Whaa! My first fanfic...s-sorry if this sucks. ^^; I haven't written in forever...so I'm hoping this isn't too bad. Ratings will probably go up in later chapters.

Disclaimer: I do not own DRRR...sadly. :C

Prologue

Izaya's POV

When we were kids, our mother used to read a story book to us every night before bed. I didn't think much of it back then, but now the words chime in my head like the most persistent bell.

The book was about how we're all born. I guess you could call it an alternate, more intricate version of the stork. Instead of a stork, an angel visited us when we were just little eggs. The angel would ask us all sorts of questions. "What color would you like your eyes?" "What will your favorite food be?" "Do you want to be strong?" "Do you want to be smart?" As we answered the questions, our eggs began to take the form of who we would become. The first things that would appear would be one's arms, legs, and head. Next would come all our facial features.

As we answered the questions, we were also prompted to give reasons as to why we wanted to look and act the way we chose. One child said he wanted eyes filled with tears, so he could cry for those he loved. Another child wanted muscles for the strength to protect everyone around him. The angel would grant each child their wish, and when it was all said and done, the child would be presented an image of what they would be like as an adult. Whether the child liked it or not, they couldn't take back any decision they had made. I always thought that part was kind of cruel. What if you didn't like who you would be?

The angel then says some silly little incantation, and the child falls asleep. It conveniently forgets its meeting with the angel, and when the child wakes up, it is in the arms of his or her mother.

Of course, I could never believe a foolish tale like that. Even then as a child, I was a little too smart for my own good. But sometimes I wondered if me and Psyche, at that time, were standing next to each other, our eggs contemplating what we would look like. Did we decide to have the same face? Was it our choice to be mirror images of the other, yet be completely different? At times, it seemed almost likely that this was the case.

We grew up in the same environment. Rarely ever were we separated. And yet somehow we ended up complete opposites. I was the smart twin. He was the happy twin. That's just how things were between us.

Sometimes I wondered, as if the story was real, why we choose to be this way. Why did I want to be so smart? Why did he want to be so kind?

I always ended up laughing and cursing at myself for having such ridiculous thoughts. But even now, I could never understand why we were so different.

Now some would say that I was the lucky twin. I had perfect grades. I could talk my way out of almost any situation. I could twist words and make people turn against each other. I could make two people fall in love, and be the cause of their break up a week later. With quick words and a fake grin I could have the whole world believing that the earth really was flat. I had a gift for manipulation, and I did an even better job at making humans fear and despise me. With such a gift, I should have been the one on top.

But now I know that isn't true at all. Psyche was all sugar and rainbows. I could trick and scheme my way into anyone's heart, but all he'd have to do was smile that angelic smile of his and they'd instantly fall into his spell. If people loved me, they found themselves loving him even more.

It wasn't fair, really. I was the one who could be successful. I knew I could run my own business if I wanted to, and I wasn't even out of high school yet. But no, our parents still preferred him to me. Our sisters practically worshiped him. Everyone who had ever met the boy, loved him almost instantly. And the worst part is, I loved him just as much as them, if not more.

Maybe the reason I loved Psyche so much was because I knew I was his number one. People could fawn over him and love him all they wanted, but he admired me the most. I was the one most important to him. Some sick, twisted part of me absolutely loved it. I bathed in the fact that the most adored child in Ikebukuro would jump off a cliff if I just asked. I had a lot of power over a lot of people, but Psyche was the one who I knew I could fully control.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not a complete ass. I did love my brother, and would never think of telling him to harm himself for my own amusement. Not now, anyway. Believe it or not, Orihara Izaya does have a heart in there. Somewhere. And Psyche and I had this impenetrable wall around us. No matter who or what came into our lives, that wall kept us together and brought us closer and closer until we practically suffocated each other with affection.

Since Psyche was the only one who truly loved me, I treated him much better than I did the other kids. Actually, even now I treat him better than most. But things have changed. A lot has changed. Cracks had appeared in our wall, and I'm sure he didn't notice them. I didn't even notice them until it was too late.

The first, and most powerful crack appeared in the form of blonde hair.

It was the most ridiculous thing in the world. Our younger twin sisters had just turned 6, and our parents were still elated over the "luck" of having two sets of twins. We had just moved to Ikebukuro from Shinjuku, and our new neighbor's had told our parents about a, get this, twins convention. As usual, Psyche was jumping up in down like a rabbit on a caffeine high. For me, 12 years old was just a little too old to be getting into something like this.

