I stared down at the blonde boy with a blank face. If he wanted to 'hear the story', then he'd have to sit through the tale of my entire life... And there's no way I'll be taking the time to tell a story that'd take me more than half an hour to gather. "Sorry, kid. I'm busy, and there's too much to say for me to just say it now; so much that even I haven't figured it all out. What good is it to tell a tale with no ending?"

He smiled at me almost genuinely. "Let me tell you a little something too, my little lady...! You've been appearing around town in places you shouldn't be in, with people you shouldn't be with. This happened way, way, waaay too much to be a coincidence!" He looked me up and down. "(-Hair Color-, -Hair Length-) hair... You seem to match a certain description I've heard of from three of my guys a few days ago. Something about... an eavesdropper?" He continued to voice my appearance, "(-Eye Color-) eyes... (-Skin Color-) skin...... (-Cup size-)-cup breasts--"

I slapped him instinctively, feeling violated. I swore to myself that I wouldn't hit a child, but there's a limit to even my patience; I didn't know just how true that was until this moment. First Orihara-san, then this boy--I think I'm becoming more and more violent. His lackeys started moving forward again, cussing at me while I verbally defended myself by elegantly cussing back. They halted when the boy raised his hand up, signaling for them to stop.

"Don't attack a woman!" he exclaimed, sounding shocked that they'd even consider it. "I had that one coming. Sorry." He straightened himself out and continued talking, his hands moving along with his words as if we were communicating through sign language. "Truth is, everyone's been on edge since a bunch of us were beaten up by those... Taggers. Quite a few of our guys are in the hospital because of them..."

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked, thinking I was being led into a trap. Orihara-san is probably the reason why I've lost trust in most strangers. I always feel like everyone I meet has their claws aiming at my neck. So, of course I can't trust these guys; why should I believe that they miraculously trust me?

"Doi Doppo," the leader mentioned blatantly. "He told us about you. On behalf of him, I thank you, Milady, for helping him in the past," he said, bowing playfully with a one-eyed grin.

"I thought that he'd forgotten!" I marveled with a hint of gratefulness toward Doppo-kun. "I almost forgot about everything myself, after all." Yes, I knew him before I returned here to Ikebukuro. Key word right there: returned. I met Doppo-kun sometime around the last time I was here. I never expected him to join a gang while I was gone, though. "He still has my raincoat," I mumbled.

The boy laughed and nodded, quietly saying "Yes, he does" in the breaks of his laughter. Once he finished, he inhaled sharply as his eyes grew wide with interest. He leaned his face forward as he whispered--however, not so quietly-- "Hey! You're looking for him, aren't you? Want me to take you to him?"

I quickly agreed to it, but then hesitated a moment after. "What's the catch?" I asked him.

"Nothing! There's no catch! I'm happy to help such a beautiful woman anytime!" He took a few steps back before motioning to himself in a high-and-mighty pose. "I am Masaomi--Kida Masaomi--and I will be your guide, Miss! Doi-kun will be glad to see you. Maybe even more glad than me, if that's even possible," he said adding another wink at the end.

With this kid, it might be a pain, but... "Alright! Thank so much! Really!" Masaomi-kun insisted that it was fine, but he seemed to be fully enjoying my gratitude.

He turned around, ready to lead me. I think he was trying to hide it, but I swear that I caught a glimpse of his joyful face suddenly turn dark, tense, and serious as his eyes wandered over the jacket I was wearing. "C'mon! Follow me."

Masaomi-kun wove his way out of the alleyways and back into the crowded streets. I admired his bravery for stepping out of the shadows to waltz his way along the sidewalk in broad daylight. After all, he was the leader of a supposedly notorious gang, with members of said gang tailing him as if it were a school of fish.

It would be an understatement if I said that people looked at us. They would do a few double-takes or they would stop and look directly at us as if we were medals in a glass case that happened to pique their interest; either way, the look that came over their faces weren't pleasant. They were... disgusted. A lot of words could be used to describe the look in their eyes such as fear, anger, and annoyance. But none can describe it better than disgust. Disgusted that the guys I was walking with even exist, disgusted that they live in the same city, disgusted that they have the nerve to walk on the same sidewalk. It pissed me off.

"Is it really okay for you to be moving around so openly?" I asked, glaring back at the strangers as if i were a part of this gang. "Don't you see these people--"

"What of it?" Masaomi-kun asked, directing a confident smile toward me. "We're a gang, so of course they'd think the worst. It's not really anyone's fault, and we're the ones who wanted to take such a route like this. Just think of the nasty looks as a simple price to pay in return!"

I gazed at Masaomi-kun, suddenly feeling small. It seems I've underestimated someone again... I giggled at the thought and messed his hair around. "You're a good kid!" I laughed, getting him to laugh along too.

"I have to admit, you're not as bad as I thought either!" he claimed with a broad smile. "We're almost at Doi-kun's place."

