Predator – The Devils Price.

Rating: M.

Summary: Izaya played games all of his life – games that eventually lead to his demise. He finds out the hard way that in the under world, he would be on the receiving end of these plots. Celty temporarily saves him from his guaranteed eternity in Hell, but when he returns to the realm of the living, he can't help but feel that some changes are necessary. Can he change the course his life is taking after all? Not only that, but the price for escaping the clutches of the dead is five fears- along with a gift from the Devil himself.

Disclaimers: All original characters, story plots, and personalities go to Ryohgo Narita's, "Durarara!" from 2004. I own nothing except for the insane plot line I have created.

Warnings: Izaya. Violence. Blood. Death. Implied non-con. Satanic meetings. Slight depression. Gang association. Future self-harm.

And some Fluff. Cause I am not as evil as everyone thinks I am. :)

A/N: This story is a rewrite of an old one-shot that had a very vague plot line. My old plot was quite rough and the story was just kind of slapped together, so I decided to rewrite it with the addition of some plot points that won't leave me alone. So what I am trying to say is, this story now has a thought-through plot. Yes. This is true insanity.

With the announcement of Season 2, I am glad I decided to rewrite this!

Just a heads up. While this story is intensely dark, it will also be incredibly light in some spots to make up for that, because we can't angst all the time, right? So my light hearted readers, do not fret!

Enjoy. ^_^

There were two other things I loved equally to observing my precious humans; the thrill of the hunt and the ecstasy of being hunted down.

I stealthily skipped through the wet streets of Ikebukuro, secretly enjoying humanity as it responded to weather. The sky was an angry shade of grey as it growled and drenched the city below it. Flashes lit up the clouds with brilliant light as they powerfully ground against each other, letting out a deafening roar as they fought for space. The rain was hard and fast, forcing the molecules that were touched by my chuckling breath to turn white before they were scattered away in the wind. My hood was pulled up to shield off the incoming assailants as they fell from the sky. The thick, auburn fur that rimmed my long coat was drenched, yet it stubbornly managed to keep my face somewhat dry as the jackets length billowed behind what I liked to call a graceful prance. I thought I looked divine in the weather, and I thoroughly enjoyed the fact that even in a downpour, I could appear so graceful and surreal.

I let out a full-bodied laugh as I began to slow my pace, walking normally. My breathing had oddly become slightly shallow from the exertion. There were a few people who were rushing past me, desperate to find shelter from the raging storm. A woman shrieked across the street as her umbrella threatened to fly away in the wind. She had on a dark, thick cloth jacket that fell down to her knees. It, along with her hair and skin, were soaked. Her face was painted with worry and horror, like the rain was acid that would eat her away if her flesh was exposed for too long.

It had been raining all day; any smart human would be in a rain coat – not including me, of course. I snickered as I skipped by, shaking my head in disapproval at the stupidity of some of my humans. Oh, how I loved days like these. I was also making sure to keep to the sides of the street, lest I run into some unwelcome company. Aside from the frantic stragglers, the town was practically empty; no one wanted to be caught in the nasty weather, myself included.

Ahhh. I forgot that Shiki-san can be such a pain sometimes. The wind suddenly stirred violently as I rounded another corner and it whipped against my face, forcing my eyes to almost close. I smiled into the assault, loving how the chill burned at my skin. I loved nature; the way it changed my dear people into finicky and righteous beings, like they were delicate creatures who couldn't stand against, and didn't deserve, such an attack from nature. It genuinely entertained me, but as much as I loved them and wanted to stay and observe, I had things to do. People to meet. Work to get done. My pressing schedule had become even more tight over the past few hours and as much as I would have liked to stay and meddle with the few humans present; I needed to get back to Shinjuku. Somewhere along the way, I had also lost my fare for the train. This will be quite the walk, it almost feels normal again.

