Chapter 33: Fire and ice

Izaya probably couldn't have said anything more controversial as Shizuo's expression showed nothing but lack of comprehension.

"Didn't you hear what I said?" he asked, but Izaya had.

"I did and you clearly said you are running away," he replied, only edging Shizuo's confusion further.

"Are you implying I'm scared?" he asked, and Izaya didn't fail to notice the light waft of animosity in his voice. Shizuo wasn't mad, but the suggestion was one that didn't exactly elevate his mood.

Of course.

Izaya was suggesting to face the guilt and regret he had been varying for so long.

But wasn't it the wiser decision? Had Shizuo had the indifference necessary to simply forget the incident, then he would have done so long ago.

"All I mean to say is, I think you could live better with actual resentment than with the question of what happened to her," Izaya tried to explain, and just like the warm breeze soothed the cold landscaped and group of anilas, his words seemed to act like a patch on an open wound. Uncomfortable maybe, but necessary in the long run.

A deep frown cursed across Shizuo's face as he was seemingly contemplating Izaya's words.

"Or do you not want to make it up to her?" Izaya pressed the matter further, and something about those words seemed to have driven the final nail into the coffin.

Clicking his tongue the demon sighed before meeting the ground cross legged.

"You are treating me like a child," he announced, annoyed, but Izaya couldn't help but feel the slightest air of gratitude sway in it.

Sitting down next to the troubled demon Izaya sighed.

The ground was surprisingly warm. Purple moss covered most of the stones around and served as a cushion seat.

"That's because the matter is so simple," Izaya said and Shizuo sighed deeply.

"To you. Because you don't know many things."

True.

When it came to hell and its inhabitants Izaya really knew close to nothing. The area they had passed was about all he could add to his knowledge of geography and survival skills, but that was about it.

he had no idea what exactly went down when Shizuo fought that demon. Had no idea what she was like. If they got the worst possible outcome she was the type to hold a grudge and might as well have been training for a year in order to wipe out Shizuo's lights.

Approaching her really might not be the best idea. But somehow Izaya had a feeling it wasn't like that.

"Then explain them to me," he said, and turned his head to meet Shizuo's gaze. "If I have better intel I can give better advice," he declared, and just for a brief moment the demon seemed to contemplate his idea.

But that moment really was brief. And before Izaya knew it his face relaxed and a soft smile spread across Shizuo's lips.

His head was shaken and the ground abandoned.

"You know what? Maybe you are right," the demon announced and got up again from the ground. Arms were crossed, eyes directed into the direction of Crysteria and he nodded to himself as if to boost his own conviction. "After Crysteria I will seek her out." A smile accompanied the unexpected statement and followed up with even more surprises as he looked at Izaya. "And you will accompany me."

Izaya blinked for a second, not quite sure what to think of the statement, but the way Shizuo's lips curled upwards quickly revealed that it was nothing but a simple joke.

"Me?" Izaya snorted and the demon nodded along with his little play.

"It was your suggestion so you better follow up on it," he teased with a shrug and Izaya laughed.

"I don't even know whether I will be there anymore after meeting the demon lord," Izaya announced, and suddenly Shizuo's expression fell.

The ambiguity of Izaya's words only came to mind after he spoke them and he opened his lips to explain, but the demon was faster.

"You will," he replied with the kind of confidence he had promised to protect him earlier and the words left on Izaya's lips died down.

Ah.

He had meant to joke about how he was going to leave hell once the demon lord defeated the goddess for him. Which was wishful thinking of course. But Shizuo had thought he had already arranged himself with his own death caused by the demon lord himself.

It was a sweet misunderstanding and somehow Izaya didn't have the heart in him to call Shizuo an idiot and explain what he really meant.

Too strong was his conviction and way too generous the offer of protection.

Getting up from the ground he somehow found himself smiling as he faced the cross armed demon.

An anila that had been stuck to his side for a while suddenly leaped over to Shizuo, as if just having decided that he was trustworthy after all, and snuggled up to his cheek.

"Alright," Izaya announced, and Shizuo blinked in mild perplexion.

"If I am still here after meeting the demon lord, then I will join you," Izaya announced, and this time he wasn't joking around.

Even the demon seemed to understand that as the playful smile dropped from his lips.

"That was a joke, you know. You don't have to," he quickly retraced his steps, but Izaya showed nothing but a confident grin.

"I will. Don't you dare question my resolve."

The response caused Shizuo to snort in amusement. Because why even? Izaya was a human. Just approaching another demon that might be hostile towards them should scare him shitless. And yet there he was.

Announcing his company as if it were the most common choice in the world.

Shizuo wanted to complain, and wanted to convince Izaya that it was wiser for him to stay away from him.

But somehow the idea of this human tagging along with him even after Crysteria was over seemed too sweet to pass.

It was funny, but just the idea that Izaya would be there to accompany him somehow lifted a great weight off his chest.

