Anri awoke in a poorly lit room reminiscent of a police interrogation cell, and would have believed it were so, were it not for discrepancies between the two images. Firstly, she was lying on a sofa as opposed to sitting on a chair facing another with a table in between. The sofa looked and smelt as though it had been taken directly from outside someone's house, which, although proved that this was not a police interrogation room, sadly provided no better indicator as to what type of place this was. Secondly, the room did not contain a two-way mirror, nor did the heavy, reinforced fire door bear any windows (although, upon closer inspection, Anri noted a keyhole which entirely defeated the object of it being a fire door). Thirdly, her hands were tied together in front of her, and there were no handcuffs in sight. An amateurish mistake. The lack of handcuffs provided a small relief, but the very presence of the rope binding her wrists together had alarm bells ringing in Anri's head. They were proof that whatever had happened and however she'd got here was no misunderstanding. She was there for a very particular purpose - and Anri was sure that it wasn't going to be nice.
Focusing all of her energy into alerting Saika's children, Anri found that the customarily uncontrollable voices had been subdued to such a dull murmur that the buzzing in her ears easily drowned them out. She felt groggy, as though she was sinking in sludge, and her mouth was absolutely parched. Adding all of this together, alongside the discovery of a tender spot on her thigh, Anri confirmed the theory that she'd been drugged.
Anri was afraid. She feared that the longevity of her headache would prevent her from communicating with Saika's children before it was too late. She was afraid that Ryuugamine Mikado and Kida Masaomi had been taken too. Most of all, she feared what her captor or captors would do to her when they returned. Rooting through her blazer pockets, she found that her phone was absent. With no way out of the room or of communicating with those that could help, Anri realized that her best chance was to wait until her abductors returned, and hope that she could control them with Saika.
Shiki stubbed out his cigarette and proceeded to light a new one, impatience bristling despite the calm of his demeanor. Waiting for details on the informant was not conducive to his mood, so it seemed. It bothered him that Izaya, who had once been so firmly within his grasp, was getting further and further away. Although he knew that this movement was to be expected as Orihara grew older and no longer required Shiki's guidance, it didn't make him resent it any less. Shiki was not ready to relinquish Izaya from his grasp just yet.
"Orihara declined your meeting? I suppose that he isn't losing his touch after all."
Akabayashi frowned, wondering if Shiki had somehow missed the part where he said that Izaya had been taken captive.
"Amphisbaena have him. I'm sure it's them."
"Excellent. We'll have our information soon, I hope."
Akabayashi drummed his fingers on the steering wheel irritably. Just what part of this conversation was Shiki not understanding?
"I wouldn't count on that, Shiki-san."
"Oh? Has there been anything that you suspect proves his disloyalty?"
"No."
"I see. Orihara works in weird and wonderful ways, Akabayashi-san. He may look as though he's befriending Amphisbaena, or even being taken hostage by them, but however he manufactures the situation will ultimately be to his - and consequently our - advantage."
"I mean no disrespect, Shiki-san, but I believe that the Informant is genuinely in danger this time. If he's manufactured this situation, there's been a malfunction in his plan. He was unconscious when they took him away."
"Unconscious? Where are you, Akabyashi-san?"
"Opposite Russia Sushi."
Shiki took a long breath, smoothing the lapels of his suit.
"I'll be there shortly."
Leaning against the railings outside Anri's apartment, Shizuo went over the facts in his mind, allowing his cigarette ash to drop below. It was 9:36 pm. Mikado and Kida hadn't heard from or seen Anri since around 1 pm. She wasn't in her apartment, and there was no evidence of breaking an entry, nor was there a note explaining her whereabouts. To label her missing after only eight and a half hours might seem like a stretch, but Shizuo had a bad feeling about this. From what he'd seen of her, Anri was meek and eager to please. It would be incredibly out of character for her to leave school midday without good reason.
"She hasn't been home," Shizuo stated dejectedly, staring blankly into the distance "and if she was sick she'd be here."
