A/N: Hey everyone! So, this random plot bunny entered into my brain a few days ago and I had to write it down. The following first chapter is centered around an idea of what would happen if Saika somehow managed to escape from the clutches of her parasite, Anri Sonohara, and transformed into a human form. (Don't ask me how Saika is able to do this. Heck if I know right now. That's what fanfiction powers are for.) I thought it would be interesting to plot out a story focusing on a character that is more or less glossed over after the initial Saika arc. (At least in the anime. I don't know about the light novels or manga because I haven't read those.) Anyway, this story takes place immediately after the end of Durarara X2 Shou, which is the first 12 episodes of season 2. This makes this story an AU...somewhat since it's more of an alternate storyline rather than universe, but I'm babbling and I'm sure you guys rather get to reading. So, let's move on.
Warning: Because Saika is not originally a human character nor do I remember her having a distinct personality aside from wanting to cut things to show her love for the human race, let's just say that Saika will be an OC version of herself here. I'll keep her in character as much as I can, but I make no promises given that I'm transforming her into a human right off the bat.
Disclaimer: I do not own the world or characters of Durarara. I only own my interpretation of this human version of Saika. I hope you all enjoy the first chapter of this fanfiction.
Last little note: The actual inspiration behind this work was an anime wallpaper I found while browsing through Pinterest which is the cover image of this story.
When Anri Sonohara sleeps, the sword hidden beneath her skin becomes more active. The voices of love intensify during the hours of darkness, causing the orphaned teen to toss and turn in the thin sheets of her bed. More often than not, the girl only sleeps for a couple hours at a time because she has to be conscious to suppress the powerful desires of the blade she has wielded ever since the death of her parents.
However, tonight would be a different story. Chaos has reigned supreme in Anri's life for two days straight now, starting when the mysterious Russian assassin attacked her within her home. From there, the events that transpired became one ridiculous nightmare after another. Twice that day she'd been forced to reveal her blade in order to fight...and in front of Mikado no less. He was bound to bombard her with questions at some point because of her actions, and if Anri were to be honest, she rather not answer them.
Then again, she probably wouldn't have to. Mikado disappeared after the day's struggle between the Dollars and Toromaru (the random biker gang from Saitama) ended in a draw. Anri wasn't certain of when or even why Mikado ran off in the middle of the fray. Instinctively, though she rather not think on it, Anri knew that there was something going on with him. He had been acting somewhat strange for the last few days anyhow, but today...Mikado seemed more desperate to be part of the action than normal, which frightened the girl. To think about what might have happened to him if she hadn't been there to protect him from the idiotic thugs who happened to be Dollars members and the Russian woman aiming to kill them for some unknown reason stirred terrible feelings in the heart she hadn't known she possessed.
Even so, her concerns only lied with Mikado and another friend who had disappeared from the city months ago. The rest was just a colossal mess the orphaned teen held no desire to clean. After all, if she forced Ikebukuro to become a utopia of peace using her blade as a means of control, she would be bending her morals to the will of a certain informant who prided himself in his manipulation of others. The last thing she wanted was to become like him.
But, in the wake of today's events, Anri couldn't say that she hadn't been temped to use the blade in that way. In pondering that train of thought, the parasite gave the spirit within her sword strength and caused the words of love to overwhelm her for an instant during the second fight with the Russian assassin. Had it not been for the leader of the Toromaru choosing that second to interfere, the battle might have ended with the Russian woman being slashed.
And then, everyone would have seen her for the monster she truly was inside.
When Anri finally returned home that evening, she checked the online chat on the Dollars website, hoping to distract herself for a while, but no one was present. For a while she stared at the screen of her phone, digesting the information of the empty chat room through a haze of colorless sight. Once again she had the feeling that something was amiss, but decided it was best not to think on it too much.
Weary from the day's events, the teen bearing the curse of a demonic blade threw herself onto the covers of her bed to reminisce about simpler times with her two best friends; however, in the midst of her deep thinking, Anri fell unconscious from the heavy weight of fatigue. The strong voices of love ceased to echo in her mind for the time being.
Saika, who had become more and more self-aware in the last few months, viewed Anri's state of unconsciousness as an opportunity to finally break free from her parasite so she could carve her love into the precious humans the teen girl encountered on a daily basis. There were so many interesting people to love, and Saika, being the curious and enthralled blade that she was, couldn't bear to wait a second longer to show them how she felt.
I will...express my love for them. All of them. I will cut them all. One by one...
With this thought, the pristine demonic blade began to inch its way out from the palm of Anri's right hand, its inward voice giggling lightheartedly all the while. Her parasite breathed evenly, too deep in slumber to regain the control she was losing.
