Namie wasn't sure when she'd fallen asleep again, but when she woke up, the clock on the wall told her it was ten in the morning. She pulled the covers down as she sat up and blinked the sleep from her eyes. Sleeping in a real bed was so much better than an airplane.
She looked around a moment later to realize that she was alone in the bedroom, with Izaya nowhere to be seen. For a moment she felt a little stab of fear as she considered that he might've decided to run off. It faded when she realized his shoes were still where he'd left them last night, and she chided herself for her reaction as she dragged herself out of the bed.
Feeling refreshed, if a little uncertain about what was to come next, she headed out the door and into the living room. It was empty save for Izaya, who was at the computer again, his attention glued to the screen. Namie's footsteps were quiet as she crossed the floor to him, and she glanced over his shoulder at the screen before prodding his shoulder with one finger. "Hey."
She saw Izaya try to conceal a jolt of surprise, and she felt a smirk coming on by the time he turned to look at her. "Oh, hey Namie." He said. "How'd you sleep? You went out like a light last night." He observed as he turned back to the computer and started typing something.
"Just fine." She said as she turned her attention to the computer monitor again. It looked like Izaya was paying a visit to that chatroom he so loved to troll. "What are you doing?" She asked him, though she could partly guess the answer already.
"Finding out what's new in Ikebukuro." Izaya said with a satisfied tone to his voice. "We were off the radar for a week, if you remember. Or rather, if you don't remember." He added with a grin as he continued to type out rapid-fire responses.
"Anything interesting?" She said as she leaned on the back of his chair. She didn't care as much about online rumors as he did, but she supposed now was probably one of the few times it'd really matter to her.
"Surprisingly little." Izaya replied. "Apparently Ikebukuro had a downright peaceful week in my absence. I'm a little hurt." He said, glowering at the screen for a moment. "One thing did pique my interest, however."
"And what is that?" Namie asked, turning her attention to Izaya again and watching him intently.
Izaya turned around in his seat to face her, wearing a serious expression. "Your brother disappeared about ten days ago."
Namie froze. She blinked several times before tilting her head to one side as she stared at Izaya. "You're joking, right?" She said, the humor she'd had in her voice earlier now gone. "That's not a funny joke."
Izaya shook his head as he matched her stare without wavering. "It's not a joke. Apparently both Seiji and his girlfriend vanished without so much as saying a goodbye to anyone." He said. "Not sure whether it's related to our case, but I thought you might want to know."
Namie shook once, then stepped back and away from Izaya until she could lean against the couch and stare into space. Was Seiji hurt? Had he been kidnapped? What if he was dead? She clutched at the couch behind her as she tried to contain her anger and worry. "We have to find him." She said coldly.
"Do we?" Izaya said. "Maybe he's just taking a vacation."
Namie glared hard at him. She was starting to remember why she'd hated him before. "This isn't the time to joke around." She warned him.
Izaya didn't seem perturbed. "I'm still not joking. There were no signs of foul play and they took some of their stuff with them. It's a little weird, but it really does look like they decided to just leave Ikebukuro out of the blue one day."
Izaya's stare was just as intense as hers, and eventually she looked away. "We should've gone to his apartment last night…" She said. No matter what Izaya told her, she couldn't help worrying. Even if she knew it was probably going to hurt her…
She heard Izaya sigh as he stood up. "Look, we can check out his place today. But first, we should stop by my old office building again." He said.
She turned to look at him again, giving him an unamused stare. "Why?" She said.
Izaya produced a key from his pocket. "Well, I went out and got my ID renewed while you were asleep." He said, before pulling a small, laminated card from another pocket.
She was more interested in the key. "Did you take my car?" She asked.
Izaya grinned at her. "I had to get there somehow."
She took a quick step forward and snatched the key out of his hand. Izaya's amusement was easy to read as he let her take it. "Unbelievable." She said, shaking her head at him. "Do you even drive?" She snapped at him, before another thought occurred to her. "And, and… you'd have had to rifle through my pockets while I was sleeping to get this key…" She said, staring at him aghast.
"Details, details." Izaya said dismissively as he turned away from her. "Focus on the important things. I've got proof of my identity now, so we can get our stuff back from the office."
Namie stormed up behind him and grabbed his shoulder to turn him halfway towards her so she could look him in the eyes. "You invading my privacy and stealing my car are important things!"
