Durarara!! Episode 09

"Everyone is fake. The world's filled with these people. They say they love and adore you, but all they really want to do is possess you. They want you to need them and be there for you, always taking, never giving anything in return. My love is different. It's greater, and more perfect."

- Namie Yagiri

"Love and Cherish" is the ninth episode of the Durarara!! anime.

Synopsis
Namie Yagiri believes her love for Seiji is different than anyone else's. She talks to her brother on the phone, and the redheaded girl throws his phone in the fountain when his back is turned.

In her office the next day, Namie berates Yoshida for losing Seiji and the girl. She goes to Izaya Orihara's apartment and demands that he help her find Seiji. Rather than assist, Izaya informs her of more pressing matters, like the talk of Nebula buying out her family's company. After calling her a stalker, he decides to help. Namie sees his game board and asks about it. When Izaya tells her that Seiji is with the police, she receives a call and leaves his apartment, and Izaya moves a shogi piece on the board.

Namie remembers that as children, she and Seiji had stayed with their uncle quite a bit, and Namie often went into his study, where she found a beautiful head in a jar. Her uncle would talk to it, completely in love, but it was never more than a doll to Namie, who didn't think twice about letting Seiji into the study one day.

Seiji became obsessed with the head, and to keep him from it, Namie relocated it to Yagiri Pharmaceuticals for research purposes. One day her security card was stolen and the head went missing. A little while later, Seiji called his sister, saying he thought he might have killed someone. Namie came to help him and found the head in his apartment near a bloody girl on the floor. She did not know Seiji was stalked by Mika Harima, who had come to his house and accidentally seen the head.



In the present day, the redheaded girl receives a text from 'Nakura' saying that she is still being pursued and needs to leave. She tries to drag Seiji away from the park, and Shizuo Heiwajima and Celty Sturluson watch their lover's quarrel. As the girl runs past them, Celty recognizes her head and grabs the girl, who screams. Shizuo tries to calm her down, but Seiji stabs his legs with pens, demanding they let his girlfriend go.

Shizuo grabs him and asks why his girlfriend is acting like this. Discovering Seiji does not know, Shizuo throws him across the street into the side of a truck in frustration. In an attempt to get away, Seiji stabs Shizuo's hand with a pen. Shizuo, unharmed, lets him get away with just a headbutt that leaves Seiji unconscious on the side of the road.

Celty chases the redheaded girl on her bike, and she bumps into Mikado Ryuugamine. Mikado takes the girl down into the subway to avoid the Black Rider. A short while later, Shinra recaps Celty's story in disbelief, while Celty, frustrated and confused, wonders why her head is walking around attached to some other body. Shinra wonders if the head wants to come back to its body, since the girl shrieked upon seeing Celty. This infuriates Celty, who refuses to believe the past 20 years was all a waste of time, but Shinra assures her it was not.

Seiji informs his sister that he lost his phone and repeats the phrase, "I must find her." Namie tells him she will take care of everything and orders her men to find the redheaded girl, dead or alive.

At Mikado's apartment, he makes tea for the girl and asks if she has amnesia because she can't remember anything, but she shakes her head. Mikado again offers to talk to the police, but she violently shakes her head, accidentally spilling tea. In his apartment, Izaya twirls in his chair, thrilled that there are so many things going on in Ikebukuro that even he knows nothing about. He excitedly moves a shogi pawn to be surrounded by Othello pieces.

As Namie and the redheaded girl gaze up at the moon, they whisper their love for Seiji.

Trivia

 * The company Nebula, mentioned by Izaya and Namie, that is trying to buy out Yagiri Pharmaceuticals, is the same company from Baccano! that built the famous train "The Flying Pussyfoot," upon which the Grand Punk Railroad arc takes place. Both Baccano! and Durarara!! take place in the Naritaverse, though in different settings and time periods.

Character Appearances

 * Namie Yagiri
 * Seiji Yagiri
 * Mika Harima
 * Yoshida
 * Izaya Orihara
 * Celty Sturluson
 * Shizuo Heiwajima
 * Mikado Ryuugamine
 * Shinra Kishitani

Quotes
Shizuo (to Celty): "I've always wanted to say this. Go on ahead, and leave this one to me."

Seiji: "All I need to know about her is that I love her, that's all!"

Celty: "I just don't want to accept that my head and my memories are gone for good."

Izaya: "This'll be fun, this'll be fun, this'll be fun! There's just so much going on in this town that even I don't know anything about! It's an endless sea of entertainment! This is why I love this bustling hotbed of humans! I love them! I love them all! I love them all so much! And that is why my lovely little humans should love and adore me too."