One week later.

Friday, 3pm, Raijin Academy, club room.

Izaya and Shinra had decided to postpone their stakeout until they were more organized. The last of Izaya's worries concerning Shinra's sudden friendship disappeared. Obviously, Shinra wouldn't leave him alone and took their friendship seriously.

They didn't get much time to set up the room between their schoolwork and home life. Shinra was getting impatient, and Izaya had to admit, he was keen to know what secrets that building held. Izaya placed two boxes of school equipment down in the corner: pens, paper packs, and folders. Izaya turned to the door when a table came into the room and simply grinned as he watched. "How did I end up carrying all the heavy stuff?" the one carrying the table said.

"Ah! It's because Dota-chin is stronger~" Izaya replied playfully.

Yeah, not only was Shinra becoming his friend, but Kyohei Kadota was too. Izaya didn't know when it happened, but Kadota seemed very much down to earth and was pretty easy to get along with now that Izaya had spent a bit of time around him. In all honesty, Izaya loved to tease him even more than Shinra. Kadota responded without teasing, getting annoyed for a few seconds, and then brushed it off.

"Please! Please, please. We're not going to get a lot done if it's just the two of us," Shinra whined. The day after they discussed the building, Shinra had opted to try to get Kyohei to join the., Izaya couldn't control whom Shinra chose to be friends with. Since Izaya didn't have the same chosen class as him, it was only natural for Shinra to try and befriend another for company.

"We don't really need it, Shinra, the help I mean."

"Come on! I know you'll get along! I promise!"

Izaya rolled his eyes and plucked out the fatty tuna from Shinra's bento box. "How do we know he'd be willing to join anyway?"

"Well, I asked him."

"And?"

"He said he would."

Izaya chuckled. "Just like that? And you just believed him?"

"I can tell he's serious! Just give him a chance."

So, Izaya did, and he didn't regret it either. Kadota proved very committed and was rather excited when Shinra told him about their stakeout plans.

Kadota placed the table down in the center. "A little to the left," Izaya told him. Kadota scowled at him, and Izaya laughed. "I'm kidding, Dota-chin~."

The brown-haired man sighed. "Will you stop calling me Dota-chin?" Izaya shrugged. He never listened, so Kadota wondered why he bothered asking. "I'll go get the last table." And he left the room again. Izaya simply chuckled at his annoyance and began setting out the writing equipment on the table. He walked to the file cabinet and slipped all the folders into one drawer and the spare paper in the one below. This school was more open about its after-school clubs, especially knowing what they were researching, and Izaya found it strange. The head seemed optimistic, willing to donate some desks and office equipment. He had even given them a second model computer from the old faculty lounge. Izaya wondered if the head was just trying to keep his students out of trouble because Izaya's little stunt on the roof had gone around the school rather quickly. It wasn't his intention to gain a reputation, but he didn't care either way.

With Kadota around them now, the bullies seemed to pick on Shinra even less than before. Their new friend had a bit of a protective streak, and Izaya was grateful that someone else was looking out for Shinra.

Shinra panted as he walked through the door, holding two chairs. "I - I thought…you…helping," he breathed out when he set the two chairs down beside the desk.

Izaya looked at him with amusement. "I am."

Shinra pouted. "I meant physically."

"You and Dota-chin are doing a fine job on your own. I'm the better organizer, and the better brains." There was a grunt from Kadota as he carried the other desk into the room just as Izaya finished his sentence. "Isn't that what you wanted to pump me for?"

Kadota almost dropped the table. "What?!"

Shinra glared at Izaya, who just laughed at his discomfort. "You're so cruel!" he whined.

Kadota simply stared at the two, waiting for an explanation. Izaya looked over at him and waved his hand dismissively. "Relax, Dota-chin, it's not what you think. I was just joking, simply saying that I'm the brains, while you're the muscle."

Kadota merely shrugged. "If you say so."

Shinra pouted again. "Hey, what does that make me then?"

Izaya shrugged and grinned as he pushed the table against the other, creating an L shape. "Bait, I guess."

"Bait? For what?"

"Ghosts? Just in case we need a decoy or something."

Shinra whined and stomped his foot. "That's horrible!"

