AN: Apologize in advance for how badly corrected this is. Am going away to the country-side tomorrow for 3 weeks which means I have no idea when I have internet again, which is why I attempted not to leave you guys hanging for yet another month :D.
In any case, this chapter is rather slow-paced and in my opinion not as funny as the others but at least you get to meet Shinra and Celty. Let me hear a yay! Now let´s get that chapter started xD
New friends:
It was a lovely day and Rena was once again on a break. It was too be expected when you only studied part-time and once again she didn´t mind as she still had plenty of Ikebukuro left unexplored. Mikado had been reluctant, saying that walking around in the neighborhood alone could get you in trouble and when Rena had suggested she call Izaya-san he´d only said that it´d be unwise to burden him during the middle of the day.
So here Rena was left alone just as she had been about a week ago, once again out of options to entertain herself. Stay inside the apartment had been Mikado´s badly concealed suggestion but how on earth could anyone stay inside when things were so lively outside?
The toy-store perhaps, after all she´d never had the chance to properly make her round last time because… Rena felt ready to sink to the bottom of the earth as she recalled the reason it had been interrupted in the first place. If it was to be helped she vowed herself never to make such an embarrassing mistake again. But hardly had Rena had time to finish the thought inside her head before her eyes once again caught sight of something that just had to be taken home.
_._
{What lovely weather we have today], the black rider held the PDA in front of the tall blond as she casually sat back on the seat of her black motorbike.
Shizuo gave one of his rare genuine smiles as he nodded in return. Oh yes, it was fall alright but no clouds were in sight and the air was nor too hot nor too cold for his tastes. Oh yes, sunny days in fall were few and winter would come far too soon but anyone not taking hold of this opportunity would be a fool.
"Yeah", he smiled, "we kind of do".
There was something particular that had happened, something that had started that stupid day he found himself stuck in that hellish waste collection. Shizuo had met a friend, someone who he could potentially be around for more than three seconds without brutally injuring and even though things like everything else in his life had started off everything but simple he had a genuinely good feeling about this.
Speaking of which…. Shizuo smiled broadly as he saw the familiar figure in the blue dress running towards them.
"Rena-san", he called out, raising his hand with a smile as he fixed her with his eyes.
She certainly seemed glad to see them judging by the speed in which she was running towards them. Almost suspiciously so Shizuo would have thought had he not known that that sparkle in her stare, that practically radiating smile of hers was completely harmle…. Or wait, that was the thing, wasn´t it? If it was anything, harmless most definitely wasn´t the word.
"OMOCHIKAERI!"
Shizuo stiffened as the scream which he recognized far too well came out of her mouth, his feet barely moving as the girl ran straight towards Celty and….
The face of the otherwise so fearless blond was paralyzed in an expression of true horror as he realized what the girl had attempted to `take home`. In an instant what had been a manically smiling face turned into a wide eyed and pale mask of emotions Shizuo didn´t even dare attempt to read.
Rena stood with the cat helmet in her hands, but her eyes directed at the person she´d snatched it from, and as Shizuo followed her gaze to the black smoke coming out of Celty´s neck only one thing ran through his mind. Most of the citizens of Ikebukuro knew the identity of the black rider by now but outsiders seeing this for themselves was never, NEVER a good thing.
Shizuo had to think and that fast. Lifting the girl by the collar in the same manner as he used to handle a certain pair of Orihara-twins he placed the stunned girl non to gently behind Celty on the motorcycle before swiftly placing the helmet back on the black rider´s well… lack of head.
"Go!" Shizuo yelled at Celty, "Meet you back at Shinra´s".
As his friend drove off in the speed that only she could manage Shizuo found himself with a sudden and very brutal headache.
_._
"You know", Mikado frowned, "I still don´t feel comfortable about it".
The trio was sitting outside the school building, cards scattered around the ground as they tried to complete their penalty-game despite of the absence of the fourth player.
