Mikado Ryugamine and the Night Stalker
Chapter 2: Contrary to Your Belief
September 1
"And don't forget to send me a message every so often, dear."
"Yes, Mom."
"And you behave yourself, young man."
"Yes, Mom."
"And let me know if any pretty girls catch your eye."
"Mom!" Masaomi made a face. "I'm too young for that stuff!"
"Nonsense, Masaomi," she stated, winking at him slightly. "One day you'll find a pretty girl to settle down with, and then you'll think, 'Wow! My dear mother was right!'"
He couldn't keep the smile from sliding onto his face as his mom's eyes twinkled at him. He was bouncing up and down in the back seat of the car, which presently pulled up alongside Russian Sushi. He hopped out, grabbing his enormous suitcase and dragging it with him, nearly tumbling to the ground in the process.
His wolf, Sayoko, hopped out after him, her pink tongue lolling out of her mouth as she glanced around excitedly, a mirror image of her master. Masaomi ruffled her ears before waving to his mom.
"See you next year!" he called into the vehicle. "Just you wait- by then, I'll be the greatest wizard that's ever lived. All shall bow down to the great Kida Masaomi, and say that he gets free buffets for every meal!"
"This is why I'm dreading you becoming a teenager!" His mother snapped good-naturedly. "With as much as you eat now…"
Masaomi laughed, before slamming the car door and waving wildly. His mom waved back and smirked, before pulling away from the curb and driving off into the distance. Still chuckling to himself, he hoisted up his suitcase, preparing to wheel it to wherever he needed to go. Sayoko bounced around him, anxiously awaiting his movement.
Upon approaching the tall Russian, Masaomi spotted a dark-haired boy about his age, standing forlornly in front of the shop, looking rather helpless and also carrying a large suitcase as well as a covered box. He made his way other, Sayoko trotting obediently at his heels until he stopped in front of the boy. He didn't look up when he got to him.
"…Oi! Wake up!"
The boy jumped about a foot in the air, his gray eyes widening at Masaomi. The blond frowned, waving a hand in front of the boy's face. "You in there?"
Stumbling back slightly, the other boy nodded jerkily, steadying himself by placing a hand on his suitcase. Masaomi grinned again, sticking out his hand.
"I guess you're here for the Academy too, huh? I'm Kida Masaomi! You?"
"…Ryugamine…" At Masaomi's encouraging nod, the boy continued. "Mikado…"
"Whoa!" exclaimed Masaomi, waving his hands around wildly. "Cool! That's, like, the name of a manga hero or something. So, what house do you think you'll be in? I'm shooting for Yellow Scarves, but you never know… the Dollars are okay too."
When the boy only shifted from foot to foot, looking everywhere but at him, he realized what had probably happened.
"Oh… Muggle-born, right? Hey, there's nothing wrong with that! Muggles have some pretty awesome tech. Aaaaand, there's Simon!" Grabbing Mikado's hand, Masaomi dragged him over to the tall, black Russian, bringing them into the radius of Simon's calls to potential customers.
"Russian Sushi! It's good… ah, Kida-kun! Today's the day?"
"Sure is!" replied Masaomi, hand still firmly gripping Mikado's. "You know, I was wondering, Simon… you wouldn't happen to have any idea of where we'll need to be going, now would you?"
Simon looked thoughtful for a moment, before shrugging and saying, "Not sure. However, I hear that something interesting is happening in Ikebukuro South Park today. Want sushi?"
"Nah, we've gotta go, but thanks!"
Mikado let out a mumble of protest as Masaomi proceeded to pull both him and his own suitcase all the way to the park. The blond glanced back at the dark haired boy, realizing just how shy the kid was. He slowed a little, thinking it would probably be best to just cut him some slack, and nearly crashed into someone else in front of him.
"Ah! Sorry!" he shouted, turning back to see the person, who only blinked at him before continuing on their way.
