Author's Note: Hello, friends! I have returned. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this chapter - it gets a bit dark towards the end, and I'm worried I'm veering off into OOC territory, so I'd love your thoughts on it.

Anyway, I hope you can enjoy it.

Izaya's eyes slowly crack open, his head spinning as he does his best to swallow back the intense feeling of nausea currently washing over him. Everything is bright - too bright - and it takes a moment for his vision to second it does, he immediately shoots to his feet. "Y-you!"

"Me."

"What - what do you want? Other than ruining my life, of course." His heart is beating so fast in his chest it feels like it might explode any minute now, and with the way his knees are shaking, it's all he can do just to keep standing.

Why? Why did I have to end up back here?

A warm chuckle reverberates through the grandiose temple, its source an impossibly large, impossibly beautiful being. "Is it really so bad? Countless mortals have given their lives and more in hopes of my blessing, yet you treat it as a curse."

"Isn't it?" Izaya's fists are clenched so hard his nails are digging into his palms, but he doesn't notice. "You took me from my home, forced me to cooperate with my worst enemy, and saddled me with the simple and perfectly reasonable task of saving the world. I have no connections, no resources, no-"

"Don't you?"

"Excuse me?"

"It is the Verdantis family's sworn duty to do everything in their power to protect this world from Lucius Aurelias. You are the Champion. Without you, the fight against Lucius is already lost. How can you say you have no connections or resources when you have a King at your side?"

"Oh, you mean the king that just knocked me out with ye olde sleeping gas? Yes, I feel truly privileged to have such a man's assistance." His voice is practically oozing with sarcasm.

"Samuel did what he believed was necessary. You are the only true threat to Lucius's power - had he known who you were, you would not have survived your previous encounter with him. Once he figures out that you are not only still alive, but are also my Champion, he will stop at absolutely NOTHING to destroy you. Do you understand, sweetling? Your very existence in this world puts you in the gravest of dangers. If Lucius gets his way, everyone and everything you care about will cease to exist. YOU will cease to exist. Is that what you desire, Orihara Izaya? To cease existing?"

The deity's voice is calm, but it does nothing to stop Izaya's blood from running cold. "For a so-called 'Lady of Light', you sure know how to hit someone where it hurts." he manages to say through gritted teeth. There is no doubt in his mind that the deity asked that question already knowing full well what the answer would be.

"Much like Samuel, I do what is necessary. It is imperative you understand what the consequences of inaction would be."

"Yeah, well, I think I get the picture."

"Good. Now tell me, Little Light… will YOU do what is necessary, or will you sit back and allow your greatest fears to be made reality?"

"This isn't… I can't… It's too much. What can I do? That thing swatted Shizu-chan like a fly, how are my knives supposed to scare him? Or am I supposed to defeat him with the magic I didn't ask for? The magic you forced on me? The magic I have absolutely no idea how to use?" His palms have long since started to bleed, his entire body tense.

"You had the potential for magic long before you came into this world. I've simply allowed you access to it."

"That still doesn't stop it from being absolutely useless to me. How am I supposed to learn how to use something I still don't fully believe I have?"

"This world is not without its teachers."

"And how am I supposed to find one? What am I supposed to learn, what am I even capable of? What if-"

"I understand that you have many worries, Little Light. It would be stranger if you did not. But I'm afraid I can not answer all of them. There are rules, even for me."

"Rules?" Izaya can't help but scoff. "What's the point of becoming a god if you can't do whatever you want, whenever you want it?"

"My kind are born in many ways, sweetling, but rarely do any of us CHOOSE to become what we are. The ones that try to obtain immortality ultimately end up destroyed by their own thirst for power - or in Lucius's case, banished to a nether world."

"You think he's doing this because he wants to become a god?"

"Is that really so hard to believe? Have you yourself not dreamt of the very same?"

"I really don't think the situations are comparable-"

For once, the deity's gentle expression takes on a sharp edge. "Why? Your methods may not be the same, but your motivations are. You are both so terrified of your own mortality, you would sacrifice everything human in you just to avoid having to face it. How are you so different?"

