A/N: All of your support fills me with joy. I was really surprised to see how many people seemed to like this story, you guys are seriously awesome. I hope this chapter meets everyone's standards.

Thanks to my wonderful betas Blakeyel1ner and LucyValkyrie for putting up with me. They're amazing.

Anyways, enjoy!

"III-ZAAAA-YAAA!"

Laughing, Izaya leaned back, watching gleefully as a do-not-enter sign flew past his head, ruffling his hair in the process. Pointing his knife in the direction of the offending thrower, he smirked, knowing how much it annoyed the other.

"Haha, Shizu-chan, you're such a brute." The sound of the sign stabbing into the building behind him entertained the raven immensely, reminding him of just how hot the fire he played with on an almost daily basis really was. "In case you're wondering, throwing things at girls won't do you any favors, unless we're talking about Vorona of course– she seems to think she's a monster as well." Skipping back, avoiding Shizuo's wild punches as he leapt toward him, Izaya cackled as he flicked his knife upwards, catching the ex-bartender's skin with its sharp, chrome edge, slicing it like butter as he dashed backwards.

"I'm gonna fucking kill you!" Shizuo drew his arm back, seeming not to notice the beads of blood flying off it as it was retracted. Seizing the nearest trashcan, he flung it at the informant. Vaulting off the curb of the sidewalk, Izaya bounced atop the object hurtling through the air and used it as a ramp to leap over the furious blond's head, landing neatly behind him. Noticing some pedestrians frozen in terror, eyes fixed on him, the raven bowed theatrically as if this was a show for them to enjoy.

No one applauded.

"Oh Shizu-chan," He sang as he righted himself and darted away. "You missed!"

"I told you not to call me that you shitty flea!" Giving chase, Shizuo thundered after the raven, gritting his teeth and growling with every stride. Loving the heart-stopping thrill that ran through him every time his feet hit the pavement, Izaya danced around him, always staying just beyond the blond's reach. He loved infuriating the brute.

"Is this some strange mating ritual beasts have?" Izaya mockingly questioned, ducking into a nearby alley. Laughter burst from him as a vending machine hit the ground at his feet, crumpling like a flimsy tin can under the pressure. "You're never going to attract anyone Shizu-chan; no one could ever love a monster like you!"

Turning his attention back to his current path, Izaya debated on which direction to go before another projectile sailed past his right ear, sending a gust of wind through his hair. That made up his mind for him. Streaking left, the informant teasingly asked, "When are you going to give up Shizu-chan? A beast with such limited intelligence could never bring down a god like me."

Galloping after him, Shizuo roared, "When you stop infecting my city with the stench of flea you bastard!"

Such a terribly simple response, nothing about it holds any form of intelligence, he mused thoughtfully, cackling at Shizuo's idiocy. In his distracted state, he didn't notice the unexpected dead end they had run into until it was too late to do anything about it. What had, only just last week, been a straight run to the harbor was now a sheer brick wall. Startled by the sudden barrier, Izaya briefly searched for an alternate way out only to locate none.

Looks like I'm finally met with a challenge. Izaya thought as he spun on the balls of his feet, finding himself facing Shizuo. This should be fun. Clearly, the monster had taken notice of Izaya's predicament as well. Instead of his usual wild run, the beast, ginning at him with victory in his eyes, slowly stalked down the alley, talking his sweet time. There was a loud clang. The monster had dropped the metal sign post he'd been holding like a spear to the dirty asphalt beneath him.

So you already think you've won do you? Never losing his bravado, Izaya drew a second knife and called, "Oh, so you play with your food too? What a beast you are Shizu-chan." Even as he spoke, he was mentally listing all the different escape routes, each one more unlikely to succeed than the last. In the back of his mind he knew he should be moving, trying to get away, but there was something about the way Shizuo looked at him, like he was devouring the raven with his eyes, which sent shivers down his spine.

"Looks like you've run out of plans louse." Shizuo growled, dangerous smirk and narrowed eyes exciting Izaya more than they should have. In fact, this entire encounter seemed to be playing tricks on the raven's mind, making him believe things that couldn't possibly be true. Why does this feel so different?

In the glow of the mid afternoon sun, Shizuo looked like the hunter he was– lean, toned and powerful, practically oozing dominance as he purposefully moved towards Izaya. He was the wild animal and Izaya, his cornered prey. Despite the danger thrumming in the air, the raven still didn't run. He was too curious with the outcome to attempt ending the game there.