Sure enough, a few moments after he said that, I was stopped in my tracks by Masaomi-kun. The rest of the Yellow Scarves with us were chatting away behind the scenes, drowning out the noises from the busy streets. I looked up at the residence; a shabby-looking apartment. Masaomi-kun looked to me, but I just took in a sharp inhale and walked up to the door.

I forced myself to knock loudly, confidently. "Doppo-kun...?" I called out. Quick footsteps resounded from inside, and the door swung open in a flash. Doppo-kun stood there, staring at me; his chest was rapidly rising and falling from having ran to the best of his might.

"(-F-F-First Name-)-san...!!" he muttered in cheery disbelief. "You... you're back!"

I eyed his buzzcut with a grin. "You really didn't change at all, did you? Except you look super old!" My eyes skimmed over the cast on his right arm. I pretended as if there was nothing wrong.

Doppo-kun laughed like a child before letting realization dawn upon him. "Oh! I have your jacket!"

With a smile, I nodded and waited, expecting to be reunited with my old raincoat. Doppo-kun retreated into his home for a moment before returning and placing my jacket in my arms. Right as it came in contact with my palms, I pulled my arms away, allowing the coat to fall to the ground. I stared at it, perplexed. It was the jacket I left at Orihara-san's place.

"Wh-where did you get that?" I asked, stunned. My eyes shot back and forth between the jacket and Doppo-kun's confused face.

"U-uhm... A man named Orihara Izaya stopped by and told me to give this to you," he explained. "Is... that bad...?"

I swallowed hard. "No. No, it's okay," I insisted, picking it up. I tried to look calm, but judging by the look of suspicion on Masaomi-kun's face, I wasn't doing very well.

After a moment of prolonged silence, Doppo-kun invited us inside. There I sat surrounded by gang members, sipping (-Beverage [preferably tea]-) casually and eating small cookies that Doppo-kun's mother had baked the previous night. As I looked over at each of the Yellow Scarves--who were now harmless--I shrugged to myself and continued snacking. I've been in weirder situations.

This seemed peaceful; almost as if I were a single parent who adopted several delinquents... Until, of course, my clingy stalker called. I picked up my phone and stepped out of the room before answering.

"How are you, (-First Name-)-chan~? Did you get your jacket back?"

I could almost hear Orihara-san's smirk forming through the phone.

"How did you know that I was already associated with Doi Doppo?"

"Haa~~? Whatever do you mean?" he asked, feigning innocence. "You came to me to investigate, so of course you'd go over to his place right after."

"Yes, but you wouldn't leave my jacket with someone you thought was a stranger to me," I speculated. "I'll admit that you're more clever than I am, but give me some credit." I took a deep breath, already losing energy over this simple phone call. "Tell me: what gave it away?"

He remained silent for a few seconds before finally putting me out of my confusion. "Doi Doppo... 'It's just such an interesting name no matter how many times I look at it'," he quoted me. "(-First Name-)-chan, if you didn't know Doi Doppo, then that should've been the first time you'd have seen his name. Not only that, but there was no sure way to determine if he was part of the Yellow Scarves solely due to the files we found. That is, unless you already knew him..."

I shook my head, disappointed in myself. "Ahh... How careless," I muttered.

Orihara-san laughed. "Come return my jacket tomorrow. Oh, and also the knife; it's my favorite one. Bye-bye~!" The phone clicked and the call ended.

I touched my hand to my forehead, rubbing my temples. He's so damn stress-inducing. I made my way back to the gangsters, only to find Masaomi-kun standing alone. I looked around, expecting to at least see Doppo-kun, but the room really was isolated with the exception of their leader and me.

"I told everyone to wait upstairs," he explained. Well, not really 'explained'. It explained why everyone wasn't in the room, but not the reason why they weren't allowed in here... if that makes any sense.

I couldn't really find any other way to reply besides saying "Okay", so that's all I said.

He took a seat slowly as if gravity were dragging him down. "To be frank, I noticed that fur-trimmed coat since we met in the alleyway, and I could recognize it from a mile away. You're more connected to this city than I credited you for, so I'd like to ask again--between just us two--Milady, would you mind telling me the story? Your story. And I mean the whole story."

"And?" I asked him, taking a seat myself. "What do I get?"

"Ah, you're a sharp one. How's this;" he leaned forward into his crossed leg, "You get protection from anyone in the Yellow Scarves for as long as this is going on."

"This?" I asked, pretending not to know what he's referring to. "Whatever do you mean, Masaomi-kun?"

He forced a laugh. "You know what I'm talking about. Let me rephrase my previous statement: As long as the Taggers are running rampant, you can use us as a sword or a shield. Whenever you need us, we'll come. Wherever you are, we'll go. And if no one in the gang wants to, then I promise that I will." It sounded appealing, I'll admit. "Oh, come on, Miss," he coaxed, "I think... No, I know--in fact, we both know--that you need this."

"Why do you want to know?" I asked him. "What are you getting out of this?"

"Can we leave it at that? There's no telling what could happen to you if you find out."

