My blood froze in my body and I tensed with paralyzing fear. The voice that rumbled out of his throat alone was enough to set me on edge. He really was serious. His eyes were closed again and he was shaking harder than before. His fists clenched at his sides as he exhaled deeply to keep himself somewhat in control – control that was obviously slipping from his grasps. White puffs of warmed air were rhythmically blowing away in the wind from his breaths. A muscle in his cheek twitched, and then those caramel eyes were back on me. He was shivering and just like my jaw, his teeth were beginning to chatter against each other.

I knew very well that he wasn't scared or cold from the rain.

"Two."

I didn't have to be told twice.

Not overly caring about my blatant display of cowardice, I took off from where I stood, dashing down the length of the dirty alley and back out into the streets. Despite the dead weight at my side as that huge and awkward bag bounced off my thigh, the panic in my chest allowed me to flee with incredible speed. Rushing into the rain, the splatters of water practically blinded me. My shoes slapped the wet pavement noisily as I moved fluidly down another block before slipping into the nearest alley. The houses and shops were blowing by me in an indistinguishable blur. They didn't matter, after all.

I was met with more gravel and brick walls; but that was okay. I needed to get back to Shinjuku – my apartment – before that beast tracked me down and killed me. The way he had looked at me, the way those caramel eyes had slid over my body, I just knew. His threat to kill me had been completely honest. I couldn't die – wouldn't die. It wasn't my time. If I was caught, there was no way I could drag Shizuo down to hell with me. I was currently weaponless and lightly broken after all. Why didn't I prepare myself a little bit better? This whole night is turning into a chaotic disaster.

When did my game get so destructive? I had been trying to wrap things up, and yet more surprises kept surfacing. And after everything that happened, my mind dared to remind me that I had some new research to do.

Because that is important right now.

I mentally slapped myself for being distracted by work during a crisis.

I slipped into the most unlikely alley, if my memory was still correct, running in almost the opposite direction from where I lived. The course would put me a little bit closer to Shizu-chan, but there would be a couple of blocks of houses to protect me from him. It was a risky, but strategic move on my behalf. I was putting all of my hope in Shizuo being a dinosaur-brain. He wouldn't bet I'd back track, would he? I couldn't fight, hell, I could hardly keep up my jog, but I needed to keep moving and I needed to lose him in the process. I didn't really have time to ponder such trivial things, even thought these trivial things were incredibly important. Life or death. That's what it had come to. I was gasping for air and my muscles were threatening to give on me. If I stopped, I was done. I wouldn't be able to keep running if I even thought too long about pausing.

I needed to detour for my own safety, but my body wouldn't hold out if I detoured too much.

The bag at my side was growing heavier with each step. To hell with this night. I can't drop this stupid bag and I am slowing down. It had been so long since the last time I had to run from Shizu-chan, and I had never run with such a heavy accessory before. The way it swung about my leg was throwing me off balance, and the simple struggle to anticipate where it's weight would drop next was only adding to my difficulties. Perhaps I was just making excuses, I wasn't sure, but I didn't even know what was in the bag, let alone if I was actually supposed to deliver it. For all I knew, Shiki could have wrapped cinder blocks up in newspaper or blankets just to send Shizuo after me. Even if that was the case, I didn't even have the time to ditch it. I had strapped it in just perfectly under my jacket so that even if I got mugged, the bag would never leave me. Why is Shiki playing my game!? Did he set me up to face the brute? Was he trying to test my skills, or was he trying to snub me out?

Either one was possible.

What is he up to, and how does Shizuo fit into this?

I emerged from an alley and quickly changed course to head home. I had formed a route in my mind; a path I knew well. I wouldn't be surprised if Shizuo knew that Shiki was trying to get rid of me... this game after all hasn't been in my favour since the beginning. I dashed across an empty street and into another back-way. Pure determination and fear were all that was driving me forward, like a cat scurrying away from a mouse. How pitiful. The rain was coming down harder, and it pelted my already soaked body. It was almost impossible to breathe without choking on the falling droplets of water, and my slowed jog seemed to lag with every new step. The chilled wind was painful against my broken and bruised face as the rain trickled down similar to tear streaks. I would have to call up Shinra when I got home. What a great way to tell my best friend that I was back.

