Shinra's hands tightly gripped the lines in front of him. The yellow lines telling everybody to keep out threatened to rip in his grasp. The murmurs of people surrounding him didn't reach his ears not because he's absorbed by his thoughts but because his mind is not working, his mind is blank. His glasses weren't able to hide his surprise yet his eyes didn't held fear.
It all started when Shinra was woken by a knock on his bedroom door. Not getting a reply from the man, Celty opened the door and watched him sluggishly sit while reaching for his glasses.
What happened?. Celty typed and Shinra read it with tired eyes.
"I had a hard time sleeping" the doctor groaned as he plopped back down the bed.
Tell me what happened. The dullahan sat on the side of the bed, the shadows going out from her neck shows worry. Why did you go home so late?
Shinra sighed, sat up and recalled what happened last night. He started telling his story and Celty just listened. When he finished talking, it is the only time he noticed Celty is shaking.
"Why are you laughing?" He narrowed his eyed at her.
Sorry, imagining you hit a woman amuse me. Celty responded still laughing.
"I've been through a fearful experience , it's not a laughing matter" Shinra whined.
I'm not laughing at your experience. Celty tried her best to stop laughing and faced the man. Maybe the woman just wanted your medical service.
"No, I'm sure it's more than that"
What made you think that?
"A man's intuition" Shinra seriously answered, the dullahan paused for a moment.
Fine, then let's go and see the park. You said she might be injured so there might be a blood sample. Celty suggested and waited for Shinra to start preparing before she exited his room. since when did 'man's intuition' occur?
That was the plan, visit the park, get a blood sample then analyze the DNA, as simple as that. However, when they arrived a crowd is assembled near the fountain, exactly near the place where that woman fell. As they approach the place the people seems like didn't notice the headless hunter since they are more preoccupied by another topic. Luckily, for them the people started to disperse but they can't ignore the words the others are leaving.
"How horrible" "Who could do such a thing?" "The suicides then now this?"
That leads us to the present, a speechless Celty beside a stunned Shinra. The gruesome scene in front of him can be classified as a normal murder if only the body is lying down. The body is seating in a classy manner on the center of the large blood puddle while white roses tainted in red is carefully placed near the cadaver, giving an idea that the woman is seating on a field of roses. Nevertheless, the thing that made the scene ghastly is that on top of the woman's hands is her head. Her eyeballs slightly gauged out to look like she's crying blood.
He stared at the scene for another minute until he started to see another image in his mind. An artwork. A beautiful and in the same time a horrid artwork.
"It's the same" Shinra whispered catching Celty's attention.
Shinra?
"This scene is the same" He repeated now in normal tone and volume. "The pose is different but the style is the same"
What are you talking about?
"It's the same with her artworks". With the mention of 'her', Celty finally understood who is Shinra talking about. Are you sure it's her?
"She's finally turning her artworks to reality." He gave a sigh "Seven is back here in Ikebukuro"
The two fell silent knowing that a big problem will be coming in their way. Little did they know that a smirking man overheard Shinra's deduction.
"Are you crazy?" the woman on the other side of the phone half shouted "You just attracted a lot of attention"
The holder of the phone frowned; her violet eyes stared at the screen. Even though she's holding her phone a feet away from her she could still hear the other woman's voice clearly. "Like I told you. It's alright, they'll not find me" She neared her phone to talk before distancing it again. "except for them" she whispered.
"Stop acting like a child"
"I am a child… well, a teenager"
"Just because there's a 'teen' in nineteen, it doesn't mean you're a teenager"
"That was just a warning" She laughed at the woman's frustration as she went back to the topic.
"How about those suicides, is it not considered a warning?" the voice of the woman finally calmed.
"Nah, it's just an experiment, for my own benefit"
"You really are sick" the woman on the other line emphasized the last word
"You do love insulting me. You didn't even appreciate my art"
"Everything about you is sick" the low menacing voice of the woman repeated before hanging up.
The nineteen year old pocketed her phone and leaned on the railings of the empty overpass. She looked down and spotted a man wearing bartender clothes, the same man who chased that Orihara Izaya with a lamppost. "Heiwajima Shizuo, the strongest in Ikebukuro"
"Don't tell me you're interested with Shizu-chan" Izaya said with his playful tone. The girl raised a brow, not even surprised by the sudden appearance of the information broker beside her. "Guess not". He studied the girl again. Her hair messy hair is still the same but this time she's wearing a light brown above knee length jacket, a black v-neck shirt, black shorts and a matching black boots. Though hidden with a concealer, he still saw the long scars on her thigh to her knee, that aroused his curiosity.
"Seven" he smirked when he saw the girl flinch and look at him cautiously but with a blank expression. "This is the seventh time I saw you since our last meeting, glimpses to be specific."
"I see" She responded, a flood of relief didn't occur to her. She then just decided to play along and brought out her innocent voice and look "Orihara Izaya-san, right?"
"I'm honored you remembered" Izaya 'happily' smiled.
"Of course, I cannot forget a person's names that have showed kindness towards me. I really appreciate your offer back then"
"If you needed help you can always ask me" the troll's smile never faded neither did the girl's.
"It's alright I don't want to be a bother"
"Don't worry, I'm not a busy person"
"You really are kind Orihara-san" She was about to talk again when she felt her phone vibrate, glancing on the caller ID, she excused herself and distanced from Izaya making sure he won't be able to eavesdrop.
"They send another group to do the job" the voice of the same woman earlier said in an urgent manner.
"Any information about them" She asked and faced the opposite side to prevent Izaya to read her lips.
"I already sent it in your email"
"You are not really careful. Anyway thanks Maki-Maki" the raven-haired girl smiled and started to act 'normal again.
"Stop calling me that!" the woman on the other line hissed. "My name is Kira Mairu"
"Ehhh!? Aunt will visit?!" She faked a surprise tone and expression reminding herself that Izaya is observing her.
"What are you talking about?" Mairu was baffled.
"I better start preparing now" she heard Mairu say 'Good luck preparing' before hanging up. She smiled knowing that the woman understood, she really needs to prepare for the incoming enemy. The girl approached Izaya and bowed slightly "I'm sorry , Orihara-san, but I need to go"
"Take care Kirigaya-kun" He gave his signature smile and waived at the retreating form of the girl "It's nice seeing you again". He watched as her figure disappeared in the crowd below until his smile turned to a smirk "It is nice meeting you, Kirigaya Seven"