Seriously, thank you for all the kind words about authors taking their time. I get pretty bad anxiety over not publishing on my due dates and then I feel hella guilty for like a week :/ But you were all super encouraging, so here's a fun chapter for everyone to enjoy!
As far as some other updates go, well, I'll post them at the end. Happy reading!

Shizuo

I followed the raven to the edge of the arcade into a separate room, divided by a neon-green door. The first thing I noticed upon entering, was an inattentive man in his early twenties flipping through a magazine, kicked back behind the counter. The room was similar to the black-lit one we had come from, same light fixtures and dark walls, only quieter. I could hardly hear the faint muffling behind me when the door closed. Soundproof walls, I assumed.

The second thing I noticed, was that everyone else from our gang was already there, wearing bright pink wristbands.

"Funny how we're always waiting on you two." Shinra approached us smiling happily. "Glad you could make it."

"Don't get any ideas..." I mumbled distastefully, under my breath.

Izaya and I walked up to the counter and were greeted tiredly by the weary cashier, decked in a Legend of Zelda T-shirt, tan cargo pants and a red pair of Chuck Taylor's, currently resting on top the desk. He lowered his magazine to look at us both indifferently. Letting out a suppressed sigh, he rolled the chair over to the computer to ring us up, scratching his rough facial hair idly as he clicked away. Opening a drawer, he ripped apart two neon wristbands. Izaya and I held out our arms after paying as he stuck the bands around them.

"Neither of you are epileptic, right?" His voice was monotonous and dry.

We shook our heads.

"Alright, well, if the flashing lights start bothering you, find one of the staff members by the door and they'll escort you out. It will be dark, so watch your step and try not to run face first into anything..." he recited apathetically. "In case of an emergency, the lights will come on and you'll be asked to exit the game arena. We keep track of how many of you go in, and ask for your cooperation so we don't have to go looking for you. If you have any other questions look for someone wearing a yellow vest."

He finished by sitting back down in his swivel chair and picking up his magazine once again. We stood there awkwardly, speechless, and unsure if he had anything else to say, but he just flipped a page. Without even looking up, still aware of our presence, he pointed a thumb toward a dark hallway, which we all assumed to be the way to the game room.

The seven of us followed down the entranceway into small cubby hole with a large TV screen that took over most of the wall. There were several other kids our age, a couple even from our school, in the little auditorium that barely accommodated all sixteen— I counted — of us. Everyone had to sit through a short video that basically repeated the list of rules and precautions already told to us before we were allowed any further. We were then moved into the next chamber, which was completely lit up with the LED's flashing in the rows of different coloured vests and phasers attached. Greens, blues, and reds were hung up on different bars for separate teams.

I felt a slap on the back and turned my head to see Shinra smiling up at me in the crowd.

"Soooo...are you and Izaya going to team up again, then?" he asked with amusement.

"No," I said flatly, shrugging him off.

Speak of the devil, Izaya, who popped up on my other side already decorated in a red vest, scoffed.

"It's not like his strength is going to do me any good in a game such as this...Besides, I'm sure Shizu-chan is getting all hot thinking about chasing after me again, ne~?" He sang, jabbing my ribs.

"Tch, like hell. You're goin' down, flea," I declared, as I grabbed a blue vest and snapped it on. I held the phaser to his chest.

"Ne, Shizu-chan," he grinned up at me, red eyes gleaming in the vibrant light, "if you're going to kill me, promise me you'll do it in fashion~. I'd hate to go out without a bang," he cooed as he brushed past me with a wink.

Even Shinra made no comment as our eyes followed the raven out the door. I didn't dare look down at the brunette beside me to know that he was grinning that smarmy grin he wore when he was up to something. It was almost as bad as the damn flea.

"You say anything, you're dead."

The bell rang to signify the game was about to begin.

My team consisted of Shinra, Kadota and few other students we didn't know as well. Izaya decided he wanted to be his own team, but was grouped with a several girls, which left the other three; Erika, Yumasaki, and Togusa, with the remaining people. Once everyone was ready, a monotone recording of a woman aired from the surround sound, giving us instructions for our 'mission'.

