A/N: FUCK IT!

Fuck editing, fuck clarity, fuck everything. Here you go, I don't care. This story is becoming just a mess. I'm considering closing down the vote but meh, it's still up. Take your pic for who gets the collar. It's currently 72:67.5 Knock yourselves out. I'm tired, cut me some slack darlings...

Enjoy~

Part of Izaya was completely aware of why he gave Namie a set of his keys. It was, after all, the practical thing to do when you were a highly sought-after informant. In the good way and in the bad way. It meant that if he was seriously injured or otherwise detained, Namie could be a last line of defense or, in fact, carry out duties that Izaya couldn't. In practice, it was the wise thing to do.

That being said, Izaya started to seriously regret this decision when someone threw open his curtains before literally throwing a large suitcase at him. Izaya had about zero point three seconds to wake up fully and roll out of bed to avoid his face being squashed by flying luggage. His head thanked him for it, the rest of his aching limbs, however, did not.

Izaya groaned and stared at the ceiling, squinting against the glare of the golden light streaming through his windows. Beside his head, a computer bag was carefully placed on the ground.

"Namie-san," Izaya groaned, focusing on the typically unimpressed face of his secretary. "So good of you to, ah, drop by. I'm grateful, really." His back let out a spasm of pain and he grit his teeth in a smile to hide the flash of agony.

"And don't you forget it," Namie huffed, sweeping her slightly mussed hair out of her face. "Get up Izaya, I really don't have the patience for you laying around all day." Which were fine words coming from the one who had literally tried to kill him via quickly accelerating carry-on.

"But of course Namie-san," Izaya purred, peeved at his secretary but still in too much bodily pain to complain. "Just let me recover from almost being beaten to death by airborne baggage."

"Oh stop whining and get up," Namie snapped, rolling her eyes before exiting his bedroom. "We've got a lot of stuff to do today so I really don't have time for your melodrama. Throw a pity party later, right now, get dressed."

Now that his secretary had left the room, Izaya's eyes grew dark. God, he really didn't want to have to deal with this mess right now. Just let me sleep, at least then I can pretend my life hasn't fallen apart. Lifting his left leg, Izaya stared at the glimmering thread that trailed from in. His stomach didn't roll at the sight of it, but that might have been because he was too far gone to really give a damn any more.

"Izaya, I'm serious! Get up!" With a sigh loud enough that Namie would surely hear it, Izaya got to his feet. Everything hurt, but that was inevitable. He had been dragged over a block of pavement then almost pulled out of a building after all.

Shizuo's face flashed before his eyes and he swallowed hard. Don't think about that right now. Focus. So instead of thinking about it, he righted the mistreated valise before unzipping it and checking its contents. Smirking at the meticulously folded clothing, Izaya took a small measure of pleasure from rummaging haphazardly through the bag, admittedly pulling out a pair of skinny jeans and a loose long-sleeved black shirt that looked exactly like the set that had been on the top but who was really counting, ne?

"Did you find anything yesterday?" Izaya called absently as he hurried to get changed. He would have rather just stayed in the clothing he had on because it wasn't like he was going to be going anywhere, but he was also aware that Namie would probably knock him out, tie him up, and forcibly change him sheerly on principle if he didn't comply.

Shucking his shorts, Izaya was forced to look at the glowing script that blossomed over his thigh. Slowly sitting down on his bed, Izaya traced it with this thumb, sorely missing the flash of hatred he'd felt before when he looked at it. He should be upset, he should be furious. He had an unremovable tattoo on his thigh that spelled out Shizuo's name, forever marking him as the beast's, that would make anyone angry.

But he didn't, he only felt distantly sad. Lost. Cut off from the world. That's what I did, ne? Pushed him away. This doesn't mean anything anymore. I shouldn't even worry about it. It's not like I can change it. And yet he couldn't stop brushing over it, wondering if he did it enough, Shizuo might feel his own tattoo heating up.

What am I thinking.

Hastily, Izaya pulled his hand back before yanking his jeans on, determined to forget about it entirely. What else could he do, after all? He wasn't going to go crawling back to his enemy that was for sure.

As he was pulling his shirt off over his head, Namie chose to finally answer. "Yes actually. I found out a whole lot."

Tossing the shirt haphazardly over his shoulder, Izaya hummed under his breath and looked around for the long-sleeved shirt he'd managed to misplace. "Fascinating, I'm sure," he muttered. "You usually do manage to find something Namie-san. Even a blind man can find something if he stumbles around long enough."

"Shut it bastard. I'm trying to say that I may have found a solution." Izaya froze half-naked and turned towards the open door, a flutter of something kindling in his stomach. He was sure he'd misheard Namie because that was impossible, Shinra had said it himself. There was no solution.

But…

The clouds in his mind parting, Izaya dashed into the other room and skidded to a halt in front of Namie, who was currently on her laptop. "A solution?" He couldn't contain the excitement that shot through him. With no other emotions in the way to stop it the feeling made him shout with giddy glee. "You mean, something to fix it?!"

Taken aback, Namie looked up at him and scooted backwards in her chair. "Yes, Izaya, that is the general idea…" Then she closed her eyes and grimaced. "For the love of god Izaya, put a shirt on! I'm your secretary, not your wife!"

"Well wouldn't that be terrifying," Izaya teased, unable to hold back the elation that was spreading throughout him, flipping back on those switches that had been turned off by the entire situation. "Getting tied down to a nag like you, ne, even Shizu-chan is preferable to that~" His eyes widened and for the first time since it started, the golden coloring didn't affect him. "If I were stuck to you I'd be dead within a week."

"Good, I'd get your money and I wouldn't have to deal with your inability to properly dress yourself ever again," Namie quipped, pulling a face even with her eyes closed.

"Ha! But you forget Namie-san that I'd give it all to Shizu-chan just to annoy you." Izaya shot back, a triumphant grin on his face. It's going to be over, he realized. It'll be over and I'll be able to go back to normal and Shizu-chan can go back to destroying the city and I can go back to keeping it alive and it'll all be fine.

"No wonder why our marriage failed," Namie snorted, pointing her finger generally in Izaya's direction. "You were clearly having an affair with Heiwajima and I found out. Now you're unfaithful and probably dead."

Izaya covered his mouth in mock offence, deciding to let the jab about him being with Shizuo slide. "Says the woman that wants to make love to her little brother!"

"That was years ago! And at least I'm not into beasiality."

"Shizu-chan is only a beast for me, Namie-san." Sticking out his tongue even though she couldn't see it, Izaya added, "You're secretly just jealous because you wish your brother was as strong as Shizu-chan."

"I told you, I'm not into him anymore!" Namie shrieked. "And why are we even having this conversation, go put a shirt on!" Laughing, Izaya did as he was bid, eager to get the information out of Namie.

It was like a cloud had been lifted, bringing him back to life. This entire situation had been leaving him feeling like he couldn't do anything, like he was helpless to his own fate, but this, this was hope. This was the chance that everything could go back to normal. Izaya needed that, needed the monotony and the predictability that came with being on top, pulling the strings.

