Chapter Three: Decisions

"Work for me."

This had taken both him and Tom back. Tom was the first to look back where the small voice had come from. There stood a daintily dressed girl, skirt flowing above her knees from the commotion that Shizuo had just caused (vending machine ruined, guy in debt knocked out, the usual). The girl closed her eyes, running a hand through her hair, before thrusting it forward. Her finger pointing directly at-

"Shizuo Heiwajima. I want you to work for me."

Tom's mouth about hit the pavement but Shizuo, hands jammed in his pocket per usual, turned only his head, giving her a long side ways glance. Where had this girl even come from? Staring at her, she stared back, eyes boring into his even behind his shades.

Turning his head away, he grunted.

"No thanks."

"It wasn't a request," the girl called out. If Tom wasn't surprised enough before, he sure as hell was now. This girl, she obviously knew who Shizuo was, what he was known for, yet here she stood, staring at his back so nonchalantly. "No is not an acceptable answer."

Shizuo simply continued his walk to wherever they had been on their way to before, expecting Tom to follow. He couldn't be taking her seriously This dainty female requesting his help? It was a joke surely, a dare even. But he couldn't lose his temper, not with a female.

The blonde ex-bartender heard hurried steps behind him, but what he suspected to be Tom wasn't it. The girl took her next few steps in a leap, nearly landing on Shizuo's back, close enough for him to grow irritable.

Her head poked around the side of his body, hair tossed from the wind, revealing a child like face. He sure as hell wasn't going to play with some kid. The girl laced her fingers around his arm, pulling herself forward as Shizuo came to a halt. This was growing old and fast.

"What the hell," he ground out between clenched teeth down at the girl. Her body looked especially tiny and fragile to him but as Tom neared, placing a hand on the girls own to remove it from him, Shizuo noticed that she wasn't to much smaller in height from Tom.

She reached up to Shizuo's face, despite Toms futile attempts to remove the girl, and slipped her fingers around his shades, pulling them off with ease. Instantly, their eyes met and Shizuo was more than a little surprised.

He knew he was scowling, brows furrowed with his irritation, but she showed no sign of caring, eyes just a blank, blue gaze as they remained locked with his own.

"Won't you make this easy for me Shizuo?"

Though her words and sneaky demeanor reminded him of that damn fleas, this woman he was sure he had never seen before, her eyes held a calmness that he couldn't describe. It was better than his smokes, he was sure about that… milk… no, it didn't go that far.

With a grunt, Shizuo forced his gaze to the side, shaking his arm till the girl was forced to release his arm, though his glasses remained clasped between her long fingers. Her contrasting pink polish shown brightly against the tint of his shades. Such delicate fingers had touched his skin. Looking over this unphased girl, Shizuo only felt anger.

"What are you playing at?" he spoke up, drawing her attention from Tom who had pulled out a smoke of his own. Shizuo was tired, he wanted a smoke too and then a long nap. Yet, this girl seemed persistent, in her own unique way, to piss him off.

"A bodyguard, on day's when you're not with him," she spoke, gesturing towards Tom, "that's all." Bodyguard? What the hell for? Shizuo stared at the girl, who's blank blue gaze resembled that of Kasuka's in a way.

"I'm a girl all alone in a big city," she explained, a sigh escaping her lips as Shizuo looked else ware, obviously not interested in her proposition. "I'll pay of course." As if on cue, she felt the hole in her wallet burn through her jacket pocket. She was dirt pour till she turned in this guys body to Izaya… yet Izaya wanted her to-

Disgust was her prominent emotion as she continued to explain. A little pocket change would be nice. There were only so many people that honestly requested the services of someone in her business, too terrified to truthfully get involved.

Shizuo's thoughts, on the other hand, were drawn back to his creaky bed and, of course, Kasuka. He had done so much for Shizuo, but what had Shizuo done to ever repay him? A little extra cash would be nice, hadn't he been telling himself that only this morning… The decision lingered there but he made no move to grasp it. Turning away once more, he spoke to Tom.

"We're late."

Tom nodded. His presence had been so still during their conversation, like he was so entranced by the activities at hand. As he passed, a sigh escaped his lips as he crushed his cigarette into the pavement. They were taking their leave and she had yet to convince him. At this rate…

"Shizu-chan probably hates me just as much~"

Izaya's words rang through her head. She was running out of things to say here. If what Izaya said were true (why would he lie to her?) then this could be her chance. She hated it. But what other choice did she have if she were to follow his orders? This guy was so… unsociable, even less so than her. Attract him Izaya said, 'make him love you'. Suki scoffed. Yes, this was the best way to go or she'd be forced to chase after this "monster" of Ikebukero forever.

"Izaya," she mumbled, almost inaudibly, but the blond man stopped in his tracks. Turning his head back towards her, a growl ripped through his throat. Shit… too late to turn back now.

"I need help… please protect me from Izaya Orihara."

The sound of the fleas name caused his hands to clench but the only thing he could throw was Tom or the girl… neither were very tolerable options. No matter how much this girl was annoying him. She had just said the magic "piss off" words. Shizuo stepped towards the girl who continued to stare at him, eyes showing a conflicting emotion within herself.

"How did you get involved with that flea-"

Latching onto his vest, fists clenched so tightly he was sure it would be wrinkled he could barely make out her mumbled request of, "you've got to help me."

The words were like acid coming off her tongue. She was ready to kill herself for protruding such lies about Izaya, but this was for Izaya.

Shizuo was at a loss for words at the girl holding onto him. He glanced back at Tom, eyes searching his for some indication of what to do but the dread locked man just shrugged and mouthed the words, 'you're problem now.' Shizuo glared at the man who just chuckled. Way to be a pal.

But the girl pulled herself off of Shizuo this time, dabbing her eyes with her sleeve. But as Shizuo stared down at her, it was obvious she hadn't been crying. Those eyes of her were still perfectly blue and blank. What the hell was up with this girl…

"I've got to go," Shizuo said after a moment, time ticking by and his job with Tom still long from over. He himself took his shades from the girl, placing them back over his eyes. The familiar tinted world behind the lenses did nothing to the girls eyes though as she glanced back up at him.

Still blue. And blank. Was it calming or unnerving… Shizuo couldn't decide now.

It just wasn't human to be so utterly unphased.

"Russian Sushi tomorrow then," she said, already turning away. Shizuo's jaw clenched, teeth crashing together. Could she be more demanding?

But she didn't wait for a response, simply tilted her head back, hair cascading down her back in waves of highlighted brown, and nodded her head for him.

The board had been laid out…

And the game was in motion.