You're way too young to be broken, you're way too young to fall apart, you're way too young to play these games. But you better start, but you better start. This is when it starts from the beating of your heart, till the street lamps talk to you. Jumping off of the edge, over sleep in your head everything's turning dark to you. I went to pick the up the parts, the doctors hiding the charts, he won't let me see this side of you. It's on the tip of my tongue, you know you're way too young to have someone lie to you.
-I'm Not The One
3OH!3
Emi's eyes watered and her ears burned from the tense conversation she over heard. Yellow eyes were blinking rapidly, trying to banish the tears building behind her lids.
"CARE TO EXPLAIN WHY YOU PRICK?"
Emi wiped her eyes on her sleeve and leaned into the door more, straining.
"LOOK AT YOU! You're a mess, you aren't even 'you' right now! Since when does Izaya Orihara lose his face? Since when does he start thinking about anyone or anything besides himself and his entertainment? You're majorly out of character!" Shinra snapped.
"...I don't even know myself lately."
"I don't know, but you're freaking us all out. I think someone else should take care of the kid."
"Yeah. I think that would be best."
There was no stopping it now, her eyes couldn't hold back the fluids that had been sitting, blurring her vision. They spilled over and ran down her cheeks, burning her skin. A chair skidded across the deck pavement as someone stood up, making their way to the door. Emi stepped back as the door swung open lightly.
Shinra stopped, his face falling, 'she heard.'
The doctor frowned at her, "I'm sorry."
"Quit apologizing to me." she whispered, tears still pouring out of her wide observant eyes. Betrayed eyes. Hurt eyes. Desperate eyes. "Everyone keeps apologizing to me."
Izaya walked past them, resting his hand on Emi's head and briefly ruffling her hair before walking out the door, not a word spoken. He didn't look at her.
She watched him walk down the sidewalk and turn a corner around a building. He was going back home, not her home anymore.'But I don't have anyone else. I'm all alone again.'
Shinra stood, his face set to a grim look. He wouldn't be surprised if the kid refused to speak to him or even acknowledge his presence, it was him who forced the information broker away from her afterall. "Emi...you can stay here, but soon w-we're going to need to find someone to take you...alright?" he said gently, questioning, searching for reassurance.
Her face was shadowed and as he predicted she blatantly ignored him.
….
Izaya shut his door and made his way over to the sectional couch, falling into it and staring blankly at the ceiling. A jingle sounded across the room, followed by a nose poking his knee. Lifting his hand he placed it on Yoite's head and sighed, "Riiiiiight, I have a dog."
….
Celty was annoyed. Mostly frustrated and worried, but annoyed was good too. Not because she was sick of the tense atmosphere in the condo, although that was part it, no. It had a lot to do with everyone being able to visibly brood and dwell. She couldn't even walk around with a dead look in her eyes like Emi did, because she didn't have a head. She couldn't fast and refuse to eat for days on end like Emi did, because she didn't have to eat. She couldn't force her face to form the most exhausted expression she could manage like Shinra did, because she didn't have a face and generally to have a face you need a head to put it on.
The Dullahan was probably the only one in this mess that knew exactly what was going on. Izaya was acting different because he was in love, but for such a people loving person he couldn't even compherend emotions he's never had before. He simply didn't recognize them and therfore was driving himself insane. Shinra worries that Emi will end up like another person jumping off a building or being beat up (again) by a gang, at Izaya's fault. Shizuo liked Emi, but that was it, he likedher. He didn't love her like Izaya didn't know he did, but he definately had feelings for her and he was pissed off at the information broker for all reasons under the sun. Emi? She was just an innocent kid, who happened to become really attached to what was arguably, the worst person to be attached to. She admired, looked up to and adored Izaya. In a very pure form. Which made sense, from what everyone knew, Emi was alone her whole life. When Izaya found her she found someone to lean on, it was like a weight lifted off her shoulders. Her world became a better place.
'So did his.' Celty thought.
Shizuo was right in a way, Izaya was growing softer and more considerate. He started to care about someone other than himself. Which scared him, but he wouldn't admit to being scared. Izaya wanted to move on, now that he's sure Emi is gone for good he wants things to go exactly back to how they were before she showed up. Like it never happened, because sometimes...change is hard, and it hurts.
Knocking. Celty stood and went over, opening the door.
The blond bartending bodyguard walked in, cigarette already put out on his shoe.
Shinra came into the living room area, "Hey Shizuo, thanks for this." he rubbed the back of his head anxiously. Celty went out the door, brooding in annoyance.'She doesn't need someone else, she needs Izaya. Why can't he see that?'
"No...problem." Shizuo mumbled watching Celty leave in a huff, "So what's the deal?"
"Ahhh right, uhm well, you like kids? Maybe?"
"Kids?"
"Yes, you know, they're humans only younger in age and still developing-"
"Quit being a smart ass. Just tell me what's up."
