AN: Ah, hello. Funny seeing you here. The thing is, I started rewatching Durarara! and now I'm craving some fanfiction about my favorite character. If you must know, nah, I have no plans to continue my other drrr fanfics. 15 year old me at the time was...kinda not right in the head if you know what I mean. Anyways, I'd like a fresh start so I thought starting a new fic would help.

This has characters from Baccano, an anime from the same writers of Durarara! (and I would also like to believe they are of the same universe) but they'll only appear a couple of times and won't interact with the story that much.

Hope you enjoy.

- Riva

Chapter One

'How would you feel if I walked up to you one day

And ripped your heart out?'

The interior of the sedan was silent save for the muffled tunes blasting from the young woman's headphones. Instead of waking up, however, she continued sleeping, her head lolled against the bulletproof glass as she peacefully snored. The three other men in the car sweatdropped at this. "I told her to sleep in early." One of them, a large burly man who could hardly fit in the driver's seat, grumbled as he looked behind his shoulder to scowl at her indecent appearance.

Beside him, on the passenger seat, was an older gentleman wearing a dark blue suit, his eyes closed but his brows deeply furrowed to the point of sharing the same scowl as his brother. He didn't say a word, however, as his hands remained equally busy, shuffling a worn out deck of cards with ease. He let out a soft hum after hearing another snore from the back.

A chuckle breaks this monotonous atmosphere, as the last man sitting next to the woman stared at her with the slightest bit of mirth in his cold hazel eyes. "Give it a rest, Berga," His mouth curled into a slight smirk. "She didn't show it, but she was pretty excited for today." He said, just as the huge man in the green suit, Berga Gandor, huffed and leaned back on his seat. The car in front of them finally moved, as the traffic started to budge towards the airport.

"Wake her up anyway, Luck, we're almost here." He said as the one in the brown suit sitting next to her, Luck Gandor, gingerly tapped her shoulder.

"Ren? Come on, Ren, wake up." He shook her shoulder when it looked like she was resisting him. Her messy auburn locks parted to reveal her grimacing face. "Wake up or you'll be late for your flight." Luck persisted, and finally he looked relieved when she decided to open her eyes; dull green orbs flitting through her drowsy countenance. The man smiled at that, and patted her shoulder. "Good morning, Ren."

"Hmm," She rubbed her eyes and yawned into her hand. "G'morning. We're there already?" She mumbled as the two in front offered their own versions of confirmation. Berga's annoyed huff, and Keith, the eldest brother, nodding seriously. She glanced towards her side to see Luck smirking at her and felt an auburn brow arch. "What? What is it?" She sounded angry, but really, she's not. This is exactly how she treats, and was treated, by the Triumvirate Dons of the Gandor Family.

Or at least, she calls them her illegitimate family of two years. "No, it's nothing really." Luck tapped his chin and stared out the darkly tinted window, hiding his smirk. "This just feels like a father seeing his beloved daughter off, probably to get married." He said in a faraway, almost singsong voice that's so unlike his character. The remaining people in the car (except for Berga, whose squinting eyes stayed on the road) gaped at him in disbelief.

It was Keith who broke the silence, by heaving into what sounded like a groan, followed up by Ren, slapping her face to massage the incoming annoyance. "You are the least likely person I'm hearing that shit from, Luck. Besides, it's a funeral not a wedding, so don't get your hopes up thinking you're gonna kick me out already." She then grinned at him as she pulled down her headphones to rest on her neck.

"Who knows? Maybe you'll actually find a reason to stay this time." The handsome man shrugged. That faraway look on his face seemed much more serious than she thought.

"As if." She tried reassuring him. "There's nothing back there for me. My real family's here, and I'm very much satisfied with this." Ren then gestured to everyone else in the car, where Berga let out a loud 'ha' and Keith nodded quite enthusiastically.

Luck didn't reply, and was busy staring out the window. Ren didn't think he'd be the one to be so hung-up on this. She expected the bigger, more doting brother to at least protest at her leaving for Japan, but Luck was the one who's obviously most worried about this. They eventually calmed down when the eldest of the Gandor brothers finally agreed to let her go on her own.

She smiled at the thought of them worrying for her. They really are her family...

They were nearing the airport as the young woman felt a knot tighten in her stomach. She's really, really leaving. On her own this time. She's excited as well as terrified. She never traveled on her own, for very valid reasons, and she hasn't seen her real blooded family in a long time as well. Ten years, in fact. "We're here." Berga said after he parked the sleek black sedan and unclasped his seat belt. "Go get her a trolley, Luck, I'll take her bags out."

