His foot tapped on the metal floor under him, pushing aside glass that remained on the ancient building. The empty building had a distinct smell of aged urination and feces, a smell which he wished he was not able to recognize. Sighing, he decided on a corner facing away from the entrance to sleep in for the night.
He moved glass near the entrance to signal him if anyone intruded. He wrapped his hand in his scarf before punching out a mirror from one of the empty rooms, he guessed it was once a restroom, and dragging it to the wall near his corner. After a moment of angling, he had a perfect view of the door. He placed his jacket where he intended to sleep before moving to the entrance and testing to see if he could see his jacket. After more adjustment and testing, he eventually could not see his jacket while, in the corner, the door was visible. Satisfied, he kicked off his boots and reached inside to grab a trinket he had found in the sand: a flip lighter. He reached in his pockets and pulled out the meat he had grotesquely gained from the day's work before holding it over the flame. After what seemed like hours, the meat finally looked edible, and he enjoyed his dinner.
The night finally hit, and he held his knees before closing his eyes. The building transformed around him, and he was back in the arena, surrounded by horrified freaks like him and amused soldiers. The ground was stained with blood, and he could feel himself shaking. He had to keep saying it before he forgot because he would, just like everyone else, forget himself eventually. But he said his name every night since he had begun hearing how people only remembered their ranks.
His name was not 2. His name was not 2.
His lips moved subtly as he slept, dreaming of him standing there shouting his name over and over again.
Izaya Orihara. Izaya Orihara. His name is Izaya Orihara.
His eyes snapped open when he heard a crunch behind him. He looked in the mirror, and, of course, there was a figure slipping inside the building. His eyebrows furrowed, and he quickly silenced his breathing. He grabbed a piece of glass near him, and immediately stood, back pressed against the wall as he watched the intruder from his mirror. He moved his foot, and glass slid, scraping the floor. He cursed under his breath and watched as the figure tensed, looking around before bending down and grabbing a glass piece of his own.
Want me to assist you in killing this low life who dared to wake us up?
Izaya held in a whimper of pain as his mind pounded like a migraine with every word the voice spoke. He had to keep control. He was letting his fear and self-pity consume him, and he wasn't about to go back to not being able to control himself. He had to stay sane. He cleared his mind and breathed in, gripping the glass before kicking himself from the corner and rushing towards the intruder. The figure yelped as Izaya kicked him to the ground, glass piece steady at the intruder's neck. His eyes narrowed, and he stayed silent until the figure under him spoke.
"Get off'a me before I shove my fist in your throat." The voice was coarse and pouty - like he didn't want to do what he threatened and was inconvenienced by simply having to say something. Izaya scoffed and told him not to move.
"I don't have much a choice with whatever this is on my neck." Izaya noted it was, indeed, really dark in the room. All he knew was the man under him was large and sounded like a violent moron. Probably one of the humans, but he had to be sure. His flicked on his lighter and put it up the man's face.
The man - no, the boy as he couldn't be older than 16 - had a scowl painted on his lips, eyebrows furrowed under messy brown hair. He then noticed the boy wiggle underneath him. Confused, Izaya raised and eyebrow and looked at him, prompting an explanation.
"I usually don't let people on top of me without dinner first, let alone not even knowing their name," the kid laughed. He then remembered the glass at his throat and groaned. "My name is Shizuo. Shizuo Heiwajima. And I'm guessing you're paranoid?"
Izaya sighed, pushing up off of Shizuo and standing beside him, dusting his hands off. Shizuo got up as well and smiled at Izaya. Izaya rolled his eyes and began walking back to his corner.
"Leave now. I'm trying to sleep, Shizu, was it?"
"Shizuo. Also, why are you sleeping in here? It's kind of... y'know. It doesn't smell all too great, either."
Izaya was a tad annoyed by the whole ordeal, and his head began pounding. He wanted the kid to leave before his mood went down any further.
"It's comfortable enough for a night. Can you leave?"
Shizuo frowned, walking towards the corner. Izaya was shivering, but his eyes were squeezed shut tightly, trying to sleep it off. Shizuo didn't notice his efforts, however, as he sat down next to him.
"What's your name?"
Izaya's eyes softened before he sighed, looking straight at the figure next to him.
"2. My name is 2."
Shizuo clicked his tongue before standing up quickly, the force causing the mirror to fall over and shatter. Izaya threw his arms in the air, completely exhausted by this boy's oddities.
"I've been trying to be nice here, y'know? I'm trying to be a good guy and help some poor bum who's in this nasty smelling place by offering him a place to sleep, but you can't even have a conversation with me? Do you think you're too good for me, huh?" He grabbed Izaya by his jacket hood and lifted him up to his face, despite not being able to see it.
"So you keep telling me to leave, but I want to help, you punk ass. And what do you do? You give me a number and expect me to believe some pouty little shit like you is 2. You're like 10."
"I'm 20, you idiot."
"How am I supposed to know that? Anyway, you need to fuckin' communicate with me because I am trying to nice here. So be nice back, or I'll kick your damn teeth in."
Izaya smirked.
Then he chuckled.
Then he giggled.
Then he bust out in full on laughter, causing Shizuo to drop the man on the ground out of confusion.
Finally, he composed himself and breathed in.
"What a stupid speech, eh? You sound like a real brute, y'know that kid? Anyone ever told you that you aren't the smartest bulb in the circuit?" He laughed a tiny bit more before looking over at the entrance. "My name is Izaya Orihara, but most people call me 2. I am sleeping here because it is the best I could find in a short moment. Now, as much as I appreciate being manhandled into accepting an invitation, I am completely fine sleeping in my smelly corner, uh.. Shizu, right? I forgot. Introduction is over, and you can leave now. Thanks for the laugh, Shizu-chan."
Shizuo pursed his lips and groaned, cursing under his breath.
"I tried, but y'know what? I don't even think it's the building that smells. I'm thinking it's you. Also, it's Shi-zu-O. Don't forget the O. And you called me stupid." He turned around violently, as a display of his discontentment, and stormed from the building.
Izaya watched, in the broken fragments of the mirror, the silhouette of the strange man leave before sighing to himself.
Now he could sleep.
I am Izaya Orihara. I am Izaya Orihara. I am -
