Izaya walked down the streets back into Ikebukuro. It was raining now, yet he wasn't getting wet. Izaya would have been amused by that had his thoughts not been clouded. His mind was too focused on his memories.

Finding out who was responsible for his death wasn't part of his task, and he wouldn't earn his wings this way. Izaya sighed and frowned at the sky, almost wishing he could feel the rain. He raised his arm and opened his palm face up to the water, but he couldn't feel anything. He clenched it into a fist, and a deep sadness rose in his chest because it was at moments like this that he was reminded of his fate. He was twenty-four, dammit! He didn't want this.

"I didn't want to die," he whispered slowly, still staring at the sky clouded with grey. The amusement and excitement before had gone, replaced with fear, disappointment, and even regret. There was so much more he wanted to do. He huffed a laugh. Even he could admit that it was probably best for everyone that he didn't get to see how his plans turned out. Perhaps it was even better for him. Who knows how things might have gone down, and he might not have gotten this chance.

With another sigh, Izaya shook himself out of his sorrow. For now, he could still have some fun while he was here. He messed around with people and spread a rumor, nothing he hadn't done while alive. Izaya remembered what Aya had said on the roof and that he might want to visit some people he did know before he completed his task and moved on. "Who knows, it might be just as fun." Izaya stared up at a familiar building and decided Shinra would be the last on his list to visit. It seemed appropriate, considering that's how his life started.

Izaya walked further on and soon spotted a familiar van. Izaya found himself smiling. He always thought that Kadota and his group were odd, but he felt like they were part of the city. Kadota was one of the few people Izaya never messed with, whether it was out of respect or whether he might have considered him a friend at one time. The van was parked near a curb, and Kadota and Saburo were standing outside, leaning against the door. A grin formed on Izaya's face. The door portrayed a cute anime girl. He had heard about the incident when the city became overrun with Saika's. Shizuo had torn off the door to use it against one.

Izaya turned and saw Erika and Walker emerge from the store behind him, a manga store, naturally; he should have known. Neither could see him, so he wasn't their guardian angel. Izaya leaned against the van beside them, watching with amusement as the two anime fanatics rambled on and on. Something warm stirred within his chest, and he didn't know what it was, but he didn't hate it. Izaya knew that even though he had died and would hopefully be able to move on in peace, the four right here would never change. Izaya gasped, suddenly realizing what the feeling in his chest was. It was the relief of knowing that someone he might care about would be okay.

Izaya shook the feeling away; since when did he ever care that much? A loud screeching sound caught their attention, and Izaya stepped away from the van. He could see a car steering off the road from a short distance. The car swayed left and right at speed way too fast for the city streets. Kadota and Saburo stared in shock, Walker had almost made his way toward them with whatever bags he carried when he gasped at the sight, and Kadota shouted at them, "Everybody, move away!" Izaya couldn't believe it; the car was coming right at them! It was like the driver had lost control altogether, and – he squinted; was the driver asleep?

Suddenly, the car skidded on its side, hit a hydron, and twisted into the air. For a second, everyone watched in shock, but then – Izaya turned around to see Erika still standing on the pavement. Izaya glanced back at the car, and his eyes grew wide. It's going to crash into her! Without a second thought, Izaya ran toward her and reached her just in time to pull her out of harm's way as the car hit the pavement behind him and skidded with a loud screech of metal.

"Erika!" Walker cried out.

Izaya sighed in relief and quickly let her go before she noticed anything. Kadota, Walker, and Saburo rushed over with anxiousness. "Are you okay?" Kadota asked first, laying a hand on her shoulder. Erika nodded slowly, and Izaya could tell she was confused. Kadota picked out his phone and said, "Better call the police." He looked at the smoking car. "Or an ambulance." He glanced back to Erika. "Are you sure you're not hurt?"

Erika sighed with a smile and said, "No, I'm fine." Kadota wandered away from them to make the phone call. "That was really weird. I felt as if – I swear something pulled me away from that car! It was so close to me and then – whoosh!"

