Day 3

Izaya clenched his fists as he stared up at the orphanage. He didn't know what to do now. Izaya had been interacting with Ren under the impression the boy was merely an odd, lonely child, but now that he'd discovered the horrible truth, it would change everything. Izaya knew he was supposed to try and explain to the boy what happened to him, but how could he? Izaya frowned. Ayaka had asked him to keep it to himself. I'll just act as I did before I found out about him. Izaya knew it was wrong, but he couldn't bring himself to tell the boy.

"Is it locked or something?" the deep voice of Shizuo slightly startled him, and he turned around with narrowed eyes when the blond stopped beside him.

"No, I was just thinking about something."

"Does it have something to do with what happened yesterday?" Shizuo looked at the raven beside him; he looked exhausted. "Why did you run off like that? What did she say to you?"

Izaya wanted to tell Shizuo but just didn't know how to. Closing his mouth, Izaya stepped forward and opened the door. "It doesn't matter. It was nothing important."

Shizuo sighed with a frown and followed him inside. "Nothing my ass," he muttered.

…

"I've tried to talk to them, but they don't listen. Why do they hate me, big brother?" Izaya and Ren were sitting on the swings, and the boy looked so incredibly sad. Every word caused pain to Izaya's heart. He wished he'd never asked. "What's wrong?"

Izaya realized he hadn't replied, smiled, and said, "I'm sure that's not it." He thought about ignoring the boy but didn't want to cause him any more sadness. I'm all he has right now. I'm the only one who can see him.

Misaki made her way over to him, and he looked at her nervously. To her, he was merely sitting by himself and, furthermore, talking to himself. She smiled at him and knelt down as though she were talking to one of the children. Izaya resented the implication, but he didn't have a plausible defensive argument right now. "Are you alright?"

Izaya glanced over to Shizuo to grab his attention enough to cause a distraction. There was no such luck since the blond was too busy having a snowball fight. Sometimes I wish he could see what I see. Lucky brute.

"Young man?" Izaya turned his attention back to the woman in front of him. "You can go and sit inside for a little while if you're feeling unwell."

Izaya shook his head and smiled. "No, that's alright. I'm fine. I just came to sit down for a bit."

Misaki giggled. "It's alright. I talk to myself sometimes too." She winked at him.

Ren stood up from the swing and stood in front of her.

"He's not talking to himself! He's talking to me, and he's my best friend now!" Ren smiled brightly at her but noticed she didn't look directly at him. Izaya flinched; if he didn't say anything soon, Ren might realize something was seriously wrong.

"I - I'm glad I'm not the only one then," Izaya said, his hands tightening around the chains when Ren spun around with a surprised expression. The raven ignored the sad look in the boy's eyes when Ren realized what he was doing.

"Some of the children want you to make snow angels with them, is that okay?"

Izaya nodded and stood up. "Sure, no problem." He watched Misaki walk away and sighed, refusing to look at Ren.

"You're going to ignore me now, aren't you?"

Izaya swallowed the lump in his throat. "No… I'll - I'll come back to you later."

"But you promised!" Izaya winced, and with a heavy heart, he walked away from the boy. "Big brother! Please don't ignore me!"

He had been wrong. Izaya was foolish to think he could just carry on as though nothing had happened. Eventually, they would notice. I can't bring myself to tell him, so I should just ignore him. Izaya knew it was wrong, and he dared a glance back only to see the heartbroken look on Ren's face. Shit.

Izaya chuckled when a small girl grabbed his hand as she 'showed him what to do,' automatically thinking he didn't know how to make a snow angel. "Oh, I see. I think I get it now." It was best to humor them. They often became excited if they thought they knew something an older person didn't. Feigning ignorance was easy to do when interacting with kids. He knelt down in the snow and lay flat on his back before moving his arms and legs in a consistent rotation. Sitting up slowly, he moved away from the pattern without disturbing it. "There, what do you think?"

The kids clapped, and the girl giggled and said, "I always draw a halo on mine."

Izaya leaned forward. "Like this?" He drew an oval shape with his finger where his head was imprinted and sat back on his heels. "There."

