3Good day and happy weekend to everyone! This idea totally just came to me spontaneously, and I couldn't help but want to share it. After all, many people fill the internet with rumors of DRRR and K being connected. I personally saw enough similarities just to think, "Hmm...I wouldn't doubt if Yata and Fushimi watched this show." From that, spawned this tiny, short story. I hope you find it enjoyable.
"Hey, Saruhiko, do you think Shizuo will be all right?" Yata asked this question suddenly as he looked up from a portable gaming device. Having just finished a battle, the game was loading the next scene, which gave him a moment to recall what was currently still on his mind.
That subject was far from being on the top of the list of what Saruhiko focused on. He had been glancing out in the distance, considering who knows what, so the question caught him off guard. Turning his attention to his afternoon companion, he requested clarification with the classless sound, "Huh?"
"Shizuo!" Yata repeated. "Shinra left him alone with all those gun shot wounds! He didn't look too good."
Saruhiko realized then that Yata was going on about the TV show they had watched the day before. That was totally like the simple boy to get his emotions implicated in a world that didn't even exist to the point of worrying about the characters. He would probably fret over it all week until the next episode was released.
As someone who didn't say much, Saruhiko shifted his middle school uniform uncomfortably in the heat of the afternoon. "He'll be fine," he assured, confident but distant.
The next round was starting, but Yata still spared a second to inquire, "How do you know that?"
The only reason Saruhiko even bothered to answer was because he didn't want to have to deal with it anymore. "Since he hasn't settled the conflict with Izaya. They won't kill one of them off or anything."
Even though he was gaming furiously, the shorter of the two looked up with renewed conviction. "That's right! Someone as strong as Shizuo won't go down so easily as that!"
Relieved that the matter was settled so simply, Saruhiko let his gaze wander off again to not settle on anything in particular. People meandered up and down the busy street, filling Shizume with their mundane lives. Some had particular destinations, others did not. Noises surrounded them from all directions, coming from one-sided telephone conversations, chats amongst teenage girls shopping after school, the catch phrases of characters currently fighting in his companion's game. It was too peaceful.
Deciding he really was overheating, Saruhiko puffed out an annoyed sigh that displaced the long, dark bangs that hung in his face and reached for a bottle of Coke they had purchased but not yet drank. That ought to be at least mildly refreshing, if enough of the bubbles had gone flat by then.
For a city so plagued by crime, it really was way too peaceful.
Yata stretched with an agitated moan and then remarked, "Wouldn't it be nice if something like that happened? This life is too boring. We need something awesome like legendary katana killing people in the night. Then we could stand up against all these hidden gangs..."
Saruhiko lost track of what he was saying, but he understood the basic idea. A small smirk of agreement came onto his face. They should get into the underground world and have their taste of what really drove the city. This facade, widely promoted with fashion, high technology, and bright colored billboards, irritated him. It was a lie.
Rather than say what he actually thought, he simply pointed out, "Misaki, I could see you turning into Kida. You'd start your own gang thinking it'd be fun, but eventually there'd be too many of them for you to handle."
"Hey!" The boy complained, but he didn't attempt to prove otherwise.
For a while everything seemed entirely normal. Random people passed by, not at all a part of their world, simple sources of ambiance that Yata couldn't live without. If it were quiet, the boy would go mad in his head like someone who'd been cooped up in a dungeon for months. For his part, Saruhiko didn't need silence to disappear into his own mind, so he accompanied the more social one into public places so long as interaction with other people was not required.
On this street corner, leaning back to back against adjoining sides of a lamp post, they seemed kind of like homeless kids, sitting there in spite of being in the walkway. That didn't bother either one in the slightest. A lady in a business suit walked by, glaring at them like they should make something of themselves while they were still young and in school.
She knew nothing of their secret plans, however, which consisted mostly of conspiracies relating to a hidden world they saw only in movies and anime. Saruhiko felt like anytime now they were going to enter that world, and this facade of peaceful afternoons would be exposed for what it really was. Yata, of course, knew neither of the lady's thoughts nor Saruhiko's.
