Shizuo and Kadota stood behind the couch, staring blankly at their friends. "That's bullshit!" Shizuo bellowed, unable to keep his temper under control, and gripped the back of the couch. "All those dates are just a coincidence!" Izaya rolled his eyes as he shifted to look at the blond with a frown.

"All of them? All five of them? Seven, if you include the servant, and Mr Tanaka."

Shizuo growled down at him. Izaya had a point, but it was just hard to believe. "Let's just say you're right-"

Izaya raised his eyebrows. "I am right. The articles prove that."

"Shut up and let me finish! Say you are right, but how does that help us now?"

Shinra hummed in thought, and they fell into silence for a moment. "Izaya, did anything weird happen in the house before that servant drowned? Was there any mention of any unexplained mishaps?"

Izaya looked at the screen, flicking back to the first page. "I don't think so. I could only find records as far back as that first death."

"Would it be totally odd if we assumed that all the sudden deaths and paranormal activities happening in this house were his fault?"

Izaya blinked at Shinra. "Actually, that does make sense."

"It does?" An excited glint appeared in Shinra's eyes, not expecting to be right.

"I don't know how, but I think you're right. The servant was killed by his owner, and wouldn't you be pretty pissed off if you served the family for so long only for one of them to kill you for no reason?"

Shizuo and Kadota now sat on the floor, trying to keep up. "What exactly are you suggesting here?" Shizuo asked. "We've got some kind of vengeful ghost spirit that's moping around killing its occupants?"

Izaya huffed. "Well, try not to sound too sceptical." Shizuo narrowed his eyes at the sarcasm. "It sounds very likely."

"But everyone else didn't have anything to do with it…. why go after them?" Kadota said, not even hiding the sorrow from his tone.

"I don't think he cared. He was angry, I guess. I'm just not sure how he did it."

Shizuo tilted his head with a frown. "Isn't it obvious? If he was able to push us off the balcony, then doesn't it make sense he could do the same to the others? The teenager was pushed down the stairs, the man fell off the balcony-"

"While some of them explanations are plausible, how would you explain the boiler room explosion?"

"Spirits can possess objects, right?"

"What about the boy? He died of an illness. How do you explain that?"

Shizuo stood up, fists clenched. "I don't know!"

Izaya narrowed his eyes. "Why are you getting angry? Is it because I'm right? Or that you can't stand the fact you come from a priest family, and can't come up with one logical explanation? Or maybe you refuse to believe anything simply because you don't even want to deal with how your parents dealt with you."

Shinra and Kadota gasped and looked toward the blond. Shizuo was barely able to control his anger. Izaya knew he had gone too far and felt his fingers tremble over the keyboard, but he didn't dare open his mouth to even attempt an apology. Any moment now, Shizuo would kick the crap out of him. Shizuo gritted his teeth, eyes burning with anger as he glared at the raven sitting on the couch. "I'd stay out of my way from now on, Izaya." He stormed out of the room, and Izaya watched him leave, guilt clawing at his chest. Izaya sighed and narrowed his eyes, looking at the screen, not wanting to see his friends' accusing stares.

"That was going too far, don't you think?" Kadota said sternly, not quite believing the raven's words.

"Don't lecture me, Dota-chin."

"I don't think I have to. I think even you know."

Shinra sighed and slouched on the cushions. "What did you mean anyway, about Shizuo's parents?"

Izaya flinched; he really hadn't meant to blurt that out, and that was what he felt most guilty over, knowing Shizuo had a bad upbringing and the blond had trusted him. "Doesn't matter. I - I shouldn't have said anything."

Shinra looked over at him. "Aw, come on, Izaya!"

"I had no right saying anything in the first place."

Kadota folded his arms. "You feel guilty." Izaya clicked his tongue but didn't reply, nor did he glance up. "If that's the case, you should go and apologize."

"I'd rather not be killed right now."

"How are we supposed to work together if you two are constantly at each other's throats?"

"There's no point in apologizing anyway. Shizu-chan and I will never be friends."

"I think you're wrong. I think you could be if you both tried harder. He does seem protective when it comes to keeping you from trouble."

Izaya's cheeks tinted, thinking back to the study. "He was just there, that's all."

Shinra looked over at him with an almost pout of jealousy crossing his face and glanced away.

