Summary:
Shizuo and Izaya find themselves wandering an abandoned shopping mall, where Izaya has apparently decided to challenge Shizuo to a rematch regarding their last fight. But Izaya just seems to want to play a little game of hide and seek instead of fighting, because unbeknownst to Shizuo, Izaya is not a willing participant.
Notes:
I'm continuing with the tradition of posting stuff on Izaya's birthday, even when it really, really doesn't suit the occasion. Ah, well.
Anyway, this fic makes several references to the Five Nights at Freddy's series, but you don't need to be familiar with the games in order to follow what's happening.
This story is not heavy on gore, but it does get very intense at times. There are occasional references to suicide throughout the story, among various other things such as attempted murder, choking, recurring physical pain, mental trauma, disturbing and/or gruesome imagery, nausea and vomiting, intimidation, panic attacks, etc.
This is not for the faint of heart.
Chapter 1: Let's play a game
"Good evening. The mall will be closing in five minutes. Please make your way to the exits, and have a nice day."
Shizuo groaned as he was drawn out of sleep. What was that voice?
He blearily opened his eyes and looked around. He was sitting in a rather comfortable recliner. It was a bit disorienting, as Shizuo didn't even own a recliner. Given all of the price tags on the furniture surrounding him, he suspected that he was in a furniture store.
Shizuo felt a rush of embarrassment. How could he just fall asleep in the store like that? It was hugely inappropriate.
But then again, how did he get here in the first place? He couldn't recall going shopping, nor could he come up with any other reason for being here. It was strange...
He heard the voice again, now more obvious that it was coming from a PA system.
"If you're still in the building when the doors close, you hereby waive your right to file a lawsuit. We cannot be held responsible for any death or dismemberment that may happen as a result."
...What?
Shizuo looked up at the ceiling where the voice was coming from. Was that some kind of crude joke? That seemed pretty unprofessional.
But more than that, something in the back of his mind was nagging at him.
That voice sounded awfully familiar...
Shizuo stood up and stretched a bit, still feeling tired, but he got the impression that he had been sleeping here for a while.
He seemed to be in a shopping mall. Many of the lights were turned off, almost like they were shutting things down while he was still inside. There was still enough light that he could easily see the main walking paths of the mall, but many of the individual stores were completely dark.
Come to think of it, they said something about the mall closing in a few minutes, so it must have been getting late. But try as he might, he just couldn't think of a reason for why he'd be here, or why he got so tired that he fell asleep.
Shizuo looked around some more at the furniture store he was in. There was nobody here. No employees, no staff of any kind, and all the lights were shut off, like everyone had gone home for the day. But shouldn't someone have tried to wake him up? Why would they just leave him here? Did they know who he was and just didn't want to risk angering him?
Shizuo sighed, a little irritated, but also dejected. He wished people would stop being so scared of him all the time. He knew the reason why, and it was better than someone pestering him without being aware of the danger they'd be in, but still... he wouldn't have gotten mad about it if somebody decided to wake him up. He wasn't even getting angry as much lately.
And that, of course, was when the guy over the PA system decided to chime in again, this time seeming to address Shizuo directly. "Oh? It seems you're still here. Well, no matter. There's plenty of fun we can have after closing hours~"
Okay, now that was getting annoying. What, was this guy spying on him or something? Creepy bastard.
Thoroughly disgusted, Shizuo decided to leave, not wanting to listen to this guy anymore. He walked out of the store so he could start looking for the exit to the building.
"Aw, leaving so soon?"
For fuck's sake! Leave me alone! You made your point. I'm leaving already.
Creepy guy sighed, as if disappointed. "That's too bad. I really thought we could have some fun together... Shizu-chan."
And Shizuo stopped dead in his tracks.
No... It couldn't be...
"Izaya...?" Shizuo whispered in disbelief.
"Oh, I see that got your attention."
That was Izaya's voice. Even years later, Shizuo still recognized it.
That's him. He's really here. He's... alive.
