Hello Everyone!
Long time no see! Finally I have some news to share with you! Here is the new chapter!
Some questions will be answered, others will appear but this is the purpose of the fic. Untill we get in our duos POV, we will have to quess what happened or will happen. And untill then we have some time.
But I have more news to share with you! I have a beta-reader now! Isn't that great!
My beta is SareBear96 and she also has a AO3. You should check her work too!
A huge thanks to her for help me edit this fic.
But anyway, let's begin!
Fucking bastard! That bastard! I'll kill him!
...
When I find him...I'll end him!
Kida thought while walking down one of the busiest roads in Ikebukuro. He glanced around. Everyone, as far as he could tell, had some kind of work to do. Yet he was stuck looking for his fucking boss. He frowned and sat on one of the benches in the square.
Kida held his head. God, where is he? He wondered. He'd found what Izaya was looking for.
Ren Katumi. He was a really wealthy person. A doctor. A black market doctor, to be precise. Like Shinra. He'd borrowed some money from Shizuo's company and had paid them back just like he was supposed to. But Shizuo still hit him and sent him to the hospital.
What frustrated him was that the man had made an appointment to meet with Tom's team again . When Kida asked Tom why the man wanted to meet him again after he'd already paid back all the money, Tom had just shrugged. He hadn't known why he wanted to meet them again. The only thing that Tom knew was that he had more money to give back. Or so he'd thought.
Three days ago when Shizuo sent Ren into the sky, Tom believed that he only wanted that thing. But two days ago, Tom told him, the money that Ren borrowed had all been returned. Kida scratched his head. Why did Ren want to meet Tom again?
The chick who was with Tom mentioned the incident last week. So, Ren, as the blonde said, knew Shizuo. Or vice versa. If the way Shizuo was paying attention to Ren was any sort of clue.
Also, what did Shizuo do to that man when he was in the alley? And, why did he wear his colors? These were the questions he wanted answered the most.
Shizuo.
Now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen the fortissimo lately. Maybe he had taken that time off Tom suggested. Well, he knew that Shizuo and Izaya were talking via those old phones. So, maybe they were together somewhere.
Did they find the photos? Or something related to these guys wearing his gang's color? Did they run away?
No, no, no. When he'd found enough information on the guy as Izaya wanted, he had gone to his office. But Izaya was nowhere to be found. Namie said that he was in his office that morning but had disappeared since.
This kept happening. One moment he was in the office and then he was elsewhere. He was always gone when Kida was looking for him. God! Why couldn't he just email him the information? Or at least leave the files in his office?
...
Kida couldn't, that's why. He'd gotten a message from Izaya telling him that he wanted the information delivered to him personally.
Kida squinted at the sun. That guy...must be really important to Izaya and Shizuo. Otherwise why would BOTH of them want information on him?
Did Ren do something? Maybe he murdered someone special?
Was he even important? He was just a normal guy with a really good job.
...
Was Ren connected to someone else? Someone more interesting? More personal?
Bastard.
Kida perused the information he had collected.
25 years old... The same age as that bastard... Maybe? Maybe was he the one that had posted the photos?
Nah. If he was Izaya wouldn't have asked for information. He would've gone and dealt with him.
Maybe was he the one blackmailing Izaya's clients?...no. Then why Shizuo would want information on him too?
'Ren was educated at Raijin Academy in Ikebukuro. He studied to become a doctor, which he accomplished, but became an underground one. Last week he was sent to the hospital due to a fight he picked with Shizuo Heiwajima. He is still inside...'
Kida scrolled through the pages until his eyes caught what had made him question that guy.
'...When Ren was school, he usually spent his time in a gang. The gang's name was unknown. But it was dangerous and one of the strongest in Ikebukuro. It was so strong that the other gang that coexisted at the time, 'Blue Squares', were always crushed by it. The gang really often picked fights with Heiwajima Shizuo, for unknown reasons, but were always defeated by him. Allegedly, the gang disappeared overnight due to an unlucky incident. Details on this incident are still unknown...'
...
That's why Shizuo was looking at Ren last week. He must have remembered him. That's why he was punched and sent to the hospital.
Well, at least the reason why Shizuo first punched him was solved. But why had he punched him the second time? Shizuo didn't have any reason to hit him, or as Tom told him.
Maybe, Shizuo remembered the gang's name? All he needed was the name and Kida could find the rest. But if he did so, hahaha...where would his body be found? Shizuo had punched Ren just because he remembered him being inside the gang. What would happen to him if he mentioned that gang and Ren's name?
