Title: Things that change for better or for worse
Chapter 17: Discussing the Change 1
By: Sissy

Disclaimer: DRRR shall never belong to me otherwise there'd be more yaoi.
Warning: Random conversations.
A/N: I'm usually updating from my phone since I don't have my own net and the one I mooch off of doesn't turn on all the time so I haven't been able to discuss how awesome you guys are for reading thus far but I realize I should since we're almost at the half mark. We're halfway through now! So now it's starting to head into the random and serious (wait, when am I ever serious?). And now, abscond! Before the net disappears again!

"I see you've gotten people all worked up, Mikado-kun. You even called in sick." Izaya grinned as he spoke to Mikado at Anri's shop. The owner was out at the moment, which was a good thing since she might've tried to hurt Izaya. "So what happened yesterday? My sources say Shizu-chan ambushed you and then you fainted? Was it out of joy?"

"Izaya-san…" Mikado began, looking up at Izaya with a smile. "Did you come here because you were jealous? Shall I tell Erika-san? She'll enjoy that, you know? And when she enjoys things, I hear she makes visual stories." There was a wide grin that reminded Izaya of Erika herself.

"It's mimicry, isn't it?" Izaya suddenly asked and Mikado looked confused. "I just didn't get how you could've changed so much, even with a six-year difference. That right there, it's Erika-san, isn't it?"

Mikado giggled, trying to hide his laugh with his hand. "Izaya-san, you have an overactive imagination. I'm not surprised though, with your profession. But you're wrong."

"Oh, really? How am I wrong?" Izaya was curious as to what kind of answer the other would give him.

"You haven't realized? I'm not doing mimicry. That would mean I have something about myself I hate enough to exchange for. I don't. My change is different. Similar to the evolution you sought from me, but worse." Mikado's gaze reminded Izaya of the old days, back when Mikado led the Blue Squares.

"You never bore me, you know." Izaya told Mikado flat out. He was being honest too. "I'd almost want you for myself if not for the fact that I prefer everyone to a single one."

"Oh, I know that. Which is how I know you've been up to no good for some time now. After all, you want interesting moments. It's the whole reason you've been leading me along since we met, isn't it?" Mikado asked with a grin and anyone else would have thought the male might've brought out something to hurt Izaya with.

And with Izaya's imagination, he managed to feel the desired knife in his throat but he didn't let Mikado notice it. "Well, who wouldn't be interested in the Dollars founder? Nobody thought of you as so, what with that meek attitude you had when you first came to Ikebukuro."

"Yet everyone thought it was you. Izaya-san, you're more famous than you think." Mikado seemed to be making fun of Izaya, though in his own weird way.

"And you're getting better at changing topics. You haven't answered me yet, was it out of joy?" Izaya got back on track, showing how much he truly wanted to bother Mikado with that subject.

"Your sources must not be very good if they didn't see the whole picture. If they had, you wouldn't be asking me this question, Izaya-san." With a smile, Mikado got Izaya to give him a sarcastic sigh.

"So mean, Mikado-kun! Fine then! I'll find out some other way! I've expanded my sources since you've been gone, just for you. I'll find out everything in no time." And that was the end of the conversation for the day as Izaya strolled out of the shop, almost with a skip in his step. Anri came back a few minutes later and was not privy to what had happened.

… … …

"You know, everything makes sense now!" Erika exclaimed with a smile while her husband walked alongside her. "See, I always wondered why Shizu-chan seemed more mellowed out in the past few years. He doesn't even get angry with me when I accidentally call him 'Shizu-chan' like Iza-Iza does."

"So you're saying that because he's an uncle now, he should watch how he acts for when the boy's father talks about Shizuo-san? He wants to be the cool uncle everyone's jealous of?" Walker seemed to enjoy his wife's theories a lot more than he should.

"Now, since Mikapuu decided to keep more information hidden from me, I should have some fun with him. And you know what, the infamous Ruka-chan looks a lot like Shizu-chan!" That last line Erika murmured to Walker with glee. She had seen the child's picture in a magazine once and found the resemblance curious but now that she knew the truth, Erika felt something beyond happiness.

"A man's journey is something that can be repeated many times, Erika-san." Walker reminded his wife with a grin and saw her pout.

