A/N: Hey there! I am so sorry that I disappeared for a few months. Life and work were super crazy. Fortunately, I've had a few long weekends because of the holidays and was able to finally write this final chapter. To make up for my absence, this is my longest, most carefully written chapter, so I hope you like it! A huge thank you to all of you for reading, providing feedback, and for being patient with me over the course of the (almost) two years it took for me to write this. There is a possibility that I could write a sequel to this down the road, but for now, I hope you enjoy its conclusion. If you want updates on any future fics I write, you can follow me on Tumblr at: shadeofwinefics. Thank you again, and Happy New Year!

Spring came to Ikebukuro two months after their showdown with the Black Hats and White Gloves. The snow melted into puddles. Small, green buds had begun to appear on tree branches. The sun shone a little brighter and a little longer, and birds flocked to the city once more. Citizens shed their bulky coats and boots for light jackets and sneakers. The streets were fuller and louder. Everyone emitted joy and walked around with rejuvenated spirits; everyone that is, except for Izaya Orihara.

He stood in his office, back to the desk, facing the window. One of his feet tapped against the floor, a few of his fingers were pressed against his lips. Although he was gazing out of the window, his eyes were glazed over and looking at nothing in particular. A cloud of paranoia had been following him for months, never leaving his side, engulfing his mind completely whenever his phone buzzed or his door opened. He rarely slept, and when he did, it was fitful and unsatisfying. The slightest noises woke him. Relentless nightmares haunted him.

"Shiki's here to see you."

He knew that Namie was there, sitting at her desk behind him, but her voice still made him jump. After forcing himself to relax his shoulders, he turned around as calmly as he could and faced her with a smile.

"Buzz him in."

After the incident, Izaya tightened up his security as much as possible. He had cameras installed in the hallway and by his front door, installed a keypad and changed it's combination every couple of weeks, and had a computer expert help him secure the data on all of his hard drives and phones. At Shinra's suggestion, he had all the windows changed to bulletproof glass. He knew none of these things made his apartment completely impenetrable, but they at least eased his paranoia a little.

"How are you holding up?" Asked Shiki after he took a seat in front of Izaya's desk.

Izaya forced himself to sit, and tried to resist the urge to bounce his leg or fiddle with his fingers. "I'm fine."

Shiki raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing him in the slightest. What they went through had strengthened their bond. Their relationship had gone from being a necessary, businesslike partnership to something akin to friendship. Neither of them brought this up, but the fact was that they felt almost completely comfortable around each other now, which provided a respite from the anxiety they were constantly facing.

"I'm improving," Izaya said after a moment of silence. "And I might feel even better depending on what you have for me today."

Shiki smirked and reached for the briefcase at his feet. "How's he doing?" He asked as he rummaged through the briefcase.

"Better," Izaya replied, "Almost back to normal."

"Good."

Izaya glanced at his phone and pressed the home button. His wallpaper—a picture of Shizuo and him taken only a few days prior in front of Ikebukuro station—illuminated the screen. No texts. No calls. He was supposed to meet up with Shizuo that night for dinner, but they hadn't made specific plans.

Shiki placed a short stack of papers on the desk and slid them toward Izaya without looking up at him. His eyes were fixed on something that was still inside his briefcase. Izaya eyed him carefully for a moment before he picked up the papers and began to flip through them.

Most of the papers consisted of photographs. A few of them—apparently taken a week or so prior by a security camera in Shibuya, according to Shiki—depicted a woman who bared a slight resemblance to Aoi. She wore a thick, woolen hat and a long scarf. It was hard to see her face. There were pictures of a man that resembled Akito, as well, taken outside of a nightclub in Roppongi. More of the pages contained brief notes, mostly conjectures made by Shiki's men and by Shiki himself. There were a few printouts of chat rooms that contained mentions of the Black Hats or the White Gloves, and tracking reports that showed who had posted about them. Most of the accounts, however, had used proxy servers, so any information regarding them was limited and untrustworthy.

