Enjoy!
I don't own Durarara! But the OCs are mine.
All five men stare at her cunningly. It is night in Ikebukuro, making her regret her decision of going through the dark alley. She had to; it was the only way to her job to which she had recently been transferred.
Slowly, they all bring out their pocketknives. She grasps onto the small one-year-old child in her arms, holds his head as if it would protect him from all the wrong in the world. They step closer and raise their knives while saying profane words. She holds on tighter to the sobbing child and begins whispering, praying for help. She closes her eyes and waits for the pain to come. Suddenly the loud cursing is reduced to humble whispers. No pain. She opens her eyes and sees the answer to her prayers.
It is in the form of a blonde bartender.
"Transferred? Where?"
"Ikebukuro..."
"What! What are you going to do about Hikaru? That's too far! I cant babysit him there—"
The light brown haired girl continues ranting on. She doesn't realize that her best friend, a burgundy haired girl, is too lost in her thoughts to listen to her. The redhead rises from her best-friend's bed and slowly walks around the apartment.
The walls are ivory with white trim. Her windows are framed with cascading white and ivory curtains. The bed matches the rest of the room with the furniture being white.
What will I do? I can't take care of Hikaru, but neither can Maiko. Akemi thinks to herself as she twirls a red strand of hair around her finger.
"Maiko." Akemi's small voice interrupts the lecture.
"Hm?"
"I'll take Hikaru with me to Ikebukuro." She whispers.
"Akemi...You can't—"
"I know what I'm doing, Maiko. Please trust me..."
Worried chocolate brown eyes meet thoughtful lime green.
"Akemi," Maiko takes her friend's hand in hers. "If you need anything...anything, I'll be there for you. OK?"
Maiko wraps her arms around Akemi's slender shoulders. Silence ensues with small breaks from sobs and hiccups.
"Thank you." Akemi hugs her friend. "I think...I should...be going now."
Maiko slowly releases her grasp and turns to help her best friend prepare. It is not long before Akemi has her few belongings ready to go. It isn't much; most of her items belonged to her mother before she died. Her brother, Hikaru, is all Akemi has left besides her father.
Akemi and Hikaru's father wasn't always a bad man. He loved them and spoiled them with many treats and prizes. Their mother's death in that fateful car accident, however, changed their father greatly. He became an alcoholic and neglected Hikaru, who was only two months old. Akemi was twenty years old and attending college. Her life was going great until she realized how poorly Hikaru was being treated. She visited her father one day then ran away with Hikaru and her mother's possessions. She hasn't seen her father since.
After that day, Akemi was having trouble keeping jobs. Her rents were piling up, and often times she had to spend the nights at Maiko's apartment. Maiko insisted she live with her, but Akemi would refuse. "I don't want to be a burden" she would reply. Maiko now hopes Akemi can manage all that is coming to her in the near future.
Both girls exit the apartment building and step onto the bustling sidewalk. The sun shines down as nice cold breezes brush against their faces. A coach is parked on the side of the street with people loading onto it. Maiko turns to Akemi who is holding Hikaru.
Maiko kisses Hikaru's forehead. "Be good to your sister, okay?"
"Akemi, I still don't understand why you need to leave so far," Maiko hugs her, "but good luck...I'll miss you..."
"Thank you, I'll miss you too."
Akemi lets go of Maiko and gets into the bus with Hikaru. She shuffles along the aisle and sits in a seat in the back. The bus doesn't leave right away as there are still people loading on. The redhead looks back through the window towards her friend. She slowly presses her hand onto the glass as if she can reach out and grab the small pale hand that belongs to her best friend.
With a loud roar, the bus comes to life and begins pulling away from the side of the street. Maiko's form shrinks from the distance. Akemi closes her eyes as she clutches onto her chest.
"You'll always be in my heart...Maiko."
