Chapter 41: Knocking on death's door

"No way-"

Words of astonishment, laughter and doubt reverberated in the small chamber. The flames within the fireplace joined the light mood as they kissed a fresh pot dangling above. This time it was filled with medicinal herbs instead of soup and the scent filled the air in a pleasant manner.

It was late evening. The sun was kissing the trees' tips goodbye and a faint tinge of red filled the doctor's chamber.

Wild gestures were accompanied by excited eyes as Shinra continued on his quest of becoming the world's best storyteller.

"Yes and you bet he saw that coming, before his knights knew it Shizuo-" Almost slipping off the bed Shinra mimicked the action of a sword being brought down, but failing halfway and Izaya broke into a suppressed laughter.

He had heard a lot of stories about the rumored warrior, all along those that instilled fear and depicted Shizuo as a monster, but Shinra had opted for quite the different choices as he told him about the times he saw Shizuo mess up.

Having choked on his breath more than once already, Izaya made it a point to keep his amusement to his lips alone and spare his voice and throat the strenuous exercise.

"What did his knights say?"

It was right then when Shinra's eyes showed a mischievous glint and his mouth opened to reveal the punch line of the question that the door to the chamber opened.

Blond hair and the by now very familiar figure of a certain king slipped into the room without asking for permission.

"Izaya-" Armor rattling against its million components Shizuo quickly strode towards the bed.

Pleasant surprise showed on Izaya's expression while Shinra's held nothing but amusement.

"Oh, there he is. We were just walking about you," he announced with the fattest grin ever seen. Usually Shizuo would have asked what kind of gossip he was spreading behind his back, but right now nothing in the world mattered except one single fact.

Knee meeting the ground Shizuo lowered himself to Izaya's bed side within seconds and his voice spoke with fleeting care.

"I heard you woke up, how are you feeling?"

Again those eyes of honey focused on nothing in the world but his wife and Izaya's chest tightened at the sensation it brought.

Guilt, happiness, sadness, joy- he wasn't quite sure why but the fact that Shizuo showed his care in such heavy amounts somehow caused a conflict in his mind.

Even more so as he wasn't quite sure what to answer. He was fine. For the moment. As long as he didn't laugh, or cough or move. But was that really an answer that was going to satisfy Shizuo? Darkness sept from the corners of the room robbing the chamber of its carefree nature.

"Your wife is fine. You can stop worrying," Shinra answered in Izaya's stead and Shizuo's head turned.

Looking back and forth between the doctor and his wife a bit of doubt grazed his eyes as he frowned.

"Really?"

And finally Izaya found his voice again. Shizuo was worried. The least he could do to return all the kindness he received was to assure him.

"I can get out of bed and demonstrate if you want me to," Izaya announced with more confidence than he felt, and somehow that reply, meant as a joke, was enough to erase the tension in Shizuo's shoulders.

Feeling his own lips tug into a relieved smile the king chuckled while shaking his head. "Please don't."

Fire crackled as it happily gnawed through a freshly fed piece of wood. It was the only sound that filled the air for a second as Shizuo opened his lips to speak, but hesitated.

The moment of relief passed faster than Izaya liked it to as Shizuo's expression turned back to solemnity.

Awkward glances were cast to the side, as he was obviously trying to find the best words for whatever it was that he had to say.

It caused Izaya's interest to peak and mind to sharpen.

"... I heard your father was here?" Shizuo spoke after what felt like an eternity.

Izaya swallowed the hole that formed in his guts.

Just thinking about the bastard made him want to vomit.

"Tried to preach but I told him to get lost," Shinra announced quickly.

Izaya didn't really know why, but somehow Shinra seemed to have taken on the task of replying in his stead whenever the topic became one of discomfort.

He hadn't asked for it and yet he was somehow glad for his ambiguous responses.

Sighing relieved, Shizuo nodded, but a deep frown of the kind only Shizuo could show emerged nonetheless as he clicked his tongue.

"This roach is unbelievable. He sneaked his way past the majority of my servants by sick lies and pretentious acts of courtesy." Pulling over the chair Shinra had used earlier he made himself comfortable next to Izaya's bed before crossing his arms.

"Can't you tell them to just ignore him?" the doctor suggested, and Izaya's lips curled into a tired smile.

"Without a reason?" he asked, but already knew the answer to that. Shinra seemed to understand the predicament as he let his head tilt back towards the ceiling.

