The next day, Maemi walked along the crowded sideway thinking of what to do now that she had her daily coffee in her hand. She didn't feel like sitting so she had taken away.
It was a cloudy day, complete overcast yet it wouldn't rain. Like the sky was holding back its tears. It would break sooner or later as everything else did though.
The girl threw back the synthetic light chestnut hair that was previously over her shoulder. She still wasn't used to the wig's length that cut below her belly button. Maybe she should just snip at it slowly so none of her co-workers noticed. They were all in love with it which Maemi didn't understand. Of course, they didn't know it wasn't real. The wig was very convincing. And it better have been, it was expensive!
She took a sip of the white-chocolate syrup cappuccino. That café's coffee was much better than yesterday's. The girl was going to different cafés each day to decide which place she liked the most.
Maemi stared at the sheet of thick clouds as she walked. "Hmm." She hummed peacefully. Only to be disturbed by a man running at full force and screaming.
"IIIIIZAAAAAYAAAAA!" the livid man bellowed.
Shizuo Heiwajima, another of her ex-targets. Two of them, apparently, if it was Izaya Orihara he was chasing, which it indisputably was. To think Maemi would come across three in only two days.
"GET THE HELL OUT OF IKEBUKURO NOW, FLEA!" Heiwajima's voice was getting closer.
"Oh, Shizu-chan! What's the matter now?" a silky and sly voice called back at his pursuer.
Yep. Izaya Orihara. Only he would be enjoying himself when pissing off a lion of guy. Orihara slipped past the crowd while everyone hurried out of Heiwajiwa's wrath. Everyone except Maemi who was still staring at the grey sky, thinking.
Heiwajima being utterly blinded with rage was about to run straight into her. When she noticed, Maemi stepped to the side but he hit her right arm which had the cappuccino in her hand. The hot liquid spilled all over the man's bartender uniform and the girl's poor hand.
"Ow." She muttered. "That was really hot."
"This," Heiwajima rumbled as Orihara laughed from behind Maemi. "This was… THIS WAS A PRESENT FROM MY BROTHERRRRR!" his howl was riotous yet Maemi didn't hear it.
She was busy thinking if she should start running or not. And how the man in front of her was actually a good guy. It was almost comical that this was the same person as the one who said he hated violence. The poor thing could never get a break.
Her thoughts shifted to the smirking maniac laughing his ass off behind her. He was really just a sad, lonely asshole. Everyone hated him, for good reason sure. But still… Her thoughts drowned out Heiwajima's yells. Her thoughts about why she didn't kill either of them.
Maemi was just staring at the redness of her right hand unseeingly. She didn't come back to herself until she felt a threat behind her. The woman caught the flying knife between her right middle and index fingers out of habit. It wasn't aimed at her but never the less her body did it anyway. 'Oops,' she thought as the two men stared at her. She looked up to Heiwajima saying, "I tried to get out of the way, Mister but… well, you should have watched where you were going too. Maybe that way, we wouldn't have collided at all." Maemi said innocently. She flipped back the knife and walked up to Orihara who grinned in amusement though it still didn't reach his reddish-brown eyes. Maemi put the knife back in Orihara's pocket which seemed to somewhat unsettle him.
"Not so close, assassin." He hissed lightly with his upturned lips.
'He knows?' She wondered to herself. 'Makes sense. He is an information broker after all… I hate that word… "assassin".' She added as an afterthought. "Not so loud, informant." She hissed back without a trace of a smile as she backed up. He chuckled before turning to Heiwajima.
Maemi sighed as she looked at the spilled coffee on his shirt. 'What a waste of a good coffee!' Her peaceful mood had definitely been hindered.
The blonde ripped up a path rail out of the cement. His strength still amazed the female. How were the things he could do even possible?
She didn't really like when the man got like this. He was a lot more pleasant when he was all chilled. "Well, that's my queue to leave." The young woman said to herself.
"What? You afraid of getting hurt?" Orihara taunted with a fox's expression.
"W-Well, of course, I am," the woman lied and started to back away. Maemi would never get into this kind of thing.
"IIIIIZAAAAYAAAA! YOU KNOW THIS CHICK!" The tall man yelled. "WHAT DO YOU PLAN ON DOING THIS TIME, FLEA?"
Smirking and not being able to miss the opportunity, Orihara pulled Maemi back and swung an arm around her. She stiffened under his touch. "Yep!" he cheered ignoring the raging man's last question. "We've known each other for about ten mouths!"
Well… it wasn't a lie. The girl had started investigating him around that amount of time ago. But they never actually talked before now.
