Banshee: Hello. I have decided to make this fic into a full-fledged story~! Whoo~! I hope you enjoy it. :)

Disclaimer: I only own my OC and the plot.

Chapter One: Arrival

I let out a loud "Ouch!" when I landed flat on my back after falling through - yet another - random portal that appeared out of nowhere.

As I laid there on my back with my eyes closed, waiting for the pain to go away before I got up, something - or somebody - came into my line of vision, blocking the light. I opened my eyes and saw a very concerned looking boy with short black hair and a blue uniform.

"Hey, are you okay?" He asked. "That looked like it hurt."

"Yeah, no shit, Sherlock." I grunted as I sat up. "Anyway, I'm fine. This isn't the first time this has happened."

"Are you sure you're okay?" He insisted. "You sure you don't need to go to a hospital?"

"I said I'm fine." I growled. "Where the hell am I, anyway?"

"Ikebukuro."

"Ikebukuro?" I repeated. "What is that, some kind of Japanese topping?"

"No, it's a district in Tokyo."

"Tokyo, eh? That explains the flashing lights… Well, I really should be going. Thanks for the help, mister…"

"Mikado Ryugamine." He introduced himself.

"Sounds like the name of a manga character…"

Mikado shrugged. "I know.. I get that a lot…"

"I'm Nikki. Anyway, thanks Mikado."

I moved to walk away, but he stopped me.

"Oh! You're not from around here, so it's only fair to warn you… there are some really crazy people in this town. Try and be careful, okay?"

"I'll keep that in mind." I said.

I patted my jacket, which had one of my electrified batons stashed inside, assuring Mikado that I could handle myself. He smiled and nodded, and I smiled back before turning around and walking away.

…

- An Hour Later -

…

I looked at my watch, but it wouldn't be of any use because I was in Japan now, so the time was different. After finding a Japanese clock, I found the right time; eleven in the morning.

"Okay… Where to begin?"

I stopped when I felt my stomach grumble, and decided that getting food was the best idea. As I was looking for a place to find some food, I came across a tall black man in a karate outfit standing in front of a sushi restaurant handing out fliers for said restaurant. He had a deep Russian accent, and he looked intimidating, but he seemed very friendly when I talked to him.

Normally, I don't eat fish very often (because of my shellfish allergy), especially raw fish, but, since I was able to deduce that I was in Japan (duh, it was pretty damn obvious), I decided to indulge in their native food and get some sushi.

After a few minutes, I walked out with a box filled with the Russian sushi, and I was glad that they accepted American money. It was cheaper in dollars, anyway.

I sat down on a bench, and opened the box, trying my best to grab the pieces of fish with the chopsticks without getting angry. Normally chopsticks irritate me, but today I was able to put up with it. I didn't want people staring at me because I was cussing at my utensils.

"Hey, this stuff is pretty good." I mused as I ate my first piece, picking up another and eating it as well.

Suddenly, people started running around the corner, screaming at the top of their lungs and looking for cover.

"Run! It's Shizuo Heiwajima!" Someone shouted.

"What was that about?" I said to myself with a raised eyebrow.

I just shrugged and continued eating my sushi.

Then I heard a crash as a vending machine came flying around the corner, skidding across the pavement and smashing into the side of a building.

"What the-? Was that a vending machine?"

"IIIIZZAAAAYYAAA!"

I could barely keep track of what happened next. A man with black hair and a coat with a fluffy hood ran around the corner and came running past me as a blonde man dressed as a bartender chased after him brandishing a very heavy looking pole. The black-haired man was laughing, as if this was a fun little game, as the man chasing him was the scary kind of angry; the kind of angry that screamed "I'm-going-to-[BLEEP]ing-kill-you!" As he ran past me he moved to swing the pole, the tip of the stop sign attached to it knocking the tray of sushi from my hands. The sushi tray flipped over and fell to the ground, the sushi spilling everywhere.

"Hey! My sushi!" I exclaimed.

Of course I knew that my head could have been lopped off, but I was too pissed off to care. The Russian sushi may have been cheap, but it was pretty damn good! And it just got wasted!

"What the hell, man?"

I doubt the guy could hear me because he looked so angry that he couldn't hear anything except his own aggravated yelling, which consisted of "You damn flea!" and "How many times do I have to tell you to STAY OUT OF IKEBUKURO!" and, of course, "IIIZZAAAYYYAAAA!"

"Are you all right, Miss?" Someone asked.

"I'm fine, but that pole-swinging jackass ruined my sushi!" I shouted, pointing at the bartender, who was still chasing after the so-called 'flea.'

"You mean Shizuo?"

I blinked. "Who?"

"You don't know who Shizuo Heiwajima is?"

"Who the hell is Shizuo Heiwajima?" I asked.

"Only the strongest man in Ikebukuro!" A boy exclaimed fearfully.

