I have decided to stop using bolding for Celty's quotes. Makes it stand out.
Chapter 18: The feeling he now knows
Shizuo couldn't understand what had happened. He let the crying clouds drown him in guilt and salty water upon his clothes, drenched and dyed blond locks dripping onto the floor and stream down his hoarse from screaming neck.
He was just learning how to bond with the flea and now he was gone. Gone by creatures he must've been afraid of. Taken and was placed on by the worst punishment the world and people could offer besides death.
He let the rain pour and pour cooling off his steaming rage but instead filling it with sadness. He hated Izaya. But what he had to go through was not expected in Shizuo's mind until he suspected it when he saved him from death.
"That's right..." he muttered through a raspy hurt voice. He remembered that rain was water, the same substance that he almost killed Izaya with. Water. It made it even worse since it reminded him of his mistakes of saving Izaya but at the same time reminded him the good the raven had.
Good? Never showed such thing too obvious. Shizuo knew the moment Izaya fled from Shinra's that he didn't want to burden Shinra or stay there from being cooped up because Izaya is that type of person who can't stay in one place for a second before getting bored and moving on. Shizuo knew at least that much, but what about everything else? He didn't know that man could experience pain or have had a disgracing backstory.
For once in his life, Shizuo felt cold.
His hands weren't warm anymore, neither was his heart. But his veins heated with anger differently from his breathing and pumping of his heart. He still remembered when he held Izaya's hand and it was deathly ice cold which bothered him.
This rain? It reminded in detail if Izaya besides the moon. Cold and no one wanting to be under it so they can't get wet and run away, only for it to cry more until it runs away itself and lets the sun play again.
The deafening sound of rain slamming into the concrete was all that dared echo in his ears. What was this pained pressuring feeling he was getting in his chest? It wasn't only because he had just learned a horrible fact about the person he hated most, but he knew right away what was wrong.
Shizuo actually missed Izaya.
The blond waited in the rain for eternity. It's acid and poison burning straight through his now cold skin and bones.
"This shouldn't be the time to sulk over some louse in this stinkin' rain." Shizuo grumbled low before trying to get off his knees steadily but couldn't muster up the strength to do it properly following back down to the hard concrete sidewalk.
"What the hell? I always have the strength but... why?" He knew exactly why but no matter how many times he tried to neglect the idea he wouldn't get up. He had his suspicions about all of this. Shizuo wasn't sure if it was true from how Izaya was behaving under him that day, squirming and pleading with fear streaming from his glossy dark red eyes.
But now Shizuo knew. He knew what Izaya had gone through to such an extent to remain the way he has been acting such as having nightmares and flinching from just a tap of a finger.
Orihara Izaya was raped and Heiwajima Shizuo hadn't a clue such a thing ever happened.
He remembered at the back of his head, Shinra's voice warning him to take care of Izaya or don't be so rough on him, that he couldn't have known but now he does.
This part of life is the cruelest part.
Tired crimson eyes fluttered open, long lashes casting a blanket of shadow over them. His vision focused slowly only onto a dark setting and a faint vibrating sound that sounded like a motor muffled by what seemed to be rain hitting outside, but that also seemed vague like he was in something. Everything was rumbling and he felt cold.
'Where am I?' was all he thought at the moment before his squinted eyes adjusted to his surroundings. He tried to move his arms but they were bound by a thick lining of what appeared to be rope but hands were free; same went for his ankle. "My, they even went through the trouble of of tying me up..." Izaya, having thoughts of where he was, lifted his head up and examined it even further, the dim setting making it a little hard to see and rope bruising his skin from its tight hold. "Of course, a van." He murmured with a fake enthusiastic tone in his voice, rolling his eyes and sighing.
There's got to be something I can do here, He thought, moving his eyes around the flooring for any lighting hope of freeing him, but no such luck. Like a rock hit his head, Izaya remembered quickly and reached for his pockets with his free hands.
He sighed with relief noting that the bastards forgot to take out his knives. He pulled out one carefully being cautious about the van's constant bumping like an earthquake. Cut one, two, three of the strings feeling more free and not so squished like a sack of potatoes.
Just when he got to the top of unwrapping himself, the van bumped upward slamming his knife into his arm and puncturing it slightly before jumping away from his grasp, blood soaking his black long-sleeve. Izaya grunted silently, biting his lip enough to almost draw blood to prevent him from signalling that he was awake. They clearly had no idea he was awake.
He cursed under his breath and reached for another knife lightning fast. No time should be wasted, he needed to get out of here now. Who knows where he was headed, his best guess was that those monsters were taking him back. The memory of them barging in, beating his friend to a bloody mess and slipping a warm cloth filled with the sweet scent of chloroform and bringing his conscious down to slumber.
