Warning: Spoilers for DRRR novel 13

A/N: You might be wondering about the spoilers thing because when this story was first published, the 13th novel wasn't even released yet. But as it turns out, that novel actually shed a lot of light on Izaya's character, and I felt that what was revealed there was like an expansion of what I initially wanted his Shadow to represent. So this chapter is mostly about what was mentioned in novel 13 and how I'm linking it to Izaya's Shadow.

In other words, novel 13 was so amazing I just had to make a special reference to it. There might be more of this in the future chapters, I think.

Thank you all for supporting Gameplay! :)

April 27, 2013

Sitting all by themselves in the classroom next to each other with their elbows propped on their desks and synchronising the swinging movement of their legs, two girls wearing the Raira Academy school uniform stared ahead at the blackboard. The both of them shared the same long, flowing chocolate brown hair that reached their waists, and the same parting of their bangs that framed their identical faces. Their eyes were of the same shade as their hair, but duller and lacked the vigour that most people would associate with their youth.

"...Hey, Kuru-nee?" one of the two said. "I'm bored."

"I'm bored, too," the other agreed just as monotonously.

"How long has it been since the start of the term?"

"A few weeks, I think."

"How many pranks have we played during these few weeks?"

"Too many to count."

"And we haven't gotten in trouble yet?"

"The teachers have long given up on us, Mai-chan."

One of them sighed, which her companion mirrored at exactly the same time.

"Ne, Mai-chan."

"Hmm? What is it, Kuru-nee?"

"Do you...feel like there's something we've forgotten to do?"

Keeping her eyes on the blackboard, the one being asked took a shot. "Copy each other's homework?"

"We did that last night."

"Take out the trash and do the laundry?"

"We agreed that we would only pretend to forget about that."

"Trigger the fire alarm?"

"We did that during our freshmen orientation last year."

"...Then, what?"

Kururi's eyes softened, as did Mairu's, and they both looked down simultaneously, their legs coming to a halt.

"I don't know," was all she said, and she didn't need to ask if her sister shared that same, strange feeling like there was a gaping hole in her heart that no prank could ever fill.

"Look out!" The voices of Psyche and Rise shouted at the same time.

Instinctively, everyone else turned towards them until an ominous, inky indigo glow coming from the ground informed them of the peril. A large runic circle written in ancient, intelligible language and complicated, mystic symbols, similar to the kinds that were described or seen only in fantasy worlds and wielded by dark mages or wizards, was growing quickly beneath their feet.

The present members of the Investigation Team reacted faster than anybody else did. Before the same, but smaller, circles could appear, they shoved away anyone they could from the largest circle, eliciting stunned murmurs from those who hadn't been expecting either occurrence.

The elaborate markings on the circle flashed like the headlights of a car before fading away with a gloomy hiss that could be likened to sounds made by an old and cursed chime. In its wake, it left behind thick tendrils of black haze and steam that rose like the spits of a geyser, and a scorched mark on the soil where snow and grass once covered.

"The hell was that?" muttered Shizuo as he, as did the others, got up.

"A Mamudoon spell," Naoto answered. She calmly straightened her glasses, but her insides were still shivering; her very fingers betrayed her, even if her face didn't.

And that was ridiculous, Naoto thought as she bit the inside of her cheek. She might be immune to the Hama and Mudo varieties of spells, but every time the familiar lights bared their deadly jaws, a shudder would ripple in her gut and lungs, like the first time she handled a pistol and opened fire, and the recoil from the gun left her ten-year-old body trembling. She had gotten used to guns, of course, so why not the Hama and Mudo spells, too, especially since she was unaffected by them?

"What does it do?" Shinra asked, sounding more thrilled than frightened as he crawled over to where the runic circle was earlier and tried to inspect the charred engravings it had made.

"It kills you on the spot," Chie said, which earned her a raised eyebrow from Shizuo and an instant retraction of his hand from Shinra. "If it's successful," she decided the addition was necessary.

'Like a bullet in the right places,' Naoto thought, nodding. It was the analogy she had come up with herself, seconds after the first time a Shadow was finally squeezed and crushed by the glaring light of her Hama. The overall effectiveness of the spells was so uncertain, however, that it frustrated Naoto to no end, the same sort of frustration she would feel when she nicked a wanted criminal and they still managed to escape with their lives. Nevertheless, when they did their job properly, a child-like joy and pride would blossom in her chest, accompanied by the thought: 'I did it, I did it!'

