Chapter One: New City, Old Faces
A young lady in a black collared shirt and plaid, a-line skirt walked out of the train, her black leggings blending in with her black ankle boots. Her hair fell across her face as she moved away from the crowds, leaning against a pillar to catch her breath. She hated crowds….she hated many things… But she was here for one thing. To talk to Izaya Orihara. He'd managed to avoid all the questions, get past all the phone calls and emails… she had to find him… she had to know… did he know who killed her parents? She gathered herself before heading up into the city, noting the overcast weather. She smiled ever so slightly. This was nice weather…
Ayumi continued walking, not once stopping for directions or waiting to listen to the gang members trying to hit on her. When one grabbed her wrist, she stopped and sighed. "What the hell do you want? I'm busy."
"Hey hun, I'm trying to talk to ya." The man stated. "So come along before I have to-" WHACK. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGHH!" the thug fell to his knees, gripping his leg. Ayumi had kicked him in the shin with surprising force, the woman sighing.
"I told you, I'm busy. So back off." She stated, glaring at the other people. "And that means you too." she added, the people deciding to charge at her anyway. "Christ, you're a bunch of dimwits." She went about knocking them each down with a kick or an elbow jab, letting them all flee afterwords. "Dumbasses." She grumbled, heading out to find Izaya again. She really wanted to find him, and this was getting nowhere. But then she heard someone right behind her, she turned and noticed a fur-lined jacket cross between a gap in the people, only to lose it in the crowd. She shook her head and continued to walk, there was no way he knew she was here today… she hadn't said anything about when she was coming to find him, she just said that she would be looking for him. She kept walking, soon arriving at a building and noticing a woman staring at her. She walked over to the woman.
"You Ayumi?"
"Yes… and you are?"
"None of your business. Come with me." She stated.
"And why would I do that?"
"… you're looking for Izaya, aren't you?"
"… I am."
"Then come with me." She said, leading Ayumi into the office building and up to the place where Izaya worked. But, the man wasn't present. "You can wait here, he said to expect you."
"… He did…? That's weird."
"Why are you looking for him, anyway?"
"Why, are you his wife?"
"Hell no. My heart belongs to one and only one man. And it most certainly NOT Izaya Orihara." The woman turned her nose up at the comment, going to make some tea. Ayumi just sighed, having not expected that… but at least this woman wasn't one of those crazy head-over-heels girls she'd heard about. That would probably be scarier… She sat and waited… and waited… the woman who brought her tea mentioned that she was Namie Yagiri, but nothing more as she went back to work. Ayumi waited for almost 3 hours, it was ridiculous. Then finally, he showed up. Fur coat, carrying some food, and a big grin present on his face.
"Well well well~ If it isn't my little princess~ How are you kiddo~?" he asked, leaning over the back of the couch and dropping a bag in her lap. "Hungry~? I hope so, that thin tummy of yours is no way to go around. Have you been skipping meals again~?" he laughed as he rubbed her stomach through her clothes, soon going to toss Namie some food before getting almost uncomfortably close to Ayumi on the couch and beginning to eat. Ayumi grumbled a little under her breath before turning to Izaya. "What, not a fan of fast food?"
"Why the HELL haven't you answered my messages, Orihara?"
"Ohh, are you feeling neglected my dear~? Well, not to worry, I was just busy~" he chuckled. "Hiding out from a certain Shizu-chan made things difficult~" he leaned over, wrapping his arm around her waist. "Now, what did you want to know~?"
"You know what it was." She stated. "If you were expecting me, you read all the messages."
"Oh, right right." He let go immediately. "You want to know if I have any information on the people who hurt your family… Though, you DID kill 2 of them already, when they went after your brothers~"
"Those were two separate incidents, and you know it." She growled. "Don't toy with me, Izaya… I didn't work my way into the underground on looks. Give me the information I want, and I'll leave."
"But why, my dear, would I want you to leave~?" he asked, grinning. Ayumi glared at him, but he just kept smiling. "I'll give you the information you need if you do me a few favors~"
"Such as?" she asked. Izaya felt himself smile more. She was really willing to do anything for that information… He wrapped his arm around her waist, the girl not flinching. This intrigued Izaya, since the last time he did this to her, she slapped him in the face.
