[fic] "Shizu-chan's only weakness" Kasuka + Shizuo Chap 3
Setting/Timeline: Episode 15 AU
Warnings: Heiwajima hurt/comfort, WAFFy moments and some swearing.
Chapter 1 here
Chatper 2 here
Well, here's chap 3. They're getting longer and longer as I pound them out. The story is starting to take a direction of its own that I didn't anticipate, and I hope I haven't deviated too much from the original setting. Enjoy, and please leave feedback!
Chap 3
Shizuo ran.
He pounded through the streets of Ikebukuro, the furious racing of his heart matching the soundless scream in his mind.
Kasuka Kasuka Kasuka! Please be okay, I’m coming now, I’m coming, I’ll protect you, please be okay! Kasuka, Kasuka, Kasuka!!
After about ten minutes of aimlessly running, Shizuo abruptly realized he had no idea what hospital Kasuka had been taken to. Skidding to a stop, he desperately pulled out his cell phone and hit his speed dial #2. (Tom-san, his boss, was #1. )
The number hidden under speed-dial #2 - Heiwajima Kasuka’s super-secret personal cell phone number known to only two people in the entire world: 1. His producer, and 2. His brother.
The phone rang, rang, rang….and rang again. With trembling hands Shizuo cupped it to his ear. Taking gasping breaths, he prayed that someone, anyone would pick up. How was he supposed to run to his brother’s side if he didn’t know where he was?!
Finally, someone picked up. “Who is this and why do you have this number? “ A man’s voice (not Kasuka) answered angrily.
“That’s my line!” Shizuo yelled. “Who are you and where is Kasuka?! What hospital is he in? I’m coming right now!”
“You are…wait, you’re Yuuhei’s brother, aren’t you? I’d recognize your hateful voice anywhere. You probably don’t remember, but you almost killed me, you know, and now you’ve almost killed your brother!” the man exclaimed hatefully.
“What the hell are you talking about!” Shizuo snapped. “Look, I don’t give a fuck who you are, but I just heard on the news that Kasuka’s been hurt, so I need to know where he is, right now!”
The man hissed. “I’m Yuuhei’s agent, you idiot. Who else would I be? I took his phone because he’s in the emergency room right now.….give me one good reason why I should tell you which hospital we’re in? You’ll just come barging in here and make this more of a mess than it already is. I’m sure Yuuhei doesn’t want to see you either.” he said harshly. As Shizuo clenched the phone and began to crush it in frustration, a growl building up in this throat, Tomoyuki continued, “…..But, I suppose you’ll find out eventually because I have to inform his parents and they’ll tell you, most likely….” he trailed off morbidly.
Shizuo held his breath and decided not to tell this guy that he and his parents hadn’t talked for years. Let him assume otherwise….
Tomoyuki sighed heavily. “Fine, whatever. We’re at Ookubo Hospital. But Yuuhei is just came out of surgery and nobody can see him till the doctors say so, and even then I won’t let yo-“
Shizuo gritted his teeth and crushed the cell phone to pieces in his hand. If that bastard thought he could prevent him from seeing Kasuka, then he had another thought coming. The sharp electronic chips of cell phone innards cut into Shizuo’s hand unnoticed, then dropped to the ground. His mind was racing. Um…Ookubo Hospital…that was…this way! He resumed running once more. If he had been in a calmer state of mind, he would have realized the subway was faster. But instead, he ran the whole way like a madman, knocking people around as he passed and generating some annoyance. But no one dared stop him, not with that fierce expression on his face.
…………..
Izaya whooped as he watched the local news. Saika had succeeded! Kasuka’s attack was headline news on every channel. As a recently popular star, he was given extra attention and the paparazzi swarmed to the story like moths to a lightbulb. So far it had been reported that a suspicious reporter stabbed Kasuka while on the set. Just how a suspicious man carrying a knife had been able to approach Kasuka was as yet unknown. They also remarked that Kasuka was, miraculously, in stable condition after his operation.
Of course he is, thought Izaya. Saika doesn’t want to kill her victims, she wants to love them.
He ran through several scenarios in his mind. If Kasuka-kun succeeded in stabbing Shizuo, it wouldn’t kill him. But it would put Shizuo under Saika’s mind control, and if Izaya could control Niekawa Haruna, he’d control Shizuo absolutely. No blackmail or manipulation could trump the cursed blade’s mind control. He couldn’t ask for a better way to deal with Shizuo. This was looking better and better.
And even if Saika failed to “obtain” Shizuo, it was no great loss. Yes, it didn’t matter, because even if she failed, there would still be an inevitable confrontation between Saika’s children and Shizuo. It could only be a win/win situation for him, Orihara Izaya, the mastermind behind it all…Beautiful. My pieces are moving beautifully!
And one more thing…..even if this plan accomplished nothing else, it had already been worthwhile for Izaya. Because he knew that right now….out there somewhere, Shizu-chan was in anguish.
Izaya had managed to once more strike the weak spot both he and Shizuo had thought forever beyond his reach -Hanejima Yuuhei. Now a famous actor, he was shielded from the public by a wall of paparazzi and security. Even Izaya, the master of the underground, the controller of information, knew when something was beyond his reach.
Yet, through his manipulation of Saika, he was once more able to torment Shizu-chan with his precious little brother. Oh, I wish I could see his face, Izaya thought as he imagined Shizuo wracked with guilt and anguish over hearing that his brother had been attacked. Shizu-chan is having a very bad day today indeed. And it’s about to get worse!
He laughed out-loud manically and rearranged the chess pieces on his shogi board once more. Off in the corner shelving books, Namie looked over at him and sighed. Again? It’s getting creepy, you know.
