{Shinra's POV}
"A coma?" Izaya demanded weakly.
"Yes. She was struck rather hard on the head. I don't know how long this'll last." I nodded, pushing my glasses up on my nose.
Izaya fell back onto the couch, Shizuo wrapping an arm around him.
It'd been three days now. Three days since everything had happened. For three days, Shizuo and Izaya had torn through the city and a few surrounding it, looking for Eidolon without rest. It was really starting to show. Their clothes were rumpled, torn and dirty. Their hair was messy. Their faces were tired, bags forming under their eyes Izaya's hands wouldn't stop shaking.
Celty had taken Izaya out to the remnants of the Kyoto lab, but they'd found nothing. All they could really do now was raid the Nagasaki lab or the one near Aokigahara. But nobody was just going to let them do that.
"... Izaya. You said the place looked ransacked." I murmured, bringing up something that'd been bugging me.
He waved vaguely, dismissively, eyes dull and dead.
The guy who'd taken Eidolon had also taken Celty's head.
My heart stopped. If she found out and he'd left Japan, she'd follow him! She'd leave!
"She told me she didn't need it any more... Was gonna give it back..." the informant mumbled into Shizuo's chest.
Celty turned to me in confusion. I laughed nervously, shaking my head. "Well, hey, they seem to want him alive—" I began, turning to the other two.
"That's not the point!"
I yelped as I was suddenly slammed back into the wall, Shizuo's face pushed up against mine. For someone who hadn't slept or eaten much in the past three days, he moved awfully fast... I coughed a little, blinking the tears in my eyes away. "The fucked-up president is a psychic. She wants Eidolon to love her. She'll ERASE him, make him someone else! It won't be Eidolon anymore!" he yelled furiously.
Celty's shadows wrapped around Shizuo's midriff and arms, tugging him away from me. I stepped away from the wall, smiling gratefully at Celty.
[She won't erase him.] she told Shizuo as I moved over to Izaya, who seemed to have called asleep on the couch.
"How the fuck do you know?!" he screamed.
"Because she loves Eidolon. If she erases him, it won't be Eidolon anymore, like you said." I replied.
Celty 'nodded,' gently forcing Shizuo onto the other couch. [She'll just rewrite what she doesn't want there. Change it to suit her needs, and leave the rest untouched.]
"In essence, she'll leave what makes Eidolon Eidolon and take out whatever has no effect on his personality. Removing you two would prove tricky, but if she's as powerful as you claim, she'll find a way." I murmured. "Which means it would be... a little bit like amnesia. With the right trigger, he might remember."
For a moment, Shizuo's eyes lit up with hope, but then his face fell again.
"That means nothing if we can't find him."
OOOOooooOOOOooooOOOO
{Eve's POV}
I stood in the study-window, one hand pressed against the cool glass.
Really, the estate was beautiful. The original Elsworth family had lived here. Looking around, you could almost feel them, still here... watching... waiting...
The estate had only come into our possession two years ago, when Lyell died. Being his closest living relatives, Tyrone and I had inherited everything by default. We had lived in a town not too far from here. A sweet old couple lived in our house now, an elderly man and woman with nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
A burst of static made me wince, closing my eyes.
The static didn't come from any machine. Rather, it came from my mind.
I shook my head, swallowing. The static gone, I opened my eyes, looking out the window again.
The sun was rising, bathing everything a mellow golden color. The large, grassy expanse of the estate was broken by a hedge-maze towards the back, carefully arranged trees and bushes, flower-beds, and cobblestone paths. Closer to the manor was a rose-garden, two fountains, and a small pool with water-lilies and goldfish. Statues of assorted figures stood like silent guardians at the stairs, the doors, and the corners of the large concrete patio.
Everything should look like this.
There were too many people in the world. That was one thing that would have to change before Eden could be achieved. Fewer people used up less resources, destroyed less of the environment. Once the world's population was knocked down, the world could begin to naturally replenish itself. Many things would have to go or be changed.
My phone began to ring. I blinked, looking back over my shoulder at it. I didn't recognize that number. Probably a telemarketer.
That was another thing that would have to go. I understood that it was a job that some people needed, lacking proper skills for anything else, but it was annoying. Nobody seemed to actually listen to telemarketers or buy their products, so it was just using up valuable resources that could be used for other things.