Izaya chuckled at the frustration in her tone. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry for stealing your keys and your car and invading your precious privacy." He said. "I know you're saving it for Seiji."
Namie hissed in irritation as she took in his insincere apology. "Don't do it again." She said, before turning and stalking back towards the bedroom. "Let's just get our shoes and get out of here before I have to kill you." She said without looking at him.
Just when she was starting to think he wasn't all bad…
A short drive later, they were back at Izaya's old office. Izaya was out of the car in a flash and hurrying for the doors, leaving Namie to trail disinterestedly behind him. She didn't care about the crap she'd left at his place. She wanted to know Seiji was safe. She debated just getting back into the car and leaving, but… she wasn't quite ready to do that to Izaya. Not quite.
Izaya was at the front desk when she stepped inside, talking animatedly to the man behind the desk. He passed his ID to the man, who looked it over for a moment before checking something on his computer. "Well, alright." The man said, before passing the card back to Izaya, who looked immensely pleased.
The man stood up and turned towards a door behind him. "I'll go get it." He said.
Izaya blinked. "It? Are you sure you won't need our help getting all of the stuff we'd had in our old place?" He asked.
The man stared at Izaya for several seconds with an uncomfortable expression on his face. "Uhhh…" He said. "I'll be fine. Just wait here a sec." He said, before disappearing into a back room.
Izaya turned to Namie as she approached the desk. "Now I'm worried again." He reported.
"You didn't need any of that junk anyways." Namie said as she leaned against the desk to wait.
Izaya scowled at the wall as they waited, and eventually the man returned with a modestly-sized black box carried in two hands. He set it on the desk before nodding at it. "There you go." He said.
Izaya stared at the box. "This is it?" He said.
The man nodded once more. "That's all we found in your old place. Sorry we couldn't be of more help." He said with an apologetic smile.
Izaya frowned at the black box for several moments more before replying, "Thanks." in a decidedly disheartened voice. The man seemed satisfied and sat down in front of his computer again.
Namie tried to open the box and found it locked. "Do you have a key?" She asked of Izaya.
Izaya shook his head. "No. This thing has a trick to it." He said, reaching around the sides of the box and searching for something with his fingers. Eventually, Namie heard a click, and Izaya grinned as the seal on the lid of the box broke. He opened it to reveal a mess of black fabric and fur.
Namie blinked as she saw it. "Really?" She said, a little annoyed.
Izaya, by contrast, was ecstatic. "My coat!" He said, grabbing it out of the box and quickly putting the familiar garment on. "I'd been wondering where this thing went. It's like a part of me." He explained.
Namie gave him an unamused look. "I'm so glad you could get it back." She said sarcastically.
Izaya frowned for a moment as he settled into the coat. He glanced at Namie once before reaching into one of the pockets and producing a white phone. "Huh." He said as he eyed it. "This isn't mine."
Namie stared at it with him. "No, it's mine." She said.
Izaya gave her a look. "Really? It's a bit cute for your standards." He said, bouncing the little phone in his hand.
Namie sighed. "Just give it to me." She snapped.
Izaya smirked as he handed it to her. She unlocked it and began taking stock of what she could find. "So?" Izaya said expectantly.
"It's mostly intact." She said. "A few things have been rearranged but it's pretty much the same as I left it." She paused for a moment as she realized she had a new text message, before her eyes widened as she opened it. "I got a message from your phone a week ago." She said, glancing up at him.
"Seriously?" Izaya said, hurrying to stand beside her so he could peer at the screen too. "What does it say?"
The two of them both read the message over in their heads. It looked a bit like prose, or a short story.
There was once a handsome young prince who lived with his loving caretaker. One day, the young prince fell in love with a beautiful fairy. Though the caretaker did her best to keep this distraction away from him, the young prince's love consumed his life, until he met a young seer who promised she could mimic the fairy perfectly. Dejected, he accepted the offer. Little did he realize that now, the beautiful fairy waited for him in his castle.
The two of them both finished reading at about the same time, and Izaya turned to Namie first. "Is this a riddle?" He said.
"It certainly looks like it." Namie said. "And an obvious one, too." She said as her thoughts began to drift elsewhere.
Izaya frowned as he watched the change in her expression. "I guess we know where we're going next." He said.
