If life is a game... is a game we play... then just play it.

If love can make your day... then just say it.

If both have a knack of playing death... then betray them.

•Contemptuous•

The last words were always mockery. Always ready to make a hurtful remark. He liked to talk. He liked to talk a lot. He lived for it! To spit nonsense! That annoying, gaudy guy! Always looking down on everyone. Always making a mess of everybody's life. Always sucking out the life of the people, like a flea. Cold-blooded parasite!

Heiwajima Shizuo did not have high regards of the person he was thinking of.

Not a shred.

Certainly, Shizuo was in a really bad mood.

The cause?

Orihara Izaya. The informant had made a quick visit to the blond. How nice of him. Really...

The routine went as it normally did. Izaya played with words, taunting the ticking human bomb called Shizuo, and it ended as it normally did.

Destruction of public property.

When the touching reunion ended, Shizuo grumbled. Well, it was more like he made low, disgusted growls. Tanaka Tom, Shizuo's boss, bore the wreckage left after it.

Why? Tom asked inwardly, while he made a mental note of the bills he was probably going to administrate in the near future.

Meanwhile, Shizuo was chanting a dangerous mantra: kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill that flea...

Why did Izaya have to make these kind of "visits"? Why couldn't he just stay away and leave for real? When would this unhealthy pattern stop?

When would Orihara Izaya be on his way out of their lives...?

The reality, or their wishes, in this case, might be closer than Tom or Shizuo could have thought. The events of what happened after that common reunion were the last vestige of normality Shizuo and Izaya ever had.

Everything could change in a second.

Izaya and Shizuo were no exception to the rule.

•••••

The rain poured down. Cold enshrouded the city. The water fell from the sky all day long. The moon couldn't appear. The noise of the water dripping, hitting the concrete, clattering against metal, against windows, throbbed inside Izaya's head. He felt as if his brain could explode in his skull.

It hurt. But he didn't care. The glass touched his lips and its contents made its way into his system. The same cycle repeated again and again, like he'd been doing recently.

Izaya's office was without a single light. Only the dim light provided from the outside shyly made its way into the apartment.

The noise did not stop.

Drip, drip, drip, drip, drip...

The door opened briskly and the lights were turned on. Izaya flinched, covering his eyes with his hand.

"Could you kindly explain to me why you are drinking... again?"

"Oh, Namie, could you kindly explain to me why you are here... and at this hour?" Izaya said tiredly, ignoring Namie's question.

Namie huffed. "I forgot something," was all she said.

Paying little to no attention to the woman, Izaya went back to his drink. The stare Namie was giving him was everything but timid.

"...you are more human than I thought..." she commented, while she searched through the cabinets of her desk.

Izaya barely glanced at her.

"...and a more pathetic one too," was the cold remark.

Izaya made a half grin. "Pathetic? Haha, that's funny. Being called pathetic by an even more pathetic person. Calling me pathetic, when you can't even get a hold of your sick love. Why don't you face it? Your brother will never love you back. You said you're content just breathing the air he breathes. Ha, if you are breathing for love, then you're going to suffocate in a couple of years..."

Namie stared from the doorframe while Izaya kept talking.

"...Poor you, your little brother prefers to be with a dead head than with his own sister... Oh, that's right, I forgot. He prefers to be with the fake image of a dead head, with a crazy stalker chick, than with the person who took care of him for years..." Izaya sipped from his glass. "...And you're calling me pathetic..." Izaya slumped in his couch.

"Are you done?" Namie asked, unaffected by Izaya's words.

"Nah, but I'm tired, and you're not worthy of my time..."

"And the drink is?"

"Yup."

"Pathetic." And the door slammed shut.

Izaya growled. "You left the lights on!"

•••••

Something wasn't right. Shizuo could feel it. That eerie sensation was ringing. That annoying sensation had been bugging him since a month ago. He'd been on guard since then. As if a gang would pop out from any corner, or a slasher, or an assassin, or an alien, or-or... well, many things.

