With the strange pair being alone once more, they found themselves yet again lose track of time by merely chatting. True interaction was a rarity for Jane. But, thanks to a certain asshole, she had acted the way she wanted to in front of two strangers. She shouldn't have done that. If it was only Kishitani then maybe it would have been okay. But being… acquainted with the Headless Rider? The woman should have thought it through. Then again, from the way the bespectacled interloper glued his goggling eyes on the woman in black, it seemed even if Jane had only revealed herself to the doctor, he would have told his not-so-secret love interest everything and anything.

Jane confessed her worries to the dickhead at fault and, of course, she got a cackle in return. "Oh shoosh, Jane-chan!" he exclaimed airily, "You liked it and you know it!" The woman's mouth fell into an offended gape, right about to deny when the raven interrupted. "Na-a-a," he said wagging his index finger at her, "Don't deny. Come on~ Wasn't it so much easier?" Izaya tempted.

"It-It…" Jane trailed. Thinking of what to say was harder than what she thought it would be. In fact, everything that afternoon just seemed to play out differently to what she expected. For one, she thought she'd be alone but instead, Izaya Orihara was accompanying her. Two, and in his company he didn't mention the past, her past, he didn't want an interview. That was the remarkable part. They were going on and on about pointless… mundane things. But now she had ruined it. Those crimson eyes were gazing through her, almost searching for answers. Swallowing thickly, she continued, "It was easier then what I was making it out to be but… but I still shouldn't have. What if they tell someone? What if someone, who I don't want finding me, figures everything out? It's too much of a risk, and I took it-

"Jane-chan. You're being ridiculous," he told the somewhat panicked woman, a chuckle escaping him. "Shinra doesn't care much about anything. If you try to have a conversation with the guy, all he's going to say is something about his 'beloved'. He's not going to talk about you. You're simply not important enough."

"Wow… Thanks," the woman drawled sardonically.

"Shhh~ I'm still talking," Izaya hushed cheekily, clearing his throat to get back on topic. "And the transporter? Well, I don't think you need to worry about her either. She's used to keeping a heap to herself. To be honest, the major gamble you took was relieving yourself to me." The male paused pulling that faked smirk.

Jane lowered her gaze to her lap, shifting her legs up for socked feet to rest on the edge of the couch's seat. "But you're different. I know you," she whispered. She knew what was coming next. There was no chance of being wrong this time. After a second, maybe less, of hesitation Izaya splattered and gave a shriek of hysterical laughter. Jane had totally fucking called it.

"Now, that's ridiculous, Jane-chan!" he managed before bursting into another chortle. "You think- You think you know me? What? By watching me order a coffee from behind a book?" he sarcastically remarked.

"Of course not," she quietly snapped giving him a harsh gaze – that reminded the male of Kyoko Orojima – before it melted away. "So I'm guessing you kind of did fall for it, after all," the woman muttered gaining Izaya's interest for an instant. The bookworm the male mentioned, Hitomi Mitsuka, was actually a decoy. Jane knew her target was cautious, observant and before all an asshole. Hitomi was supposed to be bait for the manipulative narcissist to come up and… be himself. All while also being Asuno Kimii, researching and keeping track of 'Shinjuku's Most Dangerous Man.'

His present being; whether he was walking around in Shinjuku and occasionally Ikebukuro or casually hopping into black fancy cars occupying bulky men wearing dark shades – obviously part of some big-shot gangster mob. His past; what he did to others, that mental torture he put the woman's contractor through. Oh, how it made the woman's blood almost curdle. What a disgusting piece of shit. But then his family; two sisters who openly expressed that they wouldn't care if he was killed – and would, for Mairu Orihara at least, quite literally do it herself if she could – as well as the never present parents. Oh goody. So his parents were somewhat like the woman's. His frien- allies which were much fewer than his multitude of enemies. His planned events being malevolent or not… and yes, what he had for fucking breakfast. Which was usually nothing but a coffee, but enough about that! Instead of falling for the decoy though, Izaya kept tabs on Hitomi being suspicious. All the same. He didn't, and will most likely never find out about Asuno.