No, Anri was certain that none of them felt "comfortable" about it because considering the fact they´d just 3 days ago barely escaped a game with Izaya unscathed and Rena currently had his number saved in her cellphone leaving her alone an entire day wasn´t the most ideal of solutions. However, Rena was no younger than they were and if she didn´t have school during the hours they did there was nothing they could really do to control the events.
As it was though, she could definitely have dealt with Mikado explaining things to Rena a little bit better and stop keeping her and Masaomi from telling the girl straight to her face what a snake in the grass this man truly was. But she was Mikado-kun´s friend after all and the decision had to come from him… she supposed.
"I don´t either", Masaomi said, the annoyance in his glance noticeable to the most imperceptive of beings, "but if a certain someone had allowed me to explain things better to her than `he´s kind of not over-the-top-dangerous` perhaps we wouldn´t have to sit here and worry our assess off".
"But she likes him", Mikado protested, "it´s not like I could just…"
You could and you should, the words had repeated themselves over and over again in Anri´s head for days but she somehow couldn´t make them leave her mouth.
"Yeah, so what?" Masaomi muttered, "so did his little fan-club of self-destructive teenagers to and look where that got them!"
"Look! Rena isn´t anything like…".
Anri didn´t know the story by heart but she realized exactly why Mikado had stopped talking and placed his hand over his mouth. He hadn´t said the words out loud but the apology was so evident in his wide blue eyes that it almost tugged at the heartstrings in her chest that Anri for so long almost had considered inexistent.
"I-I didn´t mean… ", Mikado looked practically heartbroken as he looked back at his friend who only drew a deep sigh.
"It´s okey", Masaomi muttered patting his friend on the back, "I know you didn´t. Anyway", he looked from Mikado to Anri before pasting that happy-go-lucky smile on his features again, "shall we get going with this game before math starts or are you afraid of getting your assess kicked?"
Anri glanced at Mikado who´s facial expression seemed to mirror the exact sentiments that she had on the matter before plastering a smile to her face as well.
"You are", she said as she looked back at Masaomi an innocent smile on her face, "because you are going to lose again".
"No way!" the smile that Masaomi gave as he looked back at her again seemed significantly more genuine, "I´ve prepared some excruciatingly painful punishments for you two and I´m planning to finally get a chance to use them".
"You wish!" Mikado looked back at him with the genuine grin Anri´d seen more and more often since Rena came to Ikebukuro, "In any case, up to proof!" he took a card in his hand as he started mixing the deck.
_._
[She´s seems to have passed out]
Shizuo sighed as he looked at the PDA in Celty´s hand. They were currently in Shinra and Celty´s living-room, the most certainly unconscious girl resting on the couch.
"Yeah, I can tell", he muttered, "out cold", he looked apologetically at his best friend, "look! I´m sorry you needed to do this and all that, I mean….".
One moment of silence while the black rider typed on her phone.
{No problem], were the first words Shizuo read as the PDA was shoved into his face, [this is none of your fault. It´s just an unfortunate situation].
Shizuo nodded as he looked at the girl seemingly sleeping soundly on the couch. Oh yes, an unfortunate situation indeed. Rena had seen the black rider´s face or rather… lack there of and was currently asleep in her and her not so legal doctor of a boyfriend´s couch. Don´t get him wrong, when it came to unfortunate circumstances Heiwajima Shizuo was pretty much an expert but nonetheless he had had to say that this one topped most of his lists.
[What did she mean take home?]
Shizuo sighed as he looked at the PDA again. Yes, what did she mean by it? Because apparently she took home everything from rusty bicycles and broken dolls to the most repulsive flea-bags in history.
"I don´t know", he said, shaking his head, "but she says she does it a lot. She brings home things she finds cute".
Celty took off her helmet, holding it in front of her as if inspecting it with her none existent eyes.
