Disclaimer: I do not own Durarara!

Shiki absentmindedly flipped through the invoices from the month's shipments he had brought home with him, his eyes barely registering the numbers he had already checked numerous times. His thoughts wandered yet again to his guest who continued to slumber in the spare room, realizing that a week had already come and gone since he had found a dying Izaya in that hideout. He didn't know how much damage the silver bullets had done, but their effects were obviously lingering far too long for comfort. He had even considered contacting Shinra earlier, but he knew the problem was likely not something easily fixed with surgery or human medicine.

He reached the last sheet of paper and pushed the pile aside before pulling out a cigarette to quell his upcoming thirst. Shiki needed to hunt soon, but the thought reminded him of Izaya's blood running down his chin, the rush of exhilaration that coursed through his body when he innately sensed that the ritual had worked.

The informant's blood had been sweet, more exquisite than any he had ever tasted in his long life. He was lucky he had never thought of turning the other into a meal. Shiki would have killed the man for sure.

He turned his gaze to the overcast sky outside his large penthouse windows. The clouds moved slowly over the city below, their shadows covering the buildings in a muted gray. Shiki admired the many neon colors the world had slowly turned into over the years, the bright street signs that littered the districts, light he could bask in without feeling tired.

Darkness did always make him feel the most alive, but he considered himself lucky that he was able to even experience the day without obvious hindrance unlike some of the others.

He thought of Tsukumoya's situation, forever inhabiting an alternate plane. The other was essentially invulnerable, but he couldn't imagine the immense loneliness that the entity must bear. The irritating emotion sometimes came in waves, but Shiki had learned to live with it after all these years.

It was just a natural part of being nearly immortal, he had always told himself, but now the slightest glimmer of hope crossed his mind when he thought of the fact that Izaya was also a vampire.

However, an overwhelming sense of guilt immediately rushed over that particular daydream. He had no right, he told himself. Izaya had not properly agreed to this curse he bestowed upon the other.

Shiki sighed, telling himself that dwelling on the fact would do him no favors, and he shifted his attention to the ones responsible for this entire fiasco instead.

Lycoris fell silent after their rather public hit on Kasuka and Ruri, dampening even Tsukumoya's efforts to find them. Shiki picked up his phone from the coffee table and scrolled through his messages to see if there were any updates from his team but found none, as expected. He knew there was only so much he could do without inadvertently revealing his own condition, but the silence was unsettling to say the least.

There was a pending text from Tsukumoya, and he tapped on the app to access the message.

Tsukumoya: [I just completed another one of Izaya's jobs]

Tsukumoya: [He works way too much]

Shiki: [Why am I not surprised?]

Tsukumoya: [Yes, why aren't you?]

Tsukumoya: [I don't remember ever giving him this much information to sell]

Shiki: [He has other sources besides you, you know.]

Tsukumoya: [Yeah, just let me complain please]

Tsukumoya: [His secretary is not making things any more pleasant]

Shiki: [My condolences]

Tsukumoya: [... so he's still sleeping?]

Shiki: [There hasn't been any changes.]

He sighed and placed the phone back down on the table before taking a long drag from the cancer stick, watching the smoke rise into the ventilation above. Tsukumoya was the one who suggested keeping Izaya's information network running in the case that Lycoris popped into it once they found that he was alive, but there had still been no developments on that end either.

It was like time had stopped with him waiting for Izaya to eventually wake up and blame him for his decision.

After all, the informant had every right to.

It was then that his sharp ears caught the faintest of noises from the guest room, and he snuffed out the cigarette before rising from the couch. Shiki muffled his footsteps in the shadows instinctively, trying not to hold his breath in anticipation as he cautiously made his way across the apartment. It could have just been a stray crow flying by the balcony, or perhaps the tenant downstairs happened to drop something heavy enough to echo through the thick walls.

Shiki finally reached the guest room, and he hesitated for a moment before he forced himself to push the door open to peek inside.

The room was pitch black; he had purposely drawn the curtains shut in the event that Izaya had not inherited his relative resistance against the sun, but he could still see the outline on the bed. Shiki felt for the switch and turned the ceiling light on low, revealing Izaya already sitting up, gaze fixed on the opposite wall almost as if in a daze. He allowed his footsteps to fall softly on the wooden floor to draw the other's attention as he approached, his heart pounding much too quickly.

Shiki had thought many times about what to say to the man during the past week, but he found that his mind was drawing a blank now that the time had finally come. Izaya turned towards him when he was almost at the bed, those previously rusty red eyes now a neon crimson.

