Chapter 71: Rebound

Smoke lingered on damp grass like a snake slithering its way towards its prey. The sound of screams, cracking wood and splashing water filled the entirety of their heads.

"This-" Izaya was the first to whisper and bring his voice back, but the words failed him. All the death he had seen- The priest was dead. Maria too.

And Roy-

Using his ability on a large scale like this couldn't have possibly let him survive. Why did the police even find them? Who blew their cover?

Why now?

Why like this?

Should he have left the monastery after all? Was this his fault?

Looking towards his sisters, emotions of guilt, anxiety and adrenaline filled his veins in equal amounts.

This was 1353.

Shizuo-

A million thoughts raced through Izaya's head as he tried to comprehend their situation. Was this timeskip temporary? Was there a chance to return to their own time at some point? The 1300ths- facts and trivia circled his mind regarding that time of history, but all of that came to a halt as he faced Shizuo.

He was looking towards the raging fire.

Awfully out of it, docile and void of any reaction.

The flames leaping off the sides of the forming monastery danced in his eyes and Izaya's feet kicked the dirty earth as he made his way over.

"Hey-" the faint hint of iron panic sat at the back of Izaya's throat as he grasped Shizuo's face in both palms. "Shizuo-" Izaya couldn't even tell why he was freaking out, but he did.

They were gone.

From their time.

They were gone.

Shizuo had to be confused right, he just killed so many people- blood drenched most of his appearance and served a most gruesome image. Avid thoughts and an undeniable tremor shook Izaya's palms and suddenly Shizuo spoke.

"Hey- did you hear me?" But it wasn't Izaya that had spoken, but Shizuo.

Eyes much more collected than Izaya's met his gaze and the soft touch administered to Shizuo's skin met his own as Shizuo brushed across his cheek.

"Are you okay?" The question was unexpected. Out of place. After all, it was Shizuo that had to be on the verge of a mental breakdown, right? After killing all those people, after everything that had happened-

"Izaya." Again Shizuo spoke and Izaya realized he had yet to reply a word to his question, but somehow his lips didn't move. Somehow he couldn't bring himself to do anything.

Again the soft strokes to his own cheek ripped him out of a spiral of a million thoughts and Shizuo spoke. "You are freaking out."

Ah.

Shizuo wasn't the one freaking out. Izaya was.

Just like how the smoke as a natural element joined fire the second it was coerced into existence, Izaya suddenly realized his own natural responses.

The avid taste to his tongue, the iron at the back of his throat. His heart beating faster than it should and the way he tried to do anything but think about their current situation.

Because it was easier to care for Shizuo. It was easier to think about his feelings. Feelings of guilt, of murder, of surprise and everything else simple and easy as Shizuo had always been.

But all of that was just a distraction.

Izaya swallowed hard upon his realization. He merely projected his own feelings onto Shizuo. Because it was easier. Because reasoning with someone else was much more simple than to reason with himself.

He felt his lips tremble and stutter without speaking. "I-"

But Izaya didn't get to voice a single thought.

"Leo- hey-" the voice of his sister reached his ears faster than he liked and it carried a certain urgency that caused all other thoughts to shut up.

Right.

Mairu. Kururi. They had been dragged into this too-

Turning to face his sisters as if seeing them for the first time, Izaya realized that he was not the only one overwhelmed by this situation.

Kururi was lifting her hand and drawing soothing circles on Leo's back. Mairu was giving her best by speaking words of comfort it seemed as she crouched right in front of the young male.

Izaya didn't need to be a genius to realize that Leo was hyperventilating. Quick breaths and an avid stare into the direction of the church but not being aimed at anything in particular was enough of a hint for Izaya to understand.

"They are dead- they are dead-" whispers of an endless rant seeped quietly but steadily off Leo's lips.

They had traveled so far back. Everything was gone. He was alone. Izaya was already unsettled enough as he was, but at least he had those he cared most around him.

