CHAPTER 1

Dynasty Decapitated

September 2008

As she sat there in complete and utter silence, her heart pounding with anticipation, she could not help but focus her gaze on the empty chair in beside her. He said he was going to grab them coffee, as he left five minutes ago and yet she felt as if he wasn't going to come back. The lights above her head seemed to be unnervingly bright and probably the only source of light in the almost empty hallway. But then again, she didn't have the intentions of looking around, too scared that she would meet the eyes of the couple that sat across from her, or even the old man standing by the wall. So instead on them, she focused her eyes on the tired looking desk lady. She didn't know any of them either way. But why was she here in the first place?

For a split second, she could not remember, wondering whether her mind was subconsciously trying to erase the horrid memories. She closed her eyes, her hands travelling down her face in an attempt to calm down. She heard steps from the end of the hallway before someone sat on the once empty chair. She didn't have to look up to know who it was.

The smell of caffeine filled her nostrils, but the person beside her didn't say anything. "Can you believe they don't have any vending machines in here" His shaky voice reached her ears, in an attempt to lighten the mood. She could almost see him frown when she didn't respond. "I had to go to the cafe across the street to get it" How could he be so positive, while in a situation like this? But then again, maybe he wasn't. Maybe he was trying to seem strong, despite the fact that everything he wanted to do at this point was scream. But honestly, she doubted it. For it was the same careless Kishitani Shinra, she was talking about. If there was something that he considered worth caring about - other than the headless love of his life - it certainly wasn't this.

"Thank you, Shinra" Her eyes finally snapped open, reaching for the cup he was offering her. As her eyes travelled up to his face, she didn't fail to notice the dark circles under his eyes. His hair was dishevelled and for someone who always seemed like a cheerful kid, he looked like the epitome of a mess. But then again, she doubted she looked much better than him at this point.

He looked as if he was going to say something, when suddenly the door opened, revealing two men wearing white masks.

"Miyazawa Momoko, Kishitani Shinra" The shorter one of them nodded at the two. "Please come in" Momoko couldn't help but gulp, her eyes snapping back to Shinra. As soon as the door behind them closed and the two of them found themselves in a bright room in one of the underground clinics, the sight of a body sprawled on a table in front of them she could not help but fight the urge to vomit.

"Well who did this?" Shinra's voice echoed through the room.

It was interesting that now in this situation he felt as if he had truly let his mask fall to the ground as it shattered underneath his feet. He hadn't felt that way when he should have. So why now? How come he let his guard down for longer than a few seconds - not only because he wanted to, or because of the exhaustion he felt in this particular moment, or even the chaos in his mind at the sight of the stoic-looking man in front of him. So why? Why was he letting her get to him now? What was wrong with him? Probably many things as many people would simply put it. For, Izaya had done a lot of things because of his destructive way of putting up with human love. Or rather the lack of it.

He was a man who not only skilfully and selfishly avoided it but also pretended to carry it within him, only to throw it in everybody's face like the knifes he carried in his pockets. And while it wasn't real, it carried the same urgency and characteristic. But the only thing that his love lacked was the real passion that came within it. Of course, there was passion sometimes, but it wasn't the one that came from loving. No, it came from loving to avoid the real feeling. And so of course, it made sense to him. And in the process, it sometimes seemed as if he had successfully convinced himself of its realness. But even though he wasn't the sanest person out there and one in touch with their feelings, he was also the most analysing creature she came to know. In the beginning of their relations, she very soon realised that Orihara resembled a sponge that somehow absorbed more than it should have.

"Have you ever considered not being an asshole?" Her question - like a fading memory - suddenly rang in his ears. And for the life of him, he did not know why. Why was he thinking about her again?

Ah right, it was all because of her brother.

"I'd be glad to help you, Nakamura-san" He began, a ghost of a smirk forming itself on his lips. "However, there is something I'd like you to agree on first if you want the needed information" His eyes glimmered at the never changing expression of the other man's face. It reminded her of the last time he saw her. Ah, the irony of his life.

"And what would it be, Orihara-san?" Izaya fought the urge to smirk at the monotone tone that was so different and yet so similar to his sister. He hated it. He absolutely hated it.

"I'd like you to keep my involvement in this 'project' a secret" He smiled, "Only for now"

The older man didn't as much as raise an eyebrow at the informant's request, before responding, his voice yet again void of any emotion - of course beside a hint of satisfaction."It will be my pleasure to have you work on this, then, Orihara-san" Everything was falling into place. Was he given yet another chance?

"You have no idea" His grin never faltered.

