Shizuo and Kadota ran through the corridor, thankful the councilor's office wasn't far. Kadota tripped and almost skidded on his ass. The floors were slippery due to the sprinklers. Their hair stuck to their face, and Kadota swiped his dripping strands away from his eyes. Shizuo skidded to a stop by the office, and they noted the door was shut. The blond pounded on the door after discovering it was locked. "Izaya! Are you in there!"

Kadota frowned when he knelt and placed his hand on the floor near the crack under the door. "Whoa, it's pretty warm."

Shizuo narrowed his eyes and glanced down at Kadota. "What does that mean?"

Kadota looked up at him with a worried expression. "The fire might have come from here." Shizuo's eyes widened, and he pushed Kadota back. Before Shizuo could ram down the door, Kadota grabbed his arm. "Are you crazy! You can't just break down the door!"

Shizuo growled and yanked his arm away. "The hell I can't!"

Kadota grabbed him again. "If the fire isn't out, and you barge in there, the whole thing could blow, and it might even take us with it."

Shizuo narrowed his eyes. "I'm not waiting!" Shizuo crouched slightly, preparing to bust open the door with his foot. "The fire was probably put out by the sprinklers already."

"But Shizuo - Izaya was - if he was in there when-"

"Shut up! The fire didn't spread through the whole room because the door would be burnt." Shizuo took a running jump but stopped. If he passed out, he could be behind the door. Shizuo frowned and slammed his fist through the wood, turned his wrist, twisted the knob, and the door opened. The blond slowly opened the door, noting the fire was out, but the room was blackened. Melted wood, charred walls, and burnt cabinets. Shizuo growled to himself and turned his attention to the side when something caught his eye. "Izaya!" The blond ran over to the unconscious boy. Shizuo looked down at the floor; it was charred to where Izaya lay, which meant that if the sprinklers hadn't set off when they did, the raven would have been next. What if there had been no sprinklers in here at all? Gritting his teeth, Shizuo cradled Izaya in his arms and took him out of the room. Kadota knelt down beside them when Shizuo placed him down on the floor, gently brushing the damp bangs from his eyes.

Kadota watched the exchange with curiosity; the scene before him was unusual for two people who didn't get along so well.

Shizuo shook Izaya's shoulder, placed his head against the raven's chest, and a small smile crossed his face. "He's breathing," he said with relief.

"I'm concerned about smoke inhalation," Kadota said, "we should call an ambulance and the fire department. We're just visitors at this school, and if we don't call it in right away, Mr Uwasaki will think we're responsible. Mr Tachigama already thinks you're trouble, and we don't wanna give him a reason to back that up."

Shizuo clenched his fist. Kadota's words angered him, but he could see his point. Suddenly, a hand came up, and Shizuo felt fingers threading through his hair. "Shizu…chan." Shizuo realized he was still lying on Izaya's chest and shot up, locking eyes with him. "Did I…make it?" They sighed in relief. Shizuo nodded and helped Izaya to sit up. The raven coughed harshly and reached out for Shizuo's arm, and the blond pulled him up to his feet. "Fire…."

Kadota nodded. "What happened?"

Izaya frowned. "There was…. a voice."

"Was it the girl?"

"I think so…" Izaya winced and coughed again.

"Let's get outside, fresh air will help. We'll call the departments from there."

Shizuo remembered something. "Our phones are dead," he said with a frown.

"There's a phone box across from the school. I'll use that."

….

Within forty minutes, two fire trucks and an ambulance were stationed outside the school. Mr. Uwasaki spoke with two firefighters as they waited to confirm the damage. Izaya was sitting inside the ambulance with his two friends, a blanket around his shoulders. His mouth and nose were checked for soot, and his breathing was monitored.

The firefighters soon headed in their direction, but they didn't look happy. "You said the fire originated in the councillors office?" one of them spoke.

Kadota decided to answer first. "Yes."

Shaking his head, the man huffed in annoyance. "I don't know what it is that you kids get a kick out of when you make a false call. Honestly, it makes me sick. This is a waste of our time and our resources!"

The three teens looked absolutely dumbstruck. Shizuo growled. "We're not making it up! Did you even look in the room? It was destroyed!"

"No, it wasn't. Nothing looked out of place at all."

The paramedic sighed and frowned, switching off Izaya's monitor. "He doesn't have any signs of smoke inhalation either. If there was a fire, and he was in the room, it couldn't have been no more than a few seconds. This really was a true waste of time. I hate kids like you, pulling pranks for your own amusement."

Izaya frowned and shoved off his blanket. That room was on fire! "What about the sprinklers? They wouldn't have set off if there wasn't a fire."