Kadota laughed. "Come on, we all know you got the brains too."

Izaya chuckled as he led Shinra out of the room. "Come on, I'll help bring the other chairs up," he said and called over his shoulder. "Dota-chin~ can you bring up the computer equipment!"

Kadota snorted. Izaya knew very well that the computer boxes were heavier. "God damn it, what a pain he is."

Friday, 9pm, abandoned building.

Izaya looked at the building, wondering how they would get in there. He had brought wire cutters with him but began second-guessing that idea because he didn't want to get in trouble for trespassing. The building was blocked off for a reason, and Izaya wanted to know why. "I wonder if I should get a head start?" he said as he eyed the fence. Izaya shrugged, took a few steps back, then lunged himself up the fence, clinging onto the wires and pulling himself up. Izaya pulled himself over the top, grateful for no sharp wires, and threw his bag down before making a graceful landing as he jumped from the fence.

Izaya picked up his pack and fished out his torch. Zipping up the bag, he slung it back over his shoulder, took a breath, and began walking the distance to the building. He flicked the torch on the moment he stepped up to the door. Izaya cringed when the wood beneath his feet creaked. Their building research only got them so far; it was at least seventy years old and was built with nothing but wood and nails, not exactly the sturdiest of buildings. Even after seven decades, it wouldn't take long to rot away. Izaya was amazed it was still here. They couldn't get a floor plan, so they would have to search blindly.

They only managed to find half-explanations about what this place really was, and the articles they did find all suggested a different purpose. Izaya pulled his phone out, sent a quick text to Shinra, and placed it back in his jacket.

Izaya placed the lit torch in his mouth to free up his hands and pushed against the wooden door, placing all of his weight against it. He shone the torch around as he made the first steps inside. The entrance was bare, and nothing but an old dusty rug lay in the middle. In fact, there was dust everywhere and a lot of cobwebs. To be expected, Izaya thought nonchalantly.

Shinra smiled as he ran to meet Kadota at the fence. 9:30 on the dot. "Hey," Kadota greeted first. "I just got here, so no need to rush. Still waiting on Izaya."

Shinra smiled nervously. "Yeah, about that. He's already inside."

Kadota's eyes widened a fraction. "Seriously? This a habit of his? Just goes on in alone like that?"

Shinra laughed. "I don't know about that, but he's definitely not the type to scare easily."

Kadota sighed. "God damn it." He looked up at the fence. "He probably climbed it. I don't see any self-made holes anywhere."

Shinra pouted. "I was afraid you'd say that. Gym was never my strong suit, and just so you know, it still isn't."

Kadota chuckled, shuffled his bag on both shoulders, and jumped up, getting a good first grip. "Come on, I'll help you."

Shinra looked up at the fence again; between Izaya and Kadota, the two of them were bound to get him into trouble. Snapping out of his thoughts, he realized Kadota was already halfway up, waiting for him, reaching his hand down. Shinra took a deep breath and jumped as high as he could, and Kadota grabbed his hand before he could fall, and together, they made their way to the top. Shinra panted; he wasn't exaggerating when he said the gym wasn't his strong suit. Shinra watched Kadota jump off and land with a slight stumble, looking up at him, telling him it was his turn. He just made it look so easy.

"Your turn," Kadota said. Shinra closed his eyes with a whine, let go, and landed on his feet, only to stumble forward rather pathetically until he landed on his face. Kadota snorted, trying hard not to laugh. "You okay?"

Shinra lifted his head, wiping off the dirt from his face and groaning as he stood up. He sighed and said, "Let's go see where Izaya is, and make sure he's not getting into trouble somewhere."

Kadota looked at the building. "You really think we'll find anything?"

Shinra shrugged. "Probably not, but the information we gathered about the place sure seemed fishy."

Kadota nodded. "You're right about that."

The two made their way to the entrance, each retrieving their torches.

Izaya was already making his way through the first floor of the building. He had found several rooms, all set up exactly the same. He found no pictures on the walls or anything that suggested the rooms had even been occupied. The beds in the rooms he'd searched were made.

Izaya reached the end of the hallway and found the first staircase, but something harshly brushed past him as he took the first step.

