05/03:
"How– Why are you here?" Yuzuki muttered beneath her breath, staring at the informant and shaking his head.
Has he gone mental now?
He must've known that this was practically suicide.
"Oh you know," he started with a long sigh, throwing his hands up mid-height and shrugging. "I didn't have anything else to do at the moment, so why should I decline such a nice and welcoming invitation?" He finally stepped through the door and closed it behind him, the smug smirk never leaving his lips.
"Besides", he added, shoving his hands into the pockets of his long coat, "you should know me well enough to figure I hate leaving behind unfinished business."
"My sister isn't unfinished business."
Izaya titled his head to the side a little, eyeing Yuzuki's brother and nodding, the smile still remaining persistent. "Sure. Whatever you say."
"You little–" he grunted, but was interrupted.
"You should leave, Izaya," Yuzuki urged, glancing at him intensely. "Right now."
Just as the raven opened his mouth to reveal his reply, Yuzuki's brother beat him to the punch, clearly stating his opinion before Izaya could get a chance to do so.
"He's not going anywhere," he said, dangerously low and pulled the knife from his pocket that he had earlier snatched from Yuzuki. The girl eyed the blade carefully before observing the informant.
"Well, Tsuki-chan, sorry to disappoint you," said man moaned in defeat, "but you heard what he said." As he took his hands from his coat, he also held a pocket knife, flipping it open and remaining focus on his opponent.
Why would he do this?
Why would he go this far?
Why, out of all times, did Orihara Izaya chose to care now? When Yuzuki was long done with it all, when she accepted her defeat? When she was hoping for nobody else to get hurt because of her?
"Don't do it," she muttered to her older sibling, attempting to hold his arm in place for a few more seconds, but he didn't listen to her at all. Instead he freed himself from her grip roughly and took a step forward.
"You'll pay for hurting my little sister," he said slowly, his eyes never leaving his target.
"Oh, may the lords stand by my side," Izaya laughed, throwing his arms up in the air theatrically, "I'm so scared right now, seriously."
"Are you making fun of me?"
"Who, me? Of course not, don't be silly! You're doing the job of making yourself look pathetic all by yourself, don't worry, friend."
How could he still remain this mocking and teasing attitude when being in real genuine danger? It's not like that man was not ready to use the knife in his hands. It was not like hasn't done it before, either.
Yuzuki could sense that her brother was getting ready to plunge forward. He positioned himself and his glare darkened with each second, filled with so much hatred and disgust. It was shocking how these eyes could have ever been comforting the once little girl.
"That's it!" he groaned and tried running forward.
While all this time, all these events had happened so quickly and it felt like not even a second was granted to the powerless, Yuzuki watched the scene in slow motion. Izaya didn't move a muscle, let alone step aside. He kept standing on that same spot the entire time and he lowered his hands, dropping the knife to the floor.
Just what was he thinking?
From beginning to end there was no way anyone could completely figure out the bizarre being that Orihara Izaya was. Even in a situation like this, he kept a giant lock in front of him, making it impossible to reach out completely.
Not hesitating a further second, Yuzuki snapped out of it. She moved on her own as she took a large quick step forward, suddenly finding herself in between the two men. As soon as a stinging pain shot through her stomach, the time seemed to work normal again.
She stared at her brother in shock, before her eyes wandered down slowly to the knife in her abdomen.
"Yuzuki, what– why did you...?" her sibling stuttered, completely taken off guard, his voice shivering just like his hands that were still holding the blade in place. "I– how..."
"Shh..." Yuzuki cooed, wrapping her hands softly around his and holding them im place, the knife still inside her body, the pain and blood spreading everywhere.
It took every bit of strength she had to keep standing on her own feet and keep eye contact with her brother as she carefully tightened her grip on his wrists. His eyes were wide opened, staring at the sight in front of him. They were filled with so much guilt and anxiety, things Yuzuki didn't think he was capable of.
"I'm sorry," the girl whispered, smiling at her sibling, before she gave him a hard push on the chest, surprising him, so that he couldn't catch balance anymore. Instead he stumbled backwards a few steps, ultimately failing to gain control at the very edge of the roof.
With a earpiercing scream he fell down, the scene so familiar to the one years ago. The only difference being, that this was the end. He would not survive this time.
Finally having used all of her strength, Yuzuki fell to her knees, cringing at the immense pain.
"Why would you protect me?"
