This City Is Hell

There is nowhere to run in a city this big.

The sound of police sirens pierced through the evening air, echoing throughout the streets of Ikebukuro. Clusters of yellow ran wildly though the city, hoping to escape the clutches of the hounds of adult authority. As much as I wanted to end this nonsense, I cannot rest until my thirst for revenge has been quenched and the head of the Slasher is served to me on a silver platter. I never wanted to return to this position, but I have no choice. Now, I can't do anything to save my fellow delinquents without him finding out.

"Masaomi, we should go home. It's getting pretty crazy here!"

Ah, Mikado. Without hesitation, I flashed a smile to my cowardly friend, hoping it would take his mind off the commotion that was happening a few feet from us.

"Aw, but we haven't even picked up a single girl yet! Let's stay longer," I grinned.

"Kida-kun, this isn't the time to be joking!"

"Please, Mikado? PLEASE!"

"N-no! Stop nudging me!"

It's really easy to play along with someone as light-hearted as Mikado. Then again, who says I'm playing? When I'm with him and Anri, my mind is completely at ease, and all my problems seem to disappear into the universe. The two of them have a special place in my heart, and if anything were to happen to either of them, I would personally see to it that whoever was responsible of harming them will leave this city crawling. However, it's been so long since the day Anri got attacked, and I've had no luck hunting down that damned Slasher. I'm starting to get restless.

"Kida-kun, are you listening to me?" spoke Mikado, worried as always.

Letting out a disappointed sigh, I placed my arm around this hopeless boy. Does he not realize that there are countless beautiful women waiting for me to talk to them? I cannot believe that this meek lad is my best friend. Ah, but I have taken him under my wing. He will learn the ways of a lady killer in no time!

"Fine, but we'll definitely have better luck tomorrow! The ladies can't resist me forever!"

"Oh, Kida-kun…"

From that point on, we had said our goodbyes and parted ways. When I was sure that he had been out of my sight, I pulled out the yellow bandanna I had kept in my pocket, and tied it around my neck. This area is populated by Yellow Scarves, and is conveniently close to our hideout. It would be outrageous if they plucked out their leader because he wasn't wearing yellow. Ha, where did I come up with this crap? To be honest, though, I've had difficulty hanging with Mikado lately. After learning that he was the leader of Dollars, it was like a splinter had been pushed deep into my heart. To make matters worse, I had to learn this information from a man I hate. I can accept his lies because I expect nothing less from someone as despicable as him, but when he tells me the truth, it hurts more than anything else.

Let me tell you a little something about Orihara Izaya: he's an asshole. He puts people in the most terrible situations, only to see how they react. He plays God with everyone around him, and when something goes wrong, he'll always find a way to make it his way again. The rules of society don't apply to him because he plays by his own. If possible, my hatred for him runs as deeply as Heiwajima Shizuo's strength. I can understand why he hates him so much; at least we have that much in common. How I would kill to have Shizuo's strength and use it on that smug ass bastard. Izaya is a monster in disguise.

Before I had the chance to cross the street, the devil himself came out of nowhere and greeted me with that disgusting smile of his. Just looking at him makes me sick.

"Good evening, Masaomi-kun~!" he said cheerfully.

"What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you the same question."

Just as I was about to reply, I noticed a pair of police officers were just up the street, interrogating one of the local 7/11 store owners. From what I can see, they're having trouble finding our hideout. However, how come they're patrolling this neighbourhood now? The cops couldn't have found out where we were. I made sure not to overlook anything… that is, unless a foul demon standing before me had exposed the information to them. How did he, of all people, find out? Something wasn't right.

"You bastard…"

"Ah, there you go pointing fingers again. I'm honestly hurt!"

"Enough of your bullshit! Who told you where our hideout was?"

People were beginning to stare at the two of us, but at this point, I didn't care. I wanted answers, and there was no way in hell I will leave this bastard alone without getting them. I wanted them now.

"That's rather confidential information," he replied, "I wonder Mikado and Anri are doing these days…"

"This has nothing to do with them, Izaya!"