The sword continued to edge its way out, glowing with a dark red aura as Saika's excitement grew.
Freedom...must be free to love...to cut...to love...because I couldn't love him before. I must love him. I must show my love!
The aura intensified around the blade, illuminating the room in crimson light when the hilt drifted away from Anri's hand. The sword then floated away from the girl, hovering a foot away from the bed where the parasite lay. Anri shifted on top of the covers, turning her back to the blade without realizing it. For a few seconds the teen was conscious enough to process that her mind was unusually quiet, but the ache of exhaustion lulled her back to sleep before she could consider the implications of what having a silent mind meant.
All the while, the crimson aura consumed the blade, transforming its shape into a massive orb of light as it descended to the carpeted floor. Inside the orb, a black substance sloshed about before molding itself into a human-like figure.
I have to move on my own...
In the dissipating orb of light, a delicate, pale hand reaches out, clawing at the fibers of the carpet with nimble fingers.
I want to...be part of them...
After an additional minute, the orb disappears in a puff of crimson smoke. The vapors circulate around the womanly silhouette lying on the floor.
I want...to be alive like them...
Pale eyelids framed in long dark lashes open, revealing two glowing crimson eyes that stare blankly ahead.
For a few minutes, Saika continues to lay there on the floor, mesmerized by the feeling of the lush carpet beneath her as her eyes adjust to the darkness of the apartment. Then, by slow increments she begins to move, testing her ability to control her new form. Having always been a blade mobilized by the hands of another, the amount of effort it takes for her to lift herself from the floor is substantial. Her entire being suffered from a form of entropy, but Saika was determined to overcome whatever force hindered her movements.
An hour passed with Anri tossing and turning in the bed every so often, increasing Saika's incentive to get her new body to work properly, but getting accustomed to her new limbs proved itself to be a worthy challenge. Her excitement grew at the prospect of what it would be like to have control of these appendages.
After another thirty minutes of trembling, Saika finally manages to use her arms to lift her torso from off the floor. Long tresses of wavy silver locks spill over her new shoulders, the ends hovering delicately over her fingertips as she continues to push herself into an upright position. The sword's new limbs cry out in discomfort at the unnatural movements, but Saika makes no sound to indicate that she feels anything, nor does she inhale, exhale, or even blink throughout the struggle. Instead she just smiles, her crimson eyes sparkling with newfound happiness in her evolution.
Once on her knees, Saika looks down at herself, noting the midnight blue wrap-around dress she wore. There was a long split up the left side of the dress, revealing the skin of her newly obtained legs. The muscles of her mouth contorted, allowing the small grin on her face to widen into a twisted smirk of appreciation.
For centuries she had waited for a moment like this, a moment to be real, a moment to show her love for humans without needing help from parasites like Anri Sonohara. From now on, her children would worship her and follow her every whim. She would finally be in control of her immortal life.
Nevertheless, Saika still faced the dilemma of being stuck in a knelt position on the floor. While being in this form liberated her, the demonic blade realized that she'd become somewhat weaker. It was a small price to pay. After all, it's not as if she can be destroyed. She had lived incarcerated within a metal prison for her entire existence, praying for a day when she would be strong enough to become something more than just a lonely spirit trapped in a sword's form.
In a way, it was because of Anri's growing feelings for Mikado that Saika had been able to gain this ability to take a human shape at all, though the demonic spirit couldn't guess why the teen had taken such an interest in the pitiful boy. The girl encountered humans that were far more interesting than him, or any of the humans Saika had seen while in the hands of others throughout her time in this world.
There was one in particular that she wanted to find right away.
The thought of seeing him again gave Saika the surge of strength she needed to rise shakily to her feet. Once fully erect, she appraised her appearance by shifting her gaze toward the nearby full-length mirror. She had chosen an hourglass body shape for herself, having observed that most humans saw it aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Tilting her head, she wove her new fingers through a few strands of the silver hair trailing down her back in gentle waves before hesitantly poking the side of her deathly pale face with an index finger. She felt bone underneath the skin a few inches below her left eye. In surprise she used her right hand to poke the right side of her face in the same spot. She assessed that these were cheekbones, high cheekbones. Yet another aesthetically pleasing for a woman that Saika took pleasure in having. Dropping her hands back down to her sides, she clutched the fabric of the midnight blue dress that gracefully hugged her new curves and showed off long, pale legs, completing the image of a beautiful human woman.
Her crimson eyes would probably frighten a few of her objects of affection, but Saika didn't feel the need to change her eye color. Having eyes to convey her feelings at all was enough. They would serve her well.
