AGKamon: I should be working on updating my FMA:B and Yu-Gi-Oh! fanfics, but I randomly wrote this oneshot and couldn't help but post it. So, start the random oneshot!


Money and Dogs

The Orange Belts.

Besides the Blue Squares, the Yellow Scarves, and the Dollars, it was rumored that there was a fourth color gang hiding in the shadows of Ikebukuro – even if the Dollars were colorless.

As the rumor goes, it is a gang that is led by a single individual – like most of these color gangs seemed to be – but this one was different; the Orange Belts were supposedly run by a young woman, and she apparently only allowed other girls into the group. According to suspicion, the last man who even attempted to get a peek at how they were run was kicked out – with his butt kicked twice as hard – before he could even fully open the door.

Inu.

It was Japanese for 'dog,' and that was all anyone knew about the leader. She was always with at least one of those animals; the few who've seen her – and the even fewer who have seen her more than once – can admit to this. Apparently, it was almost always a different dog as well, as if the many strays that resided in the city tended to gravitate towards her.

And, because this was the only trait of hers that anyone could be sure about – the members of the Orange Belts wouldn't talk, obviously – she was known as "Okane no Inu" around 'Bukuro.

Okane.

That was money, and she also seemed to have a lot of it.

The only thing that the Orange Belts would say about her was that whenever they needed money – as long as they had a good reason – she would give it to them, as long as they returned it in due time.

No one was really sure where the cash came from, but then again, no one really seemed to care. Hence, the "Okane" part of her nickname.

"Okane no Inu."

"Money Dog."

Of course, she would only loan her money to the members of the Orange Belts, and it was rumored that she didn't socialize with anyone but her gang members. However, this just wasn't completely true, as there was one person – a man, at that – who was able to speak with a certain "Money Dog" on a fairly regular basis.

Tom Tanaka.

He was a debtor and visited her often because she actually was loaned the money that she loaned out. Tom wasn't on bad terms with her – and this was probably a good thing – seeing as she always managed to pay back her loans on time. And because she was the leader of the Orange Belts – which was a gang – he didn't question her methods on getting the money back; it wasn't his business, and all he really cared about was getting back the money so he didn't have to get Shizuo involved.

He really did not want to see how she would react to Shizuo Heiwajima being in what she thought was her territory.

She didn't normally leave that area. Usually, her members – grateful for the protection and loans she rewarded to them – would run all her errands for her. There was a square of area – no one knew for sure how big it was, but they knew where it started and ended – that she patrolled every day with at least one dog by her side. For some reason, the animals seemed to flock to her.

He was beginning to think that she had some form of agoraphobia, where she was actually afraid of leaving her 'territory,' but he wasn't a psychologist – he was a debt collector – so what did he know?

Today, Tom Tanaka made a trip to the territory of Ikebukuro's famous – but not as much so as the strongest man in Ikebukuro – Money Dog.

At first, he had thought that this would be the usual visit for him.

He'd come looking for the money she owed with the newspaper for that day as a peace offering to her – she didn't get out much after all – and she'd take the paper in return for the cash.

However, today was different because usually he managed to put the visit off until Shizuo had a day off – he'd messed up on his scheduling this time. It was either risk bringing Shizuo into her territory or have her payment be late. Either way, he'd probably walk out of there with a black eye, but he eventually decided that she be more angry with him if it was his fault that her normally on-time payment was late.

And so, he called Shizuo that morning and told him to pick up today's newspaper, saying that it was crucial he did so. He also assured Shizuo that the first job of the day would be easy.

Although Tom had said that, he wasn't sure how the city's Okane no Inu would react to another man besides himself in her territory. After all, it had taken a few years of him standing on the border and her simply handing the money to him from there before she allowed him in.

Shizuo Heiwajima.

He was the strongest man in Ikebukuro, known for a fiery temper that was easily spiked by anything or anyone.

However, today, he hadn't been forced to toss any heavy objects as of yet, and that was usually a sign that he was going to have to sometime later. Not a day went by where Izaya or some whimpering mess of a man who owed a debt didn't anger him and the vending machines, trash cans, etc. didn't start flying.

His cell phone had rung early that morning; he'd barely been out of bed before he heard the ring tone echoing through his house. (It had taken a lot of willpower to not throw the phone somewhere else, which would have easily broken it to pieces.)

