Izaya sighed as he leant back against the wall of his small bedroom, his phone held loosely in his hand, his other holding his head, knees propped. His eyebrows furrowed as he thought back to yesterday, that damn girl…. Sure, he hated her, but there was a reason for that, he hadn't pegged her for a thief though. Wincing, his tongue licked across the cut on his lip, his eyes narrowed even more, Shizuo had fucking punched him! Izaya was quite sure that Kimori had him wrapped all around her little finger. He couldn't believe the blond's ignorance, it was absolutely mind-boggling, the way he acted around her. Shizuo's instincts almost never failed him, and yet, he couldn't even see what was right in front of his face.

Izaya gritted his teeth; ordinarily, she was an airhead, a naïve dramatic girl. However, there was a different side to her that no one would have even guessed. Izaya didn't even suspect her, he had teased her and deliberately went out of his way, to ensure both her and Shizuo knew of his disapproval toward their relationship. He just didn't expect this, she took that trinket without hesitation, and then outright lied about it. Izaya wasn't sure what bothered him the most, that she stole, or that she lied and Shizuo believed her. The raven turned his head toward the window, the view he had allowed him to see who was walking past, yet the pathway leading toward the building was enclosed.

Izaya had found the tiny apartment a couple of days after he left the abandoned place nearby the school. Still, no one knew where he was staying, neither Shinra nor Kadota. Izaya had found it on an ad in a shop window while he had been buying groceries. It was rented, and the landlord kept it for singular tenants who were just looking for their own space. Izaya jumped on the ad right away; it wasn't shared, and he had no neighbours either. At first, the landlord was sceptical, because Izaya was young, but when the raven had given him four months' worth of rent upfront, the apartment became his home.

Izaya missed his old bedroom, missed his house, his sisters…. But he was comfortable enough here, it gave him some piece, a place to think. He didn't believe he could ever go back to his parents, not after what they had told him, he just couldn't get his head around it. the raven shook his head, it wasn't important right now, he had other issues in his life that were more urgent. Kimori.

Izaya frowned again, after that incident in the museum, she wasn't going to leave Shizuo's side now. his hand tightened around his phone, and Shizuo would be watching him like a hawk, to make sure he didn't go anywhere near her. Okay, so he had started it, teasing her and acting rashly due to his jealousy; but how had such a rift come between them? To the point where Shizuo wouldn't even believe a word he said anymore. Even after what had been said in the dungeon section of the trip, Izaya was still looking out for him. he had seen the way Kimori was around him, and when he watched her take something from the shop, Izaya thought Shizuo deserved to know.

However, the blond just wasn't willing to listen; Izaya saw it in his eyes quite clearly, Shizuo was starting to hate him, and if he was honest, he didn't blame him. the raven glanced at the window; he could see the ground had become dark, little puddles beginning to form where the ground was uneven. It was raining. He followed the trickles of water from the top of the window down to its seal, watching how easy they disappeared at the end; how many times had he wished that for himself? How many times had he fucked up in such a way that he just couldn't bare living with the consequences?

He pushed everyone away that cared about him, all the time.

His family loved him, and he left –

Shinra loved him and he was always hurting him, one way or another –

Shizuo loved him and –

Izaya clenched his fists, he had hurt him the most, he was forever being an asshole, and yet – Shizuo was the one person he had truly felt connected to, a deeper level unlike anything he had felt before. Izaya always felt safe when he was around, could cling to for support, he had become a constant in the raven's life. Yet the moment Shizuo showed him pure affection, something so real, Izaya pushed him away.

He hurt the blond like he never had before, hurt him by hurting another –

Shinra. That idiot; why did he have to be so damn forgiving all the time. No matter what Izaya did, said or how he acted, Shinra was always there, he never left him. Izaya lay his head on the wall, listening to the rain as it turned into a heavy pour, clattering loudly against the pane. "I don't deserve any of them."

His thoughts drifted back to Shizuo, he missed him so much, he would do anything to get him back. Even if they only made it as friends in the end, as much as that would hurt, he wouldn't care if he could have him there. Shizuo had made it clear what he thought of him now, and Izaya knew he hadn't done anything to ease that.