It wouldn't be surprising if their enemies shared the same sense of triumph when the tables were turned.

"Who casted it, though?" asked Yukiko, looking over her shoulder to check for any Shadows that might have been hiding.

It was then that Psyche gulped and motioned for everyone to huddle and step back. Hibiya, Sakuraya, and Tsugaru remained where they were, at various points of the circle, but with grave expressions directed at the rising smog.

"It's him," Psyche said, oblivious to the beads of sweat by his brows. "He's here."

"Who is?" Kanji asked.

"A Shadow," said Rise, holding her left wrist to her chest, "and it's close to losing it."

The smoke hissed quietly as the outer layers were drawn into the middle of the circle where a dark humanoid figure was standing, whipping up a wind around them. When it cleared, the newcomer took a step forward, revealing themselves to be yet another man bearing the same face as Orihara Izaya, but wearing a red fur-trimmed jacket and possessing eyes that were alternating between bright, ruby red and luminous yet shadowy gold. In his right hand was a fistful of the cloth of an off-white hood, belonging to the brown-haired adolescent who was on the ground and trembling like a leaf.

"Ha…Hanamura?" Chie breathed, her eyes on her shuddering friend instead of the man exuding a shadowy aura.

"So Yosuke-senpai was with this guy all along?" Kanji said, giving Yosuke a glance before directing his attention to the raven-haired man holding his high school senior in place. He narrowed his eyes slightly. "Somethin' tells me he's done something to Senpai…"

"Who's this, then?" Shizuo growled as he tossed a glare at the newcomer, nose wrinkling. "Another flea friend of yours?"

"Hachimenroppi," Hibiya answered tonelessly, folding his arms. "His name, meaning 'eight masks, six arms'… In other words, 'he who holds eight masks with only six arms', or 'he who possesses eight faces and six arms', or 'he who behaves like eight different people and does the work of six arms'. There are many ways of interpreting it. To us, he is the one who holds us together. The core of our existence, if you will. Psyche is particularly fond of shortening it to Roppi, which would only mean half of its intended meaning, but in all honesty, you may call him whatever you desire. It matters not what he is called, neither does it matter what we are called."

Shizuo's frown deepened with bewilderment, as though the very idea of referring to them as anything other than their given names perplexed him.

"Perchance I ought to clarify," Hibiya continued, no doubt having taken note of Shizuo's reaction. Golden eyes that were gleaming slightly narrowed. "As long as it is by persons other than Orihara Izaya, we are not particular about what we are called. It would do you well to commit that to memory."

Shizuo mirrored the prince's actions before mumbling something under his breath and leaving things at that. Chie, Yukiko, and Kanji didn't appear like it, but they were fully aware of what Hibiya had meant, and of course, so did Naoto. It wasn't the time to discuss that, however, as Hachimenroppi directed a blazing crimson glare at the crowned raven and let out a breath that sounded like a blend of a snake's hiss and a snarl that was characteristic of panthera beasts.

"…Oh, it's you," he spat, his voice rough and scratchy like he had choked on himself earlier. "So, you're caught up in this shit, too. That's perfect." Effortlessly, and swiftly, the caricature of Izaya lifted Yosuke off the ground and held him up in the air with the same arm, revealing for all to see the brunet's clamped-shut eyes and his chest expanding and contracting in tandem with the rapid white puffs escaping his bluish purple lips. "Here. I think you dropped this."

"A-ah, Hanamura-kun!" Yukiko was the one who exclaimed, when the Shadow hurled Yosuke away without warning. She rushed towards where he laid, with Chie, Kanji, Rise, and Naoto following behind her, and struck his cheek with the back of her palm as forcefully as she could. The brunet froze, before his eyes slowly opened and blinked repeatedly as they regained focus.

Chie waved her hand in front of Yosuke's face. "Hey! You back with us, Hanamura?" Yosuke groaned, his reply muffled and unintelligible, while waving her off, and the group heaved a sigh in relief before she snapped her attention to Hachimenroppi. "Look here, you jerk—!"

"Chie!" Yukiko held onto Chie's arm and pulled her back gently before she was about to march up to the man.

"Jerk sounds about right. What the hell did you do to our senpai?" Kanji said, making sure that he flexed his knuckles in front of the Shadow. Next to him, Rise subconsciously curled her fist onto her winter coat as she kept her eyes on Yosuke.

