Shizuo lied on the warehouse floor. He didn't know how long he lied there, unable to move. He didn't want to get up anyway. He was in so much pain and he could barely feel his limbs at all. He was in no condition to move.

He wrapped his arm around the wound of his stomach. He wasn't bleeding too bad. He wasn't sure how or why, but the injury that he knew had reached to his organs wasn't exfoliating enough blood to warrant concern. Even though the rest of the wound went across his entire stomach, it was shallow and only the top layer of flesh. The only deep part of the injury was where Izaya had pushed his hand and...well, good thing Izaya had small hands. The only part that was deep enough to be a concern was the smallest rip from where his fingers pierced through.

He would live. He probably wouldn't bleed out. At least, not quickly. He could afford to lay there for a few moments.

Shizuo wasn't sure how long he lied there. Time was always so warped in Silent Hill, so he stopped bothering with it. That hadn't changed now.

'If I'm out of Silent Hill, then I've got time, right? Can I just lay here for a bit?'

Shizuo clenched his teeth. He knew he could move now. Whatever drug that was given to him was already fading away. He wasn't sure if it was because he was out of Silent Hill or if there was such a low dosage in his body that it was burning faster. He didn't know, nor did he really care. He was able to move as soon as he opened his eyes, he just didn't want to.

However, he couldn't stay like that.

'No, what if I'm not out? There's no way I can sit here and do nothing! If the darkness comes, I'm as good as dead.'

The redhead looked around. There were boxes everywhere, stacked on top of each other in high stacks. However, he could see the doors across the room. Shizuo could get out through there.

He put his free hand under his body and pushed himself up. It took great effort and he groaned in pain as every movement made his wounds spasm. He continued to push himself, however. Soon enough, he was to his feet, holding his stomach with one hand. His hand, along with the fur-trimming cuff of Izaya's jacket, was covered in moist blood while his other wounds began to trail down his body thanks to gravity. It seeped into his white shirt, soaking through to rub against Izaya's coat a bit.

Shizuo stumbled towards the door. He was hunched forward, teeth clenched, and brows furrowed with effort. Once he was close enough, he leaned against a box. Blood smeared on the wood, but he didn't care. He stumbled closer and closer to the door. He kept his eyes on the metal entrance. It was so much effort to force one foot in front of the other, so it was all he could do to keep his eyes on the door.

What felt like twenty minutes passed before he finally reached the cold metal. He pushed against it. The door creaked slightly, but barely moved. He pushed again, giving a little more oomph. It gave a bit more. Shizuo didn't have much strength at all and he was losing patience with it. So, instead, he pressed his side against it and let himself go semi-limp. His body weight pushed the door open just enough for him to step out.

He was blinded by bright light. After dull gray skylines and impenetrable darkness, the light of the sun was too much for his unaccustomed eyes. The blond-turned-redhead put his hand up to the light above to block it. He could barely see it was so bright.

'Fuck, my eyes...' Shizuo closed them and clenched his teeth.

He reached out blindly until he found the wall. He took the two steps over and leaned back against it. He grabbed the hood of Izaya's coat and pulled it over his head, yanking it down so it was over his eyes.

'I can't see anything. It's so bright...'

Shizuo slid down the wall until he was sitting down on the concrete.

'Just a few seconds. Let me get used to it.'

The redhead opened his eyes into a squint, looking down at the ground. In another few seconds, he was able to open his eyes to half. In a minute, he could open his eyes completely. Shizuo blinked a few times. His eyes were officially adjusted now. He probably couldn't look up, but at least he could see.

The blond pushed himself up. It was a struggle to do so, but he was to his feet soon enough. Shizuo turned and walked down the sidewalk. He wasn't really sure where he was going, but he was hoping he was heading towards civilization.


"Yuuhei-san, shouldn't we head back to the studio now?"

Kasuka sat in the back of a black car that was parked on the side of the road. They had just left the paparazzi when the actor told the driver to pull over. From there, they just sat there. Kasuka was watching the crowd, looking at everyone that walked past.