"You don't know me, Jane-chan." She heard from somewhere off in the distance. It came closer and closer until it finally registered.

"'I don't know you'?" the woman whispered incredulously. Jane repeated it to herself still not able to fathom this statement, even though she saw it coming. Giving a bitter laugh, "Do you not remember what happened the first time you were here?" she paused, recalling vomiting out his secrets one by one. Should she… do it again? Just to prove him wrong?

"Actually, I do remember. That was just as hilarious," he giggled yet again.

'No. It wasn't funny. It was cruel,' the woman told herself. 'Don't do it.'

Even though she was staring into his eyes, the raven could tell she was somewhere far off in the distance of her mind. The woman's gaze was soft as she brutally bit on her bottom lip as if trying to prevent words she'd regret from slipping out. Izaya curiously stared right back. What was she thinking? What was she so desperately holding back? Why was she biting her own lip that hard? It looked painful but she didn't stop; even when it was turning a dangerous red. "Jane-chan~" Izaya cooed, "You still in there?" he teased but there was no reply. However, the woman did let go of her lip which was surprisingly not bleeding, though its redness made it look as if she was wearing lipstick. The woman removed the long waved locks from her head and pulled out the wig cap. The smell of freshly washed hair filled the air around them, sweetening it with a rich perfume of her usual cocoa butter scent. It was funny how her hair color reflected its fragrance. That dark chocolate was in a tangled mess and yet… it seemed like it was styled that way. With kinks appearing as curls or the strands that fell in her face looking like newly cut bangs. The woman gracefully stood to gently lay the chestnut-colored wig on the coffee table. When she sat back down Jane was noticeably closer, staring into Izaya's watchful gaze.

Her month finally opened and spoke, "I'm here," she answered.

But Izaya didn't hear being in somewhat of a daze. "What?" he asked in merely a whisper hardly hearing himself. She gave him a slightly confused quirk in her brow before smoothing it out and shaking her head in dismissal.

"It's nothing," she paused. "Izaya, are you staying the night?" the woman's eyes shifted down to her wristwatch. Twelve to nine. It wasn't that late but…

The male blinked out of that strange giddiness, maybe it was just the scent fogging his brain. It was so strong after all. Yes, that had to be it. It wasn't as if he was 'mesmerized' by the woman's looks. He didn't care about that stuff. Izaya Orihara didn't care that Jane Doe was utterly fucking gorgeous. He didn't care. He didn't even notice… Not the shimmering gold in her eyes nor the red fiery undertones of her perfectly unkempt hair, her unblemished face, her soft skin. Not one bit. Not at all.

"Err… No, I should actually get back to Shinjuku." Izaya tore his eyes away from the witch casting this unknown spell. This curse. No! There was no curse, no spell, no daze! The male stood casually stretching his neck and back, and for extra normality, yawned widely. He had struggled at first, but like usual, he was back to being himself. "I have to be in Shibuya early tomorrow soo…" Izaya trailed off noticing his fuck up. Shit!

"Are you just trying to avoid me?" he heard Jane say lowly.

The raven let out a bitter chuckle and a smirk playing on his lips, deciding to do something crazy, "Yes, I am." He lolled his head back to her. Jane didn't seem perturbed by this; in fact, a pleasant upturn on reddened lips conveyed the opposite.

"Being honest? Who are you?" the woman teased with a little chuckle, glad that she hadn't burst out how much she really knew about the human standing before her. Jane wasn't going to make the same mistake. She had learned from last time.

"I'll have you know, Jane-chan, I don't lie. I merely… twist and tweak the truth," the male had to choose his words carefully but it still came out a little…

"That counts as lying, Izaya," she told him simply. "'I have to be in Shibuya early tomorrow'~" the woman mimicked mockingly in a weird deep voice that sounded nothing like him. "Why? What is it that's oh-so-important?"

