The Lion and The Mouse

Chapter Two: Here We Go Again

Izaya only got to enjoy half his drink. The other half was bitter with anger and discomfort. Maybe a few more drinks would cure that, but he wasn't particularly a big fan of drinking in the first place. He couldn't afford to be an alcoholic with all the business he dealt with. So, since he wouldn't be enjoying any more of the liquid toxin, he decided he would (try to) make it back to the small house he was hiding out in.

  It was then that he realized Shizuo had, in fact, meant it when he said it wasn't over. There he was, leaning against one of the only street lamps, a cigarette precariously balancing between his lips.
"Resorting to stalking now?" Izaya teased, reaching into his coat to grip the handle of his knife. "I thought that was my job?" Shizuo's glare (or, really his angry face because he was still wearing his fucking sunglasses) turned to him, the cigarette snapping before being tossed to the ground. Because *that* was always a good sign. Izaya was partly surprised that the monster hadn't already ripped some sort of sign from the ground. That being said, there weren't a lot of signs to be seen, being a small town and all.

  He was not happy. He never was. But Izaya had the feeling that this time was different. Something was wrong, something strange and incredibly frustrating. Shizuo was approaching now, except he seemed a bit too calm this time. Izaya couldn't quite grasp what it was, but something was definitely wrong. Had the beast actually managed to plan something? He was snapped out of his 'deer in the headlights' look as Shizuo gripped the collar of his shirt. Shit! He'd made a stupid mistake, he should have been running already. Shizuo smirked, a smile that rivalled his own, pulling Izaya a bit too close to his face for comfort.

  For a moment, neither of them spoke. The only noise their breathing, though even that was muffled behind the pounding in Izaya's ears. Shizuo flexed his arm, making Izaya stumble back before he lifted him into the air. This was it. He was going to die. He was going to die and after all the goddamn effort he'd put into living this was how he was gonna go. He was expecting the hit the ground when the grip on his jacket loosened, squeezing his eyes shut and bracing for impact. What he didn't expect, was to be once more scooped up into Shizuo's arms, the beast nearly breaking his back as he caught him and pulled him forward. Again, they were unnaturally close. Izaya swore he could feel Shizuo's breath on his face, the almost-silent rumble of his heart beat echoing over Izaya's own. He could see Shizuo's jaw working itself, clenching and unclenching as his usual vein popped from his forehead. This time it wasn't out of anger though, maybe something like frustration? Then again, it wasn't particularly easy to tell this close to him. Izaya's fist clenched in his pockets, his fingers once again hooking around the handle of his knife. He felt whatever was fogging his mind clear up, his thoughts now as sharp as his blade once more.

  He twisted his arm so he could pull it from his pocket. The blade flipped from its holster as it sliced through the air, ripping through Shizuo's sleeve and leaving a trail of splattered blood on the dirt road. Shizuo snarled angrily (he actually sounded like a beast) as he was forced to release Izaya. The broker immediately jumped away from the brute, making sure there were several feet between them.
"You fucking lout!" Shizuo shouted, Izaya's developing frown deepening.
"Poor Shizu-chan having trouble?" Izaya teased, previous position forgotten. Shizuo's glasses sat crooked in his nose, having been jostled by the sudden movement. This way Izaya could see his eyes....He inwardly sighed, his body tense despite his fluid movements, Shizuo didn't look amused. He never did, but he still had that wierd frustrated air to him. This was going to be fun, at the very least.

  Izaya was quick to slide out of the way of an oncoming attack, the fist meant for him slamming into a small wooden shed. Izaya watched from a safe distance, but it didn't fall. Why didn't it fall? What was going on? His curiosity was going to get the best of him at this rate, he couldn't focus on anything but playing this game. That's what had been missing, the thrill of toying with humans. Of course there was a couple he could fool, but this was a small town. Hell, there weren't even roads! Just flatten sections of the paths. Not that you'd need a car anyway, unless you're going out of town. But with Shizuo here, he at least had the beast to tease. He wasn't human, not possible, but despite that he was one of Izaya's most interesting specimens. Of course, Shizuo wouldn't respond very kindly to being called that. Then again, he didn't take too kindly to being referred to as 'shizu-chan.' Either way, the information broker knew (unfortunately) that he just couldn't kill this bastard. It was unbelievably frustrating but he couldn't let that get to him now.

   He became acutely aware of the stab wound in his abdomen as he twisted to avoid the boulder Shizuo had managed to dig up (literally. He spent a good minute ripping at the ground...it was actually a surprising amount if patience from the beast). His skin tore against the thin wire holding it in place, drawing a wince from the broker. It didn't help that he immediately had to escape another punch. He nearly dropped to his knees, but remained (not-so-steadily) on his feet. Blood dripped uncomfortably down his hip, sending a ripple of shivers over his body.
"Damnit." He cursed under his breath, his teeth clenching against the pain. He nearly let the pain engulf him, wanting to squeeze his eyes shut and forget about the outside world, but the thick-headed monster was still determined to be a problem.