Daddy's Little Girl

[unicornhunter]

Mamoru was still for a moment, the knife still digging into Kida's leg. Simon. Why did that name sound familiar?

His eyes narrowed as he recognized it as one of the names on the list that Izaya had given him. Either this kid was in cahoots with Izaya or was lying through his teeth just like Izaya was. He wasn't stupid - if you wanted to keep someone away from someone else, you did not make it that easy to find the right boyfriend.

"You're lying!"

Mamoru ripped the knife out of Kida's leg, blood spurting out as he did so, flecking onto his face. The concrete underneath them was pooling with blood by this point - but whether it was only Kida's blood or some of Mamoru's mixed in was unclear. The pain in his chest was getting worse, but it didn't feel like his lung was punctured, and he wasn't giving any heed to preventing the knife from nicking himself.

He brought the knife down over his head, aiming for Kida's chest.

"I won't let you keep Erika from me!"

[Deleted]

If there was one thing nobody ever claimed about Kida, it was that he couldn't fight. Because Kida could, even when his adrenaline was fucking up and his fear was a high for him, he was not one to fail at getting in a good shot or seven.

His leg was damaged, not his arms.

Kida grabbed the man's forearm right under his elbow, twisting his body to punch the man in the throat, one hand reaching behind himself. One click, two click, and his wallet chain was free, in his hand, and Kida felt his hoodie tear and a fairly deep and stinging chest wound appearing, but it was a slash and not an outright puncture. He'd be fine and slammed the knee closer to Mamoru's groin against said part of Mamoru's anatomy. So long as he held his knife-wielding wrist, which the hand on his forearm slid down to do, twisting it painfully, he'd be fine, and now he had a weapon too.

He also took the time to spit at Mamoru's face, grabbing his other hand to prevent retaliation.

"Why the fuck would I lie to you when I can fight you just as easily old man?"

[Mikado Ryuugamine]

Mikado was dashing through Ikebukuro looking for Kida. If the text message he received from Izaya just moments before were any inclination that his best friend was in trouble, then he would not know what to do if that really was the case. Now Izaya might come off as an annoying person who really just wants to see his beloved humans suffer, but Mikado knew that Izaya was not one to kid about serious stuff like this when it happened.

If Izaya said that Kida was in trouble then in a heartbeat Mikado was going to go out and help him at any cost, long be forgotten whatever grudge he held towards his best friend who just decided to leave him one day out of no where.

Based on the random street names Izaya texted him, it was safe to say that Kida could not be found in just any mainstream street. That Mikado would have to look for him in the side alleyways and that could take all night which was time he did not have. This is where Mikado used whatever remained of his Dollars to help him. He sent out word to anyone who was listening if they had spotted a blond kid profusely bleeding and fighting a maniac trying to protect Erika. Mikado listed Erika by name because she was rather well known in Ikebukuro and people liked her and would be willing to help.

After receiving a few texts which guided him more into Ikebukuro and on finding Kida, Mikado calmed down and his hoping to finding his friend alive growing stronger. Then he heard it, the sound of Kida’s voice yelling out in anger. Running to the sound he made it just in time to see the state his best friend was in, and the thing Mikado remembers seeing was red. Absolute red.

From the corner of his eye, he saw a rusted crowbar and picked it up then lunged at the man who was attacking Kida, from what he could recall Izaya calling him by the name of Mamoru. Well that was ironic enough. But Mikado didn’t care; he just wanted to hurt Mamoru really bad so he did by smashing his head in with the rusty crowbar.

Mamoru was in no way expecting Mikado’s attack so he quickly fell into a slump on the ground, his head bleeding and spilling all over. But Mikado did not stop there; he kicked and slammed his foot into Mamoru’s side wanting make him feel more pain.

After letting out his rage on the man that had even thought of laying a finger on his Kida, Mikado finally looked up to see hoe Kida was holding up and before he even knew it he suggested,

“You want to hit him a few good time Masaomi, before we let the rats get to him and devour him whole?” and Mikado handed over the bloodied crowbar to his best friend with an eerie smile.

