Disclaimer: I do not own Durarara!
Izaya sat up in a panic, his breaths heavy as his eyes darted wildly about his surroundings. He realized he vaguely recognized the layout of the room, the long blackout curtains covering the windows, the door to the outside hallway where Shiki had appeared when he last woke. He groaned and lay back down, massaging the bridge of his nose to loosen some of the tension.
The absurdity of the entire situation was infuriating.
"I'm sorry."
The apology had caught him by surprise, but he clearly remembered the remorse that flashed across the man's eyes, so subtle that it disappeared the moment he was able to put a name to it. If not for the context, Izaya would have thought that he had dreamt the expression, one he would have never thought to see on the yakuza's face.
"Rest for now. We'll talk later."
Izaya bit his lip, sorting through the jumble of thoughts he collected since first waking after the 'incident.' If everything checked out, he should have only been out of commission for a little over 2 weeks if he also counted his few days as an amnesiac. He immediately began a running list of the clients he needed to contact, eyeing the nearby window contemplatively.
He needed his phone.
Izaya wiggled his toes under the covers experimentally, finding them fully responsive despite the blatant memory of his legs failing him multiple times during the past week. The rest of him felt normal enough, save for the obvious protrusions from where his two upper canines used to be. He looked up again, noticing the faint outline of the afternoon sun shining through the sides of the curtains.
He knew that escaping now would not be advisable, especially with the lack of information. To make matters worse, he felt the slightest bit parched, the memory from earlier sending involuntary shudders down his spine. His hands clenched around the bedsheets. Izaya had always been a master of his own body, not the other way around.
The doorknob clicked before he could even proceed to slide out of bed, and he stayed where he was, daring his body to disobey him like last time. Shiki entered silently, seemingly unsurprised that he was awake and sitting up. Izaya watched as the man closed the door behind him and strode across the room to the bed with a tumbler in one hand. He supposed it was a good sign that the other hadn't killed him yet for the earlier assault.
"Are you still thirsty?" Shiki asked. If Izaya hadn't known the other for so many years, he would have said that the man almost sounded concerned.
Instead, he averted his eyes, refusing to answer the affirmative, and took the tumbler without retort.
"Drink it," Shiki told him. "It should lessen the hunger."
Izaya grimaced before switching open the cap with trembling fingers and raising the opening to his lips. He tried not to liken himself to one of those drug-crazed addicts as he guzzled the contents much too quickly, ignoring the relief that swept through him with each gulp. If only it were fatty tuna, he lamented when the cravings gradually subsided. He held back a satisfied sigh when he finished and handed the tumbler back.
Izaya realized Shiki had pulled the desk chair up to the side of the bed while he was drinking.
"Where did you get this?" he managed to ask when he was certain he was not about to shamelessly pounce on his savior like before.
"I have connections with several of the hospital blood banks," the man answered, placing the tumbler down on the table before turning back to him.
"Several?" he repeated, trying not to appear impressed. It should be natural for a yakuza executive to have access to a number of resources.
"I can't be asking for it too often or they'll become concerned."
"Makes sense."
Shiki sighed and massaged his temple. The action mesmerized Izaya. He had been trying for so many years to elicit some sort of expression besides professional indifference from the other that all of this seemed so foreign. He supposed all it took was his near death experience, as ironic as it sounded.
"Do you have any questions for me?" Shiki's voice snapped him back to the present situation at hand. "I will try to answer them to the best of my ability, unless it involves the Awakusu-kai. I'm afraid I still can't offer you any free information of that sort, Mr. Informant."
Izaya almost wanted to kick himself. He needed to pull himself together and gather information. Just because Shiki had decided to turn him into a monster didn't mean he meant anything to the other. He could be a liability for all he knew.
"How often should I be eating?" If he remembered correctly, it had only been about a week since Shiki first offered him blood.
"It's different for every vampire. You're probably adjusting since it's still early, and you had that little episode yesterday outside."
Now that was something Izaya would rather not remember. "How often do you need to drink?" He turned the question back to the other. He supposed it would be useful to have someone to compare with.
Shiki seemed to hesitate for the slightest moment, likely considering whether or not giving him this little detail would come back to haunt him later. "For reference, I only need blood once a week."
Izaya appreciated the effort, regardless. "Can I still eat regular food?" he asked next. Eventually, someone might notice if he didn't eat, or he would need to come up with more plausible reasons to avoid the occasional business dinner. He tried not to think of fatty tuna.