There was a snort from behind him, and Izaya looked up to see Shizuo standing over him. "I think you missed out your horns and pitchfork."

Izaya pouted and clicked his tongue, brushing the snow off his pant legs when he stood. "It's you who's deserving of those items. I happen to be a saint."

Shizuo then laughed. "Oh, yeah, how could I forget."

Izaya rolled his eyes and caught sight of Ren sitting on the swing. The boy had his arms wrapped around his knees, face buried between them. Izaya felt his heart drop and felt incredibly guilty for what he'd done. It's not his fault.

Shizuo followed Izaya's line of sight but couldn't see anything out of the ordinary and turned back to Izaya with a frown. "What are you looking at?" He grinned with amusement. "Do you want me to push you on the swing?"

Izaya glared at him and shoved him backward. "Idiot."

…

Izaya helped the other children in their lesson while Shizuo helped prepare their lunches. Izaya was grateful because the blond was already suspicious of him enough, and now that he had decided to continue interacting with Ren, Shizuo couldn't know. Izaya helped Kei with his three-letter word spellings, glancing up to keep an eye on Ayaka. It helped that she was the only one in the lesson room this time. A kid put their hand up, and Ayaka's attention was brought to a brown-haired kid, and she sat beside him. Perfect. "Good job," he told Kei and stood up, turning his head to spot Ren by the far wall.

Izaya sat down beside him with a smile. "I'm sorry for upsetting you." Ren shrugged. "I didn't mean to ignore you." Another shrug. "Don't be mad. I want to be your friend."

"Why, no one else does."

"I do, but you have to forgive me first."

Ren lowered his head. "Why did you tell Miss Misaki you were talking to yourself?"

Izaya chewed his lip. "I thought we were playing a game. One where you're invisible."

Ren looked up at him. "What if I am?"

Well, that certainly backfired. "What do you mean?"

"What if I turned invisible, and that's why no one can see me."

Izaya knew Ren was a pretty smart kid, but the thought of having to explain something so heart-breaking…. "I don't think that could happen."

"It might."

Izaya shook his head with a chuckle. "Anyway, do you forgive me? I promise I won't ever ignore you again. We can play whatever you want at playtime."

Ren smiled brightly. "Okay! I forgive you!"

….

Day 4

Izaya placed a shaking hand over the broken wall. He felt awful and didn't know why. He'd taken medication last night and before he left his house this morning. He felt fine when he woke up, and now, he was even worse than before. "Ren, let's go back now…." His breathing was labored when he spoke, and black spots dotted his vision.

"Aww. Not yet, just a little bit more?" Ren held up a large stick to Izaya. "This is your sword. You must defeat the bad creature that's attacking Kanata temple!"

If there really was a creature to defeat, he'd knock me out right now. Izaya gave a weak smile. "Can't… I'm all out of power." He knew it wasn't a good idea to keep playing along. I should have stayed home… Even if he could tell Ren what was wrong, the boy couldn't call for help.

Ren feigned a shocked gasp and held his hands out, a concentrated look on his face. "There! I have given you more power to beat the creature."

I wish that really worked. "Please, Ren… let's go back…."

Ren pulled a sad face. "But the bell hasn't rang yet."

Screw the bell. Izaya held his hand out. "Come on…. we'll come back later."

Ren sighed. "And defeat the creature?"

Izaya smiled. "Promise…"

Ren took his hand, and Izaya led him through the snow toward the stream. His vision began to blur, and he grew incredibly hot suddenly. Izaya placed a hand over his head and stopped. Ren looked back at him. "Big brother, what's wrong?"

Izaya heard him speak, but he sounded so far away. Izaya started to sway. Shit…. Shizu-chan…. help me… Izaya's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed backward in the snow.

Ren slid next to him. "Big brother! Big brother! Get up!" Ren's eyes watered. "Please, get up!" Panicking, Ren looked around, but there was no one in sight. "Somebody help!"

…

Shizuo started to worry. Izaya had spent most of yesterday and today off on his own, and he had no idea what he was doing. Every time Shizuo asked, Izaya claimed he was playing 'hide and seek' with Ren. Shizuo didn't understand; Izaya spoke about him often, yet he'd never actually seen him with the boy. Shizuo noticed Izaya got sicker every time he interacted with Ren. Of course, the raven denied it when Shizuo brought it up. Shizuo had watched with a frown when Izaya disappeared into the forest, not for the first time either.

