-๑-๑ ஜ ๑- Chapter 24: Freedom --๑ ஜ ๑-๑-
"Izaya Orihara," twisting his head, the raven in question looked towards the entrance of his room. Another visitor? Really?
How many people had been here let alone this morning?
Sighing softly the raven pushed himself up into a sitting position.
He already got it.
He was the captain.
He had duties to fulfill, tasks to comply with, politics to handle and uppers to report to- despite almost all of them wanting him dead. But seriously, couldn't they give him a break for at least a while?
"At your service," well, not like he was in any place to complain about actions of these sorts. "How can I-"
It was then that the door that had been closed gently by the fellow man visiting was smashed open in a fashion that only one person he knew would execute.
Anger was decorating a certain blond´s forehead as his eyes fixated on the man that had entered the room.
"You-!"
Ah.
Oh shit.
"Shizu-chan." Harsh, quick the words spilled from his lips. A warning. It had taken the raven not more than a second to realize what was going on. The last time Shizu-chan had been visiting he had seen some shadow lurking in front of his door, probably someone out to end his life.
And now- for whatever reason Shizu-chan had been inside the hospital and seen this man enter his room.
It was easier to count 1 and 1 together than to guess what was going on in his mind.
Like a dog that had been given the order not to eat its food the blond stopped short in his words and movement as he stared at the raven for a brief second. The confusion displayed on his face was almost adorably dorky.
"Please ignore him," Izaya cleared his throat, addressing his new visitor who had a staple documents at hand and an expression of mild fear sprawled across his face.
Ah.
True.
There had already been rumors about the recruit that killed a titan with a tree- now that he was the first to return from outside the walls the rumors had probably evolved to something even more scary.
"What is it that you have been sent to do?" the raven questioned, snapping the scared man out of his thoughts.
"Just these- I was ordered to deliver the last trips records. Leutnant Shiki wanted you to clarify something regarding the order in which the events occured." Eyes still fixed on the monster of the training ground as if he were going to bite his head off right then and there as soon as he said something wrong the guy swallowed hard. Those hands gripping the maps like his life depended on them.
"Understood, you can just leave them here," Izaya sighed, letting himself thud back into the bed. "You can leave now."
No more words were needed as the documents were quickly disposed of and the man left the room as quickly as he had entered it.
It was when the door was about to shut and Izaya was about to address the blond, that it opened yet again, revealing an entirely different character this time.
"Sorry I'm late-" Red hair and a scar resting across one of his eyes emerged from the hallway and Shizuo´s gaze met his one-eyed one as he recognized the man. "Although I see it's not too late."
"You are-" Shizuo managed to mumble, not quite remembering the guy´s name, however.
"We met in front of the judge. Akabayashi," the man introduced himself once more before dragging a chair over to Izaya's bed. Resting that cane next to the small shelf he took off his glasses taking in the sight in front of him.
"How are you?" His voice was deep, very calm. It was soothing just to listen to him.
"Better," Izaya informed, pushing himself up a bit as if to prove his words, only to be held back by the man anyway.
"The doctors said you can be released in a day or two, and your wounds despite being quite the critical blows will not leave any permanent damage." A hint of a smile decorated his lips,"If you take it easy that is."
Relief washed over the blond as he looked at the raven. After everything that had happened back outside the wall he hadn't been too sure if the flea would even survive in the first place. But him being able to walk normally again in the future was amazing.
"That's good news." Shizuo sighed relieved, only for Izaya's guest to shake his head.
"Arguable."
Huh?
"Orihara, I don't want to defy doctor's orders but I think it will be more safe to transfer you to your room in the survey corps building." The man´s expression had grown serious and his voice lowered as though he didn't want anyone to eavesdrop on their conversation.
"You speak my thoughts." Was all, Izaya replied while Shizuo was left in a bit of confusion.
"What? But I thought-"
"More eye witnesses Shizu-chan," Izaya interrupted quickly, "He is trying to say it's safer there than inside this hospital."
Safer than inside the hospital.
The sentence hallowed in Shizuo´s mind as he realized what it was that Izaya meant.
He had to move.
