Welcome to the seventh chapter… no, I'm not really feeling well.

Disclaimer: I do not own Durarara! As well as Catherine. Plot and weird unheard-of places mentioned are mine. Some other references used as well.

Warnings: Yaoi and hentai. Horror and supernatural themes implied. This is NOT based on the game Catherine's story line. Shizuo, forgive me.

Whistling Dolls

Hi, I'm Shizuo Heiwajima and I am a cheater and a victim of the fatal nightmare accidents. Well, I basically just learned that from a friend of mine who seems to be very knowledgeable of that thought-so curse.

Just today, stranger things happen to me… more like I feel different whenever I see Vorona. And so I decide to meet with Izaya instead… and talk with her for some time. She does mention about meeting up with a girl earlier that day… but kissing her? Izaya can't be that serious.

I also find something weird in her office-style room… and it magically creeps me out when the screen turns black. And then she suddenly marches in the room, complaining about the wrong perception about the nightmares.

While we're enjoying special bonding time, Vorona calls me just to say good night… before Izaya talking about her knowing my infidelity. Fuck me, right?

Whistling Dolls

Yanderes… men dressed as women… nightmares… I must be so fucked.

Outside Shizuo's head…

Time stops as Shizuo eyes at the brunette woman between his legs… talking about spilling the beans to the girlfriend he has. Reading his face as in denial, Izaya chuckles yet again…

"I don't find anything weird about her. I mean…" She blinks seductively yet the mocking remains, "Vorona-san has the body, her breasts and ass are bigger than mine! Her lips are delicious, too… well, not as delicious as yours though."

"How'd you…?" The only words that fly out of his lips…

"I see you every day, sweetie. You are always walking around the city so how would I not know?"

Shizuo looks away and then Izaya starts tracing her finger at his exposed navel, "No need to be ashamed. I have broken a lot of relationships because of my job. But I always remind my customers' women… those men marched in this place without me forcing them to."

Her mocking gaze is now replaced by her usual flirtatious eyes, "That goes the same for you, my dearest." She then starts licking again at that manhood before her, "But only lonely men go around Goat's Den. Lonely man comes in, looking for warmth and satisfaction… we come and give it." She licks it once more, "This is our business. Our way of life. Can't blame us…"

"…Didn't she get mad when you told her?"

"She was pretty shocked. But I know she'll just trick you into thinking that she doesn't know."

"…I need to go." Shizuo looks towards the door and then she whispers in sadness, "Are you going to be back?"

"…" Her lashes flutter as she blinks before looking at the man…

"…Yes."

She smirks bigger and then Shizuo rakes his hand at her head once again… a weird smile embracing his face.

"Call me whatever you like…" He cups a hand at her cheek…

"But I'm not letting any of you go."

Whistling Dolls

Rei Haruno —Sakura no Imooto

Chapter 7: Disgusting

"Welcome back, Shizuo!"

"Neko…" "Aw. I'm so touched. I got a pet name."

Shizuo is standing yet again in black void that night… up for another round of nightmare chasing. Instead of a wavering heart, he stands in front of Neko-rabbit with determination. The pink-black figure shows itself to him again… the blond clearly distinguishing what Neko-rabbit really looks like.

He appears to be a pink rabbit mascot but the face is black and the eyes and mouth are white circles and a crescent. His arms are tightly secured by bands, fully appearing in black and he has claws as if a cat. The pink mascot costume-looking apparel extends to his knees… which are similar to his arms, embraced by a tight-hugging black apparel with his feet appearing to be paws. His pink rabbit ears are swaying smoothly with each movement and his black slick tail keeps wagging gently.

"You looked readier than ever. Something happen during the morning?"

"How can I get out of this mess?"

"…" The grin in Neko-rabbit's face turns into a small smile as he crosses his arms before his chest, "That's a question that you will be able to answer yourself as you proceed." Shizuo squints more into his already glaring eyes. "I know you don't want to die…" He then licks his lips, a long tongue emerging from his mouth…

"Because you have two women to love."

"Well, whatever. I just wanted to get this done."

Neko-rabbit laughs out as he vanishes along with a dark smoke. The environment then grows colder as ice shards rise from the ground. And as what Shizuo can recall… the angel mannequin is coming.

"Shizuo-kun~ Why~?" Shizuo looks at where she probably is… seeing her tightly strapped against a boulder. And instead of a mannequin body, she now has flesh. The blond gulps down a bit… seeing a faceless naked woman with angel wings strapped in an engraved space for her. The black tight belts are keeping her from moving, and they are also emphasizing her big breasts.

