The plane trip was long and boring, but Izaya made a point of downloading a language app that would teach Harry the Japanese language, as well as a few videos on Japanese culture and etiquette. Harry had no idea when he had managed this, but that was Izaya for you.
Harry was determined to not let his new dad down, and tried his best to learn the difficult, new language. However, he was barely 5 years old, so for all his efforts, he was sound asleep after 3 hours, the Japanese language course still running on his headset. Izaya decided to let him sleep, and leave his headset on. It was important that his ears got used to hear the language, and who knows... maybe there was something to the notion of learning in your sleep. Izaya turned back to his work laptop, and continued hunting down any and all information he could find on Harry's parents, and this 'Dumbledore' character that had signed the letter he had found in one of the drawers.
It wasn't much to go on, but it was a start. He had also made sure to hire one of the best, if shady, private investigator he had found in London to look into it as well, but for now, there didn't appear to be any trace of either of them. Lilly Evans, presumably Potter now, had vanished off the face of the earth at the age of 11. There weren't even school papers to be found on her after that time, which made Izaya suspect something VERY fishy was going on….
The first heart attack moment Namie got from Izaya was when he called her just before his plane was leaving London to tell her she could take the week off. Izaya NEVER allowed her any vacation. Certainty not without her demanding it and taking it even if he said no.
However, after she got over the shock and suspicion, she realized it meant she could spend more time with her beloved brother, and try and get him away from that foul harpy that tried to steal him away from her. Namie was out the door as fast as she was capable of, filing the last few days' paperwork, and determent to not even answer her phone until the week was up. She was not going to let her unpleasant boss drag her back a second before her miracle of a vacation was over!
The second heart attack moment from her boss came when she walked back into the office for the first time after her vacation. She felt immensely happy at having been able to spend time with her brother, and hearing him confess that he didn't REALLY love Mika, she was just a replacement for that damnable head. Still…at least it was one rival less, so she felt in a pretty good mood.
...There was a 5 year old kid sitting in Izaya's chair.
WHY was there a KID in Izaya's chair?!
Namie suddenly felt like banging her head against the wall. What had that lunatic done this time?
"Who are you?" Namie demanded.
Maybe it was just a mistake. The son of a client or something. The kid looked up from Izaya's laptop and stopped poking the button. Oh, Izaya was not gonna like that.
"And don't touch that!" Namie said and walked up to him to pull him away from the laptop. She'd be damned if she was going to get in trouble just because some kid made a mess of his...incomprehensible...filing system.
"Daddy said I could!" The child insisted stubbornly, glaring at her.
Namie sighed.
"And just who is your daddy, kid?" Namie asked exasperated.
"Izaya!" The kid said and grinned. "I'm Harry! But daddy said I should pronounce it like Ha-ri... or Ha-ru... I haven't decided yet," Harry said with a big grin.
It was actually very tempting to change his name entirely. He wouldn't be that weak kid that was starved and yelled at and that had to live in a cupboard anymore. He even had his own room now, and it was HUGE!
"I'm Haru. Haru O...Ori..Ori... DAD!" Harry yelled, still struggling to remember what his new last name was.
It was only years of working for the most annoying boss in all of existence that kept Namie from face palming.
"IZAAAYAAAAA!" Namie shouted, praying to every deity out there that this was some kind of bad, bad joke.
There was no way in HELL that Izaya was responsible enough to take care of a child! He was practically a child himself. A very cruel, selfish spoiled child, Namie thought irritated. Sadly, she needed this job too much to protest against any of his crazy schemes, but this... Namie was tempted to bash her head into the wall repeatedly until this bad dream passed.
"Ah, Namie-san. I see you've met my son." Izaya walked over to Haru and sat on the desk. "What was my last name again, dad?" Haru said and proceeded to ignore Namie, who just got more and more red in the face at being ignored.
"Orihara. Ori-HA-ra. Repeat it after me."
"Ori-hara." Harry tried again, getting used to the unfamiliar pronunciation pattern.
"You'll get there son," Izaya told him and ruffled Haru's hair.
Said child practically glowed with happiness, making Namie wonder if there was something wrong with the kid, or if Izaya had just been manipulating him too much.
"Listen...Haru..." Namie started. "Don't you miss your mom and dad?" She tried.
"They're dead," Haru simply stated.
Namie flinched at the lack of concern and slight bitterness in his voice. It told her that the kid had been without them for far too long.
"But...what about siblings? Aunts? Uncles?" Namie tried again. The glare Haru sent her as he went to hide behind Izaya told a story in itself.
