Class C roster (Izaya's):- Mikado-kun, Masaomi-kun, Shizu-chan, Masaki-chan, Kai-chan, Mori-chan, Asuka-kun, Kai-kun, Tomo-kun, Chiaki-kun, Maki-kun, Azaki-chan, Ai-chan, Kuni-kun, Kan-chan, Go-kun, Nao-chan, Yuki-kun, Katsu-chan, Yasu-kun, Shiko-chan, Taki-kun, Kin-chan, Sei-chan, Masa-chan, Yoshi-kun, Taka-chan, Shichi-kun, Hiro-chan, Nori-kun, Tai-chan.

31 students

Kuni-kun suspended 2 weeks

Sei-chan off sick

29 in attendance

Ninth class

It's only Wednesday. Shizuo watches the last minute change into a new day. It's the same as usual except that his naivety has been blown away. Not only does he have to deal with Izaya, he has to sit in class surrounded by criminals pretending nothing is wrong. Each and every one of them deserved to be in that class, to be tormented by a psychopath. That's what his friends had said. Were his classmates innocent at the start? Had Izaya really corrupted them and made them into monsters?

Shizuo flicked the covers back, getting out of bed and leaving his room. If he fell asleep nightmares waited. Even if he closed his eyes he could see the class pet burned clearly in his mind. He could've done something and he hadn't. Because he'd been advised not to. Because he didn't want the same thing to happen to him. He'd been a coward. Izaya had been right. Saving no one was also a possibility. Shizuo was weak.

Down the stairs and into the kitchen, Shizuo pulled open the fridge and poured himself a glass of milk. Sitting alone in the dark he tried not to think about anything, it was silent maybe he could fade into the black. Nursing his milk was the only thing that stopped his hands shaking. His eyes were damp but he didn't move to brush away the tears. Not even two weeks in Izaya's class and he felt like something was breaking.

How many class pets did he have to watch getting defiled? What Izaya did to him was small in comparison. Shizuo hung his head in shame. He'd been relieved at saving one class pet the humiliation of pissing himself. Kuni-kun, the kid was out of Izaya's way now. He didn't want to think about how. He didn't want to think about one of his friends doing what they had decided not to.

The guilt ate into him. It was as if it was his fault. Because he'd saved Kuni-kun, Izaya had shown what he could do. Do as you like. Shizuo had never thought such words could be so terrible. He'd never thought his classmates could do something so terrible. But they had and he'd witnessed it. Helpless but not helpless. He could have done something. Could have but didn't. Which made him as bad as the rest of them.

The kitchen light came on. Shizuo quickly scrubbed the tears from his eyes but he knew Kasuka had seen them. "Nii-san."

"Kasuka. Shouldn't you be asleep?"

His brother looked at him blankly. "Shouldn't you?" Kasuka grabbed a glass of milk joining him at the table. "You've been crying."

Shizuo shrugged.

"This isn't about bullying, is it?"

Shizuo didn't want to lie but his friends were adamant Izaya knew everything and if he knew Kasuka knew...that couldn't happen.

"Nii-san, talk to me." A robot might have held more emotion but he could feel Kasuka's worry under the surface.

"...I can't. Don't ask me."

"It's bad isn't it?"

Shizuo said nothing staring into his glass. Kasuka reached over prying his hands from the glass.

"Why won't you tell me? Or can't you? Is someone threatening you?" Kasuka squeezed his hands. "Nii-san, if it scares you it terrifies me. I've never seen anything beat you before. What have you witnessed that you can't beat?"

Shizuo looked away. He couldn't lie to his brother so he kept his silence. "Nii-san..." Kasuka sighed slowly moving away. "Okay, I won't push. This is your problem."

Shizuo nodded thankful and relieved.

"By the way I may transfer to your school."

Shizuo choked on his milk. "What?"

"Well my age is a secret. No one outside the agency knows how old I am. Apparently it keeps my image fresh, gives me mystery. That's why they gave me a car I'm too young to drive and they want me to join the last year of high school." Kasuka looked him straight in the eye. "Who knows, I might end up in your class."

"NO!" Shizuo shouted standing sharply. His glass fell over spilling milk over the edge of the table.

Kasuka sat back calmly sipping at his. "So it's someone in your class?"

Shizuo cursed grabbing some kitchen roll from the counter.

