Summary:

This serves as a sequel to Day 100, but I advise against reading it as it was written a long time ago. In the preceding story, Izaya met his demise at the hands of Shizuo, a tragic event necessitated by circumstances. Subsequently, Shizuo served time in prison, eventually gaining his freedom. Fast-forward to the present, Izaya has been miraculously brought back to life, and the narrative explores their transformed relationship as they navigate the complexities of being a couple.

Notes:

"Your guilt will be your past, and that will be your God." - Orihara Izaya

Awwww shit, here we go again.

This story has been on my mind since I first had the idea more than 10 years ago. I thought about why Izaya would give up on life, and created this elaborate plan. I drew inspiration from a ton of work such as Baldur's Gate 3, Venom, and the newest SAW movie.

Any and every excuse to bring me back to these boys is golden.

Context: A detective in the previous (unfinished) book helps Shizuo get out of prison. The detective AKA "Josh" learns that Izaya framed him, and Josh, believing Shizuo, manages to convince a judge to authorize a retrial. Shizuo wins the retrial and is declared a free man 101 days after being incarcerated. However, in society's eyes, Izaya is still perceived as deceased.

Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 1: Echoes from the Afterlife

Izaya couldn't really tell who he was anymore, but the next thing he knew for sure was the very real sounds and figures surrounding him. Then, he felt something crawl out of his ear. As for the onlookers—Celty, Shizuo, and Shinra—they observed that the black goo which hit the floor promptly shriveled up and died.

Izaya's red hues were still fluttering open, with glimpses of high definition slowly starting to appear. He felt somewhat human again, although it was different.

[Shizuo, I don't think that is a wise choice!] Celty walked up to Shizuo with the phone near his face, but he wasn't going to let her stop him. Not after all this time.

The blonde didn't care anymore. Izaya looked alive again, covered in dirt, but almost like he was in a deep sleep. "I can't believe I'm about to do this… I still hate you, you know…" He leaned over the former information broker and pressed his lips against the other.

Izaya woke up in a panic at the kiss and immediately smacked whoever dared to touch his face. To his surprise, Shizuo actually hit the wall with brute force.

"What…?" said Shinra.

[The...] typed Celty, in unison.

"Fuck… Ow! Why would you do that, Flea?" Shizuo growled and calmed down after a few seconds, quickly acknowledging that Izaya's strength wasn't normal. Yes, he could throw knives, dodge, dance around bullets even, but never in a million years could he slam Shizuo away like swatting away a bug.

Izaya breathed heavily, looking down and noticing that he was wearing a very fancy and tailored suit, all thanks to Namie, he guessed. She knew he wanted to look fancy at his wake. He looked at his arms, not noticing anything particularly different. He didn't feel stronger or anything. Yet somehow, he was the one who heaved Shizuo into the wall.

Suddenly, a portal opened in the wall adjacent to Shizuo, shocking everyone in the room. A demon stepped out of the wall, and it was quite obvious she was a succubus due to her provocative attire. She proudly displayed her demonic horns, sharp canine teeth, long blonde hair, striking blue eyes, a long skinny tail, and wings at her back. "Izaya Orihara, nice to finally meet you. I've been waiting for this moment. Awww, I see that our friend didn't last. Did he?" The demoness slowly moved over to the parasite on the ground and squashed its remains with her boot. "Don't worry, darling, he's just going back to Hell, where it will take you back in due time."

"Hell? What are you talking about? And who might you be~?" Yes, Izaya was confused and couldn't really believe what he was seeing despite knowing a certain headless rider, but he was still as charming as ever. And despite everything that happened, Shizuo blushed, and thought about how he missed hearing that voice.

This didn't go unnoticed by Izaya, but his attention quickly shifted back to the succubus. "Tell me now."

"Okay, okay. Fine. I can see why it chose you, though. That is your symbiote from now until forever. 'One of my many pets. Its DNA has bonded with yours. That thing making you powerful after death was part of hell. Maybe some of your stipulations about the afterlife were right after all, hmmm… And you can call me Sephora. Thanks for asking."

Izaya shook his head. "I don't understand. Why didn't the symbiote take me to Hell when I died? Why wait?"

"Oh, I don't know, why do you do what you do? I believe the Great Izaya Orihara once said, "Everyone is equal, no exceptions, equal before God… or something like that."

This shocked Izaya a little bit, but he played it cool. "Just how much do you know about me?" He squinted.

"More than you wish to know, probably." She checked out her nails casually. "Alright. I'm sure you have more questions. You always do, don't you? Unfortunately for you, that symbiote in your head was causing all sorts of madness before you died. If I took you back in time, the old you would have slit your throat for giving up on life. Think about it now. I bet since your symbiote left, you couldn't possibly think about killing yourself. But you did. You calculated exactly how Shizuo was going to react to your plan." She took an exaggerated breath.