Namie nodded slowly as she stared at her phone, before glancing at Izaya. "I need to make a call in the car. Wait outside for me, will you?" She said.
Izaya gave her a concerned look. "You sure you wanna do this?" He asked.
Namie frowned at him before walking past him. "You know the answer to that question." She said as she headed for her car. Izaya didn't protest as she stepped out the front doors of the building and got into her car a moment later, bringing up her phone's contact list and dialing Seiji's number. She held it to her ear as it began to ring. Please answer…
Someone picked up on the fourth ring. "Hey, sis." Namie felt a rush of relief so strong she wanted to melt into her seat. It was Seiji's voice. She'd recognize that beautiful monotone anywhere.
"Seiji! Where have you gone?" She asked him urgently.
Seiji was quiet for a second before he responded. "You know, when you didn't try to call me again for a week, I was kind of hoping you'd decided to stop trying." He said.
Namie frowned. "What are you talking about?"
She heard Seiji sigh from the other end of the line. "I'll make it simple. Mika convinced me to go somewhere far away with her. It's sort of an experiment. I can't tell you where I am."
What was he talking about? Why was he being so secretive? Namie's chest felt tight as a pleading note entered her voice. "But Ikebukuro is your home… I'm here." She said.
"I'm not coming back to Ikebukuro, sis. And you should probably work on accepting that." He said.
What was that scolding note to his voice? She wondered. She hated it, but she knew what would appeal to him most. She'd do anything to get him back. "Celty is still here. You won't ever see her again if you don't come back." She warned him. It left a bad taste in her mouth, even bringing it up.
"Yeah, I know. That's the point." Seiji replied.
Namie blinked. That was the opposite of the answer she'd expected. "What?"
"Mika wants to see if I'll lose interest in Celty with some time away. It took a lot of persuasion from her, but I think I can see where she's coming from, now. I'm not going back to Ikebukuro." He said firmly.
Namie laughed bitterly in pure reaction. Seiji, getting over Celty? He'd been obsessing over her for half his life with no sign of stopping. That stupid head had been her only leverage on Seiji's life, too… "You love Celty. You're not going to just forget her." She protested.
Seiji was quiet for another while before replying. "Maybe I won't. I'll admit, I'm far from over her. Maybe I never will be, entirely. But I'm starting to think Mika has a point. The kind of love I have for Celty isn't the kind that can be reciprocated."
Namie didn't know what to say. "But… but…" She stammered as she tried to understand the words coming out of Seiji's mouth.
"And… while we're on this topic, sis, I think it'd be a good idea if you didn't call me again. I left Ikebukuro as much for your sake as for mine." He said.
Namie shivered. She felt her eyes starting to well up as she replied, "Seiji…"
"You've got to stop thinking about me sooner or later." Seiji said.
Namie shook her head frantically, even if he couldn't see it. "I can't, Seiji. I can't do that." Her voice was getting hoarse and her throat hurt.
Seiji sighed again. "You can't while you're still on the phone talking to me. But once this conversation is over…" He trailed off meaningfully.
"Seiji, please. Don't go." Namie begged him. "Tell me where you are. I'll come to you."
"I'm sorry, sis. Maybe we'll see each other again when we're both better people." Seiji said. "Good luck." With that, the line went dead.
"Seiji!" Namie shouted into her phone. She could feel hot tears spilling over her cheeks now as she processed what had just happened. She dialed his number again and got no answer. Then she tossed her phone into the back seat and put her head in her hands as she cried.
A minute passed. Eventually, she heard the passenger-side door open and felt the car shift underneath her as Izaya sat down next to her. The door slammed shut a moment later. Namie didn't bother trying to hide her tears or her shaking. Whatever horrible things he could say to her now wouldn't even come close to the pain Seiji had just inflicted on her.
She felt a warm hand settle on her shoulder. It squeezed once as Izaya said, "Deep breaths, Namie. Breathe."
She shivered again, but she was too far gone to read into it right then. She settled for obeying that simple instruction, and focused on her breathing. Slowly, her shaky, unsteady breathing smoothed out into a series of calm, deep breaths. She felt her tears starting to dry, though she was still far from happy. She leaned her head on the wheel as she felt a headache coming on.
"I take it things didn't go well?" Izaya said.
"What do you think?" Namie said bitterly. She wasn't sure why she was angry at him. For once, he didn't deserve it. It was hard for her not to hate everything right now.