"Just try and apologize at least. If he doesn't accept it, then you-"

Izaya threw his hands up. "Fine! I'll go!" He half slammed down the lid of his laptop and placed it on the floor. "Dota-chin is so cruel~" the raven sighed dramatically and stood up, making his way out of the living room. Kadota chuckled and looked over at Shinra, then rolled his eyes and moved to sit on the couch beside him.

"Seriously? Do you like him that much?" It was meant to tease, but the way Shinra looked back at him, Kadota knew. "Oh."

"I - I didn't mean to, but I can't help it."

"Man, Shinra. I thought it was just some weird crush or some kind of admiration. I didn't know you were - that you-"

Shinra sighed. "I've never felt this way about a guy before, or even a girl for that matter. I don't know what to think. I mean, I wouldn't go as far as to say I'm gay or anything."

Kadota shrugged. "Don't know what to tell you there. It's not really my thing, but maybe you're bisexual?"

Shinra chuckled. "I don't know, maybe, but how would I know if I've never felt this way before about either gender?"

Kadota scratched the back of his head. "I have honestly no idea. Not the kind of thing you talk about with a guy I suppose, but…. if you really want my advice?"

Shinra nodded. "Anything."

"Don't tell him."

Shinra blinked in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"Whatever you feel, don't tell him anything. I don't think - and I hate to say it - I don't think the feelings are mutual."

Shinra looked down at his hands clenched in his lap. "You don't know that…."

"Izaya really treasures your friendship, that much is obvious. Do you really want to ruin that by confessing to feelings he might not share?"

Shinra sighed. "No, I don't."

"Sorry, but I think you know you'd rather his friendship then nothing at all."

Shinra nodded with a small smile. "Yeah…"

…

Izaya had already searched each room in the house before walking outside to clear his head. He stared over at the pool with a shudder and wondered what else would happen. "Maybe I'm cursed," he mumbled, walking back to the house. "Where the hell is that stupid protozoan anyway." Izaya took a step onto the back of the house's porch….

Izaya~

Izaya froze at the whispered name and gripped the wooden fence. "Shit." He had to calm down. All he had to do was run into the house and back into the living room.

Izaya~

The raven shook his head, unable to stop the tremors wracking his body. Ever since Shizuo had arrived, the spirits stopped attacking him, and Izaya didn't want to admit it, but he felt safer. Izaya was shoved off the balcony because the spirit didn't know Shizuo was there. Back in the pool, whatever had grabbed his ankle let go when Shizuo took his hand. In the study, that thing was about to - and then Shizuo showed up, and it disappeared. Is his strength really keeping them from harming me? Can they sense his abilities?

Izaya made a dash for the door, but his body flew backward, and the back of his head hit the wooden column behind him. Izaya whimpered and collapsed on the porch.

…

"They've both been gone a while, maybe we should look for them?" Kadota asked.

"I was about to suggest the same thing. I mean, they could be fighting."

Kadota stood up, knowing Shinra wouldn't protest against what he would say next. "Let's split up. You look for Izaya, and I'll look for Shizuo." Shinra stood up with a bounce. "If we can't find them in half hour, we'll meet back here."

"Okay."

Kadota was worried. All the paranormal incidents happened in the rooms upstairs. Kadota passed the small girl's room first. "This is where Shizuo said he saw something." Of course, Kadota couldn't. He sighed, almost wishing he could at least see something, and made his way down to the study. Kadota sighed in relief when he finally found him. "At least you're alright," he said as he stepped out onto the balcony. Shizuo turned to the voice with a frown but soon relaxed when he realized it was Kadota.

"Hey," Shizuo said and stared over the balcony.

"We was getting worried."

Shizuo shrugged. "Sorry. Just wanted to be alone for a bit."

Kadota stepped up beside him. "Understandable."

Shizuo narrowed his eyes. "I suppose the flea told you."

Kadota looked at him for a moment and shook his head. "Actually no, he didn't."

"Sure."

Kadota huffed a laugh. "Shinra tried to get it out of him, but Izaya refused. I could tell he feels pretty bad about what he said."

Shizuo clenched his fists. "He doesn't feel bad about anything. He doesn't have a single shred of decency in him."

"You know that's not entirely true."

"Maybe toward you, or Shinra, but when it comes to me, he'd quite happily see me suffer."