A thought suddenly crossed his mind, if he could figure out a way to make Shizuo see Kimori for who she really was, then maybe there was a slim chance for them. Izaya didn't think Shizuo would be his again, but he'd take him any way possible, if it meant the blond would just – be there. Izaya frowned; Shizuo had been protecting him and looking out for him since they met, now it was time for him to do the same, whether Shizuo wanted it or not.

Izaya looked outside, the rain had eased to a light patter, and the sun was just peeking back through the clouds. He then glanced down at his phone, he didn't deserve his friends, but he needed them, he always needed them. Izaya sent out a text to Shinra and Kadota, stood up from the bed, grabbed his black jacket and quickly slipped into his shoes.

'Meet me at west gate park, thirty minutes.'

…

Izaya smiled when Shinra and Kadota walked toward him as he sat casually on a swing. He knew they'd come; they always did. Shinra reached him first, lightly jogging up beside him, Kadota a few seconds behind. Shinra pushed his glasses up with a light pant and sat down on the swing next to his friend. Kadota leaned against its frame with his arms folded, both looking at the raven expectantly; Kadota was the first to speak and Izaya glanced up at him nervously. "So, what's going on? This must be about Shizuo, since he's not here."

Izaya knew that was an easy guess, but even if it hadn't been about Shizuo, the blond still would not have been here. "It is, partly. Not that he would be here anyway."

Kadota stared at him with an annoyed expression for a moment before sighing. "So, what's this about?"

Izaya averted his gaze down at the ground, gently tipping his swing back and forth paying no mind that it was still wet. "About what happened at the museum…" Izaya hadn't told them what he'd seen, hadn't explained why Shizuo had punched him, who knows what conclusions they had been coming up with. Izaya had been constantly harassing Kimori all week, so naturally they might have assumed that Shizuo just couldn't take it anymore, so he hit him.

A light frown appeared on Shinra's face and he said, "Shizuo punched you, but you never said why, you just left."

Izaya nodded and looked up at the sky with frustration. "While I might have been an asshole all those other times for no reason, this time was different," he looked at Kadota. "When you and Shizuo left the shop, Kimori took something from the counter and put it in her bag. When she came out, I confronted her, or tried to, I don't know why it bothered me so much; maybe it was the unexpectedness of it all, since she had been so, nice. I guess I was angry that I didn't suspect it, that someone like her, had someone like-" Izaya gritted his teeth and clenched his hands around the chains. "Of course, she denied everything, started crying and, and then Shizu-chan punched me. He must have thought I was being my usual asshole self; I tried to explain what I saw, but he didn't want to listen," Izaya sighed. "I really think he's done with me."

Kadota and Shinra hadn't expected the truth from him, they expected a half-assed explanation, followed by some snarky comment and a whole bunch of lies. They certainly hadn't expected the situation about Kimori either, didn't blame Izaya for being angry. "I can't really blame Shizuo for not wanting to listen to you," Izaya looked at him with a frown, but Kadota rolled his eyes before continuing. "But I believe you at least."

Izaya blinked at him, surprised by his answer. "You do?"

Kadota chuckled. "Don't sound so surprised, I'm not just Shizuo's friend you know, yours too."

Izaya smiled briefly and then averted his gaze, unsure how to respond. He then glanced at Shinra beside him, the boy had been quiet, and Izaya wanted to know what he was thinking. "Shinra?"

Shinra's eyes moved directly on him at the mention of his name. "Why didn't you say something when we were on the bus?"

Izaya huffed and then shrugged. "I was angry. I didn't want to talk about it, and Shizu-chan's punch might have had something to do with that, I mean, that fucking hurt."

Shinra sighed. "So, what do you want to do?"

Izaya tilted his head. "About?"

Shinra was about to reply, but Kadota was quicker. "Izaya, you must have a plan in mind, otherwise you wouldn't have told us all that, something to do with Kimori, right?"

Izaya frowned at the mention of her name, but his voice was calm. "I need your help. I want you to help me make Shizu-chan realise who she really is."

Kadota pinched the bridge of his nose, he didn't want to get roped into Izaya's impulsive acts of jealousy. "And who is that? just because she stole something, that doesn't make her a horrible person."

Izaya clicked his tongue. "What the hell do you want me to say? That I think she's a phony? Or that she's just using him? she's hiding her true personality from him and it makes me sick."

