endgame ch.1
Title: endgame
Author: Bell
Pairing: Izaya/Shizuo
Length: Ch. 1/???
Rating: PG-13ish
Genre: Action, Drama, Humor. EVERYTHING!!!!
Word Count: A little over 4,000
Summary: "And I'll be assisting you as your partner. For the whole two weeks."
"My... partner?"
"Yes, your partner. As in, I'll gather information from people and you'll throw out punches when I need you to."
Shizuo wondered if controlling his anger would be similar to the process some of his friends went through when kicking their smoking habit. Not that he had any intention of doing the latter. Hell, in his day-to-day life, nicotine was often the only thing that allowed him to keep his cool. But in many ways, his explosive anger was just as habitual, reflexive, and cathartic of a habit as smoking was--if not even more so. There was a saying that, when quitting any addictive habit, the first three days are the hardest and after that, it's a breeze. Which didn't sound so bad in theory... but with the way his day had been going so far, Shizuo was beginning to doubt if he could even put up with this for three whole days. Just this one day was feeling like an eternity.
"Black Butterfly. You know, kuroi chou... Because it doesn't sound as good in Japanese. What's up with these wasabi peas? No flavor at all!"
Shizuo glared down at the pavement as he walked. If he didn't have to hear or see Izaya, dealing with his presence wasn't actually that hard. He could at least pretend that the other man wasn't there and let his mind wander to other things. But Izaya seemed to be on his cellphone all the damn time. Since they had left the Black Butterfly HQ, he had made phone call after phone call after phone call. And even though Izaya's back was to him, his voice still echoed around the two of them loud and clear. How this was possible in the middle of a bustling city street, Shizuo would never know. It was like he was literally inescapable. He thought of letting Izaya wander farther ahead in attempt to drown out his voice, but on this crowded street, he would probably lose him. And Shizuo had no idea where the two of them were headed.
"When did people begin 'flavoring' peas, I wonder? Humans are so wasteful. Why can't peas be appreciated for their natural taste? Who knows, next there might be plum-flavored peaches."
Did Izaya EVER stop talking? Plum-flavored peaches?? What the HELL is that??
Before Shizuo fully realized what was happening, his foot had connected with a nearby stop sign. The force of the kick was enough for the pole to snap at the point of contact, causing the disconnected part to loudly crash down into the middle of the sidewalk. At this commotion, the people in the pair's area immediately backed several feet away. Some even broke into an all-out sprint in the opposite direction, probably aware of the damage Shizuo was capable of wreaking. Izaya only spared a lazy glance in his direction. "Ah, don't worry. It's just some wild animal that needs to be leashed. I wonder how much property damage is caused by that thing."
Shizuo almost growled, but realized it would only prove Izaya's point. Instead, Shizuo gritted his teeth and shoved his hands in his pockets. Only eleven hours until this cursed day was finally over. But remembering that he had only been conscious for the past three or so hours deprived him of any feelings of elation. Right from the start, the day had begun terribly.
Shizuo wasn't much of a morning person, but never before had he felt more disturbed upon awakening than he had that morning. First, while still stirring from his unconscious state, he felt a persistent throbbing at the back of his head. He guessed it was some after-effect of the drug he had been given. He then felt something shift on top of him, and only then did he realize there was a heavy weight centered on his stomach. His eyes snapped open only to be greeted with Izaya's smirking face--five inches away from his own. Shizuo stared, gaping for a few seconds before letting out a squawking noise he didn't realize he was capable of making. He practically flew off the ground into a standing position, sending Izaya crashing to the ground from where he was sitting, legs spread and pelvis resting on Shizuo's stomach.
"What were you... What. The. HELL. I'm going to KILL you!" Shizuo body was moving purely on instinct. The two were clearly no longer in the room Shizuo was held captive in. This place looked more like a fancy reception room. There was a long black leather couch against the wall next to him that almost stretched across the entire length of the room; it was so long that Shizuo had to hold it up at an angle, since the couch was longer than the ceiling was high. There seemed to be no one else around to hold Shizuo back and there wasn't much space in the room to run around, but Izaya remained where he was with an amused look on his face. One sentence was enough to stop Shizuo in his tracks.
"Do you not remember the deal we made last night?"
"What?" Shizuo snapped, but then memories from the night before flooded into his mind.
From how I see things... you have no choice but to trust me, Shizu-chan.
"I..." Shizuo strengthened his grip on the couch. "I didn't agree to anything."
Izaya narrowed his eyes. "Really now?"
Shizuo said nothing, but made no move to attack the other man. His memory was kind of fuzzy, another side effect he figured, but he remembered enough to know why Izaya was acting so confident. Honestly, if he hadn't been so tired, he probably would've eventually agreed to the deal... but he would look stupid if he retreated now!
"You do know that if you try to crush me with that couch, the deal is off. And that there are dozens of security guards in the building that will come after you if you attack me and make a break for it."
Well, wasn't that just great. Shizuo hated him so much. Under normal circumstances, he would try to crush Izaya, consequences be damned, just to get that annoying, arrogant look off his face. But under these circumstances...
After a few more moment's pause, Shizuo took several steps away from Izaya before loudly dropping the couch in the middle of the room.
Izaya shook his head in mock exasperation. "That couch doesn't belong there."
