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In which there is Creation of a Second Coincidence and Departure of the Plot

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"Is that all you have to ask, Yamada-san?"

"Y-Yes…."

"Right, then I will send the information to you shortly."

"Yeah…"

The man said as he glanced in fear at the man in a bartender suit in the information broker's apartment. He leaned in close.

"Quite a…..bodyguard you've got there, Orihara-san."

"…Oi."

Shizuo had suddenly spoken. The man yelped –

"Y-Yes?!"

"Your face is too close to my flea, get away before I smash it in."

"Yes! I'm sorry!"

The man backed away and shot up from his seat, bowed and ran out of the house as if the monster of Ikebukuro was chasing him.

Silence, except the shuffling of papers, before Izaya spoke.

"'My flea'? Is this some after effect of your drunken behaviour last night?"

Pink rose to Shizuo's cheeks at the memory. He growled low in his throat, turning away so Izaya couldn't see his blush.

"Shut up. You're my flea to kill. He had a fucking gun in his pocket."

Shizuo spoke tersely about the suspicious bulge he had seen in the man's pocket hidden underneath his coat.

"Right. There you go again with your conspiracy theories. Maybe he was just happy to see me."

Izaya gestured obscenely in the air, causing Shizuo to growl.

"Yeah happy to see you dead. Tch I don't know how you've survived this long, I should just kill you and save you the trouble of vigilance which you don't seem to exercise anyway."

"If I didn't exercise vigilance, would I still be alive? Still, I'm surprised your protozoic brain –"

"Knows such an advanced word." Shizuo scoffed as Izaya blinked at him in surprise as he clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Tsk, you always say the same thing."

"Well isn't somebody in a bad mood."

Izaya commented in amusement as Shizuo slammed the papers down on the table.

"With all these dirty bastards coming in and disrupting my peace it fucking pisses me off. So much fucking shit in one place, and HOW MANY FUCKING PAPERS DO YOU HAVE ANYWAY?!"

"Many, as you can see. Now don't complain, you're paying back your debt, and since you chased my secretary away you have to take her role, right? Take some responsibility…..Shizu-chan. You already said you were staying for the whole day."

"…Tch!"

Shizuo resisted the urge to slam his fist down onto Izaya's glass table. Inhaling, he pushed the file aside, then picked up another pile of papers.

Izaya chuckled. He whistled annoyingly, grinning for he was in control once again.

"A bodyguard and a secretary at the same time – quite useful huh? Hey Shizu-chan you haven't broken anything so far so why don't you become my secretary? Then I can fire Namie, she keeps on trying to poison my food! That horrible woman. Shizu-chan can cook, right? You'll be cooking for me everyday! Of course, I'll pay you well."

"Bastard. No matter how much you pay me I will never work for you. Tch, I really pity Namie. How the hell does she deal with you everyday?"

"Awww that hurts," Izaya sneered. But he soon smiled and threw his hands up in the air, spinning around in his swivel chair.

"Because I pay her, of course! People will do anything for money these days, wouldn't you agree? Haha! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA –OW!"

Izaya groaned, clutching the side of his head in pain. He raised his gaze to glare at Shizuo, who was smirking.

"What the hell was that for, you brute?!"

"Oh I don't know, my hand slipped. Since I'm such a brute as you say, my hand automatically moved on its own and threw the file at your annoying face. Oh and here, the colours are back together again."

Izaya dodged the cube that came hurtling at him for the second time, scowled, snatched up the file and threw it back at Shizuo, who caught it with one hand easily.

"Go die."

"Too bad, Izaya-kun, I'm a monster who can't die." Shizuo taunted, smirk widening as he dropped the file on the table. "How helpful of you flea, saving me the trouble of walking over and enduring further of your disgusting presence."

"If I get a bruise you are paying the bills for my medical treatment!"

Shizuo snorted at this as he returned to filing Izaya's numerous papers.

"Yeah then you pay for my gunshot wounds yesterday night. So shut the fuck up flea and leave me in peace."

"…Gunshot wounds?"

"You stupid or what? What weapons do you think assassins use? Knives like you? Well one of them did use a knife but that bastard was fast – ugh thinking about it pisses me off –"

"Shizu-chan you were shot?"

Shizuo paused. He turned to look at Izaya.

"Yeah. ….What the hell's with that expression on your face? You're acting weird."