Kida stopped walking. When had he even started walking? He couldn't tell. And why had he stopped?
"Kida-kun!" Someone called for him. A woman's voice and kinda energetic, too.
Kida followed the sound and frowned. Great! The Orihara twins. How could he find Izaya's sisters and not him? Bastard, he drove him crazy.
Meanwhile, he smiled and waved his hand to show that he'd heard Mairu screaming his name. He quickly closed the envelope and hid it inside his jacket.
"Oh~ Look who's here? Ikebukuro's favorite twins!"
"Really? Where are they? I don't think they are as fantastic as us, eh Kururi?" Mairu approached Kida and expressively gestured her hands as she spoke.
"Us. (We are the twins.)" Kururi said quietly, holding her sister's still moving hands.
"OMG, Kururi! Play along! OMG!" Mairu literally screamed at her and Kuriri hit her hand making Mairu yell.
"Loud. (You are so loud.)"
"Ah, Kururi! That hurts. You are so harsh~!"
"As I can see, you're doing fine." Kida smiled politely.
Mairu stopped rubbing her arm and hugged her sister.
"Oh, yes! We've just finished our karate lesson and decided to take a walk around."
"Around."
"Yes, Kururi is right. We were walking when suddenly it hit us. Why not come here to see it in person!" She told him, gesturing around.
"What are you referring to?" Kida pointed, totally confused.
"Building. (We came for the building as you did too.)" Kururi whispered and pointed to something behind Kida.
Kida turned to look at the building behind him. Of course. That's where his legs had brought him. In the building that he, Anri and Celty had fought the gang that wore his color.
The abandoned building.
Then he remembered. That wasn't the only reason why his gut brought him here. It was because of that picture.
The new photo that had been posted on the Dollar's website two days ago.
In the photo, Izaya and Shizuo were sitting on one of the benches that used to be in front of the building. Both of them looked up at the night sky. Izaya wore a different jacket and Shizuo was wearing a black jacket. They...were sitting a little too close to each other. But as people had pointed out, there were some papers in their laps so that's why the duo was so close. But that led to the next question. What did those papers contain?
The building behind them, at first glance, was the one they had fought in front of a few days ago. In other words, the abandoned building. But in the picture, it was still active. The lights were on, people were seen both inside and outside.
That's why he was here. The building was both inside his thoughts and in his work. But he had found absolutely nothing from it. Only that it was an office and it was new compared to the others. He had searched and searched but no such luck. Kida found nothing. He wanted to know more and he knew the only ones who knew about this building were the two people that everyone now avoided.
He refocused on the present and noticed Mairu talking. Probably at him but he hadn't heard anything. Kururi was looking at the building and totally ignoring her sister as well.
...
Wait! Maybe the sisters knew about this building. They lived here, as he remembered, with their brother until he found his own apartment. They were living in Ikebukuro too, so...
"Do you know this building?" Kida asked, eyeing them carefully.
Mairu stopped talking and focused on Kida.
"Yes. (We know this building.)"
"Yeah as Kururi said! That building was an office of some sort...that's probably why it's abandoned now. As I recall, it was only designed to be an office building and nothing else. We always passed this building when we were younger. Lots of people passed here and entered it."
"Brother. (We passed this building with our brother every day on our way to school.) Entered. (He often entered it. Probably for work.) Maybe not."
"Yeah, I agree with Kururi. We often stopped here and waited on one of the benches until Iza-nii returned. Now that I remember, he often came out angrier than before. He was just doing his job but what confused me most was why Iza-nii always came here. Back then, I thought the job he had was so demanding. Well maybe because I didn't know what job he did but now...it's still a mystery."
"Injured." Kururi whispered.
Mairu stopped talking and stared at Kururi. Kida did the same thing .
"When did you see Iza-nii injured? I don't recall seeing..." Mairu started but her sister interrupted her.
"Every day. (Every day, he came out of that building.) Injured. (He often had some bruises or cuts.) Outside. (That's why he made us wait outside and told us never to enter the building)"
"I...wow. You're right. I do recall that. That's why he came out angrier. A fight maybe? Blackmail? Nah, this is our brother we're talking about..." Mairu started laughing and Kururi copied her.
Kida although he had heard what the twins were saying, had approached the building door. It was full of dust and had become rusted over the years. But there were clues that the building had been opened recently. Kida looked at the windows. There were all closed with slates of wood. He wanted so much to enter it to see exactly what this building was hiding but...he couldn't.
Maybe because of the eerie atmosphere that the building was giving off. Maybe because of that big stain in the alley. Or maybe because his gut was telling him not to enter.
