"Celty! Celty Celty Celty!"
The clicking of buttons filled the once silent room. "Yes? What is it, Haruka? Is something wrong?"
Haruka shook her head. "No, but I wanna come with you on your job. Take me with you~!" Without giving her time to reply, Haruka slipped out the door of Shinra's apartment and down to where Celty's horse/motorcycle was kept, giggling the entire time.
Izaya had kicked Haruka out of the apartment for the day, saying that he had 'important guests' coming over for business. So of course, Haruka decided to watch some alien documentaries with Celty, knowing full well that Celty was terrified of the 'little green men,' and saying things like "Dullahan's could be aliens, you know. So would that mean you're afraid of your own kind?"
Celty let out an inaudible sigh, her shoulders slumping. She gave Shinra what he interpreted to be a pleading 'look'.
"Sorry Celty, I can't help you there. Once she's made up her mind, you can't change it. And to be honest, she still kinda scares me," Shinra shivered. He hadn't forgotten the first time he had tried to wake Haruka up back in their high school days. He learned about her natural reflex to lash out upon being woken up the hard way, with a metal bat to his ribs that landed him in the hospital for a couple days.
"CELTY! Let's go~! Come on~!" Haruka's whine echoed from down the corridor.
Celty shuffled out the door after a moment of hesitation. This was going to be a long job.
"WOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
The nightly denizens of Ikebukuro gaped, as usual, at the sight of the Black Rider, but were even more surprised to see a girl riding as well, shrieking happily all the while.
"Hey Celty, what exactly is your job today anyways?" Haruka questioned once they stopped in a random, deserted alleyway.
Celty tapped her reply into her phone. "I'm….not exactly sure…Izaya didn't really go into detail. He just said to be here exactly at 7:55 PM."
Haruka hummed in response, making a fist and gently hitting the inside of her open palm. "Then something's gonna go down in 5 minutes~! This'll be fun then!" She jumped off of her spot on a low wall surrounding one of the alleyway doors and peaked around the corner. Seeing nothing of interest, she skipped back to the Dullahan's side, hearing the frenzied tapping of buttons.
"Then should you really be here? You'll get hurt! Or worse! You know how Izaya is!" Celty moved to type more, but Haruka placed a hand on Celty's helmet.
"Momentai, Celty. [1] Nothing Izaya throws at you is something you can't handle. And you don't have to watch over me; I can take care of myself. Don't worry, alright? Just be a dear and focus on your job."
Celty shook her head as she typed into her phone again. "You really are hard to predict sometimes. You sound so…motherly right now."
"Only if you're my beloved daughter, Celty-baby~!" Haruka cackled and, hearing a rumble from around the alleyway entrance, leapt back to her seat on the low wall. "Look alive!"
A bullet came flying through the air. Haruka had to lean back to dodge the bullet as it passed through Celty's wispy smoke, making her fall off the wall. Despite the near death experience, Haruka just lied on the stairs, laughing away as she watched Celty fight the attacking men.
It was at times like these that Haruka couldn't help but compare Celty to a majestic depiction of a messenger of Death when she fought. She was no simple, tacky grim reaper. Black shadows coiled around her and her grand scythe, wafting through the air. The moonlight reflected off her helmet, giving her an even more ethereal appearance. The graceful but powerful movements she made when she swung her weapon. No unnecessary movements; no sounds except the screams of her attackers. It was like watching a well-choreographed ballet, albeit a bit more violent…and bloody. Everything made her beauty stand out. Celty was always a magnificent sight to witness, captivating all that saw her, Haruka included.
A phone was suddenly shoved in her face. "Are you alright?" Haruka could feel the anxiety rolling off of Celty in waves. "The bullets didn't hit you, did they?" The Dullahan lifted Haruka to her feet, frantically searching for any signs of injury.
The auburn-haired woman placed her hands on Celty's shoulders, effectively stopping her panicked movements. "Now who's being a momma bear, hmm?" The large, teasing grin on Haruka's face put Celty at ease, her shoulders slumping in relief.
"Awwwww~! You're sooooooo~ cute!" Haruka tackled the poor, unsuspecting headless rider, causing them both to fall to the ground. "I could definitely adopt you! You're so glompable! And I'd even go so far as saying you're adorkable!" Haruka squealed, rubbing her face lovingly against Celty's helmet.
"AH! Stop it!" Celty wriggled in her tight grasp. Well, they were in a rather compromising position. One that would, without a doubt, give Shinra a nosebleed.
"I'll take you home." Celty typed once she was free and had calmed down.
"Are you sure you'll be okay?"
"Yeah, yeah. I'll be fine Celty. You should get going. Shinra's probably waiting by the door for the moment you walk in. Well…maybe. I don't know how far along you are in love life."
Haruka could tell that her statement embarrassed the other woman, her shadows whipping around agitatedly. She could practically see the blush of her companion's nonexistent face.
It seemed that Celty chose to ignore it though, as she typed, "Please be careful. You know how Izaya is. He won't hesitate to get rid of you if it benefits him. All I ask is that you please be careful."
Haruka only nodded, motioning for Celty to get moving with the sluggish waving of her hand. And with one last hesitant glance at Haruka, Celty was gone.
"Don't worry, Celty." Haruka spoke darkly, tilting her head to look up at the full moon with glazed eyes. "Izaya can't dispose of me just yet. He still needs this precious pawn to spread chaos and clear off the board. Though I won't be the one calling checkmate, it will be coming. Soon…"
[1] Momentai means relax, take it easy, calm down, etc. If you can guess what anime I got this from, I will love you forever~! xD