Author's Note: WOW GUYYYYS! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL OF YOUR FEEDBACK!

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This has made my day! Seriously!

"How are you feeling?"

My guess is that we've been like this for a while, just like before, but with my mind too numb, I can't tell just how long "a while" truly is. I'm beginning to believe these migraines have stolen my sense of time.

"Izaya…?"

"What?" I grumble in a short breath.

"How are you?" he reiterates his former concern - if one could call it that.

Trying not to consider the fleeting pain floating around in my skull for fear of empowering it once again, I make the foolish move of digging my fingers into the protozoan's shirt; clinging to the fabric as hard as my weak hands will grasp it.

It's not Shizuo I don't want to be separated from. It's his body. His heat. My cure.

Though, I'm not so sure he understands that as he jolts in response to this slightly desperate move of mine. For both our sakes, I choose not to respond to his moment of shocked discomfort. I'm surprising myself too. I don't like it.

"I'm not ready for you to leave yet," I grumble, losing control over my mouth.

"I-I'm not," he assures me, shaking off his own surprise that I actually said the words I hope I didn't. "I just don't think that staying on the floor will help you…"

"Ne, Shizu-chan…" taking the sly way out, I don't argue or agree. I change the subject. "What time is it…?"

"Still early… not even ten."

"Ngh… seriously?"

"I'm telling you, Izaya, you should really go back to bed…"

"Nonsense," I play stubborn, shifting a bit for more comfort. "It's barely the start of a new day. There are things to be done."

"And I was woken up three hours ago to a frantic Shinra telling me to get here. And I'm glad I did."

"Huh…? What the hell are you insinuating, Shizu-chan?"

"Nothing," he grumbles, and I can sense his frown reaching up to his eyes; burning holes in the top of my throbbing head. "You just puked your guts out. I'm not sure that's a good thing."

"Tch. As if any part of this is?"

"Quit twisting my words," he shoots, suddenly defensive. "You're really sick."

Irritated by his blasphemous opinion, I pull away from his warmth, though not without reluctance, and stare at him down with scrutinizing eyes that have him shifting uncomfortably before me. I know exactly what he's getting at. That doesn't mean he's right. "Twisting? I'm not twisting anything. I'm stating facts. If you think I have some hidden motive, I'm sorry to let you down. I can only wish it was that easy."

"Then maybe you shouldn't always have hidden motives," he growls back a demanding retort.

A shudder tears down my spine.

"You really are terrible at reading people, Shizu-chan."

"People," he huffs, "Not fleas."

"You're just sinking yourself further down into hypocrisy, you know. I bet you sit here wondering how you can kill me fast and easy."

There. I said it.

"W-what?" he gawks.

Leaning against the bathtub, I do my best not to show him that I'm still in desperate need of his heat, and hide my shaking hands in the pocket of my sweatshirt. "Don't act so innocent, Shizu-chan," I snicker, amused by the dumfounded look on his stupid face.

His incredulous gaze drops to the floor. Nervously, I watch him slowly stand up, towering over me with his melancholy eyes shamefully averted.

"That's not true…" he whispers, clenching his fists as if to suffocate the desperate rage building inside of him. "I don't really wanna kill anyone. Not even you."

"Right, and I don't really have migraines that have me hanging over a toilet bowl three times a week," I sneer, purposely testing Shizuo's limits.

"To be honest? I didn't believe it at first," he snorts.

I keep my eyes trained on him. "So I've noticed."

"And why should I? But that's why you have to believe me, Izaya… It's the same thing…"

"Hardly. When have I tried to kill you?"

He shakes his head. "Oh, don't act like you haven't made my life hell since day one, Flea!"

Slowly, I raise my hands in defeat. I never said I was innocent. I just like to play with fire. "Damn. Caught me."

"I'm being completely serious. I might hate your fucking guts, but I don't wanna kill you, and I don't wanna be violent either. Not towards you or the douche bags who piss me off!"

"So…" I push my interrogation forward, "You haven't once thought about snapping my neck while I'm weak and defenseless, ne?"

He brings his eyes back to mine. Somehow, I manage to hide the stun that shoots through me when he looks at me like that. I see more pain than anger. I see somebody who truly does not want to be… this monster…

"No…" he frowns, "I… I know I shouldn't… but I actually feel bad for hurting you like this. I might wanna beat your obnoxious ass, but I've done something to you that isn't just gonna go away."

Sighing, I nod in slight agreement. "It's true, Shizu-chan. My head won't heal like the usual cut or bruise you leave me with…"

His shoulders slump. "I lied before… I'd do this for you even if you weren't paying me…"

"Why?"

"Because…" he grits his teeth, "I just would."

"So if you don't want to kill anyone, explain why you try so hard to end me?"

Shizuo closes the toilet's lid and takes a seat, carefully mulling over our situation in his head. With his elbows on his knees, he hunches over, running his hands through his blond hair to alleviate his stress. I can tell he's in need of a nicotine fix, but I say nothing about it. Neither of us make cigarettes an issue.

"When it comes to you I just can't control myself… and now that you're hurt, even though you're still annoying as hell, I dunno… it makes sense in my head, but the words don't sound right."

"I understand."

"How…? You don't-"

"Shut up. I just do."

"I really am sorry for what I've done," he apologizes.

I don't tell him that his words mean nothing to me. I don't say that I'll forgive him when his warmth eliminates my pain for good. To speak the words… let's just say I may as well give up entirely and accept that I might be stuck like this. Useless and in pain until my last breath.

With a forced effort, I push myself up from the floor, swaying dizzily as the blood in my head rushes out; into the rest of my limbs. Along with it, whatever remains of Shizuo's heat disappears too, giving me a cold, lonely feeling. I keep my arms tightly folded against my chest.

"You work today, ne?" I wonder.

"Yeah…"

"You should go then. I've kept you far too long."

He stares at me curiously. "You're still hurting…"

"I'll manage. You've helped me enough for now," I try to assure him, though I can see he doesn't believe it. He'd like to, but he doesn't. So I add, "I have some things I need to think about. It's best that I be alone for now."

"Can I come back?"