A/N: This is the story with that blind Shizuo and sick Izaya. In case you forgot. ;) Chapter Twenty Three was a re-submit. So please go back to make sure that you've read it.

Hollah! Fist bump! Three hundred reviews. Damn. I'm so pumped right now. Thankyou, thankyou reviewers! Shout out to signe1994 for reviewing so many of my chaps at once, it makes me so happy to see people take the time to do that. And for those who have been reviewing and following ever since chapter one, I LOVE you guys so much. Keep in mind that you guys are the reason this story hasn't plummeted just yet.

Lithium will be coming to a close soon. SOON. I can freaking see the end, it's so close yet so far….

EDIT! Um… chapters will be shorter. But possibly start to get more frequent? *cough* Probably not gonna happen *cough*

I missed you guys. :D I'm sorry once again for the delay... And this chap was a tad rushed.

{DISCLAIMER} Durarara! does not belong to me. Boop!
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Lithium

By Forsythia Sky

Chapter Twenty Four

"Shizuo-chan!" I hear a voice that snaps me out of my trance.

I'd recognize that voice anywhere.

As the footsteps near, I straighten up.

"Karisawa Erika?"

A shrill squeal graces my eardrums and I flinch automatically. The girl had never been very right in the mind. Erika dashes up to me, plopping down onto the bench and clutching at my arm. I turn to her warily.

"It's been so long! Where have you beeeeennnn? Dotachin has been asking about you nonstop," she pouts, drawing out the word 'been' much longer than necessary.

I'm not exactly close to Erika, but she's a close friend of Kyohei Kadota, one of my best friends from high school. And she has a kind of face that's hard to forget, even for me.

"And what are you doing here?" she continues, not even pausing for me to reply.

"Ah… My boss was admitted here and I came to check on him," I say, glancing over to where I imagine her face to be. Her close proximity makes it a little easier, but not by much.

"Dotachin's in the hospital too! You should go see him, he really misses you," Erika says, her voice changing a little. I can't really pinpoint what it is, but something seems a different about her.

But wait… Dota—I mean, Kadota is in the hospital too?

I flinch, running my free hand through my hair. Consequently, it was my ringed one and it snags on a few stray strands.

"What happened? Is he alright?" I demand.

"Huh? Oh, Dotachin is fine…" she hedges, shifting to sit properly on the bench.

I press my lips tightly together before wetting them with a quick flick of my tongue. "If he's fine, what is he doing here?"

Erika remains uncharacteristically quiet for a long time. We sit on the bench side by side, our shoulders nearly brushing and I feel an odd sense of anxiety run through me. A tiny, gentle tickle on my skin agitates me and I quickly try to brush off whatever bug that has crawled upon my wrist.

The quick flicker of a wing surprises me. I've always had a soft spot for butterflies.

I hope that I hadn't damaged it with that harsh gesture.

"He's here visiting someone."
I had almost forgotten about Erika's presence. She kicks her heels back and forth, dirt clotting at our feet and the grass brushing against my ankles. I don't reply for a bit, just letting the quiet hum of life fade around me and try my best to shut out my heart.

Sometimes, it hurts less that way.

Letting out a quick breath, I give the girl a light nudge with my elbow. "Who? Is it…" I struggle to remember the name of her constant partner. I'd seen them numerous times. "Walker?"

A bittersweet smile could be heard in her undulating voice. "No. It's not."

Yet again I find myself trying to read what I can't see.

"Then..?" I'm too tired to guess. Especially since it's something I'm not sure that I want to hear.

Her sigh is lost in the wind. "It's Saburo-chan."

Saburo… Kadota's childhood friend. The one who always used to love that van of his with a ridiculous passion.

I slump over, resting my elbows on my thighs and my head ducked nearly between my knees. I know how much Kadota must be hurting right now. He had a hard exterior, but on the inside, I know how much he cares.

He'd always been soft at heart. Softer than me, even.

"What—" My throat convulses.

"It was an accident," Erika says quietly. I can feel her dark gaze scorching me.

"What happened?"

She seems to brace herself carefully before continuing. "It was an accident," she repeats, as if trying to plead a case. "It happened so fast. We were getting off the van; me, Yuma-chi and Dotachin. We turned back and…" Her breath hitches into a quick sob. "I made fun of him. I didn't know! If I knew this would happen, I would have been nicer. I would have told him thank you for trusting us and being our friend."

I sit in silence, letting her rant it out. I have a feeling that she'd been holding it in for a long time, wary of others around her.

Trying not to let them hear her pain and guilt. I understood that part.

"But he just scowled and started the van, turning to give me a glare. He drove off. And it was at that moment. Right at that moment," she sucks in another gulp of air that didn't seem to reach her lungs. She's about to lose it. "That he crossed the road. And he didn't turn in time to avoid him. He tried, I swear he did. He, who loved that van more than his own life, swerved away and the momentum overturned the car. The pedestrian didn't see it coming. He was busy, talking into his cell phone. I remember it so clearly…"

Erika bites her lip and I know from some new third sense that she is crying, the tears streaming silently down her cheeks. I know what's coming, too. I don't want to hear it but I make no move to stop her from speaking.

It's not my right.

My heart thuds so loudly in my chest, though not loud enough to drown out her voice.

"The look on his face when he was hit and the screams," she chokes out, muffling her lips with her sleeve.

"Dotachin… I've never seen him look like that before. Not when his grandmother died and not when he got shot in the side. I didn't know what to do. I just stood there. I stood there like… like a heartless fool while he ran and tried to save them. Walker called the ambulance. I couldn't move."

She's openly crying now. The sobs are loud and heart-wrenching.

But I feel cold.

"Saburo… he was covered in blood and cuts, crushed against the window. But the man," she cries. "The man! His legs were pinned under and there was a puddle of blood and it was my entire fault! I don't know what to do! I don't know! I'm so sorry but I don't know what to do!"

He hands fist at my sides. I try to tell myself not to be irrational. That it's Erika. That it's just a small defenseless girl at the mercy of a monster.

It is this defenseless girl's fault that Tom is now crippled, be it indirectly or directly.

I can forgive her.

But this monster is unforgiving, even if I myself am.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review. The more reviews, the faster I'll update!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY IZAYA!