[I´ve never thought of it in such a manner but… perhaps]
"Yeah", Shizuo nodded, drawing another sigh as he looked down at the unconscious girl, "don´t think it matters to her though. The things she calls cute are rather erhm…." Shizuo frowned as someone who definitely couldn´t be placed in the cutesy-category came to mind, "disputable".
The two were silent for a moment, Celty standing at the center of the living-room, Shizuo situated at the edge of the couch where the unconscious girl currently rested before….
"Hauuu".
Both Shizuo and Celty turned around at the sound, now looking at a wide eyed Rena who was looking from her newly made friend to the headless woman standing on the floor.
"Hauu", as her blue eyes settled on Celty Shizuo couldn´t help but hold his breath.
This was the moment when people either ran off in terror or stayed in amazement, this was the moment when….
"I knew it, I knew it!" Rena smiled, eyes gleaming, "Rena didn´t dream that there was a headless fairy standing here".
For what seemed like the umpteenth time since he´d come to meet her Shizuo could do nothing but stare as Rena came to stand beside his best friend.
"Rena fainted, so Rena could have dreamt everything", the girl called out excitedly, "but not now because now Rena is here and…"
"Rena-san", Shizuo hawked as he pointed towards the fairy, "this is Celty. Celty this is Rena-san".
"Oh", Rena smiled kindly as she looked at the dullahan, "nice to meet you Celty-san".
[A pleasure to meet you as well, Rena-san] Celty nodded towards the girl as she held up the PDA towards her.
Shizuo gave a tentative smile as he looked from Rena to Celty. So far this seemed to work out. Celty was polite, Rena was polite and as long as…
"Celty my dear, I´m home!"
Nope! Forget that was Shizuo´s only thought as a sing-song voice that could be every bit as annoying as the flea´s whenever it felt like it broke his not even one-second of peace.
"But oh my", Shinra´s eyes widened behind the thick glasses as he entered the room, grocery-bags dropped on the floor as he looked excitedly from face to face, "Celty my love, it looks like we have visitors".
"Hey", Shizuo raised his hand tiredly as he looked back at the enthusiastic doctor, "yeah we kinda dropped by".
_._
"And I´m out", Anri smiled timidly as she placed her last card on the ground.
She, Mikado and Masaomi were currently in on their third round of Old Maid since the latter had demanded a re-trial after his rather devastating loss to Mikado.
"Damn it!" the blond boy exclaimed as he dropped his rather expressive stack of cards in front of him, "I swear, the two of you are conspiring against me".
Anri exchanged another glance with Mikado who returned her amused smile, a feeling of peace filling her chest. This truly was life at its best. The three of them sitting in tranquility on top of the roof, the sun lightning up the cards lying in front of them.
It wasn´t that she per se disliked Rena´s company but there was a certain charm to the dynamic the three of them shared and truth to speak something she´d missed these this last week. And then there was also the fact that…
"Rena-chan is going to be disappointed that she wasn´t here to pick your punishment for today", Mikado gave a meaningful smile.
"She´d love to add up to it, wouldn´t she", Masaomi shook his head, "truthfully she´s the kindest of the three of you though. If she won I wouldn´t have to worry half as much about what ordeals you sadistic bunch would expose me to".
"Yeah", Mikado gave a content smile, "I suppose she is".
Yes, she was. Anri could most certainly agree with them on that. Rena was sweet, easy-going and when she didn´t kidnap informants quite reliable and then there was of course the fact that she´d unknowingly saved all of their backs a few days ago from something that may have placed them in debt to the most unreliable person in Tokyo. Yes, Rena was quite grant and Anri supposed that was what undeniably led her to be present even when she was physically elsewhere.
"Hey Anri-chan!" Masaomi exclaimed, "will you please convince this bastard not to make me wear that beak again?"
Anri looked at the blond who was looking pleadingly at her.
"Well…", she looked from Masaomi to Mikado before giving a cheeky little smile, "I say we make him wear the bunny-ears instead, Mikado-kun".
