I do not own Durarara!
On with the Story!
Mikado walked into the warehouse. His white and blue robes trailed lightly behind him, keeping the night chill away from his skin. Izaya and Kida had asked him to be here a bit before Midnight, and despite the nippy weather, he had come alone.
Being surrounded by courtesans all the time was wearying. Mikado walked into the empty space, wondering why something felt off. The inside was dark, and Mikado kept walking. There was a power switch usually located at the other side of the warehouse.
It made little sense to have the power source away from the entrance, but the faint light from the open door cast a light into the warehouse. Walking with his head level, and looking out for any sudden movements (Kida certainly loved giving him flying glomps away from the eyes of the court) Mikado didn't see the writing on the floor.
It was when the door slammed shut and sealed him inside that Mikado realized that this may not be a friendly social call.
But he never believed that Izaya and Kida would kill him.
"Good evening, our dear Dragon Emperor." Izaya appeared out of the gloom, bearing a candle. Setting the candle on the ground, the fur trimmed man never turned away from his Emperor. From Mikado's location, he was off to the left side.
Kida appeared with another small glow, off to Mikado's left. They seemed to form an equilateral triangle to him.
Mikado paused, and then kept walking. Perhaps this was just a surprise, even as he reached for the absent knife in his sleeve.
"Ah, ah, ah, Emperor-sama. I would rather you stayed right where you are." Izaya motioned to the red circle around Mikado's feet. It was big enough to fit Mikado inside, even if he wore full royal regalia with the gold trimmed clothes.
Mikado's eyes darted over to Kida as his candle was also set down. Then Mikado glanced down. There was scarlet writing around him in a circle. The writing was actually over the entire floor. Izaya and Kida also stood inside of circles. However, theirs had two layers of circles while, Mikado was circled three times in a spiraled circle. Mikado jerked back and tried to cross over the wards.
Izaya and Kida tipped over their candles, and the blood caught fire. The glowing writing now lifted up, and Mikado felt the power surge around him, ensconcing him to where he stood.
He turned back around.
"….." His voice wasn't working.
Kida looked at him. Then he shook his head as well.
What was going on? Why was Izaya doing this? Why was Kida going along with it? Surely Izaya wouldn't hurt them. The Magistrate may have been odd, but he did love all humans.
And certainly, no matter what, his own Vassal would not assassinate him.
Even as he felt sick for considering the options, Mikado calmed down. If they hadn't brought him here to kill him, then they were doing something else.
The light plummeted, and suddenly the writing, Izaya and Kida were all that Mikado could see. This was more than just darkness. It was as though they had stepped into a Spirit World. The vastness that surrounded him outside of the ward was immense. Mikado felt himself slipping into the greater darkness, before the red light of the spell caught him and centered him on Izaya and Kida.
The young Dragon Emperor stilled himself, and strained to reach for his mana. If he was gentle, surely he could get past the wards to summon Shizuo to stop whatever the madness was….
There was never a doubt that no matter where he went, Shizuo would find him.
The summons pooled in his hands, as Mikado carefully phrased the message. If he knew Kasuka was back from his mission, he would send it to him first, and ask that he bring Shizuo. But he hadn't seen the Entertainer around court lately, and Shizuo had gone to find his brother.
Shizuo-
Izaya and Kida are acting strange.
Come to me immediately.
Don't kill them.
Mikado
The summons faded into the ward. Mikado frowned. Then he felt shock sink into his stomach and fall down his spine into his legs.
The blood to write the ward…It was Shizuo's and Kasuka's.
This was planned, whatever it was. But how could they kill Shizuo without him realizing? His own Guardian was connected to the Dragon Emperor! And surely this was no coup de etat, the land was peaceful and Mikado did his best with everyone's help, including the two now chanting.
Neither Izaya nor Kida desired the throne. Nor did they have anyone important to them such as family to give the throne to. Mikado felt worry creep into his stomach. Surely they wouldn't hurt him?
A single chanted line caught his attention. Kida and Izaya were now feeding drops of their blood to the spell.
So Kida could talk. He just wasn't talking to him, or else the whole spell would go off. Perhaps whatever emotions he still had for his Emperor would still the spell, or render it incapable of…whatever it was meant to do. Mikado scolded himself.
Izaya and Kida would never hurt him without cause. He should have more trust in them. Mikado looked around. The warehouse was at the edge of the palace. To empty it, and set up the ward….there was time of nearly years to move out the contents, planning to find and design the correct spell, effort to go through with the spell, and a great deal of cover ups going on here.
How could he not have noticed?
"….." he still couldn't ask what they were doing. The blood was humming from the mana being poured into it now. Well, it was using the median of Shizuo's protective nature as the means to focus the spell.
So, the spell was a protective one. Or, protection was part of it. But usually Izaya was a show-off. What was with the sudden cloak-and-dagger approach? If he was just protecting the Dragon Emperor, why wouldn't perform in front of the court? Such a feat of magic would surely raise him above reproach from anyone but Mikado.
