Chapter 3

Izaya's POV

It had been 17 days now.

17 days of writing anonymously with another man, chatting happily about his private life with someone he didn't even know and even forgetting his work while waiting for the other person to log in.

And Izaya couldn't get enough of it.

At first he had thought that he had everything under control, that Shou was just another human he could play with and whom he could throw aside whenever he wanted.

But without recognizing it the chats became earlier and earlier. At first they had only been chatting during the evening, then after a week they had started at noon too, and just this morning Izaya had noticed that they were already chatting in the early morning hours.

Texting Shou was the first thing the raven did after waking up.

Izaya couldn't suppress an ironical smile whenever the thought passed his mind.

On one hand he was disappointed with himself for being so unprofessional in receiving his own goals, on the other hand he couldn't deny the fact that he highly enjoyed talking to the other man.

He would even go as far as to say that he had never felt that connected with another person before.

However, Izaya understood that he couldn't get too attached to someone else, and decided to concentrate more on his work once in awhile and let Shou wait.

After all, his work was the most important thing in his life and he wouldn't destroy his good reputation as Information Broker for someone he didn't even know.

Actually he wouldn't destroy his reputation for anyone.

Still, Izaya didn't like the fact, that he had to go to Ikebukuro for it this day.

It wasn't that his humans were annoying him today - actually they were just as thrilling as usual - but Izaya hadn't been in Ikebukuro for quite a while, and it was lunchtime as well, meaning that there was a high probability that he could run into one certain blond debt collector.

For that Izaya had tried to hide, putting on his hood and always walking within the crowd, but he had tried this trick before and the blond had always found him nonetheless.

Sometimes, the raven had lucky days, when he could go through the whole city, not encountering the beast once, but today apparently wasn't one of these.

He strained his ears, his eyes dangerously going into slits while his hand already reached for the switch-blade inside his pocket, when a loud scream reached his ears from not too far away.

"I-ZAAA-YAAAA!"

He sighed. Perhaps he had been asking for too much. He let his hood drop and gave him a smirk.

"Why, hello Shizu-chan, missed me while I was gone?" He asked while dodging an incoming public mailbox.

"I thought I told you to stay out of Ikebukuro you flea!"

"But why would I do that? I wouldn't want to miss out on visiting my favorite protozoan, would I?"

"DIE YOU FLEA" He yelled again and Izaya began to run in favor of losing him while dodging the occasional flying pieces of public property. Eventually he did outrun the monster and he stopped running, reaching into his pocket to pull out his phone.

He frowned when he felt nothing in there and dug his hand into his other pocket. He checked his pant pockets and sighed when he realized that it wasn't there either.

Great, that stupid protozoan had caused him to lose his phone.

He opted in favor of just heading home. It wasn't like it was an important phone, the only thing he really used it for was for talking with Shou-chan when he had to run out and no one could really link him to the phone.

He'd just replace it with one of the many others he had at home.

Akira's POV

Akira had been walking home from school that day when she had heard shouting and a series of crashing noises. She didn't pay much attention to it until a half-crushed stop sign came to a crash right next to her and causing her to jump up. She looked at the piece of damaged property and turned right in time to see Nakura run by, his phone falling out of his pocket and hitting her on the side of her head. She winced and she saw another man close behind running with another stop sign in his hand. This must be Heiwajima Shizuo, She thought as she moved back and opted for picking up the phone that had assaulted her.

She began to walk home again, this time occupied with looking through the phone. There wasn't much on it, just a few contacts, some randomly strewn messages and her own messages with Nakura. She was about to just throw the phone on the ground and continue walking when she came across a conversation between Nakura and some person named Shou.

She read through it, at one point simply just standing there instead of walking, until she had finished it all. She frowned. Now to be able to tell a person's intentions through text was very difficult but Akira knew something had changed somewhere through their interaction. Nakura's messages were more genuine now than they had been when they began to communicate. She stood there after she had finished reading them and fished out her own phone from her pocket and sent a message to two different people.

Akira to Ayato: [Hey brother I'll be late getting home today]

Ayato to Akira: [You mean later than you already are? whatever, just stay safe]

Akira to Ayato: [Will do]

Akira to Shinichi: [Hey do you mind doing me a favor?]

Shinichi to Akira: [Sure, what do you need?]

Akira to Shinichi: [I need to get the address of someone who I only know by alias]

Shinichi to Akira: [Just give their physical appearance and alias and I'll see what I can do.]

