Vorona

Varona (ヴァローナ Varōna, Russian: Ворона) is a 20-year-old Russian assassin. She was employed in a weapon dealing organization led by Lingerin Douglanikov and her father Drakon. She escaped to Japan with a truckload of illegal weapons taken from Lingerin and Drakon.

Characteristics
Varona is described in the novels as very attractive and has extensive knowledge about even the most trivial of subjects and can bring up such information right off the top of her head. Aside from her shoulder length blond hair and purple eyes, her most distinctive (though rarely seen) feature is the cross shaped scar on her left breast.

Lingerin remarks that while Varona is physically mature, she is still a child mentally, by which he means that there is still a lot about the world that she has yet to experience.

She is regarded by her partner Sloan as a "fighting addict". She enjoys defeating opponents that are significantly stronger than her in order to increase her strength and loves to fight enemies that bring something unusual to the table (such as Celty, Anri, and Shizuo). Surprisingly, she also has a rather large sweet tooth. This is first shown in Volume 08 where, after Shizuo and Tom ask her about her home in Russia, she somehow steered the conversation over to Russia's history of cake. Shizuo took this as a sign that she had a craving for sweets, which Varona admitted even though she was a bit embarrassed by it.

Varona also has a rather odd, almost robotic way of speaking. She always goes into extensive detail about a subject when asked about something and also appears to be unusually formal when addressing others. Initially it is suspected that this is because she isn't very fluent in Japanese. However, considering she speaks this way even in Russian, it's hard to tell whether her Japanese is bad or if she has gotten good enough at the language to adapt it to her normal speech pattern.

Background
Varona had a lonely, yet content childhood. Her father, Drakon, rarely ever spent time with her and she only ever remembers facing his back. The children at school also kept their distance because they knew her father's job wasn't particularly legal (weapons dealing). Because of this, she never knew what it was like to love or be loved by someone. In order to fill this gap left by her family and peers, she turned to the large collection of books her father kept in his study. Her father was impressed by how quickly she could go through his books at such a young age and always bought her new ones whenever she asked. She read, re-read, and memorized almost all the information she could, especially those about weapons. Such knowledge would prove to be useful much earlier than Varona could imagine when a burglar broke into her home while her father was away on business. While the criminal's back was turned, Varona shot him in the neck with one of her father's pistols (in the anime, she turned on all the taps in her bathroom, tricked him into slipping into the tub and dropped a live hairdryer into the liquid, electrocuting him instantly). Although she felt a small amount of fear, she also felt a strange sense of satisfaction. Once her father got home, he hugged her for the first time in her life. Varona initially suspected that it was because she managed to kill someone stronger than her, but she had a feeling that that wasn't entirely correct. Nevertheless, this became the defining moment of her childhood, as from Varona's standpoint the act of her killing a man for the first time and the act of her father displaying affection for her for the first time were correlated.

After this incident, her Father hired two family friends Samiya and Dennis to train her in self defense which she excelled at. Eventually, she asked them to teach her how to handle weapons which Samiya initially refused but eventually agreed to under Varona's insistence. Varona began to test her strength against the various thugs and gangsters around her home town, upping the ante each time. When she turned 15, she heard of a large gang that was interfering with her Father's business and decided to take action. She went to their hideout and killed each and every single one of it's members all on her own. Once her father found out, he slapped her hard across the face for being so reckless. It was then that she realized that the reason she did this wasn't to win her father's approval but it was to fullfill her own satisfaction. It wasn't killing that she enjoyed, nor was it fighitng. She enjoyed proving her strength. She enjoyed taking down opponents that seemed nearly impossible to take down for someone her age. Once she realized this, her abilities as a fighter skyrocketed as she distanced herself from her father. Once she hit 19 years old, she and her partner Sloan stole several crates full of weapons manufactured by Varona's father and left for Japan.