He'd had his suspicions that Izaya survived their last fight ever since that interview where someone had come around asking questions about him, but Shizuo still didn't know for sure. Having it confirmed like this was actually more of a relief than he thought it'd be. He had wanted Izaya dead for so long, and it was only after his wish had seemed to come true that he realized that it didn't make him happy.
He had peace in his life now, yes, but it was tainted. Just like in those apocalypse movies where the protagonist was the last person on Earth, the peace and quiet came at a cost. It was dependent upon the blood and death of those who had previously made the world what it was. Shizuo couldn't say he enjoyed his interactions with Izaya, but the neverending silence only served as a reminder of what he had done.
The voice continued, "It's been a while, hasn't it? Three years, if I'm counting correctly. Did you miss me?"
Another feeling began to coil inside him at those words. It wasn't anger, no, but rather a sense of deep-seated apprehension. Shizuo didn't know why Izaya had brought him here, but it couldn't have been for anything good.
Why couldn't Izaya have just told him he was alive and then fuck off to the other side of the planet? It would have been the perfect ending. Well, except for everyone in the place that Izaya would move to. They probably wouldn't be happy. But at least it wouldn't be here.
But Izaya was here, and Shizuo's relief over not being a murderer was short-lived.
"Shizu-chan... Let's play a game."
• • • • •
Earlier that day...
Izaya was asleep in his wheelchair when he heard the sound of a phone ringing. He woke a bit disoriented, but when he saw that he was not in his bedroom at home, he forced himself into alertness.
Taking stock of his surroundings, he realized he was in a shopping mall. He didn't recognize the place, and given his reluctance to fall asleep in public spaces such as this, concluded that he had probably been drugged and brought here against his will.
The phone, which was on the table in front of him, continued ringing with a gentle, melodic tune.
It wasn't his phone, but Izaya was still curious to know who was calling, so he picked up the phone and answered it. "Hello?"
"Orihara-san," a male voice on the phone spoke. "Finally awake, I see. Did you have a good nap?"
Despite the obvious malice in the other's voice, Izaya couldn't help but start grinning. This was going to be a very interesting call, he could tell.
"I did, actually," Izaya responded amicably. "The best sleep I've had in years."
That wasn't even much of an exaggeration. Whatever they gave him must have really knocked him out.
"Glad you enjoyed it," the man said. "What do you think you're doing in this place, Orihara?"
"You tell me."
"Take a guess."
"Hm..." Izaya rubbed his chin thoughtfully even though he doubted this guy could see him. "I'm guessing I've done something that prompted you to seek revenge against me. Ruined your life, I suppose?"
"No, you didn't ruin my life. You ruined my death."
An odd choice of words.
"I'm afraid you've lost me," Izaya said.
"Do you even know who I am?"
Izaya smiled. "Nope. Perhaps you should start with your name."
"Hiroshi Kawasaki," the man answered.
"Nope, not ringing a bell!" Izaya exclaimed cheerfully. "You must have been pretty forgettable."
The man went silent after that.
Aw, did I strike a nerve? Izaya didn't feel particularly guilty about it, though. He couldn't possibly remember all of the people he'd interacted with in his line of work.
Kawasaki seemed to recover quickly enough, and decided to move on. "I see. Well, it doesn't matter. You're not going to survive the night anyway, so why bother getting reacquainted?"
Izaya's smile never wavered despite the slight flutter in his chest. Why wouldn't he survive the night? Kawasaki wasn't even here in person to threaten him.
Oh, he really hoped he wasn't poisoned. That would be so dull and uninteresting. Yes, he'd feel existential dread over knowing that he would almost certainly die, probably painfully, but it wasn't exciting in quite the same way as trying to talk down a random thug with a gun. At least there was a possibility of success with the latter.
"Still," Kawasaki continued, "the fact that you don't remember who I am says a lot about you. It means I'm not your only victim. Tell me, are you still posting fake advertisments on suicide forums?"
"Oh? Well, now, that's interesting," Izaya said. "Because I haven't done anything of the sort for several years now. How far back are we talking, Kawasaki-san?"