The four of them got out of the car, as Luck went on ahead for a trolley, and Berga busied himself with her luggage at the back. Ren walked over to stand beside Keith, who gazed at her still with the unflinching furrowed brow. "I'll be fine, Keith. Don't worry." She tried reassuring him, but his gaze didn't falter. Ren knew this was his own way to show that he cares, but she's a grown woman for heaven's sake.

Then again, he and everyone else in the Family have their own reasons to worry about her.

The youngest Gandor returned with the luggage cart, and Berga finally settled her bags on it. Ren turned to face the three, her grip onto the metal bars a little too tight as she tried to calm her nerves. "So, this is it." She jokingly said, trying to lighten up the mood. But she can see in their eyes otherwise.

"You have your diary with you, right?" Luck started, his gaze immediately landing on her bulging hand-carry, where she patted it thoughtfully.

"Yup, it's here."

"When you get into trouble, don't hesitate to call us immediately, okay?" Berga sternly reminded her, where she ended up giggling.

"Yup, I will."

"...Take care of yourself, Ren." Came the quiet, sudden words from Keith, surprising the three. The young woman could feel tears finally threatening to spill from her green eyes, as she promptly hugged the man, who in turn, froze up at the sudden contact, but then wrapped his arms around her in the end.

"Thank you, and I will..!" The auburn haired woman sniffled as they parted, her grin a wide and teary one. "I'll bring you guys back some souvenirs! I promise!" Keith smiled a tiny smile and nodded at her, one of the rarest sights in the world, and Ren instantly felt better.

She grabbed onto the bar of her cart once again and started wheeling it in the airport, turning back once to wave at the three towering figures at the entrance. It'll be a while until she can see them again, but she knows, deep down in her heart, she'll come back.

Once checking in to her airline and sitting down at the waiting area for her flight, Ren Shiori unzipped her hand-carry and took out a worn-looking leather journal. She whipped out a pen from her pocket and started writing a reminder to herself, that once she settles in her hotel at Ikebukuro, she has to call them.

Shizuo Heiwajima is having another one of those off-days.

The blond(dyed) man stood stock still, smoking his second cigarette, as he felt a headache incoming. He's been like this for a while, so obviously it's not because of the whiny businessman that Tom-san's been trying to cooperate with for the past hour. Even so, the blond can't help but grind his teeth onto the butt of his cigarette; his grating voice was hurting his ears.

"-as I said, you need to pay up-"

"No, not yet! I told you the money's with my girlfriend now!"

Shizuo's brow ticked incessantly. The two were being fed the same excuse as last time. His boss, Tom Tanaka, sighed off to the side as he was also getting annoyed. "Look, you told us that yesterday-"

"And I keep telling you, it's not with me, it's with the love of my life!"

Shizuo's finally had enough. He bent the unforgiving cancer stick and snuffed it out with the heel of his shoe, his shaking hands already grabbing a fistful of that businessman's shirt and easily lifting him off the ground. "Ah..! Aa-ah!" The man yelped as he thrashed wildly, his shoes barely touching the concrete. Passerby stared, but in reality, there's nothing that they can do against this man, considered to be the strongest in Ikebukuro.

Tom would've stopped his bodyguard, if not the current situation. They've been trying to get this guy to return the loan he'd been hawking for the past several weeks, but he always found a way to elude them. Well, now that Shizuo's finally grabbed him, he might as well take this opportunity to finish the job. "Thought I don't need to tell you this, but let me give you a refresher anyways." Tom coldly said as the blond damn near growled at the guy.

"This here is Shizuo Heiwajima, sounds familiar to you?" The man's eyes grew wide and bulged in its sockets with fear as he continued. "If you don't pay us up right now, Shizuo's going to-"

"A-alright, alright! I get it, I'll pay you your damn money!" The man cried out as he fruitlessly tried to get the man dressed in a bartender outfit to put him down. He still looked pissed, but in Tom's case, he's pretty satisfied with his answer.

He pulled back and nodded to Shizuo, "Alright, shake him and let's get out of here."

After the businessman begrudgingly returned the money, Tom swiftly collected it and he and the blond walked away from the bar. The other shook off his initial annoyance by lighting up another cigarette, while offering a light to his employer. "Thanks, hey, you didn't cause any collateral damage this time!" The man in the dreadlocks grinned at him, a seemingly proud tone evident in his voice.

