"This is stupid, Izaya… What if it's a trap or something?", Shizou said as he glanced around nervously, Orihara busy trying to pick the lock to the front door.
"Since when is Shizu-chan this cautious?, the raven sighed irritatedly as his brows furrowed; his concentration being torn away from him by the brute's constant talking.
The blonde should know already that the informant knew what he was doing considering that he's survived this long. People had been pursuing the raven even before this all happened, so he definitely knew what signs to look for if there was any danger of an ambush. Looking around, Orihara saw nor heard any sign of a trap-in-waiting.
"Since when are YOU this reckless?" , Heiwajima hissed back just barely above a whisper as the informant managed to unlock the door with a light click.
"If Shizu-chan's so worried about it, stay out here and keep watch.", Orihara smirked as he stood from his crouching position and took a step inside.
Shizou glared at the back of the informant's head, but didn't budge from where he stood. Turning away from the inside of the house, the blonde raked his eyes over the horizon. He'd be damned if he let that parasite lead him to his doom. Meanwhile, Izaya walked past the living room with feather light steps; his hand wrapped tightly around his pocket knife. All the blinds in the house were drawn, making the light from the front door the only source of light; the doors to every room shut tight. This didn't draw any alarm from the informant, but the eerie quiet and lack of any presence certainly did. Silently, the raven slipped into the kitchen. The counters were bare and dust had collected heavily on the marble surfaces. The plant on the sill of a window overlooking the backyard was dried, brown; dead.
Curious but also guarded, burgundy eyes continued to investigate. Was there really no one here? Had they posted the horses at this house and actually resided in another? As different scenarios race through Orihara's mind, he opened up a cabinet; wanting to solidify his musings. His eyes widened when they rested on a large stash of food jammed into the small space. Turning to another cabinet, the informant opened that one too. Like the other cabinet, this one was jammed full of non-perishables as well. Now Izaya was a hundred percent positive that someone was here. No one would just leave this much food completely unattended.
As quietly as he slipped in, the raven slipped out. Taking a left, Orihara found himself faced with a hallway with four doors to check. The informant decided to save himself the trouble and just slink his way over to the master bedroom, the door directly at the end of the hall. This area was thankfully carpeted, so there was no concern for any creaks. Unfortunately, that meant that whoever was back here had the same advantage as he did; the advantage of an unknown presence.
Orihara let out a big silent breath to steady himself as he reached the door at the end of the hall. This room had the biggest chance of being the room that the person was staying in. With one hand in the pocket of his newly washed jacket, he wrapped his fingers over his knife; the man shakily reached out for the circular knob of the door. Gripping the knob tightly, Izaya silently counted up to three. One...Two… and before he could count to three, the door knob turned quickly and jerked open.
The informant jumped back in surprise, his knife ready. He almost fell on his ass, but quickly caught himself just in time to dodge a punch directed squarely at his face. Ducking out of the way of the unknown assailant's arm, the raven sidestepped so he could bring his blade to the man's unprotected throat, but fumbled as pain raced down his arm at the sudden action. Izaya gasped sharply and then cursed as he realized how stupid he was to think he was still any good with his blade in this state.
Before he had any longer to berate himself, the man found himself pushed roughly into the wall, his face pushed into the hard surface and his wounded shoulder held in a painful lock. The raven forced himself to hold back a cry of pain as he turned his head to look his attacker in the eye. Izaya and Kazuki recognized each other at the same time. Green eyes widened while burgundy eyes narrowed.
As if he'd been slapped, Kiyoshi let the man go quickly and took multiple steps back to give the raven some space. Orihara turned from his position against the wall immediately and cradled his injured shoulder as he regarded the soldier in front of him warily. Of course his unease didn't show through the masking smirk he always wore and to Kazuki the expression was like a silent promise. Even though it was the informant who seemed to be losing the battle, he looked as though he had the brunette right where he wanted him.
"Don't be so rough with me, Kazuki-kun~ You're making my wound bleed again.", the raven said in a singsong voice, his face twisting in agony only a moment later as his whole arm up to the shoulder throbbed.
This snapped the brunette out of his trance immediately as concern seemingly filled his every pore.
"Orihara! Shit, I'm so sorry. I didn't know it was you until a little too late… Does it hurt badly?", Kiyoshi said as his hands hovered over Orihara's skin; wanting to help but not wanting to touch without permission.
Burgundy eyes looked up at the man with a surprised look. The brunette definitely hadn't turned on him.
"Why are you apologizing? You had no clue who it was that just walked right into your place like they owned it.", the raven said, defending the man from his own blame.
"What if I tore something? I'd feel horrible if you died from too much blood loss because I didn't look before I pounced.", the brunette said ignoring the question as he worried over the smaller male like a mother hen.