"Is that what this is about?"

"I've tried to get along with him. I've tried to take his teasing as nothing more than friendly banter, but he went too far, and he's lucky I didn't punch his lights out."

Kadota leaned against part of the wall that wasn't broken, facing his friend. "Yeah, he did go overboard, but I honestly think he feels bad about that."

"Tsk. Sorry, but I don't believe you."

Kadota glanced over the wall. "He went looking for you to apologize."

Shizuo grinned. "I doubt it was to apologize, but I knew he was looking for me since I watched him walk around down there for several minutes before he headed back to the house."

Kadota looked at him with a chuckle. "That's mean."

Shizuo chuckled. "Yeah, well, wasn't going to let him know where I was if I didn't wanna be found."

Kadota nodded and stepped away from the wall when he spotted Shinra running from the house. "There's Shinra. He and I split up to search for you two."

"You mean Izaya didn't come back to you?"

Kadota shook his head and leaned over the wall. "Shinra!" The bespectacled boy startled and glanced up, squinting when he caught sight of both Kadota and Shizuo. "Did you find him!"

Shizuo stepped forward when Shinra looked worried. "Did you and Izaya have a fight?" Shinra bellowed up at them, his question clearly directed at Shizuo.

Shizuo frowned. "No! I've been up here the whole time. I saw Izaya a few minutes ago walking around and then he disappeared. I thought he went back into the house to you!"

Shinra seemed angry. "He's not in the house! I just found him unconscious on the porch!"

Their eyes widened. "What!"

Kadota turned and ran back into the house. Shizuo couldn't help but feel guilty now. I should have called out to him. Shizuo growled and made his way into the house. "Damn it!"

….

Izaya stared at the clock. Everything was the same as before. He appeared in the study, watched the woman's lips move without a sound, and now he was back with the clock. Why was it so important? When Izaya moved his hand toward the glass door, the broom was thrown at his feet again.

Soon enough, he shifted forward, and a wave of dizziness overcame him until he opened his eyes, blinking at the woman in front of him. Wait…this didn't happen before. Izaya cupped the back of her head with his hand, and she leaned in and kissed him softly but passionately. He looked at her, and she spoke to him with no sound, but his own lips moved to reply. "I love you. Why can't we be together? He's no good for you."

She said something to him and kissed him again, then he was pulled away and thrown to the floor. Izaya stared up into the man's angry eyes. The woman threw herself at the man, crying to him, and at first, Izaya thought she was trying to stop the man to explain she loved him, but when an accusing finger pointed at him, followed by an angry glare, Izaya didn't need to hear her voice to understand. A shift of time struck him again, and he found himself holding a wooden cross with something written on it he couldn't distinguish. Izaya placed it inside the clock out of sight and closed the door. He spun around to find them standing there. "You'll regret rejecting me! For lying and deceiving me! I curse you! I curse this house! No one shall live among these grounds without suffering!"

Izaya found himself once again by the pool raking leaves. The moment he bent down, he was forced under the water. He eventually stopped struggling, and then….

Izaya~

Izaya~

"Izaya!"

Izaya's fluttered open, and he felt a soft cushion underneath him. Izaya glanced over to see Shinra's worried expression. "Shinra?"

"Thank god you're awake," an unfamiliar voice caught his attention, and he looked over to see someone smiling down at him. It was Kira's mother. "If you didn't wake up soon, I would have called an ambulance." Izaya moved to sit up, but his head hurt, and she lay a hand on his shoulder. "Don't get up too fast. The back of your head has butterfly stitches, so try not to touch them." She knelt beside him and moved her finger in front of his face. "Follow my finger?" His eyes tracked her finger's movements, and she was happy. "Are you feeling sick at all?"

Shinra helped him sit up as he replied, "No…not really."

"What happened?" Shinra finally asked.

Shizuo stood against the fireplace, observing the situation from afar, and tensed. I should have called out to him. I should have told him where I was.

Izaya winced when he sat up and swung his legs over the couch. "I was attacked. It was probably that same spirit. I was coming back to the house when I heard it whisper my name again, but I swore I could hear more than one voice this time. I tried to run, but I was pushed back."

Shizuo's hands clenched in his pockets. This is all my fault! Damn it!