Not letting it get me down, I grinned as I turned around another corner, walking briskly past an empty Russia Sushi. My pace instinctively quickened. My heart rate accelerated as I speedily slipped past and a dark, quiet giggle practically erupted from my throat. Normally, I would have loved it if I ran into Shizu-chan; that would usually be a treat. But it had been well over eleven months since I had stepped foot into Ikebukuro, and I didn't exactly want my presence to be noticed. I had no time and as much as I hated to admit it, no energy to mess with Shizu-chan. I had started one too many gang wars, and it was taking everything I had to keep up with their new found rivalries. The work – work that hopefully would never return to bite me in the ass – and labour was difficult to maintain, but I was cunning and quick, I was more than sure I could do it. It was too big to screw up. I had recently returned from my underground adventure after some... complications; details I didn't need to get into. Long story short, a lot of people were mad that I used them as pawns, and I found myself checking over my shoulder every couple of minutes due to my newest paranoia. I was playing above and below ground now. Only certain people knew of my return to Shinjuku, while others would find out in due time. The word 'mess' could be loosely used to describe my situation.

Despite everything, I was mostly just trying to convince myself that I didn't majorly screw up.

An irritated sigh left me as I took in a deep breath. Work aside, there was no guarantee that the debt collector was roaming the streets anyway, and that fact was slightly unsettling. It was both storming and just after midnight. The blonde was more than likely at his home, sound asleep in his warm, dry bed, dreaming of more pleasant things than myself. Hell, as far as he was concerned, I was long gone and not returning.

I wanted to keep it that way.

Regardless, I needed to pass through Ikebukuro if I wanted to make it home myself. Shiki always felt this need to meet me as far away from Shinjuku as possible; it was already getting on my nerves again. He knew my relationship with Shizu-chan, and yet he continued to drag me to the other side of Ikebukuro just to meet up with him. He also waited a month after I told him I was returning to call for a personal appointment with me. The sudden urgency and the contents of our simple conversation was eating at the back of my mind. "I want you to make a personal delivery..." he had said. There's something off about this... I would have to look into it later. I really couldn't afford any distractions until I was done playing with what I had started. I also didn't want to run into Shizu-chan, so the delivery needed to be made now; there was just too much to do.

I huffed out a breath from my irritating thoughts, intently watching the white puff of air get shattered and hurriedly blown away by the wind. I just had to stop and drop off this package on my way home – my favourite and greatly missed home, might I add – and then I was free to continue playing out my flaming war. I patted the bulge that the duffel bag made from underneath my jacket. It was slung across my shoulders like a messenger bag for it was relatively heavy after all. I couldn't imagine what was in it though. Shiki was normally direct and informative when he gave me jobs like this, but this time, he hadn't given me any clues. "Just take it, and deliver it." was what he had said. Also, he knew my carrying capacity was a little bit lower than the average humans', not that I openly admitted that or anything, so the fact that he had given me such a heavy chore to do in the first place was rather irritating. I wonder what it is... It was one of those black sports bags, large, awkward, and heavy. Rectangular in shape but it was full. Judging from the way it was bouncing off of my leg, it's contents were not solid objects, and that was what had me slightly worried. I wasn't one for transporting body parts.

My walk had slowed down and I was feeling the first wave of fatigue and strain from carrying it. I was clearly getting a little bit out of shape. But alas, I needed to press onward. Oh Shizu-chan. What should I do when I have the time to play again? I need my exercise, after all.

Plots began to form and stabilize in my mind as I purposely splashed through a puddle or two. I loved how Shizuo could always distract me. Perhaps my one weakness, if you will. I could lead the blonde to play yet another game of cat and mouse; have the blonde chase me and rip up the city as he went, screaming my ever so lovely name, never quite grasping the fur of my hood as I fled in hysterical laughter. It was the game we always played, and the thought of it was enough to shove Shiki-san and his weird job request out of my mind. I found it both ironic and peculiar that the beast of Ikebukuro could ease my stress.

It wasn't much of a game of cat and mouse though, more like a hyena verse a lion. The hyena would stealthily seek the lion, and then coax it into a game of chase in a sly, playful manner. The lion would give in to the taunt, using its brute force and anger to try and hunt the hyena down, even if it meant chasing the laughing creature to the pits of hell.

My chuckle echoed through the empty street as I, the deemed hyena, slunk into the nearest alley, sheltering myself momentarily from the assaulting rain. I knew the back roads better than the streets due to my frequent 'travels', and it would be quicker for me to take the alley ways. As much as I loved the way my humans responded to rain, I did have a pressing schedule planned for the morning, as I already mentioned. It would probably take me a while to get back to Shinjuku with this ever so heavy monstrosity at my side, and the delivery itself might not be the smoothest. Normally, I would call up Celty to make the delivery, but it was in Shinjuku and I was on my way back anyway, and the recipient was a member of the Awakusu, one of my conflicting gangs to top it all off.

