Author's Note: We're on the final sin section this season. But we will still be going until the first week of February. That's right, I am extending the season. I haven't done that since... season four? It's been so long. Anyway, there's going to be the Christmas special. I have an idea of what I want to do. I'm going to let it stew for a while. Celty's duel will be interesting next week. Plus, there's going to be another plot point then. For now, enjoy this week's halo.


VII: Pride

Halo Nineteen: Celty:

Izaya managed to track down Mari at the hotel she was staying at. He pounded on her door. The programmer froze when she opened the door. Izaya shoved the screenshot of his conversation that he had with not-Tsukumoya just moments before.

"Did you do this?" he asked. At first, Mari looked confused.

"What are you talking about?" she asked. Izaya pointed to the last line he circled in red. Mari narrowed her eyes and read the last line.

"I am not Tsukumoya."

Her face filled with alarm. Mari backed up, shaking her head.

"I didn't do that!" she said. Izaya didn't say anything.

"I'm not lying!" Mari said. "I swear! I'll prove it to you!" She led him into her hotel room. Izaya followed behind but he already had a guess of where this was going. Mari pulled out her laptop from her bag and booted it up. She opened up the Dis Program file. Both found themselves in for a nasty little shock.

"You did do something," Izaya said with a cold tone in his voice.

"I did not add that, I swear," Mari insisted. "I haven't touched my laptop since I fled."

"She right," a voice said. The friends with benefits looked at the screen.

"Did it just talk?" Izaya asked.

"Hello again, Izaya," Mari's laptop said.

"And who are you?" the information broker.

"Aw, Izaya, you know who I am," the voice in the machine said with a whimper.

"No, I don't," Izaya said, shaking his head.

"You should," the laptop said.

"I don't," Izaya said. The waves on the screen bunched up and bounced as the laptop sighed.

"Here's a hint. Look through the obituaries. Oh say back in about April," the voice said. Izaya pulled out his phone. He began typing up the information on his phone. Mari looked with him on the screen. Izaya scrolled up through the list of dead people. He stopped when he caught a familiar name.

"Yoemon Kenji-sensei?" Izaya asked.

"Ding-ding!" the laptop said. A video player popped up on the screen. Izaya and Mari jumped back when they saw the professor's face.

"Good evening," the consciousness greeted them. Izaya and Mari looked at each other.

"What did you do to Tsukumoya?" the information broker asked.

"He's here," Kenji said. "What's left of him that is. He's now part of me." The screen glitched out for a second before resuming.

"Oh, do forgive me," Kenji said. "It looks like he's trying to get away from me still but we won't be having any of that." There was another glitch before the screen became normal.

"Stop doing that. You and I are one now. You can get mad at me all you want but you are a part of me now," the consciousness said. The screen went still. Computer Kenji cleared his throat.

"My apologizes," he said.

"Did you tell on me to Asato-sensei?" Mari asked.

"I had no choice," Kenji said. "We have to keep up in the game."

"Game?" Izaya asked.

"Why yes," the consciousness said. "Tandeki is in the lead. The last thing we all went is to fall behind." The screen glitched again but returned to normal.

"But alas, I am not complete still," Kenji said. "I can add some of the new coding myself but some other parts I will need, say, more of a human touch." Mari backed away, shaking her head.

"No!" she shouted.

"Oh, but you don't have any choice, my dear," Kenji said. "It's already too late. You have to finish what you started. They already know what you are trying to do. It would be in your best interest to comply. I am everywhere now." Mari trembled as she shook her head. Izaya slammed down the laptop lid. Mari turned to him with big eyes. Before she could speak their, phones buzzed. The friends with benefits pulled out their phones. Kenji's face appeared on their screens.

"Didn't I tell you?" he asked. "I am everywhere now. You would have ditch every piece of technology that you owe. I will see you at work on Monday, Otomo-san." Then Kenji disappeared off of her phone. Mari began trembling this time with rage. Her phone hit the wall as she screamed.

