Wow...it blows my mind when I still get reviews saying "I spent X amount of hours reading this!" Seriously? Oh my God...that's one of the highest ranked comments I can get. Because I can't believe that people spend that much time writing a fic that I thought wasn't going to last so long. And then I get frequent reviews from readers that have been sticking with me through this journey and...wow. I'm still in awe. I love you guys so much. Thank you, so so much. Unfortunately, I've been busy with school (two tests this week, ouch) and I've been having a hard time writing due to a sudden dry spell of inspiration. This update is literally all I've been able to write all week. So it's short. But I'll try my hardest to keep going! I really don't like keeping you waiting for too long!

Shizuo smiled when he heard his friend's voice through the speaker, "Hey Tom. What's up?" Tom said something, but the wind was making it difficult to hear. Shizuo ducked into an alley, hoping the high walls would block the breeze. "Hey, could you repeat that? I missed that…"

"I said not much is going on. Work has been slow lately. Anyways, I'm calling to check up on you, not tell you about my life." Tom said with a chuckle. Shizuo smiled at that and came out on the other side of the alley, looking toward the park.

"Well, I'm doing alright I guess. Holding down a job well enough."

"I told you that you could come back and work for me."

"Maybe when spring comes." Shizuo said again, rolling with his excuse. Although Tom didn't seem to buy it.

"You sound down. Did something happen?"

"Ahh…" Shizuo paused, waiting for cars to pass by before he walked across the street, "…yeah, some things happened. But I'm ok."

"You sure? You know you can talk to me if you need to," Tom insisted, concern in his voice. It made Shizuo's aching heart feel a bit better, knowing someone cared about him.

Shizuo sighed, sitting down on a bench after brushing the snow off. It was cold and made him shiver, but his legs needed some rest. "I know. It's not important anyways…just some relationship issues I guess…" He didn't know what made him spill out that information. Tom paused on the other line for a second, before speaking up with a smile in his voice.

"Oh, got yourself lady issues?"

"…You could say that." Yeah. Shizuo was sure Izaya was as moody and pissy as a woman. Without the PMS.

"Ahh, got it. Yeah, you do your thing until you're ready to go. It's probably best that you don't get yourself mixed in with scum bags and depressed clients complaining about their broken relationships." Tom agreed. Shizuo was thankful that he didn't question it any further.

"Thanks for understanding."

"Anything. You just rest up. And get back inside! I can hear the cars you know. It's freezing tonight!"

Shizuo laughed, his voice raspy as he held back another cough. "Hah…yeah, I will."

"Talk to you later?"

"Yeah."

"Alright, later."

"Seeya."

Shizuo slipped his phone back into his pocket, feeling that tickle rise in his throat as his chest constricted. He coughed heavily into his hands, bending forward wearily as his shoulders shook. It was really starting to get bad again…

He wasn't sure how long he sat in the cold before the Raira trio walked by and saw him there. He barely heard their footsteps, and was startled when Mikado spoke up.

"S-Shizuo-san?"

Shizuo didn't know the kid personally. He recognized the girl, and the blond kid looked vaguely familiar. Although most kids these days look the same.

"What do you want?" He grunted, his voice failing him. Mikado shrunk back a little, and Kida just stared at the concrete - unsure of what to say. He had learned not to approach Shizuo. So why had Anri and Mikado dragged him over?

"A-are you…ok?" Anri said quietly, genuinely worried at Shizuo's current state. He shrugged, not wanting to say much to teenagers. It's not like they would understand his predicament anyways.

"Yeah, f-" He was cut off as another cough wreaked through his body. He squeezed his eyes shut and covered his mouth, feeling the familiar burn in his chest. He blinked his eyes open when he felt a small hand on his knee. Anri held out a handkerchief for him. He nodded with thanks, unable to speak as he coughed into the cloth. He could feel Mikado move a bit closer in a comforting manner.

Kida remained where he was, slightly slouched as he simply watched his two friends tend to Shizuo. Although his appearance was friendly, there was a sharpness to his gaze as he stared at Shizuo questioningly. although he stared at Shizuo hard - as if analyzing him. It ticked him off.

He swallowed, his mouth dry as sandpaper as he tried to regulate his breathing again. A metallic taste coated his mouth, and he looked in the handkerchief to see blood spotted along the white material. "Shit…"

"O-oh no!" Anri squeaked, as Mikado instantly whipped out his cell phone in a hurry.

"D-Don't worry Shizuo-san! I-I know someone who can help!" Mikado stammered as he quickly sent out a text message. Almost instantly, he received a reply, and continued to chat with the other person as Anri took off her scarf and wrapped it around Shizuo as well, hoping it would warm him up.

He felt like a child, being taken care of by high schoolers. Still, he was grateful for their kindness, even if the blond one was giving him the stink eye.

"S-she's on her way!" Mikado exclaimed, turning back to face Shizuo. He looked up at Mikado warily, covering his mouth with the tissue.

"Who's coming?"

"Uh..w-well…" Mikado paused, unsure if he should say her name. Shizuo growled, getting annoyed and he instantly froze up, "C-Celty-san!"

Celty, huh? Shizuo sighed, a bit relieved that she was coming for him. He felt really tired and fatigued all of a sudden. A ride home would be appreciated.