[hey did anyone see that freaky fucking broadcast in town square of Ikebukuro?!]
[the one from a week ago? Youre a bit behind. Theres already a thread about this below]
[the one where Orihara Izaya was torturing Heiwajima Shizuo?]
[Yeah! I saw that! I was there the day it happened! Holy shit it was so freaky!]
[Im a nurse at the hospital! Shizuo-san was checked in the same day!]
[Im also a nurse! To be precise, im the one who changed Shizuo-san's bandages! And holy shit, was he in a bad state! There was a giant cut across his stomach and it looked like someone stabbed into the wound cuz there was a puncture hole about the size of three fingers that reached down to his stomach!]
[Holy fuck!]
[GURO WARNING YOU JERKS!]
[Oh mygod!]
[Thats so fucked!]
[he had to get a lot of stitches.]
[he checked out today right? I saw him leaving the hospital.]
[yeah! Hes got red hair now! ]
[Damn!]
[Not gonna lie, he makes a hot redhead]
[he looks good with red hair! He should keep it!]
[lol, his hair matches his temper]
[Is that Hanajima Yuuhei with him?]
[No fucking way! That's not him!]
[It is! Haven't you guys seen the magazine article that came out yesterday?! /Hanajima_Yuuhei_Bloody_Scandal]
[HOLY SHIT!]
[Hanajima Yuuhei is Heiwajima Shizuo's brother!]
[WHAT THE FUCK?!]
['When asked, Hanajima-san had only this to say, 'we ask the media to please show restraint for the next few months. I understand that is an unreasonable request, but my brother has been through a lot. We thought he was dead for the last nine years and it turns out it may have been worse than that for him. Right now, he needs his family. Not camera's outside the house trying to get a glimpse of him and I.']
[dude, you know what fucked? There's totally going to be paparazzi outside his house doing just that.]
[fucking vultures]
[we should do something to help them out]
[well, what can we do?]
[beat them up]
[no. theyre just trying to earn their paycheck]
[they deserve it]
[its still not right. The dollars are about peaceful protest.]
[the dollars are kinda about doing whatever the fuck you want]
[oh, you right]
[then what can we do?]
[peaceful protest. Make them go away]
[how would we possibly do that]
[ruin their shots]
[yup thats the best way to tell those fucks to go away]
[im down for that]
"Here, Nii-san." Kasuka held out a cup to Shizuo.
"Thank you." the blond-dyed-red took the cup.
Hot chocolate sat in the mug, tickling Shizuo's nose with a sweet aroma. The blond was huddled on the couch, knees tucked up slightly and biceps pressed against his sides. He looked out the sliding glass door that lead to a balcony and showed the pitch black night. Seeing the darkness made Shizuo tremble every time. He was scared. He knew it was irrational, but how could he not be scared when all he knew for months was that darkness brought monsters?
Shizuo looked back at the TV, a movie that starred Kasuka playing on the screen. Shizuo had about ten years worth of his little brother's movies to make up and he was going to do that as soon as he could. Luckily, Kasuka had a copy of all of them.
"Do you want a blanket?" Kasuka asked.
"N-no, I'm fine." Shizuo said. "The hot chocolate is warm enough."
Kasuka nodded. He sat down next to his brother.
"Is um...Is Shinra going to be here soon?" Shizuo looked at the clock. "It's...really dark out."
"He said eight o'clock. He should be here soon."
Shizuo nodded, looking back out the window.
"You can't see anything with the lights on, Nii-san." Kasuka said.
"...I know."
"Do you want me to get your flashlight?"
"...No. I need...I shouldn't use it as a safety blanket."
"If it makes you feel safe, it's alright."
Shizuo didn't respond, just glowering out the window. While Shizuo was in the hospital, he had had panic attacks once night came and couldn't be calmed until his mother returned to his side. The next night they brought him a flashlight, a heavy duty one with heft and a powerful light. It helped a little, but it didn't change that Shizuo stayed awake all night and didn't sleep till dawn peeked over the horizon.
That had been Shizuo's sleeping schedule since he arrived and he doubted it was going to change any time soon. Even now, Kasuka would leave all the lights on and even shared a bed with his older brother. It was strange having someone sitting vigil over him while he slept, but after a week, he got used to it. The older brother couldn't help feeling bad though. As a popular actor, Kasuka should make his health a priority and Shizuo was certainly making that problematic since he was disturbing his sleep.
Shizuo let out a heavy sigh. Until he could get past his fears, there was no point to dwell on the issue. "How did you get Shinra's number anyway? I didn't think you guys talked."
"We met after your plane crash." Kasuka said. "I got...a strange call. It sounded like your voice."
Shizuo's eyes widened as he looked back at Kasuka. "Wait, you actually got my call?"
Kasuka's eyes also widened. "So, it actually was you?"
"Yeah. After the first darkness, I called you to let you know I was okay and...I made it to Silent Hill."
Kasuka nodded. "It didn't come out like that."
"How did it come out?"
Kasuka put up one finger and stood. He went into his bedroom and came back out with a flip phone. It wasn't the phone that he was using now, since he was using a smartphone now. But it was obvious that he kept it for whatever reason. He sat back down, went to his voicemail and clicked the first file.
"Hey, Kas...It...Shizuo...left my phone...so...gave me one of his. I...in Silent Hill...made it but...lost Izaya..find him—have to find him—we'll be home...Don't know—when—though. I'm not okay. This place...don't—know. Just bad. I'm scared, Kasuka...Really scared...I'll come home...promise..."
Hearing his own voice so distorted and scratchy sent a shiver down his spine.
"If...if it's been ten years, then why do you still have this?" Shizuo asked.
"...Because it was the last recording of your voice."
Shizuo's eyes widened as his heart tightened. To hear such a thing from his brother made him want to cry from such a heartfelt response.
"It was also the only evidence that you were still alive. We went all the way to Silent Hill to try and find you."
Shizuo's eyes widened for a new reason. "You...you went to Silent Hill?"
Kasuka nodded.
"You shouldn't have done that!" Shizuo yelled. "You could have died! If something found you there—"
"Nothing was there." Kasuka interrupted. "Just noxious gas from the fires burning underground. We looked through the entire town but couldn't find you."
"W...wait, you...you didn't come across any monsters?"
"No. It was just an abandoned ghost town."
"What do you mean gas? There wasn't any gas. Just..." Shizuo trailed off.
"There was a fire in the town forty years ago—well, nearly fifty years now. But when we went, we did our research and the town was abandoned because there was a fire that spread throughout the town. Under the town was a coal mine and the mine caught fire as well. There were a lot of dead bodies that still haven't been found. Even though forty years had passed, the mines were still burning. The air was poisonous because of that. Everyone who lived there evacuated to Brahms."