But mostly, his defenses were up for a certain black-haired man who hadn't showed his face in the city for over three months.

'Maybe... maybe he died... no... I can't be happy... 'till I have proof. I can't have hope , since he's like a cockroach- you can't be sure it's dead 'till you smash its head and make a pulp of its body...' Shizuo's mind went on in a very graphic way.

"Shizuo," Tom called, and Shizuo complied.

They were doing the last job of the day. The place of the recollection was at the far end of the city. Shizuo didn't go to that area often. When the cries and pleas of mercy were over, of course they were from the client, they went back to the city.

The return was peaceful until a cry of pain shouted up to the sky.

Shizuo and Tom exchanged glances, but decided to not pry into it. However, several cries of pain followed, and their curiosity was too much to bear. Shizuo and Tom peeked around the corner of an alley. As soon as their heads were around the edge of the building, a body came flying in their direction.

The body landed with a painful thud.

"S-Stay away from me!" a man shouted, while his trembling hand pointed a gun at a smaller man. Said man didn't flinch at the shouting voice. Instead, he moved forward, pressing the gun to his own head. The man's hands were shaking in fear, as if he saw his own death in the smaller man's eyes.

"Hey." The man flinched at the word. Although the taller should be in peace, since he was holding the gun at the guy's head, he couldn't help but to feel fear- immense fear.

"Come on, you can do better than this. After all, I did give you folks an advantage~ Your pals were really clueless at what to do, right? Well, I suppose you are one of those ignorant newbies, too, right? You don't need to worry, I'll teach you. First..." The smaller took hold of the gun, and the man almost let an indignant yelp slip from his mouth.

"...You have to hold the gun still, okay?-" The voice was smiling. "-Then press it to reduce the chance of missing. Of course, this technique is for close-range situations, but nevertheless is a good tip. Anyway, after you have unlocked the safety, pull the trigger."

The lesson ended and the man holding the gun was wetting his pants.

"I said, pull the trigger." The voice came, more forceful and commanding. The man was a tear away from crying.

"Do I have to repeat myself? Seriously, how hopeless is your Neanderthal brain, I said pull th-"

"L-Let me g-go," the man's voice cracked repeatedly.

"Pardon? You are the one taking me hostage, remember?"

"P-Please, j-just let-let me-"

"I can't. You think that I am going to do that? I-"

It was a simple question, asked with a refreshing voice, but the man passed out before he could hear the rest of the sentence.

"Alas, these... are just... I can't even find a word to describe the utter uselessness of these men..." The complaint was very sincere.

"Izaya...?" Shizuo asked with an unreadable expression.

Izaya lifted his gaze as the police sirens sounded in the vicinities.

•••••

"...That was... confusing..." Tom said, as he sipped his coffee. Shizuo and Tom were in a coffee shop. "He didn't even notice us until you spoke."

There was no reply from his employee.

"Shizuo... are you okay?"

"Yeah... I just... I'm going home," Shizuo said, and left.

After Shizuo called Izaya's name, the police were in the opposite corner of the alley. The normal thing Izaya would have done, was run. Yes, Shizuo was absolutely positive of it. But it didn't happen. Izaya let himself be dragged off by handcuffs and yells from the police force.

Tom and Shizuo were dumbfounded.

What he saw wasn't real, right? It was a trick... or some kind of scheme made by Izaya. Yes, that was it.

Yeah, that was it...

•••••

'It's been a week and the flea hasn't come around...' Shizuo thought, while he paced through the streets of the city.

Shizuo hadn't forgotten that incident. He just couldn't let it go. It was something that he'd learned throughout the years he'd been with Izaya.

It felt wrong.

It was not normal.

It wasn't like it normally felt.

Shizuo was getting angry. That wasn't good at all.

Not one bit.

The passers-by, as they saw Shizuo's murderous aura arise, fled from the place. Anger and frustration boiled up inside him, ready to be released.

The next second, a voice stopped him in his tracks.

