A light rattle sounded against his window, and Izaya ignored it in favor of more sleep. It came again, and he groaned in protest, flipping the covers over his head. The rattle turned into a knock. Izaya huffed and glanced at the clock, positive it wasn't time to get up for school yet: 06:00. Izaya sat up, ready to take his anger out on whatever innocent bird dared to wake him up. Izaya threw back the black curtain to reveal what was definitely not a bird. Not even a wild animal. Izaya smirked. Well, that all depends on someone's opinion, I suppose. Shizuo hung from his window ledge, a tight grip around the square trellis. Seriously? Izaya chuckled and opened his window. "Have you been reading Shakespeare, Shizu-chan?" Shizuo gave him a blank look, and Izaya raised an eyebrow. "No? Romeo and Juliet? Romeo Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?" Shizuo frowned. "Okay, never mind. Shakespeare, Shizu-chan, he was a play writer."

Shizuo growled at him. "Its six in the morning, flea. I am not ready for lessons right now, so shut the hell up and let me in."

Izaya laughed. "You're the one hanging from my walright now. I believe that's called trespassing. At least when Romeo did it, he recited a wooing dialect."

Shizuo gritted his teeth. "Then go fucking be with Romeo."

Izaya laughed again. "First of all, he's a fictional character. Second, that play was written in the sixteenth century, which I believe gay individuals were tortured and executed, so I think I like this timeline better. Thirdly-" Izaya was cut off by Shizuo's lips pressed against his, and the raven grinned against the kiss.

"You are way too alert for this time of the morning, flea. Damn it."

Izaya pulled himself up onto the window ledge and sat down. "What can I say, I'm good looking and I have a wondrous mind. It's rare to have both."

Shizuo grew annoyed and could tell Izaya was doing it on purpose to keep him hanging for his own amusement. "Let – me – in."

Izaya grinned at him. "No wooing dialect?"

Shizuo gripped the trellis tighter, almost snapping the wood. "Let me in and I won't shove you off the edge."

Izaya pouted. "That was terrible, Shizu-chan! You're supposed to say something like - A thousand times the worse, to want thy light. Love goes toward love, as schoolboys from their books, but love from love, toward school with heavy books."

Shizuo blinked and gritted his teeth in agitation. "That makes no fucking sense. Stop blabbering and move." Izaya decided he'd rather not have part of his house broken and slid off the ledge to help Shizuo through the window. Izaya laughed and pulled Shizuo backward, and they fell against the bed. Shizuo instantly put his palms out to stop himself from crushing the smaller male underneath. "I'm starting to feel like you have a small fetish for old written romance plays."

Izaya rolled his eyes. "It's not a 'fetish.' I simply have an appreciation for the arts of playwriting."

Shizuo shrugged. "Whatever. It's all confusing if you ask me."

Izaya chuckled, leaned up to kiss Shizuo on the lips, rolled them over, and lay across Shizuo's chest. "Was that confusing?"

Shizuo smiled. "No, that part completely makes sense." They kissed softly, and tongues darted out to battle for dominance after a few moments. Shizuo's hands came up to caress Izaya's back from underneath his shirt. Izaya let out an appreciative moan, and Shizuo sat up and flipped their positions. The raven's head softly hit the pillows, grinning up at the blond. He rested his knee against Shizuo's groin, but Shizuo frowned and batted it away. "Stop that." Izaya chuckled and did it again. Shizuo growled and grabbed his leg, holding it down. "No."

"Are you shy, Shizu-chan?"

Shizuo rolled his eyes and sat up, bringing Izaya with him, and the raven straddled his lap. "I thought we were taking things slow. We haven't done anything besides making out, so if you don't mind, stop groping me."

Izaya clicked his tongue. "Don't get so defensive. It's not like I asked you to fuck me. It was harmless teasing."

Shizuo frowned and shook his head. "For someone who appreciates old tale romance, you're really vulgar sometimes, you know that?"

Izaya chuckled. "I'm almost seventeen, Shizu-chan, regardless of my unique interests, I'm still a normal hormonal teenager."

"I wouldn't go as far as to say you're normal." Izaya huffed, and Shizuo laughed. "However, I get what you're saying. I just - I don't want to rush anything. This is a pretty big step, and I don't know about you, but this is all very new to me. Also, I am seventeen."

