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[A month later: 1 week before the bet ends]
Izaya had been helping out around the orphanage every day since he started. He actually didn't hate it, but having no emotions meant you didn't have the ability to hate something.
Izaya couldn't stop thinking about Yuu. He seemed so cheerful and happy that you wouldn't have noticed that he was the most broken kid at the orphanage.
Yuu was good at hiding his feelings, just like Sakura was. It made Izaya wonder if Sakura was hiding something about her past from him.
See, Yuu told Izaya his past after Izaya proved that he was a good person (which was hard for Izaya). He basically faked a smile and took care of Yuu whenever he could.
Eventually one night before Izaya put Yuu to bed he decided to tell him the story. He cried a bit while telling it but Izaya calmed him down.
[Flashback]
Yuu's Pov:
"Mommy and daddy were always fighting because daddy never liked me. Daddy said I'm not his son because mommy cheated on him. He would always yell at me for being bad.
Mommy tried to get him to stop but daddy kept being mean. One day mommy came home and she smelled bad, like daddy's drinks. She looked at me real scary and pushed me to the ground.
She yelled at me about how I shouldn't be alive. She told me I was a bad boy and it was my fault daddy was mean to her. I tried hugging her but she hit me.
She hit me a whole lot. It hurt real bad. I was on the floor and she hit me over and over. I think I fell asleep? But I woke up and she was still hitting me.
My daddy came home and pulled her off me. He was mean to me but he never hit me like mommy did. He told her they can just leave me at a.. a...the thing we are in-"
Yuu pointed at the ceiling, waiting for Izaya to help him with the word he was missing. "Orphanage." Izaya said slowly so Yuu could copy him.
"-he said they can leave me at a orphanage." Yuu messed up the pronunciation but Izaya knew what he was trying to say.
"And then mommy brought me to a dark place, it smelled really bad. She said she would be back for me but she didn't come back. Then two scary men came and took me to a weird place.
They asked me where my mommy was and I told them I was waiting for her. They asked me more questions but I was getting sleepy so they let me sleep.
When I woke up the men took me to this place. Miss Yui gave me cookies and told me that my mommy didn't want me but she would be my new mommy until I was adopted. So now I'm waiting for a new mommy and daddy."
[Flashback End]
Izaya assumed every kid at the orphanage had a past like that but they never hid their sadness or anger. Yuu was always smiling even if he tripped and scraped his knee.
Yuu never cried or complained about anything, he just smiled and pretended he was fine. But bottling up your emotions is not healthy, Izaya knew that.
In the past Izaya always hid behind a fake smile, even when he was stabbed he just smiled and waited to see who would take advantage of the opportunity and try to kill him.
He bottled up his feelings and nobody ever got too close to him. Izaya was a ticking time bomb when he challenged Shizuo to their last fight, he was angry, sad, and frustrated.
Shizuo was angry and had brute strength but he had friends and family who cared about him. All Izaya got was lousy parents and two sisters who hated his guts.
It wasn't fair, at all. Shizuo yelled at everyone who got on his nerves. Hell, he even beat people up as his job! Izaya didn't think it was fair that Shizuo got everything he wanted for himself.
Of course Izaya didn't feel that jealousy anymore, but he did remember what it felt like. He didn't like it, the memory of an emotion but not being able to feel it.
The world was cruel.
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"Iza nii-chan! I drew a picture of you!" Yuu announced proudly at the ex-informant. Izaya looked at the drawing faked a smile like he always did around the kids in the orphanage.
"Wow it looks just like me! Good job Yuu!" He praised the little boy. Yuu giggled and went to go draw another picture for Izaya. Izaya sighed as he looked at the picture, another one to add to the fridge.
'Sakura's fridge is going to be full of pictures by the time this is over.' Izaya thought as he watched Yuu draw another picture for him.
Yuu insisted for Izaya to play with him every day. Yui never argued with him because Yuu usually kept quiet when he wanted something, she was happy that he spoke up for a change.
Izaya was used to the 6 years old's constant presence, he didn't mind it actually. He found that his smiles toward Yuu were slowly becoming less fake and he actually enjoyed his company.
Yuu poked Izaya's side. "Iza nii-chan can you draw me a picture this time? I always make you things and I want something too..." He asked shyly.
Izaya ruffled Yuu's hair, "Sure kiddo. What do you want me to draw?" He asked, grabbing a pencil and paper. He watched as Yuu thought of something.
"Oh! Yui told me about du-dulla... hans?" Yuu struggled to remember the name.
Izaya smiled. "A dullahan? Want me to draw one?" He asked, already getting an image of what to draw. Yuu nodded and sat in Izaya's lap.
Izaya started drawing while Yuu watched. The little boy was in awe of how good Izaya could draw, but was confused as to why the dullahan had a helmet and motorcycle.
When Izaya finished the drawing, Yuu was shocked. Izaya drew the picture so well that it looked real. He looked over the picture in awe of how talented Iza nii-chan was.
The drawing was a headless woman in a black riding outfit. She was holding up a motorcycle and had a yellow and black helmet (with things that looked like cat ears on it) under her arm.