Izaya placed the stack of papers back on the desk, and brought a hand to his temples. They still had so little information, and the information they did have was unreliable. He looked up at Shiki, whose eyes were still fixed on the briefcase.

"What?"

Shiki sighed. He placed a single piece of seemingly blank paper on the desk and covered it with his hand. "I'm 99.9% sure I know who this is. It's the only accurate photograph we've gotten over the past few months, but," Shiki paused. The seriousness that had entered his voice sent shivers down Izaya's spine. "I still want you to confirm this." He flipped the paper over and slid it toward Izaya.

Unlike the previous photographs, which were fuzzy, black and white, and taken from far away, this one was a close-up that had probably been taken on a cellphone. It was Jin. There was no doubt in Izaya's mind. He was clad in black, his eyes were looking straight into the camera; his gaze was cold and menacing. Two months ago, Izaya had driven a knife into this man's back, and now he was looking at him again, alive and well. He wasn't sure how long he had stared at the photo, but it must have been awhile, because Shiki had to snap his fingers at him to get his attention.

"So?"

"Yeah, that's him. It has to be." Izaya glared at the photo for a moment longer. "Where did you find this?"

"It was posted in an online forum two days ago. It was taken about a week ago in Nagoya, although we haven't been able to trace whose cellphone it's from."

"Nagoya?" This surprised Izaya. If Aoi and Akito had indeed remained relatively close to Ikebukuro, why had Jin gone to Nagoya?

Shiki shrugged. "I'm not sure if there's anything we can do at this point except keep our eyes peeled and continue to be cautious."

They had met once a week for the past two months, and every time they parted, Shiki had said almost the exact same thing. Izaya was really sick of hearing it. He wanted to form a concrete plan, one that could defend them all without risking their lives again. He wasn't sure if that was possible, he wasn't even sure if the remnants of the Black Hats and White Gloves would risk attacking them. However, if they did, Izaya wanted to be ready.

His phone buzzed against the desk. Izaya glanced at it at the corner of his eye. It was a singular text message that read: 7:30 at Russia Sushi?

"Same time next week?"

Izaya's attention snapped back to Shiki. "Yeah, sounds good. Text me if anything comes up."

Shiki nodded, gathered his belongings, and with a quick "Goodbye," directed at both Izaya and Namie, left the aparetment. The room grew silent. Izaya felt his shoulders relax. Although the possibility of an attack was extremely worrying, he felt a bit better that they had their first concrete piece of information. At least their paranoia was justified now.

Izaya texted Shizuo back: Sure. He had no appetite, and the thought of Simon's stale sushi caused a wave of nausea to wash over him, but he needed to see Shizuo, and Russia Sushi was a restaurant they could trust to be safe.

"You need anything else before I go?"

Namie stood over him with a jacket tucked over her arm, and a bag hanging from her shoulder.

"No, that's all for today."

"Goodnight, then." She turned on her heel and left. Izaya felt his pulse quicken. Before the fight at the warehouse, he had liked to be alone. In fact, he had never really mulled over the concept of loneliness until recently. He had noticed—in his past experiments—that loneliness typically made people depressed and desperate. It made Izaya fearful and insecure.

He glanced at the clock. It was still two hours before he and Shizuo had agreed to meet up. In the mean time, he desperately needed some sort of distraction that didn't pertain to anything that Shiki had just told him. The thought of simply relaxing and watching some TV crossed his mind, but he wasn't confident that he could sit still for long. Instead, he decided to slowly, meticulously get ready for his date.

He drew a bath, turning up the water as hot as it could possibly go. Steam rose off the surface like smoke and drifted up toward the ceiling. He poured in some bubble bath. It was labeled, Luscious Lavender. The bottle claimed that it would help alleviate stress and relax muscles. Shinra—of all people—had given it to Izaya, after he had mentioned that he hadn't been sleeping very much.

"This doesn't seem very scientific," Izaya had said.

"It can't hurt to give it a shot, right?" Shinra shrugged. "Celty swears by it."

