Chapter Three

"I see. You became attracted to my sister after the sudden affection of showing each other's bodies. Very interesting…" I must take note of that one as the bartender stood up from his seat, blushing madly. "What the hell are you talking about?! We did no such thing!" He sputtered; the cigarette fell from his mouth as he did so. Well, being her twin, it's obvious they did 'it' since she did promise him she'll only sleep with a man she really loved. It's quite possible they did 'it' without him knowing.

I smiled at him as Celty came in, holding two mugs of her special hot chocolate in a tray. Celty Sturluson or Mrs. Kishitani for that matter. At first I didn't believe for a second about her being headless (The information came from Shinra so of course, I didn't believe it.) but as soon as I landed in their doorstep on that faithful day and meeting her without her head, and after I fainted, I am officially a dear friend of the urban legend, the Black Rider, Celty Sturluson. Or Mrs. Kishitani.

Celty placed the hot drinks on the coffee table, produced her handy PDA, and typed in the words for the two of us to see: "Make yourself at home, Shizuo. And please don't wreck any furniture." The blonde bartender snorted in reply. "I can do that as long as this little tick didn't do anything to annoy me." I sighed as I took a sip of hot chocolate, relishing the delicious taste.

I lived here in Shinra and Celty's apartment for two and a half years now. Two and a half years since the gang war between the Yellow Scarves and the Dollars. Peace returned to both Ikebukuro and Shinjuku, well, at least a bit of the peace. The usual trouble just settled in quite nicely; no more Slasher incidents, no more gang wars, no more human trafficking. I got to admit, I like living here in Ikebukuro.

I turned my gaze back at Shizuo, who was slumped on his seat on the white couch, nursing his own steaming mug with a somber expression on his face. Celty was nowhere to be seen. She's probably busy typing away at the Dollars chat room. I settled down my notepad as I felt a smirk come up to my lips. "You know, even though we went to the same high school, I can't believe we haven't formally met. Well, being in a different class seems to be in the way." I mused as Shizuo let out a drag as I watched the cloud of smoke drift to the window and disappeared entirely.

"It's your own damn fault. You're being too much of a smart ass than your sister, landing yourself at the cream section and leaving her alone." He shot heatedly at the mouse-haired young man, who I take it as a personal compliment.

"Why thank you for taking care of her during my absence at being by her side."

"I wasn't flattering you, assehole…"

"On the contrary," My bangs hid my green eyes as my smirk grew wider. "She was smarter and more cunning than me. It was both unfortunate and fortunate for you and for her." Lightly taking a sip of my hot chocolate, I eyed the silver chain hanging by his neck. I nearly lost all self-control to laugh in front of Shizuo's face. No doubt a gift from her on Valentine's Day…

"…What are you..?" Came his quiet reply, his face lost for words. His coffee brown eyes glared threateningly at my emerald green ones. I just love seeing the beast's other side of emotion. It made me excited as I anticipated excellent results. "Maybe it will be better if you tell me when was the last time you said to her 'I love you'."

That finally did it.

Shizuo stood up with his fists clenched and shook with anger. I expected this to happen. I'm an expert in human emotions and I can tell when and how I can light up his short fuse. It's my natural instinct that helps me get my calculating mind to kick in. I sat there on my spot, continually downing my mug as the blonde bartender reeled back and tried to punch me straight at the nose. But since I have a sharp mind, I let myself move to the side as he lurched forward and aimed at the wall instead. It let out a sickening crack and a large hole appeared at the wall. I managed to hold back my sigh. Celty's not gonna like that. I bet I'll be in it for today.

"…You…You..!" It was all he could say as he lunged for me. This time, I actually let him get to me. I let him throw punches and kicks at me, and I did not retaliate even when Celty tried to calm him down and Shinra, who just came home from work, tried to pin his arms and stop him from hurting me. My face was stinging with pain and definite bulkiness, yet still, I did not fight back.

The world is too cruel to let two people live, whilst they were the reason behind it all.

Noelle's comatose.

Character File: Noel Strife

23 years old, shaggy unkempt mouse brown hair, emerald green eyes, stocky yet toned form

Likes: Noelle, Shizuo's behavior, Celty's hot chocolate, milk, cake

Dislikes: Izaya's behavior, dirt, chores

Status: Single. Eventual resolute man.