Ties that bind
"I don't understand." Kanra whimpered rubbing at her tear streaked cheeks. Tears continued to fall freely as they had been since her lover had returned with bad news.
"I'll find him." Izaya whispered drawing her into his arms. "You know I will." Shizuo was gone.
"Shizuo...we shouldn't have left him alone." Kanra gasped burying her head in Izaya's chest. "We-we- this isn't fair. Kasuka-"
"Will pay for his part in the situation. Kanra, it's pointless to cry. I'll find him. I won't stop until I do."
"Who-"
"I can think of a few." The older raven's eyes were closed shutting her out. Kanra clenched her fists in the black fabric. Masaomi or Shiki. Perhaps the two of them together. It was her fault. Shizuo was gone because of her.
"Shh." Her remaining lover soothed stroking her cheek. "Don't cry. Shizu-chan can handle himself."
"But the drugs..."
"We believe in him. Can you do that?" Izaya pressed gently kissing her. With a stuttered sob, Kanra nodded. Shizuo was strong. Shizuo wouldn't let anything happen to him, not when they were waiting.
"Good girl." Izaya's arm hooked under her knees, lifting her against him bridal style.
"...I met Mikado's parents today."
"How do you feel?" Crimson orbs flicked down studying her reaction. Kanra closed her eyes.
"...I don't want to talk about it." She murmured.
"Understandable. I'm here if you need me." Izaya murmured carrying her into the bedroom. Gently she was laid on the bed, tucked up under the covers. "Get some sleep. It's been a long day."
"Izaya. Please don't go." Kanra begged snatching Izaya's sleeve. "I don't want-"
"Shh. I'll be back in a minute. Let me get my laptop. I need to begin searching, ne?" Reluctantly the younger raven let go, watching with wide eyes as her remaining lover left her alone.
The informant kept his word laptop under his arm, returning to her side. "I should help!"
"You should sleep." Izaya scolded lightly flopping down next to her. The bed felt too big with just the pair of them. She was on Shizuo's side of the bed. Reaching up her hands grabbed the blonde's pillow. Squeezing it tightly Kanra sniffled. "Shh." Izaya's hand rested lightly on top of her head.
"Sorry. I-"
"I know. Close your eyes." The laptop was tossed in the centre of the bed. Izaya shifted over pressed against her side. "I'm still here."
x-x-x
Shizuo opened his eyes alone in a small bed- not his own. At least he didn't think so. He didn't remember anything. Looking around the strange room, he couldn't tell if he was in a familiar place or not.
"You're awake?" A young woman with a dark brunette bob questioned, her empty gaze examined him before she stood like a robot leaving the room.
"Shizuo-san!" A happy blonde grinned giving him a flourishing bow. "I was worried you wouldn't wake up. Maybe you overdid it a bit?"
"Overdid what?" Shizuo asked quietly gathering his wits.
"Being a puppet." Kida told him moving closer. "It's tiring now that your strings have been cut, isn't it?"
"What? I-" Shizuo shook his head in confusion.
"I guess you could call me the puppet collector. I seem to take in everyone broken by that bastard. First Saiki and now you. Your task has finished. You're another obsolete toy." Kida smiled sympathetically taking a seat on the bed.
"You mean Izaya-"
"Never loved you." Kida crawled straddling the blonde. "It's okay. I saved you. I'll fix you." Kida whispered taking his head in his hands, their lips pressing together. The pair slowly hit the mattress...
x-x-x
"No!" Kanra cried sitting up. Her eyes were damp from the nightmare. To her left the bed was empty. Izaya was gone. Closing her eyes Kanra flopped back down against the pillows. What if that was what had happened? What if Masaomi was brainwashing the blonde against them?
"Kanra?" Izaya poked his head around the door. "What's wrong?"
"...had a nightmare." Kanra confessed. "What are you doing?"
"Making breakfast." Izaya told her skipping into the room to give her a kiss. "What do you fancy? I'll make you anything."
"Sorry." Kanra murmured looking down into her lap. "I'm not hungry."
"Oh. Do you want to talk about your nightmare?" Izaya offered flopping down on the bed. "A problem shared..."