Startled, he dropped the torch, his breathing becoming heavy for a moment. Izaya gripped the banister to calm himself. When the panic eased, Izaya picked up his torch, noticing it had clicked off. He clicked it again, but nothing happened. "Shit." Not willing to go back and just wait for the others, Izaya placed his hand back on the banister and used the wall to feel his way up the stairs. It probably would have been a lot easier to have done this during the day. He reached the top of the stairs and noticed another long corridor. "How many rooms does this place have?"

"Izaya! Are you here?" Shinra's voice.

Took them long enough, Izaya thought and looked down to see Shinra and Kadota at the bottom of the stairs. "I'm up here," he told them.

"Just what were you thinking going off alone," Kadota said as they ascended the stairs.

Izaya grinned. "I got here early. Don't worry, nothing happened."

Shinra shook his head. "And what if it did?"

"Then I suppose you'd have to come help me."

Kadota rolled his eyes and added, "You could worry a little, you know."

Izaya chuckled and continued.

"Did you see all the rooms downstairs?" Izaya asked after a few seconds.

"Yeah," Kadota replied. "Kind of weird. Like they hadn't even been used."

"My thoughts exactly."

Shinra nodded, and they decided to split up and search the second-floor rooms.

Izaya took the first four on the left, Kadota, the four on the right, and Shinra, the four further down, two left on each side.

After searching the last room, Izaya met Kadota back in the hallway. Izaya handed Kadota an old book he'd found. "What is it?" Kadota asked, flipping the first page. "Some kind of passage?"

"I think it's a rule book, and I'm starting to think this place might have been some kind of boarding school. I found this book in every room I searched."

Kadota tilted his head. "Really? I didn't find anything like this in the one's I searched."

Izaya checked one of the rooms Kadota had searched and noticed the difference. "Perhaps this side was for the teachers, and the other the students?"

Kadota nodded, flicked the book's pages, and stopped when he found something. "Hey, there's a name here," he said as he showed it to Izaya.

Izaya looked at it. "Harima, Mika." They searched the other rooms again, looked inside the books, and returned. "I also got Rio Kamichika and Saki Mikajima," he said.

"I found Haruna Niekawa."

Izaya touched his finger and thumb to his chin in thought. "All girl names."

Kadota nodded. "Maybe an all girl's school?"

Izaya looked up at him. "Possibly."

Suddenly, they heard a loud scream.

Looking at one another, they came to the same conclusion. "Shinra!"

Izaya and Kadota ran down the last stretch of corridor, and just as they were about to enter Shinra's location, Izaya tripped. Kadota halted and knelt down. "Izaya! Are you okay?"

Izaya's eyes widened as he looked down, but he couldn't see anything. "S-Something has my ankle."

"What? I can't see anything, are you sure?"

Izaya nodded, trying to yank his leg back. "Something has hold of me!" he shouted in panic. Kadota grabbed Izaya from under his arms and pulled. He felt the tug and gasped in surprise.

"Shit." He pulled Izaya toward him, but whatever had held his ankle wasn't willing to let go.

They heard the scream again.

"Dammit!"

Izaya pushed at Kadota's leg. "Get Shinra!"

"I gotta help you first!"

"Who knows what's happening to him! Get Shinra first!"

Kadota clenched his fists, not overly happy with the decision, but he relented and ran into the room and froze.

Shinra was against the wall, trying to fend off some kind of invisible force, clawing at his neck as if it were trying to strangle him. "Shinra!" Kadota grabbed hold of Shinra, and the speckled man coughed as he took a sharp breath. "Are you alright! What happened!" Kadota tried desperately to search the room, but he couldn't see anything. "This isn't good. We should get out of here."

Shinra rubbed his neck. "But we're no closer to finding anything about this place. Something definitely grabbed me."

"You're safe now. Izaya thinks it's - oh shit! Izaya!" Kadota ran out of the room, leaving Shinra to blink in confusion after him.

Izaya gritted his teeth as he held onto one of the door frames. Whatever it was, it was determined. He looked back at his ankle, and that's when he saw it, the spirit from the window. Izaya yelped when his fingers slipped from the frame and tried to grab another, but the grip tightened, and he slid across the last stretch of the hallway. Izaya's eyes locked onto the door in front of him across the landing, and he realized the spirit had no intention of stopping. Izaya covered himself when it forced him through the door. "Agh!"