He opens his mouth to argue, but the words die before they can make it past his lips. What is he supposed to say? How is he supposed to justify himself to a being that can see straight into his very soul?

He decides to stay silent for once, instead.

"Do you TRULY love humanity, Izaya Orihara?" The deity asks, its expression serious.

"Of course I do!" Izaya snaps, offended that anyone would doubt his love. "To suggest otherwise-"

"Then why won't you save them?"

"I-"

"Every song, every poem, every book ever made will disappear. Every piece of architecture, every new breakthrough in science, every world-wide event - every last trace of humanity will be completely and utterly erased. How can you claim to love humanity, when you would rather let it all disappear than face the truth? Does humanity deserve such a cowardly-"

"FINE!" He can't listen to any more of this. He just can't. "You win, okay? You win. I'll be your goddamned Champion."

"Excellent." There's a pleased smile on the deity's face, but it's quickly replaced by an annoyed frown. "Though it would seem we've run out of time." it says, its voice sour.

"Wait, what?" he almost can't believe it."You emotionally manipulate me into agreeing to a suicide mission and then just leave before even giving me the courtesy of telling me what the hell I'm supposed to do?" he wants to tear his hair out in frustration.

"I understand your frustration, sweetling, but you are not the only one from your world, and are therefore not the only one whose actions I can not foresee. I'm afraid it's time for you to-"

"No. No no no no no, you are not doing this again, you are not just going to leave again you absolutely useless excuse for a-"

"-wake up."

Shizuo paces the empty hall, his hands clenched into fists as he tries his best to calm himself with a few deep, deep breaths. It's been over 24 hours since his last cigarette, and he has absolutely no idea when - or even if - he'll be able to get more; he's already feeling the effects, that familiar listlessness keeping him from falling asleep despite how ridiculously comfortable the bed he'd been given was. Compared to the cheap futon he had at home, he might as well have been laying on a cloud… yet no matter how hard he tried, how hard he tossed and turned and twisted, the solution to his exhaustion simply refused to come.

Fucking damn it.

He's no stranger to withdrawals. Tom paid him decently enough, but property damage fines tend to build up over time, and on more than one occasion he'd been forced to choose between dinner and a pack. Hell, if it wasn't for Tom paying off the majority of those fines, he probably would have been homeless a long time ago.

He sighs.

Tom-senpai…

Same as always, he had let his anger take over his actions. Just a whiff of the flea had been enough to have him on his feet, running after the little bastard and - again, same as always - leaving the older man far in the dust.

He'd tried to contact him - he'd tried to call, tried to text, email, everything he could think of - but there'd been no signal at either the cabin or the clearing, so all his attempts had just ended up being useless (and he'd just ended up chucking his phone at a tree.) Celty had done her best to try and reassure him, to tell him that she's sure Tom won't blame him, and that once they got back she'd go with him to explain everything. It had helped for a little bit, but after a whole day of hiking through a creepy forest and finding no sign of life or ways out, his anxiety had started to get out of hand and he'd smoked all but a single one of his cigarettes.

Of course, it certainly hadn't helped when Shinra, deciding he wanted to try and make conversation, had made the mistake of asking him how his brother was doing. The reminder that it wasn't just Tom he'd left behind, but Kasuka, too - it had been the final straw. Already stressed, he'd ended up taking his emotions out on the forest.

On the bright side, the outburst had cleared enough trees for them to make camp for the night, and he had been so hungry by that point that Shinra and Celty offering to go out to look for food had distracted him enough for him to calm down. He'd smoked that single last cigarette then, laying on the sleeping bag Celty had made for him and looking up at the vivid purple sky, its two moons shining brightly. He'd never seen anything so beautiful, and for a second he'd all but forgotten the impossible situation they'd found themselves in.

And then Izaya woke up.

Shizuo un-clenches his fists only to clench them again moments later, his teeth grit tightly. Whatever the hell's going on, the flea definitely has something to do with it - but for once in the ten-something years he's known the little bastard, he's finding it very, very hard to convince himself that he's actually behind it all.