……………………
Shizuo pushed past the mobs of paparazzi that were gathered around the hospital gate. Various photographers, news reporters, even a few television cameras lay in wait in case Hanejima Yuuhei’s agent came out to deliver a statement on his condition. Unheeding, Shizuo ran right by them and they of course took no notice of him. He was just another patient who needed the services of the emergency room, no doubt.
That unspoken assumption quickly changed as he burst through the doors of Ookubo hospital, nearly tearing them off their electric tracks. He skidded to a halt in front of the reception desk, skipping ahead in the line of injured people patiently waiting. As they began to complain and grumble, he breathlessly demanded, “Where’s Hanejima Yuuhei!? What’s his room number?! Tell me now!”
The receptionist looked frightened. “I..I’m sorry sir, Hanejima-sama is in the private ward and is strictly off-limits to visitors-“
Before she could quite finish, Shizuo grabbed the high countertop that separated him and the receptionist, and gave a grunt of effort as he strained to lift it. Slowly, impossibly, the faux-wood countertop ripped right off of its base, its screws still dangling. Papers and pens slid off onto the floor. The people waiting in line gasped and a woman started to scream. Shizuo held the entire 7 ft-long countertop above his head and stared straight down at the receptionist. “I’m gonna ask you one more time” he growled. “Tell me where Hanejima Yuuhei is, or I’ll wreck this whole goddamn building. You got it?!!”
“Okay! Okay, I’ll tell you! Just, just put it down, please!” the poor girl wailed in fear. Shizuo glared at her and remained holding up the slab of wood as a looming threat. With trembling hands the girl searched on the computer for Kasuka’s room number.
“He’s…he’s in room 402B! Okay?!”
Shizuo grunted. Then, ever so casually, he swung around the wooden slab and knocked out the hospital guard that had been carefully approaching Shizuo from behind. The board caught the man right in the head with such force that he passed out immediately and slumped to the ground. The receptionist shrieked and fainted, and as the reception room descended into utter chaos with various shrieks and calls for “Guards, guards!” Shizuo threw the wooden board in the direction of his pursuers and ran to the nearest elevator.
Finally at the end of the hall, he found an elevator whose doors were closing and no more than a foot apart. The orderly inside, catching Shizuo’s fearsome expression, timidly called out, “Sorry sir, you’ll have to wait for the next one-“
His mouth stopped mid word as Shizuo pried open the elevator door with sheer force, one hand on each side. The doors, their hydraulics screaming, were unable to cope and slammed open. Shizuo stepped inside, grabbed the orderly by the coat and unceremoniously tossed him out onto the hallway floor. Ignoring the man’s protests, he began to mutter “4th floor, 4th floor, 4th floor…” and jabbed at the “4” button continuously, his irritation growing by the second. Finally, the elevator realized that it had better start moving if it was to fulfill its operational lifespan, and the doors wrenched to a close. As it rose through the floors, Shizuo’s litany changed to I’m coming, I’m coming, Kasuka, wait for me, I’m coming, I’ll be there soon, Kasuka, Kasuka…
Finally the elevator ground to a halt and its doors opened. Shizuo ran down the hallway, not even checking room numbers. He knew what he was looking for and found it - a bunch of guards stationed outside a certain room. Running up to them he grabbed the first one by the collar and shouted, “Is this Hanjima Yuuhei’s room?!” The guards immediately reacted, drawing out their crowbars. “Sir, no unauthorized person is allowed to enter this room” one of them said, and as a cautionary measure they prepared to surround Shizuo and bring him down if necessary. Just then, the door to the hospital room burst open. “What’s going on out here?” demanded an irate top producer. “Hanejima-san is trying to rest, how dare you make such a commotion-“
Tomoyuki blanched at the sight of the three stalwart security guards being slammed into the opposite wall of the corridor, one by one, with lighting-fast arm movements by the tall blond assailant. It was over as quickly as it begun. Straightening up slowly, Shizuo turned to face Tomoyuki. His teeth were clenched and his glare could freeze nitrogen. “I’ll ask one…more..time.” he said slowly. “Is Hanejima Yuuhei in there?”
Tomoyuki temporarily lost the ability to form coherent speech; luckily for him, a voice answered inside. “Niisan….I’m here,”
A weak voice, a soft voice lacking the authoritative quiet calm it usually had, but that voice definitely belonged to none other than Heiwajima Kasuka, more well-known as Hanejima Yuuhei.
Shizuo’s eyes widened as his heart gave a sudden leap against his ribcage. He pushed aside Tomoyuki and entered the room, stopping in his tracks at the sight inside.
In the large, private hospital room, three of the agency’s staff members were in various states of self-absorption as they made phone calls and checked schedules on their smart phones. A nurse was checking the whirring and beeping masses of electronic equipment surrounding the bed. But Shizuo only had eyes for the figure lying there - pale, still and surprisingly slight, Kasuka lay on the large bed, dwarfed by its size. Hooked up to various IVs but breathing freely, he fixed his gaze on Shizuo.
“Tomoyuki-san”, Kasuka said in a weak voice, his eyes not leaving his brother, “Please clear everyone out of the room. Except for him” and he nodded towards his brother.
“But….Yuuhei! This guy just knocked out the guards outside! And there are more coming down the hall, looking for him! He’s on a rampage! We need to let them arrest him-“
“Tomoyuki-san” Kasuka said, adding firmness to his voice as best he could. “Take everyone, go outside and handle the situation. That’s what I pay you for. You’re good at smooth-talking, go out there and make up something that will make them leave.”