The woman sat down beside him. "I don't think you have a concussion, so that's good. Are you sure we shouldn't take you home? I should call your parents…."

"No!" Izaya said sternly before softening his tone. "No, sorry. I'm fine."

Izaya then gasped and stood up a little too quickly, and Shinra grabbed his arm to stop him from falling. "What are you doing? You need to rest," he said.

Izaya shook his head and turned back to the woman. "I think it'll be safer for you if you returned to your daughters now. You're not safe as long as you're here."

"W-what do you mean?"

"Just trust me."

"After what happened, I shouldn't leave you boys alone."

"We'll be fine. We're not giving up just yet. I know what we've got to do now, but there's not a lot of time left. Neither you nor your daughters should be without each other. The further away from the house you are, the better."

The woman looked at him intently. Judging by his expression, she could tell he was serious. "All right. I believe you, but be careful."

Izaya nodded, and they watched her leave without another word. Kadota and the others turned to him with a quizzical gaze. "Do you really know how to stop all this?" Kadota asked.

"I think so. I had another dream, and Shinra was right. All the bad occurrences that happened started after the servant died."

"How do you know that?"

"Because in my dream, the memories I experienced were the servants. He and Mrs Tanaka fell in love. I don't know how, but they did. He loved her and she reciprocated, but Mr Tanaka caught them, and instead of defending her lover, she betrayed him. She accused him of forcing himself on her, and from that day they treated him worse than before." Izaya walked out of the living room, and the others reluctantly followed. They watched the raven open the glass door of the clock to reach inside and pull out a wooden cross.

Shinra gasped. "Izaya, is that a-"

"Yes."

Kadota tilted his head. "What is it?" he asked.

"It's a Hitogata." The three turned to Shizuo in surprise. "It's usually in the form of a human, but given how vague the deaths were, it wasn't aimed at a specific person, but actually the whole house."

Izaya refused to look at Shizuo but nodded in response. "He's right. The deaths are too random, and you'd think that those who died would be only males."

"Wait a minute," Kadota said, "wouldn't it be only women? She did betray him."

"Once the servant became a spirit, only Mr Tanaka was killed. I think he still loved her and never wanted to hurt her. Regardless, the other deaths were still random. Men, women and children were effected."

Shinra took the Hitogata from Izaya to get a closer look. "You're probably right, but how do you know this was the only cause? There could be more of these things around."

"I'm sure that's the only one. This was made by the servant. He put it in the clock so no one would notice it, bringing a curse to the house and whoever lived here."

"And what makes you so sure he didn't make any more after this one?" Shizuo asked with irritation, annoyed that Izaya refused to look at him.

"Because shortly after, Mr Tanaka drowned him in the pool. I guess he was angered by all the gibberish the servant spouted."

Shinra nodded. "But it wasn't gibberish. His words came true." He said.

"Only one died out of the families that lived here, but it didn't mean no one else would suffer. They were forced to witness the deaths and mourn their losses, so either way, everyone suffered," Izaya said quietly.

Kadota swiped a hand through his hair and said, "And in just under two days, the same thing will happen to Kira's family."

"I didn't know at the time, but now I know who would be next."

"Who? And how can you tell?"

"Kira's sister. She was the only one who could see it."

"The hell! She's just a little kid!" Shizuo yelled.

Shinra looked over at Shizuo and felt the same sympathy. "That didn't matter before. The boy was only 8 when he died…."

Kadota grabbed his hair in frustration and calmed himself. "Okay, so the guy was betrayed and cursed the house with this hito thingy, and that caused all the deaths in the house to occur. How do we stop it? And if it is after Kira's sister, who's to say it won't leave here and follow them?"

Izaya bit his lip, glancing at the floor. "Because I'm almost certain it's not after the girl anymore. She was only picked because she could see him, and who's to say those who died didn't see him too. I don't know, maybe it made them see it."

"But Izaya," Shinra spoke, "we can't know for sure that they're safe. If they come back-"

"I know. If they come back, the curse will just continue, but they're not here right now, and the spirit or spirits have made no attempt to follow them, and I think I know why."

Shinra gulped and had a feeling he knew the answer. "Why?"

Izaya looked up at them. "Since we've been here, it's attention was directed elsewhere because the only other one who could see it was me."

