Hey everyone! This chapter is going to be a little cute and relaxed~ It's literally the calm before the storm ;) Enjoy!

Chapter 17

Izaya couldn't help it. His hands would always trail upwards to touch his neck. Unconsciously of course. It was still hurting, but not as much as before. Still it felt as if something was touching him, an invisible hand that was still wrapped around his neck. Breathing was still hard, and whenever he gulped, his throat itched enough to make him cough.

Then his eyes would dart to the side as to try to find something, that could catch his attention and distract him from this horrible feeling. And it wouldn't take long until his eyes would wander towards Shizuo's face, see the look on it, the guilt that was shown in his eyes, whenever Izaya touched that spot.

A scarf was wrapped around it now that they were walking along the street on their way to Shinra. They didn't exactly patch up each other after what had happened, but they still didn't go out looking as if they had just survived the apocalypse.

Except for the scarf Izaya didn't do much. His shoulder hurt like shit, something was probably dislocated or maybe worse and broken. It was the first time in his life, that he had actually been happy to wear a black shirt while sleeping. He had the feeling he was spreading a horrible smell, but he couldn't care less right now. The raven had tried to force himself and change his shirt a couple of times, but he wouldn't even be able to raise it over his belly button thanks to the pain spreading in his upper body.

Shizuo had it worse though. He had been bleeding pretty sincerely, literally everywhere. Izaya still felt guilty. He didn't have much memory of what had happened. It wasn't actually him who did it, but the one who had possessed his body.

Still he had been lingering under the surface of his own body all the time., observing Shizuo getting hurt. It had felt like watching him getting hurt through a mirror, almost like a dream – or rather a nightmare in this case. He had wanted to wake up, to make it stop. But something had been holding him back, pressing him under water in his own mind. The raven had tried to scream, to fight, but it wasn't helping. His mind was red. Drowning in red water, making him desperate. And when he noticed that he couldn't fight it, that there wasn't going to change anything, suddenly the red water had begun to flicker and become lighter.

The force that was holding him in place became weaker in the same time, and suddenly he had been able to hear Shizuo. To hear him clearly. He was telling Izaya to fight. To come back. The raven had regained his strength then. He had reached for the surface and just a second later he had been back in reality.

He hadn't even noticed it before, but the raven had felt numb while being drowned. He hadn't felt adrenaline or pain or anything, that his body should have felt while fighting. Maybe he had actually been totally cut off from his body?

However, when he had been back to consciousness, he had felt the pain in his shoulder, the weight pressing on his body and the hands on his neck. And he had wanted to say something so badly, to tell Shizuo that he was finally back, but the blonde had his eyes closed and just kept choking him.

It all went well in the end, but since then Izaya had been rethinking this situation over and over again, while walking towards the underground doctor.

And he came to a conclusion:

He would rather die by Shizuo's hands than let this demon or whatever it was take over him again.

The thought about death didn't scare him as much as before. If a demon existed, hell must exist as well. And in that case also heaven.

And he would rather end up in one of those, then to be kept hostage for the rest of his life in a body, that wasn't even his anymore.

At least that was what he had been thinking, while watching Shizuo put some bandages on his bitten arm and change into a black shirt, Izaya had lend him. A white one wouldn't do. No one on the street should see the bleeding scars all over his body. Shizuo had said that it had been fine. That just the bite mark should be covered because it would lose too much blood.

But just as Shizuo who kept feeling guilty for hurting Izaya's neck, Izaya felt guilty for inflicting so much pain on the blonde.

Should he tell Shizuo to just kill him if that happened again?

That Izaya would rather die than to hurt the blonde?

Izaya thought that it was still too soon for that and that the blonde would probably shut him down anyway.

Shizuo would never kill him if there wasn't another way. Izaya knew.

Still the uncertainty hurt. Not knowing how it happened. Not knowing what that thing in him was. If it would come back again. Come back to hurt him. Come back to kill everyone he loved.

And he couldn't take care of it as long as his sisters were still gone. They were first. They were the most important. And he felt so weak, that he hadn't been able to rescue them yet.

Just then an idea struck him.

"Say Shizu-chan!" The blonde flinched in surprise. "This … thing, would you say it was strong?"

The debt collector hesitated a moment as to understand what exactly the raven was talking about. Then still being deep in thoughts his hand trailed along his arm, where the bite wound was bandaged.