Izaya lowered himself into the tub, taking a deep breath as his skin came into contact with the near-scalding water. The floral scent of the bubbles wafted around the room. Despite his doubts, Izaya did have to admit that it was a pleasant smell. He massaged shampoo into his scalp, and scrubbed behind his ears. He rubbed a bar of soap over his arms and legs, being careful to not miss any spots. After he was done cleaning himself, he sank below the surface of the water and closed his eyes. It was so quiet. The only thing he could hear was the muffled sound of his beating heart. His pulse was slower now. Maybe the lavender bubbles really had helped.

He got out of the bath and dried himself off with a clean, fluffy towel. When he saw himself in the mirror, he nearly groaned. The dark circles under his eyes seemed to grow darker with each passing day. His complexion was paler than usual, and stubble had begun to grow on his chin and under his nose. Facial hair always looked awful on him; it sprouted up in thin, uneven patches. He desperately needed to shave.

After he shaved, he walked back into his bedroom and tried to decide what to wear. The first time they had gone out, Izaya spent a long time agonizing over his outfit. The usual black shirt, jeans, and jacket seemed too informal, and almost slobby. He had ending up donning a button-up shirt, tie, dress pants, and loafers. Shizuo had worn his usual shirt, vest, and bow tie, and had looked surprised when Izaya had turned up wearing something different than usual. The more they went out, the less fancily Izaya dressed. Ties and ironed shirts made him feel stiff and unnatural.

That night, he ended up picking a gray cashmere sweater, black jeans, and his usual black shoes. It was nicer than his typical outfit, but just casual enough to make him feel at ease. It wasn't like he felt stressed about his date or anything. He and Shizuo now felt comfortable around each other after a couple months of being together. However, he was still nervous about telling him what Shiki had told him.

After another glance at the clock, Izaya pulled on his jacket, left his apartment, and made his way toward the train station.

Izaya arrived at Russia Sushi slightly early. With his usual big smile, Simon guided him to a table in the back of the restaurant, near a small window. Shizuo must have called the restaurant beforehand, because a lit candle and a small vase, containing a single rose had been placed in the center of the table.

"Spasibo," Izaya said as he took his seat and shrugged his coat off.

"Anything to drink?"

"Vodka on the rocks with a twist, please."

With a nod, Simon walked toward the kitchen. Izaya wasn't much of a drinker, but that particular evening, he felt like he needed something to take the edge off. He tapped his foot against the floor, and rubbed his palms against his jeans.

A few moments later, Simon returned with his drink and with Shizuo in tow. He was limping slightly; the cast on his leg had been removed just a few days ago. They looked at each other, and the slight smile that had been on Shizuo's face faded. Do I really look that bad? Thought Izaya.

"Hey," Shizuo said as he took a seat across from him. Simon placed the vodka down. Shizuo ordered sake.

For a minute, neither of them said anything. Izaya sipped at his drink and felt the vodka bite at his tongue and burn as it cascaded down his throat. A warmth blossomed in his cheeks almost immediately. Simon returned with Shizuo's sake, and after he left, the two of them looked at each other. Then, Shizuo did something that surprised him. He reached out, and gently enclosed Izaya's hand in his own. Neither of them were big fans of public displays of affection. They hadn't hugged or kissed each other in public, and had only held hands on the subway one time. This contact, however, was welcome, and Izaya laced their fingers together.

"What did Shiki say?"

"They found their first real lead," Izaya paused and took a sip of his drink. "Jin's alive. Aoi and Akito might be, as well."

"Are they sure it's Jin?"

Izaya nodded. "I can show you the photo later. It was taken a week ago in Nagoya."

Simon returned to take their order, and Izaya instinctively pulled his hand away. Simon let out a chuckle.

"Don't be embarrassed. This is so much better than you two fighting all the time," Simon said. He took their order and left them alone once more. Izaya sheepishly placed his hand back in Shizuo's.

"It'll be okay," Shizuo said, his voice shaking slightly. "We don't know for sure that they'll be back, right?"