"You can. Your body just doesn't require it."
Izaya supposed that was a plus. He moved on to the next well known problem, keeping it methodotic.
"How about sunlight? It's a little fuzzy, but I remember running outside in the middle of the day and I don't seem to have burned to a crisp."
"Some vampires are more resilient against sunlight than others. Turned vampires tend to take on traits of the one who turned them."
Izaya considered this answer for a moment. If that was the case, the more he learned about himself, the more he would learn about Shiki. He supposed it was a win-win situation in this regard. He opened his mouth to ask his next question when he abruptly recalled his lack of a reflection in the bathroom mirror. Izaya had accepted it as part of his situation just a few days ago, but the brief memory now made him hyper aware of the dark color of Shiki's eyes. He leaned in towards the other, trying not to think of the many times he had traced the outline of the man's pupils in their previous interactions. "What color are my eyes now?"
"Red," Shiki answered, confirming his suspicions. "Which reminds me, you might want to invest in some colored contacts for the time being."
"I'll keep that in mind." Izaya had been staring at Shiki's eyes long enough to know that the other didn't wear contacts himself, and wondered if the other had somehow hidden the red color with some kind of spell. That would open up a myriad of possibilities that he hadn't considered before, weapons he could add to his arsenal. "What color are your eyes then?"
The smirk on Shiki's face confirmed his suspicions.
Izaya decided to prod just a little further when the other didn't immediately answer, leaning back into the pillows to feign indifference. "I was just wondering, since they're not red like mine."
"You'll learn in time," the man commented vaguely. "It's not advisable to walk around with red eyes if you don't want to be found by those who wish our kind harm." He supposed that would definitely explain how Shiki had kept himself hidden for so long.
"Is that why Lycoris…" Izaya mused, but the words caught in his throat mid sentence as a single unpleasant memory flickered across his consciousness.
"Let me ask you again, who is the vampire hiding in the Awakusu-kai?"
He suddenly found it hard to breathe, the phantom pain of the bullets in his legs radiating up through his body. He could almost hear the man asking him again and again.
He was going to die, was supposed to die. This was all just a nightmare his mind created for him to hide the reality that is his life until he woke. Yet, he could hear a muffled voice calling to him, beckoning him back to where he needed to be.
"Izaya?"
He looked up at the other, the sensation disappearing just as quickly as he realized his breathing was erratic. He took a deep breath to calm himself. "Am I degraded to a first name basis now?" he managed.
"No." The man looked uncomfortable with the suggestion. Any other day, he would have reveled in the knowledge that he had elicited yet another emotion in the other. "You weren't responding to your surname. I'll make a greater effort to stop if it bothers you."
"No, it's fine. You can call me Izaya. Don't expect me to call you by your first name anytime soon though." That would be too strange, too fast.
"I'll try not to expect that," Shiki replied. Izaya averted his eyes as he felt his mask slipping, an unfamiliar anger making its way through his chest. He would rip the ones responsible for this apart when he got his hands on them. "Anyways, was that what Lycoris was trying to find out from you?" Shiki's voice brought him back to their conversation.
Izaya laughed bitterly despite himself. "I didn't protect Awakusu-kai, Shiki, if that is what you are thinking." He remembered the moment he realized that Shiki might have been the vampire they were looking for. Izaya had hesitated, and he knew if the man hadn't shot him again, he would have certainly found a way to manipulate the information.
That was just how he was. "I would have told them anything they wanted. You saved me for no reason."
"Yet, you took a bullet for me," Shiki stated, making Izaya look up at him. "Why?" the man asked.
He grimaced at the memory. He remembered his body moving, his muscles propelling him off the floor the moment the man had fired despite his rational mind screaming at him to stay still just an instance later. "Instinct," he replied, likening it to how he had attacked Shiki yesterday.
Shiki moved closer, the man's intense gaze refusing to let the matter go. "Never have you shown a preference for one person over another. Why did that change?"
Izaya shrugged. "Instinct," he repeated. Nothing had changed.
Shiki drew back as if to give him back his space. They both knew that pushing the subject now would get them nowhere. "How are your legs feeling? You still had trouble walking a few days ago," the yakuza asked instead.
Izaya swung his legs over the side of the bed in response, surprised at how light they felt. He gingerly put his full weight on them, daring them to crumple under him again, but they held fast this time. He stood up and took a few steps around the room followed by a skip. "They seem functional."
"That's a relief."