"I dreamt Shizuo was with Masaomi. Masaomi was kissing and touching Shizuo." Kanra gasped shaking her head. It wouldn't happen.
"Hn. It's true Shizu-chan would be confused. I don't think Masaomi-kun would sleep with him." Izaya chuckled straightening her hair. "Ne, Kanra. I have a favour to ask. It's a big one. The Ryugamine couple called. They've asked for a chaperone around Ikebukuro."
"No!" Kanra cried shaking her head. "I can't!"
"I know. I can't do it because I have to search for Shizu-chan." Izaya stepped forward taking her hands, giving her that look. She couldn't say no. Not when the raven was looking at her so earnestly.
Hanging her head the murmured words of agreement slipped past her lips. Immediately she was filled with regret at what she had done. Once again she would be meeting with Mikado's parents.
"Thank you." Izaya smiled warmly pressing her against him. "Good luck."
"You too." It looked like her week was only going to get worse. There was nothing to be done. Not when they were one lover short.
Izaya continued to smile running his fingers through her hair. "Try to enjoy yourself, ne?"
x-x-x
The pair looked happy to see her, unfazed by the fact Izaya hadn't been able to attend to them. Kanra forced a smile reminding herself who she was. Kanra Orihara, informant, lover to Izaya and Shizuo. Extraordinary, nothing like her past life.
"Good morning." Kanra smiled. Inside she felt sick to her stomach, nausea making her feel faint. From the corner of her eye, she could see Izaya flit past. At least he had taken the time to see her meet them safely. "You've asked to know more about your son?"
"Yes, that's right." Mikado's mother answered. "Where he went to class, where he sat, what his classmates were like. We want to know everything."
"Is that going to be a problem?" Mikado's father asked eyeing her.
"No problem." Kanra reassured stuffing her hands in the pockets of her fur trimmed coat- well Izaya's. It was a comfort to have something of her lover's on her person. "Why don't we start at the edge of town?"
"The edge?" Mikado's mother questioned. "Why so far?"
Kanra raised her head feeling a cold metal touch her hand. It was one of Izaya's knives, right next to her fountain pen. Gripping it in comfort, the raven began to walk with a skip in her step. "You'll want to start at your son's old apartment, don't you?" What was left of it.
"..." The two parents glanced between one another. Kanra tilted her head seeing a sadness in the woman's eyes.
"You've already been there." Not a question. Of course that was the first place they would go. "It's okay. We'll cross that from the tour. Let's start with Raijin academy."
"Thank you." Mikado's father rested a hand on her shoulder. Kanra shivered clenching her fist tighter around the knife. "This means a lot."
x-x-x
Izaya raised his head, taking his focus from the computer. "Good morning, Shiki-san." The raven greeted cheerily despite the circumstances.
"Informant-san, you're short a person." The elder man glanced to the side, where Kanra's desk was empty. It had been a good decision to get her out of the apartment.
"Hm? Looks like it." Pushing away from the desk, Izaya span around in his chair. "What can I do for you?"
"When is the other one back?" Shiki pressed as Izaya knew he would.
"Ne, I won't do?" Izaya lounged back placing the tip of one of Kanra's pens between his lips. "I have more experience. Unless Shiki-san likes them young?" Izaya chuckled. "Uwah, that almost makes you a lolicon!"
"Informant-san, I am not amused. I will come back when your partner returns." The yakuza turned around striding from the apartment with his two goons trailing behind. Izaya's carefree smile slipped as the door closed.
"I bet you will." Reaching into his pocket, the informant hurled a knife at the door, watching as it buried itself into the thick wood. "You won't lay a finger on Mikado-kun."
X-x-x
"Here we are." Kanra held out her hands in a flourish to present the school. It helped cover up the nervousness she felt seeing the glass structure once again. "Raijin academy."
"This is where our son went to school." Mikado's mother sniffed dabbing her eyes. Kanra turned away strolling ahead, through the front gate. No one said a word to them. It looked like Izaya had already called ahead.
"That's right. I believe access has been arranged. You wanted to see the classroom, right?" Both parents nodded. "Then it's- Anri!"
