I know, I know this was supposed to be up Thursday, but I had to clean my room before our family gathering so I didn't have time. On a brighter note this means that you get back to back updates since they next one is going to be up on Monday (when it's supposed to be)

Enjoy!

Keeping with tradition the city just keeps throwing more surprises at you. You think you know everything about it and what's real and not real? Guess again, because for some reason Ikebukuro likes to keep you guessing. Maybe it adds to the mystique. I think it's annoying. Change only adds up to violence in the end. And there's nothing I hate more than violence.

Izaya isn't looking so thin or sick, but he still looked pretty awful. Shinra doesn't like looking at him either and spends most of his time out of the house. This leaves Celty to do most of the work because between Izaya's new dog Killer, or whatever he called it, and my job with Tom I barely have time for anything else. Least of all spending the (thankfully) few moments with Izaya that Shinra manages to force me into every day. He argues that it's good for Izaya, well it's not good for me! If this keeps up I'm going to need a psychiatrist. Why, you ask? BECAUSE WATCHING SOMEONE SCARED AND DEPRESSED WHO USED TO BE THE MOST FEARLESS PERSON YOU KNEW GET FOOD SHOVED DOWN HIS THROAT AND-forget it. I can't even continue.

"He's certainly improving," Shinra says, flipping through some papers on a clip board. I cut my eyes across to Izaya's drugged form. Saying he's improved is like a slap in the face. His fever is gone and he's starting to look like himself again, until you look at his face. He looks like some scared twelve year old kid.

"So?" I say.

"I think he should get some exercise. He's healthy enough for it."

I give Shinra a hard stare. Izaya's been strapped down for a couple weeks now. It's hard to imagine him walking anywhere.

"We'll have to wait until he's alert again though," Shinra says, mistaking the meaning of my stare. "In the meantime Celty made dinner. It smells really good, I helped her find the recipe."

"I was actually thinking-"

"No!" The underground doctor cuts me off. "You have to stay. He doesn't trust Celty or myself enough so you're going to have to help him."

Somehow the doctor always manages to shove these things on me. 'You do it, Shizuo, it's good for him' or 'No one else can' honestly I think they're just excuses. When I can do something that no one else can it usually means throwing something heavy, not caring for an injured person.

"Fine," I mutter. If Celty is as good a cook as Shinra makes her out to be at least I'll get a good dinner out of this.

Izaya is fully alert when we finish our dinner. Shinra took the feeding tube out of him before dinner when he was still under and now he's unstrapping the informant.

"What are you doing?" the flea demands.

Shinra doesn't answer and leaves as soon as he finished. "Call me if you need anything," he tells me on his way out.

When I turn back around Izaya's sitting up, shaking.

"You feeling okay?" I ask. His eyes are sort of bugging out and he looks like he's gagging.

"Never been so happy to get something out of my mouth in my entire life," he says in a spaced out tone, holding his throat.

"I bet." I pause. "Why wouldn't you eat anything? We would have made you eat it anyway and it tastes better the other way."

"Poison. I had ootoro and-" he breaks off, trembling like a leaf. "They even ate some of it in front of me. It didn't affect them but…..It was awful."

So that's what Izaya's been through. I suppose if he remembers that it's a good thing, or just very depressing. Slowly he stops shaking and the fearful look fades.

"Where's my dog?" he demands next. "And what are you going to do to me?"

I shrug.

"So it's that guy in the glasses and his kitty-cat friend running the show, is it?" Izaya asks aggressively. I can't tell if this is because of fear or his seemingly insatiable curiosity.

"Not really. He's just a doctor and Celty is….mostly harmless." Izaya isn't impressed with my answer.

"And what does that make you?"

"The guy that brought you here before you died."

Izaya makes a skeptical sound in the back of his throat. "Why would make you do a thing like that?"

I shrug. I don't really know myself.

I'd moved across the room as we were talking until I was standing next to him and suddenly he grabs me around the waist and buries his face in my shirt. Unsure of how to react I awkwardly reach out and pat him on the head.

"Thank you," he whispers. I'm not sure why he's so grateful, but I don't ask.

