Aaaaggh! I apologize so very terribly for the long wait for this chapter! I got lazy and I had Algebra Finals in my school so I had to study hard. I pray that I passed! There are more finals to come at the last week of school for me, but I have come to let you know that I have not died or dropped the book! I'm sorry again for the wait!

Chapter 29: Unravel

Warnings: Mild language. This chapter has been written on phone. Please excuse any errors or typos due to auto correcting. Thank you, and enjoy~

The crisp air of the night breathed through. The dry tar of the road instantly froze anything that grazed a finger upon it's rough surface.

As her eyes begged to stay shut, the demeanor screamed and sent warnings through her barely working senses.

"...nghh..." she moaned out through clenched lips. Her hair draped over her face like a curtain and shielding her sight from her current location. "Where the hell...?" Weakly, a fragile hand pressed it's palm upon the rough edges of the black road, ignoring the sores and bruises that plagued and hissed at her. It hurt. Namie was in bad shape.

Lifting her head up carefully, her dark strands of hair shifted to her sides and the view became clear even through her still unfocused eyes.

What she could make out was the dark cloudy sky and night's breath floating around the air like a visible mist moving along its current, the moon and stars refusing to shine their light and hidden themselves behind the thick smoke of clouds; two similar pathways diverging from their joined lanes and the rock she laid on was black and stricken with yellow stripes lining the middle of the path. The loud alarming roars of honking and wheels grazing the ground halfway deafed her. It was too vague for her dark chocolate eyes to adjust since the rays of light streamed straight into her face instantly blinding her view from the sides.

"What the hell happened?"

Namie could only grumble for she did not even have the energy to even part her lips. It was a road-a highway.

There were cars speeding straight and piercing her ears from the annoying sound of honking. She was on the side of the road. She has been gone for so many weeks in their lair.

Lifting her torso off of the ground and ignoring the searing white pain of black bruises aching, she rested her weight on her arms.

They had dropped her out on the side of a highway.

A week.

They did not say a word nor even connected eyesight.

Where was Namie? The feeling of inconceivable thoughts left him stunned. She had been gone for more than a few days. He couldn't think. He couldn't tease Shizuo like he always did. His brain was a scrambling mess.

Later on the day.

"Why don't you take the rest of the day off, Shizuo?" His boss Tom offered.

With a blank stare, Shizuo nodded and gave a small tired grin. Something had honestly been troubling him. Troubling him so much that he couldn't see or realize the Russian girl flock up to his side.

"Shizuo senpai," she said, "are you positive that you are feeling well?" One step after another, she kept her pace well with the troubled beast.

"Oh. Vorona." he whispered through a blank mask. Even through it, he was shocked to see her. "What're you doin?"

"What I am doing is not of the matter. I am concerned about Shizuo senpai." She said in her usual robotic tone, eyes freezing up everything in her ice cold glare.

"There's no need to worry about me."

Shifting his gaze away from the girl, he continued his walk in a sulky manner. Even though he still swelled upon the hard path, he could not lose her from his side.

A good minute or even more passed and she still never left his side.

"Don't you have somewhere to go?"

"I wish to stay by Shizuo senpai for the time being." She said calmly resided by him. "You are more than welcome to lean on me for support."

For more than he could have ever thought, he's been spending more time with Vorona even on their job. She was a dear friend and someone he could talk to. Unlike Celty who was more of a best friend-even a sister to him.

It was sad. She wasn't around much anymore because of Shinra. She constantly worried and paced back and forth through the city caring for the perverted doctor who was also her dear lover.

A few days later was not what he thought had gone by. And another thing that caught him.

That same slender figure making their way down the sidewalk and ignoring the stone looking statues you'd call citizens with a bubbly attitude.

Vorona noticed his attitude. He looked like a kettle skewering heat. "Shizuo senpai?" She said quietly.

That same man over across the street.

Why wasn't he home? He should have stayed home!

"Izaya!"

And with the world freezing over like an ice age, the man cloaked in dark clothing turned around with a somewhat normal gleam in his glossy red orbs.

Instantly like a pack of rats, the throng of people scrambled about and walked faster as they knew these two wildly known people would cause trouble.

Tom wasn't there today. They weren't working. Just taking a walk. But the raven had came around.

"Fancy meeting you here, Shizu-chan~"

Shizuo wasn't angry. He was upset. Izaya was supposed to stay in his home and wasn't meant to stroll around and mingle like he didn't have any problems. "Dammit flea," he growled, "why the hell are you out here?"

