Yes, I know, new story. At least this time, I actually finished one story of mine before starting a new one. I recently got into this series and, once again, my imagination takes over. I'm just putting this here to get the idea out of my head. The story is still a bit rough, but I have a general idea as to where to take it.
Anyway, I'll go ahead and see what you guys think about this first chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Durarara.
Chapter 1
It was just another day in Ikebukuro. There hadn't been much worth listening to except for the ongoing Slasher attacks. The number of victims had been piling up now.
The excitement of the first Dollars' meeting had already wound down during the last few months.
However, it seemed that something new has, yet again, come up.
It started as a few rumors. Then it grew into a fact that had spread throughout the internet. Especially in a certain chat room.
Tanaka Taro: Hey! Did you guys about that famous writer who's supposed to come here for a book release?
Setton: Yeah.
Kanra: Did you know that the author used to live here in Ikebukuro?
Tanaka Taro: Really? But I was told she was born in America.
Kanra: She was. But she lived a few years in Tokyo when growing up before moving back.
Tanaka Taro: Did you know her? Was she a friend?
Kanra: LOL. That's a funny joke.
Tanaka Taro: ?
Setton: It's said that her book is based off of Ikebukuro. That's why she's coming here for the Japanese release.
Tanaka Taro: Oh, I guess that's why everyone here seems excited about it. It didn't make sense to me when this was the first time I heard about her.
Kanra: Well, she's a silent person who doesn't stick out, so odds are people still won't notice her even when she comes.
Tanaka Taro: It sounds like you know her.
Kanra: A lot of people know her. However, not many people were actually her friends.
Tanaka Taro: Huh?
Setton: I have to go.
Tanaka Taro: Bye.
Kanra: I need to go too. Later!
After signing out of the chat room, Izaya reclined in his chair.
"Ah yes, an old face is returning. I wonder if she's any different from before." He tilted his head back, thinking for a second.
"Hmm . . . probably not. Which means that nothing exciting will probably happen from her visit. Oh well, it's not like this changes any of my plans. Although, I do wonder if that monster will react the same way he did when she was around." He smirked as an idea formed in his head.
"Then again, maybe I can have some fun after all." He returned his attention to the shogi board on the table.
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It was late evening in Ikebukuro. People were bustling about, a lot of them in yellow clothing. However, that wasn't the current concerns of a certain sushi chef and debt collector.
"Shizuo! Come eat at Russia Sushi! Russia Sushi is good!"
"Not now Simon. I'm working," said Shizuo as he passed by with Tom.
"Okay. Come by later when you see your friend." Shizuo looked over his shoulder at the black Russian sushi chef.
"What do you mean?" he asked, genuinely curious while looking over his shades.
"Oh? Haven't you heard? Lizzie is coming back to town."
"Lizzie?" Shizuo thought back, trying to remember who Lizzie was. The name suggested that the person was foreign . . .
"Lizzie? Isn't that the name of a girl you knew in middle school?" asked Tom, recognizing the name. That was when Shizuo remembered. Elizabeth Robinson, otherwise known as Lizzie. He remembered her.
"She is? How do you know that, Simon?" he asked.
"Didn't you know? She wrote a book. It got very popular in America and they're going to do a Japanese release. The book release isn't until next week, but I heard she is going to be in town soon. Maybe within the next day or so. If you find her, bring her over to Russia Sushi to catch up!"
Shizuo nodded.
"Will do." With that, he walked off with Tom.
"This is surprising. I heard that a writer from America was coming over for a book release, but I didn't think it would be Lizzie. Small world, isn't it?" said Tom. Shizuo nodded.
"Yeah. I remember that she used to write a lot, but I'm still somewhat surprised that she became successful with it. I thought she was convinced that no one would want to read her work. She even kept most of her writings from me. Do you know what that book is about?" asked Shizuo.
"I think it's about Ikebukuro. That's the reason why so many people are looking forward to it, even though she was technically a foreigner when she lived here."
"Hmm . . ." Tom looked over his shoulder to see Shizuo looking down, as though in thought.
"Want me to see when she gets here? It's been years since you've last seen her," offered Tom. Shizuo shook his head.
"No thanks. I'm bound to see her around town. She'll probably be out in the open to see if anything's changed here. I'll run into her eventually," said Shizuo.
"Okay. Have it your way." With that, they continued to go collect debts from people who would either pay up or face Shizuo's wrath.
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The nightlife was now in full swing. Hazel eyes scanned their surroundings, taking in every detail. She was sure that she could see some differences between what she was seeing and what she had kept in her memory. But that hardly mattered. The fact was that the city was still there. It was still huge. And she was back.
However, she was filled with fear and anxiety. She didn't want to be back. She shouldn't be back. She needed to be far, far, far, far away from here. And then even further than that.
Damn that agent of hers! The first chance she got, she needed to strangle him. She had told him explicitly that she didn't want to be there for the book release. Yes, the book was based on this city, and yes, she did live here before, but that didn't mean that she wanted to be back. She couldn't be back.