It looked so lifelike and Yuu was so happy. "Iza nii-chan! You're so good at drawing! Are you sure I can keep it?" He asked, stars in his eyes.
"Yup, it's just for you from your favorite nii-chan." Izaya said, picking up the little boy. Yuu giggled as Izaya ran around the room with the child still in his arms. Izaya pretended to be a plane and "crash landed" on the couch.
Both of them were laughing messes on the couch when Yui walked in with Sakura. "Iza, Sakura is here to-" She stopped talking when she saw the pair.
Sakura looked like she had won the lottery. "Iza! You're laughing!" She squealed and ran over to the two boys. Izaya seemed to snap out of a trance when he realized.
"I... I was.. laughing" He said, in shock. Yuu just looked between the two adults, confused. He then saw Izaya look at him. Izaya was looking at Yuu how Yuu's mother used to look at him, with love.
Sakura hugged them both while Yui watched with the biggest smile on her face. Sakura had told Yui about Izaya's situation, well not the ruining people's lives part, but the part where he was a bad person that was in an accident and had lost his emotions.
Yui was so glad she told Iza about Yuu, now all she needed to do was somehow get Izaya to adopt Yuu. She loved Yuu but she knew she couldn't give him a loving family like Iza could, especially if he had Sakura there to help him.
She could only hope that Iza realized how much Yuu had changed him and that leaving him would hurt them both. She knew Sakura was thinking the same thing, the two women had a discussion about it.
She left the three alone and went to put the other kids to bed.
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After Izaya and Sakura got home they went their separate ways. Izaya went onto the group chat while Sakura was in her office reading the 2 pages he wrote for that day. She didn't cry that time since she was so happy for her friend.
Izaya just smiled as he chatted with his "friends". He had been 'introduced' to everyone in the chat by that point so he could talk to everyone normally.
Himi has logged on
Setton: Himi! How was the orphanage today?
Himi: Super fun! I'm so happy I was able to connect with the kids!
Taro Tanaka: That's great, especially since you were so nervous in the beginning
Saika: Yea, good job
Himi: Thanks, I really bonded with one little boy. Sometimes I just want to take him home with me T-T
Setton: Are you old enough? Maybe you can.
Saika: That would be so sweet!
Taro Tanaka: If you can provide for him and are old enough then go for it.
Himi: I am old enough... but I need to get a more stable job. I want him to have everything he wants!
Setton: Aw, that's sweet. Ikebukuro has some nice opportunities, since people leave due to the gangs.
Taro Tanaka: Don't scare her away! The gangs haven't even been active lately, ever since Orihara passed away.
Himi: Orihara? Who's that?
Setton: A... bad man. He caused a lot of chaos here and got so many people involved with his plans.
Saika: He was bad but nobody deserves to die like that...
Bakyura has logged on
Bakyura: We talking about Izaya? That jerk was horrible, maybe he didn't deserve to die but we are better off without him.
Taro Tanaka: It has been more peaceful...
Setton: But Himi you don't need to worry about that! It's really calm here nowadays.
Taro Tanaka: Oh, I know this is off topic but Kanra is still M.I.A
Himi: Kanra? The owner of the chat?
Taro Tanaka: Yea, we were all invited by her...
Saika: Wait... Then how did Himi get here?
Bakyura: Maybe Kanra let Himi here because she doesn't wanna talk to us :P
Saika: That's... not like her
Taro Tanaka and Himi private chat
Taro Tanaka: How did you get to the chat? Kanra is Izaya Orihara so he couldn't have invited you
Himi: He didn't invite me... but I'm so dense I can't remember how I got here ;-;
Taro Tanaka: Oh, ok. Do you have memory issues?
Himi: Nope, I just forget minor details. I don't even remember why I chose my name XD
Taro Tanaka: Ah. Ok. Sorry for questioning you.
Out of private chat
Bakyura: Wait where are Himi and Taro? Ooooooh, are they flirting in a private chat? ;)
Saika: I don't think so
Setton: They aren't flirts like you
Kyo: Yea...
San: Yup! Setton is right
Taro Tanaka: Oh, I had to do something real quick.
Himi has logged off
Sakura walked into Izaya's room with a book in her hands. "Iza! Your sketchbook was in the living room on the coffee table." She told him as she set on his desk.
"Thanks Sakura." Izaya said.
"No problem." She replied, kind of confused since Izaya never really thanked her for minor things.
"No, I meant for everything. Thanks for helping me feel again, and for making me help out at Yui's orphanage." He said, sincerity lacing his words.
Sakura smiled and hugged him, "Thank you for agreeing, I couldn't have you go and throw your life away." She told him, tears falling.
Izaya let tears fall down his face for the first time since his childhood. "Yeah...oh and Sakura?" He asked.
Sakura made a humming noise, signaling for him to continue.
"I want to adopt Yuu." He said, serious.
Sakura let go and stared at him, shocked. "W-wait I don't even have to convince you? You WANT to adopt him?" She asked, beginning to smile again.
Izaya nodded in confirmation. "I need a job first. I need to support him, give him everything he needs and more."
Sakura gazed at his sketchbook and thought of the pages he had been writing the past month and 3 weeks, eyes lighting up with inspiration.
"I have an idea."
-Sky