[She might have returned home and then gone out again?]
"Her school bag and shoes weren't there. If she left school early, I don't think that she'd be at somebody else's house studying now. She'd only leave school at that time if she was feeling sick, right?"
[Maybe she had a doctor's appointment?]
"She'd be back from it now, though. Besides, the kid would've told her friends she was leaving. She wouldn't go just like that."
[No...I suppose not. What if she's at the hospital?]
"The teachers would've been told. Mikado said that their homeroom teacher was surprised when they did the afternoon register, didn't he?"
Celty ceased punching out a message and deleted it. [We need to continue searching. Anri-chan could be in danger, and she doesn't have any family to help look for her.]
Shizuo nodded and moved towards the stairs, stopping abruptly at the top.
"Celty-san, do you think the Flea's got anything to do with this?"
[I don't know…]
[I think we should go back to Shinra.]
Arriving back at Shrina and Celty's apartment, Shizuo and Celty found Shinra checking online chatrooms and message boards for news of Anri.
"Shinra."
"Ahh, Shizuo-kun. Any luck?"
"No." Shizuo gripped the back of Shrina's computer chair, trying his best not to crush it. "We were just thinking, what if the Flea's involved?"
"Ooh, I don't know why I didn't think of that sooner! I'll give him a call to find out. If he says he's got nothing to do with it, he could always help us trace Anri's phone. He's good at that sort of thing."
"I doubt he'd agree to help with something like that." Shizuo grumbled.
Shrina grinned sadistically. "Believe me, I have my ways of persuading him." Grabbing his mobile, Shinra hastily dialled Izaya's number and pressed it to his ear. The dial tone rang and rang until it eventually went to answerphone.
"That's weird - he always answers his phone. I'll try his home number." Shrina set about calling again, the tension between his eyebrows deepening as there was no answer. "Hmm, maybe Yagiri-san?" His hands felt slippery as he dialled Namie's number, preparing himself for her acerbic attacks.
"Who's speaking?"
"Kinshanti Shrina. I've been trying to contact Orihara-kun, to no avail. Do you know where he is, Yagiri-san?"
"No, I don't. What he does in the evenings is no business of mine, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't involve me in his life outside of working hours."
"Wait, Yagiri-san!" Shrina called desperately, but Namie had already hung up. He turned back to Shizuo and Celty with the expression of a loyal hound who'd had its favourite toy taken away.
"It's very unusual for him not to answer his phone...in fact, I've never known him not to answer it or leave a message of some sort...he usually sets a one on his voicemail if he's in a meeting."
"He's been acting weird though, hasn't he - pulling a knife on Celty and all that...what if he's gone mad and kidnapped Anri?"
[Shizuo!] Celty admonished, her shadows out of control fireworks shooting everywhere. [Don't say that! We don't know what's happened, so let's just focus on finding her without making too many assumptions.]
"As much as I fucking hate the Flea, I don't know how we're supposed to find her without his help…" Shizuo trailed off, gripping the back of the desk chair just that little bit tighter.
Izaya couldn't see, but he could feel the rhythmic motion of footsteps and Nakura's shoulder blade digging into his stomach. He knew that he was being taken somewhere, but he couldn't open his eyes, let alone try to move out of Nakura's grasp. Dimly, somewhere in the corner of his mind, he could hear his mobile's ringtone sounding. Then, there was complete darkness before he could register it.
Nakura crouched slightly and dropped Izaya on the warehouse floor as though he were a sack of useless, blighted potatoes. He glared at the motionless body, holding back the urge to kick him and kick him until he bled from his mouth, but instead settled for pushing Izaya roughly to his side, tearing off his coat and rolling up thin shirt sleeves to check for weapons concealed beneath. He discovered Izaya's switchblade inside the coat sleeve, secured by an additional piece of fabric that had clearly been sewn in for that very purpose. Plucking Izaya's mobile phone from his jeans pocket, Nakura tossed it to the ground and stamped on it until it until the display reading 'MISSED CALLS - KINSHANTI SHINRA (2)' went blank and the screen cracked.
