Updates every Monday! Yay for schedules!
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN INUYASHA, DURARARA, OR ANY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE CHARACTERS! I ONLY OWN THIS STORY!
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Chapter 1
There once was a girl.
She was not memorable, nor strong; not smart, nor good-looking. She was simply nobody, a stranger to this world.
And her world as well.
The past was not concrete, but it was not abstract. It was simply there, forever buried in her consciousness.
It was impossible to forget, impossible to remember.
No.
That wasn't quite right.
She would not forget. Her past…
It was the truth. It was a lie.
It was reality.
It was her reality.
XXX
Izaya was bored.
No, it wasn't like he didn't have anything to do. He could, he supposed, make more people's lives miserable, whether it was by gathering new information or selling his records and watching his beloved humans from there—but lately, this type of day had become rather… mundane. And tedious. Ever since the almost gang war between Ikebukuro's top elite, his priorities had changed. Well, that wasn't entirely true; they had changed, but not for anything better. He still wished to watch his humans suffer, but since Simon had… persuaded him, so to speak, he knew that things had to die down, if only for a moment, in Ikebukuro.
"Ah, but really, it's so boring~ What do you think I should do, Namie-chan?"
The one called Namie did not answer, did not even grace him with a glance. She seemed calm and collected, a valuable pawn to Izaya, but on the inside, she was seething. She absolutely despised being called Namie-chan (save for Seiji, if he ever said it) and hated it even more when the Izaya mentioned it. But honestly, she was glad to be able to finish her paperwork. Izaya's schemes always had a way of putting her behind work at Yagiri Pharmaceuticals; and according to her uncle, unless she started busting her ass off, she'd most likely lose her job. She had a sneaking suspicion that Izaya already knew that and that's why he was so adamant about interrupting her work. Things would become interesting if she lost her job and he knew it. Damned bastard.
"Maybe you should take a break," she said as she typed up file after file. "You know, find a woman who can take care of you. Clean your apartment. Or…" she smirked as she said this, "you could go work part time for that Russian Sushi place. I'm sure you could get plenty of entertainment there."
Izaya chuckled. "Ah, but Namie-chan~ I already have a job~ After all, you're my assistant, right? What if I stopped working when you lost your job? We both know it's inevitable." At Namie's incredulous look, Izaya continued happily, "What would you do then? Surely Seiji-kun wouldn't be impressed with a homeless, jobless sister. He'd have to fall in love with that Harima Mika, wouldn't he? Or maybe fall even more in love with that head~ After all, if I'm no longer an informant and you're fired from Yagiri Pharmaceuticals, well, that head could join some interesting company~"
Namie slammed her hand down on the desk. "That's none of your concern. Fine—you want an idea? Why not continue your war with that cursed blade, Saika? I know how much you despise that human loving sword, so why don't you get rid of it?"
Izaya placed his fingers on his chin, as though he was thinking deeply. Truth be told, she did have a valuable point, but he couldn't necessarily get rid of the blade forever. There were many possibilities of using Sunohara Anri, far too many for him to even consider, so completely destroying the blade would be pointless. And selling it? He might as well be handing an army to a beggar. Not that it wouldn't make for interesting entertainment, though.
Finally, just when Namie thought Izaya had finally shut up, he smirked. "That is an interesting idea, Namie-chan~ I'll look into it. Making Saika disappear—what a feat! Or maybe…" he smiled a shark's grin, "we could give it to a different host. I highly doubt that sword's picky, so finding another wielder wouldn't be an issue. Ah, so many ideas~ You've been a big help, Namie-chan!"
Namie growled. "Don't call me that." But Izaya simply smirked and put on his parka, a sign that he was going out. If Namie had known then how much her world would have changed, she would've taken her idea back. Not like it would've stopped Izaya from doing what he pleased, but at least she would've done something. But alas, she was more worried about her paperwork than some off-kilter genius informant.
XXX
In her reality, she was a parasite.
She was nothing, so she sucked the happiness of others for herself. Like a parasite, she was small and insignificant. Like a parasite, she was alone.
But it did not bother her. This was simply how things were. They would not change, not for anything better or worse. Not like she wanted them to change.
Like a parasite, she could not be loved. She was destroyed even before she had a chance to express anything, and the few that let her stay were unaware of how detrimental she actually was. It's simply people like these that simply need to…
…disappear.
XXX
"Ah! Sunohara-san!"