"But, Yuuhei-"
“Leave, now” Kasuka said once again. Reading the anger in Shizuo’s panting body and the panic in his face, Kasuka knew there was little time before Shizuo exploded again. Everyone needed to get out.
“Fine!” the agent said, somewhat hysterically. “Everybody out! We’re going to pretend this criminal isn’t in the room! He doesn’t exist, nobody saw him right? He came, knocked down those guards, then ran somewhere else! God, I wish it were true!” As he ushered the staff and the nurse out, he approached Shizuo and glared at him evilly. “This is all your fault” he said in a low voice as he passed. Shizuo ignored him, fixated only on Kasuka.
Kasuka watched as the last person filed out of the room, then turned his gaze back to Shizuo. “Niisan” he called weakly in a softer voice, lifting a hand in Shizuo’s direction. That was the cue to start Shizuo’s time moving again, and he ran to Kasuka’s bedside.
Bending closely over him, Shizuo desperately clasped the outstretched hand with his own and moved the other to his face.
“Kasuka, Kasuka, baby, are you alright? What did the doctors say? What happened? Who did this to you??”
Shizuo let out a barrage of questions with a cracking voice as he frantically ran his hand through Kasuka’s hair, caressed his face with his fingertips and then tried to ascertain exactly where the wound was by lightly touching his stomach.
“Niisan,” Kasuka said weakly, lifting the other hand to Shizuo’s face. “Shhhh” he whispered, trying to alleviate Shizuo’s obvious panic and fear. “Niisan, I’m alright, I’m okay” Brushing his weak fingers over Shizuo’s cheek, he managed to grasp the frame of Shizuo’s sunglasses, which had remarkably survived the various altercations he had had on the way here. With an unsteady hand, he gently pulled the sunglasses off the bridge of Shizuo’s nose and laid them on the bed beside him. “Niisan, look at me….I’m okay” he whispered again as he gazed straight into Shizuo’s unguarded eyes. After a few beats, he finally saw the panic subsiding in them. Shizuo let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding.
Kasuka sighed as well. “It’s over here”, he said. He laid his free hand on top of Shizuo’s wandering one and lightly moved it towards the stab wound. “Right here,” he said. “It’s deep but the doctors said it miraculously missed any vital organ, so I’ll be fine.”
Shizo closed his eyes in relief and released a huge shuddering sigh that seemed to come from every inch of his being. “I see, I see. Thank god.” he said in a clipped sort of way and sat down heavily in the bedside chair, still squeezing Kasuka’s hand tightly.
Kasuka turned to look at him and took in his disheveled appearance. “Niisan…did you run all the way here?” And, remembering the strange statement that the reporter made as he stabbed him, Kasuka felt a studden pang of concern. “Is everything alright with you, Niisan?”
“Hey,” Shizuo said weakly, raising his head a bit. “Are you asking me if I’m alright? You’re the one in the hospital bed….I heard you were hurt on the TV…..god Kasuka, it’s a horrible way to find out about it.…they said it was bad….I thought you were gonna die, Kasuka…..so I got here as fast as I could.” He paused, clearly upset. “You’re famous, right? You should have better protection! Bodyguards or something! I thought you were safe with these people. I thought I didn’t have to worry about you anymore…Kasuka…” Shizuo rambled on, getting more irritated as he continued.
“Niisan” Kasuka said, trying to break the litany with a loud voice, “Niisan…calm down. I’m sorry, I’m sorry that this happened, it was my fault, normally I’m surrounded by security, but I stupidly met with a suspicious man and he pulled a knife on me…it’s my fault, Niisan. I’m sorry,” Kasuka profusely apologized, showing more emotion to Shizuo in five minutes than he had to all of his business acquaintances in an entire year.
“Your fault…..” Shizuo remembered something. “No, wait..that guy, your agent, he told me twice that it was my fault. He said you getting hurt was my fault! What does that mean, Kasuka?”
Kasuka winced and opened his mouth, but before he could say anything a voice interrupted him- “I meant exactly what I said!” Tomoyuki strode through the door, glaring at Shizuo before he addressed Kasuka. “Yuuhei, I managed to settle things out there, but in exchange for keeping quiet about your….little secret … they want some compensation for the damaged reception desk and the injured security guards.”
Kasuka rose an eyebrow. Just what had Niisan done down there? But it didn’t matter. “Fine,” he said. “Take it out of my personal account.” Tomoyuki ground his teeth together. “Are you sure about that? How long are you going to keep covering for this…this criminal?l! This violent thug?! And yes,” he said, turning to Shizuo, “This is all your fault! I wasn’t lying about that! The only way reporter was able to get close to Yuuhei is because he came asking about you, and for some reason if anybody starts talking about you Yuuhei suddenly loses all common sense and comes running!”
Kasuka’s face darkened. “That’s quite enough, Tomoyuki-san!” he said in a tone that almost could be called “angry” if Tomoyuki didn’t know better. But the damage had been done. Shizuo looked shocked. “Kasuka…” he said, turning to look at his brother. But Tomoyuki wasn’t finished.
“No, it’s not enough!” he exclaimed angrily. “This isn’t part of my job description, Yuuhei! There wasn’t a clause in the contract that said I not only have to manage you, but also deal with your insane brother! It was manageable when I didn’t have to see him or hear about him, but this is getting out of control! Because of him you got seriously hurt, and now I have to kow-tow to the director and apologize to the studios to somehow make up for weeks of canceled contracts and lost work. But as if that wasn’t enough, he comes barging in here like…like a barbarian, trashes up a hospital, and beats up security guards left and right! This man….I don’t know how you can think of him as a brother, he’s only a dangerous criminal….and with that strength, he’s not even human….he’s more like” Tomoyuki struggled to find the correct word, “a monster…”
Shizuo sharply inhaled a breath and froze in his seat. But shockingly, Kasuka reacted far more violently. His fists clenched the blanket, balling it up. He struggled to sit up, and with some effort, managed to do so. “You’ve said it…something that can’t be taken back” in a low, dangerous voice. Eyes sparking in anger, he said to Tomoyuki coldly and clearly : “You’re fired. Get out of this room. I want nothing to do with you ever again.”
