Hi ! It's been a month, but here chapter five :)

Thanks to my beta, Sweet-Strawberry-09, and to all the people who reviewed, you're amazing !

(About the massage, I don't know about you, but I've a lot of backache, and when someone take the time to massage me really thoroughly, I feel like I could melt on the spot XD So maybe Izaya's reaction was a tiny bit exagerated, but not so much XD)

Outside Interference - 05

Izaya woke up with a pleasant hum at the back of his brain. He felt quite relaxed, even the aching muscles of his arms and the fact that he still couldn't feel his legs didn't prevent him from being in a good mood.

He yawned, before carefully unfolding himself and sitting up. He still had Celty's shadow wrapped around his head as a blindfold, so he couldn't see, but when he moved, the room fell eerily silent, and Izaya could only guess that everyone was looking at him.

However, no one spoke. Izaya frowned. He had heard Shinra's whiny voice just a few second ago, so he was obviously here.

"What is it?" he asked.

They didn't respond, and Izaya wondered if that was part of the 'surprise' party.

"I know you're here, I can hear you all breathing." Speaking of which, there were too many of them. There should be only five: Shinra, Shizuo, Shiki and his sisters (obviously, Celty didn't count). However, he counted two more.

Damn, who did Shinra took the liberty to invite?

He reached for his blindfold to try and take it off, annoyed at not being able to understand what was going on. To his surprise, the black fabric came off when he gave it a tug. The light momentarily blinded him, and he blinked.

"Happy birthday, Izaya!"

He heard them before he saw them, and the sudden noise startled him. He looked up, his vision clearing, and was greeted with smiles and clapping.

All Izaya could think at the moment was: Thanks God, they didn't shower me with confetti.

The living room was quite crowded. In addition to the six mentioned earlier, there was also Akabayashi and Akane. Izaya looked around, half-expecting to see Tom and Varona, or even the Raira kids. Fortunately, they weren't there.

"Thanks," he replied with a smile, "but that was yesterday."

In sync, they gave him a look (save for Akane, who actually looked quite stricken), because they knew that, but apparently, he was busy yesterday, so they delayed. Izaya raised his hand in surrender. And took a quick look at the decoration.

There were balloons everywhere. On the floor, the wall, the furniture. Big streamers hang on the wall, ranging from the usual "Happy Birthday" to a weirdly inappropriate "Never stop running toward you dreams!". There were flashy colours everywhere, and Izaya thought Shinra and his sisters must have really enjoyed themselves.

Lastly, right in front of the couch was a huge table. The TV and the armchairs had been pushed to make place. The table was crumbling under dozens of flowers, and there was barely any place for the dishes.

Really, this was way too much.

"All of this is completely unnecessary," he said.

Some sighed. "Don't be a killjoy!" Shinra exclaimed, and motioned to everyone to take a seat, while he hopped off in the kitchen. Izaya imitated them, moving closer to the table and putting his legs underneath.

He felt a bit self-conscious, with everyone watching him doing the bothersome process of lifting his legs on the couch, moving to the side centimetre by centimetre, then finally pushing his legs back. It would have been much simpler if it weren't for the table's foot.

When Izaya looked up, he was surprised to see where some people had chosen to sit. Next to him, on his left and right respectively, were Shiki and Shizuo. Facing each other, Akabayashi and Celty followed. Shinra (whom seat was for the moment empty) was beside the dullahan, with Akane in front of him, while his sisters were huddled at the end of the table.

"So how old are you now, Izaya-onii-chan?" Akane then asked, with a big smile. She was obviously happy that her Shizuo-onii-chan and her Izaya-onii-chan were sitting next to each other.

Izaya frowned. He had lost track. He was twenty-three when he first met Mikado, so, since two years had gone by, he must be...

"Twenty-five, right?" Shizuo interrupted when the informant took too long to respond.

Izaya smiled. "Probably, Shizu-chan, but I will be twenty-three forever anyway."

"Age affect us all, Orihara-san," Akabayashi replied.

"Even you aren't immune to it," Shiki added.

Izaya grinned at them, before turning to Celty. "I could be. Do you think I would become a vampire if I drink some dullahan's blood?"

Celty nearly dropped her phone while trying to type.

[W-What?]

"Now, now, Izaya-kun, don't go spouting nonsense about my lovely Celty." Shinra came out of the kitchen faster than lightening, with a threatening smile. "You won't even touch her hair."

Izaya chuckled. "Just kidding, Shinra. But how could I touch her hair? She doesn't have a head."

Shinra made a face. "Hairs, then."

"Well, if I recall correctly, she doesn't have those either."

