What They Capture

by Bushyeyebrows99

In which Shizuo is not going through a mid-life crisis, not struggling to be a good father and Izaya is and is not helping.

2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Deigo

Summary: Shizuo is a protective father.

Author's Note [Start]: Unfortunately, I couldn't get this up for Shizuo's birthday ;-;. Will I ever overcome my extreme laziness? Anyway, happy belated birthday to this amazing character! Woefully, your birthday gift shall be filled with conflict. As usual.

Izaya was the first to awake on the day of departure. He shot out of bed ten minutes before the alarm went off and meandered his way towards the kitchen to prepare two cups of black coffee and three glasses of milk. At moments like this, he wonders when such mundane routines have always felt so natural to him. He spent a while stirring sugar into the other cup of coffee before he realised that he was not alone.

"Ah, Suki-chan, you're up early."

Itsuki rubbed his eyes drowsily. Without a word, he walked forward and latched to the hem of Izaya's nightshirt and buried his face against it, muttering something soft.

"Don't mumble now, it's unbecoming of a young child like you." Despite that, his hand was caressing his familiar, shaggy hair soothingly. Shizuo liked to say that Itsuki acted like him a lot, which wasn't exactly a baseless assumption. Though, besides his tendency for snark and the colour of his eyes, which were his exact shade of carmine, everything about his posture and mannerism were so decidedly Shizuo that it made him weirdly emotional. Izaya had only seen a few pictures of a young Shizu-chan, untouched by the burdens of his own body, and he had occasionally entertained the idea of what he would have been like. Izaya never liked dwelling on it for too long. The past is drivel.

Itsuki's voice brought him out of his reverie, it was trembling. "N'mare."

"Hmm, do you want to talk about it, then?"

He shook his head hesitantly.

"Well, if you change your mind, you know you can tell me anything. I'm very good at keeping secrets, remember?" He hummed as he drew a finger vertically over his lips.

Itsuki's eyes lit up at that, and he grinned, repeating the gesture. Such an innocent gesture made Izaya wonder if Itsuki really was his sometimes, and that Shinra did not steal him from somewhere far, far away. Truthfully, he had been a bit paranoid about this the first time Shinra claimed he could extract the genomes from male sperms, fuse them and modify it into an egg in one of his odd 'experiments', but he and Shizuo thought there was nothing to be lost from trying, concerning as it was to provide Shinra with their…seminal fluids. The bearer had been a complete stranger, though. Detached from them all, and sometimes that detachment was plain to see.

Gently, Izaya picked Itsuki up and placed him on the counter where he drank his milk silently. Izaya sipped his coffee while tugging softly on the ends of his coffee-brown hair. During his infancy, Itsuki was a curious child and prone to tugging on anything that caught his eye. Often, he would be fascinated with his own hair, and it eventually became a reassuring action that always managed to calm him down.

Down the hall came the incessant beeping of an alarm followed by a pair of shuffling, heavy feet. Yawning, Shizuo sloppily placed a kiss on Izaya's cheek and the top of Itsuki's head, who only looked slightly disgruntled by the act.

"Mornin'." Shizuo gruffed out, and gulped down the biggest glass of milk in mere seconds.

"Don't you look lively. Suki-chan, since you're done with yours do go wake up your sisters."

"'Kay." He set his glass in the sink and slid of the counter easily and made his way down the hall. Entering the room quietly, he took a deep breath.

"Ha-chi! Ha-ni! Wake up, you guys overslept! The flight's in twenty minutes we need to rush!"

Hana leapt out of bed, shocked, eyes bugging out from their sockets, it was comical.

"What!? You brat, why didn't you wake us up earlier! Now look – oh god – we're going to miss everything and – "

It was at this moment that Haru chose to slide out of bed, grumbling as she did so. "Chill sis, he's just trolling you. As if Otousan would ever wake up late."

"But - I - but –" She sputtered, then her eyes narrowed.

"You LITTLE – COME BACK HERE."

"OK! Nice to see that everyone is awake! Ha-chi-and-ni why don't you two finish your drinks then we can get prepared to leave, ne?"

Hana glowered at Itsuki the whole time, who only stuck out his tongue in response.

"What a little trickster." Izaya bent down and smirked, playfully pinching Itsuki's cheeks. He shrugged and didn't lean away, not completely disliking the act.

"That was mean, Suki. Your sister's just anxious." Shizuo lectured.

Itsuki rolled his eyes, looking bored as ever. "Got the job done, right?"

They got dressed at a leisurely pace. Izaya double-checking if they had all their passports and plane tickets with them. They had stuck to Economic class in the end, per Shizuo's request. Shizuo was more hesitant on spending money, especially after just looking at the cost of the hotel rooms. Izaya had always made more money than him, obviously. Shizuo would be forty-five come next January (Izaya would be forty-six come next May, Shizuo intends to have birthday sex if he's up for it, though he worries it might come off as a bit selfish, even though Izaya always ends up begging for it every year) and the most amount of money he ever owned was given to him by his brother, which was pretty shameful on his part. But he was never fit for the salaryman job.

Money never used to bother him too much – everything else besides killing Izaya was usually just a minor annoyance – so Shizuo was content living paycheck-to-paycheck. He never owned more than what he needed. It just seemed too troublesome to pay for useless items like a vase to decorate the living area. What was that piece of shit going to do in a few years other than gather dust anyway? (Besides, he would have probably broken it.) Moreover, the means Izaya used to obtain his wealth were sketchy at best, downright illegal at worst, so Shizuo always saw it as a sort of extra layer of filth that added to his image of him.

Well, that was until he realised that, without Izaya, he probably wouldn't have the means to pay for his children's education. Or have children at all, actually. Besides, Izaya wasn't dabbling in those sorts of nefarious activities these days – mostly, anyway. Though he did think that the kids picked up Izaya's frivolous spending of money. Izaya thinks it is a valid concern, but it was not as if he would ever let any of them get to the point where they would be living in any condition below 'comfortable'.

"Soo, where are we going? You guys still haven't told us yet. Unless you intend to keep it as a surprise, I don't mind." Haru said.

