I Need Your Help

[UndergroundGod]

Shizuo immediately got up and got out a fresh towel and washcloth for him without Izaya even needing to ask. It really was amazing how hospitable Shizuo was. That thought made Izaya wonder if Shizuo was used to having house guest… and he didn’t like that idea at all. He hoped that his guess that Shizuo was a virgin the other night was right, and that perhaps Shizuo had learned his manners from some completely unrelated situation.

Though really, Izaya was a bit surprised to find himself seething with something akin to jealousy at the idea. He swallowed and suppressed the emotion.

Just as Izaya was about to casually thank Shizuo and head into the bathroom, he remember one other very important thing… He wasn’t wearing his own clothes. Judging from the size of the pajamas, Izaya figured they had to be Shizuo’s, though he really wasn’t sure what had happened to his own clothing… and Shizuo hadn’t mentioned any particular reason for changing him. Izaya was sure there was one, even if he hadn’t been told it yet. Until now, the subject of him wearing Shizuo’s pajamas just hadn’t come up.

He cleared his throat a little and asked with a slight grin. “By the way, where are my clothes?”

If nothing else, he was going to need them to change into before he left, so knowing where they were and what had happened to him were quite relevant.

[tossingtrashcans]

Shizuo turned and was ready to walk away just as Izaya spoke. He thought a second, turned then pointed into the bathroom. Hanging on the wall was Izaya's coat.

“It had rained so you were soaking wet when we got here. I changed you into some of my older dry clothes and I wasn't sure about your coat, it should be dry now. It was hanging over the heater vent since we got here.” he said and then turned his head and looked at Izaya then.

“Now your pants and things are actually folded and in the bedroom. I just threw them into the dyer that is here. Oh, and I'm not sure about your shoes. They seemed alright when I left.” he shrugged casually. They might have actually been a little damp on the inside but it wasn't like they were as wet as before. His clothes were actually folded up and in the bedroom, he actually forgot about them to be honest.

“If you need anything else just yell.” Shizuo said and then started to walk away. He walked back into the living room then moved the half flap and stepped into the kitchen.

“Did you need anything to eat when you got out?” he yelled out as he stood there, his hands gripped at the counter top. He didn't have to much, but he could fix up some noodles or something, he needed something to keep his mind going.

[UndergroundGod]

Ah, so it had rained. That certainly explained things. Izaya was sure that having him in his apartment was a last resort; having a sopping wet and unconscious Izaya in his apartment was unbearable. Not to mention that Izaya probably would have caught his death if Shizuo hadn’t changed him into something dry and shoved him under the covers of his warm bed. The very last thing Shizuo needed was a sick Izaya on top of him being drugged.

He glanced back into the bedroom as Shizuo mentioned the direction of his clothes and saw them sitting on the edge of Shizuo’s dresser. The only reason he’d missed them was because he hadn’t been thinking about them.

A smile flickered onto his lips as Shizuo told him to yell if he needed anything, as Izaya didn’t know if he was quite energetic enough to be doing anything like yelling.

Just as he was about to close the door to the bathroom, he heard Shizuo’s voice from somewhere else in the apartment, asking him about food… but even though the pudding was the most he’d eaten since the previous night, Izaya wasn’t sure what his stomach could handle and was therefore hesitant to start eating anything else, especially since he didn’t know exactly what dish Shizuo could be offering. Though Izaya liked to torment Shizuo, he didn’t consider making Shizuo cook him food only to tell him he couldn’t eat it a very amusing activity.

“I should be fine,” he replied shortly down the hall before slipping into the bathroom and closing the door behind him.

He quickly figured out the shower and turned the water on to get it hot, then began to slowly undress in front of the mirror. His shoulder was still sore and as he looked it over in the mirror, he noticed that it was slightly swollen and there was vague bruise where the bone was closest to the skin. It didn’t necessarily looked nasty, but it hurt enough and he grimaced. Six years of running from Shizuo and hopping all over the city and he actually got injured because he passed out? It was irritating.

As he began to slide off the too-big pajama pants, he winced suddenly, and when he glanced down, he saw that there was another bruise on his hip, right over the bone. It didn’t hurt nearly as much as his shoulder, but it still wasn’t pretty. After a slight sigh, he continued to remove the pants and (he realized thankfully) his own boxers.

