|
|
Post by Shiki on Nov 1, 2011 20:06:19 GMT -5
It was around noon, the day after the meeting with Izaya. The sun was shining brightly down on Urbadelphia. The sky was blue and cloudless; it seemed like a perfect day.
And Shiki was freaking out.
Just as she had predicted, Izaya had caused her nightmares, ones she didn't want to go into detail about. She'd spent most of the night awake, and was currently pacing in her apartment. I shouldn't call. But I need to know...I only have two more days! The redhead couldn't keep still, moving as fast as her thoughts. Finally she stopped and before she could changed her mind she grabbed her phone.
She scrolled down her contacts until she found the name she was looking for. Without letting herself think about it again she clicked it and waited nervously on the other end. When she heard the person on the other end she tried to keep herself calm.
"Neku? It's me. I...I need to talk to you. Now."
|
|
|
|
Post by Neku Sakuraba on Nov 1, 2011 20:11:37 GMT -5
The phone rang while I was in the middle of nuking dinner. Luckily, the microwave can cook by itself, so I picked it up.
"Neku here."
"Neku? It's me. I...I need to talk to you. Now."
Shiki's voice was distraught.
"What is it?" I was suddenly in Head Watcher Mode. "You alright?"
Lea hates it when I go all 'fearless leader' on him (his words), especially when he thinks it's his own business - but Shiki was calling and asking for help, and I don't care if I sound overprotective or whatever; no one messes with my friends.
|
|
|
|
Post by Shiki on Nov 1, 2011 20:16:40 GMT -5
She ran her fingers through her hair that was not under her hat, "I...no. No I'm not." There was no point in lying to Neku. She wasn't alright, not even close right now.
Shiki shifted her weight, "Can I come over, please? I want to talk to you in person."
|
|
|
|
Post by Neku Sakuraba on Nov 1, 2011 20:25:28 GMT -5
I nodded. "Sure. You want some dinner? I can always make more."
Even as I spoke, I was pulling out more frozen chicken nuggets and throwing them on a plate for Shiki.
"You need directions?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Shiki on Nov 1, 2011 20:32:17 GMT -5
"Um, it's fine. Not sure if I can eat right now." She hadn't eaten anything since breakfast yesterday. There was just too much on her mind, and that seemed to have sucked the hunger out of her.
Shiki shook her head and then remembered he couldn't see her, "No, I know where it is. That board in Veil's pretty helpful." She attempted to joke like usual, but it came out shaky. Shiki get yourself together!
"So, um...I'll be over." After hearing his response she hung up and walked to his apartment. She knocked on his door, nervously waiting.
|
|
|
|
Post by Neku Sakuraba on Nov 1, 2011 20:49:04 GMT -5
I went over and opened the door. I shoved the plate of chicken nuggets at her.
"Eat," I suggested.
I know what it's like to be in that mood - know it or not, she was probably starving. I waved her to one of my mismatched chairs - the comfiest of the three. I sank down on my couch. "So, what's the problem?" I asked.
|
|
|
|
Post by Shiki on Nov 1, 2011 21:06:41 GMT -5
She didn't argue or say anything; just took the plate and sat in the chair. I probably look like crap. She wasn't trying to impress anyone, but she didn't want the whole world knowing that something was up. Too late to fix that now. Shiki did as he wanted and ate, not tasting anything and not caring. She looked up at him, "Izaya called me yesterday. He tried to set up a deal with me."
|
|
|
|
Post by Neku Sakuraba on Nov 1, 2011 21:12:39 GMT -5
The word chilled me.
Izaya.
That rat-bastard... I couldn't get rid of him, but I couldn't stand him, either. He was useful, but incredibly difficult to deal with.
How the hell did he get Shiki's number? Probably from whatever mole he was using within the Network, most likely.
"What kind of deal?" I asked. Likely, he was trying to sell her information - but he would know she couldn't afford his monetary price.
Goddamn demon. What was he after?
Which reminded me. "You do know he's a demon, right?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Shiki on Nov 1, 2011 21:17:58 GMT -5
"Yeah, that part wasn't hard to figure out." Shiki tapped her fingers on the plate.
