Durarara! Fan Fiction!

Drama! Romance!

(Title)

"Life is not a Shoujo Manga"

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Durarara' or any of the characters! I would want Izaya's jacket if I did. It looks warm.

WARNING! RATED M! Not much actually. We're good!

Chapter Three: "Connections"

"The most important things in Life are the connections you make with others."

Date: April, 2010

(Present Day)

Nobody wants to be alone.

It's a simple fact of life. Universal fact, actually. Sure, there are sometimes when we want some space or we just don't want to deal with other people, opting to stay in the background. That's also a fact of life. But nobody wants to truly be alone. Human's are social creatures, all humans on some level want to connect with someone else. Whether to have an enjoyable time with, to let out all our frustrations to, or just to sit and have a cup of coffee with. It's in our nature to desire that connection. Our entire being demands that connection.

Here, in Ikebukuro, were many people that craved such connections.

Even if they didn't think so.

It was a little after six in the evening and the nighttime crowds were beginning to come out in full force. The lights of the city had been lit and they decorated the streets and buildings in mesmerizing and eye-catching colors and pictures. Tonight, two students of Raira Academy walked together down the busy streets.

"Kida-kun... where exactly are we going?" the dark-haired boy asked his friend curiously. As much as he was enjoying soaking up the sights, he was interested to know what his friend had in mind.

"Hmm~ I dunno." the blonde beside him shrugged uncaringly, placing his hands behind his head. "Where do you want to go?"

Mikado thought about it for a moment. They could go see more of the Sunshine 60, he'd heard there was an aquarium there and he'd never been to one before. Or maybe visit another bookstore? Or perhaps... he should just do some shopping. Mikado didn't have much for food back at his small apartment. Speaking of which... "I'm actually kind of hungry." he realized aloud.

His blonde friend spun around to face him, a grin on his face. "Okay, then! I know some great places!" And with a destination in mind, Masaomi suddenly turned and began heading in a new direction. As they passed through the crowded streets and down the less-populated alleys, Mikado was once again struck with the thought that without Masaomi by his side he'd have been hopelessly lost. As the two teenagers walked, they were surprised to hear a woman's voice call out after them. Or, after call Masaomi more specifically.

"Kida-kun!? Kida-kun, is that...? It is you! Kida-kun!" the feminine voice was excited and gentle as she called out. As Masaomi halted and turned towards the direction of the voice, Mikado did as well. There was woman waving at them from farther up the street.

'Is she another one of Kida-kun's friends?' Mikado wondered idly. His mind drifted to the strange individuals Masaomi had already introduced him to since his arrival in Ikebukuro. From Simon the giant who works at a place that serves Russian Sushi, the odd group of friends that all hung out of a van to the unsettling Orihara Izaya. She was gesturing for them to come over to her. Masaomi hesitated for a moment before smiling brightly and walking right up to the woman. Mikado followed his friend uncertainly, but as he walked towards the woman he couldn't stop himself from inspecting her appearance closer.

She was taller than them both, standing above himself and Masaomi by a few inches. She was wearing a plain beige skirt that reached her calves and a white sleeveless shirt under a hoodie that ten sizes too large for her as it completely engulfed her frame, the hem of it ending around her thighs. He thought that was a rather strange outfit. He's observed that most girls in this city usually wear more form fitting clothing, things that flatter their shape. That was not the case with this woman. 'Wow! She's pretty.' he thought. Her features were delicate and soft, she looked young but the mature and graceful air she held around her made Mikado doubt she could be any younger than twenty. Her black hair was cut into perfectly even bob, framing her face with what he recognized as a hime-cut. Though he found her hair odd he had to admit the woman's most attention grabbing feature had to be her green-blue iris. They shone brightly against the city lights, contrasting greatly against her dark hair and pale skin. As her oddly bright eyes watched the two of them approach the surrounding air became warm and friendly. Mikado didn't even know this woman's name, yet, he felt his earlier uneasiness wash away like it was never even there.

"Kat-chan~" Masaomi greeted cheerfully. "You're looking lovely today as ever! I like your hair today. Very sophisticated. Is it new?"

A pretty smile curled her lips as she regarded the blonde. "Kida-kun, it's good to see you're as troublesome as usual." then she added in a softer tone. "...it's been awhile since I've seen you at the café."

Masaomi scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Ahh... I've been really swamped with school and homework, y'know? I even got a job over the summer too! All the way over in East 'bukuro."

Mikado frowned, confused. School just started a couple days ago and Masaomi hadn't mentioned a getting a job over the summer before this moment, surely Masaomi would've mentioned something like that to him. So why would he lie to the woman? Mikado began to feel that earlier uneasiness creep back up. The woman seemed to believe him as she nodded understandingly. Warm teal eyes glanced from the blonde to the brunette standing slightly behind him and Mikado found himself fumbling to introduce himself. "Ah! I'm nice—I-I mean, it's nice to meet me—Wait! I mean—"

Masaomi interrupted his bungled introduction with an exaggerated wave towards the woman. "Buddy, I am pleased to introduce you to one Sharaku Katsuko, head waitress of the illustrious Peach Rose Café! One of the best shops around to take a pretty girl on a date. Kat-chan, this is my best friend, Ryūgamine Mikado. Forgive his babbling, he's new. He moved to Ikebukuro just last week." he said apologetically to the woman.

