Watch It Burn

[Walker Yumasaki]

Walker acknowledged Izaya with a nod and struck a match. He watched the flame dance at the end of the stick before tossing it onto the couch. It didn't go up immediately like in the movies, but it was a spectacular sight to behold. The blues and yellows and oranges intertwining like a collection of serpents was phenomenal and brought a sense of comfort to the pyro.

Even after his emotional explosion inside the office, watching the sofa burn made him feel like his old self again. Walker smiled and leaned back on his heels, taking in the smell of burning gasoline and leather. For most, it would make them nauseous. For him, it was like inhaling the scent of fresh flowers or freshly baked goods.

Then a thought hit him. If Izaya was an information broker, perhaps he knew more about the underground. As a member of the Dollars, Walker knew very little about the group itself. The wars they were involved in and why were a mystery to the otaku, so he got to thinking: What if Izaya was the leader? And what purpose does the group serve? Plus light conversation might actually build a better relationship between the two guys.

"So I've been dying to know... are you a member of the Dollars? You seem like the kind who would be involved in that sort of business." He wasn't going to reveal his membership until Izaya did. Smart thinking there, Walker.

[UndergroundGod]

Izaya watched as Walker tossed the lit match onto the gasoline-soaked couch. It's didn't go up in flames instantly, but within a few mesmerizing moments, the crackling fire had consumed most of the surface of the couch. Once it burned through the leather exterior (which might take a few minutes) the synthetic stuff would likely catch quickly, though in all, it would probably take an hour or two for the couch to be reduced to ashes. Izaya planned on sticking around until the thing was destroyed completely.

For him, this was closure. Closure on that horrible case that had ravaged his life for the past week. With the couch and the smell gone from his office, his last reminders of this crazy week could be forgotten and he could finally take time to get on with his life and move past that horrid case.

Waiting for the couch, they now had some time to burn. Pun not intended.

For a few minutes, the two of them watched it burn in silence, the leather blackening, cracking, and finally curling until the fire began consuming the stuffing in places. It smelled of burnt flesh and a chemicals, but… this smell was comforting to Izaya. Fire was chaos, but for him, it was a chaos he was controlling, and control… that's what this really was about. Izaya found solace in his ability to create controlled chaos and the smell of things burning, the bright sight of the orange and yellow and red flames lapping away at the leather and the way his could feel the heat of the fire slowly drying his eyes… all of this was a reminder of the fact that he was still in control.

Finally, Walker's voice broke into the background of crackling fire and gusting winds and distant traffic below, the only sounds at the top of the building.

A grin spread over Izaya's lips. Ah yes… Izaya had heard the rumor about his membership passing from person to person, though there was as much evidence to support it as there was to support Shizuo's or Celty's membership. He considered for a moment whether or not he really wanted to reveal the truth behind the rumor… but then decided it wouldn't matter. Being revealed as a member of the Dollars couldn't exactly put a bigger target on Izaya's back after all, so even if Walker did tell people (and even if people outside his group of friends actually took his word for it), it wouldn't particularly hurt Izaya's reputation.

It might actually be interesting to see what Shizuo would think of being in the same group as his arch nemesis, if the man found out.

Besides, Izaya already knew that Walker, as one of Dotachin's friends, had been a member of the Dollars for months now.

"Hmm…" he hummed thoughtfully, as if considering whether or not to answer, even though he had already decided, before finally saying, "Yes, I am. Though I'll only admit it because I know you're a fellow Dollar."

[Walker Yumasaki]

"Oh you got me! How did you figure it out, huh? Wire tapping? Hidden cameras? Or do you have a subordinate following suspicious persons around town? Not that I'm a suspicious person or anything, but if you think that I am, I'm flattered. I always wanted to be a spy or work for something of that nature."

Yes, Walker was definitely back to his old self. His ramblings of fantasy and science fiction were a sure sign that the otaku was doing well. The incident earlier still festered in his mind, but that was for later. He wasn't going to discuss his relationship with Izaya- it was a matter between himself and Erika.

Actually, now that he thought about it and since they were on the same side, getting chummy with Izaya wouldn't be a bad idea. Having a powerful ally and fellow pyro was more than he could ask for. Now if he could only get him to watch anime, read manga, and play MMORPGs...