"More than one?" Kasuka continued staring at him. Shizuo kneeled down scrubbing at the floor. "The whole class? Why doesn't your teacher do something?"

Shizuo threw the tissue wad into the bin and put the glass in the sink. Not once did he answer his brother's question. Not once did he give an indication to the answers.

"...your teacher is the instigator?" Kasuka asked shock in his usually emotionless tone. "Nii-san, that thing under your bed. That's a sex toy."

Fuck. Shizuo grimaced. He should have locked the thing away instead of slinging it under the bed. Why had Kasuka been rummaging around in his room? Ah. The clothes. His little brother was trying to make his life easier giving him style.

"Your teacher gave it to you? He's abusing the class?" Kasuka asked. Shizuo stayed silent. Where was his brother pulling the answers from? "Your friends? Has he touched you?"

"...Kasuka, don't." Shizuo whispered harshly.

"Nii-san, did he ra-"

"No." Not yet. Shizuo didn't want to hear the word. "Don't you have a modelling shoot tomorrow." He quickly tried to change the subject and failed.

"Nii-san, you need to tell someone. The police, another teacher. Our parents."

Shizuo sighed meeting his brother's gaze. "Stay out of it Kasuka, please...I don't need someone else to protect."

Kasuka's gaze narrowed. "Your friends. You're protecting them? You've known them just over a week."

"Kasuka-"

"Promise me you'll be okay."

Shizuo swallowed. Long ago on the jungle gym Kasuka had sworn to never be afraid of him. They would never lie to each other. His silence spoke volumes.

"Then promise me you won't sacrifice yourself for these friends of yours."

Shizuo couldn't say anything to that either. Kasuka sighed shaking his head and left his seat. "Kasuka, promise me you won't interfere." To his expected horror his brother didn't answer walking away without a word.

x-x-x

Kasuka is gone in the morning. Shizuo hurried down the stairs only to run into the obstacle of his mother. "Shizuo! You're not even dressed yet!"

"Where's Kasuka?"

His mother smiles. "Well I'm glad to see you two are getting along again. What were you fighting about last night?"

Shizuo froze looking worried. Kasuka knew. Had his mother overheard them? He had to find a way to keep his brother away from Izaya.

"Brotherly stuff hm? Okay, I'll keep out of it. Eat your breakfast. Your lunch is on the side." His mother rattled off the usual. "I made some for Mikado and Masaomi. Those two need to eat more."

"Thanks mom." Shizuo hugged her gently.

x-x-x

Shizuo had thought about skipping school. His brother's red sports car was gone meaning Kasuka could be anywhere he'd asked his manager to take him. He hadn't been paying attention when it came to his brother's budding career.

The only reason he did go to school was because his mother had lumbered him with three lunches and he wasn't sure if he would be back in time for last period. Skipping Izaya's class would be catastrophic.

For now he'd sent Kasuka a text pleading for him to leave his problems alone and begging him to stay away from Izaya. If Izaya found out his brother would be fair game. His friends had said Izaya didn't touch family but what about family that knew?

"Morning." Mikado waved from one side of the crossroads and Masaomi on the other. The three of them joined up walking the dreaded path to school.

"Is that your mom's cooking in there?" Masaomi asked salivating. Shizuo handed them their portions. "Yes! It's almost too good to wait until lunch."

"You'll need the energy." Mikado said quietly.

Shizuo frowned. He and his friends had promised there would be no secrets, yet he couldn't bring himself to tell them about Kasuka. His instincts held his voice and refused to let go. Kasuka was his problem.

"Shizuo," the blond looked him over "your tie isn't straight. Aren't you obeying the school rules?"

Shizuo shrugged remembering exactly what Izaya had said to him after he'd broken the window. "It makes no difference."

Masaomi grinned. "True but I won yesterday. I beat that bastard. It can be done."

If that was the case why did Mikado look so worried?

x-x-x

The kid with the loud mouth was pissing him off. Shizuo did his best to ignore it but the little shit was poking his buttons. It was the same guy from the changing rooms, Mikado had said his name but he'd forgotten. The kid seemed to have a grudge against all of them.

It looked like he had been initiated into the class and now none of them were holding back. Shizuo only had to look two ways for the ones that actually liked him. It was three against twenty eight, excluding Kuni-kun now since he'd been suspended and one empty seat.