"What in the world are you?" He whispers and then she starts crying, voice giving out a different sensation to the man, "My pure love is being… destroyed." She starts aggressively moving and yelling, "WHY DON'T YOU JUST BE MINE ALONE?!"

"V…Vorona?" Shizuo whispers and then the boulder starts rolling, the woman calling out for his name in a monstrous voice yet still resembling hers. The man then starts running off… trying to avoid destroying walls as much as possible.

Nothing much is new in the maze… until Shizuo starts coming across stalactites falling off from the ceiling. He needs to be wary of the boulder and the raining sharp rocks.

"Shizuo-kun! Stop running away from me!"

"…" The man continues on running off… still thinking of why the angel resembles Vorona in some ways. Until he slips off from an icy walkway. He then falls down and manages to get up with his hand getting gushed at an icicle protruding somewhere. The exit lies ahead and so he runs off to get done with the night. Before he gets out, he looks back at the melting angel doll of flesh…

"Shizuo-kun…stop…" Her hand reaches out to him… but he takes a deep breath and leaves her behind.

Whistling Dolls

"Shizuo!" Vorona waves at him and then he hesitates to raise his left hand to wave back. He uses the right one instead, "Vorona."

She runs to him and she takes hold of his left arm, "I suddenly missed you so bad. I dreamt of you last night… and…" She giggles… yet she notices the bandages wrapping his hand. A glare develops at her eyes as she stares at it badly, "Where did you get that?"

"…Just being stupid. Let's go to school." Shizuo scratches his head and then Vorona eyes gently at him, worry painting her orbs, "You should be more careful."

Inside Shizuo's head…

She did become much protective and clingy towards me… and I somewhat doubt what Izaya has said. Isn't she supposed to be mad at least? Why isn't she opening it up?

We walk towards school with her arms around mine. The everyday scenery begins to taste bitter and it starts to feel disgusting. Isn't she supposed to be crying? Revolting? Yelling bad things?

And why do I feel satisfied that she isn't?

"Shizuo." She calls me and so I turn to her… but she hasn't bothered looking, "What plot interests you more? Star-crossed lovers… or love triangles?"

"…I'm not fond of watching romance, Vorona."

"Me? I want that kind of story where the man chooses." Gulp. "Chooses what he wants the most. Decisions… I really like it when the main character makes certain decisions to change his life forever."

"Vorona?"

"Like… choosing which shirt to wear." How are shirts and life-changing decisions connected? "The clean one that makes him look normal… or the dirty one which he just likes to wear with no particular reason at all…"

"V…"

"And oh, the clean one is brand new. While the dirty one is…" Her grip tightens, "Old. Used. Very dirty."

My eyes blink as I sigh… now that everything is clear to me. She's not really referring to shirts… she's referring to her and Izaya. And just like what I don't plan to do… I am keeping myself from talking.

"So… what do you want to wear, Shizuo?" She then finally looks at me with a sweet smile, hiding the scorn her words has implied.

"Hm. Let me think about it…"

"…Right. Think well." She looks back at the corridor and then we arrive at our classroom. However, Shinra suddenly shows up… bowing down at Vorona, "Douglanikov-san, with your permission… can I take Shizuo away for a moment?"

And before she can speak, he takes my wrist and pulls me off to somewhere.

His grip grows tighter every second and his jerky movement shows nervousness. We then stop running as we reach the rooftop… only to have him hug me like a child, "SHIZUO!"

In due annoyingness, I hit his head and then he screams in so much pain… he's starting to overreact. He then rubs his head and he speaks in anxiety… which comes out of the blue.

"Shizuo! I'm so happy you're still alive! I was so scared that you might already leave me!"

"You're just sad that you won't be able to dissect me alive."

"…Part of it but—" He takes a deep breath and then he raises a small paper with numbers written towards my face, "Hotline to Hell."

"What is that fuck?"

"This is not fuck. It is somewhat a 'demonic' hotline that answers questions… one's soul duly asks and seeks answer to that very moment."

"Don't tell me you ask when I'll die." "Well, no… but…"

Inside Shinra's head, last night…

"What is it that you wanted to know the most? Your future? Ah, yes. Your future will be a bit sweetened by someone's arrival in your life. However, when you gain… you have to lose. Hm. It's like saying… I wonder when a person dear to you will die."

The speaker on the other line whispers continuously as if reading what I have been really thinking at the back of my mind.

No, this can't be true. There must be scientific explanation for this. Mind reading? Through telephones? Research? Reading through words, body language? Right, something like that.