Izaya gave him a genuine smile and kissed him lightly. "I get it. I'm okay with slow. I really was just teasing you. It's not like I'm ready for anything beyond making out either. Just do me one favour?"

Shizuo raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "What?"

"Take care of your morning excitement before you decide to come over and sneak up to my window."

Shizuo stammered loudly with a blush, "I did!"

Izaya laughed and removed himself from Shizuo's lap. "At least it's nice to know for future reference you have a lot of stamina."

Shizuo covered his face with his hands. "Shut up!"

Izaya grinned and stood up from the bed. "Also, a warning text would be nice too, so that I can take care of mine."

A knock on the bedroom door startled them both. "Izaya, are you up?" came his mother's voice.

Shizuo grinned at the irony of those words. Izaya glared at him and shoved a pillow in his face. "Y-yes. Sure."

"Good. Don't want to be late for your second-year introduction."

"I know."

Izaya removed the pillow from Shizuo to see him trying hard not to laugh. "Protozoan."

Shizuo shifted off the bed, stood up, and kissed him. "Look on the bright side. You're not so excited now."

Izaya shoved him off and pointed to the window. "Get the hell out of my bedroom."

Shizuo quickly kissed him one more time and walked to the windowsill. "See you at school."

Izaya sighed and sat on the edge of the bed, smiling to himself. "What a gentlemanly boyfriend I have. I have to give him credit, one of us should have some restraint I suppose."

….

Science Lab: 11:00.

"Who the hell wants to learn about plants," Shizuo growled when he erased something on his page for the third time.

Shinra looked up from his book and, with the most innocent face, said, "Someone who wants to be a botanist?" Shizuo glared at him, and Shinra gave him a crooked smile. "Joking!"

Izaya grinned. It wasn't the work that Shizuo was angry over. It was the distraction. Izaya lifted his foot over Shizuo's thigh slowly and lightly grazed over his crouch. Shizuo gritted his teeth and tensed before Izaya lowered it down his leg. Shizuo glared daggers at him. The two were sitting opposite on a square table because the blond thought he'd be safer if they weren't sitting next to each other. A decision he now regretted.

"Okay," the teacher spoke, "moving on from the sheet. Your group will now perform an experiment, so please come and get your collection of equipment from up front."

Shinra stood up. "I'll get them."

Kadota nodded. "I'll give you a hand."

Shizuo watched them go and turned angrily to Izaya, slamming his fist on the table. "Would you stop it!"

Izaya grinned. "Stop what, I was stretching."

Shizuo gritted his teeth. "Like hell you were. Remove your foot before I rip it off."

Izaya laughed. "I like my foot where it is actually."

Shizuo narrowed his eyes. "Then remove it."

Izaya's eyes glinted playfully. "No."

Shinra and Kadota came back with the equipment. Shizuo slammed his fist onto Izaya's ankle, causing the raven to yelp in pain and retreat his foot. Shinra raised an eyebrow as they sat down, placing the equipment on the table. "What's wrong?"

Izaya glared at Shizuo, rubbing his bruised ankle under the table. "Nothing."

Shizuo shrugged, completely ignoring the raven's glare and obvious protest. "So, what's the experiment."

…

Art class: 14:00.

Izaya was still annoyed at Shizuo for bruising his ankle in science, even more so now since the blond ignored his texts. Izaya had kicked the back of his chair a couple of times, but Shizuo had developed a skill to tune him out, vocal or otherwise.

Shizuo grinned when he heard Izaya huff and found it amusing and adorable. He had discovered the raven hated getting ignored, and even more so since the one ignoring him was his boyfriend. He carefully looked down at his phone on his lap and finally read the messages he'd received.

'I hate you.'

'Shizu-chan, you're a child.'

'Don't ignore me!'

'Fine! See if I care.'

'Answer me!'

'Brute.'

Shizuo rolled his eyes and chuckled; who knew Izaya could be this sensitive. I better answer him. Shizuo typed a message.

Izaya glared daggers at the blond's back and looked down when he received a message. 'Shut up flea. It's your own fault.' What kind of answer is that?

Shizuo shook his head when he opened up his next message. 'I was bored! And you're a prude!'