Under the obvious confusion, Izaya's expression was almost soft, the usual sharpness missing from those beautiful orbs, and Shiki knew immediately that something was off.

"How are you feeling?" he asked gently, not wanting to startle the other.

"A little tired," the man replied, hands gripping the sheets much too tightly. Izaya blinked slowly as if he was trying very hard to get his bearings, and Shiki felt a faint spark of hope that was snuffed out in the next second. "I'm sorry, can you tell me how I ended up here?"

Shiki made a split second decision to take the straightforward route. "You were dying, so I turned you into a vampire," he stated bluntly. "You've been asleep for nearly a week."

"Is that why my teeth feel so strange?" Shiki watched as Izaya ran a tongue experimentally over the new prominent fangs. The informant then started laughing, the man's head tilted slightly as the sound came out, carefree and innocent. Shiki briefly noted that it was a surprisingly good look on the other, if not for the situation at hand. "This is a fine prank indeed."

"I'm not joking," he said pointedly, staring into those blood red eyes. It took a few seconds before Izaya realized that he was serious, and the informant stopped laughing almost instantaneously, the little color that had been on the man's cheeks disappearing. "What do you remember, Orihara?" Shiki continued when the other fell silent, hoping for the best as he continued to study the informant's reactions.

However, Izaya's forehead wrinkled while attempting to recall the previous week's events, but it was all for naught as the man only only turned back to Shiki looking more lost than he had ever seen the other. "Orihara…" Izaya repeated carefully, turning each syllable on his tongue.

Shiki sat at the edge of the bed so that the two of them were at eye level. "Do you know my name?" he asked gently, ignoring the excitement that flooded through him. Not only had he turned Izaya without the man's consent, now the informant probably had amnesia. It was the perfect setup, but he kicked himself for even considering the possibilities it offered him.

Izaya shook his head. "No, but judging by the situation, we are either very close or you feel responsible for my…" the informant hesitated for a moment, "...condition."

At least Izaya retained some semblance of his observational skills. Some part of Shiki wanted to tell the informant that they were indeed close, that Izaya had agreed to all of this, but he pushed away the temptation. "Your name is Orihara Izaya, an information broker. I am Shiki. We have a working relationship," he explained instead.

Izaya frowned. "I must not be of much use to you like this then."

"You've just woken up, so your brain might be adjusting," he offered, half hoping for and against that explanation. It drove him crazy. Shiki stood from the bed, intent on changing the subject. He needed some time to think about his next steps before temptation took over. "Are you feeling hungry?"

Izaya tilted his head to the side. "Can vampires even eat normal food?"

"I can still enjoy it, yes."

"That means you do not require it."

Shiki considered the other for a moment, briefly entertaining the possibility that Izaya was playing him to get more information. "I do not require it," he confirmed.

Izaya frowned. "That's a shame. Fatty tuna has a lot of nutrients."

Both of them froze at that statement for a moment before Izaya's frown deepened, and it was then that Shiki knew it wasn't an act. "Was that something I liked, Shiki-san? It just suddenly came out."

He swallowed uncomfortably. "Yes, that was your favorite food."

"I see."

He turned to head to the kitchen to clear his mind despite knowing he had already used up his supply of blood from the hospital for the week. He half expected Izaya to follow him, but a loud thump made him whirl around to find the informant on the floor.

"S-Sorry! I don't know why, but…" Izaya stammered while trying to heave himself off the floor, but the informant's shaky attempts to stand produced no results. Shiki rushed over and slowly lifted the man back onto the bed with little effort, feeling the hand trembling around his arm where Izaya had grabbed him for support.

His mind raced. All of the informant's wounds had already healed, and he was certain none of the bullets had come close to the man's spine.

"Can you feel your legs?"

The man nodded, providing him some relief. "They're just weak."

He sighed, hoping that this wouldn't turn into something more complicated. "Let me get you some blood. That might help."

.

Shizuo listened to the rhythmic whirl of the ventilator, committing the sound to memory yet again before he finally found the energy to stand. Visiting hours had ended nearly 45 minutes ago, and he needed to make sure to keep his visiting privileges until Kasuka was discharged. He glanced over at Ruri sitting in the corner reading a book.

He knew the circumstances with her were special since Kasuka had been injured protecting her, but he still wished the hospital staff would have at least extended the hours for him as well since he was family.

"I'll come back tomorrow," Shizuo announced, ignoring the irritation that threatened to flare up. He told himself that he should be thankful that someone was even with Kasuka through the nights he couldn't be there.