Their eyes widened, and Shinra became frantic. "What do we do! You should leave! You can't be here, Izaya! That - that means on June 12th you-"

"I would probably die." Izaya said it so calmly, but on the inside, he was terrified.

"That's not gonna happen!" Shizuo yelled, and Izaya looked over at him, surprised by the determination and concern in the blond's voice.

"Why are you so worried? You hate me anyway, right?"

Shizuo gritted his teeth at him. I hate you alright, but that doesn't mean that I'm just going to let that thing…. Damn it, Izaya, you're not gonna die here. "You know what? Fine. See if I care anyway."

Kadota sighed in annoyance before frowning at Izaya. "Stop annoying him. Look, how do we stop this thing? There's a way, right?"

"We were lucky that - I was lucky that we found this in time. At first, in my dream, I thought it the servant was just obsessed with the clock because that's where he hid the Hitogata. But now I realize it might have been my own subconscious drawing me to it."

"Why?"

"Because the first time I had the dream, time kept shifting like something, or someone, was keeping me away to stop me from finding it."

"You think it was that servant?"

"Now that I know more about him, I'm positive. When he knew I could see him, he figured out I could stop his curse, and he would disappear."

Shinra lay a hand on Izaya's shoulder. "We've still got one full day. No one else is dying on that date. Definitely not you."

Izaya nodded, giving his friend a small smile.

"How do we do that?" Kadota asked.

Shinra turned to him. "We burn it."

…..

The four stood outside the house, the darkness around them illuminated only by the fire that burned the wood of the Hitogata. They watched it crackle and simmer, the wood getting smaller until there was nothing but ash on the grass at their feet. "That should be it now. The curse should be removed," Izaya said after the fire died. "But we should bury the ash just in case."

Shinra nodded. "Good idea."

"So, now that the curse is removed, am I right in thinking that the servant and all the other spirits from the previous deaths will disappear?" Kadota asked.

Shinra smiled. "Yep! Our work here is done!"

Shizuo couldn't help but sigh in relief, and yet….. That spirit was after Izaya, and something tells me he was damn determined.

Shinra was packing away his laptop when he heard Izaya speak. "We should remain here until we know for sure."

"Really, but why?" Shinra asked. "We stopped the curse, so it's over… isn't it?"

"You're probably right, but I'd still like to stay for a little while longer."

Shinra slumped. "If you think it's necessary, I guess."

"I do. What happens if we decide to leave, and Kira comes back. It comes to June 12th and then-"

"Okay! I get it! I was just…. I'm just worried."

Izaya smiled. "There's probably nothing to worry about. It's just a precaution."

Kadota stretched. "If we're going to stay longer. Then we should at least all get some sleep. It's almost three."

They agreed without argument.

….

June 11th

Shinra stretched and yawned as he sat up in his sleeping bag, the sunlight beaming in through the gap in the curtains. Nothing else happened during the night, and Shinra felt positive it was over. He glanced over at his friends, still sound asleep, and shrugged. I should let them sleep some more. Shinra stood up and made his way quietly out of the living room to check around one last time. "There was one place we didn't bother checking before, and I wonder if it's still intact," he muttered to himself as he made his way to the back of the house. There was a door off to the side, where the kitchen led off toward the dining room.

As he moved to open it, he heard a voice.

Help me~

Shinra blinked. Was that a little kid's voice? "H-Hello?"

Help me…. I'm stuck in here~

Shinra laid a palm on the door. It's coming from inside. "Hold on… I'll get you out!" Shinra opened the door, but an extremely cold smoke of air escaped. "Wait…this isn't the boiler room. It's just a walk-in freezer." He stepped into the cold. "Hey…kid? Are you in here? It's okay. You're safe." Suddenly, the door behind him slammed shut. Shinra jumped and spun around, pushing against the door, but it didn't budge. Shinra felt around with his hands. "There's no safety latch!" Shinra began to panic and pounded his fists against the door. "Help! I'm-" Shinra's eyes widened when he realized he'd been tricked. "I'm…. stuck." He knocked on the door loudly. "Izaya! Kadota! Shizuo! Help me!" Shinra wrapped his arms around himself. It was colder than it should be. Shinra looked up at the dial on the top left-hand side and noticed the temperature was dropping at least two degrees. "Oh god…. I'm gonna die." He shook his head, pounding his fists against the door once more before stopping. "Don't panic. I should stop moving around…. oxygen is precious." Shinra tucked his hands under his arms and curled up into a ball, trying to keep himself warm. "They'll find me…. they will."

