"I'm so tired~" The girl with two ponytails stretched her hands as I put in my notebooks and zipped my bag.
"Hey, Kei-chan, do you wanna go karaoke?"
I moved my sight from the bag to the girl who just complaint earlier. I replied her with a smile.
"Rika-chan, didn't you just say that you were tired? Seems like you still have the energy to hang out."
"I'm tired of the class, not the karaoke." Rika denied. "Besides, why do we have to make a presentation every week? It drains a lot of my energy."
It's been one year since I started my college life, spending time a lot on the campus to do some assignments. Truthfully, the first week in here was a total mess, since I felt like a total outsider and, honestly, feeling unconfident again. I realised I might be dealing hard with a new environment, so I might not suit moving to a new place and meet new people. Fortunately, I met Rika, a new close friend that has always been beside me until now. It turned out Rika was from Ikebukuro too, however she moved Kobe during her high school period. It was the main reason why we could get along quickly.
College life was fine if you could adapt to it well. I still sometimes visited Mum and Grandma in there. Mum helped Grandma in her farm since Grandpa had just died not long time ago. To ease her burden, I decided to do a part-time job in a family restaurant after the class, my shift was just changed into four times a week, mostly spent my whole weekend. At least, the salary could cover up my rent and food.
I still called Shinra and Shizuo through the phone. Shinra and Shizuo' numbers still hadn't changed, though Shinra gave me his phone number since he had bought a new one. While Kadota... I failed to get in touch with him. Shinra said he had been busier lately with some stuff (he didn't want to tell me).
Shinra was doing fine in his college, while Shizuo, he had been dealing a lot of stuff in his jobs. Last time I heard, he changed his job again after fired for causing a mess in his workplace.
Getting through with assignments and jobs helped me a lot in distracting my mind. I didn't think of him at all for months. I admitted I thought of him a lot during my first months in here since I missed Ikebukuro sometimes. But after adapting for a while, I began to stop. Life became peaceful once again.
***
"See you tomorrow, Kei-chan!"
I waved my hand to Rika, as I made my way to my apartment. Rika lived in her family's house far from here, but still in the same road to my apartment. I took out my keys from my bag and unlocked the door. Then, I closed the door and put out my shoes. I couldn't believe making a presentation could take a long time (Luckily there was a nearby restaurant so we could grab a dinner in there). It's already night, moreover, the weather was still cold since it barely entered spring. The winter air still left in.
Hm? Now we're talking about the cold air, I heard a sound of wind blowing from my room. My apartment was quite small, consisting of merged living room and kitchen, a bathroom and a small bedroom. As I entered my room, I noticed the window was opened. Damn it, I forgot to lock it that morning. Since I hadn't turned on the lights, I carefully stepped to the windows and closed it, shivering because of the wind.
Next time I should check again before I left. I sighed.
Suddenly, I felt hands wrap around my body. I froze, unsure of what should I do because of too shocked. Was it a robber, rapist? Was someone in my room? Wasn't I alone? Should I scream, hit him with my elbow, stepped on his fe-
"Keiko-chan~"
No, it can't be.
No.
No.
That time, I completely froze including my mind. I recognised that voice easily. But, I wanted to believe that it was just my imagination. I kept silence.
"You're not gonna say anything to me?"
I knew my ears weren't deceiving me. I touched the wrapping hands with my trembling hands, doubted. "I-Izaya?" I mentioned the name that I didn't want to remember, nor I wanted to spell.
"Bingo!" Izaya let go of the back hug. "I'm so touched that Keiko-chan still remembers me!"
I turned around, to see the face that I longed to avoid. The face that I refused to see again. The face that had been my main reason to leave Ikebukuro. But that night, I saw it again, right in front of my face. My feelings were mixed, between happy and sad, flustered and pissed. I tried to focus on other direction, anything but his eyes.
"You cut your hair..." Izaya touched my shoulder-length hair gently. "and you changed your glasses. You have changed a lot."
"How did you manage to get in here?" I clenched my fist. "And how did you know that I'm here?" I tried to hold back my anger by lowing my voice. Please, don't. Don't let your feelings consume you again.
"You won't ask me why I'm in here?"
I decided to stare at his eyes with cold gazed, holding on the feelings.
