So this chapter has a little more action in it, and alas, it's FINALLY in Izaya's pov!
Anyway, I won't hold you up with A/N, so enjoy the read!
Izaya
"Put your back into it, Shizu-chan!"
I smirked looking down from the tower of snow I was perched on. The filmatic scene was nearly complete, had I only been using megaphone to talk into as I bossed the blonde around. He hadn't objected at all since we started, though. That small brain of his took instruction well, much to my amusement. It was obvious that my mentality dominated his tenfold, but physically speaking, with his strength and speed...I smirked as I looked down at him, hard at work.
"Oi, where does this go?"
I suppose you could say I was pleased with the situation.
"Connect it to the far left wall to block the side. Is it tall enough?"
"It's as tall as me," he said flatly. I guessed he wasn't completely gratified that I left him to do all the labor, but we both knew that our chances of winning dropped by at least 90% if we let him manage the plan.
"Hmmm, that should do it then." I clapped as I smirked, overlooking the marvelous job I had done creating the design. I stood on the highest point in the center of a large maze; walls high enough to not be looked over, and walls thick enough to not be broken through, weaved below me. My plan was coming together nicely, making perfect time, thanks to Shizuo's efficiency.
Tying the green bandana to a fallen pine branch, I hopped from my eight foot pedestal down to where the blonde had walked over in the epicenter of the layered walls. The little flag waved freely in the soft breeze.
"We still have fifteen minutes left to make ammunition," I exclaimed. "But first, you and I will need to walk through every inch of this."
"Won't that waste time?" He looked at me in confusion.
"Silly Shizu-chan," I said as I started to take the nearest path. His footsteps followed soon behind me.
There was silence as we walked side by side taking random turns and twists through the halls he had built. Walking to each dead end and back into what I had memorized to be the main trail. I was almost certain he had it memorized too, by how confidently he walked beside me. Not because he had a photographic memory like myself; his instincts were keen, and could sense familiar with unfamiliar. Surely throughout the maze's construction he recalled a thing or two.
"To answer your question from before, I didn't say that just to take a romantic stroll with you." We remained facing forward but he was glancing down to read my face. "Our footprints show the correct path to the flag," I stated. "In order to make the maze an actual challenge, we'll need tracks through every possible mistaken course too, going in both directions. The more prints there are, the more complicated they are to read."
"Hmm," he grunted as he put two and two together.
We walked the entire labyrinth and made our way back to headquarters, the central tower. Together we sat making snowballs for ammo, further discussing how he would remain behind to hold down the fort, literally. He agreed, being more familiar at throwing things rather than dodging them. I would be the one doing the capturing since I was faster and a harder target to hit. It was a disturbing thought, but i couldn't help but think we made a pretty good team.
We stood up and watched the second hand on my watch countdown the last few moments before the game would officially begin. When the big hand hit the '12', I looked up at him and saw fire in his eyes as he smirked. The fact that he actually looked excited to play was kind of...cute. It gave me a little bit more energy. I realized I hadn't just wanted to win because I was obsessed with winning...but because I wanted us to win.
"Ne, Shizu-chan...I'm a pretty sore loser, so I suggest if you don't want to hear me complaining later—"
"I won't let you down." His beamed a wide smile and his prideful expression made me bite my tongue from any further sarcastic commentary."It was your plan, after all."
He...genuinely is excited? Isn't he?
I smirked back at him. Deep down he was just a really big kid.
"Very well, prove to me your worth as a teammate." I smiled and winked before dashing out of the maze, taking my faith in him with me.
I sprinted back to where the meeting was held with the other groups. When I reached it, I saw footprints fork into two directions. A third set of tracks indicated Erika's team, which I had planned to target first. Though they had an extra member, I seriously doubted any of them had a notable skill to watch out for.
The prints led me to a hill where several species of plant life, hardy enough to endure the extreme weather, made their home. There were no tourists there since it was farther away from the resort. It was the area around where the forest leading to the mountains and the clear snow began to merge. I'll give props them for at least being creative in picking a territory.
The trail of footsteps descended down the slope of the hill where I was standing. I had my suspicions that the team had settled nearby, so I crawled to the edge of the small cliff. As I suspected, sitting about eight feet below me, was makeshift snow fort.