Kadota shouted in dismay. "Shit!"

Shinra came out of the room, hearing Kadota's panicked voice. "What, what's wrong?"

"He's gone," Kadota gritted out.

"Don't worry, he's probably gone to another part of the house already."

"No! When we heard you scream, we both ran to get you. Izaya tripped, and it seemed like something was pulling on his ankle. I tried to help but he told me to get you first."

Shinra began to panic. "But - if he's not here…then-"

"Something dragged him off."

"We have to find him! He could be hurt or trapped or-" Shinra began to hyperventilate, and Kadota grabbed his shoulders and shook him.

"Shinra! Calm down, we'll find him!"

Shinra tried to get his breathing under control. "But-"

"We'll find him," Kadota repeated more calmly. "Where's your torch?"

Shinra sighed. "I dropped it. I think it's broken."

"Stay close to me," Kadota said as he clicked his torch, and they made their way to the end of the corridor.

Kadota froze. "Shinra," he called in a whisper, "the door…."

Shinra poked his head around him. "It's been busted through, almost as if…."

Kadota frowned. "Yeah, Izaya was probably dragged through."

Izaya groaned as he sat up and looked around. He could barely see anything and pulled out the matches he'd used to search the rooms with. He stood up and hissed when he fell back against the wall. Glancing down, Izaya struck a match and lifted up his trouser leg. There was a lot of swelling around his ankle, and - fear crept up his spine when he saw an angry red handprint. Izaya yelped when the match burnt down to his fingers. He jumped when a sudden loud banging noise sounded around the walls.

"Did you hear that?" Kadota asked.

Shinra gulped. "Very much so."

"Izaya!" Kadota ran across the landing, threw open the door, and almost sighed in relief. Izaya looked over, seeing his two friends by the door, grateful to see Shinra was okay. "Are you hurt?"

"My ankle. I can't move it, but I'm okay." Kadota and Shinra made their way into the room, and with the light of Kadota's torch, Izaya could see better. "It looks like a-" the two turned to him, wondering why he stopped.

"Izaya?" Shinra called. They followed Izaya's line of vision and saw a rope tied into a noose. "Oh…"

Kadota stepped closer to it. "I think we all know what happened here," he said solemnly.

Izaya flinched when he spotted the spirit at the back of the room and tried to remain calm. He then noticed a ring around her neck. Izaya looked at the rope and back at her.

"Hey Izaya," Kadota called. "You okay? What are you looking at?" Izaya was about to reply when the loud banging rattled the walls again. They all jumped, and Shinra latched onto Kadota's arm since he was close to him. Izaya's eyes were glued to the back of the room, where the spirit was still present. It seemed to lock eyes with him, and Izaya felt as though it were looking straight into the depths of his soul. Suddenly, the temperature in the room grew cold. "Let's get out of here. It's getting dangerous. I feel like I'm about to get frostbite or something."

Izaya pushed off the wall and limped across the room toward the spirit. It pointed at the wall. Shinra watched Izaya carefully. "Izaya…. let's get out of here, okay? Come on, you're hurt," Shinra told him.

"Not yet. I think there's something-" Suddenly, the floor creaked loudly before the wood started to crack. Izaya froze, looking down at the floor. He swallowed back the fear, but his heart hammered against his chest. "D-Dota-chin…."

"Shit. Izaya… don't move, okay? I'm coming to you…."

"Izaya!" Shinra called in a panic.

Kadota screamed behind him. "Shinra! Stay back!"

Shinra backed up, staring at them with worry.

Izaya glanced at the spirit and could have sworn it was trying to tell him something. The floor cracked around him slowly, but he didn't dare move and turned his head slightly without moving his body. "Dota-chin….help."

"I'm here, it's okay. When I say so, I want you to reach out and grab my hand, okay? I'll pull you back."

"I'm going to fall…."

"No, you're not. I'll grab you. I won't let you fall."

