"IZAYA!"

A loud bang followed the word and maniacal laughter followed soon after, as well.

Izaya ducked as a street lamp went whizzing by his head. In retort, Izaya threw three knives at the blond who came charging at him.

Shizuo dodged two of them and caught the third in between his teeth. With a growl, he swung a stop sign at Izaya's head like a bat, intent on lopping it off.

Izaya ducked once again and rushed forward. He drew a knife through Shizuo's side. Though he was intent on drawing blood, all he could do was tear the fabric of his vest and white undershirt.

Shizuo moved away. "You—"

Izaya grinned. Then turned and ran.

"Get back here!"

Shizuo gave chase.

Izaya grinned as Shizuo followed him.

'So simple-minded.' Izaya thought.

A stop sign went whizzing by Izaya's head.

'He can't aim either.'

"IZAYA!"

BAM!

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

Celty's tries screeched to a stop as a hunk of earth flung into her path. Shinra banged his head against the dullahan's shoulder blades but she didn't notice. Izaya leaped on top of the pile of road, then pushed off and grabbed onto the ledge of a small building. He pulled himself up then sat on the edge, squatting, looking over his shoulder at Shizuo with a smug grin.

Shizuo threw a stop light at him. Izaya leaped out of the way and landed on the stop light as it imbedded into the building then slowly tilted over. The stop light created a bridge from one building to the other and the flea walked across it with that smug grin still on his face.

Celty reached for Shizuo but he ran by without even noticing.

Izaya slid down a lamp pole with a cocky calmness then hopped off the base onto the ground.

Shizuo came around the corner, a glare of hate fueling his eyes, a guardrail clamped in his hand.

"I~za~ya~."

Izaya chuckled. "Neh, neh, Shizu-chan, do you enjoy our little banters?"

"Like hell!" Shizuo charged.

Izaya grinned. Shizuo raised the guard rail over his head. With a yell of rage, he brought it down towards the flea.

Izaya took a step to the left. The guard rail indented into the ground.

Izaya slashed his blade at Shizuo's face. A thin line of blood marred his cheek.

Shizuo automatically lashed out with a fist at the flea. Izaya dodged once again.

"Stop moving, you damn flea!" Shizuo lashed his fist at Izaya continuously, aiming to bruise the raven.

Izaya back-stepped as he dodged the blows with ease, his hands tucked in his pockets, a grin still on his face.

"I can't do that, Shizu-chan. If you hit me, I'll most-likely die."

"Good! Die already!"

As Izaya back-stepped into the middle of the street, a crowd of people had began to form on one end. Celty stood next to Shinra, Mikado, Anri, and Kida.

Shizuo's fist indented into the ground. Izaya's blade flashed out from his hip and flung Shizuo's sun glasses into the air.

Shizuo instinctively backed away as Izaya held his blade out at the blond.

"Do you really mean that?" Izaya asked, that grin still on his face.

"Hah?!"

Izaya chuckled and brought the blade to his chest. He played with the sharpened tip with his index and thumb.

"Just out of curiosity, Shizu-chan, what would you do without me in your life?"

"HAH?!"

"It's a simple question." Izaya brought his hands to his shoulders in a shrug. "If I wasn't in your life, what would you do? Live an apple pie life with a white picket fence and a petite wife who held the next generation of your monstrous genes? Would a monster like you really be good with that kind of life?"

Shizuo was silent, glaring at Izaya.

'What would I do without you, huh?'

"Heiwajima Shizuo!"

Izaya's smile faded as he looked past Shizuo with a look of distaste. Shizuo turned around with a glare.

A man in a trench coat with a black beanie hat, ragged black hair, and blood-shot baggy eyes stood a few feet behind Shizuo. He held out a stun gun in his shaky hands, the weapon pointed at Shizuo.

"Who the hell are you?" Shizuo snarled as he turned around.

"Y-You and Tom Tanaka—you drove me to ruin. You…"

"Hah? Drove to ruin? Not my fault you can't pay what you owe."

"You drove me to ruin." His hands began to shake horrifically now. "You destroyed me."

Izaya eyed the man curiously. In any other case, he would have run or attacked Shizuo as soon as his attention was drawn away. But he was curious as to what this man wanted and what he would do. So, he stood silently, the crowd looking on the scene with just as curious eyes, watching the man with intent gazes.

Shizuo growled and began stalking over to the man. "You mean to tell me that because you couldn't pay your debt, it's my fault. That I should pay for taking what you owe us."