Izaya chuckled.

Walker's eyes glinted in excitement. "Wow! Do you know what this means, Erika!" Erika looked at him with a slightly puzzled expression. Kadota walked back to them in time to hear his explanation, and even Izaya was curious. Walker's arms lifted into the air above his head. "You were totally saved by the ghost of Ikebukuro!"

Kadota and Saburo blinked. Erika's facial expression changed to match Walker's, and she jumped in excitement. "Wow! You're totally right! That's so awesome!"

"The ghost of what?" Kadota stuttered.

Erika and Walker turned to him and spoke in unison. "The ghost of Ikebukuro!"

Walker took charge of the explanation. "It's this ghost that's been going around annoying people. It first appeared at a café and scared a bunch of people by slapping their newspapers and lifting chairs. Then, it appeared at the mall, moving furniture around and stuff. This is the first time it's appeared and performed a good deed!"

Izaya could only stand there and listen, aware of the impact his little fun had caused on the city, but what Walker had said just now.

Izaya had done something good for the first time; he had done a good deed. He placed a hand over his chest when the warmth had returned, more robust now.

"I thought those were just rumors spread by people for publicity or something," Kadota said with a thoughtful frown.

Walker shook his head frantically. "No no no! It's real! How else would you explain Erika's protection?" Erika nodded fast in agreement.

Kadota shared a skeptical glance with Saburo and sighed. "Well, in any case, it's a relief that you're not hurt."

Izaya frowned and gazed at Erika. If he hadn't been here…... that car would have hit her for sure. He placed his hands in his jacket and walked away, confused by how he felt.

"You know you didn't have to make amends with them," Aya said as she suddenly appeared at his side. "I said the extra credit might help, but I didn't expect you to save someone just because you wanted to."

"Shut up," he replied quickly, glancing at her to see her grin, knowing she was teasing him. Izaya frowned and continued walking. It wasn't that he had chosen to save Erika that annoyed him. Izaya wouldn't watch someone he knew get crushed by a car, and he'd have probably pulled her out of the way if he was physically there with them. Well, maybe. The emotion annoyed him because he didn't expect to feel this good.

"I know this might sound harsh, but even if these extra deeds are helpful, they won't count toward your task."

Izaya snorted, then rolled his eyes. "You're right, that is harsh, but I didn't – I didn't do it for credit points. I don't even think it was voluntary. I just did it because I didn't want anything bad to happen to her."

Aya smiled and nudged him. "Love interest?"

Izaya pulled a face. "Hardly. Is that all you think about? I really wonder what kind of person you think I am – I told you before-"

Aya waved her hand at him. "Yeah yeah, you love all humans, but there has to be someone you might have had romantic entanglements with."

Izaya shook his head and shoved her away. "Why are you so set on my love life?"

Aya grinned at him. "Were you a virgin?"

Izaya stopped walking altogether and stared at her, expression one of surprise. "I'll pretend you didn't ask me that. You can go away now, so very far away from me."

Aya laughed at the embarrassment he tried to hide from her and stepped in front of him. "I already know the answer anyway."

Izaya blushed and pushed past her. "You seriously have no understanding of privacy." The woman laughed again and followed after him. "Go away."

"Mikage? I imagine her to be the boisterous type. Would have to be to suit your personality."

Izaya stopped walking again and glared at her but was still blushing. "Are you done?"

Aya gave him a sheepish grin and nodded. "Alright, I'll stop teasing," she said before giving him a pat on the back. "I'll leave you alone."

Then she disappeared.

Izaya huffed and continued. Who asked a question like that, and so damn casually? He swore Aya was the first to embarrass him like that, and thank god she would be the last. Izaya froze and chewed his lip, briefly wondering when that had become a habit. A profound amount of regret filled his heart every time he thought about his last moments; he had lived them without even knowing it.

"Come! Eat sushi! It so fresh today!"

