I feel like things are going way too slow. Time to speed things up. Next chapter that is, hehe.

Chapter 26: Father Daughter

"Hello?" Izaya said simply, still busily typing away after picking up his cellphone, "Who is it?"

"Y-You..." a weak voice emitted from the receiver, which Izaya didn't pay much attention to, very much concentrated on his work. He did take note that it was the voice of an older man, perhaps in his sixties or seventies, and he sounded quite distressed.

"Yes, what about me?" He replied, absentmindedly thinking if he knew someone who fitted the profile.

"Where's my daughter?" the other man whimpered, which caused Izaya cock his head in confusion. Daughter? Oh, of course. He dropped his things and stare at the phone number. It was encrypted, but Izaya didn't need to know who the unknown caller was, because it was such a dead give away. Of course, it was the old man who was in debt, the one who he saved from Amanda Ale and the yakuza a month or so back.

"My, you took a while to call me back didn't you?" Izaya laughed, and set his business aside to concentrate on the conversation, "I almost thought you had decided to ignore me~!"

"I don't c-care, just tell me where my daughter is," he growled, though to tell the truth, it sounded more vulnerable and meek than threatening.

"Well, Makoto Sanada-san," Izaya started, fiddling with his pocket knife, "I'm afraid I can't do that..."

Izaya heard a crash from the other end, and assumed that the old man was surprised Izaya knew who he was. Apparently the man had dropped something in his stressful situation. The old man cried desperately, "TELL ME WHERE SHE IS!"

"I am a information broker, Sanada-san," Izaya smiled, playing with his shiny silver pen as he leaned back far on his chair, "Nothing is for free... what can you give me, hm? Money? I doubt you have much of that now, hehe~"

"I-I'LL DO ANYTHING!" the older man sobbed into his phone, causing Izaya to frown at the sloppy wet sounds coming from the other end. Sanada took a moment to compose himself, before continuing, "I-I don't have m-money yet, b-but I'll have it, I, I swear."

"Ah, but Sanada-san, I wouldn't dream of taking money from you when you're in such a drastic situation~!" Izaya hummed, and swung the pen around like a knife, "How about you do something with your body instead? Would that be kinder on your empty wallet?"

"...e-eh?"

"Don't worry, it's nothing too dangerous~" Izaya grinned, "Here's what I want from you..."

After a detailed explanation, the old man agreed just as Izaya predicted he would. The informant hung up after saying he would tell him the location of his daughter after he completed his job. Izaya felt pleased. He finally managed to acquire the one piece that would be essential for his plan, and for once he felt somewhat protected against those who wanted him dead. Or alive, depends on their interests. Didn't really matter, as Izaya didn't plan on getting caught anyways.

He gave another call to the man's daughter, who picked up like a good little human.

"Hello Izaya-san?" her voice filtered through the receiver, slightly cautious.

"Well, hello again Sana-chan," Izaya greeted pleasantly, and received a happy welcome from his precious little human, "I have some bad news for you."

"Oh no! Are the police on our tail again?" she replied, sounding quite worried.

"Fortunately not," Izaya replied, and grinned at her choice of words. 'Our' tail? The police could check all they want, but they would never know that the girl was receiving the help of Orihara of Shinjuku. No, Izaya wasn't in the play after all, he was just the puppeteer, "But your father called. He wants to know where you are."

"That, that stupid bastard!" the girl hissed, "Does he want to drag me back again? To that horrid life of constant debts and stupid lies? Tell him to piss off!"

"Well, you know I could never use such foul language~," Izaya chuckled, and he could mentally see the girl cringe and blush in embarrassment on the other end of the line, "I did tell him that I wouldn't reveal your position though."

"Thank you Izaya-san," she breathed, seeming relieved.

"Ah~ but don't calm down just yet!" Izaya warned softly, visualizing the girl blink in confusion, "Your dad seems to have enlisted the help of the yakuza with his last savings, and he's gotten them to help find you."

"WHAT?!" the girl stiffens, fear creeping into her eyes, "W-what're we going to do now?!"

"I'm already monitoring all yakuza activity along with the police," Izaya said soothingly, "I'll tell you when they come near. What I need you to do though, is from now on until I send you a text message of further notice, that every time you see me call you by phone, you immediately pack up and get out of your current living area. Things are getting heavier, and if you don't want to get caught, you'll have to be on the move more often."

The girl on the other end seemed to stay quiet, engrossed in her thought. Izaya knew that she was starting to doubt her decisions, and he couldn't allow that. When a human makes a decision, they should stick to it after all~ He let out a large sigh, that attracted her attention back to the phone.

"Listen, Kana Sanada," Izaya said, in a voice that seemed to mesmerize whoever heard it, "I will absolutely not let you get in the hands of the yakuza or the police. When this all ends, you'll be free at last, free of your father and his debts and burdens, free of all the chains that hold you down now from doing what you want. I want to free you, so please let me... won't you? Sana-chan?"

"...y-yes, Izaya-san!"

"I'm glad that you've been so strong until now, my precious little human~" Izaya chuckled, a laugh that didn't reach his eyes, like he was convincing a toddler to do something for him, "Good night."

"Good night... Izaya-san."

Finally, the girl hung up and Izaya was able to take a breather. All the theatrics were tiring him out. He remembered a verse he had heard from a kids movie, that he really liked that he heard from somewhere. What's the difference between a villain and a super villain? The answer was, "Presentation!" Of course, he wouldn't consider himself a villain of any sort, but he liked the thought.

"Tea?" Alex asked, standing up from his spot on the couch where he was surrounded by paperwork.

"Coffee," Izaya disagreed, and watched as his secretary obediently left for the kitchen to brew a strong one, just what Izaya liked. Izaya stared at the paperwork Alex was dealing with, all pertaining to multiple cases and pleas for help, ranging from finding serial murderers to helping to catch a rich person's cat. He was a little preoccupied at the moment by his own game, but he hoped he could get onto some soon, it felt heartbreaking to let all those humans wait.

"Ah~ so busy," he sighed, spinning around in his chair as he looked out towards the night sky. It was almost time for Alex to return, yet there was still so much to do. Maybe he should ask for Alex to stay longer...? No, not worth the trouble. Izaya had things to do that he didn't want Alex to know about just yet.

Izaya hummed contently, and pressed the send button on his phone, watching as the screen display the words 'MESSAGE SENT'. He snapping his phone shut, excited for the upcoming turmoil he had set off.