It was the usual bullying tactics for all three of them. This was the crap he'd followed advice on and dyed his hair to stop. Strangely it didn't bother him. Shizuo looked at the crap all over his desk and didn't do much as twitch. Either he was adapting to his environment like his friends told him to or he really just didn't give a fuck.

What did bother him was that they were pulling the same shit with his friends and that wasn't on. Unfortunately the other two weren't bothered either and made the sign for him to calm down and not do anything. The ringleader laughed and sneered believing he was untouchable. Shizuo ignored the silent countdown going on in his head.

x-x-x

No one in their class said anything about the smashed locker. It had been taken away and been replaced with a new one. The kid giving them grief was laughing loudly and being obnoxious. The small group was getting bigger with seven of them huddled together.

Mikado didn't look phased in the slightest. Masaomi was smiling. The two of them circled one finger around another and pulled. Shizuo glanced at the group. Doomed. That was the basic meaning. All Mikado had said during lunch was that they were getting too big for their boots. There was only one leader in their class and he wouldn't appreciate the attempted change.

Shizuo sighed. Even if that was the case he didn't want Izaya to have any more victims. He could still see the poor kid from yesterday huddled in one corner changing quietly and pretending to be invisible. Nori-chan. Another name. Someone else he would never forget. Mikado sighed drawing his attention and made the sign for don't do anything. So he didn't. Just like usual. Shizuo silenced the little protesting voice in the back of his mind and continued changing.

x-x-x

Their teacher was already at his desk when they came in. Shizuo blinked seeing the chains were gone. That wasn't the only surprise. The circle of chairs was gone replaced with rows of desks just like a normal classroom.

"Come in and find your seats." Izaya called turning back to speak with a stern looking woman. Shizuo followed the rest inside. Alphabetical order just like the rest of the classes. Shizuo was sitting right at the back, no point in a class reshuffle for one person.

When they were all sitting-as quick as possible-their teacher spoke leaning against the desk. Shizuo glanced at the woman wondering who she was and why she was here.

"This is Moeko Morita from the school board." Izaya announced. "She will be observing and asking you some questions today."

The woman stepped forward. "I'm afraid there has been an incident accusing your teacher of abuse, both sexual and emotional."

Shizuo swallowed. Kasuka? No, he wouldn't have had the time. Mikado? Keeping his head down he made sure not to look at the class rep.

"I'll be asking you all a few questions. I'd like to speak to Mikado Ryugamine, Shizuo Heiwajima and Masaomi Kida first."

Izaya smiled. "No problem, if I could get the lesson started?"

"Of course. I'm interested to see what you teach."

"Humanity. I used to be a guidance counsellor." Izaya looked over all of them. Shizuo felt sick. They'd been warned to keep their mouths shut. "Today we'll be looking further into relationships. Friendship to be specific. Mikado-kun, what is a friend?"

The woman's brow furrowed. "You call your student by his first name?"

"I call all of them by their first names, it gets rid of some barriers." Izaya told the woman. "Mikado-kun?"

"Uh mutual affection."

"Exactly. But how do you know it's a friendship? How do you know your 'friend' is genuine? Shizu-chan, Mikado-kun, Masaomi-kun you can go with Moeko-san."

Shizuo scraped his chair back feeling all eyes on him. Keeping his eyes to the floor he left the classroom with his two friends following, despite the fact they sat near the front. His gut twisted nerves getting the better of him, alarm bells ringing.

The woman was kindly enough carrying a clipboard pressed against her chest. She led them a few doors down into an empty classroom. "Please take a seat."

Shizuo followed Mikado and Masaomi taking a seat at the second from front row. The woman closed the door and walked towards them choosing to sit in front of them, with the chair facing them. "There's no need to look so nervous. I'm not going to scream at you. Nothing you say will leave this room."

Shizuo twitched in his seat. His friends on either side looked uncomfortable. He'd thought he knew what to expect from now on in Izaya's class. The desks and the strange woman were too much of a surprise.

"The allegations made towards your teacher are serious. It's my job to make certain of the truth. Your teacher could lose his job over this."

Mikado swallowed squeaking, "who made the allegations?"

The woman smiled her thin lips pressed together. "I'm afraid I can't tell you that. Only that he's not in your class at the moment."

Kuni-kun. Shizuo thought. Or the other kid. He didn't know his name.

"There was a mention of a class pet. Each lesson someone gets punished. Is this the case?"

"What else did Kuni-kun say?" Masaomi sighed rocking back on two legs.

