A week later, Izaya was standing in front of a large apartment building in Shinjuku. He glanced at the address on his phone, and nodded. This is the place. He held the box of sweets he brought closer as he made his way inside.
On the fourth floor, he walked to the door in the middle. Despite it being shut, he could hear the loud chatter on the inside and smell the delicious hot pot on the other side. He didn't want to wait a moment longer, so he eagerly knocked on the door.
Moments later, the door was pulled open and he was greeted by an excited looking Mizuki. "Izzy! You made it!" She grinned, showing off the sharp canines that their kind all shared. She glanced at the bag in his hand. "Did you bring beer?"
Izaya rolled his eyes in amusement. "I missed you too, Mizuki," He said in a sarcastic tone as he held up the bag. "No, I didn't. Shiro warned me, so I brought some sweets from a candy shop instead."
"Shiro! You traitor! We were gonna get more free beer!" The brunette woman exclaimed as she ran over to her husband, crossing her arms with a childish frown.
The white haired man motioned for Izaya to sit next to him as he regarded the woman with a mischievous smirk. "Eh… I'm more of a wine guy anyways."
Mizuki huffed and plopped down next to him, still pouting. "You're a prissy werewolf…" She grumbled without malice, leaning against her husband as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pressed a kiss against her hair.
Izaya smiled and pulled out the box of candies. "If it makes you feel better, Mizuki, I got those chocolate coconut candies you told me about, they were having a special-"
Instantly the woman reached out and made grabbing motions with her hands. "All is forgiven! Gimme!"
The raven handed her the box as he moved to sit down on Shiro's left side. He settled at the three low tables that had been pushed together, in order to give the whole pack room to sit and eat. His eyes roamed the table and his mouth watered at the two bubbling hot pots.
While there were all the usual items that you would see at a hot pot, the assorted vegetables were dwarfed by the amount of delicious looking meat that was either already cooking or set aside, ready to be added to the pot. The smell filled the whole apartment, and made Izaya's mouth water.
He heard a chuckle from next to him. "Quite a delicious spread, isn't it?" The croaky voice of their pack leader reached his ears.
Izaya looked to his left and found the old man was sitting at the edge of the table. He was wearing a simple blue yukata, with a dusty looking book next to him as he carefully ate a bowl filled to the brim with steaming food.
"It is!" The informant took the offered bowl from Shiro and added some food to his own as if he had been starving. When his pack leader chuckled at his antics, Izaya blushed and slowed his pace. "Sorry… I've just… This is my first time being invited to something like this."
Jinsei waved his hand. "Don't worry, pup. I understand, I was the same way the first time I got to come to an event like this. Even after all these years, it never gets tiring!" He added some fresh slices of beef to the nearest hot pot. "So, how are you adjusting to being back in the city?"
Izaya took a few bites of his food, his taste buds practically crying with glee. "I've been doing well. I won't lie, I love the city, but I miss the forest. I miss the freedom to explore like we were able to out in the countryside."
The old man hummed in understanding. "I know that feeling. The city can be suffocating for our kind. All the sounds and smells every day can be too much, even for us. But don't worry, we try to go out there as a pack at least a few times a year."
The informant didn't hide his excitement at the idea. He missed the smell of the forest, the thrill of hunting or running in between the trees. He was glad that they would go up there a few times a year, and that the old house wouldn't be empty until another person got bit. "I'm looking forward to that!"
They ate in silence for a few more moments while Izaya worked up the courage to speak about something else. He awkwardly twirled his chopsticks as he cleared his throat. "Actually, Jinsei, I was wondering if I could bring someone to the bookstore to meet you guys?"
"Oh, who might that be? A girlfriend?" Jinsei curiously asked.
Izaya quickly shook his head. "Oh no, definitely not."
Jinsei gave a kind smile. "A boyfriend, then?"
The informant blushed a bright pink and quickly shook his head again. "No, it's a friend of mine. She's pretty well known, you may have heard of her… The Black Biker?"
Jinsei's eyes instantly lit up with excitement, just as Izaya knew they would. His pack leader adored meeting and learning as much as he could about other supernaturals and their cultures.
"Really? The urban legend?" He asked excitedly. "I've heard many stories about them, are you really friends with them?"
Izaya nodded quickly. "Yes! She found out I was a werewolf when she almost hit me with her motorcycle-"
Next to him, Shiro let out a bark of laughter that made many occupants around the table jump. "She almost hit you with her motorcycle?! That's the second time you almost got hit on the road in less than two months!"