"... right. You are afraid you will be found out," he mumbled quietly whilst tapping his upper arm with his fingertips. A few incomprehensible hums and noises followed from the doctor and suddenly he sat up straight.

A smile sat right in place before he told his gruesome conclusion.

"I could always cut off your dick you know?"

Freezing right in place, not only Izaya found his body tensing at the suggestion. Bewilderment reflected in Shizuo's eyes and body language and Shinra quickly laughed before waving his complaints off.

"Calm down. That was a joke obviously."

Of course. Izaya felt his body relax again at the revelation. He really liked this guy, Shinra, the doctor- He was amazing when it came to treatment, but he bet he was as much up to inhuman experiments as he was open to unconventional treating methods.

The fact that Shizuo had taken him seriously for just a second only proved that idea.

"You have always had a habit of telling bad jokes," the king shook his head with a hint of regret for ever having allowed this maniac to become the castle's doctor. Nothing but a quirky smile was shown as Shinra shrugged his shoulders.

"You laugh about half what does this say about your humor?"

"Not the best I guess."

"Don't sweat it, I laughed too," Izaya shrugged and Shizuo smiled.

It was then that a knock resounded on the door. Not waiting for an answer James was the one to enter the chamber with a deep bow of apology.

"Excuse the intrusion, my queen, my king," he greeted quickly before aiming his gaze at Shizuo. "The knights, your highness, they are waiting for a decision," he quickly summarized what seemed to be the core issue at hand and Shizuo groaned softly.

Raising from the ground Izaya could do nothing but follow the king's body with his eyes as he walked over.

"I have to go," he announced shortly and James quickly bowed once more before retracting into the corridor.

Hesitation marked Shizuo's expression and for a moment his gaze lingered on Izaya before moving to Shinra.

"If anything changes you will inform me immediately." His voice was serious and despite their obvious friendship the command was an obvious order and not just a phrase to be said.

A hint of actual seriousness grazed Shinra's eyes for a brief second. But it was quickly wiped off again as he saluted at his king.

"I will raise a flag and send out word to all people present," he agreed with a quick nod and smile to his lips, and Shizuo shook his head with a soft smile.

"Idiot."

And somehow Shinra seemed to pick up the way Shizuo's expression softened in worry and the joking smile made way for actual assurance.

His voice lowered and his eyes regained their honesty as he spoke quietly.

"Our queen is in good hands, don't worry."

It was funny, the air in the small chamber was filled with the scents of herbs, with the warmth of flames and the color of the setting sun and yet the moment Izaya saw Shinra speak without a hint of jokes or misschief somehow seemed to dip the room into a hint of ice.

The fire crackled, and Shizuo quickly nodded with eyes too serious to belong to him as he slipped into the corridor.

Silence regained the upper hand of the chamber for a few lonely moments.

It was an odd sensation.

Izaya was sick. He was feeling like shit.

Yet Shinra's stories and behavior had made it seemed as if everything was going to be okay. Izaya was happy about Shizuo's visit, that wasn't it, but somehow it had managed to press the air inside the chamber to one of suffocation.

Maybe it was the way they had acted- all of them.

Izaya wasn't fine. Shinra knew he wasn't. Shizuo probably figured as much as well.

Yet they acted as if everything were going to be okay despite obvious facts.

"I strongly advise against getting up by the way," Shinra suddenly announced, completing the growing picture of hopelessness and Izaya's lips formed a tired smile.

"Figured," A soft forced smile slipped to his lips as he addressed the quirky doctor once more, "Does this mean I'm not allowed to leave?"

It was a joke. An action unlikely for Izaya, especially considering the situation, and yet it was just a pitiful attempt to regain the mood.

He didn't want to think about what Shinra's attitude meant. He didn't want to look at the empty bowl of soup that he had returned only minutes after consuming it.

He saw the signs and the knowledge of what they meant killed him faster than his illness did.

Expression falling for just a moment Shinra seemed to notice as he moved over.

Hands clasped Izaya's into their own grip as he showed a soothing smile,"Nope. At least for now." Shinra was smiling, giving his best to cheer his patient up. A quick glance was cast towards the chessboard and he nodded towards it. "If you don't mind, I want to keep you here for a few more nights. We need to find out which of us will be the undefeated one, right?"

Izaya chuckled softly.

James was apparently the best player in the castle. He didn't even doubt that Shinra really wanted to measure his own competence against his own, and yet his words poorly masked his true intentions.