"Tie him up." Earthworm ordered, gesturing for some of her men to bring rope over. A disused factory warehouse really was an ideal place to keep captives. There was plenty of rope around, and an abundance of old chemicals that could be put to good use...
Nakura scowled, stooping again to tie Izaya's hands and feet together tightly enough that he'd get rope burn if he tried to escape.
"How long before he wakes up?" He asked, nudging Izaya in the stomach with the toe of his shoe.
"It could be a while - we did use a lot of the drug."
"Pfft. What a waste of time. We just gonna stand by 'til he wakes up then? I don't wanna see any more of his ugly face than I have to."
"Now, now, are you jealous Nakura-kun? I hear he's almost as famous for his looks as he is for his information. He's not to my taste, though; he's a bit too pretty for me, what with those long eyelashes and high cheekbones. I can't stand people who are so aware of their own beauty...I much prefer those who don't always see their true value. Modesty is more precious a value than vanity, is it not? And you Nakura-kun, you're so modest, and really, that's your downfall. You let Orihara walk all over you because you believe his value to be greater than your own." Earthworm encircled her arms around Nakura's waist from behind, one hand grazing his cheekbone and ear softly.
Yes. She was right. She was right!
Nakura's teeth clenched together harder as Earthworm continued, a violent urge to mortally injure the man in front of him prickling in his veins. Balling his fists until his nails left indents in his palms, Nakura drew back his leg and aimed a ferocious kick at Izaya's ribs, striking again at his stomach and thighs. It was hardly a fitting punishment for the man who'd exploited his childhood mistake and made him pay endlessly, but that was fine. They had plenty more in store where that came from.
Now it was Izaya's turn to pay.
"Wake the fuck up! I'll show you who's better!" Nakura growled.
There was an anticipatory pause as no movement was made, Nakura panting and sweating and just about ready to stamp on Izaya's head, but he was distracted as the informant suddenly became completely rigid, bound limbs curling towards himself as best as they could with how tightly they were tied. Silence fell between Nakura and Earthworm as they watched in confusion, before a strange, choked cry pierced it. Izaya's limbs suddenly shot outwards, the rope already decorating his ashen skin with friction burns as his limbs continued to jolt, bloody spit trickling from the corner of his mouth as his facial muscles twitched rapidly.
"What the! Did-did I do that?!" Nakura asked in horror, backing away from Izaya as Earthworm drew closer.
"No." She responded quietly, crouching down to get a better look. "He's having a seizure. We must have given him too much of the drug - it's known to cause them in high doses."
"Well, that's serious isn't it?! What...what do we do?"
"Nothing. He deserves it, right?" Earthworm smiled sweetly, stroking Izaya's hair as she watched his head slam into the ground and his lips turn blue.
"But what if he doesn't wake up again? We can't interrogate him if he's like this!" Nakura felt as though he was going to be sick. As much as he hated Orihara Izaya, watching him unconsciously writhing and twitching on a dirty warehouse floor was terrifying.
"If he does wake up, he'll get me for sure!" Nakura's eyes widened with the dawning horror of the idea, wobbling slightly as he checked his surroundings anxiously. "I'm-I'm out of here!" With one last glance in Izaya's direction, Nakura turned and fled, certain that whether Orihara Izaya lived or died, he'd haunt him forever.
Anri scooted back on the sofa as she heard a key turn in the lock, a tall bulky man with a bowl haircut and distastefully dyed platinum blonde hair entering immediately afterwards.
"Hey there, little girl. Awake at last, I see!"
Anri swallowed, concentrating on using Saika.
"What do you want?"
"It's not what I want, kid, it's what the boss wants. You've got a nice rack, you 'ave, and the boss thinks you'll draw in plenty of new customers."
Anri squeezed her eyes shut, and when she opened them again, they were crimson red.