Kadota placed his hands in his pockets, inclining his head toward the sky. "Could be a one-time thing. We don't know she's doing all that, maybe she just acted on impulse at the time, she might even tell Shizuo the truth out of guilt."

Izaya stood up from the swing in annoyance. "I thought you believed me." Before the raven could storm off, Kadota grabbed his arm, Izaya turned to him with a frown.

"I do. I just, I need to know that this is your better judgement and not something you've conjured up because you're jealous."

Shinra grinned to himself. Wow Kadota, you really took him by surprise with that one.

Izaya threw his hands up. "Fine! I'm jealous, all right? I fucking hate her, I hate her stupid fake laugh, I hate the way she's always clinging to him; I want to push her down the stairs every time she walks past me in the corridor."

Kadota blinked in surprise for a moment and then he just laughed. "Shit. Izaya, didn't really expect you to admit all that. you really are jealous of her, wow."

Izaya's cheeks tinted and he folded his arms in a pout. "Shut up."

Shinra joined in the laughter and stood up, wrapping his arm around Izaya's shoulder. "Naw, we won't tell."

Izaya shoved him off, he was so embarrassed, he hadn't meant to blurt any of that out. "I hate you both."

Kadota grinned. "Nope, just her, apparently."

Izaya rolled his eyes. "Anyway. Now, will you help me? I couldn't sound more fucking pathetic if I tried."

Kadota and Shinra laughed, Izaya's face was priceless. "Okay, so the fact that you're jealous has been made pretty clear, but on a serious note, Izaya; are you sure about her?"

Izaya chewed his lip for a moment, because he didn't want to get them into trouble, if they were to get involved now, then he had to be truthful. "Seventy percent."

There was silence for a moment, and then – "Good enough," Izaya smiled. "What can we do to help?"

…..

Izaya slipped a few yen into the donation box that was hung over the front of the ticket booth. The museum was free to enter, but since Izaya wasn't here to look at its history, he felt obligated to give something. The woman smiled and nodded at him, he then turned right when he walked into the first entrance; it was early, barely half nine, and it was a Sunday. Izaya entered the gift shop, he began browsing the items first, casually picking up an object every so often. He glanced at the figurines, smiling when he spotted the one that Shizuo had been eyeing. He shook his head, he wasn't here for that, but – Izaya's hand twitched, he felt the urge to buy the damn thing, and it wasn't even a holiday, nor was it Shizuo's birthday. The raven sighed, hating what Shizuo had done to him, when did he become aware of such sentimental details. Izaya picked up the figurine with care, raised it to look at the price underneath, he then chuckled. "Yeh, Shizu-chan will have to wait." Damn, the blond was right, that was expensive, it made him wonder why the hell it was just out here like this.

He looked behind the paying counter, the same man was there from before, that was good. Seriously though, he needed to learn the value of his stock; Izaya glanced back at the figurine, items like these should not be left out like they were toys. Just like the trinket that wasn't for sale. Thinking about the trinket, which was the whole reason he was here, he cursed under his breath, blaming Shizuo for distracting him and then walked over to the counter. "Didn't expect you to be open today." Izaya placed his hands in his pockets casually, waiting for the man to acknowledge him. he was elderly, maybe late sixties, trustworthy of course, if the layout of the shop was anything to go by.

The man in question eventually turned around, holding what looked like a crystal, probably a replica of the geology section. "Hello there, young man. What can I do for you?"

Izaya smiled politely, taking his hands out of his pockets and slid them onto the countertop as he leaned against it. "I came to talk to you about something." The man smiled and turned to place the crystal on a shelf behind him. Izaya rolled his eyes. That he keeps safe. his smile returned when the elder turned back to him.

"Not to sound rude but kids your age shouldn't be in museums on a Sunday, should be out having fun."

Izaya chuckled. "Well, you could say that I'm unique, I like to learn. Being in a place like this isn't uncommon for me."

A small laugh was followed, and the man nodded. "So, what brings you here? other then your thirst for knowledge of course."

The raven glanced over to where he had seen Kimori take the trinket and then sighed. "I was actually with the class that toured here two days ago."

The elder's eyes widened just slightly, and then he joked. "Oh, didn't you get enough free time to look around, come back to satisfy your curiosity some more eh?"