Izaya knew they would come. He knew but didn't know exactly when, or at least believed some part of it that meant they were done with him. But they intended for him to rot like the "bitch" he was. He shivered as a spider trailed down his back chilling his nerves-were they really coming back for him? And the main part that worried him into fear stricken trembles was that maybe they came back for seconds making him nothing but a hole to fuck. "N-No way, I have to get out of here..." he whispered so silent, eyes flaming with a burning desire to escape.
He cut the last ropes ignoring his new stab wound and stretched his one good arm and loosened his shoulders. Onto his ankles, he cut them fast but scraped them with the sharp edges of the knife a few times. He had no time and was sloppy to the extent of cutting himself but he himself did not care for such wounds.
His main objective was to escape.
Finally, legs free from the newly cut rope, he straightened his ankles onto a very steady crouch and proceeded to the van's handles. Locked. Izaya blew a irritated sigh and gripped his knife again, forcing it onto the door's crack and trying to crack it.
The van bumped again and he almost fell down but he thanked the gods he did not believe in for such a trouble. The door opened like a cave mouth from the sudden bump.
Stealthier than a mouse but quick as a fox, Izaya raced to it but noticed the rain pelting the ground like a waterfall hard like and where he was seemed to be a highway exiting Ikebukuro. Surprisingly not many cars passed which was the perfect opportunity for his idea.
Like a wolf he leaped out slightly before the van bumped again and hit his leg.
Izaya turned into a ragdoll hitting the concrete street, crashing, rolling, and skidding across the wet pavement. Again he cursed under his warm breath against the freezing rain.
He was free and he rejoiced in the fact that he was able to and for them being so sloppy to not pay attention to him. The van road off even further until it descended onto the road never to be seen again by the rains' foggy drops.
The rain felt soothing singe Izaya was the type that enjoyed its company and frolic into it like a stubborn child. But this rain wasn't ordinary... it felt like he was being pitied on, someone or at least something felt sad over him. Why?
Lean legs braced themselves onto regular flooring with no bouncing, vibrating floor and steadied himself but felt the aching pain around his ankles swell. Blood seeped from his arm and legs dripping down onto the water carrying ground, mixing into its transparent currents. The rain was still passionate as always but it was the fact that it was clearly night with its pitch black setting.
This is bad... he thought. Izaya limped over to the railing and held himself for support on his aching bones and pained bruises that burned onto his flawless skin. "I'm not that far off from Ikebukuro, so I might be able to make it..."
And he limped and limped, gripping the railing like a snake slithering across the ground. From time to time he found the strength to pace and speed up into a sprint before either getting tired, hurting himself from his bruises or slipping onto the wet flooring. "Just... a little more..." Sluggishly pacing he made it to some buildings and managed to find a sidewalk. It's not over, not yet. I don't know this part of town well. I need to get to a more solicited area." And his legs dragged along the ground. Only to find a bridge onto the side- there was a place he knew. Off to the side he pushed himself further to the extent of his life until he made it but something caught his eye and he knew from there he heard someone call his name.
[I don't despise you.] Celty typed on her PDA rather calmly but held an aura of justice. Shinra on the other hand was confused. [I despise what you did.]
[Izaya is a bastard who has things coming to him, but you didn't know. How could you possibly have known they were going to... do that?] The brown haired man rested his shoulders downward and dropped his head onto the floor. "And this is why you are so dear, my Celty."
"You're sweet and innocent and you know how to deal with situations. But this is my fault. Just you being here with me makes me feel a whole lot better; isn't that selfish?" Sad grey eyes sighed never daring to look up anywhere but his beloved.
[But don't be so glum. It's true, that was a horrible thing you caused and not even a guy like Izaya deserves to be treated like some-some play thing!] Fire was blooming from her like her smoke flaring with passion. Celty did not want Shinra to feel guilty about such a thing, especially if he believes every part of it was his doing.
[I am mad that you did it, but no one could ever blame you. I'm sad because you, Shinra, don't realise the difference between taking the blame and actually doing it.] His eyes jumped with a gleam of hope and affection. Without a second passing and Shinra grabbing a hold of her shoulders, pulling her into an affectionate embrace.
Celty tensed up for a short notice but was soothed back into a calming sensation from Shinra whispering 'Thank you' close to her non-existing ear.
"You're the best, Celty. I'm so happy you don't hate me." He muttered with a melancholic tone. Celty reached her thin arms around his back and rubbed it comfortingly with her gentle hands.