Shizuo vaguely remembered Izaya telling him something like this on the plane. So much had happened that he didn't really care about that conversation. After all, obviously this ghost town wasn't just a ghost town when they got there and it was filled with monsters. So, he had thought nothing of what Izaya told him before they got there.
However, now he had evidence to suggest that wasn't the case. If Kasuka was repeating the same thing Izaya had said, then there had to be some truth behind. Right?
"...Forty years..."
'Izaya said their punishment was forty years overdue, and that she tore them away from the real world to put them in a personal hell. So...that mean's there must be two Silent Hill's. So, Kasuka wasn't in any danger then...'
"You...still shouldn't have gone to Silent Hill." Shizuo said. "What if you had been put into the same place we were? You could have died, Kasuka."
"...Nii-san, we thought you were dead. That phone call proved you were alive and if that was the case, if there was a chance that you were alive, how could I have possibly ignored that?" Kasuka glowered at him. "If the roles were reserved, wouldn't you have done the same thing?"
Shizuo's brows furrowed. There was no denying that he would. If Kasuka had been taken to Silent Hill, he would have gone without hesitation.
"Sturluson-san and Shinra-kun came with us, while Shiki-san and Akabayashi-san provided us with the means to get there quickly without paparazzi asking where I went."
Shizuo nodded. "At least you had Celty with you." 'That provides some comfort. At least Celty would have kept him safe.'
The blond-dyed-red looked at the clock again. 7:52.
"Do you think they're stuck outside?" Shizuo asked, looking out the window.
"If there's a crowd of people out there, probably." Kasuka said, putting his coffee down on the table. "I can go check."
"W-wait, no." Shizuo grabbed Kasuka's arm before the brunette could even stand. "It-it's not safe to go out while the darkness is..."
Kasuka stared at him for a moment. This wasn't the first time Shizuo mentioned the darkness during his stay with Kasuka. The younger brother still didn't fully know what 'the darkness' was, but it certainly was a problem. If Shizuo's stay at the hospital had anything to say for it, his stay with Kasuka had added voice to that. During his stay in the hospital, his fear had gotten to the point that Namiko had spent every night with Shizuo until he was discharged. And now, Shizuo's strange habits around the house proved something happened with this 'darkness'.
"Okay. Then I'll check on the balcony, alright?" Kasuka said.
Shizuo wasn't alright with that either. However, that was better than the alternative. Shizuo nodded reluctantly.
Kasuka nodded in return. The actor stood. Shizuo let him go and Kasuka headed to the balcony door. He grabbed the flashlight and opened the glass door, stepping onto the balcony.
Immediately, there was a blinding amount of bright lights flashing. Shizuo jolted to the sight and stood as well, putting his hot chocolate down on the coffee table.
"Hanajima-san!"
"Hanajima, is it true that you're a Heiwajima?!"
"Is it true that your older brother has a criminal record?!"
"Did you change your name because you're ashamed to be related to such a violent man?"
"Is it true that Heiwajima Shizuo is the strongest man in Ikebukuro?"
"How strong is he?"
"Is he really your brother?"
"Is that just a cover-up? Is it possible he's actually a secret lover?!"
Out of all the calls, that last one set Shizuo off. The blond felt a rage he hadn't felt in quite a few months boil to the surface. It was so hot and profound that he couldn't contain himself. It completely overwrote his fears in an instant.
Shizuo grabbed the back of the couch and lifted it above his head. Kasuka looked over his shoulder to the light of the living room getting blocked out. He saw his brother and decided not to stand in the line of fire. He stepped to the side and opened the sliding glass door all the way. Shizuo stepped out, his face twisted in anger with multiple veins popping across his face. He stepped onto the balcony with the couch still above his head.
The crowd below fell quiet. There were a bunch of people holding tall pieces of cardboard above their heads, effectively stopping all the camera's from actually getting any pictures. Shizuo didn't know who they were but he decided they'd be spared. In fact, all of them could be spared. There was just one person who needed to deal with his wrath.
"HEY!" Shizuo yelled, stepping up onto the balcony railing. "WHICH ONE OF YOU ASKED IF I WAS A SECRET LOVER?!"
The crowd was silent for a moment, staring wide-eyed. They then spread and pointed to one person, who was also pointing at another person.
Shizuo jumped from the balcony, landing on the stone path with the balcony still above his head. Once on the ground, he let the couch drag behind him since he didn't want to hold it that high anymore. He walked down the path to the black metal gate.
"So, let me get this straight? My brother admitted that he and I were related, after asking all of you vultures to leave us alone?"
Shizuo made it to the gate, in which he grabbed the handle. However, he didn't have the key, nor the patients to ask for it from Kasuka, so he simply squeezed the handle until it was no longer a handle and the lock mechanism inside was useless. He pushed the gate open with his foot, where it swung out violently. It slammed against the stone wall and indented into the brick so it couldn't swing close.
"And instead of respecting that request, you're all gathered around to try and ask questions that are none of your goddamn business."
The legs of the couch scraped against the concrete as he approached. The group of paparazzi was quickly dispersing, giving the man who had offended Shizuo a girth of at least 20 feet. The individuals closest to the man, who were ten feet away, were the people who were holding the pieces of cardboard. They were now holding their phones and pointing them at Shizuo.
"I should beat the shit out of all of you for being nasty leeches. But one of you decides to be a disgusting pervert and ask if my brother and I are fucking?"
Shizuo clenched his teeth hard before turning sideways. He grabbed the couch with both hands.
"I DON'T GIVE A SHIT WHAT KIND OF FUCKED UP FANTASIES YOU HAVE! LEAVE MY BROTHER OUT OF THEM, YOU SICK FUCK!"
Shizuo swung the couch around. The man didn't even see it coming before it slammed into him, sending him flying into the sky. He was soon just a star in the night before blipping out of sight.
The group of paparazzi looked at him with obvious fear.
"The only reason I'm keeping my temper with the rest of you is because there are women among you." Shizuo growled. "But that is very thin ice. The rest of you have about 10 seconds to get out of my sight before I send all of you flying as well."
The group stared wide-eyed. Shizuo looked at all of them as they sat frozen. He clenched his teeth hard and grabbed the sofa again.
"Six seconds."
The group jolted.
"Four...Three...Two..."
The paparazzi ran away. They all scattered to the wind, running in whatever direction would get them away from Shizuo faster. Soon enough, the only people left were the camera blockers, but they had retreated farther back. They had all put their phones away as well.
"Looks like you haven't changed." Someone said.
The group of young individuals turned to the voice before stepping to the side. Shinra, adorn in his usually button up, jeans, and white lab coat, walked up. Shizuo couldn't help smiling a little at the annoying doctor. Shinra smiled back, walking over calmly.
However, Celty had complete lack of composure as she rushed past Shinra. She wrapped her arms around Shizuo's neck and hugged him close. Shizuo's eyes widened. Celty was never a physical person, at least not with him. This was the first time he could recall ever getting a hug from the headless woman. But he appreciated it. It was such a nice change from the violence he was used to. He hugged her back, trying to control his strength so he didn't hurt her.