Izaya shook his head with amusement. "Not exactly. I came here to tell you something, and I was wondering if maybe you could help me prove it."

The man tilted his head. "Looking to discover something? you really are unique."

He was getting agitated with the conversation, couldn't the man let him finish a goddamn explanation? "No," Izaya leaned over the counter. "When we finished the trip, a few of my classmates were in here gift shopping, or browsing. Do you remember a girl expressing interest in these trinkets? She was with a tall blond male."

Izaya watched his expression, he looked like he was thinking hard about it, and then the man clicked his fingers. "That's right. pretty little thing, stubborn though, told her many times that the item she wanted wasn't for sale before she finally gave up." Izaya cringed, damn, he almost felt sorry for him, he did actually.

"Unfortunately, she didn't give up, did she." The man looked at him blankly and Izaya raised an eyebrow, it was then that he realised the elder didn't know what he was talking about. "The trinket?"

"What about it?"

Izaya pointed over to the shelf near the register. "She took it. you told her it wasn't for sale, but when your back was turned, she took it and then left, I saw her from outside."

The elder chuckled, shaking his head. "Nonsense," he walked over to the shelf. "It's right-" he then looked closely; his eyes wide. "Here… oh."

Izaya gave him a sympathetic smile but wondered just how the hell he hadn't even noticed. "I'm sorry, I tried to get it back, but she denied it all, there wasn't anything I could do without forcing her…" the man was in shock, his eyes roamed over the shelf several times as though it would just appear again. "Just to let you know, the blond she was with, had nothing to do with this; he left before she took it." the need to defend Shizuo was strong, he couldn't have anyone accusing him after all, not for something that she did. "Are you okay?"

His hand shook, and then covered his mouth. "Oh dear."

Izaya frowned, he began to wonder whether the trinket was of some significant importance to the man. "I don't mean to sound accusing, but if it was that important, why did you keep it somewhere within accessible reach?" he was having a tough time believing the man hadn't noticed until now. "Did you not realise at all?" The elder simply shook his head, no words were said, he just stared at the space in – was that fear? Or worry maybe?

"Why would she take it?" Izaya blinked when the man finally spoke, he frowned, feeling angry now.

"Most likely she just didn't care. I'm sorry that it happened though, I should have said something to you right away, but – well, that blond she was with, didn't give me a chance to even explain to him." Izaya could see him take note of the cut on his lip, he smiled with a shrug.

"I see. Do you think - that you could get it back?"

Izaya sighed. "I doubt it. not without breaking into her house, I imagine she's probably got it in her bedroom. I would rather not get the proof I need that way; I really don't need a black eye to accompany my swollen lip," he chuckled a little. "I was hoping that you would be able to help, don't you have security camera's in here?"

The old man nodded. "I do. Now that I know I'm looking for something, I'll get right on that."

Izaya smiled, sighing in relief. "Would you be willing to show my classmate when you find it? he doesn't believe me, and I would really appreciate it if you could help with that."

He nodded and huffed a laugh. "Anything to award your honesty."

Izaya glanced over at the figurines, he then walked over to pick up the samurai and turned to show the man. "How much is this?"

The owner merely chuckled. "It's just a statue really, nothing of high value, 2000 yen is all." Izaya raised an eyebrow and looked at the figurine.

That explains a lot. He wouldn't have noticed the missing trinket if he can't even remember what's valuable in the shop. Izaya took the samurai with him and tilted it to show the man the price tag at the bottom.

The man's eyes widened in astonishment. "Goodness!"

Izaya smiled. "I think you might like to re-evaluate the items you're selling." A nod of agreement was made and Izaya placed the figurine on the counter, he then took a slip of paper from the notepad beside the register and wrote down a number. "This is my phone number, let me know when you've found the footage." just before Izaya left the shop, the elder called him back.

"Young man?"

Izaya turned to him, hands in his pockets. "Izaya."

"Izaya. The trinket she took, it's important."

"All you have to do is show the cops that footage. then the trinket will be returned to you." and Shizu-chan will see what a mistake he made. Izaya shook his head with a smile.

"I think there's something I must tell you,"

The boy looked at him quizzically and then walked back over to the counter.

"It's not a trinket, although it certainly looks like one; there's a story behind that black box."

Izaya became curious. "A story? Like a myth?"