He wanted to be the mastermind of the interesting, he didn't want to be subject to it unwillingly.

Straightening his shirt, running fingers through his hair as if what he looked like mattered at the moment, Izaya slid into the chair across from Namie before leaning over the table, a devilish smirk on his face. "Namie-san," he purred, a soft laugh escaping him. "Don't leave me hanging like this. I'm simply dying to know what you've discovered." And then, because he felt indulgent, he added, "Start from the top, I want to know everything."

Rolling her eyes, Namie slid her laptop out of the way so she could give her full attention to Izaya. "There's a lot, and I'm going to need to do more today, but I've got a solid base to work with. But first," she raised an eyebrow at him. "You sent me a text yesterday that said you talked to Shinra-san. What did he say?"

With a condescending eye roll, Izaya gestured dismissively. "Oh you know, his usual fatalistic drivel, nothing terribly interesting or useful." Of course, looking back on it, Izaya had to admit that he hadn't exactly asked many useful questions, but that was irrelevant. "He said there was no solution. Couldn't answer most of the other questions. Seemed predictably worried."

"You didn't ask him anything useful, did you?" Namie sounded duly unimpressed.

"Ne Namie-san, I keep listening but no words pertaining to what you learned are being said." Izaya made a show of leaning in and cupping a hand around his ear. "It's almost like I've got selective hearing! Hmm, I'm sure I'll start listening the moment something useful is mentioned."

"Bastard," Namie muttered for the second time that day, a noticeable note of fondness in the insult. "Because most of my sources were going a little slow for my tastes, I decided to dig a little closer to the catalyst of this whole fiasco." Giving him one of her usual deadpans that did very little to cover the smugness behind her eyes, Namie said, "I talked to Celty."

Izaya's ears perked up at that and his eyes danced with interest. "Now there's a thought! Ah, why weren't we doing that sooner?" With an extravagant expenditure of movement, Izaya rose from his seat and sashed around this kitchen, unable to help the happy sway in his hips. "Go on," he insisted, hooking his fingers around a coffee mug and focusing on Namie. "Do tell what our favorite headless fairy had to say."

Unfazed by her employer's patently ridiculous behavior, Namie tapped the table. "She had quite a lot actually, whether she really knew it or not." Tilting her head, Namie admitted, "She really doesn't get how powerful information can be."

"The price of being a good person," Izaya sympathized, nodding solemnly before flitting about in his previous exercise of making coffee. "But you digress, tell me what she really said." Even though he would have usually considered this Namie's job, Izaya pulled out the often unused Bialetti Moka from a shelf and measured water into it expertly. The additional task helped channel some of the energy that filled him.

I'm going to get out of this alive. It's all going to be fine.

"She talked an awful lot about fate." The moment the words left Namie's mouth Izaya's gears started turning. Because of course! As soon as she said it, a whole lot started to make sense. "We've been spending all this time focusing on soulmates exclusively when it's common knowledge that soulmates are part of the larger matter of fate."

"And therefore," Izaya hurried to say, dovetailing on Namie's train of thought. "By broadening the net we cast with, we can find greater amounts of information that will be more practically useful considering what we're looking for. Namie-san, you have earned a raise." Turning on the stove, Izaya did a twirl and tipped an imaginary hat to his secretary. "You are a genius."

"Occasionally," Namie agreed, though she looked proud of herself. Izaya didn't even feel the urge to burst her bubble. Let her feel proud, it would make for more amicable relations down the line after all. And he needed this information. "Celty said some other interesting things but I'll get back to that. What's important is that she explained what fate looks like from her end."

Splaying her fingers out over the table so the overlapped, Namie lifted her tangled hands. "See, according to her, fate is all jumbled together. I talked to some other people who agreed with that but said that it's more interwoven. The world is connected by this stuff at a deep level."

Izaya raised a finger. "Is everything we do dictated by it or only major events?"

Namie answered with a wry grin. "Listen, the people I talked to went on and on about that very thing and I'd tell you but my eyes would glaze over, even if yours wouldn't. The point of the matter is, you are connected through fate to everyone you've ever so much as passed in the streets and each of those connections contains your relationship with that person, your past, your present. Some would even go so far is to say your future."

Again Izaya's mind sped ahead of his secretary's. "So to affect someone's fate, you have to find the specific connections that are singular to them?" He scratched behind his ear as he poured himself and Namie some coffee. "And to affect soulmates, someone like Celty would have to find that particular connection between two people and… activate it?"

"But not, unfortunately, sever it." Namie gave him a sort of what-can-you-do expression but Izaya's spirits didn't flag. She'd said she found a solution. If she wanted to walk him through her failures, Izaya would let her. "Most supernatural beings can only really trigger the symptoms or possibly strengthen the bond. The limits are unclear, but the parameters are constant."

"So what in particular did Celty do?" Izaya asked as he handed Namie a steaming cup of coffee that she accepted eagerly.

Namie gave him a half-smirk that she had to have picked up from him. "She just affected all of the connections tied to you with the intentions of manifesting latent symptoms." A well mannered sip of her coffee. "And you know what that means, right? In addition to you suddenly showing multiple symptoms in as many days, it means that Shiki's people are also getting affected because they're connected to you. Anyone who's met you could at any time start manifesting symptoms."

That finally managed to sour Izaya's good mood. "And will it stop? I meet new people every day, that would be awkward if I became the new cupid." Just without the little wings and chubby face…

"While I find that image amusing," Namie said, setting down her coffee cup. "I hope not. I'll have to do more research on it though, that's the one thing that still has me confused. But that's besides the point." Pulling out a piece of paper, Namie scanned over the information on it. "After fully understanding that fate, rather than soulmates, was what I needed to be looking at, I got in contact with some people."

Izaya felt a renewed buzzing in his blood. "Of course you would. What did you find?"

"More information on dullahans for one," Namie told him, pulling her laptop back over. "Because they would typically exist on another plane of reality, they are amplifiers." She slid over several pages of notes, taken in a tight, spiky hand. "So when Celty touches your soul, which is like the epicenter of where your fate connects to other people's, she can only increase what's already there. There is no way for her to decrease or dampen what she's done."

"But," Izaya said, reading over the pages Namie had handed him. "You found an alternative." The notes had quite a bit of information on Dullahans that was interesting, but largely useless for the time being. Shinra would love this.

"As a matter of fact," Namie said with a smirk. "I did."

It was at that moment that Izaya's black phone let out an electronic wail.

"But it'll have to wait I suppose," Namie muttered, excitement dimming as she grabbed for the device that sat in the middle of the table and glared at the caller ID. "You might want to take this."

Though he doubted that there was anything more important than what Namie had been about to say, Izaya grudgingly accepted the cellphone anyway. At the name though, a look of exhausted resignation worked its way onto his face. "Oh," Izaya murmured, a thin smile claiming his lips despite his original reaction. "This should be fun."

"I'm sure." Namie gave him a look that spoke volumes. "Don't do anything too stupid."