Alas, the doors to the multilevel coliseum opened, and everyone dispersed in different directions into the maze. I began to wonder on the bottom floor of the arena with Shinra, and Kadota agreed to go upstairs.

"Soooo—"

"Don't even start with me," I said firmly.

"Aw, come on, Shizuo. You've barely said anything this entire trip...In fact~, I haven't heard you complain about him at all these past few days," he said teasingly, nudging me with his elbow.

I sighed. "Okay, what's your point?"

"I'm just curious as to why, that's all."

I pondered for a minute.

Well Shinra, if you must know, after having several erotic dreams about him, my subconscious insisted I get to know him. And by 'get to know him', I mean we've shared a bed more times than not this trip, he's made at least a hundred sexual innuendos towards me, and I kissed him last night for no reason whatsoever.

I kept my gaze straight ahead so he couldn't read my expression.

"'Dunno...'Guess he's just backed off..." That was anything but the truth.

"Eh? You think so?"

"Erm...Yeah, I suppose," I said, not sounding at all convincing.

"Well, I'm definitely surprised...I thought for sure you guys would have to be separated again..." he trailed off in thought, before he whispered just loud enough for me to hear the sly smirk to his voice. "Or maybe, you don't want to be separated."

I faltered for a second and stopped, then my brows creased. "What makes you say that," I lowered my voice irritably.

"Oh, nothing, nothing. Forget I said anything!" The brunette laughed off as he kept walking, obviously sensing my intimidation.

I grabbed the back of his collar bringing him to a halt.

"Shinra," I said expectantly, my patience wearing thin.

"It's nothing, Shizuo, you know us...word just gets around, assumptions are made—"

I felt a growl rise in my throat. "What. Assumptions. Exactly?"

"Shizuo," he said in a now serious tone. "You know I'm not one to gossip—"

"Bullshit. Tell me what people are saying about us," I snapped.

"...Us?" he inquired, laced with amusement, pushing up his glasses.

I forced him against the wall with my grip on the front of his vest.

"You know damn well what I mean." I said through my teeth.

I wasn't usually rough with Shinra, especially, but he knew better than to pick this battle.

He sighed in defeat.

"Okay, someone just happened to be there when you two—"

Pew! Pew!

I felt my vest, as well as my friend's, buzz and sound of the laser effect, and let go of the brunette as we searched for the enemy.

Standing behind a corner, were two guys illuminated in green, shooting at us. Instinctively, we darted to the nearest hiding spot trying to dodge their attacks, bringing up our own weapons to start firing.

Then suddenly, our vests vibrated and rang again, this time, someone was aiming behind us; more people from the green team.

"Dammit!" I heard Shinra curse under his breath.

He continued to shoot at the first two as I took care of the kid to our back. Whoever he was, was getting ambushed by the girls wearing red and darted off with them at his heels, giggling after him. One of them stopped and noticed me though, with no barrier between us.

"Hey, Shinra-" I turned to tap the brunette on the shoulder and tell him to get the hell out, but he was nowhere in sight.

Of fucking course...

He could have gone in any direction, and I was being shot at from both sides, so I sprinted at random to leave the red team and green team to fight it out among themselves.

The room was echoing with shouting, buzzing, and laser effects. Lights flashed between walls and around every corner as people ran by in a chase.

I had seen Togusa, and in the corner of my eye I noticed Kadota standing on the second floor sniping him. I slowed down when I passed Shinra on my way to the stairs. He had been cornered by three girls at point blank. I smiled to myself and kept walking until I found a hiding space underneath the second floor. It didn't seem like anyone could see me due to all the obstacles and fences blocking the the view. I however, was able to see people walking outside from the holes in the wall.

It was quieter down here, so I was able to stop for a moment and catch my breath safely. I had to slouch in order to stand though, because of my height.

Continuing my exploration of the tight space that was a maze in itself, I was still wary that others could be lurking anywhere for their next victim. It was nearly impossible to hide due to flashing lights of the equipment. Right when I was about to turn the corner, a red hue emanated against the dark background.