"How could I have been so stupid?!" she yelled. "He took over my laptop! Why didn't I think of that?!" Her screaming filled the room as she slammed her fists down onto the carpet. Izaya looked at his own phone. The screen was now a black mirror.


Kururi decided to act on the next part of her plan. Once again, Chiyomi came to her with a little problem. The girls were walking home from school.

"I never have enough money," Chiyomi complained. The Queen Bee looked over at her.

"Why don't you just get a job?" she suggested. Chiyomi shook her head. Kururi took a moment to think.

"Well, your family is well-off, aren't they?" she asked.

"Uh-huh," the other girl said.

"Let me guess, they are strict with your allowance, aren't they?" Kururi asked. Chiyomi gave her a sheepish grin. The Queen Bee gave her smile of fake sympathy. She put her arm around her shoulders.

"I think I can help you with your little problem," she said. Chiyomi gave her a confused look.

"What do you mean?" she asked. Kurui looked around for a bit.

"You heard of dating for pay?" she asked. Her friend looked so confused.

"What does that mean?" Chiyomi asked. The Queen Bee smiled and shook her head. May, may, may. This should be fun.

"Guys just pay you to date them," Kururi said. She sounded so nonchalant when she said it. Chiyomi tilted her head.

"Does that include… s-e-x?" she asked.

"Maybe," her "friend" said. She noticed the look on Chiyomi's face.

"What? You're not a virgin anymore. It shouldn't matter, right?" Kururi asked.

"Well… yeah, but…" the other girl said. Kururi pulled her closer to her.

"Come on, there are more girls who do it," she said in her ear. "Our classmates, some of the teachers, housewives. Hell, even two of our friends are doing it." Chiyomi's lower lip trembled.

"You wanted money, don't you?" Kururi asked. Her naïve friend nodded while trying to figure out what to do. The Queen Bee let her go.

"Think about it at least," she said. Kururi patted her on the back and went on walking. Chiyomi gave her a small wave.

"Bye…" she mumbled. Kururi's words still lingered in her head.


Around ten in the morning, a woman in big shades walked up to Rampo Biotech. She was the last one here. The woman smirked to herself. Perfect. She walked up to the glass doors.

The receptionist looked up to see the woman in a fancy hat walking up to the desk.

"Good morning," she said. The woman leaned forward on the desk.

"Excuse me," she said in an elegant voice. "But do know where I am supposed to go for my predicament?" The receptionist gulped at her tone of voice.

"S-S-S-Sure," she said. The younger woman pointed to the elevators. "It's… It's…" The woman in shades raised her eyebrow. The receptionist took a breath.

"You are looking for Lab 528," she said. "Just go over to the elevators and go up to the fifth floor." The other woman smiled.

"Thank you, dear," she said. The woman bowed and walked over to the elevator. The receptionist stared at her with bright red cheeks.

Meanwhile, Daichi and Osamu waited while they worked on their daily batch.

"Do you want to get the last one or me?" Osamu asked.

"I got it last time," Daichi said. The older man shrugged.

"Fine," he said. At that moment, the door buzzed. Osamu set down that his clippers.

"Well, duty calls," he said. The man turned and walked over to the door.

"Yes?" Osamu asked, pushing the call button.

"I'm here for my appointment," a woman's voice said. "Is this the right place?"

"Why yes, hang on," Osamu said. He punched in the code on the keypad. The door slid open. The woman stood in her hat and sunglasses. Osamu whistled with a smile on his face. She folded her arms across her chest.

"I know I am pretty, but we have work to do," she said. "I can't afford to be late!"

"Alright, alright," Osamu said. "Follow me." The woman followed him over to the flowers. Daichi gave her a small wave.

"What do you have for us today?" Osamu asked. The woman sighed and rolled her eyes as she held up right hand.

"Can you pry this off my finger or something?" she asked. Osamu leaned down for a closer look. A big golden band looked so tight on her dainty finger. No blood seemed to be flowing to it.