"...When you framed him for murder, informing him that with a push of a button on your phone, the building Kasuka was in would explode. Later, when Shizuo pleaded with you, you callously revealed that the building was destined to explode anyway. The commands on your phone, you asserted, wouldn't avert the inevitable. And then, as we are well aware, he choked you to death with his bare hands. The police arrived, discovering there were no bombs, only to find that all that was on Izaya's phone was a video of a unicorn cat on repeat."

"...Shizuo, successfully framed, is sent to jail, where, as a ghost, you torment him. In the solitude of confinement, with only you as company, Shizuo grapples with the relentless mental torture. It becomes a reckoning, a realization of the error he made. Let's not overlook the time he spent in solitary confinement, where you, a ghostly presence, are his sole companion. Together, you revisit every nuance of your relationship, aided by a detective whom you've intentionally kept in the dark – a clever touch. In this introspection, you both come to terms with the senseless animosity that had fueled your interactions. It was an instinctual reaction, stemming from an unwillingness to acknowledge the latent connection. Indeed, an invisible string binds you two together."

"Thanks for that unnecessary explanation," Izaya chimed, sarcasm lacing his words like venom.

Sephora ignored him and leaned back, a devilish smile playing on her lips. "Oh, the twists and turns of mortal drama. It's like watching a play, but with more blood and less subtlety. Your return, my dear Izaya, adds a delightful twist to the narrative. The symbiote's plans are unfolding in ways even I find intriguing." She glanced at Celty, who observed more calm than usual. She was sick of the chaos and honestly just wanted to go home, cuddle with Shinra and pretend to sleep.

Izaya, not one to be easily dismissed, arched an eyebrow. "Plans? It seems like you traveled here just to watch for fun."

Sephora chuckled. "I am having fun, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate the artistry in the chaos. You see, your symbiote has its own agenda, and your role in this little tale is far from ordinary. It's like a cosmic dance, and you, a novice Hellspawn, are at the center of it all."

Izaya sighed, his tone more resigned. "So, I'm a puppet with a puppeteer."

Sephora's eyes glinted mischievously. "More like a dancer with a partner, each move influencing the other. The dance of life and death, choices and consequences."

Shizuo, growing increasingly impatient, interjected, "Enough with this cryptic nonsense. What's the endgame here?"

Sephora grinned. "Oh, Shizuo-kun, that's the beauty of it. There might not be an endgame. The story unfolds, and we all revel in the chaos it brings. Now, let the dance continue."

Izaya, still processing the information, narrowed his eyes at Sephora. "So, you're saying I have this symbiote, and it's the reason I'm back among the living? And the reason for this newfound strength?"

Meanwhile, Shizuo was trying to make sense of the situation piece by piece. "Hold on now, how did you actually come back to life? And what's all this about a symbiote and Hell?"

Sephora shot a glance at Shizuo. "With a little help from his friends, it seems. Celty found a way to retrieve Izaya's soul and bring him back. For you, it was merely one minute. Who knows how many days Celty spent down there." She hummed.

Shizuo's amber eyes widened in disbelief. "Celty did what?"

Celty, through her unique typing, communicated her part in the process. [Foggy memories… But… Yes. I brought you back. I believe Sephora is telling the truth.]

Sephora chuckled. "Oh, it gets crazier, Shizuo. You see, Izaya here is now intricately linked to his symbiote." She crossed her arms over her chest.

Izaya interrupted, "And what's the purpose of this intriguing arrangement?"

Sephora grinned, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "Well, Izaya, you're more like a strategic pawn in the symbiote's grand design. It's harboring its own plans. All I know is that you're a unique piece on its chessboard. The symbiote's little plaything," Sephora replied with a wicked gleam in her eye.

Shizuo, growing increasingly frustrated with the surreal turn of events, clenched his fists. "Izaya, what the hell did you get yourself into?"

Izaya smirked, his trademark false-confidence returning. "Well, Shizuo, it seems I've become a pivotal pawn for once. Life after death just keeps getting more interesting."

Sephora laughed, relishing the unfolding drama. "Oh, the show is just beginning, dear Izaya. We will meet again soon. Enjoy your new body and presumably new identity, too-da-loo~!" The demoness opened the portal again in the wall and stepped inside. The room fell silent when the portal closed behind her.

In those final moments of encountering Sephora, Izaya had his first taste of being a pawn in another's game, on the receiving end of manipulation. He didn't like it at all.