Akane Arc
Varona and Sloan are briefly seen witnessing Akane Awakusu attack Shizuo with a stun gun while on their way to meet their client. They enter into a Karaoke parlor and it is revealed that the person who hired them is Yodogiri Jinnai. He charges them to do two jobs. The first is to kidnap the granddaughter of the head of the Awakusu, Akane Awakusu. The second objective is to incapacitate Celty who is acting as her bodyguard. Yodogiri warns the duo about Celty's inhuman nature but they are skeptical on his claims. After witnessing Celty in action on a news video, Varona becomes excited at the prospect of fighting something inhuman like Celty.

Varona locates Celty on the highway and attacks her while she's unaware. Varona knocks off Celty's helmet, thinking that she cut off her head, and drives off disappointed at such a short encounter. Varona arrives at their hideout and Sloan tells her of another job given to them by Izaya Orihara to neutralize, but not kill, Anri Sonohara. After a small break, she and Sloan pursue the next target. Varona expresses some guilt over attacking someone so young but pushes it to the back of her mind as she breaks down Anri's door. She attacks a perplexed Anri with a pair of garden scissors but is (pleasantly) surprised to come into contact with Saika. The two of them fight briefly on the walkway before they are interrupted by Celty. Sloan urges Varona to retreat for now to avoid being seen and they withdraw using a delivery truck they stole. Varona notices Celty chasing after them and chases her off with a few shots from an anti-tank rifle she had stored in the back of their truck. With Celty gone, Varona notices a thin web of some black substance wrapped around the back of her motorcycle. She deduces that that was how Celty found them so easily and decided to use it to lure Celty into a trap.

The duo retreat to an abandoned warehouse next to Tokyo Bay and they park Varona's motorbike behind it. Celty arrives to investigate but just as Varona and Sloan are about to attack, they are stopped by the untimely arrival of Mikado, Aoba, and the remnants of the Blue Squares. With too many witnesses, Varona and Sloan wait it out until Celty is vulnerable.

Dollars and Blue Squares Arc
As they observe the situation between Mikado and Aoba from a safe distance, Celty suddenly picks up Mikado and they both ride off out of the warehouse. Their plan foiled, Varona suggests they split up. Varona goes after Celty while Sloan tries to find Akane Awakusu. Varona tails Celty until she sees her meet up with Anri and Akane. After a while Varona sees Mikado and Anri separate from the group leaving Celty and Akane alone. Varona calls Sloan and informs him of Akane's location. Sloan says he will capture Akane there while Varona slips off to go after Anri and Mikado. She follows the two of them until they arrive at the practice fields of Raira Academy. Sloan calls Varona on her radio and informs her that he successfully captured Akane and that he was heading toward her position. She tells him that she is at Raira and asks him to get the truck ready.

She attacks Anri while her back is turned with her combat knife but Anri blocks it just in time. The two of them fight for several minutes before Varona notices another fight going on several yards away. She sees several Toromaru members fighting the dollars and she runs off to lure Anri into the chaos to give herself an edge. As the two of them clash, Varona manages to kick out Anri's legs, causing her to stumble. Before she can deliver the killing blow, however, Rokujo Chikage blocks her strike, saying two beautiful ladies should not fight in such a manner. Before she can react, another overwhelming presence makes itself apparent before Varona. Standing behind her with her motorbike on his shoulder was Shizuo Heiwajima.

An odd mix of emotions welled up inside her. Topping the list was a strange mix of fear and (what Varona described as) ecstasy. Unable to control herself, Varona throws her knife at Shizuo's chest and, much to everyone's surprise, it only goes as deep as a fingernail. Unfortunately, the knife reminds Shizuo of Izaya and he flies into a rage and starts chasing Varona across the field. Varona spies Sloan and the truck on the side of the road and urges him to get it started. She jumps into the rear compartment and keeps Shizuo back with several shots from her rifle. Shizuo spots Akane tied up behind Varona and backs off to think of a plan. As they drive away, Varona notices something out of the corner of her eye. She see's Shizuo kicking around a rusted broken down car; like a soccer ball running towards her. Shizuo kicks the car at Varona's truck but Varona blows it away with her anti-tank rifle. However, Shizuo is nowhere to be seen. As she scanned the area looking for him, Shizuo suddenly busts in through the roof of the storage compartment of the truck, having used the car as a distraction and a nearby fence as a spring board. He bends the barrel of Varona's rifle, making it unusable. Varona pulls out her pistol and attempts to shoot Shizuo in the head, silently apologizing to him in her head and attempts to pull the trigger but finds that something is jamming the gun. Upon closer inspection, she notices thin black threads wrapped around the trigger which led outside of the truck.