June 24th, 2005

"I really hate you sometimes, you know" The shorter one of the two mumbled, sighing to herself as she fought the urge to groan at the small grin that spread itself on the bespectacled boy's face. In moments like this, she despised herself for not staying in bed and giving into Shinra's pleas.

"Well if it wasn't for me, you'd still be sleeping instead of doing something productive" The wannabe doctor nudged her playfully as a deep frown emerged on the girl's face.

"It doesn't change the fact that I'd rather avoid school this year" A grimace formed itself on her face as she glanced up at the slightly taller boy. The older of the two, sighed to himself, lowering his voice as if he was afraid someone would hear them.

"You really should report Inoue-sensei.." He sighed, his eyes glimmering with something that she didn't like seeing on him.

"It's not that easy, though. If someone was to ever find out, he'd lose his job and the whole school would know," She furrowed her eyebrows and for a moment. Shinra could only stare at her with something akin to pity in his greyish eyes.

"Well, isn't it what you want? He deserves it, after all, if something like that would happen to Celty, I-" Before Shinra could have a chance to start talking about his headless love, she shot him a sideways glare that for once succeeded in shutting him up.

"But that would mean the same for me. I was hoping to stay unnoticed throughout high school! How am I supposed to do that if everyone finds out?" At that Shinra only sighed when suddenly his eyes lit up as he stared at her with wide eyes.

"I could always ask Shizuo to beat him up!" He seemed too excited for his own good. "It would also be a great opportunity to examine his strength in action. I always seem to miss his outbursts" He sighed with melancholy in his chirpy voice.

"This is the worst idea, ever" She fought the urge to hit her head with something.

"But why? No one will find out"

"Yeah but Heiwajima-senpai could get expelled. And besides you said it million times, he hates violence. He wouldn't attack a teacher just because you, of all people, told him to." She tried to convince the boy whose eyes still seemed to be more focused on the idea of seeing Shizuo in action rather than seeing it was a death wish. "You would have to tell him the truth and that would mean he'll know! No one can know about it! Not Shingen and most certainly not Heiwajima-senpai!" She yelled the older's boy name, unaware that the very blonde boy was walking past them.

Momoko froze in place as she realised the blonde short tempered boy stopped in tracks, now looking down at her and Shinra with this annoyed look in his auburn eyes.

"I can't know about what?" He looked from the girl to Shinra as his eyes narrowed. Suddenly he seemed to realise something as an animalistic growl came out of the back of his throat. "You're not hiding that flea from me, are you Shinra?" Momoko's eyes widened and so did Shinra's as he started to protest.

"No, Of course not, I would never do something like that!"

"But you're still friends with him, aren't you?" The vein on his forehead seemed to be pulsing as he took a dangerous step closer, now towering over the bespectacled boy, completely ignoring the brunette girl who shouted his name in the first place.

"You know, Shinra, I-" Suddenly he was stopped by someone who seemed to be holding onto his arm. His eyes darkened ever so slightly as he turned his head around, spotting a girl who was looking at him tenderly.

"Please don't beat him up, Heiwajima-senpai!" She yelled, despite the fear she was feeling. Shizuo eyed her warily, before giving an annoyed sigh as he released Shinra who immediately ran away, leaving Momoko and Shizuo behind him. After all, Shizuo wasn't one to beat up a defenceless girl and he had a feeling that he would have to if he was going to punch Shinra.

"That bastard," Momoko thought to herself as she observed the boy disappear from her and Shizuo's view.

At the sight of running Shinra, Shizuo turned to her, waiting for an explanation but was met with an empty spot, before realising she was running in the opposite direction. The vein on his forehead started pulsing dangerously and noticing that Momoko wondered if it was going to explode.

"I knew it was going to be a shitty day" She thought to herself darkly to herself, speeding up at the sight of Heiwajima's long arms, that curled around her school bag, pulling her closer to him in one swift move.

NOO!" She shrieked, causing Shizuo to cover one of his ears with his free hand as he cringed at the unpleasant sound.

"Shut up..." He said in a low, threatening voice, sounding rather annoyed in her humble opinion. But at this point, Miyazawa Momoko could not care less about what he thought was annoying as she struggled to free herself from his iron grip. After all, she was going to die!

"Well, well, well...I wasn't expecting you to be one to beat up defenceless girls, Shizu-chan," Suddenly a mocking voice came out of nowhere, bringing the two back to reality. Shizuo's grasp immediately loosened, causing Momoko to fall to the ground with a loud thump following right after she hit the ground. Her eyes widened at the sight before her. Shizuo roared in anger as soon as his auburn eyes spotted the raven-haired boy, whose unnerving smirk was more unsettling than Heiwajima's anger.