"Take care," Ruri told him as he nodded, taking one last look at the various tubes and machines connected to his brother before forcing himself to leave the room once again, yet another day without any signs of progress. He walked down the quiet hallways, the familiar helplessness bubbling in his chest.

Ruri had not been able to recall their attacker in great detail, and no one had tried sneaking into the hospital to finish the job since Kasuka was admitted, so the police were at a loss. Every lead seemed to be a dead end, and the frustration at the fact that the one responsible was still at large made him want to tear through the city in search of the culprit.

If only Izaya were responsible, then everything would have been much easier. Shizuo sighed, massaging his temple. He supposed nothing with that damned flea was easy, and he should be thankful that the other was not involved.

It was then he spotted a familiar white figure round the corner, and Shizuo followed it in earnest, hoping for something to get his mind off the current state of his brother. He recognized the man from the other day who had taken Shinra away shortly after Kasuka's operation, the one he had suspected was a yakuza.

Upon further inspection, the other held a nondescript brown paper bag under his arm and moved fluidly through the hallway, almost as if the other didn't want to be seen.

Shizuo remembered how the man had been adamant that the flea hadn't been part of the plot that got his brother hurt and suddenly wondered if he would find out more if he called out to the yakuza.

"Did you need something, Heiwajima-san?" Shiki suddenly stopped and turned in his direction. Shizuo grimaced and revealed himself.

"Isn't visiting hours over?" he asked, the accusation falling out of his lips against his better judgment.

"I had to pick up some special medicine, and this was the only time I could spare." The man did not seem fazed. "But that wasn't the question you had for me, was it?"

Shizuo clenched his fists, the man's sharpness reminding him too much of Izaya. He supposed the flea must spend his time with similar types. "You said that Izaya wasn't involved with what happened with my brother," he decided to take a chance. It was better than asking the flea himself. "If it wasn't him, then you must know who it was then."

Shiki regarded him for a long second. "And what are you planning to do with that information?"

"That doesn't concern you."

"Oh?" Shiki almost seemed amused.

"So you do know."

"It isn't as simple as a rogue fan with a gun as some of the others are convinced."

"Tell me," Shizuo growled.

The man was unfazed by his attitude. "If you want to find them, you'll have to help me with a little matter first."

Shizuo hesitated; he had enough sanity left in him to know that a deal with a yakuza meant trouble.

His reluctance seemed to amuse the other. "Let me know when you're ready. I'll have to head out for today."

Shizuo watched as Shiki disappeared around the corner.

.

Shiki closed the door gently behind him and stepped out of his shoes in the genkan. He made a beeline to the kitchen with his package, its contents already warm from the drive back. He took a tumbler out of the dishwasher and cut the tip off the bag of blood before pouring half of its contents into it and saving the rest in another container that he slipped into the refrigerator.

The smell was enticing to say the least, but he had to save this batch for Izaya.

Shiki sighed heavily before picking up the drink gingerly and headed for the guest room.

"I brought some blood from the hospital," he announced as he approached the other.

He handed Izaya the tumbler, observing the slightly trembling fingers that took the offering from him. He knew Izaya must be feeling the thirst given that the man had slept for a week, and it was a moment before the informant raised the cup to his lips and drank greedily, eyes lighting up at the sudden rush of energy. Izaya sighed after finishing the meal and set the flask down neatly on the nightstand before turning to Shiki.

"How strange, I don't feel as agitated anymore. Did you put some sedatives in that?"

Shiki snorted. "No. That's because you were feeling some bloodlust. If we had waited, it would have gotten worse."

"Bloodlust, huh?"

"Does your mind feel clearer now?" he inquired.

"Clearer, yes. But unfortunately, I'm afraid nothing else has come back to me quite yet."

Shiki supposed he was far too optimistic about the blood curing Izaya's amnesia. "I'm sure it will take some time. Do you want to try standing?"

Izaya nodded and slid out from under the covers, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. Shiki watched with morbid fascination as the informant placed his toes on the ground only for a shudder to suddenly engulf his body.

"What's wrong?"

"I…" Izaya hesitated before putting his full weight on the ground. He managed to stumble off the bed and took a few steps before falling back down on the sheets, nearly breathless. "It's strange," the man finally admitted.

"You lost a lot of blood previously. It might just take some time."

Izaya covered his eyes with an arm, shielding himself from the light in the room. "No, I just keep feeling the inexplicable urge to run, but to where? Maybe I should try going outside. Perhaps something will trigger my memories."

"You still can't move around easily," he reminded the informant. If Izaya could barely walk around the room, then revealing his presence outside where Lycoris or any number of his many enemies might be lurking was out of the question. He also suspected it would take more than a few trips to the hospital to help the other regain his strength, with what he had just seen.