"You forgot to lock the windows." Izaya walked from me as he turned around and turned on the lights in my room. From there, I could see clearly of his figure. He still looked the same, but his hair was a bit longer and his outfit was a little extraordinary, just like when he was in high school. "And I received some information about your place and your university from sources."
He still collected information. Why Izaya is still Izaya? He made me remembered all the stuff happening in high school?
Moreover, whose were these sources?
"If you don't have anything to do in here, just leave." I walked passed him, entering the living room to turn on the lights. Try to stay calm.
"How cold. I came here to see you of course."
I jerked my head to him. "Why?" Why did you still want to see me after I threw you away for a long time?
"Because you're my best friend."
Why did you still consider me as your best friend even though I cut it off suddenly? I gritted my teeth.
"Stop it, Izaya. We had finished that a year ago." I drifted my gaze to the floor.
Izaya sat beside me as I kneeled to turn on the heaters since it was cold. "You're still mad about that?"
No. I wasn't mad about that issues again. It just, the scar was still left over on me. Even if I forgave him, I was still hurt. I shook my head, eyes feeling hot.
Izaya didn't say a word again. He only watched me turning on the heaters. Suddenly, he swept my hairs from my shoulder and reached for my neck. "You still have the scar."
The scar that he left me when he threatened Shizuo using me. The scar that he kissed on when I was in the infirmary.
Stop, I said to my mind, don't think about that again.
"I remember when I made that scar..."
The scar that he always touched ever since that day. The scar that he always stared at. The scar tha-
No, I warned to myself, if this continues, everything will be spilled out. I don't want to surrender myself once again. I-
"Keiko-chan, are you crying?"
I bit my lips as I let the tears coming out from my eyes. All those memories of him started to flood my mind. I tried to hold in the sob, by shutting both of my eyes.
Izaya pulled me into a hug again. I was taken aback by his action, I immediately resisted. My hand tried to push him away, but his force was too strong.
"Let go of me!" I didn't want to fall to his arms again. It reminded me of how much I depended on him.
"Keiko, do you miss me?"
I stopped moving, seeking out for the true answer from my heart and my brain. I never wanted to mention nor imagine him again, but as much as I desired to remove him,
I did miss him.
I missed his babbling. I missed his touch. I missed his chuckle. I missed everything about him.
I blamed everything on my stupid love feeling.
Izaya patted my back. "I miss you too."
I rested my head on his chest as I closed my lids. Can I be selfish for just one day? I wanted to be his best friend once again, having a good conversation and forget all bad things that we had.
***
"You're not attending to a university?"
Izaya played around with my hair by rolling it with his finger. After that hug, we decided to have a talk in my room, but Izaya insisted to take me to the bed and just lied in there, facing each other. I suddenly remembered after I had a date with him, we were also lying on the bed in his room.
Ugh, nostalgia.
I still stared at him, waiting for his answer.
"Nope~" he made a wide smile after that, "I'm not interested."
Seriously? "Are you still playing around with people?" I quickly shut my mouth, realised that I just asked a strange question. He might get offended because of that.
But I should have known, Izaya was still Izaya. He never showed his offences.
"My, you're so mean, Keiko-chan. I sound like a manipulator to you." He stopp3d twirling my hair.
"Aren't you?"
Izaya let out a chuckle. "Are you still mad because of Azami?"
Wow. It's been a long time since I heard that name from a mouth. I pouted. "I'm already gone through that."
"Oh, you're growing up at last."
I stared at his face, examining his change. How in the world he still looked like the same before? His sly eyes that used to be able to read me, his sly smile that hid many plans behind it, and his auburn pupils...
"Keiko-chan, you're becoming prettier."
I blushed hearing his praise, though I knew he was just babbling nonsense.
"You still look the same."
"Of course, I never grow up, Keiko-chan."
"What kind of nonsense is that?"
He laughed.
"Izaya..." I called.
"Hm?"
"Why did I approach you back then?"
"You mean when we met at the first time?"
"If I hadn't met you, would my life become better?"
"Keiko-chan, do you regret meeting me?"
Do I?
If I didn't approach him back then, I would have a hard time in dealing with my social life. If I hadn't met him, I would not know about Azami at all. I would not know anything about photography, a hobby that I pursue until this day. I would haven't met Shinra, Kadota, Mikage or even Shizuo.
I wouldn't have felt first love.
"I don't know," I answered doubt, unsure of the answer itself.