"I DON'T GIVE A SHIIIIT!" Heiwajiwa shouted ear splittingly again though he held himself from attacking. Izaya's plan worked.
"But you're the one who asked, Shizu-chan." The raven's eyes sharpened, his lips lifting more.
Was Orihara testing how long Shizuo Heiwajima could hold back? Yep, most likely. Oh, and not to mention to see the assassin's reaction too.
Maemi chuckled a little, as she realized what he was up to. 'He'll never change.' The girl somewhat tried to lift the male's arm off but he wouldn't budge. Of course.
"Miss, get the hell away so I can KILL THE FLEA!" Heiwajima yelled holding the side railing above his head.
Orihara's smirked even wider at the blonde's conflict.
Maemi hadn't killed this asshole for a reason; she wasn't going to let someone else kill him. Nor let Orihara kill Heiwajima, that's why she put the flip blade away earlier. "I-I'm afraid I can't move, Mister," Maemi said with false fear.
"BULLSHIT!"
"You're not even trying to get away," Orihara said silkily.
"Wouldn't want to cause a scene now, would I?" She replied barely moving her lips.
"So you'd kill me if there was no one around?"
She gave a very fake sarcastic laugh while not even smiling. The sound only being, "Ha… Ha." Maemi sighed, "Oh. Here it comes." She said as the rail was flying toward them. Orihara had already retreated away leaving the woman behind. 'How rude.' She thought as she dodged the object at the last second. At least Heiwajima aimed for the left side of her where the informant previously stood.
"How rude, Shizu-chan! Throwing metal bars at a female stranger?" Orihara exclaimed mocking shock. "I know she ruined your shirt but come on. Don't be so low, Shizu-chan!"
"I didn't ruin his shirt. It was his fault." Maemi corrected with slight annoyance, she said that a little too loudly.
Orihara smirked approvingly at her.
Suddenly, she was aware of Heiwajima's anger boiling up at her now. "Whoops," Maemi said.
"Time to run, Mae-chan!" The information broker said with excitement. She let him grab her by the wrist and drag her behind him, running.
'Mae-chan?' she questioned. It was way too cute. The name, kind of, suited 'Maemi Shimizu,' but not the woman covered up.
"COME BACK HERE, FLEA!" Heiwajima bellowed still splitting the sea of people.
Orihara kept his lips in an eye reachless grin as he ran with Maemi in tow and Heiwajima in pursuit.
"You really have nothing better to do, do you?" Maemi said with a smaller smile than the dark-haired man's. She was no longer pulling Maemi Shimizu out.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Orihara said not even trying to hide his amusement.
The 'chestnut' haired girl looked back to see Heiwajima speeding towards them, "Why aren't you running at full speed? He's going to catch up."
"Well, it will be you that Shizu-chan gets first," said the red eyed male with indifference.
Maemi raised an eyebrow, "Really now?" she said in a falsely sweet voice as she ran faster so she dragged the informant behind. She chuckled a little. It felt nice to run as fast as she could. It was kind of like being free.
"You ruined my fun," Orihara said from beside her now. His 'disappointed' was lacking.
"Oh!" she exclaimed sarcastically, "Very sorry." Noticing another object flying at them she turned her seriousness back on, "Watch out for the 'give way' sign."
"I know. I know." Orihara waved off, dodging it with ease.
The chase went on for a long time before the guy dressed as a bartender finally lost track of them. Maemi wanted to go her separate ways with Orihara but no matter what he held on to her wrist. She guessed he was making his move before 'she killed him' or something like that.
In an alleyway on the streets of Ikebukuro, they were actually quite close to her house, they stood somewhat breathless. Though, both of them tried to hide it.
"So," Orihara started, "Back to finish the job are you?" he said widening his arms welcomingly. The fakeness on his face still there though most people missed it due to his craziness being distracting.
"Nope." The amber eyed woman said simply.
"'Nope'?" he repeated. "I don't believe you~" the raven head sang.
Furrowing her eyebrows slightly she looked around seeing people walk by the entrance of the alleyway. "Let's not talk about this here."
"Hmm? Where then?" he asked with that smirk.
"I'm assuming you know where I live." That had to be the reason he made her come this way.
"Now where did you get that idea from?" Orihara said in the same manner.
She shook her head with a small smile trying to live up to her current name. "Let's just go." The female started walking.
"How do I know you're not going to jump me when we get there?"
"Hmmm." She thought for a bit. "There is no way for you to know."
Despite her lack of reassurance, Orihara continued smiling and followed the young woman anyway. 'This will be interesting,' he thought with a grin etched on his face.