"Do not go near the fandom," I told myself. "Wait until the summer. Wait until you bring your grades up." So much for that, right?

This story is another one of my "What will happen if two characters switch places?" AU, where Mikado is the one to have come to Ikebukuro when he was in middle school instead of Masaomi. Most of my thoughts on characterization comes straight from season 2 of the anime and the later novels, but there will be no direct spoilers.

As of now, I have no intention of pairing anyone up. There will be one-sided romances and hints, but there won't be any established pair (yeah, not even ShinraxCelty - the reason for that will become clear as the story progresses). I want the focus of this story to be character building and relationship building.

The story title is from the song "My Demons" by Starset.

Warnings for the rest of the story (Don't worry, I'll put the corresponding warnings in each chapter): AU and therefore OOCness, disabilities/disfigurement, emotional/physical/mental abuse, twisted love, mind games, domesticity, brutality, violence, and general dark/psychopathic tendencies.

Prologue A: 2 Months and a Week Ago

The girl stared at the object in front of her with hooded eyes.

"Well?" the man asked, grinning at her like the Cheshire cat. He watched her with amusement, clearly enjoying the way even her usual polite detachment could not shake off the pure abnormality that was the object in front of them. "Can you do it?"

To be honest, the question that the man asked was not the question she heard. After all, they both knew that she would do it without hesitation. No, the true question was not whether or not she could do it; rather, it was a question of whether or not she could truly follow this man to the ends of the world, just as she had sworn she would. How unfair, she couldn't help but to feel. He would never truly trust her, despite everything.

"You must understand," the man added with sincerity, "you're the only one I can trust with this."

She thought that that might be a lie. After all, he was surrounded by those who would gladly die for him, herself included. But it was still a lovely lie to hear. It was just what her heart needed for her to come to the decision. Not that she would have dared to refuse, but it put her mind at ease. So what if this object was unusual? She owed this man everything.

She nodded without any doubt or fear. "Don't worry, Izaya-san. I will take care of it."

"I knew you I could count on you, Saki."

Prologue B: 2 Months Ago

The city nightscape was, without a doubt, his favorite to stare into. Despite the darkness blanketing the skies, the lights of the city shone out like a beacon out to sea. Although people often claimed the underground world came alive at night, he couldn't help but to disagree with that. Even at night, the lights of the city were much too bright to hide sin. Then when, you might ask, would be the best time for what the underground is known for?

Well, wasn't it obvious? If the lights were too bright, then you just had to blind those who got too close. Hide your sin in the plain brightness of light.

A loud crash reverberated through the air, closely followed by the stench of gasoline. Finally, it was time. He slowed to a stop before turning to face the other.

"That was childish, don't you think?" his enemy asked him, lips drawn back in a snarl. "Running away only to arrive at a dead end? Tell me, are you so desperate to get away that you had to throw gasoline at me?"

"It's not quite desperation," he stated honestly. With a simple flick of his wrists, he lit the match. With an innocent smile that one would expect from a naïve child, he tossed the lit match at his enemy. "It's more of a… calculated risk."

The fire swallowed his enemy whole, adding to the light of the city. Just as he had thought. You couldn't see the sin in this kind of light.

Prologue C: 2 Weeks Ago

He recoiled from the stench of ashes before he realized that his sister was holding to him tight. If it were the usual, he wouldn't have cared at all that she was hugging him; she had always been a bit of an eccentric. But what was different this time was the shivers down her body as she clung tightly to him as if he was anchoring her to reality. What was different was the way her hands alternated from squeezing too tightly onto him to shaking as soon as she relaxed them.

"Sis?" He asked finally. He would have ignored her, but her clinginess was getting in the way of his homework. Not to mention she was shaking too much for him to be able to write properly.

"Let me just stay like this," she whispered, her voice hoarse. It was different from the confident older sister role that she usually played. "I didn't think he'd target our company."

That caught his attention. "They attacked your Pharmacy?"

"You don't have to worry, Seiji," his sister said, rubbing her cheek against his shoulder. Ah, she was calming down now. "We're going to be okay. I still have a lot of money saved up. We should leave. How would you like to go to school in the Americas?"

"What about her?"

There was a small pause as his sister's grip tightened. Then she relaxed (no more shakes, he noted) and with a smile in her voice she said, "In a safe location."

He didn't trust his sister. If whatever happened to her Pharmacy was so bad to the point that she came home smelling like ashes and shaking, then there was no way that she could be safe. With that thought, Seiji made up his mind. Well, not that he would have ever considered going where she wasn't around.

"I'm staying."

Prologue D: Now

What do you think it means?

When a friend that had gone away for so long contacts you out of the blue?

What are you supposed to think?

When that same friend asks you to come to the city?

What is your next course of action?

Kida Masaomi tied the yellow scarf around his neck. Well, to be honest, those kinds of questions were dumb things to ask. After all, he already knew what he would do the minute his chat box lit up from a familiar username that he hadn't seen in a while. His decision was already etched in stone, some people might say.

"Next stop: Ikebukuro."

"Don't worry, Mikado. Your best friend will be by your side soon."

The informant chuckled lightly at his computer screen before turning his chair away to look out the window. In one hand, he absent-mindedly toyed with the white knight chess piece.

"All my pieces have gathered," he told the empty room. "Ready for another game, Ryugamine-kun?"