Picking up the call, Izaya delicately held the phone to his ear. Before he could say anything, a familiar voice dripped through the speakers. "Good morning Orihara-san, I know it's early but I just had to hear it all straight from you."

Making a mental list of all the reasons Mizuki Akabayashi could possibly be calling him, Izaya got to his feet and wandered out of the room, leaving Namie to her work. "Ne, never too early for business Akabayashi-san." It had been a while since he'd last been contacted by this particular colleague of Shiki's, but Izaya was hardly worried. He hadn't recently done anything inflammatory after all.

"A matter of business?" The older Awakusu-kai executive said with a darkly amused laugh. "Orihara-san you wound me, is that all I am to you?" Holding back a sigh, Izaya pinched the bridge of his nose and smiled one of those painful smiles he reserved specifically for talking to Akabayashi. "This is a more… Congenial matter, I should say."

"What, do you wish to catch up over a friendly cup of coffee?" Izaya asked mockingly. "I'm a busy man Akabayashi-san, and you're an important one. Neither of us have time to waste." Sitting down in the leather armchair that looked exactly like the one Shinra used to own before Shizuo threw it through a wall, Izaya leaned back and closed his eyes. "Please, do get to the point."

"So cold," Akabayashi complained, though he hardly sounded upset. "I bet you don't act this way around Shiki. You just fall over yourself to please him." The jab was plain, but Izaya let himself rise to it.

You sound like a jealous child. "How I do business with Shiki-san is between him and myself." Izaya informed the man, tapping his fingers on the arm of his chair impatiently. "But if it makes you feel any better," he teased, voice dripping with scorn. "We're both consenting adults."

"How droll." Akabayashi purred, though at last he sounded a tad bit annoyed. "You see Orihara-san, this is why I like talking to you. Nevermind your other talents, it's your wonderful sense of humor I come for, really." Izaya allowed himself a smirk of victory. "But I must raise issue with one point you made. Your business with him is as much my business as yours. This time at least."

Izaya scrapped his mental list of things the gang leader might be calling about in favor of a new one. "I see, and what piece of information have you extorted from Shiki-san this time."

"Extortion? Hardly!" Akabayashi sounded all too pleased with himself. "For someone who trusts me about as far as he can throw me, he seemed particularly eager to spill the beans on this matter. He looked so annoyed about it too, like he wanted to shut up but he couldn't. Priceless!"

An interesting feeling curled in Izaya's gut as he put two and two together and waited for everyone else to get four. "Well, you wanted it from the horse's mouth, ne? What can I enlighten you on today?" Oh Shiki, what a hilarious twist of fate. Why I'd say the gods are against us both!

"Soulmates, apparently," Akabayashi said, that hint of a smirk still in his voice. "Usually I'd take it as a load of bull but Shiki seems to believe it and he mentioned he'd passed the information about it off to you."

"Well," Izaya murmured, picturing Shiki's face as Akabayashi asked him something and usually tight-lipped man couldn't stop himself from answering. I'd have paid money to see that. "Seeing as Shiki-san didn't have a problem telling you about something he described to me as being very hush-hush, I suppose I can give you something more. What do you want to know?"

"Are they real?" Akabayashi asked at once, sounding mildly excited. Izaya had always found that the man was more willing to accept the supernatural where Shiki was skeptical to the end.

Opening his eyes and staring at the swirls of gold that traced the dust drifting through his apartment, Izaya smiled ruefully. "Oh Akabayashi-san. Only too much." Biting his lip to hold back the grin he usually had when he was planning to stir things up, Izaya continued, "Soulmates are very real and can be very dangerous at times. I'm sure Shiki-san told you about the apparent epidemic that's been hitting the Awakusu gang, an epidemic that I'd go so far as to say has been hitting the rest of greater Tokyo as well."

"An epidemic? What an interesting way to describe it." Akabayashi sounded curious. "So I take it you don't see this as a good thing?"

"Hardly!" Izaya let out a short bark of laughter. "Really, I'm quite worried Akabayashi-san and you should be too. After all, we haven't yet figured out how it's spreading. Fate, you know, can be rather tedious. There's very little hard science and this is reaching terrifying proportions already."

"Well that certainly is quite frightening." Of course, the man didn't sound frightened, he merely sounded amused, as if the idea of everyone's lives suddenly being upended was funny. Well, he's not wrong…

"Yes it is. In fact, I'd be grateful if you could take some time out of your busy schedule to ask Shiki-san if he's come down with any symptoms." Izaya struggled to contain a giggle. "Since he seems so eager to talk to you, after all, you might as well make sure that he hasn't succumbed. I'd hate to see such important and key people be brought low by this."

Akabayashi snorted, as though picking up on the traces of deviousness in Izaya's tone. "Well Orihara-san, with such a moving speech on the matter," he paused to let out another laugh. "I suppose I could… find the time sometime soon to check in on him. Though as you say, I am a very busy man."

"You have my undying gratitude," Izaya said liltingly, ever the sarcastic one. "Now if you'll excuse me, I really must be going Akabayashi-san. There are many things that I must do and working on a cure is at the top of my list. I hope you have a wonderful day."

"The same to you Orihara-san." Before Izaya could hang up, the line went dead.

It was only then that he allowed himself a pleased chuckle. "Oh Namie-san," he called to the other room. "Will I ever scrape the depths of my genius?"

"You do every time you try to make a joke," was Namie's pithy reply. As he strolled back into the kitchen, she looked up from her computer to say, "I've been working for you for years and you still aren't funny."

Izaya pouted. "So cruel to me. I'm simply destroyed by your nasty words." Sitting on the table-top and letting his legs dangle over the side, Izaya purred, "Now my wonderful secretary, tell me what you found."

Namie actually grinned.

~•~

Shizuo hadn't slept.

He was aware that some people could do this often with little affect on their day to day life but he was not one of those people. Currently, he was taking a walk. Said walk mostly involved wandering in loose circles around Ikebukuro.

Actually, he wasn't even in Ikebukuro anymore, his walk having brought him into the greater Toshima district. It was just to clear his head really, because he needed that. He really fucking did.

Izaya. The one thing he couldn't get away from.

The man was the reason Shizuo hadn't been able to sleep and the thought always swimming around in his mind. Shizuo knew he shouldn't obsess, but he couldn't help it. Couldn't escape the inevitable circles his mind took him in.

While this might be an inelegant farewell, I suppose it will have to do.

Shizuo ground his teeth together as the words played over and over again in his head. Izaya, the one constant in his life, gone. Vanished like he'd never been there in the first place. All because of this stupid soulmate problem.

Part of him wondered if he should just be happy that Izaya was gone. Hadn't he spend most of his life wishing for that very thing? Fought the man almost daily to do get him out of Ikebukuro. Joy would make sense, the feeling of a weight being lifted off of his shoulders.