"…It appears to be a Fear-inducing spell," Naoto observed and answered before Hachimenroppi did. "Am I correct?"

Hachimenroppi shot daggers at her, wrinkles surfacing at the corners of his eyes as his nose scrunched up and he sneered. "You humans always act like you know everything when there's really nothing but air occupying your cranium."

Taking that as a "yes", Naoto nodded, unfazed by the derogatory comment. "Then, am I also correct to assume that the one responsible for the Mamudoon spell earlier is you as well?"

The raven sent the detective a scornful glower that could burn holes through her head. Again, he dodged the question – or, most likely, he thought that the answer was so obvious it didn't need to be said – and grumbled instead.

Naoto straightened her coat and took two calculated steps forward. The effect her action caused was immediate; the corners of the scarlet-eyed raven's lips swung down as he gave an airy growl and his fingers curled into tight fists.

"What the hell are you—"

"Forgive me for going straight to the point, Hachimenroppi-san," Naoto interrupted coolly. "You came here, not to harm us…but to ask us of something. Am I correct?"

Hachimenroppi rolled his eyes. "Whatever gave you that idea? I almost killed you all," he answered dispassionately.

"It would do you good to listen to Lady Shirogane Naoto, Hachimenroppi," Hibiya cautioned, his expression remaining as it was since the activation of the Mamudoon spell. Hachimenroppi scowled, but said nothing.

"I don't believe you would kill us," Naoto elaborated with a small burst of confidence, which garnered even more attention from her friends as well as their companions and Orihara-san's Shadow. "You might despise humans…but you won't put them in any danger they can't escape from."

"…And who was the idiot that died and let you take over them as a faux expert on me?" Hachimenroppi muttered menacingly.

"Earlier, you casted a Mamudoon spell on us. Spells of that nature are intended as one-hit kills, but at the same time, their basis of operation depends on nothing else but luck. Precision can certainly be improved if you possess the particular skill required, but even then its success cannot be guaranteed. In other words, you wanted to get our attention with a seemingly lethal threat that had a chance of leaving us completely unharmed." Naoto paused to gauge Hachimenroppi's reaction, and only noticed his eyes narrowing to slits. "Furthermore, you brought my friend along with you. I believe you did think of using him as a bargaining chip to ensure that we agreed to anything you wanted to request of us, but in the end, you returned him to us without question."

"You're noisy," said Hachimenroppi, carelessly tossing a whip of his head towards Hibiya, "and you're starting to sound like Worthless Encyclopaedia-san over here. I don't need you telling me draggy long stories. Either you get to the damn point or get lost."

Naoto blinked and fell silent.

"Noisy."

"Worthless."

"I don't need you."

"Get lost."

"—That's what everyone's saying about you, aren't they? …Don't pretend you're unaware of the things they say behind your back."

"—So how has life been for you? Do your superiors still look down on you? Even more so now that everyone knows who you really are?"

"—heard about that kid who just joined us? That fellow named Shirogane? Kept harping on the same case over and over and wouldn't leave out a single bloody detail, that annoying brat."

"Look at her, acting all self-important and proud just because she thinks she's got a good record. Everyone knows she's just riding on the coattails of her family name. I wouldn't be surprised if that number was made up to make her look good."

"Either that or she bull-rammed her way up the count. I heard she used herself as bait to lure out the suspect in that Inaba case and almost wound up as a victim, and she's done stuff like that before. Man, talk about reckless – that's just extreme."

"Yeah, we don't need a person like that on the force."

The detective slid a gloved hand into her coat pocket and rubbed her fingers against each other gingerly. Her fingers for her other hand made a subtle tap against her thigh, and she lowered her gaze, but made sure to keep an indifferent expression and appear deep in thought that was unrelated to the voices and images surfacing in her mind. She let her eyelids shut, and waited for the distractions to die out, before she opened her eyes again, which regarded the red-hooded Shadow with a shine of greater clarity and understanding than before.

'…Ah, I see. That's how he does it.'

"Naoto-kun…?" Naoto could hear Rise call her name from behind her, but the fifth in the Shirogane line of detectives didn't want to consider the possibility that her friend might've had picked up on the experience her mind had gone through earlier.

"Then, allow me to say this, Hachimenroppi-san," Naoto spoke. "The fact that you are only capable of casting unreliable spells and magic that inflicts status conditions…as well as the fact that you've only been using gestures and words to threaten but not carrying your threats out, despite your clear contempt for human beings…all point to one conclusion. That you don't have the intention to harm us."

