A deep frown graced Izaya's face, one hand speeding across they keys of the laptop, while another held the drowsy Haru close. Celty and Shinra sat next to him, staring at the screen curiously. It displayed several different cameras around the streets of Ikebukuro, the date on the corner of the screen was for six months ago.

Izaya's red eye turned to look at the stuffed lion and photo that Kimi had given him. It was her little brother, Hiro. The child had brown hair that stuck out in almost every direction, large chocolate eyes with round glasses, and a light blue sweater.

"So what's your plan?" Shinra asked, having been filled in by Izaya and Celty after the raven returned from speaking with Kimi.

Izaya finally managed to locate the exact park he was looking for. Minami-Ikebukuro Park. There were cameras around, obviously, he just had to try and locate who he was looking for. "I don't have much of a plan yet," He admitted to his friends. "First I need to find a kid, and see if I can get the face of the kidnappers. Then, I'll go from there."

He clicked around the cameras, searching all around for any hint of the siblings on the playground. Luckily, Kimi had given him the exact day that she went to the park with him, so he didn't have to flip through every single day.

It didn't take long before he found exactly what he was looking for. He could see little Hiro playing around in the sand. Kimi sat nearby on a bench with her backpack, working on her homework. Then, a man wearing a beige suit approached her. Kimi looked up, and they began talking.

The man blocked Kimi's view of her brother, and the child eventually wandered out of frame. Izaya frowned, wondering who would try to kidnap a child right in front of their sister? He clicked to a different angle, and managed to get a front view of the man who blocked Kimi's view.

Celty jerked up the second she saw the face, yanking out her PDA, and shoving it right into Izaya's face. [I should have known!] She exclaimed. [Izaya, those are the ones with the purple van!]

Izaya didn't need the explanation, he had a long history with those men. Although he used to find their idiocy amusing, they had gone too far this time. "I know who they are," Izaya answered,"Those bastards… I thought they were gone for good."

"Didn't they work for Yagiri Pharmaceuticals at one point?" Shinra mentioned,"Do you think someone else employed them?"

[No doubt] Celty says [They're too wimpy to do things like that unless someone was paying them.]

"But if they're back at it, I sincerely doubt that Hiru is the only one they took," Izaya added,"It's probably human trafficking."

Smoke billowed out of Celty's neck, and she jerked off the couch, nearly knocking the coffee table over, and stomping over to to the nearby armchair. She kicked it, hard. The poor defenseless armchair slammed into the wall and crumbled into the ground in defeat. Instantly after witnessing the event, Izaya was thankful that Haru was taking his nap.

The dullahan whipped around, shoving her PDA into the raven's face. [We can't let them get away with this anymore!] She demanded. [We have to stop them and bring them to justice!]

"I agree, Celty!" Izaya quickly said,"But you need to calm down!"

[Calm down?!] Celty snapped. [THEY'RE KIDNAPPING CHILDREN!]

Shira quickly, but gently grabbed his fiance's wrist. "Izaya's right, Celty," He said,"I'm angry too, but if we don't stay calm we won't be able to help anyone!"

Celty looked like she was about the snarl at both of them again, but Shinra's words finally seemed to register with her. The shadows calmed down considerably, and she slowly moved to sit by Shinra. [You're right, If I want to help make a plan, I need to be calm]

Shinra smiled lovingly, moving the hand on her wrist to intertwine their hands. Then, they both turned to look back at the raven.

Izaya quickly opened up the other tab he had, typing in all the information on a document so that he could keep everything in order. "Okay, we know who did it, we have a reason of why they might have done it. Now we just need a way to catch them." He explained.

[They're cowards, but they are pretty careful.] Celty reminded them. [I don't think we can hunt them down, and if they are working for someone else I doubt they'll listen to you contacting them, Izaya. We need to get underneath their defenses… Do something they wouldn't expect.]

The ex-informant broker and the courier fell into deep thought, both trying to come up with some kind of plan to lure the kidnappers out. Shinra followed in suit, thinking of all the situations those men had been vulnerable in… Then it hit him.

"Hey guys…" Shinra began,"I think I have a good idea."


"I can't believe I'm actually doing this…"

Izaya's cheeks burned red with shame and embarrassment as he stared at himself in the window of the cafe. Instead of the person he was used to seeing stare back at him, he saw a young woman with long black hair that had been styled to cover his missing eye, makeup, a gray sweater with a red plaid skirt, and black leggings underneath, and some black converse.

