It felt like someone had upped the temperature on Ritchie and Izaya's relationship. The sexual activities were happening more and more frequently now and Ritchie found she was spending nearly all of her time with Izaya. It was insane. She was once again totally addicted to being in his company.

Izaya seemed perfectly happy with their arrangement. Whenever Ritchie attempted to branch off and socialise with other people a bit more he'd find some way to reel her right back in. At times Ritchie didn't even care about this. As long as he gave her whatever else she wanted she was more than happy to be at his side.

But another side of her felt the need to rebel. Unbeknownst to Izaya she'd started to widen her social circle – taking the time to talk to some of the other girls at work more, getting into contact with some of Sei's friends who had been on the bar crawl, arranging meet-ups with new penpals she'd been making on a website for a new gang called the Dollars that she'd joined not so long ago…

She felt smug that she could pull this off right under his nose and she liked that she was doing things of her own that he wasn't involved in. It all just depended on how long she could pull it off for.

Though over the next few weeks she was starting to wonder if Izaya did suspect something after all – he seemed to be keeping a tighter hold on her than ever. He was now meeting her from work after every shift, no matter how late she finished.

Ritchie had been testing the limits a little, chilling at the bar for an extra hour after her shift had ended the one night, but when she did eventually leave Izaya was still there waiting for her.

"Some people might think you're a stalker," she pointed out. How long had he even been out here?

As he so often did, Izaya ignored her comment. "You smell of alcohol."

"Well yes. That's what happens when you've been drinking," said Ritchie sarcastically.

"Don't you worry about your health, Ritchie-chan?" asked Izaya with mock concern.

"No," said Ritchie flatly.

Izaya just grinned – finding her attitude to be highly amusing, as he always did. "So are you coming back to my place?"

"Do I have a choice?" Ritchie countered.

Izaya gave her his best feigned hurt expression. "Of course you have a choice. You don't have to act like I'm the big bad villain all the time."

Ritchie rolled her eyes. The world would probably end the day Izaya actually gave her a real answer. But the longer they stood outside the colder she was. And Izaya's place was closer than hers. With Ritchie's extreme dislike for the cold it definitely sounded like the better option.

"Fine, I'll go with you," she agreed.

"Excellent," said Izaya happily, proceeding to taking hold of her hand as they started off.

Ritchie sighed, half-heartedly attempting to pull her hand away. "That doesn't mean you have to hold my hand."

"I'm trying to be nice here, Ritchie-chan," said Izaya, seemingly entertained.

"Nice doesn't suit you," Ritchie commented.

Izaya grinned. "Does that mean you want me to be bad instead?"

"No, I just want you to be normal. I know that's a stretch for you but you can at least try," said Ritchie cuttingly.

Izaya just chuckled. He still didn't let go of her hand. With another sigh, Ritchie grudgingly gave up trying to pull away. In truth it wasn't actually that bad. At least his hand was nice and warm – as opposed to how hers always seemed to run on cold blood.

Unfortunately, though it was closer, Izaya's apartment was nowhere near as warm as hers was. He didn't seem to like investing much in the way of central heating. When they got there Ritchie grumpily huddled into a corner of the couch, seeing as Izaya had now distracted himself with work again.

"Why are you always so insistent for me to come here when you're just gonna work?" she asked dryly, playing with her cell phone without much enthusiasm.

"Because I enjoy your company so much," Izaya replied with a hint of sarcasm. Her constantly cynical attitude seemed to rub off on him a little at times.

"It just seems pointless me being here when you're not even paying attention to me," continued Ritchie grouchily.

Izaya turned round in his chair, his trademark grin plastered across his face. "Are you feeling put out, Ritchie-chan? Do you want me to pay more attention to you?"

"No, I didn't mean it like that," said Ritchie testily. "I just don't see the point of me being here."

"You've very moody tonight," observed Izaya, positively entertained by the idea.

"It's because your place is so fucking cold," grumbled Ritchie.

