Izaya opened his eyes to extremely bright light and stepped forward. It felt like he was floating. Izaya looked at his surroundings with a frown when nothing except a white void appeared in his view. What just happened? He tried to remember anything before this, but he couldn't remember anything! "This has to be a dream," he muttered, but he didn't remember going to sleep. He turned around, but there was – nothing. Swiping a hand through his raven hair, he tried to keep calm because this wasn't the first time he had been in trouble. "I just have to look for a way out."

"You're right, there is a way out."

Izaya jumped and spun around, reaching into his pocket - no switchblade! Narrowing his eyes, he took a step back without dropping his guard. He would fight them off barehanded if he had to. There was a laugh then, but it didn't sound threatening. Where have I heard that laugh before?

Then she appeared, and Izaya's eyes widened upon the realization.

It was that woman!

"You-" she walked toward him with a somewhat sad smile. "It's you – you're that old woman from before…." Izaya frowned because he couldn't even remember where he had seen her.

"Oh dear, I had hoped I might have been wrong this time." Izaya placed his hands in his pockets, hoping that his knife would appear. The woman chuckled at him, and he glared at her with irritation. "There are no weapons on you, but do you really think you'd need them?"

Izaya had a million questions to ask, but he had no idea where to begin. He glanced around again. This place was so lonely, and he couldn't shake the uneasiness he felt. Turning to the woman, he tried his best to laugh, but his voice cracked. "Will you tell me what I'm doing here?"

She tilted her head as she looked around them, and with a sigh, she smiled at him. "You don't like it here?"

Izaya raised an eyebrow; he really started to think she was insane. Had she fucking kidnapped him? What the hell was with that smile! This was really it, wasn't it? This was how he would die, captured by an old woman inside a seemingly endless void. He laughed because he just couldn't do anything else. "I guess looks can be deceiving after all. I certainly wasn't expecting this outcome. Who knew I would be offed by an old woman. Sorry, but you'll have to help me out. I'm having a hard time remembering our encounter. What's your reason for revenge?" He laughed again. This was ridiculous!

The woman shook her head and could only imagine how foggy his mind was. "Your memory will come back to you eventually," she said.

Izaya tilted his head with a wide grin. "Is that your way of telling me I've been drugged? Is that how you managed to capture me?" Izaya chuckled and stretched his arms up, his outwardly calm demeanor betraying how he really felt. "It's a little original, but congratulations."

"Would you please be quiet, sheesh. I never kidnapped you, and I'm most certainly not here to kill you." Izaya's grin faded, and his heart – wait. Slowly, he lifted his hand up to his chest and laid his palm over his left side. She watched him for a moment, and he then gave her a questioning look. The woman nodded, knowing he had figured it out. "You're already dead."

Izaya's eyes widened. No no no no! It couldn't be! How the – fuck no! His eyes narrowed, and he dashed forward and grabbed the old woman by her blue dress. "You're lying!"

She didn't react to his anger because when his eyes suddenly glistened. Izaya had great perceptiveness, and she wasn't about to let this man go without doing something. From the moment she saw him, she had wanted to help him. "I'm sorry," she told him, and she truly meant that. "I knew this would happen."

Izaya wouldn't believe her; this had to be some type of cruel revenge. Despite his thoughts, he couldn't help but respond to her statement. "You – are you telling me that you knew I would – and you didn't say anything?"

She remained calm and gave him a brief smile. "But I did warn you. I told you to heed my warnings. Do you remember that?" Izaya frowned and searched through his memories. "It's okay, you know. As I said, your memory will return soon. Do you know your name?"

Izaya looked up at her and snorted. "My memory isn't that foggy."

She gave him a knowing grin. "Then would you care to tell me what it is?"

Izaya opened his mouth to speak, and then – nothing. He clenched a fist. it was right on the tip of his tongue! "I – don't know…." How could he not even remember his own name! She probably already knows it anyway.