The informant blushed a bright red. "She has a magic bike! It doesn't have headlights! Excuse me for not seeing it at night!"
The other werewolves continued to laugh, or tried to hide their giggles behind their hands. Izaya let out a huff as he pouted for a moment, and then he turned his attention back to his pack leader.
"See, she lost her memories around twenty years ago. So she didn't even know that there were other supernatural creatures until she talked to me. I told her I would try to see if you would be okay with meeting her, and she was ecstatic at the idea! But I didn't bring her today because I wanted to make sure it was okay with you first."
Jinsei seemed even more excited than Celty had been. "Of course! I would love to meet her! I have several questions about Dulluhans, and I'm sure she has several questions about the other supernaturals that she recently discovered were real. Next time that young lady is free, feel free to bring her to the bookstore."
"I will, I promise!" Izaya said, happy that his pack leader had agreed. He made a mental note to text Celty the good news later, and returned to his meal.
Gradually, the rest of the pack arrived for the delicious dinner. Besides Jinsei, Shiro, Mizuki, and Izaya there were four other werewolves in the pack. Despite having spent two full moons with them all, this was the first time he was able to truly meet them.
There was Eiji, a man in his thirties with a mess of long curly black hair and a beard. He had a very relaxed attitude about him as he walked in the door, bringing with him some premium beef slices from one of the fancier stores in town. He told Izaya that he tended to jump from odd job to odd job, which meant money wasn't always plentiful, but he always saved enough to get the premium beef for these occasions.
The next werewolf to walk in was a young woman by the name of Yuina. She had her light brown hair tied up in a messy bun, and seemed to have perpetual bags under her dark eyes, but looked just as happy to attend as the others. She brought chips and other convenience store items, all while apologizing profusely for not bringing something homemade. Everyone quickly waved away her apologies, as they understood her job was demanding. She worked at a major publishing company for manga as an editor, and often spent days making up the work she missed on the full moon.
With the six of them together, they were only missing two more. Izaya recalled one of them already, Sayuri, the reddish wolf who had demanded Izaya leave when he first introduced himself. His behavior after the month away along with Shiro and Mizuki vouching for his change of heart eased the tension between them, but Izaya knew she still regarded him with suspicion.
She was in her early twenties, and her younger sister Bashira was also a werewolf. According to Mizuki, they had run away from a bad family home when they were bitten on the streets. Jinsei discovered them and gave them a place to stay, helping Sayuri raise her sister as they adjusted to their lives as werewolves. Sayuri was working at an art studio part time while attending classes, and Bashira was in high school.
They had decided to save the premium beef for when everyone was there. It was about an hour after Yuina appeared that there was a knock at the door. Eiji got up to open the door, revealing a haunted looking Sayuri with tears streaming down her cheeks. Instantly, the happy mood in the apartment vanished.
Jinsei was on his feet in an instant, and hurried over to the young woman. "Sayuri? What's the matter? Where is Bashira?"
At the mention of the name, Sayuri threw her arms around the old man and began sobbing profusely. "Oh, Jinsei! S-she's gone! She disappeared!" She pressed her face against his shoulder as her grip tightened. "She vanished, just like the others!"
Mizuki's hands went to cover her mouth as she looked towards Izaya and Shiro with fear in her eyes. Eiji's head was lowered with a grim frown on his face, while Yuina looked close to tears herself. The worst reaction was Jinsei. The old man just sighed, as if he was resigned to the sudden disappearances by now.
"Sayuri… I'm so sorry…" Jinsei whispered, his voice pained and weak, as if that was all he could bring himself to say.
The young woman's sobbing became worse. "I- I should have never taken that double shift! I knew people were going missing and I should have been there to pick her up, it's all my fault!"
Shiro was on his feet in an instant. "You know that's not true, Sayuri. These disappearances are sporadic. It's been months since Ichika went missing, you had no way of knowing that one of our pack members would go missing again."
"But I knew people were going missing! I should have been more careful!" Sayuri forcefully insisted.
A burst of protectiveness exploded through Izaya. He set his empty bowl down and focused on the girl, uncaring of her low opinion of him. "Sayuri. The only people to blame are those who took your sister. You can't blame yourself for something you couldn't stop."
