Izaya stared hard at Shizuo before nodding silently, scooting back into the corner as Shizuo turned back toward the hatch. Izaya trembled as the cracking of Shizuo's knuckles reverberated in the small metal death trap they were in. He flinched and whimpered a bit, mentally scolding himself for letting out such a weak noise. He was stronger than this. Yet each clattering of Shizuo's fist on the metal door made him whimper to himself.

Soon, the hatch cracked, and Shizuo was able to jump up to push the heavy door open. Shizuo stared up out of the hole, holding up his cell phone, using the light to see. "I think I could fit through this. Is there a way out if we went this way?

"Yeah. The inside of the shaft shoulder have a small ladder running along the side. We can use it to climb up to the next floor. But we'd have to force open the door."

Shizuo nodded, "Ok. Let's go." He shoved his phone in his mouth, angling it so the light would still shine out. He jumped up, grabbing onto the sides of the hatch tightly. The elevator moaned from the movement, causing Izaya to huddle closer to the corner.

"Shizuo…"

"C'mon…" he grunted as he strained to lift himself up. Izaya stared at the floor and crawled across it slowly. He pulled himself onto his feet and grabbed onto Shizuo's legs to balance himself. Firmly locked his hands under Shizuo's feet, he pushed. After a moment of struggling, Shizuo managed to squeeze his broad shoulders through the hole and found himself standing on the top of the elevator.

The shaft was pitch black, save for the reflection of soft blue light from the cell phone on the various metal parts. He could make out the thick steel wire, that seemed to be secure. Shizuo stepped aside carefully, listening as his shoes made an echo that reverberated for a solid minute. He ran his hand along the cord, and frowned.

"Oi flea, the wire seems fine."

He heard a soft grunt, and felt the elevator shake under him. He turned to see Izaya pulling himself up through the hole, his thin body slipping through with ease. The informant spit out the phone from between his teeth and stood up, holding it out for more light.

"Damn…it's a long drop from here." Izaya's voice didn't quiver, but it was still hushed; as if he was afraid talking too loud would sever the cord. He backed away from the center until his back was pressing against Shizuo's. His fingers reached out until the tips touched Shizuo's leg softly, looking for comfort again.

Brushing his fingers softly against Izaya's, Shizuo carefully walked to the edge of the elevator, staring down the shaft. A wave of vertigo hit him and he had to step back and close his eyes to get rid of the dizzy spell. When he opened his eyes again, he caught the glimpse of the ladder Izaya had told him about. Its two thin rails were securely fastened to the wall. There wasn't much room between the ladder and the elevators. If they began to work again, they could be crushed.

He decided now was better than never. "C'mere flea. Get ready."

"Ready for what?"

"To jump." he grumbled as he took a step back from the edge. He only had one chance to get this right.

"Are you insane?" Izaya stepped back and nearly fell through the open hatch, yelping as his foot slipped and he fell onto his knees. The elevator shook and groaned, and Izaya covered his ears and closed his eyes as he trembled in his spot.

Shizuo chucked, "Yeah, like jumping from building to building is not as dangerous."

Izaya growled, "That's different. I can see where I'm jumping. I can calculate. I can't do that in this hell hole. And you definitely can't. If you miss, you-"

"Die. Yeah, I know." He looked over his shoulder at Izaya, "But we gotta try. Better than these turning on again and starting up."

They stared at each other in silence for a moment, before Shizuo gripped his cell phone in his mouth again, and faced the ladder. With a deep breath to calm his nerves, he took a running leap off the elevator.

For a split second, the feeling of dropping through the pitch black air made Shizuo feel like he was dying. In that moment, he was sure he missed and he was plummeting to his death. But when slammed ungracefully against the ladder, and his fingers instinctively wrapped around the bars, he knew he made it. He clung to it as tight as he could as his feet scrambled to make purchase.

The phone that was in his mouth had slipped when he shouted in surprise, and was now falling deep into the pit. He watched as the light from the screen tumbled into a tiny speck. He counted the second it took for it to reach the bottom, and stopped when he heard the echoing of it smashing to bits.

"Shi..Shizuo…?" he heard faintly from on top of the elevator. He looked up, and notice he had fallen a good two feet before he connected with the ladder. He must have jumped a bit short, but he was lucky to be alive. Once he was steady, he climbed up a bit so he could see Izaya curled up by the hatch, trembling.

"Hey."

Izaya looked up with wide eyes, "Shizu-chan!" He scrambled to his feet, swaying a bit, "I thought…I heard you yell and…"

"Nah, I'm ok. Just dropped my phone."

"Oh."

They couldn't help but both laugh with relief. Shizuo climbed up a few rungs higher, and wrapped his legs around the bars as best as he could. When he felt secure, he leaned backwards with one hand outstretched, "Alright, your turn."

"…I…don't know if I can."

"Come on, we gotta move fast."

Izaya took a tentative step forward, scooting slowly to the edge. He shook his head, "I'm going to fall." Izaya wrapped his arms around himself and squeezed his eyes shut, feeling the air currents in the shaft swirl around him as he froze near the edge.

He couldn't understand why he was so afraid. He jumped off buildings and walked along bridges for fun. Why was this such a terrifying thing for him?

The phone gripped tightly in his hand turned off, shrouding him in darkness. Yelping slightly, he fumbled with it and forced the screen to come back to life, needing that light.

Ahh, that was it. He was afraid of what he couldn't see. One misstep and he'd plummet to his death in nothing but darkness. Tragically beautiful. He glanced over the edge and felt his stomach flip. Normally, he felt at home in high places. However, he could usually see the bottom, or at least see around him to know he could save himself if he tripped up. Now, he had no idea what was ahead, and his imagination was getting the best of him.

Shizuo snapped his fingers and shook Izaya out of his spiraling thoughts. He looked up and saw Shizuo's hand reaching out for him.

"Trust me, I'll catch you. I promise."

"Shizuo…I..,"

"Remember that one percent you're always telling me to trust?" Shizuo stated, catching Izaya slightly off guard.

"Yeah? What about it?"

"If you trust me this once, I'll trust that one percent."

The words made Izaya's heart flutter, and his stomach flip. Of course, he also thought that the dizzying heights and darkness were getting to him. "I don't know…I don't really want to put my life in someone else's hands…."

Shizuo sighed and glared, "I can always jump back onto the elevator and snap the cable."

"NO NO, I'LL COME." Izaya blurted, terrified of the idea. He swallowed thickly, and slipped his phone into his pocket. Once again they were in the dark, but the light seeping through the fabric of Izaya's pocket was just enough to highlight Shizuo's body against the darkness. Izaya stared at the ground as he took a step toward the edge. He felt the elevator tilt and shift with his weight, and whimpered again.

"It's ok, I've got you. Just jump."

Izaya forced himself to look up and focus on Shizuo. He told himself to think of nothing else. Not the darkness. Not the heights. Not death. Just Shizuo.

Only Shizuo.

With a cry, he leapt forward, feeling the familiar and normally comforting sensation of falling through air, his jacket whipping around him and the air brushing his cheeks.

He had never been so terrified in his life.