Shit shit shit! Why the hell is it at Izaya's place! Damn it, gotta run faster! Shizuo picked up his pace. He couldn't get the sound of Izaya's scream out of his head. What if he got there too late? Shizuo shook that thought from his mind. He would save him! He would protect him!

Izaya jumped to the side and rolled under the coffee table when the dog lunged down at him and swiped across the glass. He cringed when Laddie snarled and snapped at him, but he couldn't stay here. The dog was too close. It'll rip me apart if I make a run for it now.

Thankfully, the dog wasn't as heavy as it looked, and Izaya shifted to bend his knees as best he could, placed his feet against the bottom, and flung the table as hard as possible. The dog whimpered slightly when the table cracked, and glass shattered. Izaya bolted from the room, and Laddie growled, shaking his head, and pounced after him. The raven ran into the kitchen toward the door and fiddled with the locks, his hands shaking in panic. "Come on…come on."

A loud snarl sounded behind him.

Izaya spun around and dived out of the way when the dog lunged at him. "Shit!" He made a dash for the hallway and was followed immediately. Izaya slipped on the wooden floor and rolled onto his back. His eyes widened, and he screamed when Laddie pounced on him viciously. Izaya lifted his arm up, and the dog's teeth sunk into his flesh. "Fuck!" The boy hissed and yelled as claws scraped across his skin. Izaya's hand reached for the nearest object and swung it at the dog. Both Laddie and the object of Izaya's choice - a wicker basket - thudded to the floor.

Izaya didn't care to know why they had a wicker basket or how he forced the dog off him with it but pushed himself to his feet and ran. Tears burned at his eyelids with every step he took. The lacerations on his body stung harshly, and his clothes pulled against them from the blood seeping through. When Izaya reached the top, a cry of agony escaped his mouth, and he fell over the step, grabbing hold of the banister. He looked round to see the dog's teeth around his ankle. "Get off!" Izaya used his other leg and kicked out harshly, knocking it halfway down the stairs. Laddie let out a small whimper and then a growl. Izaya pulled himself up and stumbled with a blurry vision toward his bedroom. He fell against the door frame and found somewhere he could hide, and if he kept quiet, Laddie wouldn't find him.

Shizuo reached Izaya's house. Finally. He ran to the door, and fear crept up his spine. "How am I supposed to get in?" Shizuo slammed his fists against the frame. Izaya was in trouble, and he couldn't care less about damage. "I'll buy a new door," Shizuo muttered and kicked the door hard twice, and it broke off its hinges and crashed to the floor. "Izaya!" Shizuo was on high alert, ready to defend himself against the possessed canine, but the house was quiet. He stepped into the living room and gasped when he saw the wreckage, glancing around the living room to the overturned table and shattered glass on the floor. Shizuo frantically looked for the raven, and the moment his sights fell on the floor in the hallway, his blood ran cold. "Izaya…" There was blood smeared across the banister.

Shizuo began to follow the blood trail. There was no sign of the dog so far, and he didn't know if that was a good thing. A bloodied handprint darkened the doorframe to Izaya's room. "Izaya?" he called lightly.

Shizuo stepped into the room and flicked the light on, frowning as he followed the spots of blood decorating the carpet, leading him to the large wardrobe. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Shizuo pulled back the door.

"Shizu-chan…?"

Shizuo's eyes widened when he found Izaya curled up in the corner between his clothes. Shizuo bent down slowly and pulled back a few jackets to get a better look. Izaya blinked at him, and his breathing picked up slightly. Shizuo saw fearful eyes staring back at him. The blond gently placed his hand on his arm. "Izaya? It's okay, it's me."

"S-Shizu-chan?" Shizuo nodded, frowning at the weak voice from one normally so strong. Suddenly, shaking hands found their way to his shirt, and Shizuo remained still, unsure what to do. "I - I was…. I thought - shit…." Shizuo felt the tremors when Izaya clung to him, and he wrapped his arms around him.

"It's okay, I've got you. You're safe now…." Shizuo lifted him up, tucking one arm under Izaya's legs and securing his other arm across his back. "I've got you." Izaya gripped his shirt and buried his face against Shizuo's chest, his soft sobs causing the blond's heart to clench. "Shhh, you'll be alright. Nothing will happen to you now, I promise." Shizuo sat the raven down on the bed, but Izaya wouldn't let him go. "Look at me." Izaya shook his head, his grip tightening.

"Hurts…."

Shizuo couldn't quite see the extent of Izaya's injuries, but the boy was trembling too much, and Shizuo didn't have it in him to pull away yet. "I'm here, Izaya, I'm here." Shizuo wrapped his arms around him, and Izaya merely clung to him as small sobs continued to jolt his body.

"W-where…where is it?" Izaya said after a few minutes, and Shizuo used the distraction to gently pull away.

"It's not here."

Izaya looked at him skeptically. "Wha? it - it has to be…."

Shizuo shook his head. "It's not here, Izaya. I checked. I mean, there was no sign of it."

Izaya grabbed his shoulder, his hands still shaking, and he looked at him in half confusion, half fear. "It attacked me! I - I swear…Shizu-chan…. I swear, it was here…."

Shizuo held Izaya's hands, sensing a panic attack. "Izaya, I believe you, okay? I believe you, but it's not here now."

Izaya placed his forehead against his chest. "I was scared…."

Shizuo laid his hand across Izaya's back. "It's alright, I'm here." He shifted to reach into his pocket. "I should call Shinra and Kadota." He pulled out his phone, but Izaya grabbed his wrist weakly to stop him. "They're going to be worried." Izaya didn't look at him, but Shizuo knew he wanted to say something.

"I know…. I just - no, it's okay…." Shizuo frowned. Izaya wasn't acting like his usual self, but he didn't blame him. Izaya was terrified. The raven huffed a small laugh, but his eyes were puffy and glistening from where he'd been crying. "I - I can't stop s-shaking…." Shizuo sat beside him on the bed, and Izaya shifted closer to him, laying his head on Shizuo's shoulder, his hand coming up to grip his arm sleeve.

"What were you going to say before?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Izaya, I'm not going to-"

"I don't want to be alone…."

Shizuo blinked in surprise. "I wasn't leaving the room, I just want to call Shinra and Kadota. They're going to wonder where we are."

"I wasn't talking about just then…. I was talking about after…." Izaya's grip tightened on his arm. "Shizu-chan…. will you - will you stay with me?" Shizuo bit his lip. He was really worried about the boy beside him. "Please," Izaya said when he didn't get an immediate reply.

