Chapter Three

When Anri was roused from her sleep the next morning, she was warm and comfortable, until she opened her eyes, then she was confused and lost. She quickly shot up, putting on her glasses and blearily looking around the unknown room, trying to remember where she was and how she got there.

She remembered helping Celty, then taking the train home, getting home and going to message Celty but not finding her phone... Oh, she was in Shinjuku, in Izaya's house, in his bed. Anri blinked a few times, then allowed herself to blush at the thoughts of a teenager like herself in an older man's bed. She quickly regained control of her emotions. She wasn't just any teenage girl, like she would be with an older man like that, especially if that older man was Izaya.

Anri shivered as she stepped out of bed onto the chilled wooden floors and walked into the hallway to go to the room that she had been in the night before. When she had entered the room, she saw Izaya laying across one of the couches with a thin blanket half covering his upper body and half spilling onto the floor. She hesitated at the door. Should she head back to his room and wait until she heard him or Namie wake up and start moving around, or should she wait here so that they know that she is awake? But wouldn't it be odd if she just sat here quietly while Izaya slept only feet away, but she also felt it would be odd if she just sat in Izaya's room with nothing to do.

Anri was still debating what to do when she heard a cough behind her, jumping in shock she turned around to see Namie, fully dressed holding a tray with coffee and food on it, and Anri's stomach grumbled at the thought of food. She moved out of the doorway and Namie walked passed her and placed the tray on the table and began taking the plates and cups off of it. When she stood straight again, she looked at Izaya and rolled her eyes at him, and Anri once again found herself wondering why Namie was here when she obviously disliked Izaya.

"Excuse me?" Anri managed to say, her voice quiet and cracking lightly from disuse, "Namie?"

Namie looked at Anri, raising a slender eyebrow, and Anri took that as permission to continue, "You don't like him, so why are you here? Why do you do this?"

Namie let out a huff of a laugh and rolled her eyes, "Unfortunately, I got into a bit of trouble, and Izaya knows everything about it, so he is both blackmailing me, and it's also ongoing payment for his ongoing help." Anri's eyes widened, as she hadn't thought of the payment Izaya would ask for his help, "He saved me from being taken by police and everyone else who is looking for me, and by having me stay here, is still keeping me from it. I don't like it, but it's better than prison or even death if I'm caught by other certain groups I angered." Anri nodded and Namie walked out of the room, Anri idly wondered what it was that Namie got herself into, or did.

She walked over to another of the couches and sat quietly. She sat for a minute before Namie came back into the room and woke Izaya up, unsurprisingly to Anri, in a rather rude way and even cursing at the sleeping man when he didn't wake up right away.

"You don't have to be so mean, Namie." Izaya said, not even sounding like he was actually bothered at having been awoken in such a way.

Breakfast passed quietly and quickly, and Anri tried to think of how she would make Izaya's payment. Sometimes he trades information, but he already said that he knew everything he needed to know about her and the people she knew. Other times he asked for favours, and she wasn't sure how she felt about owing a favour to Izaya Orihara. The rest of the time he asked for money, but Anri was a parentless teenager in high school, she had no money.

Anri slumped at her thoughts, it seemed the only thing she could do, in all her distaste for it, was a favour. She just hoped it wouldn't be too much. Maybe if she could set her own terms to the favour, it wouldn't be too bad.

Izaya stood up while Anri was still in her thoughts and Namie gathered dishes. She heard the gliding and clack of a drawer being opened and closed, then Izaya was in front of her, a familiar cell phone in his hand.

She went to take her phone from him, but he moved his hand just out of her reach, sitting on the edge of the small table directly across from her. A smile and devious look appeared in his eyes as he leaned on one hand, the other holding her phone between two fingers by his face, showcasing it off to her.

"Did you know that you and I have the same type of phone, Anri?" Izaya said in an innocent way that was belied by his smile and eyes. Anri shook her head anyways. "I take it you do know about my payment, though." This time Anri nodded in response.

"What is it you want in return? You said you already know all that you need about me, so you can't get any information about me, and it also means you know that I have no money." Anri spoke calmly, but on the inside, she kind of dreaded what he would ask.

"You have no school today, correct?" Anri knew he already knew the answer but nodded anyway.

"I'm going to give you two options, my dear Anri." Anri once again felt a shiver at the endearment. "One is that you will owe me a favour, which I can call upon at any given time that I choose." Anri had expected this one, so she was left to wonder what the other might be.

"The other is that you have to spend the rest of the day with me." Izaya spoke with the ease that a friend would speak to another.

"Can I set some terms for the favour?" Anri deadpanned.

"Anri, I'm hurt that you don't want to spend the day with me after all that I've done. I even gave you my room." Anri kept her eyes locked on his.

Izaya huffed, "Fine, one term. That's it. You better choose quick, the second offer is a one time deal that will end before too long."

Anri thought through her options. Izaya specifically said that the favour could be asked at anytime, so she couldn't have her term change that. She could say that she refuses to cause harm to anyone. Her mind drifted to the second option. If she did that, her payment was over and done with today. That definitely felt like it would be better than sitting and waiting for whatever favour Izaya might ask. It could take place tomorrow, which could be good, but it could also be months from now, and she might go crazy if she had to wait to get a call from Izaya at any given moment for that long. However, it meant being with Izaya the entire day, no matter what happens.

Anri sighed, choosing the option she might live to regret.