"It's ugly and I hate it," the woman said. "I've tried taking it off but I can't get this damned thing off. I think you might need a saw or something to help me." Osamu smiled and shook his head.

"We don't really need to go that far," he said. "We've got something earlier."

"Oh?" the woman asked. Osamu pulled out the pill bottle and twisted it open.

"Just take this," he said. The woman picked up the pill and swallowed it. Her body went stiff as a jolt ran through her body. The ring fell off her finger and landed into the bag Osamu held open underneath her fingers.

"Perfect," Osamu said. He looked up at the woman. "How are you feeling?" She panted at first.

"Wow!" she said. "What was that?"

"Just a little something to free you from your bonds," Osamu said. The woman flexed her finger. Joy lit up over her face.

"I can feel my finger!" she said. The woman looked up at Osamu and Daichi.

"Thank you so much," she said. "I will be on my way." The woman bowed and turned away.

"Are you off to find your target?" Daichi asked. The woman glanced over her shoulder.

"Why yes," she said. And then she was gone.


Celty was riding back from another job. Nothing felt familiar around these streets anymore. So far, Shinra was fine. He acted like nothing had happened. Other than his soul trying to leave his body, everything was fine. The doctor's soul would fly out of his body but it couldn't go too far. It didn't help that little reapers were always waiting around their apartment. They always glared at the couple. The dullahan could tell what they were thinking.

"He should be dead."

Shingen was excited by this situation. He just had to try and experiment on his son. Shinra rolled his eyes.

"I'm still human, dad," he said.

"Oh…" the older doctor said.

Celty's thoughts back to present day when something caught her attention from behind. Her first thought was the cops.

No, not now!

The dullahan looked over her shoulder. That wasn't a police officer. A woman on a motorcycle was rushing towards her as fast as she could. They didn't look like they were going to stop or slow down. Celty tried to move to the other side. The woman moved to the other side as well.

What is she doing?

It was then Celty noticed that something was off about this woman. She couldn't be human. How could a motorcycle catch up that quickly? Celty tried to push Shooter to go as fast as he could. But it wasn't enough.

Crash!

Celty used her feet to try and stop. The other woman wasn't done yet. She tried to ram into the dullahan again. This time, Celty and Shooter managed to get out of the way in time. The woman wouldn't stop for about six more times. The last time Celty managed to stop and push back. Both women grounded to a halt. Shooter took some damage. He would make a quick recovery afterwards. Celty turned her attention to her attacker. The woman walked up to her. Her red and silver helmet hid her face. Celty was typing away on her PDA.

[What the hell?! What were you doing?! Were you trying to run me off the road or something?!]

The woman paused and took off her helmet. Long white blonde hair came flowing out. She looked at Celty with deep red eyes.

"Oh, I am so sorry. Did I try to run you off the road?" she asked. The dullahan started typing again.

[Yes! Why would you do that?]

The woman put her hands up in a little shrug. "It was the only way to get you."

[What are you talking about?]

The other woman smiled and shook her head. "No don't remember, do you? Aw, well. It doesn't hurt to do this again." She flipped back her head and bowed.

"I am challenging you to a duel by tomorrow evening," the woman said.

[What?!]

Her new opponent bowed again. "See you then."

And then she was gone. Celty was left standing there, confused.

What the hell was all that about?!


Kitano looked at data on his tablet. He hit record on his tape recorder.

"A cause for concern has come to my mind. Chirin seems to be infected with Yokubo's toxic. My hackers managed to get me access to his latest blood work. Let me tell you: he's got a high number of black crystals in the blood. Now, I have been monitoring him since his fight with Yokubo. Everything looks fine so far. Still, I don't know how long that will last. Anything could go with this circumstance.

"To be honest, I have never seen her do that before. She didn't even bite him in the last fight. Then again, Chirin lacked the drive to fight her before. So I assume that Yokubo had to use whatever measure she needed to escape. On the one hand, I am impressed. On the other hand…"

-Three Hours Earlier-

Etsuko and Kitano looked at the results.