"I'll stay if you want me to, but on one condition." Izaya grunted in reply. "You need to let me call our friends, and let me take a look at you. I think you might be in shock, and I'm worried about what injuries you have."

Izaya nodded and allowed Shizuo to stand up so he could call their friends.

…..

"Should have got you to a hospital, Izaya," Shizuo said with a frown. Izaya hissed when the blond tried as gently as possible to clean his wounds. He was sitting on the edge of the bathtub, clad in only shorts now. Shizuo dunked the washcloth in the lukewarm water, emptying its red contents from the sink for the fifth time. Izaya jolted when the cloth pressed against his arm. "Sorry, I'm trying to be gentle."

Izaya gritted his teeth and tried to relax. "Yeah…I know." There were teeth marks marring his pale skin, making his arm look swollen. The raven had cuts across his upper body and a few on his legs, but the deeper ones were those on his abdomen, lining toward his left hip. Shizuo frowned, wondering how he'd gotten out of this mess alive. Izaya watched him while he tended to his wounds, and if Shizuo saw the scars marking his arms, he didn't comment. Then again, he'd had plenty of opportunities to do so during the summer. "I didn't do this to myself," he blurted out before he could stop himself.

Shizuo looked him in the eyes, not quite understanding why Izaya would say such a thing. He looked down at his arms, and it dawned on him. "I would never think you did. I believe you. The evidence is staring me in the face. I just don't know where it's gone."

Izaya flinched when Shizuo wiped the cloth over his ankle. It was tender, but the bite marks were less deep than on his arm. "You - you really believe me?"

Shizuo sighed and stood up, rinsed the cloth in the sink, and threw it in the trash. He retrieved the medical box from on top of the cupboard above the sink. "Why wouldn't I?" He knelt down again, pulled out a bandage roll, and began unraveling the white material, cutting three strips, two short and one long.

"I guess I just - I don't know, maybe you thought I was crazy."

Shizuo huffed a small laugh. "You are." Izaya tensed slightly, so Shizuo continued quickly before the raven could get the wrong idea. "You're crazy, but not crazy does that make sense? You're like - I don't know, the good kind of crazy, I guess. Ah, I really hope you know what I mean. I'm not good at this."

Izaya found himself chuckling a little; watching Shizuo stammer over his words amused him. "I get it. Don't strain yourself, Shizu-chan, you'll hurt your head."

Though Shizuo rolled his eyes, he felt relieved Izaya was acting like himself again. Using the longer cut strip first, Shizuo moved to wrap it around Izaya's waist, where most of the deeper cuts were. He wrapped and secured one of the smaller strips around Izaya's arm. "You realize that I've had to give you first aid like this twice already since we met?"

"I hardly think the two relate. The first time was merely caused by a bunch of human idiots, and they barely fazed me."

Shizuo continued and wrapped the last bandage around the bitten ankle. "Still twice, regardless."

"Neither one my fault."

Shizuo sat back, admiring his handiwork with a small smile. "Not bad, if I do say so myself."

Izaya gave him a small smirk. "Sadist much?"

Shizuo frowned at him. "You're sick. I was talking about the first aid."

Izaya laughed. "Relax, I was kidding."

Shizuo huffed and smiled; hearing Izaya laugh like that made him feel calm because he couldn't get the image of the raven so frightened out of his head. The sound of a loud voice in the near distance caused them to jump.

"Shizuo! Izaya! We're - here…." they heard Shinra's voice trail off, and no doubt he and Kadota had seen the mess. There were fast-sounding footsteps, and the two burst into the bathroom. Shinra's eyes widened at the sight of his best friend, though not half as bad as when Shizuo first started to clean him. "Izaya…. a-are you - okay?"

Izaya suddenly felt very exposed. "I'm…. alright. They hurt, but it's not as bad as it looks…. I have taken pain relief."

"What the hell happened?" Kadota asked. Izaya had been attacked, and the scratches on his skin pointed to their missing demonic dog.

Izaya bit his lip, his hands tightening their grip around the bathtub's edge, and he really wished he wasn't almost naked right now. Even during the summer, he rarely only wore shorts. He stood up slowly, placing his weight on his good ankle. Shizuo stepped beside him, holding his hands out slowly toward him, but Izaya shook his head. "Don't worry…. I'm alright. I just want to get some clothes. Kind of cold from sitting here so long."

…..

After Izaya was dressed, the four sat in his bedroom, and Izaya explained his side of the story, and neither Shinra nor Kadota had any reason not to believe him. "The question is, how did it get into your house in the first place," Kadota said.

"The door to the back yard wasn't secured properly, but I'm more curious as to how the hell it got out. I bolted the door before I even saw the thing." Izaya seemed calmer now, and Shizuo was relieved.

"It definitely wasn't here when I got in. I would have noticed," Shizuo replied.

Izaya had a sudden thought and looked over at Shizuo with a questioning glance. "How did you get in?"

Shizuo's cheeks tinted a shade of red as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh…I thought - I mean, you were in trouble so…. I kind of - broke your door down."

Izaya gaped at him for a moment. "You broke my door?"

Shizuo frowned. "Well how else was I supposed to get in!"

"There's a key hidden in the flowerpot."

"You didn't tell me that!"

"Sorry, I guess I was too busy - trying not to get ripped to shreds!" Izaya huffed. "Almost everyone thinks to look for a key before they decide to break down someone's door!"

Shizuo growled. "Well I guess I was too busy worrying about you to give a damn!" He immediately closed his mouth after realizing what he'd unwillingly blurted out, and the two teens looked away from one another, not entirely sure if maybe they were now slightly embarrassed.

Shinra laughed nervously for a moment, although he was just dying inside. He'd been worried sick when Shizuo had called them, telling him Izaya had been attacked by the same dog they had observed during the day - and in his own house. It would have been clear to anyone how worried he was, and he was Izaya's best friend, but even he wasn't willing to admit to him just how concerned he'd been. He really wished he had more backbone. "We were all worried about you." Shinra cursed himself for being a coward. We, not I, damn it. "I think the mess in the house is a little more of a concern than your door right now."

Izaya looked at him; he'd been in shock since he hiding in the wardrobe, but now that it was wearing off, his mind was clearer. Kadota spoke before he had the chance to reply. "Yeah, it's kind of a mess. Good thing you mostly have wooden floors."