Izaya tutted. "Such terrible language. I'll have to wash your mouth out with soap."

"Try it and I'll break your fingers," threatened Ritchie.

Luckily Izaya seemed to heed her warning and didn't bother her further. She'd just returned her attention to her phone when something dropped onto her head. She looked round in surprise, unaware that Izaya had even left his seat.

He was standing over her, looking expectant. "Now will you stop complaining?"

Ritchie pulled at the thing he'd thrown on her and realised it was his coat. "Deal," she agreed, drawing it around her more tightly.

Satisfied, Izaya went back to his work whilst Ritchie huddled up in his coat. They'd been back at his place for about an hour now and he'd taken his coat off as soon as they'd got there, but it was still warm. Ritchie fell into a doze, not feeling quite so grumpy anymore.

She was woken up quite abruptly by her phone vibrating on her lap. She felt disorientated for a few moments before remembering where she was. She glanced across the room – Izaya was still sat at his computer and didn't seem to have realised that she'd been quiet for a while. He'd probably been grateful for it.

She clicked onto the message she'd received, rubbing her eyes. It took her a while to process what it said. 'Want to meet me tomorrow before work?'

Only then did she look at the sender's name and her heart gave a happy leap when she saw it was from Sei. She'd even put her usual two x's at the end. She hadn't heard from her since the last time they'd gone out. Maybe she wasn't mad at her after all!

Ritchie hurriedly texted back a quick reply. 'When and where?'

Sei didn't take long to respond and Ritchie happily agreed to meet her at a café near Sei's work at nine o'clock. She checked the time – it was nearly half past one. The café Sei wanted to meet at was just round the block from her apartment. She'd have a much better chance of getting there on time if she was sleeping at her own place tonight.

"I'm gonna go," she reluctantly announced. She didn't really fancy going back out into the cold but if she stayed here she'd have to get up even earlier to get to the café.

It was one of the rare occasions that Izaya looked genuinely surprised. No matter how little Ritchie actually did while she was hanging around at his place she'd never up and left before. As much as the fact annoyed her, she was too addicted to being around him.

"You're not that bored, are you?" he asked, eyebrows raised.

"No, I've got something to do tomorrow morning," replied Ritchie, making sure she kept her answer vague. She still didn't want her friend to end up involved with the intel broker in any way.

Izaya's eyebrows rose even higher. He knew she wasn't quite telling him everything. But if Ritchie was right then she knew he'd prefer to find it out for himself. He was good at snooping after all, seeing as that was a key part of his job.

Sure enough, he just gave a casual shrug. "Suit yourself."

Ritchie was pleased that he wasn't going to push for more information. She wanted to keep Sei out of the equation for as long as possible. She reluctantly got to her feet and disentangled herself from Izaya's coat.

Izaya sighed. "Just take it with you."

"Huh?" Ritchie looked back round at him. Izaya gestured towards the coat with a bored expression. This time Ritchie's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Don't tell me you actually care?"

"Is that so hard to believe?" asked Izaya in an attempt at innocent. He laughed though when Ritchie just gave him a withering look. "You're grumpy enough when you're cold. I'd hate to see how much you'd complain if you actually got ill."

Ritchie snorted. In that case he was lucky she rarely got ill. She pulled her arms into the sleeves. "You sure you're not gonna need this?"

"In case you haven't noticed I tend to wear more clothing than you do, Ritchie-chan," Izaya mocked.

Personally Ritchie didn't think she'd done too badly tonight. Because of the bitter air outside she'd even consented to changing into jeans and boots once her shift had finished. She'd left her mini skirt and stilettos in her locker at work.

"So when do you want it back?" asked Ritchie, still amazed that he was lending it to her. Even if it wasn't out of concern.

Izaya simply smiled. "Whenever you feel like it."

"I don't get it…" said Ritchie.

"You can bring it back whenever you feel like it," Izaya repeated patiently.

"What's the catch?" asked Ritchie warily. He always wore this coat. Surely he'd want it back as soon as possible.

