Gracia and Izaya stood there for a moment in shock as they watched Hughes collapse on the ground, fast asleep. Izaya smiled happily.
"One Maes Hughes, slightly damaged, but he'll always be like that, so…"
"Yes, you did a very good job. It seems your skills as a deliverer are only outmatched by your skills as an informant. I have your payment prepared in the next room, if you'd come with me…" Gracia called for a guard to take Hughes away and went into the next room, Izaya skipping after her.
Hughes opened his eyes blearily. It took him a few minutes to realize that he was in the cell of a dungeon. It was completely empty, and a guard stood in front of it. Hughes was tempted to fall back asleep, but decided instead to ask the guard where he was.
The guard stared blankly ahead as he recited, "Welcome. Welcome to Gracia's Castle. You have chosen, or been chosen, to be relocated to this beautiful remaining refuge of a dungeon, on account of disturbing the peace of Gracia's Castle and/or its surroundings. Any further questions can be addressed at your interrogation."
Hughes continued to ask questions, but the guard did not respond further. Hughes decided to give up and curled up on the stone floor to get a bit more rest. When he woke up he was being escorted down a hallway with a different guard. The guard shoved him into a room, with blazing lights shining in his face. And across the room stood his interrogator… whose name is….
######
Ed was so traumatized that he locked himself in his room for weeks and refused to come out. Kira decided that he had no choice. Gin wasn't going to teach him how to fight. He remembered the time when Gin told him to attempt to run away from Ed without using his powers, but even when he had secretly used Wabisuke behind a stalagmite, Gin found out.
"I TOLD YE NOT T' USE YER POWER, IZU-CHAAAAN! If ye don't wanna learn how ta fight, you can leave!" Gin had thown him out of the cave's living quarters until he was ready to return.
But Kira had had enough. It was time to show that Gin the power of his Zanpakuto. He pulled out Wabisuke just as he heard a shout from the other room.
"Oi, Izu-chan~~ Time for some more… 'lessons'…"
Kira stormed into the room. "I'M SICK OF THIS! I want you to teach me how to FIGHT! I thought that was the whole point! But I'm not getting anything out of these… lessons…"
Gin eyes the Zanpakuto in Kira's hand. "Oi, ye shouldn't use yer power, Izu-chan…"
Kira sighed. "How about we come to a compromise. "You quit doing these lessons and teach me how to fight properly, and I won't use my power. Agreed?"
Gin hastily agreed and commenced to give Kira some real training.
Ed finally came out of his room.
Allen and co. were taking a little break from their work of taking the Heart of Innocence to Rodrom. They were playing baseball, in fact. Although Allen would've preferred soccer.
Lavi hit the baseball far into the air with his hammer, and Lenalee stomped heavily after it. Just before she reached it, she tripped and fell with a loud grunt. She looked over at what she had tripped on.
"Hey, look!" She called. "It's a dead hobo!"
The others gathered around her.
"Wait a sec…" Allen paused. "Isn't that Suman?"
Komui's Record Room Cleaning….!
Komui observed the dusty room with a frown. He could never get far in cleaning it… it just brought back… too many memories…
He sighed. It had to be done. With resolution, he plunged into the room.
Shizuo sat at a bar bored. Since Tom's leg was broken he had to stay at the hospital for three weeks. And now Shizuo was out of work. When had life become so boring? So predicatable... He remembered yesterday and smiled. Even though he had to work with a smelly beggar and that FLEA, that day was still VERY exciting... Suddenly he felt a pat on his shoulder and turned around, angrily grabbing the person's wrist. "Oh... It's you..."
Kida exited the gambling house with joy. "I've finally won 10000000 yen!..." He looked around. Then why am I so unhappy?... Now that last job... He thought back "Now that was exciting! I hope something that that turns up again!" Suddenly he felt a tap on his shoulder turned surprised. "Oh! Long time, no see..."
Namie sat at her office desk speaking into her cellphone. "10000000 yen! But that's outrageous! L-LeT me just speak to him!... W-ait! DON-T HANG U-!..." She slammed he phone onto the desk in frustration. "Maybe I should hire a detective... They solve things like this all the time..." She muttered. She then looked up in surprise that her office door had just opened. "Who let you i-... Oh It's YOU..."
Celty looked out into the distance feeling happy. That last job had been really risky and stressful, and I'm glad it's over with... She thought. Suddenly she felt a presence, and turned to see...
8 hours earlier...
Hughes never got to find out because suddenly someone or something darted out from behind the door and knocked the interrogator unconscious. The figure, walked up to Hughes saying, "Hello, I'm Selim, and I need your help to save someone!"
"B-but you're just a boy..."