"Move it back yourself, then." Shizuo huffed and plopped himself onto the newly-displaced couch. He realized he was acting borderline bratty, but he really didn't know how else to react. He had never been in this situation before. How else would he express his annoyance except to be difficult?
"That's no good, Shizu-chan. You should clean up your own messes."
Just shut up already, Shizuo thought, but he didn't dare say it out loud for fear of continuing the conversation. Quiet is what he needed right now. He needed to think about his predicament, about how to get through the next two weeks without killing Izaya, or worse, putting himself in danger. Izaya probably had something up his sleeve; there was no way he would agree to do this unless he could somehow benefit from it. But Shizuo really had no idea how this situation could be beneficial to the other man. He didn't even really understand the situation himself. All he knew was that the woman who kidnapped him was named Terumi Reika and that she was the leader of a gang called the Black Butterfly. Otherwise, he was totally in the dark.
What he needed was information. Not that he would be able to get anything out of Izaya, not easily, at least. Trying to trick him into letting something slip was probably near-impossible. Mind games were Izaya's territory. Shizuo, on the other hand, only needed his strength and his reputation to get anything and everything he wanted. Until now, at least. Against Izaya, that same strength and reputation were meaningless. If Shizuo wanted to beat him, he would be forced to take a step into Izaya's underworld of manipulation and deceit. And he had to adapt--fast. In dangerous situations, it was either sink or swim.
But he really had no idea how Izaya's mind worked. Frankly, Izaya seemed to be flat-out insane. A lot of the things he did made no sense to Shizuo. Like what had happened just then... An image flashed in Shizuo's mind of the position the two of them were in while he was waking up: Izaya hovering over him, hands resting just above his shoulders and framing both sides of his head, hair almost brushing his forehead... He could almost feel the color draining from his face. He didn't want to speak to Izaya again, but his disgust and curiosity got the better of him. "You didn't... do anything to me while I was asleep... did you?"
Izaya seemed to expect the question and was all too happy to answer. "Quite full of ourselves, aren't we? Rest assured, I'm not nearly so desperate as to take a virgin while they're unconscious."
Whatever color had left Shizuo's face returned tenfold. Whether he was embarrassed by Izaya's assumption, his correct assumption, or just plain pissed, he could no longer tell. "S-Shut up!" He leapt off the couch and stormed across the room, making sure to violently smack into Izaya's shoulder as he passed him. "I'm going into the meeting room over there. Don't talk to me again until you're ready to leave!" And with that, he slammed the door shut, nearly tearing it off its hinges in the process.
And here he was three hours later, still annoyed, following Izaya to only-God-knows-where. And he was still clueless as to the situation. As expected, he hadn't been able to get a peep out of Izaya. Or to be more accurate, he wasn't able to talk to Izaya at all, since the other man had been jabbering on his cellphone the whole time.
"We'll be over there soon... Yes, yes, you're always busy. I promise I won't take up much of your time! ...Fine, I'll buy some natto for you next time I drop by. See you soon~~~" Izaya closed his phone with a swish as it clicked into place. He smiled. "Jackpot."
"Would you mind telling me who we're seeing now?"
Izaya looked at him over his shoulder. Shizuo still refused to look at anything other than his feet. "Hmm? I didn't quite catch that. How unexpected. I was beginning to think that you only know how to speak via yelling, but I guess even you are capable of talking at normal decibels."
"I said," Shizuo's head finally snapped up, "Who are we going to see? You've been too busy talking about wasabi peas to mention it to me!"
"Ah, there's the Shizu-chan I know and love." All Shizuo saw was the corner of Izaya's lips curve upward before he faced forward once more. "It seems that Terumi Reika is the daughter of a wealthy CEO. She wouldn't tell me anything more specific, though I have my suspicions... but doesn't that strike you as kind of strange?"
"What does that have to do with my question?" Shizuo grumbled, but in the back of his mind, he was glad for this tidbit of information.
"Patience, Shizu-chan, we're getting there. Think about it for a second. The fancy office building, the fact that she has access to little-known drugs--she's clearly getting money from somewhere. The Black Butterfly is still in its infancy as a gang, so there's no way they have the funds to pay for all of that themselves."
"Then she must be using her father's money. Maybe she's taking money from under his nose... or maybe she gets a huge allowance. Who knows."
"Who indeed." Izaya had his back to him, but judging from his tone, Shizuo guessed he had that look on his face again, the one that said Izaya knew something Shizuo didn't. "I called one of my contacts a little while ago to get some info on the office building we were in. Apparently, it was totally deserted just a month ago. The company that previously occupied it was forced to close its Ikebukuro branch, and so the entire building was up for rent for a while. But just a month ago, the building was bought out by Swift Corp."
"Swift Corp? Never heard of it."
"Most people haven't, even though they make plenty of money. It's a transport company known and used primarily within big business circles. So it's probably safe to assume that Terumi's father is the CEO of Swift Corp, and that he's very aware of Black Butterfly. The building is under his company's name, after all, even though there isn't a trace of Swift Corp within the building itself."
"But... that doesn't make sense."
"Really? And why not?"
"Because. Funding a gang is illegal. Why would a big shot CEO risk something like that?"
Izaya spun around to face him, a crooked grin on his face and his hand forming a thumbs-up sign. "Ding ding ding! Exactly the question I was thinking. And I think the two of us know just the person to give us some answers."
