Recap:
The moon shone brightly in the darkness.
"...Tsugaru-san's plans always work!"
The deep gentle voice said, "Thank you for your kind words, but it's just my work. Selling my skills is like any other job... for example…"
The man went to the window, opening it gently, smiling.
"Selling information like Orihara-san does."
•Chasm•
"Tsugaru-san... what are you talking about?"
The man turned his head, still smiling. "Nothing, I was just talking to myself. Well, since the plans are settled, shall we end this meeting?"
"...Sure..." The men seemed puzzled at Tsugaru's behavior.
Tsugaru stuck his head out of the windowsill slightly. "Orihara-san, I would recommend you to go right now. It would be very troublesome to have a fight at this hour of the night..."
Izaya's eyes tried to set the man's head on fire. However, it seemed to be that it wasn't working, so he smirked instead.
"Oh, are you worried about me?"
Tsugaru glanced briefly behind him, and he smiled at Izaya afterwards. "Not at all. I know very well that you are capable of dodging, flipping, jumping and running better than anyone I know. However, I want you to go, because if you ruin my work-" His smile was still there, but his tone and eyes were cold. "-I will take the necessary measures."
Izaya's smirk didn't flatter. "Is a threat, Tsu-chan?"
"Of course not. It's a warning. Just do whatever you want to do after my plan is set. I only care for the development; the ending is meaningless." Tsugaru withdrew, but soon after stuck his head out of the window again. "By the way, very cute shirt. That teddy bear suits you."
And he was gone.
Izaya looked at the front of his shirt.
"...Damn you, Shinra..."
•••••
"Achoo!" Shinra sneezed.
"I threw the remote at you. You don't have a reason to sneeze," Shizuo said as a matter of fact.
"Shizuo-kun, you have to control your anger a bit more. I was asking something very reasonable-"
"You were gonna ask me for a dissection, weren't you?" Shizuo said, turning to Shinra darkly.
[Calm down Shizuo.] Celty typed, hoping to appease the other.
"Can you blame me?" Shinra pushed. "You didn't do anything when Izaya was here, and you didn't react when he left, so I'm a bit puzzled."
"It's too late in the night. If I kill him now, then it's gonna disturb the neighborhood."
….
"Ahh, that was it... You don't cease to amaze me, Shizuo-kun..." Shinra deadpanned.
[Shinra, are you okay?]
"Honey, you are the only one that I can call sane..."
[Um, thank you...?]
"Anyway, why are you still here, Shizuo?" Shinra just wanted to go to bed with Celty, already!
"When the morning comes, I'm gonna beat the flea into a pulp. That's all. You can go to sleep, have good dreams."
Now Shinra and Celty's thoughts were filled with dreadful, gory images where Shizuo was using the oven in a way that wasn't allowed.
"I'm not sleepy. And you, honey?"
[I want to see more of that wrestling.]
•••••
Izaya walked tiredly through the streets of the city, cursing Shinra's sense of fashion, and cursing his own stupidity. He was wearing a damn shirt with a teddy bear hugging a heart. Well, it wasn't Shinra's entire fault. He should have paid more attention when he'd put it on.
However, the shirt itself was not the problem. The fact that Tsugaru had seen it was the problem. That damned bastard was going to tease him forever.
"They are so different... yet the same..." Izaya mused aloud, hiding his hands in his pant pockets.
Tsugaru, the person who was the counterpart of Shizuo. Literally. Their looks were the same: height, weight, tone of skin, and so on. Though, Tsugaru's hair was jet-black, and his personality was remarkably acid in comparison with Shizuo's.
As a joke of fate, Izaya got the chance to meet this person in an underground meeting place. As his work required it, Izaya was searching for information. Of course, he had underlings who could do that kind of job. However, there were places where his own abilities were needed, so he headed to the place.
It ended in Izaya almost having a heart-attack.
Shizuo was there, wearing a suit and talking jovially with other clients.
After a few moments, his emotions were under control and Izaya saw the reality. That man wasn't his Shizu-chan. Because Shizuo did not have black hair, and he was sure that he would never dye it again. Not black, anyway. So Izaya observed the man more carefully, completely forgetting about his mission.
The time passed, and then something unexpected happened.
That man noticed Izaya staring.
With slight shock, Izaya tried to escape inconspicuously. He moved through the crowd of people. The exit was near, only inches away from him, but a hand stopped his retreat.
Izaya turned slowly, not quite sure what he should expect from this clone. What he saw stayed imprinted in his mind from that day on.
He was smiling at him. A true smile. Shizuo was smiling at him.