'Hey Shinra, I've been back in town for a couple of weeks now, but I got myself into a lot of trouble so I thought it was best to keep quiet for a bit. Speaking of trouble, can you patch up my face, ne?'

Pfft, he would probably slap me. A grin found it's way to my face at the thought of my old friend, but it quickly disappeared. It's raining hard, this stupid delivery, pain, Shizuo is chasing me, and I feel like I'm going to die. Just how much worse can my night get? Turning the next corner, I suddenly halted. The gravel crunched beneath my shoes as I abruptly stopped and slid a little forward, alerting a rather small group of people to my presence. The bag at my side swung forward and the momentum almost pulled me down to the ground. I remained standing by chance, my heavy lidded eyes scanning the bodies as they turned to face me.

There were three of them, and they were all hooded and dressed darkly. They wore casual, bland clothes so that none of them stuck out. They couldn't be a colour gang, they seemed more dangerous then that. Were they from the Awakusu? They were lounging about the entrance; the entrance I needed to escape through in order to return to the streets of Shinjuku. It didn't matter who they were, I just needed to get by. I was so close, yet suspiciously so far away. What was I to do? Turn and flee and take a different route, or casually walk by and hope they didn't mug me?

I just want to go home.

I didn't really get the chance to make a decision for myself as my world slowed down.

Only one of the hooded figures turned to face me with their expressions shadowed by the hood, and I immediately found myself stepping back and away from them. They were all too calm, and too suspiciously placed. Something about the situation just seemed so set up. Shaking, I froze where I stood.

I had walked in to a trap.

The last bit of my energy seeped through my pores and I felt weak, pathetically so. I felt like falling to the ground and sleeping through the nightmare I had found myself in. In my panic, I accidentally made eye contact with one of the figures and we stared at each other for a prolonged minute. His face was covered by a black bandanna while two crisp blue eyes pierced out from beneath the hood. He was standing slightly out of place from the others, and seemed to be the only one to notice me. The trio stood quietly and calmly in the darkness. One was leaned against the wall while another had been scrolling through something interesting on his phone. The third had been alert and prepared. It was like they had been patiently waiting for someone who probably wasn't going to show up – someone like me. The figure on the cell phone suddenly glanced up, muddy-brown eyes meeting mine harshly. My ragged breathing alerted the last one, and he too turned to give me the same glare. I was uncharacteristically loud, my breathing coming in and out as strained pants that mimicked a wheezing dog. Puffs of white air almost blinded me as the wind whipped it back into my face. All I could smell was the blood dripping from my nose. I still loved the way the atmosphere sharply burned against my skin. A soft smile grazed my lips. Yes. Even in the face of adversity, I could still smile and play through my dangers like a chess game.

Or maybe it was just the combined ill-fated luck that was making me hysterical. In the face of intense suffering, the body and mind can do all sorts of amazing things to preserve a life.

It had only been seconds since I had stop, and already, the three hooded figures physically turned towards me like hunting dogs set on their bait.

It was definitely a set up, and they were definitely ordered to come after me. My world returned to real time. Time to suddenly conjure up plan B.

I turned on my heel to flee back the way I had come. My new found grin from the surprise ambush seemed to invoke fresh adrenaline through my veins. It allowed me to move quicker then I should have been able to and I could suddenly feel that giddy high I got when humans surprised me. Oh, how interesting you all are. Shiki really went all out this time. I turned the corner just out of their sight. This is suddenly fun again! I suppose I should run back maybe, go around the block? They probably split up, so perhaps I should climb a fire escape and hide out on a roof? But then again, I shouldn't sit for too long- I paused once again. I didn't even make it five steps back into the alley. I came to a sudden stop for the second time and the smile on my lips twitched into a grimace. I noted that four more people had come into the alleyway behind me and were slowly closing the distance between the exit and myself. The man leading the gang had his cell phone glowing in front of him and the bandana was pulled down to reveal a menacing smile. A long and ragged white scar trailed down his cheek, slipping over his lips and disappearing under neath his chin. I recognized him, but before a name could be placed to the face, the thought quickly slipped my mind as it was over run with other rambles.