[UndergroundGod]

Walker easily admitted to what Izaya already knew, which was good. Arguing with someone about the truth of something Izaya already knew was quite irritating, to be frank, so he was glad that Walker had just fessed up instead of trying to debate it. It wasn't like denying something was going to change Izaya's mindset, after all. He didn't say things without being sure of his accusations, or at least not without being sure of the effects.

He grinned a bit more at Walker, those his eyes were still glued to the fire.

"You? Suspicious? Hardly," Izaya replied in good humor. "Dotachin is a test of that. I really doubt that he would hang out with someone suspicious or evil. Other than me, of course."

Of course, Izaya hadn't really "hung out" with Kadota since high school, but even then Izaya had been shady, at best. Izaya was the exception to Kadota's rule, though, and most anyone else that Kadota surrounded himself with were good people at heart. It was the reason that Kadota had ultimately left the Blue Squares; the gang had been full of just too many evil people.

For a moment, Izaya considered how much more he should say, how much would be alright to reveal… but it wasn't as if anything he planned to say was a deep dark secret, and even if Kadota found out, Izaya would probably only be confirming what the man already knew. "No," he said lightly, "I know you're a Dollar because I know Dotachin's a Dollar. And I know he's a Dollar because I sent him the invite."

[Walker Yumasaki]

"Who says I'm not suspicious or evil. I have a few skeletons in my closet too, Iza-chan." Walker mused, "But don't expect me to go into detail. That's for me to know and you to find out."

He rocked back on his heels again and smirked, "I wondered who recruited Dotachin to the Dollars. I mean- and this isn't a judgement or anything but- he doesn't seem like the type to have connections in the Tokyo underworld. Then again, there is you. You're more than just an information broker, I can tell. Don't worry though, I don't like prying into other people's business."

Which was true. Walker enjoyed the lives of fictional people rather than real ones. Izaya's affiliation with the yakuza was safe with him. Secretly, he was kind of jealous. Moving up from Dollars hijinks to real mafia work sounded pretty cool. Perhaps later, a proposal might be in order for that to happen.

[UndergroundGod]

Walker may have made a joke about actually being suspicious or evil… but Izaya didn't believe it. Sure, he might have some dark things in his past, who didn't after all, but that didn't make him an evil person, which was Izaya's assertion. Even someone who hurt people or did drastic things wasn't necessarily evil if the things they did were meant to protect others.

The fact of the matter was that Dotachin wouldn't make such good friends with someone evil, so no matter what Walker said, he was a good person on the inside. Dotachin was one of the few people Izaya had that much faith in on such a matter.

…Iza-chan? Seriously? Izaya didn't know what to think of that. Erika had been getting quite familiar with him as well, but that was understandable after everything that had happened. He'd only been talking to Walker for a few minutes now… Then again, that just seemed to be a part of his and Erika's personalities. Their first instinct was to nickname things, so Izaya figured he should take the cutesy name as a sign of ease more so than a sign of disrespect. He probably wasn't doing it just to annoy him, unlike how Izaya nicknamed Shizuo.

He continued grinning as Walker continued. For some reason, he loved hearing other people's theories about him.

"I can respect that," Izaya said as one of the support beams in the back of the couch must have burnt through and the corner cracked loudly and sagged. He didn't like too many questions—or at the very least, he didn't like ANSWERING too many questions. Having them asked was actually perfectly fine, as he could always choose not to answer, but as long as Walker didn't want to pry, it meant that Izaya could brush him off without fault if he asked something Izaya didn't want to answer.

[Walker Yumasaki]

Walker was calm as the fire burned. Any negative feelings he had towards Izaya now began to fade as smoke rose higher than the blaze. He was wrong about the informant. He wasn't mean or creepy, just misunderstood. In a way, Walker compared the informant to the Undertaker from the Kuroshitsuji manga- the chaotic neutral character. And Walker himself was a chaotic good character, much like FLCL's Mamimi.

Perhaps they could be good friends. He figured it would certainly be good for Izaya to have at least one more friend. It must be so lonely at the top of the underground totem pole. And birds of a feather, right? He smiled and looked over at the other pyro.

"Hey... I just wanna apologize for earlier. I should have trusted you and I figured you'd tell the truth about stuff. I hope we can be friends from now on." A cliché proposition, but Walker liked clichés. Made him feel like he was in an anime.