Shinra frowned seriously, before sitting on the couch, Shizuo leaning against the wall opposite of him with his arms crossed. "Izaya can't take care of Emi anymore, so she needs a place to go. As you already know, Celty and I can't keep her here for very long."
The blond whistled, "Well. You're asking me to babysit?"
"Something like that, I mean, Izaya did it. It's not hard."
"That isn't what I'm worried about. I'm worried about Izaya trying to murder me for real, getting hit by another car or...yeah." Shizuo scoffed, "Besides, I doubt she'd want to go with me."
"About that, she's uh, pretty upset."
"No kidding, usually having someone you thought was your friend ditch you is upsetting." Shizuo sneered hashly.
"He didn't ditch her." the doctor took off his glasses and cleaned them on his shirt, frustrated, "I made him leave her here, he can't do this."
It was silent for several minutes, the two men just sitting there, before Shizuo spoke.
"I could have told you that, anyone could have."
Emi walked, rather limped, into the room. Downcast, and Shizuo couldn't help but notice she looked horrible. Pale, dark eyed and hungry. 'Is she not eating?'
"Shinra. My leg, it's loose I think." her voice was cracked, strained. She didn't want to speak, she didn't want to say anything, but her leg needed to be fixed.
Shinra stared at her for a moment, trying not to make a big deal out of her noticing his existance and talking to him, "Yeah, o-okay, come over here."
Emi came over and sat on the couch next to him, putting her metal prosthetic leg up on the coffee table. The screws and cable did look loose, they needed to be tightened and oiled. The cable actually needed to be replaced, which wasn't surprising considering it was a year old. "I'll need to order a new cable for your leg, I can't fix anything until then."
She nodded and put her leg down.
Shizuo cleared his throat, "Sooooo, uhm."
Shinra glanced at him, then Emi and sighed, "Right. Emi, Shizuo might be able to look after you. For awhile at least. It wouldn't be so bad- HEY!"
Emi sprang off the couch and ran/limped out the front door. She broke into a pained run the second she hit the sidewalk. Shizuo charged after her, "Emi! Hey, come back!"
Shinra head-walled and shut his front door. Exasperated.
….
Emi skidded awkwardly into an alley and leaned against the building wall, clutching her stump at the base where it met the metal leg. She panted, tears dried on her face and attempted to quiet herself.
'I must have lost him.'
Her leg throbbed, as it always did when it rained. The water drops gradually fell at a faster rate, before long it was pouring. Emi slid down the wall, sitting with her knees bunched up under her arms. She buried her face in them. 'Why did this have to happen? Why did things have to fall apart? I'm all alone again, just like it was before.'
...
'Shit shit shit shit shit.' it was like a mantra, or chant, sounding repeatedly in Shizuo's head. His feet pounded the sidewalk as he ran, searching for a distressed kid. Deep down he knew it was useless to keep looking, if Emi didn't want to be found then he simply wouldn't find her. The rain drummed cars, pattered on the umbrellas and dampened his spirits.
'She's probably holed up somewhere, leg throbbing, vomiting- she hasn't eaten in a few days. Shit shit shit shit! Scratch that, not vomiting, more like dry heaving.' Shizuo gritted his teeth and clenched his fist.
...
Izaya lifted his phone over his head, looking at it blankly while he layed flat on the floor of his condo. Yoite sat in his office chair, head tilted. The dog wouldn't let Izaya sit on any of the furniture, even his own bed, without being mauled. The cell phone's screen flashed, "MESSAGE FROM- CELTY"
He finally registered it and sat up, clicking the button to open it.
'Emi's missing?'
His heart thudded, a dull empty sound. He turned to look out the huge bay window, a storm was over the city. Rain and wind. A fork of lightening, thunder.
"Izaya, are you awake?"
The information broker sighed and rolled his head on his pillow to face the girl, standing in his doorway, wide eyed. "I am now."
A clap of thunder, she shuddered and dropped to the floor. Izaya sat up abrupty, "Hey! What's wrong?"
She shivered violently, tears brimming as she lifted her head to look at Izaya.
"...you're scared of lightening...and thunder."
Emi nodded, still shaking.
"Here, you can sleep in here, I'll go downstairs." Izaya rubbed the back of his head as he stood, grabbing one of his pillows. Emi skittered over to his bed and lifted the covers, climbing in and shaking, "Stay in here! If you leave I'll be alone again." her yellow eyes were pleading, watery and unfocused.
He stared at her, slightly annoyed but also sympathetic, "This is a silly fear y'know. Ridiculous." he dropped his pillow on the floor next to the bed and layed down, pulling a blanket over himself.
He stared out the window, lost in that memory.
...
I'm not the one, I'm not the one who wants to hurt you. I'm not the one, I'm not the one who wants to hurt you. You better find somebody else and get a hold of yourself. I'm not the one, I'm not the one who wants to hurt you.
-I'm Not The One
3OH!3
I crammed I know, sorry ^^"