A/N: I was so frustrated trying to edit the next chapter that I had forgotten that this one was just sitting there all along, waiting to be posted. OTL I fail.

It didn't take long for Haruka to find Shizuo. The crowd seemed to part as Ikebukuro's strongest man walked by; no one wanted to be the unlucky fool to face his wrath.

"Geez," Haruka huffed, slipping her fingers in between his when she caught up, "you're a horrible babysitter! You left me behind!"

The bartender look-alike simply grunted, seeming to ignore her accusation and their laced fingers.

Haruka pouted for the umpteenth time that day, not happy that she was being ignored. She started swinging their arms as they walked, earning strange stares from passersby. "So where are we going?"

"Nowhere."

"O… kay…? So where do you wanna go?" Haruka asked, not giving up.

"Nowhere."

Haruka's eye twitched in annoyance. Shizuo was being boring and her interest was rapidly dwindling. After a few more minutes of questioning with each question being met with short, monotone responses, the woman let go of his hand and came to a stop. "Well, since you're boring me to death, I'll go find Erika and Walker to hang out with. It's clear you're not gonna be a good babysitter and keep me entertained today." Haruka spun on her heel and raced off. She didn't get very far before Shizuo grabbed her sweater's collar and lifted her into the air.

The resulting uncharacteristic glare Shizuo received didn't bother him in the least. "You're not going anywhere." He set her on the ground and continued walking, dragging Haruka along by her collar.

"If you don't let go of my sweater, I'll slip out of it and run off," she threatened, already worming her way out. Shizuo, knowing that she would do it, immediately released her.

Once released, Haruka tugged the hem of her sweater and undershirt back down and readjusted her scarf. "Since you're not going anywhere, I say we're going to the park. I wanna play on the swings."

Shizuo, not wanting to deal with her throwing a temper tantrum, went along with it, walking alongside Haruka as she skipped down the street. Luckily, the park was nearby.

"By the way, aren't you cold? It's the middle of January and you're only wearing that bartender outfit." Haruka asked suddenly, staring at the outfit in question as she twirled around to walk backwards to the park.

When Shizuo didn't answer, Haruka threw a quick glance back at the approaching park entrance before unwinding her scarf and wrapping it around Shizuo. "This scarf is really important to me, but I'm entrusting it to you for the day. I expect it back, unharmed, at the end of the day. If you so much as get a speck of dirt on it, I will kill you." With that said, the brown-eyed woman bounded off the swing set.

Haruka was quickly distracted by the swings, allowing Shizuo to relax on a nearby bench and get a better look at the cloth around his neck.

The scarf was very long, enough to have wrapped around his neck twice and still have both ends hang down to his stomach. The entire piece was a crimson red and the edges trimmed with lavender lacing. On one end, Haruka's name was knitted in sideways with lavender yarn. On the other end was a large, elaborate dahlia flower, outlined in black yarn and dotted with lavender.

'This is handmade. Did she make this?' Shizuo pondered, glancing up to check on Haruka. He spotted her easily, as she was the only one in the playground since school was still in session. A goofy grin was plastered on her face as she pumped her legs, trying to get even higher than she already was. Feeling his gaze, she looked up and waved at him. She flailed a bit when she lost her balance, but quickly regained it and grinned sheepishly.

In the next moment, Shizuo was on his feet and rushing over to catch Haruka before she hit the ground. Haruka had fallen asleep while on the swings and fell off on the upswing.

"This woman is nothing but trouble," he grumbled, setting her down on the bench he previously occupied. Now that she wasn't annoyingly loud and bouncing around, Shizuo was able to get a better look at her.

Haruka's auburn hair was much shorter than it was when he saw her a few days ago, reaching an inch above her shoulders. Her bangs were pinned to the side with a hairpin, a decorative fabric flower similar to the one on her scarf glued to it. She donned a loose, snowy, pale blue sweater that clashed with her scarf, the white straps of her undershirt peeking out from beneath. Her jeans were tucked into her boots, which were a slightly darker shade of blue than her sweater.

Shizuo noted that, for once, her face was relaxed into a peaceful smile rather than the usual, mischievous grin. 'She actually looks really pretty when she smiles.' he thought, a miniscule smile of his own tugging at his lips. The smile, however, was immediately replaced with a frown when he realized Haruka would be waking up soon, going back to her usual irritating self. He momentarily contemplated leaving her there and going about his own business, but he reminded himself that he had silently agreed to watch over her for the day.

Thinking about Celty's warning, Shizuo scanned the area for any sign of the malicious informant. His blood boiled at the sight of a black-haired figure strutting down the street a couple blocks over, a familiar fur-lined coat engulfing his lithe body. Within seconds, Shizuo had the bench flying through the air as he gave chase to the fleeing figure.

Haruka's eyes fluttered open moments later. It took her a moment to remember where she was, or at least where she was supposed to be. Haruka sat up slowly, taking in her new surroundings. Her eyes locked onto a pair of legs in front of her. Following them up, she spotted not her blonde babysitter, but a rather intimidating man with four equally burly men behind him. The chain link fence behind her trapped her in the foreboding alleyway. The click that accompanied the cocking of a gun made her refocus her attention on the men standing before her, a slick, black gun pressing against her forehead.

It was then that Haruka saw her dark-haired roommate standing on one of the fire escape platforms above the men. The gleam in his eyes revealed the sheer enjoyment he felt at her entrapment and soon-to-be demise. A cruel laugh passed his lips, which were twisted into a devilish smirk.

"Happy birthday Haruka-chan~!"

A gunshot resounded and silence fell.