But it wasn't there. All Shizuo felt was a deep loss. It didn't matter that he'd fought Izaya for years, he cared damnit! He's seen the tears and the pain and it hurt him. Shizuo couldn't erase the image of Izaya, staring at him with such hopelessness and fear, from his mind. Why the hell am I thinking like this? Why do I give a shit? He didn't know, he didn't get it. But it was there, that wish to be closer to Izaya, if only to help him in some small way.

All I fucking do is hurt him. Have the last few days taught me nothing? Heh, apparently not, but then, Izaya always had said he was stupid.

Taking a deep breath, Shizuo stared at the ground for a moment before digging in his pockets for a carton of cigarettes. Ever since this shit had started he'd been smoking far too much. Though he knew it was probably an addiction, Shizuo had never treated it as such. His need for it ebbed and flowed with the situation. The most stress, the more nicotine he required to deal with it.

This was no different.

Fumbling a cigarette out of its package and between his lips, Shizuo glanced up and felt a dull flicker of surprise. The Kanda river, I guess I walked farther than I thought… Glancing down at his arm where he had the thread of fate looped several times, the blond furrowed his brows. Probably, he should turn back soon. He wasn't sure how long the thread was but he didn't want to do something he'd regret.

Izaya was already upset enough, he didn't want to make him feel like he was stuck on a leash on top of everything else.

Nevertheless, Shizuo pulled out his lighter and stared at the river, eyes unfocused. Over it was Shinjuku, he knew. From where he was, Shizuo could see one of the many bustling bridges that spanned the gap. I wonder which path Izaya takes, all those times he's come to Ikebukuro. Funny that the man had spent so much time trying to get to Shizuo only to get chased away.

Of course logically, Shizuo knew this was inaccurate. Izaya probably had innumerable reasons to come to Ikebukuro but it felt like he came for Shizuo. And now he's spending all his time putting as much distance between us as possible.

Soulmates. The word felt like a slap in the face.

It wasn't like it meant anything anymore. Whatever the symptoms, all Shizuo saw was more misery for Izaya and more guilt on his shoulders. He's such a mess and I can't even help. With a sigh, he held the small flame to end of his cigarette and waited for the smoke to start rising before pulling in a breath of smoke and flicking the lighter closed. It did nothing to relax him, but it hardly mattered anymore. God, everything's a mess.

Slowly meandering towards the river, closer to the bridge and the pedestrians walking beside it, Shizuo pulled the cigarette out of his mouth so he could let go of a long stream of smoke. It all looked so peaceful, even in shades of red. He was almost used to it at this point, the hazy crimson that covered the world.

No, he was used to it. It hardly even registered anymore. Things didn't look so oppressively similar anymore, he could differentiate between the various hues that made up the world. The sun that was still white hot with intense reds fading from it, the water of the river that sparkled hematically, the spot of fire that was standing on the railing of the bridge.

Wait, what?

Shizuo's eyes focused as a thrill of surprise and then fear shot through him because it only took a second to realize what he was seeing.

Izaya, in the middle of the bridge, standing on the edge of the railing, looking down at the drop beneath him. From here, Shizuo couldn't see the expression on his face, had no idea what was running through his head but he did remember the deadness in Izaya's eyes the day before and the defeat that had claimed the man. Remembered that, and heard Celty's and Shinra's words echo through his mind.

You know, go off the deep end.

Fuck.

Blood rushing in his ears, Shizuo found himself running, hardly caring that Izaya had told him to stay away. Why the hell did he do that anyway? Was it really because he doesn't want to see me?

Or was it because he didn't want me to see?

People shouted in consternation as he barreled through them, cars swerved as he darted through traffic to get to the bridge. Shizuo didn't even see any of it, all he could see was the glowing figure that was Izaya Orihara and see the way he looked over the edge of the bridge like he was contemplating just jumping off.

Just ending it.

An inelegant farewell indeed.

As he got closer, Izaya must have heard the commotion his approach generated because he turned around. Shizuo registered the surprise, the flicker of fear and irritation that accompanied it. Almost like the blond was getting in the way of his plans, like he was an inconvenience. Fine, let me be an annoyance, just don't do this Izaya!

"IZAYA~!" Shizuo yelled wildly, eyes wide and full of terror. Those around them started clearing the area, some, if not all, aware of the famous rivalry and not wanting to get caught in the crosshairs. "WHAT THE HELL?"

Izaya gave Shizuo an unreadably frustrated glare. "I thought we agreed to stay away from each other, ne?" His feet were too close to the edge and the fire around him didn't make the look in his eyes any less desperate. Manic. It was different from what he'd seen the day before, now Shizuo was seeing the decision that had already been made. The sick resolve.

"I'm not going to fucking stay away from you if this is what you decide to do!" Shizuo snarled in response, stalking closer, prompting Izaya to start backing away from him. Now he could see the fear, the feeling of injustice in those eyes. Their bright cherry red was so captivating, the thought of them dimming in death was too horrible to contemplate.

Please Izaya, we can figure this out, don't do this to me.

"Leave me alone!" Izaya snapped, still backpedaling, too close to the edge for comfort. Shizuo didn't need this, he didn't want this to happen. "Stop trying to screw everything up! You don't understand!" Oh he understood alright and he hated that he did. I drove him to this, I pushed him and pushed him until he couldn't see a way out.

"I DO! Please, don't fucking do this Izaya!" Shizuo all but begged, reaching out, terrified and angry and desperate all at the same time. "Whatever you're going to do, don't do it! We're just soulmates Izaya, it's not worth this!" Please, anything but this. Anything!

"You stupid beast! Don't try and stop me." Izaya hissed. Shizuo knew it was going to happen before it did, saw Izaya's foot move out over nothing even as the man yelled with fervent energy, "I'm fixing things Shizu-chan, just let it be over!"

"NO!"

Izaya's eyes widened as Shizuo lunged forward and he teetered backwards, discovering that there was nothing there to catch him. His mouth opened in a yell lost to the momentum as he tipped backwards and fell off the side of the bridge. Shizuo could do nothing as he watched Izaya, the stupid Flea he'd become helplessly attached to over the past few days, fall backwards into nothing and vanish from his vision.

In that moment, he acted on instinct. As fear filled Shizuo and he kept moving towards the spot where Izaya had fallen as if in slow motion, he saw it, the red thread that had caused the two of them such grief. His hands moved unconsciously, as if pulled forward by something out of his control. Possibly fate, possibly something else.

Like he'd known what to do, Shizuo reached out, grabbed the red thread of fate that was falling over the bridge after Izaya and pulled.

How fate could give someone rope burns, Shizuo would never know.

As Izaya's weight fell on the string, Shizuo felt it threaten to escape his hands. It even started to slip, allowing Izaya to continue to plummet, but the blond held on tightly and started looping the thread around his hands even before Izaya had stopped fully moving. Heart pounding in his chest, Shizuo smacked hard against the concrete side of the bridge as time sped up again. Suddenly he was pulling Izaya up by his ankle as he moved hand over hand to shorten the rope, unable to think about anything else but this single task.