Izaya fully agreed with that statement but kept it to himself. "What about water?" he continued, wondering just how many more inconveniences he needed to keep track of. He vaguely remembered reading something about water and vampires back in his high school days with Shinra.
"I have been fortunate in that I do not need to avoid it, so I'll assume that you should be fine too."
"Neat." He looked at the window again, studying the line of light that flickered behind it. He needed to get to work. The most pressing question still weighed heavily in his mind, and he found it increasingly difficult to put into words. "How did you find me?" He settled for the easier, more objective version.
He wasn't sure if he wanted to hear the 'why.'
Shiki sighed. "I'm afraid it'd be an inconvenience for my source if I told you."
"So that's classified too."
"Until they wish to reveal themselves to you, yes."
Izaya frowned, eyeing the window once again.
"I'd prefer if you stayed a little longer until we've established a routine for your vampirism," Shiki's voice brought him back from his plans.
Izaya frowned. Regardless of his physical condition, he needed to find out what had happened since he was out.
"I'll have Shinra deliver one of your spare phones and laptops from your secretary," the man offered.
Izaya turned back to the other. "You've been in contact with Namie?"
.
"Fascinating," Shinra muttered as Izaya fought the urge to chomp down on the doctor's fingers. He knew that the man had an unhealthy obsession with the occult, but he had grown so accustomed to his friend's indifference over the years that the attention the other gave him now felt strange.
"I know you've already inspected them," Izaya growled when the other finally pulled away.
"I couldn't resist," Shinra laughed. "Anyways, how are you feeling?"
He shrugged. "Not any different. There are these irritating cravings that come and go, but…" he trailed off, wondering if Shinra would be able to provide him with blood. The mere idea of being dependent on a weekly shipment made his stomach turn.
"We can work out a deal with a few blood banks for some supply," Shinra offered regardless. "Unless, you'd rather hunt of course."
Izaya shuddered at the memory of Shiki's skin under his lips, the uncontrollable instinct nearly devouring him whole before he managed to come back to himself.
"Oh!" Shinra clapped his hands together. "Unless you tried hunting already?"
Izaya glared at him. "I attacked Shiki yesterday."
"Oh."
At least the doctor was as surprised as he was that he had lived to tell the tale. "I barely even remember what happened." He sighed, rubbing his temple. "By the time I had realized that I was drinking his blood, it was already over."
"I'm actually more surprised that vampire blood can satisfy another vampire."
"No, he gave me some human blood this morning. It was probably just a temporary fix."
"I see. I see." Shinra shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, you still have to eat if you want to keep on living as a human."
"But I'm not anymore, Shinra." Izaya sighed and eyed the phone and laptop the other had brought with him. Even if he wanted to destroy the ones who inadvertently did this to him, the change was irreversible. That was what bothered him the most.
It was like the group that had captured him had already won.
He looked up when Shinra didn't answer him and noticed the doctor seemingly deep in thought, hands slowly picking up the various instruments he had brought along for the medical exam. The man placed the stethoscope away before adjusting his glasses.
"Honestly, I thought you were dead that day," the doctor stated.
"Did I look that bad?"
"Of course it looked bad! You were shot in the chest. Shiki couldn't get the bullet out so he had me cut you open." Shinra stopped, heaving a sigh. Izaya studied the other intently, unused to such a reaction. "What?" Shinra asked after a moment.
"Nothing," he replied.
The doctor shook his head. "Seriously though, don't ever do that again."
Izaya looked down. "I'll try," he replied almost solemnly, slightly taken aback that the other would ever ask such a thing of him. He supposed that Shinra was the type that would take an interest now that he was no longer human.
"Are you surprised you're still alive? Or that you're immortal now?" Shinra inquired when he did not continue.
"There are quite a few things I didn't expect actually." Izaya chuckled contemplatively as he thought of the events of the past week. "I would say that humans never cease to amaze me, but the one in question isn't even human."
"Well, Mr. Not-Human was rather agitated when he pulled me from the hospital to operate on you."
Izaya looked up at those words. Shiki was never agitated.
Yet, he suddenly recalled the other staring at him that day, an indiscernible expression crossing the man's face as Shiki asked him the question.
He had thought it a joke. Of course he had wanted to live, but why fight the inevitable?
Izaya had spent a good number of his years trying to get the executive's attention. Shiki had never cared for him. It didn't make sense for the man to start now. It was then that a single thought crossed his mind.
'Someone must have sent him.'