"I'm fine, Kazuki.", the raven said patiently though he rolled his eyes ," It hurts, but I won't die."
Kiyoshi visibly relaxed at that before his green eyes lit up.
"There's ibuprofen in the kitchen cabinet. It should help with the pain."
"Really? Some of that would be lovely.", Izaya replied, silently thanking whatever forces that had given him such a gift.
Kazuki looked at the smaller male with relief at the fact that he didn't refuse, before he turned to go to the kitchen. The atmosphere around them was so calm and familiar as the informant followed after the soldier. It was as if they'd known each other for years prior, like they've known each other all their lives. Kiyoshi found that his heart was thrumming against his chest almost painfully at this and silently scolded himself for thinking about such stupid things.
"Hey Flea! Are you still alive, or do I still have to finish you off?", a certain bartender so rudely interrupted Kazuki's thoughts from his post by the door.
The informant let a smirk fall into place on his face as he turned towards the door as Kiyoshi dug around for the Ibuprofen.
"Sadly I'm still alive, Shizu-chan. You can come in now.", Izaya answered with his burgundy eyes glinting with mischief.
Kiyoshi nearly choked on his own spit. He'd forgotten about Shizou. His heart ached a bit at the re-realization that Orihara was most likely spoken for. A flash of white turning the corner caught the tall man's attention as his breath caught in his throat. The man in front of him had messy blonde hair and golden brown eyes. His features were sharp in some places and soft in others, a perfect blend of the contrasts. The male was shorter than him, but his shoulders were broad and powerful. Kazuki could sense the man's strength in the air and wondered just how ripped the blonde was underneath his bartender uniform. Kazuki felt as though he were no match, hardly any competition for the bartender in front of him. A suspicious scowl was etched onto the blonde's face and Kiyoshi found himself suddenly feeling extremely intimidated.
"Oh, sorry, I'm Kiyoshi Kazuki.", the brunette said snapping out of his daze and holding out a hand to shake with the other, "And you are Izaya's boyfriend, I'm guessing?"
The raven in question sputtered while Shizou's head whipped around to look at the shorter man beside him.
"No, god, no!", Orihara exclaimed,"I hate Shizou more than anything else in the whole entire world."
"Same here. I'd rather commit suicide than date the flea for even half a night.", the blonde replied as if fighting off his gag reflex.
Kazuki blinked a few times and lowered his hand to his side. The man pondered over why the pair were traveling together even though they hated each other, but then thought back to the way Hizoku and Raiju interacted. They hated each other too, but didn't like to be apart. These two must have a pretty poisonous friendship then.
"My mistake…" , the brunette laughed light-heartedly, "Listen, I'm going to take a quick shower, but feel free to help yourself to anything you need."
"And Orihara."
Izaya caught the pill bottle being thrown to him with his left hand thankfully as he nodded his appreciation.
"Only two. I'm being serious.", Kiyoshi warned as he walked past the shorter male, towards the hall again.
"I don't have a death wish, Kazuki, so you don't have to worry about me overdosing.", Orihara smirked as he proceeded to open the bottle.
Heiwajima scoffed as he leaned against the kitchen wall.
"You say that, but you do lots of things that have people questioning your sanity.", Shizou chimed in as he watched the raven swallow down two pills without any water.
"It's called living on the edge, Shizu-chan. I can't afford to live on that thin line anymore now with what's happening, but what's the point of life if you don't live it to its fullest potential?", Orihara asked as he slipped the bottle into his jacket pocket for later use.
"So I guess trusting some guy you hardly know is part of that, then?"
The brunette flinched at that comment with his hand on the knob of the door to the bathroom. The words were spat with such hostility that it made his insides coil.
"I didn't trust him for no reason, my dear Shizu-chan. He's honest. You can read that on him so clearly that even you can see that.", Izaya replied as he leaned against the opposite wall of the kitchen, aware that Kiyoshi was listening intently to his words.
"What the fuck are you talking about, flea?", the blonde asked with furrowed brows.
"Alas, the protozoan proves to be as stupid as ever."
The informant twirled out of the reach of hands trying to grasp him, a smirk on his face as he chuckled at the miss. Kazuki, realizing that the conversation was over, promptly stepped into the bathroom. Shizou didn't pursue Orihara any further after the attempt to grab him as he simply watched the raven walk towards the front door.
"I'm going to look at the new horses, feel free to keep being suspicious.", Izaya said over his shoulder as he practically danced out the door.