The bus pulls away from the sidewalk and begins its long journey. Akemi can barely sleep during the bus's travel, and it isn't because she's uncomfortable, it's nerves. Hikaru, on the other hand, is blissfully drooling away on Akemi's arm as he dreams innocently. Akemi doesn't know the exact reason for being transferred so far. Her home is Sapporo, hundreds miles from her destination. The bus is nearing the end of its travel, the passengers now need to get on a ferry to enter Japan's main island. Here we go... Akemi sighs.
It is a slightly cold day outside; the sun is still out as the day nears evening. Tired and sleepy, Akemi stands outside of her apartment building, eyeing it with scrutiny. The building is old, very old. I hope it's better inside, Akemi shuffles into the building.
As soon as she steps in, a strong odor meets her nose. She scrunches up her face and almost gags. Already the lobby is worse. Akemi quickly gets her key and stumbles up the stairs, through the hallway, and to her room.
"Apartment number 23..."
Akemi stops in front of her room, holding Hikaru in one arm and a rolling suitcase with the other. She hesitates before she opens the door; yes, the room is much worse (not to mention the smell).
"Hikaru...I hope we'll be okay..."
Hikaru begins to coo and place small pecks on his sister's cheek, innocently telling her that everything will turn out all right soon. Although she only hears gibberish, she knows what he means; she hopes he is right. Suddenly, the phone rings.
"Hello?" Akemi answers.
"Are you Kiyomori Akemi?" a woman asks. The faint sound of gum chewing can be heard.
"Um...yes? Who is this?"
"Don't worry sweetie, I am your new boss's receptionist. You can call me Gina."
"Gina?"
"Yes, Gina. Now, Asanuma-sama wants to meet with you today, as soon as possible. Are you in Ikebukuro yet?"
"Yes, bu—"
"Ah, then it won't be a problem. Here are the instructions, make sure you have a pen and paper out, it can get tricky."
Akemi sets Hikaru down on the worn out mattress and gets a writing utensil out.
"Okay, I'm ready."
"Good, first thing's first. Where are you right now?"
This is strange. This business is hidden at the end of a road behind an alley...very strange... Akemi looks up towards the sky, it is already sunset. Oh no, I hope the sun doesn't go down by the time I get there. She clutches on tighter to the red-haired boy in her arms and walks past the massive amounts of people in the street. She doesn't know that she is in the area where the most peculiar of people are found, after all she has never been to Ikebukuro.
Akemi continues onward but soon finds herself lost. She heads down several different ways but ends up at a plaza each time. She doesn't want to ask for directions, but she realizes that she has no other choice.
"A bartender?" Akemi wonders. "That's odd..."
There is indeed a man dressed as a bartender. He easily towers over her and wears purple sunglasses. His hair is blonde and he has a calm yet sour expression on his face. Akemi also notes that he is a bit handsome and may even resemble a certain actor. Hmm...What was the actor's name again? Akemi ponders. Strangely, the blonde bartender is following a man in a suit with dreadlocks and glasses. Very odd...but they look like they know the place. Akemi approaches them from the back.
"Excuse me..." Akemi speaks so quietly that only the bartender turns around, and that is because she lightly tapped his shoulder.
"Hm?" he is smoking.
"Um..." Akemi tries to wave away some of the puff of smoke from Hikaru. The bartender notices this.
"Oh." he puts away his cigarette.
"I hope I'm not bothering...but could you please tell me where Kita Street is?"
She's not from here, huh. Shizuo notices the frailty of the peculiar woman standing in front of him. She is about a head shorter than him and wears an ivory, fashionable coat with large buttons. She has a green spaghetti strap dress and ivory kitten heels, but the thing that sticks out the most is her hair. Burgundy bangs frame her fair face and cascading waves and curls go down her back reaching her mid-thighs. Her eyes are a very light, innocent shade of green. The child in her arms is very similar too. The boy has the same shade of green eyes but curlier hair than the woman that also frames his beautiful infant face.
"Daddy," Hikaru says while pointing a tiny finger at Shizuo.
"Huh!" Shizuo is taken aback. "What!"
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I don't know what he's thinking," Akemi frantically apologizes.
