Shizuo is in a very, very, very bad mood.
It had started with him showing up to Russia Sushi, only to wait there for nearly thirty minutes without a single person approaching him (other than Simon, of course, who had badgered him into trying some weird new sushi dish that had turned out to be incredibly spicy - and he is not a fan of spicy.) He didn't have a way to contact the woman at all, either, because the number she'd used was private; by the time he gives up and starts heading back to Shinra's, his patience is already wearing thin. That's why, when Shinra opens the front door and the familiar stink of Izaya fucking Orihara assaults his nostrils, he doesn't even try to control himself. Pushing past his friend into the apartment, he all but charges through the hallway - but before he can reach the living room, the little girl steps out in front of him and he finds himself quite literally frozen in place. "What the hell?"
"Believe it or not, Orihara-kun isn't here to cause trouble." Shinra informs him hastily, not wanting to waste this chance to explain the situation without having to worry about the larger man snapping and killing him. "Something has him spooked - I don't know what, but I suspect that it's related to our little friend here. If that's the case, than we have no choice but to involve him... and while I myself can't stop you from killing him, she obviously can."
Damn it...
"Fine." Shizuo says through gritted teeth. "But this better be fucking worth it."
"I find it highly unlikely that it won't."
Especially if my suspicions are correct...
Releasing Shizuo from her psychic hold, the girl uses the back of her hand to wipe off the blood that has started to trickle down from her nose. "Here, let me get you a tissue." Shinra tells her, going to grab some toilet paper from the bathroom.
Taking a few deep breaths to calm himself down, Shizuo waits until Shinra has returned before reluctantly following him and the girl into the living room. The flea is seated on the couch, pinching his nostrils between his fingers while quite obviously doing his best to avoid looking in his direction; when the girl rips the toilet paper Shinra'd given her in half and offers some to him, Shizuo realizes that she's not the only one whose nose has started to bleed.
What... the hell?
Now that he's actually seeing him, Shizuo is forced to accept that Shinra hadn't been exaggerating in the slightest. Izaya looks like hell; on top of the bloody nose, he's even more pale than usual and the dark circles underneath his eyes suggest that he hasn't had a good night's sleep in at least a couple of days. He doesn't know why, but seeing him like this makes Shizuo feel incredibly uncomfortable.
"Alrighty, then! Now that I have somehow managed to do the impossible and get you both in the same room without one of you you immediately trying to kill the other; I would like to ask you both a favor. I'm even willing to play the 'friend' card, because I have put up with the two of your bullshit for years without ever asking for anything in return... so I think I've earned the right, don't you?"
For once, neither Izaya nor Shizuo put up any protest.
"Excellent! Now, my favor is a simple favor... all I ask is that the two of you promise to cooperate with me - with me, not each other - for at least five minutes. Do you think you can handle that?"
Despite his better judgement, Shizuo nods. After a few seconds of hesitation, Izaya sighs and does the same. "Fine."
"Okay. Now, where to start..." Shinra strokes his chin thoughtfully, glancing around the room as if looking for inspiration. When his gaze falls on the little girl's freckle-covered face, he realizes it would most likely be easiest if he were to center the conversation around her and the events that have lead up to this point. "Orihara-kun, why do you think Shizuo-kun hasn't attacked you yet?"
"I assume because you gave him some sort of ultimatum."
"Well, you're not wrong, per say... but you're not exactly right, either. The reason Shizuo-kun isn't attacking you right now is because if he were to try, our little friend here would stop him." He gestures at the girl, which causes Izaya to raise an eyebrow.
"This scrawny little thing?"
"She's not a fucking thing, flea." Shizuo says, trying not to let his temper get the best of him.
"It's called a figure of speech, Shizu-chan. If you had a brain underneath that thick skull of yours, perhaps you'd know that!"
Shinra clears his throat loudly, his expression a mix of both annoyance and amusement. "This 'scrawny thing' happens to have telekinetic capabilities powerful enough to fling grown men across entire rooms. Shizuo-kun found that out the hard way when I asked him to help me take a blood sample from her."
Telekinetic, huh?
"How interesting!"
"Isn't it?" Shinra responds, his eyes shining. "And that's just one of the things she can do! Which is why it should come as no surprise that there are people who would go to any lengths to get their hands on her. Have you ever heard of Project Stargate?"
"Assuming you mean the actual project, and not the Hollywood movie - are you suggesting that it's involved? Because I was under the impression it was cancelled."
"As was I, but recent events have lead me to believe otherwise. Shizuo-kun managed to scare some information out of one of it's local agents; according to him, the girl escaped from one of their home facilities by sneaking onto a plane heading for Narita."
"Impressive."
"Indeed! Apparently, his boss told him to 'capture her at all costs.' Unfortunately for him, she happened to have found herself a particularly strong bodyguard."
Ah. That explains what she's doing with Shizu-chan...
"Did he say who his boss was?"
"Some foreign man named Vincent, I believe."
"Vincent?" Izaya repeats, trying to make sure he heard that correctly. "As in Vincent Pierce-Montgomery?"
"Did the man give you a last name, Shizuo-kun?"
"Yeah, actually... and I'm pretty sure that was it." As much as he hates the idea of cooperating with the annoying little pest, he hates the idea of letting down the kid even more. "Why, you know him?"
"Yes, he happens to be a client of mine."
Though I'm starting to wish he wasn't...
"A client? Really?" Shinra finds it to be too much of a coincidence. "What did he hire you for?"
"He wanted me to find information on several local children and pre-teens."
[What kind of information?]
"Grades, I.Q test results, achievements or awards, etcetera, etcetera. Nothing particularly exciting."
[Maybe he's looking for replacements?]
Shinra nods. "It's possible, and it supports my current theory."
[You have a theory?]
"I do, but I'm not quite sure I want to share it yet. For now, though, I have a few more questions I'd like to ask Orihara-kun."
"Ask away."
"Did Vincent seem interested in you at all?"
"A little, I suppose."
"Did he ask you any personal questions? Maybe about how well you did in high school?"
"He might have..." Izaya is starting to feel a little uncomfortable. "But I fail to see what that has to do with anything."
"Of course you do. You've never been very good at self-reflection."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"I think, deep down, you know exactly what I mean. You just don't want to admit it." Shinra tells him. "I'm not surprised, though... you've always been a scaredy-cat when it comes to things out of your control."
[Shinra... you're not suggesting what I think you're suggesting are you?]
"Wait, I'm lost, too... what the hell are you trying to say, Shinra?" Shizuo asks, confused.
"It's simple. I don't think Vincent hired Orihara-kun just to help him find a potential replacement... I also think he hired him because he is a potential replacement."
The silence that follows could almost be considered deafening.