[You're the only one of us who can pull this off] Celty said. [Shinra's figure is too stocky and I don't have a head. Plus, your body is pretty-]

"If you finish that sentence, Celty, I swear I will find a way to kill you," Izaya hissed.

Unable to help herself, Celty patted his head. [Aww… Izaya that isn't very ladylike~] She teased, gaining a glare that looked like it could destroy anything in its path.

Her shoulders shook with laughter for a moment, before she calmed herself down. She picked up a mahogany colored handbag, giving it to the raven.

Izaya opened the bag, and said,"Okay, so I'm going to let them take me, and I'll notify you if it's possible. The tracker in my purse will let you follow them after they drive away. We should try and wait until the arrive at wherever they're taking these people before you rescue me. If you have to engage before that, you can. Okay?"

Celty nodded her helmet, and then sped away from him. Suddenly alone, the raven felt extremely awkward. After making a mental note to murder Shinra for his plan, he went over a few things. Okay, my name is Suzuki Amai, visiting alone from the countryside, completely clueless about the city.

He casually began walking down the street, acting as though he was lost. He would periodically allow himself to bump into someone else and then frantically apologize in a soft voice before going back to utter confusion.

Apparently, his faux of vulnerability was working too well, as the kidnappers weren't the first people to approach him. Many other creepy men or people who were honestly trying to help would show up and give him directions. He would politely thank them, take the first direction they gave, and then go back to his route.

After about an hour of no luck, he decided to stop at Ikebukuro Park, plopping down on a bench with a sigh. Obviously his strategy wasn't working… He needed to think of something better than just wandering around out in the open.

Before his mind could formulate any kind of plan, he saw a pair of shoes in front of him. Turning his red eye up, he saw a brown eyed, blond teen staring in front of him. Wait a minute… Masomi? He looked behind the teen, and saw the resigned faces of Mikado and Anri nearby as well. Oh dear...

Realizing he had Izaya's attention, the teen then placed his hands on his chest. "My dear angel, what in the word did we do to deserve the chance to bask in your radiance?" He asked in a dramatic voice.

Izaya's eye widened, a blush coming across his cheek. "W-what..?" He croaked, a realization coming over him. Masomi was flirting with him… He had no clue it was Izaya!

Masomi grinned even wider, throwing his hands up. "It's alright, darling, we can learn how to protect your beautiful self from the dirt of this chaotic world together over a coffee!" He declared.

Disgust and shock overwhelmed the raven, and he quickly jumped off the bench, and sped away as fast as he possibly could. He ignored Masomi's dramatic pleas for him to come back, a blush overcoming his cheeks at the thought of what would have happened if they discovered who really was under the makeup.

"Jeez, that brat is so bold… Trying to get a date surrounded by all those people. It's like he doesn't have any fear of getting slapped or in trouble," He muttered to himself. After a few more seconds of walking, he screeched to a stop.

Clasping his hands together, Izaya released an excited noise. "That's it!" He exclaimed, causing a few onlookers to stare at him in confusion for a moment. The raven didn't care, however, and proudly marched towards his destination.

Why wasn't I thinking of it before?! These guys aren't as reckless as people like Masomi, so they're a bit more careful. They wouldn't try to lure someone in public, surrounded by tons of people, unless they already planned something out in the first place. A random 'girl' like him walking alone in public was too dangerous to risk.

So, Izaya would just have to go to them.

He traveled to the alleyways of Ikebukuro, filled with more suspicious figures than he could have hoped for. The raven had to fight to stop the hopeful grin rising on his face. Quickly, he sent Celty a text to say he thought he was getting close and then he put back on his facade of a clueless girl.

It didn't take long for the people he was looking for to turn up. He heard their frantic whispers after he walked past an empty alley. Feeling hopeful, Izaya upped his confusion to making worried noises. Sure enough, someone began to approach him.

He turned towards the footsteps when they got close enough, and saw Morita approaching him. Of course they would send him out to approach the girls, he looked the most well put together with his suit and glasses. Izaya gave him a nervous smile, and gained a comforting one in return.

"Hello, miss," He began gently,"What are you doing out here? You look lost."