Izaya grinned when he read the reply and could practically hear Shizuo's voice yelling inside his head. 'Just keep your hands AND feet to yourself while we're in class! It is NOT an appropriate place!'

"There are many art forms depicting all kinds of intimacy," the teacher said as she switched on the projector. "Please keep an open mind as I show you these images. I expect all of you to act like mature students. You are not in primary school anymore." Izaya and Shizuo's attention was brought to the front, as were their other classmates. An image displayed a male and female sculpture in a kissing embrace. "The sculpture the kiss was designed by artist Auguste Rodin. Originally designed for the gates of hell, depicting a scene from Dante's inferno. It shows lovers, Paolo and Francesca." The next image was displayed. "This image was painted by Henri De Toulouse-Lautrec. Depicting two women embracing and kissing in bed. He describes the scene as 'the very epitome of sensual delight.'" A few images were displayed together. "In early Greek art, they produced well-developed examples of gay art. They considered adult male sexuality to be both normal and natural. Young males often took older males for mentors and sexual partners as seen on this, 'Warren cup' which depicts two males engaging in sexual acts."

Izaya chuckled and sent a text to Shizuo. 'Art just got even more interesting.'

Shizuo clicked his tongue. Great, that's all he needs, more encouragement. 'You're impossible.'

'Like you weren't thinking the same thing.'

'Shut up.'

…

Shizuo grunted when Izaya pushed him against the wall on the rooftop, hidden by another. He pressed his lips against Shizuo's, his palm flat on the brick surface. Shizuo pulled him closer, and their bodies ground against each other. "Someone will see us," Shizuo panted.

Izaya nibbled on his jawline and down his neck. "Relax. No one is coming up here now…." Shizuo pushed him off and switched their positions, shoving the raven lightly against the wall, securing his wrists above his head. Izaya grinned. "Kinky." Shizuo rolled his eyes, and Izaya laughed before feigning a struggle. "I'm at your mercy, Shizu-chan. What are you going to do?"

Shizuo chuckled and kissed him hard on the lips, tongue darting out, asking for access which was immediately granted. Izaya moaned into the kiss, and Shizuo's hands eventually released his wrists in favor of his hips. Izaya's hands came up and snaked around Shizuo's neck. "We're supposed to meet Shinra and Kadota in our club room," Shizuo said breathlessly.

Izaya's fingers threaded through Shizuo's hair. "Calling it a club room sounds pathetic."

Shizuo gently bit Izaya's bottom lip. "But that's what it is. What do you want to call it?"

"PRO."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"It stands for psychic research office."

Shizuo kissed him again. "That does sound better."

Izaya returned the kiss and then pushed him off. "Alright, we better go before they come looking for us."

…..

Shinra was grinning when the two walked in. Kadota turned to them from the couch and said, "Did you get held up or something? Where've you been?"

"Art class ran late," Shizuo simply said and slumped onto the couch beside him, nodding thanks when Kadota handed him a soda.

Izaya walked toward the desk and sat down in the chair behind it, gently spinning it with his feet. "Alright, Shinra. Tell us why you're overly excited this time."

Shinra stood up from the single armchair and spread his arms out. "You'll never guess what!" The three looked at him blankly. "No one is going to guess?"

Shizuo frowned. "You just said we'll never guess it, so just fricking tell us already."

Shinra raised his hands up in mock surrender. "Okay okay. Geez. I was just trying to create a little suspense and-"

"Shinra~," Izaya said and pinched the bridge of his nose. Like Shizuo, he was annoyed they had to part from one another because of this. This had better be worth it. "Out with it."

Shinra sighed and went back to grinning. "We have our first real case!" That piqued their interest, and all attention focused on the teen. "I know our other two cases were important, but this one is by far the best we've gotten!"

"Calm down and tell us, Shinra. You're giving me a headache."

Shinra nodded and took a deep breath. "Okay, so the head of the school knows what we've been accomplishing lately based on those two cases we solved. Apparently, he's friends with the head of a small middle school in Shinjuku. The school has been experiencing some freaky circumstances lately, and they've gotten so bad that they're thinking about closing the school."

Kadota leaned forward as he opened his soda can, taking a large gulp before speaking. "What kind of circumstances?"