"I guess Seiji's not coming back, then." Izaya replied.
Namie shook her head slightly. "No." She laughed humorlessly as she recalled their conversation. "He's trying to get over Celty. He chided me to try doing the same with him. Seiji, of all people, trying to counsel me on obsessive behavior. Can you believe it?"
"It makes sense to me. Better someone who's dealt with it than someone who hasn't. I sure couldn't tell you how to get better." Izaya admitted.
It was calming to talk like this, Namie realized. She slowly pulled herself back to sit up as she glanced at Izaya for the first time since he'd gotten into the car again. "That sure doesn't stop you from trying, though."
Izaya shrugged with a smile. "What can I say? I'm not easily deterred." He said.
Something in his smile put her back on track, and she closed her eyes as she took a few more deep breaths and organized her thoughts. Seiji was gone, and he wasn't coming back. That hurt, but she could deal with pain. Even this pain. They still had things to do. Solving this mystery would be an adequate distraction.
She just didn't like where their clue seemed to be taking them. "So the text message seems to be directing us someplace." She observed, changing the subject as she opened her eyes to look at Izaya once more.
She thought she heard a note of approval in Izaya's voice as he replied, smiling all the while. "Yeah. The prince's castle." He said.
She nodded slowly as she looked out the windshield, grabbed her keys, and started the car. "Right, then. Seiji's place." She said quietly. She caught a brief nod from Izaya as the car pulled away from the curb and headed out into Ikebukuro.
Seiji's apartment complex was quiet when they arrived. "Not sure how we're gonna get into his apartment, but I guess we'll figure it out as we go." Izaya said as they pulled up to the curb.
Namie ignored him as she got out of the car and hurried inside. Izaya hurried to follow her, shutting the car door behind him. They were in front of the door to his apartment two minutes later. She didn't wait for Izaya before she grabbed the handle and turned it. She didn't bother to wonder why it was unlocked as it swung open.
She half-expected to see Seiji inside, waiting for her with his calm, cool demeanor. She wanted to hear his voice again, to embrace him, anything. But as she stepped into the living room, she realized the apartment was quite empty. His scent was still on everything there, though. It was fading with his absence, but it sent a shiver up her spine nonetheless.
She could get lost in that place. She might've if Izaya had not come in a moment later and shut the door behind him. "I'm pretty sure it's not a coincidence that it was unlocked." He said as he strolled into the living room beside her. "Something smells fishy."
"Smells divine to me." Namie said dreamily as she took in the room around her.
Izaya gave her a confused look before elbowing her in the side. "Namie, snap out of it."
Namie's eyes fluttered once as she felt the impact. Her thoughts swirled for a moment before she started to realize what she was doing. Seiji was gone. This wasn't his apartment anymore. And she wasn't doing herself any favors by obsessing over the little traces of his passing. "Right. Sorry, Izaya…" She said quietly.
"I get that you're going through something right now, but you need to try to keep it together." Izaya chided her as he turned to begin exploring the room.
She watched him for a minute as he worked. His fur coat made him look less skinny and more mysterious. It was probably why he favored it. It reminded her a little of Izaya himself - a devilish, dangerous mystery surrounding a childish, scared little boy. Sometimes, though, the two seemed to merge into something else. That was the Izaya that tended to catch her eye.
Izaya turned to raise an eyebrow at her as he realized she was staring. She gave him an apologetic smile before heading into the bedroom to start checking there. It wouldn't do to get lost thinking about Seiji or Izaya.
It didn't take her long to find something. She opened the closet to find a beautiful young woman's head floating eerily still in a greenish jar. It was sitting on what looked like a piece of paper with letters typed out on it. Namie grimaced as she stared at it, before turning towards the open bedroom door. "Izaya! I found something." She called.
Izaya entered the bedroom a moment later, giving her a curious look before standing next to her and peering into the closet. "Ugh." He said as he caught sight of Celty's head. "Somehow, I'm not at all pleased to see that thing."
"We can't leave it here, though." Namie said with a sigh.
Izaya rubbed at his forehead as he considered their options. "We'll just have to stick it in your trunk until we figure out what to do with it." He said.
"I guess so…" Namie said, unsatisfied.
"What's that under it?" Izaya said as he grabbed the container holding Celty's head and moved it aside.