By the time the two of them arrived at the park, a substantial crowd of kids and teenagers of about their age and above had gathered, trying to look inconspicuous with their luggage and the unusual assortment of animals that they had with them. Everywhere Masaomi looked, he could see lizards, birds of prey- was that a lemur? It seemed to be, but it had glowing violet eyes…
And among the crowd, Masaomi's eyes found one lone newcomer, standing beneath one of the trees and staring down at their feet. Just as he was about to make his way over, a girl's cold voice stopped him short.
"Ah. Hello again, Mudblood."
All conversations in the vicinity suddenly ceased, and all eyes turned to the speaker, as well as the person on the receiving end of the 'greeting'. Mikado did nothing that appeared significant- he merely stared at the girl straight in the eyes, never once lowering his from her intimidating gray-black stare. Masaomi was impressed, considering that that was Mikajima Saki who had just insulted him.
The one and only ward of Orihara Izaya.
"Ah, uh, Mikajima-san," muttered Mikado. He didn't bow.
This didn't seem to sit all that well with Saki. She raised an eyebrow at him, before stating contemptuously, "Did your parents not teach you manners, Mudblood? I'm not surprised, to be honest, what with them being Muggles and all. You should know that people like me are naturally superior to people like you"-
"In what way, exactly?" enquired Masaomi, entering into the conversation out of curiosity more than anything. He liked that Mikado wasn't backing down, but he thought that the boy should fight back a bit more. Mikajima's glare was turned on him next.
"I would hope you would know, Kida," she said, not even bothering to use an honorific for his name. Oh, well- at least she wasn't using a horrible insult instead of his name as she had with Mikado. "You grew up in a wizarding household, after all. Only those of us with clean blood should be receiving magical education at all."
"Clean blood?" asked Masaomi loudly, scratching the side of his head. "From the way you act, I'd say your blood is the dirtiest here. If I were a vampire, I'd run in the opposite direction upon seeing you."
For a moment, Mikajima looked as though she'd been slapped in the face, but soon her arrogant expression resumed itself. "Be careful what you say, Kida Masaomi. Do not forget who my guardian is. I don't have time for blood-traitors like you."
Masaomi kept a straight face, but inwardly he winced. He hadn't been referred to as a blood-traitor in a long time, although his mother constantly warned him about it, and how it wasn't a good idea to react harshly. He felt his hands balling into fists, but the fact remained that Mikajima was a girl.
Hitting girls was forbidden, in his mind.
Just as she had turned away from them, Mikado spoke again, his voice almost a whisper.
"I don't know what a blood traitor is, but Kida-kun is still better than you."
A collective gasp issued from the mouths of the bystanders, as Saki slowly turned around to face him, a full-blown sneer attached to her face. Her eyes glinted with malice.
"I don't envy you this year, Mudblood."
Before Mikado or Masaomi could retort again, she stepped smoothly away through the crowd, which parted before her easily. Gradually, the students around them resumed their individual conversations, no longer interested in the two first years standing there, arms limp by their sides, still staring at the spot where Mikajima had been.
"…thanks for that," said Masaomi, feeling awkward for the first time. Mikado just nodded, gathering up his things and moving along with the mass of students that had begun to migrate to the center of the park. Surprisingly, they didn't receive any odd looks from the others visiting the park, but Masaomi knew that that was because Muggle Repellant Charms had been placed on it for the day.
The older students didn't look at all worried, merely standing around the fountain and chatting amiably. The new students, on the other hand, kept on nervously glancing around; some looked skeptical of it all.
Masaomi suddenly remembered the girl he had spotted earlier, and began to wildly turn his head this way and that, trying to spot her in vain. It was no use; she had disappeared into the crowd. Just as he was going to suggest that he and Mikado look for her, a voice rose above the cacophony.
"Goooood morning students! Welcome!"