"I'm not going back! Izaya said I never had to ever again!" Haru stated angrily, remembering their treatment all too well.
Then he smiled brightly as he remembered that he had killed them, and Izaya had helped him overcome any guilt or remorse he might have felt for that.
"Besides... They're dead too now!" Haru stated.
The amount of glee and that unsettling tone of voice, over a topic like this, was something she never had wanted to hear from a child.
"You know what, I don't care" Namie suddenly stated, deciding it was best to know as little as possible when the police came knocking.
"Just make sure you feed him and…whatever else kids need," Namie said as she hurried over to her own desk, and flicked the screen on, intent to bury herself in work and forget about this whole thing.
Besides...it was Izaya. He'd get bored with the kid within a weak and ditch him at an orphanage, where he could find someone who'd give him a much better life. There were always people looking to adopts kids these days.
She resolutely proceeded to ignore them both as Izaya and Haru started talking together in what appeared to be a combined Japanese and Izaya's version of morals and etiquette lessons. It was just TOO disturbing to even think about.
It was a good thing that Haru was still as young as he was.
Children learn and adapt so much quicker than adults, and while it had taken him hours and hours of hard work, Haru felt that he finally had something of a decent grip on the Japanese language. It did help that Izaya insisted that he spoke nothing but Japanese, aside from when he had to explain the meaning of a Japanese word to him. But those instances became rarer and rarer, as his vocabulary grew.
It also helped that Izaya had sat down and shared Hanamaru Gakuen with little Haru, which got him into watching anime. He picked up the Japanese language and culture with a surprising speed. Haru was determined to prove to Izaya that he was worth keeping around, and Izaya didn't need someone to cook or clean for him, which made Haru feel like he was maybe being ungrateful for all the wonderful things that his new daddy lavished upon him.
In the beginning, Haru was a bit sceptical to the way his daddy treated all those people... He shared everything he did with Haru, and used it as lessons, teaching Haru how to read humans, and how to manipulate them. But Izaya always had a very logical reason behind everything he did.
Haru worshiped his new, beloved daddy, something which said daddy encouraged and rewarded, and Haru pushed aside everything he had ever been taught before to follow what Izaya told him was right.
Haru was immensely grateful for his newfound language skills right now.
He was currently standing outside Russian Sushi, with one of his daddy's credit cards on a chain around his neck, and an expensive smart-phone with the phone numbers to his dad. There were a few other numbers but Haru had no idea whom they were from, but that Izaya insisted that he could use them as a last resort if he got lost, and couldn't reach him.
Haru decided to learn his way around the neighbourhood, and how to get back to their penthouse in Shinjuku so he never ever had to try to contact those strange people. For some reason, most of the people they had met didn't seem to like his daddy. Even if he was really nice and polite to them.
Haru took a deep breath and stepped past the scary, large black guy that was yelling out strange things to lure people inside. But his daddy had told him that he could always stay at Russian Sushi if they got separated, and he'd make sure to find Haru there, once it was safe.
Haru was terribly worried, as his daddy was almost hit with a vending-machine. A VENDING-MACHINE! That guy was a MONSTER! Haru thought as he glared after the blond man who was chasing after his daddy.
He tentatively stepped up to the counter and peered at the menu, trying to read what it said. Sadly, while he spoke Japanese fairly well, he could only read the hiragana, and a little bit katakana. Kanji was just SO difficult! Haru furrowed his brow as he stared at the picture, pursing his lips trying to figure out what the heck was in all those different types of dishes.
"Um..." Haru stood by the counter, glaring at it.
Why was it so high up? He grumbled a bit and walked over to a table nobody was sitting at and used all his strength to pull a chair over to the counter and stepped on top of it.
"Sumimasen..." Haru said, hoping to get the attention of the chef.
"Ah, customer! Hello there little one. Where's your mommy and daddy?" he asked Haru, assuming he was there with his parents.
He wasn't unfriendly, but he looked a bit strict, and Haru took a deep breath for courage.
"Daddy's being chased by a bad man. He told me to wait here," Haru replied, biting his lip. "I...I can wait for him here, can't I? I'll buy something!"
The man behind the registry smiled at the child, sighing inwardly. It sounded like his dad had pissed off someone he shouldn't, and he had a pretty good idea who…that Shizuo sure had a temper.
"Don't worry kid. You can stay as long as you want to. But kid..." He hesitated, not wanting to tell the poor kid that his dad would most likely end up in the hospital if he had pissed off the notorious Monster of Ikebukuro. But he had to know. "Look... Don't you have a mom you can call to pick you up, or a friend?" Haru shook his head.