"Yeah?" His voice had been full of sleep that he'd wish that he could get within his reach, announcing just how tired he was.

"Hey, on your way to meet me, pick up today's newspaper, alright?" Tom had requested, sounding carefree and fairly relaxed as usual. He also sounded fully awake, and Shizuo didn't doubt that the dreadlocked man had probably been up for hours already.

"Sure, I guess I can. I need to buy a new pack of cigarettes anyway." Shizuo, holding the phone with one hand, headed to the bathroom – ready to take a shower that would hopefully awaken him a bit more.

"Hey, cheer up a bit, why don't 'ya? This first stop should be pretty easy." Although he'd said that, Shizuo noted that Tom's happiness sounded a little more forced than usual. As if he wasn't completely sure of that fact.

"Hm." True to his nature, Shizuo had simply grunted in response, too tired and not caring enough to think up an actual sentence. Hearing a faint sigh on the other end, Tom spoke up again.

"Well, see 'ya later then. Be sure not to forget that newspaper." With that, the call was ended, and Shizuo set the phone on the coffee table he passed by it, having no need or want to take it into the bathroom with him.

Glasses.

Fiddling with the bow that went with his usual suit – a bartender's outfit given to him by his younger brother years before – Shizuo grabbed the pair of blue-tinted glasses he'd set on the nightstand last night. Quickly snatching up his phone, wallet, and keys as he walked past them, Shizuo left his small apartment for the day.

The young blond man's first stop was a convenience store across the street from his apartment building, wanting to buy himself some cigarettes that would hopefully last him the whole day. And a newspaper. Admittedly, he was a bit curious about Tom's request, but he didn't question the man. He obviously had his reasons, and the man had been nice enough to allow Shizuo to continue working for him after so long – so he saw no need to pry about it.

Absentmindedly, he picked out a newspaper to give to Tom later and bought himself a pack of cigarettes, immediately lighting one for himself as soon as he'd paid for the items and exited the small shop. After having living in his apartment for so long, the shop employees had come to anticipate his pretty much daily visits and always knew what brand he wanted by now. Unless, of course, they had hired someone new, but that didn't happen very often.

Feeling the nicotine wash through his veins as he tucked the paper under one arm, he headed to the spot where he commonly met Tom at a leisurely pace. He knew and was completely aware of how unhealthy this habit of his was, but he'd stopped caring for the most part. He'd started it because he'd heard that it relieved stress – which he tended to have a lot of – and just kept on it after finding out that it did make him feel a bit better.

Not that it helped at all with his temper.

Coffee.

That was the scent that hit his nostrils when he approached Tom on the street corner, and he noticed that the man was holding a cup of the drink, steam floating up into the sky with the smoke from his cigarette.

"Hey," the blond greeted while handing the paper to his friend and coworker. The shorter man checked the front page briefly before nodding.

"Hey, thanks for gettin' this by the way." Not really one for words, Shizuo shrugged in reply, and Tom, knowing Shizuo well enough to expect his response, nodded again. Tom turned and began leading Shizuo to their first destination of the day.

"So, why'd you want me to get that?" Shizuo grunted, honestly curious what significance the newspaper held now, seeing as how Tom didn't spare it much of a glance.

"This woman we're visiting, it's become a bit of a tradition for me to bring her one each time I stop by to collect her money. I forgot to buy one when I got my coffee, and I know that you go to that store every morning, so I figured that it works."

"Hm." Shizuo plucked the cigarette out from between his lips and discarded it on the ground, stamping it out quickly; he was unsure whether to light up another one right away, or wait.

Newspaper.

She anticipated Tom Tanaka's visits because he brought them with him, and while her followers could do that as well, it somehow seemed different when he brought them. She suspected that it was because he had done it of his own accord when she hadn't asked him to; he'd done it as a peace offering between the two of them at first, and she respected that he was trying so hard. Bringing a newspaper that one day had evolved into a tradition of him bringing one each time he came around.

Speaking of which...

She looked at the clock to her side, realizing that he'd be arriving soon. Thus, she quickly finished the glass of orange juice she'd been drinking slowly and strolled over to the safe on the other side of the room, opening it in search of her money.

