It had been two whole days since the girl started staying with him, but Shizuo still hadn't seen a single sign that the people after her knew he was involved. It's the middle of the third night when that changes, the bodyguard mid-snore; if it hadn't been for the girl splashing cold water on his face, he wouldn't have woken up in time to hear the sound of the lock on his front door being picked. Gesturing for her to hide in the bathroom, Shizuo closes his eyes and pretends to still be asleep. It isn't until he feels the knife on his throat that he moves, seizing the intruder's wrist and twisting it until he drops his weapon. Wrapping his other hand around their neck, Shizuo rips off their mask to reveal the same fake guard who'd threatened him at the airport. "I really, really, really, really, really hate being snuck up on, do you understand?" He asks, squeezing. "The only reason I haven't killed you already is because I don't want to be a bad role model. So how about I make you a deal, huh?" He loosens his grip, his would-be murderer gasping for air. "You answer a few questions for me, and maybe I'll let you go. Sound good?"

The man nods, swallowing thickly.

"Good. First question - who's your boss?"

"V-Vincent Pierce-Montgomery."

"A foreigner, huh? He the one who told you to slit my throat?"

"Y-yes."

"Kay, second question - why did he hire you?"

The frightened captive decides it's best not to point out that, technically, that was his third question. "To capture the girl at all costs."

"Why?"

"I-I don't really know, only that she escaped from one of the American facilities and was somehow able to board a plane to Narita International. I promise, I don't know anything other than that; even our head of operations doesn't know, and she's the one directly under him."

"Head of operations? What operation?"

"P-Project Stargate. Please don't kill me."

"Why, you got a wife and kids at home?"

"No, I-I just don't want to die." He all but sobs, pride mattering far less than his life.

"Alrighty, then... since you've been so nice and cooperative, I'll let you go. But you gotta do me a favor, you hear me? You go tell that foreign boss of yours that if he wants that girl, he's gonna have to go through me. Got it?"

The unfortunate agent nods once more.

"Great." He lets go, the man immediately scrambling for the door. "And don't let me catch you in my fucking city again!"

The man is happy to oblige.

The morning after, Shinjuku...

Izaya yawns and takes a sip from his cup of coffee. It's the fourth morning in a row he's woken up exhausted and terrified, more of those vivid nightmares keeping him from sleeping for any decent amount of time.

"That smarmy-looking foreign man is here, asking to see you. I told him he needed to make an appointment, but he keeps insisting. Should I send him in, or call the police?"

He sighs. "Go ahead and send him in."

Vincent walks in a few seconds later, the smile on his face exactly the same as the one he wore last time. "Mister Orihara, a pleasure to see you again." He offers his hand for him to shake, Izaya hesitating slightly before taking it.

Even his grip is exactly the same. How boring.

"Is there something I can help you with, Mr. Montgomery?"

"Again, please... call me Vincent. I was wondering if you knew anything about a man named Shizuo Heiwajima?" He asks, intrigued by the way Izaya seems to stiffen the moment the name starts to leave his lips.

"A few of my people had a run-in with him. They claimed he had super-strength - I found it incredibly hard to believe."

"Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction. This is one of those times." Izaya tells him, a sour look on his face. "Shizu-chan is a monster. He claims to hate violence, but he doesn't respond to reason - there's no winning with him."

Shizu-chan?

"I take it you know him well?"

"Nope, never met him! That's just what they say on all the message boards."

"So you don't actually know if it's true or not?"

"Wouldn't it be cool if it were, though?"

"I suppose so."

"In any case, I'm afraid there's nothing more I can tell you. Sorry!"

"Don't apologize, I'm thankful you were willing to humor me at all. Before I go, I forgot to give you my phone number. I ask that you keep me updated about everything you find." He pulls out a business card and slides it over to him. "Is there anything you need from me to make your job easier?"

Izaya's phone vibrates hard enough that it falls off the desk, the brunette catching it without thinking. "Not that I can think of, no..." He says, his voice trailing off when he sees the number attached to the text. It's not a number he recognizes, but something tells him that he already knows who it's from; he opens the message, his stomach dropping when his suspicions are confirmed.

'hey sexy ;)'

"Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing." He lies, setting his phone face-down on the desk. "Have a good evening, Mister Montgomery."

"Have a good evening, Mister Orihara." Vincent leaves, waiting until he's in the elevator before taking out his phone and dialing Jackal's number.

'Heya, blondie. Need something from me?'

"Have you ever heard of a man named Shizuo Heiwajima?"

'Ain't a person that lives in Ikebukuro who hasn't. Why? You wanna arm wrestle him? I'm tellin' you now, that's probably not a good idea. The guy can rip telephone poles out of the ground.'

"So the rumors are true?"

'Oh yeah, they're true. You stick around long enough, you might even get to see it first-hand.'

"What else have you heard about him?"

'Nothing, that's it. Want me to do a little digging?'

"Yes, please."

'Alright. I'll let you know what I find out.'

"I look forward to it." Vincent hangs up, stepping out of the elevator into the first floor lobby. His stomach growls, alerting him to the fact that he hasn't had dinner.

Now, where's the closest sushi restaurant?