"Shizu-…"

There was a muffled growl. The gravel softly crunched beneath a shoe as a body stepped closer -closer than I originally assumed. I crouched, readying to spring forward and out of harms way. Even though I had spent so much time fantasizing about it, I didn't have time to play, let alone get hurt. So I moved to evade the unseen attack, but before I could do so, firm hands slammed down on to my shoulders and my body was effortlessly shoved into the nearby brick wall.

My face collided painfully with the bricks. A gasp escaped my mouth as the cartilage in my nose cracked, shooting warm pain up into my forehead and my eyes. I squeezed my eyes shut with the impact, my forehead resting against the cold surface as I took in a ragged breath. I slumped into the wall and rested my chest against it for some form of stability. That really hurt... I could feel warm blood running down the front of my face and it instantly chilled against the night air. My face scrunched up in discomfort. This is really inconvenient... Despite my inner curses, my smile easily returned to my lips.

"Ah, Shizu-chan! Good to see that you are in a good mood tonight!" I teased. My fingers found their place along the wall, bracing myself. I couldn't see Shizu-chan and I couldn't even struggle really. He was behind me, thank god he wasn't on me, but I could hear him panting. This is how all of Erika's yaoi fanfics start... I wiggled, but his grip was solid and absolute. I would not be leaving unless he wanted me to. The hands on my shoulders curled in agitation and he leaned into me, pushing my smaller body flat against the wall. Only his hands were on me and I was once again thankful for that fact. I had a bit of an issue with body space, but of course I wouldn't let that fact show. His breathing was heavy and ragged, and it sounded a bit further like he had me at arms length. Was it possible that he was more enraged than normal? Was that even possible? Sweet adrenaline poured through my being like fire. The hairs on my body stood up as a chill rippled down through my stomach. Something isn't normal. The hood was pulled back violently from my head and I lightly gasped as my injured nose painfully greeted the chilled air. Fresh rain pounded into my dry hair, soaking me almost instantly. It trickled down my neck and into the depths of my warm shirt. I shuddered. He was quiet a bit too long and I could feel in the way his fingers trembled that he was fighting for control over his inhuman strength.

"Good mood?" Shizuo Heiwajima shifted, his chest falling against my back so he could snarl in to my ear. His body pushed me into the wall and I tensed. He was on me, and I didn't like that. My heart quickened with the threat of panic. His voice was deep and raspy, and just like his hands, it trembled with contained rage. I could smell the second hand smoke from his breath as it blew in white clouds against my jaw. He must have been mid-smoke when he caught sight of me. A low, predatory growled escaped his throat and I inwardly cringed. He stopped talking. He was too close for comfort and he had me trapped in a vulnerable position against the wall. I remained silent longer than usual.

And then I couldn't help but giggle innocently. "Yes, you're in a good mood. How fortunate for me, I just came to say hii~."

Shizuo dug his fingers into my shoulders to almost the breaking point before stepping back and violently twisting my body and slamming my back against the wall. His hands replaced themselves at my shoulders to restrain me. I instantly grinned widely, my hands snaking their way into my pockets. I leaned my head back and stared Shizuo in the eye with a condescending glare. I could only imagine the look on my face paired with the bloody and broken nose. That thought alone brought a larger smile to my lips.

My confidence wavered. Shizuo's nose was twitching along with the corner of his mouth and his eyebrow. His fingers would repetitively clench and unclench at my shoulders, his entire body trembling. His eyes were closed as he let out another growl, glasses put away to the safety of his inner pocket long ago. The debt collector was in his normal attire, clearly unaffected by the terrible weather that raged against us. His golden eyes suddenly flicked open, and they were narrowed at me with pure hatred and disgust. His blonde hair was plastered against his face, his outfit completely soaked through. I could see the pink of his flesh through his white dress shirt, his chest and torso hidden by the black vest. His shoulders were heaving even though our chase hadn't even started – if it even started at all. It wasn't everyday that I, Shinjuku's best informant, got caught by the beast of Ikebukuro.

