A/N: So~ chapter 3! okay okay I originally said this was going to be lighter because I was intending to have it be characters meeting and friendship but it got a little long so some of that is being pushed to next chapter ^^" this is still much lighter than the first two chapters though :)

Lost in the City

Previous chapter:

"Who're you calling?" asked Shizuo as Izaya punched in some numbers.

"Nothing much," replied Izaya, putting the phone to his ear, "I need information out of this guy- he nudged Fushimi who was passed out on the floor- and from what I've just witnessed, I'll probably need some interrogation help."

"Hello? This is Izaya. I'll need a little help…Erika."

Chapter 3: Rumoured Mystery

-Dollars Chat Room-

Setton: So how are you kanra-san?

Kanra: Great~ thanks ;D

Kanra: Just came back from a little trip to the sushi shop! I love otoro~

-Tanaka Tarou has been idle for 5 minutes-

Setton: Are you still there Tanaka-san?

Kanra: Tanaka Tarouu~~~ heyy you still there? O.o

Tanaka Tarou: Yeah, I'm still here.

Tanaka Tarou: Hey Kanra-san… have you heard anything else about the fight three days ago? :)

Tanaka Tarou: Any new rumours or anything?

Setton: The one where some kid picked a fight with Shizuo?

Tanaka Tarou: Yeah…

Kanra: Mmm~ I don't think so -v-

Kanra: Wonder how that kid's doing~

Setton: That was quite big recently. Could he have died?

Kanra: No I don't think he did ;)

Kanra: Actually Tanaka Tarou, yeah I have heard something recently…

Kanra: They say he has an accomplice.

Mikado looked up from his cell phone a see a hand waving in front of his face. Large brown eyes blinked at him.

"Hey Mi-ka-do~," Kida grinned. "What're you looking at?"

Snapping his phone shut Mikado slid it into his pocket and smiled gently. "Ah, nothing Kida-kun. Just some rumours that had been spreading around recently."

"OH! I've heard of those! You know I heard from some dollars that a kid got in a fight with Shizuo!" said Kida , waving his hands around the way he always does when he's excited. "You could actually see the mess, like two days ago I was out shopping and the whole street was under construction. Rubble everywhere."

"Mm. Yeah that's the one. This sure is going huge, almost everyone in Ikebukuro's heard of the battle…" mused Mikado. He ran his finger absentmindedly around the edge of his notebook, eyes straying out the window. This was another thing he loved about having the seat next to the window. Whenever he couldn't concentrate (many times recently) he would stare out the window, the empty courtyard and cherry blossoms helped his mind wander.

Kida's voice continued on for a while, Mikado occasionally giving a nod or 'mm' to show he was still listening. It wasn't anything new, he had heard it all before either from his classmates or off the dollars website. It wasn't until a few certain words cut into his mind that he turned back to Kida, suddenly much more alert.

"And yet, funnily enough, outside of the dollars website I can't find any information at all. There was once, I saw a post on a blog that rumoured the kid had magical powers, like the Black Rider. But next time I checked it showed up as 'post removed'. Maybe it's just a rumour after all." Kida finished blandly giving a small shrug.

Mikado gave a small hum of assent before turning his gaze back to the window.

Huh, so I wasn't the only one.

A few days ago, he too had attempted to research more about this mysterious boy. He had stumbled upon a website that posted spotting and 'details' about the Black Rider, there was a similar post regarding the boy using strange fire powers. Along with it was an extremely blurry picture claiming to be the boy during his fight with Shizuo, but all you could make out was the fuzzy outline of a person and a lot of red. The second time he tried to visit the website, the post was removed. He hadn't thought anything of it at the time.

Nothing more than a rumour he had thought. Until it happened again. Twice the day after, he had found some info (whether reliable or not) regarding the boy by claimed eye witnesses. The websites both crashed within the few seconds it took him to read the first line.

Could someone be trying to keep this quiet?

"Oi- Oi- OII!"

Mikado's chin slipped off his hand as he snapped out of this reverie. Kida was snapping his fingers repeatedly a slight look of concern upon his face.

"Mikado? You're sure out of it today. Are you alright?"