Usually, they loved showing off. The chanting wasn't affecting Mikado. Whatever the spell was, it was still building. That meant it was elaborate. In fact, Mikado wondered if he would have this much power. He was still a child by law, but he was clever, and had the court obeying him and his suggestions before he was crowned. In fact, while his magic was vast, it was nowhere what it would be once he rightfully inherited his lineage.
Mikado waited in silence. Hours passed. When the sun began to peak over the horizon, Mikado knew that the Universe's Natural Order would wipe away the spell.
Whatever it was, it was going to go away.
Oh, how wrong Mikado was.
Two more candles were lit behind Mikado. The Emperor whirled about and saw Shizuo and his brother, Kasuka, holding two candles each. Both of them were pale, standing tall.
What was going on?
The sunlight went out when the brothers added their candles to the ward. Suddenly, the warehouse seemed much bigger than he remembered. Heat rushed to his head, making Mikado's vision swim. He felt like he was about to fall over, like all the light in world had gone out, and he was the only star left.
The moment passed. Mikado stood while Izaya, Kida, Kasuka, and Shizuo knelt.
"Our Dragon Emperor, now, no matter what happens, we will find you."
Sunlight came back into the world.
Mikado stared at Izaya. "What are you?"
Sounds reached Mikado from outside the warehouse. He could hear Aoba yelling something. Everything was fading fast.
Anri-chan, a maid who doubled as his protector, was suddenly behind him. She wrapped her arms around him and turned his face to her chest.
"Do not watch."
When Aoba and the palace guards came in, they slaughtered the traitors.
We will find you.
Mikado sat up from his futon. He hadn't had a dream so vivid before. It was as though both the dream and his life as a student at Raira Academy were real.
He remembered more of the dream. Aoba had killed them for cursing the Dragon Emperor. The Magistrate, the Vassal, the Guardian, and the Entertainer had wanted to serve the Emperor no matter what he was reborn as.
Black Magic he had called it. A curse to track their most esteemed and immortal Dragon Emperor when no one would dare raise a hand against him.
But Mikado wasn't the full Dragon Emperor he would be. And someone had wanted him dead. Someone had crept into his bedroom, and strangled him in his sleep. Someone who had killed Anri-chan before entering his room, and Aoba-kun when leaving the palace.
However, the spell, though tied to the Universe, was left incomplete. So why had that dream….
Anri-chan.
She was part of the spell, wasn't she? That was how she got inside the warehouse before Aoba. But why would the young courtesan kill his trusted friends and aids? Mikado stopped pacing back and forth.
We will find you.
….No way. Everyone was present. Had he rebuilt his Empire through the Dollars? If so,-
Mikado slapped his head.
Stop, this isn't some manga where people are fighting over his affection. It was the start of summer break, and he was just nervous about his job waiting tables at a café. The dream didn't mean anything. He was overreacting. He was not the reincarnation of a near immortal Dragon Emperor. He needed to calm down, have a drink of water, write down what he remembered, and go to work early.
His cell phone rang.
Usually, calls at six am were to be ignored, but as he was up already, Mikado answered.
However, the phone only rang once, making it a text. Figuring it was Celty, Mikado flipped the cell open.
[Get out of there. Run.]
Mikado froze. Another text came in.
[That dream was all over the city. It was tampered with.]
Mikado dropped the cell in shock, before diving for it and yanking on his clothes.
[RUN]
His shoes were just on his feet and he tore down the stairs.
The dream was universal? That can't be right. But even as he signed into the Dollars, Mikado felt his heart freeze.
Everyone was talking about their 'Emperor-sama' and how they wished to protect him.
Soon there were postings about saving him from the evil Blue Squares.
[I just saw him run by a convenience store, Izaya-san. Near the western shopping mall. He doesn't know where it's safe.]
….he wasn't near a shopping mall. That's right; the Blue Squares were also part of his domain. He accepted the good and the bad and strove for peace. He had accepted Aoba-kun, even when that had endangered him, and in their fury, his best friends had arranged for his immortal soul to become out their reach.
Whoever they were.
Mikado didn't check his cell phone again. He forgot to charge it last night. The text from Izaya-san said that he was sending Shizuo to pick him up, in case Celty was delayed.
Wait, what?
His cell phone was dead and he….
Whispers. Small whispers all around him. He could hear what people were texting.
Mikado ran into the park. He was so confused, and just wanted….he always wanted excitement. A life that had more meaning than the boring existence back in Saitama.
How was he to know he is an Emperor?
Mikado slumped against the ground, exhausted.
Shizuo found him in a state of half-awareness, huddled under a tree, Mikado's own broken cell sending him texts of where Mikado was.
Shizuo was very warm while carrying Mikado to Shinra's place to treat for shock.