Wet clothing can aid in restricted movement. My stealthy, shaking, fingers clasped around their prize in my pockets. I stroked the switchblade comfortingly, my eyes never breaking contact with the angry debt collector. A chill, from the cold and not from fear, ran down my spine. He seemed more agitated than normal – not that I hadn't already decided that. I was tempted to taunt him, but I couldn't bring myself to speak. There was just something about the way he looked at me, the way his lips pulled back into an animalistic snarl, the way he shook with his uncontrolled temper, something seemed incredibly off and it threatened me. There were heavy, dark bags under his eyes, and perhaps his clothes were a little more loose than the last time I had seen him. Did I miss something important?

Shizuo snarled, his lips and nose pulling back. He was practically on top of me, ready to break me on a seconds notice. I lightly twisted, finding no space to wiggle at all. This is bad... His hand suddenly shot out when I moved, grabbing my right wrist and hauling it from the depths of my jacket, clearly suspicious of concealed knives. My empty hand shook under his grip, the exposed skin soaking almost instantly. Perhaps with the slickness of the rain I could free my trapped shoulder.

I chuckled, my mouth forming a cheeky smile that was one-hundred percent fake. "Tricked you!" My voice cracked lightly and died in the wind as I whipped out my left hand, perfectly slashing the blade upward at the blonde. The stroke tore across the black vest, slicing through the fabric and his skin easily. The end of my blade caught his cheek as I flicked my arm back, pushing against his inhuman strength. He growled and tensed, shifting his body to put a little bit more distance between us. I suddenly twisted, pain shooting down my shoulder as I successfully wiggled myself awkwardly from underneath his death grip, his right arm falling as I slipped away from the brick wall. Now to free my hand... I moved to pull at my trapped limb.

Shizuo's grip inhumanly tightened and another gasp left my mouth as uncomfortable pressure and searing pain exploded through my right wrist.

Snap.

My blade slipped from my hand while I gasped in a second lungful of air. He clenched his fist over my trapped arm once more, receiving another pained pant from me as he casually guided me back to my forced place against the wall. I fell back, grateful for the support. I was trying to keep my face as nonchalant as I could. He did, however, break a bone, and I couldn't keep the tension and concern from showing on my face. My eyebrows creased together and my knees went weak. The turn of the events almost had me feeling sick.

He pinned the damaged limb just above my head. I managed to choke off any weak sound that threatened to spill from my throat. This... This is not good at all...

Shizuo grinned darkly, blood running down his cheek and into the corner of his mouth. The slash on his cheek was shallow and it was probably already done bleeding. Too bad. He grabbed my free wrist and brought it to painfully rest just above my head with my broken one. I didn't resist. "So, the sneaky flea finally makes a mistake and gets caught." Shizuo chuckled abnormally. "And look, you didn't even make a sound when I broke a bone." His bottom lip puckered out into a frown. He looked genuinely unimpressed, but yet somewhat determined. His eye glinted mysteriously, however.

Probably a sadist. That would explain a lot.

I grinned painfully at the thought, against my dying luck. I knew the smile wasn't convincing. I let out a shaky breath, "I guess so. I was too busy enjoying the beautiful weather, and I never expected you to be so quiet Shizu-chan. It's like you were stalking me or something. I didn't think you were capable of following someone undetected." I stopped myself from rambling. My voice was getting weak and his eyebrow twitched once again.

Shizuo sneered. "I was having a smoke when I saw you; behind Russia Sushi. You were having so much fun laughing at yourself, when I realized I could sneak up on you."

"Try," I corrected, my smile still weakly visible, "You thought you could try and sneak up on me. But Shizu-chan, you're such a beast! How did you ever think you would surprise me? I mean, with you're tyrannosaurus size and uncontrollable demonic strength, you shouldn't even be able to walk a step without the whole world hearing you, no?" My heart slammed into my chest. I shivered. My teeth were on the brink of chattering together as my mind ran in circles. I needed to escape and I needed to accept the pain I was feeling. I needed to store everything until I made it home. I want to go home. I forced my jaw apart to continue talking, to distract him along with myself, to make him slip up, to make him let me go. "I think you could be the next Godzilla, I mean we could always get Shinra to super size you, and then you would be the perfect example of tyrannosaurus destruction while you chase tiny little me around the world. We could call you Shizu-saur!"