"This is ridiculous." He had no choice if Izaya wouldn't tell him what was happening. "I better talk to one of the carers." He strolled over to Hana since she was the closest to him.

Hana turned to him with a smile, her attention swaying slightly from the children. "Hello, is something wrong?"

Shizuo shook his head. "Eh, no - I mean, maybe. I just thought you might want to know that one of the kid's might be sick."

Hana instantly grew concerned. "Oh no, who?"

Shizuo scratched the back of his head, unsure what to say now. "My classmate has been talking and playing with a certain boy since we got here, so I'm pretty sure it's him that's sick, because I think Izaya caught it."

Hana nodded. "I understand. Thank you for letting us know. Where are they now?" Shizuo hesitated because he didn't want to get Izaya or Ren into trouble. He bet the children were probably not supposed to go into the forest.

"I saw them a minute ago…."

"Which boy is he with? I should bring him in and take him to the infirmary. He shouldn't be out in this cold."

Shizuo nodded. "Sorry for not saying anything right away, but I wasn't quite sure myself until I noticed Izaya's condition worsening."

"You should tell your friend to go home and rest."

Shizuo gave her a forced smile and nodded. Like he'd listen to me.

"Who did you say the boy was?"

Shizuo laughed nervously. "Oh right, sorry. It's Ren."

Shizuo had never seen someone become so pale. Her eyes were wide, and he felt like he'd said something wrong. "Did - did you say, Ren?"

Shizuo blinked in confusion. "That's what Izaya told me his name was. I'm sure it was Ren."

Hana shook her head. "No, that's not possible. It couldn't be Ren."

Shizuo was really confused now. "What do you mean, why not?"

Hana sighed, her expression growing sad. "Because Ren passed away two months ago. It was an accident involving a collapsed building."

Shizuo's eyes widened. "What?"

"It's true, I'm afraid. He and Kei were best friends, so when Ren died, we told him that his friend went to live with another family."

Izaya's been talking to a ghost all this time? What the hell! "Can I ask where the accident happened?" he asked, though he had a good hunch.

Hana pointed toward the forest. "Beyond that set of trees, there's a stream, and if you cross that you'll find the old church steeple."

Shizuo gritted his teeth. That's why Ren keeps taking him there. Shizuo turned to her with an apologetic smile. "Maybe I got the name wrong. I'm really sorry about that." Hana didn't look like she believed him, but that didn't matter now. Shizuo was too angry with Izaya for keeping something so important from him. "I better go check on him - them…." He dashed off, feeling incredibly idiotic about how he handled the situation. Damn it, why the hell didn't he tell me? His first plan was to find Izaya, and after he was sure the raven was safe, Shizuo would give him a piece of his mind. What am I thinking? Safe? Of course he's safe. It's only a child! Shizuo ran through the zig zag of trees, remembering the directions Hana told him. "There's the stream." He jumped the small gap with ease and ran across the snow.

Shizuo froze.

Izaya was there, lying in the bed of snow. "Izaya!" Shizuo ran to him, skidding to his knees.

Ren startled and clenched his tiny fists. "He just fell down!"

Shizuo shook the raven. "Can you hear me?" Shizuo lay the back of his hand on Izaya's forehead. "Damn it, hang on!" Shizuo reached under Izaya's legs and placed his arm under his back, lifting him from the snow.

Ren watched with concern, realizing Shizuo was ignoring him. He didn't understand. What had he done? Why was Izaya the only one that spoke to him?

Izaya opened his eyes and stared up at the one carrying him, blinking. "Shizu…chan…"

Shizuo looked down at him with a frown. "Yeah, I've got you."

Izaya buried himself against the blond's chest, his teeth chattering as he spoke. "S-so…c-cold…"

Shizuo gritted his teeth and trudged through the snow. "You should have told me sooner! What were you thinking!"

Ren frowned and followed them. "It's not his fault! I tried to call for help. I really did!"