"I did everything you said... The job is done... I'm waiting for my payment..."

A soft murmur sounded a bit after.

"What?"

"Goodness! This is so cute~"

A stern silence.

"...Orihara-san...?"

"Oh no! Such a cute little kitten! ... Um, you're not running away? ... Can I pet you?" Izaya was practically squealing in delight, minding his time with a black stray cat.

"...Orihara-san... please... get up from the ground..."

Izaya played with the dirty cat, moving his finger above its head. His back was to the man who stared impassively at him, and after a couple of moments, Izaya spoke:

"...Can an impulsive love overcome bloody hatreds?" A tread of sadness hung on his words.

"Wha-"

"...use it when it's useful, get rid of it when it's an obstacle... or so they say..."

The man was lost and so was Shizuo. Izaya was talking in riddles.

"Perhaps you want something more from me?" the man asked hastily, before Izaya could do or say more.

"I don't want anything… Nothing... Nothing that I really care about..." Izaya stopped playing with the cat for a moment. "Your payment will be sent this afternoon. You can go."

Without a word, the man left the alley, heading to the main street.

Izaya stroked the cat's head, smiling at it. "Hey... will you do the same for me?" The cat lifted its yellow eyes, gazing intently at Izaya's. "...Will you?"

The cat moved, walking away.

•••••

Shizuo stared at the crouched man. An exquisite mix of feelings was revolving inside his being.

He couldn't name all of them, but surely, confusion was one.

But it was not confusion concerning Izaya's words. The confusion was about the fact that he was not angry. Although Izaya was there, he could not get mad.

For the first time since the beginning of their "relationship," he could breathe.

'Huh?'

Why?

Before the answer could flow unto Shizuo, Izaya rose from the ground and stopped mid-air when his eyes set on Shizuo.

What to do. What to do.

Ha.

•••••

"Izaaayaaaaaa!"

"Nope. Bad! Bad Shizu-chan! Sit!"

Yup, they were back to normal again. Shizuo was tailing Izaya while the informant was running away.

"You damn flea, stop!"

Izaya jumped over a metal fence, landing gracefully on the other side. "Okay, listen, brute, I do NOT want to fight today, so please shoo-shoo."

"Do you expect me to turn away after you've insulted me?" Shizuo's voice was low... and deadly.

"Yes," Izaya grinned, and ran away when the fence was pulled out from the concrete.

The chase began again.

Why was Shizuo chasing after Izaya, if before he was feeling everything but angry? Well, it was because of Izaya's face. Shizuo simply felt a twitch, and in the next second, many of the awful memories of his past with Izaya flowed in. After that, Izaya saw his face and ran away. Later, a couple of insults were shared, and it ended with:

"Izaya, come down... NOW."

"I refuse~," Izaya stuck his tongue out at Shizuo.

"I'm gonna rip that stair out if you don't come down!" Shizuo warned.

"Do you realize that, with those words, not only will I refuse, but also say that your IQ is low and almost nonexistent? Just think of the possibilities if I come down. One, you will kill me. Two, you will hit me. Three, well, the other two reasons are enough to explain my point. But also, why would I leave this place if it's secure enough to keep me away from you? Can you say something against this logic?"

"I don't fucking care! Come down or I'll make you!"

"One thing, though, out of curiosity, what are you planning to do, if for mere coincidence of fate, I agree to come down?"

"I'm gonna tie you down with this post."

"The metallic one that you are holding?"

"Yah."

"Hm, I see... well, my answer is: I refuse. So go away, Shizuo..."

At that, Shizuo perked his ears and for a second he was able to hear Izaya murmuring "...You aren't like him at all..."

"What?"

"I said go away."

"No, after that."

"...I do not know what are you talking about..."

"Liar."

"...Say what you want to say. If it makes you happy, please go ahead, enjoy! And if it makes you so happy that you think you could explode, then please go ahead and die." Izaya grinned.

A very distressing cracking noise sounded beneath Izaya.

Izaya cursed when the emergency stair begun to creak.