"Just daddy. But he promised he'd come get me once he lost the bad guy."
The chef looked down at those big, green eyes, clearly trusting his dad would come back. He cursed Shizuo to hell and back for having to be the one to tell this kid his father wouldn't be coming anytime soon.
"Look kid... I'll get you whatever you want, okay? It's on the house. Don't worry about money. But your dad... Was the guy blond?" Haru nodded. "Was he wearing a bartender uniform and blue glasses?" Haru looked a bit unsure about the uniform, but he supposed children rarely saw bartenders, but he nodded again at the mention of the glasses.
"He threw a vending-machine after my dad!" the kid exclaimed, eyes wide in shock.
The chef sighed. There was only one man who'd ever do that.
"Look kid…I'm not sure how to say this, but your dad…he might not be able to come back today, yeah? He could get hurt, you know. I'm sure he'll be fine in a few days!" The chef rushed to say. "But he might not be okay to walk today." He waited for the kid to start crying or refusing to believe someone could be so mean, but Haru surprised him by grinning broadly.
"Oh, no! Nobody can catch my dad! He runs super-fast!"
The poor child clearly thought it was possible to outrun Shizuo, and the chef didn't have the heart to break it to him. He should feed him before giving him the bad news he supposed. Food conquered sadness, wasn't that what Japanese people always said?
"What do you want to eat?" He asked instead. He would estimate the kid was barely old enough to start kindergarten, he probably couldn't read the menu properly just yet.
"Do you have Otoro?" Haru asked, looking up at the chef with those big, green eyes of his. In retrospect, the chef realized that should have been his first clue.
After the kid ate his meal, and – after much persuasion and mostly out of pity – the chef gave in and served the kid a cup of coffee. Once he finished that, he called Simon to come in and take care of the customers while he told the kid the bad news. He was quite sure the poor kid's dad was lying in a hospital bed by now.
"So kid, I'm Denis. What's your name?" He said. Hoping it would be easier for the kid to relate to someone when they knew each-other's names.
"Orihara Haru!" The kid said, and Denis nearly chocked on his own green tea. "I know you're worried about my dad, but don't worry! Daddy can run and jump better than anyone else! He's like Spiderman! Nobody can catch him!" Haru told and grinned widely, leaving Denis speechless as he tried to process the possibility that this kid might be…might be…oh, dear gods, PLEASE let him be Izaya's cousin or kid brother, or...or...
"Konnichiwa~! I see you've met my son!" Izaya said as he strolled in through the door.
Denis felt like crying. Or calling child-protective services. He usually avoided getting involved in the intrigues of Ikebukuro, but Izaya…with a child….
He pulled himself together and stared at the kid. He looked so...western. Although now that he knew what to look for, they certainly dressed alike. And that messy hair COULD be the same as Izaya's he supposed. Maybe his mother was western? He suddenly felt a need to go drink himself into oblivion and forget that this whole thing happened.
"Did you kidnap him?" Denis said as he glared at Izaya, but before Izaya could reply, Haru ran over to him to hug him. Or, well, his legs. He was only 5 and not very tall after all...
"Daddy!" Haru said, and Izaya smiled down at him with a softer expression than anyone had seen on the face of the infamous informant before and he ruffled his new son's head.
"Did you have fun, kiddo?" Izaya smiled at Haru. "Come on, we better get home before the Monster come back, yeah?" The chef and Simon watched in disbelief as Izaya took the kid's hand and lead him out. "I'll tell you about it later, Simon, Denis. Alright?" Izaya yelled back over his shoulder as he listened to his kid chatter about how nice they were giving him free food and all.
Simon and the chef stared after him, before sharing a smile. Maybe there was hope for him after all?
In the meanwhile, in his private Headmaster Office – halfway across the planet – a very distressed Dumbledore was preparing for the new school semester.
By the time his spy in Private Drive had been released from the hospital, the Dursleys seemed to have gone missing. There was no trace of them anywhere, and their clothes had been packed up in a hurry, leaving behind the occasional t-shit or sock. Everything that was small enough to be placed in bags seemed to have vanished along with the family, and only the furniture was left behind.
The gossip around the neighbourhood was that Vernon had gotten into some trouble with one of those foreign mafia gangs. Hadn't Peterson's wife said she saw some shady people enter their home one night? And hadn't Petunia always had suspiciously much money for someone who lived off her husband's pay check and had two kids to feed? The latest theory, according to Mrs. Figg, was that Vernon had taken up a loan with the mafia and couldn't pay his debt, so he'd taken his family and fled the country.