"No catch," said Izaya, amused.

Ritchie didn't understand. Was this supposed to be her ticket to freedom? He said she didn't have to come back here until she felt like… So surely, technically, that could mean she didn't ever have to come back if she didn't feel like it.

But the smug look on Izaya's face suggested otherwise. The look that always made her want to wrap her hands around his throat. Now what kind of game was he playing with her?

"Fine," she said, deciding to play along and take the opportunity either way. "I guess I'll see you around then."

"Don't I get a goodbye kiss?" teased Izaya, his best innocent look back on his face.

Ritchie frowned. Was he making fun of her? "Quit the nice boyfriend routine. It's creeping me out."

Izaya grinned. "But I don't know when I'm next going to see you, Ritchie-chan. What happens if I miss you?"

"Then the world will probably end," replied Ritchie sarcastically.

Izaya laughed. Ritchie couldn't tell if he was being serious or not. His eyes were alight with amusement and he was leaning forwards on the desk, watching her expectantly.

If she went over to him now and he was just messing with her she'd look like a fool. But if he meant it and she just turned round and left then she'd look like a bitch. She knew she was already a bit of both so it wasn't like she had much to lose.

With an exaggerated sigh she strode over towards him. She leant across the desk and planted a quick kiss on his still smiling mouth. "Happy now?" she asked with her usual sarcasm.

"Marginally," replied Izaya infuriatingly.

Ritchie did not think that was a good enough answer. "Oh for fuck's sake!"

She seized his hair and pulled his face towards hers, crashing their lips together. She got more of a response this time and felt his mouth move with hers. After a few moments there was a sudden pain in her bottom lip and she drew back abruptly.

"Did you just bite me?" she accused, running her tongue along her lip. She could taste a hint of blood.

"It's only fair, Ritchie-chan. You do it to me all the time," said Izaya innocently.

"Yeah but I'm not the sadist here," grumbled Ritchie, rubbing her mouth. Okay, maybe she had bitten him a fair few times already… But she didn't particularly get turned on by pain like he seemed to.

Izaya just laughed at her. "Now this is more like your usual self. I don't like it when you're really moody – you're not half as fun."

"And I don't like it when you sit there looking like you're king of the underworld," said Ritchie, straightening up and folding her arms.

"That makes you my queen," Izaya smirked.

Ritchie rolled her eyes and turned away. "Oh shut up. I'll be glad to get away from you." She felt his amusement follow her as she left the apartment without looking back.

As soon as she was outside the cold air bit at her face. She shuddered and pulled the fur-lined hood up over her head. Even with the extra layers of clothing it was still too cold. She set off back towards her apartment, walking at a much faster pace than usual.

As her steps fell into a regular rhythm it gave her more chance to think. She really didn't get what Izaya was trying to pull this time but she was definitely going to use the excuse to stay away from him and chill with some other people for a change.

Since it was so cold she took the shorter route along some of the alleyways behind the back of the bigger buildings. Most people wouldn't use that particular route but she'd never really been one to care.

She'd just come back out onto an unlit street, still deep in thought, when somebody grabbed her hood and dragged her backwards. It was pulled off her head and she staggered back a few steps. She twisted round to find Shizuo still holding onto the hood, looking even more surprised than she was.

"What the hell?" Ritchie protested, yanking the coat back out of his grip. "You nearly pulled me over!"

"Well I sure didn't expect to find you under there," grumbled Shizuo, regaining his composure.

Only then did Ritchie understand. With the hood up he'd thought she was Izaya. It didn't really help that she was wearing jeans tonight either. "I doubt Izaya would be caught dead in boots as pretty as these," she said sarcastically, showing off her Karen Millen boots.

"Believe me, his feet are the last thing I'd be looking at," Shizuo pointed out, lighting up a cigarette. "So, what? You guys are sharing clothes now? Just what kind of relationship are you in with him anyway?"

