Chapter 21

Things That Crawl

"Izaya…"

The man smiled at the woman as she stood before him, his coffee table keeping the two of them at a distance. It was by her own will that she stayed even that far away.

The information broker tsked at her, eying her burned neck, "That's quite the burn."

Her eyes narrowed just a fraction, "It was uncalled for."

"Well, that was for the FBI to decide. As far as they are concerned you are a highly dangerous criminal."

She scoffed, "Then you must be the angel they trust?"

"No no no." he chuckled, "We all know i'm no more pure than you. But I am full of information for the selling."

Information was the name of the game now. It always had been really. The passing of information is how every happening up until this point came to be. Even if it wasn't always Izaya peddling his wares.

The cuffs on her wrists rattled as she shifted, "How much?"

His expression was one of great amusement, "How much have I been asking you to pay since you got here? How much did you refuse me every time I asked?"

"Are you serious? You sold the FBI information in exchange for me?"

Izaya lounged on the couch and put his feet on the coffee table, "Here's the deal I made Nai-kun, the FBI gets to say they stopped a major crime family, they rake in all the counterfeit money and drugs, while I get to keep you here in Shinjuku."

"What the hell makes you think I will stay?"

"You will stay because I have negotiated that you get to live, you also get a chance to meet with the other families, and you get to attend your father's funeral." He crossed his legs at the ankle, "As long as you stay within Shinjuku you can have these things."

"what about Tezuka's funeral?"

His gaze narrowed. "the father and son were already laid to rest."

"What good will meeting the families do?"

"You get to argue for your name, or otherwise all of Japan's crime families will know of Hagane as a shunned name. Or, you can forfeit it and renounce your yakuza status."

That sounded pretty tempting. She had said before that she no longer wanted to deal with the yakuza lifestyle, that she didn't want to be clan head. But… Yakuza was her life, she had been and always will be a criminal. Forfeiting her name meant giving up, and either way she was forced to stay in Shinjuku. That or die.

"I have to argue even for that much? The right to keep my family's honor although my father still takes the name of Hagane?"

"Oh, he doesn't anymore."

She figured as much. In order to accept the offer of clan head over the Noramibu of Shinjuku, he must have changed his last name. If only she'd renounced to him sooner…but then again, it wasn't what her uncle wanted…

Izaya chuckled, "Are you regretting something? That look on your face is awfully sad."

"If I try to leave..?"

"You are free to roam the city but if you leave Shinjuku, you will be hunted and killed. As will the people you know. No questions asked." he frowned deeply, theatrically, "I would hate to see that happen."

"And if I kill my father?"

"Well seeing as how that isn't allowed…" Izaya started.

Nai smirked. A twist such as that would amuse Izaya to no end though. She was correct of course as he grinned and rubbed the sharp side of his pocket knife with a finger, "I couldn't possibly speculate. But I will anyway. I take it you would acquire possession of both Ikebukuro and Shinjuku."

"And your thoughts on that?"

"It'll never happen. You dislike your father but he is your father and you are Nai Hagane."

Damn.

"Izaya."

"Yes?"

"Who's side are you on?"

That made him laugh, "Mine of course. I go with whatever has my best interest at heart."

Maybe just this once she would try to not be so predictable.

"Shizuo Heiwajima." Daifu Hagane sat cross legged in a chair just outside the bars of a cell in the shinjuku police department. The bodyguard was free to roam the cell, no handcuffs, no restraints.

"Who the fuck are you?" Shizuo asked before he looked up. He had only met Daifu Hagane once. And that meeting hadn't been pleasant.

"Shizuo you have to leave right now."

The high school junior clenched his jaw tight and threw the girls hand from his sleeve. "I'm not leaving you here."

Nai's panicked state didn't change by much, "Wu7
hy did you follow me anyway?! God dammit Shizuo when my dad sees you here..."

"I followed you because I didn't want you to do anything stupid."

The doors to the warehouse burst open with a deafening sound like thunder and men rolled in like SWAT teams. They all pointed guns at the teenagers although more so at the blonde. "Shizuo Heiwajima right? Where did you think you're going with my daughter?"