Akira to Shinichi: [ Nakura, and he's around 24 years of age, messy short black hair, reddish-brown eyes, 5'9 and all the times I've seen him he has a black jacket with fur lining]

Shinichi to Akira: [You're looking for Izaya Orihara? You should be careful, he isn't exactly an outstanding citizen]

Akira to Shinichi: [So I've seen. Anyways, his address?]

Shinichi to Akira: [It's XXXX-XXX in Shinjuku. Also if you don't message me in about an hour I'll assume you're dead]

Akira to Shinichi: [Okay and thanks]

Izaya's POV

Though it wasn't much of a deal, Izaya still felt frustrated for losing his phone.

Actually he wouldn't have given a damn about the little metallic thing, but losing it meant that he had to wait until coming home to chat with Shou-chan again.

Therefore he had been rather pissed at work, though normally he enjoyed the well-paid work for the Yakuza.

But not being able to read Shou-chan's calming words for a few hours, made him become more and more tensed.

And angry.

Especially at the blond protozoan, whose fault it had been that the raven had lost his phone in the first place.

It made him hate the blond more than ever, if that was even possible.

Sighing he opened the door to his apartment, happy that he hadn't run into the stupid blond monster again and was finally able to chat with Shou-chan.

He threw his jacket casually over his spinning chair, before turning on the computer. The Informant was pleased that Namie for once wasn't there while he was chatting. Although Izaya highly appreciated the woman's good work, lately it had gone more and more on his nerves, that the woman was trying to destroy his good mood whenever she had the chance.

However, his mood was finally getting a lot better, when he opened the chat, but it was destroyed just as rapidly when suddenly the bell of his front door began to ring.

Letting an annoyed sigh escape his mouth, he walked to the front and opened it angrily, his eyes widening in shock when he saw the person in front of it.

"Riri...?" the name left his mouth rather slowly for he couldn't believe that the girl was actually standing in front of him nor that he would ever see her again.

Nonetheless he managed to get his usual behavior back quite unnoticed and stepped aside to let her in, though the expressionless face of the girl was still enraging him on the inside like always.

"Actually my real name is Akira. And yours is Izaya Orihara, if I'm right?" the girl replied while stepping inside.

Izaya gave her a curious look, before closing the door behind her.

"Then may I hear why you know my real name, let alone my address, Akira-san?" the raven asked smirking when turning towards the young girl.

"Let's just say I had a very reliable source to help me" she replied neutrally "Furthermore I'm here to discuss something with you."

Izaya's eyes widened in surprise, when the girl in front of him fished the phone - HIS PHONE, the phone he had just lost- out of her pocket.

He couldn't believe it?

How could it be possible that she had it?

Did she steal it from him? But he would have noticed that, wouldn't he?

"Before you assume anything, I found it, when you were fighting on the street against Shizuo Heiwajima this day." Akira said nonchalantly.

Izaya's eyes went into slits. Her explanation was logical, but that still didn't explain the fact that she brought it back to him.

"And you bring it back to me, because..? I guess, it's not out of pure friendliness~" the raven chuckled.

Akira was watching him carefully for a moment. The man's expression was still going on her nerves, way too haughty for her liking, but she decided to ignore it for the moment.

Instead she headed the phone back to the raven.

"Actually I couldn't resist to read your very interesting chat messages with a certain Shou Higari." she said a little surprised that the raven was able to keep his masquerade this time. He must have become better at hiding his emotions, or maybe the man was just getting used to her.

However, Izaya could feel his pulse rapidly increasing, when the girl's words reached his ears.

How could this Akira bitch dare to read his most private messages?!

Akira seemed to notice the expression on his face and held her hands up.

"No need to be hostile. I can see that you don't like the fact that I read them but perhaps you should be glad that I found it and not someone else." She said and Izaya frowned.

"Why are you here" he asked her and she sighed.

"Because I don't understand you Orihara-san. Your games will hurt someone one day and I don't want that to happen. I myself truly believed you were my friend even though it's clear you aren't. Those messages though, I don't seem to understand your intentions this time. The messages seem to have turned genuine this time."

"I don't see how that's any of your business!" he told the girl ready to kick her out.

"Orihara-san, I happen to have sent myself a copy of all these messages. I can very easily make sure they get into the hands of many people and ruin your image. And should you do anything to me I have a friend who will make sure the whole world sees them. You wouldn't want that, so why don't we sit down and talk?" She said and Izaya felt extremely angry and frustrated. He had always known that Riri- no, Akira was a very smart person but it seemed he hadn't taken her as seriously as he should have and now she obviously had the upper hand. He sighed and made sure he had his emotions in check before answering.

