Durarara! Fan Fiction!

Drama! Romance!

(Title)

"Life is not a Shoujo Manga"

A/N: All right, I spent the entire night rehauling this whole story format! To those of you checking back in on this story, I want to let you know it's been cut up into smaller, bitesized peices because I found out I cannot do the monster chapters like last time. I just get overwhelmed and the story suffers, getting left behind and in a little corner to be neglected. So, to manage this problem I am going to post smaller chapters more like my other story 'The Uchiha and his Cat' and do glimpses instead of post 14k every three or so months. If you're caught up and looking for the new chapter head on to the end.

To any new readers, I hope you enjoy the story!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Durarara!' or any of the characters! Promise.

WARNING! RATED M! For the ramblings of a madwoman. A bit of language on the side.

Prologue: "Thursday"

"Love is rare, life is strange, nothing lasts and people change."

Date: April, 2010

(Present Day)

Normal.

What exactly is the definition of normal?

Is it just how we define our comfort zone? Many consider normal and safe to go hand-in-hand with one another. Is normal how we draw the lines between what we consider to be safe and what we think might be dangerous? Or is the term 'Normal' just a label for what everyone else considers to be socially acceptable?

It's normal for the Hero of a story to be virtuous and strong and for him to beat the all the odds and save the day.

It's normal for the obscenely beautiful girl he loves to have only have one function; the need to be valiantly rescued.

It's normal for the Monster of the story to have no purpose other than to be something that goes bump in the night, only to be slain by the Hero in the end.

Normal.

What about the decidedly un-normal? The Abnormal. Just because it's not our definition normal does that mean that it should be automatically filed as 'dangerous' and should be viewed with suspicion and wariness? What separates and prioritizes one person's normal over another?

That brings up another good question.

How do we define what is abnormal? What does the average person consider to be strange? Is it just the things that they are unused to, or is it the things that other people are unused to? Just take a moment to think about it, about all the 'Strange' things in life. The strange stories you've heard before.

What if the Hero trying to save the girl from the Monster had less than pure intentions? What if he wanted to slay the Monster just for the sport of slaying monsters?

What if the Monster hated himself just as much as everyone else did? If not even more? What if he was the one who actually needed saving?

What if... now stay with me here...

What if the girl didn't need saving?

I know, I know, you've probably heard of stories like this before. We've all heard something along those lines. But now think about why you remembered a story like that so easily.

Because it wasn't normal.

It was different. Strange.

...maybe even a little dangerous?

The strange and normal. Everyone has an opinion on it. Every one different from the last. A kiss in greeting in one country is a slap to the face in another. Really, it's all just one's perception in the end. Normal. Abnormal. How does it define who we are?

At first glance, no one would classify Katsuko Sharaku as someone who was abnormal. She herself thought that she was a fairly normal and average twenty-four year-old woman, if not a bit boring at times if she's being completely honest with herself.

To a stranger, she appeared to be polite and well-educated, mostly described as friendly when one interacted with her. When encountered on the street, she was always dressed in modest clothing. The only obvious oddity about her was the different wigs she would wear everyday.

To her friends, she was kind and considerate, usually putting others before herself. Willing to go the extra mile. Always one to speak bluntly and unafraid to make her mind known to them. Fiercely loyal to those she calls Friend.

To her best friend, she was loud and annoying. Always sticking her nose into his business when she should be minding her own and putting herself in danger by getting in his way. She fusses over him endlessly and always has something or other to nag him about. He's told her hundreds of time to get lost but he always ends up seeing her again sooner or later. She is, without a doubt, the strangest person he has ever met in his life.

Again, one wouldn't think she was strange just by looking at her. Most that personally know her wouldn't describe her as such either, most anyway. There are others, of course, that would say that she was strange simply by association.

In association to what, you might wonder?

Like an alarm warning of oncoming danger, a guttural voice echoed menacingly through the quickly emptying street. A rumbling roar filled the air.

"IIIII-ZZZZZAAAA-YYAAAA-KUUUUUN..."

Those that didn't have finely-tuned survival instincts opted to, instead of evacuating, pull out their shiny cellular phones and begin recording the spectacle that they would surely be bragging about to their friends for the days to come. Provided that they didn't get admitted into the hospital as a casualty of projectile street signs, of course. Pushing through the rapidly departing crowds, a young woman with a short black wig was attempting to cut through to the mass of scurrying people so that she could cross the street and make to her place of work on time.

