It was a day like any other in the city of Tokyo, a number of frightened pedestrians scuffling from Shizuo's path as the man with inhuman strength uprooted stop signs and other urban landscape objects in an attempt to chase Izaya out of Ikebukuro, the Information Broker's mere presence incurring the monster's wrath. It happened so many times over the years that it wasn't even surprising anymore, the hatred the two men held for each other being a well-known fact to anyone who lived there.
"Stop running like a coward, you bastard flea!" Shizuo shouted and threw a stop sign after the disgusting insect he despised from the bottom of his heart, the metal bar flying past the informant's head and embedding itself into the wall just as Izaya took a right turn.
"No waaay~!" Izaya said in a singsong voice, chuckling the moment he heard the brute roar out his name. It actually annoyed him a bit that he ended up running into Shizuo, but it was a risk he was willing to take each time he went to Ikebukuro. The brute was like a thorn in his side, but it wasn't bad enough that he needed to consider getting rid of the stupid beast once and for all. It was annoying and a hazard to his health, true, but he was confident that his parkour skills would keep him safe from the monster's fury. It worried him a bit though that Shizuo was getting better at chasing him out of Ikebukuro, the man's skills improving over the years from so much practice.
"'m gonna kill you!" Shizuo roared as he picked up a vending machine and threw it at Izaya, but the ease with which the louse dodged it made him see red.
"Shizu-chan can't even aim properly," Izaya taunted him, a bit breathless from being chased for so long by the relentless beast who wasn't giving him any chance to rest.
Shizuo snarled, his whole body trembling in rage and his feet automatically moving by themselves the second the insect started running again as though his brain wasn't even in control anymore. "Imma rip you to pieces!"
"Scaaaary~!" Izaya gasped in mock-surprise as he broke into a sprint, the world soon tilting left as he crashed to the ground. His only thought as his awareness slipped into pitch black was the enigma of what had hit him.
Shizuo stopped in his tracks, confused as to where the insect had disappeared. One moment the man was in front of him, going around a corner, and in the next one he was gone, as though the bastard had vanished into thin air. "IIIIZAAAAAYAAAAA!" he roared out in rage, the sound bouncing off the alley's walls. His eyes roamed all over the place, trying to find something that would reveal where the louse was hiding, but he couldn't find anything so he just stood there for a few minutes, trying to calm down enough to be able to go back to work. He was already feeling bad for bailing on Tom in the middle of a job.
He never noticed the man peeking at him from behind the window of car parked near the place where Izaya had disappeared.
As soon as Shizuo left, the man drove off with his prize. "Orihara Izaya, I'll soon teach you the meaning of the word silence," he said, brows furrowing in anger while his sneer described the abhorrence he felt for the Information Broker.
⁂
Izaya groaned in pain as his eyes fluttered open, his brain working diligently on clearing his addled thoughts. He wasn't sure where he was, so he chose to ignore the splitting headache and the wetness he could feel at the back of his head where he'd been hit in favor on figuring out what was going on.
"You're finally awake," he heard someone say and he jerked in surprise only to realize that he was tied to a chair. Most people would've panicked after finding themselves in such a situation, but he was Orihara Izaya, and something as mundane as getting tied to a chair didn't really affect him. Smirking, he looked around, trying to see if he could figure out where he was, but he ended up turning his attention back to the guy standing in front of him when he realized that he had no clue where he'd been taken. "What is this?" he finally asked the human holding his switchblade, and he had to admit that the skull painted on the hood mask covering the man's face looked rather sinister.
"Your punishment."
"And what grave sin did I commit, oh mysterious man? Or do you prefer I call you 'Skull-san?'" he asked in an amused voice, hoping to confuse the man with his fearless behavior. Most assailants liked to see their victim cower in fear, and that was exactly why Izaya was going to behave the exact opposite of what was expected of him.
"Your sin is that you talk too much," the man stated as he started circling the chair, arms folded in front of his chest.
"That's my job," Izaya chirped. "I am an Information Broker after all."
"Indeed you are, but therein lies the problem. You don't think about how the information you so easily sell or trade affects the people involved. I can't help but wonder how many people had ended up suffering or even went as far as to take their own lives because of you."
Izaya's smirk widened, especially since he was starting to get an idea about what was going on. "Is that what happened to you? Or is this about someone you care or cared about?"
"It would be foolish of me to reveal any information that might be used to uncover my identity. Please do not lump me in with the rest of the humans you look down on."