"We do?"
Izaya gave him a look. "Your sunglasses haven't blinded you, have they? Look around."
Shizuo did. When he immediately recognized the all-too-familiar surroundings, he had to fight off the urge to groan in protest.
--------------------
Shinra blinked. Then rubbed his eyes. Then blinked again.
There was just no way. It was simply impossible. Yet there they were, right in front of him: Orihara Izaya, leaning against the door frame and giving him the victory sign for some reason, and Heiwajima Shizuo, arms crossed and looking more than a little dissatisfied.
"Yo, Shinra-kun," Izaya said as he stepped into the room, "I forgot to mention that a special guest would be tagging along."
"What..." Shinra gulped and looked back and forth between the odd pair, still finding his voice, "What is going on?"
"I was manipulated into-" Shizuo began, but whatever came after was drowned out by Izaya's voice.
"Shizu-chan and I are partners now."
"Part...ners?" What did that mean? He couldn't have meant those types of partners... right? This was way too weird.
"Not voluntarily!" Shizuo blurted out. "I'm his temporary bodyguard. Sort of."
"....Okay. I don't know if this is some kind of trick or something," Shinra could already feel the beginnings of a headache, "But one thing I do know is that the two of you within a mile of each other has never led to a good outcome. Especially for me."
"Oh, that's right! Didn't Shizu-chan throw a whole fish tank across the living room the last time he visited while I was around? Did you ever apologize for that?"
"That was YOUR fault! You were practically asking for it!"
"I don't care whose fault it was! If I let you guys make a mess of things again, Celty will render me headless too! So I'm sorry to do this to you, but..." Shinra turned to Shizuo, then slapped his hands together and bowed his head in a sign of apology. "...I'll have to ask you to leave."
Shizuo stared at him, until the words fully sunk in. "Wait, what? Why do I have to leave? Why can't you make that asshole leave instead??"
"Well... Izaya's the one who asked to talk. And he probably understands the situation better."
"But how am I-"
"Ah, I know!" Shinra brightened up as an idea clicked into his head. "I need an errand done for me anyway. Last night, I forgot a package on my desk at the clinic where I work. It's for Celty. I wanted to give it to her as soon as possible, but there's a good chance I won't be called in for work today. So if you could pick it up for me, Celty and I would really appreciate it!"
"You heard the man." Izaya reached for the doorknob. He had a sly smile on his face, one that Shinra knew could only spell trouble. "Bye bye, Shizu-chan." Izaya blew a raspberry as he slammed the door in Shizuo's face. Shinra heaved a long sigh and hoped Shizuo wouldn't kick the door down that very second and beat them both up to a pulp... or at least try to, in Izaya's case. After a few moments pause, he decided they were probably safe and let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding.
"So. The Black Butterfly gang, huh?" The pair headed towards the living room of the spacious apartment. Shinra knew he would need to sit for this. He could feel an interrogation coming.
"I know youth gangs are not your area of expertise, Shinra-kun, but this is one group I'm guessing you've heard of."
"Well, the name does sound familiar..."
"They're not a very well-known gang as of yet, though they certainly stick out. The leader of the gang is a young woman named Terumi Reika."
"A woman, huh? Can't say that name rings any bells for me, though."
Izaya's lips twisted into a grin. Shinra couldn't help but feel disconcerted. "Do the words Swift Corp jog your memory? If I recall correctly, Swift Corp is the primary company Yagiri Pharmaceuticals uses to transport equipment and heavy machinery to its overseas branches and partner companies."
It figured. Shinra felt like throwning his hands up in defeat right there and then. He knew he wouldn't have been able to keep up the charade for long--this was Orihara Izaya he was dealing with--but Izaya was typically whimsical enough to play along, albeit fleetingly. The Izaya of the present clearly wasn't interested. But then again, with Shizuo inexplicably hanging around him, maybe Izaya had found much more interesting game to stalk.
"Yes, Swift Corp is the premier transport company of many businesses in Tokyo... Ah! Now that I think of it, Terumi-san is the CEO of Swift Corp! Terumi Satoshi, that is." Shinra could've winced at his own bad acting.
"It appears that Terumi Reika and her Black Butterfly gang are being directly supported by her father, Terumi Satoshi, and his company. He bought a whole office building for her to use! Talk about wealth."
"An office building for a gang? Really?" That was something Shinra truly hadn't known, and he knew the other was sure to pick up on it.
"Strange, isn't it? Why would a transport company want to be associated with a gang in the first place? Even if you consider the father-daughter relationship, it still seems to carry too much risk. Gangs are typically only associated with illegal activities, after all."
Oh, Shinra thought. He could see where this was going. So that's what Izaya really wanted to know. If Izaya wasn't up for games today, then Shinra wouldn't beat around the bush either. "Swift Corp doesn't profit simply through transport, you know. They have their hand in more... underground dealings as well."
"As do all big companies. What is it this time? Trafficking? Prostitution? Drugs?"
"You're kind of a downer, Izaya-kun. And if you must be so blunt, it's drugs more than anything else."
"Hmmm. Let me guess. Transport company plus drug trade equals transporting drugs?"