Kida frowned. He went to the nearest window and peered inside. It was difficult but he managed to see some desks, stairs and an elevator.
"See? I told you that this building was an office once. Look at that desk. It's definitely a reception." A voice startled him and he turned towards it.
Fuck, the twins! They must've noticed that his attention was elsewhere and followed him.
"Fuck! Wow, okay! You don't need to yell right in my ears!" Kida yelled back and Mairu smiled.
"Never pay attention to something else when a lady is talking to you."
"What lady? I can't see her." Kida challenged.
But Mairu just smirked at him while Kururi took pictures of the building.
"Do you think that Izaya and Shizuo were friends?" Mairu asked and stared at him.
"What..um..I think so. Did you see the photos? Wait...do you–?" Kida mumbled, partly because he was taken back by how Mairu had pronounced their names.
Fuck of course! They were Izaya's sisters. Of course, they'd know something about this situation. Maybe more. He was dumb, he knew that. And judging from Mairu's smirk, she definitely knew something. Kida scratched his head.
But maybe they didn't. Why would they come to the building if not to find clues? Something that proved that the duo were friends. True friends.
But Mairu had started laughing and approached Kida. "If we knew something about this Kida-kun, we wouldn't search for evidence. Or information. You know...for personal reasons. But what surprises me is that you're here. Why? Do you want to f..." She was cut by her sister's hand.
"No...what..wait. Are you saying...?" Then it was Kida's turn to laugh. "I'm on a mission. Your fucking brother's mission. He wants information on a certain guy. But I was so distracted that I didn't notice where I was going until I arrived here."
Mairu snorted. "Well, I see you're as confused as us and the rest of the city." She stopped and stared at the building.
Kida did too and the three of them were silent all lost in their own thoughts.
"Photos?" Kururi said after a while, surprising the other two.
Kururi waited for Mairu to elaborate as usual, but her face showed that she didn't understand what her sister meant. So, Kururi repeated.
"Photos?"
"Yeah? What about them?" Kida asked.
Kururi pointed to a sign and then her phone. "Photos."
She then gestured to the building. "New photo."
Mairu gasped and nodded. After a while, Kida shook her impatiently and Mauri started talking.
"Wait! Goddamnit! I'm trying to find the proper way to say it! Geez... Kururi said that the previous photo we got was always addressed at Iza-nii and Shizuo-san. But the new photo wasn't pointing at what Iza-nii was doing but the opposite. It showed the building. That person wanted to show something, but what?" Mairu finished and Kida's eyes widened.
Did that person...know about the fight? Did they want to point that out? Or were they trying to show the gang activity? Of his gang? His colors? Did they want revenge? If that was the case then why choose a photo that showed the duo? If they wanted to show what had happened here four days ago then they would've found another way to do so.
Were they...were they the leader of that gang? That wore his colors? Those guys he found had said something about moving up. Maybe they were playing with him? But who?
No...there was no way. That picture was posted to show Izaya and Shizuo. But what role did the building play? Was it guiding Kida to find what happened to it? What caused it to close? Why it was abandoned?
Or was it guiding him to investigate what that stain was on the ground?
"You're wondering why that building closed, right?" Mairu shook him from his thoughts. "Well, I can tell you that it closed when we were still in the kindergarten." She told him and moved towards her sister.
"The week?" Kururi wondered and Mairu let her head fall on her sister's shoulder.
"Maybe. You think that he did it?" Mairu asked her sister and she got a frown in reply.
"What week?" Kida asked, clearly wanting to enter the conversation.
Mairu stopped and collected her thoughts before she spoke.
"We remembered a week that Iza-nii disappeared and then he reappeared again. We don't know why he'd gone or where he went. But after one week, that we spent at a friend's house, he came back. He was really tired. We remember he had some bandages wrapped around him. Everywhere. His eyes were weary and even his attitude was quiet. Something must've happened to make him so quiet. After he got us and took us home, he stayed there for a week. We managed to see that he'd been seriously injured in several places.
During that time he slept nearly every day. Iza-nii never sleeps that much, but that week he was really exhausted. Sometimes he left home, but he'd always return even more bitter and unhappy. We tried to cheer him up but nothing helped. Then one day he answered a phone call, left the house and was his usual self again. Afterwards, when he took us to school the next morning, we passed that building. We asked him why he didn't go inside and he replied that his work was done in a really happy voice." Mairu stopped and watched Kida.
"So you believe that when Izaya disappeared it was because he found a way to close this building?"