[Deleted]

The first thing he realized was that the hands that he was holding back slacked. Then, he realized that the cut from his clavicle to his shoulder stung and itched. He put a hand over it, hoping the pressure would help stop the bleeding, panting softly as the adrenaline left his body completely, making his vision blur enough that it took him a few minutes to look up and notice who he needed to thank for the assist.

He blinked a few times, not believing that the first thing he saw was a pair of red Chuck Taylors, which now had a few spatters of blood on them. Then blue jeans. He was almost afraid to look up and see if there was a green and white track jacket that...

...Of course there was. Just...of course.

He barely registered that the same smile was on his face as he handed him a crowbar, offering a turn. Of course he grabbed it and forced himself to his feet, using his bad arm to balance himself against Mikado. There was so many places that he could aim. He could aim for the head, bash the skull in ten million pieces, shift the weight and use the end to stab the bastard in the neck, slam it down on to his sternum...

...but Mikado didn't need to see a body. He's never gone that far, and he never would. Not as long as Kida was around to protect him from it. And now, he was there to take that spot again.

The crowbar fell with a satisfying crack under the kneecap. "That's for Erika." Crack. "That's for Izaya." Crack. "That's for thinking you can get away with stabbing me!"

That was all he really could do before his legs buckled again, dropping his weapon and using Mikado for balance. He looked at his friend, finally registering his eyes, no longer looking so distant and absent, not up close like this.

There were so many things that he wanted to say. So many things he rehearsed in his head, so many questions to ask, such a long lecture to give him. But as always, the words died on his lips as he looked over the boy in question, and the most important thing he wanted to say just fell from his lips as he pulled Mikado into a tight hug.

"I'm sorry."

For lying, for abandoning you, for never calling, for not believing you, for not coming home sooner, for not protecting you....for everything.

But right now, Kida really needed to find his phone and get a shower.

He moved, using Mikado help keep him upright, to collect his phone and the crack of the case that had fallen off. He noticed that the timer was still going up, the call haven't ended. The breath of whoever was on the other line was shaky, almost panicked, and he almost didn't think it was his boss.

"...I'll be fine," he assured both the person over the phone and Mikado, despite all strength seeming to leave his injured leg and needing to use Mikado as a crutch, for the first time of the night realizing he was shaking, the blood loss was probably starting to give way to shock.

[UndergroundGod]

The worst thing about all of this was the feeling of helplessness. There was only so much that Izaya could do as he watched Mikado's cell phone moving across the screen thankfully closer and closer to where Kida was, but even that wasn't enough. He could hear voices over the line, but he couldn't even be sure of who it was, what was happening or how much damage either party had taken.

Izaya didn't deal well with feeling helpless. Controlled chaos was his specialty, but there was nothing controlled about this, there were no hidden agendas behind this attack that was completely out of his control.

Out of his control. Just like Shinra, who Izaya hadn't been able to protect either, who had nearly died, and would have if not for Celty's return to their apartment not a moment too soon. Izaya couldn't even think about Shinra without that same, panic anxiety returning to his body, the same panic he felt now at the grunts of pain and sounds he heard over the phone.

Izaya was breathing heavy, like he himself had just been sprinting to Kida's location, and he didn't even think about how that would come across over the phone. He was so focused on hearing anything that he could, trying hear the outcome of the situation. After a moment, things grew quiet again, though Izaya couldn't be sure if it was for better or worse.

Finally, Kida picked up his phone and told him he'd be fine; Izaya suddenly felt like he could breathe again. He inhaled deeply, relieved, (and only realized afterwards that Kida probably heard it), feeling the twisted knot of tension in his intestines unfurl itself. Even still, the event left a bad taste in his mouth, an acidic feeling at the back of his throat, as if just the idea of one more thing happening beyond his control would be enough to make him physically ill.

He slumped forward against the desk, resting his forehead against his hand and ignoring the fact that his hands were actually shaking. He replied evenly, "Good. Go get whatever help you need, then take a few days off to rest. I'll send someone to clean up the mess."