Shizuo was here. Alive. Same for his siblings. And even Namie, despite being similarly out of it, was present too.

"Hey ginger calm down-" Mairu tried again, using the silly nickname on purpose in hope she could trigger something different to panic in his mind. It was funny how similar their thought patterns were to Izaya's in situations like these. "Everything is going to be okay," she whispered and Kururui nodded as well. Taking Leo's hand she moved in front of Leo before agreeing with a soft nod. "Alright."

But Leo didn't seem to get it.

So they repeated their actions, their words.

"It's alright." Mairu whispered. "Alright."

Izaya couldn't really tell how long they had been sitting there. A few minutes? More?

All he knew was that he found himself awfully mesmerized by his sisters. Their actions, their words.

It was almost as if they were talking to him, and alongside Leo, who slowly seemed to calm down, Izaya felt himself regaining control over his own nerves.

Shizuo was still sitting there, palm brushing across Izaya's cheek. He had not said a single word, but his eyes spoke volumes.

Taking a deep breath Izaya closed his eyes for a second before assessing their situation.

His siblings were fine. Healthy. Leo not so much, but okay. Shizuo had miraculously not sustained even a scratch during his single handed killing spree. Same went for Izaya.

Turning his head he looked towards the last member of their group.

Namie.

She still had to move or say anything as her eyes merely watched the flames of the church flicker towards the roof.

She was out of it. Confused. Had she even realized what had just happened?

No, she had to have a hunch at least for her to be as out of it as this.

It was then that uncanny sounds of movement disturbed the silence of cackling flames.

Voices. People.

Of course the church was still burning, more people were joining the poor nun's Izaya had seen in an attempt to help.

As if on cue Izaya suddenly realized the limited amount of options they were going to have if people from 1353 were to see them sitting here.

Covered in blood. Dressed in fabrics not yet invented- That fire could be reused real quick to make a fine bonfire for some burning witches and their aids as soon as those voices joined the nuns.

Leave it to instincts, but Shizuo was apparently able to tell that meeting anyone right now was dangerous. He couldn't even tell why, but he seemed to know.

Maybe because he was much simpler, maybe because he didn't understand the full consequences of this time travel, but he was somehow able to keep a cool head.

Faster than Izaya was able to speak and warn everyone present, Shizuo had grasped his wrist and pulled him to his feet.

Namie too. Dragging her after like a goddamn dog she found herself meeting a similar fate as he pulled on her collar.

"We have to get away from here-" he hissed between tight lips, addressing the two sisters still crouching on the ground.

Wide eyes featured their expressions and with sudden surprise Izaya realized that despite acting so well to calm down Leo they appeared to be just as confused as him. Funny- They had chosen the same action as him, trying to comfort him by directing his confusion at Shizuo.

They appeared to be awfully apathetic, but thankfully listened to Shizuo's words.

Leo tried to as well, but his leg had been shot and the wound was worse than he let on as his face scrunched in pain the moment he stood.

It was Mairu who was quickest to move and quickly raised his arm to slip under his shoulder. Leo was heavy, but moveable.

Kururui did the same, as if having come to the same conclusion and the two sisters nodded at each other before moving forward.

And so did the rest.

Having been caught up in a single frame picturing the burning church the group finally broke free as they advanced into the unknown terrain of a thick forest.

Low branches slapped their faces, spiderwebs tangled in Mairu's hair and a couple insects were all too happy to see them move about.

It was funny how much forests could change in a couple hundred years.

This one looked wild. Like no life had ever entered it before.

But none of that was paid too much attention as the voices joining the nuns at the church were too close yet for any of their liking.

And so they rushed. They stumbled and slipped through the darkness, until they ended up at a small ledge leading to a riverside.

It wasn't deep, or unsurpassable, but a decent mark in this thick forest.

It had been dark, darker than anything Izaya had ever seen at night, but the light of the moon managed to outline their surroundings in a faint shimmer.

Right.

