Ikebukuro was quiet. Had been quiet for a while now. Stop signs weren't ripped from the ground and flung halfway across the city (a feat that would inspire envy in the most decorated Olympic javelin throwers) and for the most part, vending machines maintained their normal positions. The majority of people didn't question the cause of this sudden silence because who in their right mind would look this gift horse in the mouth?

Shizuo Heiwajima, Ikebukuro's strongest (but really, who was he being compared to) stood with his arms folded in front of him on top of the railing of his balcony. Without removing the cigarette, he blew smoke out of the side of his mouth as he watched the scattered lights of the city brighten and dim periodically. He was still in his work outfit (confusing to some because he wasn't a bartender anymore, just dressed like one), not even bothering to change into his casual sweat pants and t-shirt, preferring to answer the irresistible call of nicotine.

Tom, and occasionally Vorona with her usual deadpan stare, would ask why he didn't kick the habit now that the major cause of his stress was gone because of him because he- seemingly no longer around. His only answer was always a silent shrug and a look saying he didn't want the subject probed any further. Shizuo ran one hand through his bleached hair while the other removed the cigarette from his mouth and threw it to the ground where it was unmercifully stubbed out by Shizuo's shoe. He hadn't even smoked half the stick but it never helped anyway.

"They cause cancer Shizu-Chan. Ne, don't you wanna be around long enough to love me forever?" Eyes as red as the blood pumping through his veins, keeping him alive and a voice like a cat's purr…

The blonde groaned at the direction of his thoughts. How was he ever going to stop tormenting himself with no chance of making things right when the flea- Izaya had stayed away for six years and seemed to plan on keeping himself that way? Not that Shizuo could blame him. Why would Izaya ever want anything to do with him after he said that to him? Why did he say it in the first place? Hadn't meant it even for a fraction of a second and wanted to take it back as soon as he saw that look of pure hurt flash in those usually guarded eyes. But despite being so inhumanly strong and indestructible, Shizuo was a coward where things counted the most.

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It wasn't like he had never tried to find Izaya, but the only people he could ask (Shinra or the twins) either emphatically denied any knowledge of his whereabouts or suggested that the information broker was decomposing in a shallow grave somewhere; easy to see who said what.

Without any real options, Shizuo could only ruminate within his growing frustration and where the nicotine failed to provide catharsis, chasing down scumbags who tried to skip out on paying their debts picked up a bit of the slack.

It was a day after sending one of said scumbags (who had really tried to run and leave his fucking kid with the debt, the bastard) flying that Shizuo was walking behind Tom and Vorona on their way to Russia Sushi. The only reason he didn't bump into Vorona was because he had happened to look up before doing so. Tom, a few paces ahead and noticing the Russian beauty was no longer beside him, stopped and turned with a questioning look at the now still Vorona.

"A child has been following us for approximately five blocks now." She informed monotonously.

"Hah?" Shizuo responded, turning slightly just in time to see a small form dart behind the edge of a building.

"Shall I take care of it?" Vorona asked simply and Tom almost choked in response.

"No, wait! You said it was a kid right? Let's just see what this is all about." Tom threw a 'hey you' in the direction of the child who did not appear.

Tsk'ing in annoyance, Shizuo shouted "Oi!" which gained him a few worried stares from the passerby. Unexpectedly, a small tabby cat ran from behind the building, seemingly scared by the shout, but was quickly and frantically followed by the same small form from before. Shizuo felt his heart stutter in his chest when he saw that the kid ran right into traffic after the stupid cat. He broke into a run but the truck that sped toward the kid made it seem like he was pumping his legs through syrup.

He shouted something, he wasn't sure what, and instantaneously the truck came to an abrupt halt with an explosive crash accompanied by the sound of metal compressing. Guilt began to rise from Shizuo's gut and sink its claws into his windpipe forcing the air from him even as he ran around to the front of the truck. Shit what did I do? Shit, shit, shitshitshit -!

Time stopped. Shizuo paused, taking in the sight before him, his brain managing to short circuit at every synapse.

The child had one tiny hand thrust to the side, compressing into the truck's fender, steam rising into the surrounding air, while the other arm wrapped securely around the squirming cat. The driver jumped out of the truck panting, demanding to know if the kid was alright and insisting that he hadn't seen the kid who had "run outta nowhere" as a crowd gathered around the scene.

Shizuo noticed nothing but the child as it slowly raised its head and moved it from side to side in confusion, as if having no memory of what had just happened. Staring at the hand pressed against the truck as if it was a foreign object for a moment, the child then gradually stood up and turned to the truck driver who stared, bewildered.

"I'm sorry, are you okay?" A small, timid voice queried. It took Shizuo a moment to realize it was the kid who spoke. The truck driver, who had a small stream of blood running down the side of his face, nodded dumbly.

"Oi." The small form jumped and once again Shizuo was slow to realize who spoke, embarrassingly coming to the conclusion a few seconds late that he had spoken the monosyllable. Spinning around too fast, the cap that adorned the child's head fell silently to the ground, revealing slightly curled chestnut locks held in a ponytail, and Shizuo felt both his brain and heart stutter. Those eyes. Smaller of course, on a little girl's face, and more frightened but still-

But then Shizuo was staring into blank space, the child gone disappeared-? Then the sound of small feet hitting pavement whipped his head to the side and the little girl was only a speck of his vision in the distance. Not thinking, only knowing that somehow he had to, the blonde ran after the child releasing intermittent shouts, telling her to stop.

Nostalgia hammered itself into Shizuo's brain- familiar eyes, familiar chase but without-. Throwing a quick look over her shoulder- without a smirk though- and acknowledging the shrinking distance between Shizuo and herself, she rounded a corner into an alley, still cradling that damn cat in her arms.

The debt collector turned into the alley merely a few seconds after the girl but was met with the disappointing sight of an empty stretch of concrete sandwiched between two walls of brick. On instinct gained from an agonizingly different yet shockingly similar time, Shizuo looked up though he could see no one running along the rooftops.

Sighing and simultaneously catching his breath, he leaned against the wall of one of the buildings. What was he doing? He literally chased after a little girl for no reason. No reason except she has eyes like bloody rubies and she smelled like-

Another sigh, this time of a name, "Izaya."

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Hello, everyone! This fic is dedicated to Novoux whose works you should definitely take time to read (with a cuppa beside you) because they are awesome, ne~ It's my first Shizaya fic and my greatest hope is that I did these two maniacs justice. With that in mind, please be gentle, ne!

Thank you for reading.