Izaya coughed into his chest and let out a small groan, clutching Shizuo's sweatshirt. "It's cold….. 'n hot…. don't feel good."

Shizuo tightened his hold as he ran through the forest and appeared out the other side. "Help me!" he called out.

The kids in the playground stilled their movements, and a girl by the snow-covered slide shouted, "Miss Ayaka!"

Ayaka gasped when she saw Shizuo and ran over to him with two other carers. "What happened!"

Shizuo's heart raced, worried for the raven in his arms; he could feel his skin burning through their clothes, yet Izaya shook like a leaf. "I found him collapsed! He's sick. Help him!"

Misaki ushered them toward the school. "Get him inside, I'm right behind you."

Ayaka and Hana watched them with concern.

…..

Shizuo sat on a chair next to one of the beds in the infirmary. Misaki rinsed the cloth out into the bowl and wiped Izaya's forehead. "His fever is down a bit, that's a good sign. How long has he been sick?"

Shizuo frowned. Too long. "A few days, I think."

"He should really be at home resting. I don't want what I'm about to say to sound aloof, but he could be contagious."

Shizuo clenched his fists in his lap; they had every right to be concerned for the children's safety, but Shizuo knew why Izaya was sick, and it wasn't because of the flu. It was his constant interactions with Ren, but he doubted anyone would believe him. Shizuo blinked and was struck with an idea. "I should make a phone call. I'll be right back."

Misaki nodded and dipped the cloth in the bowl once more, rinsing it and placing it over Izaya's forehead. "Are you going to inform his parents?"

Shizuo stopped in the doorway. He probably should do that too, but they would only worry. Besides, Shizuo knew Izaya wouldn't want them here. "I'll do that later," he said and left the room. Calling Kadota and Shinra was more important.

….

Izaya opened his eyes slowly to Ren's smiling face. "Yay! You're awake!" Ren leaned over the bed and climbed up to sit on it. "Do you feel better?" Izaya opened his mouth to say something, but a sigh of relief caught his attention. "More of your friends are here," Ren told him.

"Izaya! Thank God you're awake, we were worried."

Izaya thought he was dreaming because the person sitting next to him couldn't be real. "Shinra?"

Shinra smiled at him, standing up and taking his hand. "Hey, welcome back. How do you feel?"

Izaya didn't know how he felt, physically or mentally. Was Shinra really here talking to him? He'd made it perfectly clear he wouldn't speak to him again. "Why are you here?"

Shinra huffed a laugh. "Because you had us all worried. And - and I understand you won't ever return my feelings for you…. I know that now, and I'll come to live with it. I realized that our friendship means more to me."

Izaya could feel a set of eyes on them, and, turning his head, he saw Shizuo watching them. There was a slight jealous tint in his eyes, and Izaya frowned, unsure why, until he realized Shinra held his hand. He's jealous of Shinra now? We kissed once, and now he's acting possessive? Izaya turned his attention to Shinra, subtly removing his hand from the other's hold. "So, no transfer?"

Shinra pushed his glasses up and chuckled. "No. Look at yourself, what would you do without me?"

Izaya chuckled and coughed slightly before sitting up in the bed.

Kadota cleared his throat. "We know about Ren."

Izaya's attention snapped to the boy sitting on his bed, almost forgetting he was still there. A slightly surprised expression appeared on Ren's face, and Izaya smiled at him. "Hey, why don't you go play for a little while."

Ren shook his head. "I wanna stay with you…."

"I'm alright. I have my friends looking after me, so go on before they come looking for you." Ren looked down sadly. "I'll come find you later, okay?"

"K." The boy stepped down from the bed and left the room.

Izaya noticed all eyes on him and took a deep breath, but Shizuo beat him to it.

Shizuo frowned. "Why the hell didn't you tell me!?"

Izaya could hear the concern in Shizuo's tone, but he didn't have the energy to argue back. "I didn't know right away."

His three friends shifted closer to him, taking chairs from the sides of the room to sit on. Kadota spoke next. "How did you find out?"

Shizuo frowned. "How about, when?"

Izaya looked at him. "At the end of our second day."

"Is that why you ran off?"