Izaya should have noticed it. Izaya should have known better.
All smiles have a meaning.
•••••
The days passed and Izaya's curiosity only increased. What was he? Was he really a clone? Was he Shizzy's long lost bastard brother? Were they related at all? But the most important question, the most vital question, had been pushed to the back of mind, burying it deep into the darkness.
Why did he care?
Every time he saw Shizuo, only distaste and repulsion surged. But now, looking at the same face, a warm feeling traveled up to his chest.
He should have hated his face... Why he didn't hate it...? What was changing...?
It doesn't matter... Izaya kept telling himself.
I don't need to know... Izaya kept meeting with Tsugaru.
I'm fine...
•••••
Izaya smiled hollowly. The sun was rising slowly on the horizon. The elevator opened, and he pressed the button of Shinra's floor. New thoughts flowed into Izaya's mind.
'He is such a troublesome person... That personality of his is just exhausting; not even Shizu-chan can make me so mad. Perhaps it's because the bastard is smarter than the beast... I don't like him...'
'And yet you search his company...' his mind counterattacked.
Frustrated, Izaya punched the wall beside him.
'Why did I...?' Izaya was in front of Shinra's door. 'Why did I... With him...?'
Before he could think of anything else, roars sounded on the other side of the door. Slightly taken aback by the shouting voices, Izaya opened the door cautiously. Peeking in, he ventured inside the apartment.
The television was on, snacks and beer were on the small coffee-table, and Shizuo and Shinra were spread across the couch and floor, respectively.
Izaya stared blankly. He searched for the other tenant of the place. He didn't find the headless rider, but he found the laptop on, with a message on it.
[Shinra, a job came, so I'll be gone for a couple of hours. Do not drink. And stop giving Shizuo warm milk. Bye.]
Izaya turned his head to the unconscious pair. One drunk with beer and the other one with milk.
Hilarious.
•••••
Shizuo woke up slowly, yawning. Darn, how he hated mornings. Then, his nose caught a delicious scent. Rapidly, Shizuo made the list of the ingredients in his mind: salami and toast with poached eggs... and hollandaise sauce?
Who was cooking...?
He rose from the couch and set his eyes on the kitchen counter.
Shizuo was about to use the oven as a weapon, as a reflex, when his mind stopped working. Because a very reasonable question surfaced:
'What? He can do that? He can't, can he? Izaya can cook?'
No way...
The scene was like one of those where a hunter is faced by a dangerous beast. Izaya was holding a very looking sharp knife and Shizuo was advancing like a predator. Izaya stopped mid-chop on the salami, and turned to see the blond. They stared at each other for a moment, analyzing the possibilities. With a last glance, Izaya resumed his cooking.
Shizuo approached the counter and reached a chair, sitting on it. He was looking at the oven maliciously.
Izaya finished the meal, serving it in two plates.
Shizuo raised an eyebrow at the plate. 'Did he...?' Shizuo began to think.
"No, it wasn't for you. It was for Macha," Izaya cut off Shizuo's thoughts while chewing a part of his breakfast. "I made the breakfast, but afterwards I thought that after she wakes from the sedative, it will be probably too rough to eat this kind of food. And then you woke. That's the story."
But Shizuo wasn't listening, since the name "Macha" had been rolling around in his mind. As if reading Shizuo's mind, Izaya spoke in rather apathetic manner.
"The cat's name. That's her name. Macha is the name given to female cats in Celtic culture."Izaya gave Shizuo a glance that said retard but kept explaining. "It's a ruthless bloodthirsty goddess of war, mother of life and death. An aggressive existence, suitable for her. A warrior goddess that feasts upon the heads of her fallen enemies." Izaya recalled the time when he found the cat in the fight. He felt kind of proud of it, since she could counterattack two dogs alone. She was incredible; that's why he liked her.
And his audience (Shizuo) had totally lost interest since the word "culture". The breakfast was far more interesting than culture.
But, alas, Shizuo realized that he was eating food made by Izaya.
Eh?
Half of the food was already in his tummy. What to do, what to do?
Izaya, once again, seemed to read Shizuo's mind.
Izaya calmly grabbed a fork, stabbed a piece of Shizuo's food, and ate it.
Seconds later, Shizuo frowned.
After swallowing, Izaya said, "It isn't poisoned."
"Now you touched it!" Shizuo was affronted.
Izaya lifted a eyebrow, un-amused by Shizuo's words, he said: "If you don't want it, give it to me. I'm not going to waste a fine breakfast on your childish tantrum. I'm speechless; humans are starving in other parts of the world, and you are refusing to eat because I tasted a tiny bit of your food. Now, I affirm that your humanity, and morals, for that matter, are zero."