"And what are we supposed to be talking about Akira-chan?"

"Your feelings and intentions towards Shou Higari."

"Ne, Akira-chan you sound like a protective mother with her child. Could it be you know who Shou-chan is?"

"Not in the slightest but like I said before, I don't want people getting hurt. I am very aware about how people are in this world, selfish really, but this world itself is cruel. I just want for people to at the very least have the illusion of happiness for as long as they can. Maybe I can even help you be happy, Orihara-san, because it's very obvious you are not."

"What makes you say that?"

"You are entertained by making people's lives miserable, something people normally do to feel better about their own lives and you are constantly seeking attention." She told him but Izaya refused to believe that statement was true. He was about to say something when suddenly a phone vibrated and Akira reached into her pocket.

"Excuse me for a second, I have to assure my friend that I'm not dead yet." she said and Izaya found himself raising a brow at that.

"Wow so much faith in me." He said in a mocking tone and Akira cracked a smile.

"As much as one can have in the great Izaya Orihara. Now why don't we continue with our previous conversation." She said, putting her phone away.

"Very well, seeing as you pretty much haven't given me a choice" he said and sat down on the couch gesturing her to sit opposite to him.

Admitting his defeat made the raven's blood boil with anger, but he managed to keep his arrogant grin on the face nonetheless.

Akira took the seat on the other couch observing the raven carefully from under her glasses.

She knew that the raven didn't approve of the agreement they had just declared. And Akira already felt annoyed again, when she noticed that the raven wouldn't let his masquerade drop.

Still she was glad that she finally had the chance to get to know the man better, though it would take quite some time to make Izaya talk about his feelings genuinely.

"I want to make this clear, Orihara-san. I'm interested in you as a human being and my interest won't drop after only one conversation."

Izaya raised an eyebrow at that. "You mean, I'll have to meet you again after this?"

"Yes." she answered nonchalantly, and the whole room fell silent for a moment.

Akira made eye contact with the raven, Izaya returning it, both searching for something, that would explain the other's thoughts.

The raven's expression became neutral. He understood. If he wanted this to work, he couldn't use his normal tricks. Akira was a special human, maybe more similar to him than he liked to admit. Tricking her was hard. Therefore he decided to use for once a different technique.

Honesty.

Izaya knew that this would take everything of him, because it required a significant thing that he had never managed to come up with: trust.

He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment.

This is not going to be fun. He thought ironically, a slight spark of self-pity growing inside his chest. Well then, let the game begin.

Izaya opened his eyes again to face the girl in front of him.

"Ok, fine." he replied and get a little annoyed when he noticed the small smile on Akira's lips, though it vanished as fast as it had appeared.

"What do you want to know?" Izaya asked then, folding his arms in front of him.

Akira fell silent for a moment her head abstractedly falling slightly to the side. Her gaze dropped a little, looking at the desk that was positioned between the two couches, though she wasn't concentrating on a special point.

"Well, I don't have much time left and you should get used to this situation at first. So, why don't we agree on only one question for today and then I go?" she said still not facing the raven.

"Okay." this one just answered. He felt quite happy about the fact, that he wouldn't have to talk to her much more.

"What do you think about Shou Higari at the moment? And be honest."

Izaya fell silent for a moment. This time his gaze dropped too, when he was thinking about an appropriate wasn't a conversation between friends. It felt more like an interrogation to him.

"I guess... " he started finally, still not really sure what to say "regarding the things that I talk with him about … he's one of the few friends that I have in this world." He ended, his eyes falling back on the girl to observe her expression.

Very interesting. Akira thought, her gaze still lingering in the air. "Very well Orihara-san, I will leave for now, goodbye."

"Yeah whatever, just leave" Izaya said pretty much shoving her out the door before slamming it shut. He sighed. Thank god Namie wasn't here.

Akira's POV

As soon as Akira left Izaya Orihara's home she sent Shinichi a message telling him that she was still very much alive before informing her brother that she'd arrive soon. Then she checked her wallet. She stared at the hole where the 1000 yen bill once sat. She briefly considered going back and asking Orihara-san for some money for the train fare but decided against it before she actually did end up dead.

Akira sighed before sending another message to her brother, this time to tell him that she wouldn't be home as soon as she had hoped. She normally didn't mind walking much but the distance to Ikebukuro from Shinjuku was quite the way. Not to mention it would be dangerous now that it was nearly night. Good thing she could run fast.