Namie grabbed the sheet of paper as it was freed. It looked like it had come straight of a computer printer, with small black text typed out across the top of the sheet. "Looks like our next hint." She said with a frown.
"I hate scavenger hunts." Izaya growled as he peered over her shoulder at the text on the sheet.
There once was a wily fox who shared a small forest with a great, big hound. Though the forest was big enough for the two of them, the fox and the hound hated each other from the first day they saw one another. The fox delighted in aggravating and outwitting the hound, never once considering that one day, it might need the hound's help.
Izaya was scowling when Namie turned to look at him after reading the note. He snatched the sheet of paper out of her hand and crumpled it up into a ball before tossing it into one corner of the room. "Whoever arranged this is going to rue the day they were born." Izaya snapped.
Namie crossed her arms over her chest as she regarded Izaya evenly. "We still have to address the content of the note, even if it pisses you off."
Izaya huffed a breath before striding to the door of the bedroom, peering back at Namie while halfway through it. "Maybe so. But I want you to know, if Shizuo kills me before we manage to ask him any questions, you better bury me with my stuff."
It didn't take them long to find Shizuo. He had a presence the size of a city block, which Izaya could pick out in a heartbeat. It was how he was so often able to annoy Ikebukuro's strongest man. He just hoped their bad blood wouldn't be enough to get him killed as they got out of the car and strolled up the sidewalk towards him.
Shizuo's reaction was immediate. His eyes widened behind his shades, and his stride lengthened with purpose as he drew nearer to Izaya. "Izaaayaaaa…" Shizuo said, the anger rising in his voice.
For his part, Izaya did his best to look non-threatening. He slowly paced backwards as he raised his hands in surrender. "Hey, let's take it easy for once, oka-" He began, before Shizuo was suddenly in front of him. The larger blonde grabbed Izaya by the collar of his shirt and hauled him off his feet holding him a foot in the air as he stared him down.
"What the hell are you doing back in Ikebukuro?" Shizuo growled. "I finally had some hope that you'd gotten yourself killed, and now you come back just when things are getting peaceful around here?"
Same old Shizuo. Izaya thought to himself. He grinned at the stronger man holding him up as his legs dangled beneath him. "It's good to see you too, Shizu-chan." He greeted him.
He saw Shizuo's eyebrow twitch, and for a moment he wondered if he'd gone too far already. "Please don't rile him up any further than you already have…" Namie said wearily from behind him.
Shizuo's eyes flickered away from Izaya to the source of the voice. "Huh. Who're you?" He said, tilting his head to one side as he scrutinized her.
Namie crossed her arms over her chest as she stared calmly at Shizuo. "I'm Namie Yagiri, Izaya's assistant. I'd appreciate it if you'd put him down."
Shizuo seemed to consider this for a moment. "You picked a shitty employer." He said, but eventually he put Izaya down. "Now that I think about it, though, I think I recognize you." He said, reaching into one of his back pockets before producing a laminated card and offering it to her. "Is this you?"
Namie accepted the card with a look of curiosity, before her eyes widened as she got a good look at it. "This is my ID card. Where did you find it?" She asked in disbelief.
Shizuo shrugged. "I found it stuffed in a box in the back of my closet. Not sure how it got there. It had a note with it that I was just taking to Tom." He explained.
Izaya blinked at the mention of the note. "Hey, Shizu-chan!" He said with a grin. "Mind if we take a look at that note?"
Shizuo's eyes narrowed as his attention returned to Izaya. "Why the hell should I show it to you? Helping you never does anyone any good." He said.
"C'mon. What's the worst I could do with a lousy sheet of paper?" Izaya said with a sweet smile.
Namie groaned. "Do you have any self control at all?" She asked, glaring at Izaya. "Izaya and I were kidnapped a while ago, and robbed of everything we own. We've been following a series of clues to recover some of our things, and we think that piece of paper you're carrying is one of them." She explained simply.
Shizuo blinked as he turned back to Namie. "Huh. So that's where Izaya went." He levelled another glare at Izaya as he added, "Figures someone would kidnap you." He turned his attention back to Namie once more as he produced the aforementioned slip of paper from another pocket. "I'll give this to you, then, on one condition."
Namie raised an eyebrow at him. "Name it."