"Anri?" Mikado's mother echoed. Kanra shook her head seeing that she wasn't alone for the tour. Standing at the entrance was Mikado's friend and one of her own. Kanra hadn't attended high school but the busty raven had and already graduated. Yet here she stood wearing the school uniform.
"Anri Sonohara." Kanra confirmed torn between horror and relief. "She was the class rep beside your son." It took some of the heat away from her, giving her precious moments to breathe. Another move from Izaya?
"Please to meet you, Ryugamine-san." Anri spoke quietly bowing gracefully as ever. "I was in the same class as your son." Kanra looked away seeing Anri's gaze on her. "Mikado-kun was polite, shy and he liked school. He befriended me when no one else would. I miss him."
Kanra felt a knot in her gut twist painfully. Mikado's mother stepped forward embracing Anri tightly. "Me too. He was such a darling child. I'm glad to see he had a friend like you."
It looked like things were going well, all things considering. Kanra couldn't let herself relax though, not when there was a dangerous element lurking somewhere outside the school gates. So far there hadn't been a single glimpse of a blue or yellow scarf.
The colour gangs had been children. It was a child's game for power. Mikado had been the leader of the colourless gang, as such he had been a target for the gangs cruelty. It was children that had tried to kill him. Kanra's main concern was that the gangs would come after the Ryugamines now that their son was deceased. Adults. Surely they wouldn't go after an old man and woman. Would they?
Since Izaya had let them go around without protection, it looked like they were safe-for now. Maybe no one knew that the elderly broken hearted couple were Mikado's parents.
"Kanra-chan, is it okay if Sonohara-chan comes with us?" Mikado's mother smiled sadly, trembling fingers clutching Anri's sturdy shoulder.
"It's okay with me." Anri gave a small smile. "I don't have any plans today." Like that their small group of three became four.
x-x-x
Someone hadn't realised Kanra wasn't at home. If they had they'd stop sending guests in. Izaya mused closing the door on yet another person asking for Kanra.
"If that's how you want it, Masaomi-kun." Izaya chuckled darkly turning away from the door. "It's not going to work." He had barely sat back at his desk, when the door went again.
With a business smile, the informant skipped back over for the umpteenth time to open the cursed thing. Why didn't he get this many visitors? "Yes?"
In front of him stood yet another scantily dressed hooker. Izaya sighed keeping his eyes to the wall behind the woman, since she was so short and looking down gave him a view of large breasts barely held in.
"I'm here to see Kanra Orihara." The woman smiled stretching against the door frame, her top rose up exposing a slim belly. "Would that be you, cutey?"
Izaya was tempted. So tempted to take in the naive prostitute and teach her a few things. His two lovers would probably cry if he did. No scratch that. One of them would break him in half. It wasn't the first hooker he had turned away that morning.
"She's not here at the moment." Izaya was already taking a step back. "Too bad." With that he closed the door wondering how long it would be until the next one. It looked like Masaomi was trying to convert Kanra away from men.
x-x-x
Mid afternoon. Mikado's parents had treated both of them to lunch after a long morning. Kanra hadn't had time to check her phone or worry about her missing tension had eased somewhat, Kanra finding herself having fun as she played tour guide to Mikado's life. The school, Celty's, Karaoke and Russian sushi. It was a good day.
The pair spoke a lot which felt like a hand wrapped around her heart, squeezing at steady intervals. Anri anchored her back to reality. She couldn't allow herself to slip. "Where would you like to go now?" She asked taking her phone from her pocket.
Everything okay?
Kanra smiled seeing the text flash up on her screen. Izaya was asking after her. A faint warmth heated her cheeks. "Are we interrupting?" Surprised the second informant raised her head, seeing all three of them staring at her.
"Ah. Sorry." The raven flushed apologising politely. Her fingers moved blindly replying to her lover's text. Moments later a message pinged back.
Nothing yet.
Shizuo hadn't been found. From the corner of her eye he could see a limo parked up. Leaning against the vehicle was a middle aged raven haired man, with a chain around his neck. Shiki. The man was looking directly at her, beckoning with a finger.