"Bingo. Not just drugs, either. Other illegal chemicals and substances, as well." Considering Shinra's profession, he knew Izaya would be able to read very deeply into that information--probably more than he was comfortable with. Although the two of them had built up a sort of camaraderie over the many years they knew each other, Shinra was never too careful. For all he knew, Izaya could one day decide he no longer needed him as a source and turn Shinra's own information against him just to ruin his life for fun. Not to mention all the secrets surrounding Celty that Izaya was just as free to exploit. It was wise to always keep people like Izaya at a distance, or at least as much as he could manage when Izaya was trying to pry into his mind.
"A transport company that smuggles illegal substances and starts up a street gang in Ikebukuro. I'm in your debt again, Shinra-kun. You've made it almost too easy for me to piece everything together. For a second here, I thought the Black Butterfly was unique. But it turns out they're disappointingly typical."
"Considering how crazy your life is, I would be terrified to see the things you consider atypical."
As if on cue, a loud SLAM! sounded from the entrance that caused Shinra to yelp and jump from his seat. Before Shinra could fully process what was happening, a small package in brown paper wrapping was shoved in his face.
"This... is it... right?" Shizuo could barely catch his breath. He looked like he had run a marathon. Even when Shizuo would chase Izaya throughout the entire length of Ikebukuro, he didn't look as exhausted as he did now. It was only then that a light bulb clicked in Shinra's head.
"Wait a minute! How did you get to my clinic and back in only a few minutes??"
Shizuo didn't respond, but the look on his face answered all of Shinra's questions. His eyes were wide and unblinking, and his frightfully manic expression matched the one he wore at the height of an adrenaline rush. When he looked at Izaya, his triumphant grin grew even wider, as if he were somehow taunting him.
Shinra's conscience badly wished to scold Shizuo for breaking the lock on his front door. And who had invited him in, anyway? But when he took another look at that grin and all the hatred it expressed, Shinra decided to keep his mouth very, very shut.
-------------------------
Well, that was unexpected. Not that everything always went as planned when it came to Shizuo. But then again, that was precisely what was so thrilling about him. Shizuo wasn't unpredictable, not by any means. He simply exceeded Izaya's expectations.
It would take a normal human approximately ten minutes to run from Shinra's apartment to his clinic. Shizuo made it there and back in about five. Surely Shizuo knew of some interesting shortcuts that most wouldn't realize or even be physically able to cross. And he probably used his anger upon being kicked out to fuel his mad dash across town. But all the little variables and calculations hardly mattered to Izaya now. It was a magnificent feat. And it proved that Shizuo was getting better. The thought of how much more Shizuo would continue to improve with each passing day made Izaya's blood boil and pulse with excitement.
Izaya would step up to his dare. Shizuo would stay. A good dog should be allowed to pick at the leftovers.
"A-Ah. Thanks, Shizuo-kun." Shinra gingerly caught the package as Shizuo dropped it into his hands. Shizuo's eyes were still locked onto Izaya, who blatantly ignored him. Just because he would let him stay didn't mean he was forced to acknowledge him. From the corner of his eyes, he could see the telltale throbbing at Shizuo's temple.
"I only have one more thing I'm curious about, Shinra-kun. Do you have any ideas on how Swift Corp got away with buying out that building for Black Butterfly? Any theories you might have would be useful."
"Well..." Shinra seemed uneasy now that Shizuo was raging silently beside him. "One way they could get away with it is if Swift Corp put up some kind of cover for them."
"Like setting them up as a financing division or something to keep up with appearances?"
"So Swift Corp and Black Butterfly really are connected?" Shizuo seemed to be regaining his senses. And he was doing exactly what Izaya didn't want him to do.
"Yes. Terumi Reika is the daughter of Swift Corp's CEO, Terumi S-"
"Terumi Satoshi," Izaya interrupted, "Yagiri Pharmaceuticals is affiliated with Swift Corp, so Shinra-kun recognized the name." If he was able to maintain control over the direction of the conversation, Shizuo's early arrival would amount to nothing.
"Do you know anything else about the relationship between Swift Corp and Black Butterfly?"
"I'll summarize what Shinra-kun told me later, Shizu-chan. Right now, the two of us need to head over to-"
"Shinra. I think I overheard the two of you talking about something before I came in. Something about illegal drugs?"
It was one of the rare instances in which Izaya was genuinely surprised. The brute had some intelligence after all. To think to eavesdrop while high from adrenaline, and then have the patience to actually do so, was something Izaya thought to be completely above Shizuo's abilities. That he had once again underestimated Shizuo to such an extent both infuriated and excited him.
"Err, yes..." Shinra glanced hesitantly at Izaya before continuing, "It seems that Swift Corp has some involvement in the transport and smuggling of drugs within Tokyo."
"So the creation of Black Butterfly probably has something to do with this, huh?"
"Most likely, yes."
"Okay. That's all I heard, so that's all I wanted to ask. Thanks for the info. And... tell Celty that I'm sorry about the fish tank."
"Hah. Knowing her, I'm sure she understands."
"Right. I guess that's all then, unless Iza.." Shizuo turned to face Izaya, but trailed off when he saw an unexpected smirk directed straight at him.
What Shizuo lacked in tact he always made up for in persistence. He really was getting better, and at such a destructive rate that the sheer rush of it made Izaya's head spin.
"Yeah, I'm done here. Let's go, Shizu-chan."
