Izaya was a little surprised at how ridiculously easy it was to fabricate a story about the events leading up to their current situation once he got going. But, considering Shizuo's IQ and his brilliant mind, only a little. Shizuo had recovered most of his balance, and the two of them were now walking in the direction of Sunshine 60 Street.

"They've just knocked down some old abandoned building, so that alley is kind of a hazard right now. However, I saw a… kitten! A cute little kitten running around. I just love cats, but you already know that because we're dating. And I wanted to catch it because I was afraid it would hurt itself, but you said it would be too dangerous and went instead. Because you're my boyfriend. But there was a loose piece of stone that you tripped over, knocking yourself unconscious and giving yourself amnesia! What a crazy thing to happen! On a date. That we are on." Izaya hoped he wasn't driving the point too hard.

"If you say so." It peaked Izaya's curiosity that Shizuo had said very few words these past few blocks. He was used to the man shouting at him to GET THE HELL OUT OF HIS TOWN, but maybe Shizuo was actually the quiet type. Not exactly the kind of dirt he was looking for, but Izaya had been in his trade long enough to know that even the smallest detail could turn a profit down the road. Silent and handsome, with rebelliously bleached blonde hair. Shizuo probably still had a fanclub among the high school girls at Raira Academy, even after all these years. Wait, did he just mentally label Shizuo as handsome? Well, that was ok, wasn't it? It was just an observation, and observing was one of the things Izaya did best. It definitely mean he was gay or anything…

"What?" Shizuo looked uncomfortable, and Izaya realized he'd been staring up at the taller man the whole time he was thinking. The blonde fidgeted. "Look, my head hurts and this is all a bit much for me to take in right now. I think I should just go home and lie dow-"

"NO!" Izaya wasn't about to lose this golden opportunity to something as trivial as a headache. Shizuo Heiwajima had held up under worse conditions before. Izaya should know, he'd caused them. "I mean… you've blown off this date twice already! You owe it to me to stay!" Think fast… what did Shizuo like? "I'll buy you a crepe! C'mon!" Izaya didn't leave room for a rebuttal as he grabbed the former bartender's arm and pulled him through a pack of annoyed pedestrians. "Banana custard for me." he told the crepe stand employee, and looked back to Shizuo for his order. The other man seemed overwhelmed at the extensive menu. "Uh… vanilla ice cream and… strawberries?" Izaya wasn't sure if that was his order or just him reading out loud, but he gave a nod to the workers anyway. Shizuo stepped off to the side and leaned against the wall of the arcade building next door.

"So how long have we been… y'know" He gestured back and forth between the two of them.

"This is our first date, actually." Well, that wasn't a lie at least. "But you've liked me since high school! Yup. You used to slip love notes in my locker, but until you recently confessed I thought they were from the girl who sat next to me in math class." With an extra wide smile, he retrieved the crepes from the girl behind the counter, whos face had turned a little redder and was shyly stealing glances at the two of them. 'Her and that chick Dotachin is always hanging around must run with the same crowd' Izaya thought at he handed Shizuo his dessert, ignoring the skeptical look on the other man's face. They ate in an uncomfortable silence that was more boring than anything in Izaya's mind. He leaned over and stole the last bite of Shizuo's crepe, since he couldn't think of anything to reinitiate the conversation with.

"Hey! What was that?"

"It looked good."

"Ask next time!"

"But I paid for it, Shizu-chan!" The taller man twitched.

"Don't call me that!"

"Why not? You said it was your favorite nickname."

"Like hell I did. I may not remember much, but my name is Shizuo."

Izaya frowned. So far he all he had managed to do was buy his nemesis a snack. This was quickly becoming a waste of his time.

"Shizu-chan, I have an idea!" Again, Izaya physically forced the other in the direction he wanted to go. Which happened to be inside the arcade this time.

"Huh? I'm not winning you a stuffed toy, if that's what you want. We're not fifteen year old girls." But Izaya steered him away from the crane machines and towards the elevator, pushing the button for floor number seven.

"No, no, just wait and see." he said with a grin as the doors opened.

In order to make a living as an informant, Izaya quickly learned that just procuring information wasn't enough. You had to be able to back up your claims. Collecting evidence was an important part of his job, and they do say a picture is worth a thousand words.

"What are those?" Shizuo stared down the aisle formed between two rows of large cubicles. Plastic curtains hung over their entrances and the sides were adorned with large photos of tanned girls with dyed hair. Most of them were either make peace or heart signs with their hands. The blonde looked thoroughly creeped out.