Izaya handed her the paper with their itinerary on it, packed full with information on everything. Shizuo winces at the bright red used for budgeting. Those sorts of things should come up in the future. Hana and Itsuki scooted closer to look while Izaya summarised everything.

"First three days is in Okinawa to satisfy Daddy's –" Shizuo nearly fucking tripped over his own legs. "nature cravings. Then after that we're returning to Narita airport to get our luggage and heading straight to Florida – state in America where Disney World is at." He explained before one of them could ask. "There's also going to be a homestay programme in America, an elderly couple who aren't bothered about same-sex couples. You all have your camping bags prepared, right? There's no shopping malls near the site, so you should make sure you have everything unless you're all spectacular seamstresses who can turn the leaves into shirts."

Three unimpressed, unison sounds of "yeah" filled the room.

"Then let's go."

…

Izaya was driving.

Shinjuku was neon bright as they drove through the streets, towards the highway. Over the years Shizuo had gotten familiar with the bustling nature of the city, which was similar to Ikebukuro, but felt livelier, or maybe he was just being biased. Ikebukuro was quieter at night, masking the shady deals being made in the shadowy corners of alleyways. Shizuo thought of what he himself did in those alleyways and looked away from the windows.

The three of them had fallen asleep at one point. They were all leaning towards the right, inadvertently putting the most weight on Haru, who didn't look the slightest bit bothered at all. The image from the rear-view mirror was sweet, a peaceful moment between the three, the lights of the streets and cars on the highway reflected back on the windows. A sight like this stirred something soft inside of Izaya, and made him want to snap a picture to document the moment.

"Shizu-chan, quick, get out your phone." He whispered, eyes still focused ahead.

"My phone, what the heck for?" He asked, disgruntled. He had been about to fall asleep.

"Look behind, protozoan. Isn't it adorable? I want a picture we can embarrass them with in the future."

Shizuo rolled his eyes, but complied with the request, finding the scene behind him to be amazing. He fumbled with the camera for a while, never quite being able to get the hang of these touch-screen phones. They felt more fragile.

Unfortunately, the camera wasn't too soft, and Hana stirred awake. She rubbed her eyes before asking. "Are we there yet?"

"Nah, we still got a while more, go back to sleep, sweetie." Shizuo whispered, trying to inconspicuously put back his phone. Luckily, Hana was too tired to be completely aware of her surroundings and had fallen asleep a few minutes after.

Soon, they reached the brightly lit terminal. Shizuo was sure that they had packed everything, he was certain. So why then, when they reached the airport did he still feel so unsure?

They parked their car at one of the lots and proceeded to the checkout area. There was still around an hour left till boarding time so they decided to wander around the place a bit. The kids had inherited Shizuo's general impatience at everything and Izaya's need for constant entertainment so they tended to beg for goodies while they were waiting for anything, especially at someplace new. And the last time they went to an airport was to visit the twins in Hokkaido nine years ago, and neither Itsuki nor Hana were there. It was before the 'falling out' happened – so to speak, and the only memorable thing Shizuo can really recall was Haru scraping her knee with a conveniently placed fork. At the time, it was terrifying, but Shizuo had to admit the story was hilarious when he looked back on it.

Shizuo glanced at Izaya, who was eyeing some mid-twenties couple in one of those expensive branded jewellery shops. Thinking back to Hokkaido was depressing. Despite technically being Haru's biological (mothers?), a weird and slightly disturbing fact for any child to take, really, Mairu and Kururi weren't close to them. Not in the same way Kasuka was, at least, who was updated with things like how they were doing at school and who the kids talked to frequently. There was a time where they were, though. Where New Year's was filled with laughter and bubbling excitement from one more mouth and there was an additional calming presence to balance things out. However, the 'falling out' or – as Izaya would bitterly call it, the: "Long-Awaited Separation" happened.

A few years ago, when the twins hit twenty-one, never willing to be separated from each other, had gone together to some University in Hokkaido – Sapporo, was it? – to study 'Child Development'. Shizuo isn't aware of all the details but some fight with their disapproving parents happened and Izaya was basically bankrolling their education all throughout University. Shizuo used to think it was because their field hit a bit too close to home, and that despite everything that Izaya has ever said he feels some semblance of guilt over the past.

Around the time that they finished their course, Shizuo and Izaya had already gotten hitched and were discussing children. Of course, Mairu and Kururi were over the moon, and, well, yeah. For a while, things were nice. When they decided to have Itsuki he was conceived with a surrogate, per Izaya's request. And Shizuo was relieved – it would be far too weird and immoral to have gone back to the first. The twins were never told this, however, and only found out Itsuki was born around two years after, where they planned a surprise visit on Shizuo's thirty-eighth birthday.

Not the best day.

The twins weren't mad when they found out, oh no, they were beyond livid. And Shizuo was too; he had simply assumed Izaya told them. Of course he hadn't. And in a lot of ways, Shizuo could understand that, and in a lot of ways, he just couldn't. All the pent-up emotions built on years and years worth of contempt, pain, guilt and a twisted sort of familial love spilled through. Izaya once introduced him to the phrase "Every happy family is happy the same way, every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." Shizuo disagrees, every unhappy family was unhappy in the same way – they simply rejected proper communication until they could not avoid it anymore. All the progress Izaya had slowly been redeeming was gone in a flash. It was so easy to break things but so difficult to build them up.

That had been eight years ago. As far as he knew, Izaya never kept in touch after that, nor did he try to. Directly, anyway. Shizuo disagrees strongly, but he restrains himself from prying too much; Izaya would figure it out in his own time, or he wouldn't.

A strong tug on his sleeve – must be Haru – brought him out of his thoughts and back to the present. He felt momentarily blinded by the almost clinical and formal lights in the airport. They were surrounded by the bright, branded shops, and Shizuo felt very much like a foreigner in his own country. Three more unintentionally harsh tugs on his sleeve caught his attention again. Haru was peering hopefully at him, using those sly puppy eyes that always indicated she wanted something. More often than not, Shizuo relented.