"And the guy he was chasing?" I inquired.

"That's Izaya Orihara. Those two have been going at it for years. They're very dangerous. I'd stay away from them if I were you." A man warned.

"I don't care how dangerous they are! That Shizuo owes me a new pack of sushi!"

…

- Later -

…

I bought some tuna to try to ease my anger, but I was still pissed about my ruined sushi, and there was nothing that could calm me down; except maybe kicking someone's ass. But the asses I liked to kick were back home, so I was waiting for some idiot to pick a fight with me so I'd have an excuse to kick their ass.

Soon enough, my wish came true.

Some dudes tried harassing me. They tried to pick me up, and when that didn't work, they started flinging insults at me like kindergarteners flinging mud. Some of them were wearing yellow scarves. They were obviously gang members, and my dad always told me to stay away from those people, but they were idiots and they made the mistake of pissing me off. So I kicked their asses. They were in groups of four, and even though my limit is normally three, my rage allowed me to take down all four easily every time. Whoever recruited these guys certainly didn't let them into these groups based on their fighting skills.

I continued on my way, and some goons claiming to be part of a gang called 'The Dollars' surrounded me in an alley. There were about ten of them; more than my limit of three. They reminded me of the gang members I would find back at home, who wanted to sound cool by talking like rappers. It didn't work with them, and it certainly didn't work with these losers.

"You just stepped onto our turf, bitch!" One of them said, and my brow twitched at the word 'bitch.' "There's a toll for anyone who gets caught in our territory!"

"What did you just call me?" I seethed.

"A bitch." He repeated the insulting word. "Why? Whatcha gonna do about it, bitch?"

His fellow gang members snickered as I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Would you like to find out?"

"Come on, let's see what you got, bitch."

I reached into my jacket and pulled out one of the two batons I had on my person, pressing a little button on the handle as the steel rod was flickering with electricity. One of the Dollars lunged at me with a stick, but my steel baton broke it in half and he was on the ground after the baton electrocuted him.

He would be fine, of course. My batons have the same level of electricity as a tazer.

Another ran towards me with a metal bat; big mistake. As soon as the bat made contact with my baton, he was filled with several volts of electricity. He dropped to the ground as well.

One by one, they fell, and because of the amount of volts in my baton, they weren't waking up for a while. When I was down to the last one, the one that called me a 'bitch,' I electrocuted him just enough to weaken him, and grabbed him by his collar, lifting him partially off the ground.

"Don't ever" I seethed. "call me a 'bitch,' bitch..."

He was out cold after I punched him in the face.

I felt better, but the good feeling soon faded as I heard some clapping behind me.

"Oh, my, that was impressive~!"

I turned around, my arm raised threateningly, and I saw the same man that Shizuo was chasing earlier that day. Since he wasn't being chased, I could get a good look at him. He wore a coat with a furry hood and there was fur on the ends of the sleeves as well. There was also fur on the hem of the coat. Underneath that coat was a black shirt and pants. His hair was messy and black, and his eyes, if I wasn't mistaken, looked red.

I recognized him as who the people in the city called Izaya Orihara, one of the most dangerous men in Ikebukuro; the most dangerous being Shizuo Heiwajima, the man that can throw vending machines like baseballs.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am-"

I cut him off. "Izaya Orihara."

"Right~!" He chirped. "You know who I am. I am so flattered~."

"Yeah, I'm sure you are.." I said sarcastically. I looked between the gang members and him, finding it too convenient that he showed up right after they attacked me; like he was watching me the whole time, and didn't just stumble upon the scene. He didn't seem like the type to do that. "Were you the one who sent these idiots after me?"

"Me?" He pointed to himself, faking an innocent look. "Oh, no, I wouldn't do that. I'm hurt that you would accuse me of such a thing."

"Hey, is that fatty tuna?" Izaya asked, pointing at the pack in my hands with interest.

"So what if it is?"

"You wouldn't, by any chance, be willing to part with it, would you?"

"Hell no." I growled.

"If you give me your fatty tuna, I'll tell you where you can find Shizu-chan.."

I raised an eyebrow. "'Shizu-chan?' You mean Shizuo Heiwajima?"

He nodded. "That's right. If I remember correctly, he owes you a new pack of sushi.."

"You're damn right he does. And you know where he is?"

"I know a lot of things…"

"Wait.." I said with a tone that said 'I don't trust you.' "How do I know you're not just trying to con me out of my tuna?"

"Would I lie to you?"

"Yes. You would." I deadpanned.

"Ouch…" He said in mock hurt.

I sighed. I couldn't deny that he might know something. From what I heard, he was an informant, and what better person to get information from than an informant?

"… Fine." I reluctantly agreed. "Where can I find him?"