He didn't have any reason to do so. But it was just a feeling that he shouldn't move, that he shouldn't leave Ikebukuro yet. So, he just sat there watching the people go by.

"Not just yet." Kasuka said.

"Is there something you're looking for?" the man asked.

"...Maybe. I'm not quite sure yet."

"...Okay."

Kasuka rested his chin on his hand, which was propped on the arm rest of the door. Many different types of people went by. Men, women, men dressed as women, women dressed as men, families with their kids. A lot of faces that Kasuka wouldn't remember nor was he looking for. He was just looking for one, hoping for one. He knew it was ridiculous to expect anything. He knew he was just giving more fuel to his depression. It had taken him so long to get pass his grief, and here he was letting it bud back to life.

Kasuka let out a heavy sigh. 'I shouldn't be doing this. That video had nothing to do with Shizuo coming home. For all I know, that video could be years old. It's not any form of proof that he's alive.'

He rubbed his eyes before resting his face back on his hand.

'I should leave. There's no point to doing this. There's no reason to stay here.'

Kasuka let out another sigh. "Yeah, let's—"

A strange whiny drew his attention away from the crowd. He looked out through the back window to see a black bike rider with a yellow helmet driving down the way. Kasuka hadn't seen the Black Bike in quite a few years and seeing her provided a strange spark of hope.

"What did you say, Yuuhei-san?" The driver asked.

Kasuka didn't answer as he instead opened the car door.

"Yuuhei-san?"

The actor stepped out onto the sidewalk, waving Celty down. The black rider slowed and pulled over behind Kasuka's car.

"Hello." Kasuka said, bowing slightly. "It's been a long time."

Celty typed. :Yeah, it has. How have you been?:

"...Busy, mostly."

Celty nodded. She typed again. :What was that broadcast before?:

Kasuka hesitated. 'Guess subtly is out the window.'

"I'm not entirely sure." Kasuka said. "That was...I'm certain that was Shizu-nii's voice. I know that was him..."

She nodded. :I agree. That was Shizuo's voice. But:

Celty paused, uncertainty filling her. She didn't want to say the thing they both knew. She didn't know how stable Kasuka was. After all, this was his brother who he was certain had died. If there was any hope he was alive, he might have jumped at that. She didn't want to upset him further.

However, Kasuka was the one to shatter the illusion.

"But that doesn't mean it was anything recent." Kasuka said. "It could have been something from years ago."

Celty hesitated. :It could be:

Kasuka's heart wrenched at the confirmation.

:But at the same time, if it was from a few years ago, then it means Shizuo and Izaya survived the plane crash.:

Kasuka's eyes widened, the first expression he had made the entire conversation.

:I dont want to get your hopes up. But ive known Shizuo and Izaya for a long time.:

:I know nothing like what we saw on the broadcast happened before they vanished.:

:I even double checked by asking around with the Awakusu-Kai and whoever I knew was associated with Izaya at the time.:

:If something like that had happened before, Shizuo would have talked to me about it. Im certain about that.:

"So you think it was after they supposedly died."

Celty hesitated again. :Im just saying the timeline doesn't add up. Im sorry:

"No, you don't need to apologize. It's...comforting that my hopes aren't blind devotion."

Celty nodded.

Kasuka was silent for a moment before he let out a heavy sigh. "Do you think he's still alive? After all this time?"

Once again, Celty hesitated—this time longer than the ones before. :I dont know. That broadcast didnt make much sense:

:I mean, if someone wanted to release something like that, wouldnt they have done it earlier? When no one really knew what happened to them?:

"It would have made more sense to show the world that after I got my phantom call."

Celty nodded. :Something doesnt seem right about this.:

"I agree." Kasuka let out another sigh as he turned his head to look at the crowd. "But we don't—"

However, he didn't finish that sentence when he noticed something. Or more so, someone. A man with red hair and a wearing a fur-trimmed coat. The man was leaning against the wall of an alley, a hand over his stomach. He was panting heavily and looking around. People on the sidewalk noticed him. One girl screamed while they all backed away from him. The man walked onto the sidewalk and tried to go up to someone but they ran away quickly.