God dammit. What is this? How did they know where I was? How am I supposed to escape? I need a plan. Plan. I need to stall...

It was the moment where I needed Shizuo to emerge, raging and yelling while swinging his fists in his typical blind rage. He would scare away my attackers with a ferocious roar, our typical chase would continue, and then I would eventually return home sick and several pounds lighter. I don't think I can run anymore. All of this running was starting to wear me out, and in order for my best escape plan to work, I needed Shizuo.

Heh. How ironic. I need the beast right now.

"Izaya Orihara."

I turned my head only slightly to indicate that I had heard the call from behind me. If I had to talk my way out, then I would do it. I talked my way out of almost everything on a daily basis, it was territory I knew well. I already had a broken nose and two wrists; I doubted they could do anything worse than what Shizuo could do. I kept my facial expressions calm and collected once again even though I still couldn't breath. I had run too far. I really should have taken it slower. I didn't even hear Shizu-chan chasing me... was he even coming after me? Did I run straight in to this because he set me up to? Shiki... what... I couldn't deal with Shiki right then. I needed to focus on the situation at hand. I was dealing with humans now; they were so much easier to manipulate than monsters. I swallowed hard and it burned against my throat. Love the burn. I forced a grin onto my face while my breathing sneered heavily from my crushed nose.

Crunch.

I turned and casually glanced over my heaving shoulder.

The blue-eyed man emerged from the previous group behind me. He was the only one to round the corner, and this fact put me on edge. They are organized. The other two were probably guarding the entrance just in case I slipped by somehow. They must be Shiki's dogs. He stopped several feet away from me with his hands casually inside the pockets of his soaked black jacket. I shoved my hands into my own pockets for the equal intimidation effect – anyone who knew my name generally knew about my knife play – and to keep my broken limbs safe and securely out of sight. The less they know about my state, the better. They were throbbing painfully and so was my face, but I didn't have time to deal with it. All injuries could wait. I clenched my jaw to stop it from chattering and I ignored how my skin felt numb against the rain. My hair was plastered to my face from both weather and sweat. The pounding in my heart wouldn't let up, but I refused to show any sign of discomfort. The hooded man was still standing before me like he was waiting for me to answer him. He had simply said my name. Wasn't that a rhetorical question? I'm in no position to be cocky.

"Yes?" I hesitated, but my voice was sturdy. The white noise from the rain echoed around us, but that was all. Silence engulfed me and I shivered. Go figure, I probably lost Shizu-chan. The fact that the beast had not exploded into the confrontation was incredibly disappointing.

"The Awakusu know what you did; everything you did to us." Cryptic words. His voice was gruff but he was smiling. I could see him smiling, because it was reflected in his eyes. He was smiling just like that other one, the one that closed off my escape.

Those words were not reassuring. I had done enough over the past eleven months to get myself a nice bounty; best case scenario, all ties were guarantee to be broken if Shiki found out the game I had been playing. Worst case scenario, he would have my head displayed in his office. I had been so careful too. He can't know. He couldn't have already figured it out.

I stared at the man with an incredulous look. "Are you referring to all the information and guidance I have provided you with ~?" In the event of confrontation, my best choice was always to shroud the truth behind brighter truths. The man shrugged, exposing his unarmed hands in a casual but mocking gesture. He made no move to attack or approach. He didn't even seem intimidated by me so I remained still myself. I really only had one option: to play along until I had the chance to escape. I can't even fight right now. My chest hurts from running, ahck... I don't know if I can even bolt if the chance were to arrive. Frustration welled up within my me and I shuddered from my lack of control. I wasn't fond of admitting my weaknesses, but I really couldn't do anything. There was nothing I could do, unarmed, against a group of thugs. I turned my back on the group that blocked my exit. They had stopped half way down the alley to maintain a respectful distance. I must have been speaking to the leader of this little charade. Not liking that my back was turned, I shifted to angle myself to see both groups of people equally.

The man who had spoken to me continued on like I hadn't even said anything. "We were sent to deliver a message: a tidbit of information, to be specific."

"Go on." I encouraged tiredly. Seven men, maybe even more, were sent to give me information? I allowed the disbelief to show on my face. I didn't even have the energy to dig for info. I was getting more tired by the second just for standing. I don't know how much longer I will last, I need to escape relatively soon. Standing had even become difficult. My breathing had been reduced to a shallow gasp as my strained lungs refused to accept the oxygen surrounding me. "I don't have all night."