"Bring me my phone, now."
"Yes, Mother." The man took Anri's phone from his pocket and handed it to her. The signal was poor, but thankfully there was enough to make a call.
"Where are we?" Anri asked as she looked through her contact list for Shinra. She had a feeling that she might need his help.
"The old Akiyama factory."
"Are Ryuugamine Mikado and Masaomi Kida here?"
"No, Mother." Anri nodded, unable to feel relieved yet.
"Who is here?"
"Earthworm-sama, Nakura-san…" Anri stopped listening as the man trailed off a number of unfamiliar names. "...and Orihara Izaya." From what Anri knew, Orihara Izaya was involved in all sorts of trouble, but hearing the name still shocked her.
"Orihara-san?"
"Yes."
"Take me to him." Anri followed the man out of the room, pressing 'call' on her phone as she did so.
"Simon!" Shizuo shouted, barging into Russia Sushi like a bull in a china shop and quickly followed by Shinra and Celty. Simon pivoted to deposit the trays that he was carrying before advancing towards Shizuo, his hands raised in a placatory gesture.
"Shizu-o, no shout, you scare customer." He entreated, driving Shizuo towards the door as best as he could.
"Simon, we need to know if you've seen Sonohara Anri today." Shinra chipped in quickly, trying to distract Simon from his task.
"No, I no see her today. Mikado no come either."
"Has the Flea been?" Shizuo asked, sidestepping Simon. Celty gave Shizuo's shoulder a firm squeeze, and Shizuo grimaced as though speaking his enemy's real name pained him. "I mean, has Izaya been here today?"
"Yes~, Izaya here nearly one hour ago. I find out strange thing Shizu-o: Izaya have friend!"
Celty thrust her phone at Shizuo, who took a step back at the sudden intrusion in his personal space. Blinking, he read the message quickly and recounted it to Simon.
"Was he here with other people?"
"No~, but people come before, and they say they buy present. It nice, no?"
"What were they called, Simon?"
"Man called Namura, I don't know what girl name is." Simon shrugged indifferently. "I need to work again Shizu-o, you should eat sushi now, sushi good for you!"
"Nakura-kun." Shinra said suddenly. "Something must have happened with Nakura-kun. He's had a grudge against Orihara-kun since middle school."
"I don't care about the fucking Flea! What about Anri?! If his fucking grudge has gone and got Anri in trouble I'm going to tear his shitty brains out!" Shizuo slammed his fist into a nearby unoccupied seat, causing it to fall to pieces as the legs fell off.
"Shizu-o, you go now, you break too many thing." Simon warned, narrowing his eyes. Shizuo took a deep breath and nodded slowly.
"Yeah. Sorry, Simon."
RING. RING. RING. R-
"It's Anri-chan!" Shrina exclaimed excitedly, flipping his mobile open. "Anri-chan, are you okay? Where have you been?!" Shinra could hear somebody sobbing and shrieking the words 'COWARD!' in the background.
"Anri-chan, what's going on?!"
"I'm at Akiyama factory. I don't know what happened Shinra-san, but I'm safe - I'm using Saika to control the people around me, but I'm not able to use it to my full power to call Saika's children. I think that they must have given me drugs."
"Okay, is there anyone else there?"
"They have Orihara-san." Anri whispered, tentatively taking a step through the door into the room where Izaya was being held. "There's a woman, and she's going mad. She's crying, and she keeps shouting and kicking things. I can't see what, though." Anri took a step closer, craning her neck nervously. Of all the things that had happened that day, this shocked her the most. Lying tied up on the floor, twitching violently was Orihara Izaya.
"Use Saika to control the woman. We're coming to get you now, Anri-chan, just hang in there!" Already, Celty and Shizuo were aboard Celty's motorcycle, Shrina deciding that he'd follow behind on foot as Shizuo's super strength and Celty's supernatural powers would be of the most immediate help in this situation.