"7 years."
Izaya's mind was blown. "7 years? Wow! And I thought Mamiya-chan held a grudge! Well, I'm impressed! I'm proud of you, Kawasaki-san. Toughing it out this long just to get your revenge on me."
"What can I say?" Kawasaki responded. "I like to make things difficult for myself. It's why I put so much effort into this. But y'know what I find confusing? How somebody who supposedly has such a strong fear of death would keep engaging in high-risk activities, doing the kinds of things that are widely known to make enemies."
Izaya chuckled with a little smile. "Well, what's the point of life if you don't enjoy it?"
"Exactly," Kawasaki agreed. "Even if what you do involves hurting someone else, it's all fine in the end as long as you yourself are having fun."
"I suspect you're being sarcastic."
"Oh, not at all. In fact, I'm going to do what I should have done a long time ago and take a leaf out of your book. You don't mind, do you?"
Izaya smile faltered. "I generally prefer when humans don't try to emulate me."
"Now that is what I'd define as 'hypocrisy.' What, it's fine when you hurt people, but no one else can?"
Izaya shook his head. "That's not what I'm saying. If you're planning to torture me out of a human desire for revenge, then by all means, have at it, though I will try to stop you since I'm not a fan of pain." He chuckled. "No, what I meant was that I don't want you to throw away your humanity for my sake."
"Oh? Trying to be noble, are we?"
"I'm not being noble," Izaya said. "I just love humans. But I can't bring myself to love those who throw away their humanity like you just suggested."
Kawasaki burst out laughing. "Ah, yes. 'Humans.' I recall you saying something about that. You really haven't changed at all, have you? That makes things easier for me."
"How so?"
"It means that everything I've done to set up this perfect night will work out exactly as I planned. If you had had a change of heart and regretted your past actions, I might have felt a little bit guilty for what I was about to do to you. But this... this will make up for everything. This is going to be so satisfying to watch, my god, you have no idea."
Izaya started giggling at his enthusiasm. The man's excitement was contagious, even if it did stem from the desire to see Izaya suffer.
Kawasaki seemed to assume that Izaya was mocking him, when really, he was just joining in on the fun. "What, you don't believe me?" he asked.
"Oh, far from it!" Izaya exclaimed. "I fully believe you're serious and have every intention to drag me through hell. I just haven't had this much excitement in months, so I'm looking forward to it."
"Well, we'll see if you're still amused when you see what I have in store for you."
"Pun intended?"
"...What?"
Izaya giggled. "Because we're in a shopping mall, and it's filled with all these stores, so you have something 'in store' in a store—"
Kawasaki hung up on him.
Izaya cracked up laughing again. Kawasaki had gotten so frustrated that he just gave up on talking to him.
Ah... Well, that was fun.
Izaya stared at the phone for a moment, wondering if Kawasaki was going to call back, but when he didn't, Izaya slipped the phone into his pants pocket. He may need it later. But that was when he noticed he was wearing a coat. Specifically, a black, fur-lined coat.
Izaya blinked. He didn't put this on. He hadn't actually worn a coat like this in years. When his arms were shattered and broken, slipping his arms into the sleeves of his coat had become too difficult, so he cut his losses and got a cape in a similar style that he could just drape over his shoulders instead. It made him feel like himself again, even if he wasn't quite the same as he used to be.
And when combined with his top-of-the-line wheelchair, the cape gave him an almost regal appearance. He felt like a king sitting upon a throne. Even when his arms had healed, Izaya had grown attached to his new style, and decided to keep it.
Why fix what ain't broke, right?
But now he was wearing a replica of his old coat, and Izaya had to wonder what the meaning behind it was. He checked the pockets in case Kawasaki had left any clues, but it seemed to be a regular coat with nothing in it.
Getting a little bored now, he decided to poke around the room he woke up in. Other than the table the phone was on, it was quite literally just an empty room. He could see that other stores nearby still had the occasional items left inside, but other stores, like the one he was in, were completely cleaned out. It seemed like this was a dead mall.
