Racing Ikebukuro


I feel ambushed... And I am... In a city I know only as misfortune...

In a grimy alleyway, a woman slams her right hand into the brick wall she is currently leaning on in a desperate struggle to balance herself while her other hand remains on her knee, grasping at the fabric of her tight, black pants.

I can't squander any more time. Staying in one place will be my downfall.

She staggers away from the wall, managing to stand on her own, sweat still rolling down her forehead.

"Focus... Focus!" she wails mentally, shaking her head violently, her hands clutching at her knees as she takes deep breaths. "Just find an escape route. I'm not new to this. I can do this. I can do this!"

Her breathing calms down considerably before she slowly removes her hands from her knees in a feeble attempt to straighten her wobbly stance, but she winces with a whimper, immediately clutching her knees once more, consequently causing more pain to her already tender legs. She blinks in bewilderment, feeling an odd substance oozing onto her hands. Peering down through her glasses with narrowed eyes, she carefully lifts her hands to confirm her prediction. Her knees are bleeding.

"Fuck."

She stands to her full height of 5' 3", ignoring the ache in her muscles as she focuses her eyes on the early evening sky with a scowl. Sighing irritably, her hands wandering up to her head, weaving themselves into her hair, pulling tightly on the blonde and light brown strands in frustration.

"Why do I have to be clumsy today of all days?" she groans softly, pulling her hands away from her hair, which stops three inches or so below her shoulder. She glances back down at her knees in realization.

This has definitely NOT been a good day...

"No." Her eyes widen in disbelief.

My favorite pants have ripped.

"Damn it!"

By the way...

You can call me Melina.


I have too much to worry about...

A young black-haired male silently walks along the sidewalk as others, annoyed, rush around the slow-walking boy. Behind the teen, an older male in his late thirties marches.

And I'm sure it shows on my face, but I know someone will...

"Excuse me."

...Interrupt me.

The spiky-haired Raira student, clad in his school uniform, halts in his stroll around the bustling city, turning around to face the owner of the pushy voice.

"Umm, yes?" he replies politely, raising an eyebrow at the strange man wearing a suit with a trench coat over it.

I guess that's why I love living here.

"You haven't happened to see this girl," the older man demands, pulling a picture out of his pocket, "around here just recently, have you? Named Tsubaki Kita?"

There's always something exciting going on.

The high school student averts his attention from the man's lightly wrinkled skin on his face to the picture he is being shown. In the photo a purple-eyed brunette gazes into the camera with a frown, eyebrows raised. Her countenance shows slight surprise.

"She probably wasn't aware of the photographer until the last second," the young man acquires. His eyebrows rise partially; after closer inspection, he can undoubtedly name another emotion in her gaze. "She's not just unhappy..."

"She's miserable," he mumbles under his breath unintentionally.

"Hmm?" the trench coat-wearing man grumbles impatiently, glaring down at the boy with suspicion.

"Oh, um, no. Sorry," the boy chuckles nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.

The older man, scowling deeply, simply glares for a few extra seconds. Then, bumping shoulders with the boy, he stalks away while said boy exhales, a small smile plastered on his face, glad that the odd man is gone and that he can get back to creating a plan to resolve his dilemma. However, his smile falters as he realizes there are a bunch of men resembling the one he had just spoken with all around the crowd, asking everyone the same question he had been asked. Much to their dismay, all the people they ask merely shake their heads and walk off.

"It must be a really big deal. I wonder who-."

The boy shakes his own head for the millionth time that day, trying vigorously to keep himself focused on his situation, but his mind can not wander from the question that continues to plague his mind.

Who is this girl?


"So there's some important runaway in Ikebukuro..."

A figure stands on the edge of the roof of a towering building, laughing to himself, a malicious grin gracing his visage as he watches the search for an apparently missing woman.

"Seems she's become the talk of the town! Awe, how interesting!"

The figure steps away from the ledge and begins his walk home before chanting in a sing-song voice, "Time to do some research!"


In a city that seems to never sleep, it's hard to hide.

I guess, I found that out the hard way.

Melina kneels on the roof of an apartment building, timidly leaning over the edge to look at what lies below her. The young woman had recently woken up from a little catnap, but even so, saying that she feels drowsy is the biggest understatement of the century.

I can feel my eyes attempting to close, but I know I can't rest any longer. I just wish I could go back to my hotel and sleep for days, but these people are everywhere.

There's no way out...

She's pretty tired taking into account she just climbed up the fire escape of a SEVERAL-storied building. She isn't having a very good day to say the least. Not to mention she has ripped her pants even more. The young adult sighs, watching the people below her interact. Some scurry around to finish their errands while others walk at a more regal pace, enjoying the atmosphere of the bustling city.

I wish I could do that without having to worry about someone seeing me and reporting me to my mother.