Ritchie ignored his obvious disgust and shrugged. "Couldn't tell you if I wanted to," she said truthfully.

Shizuo made a non-committal noise and took a drag from his cigarette. "Oh this is Celty by the way." He gestured behind him.

Ritchie looked around in surprise. She'd been so distracted by Shizuo's surprise attack that she hadn't realised there was actually somebody else there with him. But sure enough, the Black Rider was leaning against the motorcycle parked at the side of the road.

Shizuo then realised there was a flaw in his introductions. "Celty, this is…"

"Ritchie," said Ritchie quickly, not caring that Shizuo still hadn't known her name for so long.

Seeing Ritchie's attention on her Celty took out a small handheld device similar to a BlackBerry and quickly keyed something in. She then held it up for Ritchie to see the screen. Ritchie hesitantly stepped forward to read the message. 'Nice to meet you.'

"You too," replied Ritchie, still feeling awed.

Celty typed out another message. 'You're friends with Izaya?'

"That's a bit of a stretch," said Ritchie.

'Lovers?'

"Again, kind of a stretch," repeated Ritchie. She hesitated before admitting, "Maybe a little closer to the mark."

She wondered what Celty would think of that. When Ritchie had met Shinra to find out more about the famous Black Rider he'd told her that she actually worked for Izaya as a transporter sometimes. Surely that would be enough for her to have an idea of what Izaya was like.

Ritchie was right. Celty held up another message for her to see. 'You should be careful.'

Ritchie almost laughed. The thought of being told to be careful by somebody who most people thought to be an urban legend – somebody who some people even classed as a grim reaper – seemed hilarious. She couldn't quite keep the humour from her voice.

"Don't worry. I think I know that more than anyone," she assured.

"Doesn't stop you from being insane," Shizuo put in.

Ritchie wasn't even the slightest bit offended. "That's me. Insane all over."

She'd never really cared about Shizuo but she still wanted to know more about the extraordinary Black Rider and found that she felt uncomfortable under her judgement. She probably wasn't making a very good first impression.

"I should probably go," she said awkwardly.

Shizuo gave her a lazy wave of the hand. "Just watch yourself around him. He can be a very bad enemy when he wants to be."

Wow. All these people telling her to be careful lately… Sei she could understand, seeing as she was her friend. But now both Celty and Shizuo? She was amazed Shizuo still even cared seeing as the last time she'd seen him she'd punched him in the face.

Celty caught her attention and held up her communications device again. 'Do you need a ride anywhere?'

Now Ritchie was even more surprised. She wasn't used to people being nice to her when they had nothing to gain. Hell, she definitely didn't do nice things herself. So she couldn't understand why a stranger would be so kind to her…

"It's okay, I don't have far to go," said Ritchie. "It's literally straight down from here."

Celty keyed in another message. 'I don't mind. I should head back now myself. I need to go that way too.'

"Erm okay, if you're going that way then," said Ritchie hesitantly. "Thanks."

Celty nodded and turned to pull her motorcycle upright. She then held her hand out and a helmet materialised out of the air, weaving itself from the shadows. Ritchie watched in amazement. Celty passed the shadow helmet to her and she eagerly pulled it onto her head. It felt completely solid. How strange…

Celty mounted the bike and Ritchie easily climbed on behind her. She'd once dated a guy who rode a motorcycle so she was used to being on the back of one. She realised she'd actually quite missed it.

Twisting round, Celty showed her another message before storing the communications device away in her body suit. 'Hold on tight.'

Ritchie obediently wrapped her arms around her waist. Shizuo waved them off before stalking away in the opposite direction, as the motorcycle revved loudly and they zoomed off into the night.

XXX

Author's Note!

Probably won't be any updates until the New Year now. Though I'm likely to be very hungover on New Year's Day so I'm sure I'll get a lot done then xD (for some reason hangovers are the best time for me to write! Well it gives me an excuse to drink more I guess…)

The same rules for OC submissions still apply. See the author's note in the last chapter for more details.