Tomoyuki was taken aback. “Y-Yuuhei, wait….did I really make you angry? I-I’m sorry, I won’t talk about him again, you’re my top actor and I don’t want to upset you-“
“Too late” said Kasuka in the same tone of voice. “You already have. Now leave”
“But-but…” Shizuo, having recovered from his shock, slowly rose from his seat. Strangely, as Kasuka became uncharacteristically angry, he correspondingly calmed down. He turned to look at Tomoyuki. “Kasuka asked you to leave,” he said calmly . Tomoyuki looked at him in fear. “F-fine, I’ll go….Yuuhei, I’ll call you later okay? When you’ve calmed down a bit…you still have a lot of work to do on the movie, so get better quick!” Trying to cover his fear and uneasieness with a false cheer, Tomoyuki left the room quickly.
Shizuo sat back down. Kasuka had already laid back down on the bed, breathing heavily with the effort it took to sit up. His eyes were closed but the anger was still there, close under the surface.
“Kasuka…” Shizuo began, breaking the heavy silence.
“Niisan,” Kasuka interrupted in a firm voice. “ You’re not a monster. You know that, right?”
Shizuo clenched his fists and looked down. “Yeah,” he said softly, unconvincingly. Kasuka winced mentally. That wasn’t good, but it would do for now.
“Kasuka…” Shizuo attempted another sentence, but once again Kasuka cut him off. “None of this was your fault. None of it. I can’t tolerate a producer who insults my family in any way. Tomoyuki-san was letting his personal feelings about you interfere with his work, and I would have fired him anyways sooner or later.” he said stiffly.
“But, Kasuka….” Shizuo tried again. “No, it won’t affect my work” Kasuka replied, once more not letting him speak. “I am the agency’s top star. They’ll find me another agent to work with right away. And who knows” he said ruefully, “Maybe when this blows over, I will feel generous enough to hire Tomoyuki back again. Either way, my career isn’t in any danger, so don’t worry.”
Shizuo shifted uneasily in his chair. “But…”
“Niisan-“ “Let me talk, will you?” Shizuo said with a bit of heat in his voice. Kasuka didn’t speak. Shizuo said, “He was right about the guy who hurt you…he came asking about me, right? And you, you didn’t follow proper safety stuff because you were…worried about me, right? So, it really is my fault…”
Kasuka desperately tried to cut off that line of thinking. “No, no Niisan, you’re wrong, it’s not your fault! The person who stabbed me isn’t you, it’s a man named Niekawa Shuuji and he’s in prison now, so just forget about it.”
Shizuo narrowed his eyes. “Just forget about it?” he asked incredulously. “Just forget about it?! Even if you tell me it’s not my fault, there’s no way I could just forget about some schmuck fucking stabbing my brother!” His eyebrows furrowed, his hands clenched, his eyes saw red. “I’m gonna kill the bastard, I’m gonna kill him! Kill him Kill him Kill him Kill him Kill him Kill him Kill him Kill him Kill him Kill him…” He repeated, his rage growing, getting louder with each repetition, his body literally shaking with anger. Kasuka recognized all the warning signs - he knew them by heart. His brother was about to go berserk.
Disregarding his own feelings, Kasuka knew what he had to do. What he always did. He had to become the moon to Shizuo’s sun, to absorb his anger with stillness. Calming his own anger, Kasuka was composed once more. “Niisan”, he said softly, adding a pleading note and slightly raising the pitch of his voice.
That got Shizuo’s attention; it was the voice of his cute little ten-year-old or so brother, tugging on his sleeve, begging him not to fight. Pleading for the last cup of pudding. Asking him if they could play video games together.
Shizuo immediately focused on Kasuka. “What is it, baby?” he asked with rough affection in his voice. “Niisan, the man is already in prison. There’s nothing more you can do. And I don’t want you to go anywhere- I need you right here, beside me. Can you stay here with me?” Kasuka pleaded quietly, trying to absorb and deflect the target of Shizuo’s anger.
It seemed to work - the tension drained out of his body. “Alright, I’ll stay here. I’ll take care of you,” Shizuo said softly. He loosened his grip on the hand that clutched Kasuka’s, and lifted the other to Kasuka’s face and tenderly stroked it with his fingertips.
Kasuka sighed slightly with relief. Crisis averted. He only felt a twinge of guilt at purposely manipulating Niisan’s emotions to divert his incredible anger. Though he was an actor, he wasn’t exactly acting just now - he really did want Shizuo to stay here with him. After the traumatic events of this hectic day, he was drawing great comfort from Shizuo’s presence. When his brother was near, Kasuka felt safe and loved. That felt especially good today, considering what had just happened. Despite the aching wound in his stomach, he began to relax. Enjoying Shizuo’s gentle caresses and loving murmurs (perhaps more than he should), Kasuka let himself go. Mmm…so nice. Niisan…love you so much…Niisan…love you…love you….love Heiwajima Shizuo…love Heiwajima Shizuo Heiwajima Shizuo Heiwajima Shizuo Heiwajima Shizuo Heiwajima Shizuo Heiwajima Shizuo Heiwajima Shizuo Heiwajima Shizuo Heiwajima Shizuo
Shizuo was too busy looking down at Kasuka’s hand as he stroked its palm to notice that Kasuka’s tired eyes flashed red.
