Finally over with this chapter too. Nothing much to say except from the age count; Namie-15, Izaya-13, Seiji-10. I don't know why, but I really don't like Seiji.

Disclaimer: We all know it.

Where is he?

Namie eyed the school garden warily, looking for any sign of the raven headed boy. Izaya wasn't in his usual place on the bench. The fact that he wasn't there made her mad. He was never late before. He always was there to greet her after the school was over, to take her books for her and to cautiously listen to her talk about her day. He never once failed to show up. Not even when she had extra hours, or when school would finish early for some reason. She read somewhere that pets could somehow tell when their owner is coming home from work. Izaya could do that too; she once asked how he knew that her teacher was sick and that she didn't have last two hours.

"I didn't. I just had a feeling."

He was never once late, and the fact that he wasn't here now was really irritating, especially because the rain had started and now she had to dig through her bag to find an umbrella. Izaya would be able to find it in the matter of seconds. He always did. She finally opened the umbrella angrily gritting her teeth. He is going to get it when she comes home. Aside from the chores around the house, Izaya really had nothing better to do with himself, so there were no excuses for him not coming. Ever since Seiji said that he doesn't want Izaya to wait on him too in front of the school, because that apparently spread some rather funny rumors, Izaya had just her and the house to tend to.

She didn't know why she was so mad at the younger boy. It wasn't all that of a big deal, after all. Maybe he just got caught up in work, and didn't notice the time. Maybe he was on his way right now, running like crazy, hoping she is still there, and hoping he won't be late. All kind things could have happened. But she was still mad. She got used to him waiting for her. That giant goofy smile all over his face, as he waved too her, like she didn't see him already. She would then grab his arm and pull him away in a huff, trying to ignore giggling of her annoying classmates. Izaya would just smile and ask how school was, taking her bag. In his world everything was alright, everything was perfect as long as she was there.

That's pretty much the reason for Izaya to take her going to school so hard. She got him during the summer vacation and once school started again, he was rather miserable to find out that he won't be seeing her as much as he used too. He was so sad that he even asked her uncle can he go to school too, promising with all his heart that he will be on his best behavior. That was the very first time that Izaya asked anything for himself. And her uncle turned him down harshly. He said that Izaya is going to be homeschooled by him personally, so he can decide what to put in Izaya's head and what to keep out of it. Namie never once saw Izaya so sad; it wasn't like the time when her uncle hit him. This was almost like a depression. Usually cheery Izaya, turned quiet and indrawn. She told him that he won't be alone at home, that he will still have Seiji, but that was a weak comfort. For all Seiji cared Izaya might as well been a puff of air which does chores. To Seiji, Izaya was invisible, he didn't care about him. And Izaya saw Seiji in the same way that a puppy seeking attention saw someone completely uninterested. He tried hard to get Seiji to like him, but still…he understood that there is nothing he can actually do. So he coped with his situation, staying at home with Seiji while she was at school. The years went by, and Seiji started school too, leaving Izaya lonely and sad as ever. She couldn't believe the difference between his sad face when she would leave for school and the cheery one he had on when he would be there to pick her up.

But this time…

…he wasn't there. And she realized that even though she felt anger grow in side her, she also felt something else…worry…she didn't like not knowing where Seiji or Izaya were. She cared for Seiji the most, but over the years she got used to the raven head too. She got close to him. And she started to care for him. It was an odd feeling, for she knew he was nothing more than one of the toys her uncle brought her. But still…

The house was quite. There were no sings of Seiji or Izaya. Nothing…wait! She turned to the doors of the back garden from where her brothers angry yelling was coming from. Angry? Her brother was never angry; he rarely showed any emotions at all, except from the love for that head. She froze when she heard the next sound. Izaya's pleading and sobbing came from the garden just before she opened the door. Izaya was laying face first in the mud puddle, soaked and shaking, apologizing for something, Seiji sat on his upper back, pressing Izaya's shoulders down with his weight, gripping Izaya's muddy hair with his hand, slamming Izaya's face in the mud beneath him at random times, which made Izaya's speech rather inarticulate.