A/N: The next chapter should be where the HARDCORE shizaya teamwork starts up. Thank you for reading! :3
Author: Bell
Pairing: Izaya/Shizuo
Length: Ch. 1/???
Rating: PG-13ish
Genre: Action, Drama, Humor. EVERYTHING!!!!
Word Count: A little over 4,000
Summary: "And I'll be assisting you as your partner. For the whole two weeks."
"My... partner?"
"Yes, your partner. As in, I'll gather information from people and you'll throw out punches when I need you to."
Shizuo wondered if controlling his anger would be similar to the process some of his friends went through when kicking their smoking habit. Not that he had any intention of doing the latter. Hell, in his day-to-day life, nicotine was often the only thing that allowed him to keep his cool. But in many ways, his explosive anger was just as habitual, reflexive, and cathartic of a habit as smoking was--if not even more so. There was a saying that, when quitting any addictive habit, the first three days are the hardest and after that, it's a breeze. Which didn't sound so bad in theory... but with the way his day had been going so far, Shizuo was beginning to doubt if he could even put up with this for three whole days. Just this one day was feeling like an eternity.
"Black Butterfly. You know, kuroi chou... Because it doesn't sound as good in Japanese. What's up with these wasabi peas? No flavor at all!"
Shizuo glared down at the pavement as he walked. If he didn't have to hear or see Izaya, dealing with his presence wasn't actually that hard. He could at least pretend that the other man wasn't there and let his mind wander to other things. But Izaya seemed to be on his cellphone all the damn time. Since they had left the Black Butterfly HQ, he had made phone call after phone call after phone call. And even though Izaya's back was to him, his voice still echoed around the two of them loud and clear. How this was possible in the middle of a bustling city street, Shizuo would never know. It was like he was literally inescapable. He thought of letting Izaya wander farther ahead in attempt to drown out his voice, but on this crowded street, he would probably lose him. And Shizuo had no idea where the two of them were headed.
"When did people begin 'flavoring' peas, I wonder? Humans are so wasteful. Why can't peas be appreciated for their natural taste? Who knows, next there might be plum-flavored peaches."
Did Izaya EVER stop talking? Plum-flavored peaches?? What the HELL is that??
Before Shizuo fully realized what was happening, his foot had connected with a nearby stop sign. The force of the kick was enough for the pole to snap at the point of contact, causing the disconnected part to loudly crash down into the middle of the sidewalk. At this commotion, the people in the pair's area immediately backed several feet away. Some even broke into an all-out sprint in the opposite direction, probably aware of the damage Shizuo was capable of wreaking. Izaya only spared a lazy glance in his direction. "Ah, don't worry. It's just some wild animal that needs to be leashed. I wonder how much property damage is caused by that thing."
Shizuo almost growled, but realized it would only prove Izaya's point. Instead, Shizuo gritted his teeth and shoved his hands in his pockets. Only eleven hours until this cursed day was finally over. But remembering that he had only been conscious for the past three or so hours deprived him of any feelings of elation. Right from the start, the day had begun terribly.
Shizuo wasn't much of a morning person, but never before had he felt more disturbed upon awakening than he had that morning. First, while still stirring from his unconscious state, he felt a persistent throbbing at the back of his head. He guessed it was some after-effect of the drug he had been given. He then felt something shift on top of him, and only then did he realize there was a heavy weight centered on his stomach. His eyes snapped open only to be greeted with Izaya's smirking face--five inches away from his own. Shizuo stared, gaping for a few seconds before letting out a squawking noise he didn't realize he was capable of making. He practically flew off the ground into a standing position, sending Izaya crashing to the ground from where he was sitting, legs spread and pelvis resting on Shizuo's stomach.
"What were you... What. The. HELL. I'm going to KILL you!" Shizuo body was moving purely on instinct. The two were clearly no longer in the room Shizuo was held captive in. This place looked more like a fancy reception room. There was a long black leather couch against the wall next to him that almost stretched across the entire length of the room; it was so long that Shizuo had to hold it up at an angle, since the couch was longer than the ceiling was high. There seemed to be no one else around to hold Shizuo back and there wasn't much space in the room to run around, but Izaya remained where he was with an amused look on his face. One sentence was enough to stop Shizuo in his tracks.
"Do you not remember the deal we made last night?"
"What?" Shizuo snapped, but then memories from the night before flooded into his mind.
From how I see things... you have no choice but to trust me, Shizu-chan.
"I..." Shizuo strengthened his grip on the couch. "I didn't agree to anything."
Izaya narrowed his eyes. "Really now?"
Shizuo said nothing, but made no move to attack the other man. His memory was kind of fuzzy, another side effect he figured, but he remembered enough to know why Izaya was acting so confident. Honestly, if he hadn't been so tired, he probably would've eventually agreed to the deal... but he would look stupid if he retreated now!
"You do know that if you try to crush me with that couch, the deal is off. And that there are dozens of security guards in the building that will come after you if you attack me and make a break for it."
Well, wasn't that just great. Shizuo hated him so much. Under normal circumstances, he would try to crush Izaya, consequences be damned, just to get that annoying, arrogant look off his face. But under these circumstances...
After a few more moment's pause, Shizuo took several steps away from Izaya before loudly dropping the couch in the middle of the room.
Izaya shook his head in mock exasperation. "That couch doesn't belong there."