Because of these assholes. These guys that tried to kill him, just to please one of Izaya's uppers. Body tensing involuntarily the blond´s fists tightened next to his body.
To think that even inside a hospital they still wouldn't leave Izaya alone-
"Well then," Akabayashi said, getting up from the chair again as he made his way to the door. "I will arrange everything, be ready," he shortly nodded into Shizuo´s direction. "Shizuo-kun. I will leave the rest to you." And with that he was gone, not even waiting for some kind of response as the door shut.
Silence filled the room for a moment. Shizuo´s forehead was still strained by a deep frown.
"He was in front of the court. Is he a friend of yours?"
The raven hummed, not agreeing nor denying his question.
"What gives you the idea?" he asked instead, pushing himself up into a sitting position.
"… he seemed to be on your side. At court." At least that's what he had thought. When he left the court he had seemed to be the only one that had been happy about his testimony of the flea not having sent his troup into certain death. But the flea didn't seem too prone to the idea.
"I don't trust him and neither should you," he sighed, cringing just a bit as his legs reminded him all too gladly why he was supposed to lay still as he tried to get comfortable.
"Didn't he just arrange your transfer so you are safe?" Shizu-chan questioned again, causing a soft frown to appear on Izaya's expression as he sighed.
"Indeed. Now. But who can say what his price is to change that." He couldn't really blame the blond for his impression, after all if he had to choose he would be one of the few he could count on. But at the end of the day?
Everyone was corrupt. If being offered the right deal, safety, money or maybe pressured by something like blackmail or a threat every human would submit. Some easier, some harder. But at the end of the day it was just that. "Let's call it a healthy dose of suspicion. You never know when someone will try to stab your back."
It was a topic he was quite sick of to be honest.
A grim reminder of just how messed up their surroundings were.
This situation in itself was quite grim in general.
Laying here on a silver tablet, ready to be killed by whoever managed to get past Akabayashi or Shinra's father. Swallowing hard the raven tried to get rid of the annoying feeling this loss of control provided.
"Now to you, why are you here?" Izaya sighed softly, directing his attention back to the blond.
He was still standing there, some papers at hand it seemed. Probably from Shinra judging how he had sent him there the last time they saw each other.
"Shinra told me you need this, so…" Shizuo started, kinda feeling like he was in the wrong place. He wasn't even too sure himself what exactly it was that he wanted from the flea.
He was his lieutenant, his upper, he had helped him get inside the survey corps- then after everything that had happened back outside the wall…
He felt the need to apologize, and thank him and- a soft frown crossed his face. "I hope you get better soon." Placing the papers on the flea´s desk the blond stood there, not quite sure what to do or say as he turned around, ready to leave.
"Keep me company," it was the flea´s voice that caused him to still. "It's awfully boring here."
Well that was a lie.
He had work to do, even tied to bed like this, but honestly right now seeing Shizu-chan was really a breath of fresh air.
"... is that a good idea?" Shizuo questioned, doing as told anyway as he took a seat on the chair Akabayashi had dragged over earlier.
Ah.
Shizu-chan was probably talking about how they were the only two to return from outside the wall.
"Is that why you haven't been visiting?" His uppers had smelled their chance to get rid of Izaya once and for all- seeing how that backfired, Shizu-chan probably thought they were watching them, trying to get some dirt on them.
"Should I have?" he questioned- awfully timid for his usual type of behavior.
"No it just struck me as odd, considering you stuck to me like glue before."
It was more than just odd.
He seemed so distant.
Nothing like before they had left for that mission.
Izaya remembered the way they had talked about the rumors, about how he tried to prepare Shizu-chan for the world outside the wall- but all in front how carefree and innocent he had behaved.
Right now it seemed as though someone had torn that characteristic apart.
"I just don't want to mess anything up again." The words only confirmed his suspicion.
And he didn't like that at all.
"You talk as if you already did." Izaya tried to joke, not contributing much though it seemed as the man´s hand connected with his forehead. It was unsettling.
Not because of his strength or because of what he had managed to do outside the wall, no that wasn't it. "Worrying doesn't suit you Shizu-chan."
