Wow, moving is tiring. Avoid it as much as possible.

Anyways, didn't have much writing time recently. Oh well. Hopefully people will enjoy this chappie.

I'm kinda scared I'm rushing things, but whatever. You learn from your mistakes.

My other fic should be updated some time soon... At least, I hope it will be ˆ¬ˆ

Pfffffff, so... Enjoy!

~DRRR! and it's charries do not belong to me~

Sunlight comforted Shizuo's skin as he walked down the busy streets of Ikebukuro. The blonde inhaled and exhaled deep breaths, looking towards the blue sky in hopes of soothing his already withering temper. He had been told that said temper had been basically out of his control his whole life, but he couldn't seem to understand how that was even possible now. It's not that he had completely forgotten; if anything he was gaining memories, he just didn't understand what had caused him to snap more than usual the few years prior to the accident. The same few years in particular that he was having the most trouble recalling.

Sure, even now it didn't take much for him to snap and he occasionally ended up damaging something or another, however all it took for him to calm down was a walk around town and some time alone. It was nice, knowing he had overcome an aspect of himself he had been trying to conquer for so long. Shizuo had to say that what pleased him the most was that his anger hadn't caused him to hurt a living creature since he awoke from his trance-like state. After all, one thing never changed: he really hated violence. Luckily, he no longer had to worry about harming others unintentionally. At least for now, he could have some peace, even if just a little.

Feeling his muscles relax as his mind was overcome bit by bit with positive thoughts, Shizuo decided that he would get something for Celty and Shinra while he was out. They had let him stay the night and use their shower. And since he had found his current outfit neatly folded on the bathroom counter after a failed attempt showering, he was guessing Celty had even thoughtfully stopped by his place to pick him up the spare change of clothes the night before.

He smiled to himself. That was too kind of her.

Suddenly overcome by a sense of guilt for storming out after his friends had gone through all that trouble just for him, his urge to get a thank you gift was only increased. But what to get… He had heard of a new pastry shop in Shinjuku that was supposed to be good. The only problem was that Celty couldn't eat. He could always buy her something he found on the way, but what? That was something to ponder.

For now, he'd settle on making his way to the pastry shop and getting Shinra something to munch on. The blonde seemed to vaguely remember Shinra liking sugar cookies. Or maybe that was only when Celty made them… Either way, Shizuo did have a bit of a sweet tooth himself and was exited to try out the goods this new place had. Shinjuku was a bit far, but a walk early in the morning was a small price to pay if he'd be able to appease his craving for sweets and get a little something for his friends in return.

His mood lightened considerably since he had left Shinra's place, Shizuo headed to Shinjuku. Little did he know, the city was much harder to navigate through without a guide, especially so when you were lacking morsels of your memory. Despite his best efforts, the blonde found that he seemed to be helplessly lost within mere minutes of arriving in the neighbouring city.

Shizuo sighed, rubbing his temples. If only he had brought his cell phone. Then he could have used it to call Celty. He didn't' have any change on him either, so pay phones were off-limits. Pay-phones… They didn't cost much, right? Maybe he could look around for some money that had been dropped on the streets and use it to call someone he knew. Then again, he could always just ask for directions.

Shizuo looked around and decided most of the people here seemed to be either shady, cold or busy. He wasn't exactly longing to ask any of them for directions. Maybe he could just walk around until he found some spare change, the pastry shop or a map. Either one would do. Besides, if all else failed he could just take a cab back to Shinra's place and retrieve some cash there. The blonde decided on that and continued his expedition through foreign territory.

An hour and a half later, Shizuo gave up. He admitted to defeat. He was no match for this city and its confusing street signs. Disappointment overcame the blonde as he realized gifts would have to wait until next time. Letting out a deep breath, his earlier enthusiasm diminishing at an alarming rate, Shizuo took a left at the nearest fork road hoping to find his way back to Ikebukuro. What he was not expecting, however, was to find himself right across the street from the bakery he had spent the lot of his day searching for. He read the store name, which was written in black cursive on a sign hanging just above the showcase window. 'Patisserie Paradis'… What language was that? Definitely not Japanese. It didn't seem quite like English… Then again, he had failed that class… Shizuo creased his eyebrows.

Bells chimed as he pushed the glass window door open and an overly cheery woman greeted him. Or at least, overly cheery compared to the business men Shizuo had been surrounded by on the streets.