The firefighter snorted. "Please, do you think I was born yesterday? Anyone knows if you put a lighter toward the sensor, it'll set it off. Such a pathetic attempt to cover yourselves."

Shizuo clenched his fists; he saw the room with his own eyes. Damn it! He heard the ambulance doors closing behind him and the paramedic sighing before they retreated into the van and drove off.

Uwasaki bowed to the firefighters. "I'm truly sorry for what has happened."

"Not your fault." The man looked at the three teens, who frowned back at him. "You can't change them all, I suppose." And they slammed the doors of their trucks, rolled out of the car park and down the street.

The teens were left alone in the parking lot with Uwasaki, and silence overcame them until he gave a tut of disappointment, shaking his head. "I truly thought you were good kids. I trusted you enough to let you stay here to assess the situation."

Izaya stepped forward; he was fuming. "We're not making this up, Mr Uwasaki. Something happened in the councillors office, and there was a fire. I don't know how to explain it, but I was there. The door locked behind me and I couldn't get out. We're not pranksters. You would not have taken Mr Fook seriously if you doubted our help. Something happened in this school that even you didn't know about."

Shizuo and Kadota looked at one another, having no idea what Izaya was talking about. Did he have another dream?

Uwasaki shook his head. "I was willing to believe you, and then you go and do something like this. Since I am not your principal, it's not my job to inform your parents, but I will inform Mr Fook immediately and he can decide what to do. Please pack up your equipment and I suggest you all go home."

Shizuo growled. "But we're not finished!" He pointed at the building. "That school is still threatened by something, and you're putting your students at risk! Don't you care about that!"

Uwasaki frowned. "Of course I care, but in my opinion, you're much of a dangerous risk as whatever is in this building."

"Are you kidding me! You-"

Izaya grabbed Shizuo's arm, halting him from making their situation worse. "Shizu-chan, that's enough." Izaya frowned at the principal. "We'll go, I just hope you don't regret the decision."

….

"I'm – so – pissed - off!" Shizuo growled as he helped Kadota carry the last equipment box into the van. Izaya was sitting cross-legged, checking their equipment for any water damage, but thankfully, there had been no sprinklers in their room. Shizuo looked at Izaya. "How can you be so damn calm about this! Aren't you pissed off at all?"

Izaya sighed and stopped to turn his attention to Shizuo. "Yes, Shizu-chan, but unlike you, I can keep my anger under control and not yell at everything, big or small that might annoy me. Honestly, almost anything will set you off most of the time."

"You could have fucking died, so I don't give a shit whether I get angry or not!"

Izaya looked at him with a frown and glanced over to Kadota. "Give us a minute, would you?"

Kadota nodded hesitantly. They're acting so weird. He left the van and stood a few feet away to give them privacy.

Izaya sighed. "Shut the door, Shizuo."

Shizuo's anger subsided, and he pulled the door shut, suddenly feeling nervous. "Izaya-"

Izaya put down the drive and scooted over to the blond, placing his hands on both sides of his face. "I'm alright. You don't need to get so angry. Things like this will happen, and we need to get use to that. I know you care about me, and - and I care about you too, but if we're going to work, then we'll have to be prepared for anything. Constantly worrying about the other will cause a lot of problems. I'm not ready to tell anyone yet, Shizu-chan." Izaya tilted his head with a grin. "so try not to make it too obvious, okay?"

Shizuo lightly wrapped his hands around Izaya's wrists and pulled them away from his face with a loud sigh of defeat. "I'm sorry. I know I can overreact. It's just – you mean a lot to me…I guess."

Izaya chuckled. "That's a bit much, but alright, I get it. Thanks."

"Tsk. Yeah, well, it's your fault." Izaya shrugged and gently kissed Shizuo on the lips. "Why do I feel like you always manipulate me when you kiss me?"

Izaya kissed him again. "Because I'm so good at it, and you turn into mush whenever I do."

Shizuo shook his head and kissed him back. "I don't think that's a good thing."

Izaya grinned and whispered in Shizuo's ear, "Just wait until we really start getting physical."

Shizuo blushed and shoved Izaya off. "Damn flea."

…

The three teens sat in the privacy of Shinra's hospital room, having decided to visit the boy before school started to explain what had happened at the Shinjuku middle school. Shinra scratched his head and leaned back on his pillows with a slight grunt of surprise. "Wow, you were lucky none of you were seriously hurt, but something bugs me about your story." He quickly put his hands up. "Not that I'm doubting any of you or anything, but let's say it was Setton. Why would she cause a fire and then set off the sprinklers. She must know we're trying to help her."