The sun was finally making an appearance, having burned the clouds covering it away. It lit up the autumn trees making reds, yellows, and oranges look vibrant and beautiful. The morning dew on the ends of the leaves just added to the picture. And the main star, Sukeban, was shining like a beacon. Her golden coat was shimmering so much that Orihara actually had to squint his eyes. When the mare noticed that the informant had come out, she ran towards him from the river that ran under the bridge. The raven smiled softly as he outstretched a hand for her to press her nose into. As the palomino came trotting over, Izaya noticed another figure following after her. The dapple grey horse from before looked like a literal star had fallen to earth as his coat shimmered even harsher than Sukeban's. He was taller and gaited; his natural stride was smooth and beautiful. With no effort this stallion was a work of art. Behind them both was a darker and shorter stallion. His coat was as dark as an abyss, darker than coal. The horse looked as though he were the other's shadow. His mane and tail were long and flowing; his steps bouncy and full of energy just waiting to burst.
"Oh, looks like you made friends, Suke-chan.", Izaya commented when the mare finally reached him.
Sukeban snorted in response as Hizoku curiously sniffed at the informant. The stallion was extremely bold and less cautious than the mare. He confidently pressed his nose to the informant's face, warm breaths assaulting the shorter male. To deter the horse from doing this, he blew air at his nose, making the stallion let out an indignant huff. When the dapple grey finally moved his face away, he only did so to reach over the informant and grab hold of his hood; yanking it upwards so violently that it actually choked Izaya for a moment. Noticing the raven's distress, Sukeban nipped the big grey sharply, making the stallion back off. From a bit of a distance Raiju watched the trio silently as if analyzing the situation carefully. Even with his fiery attitude, he was still very smart. Orihara watched the stallion as they regarded each other. There was a long pause before the coal black breathed out a sigh and then promptly ignored them all, instead walking to the porch to get a look at another new face.
Shizou had come out and was leaning against the porch as he watched Orihara the horse whisperer interact with the horses. Two of them seemed to be falling for his charms while one, at least, decided he wanted nothing to do with him. The blonde guessed that this horse had the common sense the other two were lacking.
"Aren't you going to warn your friends?", Heiwajima asked the black as the stallion stopped to sniff at some leaves on the ground , "He's dangerous, you know. He'll make them his slaves."
The Anglo Arab lifted his head and stared at the bartender, Shizou looking back at him squarely. Finally, the stallion snorted and shook his mane of dirt with a toss of his head.
"Well I guess it's their own damn fault for being so stupid, after all.", the bartender said as he leaned his head back to look at the blue sky.
The horse let out a closed-mouth neigh in response, as if agreeing. Heiwajima sighed as he looked back out to Orihara who was now being bombarded with two equally curious horses. The pair were so completely entranced with the informant and seemed to absolutely love the sound of Izaya's airy, yet smooth velvet voice.
"Like a siren leading sailors into a shipwreck.", Shizou sighed as he shook his head at them.
Meanwhile, Raiju continued forward until he was about arm's reach from the blonde; his nostrils flaring as he pulled a look similar to Sukeban's. His neck was outstretched as far as possible, wanting to get close without actually coming any closer. The horse could sense the power emitting from the man, so he was right in his uncertainty. The bartender arched a brow.
"If you want to be pet, just ask.", the blonde sighed as he held out a hand for the stallion to push his nose into.
The Anglo Arabian's ears pricked forward even more so as he slowly closed the gap between them; his body ready to bolt if he needed to do so. Shizou was patient as the horse's soft nose pressed into his fingertips. When it happened, it was written in stone. The difficult horse finally had a rider.
"He likes you. I thought I'd never see the day he liked someone even a fraction as much as he liked my father.", Kazuki said from the porch, making the blonde look over.
The brunette's hair was still wet and the man was without a shirt. Even though the man wasn't even close to being as strong as Shizou, he was definitely buffer. His rippling muscles shifted with each breath the man took and for the first time, the blonde felt that he had to look away from a human of the same sex as him.
"I noticed that he's not really affectionate.", the bartender replied as his eyes found their way back to Izaya's form.
The informant was currently busying himself with French braiding Hizoku's mane while Sukeban started to act out a little bit for the raven's attention. Kiyoshi found Orihara's apparent love for braiding to be cute while Shizou found it a bit disturbing. He thought it was weird that he'd even know how to make a simple three-strand braid until the blonde remembered that the man had two twin sisters who were probably into that stuff.
"We should probably get inside just in case someone from the Defense comes by.", Kazuki said suddenly, breaking the silence, "Mind calling him in?"
Heiwajima let out a curt nod before he brought his fingers to his mouth to whistle for the trio. Three heads whipped around when the shrill sound filled the air. Shizou jerked his head in the direction of the house and Izaya immediately understood, beginning to walk back to the house. The two horses that were with him didn't follow, both bickering with one another over God knows what. The blonde was about to whistle again when Raiju let out a loud call that had them running back to the porch. The bartender muttered a word of thanks to the stallion, quiet enough not to be heard by a person but loud enough for the horse to pick it up clearly as he walked passed him into the house.
