Kida and Izaya sat silently as they ate what food they'd brought along in their quick exit out of the city. The pair had found a small strip of forest that offered cover from any peering eyes and relieved Sukeban of her bridle and saddle. The horse in question was currently grazing on some nearby grass, her tail swishing lazily as she leisurely ate. The sun was now on its way down, being that it was late in the afternoon. Golden light bathed the dried grass and mare, making them glow brightly in the sun.
"So who were you with before all this?", The blonde teen asked as he took another bite of his granola bar.
The informant didn't reply for a long second, his eyes gazing out towards the clearing Sukeban was in. He was thinking and thinking very hard on what to do next. Where should he go from here? Was it better to stay, where he knew the terrain and where to find food, or should he trudge on in search of a safe city or cabin like Shizou?
"I was with me, myself, and I", the raven-haired male responded easily, his mind still focused elsewhere.
Masaomi's eyes went wide for a moment before he remembered that not many people would willingly want to spend any longer than three seconds with him.
"Do you know where Namie might be at least?", the blonde asked as he unconsciously ripped grass out of the ground for lack of anything to do.
"Might be dead, might be alive. I honestly have no clue. I'd like to believe that Namie was smart and fast enough to get out of the building before it came down, but that would be hopeful thinking.", Izaya sighed as he pushed a raisin into his mouth.
The informant hated the taste of the sweet-tasting dried fruit, but he needed to keep his energy up. The raven-haired male wished he could have something that was at least bitter in taste. At two weeks in, Izaya'd do some pretty questionable things for some fatty tuna right now, his most favorite dish.
"Oh… I , at least, had Saki and Aoba. I let Kuronuma stick around for a long time even though he's like a mini version of you and couldn't stand him.", Kida said as he leaned back into the tree behind him.
"Don't ever say anything like that ever again.", the raven haired male said distastefully as he watched Sukaban's ears swivel back to listen to his aggravated voice.
Kida let out a sigh and ignored the informant's retort as he looked up through the green foliage above him.
They'd need to find a place to set up a temporary camp and spend the rest of the day setting it up. They'd have problems now that they had the mare to consider. The camp had to be conveniently close to a food and water source while also being hidden enough so the horse won't be spotted.
"Don't you think we should get moving? It's not safe to be out here, the horse gives our position away.", Kida said as he turned to the older male beside him.
Izaya sighed and let his eyes fall closed, his face looking stressed with having to thoroughly process everything before jumping into it. It was easier when he just had to worry about himself, but now he had Masaomi and a damn mare to account for.
"It's risky moving around so soon after a city raid, but it'd be also risky to be within city limits with a horse hinting at our location… What to do.", Orihara said letting his eyes open and gaze up at the sky in thought.
The blonde was quiet and patient as he let the informant think. Izaya wasn't being annoyingly slow at deciding things for no reason. Analyzing every possible outcome of doing this or that was mandatory if they were going to make it out here.
"That cabin that Shizou has would have been perfect if we'd found it first.", the raven haired male began with a sigh, " Cabins tend to be in locations that are hidden for privacy and have a lot of outdoor space. If we had a place like that it would be perfect minus having to make long trips back to the city or hunting when we run out of food."
The blonde's eyes lit up with the prospect of such a safe location and group. With having the bartender there along with Izaya they'd have brawn and brains to squeeze them out of tight situations. They also had a horse which was very useful in terms of making those long trips to and from the city, short and easy.
"Who says we can't share? We have something that'd be useful to him, Sukeban. If we use that as leverage we might be able to win him over.", Kida suddenly burst out making Izaya blink.
"...Has Kida bumped his head or something or is he actually suggesting that Shizu-chan and I occupy the same space?"
"Izaya, don't be like that!", Masaomi yelled getting heated, "This is a life and death situation and you're really going to let hatred and pride stand the way of survival? He has a safe place with solar panels, most likely running water, and enough space for Sukeban. Shizou has everything we need!"
Izaya winced as the teen's loud voice nearly burst his eardrums. He was extremely noisy and any more loud protest will not only rile Sukeban up, but also hint to others nearby that someone is over here. Kida was painfully right, they needed what Shizou had. It was convenient and they had nowhere else to go.
