Let's Pretend

Let's Pretend [[Psycedelic Dreams]]

Chapter Six

Introspection

The parking lot next to the highway was dimly lit by a broken streetlamp, casting a sad orange glow to the abandoned lot, illuminating garbage and a sleeping homeless man under a box a ways off.  A billboard of a long forgotten line of restaurants lay weather-ridden and forgotten, replaced by a slew of electronic ones, no doubt.  

Celty pulled up with an eerie whinny and found Shizuo smoking patiently against a guardrail.  “Yo,” he greeted with a small wave.  She pulled out her smartphone.

I got worried when you didn't answer my text earlier.

“Ah, don't worry about it.  Work stuff.”

Really? Shinra said that Tom told him you had the day off.

Shizuo sort of sent of an uncomfortable vibe.  Celty knew he was lying by the way he changed his posture when he crossed his arms and turned away slightly.  She tilted her helmet as he  cleared his throat.  “Ah, well...”

You know you can tell me anything, right?

Shizuo sighed when he saw the text and leaned his head to one side.  Celty was intensely curious at this point.  She had known him since he and Shinra went to Raira, and watched him mature into a reasonable man (save when he was angry of course).  She couldn't deny a quick pang of jealousy before quelling it.  It was obvious.

He'd met someone.

“I've got a ... Pest problem.”

Celty's body reflected a surprised gesture.  Are you referring to Orihara?

Shizuo frowned on instinct upon seeing his name.  It deepened when he thought about the terrible and wonderful night before.  A stab of guilt quickly passed however.  He'd always had a small thing, but Shinra had made it very clear – especially recently – that Celty was his and his alone.  How was this different from a hook up from Tom?  

Because he felt something.  Something awful in his chest.  It disgusted him, and he tried not to think about it.

“Yeah...” he said slowly, scratching his head.  Celty suddenly looked as if she were laughing as her shoulders heaved.  It was eerie without any sound.  “Hey, what's so funny?”

It took her a moment to compose herself enough to tap out her response.  I was so right LOL

“What?”

You two hooked up, didn't you?

Shizuo's face turned bright red, and instantly Celty knew she was right, despite the very sharp, “Are you out of your MIND?!”

Celty again was making motions as if she were laughing, holding her chest in what would have been hysteria.  Oh lord, we were right!

“No way! That's not it at all!”

Come on, Shizuo.  Admit it.  What would you do without him anyway? We had a running bet you know.

“You bet on this?!”

Shinra said you would kill each other first. I said you would have freaky alleyway sex first.  I just won almost a grand! This is too much! Karisawa is simply going to die! Celty had to stop typing for a moment to regain her composure.  The look Shizuo was giving her was sobering – horrified, as if he'd just realized it himself. Hey, are you alright?

“Alright?! Alright?!! Celty, this is bad! Really fucking bad!” Shizuo sat down on the guardrail and held his head.  “Izaya.  Orihara fucking Izaya! I have no idea whether to kick his ass or … or ...” Or fuck the living hell out of him again...

Celty put a gloved hand on his shoulder and presented her phone so that Shizuo could see it.  How did it happen​?

“It all started with those fucked up dreams...”

Celty's interest was even more piqued.  Dreams?

“Yeah.  I was a guy named … Tsugaru.  And he was someone named Psyche.”

That's uncanny.

“Tell me about it.”

No, I mean the characters of the Tsugaru name.  If you were to make it an anagram, Tsuru would be bow string, Tsu simply means steal. Remind you of anything?

“Uh...”

Greek myth?

“Uhh...”

Eros? Stealer of hearts and arranger of love?

Celty hung her head in frustration at the blank look Shizuo gave her and brought up the browser on her phone so she could direct him to a myth site.  Read “Eros and Psyche”

Shizuo scrolled down, not making too much a correlation.  A beautiful girl that had earned Aphrodite's wrath … Eros saving her from a curse by falling in love with her … Eros assisting her in a series of trials to earn his love from his mother... and a happily ever after.  “...So?” he finally asked, handing the phone back.

Perhaps Izaya was testing you.

“Whatever.”

Perhaps the two entities are using you as vassals to express their love to each other.  You two share such an intense relationship.

“Relationship?! Celty, I HATE –”

Hate is intense, isn't it? A wise man once said that love and hate are the same, simply directed different places.  

Shizuo was quiet.  What would he do without Izaya? Lead a peaceful life? Somehow, the thought struck his as incredibly boring. And strangely undesired.  It was as if he centered his entire existence on causing Izaya harm – which he had only succeeded once in even scathing him for the past eight years.  And that really hadn't been fair if he were to admit it – Izaya had been so thoroughly immersed in his little string-pulling with those highschoolers last year that he couldn't resist bashing his head with that convenience store trash  can.  He almost felt bad when that had happened, but at the time he was too excited to have actually laid a hit and moved in for the kill.  Too bad for all those Dollar-wannabes who had unwittingly aided his escape.  

Is it really that horrible?

“Yeah.”

Why? Can't you just put the past behind you? I can't really see Orihara in a healthy relationship of any kind, but can't you at least set your differences aside to figure this out? At least for now?

“I haven't even told you the strangest part you know....”

Celty tilted her helmet to inquire.

“He had the same dreams.  The EXACT same ones.”

Celty was still for a moment, then typed a slow message, as if she were considering carefully what to say next.  The backspace key was mashed more than a few times before the message came out right.

If I had my head, I think I would remember more clearly, but I believe there is some Celtic lore about the Seelie* and Unseelie* fae courts having sway over the realm of dreams.  

“Aren't you a faeire?”

I guess so

“So what's a Dullahan? Seelie or Unseelie?”

Not too sure.  Again, my head would hold more information, but I'll have Shinra look it up.  He's not as knowledgable as Orihara is about these things but –

“Go ahead, ask the bastard,” Shizuo sighed, waving the phone away before he finished reading it and taking another drag.  “I'm sure his … insight … despite being biased in the matter would be useful.  Better you ask than me.”

Why's that?

Shizuo's face softened, then tensed again in a strange emotion, one that Celty had never seen him wear before, so it was hard to place.  “Because...”

Celty uneasily changed lanes using her signal and exited off the freeway as she saw a troop of traffic police blow by in the other lane, mocking a sigh of relief when they continued on their current call as opposed to hounding her.  She was worried for her friend.  Very worried all of the sudden.

“Because I'm scared, Celty.”

*Seelie is pronounced in proper Celtic myth as “Shee”

R/R, love y'all!