All heads turned to see a young man standing on the rim of the fountain, balancing easily. Masaomi was certain that he hadn't been there before; as it was, all the students anywhere near him jumped away in surprise. The man's reddish brown eyes traveled through the crowd as though searching for someone, but then quickly stopped. He was wearing a fur-trimmed hakama.
"I am Orihara Izaya, your Martial Arts and Weaponry teacher and the Deputy Headmaster at the Ikebukuro Academy of Magic. I'm glad you all found your way here. Rest assured that I look forward to getting to know all of you this year!"
Silence followed his words, and Masaomi couldn't help but think that Orihara's grin resembled that of a shark who has just found his prey. He found that a frown was slipping onto his face; there was something that he didn't like about this man. The way he kept looking at everyone bothered him, but he just couldn't figure out the reason why.
"Now then," called Orihara, beckoning them forward. "Just approach the pool and place a hand inside. Everyone squeeze in now…"
Masaomi found the press of bodies to be almost suffocating as he managed to get a hand in. His mother had refused to tell him exactly how getting to the Academy would work, and judging by the bewildered looks on everyone else's faces, they didn't know either- at least, the first years didn't. Orihara merely jumped down with a loud splash into the fountain, still grinning, and getting several students soaked in the process.
Masaomi noticed that Orihara himself didn't have a drop of water on him.
"And now, everyone count down from ten!" called Izaya, his wine colored eyes flashing with something that the blond couldn't identify.
"TEN!" the students roared; most of the first years looked at one another nervously. "NINE!"
Masaomi looked over at Mikado, shrugged, and joined in. "EIGHT!"
Somewhere in the crowd, he thought he heard Mikajima's voice ring forth. "SEVEN!"
"SIX!" he shouted.
"FIVE!"
"FOUR!" Something was different. The city around them seemed to be fading out of view.
"THREE!" Mikado's hesitant yell joined the fray.
"TWO!" Masaomi felt his excitement growing until he could barely contain it- beside him, Sayoko let out a bark.
"ONE!"
The city around them dissolved completely.
Several first years cried out in alarm, clawing at the darkness. It didn't last for long; soon, different colors and lights were whirling around them, reforming the world while the students stood at what had been the fountain. Masaomi watched as a picturesque scene formed before them, and suppressed a laugh bubbling forth at the expressions of complete astonishment on some faces- Mikado's included.
They found themselves standing in a fountain again- only they were actually in the fountain this time, up to their ankles in water. It was at least twice as large, if not larger, than the fountain in Ikebukuro South Park. Elaborate statues were all over the place, water spraying out of their mouths. Students all around were stumbling to get out, and receiving an even more astonishing sight upon being freed from the enormous fountain that obstructed their sight.
Masaomi found his breath being taken away. The school itself was again something that his mother refused point blank to tell him about. It had driven him crazy, even though he knew that she was right when she said that he would appreciate it more if he actually saw it.
It appeared to be a dojo- an enormous dojo. The campus was spread all over the place, and the twisting streets and passages stretched as far as he could see. Some of the buildings were larger than the others, and banners with different symbols were draped everywhere. The school emblem- a dragon with bright green eyes that appeared to be roaring to the heavens, was in everyone's sight. There were many sakura trees in bloom in the courtyards, where any practical sessions would be held. Masaomi was instantly overcome with the urge to explore the entire school- who knew just how many secrets were just waiting to be discovered?
Murmurs of amazement at the school were interrupted by Orihara's (annoying, Masaomi thought) voice.
"Welcome, again! This is our campus, here at Ikebukuro Academy of Magic. The fountain is the only way in or out, and only the staff can activate it. You aren't permitted to leave for the duration of the school year, just so you know, unless it's during a holiday. Bear in mind that if it's an emergency, you must speak to your head of house beforehand to receive permission.
"Any infractions on school rules are not tolerated, so if you don't want to sit in a corner for an hour, then don't break any! Oh, by the way, returning students, you may head to the Gathering Place. First years, remain here please, and I'll explain to you your role in all of this."
As Orihara spoke, he noticed Mikado looking distinctly uncomfortable.
