Title: Things that change for better or for worse
Chapter 4: Other Changes 2
By: Sissy

Disclaimer: DRRR shall never belong to me otherwise there'd be more yaoi.
Warning: Some revelations?

"Excuse me! You here Anri-chan?" Erika came in with a smile to the shop and saw the person she was looking for behind the counter at the back of the store. "How's business coming along?" She greeted while walking closer to the younger woman she had known for a while now.

"Everything is quiet today." Anri replied with a smile and brought a book out for her friend. "I found this the other day. It came with a lot I ordered a few weeks ago. I thought you might enjoy it."

"Ooh! You know my tastes very well, Anri-chan!" Erika approved of the book as she took it in her hands to ogle at. "But that's not why I came! Though I will buy this."

"I know. You were looking for a cradle, right? I managed to secure the one you wanted. But it'll take some time for it to arrive. It's being imported after all." Anri explained and took back the book that Erika had.

"At least I know you managed to get it. I was worried for a second that it might be too difficult. Even Yumacchi was worried." Erika gave a sigh of relief and took the stool Anri had left out for her. Since the older woman tended to visit her often, Anri had placed one there. However, she was planning on getting a different one for when Erika started getting bigger.

"Excuse me! Good afternoon! I'm from the car rental to pick up the car." A man suddenly came into the store with a slight bow to Anri. His smile was pleasant, much like a salesman.

"Oh, yes. I'll be right there." Anri nodded to the man and looked for the keys to the car in front of her shop in the pockets of her camel apron. Once she had them in her hands, she headed over to the man and handed them over. Erika watched her sign some paperwork and receive a receipt before ending the conversation with the man.

"I was wondering whose car that was out there. You rented it?" Erika asked once Anri arrived back behind the counter. Seeing her nod, Erika couldn't help but feel confused. "If you needed a car, you could've asked us to help you. Why the need for the rental?"

"Ah. It was a very personal matter. I'm sorry." Anri apologized to the woman, leaving her confused.

"Sonohara-san, I'm back." Just as she was speaking of him, in came the very personal matter that Anri had tried to keep quiet about. With a shocked look, Erika and Mikado stared at each other while Anri had already left inside her mind.

"Mikapuu~!" Erika ran towards him with the intention of tackling him but the younger man quickly moved to the side. "Ah." As Erika tripped and was about to fall, Mikado caught her hand and held her steady.

"Are you alright Karisawa-san? I'm sorry I moved out of the way. I didn't notice… Ah, um… I…didn't notice your…belly…" Mikado apologized and saw the woman grin widely.

"Oh, Mikapuu, you silly head! When did you get back?" Erika started questioning him while poking his forehead. "And it's not Karisawa anymore, it's Yumasaki. So call me Erika-sama, okay?"

"Eh? Yumasaki? Eh?" Mikado looked over to Anri with a confused look, causing Erika to poke him in the cheek now. Then with a surprised look, he took a step away from Erika. "Eh? Yumasaki? As in, Yumasaki-san? Since when?"

"Three years now. Oh, don't tell me, was that why Anri-chan needed the rental? She was picking you up? Oh my! You two are closer these days, aren't you? Wait… Does Kida-kun know you're back? Do I know first? Kyaa! This makes a perfect setting for Yumacchi's new novel he's secretly working on!" Before Erika could faint from excitement, Mikado quickly placed a hand on her mouth.

"I'm begging you Kari- No, I mean, Erika-san. Please keep this quiet for a while. I'm not about ready to proclaim to the rest I'm back." Mikado asked with a serious gaze but the woman simply pouted.

"Keeping this quiet means I'll have to lie to Yumacchi! And then to Dotachin and Togusacchi! And that's not good for the baby!" Erika explained, trying to get him to reason with her.

"I didn't want to have to resort to this…" Mikado sighed sadly and grabbed something from his bag. "You want this, right? It's really valuable to you, isn't it?" Mikado dangled the book in front of her face and saw it lit up.

"Why do you have that? Even I don't have a copy!" Erika was about to bit Mikado's hand before he explained to her the truth.

"I know the author. Sonohara-san told me you liked this and frequented her shop so I prepared a safety measure in case you met me. Honestly, this does not feel good but if I don't keep you quiet Erika-san, the whole world might know I'm back." Mikado looked saddened for a second and Erika realized that something was really bothering him.

