Banshee: Hello everyone. Here's chapter 3.

Diclaimer: I only own my OC and the plot.


Chapter Three: Strange Things Are Happening…


As Shizuo and I walked over to the sushi restaurant, I asked him if he had any siblings. He told me he had a little brother named Kasuka, who is a famous actor and everyone knows him by his alias, "Yuhei Hanejima." When Kasuka shows up in Ikebukuro, Shizuo hangs around and acts quickly if he feels his brother is threatened. I teased him about that, saying how he was such a caring big brother. He responded by smacking me in the head.

He also explained that his bartender outfit was a gift from Kasuka, who was worried about him not being able to keep a job because of his short temper. Because of Izaya, he had lost a job his brother had gotten for him, and he felt like he broke his promise to him, and they didn't talk much after that.

"I don't think he would be mad at you, Shizu-nii." I said after he was finished. "It wasn't your fault that you lost your job. Izaya was the one that caused you to get fired by framing you, right?"

"I know that." He said. "He might not be mad, but just… disappointed."

"You shouldn't worry so much, Shizu-nii. He's your brother, and he'll always love you. Just like you'll always love him, right?"

"Shut up.." He said, smiling slightly as he turned his head away.

In turn, he asked me if I had a sibling. I told him I had one; an older sister that died in a car accident when I was ten. I felt abandoned because she made a promise to me, and she couldn't keep it because she died. The pain I felt turned into anger, and my temper at that time could rival Shizuo's. I started fights for no reason, and made everybody around me miserable. Eventually, I came back to my senses and was able to move on… for the most part, anyway; I still have a little bit of a temper.

"I'm completely over it now." I said.

"Bullshit." Said Shizuo. "You're not completely over it. Stop lying."

"Okay, not completely." I admitted. "But at least I'm not the way I was; starting fights for no reason, and hurting all the people I care about. I never want to go back to that."

"Good, you shouldn't. It may not seem like it, but I hate violence."

"You hate violence?" I asked disbelievingly. "The guy with the short temper and monstrous strength hates violence?"

"Yeah, you heard me. I hate violence."

"If you hate violence so much, then why are you so… violent?"

"It's mostly because of Izaya. If he were to drop dead right now, almost all of my problems would go away."

"Then why don't you kill him and get it over with?" I asked.

"I've tried, but I can't catch the little bastard…" Shizuo growled.

I stopped when I heard my phone ring.

"Oh. My phone's ringing." I picked up my phone and opened it. "Hello?"

My blood ran cold when I heard Izaya's voice greet, "Hello Nikki-chan~."

Speak of the devil…

"Shit!" I thought. "It's him."

"Um…" I used my hand to cover the phone, and turned to Shizuo and asked, "Shizu-nii, could you excuse me for a minute?"

He shrugged. "Fine. But don't take too long."

I nodded and went around the corner, and looked back around the corner in time to see the blonde light up another cigarette. Going from the curb, I spotted an alley and slipped into it, hoping that this was far enough so that Shizuo couldn't hear the conversation. When I was sure it was safe, I growled into the phone, "Izaya…"

"Yes~?" Izaya chirped.

"How the hell did you get my phone number?" I demanded.

"I got it this morning. I looked through your phone while you were sleeping."

I twitched. So that was what he was doing in my room!

"I have to admit, while I was looking for your number, I was a little naughty. I looked through your photos. I must say, you look very cute in a bikini."

"You bastard!" I yelled. "How dare you look through my phone!"

"Why are you so mad?" Izaya asked in mock innocence. "I just want to be able to talk to you~."

"You're just doing this so you can piss off Shizuo." I deadpanned.

"We've only known each other for two days, and you already know me so well~.."

"Unfortunately, I do know you; I know enough, that is. Luckily, you don't know a thing about me." I said, nodding my head triumphantly.

"Oh yeah?" Izaya challenged me. "While you were at one of your sleepovers with your friends, one of them put your hand in a bowl of water, and you ended up wetting yourself."

I went pale. "H-How do you know about that?"

"The pictures. Also, I looked through your texts."

"I knew I should have deleted those…" I muttered, referring to the texts. As for the pictures, my conniving friends must have taken them while I was sleeping.

