[fic] "Shizu-chan's only weakness" Kasuka + Shizuo Chap 2
Setting/Timeline: Episode 15 AU
Warnings: slashy Heiwajima brothers in future chapters
I'm on a roll, this is Chapter 2!
Please let me know what you think.
This is unbeta'ed and unedited. I looked for errors but I'm sure there is some typos in here.
I made up the name of Kasuka's producer. And in following with the light novels, I made him the talent agent who tried to scout Shizuo and almost got beaten up but Kasuka stopped him, and so he scouted Kasuka instead.
The translation can be found at: http://anni-fiesta.livejournal.com/6029.html
Note that Niekawa (reporter) had long known about Shizuo and Kasuka being brothers. It didn't seem like he was going to make a big deal about it, and only used it in order to try to get Shizuo to open up to him for interviewing. Would anyone care if he did/someone did expose their connection? Could it be used for blackmail? I'm making the case here that it could be, even though that's not necessarily implied by the show. Kasuka did change his name for a reason, right?
Chap 2.
“What a poor man!” one of the nurses whispered in the hospital hallway. “He was just here for months with broken bones from a brutal beating and now he’s been stabbed!”
“But this time he’ll recover more quickly than before. The stab wound is fairly light and he won’t need more than a week to recover.” said the other.
“Thank goodness! But these Slasher incidents, aren’t they so scary? I’m afraid to go home at night! I wish they would catch the culprit already, just what are the police doing?”
Niekawa Shuuji awoke to the sounds of this conversation, lying in a hospital bed with an oxygen mask on his face. What had happened? Why was he here? A nurse bent into view.
“Niekawa-san, you’re going to be just fine. You’ll need a week of bed rest, and after that some therapy, but the doctor said….”
As the nurse continued speaking, Niekawa knew only he had an urgent mission to complete. Nothing else mattered, not this nurse, not his wound, not his daughter. Only obtaining the strongest, Heiwajima Shizuo, mattered at all.
He got up and threw on his coat, ignoring the nurse’s shout, “Sir, you can’t get up yet! Your would will re-open! You’re not well yet! Sir!” and he strode out of the room.
_____________
“Hanejima-san, you’re wanted on the set!”
Showing no reaction except for a slight shift of his eyes, the heartthrob actor Hanejima Yuuhei calmly returned to the set from his chair off to the side. His makeup artist, putting on the finishing touches, quickly stood aside and let him leave.
As he left, a female caterer hired to provide the staff with lunch for the day approached the makeup artist. “Isn’t Hanejima-san so stoic?” she whispered. “He really gives off the impression of a cool tough guy!”
The makeup artist rolled his eyes. Another Yuuhei fangirl had managed to make it on to the set somehow. “More like a robot!” he replied sarcastically. “He may be handsome, and his face makes a wonderful canvas to work with. But off the set, it becomes a mask. I’ve never once seen a smile cross it. He never raises his voice or laughs either! It’s like he doesn’t have any emotions! If you ask me, it’s kind of creepy.”
“Really?” the soon-to-be-dissmissed caterer asks in surprise. “But he acts so well! He can pull of any kind of scene, at least that’s what the critics say. I only know that I’ve liked him in all of his movies and TV shows. How can he act that well if he doesn’t have any feelings?”
“Beats me,” the makeup artist said, shrugging his shoulders. “I just put makeup on him. I never talk to the guy. I have no idea what goes on in his mind. But at least he’s easy to work with and doesn’t give me shit or is spoiled like some other actors. And he-”
“Quiet on the set!” the producer shouted into his microphone, and like all people trained in show business, the makeup artist immediately fell silent. He made a note, however, to talk to Hanejima’s producer about screening the stage hands more carefully. Even in a position as tangential as catering, if they didn’t screen the employees properly there was a possibility that a rabid fan could get close to the actor in a potentially dangerous way. That had to be avoided at all costs. After all, Hanejima was an important client he didn’t want to lose. Even if he was really a robot.
