A Way Back Home - ( A Shizaya Fanfic)

Chapter 22: Prologue

-Shizuo Heiwajima-

Shizuo hates Orihara Izaya. Or at least he used to.

The ex bartender never believed in love or for that matter, hate at first sight. And yet Izaya proved the latter was true. When Shizuo layed eyes on the other, he saw nothing but a dangerous excuse for a human, asking for trouble wherever he bothered to go, and ruining any life that he wanted to.

And so, Shizuo had aimed a punch at the ravenette on their first meetup. And the most peculiar thing happened. Instead of finding him sprawled on the floor, begging for mercy, he dodged swiftly, bloody dagger in his hand, as his eyes glinted with amusement.

On that day, the artificial blonde had found his equal- his enemy. And so, in a frenzy of fury, he ran after him. He ran until he got hit by a truck. But he never stopped running. That's how their endless game of cat and mouse had started, and to this day Shizuo was never sure who the winner was.

Despite his vicious hate for the other, the artificial blonde respected Izaya to some extent. Because all though he was an absolute vermin and a coward, he was ironically, never afraid of him.

No matter how many projectiles Shizuo through at the other, Izaya wouldn't get scared. Instead, he would throw twice as many precisely aimed switchblades.

No matter how many threats and curses Shizuo screamed at him, the ravenette never faltered. In return, he would use that smart brain of his and manipulate all the people that interested him.

So it was a routine really. A routine of running after each other, continuously trying to kill one another with any means necessary. It was almost therapeutic for Shizuo, even though he'd never admit it.

Something about being able to release his inhumane strength on someone else, and knowing with absolute certainty that they would not only survive his blows, but become an opponent for Shizuo- it was something he appreciated in a twisted way.

And then, everything changed. They had their final fight- it was a messy, bloody situation, and Shizuo for once was postive that that fight would be their last encounter. It was truly a fight to the death, that the citizens of Ikebukuro watched with horror.

But Izaya somehow got away. And for the first time in ten years, Shizuo didn't bother to chase him. After a little time passed, and the mess was cleared up, the artificial blonde realized that his personal theory was true.

With Izaya far away from Ikebukuro, the city was in peace. And yet Shizuo couldn't stop thinking and wondering. Was Izaya dead? If he was, the ex bartender had mixed feelings. If it was him that killed the other, then that automatically made him a monster.

Shizuo didn't want to be a monster. Especially since it was the very thing Izaya swore he was. But despite the fact that most probably Orihara Izaya was finally dead, deep down Shizuo had a gut feeling that he was alive.

Somewhere out there in the world, he was reaking havoc, ruining lives, thriving in chaos- the usual really. It was an almost comforting thought that he held on tightly- one day their sick game of cat and mouse would continue and Shizuo would make sure that it wouldn't have any open ends.

But, all his assumptions were proven wrong just a few months ago. Because when he entered Shinra's living room, he saw Izaya. Same unruly hair and twinkling scarlet eyes. With his infamous jacket and smirk tugging at his lips. The only difference was that he was stuck in a wheelchair.

Now that... that made Shizuo feel guilty. Cause after time passed, it became clear to him. The bastard had finally changed. But that didn't make him perfect. No, he still told lies, made snarky remarks and sarcastic comments. Shizuo could see it in his scarlet eyes- he still had some of his old personality traits.

And yet, despite all that, Shizuo found himself paying attention to the little quirks Izaya had. Like how he couldn't read a single word off a book without his reading glasses. Or how he always had his laptop in handy, wether to go on The Dollars chat and have a conversation with two fascinating strangers, or do some research about mundane places that he wanted to visit.

Eventually, he found himself enjoying  the sound of the other's laugh, even though it kind of sounded like a hyena's. He even noticed Izaya had dimples on his cheeks, and even though they weren't perfectly symmetrical, they looked good on him.

And it was only once Izaya left his house, that Shizuo realized how badly he missed the ravenette. And how much he wished he could just hug him, and hold him close.

So maybe, just maybe, Shizuo was in love with Orihara Izaya.

Those were the only thoughts running through his head as he wore his bartender suit and sprinted to Shinra's apartment at 3am. And it was all because of a little phone call he got a few minutes prior.

'Shinra, why the hell are you calling at 3am?'

'It's because we have a serious problem. It's about Izaya,'

'What about him?'

'He's gone.'

No matter how much time passed, or what circumstances he was in, Izaya always seemed to run away, didn't he? But unlike last time, Shizuo wasn't going to idly stand by. Instead he was going to run after Izaya and catch him, no matter the distance.

And so the chase begun.

( I know my last two chapters have been shorter than usual but... enjoy the cliffhanger 🤓

This idea ledgit came to me a few days ago, and I decided to just go with it, so I hope you find it entertaining!

So you all in the next chapter, which will hopefully be of its usual length:) )