Chapter2: The love of the Guilty
Present day Ikkebukuro, three days after the Dollars' gathering.
Somewhere in the city, night.
Two figures could be seen walking noiselessly. One completely clad in black only with the exception of a yellow helmet, and the other oddly dressed as a bartender. As odd as they looked to the normal eye, they were indeed the urban legends of the city. They were oddly in sync and oddly talking about all the mundane stuff of life, but with an abstract aura around them whatsoever.
It is at this time that another figure walking, no, skipping from the opposite direction could be seen. A beautiful lady clad in a sleeveless black dress with flowing brown hair, humming to herself cheerfully as she skipped around with a box of fatty tuna in hand. The two figures saw her, and a vibe of confusion spread across their eyes, even the one without a face. It seemed as though they were yet to decide whether to be happy or be annoyed about this chance encounter.
"Oh my! Shizuo, Celty! Half of the squad is here!" The woman hastily stopped in front of them, leaning forward with a happy expression.
"Ayano." Shizuo muttered. Celty nodded through her helmet in acknowledgement.
"You should have brought Shinra along. It's been weeks since we last met. I might have a plenty of things to discuss with my buddy." Ayano gleefully spoke.
Celty smiled through her non-existent face, and typed on her PDA, 'You know his profession doesn't allow him such freedom in the streets.'
"Oh yeah, of course." Ayano sighed. "Creatures of the dark, influenced by the dark, loved by the dark."
Celty did not quite catch all that. She just stared. Shizuo was trying his best to be non-chalant, utterly failing as his cheeks showed a light shade of pink.
'What is with him!?' Celty nervously thought as she looked at the girl winking at him.
"By the way, that was quite the performance the other day, Celty. I saw the whole thing on TV.", Ayano said without the slightest bit of hesitation, which made Shizuo grit his teeth.
"You sound like that flea bastard", Shizuo grunted, to which Ayano closed in and said in his ear while he blushed deeper, "Brings back memories, does it?"
Shizuo's expression changed. From flustered to bitter to a final calm state.
"But seriously, what I find impossible to believe are those high school brats. Who would have thought…." Ayano sighed heavily. "Shouldn't they be more concerned about their homework and stuff? Or do they not get any? How low has Raira fallen?"
Celty wanted to remind her of her own Raijin days, but decided against it. It's not like she could win an argument against Ayano. Not even Shinra could. Even Shizuo calmed down when she was around. Maybe Izaya could corner her, but…. Somehow even he would go quiet with her. Ayano had the most adorable aura and the friendliest demeanor, yet there was a barrier she allowed nobody to cross. She gave off a peculiarly uncomfortable vibe whenever she felt like it, and that unease just lingered around. Maybe that was why one would think twice before actually forming a bond with her.
"A normal looking brat falling in love with a severed head and is actually an almost-killer; then the chick he tried to kill comes back with the face he loves…. What on earth is wrong with these kids? Then there's the one who cornered Namie Yagiri! That's all there is now? Brats messing with adults? It's high time they concentrated on their studies for once!" Ayano sounded disgusted. They should be reading books, make stories, and grow up with good stories to tell, she thought. She was actually glad her classmates weren't all retarded, except for her closest friends. But then….
"But then…", she voiced her thoughts, "You can't really blame them, can you?" She shot daggers at Shizuo and Celty, and her lips curved into a crooked smile.
"They have been influenced…. By the likes of you."
Celty felt it in the air. The uneasiness, that strong vibe, again.
"Huh? What are you saying?" Shizuo grunted again.
She pouted. "I highly doubt you'd understand." She then turned her gaze to Celty, "But that's the truth, ain't it? When you're constantly bombarded by the presence of the extraordinary, an ordinary mindset would only make you look left out. Teenagers are the most gullible anyway. I can't blame them for not being able to resist the taste of the special. And..", her eyes narrowed, "that's what makes their stories interesting."
"Tch, shut up," Shizuo puffed up some smoke as Celty lowered her head feeling guilty. "We all know a flea bastard who's pulling the strings behind any weird crap. I swear I'm gonna kill him dead one of these days."
At this Ayano started laughing, slowly at first, then hysterically. "Oh Shizuo!" Tears formed in the corner of her eyes. Still laughing, she said, "You never fail to humor me. I knew you'd tell me an interesting story. Hahahahaha!"
Celty could only ponder why all of Shinra's friends had such weird philosophies. She had known Ayano for quite some time, and she has heard her call Shizuo interesting countless times. She got along with Shinra with much more ease than with anyone else; and never has she seen Shinra giving in to her uncomfortable vibes. They were really good friends.
"You rip off street signs, throw vending machines; Celty here pulls out a giant scythe from her headless body; and you still don't think you influence the youth? Ahh I know right, it's only very easy to pass the blame to a more conspicuous one. In fact I'm sure Izaya likes taking the blame too, for it makes him feel powerful over those people. Interesting as you all are, you guys have always been too easy to read. Not that I'm complaining." She laughed and made a speech to herself rather than to them; and Shizuo shouted, "That bastard! He has filled your head with all kinds of crap, eh! Why the hell do you hang around him anyway?"
She smiled elegantly, "Because… he tells me stories."
Shizuo instantly calmed down and sighed. Celty followed soon after, but something started puzzling her. Ayano had been working with Izaya for quite some time. She also knows him the best, and even defends his vile actions. Could it be…
She typed on her PDA, 'ermm… there's one thing I had been wanting to ask you. Do you… by any chance…. Ha..have feelings for Izaya?'
Ayano leaned forward to read the text and then looked up at where Celty's face should be, and blinked twice.
"Celty, seriously?"
Shizuo just read the PDA too and a blunt vein popped up in his head.
"You're seriously asking me this; or your new found conception of love has awoken the adolescent in you?"
Celty fumbled for a loss of words. 'No it's…it's just that… no no nevermind!'
Ayano laughed, "You know the other day someone asked me if I was his assistant." She looked for a second at the fatty tuna box. "Ahem… I guess it's all about perception, eh!" She smiled bright, and suddenly grabbed Shizuo's arm, "You know I'd take Shizuo over Izaya anytime, don't you?"
…
'Love, huh?', Ayano smiled bitterly as she thought to herself. She was walking, not skipping, as she approached the apartment. 'Love is just the secretion of some definite hormones which makes you attached to a certain person. This is not something so shallow.' She looked up at the building.
'We owe each other our lives.'
To be continued…..