"That's a lot of black in his blood," the doctor said. The therapist sat in thought.

"Have we seen any changes that should raise red flags?" he asked.

"No," Etsuko said.

"I see," Kitano said. The doctor raised her eyebrow.

"Are you thinking to use the venom to our advantage?" she asked. Kitano glanced over at her.

"Perhaps," he said. "We would need to study the sample."

-Now-

"We would need a direct sample from Chirin. That now will be a challenge. I will have Junko do it since she works at the school. She's got ways of getting to Chirin and his friends. Other than that, he's doing well. But like I said before, we will have to see what comes next.

"That will be all for now. I will update when we have further information."

Kitano hit stop on his recorder.


Mikado stared at his phone. This felt so wrong. He felt like he would be using Anri for this. But it was better her than any other girl in Ikebukuro. The whispering started to crowd his head again. They started off as faint at first. He thought they were the other tadpoles talking.

That was until he heard what they were saying.

They were all talking about mundane things in life. Shopping trips, what they wanted for dinner, what they were so afraid of, what they truly desired, and even what they dreamt last night. It took Mikado a little bit realize these were just the "normals" talking. Not their thoughts. These were the actual people talking.

"What is happening to me?" Mikado asked aloud. Fingertips caressed his left cheeks. His eyes darted behind him. He could see Yokubo smirking at him.

"You hear them too, right?" she cooed in his ear. Mikado tried not make eye contact. She smirked to herself.

"Heh," she said. When Mikado turned around, there was no one there. His room felt so cold. He rubbed on his right arm. What was that just now? Part of him hoped that he was imagining that. That had to be in his head, right?

So now, here he was. The tadpole needed to stop this before it got worse.

"Hello?" Anri asked on the other line. Mikado gulped.

"Hey, Anri," he said. There was a pause.

"Is something them matter?" she asked. Mikado forced himself to sit up straight.

"Are you busy right now?" he asked.

"No, why?" she asked. Mikado paused. How would he ask this without sounding creepy? He didn't want to do this to her but he needed to chase Yokubo's voice out his head. The tadpole boy shut his eyes. Forgive me, Anri-chan.

"Could you come over?" Mikado finally managed to ask. Part of him hoped that she would say no.

"Right now?" she asked.

"Yes," he said in a small voice. His heart pounded against his chest. He practically prayed that she would say no.

"Okay," Anri said in quiet voice. Mikado's heart sank.

"Thank you," he said before hanging up. The tadpole hung up and held his phone to his chest. I'm so sorry, Anri-chan. Mikado could feel the tears well up in his eyes.


Sadako knocked on Aya's door.

"Enter!" the psychiatrist said. Sadako poked her head inside.

"I'm coming in," she said. Aya glanced up at her.

"What do you want?" she asked. Sadako slid into the office, closing the door behind her.

"I am ready," she said. Aya stopped writing in her notes.

"Ready what?" she asked in a low voice. Sadako moved closer to her desk.

"I want to do my killings now," she whispered. "The Dante Killer is already acting. Should I start doing the killings too?" Aya looked her straight in the eye.

"Are you willing to commit to our game?" she asked.

"Yes," the other therapist said. The older woman set down her pen.

"And you want to get started now?" Aya asked. Sadako nodded once. The other therapist rose to her feet with a cold smile on her face.

"Well then," she said. "You are going to have to come with me now." Her lips came within inches of the youngest therapist's ear.

"Meet me behind the building after hours," she whispered. Sadako quickly nodded before saluting.

"Will do," she said.

"Please don't do that," the older therapist said.

"Right," Sadako said. She lowered her hand and walked out of the office. The therapist bowed and headed out the door.


Celty made it back to her apartment. She ignored the little reapers waiting outside. They were still pissed that they can't reap Shinra's soul. Speaking of which…

[Shinra, what are you doing out here?] Celty typed. The underground stood outside of their apartment with his arms folded across his chest.

"She found you, didn't she?" he asked with sorrow in his voice.