"We found him snooping around your office, trying to break open your desk's drawers, boss." The man was dropped in front of Shiki, his fear filled face already bruised from being hit on the way here.

"Good work." Shiki said coldly, gazing at the traitor and then at Izaya, the other traitor, looking from one guilt stricken face to the next.

Right next to him kneeled none other than the undercover cop Izaya had been foolish enough to strike a bargain with.

The man turned his face towards the informant, taking in his state of undress and the injuries on his body, humiliation crushing down on Izaya, while he wiped his own chin and mouth clean. There was pity in the other man's gaze and that only made being looked at even harder to bear.

This was something between him and Shiki and the fact that the Awakusu-kai executive had let some of his loyal subordinates watch, and after some time, participate, had already been almost too much to take.

His aggressor's laughter and comments were easier to bear than those devastated, pitying looks someone who wasn't involved threw him when they found out.

Because he didn't want pity, and damn sure didn't deserve it, and he felt so much better thinking that he had brought this on himself, instead of pitying himself and feeling like he was the victim here.

"Are you absolutely sure that he's clean, Informant-san?" Shiki asked, eyebrows raised, which accentuated the scar on his forehead and made him look even more intimidating.

The informant's face was stiff and tense, keeping a poker face Shiki could see through any day.

There was nothing he could say to at least get himself out of trouble.

Shiki knew that Izaya was far too competent to make mistakes like this, so if the informant were to use that excuse, Shiki was sure to only get angrier.

It was impossible to lie his way out of this situation, that much was clear.

Now all he could really do was take the punishment like a man and regret silently.

The Awakusu-kai executive sighed, like a teacher who couldn't get his students to listen to him and stared down at them, his dark gaze promising something far worse than detention.

"Listen, Shiki-san, this is all a misunderstanding. I've never even met him in person." The undercover cop gestured towards Izaya, unwilling to look at the damage that had been done to the informant, because it only futher confirmed that he was not going to leave here unscathed.

"I guess you met up with Orihara-san's long lost twin brother in that alley then, Kimura-san." Shiki said mockingly, though his cold eyes showed no amusement and kept on flitting towards Izaya. Despite all the cold hatred and resentment, the informant could still see a small flicker of hurt in them.

Izaya instantly knew how Shiki had found out about their meeting. Some sort of recording device had most likely been slipped into the cop's clothing without him noticing.

"You see, Kimura-san, it's just as Orihara-san said. I do not like being betrayed. And I'm not a very forgiving person either."

The left over subordinates exchanged knowing looks and cackled smugly, relishing in the feeling of superiority.

"Normally, I'd just kill—" Both Izaya and the undercover cop flinched violently and paled, though in Izaya's case that seemed almost impossible. "the traitor, but the fact that there's two of you makes it more difficult than that, because killing two people seems a little excessive, don't you agree?"

"Shiki-san..." Izaya all but whimpered, his eyes searching the older man's, his breath catching when he saw the borderline insane amusement in Shiki's gaze.

"Don't interrupt our conversation, Orihara-san." Shiki sounded like a parent telling his kid not to interrupt adults when they were talking and barely deigned to look at the informant.

"I feel I should ask you who ordered you to investigate me, Kimura-san, so I can take care of them." The cop seemed to deflate, lowering his head and shaking his head a little.

"I wasn't ordered to investigate you." He whispered lowly, running trembling hands through his hair.

"What was that, Kimura-san?" Shiki asked, even though he had heard the cop the first time.

"I said I wasn't ordered to investigate you." Kimura repeated more loudly, gaining just a little courage as he looked the Awakusu-kai executive dead in the face with rage in his eyes.

"Why did you feel the need to intrude on my work then?" With his hands folded, Shiki's I'm going to hear you out and then decide whether I'm going to murder you or not act was rather convincing.

"My brother." Kimura muttered, his voice trembling not with fear this time, but with anger.