"You misunderstood me. I love humans. They are such interesting creatures, and those who hold such a strong grudge against me that they feel compelled to act upon it are truly fascinating."
The man chuckled darkly and grabbed Izaya's jaw, tightening the grip until he could read the pain in the informant's eyes. "I wouldn't call it a grudge. You could say that I am simply a concerned citizen who believes that you are due for a fitting punishment," he said and then retracted his hand when Izaya tore himself away from the fingers capturing his jaw.
"That only makes you even more fascinating! You're not someone who holds a personal grudge against me and yet you have taken it upon yourself to punish me for my transgressions. You make it sound like you're some sort of hero who only lives to punish the wicked," Izaya mused, lips set into a sickly sweet smile.
"I'm no hero, Orihara-san, nor are you a villain. Most people believe the world to be painted in only black and white, but the truth is that it's mostly painted in different shades of grey, and that's exactly why I'm not going to kill you; you're simply not evil enough. What you need is a lesson, so you can think of me as a parent punishing a naughty child."
Izaya snorted. "Parent? Judging by your voice, you're not that old."
"You are right. I may, or may not be even younger than you."
Judging by the youthful clothes the man was wearing, Izaya concluded that he could've indeed been younger than he was, and he had to admit that a part of him was fascinated by this mysterious human regardless of his age (or especially because of it). It wasn't too often that humans dared to mess with him unless they were stupid beasts, but Shizuo didn't exactly count because the brute was not human to begin with. The person before him didn't even hate him, yet he took it upon himself to impart justice. A twisted messed up part of him was looking forward to seeing how exactly was the man planning to punish him, and that made his body thrum with both fear and excitement. He had a feeling that it would be painful, but at least the man had no plans to kill him. Some people had enough reasons to end his life, but most humans were cowards and that's why they never acted upon their hatred. Worst case scenario, he would lose a finger or two, best case scenario, he'd walk out of there with only a few broken bones, but all in all, it beat death.
"Are you ready to receive your punishment?" the man asked and pulled a small metal box out of the pocket of his jacket.
"Skull-san, can't we make some sort of deal?" Izaya asked in a sweet voice in the hope of negotiating his way out of it. "I can pay you."
"Why would I want something that is used to enslave the human population?"
Izaya's smile fell when he realized that he was not dealing with an ordinary guy. It was true that most humans could be bought, but there were a few exceptional individuals who were above others and who would never trample on what they thought to be morally just no matter how much money one would throw at them. "You're a troublesome individual," he reluctantly admitted. "In that case, I'm as ready as I'll ever be," he said, his nervous chuckle betraying the way he felt.
The man opened the box and picked up from within a needle with a silk thread attached to it. "I'm glad to hear that."
Izaya eyed it suspiciously. "Are you planning to slice up my skin and then stitch me up so that I won't bleed to death?"
"No, no, of course not. That would be barbaric," the man said as he approached the informant. "What I'm going to do is far less painful."
Izaya's eyes flickered down to the needle momentarily before moving back to the man's face. "And what is that exactly?"
"I'm going to sew your mouth shut," he chortled.
Izaya instinctively tried to move away, but the ropes restraining his body held him exactly where he was. "You're crazy!" he nearly shrieked as an intense shudder ran down his spine, his reddish- brown eyes glaring daggers at the madman before him.
"Don't worry, you won't die from it," the masked kidnapper tried to reassure him while the hand holding the needle slowly moved towards the informant's face.
"Don't you dare!" Izaya hissed and started to struggle, dread quickly spreading throughout his body and a surprised cry escaping him as fresh pain bloomed in his skull when the man grabbed his hair and yanked his head backwards. "Stop" he snarled just before he felt it, the pain of the needle being viciously thrust through the flesh below his lower lip. Immediately, blood started to seep from the wound and trickle down his chin, the nauseating coppery taste filling his mouth almost making him dizzy. It wasn't just the pain that he couldn't stand each time the needle pierced his flesh, but also that feeling of absolute humiliation at being treated in such a way and being unable to do anything about. His tied up hands flexed convulsively, itching to grab the man's neck and squeeze until the bastard gave his last chocked breath.
The pain wasn't as bad as what he had experienced during some of his fights with different gangs or with Shizuo, but it was by far the most debasing experience of his entire life. A grunt slipped past his bloody lips when the man accidentally stung his gums, and he inwardly cursed the monster for what he was doing to him, especially when he seemed to be deriving so much pleasure out of it. He vowed to find him no matter which deep dark hole he would use to hide in so that he could show him why it had been a mistake to mess with a god.