Rumours aside, Dumbledore was more worried about the fact that he couldn't seem to track them down, no matter which spells he used. He hesitated to try any actually Dark spells, but even his strongest spells had a limited range, and even the most powerful ones could not pass the borders of the UK.
Dumbledore was sorely tempted to divulge into Dark magic, that's how desperate he was getting, after several months without so much as a trace or lead to follow. He was beginning to think that, whatever the reason was, the Dursleys had left the country. Which was worrisome to say the least.
He comforted himself with that, at the very least, no Death Eaters would be able to find Harry either. They were pretty much all localized in the UK. And he sincerely doubted that they knew more spells than he did, even if they might have tried the Darker spells. But the Darker spells required them to have some of Harry's blood, and there wasn't really anywhere they could get a hold of that. He silently cursed himself for not taking the precaution to gather some of it while he had the chance, but he had honestly never foreseen the possibility that the Dursleys would just up and leave like that. It was so completely out of character for them.
He had sent out members of his old crew into both the muggle and wizarding world to look for any clues, but thus far it was turning up squat.
Shiki's people never did anything half-way, not that Dumbledore knew that.
He comforted himself with the knowledge that, no matter what happened, or where in the world little Harry now lived, the magic in Rowena's Quill, when it wrote out the addresses for the school letters, had no limit for distance. And once it was ready to send him his acceptance letter, they would find him again.
Next time, he would place a bloody tracking charm on the kid. He had thought it would not be necessary until the boy came to Hogwarts, but now he wasn't going to take any more chances. That way, he wouldn't lose track of him again!
In the meanwhile, in Japan, Izaya had finally given in to his son's pleas to teach him how to get around.
Izaya felt it would be better to wait with visiting Ikebukuro until Haru could read well enough to at least understand the public transportation and food menus, but he couldn't help himself when he looked down at the surprisingly adorable little kid. He did, after all, love all humans...but may, just maybe, he would make this one into a god like himself.
He couldn't favour anyone human, after all. But his heir…that was different. Izaya found himself strangely exited at teaching little Haru all the tricks of the trade. Both trades, he supposed... After all…someone would have to watch over his beloved humans when he died. And who would supply them with information that made their lives more fun, and that helped them understand the world better when he was gone? Izaya felt rather proud at his new plan.
It hadn't been his intention when he first met Harry. He had honestly meant to see if the kid really hated his family enough to actually kill them. He'd intended to watch the kid's expression as he ripped apart the boy's illusions of himself as some kind of a 'good' person, he had a whole speech prepared as always.
But somehow... Somehow he couldn't.
Was it destiny? Izaya shook his head and laughed at himself. There were no gods, and no destiny. Humans made that for themselves. The only gods in this world was those capable of standing out and be something more, something greater, than the herd. Someone to be their shepherd. It might be a lonely place, but at least when you keep people away, you never have to fear losing them. His mind went back to the horrible moment in high school when he almost lost Shinra, and he shuddered. Never again!
"Daddy! The weather lady said it was going to be cold and to bring a jacket if you go outside. Should I just take an extra sweater?" Haru said, causing Izaya to look at him. His t-shirt was entirely too big for him, and his pants were held up with a piece of rope... Izaya furrowed his brows. He had been pretty busy lately, but he realized that the kid really needed some new clothes.
"Don't bother, Haru. We're going shopping today. I'll take you to Sunshine 60 today, yeah? We'll get you some decent cloths. You can't keep walking around in those rags," Izaya stated and pushed Haru towards the door.
Jeez. Kids were so much work. But it got him thinking…he really should get the kid...whatever the heck kids needed.
While Haru focused on remembering on every landmark and the path they took to get down to Ikebukuro, at the same time as not losing track of his daddy in the crowd, Izaya was staring at his smartphone. He was googling how to raise children and discarded most of what he read with an eye roll.
As if he'd raise his son and heir to be some common human! Keh! He put the phone away and smiled when he saw Haru's intense focus. Alright. It was no big deal. He knew humans better than anyone. He could do this! Izaya tried not to dwell on the nagging voice in his head that reminded him that the last time he tried to raise kids, it was his sisters, and he was pretty sure he fucked them up as bad as everyone else he ever played with. Well... He supposed he'd just have to try harder then!
So it came to be that in less than a weak, Haru was standing in front of the mirror, dressed in the exactly same style clothes Izaya had. He was trying on the jacket that Izaya had custom made for him, just because, well... If he was going to be Izaya's heir, he might as well look the part. Looks was important.
