•On the Way Down•

Opportunities, Coming and Going

This was the place, Shizuo took out his phone and checked the address again. Sure was the address that showed up in his text. Shizuo nodded to himself and knocked four times, exactly, on condo's the door. Then took a step backwards while he shoved his hands in his slack pockets. For whatever reason he felt nervous about doing this.

"Weird place to get a job interview," Shizuo paused a moment to really take in the residential area the possible employer had told him to come to. The street was lined with simple, plain, and quiet, very quiet, houses. Probably teeming with life. What kind of person would hire a body guard living in a suburb anyways?

"Wait, did I even..." He was about to see if he'd noted the name in the paper he'd gotten the job request from.

"Welcome!"

Boom!

"Oh- Shit!" Shizuo jumped when he felt the reverberation of the punch flow back to him. Making him realize the face his fist made contact with.

"Fuck man!" The poor man knelt down on the ground, cupping his nose. Blood pooling in the palm mere seconds after he'd simply open the door.

"Jesus Chirst! Shit-," Shizuo reached down for the man. Trying to repair the introduction he just made, "Shit sorry sorry, shit shit sorry," He carried on in a slight panic. The individual who was going to interview him coughed and Shizuo heard a crunch as he smashed his bloodied nose back in place.

"Fuck Shizuo, I knew that had to hurt when you did it to other guys during middle school but jesus christ I never wanted to be on the receiving end!"

"Uh?" Shizuo recognized the voice from the phone call but now in person it sounded even more familiar than just that.

"What? You don't remember me?" the man laughed light heartedly at Shizuo, "I said my name on the phone. Damn your still that much in your mind too?"

"Hey wait a minute!" Shizuo barked indignant that his wits were being cast out when he really was the one who got jumped out of the blue, "I came down here for a job that required strength. Not a fucking pop quiz!"

"Shh jesus you can stop yelling made. You shouldn't even be shouting at me since your the one who socked me in the nose." the man kept up the careless worry even when he wiped his bloody hand on his slacks and tilted his head back to keep any more from flowing out.

"I said sorry!" Shizuo snapped, "You shouldn't scare people!"

"You shouldn't be so unaware all the time if I'm gonna hire you."

"I was thinking!"

"Obviously about everything but this job?"

"Bull shit!"

"Damn Shizuo and take a chill pill and at least recognize me!"

"What the hell are you....?"

"It's me, Tom Tanaka,"

"Tanaka...." That name was familiar to the blond man the moment he heard it.

"From school, like middle all the way through secondary." Tom grimaced at the aging blood in his hands when it seemed his nose wanted to stop leaking blood. Then he just wiped them on his pants like the other and called it good. With semi clean hands Tom extended a formal greeting finally more fitting to a job interview, "We use to have a few classes together. And we hung out once or twice."

"Your that guys friend I beat the hell out of for harassing Jiro at lunch?" Shizuo tested his memory as he said it. Luckily Tom nodded, with a begrudging chuckle.

"Yah, that was me," Tom laughed while reaching behind his head, "I can assure you though he and I are no longer friends. I wasn't in the betting crowd then and I'm certainly not now."