A/N: This story takes place around the halfway point of the "Durarara!" anime series.
It is also possibly subject to slight tweaks from canon; may be considered AU.
Please excuse the lame title of this story.

Disclaimer: "Angel Beats!" is property of Aniplex, P.A. Works, ASCII Media Works, Key, Jun Maeda, etc.
"Durarara!" is property of Aniplex, Brain's Base, ASCII Media Works, Ryohgo Narita, Square Enix, etc.
Song translation is from Atashi's website "Words of Songs."

Dullahan Beats!

Twenty years. That was how long Celty Sturluson had been in this foreign land, this country, this city. She had stormed off after Shinra had once again told her she should stop looking for her head. He didn't understand, or maybe he did; but then that made what he said worse. Her cell phone rang, and she looked at the screen; not because she was expecting it to be Shinra, but because it might have been another job for her. Sure enough, she was to pick up and deliver another package. She didn't know who the client was, but personally, she was glad if she found out the job had nothing to do with Orihara Izaya. Then again, being Izaya, it was possible he had to do with anything.

Iradachi o doko ni butsukeru ka sagashiteru aida ni owaru hi
Sora wa haiiro o shite sono saki wa nani mo mienai
Joushiki butteru yatsu ga waratteru tsugi wa donna uso o iu?
Sore de erareta mono daiji ni kazatte okeru no?
Demo asu e to susumanakya naranai
Dakara kou utau yo

The day ends while I'm searching for where I can vent my irritations to
The sky turns gray and I can't see anything beyond it
Those who feign common sense are laughing; what kind of lies will they tell next?
Can you leave the things gotten that way carefully displayed?
But I must move forward to tomorrow
So I'll sing like this

Celty was in the same courtyard, by herself, where she had once sat with Heiwajima Shizuo. It was strange, how since she had come to this place she had managed to become acquaintances with a number of its inhabitants. Those who knew she really was a headless rider, a dullahan, even treated her as if she were human. Although, sometimes she had to wonder if she wasn't more normal than they were. Regardless, she found herself growing attached to Ikebukuro and its people. As a dullahan she had traveled alone with only her faithful steed for company. Here, she was able to find something brighter.

Naiteru kimi koso kodoku na kimi koso
Tadashii yo ningen rashii yo
Otoshita namida ga kou iu yo
Konna ni mo utsukushii uso ja nai hontou no bokura o arigatou

It's you who are crying, it's you who are lonely
You're right, you're being human
Tears I've shed will say this
It's not a lie that it's so beautiful, even like this; thank you for our true selves

She speculated whether she had ever felt such emotions when she was in Ireland. – She needed her head if she wanted to clearly remember the past. No matter what Shinra said, or how accustomed she became to Ikebukuro, she would never give up her search. She knew it was here, somewhere… knowing it was so close both comforted and frustrated her. The day when she would finally have her head back in her arms… she would consider what she would do from then on afterward.

Kanaetai yume ya todokanai yume ga aru koto
Sore jitai ga yume ni nari kibou ni nari hito wa ikite ikerun daro
Tobira wa aru soko de matte iru
Dakara te o nobasu yo

There are dreams you want to fulfill and dreams you can't reach
That itself turns into a dream, turns into hope, and people are able to live on, right?
A door exists; it's waiting there
So I'll reach out my hands

For the first time since she had sat down Celty regarded her surroundings. There weren't many people around; which suited her just fine, since she wouldn't have to deal with anyone getting overexcited about seeing the Headless Rider. It made her question however, why the girl across the quadrangle had chosen here to perform. Not only was she playing her acoustic guitar in a place with little foot traffic, but she was standing next to the murmuring fountain. Still, the noise from the flowing water didn't impede Celty from listening to her song. In fact, the girl's voice sounded quite clear, reeling in Celty's attention like a fishing line.

Kujiketa kimi ni wa mou ichido tatakaeru tsuyosa to jishin to kono uta o
Otoshita namida ga kou iu yo
Konna ni mo yogorete minikui sekai de deaeta kiseki ni arigatou

For you who are crushed, here's the strength and confidence for you to be able to fight again and my song
Tears I've shed will say this
Thank you to the miracle that we were able to meet in a dirty and ugly world, even like this

In an instant, something tugged at Celty's consciousness. The girl's voice was not only clear – it was jarringly familiar. It was a familiarity tied to memories Celty recalled from the past – when she would utter the name of the person she was to take into death. It was that voice – the voice of the singing girl. Without thinking, Celty abruptly rose from where she was sitting. In this same place, where she had seen a girl who had her face; now there was a girl who had her voice.

Yet she had to be careful if she wanted to approach her. The last time Celty had gone after a girl who reminded her of herself, Harima Mika, the girl had fled in a fright. When she saw another girl whom the singer appeared to know join her, Celty took it as her chance. The likelihood of her becoming frightened off would be less if she had a friend with her. As casually as she could, the dullahan walked toward them.