"The usual. Doors opening and closing on their own. Pictures flying off the walls for no reason. One girl from her class is in the hospital right now after receiving a head injury. Apparently, she was in the library and suddenly a bookshelf fell on her. The students are freaked out, and some of them refuse to come to school."

Izaya raised an eyebrow. Why would they want a group of high schoolers to deal with something like that? "Are you saying our principal actually recommended us?"

Shinra nodded. "Well the thing is, that it's not a very big school, and it also doesn't have the funding's a normal school might have. It's supposed to be for those who struggle with education or have behaviour difficulties, though some of the students are fairly tame in comparison to others."

Shizuo clicked his tongue. "So in other words, it's a school for the delinquents."

Izaya rolled his eyes as he stood up and walked around the desk. "Be nice, Shizu-chan. The schools you've been to might consider you a delinquent." Shizuo glared at him, and Izaya avoided his gaze, knowing he would hear about that later. "So he recommended us because the school has a low budget crisis?"

Shinra nodded. "It'll be even worse if word got out to public ears, but so far, nothing has."

"Why is that?"

"I don't know. There's only been one incident where a student has gotten hurt, so they put it down to an accident. They don't think they have to worry about the other incidences because they're relying on students not risking their sanity by blabbing about it."

Shizuo crushed the can of soda he had been drinking, trying not to let his anger show. "Then why are we getting involved if they're not really worried?"

Shinra frowned in concern. "Because even though they're not worried about it being publicized, more students could still get hurt. I think our principal convinced his friend to seek help before that happens. He approached me with the details, and I was so excited I couldn't say no. Given the circumstances, he's already given us the fees."

Izaya didn't like being told the payments for his own job, but since they were only in high school and were still under authority, he couldn't argue. "Fine, but it better be good. Neither one of us is risking our lives for this case unless it's worth it."

Shinra tilted his head with a slight grin. "I thought you didn't want to be in charge?"

Izaya rolled his eyes. "I don't, but handling the finances is my job, and if you want to handle it all then grow a pair."

Shinra pouted and sighed in defeat. "The deposit will be paid in the sum of 22,000, which we'll receive when we get there, and the payment for completing the job will be 25,000. Making the full payment a total of 47,000. I know that's not a high amount considering for a school, but it's way over the percentage we normally charge. What do you think?"

Izaya leaned against the desk, palms flat on the surface behind him. "It's reasonable. For a low funded school, it's better than I expected. Am I to assume that we'll be getting a few days off?"

Shinra nodded with a smile. "Most definitely. I can't wait! This is a great opportunity!"

Izaya chuckled at Shinra's enthusiasm, walking up and clapping him on the shoulder. "I can't argue with that."

Kadota nodded in agreement. This was the kind of job they'd been waiting for and would help them greatly when they started professionally. The money they'd acquire would gain them more equipment, and the job itself would give them a chance to use the ones they already had. "Sounds good. When are we supposed to start?"

"Tomorrow around ten. All the students will be settled in class by then. We should start in the library since that's where the girl got hurt."

Izaya nodded in agreement and said, "We should also talk to the other students. Maybe they can give us some clues."

Shinra smiled, and his fist hit against his palm. "Shinjuku middle school, here we come!"

…..

Izaya threw his phone on the bed. Shinra had insisted on researching the school before they left, which turned out to be pointless, so he was slightly irritated. He removed his jacket, hung it on the door, removed his shirt, and threw it in the wash basket. The doorbell rang as he pulled on a dark grey hoodie and removed his black pants. He stepped closer to the door to listen and pulled on pair of slacks to match his hoodie. He couldn't distinguish the visitor's voice since they spoke quietly. Izaya decided to leave the bedroom and headed downstairs. He saw his two sisters giggling and attacking a certain blond when he reached the bottom step. Shizuo chuckled as he gave them a hug.

His mum appeared and gestured to the twins to go and wash up for dinner. "You're welcome to stay, Shizuo-kun," she told him. Izaya couldn't help but smile when Shizuo nodded with a small bow.

"Thanks. I appreciate that, Mrs Orihara."

"No problem, and I've told you to call me Kyouko already." She turned around and saw her son standing on the steps. "There you are. I was just about to call you." Izaya finally locked eyes with Shizuo. "Dinner is in ten minutes." She smiled at Shizuo. "I hope you like chili. My husband makes a mean one."