"I am several thousand of your Earth years old"
"I declined his offer and made a quick escape from the castle, so I could reunite our forces once again!" Hughes explained the the motley group of three sat glowering before him. "Um... I came back because I think Izaya-san has been captured by the enemy! We must go rescue him!"
"Really?"
"Captured? That's great!"
"Izaya-kuunn?"They all turned, knowing Shizuo had something to say. "Izaaayyya-KUNNN? Captured! Ahhh.. AhhAH... I Hope they treat him WELL... VERY WELL... But with force as well! GREAT FORCE! To bring Pain! DEEEEEP Pain!" He continued for several minutes more.
Hughes sighed with frustration and turned to get some fresh air outside.
'Even though I can just see his back... He seems so sad...' Celty typed
Kida nodded knowingly.
...
'Where's Namie?'
~Elsewhere~
Namie stood half naked in her apartment waving at a dead hobo that had been brought there a day before, "Konichiwa! Koooniccchhiiwa!"
When Ed returned he found Gin and Kira laughing, drinking, and eating Chinese food. He didn't want to talk to them, but he knew that one day he would have to befriend them once again. He couldn't just be alone in the dark, cold cave with no one to talk to. He sat down next to them.
"Umm... Hello..." He mumbled.
"AHAAHAH!" Gin laughed, "Why, hello there young man! I'm a great sorcerer of the east, ICHIMARU GIN! And this is my manservant! Kira!"
Kira burped.
"You want a SAUSAGE? Young MAN!" Gin said, pulling out a shiny sausage; Near style...
"N-No.. Sorry... I'm SORRY!" Ed said backing away.
"Why is he apologizing to us?" Kira asked.
"My dear manservant! It is because we WON!"
...?
At the hospital, Tom began to have strange visions. A murder being committed every night in the room opposite to his. But every time he got to the room, there was no evidence that a murder had occurred. Also some strange people had been visiting him recently. One night, they decided to stay with Tom, to see the murder being committed themselves. As before, a murder was committed and Tom ran to the room but today, found a DEAD HOBO on the ground. Allen and Co. smiled. "The Shounen Detective Group (Allen, Lavi, Kanda, and Lenalee) have solved this case! You, Tom-san, have killed Su- I mean, this dead HOBO!"
"Let find some clams! HURHUR" Lenalee grunted.
Komui's Record Room CLEANING...
…
…
…
TO BE CONTINUED….
"So, Izaya, are you going to stay for a while?" Gracia looked up at Izaya expectantly.
"I'd love to, but I have to get back to my job…." Replied Izaya. "Well I'll see you around!"
Namie stood on her balcony, waving desperately. "KOOOONICHIWAAAA!"
She heard a grunt over the cellphone she held in her hand. "Hey… I told you to get HALF naked… but you're clearly not half-naked… I'd only call that 5% naked…"
"WHAT?" Shouted Namie. "Whadya want me to do, take my clothes off or something? PERVERT!"
"Well it seems you can't even follow my instructions… Pity… Well that's all I was going to tell you to do, but since you clearly can't follow simple directions I have one last order for you before I let you brother go…."
"I bet you want me to KILL MYSELF, right? HA!"
"Um… no… I want you to go in your room. On your desk I have placed an isolinear rod… I want to go there… and EAT IT."
"You're joking, right?"
Suddenly, Namie heard a shout over the line.
"DAMN STALKER! LET ME OUT!"
"Seiji!" Cried Namie. The only place where he could be was Harima's house! Namie ran off her balcony and straight to the house of Harima. She kicked the door down and stormed inside… but the house was empty. She found the phone in the house was off the hook, still calling her cellphone. Muttering a curse she slammed her cellphone shut.
%%
And now… the founding of the KEG and assorted side-stories. It all began on the year 1711…
"Eh?" Gin glared at Kira. "Why are you so against what Aizen's doin'?" He's gonna find the secret to… IMMORTALITY, lad!"
Kira gulped. "I just don't think that messing with demons is a good idea."
Ed glared at the ground. I'M a better alchemist than Aizen…
Just then, they heard a shout.
"I'VE DONE IT! COME, EVERYONE!"
Gin, Kira, Ed, and assorted other folks came running into the room where the shouts had come from. Aizen stood over a pentacle, triumphant. "I've managed to call the devil here!"
"The devil? What an inappropriate name for ME… KOLKOLKOL… Anyhow, drink from this…! It will give you IMMORTALITY!" Suddenly Russia popped out of the pentacle, holding a bowl in his hands. "Drink up! If I'm anything, I'm generous!"
()()()()()()
Namie headed into the small newspaper making building with a sign in the front labeled "Ikebukuro Daily". She had heard that the people here had all sorts of information.