"Seiji…I…ory…I…didn'…en…to…I…need…go…Namie."

At the mention of his sister's name, the younger boy lifted Izaya's head up letting him speak.

"I'm so sorry Seiji, it was accident I swear, I didn't mean too, please let me go, Namie will be mad if I'm not there when she gets out of school, I don't want her to hate me, I…"

Izaya's one-breath sentence was cut short by Seiji and the mud puddle yet again. Namie stood there completely frozen in shock. The boys had there back's turned to her so she was still invisible to them. She could not believe the way her brother behaved. She couldn't believe that Seiji, who was three years younger, could even pin Izaya down like that. Seiji was never this violent; he was never violent at all. But now he was hurting Izaya…in more ways then one.

"Don't want her to hate you, huh?! She already hates you, you stupid bastard, and who would love you, you not even a real human, your just a toy. My sister got bored with you long time ago, and she said too me that next time you do something wrong, she is going to get rid of you. And now you didn't come to school for her, she'll be mad and throw you out. Serves you right you brainless runt."

Izaya stopped struggling and his shoulders were now quaking with suppressed sobs. She couldn't believe how cruel her brother was. She never once said that she got bored with Izaya. She didn't. How could her brother torture Izaya like this? Izaya had no way of fighting back; he couldn't fight her brother or any other member of her family. That's probably how Seiji managed to pin him down in the first place. Unable to fight, Izaya ran. All the way to the garden, where he got cornered by Seiji.

"Tha…can't…true…" she heard Izaya gurgle from his place in the mud.

"Are you saying I'm a liar!? Is that what you are saying mutt!?"

"No,no I…."

"You what!? Huh, what do you want to say mutt? You thought she actually cared about you, huh, is that it?"

"SEIJI STOP IT!"

Her brother turned around, surprised to see her there, and even more surprised at the fact that she yelled at him. Nobody, especially Namie, ever yelled on him. People yelled on Izaya, even if Seiji was the one who did something wrong. Izaya would always take the blame. That's how things worked. Why was his sister suddenly yelling at him?

"Hey, sis."

"What are you doing to him!?"

"Disciplining." He said proudly, that was the word their uncle used when he would punish Izaya; Discipline

"Get off of him!"

"What?"

"Get off of him NOW!"

His still in shock mind did as he said and he got up from the quivering mess that was Izaya. Izaya looked up; his shaken mind only half registering things. He was aware that Namie was here and that she was yelling. The fact that she wasn't yelling at him but at Seiji completely dodged his mind.

"Why were you doing that to him?!"

"He misbehaved; uncle said that if he misbehaved we can discipline him so he will learn to be obedient, and so I did."

"But why!?"

"I'm sorry, Namie, I'm so, so sorry."

Namie looked surprised in Izaya's direction. The boy was shaking like crazy, still on all his four and not attempting to get up. Tears ran freely across his mud stained face and his huge eyes just begged her to forgive him. Even though she had nothing to forgive. She couldn't deal with that. She couldn't deal with her angry brother and miserable Izaya at the same time.

"Izaya go wash up, I'll talk to Seiji and be with you in a minute."

For a split of second it looked like Izaya is going to say something else. But then he just sniffed and nodded, disappearing inside the house in a flash. She could finally give her full attention to her brother.

"What happened Seiji? What did he do to make you do that?"

Seiji's grim face meet hers.

"He touched her."

"…what?"

"He touched her, he touched my love! I strictly told him not to ever touch it and he goes and defies me like that. He deserved everything he got; he tried to stain my love!"

"Relax Seiji, what happened, I'm sure he didn't mean to."

"I don't care if he meant to do it or not! I don't want that stupid bastard touching her! I don't want him…"

"What happened exactly?"