"Almost done," the man announced before chuckling some more. He'd truly enjoyed the informant's deep fury that seemed to make those red eyes burn as though he was trying to incinerate him with the power of his sight.
"I will kill you," Izaya tried to say, but all that came out were muffled sounds, as well as a rather pathetic whimper when the man viciously pierced the corner of his upper lip.
Full-fledged laughter issued from the man, and he dropped the needle into the box and shoved it inside the pocket of his jacket, all the while thoroughly enjoying the way in which the informant was harshly squinting at him. "Good boy," he said and lightly brushed Izaya's cheek before patting his head. "See? That wasn't so bad. Next time you think about opening that big mouth of yours, try to remember this fond moment we shared."
"Mmm-Hrrmmpff!"
"Was that a threat?" he asked and then continued when all he got from the tied up man was silence. "I'm going to send someone to get you in a couple of hours. Until then, enjoy the silence," he said and walked out of the abandoned store, feeling good about teaching Orihara Izaya a lesson.
Finally alone, Izaya let out a few pained whimpers and moans, his entire face throbbing in pain. The heat spreading from the wounds and towards the rest of the face made him wonder how terrible he must look, and the thought of anyone seeing him like that froze the blood in his veins, the contrast between the heat and the cold driving him insane. I will find him and I will kill him, he vowed, certain that he would feel no remorse for killing someone who thought himself to be above humans. There was only one god, and that was Orihara Izaya.
⁂
To say that Shizuo was pissed was an understatement, especially when his run-in with the flea had completely ruined his day to the point that he was chain smocking cigarette after cigarette while Tom kept looking at him as though he'd lost his mind. On second thought, perhaps he was insane. No normal person would ever be capable of hating another as much as he hated Izaya. He heard his phone ring and he retrieved it from his pocket, hoping that it was not the insect calling him to gloat about how he'd succeeded in escaping him once again. "Hello?"
"Heiwajima-san, there is a present waiting for you inside the abandoned store near club Feria in Ikebukuro. No need to thank me, you are most welcome," the man said in an amused tone before ending the conversation.
Shizuo glared at the phone, wondering what that was about. If he were to guess, it was probably Izaya leading him into some ambush, and luckily, for once, he had no problem with that. He needed to blow off some steam, and what better way to do it than to break a few bones? "I gotta go for a bit," he informed Tom, not exactly caring whether the man agreed or not. If he didn't do something, and fast, he knew that he could end up accidentally hurting someone. He lit up another cigarette and headed with hurried steps in the direction of the store, hoping the flea was there so that he could wipe that disgusting smile off his face once and for all. It only took him about ten minutes to get there, and the moment he found himself in front of the door he kicked it open. "Iiiizaaayaaaa-ku—" he started but stopped when his eyes zero-ed in on the tied-up man. "What the hell...?" It wasn't a trap like he had originally thought. No matter how fucked up in the head the insect was, not even he would do something like that to his face, not when everything about the man practically screamed narcissism.
Izaya felt the blood drain from his face for a few agonizing moments before he glared at the brute, shame heightening as his face burned in humiliation. His hope that Shinra would be sent there had been obliterated, and for some reason, Shizuo's smirk hurt him a lot more than having his lips sewn up by a human who didn't know his place.
Shizuo took a drag from the cigarette before he shoved his hands inside the pockets of his pants and sauntered over to his tied-up archenemy. "What's this, Izaya-kun? Did someone finally find a way to silence you?" Shizuo taunted and made a sound approximating amusement. "Does it hurt, I-za-ya-kun?"
Of course it does, you stupid beast, Izaya screamed inside his head (because he couldn't out loud) and glared daggers at the monster before him.
"Now, now, flea, that's no way to look at someone who could either cut you loose or bash your head in," Shizuo said and started circling the chair, blowing the smoke into Izaya's face as often as he could because he knew how much the insect hated it. "You know, it's really hard for me to decide what to do with you. On one hand, if I kill you now, I'll probably end up in jail, but on the other hand, if I let you live, you'll never leave me alone, so you understand why I'm taking my time here. I could, of course, simply walk out of here and leave you as you are, but that would be too cruel even for a monster like me. You'd better start praying that I decide to cut you loose, even if I will beat you within an inch of your life afterwards."
Izaya grit his teeth in pain and frustration, hating how he was at the beast's mercy. He was so ashamed that he almost wished he could disappear, and that was not a feeling he had ever experienced before. He wearily watched as Shizuo dropped the cigarette and crushed it under the sole of his shoe before turning his attention back to him, the malevolent smirk on the man's face almost making him break into a sweat.