She looked Neku in the eye, "Listen Neku, I need you to do something for me right now. Be completely honest, I don't care if it's nice or harsh. And please, please don't lie to me."
"What do you know about me? About me and my past. Has Mr. H told you anything, even the slightest detail, that would be important?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Neku Sakuraba on Nov 1, 2011 21:33:08 GMT -5
I blinked, then sighed.
"Your past, huh?"
I stared down at my own plate.
"Truth be told, not much. When Mr. H sent me the message saying that you were moving, he didn't say much about you, except that you were a special case."
---
I looked down at the message on my phone, incredulous. I hadn't heard from him in ages.
Hey, Phones! One of my Contacts is moving into your area; her name's Shiki Misaki, and I think you and her will get along just fine. Keep a close eye on her - she's a bit of a firebrand, and prone to going off without thinking, but get her mind going and she's a smart kid. A lot like you.
Just one thing. Keep her safe. Much like you, she's a special case, and I've got a feeling there's a lot riding on her future - more than that, she's a good friend of mine. A special case indeed. Keep her out of trouble.
More than that, you'll have to ask the lady herself. I'm counting on you, Phones.
~Mr. H
I stared at it; who could she be, I wondered? She would arrive in seven days....
---
I sighed, shaking away the memory. "Mr. H... he can see the truth about people. But he rarely shares it with others." I shrugged. "He told me to keep you safe, and that if I wanted to know more about you, I'd have to ask you myself - and that's the honest truth."
I didn't tell her the other thing Mr. H had told me, about there being a lot riding on her future. He'd told me the same about mine, and look where I was. I still didn't understand the old man's prophecies, if that's what they really were.
|
|
|
|
Post by Shiki on Nov 1, 2011 21:50:17 GMT -5
"Keep me safe..." She was looking down at the plate again. "So you don't know much at all. I shouldn't have doubted him." Shiki sighed and looked up at him again.
"I've got some explaining to do. Fist off, I'm not completely Otherborn. Lucky me inherited some of her evil family's demon blood. I'm not a Halfer; still an Otherborn. In case I haven't told you already, I'm a runaway. And I was running from my uncle, who just happened to be a demon. Mr. H saved me by said demon, and the best way to describe it is that he gave me a life."
She pulled on a piece of her hair. Here goes the fun part, "You're going to be the third person I've told this to. My parents made a deal with my uncle when I was a kid, too young to remember. I was part of it. And I know barely anything about it. Izaya apparently knows everything because he's a creep and offered to tell me. Of course there was a price to it; two different options. Either I did what he wanted three times, or I became his secretary for however long he wants."
"I said I'd think about it, because I have no idea what to do. He's giving me three days."
|
|
|
|
Post by Neku Sakuraba on Nov 1, 2011 22:02:42 GMT -5
I nodded. Honestly, it didn't surprise me to know that Mr. H had saved her like that - he'd done much the same for me, in different circumstances.
The part about her family made my blood boil, but I didn't do much more than clench my fist, grit my teeth, and hear her out.
As she finished talking about Izaya, I nodded again.
"That sounds like him, the bastard," I growled. "He always has known far too much for his own good, and he enjoys giving people dilemmas. Did he say what kind of things he'd ask you to do? Or wouldn't ask you to do?"
Sometimes, with Izaya? The latter was just as important.
|
|
|
|
Post by Shiki on Nov 1, 2011 22:09:31 GMT -5
"He described it as 'non-negotiable'. He said he won't ask for a fourth unless he provides something extra and I can't get out of the third unless I go beyond the 'line of duty' was how he said it. Nothing that he thinks I can't physically or mentally handle. And that was it. The only reason he offered the second was because I wouldn't agree to the first. And then your name came up and...I figured I'd better talk to you."
|
|
|
|
Post by Neku Sakuraba on Nov 1, 2011 22:13:36 GMT -5
Yeah... that definitely sounded like Izaya.
Nothing she couldn't physically or mentally handle? That wasn't nearly specific enough for me...
Wait.
"My name?" I asked, surprised. "He brought me up?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Shiki on Nov 2, 2011 6:06:04 GMT -5
She nodded. "He said you've been wanting someone to spy on him or something. I'm done asking how he knows everything. It had to do with the second option."
|
|