After a quick look around, our parents took our sisters to some panel and let me and my brother loose on the convention floor. It was creepy as hell. I love people, I really do. But to see so many duplicates running around was just... nauseating. Most of them were dressed exactly alike, and some even moved or talked in sync. Suddenly I was very grateful to our parents for not thinking to dress us up in identical clothing.

Psyche was wearing a white t-shirt with the images of little pink bunnies playing around the hem of the shirt. His pants were also that atrocious shade of pink, with his pink mp3 player sticking out of his pocket. Connected to the mp3 player was his signature pair of headphones which, you guessed it, were also pink and white.

Bet you can't guess what his favorite color is.

The headphones were actually a gift I got him not too long ago. Psyche was into music, and was a really talented singer and songwriter for his age. With the face and voice of an angel, he was rather popular.

Unfortunately for my parents, I had decided to dress a bit differently. A simple red top and black pair of jeans, in fact. I didn't stand out as much as my twin, but at least I didn't look like trash either.

I followed him around as he bounced from events to games to people. He chattered with almost everyone he came across. With a smile on his face he introduced me to his new friends before showing off those headphones that he loved so much. I couldn't help but grin over the fact that he loved my gift.

But I was getting bored.

Very. Very. Bored. This whole con deal wasn't really my thing. I was hoping for a little excitement.

As luck would have it, it wasn't long before I got that wish.

It started with a heart stopping screech. Followed by the sound of something ripping. Which was followed by the sound of something crashing and then screaming. That scream was followed by a chorus of yells and cries. People started running in the opposite direction of a particular room.

I was suddenly very fascinated, my curiosity peeking with the turmoil. After all, anything that could get my beloved humans in such an uproar must be more interesting then watching a bunch of doppelgangers.

If I could turn back time, I would have instead chosen to follow the crowd. But what good would it have done?

Psyche was tugging at my shirt, trying to get me to follow the others away from the scene. But I would have none of that. Fingering the switchblade I kept with me in my pocket, I casually started walking towards the cause of the event. I didn't have to look to know that Psyche was right behind me.

As I entered the room, I noticed that it was some sort of karaoke event. Or at least, it was. Pinned to the wall of the room were two twin boys crushed by a expensive looking karaoke machine. It was actually pretty funny as they both were in similar positions and had the same expression of fear and pain on their faces. Figures.

I followed their panic-stricken eyes to the other side of the room and was met with amber hues that were practically radiating anger. That was where I had first seen the boy who would one day be known as the Monster of Ikebukuro.

He was blonde with eyes almost golden, dressed in a white button-down dress shirt, with black slacks underneath. Behind him was a boy dressed similar, but his eyes were a deep ocean blue that were surprisingly calm considering the situation. The more passive boy seemed used to these occurrences.

The angry looking twin decided that being crushed by a karaoke machine wasn't nearly enough. Without hesitation he grabbed a long wooden table that was sitting in front of the stage and lifted it over his head as if it was made out of feathers.

I felt Psyche press against me, trembling in fear. I was shaking too, but it sure as hell wasn't from fear. I can remember how my heart was trying to beat itself out of my chest. I can also remember not being able to contain the elated grin that spread across my face.

The immensely powerful blonde haired demon threw the table across the room with such forced that the two boys were completely buried into the wall. Noticing that the twins were completely unconscious, the calmer blonde quickly reached for his insane brother's wrist. At first the boy looked like he would snap and attack his sibling instead, but once he noticed who it was his expression quickly melted into one of Mortification. The monster frowned and stared back at his brother, the air around him going from intense to guilty.

The blue eyed teen gave his twin a soft smile, and the atmosphere in the room seemed to calm itself as well. I could feel Psyche relaxing against my back, but he was still trembling lightly. He was still scared.

I sighed a bit at his cowardice, and took a few steps towards the others. Psyche gave out a small whimper of concern which, in the deathly quiet room, had the same effect of a hammer banging against a piece of metal. The two blondes jumped in surprise at the sound and snapped their heads over in our direction.

I gave them the most charming grin as I approached, locking my eyes with those of the violent one. "Nice show."

Angry-blonde's eyes narrowed and I noticed how his body tensed deliciously in response to my taunt. "It wasn't one." He said sternly, clenching his fists until his knuckles turned white.

"Well!" I chuckled lightly, tilting my head to the side in an innocent gesture. "Could have fooled me. It was quite entertaining to watch, Goldie-locks."

The boy let out a sound that sounded like a growl. I grasped at the knife in my pocket, preparing to dodge whatever he would throw at me. My blood was already boiling, and I was aching for a fight. To see that unbelievable strength first hand...