"Ah yes, yes I'm fine, sorry," mumbled Mikado quickly putting on a small smile, "It's nothing really… I was just thinking…"

Kida's face suddenly broke into a smile. "Hey hey- don't tell me~ You're thinking about girls? You sly boy Mikado!" he grinned, ruffling the other boy's hair. "I knew you liked that girl we saw yesterday and now you're daydreaming of her!"

"What! No no! Kida-kun it's not like that!" sputtered Mikado batting away Kida's hand his face turning red. "I just- it's nothing. My mind's just been wandering, what with Shizuo-san's fight and the rumours going around, it's the Black Rider all over again isn't it?"

"Ah of course, it's just like you to go on about the weird stuff," laughed Kida affectionately. "But the Black Rider's real isn't he? This kid could be real too. Maybe he's from another universe or something!"

Mikado smiled, he knew Kida was just humouring him. Though it does stand a fact that the Black Rider is real, so could there be a chance these so called rumours are too?

"Or he could just be mental and it's nothing more than a rumour," shrugged Kida. "Dunno why you're so worried though. So he fought Shizuo, Shizuo won. He always does. Strongest man in Ikebukuro, ne?"

"Yeah," nodded Mikado in agreement. He doubted whether there existed a person anywhere stronger than Shizuo. At that moment the teacher walked in and called a silence, students quickly shuffled back to their seats and Kida patted him lightly on the back before leaving. Turning back to his work, spinning the ball point pen in his hand, Mikado's mind wandered back to dwelling on the mystery of the unknown boy.

After school Kida met up with Mikado at their lockers. He immediately launched off into a fantasy about this 'really beautiful' girl he saw at lunch while Mikado organized his books and placed them into his bag. They made their way down to the courtyard together waving goodbye to a few friends before making their way home.

"Kida-kun, where's Sonohara-san?" asked Mikado curiously. They usually walked home together having all lived in the same neighbourhood. "She didn't meet up with us today at the lockers."

"Oh yeah I forgot to tell you," smiled Kida knocking his forehead playfully with his knuckles. "Anri said she needs to buy a new bag so she's going to the mall after school."

"Oh okay then."

After a few minutes, Kida lurched to a stop, Mikado having grabbed his arm lightly. "What's wrong Mikado?"

"Hey Kida-kun, look, what's that?" asked Mikado pointing towards a large ring of people on street corner ahead of them. There was a fair amount of noise coming from inside and the crowd yelled and cheered. "A performance of some sort?"

There was a yell and then a loud crash. The crowd cheered.

"Haha nah, a fight is more like it," laughed Kida waving an airy hand. "No need to worry about it, this happens a lot in Ikebukuro. You'll see your share if you stay long enough."

"Wanna go watch?" Mikado tugged on Kida's sleeve. His voice sounded innocent and curious but his blue eyes gleamed with excitement. Kida smiled at this.

"You know, one of these days you're gonna go sticking your nose in the wrong things and get yourself killed," chuckled Kida teasingly. He found it almost endearing how Mikado always seems calm and innocent outwardly but the kid wanted nothing more than adventure. "Haha let's go and see some jerks get beaten up~"

As they approached the ring of people, there was another loud thump and the crowd parted as a man came flying through landing on the pavement in a sprawl. Mikado and Kida stood on their toes to get a good look.

In the middle of the ring was a teen, in his twenties by the looks of it. He has some really crazy hair thought Mikado. The man had short hair that was gelled up and spiky, the ends were dyed red which clashed horribly with the green bandana he wore. He was quite tall, taller than Mikado for sure and had a strong build. His clothing was probably considered punk but Mikado wasn't sure. He had clearly just beaten the other guy and was pumping his fist in the air.

"Anyone else for the challenge! Come on who thinks they can beat me! No? So you all admit I'm the best?" he sneered waving his arms around at the crowed. The group of people, no doubt his gang members, cheered and snickered.

"YOU!" the guy pointed dramatically at someone in the crowd. "Wanna challenge me? If ya win, you get 5000 yen!" He waved a thick wad of bills. "But if ya lose, better be ready to pay up!" The boy looked like a high school student. He blinked rather confusedly at being singled out before quickly backing away. The gang members broke out in laughter.

"HA! So that's it? You guys all admit I'm the strongest right? Ya'll better remember that! The green snakes are the stronges-"

"I'll try."