"What's up?" he hissed at him.
Mikado jumped, before glancing at him and shaking his head in a 'tell you later' manner.
Izaya clapped his hands together, his grin remaining in place. "Now then! Listen carefully, because you need to know this! We, the staff of Ikebukuro Academy, wish to acquaint you with our wonderful school as much as possible; therefore, we have organized an embarrassing and extremely awkward way for you all to get sorted. We are going to force you all to confess your undying love to an older student that you don't even know!"
Thump. Masaomi noticed a brown haired girl hit the ground at these words, eyes rolling into the back of her head. Orihara dismissed her with a wave of his hand.
"She'll be fine; I was just kidding, by the way."
There was a collective sigh of relief from the students. Orihara's grin widened. "But!..."
And everyone took in a sharp, tense breath again. "You still have to go through the normal sorting process. Many of you are probably already aware of the four houses, but in case you aren't, I'll go over them for you. The Dollars, the Yellow Scarves, Saika, and Blue Square- and away we go!"
Without warning, the Deputy Headmaster moved. Jaws dropped simultaneously as he vaulted easily over the heads of the students, landing in a perfect crouch at the edge of the group, before spinning around wildly and smiling widely in a student's face, causing them to lean back until they stumbled for balance.
"Follow me!" he sang. Masaomi had to wonder if he was completely sane.
Conversation resumed itself into low murmurs, until someone cried out, "Look at the sky!"
He did, as did others, and gasps rang out. Instead of the open sky being above the, the metropolis of Ikebukuro was upside down above them. Masaomi could see the cars moving among the streets, reduced to mere beetles due to the distance.
"What did you want to talk about earlier?" asked Masaomi, startling Mikado again.
"Um… well… something odd happened a week ago…"
August 25
As the beginning of school approached, Mikado could not keep his nerves from building up as more worries assaulted him. What if he had to take some sort of test? He had skimmed through his new books, yes, but he certainly wouldn't know enough to pass. And then there was the fact that he wouldn't know anyone there. However, he tried to reassure himself that that wouldn't happen; Kishitani had assured him that he would be safe from anything drastic.
He ran a hand through his messy hair, enjoying the warmth of the sun on his back. Going for a walk had seemed like a good way to calm his nerves; it normally worked when he was stressed about anything. His mom would always scold him for doing so, saying that he was too young to be worried about anything. Mikado disagreed; he believed that people should start taking responsibility for their actions as soon as possible.
The park was around the next corner, and Mikado slowly sank onto a bench, watching absently while children climbed all over the jungle gyms, laughing uproariously. He almost jumped in surprise when someone sat next to him.
Whoever he was, he certainly didn't look well off. The weathered face, shabby clothing, and already graying hairs indicated that the man wasn't doing very well. Mikado kept on glancing at the man out of the corner of his eye, wondering why he had chosen to sit beside him when there were plenty of open benches.
Maybe now he'd get kidnapped? Granted, the man didn't really have a shady look, but anything was possible. He could be hiding a scary personality behind that tired, stressed out look…
Wait… stressed? Wasn't that how he felt.
"Umm…" he started, but quickly shut his mouth when he remembered that he was talking to a complete stranger. Fighting furiously to keep his face from turning red, he quickly looked in the opposite direction, noting the sight of a kid picking his nose.
"Yes?"
Mikado jumped again, and scooted away slightly, noting that the man's curious blue eyes were on him. "I… uh… you…?"
"My apologies. I didn't mean to invade your personal space." The man gave a tired smile, and began to rise.
"Uh, wait! Uh… I just wanted to know… why you sat here? And why you're in Japan?" Mikado's voice got progressively smaller with each question. Something about this man seemed inexplicably familiar.
He was scrutinized for a moment, before the man straightened up and said plainly, "You're a wizard."
Dumbfounded, all Mikado could do was nod mutely.
