He had ended up walking down another alleyway on his way home from work. While it should cause him concern the way the sides of building looked, like they haven't been washed in a while with some of the blood smears that were on them, it didn't bother him that much. To somebody else, someone normal who didn't live the way Shizuo did, it might have spelt out trouble. To him it was another alleyway. Smoke curled around in the air and he took another breath of the cigarette that he was currently smoking.

Walking past garage cans and litter that didn't make it in, there was an odd feeling in the air. Like something was crackling and going to explode in a big way.

He took another breath of smoke into his lungs.

He took another few steps into the alleyway before stopping. SOmething in his gut made him feel like someone was following him. Those who followed him home weren't exactly people he wanted to associate with. His tolerance for bullshit was low after all. Sniffing the air he confirmed that there was somebody else with him.

Carefully following him too.

"Show yourself." He growled out. Irritation started to build up and he wanted answers before he snapped at them.

Quietly a man showed himself from the shadows. When seeing the colour of the man's hair, Shizuo knew that he was good hider. A deep hue of red hair like that would make the unknown man recognizable in any kind of scene. He took in another breath of his cigarette and took a few steps closer to the man.

Studying everything about the other person, Shizuo saw no fear in him when slowly getting closer to him. He knew fear from spending years being known as the strongest man in Ikebukuro. People would show fear in one way or another. The eyes, the body and especially in the way they spoke, stuttering through a sentence.

This man however showed no fear.

It was quite an uncomfortable change. With fear he understood why people came to him and why people ran from him. The way the man stared at him made Shizuo think of another man who wasn't afraid of him.

Obviously the red head didn't know him or he would have some fear of him.

"What do you want from me?" Shizuo spat out, smoke fanned out and barely touching the other's face. Still fear didn't show.

"Only your time. There are rumors about you and I wanted to make sure they were true." The man replied back. Shizuo continued to stare at him, curiosity slipping through his irritation for once.

"If you've heard the rumors about me then they're true." He replied calmly. Taking a step back, Shizuo took another look at the red head. Smoke curled out of his mouth as he did this.

The male was slightly taller than him, but with the way he hunched, he could be taller. Tired eyes that looked to be growing more exhausted the more Shizuo looked at them. His face seemed to be aged, clouding what Shizuo could guess was his real age is. His clothing also screamed that he was a delinquent of some sort.

He blew smoke at the man again, wondering why the man would want to meet him.

The red head only smiled and reached into his coat. Pulling out a cigarette case and taking one out, all he could do was watch and wonder at what happened next.

When it was pressed between his lips, the man's smile began to grow.

All Shizuo could do was watch as the man light the cigarette with the snap of his fingers. The quick and small fire blazed brightly, creating faint shadows around the both of them in the grungy alleyway. It quickly did its job before disappearing.

The other man took a breath of the cigarette in and Shizuo saw him relax slightly, as he blew smoke out.

"Why are you here?" Shizuo growled out once more.

"As I said, I wanted to see if it was true. That the strongest man in Ikebukuro did wear a bartender's uniform." There was a pause as the man took another drag of his cigarette. "It seems that the rumours were true."

"Says the man who used fire to light a cigarette."

There was a chuckle before the quiet graced them once more. All Shizuo could do was to continue to stare at the unknown man, unsure if he should let his anger or curiosity take control. But neither did anything further than stand at a close distance, slowly taking drags from their cigarettes.

The only other unusual thing about the man besides the lack of fear, was the way he smiled. It was sad like he was expecting his happiness to leave as quickly as it came.

Flicking his ash to the ground, Shizuo knew that the meeting between them had to end soon. Otherwise the flea or some other criminal may come by to end the quiet for their own amusement.

"Better go home. I don't need anyone to worry about me." Shizuo said, getting the feeling like the words didn't need to be said. Still the man gave him an understand nod.

And then he left, wondering what the man could be to have the power of fire.