"I've finally made up my mind. I'm going to cut you loose, but there's something I need to do first," he said before he fished the phone from his pocket and took a picture of Izaya, the insect's horrified expression bringing a sadistic smile to his face. "I'll keep this as insurance in case you decide to come to Ikebukuro again," he added and slipped the phone back into his pocket before he proceeded to rip the ropes to shreds, not at all worried that he could get attacked. If the louse had a weapon, he would've freed himself by the time it took him to get there.
Izaya barely managed to get up, his whole body feeling faint after he saw the brute taking a picture of him in such a humiliating state. His mind however was sharper than ever, so by sheer will alone he dashed towards the protozoan in an attempt to snatch the phone from the man's pocket.
Shizuo stepped to the side and punched Izaya in the back, the insect collapsing at his feet in a heap. "I hope those scar, you disgusting fucked up flea," he said and walked out of the store, wishing that he knew who had done such a thing to Izaya so that he could congratulate the man for coming up with such a great idea.
Izaya just lay there on the floor, limbs shaking with fine tremors while he fought to catch his breath, a task which was not easy to accomplish when he couldn't even open his mouth. Stupid protozoan, I hate you, he screamed inside his head while trying to blink away the blurriness in his vision. I hate you! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you! Why did it have to be you?
⁂
It was already dark outside by the time Izaya got home, and for that he was grateful. Even with the hood on his head and his right hand covering his mouth he doubted that people wouldn't be able to notice his swollen face (which luckily was starting to feel numb). He knew that he should've gone to Shinra, but it was already bad enough that Shizuo saw and the last thing he needed was for the doctor to interrogate him on what had happened. It wasn't just the embarrassment that kept him away, but also the man's annoying attitude because he had a feeling that Shinra would most likely laugh like an idiot.
He threw his jacket on the living room couch and rushed up the stairs towards the bathroom, holding in his right hand a knife that he'd picked up from the kitchen. He was almost too afraid to look in the mirror, but it was the only way to cut the threads without accidentally nicking himself, so he steeled his mind and turned towards it, immediately feeling faint at the sight of his swollen bloody lips. His fingers tightened around the edge of the sink and he inwardly cursed both that man and Shizuo, a fury like he had never felt before incinerating him from within. He raised his hand and slowly started to cut the threads before he proceeded to pull them out one by one, more blood pouring down his chin while his eyes were heavy with moisture as a string of pathetic whimpers spilled out of his mouth.
"I'm g-going to k-kill them," he said in a trembling voice before he applied antiseptics on gauze and then gently tapped the puncture wounds as well as the back of his head. He kept doing that for a while, not wanting to get an infection, before applying some antibiotic cream and staggering out of there and towards the bedroom where he finally allowed his exhausted body to collapse on the bed. He stared at the ceiling for a while, wallowing in misery, stunned that someone had actually succeeded in humiliating him, until he retrieved his phone and dialed Shizuo's number, wanting to make sure that the brute would not post the picture online even though he doubted that Shizuo even knew how to do that.
"Whadya want?"
Izaya fought to swallow the lump in his throat and struggled to sound like his usual annoying self. "Was that entertaining enough for you, Shizu-chan?"
"Very. You mad, flea?"
"How do you think I feel after getting my face mutilated, you dumb protozoan?!" he snapped, immediately regretting the outburst.
"Now, now, Izaya-kuuun, that's no way to treat your savior," Shizuo said, trying to goad him into snapping again. Unfortunately, all he got in return was silence. "Why are you calling?"
"Have you uploaded the picture yet?" Izaya asked, knuckles turning white from how hard he was gripping the phone.
"Not yet."
"Will you?"
"Not if you stay out of Ikebukuro."
"I see. In that case, enjoy your Schadenfreude," the informant said, his voice faltering a little as he breathed out.
"Huh...? What does—"
Izaya ended the call, feeling thoroughly irritated by the brute's voice. Luckily, Shizuo was not smart enough to be a match for him, so he had no doubts that he could somehow snatch the man's phone sooner or later and delete the picture. If the protozoan thought that he could keep him out of Ikebukuro, then the stupid brute had another thing coming.
As for the human who sewed his mouth shut, whoever he was, he would find him and he would make him pay in the most painful of ways, even if it'd be the last thing he would ever do, because no one humiliated Orihara Izaya and got away with it.