'Why is he out here?!'

"Unfortunately, I only came for a walk." He sighed out, giving the steaming blond a glare of actual honesty. "Even though I do want to play, I don't think that's very wise today~"

The streets were halfway cleared like a ghost town and Izaya is the phantom triggering the problem. As much as the steam radiated off of the blond, a slim girl positioned herself in between the two enemies declaring war with their eyes. "You must be an enemy of Shizuo senpai." She rasped out coldly and instantly shooting him a glare that spelled 'danger'.

"Oh?"

"I highly recommend that you flee immediately. You're overstepping your welcome." Her voice dripping poison, or rather yet, dangling icicles. Her demeanor spelled of a cougar ready to leap at their prey at any moment, though her prey didn't seem frightened or a little shaken up at all. His eyes remained directly on the blond ignoring her as if he and Shizuo were just talking through their link of vision. With a growl of annoyance, Shizuo stepped forward and stood tall in front of Izaya.

"Just..." he hesitated for a small second. "why are you here?"

"Like I said, taking a walk." Izaya responded but with a tint of mischief riding in his voice. "To where I'm going is none of your business. So I think it's best to just leave me be and go on with whatever you're about."

"Unless Shizu-chan misses me~"

It didn't set him off. It only made him regret coming towards him. Izaya's eyes missed the man looming dangerously over him and took a glance behind him where Vorona was.

'So she must be that girl Vorona.'

He only remembered that crow's name because of Shizuo's mumbling about her and the glimpse of how he described her.

"Вам лучше быть более скрытной для того, чтобы сохранить свой маленький секрет в узде. Он не знает, кто ты." That smile reappeared again.

"Ну, по крайней мере пока."

As if she was frozen onto the spot, Vorona stared at the man with disbelief written all in her eyes.

"Что? Вы говорите по-русски!? ...И как именно ты обо мне знаешь?" Her eyes shivered like the glass of ice they were. Now she was driven over the line. Her position switched into a deadly stance as if she was absolutely sure she would eliminate her target.

"I don't know what the fuck you're on about," the blond reappeared into the conversation, eyes narrowing. "but whatever it is, just get out so I don't see you for the rest of the day outside."

Shizuo didn't care what was bound to happen. He only cared about what he was doing and getting the flea bag out of trouble. To him, they were just speaking tongues, random words that never existed in his language. But that didn't stop him from gaining the upper hand. Izaya was in danger. As much as he really hated Izaya's guts and could care less about him, he promised Shinra that he would protect and see for him. Outside wasn't safe for a man like this. Neither was the world safe from a man like him. But seeing how the world has flipped its table and placed its deck of cards down faster than a person could ever know, Izaya was obviously in grave danger.

Whether he was right in the claws of the enemy or bait, it was a mistake. Did he believe he could just go out here and not be noticed or entangled in some string of danger creeping in the air of the screaming city?

Even if this spot here was halfway empty and almost deserted, Shizuo could sense-no, feel something staring their direction with such a grave intent.

"Very well." Izaya had finally spoken and broke the silence. "I'll be on my way, but it won't be the last of me here, guaranteed." And he walked away as if nothing happened.

The blond's nose wrinkled like a dog smelling a putrid scent. That feeling of someone watching-it's still stinging into his back.

With a quick turn on his heel, Shizuo stirred around to look behind him where there were streets, alleyways and buildings. But no one was there.

"Shizuo senpai." His senses snapped back to the Russian beauty standing before him. "If I do ask, was that an enemy of yours?"

"Yeah, yeah you could say that." He said barely even looking at her. Before he even knew it, those eyes weren't locked onto him nor digging its vision into his back like a dagger. "Perhaps we should contact Tom immediately." She suggested.

"Maybe later." Shizuo still didn't look at her, but her eyes of ice were burning ablaze with determination.

"If an enemy of Shizuo senpai like that man were to appear more than likely again, then I will not resist to eliminate them. Even him."

[Yeah yeah, whatever you say. You need to get yourself a maid you lazy bastard.]

[Aww, don't be like that Namie-chan! I'll pay you as soon as you even know it~]

[Fine.]

[But you better not be lying.]

Last message: One Week Ago.

Where was she? Namie was always there on time or just had a grudge that made her late. Her ignoring her messages is one thing, but not replying back or even been seen for a week is highly odd.

Sadly, it's going on for the second week. Where was she? He didn't know. No one knew. It's as if she had just dropped and disappeared from the face of the earth.

