The room was large, split into two sections, with chairs and dining tables spread out in the first division toward the front entrance. The carpets were deep red, the furniture light oak with glass tabletops. A spread of food stretched along the back wall on a long, glass table covered in white linen. A few attendants walked elegantly around the first section, hosting the guests with the utmost respect because all these 'guests' were probably about to spend a ton of money for items they most likely knew nothing about. Half of them, at most, owned expensive paintings or sculptures or even rare relics merely because they could. Only a select few were here for specific items, knowing what they were doing; it was not their first time.

It was, however, Izaya's. He had never been to an auction before.

Izaya stood against the wall dividing the two sections, unusually dressed in formal attire, a black suit, and a tie. He stood with his hands in his pockets, eyes glancing around the room, committing most of the people to memory. The suit felt uncomfortable, or perhaps it had something to do with the missing switchblade he usually carried. Izaya had disguised himself before to get information, but right now, he felt like an undercover detective and not the information broker he was.

Izaya wasn't disputing the job he'd been given because this was a delicate situation, and it looked like this was his only choice anyway, but he hadn't deducted the security measures taken at the front entrance. Izaya thought that the metal detector at the very start of the entrance was slightly over the top, but he couldn't blame them when half of the people here were probably involved in illegal affairs.

"The cargo box was accepted by one of our operators on the dock and was placed into a secured storage facility nearby for collection the next day," Shiki explained with an annoyed frown to the raven-haired male sitting opposite him. "The storage facility was protected with an access code, but when two of our men went to retrieve the box, it was missing."

Izaya shrugged lightly. "Access codes can be easy to hack if one knows what they're doing."

Shiki's frown deepened. "They certainly knew what they were doing. They rewrote the code to get in, and it took us nearly three hours to fix it." Izaya opened his mouth to comment, and Shiki knew he wouldn't like what came out, so he raised his hand to stop him. "Don't annoy me with your smart-ass mouth. It wasn't one of us."

Izaya smirked but kept his mouth shut from what he wanted to say. "What was in the box?" Shiki stared for a moment, contemplating specific details and whether he should reveal the information. Izaya chuckled slightly, knowing why Shiki hesitated, but the man wouldn't have come to him if he had the slightest doubt of trust. It must be important. "If I were to accept the job, I would need full disclosure. You don't have to tell me what the goods are for or why you need them back so much." Izaya leaned forward, his seatbelt stretching to accommodate his position. "And if you're that worried about disclosure on my part, you can always kill me." They both knew that was an empty threat. Izaya had been their most reliable informant since they met six years ago. Shiki was practically Izaya's boss, so to speak.

Shiki leaned back with a snort and sometimes wondered why he let Izaya get this confident. "The cargo held a singular piece of rare art that our boss obtained four months ago. Given its value, there were several precautions needed to be taken before it could be shipped."

Izaya raised an eyebrow, wondering why they were so worried about it. "What's so special about this piece of art?"

Shiki hesitated again, but it was in their best interest if Izaya knew the whole truth. "It's a weapon."

Izaya wasn't expecting something quite that obvious. "A gun?"

Shiki shook his head. "A rare katana."

"If it's so rare, why was the weapon not accompanied by an Awakusu member?"

Shiki sighed. "Because it had to be imported. The boss couldn't risk being accused of smuggling on another's territory."

"That is a concern for him, I suppose. How did he obtain this weapon?"

"It was an heirloom, passed down from clan members who wielded the Katana. The boss was next in line. The one who had previously held the sword passed on, and our boss was sent a letter of notification. Concealing the weapon was necessary, but I suspect the one who stole it knew it was a weapon."

"What makes you say that?"

Shiki pulled out a photo from his jacket and handed it to Izaya. "We don't know who the men in the photo are, at least, we don't know their names. However, do you recognize the symbol on the jacket of the one in front?"

Izaya studied the dark picture, but the angle the image was captured from wasn't perfect. Izaya could just about see the symbol Shiki referred to. "It's a chemical hazard label."

Shiki nodded. "An obvious disguise. Get me any information you can on this," he frowned. "Locate that art, Izaya."

Who would be stupid enough to steal an heirloom from the Awakusu? Izaya didn't voice this because he knew Shiki probably wouldn't tell him, and he'd be able to figure it out anyway. Izaya looked at the photo and then back to Shiki. "What is the weapon concealed in?"

"A cane made from pure gold. The story is that it belonged to an early emperor."

Izaya smirked. "I'll let you know what I come up with."

The uniform of those in the photo was their camouflage guise. They wore outfits to avoid suspicion from the cops. Originally, Izaya thought the group was another Yakuza clan hell-bent on stealing the heirloom for themselves to appease their ancestors, but no, Izaya discovered them to be a group of highly skilled smugglers who specialized in weapons. Their boss was Ryouto Tsuda. Izaya had heard of this man. Tsuda was well-known for importing stolen weapons, but Izaya was surprised to learn the man really was that stupid to steal an heirloom from a Yakuza clan. Izaya didn't know how dangerous Tsuda was, but he was confident in his informant skills to not get caught.

So, here he was, unarmed and waiting for Tsuda to show himself. Izaya had discovered the group's method of obtaining their rare stolen weapons, and he had to admit, he was impressed. The leader would have a few of his men take the smuggled goods usually concealed in art, present them to a specific auction, and then buy it at their auctioned price. It was a crafty way of not only hiding the stolen weapon but a way of covering any tracks.

The idea was to disguise himself as a wealthy bidder wanting to obtain more expensive art for his collection. Izaya wasn't stupid enough to try and intercept the auction by placing the highest bid against the leader of the weapons, so he would gain information about where it might be taken, and the Awakusu handled whatever they decided to do with said information once Izaya presented the facts.