Izaya turned to his right, realizing he was standing outside Russia Sushi. Simon was handing out flyers as usual. Izaya smiled before sighing; he couldn't even remember the last time he had his favorite sushi. Well, whenever it was – it had been his last. Simon was another one who he had never caused problems for. A distant memory filled his vision for a moment of Simon holding a younger version of both him and Shizuo, trying to break up their fight. Back in high school, he used to force them into the restaurant and make them eat together. It obviously didn't work. Either Shizuo tried to throw a table at him, Izaya tried to stab him with his chopsticks, or the two would sit in silence and as far from each other as possible.

Izaya blinked away the memory because he was just annoyed. No amount of regret would ever change how he felt about Shizuo. Izaya clenched his fists; he really did hate him. A sudden thought crossed his mind, one that he wished hadn't, and he tuned out Simon's loud ranting about sushi because all he could think about was – "What if it was Shizu-chan?"

Izaya walked away from the restaurant with a deep frown. He couldn't remember how he died, so wouldn't it be possible? The times they had fought over the last nine or ten years, Izaya escaped from him barely without a scratch. The raven gritted his teeth. He didn't know what he was angrier over, that Shizuo was responsible, or that he was annoyed that it was him. Izaya always had a plan to have the whole city watch as Shizuo proved how much of a monster he was with Izaya provoking him to the point when the blond just snapped, too consumed with rage and – and he would kill him before realizing his mistake. Izaya would always win because if he died at the hands of Shizuo, he would take him down with him, and everyone would see that Shizuo was a murderer.

Nothing but anger filled him, and he didn't know why. Izaya always thought that if he died by Shizuo's hand, he'd be happy to know he was right, but he wasn't pleased, not even the slightest bit. Izaya was fuming.

No.

He couldn't afford to get angry because it would not end well for him if he acted out of anger. He couldn't be entirely sure that Shizuo finally killed him. The memory of his last job felt too recent, and it seemed more likely that Tsuda was probably responsible even though he could prove it. But even if Shizuo was responsible, he'd be damned if he let him be the cause of his failure. Huh, actually, he would because if he failed, Izaya really would go to hell.

"I need a distraction," he mumbled to himself and shifted his attention to the people on the streets again. Izaya spotted two very familiar people: Mairu and Kururi, his sisters. Izaya rolled his eyes. They were such a pain and always causing trouble, but if it would keep him out of trouble, there was no harm in following them. He was supposed to be looking for the one he had been sworn to protect, and who knows, it might just be them, but Izaya couldn't remember ever causing them trouble in a way that he would need to make amends.

Izaya followed them for an hour, and they caused no trouble for once. He zoned out a couple of times because all they did was talk about Shizuo's brother, whining about him having a girlfriend now. Kasuka was six years older than them, so it wasn't as if they could date him. They stopped beside Ikebukuro Park as the sun began to set and the light cold breeze sifted through the sakura trees.

Meow.

Izaya blinked. He could have sworn he heard something.

Meow.

"Naw! Kururi, look! That poor kitty is stuck in the tree!" Mairu shouted, running toward the thick trunk. Kururi followed, and the two looked into the high branches. Izaya stood beside them. The cat had traveled considerably high.

His initial thought was, 'I'm not saving a cat.'

"Mairu is coming to save you!" Izaya watched his sister pump her fist in the air and raise her foot upon the tree. Izaya glanced back at the cat with concern. Mairu was a good climber, but the damn thing was so high up.

"Maybe we should ask someone for help," Kururi said in her usual calm voice.

Mairu pouted, tilting her head to Kururi. "But it's probably all cold and scared. I'll be fine." She pulled herself up to the first branch, her foot steady in the tree's grooves. Izaya observed her with a smile. It had been a long time since he had watched either of his sisters climb a tree. Another distant memory entered his mind of a time when he took them to this park before he started high school. The trees were smaller back then, but they probably looked about the same size to his sisters as they do now. When was the last time he saw them anyway? He couldn't even remember that much. "I got it!" he heard Mairu shout in triumph. Izaya shook his head; she never did fear much, even as a kid. "I just gotta get dow-"

Kururi's eyes widened, and she took a rushing step forward. "Mairu!" Her usual calm personality was neglected as she feared for her sister's safety. The branch Mairu had her foot on had snapped, and she hung there, one arm holding the cat, one holding onto the branch above her.