Shinra wanted to call out and tell them to hurry up, but he could see the fear radiating from his friend's body. "Izaya," Shinra whispered. Why couldn't he be more fearless? Why couldn't he be there for his friend when he needed him the most.

The floor suddenly gave way, and Kadota lunged forward as Izaya turned around and reached out his hand. "Izaya!" Kadota grabbed his wrist tightly and pulled him back when the floor collapsed. Kadota shouted for Shinra to run, coaxing Izaya to climb on his back. They made a dash down the stairs when they heard the rest of the floor collapse behind them from the room. Shinra was the first outside, followed soon after by Kadota, with Izaya clutching onto him. "What the hell was that?"

Shinra shook. "It's a sure sign of paranormal activity. Creaking floors, banging…."

"I wasn't talking to you." Shinra blinked up at him.

"Oh."

Kadota felt Izaya tense. "Hey, what was that about? Why didn't you listen to me? What were you doing? You almost got yourself killed!"

Izaya pushed against him. "Let me down," he said, hiding how shaken he was.

Kadota sighed and gently knelt down, easing Izaya off to sit on the wooden step. "So? What happened back there?" Izaya remained quiet, wrapping his arms around his knees, ignoring the ache in his ankle. "Answer me, Izaya! What did you think you were doing? You're lucky I caught you!"

Shinra frowned and stepped between them. "Hey! Lay off, will you?"

Kadota glared at him, turned away from them, and sighed, trying to calm down. After all, Izaya didn't know the floor would collapse. Right now, he was probably in shock. "Sorry…. I get protective about my friends."

Shinra smiled. "It's okay. We're lucky you were there." Shinra turned and knelt beside Izaya, motioning for his ankle. "Can I take a look? I brought bandages." Izaya nodded and leaned back on his palms, holding his ankle out. He hissed when Shinra took his shoe off and then his sock. "I don't think it's broken, but it's definitely sprained."

Kadota turned around. "How can you tell?"

Shinra laughed lightly. "My dad is a doctor. He wants me to follow him someday, but, my interests lie elsewhere. I feel like this is my calling. The paranormal world is too fascinating."

Izaya chuckled then as if coming out of his shock. "Screaming like a girl notwithstanding?"

Shinra pouted. "I screamed a manly scream!"

Kadota joined in the laughter and sat beside the raven while Shinra bandaged his ankle. "Sorry for the outburst," he said to him with slight embarrassment.

Izaya shrugged. "Ne. You're protective, and you look out for people. Not a bad trait to have, I guess."

"Think so?"

Shinra nodded with a smile, setting Izaya's foot down gently. "Absolutely. I mean, who knows what would have happened in there. See, Izaya, I told you we needed him."

Izaya smacked him upside the head. "Shut up."

Shinra rubbed his head, poking his tongue out. Kadota brought out his phone. "It'll be light soon. We better head home." Kadota stood up and looked down at Izaya. "You gonna be okay getting back?" Izaya nodded, and Kadota helped him to his feet. They walked toward the fence as the sky was slowly getting light. Izaya looked hesitantly toward the top, and Kadota nudged him with a small grin. "You know, you can ask for help."

Izaya avoided his gaze but sighed. "I'm pretty beat," he admitted.

"I'm not surprised!" Shinra exclaimed. "You were dragged through a door for crying out loud! And you nearly collapsed with the floor! Of course, I was almost strangled to death, but I guess you did come off worse."

Izaya scowled in annoyance. "Was there a point to that?"

"Huh, I thought there was." Shinra grinned at him, and Izaya rolled his eyes.

Kadota knelt down. "Get on."

Izaya lowered his head, clearly embarrassed, but reached an arm around Kadota's neck, and the other lifted him with ease onto his back.

Kadota lowered Izaya to the ground once they made it down the other side and started back up. "Better help the idiot over. Don't wanna have him sprain an ankle too. We'll never hear the end of it."

Izaya nodded with a chuckle.

"Hey!" whined Shinra, "I heard that!"

After helping Shinra down, the three friends look toward the building. "That was intense. I've never experienced anything like that before," Kadota said seriously.

"I'd be lying if I said I had," Izaya replied with a frown. I'm not giving up yet. Something happened in that building that no one was meant to know, and I'm going to find out what that is.

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