Was it really that bad? He remembered running away from the damn thing, but he might have guessed there was blood. Izaya shivered; he'd been lucky.

"We'll help you clean everything up, don't worry," Shinra told him. "Your folks aren't coming back until the end of half term break, right?"

Izaya nodded with a sigh and stood up from the floor. "Has anyone told the Akiran's about the dog?"

Shinra shook his head. "Not yet. Now we know that you're safe, we can start-" Shinra's phone rang, and he pulled it out from his pocket and blinked at the caller ID. "Speaking of the Akiran's." He brought the phone to his ear. "Shinra Kishitani. Mr. Akiran? You found him?" That caught the others' attention. "O-okay. Shouldn't we look at," Shinra looked at his phone when the call disconnected. "Guess not."

"What the hell was that?" Shizuo asked.

"Well, I guess our job is over. Seems like whatever spirit was possessing the dog left on its own. Mr Akiran said that he found the dog not too far from their house."

"That's impossible! It was fucking here," Izaya said, but it came out more aggressively than he had intended. Did anyone blame him? He was almost torn apart!

Shinra held his hands up. "I know! I believe you! but-"

"How long ago was this?" Shizuo asked. "How long ago did he find him?"

"Sounded like he just found him, why?"

Shizuo frowned in thought; he had a hunch, but he had to word it right, so Izaya didn't think he was going against him. "What if." The blond looked at Izaya, ensuring the raven knew he still believed him. "What if whatever was possessing the dog really did leave it, and the spirit attacked you?"

Izaya raised an eyebrow. Shizuo's theory was valid, except - "You don't think I would have noticed the difference?"

Shizuo tilted his head. "I don't know. You might have been in shock from the moment you saw it. All your normal logical thinking probably didn't register during the time of the attack."

"That's true," Shinra said. "If you really were in shock, you wouldn't have noticed the difference. All that went through your mind was to get the hell away from it." Izaya clenched his fists. Damn it, he had already admitted to Shizuo that he'd been absolutely terrified but didn't need reminding. Izaya sighed in annoyance, but something about what Shinra said made sense.

Shinra knew his friend was having difficulty dealing with all this, and he couldn't imagine how awful the experience must have been. "Thinking back now, was there anything that might have given away that it could have just been the spirit?"

Izaya ignored the accusation of seeing things. "Actually, maybe…. When I first saw it - it was-"

Shizuo remembered something Izaya had said on the phone. "You said it was standing above you, does that mean it was on the ceiling?"

Izaya looked at him, his eyes showing fear again as he recalled the events, and Shizuo hated that look. "Yes. I didn't care to figure out how at the time, but it was standing on my ceiling."

Kadota leaned back on his palms. "That's just weird even if it wasn't the dog. So, are we really suggesting the spirit left? And it followed Izaya here? Or at least, knew he was here?"

They all nodded. "Wait. The colouring," Izaya said.

"Huh?" Shinra questioned.

"It didn't look like what I imagined an animal spirit to look like. I remember the colouring was different compared to Laddie's."

"Well, I guess that makes sense. Like you said, we don't know for sure what it might look like."

Izaya shook his head. "No, it-" He gasped. "I think the spirit possessing Laddie is some kind of demonic form of-" he bit his lip, "their first pet."

Everyone's eyes widened, realization dawning on them. "Are you serious! How is that possible!" Shizuo yelled. "Is there such a thing as pet ghosts or something?"

Shinra shrugged. "I've never seen a pet ghost before, but then again, I've never seen any kind of spirit until Kira's house."

Kadota shook his head. "Whether or not anyone knows for sure, the point is that we do have a demonic spirit roaming around. I don't know about you guys, but I don't believe that thing just vanished."

"But - but why was it here after Izaya?" Shinra asked.

Shizuo growled. "It didn't like him from the beginning."

Izaya clicked his tongue. "I don't think that's the reason, Shizu-chan. I think it knew I could see it, and that shadow I saw before while we were in the backyard tried to get me then."

Kadota rubbed at his temples. "Okay, what exactly are we suggesting here? That it wants to kill you or-" Suddenly, everyone came to the same conclusion.

Izaya narrowed his eyes. No way. "I'm not possessed!" he shouted in defense but doubted those words when they left his mouth. "I'm not…." Izaya suddenly bolted from the room. Shizuo stood up and ran after him.

"Izaya!" he followed him down the stairs and jumped over the door as Izaya ran out of the house. Shizuo grabbed his wrist and pulled him back. "Stop!" Izaya spun around, and Shizuo couldn't see him properly in the dark, but he imagined the raven's expression was one of panic.

"I'm not possessed!" Izaya repeated.

"No one said you were!" Izaya struggled to loosen Shizuo's grip, but he couldn't break the hold. "Izaya, calm down."

"I can't be…." Shizuo realized Izaya wasn't angry. He was scared. There it was again - Shizuo could see it, even if it was dark - that fearful look. "Get it out!" Izaya clutched at Shizuo's shirt. "Shizu-chan, get it out of me!"

Shizuo grabbed his arms and shook him. "You're not possessed, Izaya! It's not there!"

"You don't know that!"

"If it were, you would have attacked me or any of us by now!"

Izaya stilled his movements, truly shaking now. "What if - it's waiting…. I don't want….to lose control of myself…. I can't."

Shizuo sighed, glancing at the house to see Shinra and Kadota standing in the doorway, looking completely shocked. If there was one thing Izaya had no control over at the moment, it was his emotions. Shizuo pulled Izaya close to him, not quite understanding where this sudden need to protect him came from or why he felt guilty. "I honestly don't think you're possessed. Come on, let's just go inside, okay? We'll clean up the mess, get some sleep and figure out what to do once daylight breaks."

Hearing Shizuo's calm voice calmed him too. Izaya relaxed a little but was blushing about how close they were. He laughed and pulled away. "Alright, we wouldn't want them to get the wrong idea or anything. We can't have them thinking we're friends now, ne?"

Shizuo gritted his teeth and shoved him. "Shut the hell up."

Izaya chuckled, and they made their way back toward the house.

…

They did a miraculous job of cleaning Izaya's house.

No one would know there had even been an incident.

Except, of course, the missing table, but they hoped to replace that before Izaya's parents got back.

The door was easy to repair, and with a little paint and new hinges they'd found in the shed, it was as good as new. Luckily, Shizuo had held back enough that he didn't snap it in half.