"Fine. I'll ask Shizu-chan to let us come live with him, but I bet the answer will be no anyways", the informant sighed as he dialed Shizou's number.
The shorter blonde waited with baited breath as the phone connected with the older blonde's and made a droning sound, signaling that it was waiting for the bartender to answer.
"What?", a gruff voice answered on the last ring.
"Hey Shizu-chan~! Miss my voice ye-?", Izaya was cut off from the shorter blonde snatching the cellphone from his hands.
"Let me talk since you're already trying to make him say no not even three seconds into the conversation.", Kida hissed as he turned to speak into the phone.
"It's me, Masaomi Kida…I need to ask you something", the teen began carefully, waiting for a response.
"I'm listening.", the older answered after a long pause.
"We don't have anywhere to stay an-"
"I'm not staying under the same roof as-"
"AND before you say no, let me put what we have to offer on the table.", Kida interrupted.
The silence following that and the fact that the bartender was still on the phone was enough to convince him that it was okay to continue.
"I'm guessing that the cabin you're in is pretty far from the city and doesn't have much food in it, correct?"
"Yeah, I guess so."
"Well I think a horse would be perfect for making runs to the city for food since they travel much more quickly than us. They can also carry a lot more than us too."
" 'Suppose so."
"What I'm saying is that if you let us stay with you then you get a horse and a horse is just what you need. Right now, we have nowhere to put her and your cabin is the perfect place to keep her.", Masaomi finished with a smile plastered on his face.
"Is Flea coming?", Shizou asked.
"...I did say us, didn't I?"
"Then no."
"Wait, Shizou! Izaya is useful, I swear! He's smart and he seems to know what he's doing. His smarts and your strength could make the difference between life and death, free or captured!"
"No."
A sniffle and a shuddery breath emitted from the smaller blonde, making the informant look over.
"Shizou please…", the shorter blonde pleaded, "I'm scared and I don't know what to do…"
Izaya gave him a weird look as Kida continued. He hadn't shown any signs of being fearful about anything; he'd shown determination and tiredness if anything at all.
"My girlfriend got captured because I couldn't protect her and my friend left me because I was dragging him down. I have no one left.", Masaomi said, his sob story seemingly shocking the older blonde into silence.
There was a long pause.
"You can come then... , but without the flea.", Heiwajima finally said.
Kida made dramatic gasp as he feigned panic.
"No, I can't leave him! Never. He saved my life. I would have died if he hadn't saved me from that explosion…", the shorter blonde said with strong emotion.
Orihara held back a snicker at the half-truths that had began mixing in with the actual truth. He had been wondering when that'd happen.
"He didn't even have to save me… He was far out of the reach of the grenade's killing range too, but he came running to save me even though he might've died in the process. Izaya pulled me away before I could blow to bits and that can't go without being repaid.", Kida finished , his story impressive to the informant sitting next to him.
There was a long groan on the other side of the line, easily telling that Shizou was conflicted in this. He genuinely liked Kida enough, but the kid refused to leave Izaya's side.
"Fine…Take him with you. I swear I'll kick his fucking ass if he starts to get annoying though, so keep a tight leash on the bastard.", Heiwajima growled.
"A leash? What made you think of that Shizu-chan? Someone's a little kin-"
"Thank you so much! I'll hang up so you can give me some directions.", Masaomi interrupted with a nervous laugh before he pressed the end call button.
The small blonde looked over at Izaya and glared, picking up a small rock to chuck at him. The informant dodged the object easily, a playful smirk etched onto his face.
"Why do you always have to do that?", Masaomi said in an irritated voice.
"Do what?", Izaya teased as he stood up and took his cellphone back from the younger male.
"You know what I mean, Izaya.", the blonde growled back as he watched the informant bring his fingers to his mouth and whistle for Sukeban, who in turn immediately lifted her curious head and galloped over once she realized her informant was calling for her.
