Author's Note: I had to write this halo as I was writing Nakamura's monologue last week. Couple that with the ideas and the Facebook saves that I had we are. I like how the ending turned out. I am going to have to do an AITAH post on the Tumblr after posting this. (I already posted it on a Durarara Wiki Discord and got an answer. But I am going to post it to the Wasteland Tumblr.) I was going to do a Noriko-centered halo next week, but I plan to add a new tadpole next week. He just screamed at me that he just wanted to be in the story. So that's what you get next week. So look forward to that. For now, enjoy this week's halo.

Halo Twenty-Three: Nakamura:

Nakamura

I had an angle on how to catch the Dante Killer. It started with that bounty-hunting video about the Dollars. Everyone has now seen the founder's face by now. How long would it be before some of the Dollars decided to try and turn Ryugamine in to save their own necks?

This was where I came in.

I was going to find Ryugamine, find the target, and catch the killer.

I used the database to track down where Ryugamine lived. His apartment was on the outskirts of the neighborhood. I just had to go to his apartment and talk with him. The fact that it was a couple of days after New Year's Day played in my favor.

I made it out to the address around eight in the morning. Yikes. This apartment looked like it had seen better days. Then again, what was I expecting from a high school student living on his own? From my notes, the kid didn't look rich. I walked up to the door and knocked.

"Coming," I heard someone mumbling from inside. I was not expecting to see someone else when the door opened. A young man with short dyed blond hair and piercings in his ears stood in front of me with sheets wrapped around his waist. It looked like he had just woken up. I blinked.

"Um… hello?" I asked. Did I get the right address? Yes, this is the place.

"Is Ryugamine in?" I asked. The boy shook his head.

"Do you know where he is?" I asked.

"Yeah, give me a second," he said. The boy closed the door as he went back into the apartment. Who was he? A friend that Ryugamine was letting crash here? It could be possible that this boy could be his lover of some sort. I don't judge when it comes to someone's sex life. That's not important right now. I needed to stop the Dante Killer before they made the final kill.

I looked up when the door opened. This time, the young man was fully dressed.

"Come on," he said. "I'll take you to him." He walked out of the apartment past me. Now, I was more confused. Where was he going?

"Are you coming?" he asked.

"Oh. Sure," I said. I ran to catch up with him.

He took me to a nicer apartment closer to Sunshine60.

"What's your name?" I asked as we walked through the crowded street.

"Kida," the young man said. He looked over his shoulder when he said that. Okay. I resisted the urge to pry any further. His personal life is not my business. My focus was on the case. I watched the young man unlock the door.

"We're here," Kida said as he walked inside.

"We're coming in," I said. A woman in a big light blue sweater and black leggings poked her head from around the corner. My cheeks felt warm when I laid eyes on her.

"Oh, hi Kida. Welcome back," she said.

"Hey Naomi," he said. "Is Mikado in?"

"Sure," Naomi-san said. "He's back in his room."

"Thanks," Kida said, bowing. Naomi-san looked over his shoulder at me.

"And who's your friend there?" she asked. Kida turned and looked at me as I stepped out from behind him.

"Oh," he said.

"I'm Detective Nakamura," I said, showing her my badge. "I'm just here to talk to Ryugamine."

"Ah," Naomi said.

They led me down the hall. We stopped at a door before Naomi-san and Kida backed away. I walked up and knocked.

"Enter," a voice said. I opened the door and poked my head inside.

"I'm coming in," I said. I slipped into the room. Inside looked dark. I could barely see much at first. Despite this, I could see Ryugamine sitting on the bed. He had his eyes on me. For some reason, he made me feel so small. This was just a boy. But there was something about him who commanded power.

"I know who you are," Ryugamine said. I froze. There was something in his eyes. He couldn't be the founder of the Dollars. But his manner told me otherwise. I wanted to back out of that room. But I had to do this to put an end to the Dante Killer.

"Well then, you know why I am here," I said.

"Yes," Ryugamine said. He held out his arm. "Please, take a seat." He motioned to the cushion on the floor. I walked over and took a seat. Why was I so far away from him? I started to get up and move the cushion closer to him. Mikado held out his hand.

"No, no," he said. "That's as far as you go." I paused. He kept his eyes locked on me. How was he able to do this? I sat back down in place.

"Has anyone in your gang seem like they would betray you?" I asked. What kind of a stupid question is that? Of course there would be.

"Do you know how big the Dollars are?" Mikado asked.

"I have a guess," I said. Of course I knew they were a big gang. That was a stupid question. Before I could speak, Ryugamine cut in.

"And you want to use me to lure out the traitor for bait?" he asked. I stiffened.

"Yes," I said.

"And you think that if you find the traitor, you will find the serial killer?" His tone commanded my attention.

"Yes." We didn't speak for a moment. His gaze cut through my soul. But he's just a kid. I blinked and rubbed my eyes. No. I had to regain control of the situation. Still, I found myself unsettled. Could he hear my thoughts?

Yes.

I froze. Was that his voice in my head? No, no, no. That can't be possible. Get it together, man! I cleared my throat and shifted back in place.

"How do you plan to do this?" Ryugamine asked.

"I'm sorry?" I asked.

"How do you plan to lure out the would-be traitor?" he asked. It took a while to sink in.

"Oh," I said. I cleared my throat again.

"I will just be keeping watch and I need you to keep your eyes on any members who seem a bit off to you," I said.

"And that's all I have to do?" Ryugamine asked. Saying that out loud told me that I needed to work on my plan a little bit more.

"Pretty much," I said.

"Fine," he said. "I will help you catch the Dante Killer." I bowed my head.

