Gods Among Men

Never Before Seen

Izaya Orihara, the top information broker and self-proclaimed God was a fairly secretive man. He wasn't shy about showing off his power or ranting on about his love of humanity, but you would be hard-pressed to find his middle name or where his parents lived. Even so, Izaya had actually been very open about the end to his bachelor lifestyle, opting to tell nearly everyone about his bride.

It was, of course, in the nature of being acquainted with the information broker that they were not exactly shocked when he had claimed to have married a God, most deciding to just ignore the news entirely.

He had called Shinra specifically to give his self-appointed best friend, the news to which the doctor, only mildly paying attention while working had only remarked that he would inform Celty and they could plan a double date together.

Shiki and Dotachin had received emails. Shiki's had been read and filed away for later in case the information became relevant but it was otherwise disregarded. Dotachin had an unspoken rule that he didn't open emails that were addressed to 'Dotachin' and so it sat, unread, in his inbox and therefore his crew was never informed.

A text was sent to Saki who showed it to Masaomi who deleted it before either let the message really sink in. Masaomi casually mentioned Izaya's marriage to Mikado and Anri at some point but it had been too far down the line for him to remember any specifics and the trio largely regarded it as a prank. Another text was sent to Nakura for legal reasons but the man never responded.

To his parents and sisters, he sent wedding invitations for a date that had already passed to an event that never officially took place. His parents sent the newlyweds their good wishes and a spa certificate that still sat in its envelope atop the fridge. His sisters merely complained over not being able to go, and then over not being able to meet his godly spouse.

For Shizuchan it was a shouted taunt that his wife would be upset if his face were to be damaged but in the midst of the fight all Shizuo could manage was the disbelief that Izaya could trick anyone into marrying him and in the end, it was passed off as just that, a taunt.

Simon was one of the few people to meet Izaya's otherwise impalpable bride, although the man was never truly informed of their origin. He had simply been happy to serve the newlyweds a special platter Russia Sushi had available on the off chance one was ever needed for a Shinto wedding and, although Kanra was very much not a Shinto God, it was greatly appreciated.

All this being said, it had been nearly a year and a half since the wedding announcement had been made and no one had seen or heard of it again. And so, it wasn't unexpected when his visiting friends were informed that Mr Orihara's wife was visiting him, they were caught by surprise. As such, Kadota was made to wait outside of the room while Shinra and Celty went to check on Izaya, so as not to go over the 3-visitor limit that the hospital had in place.

The individual in question was tall and lean, whispering to Izaya in a conspiratorial way, despite all signs pointing to the man's unconsciousness. It wasn't until the two had closed the door behind them that the whispering came to a halt, their eyes rising to meet the young doctor's.

They rose with unhurried grace, crossing the room swiftly to take his hand, "You must be Dr Kishitani." They let go of his hand although it had never been quite a proper handshake anyways, to turn to the Dullahan, making eye contact with the face she didn't pose. "And Ms Sturluson," their hand came to rest flat upon their chest before they lowered themselves into a simple bow, "I am grateful for your presence here."

Shinra returned the bow nearly automatically, "Shinra, please. Uh, forgive me, I don't think we've ever properly met. You're Izaya's..." he let the inquiry drift away, taking in the other's androgynous appearance.

"'Wife' is fine," they supplied. "You're correct. I have met very few of my husband's friends. My fault, I'm afraid. I was quite busy after our marriage and had to leave."

Celty held up her PDA, 'I'm afraid we don't know your name'.

They nodded, gesturing for the couple to take a seat. "You may call me Kanra. Orihara Kanra, I suppose."

Shinra chuckled slightly, "This may seem like a strange question but... You wouldn't happen to be a God, by any chance. Would you?"

Celty's fingers flew across her keyboard but Kanra responded before she could reveal her message. "I am," they smiled at the Dullahan, "I don't mind. I told Izaya he could tell whomever he liked so I didn't expect it to be unknown. I counted on it, in fact. We both did."

'What do you mean by that?'

"I think that Izaya and I were both under the impression that the more people he told; the less likely people would be to believe it. I happened to agree."

The unconscious ravenette began to stir slightly, the monitor's beep quickening, but before Shinra could stand, Kanra's hand covered their husbands, returning their pace to its normal rate. "Healing isn't my speciality, I'm afraid, but it's just a nightmare," they supplied before he could ask.

His eyes brightened slightly, "So what is it that you do exactly?"

Kanra chuckled, "That's a complicated question. I don't really do much of anything. I have no need for most material goods and the world has little need for Gods as they used to. I suppose I simply... watch."

Shinra was quiet while he processed this information. Meanwhile, Celty came up with her own question, pausing to rewrite once or twice.

'This may seem strange but' 'Izaya isn't a God, is he?'

This time Kanra laughed fully, shaking their head. "No, no. As much as he wishes it wasn't so, he's just as human as any."

Celty seemed to let out a sigh and nodded.

"Shinra?"

The doctor, who had been looking at Izaya's chart, turned to the god. "Hm?"

"Might we be able to take my husband somewhere a bit more... comfortable?"

He chewed the inside of his cheek, turning his attention back to the paperwork. "Well... I'm sure I'd be able to take care of him. The worst should be over with. I'm just not sure the hospital would be willing to let him leave so soon."

"Leave that to me."