The wall beside my face suddenly crumbled. I shut my eyes out of reflex as wind rushed past my cheekbone. Crimson hues pried back open instantly and I blinked, glancing to my left. Shizuo's shaking fist – imbedded in the wall, might I add – had simply grazed past my cheek. I involuntarily cringed.

Shizuo clicked his tongue. "Can you... just shut up... for one second?" His voice started off as a deep growl. It rose in volume until he was shouting with his nose practically mashed into mine. Our foreheads collided and I swallowed hard. My body was shaking and I suddenly felt regretful. Of what, I wasn't sure. I squinted into the uproar, my face defensively turning away and into his still clenched fist. I swallowed thickly.

"I thought you could handle being yelled at." He glanced down from my face and then grinned. A peculiar, soft choking sound echoed from the back of my throat while he flashed his teeth at me. His eyes flicked back up to meet mine. Can he see my fear? He suddenly grabbed the front of my jacket with one hand and my shoulder with the other. He used his arms to shove me effortlessly straight to the ground. Shizuo and his freaking lariats. I braced myself with my good hand, my right pressing into my chest as I attempted to twist myself to my side to avoid further injury. I hit the ground hard on my shoulder, gasping, my back facing the wall. He knelt down next to me and he roughly rolled me onto my back by gripping my jacket and jerking my shoulder out from under me, leaving me defenceless a few inches from the building.

"You did a bad job at running today." Shizuo chuckled as he shifted to hover over my chest, squeezing his hand teasingly around my thin neck. "You completely deserve this. You and your affairs have gone too far." His hand clenched as he spoke. I leaned my head back to try and breathe.

I cackled under the grip. Red flags were popping up all over my brain but I couldn't respond to them. I needed air. I needed to escape. "Ah- Shizu-chan, so- unpredictable!" My left hand came up and grabbed on to Shizuo's wrist. My eyebrows creased together and my eyes fluttered closed when he squeezed my neck a bit too tightly. Any more pressure, and it would surely break. I tensed my hand around his wrist, hoping he would understand my silent pleas. This wasn't how the game was played.

I didn't want to die; I was scared to die.

Shizuo, understanding my unspoken beg, loosened his hand to prevent my windpipes from fully collapsing. I took in a sharp, ragged breath. That would surely bruise before the morning. That awkward choke formed in the back of my throat once again as I felt a large hand press down flat on my chest. I grabbed onto his forearms, attempting to stop him. His palm slid over my wet jacket until it found the arm I had cradled to my chest. My injured limb was hulled away from the safety of my body. Teasingly, with his thumb pressing into the joint, he squeezed it, a pained moan coming out as a whisper.

"You're so much more tolerable when you're like this." He grinned at his words but his eyes were focused and narrowed. His hands were still shaking with unexpressed rage. He squeezed my wrist slowly, earning a laboured breath, and then he began to roll the joint, watching with displeasure as my eyes narrowed and my lips pulled back. This damn monster is just playing! I haven't been back in almost a year, why is he so pissed off! He seemed satisfied with my silence, so he spoke.

"Here's how this game will work." Shizuo's voice was even and calm despite the shaking of his hands. He lightly held my wrist and neck down, his body weight not quite sitting on my chest. Rain dripped down his face and off the tip of his sleek nose. The drops pounded and stung my cracked bridge as they landed directly on it. Great. I had essentially forgotten about the pounding in my face. It reminded me of it's presence full force. "You will apologize, you will say sorry, and whatever it is that you are doing to cause so much damned chaos, you will stop it, and you will listen to me for once in your life."