[UndergroundGod]

There was something therapeutic about watching something burn. The warmth of it was nice, of course; Izaya always had a hard time keeping warm, hence the heavy coat he wore most of the time. He wasn't sure if it was poor circulation or what, but he often found himself shivering if he didn't have the heat turned up or a space heater nearby; his kotatsu at home was one of his best friends. Regardless, the heat of the fire felt nice on his skin and his hands and made him feel relaxed.

And even beyond that, it was the sight of the flames dancing, licking at the fabric and blackening it, and even the smell of it was nice, though the synthetic fibers the couch was made of tainted the natural smell of burning with a chemical trace, Izaya found that he didn't mind. It'd been a while since he'd just set something on fire.

For a few moments, there was silence between them, two pyros sharing in the serenity of a fire they'd orchestrated, before walker turned to him and spoke, apologizing and declaring his wish to be friends.

Izaya smiled softly. He would accept the man's apology, of course. He supposed it would seem weird that Walker's girlfriend had been hanging out with him so much, and that her hairclips would be in his office, and if the situation had involved anyone other than Izaya, Izaya might have drawn the same conclusion. Though Izaya was unfortunately and intimately familiar with just who he found attractive… and it simply wasn't Erika. Not that she wasn't pretty, of course; she just wasn't Izaya's type.

And Izaya's type, as far as he could tell, was exclusively specific.

He wasn't sure what to think about the offer of friendship. Other than Shinra, Izaya didn't have friends. Even after everything he'd been through with Erika, he wasn't really sure if they were friends, though he was semi-certain the girl would claim as such.

Either way, he supposed he didn't have a problem accepting the other male's offer of friendship, especially when turning him down may only result in more outbursts. With a slight grin, he replied, "Sure, why not."

[Walker Yumasaki]

"Awesome! It's always good to have a powerful ally on your side, especially one that shares your interests. Well I know you don't share all my interests, but those are just minor details, right? We're both a couple of intelligent guys who enjoy pyrotechnics, what else is there to think about? Though- and this is totally a recommendation- you should try watching some anime or reading some manga so I have more to talk to you about rather than just people of Ikebukuro and fire. For instance-!"

So clearly Izaya attracted chatter bugs. Shinra, Walker, Erika- all three of them once they started going about something they liked, they had a hard time stopping. Not that that was necessarily a bad thing, but if the subject you're talking on is something that the listener has no clue about... it's a tad irritating. But Walker and his silver tongue was actually quite the spectacle. The way his body moved when he got excited and the way his voice became lyrical was like he was a tribal shaman, telling the stories of his people. And in a way... otakus were certainly their own strange culture.

"So anyway, I think that's about it for now. I gotta hurry to a store and get Rii-Rii some meds for nausea. She's been pretty ill lately- I wonder what's up. Probably all that stress from that thing you can't talk to me about." He frowned at that thought again. "I'm worried. I never worry too much, but I'm actually really concerned this time. I've never seen her so unhappy before, it breaks my heart. Maybe it's time I..." He shook his head. "Nevermind, you don't want to hear about my relationship problems..."

He shoved his hands into his pocket and looked down at his feet, kicking the gravel on the roof. Then he began to shift his feet a little, pensive and wondering if he should really be going or not. It would be rude to just leave Izaya there, but it was awkward to suddenly open up and shut off again around someone, who was still a bit of a stranger, and just go.

[UndergroundGod]

Intelligent guys who enjoyed pyrotechnics, huh? Well, Izaya supposed he'd agree with that. They might not be in the same category of intelligence, but Walker seemed like a smart guy and if he wanted to compare himself to Izaya like that, the man certainly wouldn't argue with him. Izaya knew how to pick and choose his battles.

Walker went off on a tangent about some anime Izaya should look into. Izaya listened vaguely, but didn't commit to anything. Honeslty, he had too much to do to catch up on the probably hundreds of series that Walker and Erika had watched, and he didn't have much of an interest in it. He enjoyed kids shows, like Doraemon, but he didn't really care about robot or busty, large eyed girls, or magic powers, not to that extent. Who knew, maybe Erika would talk him into some series one day, but for now, he'd focus on more pressing matters.