The actor was standing stunned for a moment. Celty was confused before she looked where he was looking.

Celty's hand came out to grab Kasuka's arm. The touch was enough for the actor to register reality.

Kasuka turned and ran over. "SHIZU-NII!"

The redhead jolted.


"SHIZU-NII!"

Shizuo jolted to his name being called by a very familiar voice, a voice he rarely heard yell but had heard yell a few times in the past. He turned his head to see a man running towards him. Someone he hadn't seen in three or four months now.

"K-Kas-Kasuka!"

Shizuo stumbled forward, nearly falling to his knees. Kasuka wrapped his arms around him and immediately began to give him support. Every wound spasm in pain as soon as Kasuka's shirt rubbed against it. The redhead called out in pain, openly cringing and grabbing the back of his little brother's shirt hard. He pulled the brunette away before falling to his knees.

Kasuka stared at him wide-eyed, shocked that Shizuo would treat him so roughly. However, he soon realized why that was when he felt that the front of his shirt was wet. A quick look down showed that he was now covered in blood. Celty was one step behind Kasuka and she was horrified to see Kasuka's shirt soaked through. Shizuo was still holding his stomach, but now he was panting heavily. Every wound on his body was bleeding again. Even though it had coagulated, Kasuka's shirt had rubbed it all away and reopened the wounds.

The actor and black rider knelt down, hands outstretched around Shizuo but not quite touching him.

"Are you okay?" Kasuka asked, his tone soft once again.

Celty typed furiously. :What happened?! Where have you been?! Shizuo how are you alive?!:

The PDA was shoved in his face. The blond-turned-red looked at it, his vision spinning slightly from the flush of agony that hit every wound a second ago. He then looked up. He looked at Kasuka. His dear, quiet brother in all his perfect glory. A face he hadn't seen in months. A face he missed after so long as seeing nothing but Izaya and twisted excuses for human expression on the faces of monsters. He then looked at the equally quiet Celty. Her black silhouette and contrasting yellow helmet provided instant comfort and serenity.

Shizuo felt like he was going to cry. The relief and happiness that washed over him at the sight of both of them was enough to drive him to tears.

"The...the fact that you're here..." Shizuo said, his vision misting over, "means I'm actually home, right? I'm...actually...in Ikebukuro, right? Unless I died and this is the afterlife."

Celty jolted in shock.

Kasuka just stared at him for a moment. "Well, I don't think you're dead, Nii-san. Else everyone else is also dead, including me."

Shizuo couldn't withhold the tears that blinded him. They spilled from his eyes to drip onto the concrete.

A crowd had began to form around them, camera's out and flashing pictures at them. Kasuka noticed, although Shizuo didn't. He was too busy crying tears of joy to notice. Celty only noticed when Kasuka made it obvious by looking around. The black bike typed a message.

:We need to get him out of here.:

Kasuka nodded.

With that, Celty turned around. She held her hand out, in which shadows began to form until a sleek scythe filled her hand. The crowd gasped and backed away. She then grabbed her helmet and took it off—exposing her headless form to everyone who was looking.

The crowd screamed and backed away even more. Celty had no intention of hurting anyone, but she needed to provide a prominent distraction and take all prying eyes off of Shizuo. Producing a wall of shadow would have worked, but they would still be there once the shadows came down. She needed to get rid of them for a bit.

As the crowd dispersed, Kasuka wrapped his arm around Shizuo's and tugged on him.

"Nii-san, come on." Kasuka said in a low voice. "We need to get you to the hospital."

Just that word filled Shizuo with fear. "No, wait! We can't, er..."

He knew he couldn't go to the hospital. There were nurses there and it was also where Alessa's lair was. Izaya told him that much at least. They couldn't go there. It was a death trap, whether the darkness had arrived or not. However, if this wasn't Silent Hill, Shizuo had nothing to worry about and Kasuka would have no idea where his fear stemmed from.

The blond wiped the tears from his eyes with the sleeve of Izaya's coat and looked up at Kasuka.