Eventually she reached Ikebukuro and stopped by a store run by a family friend. The owner was a nice person and would let her pay back what she owed later. Akira made it a priority to always pay her back and she knew that even though Ayato was irresponsible he also made sure to pay Tachibana-san back.

"Hello Akira-chan, I'm not used to seeing you so late at night."

"Hello Tachibana-san. I don't usually make it a habit but I was visiting someone in Shinjuku and I lost my money. I was actually wondering if you'd let me take a bottle of water, I'll pay you back tomorrow."

"Of course, take what you need Akira-chan."

"Thank you" Akira said before she headed to the freezers in the back and pulled out a bottle of water. She waved a goodbye to Tachibana-san before she exited the store. She stopped by the corner of the street and opened her bottle of water to take a long drink. That's when she saw some commotion going on. Even though she knew it probably wasn't a good idea to get close to it, she did so anyways mostly because she was curious.

As she got close she recognized the blonde in the bartender outfit as Shizuo Heiwajima, the so called "monster" of Ikebukuro and the one who had been chasing Orihara-san earlier this afternoon. She edged closer, curious about seeing the blonde man to see if the rumors were true.

Shizuo's POV:

For Shizuo today had been one of his normal work days.

He was running around with Tom, trying to get the money back by people that were mostly not fighting back to him anymore because of his bad reputation, he had met the flea (very unfortunately) and he had chatted with Nakura in the morning.

All in all Shizuo could say, that he had had a very good day until now.

There was only one client left, before his shift would end and he couldn't wait to get home and talk with Nakura about his day.

Tom and him had reached the man's apartment within only a few seconds and he was even coming down to the street to meet his visitors.

However, his face was becoming a mask of fear, when he recognized, that the guy who was visiting him, was no one else than Shizuo Heiwajima. But it vanished as rapidly as it had appeared and now a malicious grin was placed on the man's face.

It was the kind of guy that came up with a really stupid idea, when they were afraid. Shizuo hated that kind of guy.

"Listen! We don't want to have any problems. Why don't you just give us the money?", he heard Tom say next to him, but Shizuo was with his thoughts already by Nakura, after he had decided to just ignore the man in front of him.

He had figured by now that thinking about Nakura was miraculously calming him down. With that it was the perfect therapy against his anger problems.

A smile appeared on his lips, when he saw himself inside his living room already reading the other man's messages.

Because of that he almost didn't notice the guy in front of him taking out a knife and attacking him with it. It wasn't that Shizuo feared to get hurt, actually he was sure that a normal kitchen knife wouldn't be able to injure his body much, but because of the sudden attack, his body just reacted the way it did.

With one fist he slammed against the arm, that was holding the knife causing it to land on the ground several meters away. With the other one he grabbed the guy's shirt and pulled him up, his feet hovering over the ground, while a frightened expression was shown on the guy's face.

"YOU-", Shizuo started to shout, when his realization got into a sudden rush of anger.

"I'm sorry! Please let me down.. I won't do it again", the man mumbled frightenedly hanging in the air.

Normally Shizuo would have thrown the man through the next wall not caring about any injuries on his side.

Well, normally.

Somehow Shizuo wasn't able to hold his anger for long. The thoughts about Nakura and his cheering words were still lingering inside his head and the blond just wasn't able to pare his sweet feelings for the man with any form of hatred.

The other guy was even more surprised, when Shizuo suddenly let him down and placed a warm hand on his shoulder.

"You know what? Just give us the money next time, otherwise you'll get some serious problems."

"Th-Thank you.", the blond hadn't expected it, but the man seriously bowed in front of him and a content smile appeared on his lips.

"No problem. Life's too beautiful to waste it like that, right?"

He could swear the man was giving him a thankful glare, before he closed the door between them and Shizuo was walking away casually with Tom at his side.

"What was that?", Tom asked him suspiciously observing him from the side, while Shizuo was still smiling.

"Let's say my life's just too perfect for me to bring up any anger at the moment."

Akira's Pov

Akira looked at the display. Not exactly what she expected and it made her rather curious. That's why the next morning she started following him instead of going to school. She didn't try to hide the fact that she was following and it wasn't like she'd be affected in school. Not with her grades. Heiwajima-san also noticed she was following him but it seemed he was trying to ignore her. Perhaps he thought she'd eventually leave. Not likely.

"Oi kid!" He finally said.

"Yes?"

"Why are you following me? Aren't you supposed to be in school or something."

"I was bored and school really isn't a problem." She said smiling lightly. This was definitely going to be entertaining.