Since I've been so inactive, I thought I'd update two chapters at one go :D
Flashback's over for now, we're back to the current time.
DISCLAIMER - I DO NOT OWN DURARARA.
CHAPTER 13 – PRESENT TIME
Izaya woke up with a start, realizing he'd fallen asleep in his office. It was 1 a.m. and the city was fast aleep. The streets of Shinjuku were dark, the darkness punctuated at regular intervals by streetlights, and not a soul was to be found.
He rose from his desk, rubbing his face. He stretched a bit, hearing a few satisfying creaks in his shoulder and stared his blank computer screen for a while.
So Natasha has returned, huh. His erstwhile surprise had been replaced by acceptance. Although he'd initially thought her mad to come back to Japan, he knew that Natasha wasn't the type to take stupid risks without knowing the consequences. She was a smart woman, much smarter than the brute she fell in love with. So why was she here? Given that he had not traced her when she left, for the fear (yes, fear) that Yagiri might catch onto it.
He had to track her down. The old fashioned way. Shizuo.
But before that, he decided to call Shinra first. He remembered that Shinra was the one who had helped him in getting Natasha out of the country, and that if Natasha had indeed returned, she wouldn't go to Shizuo immediately, given his unpredictability and hair-trigger temper. She'd go to Kadota, or to Shinra.
Shinra seemed to be more likely to be up at this ungodly hour, so he called him up, hoping that the latter would pick up his phone and not be engaged in nightly activities with his headless beloved.
Tring tring. Only two rings before the phone was picked up by a harried Shinra.
"Orihara-kun! It's you! What happened?" He seemed tired, which meant that he'd just have a patient leave his house not too long ago. Judging from what happened the previous evening, said patient was Shizuo.
"Ah, Shinra. Just wanted to know, do you have a guest residing at your place? Someone with red hair? A woman?"
Shinra's blood ran cold, as he stared at the door of the guest room. Izaya had known. Not that he would do anything with that information, sure, but Natasha had made sure not to tell anyone. And the woman was quite capable of hiding herself well, even from mastermind informants.
"You know." No point in beating around the bush with him. They both knew who they were talking about. "How?" asked Shinra, his voice laced with worry, which never happened.
Celty walked by, and saw Shinra gripping the phone, something that wasn't a daily occurrence. She debated about asking him put the phone on speaker, but remembered about their guests, one of whom had been put to sleep just an hour ago, and decided to ask him about it later.
"The president of Yagiri pharmaceuticals came over to talk to me about it. He didn't mention her by name, but it was obvious whom he was talking about," said Izaya, his voice devoid of its usual taunting and malicious undertone.
"Orihara-kun, can we talk about this tomorrow? I'm really tired right now."
But both of them knew the truth. He wasn't tired, he needed time to think about what to be done next. Celty was standing patiently next to him. This wasn't just about his friend Natasha anymore, but also about her daughter, and possibly even Shizuo. And if the events from five years ago were any indication, getting out of it again wasn't going to be easy.
"Understood. Call me if you need any more information. Good night."
Shinra sank onto the chair. If Celty had a head, she'd have looked curiously at him. Instead, she took her PDA and typed –
What did Izaya say?
"Yagiri pharmaceuticals was the company after Natasha and her abilities. They know she's here."
So what do we do now?
Shinra smiled wearily. It was warming to hear from Celty the word "we" in regards to the situation. It meant that whatever they did, they'd do it together, and that Natasha and her daughter weren't alone. He respected Natasha's abilities to take care of herself, she'd done it for seventeen years before she'd met them, and another five years with her daughter. But now, they were in enemy territory. But also in their own territory. Shinra would be damned if he sold out a friend, one as dear as Natasha. And hearing Celty say that she'd help them made him feel safer.
"I have decided. Regardless of what Natasha says, I'll give Shizuo the address of their apartment. It won't do much good, seeing that it is my supposed cousin's house, but I want him to have it. It'll give me a sense of security for them."
Fair enough. I know she can take her of herself, but I also know how tenacious Yagiri can be. It's best to safer than sorry in this case.
"Ah, now then," said Shinra, getting up, "let's go to bed."
By bed, I hope you mean sleep. We have a child sleeping in the house.
"BUT CELTY!"
#####
Izaya got up from the sofa at eight o'clock, as per the alarm he'd set on his phone. He had realised that in all likelihood, and despite Shinra's and Natasha's best efforts, the issue with Yagiri pharmaceuticals was going to be blown out of proportion in a matter of few days. They were going to catch on, no doubt about it. Knowing Natasha, she might have come back with the purpose of vengeance, but she would have anticipated having a headstart of a few months before they would know she was back in town.
