Thank you for your comments~!
•Bond•
Shizuo was torn between laugh and growl. Okay, he admitted it, it was partially his fault. But it wasn't reason enough for Izaya to be acting like a busy boss! And he didn't like that glare he wore! It didn't suit his face!
-Yes, it was only because of that-
While Shizuo confused his being with such thoughts Izaya looked (glared) over him while leaning against the wall, angrily supervising his job.
Shizuo was also torn between grin and cry. That would be explained with a single phrase:
Izaya spilled his soda all over his clothes, when Shizuo asked him to go to his house, directly after he tripped on the stair.
So, Shizuo didn't know if he should grin, because he could see more of those marvelous pieces of white flesh that were Izaya's arms, or cry because he was thinking such oddly disturbing thoughts.
One thing was clear though.
He was washing a hoodie in a public bathroom.
"Bullshit!" Shizuo said gripping the fabric with his hands.
"Go ahead, ruin it even more." Izaya said with a dry tone scowling at Shizuo's hands.
Shizuo growled releasing the hoodie lightly, "You can buy another one!"
"No." Izaya seemed so mad. "It is a gift."
It surely seemed like an important possession, which somehow annoyed Shizuo. Because inevitable questions about who bought it? When? For what occasion? Popped up, assaulting Shizuo's mind continuously. Shizuo went back to wash with only water the hoodie.
'Seriously, Izaya should be the one doing this' Shizuo thought angrily.
But then again Shizuo knew that Izaya was wearing a splint (which miraculously hadn't stained with soda). Besides, even though, it was a removable padded splint it would be a pain to remove it. And Izaya shouldn't force his wrist. Shizuo sighed darkly, hating the reasoning.
They fell into a comfortable, or better said, resigned silence.
Men came and went repeatedly into the bathroom, and of course they gave Shizuo an indiscreet "WTF?" look.
Shizuo's eyebrow twitched unhealthily.
Izaya's cell phone rang.
[…] the other line greeted first.
"Angry…" Izaya said in annoyed yet indifferent tone.
[…]
"My hoodie is ruined for cause of a retard…" Izaya said clearly to Shizuo to hear.
[…! …! …!] Shizuo could faintly hear laughter.
"Hey! I loved that hoodie!" Izaya growled.
[…]
"Yeah whatever… hey… are you okay…?" Izaya said with an unreadable expression. Shizuo wasn't directly looking at Izaya's face but with the reflection of the mirror.
[…?]
"You sound… different…" Izaya said with an equal indecipherable tone.
[…]
"What? Where are you going? When are you coming back?" Shizuo twitched at that tone… grrr…
[…]
"Of course not! You still owe me that meal you promise me!" Izaya said and Shizuo could only grit his teeth and GRRRR more.
[…~…~]
"I'm not!" Izaya denied it a rather poorly and loudly way.
[…?]
"In the bathroom, washing my hoodie." Izaya came with his apathetic tone again.
[…?]
"…How did you…?" Izaya seemed confused.
[… … …]
"I can take care of myself" Izaya said disdainfully.
[…]
"…" Izaya stared silent deep in thought.
[…]
"I didn't say 'yes'." Izaya raised a brow.
[…]
"Idiot," Izaya said frankly and equally annoyed.
[…]
"…That's all you want to say?" Izaya said irritably.
[…?]
"…Yes?"
[…]
"No," Izaya said suddenly, with conviction.
[…]
"I don't believe in luck… Besides, you don't need it." The other line sure didn't have time to reply at the sudden interruption. Izaya's voice sounded honest and sincere.
[…!]
"The hell I'm not!" Izaya shouted.
[…]
"…What did… you called me…?" Shizuo turned at the expression.
Utter disbelief and embarrassment.
Shizuo was shocked at the faint blush threatening to creep over Izaya's face. However, Izaya was a strong-minded-human! Instead of embarrassment, anger flowed in.
"You! Bastard! You hung up on me? !" Izaya dialed the number again and again but there was no response.
Izaya growled threatening to smash his very expensive cell phone on the wall.
-Nooooo…
"Argh! Dammit!"
"Hey flea," Shizuo said evenly.