Orihara-san?Her eyes widened, never leaving the dark figure in front of her and Heiwajima. And in this exact moment, Momoko wasn't sure if she should thank him for drawing Shizuo's attention away from her and thus saving her life or recall the event as the beginning of her future misery. But then again, why was she here in the first place?

Ah right, it was Shinra's fault.

"You really are a monster, aren't you Shizu-chan?" Momoko couldn't help but stare at who she would call back then, her saviour. Despite the fact that she was free to run, the girl seemed to be frozen in place as she observed the two teenagers in front of her.

Before neither she or Orihara could say anything else, the blonde boy roared in anger as he ripped a nearby street lamp out of the ground, now holding it above his head as he breathed heavily at the sight of his mortal enemy, standing only a few feet away from him. "IZAYA!" He roared, throwing the lamp at the smirking boy, only for him to dodge it with what seemed like elegance to Momoko. His moves seemed almost ethereal for this world, but then again it was Orihara Izaya she was looking at.

The raven-haired boy, whose name was known by every Raijin student, shot Shizuo a playful grin, his eyes never leaving the blonde. Noticing her opportunity to make a run for this without getting hit by yet another street lamp, Momoko quickly unfroze, getting up onto her feet before dashing off. Izaya's eyes quickly shifted to her disappearing form as a smirk formed itself on his amused face. What a disappointing reaction, he thought to himself, his lips quivering in a silent smile.

His eyes then travelled back to Shizuo, who seemed to completely forget about the girl, as he breathed angrily. He looked at Izaya with such fury in his eyes and the other boy could only wonder what was going through this monster's head at the time like this when it seemed almost impossible for someone to stop his anger.

But then something happened. Something that changed not only his life but also the life of Miyazawa Momoko, the girl who was trying so hard to stay unnoticed only for her to catch the interest of the one who attracted the bad kind of attention. And so upon seeing the unwinding scene in front of him, Izaya's eyes widened - even if for a mere second. In the middle of the road, clinging onto that beast, Heiwajima Shizuo was Miyazawa Momoko. If not for the fact that it was the very same girl who already had a dead wish, who was now hugging - or more like trying to strangle - Heiwajima Shizuo, Izaya would laugh but right now the only thing he did was blink, his mouth curling up into a grin.

His eyes glimmered with something akin to excitement and in this moment as he eyed the pair in front of him, he knew he wasn't going to forget this scene for a long time.

It all happened so fast. The sky seemed to darken but Momoko knew it was only her wild imagination caused by the dread she was feeling at the very moment. Had she really just done that? Was she really ready to take a punch for a person she'd only heard rumors about? And the rumors weren't necessarily good. The brunette girl didn't dare look up at the boy, she was currently trying to strangle, too afraid of seeing his expression.

Not being able to see his face, or anything in general, burying her face into his side, she could only imagine the glare directed at her. Heiwajima's mouth formed in an 'o' shaped form as his eyes traveled to the girl whose hands were trembling wildly. But at this point, he couldn't say if she was trembling because she was afraid or if it was due to the strength of the grip she had on him.

But then again could she possibly be considered a coward after she'd practically threw herself at Heiwajima Shizuo? And at the top of that, threw herself at him in order to help the only person he truly wanted to kill. But then again 'kill' wasn't the right word to describe the things the blonde boy wanted Orihara Izaya to endure. For, Heiwajima Shizuo despised the boy to the point where he would be just fine, watching him burn. And so he was absolutely ready to go to any lengths if it gave him the smallest chance at ending the bastard's existence. Even if he had to go through some girl.

"Move!" Shizuo grit through his teeth, much like a beast in Izaya's opinion.

"No"

"Move, or I'll move you" He was getting annoyed and the both of them knew it was utterly foolish to stubbornly remain in her position. But there was something that Miyazawa couldn't get rid off, a feeling that was just now refusing to let her go. Her sense of rightfullness. Maybe it was the fact that Oriahara's interverence somehow saved her a black eye, or maybe the fact that she knew that - although the boys hated each other and were always ready to fight - right now it was her own fault that she has been caught in the crossfire. And so she replied with another "No".

He could have easily pushed her out of the way and yet there he was, staring at the strange girl, who clung to him like a parasite. And for the first time in his whole life he forgot about his mortal enemy. Even if for a moment. And somehow the fact that he was able to stop himself from becoming a murderer calmed him. The boy couldn't help but tilt his head to the side as the sudden recognition hit him.

"You're this cousin of Shinra, Tomoko, right?" Shizuo's glare was still present, but his voice wasn't as angry as it should be and so she glanced up at him with something akin to wonder and annoyance crossing her face as soon as he said these words. And to be frank, Momoko wasn't sure if she was more annoyed by the fact that Shizuo associated her with that excuse of a cousin or that he got her name wrong.