Pity that they'd already known she was here, and that too the day she'd come back. However, Izaya refusing to help implied that Yagiri would have to find another man who would have more information of her whereabouts, and given Shinra wouldn't tell, she had a few days. Maybe weeks, if she was lucky. But Izaya had to bet, he's say that there would definitely be showdown before the end of the month. And given Shizuo's tendencies to get himself involved in every situation in Ikebukuro, the showdown would be violent one indeed.
As he was thinking about this, Namie entered with her briefcase. She was surprised to see him this early, but remembered his actions of the day before, and decided not to pry. She should be happy that the man had something to think about, and may, just maybe, he had decided to do his job seriously and not fool around with people's lives too much. Not that she cared, but it was a pain to deal with.
"Ah, Namie-san what a beautiful morning it is!" Getting off the sofa, he continued, "Something big is going to happen Ikebukuro. I just know it. And unfortunately, or fortunately, I can't for sure, I'm going to be involved in it. Which means that I won't have much time for my other jobs. So I need to work faster than usual, and do all of my pending work before it begins. This also means," he spread his arms out dramatically, "that while I'm writing reports on the drug ring for the Awakusu-kai, I won't be able to meet Shizu-chan for a while. So I'm going to piss him off now. See you later Namie-san!"
And he happily skipped to the elevator.
Namie sighed in exasperation. Why would she think her boss would've changed?
#####
It was just after he'd felt the chill in the wind. He smelt a familiar scent. It smells like shit.
No, more appropriately, it smelt like –
"Shizu-chan, what is a brute like you doing out in a beautiful park like this?"
So long for a quiet and peaceful morning, thought Shizuo, as he pulled out the bench he had been sitting on, the empty cake box falling off, forgotten.
By the time a sufficient crowd had gathered, Izaya realised that Shizuo's rage was nothing out of the ordinary. It was the mindless rampage, true, but it was nothing unexpected.
As I expected, she hasn't yet contacted him. And I don't think she intends to, anytime soon.
His information gathered, he prepared to take his leave when he saw a piece of paper fallen next to Shizuo. The paper hadn't been there before.
Shizuo's veins bulged out of his forehead as he glared at Izaya in hatred, and had not realized that he'd lost the paper.
Must be something important, thought Izaya. Shizu-chan isn't the type to keep random pieces of paper in his pocket which he could not understand. But obviously, the paper wasn't very important, as it was lying on the ground next to Shizuo as he took a deep breath and charged right at him.
Izaya decided he wanted that piece of paper. He ran towards Shizuo, dodged the bench hurled at him, and picked up the paper fallen down, while Shizuo's back was turned.
"IZAAAAAYAAA!" yelled Shizuo, enraged. He had gotten one day, ONE DAY, where he thought he could spend the day in piece, but the damned flea couldn't just leave him alone now, could he?
Izaya gracefully ran towards the main road and leapt onto the oncoming truck and sped away, leaving Shizuo behind in the dust.
#####
Izaya walked down the streets on the other side of Ikebukuro, far away from Shizuo's earlier rampage, and opened the folded paper. It was an address, written in Shinra's almost illegible doctor handwriting, but to a trained eye, it was discernible. He thought of going back to his office in Shinjuku and tracking down the address, but realised that he was already in the area, and thought, why not simply pay a visit? It definitely wasn't a client of his, no mafia or gang wanted anything more to do with Shizuo.
Could it be what he thought it was? Best not to make assumptions, and find out the truth. He skipped the way to the address.
#####
Natasha was exhausted after arranging the whole house. She had pushed every drawer, every cupboard to the sides of the rooms, placed all her and Sophie's clothes neatly into them, arranged all the utensils and cleaned all the dust. All without using the movers that Shinra had recommended her to.
She smiled proudly. Her stamina had grown. Ten years ago she would feel tired after picking up a glass of water, now she could arrange entire houses on her own.
She glanced at Sophie, who was fast asleep on the futon. She wanted to buy a bed for herself and her daughter, but she first needed to find employment at a school. She would scour the newspaper tomorrow to find vacant teaching positions at high schools in the city, she decided. If she wanted to get back at Yagiri, then she needed to be financially stable enough. Good thing the degree from Tokyo University was transferable, she thought. Otherwise there was no way I'd get my Bachelors in Education in Geneva.
A knock at the door caused her to stop her mental tasking. The door had no peephole, so she levitated a couple of pans and made them hover at the side of the door. If need be, they could act as weapons.
She opened the door. And caused the pans to drop.
#####
Izaya winced at the sounds of the dropping pans, and turned to the side. Yes, of course she would be on her guard.
"I-Izaya?"
"Long time no see, Tasha-chan!"
#####
Cliffhanger!
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