I watched as a sparrow landed daringly on the windowsill outside. It chirped, twisting it's head back and forth to look at me as I stared at it.
My phone rang again. I ignored it at first, but then turned to see who it was, startling the bird.
Tyrone.
Picking the phone up, I answered. "What is it?" I asked shortly.
"We've successfully secured both Adam and the head! We just arrived in the Nagasaki lab today, and are making arrangements to transfer both as we speak!" he greeted happily.
"Wait... What are you doing?" I asked, confused. Arrangements? What arrangements? Those had already been made before you left, you idiot!
"It was Kishitani's idea. There's a jet leaving in about two days. It goes straight to where you wanted, and only takes one day. So we don't need nearly as heavy of sedation and can get this done faster."
He didn't sound pleased that Doctor Kishitani had thought this up, but it was a plan...
"Be more specific. You're going to disguise him as a patient, hence getting him on the plane using artificial documents and this alibi, is that it?" I asked.
"Sorta. You see, before we got him, he was in... a bit of an accident. He was hit by a car, and the hood-ornament came off in his side. He has seventeen stitches on his left ribcage, but it should heal up nicely. I'm going to become Kishitani's assistant— yech— and Eidolon will be a victim from a gang-fight, with a punctured lung. He's being transferred to a more experienced doctor in a city near the original facility. So far, everything's working out." he explained.
Four days.
Two until the flight. One for the flight. One for my work.
Four days total.
Four days until I had Adam.
"Tyrone, that's perfect. I'm glad you agreed to Doctor Kishitani's idea... I love you. Thank you so much." I said, smiling.
I didn't need to be psychic to know that Tyrone was itching to do a dance of joy at that.
"Well, seeya in three days!" he said in farewell.
"Yes..." I murmured as he hung up. I didn't move, listening to the tone in my ear. Still smiling, I closed my eyes. "Yes, of course..."
A family. That's what I was close to obtaining. A family, the perfect family for the perfect world.
Another burst of static, stronger, made me cry out. I dropped my phone with a clatter, falling to my knees as I gripped the sides of my head and panted.
But that... only seemed to... make it... stronger...!
I uttered another weak cry, unable to support my own weight any more as I passed out.
OOOOooooOOOOooooOOOO
{Izaya's POV}
Celty and Shinra were taking care of us.
Three days without Eidolon... It felt like eternity...
Celty had taken Namie to Shinra after we had panicked and run out, calling everyone we knew to see if there was any trace of our son anywhere. But nobody had known anything. Nothing. Nothing at all.
I'd made Celty take me out to Kyoto. Shizuo and I had interrogated old clients, screaming and threatening. I had even gone to another info-broker to see if she knew anything, but she hadn't been able to give me anything. She had, however, promised me she'd look into Omega and the Elsworth family.
But what good did that do?
Eidolon was gone.
I stared blankly at the ceiling. Shizuo lay on the other couch, asleep. Celty had dragged a chair over to sit between us.
... Her head was gone...
I had it, I could've given it to her, and I didn't. If she found out and chased after it, Shinra'd get upset. He'd blame me. Never speak to me again.
Pity. I guess he was sorta like a friend. Be a shame to lose that.
I laughed a little at that weak thought.
[Are you alright?] Celty asked.
"Fine... I don't think Shinra'll like me anymore soon." I replied.
[What do you mean?]
"Because you'll leave him soon. Tyrone stole your head from my apartment when he took Eidolon, and you'll chase after it, so Shinra'll get pissed off at me."
She didn't respond for a moment, then typed:
[You're delirious. You haven't eaten or drunk much in the past few days. I'll go get you some water and something to eat.]
I shook my head, rolling over.
OOOOooooOOOOooooOOOO
{Celty's POV}
'Tyrone stole your head from my apartment.'
From his apartment?
He was delirious, he had to be. Izaya couldn't have had my head... not without Shizuo or Eidolon noticing, Namie would've known too!
My hands balled into fists. I was shaking, I noticed.
"Celty? Something wrong?" Shinra asked, coming up behind me.
I didn't answer.
"Celty?"
... He couldn't have...