"There's a candy shop over there! I want some Cheesecake Factory, please?" Shizuo really can't deny that face – and dairy-related foods.

They ended up spending more time than expected at the shop. When Itsuki and Haru were done picking out their snacks, Hana was still scrounging through the shelves. She was picky with what she liked to eat so she and Izaya ended up looking through nearly all the items there. They were deliberating for so long that they almost ran out of time so she quickly grabbed a packet of mints and they rushed back to catch their flight.

The entire flight was nothing short of uncomfortable. At least, on Shizuo's end. Izaya claimed he didn't mind Economic, saying that it was an interesting way to pass the time, though he looked slightly put off having gotten used to flying no less than Business Class. Yet in no time at all he had started chatting up the young-looking lady in the aisle opposite his. They weren't able to find seats that would allow them all to be seated together, so Itsuki was defaulted with Izaya. They had found out a few years ago that in new environments, he was very difficult to put to sleep without Izaya nearby. He was like Shizuo in that respect, who held a strong protection for the things he loved. Though the protectiveness worried Shizuo – or maybe it made sense – considering Izaya's repertoire. Haru preferred window seats, and was situated beside Itsuki. Shizuo and Hana were about two rows beside them and across the aisle. The distance felt like it spanned an entire continent.

Shizuo squeezed into the middle seat, leaving Hana to take the aisle chair. This was because the bloated man beside him looked suspicious and Shizuo caught him eyeing Hana in a weird way. One strong glare was enough to leave him trembling and he didn't bother them much throughout the flight, with Shizuo acting as a buffer. The only other time Shizuo got pissed was when the man had to leave to use the on-flight bathroom. Shizuo forced Hana to leave her seat completely while he stood protectively in front of her as they waited one seat back, both disgruntled for different reasons, until the guy got back. It earned them a lot of weird stares. Shizuo wasn't offered a mint for the rest of the two hours.

When they landed at Miyako Airport, they immediately hailed a taxi to the site that they would be staying at. The place was annoyingly titled "Ocean's Drive" but Shizuo had to relent since it was his idea.

"Well, welcome to no technology for three days. Whipee." Was Haru's first words upon arrival.

Shizuo had insisted that their phones and electronic devices be kept away for this part of the trip. He never liked it when Izaya ignored him for click-clacking in front of one of his monitors, and over the years Haru and Hana seemed to be more in favour of staring at their phones instead of talking to him. He hated it.

They had generally given their kids a lot of freedom when it came to technology, since Izaya believes it's stupid to keep children away from things that they will eventually find out about either way. Though he did link all their accounts to his so he could monitor their search histories and make sure they weren't going anywhere too…unsafe. But Shizuo was afraid that they were smart enough to get around it, somehow. He had heard stories about deep recesses of the Internet from Izaya before, likely personal experiences, and he imagined his kids doing the same, somehow managing to bypass Izaya's security. It made him shudder.

The location they were at was secluded, with barely a soul around. They began by setting up their camp site. Unfortunately, one of the tents that Izaya brought had ended up being punctured by one of Izaya's blades on board the flight – how he managed to sneak it in remained a mystery. And a bad example.

"Oh this is just wonderful. We are off to a great start aren't we?" Izaya hissed, flinging the now-useless tent to the ground and stomping on it, with a weird sort of glee? Shizuo couldn't really tell.

"Why did you even bring that?" Haru questioned, looking aloofly at her father's less than mature actions.

"Don't be so glib." Izaya lectured with one final stomp, his spirits seemed to have been lifted.

"Right, right. You're doing quite well yourself."

They ended up leaving the kids to have the one remaining tent while Shizuo and Izaya set up their items right outside.

"Really what did I expect from this?" Izaya muttered.

"Shut up. You know, if you hadn't spent the other money on that upgraded suite we could have bought one more sleeping bag. Then we wouldn't have this crap problem."

"Bah humbug, Scrooge!"

"What?"

"Ah, nothing."

Izaya just shrugged. "At least we can fulfil your wish of sleeping under the stars, even if we have to share it with the worms and mosquitoes and weird beasts lurking around. You'll be right at home, won't you?"

"Where are the bathrooms?" Itsuki asked as Shizuo took a swipe at Izaya.

"Here's a map, follow the red trail and it'll get you kids there."

"Right, because I'm just so psyched to be able to pee in the wilderness." Haru said. But she snatched the paper regardless.

"Stop it with the attitude." Izaya said and Haru relented, albeit reluctantly.

"You're not going to pee in the wilderness, the local bathroom is nearby and it's walled off for when you need to do that."

"'Nearby' my – foot! It's at least a fifteen-minute walk away. And it's public, gross."

"Dapper." Itsuki supplied helpfully.

They were sheltered city kids through and through, alright.

"You're right, much better to relieve yourselves in the open wilderness with countless little beings scurrying here and there." Izaya said.

"Ew!"

"Don't scare them like that." Shizuo glared and Izaya scoffed and turned away, arranging their spot to something more resembling an actual campsite. "C'mon, this was my one thing, after this we'll get to go to the hotels and stuff."

"I'm just saying this whole thing might be a bit too tough for our delicate flowers."

"I can do it!" Hana said indignantly, and stormed ahead in front of them, grabbing the map from a grim-faced and silent Haru.

"Act like you can if you want to prove it!" Izaya called after her. Shizuo wasn't sure if that comment was masterful manipulation on Izaya's part or just a happy accident, but the kids stopped complaining and followed Hana.

…

"This doesn't look like it was on the trail we were supposed to follow."

"You're not helping." She hissed.

"We're lost." Itsuki tried again after a few more minutes of aimless wondering. They had somehow ended up in front of a river bank that definitely wasn't supposed to be there.

"Would you shut up." Hana very much commanded.

They had one job. Find the bathroom so that Itsuki wouldn't – piss himself. They failed.

It wasn't Hana's fault – not exactly. She just didn't like falling behind, and it wasn't like she was 'delicate' or unfit or anything, she just naturally didn't have enough stamina as the rest of them. And she was the one holding the map! She couldn't be too slow but she also felt unexpectedly pressured. It was moments like this that made her really question how much legitimacy she had in her inclusion of this family.