"No, but they seemed pretty hell-bent on destroying us."

"That's true, but," Shizuo tightened his grip on Izaya's hand, and began to rub slow, soothing circles on his skin with his thumb. "This time, you'll have me. I refuse to be captured again." His voice was more confident now, and the small smile had returned to his face. Izaya couldn't help but smile back at him.

They spent a long time eating and drinking, at Russia Sushi. The more time passed, the more relaxed and happy they felt. When they stood up to leave, Izaya suddenly felt woozy. He wasn't insanely drunk, but he had definitely gotten tipsy. Shizuo, on the other hand, looked sober, except for the blush that had appeared on his cheeks. Hand and hand, they walked out of the restaurant, waving to Simon as they left.

"Do svidaniya!" Izaya exclaimed, his voice louder than usual, his speech a bit slurred.

As soon as they were outside, Shizuo pulled Izaya into a tight embrace, surprising him for the second time that night.

"Can you stay over tonight?" Izaya asked in a whisper.

"Of course."

Shizuo had spent about a month at Izaya's, recuperating from the worst of his injuries. During that time, they had discussed the option of moving in together permanently, but had decided against it. Both of them were worried that their relationship was moving too fast. They were comfortable around each other and cared for one another, but they couldn't ignore their past. Izaya still wasn't sure if he would ever be able to make up for how he had treated Shizuo, but he was going to try his best. They needed to build trust, and building trust was a tricky and gradual process.

They boarded a train to Shinjuku, and Izaya leaned his head on Shizuo's shoulder. He was instantly reminded of the time two months ago, when he had accidentally fallen asleep in that exact same position. He remembered feeling Shizuo tense up beneath him. This time, Shizuo only responded by draping an arm around his shoulders, drawing him in closer.

"Thank you," Izaya said, not even sure what it was he was thanking him for. Shizuo responded by placing a gentle kiss on the top of his head.

The train ride went by in a flash, and before either of them knew it, Izaya was unlocking the door to his apartment and dragging Shizuo inside. As soon as he had locked the door behind them, Izaya was pushed up against it.

Shizuo had pinned him effortlessly, his knee between Izaya's legs, one hand against his cheek and another against the door. They gazed into each other's eyes for a split second before Shizuo crushed their lips together in a passionate kiss. Izaya opened his mouth, sliding the tip of his tongue across Shizuo's bottom lip. He reached a hand up, and entangled it in Shizuo's blond hair. Shizuo responded by gliding one of hands underneath Izaya's sweater. They pressed into each other harder, Shizuo's knee rubbing up against Izaya's crotch. Izaya felt a warmth pool in his stomach. His heart was nearly beating out of his chest. They pulled away from one another, breathing heavily. Shizuo took him by the hand and led him into the bedroom. Almost immediately, they began to undress. Izaya pulled off Shizuo's shirt, and Shizuo unzipped Izaya's jeans before ripping them off. They tumbled to the bed, both of them naked, except for their underwear, which was removed after a few more minutes of making out.

Shizuo kissed down Izaya's throat and began to nibble at his collarbone. Izaya panted and let out a gasp.

"Do you want to do this?" Shizuo asked, bringing his face an inch away from Izaya's.

"Y-yes, I do," Izaya replied in a breathless whisper. Shizuo returned his mouth to Izaya's neck and slowly made his way down.

They collapsed about a half hour later, both of them drenched in sweat and out of breath. Shizuo drew Izaya into his chest, entangling their legs. Gradually, their breathing returned to normal, as their chests rose and fell in unison.

"Thank you," Izaya said for the second time that evening. He still wasn't sure if he was referring to anything specific. Shizuo planted another kiss at the top of his head.

Neither of them could be sure that they would be safe. Neither of them could know how much time they had left. However, there would be plenty of time to worry in the morning. That night, they felt safe. That night, neither of them were worried. They felt warm and calm.

Soon, they were asleep, safe and sound in a silent embrace.