The man smiled again. "I see. That explains it." He paused, cocking his head slightly as though listening for something, before sighing again. "I should be going. Good day."
September 1
"That's pretty strange," agreed Masaomi as they shuffled along. His yellow eyes were lit up with interest at the tale, but Mikado wasn't sure that there was much more to tell. He couldn't keep himself from looking over at the Deputy Headmaster, who was yet another person who made him nervous. Did everyone he met have to make him nervous? Well, no; Masaomi hadn't… but nearly everyone else had.
A thought suddenly occurred to him, and he began to feel even more apprehensive. "Where's our luggage?"
Masaomi rolled his eyes. "It'll be waiting in our dorm rooms when we get there. Try to relax, all right? It'll be over before you know it!"
Kida Masaomi was strange. They'd only met about thirty minutes ago, but already Mikado felt that they'd known each other for years. He felt a small smile climb across his face; maybe he had made his first friend. He hadn't known what to think when the blond kid had bounced his way over to him in front of Russian Sushi, jabbering away almost at once. He'd thought maybe he should have inconspicuously scooted away.
He was glad that he didn't.
"Here we are!" called Orihara, his shark's grin returning as he turned his gaze on the new students. "You don't have to start wearing you hakama until tomorrow, so don't worry about looking different. Now, follow me to be sorted!"
They had halted outside of a large building, with an architectural scheme that screamed 'grand'. Mikado looked at the tapestries, depicting ancient Japanese wizards fighting using both wands and katanas among other weapons. He was struck by the largest image- that of three wizards and one witch- that were bowing to one another, each wearing a different color. To Mikado, it was an odd mix: the yellow, blue, and red weren't out of place, but where he expected green he instead saw gray.
The doors slid open smoothly, revealing a surprisingly simple open-air courtyard, with tables for four seemingly scattered all over the place. The returning students were kneeling at their places; from the frozen looks on their faces, they had just been chatting animatedly. Mikado felt himself shrink under the hundreds of curious gazes directed at them. Beside him, Masaomi strode in confidently, practically swaggering forward.
At the other end of the courtyard was a longer table, where a group of unusual adults sat. Mikado's eyes moved down the row, and paused briefly on Kishitani, who was beaming, as usual. In the center of the table sat a man with steel gray hair, who was wearing…
…a gas mask.
Mikado didn't even know what to think of that.
After scanning the staffing table once again, he noticed that one of the seats was empty. Quirking his eyebrow in surprise, he turned to ask Masaomi why, but thought better of it. Most of the others were silent; it would be exceedingly embarrassing to be the one to break that silence. He contented himself with observing the other professors keenly, noticing that they were drawing closer to a table too small to be a dining table at the front of the courtyard. On it lay an open book. There was nothing remarkable about it; it simply had two blank, white pages facing up.
"Now then!" exclaimed Orihara, eyes glinting. "I'll call your name, and then you get up here, and write your name in the logbook. Then, up on the board over there"- he pointed to a white board that hung above the staff table- "the name of your chosen house will appear. Also, be sure to take a second look at the logbook for a bonus!"
Mikado saw Masaomi raise an eyebrow.
"Araki, Bendo!"
A scrawny boy slowed strode up, his hands shaking as Orihara handed him a pen, before stepping away. Bendo gulped, before slowly writing his name on the left page.
On the board, a single word appeared: Dollars.
Cheers, clapping, and a few whistles erupted from the group on the far left side. Mikado watched as Bendo took his place at one of the empty tables, near the back. He quickly turned his attention back to the board, noting that a girl with flaming red hair was striding up next. "Caitama, Iris" became the first Yellow Scarf.
Next came a Saika, another Dollar, and then the first Blue Square- a frowning boy named Jun Deiwanara. A girl named Kamichika Rio was sorted into the Dollars, then-
"Kida, Masaomi!"
Mikado tried to smile reassuringly at him, but his own stomach was badly clenching with nerves. Masaomi attempted to grin back, but he saw through it; the blond haired boy was just as nervous as he was. He saw his jaw clench, before quickly scribbling his name in the logbook.