Shizuo smiled, still looking at Izaya. "I've been told. Thanks, I like chili."

Kyouko left for the kitchen, leaving the two alone. Izaya's parents didn't know the real relationship between the teens because Izaya didn't want Shinra to find out just yet. "You're not angry then," Izaya said.

Shizuo frowned. "I am, but I suppose you had a point."

"There wasn't a point. It just slipped out, that's all. If we start acting too friendly, they'll start to suspect something."

Shizuo stepped forward and took the first step, so he was face to face with him. "I doubt their first thought will be, 'Oh, they're getting along, so they must be dating.'"

Izaya laughed. "I guess that's true." He grabbed the blond's wrist, led him upstairs to his bedroom, shut the door, and shoved him against it.

"Dinner is almost ready, what are you doing?"

Izaya smirked and said, "Apologizing," before kissing him, nibbling down to his neck, opening his mouth at the crook, and sucking hard on the skin. Shizuo moaned and reached around to thread his fingers through Izaya's hair. Izaya gently bit down on the already raised skin and licked over it.

"Mmm… what are you, a vampire?" Shizuo panted out.

"Complaining?"

Shizuo shook his head and pushed Izaya backward until his back hit the wardrobe. "My turn." He latched onto the hollow part of Izaya's neck and nibbled and sucked on the skin. Izaya pulled Shizuo closer, and their bodies ground together. Izaya's knees felt weak when Shizuo's hands caressed his sides underneath his hoodie. The raven pushed him off before their make-out session got too heated. "Did I hurt you?"

Izaya laughed. "No, I was just thinking we should stop before we get too carried away."

Shizuo blushed. "You started it."

"And now I'm finishing it." Izaya grinned and pressed a light kiss on his lips. "Time for dinner."

"It's always nice to receive dessert before dinner."

Izaya clicked his tongue. "Crude." Shizuo kissed him again. "Tsk. You can finish me later." The two blinked in mild surprise, and this time, Izaya blushed, and Shizuo laughed when the raven walked past him. "Shut up. Don't say a word."

….

Kadota parked the van closest to the school. A man in a dark grey suit waited for them, standing on the pathway with his hands behind his back. Kadota and Shinra left the car first, and Shinra stepped forward to greet the man first. "Hello. I'm-"

"Shinra Kishitani," the man interrupted as Izaya and Shizuo stepped out from the back. "I know all your names. Kyohei Kadota, Izaya Orihara-" He looked directly at Shizuo with a frown. "And then there's you, Shizuo Heiwajima. Not a very promising reputation, have you? I've heard all about you, and I can tell you, if you'd spent your middle school days with us, we'd have made a good example out of you in no time."

Shizuo clenched his fist. "What!"

Izaya grabbed Shizuo's arm before he did something stupid. Narrowing his eyes at the man before them, Izaya stepped in front of the blond and said, "Why don't you take us to the principal now, Mr Tachigama."

The grin on Tachigama's face disappeared. "Tsk." He started walking toward the school's entrance.

Shinra looked at Izaya. "Wow. I thought that was the principal."

Izaya shrugged. "I'm sure he likes to think so. At least, that's the impression I got when I made it quite clear he wasn't."

Shinra whined. "Don't piss him off~."

Izaya chuckled and made a point to bump arms with Shizuo as he walked toward the school. "He deserved it."

…..

The four teens sat in front of a long desk, waiting for the principal to arrive. The school was smaller than the average, with only two stories high and a square foot of 32,000 for the first level and 28,000 for the second. Despite their low budget, the school was not without essentials. There were ten classrooms on each floor, with the library on the lower level. A science wing separated from the main building and held a further four classrooms. The field was much larger compared to the rest of the school, giving the students a chance to fully embrace their physical education should they have the interest.

The sound of the door opening and closing again. A man in a navy-blue suit came in and sat down at the desk, smiling politely at the teens, and leaned forward, linking his hands as he lay them on the desk. "I'm Mr. Uwasaki. Thank you for taking time from your schoolwork to be here. When Mr. Fook told me he had students solving paranormal cases, I expected you to be seniors. I'm not judging. I was just surprised. It's very commendable."

