The following week, Izaya is missing from school.

The first thing Shizuo does is try not to panic. He tries to think rationally about why this might be the case, but every possibility that comes to mind is worse than the last.

Izaya's just sick. Or maybe his sisters are sick.

Izaya is bored of him and no longer cares to associate with Shizuo.

Something happened to Izaya.

When lunchtime rolls around Shizuo had been to none of his classes. He's just spent the whole day in the closet, curled around Izaya's blanket and sick with worry, remembering the bruises over and over again.

Shizuo does not manage to spend the whole day in school. After lunch, he runs to Izaya's house.

:::

Izaya can't wait anymore.

He wants to end this now. He wants to end the Blue Squares and just pour everything he has into Shizuo. He doesn't want to be Kanra anymore. So, he speeds up the plan with the help of a little catalyst and plants the seeds of the idea to turn common items such as bottles of perfume and air freshener into flamethrowers. Not the safest, or most effective weapon. But exciting and "badass" enough to make the boys eager to put into action. Just enough to make them hurry the fuck up and flex their muscles against the police already.

But the police won't being doing all the work for Izaya. No, that wouldn't be fun enough. Izaya wants to be sure Ran Izumi suffers personally. He trembles with excitement on the way to the Blue Square's hideout just imagining the power surge of having a gang leader suffer at his hands. If Nakura was fun, Izumi is going to be incredible.

:::

Shizuo rushes straight to Izaya's house first. When he knocks, he's met with silence. He looks through the window and no one's home.

That's… no reason to panic yet, right?

He decides the best way to calm down is to go home and bake. That usually helps and he can use it as an excuse to drop by later. Shizuo's not sure what the girls will like but cupcakes are always a safe bet.

:::

The Blue Squares are all skipping school today and hoping to catch the police off-guard. Izaya's not really sure what they hope to accomplish, Kanra didn't really suggest a goal, but the Blue Squares want to prove that they're dangerous and fearless. Picking fights with Shizuo is good and all, but they want to show they're not scared of anyone.

Izaya wonders, if the police attack doesn't work out in his favor if he could convince them to step on the toes of the yakuza? That one's probably a stretch…

The warehouse is full of boys who are far too young, stupid, and dangerous to be playing the games they are. They're building amateur weapons, some of them formidable and other so flashy and impractical Izaya almost laughs. Trying to fight with an actual chain is ridiculous. Just something that happens in movies.

Akihito specifically asked Kanra to stay away from the Square's today as he's not quite as full of false bravado as some of the others. He's not as afraid as some of the others, mostly because he thinks Izumii is enough of a violent psycho to get them through this, but he's cautious. Kanra's almost touched by this.

But she comes anyway with the promise to hide in the warehouse until it's all over and Akihito comes back. Despite him telling her to stay away, he's ecstatic to see her. He really believes this is a sigh Kanra loves him too.

… Well, at least Kanra's not lying about staying in the warehouse. Izaya has work to do in there.

That evening, the Blue Squares go off to war and most of them won't be coming back. Anyone who does is going to wish they didn't.

:::

Shizuo manages to wait until he sees all the elementary schoolers on his street arriving home to go back to the Orihara's with a box of undecorated vanilla cupcakes and supplies to decorate them with. Izaya's got to be home for his sister, surely. He can surprise them with this. What kids don't like decorating their own cupcakes?

He'll knock on the door, Izaya will answer it with the twins close behind. Izaya will make fun of him and the four of them will decorate cupcakes and… And it will be perfect. Izaya's bruises were just from an embarrassing moment of clumsiness and he secretly has makeup because he likes it and that's just fine with Shizuo.

He doesn't believe himself. He practically runs to the Orihara house.

It's quiet again this time… Then Shizuo hears some shuffling… Then the curtains of the window by the front door shift the tiniest bit to allow a wide eye to peek through.

Then the door flies open and the girls jump at him.

"Shizuo-nii!"

Shizuo feels a bit relieved when he sees them perfectly safe, but where's Izaya?

When he kneels to ruffle their hair he notices the taser in Kururi's hand and his brain short-circuits a bit.

"Hey you two, I brought… something… Where's your brother?"

"Whatdja bring! Whatdja bring?!" Mairu asks excitedly, bouncing up and down. It's Kururi who seems like she's going to be helpful.