"I thought I'm cured, doctor?" Izaya whispered and his gaze lowered to the blanket.

"Not as much cured as your symptoms suppressed," Shinra informed quickly, "You might feel decent but your body is still sick."

A weak snort bubbled forth from Izaya as he glanced toward the doctor with a raised eyebrow. "Sounds like witchcraft."

"Who said it isn't?" Shinra only returned the smirk with confidence only he would be able to muster upon being called out for heresy.

Shaking his head softly, Izaya glanced to the side. A cup with water had been placed there for a while now and Shinra had asked him to take a few sips anytime he felt he could stomach it.

Izaya didn't know what he was thinking. Maybe that he could prove something to himself by downing it in one go. That was the action he had in mind, it was one that stemmed from frustration and a deeply rooted fear as he leaned over to reach for the cup.

But the sole movement of his body humbled him quicker than he liked to. Without his consent the elbow he leaned on gave in like a freshly grown twig in spring. Had it not been for Shinra directly by his side he would have dropped head first into the night stand.

The failed action was humiliating and terrifying but Shinra's glance was even worse.

His eyes were serious and not a shred of humor to be spotted in his expression as he supported Izaya on his stupidly easy task.

It was unsettling Izaya worse than the game of pretense they had shown.

Just a simple action like leaning over showed him how badly off his body really was.

"Sleep some, you need it." Shinra spoke gently, as if telling his son a lullaby. The words were assuring, despite the scary character their meaning held and Izaya smiled bitterly.

"You really are like your mum," he said, and Shinra's face tugged into a sad smile.

This guy, Izaya, he was quite fond of him.

And that only made his job that much harder.

Pulling the blanket up to his patient's chin he moved to the fireplace.

Another brick of wood was fed to the dying flames and he quickly stirred the ash to knock it back to life.

How easy this was. Shinra would give anything in the world to be able to stir life back into his patience the way he did with the flames.

It was only a few moments he dedicated his attention towards the bubbling pot of herbs and medicine nearby, but by the time he turned around again to face Izaya with a new story to tell, he had already passed out again and the smile Shinra had painted onto his face dissipated softly.

A hesitant glance trailed to the cup of barely touched water and he sat down at his desk on the side. Books were laid open, conditions similar to Izaya's.

Anytime he slept he searched for new ways of treatment, for something that might avert his dooming fate.

It was hours later when the candle on his table burned low enough to cover half the desks corner with wax that Shinra heard the door to the chamber open with a quiet creak.

Moving softly in the breeze that was allowed into the chamber the light of the dying candle flickered as Shinra turned.

Quiet as a cat, Shizuo stood inside the chamber. His earlier attire consisting of armor had disappeared and he was carrying nothing but a beige linen shirt and a set of pants on his body.

Despite having entered the doctor's chamber, not even a greeting seemed to be on his mind as he ignored Shinra's existence entirely.

Izaya was sleeping. His chest was moving up and down slowly, and Shizuo was focused on nothing but that.

"You are checking up on him an awful lot," Shinra whispered quietly, not taking any offense in Shizuo's unannounced presence.

Careful to not step onto creaking plates of wood on the ground, Shizuo moved over to Shinra's side.

"Did I miss something or since when did you start giving out time stamps for visitors?" he questioned softly, and Shinra smiled.

"Since today?" It was an obvious tease and Shizuo rolled his eyes.

"Is it so wrong to check on my wife?"

"Not if she were your wife."

Silence interrupted only by the soft hisses and flickers of the dying candle followed and Shinra quickly reached for a second candle. Transferring the flame just in time he licked the tip of his fingers quickly before extinguishing the first.

There was no need to accidentally set his desk aflame, was there?

"Can you just tell me how he is?" Shizuo asked softly, but judging from his voice and how he sneaked down here while Izaya was asleep, Shinra already knew he had figured out the answer on his own. What he was looking for was confirmation.

"Getting worse from what I can tell."

Bewilderment, albeit void of surprise, grazed his expression as he frowned, "But you said he was okay."

Ah. Shinra was wrong. He wasn't looking for confirmation.

He was the same as Izaya. Looking for sweet lies.

Shinra could do that when it came to his patient. He deserved to get anything he wished for.

But not Shizuo.

"I said I can do better than my father. If it were him who treated him he might as well already be dead," Shinra answered firmly and Shizuo visibly stiffened.