Izaya sat up on the floor, his cover sliding off as he stretched. Shizuo was snoring loudly, and Izaya scoffed before glancing over to see Kadota also still asleep. Izaya noticed Shinra wasn't in his sleeping bag and frowned. Something was wrong. Izaya crawled over to Kadota and shook him. The brunet shifted in his sleeping bag, peering over the top.

"Izaya?"

"Dota-chin, Shinra isn't here."

"Huh? Maybe he went to the bathroom…."

"No, something is wrong…Shinra is an early riser, and it's already eight. He should have been back by now."

"Are you sure?" Kadota sat up.

Izaya wouldn't admit it, but he didn't want to go alone, daylight or not. "Yes, we should go and look for him."

Kadota nodded. "All right, I'll go with you. We should wake Shizuo."

"No, we might not have time for that."

Kadota sighed. "Okay." The two made their way through the house, starting from the top. "Damn, where could he have gone?"

Izaya frowned when they entered the dining room. "Shinra!" he called. "Shinra! Are you okay! Where are you!"

Kadota turned around to see a chair flying toward them and pulled Izaya to the floor. "Look out!" They ducked when it split against the wall. "Dammit."

"It's not over," Izaya gritted out.

"But you said-"

"It didn't work!" Izaya stood up. He was angry now. "We've got to find Shinra, now!"

Kadota nodded and entered the corridor leading into the kitchen. "Wait!" Izaya halted when Kadota called out to him and pointed at the door. "I think I hear something." Izaya stepped beside him. "It's coming from inside."

"That's the walk-in freezer." Kadota raised an eyebrow at him. "Don't ask."

"You - you don't think…."

Izaya's eyes widened, and he pushed Kadota aside and threw open the door. "Shinra!"

The boy looked up through half-lidded eyes, cold puffs of air emitting from his mouth when he spoke. "I-Izay-a….t-thank g-god…. s-so cold…."

Izaya knelt down and wrapped his arms around his friend. "Help me get him to the living room!" he shouted at Kadota. The two carried a shivering Shinra back into the living room. "Get the fire going, and get me a blanket." Izaya knelt down with Shinra in front of the fireplace.

"S-so….c-cold…"

Izaya rubbed his arm, trying to warm him. "It's okay, you're okay."

Kadota started the fire and swiped a blanket from the floor. Shizuo stirred on the couch and turned to see his friends, and sat up in confusion. "What's going on?"

Izaya frowned over at him and wrapped the blanket around Shinra. "We failed." The raven clenched his free hand. "I failed."

Shizuo narrowed his eyes and stood up. "What do you mean?"

Kadota stopped Shizuo from stepping any closer, a hand on his arm. "We don't think the burning of the Hitogata worked. Shinra was locked in a freezer."

Shizuo turned to the bundle on the floor. "But - that can happen, right?"

Izaya stood up and turned to face Shizuo. "We failed! Don't you understand that? Something trapped him in there!"

"How do you know that!"

Kadota tightened his hold. "He's telling the truth. When we were in the dining room, a chair came flying at us."

Shizuo relented; he didn't know why he was angry. "I'm sorry. I guess I just hoping it was over."

Izaya glanced away. "It's - it's not your fault…I thought I had it figured out. If anyone is to blame… it's me."

Kadota frowned. "Izaya-"

Izaya bent down to Shinra. "Did you see anything?"

Shinra looked at him, and Izaya was relieved to see a little color back in his cheeks. If they were any longer in finding him…. "I - I heard something….it was a kid."

"A kid?"

Shinra nodded. "S-sounded like a little…girl. I thought she was trapped…. I thought the door led to the…. boiler room or something."

"Shinra, did you see the girl?"

"No…. I opened the freezer…and the door shut… I couldn't get out. Izaya, I thought - I thought I was going to freeze to death." Izaya pulled him into a hug.

"You're okay. I'm sorry. It's all my fault."

Shinra shook his head. "No it's not. I thought the burning would work too…."