"Izaya-niichan… gone…"

Shizuo's blood runs cold. He turns his attention to Kururi completely.

"What do you mean?"

Kururi draws into herself, apparently a little startled with Shizuo staring at her so intently, desperate for more information. Mairu, on the other hand, grabs onto Shizuo to get his attention back - not happy with being ignored.

"Izaya-niichan usually only leaves us at night but this time he left during the day! He's not usually gone this long!" Mairu explains loudly. Shizuo gets paler with every word. "Really irresponsible, right? You should just be our big brother instead!"

Shizuo swallows hard, his throat feels like sandpaper. "Did… did he say where he was going? Or why?"

Both the girls get really quiet and look at each other to share a silent conversation. Kururi looks down and Mairu fidgets a bit. They definitely know something.

"Izaya-niichan… told us not to tell…" Kururi mumbles.

"Yeah, he said it was a surprise for you!" Mairu adds.

Oh hell no. Whatever's really going on here, there's no chance Izaya's leaving his sisters alone nightly for something simple or wholesome. Shizuo takes a deep, calming breath and thinks through his next words carefully. He doesn't want to frighten Mairu and Kururi.

"I think… I… Izaya said that he wanted me to come over today, so he should be back by now. He said he was going to show me the surprise." Shizuo doesn't mind telling a white lie for the sake of this family. "Do you have any idea where he is?"

…..

The girls' faces make it obvious they don't believe him.

"L-Look…" Shizuo sighs, resigned to be more truthful. Damn Izaya for bringing up clever girls. "I'm worried about Izaya, he's been acting weird lately. I know he asked you to keep it secret but… His safety is more important."

The girls' eyes widen and Shizuo's worried he freaked them out. He's wracking his brain for something that could calm them down, something to say to get them to tell him what they know and stay calm and-

They smile and Mairu bounces on her toes in excitement.

"So… cool…"

"Yeah! Wow, Shizuo-nii, you're just like the rugged cop with a heart of gold on The Underbelly of Tokyo!"

Shizuo is taken completely aback. They're way too young to be watching a show like that! Izaya- Ugh! Never mind that. Later. After I save his ass.

Shizuo assumes the role they're referencing, maybe if they treat it more like a game it'll be easier. "Uh… Yeah. Can you two help me solve the case? Anything you know could be helpful."

"I'll never talk, pig!" Mairu cheers.

"I want to be… partner."

"Oh, no fair! I want to be Shizuo's partner!"

Shizuo cracks. "You can both be my partner! Now help me solve the case, we don't have much time. The bad guys could be getting away."

The girls gasp.

"Izaya-niichan goes out at night dressed like a pretty girl but want to pretend to be our sister during the day!" Mairu shouts, her hand raised.

"Izaya-niichan… keeps a notebook…"

"Yeah, he told us not to but we read it anyway and it's all about you!"

"But the end…"

"But towards the end, it's about some gang Izaya-niichan has been spending time with! The… the Blue…"

"Squares."

Shizuo feels light-headed. He still doesn't really know what's going on, but he's pretty damn sure if he finds that gang that jumped him a few weeks ago, he'll find Izaya. He needs to go. Now. But he can't leave Mairu and Kururi. He thinks fast.

"Good work… the… Uh, the chief of police needs you two back at the station."

He can ask Kasuka to watch them.

The girls protest at first, wanting to catch the bad guys with Shizuo, but he manages to convince them when he tells them they can make a new crime scene out of the cupcakes, or some evidence or whatever. And when he promises to carry them both all the way to the "police station" to meet his brother 'the chief." He runs back to his house and Mairu makes siren noises the whole way.

Shizuo practically kicks the door open, tosses the girls on the couch, and explains as fast as he can to a bewildered Kasuka.

"Izaya… In trouble. His sister… Watch them, okay? Heres cupcakes, make a crime scene, I'll be back soon, you're the police chief."

Somehow, Kasuka gets it. At least, he nods, and that's good enough for Shizuo right now.

"Everything will be okay."

Shizuo hopes so. He doesn't know where Izaya is, but he knows how he's going to find him. The same way he always does. The stench of cyanide.

:::

I will always be hungry,

I must always be fed,

The finger I touch,

Will soon turn red.