"Daddy!" Hikaru begins to reach for Shizuo. "Daddy!"
"No Hikaru, he's not Dad!" Akemi struggles to keep the strong one-year-old away from Shizuo. "Hikaru! Behave! Listen to your sister!"
Sister? I thought she was the mother. Shizuo wonders.
"Daddy..." Hikaru begins sobbing. He doesn't persist anymore, just buries his face into Akemi's neck.
"I'm so sorry about tha—"
"Now I definitely know you're not from here." Shizuo silences her by raising his hand. "People from Ikebukuro don't normally apologize this much. What's your name?"
"K-kiyomori Akemi, and this is Hikaru."
"I'm Heiwajima Shizuo, so where were you headed again?"
Shizuo continues in telling Akemi the directions to Kita Street. At this time the man with the dreadlocks returns.
"Shizuo, we should get going."
"Uh, yes Tom-san." Shizuo turns back to Akemi. "Be careful in this street. Some gangs like to hang out there. I would suggest waiting for a group of people to pass, that way you're not all alone."
"T-thank y-you, H-heiwajima-san." Now Akemi is officially afraid. She slowly turns to begin her small journey.
"I have a bad feeling something bad is going to happen in Kita Street tonight." Shizuo whispers as he puts a cigarette to his lips.
Akemi continues quickly towards Kita Street. Damn it, it's really dark now... Akemi sighs. She waits at a street-corner for an opportunity to cross when she sees a red-eyed man speaking to a blue-eyed teenager. The man is speaking loudly while gesturing to the world. Then, suddenly, the man swings around from being in front of the boy to being behind him. Why are they speaking in the middle of the street? Akemi wonders. And what is that?
A red object of some sort zooms from the sky and crashes right in front of the boy. It bounces a few times and then finally lands near the entrance of a building. The blue-eyed boy is horrified, however the red-eyed man simply smirks. He's...SMILING!
Akemi looks toward the direction where the vending machine came from and sees yet another surprising thing. I've seen him before...but where? Blonde. Bartender clothes. Sunglasses. He's holding a giant street lamp...how in the hell? Wait...Heiwajima! Heiwajima Shizuo! Akemi gasps.
"He's...strong." Akemi blinks her eyes in surprise.
"Daddy!" Hikaru squeals in delight and points towards Shizuo. "Daddy!"
Shizuo stomps toward the man and the boy, obviously angry, and still holding the lamp as if it is a stick.
"I-za-ya!" growls Shizuo.
"Looks like it's about time for me to go!~" the man, Izaya, waves toward the boy and runs. "Well then, good luck, Tanaka Tarou-kun!"
"Flea!" screams Shizuo. "Get back here! I-ZA-YA!"
Shizuo runs after Izaya while screaming bloody murder. Akemi deeply sighs and looks at the boy. Suddenly, her "motherly" instincts kick in and she decides to check up on the boy.
"Excuse me." Akemi kindly speaks to the boy. "Are you okay? That was a close one."
"Eh?" the boy suddenly looks nervous. "Yes, thank you."
"Is Ikebukuro always like this?"
The boy looks at her with a puzzled expression.
"Sorry, I'm new here." Akemi informs him. "I'm Kiyomori Akemi and this is Hikaru."
"I'm Ryuugamine Mikado." he seems slightly more comfortable. "I suppose it is always like this. I mean, I'm still a bit new here too."
"Well," Akemi turns to leave. "I should get going. It was nice meeting you, Ryuugamine Mikado-san!"
"I-it was nice meeting you, too!"
This city...is so strange...I hope Hikaru can live a safe life here... Akemi closes her eyes in thought as she walks toward her destination.
She opens her eyes and notices that Shizuo and Izaya went down the same direction she is headed. Shizuo...you're so odd...I wonder where you get that strength!
Thanks for reading! This is technically my second fanfic, but it's the first one that I publish so I'm pretty nervous right now. My writing isn't the greatest so please be discreet. Thanks again!