She had been excited when she first got adopted. Terrified, but thrilled. When her Otouchan had broken down the door of that place and with him, her Otousan walked calmly into the decrepit room, with wallpaper and paint peeling off the sides. His coat was fluttering as he walked, much like a cape – or maybe wings. Which was ironic. But what she remembered the most was when he Otouchan took one look around and immediately ran forward to aim a punch at that man.

She didn't see much after that, because someone had covered her in a warm darkness and brought her out into the light.

But she knew that a few seconds later, her Otouchan had walked out, a strange look in his eyes.

That was so fast! What happened in there, it was as if he had managed to fight him off in a few seconds! That was so cool…

Those were her last few thoughts before she snuggled into the comfortable black, fuzzy material surrounding her and drifted to sleep, and unlike her past, she was looking forward to what would happen tomorrow

She recalls after that, being introduced to two other kids around her age. But she didn't feel scared, and that was such an amazing first. She had warmed up to them fast enough, though the boy, Itsuki, could be terribly annoying and insensitive when he wanted to, but before she knew it, she thought of them as family.

Until she saw her sister lift the table, that was.

She had felt…inferior. That must have been how her parents were able to fend off that man, how she was able to be free.

And in that moment, she hated not being like them. Not being strong, having not been able to fight in the past. It all made sense.

She, was weak.

She had asked Otousan one time, why they wanted to – have another child. Non biological child went unsaid between them. She was jittery and nervous when she finally blurted out the question after a horrible day at school. She admired her Otousan, but he wasn't the type she talked to about her feelings and stuff. Except about boys and shampoos and surface stuff like that – he was great at those. He looked at her with an odd stare in his eyes, not quite pity but definitely something more morose.

"You might not like it." He crossed his legs while saying so, looking dead into her brown eyes – muddy, and unlike theirs.

"Try me." She straightened her posture and copied his neatly crossed legs. She liked how posh Izaya was, (even though sometimes he acted very weirdly for a man, like skipping around the shopping mall). He was brimming with confidence and a different type of strength than Shizuo.

If she couldn't have the other, then she would have this.

"When we first had Haru, we found out soon enough that she had inherited Shizuo's lack of a natural limiter in her brain." He began.

"I don't suppose we have mentioned this before, but your father's strength…it isn't as simple as it seems. I used to think too, that his body was simply inhumane, and that he was born with such a thing, but as it turns out, he had suffered through many pains to reach this point."

"Well," He huffed, but the small quirk in his lips revealed his amusement. "Not that he wanted to in the first place, but he's very contradictory."

"His bones regenerate stronger every time they are broken, so you can imagine the things he had to go through to get to this point." Hana winced. "Blank white hospitals where he couldn't move a single muscle, days spent peering over his shoulders in case of any gang members looking to pick fights, social isolation. They were all very tangible realities for him. Well, not that I helped much with those." He muttered.

"As you can imagine, when he learned of this, he was very. Conflicted. Said he would never wish that sort of loneliness on anyone, much less his own child."

"That was when I came into the picture?" She asked, she kept a stiff upper lip.

Izaya shrugged. "Shizu-chan is too scared of the implications, scared of what it meant for us. Even though I braced myself for something like this happening I have to admit, I was a bit floored. Haru had a few cases but it wasn't as if we would stop her, if she has to express herself that way then who are we to stop her? Humans are best when they make their own choices. Afterwards, when we had your brother, the same thing happened again. Shizu-chan has always hated himself because of his strength, he almost destroyed himself over it, as I did over – um, anyway." He coughed.

"We adopted because we wanted to, but also because, perhaps Shizu-chan wanted a sense of normalcy as well, and I, I obliged. Of course, two men in Japan aren't able to adopt legally, at least by normal means."

So is that all I am to the both of you? She clenched her dress tighter, holding back her tears. Just the bit of normalcy, the bit of humanity that you were both seeking?

She wanted to scream, she wanted to shout, she wanted to punch something. Take her frustrations out on anything, she hated feeling so useless.

Suddenly, she was being enveloped in a familiar dark warmth. "The world is cruel. What we did was selfish, and perhaps a compromise, but you're your own person, and you're part of this terrifying family."

She spent the whole afternoon crying into his shoulder as Izaya gently ran his fingers through her hair.

" – na! Hana!" Haru was waving her hands in front of her face, she blinked and snapped out of it.

She let out a low whistle, "What were you even thinking about? Is the heat getting to you? I told you to tie your hair up like me." She put their foreheads together and closed her eyes, concerned.

Hana brushed her off. "I'm fine! I'm fine! Go away weirdo." She murmured, she really didn't like that method of taking temperature, she knows her Otouchan does it but – who could accurately tell someone's body temperature that way anyway?!

"Hmm. Anyway, I told Suki to just go pee in the river bank so at least we have one problem solved. Aaahh, what are we gonna do now?"

Hana pulled her long, glossy hair into two sharp pigtails, making it look not unlike a pair of jet-black blades, a nervous trait of hers that she developed likely before her inclusion in the family. It reminded Haru very much of how stressed parrots would pull out their feathers in high-pressure environments.

She sometimes entertained the idea of having a parrot companion that would help Hana calm down. Or some sort of animal. They never got a pet. Hana was extremely fond of dogs, but Izaya and Itsuki disliked them far too much. Haru loved everything and Shizuo was more neutral, both preferring to share their affections with most animals that looked cuddly and inviting enough. But the discussion over the matter never really died down. The decision was too split and it was a big reason as to why Hana and Itsuki were always butting heads, being a dangerous mix of clashing personalities and immaturity that she saw in her parents sometimes. A combination that made everyone worried. She wasn't dense, she could tell when the two of them were about to snap and so she sent Itsuki to do his 'business' somewhere else for them both to cool off.

No one liked it when they snapped at each other. She recalls, one point, where the Great Pet Debate got so bad that it left the two of them biting and scratching at each other. Izaya was livid, and that was the end of the whole thing. Haru thinks that was the time where Itsuki grew closer to Izaya, more protective. Prior to that, Itsuki had never seen Izaya blow up in that manner before, more accustomed to his often cold and unusual displays of displeasure. Haru knows what it's like to see that image of someone break away, or more accurately, shed to reveal something deeper. Izaya hasn't gotten that angry since.