Dressing like an honour student instilled trust, while the jacket gave him just enough of a touch to stand out and be remembered. Izaya's words flowed through Haru's head as he was trying his new look. It was true, he reflected. But people always commented on how western he looked, which he really didn't like. How was he supposed to be trustworthy, if he didn't look properly Japanese?
"Hey, dad?" Haru walked over to his father.
Izaya turned away from the screen to look at him.
"My, my, my. Look at you!" He said with a grin.
Haru blushed. He was still not used to compliments, but he loved the warm feeling he got every time Izaya gave him his approval.
"I want to look like you!" Haru said, making Izaya look quizzically at him, but Haru was slowly learning to read people, and hurriedly continued. "People keep saying I don't look like your son. And that I look western. Can't I look Japanese and like you?" Haru asked, looking up with those damnable green puppy-dog eyes.
"I...I'll look into it." Izaya said and forced a smile, ruffling Haru's hair, while wondering how the hell he was going to manage that.
You can't use plastic surgery on a child, he was pretty sure even Shinra would refuse to do that. While he was on it, he really should get the kid some corrective eye surgery. He had seen the kid run into doors and signposts he didn't see, and he was having trouble in school, even if Izaya had gotten him seated all the way up close to the blackboard. Glasses would fall off him the first time he had to outrun someone.
He decided he'd ask Shinra. He really should present his new kid to him to.
Then he chuckled. Shinra was his best friend, would that make Shinra an honorary uncle? Izaya began laughing maniacally at the thought.
While Haru wasn't sure what was funny, he ended up laughing with him. His dad did that sometimes, he figured he could ask him why if he couldn't figure it out later.
For some reason Izaya liked to make Haru figure out things on his own. He gave him some guidance and asked him leading questions, but he tried to teach his son how to ask the right questions himself, and to figure out things himself. Moreover, to never take anything anyone said for fact value. Humans always lied, something Haru was well aware of by now.
Haru was watching Chīzu Suīto Hōmu (Chi's Sweet Home) one day, with Izaya working on his laptop next to him, when it happened.
He was eating his candy, and was reaching over to the table to grab his water, without taking his eyes off the screen, and ended up knocking over the glass. Haru was still not used to being treated kindly, and at the thought of breaking a glass, especially now that everything was going so well, made him panic.
"No! Stop!" Haru shouted, and tossed himself to the floor to catch the glass before it could break, eyes closed, and waited for the inevitable…And waited…And waited.
"Haru..." He heard his dad's voice. It sounded surprised. His dad was NEVER surprised.
Haru opened his eyes and gulped fearfully. The glass was floating in the air, and Haru felt like he could cry. His daddy would hate him now! He tried so hard, SO HARD, to not do anything freakish and scare him! Haru's eyes watered up and he sobbed out a fearful;
"I'm sorry!" He grabbed the glass so it would stop doing that freakish floating. "I'll never do it again! I promises! Just please..." Haru sobbed even harder. "Please don't hate me daddy..." Haru whispered, more to himself than anything.
He felt Izaya coming closer and braced himself for the inevitable punch. He almost yelped in surprise when, instead of pain, he felt the comfort of Izaya's arms hugging him instead. It was... mind-blowing.
"Haru..." Izaya said in awe. "That was...amazing!" He lifted Haru off the floor and looked at him with pride.
Haru felt as if his little heart would stop right there and then. Izaya's approval mean EVERYTHING to him, and now... He couldn't even begin to process the thought that he not only approved, but was proud of him!
"Wha... You... You're not mad?" Haru asked carefully.
"Mad? Why would I be mad? Haru... What you did was amazing! Unbelievable! Can you do it again?" Izaya sounded like an exited kid again, which made Haru suddenly exited too.
Maybe this was another one of his aunt and uncle's lies... He was beginning to agree with Izaya's view on them more and more. They said nobody would love him, cuz he was a freak. Cuz he did freakish things. But clearly Izaya still loved him. IZAYA didn't think it was freakish!
It was...It was his FAMILY that was FREAKS! He decided in a fit of anger.
Haru was so, SO happy that Izaya was his dad. He didn't even want to THINK what his biological dad would be like, if his aunt and uncle was anything to go by. Izaya was better than everyone! And Haru felt a great need to prove himself worthy of that love. So he nodded, decidedly.
"I...I'll try!" He said, and focused on the glass, willing it to float.
It didn't work, but he refused to give up. He refused to let his new daddy down!
"Just... I just need to practice! Go work, I'll...I'll make it float daddy! Don't worry!" Haru said, and he focused on the glass again, missing the slightly devious smile on Izaya's face as he pulled the phone out and started texting his contacts.