"Have you guys eaten yet? There's a gas-stove, so I can make some eggs and bacon.", Kazuki said from the kitchen as he opened the still-running fridge.
"That sounds heavenly! I haven't had a real meal in ages!", Izaya said excitedly at the thought of filling his stomach with a fulfilling meal.
"No, we haven't eaten yet.", Shizou answered for them both as he shut the door behind him.
"I'll get right on breakfast then. Do whatever you want, but don't go outside.", the brunette said as he pulled out the bacon and eggs from the fridge.
"Sure thing.", the raven said easily as he scooped up a magazine and plopped onto the couch.
The blonde nodded as he sat down onto the couch opposite of the one Izaya was currently on.
-
They were kept, tied up, in the cargo area of the ship. It was dark, damp, and incredibly quiet save for the constant little creaks and bumps they heard. Kida was irritated at the way they were tied; Back to back with their hands wound tightly behind their backs. Not only did that probably agitate Kuronuma's wrist, but it also meant that there was no way for them to get comfortable. Masaomi promised himself that when Egor came down to check on them, he'd give him an earful until he relented and untied them.
Aoba sighed as he leaned his head back so that it was nestled in Kida's shoulder. The insistent pain in his wrist had been driving him crazy before, but now it was numb due to his blood circulation being cut off by the tight ropes that bound them. The teen was currently pondering over how life would be if he was really given the ability to shift from human to a four-legged animal at will. It was insane to think that technology had come so far as to make monsters such as the ones they'd soon be turned into. The thought of not being human anymore terrified him just as much as the thought of dying due to the operation did. Aoba's thoughts were disrupted momentarily by the blonde's head falling into his right shoulder; the older's cheek against his own. Even though he hated to be pulled away from his thoughts, Kuronuma was glad that he at least wasn't alone.
"What are you thinking about?", Kida asked in a murmur as he stared into the darkness above him.
"Nothing of any significance.", the shorter teen sighed as he stared up into the dark as well.
Kuronuma felt the older nod against his shoulder as he went quiet again.
"What are you thinking about?", the raven asked as he shifted to get in a more comfortable position.
"Nothing of any significance.", The blonde parroted making Aoba huff.
"I know it's something, Masaomi. When you aren't thinking, you're insulting me. Since you haven't insulted me this whole time, you've been thinking deeply about something."
"I could say the same to you. You insult me when you're not thinking too."
There was a long silence and Kida was sure that the conversation was over, until the other's soothing voice spoke up again.
"I'll tell you if you tell me."
"I asked first."
Kuronuma sighed deeply.
"It's about Saki, isn't it?"
"I asked first, Aoba."
The shorter teen tsked. He wasn't going to just spill his secrets to him. He kept his weaknesses hidden so no one could use them against him.
"If we're going to have each other's back, then we have to be open to one another. You know that. I have nothing to gain and you have nothing to lose."
Aoba closed his eyes tightly. Kida was right. They needed to know each other, become closer. It was hard for the first-year though. He had always lived with his thoughts and feelings hidden; kept people at arm's length. He hated humans after all, for they were tedious things. Kuronuma found his dependence on another human sickening enough and now he had to completely expose himself to the same one. The teen planned to keep his mouth shut, but his fear of being alone kept him from holding back.
"I can't believe I'm actually telling you anything…", The shorter said as the blonde waited for his next words patiently.
"Well it's just… I can't believe this is happening to me, I'm usually so careful. How dumb was it for me to fall asleep in such an open area and get caught not once, but twice? And now we're facing being turned into monsters."
Masaomi patiently waited for the smaller to get all his thoughts out, listening to every word.
"I'm honestly terrified. Usually I'd never admit that, but seeing that I'll most likely die anyway-"
"Don't say that!", Kida suddenly growled, cutting the shorter off sharply "Don't ever fucking say that…"
"It's true. That operation is dangerous, Kida. There's no way we'll survive it."
"You don't know that."
"I do."
"The success rate must be pretty high considering how many hybrids there are, Kuronuma."
Aoba sighed again. Was Kida always so blind to reason?
"This operation is one they've never attempted before. In order for our bodies to be able to shift into a wolf they'd first have to add wolf Dna into our own. If our bodies don't immediately reject it, then the hard part comes into play. A shifter type hybrid must be extremely hard to pull off, considering that our bone structure will have to completely change. And to make it so that it happens in just split seconds is even more insane."
"They must have a certain mixed Dna sequence that allows for the shape shifting aspect. I may be entirely wrong though; it could be way more complicated. Anyways, If they mess up even slightly, which is highly probable, then we're going to die."
"We won't die.", the blonde said as he stared into the darkness hard.
"Do you really believe that?"
"Completely."