"So the man of science struggles to find out what sorcery is happening." The receiver chuckles and then he speaks, "It would really be fun to see your face right now. So priceless…"

"Who is this?" I glare and speak with bravery that I barely contained. No, I will not waver in this phenomenon. This is one shot in finding out the mysteries of the nightmare accidents. Right, if the prostitutes of Goat's Den are using this… then this must be a plausible source of the accidents.

"Right, I do know about the nightmares. Your precious friend is dying because of it… right?"

"How'd you…?" "I am Neko-rabbit. And I have answers to anything… worth answering." The man speaking finally speaks of his name… yet I feel that name is the worst code name ever. Setting the ridicule aside, I opt to prolong this conversation.

"Fine then. Answer my question…" My grip on the phone tightens, "What are these nightmare accidents all about?"

"Heheh… that's a big question. Initial deposit will be ten years, Shinra Kishitani. Will it be a deal?"

"Ten years?" "Yes, ten years off your life countdown." I am not able to describe my own emotion by then. Like my heart suddenly just… squeezed tight. My breath starts to falter and my fingers begin to tremble.

A gamble of life? No, no one can dictate how long a man can last in the world. This con artist does have a lot of experience already… but being able to turn ladies into living goddesses? I cannot just hurl out a yes to prove if he is credible or not.

"I can feel your hesitance. Just call me again if you're up for my offer. Ten years is already a bargain, though."

"What in the world are you?"

"Oh, that question's for free!" He then chuckles and answers in the creepiest voice I have ever heard…

"I am a demon and I own the world."

The phone call ends with just the busy tone and the other side has already hung up on me. Yet my trembling hand refuses to bring down the phone… my ears refusing to stop listening to the busy tone either. Ikebukuro holds too much phenomenon in its vastness.

Existence of otherworldly creatures such as those which I cannot touch yet I see… quantum physics could have explained the existence of a matter in mere sight. But them having the capability of affecting human lives and dictating their life span? It is surely surreal… yet I feel some kind of vague truth in it. In everything he poses to say.

The current time, at the rooftop…

Obscurity is well written in Shizuo's face as I summarize the events last night. Though I am not able to tell him about the caller's ridiculous identity. "You don't believe me, do you?"

"…Hm." He strokes at his chin, "Since I have been experiencing something odd as well, I guess I could."

"Right. Shizuo is almost dying because of those nightmares. I did ask about them but he didn't say anything at all." I sigh loudly and then he leans at the rooftop railings, "Tch, why do things like this happen?"

"Deviation from normal life… isn't it supposed to be enjoyed? Yet the anxiety that comes with it goes to an extent that it drives you crazy." I then join him, "Uhm, Shizuo. Want to go with me at Goat's Den later? It's just a local bar—" "You have gone to Goat's Den? When?"

It then occurs to me late that I have met Kanra-san back in Goat's Den. I scratch my head and chuckles out, "R-Right. I forgot to tell you… I have seen Kanra-san." He looks away.

"She's so beautiful that the birds in the world can sing to her endlessly. So godlike that… I can't even think she has this so-called natural beauty." Sigh. "Like somehow deep within, I think her beauty is…"

"Say it's medically treated, I'll kill you." "…Even if I say it to Vorona-san instead?" "Yes." A wicked smile then rises from my lips…

Shizuo Heiwajima. You maybe a monster but you cannot choose two women at the same time. I have seen the differences between Vorona-san and Kanra-san. I have also classified them into two different spheres that complement one another. With the two of them together, there is perfection.

Perfection? Is that the reason why you deliberately connect these two personas of yin-yang to create a balance? Are you planning to dissect their existence as if they are the embodiment of the night and the day? Are you trying to fuse them together into one special girl for your own entertainment?

Childish. I have never seen such a man so childish in this aspect. The idea of perfection… seeing it amidst this flawed reality by bringing two complementary women together. Even with his kindergarten brain, Shizuo still manages to hold them against one another… their eyes not meeting, both women not knowing of each other's existence…

"Kanra?" A familiar voice whistles along the wind and then I turn to a direction to see… Vorona-san standing by the door, "Is that another girl?"

Tension breaks within me… but Shizuo's reaction amazes me more. He dares not to look at his suspicious girlfriend. I watch her approach him and join us at the railing, me feeling at the edge of my seat, "I thought you would be talking about something much… better. But you are talking about this Kanra…"

"…Kanra's still Izaya. That's the name she's using at the bar."

"…Oh, that dirty bitch."

End of Chapter 7

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