The raven released a nervous chuckle. "Y-yeah, I guess I am…" He replied in a high voice,"I was trying to find Sunshine 60 but my directions were wrong…"

The glee in Morita's eyes grew, and he said,"Ah! Yes, that is one of the best places to visit when in Ikebukuro! I'm guessing you're… Not from around here?"

"No," Izaya replied, shaking his head. "I'm living out in the countryside, but I finally got enough money to bring myself here!"

Morita chuckled, but the dark glee was easily seen by the raven. "Well, we can't let your first visit be spoiled!" He exclaimed,"Come with me, I'll let you borrow my map. I know a few other places you might want to visit as well."

"Okay!" Izaya cheerfully exclaimed, following behind him like the innocent girl he was pretending to be.

They went around the corner to the familiar purple van, where he pulled open the trunk. Sure enough, the little freak Kanazawa was sitting with his hands behind his back, an evil smirk on his face.

Izaya pretended not to notice, and nervously said,"I-is this where the map is?" Morita's smile grew much darker. Kanazawa laughed at his question, shuffling behind him.

"No, I decided we'll take you to our favorite spot instead…" Morita declared,"But… You can't go there like this?"

"Like what?" Izaya asked, tensing in anticipation.

Kanazawa spoke up. "You need to be more… Incapacitated," He announced.

Just as the brunette jumped forward, Izaya sucked in a deep breath. The mask covered his face, and he felt Morita grab him as well. The raven faked a weak struggle, allowing a bit of his breath to make frantic noises.

Then, he acted as though he was falling unconscious. He let his eyelid slide closed, leaning his limp weight against the suit wearing man. The mask was held against his face for a few more seconds before it was released. He slowly released the breath he was holding.

"Good catch, Morita," A third voice called,"She's a good one, our boss will be very happy."

"I knew she would be easy when I saw her," Morita easily declared, dropping Izaya's limp body into the back of their van. There was the scuffing of shoes, and something soft dropped nearby him. "Can't leave evidence behind."

"It's fine either way," Kanazawa stated,"Now tie her up and let's-"

"GRRRRRRAAAAAAH!"

There was a loud smash, and someone let out a terrified scream. "Oh fuck! It's him!" Morita yelled, slamming the trunk down and practically throwing himself into the van.

"HOW DARE YOU!" The muffled voice screeched, and Izaya's blood ran cold. His eye snapped open, blood running cold. He knew exactly who that was.

Shizuo..

"DRIVE, YOU IDIOT!" Morita cried out like the coward he was. But Asanuma pushed down too hard, causing the car to peel against the grounds. In that short amount of time, the car suddenly lurched, and then was lifted right off the ground.

The whole car shook, sending the raven rolling across the trunk. The three kidnappers cried in terror, but Shizuo wasn't done. The back door of the van was suddenly yanked off, being thrown aside like a piece of trash.

Izaya then felt his own arm be caught in that tight grasp, and his heart exploded with terror. Instead of throwing him, however, Shizuo gently placed him onto the ground. Then, in a booming voice, he yelled,"YOU BASTARDS GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY CITY!"

With a loud, guttural roar, he threw the car as hard as he could. Izaya watched through his hair as the car spun in the air, before somehow landing on its feet. Then, the kidnappers sped away as fast as their broken car could carry them.

Izaya finally allowed his frantic breathing to grow louder, jumping into a sitting position. Oh god, oh god. I have to get away! I have to!

Before he could even think of a plan, Shizuo was in front of him. Izaya gasped, tensing up and waiting for the brute to kill him… But it never came. "Wait, wait," Shizuo said,"Don't be afraid, I'm not here to hurt you."

He knelt down in front of the raven, and held out his hand. "Are you alright?" He asked.

Heart still beating out of control, Izaya squeakily replied,"Y-yes!" He took Shizuo's hand, blushing with an emotion he couldn't quite comprehend. As soon as he got to his feet, Izaya brushed off his sweater and skirt. "Thank you for saving me, but I have to go home now!"

He tried to run, but Shizuo grabbed his hand. "Wait! Those bastards could still be out there! And you might be hurt!" He said,"I'll take you to see my friend, he's a doctor!"

"I don't care if he's the emperor of Japan! Let me go!" Izaya quickly exclaimed, so fast it was almost incomprehensible. His heart was pounding with fear. He had to get away, if Shizuo found out, he was dead!