Katsuko watched Masaomi's display with amusement clear in her eyes, she then gifted Mikado with a smile that had him set completely at ease again. He wondered if that was natural or if she had to practice having such a calming smile like that? "It's nice to meet you as well, Ryūgamine-san. I hope Ikebukuro has been treating you well during your time here." she inquired politely. She didn't make any sort of reaction to his name, he noted. The same had been with his classmates a few days ago.

He nodded quickly, "It's been incredible! The city is like nothing I've ever seen before. I... I've actually never visited to Tokyo before coming to Ikebukuro." he confessed with a sheepish smile.

The corner of Katsuko's lips pulled back into a smirk and Mikado found himself strangely surprised that she was capable of making an expression like that. "Well, I can one-up you on that, Ryūgamine-san. I'd never visited Japan before I came to live in Ikebukuro."

Mikado's eyes widened, 'She wasn't born in Japan? She didn't have an accent or anything, I would've never have guessed!'

"Ehh? You never told be about that, Kat-chan!" Masaomi complained.

She was grinning now, a teasing tilt in her voice. "Well you never asked, Kida-kun. And it doesn't matter much as I've lived in Ikebukuro for nearly half my life now."

"Uhm, Sharaku-san—"

"—Katsuko, please." she interjected.

"Okay... Katsuko-san." Mikado felt odd referring to her so familiarly, they just met only minutes ago. Was this just how people acted here? "Can I ask where you're from? Where you were born, I mean." He had no idea where he got the confidence to ask a such personal question of a complete stranger but he couldn't help but feel curious as to the answer. Mikado wanted to know if she had anything in common with Masaomi and himself. Katsuko-san looked like she belonged here just as much as Masaomi did, like they've just always been a part of the city. Was it just a natural part of living in Ikebukuro? Would the same thing eventually happen to him? Or was it something else entirely?

She answered easily enough, "I was born in the United States, California specifically. I lived there in a house with my Mother in the 'bu—Sorry, slip of the tongue. In Malibu, until I was thirteen before moving here to live with my Father."

"What did you think of Ikebukuro when you first came here?" Mikado blurted to her without thinking. When he realized how forward he was acting, he felt his face warm. Masaomi was no help as he started snickering at friend's expense. Thankfully, it seemed that Katsuko-san was unbothered by his questions.

"Well, to be entirely honest Ryūgamine-san..." Katsuko paused, a thoughtful look crossing her face as she brought a finger to her lips. "I hated it."

Masaomi choked on his laugh and both boys were left stunned by her bluntness. But Katsuko-san didn't seem to notice as she smiled fondly, her eyes growing distant. It looked as if her mind was drifting back to some faraway and precious memory. "At the time I wanted nothing more than to go back to Malibu and forget that I ever lived here... and then I met my best friend and he made the whole thing a bit more bearable. He introduced me to all the best things about this strange city and made it a bit more like home." She looked back at Mikado and he was taken back by the amount of raw emotion that was shown so clearly in them. "You're very lucky to already have a friend like that, Ryūgamine-san."

Before anyone could respond to that there was a buzzing sound and Katsuko-san reached into the pocket of her hoodie and pulled out neon green phone. Flipping it open she read the screen and frowned, rolling her eyes at the message. She grumbled something under her breath and Mikado realized that she'd spoke in English, her eyes raised to them again and she smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry but I have to make a call. It was good seeing you again Kida-kun, and meeting you Ryūgamine-san."

"You too, Kastuko-san!" Mikado said hurriedly. Masaomi also said a goodbye with far more flirtatious words, causing Mikado to have the urge to melt into the sidewalk, and then they resumed the path they were taking before being waved down. But not after they took a few step away Katsuko-san's voice carried out to them again.

"Kida-kun!" she called. Masaomi turned around with a curious look. His eyes widened when he saw the worried frown on her face. "...be sure to drop by the café sometime soon, 'kay?"

His flashed a bright grin as he did an exaggerated bow to her. "Your wish is my command, my lady!"

She returned the smile and looked towards Mikado as she raised her phone to her ear. "You as well Ryūgamine-san! I'll be expecting you both! Oh, and welcome to Ikebukuro!" she shouted to him with a wave.

"A-Ah! Yeah..." he stammered. And with one final wave from both parties, the pair turned and melted into the greyed faces of the crowd. As they moved farther away, Mikado could faintly overhear a fragment of her conversation.

"—ire, what do you mean by 'she set it on fire'?! I swear, if you two have burned down the apartment by the time I get home tonight, I will seize all of your Hanejima memorabilia! Yeah, I'm still out—No, he hasn't shown up yet—don't try and change the subject! Agh, just... just put your sister on the phone."

As he walked alongside Masaomi only half listening to his friend's teasing about his failed introduction and sudden interest in the personal history of strangers, he thought back to the woman they just left. She was unlike most women he'd met, not that he's met a lot of women to compare her to, it was just a feeling she gave off. From her mismatched hair and oddly bright eyes to the strange phone call he heard. It made him wonder what kind of person that friend she spoke of was that could inspire such warmth in her clear eyes?

Chapter Three: "Connections"

END

A/N: So? What do you think of this so far? If you find anyone OOC, PLEASE let me know. I would hate to be doing this horribly wrong. Thank you Pr1nc3ss K3nny and Guest again, for reviewing the second chapter!

Wuv yew all! 'Till next time!

-Nanami