Shizuo said no more and began to eat again. Izaya smirked; it worked. Guilt was a powerful weapon. Well, it wasn't as if he didn't have the tiniest bit of an idea on the things he talked about. Izaya was aware of the problems that assaulted the world. He tasted the fork, licking the stickiness left by the egg he had stabbed. From the corner of his eye he saw Shizuo staring.
Izaya gave an open look at what Shizuo was staring. The front of his shirt. Great.
"Isn't mine. Shinra's a dork," he explained.
"That explains it... You look creepy... The teddy bear doesn't suit a person like you..." Shizuo wanted to be rude.
That did amuse Izaya. "Heh, you're right," he said and lifted his plate, rinsing it in the dishwasher.
Shizuo, however, was shocked. Was Izaya agreeing with him?
Izaya finished, and left Shizuo frozen in his spot.
•••••
Shizuo was scrubbing his plate. Scowling. Yes, he could do the fucking dishes. Yes, he was a man that had two hands! So it wasn't as if he had expected Izaya to wash it for him! Not at all! Dammit!
Incredibly, the plate did not break. Shizuo scratched his blond locks. Shinra was still salivating on the floor. It was Sunday, so he didn't have any jobs from Tom-san. It was morning, so the neighbors shouldn't complain if he killed Izaya. Celty wasn't home, so she couldn't interfere. He cracked his fingers, and with a mad grin, he went to look for Izaya.
Of course he hadn't forgotten about Iza~ya~kun~!
He was a man of word! And he had promised to beat the flea into a pulp~!
And-and it didn't matter that Izaya had made breakfast for him. Not at all.
That wasn't entirely the truth, but whatever.
The last room was partially open. Like a member of the SWAT team, Shizuo pressed his back against the wall, peeking inside the room. At first glance, no one was there. He tried to move silently... but it didn't work. Growling to himself, he pushed the door open, ready to make a direct attack. When again, his mind got submerged into a state of shock.
Izaya was on the table where the cat (Macha was its name?) was resting. The cat was awake, while meanwhile, Izaya was sleeping. His hand was on one of the paws of the cat, completely lethargic.
Shizuo stopped in the middle of the room, musing profusely. The cat stared attentively at Shizuo's movements, round yellows eyes scanning every twitch of muscle.
'Am I in an alternative universe?' Shizuo scanned his surroundings. '...Mm, but I haven't lost consciousness... Well, yesterday might be... But everything seems normal...' He halted his thoughts, looking at Izaya, who was burying his face in the crook of his elbow. '...You are the only one that's acting weird... Those faces you were making that day... Your absence for three months... And you agreed with me a moment ago...' Shizuo's eyes widened.
"ALIEN!"
•••••
Macha hissed angrily at Shizuo's shout, and Izaya startled, half drowsy eyes staring at the other person.
He squinted his eyes. "...Tsug-?" Realizing his mistake, he said hastily, "Shizu-chan, you are so... ill-mannered..." Izaya murmured the last part, hiding his face in his arm again.
"What-what are you?" Shizuo truly believed his self-explanation of Izaya's behavior.
Izaya barely glanced at him and said tiredly, "Shizuo, please let me sleep. I haven't slept in two days in a row. If I sleep, I promise to hear all of your nonsense. Deal? Good." Izaya didn't wait for Shizuo's response, but fell asleep immediately.
Shizuo was a bit taken aback. Nevertheless, he didn't say more. Instead, he thought about what Izaya had said. 'Two days in a row?' That was new... Heck, everything these days were new.
If it had a relation with Izaya, that is.
Shizuo clicked his tongue, messing with his hair again. Argh! Now his killing intent had disappeared. That's unfair!
Shizuo was about to leave the place when purrs filled the room. Just from curiosity, Shizuo went back to where the cat was resting, next to Izaya.
The cat lifted its head lightly when Shizuo approached. Shizuo measured Macha: a medium cat, completely black, and yellow, copper eyes. If he recalled correctly, it seemed like the breed that's called some country, or was it a port? Kasuka liked cats, so he had some books, and thus Shizuo got to read them.
'Geh, I don't remember,' Shizuo thought lazily.
Its leg was bandaged with a purple fabric, resting comfortable on a fluffy pillow. The cat kept meowing and purring.
...Both annoying little things were black...
...It was kind of cute...
Gasp.