It looked sturdy; tall, thick walls were packed into the shape of a small, square room with no windows, a single door, and no ceiling. From the edge where I sat, I could see just slightly into the alcove, enough to see a shadow of a human figure sitting in one of the corners. I sat back out of the possible line of sight of Enemy A, so I dubbed them. I had four options to get inside: through the door, breaking through a wall, digging my way underneath, or jumping into the open canopy. I obviously eliminated choices two and three, seeing they were less discreet and more time consuming. Waltzing through the front door didn't seem like my style, so a grand entrance through the roof it was.
I looked around in hopes of finding leverage for my jump. Nothing really caught my eye until I tried standing up and a branch was in my face, literally, almost catching my eye. I stepped away to examine it. A small Japanese larch tree, probably only fifteen years old, stood about twenty feet tall. The branches were young and sporadic, however unyielding to the climate. Placing my hands firmly against its extension, I hoisted myself up. The strong arms of the larch didn't budge against my force so I carried on.
Higher up now, I had a better view of below. There were three things that grabbed my attention. There was the two sets of footprints leaving the area and heading back to resort grounds; the pink bandana tied to a stick that was planted atop one of the walls; as well, as who of the three people were left behind, sitting inside the small hideout.
I hadn't talked to him much, but I recognized him by the long, shaggy, brown hair. Togusa, had been the one to stayed back to guard the fort. This meant that Erika and her partner in crime, Yumasaki, were out somewhere looking for flags. I didn't worry though. Just because there were two of them, it made no difference where they stood between me and my—...our, I corrected myself — victory.
If anyone had the upper hand here, well, obviously it would be Shizuo. He would be lost without me. Seriously, if the man can't hit me with a street sign, a snowball fight shouldn't be any less different. It was highly favorable on his part that we were working in unison.
I focused back on the task at hand. Togusa, as far as I could tell, hadn't seen or heard me yet, and I planned to keep it that way, so long as the tree cooperated with me. There was snow coating the piney tips of the branch that sat just above the the boy's head. If it fell, my means of a sneak attack would fail, and I would have to improvise the rest. However...When I thought about it, maybe pelting the brunette with snowballs wasn't such a bad idea...
I climbed across the branch slowly, keeping my balance, not to disturb the settled snow. As I crept closer, no matter how cautiously, the frosty dust sprinkled lightly into the air. You could see the shimmering flakes dwindle down leisurely until it blended with the ground below it, and in this case, a mahogany scalp. I hadn't been discovered still, thankfully, and continued my mission until I was completely over the snow fort. It was amazing how imperceptive people could be.
Now was was the time to unleash phase one of my attack.
I outstretched an arm to grab at the snow clump at the edge of the branch. My gloved fingertips brushed it lightly, so I leaned in further to grasp enough to make a snowball, which I would initially be pelting at my enemy's head. I steadied my aim, also preparing myself to make the ten foot drop.
I inhaled slowly then let out a silent, shaky breath. My heart was pounding with excitement. The heat that escaped my mouth clouded the crisp air. At the same time I wound my arm back, readying to strike, I heard the branch make some kind of 'popping' sound, as if the wood were splitting. Shit.
The brunette below me heard it too and looked looked around. He took a step outside the fort, but I knew as soon as he would walk back in he would see me.
I had never tried out for sports because I wasn't what you would call a "team player". However, my hand-eye coordination and perception were always on point. The sharp thud of snow against skin, and yelp of a surprised teenage boy signaled my dive into the belly of the cove. He hadn't even made it through the doorway before he had been pelted square on the side of the head.
I of course, landed swiftly as ever. It took my enemy a good five seconds to be aware of the ambush. That was just enough time for me to hop up, snatch the flag, and make a break through the front door, pushing him back down on my out.
"HEY!" Togusa, who had finally managed to compose himself on the ground, got up and dashed out behind me as I headed up the hill and straight for civilization.
My adrenaline was pumping through my arteries and I loved the thrill of a chase. It was exhilarating having someone running after you out of determination, but a small part of me felt pang of sadness that it wasn't who exactly I'd like it to be trailing behind me. At least then there would be conversation among us...However, that was completely irrelevant.
As I pursued, the brunette was falling further and further behind. The sound of muffled footsteps treading through snow was becoming more distant as we started to see people come into view. I had let myself get sidetracked on another mental Shizuo tangent and temporarily forgot I'd have this guy chasing me as I try to find the other team's hideout.
Luck must have been on my side because I didn't have to search for long before I saw the rest of my opponents taking off after each other in the distance. They seemed to be indulging in more of an actual snowball fight than the sluggard behind me and I had.