Izaya stroked my cheek with his finger, slowly and gently. I closed my eyes, getting all comfortable with his touch.
"I see that you have grown up, Keiko-chan. I can see the difference..."
I began to feel sleepy. I couldn't catch his words again.
"...how come I still get attached to someone like you?..."
My eyes lids became heavier.
"....truly are great..."
"...good night, Keiko-chan..."
Slowly I was drifted to asleep.
***
The next morning, by the time I opened my eyes, Izaya was no longer in there. My bed sheet beside me was kinda messy, meaning he must sleep on there for a while before leaving me asleep. My window was still opened wide, morning breeze came in winding up the room.
I still couldn't believe I saw Izaya last night. I rubbed my eyes, still sleepy.
Izaya never came again to me after that night. He disappeared, without leaving any number, email address or anything. I erased all of his old contacts, so I didn't know how was he anymore. The only things that he left me on were the scar, the feeling, and the camera.
I wonder, what will our next meeting be?
***
Third P.O.V
Izaya could tell the girl became sleepy as he kept stroking her cheek. Of course she would be. The warm temperature, the bed sheet, his touch.
She looked like a cat, getting comfortable with the stroke. He smiled a little.
He was a bit surprised when he saw Keiko after he turned the lights on. That was the first time after she left Ikebukuro a year ago. Izaya never wanted her pictures since he only wanted for her location and her news only. It wasn't like his connections were only inside Tokyo. Keiko underestimated him.
When Keiko's eyes slowly closed down, he began to talk, to her.
"I heard all about you during in here from my sources. You're doing better than I thought. It seems all my lessons back in middle school were useful after all."
He sighed. "I guess Keiko-chan can do without me after all. What a shame. You surely has grown up literally."
He stopped stroking her cheek. His smiled faded away.
"How come I still get attached on you? You're no longer an interest to me, yet you manage to entertain me until now. Even after our friendship is done, I still want to play around with you."
Izaya swept Keiko's neck with his hands, revealing her scar. She looked like she had asleep.
"Asagao Keiko, you're truly are a great one, to have me, Orihara Izaya to get attached to someone as boring as you. But too bad I can't take your feelings like Shizu-chan."
Izaya took a look at the girl, her soft snore was heard from her lips.
"Good night, Keiko-chan."
A/N: Though this chapter is the last, the story isn't over yet. There will be an epilogue chapter as the finishing touch. I want to show through this chapter of how the 'fight' between Keiko and Izaya had over, and Keiko finally moves on. If you can see, Keiko rarely talks about Azami again, meaning that she's overcome with the grief and had taken another step. I might put a bonus chapter about Azami's story when she met Shizuo and Izaya and how she's been doing without Keiko.
The first time I wrote this story, I had no idea that I would finish it like now. I always left all my stories unfinished because of many reasons. The reason why I wanted to make this story was because I'm interested in writing Izaya and truthfully I miss writing fanfic (I used to make one on other website, but I stopped it because the website used to be blocked for around two or three years).
I almost thought of left this story unfinished since I leaved the fandom around last year, but taking an advice for someone, I have to finish what I start and decided to carry on. I'm glad I did.
I want to make this story as happy ending though, with Keiko's love to be accepted by Izaya, but it might ruin his character so I decided to make the ending as happy yet not happy (?), with their fight is over, the friendship still kinda continue on, and Keiko has move on , though the sad part is Keiko and Shizuo' love are still unrequited.
Wait a second, does that makes this fanfic as a platonic one? Oh, well.
Anyway, in case you've been wondering, I make a bonus chapter about Izaya's mind about Keiko. In the chapter, Izaya's real feelings will be told, since he was so confusing in this story.
I want to thank you so much for you all to read this chapter until finish. I feel grateful when you guys decide to stop by at this book and even give a vote or comment. I always re-read the comments that I got from this story whenever I open Wattpad. I'm sorry if I'm still lack at the vocabulary and grammar. Thruthfully, I'm not good at describing words, and I'm still learning.
I'm so happy when someone commented how I potrayed Izaya in character. I even had to use a real person reference to know him better (my close friend in college surprisingly has a lot of similiarities with Izaya, even their way of thinking is the same. Thanks God she doesn't like manipulate people, though she did it several times, and not as crazy as him).
Okay, this is such a long one. There are so many things I want to say but I can't write all of them in here. Anyway, thank you so much for reading this story until the end!