"Well, for starters, he works as a bodyguard for a debt collector named Tom Tanaka. Wherever you find him, Shizu-chan won't be far behind. He also frequents the Russian sushi shop quite often." He said. He added with a smirk, "Watch out, though… he has a short temper~.."

"Yeah, I noticed that when he was chasing you down the road swinging a street sign around…"

"Fatty tuna~?"

"All right, fine." I growled, handing him the pack. "Damn flea.."

"That's what Shizu-chan says~."

"Yeah, I can see why.."

…

- 4:00 PM -

…

It took me all afternoon, but there was no sign of the blonde, bartender-suit-wearing bodyguard. I tried tracking him down by looking for anything that was destroyed recently, but that plan led me nowhere. It just put me back where I started, and soon I got so fed up that I just gave up and decided to try a new plan; just sit there and wait for him to come along.

I got hungry again, but I had spent the last of my money on the tuna, and I ended up giving it to that bastard Izaya before I had a chance to eat any of it.

"I must have looked all over the damn city for this guy…" I grumbled as I sat on the curb in front of the Russian sushi restaurant. "How hard is it to find a bodyguard in a bartender suit?"

"Not to mention a guy that everybody's afraid of…"

I froze when I heard the Russian man, whose name I learned was 'Simon,' greet enthusiastically, "Ah, Shizuo~! So nice to see you!"

"Hey Simon." Shizuo greeted back. He sounded tired.

"Have you come for some sushi?" Simon asked.

The blonde nodded, and Simon stepped aside so he could step inside. I followed after him, and walked in as he was taking his seat. I walked up to him and cleared my throat before saying, "Shizuo Heiwajima?"

"Yeah?" He said with an irritated tone.

"You don't know me, but I was there when you were chasing that Izaya guy around. I was eating sushi, and when you went to swing the pole, you knocked the tray out of my hands. So, in all fairness, I believe you owe me some new sushi."

He gave me a glare before turning away. "Forget it."

"What?" I exclaimed. "Listen here, Blondie, I've been going through a lot of crap today! I've been harassed by guys in stupid handkerchiefs, some idiots claiming to be 'The Dollars' tried to jump me, and I gave up my newly-purchased tuna to try and find you! The least you can do is buy me one measly little pack of sushi!"

"Can't you just buy another one yourself?" He asked.

"I spent the last of my money on the tuna…" I said, sulking a little.

Shizuo sighed. His demeanor seemed to soften a bit, and I knew he felt sorry for me. "All right… I guess I can do that for you."

"Thanks. You're a saint." I said gratefully, and he got me some sushi. I sat down next to him and ate, and he had his own sushi.

"Ever since I gave my tuna to that stupid flea, I've been so hungry, but I haven't been able to get any food because I didn't have any money after that…"

"Flea?" He crushed the chopsticks he had in his hand at the mention of Izaya. "You mean Izaya? Izaya Orihara?"

"Yes, I mean Izaya. I asked him where I could find you." When he gave me a look, I put my hands up. "Hey, it seemed like a good idea at the time, okay? Since he's an informant, he'd know almost everything about everybody, so he seemed like the best person to ask. Besides, it's not like I was looking for him. I ran into him on accident, after I beat up those idiots that tried to jump me."

"So you're not involved with him?"

"Hell no." I said. "He annoys me. Plus, he cost me my tuna."

"You're not from around here, are you, kid?" He asked.

"Don't call me that.." I growled. "And no, I'm not."

"Do you have anywhere to stay?"

"If I did, you think I'd be wandering around?"

"I know a place where you can stay. The guy that lives there is a friend of mine, and he's nice guy; even though he can be a bit annoying. You can stay at his place."

"Really? You'd do that?" I asked. "But I'm a stranger, you don't even know me."

"Stranger or not, you're just a kid-"

My eyebrow twitched at the word 'kid.'

"-and my conscience won't allow me to let a kid-"

My eyebrow twitched again.

"-like you walk around Ikebukuro alone. It can get pretty dangerous around here."

"Yeah, I noticed.." I said, recalling when the members of Ikebukuro's gangs were coming after me.

…

- At Shinra's -

…

"Oi! Shinra!" Shizuo called as soon as we reached his friend's place.

A young man poked his head out from around the corner. He had dark hair, and a large pair of glasses that magnified his big, adorable eyes. He also wore a long white coat, a coat typically worn by a doctor, and I figured that he must have been a doctor of sorts; I didn't know what kind, though.

"Oh, Shizuo!" He exclaimed with a smile. "What brings you here?"

"I have a favor to ask you."

"And what's that?" Shinra asked.

Shizuo pointed to me. "This is Nikki. She's a… well… let's just say she's a friend of mine. She's just a kid, and she doesn't have any money and has no place to go. Do you think you can let her stay here for a while?"

Shinra cocked his head to the side. "Can't she stay with you?"

"That wouldn't be a good idea.."