By that point, the water was hot and the edges of the bathroom mirror were beginning to fog. He climbed into the shower and let out a long sigh under the relaxing stream of water.

Izaya used his time alone to suppress a surging feeling of shame.

He’d been taught to prevent situations like that. Izaya had been taught how to avoid being drugged like that. He should have known better than to drink anything, but he’d been so wrapped up in the details of the meeting, and the folks he’d been meeting with seemed so… softcore, that Izaya hadn’t even considered that they would attempt something like that. If Shizuo hadn’t been there as backup, Izaya… well, he could be dead, for all he knew. He didn’t know enough about this mysterious group of kidnapper to know exactly what their motivations were.

That needed to change. He refused to go into the tradeoff tomorrow night without some idea of what he was facing, because that put him at serious risk of getting hurt or captured again.

It was strange for Izaya not to be able to find information on people. He had a wide network of underground connections throughout the city and throughout a larger portion of urban Japan. For him to not have any strings to grab at implied that whoever this was didn’t have many ties, if any, in Japan.

He’d have to make a few calls. He knew a few informants that dealt specifically with other countries, so he’d have to ask around.

After a long soak in the shower (letting the heat try to wash away, or at least ease, the discomfort of his shoulder), he finally got out and dried off, wrapping the towel around his waist to cross into Shizuo’s room and dress.

He was relieved to find his phone sitting safe and sound on the dresser next to his clothing and once he was dressed, the bedroom door locked to ensure a few minutes of privacy, he was down to business. He called around to his contacts, one by one, though with his limited information it was surprising that anyone knew anything at all. Eventually, he’d eliminated all his contacts except for one and that one wouldn’t be safe to contact by phone. To be honest, this man would have been Izaya first choice for information if he wasn’t going to be so hard to contact.

Sighing to himself, he called the man’s phone and left a rather cryptic message, though it should let Jonathan know who was calling, when he would show up later that night, and what the topic of the conversation would be. Izaya knew he’d get a text back in about ten minutes or so, letting him know the precise time he should arrive. He’d done this before.

Finally, he swung back over to the bathroom and grabbed his coat. Izaya had probably overstayed his welcome hours ago, and it was another few before he’d stop in with John. There was no need to spend that time hanging around Shizuo’s apartment. The effects of the drug were mostly gone now, and though he felt a bit looser than normal, he’d be able to make the walk back to his place.

Ready to go, he swung around to find Shizuo in the kitchen, leaning against the frame for momentary support, though making it look casual. “Shizu, I’m gonna go. I’ll be meeting up with an acquaintance of mine later tonight to see if he can tell us anything else about our kidnappers, so I’ll give you a call later to keep you in the loop, ‘kay?”

[tossingtrashcans]

Shizuo nodded to himself as he heard Izaya's words. He listened for the door to click shut before he started moving around the small kitchen. He looked around the cupboards and gathered everything he needed to make rice balls. They were always a nice snack for late at night, something quick and easy. That and it'd keep his mind off his brother and things, he was getting worried. He could feel the tension build up between his eyebrows.

After the rice was set he walked out of the kitchen and headed for the balcony. He slid the door open and walked out onto the cement slab. Shizuo casually smoked before he walked back into the apartment. He stopped dead in his tracks as he saw Izaya walk with just a towel around his waist. He blinked, looked away then headed for the kitchen.

Flipping the top up he then started to ball the rice. He bounced the balls in his hands, then set them down on the tray. He continued this for a bit and then heard the bedroom door. Placing the last one down, he also reached out and closed the rice cooker. He wrapped the rice balls up and then looked over his shoulder at Izaya.

It almost seemed like, nah. He blinked and then stood up and closed the door and looked at him as he spoke.

“Oh like hell.” Shizuo said. “I'm going with you.” he said as he narrowed his eyes at Izaya. He'd need to just grab his wallet, keys and make sure he had enough cigarettes for the day. Tom was nice enough to give him time off to deal with this, so he didn't have to worry about work and like he was he was going to just sit here in his apartment alone all day. That was not going to happen.