The palomino mare happily nickered as she pushed her head forward into the raven-haired male's chest. The informant chuckled a little bit as he ran his fingers through Sukeban's white mane, combing out the snags there diligently. The anglo-arab nosed at him as Orihara combed through her hair, seemingly checking for any injury he may have sustained. When she was satisfied with her inspection, she turned her head to the side and reached out for Kida, her long neck stretching as far as possible for him without moving away from Izaya. Masaomi let out a sigh as he walked forwards, so the mare could inspect him. The blonde closed his eyes tightly as Sukeban sniffed at his face, blowing warm air at him. Moving on from Kida's face, she began to nose at his hair, making his hair fly about in every direction. The blonde was content to let her do so until she began to lip at his hair, pulling it slightly.
"Ow, Stop!", Kida protested hitting the horse on her nose to get her to pull away.
"Mean, Kida-kun! She's just trying to groom you since you're so dirty.", Izaya teased as he turned to go get the saddle and bridle from the floor nearby.
"I'm not dirty! She's just trying to pull my hair out!"
Orihara grunted with the effort of lifting the saddle again. Thirty five pounds shouldn't be anything to him, yet he struggled to put it on the mare's back anyways. Once he managed to get the bridle back on Sukeban, his cellphone buzzed with a new message.
"Directions?", Masaomi asked as he tugged at the bridle to insure that it was secure.
Izaya typed in his password and found he had a message from the bartender. He opened it and found that he'd received some pretty vague directions. Apparently he was a two-day's walk North-west of the city of Ikebukuro. Orihara immediately knew where he was. Mitsukue, a rural area with mountains. With the horse alternating between a trot and a gallop, it would take them roughly six hours to reach instead of the two days Shizou had to take to get there.
"Yes, albeit some pretty bad ones. He's lucky I'm well versed in geography and know where everything in Japan is.", Orihara sighed as he climbed up onto the mare, followed after by Kida.
"So how long will it take to get there?", the blonde asked.
"About six hours. We'll reach Mitsukue by eleven at night. We also have to head back towards Ikebukuro to get there. It's risky, but I bet we could find a cabin of our own out there eventually so It could be worth it.", Izaya said before he made a clicking noise that started up the horse at an easy gallop.
The blonde was finally used to the mare's gaits, so he didn't startle when they took off towards the city. As the palomino pounded onwards without any problems, Izaya thought about what may be lying ahead. Chances are the Sweepers and the Defense hadn't cleared out yet, so they'd have to go around the city instead of through. Still they might be seen. Horses were extremely valuable to the Sweepers so if they saw Sukeban galloping through, they'd want her. Orihara didn't want to think about what they'd do to retrieve the mare.
Kida had the same thoughts running through his mind as he watched the landscape pass them by in a blurr. It was extremely risky to go anywhere near the city, but the prospect of safety was drawing them in. The blonde tried to keep his mind off of what was to come and instead thought about where Aoba may be at the moment and if he'd been captured already. The thought made something in Masaomi tense, a sense of worry rushing over him. No matter how much he hated Kuronuma, he wouldn't wish the fate of being experimented on and thrown into the battlefield on anyone. Anxiety for the shorter teen arose in the blonde as his breath came out in short gasps. If the Aoba got captured it'd be all his fault for letting him walk away, just like he was at fault for his girlfriend being taken. Kida wouldn't be able to live with himself if he found that both Saki and Kuronuma were in a living hell, while he had somewhere safe and comfortable to live.
Izaya felt the teen's harsh breath on his neck but didn't say anything, thinking it was either the prospect of danger or that Sukeban's gait was making him nervous. The blonde suddenly felt conflicted. Maybe he should stay in the city and look for the younger teen and then follow after Orihara after he'd found him. Masaomi mused it over, carefully thinking everything through before he shook his head clear. He was being more than a little delusional if he was really considering this at all. He hates the kid anyways. What had Aoba ever done for him? The shorter teen was nothing but a dick to him all the time. Even so, he still felt he needed to find him.
The trio hadn't gone too far from the city, so they reached its limits in fifteen minutes. As Izaya slowed the palomino to a walk, he listened for any sounds of gunfire or explosions, but heard nothing. The horse under the pair huffed for breath as they continued on in a walk, keeping to the outskirts. The informant turned his head from the sight of fires devouring half the city as Kida stared straight into it. The teen wondered how many people had died to the flames and then he wondered if Aoba was one of the victims. A sick feeling settled in Masaomi's stomach as the mare suddenly snorted at something up ahead, making the blonde finally turn away from the horrific scene.