"It's good to see you too." Shizuo said.
Shinra let out a mighty 'hmph' as he walked up. Shizuo looked at him. Celty also turned her yellow helmet of a head to look at him.
"I'm not saying anything because its been ten years and you haven't seen him in a while!" Shinra said. "I can be reasonable!"
"Well, I see you haven't changed either." Shizuo chuckled.
Shinra chuckled as well as Celty separated from the redhead. She typed a message.
:im sorry we didnt visit while you were in the hospital.:
"No, it's alright." Shizuo said. "I don't think they would have let you in with your biker helmet."
Celty nodded although she looked sheepish.
"You look good, Heiwajima-san." Another voice said.
Following Shinra were three older men. A black-haired man in a white suit with a scar on his forehead; and a brown-haired man wearing a dark suit, sunglasses at night, a scar over his right eye, and holding a cane although he didn't lean on it. Shizuo didn't know either of them. However, the third he knew.
"Hi, Tom-san." Shizuo said with a smile.
"Hey, long time no see." Tom waved.
"Long time, heh. You visited me in the hospital just a day ago."
"True. But it's good to see you so energetic."
Shizuo smiled. He then looked at the two others he didn't know.
"...Who are you?" Shizuo asked.
"Haruya Shiki of the Awakusu-Kai." The black-haired man said.
"Akabayashi Mizuki of the Awakusu-Kai." The cane-wielding man said.
Shizuo didn't respond. He had heard of the Awakusu-Kai through Tom, although it was only in passing conversations of people to avoid since some of their clients coincided with the Awakusu-Kai's clients. It was best not to step on their toes, so they tried to avoid them entirely.
"What are you doing here?" Shiki asked.
"We were invited by Hanejima-kun." Shiki responded. "Said you were going to explain what happened to Orihara-san."
Just hearing the name was like a punch to the chest. He hated it so much. A wave of grief and betrayal twisted his heart. He turned his gaze away as he knew he couldn't control the expression he was making.
"Well, um..." Shizuo started, "Let's just...let's just go inside then."
They all nodded. Shizuo turned and grabbed the couch, happy to see it wasn't damaged. He picked it up and lifted it above his head with one hand. He looked back the cardboard-wielder's. They had backed away quite a bit.
"What were you guys doing?" Shizuo asked. "What's with the cardboard?"
The individuals jolted. One of them, a young girl spoke up. "We're part of the Dollars. We were just trying to ruin their shots since we figured they wouldn't listen to Hanajima-san's request."
Shizuo stared for a moment, genuinely surprised to hear that. "...Thank you."
The girl smiled and nodded. The other people smiled as well. The crowd began talking to each other in hushed voiced so Shizuo decided not to worry about them anymore.
Instead, he turned to the broken gate. He felt bad about that one. He'd need to apologize to Kasuka.
"By the way," Shinra asked, following in behind the blond. "Why'd you dye your hair red?"
Shizuo openly grimaced, keeping his eyes on the ground. "I didn't."
"Oh."
The group of six walked up the stone path to the front door.
"Well, it looks good though." Shinra said. "Whoever dyed it did a good job at least."
"Heh, as morbid as that is." Shizuo chuckled to himself.
"Why is that morbid?" Shiki asked.
Shizuo put the couch down and grabbed the doorknob. "Because it's not hair dye. It's blood."
No one responded.
"There was a gym, at least I think it was a gym and inside were strips of plastic like when it's under construction, you know?" Shizuo opened the door and went back to the couch. "Some monsters jumped me and chased me inside. I ran through some of those plastics and there was a pool. It was filled with blood and bodies, but I was so busy running I didn't notice it was there until I fell in. The things that chased me tried to drown me afterwards, but luckily the darkness ended, so they disappeared, along with the blood. But...well, you know, when you have blond hair, it's easy to let colors run in them, so...And we didn't have running water, so I couldn't wash it out before it settled. Even now it won't come out."
Everyone was silent. Celty was the first to 'break' the silence as she typed on her PDA.
:Where did you go?! You weren't in Silent Hill! What happened?:
"I was in Silent Hill, just not the one you were in, apparently. Kasuka told me you came to find us."
"Let them come inside, Nii-san." Kasuka said from the balcony. They all looked up at him. "You can explain in full in private."
Shizuo nodded. "Right, please come in."
"...So...That's...All that happened..." Shizuo said, his hands gripping the sweatpants over his knees tightly.
'Well, not all that happened.' Shizuo thought. 'But I don't want to talk about Roppi...'
He looked up at his silent friends then back at the ground. "I don't...really know a lot of what happened there. Izaya said there was just too much I didn't know about. He was going to tell me everything, but then Alessa came to our sanctuary with the pyramid head monster."
The room was quiet for a moment. Shinra was the first to break it.
"So, does that mean you're the older brother now?" The doctor asked, looking at Kasuka.
Both brothers tilted their heads in confusion.
"Well, since you only aged three months while the rest of us aged nine years, that would mean you're still 24 while the rest of us are obviously older. I mean, I'm 33, and Kasuka-kun is 30 now."
Shizuo's eyes widened. That hadn't even crossed his mind and it was obvious by his expression as he looked at his little brother.
"Did no one tell you it was nine years ago that you went missing?" Shiki asked.
"...No, I..." Shizuo looked at him then looked at the ground. "I was told in the hospital it was nine years now but...But I didn't think about that..."
"You certainly look younger than your brother." Akabayashi said, leaning forward to rest his chin on his cane. "It would seem your age didn't change upon your return."
Shizuo looked at Kasuka. Now that he mentioned it, the redhead began to notice the little wrinkles around his brothers eyes. The lines around his nose and mouth were more defined than before and he'd certainly lost some of the baby fat of his youth. Shizuo hadn't looked in a mirror since his return, but now he was left to question what he looked like.
Kasuka patted Shizuo's head. "You're still the older brother, Nii-san. I don't think anyone will be able to tell. Mom and Dad didn't, at least."
"Or at least they didn't mention it." Shizuo stated.
"If they didn't mention it, they would have mentioned it to me when we left."
Shizuo didn't respond, looking at his brother with confliction. He then let out a heavy sigh. Kasuka took his hand away to pat his back. He took his hands away soon enough.
Shiki decided to change the subject.
"What was the name of their god?" The executive asked.
Shizuo looked at him. "I don't know."
"How were they going to make a man the incubator?"
"...I don't know..."
"Well, if it's a god," Akabayashi said, "Then maybe it wasn't an incubator in the literal sense. Maybe it's more like a possession. There's a lot of shows nowadays that say when the devil tries to possess a human body, it destroys the body since it can't handle the raw power of the devil. Maybe it's the same thing and that's why they wanted to use him as the 'incubator'."
