something's gotta give

Ikebukuro was still incredibly new to Kumiko. Having moved here because of her father's wishes, because the man wanted to keep her safe from his enemies, she felt incredibly out of place. Though she had been here for a few days, today was meant to be her first day of attending school. Before everything had happened, from her mother's death to her moving, she had generally just been home-schooled. Her father felt that she would avoid standing out and attracting attention by attending school here, though, which meant that it was supposed to be safe. As she headed to school, though, she silently wondered if it was safe at all, considering all the gang activity in Ikebukuro. She wondered, even, if her father was aware of all of the activity. It wouldn't surprise her, but that didn't make her feel any safer or secure about any of it, at all. Sighing, the girl entered the school and headed to her class, having already received her schedule, but she hoped to avoid having to introduce herself.

---

The morning had already started off bad for Shizuo. Not only did he have to deal with work, but that damn flea had decided to show up in Ikebukuro and his morning had been ruined after the chase. He was angry and annoyed and really just wanted to go home already. The flea had gotten away again and Shizuo dropped the lamp post that he had been using as a weapon, snorting as he pushed his hands into his pockets. Glancing around, he debated on heading home but instead headed to meet Tom where he had left the man. Whether the man was still waiting there or not, Shizuo wasn't entirely sure, but Tom usually stayed and waited for Shizuo's return, so he could assume the dread-locked man was still there. Adjusting his sunglasses, he hunched his shoulders as he began his trek back, though he did occasionally glance around, wondering if he would spot anybody that he knew. He doubted it, of course; most people that he knew avoided him. That didn't bother him too much anymore, though.

Mei couldn't believe she was back, the last time she had been here she was still in high school wondering what she was going to be doing for the rest of her life. But, here she was hunting her no good father around as if that was going to bring her mother back. Mei had money left over from her mother, so she used that mostly to pay off that damn informant Izaya. He was a cunning bastard, but he was actually very helpful in giving her the information she needed to stay on her fathers trail. And with this whole Dollars thing that was going on, she knew it would be a matter of time before her dad resurfaced, it always happened. "I really do have to be going, that brute is definitely going to be on my trail," she heard Izaya mutter, collecting his last payment from Mei, giving her a small salute. "What the hell did I miss while I was gone?" Mei asked, a small snort passing her lips. "Your old friend Shizu-chan is quite mean to me, just like the good old days. Nothing has changed, really." He shrugged a shoulder, giving her a salute before turning on his heel. "Best of luck to ya, Mei-chan. If you need more help, you know where my office is~," and just like that, he was gone. Mei stood there for a second, eyes scanning over the paper he handed her.

--

Kida yawned as he walked down the halls towards his first class of the day, complaining the whole way much to Mikado's dismay. "I really wish I was a coffee person, I need energy dammit! Why did I stay up all night playing video games?" He moaned, rubbing at his tired eyes. Mikado just rolled his eyes, shrugging a shoulder. "I tried telling you." To wish Kida just side-eyed him, poking his tongue out childishly. "You know what, Mikado, you are such a party pooper. I--," he stopped mid sentence as he saw a girl he had never seen before walk into the building, staring down at what he assumed to be her schedule. Kida hadn't seen her here before, and he knew just about every cute girl that walked through these halls, hell he had pretty much been turned down by all of them. "I spy with my little eye, new meat. Let's get me a date, Mikado." He winked, grabbing his sleeve and dragging Mikado with him to where she stood. "Need help finding your way around, m'lady?" He bowed.

[I'm trying to find out a way to get Mei and Shizuo to interact; should they just run into each other?]

Anger coursed through Shizuo, annoyance filling him with the fact that he had lost Izaya again. How one damn flea could manage to get away from him at all was beyond him and he was almost certain that Izaya was the only person capable of escaping him during his rampages, which only served to annoy and piss him off more. Spotting Tom up ahead, he offered a brief wave, but it was clear that he didn't really feel up for conversation right now. Tom seemed to understand this - Tom always did - and they continued walking in silence, either towards their next job or to take a break and eat something, Shizuo wasn't sure. He supposed it didn't really matter, either. As long as he could find some way to cool down, it would be fine. The problem was that he wasn't entirely sure what he could do to calm himself down. Under normal circumstances, he could just stick to his mantra, but that wasn't easy to calm down with when he was angry with the problem that was Izaya.

