It became very apparent to Celty that her head was about to move once again. The restlessness in her body was unmistakable, flooding back memories of traveling to other continents chasing her missing head wherever it wanted to lead her. She would follow it to every corner of the earth before she let its secrets and her identity slip out of her grasp.
That was then, however. She had promised Shinra she would stay and she intended to keep that promise until the day he died. She had never felt this connection with another person before and just like her head back then, she didn't intend to lose it.
Regardless, the eminent threat of its departure made her feet ache with the urge to follow. She found herself often staring out the balcony, wondering where it was and where it meant to go.
Shinra had noticed, she knew he had. But rather than confront her, he would smile sadly and return to his work with even more ferocity as if busying himself would soften the blow when she abandoned him. She felt as if his anxiety was giving her own anxiety fuel and it was hard being around him at times. Of course he would worry about her wanting to leave... but did he not trust her to keep her promise? She imagined somewhere her face was red with anger.
While on an errand, she ran across Shizuo on the side of the road and even he took notice to her strange behavior. "Slow down there, sister." The blonde said warningly, a frown set across his lips as she pulled to a quick halt before him. "You've been speeding around here like someone's chasing you lately. Is everything okay?" Celty didn't know how to put it to words or if anything she could manage would mean anything to him. She opted to shake her helmet, shooting him a thumbs up to indicate she was alright. When she sped off once again, she could feel his gaze burning into the back of her helmet. She drove faster in hopes of escaping his worry.
The decision to leave was sudden. Today was the day her head was leaving on a journey and she too would follow. Without saying a word, she rode down to the docks where a ship was preparing for voyage. It was hard thinking back on her original journey to Japan, as it reminded her of meeting Shinra for the first time. She regretted not saying goodbye but it would've only made her feel guilty.
As she boarded the boat, she expected Shinra at any moment to appear and stop her. Perhaps Shizuo would bust in through a window and carry her back to him. Or Anri would have her Saika minions turn the ship around and drag her home. To her disappointment, none of these occurred. There wasn't a familiar face on the ship. While her feet no longer ached as she knew her head was aboard this ship somewhere, her heart ached for the friends and love she was leaving behind.
When the boat began to depart, she disappeared into the cargo room as to not raise any suspicions. Secretly she was leisure in her hiding because there was always a chance a crew member would discover the stowaway and take her back to shore. They didn't. As the reality sank in, she sank to the floor, wishing she had her head so she could put it in her hands and cry.
However a knock on the door jolted her to attention and soon a familiar face entered. "You broke your promise." Was the first thing Shinra said before he sank to his knees and wrapped his arms around her trembling shoulders. How he had found her was a mystery but being in his arms made Celty feel at ease.
When he finally let go, she retrieved her pda and texted quickly. 'I'm sorry, Shinra.' She typed. 'I shouldn't have broken my promise. But you don't know how it feels losing your head.'
As he read, Shinra's mouth gradually turned downward in a frown. He was upset. "Celty, I understand. Really, I do! When I felt my heart leaving me, I had to follow it wherever it went." For a few moments Celty felt absolutely bewildered. Missing his heart? Was he a different type of Dullahan? Reading her expression, Shinra let out a laugh. "Celty, you have my heart; you always will. I shouldn't have made you promise me to stop following your head; I wouldn't stop following my heart no matter where it takes me."
Celty stared, surprised. Her fingers flew across the keys of her phone. 'You mean we're not going home?'
Shinra shook his head happily, though instead of returning the phone he tapped out his own message. When Celty received it back it read: 'Home is wherever you are.' She began her reply but his arms were around her in an instant and her phone clattered to the floor harmlessly.
There was only one word on the screen, it read: 'Idiot.'
― ―
I wrote this entirely on my cell phone. (I'm secretly Celty irl I bet.)