Finally, the man summed up his little rant and moved the conversation onward, mentioning something about Erika being ill. Not that he could blame her, with what had happened. Izaya had been subjected to on and off nausea as well, especially after that nightmare he'd had the other day.

Walker wasn't wrong in thinking Izaya didn't want to hear about his problems, but he wasn't altogether right, either. Izaya wasn't sure how to feel about it, after all, he knew exactly why Erika was being so distant, he knew whay she was so sad… but for Erika's sake, he wasn't going to tell Walker about it at all. So having the man pour out his emotions, looking for insight or… whatever… it wasn't productive, and Walker would probably only get more frustrated about the fact that Izaya knew things about his girlfriend that he didn't. It would ultimately make the act of venting counterproductive.

So instead, Izaya just let out a soft breath, his eyes never leaving the fire, and said, "Just be patient with her. She'll come around."

[Walker Yumasaki]

Walker nodded and smiled at his new friend. "Thanks Iza-chan. I'll see you later. You have Rii-Rii's number if you want to get in contact with me." He waved and proceeded to head back out to the streets. He could still see some of the smoke rising and chuckled, watching the black clouds dance like a snake through the glow of the moon. He could get used to this. Burning things with Izaya anyway.

He continued towards a 24-hour drugstore where he bought some nausea medicine for Erika and a few other miscellaneous things they needed. He walked home with a happier step, but was still wary about returning back to Erika, even with Izaya’s assurance that no adultery was taking place. He made it home a little after midnight and hoped Erika was still awake, or asleep enough for him not to wake her up.

"Hey… I'm home. You still up? I have the medicine you asked for."

[unicornhunter]

After Walker had left, Erika had managed to eat something, and the nausea managed to go away. She then spent her time waiting for him to come back by watching some of the anime that they owned - happy things, mostly comedy, but pretty much anything that always managed to put a smile on her face, no matter how bad things got. So nothing with sad endings or depressing messages - and definitely no soul-searching, life-questioning existential epics. Just simple, bright-colored, happy-happy anime.

She had gone to bed early without having a dinner-like substance, which may have been her first mistake.

By the time that Walker came home, she had woken up and was hunched over the toilet, having woken up in a hurry to vomit. Her hair was down out of its braid, and she was having trouble keeping it out of her face as she unloaded the contents of her stomach.

She barely heard Walker come in, but she vaguely heard him when he called out.

She coughed and wiped her mouth. "Y-Yumacchi?"

[Walker Yumasaki]

"Erika? Where are you? You sound miserable." He put the plastic bag from the drug store on the kitchen counter and started rummaging through it for the nausea pills. "I'll make you some warm chamomile tea to drink with these, alright? It'll help your stomach and help you sleep too."

He grabbed a mug from the cupboard and a tea bag from the pantry, filling the mug with water and warming it up to make the instant tea. He sighed as he waited for Erika to emerge. Should he tell her everything that happened when he was at Izaya's? His suspicions and all that? No, he had already told himself earlier that he wouldn't bring it up. Especially when it put the information broker right in the middle of it all and the two had just formed a budding friendship.

When she emerged, Walker put on his smile and handed her the fresh tea. "So everything went well. We took care of the couch and everything."

[unicornhunter]

Erika managed to stop herself from puking long enough to drag herself out of the bathroom and into the kitchen. She felt too miserable to manage a smile when she first saw Walker. Arm wrapped around herself in the general area of her stomach, she leaned on the wall, watching him make the chamomile tea. She smiled at the news, though.

"Thank you, Yummachi...."

When the tea was ready, she accepted the mug and the nausea pills. She popped them into her mouth and drank it down with a gulp or two of tea. She sighed in relief, then sunk into a chair at the kitchen table. She allowed herself a moment of just lying there with the cup in her hand before propping herself onto her elbows, her smile wider and easier to express.

"I'm starting to feel a lot better.... Think I should see a doctor about it if it keeps up? Maybe Shinra? Or do you think it'll pass on its own?"

She didn't wait long for a reply before holding her arms up, wide open, silently asking for a hug. "I'm really sorry for everything that's been happening, Walker.... I'm sorry for not showing up at the Korean BBQ.... I'm sorry for not being all that talkative.... It's just been a really rough week, and right when I thought it was all over, it surprised me...."