[Deleted]

The smile that crossed over his face really had no place on his face. He was pretty sure that he was starting to feel giddy from the fading of adrenaline, and he was trying to keep his vision from going completely black. He was dizzy, that much he knew, but he was pretty sure that he could still walk.

"He's not dead..." he told Izaya, watching the man breathe from his place against his friend's shoulder. "But I at least fractured his leg in three places, so that may buy some time. Do you want me to stay here and wait for the Awakasu?" The question of who was cleaning up the mess was not necessary. He knew Izaya pretty well by now.

He shifted, trying to get himself closer to Mikado, who seemed like he was ungodly warm. "Ne, Mikado, you alright?" His voice was much softer, back to not even bothering to pretend that he wasn't injured, but not wanting Izaya to hear that. If Mikado had a fever, Kida would be sure to get him home first.

Finally, he pushed himself off of Mikado and stumbled a few steps before deciding to put a hand against the wall to help maintain his balance.

"You better get out of here before someone sees you," he told his friend, mouth away from the cell phone against his shoulder. "If they see crowbar damage, they'll think it's me. No use incriminating yourself."

Not that Kida would ever let his friend take the heat for doing something like protecting him. not when he could help it.

[UndergroundGod]

Izaya had figured that Kida hadn't actually finished the man off. Though he probably had the capability, he wouldn't do it on principle, and definitely not with Mikado right there. Izaya wasn't foolish enough to expect that.

He was glad to hear the damage that was done though. With a leg all broken like that, Mamoru shouldn't be getting very far, if he could move at all.

The important thing to note here was that Izaya didn't know how injured Kida was. He wasn't there to see the damage, and Kida certainly wasn't going to disclose that over the phone. Using context clues, the amount of pain that Izaya heard in that scream indicated one of two things: either he'd broken a bone or he'd been stabbed. Either way, it was a serious injury that needed medical attention. Izaya would suggest Kida just go to Shinra, but seeing as the man was still in recovery… Regardless, the last thing Izaya wanted was Kida waiting around and then dying because he hadn't sought medical attention. If Mamoru was out, he was out and it would be easy to pick him up and finish the deed. If Mamoru could get up… it wouldn't do any good to have a severely-injured babysitter waiting for him. As much as Izaya wished Kida was in the condition to watch over the man until the officials could show up and handle things… Izaya couldn't risk that.

He shook his head, waiting for the phone to become unmuffled so that he was sure Kida would hear him.

"Don't wait. You either need stitches or a cast and I don't want you trying to watch over some psycho in that condition. Go to the hospital if you need to, don't worry about the bill. You're of no use to me dead, you know," he tried to sound sterner as he said that, but even he could hear the soft, concerned edge to his voice. Damn, he was slipping.

The man knew that Kida's first concern was always the money, but what was the point in saving a couple hundred dollars if you were dead?

"Don't bother arguing with me, just get out of there. Text me after you get some medical attention." His final order was firm, making it obvious that he was serious. Kida was often resilient, but even he wouldn't do something so stupid as risk his life just to avoid doing something Izaya had told him to.

He hung up and then set about quickly contacting the Awakasu to send someone out for the broken man on the street, finally settling back in his chair. Maybe something was actually going right. It was almost impossible to believe, of course, but dreaming was nice.

Then he remembered that he was halfway through a text to Erika before this mess had started. He quickly opened that back up, deleting what little he had written and formulating a new text.

My sources say that he's taken a few good blows from Shizuo so far, but nothing definite. I'll let you know when I hear more.

He didn't want to tell her everything that had happened with Kida (it'd only make her feel guilty, despite it not being her fault), and until he knew for sure that Mamoru wouldn't be a problem anymore, he didn't want to give her any false hope.