Izaya took his time, calmly picking up the knife he had dropped earlier, before kneeling beside the girl and somewhat helping her finding support by leaning her against the nearest wall. His eyes viewed the large wound, examining the blood around the blade that was still stuck there.
"Don't take it out, idiot," she quickly said, slapping his hand away as he tried to approach it. A hiss from her side followed due to the pain the movement required.
"Why would you protect me?" Izaya repeated his question, still calmly and slowly.
It was that second Yuzuki realized these were the wrong words to describe Izaya right now. He wasn't calm, he was far from it. She had never seen him more troubled, more silent, more taken aback. Usually, she would wait for a mocking remark, a dumb joke or at least a self satisfied smirk. But today, she was having none of it.
"You could say I hate leaving behind unfinished business," she replied quietly in between coughing fits, picking up his words from earlier.
"But you didn't have to–" he tried to retort, his voice more raw suddenly, almost as if he was angry at her for putting herself in so much danger. Again, Yuzuki felt how she tried to reflect things onto Izaya that probably weren't true. She didn't know if they were, there was no proof for nor against it. She just knew it was what she wished had been genuine.
"You're not as bad as you pretend to be, Izaya", she interrupted him, looking into his eyes that asked so many questions. "You were kind of right. We are not that different from each other, you know? For example, I would dare to say we're quite similar even. I mean, I have you figured out just as much as you have me, haven't I?" She regretted to chuckle after her words and it developed into another coughing fit.
"You should stop trying to live up to be something you're not." she added and slowly closed her eyes, the last thing her ears reached being Izaya's voice calling out her name.
05/04:
Beep... beep... beep...
Though regularly and not too loud, Izaya was fed up of this constant background sound.
Beep... beep... beep...
He hated hospitals in general. Everything was too bright and just a facade of control that wasn't honest at all. In reality, hospitals were full of tragic stories and people losing hope.
Beep... beep... beep...
Opening his eyes, he once more looked at the girl on the bed. Skin as white as the sheets and pillows around her , she almost looked like a corpse already. It was a surprise her heart was beating and beeping still.
Beep... beep... beep...
"What an amazing birthday present, I must say, Tsuki-chan," he sighed, attempting to put on a half decent smirk. Not that his failure in doing so would go noticed, since Yuzuki was not awake, but it bothered him.
What was he doing here anyway?
Beep... beep... beep...
Did he honestly care?
Surely he didn't. He didn't have to feel guilty or anything. None of this was any of his concern.
Be–beep...be-beepbe-beepbe-beep-beep-beep-beep
That's right. Yuzuki was none of his concern.
Nobody was.
Humans were only objects of observation, not interaction.
beep-beep-beep-beepbeepbeep
"Sir."
But why was he here then?
"Sir! You need to leave the room immediately!"
Jumping at the voice, Izaya turned his head in confusion. Before getting even the chance to comprehend what was going on, a nurse grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him up, pushing him outside the room.
Several nurses and doctors ran across the hallway, entering Yuzuki's room.
"Vital signs changing drastically. Her heart rhythm is unstable, doctor," one of them said.
Izaya froze, breaking free from the nurse's grip. He turned around again, wanting to go back in there, but was held back.
"I'm sorry, you can not go in there, sir. Let the doctors do their job."
With that the door was closed right before his face.
Why was he here?
Why did he care so much?
Why did he want her to be alright?
Clenching his hand into a fist, he slammed the nearest wall. "Dammit," he cursed, turning on his heels and falling down onto a chair. He slumped into a ball without energy, elbows on his knees, face in his palms, fingers ruffling through his raven hair.
Even though it has been only been ten minutes according to the doctors, it felt like hours, days even.
An endless amount of time of clenched teeth and trembling muscles, shaking knees and being unable to rest as the informant kept walking up and down the hallway.
He could not see nor hear what was going on inside that room.
Just what was going on in there?
Why did he care so much?
Why was he here?
Why did he not just turn around and leave this hellhouse of a building, never returning, just forgetting, like he always did. What was it that made her so special? Why couldn't he just give up and call it a day? Why did he feel like he lost a game in the first place? Shouldn't he be the winner? Didn't he succeed in playing with Yuzuki for as long as possible? Didn't he get the most enjoyment out of this experience as wanted?
All these questions ran through his mind while the door finally opened. The doctors stepped outside and Izaya rushed to the frame. His eyes caught the sight of a young girl wearing a smile on her face, returning the favor and looking right at him.