Though the nickname was a bit offensive under certain circumstances, back then seemed more like an attempt to distract Izaya's mind from whatever was tormenting him.
"What? !" Izaya spat angrily.
"Wanna grab a bite?" Shizuo asked casually.
"Huh?"
-It worked.
"Something to eat," Shizuo bared his teeth chewing something invisible making his point clear.
"I-"
"My treat," Shizuo interrupted making a tempting invitation "No matter how much you want to eat, it'd be my treat," though; his pocket was going to cry tomorrow.
"…" Izaya, although a bit confused, nodded.
Shizuo grinned cheekily.
•••••
Fast food services were the only establishments available at the time. That gave Shizuo's wallet a breath of relief. They sat on a table facing the streets outside.
"What's with the forecast…?" Shizuo said leaning back as a lightning and a thunder crossed the sky.
"…" Izaya, however, was silent.
They ate in silence and to a certain point Shizuo couldn't bear it anymore.
"Oi, flea?" Shizuo moved close to Izaya's face.
Izaya looked at him with hazy eyes.
"Izaya, are you okay?" now, Shizuo thought that something was really wrong.
"Yeah…-No... I don't know…" Izaya said pushing aside his food. He had barely touched it.
Shizuo frowned and without care of asking for permission he touched Izaya's forehead.
Shizuo thought that he would find him with fever, but no. Instead he was cold.
Like a corpse.
-Okay, it was no time for panic.-
'But I don't fucking know how to treat this!' Shizuo thought, certainly, panicking.
"Shinra!" the realization hit him like thousand bricks.
While Shizuo dialed Shinra's number Izaya rested his head on the table.
It hurt.
Another thunder crossed the sky.
•••••
"Damn!" Shizuo cursed.
Shizuo rummaged through the cabinets of his room. A thick blanket! He needed a thick blanket! Clothes were thrown everywhere. Shizuo cursed again.
Shinra didn't pick up. Celty didn't respond to his texts. No matter to who he called, no matter how many times he dialed their numbers, none of them responded.
"What the hell they're doing! ?" if Shizuo was a bit calmer back then he could have thought on the perfect answer, but since his top priority was to find a fucking thick blanket he-
"Aha!" Shizuo said victoriously. Shizuo rushed to his living-room. There, Izaya sat on his couch with his legs against his chest, rubbing his temples with his fingers.
"Cover up," Shizuo said handing the blanket. He looked at Izaya's pale face.
Izaya glanced at it, "I'm fine," he said and Shizuo's eyebrow twitched for umpteenth time that night.
Shizuo extended the blanket and moved to Izaya. Izaya just stared as the mad bull approached at him covering his body up, without permission, with a blanket. His head throbbed again, and suddenly Shizuo's actions were degraded to a second place.
After a moment:
"…I don't feel as bad as I look…" Izaya said, frowning at the changeable sensation in his brain.
"Yeah, you are worse," Shizuo said with a hard look.
"I-" suddenly Izaya's head feel as if he could explode in any second, Izaya groaned "…Okay… granted…" Izaya said pressing his hands over his head.
Shizuo frowned and set his hand on Izaya's forehead.
Cold.
Shizuo trailed his hand to Izaya's cheek.
Cold.
Over his neck.
Cold, cold, cold.
Just cold.
"Shit," Shizuo cursed, tightening the blanket around Izaya's body.
He'd to warm him up in some way.
Shizuo rushed to the kitchen.
The buzz in Izaya's head didn't stop. Although his temperature was lower than in a average situation, Izaya's major concern was the pain in his head. It was a buzz, a call, a ring, a shout, all that and more inside his head, inside his ears, inside his chest. It hurt.
Izaya closed his eyes trying to compel the pain away.
It wasn't working.
It hurt so bad. It hurt. It hurt. .Hurt.
Hurt.
A pair of big warm hands slipped on both sides of Izaya's head. Fingers traveled smoothly through strands of shiny black hair. Two thumbs softly rubbed circles on Izaya's temples. Izaya opened lightly his eyes looking ahead.
"You want an aspirin?" Shizuo knelt in front of Izaya leaning lightly forward.
-The pain-
Izaya breathed in.