Kuronuma thought vaguely that ignorance must really be blissful. To believe they'd actually survive was foolish, but it at least kept your spirits up.
"...so you were thinking about Saki before?"
Masaomi was silent for a few long moments before he responded.
"Yeah, I was. Don't you dare chastise me for it."
"I wasn't going to.", Aoba responded soothingly without meaning to sound so, making the blonde's anger fall away from him.
"... Well It's just I hate myself for letting her be captured. She was the most important thing in my life and I allowed her to be taken away. She might be dead, she might be a monster and completely unrecognizable, she might be being abused or raped and anything bad that happens to her is completely my fault. If I hadn't have left her all alone while I checked that apartment, if I just would have let her come with me…"
The shorter teen could hear the pain in the older's voice. It must be entirely crippling and Aoba was silently glad that he never invested so much into one person. Letting yourself be vulnerable and too dependent on someone was dangerous. They become a part of you and when they're ripped away, they take that part of you with them.
"We can't turn back time, Masaomi.", the raven said, his voice calm and steady "Even if you were there, you wouldn't have been able to save her. You would have been taken along with Saki and then separated later on when they separated the girls from the boys. Whatever happened after that, you'd've been powerless to stop it."
"... But… I should've gone with her anyways."
"Now you're just being blind to reason.", Aoba huffed.
"I don't want to hear that from you. You have no clue how it feels to love someone. You may have thought you have loved someone before, but whatever that feeling was, it wasn't it."
"You're right. I've never loved anyone a day in my life and do you know why?", The shorter teen asked.
Masaomi was silent as he waited for the answer, his lips pulled into a frown.
"Because you become a slave to the feeling, a slave to the person you love. You put them before yourself and throw yourself into danger on their behalf. War has been waged on the feeling, suicide has been committed due to it, and depression has been caused because of it. I don't want any part in it. I mean just look at you, for instance. The way you're feeling is a major drawback and is keeping you tied to the past."
"There's no way you can't love anyone… That's just not human.", the blonde murmured beside him.
"I can assure you that I don't have room for that emotion."
"What about your mother? Do you love her?"
"Why would I? She abandoned me and my brother, just up and left without saying a word."
"Your father?"
"Abused me."
"What about your brother then?"
"Took after my father, but I didn't tolerate any shit from him for long.", Aoba hissed as if there was a sour taste in his mouth.
The cargo area went silent again as Kida felt a sadness creep up on him. Aoba didn't know what love was. He'd never felt it and never received it. All he'd gotten in life was shit thrown at him. No wonder the teen acted the way he did and seemed to have a personal vendetta against the world.
"Honestly, you're the closest I've ever allowed anyone to get to me."
"I hardly even know you.", Masaomi murmured, feeling sick to his stomach at the realization of just how bad this really was.
"And that's how I like to keep it.", Aoba finished.
"It's settled then.", the blonde said suddenly.
"What's settled?"
"I'll make sure to learn everything there is to know about you, at least become your friend if we're going to be together for a while."
"I don't need any friends."
"That's what you think.", Kida smirked, using playful banter to soften the mood.
Kuronuma knew it was useless trying to deter the older male, so he simply sighed and accepted his fate.
"Why are you so invested in me? Is it pity that moves you to do this? Or is it guilt?"
"What do you mean?"
"Are you taking pity on me because I'm small and loveless or is it just that you're trying to make up for not being able to save Saki?"
The blonde's eyes narrowed as he turned his head slightly.
"Both.", the teen answered honestly, surprising Aoba with his bluntness, "Like it or not, you're the only thing I have left. I can't fail you like I did Saki or else I'll be completely alone and I don't know if I can handle being alone with my own thoughts again."
"What would you do if I wound up dying?", Kuronuma asked out of curiosity more than anything else.
"I don't have a clue but if I had to guess, nothing good."
"You really need some therapy, you know that? There must be something psychologically wrong with you if your life depends solely on my survival.", the smaller teen said nonchalantly.
Kida shrugged and then there was silence. Kuronuma found the quiet less daunting than before and even found comfort in it. Six more hours to go and then they'd be lost to their homeland for the rest of their lives, only to return to it as enemies. Well, that is if they survived the operation. Whatever was in store for them, Aoba was now ready to face it all head on.
Izaya watched Kazuki clear the table, his eyes observing the man curiously.
"You know that it doesn't matter whether we cleanup or not since we're leaving, right?", the informant asked as green eyes fluttered over to him.
"Yeah I know. It just feels wrong to leave them laying out, ya know?"
"Well if you feel like wasting your time, go right ahead.", the raven smirked as he rested his head in his left hand.