The man nodded. "I found that box thirty years ago while I was on vacation, it was on a stall in the market of Cairo. The man who sold it to me explained to me the story that I'm now about to tell you. the myth goes, that there was once a man and a woman; he was a high priest of the gods, and she was a merchant in the bizarre, she fell in love with him instantly when he showed her a small bit of kindness one day. She became obsessed with pursuing her love, she would follow him everywhere, did everything for him, and when the time came that she finally confessed to loving him devotedly; he denied her, and told her of his love interest that he already had for another. Furious, she became even more obsessed, she cursed their love and tried to kill all that showed him affection, including his true love. She was caught and put to death by snake pit."

Izaya grimaced at the story, though as he thought about it, the merchant sounded like Kimori, but that was his own opinion. "Where does the box come into it?"

"After her death, the man and his love were haunted by the lifeforce of Ka, it was what the Egyptians believed to be the immortal soul."

"Like how we perceive spirits and ghosts?"

"Yes. exactly, you really are a little book of knowledge. Anyway, her obsession was believed that if she couldn't have him, no one could. He made the box with his own hands, it was etched with a seal, he trapped her spirit in the box and she was never freed again."

Izaya couldn't help but think the story sounded just a tad peculiar, He knew merchants were respected, and he knew the priests carried certain duties to the gods, preparing offerings of food such as bread, meat and fruit, he guessed that they would receive such things from merchants. The peculiar part wasn't that he didn't think the two structures would express love between each other, it was the thought that he had never heard of such a story before, except for the screaming banshee in his hometown. But in ancient Egypt? There were many books containing knowledge of it's past, such a story sounded so out of place, but again that was his own opinion. "Do you believe in the myth? Is that why you're worried?" Once the man had noticed it missing, he looked concerned, but who was Izaya to judge what someone believed in? maybe there really was a spirit trapped in that box.

The elder chuckled then. "Well, perhaps. I believed the merchant who sold it to me, but of course I've never had any encounters with any spirit before; he told me to never open it, should it be opened, the spirit will be freed and she will seek revenge."

Izaya's eyes widened at that statement, what if the story was true? At least, to a certain point. "Is it easily opened?"

He looked at Izaya with a smile. "Caught your interest ay? Now don't go trying to open it or anything."

Izaya shook his head. "I was more concerned about her opening it, that's why I asked, I doubt she would have known about the story, so to her, it's just a trinket, some kind of jewellery box."

"I've not tried to open it before, but since the origin is ancient Egypt, it probably has some ritual words in Arabic or Hebrew." The man chuckled, like his words were supposed to be a joke.

Izaya nodded. "Is your joke your way of saying that it could be forced open?" the man shrugged, though his expression was dire. "It's obvious that you believe the story to be true, so if I were you, I really would get that footage."

"Do you believe it?"

The raven stared at him for a moment, wondering whether he should let on about his ability to see spirits. Izaya shook his head. "Not really." When the man moved to place the samurai on the shelf behind him, Izaya caught a glimpse of a photo hanging on the wall. the picture was of a young couple, a man and a woman, he had his arm around her and was smiling – but she looked – sad?

"My late wife, heh, wasn't I a stunner back then. She was too, everyone said we were a cute couple."

"She looks sad."

"I travelled a lot, could never quite stand to be in one place for long. but I loved her, and always came back to her."

Izaya frowned the slightest bit. Must have loved him a lot to trust him that much. Izaya then smiled at the man when he realised, he was still being stared at. "I'm sure the box will be returned to you. but next time, keep it out of sight, or at least in a display case."

The elder laughed lightly. "You probably think I'm senile, don't you?"

Izaya gave him a tight smile. "I wouldn't say that, I was taught to respect my elders."

Waving a hand dismissively, the man laughed again and said, "It's probably true you know, I'm not as young as I used to be. but I'm not always just a doddery old man." He turned behind him and reached for the crystal he had been handling before, placing it in front of Izaya on the counter. "I want you to have this."

The raven raised an eyebrow and picked up the crystal, he was sure that it was a replica of those they saw in the geology section, what were they called? Geode's? "Why?"

"It might look like an ordinary geode crystal," ah, so he was right after all. "This one however, is supposed to give the owner protection or something, it's given me quite the luck over the years."