"Purikura" Izaya was met with a blank stare. "Er… photo booths. They print out your picture on these little sticker things. All the teenagers love them. C'mon, it's easier if I show you." He pulled a sheet of pink plastic back and gestured inside, but Shizuo was too busy glaring down the model on the side of the machine to notice.

"I'm not going in there."

Izaya sighed and wondered if this was even worth the effort. He was quickly being reminded of why he hated the man. Shizuo had a habit of making snap decisions, and was so obstinate that once his mind was made up it was almost impossible to change. For example, the three seconds it had taken him to decide that Izaya was his mortal enemy when they had first met. And, after over five years, their relationship had remained one of the most constant aspects of his life.

"You need to be more adventurous, Shizu-chan." And with that he swiftly ducked behind the taller man and threw himself at his back, driving them both inside with such force that Shizuo hit the wall on the opposite end.

"Ow, dammit! " Izaya ignored him, quickly selecting backgrounds and settings before Shizuo could escape. An ultra cheerful voice began to count down.

"Three… two… one…" Click.

"Geez, Shizu-chan, would it kill you to smile?"

"What's with the sparkly background? That's not going to be in the picture, right?" Click.

"Don't worry about that. Just smile!" Izaya reached over and pushed the taller man's mouth into a stretched grin. Click.

"Stop it!" The informant's arms were swatted away. "Where's the redo button?"

"I don't think there is one. Last frame!" Shizuo was scanning the control panel when Izaya stretched up on his toes and planted a kiss on his cheek. Click. "There. That wasn't so bad, was it?" The smaller man gave a sweet smile.

"Tch, whatever." Shizuo glanced over at a corner as soon as their eyes met. "Let's just get out of here."

"When we're finished." Izaya brushed past him and around the corner. He wasn't about to leave without his prize.

"There's more?"

Izaya was pretty good at thinking ahead, but as he found the photo editing station of their booth he quickly realized they might have a problem. There might have been enough space for a couple of teenage girls to squeeze in between the machines, but two grown men was a different story. Especially if one of them happened to be the hulking frame of Shizuo Heiwajima. Izaya felt his shoulder dig into the wall as the other man tried to position himself in the least awkward way possible.

"It's kind of tight in here." Shizuo remarked. He at least looked a little more relaxed now that he saw there weren't any more cameras.

"No kidding." Izaya had a fleeting thought, as their arms pressed against each other, that this was probably the longest he'd ever be able to stay in physical contact with his enemy. Actually, now that he analyzed the situation, this was the last position he would want to find himself in should Shizuo's memory return. He should have made the other man go in first. Best to get this over with quickly, then.

"Ok, pick up that pen." He got an accidental jab in his ribs as his orders were obeyed.

"Sorry."

Izaya shrugged. If only Shizuo could remember the other things that the informant had suffered at his hands. If he could, he'd probably be dead right now. "Now use that to start drawing."

"On the picture?"

"Yeah." Izaya selected the second photo on his screen and wrote the date, place, and time up top. It would come in handy when collaborating with any eye witness's reports in the future, should Shizuo be in denial. And Izaya was sure that he would.

"I don't get why this is so popular." Shizuo said, as he placed a puppy in the corner of his screen.

Izaya selected a pair of shiny pink sunglasses and tapped his pen over Shizuo's eyes. "I think I can understand the appeal." A sparkling silver tiara was placed on top of his messy blonde hair.

"Well, maybe you can- hey!" Shizuo had glanced over at the other screen. "Take those off!"

"Shizu-chan, you're cramping my artistic style."

"Fine, then I'll do it myself." The taller man moved his pen in, which Izaya attempted to counter with his own. Shizuo tried again, this time moving his whole body closer and reach around Izaya's shoulders to the other side. His pen touched the photo, and the informant tried to push it off again with his own. What followed was a battle of purikura dominance, the likes of which had never been witnessed by mankind before.

"Time's up! Please collect your photos at the printing station!"

The two men stopped and stared at the giant, multicolored scribble which covered the screen. 'Good thing we took more' Izaya thought, fighting the strange urge to chuckle. Shizuo held a satisfied grin on his face.

"I win."

"That's great. Do you plan on smothering me to death in victory, now?" Shizuo blinked in confusion and then seemed to realize that, in his eagerness, he had wedged the smaller man even tighter in between him and the wall.

"Oh." He straightened up and took a step back. "Uh.. we should get our pictures. I think people are waiting." How like him to get carried away over something so trivial. It was almost endearing when there weren't vending machines involved.

"Er… Shizuo?" The blonde had shuffled out of the cramped space and was now standing facing the hallway. He started to turn his head, but Izaya stopped him and instead brushed away the locks of hair that had been obscuring the top of his white shirt collar. Well, white until the top and inside had been stained red with blood.

"You're bleeding."