-The pain was going away.-
Izaya breathed out closing his eyes.
Izaya lifted his arms lightly, grabbing Shizuo's hands on his own. Izaya laid back onto the couch pulling Shizuo to rest over him. Shizuo was shocked but didn't deny the request.
It was an awkward position. Half of Shizuo's body, from the navel down, was out of the couch while his upper body was resting against Izaya's legs, since the raven hadn't moved of position, in addition he had Shizuo's hands captive.
Even so, Izaya looked comfortable and so much calmer.
Shizuo tried to stand, in consequence Izaya frowned squeezing his hand in sign of complain and probably warning.
"Easy…" Shizuo said maneuvering his body, placing one knee on the couch "…just…" he placed his other knee twisting lightly his body to the left "…lay down on the couch." Shizuo flopped on his side carefully to not fall and carefully enough to set Izaya by his side.
Shizuo's left hand had to be removed from Izaya's head. So instead he set his upper arm under Izaya's head, as a pillow. Shizuo's left hand was still on Izaya's side of head. Izaya's smaller hand and slender fingers grasped tightly Shizuo's hand.
Shizuo had to fight the urge of kiss the sight in front of him.
•••••
Early that night:
Tsugaru sighed quietly watching the stormy weather disappear through the window.
It seemed to be pivoting. Yes, rain. No, rain. Yes, rain. No, rain.
He flipped his cell phone open watching the time 9:58 p.m.
"Orihara-san hasn't come home yet… this is so disappointing… I hoped to say goodbye before my mission…" Tsugaru said with a sigh, he sat on Izaya's chair.
Macha, Izaya's cat, jumped onto his lap.
"Hey little kitty do you know where Orihara-san is?" Tsugaru patted her head.
Macha meowed a couple of times.
"Oh? Orihara-san sure is… cute… seriously 'thanks meal'…?" Tsugaru chuckled and Macha purred.
"By the way kitty how is your job doing?" Tsugaru asked and Macha meowed lightly.
Tsugaru made grin "Perfect! Just in time!"
'Before that' Tsugaru dialed a number and waited for the other line to pick up.
"Hello there, how are you Orihara-san?" Tsugaru smiled.
[…]
"Oh? Why?" Tsugaru frowned rubbing Macha's ear.
[…]
"Oh! That's awful! That insensate deserves death!" Tsugaru laughed.
[…!]
Tsugaru chuckled more, "Don't worry… I can buy you another one. Even though that so called gift was more like a scam."
[…]
Tsugaru raised a brow, "…Why do you ask?"
[…]
Tsugaru could feel Izaya frowning "No, it's nothing really. It's just that I just wanted to say goodbye to you."
[…?]
Tsugaru smiled touched by his concern… and his light panic "Hehe, Orihara-san is worried about a humble being like me…?"
[! ! !]
Izaya responded too soon, Tsugaru just grinned, "Oh my, I am touched, you still remember the first time we met~. Orihara-san is so nice~."
[!]
There was an echo in his voice, "Orihara-san where are you standing?" Tsugaru asked slightly confused.
[…]
"Oh, Heiwajima-san is with you, am I correct?" Tsugaru grinned evilly.
[…?]
"Mm… Anyhow, I hope you have fun, though please don't stay too late in the streets. Even for you there's still danger lurking beneath the alleys. You can't know what could happen…" Tsugaru said seriously.
[…]
Tsugaru sighed at the response, "I know you can but please don't push your luck. Okay?"
[…]
"Thank you." Tsugaru smiled.
[…]
"I know. That's why I'm saying 'thank you' because I know Orihara-san hates it." Tsugaru grinned.
[…]
"Oh why?"
[…]
Tsugaru felt Izaya's irritation "Yes, that's all. Umm, Orihara-san…?"
[…]
"Can you wish me luck?" Tsugaru asked a bit sheepish.
[…]
"…ah, I'm sorry for-"
[…]
Tsugaru smiled "…Orihara-san is so nice!"
[!]
"Okay, I have to go. See you later honey." Tsugaru said in soft tone.
[…]
The call ended.
Tsugaru stood, "I can't bring my cell phone with me." He set it on Izaya's desk beside Macha's form.