Kadota was rushing after Yumasaki and Erika, who were alternating throwing snowballs into the war zone between them. In one of Erika's hands, was the blue team's flag. I noticed that the only person missing from the picture was Shinra, and something told me he was caught up elsewhere...
"HE'S GOT OUR FLAG!" The boy behind me yelled to his teammates.
Three heads turned in our direction as we raced past them. It was only a matter of seconds before they too, darted after us. Stride by stride, they chased me as I bolted toward home base, slowing down ever so slightly to let them catch up to my speed. Little did they know, they would walk right into Shizuo's trap, leading us to victory. The last thing left up to me was to not get lost in the maze of our fort.
I pursued further, running towards HQ at full speed. It was only a matter of minutes before I saw the large mounds of snow along the horizon. The drag of the fluffy, white ground beneath my boots made the distance seem longer than it really was. But as we neared the fortress, I noticed more than just the alabaster labyrinth we were approaching. I could see dots of colour in various shapes and sizes around it, as I squinted my eyes, using my hand to block the glare of the sun. I saw that they weren't just dots, but people, surrounding our destination.
"What the—?" I muttered.
I didn't let my confusion slow me down as the distance between the excessive fort and I came to a close. I avoided the individuals spectating and taking pictures of the structure as I entered the gap between two tall walls. My followers were also trying not to bump into the mass of people to catch up to me.
"AHH! This is so cool!" Erika squeaked not too far behind me. "Shizuo must have built this!"
I huffed at that. Thanks to me, of course, I thought in annoyance as if they had really expected that idiot to make something as magnificent as this by himself.
"This is right up your alley, isn't it, Yumacchi?" I heard the girl tailing me ask. She was panting heavily from all the running, but ever-so-enthusiastic.
"Not quite," the boy, Yumasaki, replied in staggered breaths. "It's not like ice sculpting...But it is...art. In it's own way." I could hear the contemplation in his tone, despite the running.
I tuned the rest of their out of breath conversation out as I turned another corner. It was most inconvenient that other humans had decided now, of all times, to make our maze a tourist attraction. It wasn't bustling with people just yet, but there were enough to slow all of us down.
A group of teenage girls I recognized in our grade, were talking and laughing as they walked among the interior. They smiled and waved when I approached them, excusing myself as I walked in between them.
"Good afternoon, ladies," I bowed curtly before ducking down and squeezing past the bridge they created with outstretched arms.
They giggled, allowing me to pass once they realized the little game of 'tag' that was going on between me and my pursuers. They helped block the gang behind me briefly to help my escape. When the four finally pushed through, it was back to weaving our way through the crowd down the paths, and I knew were nearing the center.
One final turn and—
"Oof!"
I walked face first into something hard and cold.
"Ow, watch it!"
I removed my face from the high pile of snow it had just planted itself in when I had rounded the corner.
"Shinra?"
Shinra's head was poking out of a thick mound of snow. His body was completely engulfed in the pure, white heap. He had probably given up on trying to escape long before we reached him, seeing how it was entirely impossible for him to be able to move; aside from being able to make the frustrated facial expression he was wearing, that is. Something told me that however he got himself in there, was caused by the hands of a certain mutual acquaintance of ours.
"So you're back?" A familiar gruff voice was standing a few meters away from me.
Leaning against the central tower of snow, Shizuo was tossing a snowball up into the air and catching it with one hand.
"And I see you've kept up your end of the deal. Nicely done." My breathing was still heavy, but my smirk remained as I send our bespectacled friend a wide grin. "Duck."
"Wha—?"
The snowball he was holding flew right over my shoulder faster than I could even blink, and I heard a thick smacking noise behind me. I was in shock for nearly a second, as I whipped around to see Yumasaki get hit with a snowball right in the chest.
Shinra and I in unison, "ouched", as the boy slid down the wall that he had impacted so hard it had left an imprint, hands clasping his upper body.
"Shizuo! He could seriously be hurt!" the brunette beside me yelped.
"I'm...fine." The dirty blonde coughed as he gasped for air, the wind clearly knocked out of him.
"Huh, and I didn't even use all that much strength in that one…"
I turned back to Shizuo beaming another grin as I felt exceedingly pleased with his aim for once. "Ne, since when could you hit a moving target?" I chided playfully.
I could see the blonde smiling from across the way until our moment was so rudely interrupted.
"KYAAA!" Erika shrieked her battle cry as she came rushing at me with Togusa on her heels.
I jumped out of the way of the screaming girl gracefully and tripped the brunette behind her with ease, making him face plant into the soft ground.