"Shiki knows everything you have done to work against us over the past year." Those words were said casually, but they hit me hard. My heart sunk against the growing smirk of disbelief on my face. If Shiki really did figure it out, then all the pieces were falling together and they were all fitting perfectly in the wrong puzzle. My own plot was working against me. I could write a novel about this chaotic mess... "The Awakusu-Kai are currently cutting ties from you, Izaya Orihara. Shiki gave you the benefit of the doubt, but you seem to have other aspirations. That is my message. We also have something to deliver, but we will get to that in a moment. Do you have anything you wish to say to Shiki regarding this matter?"

I blinked. That message seemed to be edited. I smirked and chuckled. My eyes darkened as the fatigue threatened to override my body. I turned to face the man squarely, turning my back on the other group. The smile disappeared from my lips as I let my head fall back just enough to be condescending. A sideways glance from underneath my lashes seemed to unnerve the man before me. He shifted ever so slightly. This really seems like... "You can tell Shiki-san..."...is he asking for my last words? "Checkmate."

I smirked, tensing for the fight the was sure to come. All I had to do was move and run. I could endure the pain. I could endure the fatigue. I would endure whatever obstacle these hoodlums threw at me so long as I could return home in peace.

That was all I asked for. I readied myself to run the second anyone moved.

The man nodded with his eyes closed. A solemn expression fell over his face.

Something pricked my chest, just below my left collar bone. I instinctively raised a hand to press at it as it tingled, mild confusion distracting me from the situation at hand. I ran way too hard. What felt like a minor chest pain instantly blossomed into shattering agony. The sensation was indescribable as a rippling force quivered through my entire being. No... I gracefully dropped to my knees with a gasp, my eyes widening at the sudden lack of stability and the stomach churning sensation that washed over me. My brain was fogging along with my vision. The people before me grew fuzzy and I coughed. I broke out in a sweat. My face tensed as I tried to see through the pain, to see through the haze. This can't be happening! Panic welled up inside of me as I lost all sources of feeling in the lower half of my body. My legs went completely numb and everything became eerily silent except for the rain. Something warm ran down my skin and shivered, suddenly cold. What? Pain slunk lazily through my torso like trailing molasses as the rain became unbearably loud in my ears. It pelted my falling figure and I watched the ragged and drenched ground ever so slowly come closer to my face like I was teetering on my own knees. Slow motion. Everything was happening in slow motion. I suddenly felt the need to spit – my throat suddenly felt so wet that I thought I was going to drown – but before I could do so, warm liquid erupted and bubbled and ran down from my closed mouth, dripping from my chin. I fell forward, my face meeting the cold gravel as I slumped into it. I whimpered lightly as the confusion took hold of my mind and settled foreign fear into the pits of my stomach. Pain didn't resonate through my wounded nose, only numbness as I lay with my face half pressed into the rocks beneath me. A cold, eerie numbness began to spread out from my chest and it settled into me as I inhaled a rattling breath. My lungs burned for oxygen. But wasn't I breathing? The sensations made me tired. I managed to roll somewhat onto my side, my body weight crushing against my broken right wrist. I didn't flinch at the shocking sensation. My muscles settled down and involuntarily relaxed – except for my face. My figure slumped uselessly as the exhaustion and agony settled in. A tiny river of red flowed past my nose in the rushing street water as it made its way down the gravel and into the roads of Shinjuku. Where did all that red come from? My eyebrows creased together as I dodged around the obvious truth.

A dark, haunting laugh echoed through the back of my skull.

Is that blood?

I slowly shifted myself again. I need to move, and I need to move now! There was no way I was just going to lay down and take whatever was coming to me. My left hand was still shoved into my pocket and it refused to move from it's safety. My right hand was trapped beneath my hip. It throbbed in agony at the pressure, and to my surprise, a silent tear slipped from between my closing eyelids. My body was refusing to move. Okay, never mind, I take that back. I'm just going to lay here for a minute. I managed to draw my knees closer to my chest, as a painful shudder wracked my body.