Shizuo carefully moved around Izaya. He turned off the TV, grabbed his wallet and keys that were laying there by the couch and pocketed them. He then walked back into his bedroom, grabbed some pain meds for the headache that was forming as well as some another pack of cigarettes. He walked out then into the living room and picked up his cell phone and checked it before he pushed it into his pocket as well. Turning to face Izaya he then spoke again,

“Alright lets go.” he was going with Izaya, weather he liked it or not.

[UndergroundGod]

Much to his surprise, when he told Shizuo he was leaving, the man immediately insisted on going with him.

Izaya wasn't quite sure what to think about that. To suddenly have Shizuo volunteering himself to spend time with Izaya, regardless of the reasons, was... interesting to say the least. Normally, the man sought to either avoid him, or to cause him bodily harm, as much as possible, and seeing as the kidnapping was preventing Shizuo from injuring Izaya... he didn't really know what the point of following him around all day was.

Izaya would have thought that Shizuo meant that he wanted to go on his trip to collect information tonight, but it became apparent that he didn't mean that as he began to move around the apartment, collecting his wallet and keys, as if getting ready to leave. No, it seemed he intended on trailing him right this instant.

Though really, the height of Izaya's plans for the day involved changing into some fresh clothes (the one he had on had been worn all day yesterday) and then crashing on his couch for a few hours to hopefully relieve the rest of the haziness leftover from being drugged. He might scavenge his apartment for something easy to keep down, but otherwise... it wasn't going to be all that eventful, and he certainly didn't feel like entertaining.

When Shizuo finally remained stationary long enough for Izaya to talk to him, he gave him an incredilous look and explained, "As much as I appreciate the offer," the statement was tainted with sarcasm, "I don't really need you in my apartment while I relax, which is what I plan on doing the rest of the day so that I can be fully rested for this evening.

"Besides," he found himself adding the scathing remark before he could stop himself, "you can give me a headache on a good day, which today is not, so I really don't know how I'm going to handle you hanging around my apartment for hours while I'm trying to stop feeling sick."

Though to be honest, Izaya didn't want Shizuo going with him to visit John either, but that was another matter entirely.

[tossingtrashcans]

“Okay... well I sure as hell don't want to be sitting around her doing nothing all day, but fine.” Shizuo said as he stood by the door. He shifted around a little before he leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Look, at least tell me when we'll meet back up again. I don't want to be left out of the loop here. It is my brother they are keeping after all.” he added. Well, if he couldn't go with Izaya. He might just trail after him and lurk about. It was far better than sitting here and mulling over the fact that something might have happened to Kasuka. He just couldn't give those sorts of thoughts the time of day.

Shizuo had to keep himself and his mind busy, no matter what. Whether that meant trailing after the wobbly eskimo or heading out and finding some heads to knock. Maybe, if push came to shove, he could call up Tom and see if they could work for a few hours. At least then he'd be out of Izaya's hair for a little and that would keep him busy for a while.

“Wait, on second thought. You go on home and rest, get that beauty sleep your face so desires and we'll meet back up before your meeting with whatshisname.” he said casually. He just enjoyed inserting himself into Izaya's life. At least the part of his life that dealt with his little brother. There was no way Shizuo fully trusted Izaya to handle this matter. He was always twisting someone arm somewhere and he needed to be sure it wasn't his arm, nor his brothers that was being twisted. Shizuo also wanted to be sure things were being handled in the quickest and most direct way possible. He just wanted this all over and done with.

So there he stood, casually leaning against the wall waiting for the man to agree upon what he'd just suggested. If he didn't, well he wasn't going to let Izaya out of here till he did.

[UndergroundGod]

Izaya didn't really care what Shizuo did with his day--it wasn't his business to care how Shizuo spent his time. He could stare at the walls, or spend the rest of the day pulling his hair out (which, Izaya supposed, was more likely). Izaya just wanted to go home and pass out in his own bed, or at least on his own couch. He wanted a cup of tea and maybe some of the miso soup he had left over from the previous evening.

He wanted to distance himself from the lingering feeling of the drugs and the shame that tagged along with it.

Shizuo had backed off from trailing him back to his place, at least, and that was a relief... but he was immediately insisting on following Izaya around later that evening, and that just wouldn't do. When it came to being stealthy, Shizuo wasn't even on the LIST of people Izaya would consider describable by that adjective. In the times he'd sneaked in and out of the mental health facility where John was being housed, he'd nearly been caught twice. The last thing he needed was Shizuo storming in there and causing a ruckus, resulting in increased security and making it impossible for him to ever get in and out of the building again.