"Oi, oi, don't worry too much." She reassured, ruffling Hana's hair – and feels something stirring in her chest. She hasn't done that since she was eight.

"We'll be fine, we'll find them."

And they'll find us.

…

Izaya was still sulking by the time Shizuo had finished setting up the tents. Who, by the way, did all the work. Izaya did not help out at all. Shizuo felt like making a remark about his age – something that would always rile Izaya up – but decided against it.

He came here to enjoy himself with his family and goddamn it to hell if he wouldn't go through with that. Annoying husband or no.

"You look great," Shizuo blurted. And he was being honest, Shizuo thinks Izaya would look great even in a post-apocalypse.

"Don't flatter me, I know I'm, old." He shuddered and said the last word as though it was a curse.

"Ah, you're not that bad. And you still got all your hair. Not everyone our age is so lucky."

"Dotachin." Izaya says, smirking. And Shizuo can't help laughing even though he feels like he should hold it in, on behalf of Kadota's dignity.

Kadota was one of the few people who simply accepted what had happened for what it was – albeit, slightly disbelieving – being that it was always in his nature to go with the flow. When they walked past each other days after news of Shizuo and Izaya's – evolved relations got out, he simply pat Shizuo on the shoulder and said:

"Domesticity is a good look for you guys, but try not to destroy the rest of the town with one of your lover's spats, okay?"

Something about the fact that he didn't even meet Shizuo's eyes as he said it made the gesture feel sincere.

Though, the years had not been as kind to his looks as he was to them. He was balding at the top of his head, not noticeable at first but impossible to ignore once you realised. Ironically, it was at this point where he chose to stop wearing his iconic beanie. Currently, he was married to Erika, who had never grown out of her 'Shizaya' phase – Shizuo hated that name – and still oogled and made remarks about them when they were invited over for any special events. Walker had once said that he felt very nostalgic when she did so, looking wiser than Shizuo remembers – if he ever was. She had gone as far as to include them in her wedding speech, a point that drove her to tears, while Kadota awkwardly comforted her at the altar. He smiled genuinely the whole time, and Shizuo respected him more for that. Though Shizuo thought that this whole thing was very creepy, Izaya took it in stride, if only slightly annoyed. She was always the one who managed to make their murder rampages sound more like romances – and was scarily convinced by her own retellings as well – and the kids ate it up until either Shizuo or Izaya ushered them away.

"Would you leave me if I lost my hair?" Izaya asked, touching it. He meant to pass it off as a joke but he sounded scarily serious.

"No." Shizuo said. "Any you're not going to lose it. You don't have the baldness genes."

"How would you know? I can't even remember the last time we've seen my parents, if ever." They had, twice. "And it will go grey, though," Izaya said, wincing. "I'll have to start colouring it. You should start recommending me some brands. Who knows, maybe I'll even bleach it!"

Shizuo couldn't help but laugh at the image of Izaya with his trademark blonde hair. He'd been planning to stop dyeing it soon – after the trip. Truthfully, he'd wanted to stop around five years ago. It had served its purpose; Shizuo wasn't getting ambushed anymore – then again, his hair never actually helped him in that respect – where it seemed like too much of a bother. He kept on going because when he asked Haru she looked at him a bit weird.

"Please, never."

He stared fondly at Izaya. The light from the setting sun framing the colours of his face quite nicely.

Wait.

Setting sun?

…

"What are we going to do?"

They had been walking around for well over half-an-hour. By now, the sky had started to darken, only serving to increase their anxiety.

"We should retrace our steps." Itsuki provided.

"We are." Hana snapped back abrasively.

"What's your problem? You got us here in the first place."

"I will choke you."

"Both of you just stop. God, why can't you give it a rest already." Haru angrily stomps ahead, she's absolutely done with their constant bickering. Why can't they just get along? Was it that difficult, that humiliating for two people to just put apart their differences and let things go? Why was it so difficult – was it her? Did she simply have such a twisted view of people that she could not connect with their emotions?

These thoughts reeled in her head, beating her down as she kept moving forward. Because as far as she was concerned that was the only path to go. Linear and straight ahead, she would not listen to anything else that would distract her.

Of course, that included warnings as well.

"Haru!"

She felt her leg spike with a sudden bout of pain and a few seconds later she was kissing the ground. Again and again, sharp twigs and dried leaves scratching against her exposed skin as the terrain got steeper until she felt herself stop. Her mind soon after.

Horror mars the thoughts and actions of one's body. The emotions running high after viewing some drastically terrifying series of events leaves one unstable and vulnerable for any form of attack, or simply increased the amount of lost time. It is why surprise attacks have such an advantage over individuals, the unexpected nature of the situation working well to take out the enemy. After all, sometimes, a split second is all it takes to determine the choice between life and death.

Certainly, feelings were a bit of a pain sometimes.

At least, that was what Itsuki was thinking as he saw his sister's crumpled body all the way down there. She looks so small. Was what he thought next. He hadn't known he was standing still, as if he expected time to stop just for him. He still wasn't moving, even as he watched Hana surge forward, gracefully jumping over the extra roots and branches that a mere seconds before looked much more inviting.

He could not move.

Why?

He only snaps out of it when he sees Hana screaming at him to help. Itsuki quickly clambers down, less skilled in dodging the craggy ground in front of him. Only when he is nearer is he able to assess the damage.

Haru's leg was bleeding from getting scratched up by all the branches, though other than that she was only mildly bruised. No, the main problem now was that she was knocked out. The threat could range from being tired and impacted to a concussion, which they had no means of getting help for right now.

"What do we do?"

Itsuki tries his best to calm his breathing. "Ok. First things first, check her airway and pulse, if it's normal then it's likely just a blunt force injury and she should be fine." Very likely, please. "If it's anything serious, then we should perform a standard CPR, but that's a worse case scenario – she'll probably be awake within a few minutes." Yeah, yeah. "Just make sure that she stays on her back."

