AN: Thanks to all y'all who have followed/faved/reviewed!
Izaya decided, the moment Ichigo finished his story time, that he loved the hybrid teen regardless of whether he was fully human or not, because the boy was so painfully human in all of his actions and reactions that Izaya truly just could not help it. Better not to delude himself into missing out on one of the more interesting people on the planet.
Besides, Celty Sturluson was even less human than the teenager, and yet Izaya couldn't help but love her either. Whatever her (headless) body was, she definitely had a human heart.
He didn't even bother acknowledge the hypocrisy of his own thoughts when it came to the matter of Shizu-chan. That violent beast was the exception to everything.
Lying in bed that night, with Ichigo passed out on his sofa, Izaya couldn't contain his grin. Although the kid had shared a good deal of his (wonderfully, amazingly, heart-breakingly troubled) life story, Izaya could feel that he had also left a good deal out.
Prying it out of him would be a mission that Izaya was dying to dive into. Closing his eyes as he shivered happily, Izaya drifted off to sleep with the knowledge that his instant obsession with Kurosaki Ichigo would lead him somewhere glorious.
Ichigo woke up to someone pressing insistently on the doorbell. Cursing as he unfolded his stiff limbs from the sofa he had fallen asleep on, he wondered who the fuck wanted to see Orihara at such an hour on a Sunday. The clock on the wall told him that it was far too early for visitors.
Unless it was an emergency? The thought had Ichigo moving faster, reaching the door to Orihara's apartment in an instant. Opening it, Ichigo was pulled up short by the sight of twin, ten-year-old girls peering earnestly back at him. The pang of homesickness that shot through him almost brought Ichigo to his knees with the strength of it. Out of all the people that he couldn't find here (wherever 'here' was), his sisters were the ones that he missed the most. Their absence was a constant buzz at the back of Ichigo's mind, where he had pushed all of his fear and worry.
"Excuse me, mister? Are you okay?"
Both girls were watching him with concern painted all over their faces. Ichigo wondered what kind of face he had been making for them to look like that.
"I'm fine, thanks," he waved them off. "Did you two need something?"
One of the girls stepped forward, eyes roving curiously over his form. "Yeah! We came because Iza-nii promised he would introduce us if we helped him to look for you!"
The other girl tugged on her hand. When she turned to look, their silent eye contact conversation reminded Ichigo even more of Karin and Yuzu. Those two had a level of understanding that nobody else could ever hope to reach. It made his chest ache, seeing it in these girls.
"I'm sorry, Stranger-san!" The first twin turned back to him, contrition on her face. "My twin here has just reminded me that we haven't even introduced ourselves. My name is Orihara Mairu, and this is Orihara Kururi. It's nice to meet you!" She dropped into an enthusiastic bow, her twin following more sedately with an echoed, "Nice to meet you."
Orihara. Iza-nii.
His jaw dropped a little. "You- are you two related to Orihara Izaya?" Ichigo could see some form of resemblance, now that he was looking. They all had the same brown eyes, although the girls' lacked Orihara's creepy shine.
"Big… brother…" Kururi spoke so softly that Ichigo only just caught it. Mairu nodded in agreement.
"Yup, that's right! Iza-nii is our one and only big brother! And he's not very good with his promises, so we decided to take things into our own hands!"
Ichigo snorted. Somehow, he wasn't surprised. He stepped back, allowing the girls to skip/shuffle past him into the living room as he closed the door. When he turned around, they had made themselves comfortable on the sofa he'd been using as a bed and were staring expectantly at him. He raised an eyebrow back.
Mairu grinned at him, and the way her face lit up very much reminded Ichigo of her big brother. He spared a moment to pray that the universe wouldn't allow the twins to grow up anything like him – one was more than enough. "So…" Mairu wriggled excitedly in her seat, leaning forward to peer into Ichigo's face. He settled in one of the armchairs, bracing himself for the onslaught. "What's your name?"
Ichigo blinked.
Mairu didn't. She just continued to stare, keen interest in her eyes, her twin echoing the expression at her side.
The corner of his mouth twitched upwards in a half-smile, before he let himself chuckle out loud. "I guess I didn't introduce myself either, huh? I'm Kurosaki Ichigo."
A sigh from the doorway prevented any further discussion. "Maa, didn't I tell you two to stop showing up here out of the blue?" Orihara sauntered into the room, clad in simple black sleep pants and shirt. Honestly, he looked almost exactly like he did during the day, minus the distinctive coat.
Kururi waved a sedate hand. "Good morning… Iza-nii…"
Her twin waved as well, looking utterly unrepentant. "It can't be helped, Iza-nii," she said, shrugging. "We just couldn't wait to meet such an interesting person, and you're not the most reliable, if I'm being honest."
Orihara rolled his eyes. "So, you just decided to invite yourselves over?"
The girls exchanged looks. "Of course." They replied in unison. Kururi went on, saying, "Iza-nii's home… is our home… right?"
The pained expression on Orihara's face was the most amusing thing Ichigo had seen since he'd arrived in this place. "Sounds about right to me." He replied for the so-called 'information broker', smirking.
"Ah!" Orihara clapped a hand to his chest, looking wounded. "Such a betrayal, Kurosaki-kun! I think you owe me a few more answered questions for that." He smiled innocently.
Ichigo could only sigh. "Breakfast first. I'm not answering anything until I've had some food." He took a moment to peer suspiciously at the man whose apartment they were currently in. "Do you even have anything edible in that kitchen?" The query was accompanied by vague hand-waving towards said kitchen. Somehow, Orihara didn't seem like the cooking type.
Mairu clapped her hands. "It's a special occasion, isn't it?" Kururi nodded agreeably. "That means Iza-nii should take us all out to breakfast!" She beamed, and the guileless expression was so like Orihara's mock-innocence from just a minute ago that it gave Ichigo chills. He mentally reiterated his prior prayer to the universe; please God, don't let these kids turn into him. He hadn't even known the guy for twenty-four hours, and the twins even less, but Ichigo could already tell that that would only be inviting disaster on the city of Ikebukuro.
AN: Thoughts always welcome!
- Kelly
