Saya: Forgot to mention in the last chapter, but I'm in college now. So, expect late updates. However, I'm getting my schedule down to write weekly. Hope that's enough for you. I have big ideas for this story. Hopefully, it's successful as my last one! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Durarara! I'm merely using its characters in a different way.
Here For A Change
"Finally made it."
After that long ride, Mikado felt stiff from sitting. Several muscle stretches later, he hopped off the train and caught a taxi. He arrived at the place and saw several people unloading his belongings. His blue eyes wandered to the building. It looked more like an expensive hotel than an apartment complex.
"Is that all?" He timidly asked the movers.
"Yes," one worker answered, putting a hand on a moving cart. It had several boxes on it. "This is the last batch. Everything else is now in the apartment." Before he pushed it, the teen walked over and put his hand on the handle.
"I'll take it from here. Thank you."
"All right then. Then have a good day." The mover hopped into the truck along with his coworkers and drove off. When the truck was out of his sight, Mikado pushed the cart toward the complex. The closer he moved, the complex looked too…elegant for his taste. Well, his tastes included homely and simplistic. He was a country boy.
Entering through the double, glass doors, Mikado noticed the silence. Guess it was one of those apartment things. He went to the counter, where a pale man sat behind. He glanced at the teen, then opened a drawer to take several papers and a pen out. He began writing.
"You are…?"
"Ah, Ryuugamine Mikado." The man hummed.
"The new tenant…What about your grandparents?" Mikado looked down, and the man took it as a sign not to speak about it. "Anyway, I just need to see your ID and paperwork. Your stuff is already inside the room. I just want to confirm it." The teen nodded and handed him the papers and ID card from his bag. While waiting, he looked around the lobby. It had a dining area, where he heard some cluttering from the open window of the kitchen. There were doors to rooms with flower-theme names on the golden plates.
The whirring sounds drew him back to the counter. The pale man handed him back his belongings, along with an apartment key and freshly-printed papers. He did it without glancing at the new tenant.
"Don't lose the key. It's very important, and it's too much of a hassle to pay for another one. Also, I handed you the rules of the apartment building. Please read it carefully. You need to pay the rent every month, which comes out to 121,000¥. Any questions?" When the boy shook his head, the man said, "Have a pleasant stay here."
Mikado nodded and put his things away into his bag. He pushed his cart toward the elevator. Pressing the "7" button, the doors closed and Mikado, for second, saw the pale man vanish into thin air. When he arrived on his floor, he shrugged it off and headed for his new home. The plate already had his surname engraved on it. Putting his key in, he opened the door and pushed his belongings entered inside.
Taking his shoes off, Mikado carried the boxes one by one off the cart. He let out a small gasp. A stack of boxes towered at the center of the living room. He misjudged the size of his apartment through the ad. The furniture were already against the walls. Even his grandparents' bedroom furniture was inside their bedroom. Maybe he should remove it soon as possible. No one would live in it.
His grandparents really wanted to start a new life with him. Thinking about it saddened him. He shook his head. No time to think about the past. He needed to worry about unpacking. It was going to take him a while too.
Well, better get started.
After five hours of unpacking, Mikado's apartment was to his liking. The master bedroom with the private bathroom became his, and the other bedroom became his study area. However, he moved his grandparents' belongings in the closet, in case of anyone had to stay over. He doubted it.
From someone else's view, the apartment looked lonely.
His stomach growled. The supermarket wasn't too far. His kitchenette needed some food supplies. It already had the cooking materials. Maybe living alone can hone his cooking skills. He saw it as a precious hobby, since his parents and grandparents taught him. They lived through his food.
Taking his wallet, he put on his shoes and opened the door.
"Boo!"
Mikado fell backwards.
"Huh?" The woman wore a black, long-sleeved dress, a black hat, and black boots. Under her hate, her hair was pulled back. Two, brown bangs hung in front of her ears. Her brown eyes casted sideways. "Did we scare him too much Yumacchi?"
Next to her, a young man crossed his arms and tilted his head. He had dark, brown hair, wore a blue sweater, black pants, and shoes. However, his eyes were closed. Could he even see?