"He- IT was unbelievable strong. Probably even stronger than me." His face grew serious while saying so. Was Shizuo angry that something was stronger than him? Or maybe … scared?

"Why do you ask?"

Izaya looked back to Shizuo.

"I had an idea. But you probably won't like it."

"Try me." A small smile was placed on the blonde's face. Izaya was thankful, that Shizuo even in these situations could make the raven feel confident.

"I thought, that we could use it's strength."
"For what?" A frown had placed itself on the blonde's face.
"For saving my sisters." Izaya looked back to Shizuo but this one was staring to the front probably thinking about what he had said.

For a while they were going in silent. Izaya didn't see any need to say more. Persuade Shizu-chan? How? Izaya himself wasn't even too sure about his idea. It sounded stupid and dangerous. But at the same time the raven was desperate. He needed to help his sisters. He just had to. And if this was what it took, then-

"You were right." Izaya looked back to Shizuo, when this one started to speak again.

"I don't like this idea." The blonde was still looking to the front, but his voice was serious, still calm and silent, so no one could overhear what they said. After all they were catching attention. It didn't matter, if they were fighting and bleeding, or laughing and having fun. For the people it was enough that they were Shizuo Heiwajima and Izaya Orihara. It was enough to observe them, to be cautious about them or to try to catch what they were saying.

"It's way too dangerous for you. You know, your shoulder, that wasn't exactly me who did this. During the fight, that guy just twisted your body in a way, that it broke. He didn't even care about the pain." His eyes grew angry at the memory. "Damn, I don't think he could even feel it."

Izaya observed the blonde. His face was twitching in anger, though his eyes were still absent. The hands were clenched to fists as if he wanted to punch someone for the earlier situation.

"Calm down, Shizu-chan."

The blonde's eyes immediately widened a little before he groaned in frustration. His hands relaxed a little after a second though.

"Sorry! It's just that this thing might hurt itself and you have to suffer the consequences."

Izaya nodded. He could clearly understand where the blondes frustration was coming from.

"I know, but you have to see it from my position. You'd do the same for Kasuka, right?"

Shizuo hesitated, before he spoke again. "Yeah, I'd die for him."

A soft smile was placed on Izaya's face when he heard that. Both went silent after that for a while.

"You know … Oddly I'm not afraid of death anymore, at least not as much as before." The raven whispered. Shizuo had looked to the front, his eyes just slowly trailing back to Izaya's face.

"What do you mean?"

"Before I've not exactly been afraid of death itself. I've always just been afraid of not existing anymore, with that a possibility that came with death. I've never cared about pain though. So, a demon is supposed to be from hell. And if hell exists, heaven should exist, too."

"You think, you'd go to heaven?"

Izaya had to giggle. "Are you implying that I'm evil enough to come to hell, Shizu-chan~?"

The blonde's went red when he noticed his mistake. "That wasn't what I meant!"

"Haha! It's fine. Don't worry about it~" Izaya chirped his hand touching the blonde's arm softly to make him relax a bit. Shizuo's cheeks were still a little red and Izaya thought it was absolutely adorable.

"I know, that I did a lot of things, that'd justify me coming to hell. But I thought, if I died trying to rescue my sisters… It'd maybe be enough to reach heaven."

His eyes looked directly into Shizuo's. The blonde just wondered how the raven could say things like that as if it was nothing.

"Why so serious, Shizu-chan~? I'm absolutely sure, you wouldn't have any problem getting a place in heaven. For a while now, I have the feeling down to the core you're just like an innocent child."

It just caused the blonde to gain a deeper red again. Izaya laughed out loudly, when the blonde hissed at his own reaction.

"Sh-Shut up!"
"But you know, it'd be such a shame to leave earth. I'm really afraid of leaving you and to never find you again."

Shizuo looked up trying to read the expression on Izaya's face. There was still a soft smile on the raven's face, but his eyes looked serious, maybe a little sad.

"It doesn't matter."

Izaya's eyes widened in surprise, when the blonde spoke so suddenly and took the raven's hand into his own.

"I'd find you. Even if I was in heaven and you were in hell. I'd reach down and get you, and then I'd never let go of you again."

Izaya had to admit, this felt nice. The warmth of Shizuo's hand and the sincerity in his words.

Shizuo made him feel, as if he could let go of all of his problems and just place them on the blonde's shoulders. Shizuo would take care of it.

Izaya smiled.

"Sometimes you really remind me, why I've fallen in love with you."

The blonde just turned red again.