"Truly Celty, thank you."
...
Where is he? Where is he!? Shizuo's mind screamed at him. He was rushing like a bolt of lighting through the streets leaving a blur behind him, not caring who he ran into or who he bothered; rain drenching his clothes and golden dyed locks sticking to his forehead.
It was passed 12AM and he was worried sick. Shinra was beat to a sickening mess and had to listen to the truth of what happened between him and Izaya, guts twisting from the thought of it.
The more he believed that story for Izaya's behavior, the more his blood boiled to a burning hot volcano. Just picturing a helpless flea crying and begging to be freed but being held down by shadows or whatever they were, enraged his blood into a burning sensations of anger, to the point he might kill because of it.
He hated Izaya of course. Hated. But this was the worst that could have happened so far. He was getting to know Izaya, know interesting things to the point he did not believe was possible in attaining such a relationship with the louse.
He bolted through the tears of clouds falling, faster than any man could ever see. Not there, not over there!
"Izaya! Where the fucking hell are you!?"
He ran and ran until eventually his legs took a mind of their own and ran with their own potential. Shizuo could not feel his legs or his body, he was losing it and it bothered the shit out of him. His legs were los forever to get out of. Grey clouds bore a sad expression as its tears watered everything down with its sadness and grief setting.
Just then, a powerful scent flowed around his nostrils, inhaling the odor. It smelled of something familiar and he knew damn right away that no doubt it was Izaya's scent trail.
Like a search dog, Shizuo sniffed out the trail and caught a faint metallic scent that was in any guess blood, growing stronger and stronger as he approached.
Every corner he slid around leaving water tremble before his wake, the flea was not there. Shizuo believed his nose was playing tricks on him but then realized that he was closer than he realized. Honey colored eyes like a wolf's caught drops of blood being washed and carried in watery currents and figured that blood is the same as the louse's smell.
"Please be there, damn it! Izaya!" He quietly prayed to himself rather a growl but in his eyes bore sorrow and plead. Suddenly, his legs could not further its own ant longer since it had no mind anymore like it dropped dead. In the faith distance, his eyes caught the one thing he hoped to see, a person shrouded in black.
But that person was not walking. They were limping. Shizuo, mind clouded with assumptions that this could be the one he was searching for and nothing else, ran faster than he ever could imagine that he could ever go and shouted at the top of his lungs.
"IZAYAAA!" He shouted, bolting like a dog exploring for the first time. That figure stopped dead and before any thing could happen, they began to spin around slowly.
The sounds of rain hitting the streets blurred out into nothing but silence and in his eyes, in his vision, was nothing but bright light all around him.
That person focused their dead eyes onto the one who had called his name, and for a moment when their frown turned into a shocked expresion,
He looked as though he was truly happy.
Stopping himself midway, his senses came rushing in as soon as he saw that man leaning forward a little too much.
"...S-Shizu-chan..." he said, legs turning into jelly and buckling underneath him, losing balance and falling forward. "I-Izaya!" Shizuo raced like a speeding bullet to the informant's side. A loud thud echoed throughout the rain as if the rain never had a sound and Shizuo dropped down to his side, examining him.
His pearl white skin was paler than ever but that could have been the rain making me glow a ghostly shine. Lips as glossy as cherries and pulse beating low with skin that felt of ice. "Shit, don't go fainting on me, Izaya!" He called again but no effect. Izaya was out cold.
Shizuo cursed under his breath looking at the black-haired man's soaking with blood wounds, turning his space dark long-sleeve into a deep crimson staining it.
What the hell do I do? After what Shinra told me, after what he did...
He had no choice. One last time and this will be for the final time this would happen.
Wrapping his broad arms gently under the raven, he lifted him up carefully and adjusted him close to his chest, carrying him bridal-style. With this brute strength of his, Izaya was a feather. Some of the guys he had lifted at least added weight but Izaya had no such thing at all.
It was surprising that it even took Shizuo himself off guard. A beast caring for a sleeping beaty, now that's strange. Izaya's breathing was not good and simply breathed faster than normal, heat brushing against the bond's neck and chest heating up his cheeks to a rosy color.
He kinda looks... vulnerable. Cute.
"Wait, what the hell am I doing?" He snarled to himself turning away to hide his embarrassment. Did he just call Izaya cute? It's the end of the world.
Starting off the sprint with a couple of stomps, he took off towards Shinra's for the final time, carrying the limp Orihara in his arms. This was a true must see for Shizuo had finally accepted one feeling he was getting. It was not pity nor sadness.
Shizuo cared for Izaya.