Izaya had read about it, of course. The 'delusions' that his various classmates had told about Harry, about the strange things happening. But he didn't quite know what to believe. However, he knew better than to dismiss the possibility. Even if it came as a bit of a shock to get actual proof of it. He had to research this.
Haru was having one of the best days in his entire life today, and it wasn't even his birthday!
Izaya had sat down with him and showed him what Izaya described as his 'favourite anime', which made Haru worry it might be something dark and bloody. Or maybe a psychological thriller…he had been forced to listen to some of those when his Uncle had certain work friends over, and it was terribly scary.
But to Haru's surprise, Izaya's favourite TV series turned out to be a show for children called Hanamaru Youchien, and was about a kindergarten.
Haru was hooked from the first episode!
Especially when Izaya proceeded to encourage Harry to try and figure out what all of the characters were feeling, and to try and predict how they would act because of it. Haru had never realize how incredibly FUN it was to watch the cute little humans running all over the place, especially as he slowly started to see pattern in their behaviours, and started to predict how they would behave. Izaya always praised him and ruffled his hair when he was right, and Harry found that he loved both the glow of his new found pride, and the warm glow of being loved that he got when Izaya smiled down at him benevolently and ruffled his hair affectionately.
Just then Izaya's phone rang, and Haru felt a warm glow when his dad stared at it with irritation written on his face, rather than his normal excitement.
In japan, it was expected that people read other people, rather than the person telling others what was going on. But Haru already had a few years of training in reading the mood of his aunt and uncle, which helped him immensely.
After all, if his uncle was in a bad mood, he knew he would have to work twice as hard to stay invisible. And it was necessary for him to be able to quickly dodge any punches or, in the case of his aunt, frying-pans that might come in his direction. It was mostly his cousin that would hit him, but if his uncle was in a particularly bad mood, or had too much to drink, there was always the risk of violence.
In some way though, Haru was grateful for what he had learned, even if he still hated his former family. Especially since his new daddy praised him whenever he managed to read someone correctly. Izaya was adamant of teaching Haru what people liked to call his 'ESP skills'.
Of course, his dad had years and years of human observation on him, but Haru had started to work on his own skills. He observed everyone in his class at school, although the teacher had scolded him when he was too obvious about it, which made him work hard on hiding that he was doing it. In the end, that could only benefit him in the future.
His dad also helped him practice on the kids in the playground. Haru would make guesses on the kids and what they thought and felt, and Izaya would correct him if he was wrong and praise him when he was right. Children were rather easy to predict, according to Izaya. They had not yet learned how to hide their emotions.
Haru barely had the time to finish up that thought before Izaya's exited voice reached him, talking much too fast for Haru to keep up with what he said, but he did understand something about traveling right before Izaya hung up. Izaya looked down at Haru with a touch of sadness in his eyes, which he tried to cover up with that smirk he always used, and he randomly hugged Haru close to him.
"Haru, run to your room and pack a sleepover bag. Make sure you have everything you need, it might take me a week or two to get to the bottom of this." Izaya said, in a voice that left no room for arguments.
Haru held back the question that was burning on his tongue, and rushed off to his room to pack his bag. His dad liked it when he figured out things on his own, so Haru tried to not ask too many 'stupid' questions, and to think instead.
His daddy said something about traveling. He looked annoyed when he saw who was calling him. Haru knew from his class-mates that their daddies often went on something called a 'business trip', because Shiro had shown the class a small statue with a torch on it for Show and Tell at school. He had talked about how his dad had to go away for his work sometimes, and how he missed him terribly, but he always brought back a 'souvenir' for his family, which was always something strange and kind of neat.
Maybe his dad had to travel to somewhere else for work? Haru knew his father was always on the move, all day, talking to people or working on his laptop to find information he could sell to people.
He had explained to Haru that he was an 'Information Broker' and how important it was to have the latest information and gossip available, just in case someone might need it. As well as keeping an eye out for whom might want some piece of information he had, in which case he could offer them to buy it. People didn't always know his dad had what they wanted after all.
It was important to make sure you could give people what they wanted...for a price of course. Unless he told them something to see what they did with it, of course. His daddy was an avid lover of humans, and loved to study them. Even if most of them were terribly predictable at this point. Haru found it absolutely amazing that his daddy could predict what they would do so easily! Haru still struggled to make sense of some of their most basic actions. But he was all the more determinate to learn how to. He wanted to be exactly like his daddy when he grew up!
