Durarara! Fan Fiction!

Drama! Romance!

(Title)

"Life is not a Shoujo Manga"


DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Durarara!' or any of the characters!

WARNING! RATED M! Language.


Chapter Eleven: "Fried Eggs"

"Change is never easy, you fight to hold on and you fight to let go."


Date: September, 2001

(9 Years Ago)


"Oi! Katsu-nee! How do you want these eggs done?!" a teenaged girl shouted out the kitchen doorway. Instead of a verbal answer, a pair of feet began to stampede across the tatami on course to the kitchen. Mikage rolled her brown eyes, already half-expecting an exaggerated reaction.

"NO, NO, NO! STOP!" shouted a panicked voice from down the hall. A girl, not more than sixteen, tumbled into the kitchen and nearly cracked her head on the counter on entry. The eighteen-year-old man sitting at said counter had laid a large, meaty hand on her head to stop it from colliding with the afore mentioned stone counter. Eijirou grumbled about her being more careful but he went completely ignored as wide teal eyes locked onto her younger cousin's form.

"Mimi!" Katsuko gasped, ignoring the large palm still attached to her head and looking at the girl in (annoyingly enough) genuine fear. "You can't cook! Remember what happened the last time you offer to cook the rice?! The rice, Mimi!" she cried desperately, inching towards the pan in the girl's hand, very much like she was hold a switch to an active bomb.

Mikage huffed and narrowed her eyes in irritation at Katsuko. Then, on a poorly restrained impulse, farm-fresh eggs were propelled through the air in rapid succession towards the American. Katsuko yelped, scrambling backwards with her hands raised to intercept. One-Two-Three-"MIMI!" she pleaded-Four-Five-"STOP!"-Six-"THROWING!"-Seven, Eight-"EGGS!"

Eijirou, the ass, was laughing at the scene of his sister chucking eggs at his cousin. That is, until Katsuko missed one. One that was not aimed at her. It cracked against Eijirou's scalp with a satisfying splat. Mikage was smirking now, tossing up and down a remaining egg in her hand as she watched the yolk drip down his brow. Katsuko snickered, carefully moving towards the counter where she could place the armful of fragile eggs down. Eijirou let out a low growl and his hand moved toward the safeguarded eggs with vengeful intent, Katsuko was quicker as she slapped his wrist, causing him to recoil. Eijirou turned his scowl to Katsuko and she pinned him with a stern look as she moved the eggs farther away, beginning to make breakfast, cracking and mixing the eggs while the pan heated on the stove top. All of this was happening even though her hair was in utter disarray. She had woken up from a dead sleep when her cousin had threatened to cook.

Mikage sat herself on top of the counter, watching as Katsuko pulled out the other things that would be accompanying the cooked eggs. She crossed her arms over her near non-existent chest and began to sulk. "You always make breakfast recently and I... just... wanted to be helpful, Katsu-nee." the fifteen-year-old mumbled to herself.

Hearing that, Katsuko's melted very much like the butter in the pan. She then turned a wobbly, stupid-wide smile towards her baby cousin and began to gush over her, flinging her arms wide as she moved in for a hug.

"No." Mikage denied immediately, pointing a rude finger in the other girl's face. "Don't even try it."

"Mimi!" Katsuko gushed, stars in her eyes and stupid, gooey look on her face. Mikage inching away even now. "You're so cuuuute! I can't help but want to squeeze you when you say things like that with such adorable look on your face!" she insisted. Mikage's face began to burn bright with embarrassment and Eijirou burst into laughter as he washed the yolk out of his hair at the sink, enjoying his sister's plight with a vindictive sort of pleasure only a older sibling could possess. Mikage rolled her eyes and shuffled farther down the counter, relieved when her cousin went back to cooking instead of trying to pile her suffocating form of 'affection' on her. Katsu-nee has gotten even worse these last few months, but... Mikage couldn't find it in her to completely dislike all the forced hugs and overt displays of affections. Not that she would ever say that aloud. She would literally rather die before that happened.

Breakfast was made with not much fuss after that, Katsuko valiantly hurried around the kitchen and prepared breakfast and threw together her and her cousin's lunches while fighting off Stupid-Eijirou's grabby hands from touching the cooking food, pleading with Mikage to help her in her defense against the older teen. Things only began to get rowdy after the fish was cooked and the rice was hot. By then, the head of the house had woken up and entered the kitchen.

"What are you all getting into out here?" bellowed a rough voice. Katsuko's newly attempted hugging of Mikage was interrupted by a grin as she turned and greeted her Uncle Eiji cheerfully. The man that looked every bit like an aged Eijirou with greying auburn hair stepped into the kitchen, looking impeccable for someone who had just woken up, if still a bit red-eyed and stubbly around the chin.