Warnings: Heiwajima hurt/comfort, WAFFy moments and some swearing.
Chapter 1 here
Chatper 2 here
Well, here's chap 3. They're getting longer and longer as I pound them out. The story is starting to take a direction of its own that I didn't anticipate, and I hope I haven't deviated too much from the original setting. Enjoy, and please leave feedback!
Chap 3
Shizuo ran.
He pounded through the streets of Ikebukuro, the furious racing of his heart matching the soundless scream in his mind.
Kasuka Kasuka Kasuka! Please be okay, I’m coming now, I’m coming, I’ll protect you, please be okay! Kasuka, Kasuka, Kasuka!!
After about ten minutes of aimlessly running, Shizuo abruptly realized he had no idea what hospital Kasuka had been taken to. Skidding to a stop, he desperately pulled out his cell phone and hit his speed dial #2. (Tom-san, his boss, was #1. )
The number hidden under speed-dial #2 - Heiwajima Kasuka’s super-secret personal cell phone number known to only two people in the entire world: 1. His producer, and 2. His brother.
The phone rang, rang, rang….and rang again. With trembling hands Shizuo cupped it to his ear. Taking gasping breaths, he prayed that someone, anyone would pick up. How was he supposed to run to his brother’s side if he didn’t know where he was?!
Finally, someone picked up. “Who is this and why do you have this number? “ A man’s voice (not Kasuka) answered angrily.
“That’s my line!” Shizuo yelled. “Who are you and where is Kasuka?! What hospital is he in? I’m coming right now!”
“You are…wait, you’re Yuuhei’s brother, aren’t you? I’d recognize your hateful voice anywhere. You probably don’t remember, but you almost killed me, you know, and now you’ve almost killed your brother!” the man exclaimed hatefully.
“What the hell are you talking about!” Shizuo snapped. “Look, I don’t give a fuck who you are, but I just heard on the news that Kasuka’s been hurt, so I need to know where he is, right now!”
The man hissed. “I’m Yuuhei’s agent, you idiot. Who else would I be? I took his phone because he’s in the emergency room right now.….give me one good reason why I should tell you which hospital we’re in? You’ll just come barging in here and make this more of a mess than it already is. I’m sure Yuuhei doesn’t want to see you either.” he said harshly. As Shizuo clenched the phone and began to crush it in frustration, a growl building up in this throat, Tomoyuki continued, “…..But, I suppose you’ll find out eventually because I have to inform his parents and they’ll tell you, most likely….” he trailed off morbidly.
Shizuo held his breath and decided not to tell this guy that he and his parents hadn’t talked for years. Let him assume otherwise….
Tomoyuki sighed heavily. “Fine, whatever. We’re at Ookubo Hospital. But Yuuhei is just came out of surgery and nobody can see him till the doctors say so, and even then I won’t let yo-“
Shizuo gritted his teeth and crushed the cell phone to pieces in his hand. If that bastard thought he could prevent him from seeing Kasuka, then he had another thought coming. The sharp electronic chips of cell phone innards cut into Shizuo’s hand unnoticed, then dropped to the ground. His mind was racing. Um…Ookubo Hospital…that was…this way! He resumed running once more. If he had been in a calmer state of mind, he would have realized the subway was faster. But instead, he ran the whole way like a madman, knocking people around as he passed and generating some annoyance. But no one dared stop him, not with that fierce expression on his face.
…………..
Izaya whooped as he watched the local news. Saika had succeeded! Kasuka’s attack was headline news on every channel. As a recently popular star, he was given extra attention and the paparazzi swarmed to the story like moths to a lightbulb. So far it had been reported that a suspicious reporter stabbed Kasuka while on the set. Just how a suspicious man carrying a knife had been able to approach Kasuka was as yet unknown. They also remarked that Kasuka was, miraculously, in stable condition after his operation.
Of course he is, thought Izaya. Saika doesn’t want to kill her victims, she wants to love them.
He ran through several scenarios in his mind. If Kasuka-kun succeeded in stabbing Shizuo, it wouldn’t kill him. But it would put Shizuo under Saika’s mind control, and if Izaya could control Niekawa Haruna, he’d control Shizuo absolutely. No blackmail or manipulation could trump the cursed blade’s mind control. He couldn’t ask for a better way to deal with Shizuo. This was looking better and better.
And even if Saika failed to “obtain” Shizuo, it was no great loss. Yes, it didn’t matter, because even if she failed, there would still be an inevitable confrontation between Saika’s children and Shizuo. It could only be a win/win situation for him, Orihara Izaya, the mastermind behind it all…Beautiful. My pieces are moving beautifully!
And one more thing…..even if this plan accomplished nothing else, it had already been worthwhile for Izaya. Because he knew that right now….out there somewhere, Shizu-chan was in anguish.
Izaya had managed to once more strike the weak spot both he and Shizuo had thought forever beyond his reach -Hanejima Yuuhei. Now a famous actor, he was shielded from the public by a wall of paparazzi and security. Even Izaya, the master of the underground, the controller of information, knew when something was beyond his reach.
Yet, through his manipulation of Saika, he was once more able to torment Shizu-chan with his precious little brother. Oh, I wish I could see his face, Izaya thought as he imagined Shizuo wracked with guilt and anguish over hearing that his brother had been attacked. Shizu-chan is having a very bad day today indeed. And it’s about to get worse!
He laughed out-loud manically and rearranged the chess pieces on his shogi board once more. Off in the corner shelving books, Namie looked over at him and sighed. Again? It’s getting creepy, you know.