"You don't even know what you're asking," Izaya asserted in a frustrated voice. "My source is in a medium security mental health facility in Arakawa. In order to see him without the staff eavesdropping, I have to sneak into the building at night, slipping down hallways past guards, and get into his room just as the guards are changing shifts. I really don't need you coming along, barreling down the hall with all the delicacy of a bull in a china shop, getting us caught, and losing us the one opportunity we have to get some information on these people. Unless you really, really want me to get a half a million dollars together to pay off the kidnappers so that you can owe me money for the next twenty years."

Izaya wasn't planning on having a debate about it. He'd made it in to see John several times, and while security wasn't necessarily tight, it did require a bit of evasiveness that he didn't trust Shizuo to have. Bringing him along would only be a hindrance. With that, he made to move past Shizuo and head out the door.

[tossingtrashcans]

Shizuo pushed off the wall with his shoulder blades and stepped into Izaya’s way. He dropped his arms to his side before he raised the one up and laid his plan against the wall.

“Look Izaya. I’m going with you to this mental hospital to get information. Simply, I don’t trust you to not screw this up.” He said. “I’m going with you.” he stated firmly as his eyebrows narrowed. He might not have been the smallest of guy nor the quietest one, but he might come in handy. A firm set of hands might be nice to have just in case. He wasn’t keen on the idea, but hell. If that is what he had to do then that was what he was going to do to get the information to save his brother.

‘Have I made myself clear? I’m going with you this evening, when are we meeting back up?” Shizuo said as he looked down at him, looking the man into his eyes.

[UndergroundGod]

Apparently Shizuo wasn’t planning on debating about it either. He was going to be irritating right up until the very end of this ordeal. Telling the man that the job required subtly, which Shizuo didn't even know the definition of, apparently wasn't enough of a deterrent to prevent him from tagging along. Izaya didn't really see what trust had to do with it. What exactly was Izaya going to do, NOT go at all? Would he just make up random information to give to Shizuo later that night?

The very idea of it was inane. It was Izaya's money that was on the line here after all. Izaya was the one getting himself overly involved in this, putting himself in harm's way. For fuck's sake, he'd been roofied the other day trying to help Shizuo negotiate with the kidnappers. If that didn't prove he was actually trying to help, he didn't know what could.

There was a hard, annoyed frown on his face as he met Shizuo's gaze with narrowed eyes. The man was a road block between him and the door and if that was where Shizuo wanted to be, there wouldn't be a damn thing Izaya could do to move him; he was as stubborn as a bull and as strong as one too, so it was clear to Izaya he wouldn't be getting out the front door without giving in. Izaya was half-tempted to bolt for the window and escape that way, just to spite Shizuo out of getting his way, but he was afraid of how well that would go with his still-sore shoulder.

"Fine," he replied shortly, huffing a bit, "whatever, if you wanna screw this up, you can come. Meet me in front of Ikebukuro Station at nine. We'll take a train over to Arakawa to meet up with John. Is that good enough? Can I leave your apartment now?"

[tossingtrashcans]

Shizuo sighed as he pushed off the wall then headed back into the house. He peeked into the bedroom and then pulled back and slid the door half closed. He then walked into the living room and he looked around. He grabbed his cell phone then flipped it open and dialed Tom’s number. He stepped into the kitchen just as his boss picked up.

“Hey.” he said as he opened the fridge. “I have some free time…yea.” Shizuo said as he pulled out one of the set of rice balls and some milk. He’d eat these and then go and meet Tom. “Yea sure, I can do that.” He set it up to where he’d meet up with him and work for a few hours, keep his mind going.

Once the phone call was finished he wondered back into the living room and sat down to eat his rice balls and milk as he thought some things over.

After he was done he cleaned things up, grabbed his keys and wallet then headed out. He slipped his feet into his shoes, tied them then left the apartment. Heading out to work before he’d come home, change then meet Izaya.

[UndergroundGod]

But what Shizuo didn't know was that Izaya still had no intentions of letting Shizuo come with him. If that dolt screwed this up, they could both be up for jail time (though money could buy Izaya's way out of it, it wasn't something he wanted to even have to bother with) and if he screwed up John's ability to run a business from inside his hospital room, Izaya was royally screwed. If his greatest punishment was that another information dealer never talked to him again, he'd consider himself lucky.