In the end, all three had decided to sleepover at the house. He didn't say it, but Izaya was grateful they did, and they all slept with spare duvets downstairs in the living room.

Shinra was the first to wake up, scratching his head and yawning, looking over at the rest of his friends. Of course, Kadota and Shizuo were still asleep, snoring lightly under their covers. Shinra frowned at the unoccupied makeshift bed. Where was Izaya? Sudden heavy breathing sounded nearby, and Shinra looked ahead of him, closest to the couch, and saw Izaya sitting on the armrest. He was crouched, and his fingers gripped the fabric as his body shuddered. "I-Izaya? W-what are you doing?" Izaya opened his mouth, but no words came out. A string of drawl slid down his chin, and he shifted forward with what sounded like a growl. "Erm…Are you… okay?" Without alerting Izaya to his movements, Shinra reached out his hand to shake Shizuo awake. "Shizuo," Shinra tried to whisper loudly. "Get up. Something isn't right with-" Shinra screamed loudly when Izaya lunged forward, knocking Shinra onto his back, hissing and spluttering as his hands pushed hard against his body. Within seconds, Shizuo and Kadota were awake, and the blond's eyes grew wide with shock.

Kadota noticed Shizuo's hesitation to do anything and grabbed hold of Izaya by his arms, pulling him off and away from Shinra. Izaya thrashed angrily in his arms and snarled, his teeth bared as he growled viciously like Laddie had done. "Shizuo!" Kadota shouted to his friend, who stared at the scene with utter surprise. "Do something!" Izaya was practically foaming at the mouth as he continued to thrash around.

Shizuo clenched his fists; he'd told Izaya this wouldn't happen. The raven had trusted his judgment, and now he - Kadota lost his grip, and Izaya broke free and tried to rush past Shizuo to reach the exit of the house.

Shizuo pulled back his fist and punched him in the face without thinking. Izaya flew into the back wall with a hard thud but managed to stay on his feet and tried again. "Damn it!" Shizuo moved two fingers forward and swiped them across the air.

Shinra and Kadota shouted to hurry up when Izaya came close to him. Shizuo growled, and his whole body tensed. "Nau-Maku-San-Manda-Bazara-Dankan!" Izaya's body jolted harshly, and he cried out when he collapsed into unconsciousness. Shizuo stumbled back, wincing slightly from his forceful strength.

"Izaya!" Shinra quickly knelt beside him and lifted his body slightly so Izaya's head rested on his lap. He glared up at Shizuo, who looked beyond worried now. "Are you crazy!" Shizuo's eyes remained on the raven's unconscious form. He hadn't meant to go that far!

Shizuo swallowed the lump of fear and took a couple of steps forward. "Is he okay?"

Shinra pulled Izaya into a protective embrace, almost like he thought Shizuo was dangerous. "What do you think! I mean, talk about overboard! You could have killed him!"

Kadota frowned and swiped out an arm, shielding Shizuo from Shinra's words like they were weapons. "Shinra, calm down. Izaya will be alright. I think you're overreacting."

Shinra's frown deepened, and he lifted up Izaya's shirt to make his point. "You really think so!" There were several angry scratches across Izaya's chest, occupying the ones he'd already received from the demonic spirit earlier, yet these seemed even more aggressive.

"I didn't mean to! If I didn't do something he'd still be acting like a rabid animal. I assured him he wasn't possessed in the first place! Do you have any idea how fucking terrified he was when I found him here! Or how truly worried he was when he thought that thing might have gotten inside!" Shizuo clenched his fists. "Someone like Izaya would rather die than let something possess him." Shizuo frowned and looked away, not wanting to see the damage he'd caused anymore. "I thought you of all people would know that since you claim to care so much about him."

Shinra's frown lessened, and he glanced down at the raven in his arms. He thought he knew everything about Izaya. Understood him better than anyone, but Shizuo was right. Izaya would rather suffer the consequences if it meant he'd remain himself. Just like at the house. Izaya was willing to let the spirit enter his body and was also willing to risk Shizuo driving it out of him to exorcise it. Shinra simply nodded in reply to Shizuo's words yet tightened his hold on his friend.

Kadota knew it wasn't over yet. "Question. If Shizuo really did manage to get that thing out of Izaya, then where is it now?"

Shinra looked up. "Maybe Shizuo took care of it for good?"

Shizuo scoffed angrily. "What I want to know is how the hell it even came to exist in the first place."

"What do you mean?" Kadota asked.

"In my opinion, any kind of ghost or spirit, angry or not, exists for a reason. Unfinished business, sudden death's, revenge. Whatever it is, there's always a reason."

"What are you thinking?"

"I'd like to go back to the family and ask them more direct questions, and if I can, look around the house a little more - thoroughly if you catch my drift."

Kadota blinked in surprise, and a small grin formed on his lips. "I see. You think they're hiding something, just like Izaya suggested."

"Yeah, or at least, one of them is. I just don't trust Jude."

"Sure, okay, we can go there." Kadota looked down at the other two. "What about Izaya?"

Shizuo frowned. "I'm not gonna tell them anything happened. They'll be more suspicious. If you wouldn't mind distracting them, I can take a look around to see what else I can find."

Shinra nodded his agreement. "You two go. I'll stay here and make sure Izaya is okay. When he wakes up, I'll fill him in on what's going on." They both nodded and turned to leave. "Shizuo?" The blond stopped by the living room's entrance, and Shinra ducked his head. "I'm sorry."

Shizuo huffed a small laugh, holding his hand up. "Don't worry about it." And he followed Kadota outside. Shinra heard the van's engine start, and the vehicle drove away.

The bespectacled boy sighed heavily, looking down at his friend, biting his lip as he brushed some of the black bangs away from Izaya's face. "You'll be alright."

…..

A small breath of surprise passed Nanaka's lips when she opened the door to find Shizuo and Kadota standing on her doorstep. On the way over here, the two had discussed that Kadota would do most of the talking since the brunette knew that Shizuo was more pissed off than he let on. Izaya had been attacked in his own home, and things could have ended up a lot worse. Spirit or not, they wanted to know the reason it happened. "Good morning," Kadota said with a smile, "or is it-" he looked at his watch, "Nope, still morning." He kept his smile and waved his hand in greeting. "Sorry to bother you."

Nanaka returned the smile but kept her hand on the door. "Didn't my husband tell you? The spirit has left our Laddie, it's gone now."

