Guilt (Shizuo X Izaya)

Chapter 18: The German Boy

Shizuo POV

It takes a short amount of time to get to Tokyo from Ikebukuro by bullet train. I don't have the patience to be in an empty locomotive speeding through the night towards destruction but I don't have a choice. This situation calls for patience.

I see the lights of the city approaching fast from ads, buildings, others of luminescence. Tokyo is different from Ikebukuro, but they look similar, giving off the same feel.

Getting off the train, cool air hits me hard in the face, my cheeks stinging from the sensation. I wonder when the weather got so cold suddenly; it was colder in Tokyo.

"Excuse me," I say to another passenger a few feet away from me. "Do you know where to find this place?"

•••

I'm directed to a small, suburban area. Large walls tower over me protecting the houses, making it so I can't see so much as a window. Lucky for me I know which address Tomek lives in; I don't have to "check" all of them until I find him. I feel a build up of pride when I realize that Tom or Celty didn't have to help me search for address.

112. I'm looking for house 112. My eyes skim each house, checking the number plate on every one. An hour passes before I find the house. It's windows are dim and only the sound of a barking dog echoes around the sleeping neighborhood.

Pounding on the door, maybe a little louder than I should have, I yell.

"HEY, WAKE UP!"

It's only when I accidentally break a hole in Tomek's wooden door that he unlocks it, staring frozen for a few seconds at his broken property with still blue eyes. Then they dart back up to my face.

"What do you want from me?" The boy's voice is quiet, but I can hear a crack in his sentence around the end. He's trying to calm himself down, fingers clutching to the edge of the doorway.

I don't give him the luxury of calming down. I step towards him and grab the collar of his nightshirt, pulling him almost off his feet; he's about three feet shorter than me.

"You remember me, don't you?" I growl.

"Yes and why are you back?" He retorted bravely.

"Because. You're the only person left that I can find linked to the event earlier today," I say. "I need to talk to you."

Tomek must've braved up after he realizes I'm not there to hurt him. He reached up and holds my wrist firmly.

"If you just want to talk, please let go."

I obey and he closes his door, setting us outside. I'm not surprised that he doesn't want me in his home. Standing outside under the moonlight, I can see that he's a fairly attractive guy, looking like he only just recently graduated from high school. Folding his arms, he looks like a very well-rounded guard- except I know what a coward he is when it comes to action. He has nerve to face me so bravely after trying to kill me.

"Look, if you want to talk then we can but I don't know anything about my boss or-"

"No, that's not what I want to know."

"It's not?"

"I want to know how you got your job, how you came into contact with him."

Tomek's eyes lowered. He fidgeted with his night shirt. Slowly, he lifted his eyes, staring at me. The moonlight makes them look white.

"A few months ago, I graduated from high school and was a little...well, lost. My family kicked me out and I had to find a way to get some money. Trust me, it didn't start out with being a guard at a hotel but most of my previous jobs were most likely illegal," Tomek said, almost melodious as if he were drifting off to sleep right there. Then he stiffened up. "Then I got an email asking if I wanted to train myself for a job. Attached was a huge sum of money. Enough for this house and more."

He gestured towards the house standing tall above us. I almost feel bad for breaking his door.

"I was just gonna take the money and leave but I figured I could at least see what the job was. Maybe they'd give me more money later. So I followed the address the email gave me and...they did something to me and a few other people working as guards. It's funny...what they did didn't seem to have as much of an affect on me as it did the others."

"Can I see the address?"

"Really, Shizuo, I don't recommend it," he says. I wonder why Tomek knows my name but I don't dwell on it.

"Please," I say. "Someone...fairly important to me has been through what you have. I think. It's really bad for him though. He's violent now, or at least a lot more violent than he was before."

Tomek ponders this for a second. Then, he pulls out his cellphone and digs through what looks to be his emails.

"Here," he said finally, holding up his phone.

Nodding, I memorize the address as best I can. Tomek says it's a small red building that's easy to miss, but I'm not worried. If I get lost I can ask around. Tomek seems concerned after I say that but he keeps his mouth shut.

"Hey, Tomek," I say as I turn to leave.

"Hm?"

"Good luck, man. It's tough out there."

The boy's stays solemn, but nods. He looks small and vulnerable standing outside in the cold of the night yet his eyes tell stories. I pat him on the head and take my leave.

"Buy me a new door!" I hear in the distance.

"Maybe," I say.