The moment he caught sight of the flailing ivory limbs, Shizuo caught ahold of Izaya's feet and pulled him the rest of the way over the railing, back to safety. He only took a moment to make sure Izaya was still breathing before doing the thing he'd wanted to do for the past day by pulling the man into a crushing embrace.

Izaya was shaking, but then, so was he.

"Don't you ever fucking do that again," Shizuo murmured vehemently, burying his face into Izaya's hair as he just let himself shake, let the fear run its course. "Life's shit Izaya, I know it's shit but you don't get to kill yourself over it. Ever!"

"I-I wasn't," Izaya stammered, his own words tremulous with fear. Shizuo could feel Izaya's heartbeat against his own chest, hammering like a drum. Weakly, Izaya's own hands pushed against Shizuo, trying to put distance between them. "S-s-stupid i-idiot. I'm not."

"You fucking were!" Shizuo snapped, clenching his jaw as he relived those few moments again and again, unable to put them to rest. "Death isn't going to solve shit Izaya, you have to know that! It's only going to make it worse! Jumping of a fucking bridge does nothing!"

"I didn't want to kill myself, I never jumped. It was an accident!" Izaya insisted, pushing harder against Shizuo, almost panicked in his efforts to get away. "Let me go, stop acting like this!" But he was still shaking and Shizuo couldn't believe him when he said that he hadn't wanted to die. You're fucking lying, I saw you yesterday Izaya, you were trying to kill yourself!

I wasn't trying to kill myself!

The explosive noise in Shizuo's mind shocked him into complete stillness. The flipside was that Izaya too had frozen. For a moment, Shizuo hardly dared to breath, then, very slowly, he drew back and stared down at the Raven.

Izaya's eyes spiraled as he stared back at Shizuo, mouth slightly open, no longer struggling to get away. He didn't know if he'd imagined what had just happened, or if it had simply been a fluke. Izaya must have said it out loud, right?

I must have imagined that.

What the hell…?

And suddenly Shizuo was hit with a veritable flood of emotions. Fear, anger, confusion, desperation and a twisted sort of laughter all condensed down into a ball of pure feeling that made his head spin. Hands finding the railing behind Izaya and leaning against, it, Shizuo tried to force the foreign emotions away as they tried to overwhelm him. He couldn't even wonder where they were coming from, his brain was too scrambled. Izaya, at the same time, fell against Shizuo as he gasped, almost like he was physically in pain. His shoulders trembled as whatever had just hit the blond seemed to hit him as well.

Shit shit shit, Shizuo thought repeatedly, pushing back against the hurricane hitting him. At the same time though, he kept hearing words in languages he didn't know flow through his mind. They sounded like the things Izaya spat out when he was exceptionally upset.

It sounded like Izaya…

And then it clicked. Abandoning his attempts to push back the swell of foreign feelings, Shizuo attempted to reel in his own, the extreme fear he had that Izaya was going to hurt himself, the wish to make everything better, the intense desire to protect the Raven from anything and everything that could hurt him. All of it he pushed down, tamed it into a manageable thing that he could control. Almost like he was dimming the lights in his mind for just a moment.

Through the haze that the other feelings in his mind were causing, Shizuo felt Izaya's body melt against him as the strain on him lessened. And like that, Shizuo knew he was right. I'm hearing his thoughts.

Almost as if in response to Shizuo's thoughts, the storm in his mind died down. The sudden stillness was accompanied by the echoing words of Oh god, please not this.

Swallowing hard, Shizuo gripped Izaya by the shoulders and pushed him back enough so he could stare at him hard. "I-Izaya?" he murmured, still feeling sparks of emotions at the fringes of his conscious. Fear. Disbelief. Denyal. "Is that- Did I just…"

Mouth tightening into a firm line, Shizuo felt a sudden rush of stubborn refusal to accept what was happening followed by Izaya attempting to escape his hold. "It's nothing Shizuo, let me go." The blond didn't miss the exclusion on the familiar nickname from Izaya's speech. It left a sour taste in Shizuo's mouth, even as he told himself it didn't matter. Unexpectedly, Izaya's eyes widened in confusion, almost like…

Shizuo attempted to clamp down on his straying emotions. Fuck. "I heard your thoughts!" he insisted, taking care not to shake Izaya around as he was tempted to do. "I could feel what you were feeling, I still am! What is this?" Another surge of denial, this time accompanied by panic.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Izaya hissed, fighting against Shizuo a little harder. "You're crazy, let me go Shizu-chan." His breathing was coming in short gasps and again Shizuo heard Izaya's voice in his head as he thought let me go you stupid beast, don't make me deal with this! "You're j-just imagining things," Izaya stammered, unable to meet Shizuo's eyes. "I- Just let me go!"

Frustrated with Izaya's blatant lies, Shizuo threw all the mental force he could into the words, YOU JUST FUCKING TRIED TO COMMIT SUICIDE, DON'T TELL ME TO LET YOU GO JUST SO YOU CAN DO IT AGAIN!

Izaya clutched at his head as if in pain. I WASN'T TRYING TO KILL MYSElF!

Glaring at Shizuo with a renewed passion, Izaya spat, "I was absolutely fine Shizu-chan, I was just walking on the wall. You were the one who scared me off! You're the reason I almost died! You're always the reason I get hurt so just let. Me. Go!" Shoving against Shizuo, Izaya finally managed to stumble away from him.

Shizuo just stared at the Raven as guilt welled up in his chest. I- I never meant… he thought weakly, his mouth opening as he tried to speak. And yet through the remorse, Shizuo still couldn't quite believe that Izaya was going to be fine if he left, he was sick of leaving and watching Izaya get hurt. If they stuck together, at least he'd have a chance to protect Izaya from whatever stupid thing he did next.

So it was for these reasons that Shizuo ground out, "No. No I won't." Ignoring the dismay, the frustration and the fear that echoed from Izaya, Shizuo grit his teeth and clenched his fists at his sides. "You almost fucking died Izaya. Unless I'm mistaken, that's becoming a habit of yours. I'm not going to fucking leave when every time before that I've left, you've only gotten more hurt."

"I'm fine!" Izaya insisted, his eyes overly bright. "I was doing better before you showed up. I- I was trying to fix things." Stubbornly clenching his jaw and pulling back the emotions that kept wavering within the corner of Shizuo's mind that seemed to be connected to Izaya, the Raven begged, "Just let me go Shizu-chan, please."

"Fix things?" Shizuo asked, seizing on the words, a flicker of surprise running through him. I thought there was no solution…

Well, you were wrong. Lifting his chin, Izaya tried for a steady voice as he said, "Yes Shizu-chan, fix things. I think I found a solution and I was going to meet the contact now. This is making me very late so if you don't mind, I really must be-"

Lunging forward, Shizuo caught Izaya's wrist before he could run off. This time, he was ready for the flash of anger and desperation to just get away. Because he wasn't sure what else to do, Shizuo forced himself to fill with the feeling of reassurance. Like a charm, Izaya's panic abated and shifted into simple stubbornness. Knowing that he now could get more of Izaya's attention, Shizuo held up his arm, displaying the string of fate that was still looped around it. "You can't just run off idiot, you'd have just gotten hurt again."