Izaya jolted slightly. He composed himself, schooling his face into a cool expression as he got up and made his way over to Shizuo who sat on the couch Namie usually occupied.

"Let me see your arm."

"Huh –"

"I said let me see your arm!"

When Shizuo replied him with silent surprise, Izaya lost his patience and grabbed the blond man's arm, pulling up the sleeve of the bartender shirt.

Sure enough, there was a gunshot wound. While not deadly and with not as much blood as expected, it was there all the same and the bullet hadn't been removed.

"…..How many times were you shot?"

"I didn't count."

"Estimate."

"..I don't know. Five? Six? Look I'm fine, shit doesn't even hurt. There isn't even blood anymore –"

"That's because you washed it off in the shower!"

"…..What's with you, flea? You're really acting weird."

"….Stand up."

Shizuo was tempted not to, but the look in Izaya's eyes was strange. He shrugged and got up, and promptly had his wrist grabbed – and dragged in the direction of the doorway by the smaller man.

"Hah – oi! What the hell are you doing?!"

"We're going to Shinra."

"What?! But what about your fucking job –"

"That was the last client for the day, Shizu-chan."

"Why the hell –"

"Oh just shut up and follow me, Shizu-chan! Just like you've repaid your debt, I have to repay mine!"

"Yeah my debt - I haven't even finished filing the papers yet because I had to put the colours back together first –"

"Forget about the damn papers, Shizuo! You just got shot several times and you don't care?! Even if you have a monster body you're not immune to bacterial infection! Not to mention lead poisoning! And you showered just now which means there's the possibility of the metal bullet rusting – what the hell were you thinking, you protozoic brain?! Do you want to get that arm amputated?!"

"…..I'm sure it's not that extreme. I'm alive, aren't I?"

Shizuo said cautiously at the fierce look in Izaya's eyes, which turned out to be the wrong thing to say as Izaya glared at him and released him to snatch his coat from the coat rack nearby –

And ended up dropping it onto the floor as his hand was shaking involuntarily and his heart pounding loudly at the image of the bullet wound that was plaguing his mind – and how there were more on other places in Shizuo's body – and why the hell hadn't he noticed when he had seen Shizuo half-naked earlier instead of letting his emotions take control of him – and that those damn assassins had actually been serious in wanting to kill Shizuo just to get to him –

"…Here flea."

Izaya blinked at the feeling of something being draped over his shoulders. He turned back, to see the man in a bartender suit staring at him.

"Don't look at me like that. Wear your coat properly or do I have to do it for you?"

Izaya huffed in reply and slid his arms through the sleeves of his favourite fur trimmed jacket, as Shizuo spoke.

"…You're worried, aren't you?"

"I don't know, is this worry?" Izaya said, for once honest. He sighed at the silence.

"Well whatever, let's just go. We have to get your wounds treated as soon as possible –"

He was cut off by his slight gasp of surprise as his wrist was grabbed, and he was spun to face the blond man.

"Calm down. Calm the hell down, flea. This isn't like you. Your hand is shaking. Look I have no idea why you're so worried but I'm fine, alright? So stop worrying like I'm going to drop dead any moment. I've been filing your stupid papers for so long, haven't I?"

"….Yeah, this isn't like me. If you of all people can tell me it's not like me."

Izaya smiled wryly as he waved his free hand.

"Fine fine I get it, so let me go. But we're still going to Shinra's."

"Yeah yeah." Shizuo said as he dropped Izaya's wrist. Izaya inhaled, then turned.

"So are you going to follow me or do I have to drag you through the streets of Shinjuku and Ikebukuro?"

"I'll follow." Shizuo said calmly. He smiled.

"I don't like you flea but since you're for some reason so worried about me I'd feel guilty if I don't follow you peacefully, hm? Who knows you may have a heart attack and then I'll be the one carrying you to Shinra's."

"Don't flatter yourself, monster." Izaya said, the snide tone back in his voice and it made Shizuo grin.

"Don't misunderstand. It's just, you were – protecting me which is why you got shot and I'm just taking responsibility, alright?"

"Right. Worrying is called taking responsibility now, if the information broker says so."

"….Shut up."

Izaya muttered, cheeks warm as he strode out of the doorway of his apartment, followed by a laughing Shizuo.

- That brute! First he doesn't treat his bullet wounds and now he laughs? What the hell is wrong with him? Does he have a death wish? Doesn't he know how worr-

Izaya paused in his thoughts but not in his steps.