"W-What?" Shinra looked mortified. "You have seen her naked?" The doctor's eyes were wide as saucer. "Don't tell me you did **** and *** with her while I wasn't looking – "

Suddenly, black shadows wrapped itself around Shinra's mouth, silencing him, before a powerful kick in the stomach sent him tumbling across the room.

[Stop it, Shinra! He has never seen me naked, and we have never done... t-that!]

Izaya laughed quietly at the scene. With a sigh, Akabayashi let go of Akane's ears, on which he had put his hands to prevent her from hearing Shinra obscenities. Shizuo was frowning at the informant, ignoring the dullahan and the doctor in the background, even if Shinra was yelling that yes, he did know she didn't have hairs, but he didn't expect Izaya to correct him.

"You're are so mean, Iza-nii!" Mairu exclaimed.

"Ow, that hurts, Mairu! Don't they say that lover's quarrel strengthens bonds?"

"Well then, you must be very attached to Shizu-chan by now."

Izaya glared at her, but his little sister had already left to fetch the cake since Celty had left a nearly unconscious Shinra on the floor. Fortunately, Shizuo hadn't heard. Actually, he was still stuck on the argument.

"What was that for?" Shizuo asked, and Izaya frowned. Why was the blond asking that? Well, he had a motive, but no one ever asked why he did things. At least, not the one that knew him. They were sick of him answering with "It's because I love humans!"

"Getting revenge about this morning," Izaya replied truthfully.

Shiki shook his head. "Do I need to expect something too?" he asked. Izaya just smiled.

Mairu came back with the cake, and Izaya suffered through the usual song (he suspected Akane and his sisters were the only one who really did it), eyeing what had been placed in front of him.

He had got a glimpse of it before, but the aspect had worsened. The brown of the chocolate wasn't even showing, under all the blue and the red. Could food even be blue? It looked like some crème... but more solid. He figured it was good, since his sisters had cooked it, but the aspect was a bit repulsing.

Izaya blew the twenty-fives candles, except two, and smirked as everyone rolled their eyes. Shizuo extinguished them with two fingers.

"You're cutting the cake, Shizu-chan?" The informant asked, handing him the knife. Something flickered in the blond's eyes, and Izaya thought he was going to decline.

"Sure." Shizuo agreed, with the same tone as when Izaya asked him for the piggy-back.

"Try not to cut the table underneath with it, okay?" The informant said, half-taunting half-serious.

Shizuo ignored him and cut the cake in eight fairly equals parts.

"Shizu-chan, I knew you weren't the brightest, but make an effort! We are nine."

The blond glared at him, annoyed. "I'm not that stupid, flea! But I know you don't like sweets, right? And this cake is sugar-coated to the core, so you won't eat it."

There was a moment of stunned silence, because they had all forgotten. They knew Izaya didn't like most dessert, but they didn't connect it to the fact he wouldn't eat the cake. Because... it was a birthday cake, and everyone ate those, right?

Izaya thought the same thing, and was prepared to force himself to eat. "That's quite thoughtful of you, Shizu-chan... But I'm going to starve if I don't eat anything."

Now that he thought of it, he had missed dinner the day before and breakfast this morning, which meant he hadn't put anything in his stomach for twenty-four hours. And it didn't look like he was going to start eating healthy since they were having a cake instead of lunch.

"I got you something," Shizuo said, and actually reached into his pocket to retrieve a little package. It was a bit banged up and crumpled at the edge, and the blond opened it by ripping the top.

"Here," he said and put a financier, looking quite good despite the state of his box, on Izaya's plate.

"Shizu-chan?" Izaya asked, not sure what was happening.

"You like those, right?" Shizuo looked a bit worried.

"Yeah, but I didn't expect you to remember is all..." Izaya smiled, gazing at the little cake in wonder.

"Well, it's not like I could forget. You were practically in tears."

Izaya snorted. "I was not."

"Yes, you were. Shouting 'No, Shizu-chan, let me go, I can't play today, I have to go to the special sell!' Blablabla..." Shizuo pitched his voice high, not at all like Izaya's.

"And you kept chasing me! They were all gone when I finally made it to the store! They are quite hard to get, you know, it's French patisserie."

"Well, I managed to find one, so shut up." Shizuo looked away, and Izaya smiled a little.

"Thank you, then, I guess, Shizu-chan."

"It's no big deal. I only did it because it's your birthday," the blond muttered.

That didn't make Izaya look less happy, and he began to eat, earning some raised eyebrows for his rudeness.

"Give us some cake, Shizuo-san, come on," Mairu impatiently urged, and Shizuo rapidly put a piece of cake on each plate.

"So," Akabayashi said to break the awkward silence that settled. "Heiwajima-san already began with the gifts, so maybe we could keep going? I guess it won't be as good, but well..." The old man smirked.

Izaya looked at him oddly. "Gifts?" he echoed.