Kadota nodded. "Yeah, he told us. As part of our routine, we just do a quick assessment, you know, check to make sure everything is okay." He held up both hands. "No charge for that, just wanna be sure everyone is safe."

Nanaka's smile widened a little, and she closed her eyes when she replied, "That's really sweet. Really, though, it's not necessary. We haven't had any kind of attack, and Laddie is as wonderful as before."

Hearing Shizuo's impatient growl behind him, Kadota tried again and chuckled. "Yeah, but our boss, you know, Shinra? He's got this really caring nature, and if we didn't do our best to make sure you were all really safe, then we'd have to listen to his constant whining, and honestly, it's really not worth the trouble."

"Who's at the door, mom?" they heard a voice from inside. Nanaka turned when the door was pulled from her hold and revealed their classmate. She smiled at them. "Hi, guys! What are you doing here?"

Kadota waved a little. "Yo. How's everything going?"

Kumiko nodded happily. "It's good. I mean, I don't know how, but I guess the spirit just left. Sorry for wasting your time."

"Don't worry about that, we just came by to do a quick check around, just to make sure it truly left you guys. Just part of the job, and it keeps Shinra happy. He worries about these things."

Kumiko smiled. "Wow, that's so nice." She looked up at her mum for confirmation. "That's alright, isn't it?"

Nanaka looked down at her daughter, and a chuckle escaped her lips. "Of course!" She looked at the teens. "Come on in, I just didn't want you to go to the trouble."

Kadota shook his head. "S'not a problem."

"Anyone else here?" Shizuo finally spoke as they entered the house.

"My husband took Teichi and Laddie to the park for a little while. I can assure you, it's safe."

Shizuo suppressed a growl at those words, and they followed the mother and daughter into the kitchen. "I'm going to take a look around upstairs."

"So, where are Shinra and Izaya? They not with you?" Kumiko asked.

"Oh, they're scouting the area, just to make sure the spirit really vanished," Kadota replied.

"Wow. You guys really do take this all seriously."

"We do."

"It's pretty admirable."

Shizuo rolled his eyes and pointed his thumb toward the hallway. "Kadota." The other teen looked over at him. "Check the yard while I'm upstairs." It wasn't as demanding as it sounded; his eyes hinted at a distraction, and Kadota nodded.

"Sure. No problem."

Shizuo left them, and Kadota smiled, gesturing his arm toward the garden. "Mind if we checked outside?"

Nanaka nodded. "Help yourself."

Kadota tilted his head with a slight bow. "Appreciate it if you came with me. I don't want to feel like I'm imposing or anything."

"Not at all. Kumiko can show you around. I'll make some refreshments if you would like."

Kadota considered this and figured that was probably the more subtle distraction. "Thanks."

…

Shinra gasped when Izaya stirred and pulled back the damp cloth he'd been wiping over the raven's forehead. "Izaya?" he called softly and watched as his friend moved to sit up, bracing his hands on the soft couch underneath him. Shinra had moved him to make him more comfortable and figured Izaya might not appreciate waking up laying across his lap. Izaya hissed at the pull of his injuries, still stinging and causing some discomfort. As he pushed himself further up, he leaned against the armrest and finally gave Shinra his attention. "Hey. How do you feel?" Izaya blinked at him. Shinra could see the confusion flashing across Izaya's face and sat back on his heels. "We were worried. Are you feeling okay?"

"Shouldn't I be?" What the hell was going on? He remembered cleaning up the mess in the house, feeling grateful his friends had remained with him for the rest of the night. He remembered going to sleep but recalled waking up to use the bathroom, positive that was around eight? Then - I don't remember anything after that! Why? Why can't I remember!

It was like watching all Izaya's thoughts play out before him, and Shinra let him process what he thought might have happened.

"What time is it?" Izaya asked. "And where are Shizu-chan and Dota-chin?"

Shinra smiled at him. "It's all almost one. Don't worry, they're fine, they just stepped out for a bit."

Izaya frowned. "What happened?"

"What are you talking about? You lost consciousness earlier, you're still injured don't forget."

Izaya swung his legs over the edge of the couch and leaned forward. "Don't lie to me." Izaya could tell by the worried gaze in Shinra's eyes. "Tell me why there's a small gap in my memory. I got up to use the bathroom this morning, and that's all I remember. Are you trying to tell me I've been passed out since then because of my injuries?" Izaya followed Shinra's gaze until it landed on his chest. He frowned and pulled his shirt up before Shinra could stop him. "The hell?" Shinra flinched. Izaya grazed his fingertips across the additional cuts; he'd seen these before. Izaya finally figured it out. "It can't be…."

Shinra leaned forward, his hand coming to rest on Izaya's knee. "We didn't know. I woke up and you were - different, vicious even. Kadota grabbed you when you attacked me."

Izaya's eyes grew wide. "I - I attacked you?"

Shinra nodded. "It's okay, I didn't get hurt or anything, but you broke through his hold, and that's when Shizuo punched you in the face."

Izaya's hand instinctively went to his mouth. "That's why my mouth hurts."

"To stop you…. or for a better word, save you. Shizuo used that mantra he used on the servant spirit at Kira's house."

Izaya lowered his head, letting his hair fall across his face to hide his emotions. "He told me that I wasn't - he said I was fine. I believed him…. trusted his instincts." Izaya snapped his head up in anger, but tears clouded his eyes. "He said I was fine!"

Shinra grabbed his hand. "Izaya, no one feels worse than he does. But you're okay, he got that thing out of you."

Izaya yanked his hand away. "How do you know! No one noticed it was in me to begin with! Did anyone actually see it leave?"

Shinra shook his head. "No one can see spirits like you, but Shizuo seemed confident."

Izaya scoffed. "Well, I'm suddenly having a hard time believing him right now."

Shinra sighed. "It's - it's not his fault, Izaya."

"Tsk."

Shinra stood up. "Anyway, he and Kadota went back to the house."

"Why?" Izaya frowned.

"Shizuo was genuinely pissed off about what happened. So he went to find out how the demonic spirit came to exist in the first place. He doesn't trust Jude, and as I recall, neither did you."

Izaya leaned forward. "Shinra," he sighed the boy's name, "I don't trust a lot of people."

Shinra smiled. "Yeah, but it's not often that you and Shizuo agree."

"What exactly does he plan on doing to find this information out anyway? We both know he's not the most tactful person."

"Well, the way I understood it, Kadota would distract them while Shizuo looked around the house to see if maybe he could find anything."