……………………….
Wearing only a coat over a hospital gown, Niekawa Shuji walked briskly through the streets of Ikebukuro. The pain in his back barely crossed his mind - after all, his mind was full of Mother’s love. It would sustain him. He would fulfill Mother’s wish to obtain the strongest. For that, he must get close to Hanejima Yuuhei. Mother had entrusted him with this important task and he would fulfill it. Nothing else mattered.
Niekawa knew where he was headed. He was a reporter, and so he would approach Hanejima as one. That’s why Mother chose him, after all. His feet unerringly lead him to Hanejima’s talent agency, Junes Acting & Modeling. Of course Hanejima had been picked up by one of the best and most prestigious agencies in all of Japan. After taking the subway, he entered the doors of their main Tokyo branch.
“Can I help you?” asked the lady at the reception desk.
“Hi, I’m a reporter for the magazine Tokyo Incidents. I would like to interview Hanejima Yuuhei”
The secretary raised an eyebrow. Not only did she know the magazine was trashy gossip, but also the disheveled state of the reporter and his uncharacteristic bluntness was quite offputting and she took a severe tone.
“Sir, I’m afraid Hanejima-san rarely takes interviews, and they must be scheduled months in advance. Also, I highly doubt he would grant your request, considering the reputation of Tokyo Incidents.”
“Ah, but this interview is not about him! I’m merely seeking information on his brother!”
“His…brother?” The secretary frowned. She had not known that Hanejima had a brother. “That’s ridiculous, Hanejima-san doesn’t have a brother.”
“Ah, but he does,” Niekawa leaned forward and lowered his voice. “I happen to know that Hanejima’s brother is a violent, lowly thug with anger management problems. And unless you want me to expose their connection in my article, I suggest you put me in touch with Hanejima-san right away.”
The secretary knew this was now above her head. Whether the reporter’s claim was true or not she didn’t know, but this was more than she had the authority to deal with. “Sir, I will put you in touch with Hanejima-san’s producer, but I can’t guarantee any more than that. I will warn you however, that our agency does not tolerate the slandering or defamation of our clients. We will take legal action against you.”
Niekawa smiled, somewhat of a crazed grin. “No worries…I’ll be happy to talk to Hanejima-san’s producer. What’s his number?”
She looked up Tomoyuki Hiroshi’s number. A competent man, though a bit of a brown-noser and certainly greedy. As Kasuka’s main agent and producer, however, he had managed to land an astounding number of prized gigs in for such a young actor. “I will call him from this desk phone and give you the opportunity to speak to him. I am not permitted to give out his cell number.”
Not quite, but she certainly wasn’t going to give the number to this quack. After dialing the number, she handed the phone over to Niekawa.
“Ah, Tomoyuki-san, I presume? So good to get a hold of you. My name is Niekawa Shuuji and I’m a reporter for Tokyo Incidents…..no, don’t hang up yet! The truth is, I want to ask Hanejima-san a few questions about his brother, Heiwajima Shizuo….yes, yes I know who he is….well of course I’d be happy to meet with you right away. Where?”
………………….
“Listen, I don’t really have time for this,” Tomoyuki began. He had had a company car driven to the main office in Tokyo to pick up this suspicious-looking guy and bring him out to the set where Kasuka was currently working. After escorting him into a building, Tomoyuki pulled him aside into a dim corridor and sat on the only bench, forcing Niekawa to remain standing.
“I don’t know how you found out. We’ve been pretty careful covering up the details of Hanejima’s past before he changed his name. That was the one condition he gave me when I scouted him - that his family not be associated with him in any way in case he should become famous. And I know why - that brother of his damn near killed me when I approached them. I was lucky to escape unharmed. The guy is a psychopath and has monster strength. I understand why Yuuhei doesn’t want to be associated with him.”
Niekawa’s eyes gleamed red. Shizuo will be ours! The strongest!