"Hang on," Shizuo said as he stepped forward. "Whatever deaths you found in those articles, there was no mention of a little girl, right?"

Izaya looked up at him. "No."

"Then where did she come from?"

Izaya seemed to frown in thought. "I don't know."

Shinra tensed as he wrapped himself in the blanket more. "I - I didn't mention this before…. because I thought I was wrong.…."

Izaya looked at his friend. "What is it?"

"I think we did cleanse the house of those who died here. But….what if that other spirit, the servant…. is attracting more spirits here? And they weren't cleansed because they never belonged here in the first place."

Kadota gasped. "Seriously, that can happen?"

Izaya nodded. "I didn't think about it at the time, but Shinra could be right, but normally it's the lower spirits that attract stronger ones."

"Well, he probably was a lower spirit and attracted the rest of them here," Shizuo said, surprising himself. Maybe I know more than I thought.

Izaya stood up. "If that's the case, then it might still be around."

"Have you seen it since?" Kadota asked.

"No, but I have a bad feeling. I was wondered why the servant's spirit looked different to those I've seen before." Izaya clenched his fists. "I think it's devouring the other spirits."

Shinra and Kadota gasped. "That's crazy!" Shinra cried.

"I think the spirit that called out to you was asking for help."

"It said it was stuck…."

"I think the servant might have consumed it, and then trapped you."

"So it's after Shinra now?" Kadota asked.

Izaya shook his head. "Not necessarily. We might have scared it off, or maybe even weakened it somehow. It won't come after me again just yet, especially not in the day." Izaya grinned. "I've got an idea."

…

00:30, June 12th

"I need you to wait here," Izaya told his friends. They were standing by the clock.

"This is not a good idea, Izaya!" Shizuo yelled. "I've never done anything like this before! What if it doesn't work!"

"It will."

"Izaya! I could seriously mess up. I could end up really hurting you!"

Izaya chuckled, hands in his pockets. "Don't start caring about me now. I chose you for that specific reason, and of course, you are the only one who knows such an incantation."

"Stop putting words in my mouth! I hate you, but I don't want to cause you unnecessary harm dammit!"

"Relax, Shizu-chan. I have confidence in your ability, but I would feel even more so if you shared that confidence."

Shinra and Kadota stood between them; they didn't like this idea any more than Shizuo did, but they were out of time. "Izaya, please be careful," Shinra told him.

Izaya nodded with a smirk. "I'll lure the spirit here, allow it to enter my body, and Shizu-chan will drive it out. Hopefully it'll weaken enough to finish it off."

…..

It was strange. Izaya spent the entire time avoiding the spirit, and now he intentionally pursued it. "I must be insane," he muttered to himself as he entered the kitchen. They'd kept the house as dimly lit as possible. "This will work," he reassured himself when doubt began to creep in. "Come on! I'm right here. I'm ready for you this time, you spirit sucking freak!" A loud crash off to the side startled him, and he walked toward the countertop. Pots and pans littered the floor.

Izaya~

Izaya flinched when he heard his name, and his hands shook.

Izaya~ you die today~

It whispered right up against his ear.

Izaya swallowed the lump in his throat, biting his lower lip to stop himself from choking out a sob. He clenched his fists, and his face drained of color when he spun around to face it, all determination leaving his body. He froze. The spirit was a demon. "I - I know why you're angry. You loved her, didn't you?" Its eyes glowed a solid yellow before striking at him.

The raven yelled when he crashed against the small table in the middle of the floor. He skidded off and broke a chair as he landed. Izaya groaned, struggling to get back up. "Shit…." He shifted on his side and watched it hover above him. "Too strong…."

"That doesn't sound good!" Shinra cried. "He's in trouble!"

Shizuo growled and ran in the direction they'd heard the commotion, his friends following him hurriedly. Goddammit, Izaya!

Izaya's eyes widened when he stood up, backing himself against the wall. Even if that thing took over my body, there's no way I'd survive. The spirit lunged forward. Shit. "Shizu-chan!"

"Nau-Maku-San-Manda-Bazara-Dankan!" Both Izaya and the spirit were thrown backward, and the spirit shrieked before fading back to the servant's form. Shizuo stood between them, gritting his teeth and purposely blocking the spirit from attacking Izaya again. "Rin-pyou-Tou-Sha-Kai-Jin-Retsu-Zai-Zen!" Shizuo watched the spirit fade into nothing and fell to one knee, breathing heavily. "Damn…"

"S-Shizu-chan…?" Shizuo looked round to see Izaya holding his shoulder, staring at him in shock.