I reflexively held my breath and jumped back behind the wall, listening for movement.

A minute of silence had passed, and I concluded that I would attempt a surprise attack, having gone unnoticed for this long. I inhaled and exhaled slowly and quietly, only hearing my own heart beat loudly in my ears.

On the count of three...One...Two...Three—!

I jumped out and quickly fired a few rounds at the target. Only the audio effects resounded off the walls, and nothing else. That's when I noticed my 'target' hadn't been a person, but simply a blinking red vest laying on the ground.

I lowered my weapon, and stared at it skeptically, when it hit me. Not a gun shot, but a firm grab to my backside.

"Looking for me~?"

I nearly dropped my armor in start when I felt the sudden contact.

"Flea-?!"

"Because I've been looking for you," he said in a low voice. "In fact, I've been trying to get you alone ever since that little stunt you pulled~," he continued to grope me.

I whipped around to grab him by the neck, but he dodged gracefully.

It was extremely difficult to see him when he wasn't wearing anything but black against the black backdrop. I swung aimlessly to where I thought I saw his pale skin shine under my decorative blue lights. Each time I thought I had him he would jump back and disappear, chuckling darkly, elsewhere.

I stopped trying to catch him and stood as straight as I could with the low ceiling, concentrating my glare ahead.

"'The fuck do you want, louse?!" I said into the void.

"I told you," he chuckled ominously. "I just want you alone."

I felt my neck hair rise.

"Why?" I asked, my expression glowering more.

The glow of my vest brought his face into view as he approached me stealthily, with garnet eyes full of mischief.

"As if you really need to ask such an inane question," he scoffed, looking directly into my gaze, too close for comfort.

I felt his cold fingers brush against my arm, making the hair stand on end. His nails trailed up to my shoulder leaving goosebumps in their wake. His other hand found its way to my chest and the clicking sound of the first belt of the vest coming undone shook me from my daze. That's when I felt my heart beat harder and harder as my palms and neck started to sweat a little. My breathing had become louder through my nose when he undid the second one.

I didn't know why I was hesitating to stop him and end it here, once and for all. I could push him off and walk back out into the commotion at any time. Or even better, he would be the one to back off and laugh about it as a joke, call me some stupid name and try to belittle me like he always did.

But when the heavy crash of plastic hit the ground, I could tell he wasn't trying to be funny.

I swallowed hard in my dry throat as he pushed my dumbfounded body into a corner, causing me to trip over the fallen item, hitting the floor. He kicked the light source away with his foot so it was almost a completely caliginous atmosphere.

I laid there, not saying anything, with eyes dilated and wide, as he shifted on top of me.

"This is more like it, ne, Shi-zu-chan?" he said, his voice thick and hushed, as he straddled my waist.

"Flea?" My voice was shaking in a suppressed panic. "What are you doing...?" I asked as calmly as I could, propping myself on my elbows.

"Proving my point, of course."

He slowly lowered himself down to my hips, his palms balancing himself on my stomach, as he began to rock back and forth lazily, with no hesitation. When he found a steady pace, his hand moved up to the drawstring of my jacket, tugging gently.

"F-Flea?" My heart began to pound harder when I heard the zipper pulling down the front of my chest.

"Relax," he cooed softly, smirking down at me.

I couldn't focus on anything besides the weight centered on my lap and the rubbing of fabric between us.

"This position seems to be to your liking, wouldn't you agree~?" He spoke close to my face, and with each word I felt his warm breath grace my skin.

My heart was racing and I felt like I was burning up when he shrugged my jacket off one of my shoulders. His cool fingertips traced down from the back of my neck to my collarbone as he leaned even closer, still rolling his hips slowly back and forth.

"Izaya, this isn't-" funny? "-a good idea...!"

The friction dragging it's way along my lower half didn't falter, and I could feel myself getting aroused. I thought he was going to say some snide remark about it, but instead his response was:

"Why? It's not like anyone else is around?" he whispered into my ear.

"That's-that's not the problem here!"

He changed his angle so that I could feel the crease of his ass as his legs spread around me. I let out a shaky exhale, balling my fists. I dropped my head so I couldn't look at him directly, even though I doubt he could see it in the dark in the first place.