“So, what do you want? Money? Favors? Your magazine is only a trashy rag, so I’m not too concerned that people will take it seriously. But if you happen to tell other reporters and provide them with whatever source you used, they will probably figure it out too and it’ll be a scandal. So, what do you want in exchange for not reporting this?”
“Ahh, don’t be ridiculous! I don’t want money or a bribe…in exchange for not reporting this, I just want to briefly interview Hanejima Yuuhei”
Tomoyuki eyebrows lifted. “You want a full interview with the guy that refuses most all interviews unless I strong-arm him into it? I don’t think so, that’s asking too much. There’s no way he’ll agree. Plus I don’t trust you at all. I don’t even know you. Will you report what he says truthfully or will you twist his words? I only let reporters I trust interview my clients. The answer is no.”
“Well then, the deal is off. I will report about his brother in my magazine and make sure my associates in other, more respected periodicals publish the same. It will be a scandal by tomorrow, I assure you.”
“Wait…..wait! Goddamn it. Alright, I’ll ask Yuuhei, but he’s busy on the set right now and won’t be done for another few hours. You’ll have to wait here.”
Niekawa indicated his assent and inwardly smiled. If Kanra’s information was right, Hanejima would certainly react to any hostile intent towards his brother. He would come to meet Niekawa face-to-face for this interview, and then Niekawa would make sure that Saika loved him. It was all for Mother’s sake.
………………………
No more than ten minutes later, Niekawa heard the sounds of footsteps rapidly approaching. Also, the producer’s whiny voice grew louder and louder. Niekawa was able to make out the words “….don’t be rash, Hanejima-san! This guy is suspicious! He’s a third-rate reporter that I’ve never heard of! You should let me handle this and not get involved!’
Two people suddenly entered the dim corridor and came into Niekawa’s view. They were Hanejima Yuuhei, taking long strides, and his producer Tomoyuki, who was breathless with trying to catch up and chastise him at the same time. “I’m telling you, this is beneath your concern-“
He abruptly cut off his words when he saw Niekawa’s standing form leaned against the wall, silently waiting.
Hanejima Yuuhei continued walking straight up to the disheveled man, entering his personal space until their faces were no more than two feet apart. His face was deadpan, but his voice revealed an underlying sense of urgency as he intoned “I understand that you intend to publish information about my brother and I”.
Niekawa looked into Yuuhei’s intent gaze and smiled a slow, dreadful grin. “Actually,” he said gleefully. “I decided that Heiwajima Shizuo is too dangerous to be trifled with by myself. I won’t write about him, but I will make him mine. Be glad, Hanejima-san,” and saying this, he suddenly thrust a hand into his coat, pulling out a long kitchen knife. Yuuhei’s eyes widened in surprise and he started to back away, but it was too late.
Taking a leap forward, Niekawa stabbed into Yuuhei’s abdomen with a strong thrust, embedding the 10-inch knife almost fully into his body. The sudden movement was over quickly, and then he was just standing there, holding the knife into Yuuhei’s trembling body. As Yuuhei start to gasp, he whispered into his right ear “Mother will love you. And you will love Shizuo. We will all love Shizuo, because he is the strongest.” Saying that, he pulled out the knife and Tomoyuki, who had stood still in shock, began to scream for help. Yuuhei crumpled to the floor, clutching at his wound, trying to stop the bleeding. Still in shock, he glared at the triumphant reporter.
What the hell does he mean? Will something happen to Niisan…?
Niekawa started laughing hysterically, even as guards came rushing into the corridor and pinned him down, even as Yuuhei was surrounded by worried stage extras and his hysterical personal staff and carried into a wailing ambulance. Niekawa laughed and laughed even as he was dragged into a police car and roughly handled, and didn’t stop until he eventually passed out due to the pain from his stab wound.