Varona turned around to see Celty barreling towards them on her bike. Before either her or Sloan can react, Shizuo punches the floor of the storage compartment, splitting it in half. Varona is flung out of the rear door but Sloan drives back to pick her up. They discharge the rest of the storage compartment and drive off.

Later, Varona and Sloan regroup at their hideout (a construction site in the middle of the city) and discuss their next move. They decide that they should take a small vacation for a while and resume their job at a later date. Before they can continue their conversation, they are interrupted by Aozaki and Akabayashi of the Awakusu. They taunt Varona and Sloan before one of Aozaki's henchmen shoot Sloan in the legs. Varona attempts to retaliate but is pinned to the floor by Akabayashi. Akabayashi explains that they were supposed to kill them both but Varona's father managed to work out a deal with the Awakusu. In return for sparing Varona, the Awakusu will be considered top priority customers when purchasing weapons from Drakon. As Varona protests, she sees Egor, Simon, and Dennis appear out of the shadows. They take Varona away while Sloan is taken in by the Awakusu. Simon expresses a bit of happiness seeing Varona safe and sound but also regret at having to meet under such stressful circumstances. Several weeks later, Simon introduces Varona to the same debt collection agency Shizuo and Tom work for. Their manger assigns Varona to work under Shizuo (Shizuo doesn't recognize her due to the fact that she wore a full helmet when they fought) so she can learn the ropes.

Dragon Zombie Arc
Varona asks Shizuo about his relationship with Izaya. Shizuo describes Izaya as a flea and expresses a strong desire to kill him but to do it in a way that wouldn't get everyone else in trouble because of it. Varona expresses confidence in her ability to kill Izaya without leaving evidence, but then, Shizuo reprimands her for even considering something like murder (despite expressing that same desire only seconds ago), and says that the fact that she shares this sentiment is enough.

Kadota's Coma Arc
Varona meets Sloan again. Sloan warns her that they will become pawns in a small-scale war, and tells her to leave the city. Varona says she feels no dangerous elements, but Sloan says spending time in a peaceful environment will have caused her to become weak. At this point, Izaya (being guarded by Sloan) interjects, and says sometimes remaining in a comfort zone can be more beneficial, and Varona may as well be more dangerous than before.

Varona demonstrates an intent to eliminate Izaya in order to repay her debt to Shizuo. Izaya is amused that Shizuo can actually attract girls that don't just happen to be obsessed with monsters. Varona appears to have agreed with Shizuo's opinion of Izaya as an "insect", as well as a dangerous man.

After this meeting, Varona swears to take revenge on anyone who tries to manipulate her. It is stated in the narration afterward that Shizuo has become the "brake" for Varona, just as Kadota is for Yumasaki and co., and he is the "goal" that makes her heart boil. No other man can make her heart burn now. The book says that by intention or accident, Izaya has planted an icy poison in Varona's heart.

Haruna Returns Arc
It is implied in the novel that Kujiragi had hired Varona to steal Celty's head which was in possession of the Police.

Volume 12
Varona is hired as Kujiragi's bodyguard and stays with her through most of the novel. Towards the end, Shizuo bursts into the warehouse where she and Kujiragi were hiding out. He confronts the two of them about Celty's current state as well as asking Varona about her involvement in the matter. Varona aims her gun at Shizuo, but is internally conflicted as to who she should side with. As she continues to debate with herself, she notices a large crane through one of the windows on the ceiling carrying a large bundle of steal beams. As the crane opens, she realizes it is right over Shizuo's head. Without thinking, Varona lunges at Shizuo, knocking him out of the way. The beams crash through the roof, embedding themselves into the floor where Shizuo was just standing. In the process, Varona is struck by a stray metal rod, embedding itself into her side. Shizuo rushes to her side and pulls it out. He scolds her for being so reckless, clearly feeling guilty about accidentally forcing one of his friends to protect him.