"Probably. Think about it. He always came out of it with bruises and then, after one week of disappearance, the building suddenly closed? It can't be a coincidence!" She yelled and hugged her sister harder.
Until the pepper spray touched her eyes.
"Ahhhahha." Mairu yelled and thrashed around holding her face.
Kururi whispered. "Warning. (I've warned you!)"
Kida smiled at the twins' antics. Well, that story must mean something, right? Izaya must be involved with this incident too. Well, from the way the twins described it, he was sure that Izaya must've closed the business. But why was he covered in bruises? Izaya wouldn't battle anyone without his knives. He always had them on him. Also he's really good at avoiding hits. So why?
That's what didn't click. Izaya would've found a way to blackmail and destroy that business with information. He wouldn't go and pick a fight. That wasn't his style. So, the question remained.
Why was that building closed? And how?
"Ahhh...Kururi look! Don't hate me please...ah I won't do it again! Thanks! Now, look...no! Look behind you!" Mairu spoke furiously and pointed behind her sister's back.
Kururi turned and Kida followed her gaze. Behind them were Tom and his team. Tom was talking and Vorona nodded occasionally in response to the conversation. Shizuo smoked as he walked up ahead, clearly not paying attention to the conversation.
"Look! Shizuo-san is back!" Mairu sang and Kururi agreed with a soft yes.
"Back? He came back four days ago." Kida disagreed, while Mauri waved her hand dismissively.
"Yeah...yeah. He came back from that trip. But he took three days off. Maybe for sickness. I don't know. Kururi says that she saw him talking to Iza-nii five days ago and again three days ago."
"What?"
"Yeah, I know, Kida-kun. I'm also lost for words. See that cafe." Mairu pointed and continued talking. "Well, we were there four days ago and while I was texting with someone, Kururi saw Iza-nii enter that building. When she told me I started wondering if his past issues had come back. So, while I was searching for information on my brother's doings, Kururi saw another person enter the building. We didn't know who it was at that moment, but the next day we met up with Erika-chan. She told us that she'd seen our brother and Shizuo-san leaving this building."
"Angry."
"Yes, both of them were angry. But Kururi saw them again when I was in my karate lesson. She saw them arguing with each other."
"Do you remember when you saw them, Kururi-chan?" Kida interrupted Mairu.
"...night."
"Did you see them holding any phones?"
"Why?"
"I believe that your brother is using one to contact Shizuo."
"An old phone?"
"Yes, Mauri an old...wait how did you know that?"
"Was it an orange flip phone?"
"Yes."
"That's his personal phone. He only has the numbers that are important to him on it. OMG Kururi do you..."
"Were? (Do you think they were friends?)"
"I don't know anymore." Mairu said, confused as well.
Kida curiously watched the twins as they spoke to one another, their conversation seeming almost telepathic. He tried to parse together details from their disjointed conversation. Only the important phone numbers? Was Shizuo's number important? But he was Izaya's enemy. How could Shizuo's phone number have gotten important? Also why did Shizuo have one too? Did he also have an important phone? His personal?
And how had he not smashed it?
Kida shook his head. Whenever he started getting answers, more questions began to appear. But still, he knew where Izaya had gone that night when he'd told him to search for Ren.
But Kida didn't want to be right.
He sighed and looked back at Tom's team. They'd stopped walking now. Tom and Vorona were leaning against one of the poles while Shizuo smoked several meters away and leaned at another one. Tom had stopped talking but Vorona was still nodding. Maybe she was answering Tom's question. Shizuo watched the sky, his mind obviously still elsewhere. Tom noticed Kida and waved.
Kida waved back and smiled. He then gestured his head towards Shizuo questioningly and Tom shrugged with a pout. Well, not even Tom knew what was happening to Shizuo.
What had Izaya told him to make him so quiet and vice versa?
He wished both of them would go back to how they were before. Suddenly, Shizuo moved from the pole and sniffed at the air. He then tore the pole from the ground and threw it towards someone.
All of them turned to look at whom Shizuo had thrown the pole. After the fog cleared, they saw a black silhouette. It turned and there was a smirk. A familiar smirk.
Izaya stepped out of the fog, smirking at Shizuo. He closed the phone he was holding and hid it inside his jacket before making his move. He threw a knife at Shizuo who caught it in his mouth. Shizuo smashed it with his teeth before lifting up a vending machine and throwing it in return. Izaya jumped and aimed more knives at Shizuo, still maintaining his smirk. He threw one knife directly towards Shizuo's heart but the blonde caught it and threw it back. Izaya snatched it from the air and smiled. It seemed just like one of their usual fights.
