Chapter 4

Fox

"Good morning Uncle." Nai glared at her father as he sipped his coffee. She sat across the table from him, "Good morning father."

He glanced over his cup at her, "Nai."

Her uncle could only shake his head at his family, "Good morning Nai, how did the meeting go?"

She crossed her legs in her chair, "He tried to wine and dine me."

Her uncle laughed while her father glared at his brother and sighed heavily before turning to his daughter, "This is a serious matter. Did you find out anything useful?"

Nai put down her orange juice, "The dollars are huge, most of the city, but they're all everyday citizens. Harmless. The yellow scarves are just a bunch of kids and two-bit thugs." She paused and her dad cleared his throat, she sighed, "The slashers...I didn't get much on them. I have to see Izaya again to clarify."

Daiki frowned, "Sweetheart, why didn't you get more information?"

"Stupid. Just an excuse to see him again." Daifu cut his daughter off and said.

"It's not like that!" Nai shouted across the table.

"Both of you knock it off!" Daiki commanded silence from his niece and younger brother. The way they treated each other hurt his heart. Then again, his brother never had any intention of keeping his daughter in the first place... "Why cant you two respect each other?"

Daifu rolled his eyes; "You practically raised her brother, so maybe her disrespect is your fault."

The Yakuza leader didn't get a word out as his niece shot out of her chair. Her orange juice spilled and her chair clattered on the floor, "Fuck you! Don't act like you would have done better!"

The man chuckled, "I would have left you with your whore mother."

Nai opened her mouth to shout again until her uncles voice was heard, "You are dismissed Daifu. Nai, sit."

The other man left the dinning room, and Nai picked up her chair, sitting quietly. She breathed for a while and she could feel her uncle's loving eyes on her. To be honest, she didn't understand why her father never once looked at her like that.

"If that's how he feels...then why didn't he leave me there?"

Her uncle sighed, "I made him go and get you."

Nai had never really heard the story of her birth, or her mother. Not in full anyway. She knew her mother was a whore, working some bar in Sunshine when she met Daifu Hagane.

"I'm not sure I want to hear this story."

Daiki smiled, rubbing his niece's knuckles, "Alright. Your father was born cold, it's not you."

She tried to flash him a smile, "Thanks. I think I'll go now."

"Off to get more info?"

"...I had plans today..."

She actually planned on doing nothing, but any longer in that house and she would loose it.

"Uuuummmm..."

"C'mon Nai, hurry and decide!" Shinra squirmed behind the girl who had her hands and nose pressed to the glass display case in the bakery.

She kicked backwards, catching the boy in the shin. "Shut it Shinra! Don't rush me!"

His wining grew louder as he babied his left leg, "So mean... Nai-kun."

The young girl pointed to a double chocolate cake with delicate chocolate decoration and said without turning, "I'm letting you ride home with me."

"Your dad is letting me ride home with you!"

"I'm in charge!"

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

The young woman behind the counter smiled at the children. They weren't the best behaved but they were still cute. Little Shinra pointed to strawberry shortcake, "Two please."

With their prizes in hand they headed to the black foreign car outside the shop. Nai turned to her friend after she buckled in, "Why did you get two?"

"For Celty~!"

"She has no head stupid!"

"But Nai-kun," he started, whining her name as usual, "It's the thought! I have to show Celty everyday that I love her so when I'm old enough she'll marry me."

"Marry her? It'll never happen." The little girl thought of something else and shouted, "How will you even kiss her?!"

Shinra shrugged, "I love her, I'll make it work."

Nai stared at her friend for a moment as he stared out the window, clutching his cakes with that stupid grin of his... After a while she rolled her eyes, "You're such a weirdo."

Celty actually jumped as a knock sounded at the door of the condo she shared with Shinra. A visitor was odd in these quiet times so she quickly pondered who it could be.

School was in session for another five hours so no Mikado or Anri, she stood as another knock sounded, and Shizuo usually calls first or breaks the door. There was yet another knock; Izaya never visits and Shingen was back in the states.

The next knock was very forceful and Celty clasped her hands to her chest, 'Maybe it's the police!' she panicked, 'They know where I live!' The dullahan finally reached the peep hole and her tense shoulders slumped, 'Oh, it's just a girl... a pretty girl...'

"Celty?" Shinra pulled off his goggled as he approached the door, "Is someone at the door?"

She pulled out her PDA, "A girl! A pretty girl Shinra! Who is she?" Her misty essence puffed out indignantly.

The doctor clasped his own cheeks and gushed, "Oh Celty! There's no need for you to be jealous! I could only love you~!"

Another knock stopped the dullahan from replying, "Shinra! Open the damn door!"

Celty hid around a nearby corner as the doctor opened the door and after a flash of surprise washed over his features he wrapped the young woman in a hug. "It's Nai-chan~!"

"Sup loser?"

"Oh Nai, you haven't really changed much."

"Of course not. Who were you expecting? Miss America?"

"I wouldn't go that far."

Nai laughed and handed the man the bag she was holding, "IS THIS CAKE!"

She just smiled at him and he skipped off to the couch and table nearby. She scanned the condo quickly, "You seem to be doing well."

"Your uncle has been paying me nicely for a few jobs and the Awakusu too."

"Hm... Where's Celty?"

The Dullahan returned to the common area and immediately held out her PDA, "You know me?"

"Well yeah." The young woman tousled her, thick, wavy hair as she scratched her head, "Do you not remember me?"

"No. Shinra..."

The doctor frowned at his fiancé, "Celty, I can't believe you don't remember her. She went to grade school with me remember?"

Celty did her best to ignore the little girl staring at her from across the kitchen table. Shinra, age six, was sitting next to her, swinging his legs and humming.

"Hi." The little girl said.

Celty waved.

"Can't talk?"

She shook her general upper body in a confirmed no.

The girl continued to stare at the woman across the table from her. Completely unbothered by the absence of a head on the body. Shinra continued to swing his legs and hum, and the girl finally reached for the juice-box in front of her and took a sip before saying, "Too bad."

"I do remember you. You weren't afraid of me."

Nai was confused, "Huh? Oh!" she laughed as she joined Shinra on the couch, "I was a weird kid anyway. I'd already seen some crazy shit so..."

"You're yakuza right?"

"That would be true."

"Nai's family runs Ikebukuro."

"So, those shootings the other night..."

Shinra turned his eyes to his childhood friend, "Nai..."

"I was put in charge of the hits, but I didn't personally pull any triggers."

The condo went silent for a while. The lack of noise made Nai uncomfortable and she stood from the couch, "I just wanted to say hello. Enjoy the cake Shinra, I'll see you later."

"You don't have to leave!-"

The door slammed rather loudly and Celty's shoulders slumped, "I didn't mean to chase her out."

"It's not your fault Celty." Shinra sighed, "I'm sure she's having a hard time following tradition in her family..."

"Was it always like that? She seems so happy."

He scratched his head, "There was a time of depression in high school. But she seemed over it, I don't think that was the case though."

"I can see how a tradition of violence can be hard to follow."

"Yeah."

Celty didn't say anything else. She just sat quietly and thought about this girl. Her arrival could mean trouble, but then it could mean nothing. Then again, there was never nothing in Ikebukuro.