Aesthetically speaking, abandoned locations were always quite fascinating to Izaya, but they also gave off a bit of a lonely vibe he didn't quite like. They rarely had any humans to speak of, so he'd always get bored before very long. But right now, the situation still had an interesting edge to it. Kawasaki had outright said that this would be 'satisfying to watch,' so something was clearly going to happen.
Izaya moved to the front of the store, looking out at the rest of the mall. Nothing stood out to him so far, and he saw no signs of movement. He had no clue what or who he should expect, but he knew he had to keep alert. Kawasaki claimed that Izaya wouldn't survive the night, so whatever it was posed a threat to his safety.
Izaya wasn't particularly concerned yet, but he checked his pants pockets anyway to weigh all of his options. He still had his knife. Even against a gun, Izaya had good aim, and could throw knives at high speed like projectile weapons. That didn't necessarily mean he had the advantage per se, but he at least had a fighting chance against whatever he would be facing.
And yet, Izaya did not have his own phone. He had the phone that Kawasaki had left for him, but not his own. Why would Kawasaki take Izaya's phone, but not his knife? Was his knife not helpful in this situation?
Izaya began to ponder the implications of that, but he froze when he suddenly heard his own voice speaking over the PA system:
"Good evening. The mall will be closing in five minutes. Please make your way to the exits, and have a nice day."
But that wasn't Izaya speaking.
Izaya smiled. Oh, that was interesting. Kawasaki could evidently mimic his voice.
"If you're still in the building when the doors close," the voice continued, "you hereby waive your right to file a lawsuit. We cannot be held responsible for any death or dismemberment that may happen as a result."
Izaya snickered. What was this, a Five Nights at Freddy's game?
He never played horror games himself, not really seeing the appeal to them, but there was endless entertainment to be had by watching other people play them.
One of his favorite pastimes was watching video playthroughs of horror games online. He especially liked to compare the reactions of multiple people playing the same game. Even those with wildly different personalities and playstyles would often have similar reactions to the exact same event. Izaya found this fascinating.
They'd get jumpscared by harmless objects, panic when cornered by an enemy, and scream in despair when their character was inevitably killed after they've made the slightest of mistakes. Even when nothing was happening, the anticipation would make them jumpy and paranoid. But even when they clearly weren't enjoying themselves, they'd soldier on and do it all over again, just for his entertainment.
They may have just been playing a harmless video game, but the fear they felt was real, and Izaya found that absolutely delightful.
There was a pause as Izaya waited for Kawasaki to continue talking, but it seemed that he was done for now. Izaya doubted that he would have been allowed to leave anyway, so he wasn't particularly inclined to try it. He wondered if he should go off exploring, or just wait here for the excitement to come to him.
He didn't have to wait long before he heard the PA system again.
"Oh? It seems you're still here. Well, no matter. There's plenty of fun we can have after closing hours~"
Was he supposed to try to leave? That probably would have been the logical thing to do. But now Izaya was suspecting that the surprise Kawasaki had planned for him may actually be waiting for him by the exit. If he just continued waiting here, would that piss Kawasaki off?
Izaya snickered at the thought. He stretched his arms above his head and made a show of getting comfortable. He reclined in his chair a little and pretended to nap.
"Aw, leaving so soon?"
Izaya perked up at that. He hadn't made a single move to leave, so Kawasaki must have been speaking to somebody else. But who could it be? Izaya's body started to tingle with excitement. He knew his reactions weren't exactly normal, but he couldn't help himself. He was too curious now.
The fake Izaya sighed. "I really thought we could have some fun together... Shizu-chan."
At that last word, Izaya's stomach bottomed out, all amusement gone.
"S-Shizu-chan...?" he whispered.
He hadn't heard that name in years. Hadn't even dared to say it to himself out of a paranoid fear that it might somehow summon the beast right to his doorstep. Even when recounting what happened on that night that ruined his arms and legs, he never said Shizuo's name, only describing him as 'the man in the bartender's outfit.' It wasn't even to make sure that nobody could track Shizuo down and inform him of Izaya's survival, as much as the name itself felt cursed. If he said it out loud, he might turn around and find Shizuo standing right behind him.