However, it was strange that Izaya had such trouble walking when the rest of him seemed to be fine. He didn't know if it had something to do with the transformation or if it was all psychological. Shiki wasn't about to call in a psychiatrist to ask.

"I can always go at night," the man offered. "I don't want to keep being a burden."

"You're not," he reassured the other, feeling uneasy that Izaya even felt the need to voice such a concern.

He thought about his offer to Heiwajima back at the hospital. He had considered bringing the man here for a moment to see if the shock of meeting his greatest enemy would trigger Izaya's memories, but a small part of him wanted this to continue a little while longer.

Shiki was almost pleased that the bodyguard had hesitated earlier.

.

A day passed without any developments, then another.

"Are you sure I don't have anywhere I need to be?" Izaya asked more than once.

"Just focus on your recovery for now," Shiki replied each time.

Shiki finally headed out to hunt at night, masking his form in shadows as he scoured the alleys for suitable prey. He tried not to kill his meals to avoid bringing attention to himself, and he picked his targets accordingly, ones that would not remember the next day. He usually utilized his shipment from the blood bank at the local hospital, but he didn't want to bring attention to himself by asking his source for more than the usual allotment.

Besides, the extra stimulation from the hunt helped with some of the anxiety he was feeling. A man passed out in the alley, skin flushed with alcohol, was the optimal target for this week, and he wasted no time in sinking his teeth into the man's neck after checking his surroundings. He tried not to think about how it was a far cry from the quality of Izaya's blood as he drank from his unfortunate victim, as he could taste the alcohol mixed in with the thick nectar.

He sincerely hoped that the informant had not ruined his taste buds for the rest of his time.

However, Shiki found that he still had to fight instinct when he finally forced himself to stop and move away from his prey before he killed the man. He licked the last of the blood off of his lips, feeling a little better now that his bloodlust had been sated. The vampire then turned and made a beeline back to his dwellings where Izaya waited. The trip had taken a little longer than he had promised the other, and he didn't want the man wandering outside without supervision.

Shiki stepped back into the apartment and removed the long dark coat he took with him for such hunts, hanging it on the coat rack by the door. He stepped into the living room and nearly started when he saw Izaya on the couch.

"You were gone for a while, so I was worried," the man muttered, unwilling to look him in the eye. The gesture touched him for a moment before the unease settled back in.

"You managed to walk out of your room," he stated instead. Izaya had barely been able to take a few steps away from the bed just this morning.

The man shrugged. "It took a few tries."

It occurred to Shiki that the other might have also just crawled out to the living room during the time he had been gone. The thought gave him no comfort.

"I had a slight revelation and was wondering if I could run it by you, Shiki-san."

He sat next to the other, waiting patiently for Izaya to continue.

The man nodded and closed his eyes as if in deep reverie. "It's faint, but all I can think of is running, the wind against my face, exhilaration from a chase." Izaya opened his eyes slowly and turned to Shiki. "Did I enjoy being chased, perhaps?"

Shiki supposed that Izaya must have relished in the chaos the man always instigated with Heiwajima. The thought brought an ugly knot up in his chest, and he recognized it instantly as jealousy. He tried to tell himself that it was for Izaya's own good, that he should make a stronger effort to bring the bodyguard here.

Izaya blinked innocently at him, the blind trust making his breath hitch.

"I always wondered if you did," he finally replied.

Izaya leaned back on the sofa, crossing his arms. "I feel a deep yearning, but for what?" Those blood red eyes suddenly lit up. "Oh! And there was something else I remembered today! Well, it was more of a feeling. I've actually been wondering what it was since I woke up. It surges whenever I look at you, Shiki-san."

"Oh? What is the feeling?" It could be a number of things, he reasoned. Most of his associates likely had some level of fear, respect…

"Relief," Izaya stated.

Shiki considered that word for a moment. Perhaps Izaya remembered the moment he had found the other in that dirty hideout. "Such as being saved from a dangerous situation?" he offered, but the informant shook his head.

"No, I asked myself that, but it is different. I'm sure of it." The way Izaya bit his lips told Shiki that it bothered the man more than the other was letting on.

"It will come to you."

"I hope so," Izaya replied in a voice so small, Shiki decided then and there that the least he could do is compromise. He still fought against bringing Heiwajima here, so he picked up his phone and scrolled to Shinra's name.

"I'm going to call the doctor over to see if he can examine the weakness in your legs. His name is Kishitani Shinra. You've known each other since school."

Thank you for reading!