Having such security measures at the entrance was an enigma, but upon entering, Izaya witnessed four people walking through the magnetometer concealing knives or handguns, and he mentally congratulated himself on his gathered information.

Izaya glanced over his shoulder into the second section of the room, where several seats were positioned before the podium upon a large stage. There was a row of items secured by a thick, glass wall along the side. Those were the items to be sold at the auction this evening, and Izaya could see the cane Shiki had described from his position. It wouldn't hurt to get a closer look, and since he was here as a bidder, it would look rather odd if he didn't bid on anything, wouldn't it?

Izaya stood in front of the glass wall, looking indirectly at the cane while checking out the other treasures. There was a painting of a wave, or to be precise, the great wave; a Hokusai painting published sometime between 1829 and 1833, the first print in Hokusai's series of thirty-six views of Mount Fuji.

There was an engraved vase on a wooden glass platform, a sculpture of an embracing male and female couple, and another much larger painting that looked like it had been made on silk.

Izaya wondered how some of the relics could be regarded with such high value, but his understanding of art was limited. Considering the cane, Izaya wondered how many of these specific items concealed illegal objects. "Got your eye on something?"

Izaya glanced to his left, and excitement washed over him. There you are. His awaited weapons leader had arrived, but had he decided to approach him first?

"You're new," the man simply said.

Oh. Izaya was technically new here, so it was only natural that someone of Tsuda's reputation would look to engage in conversation with him. "I'm visiting from out of town, and I heard about this place through a friend of mine."

Tsuda handed Izaya a glass of champagne, and the raven took it politely. Tsuda nodded toward the cane. "I've been searching for this piece of art for quite a long time."

Izaya held the glass between his middle fingers. "It's that rare?"

"Exceptionally so." Tsuda turned to him and held his hand out. "I'm Ryouto Tsuda."

Izaya clasped his hand. "Nakura."

"Pleasure. So, anything of interest to you here?"

"The cane is tempting." Izaya smirked at the expression of worry on the man's face. "What's a little competition between fellow bidders?" Tsuda gave him a tight smile, but Izaya suspected he was probably determining if he was a threat. Izaya chuckled lightly. "You can relax, Mr. Tsuda. I'm not interested in the cane. I was more inclined to that painting of the wave. Forgive my odd humor."

Tsuda relaxed and nodded his approval. "A good piece of art to have in your collection. I have one myself."

Izaya smiled. I bet you do. "Do you plan on displaying this cane? Perhaps you might own a gallery?"

The man laughed, but the amusement was replaced with a slightly sinister edge to his tone. "This one is a little more personal."

Izaya nodded, half-wondering if Tsuda planned to use the weapon hidden inside the cane. Not my problem. I'm sure the Awakusu would have obtained it by then. Izaya didn't care about what any of them had planned. His job was to help get the weapon back to Shiki and its owner, Dougen Awakusu. I might complete this job a lot sooner than I thought.

The rest of the bidders soon joined them, and Tsuda sent him a smirk. "Showtime."

…

Izaya stood once the items had been auctioned and now knew that Tsuda owned the weapon. Izaya was annoyed because now he held a painting he didn't even want; he had intended to play the part but wasn't meant to win the damn thing!

Izaya sighed quietly and glanced at the boxed painting, ready to be sent to his preferred address. Damn it. Izaya stepped into the first section, ready to leave.

"Mr. Nakura."

Izaya turned to see Tsuda approach him with a smile.

"I wanted to congratulate you. It seems that we both ended up with what we came here for."

Izaya smiled. "It appears so. I should congratulate you as well."

Tsuda grinned. "I am hosting a celebration party, and I'd like to invite you."

Izaya raised an eyebrow. "Why me?"

"I don't know, something about you. You're not like these other bidders."

Izaya couldn't help but be amused. That's because I'm not one. "Maybe next time we cross paths. I have an early train to catch tomorrow."

The man laughed. "Of course, because you're out of town."

Izaya kept his smile, but it sounded like Tsuda didn't quite believe him. "Goodnight." He had no intention of staying any longer. The quicker he got the information to Shiki, the faster he could finish the job, but the man before him was quite interesting.

Tsuda handed Izaya a small card. "My number, if you change your mind. Perhaps you could consider it a parting gift."

….

{You found the information in good time, Izaya, I'm impressed,} Shiki spoke through the phone, and Izaya could tell he meant that. Izaya sneered because he had just spent seventy thousand Yen on a fucking painting! He heard Shiki chuckle. {We'll reimburse you for the money you spent, along with your payment, and you can even keep the painting.}

Izaya knew Shiki was mocking him, but at least he would get the money back. "How do you plan to get the cane back from him?" He didn't care, but he had nothing else to do, so he was simply inquiring out of boredom.

…

Sometimes, Izaya hated his inquisitiveness. Not only did he now have to attend the party of Tsuda, but he had also further extended the job Shiki had asked of him.

He often felt envious about parties he hadn't been invited to, but this was one he would have preferred not attending. All he had to do was place a seed of doubt in Tsuda's mind about the worries of his chosen shipping method and offer an alternative. Celty Sturluson, aka the courier. Tsuda would contact Celty to transport the cane to his preferred location, but it wouldn't reach him, and she would deliver it to Shiki instead. Izaya knew he could blab his way out if anyone recognized him here, but the whole operation would fail if they did.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I met Aya at the party, but she disappeared right after her warnings," Izaya said, watching a few people step through the magnetometer as he leaned against the wall. His hands were in his pockets, and if anyone could see him, he probably looked calm, but Izaya's hands were shaking, and he felt a cold shiver creep up his spine.

Izaya frowned in frustration because the rest of his memories still escaped him.

What happened after he met Aya? Was Ryouto Tsuda responsible for his death?