"Thank you," I said. When I looked up, Ryugamine still had his gaze locked on me. I pressed my lips together. Something told me that he had something else to say. I opened my mouth to speak. That's when he asked me a question that shook me to my core.

"How have your dreams been, detective?" he asked. I froze. How did he…?

I have been having strange dreams lately. Now usually, I don't give much thought to dreams and nightmares. They are just stupid little things that happen. But lately…

Last night was the one that really got to me. I don't remember all of my dream. Just bits and pieces. I remember that I was greeted by a woman in a black kimono decorated with red spider lilies. She didn't have a face. Or at least, I couldn't see her face. But yet she felt so familiar. Almost like I had seen her before. Despite not having a face, this woman looked so sad. My heart ached for her. Suddenly, she reached out for me. Her dainty fingertips brushed along my wrist. My body stiffened. Her voice whispered in my ears.

I didn't have time to make out the words.

The next thing I knew, I was in the lush green of a forest. I don't think I have ever been here before. Everywhere I looked, I could only see dead trees covered in moss. A hazy mist made it harder to see where I was going. It was supposed to look so peaceful, but yet why was I so afraid?

Her words started to come back to me.

We all will die.

I turned and looked out into the mist. A body lying in the middle of the forest. They looked to be about fourteen or fifteen years old. I tried to make out what she was trying to show me. I couldn't tell if it was a boy or a girl. The body was just dressed in a simple white shirt and dark blue shorts. It stared up at the sky with empty eyes.

This body suddenly disappeared under the ground. It was stripped naked. The body started breaking down before my very eyes. First was time eating away at the flesh. I got a good look at the slick internal organs. It didn't take long for them to slowly crumble away as well. My own stomach churned as I couldn't take my eyes off of the decaying body. I could see the veins and arteries. Most of the body had rotted away to the bones.

But yet something about this body looked so familiar. Who was this decaying before me? The more I watched, the more my body felt stiff. But not as stiff as the mostly skeletal body before me. Before I knew it, I stared at nothing but bones. Gradually, those bones started breaking down into dust in the ground. In the end, the dust was used to grow beautiful flowers on the other side.

It was then I realized when I had seen that body before.

That body was me.

"How long have you been having dreams?" Ryugamine asked. I bolted up to standing.

"Why?" I asked. I tried not to have a tremble in my voice. There was nothing on this strange boy's… No, this was not a boy. He wasn't a man either.

"What… What are you?" I asked. Ryugamine sighed. Almost like he knew this was going to happen.

"It would be a long story to explain," he admitted. Something about his answer sounded so familiar. It felt like he told me this before. I noticed the slight disappointment in his eyes.

"I think you've stayed here long enough," Ryugamine said. Not once had he moved from where he sat. Ryugamine kept his eyes on me. I didn't know what he was.

"I will let you know if anything happens," I said. "Excuse me." I bowed and hurried out of his room. I had my hand on the door when Ryugamine called my name.

"What?" I asked. When did he start sitting up taller?

"You are going to want to be careful of your coworkers," he said. I had a confused look on my face.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked.

"Just be careful," Ryugamine said in a serious tone.

"Right," I said, nodding. "Right. Right. Right." I slowly backed out of the room. For some reason, I didn't run away. I don't know why I did that. It didn't matter. Something told me I had to get out of there So that's what I did.

I was surprised that it was still morning outside. Why did it feel like that it took longer? I shook my head. What did he do to me? He's clearly not human. I don't know what he is.

My mind went back to my dreams. Why would he bring up something like that? Plus, there was that weird warning that he gave me.

I frowned and shook my head.

My mind went back to another part of that dream I remembered. This was after I discovered my body decaying in the woods.

There were more details that happened after that. I can't picture it in my head.

I do remember opening my eyes to a dark room. I don't recognize where I am but it feels like I have been here before. I don't have time to think when I hear a humming sound.

Mom?

I saw the figure of a lady reclining in a corner. She was looking at something with her hand to her mouth. I slowly walked over to this lady. I've seen her long black hair before. That's when I stopped to take a sniff. What is that smell? It smelt like something rotting. I looked to the left and then I looked to the right. Where was that smell coming from? My eyes trailed back to that woman in the corner. It looked like she was putting lipstick on. As my vision cleared, I got a better look at her.

Her body was nothing but bones. No skin. I could still see her bones through her thin white gown. Only her face looked normal in the mirror. This lady looked over at me and smiled. I backed away as I panicked.

A cold breath hit the back of my neck. Against my better judgment, I looked behind me to my left. She sat behind me in a pile of dead white roses. She looked like she was about to cry. Why did this woman have my mother's face? She reached up and wiped away my tears. I wanted to scream but no sound came out of my mouth.

What do you want from me?

I turned around when I heard a hissing noise. What was it now? Another woman sat in the corner of the room. At least she looked human. She had skin covering her bones. The thick green kimono gave it that illusion. Snakes crawled around on her body. I could feel my heart choked up in my throat. She didn't look up at me but I heard her voice in my head.

You do not have much time here.

And then I woke up.

I shivered as I remembered all of that. I don't know what is going on in this city, but I don't like it. I just need to solve this Dante Killer case and then I can get help. Yeah, that's it. That should be it, right?

Mikado sat alone in his room.

"Why didn't you just tell him the truth?" Naomi asked.

"I did warn him about his fellow officers," he said. "What? Do you really think he would believe me if I told him that one of his coworkers was going to kill him?"

"No," she said. "But you could've done a better job of warning him." The other tadpole thought about it for a moment and then nodded.

"Yeah," he said. The tadpole slid off of his bed and walked over to his computer. Sonomi's little dot started blinking again.

"I didn't have the heart to tell him," Mikado said.