Izaya stared up at his sister in concern, querying the best way to help her. He could climb up to get her or jump up to catch her. Either way, it would look like she was floating, and he'd rather not be that obvious, but if he didn't do anything, his sister could get seriously hurt from the fall. A sudden snap and a loud yelp gave him no more time to consider his options. Izaya jumped as high as he could and caught Mairu in his arms, along with the cat, and brought them back down to safety.

Kururi stared wide-eyed. Mairu breathed a sigh of relief, even though she was shocked. "What was that?" she asked and looked at Kururi, but the short-haired girl just shook her head.

"You fell, and then you were floating for a second. Are you alright?"

Mairu nodded and smiled down at the cat. "So is this little guy," she said and stroked the cat's head. It purred for a moment, and the girls watched it jump from Mairu's arms and land on its feet. "What are you looking at, kitty?"

Izaya's eyes were wide; the cat looked right at him! No way was he a guardian angel to a damn cat! The cat tried to rub its body against his leg.

"Maybe it sees something we don't?" Mairu said, then her eyes widened in excitement. "Kururi! It sees the ghost it sees the ghost! The ghost of Ikebukuro!"

Izaya gazed up at them, and relief engulfed him. Ah, so that was it. He remembered reading something about animals such as cats and dogs, seeing things a human couldn't. Izaya knelt in front of the cat and scratched the top of its head with a smile. "Didn't know that counted for guardian angels too." The cat purred loudly, and then he and the twins watched it scamper off.

"I was saved by Ikebukuro's ghost! That's so cool!" Kururi managed to escape her sister's grip and walked to where the cat was before, and even though she didn't know it, she looked straight up at Izaya.

Izaya stared down at her, and she smiled. "Thank you for saving my sister," she spoke softly, and Izaya felt his heart sink because, at that moment, he wanted to reach up and just – embrace her. His fists clenched by his sides because he told Namie once that he hated them, but that was only to make sure no one knew the truth, and he had made quite a believable statement. They hadn't been overly close, but that didn't mean he never cared about them.

"You're welcome, Kururi," Izaya said and bolted from the park before his emotions overwhelmed him, and more regret filled his heart.

….

It was dark now. The city lights shone brightly, and the streets were crowded. Izaya occupied his time by messing around with other people. A shopkeeper who thought his magazines were out to get him, two friends who were playing chess now thought each other cheated. Izaya chuckled. That had certainly cheered him up. He stretched and acknowledged the thought that he didn't need sleep and could wander around the city twenty-four-seven, gathering information and exceeding his limits. He could have, were it not for his predicament. All he could do now was observe and do absolutely nothing. Maybe not nothing, because saving his sister and Erika today had proved to be something. He felt good about those.

There had to be something else he could do, something far more entertaining. One last thing before he found his task. Then he spotted him, and Izaya's smile formed into a dark smirk. He moved toward the tall man with blond hair dressed in a bartender suit. Oh, he would have so much fun with him. Shizuo was with Tom, no surprise there, and turned his back, which was even more perfect. Izaya stood right behind him and didn't have to care about being heard or hit with anything. The raven laughed. "Ah~ to be in Ikebukuro, and there's not a thing you can do about it." Izaya bared teeth as his smirk widened, raised a finger, and poked him. "Brute."

Suddenly, Shizuo spun around, eyes wide with anger as he reached for a signpost.

Izaya's grin faded entirely, and he stared into Shizuo's eyes, looking directly at him.

It couldn't be!

Izaya glanced at Tom; the man looked so confused, wondering what had made his friend so angry.

"Flea!"

Izaya gazed back at Shizuo with eyes wide. "Shizu-chan….you can see me?"