The first to notice her approaching was the girl's friend; a female in her teen years with long chestnut hair tied into a high ponytail. Her silver eyes widened as she watched Celty draw near and a hand clamped onto her friend's shoulder. "Iwasawa! It's the Headless Rider!"

"Hisako, stop shaking me! You're acting like Sekine."

Celty stopped a short distance from them and studied the girl named 'Iwasawa.' As odd as it may have been to think, her head looked nothing like Celty's. Her magenta hair was long enough to touch her shoulders, and her eyes of vermillion were observing Celty in the most nonchalant manner she had ever seen of someone who laid eyes upon her.

"… the Headless Rider?"

Quickly, Celty took out her PDA and ran her fingers across the screen.

"Please, call me Celty," Iwasawa read off the device held in front of her.

"Uwa, she can communicate in Japanese," Hisako said in surprise.

The soft sound of Celty's gloved fingers typing preceded another message. [If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to speak with you, Iwasawa-san.]

Though the screen was directed to Iwasawa, as close as she was, Hisako read the request as well. Something about this seemed strange. Before Iwasawa could respond, Hisako stretched an arm out across her and said to Celty, "Hang on a minute. I know I called you the Headless Rider, but who are you, really?" She stared into Celty's visor; but no matter how much she concentrated, she couldn't see any sign of a person within the stylized helmet.

Iwasawa placed a hand on Hisako's arm and gently pushed it down. "Hisako, relax."

"Iwasa-"

She placated her friend with a smile and an assurance: "I'm not going to disappear again any time soon."

Naturally, Celty didn't understand the meaning behind Iwasawa's words; but they seemed to have some effect, as the brunette looked momentarily stricken before subsiding into a sulk.

Iwasawa turned to the dullahan and said, "I'm sorry, but I have a band meeting to go to. If you'd like however, I can exchange contact information with you."

Celty nodded her consent and produced her cell phone.

- Chatroom -

Kanra: Hey~ Did you know? There's supposedly a new gang hanging around the area!

Setton: Eh? Really?

Tanaka Tarou: Is it another colour gang? Or…?

Kanra: They don't use colours, nope. They have a kind of emblem instead. It's like a shield with three S's on it.

Tanaka Tarou: Three S's?

Setton: What do they mean?

Kanra: Who knows~?

Setton: You actually know, don't you?

Kanra: Ehhh? How can you assume something like that?

Tanaka Tarou: Do you know what the group is like?

Kanra: Hmmm, they pretty much keep to themselves, like the Dollars.

Tanaka Tarou: Like the Dollars, huh…

Kanra: Well, they haven't been in the news like the Dollars though. Maybe it's more accurate to say they're a private club?

Setton: Why bring it up, then?

Kanra: Why not? It has a mysterious feel to it like the Headless Rider, doesn't it? You might even meet one of the members some day.

Tanaka Tarou: I wouldn't even know it if I did.

Setton: That's true. Ah, I'll be logging off now. Goodnight!

Tanaka Tarou: Goodnight, Setton-san! I'll be going too, I have to wake up early. Bye!

Kanra: Aww, okay. 'Night you two~!

-Setton-san has left the chatroom-

-Tanaka Tarou-san has left the chatroom-

-Kanra-san has left the chatroom-

- One Evening -

"So what did you want to talk to me about?"

Iwasawa and Celty were sitting next to each other on a park bench in south Ikebukuro. The sailor suit next to a rider suit combination appeared to be just as effective at deterring park-goers from approaching them as the bartender suit next to a rider suit combination. Celty was thankful for that, because she didn't want to have their conversation interrupted.

[I know this is going to sound strange, but your voice – it sounds exactly like mine.]

After reading the text, Iwasawa looked at Celty. "Hnnn… How do you know that if you have no head?"

Even more surprising that the detached expression on the girl's face was the ease with which she asked that question. She didn't look at all disturbed by the possibility that there was a living being with no head beside her. Rather, Celty was the one who was surprised.

[Well, when I used to have my head and it would speak… your voice is what it sounded like.]

Iwasawa's eyes widened a fraction – the only change in her expression. "… Do you really have no head?"

Celty hesitated. If Iwasawa asked to see underneath her helmet, she would show her, like she had with the boy Ryuugamine Mikado. She had a feeling Iwasawa wouldn't scream even if she didn't ask her not to. What she did not want however was for other people in the park to see.

[Do you want me to show you?]

Iwasawa glanced up at her. Even with no head, Celty's particular brand of the senses could see the girl's regarding scarlet eyes in the twilight. It was a nonjudgmental sort of look, the kind which she would expect to find from Shizuo during one of their conversations.

"No. It's alright. I don't know what you expect me to say, though. It's only a coincidence, isn't it?"