"Well, isn't that the reason why you're giving me protection?" I questioned him some more. Then I pondered the extent of our secrecy for a second. "Actually..." I tapped my finger against the coffee table, trying to collect my ideas, "...the thing is, six years ago, I came here to Ikebukuro for a... quick visit." I cleared my throat. "Then, I came back, and here I am now."

Masaomi-kun sat expectantly, waiting for my proposal.

I continued, "What if I just tell you what I learned recently after coming back, and I get to call for protection from the Yellow Scarves only--let's see--three times."

Masaomi-kun thought about it, combing back his blonde bangs with his fingers. I crossed my hands together, and leaned into them, pausing for his response. Now I get to wait.

"One," he wagered.

"Two."

"Deal."

Nodding, I reached my hand across the table to seal it. Masaomi stretched out his right hand as well; palm open, about to shake on it. My arm lowered a bit due to my befuddlement. He saw the confusion on my face. "What's the matter? Aren't we shaking on it?"

"Huh...?" I shook my head a little. "I mean, yeah. Yes, of course. Sorry. My first instinct was to pinky-promise," I apologized. Masaomi-kun froze before bursting out with laughter. I pouted. "Yeah, yeah. It's childish. 'Ha-ha'. Shits and giggles. I get it. Just shut up." I opened up my palm for a handshake, but he refused, insisting that he wanted to pinky-promise. I hesitantly obliged.

I rested my back against the cushiony feel of the couch I was sitting on. Masaomi-kun did the same, preparing himself the same way a child would for storytime. I giggled at the idea and caught myself starting the recounts of my memories by saying "Once upon a time..."

Once we both settled, I began. "The first interesting thing that happened when I arrived was being threatened by three Yellow Scarves." Masaomi-kun interrupted my story to apologize. "I managed to escape with the help of Orihara Izaya-san--whom I assume you're already familiar with." I skipped some parts, including my meeting with Celty-san and Shinra-san, and Shizuo and Tom-san. "I soon learned about the large amount of death and injuries cast upon the Yellow Scarves by the Taggers. This is pretty much when I decided to research the Taggers. Also, I'm pretty sure I'm being followed... trailed... stalked, even. And I was almost run over by a car that sped into a building.

"A random number led me to a chatroom that told me about the Taggers and the Dollars. I collected information on both. I still can't, however, find much on the Taggers. I was at one of their crime scenes and it looked horrible..."

"Can you give me some details on that?" he asked a bit demandingly. "If you can, please."

"Let's see... Well, there were blood splatters here and there. The corpse was a woman's. Her mouth was gaping like a hole, and her tongue was missing along with her right hand. Well, the hand wasn't really missing; it was several feet away, holding a spray can. That's how I knew it was the Taggers--although, they wrote 'DOLLAR$' on the wall behind her.

"Not long after that, Orihara-san caught wind of my situation and agreed to help. We were able to narrow everything down to Doi Doppo-kun. And here we are now." I never lied; nor did I tell the whole truth. I didn't feel like mentioning trivial things like getting drugged and stuffed into a suitcase.

"Is that all?" he asked.

I took in a breath. And nodded.

"Welp! Thank you very much for that; I mean it. As we discussed before, you are now allowed two chances to call in the Yellow Scarves for protection." He wrote a phone number on a sliver of paper which I folded up and shoved into my jacket pocket. Yes, it was my jacket, not Orihara-san's. Masaomi-kun stood up, straightened out his scarf, and winked at me. "Pleasure doing business with you!"

He called down Doi Doppo and the other Yellow Scarves, and we proceeded to eat and drink cheerily as if nothing happened.

=Author's Note=

DOOOONNE!! OH, DEAR JESUS; FINALLY! Sorry, guys, for taking so long to update... it's just.... school...!

But guess what?

SCHOOL'S OUT! YES! I made it through Freshman year!!!

Thanks for reading, guys!! Seriously, I love reading the comments you all leave~! By the way, as I am writing this, The Broker has 399 votes. I was gonna thank you all for breaking 400, but all of you are freaking trolls.

Jk, love ya.

Edit: WE BROKE 400! THANKS EVERYONE!!!

I've been trying to learn more about digital art, so yeah, I decided to draw Doi Doppo. Maybe I'll draw Yamada Kaito (your butler coworker), but I dunno yet. I'm not used to drawing in the art style of Durarararararararararararararararararararawr... The 8-year-old version was based off of Akane, and the 14-year-old version was based off of Mikado. (My favorites are the blushie faces~)

Thanks for the support, and I'll see you in the next one! Bye bye!

        -!n@

P.S. In chapter 5, I asked if any of you noticed something involving Izaya-kun. Sorry it was so vague. It was really simple, and hard to detect so here's the excerpt:

"Heh~ I appreciate the comment, but I am a god, (-Last Name-)-chan~!!" he stated, reverting back into his natural act.

Yep. Reader-chan's compliment to Izaya made him so uncomfortable that he called her by her last name which has NEVER been done otherwise! I know, it's stupid. Bye.