There was no more talking as the sound of water and plates clinking filled the house. This slice of domestic life was refreshing in a way and for a moment they all could forget what was going on outside of the house. Orihara's eyes wandered over to the blonde, curious as to where he'd gone when he had gotten up a few minutes ago. The raven didn't have to look far for Shizou since he was laying on the couch behind him, half-dozing having had had a very fulfilling breakfast; courtesy of Kiyoshi. The informant almost laughed at the sight of Heiwajima's frown still deeply set on his face even though he was relaxing.
He didn't linger on watching the brute for long as he got up and moved to go to the kitchen. The raven was sick and tired of the blonde even though he'd hardly spent just two days in his presence. When the shorter male entered the kitchen, He found the taller scrubbing away laboriously at the pan he'd used to cook the bacon. The brunette didn't realize that he was there at first, but after a minute or two, green eyes looked up from washing and then back down to shut off the water.
"You need any help?", Orihara asked, breaking the ice as he walked completely into the kitchen.
"No, I'm pretty much done. I have this pan and then one other one.", the soldier replied.
"We still have a lot of time to kill, so I'm thinking I might even just go ahead and clean the whole kitchen. Hell, maybe even the whole house after I'm done getting everything packed."
Izaya let out another one of his breathless, soft laughs as he sat on some papers that were littering the counters.
"Anxious?"
Kazuki paused his hand movements as he thought for a moment.
"Not particularly. Well, maybe I'm worried about getting out okay, but other than that, I'm just looking for things to do really."
Izaya looked at the shirtless man's back appreciatively for a brief moment as Kiyoshi continued scrubbing. The informant had never found his eyes so drawn to someone's back before, but he decided not to question it. The man was so perfectly ripped from front to back that Orihara wasn't sure whether to be amazed or jealous.
"Why is it that you're so good at cooking, cleaning, and other wifely chores?", the raven asked as he watched the brunette put the bacon pan to the side and grab the last one.
Kiyoshi actually laughed at that, his back still turned towards the shorter male.
"I was my mother's child.", the man explained, "I loved spending my days around her and helping out where I could."
"So you unknowingly let her condition you to be the perfect stay at home wife?", Izaya teased.
"She had no daughters, so that may have actually been her goal.", Kazuki said back, a chuckle evident in his voice.
"So what about you? Why is it that you seem to be a hairdresser?"
Orihara sighed as his mind wandered to when he was younger. His sisters would always harass him until he agreed to cut, braid, or style their hair. He had even been forced to dye their hair the color of their choice once even though he knew his parents would chew him out later.
"My sisters always wanted something new done to their hair.", the informant chuckled as he opened his eyes to find the brunette standing in front of him, both pans in hand to duck down and put them in their rightful place in the lower cabinet.
"That makes a lot of since. Apparently you liked to do that though since you've been braiding Hizoku and Hinata's hair, or Sukeban now."
Orihara lifted his legs up onto the counter, hugging them to his chest so the taller could put the pans away.
"Well I like braiding their hair because they don't complain like my sisters do."
"Oh right, I've been meaning to ask this for a while now.", Kiyoshi suddenly said as he reappeared from down below and turned to a cabinet containing blankets and a tent bag.
Izaya arched a brow.
"And what is that?"
"What were you doing before you came here? Were you ever alone?"
Orihara immediately thought of Kida and wondered again where the teen was. Was he still with Aoba? Was he still on his way here or had there been a change in plans? Where they even still alive? Had they even made it out of the city that night?
"I was alone up until recently. I hid out in a bunker for two weeks in Ikebukuro after the terrorist attack. When the Defense hit hard and I was abandoning the city, I ran into an old employee of mine named Masaomi Kida."
"Where is he now?", the brunette asked seriously as he wrapped three blankets around the tent bag and then secured it to it with a strong but small piece of rope.
"Well, while on our way here to meet with Shizu-chan, we had to skim the outskirts of the city. We came across a cattle truck and saw that his friend was going to be thrown in.", Izaya explained, "Naturally, he jumped off the horse to go save him."
"Don't worry", Orihara said as he saw horror pass through the male's features, "I think he was able to get away since the squad took more interest in the horse I was riding and chased me down. That's how I wound up with a bullet wound in my shoulder"
Kiyoshi nodded as he grabbed a plastic bag and began loading it with food.
"Any clue where he is now?"
"Not one. He could be on his way here, could be dead, he could even be captured for all I know.", the raven sighed.
"Do you want to wait a few days for him?"
"We can't afford to. Besides, he's a big boy. He can take care of himself, even better if he has Aoba to watch over him to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."
Orihara could tell that that didn't sit very well with Kazuki, but the man didn't argue the topic any further.
"What about Heiwajima? Where has he been this whole time?"
"Who knows? Why don't you ask him yourself?", the raven said as he hopped down off of the counter.