"Don't think the asshole who greeted us felt the same way," Shizuo gritted out, and Izaya's eyes widened, and he sent a warning glare.

"Yes, well, he's a little - he's worked hard for the school. Don't mind him. Anyway, I'm glad you're here."

Shinra was dying inside; they weren't off to a good start. Note to self, keep Shizuo away from Mr. Tachigama. He laughed nervously. "We'll be happy to help. Tell us what's happened. We heard about the pictures flying off the wall and - and that a student got hurt."

Uwasaki nodded. "Yes. Nothing else has happened to the students again so far. We're more curious as to why these events are even occurring in the first place."

Kadota then spoke, "When did all this start?"

Uwasaki's expression was downcast. "About a month ago, a female student by the name of-"

Izaya interrupted. "Eri Setton. Aged fourteen. Committed suicide by jumping off the school roof."

Shinra and the others gaped at him in surprise. When did he find that out?

Izaya grinned at Uwasaki's face, and the man coughed and nodded. "You've done some research, I see. Anyway, it was just after that the weird occurrences started. I really don't want to suggest it. Some of the other students have already started spreading rumors about her spirit haunting this place, but I was hoping for a more logical explanation."

"You don't believe in spirits, Mr Uwasaki?" Izaya asked.

"It's not that I don't believe in them - just seems an unlikely coincidence."

Shinra stood up and held his hand out for the man to shake. "We'll do our best regardless of the outcome."

Uwasaki stood and took Shinra's hand. "You sound very confident. I like that. Here," he gave Shinra a slip of paper. "The deposit as discussed with Mr Fook."

Shinra smiled and placed it in his pocket. "Thank you, sir. Do you have an unused room we can work in? Somewhere we can set up our equipment?"

"We've have a large storage room we don't really use if that's any help. Second floor."

"That's perfect."

…

Kadota and Shizuo unboxed their computer systems, setting two monitors and two speakers side by side on a long wooden desk. Shizuo growled to himself as he unraveled a set of wires. Kadota looked over at him and plugged in one of the screens to the power socket. "Something wrong?"

Shizuo grunted and connected one end of the wires to a USB port in the first drive. "Just thinking about what that asshole said earlier. Pisses me off."

Kadota sighed a little and switched on each monitor. "Don't let him get to you, Shizuo. He doesn't know what he's talking about. He clearly doesn't like us being here, so he's just trying to make us leave."

Shizuo looked away for a moment, unsure why he suddenly felt insecure. "You don't think I'm a delinquent, do you?"

"Of course not! You're a good guy Shizuo. So what if you got into trouble, everyone has."

"Yeah, but I doubt they've destroyed furniture or attacked people with goal posts."

"So you're a little rough around the edges, that's nothing compared to what's underneath the surface."

Shizuo smiled. "Thanks."

Kadota sighed again and checked the volume on the speakers. "Is this about what Izaya said back at school yesterday?"

Shizuo almost chuckled. "Nah. We're good, I guess. Believe it or not, that asshole teacher earlier pissed me off more."

Kadota chuckled at the joke, and they continued to set up the equipment in comfortable silence.

….

"What do you think about the second year of high school," Shinra said as he and Izaya set up the tripods and microphones in the library. Shinra tightened the nozzle and looked through the lens to ensure the image was clear.

Izaya placed a microphone in the far corner of the room. "It's just the same as last year."

Shinra shrugged. "I guess so. I was just trying to start a conversation." He picked up a microphone and placed it in the opposite corner to Izaya's. "By the way, how did you find out about Eri Setton?"

Izaya twisted the microphone and clicked it in place on its stand. "I found it in their database when I checked their newsprints to see if it was true."

"You hacked into their database?"

"I did."

"Why didn't you tell me? I looked like an idiot. I'm supposed to be in charge, and he must have thought I was clueless."

Izaya chuckled. "You were."

Shinra pouted. "Seriously, Izaya. A little heads up would have been nice."

"Don't worry. He wasn't expecting us to know anyway. Her parents probably didn't want the general public to know, so it was kept out of news papers. Too bad they didn't do the same for the school's bulletin."

Shinra sighed. "Can you please tell me next time so I don't look like an idiot?"