"...Hm."
"Wait, is that why you don't look any older then?" Shinra asked. "Maybe it was actually nine years for you but because of the god—"
"I was never actually possessed, Shinra." Shizuo cut him off. "They were going to, but Izaya stopped them."
"By murdering an entire church's worth of people." Shiki stated.
"...He...But he saved my life—and-and he wasn't the one to kill them!"
"No, but he was the Trojan Horse to let this Alessa in so she could kill them."
"But they...they deserved it. They burned her alive and—"
"Yes, I'm aware. They certainly deserved it. But how is it that an eight-year-old was able to create such a hellish place like what you described?"
"...I asked Izaya the same thing, but he just said there's too much I don't know."
"Hm. And this Alessa had been haunting Izaya since he was a child?"
"That's what he said." Shinra said.
"Then it sounds as if this Alessa got to him. Although it's a little hard to believe that you and Izaya had become friends with each other," Shiki looked at Shizuo, "I wouldn't be surprised if it would take an extreme situation like what you apparently went through to change that. And if you two were 'friends' and he betrayed you after talking to Alessa, after you two just had a fight about how Alessa was a demon and not an innocent—as you put it—then it seems pretty cut and dry that this demon tampered with Orihara-san's mind."
"...Dad said it was possible Izaya was trying to get me out and that's why he attacked me."
"As in, Alessa made a deal with him?" Akabayashi asked. "'If you torture your friend, I'll let your friend go' kind of scenario?"
"That's what Dad said. I didn't tell him the truth of everything. I don't think he'd believe me if I told him Izaya and I were kidnapped by a demon and taken to a pocket dimension of Silent Hill."
"That was a good call." Shiki said. "I barely believe it and I'm sitting next to a woman with no head."
Shizuo nodded. Celty shifted a bit before typing.
:Well from the video broadcast it looked kinda like that. It showed you getting absorbed by something like my shadows and you were gone. The broadcast ended after that.:
Shizuo didn't respond. Kasuka had told him about the broadcast. He didn't know why, nor how it was broadcasted. Probably the only person who would know is Izaya.
'...If only Izaya was here.' Shizuo thought, a sweep of heartache and melancholy filling his chest. 'How is he going to survive Silent Hill without me there? Is he going to be able to get out too?'
Shizuo's brows furrowed. Concern, misery, guilt, and self-loathing began to flood his being. He should be there to protect Izaya. What was the raven going to do without his superpower bodyguard? Sure, he argued with him about Izaya using him, but he'd rather be used and protect Izaya than to be the only one safe. Shizuo was filled with survivals guilt, hating himself for being happy to be home when Izaya could possibly be dying alone in Silent Hill.
Shizuo tilted his head down, closing his eyes tight shut. He felt like he was going to cry, but he didn't want to do that in front of all his friends—and two yakuza's—so he just scrunched his eyes tight enough to make them hurt.
'Izaya...What are you going to do? How are you going to survive on your own when our sanctuary was compromised? Izaya...'
Izaya slammed into the door, the metal giving no resistance so he flung through the door hard and came crashing to the floor. He coughed, but didn't allow himself to falter. He quickly rolled over and kicked the door. The metal scraped against the floor before slamming shut. He heard something click, so at the very least it latched. The creatures that were chasing him wouldn't be able to tear through that nor did they have the capability to turn the doorknob. He had a moment to rest.
Izaya lied his head on the floor, panting heavily and looking up at the ceiling. He wasn't sure how long he had been running for, nor how long he had been trying to get away. The darkness had stretched for such a long time and was giving very little time in between. All he really knew was that it had come at least ten times now.
He hadn't gotten time to eat or sleep during those windows of reprieve from the darkness. Every time he tried, the darkness would come halfway through whatever he was doing. He was running low on steam now and certainly wasn't sure how much longer he could last.
'I can't keep up with this.' Izaya thought, 'The darkness is happening far too frequently.'
Izaya certainly knew why. He had angered Alessa and now it was Izaya's turn to coward in the wake of her wrath. After all, he did the complete opposite of what she told him to do. Within the black room, he couldn't help recalling the events to led to his situation.
Izaya blinked rapidly, inertia hitting him hard. He stumbled back as he looked around. It took him a moment to realize where he was. He was on the choir balcony. He heard Shizuo choke, which drew his attention to the banister. He went to rush over. However, Alessa grabbed his arm. He looked back at her.
"We must talk." The little girl said.
Izaya glared at Alessa. "Yeah, we do. You said we could leave Silent Hill if I helped you, yet—"
"I said you could leave Silent Hill. The Pyramid Child is where he belongs. Monsters of Silent Hill shouldn't leave Silent Hill. He's home now. It's time you left him be."
Izaya opened his mouth to argue, before his expression softened with guilt. He already knew that was true, but he was hoping that maybe it was some kind of fluke. That Alessa just forgot to release Shizuo as well. He then knelt down, so he was eye level with Alessa.
"Is there anyway I can convince you otherwise?" Izaya asked. "Shizu-chan has a family outside of this place. I can't—"
"They aren't his real family, Izaya. You know this. Roppi showed you as much."
"They would still miss him."
"The longer he stays in Silent Hill, the sooner they'll forget about him."
Izaya's brows furrowed.
"You, on the other hand, have overstayed your welcome." Alessa stated. "You should have left when you were supposed to. You should have left the Pyramid Child behind."
'I can't do that though.' Izaya thought.
"The way is shut now." Alessa continued, "You don't deserve to get out the easy way."
The little girl reached her hand out, a syringe clutched in her tiny fingers. There was a bright green liquid in the glass holster.
"You have to suffer to get out now." Alessa said. "If you don't want to accept my permission, then you'll accept the pain. It is the only other way to get out of Silent Hill."
Izaya cocked a brow. 'You can get out through pain?'
The raven looked at the syringe before reaching his hand out to take it. Alessa rolled it into his grasp.
"This serum will overload your pain receptors." Alessa stated. "It will make you very sensitive, to the point where just a few cuts to the wrists will feel like your arm's getting torn off. So long as you stay awake, the pain and suffering will be your doorway out of Silent Hill."
Izaya looked at her, then down at the syringe. 'So, if I take this, I can get out easily.'
"Do not disappoint me again." Alessa said. "Get out of Silent Hill."
With that, Alessa raised her hand. Immediately, ashes began to fall from the roof to fuse with the floor. The darkness was passing. Izaya looked over his shoulder for a split second—to look around the room—then looked back at Alessa. However, she was gone.
All the room illuminated with natural, gray light, Izaya looked down at the syringe in his hand. Confliction held his expression.
'If I take this, I'll be leaving Shizu-chan behind. But if I don't, Alessa will no doubt punish me and Shizu-chan.'
The raven stood, his eyes still on the syringe.
