It continues. . .

. . .

Chapter 7: Seven Girls Obsessing Over a Younger Brother

. . .

The next day at around noon, after a night and half (not really) a bottle of Nyquil, Izaya was back to trailing Shizuo. That was until he was caught and found a trashcan imprint on his forehead. This is in the middle of an abandon lot near a cosplay and manga store across the street from a roman Shoppe.

Shizuo clearly pissed off stood over Izaya, now lying on the ground. He huffed and puffed as Izaya tried to sit up. "Wow-what took so long Shizu-chan?" Izaya was lifted off the ground by a pair of fists griping onto the collar of his coat.

"So I go home yesterday and your stink is all over my apartment. Care to explain why?" Shizuo growled.

"I was simply gathering information, Shizu-chan." Izaya smirked. "That is my job, remember?"

So just because you're an info broker, it gives you the right to just go through my private environment?" Shizuo was clearly irritated, and Izaya was way too close to him to slither his way out of this.

"Um-if it helps-I didn't find anything worth wild!"

"But you still found something-right?"

Shit! Izaya thought to himself. "Yeah-an adorable little puppy! Ha-ha!" Shizuo wasn't buying it.

"What did you really find besides my dog?" There was never anything funny in Shizuo's being when it came to Izaya. And there sure as hell wasn't anything funny now, but there was something besides hate. What was it? Then Izaya saw it. The thing he feared he'd find and his heart started racing. Sensing Izaya's fear, Shizuo let him go. "If I catch you by my place again, you're going to know what it's like to fly."

"I think I'm half way there." Izaya mumbled as he started seeing spots. "Hey Shizu-chan, want to walk me home?" Ok, Izaya has lost it.

"What! Take yourself home!" Shizuo tried to ignore the annoying flea near his side.

"Come now, Shizu-chan. Just help a poor sick man home." Izaya smirked. "It'll be good for your chi."

"And what if I told you didn't believe in chi?"

Izaya could only chuckle. "Then I'd call you a liar." And Shizuo wasn't one really for lying. So, good chi and karma won him over. . .

It wasn't that long a walk to Shinjuku, usually about twenty minutes or so, but with a straggly moron who couldn't stay in bed till his cold was over and done with, Shizuo's walk took about a good hour. Mostly because he was trying to dodge curious on lookers. Once at the sly dog's apartment, Shizuo was finally glad to be rid of the little pest. Or so he thought.

Either Izaya was getting another fever, or he was just plain stupid. He was stabled enough to unlock the door, and stupid enough to fall the second it was opened. Shizuo just sighed. "You're home now. I'm sure you can take care of yourself."

Izaya blow the hair out of his face and sat up. "Can't you at least help me inside?" Shizuo just stared at him as Izaya staggered his way to his feet. And even though Shizuo just wanted to walk away, he still helped Izaya inside, only shortening his short fuse.

Once inside, Shizuo sat Izaya on the couch. The whole time in his arms, Izaya listen to Shizuo's heartbeat. The rhythm of it almost put him sleep. And the warmth form Shizuo's body mad him want to cuddle closer. But that was just asking to get punched . . . or was it?

Just as Shizuo was about to leave, Izaya stood up from the couch raising a hidden blade to Shizuo's neck. "Why are you helping me all of a sudden?" Shizuo just turned his head. "All you ever wanted to do since junior high is kill me. Why the fuck would that change all of a sudden?" Izaya's tone was very demanding.

"I'm just following Simon's advice. Fighting is bad after all." Shizuo's eyes were blank.

"That's a load of shit." Izaya's hands started shaking.

"Why do you care so much? I mean, what do you get out of it?" Izaya was taken aback. What did he get out knowing? What was he going to do? Was everything going to go back to normal? Or were things going to change? One could only guess. But whatever the reason, Izaya wanted the truth. And he was going to get it. But before he could act, the heard his front door shut. He felt his heart sink. But why?

But why-a question Izaya was really getting sick of. . .

He felt like he was flying. Flying through the dark blue night sky with the one he loved. The one whose smile he loved dearly. The one whose eye were burning and alive. Them being together, it felt so right, despite what others said. They loved each other. And that it was going to stay. . .

When Izaya woke up the night morning, it was to his phone ringing. In his drowsy state, he just answered it. "Hello?"

"Is this Orihara Izaya?" A gangster wanna-be asked.

"It all depends on who's asking." Izaya sat up and rubbed his eyes.

The person on the other end laughed. "I'm not going to bother introducing myself, because that'd be a waste of time. So I'm going to cut to the chase. Word on the street is that the great Heiwajima Shizuo seems to be cooling down that hot head of his."

Izaya yawned. "And this has what to do with me?"

"Glad you asked! See, we've got Heiwajima right here!" Izaya's eye widened. "So if the rumors I hear are true, than your best bubby is running out of time. And let me give you an idea of what I mean." Izaya listened in terror as Shizuo let out a skin crawling scream. "Now that was just a warning."

"What do want?" Izaya's voice was a little more frantic than he wanted.

"First, bring a total 100,000,000 yen down to the Ikebukuro docks. And second, come alone. Fallow these instructions and Heiwajima goes free. You have till the thirteenth. Everyday afterwards, a new bone gets broken." The line went dead and Izaya went silent.