"It's a cattle truck…and it's full.", Orihara said as he turned the horse to the left to move as far out from it as possible.
Kida stared at the truck, listening to the cries of scared people. He was about to turn away and ask Izaya to hurry up and get out of here when he saw four men on horseback trot up to the cattle car, people with their hands tied running alongside. One, he quickly noticed, broke free of his binds, catching the three of the four men's attention.
"Get that damn kid! If he gets free again, I swear I'll put you back on stable duty!", the fourth man growled as he opened the cattle truck to file in the new haul.
The blonde felt his heart drop when he realized who it was that had managed to get free; Aoba. The shorter teen's eyes wavered where he stood, cornered by three men with a pocketknife in hand. Without thinking or waiting for another second, Masaomi jumped off the mare and raced towards Kuronuma.
"Kida!", Izaya yelled out in shock as the blonde ran headfirst into the group surrounding Aoba.
The yell attracted the attention of the fourth man to the informant.
"Screw the fucking kid, get the guy on Kiro's horse!", he yelled making the three men surrounding the now two teens, turn to look at Izaya.
Orihara cursed and urged Sukeban forward, galloping past the cattle truck and on towards his destination. The four men were quickly at his heels, making Izaya feel relieved that Kida would be able to get away now. The sound of horses behind the mare must have made her excited because the informant could have sworn that the mare was never this fast. Though Sukeban seemed faster, the sound of horse's hooves behind them became closer and closer. Izaya clicked his tongue and kicked his legs against the mare's sides to urge her to go faster as he felt fear began to bubble up inside of him. With the way things were going, he'd be captured.
"You fucking bastard!", one of the men spat at him from a distance.
"Fucking put a bullet in him!", another man said making Orihara's blood run cold.
Everything seemed to go in slow motion after that comment. Izaya could hear the steady and hard breaths under him. The sound of hooves seemed to reach his ears slower as his surroundings whizzed by slowly. The informant looked to his right side and saw the city, but this time he really saw it. Orange flames licked at the air as smoke billowed out of buildings making the sky a blood red color in the evening sunlight. Nothing in this country would ever be the same. Hell, nothing in the whole damn world would ever be the same. Humans had finally reached the point of no return. Life wouldn't exist after this, this was the end and not just for the informant but the whole of humanity. Izaya's chest tightened as he realized that this might be the last thing he ever sees, the blood sky and his city aflame. Then it happened. A gun went off loudly as a stinging pain started in his shoulder, jerking him to life.
The sound of a painful cry, a gunshot, and the smell of blood behind the mare made her neigh and her feet work even faster under her as she realized the danger. Pushing through the pain, Orihara kicked at the mare with more urgency. He was still alive, but who knew how long he'd last with the men right behind him.
"Cease your fire! You'll hit the damn horse!" the leader of the pack yelled out, making Izaya nearly sigh in relief. That relief was short lived, though, when he heard the horses draw even closer to Sukeban, whose speed was quickly decreasing.
"No! No! You can't tire out on me now!", Orihara yelled, the mare's ears swiveling back to listen to her informant.
This couldn't end like this. The raven haired man refused to die this way. He had to survive. He couldn't give into his humans yet.
"Come on, I know you have plenty left in you! You're faster and you can run for a longer time, so don't give me this shit!" , the male yelled in frustration.
Izaya continued to plead and urge with the beast on, when all the sudden the mare caught a second wind. Her strides became longer and her neck stretched further as she broke out into a complete run. The sounds behind them quickly began to fade as the mare easily outran the heavier stallions. Sukeban's breath came out in huffs as she continued to pick up speed, her hooves thundering in the grass, throwing chunks of earth up behind her. The informant felt like crying as powerful legs burst them forward, tail raised and white hair whipping through the wind. The mare put some real distance between them and their pursuers, finally proving her superiority over the Holsteiners.
She easily ran up a rather large and steep hill without her pace slowing, while the heavier horses had more difficulty. Their endurance was getting sapped away by the weight of their riders and heavy saddles on their back. Izaya was considerably lighter than the heavier set men as was the saddle on Sukeban's back. The hill was the end for their pursuers because by the time they reached the top, the palomino was already far away.
