It was as if the sky had been torn open. Raindrops fell like tears as the grey expanse above Ikebukuro wept over its wound. In the early morning, when the world was still bathed in pale silver, the rain came down in a light drizzle. But by about one in the afternoon, it was a torrential downpour. There were no harsh winds to accompany this, only occasional claps of thunder that served as sobs to the wet weather. Every boom sent a jolt through the citizens occupying this half-drowned city while they awaited an end.

They did what they could to stay inside, and huddled under umbrellas when they were forced to face the elements. Many wondered if this would stop any time soon and if they would ever see the sun as anything more than a blank hole in a charcoal colored sky. Others would stare out of glass window panes without a thought, just mesmerized by the water surrounding them. The Fortissimo of Ikebukuro was one of the latter.

Shizuo Heiwajima ran a hand through his hair, golden eyes scanning the classroom slowly. Shinra, his childhood friend, was working dutifully on his homework in the seat beside him. Every few seconds he'd be jabbed in the ribs with the eraser end of the brunette's pencil and then asked a stupid question that didn't pertain to anything going on around them. A glance towards the clock showed that there were only twenty minutes left before school was officially over. He heaved a heavy sigh and slumped forward on his desk. So far, he'd done fairly well. The day had gone by without incident; he had thrown a desk at Izaya, but that wasn't anything major. If he could finish today off then he could possibly deem this a 'good day'. Shizuo was determined not to destroy anything as he tightened his fist and set to work on the assignment in front of him.

He scribbled down answers, painstakingly working out each problem until the numbers just blurred together. Each poke to his side went unacknowledged, seeing as he was too wrapped up in the complex equations he was supposed to finish. That was until one prod wound up a little too low, hitting the sensitive skin just above his hips, and with the needle sharp tip of the lead instead of a squishy eraser. His eyes widened almost comically as the string of curses that flew from his mouth were drowned out by the bell's ringing. Shizuo glared darkly at Shinra and hauled his backpack onto his shoulders. The boy in glasses merely grinned.

"Sorry Shizuo, but you were ignoring me," he chirped, totally unaffected by the anger in his friend's eyes.

"I ignored you so you'd leave me alone." Shizuo pulled out his plain black umbrella, popping it open and moving quickly down the stairs before Shinra had a chance to complain.

Outside, the pitter patter of little droplets hitting the black material of his umbrella was almost soothing to Shizuo. It silenced any murderous or violent thoughts he had at the time, aiding him in his attempts to disregard his surroundings. For once, he felt calm.

It wasn't until the voices of his fellow classmates faded that he realized he had been standing still in the center of the courtyard, motionless in the middle of a storm. The only noises he could hear were the slight revving of cars in the distance and the now ever present sound of rain. So when joyous laughter penetrated his eardrums, he was more than surprised. Nobody else should be here at this time, even though he was. But he was always an exception to just about everything.

Turning around, he caught sight of a small figure perched on the edge of the roof, legs dangling over the edge. Unlike Shizuo, this person did not possess an umbrella and was being pelted by the rain mercilessly. They didn't seem to care. If he wasn't mistaken, they were enjoying it. Black hair was matted down, and due to the distance and their upturned face, Shizuo couldn't identify their eye color. But as soon as the person stood he easily recognized them. The off-white fur on their jacket was sopping wet, flinging water in every direction as they twirled on the thin ledge. It was obvious that Izaya was smiling during this entire little show from the slightly manic giggles that passed his lips from time to time. When his feet hit the very corner, hanging halfway over the edge, his grin dropped. The drastic shift in mood was enough to make anyone uncomfortable. For Shizuo, it was a little odd to see the person he hated the most with such a somber expression. It unnerved him. Usually, the Orihara boy had on a taunting smirk that would without a doubt piss Shizuo off.

Now, though, all emotion was gone, save for a tinge of frustration. It showed in his tense movements, though they still didn't lack their usual grace, when he spun on his heel so his back was to Shizuo. For a few moments they both stood there rigid. Izaya was unaware of Shizuo's presence as far as he could tell. Neither of them made a sound. The lack of witty banter between them was making his gut churn nervously, and he had the feeling he was witnessing something that nobody was supposed to see. This was a private moment for the flea and he could tell. So, he decided to ruin it for him, just like Izaya had ruined the entirety of his teenage life.

Shizuo opened his mouth to call out, to yell at him for acting like a moron and tell him to go home. He had a nice little speech planned out in his head, and was proud of himself for the clever wording. But he never had a chance to say it. Every thought in his head came to a speeding halt when the lithe body back-stepped off of the roof and let gravity do the rest.

The damp clothing seemed to give a helping hand in dragging him down. With the wind rushing past him Izaya couldn't help but smile. Still, this was nothing like what he put on display for everyone to see. This one had an odd air of contentment to it. Maybe it was because Izaya was plummeting fast, the ground rushing up to meet him full force. And when the two finally connected, it was with a sickening crack that Shizuo knew very well. It was the sound of shattering bones.

For a full thirty seconds Shizuo didn't move from his place. His body felt like it had turned into led. What the hell? he thought. Izaya, what the hell did you do? He wanted to scream it even though he knew deep down that the future informant wouldn't be able to answer him. There was no way he would have survived that fall, especially with his thin frame. That was the thought that set him in motion. Shizuo ran, making it over to Izaya in record time. He couldn't help but think bitterly that this was one of the only times he'd ever be able to catch him.

Blood collected in a dark pool around his worn leather shoes as he stepped up to the motionless body. Sharp protrusions stood out underneath the red shirt Izaya always wore despite the school's dress code. Are those his ribs? Shizuo was ready to vomit at this point. He fell to his knees, one hand fumbling for his phone while the other nudged the dark haired boy's shoulder. Too shocked by what he was seeing, he dialed the first number he thought of.

"Hello?" came the crackling yet still peppy greeting from Shinra.

"Shinra? It's me, Shizuo, I…I think Izaya's dead," Shizuo said, his voice sounding strange to even him. It was more hoarse than usual and cracked on almost every other word. He'd be sure to ask Shinra about this later. There was a chance he was getting sick from the rain.

"Oh my god, what did you do?!" the other boy screeched through the speaker. The comment stung even though it wasn't unjustified. Practically every day Shizuo claimed that he was going to kill Izaya. But looking at him know, bleeding and unmoving on the ground, he could say that he was honestly scared. He couldn't let anyone die no matter who they are. It didn't even matter if they were a pretentious prick like Izaya Orihara.

"I didn't do anything!" he barked gruffly. "He was dancing on the school roof like an idiot and then stepped off the edge!"

"Shizuo, that doesn't make any sense! Oh god, call an ambulance! I'll be right over!"

The line went dead.

He made another call, this time to 119*. They asked him questions to which he gave short and blunt answers. If he tried anything long winded then he was sure his voice would break again. When they hung up, he sat and tugged softly at the other boy's jacket. Maybe he'll wake up. The logic was childish, but he couldn't help but hope. Shizuo would even be fine with Izaya sitting up and slashing at him with his switchblade if it meant that he knew he was alright. But no such thing happened. Izaya stayed in the exact same position until the ambulance arrived and placed him on a stretcher. A medic took one look at Shizuo before recommending he go home to rest. He then climbed into the vehicle, closed the door, and sped off with sirens blaring.

*119 - basically it's the Japanese version of 911, but you probably deduced that on your own.

Review if you want more from this, otherwise I might discontinue it...I'm not sure how I feel about this one. Kinda funny how the first two things I post involve hospitals within the first chapter though. Weird. ANYWAYS. Leave me any questions, comments, or concerns and I will get back to you! :3

~Chickadee