"Don't worry, this happens."

Izaya blinked at her and then grew annoyed. "What do you mean by that?" His eyes suddenly widened. "I'm really dead, aren't I?"

She expressed sympathy and slowly nodded. "Not all your memory is foggy. You were convinced that this was a type of revenge. Therefore, you know deep down that you deserve it."

Izaya snorted and placed his hands in his jacket. "I'm not that transparent."

The woman chuckled. "Oh you are, you really are. You're one crazy man, you know that?" She smiled. "You've done a lot of bad things, and you know it."

He shrugged. "Maybe I have, but what does it matter anyway? I really couldn't care less. I won't pretend to be someone I'm not. Besides, not everyone I messed with was innocent."

She laughed louder. "Is that a justified argument?"

Izaya grinned. "Not really. Innocent or not – they're still humans, and human beings are fascinating no matter who they are."

The woman's smile widened. "Is that so?"

Izaya rolled his eyes. "I love humans, that's all. There's no justification. I will put anyone in a situation for my own personal amusement because I just like to see how they handle it."

She chuckled and shook her head. "Well, aren't you the open one. You can say what you want, but I know you're lying, and far be it for me to convince you of that."

Izaya stared at her, puzzled. This woman was insane – that was really all there was to it. This was just a strange dream, or maybe he had been drugged and kidnapped. Who's to say he wasn't hallucinating? He smirked. What did it matter? She was human, so he might as well have some fun. "Are you about to tell me that this place is the doorway to heaven or hell?"

The woman sighed because he was started to disbelieve her again, and what she was about to say probably wouldn't convince him either. "This place is actually a representation of your soul."

"…."

He laughed loudly. Honestly, he had never heard something so – desperate. "I have to admit, you almost had me convinced there."

She ignored him and looked into the endless void above them. "It's lonely." Izaya stopped laughing because what she said cut him more profoundly than he thought. He had felt it for himself when he first woke up in this place, and he suddenly didn't want to be here. It was like every part of his being connected to this void. All the emptiness, all of the negativity he kept locked out of his heart, surrounded him. "Nobody likes to see what really lies deep within their soul. It's one of the reasons why those I help prefer an alternative."

Izaya snorted. "Given my options, I don't see a whole lot of alternatives." He tilted his head in thought. "Others?"

She smiled and nodded. "I'm a guardian angel. I thought that much would have been obvious by now."

Izaya stared at her in surprise. He thought she was just crazy, but now, he wondered how fucked up his mind must be to hallucinate guardian angels. If he ever got out of this mess, he would go straight to a doctor and – doctor! "Shinra," he voiced quietly with a thoughtful frown.

"Who is Shinra? Is that your name?"

Izaya shook his head. "No, he's – he's a friend of mine actually," he avoided her gaze. "He's the only one I would ever consider a friend." Then he huffed a laugh. Damn it, this place made him vulnerable.

"I see, and do you remember your name?"

Izaya looked at her, and suddenly, it came to him. "My name is Izaya Orihara." She nodded with a smile of approval, and Izaya frowned. "You knew, didn't you."

The woman walked toward him. "I did, but it's always best to have people remember on their own." She held her hand out to him, and he looked at it with skepticism, and she couldn't help but roll her eyes. "I know you don't trust anyone, Izaya, but unfortunately, you don't have a choice this time unless you want to stay inside your soul some more?"

Izaya hesitated and lifted his hand toward her but then stopped. "Where am I going?"

"Where would you like to go?"

He opened his mouth to reply, but he wondered if it was a trick question.

Realizing that he wouldn't answer, she decided to be harsher with him. She didn't like it, but what else could she do to make him realize the seriousness of the situation? "Even if I do end up in a hell surrounded by pain, as long as I get to exist, I wouldn't care." Izaya's eyes widened because what she had said just now sounded awfully familiar. "Do you remember that? It came from your mouth, so where you go doesn't matter, does it?"