"Apologizing is typically saying sorry," I pointed out a little too casually. I was rewarded with an involuntary flex of the hand around my neck, choking for a precious second. Annoyance flashed across Shizuo's features, and I worried for a moment that he would crush my neck under his death grip. Luckily, he relaxed after a forced sigh.

I recovered from my fear quickly, my eyes still locked with my opponents in a deadly glare. He relaxed his hand just enough that I could take advantage of it and talk, to explain myself – not that I really needed to explain myself to anyone. "I have no reason to apologize or change my working habits for anyone, especially not for you. Hell, I haven't stepped foot into your damn territory in almost a year now, so I think, if anyone should be apologizing, it should be you!" My anger and discomfort were getting the best of me. Normally, I wouldn't point fingers so quickly. I didn't like thinking of myself as helpless though, whether I was trapped underneath the strongest man in Tokyo with broken bones or not. "And I will never listen to you! That's not how our relationship works!"

"I-zay-ya-kun..." His tone was dangerous and warning. He snarled, leaning forward to growl at me. His hands clenched around my broken limb and neck, and I tensed. I chuckled out of fear, a false smile splaying across my lips as I leaned my head back to try and breathe once again. What did I do...

Shizuo's lips pulled back into a predatory snarl. And the lion catches his prey, I shifted beneath his hands attempting to rid myself from the monsters dirty grasps. Coughing, I swatted at the arm around my neck. Did he really have to strangle me like so? "Izaya-kun, you need -" When he didn't relieve his grip, and when I felt the first wave of dizziness soar up the sides of my neck and into my brain, I shoved my good hand into his face mid-sentence. Fingers curled, I grabbed onto his nose and prodded at his eyes. The hell is wrong with him anyway? Is he just here to torture me?

Shizuo quickly let go of my neck in favour of removing my clawing fingers from his facial features. He took the easy route, and another snap quickly echoed throughout the back alley.

"Ah-" I grunted, arching my back as I nosily breathed air into my sore throat. A whimper escaped as I exhaled. My shoulders tensed as I tried to shift away, as I tried to pull my hands away from him. My eyes squeezed shut and I turned my face away, signalling that the meeting was over. I attempted to recompose myself, quickly settling my breath and ignoring the flashing pain, but only one eye would open without tearing, so I went with it. "Is Shizu-chan going to break all my bones? Like a monster?" I tried to grin but it came out more like a silent pained snarl. My voice was weak and airy, so I spoke slowly.

Shizuo snarled in response. Whatever control he had before was on it's last strand. "Why can't you just listen to me for once!?" He detached himself from my limbs and stood up abruptly, kicking met haphazardly in the side. His body was shaking more prominently than before. He took a couple deep breaths before slamming his foot into the ground. I inwardly cringed. "So, if I'm not a monster, then you walk out of here with only two broken wrists and a nose." The blonde's hazel eyes narrowed with thought. "But if I break you, then I am a monster..."

I grinned, sitting up slowly from my spot on the ground. My body was trembling and it refused to stop. The long forgotten bag at my side was the only thing that kept me from fleeing the vicinity immediately. It would be a miracle if I could even run with it. "Correct, Shizu-chan." I praised, my eyes glistening. The rain had long since soaked me thoroughly and I was shaking from both the cold and the shock that kept my heart dangerously pounding. My chest was heaving and shuddered at the fluttering fear in my chest. I had never seen Shizuo so mad – we had normally been a bit playful in our daily rampages after all. There was more anger in his eyes and voice than even the first day we had met. He is looking at me like I betrayed him... but how?

"Either way, you win." I expected the man to growl, but his face remained calm in his thoughts. I ever so slowly pulled myself up to my elbows, eventually sitting and shifting myself to my knees. He didn't seem to notice the slow process, so I took a breather. The simple movement had been harder than I had anticipated. "But," Shizuo's eyes returned from their voyage into the depths of his brain, and his stare bore coldly into my own eyes. I froze in my attempt to stand up. A grin fluttered on his lips. "But, I can't just let you go, seeing how Kasuka is involved... and I've been trying to tell you something, but you won't shut up and listen!" His eyes twitched and his lips pulled back once again, "So, if I am simply disciplining you and showing you your place, teaching you to respect not only me but the rest of society as well, that means I can break all of your bones, take what I came here for, and ditch you at Shinra's unlike any true enemy, and still not be this monster you so speak of, right?"