The flea seems pretty shaky on his feet, Shinra told me he might be since we never gave him a chance to get stronger after his sickness. He also doesn't seem very anxious to let go of me. We stand there for a long time. I have no idea what I'm supposed to be doing and he's just standing there like he'll never let go of me. I'm glad when he finally does, all the closeness is kind of making me uncomfortable. That and it's Izaya. As a rule I find it's not very smart to let your enemies get too close to you. The fact that this isn't the Izaya I know and hate only serves to make it creepier.

"I think you should get some exercise now," I say.

"Like what?"

Well he has me there. "Dunno. Shinra just wants you to get active."

Izaya's eyes blaze and I see a spark of the old informant in them. "Well if that's the same guy that stuck that blasted tube down my throat he can just die in a hole for all I care about him and his 'exercise,'" he says defiantly. By the way he keeps looking at the door I can tell he cares quite a bit about Shinra and this is just a tough front.

"Just walk to that chair," I say, pointing at a chair across the room.

Izaya takes the challenge in stride, even though it seems I overestimated his strength a little bit. Halfway there he starts coughing and hacking so hard he falls to his knees. When I try to help him up he holds out a hand to stop me.

"I…can do this…..myself," he chokes out. After his coughing fit subsides he slowly gets back up and makes his way to the chair. When he reaches it he collapses into panting, obviously proud of himself.

"I see our patient is improving!" Shinra says brightly, popping through the door. He's holding his hands behind his back and it's making Izaya suspicious. He's on the edge of his seat like he might try to make a run for it. "I have something for you," Shinra continues barely able to contain himself. I stand next to Izaya, putting my hand on the back of his chair because I'm suddenly reminded of the promise I made to protect him.

"Cut the dramatics, Shinra," I say.

"You're no fun, Shizuo," he says sulkily and hold out something to Izaya.

"What is it?" the flea asks.

"It's a popsicle. It's really good. Celty made it." Shinra gets a dreamy look in his eyes. The same look he always gets when he talks about Celty. I clear my throat in an attempt to bring him back to earth. His eyes come back into focus. "Here you are," he says, putting the popsicle in Izaya's slim hand. "Enjoy!" He waltzes out of the room and shuts the door behind him.

Izaya looks it up and down and smells it. Now that Shinra's gone he's not as tense. I pull up an office chair and sit down spinning it around in a slow circle.

"Ewwwwww it's too sweet."

I look over. Izaya's tongue is hanging out of his mouth and I have to bite back a laugh when I see the look of horror on his face. The fact that it's Izaya just makes it more amusing.

"You take it, I don't want it," he says, holding it out to me. I take it and stand up.

"I'll see if Shinra has any other flavors."

"No."

I look back at Izaya and he gives me a hard stare. It reminds me of the old Izaya so much I almost want to throw something at him. Clenching my fists until my nails bite into my palms I resist the urge.

"I'm going to get a drink," I say.

Izaya raises his eyebrows, probable letting his imagination run away with what I might mean by drink.

"Of milk," I add. He immediately looks disappointed. I put the popsicle in my mouth and leave the room, carefully closing the door behind me. The icy treat is sweet. It's delicious! I suck on it while I dig around in the fridge for some milk.

[That was for Izaya.] Reads the screen that abruptly ruins my field of vision. I turn around to see Celty.

"He didn't want it. Something about it being too sweet," I say, pouring myself a glass.

Celty slips her PDA in her sleeve and grabs something out of the freezer. [Try this one.] She prompts, handing me another popsicle.

I finish my milk and my own sweet treat and take the new one to Izaya. I open the door. "Here's your new popsicle, flea. No sugar, courtesy of-" I realize I'm, talking to an empty room.

"I-ZA-YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Shizuo: we trusted you and you ran away. What'd you do a thing like that for?

Izaya: it's my job to keep you guys on your toes.

Shizuo: I wish I was the one that kidnapped you because I would have finished the job!

Me: :.( you don't mean that

Shizuo: oh, but I do! get over here, flea!

Izaya: 0.0 read, review, like, follow, HELP ME!

Me: Shizuo! Izaya! you can't fight like this!

Izaya: *pulls out knife* eat steel, Shizu-chan!

Shizuo: you're supposed to be sick and feeble!

Me: next time I'm going to have Celty and Shinra talk because you two obviously can't handle the pressure!