"Y-yeah." Shizuo said, "I...I think I could really use a hospital."

Kasuka nodded. He lifted Shizuo's arm and put himself underneath his brother. He wrapped his arm around his back. With great effort, the brunette pulled Shizuo to his feet. The blond-turned-redhead groaned in pain before calling out. He grabbed Kasuka's shoulder hard. Kasuka also groaned in pain from the grip, but it wasn't bad enough that the actor would complain.

The two walked across the sidewalk to the car. Kasuka helped Shizuo get into the car, the blond groaning in pain. Kasuka tried to be tender as he coerced his brother to scoot over so he could also get in. The driver in the front was staring into the rear view wide-eyed.

Once they were in, Celty made her scythe disappear, put her helmet back on and rushed over to the window. Shy typed:

:im right behind you:

Kasuka nodded, refusing to roll the windows down in case someone wanted to get a last minute snapshot in. Celty did mind, or at least she made no indication she minded. Instead, she pocketed her PDA and rushed to her bike.

"To the hospital, please." Kasuka said calmly to the driver.

The driver was frozen for a moment before he nodded. "Al-alright."

With that, he turned the car on and drove off. Celty was right behind them.

Shizuo wasn't aware of the movement. He was just so tired and completely exhausted. His hands and feet felt cold while his head felt numb. He needed to lie down for a little bit. The redhead rested his head on Kasuka's shoulder.

"I'm so happy to see you again." Shizuo said through labored breathing. "You have—hah hah—you have no idea what the last few months have been like hah hah."

"...I thought you were dead. The plane you were on crashed. They said their were no survivors."

Shizuo's eyes widened. "There were no..."

His hand then tightened as he clenched his teeth.

"She killed them all then."

"Who?"

"Alessa. She—hah hah—She brought us to Silent Hill. She...wanted him there..."

"Who? Orihara-san?"

"...Yeah..."

"Nii-san." Kasuka shrugged his shoulder to bob Shizuo's head. "You can't fall asleep. You need to stay awake."

"I'm so-so tired though." Shizuo groaned.

"You've lost a lot of blood. You can't fall asleep."

Shizuo didn't respond, just panted heavily.

"Nii-san," Kasuka grabbed Shizuo's hand, squeezing it to try and keep him awake. "Where have you been? How did you survive the plane crash? Why didn't you come home until now, after all these years?"

"Years...?" Shizuo tried to force his eyes open. "It's only been...three months or so..."

"Nii-san, don't fall asleep."

Shizuo couldn't. He was just so tired. He needed to sleep, just for a little bit.


Shizuo heard an incessant beeping next to his head. He wasn't sure what it was and it was quite annoying. The blond felt sluggish and very, very hungry. He groaned as he raised his hand up. Something tugged against the back of his hand and when he touched his face, something poked the inside of his nose and pressed into his cheeks in matching horizontal lines.

He opened his eyes to stare up at a white ceiling. Dusk light was filtering in through the window and there was a curtain pulled close on his right. A TV on the wall, a desk underneath it, a cabinet next to him. Shizuo was lying on a bed with an ECG machine next to him. The machine was the one beeping, showing a steady heartbeat. An IV drip stand was next to it, leading a rubber catheter to the back of his hand where a needle was poking into his vein.

Shizuo registered that he was in a hospital. But for some reason, the white walls provided confirm rather than anxiety. The clean walls and working lights were just further proof that he wasn't in Silent Hill.

Shizuo sat up, looking around himself for a call button. He found it on a clip hanging from the heart monitor. He grabbed it and pushed the red button.

Someone came into the room. He heard the door open but in another second, the curtain was pulled back. He expected to see a doctor. He was not expecting an entourage to follow him. Behind the man in a lab coat were three familiar faces. Kasuka, Kichirou, and Namiko.

Shizuo couldn't fight the elation that filled his chest, welding up in the form of tears.

"H-hey Mom, Dad." Shizuo smiled, trying to keep his composure.