Izaya turned to him from the window. "There were a few reasons I could think of. One: she really is just an angry spirit with no other memories and is just out to get anyone. Two: the fire was an accident and she set off the sprinklers to protect me, but if that were the case, the damage caused by the fire would have still been there. That fire was definitely a result of a poltergeist. There's a third option that I know is going to sound – too accurate. The fire wasn't supposed to be a means to hurt me."

They frowned at him. Shizuo took a step forward and said, "What do you mean?"

"I was in Mr Tachigama's office when the fire erupted. I think she was trying to tell me something at the time. The sprinklers were set off after because she really didn't want me to die." Izaya huffed a laugh. "I didn't exactly want to die either."

Kadota frowned in thought. "What did you mean when you said, 'something happened that even you didn't know about'."

Izaya chewed his bottom lip for a moment. "When I passed out, I saw a memory…."

Izaya sat up from the floor with a gasp, looking around the room with narrowed eyes; he could have sworn the room was in flames a minute ago. Izaya jumped when he heard the door beside him open, and quickly standing up, he pressed himself against the wall in the corner. Izaya watched with curiosity when Mr. Tachigama and Luna appeared, and the teacher motioned for her to take a seat. This must be one of their sessions. Izaya watched their exchange carefully. It was strange to witness the memory and not experience it himself for once.

"You're a promising young student, Miss Setton. I feel like I've gotten to know you a lot."

Izaya frowned, getting the same feeling he did when he read the recording of their last session.

"Thank you, Mr Tachigama. I feel like I can tell you anything. You've helped me through so much."

Tachigama smiled. "I'm just sorry those girls still pick on you. I promise, nothing will happen to you."

"Thank you."

His hand suddenly reached over and began caressing her knee. "You're special to me, Eri, you know that?"

Izaya was extremely grateful he was a witness and not experiencing the victim's part. Izaya grimaced and watched Setton's expression change from a grateful smile to surprise, then disgust.

"M-Mr Tachigama…. I don't think this is right."

Tachigama smiled and shifted closer. "It is. You must feel our connection too." He leaned forward to kiss her, grabbing her arm. She yanked it away and stood up abruptly, running out of the classroom before he had a chance to stop her.

The three teens stared at the small raven, their mouths agape. Shinra was the first to speak, stuttering out his sentence with no intention of hiding his surprise. "Um – what? A-are you saying he made a move on her?"

Izaya nodded. "She rejected him and left before he could stop her. That's when I woke up."

"We've got to tell Mr Uwasaki!"

Izaya sneered. "And say what? That Mr Tachigama is a paedophile and we found this out because I had a dream? Right. That'll convince him."

Shinra sighed. "Then what now?"

"Well, unless Mr Uwasaki comes to his senses and clears up the misunderstandings, I don't know about Dota-chin, but I'm grounded for life right now."

Shinra gave Izaya a sympathetic smile. "I'm sure your parents will realize you wouldn't do something like that."

Izaya huffed. "The point is that they did. We don't have any proof we didn't unless Mr Uwasaki drops the accusation."

Shizuo growled; luckily, his parents weren't part of his life. "What about Tachigama? It's obvious at this point he did it."

Kadota blinked in surprise. "That he murdered her?"

Shizuo nodded and turned to Izaya. "It fits, right?"

Izaya leaned on the window ledge. "It would make sense. She rejects him, and he shuts her up before she told anyone. And now she's one pissed off spirit."

Shinra frowned. "Okay, so what do you want to do now?"

"I don't know." The sound of a phone interrupted them. Izaya pulled his own from his pocket and frowned. "It's Mr. Uwasaki." The others watched the raven listen intently and judging by Izaya's expression, it wasn't good news. Izaya hung up and looked at his friends. "He wants us to go back to the school. Apparently, there's something we should see, but he couldn't explain it over the phone, and I sensed he didn't want to. Seeing is believing."

Shizuo and Kadota looked at him suspiciously. "I thought we weren't allowed back there," Kadota said

"The accusation has been dropped. Which means I will get a million apologies when I get home later, but for now, let's just see what's happened."

Shinra felt annoyed that he couldn't go with them. "Be careful. Sorry I can't be much help." He then remembered. "Oh, Izaya, I found out what that symbol you sent me is."

Izaya blinked in surprise; he'd almost forgotten about that. "What is it?"

"It has something to do with Vikings. The three triangles that are interlocked with one another is called the valknut. Maybe Setton used to be interested in Norse mythology."