Kida studied them. They were fighting but...something didn't fit. Izaya hadn't teased or played with Shizuo and Shizuo hadn't screamed Izaya's name.
Their meeting. Did something happen to cause this change?
They continued fighting and a few people stopped to watch them. Well, at least the photo made the city more confident. Shizuo and Izaya started their chase, moving further away from the crowd.
"...but isn't Iza-nii a little quiet?"
"Kill. (Also, Shizuo-kun is trying to kill him!)" Kururi observed and Mairu gasped.
"You're right! Shizuo-san is trying to kill Iza-nii. Well, that's normal but Shizuo-san would never actually kill someone. Then why are his hits deadlier today. Does he want to kill Iza-nii? I've never seen him try to kill our brother for real before. The things he threw at Iza-nii were always a few meters away from him. Or at least near enough to just hurt him, not kill!"
"..." Kida watched as the pair slowly disappeared.
Kururi was right. Shizuo WAS trying to kill Izaya.
So that meeting hadn't gone well.
"..ahhh. You're right! We must leave." Mauri suddenly shouted and turned to Kida. "Kida-kun. We must roll. We've got some things we need to do."
"See."
"Yeah, see you around." Kida shouted at them half relieved and half thankful that they'd left.
God. He had to admit. Izaya had a really hard job. He was just with them for a few minutes and his head was ready to explode.
Kida turned to look at the building. Even though he'd seen a normal reaction from the duo, he still had some questions. But how would he get answers?
"That building is really old." Someone said and Kida turned to see an old man examining the building too.
Probably he'd seen the picture too. There were a few other people here too.
"Sure is." Kida agreed, ready to leave.
"Pardon me but I couldn't help overhearing your conversation with those twins."
"Yeah, and?" Kida asked, starting to get annoyed.
"Indeed. That building was an office. But Orihara wasn't the one who closed it."
That caught Kida's attention. He stopped walking away and moved back to his place.
"Really?"
"Really. Do you see that stain?" The stranger pointed at the alley.
"Yeah. Does that mean something?"
"Well, maybe it does or maybe it's just a stigma of the past."
"So you're saying that the building was involved in some risky business, there was a fight and that...stain was the blood that got lost in that fight."
"Kinda."
Kida turned at the old man. "Kinda?"
"Yes. Indeed the office was involved in dangerous activities. Although the fight didn't happen in that alley. It happened inside. It was a long fight. Even though the fight was in the news, the people involved in it were never recognised."
"And how do you know that?"
"Well, I lived in the opposite building and late one night I heard voices coming from the office. I saw the lights were on so I called the police and later an ambulance."
Kida nodded. "So, that made the building close."
But the old man shook his head.
"No?"
"No, my boy."
Kida looked at him confused and then shook his head. The stain.
"Yes. That incident made the building close."
"I don't...understand."
"Of course, you don't." He pointed at it. "That's blood."
Then he looked up.
"That night...someone fell off the roof."
-xxx-
She could feel him. He was close. So close. She was so close.
Anri watched the people walking around, yet she couldn't find the one that she wanted. She walked as her eyes turned redder. Each step she took, she could feel him more and more.
Anri had managed to find the person that'd hurt her child. He was surprisingly young, around Shinra's age. After some digging and questioning of all her children, she'd managed to find out that he'd gone to this building and knocked out the guard to get inside. But he hadn't stolen or destroyed anything. He'd simply hit the guard and then... just left.
Anri wanted to know more. She needed more information. And there was no way she'd go to Izaya for it. She signed.
That man who'd hurt her child would have some explaining to do. He was already on Anri's bad side. Unfortunately for him, a friend of the guard had gone to pick him up. Furthermore, that driver was cut from Saika, too.
She'd found him and asked him a few questions. He was indeed the one that had taken her other child to the hospital but was also his partner on the job. He'd seen the face of the man and Anri tried to memorize it too.
Although, she couldn't really see the face well, she remembered the way he stood and how he walked. Anri had sent that image to her child in the hospital and indeed that was the man.
Anri then sent that image to all of Saika's children and after a while, she was told that one had managed to cut him. But...the man was resisting.
Fortunately, she now had him on her radar. That's why she was searching for him now. He was close. Really close.
She turned into one of the alleys and stopped. More specifically, she fell down. Not because she'd stepped on something and tripped but...
Because it hurt.
Something hurt. It hurt very much. She lifted her torso and sat on her legs, gripping her chest over her heart. God, it burned!
