The Encounter

Rie sighed turning the ignition in the taxi and starting it up. She had moved back to Ikebukuro after studying art abroad. Apparently the only thing she learned from that was that she's a good cabbie and that her commitment level is surprisingly low.

So here she was, running a taxi and chauffer business. The pay wasn't bad here, but she'd had a divider installed from an American taxi because of the recent on goings of the yellow scarves, the blue squares, and their sudden focus on the Dollars. She had to keep it absolutely quiet that she was one, hence the divider.

Rolling out of the parking garage that belonged to the apartment building she now called home, she turned onto the street. Fortunately putting her number out on the street had worked because she already

had a customer. Driving down the busy street she maneuvered skillfully between the cars to stop before said clients address, which was a plain building. Two people got in, closing the door behind them. One

told her an address and she nodded, telling them how much. After she took the yen from the slot she shifted into drive and started driving.

"We've got to get him to pay up this time, okay?" came a voice in the back.

"Yeah..." said the other.

She heard a lighter and then smelled cigarette smoke. Making a face that her passengers couldn't see, she knocked on the divider with an underhand fist, catching said smoker's attention.

"If you can read, then read it an' weep. No smoking" the woman told him, "The ash trays right there" pointing to a spot where she knew it would be.

"If you don't allow smoking, why in the world do ya have an ash tray!" came a gruff reply.

She smiled and looked in the rear-view mirror, "For people like you-." She squinted at the now angry face in the back. Before he could yell at her she spoke, "Shizuo? Shizuo Heiwajima? Is that you!"

He scoffed and looked back through the mirror, though he could only see her eyes, "An' who the hell wants to know?"

"You don't recognize me? I guess I did used to straighten my hair, it's me, Rie Akiyama."

"Whoa!" he exclaimed, sticking his head through the window in the divider to look at her, "Wow it is you!"

"SIT BACK DOWN!"

"Gah!"

She sighed, "Don't get my license revoked please- WOAH!" She yelled aloud as a knife whizzed by her ear, imbedding itself into the head of the seat.

"PULL OVER!" Shizuo yelled, opening the door as she did so, slamming it back into place.

"SHIZUO!" She called from her open window. "Ah, screw it," she said, grabbing the knife from out the seat. Opening the door and closing it swiftly with a kick she saw Shizuo standing it off with another man she was sure she knew.

"Izaya Orihara?" She raised an eyebrow incredulously. Rie hadn't seen him since high-school, and honestly the only thing she missed were the verbal battles that happened between them. Vaguely she

remembered he always had a switch-blade that he played with. Just how it was never confiscated she wasn't sure. Izaya turned at his name, a smile cracking on his face, "It's Rie-chan! Long time no see! I see your a cabbie now."

*He still smiles like the devil*. Rie laughed, "I won't be for long if you keep throwing knives at me." She threw the knife back to have it embed itself in-between two pieces of cement an inch away from

his foot. *Wow, I've never actually thrown a knife before.*

"I'm sorry, honest mistake, I didn't know it was you" He smirked at her.

"Ahahaha, Bullshit~!" she smiled back, the sweetest sounding voice accompanying the vulgar word.

"You always see right through me," he sighed.

"Your just easier to read than you like to think" she smiled more. Shizuo watched his old friend and mortal enemy have a friendly verbal dual and shook his head.

"IZAYAAAAA!" He yelled, charging him and grabbing a mailbox to

chuck at him.

"Now Shizu-chan, that's not very polite~!" He dodged back, nearly avoiding the post box and started running, throwing a card to her feet, "Give me a call Rie-chan~!" He yelled, Shizuo hot on his trail. Shaking her head she picked up the piece of paper, a number was scrawled on it, presumably Izaya's. Turning it over her eyes widened. Walking back to her taxi, she opened the back door to the man sitting

inside.

"I'll give you a refund and a ride back if you want me to."

Sighing the man shook his head, getting out the other side and walking around. He looked after shizuo over his sunglasses. "Nah, I'll just walk back. Here, if you ever need any money..." He handed her a

card before turning around and walking away, lighting a cigarette. Rie sighed, shaking her head. Too many weird things... nothing like good old Ikebukuro.