Yata thought only of his boredom, of how much he yearned for excitement, and of how frustrating this new level of his game had become. Unable to beat it, he shook the device, wishing he was doing something more fun. But he couldn't think of anything in particular. That's why they were playing games on a street corner. He had wanted to leave the house, but once they got outside, neither could think of anything to do.
Suddenly, he was very thirsty. Ripping the Coke from Saruhiko's hand, he guzzled at least a third of it. Due to the lack of carbonation, he found it sickening sweet and not refreshing in the slightest. Even though Saruhiko was already silently protesting that he had taken the drink at all - practically from his mouth, at that - Yata took his frustration out on the offending bottle. The chestnut haired boy threw it, along with what little remained of its contents, furiously into the distance. He didn't care where it landed, but his temper dictated it must be thrown.
"This sucks!" He declared.
Saruhiko was left reaching helplessly after his airborne beverage that he clearly wouldn't get to finish. At the end of his outstretched hand, he could see an intense man with red hair and a black vest looking back at them like they were two ants on a sidewalk. He had caught the bottle in his fist as if it had been tossed gently to him. Around him, several other men had stopped walking. Certain ones looked powerful; others seemed more like the follower type.
One thing was for sure: when you see a group of adult males walking the streets dressed like that at this time of day, it was a gang. Both teens were well aware of the existence of such criminal organizations. Much like the rest of Shizume City, however, they never imagined they'd come into such close contact with one. The redhead had the imposing presence of a leader, even, and Saruhiko got the foreboding feeling that they could easily die for accidentally provoking him. Idiot Yata had carelessly thrown something at his head!
At the left hand side of the obvious leader was a blond man who exuded strength and grace with his posture. His dress was stylish in a classy way. With his hands in his pockets, he spoke casually to their boss while the others looked on in anticipation.
"Mikoto, don't scare the kids..."
This comment brought a laugh from the brunette on the man's right side.
The redhead's expression calmed slightly then, but the boy's chances of escaping were decreased again when Yata let his pride speak thoughtlessly, "Who're you calling scared?!"
The boss polished off what was left of their beverage and tossed it into the air, covered in flames. Were bottles even flammable? The bottle came back to them as a glowing lob of molten glass that landed on the ground inches from Yata's feet. His eyes had widened in some combination of terror and awe. For, while he was full of an amazed wonder at what kind of power had caused the bottle to melt, he was also entirely aware that easily could have been his head transformed into a pile of mush.
He never doubted for a second that the feat was performed with powers. Unlike Saruhiko, he didn't think for a brief moment that the gang leader probably had some sort of high voltage device to cause the rapid heat. Instantly, he knew this guy was not ordinary.
When they raised their eyes from the sidewalk, the leader had already walked off with three of his members. The brunette also had begun to leave, but he waited when he realized the blond lingered behind for something. The latter smiled at the two boys and their identical, yet different reactions. He could tell there was far more intrigue than fright on their faces.
"Instead of wasting your lives here, why don't you kids join us?" He made the offer like it was nothing, like it was the most natural thing to become part of a group with the power to melt glass. As he turned to leave, he added, "We'll give you a place where you can blow off some steam." The nod of his head as he said that implied clearly all the words that went unspoken on the matter.
From a distance, the wild haired leader overheard the proposition and gazed back with a smirk. His slightly amused grunt showed he wouldn't be opposed to the idea of letting them join.
Exchanging a glance, the two boys instantly drew the same conclusion: this was what they had been waiting for. It would be the opposite of the mundane facade that was everyday life. Power called to them; though, at this point, they were still entirely unaware of what kind. There just weren't all that many people around with the kind of strength that bonded feet to the ground with a single look.
Yata could think of one, and it made him stutter with excitement, "W-was that... Was that Shizuo?!" Their respective appearances hardly differed from one another, from the hair color down to the smell of cigarettes. It'd be one thing if there was a strong resemblance, but this man also gave off a powerful vibe, like maybe incredible feats would be possible for him if made angry. And what was even more, he was the less powerful of the two men!
Saruhiko didn't think, What is a character we know from an anime doing inviting us to join his gang? like Yata did. Still, he sensed that power. He felt their life could be forever changed if they accepted to have some of it.
Thank you for reading!