A/N Hey, there! So, I recently just accepted a job offer, and I'll be starting next Monday! It will be 40 hours a week, plus a lot of commuting, so unfortunately, I probably won't be able to update as often as I usually do. To make up for that, I tried to make this chapter longer than usual, and will try to do that in the future, as well. As always, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

Walking alone with Shizuo was strange. Surreal, even. Izaya wondered if he was still knocked out, having some sort of twisted, confusing dream. Any minute now, Shinra would impatiently shake him awake, pull him out of the bed, and kick him out onto the streets to make way for a newer, more important patient. But after a few more moments of silence, he accepted that he was awake. Awake in this odd, freezing, reality.

He was slightly surprised that the city was so quiet. Although he couldn't be sure of the time—he cursed himself once again for losing his phone—he guessed that it was probably around or after 2AM. Usually, all sorts of unsavory people would be out roaming the streets by now: drug dealers, Awakusu members, even Izaya himself. Sometimes the best time to gather information was during the early hours of the morning before the sun had a chance to rise. However, despite the fact that they had been walking for almost ten minutes, they had only seen a few people. Two of these people—a couple by the looks of it—had walked past them, almost bumping into Shizuo before swerving out of the way at the last second. They had been in their own little world, all smiles and sunshine. They didn't seem to notice the cold at all.

Izaya, on the other hand, couldn't ignore it. The frigid air made his shoulder and head ache, and tore through his skin like a knife. He tried to hold back the shivers that ran up his spine, and stop his chattering teeth, but to little avail. He hated appearing vulnerable, especially in front of his sworn enemy. Well, his supposed sworn enemy.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Shizuo staring at him, but he couldn't discern why. Concern? Couldn't be. Mistrust? Probably. For a split second, he marveled at the fact that the monster never appeared to be cold. He had never once seen him wear a coat. He supposed that was just another thing that proved he wasn't human.

The snow kept falling around them, melting into Izaya's thin shirt and jeans, chilling him even further. The train station still seemed like an eternity away. It didn't help that his poor physical condition was forcing him to move slower than usual. He watched as a snowflake landed gingerly on his nose. It thawed after a moment, leaving a tiny water droplet in its wake. At that moment, Shizuo spoke:

"So, what are you thinking?"

"What do you mean?"

"The girl, the White Gloves, BH, the murders, the man who attacked you…I know you have to have some kind of a theory, right?"

Shizuo's calmness just made this situation even stranger. This just didn't seem right. In all of the years they've known each other, they had never once walked together like this. They had never once discussed anything like this. Instead of walking, there had been chasing; instead of discussions, there had been arguments. Not only had their relationship changed, it had changed in the blink of an eye. There was no gradual transformation from enemies into…well, whatever they were now. Was that because they suddenly had a common enemy? Or was there something else? Izaya had no idea.

"I do, but I need time to organize my thoughts and gather more information. As of right now, I can't be sure of anything."

Shizuo responded with a noncommittal grunt, and the world was enveloped in silence once more.

Shizuo had finally taken his eyes off of Izaya, so Izaya decided to take a look at him. The snow had dampened his clothes and hair. His bartender uniform, still wrinkled from his earlier fight, was now covered in small, wet spots. His usually tousled hair was slicker than usual, sticking to his forehead and neck. Despite the dark, he was still wearing his tinted sunglasses. The streetlights illuminated him, light playing off of his wet hair and skin. His expression was neutral, unreadable, but his cheeks were still pink. Maybe he really did have the ability to be cold.

"Hey, Shizu-chan?"

Another noncommittal grunt was his only reply.

They were nearing the station now; he could see the florescent lights emanating from the windows in the distance. His body begged him to move faster, desiring the temporary warmth that the building would supply. Izaya tried to ignore it. He chose his next words carefully.

"When this is over, what will you do?"

"The same things I always do. I don't see why the actions of a few punks would make me change very much, do you?"

"Will you keep trying to kill me?"

Shizuo stopped in his tracks. He clearly hadn't been expecting that question. After taking a few more steps, Izaya stopped, as well. He didn't turn around. Usually he would take pleasure in seeing the monster's frustrated expression. Not tonight. Not right now. He was freezing, exhausted, achy, and conflicted. This wasn't typically who he was, but then again, this wasn't a typical situation.

"I don't know," said Shizuo, faintly, "will you keep trying to kill me?"

"Time will tell."

Izaya began walking again, but he only made it a few feet before he found himself pinned up against the side of a building. One of Shizuo's hands was gripping his good shoulder, pressing it into the brick. His other hand was balled up against the wall, just a few inches away from Izaya's damp hair. He couldn't help but feel ashamed of two things: one, that he hadn't instinctively reacted to being manhandled by the man who was supposed to be his enemy, and two, that a shocked expression had plastered itself onto his face. It took him a moment longer than usual to regain his composure. He grinned.

"Finishing me off now, are we?"

"Look, if we're actually gonna work together to solve this, you need to be honest with me, okay? None of your stupid tricks."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Shizuo moved his hand off the wall, and dug it into Izaya's left shoulder. Pain shot through him like a bullet, and he let out a noise that was half gasp, half hiss. A curse bubbled up at the back of his throat, but he held it back.

Shizuo muttered something, his eyes staring at the sidewalk below.

"W-what was that now?" Izaya asked, hating how weak his voice sounded.

"I don't want to kill you anymore."

"Is that so? Well, then I guess I have no reason to want to kill you…"

The truth was that no longer had a desire to kill him either. It was honestly disturbing him. In a way, it was one of the only things in his life that had been a certainty, a constant. At least until now.

"…Even if you are a monster."

Shizuo gave Izaya one last shove against the wall, causing his head to crack against it, briefly disorienting him. When he regained his senses, he was no longer being pinned. The dull ache in his head had now evolved into an agonizing throb. His shoulder was screaming.

"You're the real monster."

Shizuo was now walking away from him, head held high, toward the train station. Izaya staggered after him, right hand pressed lightly against the bandages encircling his head. Fortunately, the wound hadn't reopened. He moved his hand to his shoulder, and confirmed that his shoulder wasn't bleeding either. In his own way, Shizuo had been gentle with him.

Walking side by side, they entered the warm glow of the train station. Izaya's frozen skin immediately began to thaw. He felt relieved, but also more fatigued than ever.

It was busier inside than it had been on the street, but not by much. Most of the people inside seemed to be seeking shelter from the cold and the snow, huddled up against each other in corners, pulling their coats close to their bodies. Others, however, were slowly making their way to the trains. This wasn't like rush hour, however. No one was jogging or pushing others out of the way. It was just as quiet as the outside world, save for the mechanical sounds of trains arriving and departing.

In a few moments, they found themselves on a train bound for Shinjuku. Despite the fact that they were the only ones in the car, they sat next to each other. It happened naturally. Izaya was too exhausted to think about the strangeness of this. In fact, he was too exhausted to think about anything at all. His head slumped against Shizuo's shoulder. For a second, he registered the sensation of Shizuo's muscles tensing under him, but after that, he fell into a deep sleep.