Izaya didn't believe in charms, at least, not of this kind; things like dream catchers, they were just nonsense to him. besides, he had his own form of protection, in the form of a human being, who was real. Izaya sighed quietly, though that protection no longer applied to him, because Shizuo hated him. he slid the geode back toward the man. "I can't take this." He was trying to be as polite as possible, the man meant well.

"Nonsense. Consider it a token of my gratitude, a gift for all your honesty, and for listening to an old coot like me."

Izaya shrugged, why not, it wasn't the worst gift in the world, despite the man's belief in the thing, it did look cool. "Thank you." Would have preferred the samurai though. He then walked toward the outside.

"One more thing, have you ever heard of the Pandora's box?" Izaya looked back at him from the entrance, he nodded. "That's something I've had in mind whenever I thought about opening the box."

Made sense, to open Pandora's box, to do or start something that will cause many unforeseen problems, best that the box remained closed, no matter how curious the one owning it is. Izaya nodded to the man that he understood, and then walked out of the shop.

…..

Izaya, Shinra and Kadota were sat on top of the school rooftop, Shinra and Kadota were eating their lunch, and Izaya was picking out the sushi with a sheepish grin on his face, neither one said anything though. "That's quite a story," Kadota was surprised by what Izaya had found out, he'd only gone to the gift shop to tell the owner about Kimori. "But if he can show the camera footage to the cops, and is willing to show Shizuo too, then that'll get him to see the truth."

Izaya frowned, he couldn't help but think about that story; for some reason, it had him curious. "Maybe."

"Maybe? Isn't that what you wanted?"

Izaya nodded, but his frown remained. Shinra looked at him, he knew when Izaya had something on his mind, and he could take a guess about what he was thinking now. "Izaya, do you believe in the story he told you?"

Izaya looked over at him and shrugged. "I don't know, the origin of the story is extremely old, ancient even, I doubt it's true…. I just can't help but be curious."

"Maybe that's why the old man said Pandora's box, he probably sensed your inquisitive nature or something."

The raven rolled his eyes, then he looked at Kadota. "Dota-chin, did you talk to Shizu-chan?"

Kadota sighed. "Tried to, but of course, she was there, so I couldn't really talk about the whole thief thing. She must know that we would try and convince him, I don't think she'll leave his side unless she really has to."

"You both have Math together, she's not in that class, so maybe you could try then."

"Good idea." Izaya stood up, a sudden determined look on his face. "Oi, where are you going?"

Izaya looked down at him, trying his best to pull off an innocent expression. "Library."

Kadota frowned at him. "No, you're not, I know that look, what are you up to?"

Izaya sighed. "I'm going to see if the box is in her locker."

Shinra's eyes widened. "Are you crazy? what if she catches you, or worse, what if Shizuo does?"

Izaya grinned at him. "I won't get caught."

Kadota shook his head and then stood up, grasping Izaya's shoulder. "This is a really bad idea."

"Worried?" Izaya's grin widened when Kadota huffed in annoyance.

"What makes you think it's in her locker anyway?" Izaya shrugged off his hand and stepped backwards.

"Just a guess, have to start somewhere."

"Izaya," Shinra called his name, Izaya looked at him and the bespectacled boy frown with worry, Izaya smiled and then his expression became serious.

"Shinra, I'm not saying I believe the story about the box, but if it is and she opens it, who knows what might happen."

"Just be careful."

Izaya nodded and then looked at Kadota. "I'll go when you and Shizu-chan have Math. I can avoid getting caught by him at least. Talk to him, okay?"

Kadota didn't like this, but Izaya was determined, and he knew his friend was only looking out for Shizuo, that much he could tell. Izaya would not be doing this if he didn't care, if only Shizuo could see that. Maybe I could explain it while I talk to him about Kimori. "All right Izaya, we're on your side, but I'm not going to force him to listen, if he really doesn't believe me, then I'm going to accept that."

Izaya just smiled and then left the rooftop.

Shinra and Kadota shared a glance, wondering if they should have followed him, at least to keep an eye out.

The bell rang, and they hurried to their classes instead.