Hana nods and proceeds to lay Haru down in a more comfortable and safe position. From there, she hesitantly reaches her hand forward to feel Haru's pulse.

She breathes heavily, and everything feels okay.

"Thank god, she's fine."

A few minutes later, she's stirring and groggy and dizzy and it feels like it's still morning and they haven't left home at all. They both bombard her with a hug that knocks a bit of air out of her lungs, which they quickly apologise for later.

…

"What the fuck."

It hadn't even been a day and already, something just had to fucking happen.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, where are they?" Shizuo swears he'll fucking kill the forest if he had to, nature be goddamn damned.

"Calm down, they'll be safe."

"Why are you so fucking calm, hah?" Shit, he was losing his temper.

"Unlike you, they're smart, and I already briefed them in case an event like this were to happen – "

"Well if you're so fucking prepared then do you know where the fuck our kids are?!" He forcefully gripped the base of a nearby tree, fingers digging into the solid bark, ready to fling it at anything, something, someone –

"Shizuo."

He stopped.

"What do you think flinging a fucking tree is going to do. I know it's near impossible but control yourself right now, because we have more important matters at hand. That godforsaken temper of yours isn't going to help us right now. What if you were to throw that thing out of rage and it hits one of them and they get injured? Worst of all, we won't know until we get there. So for the love of god, calm down!"

Shizuo stills his movements. Silently, slowly, he retracted his hands from where they dug cracks and craters into the bark of the tree and stuffed it into his pockets. Izaya was right. The mental image of his children being subject to one of his violent sprees caused unbearable amounts of pain to Shizuo. Shizuo never wanted to hurt the people he loved, ever, but it always feels like that was what he always did. It seemed that Shizuo had forgotten himself back there. And Izaya. What was it that Shinra said to him before?

"He's a guy who thrives on keeping secrets. As in, he likely won't tell you anything you actually want to hear, so it can be very difficult to read him sometimes."

Shizuo was terrible at reading the atmosphere, worse still at reading other people. He had not realised that Izaya was so nervous. A small part of him doesn't want to admit that he never even considered Izaya would be.

So, he kept silent. Izaya kept on walking, and Shizuo kept on following, just like he always does.

Izaya had an idea of where they got lost at. He had studied the comprehensive map of the area and noticed that there was a nearby stream off-route to the public baths. It was likely there where they had ended up, if Itsuki really had to go about his business. And they were probably heading back from there.

He finds them due to all the commotion.

"Oh fuck, oh shit you're all okay."

Shizuo rushed to gather them all in his arms.

"It was only a few hours, we're okay." Hana tried to reason, but she clung back just as tightly.

"You're crushing us." Itsuki complained, though he was trembling too.

After he let them all go, Izaya had gone straight to Haru first, using his switchblade to expertly cut off a section of his shirt to treat her wounds. He worked swiftly, though a medical professional (Read: Shinra) would have been able to spot the slightly shaking hands and the sloppy bandaging. After that, he began analysing Itsuki and Hana for injuries, infections, bruises, cuts and whatever until he made sure that they were clean.

Their walk back was tranquil. Shizuo found that to be greatly disturbing.

They all squeezed into the same tent that night, foregoing the outside campfire they had made. It was cramped but far from unwelcome, with Shizuo and Izaya flanking both Hana and Itsuki protectively, while Haru was in the middle. Sleeping together as a family was something that they hadn't done since the night following their second (and last) visit with Izaya's parents, when Izaya was unnaturally quiet and clumsy in a way that had frightened all of them. It was a bad time, but there was comfort to be found in it, for the time being.

Huddled together in a barely big enough space was where Shizuo found his peace.

That night he dreamt of typhoons destroying the city, sweeping his friends and family away from him, one by one. It wasn't so much as they were fleeing from the winds, but rather felt like everyone else was trying to catch up with the great storm that seemed to be abandoning them, only to end up lost. He watched as these faceless people being swept away soon took the form of Kasuka, Varona, even Celty. The last one to be swept away by the flow of the crushing winds was Izaya, hand outstretched and face filled with a terrifying emotion that Shizuo has never seen before. The last image he saw before he woke up in a cold sweat was Izaya's outstretched hand from a sea of grey.

Shizuo blinked awake. Stressed, he hugged Hana closer. He was awake until the first shine of the morning light broke through.

In his dream, he was the typhoon.

…

Following yesterday, Shizuo and Izaya were adamant on not letting anyone out of their sights. Izaya guided them to the public bath in the morning whilst Shizuo would follow behind protectively.

Right now, they were following their hiking trail. Their walking arrangement the same as it had been the previous night. Over the course, they had encountered many fascinating creatures and plants native to Okinawa, and it started to feel like how Shizuo wanted it to be.

Sometime later, Shizuo noticed that Itsuki was trailing behind slightly, and jogged forward to catch up to him.

"Are you okay?" Shizuo blanched at his question, sounding like an estranged adult.

"Uh-huh." He said, clearly not, and the two carried on walking, remaining in this awkward quiet.

Unfortunate as it was, this was a common routine between the two of them, and Shizuo never knew how to get out of it. It was not as if they didn't care for each other, but neither of them ever had the right things to say, which left them both side eyed and clammy. More so for Itsuki, who today looked weary and tired, a sight which made Shizuo feel useless. He needed to be a better conversationalist, for fucks sake.

"Hey, did you see those red flowers that looked like fans?" Shizuo asked.

He had. They discussed the Deigo flower for the rest of the walk and Shizuo felt like he was in paradise. He had researched on the hiking spot, as well as the wildlife here in his efforts to prepare himself for any nature-related questions so that Izaya would not always be the one doing the explaining. The rest of them got engaged in Shizuo's explanation after a while. He had answers for all their questions.

The thing was, Izaya was competitive, to a downright fault. And if Shizuo of all people managed to master something before he could it might very well depress him for days. What it came down to was that Izaya liked attention, and he was nothing if not resourceful.

He soon started to explain everything. It was subtle at first, the few yellow flowers scattered about, the native birds – but a silent competition was brewing and Shizuo was surprised to find how excited he was feeling.