"I-Iza-nii!" Psyche was panicking now. The boy looked over to my brother's fearful expression.

To my surprise, Psyche actually had the courage to step in front of me. He tried to look at the blonde boy, but his fear was too evident. His face seemed more pleading than intimidating, which is what I was pretty sure he was going for.

Of course, no one could be mad at a face like that. Blondie's eyes softened and, after sending me a hateful glare, he looked back at my brother and apologized.

"Didn't mean to scare you..." His voice sounded extremely soft, like talking to a frightened kitten. It was completely different then his threatening voice from before. At that moment, I felt a small lick of irritation. How dare such a monster speak as if it were human.

The silent brother, that I almost for was present, stepped over to Psyche and placed a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. Though he didn't speak, his very presence seemed to help Psyche relax. Once he saw that the brothers meant no harm, he gave them one of those sweet, sugar-coated, smiles. His fear was evidently forgotten as he stuck both his hands out for the two to shake.

"Nice to meet you!" He said, grinning. The boys gave him comical looks of surprise. After all, this blonde kid was about to attempt to knock my lights out and now we're exchanging greetings?

That's just how Psyche was. He could never stay sad, angry, or scared for too long. And no matter who he was just talking to, or what kind of situation he was in, he always tried to make friends with everyone.

Hesitantly, the calm blonde reached out his hand and took Psyche's. "Nice to meet you too." He said simply, and then looked at the other blonde to do the same.

"..." He seemed speechless, but slowly took Psyche's hand in his.

Psyche looked pleased, and shook both their hands simultaneously before introducing himself. "My name's Psyche!" He smiled some more and looked at them expectantly.

"Tsugaru." The calm one seemed intrigued as he stared at Psyche, smiling slightly at his gentle expression.

The twin looked a bit nervous as his gaze drifted between me, Tsugaru, and Psyche, and then he finally let out a slow breathe and spoke. "S-Shizuo."

Giggling, happy to see the two boys respond, Psyche reached back and grabbed my hand, pulling me forward. "Iza-nii, introduce yourself!"

I was going to argue that he had been introducing me himself to everyone at the convention, but his hopeful smile stopped me from saying anything. I let out a tiresome sigh before letting my face fall into a confident smirk. "Izaya."

Shizuo looked like he was getting irritated again. He really couldn't stand my face for some reason. Realizing his discomfort, Psyche quickly stole their attention by asking them hundreds of questions. It was strange since he seemed to be more interested in these two than he was with the others we had spoken to throughout the day.

Of course, I didn't stay silent long either and quickly got into a habit of provoking the blonde monster named Shizuo. I don't know what started it, even now I don't really know, but I enjoyed pissing him off back then. I found his angry expressions interesting as there was something absolutely primal about them. Above that, I wanted to know the reason for his abnormal strength.

I didn't have to wait long to find out. Psyche had popped the question, and I almost thought that Shizuo would get mad at him for being so upfront about it. After all, it was pretty personal.

But the two boys were already attached to the pink-eyed freak. Another thing about Psyche is he was extremely easy to trust, and many people would open up to him even before they had really gotten to know him.

Shizuo calmly explained his lack of control over his strength. And went on about his even worse control over his emotions. He said that both Tsugaru and his youngest brother, Kasuka, had calm personalities, all because he set a 'bad example' for them.

Psyche, being the emotional little boy he was, got teary-eyed and practically jumped Shizuo into a hug. Shizuo's eyes widened in shock, surprised that instead of being afraid of him, Psyche actually felt bad for him. Shizuo soon relaxed, his arms wrapping around the smaller boy. He smiled sweetly at him, and even gave him a small 'thank you.'

That was probably the first time I was ever jealous of my brother, and I didn't even know it back then. It was the first crack, and biggest one at that. Back then it wasn't much, but now...now things have changed. Maybe it started off as a crush...or maybe it was just an admiration for that amazing strength. I don't know. But now it's evolved into something much worse. Something that's been eating away at me ever since I had the courage to admit to myself what I was really feeling.

If I could turn back time, I would have never approached Shizuo. I wouldn't even come into the Karaoke room. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't have even gone to the convention to begin with!

I would do anything to stop myself from meeting Heiwajima Shizuo, and thus, falling in love with the boy who fell in love with my twin.

Ne, so that wasn't too bad, right? I would greatly appreciate some reviews. C: Constructive criticism would be awesome...I want to continue this but I don't want to mess up! Anyhoo, thanks for reading if you got this far. You are automatically awesome. Yes.