She felt like something was tearing apart inside her. Anri lifted her head. She was still in the entrance of the alleyway. She gulped. In this position, everyone could see her and she could also see the road in front of her. But that wasn't what scared her. Her eyes were still red.
She tried to stop it but the pain was causing Saika to panic. Wait? Panic? Why was Saika panicking? What was happening?
She grasped her T-shirt. It burned so much. She wanted to cry. Saika wanted to leave but at the same time, it stayed because of fear.
What, fear?
Suddenly, she heard gasps. No. No!
They'd found her. What would she do? Anri lifted her head again and opened her eyes (when had she closed them?) and looked ahead. She sighed in relief.
No one was looking at her. Everyone was looking at something else really far away. She breathed but felt the pain yet again.
But this time it was getting closer. She could feel something heading towards her, making her weak, scared and unable to move.
Anri lifted her head again with what little strength she had and looked around. Something was thrown and after the fog cleared, she recognised the famous duo. Fighting. Shizuo lifted objects and threw them at Izaya who avoided the projectiles and threw knives back at him.
But Anri wasn't paying attention to the fighting but at a specific person. The one that was making her weak.
Izaya.
When he moved closer to her, Anri wanted to scream. Something was surrounding Izaya. Something that made Saika scared. But Anri had approached Izaya before. She had talked to him.
There hadn't been this dark aura around him in the past. Why could she feel something dark moving around him now?
Finally, Saika screamed and Anri felt it in her head. She gripped her head painfully, desperately pulling herself to her feet and running away. Away from the aura, away from the fight.
Away from Izaya.
She stopped several meters away when Saika finally stopped screaming and talking. Anri gasped for air. What had just happened?
Saika spoke to itself until suddenly quiet was spread throughout Anri's mind.
'Saika?'
Saika then showed her an image. Her radar. Specifically, the man she was after from the beginning. But then the image changed.
Izaya. Then Saika showed his aura. Not the one she'd seen when she'd met him before. That had been a red one with some blue near his heart.
No, this one was black.
-xxx-
"I'm sorry." "Excuse me." "Sorry."
Mikado repeated his apologies while avoiding the crowd. It was late. Midnight, his watch told him. He was with the Blue Squares again. Not as their leader like Aoba wanted but again as the candidate to become one. Aoba had dragged him back and told him to become the leader.
Aoba had said that he could do anything with the gang. Anything at all. But even though the suggestion was really nice, he'd refused. He'd promised Kida that he wouldn't go back. Even if it was his last option.
Mikado trusted Kida on this one. He knew more about this. So when they tried to persuade him further, he'd left, telling them not to bother talking to him again. But Mikado knew that Aoba would still try again to make him their leader. Why did Aoba want him as the leader? He was...not that kind of leader.
Anlso, he wouldn't spend today talking to the Blue Squares. Oh, no. He had more important things to do. All week, he'd been trying to find the one that'd made that fake website. His website. Well, to be honest he'd let the Dollars go. He didn't want any more bad stuff to happen. He was...tired. So he'd let those 'ads' appear.
Mikado thought that'd be the end but as always it wasn't. Someone had made that website to post...those photos. He'd found him. Oh, yeah he had. But later, he'd found that every day that person changed phones and threw away the old ones. But today he had him. He'd woken up earlier and managed to find the phone that guy currently had. So, he followed it. He had the GPS. He had everything.
But when the fight between Shizuo and Izaya had started, he'd lost hope.
The GPS showed Izaya.
Whenever he moved the GPS followed. He couldn't believe his eyes. There must've been a mistake he'd thought and tried to gain back the signal. But yet again it showed Izaya. He then spent all day following him, but not as close as he wanted. The fight continued until the afternoon or so. But then Aoba had shown up and messed up his plans. Maybe that's why he'd gone out easily this time. He was angry, he really was. Because he'd not only missed the fight but also the sight of Izaya.
Mikado searched all the corners and alleyways of Ikebukuro but couldn't find Izaya. Or the signal. He stopped and frowned.
He was so close to finding out if it truly was Izaya that had caused all of this. For the most part, he didn't believe that Izaya was the one who'd made the website or the one that'd posted the images. Also, as Saki had said, Izaya never threw out his phones. He kept them.
Mikado was so confused. Soon, that guy would throw out his phone and everything would start from the beginning. He jumped over some debris that the fight had left and stopped.
Izaya.
Izaya was right in front of him but he had his back facing him. Mikado quickly moved to hide behind the nearest wall. Izaya was staring down at the debris and shook his head. Why? Hadn't he caused that? Why did he look so confused over this?