……………………
Shizuo pushed past the mobs of paparazzi that were gathered around the hospital gate. Various photographers, news reporters, even a few television cameras lay in wait in case Hanejima Yuuhei’s agent came out to deliver a statement on his condition. Unheeding, Shizuo ran right by them and they of course took no notice of him. He was just another patient who needed the services of the emergency room, no doubt.
That unspoken assumption quickly changed as he burst through the doors of Ookubo hospital, nearly tearing them off their electric tracks. He skidded to a halt in front of the reception desk, skipping ahead in the line of injured people patiently waiting. As they began to complain and grumble, he breathlessly demanded, “Where’s Hanejima Yuuhei!? What’s his room number?! Tell me now!”
The receptionist looked frightened. “I..I’m sorry sir, Hanejima-sama is in the private ward and is strictly off-limits to visitors-“
Before she could quite finish, Shizuo grabbed the high countertop that separated him and the receptionist, and gave a grunt of effort as he strained to lift it. Slowly, impossibly, the faux-wood countertop ripped right off of its base, its screws still dangling. Papers and pens slid off onto the floor. The people waiting in line gasped and a woman started to scream. Shizuo held the entire 7 ft-long countertop above his head and stared straight down at the receptionist. “I’m gonna ask you one more time” he growled. “Tell me where Hanejima Yuuhei is, or I’ll wreck this whole goddamn building. You got it?!!”
“Okay! Okay, I’ll tell you! Just, just put it down, please!” the poor girl wailed in fear. Shizuo glared at her and remained holding up the slab of wood as a looming threat. With trembling hands the girl searched on the computer for Kasuka’s room number.
“He’s…he’s in room 402B! Okay?!”
Shizuo grunted. Then, ever so casually, he swung around the wooden slab and knocked out the hospital guard that had been carefully approaching Shizuo from behind. The board caught the man right in the head with such force that he passed out immediately and slumped to the ground. The receptionist shrieked and fainted, and as the reception room descended into utter chaos with various shrieks and calls for “Guards, guards!” Shizuo threw the wooden board in the direction of his pursuers and ran to the nearest elevator.
Finally at the end of the hall, he found an elevator whose doors were closing and no more than a foot apart. The orderly inside, catching Shizuo’s fearsome expression, timidly called out, “Sorry sir, you’ll have to wait for the next one-“
His mouth stopped mid word as Shizuo pried open the elevator door with sheer force, one hand on each side. The doors, their hydraulics screaming, were unable to cope and slammed open. Shizuo stepped inside, grabbed the orderly by the coat and unceremoniously tossed him out onto the hallway floor. Ignoring the man’s protests, he began to mutter “4th floor, 4th floor, 4th floor…” and jabbed at the “4” button continuously, his irritation growing by the second. Finally, the elevator realized that it had better start moving if it was to fulfill its operational lifespan, and the doors wrenched to a close. As it rose through the floors, Shizuo’s litany changed to I’m coming, I’m coming, Kasuka, wait for me, I’m coming, I’ll be there soon, Kasuka, Kasuka…
Finally the elevator ground to a halt and its doors opened. Shizuo ran down the hallway, not even checking room numbers. He knew what he was looking for and found it - a bunch of guards stationed outside a certain room. Running up to them he grabbed the first one by the collar and shouted, “Is this Hanjima Yuuhei’s room?!” The guards immediately reacted, drawing out their crowbars. “Sir, no unauthorized person is allowed to enter this room” one of them said, and as a cautionary measure they prepared to surround Shizuo and bring him down if necessary. Just then, the door to the hospital room burst open. “What’s going on out here?” demanded an irate top producer. “Hanejima-san is trying to rest, how dare you make such a commotion-“
Tomoyuki blanched at the sight of the three stalwart security guards being slammed into the opposite wall of the corridor, one by one, with lighting-fast arm movements by the tall blond assailant. It was over as quickly as it begun. Straightening up slowly, Shizuo turned to face Tomoyuki. His teeth were clenched and his glare could freeze nitrogen. “I’ll ask one…more..time.” he said slowly. “Is Hanejima Yuuhei in there?”
Tomoyuki temporarily lost the ability to form coherent speech; luckily for him, a voice answered inside. “Niisan….I’m here,”
A weak voice, a soft voice lacking the authoritative quiet calm it usually had, but that voice definitely belonged to none other than Heiwajima Kasuka, more well-known as Hanejima Yuuhei.
Shizuo’s eyes widened as his heart gave a sudden leap against his ribcage. He pushed aside Tomoyuki and entered the room, stopping in his tracks at the sight inside.
In the large, private hospital room, three of the agency’s staff members were in various states of self-absorption as they made phone calls and checked schedules on their smart phones. A nurse was checking the whirring and beeping masses of electronic equipment surrounding the bed. But Shizuo only had eyes for the figure lying there - pale, still and surprisingly slight, Kasuka lay on the large bed, dwarfed by its size. Hooked up to various IVs but breathing freely, he fixed his gaze on Shizuo.
“Tomoyuki-san”, Kasuka said in a weak voice, his eyes not leaving his brother, “Please clear everyone out of the room. Except for him” and he nodded towards his brother.
“But….Yuuhei! This guy just knocked out the guards outside! And there are more coming down the hall, looking for him! He’s on a rampage! We need to let them arrest him-“
“Tomoyuki-san” Kasuka said, adding firmness to his voice as best he could. “Take everyone, go outside and handle the situation. That’s what I pay you for. You’re good at smooth-talking, go out there and make up something that will make them leave.”
"But, Yuuhei-"
“Leave, now” Kasuka said once again. Reading the anger in Shizuo’s panting body and the panic in his face, Kasuka knew there was little time before Shizuo exploded again. Everyone needed to get out.