"Yumacchi, you're so mean! Now you're making me think about this! If Mikapuu leaves, then Anri-chan might stop that order of mine in retaliation." Erika commented while making some pouting noises. Her husband chuckled, She probably wouldn't but I won't tell her that.

… … …

"Ruka-chan, your daddy's so mean. I bet ya anything that he knew who I was when we first met." Masaomi vented his frustrations with Ruka while the boy played with some toy cars. He had taken the day off just so he could be at the nursery at that moment.

"I apologize. But you're right. I did know. Mikado-kun showed me a picture of you both once." Kasuka showed up from behind the fake blond and was tackled to the ground by his son. "Ruka-kun, I can't breathe well. We've talked about this."

Ruka gave a loud roar of victory and ran off to greet his mother with a smile. Ruri seemed pleased with how happy her son was, despite the chuckle she held in check when Ruka tackled her husband. As Ruka ran around to play with other children waiting for their parents, Ruri sat down next to Kasuka and watched silently from the sidelines.

"So you were going to keep this quiet from me? I've kept quiet about you two! Sure, I only told Anri-chan, but that's Anri-chan! She knows how to keep quiet!" Masaomi pouted and felt a kid come by to pat him before running off.

"And I appreciate your silence but this was something that related to those I care about and it wasn't up to me to disclose their matters." Kasuka explained calmly to Masaomi but the other didn't seem pleased. "I realize you were also worried about him and that you're his best friend but we should stay out of it for the time being."

"Seriously, what happened between those two? I don't care anymore that they were friends but now I'm just curious since I was left out of the loop." Masaomi said and bopped the head of another kid who had tried to come and tap him. The child ran off laughing and Ruri held in a chuckle.

"You would have to ask Mikado-kun, I'm afraid." Kasuka explained but Masaomi immediately sighed.

Though he seemed depressed, Masaomi still managed to smile again for Kasuka. "One step at a time, then. Damn. And here I wanted to finally ask something more important to Mikado."

"Yuuhei-san, where's Ruka?" Ruri suddenly asked afraid. Her face seemed to have paled when a little girl came towards her. "You know what Ruka said? He said, you know, GAO! Then he followed something yummy out the door. He didn't listen to me. Ruka's mean."

"Oh, dear. We'll need to find him now." Kasuka didn't seem surprised at all while Ruri was worried about something else. Masaomi quickly stood up and headed over to find Saki. "Let's go Ruri-san. He shouldn't be too far." They stood up and headed outside with Masaomi once the other informed Saki.

… … …

"Changing takes time and I ain't interested in wasting mine. Plus, you gotta be really committed to it for that to work. You're a scaredy-cat, Mikado so we'll do it differently. I know you've shown me something different but I wanna make sure that no matter what happens you won't forget this training."

Mikado remembered those words as he walked along the path to the nearest convenience store. He sighed once he stopped walking. "Yet the first thing I do when pushed is run. What kind of wasted training did I go through in six years?"

"Remember Mikado, breaking things is easy. People on the other hand, take a little more time, but it's just as easy. What'd they call it? Conditioning? Eh, it's something like that. Imma condition you into the biggest badass anyone's ever seen!"

While lost in thought, Mikado failed to notice his surroundings or the semi-hostile intent behind him until it bit his hand. Surprised, he yelped in pain and looked down to see Ruka. The boy seemed pleased with himself in a very proud haughty way and proceeded to climb Mikado's arm very easily.

"Ru-Ru-Ruka-kun?" Mikado didn't know what to do as the boy reached his face and grinned.

"Weird. You react better when people get up close to you. Is it some sorta repressed memory?"

"Kyaaa! What are you doing to Mikado? Pervert!"

"Why am I the pervert? Mikado's clearly the one with the problem!"

At that, Mikado tried to hold in a chuckle. He couldn't help it. Ruka gave a small roar in victory and licked Mikado's cheek. Grabbing hold of the boy, he continued his trek to the convenience store in the meantime. He could find a way to get a hold of Kasuka later, though he knew the man was most likely worried about the whereabouts of his son.

"So how to resolve my biggest dilemma? Any ideas, Ruka-kun?" Mikado asked the boy, who simply nested himself into a sleeping position and immediately started a light snore. "No use asking you then."

To Be Continued…