Izaya began to panic. She couldn't mean – "Wait!"

Searing hot pain suddenly burned across his skin when sharp jolts of agony engulfed him repeatedly. He screamed loudly but was ignored. He tried to open his eyes, but the heat burned them, causing his eyes to water. Wrapping his arms around himself, he attempted to block out the pain, but it was too intense.

He thought it was over for a split second, but he gasped. It was not over, and the pain began again, but this time – from the inside. Izaya cried out, tears falling from his face. He didn't want this – he just – he just wanted to end. "Let me go!"

Izaya was thrown back into the safety of the white void that was his soul. He crouched low, whimpering, arms wrapping around himself tightly. He shook uncontrollably…. never imagining experiencing something so – there wasn't even a word to describe it. A hand touched his shoulder, and he jumped, sitting up with a move so quick it caused a headrush. The same hand found its way to his own, and he realized it was the woman sitting before him. "You're okay, Izaya. It's over now," she said in a calm, soothing voice. "I'm very sorry for putting you through that, but please understand, I just wanted to make you see…." Izaya gently pulled his hand away, still slightly shaking as he pushed to his feet. She rose with him and gently touched his arm. "That isn't what you truly want, is it?"

Taking a deep breath, Izaya placed his shaking hands in his jacket. "No…."

"I don't wish that fate for you either, Izaya. That is why you're here. I want to help you. I can't bring you back to life, but I can help you move on peacefully."

Izaya looked at her, and for the first time, he truly understood what she meant. He was really dead, wasn't he? There was nothing he could do about it, but if what she said was true, could he really move on peacefully? An amusing thought came into his head, and he chuckled. "Is this the part where you help me earn my wings?" It was meant to be a joke because there was a lingering doubt in his mind.

"In simple terms, yes, I am. I'm certainly not taking you to Valhalla."

Izaya gasped then, eyes widening in recognition.

"You there, spare me a moment, would you?"

Izaya glanced at the table situated in the right corner of the hallway. An old woman was sitting behind, dressed in a light blue dress, wearing large, hooped earrings, and had her hair tied back with a bandana. Izaya snorted when he saw the item on the table. "I'm busy right now." Damn, now he wanted to humor her because he could never resist teasing a human. "Alright," he said and walked over to her. "You have my attention."

The old woman smiled at him and held her hands out to the crystal ball. Izaya rolled his eyes. Sometimes he thought his humans were just a few cards short of a full deck. "There is a bleak future awaiting you, so heed this warning of danger not to be taken lightly."

Izaya laughed. "I just bet you say that to everyone to keep things interesting." He laughed because the bleak future she mentioned hadn't been ruled out. In fact, there was a fifty percent chance it would come true. Speaking of his future, he decided to humor her just a little more. "You wouldn't happen to see a road that looks like it might lead somewhere…. Like, say, Valhalla?"

The old woman laughed. "Valhalla? Ha! You're living in a fantasy, kid!"

Izaya sneered, leaning closer to her, though he kept his grin. "Coming from the one who claims to tell fortunes?"

The woman looked at him, not laughing anymore. "I only speak the truth, Izaya Orihara."

Izaya's eyes widened. Shit! "You – you know who I am?"

She smiled at him and nodded. "I do indeed. I recommend that you heed my warnings. Also," She leaned forward. "Your very soul will depend on someone you least expect."

Izaya frowned when a tremor vibrated through his body as he remembered the pain from earlier. Anything was better than that. He shrugged with a grin to hide his fear. "So, what do I have to do to 'earn my wings?'"

The woman smiled and nodded with happiness. "Let's get out of here first, shall we?" She held her hand out and watched him hesitate again, but this time she just grabbed him without waiting. "Don't worry, you'll be fine."

Izaya grimaced at her smile. "How can you say that so casually to a dead person?"

She laughed. "Well, at least you accepted it faster than others. Good for you."

Before Izaya could reply, darkness overcame him.