"We can't tire them out any more than this, we have things to do and we have to get back before we get in trouble for insubordination.", the leader said after a long moment of just watching Izaya ride away, turning his horse as the others followed suit.
The informant almost screamed with relief when he ceased to hear the horses behind them anymore. He slowed the mare back to an easy lope so she could catch her breath. This pace was comfortable for the mare's breed, so she could maintain the speed for long periods of time. Once the adrenaline of what had happened died down, Orihara fully felt his gun wound and finally noticed all the blood leaking from it. He cursed at the prospect of having to cut up one of his extra shirts before it dawned on him that Kida was no longer with him and he'd most likely never see him again. A heavy feeling hit him until he pushed it away. There was no room for sorrow in the game of survival.
Izaya stopped the horse for a moment and pulled his backpack off his shoulders, taking extra care not to let the straps graze his right shoulder. Quickly pulling out a spare shirt, he cut a strip of it off with his pocketknife and managed to painfully tie the cloth around his shoulder tightly. The informant could feel pain race down his body every time he moved his arm. Izaya cursed at his luck, but he supposed he should be thankful though. The bullet hadn't gone through only to hit the mare in a fatal area. With a kick to the horse's sides, he was off towards his destination again; praying that he didn't bleed out before he arrived as the horse sloped on.
It was a lonely ride and the informant would have loved to tease Kida just to fill the silence. Izaya knew that the pair would have been able to at least get away then, when he drew attention to himself with that yell, but he didn't know whether they simply ran into another squad of Sweepers afterwards. He could predict that Kida, if he wasn't either killed or captured, would try and make his way to Mistukue. If Kida was separated from Kuronuma though, he'd never make it. Masaomi didn't have the best sense of where north, south, east, and west were, but Izaya was sure Aoba did.
The stinging in the informant's shoulder eventually died down to a dull throb as he and the horse reached Mistukue. Izaya was feeling extremely light-headed at the moment and it took a lot for him to not fall off of the horse. Pulling his cellphone out, Orihara dialed Shizou's number. The blonde picked up on the second ring, just in time to catch Izaya's groan of pain.
"Izaya?", the blonde asked in a confused tone.
"Where are you, Shizu-chan? I'm here.", the dark haired male grit out as he tried to keep his breath steady.
There was a long pause as the bartender simply listened to Orihara's labored breathing. Izaya wasn't acting like his normal, annoying self and it threw Heiwajima off completely.
"I'll come down to you, what street are you on?", Shizou asked as the sound of shuffling came through the line.
"That'll take too long. Just tell me what streets to take and meet me halfway.", Izaya hissed as his pain made him irritable.
Shizou did as asked, but didn't hang up afterwards. He could hear Izaya's breath becoming more labored every passing minute as the pain seemed to increase in his shoulder.
"Shizou?", Orihara said through his breaths, throwing the taller male off again by calling him by his full name.
"...Yeah?"
"Do you have a first aid kit in the cabin? Also a needle and some thread?", Izaya asked.
"I have a first aid kit, but I don't know about a needle and thread. Why?"
"I've been shot and I need to clean the wound and sew it up to stop the bleeding…", the male said easily as the palomino tossed her head at the distressed voice of her informant.
"...Shit.", Shizou cursed as he looked around the cabin for what they needed.
There was a sewing machine in one corner of the place, but he needed a needle that wasn't attached to it. Quickly the blonde opened the drawer under the machine. He found it to be full of thread and Heiwajima quickly finds that there aren't any needles.
"I found more thread than you'd ever need, but no needles.", Shizou said as he walked to the front door of the cabin, slipping his shoes on before he left.
"We'll have to just clean and bandage it then and hope I don't bleed out .", Izaya groans as he finds holding the reins more and more difficult with pain racing down his arm.
"I'm on my way to you now.", the blonde promised as Orihara nodded even though the taller male couldn't see him.
The informant made a clicking noise that made the mare break out into a trot as he looked at the street signs. He made many lefts and rights until he made it to a dirt trail that led into a forest. Not even three horse-steps into the path he heard footsteps ahead, spooking Sukeban a bit as the mare shifted nervously.