Izaya rolled his eyes and stood up. "I'm not sure how to feel about him right now, but we should head over to the house to make sure they don't get into trouble for snooping."

Shinra smiled, though he felt a little bad for Shizuo. Neither of them knew Izaya had been possessed, so why was he only blaming Shizuo? Did he trust the blond's judgment?

…

Kadota glanced over by the kitchen window from the doghouse, keeping an eye on her while pretending to listen to Kumiko's story about some birthday party she'd gone to. Honestly, you'd think they'd never had a demonic spirit attack them. Kadota wasn't sure he was even helping; he didn't have gifts like Izaya or Shizuo, and he didn't have the knowledge like Shinra, but Kadota would do anything he could to keep them out of trouble, and that was something worth being. They walked back into the kitchen, and Nanaka nodded at the drinks she'd made. "I'll just go and check on your friend," she said and turned to leave. Kadota tried to stutter an excuse, but what could he say? 'don't go up there because my friend is looking through your personal belongings?' This was their house, and if he started causing suspicions, they would find out anyway.

"I'll check on him. You don't have to do that," he said and followed her into the hallway.

"It's really alright. You're my guests." And with that, she began to climb the stairs. "I don't know what I'm looking for, but I'm sure two sets of eyes are better than one."

Shizuo stilled on his way across the landing. He had only just finished looking through Kumiko's and the boy's room. He ran back into Kumiko's room when he heard her coming up the stairs. Damn it, so much for the distraction. Shizuo hid behind the door and listened for her footsteps, but they sounded distant, so she was most likely in her own room. Shizuo let out a sigh of relief. He didn't know why he was hiding since she knew he was up here. Suddenly, he heard her coming back toward him and pressed himself closer to the wall when she appeared in the room.

"Heiwajima-kun?" She called, and he debated whether to answer, but he decided to keep quiet since he was now hiding behind the door like an idiot. He leaned to the side so he could watch her. She was carrying something, but he couldn't tell what it was. She seemed to glance around nervously for a few moments before placing whatever she held in a storage trunk. Judging from the way she quite literally 'buried' it, she intended to hide it. Shizuo almost stumbled when he leaned too far to the side and winced when his hand touched the door, causing it to move. Shizuo sucked in a breath and prayed to God she didn't notice.

Hide behind the door. What a fucking great idea. Shizuo frowned at his thoughts and tensed when her footsteps drew closer to where he was - and then the doorbell rang. Shizuo sighed in relief when Nanaka immediately left the room. Shizuo stepped out to listen.

"Hello, nice to see you again~" and Shizuo had never been so happy to hear that annoying yet too charming voice. It was Izaya.

"I'm glad everything turned out okay for you. I trust our friends are doing their best to make sure that's true." And Shinra, obviously.

Shizuo relaxed when he heard the voices fade. He quickly walked over to the trunk and pulled the lid up, trying not to make a mess.

Izaya nodded his thanks when Nanaka handed him and Shinra a hot tea. "So, nothing else has happened to Laddie since last night?"

Nanaka shook her head. "But we were worried when my husband woke up to find Laddie had escaped."

Izaya almost snorted at the convenience of that, but he refrained. "Your husband did? And he was the one who found him after, right?"

"Yes, and when he found him, he said that Laddie was unconscious, but didn't appear harmed."

Izaya tensed knowingly. Just like me.

"We're just glad he's back with us, and we can forget this whole thing."

Kumiko nodded. "But we really did appreciate your help."

Shinra was about to reply when Shizuo stormed into the room and slammed his hand down on the kitchen table. They looked down at what he'd forcefully placed there. Izaya gasped. "That's - that's an orikiri-sama. Where the hell did you get that?"

"I found it."

Izaya huffed. "Yes, but where?"

"Kumiko's room."

Kumiko gasped in shock. "What? I've never seen that before! I don't even know what it is!"

Kadota blinked and said, "Will someone tell me what this is?"

Izaya frowned and picked up the sheet of paper. "It's a type of Ouija board. It works in a similar way to normal ones. I've never actually seen one in person, but I've read about them."

Nanaka frowned at them. "How did such a thing even get into my daughters' room?"

Shizuo looked over at her. "You should know, since you put it there."

Kumiko looked at her mum with worry. "Mom?"

Nanaka narrowed her eyes deeply. "That's ridiculous! You planted it!"

Shizuo growled. "I saw you! I was in the room when you hid it in her storage trunk!"

All eyes were on the woman now, and Kumiko looked on in disbelief. "Mom…. why did you put this thing in my room? I don't mess with stuff like this."

Nanaka slumped and covered her face. "Alright! It was me! I got it from someone I work with. I just - Teichi was so upset…. I just wanted to make him happy again."

Izaya was seething; he knew first-hand how dangerous Ouija boarding was, and hearing someone else abusing that was even worse. "What exactly did you think would happen? That you would somehow bring back your dead pet? That you'd communicate with it and somehow it would show itself to Teichi as the pet you knew before?" Izaya creased the paper in his hand. "Are you that fucking ignorant!"

"Izaya!" Shinra tried to calm him, but Izaya batted his hand away.

"If it were Kumiko, or maybe even your son somehow, I might be a little more understanding. But you're an adult who should clearly know better! Do you have any idea what you've done, or what you summoned? It wasn't your precious pet. You released a demonic mutt that ended up in your other innocent dog!"

Nanaka's eyes clouded, and she hung her head in shame. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean for any of this to happen!"

Izaya wasn't fooled. "You let Laddie escape, didn't you?" At this statement, everyone gasped.

Kumiko frowned at him. "Don't accuse her of such a thing! What she did was wrong, but she only did it to try and heal Teichi's broken heart."

Shizuo had had enough of this. All this time, they suspected Jude, but it turned out to be the mother all along. "That damn thing attacked him!"

Izaya looked over at him in surprise. He really is angry. "Shizu-chan-"

"When the spirit left your dog, it followed Izaya and attacked him, it-"

"Shizu-chan!" Izaya had to stop him before Shizuo blurted something they shouldn't know, but he would admit he was somewhat touched by the defending. Shizuo stopped speaking and glanced at Izaya, and the raven shook his head slightly. Shizuo got the hint and backed down. Izaya narrowed his eyes over at the mother, motioning to the paper still in his hand. "You're supposed to bury these near a shrine, but I think you buried it in the same place you buried Benji, is that right?"