- ….Fine. I'm worried. But so what? It doesn't mean anything. I still hate Shizu-chan, but I would hate it even more if some assassins I didn't even know about ended up killing him when I can't! I'm the one who is supposed to kill that monster.

- If I can't kill him, no one else can.

But surprisingly, the thought didn't bring a satisfied smile or grin to his face, it only made his frown deepen at the thought that the monster could be killed by someone other than him.

- ….Tch. He's really messing with my head.

As Izaya fumed silently, Shizuo was amused. He could almost see the messy black locks sticking up in the information broker's frustration, and was tempted to make them even messier.

But unlike Izaya, Shizuo was an honest man, and he admitted to himself that he was smiling, as it was nice to have someone worrying about him even though he was such a monster –

And even though it was the flea.

They had reached the first floor, and Shizuo grinned to himself as he followed the worried flea out of the sliding doors of the apartment complex, right across the area where they had faced each other in a would have been serious battle had Celty not interrupted.

He briefly wondered if he should get shot more often so he would be able to see a more human flea.

…

Half an hour later

…

A middle aged man with curly black hair walked into the luxurious apartment, stepping over the dismantled door, his sharp eyes surveying the area devoid of a living presence.

"…"

"…Tsk that information broker's as slippery as an eel."

He said to himself as he registered the papers messily sprawled over the table, and the swivel chair pushed aside in a fit of panic.

"Who told him I was coming to kill him?"

The Mafia Boss muttered to himself, unable to think of any information source the information broker could get the information from.

He had not even told Luciano and Michele about his intention to finish the information broker of Shinjuku off with his own hands.

- It can't be a coincidence, right?

- Twice already; or does the man in a bartender suit have something to do with this?

Severino frowned as he thought of the unpredictable variable. At that moment, his phone vibrated in his pocket and he pulled it out, checking the message he had received.

"…."

Without a word, he pocketed the gun and exited the apartment of the information broker of Shinjuku.

…

…

JR Narita Express to Narita Airport

…

"Boss says he's on the way from Shinjuku."

"I see."

"Ahhhhhh, I still can't believe it. The Headless Rider is really headless! Not to mention a woman!"

"Hm."

"And I have a feeling that underground doctor, Kishitani-san, knew Orihara Izaya."

"Maybe."

"What's wrong? Still bitter about your defeat?"

"As if."

"Haha! Right. You know, I really hope we can come back here someday, maybe for a job or something. This city – Ikebukuro, is so interesting. I'll never forget it."

"Same here. I'm curious though."

"Hm?"

"Boss says he's on the way from Shinjuku. Do you think he went to kill the information broker after all?"

"Really? He must have really pissed him off."

"But isn't the man in a bartender suit there?"

"….Probably? We have no idea why he's there in the first place. But…."

"?"

"He may still be there. If he truly doesn't want the information broker dead, why would he leave him vulnerable and unguarded in sleep?"

"That's true. Then, does that mean that Boss failed?"

"He just got out from the hospital, I doubt he'd involve himself in a fight, especially with the man in a bartender suit. Haha he's not stupid like us."

"But he's stubborn. He should have sent a low ranking member in the first place. But since he believes in sincerity in alliance he decided to come himself."

"Weird for a Mafia Boss, huh? Do you disapprove, Luciano?"

"No I don't and that's exactly why I don't disapprove."

"Yeah. We may not even be part of the Mafia but I'm glad he's our Boss. Don Bassini."

"Yeah. But you know what, Michele?"

"What?"

"It would be a weird coincidence if the information broker is not in his apartment. Unlikely, but still a possibility. The man in a bartender suit should have still been there after all and we know what unpredictable things happen with his presence."

"…..Ahahahaha….that would indeed piss Don Bassini off. Come to think of it he didn't even say anything about our failure….."

"….Well we have to survive his wrath and hopefully we'll get back to Italy in one piece."

"Scary."

…

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…

As I said in Lies and Truth, I'm back from my hiatus and progress of my stories is up on my profile.
The next chapter is more of an interlude, from Shizuo's POV. So I hope to be able to update again in this week. 'Cause after that there'll be just two chapters left and the timeline which is mostly done (and this story will definitely make a lot more sense hopefully then). Haha, and then I'll be able to finally have a complete multi-chaptered story. I'm looking forward to it.