Izaya then took out his phone and texted someone. Mikado pulled out his phone and typed the signal.
.
.
.
He found the phone. Mikado cheered up but then he saw the address. It wasn't here. Izaya wasn't holding the phone. But he realised the signal didn't move, meaning that guy had already thrown away the phone.
Darn it! Mikado wanted to shout out. Everything lost. He'd have to start from the beginning all over again. He signed and watched Izaya pacing back and forth.
Mikado kicked the pole near him and cursed. Why did nothing today go as he wanted?
Suddenly, the signal moved. Mikado watched it move... The guy hadn't thrown out his phone. He still had it!
Mikado turned and examined Izaya for several moments before he started running, following the signal.
He would find him, whoever that person was.
-xxx-
The black aura was close. Anri could feel it. Saika was screaming at her.
'It's close.' 'Approach it.' '...examine it and LOVE IT!'
Anri closed her eyes in frustration. Yes, she wanted to find out why Izaya had that black aura around him, but she also wanted to leave it be. She didn't want to relive that pain. It wasn't only pain she felt either. Agony. Sadness.
.
Death.
Saika wanted to feel that aura, wanted to scar it, love it. But at the same time, it felt sadness and...regret? Anri shook her head.
Did Saika know that aura? Did it own it before? Why did it feel regret?
Anri moved and turned right while Saika's voice started getting louder. Anri muted it and focussed only on the radar telling her where the man was.
Death!
She held her head and after a while, she took out Saika. Anri moved towards the aura and with a quick motion, she slashed it. Anri opened her eyes. She couldn't feel anything anymore. Not even Saika was shouting or talking. It was silent. She turned her eyes down and finally she saw what she had slashed.
There was...a black blob. Like Celty's shadows. It was wriggling around and changing patterns but stayed in place. She hadn't slashed it. That's why she hadn't felt Saika talking.
Anri couldn't hurt it. The blob was moving but didn't let out smoke when it changed shape. So, it wasn't Celty's shadows.
Anri held Saika closer and tried to bring back the radar.
.
.
.
The radar was pointing here. So, did Izaya know she was following him? That's why he'd used a distraction. He'd created that thing to make her lose track of him. But why would he do that? Anri felt like this wasn't Izaya's doing.
Izaya loved playing with his playthings. Loved seeing them being tortured. Then why didn't she feel Izaya's presence?
Was Saika wrong? No, Saika was never wrong! Also why would it lied to her? She believed that all these years would mean something to it.
But Saika, even though it heard her talking, didn't answer. It stayed quiet.
Why?
Suddenly, the blob moved but Saika was faster. It moved Anri's arms and legs and the blade pierced the blob. Anri was confused when Saika had moved her body but was more shocked when the blade started glowing red.
The blob screamed.
When the screams died out, the blob was cut in half and slumped. One half disappeared in thin air and the other floated on the ground.
Waiting.
Saika stopped shouting and once again turned mute. Anri's eyes changed into pure red she knew and felt control of her body transferred back to her. She gasped and then fell down with Saika.
Saika fell several meters away and Anri looked up at the blob.
What just happened?
Why...did the blob scream? Why did only one half stay behind? And why didn't she feel anything from it anymore? She didn't felt neither danger, nor regret, nor sadness.
Nor death.
It just stayed there waiting... Anri stood up and went to retrieve Saika.
.
.
It was quiet... Why?
Anri shook her head. She hadn't come here to be confused or scared. She came because she followed the radar to that person she was looking for. The one that nearly killed her child. Anri's eyes became red yet again and, with a scream of determination, pointed Saika and touched the blob.
But what it did... No.
Why did Saika let it do that?
The blob was merged into Saika. Saika then moved inside her head and once again transformed into an image inside her head. Anri closed her eyes and tried to see what Saika was showing her.
...the radar! The radar shifted and now she had the dot of the person she was after on it again.
It was close. The show must go on.
-xxx-
As he ran Mikado started seeing familiar roads and buildings. Mikado maneuvered through the people that walked slowly and started steadily moving faster. He was still on the hunt for that person.
That person moved faster. Now and then he stopped, but whenever Mikado got near, he always moved. Another the problem was that Mikado couldn't see or find that person in the crowd. He was always looking around and ahead when he got closer to that guy. But it was like this person had different forms. There wasn't any person that Mikado had seen twice in his hunt.
He was starting to get suspicious. Did Izaya find out that Mikado was following him and gave his phone to a random person? And then that person to another and another...only to confuse Mikado? Well, Izaya was smart and fucking good at those kinds of games but...come on. He could have just thrown it and made Mikado start the hunt again.