Kumiko shuddered, and her eyes widened when her mum nodded. "Mom!" she protested, not believing what she heard.

"Then what's this one for? Did you use this one too?"

Nanaka raised her head to look at the teens; there was no sign that she was proud of what she'd done, but she didn't look like she regretted it either. "Yes."

Izaya didn't think he wanted to know because he had a feeling already. "What for?"

"You."

"What!" Shizuo yelled, and Kadota grabbed his arm to stop him from throwing a fit.

Izaya did his best to remain calm. "Was it because you knew I'd find you out because I saw the spirit in the dog?"

Nanaka nodded. "I heard about the Orikiri-sama design to ensure that participants contribute to a death spell, and - and you were the target. I didn't think it would work quite the way it did. I let Laddie out before I went to sleep without my husband knowing. When he fled the yard, I guess the spirit took him to find you."

"It is somewhat impressive you were able to do that."

Shizuo snapped his attention toward him. "This is not okay, flea! She could have killed you!"

Nanaka's eyes widened, and this time her frets were real. "I didn't mean to! I was scared, scared of being caught. I knew you were more suspicious of my husband….so I used that as cover."

"Not to mention the fact you blamed your daughter by planting that in her room. Good thing Shizuo saw you," Kadota said.

Nanaka turned to her daughter, grasping her arms, tears falling down her face. "Please, forgive me sweetheart…. I just want my family to be happy."

Kumiko still couldn't believe her mother could do this, but they'd been through so much. "Why didn't you just tell me? Even when you knew I'd asked them to come here."

Nanaka gave a small smile and looked at them. "I didn't expect them to be this smart." Izaya's lips curved into a slight smirk before it disappeared again. "If - if the spirit did attack you, then you must have gotten rid of it somehow, right?"

There was silence as the teens contemplated what to tell her. Izaya spoke first. "Do you know that to stop this, the curse is returned to its caster in order to leave the one that's targeted unharmed? That's why it's called a death spell."

Nanaka gasped. "W-what are you saying?"

"Ordinarily that is the case, but not even I'm experienced enough to do such a thing. I think given the amateurish way you handled all this, the demonic spirit can be easily dealt with by a good enough Mantra. A real casting from a Ouija board like this would be a much larger scale and a hell of a lot more dangerous."

Nanaka and Kumiko sighed in relief.

Shinra, Kadota, and Shizuo were again impressed with Izaya's intellect. Not only did he know exactly what she'd done, but he also came up with a plausible solution.

The sound of the door opening and closing reached their ears. Izaya shoved the sheet of paper into his pocket when the sound of a bark and then excited footsteps approached them. Teichi and Jude stilled in surprise when they saw who was in their kitchen. Shinra smiled with a wave. "Sorry for the intrusion. We just wanted to make sure everything was okay," he said with kindness.

Jude sighed a little in frustration but couldn't find it in himself to get mad. "Well, thanks, I guess. Now, if you're done investigating, I hope you know we don't technically have to pay you the rest of the money since the spirit left on its own."

Izaya grinned and was about to reply, but Nanaka beat him to it. "Don't be silly! They did all that research and risked their lives just to help us out."

Jude clicked his tongue and turned his attention to her. "That's what the deposit was for! We're not giving them anything else."

Nanaka placed her hands on her hips. "What I do with my money is up to me. And I say they deserve the money. I'm not asking you to pay them."

Jude shoved his hands in his pockets. "Suit yourself."

Izaya chuckled inwardly. I can see who's in charge of this relationship.

Laddie barked excitedly when he saw Shizuo. The blond laughed and knelt down to greet him. "Hey, boy." Izaya rolled his eyes. Just as Laddie reached Shizuo, he whimpered a little and stopped, backing up in what looked like fear.

Teichi knelt beside his dog and stroked his head. "What's wrong Laddie?"

The others watched when Shizuo stood up, and Izaya gasped. It didn't vanish. It jumped! "Get them out of here now!" he shouted abruptly at Shinra and Kadota.

Kadota looked at him in surprise. "What?"

"The spirit didn't leave, it's inside him! Get everyone out now!" Shizuo snarled loudly and spun around, his attention now on Izaya. "Shizu-chan, you can fight it!" Shizuo lunged forward, and Izaya turned and dashed out into the backyard.

"Izaya!" Shinra called out and frantically turned to Kadota. "What do we do! Neither of us is strong enough to hold Shizuo back!"

The family was in shock as they watched the scene unfold before them. Kadota gritted his teeth. "Gotta try. If Shizuo hurts Izaya, he'll never forgive himself." He ran outside after them.

Shinra stared in disbelief. Was his body subconsciously fighting it?

Izaya ducked when Shizuo came at him, and the blond crashed into the fence behind. Shizuo hissed and spluttered as he jumped, hands raised as he continued the chase. "Shizu-chan!" Izaya stopped running, facing him with determination. "You're too strong to be taken by a spirit! You're the son of a priest! You have strength no human possesses and-"

"Izaya, forgodsake run!"

Izaya's eyes widened when Shizuo reached forward. Izaya withdrew his flick blade and swiped Shizuo across the chest. It stopped the possessed blond for a moment, and Izaya wondered whether there was a flicker of recognition before it died. Shizuo snarled and reached the raven in mere seconds. "Shizu-chan-!" Hands grabbed his throat tightly, and Izaya gasped immediately and dropped his knife to remove the offending hands. "Shi – Shizu-chan…." Izaya's vision started to blur as he looked into Shizuo's eyes, trying to get through to him. "Please…. Shizu-chan…."

Kadota clenched his fists and turned toward the patio furniture in the corner. He grabbed one of the chairs before turning back and heaving it up above his head. Sorry, Shizuo, he thought before bringing the chair down as hard as he could over his friend's head. Letting out a loud growl, Shizuo jolted forward, and Izaya was released.

Izaya coughed weakly from the ground as air rushed back into his lungs. He glanced up at the still violent Shizuo and pushed himself to his feet with a stumble, spreading his arms out and shouting, "You want me? Then leave him and come get me!"

"Izaya, no!"

Izaya narrowed his eyes, and then with a shriek, the spirit possessing Shizuo left him, and the blond collapsed. Izaya bit his lip and stepped back. Everyone gasped. They could see it. "Come on! I'm right here!" The demonic spirit thrust forward violently, and Izaya gulped and took a couple of steps back. Just as the spirit neared him, he threw something into the air. Confusion set in as the demonic mutt suddenly changed its target with a low growl, and a bright white light flashed across them. Once their vision cleared, they were left in a state of wonder. Izaya breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed on his hands and knees. Shinra ran outside and was by his side in seconds.