"He went to clean uncle's office and I was there with her, but I ignored him. And then he looked at the clock and said he had to get you, and then he passed us and his shoulder brushed against her!"

"…that…is it?"

"He could have pushed her down! She could have been hurt because of him!"

"Seiji he did nothing wrong!"

"He touched her!"

"Not even Izaya can be 100% careful all the time, nothing happened to it, Seiji you are overreacting!"

Her little brother stood there in lose of words, anger blooming in his eyes. Then he just turned around and ran for the house, screaming something at her. She sighed. She didn't know what to do, so she decided to just go and find Izaya, hoping that her talk with him will pass better.

Izaya's bathroom was a small one, in the servant's part of the house. She found that in those few minutes she has talked to Seiji was enough for Izaya to wash the mud away and almost completely dress himself in clean clothes. She found him desperately trying to fit a way to small shirt over his head. It was a bit funny, seeing how his dark hair was out on the one end, while his head absolutely refused to come out through, leaving him stuck. Her silent laugh made him stop the struggle and a muffed Namie? broke from under the shirt.

"You really are stuck good, huh?" she sighed, taking his hand and sitting him down on the edge of the shower to help him.

It took a little effort, but she got his head out. He shook it like a wet dog, and rubbed his cheek where the fabric roughly pushed passed his face. He was really getting too big for his old clothes. She is going to have to buy him new ones.

"Namie I'm so sorry."

She looked down at the sad crimson eyes that were directed at the floor. Izaya's shoulders were slacked down, his wet hair sticking around everywhere. He looked like his world was ending right then and there.

"I really, really wanted to come, I would, but I wasn't careful enough and I touched her. I'm so sorry, please don't throw me out, I'll do…"

She hugged the sad boy tight, making his word stream completely stop as the happy shock washed through him.

"Shut up you idiot, it's not your fault."

"N-Namie?"

"Can't you see that Seiji over reacted? He was way out of line and you are now here apologizing like you did who knows what. You really are an idiot."

"I'm sorry Namie."

"Yeah, I know you are. You always are."

She didn't know what came over her to act this way. She couldn't stand looking into those sad eyes anymore. She wondered how she could ever think about it as fun. How could she always think of him as a toy, how come she never saw a human being sitting right there inside those dog like eyes? How could she be so horrible to him? He was the only person who ever loved her unconditionally, he never asked for her to return that love. And she, she treated him worse than a dog. How sorry she was for doing that, now.

"Namie, do you really hate me?"

"Wha…?"

Does crimson orbs were full of pain and tears. That was the pain she could not understand, the pain that devoured him from inside out, clutched his heart and dragged him down. Down into the sea of despair, down to drown in his suffering.

"If you hate me, then…I guess there is no reason for me to be alive any more."

The words were stated bluntly, like it was a simple fact known to everybody. He would kill and die for her, because of her.

"If you want me gone, I'll just…"

"Shut up, already! I don't want to hear another word of that!"

"Namie?"

"I don't hate you, okay. And I'll never get rid of you, I promise. Just stop with that, just stop!"

"Namie, please don't cry. Please don't cry because of me. It hurts me too."

She didn't realize she was crying, until he told her that. And then she just hugged him tighter, refusing to let go, crying in his arms. He was shocked; he never saw her break down like this. Sure, their where the times when she was sad or angry, but never like this. He wrapped his arms around her instinctively, wanting to protect her from the pain, wanting nothing more than for her to be happy again.

"Don't cry Namie. Please don't cry. Everything will be okay. Please don't cry."

"You don't understand, you idiot, you never understand do you!"

"Understand what Nemie? What's wrong? I'll fix it, you'll see, just tell me what's wrong."

But she just waved her head and continued crying in his arms. He didn't understand. He didn't understand what made her so sad. Why did she start crying all of a sudden? Did he do something?

"Please Namie, tell me what's wrong."