The GPS moved again and Mikado entered Ikebukuro's familiar roads. Where was that guy going? Even though Mikado was suspicious, he couldn't stop the hunt yet. Something was wrong. Something was going to happen.
Good, bad, Mikado didn't have any idea. But this feeling...
That aura...
He could feel it. Mikado could taste it. And even though there were hints towards an early end, he continued moving.
Mikado continued following the GPS and found himself turning right. To a familiar road. A very familiar road...
He looked again at his GPS and saw that they'd had stopped moving. Mikado looked up...
He knew this building. But which building was it? Or who lived in it? His mind blanked.
The GPS showed this road but it wasn't inside the building. It was still on the road. Mikado moved forward and looked for the person but was disappointed when he only found a yellow phone. He picked up and inspected it. When he opened it, there was a message on the screen saying that the phone needed the right time and date...
So that person knew technology. He had rewritten the phone memory. He was an expert. At least this was something...
He looked at the phone. An old classy one. A flip phone. Now that Mikado saw it, it was really similar with...
Shizuo's phone...?
He sighed and threw it in the garbage. Now everything was back to the beginning... Mikado started walking back home when finally something crossed his mind.
That person had thrown the phone here. Meaning that person had entered that building. But...wait!
Finally, his fears exploded and worries appeared.
That building! It was someone's home. Mikado started running inside.
That home...
It was...
-xxx-
Saika moved, ran and half-lifted Anri. Anri was letting Saika guide her while she watched her radar. She was close, she could feel it. But the aura, the dangerous aura started appearing too. The blob that was still in her sword, was starting to resurface. But Anri didn't notice that. Neither did Saika.
Both of them were looking forward...searching...try to find...to love.
Anri was still in her head while also looking at the road. She would find the person she needed to love. He was close. So close.
The aura started changing from blue to black. Anri could feel him. But the aura was somewhat...different. It wasn't the same as she'd felt when she first approached Izaya or when she'd found the blob. It was...darker.
More dangerous. More murderous. Anri stopped moving or Saika did.
...Why?
Anri could feel that person. He was close. Why did Saika stop moving? She tried to move but Saika denied her. Suddenly, the dot disappeared and her eyesight whitened. Anri found herself elsewhere. She started walking up some stairs and saw some doors. She looked at them...the numbers. She studied the numbers...
But why she couldn't feel anything? Why didn't she move with her will? Or...Saika's?
What was happening?
Unaware of what was happening, the blob escaped the sword and disappeared into thin air.
After it had completely disappeared, Anri understood what she was watching.
The person! She was watching what that person was looking at. Anri was in his eyesight. Fortunately, Saika regained control and she started seeing in front of her again.
She found herself elsewhere. Anri must've approached the location of the persons. She looked at the building.
No.
Suddenly, the guy moved and Anri felt...
Satisfaction.
No!
She ran inside.
-xxx-
Like always! Fucking always! He even saw him fight today but no...
'Kida-kun! Our appointment for my information will be tomorrow. I have some things to attend to..bye bye, Kida-kun. See you again~'
Izaya had called him. Kida was pissed as usual at Izaya's demands. Kida wanted some quality time with Saki tomorrow, but no that bastard had to meet tomorrow. And no, Kida couldn't give Izaya's information today because Izaya had to do some stuff today. Like fighting Shizuo and destroying lives.
He kicked some rocks on the pavement. Damn! He wanted to be free tomorrow. Kida could've left the information with Namie but no...Izaya wanted it in person.
And for what? Why was this guy so important? Was he...the one that made the website? And why both Shizuo and Izaya want information about him. Kida ran a hand through his hair. Damn!
Not only had he wasted his time today but he also found more questions than answers. That building...
Who had fallen off? And did they survive? Was it...Izaya? The twins said that he never entered that building after that. Yet Kida had information suggesting that Izaya went inside recently. Kida turned left.
Goddamnit! The twins and Orihara...the person who fell...Ren and Shizuo were some of the things he'd try to investigate tomorrow. After Izaya's appointment, of course. He stopped.
Finally home. Kida would hug Saki, go to bed and eat. Something relaxing, at least. He took out his keys but a reflection made him flinch and he dropped them. He turned to inspect it.
.
.
"What are you doing here?" Kida asked.
The silhouette moved.
Kida screamed.
Is Kida ok?
What happened between Izaya and Shizuo?
Both of them (hopefully) will be answered in the next chapter. Untill then thank you for reading!