"Feels good, ne?" he breathed.

I felt beads of sweat forming under my bangs. His voice no longer sounded taunting; instead it was smooth and seductive. I experimentally shifted my hips under the pressure, and immediately regretted it because it just made me want to do it again.

I heard him hum in approval as he spoke. "That didn't take long."

I scowled back at him now. "If you just wanted to prove your point, why are you still doing this," I said through clenched teeth.

"Hmm, I wonder..."

He changed his position once more, and if I wasn't already blushing before I certainly was now.

Oh...That's why. He was getting off to the fact that he was doing this to me...

He bent down to my ear and purred, "now we're even," snapping me out of my trance. By that time, he got off of me, stood up and started to walk away.

Before even realizing what I was doing, I was already up, grabbing his wrists and pinning him aimlessly against the wall. The faded red and blue lights blinking out of sync around the corner were my only gauge of how we were positioned. I held both hands above his head effortlessly, but he didn't struggle. I waited for him to break the silence as I thought about my next move.

"Couldn't get enough, could you?"

I spun him around to face the wall, catching him off guard.

"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?" I said pulling his hips back against my own. I bent forward so that I was speaking directly into his ear, his hair brushing against my nose as I did so. "As much of an idiot as you claim me to be, at least I'm perceptive," I began. "Don't think I don't realize what your intentions are here, flea." I paused, but he continued to listen without interrupting me. "The more I think about it, the more I've come to realize that this isn't how you usually play your stupid games with people. I know you, and I know you go out of your way to make people's lives hell...but I really don't think you would go this far without some other purpose...Believe it or not, it's not difficult to read you."

I could feel his hands tense under my grip.

"There's another reason you've only been targeting me, isn't there?"

"Hmph...Since when did you pick up the hobby of observing people? Or am I just rubbing off on you?" he chuckled deviously. "Now let me ask you, what exactly do you think my so called 'intentions' are?"

I laughed at that.

"This is exactly what I mean when I say it's not hard to read you...Every time you're the one cornered in a conversation you pull this evasive shit and try to turn the conversation around. You might be able to manipulate other people when you talk to them, but I see right through you."

I could feel the grin forming on my face, knowing that I had him exactly where I wanted him.

"That," I said, with enough confidence to lower my hand to his inner thigh, causing his sharp inhale, "and your body language gives you away."

As if on cue, all the lights came on in the arena.

"Please find your way to the exit, the game is now over," the prerecorded, monotone voice rang through the speakers.

I stepped back from the flea who dropped his hands lifelessly to his sides, content with his silent responses. However, an unsettling feeling fell over me when somewhere, I must have miscalculated my advances. To my astoundment, when he turned to face me, he was smirking.

"You never cease to entertain me, Shizu-chan."

My eyes widened as I didn't expect him to so blatantly stick a hand down his pants to shift whatever was making his skinny jeans uncomfortably tight. I blinked a few times swallowing hard, as I thought that I should probably do the same...

I felt a little awkward as I slipped my vest back on, not bothering to buckle the clasps as we made our way toward the exit. I studied him as I followed him out the door back into the room lit up by the rows of pulsating lights.

His reaction wasn't at all what I predicted, I thought, as I hung up my vest, still keeping an eye on him. I was even more curious as to how he would act for the remainder of the day.

Two can play at this game.

We left that room and into the one where we first entered, where everyone gathered around the big TV screen with the results from the game. I didn't even bother to look up at first, seeing as I hadn't really participated.

Then it dawned on me.

"Well, well, well," I heard Shinra's voice behind me.

"Looks like you have the second lowest score...Next to Izaya, that is."

Shit.

"Come to think of it, I didn't see either of you at all...And we were in there for," he checked his wristwatch, "over thirty minutes."

"Well...maybe if you hadn't ditched me within the first five—"

Shinra gave me an expectant look.

"..."

"..."

"...Fuck off."

He burst into laughter and I just walked away. At least I had somewhat settled the score with the flea. I would deal with Shinra later.