Haru hoisted the bag over his shoulders and ran out the door to find Izaya. He decided that he didn't want to risk getting his new jacket all dirty, so he pulled on a hooded jacket instead. It was nice and fluffy and blue, and he liked it a lot, even if it wasn't as precious to him as the jacket. It even had a bear on the front. Haru had no idea where his daddy had gotten it, but he promised Haru that all the adults would find him adorable if he wore it, and Haru had no idea who Izaya was planning to leave him with, so he was determinate to make a good first impression. He kind of hoped it wouldn't be Shiki. That guy was scary...
"Hi~" Haru said with a wave as Shizuo opened the door.
He wanted to slam the door in the kid's face. He so fucking wanted... but it was a kid...
"What?" Shizuo grumbled, staring at the kid without even removing the ever present cigarette. He was a bit surprised when the kid continued to smile at him, most people, even adults, ran away at that point.
"Daddy had to go away on business, and he said you're the only one he trusts to keep me safe!" the kid said with a bright, irritatingly adorable grin.
It made Shizuo pinch his nose and want to punch a wall. What moron would trust HIM with a kid?!
"Look, kid..." Shizuo wasn't sure what to say.
If his dad already had left, he couldn't just kick the damned kid out to fend for himself. Much as the Flea claimed he was a Monster, he wasn't a bad guy. And even if he refused to admit it, he had a weak spot for children. Even if they irritated him like mad.
"I won't be any trouble, promise! If you have some blankets, I can sleep in a cupboard or under the sink. And I'll be very, very quiet, you won't even know I'm here!" Haru said and looked up at him with those damned green puppy-dog eyes. Shizuo felt his heart melt a little, which only pissed him off more.
"Fine!" He grumbled and opened the door. "It's not much. And I don't have a futon for you." Shizuo grumbled.
"That's okay. Daddy thought you might not have it, so he made me bring my own!" Haru said happily, before snakingly waving goodbye to his dad, whom was hiding outside, to make sure he got taken inn safely.
Izaya knew Shizuo well enough to know that once he made a commitment to take care of someone, he stuck to it. No matter what.
Both Haru and Izaya let out a relieved sigh at that. They hadn't been entirely sure if Shizuo would fall for it and let him in, but now that he had, Izaya had assured Haru that he would be taken care of. Haru thought maybe he should be nice and buy him some food for taking him inn, his daddy HAD given him one of his many credit cards to buy anything he might need while he was away.
"Hey, Shizuo-san. Do you want some take-away? I want to pay you back for being so nice and taking me in, and I thought, Russian Sushi delivers, right? You like that food, right?" Haru asked carefully, worried he might insult him. Shizuo's stomach chose that exact moment to remind him that he hadn't eaten anything in almost 3 days. He couldn't help but twitch his lip into an almost-smile. Damn that kid was too cute for his own good. Shizuo didn't like the thought of making a kid use his money on him though...
"You don't have to do that, kid. I said I'd take care of you, yeah? So I'll... I'll..." Shizuo sighed as he opened his very empty fridge. "I'll figure something out!" He grumbled.
Damn. He couldn't even feed himself, much less a kid.
"Don't worry about it, Shizuo-san. My daddy has a lot of money. He taught me it's important to pay back your debts to people. I'm sure he would have offered the same." Haru explained in that way kids do when they try very hard to sound grownup.
It was all Shizuo could do to not melt into a puddle at the damned kid's cuteness right there and then. Haru knew he had won when he saw the twitching lip of an involuntary smile grace Shizuo's face. He quickly changed it to a scowl, but Haru was getting better and better at reading people.
"Well... I suppose I have to let you repay your debt, kiddo," he said and hunched down before Haru, giving him a small smile and ruffled his hair.
As long as the kid used his dad's money, he supposed it was alright. That irritation idiot owed him for making him babysit anyway!
"Yay! Can I have Otoro?!" The kid said, hugging Shizuo tightly. Not that Shizuo had any problems prying him away, he felt really awkward around kids.
"O...Otoro?" Shizuo asked incredulously.
He only knew one guy who could stomach that bitter taste, and even a reminder of him made his eye twitch in annoyance. Until he looked down at the hopeful look on this damned kids face, and he sighed.
"Fine!" He walked over to the phone. "So kid... I guess if you're gonna stay with me, I might as well know your name," Shizuo said.
"It's Haru!" Haru replied, carefully avoiding his last name.
Izaya told him that Shizuo hated his guts. But even if Izaya lovingly called Shizuo-chan his arch enemy, Haru got the feeling that Izaya actually liked the guy. He just didn't like that he liked him. Or that he interfered with his plans. Haru wasn't sure. His daddy was terribly complicated to understand sometimes.