"Fuck, what the hell is wrong with me? Of fucking course he's behind it, this is the flea we're talking about! It's gotta be part of some sick, twisted scheme to ruin my life even fucking more - stupid fucking flea, I should have killed him when I had the chance!" He doesn't even realize he's started storming in the direction of Izaya's room until he's already in front of it, his hand hesitating before turning the doorknob and pushing it open.

He's not entirely sure what he's expecting to find; an empty room maybe, the flea so good at running away that he could easily make a career out of it. Or maybe it will be a knife flashing in front of his eyes, or a group of thugs, or some other shitty surprise the flea might have cooked up for him.

What he's not expecting to find is Izaya curled up on the bed like a piece of shrimp, eyes squeezed shut and brows knit tightly, a frown on his sleeping face. He'd been too distracted to bother looking at him when he was unconscious in the forest, so the sight of him laying there, silent and vulnerable, completely oblivious to the world around him - it's almost as surreal as the sky.

He moves closer, almost subconsciously, his breath caught in his throat. The Izaya in front of him is not the Izaya he's used to; there are no snarky comments, no switchblades, no sneers, nothing to suggest that the man in front of him is the same annoying little pest he's been trying and failing to exterminate since high school.

It's a trick. he realizes. It's gotta be. It'd be just like the little bastard, getting me to let my guard down so he can strike the first chance he gets…

He moves closer still, his heart pounding so loud he can't hear anything else.

But... if it isn't a trick...

Then that means he has another chance to end this, once and for all. It would be so easy - all he'd have to do is wrap his hands around that slender neck and squeeze, and he'd finally, finally be free.

No more Izaya. No more pain.

His heart racing, he carefully climbs onto the bed and reaches out to push Izaya onto his back, expecting a knife to come flying towards his face at any moment… but if Izaya is awake he's doing a damn good job at hiding it, because he doesn't react even when Shizuo leans over and wraps his trembling hands around neck.

This is it. This is the end. I can do this. Even if he were to wake up right now, he wouldn't be able to stop me in time. All I have to do is squeeze - it's that easy. Just squeeze, and you'll never have to worry about him again. Just squeeze, and you'll never have to see him again, never have to hear him again, never have to smell him again. Just squeeze. Squeeze. Squeeze. SQUEEZE, damn it!

But he can't. He wants to… dear god he wants to - but no matter how hard he tries, he simply can't bring himself to do it.

Come on, damn it! You can do it, you need to do it, so just fucking do it!

His thumbs dig into the pale flesh hard enough to bruise, but even then, Izaya doesn't stir. If it wasn't for the feeling of his pulse beneath his fingers, he might even start to think he was already dead. He remembers then that the king had given him some sort of sleeping drug - Izaya's so fucking scrawney, could he have accidentally given him too much?

His grip loosens, the thought of killing Izaya no longer as tempting. Worst enemy or not, how satisfying can it possibly be to kill a man who can't even fight back? If he truly hates Izaya for being a sneaky, underhanded coward, how can he possibly justify doing something as sneaky and underhanded as murdering him in their sleep?

The answer is, of course, that he can't.

His hands still shaking, he forces himself to let go, his jaw sore from how tightly he'd been clenching it-

"-excuse for a- OW!" Izaya wakes up so suddenly that Shizuo has no time to move away before their foreheads collide painfully, the smaller man immediately falling back onto the pillow and clutching at his head. Dazed from the impact, it takes a second for his vision to clear. When it does, his eyes widen in confusion. "Shizu...chan?" It hurts to speak, and he furrows his brows as he raises his fingers up to gently feel his throat. His head is pounding so hard he can barely think, so it takes a moment for him to put two and two together. The moment he does, his instincts kick in and he scrambles backwards, his hand reaching for the switchblade hidden in his jacket… only to discover he's not wearing it.

Shit!

He glances around for something to defend himself with, so frantic in his search that he doesn't even notice that Shizuo looks almost as panicked as he does. "I-" the blonde tries desperately to come up with an excuse, but the words refuse to come to him. What is he supposed to say? 'Sorry I tried to choke you to death, but hey, I chickened out at the last second so no harm done, right?'

But his attempts turn out to be unneeded anyway, because a split second later Izaya is up off the bed and out the door, moving faster than Shizuo has ever seen him move before.

For once, he doesn't chase after him.