Izaya found himself giving an easy giggle, he swung around and bent down to be face to face with her. Did he know the meaning of personal space? Yes, actually! But~ always ignored it! "You see. It's actually not important at all. I just simply want to go get a morning coffee from that café you – well, Kyo-chan – and I went to." When he finished, Jane burst out into a fit of laughter gently pushing his face away; reason 1, so she wouldn't accidentally headbutt him from her intense guffawing and reason 2… it made her a little uncomfortable. The raven was about to defy her nudge but with her long-sleeve falling down her wrist, broadcasting her scars to him… he found himself allowing her hand to press to his cheek and turn his head to the right. He could feel the breath of the woman's cackling on his neck. He could feel the softness of her hand, fingers that were ever-so delicate.

How could those be the hands of a cold-blooded killer? He knew the shit that she was capable of and yet part of him just couldn't see it. Sure, the unknown woman could spit harsh words and give a deathly glare but she…

She wasn't like anyone Izaya knew. Jane-chan wasn't like Shinra who didn't give a shit about anyone but himself and Celty. She cared for plenty and most importantly, he was one of them. Jane-chan wasn't like Dotachin who was always annoyed or at least somewhat bothered by the raven's presences. The woman wasn't even troubled when she was describing her first murder to him. Jane-chan wasn't a monster like Shizu-chan who constantly yelled and threw heavy objects at him. Sure, she almost threw a knife his way but when she saw it was Izaya she stopped. Even though he had still broken into her house! Jane-chan wasn't like his sisters who would never forgive him for what he told them, that there was no reason for there to be copies of the same person. She was overly sympathetic even after he had set those men to kidnap her! She had wrapped her arms around him, made him dinner, purposefully cheered him up… Jane-chan was so… welcoming, admittedly a bit too blunt at times but honest all the same. Jane-chan never cast him aside like he didn't matter, he even discovered that afternoon the woman would protect him if necessary. She never turned up her nose or ignored him; instead, she gave him all her attention. Jane-chan listened to and willingly responded to him and laughed with him. Did anyone else do that? Anyone?

No. It was only Jane Doe.

Izaya Orihara was accustomed to throwing unwanted or, in his eyes, unneeded thoughts and 'feelings' to back of his mind and so… that's exactly what he did.

Finally being able to get a hold of herself, Jane started, "Soo… All you did was replace 'want' with 'have.' Wow, I'm impressed. Twisting and tweaking." She gave a sarcastic applause. Izaya didn't even hesitate in stepping back to give a bow before slumping back down on the couch. He didn't feel like walking back to Shinjuku anyway. "I take it you're staying?" Jane asked in slight surprise.

That wasn't like him. Strange. Perhaps, he wasn't as successful as what he thought. Izaya hummed closing his eyes leaning his head back. "Is that an invitation? How bold, Jane-chan~" he cooed lowly giving her a suggest-full gaze but couldn't hold in a snort of laughter.

"Shut the fuck up," she deadpanned.

… Even with that dull expression, she was still somehow glowing. Not that Izaya cared or noticed…

Jane had to once again set up the recliner and quickly scramble through the fridge and pantry to find something quick to make and eat since the two had forgotten all about the existence of dinner. Izaya had waved a hand and told her he was happy with just another coffee but she gave no mind. No matter his excuse for it being 'too late' or his crappy reasoning of 'I'll have breakfast instead! And I never have breakfast so that's saying something.' There was not even a remote chance of him skipping yet another meal. Not on Jane's watch!

… Plus, she was hungry. She couldn't just eat while her guest went to bed with an empty stomach. No! Not happening. And so, two-minute-noodles it was. Not very nutritious admittedly. But it was better than nothing or coffee. God! How could Izaya sleep with all the fricking caffeine he consumed on a daily basis! Maybe that's why he was an insomniac. Who knows?

They both finished their bowls rather quickly and it was time to say goodnight. It's odd that sleeping together twice made it weird that they weren't in the same bed tonight. Jane had left for her own cozy bed and was cozily tucked in under the cozy blankets. It didn't even feel like the male was there, that she wasn't alone in this house. The night air was crisp on her exposed face. The woman shut her eyes in the darkness, lifting the covers to pull them up to her nose.