I blinked, my mouth tightly shut.

Kasuka...? "Let me go." I dead panned. The situation was not favourable in any way, shape, or form. When did Shizu-chan become so logical? "I have too much to do, I can't play, Shizu-chan. I know it's almost been a year, but I have to go." I let my voice soften with honesty, and he seriously seemed surprised. His features relaxed for a moment, his mouth slightly open as the wheels turned through that thick skull of his.

Will he let me go?

But the rage came back and he growled once again. "Let you go? You said you were going underground the last time I saw you, and since then, the Yakuza have been everywhere! Kasuka is in the hospital," He let his sentence drift off in a pant, his body hunching over like he was ready to pounce at me. His eyes flicked back to meet mine and they were angry, very angry, "and I know you are responsible for this..."

I blinked, not completely following. Wait... what? "I did not put Kasuka into the hospital." It was dangerous territory to even mention the name, but I desperately felt the need to clear up the misunderstanding. Whatever happened to Shizuo's little brother; it hadn't been me. I wasn't stupid. I knew better than to involve Kasuka in anything. My relationship with Shizuo was nothing but unstable, and adding Kasuka to the mix would make that instability deadly.

I was smarter than that.

Shizuo snarled. He stalked up to me and grabbed the front of my jacket, hauling me to my feet. He stood hunched over me, his face centimetres from mine. Well, I had aimed to stand after all. "You... I know you had something to do with this..." Tobacco once again assaulted my lungs and I scrunched my nose immediately. He grabbed me by my shoulders and shook me once. The smell was revolting and my stomach automatically flipped.

"No." My eyes narrowed. "I have nothing. To do. With your brother and his situation."

"You're lying." His snarled surely. His eyes searched mine, looking for any hint of deceit. There was none, because I was telling the truth. I did not involve Kasuka. No! But of course, humans twist everything around to only find what they are looking for. "You're lying to me!"

I shook my head. My mouth refused to open as he began to lightly shake me. He was muttering death threats under his breath as his eyes grew cold and his fingers tensed around my already bruised shoulders. I couldn't exactly push him off, so I decided to go with it once again. There really wasn't anything I could do. Shizuo!

"How can I prove that I'm not lying?" He wasn't being rational, so I couldn't be either. I would have to make a deal with the devil; for better or for worse. Shizuo's trembling hands were nothing shy of murderous, and I really didn't want to finally kick the bucket from our dangerous game. I had to hand it to him though – he had held out much longer than I had expected. If he suspected me of even thinking wrong about his brother, he probably would have already put me on my death bed. So what changed?

I wasn't ready to die. I realize that I have already established this, but I was terrified of death.

I did not want to die.

I needed to escape. To run. Cowardly, but necessary.

"You can't prove it, because it's already been proven to me that you did it!" His voice rose and he slammed his forehead into mine once again. I hissed as the rattling sensation it sent through my skull. I was definitely going to have a headache later; maybe even a concussion.

"What?" My voice came out an octave higher than I would have liked. What is he talking about?

"The Yakuza told me after they threatened to kill me. What's in the bag?" His grip on my shoulders tightened painfully as he shoved my back up against the wall for the second time that night. I stood there silently, my eyes wide as a large hand slipped down my shoulder, down my chest, down my side to touch at the bag beneath my jacket. I shuddered, silently cursing. He regarded my expression with curiosity, but he did not comment. "I've been trying to tell you, but of course you can't shut up for more than five seconds at a time. I need that bag. What is in there?"

I don't know what is in here... wait... I narrowed my eyes and met Shizuo's. "Why..." You need the bag? No one knows I have this except for... "Why do you need to know what is in the bag?" Surely Shiki-san...