The silence that descended was thick enough to hear Hachimenroppi's seething breath. "I don't have it, you say?" His fingers dug into the skin of his palms, drawing blood. One corner of his lips twitched. "Heh. As if. If it's really as you claim it is, then I wouldn't have anything potentially life-threatening under my disposal. But as you've all witnessed earlier, I can wipe you out in one strike if I'm fortunate enough, and I'm not afraid to use it."

Shinra blinked once. Then twice. And his chocolate brown eyes twinkled while he gave an unhesitant "Ah!", as if a gear had clicked in his mind. When Shizuo, who was unsure of what to say in the current situation, asked him, Shinra replied, speaking at lightning-fast speed, "I remember now, about Izaya. I'm not sure what happened, but it's all starting to come back to me. It might be because of what Naoto-chan and Hachimenroppi-kun said, but… But, when I listen to them, I think… They're both talking about Izaya, aren't they?"

"…About Izaya?" Shizuo muttered. "What part of it?"

Before Shinra could answer, Hachimenroppi snapped, his eyes glowing an unearthly shade of gold and the shadowy aura surrounding his body boiling, "Shuddup! There'll be no talking or breathing a lick of that bastard's name while I'm around! Not even a damn word, you hear me?"

Sakuraya gave a long, tired sigh, looking bored out of his mind. "Oh, do give it a rest already, will you? You've always been one for dramatics, and I know I shouldn't blame you. But really."

Tsugaru raised both hands, directing one in each direction with a serene look on his face. "Now, now, let's not fight. I'm sure we can all arrive at a compromise that we can agree on. So, Hachimenroppi-san, please do calm—"

"I assure you, Fuyugeshiki, I am calm," Hachimenroppi stuttered with a warning edge to his voice, eyes blazing.

"Sure you are," quipped Yosuke, already up on his feet and knocking his forehead against his fist repeatedly as though trying to shake his disorientation away. "You were totally calm the moment I let slip Orihara-san's name when I was talking to you about what was going on that you pinned me to the ground – for the third freakin' time – and stuck a Fear spell on me. Totally."

The red-hooded raven clicked his tongue, and in the next moment when his face contorted, he resembled a certain someone so much it made her friends flinch while it sent a shiver down Naoto's spine. "What a pain in the ass," he hissed lowly, shooting them a glare so cold that it looked like it could burn. "You're like an insect that just won't learn, even after threatening to slam a rock on you."

Shizuo came close to snorting. "Who's the real insect around here?" he murmured under his breath.

Hachimenroppi darted around to face the blond directly. "I thought I just said that there'll be no breathing a word of that bastard's name around here!" he yelled, his voice dripping with acid.

Shizuo, however, rolled his shoulders, though he did raise a brow at the outburst. "Never said that I meant him."

"Look, Hachimenroppi-kun," Shinra started, slowly, when the raven began to pant, "I know how you might be feeling, but honestly speaking, we're getting nowhere with this. Is there something you want us to do, as Naoto-chan was saying? If it's not much of a hurry, can you let us off first? There's something we need to get done too, and I promise we'll return to settle whatever it is you want us to do after that."

Shizuo watched on in disbelief and was about to say something when the clear, serious look on Shinra's face stunned him into silence. The others, too, kept quiet and mirrored Shizuo's actions, deciding to put some faith in the man who was known as Orihara Izaya's closest friend.

The glow in Hachimenroppi's eyes dimmed as the shadowy tendrils closed in on him. "Hah," he exhaled, with careful deliberation. "Y'know, I was just about to tell you assholes to get lost, but you reminded me of what I came here for. You really 'promise' you'll help me out with that?"

"Yes," Shinra agreed readily, right at the same time Hibiya was about to shake his head.

"Liar." Hachimenroppi smiled a smile that could only be described as sweet. A smile that Sakuraya's own far paled in comparison. "Since when did Shinra ever offer to do anything even remotely nice for me?"

"Wha—hey, that's mean," Shinra huffed. "In case you've forgotten, I'm the one who's been treating your injuries all these years. I think that's plenty nice already."

"As if," Hachimenroppi scoffed darkly, eyes narrowing even further. "If you were, you'd stop referring to me as that lowlife of a shithole I want nothing to do with."

"Ah, I apologise," the underground doctor said without any detectable sincerity in his words while everyone else – including Shizuo – winced at Hachimenroppi's declaration.