……………
Shizuo paced the streets of Ikebukuro in a bad mood, as usual. Though Tom had let him off work today because he had no customers (an unusual case, usually somebody owed somebody money in Ikebukuro), Shizuo was surprisingly sensitive and had picked up on the mood of the ‘bukuro. The town was tense; with constant reporting on the Slasher incidents, people were uneasy and walked quickly, or teenagers speculated in loud voices as to the identity of the culprit. He wanted to beat up whoever it was so he didn’t have to hear those idiots talk about it anymore. It was probably all Izaya’s doing - Shizuo had long before decided that anything bad that happened was most likely Izaya’s fault in some way or another. Izaya….Goddamn, just thinking about him made Shizuo irrationally angry. I’m gonna smash his face in, he decided. It was better than just walking around town in a bad mood with nothing to do. Might as well be constructive.
Shizuo paused in front of an electronics store as he thought about where best to find Izaya at this time of day. As he stood still, lost in thought, he noticed a small crowd of people gathered in front of the store window. The six TVs in the front, labeled for sale and on display, were all tuned into the NHK channel and announcing the latest news. The onlookers were intently watching and murmuring among each other. Maybe something big had happened. Shizuo didn’t really care about world events but then-
“Again, repeating this breaking news: Hanejima Yuuhei was brutally attacked today on the set of his latest film. He was stabbed with a knife, and th-“
Immediately, time froze. All sound died out, the faces of all the people were just blurs. Shizuo’s world had stopped. “Hanejima Yuuhei was brutally attacked”………oh god no, oh god oh god Kasuka Kasuka Kasuka Kasuka Kasuka Kasuka!!!
Mind running on instinct, with the litany of his brother’s name repeating in his head, Shizuo violently spun around and ran. He knocked people out of the way, indiscriminately. A bunch of kids here. Some businessmen there. They went flying into shrubs or knocked over onto he pavement. Shizuo flew by, uncaring.
After standing up and shaking himself off, Mikado realized he had a close brush with hospitalization. He had never seen Shizuo-san so angry….wait, he realized, it wasn’t anger. Mikado had seen a sight no one in Ikebukuro had ever seen before - Shizuo’s face, twisted in abject terror.
………………………
Warnings: slashy Heiwajima brothers in future chapters
I'm on a roll, this is Chapter 2!
Please let me know what you think.
This is unbeta'ed and unedited. I looked for errors but I'm sure there is some typos in here.
I made up the name of Kasuka's producer. And in following with the light novels, I made him the talent agent who tried to scout Shizuo and almost got beaten up but Kasuka stopped him, and so he scouted Kasuka instead.
The translation can be found at: http://anni-fiesta.livejournal.com/6029.html
Note that Niekawa (reporter) had long known about Shizuo and Kasuka being brothers. It didn't seem like he was going to make a big deal about it, and only used it in order to try to get Shizuo to open up to him for interviewing. Would anyone care if he did/someone did expose their connection? Could it be used for blackmail? I'm making the case here that it could be, even though that's not necessarily implied by the show. Kasuka did change his name for a reason, right?
Chap 2.
“What a poor man!” one of the nurses whispered in the hospital hallway. “He was just here for months with broken bones from a brutal beating and now he’s been stabbed!”
“But this time he’ll recover more quickly than before. The stab wound is fairly light and he won’t need more than a week to recover.” said the other.
“Thank goodness! But these Slasher incidents, aren’t they so scary? I’m afraid to go home at night! I wish they would catch the culprit already, just what are the police doing?”
Niekawa Shuuji awoke to the sounds of this conversation, lying in a hospital bed with an oxygen mask on his face. What had happened? Why was he here? A nurse bent into view.
“Niekawa-san, you’re going to be just fine. You’ll need a week of bed rest, and after that some therapy, but the doctor said….”
As the nurse continued speaking, Niekawa knew only he had an urgent mission to complete. Nothing else mattered, not this nurse, not his wound, not his daughter. Only obtaining the strongest, Heiwajima Shizuo, mattered at all.