"Are you alright?" Izaya nodded silently and allowed Shinra to help him to his feet. "Wh-what just happened?"

Izaya clung onto his arm, exhaustion truly setting in now. "It's over…."

"How is - how did you-"

Kadota knelt beside Shizuo, making sure the blond was okay. He looked up at Izaya, supported by Shinra as they made their way over. "What was that? I could have sworn I saw-"

Izaya smiled a little. "That's right. See, Hitogata's aren't just designed specifically to curse someone. They can also be used as cleansing spirits. When I first suspected the family, I made a Hitogata for each of them just in case. It was tricky since I'd never anything like that before, and I honestly didn't think what I'd done would work. Remember when I said that to end the curse you have to turn it back on its caster?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, when I threw that Hitogata just now, it was Nanaka's. I used that as a substitute for the demonic spirit, along with myself as a distraction of course since it was after me to begin with."

Kadota blinked in surprise. "And you had no idea what you were really doing?"

Izaya chuckled. "Not really, I mean, I had the basic idea in my head, but the spirit could have just as easily ignored the formation of Nanaka and gone directly through me instead."

Shinra gaped at his friend. Izaya was terrified of that demonic mutt, yet he just risked his life based on a slim chance. One minute he's afraid, and the next, he's confident and cool as a cucumber…. Shinra smiled to himself. That's why I love him so much. Shaking his thoughts from his head, he glanced down at Shizuo. "Is he okay?"

Kadota nodded and pulled the blond up by his arm so he could drape Shizuo onto his back, stumbling a little from his weight. "Yeah, he'll be fine."

Izaya didn't say anything and barely spared Shizuo a glance. His thoughts were conflicted, and he didn't have the energy to sort them out right now. Izaya knew he couldn't really blame Shizuo. He knew the blond didn't have much experience sensing things like Izaya. Shizuo trusted his instincts more than his abilities, and at the time, Izaya had done the same. Because he had believed Shizuo was right, Izaya felt some kind of betrayal when everything proved wrong. Shizuo was probably feeling guilty. "Let's go home," he finally said.

Shinra nodded, and they walked back toward the house. The family stared at them in shock before Nanaka bowed her head apologetically. "I'm truly sorry for everything." Izaya frowned, took out the screwed-up paper, and ripped it into pieces before placing it in her palm.

"Next time, I suggest trying the normal way to support your grieving son and learn to own up to your own mistakes."

Nanaka sent him a small glare but knew the boy was right. Their family had a lot of issues to work through, and they owed the teens for even making that possible.

….

As Kadota drove down a familiar street, Shizuo stirred awake in the back of the van where Izaya was sitting in the seat next to his sprawled-out body. Shinra occupied the passenger seat and glanced into the rear-view mirror. "I think Shizuo is waking up," he informed Kadota since the brunette's focus was the road.

Kadota smiled. "Good."

Izaya glanced at the blond but didn't turn his body.

Shizuo lay a hand over his face. "What the hell happened?" Shizuo spoke with a gruff tone, grunting as he sat up. "My head is pounding."

"It'll pass," Izaya told him without even turning around.

Shizuo looked at him and scanned over their surroundings, realizing they were in the van. "Where are we going? What about Kumiko and her family? We still need to-"

"It's over," Izaya said bluntly.

Shizuo blinked at him. "What do you mean?"

"The spirit is gone now."

Shizuo frowned in confusion. "It came back?"

"It never left." Izaya turned his full attention to him. "It jumped."

Shizuo was about to reply, but Izaya's words seemed to sink in. "Me?"

Izaya nodded. "Your body must have suppressed it for some time. It was only when Laddie tried to greet you did it surface. Pets have a natural ability to sense things a normal human can't sense. When Laddie backed off right away, I knew something was wrong, and I saw it too."

Shizuo's eyes grew wide, and his fists clenched. "I - I didn't…. Izaya, did I hurt anyone?"

A small hesitation on his part. Izaya didn't want to lie to him, but he knew it'd be much worse if Shizuo found out how he almost strangled him to death. "No, it all worked out in the end."

Izaya caught the nod of approval from Kadota in the mirror, silently telling him he'd done the right thing.

"Then how did - who exorcised the spirit?"

Izaya gave him a smirk. "I did." He chuckled a little at Shizuo's surprised expression. "Serendipity, I guess."

Shizuo would question how Izaya exorcised the violent demon later, but for now, he just inclined his head and avoided the raven's gaze. "Thanks…. I owe you, Izaya." Izaya could tell Shizuo still felt guilty about what happened at his house.

"It wasn't your fault, Shizu-chan, so forget about it." Izaya smirked at him. "You should be grateful, I mean, you got to punch me in the face, right?"

Shizuo rolled his eyes but gave Izaya a smirk in return. "Yeah, actually that did feel pretty good."

Shinra slumped in his chair with a small frown of confusion. I don't get those two at all. He exhaled as if to catch their attention. "Now that that's over with. Does everyone still wanna do a horror marathon in two days for Halloween?"

Neither of his friends hid their displeasure, and Shinra already knew his answer. "I think we've had enough experience of the real thing this week," Kadota said, knowing the others agreed with him. "We can always go to the festival that's on at the west gate park. Take our minds off what happened. Kimono's, food stands, games and probably fireworks, maybe a few fair rides."

Shinra beamed excitedly. "That's a way better idea than what we originally wanted to do!"

Izaya huffed a laugh when he saw Shizuo's lack of agreement. "You don't want to, Shizu-chan?"

Shizuo shrugged. "I don't mind really. Beats just sitting indoors, I guess. My disagreement was the part about kimono's. Can't really see any of us in them. It's weird."

Izaya laughed. "It's tradition." He clasped his fingers and stretched his arms forward. "Besides, I think I'll look rather pleasing in a kimono." Izaya gave him a sideways smirk. "Don't you think so?"

Shizuo gritted his teeth and snapped his head to the raven, and although he yelled, his cheeks were the slightest bit pink. "The hell are you asking me for!"

Izaya outright burst with laughter, leaning forward and wrapping his arms half around the headrest of Shinra's chair. "Shizu-chan's blushing! Ha ha. You agree with me, right Shinra?"

Shinra gave a quick nod, hiding his red face that probably looked like a tomato.

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