Tsugaru walked to the front door.
"It's the beginning…"
•••••
The mist and the cold enshrouded every single particle of their beings. Seconds, always those painful long seconds, marked the time of their arrival. Their consciousness, shared feelings and beliefs emerged into one, but, although they were one an impossible barrier compelled them to be apart.
Their sight was blurry, his limbs felt numb.
Their breathing fading away slowly.
A blue crystal hung above their heads. Looping. Moving back and forth. Again and again. A buzz sounded louder and louder until the crystal, the noise, the movement and everything else in the room flattered. A dead cold silence made its presence.
The automatic door opened.
Three men entered a white nifty room.
"I, indeed, hate that thing." A black haired man said chuckling.
The two other men nodded in approval, sharing their sympathy with his thoughts.
"Very well gentlemen," the black haired man clapped his hands smiling, "Let's do our assignments, shall we?"
They nodded sharing a respectful bow to the smiling man. They walked to the respective corners of the empty room. They placed his hands on the walls, a shiny line parted from a point tracing a perfect small square shape. The surface of the wall vanished and a digital panel appeared before their eyes.
They pressed a combination of numbers onto the panel.
The wall behind the black haired man opened. Brick by brick it came apart, like if it was ripping vertically.
A black space was left.
Infiniteness and nothingness.
The two men stood watching as the black haired man walked ahead, firmly, bravely and resolutely to the unlimited black spatial extend.
One meter and his foot would be swallowed up by the dark abyss.
There was no hesitation when his body merged into one with the black.
The wall, as before, moved brick by brick closing the dark space behind.
"Good luck…" one of the man said sighing lightly.
"He doesn't need luck," the other man said annoyingly.
"…He does…" the first one said boringly.
"Tsugaru-san doesn't need it!" the other yelled.
"You're right… where he's going not even luck could be of help…"
•••••
Tsugaru walked and walked.
There was nothing under him. There was nothing above him. There was nothing in front of him. There was nothing behind him….
He kept on walking.
He couldn't see anything, he couldn't feel he was advancing yet he moved forward.
He recalled the first time he moved through this space. A smile suited his features. A real smile, because he recalled with who he was walking with that time.
Tsugaru still could feel his trembling frame clinging at him. It was his first time too and both were scared to death.
But Tsugaru showed no fear in front of him, seeing that, he needed him to be strong.
A warm yet painful feeling traveled up to his chest.
When everything finished that time he screamed at him telling him how incredible he was. Although, he was used to those kinds of praises, it was a whole different deal when the praise-phrases were coming from him.
Tsugaru's heart couldn't settle, his heartbeats were out of control, his mind and soul were screaming in delight.
He smiled at Tsugaru widely, hugging him tight.
That was time when Tsugaru realized that he was in-
A blinding light fell upon Tsugaru's face. In seconds he adjusted his sight to his surroundings.
Tsugaru's destination.
He surveyed the vicinities from the platform he was standing on. There was no-one outside. Tsugaru looked at his watch, 10:57 p.m. The time has stopped.
Tsugaru smiled hollowly muttering "I'm home"
•••••
A pair of pink eyes watched suspiciously at the screen in front of him. While he mused about this, in the corner of the room a young man sat on a chair looking inquisitively at three objects in front of him.
The objects were perfectly lined on top of a small table.
They were in the monitoring room so they had full view of the surroundings of the facility.
"Why is brother here…?" the man with pink eyes said, he couldn't find any answer to this issue "What do you think, love?"
The man on the background didn't hear him, or was pointedly ignoring him.
"…Hey…" the pink eyed man said "…Heeeeellllooooo?" the man stood walking up to the other.
The man sitting on the chair had his eyes glued at the three objects.
"Here's Delic calling Hibiya. Do you copy Hibiya…?" the pink eyed man said and then: "Hibiya!"
Suddenly a scalpel came flying, aiming his sharp edge at Delic's face.
"Holy crap!" Delic dodged the dangerous object falling on the floor. Hibiya rose from his chair in rather perturbing manner.
"Do you have any idea of what you just did you stupid dog?" yellow eyes glared down at the shocked man.