"I don't like this but fine!" Erika agreed and took the book in her hands. "So who are you hiding from? At the very least, let me know that."

Backed into a corner, Mikado swallowed his pride and uttered a single name. That name caused Erika to faint this time and nearly hit the floor. Anri, on the other hand, had decided to keep quiet, despite nearly falling as well.

… … …

With a grin in their faces, Orihara Mairu and Orihara Kururi stepped off the elevator while dragging with them an injured and unconscious man. This man looked completely tattered and beaten and was bleeding quite a bit.

"Oi, Aoba-kun! Open up!" Mairu called for her old friend and Raira classmate with a smile while knocking on his apartment door. After several minutes, he didn't seem to answer her.

"Out?" Kururi asked curiously while eying the unconscious man with them.

"Maybe." Mairu shrugged at her question and knocked on the door again, hoping for him to answer this time.

"Coming." Kururi looked back at the elevator, which was rising to their floor. "Follow?"

"I don't think that guy did. I trashed him pretty badly. He won't be up for a while longer." Mairu grinned but still prepared herself to attack any possible enemy.

However, the preparation was for naught as the very person they came looking for got off the elevator with someone both girls quickly recognized. "Shizuo-san!" They greeted him with a smile but Heiwajima Shizuo simply sighed before replying back a simple 'hello' to the two.

"Didn't I give you two a key? Why haven't you used it yet?" Aoba asked them while passing around them to open the door to his apartment. He made no mention on the unconscious man they had brought with them.

"Oh, right! I knew I forgot something! It just feels weird. We only moved with you last week after all!" Mairu replied with an aloof grin and followed Aoba in with her twin while Shizuo slowly lagged behind.

"Whatever. You know where to put him." Aoba ordered both girls while looking for a few towels to place in his sofa. He had received this apartment from his master so it had been a bit too big at the beginning but with the twins living with him now, it didn't feel as big as before. Especially since they loved to bring any injured worker from their bodyguard agency. "Shizuo-san, go sit in the couch. I'll handle your wound in a sec."

Shizuo nodded and waited for his turn to be treated. Mairu and Kururi watched Aoba and helped out a bit so after he was done with the unconscious man, he returned with a basic first aid kit for Shizuo, who had taken off his shirt to show the wound to Aoba.

"I'm so busy today. It probably has something to do with Izaya-san being back from Okinawa." Aoba sighed, not caring to notice that Shizuo got instantly irked at Izaya's name.

"Izaya's back in Ikebukuro? The flea!" Shizuo stood up and was about to leave when Aoba spoke up.

"Kururi."

"Roger."

Immediately, Kururi stepped in his way, causing the taller man to fall onto the floor on his back. Before Shizuo could do anything, Kururi jumped on him and placed a finger in his wound.

"Kururi!" Shizuo screamed, about to grab hold of the younger female when Mairu held him down by the shoulders. "Mairu! You want to protect your brother that badly?"

"No, no. You can kill Iza-nii as much as you like but let Aoba-kun treat you first. See, it's like this. Shinra-san worries you might overdo things and asked Aoba-kun to make sure you're always treated with basic first aid. But Aoba-kun can't just keep you still if you run off at the mention of Iza-nii and he's now our landlord so we have to help him whenever we can!" Mairu explained with a calming smile and saw Shizuo give up.

"Good. Now sit back on the sofa." Aoba ordered the older man, who complied with a silent nod.

Both Kururi and Mairu got off him and watched him sit down on the sofa. Aoba got to work and pretty soon had finished bandaging him up. He knew that Shizuo always only needed basic care thanks to his monstrous strength. But he noticed something odd. Shizuo, after treatment, still stayed on his couch, staring at an old wound on his hand.

"My, my Shizu-chan. I never pegged you for an ally of justice."

"You flea! Don't involve others into this!"

Clenching his hands into a fist, Aoba could only sigh when he noticed blood being drawn from them. Now he had something else to bandage. How stupid can this guy be? What's he thinking of that could piss him off this much? Even Izaya-san doesn't get this sort of reaction, Aoba thought to himself.

However, he was mostly right as Shizuo had, by now, stopped thinking of the annoying flea. All that came to his mind was a single sentence.

"I can't."

To Be Continued…