_._
"And I´m out", the doctor chirped as he placed his last card on the table in front of him on the table before following Rena´s example and look curiously at the contestants still left.
This had been yet another eventful day for Rena. At first she had been quite embarrassed, finding out that she had repeated the same incident that she had made herself guilty of a few days ago but as she´d realized she´d actually seen eye to eye with a very much authentic dullahan all other feelings quickly dissipated.
Both Shinra and Celty had been surprisingly agreeable to playing a game of Old Maid even though Rena had made the consequences of losing very clear. Rena had lost the cards of her hand rather quickly and she had already started thinking out the punishment for the loser, and as it appeared so had someone else.
"Please, Rena-chan", Shinra looked at the girl with a puppy eyed expression, "will you consider my punishment for Celty-san if she loses. I have picked the dress out already, it is super-cute I´d just…"
The doctor´s pleas were interrupted by the tapping of Celty´s PDA, and Rena giggled as the screen was held up in front of her.
[Let the girl think for herself, Shinra. I very much doubt it she´s interested in those little side-games of yours]
"But Celty!" the doctor whined, "everyone are interested in super-cute things".
"Not those you imagine, no", Shizuo muttered before Rena even had the chance to open her mouth, "don´t listen to him kid. It isn´t really that cute".
Cuteness was subjective, Rena knew since for instance as strange as it was very few people actually found Kenta-kun cute, but seeing as this kind doctor apparently was the one who´d given Celty that completely adorable helmet the dress that he spoke of couldn´t be anything other than really, really cute.
"Can I see it?" Rena´s eyes glimmered as she looked at the doctor.
"Of course", the doctor was practically euphoric as he rose to his feet, "I can get it now!"
But Shinra was stopped dead in his track by another sound of fingers tapping against the PDA.
[Unfortunately that dress has to be worn by Shizuo because I´m out]
Both Rena and Shinra had to turn around to look at the pile of cards on the table now extended by the three cards Celty had held onto an instance ago, Shizuo responding to the statement with a facial expression of sheer horror.
"I´m not fucking doing it!" Shizuo exclaimed, "call me whatever you want but I´m not wearing a pink fucking dress with ribbons".
"It´s pink with ribbons?" Rena´s eyes went wide as she looked at the doctor.
"Yes", Shinra giggled, "I´d preferred it on my dear Celty but now that Shizuo lost….", he looked meaningfully at the ex-bartender.
"Please Rena-san!" Shizuo looked pleadingly at his soon to be punisher, "I´ll do anything you want! I´ll wash all your clothes, clean you guys apartment, just don´t… make me wear that fucking…. ".
"But Shizu-san did lose to Rena", the look in the young girl´s eyes were positively vicious as she smiled secretively at him, "so he will have to pay".
3 pair of eyes, or rather 2 since the third person in the company wasn´t in possession of such looked expectantly at her as Shizuo awaited his doom.
"Since Shizuo-san lost so devastatingly the punishment will have to be severe", the girl sat back, a hand on her chin as she pretended to think hard, "Rena knows!" a huge smile split her face as she looked back at Shizuo, "as a punishment for losing Shizuo-san will have to..."
Shizuo looked as if he was truly about to face death penalty before Rena finally spoke again.
"Join Rena on a treasure-hunt tomorrow evening!" she exclaimed practically overjoyed.
Celty, Shinra and finally Shizuo looked questioningly at her before Shizuo brought himself to reply.
"I… I", he frowned before actually realizing that he wouldn´t be forced to wear some pink frilly dress after all and smiled, "I can do that".
"Good!" Rena said, "make sure to bring a big bag. You never know what you´ll find".
"Yeah", Shizuo chuckled, smiling sheepishly, "I´ll make sure too bring one. Can´t miss out on the good ones can I?"
"Mhm!" Rena nodded happily as a response.
This was going perfectly. She´d already gotten Shizuo-san to join in on the penalty-games. She just couldn´t wait until he and Izaya-san finally played together.