Izaya frowned, clenching his fists. "I was in shock! How was I supposed to know one of the kids was a fucking ghost!"

Shinra lay his hand on Izaya's shoulder. "Hey, calm down. It's okay. Just tell us what happened."

Izaya sighed and explained his side of the story.

"Didn't it seem weird that everyone ignored him?" Kadota asked.

Izaya couldn't help but roll his eyes. "This is an orphanage so I figured not all the kids got along, and there are only three carers here."

"I guess you have a point."

Izaya told them about Ren's best friend and how hard it had been for them. Ren couldn't understand why Kei wasn't speaking to him, and Kei thought he lived with another family.

Shizuo stood up, slapping his palm on the bed. "What I can't understand is why the hell you still continued to play and talk with him!"

Izaya gritted his teeth and shouted, "He doesn't know!"

Silence fell between them for a moment.

Shizuo blinked in surprise. "What?"

Izaya bit his lip, looking away, casting his eyes to his fists. "He doesn't know. He really just thinks everyone is ignoring him. He doesn't remember…."

Shinra gasped. "That's awful!"

Shizuo and Kadota shared a glance, both feeling guilty now.

Izaya nodded. "I didn't want to tell him. At first I was going to ignore him, but I couldn't do that after what he'd been through, so I just - acted like nothing was wrong."

Shizuo's heart sank, and he swiped a hand through his hair, wondering if he should say something about Izaya's sickness, wondering if the raven had come to the same conclusion. "He's the reason you're sick, Izaya."

Izaya blinked up at him in surprise and thought about when he first became dizzy. Ren touched his hand; he touched him! Was that even possible? He knew the whole' walking through people' as a ghost was cliché. The spirits he'd seen possessed the abilities to attack them, but they never made him sick before. Then again, I didn't give them much time to interact with me. "You might be right."

Shizuo had a feeling he was but was still surprised to hear it. "What now?"

Kadota sighed sadly. "We can't just - exorcise him, right?"

Izaya frowned. "No."

Shinra tapped his chin in thought. "You could try telling him? I know that might sound harsh…. but it might help him - move on."

Shizuo shook his head in disbelief. He was a kid! He wouldn't understand. Shizuo looked at Izaya, surprised to see him pondering the idea. "You're not really going to do that, are you?"

Izaya glanced at him. "We can't let him keep wandering around thinking he's just being ignored. Shizu-chan, he's a smart kid. If I can get him to remember on his own…. it'll help."

Shizuo frowned. "I don't think so. You're not going anywhere near him again. He's the reason why you're in this condition."

Izaya glared at him. "He's not doing it on purpose! You don't tell me what to do. I'm doing this my way."

Shizuo gritted his teeth, growling. "Well, don't expect me to watch as you get sicker!"

"I wasn't asking you to!" Izaya shouted when Shizuo stormed out of the room. Kadota and Shinra shared a glance and turned to Izaya. The raven huffed and laid back against the pillows. "What?"

Shinra smiled. "Nothing. Are you sure this is what you wanna do?"

Izaya nodded. "It'll be better if I get him to remember on his own. Once he realizes, I can figure out what to do from there. Who knows, he might just disappear." Ren's predicament had affected Izaya a lot, and they could see the sorrow in his eyes. Izaya huffed a laugh when a single tear fell from his cheek and quickly swiped it away. "Ah, sorry. Guess I'm just tired."

Misaki appeared in the room and smiled when she saw her patient. "It's good to see you're awake. How do you feel?" The woman took a thermometer from the side draw, and his friends watched with amusement when she stuck it in his mouth.

Izaya quickly sent a glare to his friends before smiling at Misaki when she removed the thermometer. "I feel okay, just tired."

"Your temperature is back to normal, so that's good. Now, you should go home and get some rest." Izaya nodded and threw back the cover. "It's been wonderful having you both here. Thank you very much for your help." Izaya stared at her, and realization dawned on him. Shit, has it been a week already? It had felt so much shorter than that, but he couldn't possibly leave now! He couldn't leave Ren here alone like this.

Before Izaya made a protesting statement about why he should come back tomorrow, Ayaka walked into the room, Shizuo following. "Mr. Heiwajima has informed me you wish to come back an extra day to help boost your grades." Izaya looked at Shizuo, tried to avoid his gaze, and smiled. "Is that right?"