"It's your fault for sucking them into—"

"Shut up. Just what do you want from me?"

He paused for a moment, as if toying with my time. Unfortunately for him, time is something I'm not willing to give up for him. I cannot stand another minute standing next to this scum bag. Without warning, his face suddenly lit up, and that stupid childish grin returned to his face. God, why can't he just get it over with and tell me already?

"Well," he finally said," I've given it a loooot of thought, and I've decided that you—"

Just then, one of the officers I spotted earlier came running towards me, baton in the air and whistle at hand. Again, it's thanks to this bastard that my life is a living hell.

"Hey! He's part of those stupid color gangs!" the officer shouted to his partner.

Automatically, I ran as fast as I could, unable to catch what Izaya had said to me next. I'm sure it wasn't anything important, because he means nothing to me at all. While swiftly making my way through the streets, I began to think of how my life would be if none of this happened: meeting Saki and Izaya, founding the Yellow Scarves, or ever moving to Ikebukuro. I might have ended up like Mikado, an anti-chick magnet. The very thought about being unattractive to women made me laugh. However, this was no time to regret the many yesterdays of my life. My main priority right now is to run away so I can see a tomorrow.

I made a sharp turn through an alleyway and jumped over the fence, hoping that they wouldn't follow me. I had to get back to the hideout and warn everyone.

"Who betrayed us?"

There wasn't enough time for me to explain what was going on, but arguing didn't make it any easier for me to evacuate everyone. I tried to shout over the sea of voices, but I was exhausted from running all the way here. I needed time to catch my breath.

"There's… no time to be pointing fingers! We have to leave… now!" I panted.

"But General! We have to find out who is behind this!"

"They'll pay with their head for ratting us out!"

"Find the traitor!"

This was insane. If I'm their general, why aren't they listening to me? Before a single word could escape my lips, it was too late. Red and blue illuminated the outside the warehouse, giving the atmosphere of the warehouse an ominous feeling. The sirens once again cut through the evening air like a blade. Several footsteps could be heard from outside, and as if it were déjà vu, streaks of yellow ran wildly around the room, trying to escape the higher authority: we don't stand a chance.

"It's the fuzz! Let's get outta here!"

The booming voice of the head of police appeared:

"There's no point in hiding, punks! We know you're in there!"

I didn't know what to do. Everything was happening so fast, I can't absorb what's happening around me: I was panicking. Breathe, Kida. You have to calm down. You can't get arrested by them. The grown-ups of this world don't know anything. If you get caught, what will happen to Mikado? What about Anri! If they find out about everything, they'll end up getting hurt the same way as Saki! You can't let that happen. You can't let that bastard Izaya get to you! Calm down, Kida! Breathe, and you can get out of this…

I then felt a hand touch my shoulder, snapping me back into reality.

"General, please escape through the back entrance. We'll keep them cops busy."

"D-don't get caught."

It was too dark to see where I was running, but that's all I could do at this point: run blindly in the dark.

That's all I'm ever good for, really. Up until this point, all I've ever done is run away to avoid my problems. It's thanks to running that Saki's in the hospital. It's thanks to running that my past continues to haunt me. If only I could run away from the problem I was about to encounter next.

"I see the captain always goes down with his ship."

It's him. I stopped where I was, and turned around. In the pale moonlight stood that monster, smiling from ear to ear, the fur on his jacket emphasizing his twisted personality. Why was he doing this to me?

"You."

I lost all sense of rational thinking. I was so blinded by rage that I really wanted to kill him. I ran towards him, grabbed a metal pipe from the ground, and attempted to strike. Without trying, he easily manoeuvred his way around me like an acrobat. It was the most graceful, yet frightening thing I've ever seen. Swinging the pipe over my shoulder, I ran over to where he had landed and attempted another swing.

Izaya once again dodged it with ease, and swapped the bar from my hand. Before I knew it, he had me pinned to the concrete wall. I couldn't stand it. He was always toying with me, right from the beginning.