_._
"Oh great!" Masaomi exclaimed as he entered the living-room, "you could just expect her to run off again!"
"Yeah", Mikado sighed, "I should have insisted on her joining us to school like I planned to".
"Let´s just hope she hasn´t called her precious Izaya-san", Masaomi muttered while rolling his eyes, "him giving her his damn number was the bloody cherry on the top, wasn´t it?"
Anri sighed in response as Masaomi kept looking through the apartment.
Masaomi was pissed. No, Masaomi was beyond pissed. Borderline Shizuo Heiwajima-pissed to be completely honest. Why was it that this girl couldn´t keep out of trouble for one second? Ikebukuro was the cradle of trouble, he´d drink to that any day but the day he´d meet someone who had been as big a trouble-magnet as Rena was one he´d only seen in his dreams so far. Of course, being smitten with Orihara Izaya wasn´t that uncommon a thing and he was even ashamed to say that there had been a day when Masaomi himself had idolized him but that complete lack of wariness towards a stranger, that…
"Does anyone have Izaya-san´s number?"
Masaomi´s thoughts were interrupted by Mikado´s nervous voice.
"It´s not like I didn´t tell her that calling him was a bad idea but….", the black haired teen was practically sweating as he looked down at his feet.
"She kind of felt like well… maybe it wasn´t well… over the top dangerous anyway", Masaomi snapped imitating the tone Mikado had used earlier this morning, "how about next time you let me handle this?"
It was all Mikado´s fault, Masaomi decided. If he hadn´t so stubbornly insisted on beating around the bushes this morning they wouldn´t have been in this stupid situation to begin with and Masaomi wouldn´t be forced to search through his cellphone for a damn contact he´d never thought he´d be forced to use again.
"Anyway", he muttered, "I´ll fucking call him. But it´s not like I expect any answers that makes sense. And I suggest you don´t either".
_._
To say that Orihara Izaya hadn´t expected the call would have been an understatement and that it had been the cause of that ever so irritating smirk and practically childlike excitement even less so.
"Seems like I´m having a call", he said as he sat back on his chair.
"I can hear that", his secretary replied with the same disinterest as she dignified most of her boss´s statements with.
"Seems our dear Masaomi-kun is on the line", he said as he looked at the name on the screen of one of his countless cellphones.
"Don´t care", Namie replied in the same tone as before.
Izaya just snickered slightly at the comment before finally picking up, it was not like he was going to make things easy for the boy by answering on the first signal.
"Moshi moshi Masaomi-kun", he replied cheerfully, "what could you want with insignificant little me at this time of day".
"Fuck off!"
"Why thank you, Masaomi-kun glad to speak to you too" he practically sang.
"Look! I don´t want to waste more time than I have to listening to that irritating voice of yours, so just hatch it!"
Izaya laughed quietly at the boy´s irritated tone. The precious Kida-kun was nearly as entertaining as a furious Shizu-chan could be on a good day and the informant just loved to take advantage of it.
"Could it be that Masaomi-kun is asking a favor of me?" he prolonged the words sucking on them as though he was savoring a piece of delicious sushi, "wouldn´t please be a lovely way to start the conversation if you want my advice this badly".
"Please!" somehow the boy managed in making the word sound more like ´go fuck yourself` than `please`an impressive skill he had in common with Namie, "tell me what kind of shit you brought Rena-chan into before I come bust that door of yours in".
If Izaya had had a hard time holding back his laughter before he most certainly had now. As the informant broke into the manic laughter he´d become known for throughout Ikebukuro he watched his secretary roll her eyes in the corner of his gaze.
"Oh, how scary", he sang, "Masaomi-kun is going to bust my door in. So tell me, what would your lovely Rena-chan think of that?"
"Shut up", the words were cold as ice, "and tell me where the hell she is".
"Oh, Masaomi-kun is quite the protective boyfriend isn´t he?"