Good thinking, Shizu-chan. "If that's alright?"

Ayaka clapped her hands. "Of course it is! The children will be happy to have you an extra day. That is, if you're feeling up to it."

Izaya nodded, swinging his legs over the bed. "I'll get plenty of rest, and I'll be fine tomorrow."

"You make sure you do that. I better get back to the playroom now. Go on home, it's getting late."

The four friends nodded, and both carers left the room. Izaya stood up slowly, testing his balance, and when he felt confident enough, he pulled on his jacket. "Let's go. We'll come back tomorrow."

"We're coming back with you, right?" Shinra asked. Izaya looked at him, feeling grateful they were friends again.

"While that would be appreciated, I don't think it's a good idea. They don't know what's really going on, and I'd prefer to keep it that way."

Shinra slumped. "But-"

Izaya placed a hand on Shinra's shoulder. "Trust me," he said with a smile.

Shinra sighed. "Yeah, okay, but you let me know if something goes wrong." Izaya smirked and drew a cross over his heart.

Izaya spotted Ren standing by the playroom and gestured for the others to wait outside. Izaya knelt down in front of the boy, and Ren shuffled his feet as he stared at the floor. "You're leaving now, aren't you?"

Izaya ignored the pain in his heart and smiled. "Actually, I'm going to stay an extra day. We never did defeat that creature, did we?"

Ren's eyes widened. "Really?" Izaya nodded. "Yay! And we can play all day!"

Izaya choked back a sob. "Sure. I'll see you tomorrow." Ren's arms reached up for a hug, and the raven knew he shouldn't, but what did it matter now? By tomorrow, if all went the way they hoped….Ren would disappear. Izaya wrapped his arms around the boy, embracing him before letting go. Ren waved him goodbye as Izaya stumbled slightly out of the building.

Shinra tilted his head in concern. "Are you okay?"

Izaya nodded. "I'm fine, don't worry."

Shizuo snorted. "The last time you said that I found you passed out in the fucking snow. You should have gotten frost bite with how long you were there."

Izaya rolled his eyes. "Well, sorry, I guess my plan to get frost bite failed."

Shizuo growled a little. "I didn't say you did it on purpose, although you could have said something sooner."

Kadota sighed in irritation. "Let's just go home. It's freezing."

The four stepped into Kadota's van, and the brunet drove them home.

….

Day 5

Izaya and Shizuo felt bad for not allowing Shinra and Kadota to join them, but they couldn't afford to be suspicious now, considering what had happened yesterday. They had to plan this carefully. The carers would most likely keep an eye on Izaya now, if only out of concern, so he couldn't wander off like before. He'd passed out under their watch, so they probably felt responsible. It would be hard to talk to Ren anyway since the weather had turned cold overnight, so the children were not allowed outside today. Izaya wouldn't admit it, but he was glad Shizuo knew what was going on. If needed, Shizuo would be a good distraction.

The teens were helping out in the playroom, and Izaya sat at a painting table, coaxing Ren to sit next to him, turning his attention to try talking to him. Izaya didn't want to upset Ren again. Shizuo could see Izaya struggling to make conversation with Ren; their plan was useless without playtime outside. The blond excused himself and left the room.

A few minutes later, a fire alarm rang loudly throughout the building. Izaya was startled when the kids started panicking and screaming, unsure where to run. The raven stood up, noticed Shizuo's absence, and smirked. Nice. All he had to do was depart from the group without detection. Soon enough, Shizuo came running back into the room, glanced at Izaya, and the raven nodded thanks. The blond began to help the carers calm the children down and form a neat line.

"Remember your practice children! As quickly and neatly as possible. Well done. Now, follow Miss Hana in front of you, I will be behind to make sure none of you get left behind." Shizuo walked with them in the middle, and Izaya followed but quickly veered off from the group, dragging Ren with him.

"Where are we going Big brother? The fireplace is outside the front."

