Chapter One

When I first asked Shizuo what is like to have inhuman strength, he just said two words: "Fuck off."

The next day after that I asked him a different question. This time, regarding the way he dresses. This came before I got sucker punched and shouted the same words from before: "Fuck off!"

Shinra and Celty tried to make me back down (Mostly it was Shinra because Celty was punching in some words before she can entirely stop me) but I don't think I won't drop this until he gives me a good enough answer. The way he talks and walks were etched deep in my mind and I can't stop thinking about his lifestyle…

Oh, sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Noel Strife. I'm a humble researcher from another town who studies about the human heart and emotions. I came here to Ikebukuro upon Shinra's request to aid him and Celty their search for her missing, um, head. While they go on in their jobs as doctoring and coursing respectively, I'm doing the best in my researching expertise to gain any information about her missing body part. While on weekends I take those two days off, I go on at the streets of the chaotic town to observe the blonde haired bartender and take notes of his extraordinary behavior.

There's also another reason as to why I'm here.

It is my twin sister, Noelle Strife. She was hospitalized here a week before my arrival.

Noelle and I weren't that pretty close, since we were separated when we graduated high school. Although for the most part, we look exactly alike for us twins. We have our deceased father's brown and thick hair (Her's has been way too long, about waist-level) and our also deceased mother's mysterious emerald green eyes. Yet, our personalities are where we differ very much. I'm a jovial young man when it came to socializing with people whilst she is very quiet, calm, and a little too shy. While I favor the puzzling scientific areas of people's lives, she would rather talk about literature and fiction. I'm not a tad good at household chores but she seems to be capable of identifying a shoe brush from a hair brush. We are basically the same good-looking people with different sides of life. Rather, we're polar opposites, two sides of the same coin. I went to study the human heart, she went away to learn grammar and prose. We have never seen each other since then.

I look up at the sky while sitting by the fountain, a pen and notepad on my lap and my leather briefcase containing crucial information next to me. Two o' clock, my watch said. I had lunch at the Russian sushi place and it wasn't so bad (Although the flavor of mint sushi left an unappetizing after-taste at my tongue). I'm supposed to meet one of Tom's 'clients' today, something about Celtic fairy tales or so, but he backed off, since he's on another schedule. I already called Tom to cancel the next one of his clients until this one shows up soon. Patrons who could not hold their end of the bargain are well off dead. Oh, did I just sound scary? I quietly laughed to myself. The violence of this town can sometimes grow on to you too.

"Huh? You again?" I heard a voice sound in front of me. I looked up sheepishly to the bartender, who was smoking tobacco cigs. I let out a carefree smile. "Yes. I'm here again. Want to continue the research?" I said so casually when my face and my whole body soared into the air and landed at the fountain. The upper side of right cheek is burning a white hot pain. I dazedly sat up and chuckled at him, whose fist is still contracted to the punch. "You got such raw emotion!" I only praised him and yet this only made him angrier. He sloshed his way through to the fountain to me and grabbed me by the scruff of my collar. He held me up high for someone who is taller than me as he snarled under his breath.

"What the hell is your problem?!" He screamed while I stared at him simply, still smiling. People began to go away while some are brave enough to watch our fight. They're probably thinking why the infamous Shizuo is trying to pick a fight with an innocent bystander like me. I waved a hello to the few people near us, my grin still stuck at my face. "Oh, don't worry about us; Please go be on your way." I merely shooed them off, but they couldn't budge. Their eyes are locked onto Shizuo's angry ones. I realized that he has been shouting nonsense since he pulled me up. I never understood a single word coming out of his mouth. Most of it is sputtering with curses and some other gibberish that I'd rather leave it out.

Finally, after he suddenly stopped yelling, I placed a hand onto his arm and beckoned him to let me down. We're still on the fountain's depths but at least the people are gone now. He still eyed me angrily, but he reluctantly let me go. My watch said three-thirty. Whoa, I silently whistled. He's got to have a lot of energy to yell at me things I don't know in an hour and a half. Really, this guy's emotional structure is impressively astounding. "What are you smirking about?!" I looked up to him like a child and chortled softly. "Shizuo Heiwajima, at last you let me speak to you." My grin never left my face as I continued to gaze at him in awe.

"Tch, what do you want?"

Hmm, so, are you thinking why on earth I'm acting like this? Not to worry, I'm not autistic. It's just that I'm just an over excited researcher who has found the most incredible source human emotions. I will be glad to question Shizuo Heiwajima, I will ask him lots of questions about himself and-

And…

My smile faltered a little about the thought. It was no surprise for me, when she sent me multiple letters about she truly love and care for.

And, it was he, and Noelle.