[unicornhunter]

Erika had been sitting anxiously on the couch, flipping through TV channels as she waited for Izaya to text her back. When she got tired of the TV, she went onto the computer to see what was up on the Dollars website - and her eyes widened as she found news that made her worried. A boy was being attacked downtown by a crazy hobo? Was - was that her father? She read the thread more in depth. There wasn't anything in the posts that indicated that it was necessarily her father - but there wasn't anything that directly contradicted the idea, either. It made her really, really worried.... And the description of the boy who was getting attacked was troubling her too. A blond teenager wearing a hoodie? That - that sounded like Kida.... But Kida hadn't come back to Ikebukuro yet . . . had he?

Erika covered her mouth and trembled in her chair. Izaya, why haven't you replied yet?

Then her phone went off. She quickly answered her phone and read Izaya's text.

It helped her relax some, but....

She texted back to Izaya. That's good. I found a news report that made me start getting worried.... You-Know-Who is the kind of guy who would whip out a knife on a random boy, you know? She sent the text and waited for him to reply. It was off-hand enough to make it seem like she didn't think it was really her father right then, but it also would give Izaya an opportunity to reassure her - even if it was a lie.... Would Izaya lie to her about this? She wasn't sure.... But she did trust him with this. Right now.

He was the only person she trusted with this.

[Mikado Ryuugamine]

Mikado would listen to the words Kida was telling him, well of course he accepted the apology but it really wasn’t necessary. Though he would never fully understand why Kida just left him behind without any warning, Mikado was not going to hold it against him.

He was just about to protest Kida refusing his help and telling him he was fine when it could be obvious to anyone who laid their eyes on Kida knew that he was not fine and needed immediate medical attention.

Before Mikado could even get a word in, he saw Kida answer his phone and from what he could make out, Kida was talking and keeping Izaya updated on what had just occurred. Once he saw their conversation end, he locked his gaze with Kida’s and finally responded.

First Mikado nodded his head at Kida’s first question but then he exclaimed, “No. I will not leave you behind.”

Then Mikado chuckled, “Besides if the police saw me with a crowbar…well let’s just say we have already had previous encounters involving a crowbar. I incriminate myself”

He then began to take a step towards Kida and forced his best friend to lean on him. With Kida’s arms around his shoulders, Mikado then began to walk back to one of the main streets hoping to find some extra help.

“I’m taking you to a nearby clinic, we need to get those wounds looked at and treated. Although, if you do want to avoid the police, we can go back to my place. You could say that I’ve been through enough that I can find some help in stitching up wounds.” Then Mikado laughed in a way that one could tell he was half-kidding, half-serious.

It wasn’t long before Kyohei and Togusa found them and took them into their van and drove off just in time to avoided the police sirens that could be heard in the far distance. Holding Kida close to him, making sure he wasn’t in more pain that he already was, Mikado asked again,

“Clinic, or my place?”

[Deleted]

Kida had let not been too surprised about the fact that Mikado had told him that he refused to leave him here, and simply hung up on Izaya without a word, letting his friend take an arm over his shoulders and move them to the main road.

He gave one last, uneasy look at the man laying in the alley. Something urged him to stay, make sure that Shiki and company arrived. That same something was that nagging voice that usually told him something was wrong, so as they moved out of the little nook in the middle of nowhere, it seemed, Kida focused more on trying to stand up and move with the help of his best friend, who seemed to be the same old Mikado that he knew and loved so dearly.

Mikado's voice had drowned itself out long ago, it felt like, and whatever he was talking about, he was pretty sure that the tone was not quite as calm as it normally would be...but then again, Mikado was probably freaking out after what he just saw.

The van that stopped alongside of the road was unmistakable, however. The tone of Kadota's voice told him that there was a damn likely chance that he looked more messed up than he thought, and to make matters worse, his leg was starting to go numb, making moving it feel like pins and needles.

A quick exchange of words between Mikado and Togusa, and Kida felt himself being lifted into the back of the van, now snuggled close to Mikado, who really was so ungodly warm that there was no way that he couldn't be roasting under his track jacket -- the thought that maybe it was just him being cold did cross his mind, to be fair, but was quickly dismissed by him putting his hand against Mikado's -- and trying to stay awake as everything finally hit him.

