Anni couldn't stand running away and hiding from his questions for long. By the end of the next day, she decided she had to deal with him herself. But how was she supposed to handle this? She was so afraid of giving away too much, or not giving him enough information, and ending up hurt. The only way she could think to avoid that would be to apologize at a distance, but could she pull that off? Maybe. He might accept more drawings as a sort of payment, seeing how he liked the last one she did. Maybe, if she eased some of the tension that way, he might let her off with less questioning. So Anni made her decision, and set to work. Instead of sulking behind her laptop, she poured her time and energy into another project. It took a few days of her time, but once she was satisfied with it, she wrote out her apology on the back and gave it a safe home in her bag. Now all she needed was the courage and timing to sneak it into Shizuo's apartment.

The next day seemed her best chance, though Anni wasn't feeling her best. She ended up asking for the afternoon off work because she was feeling a bit sick, which left her more than enough time to drop it off. From what she recalled, Shizuo usually ate lunch with Tom when he worked, and wouldn't be found in his apartment in the afternoon. So she made her way to his door, her peace offering clutched in one hand while she fiddled with the key. The door swung open obediently and she stepped out of her shoes while she pushed it closed again behind her. Then she looked up. Shizuo was sitting on his couch in only a pair of sweatpants, with his feet up on the coffee table. The bandages still around his torso were plain to see. A book rested in his hands, and an empty bowl complete with spoon sat next to his crossed ankles. They stared at each other for a few seconds in surprise.

"You… don't have work today, I take it" Anni observed, holding the paper in front of her chest like a shield against any questions he might ask.

"Ya" he replied, caught up in the same shock she was.

"I came here to apologize" she explained, breaking eye contact to ponder the thing she'd drawn. It suddenly seemed wholly inadequate. "I've been cruel, and I'm sorry." Anni flinched as she heard his book slam shut, closing her eyes tight. She came here to apologize for running away. She couldn't run away again, no matter what happened. Anni stayed where she was, waiting. Because he was barefoot, she didn't hear his approach. She flinched again when she looked up to find him standing only a few feet in front of her.

"Why won't you answer my questions?" he asked too calmly. Anni had expected him to be mad at her for what she'd done. She had not expected him to look so sad.

"Because everything about this is supposed to be a secret. You were never meant to figure out that I know more than I should. I technically never should have met you to begin with."

"Is that what this is all about? Do you regret meeting me now?" His tone was suddenly chilling. His jaw clenched in what Anni assumed to be an attempt to control himself. The very air around him changed into a palpable threat. She hated the way his eyes twisted in betrayal and anger.

"What? No! How-" Her feet left the ground. It was apparent that he didn't need to use both hands to haul her up by her shirt, but it certainly had a terrifying effect.

"That wasn't what you said five seconds ago!" he accused. If she didn't do something she was going to get flying lessons.

"How could I regret meeting my best friend?!" she shouted at him, creating her own anger to control her fear. It wasn't just her safety at stake now, it was her relationship with him that was threatened. She grabbed hold of his wrists, digging her nails into his skin. "I meant that I never planned on meeting you in person! I was going to keep my distance and not interfere. But you saved my life, Shizuo. Who in their right mind would regret that?"

"So you don't hate me now? Make up your mind already" Shizuo ordered. Anni was taken aback.

"Where did you hear that I hated you?" she asked in a small voice, both anger and fear evaporated.

"... You don't even remember" he observed, his expression slipping from angry to impassive.

"Remember wh-ah!" Anni gasped as she was dropped without warning, and left to trip over her shoes and fall on her ass. Shizuo turned away and stuffed his hands in his pockets, walking to his room.

"You can go now, Hael-san" he advised flatly before disappearing behind the slammed door. Anni sat in shock for a moment. Picking herself back up was harder than she expected, even though she wasn't injured. She glared down at the stupid picture she'd drawn. It stayed right where she'd dropped it as she staggered into the hallway and down the stairs. Her feet guided her home without any help.

Once she found her couch, and screamed into a pillow, she let herself think again. He'd called her by her surname. He'd never done that before. It hurt a lot more than she wanted to admit. What had she done to make him that angry, that he would resort to hurting her like that? He didn't throw her, or really yell at her, or break any bones. No. He had to call her by her last name. What in the world had she forgotten? Had she really done something that would make him think she hated him? She'd been avoiding him, sure, but she thought her motives in that were clear enough to see.