A young boy ran at top speed, his blue eyes clouded with suppressed tears. He had never been a ridiculously athletic individual, but once he had seen Sunohara Anri, he couldn't help running. She was one of his closest friends, save for Kida Masaomi, who had left after fighting the Yellow Scarves. This boy, this rather boring and mundane boy, was the one and only Ryugamine Mikado—the leader of the Dollars and best friends with the founder of the Yellow Scarves and the notorious Slasher.
"Ryugamine-kun." Mikado had finally reached her, but as of now, he was catching his breath. Really, how could people run for miles on end? He had barely run down three flights of steps and he was already feeling winded! Hoping he didn't appear like a lunatic on steroids, he smiled up at Anri.
"Is everything okay? You didn't come by the classroom this afternoon and I was worried." Plus, he added silently, it's too weird walking home alone. Ever since the Yellow Scarves incident, Mikado had despised being alone. It felt almost… surreal, in a sense, as if everything was like fragile glass, waiting to be broken. It wasn't far from the truth; ever since moving to Ikebukuro, Mikado's tedious days from back in Saitama never seemed to reappear. The peace was always being shattered, the days finding new twisted ways to hurt everyone he loved. That was the problem.
But also the solution.
Anri looked at him, her blank expression giving away nothing as per usual. There were so many thoughts running through her head though; everything, from Kida's sudden departure to Mikado's sudden change in attitude; from the threat of the Yellow Scarves to the mystery of the Dollars; everything buzzed around in her head like white noise. One thought stuck out more than the others.
I love humans. I love, love, LOVE humans! Humans are amazing—!
But like it had been for the last five years, she was able to drown out that voice. Something was strange though; lately, Saika seemed almost… eager, as if she knew something was coming. The feelings Anri got from the cursed blade (besides her adoration) were of anticipation, trepidation, and a little bit of happiness. Every time Anri tried to communicate with her though, the blade would get uncannily quiet. Sure, it was nice; after all, Anri finally had a break from the sadistic voice, the cruel taunting, the feeling of wanting to slice everything and everybody…
"Sunohara-san? Are you okay?"
Anri snapped out her trance, blinking her eyes in hopes of destroying those inane thoughts. "E-everything's fine."
Mikado didn't look convinced, but he decided to let it slide, mainly because he knew that if he pushed too hard, Anri would just close up. Then he really would have to walk home alone. "Well, in any case," he smiled, gesturing towards the sunset, "let's be on our way, shall we?"
She could only nod.
XXX
People like these need to disappear.
Forever. They need to simply go away.
Be it by death, by abduction, by running away, it doesn't matter. They need to leave, go away, and never return.
At least, that's what I've always thought.
XXX
It was a beautiful day. The birds were chirping, the sun was shining, and the trees were swaying with a gentle breeze. Flowers grew around a single well, butterflies meandered through the air, and rabbits hopped along the pasture, completely oblivious to everything. It was peaceful. Nothing could possibly go wrong—
"Inuyasha! SIT BOY!"
A loud, painful echo resounded through the trees, causing numerous birds to fly away in annoyance. The momentary peace was broken, destroyed, as a strange sight played out. A man, one with long silver hair, a red kimono, and a sword attached to his hip, was lying in the middle of the crater. That wasn't even the weirdest part. He also had two dog ears—two twitching dog ears—lying atop his head, somehow appearing completely natural. There was also a woman, one with shoulder length black hair, hazel eyes, and wearing a green school uniform, who was standing at the edge of the crater, her hands on her hips and her chest heaving from exertion. If God was looking down at the scene, it would've been strange indeed.
"Ow! What the hell was that for Kagome?!"
"I'm going home whether you like it or not! I have to make up school!"
"But we need to find the jewel shards!"
That was the wrong course of action. Heaving in another sigh, Kagome yelled, "SIT BOY!"
The crater deepened.
Taking a deep, calming breath, Kagome took her hands off her hips, knowing full well that yelling at Inuyasha would be like yelling at a brick wall. "I'm not just your Jewel Detector; I'm a human being too. I have a life, preferably back in my own time."
"We still need to get the jewel shards…"
Kagome took another deep breath, trying desperately to reign in her anger and reiterated, "I have to go, Inuyasha." At his dejected look, she continued hurriedly, "I mean, it's not like I'm gonna be gone forever or anything. I'll be back in three, four days max. You won't even know I'm gone."
Inuyasha opened his mouth, as though he had something to say, before he decided against it. He scowled instead. "Fine. I'll give you three days. But if you're not back in time…"
Kagome huffed, but smiled anyways. "I got it. I'll see you later, Inuyasha!" And with that, she jumped through the well, leaving the sulking Inuyasha behind.
XXX
"Mama! I'm home!"
