Okay, I wasn't going to post this for two reasons: 1. 'Cause I write a lot of stuff that I don't really feel the need to share with the internet world because I don't think it would be of interest to anyone but me, and 2. Because it was initially supposed to be a one-shot and I've posted way too many of those lately.

But alas, this story has done what most of my stories do, which is taken on a life of its own. For the readers that are okay with a tragic one-shot, please stop reading at the end of Chapter 1. For everyone else, feel free to continue on.

Reviews are always appreciated, pleasant or otherwise.

Unvarnished Reality

It had been a while since Izaya Orihara dared to set foot in Ikebukuro. Almost three months. Last time, that monster Shizuo Heiwajima had almost managed to kill him, though Izaya would never admit it.

Izaya had just been talking to a new human he'd found, Mikado Ryuugamine, when all of a sudden a vending machine had hit him hard enough to send him flying. He'd blacked out for a moment, and when he woke up a few seconds later, he was in a tremendous amount of pain.

With effort, Izaya managed to hook on his signature grin as he struggled to his feet and turned to face the only person it could possibly be: Shizuo Heiwajima. Izaya drew his flickblade as Shizuo growled out his name in that animalistic way that made Izaya's flesh crawl.

Izaya knew that he would be a goner if Shizuo attacked, but luck was on his side. A gang of punks showed up, and one of them was stupid enough to attack Shizuo, incurring the monster's wrath. Izaya was able to escape in all the confusion.

When he had gotten safely back to his home, which took much longer than usual, Izaya sank to the floor and carefully cataloged his injuries. A broken collarbone, a concussion, a broken arm, three broken ribs, and a whole host of bruises and cuts.

It took several hours of painful bandaging, preceded by a meticulous application of antiseptic, before Izaya allowed himself to settle in at his computer. There was nothing to do now but wait. Izaya knew he couldn't go out until he removed the bandages, lest someone take advantage of his weakness and decide to get rid of him.

At last, Izaya was so bored that he took off the bandages, telling himself that he had healed enough. And the first thing he did was go to pay Ikebukuro a little visit. He had missed the humans there; the humans he loved so much. It had been terribly lonely having to stay away from them.

But no sooner had Izaya stepped onto those familiar streets than did he hear an equally familiar cry.

"III-ZAAAAA-YAAAAAAAA!"

That cry made Izaya's blood run cold. Shizuo. Somehow, that monster had found him already. Izaya ran away as fast as he could, but his injuries, (especially the broken ribs), were slowing him down. After just a few blocks, he knew he had no choice but to turn and face Shizuo.

"Hey, Shizu-chan," Izaya said in a sing-song voice, trying not to show how heavily he was breathing. "I've missed you so!"

"Izaya," Shizuo snarled again. He looked around for a weapon, and at last he ripped a stop sign right out of the concrete. Izaya, who was used to Shizuo's unnatural strength, just whipped out his flickblade and held it defensively across his body.

"I'd rather not do this today, Shizu-chan," Izaya admitted. "I'll have you know that I'm not feeling too good right now."

"Then just stand still and let me put you out of your misery!" Shizuo swung the stop sign and Izaya staggered back a few steps, letting the sign slice the air just inches in front of his face. Izaya parried the next swing with his flickblade. He winced as his whole arm went numb from the force of the blow.

Fuck, Izaya thought, dodging clumsily as Shizuo tried over and over to hit him. Izaya stumbled over his own feet and he felt the stop sign slam into his stomach. The next thing he knew, he was flying through the air.

Izaya was up so long that he almost didn't expect to land, but then he smashed into the side of a building. He tumbled forward in a shower of broken bricks and fell to the ground. His legs were broken; Izaya knew that at once. He lay still, knowing that it was useless to get back up and in too much pain to try.

So this is how it would end...

Shizuo stomped over and grabbed him by the throat, hauling him into the air. Izaya bit back a groan of pain and watched Shizuo through slitted eyes.

"Got ya, flea," Shizuo said triumphantly. He slammed Izaya against the wall, and Izaya felt his teeth clack together. The flickblade, which he hadn't known he still had in his hand, dropped to the pavement with a clatter.

Shizuo looked down at the knife in surprise, then he got a twisted sneer on his face. He let go of Izaya, letting him crumple to the ground, and picked up the blade.

"I'm going to wipe that smirk off your face once and for all, flea," Shizuo promised. Izaya, panting, turned his head and blinked at Shizuo in confusion. Smirk? Was he smirking? Izaya reached up and touched his lips. Indeed, they were bent into their usual mocking curve. How about that?

Izaya began to laugh maniacally, amused and half-delirious. He stopped and coughed, choking out a mouthful of blood, then he laughed some more. Shizuo paused and looked down at him suspiciously.

"You aren't going to run away?"

Shizuo clearly thought this was some kind of trick, which made Izaya laugh even harder.

"Oh, Shizu-chan," Izaya rasped when he finally stopped, breathless from laughing and from the pain. "I couldn't outrun you. Not this time."

Shizuo knelt down beside him and Izaya closed his eyes, waiting for the pain of his own knife going through his flesh, but nothing happened. He opened his eyes a little and saw that Shizuo had put down the knife and was looking at him with the strangest expression. Izaya wasn't used to seeing anything other than rage on Shizuo's face, but he knew that he must be imagining this look of concern.

"Are you hurt that bad?" Shizuo's voice was completely without anger. Izaya had never heard Shizuo speak normally before.

"Hey, why don't you just stab me already?" Izaya replied, ignoring the question. "Or is it just too tempting to sit there and watch me die slowly?"

There was a long moment where Izaya's labored breathing was the only sound.

"Die?" Shizuo repeated softly. "You're...dying?"

Izaya tried to focus on Shizuo, but he couldn't. His vision was all blurry. "I don't blame you for wanting to enjoy it," he said. His tongue was heavy, like lead. It was making him slur his words. "Feels pretty good, huh, Shizu-chan? Finally accomplishing your goal after all this time? Come on, you can tell me. Doesn't it feel good?"

"Tch!" Shizuo clenched his teeth and looked away. "How could I enjoy this with you lying there looking so damn pathetic? Dammit, flea! Even now you're somehow managing to ruin what should be the greatest moment of my life!"

"Aw, Shizu-chan..." Izaya's eyes slipped shut as he let out one final laugh, and then the smirk left his face. Without it, he looked really fragile, and the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth was enough to make Shizuo's heart clench in guilt. Though that was nothing compared to what he felt when Izaya mumbled out his last words.

"M'sorry, Shizu..."

An apology? If Shizuo hadn't heard it with his own ears, he wouldn't have believed it. Izaya was apologizing. To him.

To his murderer.

While Shizuo knelt there, wracked with guilt, Izaya was fading fast. He could no longer feel his body and his thoughts were so slippery that he couldn't hold onto them for more than a few seconds. Everything was going dark.

Right before Izaya closed his eyes, he heard Shizuo reply in a sad, quiet voice.

"Me too."