"Hmm, maybe I will when we all sit down to talk about where we'll be heading to first on our journey further south.", the brunette responded as he moved to another cabinet.
"South? What's for us down there?", Izaya asked curiously.
"A place where the Defense probably won't go. They are completely taking over the North half of Japan currently and might be leaving the South end alone since no plans have been made to invade. That could change later on, but we only have to be concerned about now.", the soldier said as he looked him in the eye seriously.
"I see you've done your homework.", Orihara smirked coyly, making the older man swallow and avert his gaze back to what he was doing before.
"Like I said, I've been planning this for awhile…", Kazuki said as he grabbed another bag and filled it without paying attention to what he was grabbing.
Orihara held back his urge to burst out laughing as he saw just what the brunette was grabbing for.
"...Say, Kazuki-kun? Do we really need sponges where we're going?", Izaya asked as he arched a brow.
Kiyoshi paused and looked down at his left hand to find three packages of sponges gripped firmly in his fingers. With a heavy blush, the tall man quickly shoved the sponges where he'd found them and tried desperately not to look at the informant who was currently laughing at his misery.
As Orihara came down from his bout of laughter, he looked out of the kitchen window and saw something move from the corner of his eye. His gaze flickered over to a relatively hidden corner and saw someone hiding not so entirely well in the shadows. It wasn't uncommon for regular citizens to act like this given the current world situation, but if the walkie-talkie in the man's hand and Defense uniform on the man's body was anything to go by, then this wasn't just some ordinary citizen. With narrowing eyes, the informant reached up and closed the blinds, making Kazuki look at him questioningly. When burgundy eyes met evergreen, a clear message was passed between them as the brunette quickly loaded what was most valuable into bags. Meanwhile from the living room, Shizou had a pillow smashed over his head. The constant back and forth flirting was driving him insane. He almost had the urge to walk back to the cabin seeing that if he went with them, this is what he'd have to endure. Would he just be the third wheel for the rest of whatever he had left of his life?
"Shizu-chan~!", Orihara called to the blonde in a singsong voice.
Of course! How stupid of him to think that the flea would ever ignore him for long? Heiwajima found that he was scoffing at himself for disliking being the third wheel for even a split second.
"What do you want, Flea?", the bartender spat as he kept the pillow pressed firmly over his head.
"What? Is Shizu-chan upset that I'm not giving him attention?", the informant said lowly as he took a step forward.
The blonde shot up like an arrow, his eyes panicky as he put his hands out in front of him. He had not forgotten the last time the shorter had gotten close to him. Shizou was glad that his manhood wasn't taken that day and didn't want to take the chance of losing it again.
"No!", the male yelled louder than he intended.
Orihara smirked as he took a few steps back, not wanting to get injured any more than he already was.
"My ears work just fine. No need to be so loud, Shizu-chan.", the raven sighed as another smirk took the place of the last one.
"Now that you're up, I need you to get a saddle on Hizoku and Raiju. We're leaving early. Be prepared to fight if need be."
The serious turn in the raven's voice shocked Shizou for a moment as he saw Kazuki, finally with a shirt on and his arms full of supplies, come from the kitchen.
"Izaya what-"
"Look, just do as I say or things could end badly for all of us.", the raven said as he walked back to the kitchen to grab a few more things as Kiyoshi saddled up his dapple grey holsteiner, placing everything he'd grabbed into the saddlebag.
The blonde immediately got up and swiftly walked out to the porch. As if knowing that it was time to go, all the horses stood ready to take off at a moment's notice. Looking around, the bartender immediately found what he was looking for; Raiju's saddle. Picking it up easily, the man walked towards the black stallion and was able to put it on without any trouble. At that point, Kiyoshi was already on his horse and anxious to get a move on before a squad came. As if on cue, the informant finally emerged from the house. He quickly ran out to Sukeban and threw everything he was carrying into the horse's saddlebag and climbed on.
"Quickly, Heiwajima.", the brunette warned as he took off at a trot, followed closely by Orihara.
The blonde had never gotten onto a horse before, but he guessed that he should be fine seeing that he knew all the commands well enough. Shizou climbed on with a bit of difficulty as the black stallion grunted in protest to the man getting on his back in such an awkward fashion, but nonetheless he was able to ride after the soldier and informant at a gallop he didn't mean to go at. Luckily it worked out alright, since both Kiyoshi and Izaya were breaking out into a gallop too; wanting to get away as soon as possible. At the front of the pack was the dapple grey as the black and the palomino flanked him on either side, moving in a V-formation. Shizou surprisingly learned to ride smoothly quickly and found that travelling by horse was somewhat enjoyable. The coal black stallion under him was strong and capable and the bartender could feel the raw power emitting from the horse. Looking over at Orihara, the blonde observed that Izaya had a pained look on his face. The informant's shoulder was extremely stiff and would take a while to loosen up.