The woman sighed. "That you sit in a circle, the desk has chains and that your teacher torments you all."

Shizuo glanced between his friends. Both their hands were clenched into a fist. No decision yet.

"Heiwajima-kun, you are new? You transferred in last week? I believe you were previously expelled for hitting a teacher." The woman tapped her long nails against the clipboard, long black hair fell over her shoulders. The only thing he didn't understand was the long white coat. "You believed that was sexual harassment, didn't you?"

Shizuo kept quiet. This woman was in league with their teacher. That's what his gut was telling him. If they said anything they'd be breaking Izaya's number one rule. The one he'd already broken.

"Ryugamine-kun? Your teachers think highly of you. Your grades are high enough to be in another less... unfortunate class."

The class rep shrugged staring straight at the woman. "That's up to my teachers. I don't think we should be missing Orihara-sensei's class. Is that all?"

"That depends." The woman smiled clicking her pen. "Do you have anything to comment?"

"No. Orihara-sensei hasn't laid a hand on me."

Masaomi was already up scowling. Shizuo followed. The woman hadn't jotted a single thing down before. Now her pen moved.

All eyes looked their way when the three of them entered the room. Izaya quickly continued with the lesson. It was strange sitting at a desk-not Izaya's- and not having to worry. Maybe the woman had been genuine. If that was the case, hadn't they ruined their chance of getting Izaya fired and put away?

"Now where were we?" Izaya walked around the room. This time he kept to the front row not going past. "Friendship. How do you know it's real? How do you know when you're no longer friends? What happens if you tell your friend all of your secrets and then they go and tell someone else or use them against you?"

Shizuo shuddered glancing at his two friends. It felt like Izaya was looking directly at him.

"Do you know when someone says something behind your back?"

The door opened and the woman came back in for three more. Shizuo watched them go noticing their teacher did too. Was Izaya worried? Was the woman genuine? Three from the front were quickly ushered out, the door closed behind them.

"Most humans put up a mask or an act, even from a very young age. They try and make friends by lying or pretending to be something they're not. You'll learn this pretty much as soon as you graduate." Izaya smirked. "That's if you do. For most of you that's a pipe dream so I'll tell you now. Almost all of your friends are fake."

Shizuo tensed. Whispering and curses broke out amongst the class.

"Raise your hand if you had friends before entering this school." Izaya leaned back against the large desk surveying them all.

Shizuo like everyone else raised his hand. It was only one but Tom had been there for him and given him valuable advice, although they hadn't been together that long to be called friends. Sempai and Kouhai?

"Hands down if you're no longer friends with them."

Shizuo honestly didn't know. He hadn't had a phone back then. Tom hadn't said he'd stay in contact. They'd just moved on. But if he saw him again... with a sigh Shizuo lowered his hand. Tom probably wouldn't recognise him.

"Most of you." Izaya noted. "For those that still have their hands up. Hands down if your friends now see you less because they have new friends."

Everyone had their hand down. Their teacher looked satisfied. "The right place at the right time. Humans can't stand being alone. They crave attention. Whether it's an older friend graduating or one moving away, they'll always have more friends. You're no longer important to them. They've moved on."

"The friends you have now, what will happen when you go your separate ways? When they get boyfriends or girlfriends? You'll be abandoned. Most of you-"

The door opened again. Three stepped in and three stepped out. Shizuo swallowed needing his friends to explain what was happening. The duo continued facing the front.

"Most of you lost the last of your friends when you were assigned to this class. In the eyes of your fellow school mates you're the lowest of the low. You're at the bottom of the hierarchy."

Their teacher wiped the board drawing a triangle. "In this world there is a system. At the top you have the rich and at the bottom you have the poor. Imagine this system broken up into smaller pieces. Your family. Where abouts are you in terms of your siblings? This school. You know you're at the bottom. What about this class? Where do you fit in? Some of you-"

The door opened again. Three nervous looking teens shuffled in hurrying back to their seats. Three more left with the woman.

"Class exercise." Izaya wiped the board and drew an even bigger triangle. "You can shout out the answer. To simplify there will be three choices top middle or bottom. Nori-chan."

"Bottom." Was the overall cry. Izaya nodded writing the kid's name. Yesterday's class pet. Nori-chan didn't look as bad as he had. It looked like he had overcome his trauma. Shizuo watched the kid shuffle down slumping at his desk staring at their teacher as if he were a hero. He didn't understand why, given that it was Izaya who told the class to do it.