Even though Ren was a ghost, Izaya couldn't help but feel irresponsible, and Ren was already getting worried. This wasn't the best plan, but it was their only shot. "We'll be safer at the Kanata temple, I think." Even before he said it, he knew it sounded ridiculous. Izaya brought Ren into the playground, and the two walked through the forest and eventually came to a stop at the steeple.

"Are we going to defeat the creature now?"

Izaya shook his head, feeling lightheaded again. He needed to sit down. Patting the snow, he motioned for Ren to sit beside him. "Not yet. I'd like to talk to you for a bit."

Ren took the space beside Izaya and sat down, banging his feet together. "What we gonna talk about big brother?"

Izaya took a deep breath; he'd have to be cautious and take it slow. "Ren, what's the last thing you remember before everyone started ignoring you?"

Ren pulled his legs up to his chest. "I remember playing with Kei before."

"You don't remember anything after that? How about in the evening when you went to bed?"

Ren shook his head. "No. I woke up and everyone was mad cause they started ignoring me."

"Did the carers look sad?"

"Not the other kids, but they did."

"And you're not sure why?"

"Nah uh. I tried to ask, but they ignored me too."

"Okay. Back to the night you went to bed. You didn't sneak out of your room or anything? Didn't wander outside maybe to play?" Izaya watched Ren's expression change slightly, and a thoughtful frown soon crossed his face. "Did you come here Ren?"

"I - I don't know. Maybe...Me and Kei found it together but were told not to play here. But-" Ren's eyes widened, and Izaya knew that the boy was remembering. "I didn't listen-"

Izaya ignored his dizziness and continued. "Did you come here alone, Ren?"

The boy nodded. "I wanted to see if it was safe. I wanted to play with Kei the next day..."

Izaya chewed his lip when his heart sank, and he almost didn't want to continue. Before he came along, Ren had been ignorant of why he was ignored, and Izaya almost wished he could stay that way. He pointed to the broken steeple. "Do you know what happened?"

Ren frowned and placed his head on Izaya's shoulder. "Am I in trouble?"

Izaya closed his eyes and wrapped an arm around the boy. "No. I just - I want to know what happened. Maybe get everyone to stop ignoring you..." It pained him to lie, but it was to protect him.

"I - came here by myself. I wanted to look. I went inside but I wasn't supposed to. Miss Ayaka said it was bad, and I didn't listen. I remember things falling on me. I screamed for help and-" Ren clung to Izaya's jacket, and the raven could only guess what was going through his mind. "I didn't listen! I didn't!"

Izaya rubbed his arm soothingly. "Shhh. It's okay, it's okay." What have I done?

Ren looked up at him, eyes full of tears, but what he said next tore at Izaya's heart. "Big brother, am I dead?"

Izaya looked at him, unable to respond; he couldn't possibly reply to that! None of this was right. He's just a little kid. Eventually, the raven nodded slowly. "I'm sorry, Ren. I'm so sorry."

Ren threw himself at Izaya, and the teen wrapped his arms around him. "But I don't wanna be dead! I wanna play! I wanna go to a new family with Kei!" Izaya clenched his eyes shut, his own tears falling down his face, unable to stop them.

"It'll be okay. Everything will be okay."

Izaya couldn't stop the cough that suddenly riveted from his chest, and when Ren pulled back, Izaya tried his best to get his control back.

"I made you sick, didn't I?"

Izaya shook his head. "No, Ren, you didn't. Don't think that. It's not your fault, okay?"

"Am I a ghost? Is that why no one can talk to me?"

Izaya didn't imagine it to be this hard; why did Ren have to be so clever? "I think so. The carers told the other children that you went away to live with a new family because they didn't want to upset them."

Ren wiped his eyes, but more tears fell. "I didn't get to say goodbye to Kei... he's my best friend." The boy looked at Izaya. "What's gonna happen now? I don't wanna go away."

Izaya used the wall to pull himself up and held out a hand to Ren. "But no one can see you here."

Ren took his hand and stood up. "You can."

Izaya smiled. "I know, but I don't live here. It would be lonely for you if no one can see you."

Ren lowered his head. "But I'm scared..."

"It's okay. When you leave-" Izaya choked back a sob. "You'll go to a different place, and there'll be lots of people who can see you there."

Ren glanced up. "Kids too?"

