A/N: I hope you're all happy and satisfied with this chapter. You have no idea how much fun I had writing this. xD

Crossroad of Life

[ . . . 5 . . . ]

[ . . . rip, rip, tear apart . . . ]

"You cannot carry out fundamental change without a certain amount of madness."

– Thomas Sankara

The asinine and childish stunts Izaya had pulled in the train ride were, surprisingly, not planned or choreographed. They were actually actions he did on the spur of the moment and for that, it annoyed him greatly. Orihara Izaya, make no mistake, is a man of endless schemes; he has contingency plans for contingency plans, each meticulously arranged like a medical procedure of top priority and formulated to the point of perfection. Be it a well-known target he had studied prior or an unknown in the busy crowd of Tokyo, he already knows how to deal with him or her and there will not even be the slightest blunder made.

It is true that Izaya, a human – as much as he loathes to admit – who fancies himself a god amongst men at times of peril and despair, can make miscalculations too, but they always turn out to be an interesting turn of events or something that completely gives him the higher advantage later on in the game. However, there is a small problem here concerning his new game of acquiring the bishop.

The bishop, Kuroko Tetsuya, did not have emotions. Well, he does – because it is impossible for a human to be completely emotionless in the literal sense – but the fact that he didn't wear any expressions made it harder for the informant to read. While frustrating, it was also quite hilarious, in a sense. Orihara Izaya was a master of reading and manipulating.

It was strange that a human could mask himself so perfectly without the help of one expression, like how some liked to pretend they were happy-go-lucky fellows without a care in the world or those who covered themselves in utterly pathetic sadness. This boy was completely and flawlessly blank. His body language was also rather "blank"; it was as if he was born without instinct and movement.

Like a marionette without strings, waiting for a puppet master to control him.

It goes to show that his new piece would be a challenge and Izaya never turns down any; he challenged hidden obstacles or made his own for a reason. After all, supposedly unbreakable toys were fun to break or possibly, in worst case scenario (maybe the best, in a twisted sense for Izaya), destroy.

Except that it also means another thing.

The older man didn't know how to deal with the strange high school boy. It made him feel inferior in terms of information he had in his arsenal because not knowing how to handle something meant that you weren't in control of a situation. He can't be lost in a labyrinth that he made himself. It's simply ridiculous!

He hated feeling like an ant compared to a giant. He hated not knowing what was beyond the curtains. He hated being led astray.

He hated it so, so, so much.

But, of course, in true Izaya fashion, it made him laugh after a moment of self-doubt. Inferiority and abhorrence are such silly, negative feelings that practically scream human made him laugh even more. For he, a mere mortal he was born as, was no longer just a mere mortal but a god amongst men and women!

He was superior and powerful!

He was the game master with many pawns at his disposal to create the finest game in history!

That was what led him to the spontaneous doings in the first place. Izaya needed a way to assess Kuroko's mentality and asking him outright would be absolutely boring. He wasn't a therapist for a reason, you know.

Spontaneous was the best way to go – had it been simple, the boy in question would have suspected a plan in the making, no matter how half-assed it was compared to Izaya's usual grand schemes. If Izaya showed himself as eccentric – not that he isn't in the first place –, it would be much harder for the boy to comprehend even a shred of his motives.

Besides, it would have been pathetic too, because it was a subtle suggestion that Izaya was too incompetent to find out on his own. Too useless and weak on his own, like a helpless infant. The sociopath would not show weakness, nor does he have any weaknesses. Though the results were really one-sided, Izaya gained a minor bruise and not what he was expecting, Izaya did feel a sense of triumph when Kuroko flinched in surprise and couldn't hide a grimace.

Besides, meeting his expectations would have been a dull turn.

It implied that Kuroko did still react, but most of it was held back or suppressed, like his body language. A why was on the tip of Izaya's tongue, pondering on the reason of his current companion's stilled facial responses; could it have been abuse, a practiced social facade of indifference, a defense mechanism to avoid getting hurt verbally, or something else? Kuroko Tetsuya was definitely curious.

An enigma he needed to solve.

(Is he unbreakable?)

This game would be thrilling. If his new companion was going to be wearing a blank mask twenty-four/seven and hiding his emotions under lock with the key thrown away, Izaya would become the antithesis of him.

(He will create the key, unlock the door and get rid of anything that stands in his way, be it man or object, to see the true self buried beneath the needless layers and bars of limits.)

Izaya couldn't wait to twist, break, reattach, bend and remold an unbreakable human into an ultimate machine.

Kuroko Tetsuya would- no, will be perfect piece in his human chess.

(Most of all, the word 'unbreakable' has its opposite, like the other side of a coin. Even the unbreakable aren't invincible.)

It is only right that god rebuilds one of his humans.

. . .

. .

. . .

Why there were nowhere near Izaya's place right not was spontaneous too. Izaya couldn't help it but want to continuously observe and test the boy. He didn't feel uncertainty or wonder if it was the right of him to offer his hand (because no matter the consequences, Izaya will face them and make the best out of it; that was how he worked), yet Izaya just wanted to see the choices the boy would make.

With much practice and understanding on the human mind, Izaya already knew that Kuroko would never kill someone. Out of necessity, yes, but never for pleasure or for kicks. But everything was still a 50/50 chance until Izaya finished twisting and reshaping the boy's morals.