"So then, my dad told me he'd show me his favourite anime. And he's like, so... I thought it would be some kind of thriller or scary drama or something, cuz my dad always love to watch people and their dramas, and scary things, right? And then he showed me Hanamaru Kindergarden!" Haru said, and pulled out said anime from his backpack.
Shizuo laughed. And laughed. From what Haru told him, it sounded like his dad did things that were on the shady side of the law. Especially since he seemed to deal with the Yakuza on a regular basis.
Then it turned out that he loved something as childlike and innocent as Hanamaru Kindergarden! Shizuo had yet to figure out which exact person was Haru's father, and Haru refused to tell him. For some reason Haru seemed worried that Shizuo would hate him, just because he seemed to hate his father, and no reassurances to the contrary could change his mind.
Shizuo knew he got pissed off a lot, at almost everyone he met, but he wouldn't hold that against their kid! He felt almost insulted. But he was used to the reaction, and it wasn't Haru's fault. He just repeated what everyone else said, he was sure. Shizuo was happy that at least the father seemed to love and dote upon his kid.
From what few hints Haru had let slip about where he had been forced to live before his 'daddy' had adopted him, he was extremely happy Haru's new dad had gotten him away from there. Shizuo focused back to what the kid was saying again.
"And then...and then I did this...thing... My uncle would always call me a freak whenever I did something freakish, and hit me. But my daddy..." Tears welled up in Haru's eye and he wiped them with his sleeves. "My daddy called it...amazing..."
The happy smile on the child's face almost broke Shizuo's heart. He remembered all too well what it felt like when the other kids had called him a freak, a monster, and everything else they could think of. But at least he had his family. His mother and his brother... even the nice lady on the corner store had been kind to him. He couldn't even imagine...
"If I ever get my hands on your uncle...!" Shizuo threatened, crushing the can of beer he was holding in his hand.
"Don't worry. My uncle won't hurt anyone anymore now," Haru said.
However, the sinister grin on the kid's face when he said that made Shizuo feel incredibly unsettled. He wondered if the kid's father had done something...permanent...to those people. He also worried about just how happy an innocent little child was over the fact that someone, family even, was dead. Probably dead. Then he smiled grimly. He hated violence, but someone who would hurt CHILDREN... Well... There was always an exception to the rule.
Shizuo couldn't help but smile at this kid. He had the worst case of hero-worship of his dad than any other kid he had seen. He couldn't stop talking about him. Shizuo wondered if it had something to do with his former caretakers...if they could be called that.
"I know people think my daddy is really mean, but he's just really scared that if he lets anyone close, he'll lose them. He has...what did Simon say again? He has a fragile heart." Haru suddenly looked worried. "Do you think he'll die? Is that dangerous?!" Haru suddenly asked.
Shizuo found himself in the uncomfortable position of awkwardly reassuring a child that his daddy wasn't going to die from a fragile heart. It was just an expression... Shizuo sighed and began to explain the concept to the kid, but he supposed it explained why the kid refused to tell him who it was. He'd heard of people being assholes to others because they were afraid or some shit, he'd just never really cared enough to consider the concept.
The only thing Shizuo ever cared about was his friend, and that the rest of the world would stop pissing him off and leaving him the hell alone!
In the meanwhile, Izaya was boarding a plane to London. He was QUITE interested in finding out what his source there had to tell him. He smiled as he thought about how his favourite son and favourite monster seemed to be getting along, if Haru's text messages was anything to go by.
He was suddenly overcome with a feeling of gratitude towards Shizuo's weird need to act human and kind, and his abnormal strength and bad temper. He hated the fact that he seemed to have started to care about his little heir, but... Izaya bit his lip. If anything happened to him... He wasn't sure if he'd survive that.
Izaya knew he was a coward. But he also knew he couldn't handle losing someone he actually loved. It would crush him! Almost losing Shinra that one time had shown him just how fragile his heart was. He hated himself, just a little, for allowing himself to become so attached to the kid.
He sighed. He would just have to make absolutely sure the kid could defend himself. From anything. Maybe he should assign him a bodyguard? He wondered if he might be able to pay Shizuo-chan for the job. Shizuo seemed to like Haru well enough,-judging by his son's texts-, and Izaya KNEW he needed the cash. Especially after the rumour about him coming after people with gambling debts, and sending them to the hospital. It had made people who normally would hold out on it pay up before they had the chance to even hire him. Izaya chuckled to himself. His darling monster was so wonderfully terrifying.