There were floating lights all around me, and I was drifting in nothingness.
I peered at the colorful orbs bouncing from place to place through my half- closed eyes.
As I opened them, the orbs scattered and I was falling through the darkness.
Where was I falling to?
I was browsing through my online chat history with Kanra, Taro Tanaka and Setton on the Dollars' website. I had been invited to join a few months ago, by an anonymous text message saying:
You have been invited to join the dollars, if you accept please send back an empty message and you will get your username and password.
There are no rules, no orders, no restrictions. The members are free to do what it is they please.
I was intrigued and thought it a scam, but still sent back an empty message, and approximately an hour later I had already logged into the website under the username "Lokant". Needless to say, I thought it all very interesting. However the menu was confusing and I was still looking for the chatrooms when I got pm'd from a user named Kanra.
PM Mode
Kanra: You new here?
Lokant: Yeah, still can't find the chat...
Kanra: It's in the main menu on the left handside of the screen.
I had looked, and voila! My blind eyes finally saw the small icon "chatrooms". I groaned, slamming my head on the keyboard. Baka. Baka. Baka. When I looked up at the screen, I saw I had accidentally sent a load of gibberish to Kanra when I was facekeyboarding.
Lokant: tlalvnco fmskaple,.el :$;3'oaj
Kanra: Did you just slam your forehead on the keyboard, or were you having a seizure?
Lokant: The first option.
Kanra: Thought so. So where're you from, Lokant?
Lokant: Shiki, and you?
Kanra: Ikebukuro.
Lokant: Really? I'm moving there in a few months!
Kanra: Really? That's great!
Kanra: Oh, I'm curious- are you a girl or a guy?
Lokant: Hmmmmmmm, interesting question... I'm a SWEETOOTH :P
Kanra: so a girl :D
Lokant: O.o... How'd you know?
Kanra: You just told me.
I popped a pop vein, thinking I was stupid
Lokant: So what about you?
Kanra: I'll keep that a secret for now ~
Lokant: Bleh. You're annoying.
Kanra: Glad you like me ^_^
We had continued chatting through the night, and the next day he invited me to join a chatroom he liked. His exact words were - "Fufufu, it's interesting ;)." And so I had joined the chatroom in which I'd made my first dollar friends. Kanra was annoying. Not a friend.
-Tanaka Tarou has logged in-
Tanaka Tarou: Good evening
Setton: Evening.
Saika: Good evening.
Kanra: Good good good evening! We've got a new person here with us today, so let's welcome Lokant!
Lokant: Hey guys.
Setton: Hey, Lokant, so how're you finding the Dollars?
Lokant: Fine I guess, though the gang's not as scary as everyone rumored it to be...
Kanra: There are more rumors
Lokant: And Kanra is annoying. Who agrees?
Setton: I do
Tanaka Tarou: Me too
Saika: I don't really know...
Tanaka Tarou: Come on, Saika! We all know Kanra is annoying, there's no need to be shy!
Lokant: You guys are funny. For how long have you known each other?
Kanra: For all Eternity :3
Setton: Shut up, Kanra.
Saika: W- well it's been a year maybe... Or more?
Tanaka Tarou: Probably more...
Kanra: But it's been fuuuuuuuun~
Setton: For you, Kanra?
Kanra: Awwwwwwwww, are we denying we've had fun? .=
Lokant: There is no "we", Kanra!
Kanra: You guys are being cruel TT_TT...
Kanra: Then I'll leave you~
-Kanra has logged out-
Lokant: Oh look, the annoyance has left. Good riddance.
Tanaka Tarou: Uhm, Lokant, Kanra CAN be annoying, but most of the time he's a walking information encyclopedia and he warns us of stuff we didn't even know of... So in his own way, it's like he's looking out for us...
Setton: *silence*
Saika: W- well, I agree...
Setton: You are right.
Setton: But he's still annoying!
Lokant: WAIT, SO KANRA IS A HE?
Tanaka Tarou: Didn't he tell you?
Setton: Tanaka, if Lokant is asking, it's obvious he didn't.
Lokant: Well now I know... Thanks, guys.
Setton: Welcome. Anyway, I really have to go now.
Saika: Same here.
Tanaka Tarou: Bye guys
-Setton has logged out-
-Saika has logged out-
Lokant: Sorry, Tanaka, I have to go too
Tanaka Tarou: It's fine, we'll talk later
Lokant: Bye
-Lokant has logged out-
-Tanaka Tarou has logged out-
I smiled, remembering that first time I'd met them online- Setton, Tanaka and Saika. It had been fun, and I was quickly accepted into the group. I made my icon visible at the website now.
-Lokant has logged in-
Lokant: Hey, anyone here?
Kanra: hellO, Lokant- chaaaan! We've just been discussing the mysterious phenomenon of the 'Black Rider'
Lokant: Oh, you mean the headless rider everyone's been scared of lately?
Kanra: You've got your information correct as usual, Lokant- chan! Where DO you find these things?
Lokant: I read =_=
Setton: I think it's just a mere rumor, and that the 'Black Rider' is simply a street biker.
Tanaka Tarou: I mean, the Black Rider can't really exist, can he?
Lokant: Awwww, Tanaka- kun, got your panties in a twist?
Tanaka Tarou: NO!
Tanaka Tarou: I just think it's scary...
Kanra: Oh, but the black rider is very real, and it doesn't have a head.
Shocked, I doublechecked the screen just to make sure my eyes weren't playing tricks on me. Could it be Ikebukuro had acquired a Dulahan? I pursed my lips in thought. The last time I had heard of any such creature was in Ireland during my holidays... Then again, the Irish tend to think a black cat superstitious... Realizing I hadn't been replying to the popup messages, I snapped my eyes back to the screen and scrolled up.
Tanaka Tarou: You creeped me out, Kanra. I think I'll go to bed.
-Tanaka Tarou has logged out-
Setton: Yeah, that's just creepy. I think I'll go too.
-Setton has logged out-
Kanra: Looks like it's just me and you left, eh, Lokant?
Lokant: Yeah, speaking of which, why did you creep poor Tanaka out like that?
Kanra: I was simply telling the truth.
Lokant: Oh REALLY? A Dulahan in IKEBUKURO? How is THAT the truth?
I fumed, and as the minutes ticked by, and I gradually cooled, I realized there was silence in the chatroom.
Lokant: Kanra?
Kanra: Hmm? Oh yes, sorry for not replying. I was just looking things up. You're arriving at Ikebukuro tomorrow, right?
Lokant: You're avoiding the topic, but yes.
Kanra: There are two people you need to beware of there, Lokant- chan.
Lokant: Really? Whom?
Kanra: Shizuo Heiwajima and Izaya Orihara. Now, ta ta, I need to get going~
Lokant: See you I hope...
Kanra: Why the pessimistic mood?
Lokant: Oh, no reason. It just seems our chat about the Dulahans has been deleted some minutes ago...
Kanra: Oh really? Hm, must be a system glitch. Anyways, bye bye~
-Kanra has logged out-
-Lokant has logged out-
I tilted back in my chair, closing my eyes as the screen went black.
Tomorrow I'd be in Ikebukuro. A place I'd wanted to move to all my life. And I'd see him again. Probably. No, most certainly. What would my reaction be? Would I slap him? Or would I hug the idiot? Would he even remember me? Recognize me? I sighed. No use dwelling on it, I'll find out tomorrow.