"Not forgiven," the raven replied scornfully, "since it's obvious you don't mean it."

Shinra let out a lighthearted chuckle as he rubbed the back of his neck, appearing sheepish. "Yeah, well, I'm not quite sure how to best interact with you, you see. I've always wondered if my hunch was right, but I never thought I'd actually see you in person."

Everyone's eyes widened, then. Even Hachimenroppi seemed taken aback before a scowl replaced his shocked features, tendrils trembling violently.

"Hold up," Shizuo interrupted, grabbing Shinra by the shoulder. "What the hell do you mean by that, Shinra? You mean you knew the flea was hiding this? I thought your memories of the flea get messed up."

"…I said," Hachimenroppi started chanting as a whisper, "I'm not…"

"Ummm, how should I say this?" Shinra hummed thoughtfully, looking pleased with ignoring the man he had just been speaking with. "I think Naoto-chan already got the idea, but my guess is Hachimenroppi-kun had such an effect on Yosuke-kun – and nearly on Naoto-chan too – earlier isn't because he actually casted a spell, in the literal sense."

"It's his words," Naoto decided to continue explaining when Shinra nodded in her direction. "He may not be aware of it himself, but Hachimenroppi-san is able to trigger unpleasant memories in a person and turn them into a temporary reality for that individual through the words he says. It's most likely luck on his own part for that to happen, however."

"…So. When you stepped up to talk to him, what you were actually trying to do was test your hypothesis out?" Rise asked, raising her voice slightly. Naoto sighed inwardly, knowing what was about to come next.

"Are you an idiot?" The magic words left Kanji's lips, who was looking rather disappointed.

"Wow, Naoto-kun, I think I've lost count of the number of times you've done something that even Kanji considers stupid," Yosuke jested.

"Ye—wait whaddya mean 'even Kanji'?"

"Gah, wait, forgive me? I was just kidding?"

"Guys," Chie sighed. "Not the time." The two boys cleared their throats and resolved to settle their growing list of arguments another distant time.

Yukiko looked pensive. "…But if unpleasant memories are being triggered, then, um, I think I can understand a little about what might've happened to Hanamura-kun, but Kishitani-sensei…?"

"It's not what you're thinking, Yukiko-chan." Shinra beamed reassuringly. It was plain in Naoto's eyes, however, that there was no genuine joy in the doctor's smile. "I'm not hiding anything. I tell Izaya what a horrible person he is all the time, and I mean what I say. Just ask Shizuo-kun here, I pour out my grievances onto him whenever he pops by."

"And yet, you're still hanging out with the flea," Shizuo retorted.

"What can I say? He's a bad acquaintance who stuck," Shinra insisted, waving the comment off like it had been a mere joke. Then, for just a split second, his smile faltered slightly, the shift being so subtle that if it hadn't been for the years of experience as a detective, Naoto was sure she wouldn't have been able to detect it. "But, well, in spite of all my big talk with Celty about how I'll make sure we'll escape Izaya's grasp together, I guess you could say I'm fine with having this bad acquaintance. Sure, I still wish he'd disappear from our lives – I didn't care that he got stabbed or anything, just so you know – but I don't think of him that badly. Glancing through the memories Hachimenroppi-kun's words brought to surface in my head is making me nostalgic, even. …Ah, I must be rambling. Sorry, so back to Hachimenroppi-kun."

When Shinra took pause to readjust his spectacles and straighten his lab coat, the others who had been listening intently to the startlingly honest confession snapped back to the current situation and what they were having this discussion for in the first place. He rubbed a finger under his flushed nose and sniffed, and all of a sudden he and Shizuo looked surprisingly thin compared to everyone else who was wrapped up in their coats.

"Essentially, it's as Naoto-chan explained," Shinra affirmed. "About Hachimenroppi-kun himself, as a part of Izaya, however… I have a theory, and while it's not all that farfetched considering the nature of the TV world, I'm worried Shizuo-kun might have a hard time believing it."

"Just shoot already," said Shizuo.

"Promise not to laugh," Shinra requested before chuckling himself. He stole a glimpse at the red-hooded Shadow who was still standing and mumbling to himself, and a playful smile tugged at his lips, as though he was unable to contain the excitement bubbling within him. "But… I think…that person might just be Orihara-kun's true nature that he's been trying so hard to run away from."