The guy was gone. Mikado was here. Everything was going to be fine.

Maybe he overreacted a little. He had no idea.

Now that his head was against Mikado's shoulder and they weren't moving, he could understand the question a little better than when everything was just a jumbled mess out on the street.

He sighed, pressing his forehead against the crook of his neck -- god how was he not sweating yet? -- and thought a bit. "...I just want a shower and sleep. So your place should be alright."

It took a few times to get his fingers to cooperate, but he took his cell phone out again and told Saki that he was spending the night at a friend's and not to worry, he'll be back home sometime tomorrow.

Once it sent, he shoved his phone back into the hoodie pocket and snuggled closer to Mikado, not really wanting to talk much more when there were others that could overhear them.

Before they arrived at the apartment, trusting his friend to take care of him and trusting that Izaya was done with him for the night, Kida was sound asleep.

[UndergroundGod]

Erika's reply came back only a minute later and as soon as he read it, he was ready to slam his head against a wall. He knew there was nothing about this attack on the news, that was a fact… but he didn't doubt that someone could have hopped onto the dollars website and posted about it, which was where she likely had heard it from.

He took a moment to curse the internet, before deciding what he should do.

After all, he hadn't lied to her, he'd just… sent her the message that would have been true ten minutes ago. He didn't even want to lie to her about all this, he just didn't want to upset her needlessly, which he felt telling her that her father had attacked Kida would do. He just didn't want her to think it was all over when Izaya couldn't be positive if Mamoru was down for good.

He took a few minutes before he replied, already working out a plan. If he hadn't known about the attack that she mentioned, it made sense that he would look into it before texting her back. He already knew about the attack of course, but he didn't want Erika to think he was hiding things from her, so if he took a few minutes to make it seem like he was looking into what she mentioned….

About seven minutes later, he wrote back to her. The boy was Kida, but he got away safely. No final word on Mamoru yet.

This whole damn thing was just a giant mess.

[unicornhunter]

Erika read Izaya's text and paled slightly. Yeah, Izaya said that Kida got away safely, but . . . safely tended to be a relative word. As far as she knew, that only meant that Kida wasn't dying. But she didn't put any of that worry into her text to Izaya.

Oh okay. Well, let me know when you hear about him. Thanks.

She sent the text, then decided that she'd cook up something to eat. She hadn't really eaten anything in a while because she had been so stressed out. But she knew she'd have to keep up her strength if she ever did have to take this whole thing into her own hands again.... If Shizuo didn't dispose of him then . . . .

Suddenly Erika felt like puking.

*****

Mamoru slowly regained consciousness a few minutes after Kida and Mikado left. His body ached, but he found that his hurting knee caps didn't impede his movement too badly. The worst of whatever had happened was his head - it hurt far too much for it to be just a headache. He managed to stumble to his feet and he managed to crawl his way towards a wall and leaned against it. Breathing raggedly, he wondered what he should do now.

How was he going to exact his revenge on Izaya Orihara?

[UndergroundGod]

Izaya sat massaging his temples for a while, trying to purge the oncoming headache before it could hit him. This whole ordeal just couldn't be over soon enough, that was for sure. Izaya had barely eaten or slept over the past few days and he was surprised he hadn't simply gone crazy yet.

Maybe it was knowing that he had Erika by his side through all of this that kept him clinging to his sanity. He was overwhelmed, but he wasn't alone in that, and it was an overpowering thought. Izaya rarely had someone he could consider a partner in his burden and though he had the unfamiliar desire to protect Erika as much as possible, he knew that she would stay by his side through all this. She simply had to.

About a half an hour later, he got a call from the Awakasu, claiming that there was no one at the place Izaya had sent them, or anywhere near it, but that they'd cleaned up the blood. Izaya would have cursed if he hadn't already suspected that Mamoru would escape. However, even after the attack, the man's sights should still be set on Shizuo, so Izaya didn't want to concern himself with it. Now that he was injured, he'd been even more likely to get hurt more by Shizuo, so there shouldn't be a problem there and it was work itself out.