"Mikado-kun."

"Bottom!"

"Majority rules." Izaya shrugged jotting down Mikado's name. "Masaomi-kun."

"Bottom."

"Yasu-kun."

"Top."

x-x-x

Shizuo stared at the board. Most of the class were in the middle. A handful of the class were at the top. "What do you see?" Izaya asked tapping the board. "This is the results of a vote. A bias opinion. Mikado-kun has the best grades in the class. He should be at the top. Masaomi-kun would be too. Think about it. What made you come up with these results? Fear? Friendship? Following? Jealousy maybe?"

Shizuo stared at the sections. He was in the bottom with his friends. There were a few others but the majority was in the middle.

The door opened one last time. The final group came back in. "Thank you for your time. Orihara-san, I'll be in touch."

"Of course. Bye bye Moeko-chan." Izaya waved seeming to relax when the woman left. "So back to my main point. What would your friend do...in this instance let's use Mikado-kun. What would he do," Izaya drew a ring around the class rep's name "to get out of the bottom and to the top? How could Mikado-kun become popular? Perhaps by pushing someone below him? Bullying? Leverage with secrets? Like that your friendship is gone."

Izaya sprung up back to the board. Shizuo was still staring at Mikado's back. Their friendship was new. But he believed the class rep wouldn't do what Izaya was saying.

"In truth it's like this." Izaya erased the lines redrawing one at the top. There their teacher wrote his own name. "This is your reality. You're all the same. Individual little humans but still the same. In this class you're all in the bottom. None of you are better than the other."

Izaya turned to face them looking pretty damn menacing. "I've already explained that I won't tolerate bullying. I can see that this is going to be an issue. It looks like I might have to change Friday's lesson plan. Yasu-kun, stay behind after class. The rest of you can go."

Shizuo moved to stand. He didn't like the sound of friday.

"However before you do I want you to think about something." Izaya smirked. "How many of you told Moeko-chan anything? Was she actually from the school board or a test I assigned? If it was real then you may or may not have missed your chance to get out of this class. If it was a test, you may or may not have failed." Their teacher grinned. "See you all on Friday."

Shizuo left the classroom queued behind the rest of the class. The woman had been a test...hadn't she? If not...no, his instincts and Izaya's teasing words. It had to be a test.

"Shizuo, come on. Why are you dawdling?" The blond called out dragging him along by his jersey sleeve. Shizuo looked back seeing Izaya calmly watching them. When their eyes met their teacher smiled and gave him a small wave. The trouble maker was glaring at him.

Turning away in disgust the teen followed his friends back to the changing room where they grabbed their stuff and fled through the gate.

"Don't let sensei get in your head." Mikado murmured quietly.

Shizuo shook his head. "I'm not. It's just..."

"It was a test." Mikado whispered. "It had to be."

"The bastard was too calm."

"That's the way he's always been though." Mikado bit his lip worry creasing his brow. "We did the right thing. Didn't we?"

"Yeah. It's all a game to him. It's what he does." The blond sighed now looking just as concerned. "But it is the first time we've had someone suspended from class. That bastard never loosens his grip on us."

"Not to mention Sei-chan." Mikado breathed. "It's possible Orihara-sensei was the one that... molested him."

"He wouldn't have left evidence behind." The blond sighed biting into his thumb.

"You beat him at his own game." Shizuo grumbled. His friends were two years ahead of him when it came to Izaya. The fact that they both looked worried and confused made him nervous.

"Yeah...I don't think he was expecting that." Masaomi swallowed looking at both of them in turn. "What if that chick was from the school board?"

All three of them fell into silence. Shizuo noticed them trail him home and didn't object when they stepped into the house and said their greetings. Kasuka's car wasn't in the drive meaning he couldn't speak to his brother yet.

"How was your day boys?" His mother was there to meet him with a smile and a delicious smell wafting from the kitchen.

Shizuo gave his usual gruff response disappearing upstairs leaving his friends to bother his mother. He needed to see Kasuka. If Izaya found out his brother knew... he couldn't think about that. There was no way he would let his little brother get involved. Shizuo sighed slinging his bag in the corner of his room. His protection list was going up. If Mikado and Masaomi didn't know what was going on how was he?

A/N:- Next chapter expect the unexpected.