"Momoko" She muttered to herself, but Shizuo heard her loud and clear. "And yeah..I'm..uh his cousin,"

"Oh, yeah..I'm shit with names...and faces in general," He answered a little bit awkwardly but this time with the sudden calmness in his voice. If not for the fact, that Momoko knew how bipolar the boy could be, she would have wondered why he was so calm all of a sudden.

Izaya's eyes narrowed for a second, somehow irked by the fact that he was once again left out, yet his smirk has never faltered as he observed the exchange between the two. Not only was this the most unexpecting thing, someone could do but it also had the most unexpected actions that followed suit behind. Despite the fact that he was standing only several feet away from the monster, Shizuo seemed to completely ignore his existence, as he talked to the girl. And truth be told Izaya couldn't be more annoyed yet intrigued.

He also couldn't help but find it amazingly entertaining. And it is a truth universally acknowledge that a madman in possession of a great brain must be in want of a minion. Or at least, some kind of a toy. And in this very moment, his eyes flashed with a strange emotion that neither of them knew, would expand over the years and turn into an obsession that one day was going to make him scream for absolution.

"This is going to be more fun than I've expected" He thought to himself, dashing into another direction before neither Momoko or Shizuo could notice that he was watching her.

Kishitani Shinra was an unusual human being. He was unusual to the point where his own cousin thought of him as a rather creepy and abnormal creature. Not that he was saddened by the fact since his undying love for the headless Dullahan was more important than anyone's opinion, proving his abnormality just well. And when he saw the said valkyrie, after entering the two story house, he could not help but cry out her name and throw himself at the poor woman.

"Oh, Celty!" He shouted dramatically, for a moment forgetting of his traitorous acts towards his own cousin who was probably being beaten up by Heiwajima by now.

"S-Shinra?!" Celty typed, bewildered by the sudden attack, finding it unamusedly hard to get his lanky arms away from her body. The Irish faerie wondered about Momo's whereabouts but before she could ask him anything, the front door opened as the said girl entered the house.

The brunette girl shot Shinra a glare which caused Celty to notice how pale he seemed at the sight of his cousin.

"Momo-chan! I'm so sorrryyy!" The bespectacled boy shouted, taking a few steps back as soon as the girl entered the house. But when she didn't say anything he knew it was a lost case and that an apology wasn't going to be enough. And so without any further apologies, he simply sprinted off into his room, locking the door behind and barricading it from the inside. Just in case.

If Celty had a head her face would be the definition of an utterly confused expression, but since she didn't have one, she simply turned to Momo and waited for the explanation.

And that day, neither Momoko, Shinra, Shizuo or Izaya showed up at school. For, every each of them had something to think over. And so nothing happened until one day, a week after the incident.

It was relatively late after school when Momoko sat by the window of one the rooms that were meant for club activities. Her eyes seemed to scan the pages as she read the book, she was holding in her hands. The sun was slowly setting and she was the only one who hadn't left yet. She loved to sit like this and enjoy the silence after a long, tiring school day.

Her dark eyes then traveled back to the window, as she looked at the horizon. To her, it seemed as if nothing could interrupt her relaxed form at this point, but nonetheless, something indeed happened.

The door to the room opened and the only sound Momoko was able to hear was the sound of someone's, heavy, yet silent footsteps. Just as if the person was trying to make as little sound as possible, but they were excited at the same time. Momoko's eyes narrowed dangerously but she could not help feeling slightly anxious towards the unknown. The brunette girl turned around and as soon as she did she was met with someone who had also taken an interest in her. Although this person's interest was way more messed up than anyone's else.

But that was what Momoko thought before Izaya truly showed her what him taking an interest in someone looked like.

"Inoue-sensei," She said, as the man finally reached her desk. There was something in his eyes that unsettled the young girl.

"Miyazawa..I didn't think you'd still be here," He said, but his voice didn't sound sincere at all and in an instant Momoko knew he was lying.

"I was about to get going, anyway," She said, not looking at the man, as she grabbed her jacket and her bag, as she proceeded to walk away from him and get to the door. But before she could get a chance, the man grabbed her by her arm.

"I was waiting for this moment since I first saw you, you know..." He mused, which send unpleasant shivers down her spine. She cursed herself for staying here instead of going home as soon as school ended.

He turned her around, so she was facing him as he observed every inch of her. "I know you like me too," He then said. "I saw you looking at me, earlier" The simple thought of liking him, made her sick, but she didn't dare to voice her thoughts. This man disgusted her.