---

Peering up from her schedule, Kumiko blinked a few times as she eyed the boy in front of her - well, boys, but the other one seemed more like he didn't want to be there at all. Tilting her head, she eyed the one who had spoken to her, the blonde, and ran his words over in her head a few times. "Ah, I guess?" she muttered before looking down at her schedule again. "It's my first day at the school and I probably should have come here to look around before now, but I haven't really had the time." Not with unpacking and assuring her father that, no, he didn't have to send bodyguards, she was okay, there was nothing to worry about. There was that and the fact that her father didn't think it was safe to go to the school without several people around, in case anything ended up happening or she ran into any form of danger. It was safer to be out around in public, with other people around, for the safety it provided. Regardless, she couldn't mention any of it. "I don't really know anything about this school, either."

@ momentai.

[ yeah i figured it could be the good ol' cliche run in and meet kind of thing, aha uwu ]

Mei folded up the piece of paper Izaya gave her and slipped it into her jacket pocket, shivering at the cold morning wind that breezed by her. Mei figured she would go and get some coffee, wake her body up and warm up before she really did any searching today. She rolled her eyes, wondering what kind of trouble Izaya was getting himself into with Shizuo, just like back in high school--it was happening all over again. She had heard the stories of the great Shizuo with his incredible strength, with the amount of things he had thrown at Izaya. Their cat and mouse game was very infamous in Ikebukuro, even now it still was. Honestly, she had always thought it was a bit childish but that as between them. Speaking of Shizuo, would he even recognize her? Mei had cut her hair shorter after she had left home to find her father, mostly because the long hair reminded her of her mother, and she didn't need any more of those. Would they even run into each other? He most likely didn't still live with his parents, but perhaps they would know. God, would he even want to see her after all this time and no contact at all? Mei shook her head, deciding she was thinking too much without her coffee, stepping up from the bench and heading down the street.

--

Kida gave a wolfish grin, one that Mikado saw and just huffed. Kida nudged him, shooting him a pointed look. "Well it's a good thing you ran into me, Masaomi Kida! I know just about everything there is to know about this school, and the in and outs of Ikebukuro." He placed his hands on his hips, striking somewhat of a superhero pose and shooting her a small wink. "If I may," he reached his hand out and grabbed the schedule from her hands, ignoring the 'idiot,' he heard his friend whisper as he trailed his finger over the piece of paper. Whew, she had some pretty smart classes on here--Kida was no idiot, but he definitely wasn't as smart as her, what with all these high credit classes. "Well, you have your first three blocks with me and my good friend Mikado, so follow us." He grinned.

[Haha, okay! I wasn't sure if you meant actually run in, so this mess happened. If you'd prefer for him to actually run into her, though, I'll edit my post. :)]

Shizuo almost missed it, the flash of a face he had known well in the past. For a moment, he wondered if he had just imagined it. Mei had been gone for ages, after all, and he hadn't seen her since she all but disappeared. Nobody really knew what had happened to her, from what he knew. If they did, nobody had told him or spoken about it around him. Regardless, he picked up his pace fairly quickly, ignoring the confused calls of "Shizuo?" from Tom. If he was wrong, if he hadn't imagined that well-known face, then he couldn't just let the chance to find out why she left slip, could he? And, if he was just imagining it, maybe he should see Shinra, have him check him out, make sure he wasn't losing his damn mind because of all the hell that the flea put him through. Once he was close enough, he allowed himself to call out to her. "Mei?"

---

With mild confusion, Kumiko watched the guy, Masaomi Kida, then glanced to his friend with an expression that basically read Is he always like this? Shaking her head, she realized that she hadn't introduced herself. So, while she retrieved her schedule, she said, "I'm Kumiko Yuki." She glanced down at her schedule again, mostly to see what three blocks he was talking about, but nodded slightly. At least she would be in class with people she'd met. Maybe it wouldn't be so awkward? "Um, thank you," she told him, though Mikado was already leading the way to class. Quickly, she followed. "So, what's this school like? Or Ikebukuro in general?" she asked, glancing to the blonde boy since he seemed more talkative than his dark haired friend.

@ momentai.

[ nope yours is fine! i didn't mean it like actually physically running into her, so it's perfect c; ]

Mei glanced up at her name being called, almost not recognizing the voice. It sounded familiar, but definitely deeper--more gruff. Her brows furrowed in confusion as she scanned over him, the facial features the same but more grown up, his jawline more prominent, his hair still that blonde color and a faint smile played on her lips. Mei took it upon herself to walk closer to him, so they were standing in front of each other. "Um, hey, Shizuo. Been awhile, yeah?" She said awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck. Yeah, she definitely had a lot of explaining to do, she just hoped he wasn't too angry seeing as he was prone to outbursts. Typically he didn't get like that with her, she seemed to be the exception, but they had their moments where they bickered, but all friends did. Mei did feel guilty for leaving without telling him, or anyone for that matter, but it had to be done--she couldn't just sit at home and do nothing while feeling sorry for herself.