He grabbed the offered lighter and pulled up his own, just as Shizuo took a long drag, relishing that addicting nicotine taste. He's got to admit, he's quite proud of himself for holding back this time. He still did his job properly, and he didn't go overboard with his strength again. Nobody got hurt too, well, maybe except for that poor sucker he scared the shit out of him earlier.

He and Tom walked away from Sunshine 60 and reached the park, Nishiguchi, where the majority of this city's populace hang out after a long day of work or school. Office workers on their way to the local bars, students hanging out with their friends, but Ikebukuro is notorious for many things, one of them being its rebellious youth forming color gangs. Gangs who act like the city is theirs to own, draped in the colors of their faction. A while back, there were two prominent color gangs who terrorized the streets of Ikebukuro.

Shizuo narrowed his eyes as they walked past a group of punks loitering by the fountain. They stood out like a sore thumb, even in this smog filled city, because of the colors they're wearing. "Seems that the Yellow Scarves still go around wearing their colors, huh?" Tom seemed to have sensed his hostility, and has shared it as well. "Dumbasses really don't have anything to do with their life."

The Yellow Scarves. Once or twice for the past couple of years, he'd been invited to join them. Either that or the Blue Squares, the other prominent gang in this city that has since disbanded, would extend a hand knowing his reputation, and each time they did he'd flat out reject them. He finds it troublesome, as if one color gang isn't enough for him.

He and Tom spent a few minutes just talking amongst themselves, the dreadlocked man reminding the blond to drop in early for work, while Shizuo surveyed his surroundings without thought. There's the usual street performer, the same group of guys playing shogi, a couple of highschool girls giggling at something on their phones. The smell of his cigarette smoke, beer and fried food, the smog clouding the night sky, the traffic in the distance, Ikebukuro hasn't changed, not one bit, and he hoped it would stay that way. At least, he'd like this kind of peace to remain as is without some raven haired flea ruining it for him.

It was only then his eyes lazily trailed around that he spotted something unfamiliar. Amidst the hustle and bustle, there was a figure sitting by the fountain, their long legs crossed with a book on their lap. They didn't strike Shizuo as anyone special or different, although their wavy auburn hair was a shade deeper than the rest of the people here, and that they wore clothes designed to blend into the background, but it's not those things that caught his attention immediately.

He felt as if time slowed to a brief stop as he stared. It was only for a moment, but he was sure he saw it; a dull, bottle green color flitting past those ochre brown locks framing their face. That was the first time he's ever seen someone with an eye color like that. 'A foreigner?' He thought, but they looked Japanese. He's not even sure if they're a guy or a girl. Must be one of those pampered pretty boys who wear colored contact lenses for god-knows-why.

He must've been staring for too long, that Tom decided to follow his gaze, curious as to what grabbed his bodyguard's attention for more than a minute. "You know that guy?" He asked out loud, spotting the figure by the fountain as well. Shizuo blinked and then shook his head, adjusting his purple-tinted glasses in a hurry. "Nah, it's nothing." He muttered as he threw away his cig. It's odd, he doesn't feel like smoking and standing around now.

Seeing this, Tom must've understood it's time to head home. He put out his cigarette too, sighing as he felt the day's fatigue weighing down his shoulder, "Well, I'm out. Take care of yourself, Shizuo." He said as the blond nodded.

"Yeah, you too, Tom-san."

Shizuo watched him walk away while he unflipped his phone, checking the time. He didn't think it's gotten so late, his stomach growled just thinking of what to eat on his way home. Russia Sushi would be good, regardless of how unusual it tastes.

Speaking of unusual…

Shizuo glanced back at the figure by the fountain. They were still sitting there, but this time they were reading the book they had on their lap with a calm interest. He took this time to completely survey their person—out of curiosity of course. It's early spring, so he could understand that it's still a bit chilly, but this one's wearing a khaki trench coat, the collar pulled up to hide their neck. Underneath is a plain white shirt, along with a pair of dark slacks and pointed heeled boots. Yup, they definitely look the part of a pampered rich kid. Everyone else has their nose pressed onto a phone, all except for this guy, whose nose is stuck on that book of theirs. Maybe that's why they caught Shizuo's interest. People like this one would often get into trouble in a city like this.

From where he's standing, he couldn't see their eyes again, and for some reason that bugged him to no end.

AN: Hm, what a weird title huh? I tried going with a different one, but I feel like it would be too much of a spoiler so this is the next best thing, sadly.

Anyways, reviews would be nice. Now that school isn't tormenting me, I think I'd be around more to write.

The song at the beginning of the chapter is called Losing You by boy pablo.

Cheers!

- Riva