"Oh, I see that got your attention," Kawasaki said.
With dawning horror, Izaya finally realized what Kawasaki was doing. He was taunting Shizuo... while pretending to be him.
Izaya raised his hands and waved wildly at the air, trying to get Kawasaki's attention. "W-wait, hang on! Time-out! I call a time-out! Let's talk about this."
He was hoping Kawasaki would pause, maybe give him another chance to discuss terms, but no such luck. Maybe he couldn't hear him. Or he didn't care.
Regardless of the reason, Kawasaki continued, "It's been a while, hasn't it? Three years, if I'm counting correctly."
No, this wasn't fun anymore. Make it stop.
Izaya stared up at the ceiling in horror. An instinctive need to put distance between himself and that voice compelled him to push his wheelchair backwards and away from the source of his torment.
Not him. Anybody but him. Please, I'll take literally anybody but him. Just not him...
"Did you miss me?" the false Izaya crooned.
Izaya let out a startled gasp as the back of his wheelchair hit a wall.
"Shizu-chan... Let's play a game."
Please, make it stop...
But the voice continued, sealing his fate, "I'm hidden somewhere in the building. Come and find me... before I find you."
And then the mall fell into silence.
All Izaya could hear now was the sound of his ragged breathing and his pounding heart.
The quiet was deafening.
He felt like he was going to vomit. Why did it have to be Shizuo of all people? Why couldn't Kawasaki have just grabbed a random person off the street, or better yet, why didn't Kawasaki just kill Izaya himself?
It wasn't that Izaya was suicidal, as much as he rationalized that he'd die either way. Izaya didn't care that he technically still had a chance of survival here, that maybe he could try to reason with Shizuo. To Izaya, the thought of facing Shizuo again was more terrifying than death itself.
Izaya's mind raced with the possibilities of what might happen now. His limbs could get torn off. He could be crushed by a heavy object. He could be beaten to death. He could even be choked until he ran out of oxygen, assuming his neck didn't snap under the pressure first.
His fingers unconsciously tightened their grip on the wheelchair's armrests. He was going to die. He wasn't sure how yet, but that was part of the reason he found it so terrifying. If he had even the slightest clue of what to expect, he could at least brace himself a little.
His legs started shaking. Before long, his entire body was trembling from the anticipation, and he was having difficulty breathing.
Damn it, stop panicking, Izaya scolded himself. Freaking out isn't going to help anything.
He took a deep breath, trying to ease the tension in his body.
Come on, think rationally. What can I do?
Even though Izaya still had his knife, he had absolutely zero confidence in his abilities to fend off Shizuo in a physical fight. He had already tried in the past, and that was exactly what cost him his arms and legs. His arms had mostly recovered, but his legs had not. As a result of that fight, he couldn't run anymore. He could walk short distances, though the pain disinclined him from leaving his wheelchair if he didn't strictly have to.
Other options...
He had a cell phone. It wasn't his, but he could still call someone for help. He could say he was trapped in a building and being hunted by a crazed stalker. If his bodyguard was nearby, that would be even better. Sozoro might actually have a chance at fending Shizuo off long enough for Izaya to get away.
An even wilder possibility would be to call Shizuo himself. He couldn't imagine that call possibly turning out well, but it was worth a shot. Izaya would be willing to offer him a hefty sum of money if that might smooth things over between them.
But then again, Shizuo was never so easily persuaded. He likely wouldn't believe anything Izaya told him, and a bribe could just as easily backfire if Shizuo considered it to be more of an insult than enticing.
Izaya, meanwhile, had been so preoccupied with figuring out what to do that it took him several long minutes to realize that he hadn't actually heard anything since Kawasaki's last announcement.
But Shizuo was supposedly in the building, right? If that was the case, then why was it so quiet? Shouldn't he be yelling in a rage and throwing things at the mere thought of Izaya's presence?