The raven felt eyes on him and looked over to see Heiwajima staring at him intensely. The raven gave a curt nod as if saying he'd be fine and then urged Sukeban to pick up speed to keep up with Hizoku. Orihara wondered vaguely what would have happened had he not decided to go into the kitchen. Would Shizou have been able to fight a way through for them or would they have been caught? Orihara shook his head to dissipate the many questions he seemed to be having at the most inappropriate times. He supposed he was always like this though, always lost in thought. Always thinking about would could've been and what could be. For now though, he had to focus solely on what could be. There was no reason look back.
-Prologue For Next Chapter-
Not once had Egor come down to check on them. No food or water was given and their position had remained the same as time droned on. They were now a total of six hours into their eight hour ship ride and dehydration didn't feel too far off at this point. Kuronuma was insistently working at the ropes around his wrists as Kida, who had given up hours ago, looked blankly up at the deck above him and let the shorter's rocking movements lull him to sleep. Aoba was slowly making progress, using his nails to pull and tear away the tough rope strand by strand. He was going to get at least his injured wrist free even if it was the last thing he did. The pain in had come back with an urgent insistence and Aoba couldn't have ignored it if he'd wanted to.
Kuronuma hissed and growled in irritation every now and then, cursing whoever's idea it was to tie them up even though they were in a locked area with no weapons within reach as Masaomi kept his head in the shorter's shoulder. The blonde was exhausted and his throat felt like sandpaper. He began to wonder how the raven even had any energy left at all before the door separating them from the light of day creaked open, filling the cargo area with a sudden light that had both teen's eyes aching. The curvy outline of a woman was standing at the top of the stairs and after a quick assessment of the situation, walked down them.
Blonde hair came into view along with two bottles of water. Kida tensed as Varona approached, worried about what would happen to them while Egor wasn't here to keep track of the mentally unhinged assassin. Aoba had no clue about their current predicament as he tried desperately to crane his neck towards the sound of approaching footsteps.
"Trying to get free?", Varona asked in a monotone voice that sent chills up both teen's spines.
The Russian woman didn't get a reply as she bent down and set both bottles of water on the floor, tantalizingly close but unable to be obtained. She then slowly stood up straight and circled around the pair slowly, looking them over eagerly like a child at a zoo would look at animals, until she stood in front of Masaomi again. The look in her icy-blue eyes set off warning bells in the teen's minds.
"I wonder if they'll really be able to pull off such a complicated hybrid on such scrawny and weak subjects…", the woman said mostly to herself as she unpocketed a knife and walked towards Kida.
The Russian woman noticed the look of panic on the teen's face immediately and tilted her head curiously at the reaction. The look was not unsimilar to the look she wore when she put down the horse team only hours before. There was a moment of baited breath as both teens wondered what she was going to do. Would she really kill them right here? Right now?
"I was ordered to cut the ropes and give you some water." Varona finally said as she leaned over and began to saw away at their binds, "One of the scientists who will be conducting the operation is on-board and wants to have a look at you two."
The high schoolers relaxed if only a little as the woman cut them loose. The second they were free, they dove for the water and quickly opened the bottles. They brought the lip of the plastic containers to their lips and drank greedily, sputtering and coughing when they drank a little too quickly. The blonde assassin was watching them with her head tilted curiously again, but the pair were so parched that they couldn't find it in themselves to care. When Aoba finished his water, he licked at the drops still up in the container desperately trying to suck up every last bit. It wasn't hardly enough. Kida was doing the same, but gently tapping the end of the bottle to get the droplets of water to fall on to his waiting tongue.
"Come, he isn't a very patient man.", Varona insisted as she moved towards the stairs again, looking back to watch the teens stiffly get to their feet, "There will be food waiting for you where he is."
At that, both Kida and Aoba began to move as if time were really of the essence. They followed the assassin up the stairs eagerly as their stomachs growled and their mouths filled with saliva just by thinking about all the things that could be waiting for them. Seagulls squawked and screeched as they flew alongside the ship, hoping for food to be thrown overboard. The sky was grey and moody and the promise of a storm was evident in the heavy air. Waves crashed into the sides of the great vessel, spraying the trio as they walked towards the captain's cabin.
"Just so you know, Professor Demyan isn't familiar with the term 'personal space'", Varona warned as they reached their destination.
Masaomi was about to ask what she meant by that before he and the little raven beside him were ushered inside. The smell of meat it the teen's noses like a brick wall as they stepped in. They held themselves back from attacking the plates set out for them with much difficulty as a man with greying dark brown hair, glasses, and a cheerful face looked up at them with a smile.
"Please, have a seat and dig right in!", the man said enthusiastically, "There's much to do and such little time! I had to beg to see you before we ported!"