A/N: Hello… *shy* I'm guessing most people on this site are shy too? Is that why you guys alert and fave but don't review? Anyways, I've been having writers block. Well not exactly a block, but I'm still deciding on a few things and I'm trying to be careful I don't give things away or mess up on a plot point. Ugh! There's like a 60% chance that I will have to change some stuff. Especially this chapter… well anyways, here is Chapter Four… Oh but first, I decided it would be polite if I respond to the reviews. It seems people don't check inboxes often so I will respond here instead! Oh yeah before that, I forgot to mention that I'm currently in exam week. High school's a bitch. Updates will be slower, sorry!

NobodyXII: Aw you're so sweet! Your review made me smile, for reals! Hehe, I'm so glad you enjoy my story so far! Hope I don't end up disappointing. As for what's wrong with Izaya… I'm not giving any hints!

Ravenwood316: Here's an update! Lol

Artemis602: I hope I continue it too! Haha~

Differenciation: Your name is cool. And what are you wondering about? I hope it hasn't been too confusing so far.

Roanna: I'm pretty iffy on it myself. Thanks!

PsychedelicEVO: Mwaaahhh! *giggles*

Kurosendo: Why thank you! Here is another chapter!

Nightowl572: Already sad eh? I was hoping to make a few people cry in the near future. *evil laughter* And I have a perfectly good idea what it's like being blind, though I'm not going to say how ^^ Ah Izaya is such a mystery, hm? Yeah since this is an AU, Celty has a HEAD! HOLY SHIT… But in case people didn't get that, I made her mute, so it's almost like she doesn't have a head right?

shizayalover: Yes, poor Shizuo. The Izaya mystery strikes again! Yikes. I'm actually a little surprised people haven't figured it out yet ^^

Momo: Thank you. Wow here's one pro-character death reader. I'm still undecisive on that though, but thanks for your input. ;) Ehhhh Izaya's mysterious condition xD hmmmm. And your English is fine.

Thanks to those who reviewed! (And the ones who faved and alerted. Much appreciation~)

Lithium

By Forsythia Sky

Chapter Four

I hum to myself contentedly as I saunter down the hall to my ward. I chuckle when I recall the look on the annoying receptionist's face when I picked up the nearest vending machine to threaten her. Even with one eye, I'm still the Fortissimo of Ikebukuro.

Tom, used to my exciting, anger-filled outbursts didn't even flinch when I stomped past him, vending machine hefted over my shoulder. He merely watched me with his calm, storm-colored eyes and a cigarette between his lips.

Speaking of cigarettes, I took Tom's entire pack when I noticed him taking one out. He didn't question it. The nicotine soothed my systems and I savored the taste and feel of my addiction.

The receptionist, whose name I finally found out was Betty, cowered when I stood over her with my lethal weapon.

"O-one sec, s-s-sir!" she squeaked, typing into the computer with shaky fingers.

"Annoying, annoying, annoying…" I chanted to myself. The huge appliance I was holding didn't even make me break a sweat. My foot was tapping a mile a minute in impatience and the woman looked frazzled.

She sighed in relief as the appropriate page loads up. "R-room 412! P-Please put t-that down, s-sir!"

Without a word of gratitude, I marched back over to set the vending machine back upright, ignoring all the frightened looks and whispers that were sent my way.

Who knew the damn flea was in the room next to mine?

The rooms in my ward are placed far apart, designated for the more troublesome patients who need isolation. I try not to feel insulted that I fit into that category. It isn't too much of a surprise that I didn't know Izaya was in the room right next to me.

Room 416 is 'right next to mine', and yet it's all the way down the hall.

I take another drag of my cigarette as I near the room. I hear a voice coming from the closed door and I pause, listening.

"..at were you thinking…?"

Isn't that Shinra's voice? I look into the small, glass bar of a window on the door and I see the back of Shinra's brown hair and doctor's coat.

The glass is too small for me to make out anything else so I opt to lean back against the wall. A puff of silvery smoke escapes my lips. The nicotine rushes to clear my head and soothes all of my excess anger.

After a few more minutes of waiting, I get impatient again. I whip around to glare into the glass only to run head-first into Shinra.

"Wha— …Ow!" Shinra looks me over, eyes lingering on my bandages. "Shizuo?"

"Hey," I say weakly.

He adjusts his glasses, I suspect to feel more professional. "I thought I told you to take a break?"

"Yeah… I suppose you did."

He sighs, slipping around me. "Then what are you doing here?" His arms are crossed and fingers tapping incessantly.

"Just… walking."

Yet again, I am reminded of my bad lying skills.

"Walking," Shinra repeats dubiously. I give a stubborn nod and pinch my beloved cigarette between my fingers. "Right, well, I have some patients to look after. Take it easy, will you?"

"Yeah, yeah," I dismiss him with two brisk waves of my hand and he gives a very Shinra-esque smile. Then he adjusts his glasses again before practically skipping, yes skipping, down the hall.

