Izaya climbed to the upper bunk after granting him a sweet smile. Shizuo could see the elegant shape gracefully sliding as if to reach the ominous upside down castle. For a while he lied in silence in the dimness of the now dark room. But the silence was oppressive and sleep not forthcoming.
"But let us say that I did want you to wear a frilly nightgown…and asked you to do it, would you obey?"
"Of course."
"I don't believe you."
"Why not?"
"Because there's no one who'd do such a thing just because I asked…"
"What you ask of me is an order I cannot counter."
"So you're a puppet? I don't like that."
"I am the Rose Bride, Shizuo-sama."
Shizuo was silent for a while, turning things over in his mind.
"You're saying that if that Aoba dude won you in a duel and told you to do…you know…perverted stuff you'd just go along with it?"
"Yes. My will is not important."
Shizuo grew silent again. As much as he disliked this weird passivity he could not simply abandon the dueling matches. Shizuo could all too well imagine how Izaya would be treated if some other champion were to 'own' him. He could not help wondering just what Aoba had been doing to Izaya and it was with a chill that he thought that such abuse would still be going on if not Shizuo's winning the duel. This settled it for Shizuo.
"Guess I'll have to beat them up."
Shizuo could not see the slow, thin and borderline evil smile that Izaya only exhibited to the shadows. But shadows are after all reflections of us all.

"Say, Kadota…do you know anything about this Orihara Izaya?"
"Izaya? He's a weird one, isn't he? I can't figure out just what he is thinking."
Shizuo had found a good friend in the level headed Kadota. They had just finished P.E and it being the final period loitered by the water fountain. Izaya was excused from class, being apparently too frail for such things.
"Is he sick or something?"
"Hmm…sick, I suppose it depends on how you define sickness."
Shizuo splashed his face vigorously and shook his shaggy blonde mane.
"He seems to keep to himself a lot."
"I've heard he's bullied but I've never seen it myself."
Shizuo narrowed his eyes angrily. As far as he was concerned the entire weirdness with the Rose Bride system was a grand scale bullying of the worst kind.
"I hate that kind of thing."
Kadota blinked, caught aback by the note of conviction in Shizuo.
"I think it's better to just don't get too involved."
"It's because everyone thinks that this kind of stuff keeps happening."
"Oy! Shizuo! Dotachin!"
Erika nearly collided with him. She had just ran across the campus and had to take a while to catch her breath. Shizuo smiled and felt his mood lift. If Izaya was a person that bothered him to think about then Erika, for all her quirky ways, was the exact opposite.
"I worked on it all but it's done! Doujin with you, Shizuo! Take a look! Ah, I don't know if the style is just right but I think I caught your cool points for the most part."
Shizuo's smile faded as he noticed a rose crest ring on her finger. It almost blended with the glossy cover with roses galore. Clearly a recurring theme in this place. Shizuo decided to ask about it later. He flipped through the pages and frowned.
"Is this supposed to be me…?"
Erika spread her arms and twirled around as if in a vague dance of sorts, her eyes squinted in a dreamy way.
"Heiwajima Shizuo is the dashing prince with a pure heart and a valorous mission!"
Shizuo looked at Kadota as if asking for an explanation.
"Erika, you're annoying Shizuo with your crazy fantasies."
"No way! I believe in the power of my imagination. It may even change the world."
"This doesn't seem like me at all…I mean, it's well-drawn but I'm not cute like this and all this nobility is just not me."
"Fantasy is always better than reality. So it doesn't have to be real!world Shizuo, it is just my idea of Shizuo."
Shizuo scratched his head.
"I am sorry to interrupt but are you implying that what exists in your mind alone is more precious than the outside reality?"
No one had noticed Izaya approach yet here he was, toying with a nondescript smile on rose tinged lips. Erika jumped up and down.
"That is exactly what I mean!"
"Don't you need power, then?"