Maybe he wasn't actually here...?
Slightly emboldened by the thought, Izaya slowly wheeled himself back towards the front of the store entrance and looked out at the other shops. Everything still looked pretty empty and dead, and there was no sign of anyone wandering around nearby.
Izaya chuckled weakly. He'd been had. Kawasaki was bluffing.
He couldn't believe he fell for that. Kawasaki had spoken with such confidence that it was hard to believe he was bluffing, but the lack of any noticeable activity strongly suggested that Shizuo wasn't here.
Izaya mentally smacked himself in the head for being so gullible. He let fear get the better of him and override his sense of logic. Kidnapping Shizuo was impossible. There was no way that he had actually managed to bring—
A distant clatter cut Izaya's thoughts short, and he instantly backed up a couple of feet. His heart beat an irregular rhythm as his anxiety spiked again. Izaya held his breath as he waited, but no further sound came.
Izaya chuckled to himself, a little self-deprecatingly. Didn't he just tell himself that it couldn't be Shizuo? That noise didn't prove anything. Hell, it didn't even mean that someone was here. It could have been a raccoon for all he knew. Or it could have even been Kawasaki knocking over random objects to spook him.
Okay, so assuming that Shizuo was here — which he wasn't — how would Kawasaki have even managed to capture him? Drugs? Trickery? Could he have lured him here by the sound of Izaya's voice? The way Kawasaki had phrased things, it made it sound like Shizuo was about to leave right up until Kawasaki said 'Shizu-chan.' That kind of poked holes in the 'he was lured here' theory.
But kidnapping Shizuo? It was suicidal! It was—
Oh wait, Kawasaki was suicidal. Crap.
Well, even so, all of this was based on the assumption that Shizuo was here. Now that he thought about it, it was perfectly possible that Kawasaki had made a mistake and captured a random blond man in a bartender outfit, and gotten him confused with Shizuo.
The idea nearly made him laugh out loud with relief. Izaya had absolutely no evidence of that either way, but it was looking like a far more likely explanation than Kawasaki having captured the real Shizuo Heiwajima. Whether it was true or not, Izaya latched onto it like a lifeline, desperate for any kind of explanation that might keep him from losing his mind with terror.
But as much as he hated to admit it, the chance of Shizuo being here was still not zero, so he wasn't particularly inclined to put complete faith in the 'Kawasaki grabbed the wrong person' theory just yet. He should plan for the worst case scenario.
Izaya was currently in an empty store that had no cover to speak of. The table was the only thing in here, and it wasn't the best hiding spot if somebody showed up. The other stores nearby were probably safer, but at the same time, there was this anxious prickling up the back of his spine that told him that moving out into the open where he could easily be spotted was a very, very bad idea. His instincts were rarely wrong, and he had learned to trust them.
Shortly after he'd made his decision to stay put, Izaya noticed a flash of movement in his peripheral vision and he turned to look.
Izaya's heart stopped.
There, coming up the stairs...
Shizuo.
It wasn't a bluff.
Fuck, it wasn't a bluff, and Kawasaki didn't grab the wrong person. It was actually Shizuo, and he was coming upstairs.
Izaya's body suddenly stopped shaking as he went deathly still. He was filled with an overwhelming cold, like his body had just turned to ice. He couldn't move. He couldn't even blink.
But Shizuo was coming this way. Izaya had to get out of sight, and yet, he couldn't move a single muscle.
Move! MOVE, damn it! He's going to see you!
Forcing his stiff muscles to obey him was nearly impossible. He could only unlock one body part at a time. First the fingers on his left hand, then his right. Then wrists, elbows, shoulders, until he could finally coordinate his arms into grabbing the wheels and rolling his wheelchair back out of sight.
But as he had already noted earlier, there weren't any good objects to hide behind in this store, and it was too late to look for a better hiding place now. There seemed to be a potential blind spot right up against the store entrance, which may make Izaya less visible, but only if Shizuo doesn't step even one foot inside the store.