"Stay-stay back." The man tensed, his eyes widened, and he took a few steps back.

"Please explain to me." Shizuo charged. "HOW YOUR LAZINESS IS MY FAULT?!"

The man screamed and closed his eyes in fear as he pulled the trigger.

Shizuo froze when the stun gun 'bullets' left the weapon.

But they never touched Shizuo. The man's shaking hands threw off the aim of the intended target and instead flew by Shizuo.

And attached to Izaya.

Automatically, Izaya's eyes widened and all his muscles tightened as electricity shot through his body. He felt immense pain but he couldn't open his mouth to scream.

Shizuo looked over his shoulder and his eyes widened as the raven fell to the ground.

The man opened his eyes and they widened in shock.

"Eh? Ah," he stuttered.

"Izaya!" Shinra yelled as he ran towards the raven.

The doctor stooped and checked the raven's pulse then shook him.

"Izaya, wake up!" Shinra shook him again. When the raven didn't stir, he looked at the man. "How many volts is that?!"

"Uh, um…a-a hundred thousand volts…"

Shinra's eyes widened.

"I-I—"

Shizuo turned around and the utter rage that filled his face made chills of fear trail down the man's spine.

Shizuo charged.

Shinra hoisted Izaya and wrapped one arm around his waist while the other draped the raven's arm over his neck.

Mikado ran over to help Shinra as Celty rushed over to Shizuo and wrapped her arm around Shizuo's striking first. Shizuo had the man pinned to the ground, holding him down by a fist that held his shirt while he had been brutally pummeling the man until Celty grabbed his arm.

"Let go—" he snarled.

Celty shoved her phone toward Shizuo's face. :If you keep that up, you'll kill him.:

Shizuo was barely able to comprehend in his anger-filled mind.

He released the man as Shinra called to Celty. Celty called to her horse by raising her hand. The bike came down the opened road and drove up to the dullahan. The Black Bike mounted her vehicle while Shinra put Izaya in the side car, then hopped on behind Celty.

They drove off as cop sirens rang in the distance and quickly approached.

Izaya opened his eyes a slit to see a white roof, darkened due to the lights being off and it being night. The only light was from the opened door.

Izaya automatically knew that he was in a hospital. The beating heart monitor and the respiratory mask over his mouth and nose were a dead give-away. But he didn't remember walking here. If fact, he didn't remember anything after he got shot by that stun gun. Pain over took him instantly after the 'bullets' touched him but after two seconds, he went black. He didn't even remember hitting the ground though he had felt his legs give away.

He heard a heated discussion in the hallway. He didn't feel like moving his head so he just glanced over. He recognized Shinra's voice automatically but he couldn't make out the words.

'Ah, so Shinra and Celty brought me here.'

Moments later, the two came in. Shinra had a sour expression as he headed to the raven, then he saw Izaya's eyes were opened and the expression vanished into one of pity.

"What's going on, Shinra?" Izaya said through a weak grin. "You look upset. You know if you furrow your brow for a long time, you'll get wrinkles quicker."

Shinra's expression only deepened in misery. He turned away as his eyes became glassy.

"I can't tell him."

He exited.

"Tell me what?" Izaya's smile faded as his eyes narrowed.

He sat up and looked at Celty.

Celty fidgeted then walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. She typed up a message.

"Izaya…do you remember what happened?:

"Of course, I didn't hit my head. Or maybe I did, I don't remember if I hit the ground or not, heh heh." Izaya rubbed his head with a 'cute' grin on his lips.

Celty stared at him then typed up another message.

"You were electrocuted with 100,000 volts.:

"My, that's quite a bit."

:…Izaya, the doctors have done all they could. They…can't do anymore…I'm sorry…:

"Ehh?" Izaya grinned a little as fear gripped his heart. Celty could see the fear in his reddish-brown eyes. "I don't get the joke, Celty."

Izaya understood. He understood all too well what those words meant but denial still held him tightly. He didn't want to believe it.

Celty looked down. Then typed up. :It's no joke, Izaya. The electrocution damaged your internal organs badly and also caused an extremely severe heart attack so your heart…a transplant wouldn't do any good but prolong the inevitable for maybe another month or so.:

Izaya's hands clenched the blankets. He looked at his fists, at the needle stabbed into the back of them, then looked up at Celty as he stoned himself to the best of his capabilities.

"Give it to me straight, Celty. What's happening to me?"

Celty stared at him, then typed up the message and looked away.

:You're dying.: