"Hey Shizuo, you okay? You look extra pissed today…" his friend, Kadota Kyohei, had asked with concern.
"I am extra pissed. That freaking fleabag, I swear, I'm going to freaking kill him," Shizuo huffed, running a frustrated hand through his bleached hair.
Kadota sighed and shook his head in disapproval. "What did he do this time, hmm?"
"Stole the lunch Kasuka made me."
"But doesn't Kasuka make your lunch every day?"
"What's your damn point?" Shizuo spat, a faint hue of pink dusting his cheekbones.
Kadota held up his hands in defense. "Whoah, whoah, I was just asking. I mean, if he makes it every day, does it really matter if Izaya steals it every once in a blue moon?"
"OF COURSE IT—" Shizuo cut himself short, seeing that Kadota's facial expression looked rather threatened by his tone. Taking in a deep breath to control his temper, the blond continued in a much softer set of vocals. "Of course it matters…"
"Ew, Shizu-chan's brotherly love is so creepy!" came a snickering laugh.
With his teeth grinding together in a beastly manner, Shizuo spun on his heel, instantly nauseated by who he saw. "The Hell do you want, flea? Come to die again?"
Shaking his head from left to right, a wicked grin curling his lips, Izaya replied, "Meeting near death today brought me to my limit." The raven pulled back the collar of his uniform jacket, pointing to his tender bruises and fingernail marks. Kadota placed a sheepish hand over his mouth. "Pretty ugly, right?" the raven laughed, adjusting his collar back into place.
Skipping along, Izaya patted Shizuo on the shoulder, darting on past him and Kadota with a rather cheerful, "See you tomorrow, Shizu-chaaan!" in parting.
The brunette had to hold his companion back as the blond rampaged, yearning to bolt after the raven. "Shizuo! It's not worth it! He didn't even do anything!" Kadota shouted, trying to reason with him.
"He touched me!" Shizuo protested.
"Shizuo! Calm down! You're the one who strangled him earlier!"
The blond froze. The sharp memory of those feeble hands reaching up to hold onto his arm, that scratchy voice saying that he wouldn't do it, shattered his mentality, an eerie calm overcoming him.
Easing up, Kadota backed off. "You cool now, man?"
"Yeah…sorry about that…" Shizuo murmured.
"It's alright, you just, for a moment there, I really thought I had lost you."
"What do you mean?" Shizuo asked, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.
Kadota nervously scratched his cheek, hesitating for a moment as he said, "Uhhh, well…you had a different look in your eyes…"
The blond blinked, not understanding. "Did I?"
"Yeah, it was…"
Scary. That's what Kadota had wanted to say. He knew better, however, and substituted his intuition with a simple, "It just wasn't the 'you' that I know."
Shizuo rubbed the back of his head, somewhat self-conscious now. "Sorry…" he apologized again, this time in a sheepishly sincere tone. "That stupid flea, he just really gets to me, y'know?"
"Yeah, I know," Kadota nodded, patting Shizuo on that same shoulder that Izaya had. "Just be careful, huh? He's not made of steel like you are. You just might end up killing him one day."
The blond laughed a hardy laugh.
"Don't give me false hope, Kadota."
This was becoming a rather repetitive pattern.
"IZAAAYAAAA-KUUUUN!"
"Ne, Shizu-chan, I'm right here!" Izaya chuckled, tapping two straight fingers onto Shizuo's shoulder from behind.
Whipping around with a demeanor that represented a bull's, Shizuo's nostrils flared, breath heavy as he growled out, "Give me back my wallet."
"Wallet? Now why would I take your—"
"I KNOW YOU TOOK IT, NOW GIVE IT BACK! I HAVE IMPORTANT THINGS IN THERE!" Shizuo bellowed, making everyone within the vicinity either scatter or drop dead silent.
"Ooh! Important things, you say? Now I'm curious," the raven giggled, pulling said wallet out of his back pocket and shuffling through it. There was a decent amount of yen in there, a subway pass, and, oh would you look at that, a picture of the brute and his little brother from years past. "You're so creepy and possessive, Shizu-chan. You're never going to get a girlfriend because of it."