He got up and threw on his coat, ignoring the nurse’s shout, “Sir, you can’t get up yet! Your would will re-open! You’re not well yet! Sir!” and he strode out of the room.
_____________
“Hanejima-san, you’re wanted on the set!”
Showing no reaction except for a slight shift of his eyes, the heartthrob actor Hanejima Yuuhei calmly returned to the set from his chair off to the side. His makeup artist, putting on the finishing touches, quickly stood aside and let him leave.
As he left, a female caterer hired to provide the staff with lunch for the day approached the makeup artist. “Isn’t Hanejima-san so stoic?” she whispered. “He really gives off the impression of a cool tough guy!”
The makeup artist rolled his eyes. Another Yuuhei fangirl had managed to make it on to the set somehow. “More like a robot!” he replied sarcastically. “He may be handsome, and his face makes a wonderful canvas to work with. But off the set, it becomes a mask. I’ve never once seen a smile cross it. He never raises his voice or laughs either! It’s like he doesn’t have any emotions! If you ask me, it’s kind of creepy.”
“Really?” the soon-to-be-dissmissed caterer asks in surprise. “But he acts so well! He can pull of any kind of scene, at least that’s what the critics say. I only know that I’ve liked him in all of his movies and TV shows. How can he act that well if he doesn’t have any feelings?”
“Beats me,” the makeup artist said, shrugging his shoulders. “I just put makeup on him. I never talk to the guy. I have no idea what goes on in his mind. But at least he’s easy to work with and doesn’t give me shit or is spoiled like some other actors. And he-”
“Quiet on the set!” the producer shouted into his microphone, and like all people trained in show business, the makeup artist immediately fell silent. He made a note, however, to talk to Hanejima’s producer about screening the stage hands more carefully. Even in a position as tangential as catering, if they didn’t screen the employees properly there was a possibility that a rabid fan could get close to the actor in a potentially dangerous way. That had to be avoided at all costs. After all, Hanejima was an important client he didn’t want to lose. Even if he was really a robot.
……………………….
Wearing only a coat over a hospital gown, Niekawa Shuji walked briskly through the streets of Ikebukuro. The pain in his back barely crossed his mind - after all, his mind was full of Mother’s love. It would sustain him. He would fulfill Mother’s wish to obtain the strongest. For that, he must get close to Hanejima Yuuhei. Mother had entrusted him with this important task and he would fulfill it. Nothing else mattered.
Niekawa knew where he was headed. He was a reporter, and so he would approach Hanejima as one. That’s why Mother chose him, after all. His feet unerringly lead him to Hanejima’s talent agency, Junes Acting & Modeling. Of course Hanejima had been picked up by one of the best and most prestigious agencies in all of Japan. After taking the subway, he entered the doors of their main Tokyo branch.
“Can I help you?” asked the lady at the reception desk.
“Hi, I’m a reporter for the magazine Tokyo Incidents. I would like to interview Hanejima Yuuhei”
The secretary raised an eyebrow. Not only did she know the magazine was trashy gossip, but also the disheveled state of the reporter and his uncharacteristic bluntness was quite offputting and she took a severe tone.
“Sir, I’m afraid Hanejima-san rarely takes interviews, and they must be scheduled months in advance. Also, I highly doubt he would grant your request, considering the reputation of Tokyo Incidents.”
“Ah, but this interview is not about him! I’m merely seeking information on his brother!”
“His…brother?” The secretary frowned. She had not known that Hanejima had a brother. “That’s ridiculous, Hanejima-san doesn’t have a brother.”
“Ah, but he does,” Niekawa leaned forward and lowered his voice. “I happen to know that Hanejima’s brother is a violent, lowly thug with anger management problems. And unless you want me to expose their connection in my article, I suggest you put me in touch with Hanejima-san right away.”
The secretary knew this was now above her head. Whether the reporter’s claim was true or not she didn’t know, but this was more than she had the authority to deal with. “Sir, I will put you in touch with Hanejima-san’s producer, but I can’t guarantee any more than that. I will warn you however, that our agency does not tolerate the slandering or defamation of our clients. We will take legal action against you.”
