A/N: Hey, there! I am SO sorry that it took me this long to post a new chapter. I had a draft of one a few weeks ago, but decided I didn't like it. And a combination of that, writer's block, wifi problems, and the fact that I've been pretty busy recently has immensely delayed this. I decided enough was enough, and am now writing this while slightly intoxicated (as long as you edit sober, I think this is can actually be a pretty helpful practice from time to time.) Anyway, thank you for reading!

Izaya listened to Tamayo's story with the utmost focus. His right leg crossed over his left, a hand thoughtfully supporting his chin, his sharp eyes never straying from her soft, tired face. In his peripheral vision, he could see that Shizuo was fidgeting; one of his legs bouncing up and down against the floor, arms crossed over his chest. He, too, was clearly paying attention, but in a less patient way. Izaya couldn't stop a slight smirk from blooming on his face. Whether or not Shizuo liked it, he was involved in this, with this girl and her near demise. The three of them had been targeted whether they liked it or not.

"Hiro was one of the nicest and most helpful people I've ever met, but…"

Tamayo inhaled deeply as a tiny wrinkle appeared in the space between her eyebrows. Her hands, balled up into fists, clutched at the thin, sterile blanket, as she slowly exhaled. When her eyes closed, Izaya wondered if she had slipped back into unconsciousness. After a moment however, her voice quietly returned with a weakened tone.

"I—I'm trying to find the right word, but I can't, um…he always went along with what other people would do, even if they were doing bad things."

"Easily influenced? Impressionable?" Izaya asked, his voice at the clearest and most calming tone he could muster.

"Impressionable. Yeah, that's a good way to describe him. When he was in high school, he would get in trouble all the time for helping his friends cheat on tests," she paused, winded, "one time, he even took the fall for one of them when it was discovered he was selling drugs. "

Her voice had turned poisonous, dripping with blatant hatred and anger. Izaya couldn't stop his eyes from widening in surprise. Shizuo stopped bouncing his leg.

"It was because of that same friend that he joined the Awakusu."

"What was his name?"

She turned her face away from them, her short hair fanning out against the pillow. A silence overtook the room, slipping over the four of them in a way that felt oddly necessary.

Is she ashamed? Angry? Devastated? Izaya was pretty sure it was a combination of the three. He knew that the pain of not being able to save a loved one was something that almost all of his precious humans had the capability to feel. This girl was no different.

"Hideki. Hideki Mizuno," she eventually murmured, malice present in every syllable.

Something sparked in Izaya's mind. The pieces were beginning to fall into place, and the smirk on his face widened even further. He instinctively reached into his pocket, a hand searching for his phone. It took him only another second to remember that it had vanished sometime in between his fight with Akito and his hospital awakening. Making a mental note to ask Shizuo about this after they were done with Tamayo, he uncrossed his legs and stood.

"Hiro Igurashi, right? He's your half-brother."

Tamayo's head snapped back over to look at him, her eyes wide and alert, the traces of sleepiness completely gone. Her lips were parted slightly, as if they wanted to move, but no longer knew how to speak.

"D-did you know him?" She finally asked.

Izaya shook his head, making another mental note to contact Shiki as soon as possible. His shoulder had begun to ache again, but he managed to hold back a grimace, as he continued speaking.

"I'm an information broker, Miss Sugiyama, and I've been tasked with figuring out what exactly happened to Hiro and his friend."

Her eyes narrowed at the word, "friend," her lips pulling downward in a frown.

"They're dead, aren't they?"

"I'm afraid so."

She exhaled, seemingly both in sadness and relief.

"I knew it," she paused for a moment, shutting her eyes, "when?"

"About three days ago. They were found in a car."

Izaya briefly wondered if she would break down upon hearing this. He could picture it: tears streaming down her face, choking sobs emitting from her throat, hands balled up against her face. In preparation, he began to formulate and rehearse a script in his head. He could be comforting. Everything she wanted to hear, he could give it to her. Instead, she surprised him by replying in a completely calm voice.

"WG? Was there a white circle on the car?"

"Yes."

"White Gloves," said Tamayo so quietly that Izaya had to ask her to repeat herself.

Still standing, his hand subconsciously reached for his pocket. This time, he realized his mistake more quickly, and silently cursed his carelessness. Why hadn't he hidden his phone before letting Akito in? He found some solace in the fact that his attacker wouldn't be able to get any information off of it, as it was extremely secure, but he was still annoyed. Everything on it was backed up, even his texts, but it was going to be a huge pain to set up a new phone. Besides, he needed one now. Every detail of what Tamayo was telling them needed to be documented, so he turned his attention to Shizuo.

"Give me your phone."

"What?"

"I need to write this down."

"Use your own goddamn phone."

"I don't have it. Did you happen to forget that I was knocked unconscious a few hours ago?"

Shizuo grunted, and refused to say anything more. Izaya could feel Celty's and Tamayo's eyes on him as he walked toward the sitting man, and crouched so that they were eye-to-eye. In response, Shizuo shut his eyes and tuned his head to the side.

"Hey, Shizu-chan, do you remember what we just talked about? The sooner you cooperate with me, the sooner we figure out who attacked you, and the sooner we can get back to trying to destroy each other. Doesn't that sound nice?"

After a moment, Shizuo reluctantly placed his phone in Izaya's upturned palm. The information broker noticed that a sly smile had plastered itself across his face.

"If you think I don't know your password, then think again."

"What?!"

"I already know it's your brother's birthday," said Izaya, while typing in the four numbers that—sure enough—unlocked his phone, "seriously, you're so transparent."

Izaya turned his back on him, and sat back down at Tamayo's bedside, ignoring the seething aura that had begun emanating from him. He opened up a blank email, and began typing as quickly as his thumb would allow.

"What do you know about the White Gloves, Miss Sugiyama?"