Mei stood in the middle of Izaya's office in Shinjuku, hands stuck in her pockets, praying he didn't notice her anxiety.

"Hold on just a second." Izaya said absently as he finished his chat room conversation; his fingers flew on the keyboard, eager to finish. He shot Mei a little smile. "You know I'm surprised, you barely ever visit anymore."

For over a year Izaya had become her confidant and adviser; she told him practically her whole life story, seeking his guidance on every problem, his brutal honesty on every tribulation. He had never steered Mei wrong.

"Yeah, it's been a while." she gave him a polite half smile. "Sorry to drop in so suddenly."

"No, no, a visit from you is nothing short of an honor." Izaya closed down his computer quickly with a smooth smile. "I was getting worried, the last time we talked you seemed so down."

There was a good reason for that; it was true that for a long time Mei had sought Izaya's counsel almost religiously; he seemed to know everything. At first, this was a blessing; she felt she could tell him anything and his observations would be objective and concise. He always lent her a compassionate ear; it was everything she had been missing from her life.

"But he's…." Mei clenched her hands tightly in her pockets; she had been hearing more and more unsavory rumors lately, sinister rumors of him working for the Awakusu-kai, about him somehow being involved with the alleged human trafficking scandal from Yagiri pharmaceuticals, and much more. At first she wanted to just act like it wasn't real, but as time went on it was too much to simply ignore.

"He's not safe to be around." Mei told herself firmly as Izaya smiled kindly and waited for her to speak. His smile never did quite reached his eyes; when she talked to him, Mei could see his genuine fascination, but lately it had become more and more apparent it wasn't out of good intentions or interest in helping. She had the eeriest feeling he was reveling in her need for help, the way she had come to depend on him.

Mei smiled slightly. "I just wanted to thank you in person for everything you've done for me."

Izaya laughed lightly. "How sweet. You didn't have to come all this way for that." he glanced at the clock. "It's getting a bit late actually. How about we grab something to eat and I'll drive you home? Unless, you'd like to stay over?"

At her raised eyebrows, Izaya laughed heartily.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it that way." Izaya assured her. "I have a spare room you can use for the night."

"That's kind, but I'll be okay. My boyfriend is going to pick me up at the station." Mei replied politely, trying to sound casual and in a rush to go. "I actually wanted to say that I probably won't need your counseling anymore. Things have gotten a lot better since I've been taking your advice, and-"

"Boyfriend?"

Mei stopped at his tone. "Uh, yes. We've been dating for a couple of months now."

"I see."

There was an oddly tense silence.

"Well, I'm very grateful for everything." Mei told him. "I should be going; thank you again."

Izaya stood up from his desk. "I heard you had been seeing someone, but I didn't believe it myself. Here I was thinking he was your friend or something." he tilted his head quizzically. "I thought you weren't ready for that?"

"I thought so, but I really like him." she shrugged and looked at him warily as he came closer and closer.

"Just 'like'? Oh, that's good." Izaya smiled blandly. "So it won't be such a big deal that he'll be breaking up with you."

"...what?"

"He's quite studious, isn't he? Passing every class, works hard; yeah, he sounds like a nice guy." Izaya commented pleasantly; he was right in front of Mei now, hands lazily stuck in his coat pockets. "He wants to become an engineer, right?"

Mei stepped back, trying to contain a shiver of dread. "How do you know that?"

"I do my research. You've confided so much in me, I feel like I need to look after you." Izaya said quietly. "I'm hurt. You've been skipping our meetings to see him, haven't you? Well, that just won't do."

Izaya pulled out his cellphone and held it up for her to see; she gasped and covered her mouth in horror.

"It'd be a shame if these pictures got leaked to...say, every college in Japan?" Izaya shrugged carelessly. "It certainly would be hard for him, wouldn't it? It's just amazing what you can do and share online!"

Mei reached out for the phone; Izaya put it away and yanked her forward by her outstretched arm. He was almost nose to nose with Mei, his breath hot on her face.

"Why?" Mei whispered, still hardly able to believe what was happening. "Why are you doing this? What could you possibly-?!"

"Shut up."

She blinked; Izaya's grip was bruising. He held his knife up to her face.

"You don't even care, do you?" Izaya hissed. "You were fine pouring your heart out to me, using me to feel better, but you only care about yourself. Quid pro quo sweetheart, relationships go both ways."

"Relationship? What the hell are you talking about?" Mei asked in disbelief, struggling to free her hand.

"I've done so much for you, and you're ready to abandon me, just like that?" Izaya's smile was manic. "How selfish. I don't give out info or advice for free you know."

Before Mei could respond, he had flipped her onto the floor.

"You poor thing." Izaya cooed and brushed back her mussed hair. "I've always been there. Is it so much to ask the same from you? You should be here instead of going off to fuck with another man!"

Mei screamed as he slashed at her cheek; she felt a drop of blood slowly drip down her skin. Izaya stared for a second before leaning in close.

"Please, let me go." You felt your tears mingle with the blood; Izaya licked up both gently with a satisfied smirk.

"Never again." Izaya giggled; he lightly nuzzled Mei's neck. "I've got that room all set up for you. I think you'll be very comfortable here."

She shook her head weakly, struggling to breath.

"Now, now, don't be fussy." Izaya chided with a crazed grin. "I love you after all. Aren't you just lucky? Nothing will ever come between us again, human or monster."

"Help me!" Mei sobbed wretchedly through her tears as Izaya dragged the knife blade gingerly down her neck. "Someone, help me, please!"

Izaya gently kissed the red line rising on her skin with a sigh.

"You know, you should love me too."