The bar, already waiting for a fight based on the mere presence of Shizuo and Izaya, finally got one. It just happened to be completely unexpected.
Two figures moved towards them, one striding along as if he owned the place. The other was being dragged along by something invisible, her legs weren't even moving, and her katana was held as if she were fighting it.
Shinra tried desperately to get a clue as to what was going on. "Anri-chan… Why…"
"She's possessed. He's got a spirit lodged in her." Izaya wanted to say. But his voice was stolen again. Why weren't they running. Wasn't it obvious that this guy was too strong for them?
Izaya turned toward his master. There was no way he could win by running… so he had to… what? Stand and fight someone with two centuries more experience, without even a weapon… and using… using magic… so be it… What did he have? Wine and other alcoholic things… condiments… a table… and a burning desire to get the two people, who were the closest things he had to friends, to safety.
Better than nothing.
"Izayaaaaaaa, You disappoint me." Came the drawling voice of the magician "I would have thought you'd ward yourself and hide as soon as you'd got your servitor from me."
And watch you mess up my city? I'm so much greedier than that.
"Servitor? Who the hell are you to talk about my daughter like that?" like the idiot that Shizu-chan was, he was going to stand and fight… didn't he realize he was outclassed?
"Likewise… Ooooh I see… I've never seen a bewitchment work quite that well though! Izaya, you have more talent than I thought."
Izaya winced in apprehension of what Shizuo might react with but continued with his adhoc potion… pouring a whole salt shaker into a glass of cheap red wine. Wine was sort of like a catalyst, wasn't it? Salt a purifier… well that made a certain sense.
Shizuo was walking purposefully towards the magician, only to be blocked by Anri. "Get out of my way, kid…"
"Heiwa-jima-san… please… help me… I'm sorry…"
Shizuo looked in her eyes which were flickering between red and brown at a dizzying speed. She was about to bring Saika down in a long slash along Shizuo's body. But Shizuo knew that move. He caught her wrists gently, by his standards and disarmed her, throwing the sword to the corner of the room. Speaking solely to the magician he sneered "normally, I'd say the enemy of my enemy… you know… but you've beaten my enemy at his own game. Which means you're more intense than my enemy. And my enemy and I never had any particular goals spurring us on. I just didn't like his face."
Fujisaki lazily flicked a finger and Anri, her hand over her mouth, gasped the word "Saika".
"So you've officially been raised to the rank of 'target practice'" Shizuo snarled. Picking up a nearby table and throwing it at him.
Anri was dragged around and forced to cut the table in half, getting deep cuts from where its arc hadn't diverged in time.
"Stop hiding behind other people you coward!" Shizuo yelled, "And the OTHER coward should be helping me."
Izaya had nearly finished with his attempt. Sending tendrils of consciousness he searched his own body for the seat of the phantom. Feeling out its shape, its energy, he took a long drink of the disgusting mixture, sending the energy he'd put into it, and any cleansing power salt may or may not have straight to that place. He coughed and spluttered, and could speak. He could barely see a little eye shape thing wriggle out of his mouth and fade away. "I had to make sure I was useful when I fought. You idiot, why didn't you take the chance to run? He'd have cut me in half and you'd be rid of me." Izaya rambled making up for lost time, scoping out the situation. "Never thought I'd say this, but, NOW!" Shizuo threw yet another table, and the moment Saika was brought down in its arc to cut the wood, Izaya stood on the flat edge, tripping the girl and tipping the makeshift cleansing potion into her mouth. He tried to make his energy push the phantom out of her. It was more or less effective. She passed out, which was good enough for now. Izaya stood up again. Not looking behind him to where he knew Shizuo would not be.
"You'll really regret that…" Fujisaki said smiling in an all too sinister way "Chiki" he called and the staff was in his hand.
Shizuo jumped out from where he was circling behind the magician and tried to land a punch. He was met with the full force of the staff to the stomach. The magician had not taken his eyes off Izaya for a moment. "That really is some job you've done getting him to fall in love with you… You must be in agony."
Izaya didn't dignify that truth with a response. Instead he raised a hand and tried to put some sort of shield in front of it. Expanding, thickening, he watched as phantoms, lazily sent his way, bounced off, but he couldn't do this long. Impatient as his master was for an answer, he raised his own arm, placing a shield at the end of it, forcing the shield against the other. Izaya panted, too many thoughts, too many aches and pains to focus properly. He couldn't do this, he couldn't do… his feet, not used to being firmly planted, were sliding across the floor with alarming speed as the other's shield gained more force.
His back hit something solid. The solid thing was breathing harshly. Raising an arm to support Izaya's tiring one, wrapping the other around his chest.
"Shizu-chan?"
"Haven't we known each other long enough to drop honorifics?…"
A surge of confidence seemed far overdue, and this… this was just the impossible thing that could cause Izaya to believe in anything. "Master. I quit. Thanks for teaching me, but I quit." Izaya said, making the lazy self confidence of the magician waver ever so slightly. "I'm an amazing witch. You said so yourself. I'm also stunningly intelligent. And can hold my own in a fight with the best in this city." He felt a warning squeeze from Shizuo saying that the bragging was going to have more consequences if it continued. "Master, I make enemies easily, but look, my worst enemy is still on my side, when faced with you? Who do you have?" His shield pushed at Fujisaki consistently, only gaining the strength to push the magician off balance when he yelled "COMPARED TO GETTING THIS MONSTER TO SIT IN THE SAME ROOM AS ME, YOU'RE NOT THAT MUCH OF A CHALLENGE."
Fujisaki stumbled. What was supposed to happen now? Izaya hadn't planned anything… damn.
Izaya was silently cursing his lack of planning when Shinra popped up from behind a broken table and stabbed the magician in the neck with something cylindrical. The Magician fell to his knees. And then unconsciousness.
Both of the doctor's friends stared in disbelief. Izaya broke the silence "Shi- Shinra… Do you always carry tranquilizer with you?"
"Only when I'm enough of an idiot to third wheel a date between the two of you…"
"Not a date…" Shizuo murmured unconvincingly. Not loosening his grip on Izaya.
"That makes a lot of my highschool memories awkward…"
So I still suck at fight scenes.
Hopefully the next scene won't take me as long as these two did.