They somehow managed to circle back to the discussion on Okinawa's official flower, and Shizuo almost had to concede defeat for that one.

"The blossoming of the Deigo is considered a symbol of good fortune and prosperity. However, it's said that if there was an exceptionally full bloom, it was taken as a sign of a coming misfortune or disaster whether in the form of a typhoon, drought or famine. There was also the popular song Shima Uta by The Boom, with the opening lines, Deigo no hana ga saki, kaze wo yobi, arashi ga kita. A reference to this traditional folk belief regarding the flowers, with the song as a whole alluding, or referring, to the Battle of Okinawa, frequently called the "Typhoon of Steel." The spring of 1945 saw one of the fullest blooms in living memory, just before the beginning of the three-month conflict which would devastate the island." Izaya turned around and smirked triumphantly.

Only, the four of them burst out laughing after Izaya was finished, causing him to flush, looking a bit annoyed.

"Oh my god, Otousan! You're so petty!" Hana shrieked.

"You sound like a Wikipedia page!" Itsuki joined in, snickering while pointing at Izaya. Izaya huffed and continued walking forward. The tips of his ears bright red and Shizuo roared with laughter.

"More like a tour guide!" Haru added.

Well, it wouldn't be the first time Izaya hijacked a touring session. Verbally, that is. The rest of the family had a general aversion to tour groups, though Izaya liked it simply because there were usually many people to 'quietly comment on'. Though the last time they went on one, Izaya kept pointing out errors in the tour guide's explanations, leading the crowd to demand for a refund even though nobody had really been listening.

At the time, Hana had yet to be part of this strange and mildly dysfunctional unit of characters, and Haru and Itsuki were only six and two respectively. Though they could tell neither really liked the big crowds. They'd kept at a distance the entire time, because Itsuki would start acting up if they got too close, gripping Izaya's fingers tightly, causing Izaya mild pain, which was a feat considering he was still just a toddler.

"It seems we've raised a pair of misanthropes." Izaya sighed dramatically when Itsuki pulled him away again.

"Kind of ironic considering you, huh?" Shizuo smirked.

"T'was is life. Hahh, I feel as if I have somehow failed at my purpose in this world. Won't you comfort me?" He teased and Shizuo merely rolled his eyes in response.

The laughter died down after a while, though Izaya was noticeably more reserved, in a cute way, Shizuo concluded. Shizuo had enjoyed the session of walking quietly around the island, with no one but his family. He watched as Haru picked up random rocks or dried out leaves from the ground; or when Hana wanted to take pictures beside weird-looking birds and fans of orange until they got shooed away by the flash of Izaya's camera.

The last day itself was quite uneventful, as far as things went.

Shizuo was tasked with waking the kids up. Haru and Hana shuffled out of bed grumpily but Itsuki sat there, slouching and tired for a while.

"I want to sleep for longer." He complained, rubbing his eyes.

"You can sleep in the taxi."

"Nah," He yawned, and refused to move until Izaya came back to chase him out.

They had finished packing up the area and were heading back to the airport. Everyone seemed to be slightly disgruntled, either due to the early timing, or the previous two day's mixed events. Probably both.

"We're going to Disney in America!" Shizuo tried, wanting to lighten the mood. Usually Izaya was the one who did this, and was undisputedly better at it too. But he had his limits as well. Shizuo never used to notice.

"I thought it was just castles and girly stuff," Itsuki said, but he was perking up a little already.

"No, there's lots of other stuff too," Shizuo said, confidence growing. He was familiar with the features of the place from Izaya's constant mentions of them. "There's an aquarium, and, ah, a lagoon where you can paddle these little boats, and a lazy river."

"What's a lagoon?" Itsuki was smiling like he already knew it would be great.

Shizuo knew he was being indulgent, and he could see on Izaya's face that it wasn't appreciated. He just wanted everyone to be happy but they couldn't seem to manage it simultaneously. One of them was always ticked off at something or the other. It felt like a round of roulette and Shizuo had already shot himself in the head, yet he kept doing the same over and over again. It felt the same as back then, wherein only when one of them was in pain would the other be happy.

By the time they reached the airport terminal, the kids were as lively and energetic as usual, complaining amongst each other and begging for treats. This time Izaya picked out the items and everyone was satisfied.

"Why's airport security so uptight?" Hana questioned while they were queueing, chewing on a bar of mint chocolate.

"Don't look at me like that," Izaya tsked, shooing them in the direction of the luggage retrieval when the security yelled at them for being too slow. "I don't know everything." In this case he actually did, but was too tired and annoyed to respond appropriately.

"Aren't you always saying that you do?" She sneered back, crossing her arms with her smart-ass remark.

"Eh, it's just because of terrorism and stuff. Not that interesting really." Haru said, stretching her arms behind her head, feeling only a slight sting as she did so. She was not in the mood for them to get bitchy with each other. They had a similar temperament that didn't always mix well.

They gathered their items – well, Shizuo gathered their items and they sat down in the waiting area. They still had around an hour of free time, unless the flight got delayed. Shizuo simply set down the luggages in front of them, ignoring the other people who stared at him in shock. He loured at them and they all turned away quickly, sweating nervously.

Shizuo rolled his eyes and settled himself next to Izaya, who had both his eyes shut and his arms and legs crossed. He wanted so much to bury his head inside the furry part of Izaya's hoodie, something he did when he was especially frustrated at nothing in particular, usually when he was in public and didn't really feel like going through all the trouble of destroying public infrastructure. But he didn't want to be stared at in this already-hostile environment. The three little ones, having been reunited with their precious phones had plugged themselves into the cyberspace, doing their own things.

Shizuo really didn't like this sort of silence. He got up and took a smoke break in one of the appointed rooms.

Lucky for him, there was only one other person in here, some balding middle-aged salaryman with a shitty combover. He looked a bit stressed, weary, and Shizuo feels like he can relate. Neither of them bothered striking up conversation, there was an air of mutual ignorance between the two of them and he was glad for it.