Shizuo looked at Izaya once, then at Namie. "You seem to understand this obnoxious little punk better than I do. Keep him in line for me, will you? I'm sick of him making trouble for me and everyone else in Ikebukuro." He said.
Namie smiled as she glanced at Izaya. "I already consider that my job. But for your sake, I'll try to keep him on a leash."
Izaya glared at her. "We'll see about that." He said.
Izaya grunted as Shizuo casually backhanded his shoulder with enough force to make him stumble back a few steps. "Don't be so disrespectful. It's tactless." Shizuo chided him before offering the folded sheet of paper to Namie. "I expect you to keep your word." He said, giving her a pointed look.
"Of course, Shizuo. Izaya won't trouble you again." She said, maintaining her smile as she accepted the paper. Izaya glared sullenly at the two of them.
"I'd offer to help you with your little predicament, but I'd have to kill Izaya first." Shizuo said as he took a step back.
"You've been more than enough help already, thanks." Izaya said sarcastically as he rubbed at his aching shoulder.
Shizuo gave him a flat look from behind his sunglasses before stepping past the smart-mouthed information broker. "Good luck with your search, Namie." He said with a wave of his hand.
The two of them watched him go before Namie unfolded the paper. "You really need to get a verbal filter someday." She warned her troublesome companion.
Izaya rolled his eyes at her. "I do have one. Shizuo just turns it off." He said.
Namie rolled her eyes right back at him before glancing at the note.
The hermit and the devil were sometime companions in days of old. They were complete opposites, but while this fascinated the devil, the hermit hardly seemed to care. Though he does not admit it, to this day, the devil still ruminates about the last place where he could call the hermit his peer.
Namie blinked as she read through it. "This one doesn't make sense to me." She admitted.
Izaya read it over once, then another time. It made sense to him, but he didn't like what it was implying. He almost wanted to just ignore it. Whoever had written this was pushing his buttons, and it was upsetting him more than he'd admit out loud. He carefully restrained his anger before turning to Namie. "I know where we need to go." He said.
Namie eyed him skeptically. "Do you?"
Izaya nodded, his eyes going a little distant. "Yeah. I'm not happy about it, though."
The drive to Raira academy was a bit of a long one, and Izaya stared out the window at the passing traffic as he brooded on what was to come. He thought he could feel some murky stirring in the missing portions of his memory, but that made him more worried than excited at this point. He wasn't sure he wanted to recall what had happened in that lost week.
He was stirred from his thoughts by Namie's voice. "Izaya, can I tell you something?" He glanced at her to find her staring out ahead of her at the road, deliberately avoiding his eyes.
"Huh? Sure." He said, a little disinterested.
"I know this'll sound a little weird, but I need you to pretend you're not… you, for a minute. Because I really don't want Izaya Orihara to be the one I'm telling this to." She said.
Izaya sat up. This was starting to catch his interest. "Hmmm? Okay, then. I'll be quiet and attentive. It'll be like you're talking to a ghost." He said, grinning in anticipation.
He could see the irritation flicker through her features. She was always subtle in her expressions. Trying to figure out what she was thinking at any one moment was one of his favorite pastimes. Right now, though, she was remarkably easy to read. He wondered what was on her mind.
Namie sighed before saying, "I've been slowly processing this since we woke up in Ireland, and especially as we've talked about it. And… I think I'm starting to realize that I'm not really in love with Seiji." She admitted.
Izaya blinked as he watched her. "Huh?" He couldn't help saying it.
He thought she looked a little tired as she continued, "Seiji is… special to me. He was the only person in my life who could give me attention when I was young, and I guess in some ways he really became the only person in the world for me. I admit, even realizing this, I still have some very strange and powerful feelings towards him." She said. "But I'm not in love with him. Not in the way I thought I was."
Izaya watched her for a moment, waiting to see if she had more to say. Eventually, he realized she was waiting for him to respond. "That's… very mature of you, Namie." He said.
She narrowed her eyes at the traffic ahead of her. "I'm not a child." She said.
"No," Izaya admitted, "But you are growing up."
Namie was silent for a moment as she steered the car into another lane. "Maybe so." She eventually replied.
Izaya grinned at her. "That's an important thing you just realized, Namie. Seriously. Be proud of yourself."
She smiled sadly out the windshield. "Maybe I'll get there, someday." She said as she pulled the car to a stop in front of the academy.