Izaya would need to be right up against the wall to minimize visibility, which meant that he'd have to leave his wheelchair behind.
Izaya worked on moving his legs next. He'd normally feel a little bit of pain when he did this, but they seemed to be pretty numb for now. His current issue was that they were so damn stiff.
Once he had finally managed to stand up, Izaya hurried over and pressed himself up against the wall. His wheelchair, unfortunately, was still perfectly visible as he had nowhere to hide it. He could only hope that Shizuo would pass by without investigating it too closely.
But as he heard the footsteps getting closer, Izaya started to panic. He was getting overwhelmed by the impulse to run. Staying put was the best option here, but he was so used to running from Shizuo that doing otherwise felt like he was waiting for certain death.
His heart was hammering in his chest. He almost wished he could make his heart stop just so it would shut up.
Shizuo was just a couple of feet away now.
Don't look in here. Don't look in here. I'm not in here. You don't see me. Just walk right by.
And then a phone started ringing.
Kawasaki's phone. The one Izaya put in his pocket. It was ringing, and Shizuo was going to hear it no no no no no, turn it off turn it OFF—
Izaya scrambled for the phone in his pocket, repeatedly pressing the power button before even looking at the screen in an attempt to silence the call. But the ringing continued, and Izaya pulled the phone out, but...
The screen's dark. Why is the screen dark?! How do I turn it off?!
He frantically pressed random buttons hoping to silence the damn thing.
The ringing finally stopped. But so did the footsteps.
Izaya stared unblinking at the phone in his hands, paralyzed by fear.
Sweat dripped down the back of his neck as Izaya slowly turned his head to look at Shizuo, who had paused right outside the store entrance.
But for some reason, Shizuo wasn't looking at him yet. He seemed to be holding something up to his ear. Almost like he was on the phone or—
Oh.
It had been Shizuo's phone that was ringing. Shizuo hadn't actually noticed him yet.
Izaya nearly sighed in relief, but stopped short. He couldn't make any noise. Not when Shizuo was this close to him.
But after that scare with the phone where he'd been so certain that he'd been caught, Izaya was now trembling so hard that he was having difficulty keeping his grip on the phone in his hands. It didn't help that his hands were sweaty and slippery, so he held it carefully with both hands so he wouldn't risk dropping it.
Now that his initial panic had ebbed a bit, he could finally hear the voice coming through Shizuo's phone. Kawasaki, still talking as Izaya, was already saying something, and Izaya wondered how much of the conversation he'd missed.
"—not very talkative today, are you? Well, that's fine. I'll do all the talking. So, are you having fun yet?"
Shizuo didn't answer.
"As you might have guessed, I don't like how our last fight turned out. It was a fight to the death, and yet we seem to have skipped over that last, crucial step. Therefore, I decided we should have a rematch. A true fight to the death that doesn't end until one of us comes out the clear victor."
Still no response from Shizuo.
"But the thing is," Kawasaki continued, undeterred by Shizuo's silence, "you clearly have the advantage over me, so I can't exactly fight you head on. Therefore, let's make a game of it. I'll be lurking in the shadows, waiting for my chance to strike, while you try to figure out where I am. Sound like fun?"
"..."
"Oh," the fake Izaya added as an afterthought, "and I should probably mention that if you leave and abandon our game early, I'll make sure to take it out on those closest to you — your brother, your employer, that headless monster you call a best friend — all are fair game."
Even now, Shizuo remained silent.
Izaya felt his hair rising on his arms and neck. Why wasn't Shizuo saying anything? Mentioning his brother should have been a sure-fire way to make him explode...
This did not go unnoticed by Kawasaki. "Shizu-chaaan~ You still there? I can tell the call didn't drop. What's wrong? Did I intimidate you?"
Finally, Shizuo spoke. "You should've stayed gone."
A small beep as Shizuo hung up the phone.
Without looking back, Shizuo left, and Izaya released the breath he was holding. He hesitantly peeked out the store entrance, making sure that Shizuo had truly left.