"Shizu-chan, do you realize that this stair has a purpose for the innocent people that live here? How could they escape if a fire starts? Hm? Are you going to save them? After all, you are the one ripping it out from its place. Don't you have morals?"

Shizuo stopped for a moment. What? Izaya was right? Impossible!

When the blond was about to speak, a ring sounded.

"Hello?" Izaya answered his cellphone.

"Yes...No, I'm free..."

At that, Shizuo twitched. 'You aren't free!'

"...What is it? …" Izaya seemed content.

"...Oh... I see... Yeah, I... I understand..."

'What happened?' Shizuo frowned, and his eyes locked on Izaya's face. He seemed melancholic?

"...NO! I'm totally fine! Don't worry!" Even to Shizuo, that tone of voice didn't seem convincing.

"...Seriously, I'm fine! You don't have to be so formal..."

'That again! He- Izaya seems...sad...'

After a couple of moments, the call ended and a rather uncomfortable silence settled in.

"You are not going to let me go, are you?" Izaya asked in dry tone.

"Wha?" Before Shizuo could actually think of what Izaya was saying, the raven- haired man began to undress.

"W-W-What the hell are you doing?" Shizuo asked, confused and half-flushed.

When the jacket was off, Izaya gave Shizuo a weird look, as if saying, "It's not a big deal, it's just my jacket..."

Izaya wrapped it around his right arm and with force, smashed it against one of the windows of the building.

Shizuo stared.

"I have three more routes of escape. You have a very low probability to catch me. So, I recommend you give up."

Shizuo was left dumbfounded once again, but this time, holding a staircase.

•••••

"Shizuo-kun, thinking too much isn't good for your health."

"Are you calling me stupid?" Shizuo asked menacingly.

"No! I'm sorry! Celty, my love, help!" Shinra threw his body to Celty, who dodged it.

[Eh? What happened here?] Celty showed her PDA to Shizuo.

"Nothing much, it's just Shinra calling me stupid," Shizuo said.

Celty turned to her roommate in a scolding manner. [Shinra, don't bother poor Shizuo!]

"What? What! I didn't do anything! I was just talking to him, and Izaya's name slipped out and he suddenly spaced out and-and-and it's true! Thinking too much isn't good for our health!" Shinra wailed.

After a moment, Celty and Shizuo ignored Shinra.

[How are you, Shizuo? I haven't see you around lately.]

"Yeah, work has been tough lately."

[I see.]

"Yah."

"I don't like to be ignored." Shinra pouted.

[…]

"..."

"Celty, honey! You shouldn't take Shizuo's example! Your cuteness is going to rot!"

[Stop saying weird stuff...]

"What did you say, Shinra?"

"Hehehe," Shinra chuckled nervously.

BAM!

The door opened. Everyone in the room stared, shocked at the person who entered Celty and Shinra's apartment.

"You!" Izaya glared at Shinra. The raven-haired man's shirt was tainted in blood.

"W-Wha?" Before Shinra could ask more, Izaya strode toward him, holding his jacket carefully.

"I'll pay you anything, just check her."

"Who?" Shinra looked everywhere, and finally laid his eyes on the bundle in Izaya's arms.

Shinra inspected it for a moment. "...A cat?"

"No, it's an alien."

[Alien? !]

"Celty, honey, no, it's a cat. Calm down. Okay, Izaya-kun, what the heck is going on?"

"I'm telling you to treat her."

"...I'm not a vet..."

"Look, before you rant about ethical crap and so on, I'll tell you that I'll pay a ridiculous amount of money for her treatment-"

Shinra interrupted, "How much?"

"The sum is almost obscene," Izaya said.

"Okay! Bring the kitty over here please~"

"You are so predictable, my friend," Izaya said with a sigh. But his relief was there.

Ah, right. Izaya didn't even know about Shizuo's existence until later that night.

•To be continued•

™ © ® to Narita Ryohgo creator of Durarara!

I do not own anything whatsoever.