Izaya nodded. "And you can show them all your games that you like to play."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

Ren's hand tightened. "Wish I could say goodbye..."

Izaya smiled and began to form an idea. "I think there might be a way," he said and looked around the snow-covered ground, bending down to pick out a piece of broken wood. He pulled out a pen from inside his jacket and began to write the kanji for Kei. I hope this works. Izaya turned to Ren and motioned for him to follow.

Halfway through the forest, Izaya pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to Shizuo, hoping that neither carer had started looking for him.

They made it out the other side, and by this point, Izaya was stumbling and coughed a little, almost collapsing when his vision darkened, but Shizuo was there to catch him. "Hey..."

Shizuo held him up by his arms. "You look awful. Izaya, we should get you inside and-"

"No, not yet. Ren knows..."

Shizuo's frown disappeared, his expression turning somber. "What now?"

"He wants to say goodbye to Kei."

"Are you crazy? That won't work, you'll scare the hell out of him if you tell him something like that!"

"No, I know, but I have another idea... hold this." Izaya gave Shizuo the piece of wood. "We can't use any of the kids, so you're the closest person we have, and the fact that you're blond helps."

Shizuo looked at the wood with Kei's name on it. "But I can't see him, Izaya. I can't talk to him if I can't see him."

Izaya smiled. "Not yet."

Shizuo looked up, and Izaya gave him a knowing grin. The blond gasped. "No way! Absolutely not! Forget it!"

"It's the only way. I'll be fine. He just wants to say goodbye, Shizu-chan..."

"You're already sick, Izaya! What's it gonna do if you let this happen?"

Izaya smiled. He really does care about me. Izaya leaned forward and pressed his lips to the other. Shizuo's eyes widened for a second, but he relaxed and started to kiss back.

After a minute, they pulled away. "Izaya-"

Izaya placed a finger over Shizuo's lips. "I'm not scared anymore. I'd like to test that more, but first, help me help him to not feel scared too."

Shizuo didn't like it, but if anyone could pull this off, it was Izaya. "Alright. What do you want me to do?"

Izaya nodded. "Just stand there." He turned to Ren. "I can help say goodbye Ren. Just relax and clear your thoughts. You can take over my body."

"How?"

"Don't think about touching anything. Just close your eyes and take a leap and think about Kei. When you open your eyes, you will see him."

"You mean it?"

Izaya nodded. "Try it."

"I'm scared..."

"I know, but I'm right here with you. You can say goodbye through me, okay?"

Ren closed his eyes, his mind clear. Shizuo watched Izaya gasp and stumble backward, and the blond stepped forward to help balance him. Izaya opened his eyes and smiled brightly. "Kei!" Shizuo was soon aware that the boy Ren was now in control of Izaya's body and most likely saw his friend. Ren looked at him with sad, tearful eyes. "I have to go away now."

Shizuo swallowed the lump in his throat. "Why?"

"Cause I have to. You're my bestest friend in the whole world. I'm gonna miss you."

"I'll miss you too."

"Thank you for playing with me."

"Will you come back?"

Ren shook his head. "I'm not allowed. I'll see you maybe one day." Ren wrapped his arms around Shizuo, and the blond reciprocated. "Bye..."

"Bye bye." Shizuo felt Izaya collapse in his arms. "Izaya!"

…...

Izaya opened his eyes, tears clinging to them as he scanned his surroundings. He was in the infirmary of the orphanage and saw Shizuo sitting beside him. Izaya smiled when the blond sighed in relief. "It worked."

Shizuo nodded and reached up to link their fingers together. "Good, at least he's at peace now."

Izaya nodded and sat up, rubbing his eyes with his sleeve. "Ren's tears," he said.

Shizuo chuckled. "Sure."

"Shizu-chan?"

"What?"

"Walk me home?"

Shizuo grinned. "What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't?"

Izaya raised an eyebrow. "Boyfriend huh, aren't we ambitious."

Shizuo nodded. "Very. I'd also like to take another test now."

Izaya smirked, pulled Shizuo toward him, and pressed their lips together. "How's that? Did I pass?"

Shizuo laughed. "With flying colors, flea."