Phones didn't exist yet.

The fire was back at the church.

Light pollution wasn't a thing yet.

Slowing down considerably, Mairu and Kururi helped Leo down the ledge. It was by accident that Izaya stubbed his toe on a random abandoned stone in his way and a frustrated curse left his lips.

"Fuck-"

A much smaller stone was kicked into the water by a burst of anger.

How?

Everything had been running so smoothly-

The police- they could have escaped somehow- they could have tried to kill them, get rid of them, start a new life in another country.

But this?

He knew it was wrong to feel anger towards Roy when all he did was his last breath's final wish- but what on earth was Izaya supposed to do?

How?

This was a curse.

This wasn't a matter of preventing two people from meeting or killing one party so that they couldn't reproduce in the future.

This was no simple plot, this was bullshit.

From beginning till end.

He knew nothing about the curse, he knew nothing about this good damned period and that goddamn priest-

Before he knew it Izaya found himself turning to one of the many trees surrounding them. The fist that met the bark was just another sign of his frustration, but sadly the tree was much harder than his skin and so Izaya flinched at the stab of pain hitting it had brought.

As if having summoned his very own familiar Shizuo suddenly appeared next to him.

Palming his fist he quickly inhibited any more self harming actions with a frown.

"Izaya stop-"

To be honest, he was a bit at a loss.

He had never seen Izaya that frustrated before.

Usually he was the one on top of everything. Planning, scheming, there was not a second he lost his cool. But right now his eyes seemed avid and just so terribly lost.

"What are we supposed to do, Shizu-chan?" he whispered, barely audible even to Shizuo, but he heard it and it made his heart clench.

Eyes narrowing he moved forth and pulled Izaya into his chest. His face in his neck.

He couldn't even find a reason for it but somehow he felt exceptionally calm.

The numbness he felt after killing those police officers refused to leave. And as uncanny as the sensation was, it served as an anchor.

He didn't get half of what their current situation meant. Izaya was probably already trying to construct the perfect course of actions at this very moment.

And he had already failed at coming up with anything decent judging from his reaction.

Frustration was what sept off Izaya's expression and the hug tightened.

He wasn't smart like Izaya. Maybe that's why their current situation appeared so simple to him.

"We are alive," he started quietly, but loud enough in the timid forest that the kids picked it up too. Mairu and Kururui were cleaning Leo's wound with the clean river water and looked over. "As long as we are, there is nothing we can't do," he whispered and gently cupped Izaya's face. "Nothing you can't do."

Shizuo was trying to look convincing, but his words didn't seem to have achieved that effect at all.

A bitter smile was all that grazed Izaya's lips as his brows dipped into a frown.

"I appreciate your faith in me, but this time it's different Shizuo."

"How so?" The question came quicker than Izaya expected and blinked before meeting Shizuo's gaze. "Huh?"

"Tell us what's going on in your mind." Shizuo suddenly announced and nodded towards the rest of their small group. Izaya's sisters, Leo and Namie. "We are six people. You know more than all of us together, so tell us. If there is nothing you can come up with at the moment maybe we can."

It was funny. Usually it was the other way round. Usually it was Izaya who brought on ideas as simple as these. And yet right now, it appeared Shizuo was the one with the coolest head.

How?

Izaya didn't understand, but he was able to recognize the truth when it was being spoken and so he sighed.

Right.

Letting his head thud against Shizuo's chest he claimed a last moment of peace. A kiss was placed on top of his head as if to encourage him and Izaya sighed.

Right.

Shizuo was exceptionally right.

This was not the time to lose his head. They had to make things work with what they had.

Pushing himself away from the blond Izaya quickly cleared his throat as he looked at their newest surroundings.

"Alright, hear me out," he started, not quite sure where he was going to head with his explanation, but Shizuo was right. If anyone knew what to do then it was him. "This is 1353," he continued, "Roy sent us back in time to break the curse of Incubi before it even started."

to be continued~