"Then~ Why not teach me what it's like to have a wife~" At this, Ayumi's eyes went wide.
"What?!" she exclaimed, Izaya laughing at her face.
"Ohh, sooo easy to fluster, just like always… do you have a thing for me, Ayumi~?" he asked, putting his hand up to her face only to have it swatted away. "Aww, no fun… maybe I need to use more foreplay?" he leaned back in his chair, watching Ayumi silently fuming in her seat. "Mmm… I'd settle for a little alone time, if you'd prefer~"
"Don't fuck with me, Izaya." Ayumi managed to say, face slowly turning red. "I'm not going to cut you, but if you piss me off, I might have to break a bone or two…"
"Man, you're such a little princess…" he giggled. "But, I guess you're getting better at defending yourself."
"I can defend myself just fine."
"Oh, then your lack of defensive mechanisms is only with me?" he asked, leaning close again, the girl looking away in embarrassment. "Aww, how sweet… I've got an admirer~ Too bad I'm too much of an asshole to be a good boy and accept your feelings~"
"… jackass."
"Yeah yeah." He smiled, letting her fume. But he didn't say anything more, finishing his meal and leaving the girl to sit as he went to his computer.
10 years before:
Izaya Orihara walked up to the house of a certain couple, seeing that they were waiting outside, and there was a little girl peeking out of the window at him. Well, she wasn't super little, she had to be only a few years younger than him. But she was so much more innocent. He found it unusually appealing. He wondered if Mairu and Kururi would be that innocent, or if they'd end up just as twisted as he was.
"Hello there~!" he waved, but not to the couple. He was looking up at the girl, her face turned lobster red before she drew the curtains closed again and hid, making Izaya laugh. "My goodness, Misa-chi~ Your baby's all flustered~ Maybe I can steal her away~"
"Don't try it, Izaya-kun~" the woman chuckled. "Or I'll have to beat you up~ Now, come inside and let us discuss things, shall we~?"
"Yes yes, as always you're so straight forward~" he said, walking over and letting them lead him in, noting that as always, the woman's husband was glaring at him. "You picked such a scary hubby, Misa-chi~"
"Did I~? I think he's just the right amount of scary~" she smiled, her husband running off to make tea, the woman sitting on the couch across from where Izaya sat. "Now. About that information you gave me…" a small, almost inaudible gasp was heard, and a stuffed bear fell down the stairs. The woman chuckled and turned to the staircase. "Ayumi? Is that you? It's alright, don't be scared of Izaya-kun~" That little head of black hair and lavender eyes peeked out from the railing. "Come, sweetie, say hello."
"Y-yes, Mama…" the girl came down the stairs, picking up the bear before going over to them. "… H-hello… my name is Ayumi Ryugazaki…" she mumbled, Izaya grinning. She was really shy in person, and she still carried a stuffed bear around the house. Fun to mess with probably…
"Nice to meet you, Ayumi-chan~ I'm Izaya Orihara~"
Flashback End
Ayumi was lost in thought when Izaya put a paper over her face, causing her to jump the slightest bit. "What is this…?" she took the paper, the man smiling.
"Call it… payback for you being adorable." He teased, earning a pout from the girl, as unintentional as it might have been. "Now run along, that's all you get for now~ Come back sometime soon~" he said, shooing her out of his office space. She thanked Namie for the tea, having left the food Izaya bought for her on the couch. Once she was gone, Izaya sighed. "Such a stubborn girl~ Always refusing to accept my tokens of affection~"
"I don't think she sees it that way. I think she sees it as you being a creep and sexually harassing her." Namie stated, Izaya chuckling at the woman's statement.
"Maybe she does~ Or maybe she doesn't want to admit that she still likes me~"
Ayumi walked back onto the streets of Ikebukuro, looking rather bothered. Izaya was such a jerk sometimes… but then again, she supposed that he behaved the way he did towards her because she had hinted at having a thing for him once… she felt like she should regret having mentioned it to him, but… she didn't… she never did, and probably never would. Scolding herself mentally, she headed into a small café.