"But you didn't~."

"I hate you."

"Love you too, Nikki-chan."

I narrowed my eyes at the phone. "I'm hanging up now."

I heard Izaya sigh. "Alright, then. I won't make you waste any more of your precious minutes on little old me. However, before you hang up, I have one more thing to say…"

"What is it?" I asked impatiently, waiting for him to say what he had to say so I could hang up on his ass.

"Look behind you~."

"What-?" I turned around and my eyes widened in shock when I saw, none other than, Izaya Orihara standing behind me. I jumped back and shrieked, "Kyaaahh!"

"Hello, Nikki-chan~." He greeted, flipping his cell shut.

"I-Izaya?" I stuttered. "How long-?"

"Oh, the whole time, of course."

An anger vein pulsed on my forehead, and I growled, "Why you sneaky, no-good, conniving son-of-a-"

"Ah, ah, ah~…Language~…" Izaya scolded, wagging a reprimanding finger at me.

Suddenly Izaya smiled knowingly, and walked around so he was behind me, putting his hands on my shoulders. And not a moment too soon. I sat there wide-eyed as a trash can came flying by, mere inches away from hitting me. I looked towards the street and there was Shizuo.

"IZAYA!"

"Oh no…" I sighed.

"Shame on you, Shizu-chan…" Izaya scolded. "You almost hit Nikki-chan."

"Get your damn hands off her, you bastard!" Shizuo yelled.

"I'd hate to say it, but it's time for me to go, Nikki-chan." Izaya said, letting go of me and skipping away. He continued while blowing a kiss, "Parting is such sweet sorrow~…"

If pissing off Shizuo was his goal for the day, he certainly achieved it; the blonde was absolutely livid and definitely in a killing mood.

I think it's safe to say that we weren't going to get any sushi today…

"IIIIIIZZZAAAYYYYAAAAAA!" He shouted, chasing after the raven-haired man.

"Shizu-nii, stop!" I called after him. "You're gonna re-open your wound!"

Of course, Shizuo was too wrapped up in his desire to kill the flea to hear me.

He reached for the nearest weapon, which happened to be a sign for a crosswalk, grasping the pole in an iron grip that left impressions of his hands in the metal. Ripping the pole out of the ground, Shizuo chased Izaya down the road, he tip of the sign dragging along the ground. As he moved to swing the pole, I looked at his arm and saw a red dot form on the bandage. The little dot grew in size, and soon the bandage was soaked in blood.

I sighed, and walked to the nearest store to buy another first-aid kit.

When I walked back out, Shizuo was cursing and screaming at the top of his lungs; which meant that Izaya got away. In order to get his attention, and hopefully snap him out of his fit of rage, I used the first-aid kit to smack him upside the head.

"Ah!" He hissed. "What the hell? Who did that?"

"I did." I said, holding up the kit.

"What'd you hit me for?" Shizuo exclaimed.

"I knew you were too angry to listen to reason, so I smacked you."

He blinked. "I was pissed off, so you smacked me to try to calm me down? That makes no sense."

"Wasn't supposed to. Give me your arm."

He gave me his arm, probably feeling bad about trashing the previous patch job I did on it. I took a hold of his wrist and unwrapped the old bandage, revealing the same nasty cut as before.

"Didn't I tell you to take it easy?"

"I can't help it." He said. "My body goes into autopilot when I'm angry. Anything I do at that point is an unconscious decision. Besides, I hate Izaya so much, it pisses me off just to look at him."

"Why do you two hate each other, anyway?" I asked.

"Me, I just don't like him. I don't know what his reasons are; and frankly, I don't give a shit."

I had the wound patched up in no time, and just as I finished, I heard the sound of a horse neighing. I knew it was Celty because while I was at Shinra's I asked her about herself, and she explained everything to me; including the fact that the motorcycle she rides around on is actually her horse.

"Oh! Celty!" I said as she pulled up beside us.

[Are you two alright?] She asked. After seeing Shizuo's arm, she added, [What happened?]

"Those idiots that tried to jump me came back. Shizuo came along and helped me, and ended up getting cut." I explained. I added, grumbling, "And I just patched it up for the second time…"

[So it wasn't the Slasher?]