"I guess you're right. It's not good for a child to be exposed to that kind of negativity-" He was cut off when the blonde grabbed his arm painfully. "Ow! Ow! Oww~! I'm sorry~! Let go! Let g-Ow! Sh-Shizuo! Shizuo, my arm's not supposed to bend that way!"

Shizuo released him.

"I don't see why not." He said, rubbing his sore arm.

"Good. I have to be at work early tomorrow." He turned around and walked away.

"Bye Shizuo~!" Shinra called after him, waving.

Shizuo responded with a lazy wave as he walked out the door. Not long after he left, we heard the door open again.

"Oh! Celty's home!" Shinra said excitedly.

The figure that walked in was obviously woman, because her feminine curves were blatantly visible since she was wearing a bodysuit. It looked like it was made of leather, and she wore gloves, and boots. On her head was a yellow helmet that kind of reminded me of a cat's head.

As soon as 'Celty' saw me, she took out a PDA and typed on it, showing the message to Shinra. The message obviously asked who I was, so Shinra introduced me to her. "This is Nikki. She's a friend of Shizuo's. She's going to be staying here for a while."

She turned to me and typed some more, and held the PDA up to me so I could read what she typed.

"Um.. Sorry, I can't read Japanese…" I apologized after looking at the message. "Can you translate, Shinra?"

"She said it's nice to meet you." He said.

"It's nice to meet you too… Celty, is it?"

Celty nodded.

"Is she a mute, or something?" I asked.

"It's hard to explain, really.. You probably wouldn't believe it."

"Try me."

"I could give you the full explanation, but obviously you're not from around here, and I don't want to overwhelm you so I'll give you the short version: She communicates with a PDA because she can't talk because she doesn't have a head."

"Oh, come on. You really expect me to believe that?" My eyes widened when Celty took off her helmet, and, lo and behold, there was no head. "Okay.. You convinced me.."

…

- 12:30 AM -

…

I tried getting to sleep that night, but I couldn't. Slipping out of the room they had me staying in, I snuck into the living room, and decided that maybe some TV could help me get to sleep. I jumped when I saw a glowing screen get pushed into my face as I reached for the remote. I turned on the light and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw Celty. She wasn't wearing her helmet, and some sort of dark smoke was emanating from her neck.

Any normal person would have freaked out at the sight of a headless woman, but it didn't faze me one bit. I had seen weirder things, and besides, it was kind of cool.

"Oh, it's you Celty.." I breathed. I looked at the PDA screen, scratching my head at the Japanese characters. "Sorry, but I don't understand what you're typing. Do you know any English?"

She started typing on the PDA again and showed it to me, but this time her inquiry was in English.

[What are you still doing up?]

"Oh. I can't sleep."

[Is something wrong?]

"I'm just trying to figure out how I can get the hell out of here and go back home."

[How did you get here?]

"I fell through a random portal. That seems to happen a lot.. The only problem is, once I get through, I'm stuck in some random world until someone with the power to create portals shows up. I can't do it; not very well, anyway…"

[Have you tried?] She asked.

I shrugged. "I lost track of how many times I tried to make portals today; and every single one of them failed."

[Maybe you should practice more.]

It's hard to determine someone's tone by reading a message, but if I could make a guess, she just deadpanned me.

"I'll try." I said. Then I changed the subject and asked, "What's Shizuo's story, anyway? How is he able to rip a road sign out of the ground and throw vending machines?"

[It's a long story.] She said. [Shinra will be able to explain it better than I can.]

"And his history with Izaya?"

[They've been trying to kill each other from the moment they met.]

"Well, at least that explains what happened this afternoon.."

[You should get some sleep.] She reminded me.

"You're right. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

[Good night, Nikki.]

"Night, Celty."

…

- 3:00 AM -

- Normal POV -

…

In a dark secluded alley, away from prying eyes, a black puddle formed on the wall of a building. It started off small, and small amounts of purple and blue swirled within the black void as it grew. A pair of large yellow eyes appeared, and a black creature forced its way out of the void. Its black limbs faded to silver at the points where they joined the torso, its shadow-like body the size of a small dog. Black antennae twitched as it put its nose to the ground, and it breathed in the city's smog as it weeded out the undesirable scents to zero in on one in particular.

As the creature sniffed, several larger black voids appeared, and strange silver creatures stepped out of them. These new creatures were tall and thin, with strange symbols on their cylindrical heads. Black lines outlined the sides of their bodies, extending all the way down to their pointed feet, with two black bands around their pointed, fingerless hands. Their mouths were bound by zippers.

After a couple minutes of sniffing, it found the scent it was looking for. The black creature suddenly sank into the ground and hopped from one shadow to the next as it followed the scent, and the silver creatures separated into groups, and scattered themselves throughout the city.

"We will find you, Superior One…"

…

…