"Move it back yourself, then." Shizuo huffed and plopped himself onto the newly-displaced couch. He realized he was acting borderline bratty, but he really didn't know how else to react. He had never been in this situation before. How else would he express his annoyance except to be difficult?
"That's no good, Shizu-chan. You should clean up your own messes."
Just shut up already, Shizuo thought, but he didn't dare say it out loud for fear of continuing the conversation. Quiet is what he needed right now. He needed to think about his predicament, about how to get through the next two weeks without killing Izaya, or worse, putting himself in danger. Izaya probably had something up his sleeve; there was no way he would agree to do this unless he could somehow benefit from it. But Shizuo really had no idea how this situation could be beneficial to the other man. He didn't even really understand the situation himself. All he knew was that the woman who kidnapped him was named Terumi Reika and that she was the leader of a gang called the Black Butterfly. Otherwise, he was totally in the dark.
What he needed was information. Not that he would be able to get anything out of Izaya, not easily, at least. Trying to trick him into letting something slip was probably near-impossible. Mind games were Izaya's territory. Shizuo, on the other hand, only needed his strength and his reputation to get anything and everything he wanted. Until now, at least. Against Izaya, that same strength and reputation were meaningless. If Shizuo wanted to beat him, he would be forced to take a step into Izaya's underworld of manipulation and deceit. And he had to adapt--fast. In dangerous situations, it was either sink or swim.
But he really had no idea how Izaya's mind worked. Frankly, Izaya seemed to be flat-out insane. A lot of the things he did made no sense to Shizuo. Like what had happened just then... An image flashed in Shizuo's mind of the position the two of them were in while he was waking up: Izaya hovering over him, hands resting just above his shoulders and framing both sides of his head, hair almost brushing his forehead... He could almost feel the color draining from his face. He didn't want to speak to Izaya again, but his disgust and curiosity got the better of him. "You didn't... do anything to me while I was asleep... did you?"
Izaya seemed to expect the question and was all too happy to answer. "Quite full of ourselves, aren't we? Rest assured, I'm not nearly so desperate as to take a virgin while they're unconscious."
Whatever color had left Shizuo's face returned tenfold. Whether he was embarrassed by Izaya's assumption, his correct assumption, or just plain pissed, he could no longer tell. "S-Shut up!" He leapt off the couch and stormed across the room, making sure to violently smack into Izaya's shoulder as he passed him. "I'm going into the meeting room over there. Don't talk to me again until you're ready to leave!" And with that, he slammed the door shut, nearly tearing it off its hinges in the process.
And here he was three hours later, still annoyed, following Izaya to only-God-knows-where. And he was still clueless as to the situation. As expected, he hadn't been able to get a peep out of Izaya. Or to be more accurate, he wasn't able to talk to Izaya at all, since the other man had been jabbering on his cellphone the whole time.
"We'll be over there soon... Yes, yes, you're always busy. I promise I won't take up much of your time! ...Fine, I'll buy some natto for you next time I drop by. See you soon~~~" Izaya closed his phone with a swish as it clicked into place. He smiled. "Jackpot."
"Would you mind telling me who we're seeing now?"
Izaya looked at him over his shoulder. Shizuo still refused to look at anything other than his feet. "Hmm? I didn't quite catch that. How unexpected. I was beginning to think that you only know how to speak via yelling, but I guess even you are capable of talking at normal decibels."
"I said," Shizuo's head finally snapped up, "Who are we going to see? You've been too busy talking about wasabi peas to mention it to me!"
"Ah, there's the Shizu-chan I know and love." All Shizuo saw was the corner of Izaya's lips curve upward before he faced forward once more. "It seems that Terumi Reika is the daughter of a wealthy CEO. She wouldn't tell me anything more specific, though I have my suspicions... but doesn't that strike you as kind of strange?"
"What does that have to do with my question?" Shizuo grumbled, but in the back of his mind, he was glad for this tidbit of information.
"Patience, Shizu-chan, we're getting there. Think about it for a second. The fancy office building, the fact that she has access to little-known drugs--she's clearly getting money from somewhere. The Black Butterfly is still in its infancy as a gang, so there's no way they have the funds to pay for all of that themselves."
"Then she must be using her father's money. Maybe she's taking money from under his nose... or maybe she gets a huge allowance. Who knows."
"Who indeed." Izaya had his back to him, but judging from his tone, Shizuo guessed he had that look on his face again, the one that said Izaya knew something Shizuo didn't. "I called one of my contacts a little while ago to get some info on the office building we were in. Apparently, it was totally deserted just a month ago. The company that previously occupied it was forced to close its Ikebukuro branch, and so the entire building was up for rent for a while. But just a month ago, the building was bought out by Swift Corp."
"Swift Corp? Never heard of it."
"Most people haven't, even though they make plenty of money. It's a transport company known and used primarily within big business circles. So it's probably safe to assume that Terumi's father is the CEO of Swift Corp, and that he's very aware of Black Butterfly. The building is under his company's name, after all, even though there isn't a trace of Swift Corp within the building itself."
"But... that doesn't make sense."
"Really? And why not?"
"Because. Funding a gang is illegal. Why would a big shot CEO risk something like that?"
Izaya spun around to face him, a crooked grin on his face and his hand forming a thumbs-up sign. "Ding ding ding! Exactly the question I was thinking. And I think the two of us know just the person to give us some answers."