The young woman sniffed and glared at Izaya. "What do you know? You weren't there. If I had been there, I could have protected her-"
"Or they would have taken you too." Izaya interrupted her with a glare of his own.
Sayuri looked enraged, and seemed to be seconds away from jumping at him with intent to kill when Eiji added in his own opinion.
"He's right and you know it, Sayuri. Remember when the Osaka Pack lost those two members at once? They were a couple who were some of the top teachers at a martial arts studio, and they still got caught."
Yuina nodded her agreement. "And if they had taken both of you, it may have taken longer for us to find out you were gone. You were able to come back here and warn us, we can start looking for Bashira right away!"
Sayuri looked at all the pack members as a bit of hope glowed in her hazel eyes, but it was extinguished moments later. "There's no point… You all know that too. Nobody that has vanished has ever been found. She's… She's gone."
Mizuki set the girl with a determined look. "That doesn't mean we can't try! The scents could still be fresh and… And…" Her eyes flickered over to their newest pack member, and she quickly motioned to him. "Don't forget! Izzy is an informant broker, one of the best! He can try to track down what happened to Bashira!"
Izaya watched as those hazel eyes turned from angry to vulnerable and afraid. In a tiny voice, with her arms wrapped tightly around Jinsei, she asked,"Can you?"
The informant broker's mind instantly thought back to the warehouse. The scent of wolf was there, could it be that Bashira was there? But the only scent was of the wolf that bit him.
He desperately wanted to help find his missing pack mate, he wanted Sayuri to feel some kind of relief that maybe her sister would be found… But he just couldn't get her hopes up before he knew all the facts.
"I can't promise that I'll find her, but I can promise you that I'll work as hard as I can." Izaya declared, choosing his words carefully. "I know you don't have the highest opinion of me, but you and your sister are still my packmates. So I'll do my best to find her."
Sayuri nodded her head slowly, as she softly whispered,"Thank you…"
None of them tried to leave and search for Bashira, despite what Mizuki had said about fresh scents. It was painful, to sit and do nothing, but after having so many wolves disappear they felt there was no use in tracking a scent when it would be just like the others.
They sat Sayuri down at the table and tried to convince the girl to eat, but nobody had any luck. Soon, all appetites were lost as they grimly pondered the fate of their missing pack member.
Too worried to eat but too afraid to leave, the pack soon found themselves all changed into their wolf forms and piled as close together as they could possibly be.
Meanwhile, with Sayuri's head buried against his thick fur, Izaya's mind pondered other things. His pack member was missing, but he may have a lead to where she was. He needed to ask Sayuri a few more questions before he began his search… But now was not the right time.
The pain was still fresh. They couldn't separate from each other now, not when they just lost another one of their own. The knowledge that they were all together was the only comfort they had that night.
Another day of school dragged by painfully for Mikado and Anri. Although their relationship had improved greatly since the chaos with the Yellow Scarves, Masaomi's disappearance had affected them both greatly.
It was easier for them to ignore his absence outside of school, but during those long days they were forcefully reminded almost all the time. Masaomi wasn't there to flirt terribly with classmates during lunch, he wasn't there to make terrible jokes as they walked home, it left them both feeling as though a part of their heart was missing.
As they reached the exit of the school, Mikado couldn't help but send a sad glance towards the window that Masaomi had yelled at him from, asking him to 'tell him all about that beautiful girl and introduce him to her sometime'. He'd been so embarrassed that his best friend had yelled that, right in front of his crush! But now, he would do anything to have it happen again.
"Ryuugamine-kun…" He was pulled out of his reminiscing at the sound of Anri's gentle voice.
He glanced down at her, but her eyes were focused forward. Curiously, he followed her gaze and felt his heart skip a beat at the sight of a familiar figure on a black bike. "Celty-san!" He cheerfully exclaimed.
The Dullahan raised her hand in a wave, and then motioned for them to come over. The two high schoolers grinned happily as they made their way over to the courier, both of them curious about what she needed.
"It's good to see you again, Celty-san!" Mikado said as soon as they were close enough, his loneliness fading away for a brief moment.
Celty nodded her helmet in agreement and pulled out her phone. She typed quickly and then held it out to the two teenagers. [It is nice to see you guys too. We need to hang out again sometime, I got a new alien movie we can watch!]
Anri grew a small smile on her face, one that made Mikado blush, and she whispered,"That sounds like fun."