Shizuo scoffed like I had asked something trivial. "It's the proof I need to kill you once and for all."

"What makes you so sure?" Proof? He did not...

His hand gripped at the fabric of my jacket. "Open the bag."

Shiki... you son of a bitch... "No." My voice was harsh but calm despite the tremble that wracked my body. Careless of the pain, I violently shifted beneath Shizuo's grip, slipping my shoulder from his expecting grasps and successfully shooting pain up my arms from the motion. The hand just over the bag caught my movement and stopped me dead in my tracks. Shizuo tensed, his eyes blazing holes through my soul. His natural intimidation, for the first time since we had met, was enough to unnerve me. I clumsily tried to remove myself from his hold but he caught me again. I didn't dare use my hands to escape. I crossed them protectively against my chest. As he gripped my forearms. I need to talk my way out of this. "Do you really believe anything the Yakuza told you?" I practically yelled. My breathing was laboured and I could feel myself going into over drive. I needed to escape. The pain. The fear. The confusion. The cold. The exhaustion.

It would be the death of me.

Shizuo snarled as he kept two secure hands on my body at all times. I remained perfectly still, lest I give him another excuse to break some more bones.

"Well, Shizu-chan. I believe we have both been lied to." Might as well state the truth. His eyebrow twitched, but I ignored it and pressed on. "I thought the job from Shiki-san was sort of, let's say, random."

"What job? What are you getting at louse? I should just kill you right now-"

"Isn't it convenient that you happened to run into me, spewing garbage about what the Awakusu told you, and I just happened to be on an errand, for said Awakusu?" His grip loosened slightly. "And you seem pretty interested in my bag, the bag in which I have concealed quite well, I'd say. Just how did you know about this bag, Shizu-chan? Did Shiki tell you about it?"

The way his eyes widened was enough of a conformation. Shiki set me up? Shizuo recovered quickly and growled, but his fingers were still loosening around me. "So you're telling me that you weren't the one to send those punks after me, earlier today?" He scoffed once again in disbelief, "You're lying through your teeth, flea!"

A group went after Shizuo earlier? He ended up with the Awakusu... It was my turn to scoff. "Did you meet up with Shiki-san earlier?" My voice came out harsh and I took the opportunity to brush aside Shizuo's arms with my elbows. I didn't want him touching me, and in the heat of he argument, he let me go."You weren't lured there were you? I can't imagine you would go to them willingly."

"So you did set that up!?"

"I didn't set anything up! A group of people attacked you? Lured you to Shiki? And then what? What happened after that? Did Shiki send you on a mission to retrieve this bag from me? The bag he gave me, and told me to deliver?" My voice was slowly rising from anger as opposed to confidence. Shizuo didn't touch me as he stared. He took a step back, suddenly unsure about the situation. "When was your brother hospitalized, and why?"

"You really have no idea?" The entire left side of Shizuo's face twitched. "You went underground and you tore apart the Awakusu. I know. I heard." How on Earth did he hear that? No one knows... wait.. Does Shiki know it was me- "Threats were made, something important was sent to my brother to frame him for something, and the group that broke off from the Awakusu attacked him for it." Shizuo stalked forward with a snarl present on his lips. "I know. Shiki knows. That's why he sent me here-"

He abruptly stopped talking and growled instead, taking a step back. He shook out his clenched hands and exhaled deeply..

Something wasn't adding up. "Wait, so-"

"Flea if you're going to run, do it now." His breathing had become laboured once again as he took another step back. He shook his head with shut eyes. Anger radiated from him in a deadly manner. "I don't understand all of this complex stuff, but you need to go. You need to run before I kill you right here." He slowly slid his eyes open, a slick hue of caramel meeting my own deep crimson. They were the eyes of a lion ready to kill.

He was completely serious.

"Shizu-chan, you don't mean-"

"You have to the count of three."

Is he seriously counting? What an incompetent-

"One."