But winning a verbal negotiation without impulsive violence of a teenager under pressure and making blunders that would give the opposition an advantage; now that's what Izaya wanted to see!

Maybe the now-dropout never noticed it himself, or chose to blatantly ignore it, but it was the truth that Kuroko Tetsuya may be something like an adrenaline junkie, similar to how daredevils have fun in doing wild and life-threatening stunts. It was even more excitement in it if you performed it, survived and lived to tell the tale.

There was a small possibility, a little, tiny, teensy-weeny, just a maybe that Kuroko thrived better in risky predicaments, the joy of thinking on his feet to gain an advantage or an upper hand to win a battle without blood but wits, mental calculations with chances in percentages to use, noting all the details in a single closed space – a room with one way in, no way out on first sight – to use to escape and there was all there was to it.

That was also why, when they reached up to the third floor of an extremely run-down apartment with the signboard Sunnyside Hills as old as a fossil faced with a thousands of years of decay and yellow paint that ran and faded, roofs that seemed to be a breeding spot for holes, mold and disgusting little critters, stuffy rooms not fit for two and generally a terrible place to even think up of living at despite the modern day bankruptcy and desperation for a roof over your head, Kuroko's determination turned into hard cold steel refined like the sharpest knife of a murderer.

The boy may not know what Izaya has in store for him, but it is as obvious as daylight that the man was testing him. This is what made Izaya list Kuroko as one of the more favorable among his pieces; the boy didn't know the motive, but he knew what he had to do. He was the only pawn that wanted to shape the route of the game and see the outcome, no matter the good or bad.

He was the bishop that allowed himself to be used and guided in the game, instead of the blind sheep following the wicked shepherd.

A chess piece with a mind of its own; what fun!

It was wonderful how he had the perfect front row seat when it came to seeing his piece work. Just without the popcorn and more curiosity while doing so.

Something not acceptable by human standards, their laws full of loopholes and their blanket philosophies, but simply right for Kuroko.

. . .

. .

. . .

Before they went in, Izaya finally spoke after a long time of leaving the train ride and walking to the terrible apartment.

He heaved a deep sigh and made dramatic gestures, but Kuroko wasn't falling for it. It was a right guess of his that Orihara Izaya, other than being very eccentric, had a flair for dramatics.

"See here, Kuroko-kun, there's a group inside this place that people like to call the scum of society, those who live in the same world but cannot contribute to others in a positive way. In layman's terms, as you most likely do not want me to talk about their sad, tragic backstory of abuse from their family and peers and whatever angst teenagers face these days, these people are drug addicts with a dealer among them. Terribly aggressive if you take away their only joy. While I might not understand what's so fun about drugs and hallucinating about the floor moving, because I prefer reality, humans and games more, I do understand the concept of gaining happiness from it, I suppose."

Izaya chuckled.

Kuroko raised an eyebrow, a half-assed gesture for him to continue.

"But gaining happiness has a rather sad downside to it – oh, see what I did there –, because it can be taken from you as well. Also, seeing as we have arrived here already, we might as well ruin their lives in any way possible."

Kuroko frowned at the straightforward command. To be honest, he expected more evil eyes directed to himself, sugar-coated words and false promises to coax him into doing some sort of crime without letting him on at all. It was surprisingly… refreshing. He guessed that Izaya wasn't that kind of guy. But, that wasn't enough reason for him to take action against these people. He needed a reason, as his moral fiber demands so.

"What for? We don't even know them." There, not knowing a person and having no purpose to cause trouble was the way to go.

"You don't, but I do. You see, the dealer annoyed me because he decided he was smarter than me and stole my money. I've let him off the hook for a while, because money doesn't really matter to me, though it's high time to show him that he's just another's circus monkey."

Well, that made sense, somewhat. But if the money wasn't the problem, then...

"… So, if the stolen money doesn't bother you, it means that you have an inferiority complex concerning intelligence, Orihara-san."

The man tut-tutted him like he was in the wrong and he was nothing more than a petulant brat trying to win an argument by crying and screaming obnoxiously. Indignation wormed its way into Kuroko, but otherwise did not show physically and he did not voice it out.

Kuroko did specialize in the Art of Blankness and he wasn't going to break his longest running streak of being unreadable.

"You're mistaken there, Kuroko-kun, because I am simply always a hundred steps ahead of the entire human race. It's like saying a snail can outrun a constantly running cheetah. In any case, it's not having an inferiority complex when you know it's the truth and within your rights to correct the wrongdoer."

The younger male wisely did not comment, because Izaya was giving him an eye smile that was not conveying happiness.

"Besides, won't it be wonderfully amusing to see someone's look of despair? It's not like we purposely ruined their lives since they popped out of their mother's womb anyways – they haven't done any good since then, have they?"

"We won't necessarily be tearing apart the story they wrote themselves until there's none left. We'll just be doing a little editing in the middle, that's all."

. . .

. .

. . .

(Become his savior, and you will lead him to -?)

. . .

. .

. . .

Kuroko decided to break the silence.

"So, how are we going to ruin these peoples' lives?"

Izaya gave an amused smile.

"Preferably in a way that you and I enjoy it. After all, we are the editors and the temporary readers."

This time, Kuroko smiled, too.

A/N: The alternate title name for this chapter was "Izaya's being a complex shit and Kuroko might not have morals".