Surprised, Izaya swallowed the retort Shizuo knew had been building in the back of his throat. "I- W-what?" he stammered, almost like he couldn't believe that Shizuo would care enough to prevent something so small just because it would hurt him. No, Shizuo could hear Izaya's confused thoughts echo in his mind. -not supposed to care, why is he acting like this. We're not even friends, why does he keep acting like he cares?

Undaunted by the fact that he was answering a question Izaya hadn't even really voiced, Shizuo quietly said, "Because I do, okay? You're not my enemy, okay? I mean yeah, I used to hate you, but I really don't anymore. And right now, I don't want to see you fucking hurt if I can prevent it."

Eyes widening, Izaya stopped trying to pull away and just stared in disbelief at Shizuo. What…? Taking several deep breaths to steady himself, Izaya finally managed, "R-regardless, I have places to be. Just let the extra string go so I can be on my way."

It wasn't even conscious change, but when Shizuo reached his mind out, he could feel the shift inside Izaya, almost like the gears inside him had been realigned. Now's as good a time as ever…

"I'm coming with you," Shizuo insisted again. "I know that you're fine but I'm still coming with you."

Izaya shook his head, still stubbornly clinging to the idea of going alone. "No, I don't need you. I'm not going to kill myself, surely you can see that now. I'm fine."

"I know," Shizuo muttered, gaze dropping to the ground. "But I'm not." I'm still terrified, he thought, almost like a confession. I can't bear the thought of something happening to you. If you die, that would kill me. "Just please," he finally said aloud. "Let me come with you. I won't get in the way, I just… Please?"

Mentally, the blond felt Izaya relent. "Fine," Izaya said shortly, like he was resigning himself to his fate. Shizuo waited for him to add some sort of cause to that, to say he could only stay for a certain length of time or possibly only until they got where he was going but Izaya just reached down and carefully pried Shizuo's fingers off of his wrist.

If you insist on keeping me on a short leash… Shizuo's heart leaped uncomfortably as Izaya's hand slipped into his. As if in reaction to his thoughts, Izaya turned red and quickly withdrew his hand, instead scrambling at the thread around Shizuo's limp arm till he felt like he had enough slack. "J-just keep up, alright," Izaya stammered. The blond could feel the man's embarrassment as powerfully as if it were his own. "I don't want to get yanked off of my feet because you're too slow. I've already ruined one pair of jeans because of you."

Turning, Izaya started walking, ignoring the stares of the people who had stopped to watch the whole shitshow. Mind finally catching up, Shizuo hurried to follow.

For a long time, neither of them said anything. Even as Izaya started weaving his way through the outskirts of Shinjuku, Shizuo couldn't think of anything to say. Hell, he could hardly think. He was still trying to process what had just happened. Izaya almost died, I saved him, and now I can hear his thoughts and feel his emotions. How the fuck did this even happen?

Stopping in the middle of the dirty sidewalk, Izaya sighed. "Look," he started, finally looking at Shizuo for the first time since the bridge. "I don't know why it happened right then but I can tell you that… That it's another symptom." Izaya didn't even blink as Shizuo, very loudly, let out a string of curses. "Yeah, it really does suck, doesn't it?"

"How the hell does this keep happening to us?" Shizuo grumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets and glaring at the sidewalk. "What did we even fucking do?" At his disgruntled words, Izaya actually managed a chuckle.

"We didn't do anything, Celty just reached into my soul and screwed around with my fate because Shinra told her to." Honestly, this kind of thing makes you look like a genius.

Catching the thought that Izaya had clearly meant for Shizuo to hear, the blond let out a laugh of surprise. Thanks, I think… "So Celty fucks shit up, now we're soulmates, or at least, now we know we're soulmates. Yep, that makes about as much sense as the rest of this week."

Spinning on his heels so he could skip backwards with a bit of his old energy, Izaya cooed, "Come now Shizu-chan, you've known me for years. You have to be used to crazy by now." A thin grin that Shizuo knew held genuine enjoyment, Izaya stuck his nose up and mockingly said, "It was in the terms and conditions of being around me."

You're actually happy.

Well, I guess I'm a little tired of just being scared all the time.

Shizuo rolled his eyes. "There were no terms of service Flea, you were the one who decided to piss me off." He couldn't deny the relief that came with knowing that Izaya was feeling better. Sure it was weird, hearing someone else's thoughts, but Shizuo was already starting to get used to it. It's almost like the universe is forcing us to communicate.

Everyone knows that communication is the first step to a healthy relationship, Izaya thought, though not as sarcastically as he probably intended. "I decided!? I think you're misremembering our first encounter. As I recall, you were the one who threw the first punch. Actually, you were the only one throwing punches."

"I still have a fucking scar," Shizuo reminded him, but it was almost with amusement that he said, "And besides, you still use that shitty nickname."

You like it.

Fuck off.

Meeting each other's eyes, both Shizuo and Izaya found themselves overcome by the strange urge to laugh. Something about this was just so inherently ridiculous that it demanded a reaction. Izaya snickered softly and Shizuo snorted, neither about to say what they were both thinking out loud.

It's almost like we're friends.

"So, you said you found a solution," Shizuo started, walking forward until he was level with the still skipping Izaya. Turning to face forward, the Raven shrugged.

"I suppose. Well, I didn't find anything, I was still in a state of emotional lockdown. My marvelous secretary found a solution." Twirling his fingers, Izaya smirked sidelong at Shizuo. "I'm just going to casually take credit for it when the time comes."

Rolling his eyes, Shizuo thought, You're full of shit Flea. "Okay, so what is this solution that you're taking credit for?" It was surprisingly easy to act like this around Izaya, normal, companionable. After everything that had happened in the last few days though, Shizuo felt it was justified. Why did I hate him in the first place anyway?

Because we both had better sense than to like each other. "A way to fix our soulmate problems," Izaya said cheekily, even though when Shizuo reached out for Izaya's emotions, all he found were sparks of melancholy. "You may now bow down before me Shizu-chan."

What is better sense even worth if it just produced years of fighting and hatred that didn't even have a reason to fucking exist? "A solution," Shizuo clarified, now understanding the hope he'd been feeling come from Izaya and the sudden good mood. "To make us… what? Not soulmates anymore?"

"I wish," Izaya muttered, the good mood finally truly dampened. Shizuo wrinkled his nose at the bitterness that welled up within the Raven at the prospect. It doesn't even matter anyway Shizu-chan, Izaya's words echoed sharply within his mind. I've done enough to you over the years to justify every ounce of your rage. "But no, it's a whole lot more complicated than that."

Frustrated, not just with his mental battle with Izaya but the way that verbally, the man was being as indirect as possible, Shizuo huffed, "So explain it." You don't get to say shit like that, I've made my fair share of mistakes as well. Why are you so deadset on me hating you?