"Birthday present!" Mairu exclaimed and stormed off. Shinra disappeared too while Shiki just reached for a package at his feet.

Izaya blinked. Gifts? For him?

"Don't look so surprised, flea," Shizuo told him, munching on his cake.

Izaya smiled at him, a little patronizingly.

"Here you go!" Shinra came in, pushing a wheelchair in front of him. It wasn't Izaya's. "This one is better," the doctor told him. "Same size, same comfort, but it sturdier and I've got you special customized little secret drawer to hide useful thing."

"Like my knives," Izaya filled in.

"Like a first aid kit," Shizuo interrupted at the same time.

Shizuo sighed and Izaya laughed.

"Thanks, Shinra," the informant said. "And how are the brakes?"

"The same, I think... I didn't really pay attention to that, sorry... Maybe it's a bit smoother?" Shinra seemed unsure.

"In that case, I better try them." Izaya turned to Shizuo. "Shizu-chan, as my personal carrier, please... carry me!" Shizuo did, quickly and with a grunt of complain. Once sited in his new wheelchair, Izaya felt relief wash over him. He was mobile again.

Feeling the wheels, the informant turned on himself, before moving forward into a straight line. He hit the brakes, and they were indeed smoother, for he stopped slowly. He came back to the table with a grin.

"It's great, Shinra."

The doctor smiled, pleased with himself.

"Shizu-chan, move aside." He then asked, and the blond complied, putting his chair out of the way before sliding on the couch. Izaya took his place, fitting in the space between Celty and the couch. Shizuo exchanged their plates, and Izaya gave him a wink that made the blond look down at his cake like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

"Izaya-onii-chan!" Izaya looked to his side to see Akane standing with a present extended toward him. "It's for you! From Shiki-san, Akabayashi-san and me!"

"Thank you, Akane-chan!" Izaya received the gift and began unwrapping it carefully. He already had an idea of what it could be, coming from Shiki, and he wasn't disappointed: it was a tin soldier. Except it was a wounded one, coming back home with a big smile on his face, like he won the war by himself.

"Such subtlety, Shiki-san," Izaya smirked.

Shizuo and Shinra gave him questioning glance, and Celty held up her phone.

[Is there a particular meaning behind that?]

"Just an inside joke," Izaya replied and put the toy in his pocked. His smile, polite but cold, clearly indicated they should drop it. Akane went back to her seat, looking a little sad, and Izaya wondered if Shiki had explained to her the meaning of the soldier.

Fortunately, before anyone could ask further (Izaya really, really didn't want to have this conversation now. Or ever.) Mairu came back. She was hiding something behind her, and a sense of dread dawned over the informant. What did this little wicked girl have in store for him this time?

"Our turn, Iza-nii ! Don't you dare look disappointed, because we didn't put much effort into it. It's not like you had big expectations anyway, but still, here you go !"

Mairu kept going on about how he had weird taste and it was such a pain to find in a gift, but Izaya tuned her out and concentrated instead on the box in his hands. Unwrapping it, he found a book, with nothing on the cover. It was beautifully decorated though, with a majority of black and golden lines swirling from corner to corner.

"What is it?" he asked, and at the same time, opened it to find blank pages. "Is it a diary?"

Mairu and Kururi looked far too pleased with themselves for a gift in which they 'didn't put much effort into'. Moreover, he could swear the golden lines were handmade.

"Yep, a dairy ! You always have so much to tell the world, Iza-nii, maybe it will help you unwind."

Izaya frankly doubted they gave him that with such good intention in heart, but it didn't really matter. He never had a dairy before ; maybe he could try and write a few things down to see how it goes.

"Thank you, I guess."

After that, the party (if it was really one) resumed. The cake was good: they all expressed their compliments to the twin chiefs. Izaya's financier was also to his satisfaction, and soon enough, the plates were empty.

Afterwards, they chatted about idle things. Nothing too serious, and nothing about Izaya. They talked about the girls' life at school, Shinra's last client who had the weirdest injury ever and Shizuo's anger management ("Seriously, Shizu-chan, you improved!").

Mairu and Kururi left first, followed by Celty who was called on a job. Akabayashi took Akane back to her father and Shiki bided them goodbye some time after. Soon enough, there was only Izaya, Shizuo and Shinra.

"You need a ride?" Shinra asked the informant. "I can call a cab."

"Eh? Shizu-chan isn't going to take me back home?"

Said Shizu-chan was in the process of lacing his shoes, his coat half-way put. "Not gonna do it," he stated, before waving at Shinra and leaving the flat.

Izaya raised an eyebrow. "Well, he doesn't deserve to be my personal carrier anymore."

"Let the poor man go." Shinra sighed. "You've been bullying him all morning."