'But I just can't leave Shizu-chan here. Not after everything we've been through together. Not after everything he's done for me. I can't just leave him to rot here after I went through the effort of saving him from the cultists.'
"I-Izaya!" Shizuo called.
The raven turned his head to look down at Shizuo. The blond was holding his stomach and shaking slightly.
'Is he injured?'
"Are-are you okay?" Shizuo asked.
Izaya didn't respond. 'Shizu-chan won't be able to get out through suffering.'
"Izaya?!"
'He barely feels pain as is, so even if I used this to get out, Shizu-chan won't be able to follow me.'
Shizuo forced himself to walk across the nave, still holding his stomach. He was breathing heavily, heavily enough that Izaya could hear him from the balcony, and mo ving slowly.
'But if I use this on him...Will he feel pain like a normal person? If he's like that, then I can get him out.'
"I-Izaya, are you alright?" Shizuo called up the stairs. "Th-that pyramid thing did something. I don't...feel very good."
'What did Red Pyramid do? He doesn't have any special abilities.'
"Does that pyramid thing have some kind of strange blood?"
'...Did Alessa poison Red Pyramid's blood for Shizuo? Or is it the pyramid head blood in Shizuo's veins that are finally responding to the darkness?'
"Should we leave this place?"
If that's the case, I'm going to have to do this now, before Alessa catches on.'
"If the pyramid thing can get in here," Shizuo's voice was closer now. "it's probably not safe anymore."
Izaya put the syringe down on the floor. His other hand tightened on the crowbar he still held onto. He rushed over to the entrance to the stairs, pressing himself against the wall by it.
'This is the only way Shizu-chan's going to get out. I have to sell it right and get it right the first time. This is the only chance I'll get.'
"I'm not sure what to do."
Shizuo's voice was right next to him.
'This is his only way out.'
Izaya clenched his teeth hard and swung the crowbar.
The raven stared up at the dark ceiling, a terrible scratching coming from the metal door. He then let out a heavy sigh.
'I went behind Alessa's back. I certainly deserve her rage right now.'
Izaya rolled over and pushed himself to his feet. He looked around himself, flashing his light left and right. There was no way out of the room, and from the noises on the door he was not going to get out the same way he came in. He looked around again. He spotted a vent that was just big enough for him.
'How long can I keep running from Alessa? How long is she going to be angry at me?'
Izaya walked over to the vent. He then turned around, so his back was to it. He donkey-kicked the vent with the bottom of his foot, so as not to damage his toes against the metal. It creaked but didn't budge. He kicked it again. It popped but was still remained. He kicked again. The grating popped off, clattering into the ventilation shaft.
'She probably won't ever forgive me. She's obviously the type to hold a grudge and apologizing isn't going to do anything.'
The raven knelt down and grabbed the grate. He pulled it out then shined his light in. There was no monster or blockage of any kind with the metal tunnel.
"If it's any consolation, Alessa, I'm sorry I disobeyed you."
With that, Izaya crawled into the vent. The metal tunnel went left, then right. It was a short trip as he came across another grate, this one leading outside. He stared out between the grate, looking for monsters.
What he saw surprised him. He looked upon a huge stone building illuminated by orange lights. There was a metal gate in front of it, with a sign on the fence saying 'Brookhaven Asylum'.
'There's an asylum in Silent Hill? Since when?'
The raven felt that may have been a stupid question, but he decided not to acknowledge it.
Izaya saw a person walking around inside the gate perimeter. He assumed it was another monster. However, once it stood under the light, Izaya was shocked to see it certainly wasn't. It was a man, dressed in a leather mining suit and gas mask. The same attire the men of the church would wear when they traveled through Silent Hill. He had a cattle prod in his hand as he patrolled the area.
'Then this place must be owned by the cultists.'
Izaya stared at it. He then looked over his shoulder back the way he came.
'It might not be a bad idea to go in there. Alessa probably won't be able to get me while in there, if this place is anything like the church was. Although, I'll have to try and hide somewhere. Maybe I can hide in a padded room that has a vent, so I can get in and out without anyone catching me.'
Izaya watched the man walk around the corner. The raven waited a little bit longer then leaned back. He kicked the grate with both feet. It bent to his blow. He kicked it again. The nuts popped and the grate bent further. The bottom bolts were still attached, so he kicked again, this time hitting the bottom left corner. The nut popped out as well, in which the grate spun down to hang by the last bottom bolt.
Izaya waited for the man to return. He didn't, however. For some reason, he didn't come to check the noise. Maybe he was too far away to hear it? Or maybe he assumed it was a monster and didn't need to worry about it? Izaya didn't know. He waited another minute then looked down. The ground was farther away than he thought it was, however, there was a few metal cylinders meant for holding quantities of grease—or radioactive waste, Izaya didn't know—under him.
The raven hopped down onto the cylinders. He then hopped down onto the dirt. He turned off his flashlight, and unclipped his hunters knife from the sheath. He wouldn't pull it out yet, but his hand was at the ready if needed.
Izaya rushed over to the gate. He waited behind the sign for the man to come back. However, he still didn't return.
'Maybe he's making a full patrol around the building and the building's bigger than I thought it was.'
Izaya stood and looked around. There were no vents to get into that he could see, and even if there were, they could lead to a room that he couldn't get out of. Same could be said for the windows, although they were all barred anyway. The safest way in would be the front door. Izaya didn't like that, but if he was going to get in, it was his best option.
The informant rushed up the front stone steps. He quickly made it to the front door and grabbed the handle. He opened it as quietly as he could with as little movement as he could. He opened it just enough to slink through and closed it behind him.
There was no one in sight. The front desk looked like it was used as the pieces of paper weren't old and decrepit nor were their layers of dust on anything. The building was definitely old and had damage from the darkness since it was not a shiny white facility and the lights were flickering, but it looked like the cultists were still using it.
Past the reception desk was a prison-like gate. He knew that was to keep the residence from escaping out the front door. Most asylums he had seen in recent years had a more inviting blockade, a white wall with a keycard-locked door. But obviously, this place wasn't like that. He assumed it was because it was older. He recalled watching movies during his childhood about old asylums that had similar setups, so it was certainly just the way to do it forty years ago.
Izaya walked up to the gate. He pushed on the door, in which it creaked open. Izaya cautiously walked around the corner to the door leading to the reception desk office. The door was unlocked, so he stepped inside.
He needed to find a floorplan of the ventilation shafts and the rooms. He skimmed through the pages on the desk. He saw folders on patients, which were of no interest to him, meals plans, inventory count, and patient reports. Nothing was important to him.
He went over to the filing cabinet. He came across more folders on patients. An entire cabinet, just dedicated to the residents within the asylum. Such a thing was quite alarming, knowing there were that many people within the building. He questioned if maybe they were past patients and maybe the asylum was actually abandoned. However, he knew that was entirely wrong since he could hear people screaming and whispering voices.