"Hello, welcome to Patisserie Paradis!"

Shizuo rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh… Thanks," was his awkward reply.

The blonde-haired woman came out from behind the counter, smile still plastered on her face. "Is there anything in particular you're looking for? I'm not sure what a big guy like you would want, but personally I would suggest you try the cinnamon buns; they're absolutely heavenly and pretty cheap!"

Shizuo felt himself freeze and mentally facepalm. Money… He still didn't have that, did he? How could he not have realized he'd need it to get a gift earlier?

"Actually, I left my wallet at home, so-"

"Oh, so you're here for a job?" The girl cut him off, looking pleased.

Shizuo's instant reaction was to deny her assumption, however when the thought really sunk in, he realized that it might actually be a good idea. He still didn't have a job so his brother was paying his rent and he hated to be a burden. On a plus, he liked sweets so he'd most likely enjoy working in a pastry shop.

"Are there any available?" The taller blonde hesitated.

"Well, you can work behind the counter for 700 yen an hour and work your way up from there."

"So like… a cashier?"

"C'est ça, but who knows! Maybe you'll end up working in the kitchen if you're a good worker."

The girl's smile spread to Shizuo's face as he heard that. Baking sweets sounded fun.

"Alright, when do I start?"

"Haha, slow down! I'm going to have to ask my boss about it first."

"Oh," Shizuo mumbled. Grinning sheepishly, an embarrassed flush took over his cheeks, dusting them in a faint shade of pink.

Sensing her customer's disappointment, the blonde girl decided to lighten his mood a bit. "You can work here for the day, though. To see if you like it or not. I'm Joel Beaumanoir, and you?" She asked, holding out her hand.

"Shizuo Heiwajima," he state, shaking her hand.

Four hours later, Shizuo found himself helping the girl lock up the place for the night. Granted, it was only four pm at the moment, but it was a Saturday and people wanted to get home quickly to enjoy their weekend.

Checking the money that was earned earlier that day, Joel turned to Shizuo. "I'm afraid I can't pay you for your help today, but I can let you take a pastry or two back with you as compensation. You were such a big help, after all"

"I couldn't possibly," Shizuo protested, flattered.

"Oh, now don't be like that Heiwajima-san. I can tell you didn't originally come here for a job," she chuckled, taking a paper bag and filling it with a few sorts of cookies, a Danish pastry and an infamous cinnamon bun. She shoved the bag into her blonde friend's hands.

Shizuo looked down at the confectionary-filled bad in his hand and back up at the woman who had given it to him. Flustered, he bowed his head slightly. "Thank you so much, I… I'm very grateful."

"Haha, don't be like that either! You earned it, it'd be a crime for you to leave with nothing after all the help you've given me," she declared, pulling Shizuo into a tight hug.

If Shizuo was flustered before, he didn't want to know what he was now.

"You should be getting home. But feel free to come back Monday, dear. You are very welcome here!" She smiled, releasing the blushing man from her hold.

Oh, right. Celty was probably wondering where he was by now. "Thank you so much, you don't know how much of a help you were," Shizuo said looking down at the sweets in his hand.

"Like I said before, the pleasure was all mine. Now go enjoy your night while it lasts!"

Shizuo said something along the lines of 'you too' before leaving the cute shop and heading back towards Ikebukuro.

He found it much easier to navigate himself this time, which was pleasing. It should only take him ten minutes or so before he would have returned to his hometown. Shizuo looked to his left as he was passing a park. Smiling to himself, he watched kids run around laughing and lovers holding hands. They were all normal people, just like anyone else going through their typical everyday life, Shizuo thought. And maybe that was the beautiful thing about it.

It was nice to know that people all around the world enjoyed the same little pleasures as he did just like it was comforting to know he wasn't the only one who had little problems every now and then. Just thinking of it made him feel less alone.

He closed his eyes, taking in the scent of blooming cherry blossoms in the park.

Opening them, he Caught a glimpse of something in the corner of his eye that made the blonde's smile faded into a look of astonishment.

A black haired man in a fur-trimmed coat of the same shade stood in the very same park as the sakura, eating sushi.

Shizuo stood there in disbelief.