Don't be stupid Shizu-chan, I hate you too. But it didn't work right when Shizuo could feel what Izaya did and knew that the man was lying through his teeth.

You don't hate me, don't change the fucking subject. You want me to hate you, why?

Because that's what you're suppose to do you beast, you're not allowed to change. "Well since you're so interested," Izaya drawled. "Then I suppose I could give you the cliffnotes of what Namie-san told me. Everything that's been happening to us has been centered around fate, obviously. Soulmate theory is just a very small subset of the things that your fate dictates. Some would say it dictates everything but that is a story for another day. What's important is that fate and soulmates are one and the same and so when you are affecting soulmates you're really just affecting fate."

Well, I guess you should have told me that before all this shit started because you know what, shit's changed a whole lot. "Kinda already told me that," Shizuo pointed out, furrowing his brow as he ordered everything that Izaya had just said in his brain till it made sense.

"Okay yes, well," Izaya rolled his eyes. Yet Shizuo could feel his frustration, the angst the mental statements the blond was throwing at the man was causing. You're just supposed to be my monster, you're not supposed to… To do anything else. You make sense when you're angry with me, everything makes sense when you're angry with me. "As I understand, some people and creatures can affect fate. Most of the time, it's the supernatural. Creatures like Celty who can act as amplifiers for fate. Because of what they are, they can only ever intensify something that's already there, ergo, Celty can't fix what she's done."

"But you found someone who could." Shizuo raised an eyebrow. In truth, he was only half paying attention and he had a feeling Izaya knew it. Honestly though, the silent conversation was far more important to him. He couldn't help but feel profoundly sad when he mulled over what Izaya had just told him through his thoughts. Well even once things are back to normal I'm not going to just going to go back to hating you Izaya, you have to understand that. I can't just go from this back to that irrational anger in a second, if ever.

I know that, I know. It terrifies me. Which was probably the most honest Shizuo would ever get Izaya to be. "Not quite, but sort of. You see, it turns out that Celty isn't the only one in this city who can affect fate. There are humans who can do it too." Gesticulating expressively, Izaya continued, "Of course, they aren't able to quite do the same things that supernatural entities can do. In fact, in certain cases they can do more because they are able to act as suppressors."

Maybe it's not such a bad thing. I can feel your emotions Izaya, you don't hate me, not really. Sure, maybe Izaya had a lot of conflicting emotions when it came to Shizuo, but they weren't hate. Fear, sure. Condemnation and resentment for the past few days, definitely, but not hatred. Hell, Shizuo would have almost said that Izaya was happy that he was around.

"So as it happens," Izaya hurried to say, almost as if he was feeling physically backed into a corner by Shizuo's blunt thoughts. "One of these… Shall we say Witch doctors lives in Shinjuku and Namie-san managed to put me in touch with him. He can't make us not soulmates, nothing, as far as I know, can do that. But he can make it so everything goes back to normal. No weird vision, no string of fate, no glowing name, no nothing."

So in the end, it doesn't matter how I feel Shizu-chan. I'm making it so neither of us ever have to worry about it again.

Clenching his jaw, Shizuo managed, "I guess that makes about as much sense as anything." It sucked, because while he fully supported getting out of the crap situation they'd found themselves in, he hated how scared Izaya was of just accepting that maybe his emotions were a thing that were allowed to change. He'd never really put it into as many words before, but Shizuo knew it now.

Izaya was terrified of change.

"Look," the Raven suddenly muttered, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk and facing Shizuo. Taking a deep breath as if what he was about to say was physically taxing, Izaya finally said, "You're right. Things have changed. I'm not the same person I was last week and neither are you. Putting a lid on the worst of it isn't going to make things go back to normal."

Fighting the urge to just say yeah, I know, get on with it, Shizuo nodded, unable to quite meet Izaya's eyes. The empty street the stood on fit the mood perfectly, with not a soul in sight and the buildings around them looking dirty with lack of proper care. Focusing on the sidewalk behind Izaya like it interested him and the conversation they were having didn't, Shizuo muttered, "But you wish it did."

Izaya laughed bitterly. "Honestly, yes." Fidgeting with the cuffs of his coat, Izaya continued, "I liked what we had. Yeah, it was just an idiotic rivalry that was built on nothing but air, but that was comfortable. That was fun. Shizu-chan, I woke up looking forward to you chasing me through Ikebukuro."

Shizuo couldn't explain the fluttering in his stomach, but it was making him feel either queasy or really really…

Happy.

"And then this happened and suddenly, all of that is gone." Izaya's words brought Shizuo back down to earth. Gaze shifting towards Izaya's face, the blond felt a pang in his heart as he registered the loss, in the glowing crimson eyes that stared at the ground and at the fringes of his consciousness. "All we have are a list of problems that keep growing and keep making both of us miserable."

Without really thinking about it, Shizuo reached out for Izaya. His hand moved like he was going to brush the man's cheek but he decided against it last second and instead rested it on Izaya's shoulder. "Hey," he muttered, voice unexpectedly thick. "It doesn't have to be like this. We could, I don't know, learn to work through this shit." This doesn't have to be… the end.

"That's cute Shizu-chan," Izaya snorted, but Shizuo could feel the man lean into his touch, even if it was only slightly. He could feel the second-hand comfort he was giving Izaya in the midst of his despair. What else is it supposed to be?

Maybe just something new.

Closing his eyes, Izaya sighed softly. "I don't even know why I'm bothering anymore. I was so excited this morning to finally have the chance to solve this but now…" He shrugged under Shizuo's hand. "I can't win. Either way, I've lost-"

What Izaya had lost, well, Shizuo would have been very eager to find out, but it was at that moment that he noticed something. Though his vision cast everything into a ruddy red glow, Shizuo could still see into the shadows of the alleyway beside Izaya and therefore was able to see the knife before even Izaya did.

Tightening his grip on Izaya's shoulder, Shizuo lunged forward and shielded the Raven with his own body. The blade cut into his back, but Shizuo hardly even noticed it. He was already turning back around and seizing the wrist of the would-be murderer. Crushing it in a hold that would have bent steel, Shizuo lifted the man up bodily and thundered, "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"

His mind was still scrambling to catch up to what was happening. Fear from Izaya kept intruding on his thoughts, making it impossible to concentrate. Fucking piece of shit thinks he can hurt Izaya? I'll fucking kill him. "I ASKED YOU A FUCKING QUESTION!" Shizuo bellowed, shaking him roughly. "ANSWER ME!"

When the man only let out an inarticulate scream of pain, Shizuo lost whatever patience he might have had. He almost yelled again but then Izaya's fear fully registered and the guilt started seeping in. God, I'm not making this any better, am I? Letting the man suffer the full weight of his fury, Shizuo reeled his arm back before launching the unfortunate degenerate into the air.

The moment the man vanished over the horizon, Shizuo heard Izaya make a soft noise that sounded like terror. Spinning to face him, Shizuo insistently asked, "Are you okay? Did he hurt you? Who the fuck even was that?" Inside, though he still felt murderous, the sheer weight of his concern for Izaya completely eclipsed his ire. As long as Izaya's okay, as long as he's still okay.