Even with two teammates down, Erika still stood tall but winded from all the running. The three of us made no move, and Shinra sat in his snow pile helplessly. Our gazes swept between each other and to the navy bandana she was holding tightly onto.
"So," she let out a heavy, worn out sigh. "Two against one, huh?"
"So it would seem. You could surrender now, and we can let you off easy, ne?" I said, eyeing the fabric tenaciously as I calculated possible out turns of the situation. My thoughts were shortly interrupted when the blonde shrugging and dropping his snowball caught my eye.
"Sorry, but...I'm not into hitting girls."
My mouth fell wide open and I snapped my head in his direction to I gracefully stutter a simple, aghast, "WHAT?!" It took a minute for my thoughts to catch up with me. Out of all this work, everything that was put into this plan, the brute chose now of all times to be respectful and chivalrous? "You're joking, right?" I accused, dumbfounded.
Seriously, all this buildup for naught?
"What? It goes against my morals to act violent against women," he stated naturally.
I pinched the bridge of my nose, slacking the tension that had been in my stance of attack. "In any other situation I can understand, but this? This is a game! A game." I tsked back at him.
"Well if that's how we're going to settle things, I'll just—"
Whack!
There was a sharp smacking sound of something hard hitting flesh. Said flesh, being Erika's right cheek, cutting off the tail end of her sentence.
"Ow!" was the next sound to break the silence seconds later.
It hadn't been Shizuo, me, or any of her teammates. It couldn't have been Shinra, so where—?"
"I'm not afraid to hit a girl."
The high pitched voice had us all spinning around to the base of the tall tower that stood in the center of the maze. I recognized the boy who stepped out into the open to reveal himself. It had been the same kid who had nearly hit me with a snowball just days before. Three other children his age emerged carrying several snowballs each. Instantly, the girl was being relentlessly pelted at. She shrieked, dropping her flag and covering her head with both hands as she ran past me for cover from the boys chasing her.
I turned back around to where Shizuo stood smiling proudly. I waltzed over the space between us to pick up the flag with two fingers.
"I suppose this means checkmate, then?" I said with a hand on my hip.
"There you guys are."
Kadota must have either fallen behind or given up on the chase entirely by the time he finally caught up to us, walking into the open circle of the labyrinth. He looked tired and mildly irritated as he eyed both pink and blue bandanas in my palm.
"It's about damn time," Shinra cursed as Kadota came to a halt next to where the brunette's body was engulfed in the snow.
We helped unbury him as the rest of us gathered our things to head back inside. The sun was starting to set now, as midday had turned into late afternoon. Shizuo and I went our separate ways from the gang after we had grabbed some takeout to bring back up to the room.
"Who would have thought you could actually hit a moving target, ne? Or have you just been holding back on me~?"
To my surprise, the small talk had brought a slight smile to curve at the blondes lips. "You just get lucky, flea," he replied, looking straight ahead.
"Is that so?" I hummed as I mentally noted that there was a possibility he could keep missing me on purpose, but I dismissed the thought. "So where did you pick up the rugrats?"
"Oh, they found me and kept apologizing for the other day," he began. "I told 'em it was fine...I was kinda uh, embarrassed, so I told them I had completely forgotten about it. Then they kept askin' questions on how I built that thing and what I was waiting for and so I told them about the snowball fight. Then they just kinda stayed there waiting with me."
I nodded as he talked. "And that's when you asked for them to do the dirty work for you?" I teased.
"What? No!" He looked at me as if I had just accused him of a horrendous crime. "No, they just stuck around, like I said...I just didn't want to throw something at her that could hurt her."
"Erika's a tough girl," I pointed out. "It was her idea after all...And I didn't see you having any trouble knocking the wind out of Yumasaki."
Shizuo shook his head in disagreement. "It's not right. It's not right to harm women, even as a joke. My mom always raised me to protect women." He looked down toward his open palm, which he then closed to a fist. "Especially with my strength…" There was a hint of remorse in his voice and I could tell there was another dark thought that followed in his pea-brain. I could have teased him for it, he was a monster after all. But he was a gentleman at heart, and I couldn't bring myself to add a snide comment. It was kind of sweet, in a sickening way. I quickly derailed whatever idea that might be, to a different topic.
"Well i'm sure your mother would be proud then," I stated matter-of-factually, looking straight ahead, hoping the confidence and certainness of my tone would mask the emotion I meant with those words.
We didn't say anything after that when we unlocked the door to our room.