"But this afternoon- he seemed fine-" Wishful words with no proper meaning nor significance dropped from the king's lips in quick succession.

It wasn't like Shinra enjoyed seeing Shizuo suffer, but there was a huge difference between soothing someone in pain and someone in denial.

"What do you expect me to do?" Shinra asked softly, "Tell a dying man he is breathing the last of his breaths?"

The amount of despair those words of confirmation brought seemed unfair. But it was what it was.

Glance traveling to Izaya, Shinra's eyes softened. He wasn't able to stomach any food. Not even soup. Nothing but sleep seemed to come easily and the times he woke vastly outnumbered the time he spent knocked out.

A continuation of the current state was simply not going to end well and Shizuo should be the best to know.

Eyes trailing back to the king in question, Shinra felt his heart clench in a way he hadn't quite expected.

Tomes of various kinds and nature were sitting on Shinra's desk and he took a deep breath of wavering confidence before rising from the chair.

"There is a way to treat him that I can't quite replicate in here."

Hope burning brighter than any flame Shinra had ever seen ignited in Shizuo's eyes as he whipped his head into Shinra's direction.

He was searching for a joke, for any hint of this being a macabre satyr or play of words, but none of that was to be found in Shinra's expression as he let the words sink in.

"What do you need?" Shizuo quickly asked, his lips moving faster than the words were willing to get out, "I will get it no matter what it is-"

A sigh dropped from Shinra's lips and he closed his eyes with a tired smile.

"Unless you are Ikarus himself, that would prove quite difficult," he announced, and was met with unpleasant hostility.

"What?" Shizuo was not in the mood for jokes or riddles, and neither was Shinra.

A soft cough broke the heat in Shizuo's mind as their gazed trailed to their knocked out queen.

Moving over Shinra was the first to react. The blanket had moved downwards a little.

Palm meeting Izaya's forehead, Shinra noticed with bitterness that his temperature had risen once more and his expression soured.

"It's this place. The valley. The weather," he sighed an exasperated sigh before moving the blanket back up to cover Izaya properly. "Warm, cold, fresh, moist then dry again-" He paused before facing Shizuo directly once more. "His body can't handle the constant changes. It's most probably what triggered his fever. And seeing how these castle's walls radiate with a seeping cold to crawl up your spine, a single source of fire is only worsening the situation," he announced.

And he was aware that his deduction was baseless. It was something he had come up with on a whim, after reading about Izaya's illness for so long. The fact that almost none of the people having died did so in summer somehow made him draw that connection.

It was really more of a hunch than anything else. But when it came to medicine and possible treatment Shinra had just reached a dead end.

Shizuo was aware of that the moment he spoke so vaguely. His expression darkened, but he didn't blame Shinra for the lack of a surefire solution.

"What am I supposed to do?" he asked, and Shinra knew he would rather try anything he suggested than second guess teh results.

"Take him with you," Shinra said, and for a second he couldn't help but feel his lips turn into amused disbelief at his own suggestion. "Your campaign. I know you have to leave for the western region tomorrow despite giving your best to put it on hold."

A trip away from the castle. It was going to be strenuous. And depending on their luck Izaya might as well die quicker from the toll it would take on his body than their destination could help.

But Shizuo didn't argue and Shinra took a deep breath, "You were waiting for him to get better before you departed weren't you?"

It was the reason the knights were getting impatient. James rarely checked on Shizuo to remind him of duties as the king was a very dutiful man from the get go. The fact that he appeared could only mean Shizuo was delaying his decision on purpose.

Silence fell again and Shizuo's hands tightened into loose fists.

"... and getting away from here will help him?" he asked slowly, and Shinra sighed.

"I have tried everything I could think of," he whispered, "Either that or…"

There was no need to finish Shinra's conclusion. Shizuo was heavily aware of what the most likely result would be.

An expression that seemed ready to kill settled in his eyes as his body stiffened.

Shinra had never really been able to empathize with Shizuo when it came to battles and his vigor in cutting down enemies. But if Izaya's illness were to take the form of a human Shinra had a feeling even he might muster the will to end its life.

Shizuo was about to lose another beloved person to this shit and it was harder to watch than to tell.

"Alright." Shizuo suddenly said, unwavering confidence and belief reflecting in his eyes as he nodded towards Shinra. "Get everything ready, I will order James to get the carriage ready."

to be continued~

Oh my not looking good aren't we, Izaya? C':