•••••
He was an alien! He was an alien! He Was An Alien! HE WAS A FUCKING ALIEN!
Alien...
After the disturbing thought of Izaya being cute, Shizuo stormed out of Shinra's apartment. Only an alien or an unknown force full of power could make him think that way!
Several weeks passed and fortunately, Shizuo did not encounter Izaya at all. Though he shouldn't have been embarrassed in the first place, since Shizuo only thought about it. It isn't as if he had said it aloud.
Shoving the unimportant thoughts to the back of his mind, Shizuo decided to make a shortcut through a alley.
Shizuo felt some kind of déjà vú.
On the ground, three men lay unconscious. A lonely figure stood among the bodies.
After a moment, Izaya cursed. Shizuo stared confusedly at him. Izaya was holding his wrist.
"Oh? The louse is injured? But fleas are indestructible!" Shizuo sang the cruel words.
Izaya turned to him, tired red eyes trying to glare. But Izaya was in bad shape.
"You are sick." The words flew on their own, Shizuo couldn't stop them.
Izaya looked at him annoyingly. "I don't want to hear your idiotic attacks or insults right now, so if you'll excuse me." Izaya turned in the opposite direction.
"Hey, I didn't mean it to sound like that. You are sick, in more than one way, but that's beside the point. Are you ill?" Shizuo spoke, as he trotted to keep up with the shorter man.
Izaya moved faster, but due to his illness, it was harder to keep standing. Damn, he shouldn't have left the house.
"Oi, at least answer me," Shizuo demanded.
A sudden throb in his head obliged Izaya to stop at the corner of a building; he had to support his weight on the concrete wall. Cold sweat rolled from his temples.
Damn, damn, dammit!
Shizuo peered curiously in front of Izaya's face. "...You are pale... a little yellow too... Are you gonna die?" Shizuo smirked.
"I'm so happy to be your entertainment, Shizu-chan..." Izaya said with dark sarcasm.
Indeed, it was funny to see him like this. But Shizuo wasn't a bad person. He was going to help him, after a bit of teasing.
But.
Shizuo's plans couldn't be completed.
Footsteps sounded near the alley's exit. A man in a suit ventured into the alley where Shizuo and Izaya were. Shizuo straightened himself up, while Izaya slumped on the ground.
"My, my, I leave you alone for a couple of days, and this is what you become?" A refreshing, kind, but at the same time disturbing, voice spoke, directing his speech to Izaya.
"Oh, shut the fuck up," was Izaya's answer.
The man chuckled. "Grumpy, aren't we? Come on, up." The man was in front of Izaya, helping him to get up from the ground. Shizuo was near, but not close enough to clearly see the man's face.
Izaya made a soft groan.
"Oh my, your wrist is injured...? Don't tell me it's from before?"
Izaya didn't say anything.
The man stopped dragging Izaya and pushed the smaller against the wall. He smiled. He grabbed Izaya's jaw firmly with one hand, forcing him to look at his eyes, which were hidden under a fedora.
Izaya was obviously angry.
"Now, tell me." The man smiled coldly.
Izaya's lips twitched upwards, a smirk trying to surface, but controlled by the hand on his jaw.
"Make me."
The man's smile widened. "As you please." The man bent downward, face inching closer to Izaya's. The information broker didn't move; instead, his knife was pressed into the man's throat.
A few moments of tension passed, and then the man laughed.
He let his head drop onto Izaya's shoulder, still chuckling.
"You don't know the meaning of the word fear, do you?" The man smiled at Izaya, but this smile was slightly different. "...I suppose that's what I like about you."
Izaya was sweating a lot, and without further ado, he slid slowly to the ground. The man caught the smaller. Soon after, three men appeared in the alley. The man ordered them to carry Izaya to his car. The men did as they were told.
The man fixed his clothes and was about to the leave the alley as well, when a presence stopped his tracks.
"Oh, I apologize. I have not thanked you for looking after Orihara-san."
"I didn't do anythin'." Shizuo was pissed. He didn't know why.
The man smiled. "Humble, I see."
"I said I didn't do anythin', it's not my problem." He was gettin' on his nerves!
The man kept smiling. "Anyway, nice to meet you. Farewell."
"Who are you?" Shizuo asked, trying to control the rising heat produced by an inexplicable rage.
The man didn't turn, but said loud enough for Shizuo to hear, "I am Orihara-san's friend."
Shizuo wasn't convinced.
The man stopped and turned lightly, half of his face darkened by the position of the light. "But who are you to Orihara-san?" With a cold smirk he asked, "Are you anything at all?"
•To Be Continued•