"We do?"
Izaya gave him a look. "Your sunglasses haven't blinded you, have they? Look around."
Shizuo did. When he immediately recognized the all-too-familiar surroundings, he had to fight off the urge to groan in protest.
--------------------
Shinra blinked. Then rubbed his eyes. Then blinked again.
There was just no way. It was simply impossible. Yet there they were, right in front of him: Orihara Izaya, leaning against the door frame and giving him the victory sign for some reason, and Heiwajima Shizuo, arms crossed and looking more than a little dissatisfied.
"Yo, Shinra-kun," Izaya said as he stepped into the room, "I forgot to mention that a special guest would be tagging along."
"What..." Shinra gulped and looked back and forth between the odd pair, still finding his voice, "What is going on?"
"I was manipulated into-" Shizuo began, but whatever came after was drowned out by Izaya's voice.
"Shizu-chan and I are partners now."
"Part...ners?" What did that mean? He couldn't have meant those types of partners... right? This was way too weird.
"Not voluntarily!" Shizuo blurted out. "I'm his temporary bodyguard. Sort of."
"....Okay. I don't know if this is some kind of trick or something," Shinra could already feel the beginnings of a headache, "But one thing I do know is that the two of you within a mile of each other has never led to a good outcome. Especially for me."
"Oh, that's right! Didn't Shizu-chan throw a whole fish tank across the living room the last time he visited while I was around? Did you ever apologize for that?"
"That was YOUR fault! You were practically asking for it!"
"I don't care whose fault it was! If I let you guys make a mess of things again, Celty will render me headless too! So I'm sorry to do this to you, but..." Shinra turned to Shizuo, then slapped his hands together and bowed his head in a sign of apology. "...I'll have to ask you to leave."
Shizuo stared at him, until the words fully sunk in. "Wait, what? Why do I have to leave? Why can't you make that asshole leave instead??"
"Well... Izaya's the one who asked to talk. And he probably understands the situation better."
"But how am I-"
"Ah, I know!" Shinra brightened up as an idea clicked into his head. "I need an errand done for me anyway. Last night, I forgot a package on my desk at the clinic where I work. It's for Celty. I wanted to give it to her as soon as possible, but there's a good chance I won't be called in for work today. So if you could pick it up for me, Celty and I would really appreciate it!"
"You heard the man." Izaya reached for the doorknob. He had a sly smile on his face, one that Shinra knew could only spell trouble. "Bye bye, Shizu-chan." Izaya blew a raspberry as he slammed the door in Shizuo's face. Shinra heaved a long sigh and hoped Shizuo wouldn't kick the door down that very second and beat them both up to a pulp... or at least try to, in Izaya's case. After a few moments pause, he decided they were probably safe and let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding.
"So. The Black Butterfly gang, huh?" The pair headed towards the living room of the spacious apartment. Shinra knew he would need to sit for this. He could feel an interrogation coming.
"I know youth gangs are not your area of expertise, Shinra-kun, but this is one group I'm guessing you've heard of."
"Well, the name does sound familiar..."
"They're not a very well-known gang as of yet, though they certainly stick out. The leader of the gang is a young woman named Terumi Reika."
"A woman, huh? Can't say that name rings any bells for me, though."
Izaya's lips twisted into a grin. Shinra couldn't help but feel disconcerted. "Do the words Swift Corp jog your memory? If I recall correctly, Swift Corp is the primary company Yagiri Pharmaceuticals uses to transport equipment and heavy machinery to its overseas branches and partner companies."
It figured. Shinra felt like throwning his hands up in defeat right there and then. He knew he wouldn't have been able to keep up the charade for long--this was Orihara Izaya he was dealing with--but Izaya was typically whimsical enough to play along, albeit fleetingly. The Izaya of the present clearly wasn't interested. But then again, with Shizuo inexplicably hanging around him, maybe Izaya had found much more interesting game to stalk.
"Yes, Swift Corp is the premier transport company of many businesses in Tokyo... Ah! Now that I think of it, Terumi-san is the CEO of Swift Corp! Terumi Satoshi, that is." Shinra could've winced at his own bad acting.
"It appears that Terumi Reika and her Black Butterfly gang are being directly supported by her father, Terumi Satoshi, and his company. He bought a whole office building for her to use! Talk about wealth."
"An office building for a gang? Really?" That was something Shinra truly hadn't known, and he knew the other was sure to pick up on it.
"Strange, isn't it? Why would a transport company want to be associated with a gang in the first place? Even if you consider the father-daughter relationship, it still seems to carry too much risk. Gangs are typically only associated with illegal activities, after all."
Oh, Shinra thought. He could see where this was going. So that's what Izaya really wanted to know. If Izaya wasn't up for games today, then Shinra wouldn't beat around the bush either. "Swift Corp doesn't profit simply through transport, you know. They have their hand in more... underground dealings as well."
"As do all big companies. What is it this time? Trafficking? Prostitution? Drugs?"
"You're kind of a downer, Izaya-kun. And if you must be so blunt, it's drugs more than anything else."
"Hmmm. Let me guess. Transport company plus drug trade equals transporting drugs?"