The raven literally giggled the rest of their way.

"What the fuck did you do?" Shinra was talking to Shizuo directly. His tone was angry and he probably had never spoken with the blonde like this before. But seriously, what was the debt collector thinking?! His eyes observed the serious bruise on the raven's neck. Hand prints, especially the lines of the fingers, were clearly seen. Hell, it was a wonder that Izaya could even breath properly with the state his neck was in!

"Calm down, Shinra! He didn't do it on purpose!" The raven tried to calm him, but the doctor still looked condemning towards Shizuo.

"How could someone do this by accident?" Shinra almost screamed. He could clearly see the guilt in the blonde's eyes. Why would Shizuo feel guilty, if it wasn't his fault? Shinra wasn't stupid. Izaya was just trying to protect the blonde!

"Listen! I attacked him!"

"So what? As if Shizuo wasn't strong enough to use a different method than to choke you to death!"
"Show him the bite wound, Shizuo!"

The blonde flinched when his name was mentioned. He had tried to endure the doctor's words in silence, until he'd eventually calm down. Just slowly his other hand moved towards the black sleeve and pulled it up. He could see that blood had come through the bandages and his fingers were fighting with it until he could finally remove it.

Shinra's eyes widened when he saw the deep wound in Shizuo's arm. "You did this … by biting him?"

Izaya nodded. The doctor could see the guilt that was displayed on the raven's face this time. He seriously didn't understand what was going on. If they had such a serious fight, why were these two on good terms now?

"Look, Shinra. We will explain everything, but could you just patch up Shizuo's arm first?"

Shizuo's head raised in panic. "No Izaya, you should first-"

"Shizuo, it's fine." The raven smiled softly towards the blonde, before he was directing the doctor again. "There are some more injuries, but we can't let Shizuo loose more blood."

Shinra nodded. He had calmed down a little. "But I demand that you start to explain right now!" And with that he went off to get his tools.

Shizuo and Izaya were sitting next to each other on the couch when he came back. The doctor took place in front of the blonde.

"Start explaining Izaya!" he demanded when he started cleaning the wound on Shizuo's arm.

Izaya giggled at the behavior of his best friend. "Yes sir!" he shouted playfully. "In short: During sleep I got possessed by a demon, that attacked Shizu-chan. During our passionate fate, this hero here" he mentioned with his hand towards the blonde next to him "tried everything to safe his beloved one -which is me- from the evil creature. The only serious injury that was actually caused by Shizu-chan, is the bruise on my neck, and he only did this to get me back to control my body. The rest was more or less done by the reckless behavior of the demon itself." And with that he ended.

Shinra was looking dumbfounded at him for a moment. Even Shizuo had his "Are you serious"-expression.

"Th-That's a joke?" The doctor stuttered after a while, still not leaving the raven's eyes.

"You're the one with the girlfriend without a head. Can't you let me have a demon in my body?" Izaya asked pretending to be hurt by the doctor's comment.

"That's not funny, flea." It was the blonde who spoke.

For moment the smile on Izaya's face vanished when he looked back to Shizuo.

"I know." He just said after a while. He then moved swiftly towards the blonde next to him and pressed a kiss on his cheek. When he turned back, the smile was back on his face and Shizuo was wearing a dumbfounded expression.

"Do you believe me?" He then asked looking back to the doctor who watched their display in disbelieve. He had the feeling there were quite a few things going on, he didn't know about yet.

"Is that what happened?" Shinra asked this time talking to Shizuo.

"Yeah."
"I see." The doctor said. His eyes were looking into the air, thinking about what he had just heard. His face relaxed after a while and he looked back into the blonde's hazel eyes.

"I'm sorry, that I said mean things to you, Shizuo."

The blonde just waved at him a smile on his face. "It's fine. Don't mention it anymore."

"Well then, let's patch you up." Shinra answered pulling the needle through the blonde's skin. He had always thought that it was a wonder, how Shizuo's skin could endure so many attacks, but would still be able to be pierced through by a simple needle.

He was sewing in silence, from time to time looking to the raven who was smiling and moving his fingers softly along the blonde's arm. Shizuo seemed to relax under the touch, on the other hand the blonde had never really seemed to be bothered by being sewed up.

When the doctor was finally done, he moved towards the raven. "Now, let's look at your injury."

"But Shizuo's other-" Izaya started to protest, but was silenced by the blonde.

"Those are mere scratches, Izaya. They will heal in no time! Shinra needs to take a look at your shoulder."