Niekawa smiled, somewhat of a crazed grin. “No worries…I’ll be happy to talk to Hanejima-san’s producer. What’s his number?”
She looked up Tomoyuki Hiroshi’s number. A competent man, though a bit of a brown-noser and certainly greedy. As Kasuka’s main agent and producer, however, he had managed to land an astounding number of prized gigs in for such a young actor. “I will call him from this desk phone and give you the opportunity to speak to him. I am not permitted to give out his cell number.”
Not quite, but she certainly wasn’t going to give the number to this quack. After dialing the number, she handed the phone over to Niekawa.
“Ah, Tomoyuki-san, I presume? So good to get a hold of you. My name is Niekawa Shuuji and I’m a reporter for Tokyo Incidents…..no, don’t hang up yet! The truth is, I want to ask Hanejima-san a few questions about his brother, Heiwajima Shizuo….yes, yes I know who he is….well of course I’d be happy to meet with you right away. Where?”
………………….
“Listen, I don’t really have time for this,” Tomoyuki began. He had had a company car driven to the main office in Tokyo to pick up this suspicious-looking guy and bring him out to the set where Kasuka was currently working. After escorting him into a building, Tomoyuki pulled him aside into a dim corridor and sat on the only bench, forcing Niekawa to remain standing.
“I don’t know how you found out. We’ve been pretty careful covering up the details of Hanejima’s past before he changed his name. That was the one condition he gave me when I scouted him - that his family not be associated with him in any way in case he should become famous. And I know why - that brother of his damn near killed me when I approached them. I was lucky to escape unharmed. The guy is a psychopath and has monster strength. I understand why Yuuhei doesn’t want to be associated with him.”
Niekawa’s eyes gleamed red. Shizuo will be ours! The strongest!
“So, what do you want? Money? Favors? Your magazine is only a trashy rag, so I’m not too concerned that people will take it seriously. But if you happen to tell other reporters and provide them with whatever source you used, they will probably figure it out too and it’ll be a scandal. So, what do you want in exchange for not reporting this?”
“Ahh, don’t be ridiculous! I don’t want money or a bribe…in exchange for not reporting this, I just want to briefly interview Hanejima Yuuhei”
Tomoyuki eyebrows lifted. “You want a full interview with the guy that refuses most all interviews unless I strong-arm him into it? I don’t think so, that’s asking too much. There’s no way he’ll agree. Plus I don’t trust you at all. I don’t even know you. Will you report what he says truthfully or will you twist his words? I only let reporters I trust interview my clients. The answer is no.”
“Well then, the deal is off. I will report about his brother in my magazine and make sure my associates in other, more respected periodicals publish the same. It will be a scandal by tomorrow, I assure you.”
“Wait…..wait! Goddamn it. Alright, I’ll ask Yuuhei, but he’s busy on the set right now and won’t be done for another few hours. You’ll have to wait here.”
Niekawa indicated his assent and inwardly smiled. If Kanra’s information was right, Hanejima would certainly react to any hostile intent towards his brother. He would come to meet Niekawa face-to-face for this interview, and then Niekawa would make sure that Saika loved him. It was all for Mother’s sake.
………………………
No more than ten minutes later, Niekawa heard the sounds of footsteps rapidly approaching. Also, the producer’s whiny voice grew louder and louder. Niekawa was able to make out the words “….don’t be rash, Hanejima-san! This guy is suspicious! He’s a third-rate reporter that I’ve never heard of! You should let me handle this and not get involved!’
Two people suddenly entered the dim corridor and came into Niekawa’s view. They were Hanejima Yuuhei, taking long strides, and his producer Tomoyuki, who was breathless with trying to catch up and chastise him at the same time. “I’m telling you, this is beneath your concern-“
He abruptly cut off his words when he saw Niekawa’s standing form leaned against the wall, silently waiting.