"Izaya." Shizuo shifted over to him. "Are you alright? Did I hurt you? That thing was too damn close to you, but I didn't know what else to do."

Izaya winced but smiled. "I'm alright…you just caught my shoulder, that's all." He pulled his shirt down to reveal two nasty-looking cuts and chuckled. "If I knew you were that powerful, I wouldn't have suggested to lure the spirit into my body. You really might have killed me."

Shizuo clicked his tongue. "Izaya, you idiot. I told you."

Izaya grinned. "Good thing it didn't happen then, right?"

Shizuo sighed and stood up, holding his hand out for Izaya to take. Shizuo pulled him to his feet, and Izaya stumbled against him, bracing himself against his chest. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah…. just a little unsteady on my feet."

Shizuo huffed a small laugh. "Yeah, that took it out of me too. I didn't know I could do something like that."

"Told you."

"Shut up, flea."

Shinra and Kadota simply stood in shock. "I can't - I can't even…what - what the hell was that?" Kadota managed to stutter out. "And why all of a sudden could we see it?"

Izaya walked forward, Shizuo right behind him in case he collapsed. "Because it got stronger. That's why it looked more violent - like a demon."

"Then, it really did devour other spirits?"

Izaya nodded, then flicked Shinra on the forehead. "Next time tell me what's on your mind. Even if you think you're wrong."

Shinra pouted with a scratch to his temple. "Heh. I guess I should have."

"So is it really over now? That thing isn't coming back? And the other spirits are gone too?" Kadota asked.

"I'm a hundred percent sure this time." Izaya turned to Shizuo with a grin. "Besides, he was probably more scared of Shizu-chan, what with him being a bigger monster and all."

Shizuo glared at him, clenching a fist. "Oi, flea, d'you want me to punch that grin off your face?" Izaya chuckled and ran out of the kitchen, Shizuo following close behind. "Get back here!"

Shinra and Kadota sighed in unison.

Kadota stared around the kitchen. "Man, what a mess. At least it's over now, that was too close."

Shinra nodded. "I think Izaya was right about the risking our lives part. Maybe the fee isn't that much after all."

Kadota clapped a hand on Shinra's shoulder. "I agree."

…

13:45, June 12th

Miasaki bowed politely and handed Izaya the check of 24,000 Yen after they assured her the house was cleansed of spirits and curses. "Thank you so much. You really did come through."

Izaya nodded and took the check, placing it in his wallet. "We're sorry about the kitchen. It got a little - out of hand."

She shook her head. "The important thing is that you're all okay. I can't thank you enough. My daughter was right to trust you."

The others smiled, and Shizuo felt warmth spread through him. He did something good with his strength, and it felt amazing. He glanced down when he felt a tug on his leg. Kira's sister smiled at him. "Thank you, Mr."

Everyone gasped in surprise, and Miasaki and Kira couldn't contain their tears of happiness. Shizuo knelt down and laid his hand on her head. "You're welcome."

Kira waved at them as they left the house. "I'll see you around school sometime!"

"I'm exhausted," Izaya whined as they walked down the street. He grinned and was about to jump onto Kadota's back.

"Don't even think about it," the boy told him with a frown.

"But - Dota-chin! I'm tired!"

"No!"

Izaya pouted, then looked over at Shizuo, his grin returning. Shizuo glared at him and yelled, "Not a fucking chance, flea!"

"Please~"

"I'm not a mode of transportation!"

"Shizu-chan~ isn't it kind of your fault that I'm tired? You did almost knock me out with your mantra early this morning."

"I - you-" Shizuo gritted out. Izaya clapped and jumped on Shizuo's back, giving the blond no choice but to hold the back of Izaya's legs. "Flea! I didn't say yes! Get off!" Izaya just laughed hysterically as Shizuo made lame attempts to shove him off.

Shinra and Kadota watched them stumble down the street in front of them. Kadota chuckled at Shinra's pouting face. "You wouldn't have been able to carry him anyway."

Shinra whined. "I might have!" He then stomped after them. "No fair!"

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