Izaya comes in a while later, after Shizuo has started on his third stick, nose crinkling at the strong, pungent smell of nicotine. Izaya's eyes briefly flickers to the salaryman, who looks unbothered.

"Do you think they'll be okay?" Shizuo asks, looking away.

"I think they'll be okay," Izaya says, shrugging. "Just like I've always thought you'd be okay. You're very immune to whatever life throws at you, I've always thought. No matter what you seem to shrug off whatever anyone can dish out and carry on."

"Yeah, I guess."

Izaya rolls his eyes. "Oh god you're always like this. Don't be so critical of yourself, you had to deal with me, remember? I don't think I've ever mentioned how much it irritated me that you were still able to float on by even after you got arrested for the hundredth time. You're much better than you or I ever gave you credit for, and they are much the same."

Izaya reached forward to squeeze his arm reassuringly.

"The way they act right now, sure, it's upsetting, but it's normal kid stuff.

Shizuo sighs through his nose, looking downcast.

"They're all such a mystery to me all of a sudden. Haru's birthday is in a month and I have no idea what to get her. She asked for cash. Jesus Christ, I'm not giving her cash."

"Why not? Kids love cash."

"Are you getting her cash?"

"Don't be daft, of course not." Shizuo runs his hands through his hair in frustration.

"Then why'd you tell me to?"

"I didn't tell you to do anything I was merely pointing out that children love to receive some form of materialistic item."

"Then what are you getting her."

"..."

"See?" Shizuo sighed, irritated, puffing smoke in Izaya's face. A dick move on his part, Izaya batted it away, looking only slightly angry.

He was about to retort something when they heard the salaryman blanch.

"Fucking fags." He muttered under his breath.

They both still.

But the man didn't stop. It would be so much easier if he did. It wasn't the first time they've heard this sort of language, and regardless, both of them were used to this sort of talk. People looked down on them individually and together, so what?

"You disgusting pieces of shit, destroying our society. And by the sounds of it you two have children too." He shakes his head disapprovingly, condescendingly. "Disappointing. People like you should be rounded up and locked away from the rest of us."

Shizuo pinched the bud between his fingers, grinding it so hard that it split in half.

"You've ruined your children's lives!"

And Shizuo is beyond pissed. He has not felt this way in a long, long, long time, but he's fucking seeing red and nothing is stopping him from –

Izaya beats him to the punch. Well, in the sense that he has the sharp edge of his old, trusty switchblade against the pudgy man's neck. Its silver glint shining as brightly as ever, looking clean and well-polished.

"Y-y-you fucking whore, twisted shits, freaks – " He stutters, less confident when threatened. What a joke.

"I suggest you keep calm right now, Mr. Salaryman, for both of our sakes here."

"Well, I can see we both have conflicting points of interest, you see, I too, know what it's like to be caught up in the business side of things.

Rumours, bribery, blackmail. They're all my fortes. Oh, but I'm sure a self-respecting and honest man such as yourself has nothing to hide, isn't that right?" Izaya mockingly brushes off some dust from his suit, and straightens the man's collar, all the while his blade is kept firmly against the man's neck.

Izaya, Shizuo notices, has terrifyingly still hands.

"Ah, so you work at Sumitomo, don't you? It certainly would be a shame if someone were to look up the company name, only to find all of its dirty little secrets.

Then what happens next, I wonder? If someone decides business just isn't the same, and the higher-ups will have to lay off a few people. It's a tough world out there, with even tougher competition. You wouldn't want to end up a jobless old man, with no means to support your family, would you? How would you face them?"

"So I suggest you just mosey your way on out of here, with no recollection of anything that has transpired."

Both of them are panting as the man staggers out, nearly tripping over his feet as he does. He dares to cast a terrified glance back at them before he scrambles away, frightened and likely more disgusted than ever. But who gives a shit.

"Fuck." Shizuo grunted.

"Agreed."

When they came back, Itsuki could immediately pick up that something was different. Tense. He went up to hug Izaya's legs, it was sweet but only drew more people's attention to them, which Shizuo really did not want now. Izaya lifted him up and returned to the seat.

The ride to back to Narita was tense and uncomfortable, Itsuki and Hana complaining about who got to sit next to Izaya, though that was merely a cover-up for the fear they were feeling. Their parents had been deathly silent since they returned from the smoke room.

Haru was swinging her feet in front of her. Which was allowed since she had so much space. They were flying business class back, a decision to which no one objected to. Hana and Suki were filled with a newfound enthusiasm at the extra legroom and general upgrade in quality. Though she seemed to just notice that her Otousan and Otouchan were in a tense silence.

"What's wrong?"

She always had been straightforward. Hana and Itsuki stopped arguing then, peering at her and Shizuo nervously, but curious too.

"Nothing."

And Shizuo feels like shit for lying.

"You've ruined their lives."

He crushes his face against Izaya's shoulder and falls asleep.

Has he?

He thinks about how each had their own brand of strength. And they dealt so much better with the extra one they were provided with than Shizuo ever could. In the beginning, Shizuo was terrified of the idea of his kids being isolated from others for the very same reason he was: Being a monster. Something to fear, to be hated. It'd take up countless hours in the middle of the night, when even Izaya had fallen asleep, the burdens of fatherhood and its implications having to fall onto the shoulders of his child. The possibility that they would end up just as broken as he had once been, those thoughts would be the ones to make him cry just loud enough for only Izaya to wake up to. Every time, Izaya would reach out to him in the dark and bury Shizuo's head in his chest. He would always listen, and offer short and clipped words of comfort if need be, but Shizuo was never happier to have someone as collected as Izaya by his side. Years ago, he never would have though Izaya could be comforting and would have punched anyone who could think of something as unlikely and terrible as that. But now, he wished he could tell the younger version of himself that no, this was exactly what he has looking for his entire life, hidden behind the sharp edge of a blade and ringing laughter, was that cooling warmth that could finally relieve him.

Author's Note [End]: I know Shinjuku is technically more dangerous than Ikebukuro in the show, but the author has chosen to change that because she's a dumbass. Doing research for everything has made me personally feel like I should contribute to my own in-verse swear jar.