"Who's 'the Slasher?'" I asked.

[The Slasher is someone who goes around cutting people with a knife. But the victims don't die from the injuries.] Celty explained.

"Why don't the victims die?"

[Don't know. It might just be someone who gets a kick out of slicing people.]

"Can we stop talking about this? It's pissing me off." Shizuo growled.

"What doesn't piss you off, Shizu-nii?"

He paused. "… Sweets."

"You like sweets?" I said. "Huh.. I never would have guessed…"

"And what the hell does that mean?"

"Nothing, Shizu-nii. Jeez.. You really do have a short fuse."

"Tch.."

[It's getting dark. You want to come back to Shinra's with me, or will you be fine on your own?] Celty asked.

"I'll be fine." I assured.

[Okay.] Then she added, [Be careful.]

With that, Celty left.

"You sure you'll be fine?" Shizuo asked.

I nodded. "Uh-huh. I'm not scared of these stupid gangs, and this so-called 'Slasher' doesn't scare me either."

"Alright then. Since you're so sure of yourself, I'll see you later."

"Bye Shizu-nii~!" I chirped, waving as the blonde left.

- On My Way to Shinra's -

One thing I learned from going to other worlds is that no matter where you are, it's always creepier at night.

I was beginning to regret not having Shizuo come with me. At least I wouldn't be alone in a creepy place, and his face alone - hell, even the mention of his name is enough to send grown men crying to their mothers - was more than enough to scare any potential attackers away (not that I can't handle myself, or anything..).

I froze when I suddenly felt cold air on my back; the eerie kind of cold that sent a chill down your spine.

"What the hell was that?" I said to myself, shivering.

"Who are you?" A shrill, girly voice inquired.

Looking behind me, I saw a dark figure emerge from around the corner. It looked like a shadow, with long black hair that reminded me of Samara from The Ring. Under that hair was a pair of glowing red eyes, and I could barely make out a smile. It was a creepy kind of smile, the kind you would expect from a crazy person. I noticed the gleaming edge of a knife in the figure's hand. It looked like a regular kitchen knife.

"I've never seen you before. You must be a foreigner. That's okay, though. I love all humans…"

This must have been the 'Slasher' that Celty told me about earlier.

"And now…" The Slasher said, raising the knife above their head. "I'm going to love you… to pieces!"

I managed to dodge as the Slasher took a swing at me, the edge of the knife grazing my side. As they moved to swing at me again, I was able to block them by using one of my batons - which I had barely enough time to take out.

The more I saw those crazed red eyes and that creepy smile, the more I was convinced that the Slasher was more than a depraved psychopath that gets a kick out of slicing people. There was definitely something demonic about this person.

The Slasher laughed maniacally as they swung their knife at me wildly, and I barely had time to dodge all of the attacks, one of them slicing through my jacket sleeve; right along the seam where the sleeve connected to the jacket.

"Damn! It's too fast!"

"It's useless to fight." The Slasher said. "Once I cut you, you'll become one of my children. One cut is all it takes.. It wont hurt that much…"

I didn't know what they meant by that, and I didn't want to find out. I moved away as they swung at me again.

"What's the matter? Why are you running away from me? I just want to show you how much I love you…"

"I don't need your kind of love!" I spat.

"It doesn't matter what you say. Once I cut you, you won't have any choice but to accept my love."

As the Slasher said this, they raised their knife and prepared to swing at me again. At that moment, everything seemed to slow down. The knife came down slowly, the tip of the blade pointed right at my chest. I was frozen, and I realized that I wouldn't be able to block this attack no matter how quickly I responded.

Suddenly, I felt my feet and ankles grow cold, and I looked down to see a black void form under my feet. I didn't know whether or not I caused it, but I was grateful that it arrived as I sunk down into the ground, seeing the confused look on the Slasher's face before they disappeared.

When I came out of the other side, I was in front of the building that I came to recognize as the place where Shinra lived.

"Hey.. I'm in front of Shinra's…" I muttered to myself.

"That void… it felt so familiar.. Could it have been…?"

I thought about it for a second, then waved it off and said, "Nah."