Hachimenroppi stiffened, and the repetitive strings of words stopped flowing from his mouth. Noticing the change in the Shadow's demeanour, Naoto knew that they were finally on the right track to getting straight to the heart of the matter – of how the fragmentation of Orihara-san's Shadow could have occurred, of how this place hidden behind the fortress came about, and of how they could help him recover from his peculiar condition – and drew in a sharp breath which she held until Rise politely asked for Kishitani-sensei to continue.

"You won't be able to tell, seeing how that guy carries himself all the time. Even I can't be hundred percent sure about this." As he said this, Shinra closed his eyes, appearing deep in thought which most people might mistake for fond reminiscence. "Izaya always claims to love humans, but have you ever stopped to wonder how he's capable of a capacity as great as that? To love something means giving and investing a piece of your heart into it; how much of your heart you're willing to give up is a measure of how much you love that particular something, even knowing fully well its faults. You can't say you love someone and then turn around and talk about how you can't stand all their shortcomings in the same breath. It takes a lot on your part to learn how to accept those. But regardless, when you've decided you love something or someone, that's as good as declaring you've invested a part of your heart into them. And if you're in love with an entire species of living beings, as Izaya claims to be, that must mean you'd have to have big enough of a heart to devote your attention to all of them and to accept them all into your embrace.

"The problem is, can there really be someone with as generous a heart as that?" Shinra paused here to sniff again, and continued to speak without a stutter, "I'm not saying that it is impossible for someone like that to exist. But, I'm certain that Izaya is not that kind of person. If you know him personally, you would know what I mean." Naoto was inclined to agree, but held herself back from nodding. "Izaya isn't the sort to give. Not that he's selfish – everyone is, to some extent anyway – rather, I would say…he's self-protective."

"How's that any different?" Shizuo asked, caught in-between feeling doubtful of and trusting in the implied meaning behind Shinra's words. To him, Orihara Izaya was an eyesore, the kind that was literally a pain to see and figuratively a thorn in his eyes that couldn't be removed no matter what he did. It would be a bit much to expect Shizuo to believe in the picture that he deserved pity more than contempt that Shinra was trying to paint. At least, not without proper justification.

"He's not prepared to take that step not just because he wants to keep his heart all to himself. It's more than that." Despite the evident enthusiasm lacing his voice, Shinra tried to keep it steady enough to sound coherent, his smile widening slightly. "It's because he wants to protect his fragile heart, at all costs."

"Shut up," spat the man whom Shinra had claimed to be Izaya's true nature.

On the other hand, the statement that Shinra had made earned him a few raised eyebrows, with the quickest coming from Shizuo. "The flea's heart is fragile? But, that's…"

"Ahaha I don't blame you, Shizuo-kun. Izaya is mostly at fault for giving you that kind of impression," Shinra said unhurriedly, paying no heed to the looks of apprehension on the present Investigation Team members' faces. "But yes, he does. And yes, it's fragile. Just imagine filling a container made of the most brittle glass possible with water, and it shatters the moment you fill it – that's Izaya's heart. Do you see where I'm going with this? If Izaya allows his heart to be filled with emotions, in particular human love and betrayal, it'll shatter. And what do you normally do with something that's fragile? Especially with something as delicate as that?

"You put it away, of course," Shinra continued without a beat, oblivious to the intensifying aura surrounding Izaya's Shadow. "Keep it in a box labelled with the word 'Fragile' in big, red print. Place it in a corner that nobody knows, that nothing can ever reach. Basically, isolate it from everything and anything. That's how Izaya does it. That's how he's able to say that he loves humans without having his heart break. He doesn't accept or deny love – he runs away from it."

'Running away…' Hearing those words being used to describe Orihara made Naoto remember the night she finally managed to corner Nakura before the revelation of his true identity bought him enough time to escape. The detective folded her arms loosely. 'I see. So that's how it is. Orihara-san…is a man whose words are like bullets coated with poison targeted at other people's weak points and yet turns out to be someone who is adverse to the idea of facing his own. In a sense, that…that makes him…'

"That's…complicated," Yukiko commented while everyone else – in particular Shizuo – remained silent.

Shinra gave a quick shrug of his shoulders. "Well, what can I say? Izaya's complicated. As is any other human being." He paused to fold his arms, and sighed. It wasn't a sigh of relief or impatience; just a sigh with a hint of contentment. He then looked in Hachimenroppi's direction, the stifling aura boiling off the Shadow's demeanour not fazing him any as he continued smiling. "To cut the long story short, I think Hachimenroppi-kun here is that very heart."

