Disclaimer: I do not own anything.

By the time Shizuo regains consciousness, he seems completely okay with the fact that his inanimate objects have personalities. I'm not that surprised, though, considering how normal he acts around that creepy headless human. When his temper isn't controlling him, Shizuo is actually an amazingly adaptable creature.

The first thing he does is makes sure I'm okay. I keep telling him I'm fine, but he looks over my surfaces at least six times before he's convinced I don't have any scratches. He gently puts me back on his face, like he's suddenly afraid that breaking me would be the same thing as killing me. Which isn't exactly true, since I'm clearly okay (physically) after being shattered multiple times in the past.

He then pulls out a drawer and grabs a pack of cigarettes. He flips it open.

"Pick me! Pick meee!"

"No, pick me! I'm packed with more Nicotine!"

"Over here!"

"I love you the most, Shi-"

He throws it back into the drawer and slams it closed, rattling the kitchen cabinets.

"Just take one," I advise, feeling his temple twitch angrily. "Don't worry about it. They enjoy the sensation of slowly dying."

Shizuo shudders, and I decide to shut up as he storms out of the kitchen. He makes his way to the bedroom, passing through the flickering light of the muted television screen. The shoes and Remote Control don't speak, probably for fear of Shizuo passing out again.

Shizuo stops at the threshold of the messy bedroom, staring at Izaya's pants on the floor. He glances out the window as we move over to the bed.

He does a double take, making a horrified sound as he stares outside.

"What?" I ask, confused. Shizuo says something, running over to the window.

It's starting to snow.

Which means the scrawny human is out in dangerous weather, wearing only a shirt and Jacket. Without any pants or shoes on.

He's got Bow Tie, I guess. If Izaya got desperate, he could keep his wiener warm.

Poor Bow Tie. Bless his gangsta soul.

Shizuo runs to the closet, throws on a coat, and runs back to the bed. He rips everything from the bed (comforter and all) and packs it all into a small bundle in his arms. I almost slip off his nose when he leaves the room with such a fierce velocity, that I swear I start to melt under the friction of the air against my glass. Shizuo makes a quick stop by the air vent to ram his foot into Right Shoe, and looks frantically around for Left Shoe.

"Over by the couch," I say.

Shizuo mutters something and finds Left Shoe on the floor in the same place he tossed him earlier. Shizuo sighs and says something.

I wish he would stop doing that. He knows we can't understand him.

Less than nine seconds later, we're leaving the apartment complex. Shizuo hugs the blankets to his chest as hurries into the cold. His body jerks as he skids on some ice.

"BOY, MY RUBBER SURE ISN'T WHAT IT USED TO BE!" shouts Right Shoe.

Shizuo, who had just found his balance, jumps violently and falls flat on his ass. He must have forgotten they have personalities too.

"Sorry," I apologize. "Your shoes are partially deaf, so they like to scream when they talk."

He grumbles, taking a while to get back on his feet due to the bundle in his arms.

"ARE WE GOING TO LOOK FOR IZAYA?" asks Left Shoe.

Shizuo twitches again, but doesn't fall over this time. He says something.

"Shizuo," I say, sighing. "We can't understand you, remember?"

He nods.

"Yes, we're looking for him," I answer for our human, who is now trudging through a snow-filled park.

"LOOKING FOR SKIM? BUT I THOUGHT SHIZUO PREFERRED TWO PERCENT," shouts Left Shoe.

"WELL, HE OBVIOUSLY LIKES SKIM NOW!" replies Right Shoe.

Shizuo's temples throb in irritation. He brushes some snow off his bundle of bedding, grinding his teeth as more snowflakes melt into the fabric. He stuffs it inside his coat and zips it up. Ice crystals begin creeping in around my glass. It's freezing.

"As much as I dislike that scrawny boyfriend of yours," I say, tightening my arms around Shizuo's ears for warmth, "I hope he's okay."

Shizuo nods, sniffing. I wonder if his nose is running from the cold or from the emotional state Shizuo must be in.

"I LOVE THE HOKEY POKEY!" shouts Right Shoe.

Shizuo stops, and I brace myself. We're in the middle of a snow-covered bridge that crosses over a pair of railroad tracks below. I knew Shizuo would only be able to handle this nonsense for so long before losing it. Sure enough, he bends down, rips Right Shoe off, and walks over to the side of the bridge.

"WHAT? HEY!" shouts Right Shoe.

"NO! WAIT!" shouts Left Shoe.

The panic in both of their voices is enough to push me into action. "Shizuo, I know you're mad, but-"

"PLEASE DON'T ABANDON ME!" Right Shoe cuts me off.

WOOSH!

Shizuo whisks Right Shoe off of the bridge, the snowflakes swirling around as he soars higher through the air.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" bellows Left Shoe.

"LOOK! I'M FLYING!" shouts Right Shoe, still going up.

"IT'S LIKE THE TITANIC ALL OVER AGAIN!" cries Left Shoe.

"What?" I ask, momentarily distracted from the dire situation.