He gratefully left the apartment when Shizuo moved out of his way, and headed back to his own place as he'd said he would; he hadn't been lying about that much. He really did just want to drink some tea and pass out on the couch in front of some reruns of Doraemon for the next few hours.

He wouldn't be meeting Shizuo at the train station at nine though. Instead, he was going to leave his apartment around then to take a taxi to Arakawa. Since he hadn't told Shizuo where in Arakawa the place was, Shizuo would have no hope of tagging along or finding him there. By the time Shizuo got sick of waiting and headed in a rage towards Izaya's apartment, Izaya planned to be long gone. Taking a taxi straight to Arakawa meant that he wouldn't have to worry about accidentally crossing paths with the man.

Shizuo would be furious with him… but what else was new? Izaya figured the man would get over it, either when he took a swing at Izaya (that would miss) and Izaya raised the cost of his help, or when Izaya brought back some important information to aid in the rescue of his brother.

Izaya was doing this for the good of the mission after all. How could Shizuo possibly stay angry at him if he got the information that they needed to rescue Kasuka?

Izaya walked in his front door about twenty minutes later. His first task was to start boiling water, before he stripped down to his boxers to replace the clothes with some warm, flannel pajamas. Once he had a cup of tea, he flipped on his television, set his cell phone alarm to wake him up around eight (just in case he hadn't already awoken by then), and cuddled up on the large couch under a warm blanket.

It only took about twenty minutes for him to nod off, his tea barely halfway finished.

[tossingtrashcans]

Shizuo walked through the streets doing what he did best. He hated violence, that was a given but this was his job. Being the firm hands behind Tom was a job that had grown on him over the years. He made quick work of the late afternoon. Enjoying the time he spent fetching drinks and smashing in heads. It was a nice distraction from everything that was going on. He and Tom stopped at Russian sushi and grabbed dinner before they headed back out on the streets.

It was around eight when he waved good bye to Tom and he headed home. He got some more cigarettes on the way home and some milk. He rounded the corner when his apartment building came into view. Casually he walked through the gates then up the stairs and down the hallway. Once he reached his door he opened the door and stepped in, closing it behind him. After his shoes were kicked off he stepped up into the apartment and walked down the hall. He put the two bottle of milk away then headed back to the bedroom.

It took him a while before he finally found an old black long sleeve shirt. He pulled that on and grabbed a black hat to cover his blond hair. He then grabbed his wallet, keys and cell phone then headed out. He pulled on his shoes and then left the room.

Shizuo left the apartment complex and headed for the train station. He had just enough time to make it there to meet Izaya.

Once he got there he looked around for the man, checking all around the area in which he said they’d meet at. He sat down and then decided that Izaya was running late. To pass the time he smoked… three cigarettes. After he was sure he was ditched he walked around the station, grumbling at people to get out of his way. It was just after ten when he left the train station. He waited for an hour for the damned rat, but he never showed up. He gripped the hat in his hand as she thought if over, he had agreed to let him go. He had agreed to take him, but here the damned rat flea was skipping out. He was being the sneaky, slimy scum that he was. He should have expected this; he should have seen this one coming. How dare he go back on his word? Then again, it was Izaya Orihara he was talking about. That man was nothing more than going back on his word. Shizuo wanted nothing more than to give him a piece of his mind.

He growled and grumbled through the streets all the way to Izaya’s apartment. He stormed through the building not caring an ounce how much noise he made this late at night. Once he reached the door of the man, (he had threatened to throw the man down stairs till he told him which room it was), he started to pound hard on the door. He stood outside of his door pounding and yelling his nails over and over. After a few minutes he huffled and then came to the conclusion that he wasn’t there. He looked around the placed and then dug his hands into his pockets and pulled out his pack of smokes. He shook the pack and then pulled out the stick with his lips and then stuffed the pack back into his pocket. With a heavy sigh he walked down the hall and headed out of the building.

Shizuo found a park bench near the door and sat down. He pulled his lighter out of his pocket and then light up and sat there. He’d be here waiting for Izaya when the rodent returned.

