Anni was discharged after three days. A very quiet, lonely, three days. She'd spent a good amount of her time asleep, but Maya only came by once the first day, and Shizuo didn't show up again at all. He must be sick of hospitals by now she reasoned. Anni was glad to have the chance to go home again. Even if she wouldn't be able to return to work for another day or so, returning to a little bit of her normal life was pleasant. She spent some time on her laptop at home before deciding fresh air and sushi would be best to aid in her recovery. Just as she locked her door, she turned to find she wasn't alone. Both Maya and Shizuo stood at the top of the stairs.

"Hey, what are you two doing here?" Anni greeted. Maya skipped up to give her a hug, while Shizuo stayed patiently where he was.

"I talked him into coming to visit you again" Maya confided before letting go. A wide grin followed.

"You didn't need to do that" Anni said, laughing.

"Come on already! Let's go somewhere. Where were you going to go, Anni" Maya demanded, skipping backwards towards the stairs. She nearly ran right into Shizuo, who had to move out of her way.

"I was just going to go to Russia Sushi…" Anni answered hesitantly. She was half afraid of what her friend would do with the information

"Ah, that sounds like a good idea" Shizuo added.

"Then come on you slowpokes!" Maya chimed, already halfway down the stairs. Anni didn't bother changing her pace, instead strolling down the stairs. Her self-appointed bodyguard followed just behind her. They were forced to follow behind Maya for a good part of the walk, as she coaxed them on.

"What are you trying to pull, Maya?" Anni called after her as they walked. Maya faltered only for a moment.

"Nothing! I'm just happy you're all better again!" she called back. Anni shook her head.

"She's really too-" Anni was cut off by Shizuo's growl. She could feel the change before her eyes landed on him and his twisted eyebrows. He glared down the street at Izaya, who was smirking at the pair from a few stores down. Anni took a few cautious steps back from her friend. It didn't matter who she was when he crossed the line, she would get hurt.

"Anni, what's wrong?" Maya asked, skipping up. Anni caught her shoulder before she got any closer to Shizuo, and started pulling her away.

"Izaya-kun!" he called. The man in question didn't seem to feel like talking today, so he immediately started running. Shizuo responded by taking off at full force. He left a small shock wave in his wake, which served to scare the wits out of Maya and make Anni grin. The chase was on. Both the informant and bodyguard disappeared quickly. The pair left behind were both seized by different emotions that left them motionless.

"B-but he was perfectly calm a second ago, and n-no one said or did anything, how did…" Maya stuttered, gripping Anni's arm.

"That's how it is with the flea. For Shizuo, Izaya daring to draw breath in Ikebukuro is enough offense to deserve immediate annihilation. Isn't he amazing though?" Anni said, starting to guide her friend back towards their destination.

"He's terrifying" Maya decided. "I've heard about what he does, but I've never seen him do anything in person. It's terrifying" Anni just laughed at her and pushed her onwards.

"How's it going Simon?" Anni greeted as they ran into him outside the restaurant.

"Anni! Have you and your friend come to eat sushi?"

"Yup! We have one more friend coming to join us, but he's going to be a little late. Could you let Shizuo know we're waiting for him when he shows up?"

"Of course! Enjoy!" Simon chimed while he waved them in. Once inside, Anni and Maya took their seats at a table and ordered drinks while they waited.

"How do you handle it?" Maya had been really quiet up until now, in stark contrast to before the chase began.

"How about we trade questions?" Anni offered in return. Maya huffed at her.

"Fine. Answer my questions and I'll answer yours" she agreed.

"What did you mean by what you asked? It was rather vague"

"I meant… how do you handle being around him so much? Knowing that he could snap so easily and…" Maya eyed her with concern. Anni shrugged.

"It's not that bad. I've figured out more or less what not to say, and it's not like he's as ready to kill me as he is Izaya. I've only made him angry with me a few times, but I've lived to tell the tale, so I'm not really worried." Anni explained.

"You're insane if he doesn't scare you at all" she accused.

"I never claimed to be sane in the least! And for the record, I'm actually more afraid of pissing off my big brother. Now my turn. What exactly were you planning before Shizuo left?" Anni's eyes gleamed. Alex had rubbed off on her.

"You don't pull punches, do you?"

"Does that count as one of your questions?" Anni's smile widened to match her eyes.

"No. Fine, if you must know, I was trying to set you up on a date" Maya admitted, avoiding her eyes.

"... What?"

"I was going to ditch you guys as soon as we got here, and make you eat alone. Don't worry too much, Shizuo-san didn't know about it either" Maya explained as their drinks arrived. Anni broke out laughing as her drink was placed in front of her. She had to stifle it behind her hand to not disturb the other customers. "Anni, what's…" Maya trailed off as she spotted Shizuo. He wandered in with his clothes cut in a few places, and made his way to their table.

"What's going on?" he asked as he sat down.

"Maya, that hardly counts!" Anni finally squeaked out. "We used to eat here together all the time"

"Oh, back when you were still staying with me? It's been awhile since we've had dinner together, hasn't it?" Shizuo added.

"It has. Especially with recent events… I'm glad we finally made it back" Anni said cheerfully.

"Me too" Shizuo said returning her smile. They ordered their food and were well into enjoying it when Maya spoke up.

"It's my turn now, right?"

"Oh, for the questions? Shoot" Anni answered.

"What does 'Durarara' mean?" Maya asked innocently. Anni dropped her food, her face frozen in surprise. She slowly started shaking her head.

"It's nonsense" Anni replied, standing.

"Hey, Anni!" Shizuo called after her as she walked away. She stopped to pay for everyone's meals, then was out on the street again. She had covered a few blocks before she realized she was being followed. It wasn't hard for her to guess who it was, so she ignored her tail and made for the little store where she'd bought her sketchbook months ago. She would have to be more careful about what exactly she drew in the new one. She was stopped as she walked out carrying her new prize. "A new drawing pad?" Shizuo asked, a burning cigarette hanging out of his mouth.

"Ya. My last one got ruined in the rain" Anni replied, starting back towards home. She was still sick, and had a headache now. A nap sounded like the best thing in the world.

"What were you doing out in the rain?" He asked, becoming her tail again.

"Being stupid"

"That's not a real answer" Shizuo observed grumpily.

"At least it's not a lie"

"So it's just another question you won't answer?" His accusation made her stop. Anni turned back to face him, her new book gripped to her chest.

"It's not related to the… other questions." she explained. Shizuo didn't look happy, but he didn't look angry either. He just patiently waited, expecting more. "There are going to be things I can't tell you, but can you trust me anyway? Can you trust me to use what I know for the better?"

"Ah" Shizuo sighed. "Just live your life, Anni. You don't need my permission. Just don't let yourself sit in the rain until you get a fever again." he said, ruffling her hair as he walked past. Anni grinned and had to jog for a moment to catch up.

-A/N-

Edited by my dear friend Faded Phoenix