--

Kida let out a small yawn, adjusting the strap of his bag and shrugging as he followed beside Mikado. "School isn't too bad, it's pretty much your typical high school what with the cliques and all. Everyone just kind of falls into different groups, but nobody will bother you." He shrugged a shoulder, glancing over at her as she mentioned Ikebukuro. "You'll be fine so long as you stay out of certain districts, especially ones where gangs are heavy. The main one is Dollars, but as long as you don't bother them they won't do anything." He scratched at his head for a moment in thought before snapping his fingers as if suddenly remembering something. "Also, stay away from two guys named Izaya and Shizuo," he commented, giving her the same warning as he did Mikado.

[Okay! Also, sorry my last posts for this and Free were short; I was on my phone but I just pulled up my laptop, so yay~]

So, his assumption was right; it was her. Part of him felt relieved, but another part wasn't sure what he felt - anger, annoyance, something. "Where have you been?" Shizuo asked immediately, a frown settling on his lips as he eyed her. He wasn't sure whether he was angry or just annoyed that she had disappeared on him, only to suddenly turn up out of nowhere. He didn't want to direct his anger at her, though, knowing that it could just be remnants from his anger during his rampage after Izaya. Better to try to stay calm, no need to scare off the only person who had never been afraid of him. "You can't just disappear like that without a word. You know that, don't you?" His eyes narrowed slightly, observing her and questioning her at the same time while he hoped for any sign of an explanation that might actually make sense. "You could have at least said something before you ran off, exchanged contact information or... I don't know, shit, something."

---

That would have helped if Kumiko even knew what typical high schools were like. There was no point in mentioning that, though, as it might raise too many questions and, really, she didn't want to risk babbling like an idiot while trying to come up with lies to cover up a mistake. "What districts should I avoid, then?" she asked with curiosity, as she figured that she could at least put that information to use. Her father wanted her to avoid gangs, too, for fear of somebody finding out about her, so it was really in her best interest to learn these things, she supposed. She paused, though, at the mention of the two guys, furrowing her brows slightly. "So... Who are they?" she asked with confusion. Were they dangerous? She figured that they probably were, if Masaomi was warning her about them. How many dangers were there in Ikebukuro? Gangs and specific people that she should avoid? What else? Maybe her father had chosen a terrible place to send her.

@ momentai.

Mei sighed as he asked tons of questions, though a half smile formed on her face at how concerned he sounded. Mei reached forward and gripped his hand lightly in her own, the contact strange after not seeing him for so long. She had been gone for so long, she was afraid doing something she hadn't done in so long would be too weird, but she felt right at home. The guilt was just worse, because she could imagine how lonely he must of been, even with a couple other people he met and tolerated. Mei had been the first one to approach him on their first day, asking if she could sit with him for lunch and that was how their friendship came to be, because she did what no one else would. Everyone was scared of him because of his incredible strength, but she didn't mind--Shizuo was sweet and kind, she just wished other people would give him the same chance like she had. Mei gave his hand a gentle squeeze before letting go, biting her lower lip. "Can we talk somewhere else? I promise I'll explain, Shizuo." She murmured, not really wanting to spill her life story in a busy intersection.

--

Kida gave her the once over, shrugging his shoulders and smiling. "You don't seem like you're the kind of girl that's looking for trouble, so I think you'll be okay on the gang department." He chuckled as they walked into a classroom that had a few kids in it, preparing their desks for the day ahead of them. A few looked up in surprise at the new face, but a couple didn't really pay much mind to it, which was kind of how this school worked. They saw something shiny and new and were fascinated with it, but then something else would catch their attention. "Shizuo isn't really that dangerous, just don't piss him off. His strength is incredible, and you don't want to be on the receiving end of that. Though, he doesn't seem to go for women in that case, so again you should be fine. But Izaya.. he's a cunning bastard and will act like prince charming, but he's really the devil in disguise." He muttered.

The feeling of her hand felt both familiar and new to Shizuo and it was difficult to stay annoyed when he saw the half smile on her face and heard how quiet her voice was. Lifting his free hand, he rubbed the back of his neck and glanced over his shoulder to see Tom waiting for him. "Sure," he said after a moment, setting his gaze back on Mei, "Just let me tell Tom that I've got to go." Because, he didn't want Tom to have to wait on him, not when he wasn't sure how long it would take to get back. He left for only a minute or two, long enough to give a short explanation to Tom that he had to go somewhere with Mei, then returned and offered a small nod to her. "Let's go, then." Since he wasn't sure where she would prefer to go, he waited for her to lead the way and stuffed his hands back into his pockets. Admittedly, though, a part of him already missed the small contact that there had been between them. Considering how long it had been since he had seen his friend, maybe it wasn't too much of a surprise.