Hanejima Yuuhei continued walking straight up to the disheveled man, entering his personal space until their faces were no more than two feet apart. His face was deadpan, but his voice revealed an underlying sense of urgency as he intoned “I understand that you intend to publish information about my brother and I”.
Niekawa looked into Yuuhei’s intent gaze and smiled a slow, dreadful grin. “Actually,” he said gleefully. “I decided that Heiwajima Shizuo is too dangerous to be trifled with by myself. I won’t write about him, but I will make him mine. Be glad, Hanejima-san,” and saying this, he suddenly thrust a hand into his coat, pulling out a long kitchen knife. Yuuhei’s eyes widened in surprise and he started to back away, but it was too late.
Taking a leap forward, Niekawa stabbed into Yuuhei’s abdomen with a strong thrust, embedding the 10-inch knife almost fully into his body. The sudden movement was over quickly, and then he was just standing there, holding the knife into Yuuhei’s trembling body. As Yuuhei start to gasp, he whispered into his right ear “Mother will love you. And you will love Shizuo. We will all love Shizuo, because he is the strongest.” Saying that, he pulled out the knife and Tomoyuki, who had stood still in shock, began to scream for help. Yuuhei crumpled to the floor, clutching at his wound, trying to stop the bleeding. Still in shock, he glared at the triumphant reporter.
What the hell does he mean? Will something happen to Niisan…?
Niekawa started laughing hysterically, even as guards came rushing into the corridor and pinned him down, even as Yuuhei was surrounded by worried stage extras and his hysterical personal staff and carried into a wailing ambulance. Niekawa laughed and laughed even as he was dragged into a police car and roughly handled, and didn’t stop until he eventually passed out due to the pain from his stab wound.
……………
Shizuo paced the streets of Ikebukuro in a bad mood, as usual. Though Tom had let him off work today because he had no customers (an unusual case, usually somebody owed somebody money in Ikebukuro), Shizuo was surprisingly sensitive and had picked up on the mood of the ‘bukuro. The town was tense; with constant reporting on the Slasher incidents, people were uneasy and walked quickly, or teenagers speculated in loud voices as to the identity of the culprit. He wanted to beat up whoever it was so he didn’t have to hear those idiots talk about it anymore. It was probably all Izaya’s doing - Shizuo had long before decided that anything bad that happened was most likely Izaya’s fault in some way or another. Izaya….Goddamn, just thinking about him made Shizuo irrationally angry. I’m gonna smash his face in, he decided. It was better than just walking around town in a bad mood with nothing to do. Might as well be constructive.
Shizuo paused in front of an electronics store as he thought about where best to find Izaya at this time of day. As he stood still, lost in thought, he noticed a small crowd of people gathered in front of the store window. The six TVs in the front, labeled for sale and on display, were all tuned into the NHK channel and announcing the latest news. The onlookers were intently watching and murmuring among each other. Maybe something big had happened. Shizuo didn’t really care about world events but then-
“Again, repeating this breaking news: Hanejima Yuuhei was brutally attacked today on the set of his latest film. He was stabbed with a knife, and th-“
Immediately, time froze. All sound died out, the faces of all the people were just blurs. Shizuo’s world had stopped. “Hanejima Yuuhei was brutally attacked”………oh god no, oh god oh god Kasuka Kasuka Kasuka Kasuka Kasuka Kasuka!!!
Mind running on instinct, with the litany of his brother’s name repeating in his head, Shizuo violently spun around and ran. He knocked people out of the way, indiscriminately. A bunch of kids here. Some businessmen there. They went flying into shrubs or knocked over onto he pavement. Shizuo flew by, uncaring.
After standing up and shaking himself off, Mikado realized he had a close brush with hospitalization. He had never seen Shizuo-san so angry….wait, he realized, it wasn’t anger. Mikado had seen a sight no one in Ikebukuro had ever seen before - Shizuo’s face, twisted in abject terror.
………………………