"No, just a decent friend. But I suppose friendship isn´t your area of expertise".
For an instant, just a second or wait… kind of a millionth of a second Izaya could feel something oddly familiar to a burn in his chest but being that Izaya was Izaya he quickly dismissed it as Simon sticking some strange Russian ingredient into his sushi today.
"Oh, Masaomi-kun, always knows how to make a guy feel special, doesn´t he?" he sang.
"Whatever! Just put her on the phone already".
"Oh, eager to hear her voice, ne?" Izaya had a feeling of where he wanted this to go and he most certainly knew one name that was sure to bring the boy over the edge, "I wonder, what would Saki-chan say?"
"Fuck off!"
Bingo! Izaya grinned contently as his words hit exactly where he wanted them too.
"Oh", he chuckled, "I am quite sure that isn´t what she would say. Because unlike you the girl is pretty well-mannered".
As the boy fell silent Izaya chuckled softly, a satisfied grin gracing his lips. So far the former gang-leader hadn´t hung up on him so he supposed he could give the boy some points for self-control (something a certain monster most certainly didn´t possess) and it´d be interesting to see for how long he could hang on.
He could hear voices in the background, most likely Saika-chan and Tanako Taro-kun, words like `this is unnecessary`, `hang up now, we´ve got something to tell you` and…. After hearing so polite words from the other side of the line the awaited sound of `pissed teenager hanging up on him` met his ears.
Izaya leaned back in his chair as he smiled contently only briefly meeting his secretary´s gaze.
"Let me guess", she said in a bored tone, "you love humans".
_._
That asshole, that asshole! That fucking arrogant, backstabbing piece of… Masaomi was so angry one could almost see smoke emanating from his nostrils. How could Izaya speak of evolvement and still manage to be the same damn selfish, manipulative prick that he´d most likely been since middle school (or in fact Masaomi may even have suspected kindergarten)?
"I´m going to fucking kill him!" he exclaimed as ran into the hall, "I swear I´m going to go there right fucking now and…."
Masaomi stopped himself as he looked at his two friends and….
"Kill who?" Rena looked at him with wide blue eyes as she entered the room.
"Oh, hi Rena-chan", he said, smile plastered to his face, "just some guy at school. So…." he weighed uncharacteristically from feet to feet, "how has your day been?"
"Oh wonderful!" Rena´s face split into that absurdly contagious smile, "I´ve been playing old-maid with Celty-san, Shinra-san and Shizuo-san and Shizuo-san has agreed to spend an afternoon with me treasure-hunting".
Treasure-hunting with Shizuo Heiwajima, there had been a time when that sentence would have rung an alarm of imminent danger but that was during a time when the other option still hadn´t been Izaya Orihara.
"Oh, that´s great", he grinned, "was that his well…"
"Yes", Rena nodded happily, "but considering the fact Shinra was going to make him wear a pink dress he agreed quite quickly".
Shizuo in a pink dress? Masaomi wasn´t sure that was something he´d ever want to imagine but that was completely irrelevant since what mattered now was that Rena wasn´t hip deep in some sort of trouble with Izaya and that she didn´t owe him any favors that would end up ruining her life.
"Yeah", he grinned, "I admit that I´m pretty much with him on that. Listen… it´s quite a while before dinner. How about we get a cup of tea".
"Uh!" Rena nodded cheerfully.
"Then I´ll go make some".
And like that, just like that! All his plans of murdering Izaya had been replaced by how very contagious that smile was as Rena looked back at him.
AN: And there you have it ^^. Not very nice of Mikado to make assumptions about Saki like that but seeing as this takes place about... during the first season of the anime he technically hasn´t met her yet (he doesn´t until the end of the novels, does he? :P Have unfortunately no idea).
Anyway, hope this lived up to your expectations! Got to go packing now because I´ve been postponing this part of the preparations for far too long.
Anyway! Have a nice summer and thanks for the support ^^. Means and WILL always mean a ton to me :3