[But I can't catch up with you guys right now. I'm here on business, and you guys might be able to help me.]
Mikado and Anri both exchanged a glance and wondered if they were about to be plunged back into the chaos of Ikebukuro. But, they both owed Celty a lot for the help she gave them during their many adventures.
"We can try, Celty-san. What is it you need help with?"
The courier pulled her PDA back and stared down at it for a moment, until she managed to find the right words. As soon as she held it out, the two teenagers read it. [There's a girl in your class, she went missing. Her name is Sato Bashira. Do either of you know her?]
Mikado felt his heart skip a beat. Their classmate was missing? He hadn't even noticed, and he was the class rep. He had been so focused on the chaos in his life and his missing best friend, he barely paid attention to his other students.
Next to him, Anri read over the name a few more times, her nose scrunching up in thought. "I know her, but not very well." She pondered for a few more moments. "She is a good student, and captain of the track team… But that's all I know. I'm sorry, Celty-san."
[Don't be sorry, Anri-chan. Any information helps, especially when it comes to finding where she went. Thank you for your help!] Celty told her, the words on the screen comforting the teenage girl.
Mikado nodded after he finished reading. "C-could you let us know if you find her, Celty-san?" He nervously asked the courier. "I-I know you're busy, but I'll be relieved to know if she is okay."
Celty nodded her head. [I will, I promise. See you guys later.] The Dullahan spun her bike around and rode away, the bike releasing a haunting neigh as she disappeared down the street, the students still by the school watching her go in awe.
The teens stood silently until she was out of view, before they continued their walk off school grounds. An awkward silence fell over them for a few moments, one that was hard to break. Usually Kida-kun would be the one to do it… Mikado thought as he took a deep breath.
"I-I hope Sato-san is okay… First Harima, then Kida-kun, and now her… I hope she comes back and didn't have anything bad happen to her like a kidnapping or something…" He stumbled over his words, getting worse by the second. Stop talking, she will think you're a weirdo!
As he looked back to Anri, he found that she hadn't been listening at all. She had stopped walking, and her gaze was focused on an empty alleyway with curiosity.
Huh? Mikado followed her gaze, but the darkened alleyway was empty. "Did you see something, Sonohara-san?"
The young woman stared for a few moments longer. "I thought…" She shook her head. "It's nothing, nevermind." She continued down the street, and the awkward silence between them returned once more.
With no clue how to break the silence without saying something stupid, Mikado allowed himself to go quiet as well. The rest of their walk was a tense affair, with both teenagers wondering what had become of their missing classmate.
Ducked behind a trash can in wolf form, Izaya waited with bated breath as Anri finally turned her gaze away from his hiding spot and continued walking with Mikado. Only when they were out of sight did he sigh in relief and move away from the foul-smelling garbage.
"That was close…" He muttered as he shook his fur, his gaze scanning the opposite end of the alleyway for any sign of his companion.
After thirty seconds, he heard the sound of Shooter's neigh and the black biker slowly rolled into the alleyway. She climbed off her bike and walked over to Izaya, who wagged his tail happily as he trotted over to meet her.
"What did they say? Did they know anything that may lead us to her?" He questioned the courier as he settled down against her bike.
To his dismay, his friend shook her helmet. No, they didn't know anything about her disappearance. At Izaya's saddened expression, she quickly continued. It was worth a try though! They are class reps, like you said, there was always a chance.
Izaya appreciated her attempt to comfort him, but he still let out a frustrated sigh. "I know, I know… I had just hoped that someone had seen her…" He flattened his ears against his head. "Whoever is taking the werewolves is careful, Celty. It seems like they didn't leave any loose ends with any of them."
Do you have any idea who is doing this? Or why they're doing this? Celty questioned. Maybe it's those human traffickers from Yagiri Pharmaceuticals, I know they're still causing trouble.
"It's not them, I checked them out already. They've been keeping their noses clean since the last time you scared them." His fur ruffled in frustration. "But no. We have no leads. None of the werewolves who go missing ever come back, and the kidnapper has never been seen."
Celty nodded her helmet, looking rather dejected that they hadn't been able to find anything that would locate Bashira.
There's still one thing I haven't checked yet… Izaya thought hopefully. He glanced around the alleyway. "Is it clear?"
The Dullahan looked around with him and then lifted her hand, making her shadows rise up and block them on both sides. Go ahead.