'I'm going to need to be really careful.'
Izaya checked another cabinet. More resident folders. He checked another one. A bunch of useless papers. However, in the third cabinet down, he found what he was looking for. A map of the building and the ventilation floorplans.
Something clattered behind Izaya. The raven jolted and quickly turned around, turning his flashlight on to shine it about. His other hand hovered over his knife.
He couldn't see anything on the other side of the door. But to be safe rather than sorry, he rushed over and closed it. His heart started to pound a little faster in residual fear. Nothing moved behind the metal grating over the window. He looked for anything that might have made the noise, but he could see nothing. He turned off his light and went back to the floorplans.
'S12 has two vents that are big enough for me to fit through. And it seems like the vents lead outside too, so I can definitely use that room as a makeshift sanctuary until I can figure out my next move.'
The raven folded the floorplans and stuffed them into his pants pocket. He went to turn away, however, something on top of the filing cabinet caught his attention. He grabbed the page to look at it.
Izaya's eyes widened. It was the recipe to make the paralysis drug the church members had fed Shizuo, the same one that Izaya used on the blond earlier.
'...Wait, so it wasn't some strange, otherworldly remedy? It was just chemical science?'
The raven looked at it, then looked at the other pages. It was nothing more than meal plans.
'...If that's the case, is it at all possible that the serum that Alessa gave me could also be made?'
Izaya began searching the rest of the filing cabinets, looking for the remedy that could possibly get him out without Alessa's forgiveness. It was certainly wishful thinking, but if he could, then he wouldn't even have to hide within the asylum.
He searched for nearly five minutes before finally finding a folder on medicinal recipes. He pulled it out and flipped through it. He found nothing. He put the folder back and continued on his search. The next folder was also filled with recipes. He skimmed through it.
Izaya smiled as he found what he was looking for.
'It is just chemical science! Alessa must have stolen it from the church!'
Izaya looked over the recipe. There were two pages of it. Izaya pulled them out of the folder and folded them up. He put it in his other pants pocket, then pulled out the map of the asylum.
'Where's the medical bay? I can probably make it in here and get out of Silent Hill right now.'
The raven looked at the map, then charted a course. He then looked around the room one last time, flashing his light around. He noticed the key box on the wall, and in a desire to be thorough, went over to it. He opened it. There were three rows of four keys, two missing and the bottom right one being S12.
He grabbed the key and pocketed it. 'Just in case I have to get out that way.'
"ALESssssaa."
Izaya jolted to the name that came hissing through the door. He quickly turned around and flashed his light. It was the only way out, so he had no choice but to go that way, although now he was worried to do so. He turned off his flashlight and stepped over to the door cautiously.
He opened the door, the frame creaking to the movement. He looked out into the dimly lit hallway. There was no one there. Against his better judgment, Izaya stepped out of the room and carefully made his way down the hall.
More noises echoed off the walls. Groans from the vent fans working and moans from whatever poor patients were administered to this establishment. He certainly didn't like it. As he walked down the hallway, the need for his flashlight became prevalent since all the lights further down didn't seem to work properly. He turned it on and flashed it around. On the wall he found a poster of the map and a few questionable photos he didn't bother to look at.
He continued down the way. His light shined as he made it to the end of the hall, in which it went left and right. He needed to go left, so to make sure he wouldn't get attacked from behind, he shined his light right.
The bright beam fell upon a person—or a monster barely considered human. It wore a pair of scrub pants that were tied close and had an exposed brain. Upon being touched by the light, it hissed and turned to look at Izaya sharply. It had half its face covered in flesh, over its eye, and the other half a gaping hole. It simply looked like its mouth stretched up to be the opening over its nose and one eye as the hole was lined with yellow teeth.
Izaya jolted and quickly turned his flashlight away but it was far too late. The creature rushed forward, grabbing the raven's shirt. The two struggled against each other before the person won out and forced Izaya to the ground. Izaya fell to his back with a huff of breath leaving his body as he scrambled to pull his knife out of the sheath. At the same time, the monster wrapped its long fingers around his throat.
Izaya's airway was cut as it squeezed. His fingers wrapped around his knife in a fierce grip. He couldn't hesitate. It was live or die right now! So, closing his eyes tight shut, Izaya swung the knife, where it buried into the neck of the person. It gurgled and choked, blood pouring forth from it's mouth to drip on Izaya's torso. Then it fell over. Izaya kept a hold of the knife, so it came out of the wound.
The raven coughed as he regained his breath. He rubbed his throat then he turned his head and looked at the monster.
'Is that an actual monster? Or just a poor resident of this asylum?'
Izaya wasn't sure. With the exposed brain, he would venture a guess that it was probably a poor soul who was converted by the church in the most horrendous way. But if it was human once, it certainly wasn't anymore.
The informant inhaled deeply and exhaled loudly. He rolled over and grabbed his flashlight from the ground, pushing himself to his feet. He looked at the creature one more time before heading on his way, further into the asylum.
Izaya walked upon floors of metal grating, his shoes clacking and echoing every which way. When he made it to the metal stairs, he went up then down the hall to the right. S12 was to the left, but the medical bay was to the right and he'd rather head there first. The raven entered a long corridor with metal doors on either side of him. If he made a left at the end of the hall and went down another flight of stairs, he'd be by the medical bay.
Something once again echoed down the hall, making Izaya pause. However, this noise wasn't the same as he had heard before. A chill of fear went up his spine when he recognized it. The sound of metal scraping against metal; the sound of something heavy being dragged against the grates. Following close behind it was a familiar roar that still haunted his dreams.
Izaya stepped back until his back pressed against the wall.
'Don't tell me Red Pyramid is in here! I thought this place was the churches—'
His thoughts were cut as a man screamed behind him. He tried to turn and look, but at the same time, arms came out to wrap around his neck and pull him into the door. Izaya called out in fright before he started to struggle against whoever grabbed him. He bit into the arm, the only way he saw being able to get out of the hold, in which the man let him go. The raven jolted forward, turning around to see who it was, only to get grabbed again.
"Let go of me!" Izaya yelled.
The hands on his shoulders reached up to grabbed a handful of his hair and the back of his shirt. Izaya called out in pain as he was pulled back. Once close enough, a hand pulled his head back harshly while the other snaked around his throat. Izaya pushed against the beefy limbs with both hands. His screams fell silent as he lost air, choking as the hand squeezed and squeezed.
The raven had no choice but to use his knife. As the hall echoed with his assailants mad yells, Izaya reached down with one hand and pulled his knife out of the sheath. He swung up quickly and let it burrow into the limb. The calls of insanity turned into call of pain as he finally let Izaya go.
The raven fell to the floor, coughing harshly and gasping. The dimly lit hallway was filled with the screams of madmen, all windows to every door filled with hands reaching out to grab anything. Izaya had known he was walking down the psyche ward hallway. He knew the walls were actually doors leading to rooms. But he did not know they had prison-like windows on said door for the patients to reach out. Although he certainly knew that now.