Getting up off the ground, I dusted myself off and headed into the building.

When I walked inside the apartment, I got a glowing screen shoved in my face.

[What took you so long?]

"I… uh…" I stuttered. "You see… There was…"

[Your jacket is cut.] Celty pointed out after seeing the gaping hole in the shoulder of my jacket. [Are you hurt?]

"No, I'm fine. This psycho tried to slice me with a kitchen knife, but-"

[What did they look like?] Celty asked.

"I don't know. It was dark, and it looked like a shadow. The only thing I could make out was its eyes which were bright red, like some kind of demon.."

[The Slasher!] She exclaimed. [I knew I should have made you come back with me! Or at least had Shizuo go with you!]

"Nothing happened." I assured. "The Slasher was about to, well, slash me, but this portal appeared and before I knew it I was in front of this building."

"A portal, you say?" Shinra chimed in. "Sounds interesting."

"Of course you'd find it interesting, you nerd."

"Nerd?" Shinra exclaimed. "I am not a nerd! I prefer the term 'intellectually gifted.'"

"In other words, a nerd." I deadpanned.

Suddenly, Celty's PDA let out a little tone, and she picked it up. It must have been a text message, I thought. After reading the message, Celty suddenly looked anxious. She ran over to the computer, and signed into some type of chat room, where other users were already there. I walked over to the computer to see what they were talking about. Unfortunately, the writing was in Japanese, so I couldn't read it. So I dragged Shinra away from the corner he was sulking in, and had him translate.

"Apparently, some strange silver creatures have been spotted in Ikebukuro." Shinra said. "And they've been sighted in other areas of Tokyo as well."

"Strange silver creatures?" I asked. Knowing what they were, I muttered to myself, "Oh no…"

Shinra heard me and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Celty, ask them if these creatures have weird symbols on their heads." I said.

Celty nodded and submitted the inquiry into the chat room. A few responses popped up almost immediately, and Shinra read them.

"According to recent sightings, yes, they do." He said. He then asked, "Do you know anything about those creatures, Nikki?"

"Actually…" I paused. "Yes, I do. They're called 'Dusks,' and they're a type of Nobody."

[What's a 'Nobody?'] Celty asked.

"When a person of strong will loses their heart to Darkness, their body and soul is left behind. The body gives it form, and the soul gives it life, creating a Nobody. If their will is strong enough, they are able to maintain human forms. The ones that don't, which is the majority, have distorted, slightly human-like bodies. They are the complete opposite of Heartless; another creature born when someone loses their heart, who are more monstrous depending on how strong the original heart was.

"Nobodies don't truly exist because they are in-between the Realms of Light and Darkness. They are known as 'half a person' because of their lack of a heart, and because they no longer have a heart, they are incapable of feeling any real emotions; they just act based on what they know from their memories from their former lives. They are also able to act on their own, and plan out their moves before attacking; unlike a Heartless, who acts based on instinct.

"The most powerful Nobodies banded together and formed a group called 'Organization XIII.' There are thirteen members, each with a rank based on when they joined, a title, a unique power, and their own lesser Nobodies to control. Their main goal is gathering hearts so their leader can unlock 'Kingdom Hearts,' an extremely powerful force, which they believe will help them restore their missing hearts."

[You know an awful lot about Nobodies and this 'Organization XIII.'] Celty said. [Do you know them?]

"Of course I know them. I live with them." I said. "And… and I'm also a member."

"Does that mean you're a Nobody too?" Shinra asked. "How interesting~! Tell me, what's it like not having a heart?"

"I'm not a Nobody, you idiot." I snapped.

[So you're still human?] Celty asked. [Why are you part of a group made up of Nobodies, who don't have their hearts, if you still have yours?]

"It's a long story, so I'll give you the short version: I was originally a captive after I wandered into their castle accidentally. They eventually released me after they realized I wasn't a threat, but I ended up living there because they wouldn't let me leave the castle." I explained. "After a while, I ended up joining them. They're like a second family to me now."

"You said the Organization has ranks. Which one are you?" Shinra asked.

"Fourteen." I said.

He blinked. "There are fourteen members in Organization XIII?"