It was the way he looked like his troup.
Those men that rushed to their death on their missions, time over time again."Is it because of your brother?" A hint of panic surfaced from the back of his mind. "What happened at court? Or because of your titan form?"
Just tell.
No matter what it was that tormented the blond so much, it had to be something Izaya could take care of. It just had to be.
Frown deepening Shizuo´s fists tightened.
"All of the above?" he glanced at the flea, "I'm not stupid. One wrong move and they might turn Kasuka´s machines off. This time they only offered me a good deal for framing you. But next time-" he faded out.
Yeah.
They would probably threaten him the next time.
They both knew.
And that knowledge was suffocating.
"And if they find out I'm a titan-" Shizu-chan´s expression churned- causing Izaya's to do the same.
"I will take responsibility." The words flew quicker from his lips than his mind was capable of processing them. "No matter what you do or mess up." It was the panic that he felt- the fear of Shizu-chan´s mind becoming clouded, trapped and forcing him into choices that weren't his own. "I have connections. No friends maybe, but people who rely on my services, people who rely on my mouth staying shut on certain topics and most importantly people who need me as a distraction."
He just wanted the blond to be free.
At least him.
Since there was no way for Izaya to be.
"Distraction?" the blond repeated, that frown deepening as he started to grasp the meaning of those words.
"As long as I am the court's problem number one they won´t concentrate on who else they might need to act according to their wishes." The flea continued to rant while Shizuo's mind got thrown into something he hadn't felt in a while- anger.
Not directed at Izaya but the flea's surroundings. "They won't turn those machines off- your strength is something they want to exploit. Taking away their only way to keep you under control would be stupid."
Shizuo's fists clenched at the words.
Rambling on and on the flea kept assuring him that everything was going to be okay, that he didn't need to worry about a thing- all by taking the results of his actions all upon himself.
Why was it that even injured as he was now Izaya still managed to keep control over everything? While he was able to do nothing but feel guilty and scared.
Pathetic.
It was then that a knock on the door snapped both of them out of their thoughts.
"Hell, can someone not get a moment of peace in here? This is a hospital for fucks sake." Shizuo groaned, moving up to open the door.
A kid was standing there, not older than seventeen he supposed.
"An order from Leutnant Shiki," he quickly explained, shoving a pile of documents into the blond's direction while keeping his head low.
Ah.
He probably scared him.
"Thanks Mikado-kun, you can leave now," Izaya announced from afar, freeing the kid off his duty as he scurried down the hallway he came from.
"Shizu-chan you shouldn't scare kids like that," Izaya hummed, picking up the documents the blond had thrown onto his small side desk.
"Just pisses me off, they are piling more and more work on you when you are already in hospital. Can't you just take a day off?"
Izaya only perceived those complaints faintly as his eyes skimmed the paper.
Surprise reflected in his eyes, and the sheer lack of a witty reply drew Shizuo's attention to it.
"What did the bastard write?"
Izaya however didn't say a word.
Instead he lowered the papers onto the bed sheets as he let his head connect with the headboard.
His eyes were closed and a frown settled upon them.
Taking the matter into his own hands Shizuo leaned over, reading the top line of the document.
And for a moment he thought he was dreaming.
That paper.
It was an assignment- a mission outside the walls.
Taking place with Izaya as the lieutenant and head in charge.
A mission that was supposed to be executed the next day.
to be continued~
HOOOOOO
I'm on time - WITH ALL UPDATES xD
So miracles do happen from time to time, interesting xD
-whispers- might be because my little sister recently discovered the Shizaya fandom and now we are both squealing over them -COUGH COUGH- xDDDD
I love my sis xD Stocking up the Shizaya flame together hahaha
Anyway~
Now, what will our cute little soon to be couple do? hahaha things will get quite tense really soon xD and maybe even… spicey!? C; C; C; C; C;
I plan to keep updating regularly xD but for once I will just let my action speak instead of empty promises xD
With that being said, see you on 31st of October ;3
PS.: Bcd and Sotd will come out tomorrow- they are both almost done but I had to take over a colleagues shift today soooooo- xDDD tomorrow ;3