Izaya shrugged. "Call me a cab then. Oh, no, wait, it's only four in the afternoon. I can go back on my own. Stroll around a bit. Get some fresh air."

"Not a good idea. Everyone knows you're alive now, and you'll just keep getting attacked. Shizuo won't be here this time."

"Fine ! But you pay the cab."

Shinra shook his head. "That is the most immature thing I've ever heard."

"Maybe it's because you never listen to yourself."

"Never mind. That is the most immature thing I've ever heard. Aren't you a billionaire ? Pay your own cab !"

"How much money do you think I have? You're probably richer than me!"

"That's untrue and you know it."

"Well, you're wealthy enough to pay a cab."

"So are you."

Things evolved into a staring contest, and Izaya was determined not to look away. It wasn't like he wanted to take a cab ; so if Shinra called one, he would be the one to pay. But the doctor, being the vicious man he was, fixed his glasses with one finger, making the light dance against the lenses, and Izaya found himself blinking, momentarily blinded.

"You cheated!" he exclaimed.

"You didn't specify the rules." And with that, Shinra left him and went to call a cab.

Izaya pouted, kept pouting as Shinra lifted him in the cab and was still pouting when the car stopped in front of his building. The taxi driver was a kind woman, and after getting paid, she helped him back into his wheelchair. Soon enough, he was back in his flat.

To square one.

Not really knowing what to do, or rather, not wanting to do anything, Izaya placed the tin soldier he brought back with all the others, in his nightstand, before going to his desk with the dairy. He opened it to the first page, and stared at the blank space for a while.

Dear Dairy, he wrote, then stopped.

After a minute or so, he sighed, scratched his head and nibbled at his pencil.

It's been a long day.

He stopped, read what he wrote and snickered, before crossing the line. He tried again.

You are a gift from my sisters.

He crossed the line. It didn't sound right. Disregarding the dairy for a while, he powered on his computer and put on some music. He answered a few emails, spend way too much time on Facebook, before picking up his pen again.

I have mixed feelings.

That sounded more like something people wrote in their dairy.

About…

Well, that was mysterious. Like the journal of a angsty teenage girl dreaming of white prince and castle. He erased the three dots. Suddenly feeling frustrated, he blackened the whole page, leaving just enough space to write :

I don't know how to express my feelings.

And that was what dairies were for. His sisters sure as hell hadn't choose this gift randomly. Opening a drawer, he took out a box of matches, and lighted the dairy on fire. He didn't need this stupid thing, and didn't have to try and open up if he didn't want to, no matter how much his sisters insisted on it.

With a smile, he watched as the fire consumed the last bit of paper, before realising that he had made a mess of his desk. Well. He will ask Akane to clean it. He was too tired to do it now. Because he was tired, he realised. He slept all morning, but still his body found the way to feel exhaustion. Nothing else to do than go to bed, then.

He took his laptop with him, though, and once comfortably installed against his pillows, powered it on.

Opening a new tab, he went to the Dollars' site and scrolled down the posts, reading absent-mindedly and finding nothing worth his attention. That is, until a particular title caught his attention.

Orihara Izaya, alive?

Raising an amused eyebrow, he clicked on the post. He was greeted by a picture of himself, rolling down the street. The quality of the shot was quite good, and he was clearly recognizable. To leave no doubt, other photos were posted below. Him in front of Raijin, him with his sisters, him drinking in a cafe.

The reaction were various, and there was a lot of surprise and disbelief, as expected. However, the messages weren't all nice. Some even had an awfully personal tone.

Syfi98: Pfff, couldn't he stay dead? This guy is poison, we were better off without him.

Oberussen: That bastard is alive? Well, at least, he got what he deserved.

hater1999: Can't someone finish the job? It would be easy, just, you know, push him a little. It's not like he could fight back.

StupidAnon: Ahah, isn't he pathetic? The great Orihara Izaya can be hurt, just like everyone else. Too bad nobody give a damn.

Izaya sighed and scrolled down some more, but all the comment were similar, with the exception of the occasional "Heiwajima must be delighted" or "Is that a flying cat in the background?". Mikado mustn't have cleaned here yet, otherwise, there wouldn't be so much flame.

Izaya logged out soon enough, not in the mood to read such things. Who would, after all? Maybe Shizuo, the informant mused. The blond had turned self-loathing into an art.

Speaking of him, Izaya wondered why the blond had left in such a hurry. Maybe he shouldn't have asked Shizuo to take him back home. The joke went a little too far for the blond, surely. But it wasn't like Izaya cared.

Putting his laptop aside, he sank into his mattress, feeling the reassuring weight of the twenty blankets he had in top of the sheet. Sleep took less time than usual to find, and he quickly lost consciousness.

TBC