"Hm?" She almost thought that the money was gone for a moment there, soon realizing that she'd hidden it behind that box she was saving for a 'friend,' seeing as there had been a decent amount of robberies lately. Even though she kept all of her cash that was for Tom in the safe, there was always that little chance that someone could break the code.

Almost like clockwork, she heard the sound of dogs barking and looked up to see that the clock had struck eleven. With a pleasant smile growing on her lips, she opened the door to the warehouse that she called home and wandered into the open air. At once, a dog – this one being rather old-looking, with a graying muzzle and wavering stride – made it's way to stand at her side.

She didn't know why all the stray dogs in Ikebukuro seemed to find her wherever she went, but she didn't actually mind. It wasn't as if they ever asked for much; they kind of just wandered around. Sometimes the sick ones would come across her and she'd take care of them, or if she found a mother dog with some puppies, she'd hand over some food for them. Otherwise, it seemed that they just wanted a safe place to relax and some company from someone who wouldn't try to steal their food.

Leaning down to pat the aging canine, she smiled even wider when it nuzzled her hand with its wet and quite cold nose.

"Ah, Inu, it seems that you're working your usual magic on the dogs, eh?" She perked up at once upon hearing the only male voice that she seemed to welcome into her domain; however, her smile soon flipped itself into a frown once she noticed the tall, blond man standing behind Tom. Rising to her feet as she dusted off her pants, she silently pointed to the taller of the two while glaring pointedly at Tom.

It was a gesture that could easily be read as: "What is this person doing here?"

"Well, you see, Inu, this is Shizuo. I usually come around here on his days off, but today, it was either him coming with me or your payment being late. He won't hurt anyone, right, Shizuo?" Obviously looking for the blond to take the brunt of the woman's glare off him, Tom glanced at said blond, who was staring down at the elderly dog that was sniffing his pants.

"Yeah." Seeing the woman watching him like a hawk – as if he would pummel the defenseless animal into the ground for sniffing him – he bent down slightly to gently scratch behind the dog's ears before straightening up again.

Still silent, she handed the money to Tom, who was looking quite relieved at Shizuo figuring out how to prove that he wouldn't hurt anything to her, and took the newspaper at once. She quickly began flipping through the pages, obviously skipping over some articles in favor of reading others intently.

"So, Inu, are we good?" Tom questioned warily, honestly not wanting to walk out of here with a few bruises. Glancing up from the newspaper she was now intently focused on, she nodded, sending the debt collector a small smile as a "thanks for the paper. We're even now."

"Well, Shizuo, we can get going now. See 'ya next week, Inu." Now walking back to her warehouse, she gave the pair a wave with her free hand as she continued to look over the paper she'd been given.

"Huh, she doesn't talk much," Shizuo noted as they exited what was known as Orange Belt territory. He mentally made the comparison that she seemed to talk even less than him.

"That's true, but she is a nice girl. A little on a strange side, but nice nonetheless." Tom nodded in agreement to Shizuo's statement, throwing his now-empty coffee cup in a nearby trash bin.

"Hey, Shizu-chan~, who're visiting~?" Both of them flinched, for different reasons. For Tom, it was because he knew that the very trash bin he'd just thrown his discarded coffee cup in was going to start flying – along with the rest of the heavy objects in the vicinity. For Shizuo, the anger was now beginning to tint his vision in a red hue.

"IZAAAAYYYYAAAAA!"

And thus, the innocent trash can went flying as a black-haired man bounded away from the scene, laughing manically, and an angry blond man pursued him, tossing various objects as he continued sprinting.

Tom sighed, shoving his hands in his pockets as he slowly walked in the direction Shizuo had gone. It was no wonder why the two of them were always working so late.


AGKamon: I hope I got everyone in character, seeing as it's my first time writing for Durarara!

Anyway, Okane no Inu isn't the OC's name, nor was this supposed to be an OC/Character story, so any hints of romance were unintentional. In reality, this was my attempt at humor. I don't know if I'll continue writing anything involving Okane no Inu because I really like her character, but there's so much I'm unsure about her.

Like, I can't decide whether she's mute or not. So, you readers and reviewers, I'm leaving that up to you.

Hope you enjoyed reading, and I ask that you please review.