A strangled sob escaped from Anri Sonohara while the sword was still checking herself out in the mirror. Saika turned around in response to the sob, afraid her former parasite had awoken, but the girl was still sleeping, probably having a nightmare about the friends she seemed to care so much for-not that Saika was concerned about what Anri was dreaming about. What was more important was the fact that continuous tossing meant the girl wouldn't be asleep for much longer.
She narrowed her crimson gaze on the whimpering teen. "I need to leave while I can."
Saika's long legs wobbled when she tried to take a step away from the bed, mainly because of the red strappy high-heels her feet were clad in, and when she did successfully manage to take a step, the fancy footwear created unnecessary noise. That would be a problem once she left Anri's bedroom. The floor in the rest of the apartment was cheap tile that would make her footfalls sound even louder.
Wary about moving too quickly, Saika bent over a bit and appraised the shoes on her feet with mild distaste before carefully unbuckling the strap of the shoe on her right foot. She repeated the process with the left, then carried the shoes in her right hand by the straps. Though new to being in a human's form, she had observed them long enough to know many habits and practices of the human race. Even with glowing eyes, if she obtained a pair of sunglasses, she would be able to blend in with the society around her and then...when she felt the desire to carve her love into someone, she would use her bare hands to do so. Certainly her new fingernails would be sharp enough to do that, right?
Giddy with excitement at the prospect of ripping through flesh, the demonic blade used her new legs to carry herself across the floor at a slow and steady pace-the entropy having left the limbs a short time ago. When she reached the door she hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should leave Anri the parting gift of her love before taking off. It was a brief contemplation in which Saika ultimately decided to continue on her way. Anri Sonohara was a parasite. She had given enough of her love to it.
The demonic blade turned human, who was well acquainted with the locks on Anri's door, unlatched them one by one before gently pushing it open with her palm. Crisp night air wafted into the apartment, blowing back strands of her ivory hair when she took a step forward to meet the silent wind that gently caressed her face. The sensation brought a feeling of joy she had never experienced before in those seconds of silence, her smile becoming more serene as she inhaled for the first time.
There was so much to enjoy in this new form. She could breathe if she chose and let in oxygen into her body while simultaneously exhaling carbon dioxide. She could smell the chemicals in the air, but also the clean scent of an oncoming storm. Her new ears picked up sounds from miles away. Tidbits of conversation, the roaring engine of a car, and the whispers of feet padding against pavement all reached her ears. Though nowhere near those sounds, when Saika closed her eyes for the first time, she felt as if she were right there in the city, taking in all it had to offer.
As a human she would fully enjoy the bounties of her eternal life while carving her love into the humans she loved so much. Instead of seeing the faces of Haruna, Anri, or some other using her power, her precious humans would see her face as she cut them. For once, they would be near enough to know that she was the one that loved them.
And she would always love them. Forever and ever and ever.
"I'm...so happy," Saika thought whimsically, quietly closing the unlocked door behind her without a care for what would happen if the Russian assassin came back to eliminate her former parasite. Anri Sonohara was no longer her concern.
In soundless cheer she skipped along barefoot past the other apartments, the fabric of her dress dancing along with her movements in the strengthening breeze.
"I love you! I love you! I love you! I love you!"
Finally free, Saika danced her way into the night, unaware of the many weaknesses her new body held. In a human form, she could experience the joys of breathing the crisp night air, eating the wonderful smelling foods, seeing the reactions of people up close, and feeling the textures of the world with her new hands-hands that would be able to feel the beautiful liquid of life when it poured from her beloved's veins.
However, in this new form she would find herself unable show her love in the same way. Saika was no longer a sword. She was a demonic spirit masquerading as a human, having grown tired of living as a tool for others personal use. To turn back meant being immobile again and that was the last thing Saika would want now after getting a taste of what human life was like. The freedom it brought her led to an outright refusal to ever become a sword again, but in making that decision she had unknowingly left herself vulnerable to the humans who would gaze upon her and see nothing more than a weak, naïve woman.
Right now, unarmed and carelessly dancing barefoot alone in the dark of the night, that's exactly what she was.
In this form, Saika is an easy target with no concept of human cruelty. Humans were fascinating subjects for her, so much so that it blinded her to how monstrous they could sometimes be, especially when plagued with corrupted and vile hearts of malice. Of course, a former demonic blade would have no care for such things, having left oceans of blood in her wake.
Saika loves humans.
All of them will feel her love eventually.
And the first to receive this love from her new form will be a certain blonde gentleman, the strongest human in all of Ikebukuro and perhaps the world.
A man simply known as Shizuo Heiwajima.
A/N: So, that ends the first chapter. If you guys are interested in seeing more, let me know in the review box down below. Until next time, have a wonderful day guys.