That couldn't be… H-he couldn't be…

The blonde had to rub his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things. Sure, the man wasn't facing Shizuo, but he looked so alike the person from his dreams. This had to be more than a mere coincidence. At least, that's what Shizuo wanted to believe.

Without any hesitation whatsoever, the tall blonde made his way up to the other man. He wasn't going to let this opportunity slip. Standing just inches apart from him, Shizuo hesitated on what to say before deciding on being straightforward.

Taking a deep breath for the umpteenth time that day, Shizuo parted his lips to speak.

"Pardon me, but... have we met before?"

The man seemed to tense upon hearing Shizuo's voice. Mystery-brunet stayed rooted where he stood for a good fifteen seconds before slowly turning around to face the other. Seeing his face, something clicked in Shizuo's mind. He had known this man, he had harboured strong feelings for him and he… was pretty attractive. Taken aback by his own thoughts, Shizuo gawked. What he had just mentally stated… made it sound an awful lot like they were lovers. He blushed slightly.

"I'm sorry, but you seem to have mistaken me with another," the man charmingly stated, wearing a coaxing smile. "Now if you don't mind, there is somewhere I need to be," the brunet seemed hasty as he began to walk away, unintentionally setting off subconscious alarms within Shizuo's mind.

"Izaya!"

Before he knew quite what was happening, Shizuo had found himself grabbing the other man's arm and calling out a name that had seemingly randomly hit him.

"I-I know this sounds weird, but don't go. I know you," Shizuo said as a fact, slightly questioning yet confident, "and you're keeping something from me."

Izaya sighed. Even without his memories, this man surely was part animal, judging by his natural instincts. He certainly did not want to deal with him, but the vice grip Shizuo had on Izayas' arm said otherwise.

"How much do you remember?"

"Most things," Shizuo mumbled bluntly.

Izaya rubbed his temples. "Let me clarify. What don't you remember and why does it make you have such an interest in me?"

"I don't remember high school or anything since then," Shizuo rubbed the bottom of his nose, "I remember you… I don't know remember anything about you, but I get the feeling we were close."

Shizuo felt a pang at his heart as Izaya nearly sneered at this.

"Heh, well I guess you could say that," Izaya said in bittersweet tone.

There was an awkward silence between the two. Shizuo stared at Izaya, wishing his memory would return. It must have come back temporarily earlier since he had been able to recall the brunet's name, but it was painfully obvious there were still things he was missing out on.

Izaya was the one to break the silence, gesturing to his arm that was still held captive to Shizuo's hold. "Now if you will excuse me, I have to go."

The blonde complied without question and watched Izaya wander away. Once the raven-haired man was out of his sight, a lump invaded the deepest crevices of Shizuo's chest. He had just let him go without learning anything at all. A thought dawned on him: they may never meet again. The fact startled Shizuo more than he would like to admit. But no matter how much he worried, no matter how much he grieved the raven-haired man's departure, it wouldn't change anything. But still… All that just there… It all seemed so unbelievable. He just happened to run into this man, exchanged a few words and then… And now, Shizuo was back where he started: Clueless.

The blonde wasn't one to believe in faith, however he got the feeling they were going to meet again. Heh, it sounded cheesy as hell, but it was the simplest way to describe the former debt collector's gut feeling. He knew they would meet again, because if they didn't, Shizuo felt he would never fully remember who he once was.

Surely the world wasn't cruel enough to deny him his past and his memories. If he never regained his old self… It would be as if that part of him had simply vanished, as if it had died.

Shizuo pushed those pessimistic thoughts aside, knowing they would do him no good and instead smiled to himself, now knowing for sure Izaya was more than a dream as he continued his way back to Shinra's, slightly dazed from his recent encounter.

Not sure what to do with anon reviews. I guess I'll just reply anyways? Is that a fail? I hope not XD

Sayuri: Is this soon enough for you? Heheh;;

Amaya: Glad you think so ˆ/ˆ

Rara: Bitch please, of course it is! XD

H2302: Oh gawd, don't look at my face. I swear to god I'm blushing like a tomato. Thanks tons for all that praise ˆ ˆ

AsikIkisa: Haha, maybe it's just my standards. I don't like waiting XD

So many lovely questions! I'm not sure exactly when they'll be answered, though -evil laugh-

Stalk all ya want~ 5th review ftw!

Manic: Daaww, thanks dearie! :")