Varona insists that the wound isn't too serious but the two of them soon notice Izaya staring at them from the roof of a nearby building. The crane that was holding up the metal beams starts to fall but Shizuo simply pushes it towards the building where Izaya was. A stunned Varona stares at Shizuo as Izaya calls him on his cellphone. Izaya yells insults at Shizuo, making it all too clear that he was the one who dropped the metal beams through the roof. Shizuo calmly tells Izaya goodbye before hanging up. Shizuo then asks Varona if she was sure she was alright. When Varona says 'yes', Shizuo smiles briefly before turning away. Shizuo tells her to stay cautious around him from this point on, telling her he is about to do some very irrational things. He even gives her permission to shoot him should he go too far out of control. As Shizuo leaves, Varona calls out to him, but realizes she can do nothing to calm him in this state. She states that at this point, Shizuo has become the very manifestation of anger and rage.

Volume 13
Varona, still wounded from the rod which struck her in the previous novel, follows Izaya and Shizuo's fight back into the city. She comes upon Izaya and Shizuo standing amidst a crowd of various gang members, including Aoba and Chikage. At this point, both Izaya's arms are broken, he has a dislocated shoulder and various internal damage. Varona, seeing Shizuo standing before Izaya wielding a vending machine to use as the final blow, throws a knife into Izaya's side. Both Izaya and Shizuo seemed surprised by her appearance. The Informant drops to his knees with the knife still stuck into him, Shizuo turns to Varona who is now pointing a gun at Izaya, yelling at her to 'not become a murderer'. Varona, who has been a trained assassin from the very beginning, smiles at Shizuo's words before replying: "I have, from the very start... been a beast that enjoys killing."

Varona makes a move to shoot Izaya before Shizuo can stop her, she's thwarted as Simon throws a stun grenade into the mixture. Following the stun grenade, chaos ensues. Amongst the chaos, Celty becomes somewhat of an overseer.

When the remains of the stun grenade clear, it's revealed that Varona has passed out through a combination of the stun grenade and overexertion.

Shizuo Heiwajima
Shizuo and Varona

Sloan
How Varona and Sloan met is never really touched upon. The two seem to have known each other for a long time and work well with one another. Sloan would constantly throw random questions at Varona who would answer them in detail seemingly off the top of her head. When Sloan was shot in the legs by the Awakusu, Varona showed genuine concern and expressed a desire to share Sloan's fate if he was going to be killed. This was proven not to be the case as Sloan's was simply forced into doing several jobs for the Awakusu such as keeping tabs on Izaya.

Akane Awakusu
Varona's relationship to Akane is somewhat of an odd topic. Although she was the one responsible for kidnapping her, Akane as well as Shizuo and Celty are completely oblivious to this fact. Akane considers Varona as a rival as she also wishes to defeat Shizuo in a fight. Varona's feelings towards Akane are still unclear.

Drakon
Varona's relationship to her father is strained. Before the robbery, Drakon never paid much attention to Varona likely to keep her out of the affairs of the underworld. However, after the attempted break in, Drakon spent much more time with Varona, supposedly trying to make up for lost time. Varona even assisted her father in a few of his dealings. After the incident with Drakon's rivals, Varona began to distance herself from her father and eventually decided to run away with Sloan to Japan to escape her father's eyes. Drakon, by this point, didn't really consider Varona a daughter, but when her life was put in danger he managed to work out a deal with the Awakusu to spare her life. He would give them priority treatment whenever they bought from him in exchange for letting his daughter live. Judging by this action, Drakon may still have some lingering affection for his daughter.

Trivia

 * Though the Official site lists her name as being spelled "Varona", it also has the Russian spelling listed as "ворона" which is "crow" in Russian. In English, this translates into "Vorona", which means the official site may have misspelled her name as its romanji pronunciation.