Izaya wasn't sure if that information was relevant, but Shinra had gone through the effort of finding it for him, so he smiled and said, "Thank you. I'll keep that in mind. Just focus on getting your strength back." Izaya turned to the others with a smirk. "Time for school."

…..

They had expected something like another symbol or books flying around again, but not this. Murderer. It was written over the walls, including Mr. Tachigama's office door. In – red - ink. At least, they hoped it was ink.

"I apologize for dismissing your statement so quickly," Uwasaki said, "but this is getting out of hand, and I'm truly worried for my students' safety. If you don't want to continue with the case, I understand, but I'd really appreciate it."

Izaya's eyes scanned over the walls of the first corridor and looked at the principal. "My advice is to send a quick notification email to all the students telling them the school is closed today."

Mr. Uwasaki looked like he wanted to protest, but at this point, he didn't have a choice. "I will do that."

"That's ridiculous!" they heard a shout from the side, looking to see an angry Tachigama storming toward them, his black shoes squeaking along the floor. "Are you going to listen to a bunch of high school teenagers!" He gritted his teeth. "If we close the school, then it will look like there's something to hide."

Izaya almost snorted but smirked and said, "Do you have something to hide, Mr. Tachigama?" His two friends tensed immediately upon hearing Izaya's words; the raven wouldn't just accuse him so bluntly, would he?

Tachigama glared at Izaya and calmed himself before he got really angry. "Of course not, but I am second in charge here, not you. I am here as Uwasaki's adviser, and you're here to play your little ghost game, pretending the school is actually haunted in order to get money."

Izaya clenched a fist unseen and bit his tongue because if he said something really over the mark, he'd get them all in trouble. "By now, you should know this isn't a joke. There have been several incidents to prove that."

Tachigama snorted. "Please, all these "incidences" could have easily been created by you. I mean, you were here last night."

Shizuo gritted his teeth. "We didn't write on the damn walls! What kind of people do you think we are!" Izaya cringed at Shizuo's voice, placing his hand up in front of the blond's face to try and shut him up. Shizuo understood the hint, but it didn't mean he was happy about it.

Tachigama narrowed his eyes at them. "If it were up to me, I'd have sent a request to ship you to a boarding school, giving your parents the cold hard truth just how much of a damage you are to society."

Uwasaki snapped his head to his second, eyes narrowing slightly. "That's enough. Cool off. It's my decision, and they are here to help us. We do not speak of children in such a way, even the troubled ones."

Tachigama seemed to tense and bowed apologetically. "I am sorry. I don't know what came over me. Maybe the stress is getting to me. Please excuse me." They watched him leave, and Kadota blinked at the exchange, wondering how Shizuo restrained himself from throwing him down the stairs.

Uwasaki smiled at them. "I am sorry about him. He's not always this aggressive toward students, especially guests. I admit, the stress of what's been happening really is getting to us. I hope you can help, and I really do appreciate your return. It shows dedication, despite previous mishaps."

Izaya nodded. "We'll do our best."

"Thank you. Feel free to use any resources you might need. I'll be in my office."

Uwasaki left them alone. Izaya turned to his friends. "We'll bring in the equipment first, then I want to analyze the data we picked up before the fire."

Kadota nodded. "At least the equipment wasn't damaged. The cameras are still working too, so there's some good news."

"What are we gonna do after?" Shizuo said, "I mean, Tachigama did murder her."

Izaya sighed; if only it were that simple. "Shizu-chan, we still don't know that for certain. This isn't a police investigation. We're paranormal investigators, and there are certain rules we have to follow. It's not like we have any real evidence anyway. The police aren't going to waste their time on this, and unless we find a piece of real solid proof that's not been revealed from a poltergeist occurrence or a spirit we can't accuse anyone. We're here to exorcise the spirit and cleanse the school."

Satisfied with the answer, Shizuo, Izaya, and Kadota brought their equipment to the school.

….

Without their fourth member, it took them longer to set up. Shizuo and Kadota set up the cameras in the library this time, and Izaya wondered if they were subtly protecting him from further harm. While they set up the equipment on both floors, Izaya searched through the data.

Izaya eventually found the audio feed recorded while in Tachigama's office. He placed on the headset and clicked play. There was loud static before he heard the words, and they sent a shiver down his spine. Somehow, in the chaos of what had happened, his friends had forgotten to mention this to him. "No wonder Shizu-chan is dead set on this murder thing, but that still doesn't prove it's Tachigama." Suddenly, the screen shut off. Izaya frowned and reached over to try the monitor's switch, but that's when he noticed the keyboard -

The keys –

Moved by themselves.

Izaya looked up at the black screen at a message.

