Anni had today off, but she really didn't want to go wandering about outside. No matter where she went it was likely she would run into Shizuo. Staying locked up alone in her apartment didn't sound appealing either, but it seemed better than facing more questioning, or having her skeleton restructured when she didn't answer. It took a while of staring at her ceiling, but she finally decided on a compromise between the two. She would go out for a short time to pick up the laptop she'd had her eye on, then she could fester in her room without being so miserable. It was a small enough risk to be acceptable. She had wanted to save a little bit more money as a safety net, but with both her physical and mental safety at stake, it should be worth it.

So Anni ventured out into the jungle of a city, making a bee-line for the electronics store. She quickly found the laptop, and almost cried out in joy when she saw it was on sale. After picking up a shoulder bag to carry it in, the little blonde carefully made her way back home. Anni heaved a mighty sigh as she closed her front door behind her back. She'd made it. The laptop was set up swiftly, and Anni found something interesting in her internet capabilities. If she connected her phone to her laptop, she could switch between the internet of this universe and her home universe. That was promising. It meant she could still use all her old sites and catch up with a few friends she'd lost contact with after the move to Japan. Anni wouldn't be so alone after all.

-!DRRR!-

Work the next day went fairly well. Anni finally convinced Maya to drop the constant jokes about Izaya, and she got to actually talk to her friend for the day. There had only been one or two mentions of the joke or Izaya's name by the time their shift ended. "We still have some daylight left, where do you want to go?" Maya asked as they stepped out of the shop.

"I actually just wanna head home right now, but thanks for the offer" Anni said, starting to turn towards her apartment. Maya caught her arm before she could complete her turn.

"Come on Anni, are you avoiding me now?"

"No, you're not who I'm avoiding…" Anni admitted. There was no point in keeping it from Maya, so long as she didn't go too far into why.

"Oh? Who is it then? Are you trying to stay away from your ex still-" Maya's eyes flicked up to something behind Anni, which the flustered girl failed to notice. And here I thought she'd dropped the Izaya thing.

"Seriously, would you stop it? That man is nothing more than a pain in the ass, and a dangerous one at that! How many times do I have to say that I have never, and could never date him?!"

"Anni...?"

"What?" Anni demanded, rounding on whoever had snuck up behind her. She came face to face with Shizuo. All color and irritation fell from her face. She fell back a step. "Shi-" Maya yanked on her arm, dragging her into a dead run in the opposite direction. Anni could do nothing more than follow her for a few blocks, until the pair came to a stop in a park. Her roommate had been left behind, somehow unmotivated to follow their flight.

"I assume… that Heiwajima Shizuo is… who you're avoiding" Maya said between breaths. Anni nodded.

"Ya. Just... no more questions, 'kay?" Anni said, finding a place to sit.

"Not again. Anni, you never tell me anything. Ever!" Maya complained, sitting next to her coworker.

"Not true! I tell you almost everything" Anni corrected.

"You don't tell me the important things" Maya pointed out.

"That's because my life is absurd" Anni sighed, leaning her head back and closing her eyes. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me" Maya challenged. Anni appraised her for a moment.

"Not here. Not now" she finally decided.

"Of course not. Where then?" Maya asked, getting to her feet.

"My apartment would probably work best" Anni offered after a few seconds.

"You are determined to hide at home, aren't you?" she demanded, crossing her arms at the unmoving blonde.

"I'm determined to keep the life I've built here. Sometimes that requires things I don't like. I screwed up recently, which is why I have to avoid people I like, even if I don't want to. Do you need a better reason?" Anni crossed her arms and legs stubbornly. Maya stared down at her for a minute before making a show of giving up with an exasperated sigh.

"I just can't win with you Anni! I'm going to go home then. You can spill all your precious secrets later. See ya." Maya danced off, though not towards her home. Anni wrote it off and took the back way to her apartment. She'd had enough stress already today, and didn't want to run into the bodyguard again.

-!DRRR!-

Maya was far too impatient to wait for Anni to tell her what was going on. She skipped down to the manga shop, where she'd last seen her friend's former roommate. Maya spotted him along the way, sulking and smoking. "Heiwajima-san?" Maya asked in way of greeting as she approached.

"Ya?" he responded after a moment.

"You're a friend of Anni's right?" she asked cheerfully.

"Guess you could say that. Is there something you want?" Shizuo asked carefully.

"I'm Maya, Anni's coworker. She seemed rather upset and I was wondering-"

"Then go talk to her" he cut in. Maya didn't miss a beat.

"Ah, but she doesn't want to tell me-"

"Then it's none of your business" he said harshly, before turning and trudginging away. Maya hadn't expected that.

-!DRRR!-

A full, quiet day had passed since her run in with Shizuo. Anni was pulled from her music and brooding by knock at her door. She almost didn't want to answer, but she got up anyway. "Yes?" she asked the closed door, wondering which voice would greet her. But no voice came. Instead whoever it was knocked again. Anni could feel the slight burst of adrenaline as it invaded her bloodstream. Who wouldn't answer her? Only people who she didn't want in her home. She pulled out her knife and made sure the chain was in place on the door before opening it the few inches to see into the hallway outside. Instead of the ruffians she expected, she saw Celty.

"I'm sorry to bother you. May I come in?" her PDA read.

"Of course, just a moment." Anni quickly shut the door to unhook the chain and slipped her knife back into her pocket before opening the door wide enough to admit the fairy.

"Thank you."

"It's no problem. It's actually been lonely here since my brother went back home. What is this about?"

"I'm worried about Shizuo." When Anni gave her a confused look, she continued. "He's seemed really upset these past few days, and won't talk about it. I was wondering if you knew anything about what happened."

"Ah, that's actually my fault" Anni admitted, avoiding looking directly at her guest.

"What happened?"

"I can't really say. It's a bit personal" Anni occupied herself scratching the back of her neck.

"Could you try to work it out with him soon?"

"I don't know."

"Please? I don't like seeing him like this."

"I don't want him to be so upset either… I'll see what I can do."

"I'm sorry again for bothering you" Celty typed, making her way to the door.

"Really, don't worry about it. I'm glad you came to visit." Anni smiled. Celty nodded once and left the girl to her guilt.

-A/N-

Edited by my dear friend Faded Phoenix