He could find her with ease if he so dared to but never bothered because he even knew that it was obviously planned for his secretary to go missing. It's them, no doubt about it.

Izaya was a mastermind. He could go into where they were and completely fool them all since they are barbaric brutes. But he waited. And waited. And waited.

His mind has not been himself lately and if he dared dwell in it he could go insane and have Shizuo deal with him. It never even rode passed his mind that they could have been molesting and hurting Namie this entire time. It could have been true that they've beaten her senseless and she gave them information about him for her strong dislike towards him. Or maybe they just went on and raped her for the woman she was.

"Barbaric animals." He whispered softly but yet growled with anger. What did they most likely want with him, if not want, then what did they want from him?

Humans are humans. They are predictable in every way. But these monsters he was dealing with mentally, physically, and all around him were all set with different mind sets. They were somehow different. Monsters are unreadable.

They've already taken his one thing that made him pure and shattered his pride with their enormous hammer of destruction and defiled the inner walls of his sanctum with their dirty grimy selves.

He had just returned home after sunset, the meeting with Akabayashi still present in his head. He asked the man for information on this group before. Apparently they have a reputation of murder, theft and battery, assault, and many different sexual assaults that couldn't be counted. The hunger of hatred stirred within the raven like a swarm of bees trying to sting their way out.

"You're finally home." Shizuo called from across the room from where he was standing.

"And as usual, it's never great to live with a monster."

"Shut it already." He breathed coldly before approaching the raven. "Where were you?"

"Like I said, it's none of your business." The raven smiled but still carried a tint of displeasure in his voice. "You're going to tell me now flea."

"It was just a meeting with one of my clients. Sharing information like I always do, nothing different." His eyes bored with disinterest. Just when he'd thought he was free to go, Shizuo continued to stay frozen onto the spot like a statue or boulder blocking the way. "That's not all I want to know." The blond said firmly. "What did you tell Vorona?"

Izaya chuckled at the vague memory from before. "I didn't tell her anything, really." He lied. "Stop lying flea. I want the damn truth!"

"Like I said, it wasn't all that bad."

"And that surprised look she gave you obviously meant nothing fucking happened huh!?" Shizuo was growling and dangerously looming over the raven. He wasn't super pissed to the point he'd chase him but he was at that level that he would start yelling or growling. He was used to Izaya's behavior. So used to it that it didn't make him as mad. But he obviously told one of his dear comrades something.

"When did Shizu-chan have such feelings for a woman~?" Izaya smirked to himself having such a teasing attitude in him right now. He could mess with the blond but at the same time get his ass beat for the sheer fun of it. "I don't have feelings for Vorona! I just want to know what the fuck is your problem with her!"

There it is.

"Problem? Not sure what, but like I said," his grin returning we did his crimson orbs twinkle with glee.

"I told her nothing harmful."

"Bullshit." The man growled. "I'd say so." The raven replied. "She's hiding something from you, Shizu-chan."

And no other words were exchanged that night. It was as if the night had once again interfered with their lives and swallowed up every bit of light that they had shared.

Izaya went to sleep. As for Shizuo, who silently watched the raven curled up in his sheets like a sleeping baby untouched and still pure, he walked over silently and carefully trying not to wake the younger man. He didn't forget and he sure as hell didn't doubt that Izaya had forgotten that night.

Shizuo felt like a huge screw up. No. He was a huge screw up. It was just last week and it feels freshly new as if it never died down; and it didn't.

He didn't know what had gotten into him to just pounce on the raven and rummage through his clothing like a doll. It was hazy but Shizuo could bring out some memories he didn't want. He whispered as quietly as possible to himself, probably even quieter than a mouse's squeak.

"I hate you but have this strange feeling to..."

To...

I don't know.

Repay you? Repay the scum bag who deserved better shit than this?

The bartender climbed upon the bed carefully trying not to awaken the sleeping raven. The bed cried softly with creaks as the blond added more pressure onto it when he climbed on.

He looks so peaceful.

He didn't care if Izaya had woken up, he just wanted to sleep near him just this one time. The question was: why?

Shizuo snuggled more comfortably into the comforter and continued to watch the Orihara's sleeping form and the slight rise and fall of his sides from breathing slight but peaceful breaths.

Why do I care for you?

And the steadiness of the night engulfed him into darkness.

I also apologize if the Russian is all wrong. I did a little research and not just rely on Google Translate. Until next time~