It was cold. So cold.

A light gasp left my throat as shoes crunched loudly against the gravel. I was shaking, and my consciousness was stubbornly remaining. My face was frozen in my suffering and I let out another soft whimper. I was light headed and dizzy. I was spinning even though I was lying on the ground. I wanted to throw up, so my body only convulsed, forcing me to spit out more blood. My chest was burning and my head suddenly cracked into a raging migraine. And my chest, right where my skin had prickled, burned.

Crunch.

Black dress shoes slowly moved closer to me from some distance away. They weren't Shizuo's. Why can't they be Shizuo's? They came closer to me in a lazy sort of fashion. One step after another, slowly but surely bringing themselves closer. My eyes narrowed as I softly panted for air. Who is this cocky bastard?

That was when I noticed my jacket. Just below my left breast pocket, there was a small tear in the fabric of my coat. The soaked cloth was slowly turning dark red, and the crimson substance was leaking from the unseen wound and into the gravel. So I really was shot from behind. I turned my back to a group of thugs... wow Orihara. Good fucking job.

Heh... I blinked painfully, a sad smile forming on my paling lips.

The two large black shoes stopped just before me and one nudged my shoulder gently. And then I saw it. My face twitched in evident fear, my eyes avoiding the cold, hard truth. I was on the path to my greatest terror, and as fitting as it would be to laugh in the face of death, that was not the case. As much as I would have loved to laugh, I couldn't. I felt too sick to my stomach to do so.

"Are you ready?"

Am I ready? Of course not. I somehow managed to prop myself painlessly up on an elbow; if this was going to happen then I wanted to watch. The downfall of the great Orihara. Even if I couldn't bring myself to laugh, I still wanted to see it all. There was nothing to do but accept it. They had shot me once already, and I highly doubted that they had intended to just miss my heart by a fraction. They were taking their second shot from a shorter range.

They wouldn't miss this time.

It took all my strength, but I managed to raise my head from the ground. Stubbornly. A small grin split my bloody lips while my heart slammed into my chest. I was violently shaking, my face broken and battered as I turned it to the crying sky. I was the perfect picture of terrified submission; I never thought it would be like this at the end. I always pictured my death to be by the hands of Shizuo, and I had planned to hysterically laugh as the life faded from me.

That was not the case, yet I refused to shed any tears for my own damned soul. If I were to die, I would die with the dignity I still had left, and I would die smiling regardless of the reason. Let the humans believe what they want; they never loved me anyway. I didn't want to leave the world trembling at someone's feet, and yet there I was. My planning had all been in vain. I felt as if there was nothing even to reflect on. Doesn't your life flash before your eyes? All I felt was loneliness. A cold, painfully numbing, loneliness. Who will care, really? I loved humans equally, yet none of them would ever love me in return. They would just go on with their lives, and my existence would quickly dissipate from all of their memories. Most of them would even be happy that I was gone. This wasn't supposed to happen. I had learned practically nothing about humanity and I hadn't even made an impact yet – I clearly didn't even know myself very well, to top it all off. Heh, laughing in the face of turmoil. Apparently I only dreamed of it.

There was still so much to learn.

I shook my head gently in defiance, my eyes watering as I stared into the falling rain. They would be the last droplets of anything that I would ever feel. They pelted my skin, and I shuddered in temporary delight as the crisp chill dribbled down my cheek, leaving streaks were my silent tears couldn't. This was what it meant to feel. This wold be the last sensation. I don't want to die. Living was my nature, after all.

Ever so slowly, I lazily drifted my hazy eyes over to meet my fate.

"Are you ready?"

I can't die...

My smile twitched into something remorseful, and my eyes pricked with tears. Heh. Even at the end, my humanity was getting the better of me.

A metallic click resonated through the air, just above my head. A cruel scarred smirk greeted me behind the black barrel of a hand gun. It was only inches from my forehead. Execution style. My smile twisted into something darker, but only regret reflected in my eyes.

I stared coldly, unwavering at my demise. Only Shizuo Heiwajima is allowed to kill me. No one else. How ironic. I was supposed to drag him to Hell with me.

The last thing I heard was a deafening explosion and the distant whinny of a horse before my whole world turned blood red.