"Let me go" Her voice was low, but there was fear lurking behind it and so he didn't listen.

"I can't, I can't let you go, now when we're finally alone" His eyes roamed over her body, stopping at her lips. Her eyes widened, but she knew better than to show the real fear she was feeling. "I really want to touch you," He then said as his other arm shot up as he reached for her.

"Well, well, well..what do we have here? A teacher harassing his young student, how repulsing" And in this moment time seemed to slow down. Momoko's eyes widened in horror and Inoue-sensei looked even more shocked. He quickly let her go, his eyes widening at the sight of the raven-haired boy, standing in the doors as he grinned up at them as if he didn't just see what the man was about to do.

"It's not like that, you got it all wron-" The man tried to get out of it, but fell silent as soon as his gaze was met with the all-knowing eyes of the devil himself. For a moment he could not look away, trying to figure out why the boy's eyes seemed to unsettle him that much. He gulped, hoping that the red-eyed demon didn't notice but little did he know that Orihara Izaya not only noticed it but also smirked inwardly to himself after seeing the man's rising nervousness.

For a moment they all stood there, two of them not sure what to do while the third relished in every second of it. Inoue's eyes seemed to fill with fear of what was about to come. So he simply left, neither able to look at Izaya or Momoko.

The brunette girl could only stand there, looking at the ground before, without uttering a word, walked out of the room as well. Izaya only smirked, seeing how she was trying to avoid his eyes. He then let out a soft laugh, before catching up to her in one swift move. They were walking through the streets of Ikebukuro for a good ten minutes now, and still neither of them said anything.

"Don't tell anyone about this," She said after a while, causing the boy to glance at her from the corner of his eyes.

"If it's really that important to you," He smiled up at her. "I won't." If not for the fact that Shinra had warned her about him, she would believe he was being sincere. But since she knew what he was trying to do, her eyes narrowed dangerously, remembering how her mother told her to never avoid the eyes of your opponent.

"You can drop the nice-guy act now" She spoke in a low voice but Izaya simply laughed, ignoring her glare.

"It's just fair, Momo-chan"

'So he does know my name' She thought to herself. "But then again he was there when Heiwajima-san said it..."

"I believe you saved me from Shizu-chan, the other day," He answered nonchalantly, but there was an unknown edge to his voice that told her to not believe any of his words. The edge that told her to stay away from this man.

She then smiled up at him and Izaya knew her smile, just like his, wasn't sincere. "You saved me from him first," She pointed out, to which he only smirked.

"But Momo-chan" He smirked "It's not the fact that you saved me from him. It's more about how you did it." She couldn't help but frown at him, not sure what he was trying to say. Seeing her curiosity he simply grinned and in that moment she could not help but notice how demon-like he looked. With his red eyes, as if he's poured the blood of thousands of people.

"Helping you today, was the payment for piquing up my interest and providing my entertainment in the near future," He answered, looking down at her with something in his eyes that told her he was absolutely serious. But there was also something that told her, that the boy in front of her already was or was going insane.

"You're insane" She stated, to which the boy only laughed.

"Oh but madness is a dish best shared, don't you think?" Red and blue lights twinkled behind him in the distance, and she focused on those instead of his twisted face.

"If you say so," She muttered to herself, looking at the ground. And Izaya couldn't help but laugh, cocking his eyebrow at the strange girl, who managed to prove that she indeed was entertaining.

"And now, let me walk you home, hm Momo-chan? I bet Shinra is worried sick, don't you think so too?" He smiled down at her.

"You already know where I live?" She didn't seem surprised, after what she'd seen in his eyes, but still she wanted to see how he'd respond, but to her surprise he didn't. He didn't try to deny it, neither did he try to hide the fact that he seemed to know a lot about her. And at this point, she could not help but wonder if he knew that Inoue-sensei was going to wait for her after school.

"Was he there in the first place?" She wondered to herself but chose not to voice her thoughts.

"I think, I'll manage Orihara-san,"

"I'm sure you will," He grinned down at her, but all she could see was a facade that a demon hid behind, so he could lure souls in. And his smile that reminded her of switchblades and infidelity, made her step away from him. "But...Remember one thing Momo-chan..." Her eyes met his and as soon as they did, she knew he was absolutely serious. "Some people are not so easy to escape from like perverted teachers" And with these last words, he was gone.

That night Momoko lied in bed, unable to fall asleep as she thought about Izaya's words that seemed to be echoing in her head.

"Switchblades and infidelity..." The words filled the silence of her dark room as she muttered them to herself before passing out from exhaustion.

(A/N): Okay, so this is the new version of this chapter! I know, I know so much foreshadowing! p.p