"Shut up!" Hachimenroppi screeched. If there had been anyone who wanted to say something, his exclamation would have been enough to convince them to keep it to themselves. His shoulders gave a violent shudder as a laugh so jagged departed his lips it sounded like a blade cutting through the air. "I'm no 'heart' of that bastard or whatever bullshit you're spouting. I'm me. That's it, plain and simple. So stop lumping me together with that shitty coward as if we're one and the same!" he exclaimed, his voice gradually taking on the quality of an echo and a multitude of different pitches at the same time.

As if instinctively responding to the outburst, Psyche, Hibiya and Sakuraya collapsed on their knees, eliciting an instant but unnaturally composed exclamation from Tsugaru who briskly walked towards Psyche and supported his upper torso with both arms before the other's form crumpled onto the ground. In contrast, the men who resembled and were the closest to what could be termed "regality" held themselves up, determination clearly painted on the prince's face, and disdain on the daimyo's.

"Mmmmm, I see, I see," Shinra mumbled. "So this is what he meant by 'core of their existence'."

Shizuo clicked his tongue. "If I haven't said this before, I'll tell you now: you need to get your damn priorities straight."

'…A Shadow that denies its own origins…?' thought Naoto as she, along with her present teammates, took a careful and small step forward. The detective reached into her right coat pocket and slowly curled her fingers around the handle of her Algernon, but made no move to pull it out. 'No, that's not it. Think, Shirogane, and don't forget this important fact. Shadows are exaggerated projections and manifestations of one's darkest thoughts, coupled with society's different perceptions of that individual. They're not wholly accurate depictions of the main personal issue the individual is denying. For Orihara-san… If what Kishitani-sensei said is true, then… Those feelings of complete avoidance – not even denial, nor rejection – towards his own heart must reflect in his Shadow as well.'

"He hates humans," a voice said in a mutter interrupted Naoto's train of thought. When Chie, Yukiko, Kanji, Rise and Naoto all turned towards the source, Yosuke continued, as quietly and cautiously as before, "He also hates himself, because he regards himself as human. He said so, when we were talking. Well, not…really talking talking, but you get the drift." Yosuke winced slightly. "He also got really, really pissed off when I accidentally mentioned the words 'run away'. I mean, I don't know where I'm going with this, but now that I think about it, it's no wonder he got all worked up about that."

Rise casted her eyes downward. "I can feel it too, and it's strong, even without Kanzeon helping me. There's hate, and fear, and the constant desire to run away… It's unlike anything I've ever sensed. Maybe it's because Orihara-san never really denied his problems, and just took the easy way out by completely avoiding them instead." She shook her head. "Now I understand why that fortress and the Shadow we met there shut us in and out at the same time. We were pulled to the point we were allowed to be at before the Shadow tried to force us out with his game. That's as far as it goes when it comes to how close to his heart Orihara-san allows us to be."

"And when we fought our way through, thinkin' we were close to saving him…all of this happened instead." Kanji smacked his forehead, nearly dropping the Aegis Shield he was holding in his other hand. "Shit… That kind of unconscious or subconscious or whatever-you-call-it kind of self-protection is just messed up, man."

"You do realise I can hear everything you scum are blubbering," Hachimenroppi spoke with a sharp edge to his voice. Then, before he took a deep breath, he let his eyelids slide shut. As he gradually exhaled, his eyes opened, revealing a golden undercurrent of thick fog clouding them. "…I suppose there's no point in dragging this any further. You humans are right. I'm…the weak and fragile heart of the spineless bastard you know as Orihara Izaya."

"Ro…Rocchan…" Psyche gasped out, trembling even in Tsugaru's firm and steady embrace.

"Hmm? What's with the sudden change?" Shinra asked, genuinely curious. Standing beside him, with his hands still in his pockets, Shizuo was unusually silent and had an unreadable expression on his face.

Hachimenroppi sighed, sounding lazy and fatigued. "No matter how many times I say it, I'm sure you humans won't listen, so why should I bother wasting any more time on lowlifes like you? Besides, we've diverted way too far from what we were initially discussing. I want to get back to that. Quiet, you," he added as he carelessly landed a kick on Hibiya's side when the prince tried to cut in.

Naoto released her hold on her gun, and she started to trace the shape of the handle instead. "…Alright," she said, knowing that this was a perfect chance to negotiate and buy the time they needed to get to the place where Heiwajima-san's own Shadow was waiting to go berserk. "May we know what is your request? We would like to hear it, at the very least."