Delic gaped.
"Now I have to start again! I am going to-!"
"Wait! I'm sorry! Brother is here! I wanted you to know!" Delic said shielding his face with his arms.
A couple of minutes passed and nothing happened, Delic peeked and saw a hand handed by Hibiya. Delic took it standing on his feet.
"Why is big brother here?" Hibiya asked bending down typing on the digital keyboard searching through the screens.
Delic sighed standing beside Hibiya, "I don't know, love…"
There was a stern silence between them.
Hibiya moved slowly back to standing position "Big brother came for him…"
"What? Brother can't know that, can he? It's top secret information. And besides even if brother knew about it he can't do anything… since he is still… sleeping…?" his last words came with uncertainty.
Hibiya stared with sharp yellow eyes at the screen that displayed Tsugaru's location, slowly; so-ever slowly a grin grew and grew on his face.
"Big brother wants to set free his ghost!" Hibiya grinned and grinned, while Delic called security.
"…" Delic frowned as the screens and cameras were shut down and the energy of the facility died instantly.
Hibiya laughed "Big brother is so funny! Sooooo fuuuunny! Funny! Funny! Funny!" he kept on laughing.
Meanwhile Delic found his chair and sat "…I… kind of admire brother…"
Hibiya's laughter faded down, "why?" he asked coldly.
Delic made a half smile well aware that Hibiya could look at his face even though all was into darkness.
"I guess I admire his dedication for Psyche…" Delic said sadly.
"…You are a stupid dog. That dedication is nothing. It has no worth if it's killing you inside out. It has no worth if for the thing he's fighting for is dead. And it had no worth if it turned you into a criminal." Hibiya said with clenched teeth.
"But-"
"Stop. It does not have benefit whatsoever on you." Hibiya moved through the penurious space "He's good only if he's dead."
"Hibiya… love…"
"…That's the only good thing he can do for us…"
Hibiya left the place and Delic sighed "I miss the old times…"
•••••
"Hibiya should be stricter with the training of this so called 'guards'…" Tsugaru mused aloud as he hopped over five unconscious men.
Tsugaru moved forward through the corridors, he turned left, right, left, left, and right and took the stairs since the elevator was out of power.
He was finally in the right place.
Without hesitation he introduced the code on the digital panel of the laboratory. Even though, the facility was out of power the laboratory had a backup power installation. The automatic doors opened.
Before Tsugaru's eyes, hell broke loose.
•••••
It was an amply place. It was filled with so many tests subjects. Three rows of tanks occupied most of the space, attached to them several meters of wires snaked on the floor, wound around the tanks, pinned against the skin of the tests subject inside.
The contents inside were mostly living beings.
They were not humans but they were indeed living beings. Their humanity was not recognizable anymore.
While Tsugaru moved across the row of hybrids beings his eyes saw as how they had ended. Nothing more that shreds, ragged pieces of flesh. Most of them were dead and others just barely living into a comatose state.
Disposable things.
Tsugaru looked ahead. He has a mission to do. He was not here to free them. He was here to free one only specimen.
Something that –he laughed- was precious to him.
The last row was near.
Tsugaru's heart began to pound. It was calling him. Heat rose over his face. This familiar sensation… this warm sensation… this nostalgic sensation… it hurt. Tsugaru brought a shaky hand wiping out sweat from his face. He faced the tank he was looking for.
Among several wires of all sizes that were wrapped around his body, needles piercing pale skin, drops of blood mixing with the liquid greeted Tsugaru. Metallic snakes keeping him alive, secure, keeping him out from reality. Black shiny hair floated into the liquid inside the tank. His face had a mask providing him with oxygen. As soon as Tsugaru was in front of the person he felt a painful tug in his heart, so painful it was that he gripped the fabric of his shirt grinding his teeth.
Tsugaru smiled weakly "Heh, so you remember me…? Do not worry... I came to help you… Izaya-kun…"
•To Be Continued•
A/N: I gave you more questions, didn't I? Though, from my point of view things are getting clearer… The phrase "All the points are coming together. They'll converge on one spot." Explains pretty much everything. Tsugaru's side is getting questions and Shizaya's side getting answers. :p