For some reason, Izaya gut was still tenser, more so than it had been just a few hours ago, though he couldn't explain why. After all, things were hardly any different than they were then, except now he knew that Mamoru was injured.

There was no way for him to know what Kida had told Mamoru.

When he hadn't gotten a text back from Kida two hours later, Izaya sent Mikado a quick message, just asking how the boy was doing. Mikado told him briefly that Kida was patched up and sleeping soundly at his place, and at that, at least, Izaya felt a bit of relief.

Though it was late at that point, Izaya had a good feeling that Erika was having as much trouble sleeping as he was and decided to send her whatever updates he could, anything to ease the nerves that he was sure were eating away at her.

Just to keep you updated: Kida's going to be perfectly fine, you know who is still about, but he's injured. Hopefully we'll hear more tomorrow

After sending the text, Izaya sighed and decided he was done for the day. Exhausted, but still sure he wouldn't be able to sleep, Izaya headed for home.

~~~

The next afternoon, Mairu and Kururi had just been let out of school. Their next stop was their martial arts class, though they had a bit of time to kill before it, so when one of their classmates loudly called, "Orihara sisters!" they paused to talk to the girl briefly before heading on their way.

While they walked, they talked (though, as usual, it was Mairu that did most of the talking), about classes, about Aoba, about "Iza-nii," and about what Mikage might teach them that day.

[unicornhunter]

Erika had been watching the TV anxiously when she received Izaya's text. She didn't notice Walker looking over at her; nor did she realize that she hadn't moved from her position in over an hour. She had just . . . been staring at the TV, waiting for it to catch up with the Dollars website, see if they could learn of anything that they couldn't, if that was even possible.

As she read the text, she smiled. At least Kida was all right....

She then moved from her place on the couch and curled up next to Walker, closing her eyes and falling asleep on his shoulder.

*****

Mamoru had been crawling his way around Ikebukuro, trying to think of a way to get back at Izaya. But he hadn't really figured out a way by the time he sat down on a bench to catch his breath and make the pain in his side go away. Between Heiwajima and that blond kid, his side hurt like hell. Then there was the headache he still had from getting hit in the head....

Then he heard the name "Orihara" called out.

He looked up and - and there they were. Two girls who looked about the same age responding to the name "Orihara."

Orihara wasn't a common name....

He waited until the girls started to move again, then he got off of the bench and followed them. He put his hands into his pockets, where the remaining chloroform lay in wait and the knife in the other.

When the three of them were the only ones on the street, he called out to them.

"Are you two related to Izaya Orihara?"

[UndergroundGod]

Unlike Erika, Izaya didn't have anyone to return home to. He didn't have someone to lean on, or someone to curl against and fall asleep. There was no one to comfort him, hold him, or put a protective arm around him. If he fell asleep on his couch, there was no one to walk him to bed and tuck him in.

He returned home to a cold, dark apartment that was as empty as his heart often felt.

After he locked the door securely behind him, he moved through the place, flipping on light switches, and turned the heater up. He couldn't truthfully say that it was uncommon for him to check the place when he came home late at night, opening closets and cabinets just to be sure… for the most part, it was probably paranoia… but was it really? There was someone (a number of someones, in fact) out to get him.

He showered, then curled up beneath cold bed sheets, and fell into a fitful sleep.

~~~

At the sound of the man's voice behind them, both girls froze and turned to look at who was speaking to them.

Neither of them were stupid of course. They knew what sort of work their big brother was involved in and they knew the sort of associates he had. Even if they hadn't already realized it, Izaya himself had warned them against potential weirdoes that might head their way, despite his best efforts to hide them. To admit to a stranger, especially a man as creepy and psycho looking as this one, that they were related to him… well, that was practically like asking to be kidnapped or attacked.

It was the reason he'd been so insistent that they take classes with Mikage, after all.

Mairu softly cursed her brother for causing them trouble before she yelled back to the man, "Wouldn't you like to know!"

And then she took her sister's hand and took off down the street.