…

Izaya peered down into the locker area from his position on the staircase, sighing in relief that no one was around. He grinned and then jumped off the last steps, he had seen which one was her locker by now, so finding it wasn't the problem. Izaya stood in front of it, head tilted in thought, he didn't have time to search the school's data for her combination lock. He certainly didn't have time to take random guesses. Pulling out his knife with a grin, he could probably pry the thing open, they weren't all that strong anyway. Before he could try though, a voice almost startled him.

"What are you doing with my locker?"

Izaya flinched and cursed his luck. Slipping his knife back into his pocket, he turned around to meet her gaze. Izaya smirked at her as she came toward him. "Just doing all I can to expose you."

Kimori gasped and shook her head. "I didn't take anything, why won't you believe me?"

Izaya chuckled and took a step closer to her. "Come on, cut the act, it's just us."

Kimori stepped back from him, eyes wide with surprise. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You took that box, I will expose you and get it back, I went to the gift shop and he knows all about it." Her eyes grew wider and Izaya swore he saw panic on her face. "Didn't think about camera's, did you, the owner will see you take the box and he's also agreed to show it to Shizuo." Izaya was hoping that by telling her, she might reveal more of her true intentions.

Kimori didn't change her demeanour, she reached for his arm to grasp it, but he stepped back. "Please, I don't know why you're doing this to me, I didn't do anything wrong, I – I would never steal."

Izaya narrowed his eyes, becoming slightly agitated, he slammed his fist on the locker so hard that it dented. "I saw you take it!" he winced slightly, taking his hand and rubbing the abused knuckles. "How could you just deny something like that? I watched you and the cameras will prove that, just admit it already." Kimori looked close to tears, Izaya wasn't fooled by that, he would not allow himself to be under the same false beliefs as Shizuo. "Have you opened it?"

Kimori blinked at him in surprise. "What?"

"The box, did you open it?"

Kimori shook her head. "It wouldn't open."

Izaya smirked at her and she suddenly realised her mistake. She turned to run and Izaya grabbed her wrist, pulling her back. "Where is it!?" he shouted in her face, her eyes were wide as she struggled in his grip. "Just give it back and I will tell the owner not to press charges!"

Kimori shrieked and tried to yank her hand away, "Let go! Please let go!"

"Tell me where the box is!"

Izaya hissed when her foot collided hard with his shin, she yanked her hand free and then ran. Izaya ran after her, jumping over the bench, he reached the opened door and realised she was gone already. He sighed and turned to head back up the stairs, he glanced at the locker, if she had it in there, she wouldn't have left so abruptly. "So much for that plan."

…

Kimori ran as fast as she could, tears clouding her vision, she looked back to see if Izaya was following her, but she didn't see anyone. She slowed down, turning around, only to run straight into the side of a door as it opened. Kimori whimpered as she landed on her ass, covering part of her face. "Ow…"

"Oh, my dear, I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there, are you alright?" It was a female teacher; she knelt and took Kimori's arm to help her up.

Kimori winced and chuckled as she looked up at her. "I'm fine… I think, I'm always bumping into things, should watch where I'm going really."

"Are you sure I shouldn't take you to the nurse? Your face has swollen slightly already."

Kimori shook her head with a smile. "No, honestly, I'm fine. I'll just put a cold paper towel over it. can't miss my next class."

The woman tutted in defeat. "Okay, but if it gets worse, go home."

Kimori smiled at her and then entered back into the school. Once the teacher was out of sight, she ducked into the toilets and stood in front of the mirrors. She leaned forward, groaning at the throbbing as she lightly prodded the growing bruise just under her eye. "Damn, this sucks." She pulled out a small circular object and lifted the lid of the powdered substance, swiping the pad over the top a few times. "Better cover this, I don't want Shizuo seeing me in this state," as she raised the pad to her face, fully intending to cover up the bruise with makeup, she stopped suddenly. She gasped lightly and then a grin began to form on her face. "Or maybe I do."

….

Kadota sighed in frustration, he still hadn't gotten the chance to talk to Shizuo; why of all times did their teacher pick today to give them a test. He glanced at the blond as the bell rang to end the class, the students stood up with scraping chairs. Kadota quickly gathered his books and jogged to walk beside Shizuo as they left their class. "Yo, Shizuo. You got a minute?"

Shizuo looked at him with a shrug. "Sure, what's up?"

"Erm, well, it's about Kimori…"

Shizuo frowned then. "What about her?"