"If you didn't let on you were surprised, then you wouldn't have looked like one." Izaya laughed at the hurtful expression on Shinra's face. "I'm kidding. I promise, next time I'll tell you."

Shinra nodded; he couldn't stay mad at him anyway. "Are we sure we want all these in here? What about the classrooms?"

"We don't have enough equipment for other rooms, and this is where the incident happened, so we should keep an eye on this room. We've got two micro cameras left, so we can stick those on each of the two levels, that'll at least show us the corridors."

Shinra smiled. "Good thinking."

"If an event happens in any of the other rooms, we can move the camera's accordingly, but from what we know of the occurrences so far, I doubt there'll be much need for cameras."

"What about the thermal ones? We've only got one of those. Should we set that up in the room where the pictures flew off the walls?"

Izaya gave a thoughtful frown. "Like I said, we'll move it accordingly."

Shinra nodded and watched Izaya turn his earpiece on. {How's the picture up there?} he spoke.

{Looks good, Izaya,} came Kadota's voice in his ear.

{Do the sound waves seem okay?}

{All good. We won't know about the infra-red footage until tomorrow when we can look at the recordings.}

{We'll set up the camera on this floor and then come back to you} Izaya looked over at Shinra, who grinned at him. "What?"

"We're like secret agents."

Izaya rolled his eyes but chuckled anyway. "Let's go. We should talk to the other students between breaks, and get some idea of what Eri Setton was like. If she is the cause of this whole thing, then we're going to find out why."

"Do you think she is?"

"I don't know. It might really just be a coincidence. If she wanted to commit suicide, why would she haunt this place?"

Shinra shrugged. "Bullies?"

"Sounds likely. Could be home life too, but we won't know until we ask around."

"Didn't you say that Aoi kid showed up at your middle school? He committed suicide and he wasn't bullied there, right?"

Izaya tensed at the mention of his old school. "We'll just have to plan our questions carefully."

{Guys, I'm picking up some static,} came Kadota's voice again.

Izaya frowned. Already? The two teens stood near the entrance, Shinra closest to the large bookshelf by the far wall, and Izaya next to a bean bag chair a few feet away from him.

Shizuo and Kadota watched the monitors for any signs of movement from objects. Shizuo pointed at the other screen. "Hey. Kadota, look. The temperature just dropped I think." Kadota stepped beside him and checked the reading.

"You're right. Not by much, but keep an eye on it." Shizuo nodded, and Kadota went back to watching the other monitor. "They should probably get out of there for now," he said when he realized the other two hadn't left yet. His eyes widened, and he gasped loudly. "Holy shit."

Shizuo straightened and ran over. "What, what happened?"

"A book! It just flew off the shelf and hit Izaya on the back of the head. Damn."

Izaya cradled his head and yelled. "Son of bitch! That fucking hurt!"

Shinra winced. "Are you okay?"

"Shit. What was that?" Izaya rubbed his head, flinching at the tender spot, and picked up the fallen book. He frowned in thought as he read the title. Suddenly, the whole school plunged into darkness. The only light in the library came from one window. "Well, at least the computers have backup power," he muttered.

Kadota and Shizuo tensed when a few panicked screams came from the classroom next door. "Thank god for night vision," Kadota said and switched the monitor tonight.

"Can you still see them? Are they alright?"

"I think so-" and then the camera fuzzed out. "Shit, I was afraid of this."

Shizuo frowned. "What? Afraid of what!?" There was panic in his voice, but he tried to keep it low.

"Izaya said if a paranormal occurrence happens, sometimes the equipment will malfunction." Kadota switched the camera back. "I can't see a whole lot with this one."

Shizuo growled and switched his earpiece on. {Are you two alright?}

{We're fine, Shizu-chan. Just a little hard to see at the moment.}

The two sighed in relief, but Shizuo's heart raced.

Izaya took a step forward and held his hand out. "Shinra, take my hand and we'll head back to them." The moment he said it, the power hummed back to life, causing them to blink at the brightness. Shinra gave a chuckle, and Izaya smiled. "We better get out of here for now." Shinra nodded, but before he could step forward, a loud creak echoed, and the large bookshelf toppled toward him. Izaya's eyes widened. "Shinra, move!" Shinra raised his hands up to his face with a loud scream, and Izaya ran forward. "Shinra!"