Izaya nodded. Shinra tried to move his shoulder in different directions, that only ended in Izaya hissing in pain. The raven didn't know why he wouldn't just scan the stupid thing right away. He was not far away from just throwing insults at the doctor.

"Just cut open the fucking shirt and scan it!" He screamed once again, when Shinra tried to move his arm.

The doctor frowned, but did as he was told. He knew that Izaya wasn't a pussy, so it had to hurt pretty bad.

He went on to do what the raven had told him. The scan just proved what he had been thinking for a while now.

"Your clavicle is broken and your supraspinatus tendon is seriously damaged."

"What does "seriously damaged" mean?"

The doctor sighed. "It's not ruptured. But it has been stretched very much. It's probably the main source of your pain. I don't think I'll have to operate though. If you're lucky the damage will go back in a few weeks. For your clavicle I'll just bandage your arm and shoulder a little. Don't worry too much about it. After all, we know that you are one lucky bastard."

The raven giggled. "Not very friendly to insult your patients, doctor~"

"If you're my patient, you can pay me for once." Shinra countered and started to bandage the raven's shoulder.

"I think I pay your girlfried plenty." Izaya chirped catching Shizuo's attention.

"Why would you pay Celty? Where is she anyway?" The blonde asked looking between those two guys.

"Shizu-chan, you know what Celty does. She's a transporter, transporting things. And that's exactly what she also does for me." Shizuo just raised an eyebrow showing that he didn't fully believe what the raven was telling. "Hey, I'm an Informant. And information need to be transported, too." Izaya added pretending to be a little hurt. With big eyes he looked back to Shinra searching for help.

The doctor sighed once again. He couldn't believe it. This whole day was just ridiculous to begin with.

"He tells the truth, Shizuo. Izaya and I are best friends. He'd never do anything that could seriously hurt Celty, because he knows how much she means to me. And to answer your other question, she's currently working."

Shizuo wanted to reply something, but suddenly his phone started ringing. The blonde flinched at the strange sound. He didn't even know that he had it with him. When he fumbled it from his pocket and looked at the shown number, it made his blood go cold for a second though.

"Tom! I'm sorry! Did I have to work today?" he shouted into the display. Shizuo seriously couldn't remember whether he should have worked today or not. His morning clearly had put some damage to his brain. The raven and the doctor were watching him with concern.

"What?" He heard his boss say from the other side. "No! Don't worry, Shizuo. You didn't have work today. Are you okay? You sound upset."
The blonde breathed out the air, he had been holding in his lungs. He gave the other two guys a relaxed look to show them everything was okay. He still had his job. Izaya just giggled, while the doctor looked as dumbfounded as always.
"I'm okay. Why are you calling?"

"Actually, I got an urgent job. It's probably just me, but I'd feel better if you were with me. You know, for protection." The last words were merely whispered. "Do you have time now?"

"Wait a sec!" Shizuo put his hand on the phone looking to Izaya.
"He wants me for an urgent case right now."

"I'm not your wife, Shizu-chan. You can go to work whenever you want."

"Yes but-"

"I won't do anything stupid because of my sisters. It's not like I could with the state I'm in anyway. Believe me, after this I'll go home and rest until you come back, my love~"

Shizuo didn't look convinced, but he just nodded, bringing his phone back to his ear.

"I'll meet you now." They were exchanging a meeting place and hanged up.

Shizuo thought that it would be strange to go out dressed all over in black, but he couldn't really help it now. Maybe he wouldn't look so intimidating anymore. At least he himself thought, that his look was rather casual. Maybe even a little like Izaya's, except for the fur coat. But this wasn't really the time to be insecure about his appearance.

The blonde stood up and gave the raven a swift kiss on the lips before he went out and closed the door behind him.

Izaya was still smiling, while Shinra still couldn't believe his eyes.

"Care to explain, where this casual lover's behavior comes from all of a sudden?" He demanded only to mentally slap himself. The smile on Izaya's face grew cocky the moment, the doctor had opened his mouth.

"In short?" The raven asked. Shinra hesitated but nodded eventually, still being afraid of what he was about to hear.

"We had sex. And I guess, this thing between us is official now."

The scream that left the doctor's mouth could be heard in whole Ikebukuro.

Next chapter the beginning of the end will start :D

I'm not sure though how much the ending part will be in chapters yet. Maybe 3 or 4?

Be prepared~