“Fine!” the agent said, somewhat hysterically. “Everybody out! We’re going to pretend this criminal isn’t in the room! He doesn’t exist, nobody saw him right? He came, knocked down those guards, then ran somewhere else! God, I wish it were true!” As he ushered the staff and the nurse out, he approached Shizuo and glared at him evilly. “This is all your fault” he said in a low voice as he passed. Shizuo ignored him, fixated only on Kasuka.
Kasuka watched as the last person filed out of the room, then turned his gaze back to Shizuo. “Niisan” he called weakly in a softer voice, lifting a hand in Shizuo’s direction. That was the cue to start Shizuo’s time moving again, and he ran to Kasuka’s bedside.
Bending closely over him, Shizuo desperately clasped the outstretched hand with his own and moved the other to his face.
“Kasuka, Kasuka, baby, are you alright? What did the doctors say? What happened? Who did this to you??”
Shizuo let out a barrage of questions with a cracking voice as he frantically ran his hand through Kasuka’s hair, caressed his face with his fingertips and then tried to ascertain exactly where the wound was by lightly touching his stomach.
“Niisan,” Kasuka said weakly, lifting the other hand to Shizuo’s face. “Shhhh” he whispered, trying to alleviate Shizuo’s obvious panic and fear. “Niisan, I’m alright, I’m okay” Brushing his weak fingers over Shizuo’s cheek, he managed to grasp the frame of Shizuo’s sunglasses, which had remarkably survived the various altercations he had had on the way here. With an unsteady hand, he gently pulled the sunglasses off the bridge of Shizuo’s nose and laid them on the bed beside him. “Niisan, look at me….I’m okay” he whispered again as he gazed straight into Shizuo’s unguarded eyes. After a few beats, he finally saw the panic subsiding in them. Shizuo let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding.
Kasuka sighed as well. “It’s over here”, he said. He laid his free hand on top of Shizuo’s wandering one and lightly moved it towards the stab wound. “Right here,” he said. “It’s deep but the doctors said it miraculously missed any vital organ, so I’ll be fine.”
Shizo closed his eyes in relief and released a huge shuddering sigh that seemed to come from every inch of his being. “I see, I see. Thank god.” he said in a clipped sort of way and sat down heavily in the bedside chair, still squeezing Kasuka’s hand tightly.
Kasuka turned to look at him and took in his disheveled appearance. “Niisan…did you run all the way here?” And, remembering the strange statement that the reporter made as he stabbed him, Kasuka felt a studden pang of concern. “Is everything alright with you, Niisan?”
“Hey,” Shizuo said weakly, raising his head a bit. “Are you asking me if I’m alright? You’re the one in the hospital bed….I heard you were hurt on the TV…..god Kasuka, it’s a horrible way to find out about it.…they said it was bad….I thought you were gonna die, Kasuka…..so I got here as fast as I could.” He paused, clearly upset. “You’re famous, right? You should have better protection! Bodyguards or something! I thought you were safe with these people. I thought I didn’t have to worry about you anymore…Kasuka…” Shizuo rambled on, getting more irritated as he continued.
“Niisan” Kasuka said, trying to break the litany with a loud voice, “Niisan…calm down. I’m sorry, I’m sorry that this happened, it was my fault, normally I’m surrounded by security, but I stupidly met with a suspicious man and he pulled a knife on me…it’s my fault, Niisan. I’m sorry,” Kasuka profusely apologized, showing more emotion to Shizuo in five minutes than he had to all of his business acquaintances in an entire year.
“Your fault…..” Shizuo remembered something. “No, wait..that guy, your agent, he told me twice that it was my fault. He said you getting hurt was my fault! What does that mean, Kasuka?”
Kasuka winced and opened his mouth, but before he could say anything a voice interrupted him- “I meant exactly what I said!” Tomoyuki strode through the door, glaring at Shizuo before he addressed Kasuka. “Yuuhei, I managed to settle things out there, but in exchange for keeping quiet about your….little secret … they want some compensation for the damaged reception desk and the injured security guards.”
Kasuka rose an eyebrow. Just what had Niisan done down there? But it didn’t matter. “Fine,” he said. “Take it out of my personal account.” Tomoyuki ground his teeth together. “Are you sure about that? How long are you going to keep covering for this…this criminal?l! This violent thug?! And yes,” he said, turning to Shizuo, “This is all your fault! I wasn’t lying about that! The only way reporter was able to get close to Yuuhei is because he came asking about you, and for some reason if anybody starts talking about you Yuuhei suddenly loses all common sense and comes running!”
Kasuka’s face darkened. “That’s quite enough, Tomoyuki-san!” he said in a tone that almost could be called “angry” if Tomoyuki didn’t know better. But the damage had been done. Shizuo looked shocked. “Kasuka…” he said, turning to look at his brother. But Tomoyuki wasn’t finished.
“No, it’s not enough!” he exclaimed angrily. “This isn’t part of my job description, Yuuhei! There wasn’t a clause in the contract that said I not only have to manage you, but also deal with your insane brother! It was manageable when I didn’t have to see him or hear about him, but this is getting out of control! Because of him you got seriously hurt, and now I have to kow-tow to the director and apologize to the studios to somehow make up for weeks of canceled contracts and lost work. But as if that wasn’t enough, he comes barging in here like…like a barbarian, trashes up a hospital, and beats up security guards left and right! This man….I don’t know how you can think of him as a brother, he’s only a dangerous criminal….and with that strength, he’s not even human….he’s more like” Tomoyuki struggled to find the correct word, “a monster…”
Shizuo sharply inhaled a breath and froze in his seat. But shockingly, Kasuka reacted far more violently. His fists clenched the blanket, balling it up. He struggled to sit up, and with some effort, managed to do so. “You’ve said it…something that can’t be taken back” in a low, dangerous voice. Eyes sparking in anger, he said to Tomoyuki coldly and clearly : “You’re fired. Get out of this room. I want nothing to do with you ever again.”