"Hello, welcome to Ikebukuro Daily! Coming to buy our latest edition?"
"No, actually, I'm looking for my brother. And I heard you people might know where he is." That voice sounds familiar… Namie looked up to see a beaming Izaya. "Hey! You're that traitor!"
Izaya ignored her. "Well if it's information you need, you've come to the right place! We can provide you with any info you need! And then there's the matter of payment… I'll tell you where your brother is, but first you tell ME something…"
Namie grabbed Izaya by his collar. "TELL ME WHERE SEIJI IS OR DIIIIE!"
Hughes entered the room with new vigor. "Um… so let's begin 'Operation Rescue Izaya from Gracia's Castle'!"
"YEAH!" The others all replied in unison.
"Hmmm…. We need money to take the train there, though…"
Kida laughed. "That just means… we hafta commit… a train robbery!"
(a quick scene of Shizuo knocking a few hundred people out and the others taking their wallets)
And now the four boarded the train bound for Gracia's Castle.
"Time for the train robbery!" Kida declared.
'Um… I thought that we already did the robbery and now we're making our escape…' Typed Celty.
Allen was getting more and more annoyed by these annoying people following him around. He could just hear their voices from a week before…
"We hafta use Kanda's plan and blame that guy, Tom, for Suman's death!" Exclaimed Lavi. "Or they might think WE did it!"
"AND I WON'T GET CLAMS!" Boomed Lenalee.
Allen hated the plan. It involved dragging Suman's body to the room across from Tom's, stabbing it repeatedly, and then dragging the body away before Tom made it there. Every night. For a week. Needless to say that Allen lost a lot of sleep over it.
And as he stood there a week later, seeing the look of utter despair on Tom's face, he could help but feel sorry for the man.
Tom let out a sob. "I- I DIDN'T DO IT! NO!" He looked over to Allen, Kanda, Lavi and Lenalee, and he managed a wavering smile. "You were here already… you can tell them I'm innocent…"
Lavi shook his head. "No way, we saw you kill him!"
"Every night, in fact…" Muttered Kanda.
Allen felt the seeds of doubt growing. He decided to confer with his friends.
"Listen, guys… I've been thinking… I don't think what we're doing is right… If we just tell the police that we found a dead hobo then we and he can go on with living…"
The others shook their heads. They had no choice but to frame Tom. It was the only way.
Allen decided to take matters into his own hands. He pulled Tom over for a private conference.
"Um… you know you're not guilty, right? If you just tell the police-"
"No, you don't understand!" Tom's voice was shaking. "I- I've been having memory lapses lately…. I could have killed him during those…!"
Allen couldn't take it anymore. Why am I forced to live with such nonsensical characters! He stormed out of the hospital, leaving Tom to his fate.
Allen was walking along the street when he saw this strange-looking house. Before he knew it, he was being pulled in completely against his will. In a few moments he stood facing a man with red hair and a beard who was smoking profusely.
"Um… I'm sorry…" Allen rubbed his head. "I dunno how I got in here…"
"Hello. My name's Cross Marian. I deal in wishes."
"Okay? Can I go?"
"Don't you wish you couldn't see them?" Cross inquired. "The souls of akuma, that is…"
"Well yeah, maybe that'd be nice…"
Just then Cross let out a booming laugh. "GOOD! Well then, young man, you are to be my slave until the time that I feel like granting your wish! Got it?"
Allen blinked. Was it really worth it? He shrugged. He really didn't like seeing the souls of akuma, and working for Cross… Well, how hard could it beee?
Five minutes later Allen was rushing around in the kitchen, with an annoying Timcampy bobbing in his face and eating most of the food he had prepared for dinner.
"SERVANT! Is the food done yet!"
"Not yet, sir! Timcampy keeps eating it!"
"Fine then, just bring me some sake…"
###
Allen sighed. He had been working with Cross for several days now, yet the work only seened to get more difficult. Today, though, something different was about to happen.
"Well, apprentice… Today I want you to go on a mission."
"Am I supposed to retrieve innocence or something?"
Cross ignored Allen. "But you need someone to go with you… How about Kanda?"
"WHAT!" Screamed Allen. "BUT I HATE THAT GUY! I can't even look at him without…. GRRR…"
Izaya sat facing a giant pile of papers and books. The pile spoke.
"You gave her the information on her brother without her paying the price?"
Izaya glared at the pile. "It won't happen again… but she DID threaten to kill me! I thought I was gonna die!"
The pile gave off a general air of annoyance. "I will not tolerate your excuses. Now go."
Izaya frowned, but bowed respectfully towards the pile before making a swift exit.
The pile smirked. Things were going according to plan.
Komui's Record Room Cleaning… TO BE CONTINUED… maybe…