Snuggling even closer the anila seemed to have a great time circling Shizuo's head in an attempt to make as much of its own fur touch Shizuo as possible, and the demon was somehow glad for that as it covered half of his face.

Why?

Why did the idea of Izaya staying cheer him up this much? Why did this human he had barely met a few days ago seem so incredibly alluring?

He was actually happy about him staying. He was looking forward to future conversations.

Why?

It made no sense.

And yet-

Feeling his lips curl into a bright smile Shizuo quickly shook his head.

A sensation so free, so ... nostalgic suddenly claimed his mind and he sighed.

"What?" Izaya asked almost immediately and Shizuo realized he was still being watched in the midst of his confusing thoughts.

"Nothing," he mumbled and raised his gaze, "You are just strange."

Izaya snorted. "To me you are the strange one."

Right.

He probably was, wasn't he? Befriending a human and all. Befriending a human at all.

Because that's what he was doing at the end of the day, wasn't it?

Why?

They had barely exchanged a few words at the point Shizuo exerted his own strength to protect him. It had been an unexplainable urge to act. One he couldn't rationalize.

He enjoyed his company way too much.

Shizuo found himself looking at Izaya.

At the way he petted the anila that had decided to jump up his body. The way he smiled at it and somehow Shizuo suddenly saw a different face.

Expressions Izaya had yet to make flooded his mind before he could even start to think about them. Anger. Teases. Blades?

Ideas he shouldn't have and words Izaya had never spoken somehow suddenly fit in his mind and his body tensed.

What was that?

It almost felt like- this wasn't the first time he had encountered Izaya.

"Say," he spoke slowly, his gaze somehow directed towards the ground as he suddenly feared facing this human was going to chase away this thin thread of pictures in his mind. "Have we me-"

But the words weren't meant to be spoken. Eyes lifted and directed towards Izaya and Shizuo's breath stopped right in the middle of his words as he saw it.

Water.

A current.

One of the many that were raging around the area had silently drawn closer. They possessed no intelligence, no urge to hunt or eat or kill, but that's what made nature's will even worse.

The current shifted, right there- with Izaya looking at him unaware of his fate as the stream touched his elbow from behind-

"Izaya-!"

Shizuo called- wings unfolded and speed brought him closer faster than ever- but the dash was too slow- Because the second Izaya touched the raging current of water he was pulled inside the stream with force-

Gone.

Just like that-

Izaya had no idea what was going on- the water had come out of nowhere and the suffocation claiming his body whole as well-

Eyes closed his body twisted and turned, upside down, downside up, left and right at the same time and a cold of seeping ice dipped inside his body-

His guts- his chest-

It was dark-

His eyes were closed he wanted to open them but no strength in the world seemed able to do so against the forced moving his body-

His limbs were stiff, his skin so cold- and darkness of a all consuming kind swallowed Izaya whole-

He would suffocate-

He would die-

Either from the cold or the lack of air- that's what he thought in the single instance that the few seconds of his demise allowed.

But then it was there.

A hand.

Another.

And before he knew it the water was gone and a harsh grunt reached his ear as air suddenly became available again. Coughing noises reached his ears and somehow in the back of his mind Izaya realized that he had been saved.

Shizuo.

He had to have been the one to pull him out of the current. But somehow that revelation wasn't as uplifting as it should be.

"God damnit-" Shizuo cursed, coughing himself as he shook his body like a dog.

He had lept after Izaya. Dived into the current. It was only due to his wings enforcing his speed that he had caught up as quickly as he had.

Stones spiked and lonesome, covered in moss and strange flowers surrounded the two. The stream had been much faster than Shizuo thought and carried them farther than expected. But none of that was of importance right now as he looked at Izaya.

"Are you okay?"

Arms curled around his lithe frame he had pulled the shivering human close.

Heavy coughs wrecked his body and Shizuo's guts dropped when Izaya shook his head.

Izaya didn't know what was going on. He wasn't suffocating anymore, but the cold that had claimed him inside the current refused to fade. Worse and worse it started to spread inside his body instead. He couldn't breathe properly still and somehow felt as if his body were cracking from inside out.

Unknown to him the sensation wasn't one only to be felt, but also to be seen.

A hue of panic grazed Shizuo's eyes as he looked at Izaya's arm. A color of pale white was starting to take form and upon flinching just lightly a crack crawled across Izaya's skin.

"Shit. That's why I hate that water," he cursed under his breath. Pulling Izaya closer he tried to share his body warmth with every inch of skin available.

"How can you hate water?" Izaya joked, despite the pain the ice cold sensation brought as it pierced his skin inside out like searing needles.

Fire, quick and hot were spat onto the ground by Shizuo in an attempt to create more warmth to combat the ice and his massive wings unfolded as he covered them both in a dome of warmth.

"I'm a demon," he spoke quickly and moved his palms along Izaya's skin in an effort to create friction. "We use fire to get ourselves clean."