Tomoyuki was taken aback. “Y-Yuuhei, wait….did I really make you angry? I-I’m sorry, I won’t talk about him again, you’re my top actor and I don’t want to upset you-“
“Too late” said Kasuka in the same tone of voice. “You already have. Now leave”
“But-but…” Shizuo, having recovered from his shock, slowly rose from his seat. Strangely, as Kasuka became uncharacteristically angry, he correspondingly calmed down. He turned to look at Tomoyuki. “Kasuka asked you to leave,” he said calmly . Tomoyuki looked at him in fear. “F-fine, I’ll go….Yuuhei, I’ll call you later okay? When you’ve calmed down a bit…you still have a lot of work to do on the movie, so get better quick!” Trying to cover his fear and uneasieness with a false cheer, Tomoyuki left the room quickly.
Shizuo sat back down. Kasuka had already laid back down on the bed, breathing heavily with the effort it took to sit up. His eyes were closed but the anger was still there, close under the surface.
“Kasuka…” Shizuo began, breaking the heavy silence.
“Niisan,” Kasuka interrupted in a firm voice. “ You’re not a monster. You know that, right?”
Shizuo clenched his fists and looked down. “Yeah,” he said softly, unconvincingly. Kasuka winced mentally. That wasn’t good, but it would do for now.
“Kasuka…” Shizuo attempted another sentence, but once again Kasuka cut him off. “None of this was your fault. None of it. I can’t tolerate a producer who insults my family in any way. Tomoyuki-san was letting his personal feelings about you interfere with his work, and I would have fired him anyways sooner or later.” he said stiffly.
“But, Kasuka….” Shizuo tried again. “No, it won’t affect my work” Kasuka replied, once more not letting him speak. “I am the agency’s top star. They’ll find me another agent to work with right away. And who knows” he said ruefully, “Maybe when this blows over, I will feel generous enough to hire Tomoyuki back again. Either way, my career isn’t in any danger, so don’t worry.”
Shizuo shifted uneasily in his chair. “But…”
“Niisan-“ “Let me talk, will you?” Shizuo said with a bit of heat in his voice. Kasuka didn’t speak. Shizuo said, “He was right about the guy who hurt you…he came asking about me, right? And you, you didn’t follow proper safety stuff because you were…worried about me, right? So, it really is my fault…”
Kasuka desperately tried to cut off that line of thinking. “No, no Niisan, you’re wrong, it’s not your fault! The person who stabbed me isn’t you, it’s a man named Niekawa Shuuji and he’s in prison now, so just forget about it.”
Shizuo narrowed his eyes. “Just forget about it?” he asked incredulously. “Just forget about it?! Even if you tell me it’s not my fault, there’s no way I could just forget about some schmuck fucking stabbing my brother!” His eyebrows furrowed, his hands clenched, his eyes saw red. “I’m gonna kill the bastard, I’m gonna kill him! Kill him Kill him Kill him Kill him Kill him Kill him Kill him Kill him Kill him Kill him…” He repeated, his rage growing, getting louder with each repetition, his body literally shaking with anger. Kasuka recognized all the warning signs - he knew them by heart. His brother was about to go berserk.
Disregarding his own feelings, Kasuka knew what he had to do. What he always did. He had to become the moon to Shizuo’s sun, to absorb his anger with stillness. Calming his own anger, Kasuka was composed once more. “Niisan”, he said softly, adding a pleading note and slightly raising the pitch of his voice.
That got Shizuo’s attention; it was the voice of his cute little ten-year-old or so brother, tugging on his sleeve, begging him not to fight. Pleading for the last cup of pudding. Asking him if they could play video games together.
Shizuo immediately focused on Kasuka. “What is it, baby?” he asked with rough affection in his voice. “Niisan, the man is already in prison. There’s nothing more you can do. And I don’t want you to go anywhere- I need you right here, beside me. Can you stay here with me?” Kasuka pleaded quietly, trying to absorb and deflect the target of Shizuo’s anger.
It seemed to work - the tension drained out of his body. “Alright, I’ll stay here. I’ll take care of you,” Shizuo said softly. He loosened his grip on the hand that clutched Kasuka’s, and lifted the other to Kasuka’s face and tenderly stroked it with his fingertips.
Kasuka sighed slightly with relief. Crisis averted. He only felt a twinge of guilt at purposely manipulating Niisan’s emotions to divert his incredible anger. Though he was an actor, he wasn’t exactly acting just now - he really did want Shizuo to stay here with him. After the traumatic events of this hectic day, he was drawing great comfort from Shizuo’s presence. When his brother was near, Kasuka felt safe and loved. That felt especially good today, considering what had just happened. Despite the aching wound in his stomach, he began to relax. Enjoying Shizuo’s gentle caresses and loving murmurs (perhaps more than he should), Kasuka let himself go. Mmm…so nice. Niisan…love you so much…Niisan…love you…love you….love Heiwajima Shizuo…love Heiwajima Shizuo Heiwajima Shizuo Heiwajima Shizuo Heiwajima Shizuo Heiwajima Shizuo Heiwajima Shizuo Heiwajima Shizuo Heiwajima Shizuo Heiwajima Shizuo
Shizuo was too busy looking down at Kasuka’s hand as he stroked its palm to notice that Kasuka’s tired eyes flashed red.