Izaya nodded and took a deep breath. He pictured his human form and willed for his body to change. After a few moments of a gentle thrumming of magic through his veins, his form changed.
When he opened his eyes again, he was eye level with Celty. She slowly lowered her shadows and then turned to him, clapping her hands a few times.
That was incredible, Izaya! It looked so pretty! It was like you became an outline and then turned human again! She complimented him excitedly.
The raven was surprised by the praise and blushed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Ah… Thank you, Celty." He reached into his leather jacket's pocket and pulled out his phone. "I have one other idea, the cameras at the warehouses I have hacked for Shiki may have information."
Celty tilted her helmet curiously. How would that help us find Bashira?
Izaya opened up the app on his phone, scrolling through the videos. "It may just be a coincidence, but I was investigating them for Shiki when I got attacked by a werewolf. That was when I got bit and turned." He pulled down his sleeve to show Celty the large scar on his arm.
She visibly recoiled at the sight, and Izaya chuckled at her reaction. "Yeah, I know. Another benefit of being a werewolf, the bite that turns you becomes a permanent scar."
Ouch… Celty stared at it for a moment longer before moving to stand next to him and look at the videos. So you got bitten there, but what makes you think that's where they could be?
"Because of what happened after. I got away and hid from her on the roof… And then these two men showed up and shot her with a tranquilizer." He brought his hand up to his neck and motioned to the area. "They had chains on her, Celty! Chains!"
The Dullahan shuddered at the image of a poor unconscious werewolf wrapped in chains, being dragged away like a piece of cargo.
Izaya shared more as he continued scrolling. "I didn't do anything at the time, I thought it was a guard dog of some kind. It was only after I turned for the first time and I learned about the missing werewolves that I thought about what happened again."
"Shiki thinks that it's a gang trying to take over the territory, but I don't think that's the case. These guys haven't fought any of the Awakusu-kai members in the area, they've actively remained hidden. The camera footage was constantly deleted before I hacked in…" He looked at Celty with a determined expression. "Someone is up to something."
Celty seemed to ponder it for a moment longer, and she nodded her helmet. You may be right. It's too much to be just a coincidence.
Izaya clicked on one of the many videos in the app. "Exactly." He showed the screen to the courier. "This is the footage from the warehouses on the day that Bashira went missing."
They scrubbed through the footage quickly, watching as the workers busied themselves and the sun rose and fell. Around sunset, a shock of ginger hair made Izaya quickly pause the footage. Is that her? Is that Bashira? He thought hopefully.
He moved to another camera, but couldn't get a good look at the face. The young woman on the screen talked to one of the warehouse employees for about ten minutes before she turned and walked off screen, back towards the city.
Do you think it's her? Celty wondered as she looked at the grainy footage of the person walking away. It was too pixelated to make out any features. But the red hair matched the photo of her that Izaya had shown her earlier.
"Hmm… I'm not sure. I think it would be best if I went and checked out the area. Maybe I can find cameras in the direction that she went, or catch her scent." Izaya thought aloud. "It's a long shot, but this is the only lead we have."
His Dullahan friend nodded and moved back onto her bike. Then let's go! Hop on!
Izaya grinned. He was thankful for Celty's eagerness to help, and the friendship they now shared. He quickly got on the back of the bike, the shadows from the Dullahan formed a protective helmet on his head, and they sped away.
Shizuo heard the motorcycle before he saw it. He stopped following Tom for a moment, and turned his gaze to the road hopefully.
But any hopes he had of speaking to the Dullahan were ripped away like a bandage when he saw her speeding by with someone sitting on the back of the bike. His brown eyes caught the gaze of the second person, and his body seized.
Red eyes, red eyes on the back of the bike. Celty was riding down the street with Orihara Izaya, his worst enemy. He saw fear reflected in those evil red eyes before they rode out of sight.
What? What?! Why was Izaya with Celty? Why were they hanging out together? Was Izaya manipulating her?! Was he trying to isolate her from the others and hurt her?! That bastard!
"Izaya… IZAYA!" Shizuo yelled in rage as he went to sprint after the motorcycle. But before he could get far, the feeling of someone clutching his wrist forced him to screech to a halt. He whipped around with a loud growl, and found Tom staring at him.
His senpai tightened his grip, and looked at Shizuo with concern. He shook his head furiously. "Shizuo, stop! You can't go after them, not like this!"