Izaya stared out the window at the school building. It was empty with the students on break. He didn't really want to go in there. It seemed like Namie had more to say, anyways, and so he stayed where he was as he watched her.
She stared at the wheel, seemingly lost in thought. "These last few days have been odd for me." She said quietly.
"That's not surprising, considering how far outside our normal routine they've been." Izaya said with a chuckle.
She gave him an amused look before shrugging. "Maybe. I just feel like I woke up in that cave a different person than I am now."
Izaya raised an eyebrow at her. "Maybe you are."
She seemed to consider that for a moment before nodding and opening the driver's-side door. "C'mon. Let's go." She said.
Izaya opened the door on his side and stepped out with only a little hesitation. He hadn't been to Raira academy in awhile. It hadn't even been called Raira academy back when he'd actually been attending school there. It should feel like a sort of homecoming, but it really didn't as Izaya stepped through the gates and towards the main building with Namie in tow.
The school had been rearranged since he'd attended high school there, and it took him awhile to adjust. Finding an unlocked exterior door wasn't hard, but finding the classroom that had once been his senior-year homeroom was considerably more challenging. He spent the better part of an hour scouring the rooms one by one with Namie's help before they found it.
His eye was caught by a glimpse of color on one of the desks in that classroom. It was in the right spot, too. He cautiously entered the empty classroom, and Namie followed him a moment later. "Is this the right place?" She asked him quietly.
"Looks right to me." Izaya said as he strolled forward to the desk he'd picked out. On top of it was a card. He picked it up and realized it was a tarot card - number IX, the Hermit. "Fitting." He said with a wistful smile. "This is where Shinra sat in our last year of high school."
Namie blinked at him. "I'm having a hard time imagining you as a high-schooler." She said.
Izaya turned to smirk at her. "Oh, that's perfectly understandable. I barely attended in my high school years. It's a wonder I passed." He headed over to his old desk to discover another tarot card there, too. Number XV, the Devil. He supposed that fit him, too.
Still - something was nagging at him. His memories, though still foggy, were starting to send little pings of warning through him. This was all too convenient. Who could possibly have known something this specific about his past? He'd kept track of all his former classmates out of habit, and he knew that none of them were connected enough to pull this off.
That left… "Hey. There's something under your desk." Namie said, crouching on the floor as she peered at it.
"Right." Izaya said, shaking off his distraction as he reached under it and fumbled at something cool and sleek taped to the bottom. He peeled off the tape before pulling away a cell phone - his cell phone.
"Yours?" Namie asked.
He nodded.
"Want to check what's inside?" She asked, her tone expectant.
"No." He said.
She tilted her head quizzically at him. "Why not?"
Izaya swallowed uncomfortably. "I don't think I'm going to like what I find."
Namie frowned at him. "If we don't follow the trail, Izaya, we'll be stuck forever."
Izaya closed his eyes and sighed. "You're right." He admitted. He opened his eyes and reluctantly unlocked the phone. Just about everything looked familiar - though things seemed to have been rearranged slightly, like Namie had reported with her own phone. It took him a minute to find what was out of place. "There's a new video recorded." He said.
Namie was beside him in an instant. "The culprit?" She said apprehensively.
Izaya forced a smile as he eyed her. "Yeah. Probably." He said. He opened the video and pressed play.
The black screen disappeared to be replaced with an image of his office. It was obscured immediately by a shadowy figure. "Hey there, Izaya. I'm guessing you're wondering what happened to get you into this big mess. Or maybe you've already figured it out, and you're starting to shit yourself as I speak. If that's the case, then you can just consider this a message for Namie."
Namie was frozen beside him. He wished she wasn't seeing this. "You see, I love humanity. I love to see what people will do when put into the craziest and most dangerous situations possible. But lately, I feel like they've started to grow predictable." As the video continued, it zoomed out to give them a better view of the speaker.
"Eventually I realized there was only one person left that I didn't understand." A face came into view. His face. Izaya Orihara, grinning back at him like the devil he was. "So I decided to ask the question. 'What happens when Izaya Orihara destroys his own life?'"
It was coming back to him faster and faster now. Shut up. He thought to himself as he paused the video before turning to Namie. He felt his blood run cold at the fury in her eyes.
"Well," He said, staring helplessly back at her, "Shit."