"Let me go!" I snarled.

He slowly placed his forehead onto mine and said:

"Not until you calm down and listen to what I have to say."

That smile of his never used to petrify me this much before, but my body refused to move after that. Without any reason at all, my heart suddenly began to pound loudly. I felt it beat hard against my chest, I was sure that it would burst at any moment. What was going on? I've been this close to his face before, but why does it feel so different? I struggled for free myself from his grasp, but all the energy I had from that anger had completely vanished.

"Y-you're going to rat me out, aren't you?"

Why couldn't I look at him in the eyes? A million thoughts were running through my head, but I didn't have time to collect time all. My breathing had suddenly became shallow: what was wrong with me?

Before I could say anymore, Izaya had placed his disgusting fingers onto my face. I don't know what came over me, but the sudden gesture sent shivers down my spine. Due to reflex, I had to slap away his hand. Why did it bother me so much?

"Don't ever touch me."

Never could I forget the pain that this bastard put me though. Blue Squares may have disappeared from the face of the earth, but what they left me with can never be fixed, and Izaya was a constant reminder of that. For a second time, he placed his hand onto my check, leaning in a little closer. I struggled to push him off, but it was official that all the strength I had in my body had dramatically drained out of me. My heart began beating louder and louder as his lips made contact with mine.

I moved my head away to catch my breath. I needed to think.

"S-stop it."

"For once, can you listen?"

"I don't have to listen to anything! You—"

Another kiss. Why was he doing this? This time, he pulled away.

"It wasn't me."

"W-what are you—?" I was still pretty dazed.

Wasn't this supposed to be creepy? Or wrong? I hate to admit it, but it felt so right… no, what am I saying? This is wrong. I've always had Saki. She was always there by my side, and never pulled any of the bullshit he has. Then again, she was only there with me because Izaya told her to. I don't know what to think anymore. My past has become more of a mess than I thought.

"I'm not the one who told the cops about this place," he said calmly.

You've got to be fucking kidding me. Does he really think I'm going to believe him? However, his eyes are telling me the truth. For once, the truth he's telling me isn't to provoke me: it's to help me. As if to hug me, he brought my head closer to his chest.

"I don't like it when other people making you run around in circles. It's always been my job."

Suddenly, the sound of running footsteps drew near: it was the police. Why can't I just stay like this… wait, no! Thank God the cops are here! I can finally get away from him. Then why am I holding on to his sleeve so tightly? I don't want to leave.

"I think one of them ran through there!" a voice said from a distance.

Leaning towards me again, Izaya gently whispered into my ear:

"Run."

Another feeling of confusion and fear flowed right through me. Why was he doing all of this? Is he trying to mess with me again? Will he still be like this tomorrow? I had so many questions I wanted to ask him, just like I did when I first met him. Yet, there wasn't enough time.

"Why are you—"

"I can take care of the cops, just run."

I didn't have time to ask him why. I heard several footsteps enter the room, as well as the barking of dogs and harsh voices fill the large space. At that very moment, I thought I saw a look of kindness in Izaya's eyes. I don't know if it was just an illusion, or if the light from the officers' flashlights gave it that kind of effect, but I'll never forget what I saw.

"Go."

"Thank you, Izaya-san."

The sun shone through the blinds of my window, covering the city in a deceivingly heavenly glow: a glow that reminded me so much of Izaya. Letting out a fake laugh, I stumbled out of bed. I know that I once again have to wear the mask of a fool in order to hide the pain that lingers so deeply in my heart. The unforgiving hands of this city embraces me so tightly, I can barely breathe. I hear it demanding that I return to the way I was in the past, reminding me that all I have done up until now has been a lie. Ikebukuro used to be such a beautiful city to my eyes, and it remained that way, when I was with Mikado and Anri. Now, my emotions were all over the place. I can't differentiate between my head and my heart anymore. Because of this, I've discovered the truth behind this city:

This city is hell.

However, I guess even the demons of this place aren't all that bad.