This chapter and probably the rest of the fic contains SPOILERS FOR VOLUME 13 OF THE NOVELS! (Anime only folks be aware!)
So I'm posting this a little sooner than anticipated because it's done so I might as well. Once I get through these exposition chapters I think this fic will start going a lot faster! Sorry if this and the next chapter are a little dull... It's just plot that needs to be established.
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Starting with a clean slate was hard.
Straightening his back, Izaya yawned into the back of his hand. He was still rather tried from being unable to sleep peacefully the previous night. With a long sigh, Izaya stretched his arms above his head—flinching at the slight jolt of pain that shot from his wrists and down his spine.
It had been two months since what Izaya had decided to call "the end". Shizuo had made it abundantly clear that he was no longer going to let Izaya into his life with one simple word; Goodbye. It seemed that they had both planned to kill the other that evening. In fact, that's precisely what Izaya had counted on.
Izaya wished for one of two outcomes: Either he would finally destroy Shizuo, or Shizuo would destroy him. Either way it could have worked out, Izaya would be released.
Released from the suffering he had endured from Shizuo's existence in his life...
Izaya had accepted his feelings for Shizuo a long time ago; however, his acceptance didn't mean he would act on what he felt.
He fell in love with a monster. No-a human wearing the skin of a monster. He could no longer deny Shizuo's humanity after their last fight. Because in the end, Shizuo did not kill him. Once again they were interrupted. This time by none other than Celty and that Vorona woman. Izaya grimaced when he thought about her. She had gotten involved in their fight at just the right moment to ruin everything.
Izaya loved humanity. However there was one human he was determined not to love. Heiwajima Shizuo had been known as a monster in Izaya's mind ever since the moment he fell in love. In doing this, Izaya was able to tell himself he was not allowed to show love for Shizuo because he was not human. It was the only way he was able to protect himself from his own feelings.
He had been prepared to end it all. To either kill or be killed. But Shizuo was the only one in this world by whom he would allow himself to be killed, and that woman had almost ruined his plan.
The two of them walking away from that fight alive was not an option he had planned for. Yet here he was, three months later, back in his apartment in Shinjuku as if things could go back to normal. However Izaya knew better. Things would never go back to normal. Not for him, not for Shizuo, not even for Ikebukuro.
Lying in bed with two broken arms and a knife wound among various other injuries really humbles a person. It gives them time to think and reflect on their mistakes.
Involving Shizuo in his life had been the first mistake. Falling in love had been the second and most devastating mistake. Yet despite this realization, he couldn't bring himself to completely regret the years of his life he had spent trying to remedy his mistake by proving Shizuo to be a monster. After all, it had been entertaining while it lasted.
However all of that was over now. Izaya didn't plan to show his face in Ikebukuro ever again. It would likely hurt his business, but he could still find ways of remaining in contact with his clients in Ikebukuro.
"You should be happy, Shizu-chan," Izaya said quietly to himself in his empty apartment, "I am finally gonna stay away..."
Izaya closed his eyes, taking in the silence of his apartment. He would have to get used to no longer hearing Namie typing at her laptop or fussing around in the kitchen. She had left for America to study Celty's head for Nebula leaving Izaya back to working alone. Of course, he managed to get one final job out of her. She had the honor of arranging Izaya's treatment in a hospital outside of Tokyo.
The time he spent in the hospital was much shorter than it should have been. Izaya had voluntarily removed himself from physical rehabilitation in favor of moving to a temporary apartment. He couldn't risk staying in one place much longer with the injuries he had sustained.
As a result, Izaya was still not able to run or walk long distances. His arms along with most of his body were weak and still ached as a result of being bedridden. Possibly worse than his physical condition was realizing the toll a duel to the death had put on his mind. As a person who feared death more than anything, resigning himself to kill or be killed had been difficult. Even more difficult when an unforeseen third option threw itself into the mix. As a result of this emotional stress combined with the physical pain he has been dealing with, Izaya found himself terrified to face Shizuo again in a fight.
This was one of the main reasons for his current plans to leave Tokyo—or even Japan—for good. This was how he wanted it. Everything had gotten too complicated in the past two years—not that it wasn't fun, but everyone needs to realize there is a time to move on.
His thoughts drifted back to that day rather often. How it should have ended versus where he was now.
Izaya sighed once again. He couldn't allow himself to dwell on it any longer. After all, he and Shizuo were through. Done.
…
Why did that thought always make his chest tighten…?
Distracting himself from his thoughts, Izaya picked up one of his new phones (yes, all new phones, all new numbers) and dialed a familiar number. He couldn't stay away forever. Even if he would only be back temporarily, he still needed a source of income.
"Hello?" a cool voice answered.
"Shiki-san," Izaya stated.
"Orihara?" Shiki almost sounded shocked, "Where have you been? Not even my best men could locate you."