She hadn't really spoken to him since he confronted her the night he was shot, save for when he caught her outside her work half a week ago. Even then she hadn't said a full two words to him. But I said more to Maya. Anni's eyes widened as the scene played out before her again. He'd waited outside the shop for a chance to talk to her, probably like he'd tried to do the day before. She didn't even see him as she walked out, being too busy talking to Maya to look around. And he'd heard everything.

"No, you're not who I'm avoiding…" she'd said.

"Oh? Who is it then? Are you trying to stay away from your ex still-" Maya had taunted.

"Seriously, would you stop it? That man is nothing more than a pain in the ass, and a dangerous one at that! How many times do I have to say that I have never, and could never date him?!" She'd been talking about Izaya. An image flashed across her mind's eye, reminding her of the look on his face when she rounded on him. Her shock had kept her from really noticing at the time, but he was surprised, and hurt. He had thought she was talking about him. He thought she'd come to hate him because he figured out her secret. Then she ran away.

Well, she was certainly running now. Sketchbook in hand, she covered the distance between the apartment complexes as quickly as she could. She couldn't remember if she'd even closed her door on her way, and she certainly hadn't locked it. But she didn't care. She didn't care if he saw all the spoiler filled pictures she'd done, she was going to convince him of the truth of who she was talking about. His door was locked. He'd probably just locked it after he was sure she was gone. "Shizuo!" Anni called as she pushed the door open. No answer came. She kicked off her shoes as quickly as she could and ran back to wrench open his bedroom door. "I wasn't talking about-" It was empty. She turned around. The bathroom door was wide open, revealing no bleach-blond bodyguard. He'd left.

Now that she looked around more, Anni noticed both of the pictures she'd given him lying face-down on the kitchen counter. He'd even taken down the picture that had earned a place on his wall. That was a low blow. She needed to find him. She could technically call him, but this was a conversation that needed to happen in person. "He can't have gotten far" she reasoned aloud, shoving her feet back into her shoes and making sure to lock his door as she took off running again.

She must have covered most of Ikebukuro before nightfall. So much for getting some rest. Her feet were killing her. Then it started raining. Her sketchbook was far from waterproof, so she sought shelter under a nearby overhang. She just stood there, still catching her breath and occasionally coughing as the rain pattered its normally soothing tune. It wasn't a blessing now, it was a curse. She looked down at the thing clutched to her chest. How had she come to think that this would save her? It had already done more harm than good. It's because of this stupid book that Maya had started teasing her to begin with, then she'd said those horrible things. It's not like it actually held any proof that would convince Shizuo. So she gave up waiting. Anni stepped out into the rains influence, paper and all. She ignored her feet and just walked for a while, getting lost in the downpour. The soaked and ruined book found its way to a trashcan along the way.

Anni stopped when she found herself looking out over an intersection from the edge of a raised parking lot. The place seemed familiar. Her feet were still complaining, so she climbed up to sit on the railing, with her back to parking lot. There was the odd moving umbrella on the street below her vantage point, but not many people were about. It was raining anyway. No one looked up while it was raining. Well, almost no one. The last person she ever wanted to see smirked up at her from the street, clean and dry under his umbrella. Anni didn't have the energy to react. She just gave him a bored stare. He walked down the street towards her, and hung a left, disappearing from her view. It didn't surprise her when his voice found her a minute later.

"That's a pretty poor distance to jump from. You'll probably just break your legs and drown in a puddle" Izaya observed.

"I have no love for the darkness. I don't really feel like jumping today" Anni said dryly.

"You don't have to be the one to jump though." Izaya rested a hand on her shoulder, unsteadying her a little. Anni really didn't feel like playing his games today either.

"You may be a sadistic bastard, but you're not a cold-blooded killer."

"You sound so sure of yourself, Anni-chan" he said, retracting his hand.

"Maybe. Maybe I'm just sure I'm an idiot. I don't really know anymore."

"So what brings you out here on this beautiful night?" Izaya asked, turning to lean back against the railing.

"I was looking for someone" she sniffed, scratching her irritated and now runny nose.

"Who were you trying to find?"

"Your beloved Shizu-chan."

"You of all people should know how I regard that beast." Izaya glared at her from under the safety of his umbrella, finally dropping the smile.

"Ah, do I? Y'know, if you've ever seen the internet where I'm from, there are a LOT of people who would disagree with you." Anni managed a weak smile. She was irritating the pest.

"If you're not going to play nice, I'll leave you to your misery" he relented, disappearing. Anni was indeed miserable.

-A/N-

Edited by my dear friend Faded Phoenix