[UndergroundGod]

He woke up only a few hours later, before his alarm could wake him, which he supposed was preferable. If he slept too long, he wouldn't be able to sleep that night at all, and he slept poorly enough without having used up his good hours of sleep now.

At least when he woke up, the grogginess was mostly gone. He drank the last of the now cold, unsweetened tea and left the cup on the table. He'd get it later. He had time to take another shower, eat a bowl of Miso soup, and was out of his apartment, on time, at right around nine o'clock, his plan going just as he intended.

The taxi ride from Shinjuku to Arakawa was a long one, but it was better than risking running into Shizuo on the subway. He breathed calmly to himself. There was still a fear of some sort that something would go wrong, though he couldn't imagine what. He felt… an uncharacteristic nervousness (was it nervousness? Perhaps he couldn't be sure) as the taxi delivered him at a popular bar about eight blocks away from the hospital. He would walk the rest of the way to the hospital, which was fine, as he hoped the cool air would calm him.

He didn't even want to consider that the uneasiness he felt… might have been guilt at lying to Shizuo. That was just silly though. If he was going to feel guilty over something, he should feel guilty about selling the information to the kidnappers in the first place. Certainly, that was a bigger thing to feel guilty about that not letting Shizuo come along and screw everything up. Hell, he'd done things that had gotten people killed, and mutilated, and he didn't feel guilty about any of it.

He chose not to think about why he never slept very well.

John had sent him a text containing the numbers 11:17. And it was at precisely that time that the guard on duty passed by the back door that Izaya would use to sneak in.

As he'd done before, he got in without a hitch, snuck down a hall, where John's door was just barely cracked open and he slipped inside. They exchanged information quickly (John's information was paid for with information, which was taken down in a complex, indecipherable code for the next broker that came his way. It was how he was able to keep his business going), and he was able to give Izaya some pretty interesting insight into who he was dealing with. It was only a piece of information, but it was a piece of information that he was sure would lead to discovery.

After he'd gotten safely out of the building, he wondered vaguely if Shizuo had destroyed half of Ikebukuro once he discovered he'd been stood up.

Izaya took a second taxi back to his office in Shinjuku. He wanted to get started on some research before he told Shizuo just what he'd found. After he was settled, he sent a text to the man containing a brief apology for abandoning him (Izaya didn't know if it would help, but it couldn't hurt, right? Izaya didn't particularly want his office destroyed) and telling him that he could head over to his office if he wanted to know what he'd found out.

[tossingtrashcans]

Shizuo figured it'd take a while so he was well prepared to sit there and wait this out. He was rather surprised when he felt his phone buzz in his pocket, that he wasn't prepared for. He was even less prepared for who the text message was from. A certain flea that saw fit to ditch him. His eyebrows narrowed and he grumbled even more as he read the casually text. He got up, shoved his phone into his pocket then started to stop down the street.

It took him a little while before he found the building. Shizuo glanced up and then let out a breath, he had calmed down a little on his walk. He walked over to the door, opened it and stepped on into the building.

Shizuo casually walked past a sign before he back tracked and looked this sign over. Once he was sure which floor Izaya Orihara was on he headed for that floor. Just a floor up and down the hall a little and there he stood, right in front of the door. The door was all that stood in his way right now. He could so knock Izaya's head off for ditching him earlier. He felt the angry built up before he relaxed. No, he had to stay cool. If he didn't, Izaya would charge him more for this, and he couldn't really afford it as it was, let alone needing to own the man more money.

Shizuo took a few deep breaths before he knocked on the door and then waited for Izaya...for the third time tonight. He waited for him to open the door.

[UndergroundGod]

In the time he waited for Shizuo arrived, he prepared himself for the potential onslaught. He half-figured that Shizuo would attempt to deck him anyway, despite what Izaya would charge. Izaya planned on playing it cool, of course, but he would be prepared for violence. He was always prepared.

He also took the time to look into just who they were dealing with. After a few preliminary searches, he began breaking into databases and searching names, tracing account numbers and IP addresses, and pretty soon he'd developed a pretty good picture of who they were dealing with, if not exactly what they were walking into. This whole outing had paid off, and if Shizuo didn't appreciate that fact enough to remain calm, that would be on him.

The sound of the sudden knock actually made him jump a little, but he glanced towards the door and called out, "It's open."