"YOU SAID YOU'D NEVER LET GO, ROSE!" shrieks Left Shoe.

"I BELIEVE I CAN FLYYYY!" Right Shoe sings as he reaches the top of his arch, and then he swiftly begins falling. The drifting snowflakes engulf him, and Shizuo turns from the scene of the crime, hugging his bundled chest tighter as he walks onward with only one shoe.

"HOW COULD YOU?" sobs Left Shoe. "JACK COULD HAVE STILL BEEN ALIVE! I SAW AIR BUBBLES AFTER HE SANK!"

Shizuo continues to walk, and I faintly hear Right Shoe still singing.

"I BELIEVE I CAN TOUCH THE SKYYY! I THINK ABOUT IT EVERY NIGHT AND DAY!"

"JAAAAACK!"

"I SPREAD MY WINGS AND-!"

And then silence. He must have hit the ground.

The snow muffles everything, making this newfound stillness unbearable. Shizuo's right foot is clearly bothering him, and he begins walking with a limp after two hours of endless searching. The light snowfall has turned into a blizzard, and Izaya is nowhere to be found. Left Shoe still won't stop crying.

"please… please go back…" I can barely hear him, he's whimpering almost to himself now. "right shoe is… please… i won't ever talk again…"

If I had a heart, it would be breaking.

"Shizuo, just go back. Izaya is probably at home by now. He's smart enough to know when to give up." I'm not sure if I believe anything I'm saying, but Shizuo doesn't look so good himself. His foot is probably swollen by now, and I know he regrets tossing Right Shoe off that bridge.

There's still a big chance that Izaya is home, really. Shizuo and Izaya get in countless fights, time and time again, but they always wind up together. It's impossible for them to stay away from each other. And no matter how much I claim to hate Shizuo's relationship with Izaya, I really don't. Jacket isn't as much of a bitch as she tries to be, and the other objects we started hanging around with because of Izaya are now our friends. Everyone's happy… Even I'm happy.

And I want Shizuo to be happy.

Just as Shizuo turns back to go home, a voice cuts through the howling wind.

"Yo… Any brothas out there? This be an S.O.S… cool whip style..." The familiar voice finds it's way to me, sounding exhausted but very, very close.

"Shizuo, stop! I hear Bow Tie!" I exclaim.

Shizuo keeps walking.

"Shizuo, wait! What about Bow Tie? You know, the thing you wear around your neck every day?"

Shizuo stops, but he doesn't react in the way I want him to. He doesn't even look as if he gets my point. He can't see the importance in the discovery of his missing accessory.

"FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!" I scream, louder than the shoes have ever screamed before. "IZAYA RAN AWAY WITH BOW TIE! BOW TIE HAS A SOUL! BOW TIE IS WITH IZAYA! I CAN HEAR BOW TIE!"

Shizuo finally reacts like he should. He spins around, peering frantically down the white street.

"BOW TIE!" Left Shoe bellows desperately beneath me. I can hear in his tone that he doesn't want to lose anyone else. "CAN YOU HEAR US?"

"BOW TIE?" I call out as well. Shizuo stays very still, listening.

The only thing we can hear is the wind screaming off the buildings. No response, no gangsta voice calling back at me. Left Shoe muffles a sob.

Did I imagine it?

Are we too late?

"… Homies?"

"Bow Tie!" I laugh, relieved. "Where are you?"

"Specs! Man, am I kickin' to hear you!"

Shizuo follows the sound of his voice, stopping in front of a familiar building. The entrance is set back into the brick walls, leaving two doors protected from the snow. Shizuo bends down and picks something up from the clean concrete, and I want to explode in joy when I see that it's Bow Tie.

"Wazzup, G?"

"BOW TIE!" rejoices Left Shoe.

"Are you okay?" I ask. I can see that he's at least clean.

"Fo sho! Speshly now that youz here, dawg!"

Shizuo looks around, and I suddenly recognize the building we're taking shelter under. It's that headless girl's apartment building. She lives with some lunatic man in a white dress (which claims itself to be a lab coat… suuure).

Shizuo says something.

"Yo, nice ta meet youz, home dawg," says Bow Tie, suddenly conversing with our human. "Well, dis ain't us meetin', perz sayz, but Jacket tells me I can talk witchu now."

Shizuo looks around and says something again.

"Oh. Guess I ain't gonna understand youz, tho. Iz cool, iz cool, we can still be homeboiz," says Bow Tie. Shizuo clenches Bow Tie angrily in his fist.

"I think he wants to know where Izaya is," I say. Shizuo grunts in affirmation.

"Ohh! Dat boy'z in dis building, yo. He dun dropped my ass on accident, I s'pose."

Shizuo sighs and steps away from the entrance, looking up at the windows above.

"He's safe," I say.

"CAN WE GO GET RIGHT SHOE NOW?" yells Left Shoe.

But Shizuo doesn't turn around. Instead, he backs up a few feet, pats the bundle securely under his coat, and then charges at the glass doors with all his might.

You better run, Izaya. Lover boy down here is mad.

A/N: I am so sorry.

Love, CircusRunaway