"Is that you Shizu-chan?", Izaya asked into the phone as he stared ahead.
"Yeah! It's me!", Shizou called back from the darkness.
Orihara stopped the horse as the blonde walked closer, the mare in turn extended her neck to investigate the newcomer.
"Just grab the reins and lead her to the cabin.", the raven-haired said tiredly as Shizou walked up and let the palomino sniff at him while he pet her for a moment.
A nod followed as the bartender grabbed hold of the reins and used them to lead her deeper into the brush. Shizou was silent the whole way back while Izaya occasionally let out groans whenever the mare jostled him around too much. The place was medium sized, most likely with two rooms and was alive with light from within.
"This is it.", the blonde said as he stopped in the clearing near the cabin.
"Take off Sukeban's bridle and saddle. I'm going inside.", Izaya responded as he slid off the mare.
The raven haired male stumbled a bit as his knees buckled once weight was put onto his legs, falling into the horse's side and riling her up. The palomino turned her head to sniff and Orihara until she found the source of the blood smell. She neighed softly at Izaya as she attempted to lick the wound clean through the fabric. The informant in turn pushed her away as he pushed off of her and walked unsteadily to the cabin as Shizou watched, making sure he didn't fall on the way there. Once he was safely inside, Orihara plopped onto the couch and took his temporary bandage off.
With extreme difficulty, the male managed to pull off his jacket and his shirt afterwards, exposing the angry and horrific looking wound. He couldn't hesitate, so he ignored the sick feeling in his stomach and grabbed the rubbing alcohol resting on the table. With shaking hands, Izaya held the bottle of clear liquid and tried to steel his nerves. The informant quickly realized that he couldn't bring himself to do it. He couldn't do this himself because he wouldn't willingly hurt himself.
As if on cue, Shizou walked back in. The blonde looked down at the bleeding wound and then back up to Orihara's face that was looking up at him seriously.
"I need you to do it. I can't do it myself."
A look of panic filled Heiwajima's eyes as he took a step back.
"I-I can't do it. I don't know what I'm doing!"
"It's simple enough, even a protozoan could do it.", Izaya sighed as he held out the bottle to the blonde.
"I'm not doing this shit!", the bartender yelled as he turned his head away from Orihara.
"Shizou, I will die if you don't do this. I don't know if you care about that or not, but stopping the bleeding and bandaging me up would be less strenuous than digging a hole around back."
The blonde was silent as he watched Izaya's chest heave and the wound in question continue to leak blood. In all honesty, Shizou didn't want to watch someone die slowly. Unlike Orihara, he actually had human emotions.
"...Let me wash my hands.", the blonde says shakily as he walks over to the kitchen.
As the raven haired male waited for the bartender to wash his hands and grab the first aid kit, he took the liberty of dabbing up the blood a little bit. He was nervous and he knew full well how badly this would hurt. With no painkillers, this would be hell.
When Heiwajima returned to the couch, he looked just as nervous as the injured informant did. With a clean rag in hand, the blonde poured a generous amount of rubbing alcohol onto it before moving closer to the shorter male's exposed back. Izaya quickly shook his head making the bartender stop immediately.
"Just take the whole bottle and pour it into the wound...Dabbing would take too long", Orihara huffed out as Shizou turned to grab the bottle.
When the burning liquid touched his bullet wound, Izaya couldn't suppress the hiss and high-pitched groan that followed as he jerked away. It hurt even more than the actual gunshot and that was really saying something. Orihara slammed his foot into the wooded floor as the stinging refused to cease, his breath becoming even more labored. The bartender stopped when he saw how much pain the informant was in and began to think he couldn't do this after all, much to Izaya's irritation.
"Don't you dare wuss out on me now, you damn brute! What happened to you wanting to hurt me since the second you met me?", the raven haired male said through grit teeth as he turned so Heiwajima could do the exit spot next.
The blonde visibly grew tense at the name he'd been called, his grip on the bottle of alcohol tightening and crushing the plastic so it went inwards. Without any more hesitation and a cold look, the blonde poured the burning liquid onto Izaya's front. He immediately regretted being so cruel though, when the raven haired teen dug his hands into the couch and wrenched his eyes shut; a whine pushing past his lips despite his best efforts to keep it in.