[Perhaps, but… it's somehow reassuring to hear my voice, even though it's actually your own.]

If there were a head underneath Celty's helmet, Iwasawa would have been staring her in the eyes. "So? What do you want to do about it?"

In truth, Celty hadn't planned on what to do once she had the chance to speak with the girl. All she knew was that she wanted to talk with her. If she kept the conversation going, she could listen to the voice that sounded like her own for at least a little while.

[I'll tell you about myself. Would you mind doing the same?]

It was Iwasawa's turn to hesitate. It wasn't that she minded talking about herself; but there were certain parts about her past she wasn't sure would be prudent to share with an outsider. A certain girl with a ribbon in her hair mightn't have approved anyway. Of course, it wasn't necessary to tell this person everything. For now she assented to speaking a little about herself; after Celty had explained who she was, where she was from, and why she was here in Japan.

- Another Chatroom -

Shiorin: She said you have her voice?

Miyukichi: That's kind of creepy…

Hisako: What's with that? And is she really a headless rider?

Iwasawa: Yeah, she said she's a dullahan.

Shiorin: A what?

Christ: A dullahan – a headless Irish fairie whom acts as death's herald, riding a black horse and carrying its head underneath one arm.

Hinacchi: Ohh, I didn't know you were knowledgeable about kind of stuff too, Takeyama.

Christ: I'm not, I simply Googled it. And call me Christ.

Takamatsu: I believe it's also an enemy from the "Golden Sun" video game series.

Yurippe: We don't need to know that.

TK: Game Over!

Iwasawa: She's in Ikebukuro looking for her head. Apparently it went missing while she was in Ireland.

Matsushita: That's a long a distance for a head to travel. How did it get here?

Yurippe: Obviously some sicko stole it! Whoever has it now must be an even bigger sicko!

Otonashi: Is 'sicko' your favorite word now?

Ooyama: Isn't anyone else bothered by the fact that we're talking about a headless fairy in Japan?

Otonashi: We all thought Kanade was an angel for a while.

Ooyama: But that was in the afterlife.

Shiinacchi: How shallow-minded.

Yurippe: Quit being so inflexible, Ooyama-kun! Anyway, it looks like the urban legend about the Headless Rider is actually true.

Hisako: Iwasawa, did you actually see she had no head?

Iwasawa: She offered to show me but I said she didn't have to. The second time she offered she said we could do it somewhere in private.

Yui-nyan: Wha – wait! What's Iwasawa-senpai doing in private?

Hinacchi: Dummy, read the log before commenting.

Yui-nyan: Who are you calling dummy, idiot? I wanted to get in on the action right away!

Hinacchi: If you want to get in on the action then take the time to learn what we're discussing!

Otonashi: If you two are going to carry on like this you should probably PM one another.

Iwasawa: I didn't think she had a reason to lie about it after what she told me.

Fujimaki: Maybe she's just trying to be trendy.

Otonashi: What's so trendy about having no head?

Hinacchi: A lot of people seem to have no head these days. You know, like Noda.

Noda: What did you say?

Iwasawa: I spoke with her for a while, but I didn't tell her anything about our past or the Shinda Sekai Sensen.

Yurippe: That's probably for the best. Someone who acts as death's herald might have mixed feelings about our situation. If she wants to continue meeting, be careful about it.

Iwasawa: Alright.

Yurippe: Okay, that'll be all for now. Dismissed!

- Somewhere in Tokyo -

Although it was well into the evening, there were many places in Tokyo still buzzing with people. One such place was an internet café where two girls had taken up a couple of computers by the far wall. If any nosy passerby's had glanced at their screens, they would have wondered at them being in the same chatroom.

One of the girls turned to the other after logging out. "Are you going to meet her again?"

The other girl casually replied, "She asked if contacting me again would be alright and I said it'd be fine."

The chair squeaked as its occupant crossed her arms and leant back. "I'm still uneasy about it. This is the supernatural we're dealing with after all."

"Right, because we've never had to deal with that before." A slight smirk accompanied the sarcastic reply.

"That was different. We were dead back then."

Considering ruby eyes met disquieted silver. "I never knew you to be such a worrier, Hisako."

Hisako stared. "I'm not worried. I'm concerned."

"That's the same thing."

Rolling her seat back, Hisako grabbed her bag and stood. "I don't know about you, Iwasawa-san, but I'm going home."

Iwasawa rested her arm on her chair's backrest. "Home? What are you planning to eat? We don't have anything."

"– Ah." A look of feeble realization appeared on Hisako's face.

With a slight sigh of exasperation, Iwasawa got to her feet with her book bag in hand. "Let's go buy some groceries."

A/N: The song Iwasawa sings is "My Song" from "Angel Beats!"
Miyuki Sawashiro is the Japanese voice actress for Celty and Iwasawa.
Shinda Sekai Sensen = Afterlife Battlefront