Izaya huffed as he looked at all the limbs above him. He wasn't going to be able to stand up. If he did, he would only get grabbed again.
'Someone help—Shizu-chan. Shizu-chan, help me!'
Heavy footfalls fell against the metal grates from the end of the hall Izaya had been heading to. The metal scraping got louder. Izaya's heart was threatening to beat out of his chest with fear. A quick flash of his light showed what he feared. A pyramid head was in the asylum.
However, it wasn't the usual monster Izaya usually sees. It wasn't Red Pyramid. His pyramid head didn't end at a point, but bent into a horizontal line. His skin was a darker gray with a pair of gloves that matched the color of his butcher's apron. His giant sword was also different. Instead of a over-sized bowie knife, it looked more like a giant kitchen knife.
'Dark Pyramid...'
Izaya knew there was more than one pyramid monster. It had taken him time to see the difference, but he knew long before he came to Silent Hill that there were two pyramid head's. However, since his arrival, he had only seen Red Pyramid. He had hoped that maybe the second pyramid head was all for his dreams. But it turns out he was wrong, which only made his stay in Silent Hill ten times worse.
The giant man with a metal pyramid for a head was lumbering towards him with his giant sword in hand.
The hands continued to grab and flail from their windows, unaware that the person they were reaching for was a monster with no mercy. Dark Pyramid turned his body to grab the sword with both hands. He then raised it above his head with a mighty roar and swung it down. Two sets of arms were chopped off, followed by screams of horror and pain from their owners. The limbs fell to the floor with a meaty thud.
Izaya stared on in horror. Dark Pyramid swung his blade again, cutting off another pair of arms. And ever the while, he continued to lumber forward down the hall. Fight or flight finally kicked in for Izaya. The raven turned and pushed himself into the middle of the hall—just out of reach of the grasping hands. He pushed to his feet and made a speedy escape down the hall.
'S12! S12! Get to S12!'
Down the hall, Izaya ran as fast as his limbs could take him. He passed the stairs and continued on until he reached the end of the hall where it turned right. Izaya entered a dimly lit hallway. He flashed his light, appalled to see the walls were draped in what looked like human flesh, stretched into strips and strung out to make a strange webbing along the metal.
However, at the end of the small hallway was a door that said S12 and had a symbol scrawled onto it with black paint. He didn't know what the symbol was. It was the first time he saw it and it certainly wasn't the strange cross he'd been seeing the whole time. It was a circle design with circles and other symbols in the middle, an eye and strange writing bordering the sphere's edge.
Izaya didn't particularly care to figure out what that was. All he knew was he had to escape through that room. He rushed forward, ignoring the fleshy walls, and grabbed the key from his pocket. He fumbled getting it inside the lock for a moment before inserting and turning the key. There was a loud thunk of metal. He then grabbed the sliding mechanism keeping the door shut. He twisted it up, pulled it away from the wall out of its notch, and twisted it back down. He then pushed the door open with his body.
He rushed into the room and quickly closed the door behind him. As soon as he did that, he realized he messed up. The room was padded, although the usual white foam walls were a revolting orange from rust and probably blood. However, that didn't matter. What mattered was the fact that padded rooms could only be opened from the outside since the foam made a seal from the inside once closed.
"Shit..." Izaya raised his light to the door, trying to feel for something to grab onto along the edge in order to pull it open. No such luck, unfortunately. "Well, looks like I have to use the vent now."
Chains rattled in the room behind Izaya. The raven jolted, and quickly turned around. He flashed his light around, but his beam wasn't able to penetrate the darkness completely. There was only one overhead light to shine in the center of the room and his light couldn't reach the darkness on the other side.
Thankfully, he wouldn't have to wait too long to see what was in there. The chains rattled again and a man stepped out of the shadows. He had fair hair and ragged clothes. A metal collar sat around his neck, along with shackles on his wrists, in which the chains were attached to. That kept him from coming any closer to Izaya. The raven breathed a sigh of relief.
"Another crazy bastard..." Izaya grumbled.
"Oh, hello child."
Izaya jolted. 'He can actually talk.'
"I don't know what language you're speaking. Would you mind talking in English if you can? I have a hard time processing things nowadays."
His hand reached up to trail along the stitches over his forehead. He then smiled happily as he reached his hands out.
"Please, come closer, so-so I can touch you."
Izaya glowered at him. "Yeah, that's not happening." He said in English.
The man instantly looked disappointed. A quick flashlight beam to the eyes showed they were faded over and gray. This man was certainly blind—although that didn't make Izaya want to change his decision.
"Did Claudia send you?" The man asked.
"Claudia?"
"Yes, my own daughter says I'm corrupted by the darkness!" The man's voice raised with rage as he swung his fists down. "She says that I'm a monster, heheh! Heh, she's far worse than I am! She's also corrupted by the same darkness."
"Who's Claudia?"
"Oh-ho? You don't know? So you weren't sent by her."
"No, I wasn't."
"Well, you best stay away from that place. If you're not with the Order then you must be some lost soul who stumbled into Silent Hill."
'The Order?'
"...Well, you could say that." Izaya stated, "I'm trying to get out of Silent Hill as we speak."
"Well, heheh, there are many Silent Hills. You should be careful that getting out of one doesn't trap you in another."
Izaya paused at that. 'Is that why Shizu-chan and I couldn't meet up at the raft at that time?'
Izaya vaguely remembered hearing Shizuo yell his name when he was at the raft. And after asking Shizuo about it, he said he saw Izaya at the raft before he disappeared.
"Is the darkness the same?" Izaya asked.
"Oh, yes. The darkness is the only thing that links all the Silent Hills together."
"How do you know that? Who are you?"
"Oh, right. Introductions. I tend to forget things." His hand touched the back of his head. "I'm Leonard Wolf. Who are you?"
"...Shizuo."
Izaya decided it was best not to tell him who he was, in case this man knew he was and what he had done.
"Ah, Shizuo." Leonard said, "That's a strange name."
"I'm Japanese."
"Oh! You are a very long way from home then!"
"That's why I'm trying to get out."
"Well, you'll be hard pressed to do that. No one leaves Silent Hill without Alessa Gillespie's permission and she doesn't give permission to anyone."
"...Yeah, I know. But I heard that you can get out through intense pain and suffering."
"That is one way, yes. Although there is an easier way."
Izaya's eyes widened. "Wait, there's an easier way than that?"
"Yes. There is a talisman somewhere in Silent Hill. Actually there are two pieces to the same talisman. It's called the Seal of Metatron."
"Metatron? As in the angel?"
"That's right. You are quite studied."
"Yes, it's always best to study up on religion."
'Even if I don't believe.' Izaya decided not to say that aloud since he didn't know what this mans thoughts on the matter were like.