"Ahh, I was… Away for a while," Izaya responded, "I'm planning on restarting my business with only my best clients, leaving the spares behind. The number I am calling from is my new work number. You're the first on my list to contact."
"I assume this means you are eliminating distractions? As I recall you had been getting a touch too involved with… other matters."
"You are correct, Shiki-san. I assure you from this moment on I will be focused solely on work and starting over with a clean slate."
"Clean?" Shiki chuckled, "Orihara, you have made enough enemies in the past. Escaping for a few months and changing your phone number isn't going to erase that. Your past will always find you in the ways you least expect it."
"I will keep that in mind. For now, save my number. We can begin business as usual. I am at your service."
"Glad to hear you're enthusiastic. Welcome back, Orihara."
Neither says goodbye before the call is ended and Izaya is left once again in silence.
It felt strange to be back in his apartment after so long. Over the years he had gotten used to being alone in his apartment, however now the silence was unsettling.
Fighting the urge to shudder, Izaya pushed away from his desk with the intention to make a pot of tea when a new email caught his eye.
It was from an "unknown sender". He was about to disregard it as spam until he read the subject line.
"Do you think you are safe, Orihara Izaya?"
Izaya raised a brow. It could be a virus meant to catch his attention. It could be personalized spam.
Or it could be a real threat.
Considering the risks for a moment, Izaya decided he would take care of it after he made his tea. However once again, he was interrupted—this time by the ringing of his only old phone he hadn't ditched yet.
Staring at the screen which read "restricted number", Izaya hesitated. Something felt wrong here. Even through every inch of him was screaming at him not to answer, Izaya still reached a steady hand out to answer the call.
"Hello?" he answered, hating the hesitation evident in his voice.
"It's been a while, Izaya. You're doing well I trust?"
Izaya's grip on his phone went slack for a moment, the device nearly slipping from his hand. His thoughts scattered while his body tensed in response to a voice he hadn't heard in seven years. For a moment he was unable to breathe until he forced himself to take a deep, shaky breath.
The voice on the other line chuckled. "It seems you remember my voice just fine. Did you get my email?"
Once again Izaya remained silent. His mouth went dry and his body began to shake. Trying to speak was out of the question when he couldn't take a breath deep enough to get air into his lungs.
The voice continued speaking anyway. "Your silence says more than you ever could with those clever words of yours. I'm impressed with your success. That's a rather nice apartment you have."
This time Izaya couldn't stop the shudder that tore down his spine. The email sat in his inbox and Izaya stared at it.
No, he didn't feel safe. Not anymore. It was obvious that this man knew where he lived and that was unacceptable.
"You haven't gotten any stronger, have you? If my voice is enough to send you into a panic like this, I wonder what seeing my face again would do, hm? Why don't you take a look out the window?"
"No," Izaya finally found his voice, though it was more of a whisper than anything.
"Ah! He speaks!" the voice said cheerfully, "Well whether you choose to look or not, right now I can just barely see you at your desk from the streets down here. As I said, it looks like a lovely home."
Izaya wished he hadn't looked. Nausea swept over him and vertigo threatened to send him tumbling to the floor. All because right across the street from his apartment, he could see the face that had haunted his dreams for seven years.
The man's mouth moved as his voice rang loud and clear in Izaya's head. "I have returned to get my slave back."
A primal rage flooded Izaya's brain at those words. "Stay away from me," he said in a flat tone. Then, harshly pressing the "end call" button, Izaya leapt out of his chair, ignoring the pain in his legs. Working quickly with a blank expression on his face, Izaya grabbed his laptop and went straight for the front closet where he kept a pre-packed bag for emergencies.
Throwing his coat on, Izaya slipped two phones into his pocket, the third in his hand, already searching for a hotel. Bag over his shoulder, Izaya slipped out through the fire escape in the back of the building. The stairs strained his body past what he should be able to handle in his condition, but the adrenaline pumping through him kept him moving. He weaved through alleyways behind the building until he came out on the other side where he waved down a taxi.
Giving an address to the driver, Izaya took a moment to close his eyes and assess the situation. He could hide temporarily. But he would need to do something quickly. This man was dangerous and as long as he was walking the streets of Tokyo, Izaya would never be safe.
Izaya Glanced out the back window of the car, eyes meeting with the eyes of the man who had the potential to destroy everything he had ever worked for standing at the end of the street. As the car began moving, the man smiled and Izaya's blood ran cold.
As the taxi turned a corner, hiding the man from Izaya's sight, Shiki's words echoed in his mind.
"Your past will always find you in the ways you least expect it."
Izaya's grip tightened on his bag. He had said similar words to others before. It was ironic that now he was forced to face his past so suddenly and at quite possibly the most inconvenient time of his life.
Swallowing hard, Izaya pushed his anxiety to the back of his mind. He couldn't let himself panic. Fear was the enemy.