Tapping his lips with a knife and leaning against the wall at his back, feeling the brick catch at his coat, Izaya casually answered, "I wouldn't be so sure Shizu-chan. I am hardly ever out of plans." Any lesser man would have been intimidated by Izaya's cocky, collected behavior. Shizuo didn't even flinch. He seemed too drunk off the chase to be fooled so easily. Then again, fooling him wasn't precisely on Izaya's agenda.

"I hope you're ready to be crushed to a pulp Izaya." Those words that were meant to scare the informant had quite the opposite effect, stimulating him further, shooting him full of excitement. Every step the beast took was a new layer of tension, each intoxicating beyond anything Izaya had ever experienced before.

This is why Shizu-chan is so fun to play with. The raven thought, flicking a small pink tongue across his lips as though he could taste the fire in the air. He acts so predictably unpredictable. "A bit overconfident of you, ne Shizu-chan?" The words dipped and flowed from his mouth, settling over the scene like stage lights, illuminating each moment like a warning sign.

"Shut up, flea." Shizuo snarled, voice a low growl. With each step the exhilaration that raced through Izaya heightened, overloading his senses and clouding his brain, making him feel less like a human and more like fluid emotion. In that hypnotizing moment he realized what was at the forefront of his brain, obscuring the other feelings running through him.

Desire.

Desire for the monster. Thick, viscous, running through him like molten lava, it ate away at his sanity and destroyed all rational thought as he stared at Shizuo.

Perhaps that should have disgusted him– why feel such a human emotion for a beast? But in that moment, all Izaya's thoughts were circling around it, the thrill running through his body as Shizuo crept closer and closer. Something about those broad, tantalizing lines of motion that slunk towards him made Izaya bite his lip and lower his lids halfway with want.

"Shizu-chan," His voice was a heavy purr as the ex-bartender stalked towards him. Perhaps the air was too hot and heavy already for the blond to notice the shift in the raven's state of mind. Only a few feet from Izaya now, Shizuo grabbed both of Izaya's knives, not caring when they bit into his palm. Easily, he crushed them before tossing them away like so much useless scrap metal.

"Any last words, flea?" A bone rattling crash echoed beside Izaya's head as Shizuo drove his fist into the wall behind him. The danger only electrified the situation more for the raven, the sensation crawling across his skin like insects.

As Izaya stared at Shizuo's mouth that was twisted up into a triumphant smile, an irrational thought crossed his mind. What it would feel like to kiss Shizu-chan. Eyes glazed over with the lust that seemed to be saturating every inch of him, Izaya blinked slowly, attempting to reason out what the outcome would be and failing to do so. There wasn't anything at that moment other than that decision that seemed to matter.

I've never been stopped from doing what I want before. He decided at last, feeling Shizuo's hot breath on his face as the beast drew closer, almost nose to nose with him. Right now, I want Shizu-chan.

"Die Izaya!" Just as Shizuo pulled back his other fist, Izaya rocked to the tips of his toes, leaned forward and pressed his own chapped lips to Shizuo's mouth in a soft kiss. The taste was even headier that he'd expected– sweet but not to the point of being sickening. There was a faint, bitter taste of tobacco that drew Izaya in further, even though it was barely noticeable.

The fortissimo of Ikebukuro, for his part, seemed too stunned to do anything but clench the fist still buried in the wall, crumbling more of the fresh bricks away in the process.

What surprised Izaya was when the monster's mouth moved against his own, kissing him back. He couldn't help the small moan that tumbled from him at the sensation, kicking up the tension another notch in the process. Who knew kissing the brute would be this addictive. As he began to lose himself in the action, falling deeper and deeper into this well of desire he hadn't even known existed within him, a single thought tore through his mind like a bolt of lightning.

I have to stop this.

Wanting to leave his mark before breaking contact, Izaya bit at Shizuo's bottom lip, teeth piercing the soft flesh and enjoying the taste of blood that met his tongue. Finally, the informant drew back, satisfied with the dumbfounded look on the blond's flushed face. Licking his own lips to catch any residual trace of Shizuo, Izaya skipped out from under the ex-bartenders arms, laughing as he did so. Hoping to contain the small hitch in his breath, he called, "Goodbye Shizu-chan, see you soon!"

It wasn't until he left the alley that he heard the familiar roar of the beast. The loud, earth shattering cry of, "IZAAAAYAAAA!" made the raven chortle with laughter. Even in his mirth he couldn't help but shiver at the slim curls of desire still flickering through him as he made his escape.

How very interesting, Izaya thought in amusement. I wonder where this game will lead…

A/N: So, the next chapter should be done shortly. I'm just waiting for it to be betaed.

Until then, goodbye!