---

"Well, that's the point. If I want to avoid trouble, shouldn't I know the places to avoid?" Kumiko pointed out quickly, a quiet huff escaping her lips. Besides, even if she wasn't looking for trouble, she knew some gang members tended to go a little too far and sometimes bothered girls when they shouldn't. It was something that her father frowned upon and he had punished several of his own men for behavior like that. She looked around once they were in the classroom, noticing the few who stared and the others who ignored her presence. Really, she probably preferred to be ignored when it came to this, but it wasn't like she could voice that opinion. Instead, she attempted to ignore the attention and focused her own attention on what the boy was saying. "Oh," she muttered with a small nod. "So, definitely avoid Izaya, but only really avoid Shizuo when he's in a bad mood. Okay." Now, if only she knew exactly who those two were, she'd be set and ready to avoid. Another time, she decided.

@ momentai.

Mei just nodded, messing with her phone for a minute until he came back, shoving it into her pocket and leading the way. She figured they could just go to her apartment, seeing as it was quiet and nobody would be around to bother them. Mei wasn't too big on people knowing about what happened all those years ago that made her leave, sighing softly. "So, you know what the first thing I heard about when I arrived?" She said with a small laugh, shaking her head. "You, and Izaya of course. Apparently you two are still chasing each other around, throwing shit at him." Just like back in high school, only now it was ten times worse. Mei almost wanted to say just forget it, but with some things there was just no reasoning with Shizuo and this was one of those things. Plus it was kind of entertaining, not that she would ever say that to his face.

--

Kida raised a brow. "Just hang around me, I'll protect you." He shot her a playful wink, ignoring the rolling of Mikado's eyes and took a seat at his desk, Mikado behind him. There was an empty seat beside him, so he patted it and motioned for her to sit in the desk next to his, a cheesy grin on his face. "Honestly, Shizuo isn't that bad, he can be a pretty cool guy if you manage to get on his good side. But I wouldn't trust Izaya for nothing, he's a seedy bastard." He would know from first hand experiences, plus a few people he knew got caught up in Izaya's seemingly perfect outlook, though that was a bunch of crap.

As Shizuo followed Mei, he couldn't help but to notice that she didn't really seem too eager about explaining things. Maybe it was the small talk that gave her away, he wasn't entirely sure. Still, he could only snort in response and glance away. "Did you really think that would change?" he asked bluntly, "The damn flea won't stay out of Ikebukuro. I swear he comes here just to piss me off." It was more than that, though, and he knew it. The flea liked reminding him just how much of a monster he was, liked getting him worked up and making him chase Izaya in a murderous rage. It didn't matter that other people could get hurt in the process; the damn flea enjoyed the destruction that Shizuo could cause and Shizuo hated it, hated Izaya.

---

Kumiko blinked, glancing to Kida with an arched brow. "I don't think I can really hang around you all the time," she pointed out casually, though she eyed the seat for a moment before she moved to sit down with a small nod. Setting her bag down, she scanned through it and pulled out what she supposed she'd need before she put it down completely. "You have some pretty strong opinions about this Izaya guy," she mentioned, as he kept calling the man a bastard. She didn't outright question it, though, since she didn't want to seem like she was prying. After all, she had only just met Kida; it wasn't really her right to pry, even if she was curious about this place and the people who lived in Ikebukuro.

@ momentai.

Mei almost wanted to say he wasn't that bad, since she had been doing business with him as of late, but that probably wouldn't be the wisest thing to say at this moment, not when he so clearly hated his guts. And she could understand that, Izaya always liked to remind him how much of a monster he was and constantly tormented him. And that did make her feel bad for using Izaya's business, but he would be the only person able to track her father since he was so capable--so yeah, she felt a little bit guilty. "Never once did I think that would change, he just loves driving you insane," she chuckled a little, placing a hand on his arm. "Don't let him get to you, that's exactly what he wants. You're nothing close to a monster," she tried assuring, giving the arm a gentle squeeze.

--

Kida made a pouty face, arms folding across his chest. "Wow, who knew the new kid was so mean." He grumbled, leaning back in his seat as Mikado laughed under his breath, shooting him a pointed look. Okay, so maybe trying to flirt with the new girl wasn't exactly a good idea. Sighing softly, he shrugged a shoulder. "I know from personal experience how much of a douche Izaya is," he said casually, waving a hand. "He knows just how to manipulate people, so I would avoid him as much as you possibly can." He warned her.