"That's good. That's good." Leonard said. "Then you would know that Metatron is the agent of God. If you can find the seal, I'm sure it can get us out of Silent Hill."
'Us?' Izaya didn't particularly like that but he wouldn't voice his opinion since it may lose him this seal.
"Are you sure it can get someone out of Silent Hill?" Izaya asked.
"Oh, yes, I am sure. If used right, it can do many things, I'm sure."
"Do you know where they're at, these pieces?"
"I know where one is. But the other eludes me. I heard rumors that Alessa Gillespie may have taken it, to keep the two halves separate."
"...So, that means it'd be in her lair."
"Potentially. Or she hid it somewhere in Silent Hill."
'...Fuck.'
"Do you have any idea where it might be? A clue or something?"
"I don't. However, I would check the Brookhaven hospital."
Izaya stared. Then he let out a heavy sigh and rolled his eyes. "This is pointless."
The raven then flashed his light up towards the roof. He needed to get out through the vents, but he wasn't sure where they were in the room.
"No, child, it's not pointless!" Leonard called. "The Seal will surely help us both!"
"But if I don't know where the other half is, it's completely useless. I'm better off with the pain and suffering thing."
"You're being foolish. You—"
Leonard fell quiet as the door clattered. Izaya jolted.
"Looks like my caretakers are here."
Izaya looked at him then looked at the door.
"It would be best to hide in the shadows." Leonard said, gesturing behind him.
Izaya nodded quickly and rushed past the fair-haired man. He didn't fully trust Leonard, but right now he was the lesser of two evils. He turned off his flashlight and disappeared into the shadow.
The door opened. Two men walked in, dressed in their leather suits and gas masks. They flashed their lights around before they fell on Leonard.
"Why was the door unlocked?" One of the men asked.
"It was unlocked?" Leonard voiced, smiling as he lifted his chained arms. "I couldn't reach that far, so I didn't even know."
The men looked around again. "Did someone come in here?"
"Boy, I am blind. If someone came in, I wouldn't know."
The man groaned in annoyance.
Izaya's heart was beating against his chest. He could hear it in his ear. His teeth clenched. His hands were starting to shake with nervousness. He quickly put his hands behind his back to keep them from making any noise.
However, that was a huge mistake. A chain was dangling from the ceiling, a chain that Izaya didn't see since he was in the dark. When he moved his arm, his shoulder brushed against the chain and made it rattle.
'Shit.'
The two caretakers jolted and shined their lights in Izaya's general direction. Izaya was blinded by the lights, closing his eyes and raising his hand to block it. He hoped they still couldn't see him, that the shadows were impregnable like with Izaya's like. But that seemed to not be the case as he then heard the men's heavy footfalls rushing towards him.
'Shit!'
Izaya went to run.
"Hey!" One of the men yelled.
"Who are you?! How'd you get in here?!"
Izaya didn't answer. Instead, he tried to make a wide circle around Leonard and the two caretakers. One jolted to Leonard's left and the other to his right to effectively block both paths. Izaya jumped back.
"Don't fucking touch me!" Izaya yelled.
The men rushed him again. Izaya had to try and just slink pass. He rushed the man on the right. His hands reached out and grabbed Izaya's shoulder. The raven twisted, spinning around in which he got out of his grasp and could head straight to the door.
However, his twist made him collide with Leonard, who called out in surprise before falling over as well.
"Sorry!" Izaya said as he pushed himself back up.
However, the right caretaker pounced on Izaya, slamming his knee into the small of his back. The raven was winded as he called out. However, he couldn't stop moving! He had to fight!
The raven twisted and kicked as much as he could while he gasped for air. The left caretaker rushed over, shoving Leonard out of the way and grabbing Izaya's arm.
"Let—hak—Let go of me!" Izaya yelled. "Ge—kaf kaf—t off me!"
The men struggled with the smaller man for a moment, trying to keep the spindly Izaya from escaping. Izaya kicked, struggled, and twisted as best as he could.
Although, his struggles came to an abrupt stop as the end of the giant flashlight the caretakers held slammed into the back of his head. His vision blurred as his head went light. Then the floor raised towards his face, his mind going numb as black filled his gaze.
PSA to anyone who reads Durarara doujin and decides to start scanning or translating: DO NOT WORK WITH YAOI-SEI! As some of you know, I have been translating doujins. I truly liked Yaoi-Sei and was working with her for a while. I then got myself a typesetter, lovely girl, who let me know that Yaoi-Sei has been stealing other groups scans, calling them as her own, and is the reason multiple of these scanlation groups have closed their blogs. If you've been reading DRRR doujins from the beginning, names like Sugar Parade, Sweet Utopians and Violet Scans are well known. All of these groups have announced their dislike of Yaoi-Sei and her thieving ways and Violet Scans has even closed their group because of her, as well as Onigiri Ramens (who posts Naruto doujins). In Onigiri Ramens' case, they had an agreement with a Chinese scanlator group who was giving them free doujins to translate and post and in exchange, Onigiri Ramen wouldn't post them elsewhere. Yaoi-Sei was stealing their scans, and thus the Chinese group retracted their agreement and Onigiri Ramens closed their group. And to add insult to injury, Yaoi-Sei laughed at the groups when they asked her to remove her stolen posts and acted like a 12-year-old, immaturity and all.
After finding this out, I asked Yaoi-Sei if it was true and she turned on me completely. I was debating whether I wanted to continue to scan for her and just not give her the stories that were typeset by my new partner. The deciding fact to that decision would be how Yaoi-Sei responded, if she admitted she did this and since it was ten years ago/three years ago, she had finally developed some decency and stopped her ways. Nope. She completely turned on me, removed my credit page from doujin I sent her, then stole it/claimed it as her own. Luckily, I was able to report it as stolen since it had been on my tumblr for months and she waited until after we had fallen out to post them (I sent them to her right after I posted them to mine months ago) and she then treated me the same way she treated the other scanlation groups, laughing at me and being completely immature.
There is unfortunately nothing I can do with her other than report my work as stolen when she steals them. I have contacted Tumblr's Help Desk, explaining that Yaoi-Sei has been stealing posts for literally ten years, and her entire tumblr is built on stealing people's posts, however, they simply told me that I need to report her for stealing my stuff and only my stuff. The fact that she's a repeated offender with proof (I have screenshots and articles of everything) doesn't matter to them. And I unfortunately don't have a following on tumblr to get the word out on Yaoi-Sei's behavior. So, I'll post it here.
Do not work with Yaoi-Sei. She is a thief and a vile person both in personality and character. Do not follow her on Tumblr and do not support her work. It is ALL STOLEN!
If after reading all this and you still like Yaoi-Sei, then very kindly stop following me on every platform (Archive, FF, NewTumbl, Tumblr, and MRM). Thank you!