Yellow Scarves.
The group of tables on the center right exploded, many of the students standing up and stamping their feet on the ground. One of the staff members stood up and shouted something- Mikado noticed that it was an agitated, black haired woman. A few seats another, another staff member wearing a hood to cover their face simply appeared to fix their gaze on the offenders.
They quieted instantly.
"Mikajima, Saki!" It was difficult not to notice the rather proud smirk that Orihara had as the brunette walked to the logbook, her face barely masking her contempt for the other first years. Unsurprisingly, she was instantly registered as a Blue Square, causing much polite applause from that side. Mikado wondered why they didn't cheer loudly as the other groups had; their faces seemed rather stiff.
A few more names were called, as another Saika and two Dollars were sorted, and he braced himself.
"Ryugamine, Mikado!"
The Deputy Headmaster's expression was curiously blank as the pen was handed to him. Mikado felt as though he was going to vomit; his hands were shaking, and sweat collected on his palms. Trembling like a leaf, he extended his arm and wrote down his name.
A pause…
Dollars.
Mikado let loose a breath he didn't know he'd been holding; at least he wasn't in Blue Square, where no doubt the house would be hostile towards him, from what he'd seen. He didn't look over at the Yellow Scarves table, where he could picture Masaomi's disappointed look. He almost forgot to look back at the logbook, and just barely caught the additional words that faded from the page.
Quiet, respectful, hardworking.
Will protect those he cares for with everything he has.
He blinked in surprise at the last one; was he really, truly willing to go that far? He found his feet moving, almost of their own accord, to one of the Dollars tables. Still relieved, he slowly sank down to his knees in front of a place. Chopsticks, along with silverware, had been carefully arranged. At this same table sat Bendo, Rio, and two other first years.
"Dollars," one of them (Mikado wracked his brains, finally remembering that his name was Hyodo) mused, looking thoughtful. "Strange name, isn't it?"
Kamichika Rio gave a slight smile and a nod, before turning her attention to the staff table. "I wonder why one of the seats is empty?"
The fourth boy at the table leaned in, looking excited to be speaking about the topic. "I've heard that"-
"Sonohara, Anri!"
A petite girl with short, black hair and glasses made her way to the front of the much smaller group, and whispers seemed to follow her everywhere. Mikado stared as she carefully wrote her name down on the page, her hair shielding her face from view slightly. She was placed in the Saika dorm, which gave only hesitant applause at the result.
"Isn't she the one whose parents were murdered?"
"I heard that they never found out who did it."
"Poor girl…"
"Must be tough, being an orphan."
Suddenly, Mikado felt annoyed. These people were just seeing her for the first time today, and were acting as though they knew everything there was to know about her. So what if her parents had died? That didn't mean that she had to become an object of pity.
They sorting concluded at last, and it was only then that Mikado realized that he was starving. It was over an hour past lunchtime, and he'd only eaten a quick meal that morning, having been too anxious to work up an appetite.
"Eh? What?" said the masked man, who Mikado remembered was also named Kishitani. "Oh… you can eat now."
He wasn't sure whether to laugh or not. Gasps rang out as food simply appeared on the plates. Everything from simple ramen to more complex dishes sat before him; he barely knew where to start.
It was still a strange place, but as comfortable conversation began around him, he felt like he might just fit in here.
Another chapter, gone. Most likely the next one will be long, and will take me awhile, so please be patient.
Points to those who can guess the person that Mikado spoke to! I will only be telling those who guess correctly.
Oh yeah- if anyone out there is a fan of both Code Geass and Durarara!, do they agree with me that "Complication" would make an amazing opening for Code Geass? I think so. It definitely has that feel to it. I also believe that Izaya and Lelouch are freakishly similar. Oh yeah, and there are now enough petition signatures for a season two! YAY!
Review please, and tell me what you think!