Namiko didn't hesitate to run over and wrap her arms around Shizuo.

"W-wait, Mom, you're going to get blood on you!" Shizuo grabbed the back of her shirt but didn't try to pull her away. The tender touch was such a nice thing, after so long of just running and fighting.

"I don't care!" Namiko called, putting her hands on Shizuo's cheeks to tilt his head back, so they could make eye contact. She smiled tenderly. "Besides, they cleaned you up just fine."

Shizuo lifted his hand. Sure enough, his hands weren't covered in blood anymore. They were stained red, but the grime and dirt was removed. He wasn't going to stain his mother red at the moment.

"You're going to hurt him though." Kichirou said, "He's injured."

Namiko jolted. "R-right! Sorry!"

"N-no, I'm fine." Shizuo said. "It doesn't hurt."

Saying that made Shizuo realize something. It didn't hurt. Even though he had been in agony before, his mother's embrace didn't hurt his wounds at all.

'Is it because I'm out of Silent Hill? No, that can't be right. I was hurting when I got into Kasuka's car. Why did the pain stop?'

"Whether it hurts or not," The doctor said, "You shouldn't apply too much pressure to your wounds. The cuts are deep. One was down to the rib and the one on your abdomen reached to your internal organs. Luckily it didn't pierce any, but it was very close."

Shizuo clenched his teeth and his fists, his bottom lip starting to quiver as a weld of emotional agony began to fill his chest. Just remembering that it was Izaya who did this to him caused a torrent of anger, betrayal, and sorrow to grip his heart and wrench it in a tight knot. Tears began to sting his eyes for a different reason.

"Ri-right." Shizuo forced a smile and a chuckle.

"Now that you're awake, I'll notify the police so they may—"

"N-no! No police!"

Everyone looked at him wide-eyed.

"I-I don't want to make a statement! I don't want to press charges!"

"...Heiwajima-san, I'm sure whatever you went through was traumatic. However, the police won't let whoever hurt you to do so again."

"I don't care! I'm not pressing charges!"

The doctor had an expression of disappointment and irritation. He then let out a sigh. "Well, I still need to call them. We already notified them of your situation, as we do with every stabbing case that comes through our door. So, they'll be here regardless."

"Then I'll tell them to go away."

"If that's what you want to do." The doctor bowed. "I'll excuse myself."

With that, the physician left. Shizuo let out a breath of relief.

"Why aren't you pressing charges?" Namiko asked, looking at her son in shock. "Do you know who attacked you?"

"I do. I know who it was. But he..." Shizuo clenched his teeth, his brows furrowing. "He wasn't in his right mind. He was being controlled by another person. She...turned him against me. He wasn't in control of himself!"

Shizuo grabbed the blankets hard.

"She did something to him! She drove him mad! She had to have! He wouldn't have hurt me—he wouldn't betray me…After everything we've been through, there's no way he would turn on me! He has one conversation with her and then he does...this! It wasn't his fault! She's the one who...kr!"

Shizuo tilted his head down and closed his eyes tight shut. It was all he could do to keep the tears from spilling forth.

"Shizuo..." Namiko started, a gentle hand resting on his back.

"Whether he was in control of himself or not," Kichirou said in a calm voice, "It doesn't change that your friend is the one who did this to you. And since he did this, you should go to the police. If anything, they can put him in a psyche ward so he can get the help he needs."

Shizuo's shoulders started shaking. That was a valid point. Izaya could get help if he...

But if Shizuo was here and Izaya wasn't meant Izaya was still in Silent Hill, wasn't he? So, it doesn't matter...

"It doesn't matter..." Shizuo said. "He's...gone now. She took him...and I don't think there's anyway he can get out...I don't even know how I got out! I just...I don't know what the fuck is going on."

Shizuo couldn't contain the sorrow any longer. He put his hands over his face and just started to cry. He didn't care that he was crying in front of his brother and parents. He didn't care that the doctor may come back and see him bawling like a child. He just didn't care. Izaya was as good as dead without Shizuo by his side in that living hell. The sorrow mixed with grief at his unconfirmed death.