"What are you talking about?!" Shizuo demanded, barely able to keep himself from wrenching his arm out of the man's grip.
Tom's expression became firm. "I don't know what Izaya is up to either, but if you confront them when you're angry all you're going to do is hurt Celty in the process. You can't let your anger get the better of you!"
Shizuo's chest heaved as Tom's words forced their way through the haze of fury that had surrounded him. He looked at his senpai, towards the road, and back to his senpai again. "But… But I can't just let that flea be alone with her! He's going to try and trick her or hurt her!"
"You and I both know that Celty-san is smart enough to see through any of his tricks. If you really are worried, you need to calm down and think rationally." He slowly let go of Shizuo's wrist. "Take the rest of the day off, calm yourself down, and then find Celty and ask her about what is going on. She'll understand your concern."
Shizuo opened his mouth to continue arguing, but he couldn't bring himself to argue with his senpai when the man was right. "I… Alright…" He shoved his hands in his pockets and stalked back towards his apartment. "See you tomorrow…"
Whatever happiness he felt drained away by the forlorn and betrayed feeling in his heart as he tried to understand what he had just seen. It had been a week since he had spoken to Celty in that alleyway, and she had been avoiding him ever since.
It left him feeling lost and confused. He had vented to her about Izaya's strange behavior, and suddenly she was no longer speaking to him. Then, he sees her hanging out with the man who constantly tried to make his life miserable. Why? Why was she doing this?
He didn't understand… What did he do wrong?
Izaya and Celty eventually found their way to the warehouse, where she carefully parked her motorcycle in a nearby alleyway. Neither of them worried about it being stolen, Shooter wouldn't allow anyone but Celty and those she trusted to ride him.
As casually as a headless Dulluhan and a werewolf could be, they made their way to there they had seen the red haired girl on the camera. A few workers looked at them with curious expressions, but focused more on their work than the odd individuals.
Once they were in the exact spot, Izaya closed his eyes and did his best to sort through the scents. The bay was filled with the overpowering smells of fish, oil, and the many things stored in the warehouses.
After a moment of quiet, he was finally able to catch onto something. He opened his eyes and looked at his companion. "I smell her, but it's faint…" He took another deep breath and pointed to where they came. "It goes that way, the same way she walked in the video."
He twitched his nose the slightest bit. "But there's something else… It's also very faint, but her scent goes in a different direction too."
Is it from a day before the one we watched on the video? Celty asked him as she glanced around the bay, on the alert for anyone who may look suspicious.
Izaya sniffed one more time and shook his head. "No… It's like... It smells like someone tried to cover it up with different smells." He growled in frustration. "I can't figure out where it goes… Damn it!"
Before the werewolf could get too frustrated, he felt Celty tapping his shoulder. He looked towards the woman, and found her pointing towards one of the workers.
When he followed her gaze, he noticed the young man they had seen in the video. He was standing near the edge of the warehouses and looking around nervously. He checked his phone, and then looked at the streets once more. His expression seemed worried, and his posture showed impatience.
It kind of looks like the person Bashira was speaking to in the video, doesn't it? Celty pointed out to him. At Izaya's silent nod, she tilted her helmet. Should we go and talk to him?
"The only other lead I had is a dead end, so we might as well." Izaya turned to the courier and gave her a smile. "Good eye, Celty."
They made their way over to the young man, and Izaya was able to get a better look at him. He had sandy brown hair that stuck up in many directions and hazel eyes to match. He was young, likely of high school age, and a human.
When he saw them approaching, he seemed to grow a little nervous. "Um… C-can I help you?" He awkwardly asked.
Izaya instantly dusts off his conman skills, and gives a polite bow. "A pleasure to meet you, young man. My name is Watanabe Nakura, private investigator. This is my partner, Yamamoto Sara."
"O-oh…" The young man fell for their lie, and quickly bowed. "Ito Fumihiro, n-nice to meet you both."
Izaya nodded his head in acknowledgement of the boy's politeness, but remained focused on the task at hand. "We would like to ask you a few questions about a young lady by the name of Sato Bashira."
The boy's eyes instantly light up with recognition. "Bashira-chan…" The affection that Izaya briefly notices is quickly swallowed by worry. "I-Is she okay?"
"Unfortunately, Sato-san has not been seen in several days. Her sister hired us to try and find where she may have gone." Izaya kept his tone as professional as possible. "Our investigation and people we have interviewed have led us here. This is the last place she was seen."
