"You really got to stop that. I mean it. I have mad respect for smart people and you're very smart. Everybody knows that Namie and the other guys are smart but I want you to let others knows that you're right there with them."
Izaya bowed respectfully but kept a guarded silence. Once the lights were off and they were lying on their beds Shizuo felt that he could speak up his mind even on touchy subjects.
"Izaya…you know the whole thing with the sword?"
"Do you mean the sword of Dios?"
"The one that's inside you, somehow. It has a name?"
"It does, Shizuo-sama."
"Anyway…I was wondering, does it hurt? I mean, pulling out."
Shizuo could not understand why he felt that this was a rather embarrassing subject but he blushed in the darkness.
"That does not hurt."
"Oh, I'm glad. Cuz if it did I'd use a normal sword. It doesn't even seem to affect the outcome of the duels…even though it is a special sword."
"Perhaps it depends on how well a duelist can wield it."
Shizuo thought about it. He was always too focused on the duel ahead to think about how strange it was to remove a sword from a living person. And he did not notice any change in terms of power between this sword of Dios and a regular one.
"Yeah…I'm glad that it doesn't hurt. I mean, if it did it'd suck and I wouldn't be able to use that fancy sword."
Izaya found this curious and perhaps even quaint.
"Is that so, Shizuo-sama?"
"I don't want to hurt you. It's not that kind of person."
"I see."
Izaya's voice was keyed at its most neutral. Shizuo hesitated slightly.
"How does it feel, then? I mean, if it doesn't hurt, how does it feel exactly?"
"It does not cause any sensation. How about you, Shizuo-sama? How does it feel to remove the sword of Dios?"
"Hmm…I'm not sure."
"I see."
Shizuo felt somewhat uncomfortable. He had the feeling that somehow he should have an answer. But he gave up.
"We better sleep now. Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Shizuo-sama."
When Shizuo spotted a summons to the arena after school he was not even surprised. By now he was ready to take on a duel whenever one came. It kept him on edge and prepared.
['Mirror mirror, tell me please: who is the prettiest in this fair land?']
['It is important to be beautiful.']
['Mirror mirror, tell me please: will I marry a dashing prince?']
['It is important to believe in yourself.']
['Mirror mirror, I am going blind, Blind I tell you!']
"That's not a mirror, that's wall."
[Then, who is the person I've been seeing all this time?']
"No clue."
Shizuo stepped on the arena and found a girl who might have borrowed Izaya's glasses for not the fact he was still wearing them.
"I don't suppose I can convince you not to fight?"
"No."
Shizuo sighed but promptly produced the sword of Dios from Izaya's chest. And barely dodged a sudden attack from above as Anri leapt into the air with ease. Shizuo rolled, hurting his shoulder and getting on his feet just in time to block Anri's blade. Before Shizuo could use the extreme difference in physical source to shove her Anri skipped beyond his range and was on her guard immediately.
Shizuo tried to read this new opponent but he could not even see her as she dashed forward to cross blades with him. Metal clashed too rapidly for him to even see anything other than a blur.
"If I get that sword I can be anything."
"It's the sword you're after? What kind of reason is that?"
Anri did not bother with a reply but she sliced Shizuo across the chest and he only escaped defeat by throwing himself backwards. Which messed up his balance. He saw her sword descending on him.
"Shizuo-sama, here."
Somehow Izaya was right there and prickling his finger on the tip of the sword of Dios. A few droplets of blood. Shizuo gathered himself and finished it off with one swift attack. Anri did not seem to even care that her black rose was lying in shredded petals all around.
"A sword that is inside a person's heart. That is what I need."
And with this she was gone.