"I don't know what to do right now..." Shizuo sobbed. "I was supposed to protect him and he turned on me. And now I'm out, but he's not here. We were going to get out together. He saved my life, we watched each other's back for the last three months! And now I'm out and he's probably dead? I just don't...!"

Silence met his words.

"...Well, it sounds like to me," Kichirou voiced, "That he hurt you in order to get you out."

Shizuo jolted.

"I don't know what happened to you, Shizuo." The older man sat down on the edge of the bed and put his hand on Shizuo's knee, giving it a squeeze in comfort. "But, nine years away from home, I can only assume it was a kidnapping."

"Kichirou..." Namiko's tone was a voice of warning.

"If you two were together, if you two were trying to get out of where you were at together, then he turns on you and hurts you. Maybe your kidnappers told him to do that, and if he did they'd let you go."

The blond-dyed-red looked up at his father in shock. Alessa was talking to Izaya while Shizuo fought the pyramid head. Alessa moved Izaya away so they could talk privately. Then Izaya attacks him and tortures him. Shizuo assumed Alessa had warped Izaya's mind and turned him mad. But maybe...maybe Izaya had saved Shizuo from Silent Hill.

Shizuo wanted to believe that. He truly did.

However...

"I've always wanted to see you like this!"

"Ahahaha! I don't have to do shit, Shizuo! This is a dream come true!"

"What was that? I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the shink shink of the knife."

"Come on, we can keep going."

'He was enjoying it though.' Shizuo clenched his teeth as he looked down at his hands. 'If he was just supposed to hurt me to get me out, then why was he laughing at me? Why was he having fun?'

Shizuo didn't have the answers to that. He probably never would.

Although, there was something else Kichirou had said that caught Shizuo's attention.

"Wh-what do you mean nine years?" Shizuo asked. "It's only been three months."

Kichirou's eyes widened, as did Namiko. Kasuka, who had yet to say anything, came over to sit on Shizuo's other side.

"It'll be nine years come May." Kasuka said, looking at his brother with that blank expression he always had. "The plane that you were on, the one that crashed, went down nine years ago. There was a memorial service for everyone on it."

Shizuo looked at him wide-eyed. "...But...But I...It can't be...Ther-there was no day or night cycle there, but the darkness came regularly like clockwork. If-if the darkness was to indicate the end of a day then-then that still doesn't add up to nine years! It's-it's only been three months."

"Shizuo..." Kichirou started.

He then stood. He went to the desk under the TV and grabbed a flipbook calendar. He came back over and handed it to Shizuo. The blond looked at the year.

His hands went cold to the sight. True enough, it was nine years past the year Shizuo and Izaya got on the plane.

"It's...not possible...This isn't..."

'Alessa was...Silent Hill doesn't age the same as the rest of the world...'

"It's forty years overdue."

'Forty years...I thought he meant Alessa was burnt forty years ago. But...but maybe Alessa was only burnt a few years ago and she kept them in Silent Hill for forty years?'

Shizuo clenched his teeth. He then closed his eyes and shook his head. "Like I fucking know anything."

"Shizuo, it's okay." Namiko hugged him close. "It'll be okay. You're home now."

Shizuo looked at her, although all he could see was her brown hair. Those words were a stab to his heart that made him want to cry again. Although, this time they were happy tears.

"Y-yeah..." Shizuo said through a crooked smile. "Yeah, I...I am home..."

The blond began to cry again. He hugged his mother close as he sobbed like a child. Her familiar scent provided a comfort he never thought it could. The relief that washed over him was enough to make him weak-kneed and trembling. The horrors of Silent Hill were behind him now. In Ikebukuro, the darkness couldn't touch him ever again. He was finally safe.


So, back when I first started writing this I was using : to mark Celty's text speech. I don't know why. It never crossed my mind back then that [ ] 's were a thing and people totally used them for text speech.

But sticking to the aesthetic of what was in previous chapters, Celty's speech will be marked with : for the rest of this story (not the rest of the series though. I'm changing that in vol.2)