[You don't have to worry, you are not a suspect since we know you didn't leave with her. But as she was last seen in this area, we were hoping you could provide us some insight on where she may have gone.]
Fumihiro looked rather distressed. "I-I had no idea she was missing…" He pulled out his phone and sighed. "No wonder she didn't answer my calls…"
"Bashira-chan… She and I are dating. I saw her a few days ago, I had to cancel our date because work has been busy. I work here part time, but we've been getting so many shipments that I had to stay late. I cancelled our date, but she still made sure to take the time to come see me…" He pointed to his right, the opposite direction of where Izaya and Celty came from. "She left that way… But that's all I know."
Izaya and Celty looked at each other and exchanged a nod. "I see. That is very helpful, thank you. We will continue our investigation. Have a good day."
The boy took hurried steps forward. "I-If you find out anything, will you please come tell me? I want to-" He took a shaky breath. "I need to know that she is okay."
[We will, we promise.] Celty said, her tone a comforting one even if Izaya was the only one who could hear it.
The young man gave a weak smile as he looked at them. "T-thank you." He turned around at the sound of someone calling for him and scurried back towards the docks, returning to work.
Celty and Izaya waited until he was out of view to return to the motorcycle. The Dullahan grabbed her loyal horse and rolled it next to them as they walked in the direction that the boy had indicated.
I hope this gives us more information than we had before. It feels like we keep running into dead ends… Celty muttered after a few moments of silence.
The werewolf next to her was quickly nudging her with his elbow. "Hey, don't be sad. If it weren't for you noticing that kid, we wouldn't have had anything. At least now we have a direction to go towards."
Celty noticeably cheered from his praise, happy to have helped. Izaya returned her glee with a grin of his own, unashamed of showing off his sharp canines when he was around someone who wouldn't fear what he was.
Then, a sudden scent caught his nose like a smack in the face. "Wait…" He sniffed again, and gasped. "The smell is back! But it's only right here." He pointed to where he was standing. "It doesn't go forward, and it doesn't go back…"
He huffed in frustration. "Someone tried to hide the smell… They hid it well, but they missed a spot." He looked around them, and noticed something that gave him a small feeling of hope. "Celty, look."
The three story building in front of them had cameras, and one of them pointed right to where Izaya's sensitive nose had caught the scent. They glanced at each other hopefully and hurried to the building. The front was absent of any door, but that didn't deter them.
Celty looked into the alleyway and pointed upwards at a glowing sign that read 'After Dark'. Izaya… I think this place is a love hotel… Is it a good idea for us to go in there? They may not even let us see the cameras.
Izaya looked forlorn for a small moment, before determination overtook it. "I have to try!" He declared,"Bashira-chan is my packmate! I won't stop looking for her until every avenue is exhausted!"
The Dullahan was momentarily surprised by her friend's determination. But she instantly felt her admiration for the werewolf grow. It was amazing to see him care so strongly for his pack, despite having only known them for a short amount of time. She was proud to be his friend.
You're right! Let's follow this lead! She excitedly agreed as they walked down the alleyway.
The closed sign on the hotel did not deter them. Izaya knocked on the door of the brick building and waited for a few moments. There was a quiet sound of movement, and then the door slowly opened. "Sorry, we're closed for a-"
"We're not here for anything like that. I'm investigating a missing person's case, I need to look at the cameras that face the street," Izaya quickly interrupted. "Please, and then we will be out of your hair."
The door opened further, revealing a pale woman with inky black hair that reached her waist. "I don't really care, kid. Come back when you have some kind of documentation saying that and-" She looked up at Izaya, and her eyes widened.
Instantly, Izaya felt that feeling of adrenaline run through him. His heart skipped a beat as he realized who- or rather, what- he was speaking to.
"You're a vampire…" He whispered.
The woman's eyes seemed to gleam a silver color as she gave a wide grin, revealing sharp fangs hidden underneath her plump lips. "A werewolf… My, my, it has been a long time since I've had the pleasure of drinking your blood~"
Izaya froze in surprise while Celty visibly recoiled in terror. Wait, WHAT?!
The woman's hands flew out, grabbed them both by their shirt collars and yanked them forward with surprising strength. The duo vanished into the bowels of the darkened building, and the heavy metal door slammed shut behind them.