"Bingo. Not just drugs, either. Other illegal chemicals and substances, as well." Considering Shinra's profession, he knew Izaya would be able to read very deeply into that information--probably more than he was comfortable with. Although the two of them had built up a sort of camaraderie over the many years they knew each other, Shinra was never too careful. For all he knew, Izaya could one day decide he no longer needed him as a source and turn Shinra's own information against him just to ruin his life for fun. Not to mention all the secrets surrounding Celty that Izaya was just as free to exploit. It was wise to always keep people like Izaya at a distance, or at least as much as he could manage when Izaya was trying to pry into his mind.
"A transport company that smuggles illegal substances and starts up a street gang in Ikebukuro. I'm in your debt again, Shinra-kun. You've made it almost too easy for me to piece everything together. For a second here, I thought the Black Butterfly was unique. But it turns out they're disappointingly typical."
"Considering how crazy your life is, I would be terrified to see the things you consider atypical."
As if on cue, a loud SLAM! sounded from the entrance that caused Shinra to yelp and jump from his seat. Before Shinra could fully process what was happening, a small package in brown paper wrapping was shoved in his face.
"This... is it... right?" Shizuo could barely catch his breath. He looked like he had run a marathon. Even when Shizuo would chase Izaya throughout the entire length of Ikebukuro, he didn't look as exhausted as he did now. It was only then that a light bulb clicked in Shinra's head.
"Wait a minute! How did you get to my clinic and back in only a few minutes??"
Shizuo didn't respond, but the look on his face answered all of Shinra's questions. His eyes were wide and unblinking, and his frightfully manic expression matched the one he wore at the height of an adrenaline rush. When he looked at Izaya, his triumphant grin grew even wider, as if he were somehow taunting him.
Shinra's conscience badly wished to scold Shizuo for breaking the lock on his front door. And who had invited him in, anyway? But when he took another look at that grin and all the hatred it expressed, Shinra decided to keep his mouth very, very shut.
-------------------------
Well, that was unexpected. Not that everything always went as planned when it came to Shizuo. But then again, that was precisely what was so thrilling about him. Shizuo wasn't unpredictable, not by any means. He simply exceeded Izaya's expectations.
It would take a normal human approximately ten minutes to run from Shinra's apartment to his clinic. Shizuo made it there and back in about five. Surely Shizuo knew of some interesting shortcuts that most wouldn't realize or even be physically able to cross. And he probably used his anger upon being kicked out to fuel his mad dash across town. But all the little variables and calculations hardly mattered to Izaya now. It was a magnificent feat. And it proved that Shizuo was getting better. The thought of how much more Shizuo would continue to improve with each passing day made Izaya's blood boil and pulse with excitement.
Izaya would step up to his dare. Shizuo would stay. A good dog should be allowed to pick at the leftovers.
"A-Ah. Thanks, Shizuo-kun." Shinra gingerly caught the package as Shizuo dropped it into his hands. Shizuo's eyes were still locked onto Izaya, who blatantly ignored him. Just because he would let him stay didn't mean he was forced to acknowledge him. From the corner of his eyes, he could see the telltale throbbing at Shizuo's temple.
"I only have one more thing I'm curious about, Shinra-kun. Do you have any ideas on how Swift Corp got away with buying out that building for Black Butterfly? Any theories you might have would be useful."
"Well..." Shinra seemed uneasy now that Shizuo was raging silently beside him. "One way they could get away with it is if Swift Corp put up some kind of cover for them."
"Like setting them up as a financing division or something to keep up with appearances?"
"So Swift Corp and Black Butterfly really are connected?" Shizuo seemed to be regaining his senses. And he was doing exactly what Izaya didn't want him to do.
"Yes. Terumi Reika is the daughter of Swift Corp's CEO, Terumi S-"
"Terumi Satoshi," Izaya interrupted, "Yagiri Pharmaceuticals is affiliated with Swift Corp, so Shinra-kun recognized the name." If he was able to maintain control over the direction of the conversation, Shizuo's early arrival would amount to nothing.
"Do you know anything else about the relationship between Swift Corp and Black Butterfly?"
"I'll summarize what Shinra-kun told me later, Shizu-chan. Right now, the two of us need to head over to-"
"Shinra. I think I overheard the two of you talking about something before I came in. Something about illegal drugs?"
It was one of the rare instances in which Izaya was genuinely surprised. The brute had some intelligence after all. To think to eavesdrop while high from adrenaline, and then have the patience to actually do so, was something Izaya thought to be completely above Shizuo's abilities. That he had once again underestimated Shizuo to such an extent both infuriated and excited him.
"Err, yes..." Shinra glanced hesitantly at Izaya before continuing, "It seems that Swift Corp has some involvement in the transport and smuggling of drugs within Tokyo."
"So the creation of Black Butterfly probably has something to do with this, huh?"
"Most likely, yes."
"Okay. That's all I heard, so that's all I wanted to ask. Thanks for the info. And... tell Celty that I'm sorry about the fish tank."
"Hah. Knowing her, I'm sure she understands."
"Right. I guess that's all then, unless Iza.." Shizuo turned to face Izaya, but trailed off when he saw an unexpected smirk directed straight at him.
What Shizuo lacked in tact he always made up for in persistence. He really was getting better, and at such a destructive rate that the sheer rush of it made Izaya's head spin.
"Yeah, I'm done here. Let's go, Shizu-chan."
A/N: The next chapter should be where the HARDCORE shizaya teamwork starts up. Thank you for reading! :3