Yes, Shinra, that makes you look so professional.

What an idiot. I roll my left eye and flinch when my right tries to move along with it.

I open the door to Izaya's room quietly; glancing back to make sure Shinra isn't hiding behind a wall or something. I wouldn't put it past him.

I slip inside and shut the door behind me quietly. When I turn around, I'm unprepared for the sight I see.

I expected Izaya to be lounging about, doing whatever annoying brats like him would be doing.

Annoying brats are not supposed to lie there, looking dead to the world. With about a hundred machines hooked up to his thin body.

"…Izaya?" I whisper, as if too much noise would really wake him up. I move to his side and stare down at his blurry form. His pale skin looks paler that I remember and his breathing ragged and shallow.

It was him after all, then.

The harried group of doctors dashing down the hallway, pushing along a gurney.

Of course.

I pull up a chair and sit down, my eye lingering around Izaya's prone form. I commit his image to my memory; his inky black hair spilled across the bright white pillow, his fair skin and sharp features peaceful in sleep. I wish his eyes would open, for I longed to see if they are red like I remember.

He remains motionless. The rays from the sun that spill through the window cast darkened shadows over half his body. He looks evil, yet pure and serene at the same time.

How can that be possible?

The steady thrumming of the machinery is the only noise in the bland room. I lean back to count the specks of dirt on the ceiling after crushing my cigarette beneath my foot.

One… two…

Well that was a good waste of two seconds.

I straighten up so I can glare at Izaya, hoping that he would wake up if he felt my murderous aura.

Obviously, it didn't work. So, I lean in close to his face so that I can see him clearly.

"Oi, pest. Wake up."

That's when the door flings open with a loud 'bang'. "Iza—! …Heiwajima Shizuo?"

I curse my luck and pull out another cigarette, prepared to light it.

"Hey, no smoking in this room," the voice sings. I turn around slowly, cigarette still hanging between my lips.

"Masaomi Kida?"

"The one and only," Kida grins.

I glance at his face, then at Izaya's still form. I put the two together. "You're here for," I point at the raven on the bed, "him?"

Kida nods, his face turning solemn. His foots steps patter lightly on the floor as he prances over, fingers clasped behind his back. His ear cuff glints as it catches a ray of sun. The shadows keep his face hidden as he observes the still sleeping boy on the bed. His hair looks more brown than blond in the dark.

"Do you know what happened?"

Kida looks up at me, hesitation clear on his face before giving a cheeky smile. "I think you should ask him yourself," he chirps, reaching out to ruffle Izaya's dark hair. "Sleeping beauty should wake up soon! I have a lot to tell you!"

I suddenly felt like a very awkward intruder. I cough into my fist as subtly as possible, wishing I could light that cigarette. I'm a bit disappointed that I would be left in the dark until the pest wakes up, but I suppose what he said makes sense. I wouldn't want someone else to tell him about my condition either.

But I have a feeling that he already knows.

"Later!" Kida's at the door waving. I hadn't even noticed him move away from his spot beside the bed.

"Already?" I ask, perplexed.

The blond gives a carefree laugh and did a strange pose that I can't explain. "I have some ladies to meet~!" Then he winks at me before spinning around. He's gone before I can blink. I'm left alone in the room with nothing but Izaya's labored breathing and the beeping of the machines that are most likely sustaining his life.

I get up with a stretch and a wide yawn. Kida had left an hour ago and it still doesn't seem like the pest is going to wake up anytime soon, so I start a slow trudge back to my room. The hallway looks empty and bare, the walls a musty yellow color. They must have been white once.

When I'm back in my prison, I head straight for the bathroom and change. I notice the slight rusty color of my sleeves and scowl. I'd forgotten about those stains. I toss my outfit into the wash bin, hoping that they could still be saved, and turn to the mirror.

As I predicted, the bandages are a faint pink color in the center. Slowly, I unwind them from around my head and shake out my hair a little. The pressure had left a crease in my bangs. Dropping the mess of white strips into the trash, I turn back to the sink.

I am unprepared for the sight I see in the mirror.

My eye lids and my cheeks are coated with the rusty liquid, and that's no surprise to me. But my iris is no longer the color of melted amber.

It has become a pale blue color, so pale; it could be mistaken for white. My pupil stands out startlingly and the whites that surround my iris are… well, no longer white. They're darkening, signaling the decay of my eyeball. Soon, I'm guessing it will turn black. My eye will look like it was taken a picture of with negative effects.

As predicted, I can no longer see out of that eye.

I lean closer to the mirror to examine my left. The amber color looks dull and flat. I don't think that one has much longer either.

Shaking off my depressing thoughts, I lean down and wash my face of any lingering traces of my earlier dilemma.

A/N: Sorry for the short chapter! I have no proper excuse as to why. And I haven't proof read it either. Shame on me.

Review please! Thankyou very much.