"Maybe Karisawa-san. But doesn't he remind you of someone? Like a character?"
The two people stared at Mikado intensively. It caused some bad memories to resurface. His heart-rate increased. Sweat formed and ran down his face.
"Guys, cut it out."
The three turned their heads to the right. Mikado was thankful he wasn't the center of attention. Instead, it was a man wearing a cap, a dark green collared jacket, and saggy, gray pants. His sharp frown and brown eyes reminded the teen of a delinquent in anime and manga. Behind him was another man. He had long, brown hair, wore a white, buttoned shirt under a brown vest, jeans, and black shoes.
"Ah! Dotachin! Togucchi!" Karisawa called, waving her hand.
"Don't call me that."
The two stood next to the eccentric pair. 'Dotachin' stretched a hand out to Mikado. The young boy calmed himself and took the hand, being lifted up. The older man threw his thumb at his other friends.
"These two otakus didn't give you a hard time?" When he saw Mikado shake his head, he introduced himself. "My name is Kadota Kyohei."
"I'm Karisawa Erika!" The woman yelled.
"Yumasaki Walker!" Her partner-in-crime shouted.
"Togusa Saburo," said the last person.
"So, what's your name?" Kadota asked.
"Ryuugamine Mikado." Suddenly, the otakus were staring at him again.
"Emperor of Dragon's Peak?" Erika then smiled. "Is that your real name?" Before he answered, Walker spoke up.
"Nah, that has to be a pen name."
"Guys."
The otakus stopped at the sound of Kadota's voice. He continued.
"Anyway, Erika lives on this floor and wanted to greet her new neighbor." At the end of his sentence, Mikado saw something in his new neighbor's eyes. A gleam? Whatever it was, it made him nervous. She, in return, studied him for a few seconds. Then, she pointed at him with an index finger.
"Uke!" Mikado blinked. What was that? A type of person? Looking at her friends, they sighed. Was being an uke bad?
"What? What's an uke?" Before any words left her mouth, Walker covered Erika's mouth. If Mikado didn't know, it was better not to let him know at all. He praised himself, saving an innocent mind from his friend's fujoshi-ness.
"Anyway, do you want a tour around the building?" Kadota quickly changed the subject. He looked at Mikado and saw him nod. "All right. Follow us then." He walked ahead first, with his friends and the new tenant following suit.
Mikado was amazed by the apartment's features. He never imagined the features to be so…fancy. Like it was made for the rich. No wonder his rent was exceedingly high. Maybe his grandparents wanted him to be spoiled rotten while living here.
While the Otaku gang was giving Mikado the grand tour, they all tried to talk with him. It was rather difficult. The boy's mind was somewhere else. He always asked them to repeat themselves. The other thing was that he didn't give them any specific answers. He only answered either yes or no.
The tour concluded in the dining area.
"And that ends the tour!" Erika shouted in excitement, but Mikado remained emotionless. Her eyebrows narrowed together. Her lips pursed into a frown. "Mou!" The loudness of her voice made the teen flinch. She pointed at him. "Are you really…a homunculus deprived of emotions!?"
"Ah, I'm sorry. I didn't know. I just…have a lot on my mind." Before Erika scolded him, Kadota (lightly) hit her. "Ah! You shouldn't be–"
"It's fine." Kadota sighed. "I have to knock some sense into her. But she does have a point. You feeling okay?"
"Yeah…" Mikado bowed. "Thank you for the tour." He turned around and left the Otaku group at the dining area. It was time for groceries.
Meanwhile, the Otaku group decided to have some lunch. They were about to invite Erika's neighbor to lunch, but he left so soon. That was when their counter person spoke up.
"The new tenant was supposed to have two more people move into the complex. However, they weren't with him." The pale man kept his fingers busy with a Rubix Cube. "Then, I received news about their missing presence." Walker and Erika leaned in to listen carefully. While Kadota and Saburo didn't show it, they were still interested.
"His grandparents died the previous week before their move-in."
Silence fell over their table. When their food arrived, Erika stared at it before leaving the table.
