Chapter 1 - What Just Happened?
Shizuo didn't know exactly what happened that day. He was on his normal collection rounds with Tom and the usual pathetic people were making the same old excuses, using the same old techniques, trying to get their way with words. Women were propping up their bras in an effort to seduce either one of them at least a little bit, men went between trying to make it into a brawl which they were bound to lose and pitifully begging. He was getting very tired of it very quickly. Then this one guy came along on his rounds, a real douchebag. He admitted that he didn't have the money and that he probably wouldn't be paying it back anytime soon. That was the first thing that annoyed Shizuo; that he didn't even consciously make an effort. Then the douchebag mentioned Kasuka, big mistake. As to be expected, he got mad. The classic cigarette was thrown down to the ground and stomped on in a rhythmic fashion, Tom used to the process by now. Soon enough, Shizuo was gripping the guy's collar. Most people would have cowered in fear at this point, but the guy just kept on mentioning how many girls Kasuka must get and how unsuccessful Shizuo is in contrast to his little brother. That's when he lost it. He casually let go of the man's collar and marched to the nearest street sign, ripping out its cement roots and launching it at the man in question. That's where Shizuo's memory ended. What happened next Tom told him later as he was being hauled off into a police car: apparently the guy had moved a the approximately wrong angle and Shizuo's strength was just right so that instead of leaving him severely injured as Shizuo had intended, the sign acted as a spear and pierced through his torso, killing him instantly.
The police had been on the lookout for Shizuo for a while, so when they got an emergency call about a blonde man throwing a street sign, killing a guy, they knew they finally had the monster of Ikebukuro within their grip. The court date came quickly; they wanted him in prison as soon as possible. It didn't help that the lawyer that Tom arranged was literally less than useless. So, on the decided date for the trial he said his goodbyes to Shinra, Celty, Kasuka as well as Tom, ready to head off for a fifteen year sentence for manslaughter. On the day of the hearing, however, he noticed a familiar little parasite at the courthouse, smirking. He swore that one day he'll grind that smirk into the pavement.
During the first few days of his stay in Tokyo Detention House, Shizuo pictured what it might be like to finally kill Izaya Orihara. The phrase was relished on his tongue, the thought tantalising. Shizuo had always wanted to murder the cockroach, but seeing him at his trial just gave him the start of a list of things to do when he got out. To see the look on his face when he knows he's about to die, to have the pleasure of stealing his last words for himself, even to hear him beg for forgiveness and redemption. To Izaya, that must have been the ultimate form of power. Shizuo had decided long ago to save that power for Izaya himself, to show him what it felt like. The world would be much better off without that flea.
Of the other inmates, the ones who recognised him for his strength stayed completely clear. The others, well, if they picked a fight with him about, say, the fact that he dyes his hair blonde, they soon learned to not mess with the monster of 'Bukuro. Sure, there was the occasional fight outbreak that led to Shizuo being placed in solitary for a few weeks, but they learned their inevitable lessons and kept and kept their thoughts to themselves. It wasn't at all like Shizuo was the boss. Quite the contrary, he didn't talk to anybody for the first six months if you don't include the harassment. After the mark of the sixth month, though, that's when things became significantly more interesting.
"Six months down, one hundred and seventy-four to go," Shizuo muttered to himself in his lonely cell. He'd gone through about ten roommates before they realised that it wasn't exactly the best of ideas. He was lying down and reading, one of the classics, just getting some rest. The siren sounded that all too familiar purging of vibration and some of the nearby inmates started to call out, reaching their arms through the bars. Apparently, someone new was arriving today. Shizuo didn't care that much, if at all. New meat just meant someone else he'd have to teach not to mess with him. How tedious. He remained reading, facing the bars of the cell. Wolf whistles could be heard progressing from one end of the corridor to the other. Lean meat, apparently. The steps neared.
"Come on baby; show us that pretty little face!" One man howled. Positively beastly. By chance, Shizuo just happened to be adjusting his grip on his book when the new fodder passed by. Izaya: the very specimen of Shizuo's hatred. Shizuo dropped his book onto his chest and stared for a second at Izaya who was, in turn, staring straight back at him with the same wide eyes and shocked expression on his face as Shizuo.
No, the time here must be getting to me. There's no way that was Izaya. Shizuo internalised as he tried to forget what he just saw and go back to reading. The image of Izaya kept appearing in his mind, though. Those eyes; that smirk that just wouldn't go away no matter how hard he tried to get rid of it. Perhaps it wasn't the pitiful company in this cell getting to him, but in fact it was actually Izaya who was finally being punished for his wrongdoings. He resigned to sleep for the night, images of his young foe still coursing through his head. Some were more innocent than others.