The boy looked to Nai who shook her head, "I wasn't going anywhere."

"it looks to me like you were aiding her little adventure. My brother won't be pleased to hear that..."

"Uncle wouldn't believe it."

"Would you rather me tell him you were running away from him?"

Shizuo answered for her, "She's probably running away from you."

The man laughed as he approached the two. Shizuo stood before Nai and received the punch to the gut her father gave. The teen chose not to rampage in a room full of guns pointed in his direction, but it was hard. His nails dug into his hands and they bled. Daifu crouched down next to him and chuckled, "I've heard the stories of the strong blonde high-schooler but I didn't think you were very smart." he pat the boy's shoulder, "Not attacking me or my men was very smart."

"Once again your intelligence astounds me. Either that or you're only a dog that does what my daughter tells you."

"What do you want with me?"

"Nothing." the man adjusted his sitting position, "I just wanted to pay you a visit…give you the news."

"Where did you take Nai?"

"Nowhere actually. She's here in Shinjuku."

"Why are we in Shinjuku?"

The man smirked, "if I explain it to you will you even understand?"

The blonde scowled and the older man chuckled, "Well, if you must know, you are in Shinjuku because this is my territory now and you belong to me."

"What?"

"You want to act like a dog, so now you are one. My dog."

"I don't belong to anybody!"

"Oh yes you do." the man inspected his shiny cufflinks as he spoke, "You are a guard-dog now. Your new job is to keep unwanted people out of Ikebukuro."

Shizuo's brows knit together and he clenched the bars of the cell in his fists, "I don't have to do anything for you."

"Really now?" Daifu stood. "You'll do whatever I say or I'll kill you. I don't understand why no one thought to shoot you in the first place."

"I've survived before."

"A bullet? Really? To the head?"

The blonde fell silent. He looked to his feet for a bit. If Nai was in the room with him, she'd put her hand on his shoulder and say, 'Just go along with it Heiwajima.'

He took a breath, "What kind of people?"

"Unwanted people. People like that damn Izaya. As clever as he is I don't want him in Ikebukuro until I can acquire that territory also." The clan head looked off to the side as he spoke that last but almost to himself.

He could do that. He didn't like the sound of doing it for Daifu Hagane but he could do it. "Who else?"

"My daughter." the man broke into a grin then walked around the chair, "You need to keep her out also. Ironic right? Soon enough she'll be nothing more than a dog like you, kept in a separate kennel." He started down the hall and a loud buzz was heard. The cell door swung open.

"Why me?" Shizuo shouted after the man.

"Why not you Mr. Heiwajima?"

The police rode him to the "line" that separated Shinjuku and Ikebukuro. They pulled over on the side of the freeway behind a black car and let him out.

As they pulled away someone exited the black car and Shizuo got a whiff of something he didn't like. "Izaya…"

"It's me Shizuo." Nai addressed him, "Izaya's in the car. We have five minutes."

The blonde grabbed her wrist and started walking. One, two, steps and Nai snatched her hand back, "I can't."

She straightened her blazer and bit her lip, "Shizuo. I'm not allowed in Ikebukuro anymore."

"So that's true?"

"Yeah, or they kill me."

"I'm supposed to keep you out…" he frowned.

"I know Shizuo, I know." she approached him and put her hands on his cheeks, "I'll fix it. I promise."

"You're going to do something stupid."

She smiled a bit, "Maybe."

"You can't."

"I have to. I wasn't raised to submit to anyone. Not even my own father."

The look in her eyes was cold and set hard. She looked like her father with that gaze; she looked like Yakuza. Nai had already done some ruthless and terrible things in the short time she'd been here, what were a few more?

"Let's go Nai-kun!"

"Izaya!"

"Well hello Shizu-chan!" Izaya waved from the passenger window, a grin splitting his face.

Nai took a step backwards, "Be careful Shizuo. My father will kill you if you fuck up."

Of course he will. Shizuo knew that. The black car pulled away and he stood there for another full five minutes, just simmering in his own rage. How the hell was she going to fix this one?"