"I don't feel hungry." The woman pulled out her wallet and placed money on the table. Her fellow friends did the same, leaving the hot food in the cold. The pale man, continuing with the Rubix Cube, wondered if he should have kept his mouth shut.
Mikado wished he could bring the shopping cart with him. He bought too many food items, and his arms weren't that strong to carry the bags. Even with all that training against evil yokai…The teen wondered where and when he can keep training. Maybe inside his room…? The thought disappeared when he imagined a destroyed apartment afterwards.
While thinking, the teen didn't realize there was something behind him. It wasn't until the presence grew bigger. He dropped the groceries bags, whipped out a charm from his jacket, and turned around. However, something caught his neck. It became harder to breath!
"Banish!"
Mikado dropped to the ground. He coughed for air. The malicious yokai shrieked and vanished from his sight. Rubbing his neck, he tilted his head up.
Two figures in his sight. One was a man with a dark complexion and braided hair. He wore a business suit. He adjusted his glasses. Said figure walked up to him, kneeling down and smiling at the teen. "Are you all right?"
Mikado couldn't answer, but nodded slightly.
"You can see them, right?"
Another nod.
"Oi, Tom-san. Let's go already. We're going to be late." The other man walked over to the one called "Tom-san." He caught Mikado's eye, due to his blond hair and blue-and-white kimono. Or was it a yukata? Either way, something seemed very unearthly about this man. Maybe it was the glowing eyes behind the purple sunglasses. The man caught the teen staring and frowned. "What kid?"
"Ah, sorry."
"Mou, Shizuo. He just got attacked. Be a little easy on him." Tom turned his attention on Mikado. "Sorry about my coworker–" Shizuo clicked his tongue. "I'm Tanaka Tom." Tom helped Mikado up, then grabbed his groceries bags.
"Ah, thank you for the save." The teen bowed. "I'm Ryuugamine Mikado." At this, Tom's mouth formed an "O"-shape.
"You're the new tenant in the building!"
"Eh?"
"Shizuo and I living in the same building as you." Tom glanced at his friend and frowned. "Oi, Shizuo. Can't you introduce yourself?"
"Fine." He moved to be in front of Mikado. "Heiwajima Shizuo."
"Ah, nice to meet you."
"Anyway, let's move our conversation inside the building."
The trio walked towards the building. When they entered inside, Mikado's eyes widened. His jaws dropped. It was perfect reaction if anyone saw numerous humans acting normally with yokai walking around them. Tom and Shizuo saw the new tenant's stiff posture. The former was the first to speak.
"Ano, Ryuugamine-kun?"
The teen tried to speak, but it came out as stutters. Shizuo felt his eyebrow twitching. Irritated, he clenched his fist and knocked Mikado. It made the kid stumble forward. The blond earned a smack upside his head from Tom.
"Shizuo! It's not polite to hit anyone younger than you!"
"Then the same should be applied to you," he said to Tom.
"Um…" They both looked at the younger tenant. His blue eyes revealed the surprise from seeing yokai among humans. "Is this normal?" He must had said something wrong because Tom and Shizuo stared at him oddly.
"Are you…serious?" Shizuo asked in disbelief. "Are you fucking serious!?" When Mikado shook his head, the older man was about to throw one of his infamous tantrums. Thankfully, Tom explained the situation to the new tenant.
"Ryuugamine-kun, did you read the advertisement correctly?"
"Uh…my grandparents never told me the name or its specific details about this place. They told me about its features…" Tom sighed.
"This place is Chou Shizen Houmuzu*. An establishment where humans who can see yokai, good yokai, and mixed breeds can live in peace. That's the simplest way I can explain," the man said, looking at Mikado. "I can't believe you didn't know though."
Mikado didn't know how to respond. It was too shocking. Although, he remembered his grandmother's words. That not all of the yokai were evil. Some actually get along with humans. It all depended on him how to act with them. Maybe…this is the reason his grandparents wanted move here. How cunning of them.
But frankly, he didn't want to associate with any being at all. He just wanted to be left alone.
*Chou Shizen Houmuzu - It translates to "Supernatural Homes." I thought it'd be fitting for the building, since regular humans are part of the residence.
Saya: Review? Please? :)
