The bartender slid another drink down the counter top, the blond man sitting at the counter catching it easily. He lifted the glass of whiskey to his lips, gulping it down in an instant. His face scrunched up behind his sunglasses, disgust from the taste of the alcohol evident. He let out a sigh and raised his hand, bending his finger at the bartender. The balding man looked at the customer with concern.

"Sir, are you sure you can handle another drink?" the bartender asked, his eyes drifting to the glasses scattered across the bar-top in front of the man.

The blond looked over the rim of his sunglasses, a dangerous look in his eye. The bartender shook in fear before setting to work on making the blond another drink. He knew better, just as everyone else in the bar did, than to anger the strongest man in Ikebukuro. Shizuo Heiwajima was never to be angered, especially since Izaya was no longer around to distract him.

Earlier That Day

"I never would have believed a monster like you to be capable of such a thing, Shizu-chan."

The raven haired man sat calmly on the top of a vending machine, smirking down at the blond man. He swung his legs back and forth, clearly amused by what Shizuo had said.

I don't hate you, Izaya.

The words had come as a surprise, but like hell was Izaya going to show that to the protozoan. Shizuo, however, was growing impatient. He'd just come clean, telling the man who had plagued his existence since high school how he really felt. No, he didn't hate him. It was Shizuo who had said it first, but did Izaya acknowledge that the meat-head was telling the truth? Of course not. This was Izaya Orihara, the man who knew almost everything that was going on in Ikebukuro. Being told by Shizuo himself that the hatred between them was not real was something to be laughed at.

"I don't believe you, Shizu-chan. Did you really think I would?"

Izaya let out a laugh, stretching his arms to the sky. He let his head fall back, propping his hands behind him on the cold metal of the machine. His smirk slowly dissolved when he realized that the blond hadn't spoken a word in retaliation. He tilted his head to the side, looking down at the blond below. With a small push, Izaya jumped to the ground, landing gracefully in front of the other. He craned his neck to look up at him.

"Are you honestly telling me you don't hate me?" the ravenette asked, shock showing in his voice.

Shizuo looked down at the other, a frown gracing his features. He let out a soft sigh before lifting a hand. Running his hand through his hair, Shizuo averted his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm telling the truth. I don't hate you, Izaya," he grumbled. This really wasn't going as he had planned.

Another laugh erupted from the smaller man as he turned away from his former enemy. He laughed at Shizuo as if the blond had done something truly hilarious. With a shake of his head, Izaya walked away. No, he didn't believe it. Honestly, the ravenette had thought that he would be the first to crack, not Shizuo. Although, now that it had been put out there, it seemed that Izaya owed Shinra a small sum of cash.

As Izaya walked away, the blond felt a sinking feeling in his chest. He raised a hand to clutch at the area, confused as to why he felt this way. It wasn't like him to care what the info broker thought, or even to not get angry for his having laughed in his face, but this time was different. He lowered his head, thoughts of why he had even tried rushing through his head.

A screech of tires against asphalt interrupted Shizuo's thoughts, causing him to jump in surprise. He shook his head, pushing the idea he had had from his mind. He would deal with the Izaya thing later.

Shizuo took off, running toward the street. The scene that greeted him wasn't one that overly surprised him. A woman to the side was frantically yelling at people, telling Shizuo that someone had been hit by the car in the road. He rushed over and checked under the car, a flash of white fur causing his heart to skip a beat.

No. It could't be.

Shizuo stood up in a rush, lifting the car from on top of Izaya. The blond hurridly checked for a pulse. He felt nothing. His eyes widened, fear taking over his body. How many times had he told the flea that he would kill him? How many times had he been prepared to murder the ravenette? Yet now, when there was truly no hope for the other's survival, he couldn't bear the thought of Izaya dying.

The next few minutes were a blur. The paramedics arrived, forcing Shizuo away from the scene. He listened, waiting for the analysis from the paramedics. Once they had pronounced Izaya dead, Shizuo walked away. Somehow, the blond had managed to stumble into a bar. He took a seat at the bar-top, looking over at the bartender with a stoic expression.

"I need a glass of whiskey."