"...Stop...the bleeding.", the informant said huskily, making Shizou jump into action.
Heiwajima disappeared back into the kitchen quickly and returned with two fresh rags. One to go under Izaya and one to go on top to stop the bleeding on both sides. The blonde quickly laid one rag down on the couch and urged the shorter male to lay back onto it. Once the informant was on his back, the bartender pressed another rag into his right shoulder and pushed down on it. His stomach lurched as the red liquid seeped onto his hands. Orihara hissed at the action as his ruby eyes began to water a bit while his brows furrowed.
"Does it hurt?", the blonde mumbled as he watched an expression he'd never seen on Izaya before.
"Nooo…", the informant began sarcastically,"It feels so incredibly wonderful to have liquid fire thrown onto a deep wound and then have someone press down onto it."
Shizou's eye twitched at the answer.
"I'm trying to be nice, so can you not be an annoying asshole for once?", the blonde said as he continued to press into the wound.
"If hurting me and expecting me not to be snappy is being nice to you, then you're sadistic Shizu-chan.", the raven haired male chuckled weakly, a slight smirk finding its way to his lips.
"You made me hurt you, so stop whining.", Shizou said as he lifted the rag and deemed the wound's bleeding ceased enough to bandage it.
"Mean, Shizu-chan~", the informant grunted as he sat back up.
There was a general silence after that as the blonde dressed and bandaged the wound tightly. Outside they could hear the sounds of crickets and frogs and even the occasional snort from Sukeban.
"So where's Kida?", the bartender asked suddenly, catching the informant off guard.
Shizou saw Izaya's eyes grow dark as an air of seriousness filled the air.
"We rode past a cattle truck and Kida-kun saw one of his friends about to get thrown in, so he jumped off and ran to him.", the informant explained.
"And you just let him go!?", the blonde said, thinking that it was just like the heartless bastard.
"I couldn't just run off after him since the sweepers came running at me so they could get the horse. The whole squad came after me so in that, I gave them both a chance to escape.", Izaya said without regarding Shizou's comment.
"...Would you have saved him if they weren't coming after you?", the blonde said after a long pause, finishing putting the bandage on the shorter male.
The raven haired teen let out a long sigh as he let his head fall back onto the back of the couch.
"No. I can't put myself at risk for someone else's recklessness.", the male responded easily, making Heiwajima bristle at the answer.
"What happened to you saving Kida before, despite you possibly dying?", the blonde demanded.
"Kida ran into me while I was running out of the city, quite literally might I add. A grenade was launched at us and I grabbed his arm and ran from the explosion. It was no heroic act that I risked my life for.", the raven haired male sighed.
"You could have let him die, but you didn't.", the bartender said mostly to himself.
"So?"
"So you still saved him, idiot!"
Sukeban let out a shrill noise at Shizou's loud and angry voice, making the blonde jump and the informant laugh.
"She must be lonely, Shizu-chan, you should go out and talk to her", the informant deducted as he painfully stood up and walked down the hall, towards one of the rooms.
"Where the hell are you going?", the blonde asked after him.
"To sleep."
-Prologue for the next chapter-
Kida felt like his lungs were about ready to burst as he continued to run in the general direction that Izaya had gone in, Aoba running a little behind him. They had just made it outside the city limits and had witnessed things they never thought they'd ever be witness to. People who were burning in flames cried out for their help while they simply ran on. Young children wailed as they found themselves all alone and the old simply prayed to be spared and readied themselves for whatever was coming for them.
"Wait, Masaomi!", Kuronuma finally called out as he struggled to keep up.
The blonde stopped and let the shorter teen catch up. There was a long moment's pause as Aoba tried to catch his breath.
"...Why?", the shorter huffed," ...Why... did you save me?"
Silence followed as Masaomi's gaze looked back at the flames behind them before he turned around and walked forward.
"I don't know.", he replied simply as he continued onwards.
Kuronuma stood there in a state of confusion as he looked back at the city for a moment. Seeing the flames there made him immediately turn back around and jog to catch back up with Kida.