"I can't just let you go off after having to endure that, please let me help!" Shizuo demanded.

Just as Izaya was reply, a neighing horse caught their attention. Out of the corner of his eye, Izaya saw the familiar black motorcycle. This distracted Shizuo enough to allow Izaya to yank his hand away, and cry out,"Celty!"

The Dullahan allowed the raven to run behind her, hiding in utter fear. Shizuo looked at them in confusion, and Celty knew she needed an excuse. [Thank you for saving my friend, Shizuo. I'll take her to see Shinra now.]

Shizuo seemed to relax a bit, but his brown eyes turned back to raven. "Maybe I should come too, just in case those assholes try to come back." He suggested.

[Shizuo, we'll be fine, I can stop anyone who even tries to mess with us.] Celty tried to excuse, patting the back of her motorcycle with her free hand.

"But-"

Izaya had enough. It had already been a very weird day, and he was still upset at Shizuo for nearly making him go back to his old ways. He moved away from the back, pointing right at the blond. "Are you daft?!" He cried out. "Celty even spelled it out for you. It's not like she doesn't know how to get to her own house you.. You protozoan!"

Realizing what he just said, Izaya took a few deep breaths, and calmed down. "Please… Just let me go with her. After what happened… I'd rather not be near men."

He stared at Izaya with wide eyes, before his explanation finally seemed to crack through the bodyguard's skull. "Oh… I didn't think of that." He muttered.

Of fucking course you didn't. Izaya wanted to sneer, but instead climbed on the motorcycle and gave a soft smile. "Thank you for understanding, Shizuo-kun," He softly said.

Before Shizuo could reply, the two sped off into the streets and back towards Shinra's apartment.


Shinra was casually sitting on the couch when he heard the door slam violently. He jerked up, looking behind him as an angry looking Celty stomped in, followed closely by a raven that looked like he had seen his life flash before his eyes.

Confusion flowed through him. Why were they back so soon? Surely their plan couldn't have been completed that quickly? Even those idiots in the purple van couldn't be that ill prepared, right? Before he could ask Izaya anything, the raven yanked off the wig and scurried off to where Haru was napping.

"Hey, um… How did it go?" He awkwardly asked his fiance, only to cry out in shock as Celty kicked at the poor armchair once more.

[Ugh! Shizuo ruined everything!] Celty exclaimed. [I don't even know why he was over on that side of town when he said he had work today, but he showed up and scared them off!]

"What?!" Shinra exclaimed,"Seriously?"

He turned to look at the hallway, where Izaya had returned with the skirt and leggings gone, and instead wearing normal black pants and the sweater, and holding a half-awake Haru close. "He didn't recognize you?" Shinra asked in shock.

Izaya narrowed his red eye. "I don't think that is what we should be worrying about right now!" He angrily snapped,"We lost them! Do you know how long it probably is going to take to find them again?!"

Shinra ducked sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. I mean… It's just surprising that Shizuo didn't realize it was you. He could see the obvious agitation the two had, however, so he moved on. "Well… If you aren't going to use that disguise again, can I have the purse back? It belongs to my stepmom," He asked.

"I don't have it, I dropped it in the van," Izaya declared dismissively.

Then, all three of them froze. The sudden tensing even caught Haru by surprise, who looked up at his father in confusion. "Da?" He asked.

"I dropped it… In the van!" Izaya exclaimed loudly, filled with excitement. He then let out a happy noise, spinning Haru, and then kissing the baby's forehead. "Oh, Haru! Hope isn't lost after all!"

[We still have a chance! We can track them right now!] Celty exclaimed. [We have to go! Before they find out!]

"You got it!" Izaya exclaimed, quickly moving over to Shinra and placing his son in the underground doctor's lap, and running to the door.

Shinra's eyes widened, quickly following after them with haru in his arms. "Wait a minute! I didn't agree to being the babysitter!" He called.

"Think of it as Uncle Shinra bonding time!" Izaya called,"Besides, we'll be back sooner than you think!"

The door shut behind them, leaving Shinra alone with the child. He turned his brown eyes back down to the baby, who looked about as bewildered as he felt.

"Welp, it looks like it's just you and me!" Shinra exclaimed,"Time with uncle Shinra, won't this be fun, Haru?"

Haru's bright blue eyes turned up at him, as the child happily declared,"No!"