The revelation brought a smile to his face even as he ignored the familiar pang that vibrated through his chest. The truth that surrounded him still stood firm. He just needed to find out who had orchestrated this mess and everything will be as it was before. He ran his teeth along the fangs.
However, another realization struck him first.
"Wait, why were you at the hospital? You normally do all your surgeries at your apartment, right?"
Shinra coughed, adjusting his glasses. "Well…"
.
"You're here again," Shizuo commented when he spotted the familiar white suit round the corner at the end of visiting hours. He found it odd that Shiki had shown up at the hospital three times already since Kasuka's incident, but he supposed Izaya must be the cause if the flea had truly been shot as many times as Shiki had said.
"How is your brother?" the other answered, obviously diverting the conversation away from himself.
Shizuo shook his head, supposing that Shiki had his own problems to take care of, especially if it involved a certain flea. "They pulled the breathing tube out, but he still hasn't woken up."
"I see."
Shizuo noticed the bag tucked under Shiki's arm and suddenly recalled the package the yakuza had during their last rendezvous at the end of visiting hours. "Is that for Izaya?" he asked, curiosity getting the better of him.
He watched as the man's fingers tensed around the paper bag. The possibility of it being some sort of addictive drug suddenly crossed his mind, and Shizuo found himself holding his breath. It wouldn't be surprising if the yakuza had the informant drugged up somewhere, and he briefly wondered if he needed to make an intervention. He still didn't know Shiki well enough to put something like that past the other. "It is for him, isn't it?" he asked again.
Shiki's grip loosened on the package as the man looked down at the bag almost contemplatively. "I'm hoping that he will not require it. He's woken up already, if that is what you are going to ask next."
Shizuo swallowed, suddenly aware that it had actually crossed his mind to ask about the flea's wellbeing. He supposed it was a good sign that Shiki seemed willing to answer his inquiries, and there weren't any red flags yet, other than his own imagination. "Is he okay?"
Shiki tilted his head to the side pointedly, an eyebrow raised. "I didn't know you were that worried."
"I-I'm not!" Shizuo looked away, hating the heat that rose to his ears. "Since you won't tell me about who attacked Kasuka, I figured I'd ask him," he blabbered, hoping it was enough to cover his misplaced concern.
The man only chuckled at his efforts. "I would still advise against you getting mixed up with the culprits. You should leave dangerous ones like their sort to us."
Shizuo shook his head in response. "It's already been two weeks. I'm not going to sit around and wait," he growled. If he had to go through Izaya to get to the ones responsible, then so be it.
Shiki shrugged. "Don't say I didn't warn you."
.
Izaya eyed the phone warily before finally picking up the spare, feeling its smooth cold metal under his fingers. He had no idea what Lycoris had done with his other cell phone, and the possibility of using it to track their location was also another thing he considered. The spare booted on, and he entered his password.
It didn't seem tampered with, so he proceeded to log onto his accounts, wondering how much he should send Shiki in compensation for retrieving him from that hideout. The man hadn't asked for anything in return so far, and he figured it was only a matter of time. Humans were sneaky like that.
Then again, Shiki was not a human, an irritating voice reminded him.
A single message stood out to him, the words timestamped just a few hours prior.
Tsukumoya: [Are you okay?]
Izaya froze. He scrolled up quickly to the previous message, which read, "Yamamoto's apartment is just up ahead. It would be advisable not to mention my name." He suddenly remembered he had been texting Tsukumoya as he walked down one of the shortcuts he regularly frequented.
It was right before Lycoris had captured him.
His hands tightened on the cellphone as he considered his next words carefully.
Izaya: [I apologize for cutting our conversation short last time]
Tsukumoya: [It couldn't be helped.]
Izaya held his breath at that message. Tsukumoya must know. There was no way the man wouldn't have texted him earlier. He took a moment to collect his thoughts, and then sent the reply.
Izaya: [Did you send Shiki to find me?]
Tsukumoya: [Yes.]
Izaya grimaced at his phone, not knowing why his heart sank slightly at the revelation. It did give him a few key pieces of information, that Tsukumoya knew where Lycoris was and that the other knew Shiki well enough to send the other to find him.
The revelation gave him no solace.
Tsukumoya: [I took the liberty of posing as you to answer some of your more needy clients. I'll forward you our communications.]
Izaya bit his lip.
Izaya: [That is very generous.]
Tsukumoya: [Take it as my get-well-gift to you.]
Thank you for reading!