Whispers immediately broke out and heads turned trying to find the source of the voice.

"Who is it?" muttered Kida. Mikado shook his head.

"No idea."

"Over here! I said I'll fight."

Somewhere on the right of Mikado, a person stepped out of the crowed. All eyes fell upon him. The gang leader actually snorted.

The girl next to him whispered, "He looks ridiculous, what's with that getup?"

Kida grimaced. "He looks young, twenty at most, sorry to say it but I'd bet on the gang leader."

Mikado glanced at him. "You think he's going to lose?" Kida's grinned back apologetically.

Should I steal some money?

This question has been pestering Yata for the entire morning. He had left Izaya's the day before and made his way back to Ikebukuro where he was 'slightly' more familiar. At first, he had been set on not stealing because it just isn't right in his book but as the day passed, he was starting to have his doubts. First of all, he was hungry. Forget tired and injured but if he's going to complete that deal with Izaya, he's going to need energy to fight. Okay so he wasn't starving yet. But he doubted he could last a long battle. On the brightside, his wounds were starting to heal up and his leg was overall functioning properly now. It no longer felt like jelly like the night he was dragging himself up to Shinjuku. But no matter what condition his body was in, he still needed food. And that brought him back to his current predicament.

To steal or not to steal.

Wait- What the hell that was like a horrible pun off Shakespeare- Ah nevermind. Though I know it's not right to steal money I really need food soon or I'm gonna drop. I mean, Saruhiko would probably steal money the moment he gets here. It's just like him to do that. But- I'm not Saru. No- I mean… it's not like I would be stealing from the poor or anything… and it's not really hurting anyone…

Yata argued with himself for a few minutes before deciding that if he can't find a better way to get money by this afternoon, he's going to steal. Probably from some rich snobby dude. Or even that blond bartender guy if he can.

And that was when he saw it, a large group of people crowding around to watch a fight.

A gang fight huh? I missed those. We used to have lots of them before Scepter 4 started coming around and arresting people. Stupid blues.

Tucking his skateboard under his arm, Yata made his way casually towards the crowd. It's not like I've got anything better to do, might as well watch a good fight.

As he neared the crowd he could see a teen beating up another guy before landing a punch that sent him flying out the circle. Pfft pathetic. Anyone could've dodged that.

Yata watched in silence, his hands shoved in the pockets of his oversized hoodie. Why did Izaya have to give him this thing anyways? It was freaking burning. But then again, it wasn't like his clothes were much better, not in usable condition anyways. The hood was pulled over his head to cover his red hair but after a few minutes, Yata yanked it off sweat starting to form on his forehead. The gang leader was clearly boasting, waving his fist around and challenging passersbys at random. No one accepted the challenge though.

But then he yelled something that caught Yata's attention, "Come on! Why not give it a try! Otherwise you all admit I'm the strongest! If ya can defeat me ya'll get 5000 yen!"

Yata's mouth curved into a smile. Well, there's my way to get some money.

"Hey! I'll try."

When no one seemed to see him, he stepped forward through the crowd into the center of the ring.

"Over here! I'll fight!"

To his surprise, the gang leader took one look at him and snorted.

"This isn't a place for children you know? You'll get hurt."

A vein throbbed in Yata's temple. There it is again. Child. Why does EVERYONE call me a child!?

"I'm not a child," he snarled. "The name's Yata Misaki." He glared daggers at the man.

"Prepare to lose."

Kicking his skateboard out he leaned on his hand on it and glared at the man. The gang leader gave him a one-over sizing him up. Up close, Yata realized this guy was a lot taller than him, maybe even a head. Ah it's always the height. But size doesn't matter, I'll flatten him.

The other gang members were already cheering on their leader. "Beat him up!" "Show that kid who's boss!" "Go boss Ryochi!"

Yata smirked. "So your name is Ryochi, huh?"

The man sneered. "Better remember that kid, the name of the guy who beat you up. But don't worry, I'll go easy on you since you're a kid and all."

"Again with all this kid crap! I'm not a kid dammit!" hissed Yata.

Ryochi shrugged. "Doesn't matter, as long as you think you can beat me, you're free to give it a shot. Just keep in mind that when you lose, you're gonna have to pay up."