"Technically, there are only thirteen. I'm only a nominal member, because I'm not a Nobody, so I don't have a throne in the castle like the other members do. As far as my job goes, I basically do the shopping and serve as a guinea pig whenever the Organization's scientist has an experiment to perform."

[At least that explains those creatures that have been spotted around the city. If they're in Ikebukuro, does that mean the Organization sent them here?]

"The Organization wouldn't send their underlings to another world unless they had a reason to." I said.

[And you're the reason they're here, right?]

"Basically. They're here to bring me back to the castle."

[I'm guessing Organization XIII isn't a group that would let its members just up and leave.]

"You guessed right. If a member leaves, they are hunted down. At first, they are given the option to surrender and return to the castle. If they refuse, then they get destroyed to keep them from becoming a threat in the future."

"Sounds like a real cutthroat group." Shinra remarked.

"It's easier when you don't have emotions to get in the way of your mission." I said. "They can work efficiently because their emotions aren't there to hold them back, and they also can't get attached to anyone, making their jobs a lot easier."

[If you're only a nominal member, why would they go through all this trouble to bring you back?] Celty asked.

"They can't just let me go because I know too much about them." I said. "Not only do I know about their plan, but I also know a lot of personal information about them. With everything I know, there's no way they'd let me go unless they killed me."

[About the Dusks… they won't hurt anyone, will they?]

"Not unless they're ordered to." I said. "The Organization prefers to work in the shadows. They don't want to arouse any suspicion while they are out on their missions, so they try to stay out of sight as much as possible."

[It's late.] Celty said after taking note of the time. [We should all get some sleep.]

She signed off of the computer and shut it off, and she and Shinra went to their respective rooms so they could change and go to bed. On the way, Shinra suggested they sleep together, earning him a swift hit to the gut from the female Dullahan.

I smiled a little; their interaction reminded me of me and Axel.

As I went to my room, all I could think about was what would happen when the Organization finally found me.

"The Organization must have found out I'm gone and are sending Dusks to look for me.." I thought, a bad feeling forming in my gut. "I hope this doesn't cause too much trouble…"

- Normal POV -

The two figures were on the roof of one of Ikebukuro's buildings, waiting for the Dusks to bring back their comrade. They had been there for hours, and all their underlings had to report was that they hadn't found her yet. The boy noticed is partner was getting irritated by the lack of progress, and tried to calm him down using words.

"Take it easy, man." He urged. "The Dusks are doing the best they can. We can't push them any harder than we already are. Even they have limits, you know."

When his partner didn't respond, he added optimistically, "You know what? I'll bet they'll come back with some good news in the next five minutes, or I'll buy the next round of sea-salt ice cream when we get back home."

Just then, a Dusk appeared.

"You better have some good news." The taller man growled.

"My liege…" The Dusk bowed. "We haven't found her yet… However, the experiment has traced her scent to a warehouse, where we found a lingering portal."

"A portal?" The boy inquired. "Was it stable?"

"No. In fact, it disappeared not long after we found it."

The boy turned to his taller partner. "She must have been trying to create a portal in there."

"And apparently, she didn't have any luck; as usual." The man said. "Her portals are too unstable. There was no way she would have been able to use it."

The man looked at the Dusk. "What else do you have to report?"

"The experiment is still tracking her scent. It must be getting stronger because he's getting more anxious." The Dusk said. "However, there's still no telling how long it will take before we find her."

The man growled. "Forget this. I can't sit here and wait anymore. I'm going down there."

"H-Hey!" The boy objected. "W-Wait a minute! Our orders say-"

"Screw our orders! All this pussyfooting around is taking up too much precious time!"

"But we can't be seen. If we go down there looking like this," The boy tugged on his coat. "everyone will think we're suspicious and we'll have the local authorities breathing down our necks."

"Don't worry, Kiddo. I have the perfect plan. We'll get some normal clothes and blend in with the crowd."

With that, the man removed his hood, revealing a spiky mass of red hair. There was an upside-down teardrop tattoo under each green eye, and he sported a cocky smirk.

"Trust me, Roxas. This'll be easier than spring cleaning at the castle…"

'Roxas' sighed. "If you say so, Axel…"