Katsuko clicked her tongue with annoyance as someone shoved into her shoulder and didn't even bother with apologizing! 'It's just too early for this. Those two usually don't start until after lunch! What happened to after lunch?!' she thought miserably. If she was late to work because of this interruption, she swore that heads were going to roll!

Breaking through the crowding people, Katsuko hiked her messenger bag higher up her shoulder and crossed the street with the determination belonging to only to a woman on a mission. As she walked she cursed her decision to wear her fashionable, but sadly unfunctional heeled sandals. Much to her misfortune they were not made for speed-walking through battlegrounds. Passing by a large and brightly decorated building, Katsuko recognized the large dark-skinned man standing on the street and sent him a friendly smile.

Simon grinned widely at her and pushed a flier towards her person. "Good morning, Katsuko! You have sushi? We have half-price special today! Give you good deal!" greeted the flier-wielding giant of a man.

Katsuko gave him an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Simon. I'm running late for work right—" Large hands gripped her upper-arms and she was lifted off her feet. The gentle giant sidestepped to avoid the projectile street sign that speared into the sidewalk adjacent to them. A misfire, if not a ricochet. "—now. I'll probably be by tonight though, I made plans to meet up with—"

"YOU WON'T GET AWAY THIS TIME!" came another roar, one full of anger and obvious frustration.

Neither of them turned to look where the shout came from. There was another loud crash and sound of concrete being broken. They were steadily getting closer, Katsuko noted with concern. Simon sighed, his shoulders slumping. "Young people should no fight."

Katsuko gave the man a sympathetic shoulder pat before quickly turning and heading towards her job that she was-she checked the clock on her phone. Ten minutes 'till her shift starts! Shit! Mumbling a quick good-bye to Simon she ducked around the nearest corner and dread hit her in a crashing wave as she spotted two men squaring off in the street, standing between her and her destination. Neither seemed to have noticed her presence yet.

'Shitty-shit! I didn't think that they had gotten this close!' she thought with panic. There was no short-cut around she could take to avoid being spotted and still make it to work on time. She grimaced when she realized that this was probably planned before hand. Katsuko cursed inwardly. 'Damn him.'

Katsuko considered her available options. She could just walk through and hope that she'll go unnoticed, which was highly unlikely. She could avoid them entirely and find another path and risk being late to work. Her boss was a demon from hell and wouldn't tolerate her being late again. She'd probably be fired if she was late.

She loved her job.

Damn that conniving man.

With no other desirable options, Katsuko held her head high and walked down the sidewalk. Attempting to blend in with her surroundings and pray that she'd go unnoticed. She failed miserably. She had not made five full strides before she had been spotted.

"Ohhh?" crooned an obnoxiously smooth voice. "Is that Kitty-kat I spy? It is!" he cheered with delight, "Now, what are the odds of all of us meeting like this?"

'Damn that man to a hell filled with dead fish and wild dogs!' Katsuko continued to curse wildly in head. She wouldn't speak them aloud (at the present time) and give him the satisfaction of distracting her from her task. Katsuko pretended that she didn't hear him as continued down the sidewalk, face and eyes resolutely staring forward. She was very tempted to start running, fashionable sandals be damned.

He moaned in what sounded like convincing despair. "Kitty-kat is so cold! Did you see that Shizu-chan? She didn't even spare a glance for me!"

There was a sound of metal being torn from it's rightful place on the sidewalk.

"DON'T SPEAK TO HER, BASTARD!" roared another, more familiar and infinitely more welcome voice. She continued to speed-walk and ignore the warzone next to her as objects and knifes went flying in attempt to kill one another. She was not worried, she very much doubts that one of them will ever win these matches between them—Katsuko valiantly held in a surprised yelp when a heavy-duty trashcan cratered into the building next to her. She inhaled deeply and carefully exhaled before squaring her shoulders and continuing on her way. She didn't need to be caught up in the wake of Shizuo Heiwajima and Izaya Orihara, she reminded herself. Not right now. Right now, she needed to be at work on time.

This... this wasn't considered to be normal by most.

But to Katsuko Sharaku... this?

This was just Thursday morning in Ikebukuro.

Prologue: "Thursday"

END

A/N: Nice. This one is done. Hope you guys enjoyed!

Wuv yew all!

-Nanami