"NO ONE ASKED YOU, JUST GIVE IT BACK!" Shizuo lurched forward, trying to snatch the wallet out of Izaya's hand. The raven had intricately withdrew a step back, making their little farce resemble a dance for dominance.
"I don't think I want to," Izaya chirped, trotting backwards a few feet before dashing away.
"GET BACK HERE!" Shizuo roared, running after him. He was so determined in tracking Izaya down that he had even pushed a female student out of the way, causing her to wail in pain when her shoulder had crashed against a nearby locker.
Izaya had learned from his mistake last time and he was not going to repeat it. Running down the 2nd floor's side corridor, the raven spotted the janitor's office. Running in place, making quick decisions of whether hiding in there would be a good idea or not, Izaya decided yes, it was a good decision, for pounding footsteps came rounding the corner just seconds later.
Breathing heavily, door locked and back pressed flush against it, Izaya had a very faint smile plastered onto his face. He loved it; all of it. The chase, Shizuo's attention, the way his name echoed throughout the hallway walls when it was yelled. Yes, the raven really could get high from it all.
Izaya held his breath, hearing Shizuo's steps passing by the outside of the door behind which he hid. The raven was almost positive that his heart had skipped a beat when those footsteps stopped, faltered even, pausing at the janitor's door. Izaya swallowed dryly as a bead of hot sweat raced down the back of his neck, stinging as the salty droplet slid across one of his inflicted scratches.
The raven almost screamed, but he cemented his teeth shut. Shizuo had kicked the janitor's door out of frustration, denting the metal even, but stormed off. Izaya could hear him muttering cuss words beneath his breath before the blond was out of hearing range.
Looking down at the wallet in his hands, Izaya sighed.
"It's no fun if you just give up, Shizu-chan…"
The dismissal bell buzzed, sending students running this way and that, desperately wanting out the duel-school building. Shizuo had opened his shoe locker, not really focusing on what he was doing, when he felt leather beneath his fingertips. Head shooting up, the blond was startled to find his wallet, limply laying there, in his locker, with a papery note attached to it.
'Have your stupid wallet back, protozoan.'
Crumpling the note and throwing it onto the ground, Shizuo hurriedly essayed the contents within his wallet. A sigh of relief overtook him to find that everything that was supposed to be there was; even his picture with Kasuka.
"Somethin' the matter?" Kadota asked, slinging his book bag casually over one shoulder.
"Something is always the matter, Kadota," Shizuo scoffed.
"Excuse me for being polite," the brunette muttered. "You dropped something," he spoke up, noting the crumpled piece of paper on the ground.
"Threw it there."
"Don't be a litter bug. What is it?" Kadota asked, picking up the piece of paper.
"Note."
"From?"
"Flea."
"Ah," Kadota nodded, unfolding the paper. With an arched brow, he questioned, "Izaya stole your wallet?"
"Yeah."
"Please don't tell me the janitor is going to find his body in the dumpster out back."
"No, I couldn't find him. I mean, I was chasing him, but then he hid somewhere. Stupid coward."
Kadota sighed. "At least he gave it back. He didn't take anything that was inside of it, did he?"
"No…"
"Nothing to fret over then, hmm?"
"Yeah…"
"Hey, you okay, Izaya?" Shinra asked as the two walked home from school.
"Hmm? Why do you ask?" the raven countered.
"You're awfully quiet. Did something happen between you and Shizuo again today?"
"I stole his wallet," Izaya chuckled.
"You know, I'm really starting to question your sanity, Izaya."
Looking up to the sky, all the raven could do was laugh, and it wasn't a normal, "Haha, that's so funny!" kind of laugh. It was cynical, border-line evil, even.
"Me too, Shinra."
Me too.
Here's chapter 2! I hope you enjoyed it! :D
Chapter 3 is on the way tomorrow. (:
- Chappy