Melina stretches her legs for a few moments before rising up slowly, cracking her bones in the process. Then, with her muscles back to normal, the young adult begins her trek back down the fire escape.

All I need to do is get back to my hotel room, pack up, and...

Find somewhere new to live... Again...


"Hmm, Mikado should be around here by this time; where is he? I can't wait to tell him the news!" a man complains mentally after ending a call on his cell phone. Surveying the crowd for his prey, his eyes stop their search at the view of a peculiar-looking figure rushing through the crowd.

"Well, finding Mikado can wait... It's just a hunch, but I suppose I'll take a chance. This might just make my new assignment a whole lot easier."

The corners of his mouth twitch upwards as he follows the woman's trail.


This was a bad idea; I can feel it.

The blonde mumbles swear words as she breezes through a small crowd of people, desperately trying to get a sense of direction.

"Have you seen this girl?" booms a voice deep in the crowd.

She unconsciously winces, a middle-aged woman beside her giving her a silent once-over.

"Crap! They're in the crowd!"

The tense girl curses internally again, thoughtlessly scrambling out of the crowd, bumping people's shoulders, mumbling a few "sorry"s. By the time she registers that she is causing a commotion, she can already feel eyes staring at her retreating figure. She feels her visage turning a sickly white, sensations of nausea sweeping through her at the thought of someone recognizing her.

"They'll see me right away. They'll know it's me! Should I turn myself in-? I'm such an idiot! I'm not even thinking straight!" Pulling up her hood, she aggressively strides away, sticking her hands in her pockets to stop their trembling.

Keeping myself calm is my top priority. Turning myself in to them is at the end of my To-Do-list.

The hooded girl, too concerned with calming herself and assembling a quick get-away plan, doesn't realize she is right in front of someone. Before she knows it, she's on the ground, rubbing her sore butt while adjusting the rectangular glasses on her nose.

With my luck, anything's possible...

"Sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going," a voice says hurriedly.

And that includes falling on your butt when you're trying to go unnoticed.

The, now, sore-butted girl looks up to see it was boy around her age she had run into. He rubs his neck, a nervous smile gracing his appearance as he stares at the ground he sits on across from the red sneakers-wearing teen. When he finally does look up, his eyes widen while his smile turns upside down.

"Are you okay?" he exclaims worriedly. She follow his line of sight to see that he is staring at her knees. Her pants are now torn enough for her knees to be visible and, with her luck, the bleeding seems to have started again.

"Let me help you up," he announces, already standing and grasping her hands.

"Thanks," she manages to mutter through deep breaths as he drags her up to her feet. She hadn't acknowledged her extreme exhaustion for the reason that she had been too anxious. She gulps, feeling slightly dizzy.

"You look a little feverish." he observes, eyes slightly narrowed, one hand gripping her shoulder. "Do you live nearby?"

He must feel bad or something... Damn, this guy's too nice... For all he knows I could be a serial killer.

"... Not exactly, I'm kinda-..." Her knees tremble as she immediately clutches his shoulder to aid herself in standing. "New here... Sorry..."

"Well, well, well... I was just looking for you, Mikado... And it looks like you've beaten me to saving the damsel in distress," a voice declares in a sing-song voice with obviously feign sorrow.

The trembling girl immediately flinches, looking up to see a young man flashing his mischievous grin at her.

"Who the hell is this guy?" she thinks, confusion evident on her countenance as she stares at the tall Eskimo-ish jacket-wearing man.

"Ah, well... I guess I can still have some fun..." the tall man states playfully. "By the way, I'm Izaya! Now why don't we go somewhere to eat- you look FAMISHED. Then, maybe you can tell us a bit about yourself, hmm?"

Melina stares at the lanky figure with confusion, watching Mikado's shocked face from the corner of her eye.

He seems nice but also mischievous...

"Come on! You too, Mikado!" Izaya chants, grabbing her arm and pulling her and Mikado through a crowd.

I should be freaking out, being pulled through a huge city like Ikebukkuro by two- well, by one stranger...

Izaya pulls the two through the crowds, past a tall Russian man, and into a sushi restaurant.

But I'm not. I am exhausted, hungry, and... Ikebukkuro is a big city; I'd get lost in a second on my own.

The three settle into a booth, Izaya sitting across from Mikado and Melina. His smile doesn't leaves his face.

"What exactly am I getting myself into?" the frazzled girl questions herself mentally.

I have no idea.


"So as I mentioned before, I'm Izaya and that's Mikado. Now that you know our names, can we have yours?" Izaya asks innocently, resting his elbows on the table while he stares curiously at the blonde before him.

"Uh, I guess so. I'm-..." She pauses for a moment, hurriedly covering the mishap up with a cough. Out of the corner of her eye, Melina manages to notice Izaya's smile twitch momentarily which she raises an eyebrow at in suspicion.