Jane did everything to fall asleep; the ever so boring counting sheep, counting back from one hundred and tensing all her muscles simultaneously as hard as she possibly could for ten long seconds to then fall into 'utter relaxation'. However, as usual, they didn't work. The woman was begging for her brain to just let her rest but it wouldn't. Being under the cozy soft blankets soon felt overly hot, becoming a bother rather than a comfort. And great! Now she was thirsty! Begrudgingly sitting up and swinging her legs off the edge of the bed, she wondered if Izaya was awake and if so she should probably put on a bra… Screw it.

The woman shuffled her way to the kitchen in the dark, careful not to make too much noise since the sound of deep steady breathing suggested her guest was fast asleep. Wait. Wasn't he supposed to be the insomniac? … Damn it.

Holding a glass under the tap she turned the cold-knob when a god awful sound came from the old clanging pipes. Jane quickly tightened the tap halting the piercing ringing and violent buzzing but it was too late. Izaya had snapped open his eyes hearing the pipes in the walls and Jane-chan's soft cursing. He let his lips stretch into a grin closing his eyes and relaxing his cheeks once more.

After downing the little water she received from the lousy ass tap that randomly made thunderous sounds every so often, the brunette proceeded to the recliner. Peeking over the headboard, "Oh come on, there's no way you're asleep after that," she proclaimed, hearing a chuckle from the fake sleeper.

"Do you do this on purpose, Jane-chan?" his voice came out as a mumble rather than the playful whisper he was intending. Before she could ask what he meant, the male added, "You seem to always wake me up, is all. It can't be purely coincidental," he teased.

Jane rolled her eyes even though Izaya wouldn't be able to see, "You know I can't control those bloody pipes from screeching." She motioned to sit on the edge of the recliner. "Izaya." The male sleepily hummed in response. "Can I lay down?"

"The correct grammar is, 'Can I lie down,' Jane-chan," the raven told her in a know-it-all fashion.

"You're trying to avoid my question," Jane drawled.

"But is it even a question, or is it simply a request?" Izaya felt a small jolt sway the mattress, not a word leaving her mouth. He let a huff of a laugh out. "You can if you want, this is your house meaning this is your recliner. But don't fall asleep, now~" he sang in an undemanding warning. However, he had meant what he said.

"Why not?" she managed to whisper as she lied her head down.

Izaya repeated the words curiously, humming to find an answer. "Well, I guess the universal reason would be because we are of opposite genders but we are not in the particular relationship to advance to such intimacies," his tone was casual but his speech was anything but; as if he was a high-schooler repeating words from a textbook.

"Okay… There are a few things I want to say to that but first of all, if that's the universal reason then what's your reason?" Jane inquired while pulling the blanket up to her nose like before.

The raven was finding it hard to respond, "There are too many to even start," he sighed out, his thoughts escaping from him as the male closed his eyes. Jane felt his breath on her forehead. In the darkness, she only had a vague idea where the male was but it couldn't have been that close, right? The woman decided that she'd let Izaya rest since he was obviously tired. And to be completely honest, she was feeling the weight of her eyelids too. Letting them fall shut was probably a mistake but it didn't matter for the raven had called out to her in a mumble. Her eyes barely obeyed her will to open as she hummed. "You're going to fall asleep here if you don't get up now," Izaya whispered attempting to add in a singsong-like tone however epically failing thanks to his drowsiness.

"Why are you so intent on-" Jane cut herself off. "Oh, I get it. Pushing me away yet again, I see," she sighed. "Izaya," Jane paused, "This may sound ridiculously cheesy but bear with me… I may not be able to break down your walls but I'm sure as hell that I can at least climb over them, no matter how much you refuse my friendship," she finished with such confidence closing her eyes again.

Izaya stared into the black space where he was sure the woman was lying. Relaxed and warm. So warm. Why was she so fixated on him? Why was she so comfortable with him? Why was she so kind to him? Why could she so easily forgive him? Why did she want to be his friend? Did anyone else do the same things she did, act the same way she acted or want the same things she wanted? No. No one.

Only Jane Doe.

Why had that thought come back to him so easily? And why couldn't he throw it away this time?