Here's the chapter where the real story begins~ The way I'm doing this story is that each chapter will have a focus on one character, kind of like the anime where it switches perspectives. Even though I'll be switching between characters a lot the underlying plot will always be the same.

Please review this chapter. I worked hard on this one to build the suspense. Enjoy!

Ch 2: Disaster (Mikado)

"See you later, Mikado," Anri called from across the street.

"Have a good night," he replied with a wave.

It had just been another regular day at Raira Academy. They had a huge test coming up next week, and Mikado hadn't really been paying attention in class. These days he was always up late on that chatroom. He always ended up too exhausted to really focus. He figured he should try and do some studying tonight, but a few minutes after he had sat down on the floor of his crappy apartment with some of his schoolbooks, his phone began beeping madly. He reached over and flipped it open. The Dollars website had just exploded with posts.

"They're saying Shizuo just went on a rampage!"

"Isn't he always on a rampage?"

"Well, yeah, but this was different. He attacked some schoolgirls."

"The people that were there said that the girls didn't even say anything to him, or even look at him!"

"Be careful what you say, guys. We know Shizuo is part of the Dollars."

"What if he hunts us down?"

"We'd be thrown into space."

"Did the girls get hurt bad?"

"They say one of them died."

"Shizuo wouldn't kill someone! He's an angry guy, but he's not a killer."

Mikado recognized the screen name as Celty. She's right. What everyone's saying doesn't make sense.

"Where did it happen?" Mikado typed.

"Near Sunshine and 60 Story."

"They've got the whole area blocked off!"

"The cops are on the hunt for him right now."

I guess I'm not getting a chance to study tonight, he thought. He got up and grabbed his coat, scattering books all over the floor. As he walked down the steps from his apartment to the street, he heard the half-horse half-machine sound of Celty's bike. She appeared around the corner and screeched to a halt once she saw him.

"Are you going to the crime scene?" she asked through her PDA. When he nodded, she typed, "Get on."

The motorcycle glided silently through the city. It wasn't too far, and they were there within a few minutes. The area was surrounded by yellow tape that read 'Keep out'. Mikado recognized Saburo's van parked nearby. Kadota and Saburo were leaning against it, while Walker and Erika were in front of the tape trying to get a better look.

Celty stopped the bike and the two of them went over to Kadota. "What are you guys doing here?" Mikado asked.

"Well, we're here because the two manga freaks wanted to come. They said it was like something out of one of their books. Even so, we probably would've come here anyway. We like to be where the action is."

"So what happened?" Celty typed.

"Well, as of a few minutes ago, Shizuo Hawejima has been arrested. I don't believe what everyone's saying. Over time he's gotten more control over himself… but from what the cops said, he'll probably be going to prison."

"Prison?" Mikado was shocked.

"Yeah. They said that all the property damage he's caused in 'bukuro ain't going to help him any."

"I know it couldn't be him. Who would do this?" Celty typed. Mikado could sense her anger in the way she shoved the PDA in Kadota's face.

"I don't know. But whenever bad stuff happens, it's normally that asshole Izaya's doing. I've heard that the last time Shizuo got in big trouble with the cops, it was him who framed him."

So Izaya's on the move again. What's he up to now? Mikado thought.

The roar of Celty's motorcycle pierced his thoughts. He turned to see the motorcycle leaping over the yellow tape with Celty. It flew smoothly over the barricade beyond, jumping over it like a horse. The two manga freaks squealed in excitement as she passed by. Just like that, she was gone.

"That's reckless," Kadota said. "They have cops all over the place past that wall… Hey kid! Wait!"

Mikado ran past Walker and Erika, slipping under the yellow tape. There were a few walls of concrete, also surrounded with tape. There was space between them, but not enough to fit through. Where there wasn't walls, there was heavy chain-link fence.

What are they trying to hide? This is ridiculous. Mikado looked around for a way to get through. The fences had barbed wire, and the barricade was a flat wall with no hope of climbing over. He stood there for a moment, searching, wondering what to do. Everything after happened so fast. Tires screeched to his left and then the back of a van collided with the wall. He heard Saburo cry out. Kadota and Saburo were still standing where the van had once been, looking shocked. The back half of the van had crumpled like a can that had been stepped on.

Walker poked his head out the window. "Try this," he said with a grin.

"Thanks," Mikado said. Then he climbed over the front hood of the car, past the pair grinning in excitement through the windshield, and was just able to clear the wall from the top of the van. Before swinging his legs down, Kadota yelled to him, "I wouldn't do that! If they're doing that much to hide whatever is going on, it won't be safe past that wall."

I don't care, he thought. I need to know what's going on. Celty just ran right in, not even explaining what she was going to do. Besides, I'm not going to just sit around when something this huge happens.

He wondered when he had gotten so brave, why he didn't lose confidence in the face of this fear. Then he jumped down, rolling so he wouldn't hurt himself. Past that point, the street expanded beyond, with a few cop cars flashing their lights by the sides of the road. Most of the lights and the craziness seemed to be going on farther down the street. Then he saw where Celty was. A jagged claw of black shot up, like a bolt of black lightning coming from the ground. The shadowy lightning writhed in the air above the flashing lights, then shot off in several directions towards the ground.

"She's getting crazy," he muttered. Something's really wrong.

He took off running. The first few police cars on the street were sitting there idly with their lights shining but with no cops inside. It seemed like all of them had rushed over to where Celty was. As he got closer, he saw something out of the corner of his eye. It was a dark shape crouched on a rooftop, staring down into the commotion. When Mikado stopped and tried to see who it was, the person walked away from the roof's edge and disappeared.

A police officer appeared from between two idle cop cars with a pistol. He shouted, "Stop!" at Mikado. Mikado could see the outline of Celty's body in front of the bright lights. Snakelike shadows extended from all around her, unaffected by the setting sun. With a sweep of her hand, one of the shadows shot back towards them, knocking the gun out of the officer's hand and throwing it almost all the way back down the road. The man blinked at his empty hand dumbly, then shook himself out of it and started walking towards him again.

"This is secret police business that we're handling here. It's for the security of Tokyo, standing against the crimes and murders that happen here," the cop said in a deep, commanding voice.

Mikado remembered hearing something about a sudden rise in criminal activity, and lots of murders. It was a huge deal, but whatever it was hadn't extended to Ikebukuro yet. At least, he hadn't heard about it until now...

He didn't know what to do. Celty was surrounded by police. Even when she was angry, she still couldn't put murderous intent behind her shadow scythe. It was the only reason why she hadn't really hurt anyone while she was here. She was too good a person to survive against so many opponents.

What have I gotten myself into? Mikado wondered. The police officer crept closer, a tazer in his hand that was already sparking. The cops rushed in on Celty. The motorcycle cops sped onto the scene between two buildings, their eyes fierce and unafraid. Celty didn't scare them. They scared her.

Should I go back…? He was really starting to feel afraid now. Shouldn't we run?

Celty's shadow blades spun and twisted through the night. They touched the stars with their inky blackness. They waved around angrily, always displaying the mood of their user. Then suddenly, the shadows shrunk back, and Mikado saw Celty fall. The motorcycle next to her screamed out, the sound morphing from an engine revving to a horse's screech. He saw hooves reach up to the sky, and then he blacked out.

Oh noes, what will happen to Mikado and Celty? You'll have to find out. Next chapter will be from Masaomi's POV. Read on my fellow fanfic viewers & writers! =^.^=