'MURDERER.'

Izaya's fingers hovered over the keys; he wasn't sure if speaking directly to the spirit was a good idea, but he typed anyway.

'WHO?'

'TACHIGAMA.'

Izaya's eyes widened. "Shit."

A bloody handprint slapped over the screen and startled Izaya so much that his chair tipped backward, and his head hit the floor. The raven let out a small groan of pain before darkness invaded his vision and he blacked out.

Izaya opened his eyes and found himself standing in front of Tachigama's office. Frowning, he reached out to twist the doorknob, noticing the hand wasn't his own but rather that of a girl. Without his control, he knocked on the door, opening it simultaneously. "Mr. Tachigama?" His voice sounded familiar. 'Luna,' his subconscious mind told him. "Y-you wanted to see me?" Izaya had lived other people's memories before, but this was the first time he felt fear and couldn't turn back. Once he entered the room, Izaya realized it was empty. Frowning, he took another step forward and then -

Izaya's eyes widened when a cloth-like material suddenly covered his mouth, and he raised his hands to desperately pry it away. He tried to elbow the person behind him, but they grabbed his wrist. Soon, his struggles lessened, his eyes drooped closed, and his body fell limp.

'Hush little darling, don't say a word,'

'You won't ever wake up to the sound of birds,'

'And if you do, I promise one thing….'

Izaya opened his eyes with blurry vision. The blurry scene before him move, and he felt the ground beneath him. He saw his feet in the grip of one who dragged him, and they stopped.

Izaya realized his captor was clad in a mask, and his vision cleared just enough to see the jacket his perpetrator wore. The sleeves rolled up to reveal their arms.

His skin crawled as the said man continued humming while dragging him up with no resistance. And then -

'No one will be around to hear you sing.'

Izaya couldn't help but acknowledge that last word. Sing. Supposedly a play-on word for Scream. Forced to his feet, Izaya realized where he was. They were on the school roof.

Without a single warning, the raven's eyes widened when the ground below drew closer -

And closer -

And -

Izaya gasped and almost headbutted Shizuo in the face when he shot up in an attempt to save himself. Shizuo grasped his shoulders tightly, and Izaya struggled. "Izaya! It's okay! It's me! Calm down. It's just us."

Izaya frowned and realized the voice was Shizuo's, and he immediately relaxed. Upon seeing Kadota kneeling on the opposite side of him, he sighed in relief, a hand coming to the back of his head; he should probably get it checked out when this was over. "Are you okay?" Kadota spoke, and the two gently pulled Izaya to his feet and sat him down on a chair. "What happened? When we got back you were unconscious on the floor."

Izaya rubbed his forehead before looking up at Shizuo with a guilty expression. "I - I spoke to the spirit…."

Shizuo narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean you spoke to it? Spoke to it how?"

Izaya pointed at the computer. "A message typed. It said Murderer. I asked who, and it replied with Tachigama."

"I knew it!"

Izaya rolled his eyes but winced; his head was throbbing. "It was right after I found the audio feedback when I was in Tachigama's office."

Kadota hunched his shoulders. "Damn. I forgot all about that, what with the fire and all."

Izaya gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about it, Dota-chin. You had a good excuse." His smile faded, and he was serious once more. "Anyway, there was – a hand, it was bloody…. I must have hit my head pretty hard…."

Shizuo clenched his fists; he knew he shouldn't have left Izaya alone. The damn flea attracted the spirits way too much, but he was supposed to protect Izaya from things like this happening. Sensing Shizuo's distress, Izaya turned to him and smiled. "I'm fine," he said.

Shizuo sighed. "I know, sorry."

Izaya shrugged and thought about telling them his dream, but judging from Shizuo's reaction and how worried Kadota looked, it would only make it worse. At least that symbol holds significance now, but more importantly, if the murderer was wearing a mask, then Setton didn't really know who did it...

"You okay?" came Shizuo's voice again.

Izaya blinked with the realization that he'd spaced out and chuckled. "I'm fine." He stood up. "Let's do a sweep of the school. Shizu-chan can-" A loud scream interrupted him, and they dashed out of the room. Reaching the stairs, they soon halted, gasping loudly as they stared down at the unmoving body of Mr. Tachigama. "Fuck."

Their eyes were as wide as the man's, staring lifelessly back at them. "Damn it," Shizuo gritted out, "this can't be good."

Uwasaki came running down the corridor. "What happened! I heard someone scream. Are you kids alright?" He stopped when he saw their pale faces, and stepping beside them, his eyes widened, and the name of his second spilled from his lips in shock. "Tachigama…."