughts were derailed.

"You should be careful what you do!" A man with a blue bandana whispered to another. "If Orihara Izaya shows up, you're a dead man."

Another man leaning nearby joined them. "I heard that too! He's a monster with no empathy!" He said,"I heard that he's gotten even worse recently!"

"Didn't some dock workers see him sneaking around where those human traffickers were caught?" A man with a blue bandana around his mouth asked.

The others shushed him, but nodded at the same time. "I bet it was him selling those people!" Another whispered,"Or he probably helped catch them!"

No! No he didn't! Mikado wanted to yell at them, suddenly overcome with anger… But then it morphed into shock. But they don't know that… Of course they don't! They don't know the Izaya we know… They've only heard of the informant broker!

"Oi, brat!" The rough voice of the bandana clad men broke through his thoughts. Mikado suddenly realized that he had stopped walking, staring right at them.

The nearest one glared at him, jerking his head in what was an attempt to seem threatening. "We gonna have a problem?!" He demanded.

"No sir!" Mikado quickly exclaimed, bowing as far as he could go while still standing, and then hurrying away.

He hurried back home, and quickly put the cake into his fridge. Once it was shut, he leaned against it, falling once more into deep thought.

They haven't seen what me and the others have seen, they don't believe that Izaya can be good. He realized, feeling sad for the raven.

He than grew determined, and hurried over to his computer, booting it up, and typing in the name of a very familiar website… The website he ran.

I guess I'll just have to help them out a bit.

"Did you see? According to the dollars website, Orihara Izaya was the one that stopped the crime ring by the docks!"

"What?! No way, that can't be true."

"It is true! Like six other members of the Dollars confirmed it, and there were even pictures!"

"Then if that's true… Surely he isn't that bad? I can't see any bad reason why he would do that!"

"Neither can I! Maybe he's nicer now?"

"Now that I think of it… I haven't seen any new bad rumors or news about him… It's almost like he's stopped."

"Whoa! I wonder if that could be true!"

Shizuo wanted to tear his hair out, throw a vending machine, and then scream at the top of his lungs. What was going on!? What was with all the rumors spreading!

It had been nearly a year since the damned flea had shown his face in Ikebukuro, and at first the bodyguard had been angry. He believed it was a trick, that Izaya was planning some major strike that would devastate the city. But, when nothing like that happened, he felt so relieved.

Life in Ikebukuro had become much more peaceful. There was nobody trying to destroy his life, work became easier, Kasuka was visiting often, and there was no sign of the flea. Shizuo couldn't have been happier…. Well, that was until the rumor mill started.

Out of nowhere, people started talking about supposed good deeds that the flea had been doing. From stopping a girl from committing suicide to saving a warehouse or people and stopping a crime ring!

It had to be a trick, it just had to be. After completely vanishing from what seemed like the whole world and leaving no trace of himself behind, all of a sudden he was a good guy!?

Why didn't anyone see how strange it was? Why was Shizuo the only one who could see through his facade?

His anger began to take control of him again, and his mind was constantly plagued by the rage he felt towards Izaya and his new game.

It got so out of hand that he sent a client flying down the street before he could even speak and a few innocent bystanders were caught in the crossfire.

Tom had finally had enough. After he called an ambulance, he firmly said,"Shizuo, I think you should take the rest of the week off."

Shizuo's eyes widened, his cigarette dropping out of his mouth. "But, Senpai!" He exclaimed,"It was an accident!"

"Listen to me, you've been much angrier than usual and affecting your performance," He firmly said,"Half of our clients just this month haven't been able to pay because they've had to spend their money on hospital bills because of you! You need to take a break!"

"But it's not my fault!" Shizuo argued,"It's the flea! He's trying to mess with me again, I know he is!"

Tom pinched the bridge of his nose for many seconds, and then angrily snapped,"Shizuo, you can't use Izaya as an excuse for everything! Hell, he hasn't even been seen around here in months! I don't care about rumors, I doubt he even started them! You have no proof he's trying to mess with you!"

"But-" Shizuo tried again, but he was cut off by Tom raising a hand.

"Listen, take the rest of the week off. I'll even pay you," He promised,"Please, get your temper under control."

His senpai then turned and walked away, not even looking back. Shizuo reached out towards him, and then with an angry growl turned and stormed away.

People on the streets quickly dodged him as he stomped through the city, his teeth and fists clenched as he seethed with unstoppable rage.

"That stupid flea!" He growled,"He's trying to fuck with me! He's trying to destroy my life again! He thinks he's so clever, doesn't he?!"

With a loud yell, Shizuo punched the nearby wall. "Well he may be able to fool everyone else, but he can't fool me!" He snarled.

He pulled his fist away from the wall, holding it close to himself. "You may have been able to hide for this long Izaya, but not anymore," He declared,"You'd better watch out! Because next time I see you, you're gonna be nothing more than a squashed flea!"