At this, Hachimenroppi smiled, the same smile he gave Shinra when he called the other a liar. "I want out," he said, barely above a whisper as he tilted his head back and regarded everyone with an impassive glare. "I want out, humans. Out of this shithole Orihara Yumcha's kept me locked up in."

"…Uhh, hate to break it to you, but that's kinda impossible…?" Chie trailed off, eyeing the Shadow warily.

Hachimenroppi dropped the smile in an instant. He didn't need to speak for the others to understand the question at the tip of his tongue. When Chie gave her explanation, however, he scoffed.

"Are you dense? …Wait, don't answer that, it was a rhetorical question. Of course you are. You're a human."

"What the heck? That was totally uncalled for," Chie snapped, affronted.

Hachimenroppi paid no heed to it. "If what you say still applies now," he said, before jabbing a thumb in Psyche's direction, "then how did this guy even manage to get to you in the first place?"

"W-well, he has a Persona…?"

"Did he tell you that personally?"

"He did," Shinra answered with a firm nod. "I even saw him using it."

"You're denser than I thought," Hachimenroppi and Sakuraya responded simultaneously. Stunned, everyone looked in the daimyo's direction, who was tossing Hachimenroppi a disgusted gaze. Although they could see that he was still himself, it was clear that Sakuraya didn't have long to sustain his temporary individuality.

"As you said yourself, Kishitani," Sakuraya decided to elaborate, taking quick and short breaths every few seconds, "you saw him 'using' it. But how did you even know he was actually 'using' one if you have never witnessed someone using it before?"

"Well, I just put two and two together," Shinra enunciated carefully, shrugging. "My precious Celty said she saw a flash of blue light when she was looking for Souji-kun and Yosuke-kun, who said their Personas manifested at that time. And on another occasion, when the fire broke out in the train station and Celty and Shizuo-kun went to check it out, she told me she saw the blue light again. So when Psyche-kun came in with a burst of blue light and got rid of the Shadows, I thought—"

"Did you not think that odd when I spoke of the unorthodoxy of our existence?" Hibiya added to the discussion despite having difficulty breathing. "Or even earlier, when I spoke of the Shadow World and who my kinsmen and I are?"

"I thought you were referring to the fact that you're Shadows that can use Personas."

"Good heavens, you're hopeless," Sakuraya panted. "Hibiya already made it that obvious to you, and you still don't get it?"

"…Wait, I'm lost. What are you guys talking about?" said Chie, tired from only looking back and forth and not having anything he thought useful to say.

"I'm lost too," Yosuke admitted, raising a hand. "How is this even relevant?"

"Oh, for the love of— You're all hopeless." Sakuraya was interrupted when his body shuddered and collapsed to the ground. He continued before anybody could even think of helping him, "We don't use Personas, Kishitani Shinra – we are Personas. And if that liar misled you into believing that we use Personas, then get it out of your head right now."

"'m not a liar," Psyche protested weakly, pressing his headphones against his ears. It rendered Tsugaru's quiet words of comfort blocked out and of no help.

"You were born from a lie, Mr I'm-Not-a-Liar," Hachimenroppi said venomously, approaching his white-coated counterpart. "A lie to protect poor fragile little me. Or have you already forgotten that?"

Psyche whimpered and buried himself further into Tsugaru's hold, eliciting a silent wince from the blond.

"Leave him, Hachimenroppi, and have it in you to forgive him," Hibiya ordered, falling to the ground as well. "Our kin is still confounded after having discovered that he had been manipulated at the hands of an inhuman being."

"Ah, so that was how he got out, I see. Somebody opened the seal for him." Hachimenroppi's eyes glinted. "Take me to the one responsible."

"Can't do that even if we wanted to. Guy's vanished," Kanji said, cautiously tightening the grip on his shield.

"Then, how do you leave this place?" Hachimenroppi challenged, resting a hand on his hip. "Humans shouldn't even be here, but I was told you do reckless things like this often. Surely you must have a way out, if that is the case. Either you humans know some secret path to leaving this shithole…or you have somebody helping you with that."

Naoto knew to stay calm, but unfortunately her less experienced peers bristled and their shoulders squared. A feral smirk cracked on Hachimenroppi's face when he saw this.

"Bring me to that person," the thrilled Shadow then demanded in a harsh whisper.

Naoto's fingers clasped the handle of her gun with a click.