Kagome made her way through the old fashioned shoji doors. She took her shoes off at the door as her mother came and greeted her, her matching hazel eyes smiling happily. Kun-loon Higurashi grabbed her daughter's empty yellow backpack, placed it behind her, and said, "There's a bath ready for you upstairs. Dinner will be ready soon as well. How have you been?"
Kagome smiled tiredly. "Fine, I guess. Inuyasha was being obstinate as usual; he was freaking out because I said I was leaving. Sometimes I feel like he forgets I actually have a life."
Her mother nodded. "That's just how boys are, honey. But I think you're not giving Inuyasha enough credit. Do you think maybe he just enjoys your company?"
Kagome gave a little chuckle, knowing full well that wasn't the reason. "Thanks Mama but I don't think that's it. I think I will go take that bath now."
Kun-loon smiled, happy her daughter seemed to be in better spirits, before a thought struck her. "Ah Kagome—there's something I have to tell you."
"What?"
Kun-loon bit her lip, not sure if she should share this tidbit of information, but knew she had to anyways. "Well, you see… Anri-chan is coming to visit this week and I think it'll be good for both you and her if you spent some time together—"
"What?! Mama, you can't be serious. You know I don't like Anri. I mean, sure, we're cousins, but ever since her parents died, she's been… well, Mama, she'd been weird. She's too quiet—"
"Kagome Higurashi," her mother boomed, the geniality gone from the atmosphere, "you will not speak about your cousin that way. Anri-chan's life hasn't been easy and you of all people should understand what it's like to lose a parent."
"But Mama—,"
"No 'buts'. Whether you like it or not, you and Anri will be spending time together. I'm sorry, Kagome, but if you plan on living in this house, then you're going to have to spend time with your cousin. Maybe you can get over all your differences if you spend some time together. Who knows?" She smiled and ruffled Kagome's hair. "Understand?"
Kagome lowered her head, but answered anyways with a, "Yes Mama. I promise to spend time with Anri. When is she visiting, anyways?"
A sheepish look came over Kun-loon's face—something Kagome decided that she did not like, not at all. Laughing nervously, Kun-loon replied, "Hehe… funny thing about that…"
"Mama?"
"She's um… she'll be here… tomorrow…"
"MAMA!"
Kun-loon went back into stern mother mode. "Now Kagome, remember what you promised me? It shouldn't matter when she's visiting or how long she's staying—you still have to spend time with her." Casually, as to not invoke suspicion, Kun-loon placed her hand on chin like she was in deep thought. "The water's probably getting cold. You wouldn't want to take a cold bath, would you?" Kagome noticed what her mother was doing, but she knew arguing would be pointless, so she decided to go against the snarky comment she had in mind. Sighing, she nodded.
"Yes Mama."
XXX
-Saika has entered the chat room-
-Taro Tanaka has entered the chat room-
Taro Tanaka: Ah, good evenin' Saika-san. How've you been?
Saika: I've been better. It seems my aunt wants me to pay a visit.
Taro Tanaka: Oh?
Saika: Yeah—something about not seeing her or my cousin for three years. I don't know why she cares so much, but I came to let you guys know that I won't be on here for a while.
Taro Tanaka: Well, that sounds like fun, Saika-san! I hope you enjoy yourself :)
Saika: Thank you, Taro-kun. That means a lot. But I keep feeling like something is going to go wrong…
-Setton has entered the chat room-
Setton: Evenin' guys. How've ya been?
Setton: Wait…
Setton: You're leaving, Saika?
Saika: Ah—good evening to you too, Setton-san. And yes—I'll be away at my cousin's house for a week or so. She lives in a small town, so it's probably going to be way different from 'bukuro O.O
Taro Tanaka: Haha, probably! Can't imagine what you'd look like in a small town, Saika-san.
Setton: Definitely! Who knows, maybe something strange will happen! Like something out of a manga…
Saika: I guess :) Well I gotta go guys. I still have a lot of packing to do :(
Taro Tanaka: Night, Saika-san! Talk to you when you get back!
Setton: Yep, same! Night Saika!
Saika: Night guys!
-Saika has left the chat room-
Taro Tanaka: Well, I gotta go too! Talk to you later Setton-san!
Setton: Talk to you later!
-Taro Tanaka has left the chat room-
-Setton has left the chat room-
…
-Kanra has entered the chat room-
Kanra: Helllllllloooooooooooo~ Anybody theeeeeeerrrrrrrreee?
Kanra: Well, looks like no one's on. How boring~
Kanra: Hmm~?
Kanra: Saika's leaving?
Kanra: How…interesting :D
-Kanra has left the chat room-
XXX
Stay tuned for the next chapter!