"No problem," agreed Yata. Though it may not have been the best move to agree considering he had zero money on him at all, but he was quite confident in his ability to win.

"Though…"began Ryochi gesturing towards his skateboard. "That's a really nice skateboard you've got there. If you lose- when you lose, I want that as well."

Yata swung his arm around so that the back of the skateboard faced the gang members, the crimson crest of Homra flashing in the sunlight. The embroidered letters 'HMR' shone brightly just above it.

Yata smirked. "Do you really think you can beat me? Sure I'll throw in the skateboard but there's no chance you're gonna get it. Though you know," he spun it around and dropped it on the ground, a foot planted on the tip. "This has the mark of Homra, so don't take it lightly. It's worth a lot more than you 5000 yen, how about we bump up the price. 10 000 yen!"

The crowd cheered. He could tell the gang leader was hesitant but the crowd made it obvious that he'd look weak if he backed out.

"Fine kid!" Another member of the gang tossed him another stack of bills. "10 000 it is. But if you lose, better be ready to pay 10 000 yen plus the skateboard."

"Yeah sure!" agreed Yata. "Just get this over with already." Stepping on his skateboard Yata kicked off the ground in a screech of wheels against pavement. He circled the gang leader around the edge of the ring and people backed up to give him more space. Yata grinned and lifted his fists. There wasn't going to be any flames in this battle. He couldn't afford to give his power away and plus, it wasn't like he was going to need it. Ryochi followed his movements with his eyes a smile blooming onto his face.

"Ha so you can skate kid! Not bad!" He lunged out aiming a heavy punch at Yata who swerved quickly to get out of the way. Making a sharp turn with his skateboard, Yata shot back towards Ryochi his fists swinging out at his head. A loud thump and his blow was parried by the back of Ryochi's arm. A leg swung out at Yata's stomach and he was forced to jump back, landing on his skateboard and sliding a little. He wasn't bad. Having a larger build he had strength but his size also slowed down his agility.

Yata smirked to himself. Just like all those other gang idiots back in Shizume City. All brawn and no brain.

With a yell, Ryochi charged at Yata with his fists raised. They exchanged a couple of heavy blows and Yata winced as he received a hard jab to his stomach. The crowd yelled and the gang members cheered for their leader.

Good thing I have nothing to throw up thought Yata bitterly. Better finish this quickly it's not like I've got that much energy to spare anyways.

Digging his heel hard into the back of his skateboard he flipped it straight off the pavement, a hand pressing onto the ground and aiming at his face with the board. Ryochi backed up to avoid a kick in the face but he wasn't fast enough to block the next one as Yata swung his arm out knocking him off balance. He stumbled backward and Yata flipped right-side up and rushed forward to land another punch, right in his face. He flailed his arms before landing heavily on his back.

Picking up his skateboard, Yata thrust it onto the ground an inch from Ryochi's face. The smile was back on his face. The crowd had gone silent.

"So, that means I win right?" He bent down and picked up the stack of money. "So this'll be mine~" Throwing his skateboard over his shoulder he turned to leave.

"Oi wait!"

Yata paused and turned around. Ryochi was getting to his feet, he was certainly irritated but he looked Yata in the eye.

"Hey kid, you wanna join our gang? The Green snakes, we can make you a lot stronger. And it'll give you something to do, a place to blow off some steam." He smiled though it looked slightly forced.

Yata froze.

'You guys wanna join us? We'll show you a place to blow off some steam'. Those were the exact words Kusanagi-san had said. When he and Saruhiko had first met Mikoto and joined Homra.

Tch, why am I remembering that now. There isn't any Homra here. We don't exist.

"Thanks for the offer but no thanks. I've got my own place to get back to." With a final wave over his shoulder, Yata walked off down the street.

A/N: Please review! Means much more to me that a fav or follow. I'd really like to know how you guys thought of it! Do you like the plot? :)

just so you know **10 000 yen is about $100**

Well this chapter was fun to write :D I really like Kida and Mikado so there's going to be more of them soon. (and also there's going to be Anri and Saruhiko in the future *hinthint* not as a couple though, but they're going to have a- talk)

I've already started the next chapter so I think I'm going to update soon~ haha I'm not getting a lot of readers though since drrr/k is not a popular category. well thanks for reading~