He seemed to be gone.
Holy crap, that was too damn close.
Okay, first things first: put this damn phone on silent, because he wasn't risking that again.
Izaya pulled the phone out of his pocket, but the screen remained dark when he tried to wake it up.
Maybe he'd accidentally turned it off when he was rapidly pressing the buttons earlier? He pressed and held the power button to turn it back on, but nothing happened.
Izaya frowned. Did it run out of power? He could have sworn it wasn't showing a low battery indicator when he was looking at it before, and it wasn't all that long ago.
Though, given the timing, it was also possible that the phone had been remotely bricked. If this was an elaborate revenge plot, leaving him with a fully functional phone seemed like poor planning, as he'd be able to just call someone for help, as Izaya was initially planning to do.
But just because this phone wasn't working didn't mean that there wasn't a working landline phone hidden in the building somewhere. He'd have to keep an eye out for anything that looked promising.
Finding an exit was a higher priority. Izaya suspected that leaving wouldn't be that simple, but getting out of the building and away from Shizuo should be his primary goal. Being able to call for help was secondary, but if he found a phone first, he wouldn't complain. However, he couldn't safely explore the current floor he was on anymore, now that Shizuo was here.
Izaya looked over at the stairs. They'd be one of the safest ways down, if only because he knew for a fact that Shizuo wasn't there anymore. To most people, taking the stairs wouldn't be a significant obstacle, at most a minor inconvenience. In Izaya's case, he wasn't paralyzed from the waist down, though there were some times where he'd wish he was if that meant he'd have no pain.
Because his main issue was pain. Pain severe enough where he'd sometimes break down crying if he twisted his leg the wrong way. Sometimes, he'd outright faint. And one particular event happened shortly after dinner, where he had miscalculated where the wall was, and he ended up banging his leg into it. Hard.
He barely had any recollection of the event in question. Izaya had assumed he'd just lost consciousness. But then he looked down, and he found himself covered in his own vomit. He couldn't even remember doing it.
He had to get a new chair after that. He didn't think they'd be able to clean all of that out of the old one.
It was not pleasant...
Finding an elevator would obviously be preferable, but there was no guarantee they'd be working. If they were out of service, then he would have wasted precious time looking for them only to end up with nothing.
On the other hand, he had no clue what floor he was on. He had no idea if he was one floor up, or several. He also suspected that the pain from trying to take the stairs may make him cry out and give himself away, assuming he didn't just pass out. Not to mention, he'd have to abandon his wheelchair...
Even if it'd be a waste of time, his odds with the stairs didn't seem particularly promising. As such, he decided he would hunt around for an elevator and pray that it worked.
But there was another problem with searching for an elevator — he ran the risk of running into Shizuo, because they were now on the same floor.
Shizuo's attitude earlier seemed strangely calm. Maybe that meant he could be reasoned with?
Izaya could only hope...
• • • • •
Elsewhere in the mall, Shizuo was looking down hallways and into empty stores, searching for somebody. Given his demeanor, one might be forgiven in thinking that Shizuo was being oddly calm about the whole situation.
Rather than letting his rage boil over, he instead focused on the task at hand with a cold and calculating detachment. He had a goal in mind, and he wasn't going to stop until he accomplished what he set out to do.
Shizuo wasn't sure what to expect from all of this. Izaya's message over the PA system sounded like a threat, despite not promising anything in particular.
But then he got the phone call.
To think I was willing to talk things out with you, Shizuo thought bitterly. But once again, you had to go too far. This was between you and me, but you had to go dragging my friends and family into it.
Izaya had done this before. While Shizuo was generally willing to give him a pass as long as Izaya's antics were targeted towards him, and him alone, it was when Izaya would target those around him that Shizuo was less forgiving.
Shizuo suddenly stopped walking. He was getting the feeling that Izaya wasn't on this floor. He turned around with a huff.
Izaya, I swear...
He started walking back towards the stairs.
You're not making it out of here alive this time.