"It's too early for any trouble." he warned, sending Eijirou (and only Eijirou) a stern look. Eijirou gulped nervously and released his hold on the scruff of Mikage's shirt, leaving him unprepared for her retaliatory shin-kick. Eijirou cursed heatedly and the mild rough-housing started up again. Eiji let out a tired sigh as he closed his eyes and joined his children at the counter, he was always tired these days it seemed. Then he smelt his favorite brand of green tea, freshly brewed. He opened his eyes again to his only niece smiling softly up at him as she pushed the hot cup forward. He took the cup with a grateful nod of the head, relishing the first sip of the day.

"Has Eiichi come out of that den of his yet?" he asked his niece. Paying only half a mind to the slowly escalating brawl on the other side of the kitchen, he would only step in if they try and break something. Whether it was a dish or a bone wasn't as much of a concern.

Katsuko couldn't fight down the tension that appeared in her shoulders at the question but she remained smiling. "Not yet." she said quieter than she honestly would've liked. Eiji noticed the change in her posture but didn't comment on it. It wasn't his place to. Breakfast was finished and dished out into five servings, Katsuko paused over the fifth plate. A habitual unease washing over her.

Eijirou glanced up from shoveling his food to look at his cousin, noticing her obvious hesitation. "...want me to take it?" he offered, cheek stuffed with rice and meat.

Katsuko shook her head firmly, preparing the tray. "No, it's fine. I can do it." she assured him, flashing him a confident smile. Although she was tempted to take him up on that offer, it was her job to do it. That didn't stop her from planting a grateful kiss on the top of Stupid Eijirou's head for offering in the first place. She snickered as he made a disgusted noise and raised a hand to wipe off any trace of it. Neither of her cousin's nor her Uncle pressed her any further than that as she collected the food and left the kitchen, heading further into the house.

She passed her and Mikage's rooms and she paused a moment at the next one out of habit, like she had still been expecting it's inhabitant to still be snoring loudly with college textbooks messily strewn around the room with his dirty laundry. It was empty now though, and had been for months. A thin layer of dust was beginning to set over the room, stripped bare of any personality that it once had. It still faintly smelt like Eiichirou, Katsuko thought sadly. She continued walking towards the end of the hall. Her heartbeat picked up in speed from her nerves and she willed it to calm as she stood in front of his bedroom door. A calloused hand lifted and knocked on the door, a small, irrational part of her hoping that she wasn't heard or that he was still sleeping.

"Come in." came a deep from the other side.

No luck.

The door slid open easily and she could see her Father was sitting at the low table in the center of his room, a pile of documents that were laid on it was what kept his attention. His brown eyes were focused through the reading glasses on the bridge of his nose and didn't raise once as she opened the door fully. Katsuko kept her head lowered as she silently shuffled into the room, placing the tray of breakfast on the only cleared spot on the table, resisting the urge to glance up and risk meeting her Father's eye. His hair, though not long, was clearly disheveled from sleep. It was matted on one side and sticking up in places on the other, she almost smiled at the sight. She did notice that he hadn't shaved yet again, Katsuko wondered if he decided to grow a beard again. She remembers him having one when she was really young and thought that he looked rather handsome with one, she always thought that it made him seem... a bit more approachable? He seemed to smile more then, too...

"Was there something else?" he asked suddenly, startling her out of her musings.

"N-No, Chichiue!" she stammered, bowing awkwardly out of habit and retreating back out into the hall, sliding the door shut behind her.

She slowly let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding once a few steps away and she was sure he couldn't overhear her. Her chest tightened as she thought over what had happened only minutes before. She was frustrated with herself. Katsuko wished she knew how to talk to him instead of turning into a nervous wreck every time she was in the same room as him. The only time she ever seemed to not turn into a babbling idiot around him when was she was training and even then she could never find a way to speak with him, not while surrounded by everyone else.

"Eijirou, you asshat! Give me back my fish!" Katsuko heard echo through the hall. Her lips quirked into a half-smile, she breathed deeply, closing her eyes and wrapping a hand around the cross on her neck as she counted her every blessing. Then she went back into the kitchen to eat before preparing for the rest of the day.

Katsuko loved her utterly strange, sometimes violent, and emotionally standoffish family.

She really did.


There was a knock on the screen door as Katsuko finished tying off the end of her single braid, trying and failing to completely manage the strands of defiant hair that stuck out. "Yeah?" she called, letting them know she was decent.

Mikage was the one to step in, dressed in her black school uniform, she lifted a scrunchie in her hand. "Katsu-nee, do you have a minute to do my hair?"