But that persistent bastard had already told the publishers that she would be there. As much as she wasn't prone to violent tendencies, she really wanted to throttle him.
However, that was going to have to wait. What was important now was that she crushed down this growing sense of nostalgia and avoided everyone. Period.
As soon as that thought left her head, she heard a noise that was trying to overpower her with nostalgia. It was a braying horse and tires screeching.
Great. She needed to get out of here now.
She turned away from the direction of the sound and hurried her way down the street. She prayed that, since she'd never published a book down here, she wouldn't be recognized. So far, she seemed to have some luck with that.
Then she looked to her right to see a vending machine flying up into the air from behind a building. And there was only one person that came to mind with that kind of strength.
Fuck! Why him of all people? She picked up her pace. Where the hell was that hotel now?
As she started to reach a well-lit area, she started hearing someone calling out about sushi. Out of curiosity, she turned her head. CRAP! It was Simon! That guy knew how to sneak up on people like some kind of Russian ninja!
She quickly turned away and walked at a brisk pace, hoping that he wouldn't see her. She was hoping that all of these years away would make her less recognizable to others, but she couldn't count on that with Simon.
"Hey! Miss!" She had absolutely no luck tonight. She got spotted by Simon of all people. But she didn't give up. She just continued walking down the street and around the corner. She didn't hear any signs of being followed. He probably thought she was just a random person to hand a flier to.
That was what she was telling herself.
Meanwhile, Simon was staring at where the woman disappeared around the corner.
"Hmm . . . maybe she didn't recognize me?" he pondered.
While Simon was thinking that he saw an old friend, the woman walked down the streets and through alleys, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. She couldn't afford any more close encounters.
She took a turn into another empty alleyway. As soon as she got back on the street, she was going to ask someone for directions to her hotel. It was late, and she knew that it wasn't safe to be out and about at night for anyone.
That was when things got really bad that night.
She stopped as she saw a couple of people, men from the looks of it, come around the corner and block off the end of the alleyway for her. She looked over her shoulder as she heard footsteps getting closer from behind.
Great, a few people in yellow clothing had trapped her in an alleyway.
"Well now. Look what we have here. What's a woman like you doing out alone at night like this?" asked one of the men. She didn't say anything. She just glared at them all with her cold hazel eyes.
"What's the matter? Can't talk? Are you scared of us?" asked the man condescendingly. Her glare intensified.
"Oh, trying to scare us now? Well, I'll be sure to show you you're place here. After all, you're being mugged here," he laughed.
"Oh really?" asked a raspy voice. Everyone froze as a pair of yellow eyes made themselves known to the group of people. The woman was frozen in fear, unable to speak or move.
Everything that happened afterwards involved a series of blood-curdling screams, followed by the sound of a braying horse as it came closer to the scene, its rider wondering what was going on.
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I am not an exciting person. To be honest, I don't think anyone would be interested in reading my life story. I'm just too dull of a person to lead a very exciting life.
After all, I'm not some traumatized teen who got pregnant or some shit. I'm not some rebel or thinks that the world is against her and that she should fight against the corporations, government, or some other thing that I really couldn't care less about.
I'm not impulsive. I'm not short-tempered and get into fights all the time. I don't go out of my way to cause fights (like a certain bastard I know). Hell, I'm not even talkative. Period.
And I'm sure as hell not part of some shitty vampire story that ends in an orgy. Not only do I not find that entertaining, I don't find that being remotely real, even for a vampire story! I get that vampires aren't real, but really? The overflow of vampire stories has actually killed my interest in the genre for the time being.
Anyway, I'm not writing this to talk about me. Like I said, I'm not an interesting person. I would be bored if I had to listen to myself talk about my life.
No. This story is actually more about the people around me and how they affected my life. Yeah, I'm still in the story, but more as a silent observer. After all, the most interesting part about life has got to be the people around you. How they interact with each other, how they react to certain situations. And I mean in real life, not in some crappy MTV show that claims to be reality.
Anyway, I'm getting off topic.
To put it simply, this story is about everything I've witnessed in Ikebukuro. Majority of it is from the sidelines, but some of my experiences are first-hand.
I'm still a boring person. But my life and the people in it had never been more exciting than when I stayed in Ikebukuro.
And that's the first chapter. Kinda short, but I'm planning on making future chapters longer. This was just the best place to stop in my opinion.
As for how this story will go, this is going to switch between what is happening in the present and the past as defined by excerpts of the book the character wrote. In case you couldn't tell, the italicized part was from the character's book. More excerpts will be shown each time the story takes a turn to what happened in the past.
As for the plot, there will be mentions of what happens in the anime, such as the Slasher, and it might come up later on, but this plot isn't really in canon.
Anyway, I think that's everything I needed to mention this time around. Be sure to review and tell me what you think, as reviews will help me improve the story where it needs it most. They also help with motivation.
Peace!