And somehow Izaya couldn't help but chuckle despite the pain. And the eyes he had failed to open slowly regained their sight as he opened his lids.

"What?" Shizuo asked, and somehow the fact that Izaya was finally looking at him seemed to calm the raging storm inside his guts.

"Nothing, you just remind me of a very cute domestic animal of my world," Izaya wheezed and Shizuo snorted.

"Cute? You saw me spitting flames right?" Shizuo reminded and edged just a little bit closer to the small fire he had created.

"Believe me, anyone in my world would love a dragoncat, no matter how dangerous it is," Izaya said and Shizuo frowned as he looked at Izaya's body.

"You know I'm starting to believe the inhabitants of this other world you came from are having a screw loose," he mouthed slowly, but his mind was elsewhere.

"Might have," Izaya answered, but Shizuo's attention was not on his words.

He saw it.

The ice.

Slowly crawling up Izaya's skin. More and more seemed to take over parts of his body.

Even here, despite the fire, despite his wings trapping the warmth and his body radiating with demonic heat. It was unstoppable. At least not like this and his expression churned as his eyes narrowed.

"Sorry-" he apologized and Izaya blinked at the demon.

"Why are you apologizi-" the question came too slow and the answer faster than expected as flames suddenly encircled Izaya whole.

Fire-

Ice-

Both suddenly seemed to tear the skin off his body and Izaya's breath choked at the intense pain. Shizuo had ignited himself and it hurt-

It hurt-

And then it was gone.

Lightheaded and completely out of it Izaya could barely keep track of what was happening.

Whispers reached his ears. A language he had never heard before. And suddenly the pain was gone as quick as it had appeared.

The cold was gone.

The heat was gone as well.

And slowly but surely Izaya realized he was still breathing and very much alive.

Frowning deeply, his eyes opened and he looked at Shizuo. An expression of pain seemed to have settled on his own face as he spoke quickly with guilt layered heavily in his voice.

"Sorry, I knew no other way."

He had set him on fire. In order to get rid of the cold. Izaya wasn't quite sure whether to laugh or groan.

"It's fine. I have always wanted to be burnt alive," he snorted, settling for the former, but his hands were still shaking. He couldn't decide whether he was feeling cold or hot anymore. "The ice is gone," he announced, feeling the way his body was slowly but surely returning to its usual temperatures.

Shizuo had told him that the currents were dangerous, but freezing upon dipping into them once was a bit overkill.

Looking up he faced the worried demon, and somehow he couldn't help but notice how pale he had become and his expression darkened.

"What did you do just now?" he asked, but the hunch he had was confirmed quicker than he liked. Because Shizuo had healed him. And no matter what, he was a demon. Healing was not something a demon should be able to do except-

"Used some holy magic," Shizuo answered what Izaya had feared and his eyes widened.

"You-" he rushed out quickly, but his lips were still a bit numb, "What-"

Shizuo had told him about how there were only a few things capable of killing him. Magnit being one and holy magic another.

"I'm fine, I just-" Shizuo quickly spoke, but somehow his voice suddenly stuck in his throat.

Because Izaya had leaned up.

Just slightly.

Bringing his face closer to Shizuo's. And just for a second Shizuo noticed how close they were.

The way Izaya rested in his arms. Against his chest. The way his face was unbelievably close to his own and their skin touched.

And suddenly Shizuo looked at Izaya's lips.

Just for a brief moment. And it was as though he was holding the only thing he ever wished for. It was a weird mix of longing. Or trust. A sensation he couldn't quite understand.

And suddenly it was there.

Lust.

And the second he felt it for Izaya he felt like someone tore out his throat.

Izaya noticed the demon's distress, albeit attributed it to a completely different cause.

The demon's body tensed and Izaya frowned.

"Shizuo?"

He was about to touch him, reached out with his hand, but as quick as he moved, the demon did as well.

Gently, but faster than expected Izaya found himself put onto the ground next to the flame and the wings along with Shizuo had backed away.

Something about Shizuo's expression suddenly seemed heavily disturbed.

"Stay," he whispered, and with that he was gone.

Dashed away.

Quicker than Izaya was able to complain and he was left to stare at the empty spot missing his demon.

What had Izaya said? To trigger that?

Was it the holy magic? Was that why he was acting off?

Izaya pushed against the ground, intending to get to his feet, but his limbs were not working as he liked them to yet.

He felt weak as hell.

Frustrated too.

And worried.

Why had Shizuo run off? What was he doing?

Why had he looked like that? Like something was tearing him apart inside out?

Softly the fire crackled behind his back and Izaya shivered as his body had finally decided on a temperature to go by.

He was cold. Still.

And so he retreated towards the fire Shizuo had left behind and a thought that stung worse than he liked troubled his mind.

… Shizuo would come back, right?

to be continued~

Awwwww, so many misunderstandings xD Izaya this demon has some issues to deal with that you don't know about hahaha

Oh well, see you next friday :3 xD