Kadota flinched under the blond's sudden glare. "She's-"

"Shizuo!"

The two turn their attention down the corridor and Kadota groaned in dismay. Speak of the devil.

Shizuo grunted in surprise when Kimori threw herself into his arms. "Hey, Kimori, what happened? Why are you shaking?" the girl looked up at him then, her eyes clouded with tears, Shizuo noticed the bruise at once, it was swollen and dark red with hints of purple.

Shizuo growled in anger. "What the fuck happened to your eye!?"

Kadota blinked in surprise.

Kimori clutched at Shizuo's shirt. "I was so scared. Izaya confronted me just now in the locker area, he kept asking me to give back the box, and told me that if I did, then he wouldn't tell the cops. I tried to run away, but he grabbed me and pushed me into the locker, when I kicked him in the shin, he-"

Shizuo's eyes widened in rage. "He what, what did he do Kimori!?"

Kimori's eyes watered. "He hit me!"

Kadota almost choked, she couldn't be serious? Izaya was an asshole to her, but he would never –

"He fucking what!" Shizuo screamed in rage, he was fuming. "That's it, I'm going to fucking kill him! he's so dead!"

Kadota's eyes widened and he grabbed Shizuo's arm. "You don't seriously believe he hit her, do you!?" it couldn't be, he refused to believe that.

Shizuo turned to him in anger, pointing at her face. "Look at her eye! Does that look like she's lying to you!?"

Kadota frowned. "Think about what you're saying! You really think Izaya would punch her? Or better yet, would he even lay a finger on a girl at all!?"

Shizuo gritted his teeth, his breathing erratic, there was no way he was calming down. Kimori stared at him with fear and clung to his arm. "I'm sorry Shizuo, I just wanted to get away, I didn't mean to cause him to lash out… I was scared."

Shizuo turned to her, wrapping his arms around her. "You don't have to apologise Kimori. What he did was unforgiveable, and I'll deal with it." Shizuo glared in anger, his eyes shone with hatred.

Kadota shook his head, he couldn't believe it, there was no way! No way Izaya hit her. "Shizuo, you can't believe this, surely."

Kimori looked up at the blond. "Walk me home?" she lay her head on his arm. "He might follow me."

Shizuo kissed the top of her forehead. "He wouldn't dare." Then he led her away, Kadota stared after them, if Shizuo spotted Izaya anywhere right now -

There would be no way of stopping him. He quickly pulled out his phone to contact Izaya, he had to warn him.

Kadota waited for the raven to answer, he frowned when the calm voice of his friend sounded down the phone. "Izaya, tell me you left the school already."

Izaya frowned as he stopped beside the street corner. "I have, why?"

Kadota sighed in relief. "Good. I'd stay away if I were you."

Izaya chuckled. "Okay, now I'm curious, what for?"

Kadota clenched his fist, he still couldn't believe it. "Shizuo is going to be after you."

Izaya raised an eyebrow, Kadota sounded serious. "Did he find out about the locker incident?"

Kadota frowned then. "Izaya, did Kimori catch you today?"

Izaya continued to walk home, he wasn't going to mention that, but now – "She caught me by her locker, I told her to give the box back, she carried on denying it. when I asked if she had opened it, she slipped up and said that it wouldn't."

Kadota's eyes widened. "She confessed?"

Izaya smirked. "By accident."

"What happened after that?"

Izaya didn't like where these questions were leading. "Why? Has she said something to Shizu-chan?"

Kadota sighed. "She's got a black eye."

Izaya's eyes widened and he froze. "I didn't hit her."

"I believe you, I do, it's just – she ran to Shizuo crying and told him that you did."

Izaya gripped the phone. "I didn't hit her. I – I grabbed her wrist to stop her from running away, but I didn't – she kicked me in the shin, and then she ran. I didn't go after her."

"I believe you Izaya, I swear. It's just-"

Izaya frowned, unlocking the door to his home and walked into the small bedroom. "He believed her, didn't he?"

Silence ensued and Izaya didn't need to hear the reply, he ended the call and threw his phone at the wall. "You bitch!"

A/N: Ok, I swear this is paranormal, just not a scary arc. I have other ideas for scary ones, but - since I want to make a sequel of this story, I'm saving them :)

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.

What do you guys think about Kimori? hating her right? lol