Chapter 3: Everywhere

It had been a week since Shizuo and Tom helped Airashii find her missing sister. And in that week Airashii has popped up everywhere! She seemed to be there just at the moment Shizuo didn't want her around. Though there were times when she was there and needed.

Airashii was there when needed when she sat with Shizuo and listened as he told her about how he came to be known as the strongest in Ikebukuro, how he hated violence, and his history with Izaya. Airashii listened quietly then said a few things that made Shizuo feel a bit better.

Another time was when Shizuo chased after a boy who was trying to protect his girlfriend and stabbed Shizuo with a pen or two. As the blonde was walking away from the unconscious teen he almost literally bumped into Airashii. When the brunette saw the pen sticking out of his hand she dragged him to her apartment and helped him clean it up before urging him to see a doctor.

"I don't need one." The tall blonde scoffed. "I don't even feel it."

"That doesn't change anything." Airashii said shaking her head. "You aren't invincible …" Shizuo snickered.

"Trust me it'll take much more than a pen to take me out." Shizuo said.

"You are still mortal!" Airashii stomped her foot. "Now just do it so that I feel at ease."

"What makes you think I care about what you feel?" Shizuo snorted. He looked over to Airashii with a glare but that quickly faded when he saw her expression. She looked like she was about to cry. He immediately felt terrible. Shizuo placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't cry. I'm sorry."

"I just want to know that you'll be alright you seem to be involved in a lot of confrontations." Airashii sniffed.

"Look this really is nothing." Shizuo sighed. "When I was a kid I got into fights all the time. Broke plenty of bones too, and look at me."

Airashii looked over Shizuo's form and then a smile appeared on her face. "Okay. I don't know you that well so I'll take your word for it."

"Good. I'll be leaving now." Shizuo said then turned to leave the apartment. Just as he hit the door Airashii called to him.

"I'll see you soon. I'd love to get to know you more, Shizu-kun." She smiled.

Shizuo didn't look back and left with a strange feeling creeping over him.

Airashii spent a lot of her time, when she wasn't at work, thinking about Shizuo. She was definitely obsessed with the blonde. She did her best to be near him though she was sure to not be around to much. However, to Shizuo it was like she was around all the time.

Though she really wasn't. It was just that Shizuo thought he was seeing her everywhere. Turned out a lot of the time Shizuo was simply seeing her in his dreams. It was the only time he didn't dream of violence, which he hated. Why was he always dreaming about the one thing he hated almost as much as Izaya. But when Airashii made her way into his dreams Shizuo never slept better. Which was another thing he couldn't understand. Why did Airashii make him feel so … calm. He just couldn't figure that out.

Airashii's constant appearance simply to say hello to Shizuo made Tom laugh. He found it funny that this small, fragile woman paid so much attention to Shizuo in the first place. He made a joke here and there about the two of them maybe going out. Shizuo brushed it off. He never entertained the thought, cause he knew what would happen. He'd mess up and hurt the poor girl.

It didn't take long for Airashii to approach Shizuo and finally cross the invisible line that the blonde was trying to draw between them. Shizuo was sitting outside a corner store with Tom. He had just lit a cigarette when Airashii came bouncing up to the blonde.

"Shizu-kun!"

Shizuo looked to the perky brunette and noticed another person standing with her. She stared, expression unchanging, at Shizuo. For a moment the two stared unblinking at each other. He realized that this person was the twin sister of Airashii, though this woman didn't make Shizuo feel the same as Airashii did.

"Hello Airashii, nice to see you again." Tom grinned. The twin looked over to Tom.

"I wanted my sister to meet you two. Hikari this is Tom and Shizuo Heiwajima." Airashii gestured to the two. "This is my sister, Hikari."

Hikari's face stayed blank as she waved. "Hello. Airashii has sadly told me a lot about you, Heiwajima."

"Really." Shizuo said with the same blank face. His eyes shifted to Airashii, still smiling.

Just then Hikari's phone went off. She pulled it from her bag and flipped it open. "It's Orihara. He wants to do more experiments on me." Hikari said.

"Oh. What number are you guys at now?" Airashii asked.

"Only 13." Hikari nodded to them and walked away.

Airashii called after her sister. "Be careful 13 is an unlucky number."

Hikari turned and retorted. "Do you really think that with our lives I'm worried about luck?" Airashii shrugged with a smile.

"So that's your sister? She seems pleasant." Tom chuckled.

Airashii giggled. "She can be nice but it's very rare. She is actually completely devoid of any emotion that's why Izaya-san is so interested in her." Airashii plopped down next to Shizuo. "So Shizu-kun, what are you doing tomorrow?"

Shizuo raised an eyebrow. "Uh … nothing really, other than working with Tom. Why?"

Tom started laughing, but Shizuo didn't get angry with him. Even though he usually would get angry and knock around someone who was laughing at him. It was becoming a pattern. Every time Airashii was around, Shizuo couldn't get angry. It was strange, true, but in a way Shizuo didn't mind.

"Well, Shizu-kun …" Airashii's bright green eyes stared at the blonde with hopefulness. "Would you … maybe, like to get something to eat with me?"

"What!" Shizuo reeled back, this caused him to fall off the bench.

"Oh! Shizu-kun are you okay?" Airashii asked looking down at Shizuo's sprawled out form. Airashii couldn't help but giggle at the man on the ground.

Shizuo sighed. Airashii was cute, even Shizuo could see that. She was a little annoying too though that he didn't mind much. Her very presence made him calm and somewhat happy. He had never felt this way about anyone before.

"I'm fine." Shizuo grunted as he stood up. He cleared his throat then answered. "I'm not sure."

"It's not a date if you don't want it to be." Airashii said. "It can simply be two people going to eat. Like friends." Her smile brightened.

"I'd like that." Shizuo said with a faint smile.

Airashii exclaimed in joy and hugged him. "I'll see you tomorrow then. I'd love to get to know you a lot better. Bye."

As she trotted off she waved to Shizuo and Tom. Tom turned to Shizuo with a evil smirk. "It's still a date." Shizuo blanched.