Mikado woke up in the afternoon.
It wasn't a dream. Those people most important to him, they had followed him through time to selfishly keep him to themselves.
True, he had met new people, but now that they had met again, he would never find a place away from them. He noticed that Celty seemed to have infused the shadows around the house her own brand of magic to keep them hidden and safe.
"You aren't still blaming yourself for our deaths, are you?" Izaya was leaning against the door frame. Mikado spared him a glance. He was listening, tucked into bed as he was.
"Mikado, we are all waiting for in the living room. We want our Emperor. You were the one who kept peace among us and the land. Even if it's small, we want you to return to us. We….we were losing you. To that brat and the darkness he brought with him. I couldn't stand it."
"So you convinced the others to tie down the strongest Dragon Emperor to you."
"Not just me. To all of us. We can rebuild your Empire. Nothing fancy, but it would exist again. After all, the thought to create Dollars on the Internet….that was all you. That was you seeking us out. And I found you. Well, Kida found you first."
Izaya made a displeased expression before he shook it off.
"That aside, you led one of the greatest chapters in our history. That can be rebuilt. That dream of yours, that post…to be so good, that people forget the bad and strive to be better, that's the kind of leader you are. Shizu-chan's been fighting me every step of the way since his memories returned."
"You tried to kill him, before."
"Yeah, back when I didn't know why I was so jealous of him. But the memories keep coming in bits and pieces. We still hate each other, but now, we have you in common." Izaya pushed off from the door frame by shifting his weight.
"We'll be in the living room. Come out when you're ready."
Mikado nodded and eyed the window. Maybe if he ran….but how far could he get on his own? There was a room full of people who were willing to die to serve him. But Mikado didn't want anyone dying for him.
That was why Kida wouldn't talk to him. If he told him what the spell was for, Mikado would have hurt himself trying to convince them of another way.
If he went out there, he was taking responsibility for their lives.
Mikado tossed and turned. He wanted adventure. He wanted a life that wasn't normal. But could he take their lives in order to grant his own selfish wish?
For every action, there was an equal and opposite reaction…
He didn't want to pass this off as they had already decided for themselves when they cursed him to endure them for eternity. He wanted them to realize that he was selfish, and demanding, and didn't know what he was doing.
Mikado punched the pillow.
Did they even realize that he could hardly protect them, and still they followed him like blind animals! On the other hand, they were people who followed a blinding light, a star….
Mikado rolled over, effectively falling off the bed.
His head hurt. He cared for the people out there, that was why he couldn't take their free will away. He stood up.
Right, he'd go out there and tell them to put a stop to this.
Mikado stepped into the living room, his expression serious. He needed to tell them that they didn't need to throw their lives away for him. He would make his own excitement.
"Awww, those pajamas are so cute on you, Emperor-sama!" Erika squealed across the room. The entire gang was there. All of his friends, and even Aoba-kun was in a corner, sulking and determined.
"You've made up your minds to follow me regardless, haven't you?" Mikado summarized, staring out at them.
"Don't worry Mikado! We'll help you govern your kingdom!" Masaomi called out. "Ha! Royal flush, Izaya! I get to stay with him twenty-four seven!"
Izaya grumbled and jotted something down on a sheet of paper.
Mikado's stomach growled.
The living room exploded with motion. He was sat at the table with Kida, Izaya, and Shizuo-san while Celty and Kasuka ran off into the kitchen to cook him dinner.
"I called the café. They didn't mind being bought out, so long as they can still run the place. You'll start work after the protective wards have been sealed around there." Izaya cut the deck and handed it back to Shizuo-san.
Mikado nodded. Then he slapped Izaya.
"Next time, tell me." His cold voice froze the look on Izaya's face. "I hate having to find a new Magistrate that's incompetent next to you."
Izaya's face broke into a grin. "I promise, you won't have to ever again!"
Masaomi grumbled, "Easy for you to say. I had to prepare his kingdom before him. I hated leaving!"
Shizuo-san dealt the cards, and without changing his poker face stated, "Well, at least you have his chat site. I only get to see him on the street."
"Pass me your phone." Mikado accepted the demanded appliance and set Shizuo-san up with the chat room.
Then he realized what happened.
"Aaaah, sorry! I didn't mean to be so abrupt!" His cheeks flushed as he remembered how brusquely he assumed Shizuo-san would follow his orders.
"No problem, my liege. It only came natural to you."Shizuo-san chose his screen name and after saving, put the cell phone away.
"With us, you will never be bored, Emperor Mikado."
Mikado felt a real smile bloom on his face. A never ending adventure, with his best friends. Yes, he was a selfish jerk. But their Mikado was a nice selfish jerk.
A/N: This started out as a half-idea of past-lives being a dream for Mikado, and then the current day demanded to be written. So the fanfic of (don't find out it's a dream until the last line) turned into….this.
Hoped you liked it.