So. I couldn't really pass the job off.

And that was the part of the ordeal that had me puzzled. Shiki got me, of all people, to make a personal delivery to his rival. Almost nine months back, I had 'accidentally' leaked some information about a cop joining the Awakusu ranks. The info was a hoax, just mere words to stir up some trouble for the time being while I was still gathering my pawns to place them under my control. I was mostly poking at a particular man who didn't like the recruiting system, and just as I had planned, he became incredibly vocal about his thoughts. The fear of a cop amongst them became too much, and I had successfully diverged the group into almost even halves. Shiki let the man run off with a hand full of men – all men who were too fearful to believe in Shiki's confidence that the rumour was false. Shiki, as I had known, had over looked the rumour and let the men flee. He deemed it a testing period, and claimed that he didn't need people like them, and if they were smart enough to realize their stupidity then they would go back to him with their tails between their legs.

His words, not mine.

I was more than tempted to look in the bag, but Shiki had picked me for the delivery simply because he trusted me and could pay me not to look.

So look, I shall not. Thoughts aside, I predicted getting home around three in the morning, and my first meeting of the day was at six. A few clients had been transferred to the morning so I could meet with Shiki-san at his own hideout, and speaking from experience, I doubted there would be time for me to sleep in between. Namie would be more than furious if she had to reschedule my pre-scheduled schedule again.

I laughed at the mere thought. That secretary of mine was going to poison me one day.

I slipped myself deeper into the alley, blinking away the rain as it viciously dropped onto my face. The streaks that were left behind chilled my skin and sent a shiver down my spine. In the event that Shizu-chan did appear, the game of cat and mouse would more than likely resume despite the weather. I shuddered at the exciting thought. We need to try something new… The game needed to evolve before both members became bored. After all, a lion wouldn't chase uncatchable prey forever.

But a stubborn brute with hatred will hunt me forever. I assumed that Shizu-chan would never get bored of the game, even if it became predictable. Though, the blonde was predictably unpredictable. It has been almost a year since I saw him last... actually, I think this is the longest I have gone without bothering him. I wonder if he is more stressed now that he doesn't have me to release his anger on? I chuckled as I slipped into the furthest depths of the alley. It was dark and I had a finger lightly tracing the dirty, wet wall just to make sure I didn't walk into anything. One of the streetlights flickered, lightly illuminating my dim surroundings. An ominous feeling settled into my stomach as peculiar shadows danced around me. Or maybe he is much calmer and relaxed now, knowing that I am not causing trouble in 'Bukuro still. Hmmm.. I wonder, but I have no time to find out today...

I abruptly stopped, my long coat catching up to my body and shrouding my lower half. The black fabric swirled around my legs as I stood still, my eyes transfixed on the dark gravel in the alley. It was hard to see in the dimness; was that a garbage container up ahead? My trademark smirk remained in place, though my crimson eyes narrowed slightly. I dropped my hand from the wall and let it curl into a light fist at my hip.

The rain dropped heavily to the ground still, and it dripped off of nearby buildings, the lone drops splashing into puddles. The rain itself sounded like white noise and it muddled everything else around me, along with the growls from the clouds as they shifted above yet again. I ignored the fact that the fabric of my jacket was drenched. It was weighing me down, along with the sports bag. Rain water ran down the center of the alley like a miniature river and the gravel looked slick and unsafe. The air around me smelled musty and damp. Something near by was giving off an awful stench and I scrunched my nose up in disgust. The wind was screaming at me to run, but the chill it brought kept me frozen to where I stood.

There were so many noises. With focused effort, I listened carefully past the white noise, the dripping of the rain. Past the sloshing water as it snaked and sputtered around my feet. Past the growling skies and the screaming of the wind. My heart beat was throbbing in my ears and I could feel the blood rushing through my body and into my muscles. They involuntarily tensed, preparing me to flee.

Crunch.

I suddenly became more conscious of my surroundings. The walls were more narrow than I had first noticed and the alley was suddenly longer than I would have liked it to be. I could feel eyes on the back of my hood as the bore into me with unrestrained rage. My blood grew hot and my heart began to pound against my chest with unease. I tensed and readied myself.

Yes. Shizu-chan was completely unpredictable.