"I'm fine," Izaya whispered, though Shizuo could see in his eyes that he wasn't. Could see it in the way he shook like a leaf. I never saw him. I never even saw him. He almost killed me, I could have died. Like a broken record on repeat, Izaya's mind kept beating out those same thoughts, oblivious or simply no longer caring that Shizuo could hear them loud and clear.

The thoughts only stopped when Shizuo gave up on trying to do things the careful way and simply wrapped his arms around Izaya for the second time that day. You're fine, okay. No one is going to lay a finger on you if I have any say in it. "See, I told you it was a good idea to let me tag along."

Surprisingly, Izaya's trembling stopped and a small giggle bubbled up out of his chest. "Yes Shizu-chan, because everyone gets randomly attacked by low-ranking gang members looking to make a statement." Thank you. Letting go of Izaya, Shizuo let out a laugh of his own.

"Yeah, point taken. But this is the second time you've almost died today so I think I'm winning this argument."

"A broken clock is right twice a day."

"And we'd know all about broken clocks, now wouldn't we?"

Izaya pushed Shizuo, not that it did any good. "Shut up and lets go. We're almost there beast."

Smiling, Shizuo followed Izaya, glad that the air had lightened. Who knew it took a stabbing to brighten the mood? Izaya chuckled at Shizuo's thoughts before glancing down at a piece of paper. Looking back up at a specific apartment they'd stopped outside of, Izaya clapped his hands.

"So, ready to have our problems solved?" he asked, shooting Shizuo a mischievous look that struck a chord within the blond's chest.

Setting his shoulders, Shizuo shrugged. "About as ready as I'll ever be."

Izaya raised his hand to knock.

~•~

"So," he let the word hang in the air, postponing the inevitable. There was the distinctive sound of heels on the hardwood and the doctor managed a smile. "I suppose I should have expected this."

"Hmm," she hummed noncommittally. "Well considering the mess you managed to create, I'd say that you should have been waiting for something."

With a sigh, Shinra straightened his glasses. "I must admit, this wasn't… exactly what I had in mind." Steepling his fingers over the table, he bowed his head. "It's amazing the damage one little harmless prank can cause."

"You know," Namie started, tapping one finger against the composite wood surface of the table. "Of all people, I would have expected you to think this kind of thing through. I mean I get it, Izaya can be a dick, but experimenting on him without his consent? That's some pretty heavy stuff."

"It was just supposed to kick him down a notch," Shinra muttered, staring at the stack of folders Namie had meticulously placed in the center of the table. "I mean, I didn't even think it would work. Seriously, what are the chances…"

"Until this morning, he was on the verge of full mental collapse," the woman pointed out sharply. "I think you've definitely made your point Kishitani-san."

This meeting had been long overdue, Shinra hadn't even bothered to fight it when he'd gotten the message to meet Namie Yagiri. That being said, he hated the way she watched him like he was filth for what had happened. Then again, Izaya says she always acts like this…

Steeling himself, Shinra sat up straight. "Okay, so tell me what I can do to help."

Namie fixed him with a razor thin smile that was almost as scary as her tone of voice. "Start explaining."

Nodding, Shinra took a deep breath. "I'm not sure what Celty told you or what you've found out from other sources about fate but here's what I know." Ordering his thoughts, Shinra continued, "Fate is like an extremely complex web, like that of a funnel spider. With layers upon layers of interwoven and highly sensitive threads. This mass exists on a different plane of existence as us so generally, it goes untouched."

Namie nodded. "I assume you chose a web for a reason?"

Shinra nodded. "Yes, I say web because like a spider's web, when you touch one strand, all the others can feel it. If you mess with one person's fate, you are always affecting the fates of those around it."

Moving his pinky fingers absently, Shinra said, "So in answer to your question you asked before we came here, yes, by touching Izaya's fate, I was aware that I was running the risk of affecting the fates of those connected to him." He smiled ruefully. "Usually, if the thing changing fate knew what they were doing, that wouldn't happen, but Celty… She's a novice at best."

"And yet you still performed the experiment," Namie muttered, sounding just disappointed with him overall. "So I take it that because Celty touched Izaya's fate, every strand of fate, however small, that was connected to him, was affected in the same way? That's what I've gathered so far at least."

"Yes, that's true."

"So why does it keep happening?" Namie gave him a hard look. "I've been monitoring the city as best as I can. I'm not as good as Izaya but then, who is? From what I can tell, everyone who is anyone has been affected by this. It's a soulmate epidemic and it's not slowing down. That means that you and I and a whole host of other people are vulnerable. Where does it end?"

Shinra glanced down at his own hands. "Celty used some strong magic to do what she did. Based on Izaya's symptoms alone, it's obvious." Biting his lip, the doctor added, "Past that, I don't have anything concrete. I can tell you that without a doubt Izaya's just going to keep getting worse."

"Until…" the woman trailed off expectantly. "What exactly?"

"Until he solves the problem permanently," Shinra stated bluntly. "Until whatever power that controls fate is satisfied."

"Until he and Shizuo-san fuck," Namie stated, tone cold. "Don't skirt around it Kishitani-san, I didn't come here for you to tiptoe around me. What happens if they don't?"

"Then Izaya keeps incurring symptoms indefinitely," Shinra admitted. "Or until Celty's magic runs out but you tell me what's going to happen first. That, or Izaya deciding that dealing with it all is too hard?"

Namie sounded bitter. "Fair point. If Izaya and Shizuo-san get together, which we both know is never going to happen, will that have an affect on the rest of this soulmate problem?"

Shinra hesitated for the barest fraction of a second before nodding slowly. "Once the magic stops, it stops. Of course, whoever has already been affected by it won't suddenly revert to normal, but it will probably stop any further spread."

"Okay," Namie said slowly. For a moment she just sat there, thinking, then she looked up again. "I sent Izaya to a local witch doctor who knows quite a bit about fate and mending it. Do you think it'll work?"

"Honestly?" Shinra shrugged. "No."

Namie grit her teeth visibly. "Well, we'll just have to see, won't we?"

A/N: Bold thoughts belong to Izaya. Yeah, some of the emotions were tangled, I'll probably go and sort that out. Sorry, I know I promised hairless cats but this chapter just got long. I couldn't swing it. Next chapter, pinky swear.

Everything is going to shit, if you hadn't noticed. Poor Izaya's getting all hopeful for nothing but on the other side of things, character development, talking things out like adults. To anyone who guessed correctly, congratulations, you've won my own personal version of the lottery. YAY!

I'm tired, I'm going to bed. Peace out sweet things

Also, just as a random ass side-note, what do y'all think about me posting some Yuri on Ice shit that I've been writing for a friend. I don't know much about everything from that fandom but I know a bit and so far, it's looking okay. Just let me know if you want to see it or if you think that my crappy shit should just stay my crappy shit and not become your crappy shit as well.

Now for real, I need sleep.