Anri approached the woman cautiously, staring at her directly as she willed Saika to do as she woman's eyes quickly went red, as if a bloody sea had washed over the pale grey.
"Move away from Orihara-san."
As the woman retreated, Anri rushed forwards. Untying the ropes as quickly as possible, she flinched as Izaya's blood coated her palms. The ropes had rubbed his skin raw, his wounds dirty from the dust on the ground, and his skin that wasn't covered in blood was damp and clammy. As he was freed from the ropes the violence of his movements decreased, the spaces between the twitches growing longer until Izaya stopped moving altogether. Anri retrieved his coat and gently wiped his mouth with it, placing it under his head and praying that Shinra-san would arrive soon.
It was another three minutes before Celty and Shizuo arrived, and by this point Izaya had begun to seize again.
"What the fuck is going on?" Shizuo spat incredulously. There was Anri, crouched next to a spasming, bloody body with tears running down her face whilst a red-eyed woman in a low-cut purple dress stood, staring gormlessly in the background.
"Where's Shinra-san?" Anri sobbed. "I think Orihara-san is having a seizure."
[What happened to him?]
"I don't know, I didn't see."
"Oi! Stop fucking shaking, Flea!" Shizuo shouted angrily. "Has he got that epiplepsy or some shit?"
[No, Shinra would have told me if he did.]
"Where's Shinra-san?" Anri repeated, her tears falling onto Izaya's face.
[Shinra is on his way, Anri-chan. It's going to be okay.] Celty slipped her hand into Anri's, and Anri gripped it, nodding uncertainly. They stayed like this for another minute, all of them staring at Izaya but not really seeing.
"Why won't he stop?" Shizuo mumbled quietly. Deep down he knew that it wasn't physically possible to create this effect on purpose, and that Izaya would never in 1000 years let anybody see him like this willingly, but it didn't stop him from being suspicious that Izaya was somehow trying to trick them.
There was something unsettling yet fascinating about seeing his enemy in this state, and the aspect of sick intrigue made Shizuo feel yet more uncomfortable, a surge of self-disgust attacking him for thinking such a thing. It reminded him of that quote that went something like 'art is supposed to disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed', but even comparing his battered and bloody enemy to a piece of art made Shizuo feel yet more confused. For once, Shizuo found himself wishing that the Flea was being his usual slimy self causing chaos around Ikebukuro as opposed to being an uncontrollable mess on the floor.
"Has...has this just started now?" Shizuo asked hesitantly, trying to distract himself from these questions he had no answers to. He was supposed to be happy, so why was seeing the Flea like this freaking him out so much?
Anri shook her head. "He was doing this when I came in. It stopped for a few minutes, then it started again."
Noisy panting caused them all (minus Izaya) to turn towards Shinra, who had arrived like an ungracious saviour, clutching his knees and breathing heavily before straightening up with a beam that vanished when he saw the scene in front of him.
"Damn - Orihara-kun!" Shinra rushed forwards and grabbed Izaya's wrist, checking his pulse and examining his head anxiously before asking Anri the same question that Shizuo had just asked.
"This is bad. We need to get him to our place immediately."
"What's wrong with him?"
"The seizure isn't a result of head trauma, and Orihara-kun isn't epileptic. From what Anri's told me and the fact that she was drugged, I expect it's been caused by a drug overdose."
"The Flea's...taken drugs?" Shizuo asked tentatively, keeping his ground a firm distance away from Izaya.
"Yes. Either unintentionally, or he's been forced to. When he stops I need you, Celty, to form a carriage to take us back to the apartment, and you, Shizuo, to put him in the back with me."
"Shinra, I -"
"Just do it Shizuo. There are more important things than your petty rivalry right now." Shinra snapped.
Akabayashi Mizuki and Shiki Haruya arrived just in time to hear the end of the conversation, and before they could enter the warehouse a horse carrying the Headless Rider and Sonahara Anri, and a carriage pulling Heiwajima Shizuo, Kinshanti Shinra and Orihara Izaya whizzed by.