A young lady with green eyes and wearing a blue striped shirt and light grey skirt wandered the city, looking for the studio building where she was supposed to meet her new boss and her co workers. She gripped her sleeve and trembled a little. "I get to work with Kasuka-san and Ruri-san again…" she gave a tiny jump for joy before continuing on her way, having never anticipated being able to see these two again. Her heart raced, her cheeks flushed, and she smiled wide. "I can't believe it~" she hurried off, her white leggings catching a small section of sunlight and her blue shoes tapping the concrete sidewalk as she went.
Upon arriving at the studio, she was taken into the waiting room by a security guard, and soon was met by the people she would be working with. She was quite nervous, but seemed to be able to take all the introductions and instructions in stride. Near the end of the meeting, Ruri walked in, seeing the girl she remembered from a couple of studio visits sitting in the chair and took a seat next to her. "Nice to see you again." She said to the girl, who smiled and nodded.
"N-nice to see you again too, R-ruri-san~" she smiled. But there was no Kasuka… once the meeting was over, Ruri offered to take Mifumi somewhere to apologize for Kasuka's absence, but the girl politely declined and left the studio. "He's too busy… of course he wouldn't want to see me… I'm just some kid…" she thought, tears in her eyes as she headed to a small café where Ayumi had asked her to visit once she was done. The girl wandered over to the booth where her friend was already sitting, quietly letting her tears flow out as Ayumi pet her head to soothe her. "H-he probably thinks I'm a nuisance…"
"Don't think like that, Mifumi." Ayumi said, sighing. The girl was so fragile, Ayumi's mothering instinct kicked in every time she was around her. She checked her messages. "Seems like his recording time ran over, is all…" she added, Mifumi looking up and looking hopeful.
"R-really?"
"Yes." Ayumi nodded, smiling a little. "Now stop your crying and drink something. And try this cake." She offered the girl a still wrapped piece of cheesecake and the cream-sauce that came with it. Mifumi nodded and let Ayumi order her some extra sweet pudding flavored milk tea. The older girl always seemed to know how to soothe any sadness coming from the young up-and-coming idol.
Throughout the day, a young lady with a smiling face wandered across the streets of Ikebukuro, searching for that oh so famous bartender-suited man with blonde hair. She wanted to see him… she wanted to know if he remembered her, if he never wanted to see her again… if he still liked her… she sighed and continued on to search for him. She really did have an enormous thing for Shizuo… she just wanted to hold him… just like before.
Flashback: Raira Academy
"Shizuo-kun~" All of Chieko's friends looked mortified that she would address the blonde so carelessly, and with that never-fading smile too. They all backed away from her as she ran over to greet him with a hug. But instead of getting mad, Shizuo just sighed and told her to let go, the brunette girl chuckling. "Aww, so shy~ But that's why I like you, you know~"
"… Why do you like someone like me?" he asked, secretly wondering what the girl wanted. He knew she wasn't working with that annoying Orihara kid, Shinra confirmed it for him. Izaya had no clue who this girl was. But she was always smiling, and she didn't care what her friends thought about him… in fact, she'd told off a good chunk of her friends and her fan club after they'd been talking behind his back. He didn't get it… but the girl was always being kind and didn't seem to care that Shizuo was "dangerous". He appreciated that.
"Didn't I just say it? You're shy, and sweet, and you're pretty damn cute too~" she chuckled more, making Shizuo blush a little. "So, Heiwajima, Shizuo-kun~ Would you like to go on a date with me~?" At the question, Shizuo and everyone in hearing range dropped what they were carrying and stared, open mouthed at Chieko. Shizuo included.
Flashback End
Chieko noticed that the rain was starting, after having searched all day with no sign of the man. She sighed and headed quickly into the café where Ayumi had said to meet, finding the glasses girl and Mifumi already there. She ordered a dessert and a drink before sitting with the pair as they began their discussion of the day's events. Chieko really did want to see Shizuo, though… but she supposed she should have asked Ayumi for some information before she blindly wandered the city of Ikebukuro looking for him.
The rain fell outside the café as the girls had their talk, the streets fairly empty of people, most everyone hiding out in stores or under the eaves of buildings or n the subways to keep from getting caught in the weather that had been threatening to fall all day.
((Chapter One, complete ; v ;'''
Reviews are appreciated, and I hope you liked it~
-Winter Cheshire))