Katsuko grinned, scooting back and patting the seat in front of the mirror. "Of course! C'mere and sit!" The fifteen-year-old did as she was told and say cross-legged in front of her cousin, allowing the other girl to take a brush and begin the arduous task of taming the beastly Sharaku hair. An intimate, quiet scene like this one between the girls was commonplace in recent months. It was only natural, of course.

They had become as close as real sisters since Miyo's funeral last fall.

Mikage had taken up the habit of going to Katsuko for many things that she had once relied on her Mother for, things that her Father or Brothers wouldn't be able to do anything about. She missed her calm, soothing Mother dearly and every day, but, it comforted Mikage somewhat to be able to lean on her cousin in some instances. Like when it came to her hair or clothes. Mikage never seemed to have any clue about what to do when it came to things like that and she knew, without even asking, that the rest of the male members of her family would be just as hopelessly clueless.

Speaking of...

"Oi, Kasu-nee, have you..." Mikage trailed off, uncertain about bringing this up so out of the blue. After a moment and a gentle nudge from Katsuko, she spoke up again. "Have you spoken with Eiichirou-nii since he... y'know?"

Katsuko paused in brushing, a small sadness covering her heart. She pushed it down as she met Mikage's eyes in the mirror with a soothing smile, just like Aunt Miyo had taught her. "No." she said, "But when he's ready then he knows where to find us. You know how he can get when he's mad, he's just as stubborn as any of us! He'll come back to visit after he's had enough time to clear his head. I'm sure of it!" she laughed.

A look of disappointment flashed over the younger girl's face before she smoothed it out, returning to the neutral expression that she favored most. Katsuko finished taming Mikage's wild mane and styled it similar to hers a long braid with her fringe parted down the middle of her face whereas Katsuko had a habit of tucking it all to one side. Katsuko continued to smile and changed the subject to revolve around any cute boys Mikage's met recently which resulted in a flustered, stammering Mikage that had to flee the room not long after that with the excuse of being late to school. It was still six a.m. Katsuko noted with amusement.

What Katsuko failed to mention to her cousin was that in the second drawer of her writing desk, she had was a hastily written address and a cellphone number to be used only in case of emergency stuffed into a corner under a pile of pencils and anime-themed notebooks.

Checking her hair and adjusting her Roka uniform one last time, she collected her too-large lunch along with her school bag and headed out the front door, locking it behind her as the others had already left. As soon as she stepped out of the gate and onto the street she saw an unfairly tall teenager with dyed-blonde hair waiting on the sidewalk opposite her, sitting on a bench as he double-checked his history homework. Katsuko grinned before she took a deep breath, holding it in for a second.

"HIIIII, SHIZUUUU!" she called at the top of her lungs, feeling like she failed to get across just how happy she was to see him this morning.

The boy startled, his textbook was sent flying through the air.

Katsuko broke down into helpless giggles as he sent her an annoyed glare. He grumpily took back his textbook after the girl rightfully ran to retrieve it from the shrubs down the street, brushing off the dirt and maintaining his glare. She looked far too innocent and he was sorely tempted to pull on that braid dangling over her shoulder. He didn't. The day was still early after all and he was sure the urge would come up again before it was over.

"Remind me why I even come here again?" he asked irritably, mostly to himself. Katsuko giggled again and Shizuo rolled his eyes at her infectious smile, if he stared too long he might catch it himself.

"Because Shizu-" she shouted, ever cheerful as she stood on the tips of her toes to try (and fail) to be even with his eyes. Why did he have to get so tall? It wasn't fair. "Who else would bring this kind of excitement to your life like I do?"


Chapter Eleven: "Fried Eggs"

END


A/N: And we're back in business baby! Nice, another chapter and it hasn't been an entire month! Alright, so, this chapter was originally going to be longer with the Twin's making their intro and a better look at Kat's home life and training but I felt satisfied with just this look at the two-year time-skip from when Kat first moved to Ikebukuro. Plus some light on where she currently stands with each of her family members, including the passing of Aunt Miyo and raising the question of why Eiichirou left!

From now on though, the flashbacks will revolve around he events of this timeframe and we'll get to see more interactions with the Twin's, Kat's family, more Shizuo, some others you might not expect, even Kat's first meeting with Izaya and the beginning of High School! So excited to get this going! Thank you Momochan77, DannyPhantom619, SirSwag333, ClosetCase and xenocaanan for keeping up and reviewing this! I appreciate it!

I'm not sure if I mentioned this before but I made a picture of Shizuo and Katsuko for the cover of this a while ago. It's on my Deviantart account if you're curious to know what Kat looks like around this time frame. It's quite fluffy, if I do say so myself. My account name is: MissNanamiChan

Alright, I wuv yew all!

-Nanami