""Melina" or... Damn, I can't think of anything else! I'll stick with "Melina", but," the blonde thinks, pulling her hand away from her mouth, "I don't want to tell too much to these guys before I know if I can even trust them first."

"Call me Melina," she continues nervously with a small giggle, folding her hands on the table.

"Menu?"

The three look up to see a waiter, holding out three menus to the occupants of their booth. Grasping a menu with a nod of head, Melina automatically glances behind the tall waiter, her eyes widening at the sight of the familiar men in trench coats entering the restaurant.

"Crap," she mutters, her face loosing its color.

"Is something wrong, Melina?" Mikado questions worriedly, raising an eyebrow at her behavior as the waiter shuffles over to serve the men in trench coats.

"Excuse me, I have to use the bathroom," she declares fervently, hopping out of the booth and speeding towards where she hopes leads to the restroom or a good place to hide.


"That was odd," Mikado comments, searching Izaya for his reaction to their new acquaintance's speedy dash to the restroom.

"Yes..." he agrees, smiling widely as watches a trench coat-wearing man trudge towards their table. Mikado follows the psychopath's gaze just in time to see the strange man from earlier stop in front of their table, glaring at the younger boy before looking back at Izaya.

"Mrs. Kinomoto would like to know if you have any new information on the whereabouts of her daughter," he queries in a low voice, failing at sounding vicious to the grinning man, mentally cursing his co-workers for picking him to speak with the wild-eyed informant.

"Not yet, but soon," Izaya answers mysteriously, laying his arm carelessly on the top of his booth.

The man swallows in return, menacingly glaring at Mikado for quick moment before walking over to another group of people.


Yet again, I feel like those silly little kids who lock themselves in their rooms because they don't get what they want.

The woman stares at her reflection in the mirror above the sinks in the women's restroom, pulling at a fistful of her blonde hair in irritation, an impassive expression displaying on her profile.

"I feel so weird; this isn't me..." Melina sighs, taking off her glasses to clean them with the bottom of her t-shirt. Slipping the black frames back on to her nose, she stares at her attire. Her torn black pants make it look as if she was involved in a fight a moment ago, however, it is her bright blue jacket that draws the most attention. Slipping off the garment, she throws it on the counter, her brain straining to come up with a plan on how to bring it with her without bringing attention to herself in the process. Its her favorite jacket, and leaving it in one of the restaurant's bathrooms is not an option.

"Simply holding it seems stupid," she rambles mentally. "Maybe I can-" She picks up her prided jacket, putting her arm through each sleeve and pulling them so the jacket is inside-out. "This could work... The inside could pass as a simple black jacket." Acknowledging the cool feeling on her bare arms, she decides to tie the inside-out jacket around her waist, allowing herself to indulge in the air-conditioning. She glances back at her reflection, shaking her head at the image. "Nope, I'm not done yet."

Unclasping the large clip that held her bangs atop her head and away from her face, she repositioned her bangs to cover the right side of her forehead, her glasses keeping the blonde strands from covering her right eye too. Finding use of the clip, she clipped it on to the left side of head, keeping the longer strands of hair distant from her face.

"Well, that's as good as it's going to get," she exhales before bidding farewell to the bathroom.


"You know that creepy guy?" the Raira student canvasses weakly, leaning across the table so his acquaintance could hear his almost silent inquiry. He laughs inwardly at the thought of using the word creepy to describe someone in Izaya's presence, never the less, he continues to give the informant a curious expression.

"His boss is a new client of mine. Apparently her daughter ran away."

"You mean that Tsubaki girl?"

"Why yes! Tsubaki Kita. I'm guessing you've been questioned..." He pauses, leaning his head back on the booth, resting his right ankle on his left knee under the table.

Mikado stays silent while he looks down at his forgotten menu, deciding he might as well decide what he wants to order before the waiter returns, his eyes browsing through the many dishes the sushi restaurant has to offer. Before he can encourage Izaya to figure out what he should order too, said man begins laughing, a few of the other occupants of the restaurant giving him quick glances.

"They're so stupid," he chuckles, gliding his right hand through his short black hair.

"Who?" Mikado interrupts the man's fit of laughter.

"They're looking for the wrong girl," Izaya reports simply, ignoring his company's previous question as he turns his head to watch Melina stroll back from the bathroom as she cautiously scouts the restaurant. "And here comes the right one now."


A/N: Thanks for reading everyone! I would love some reviews! Please tell me if everyone is in character, if the plot is interesting, if Melina is at least "okay", how my word choice is, how my style is, and if I made any mistakes (grammar wise). I went through this tons of times so I hopefully it paid off... Oh, and if you would like, guess what you think is going to happen next; I'd love to know!

So I'll see you all next time! Have a fantastic day!

10/13/12 UPDATE: I've updated the chapter, peeps! I got bored, and I found mistakes that bothered the crap outta me. I hope it's better now! Chapter 2 is also updated so read on please!