A/N: Warnings for... grossness? Not for the squeemish. But the time has come.

Izaya. You have exactly forty-five minutes.

Those were not the words that I wanted to hear. If anything, it made the entire situation ten times worse. I cried, and cried harder, choking every now and again because I couldn't breathe, minutes passing at an alarming rate and Shinra just wasn't answering the damn phone. Where could he be, at a time like this? What could he possibly be doing that was so important?

This was it. I was going to die like this; grossly sobbing into Shizuo's knee even though most of the pain had dissipated, while he dialed and dialed, trying to get a hold of the doctor who could possibly be the only one capable of saving me. This was how I was going to die, and this was no that way I had wanted to go. It didn't seem completely irrational, seeing how every last shred of stubbornness I had was crumbling at the pain gnawing me dry.

"I'm sorry," I managed to break out between sobs, not even sure myself whether I was apologizing for yelling at him, or the fight, or what I did in general to cause this entire mess. I could be apologizing for all the shit I had forced him to endure over the years, for all I knew. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," for dying on his couch maybe. For finally getting him to change his opinion of me (he was the one who hated me first, after all) just to turn around and die on him in the worst, most unrealistic way not too long after. Maybe it was karma. Maybe it was just the Devil's joke, for all I knew. Enlightening me as to what I'm leaving behind and then taking me just before I fixed everything. "I'm sorry," I may have felt regret, for the first time in my life. If I could have known and avoided this, I would have.

"Shut up, it's okay." Shizuo was softly whispering to me, his touch ghosting over my body like too much pressure could break me. "Just calm down, kay?"

Izaya, just calm down.

"Fucking Shinra," Shizuo apparently changed tactics, calling Celty instead when suddenly he was yelling, "Wake that fucking boyfriend of yours up right now!" His hand hadn't stopped rubbing my back, and he was still murmuring generic words in my direction. They didn't help me, they didn't help me at all. He didn't sound okay. He almost sounded worse than I felt. I didn't expect him to know what to do. To be completely honest, if the roles were reversed, I wouldn't know what to do either, and the fact that no one could help me scared me.

I didn't know anything.I don't even know how this will end.

"Fuck it's about time, it's been almost ten minutes," Shizuo finally snapped into the phone, probably to a groggy doctor who had been passed right out. I sniffled, rubbing my face against Shizuo's pant leg as the pain finally subsided completely. Nothing but a dull ache remained, and I was perfectly alright with that. Anything was better then the throbbing pull.Now all I have to do is breathe. "Fuck, you need to come over. Now. No, it's not okay!" Growling, the hand on my back suddenly got heavier. I inhaled noisily like I was choking. Carefully, I managed to sit up, my panic attack lessening as I moved, Shizuo's hand falling from my back. His face was ashen and panic stricken, and there was a slight tremble in his shoulders. He glanced my way, throat bobbing as he swallowed nervously.I'm truly sorry. "He looks like he just arose from the dead." Shizu-chan said, hand moving out to cup my face, thumb pressing into my cheeky. "Are you okay?" The panic was obvious in his voice.

I shrugged with a single shoulder, shakily inhaling again, hands gripping my knees.

"You're just leaving? Shinra's coming," he looked to me, tender warmth and concern present in his eyes. He dropped his hand on top of one of my own and squeezed. I welcomed the distraction, my breathing evening out to a quick rush. I wasn't choking anymore, but I wasn't calm. Just breathe through your nose.He shifted the phone again, glancing away. "He had some sort of attack, woke me up. He's in pain, Shinra. Just get here – huh?" He looked back over to me, eyes narrowing for a moment. A second later, his eyes flickered down and then back up my body. He then moved the phone away from his ear, eyes going serious. "Shinra wants to know if his father is needed."

I nodded weakly. Didn't even hesitate. "Forty... forty-five minutes." And that had been what, almost ten minutes ago? Leaving me with less than half an hour until...

I whimpered, hands clenching on my knees and Shizuo saw what was happening before it did. Time was up again, the doctor had taken too long to answer. Fresh tears broke out as the warning signs rose inside of me, alerting me to the torturous pain that was about to come my way. "Hey, hey, come here," He pulled me close, phone going back up to his ear, but before he could say anything, another wave of intolerable pain washed through me. I could have sworn my hips broke, my insides tearing and searing apart in the worst possible fashion while a burn licked up my spine, sending thousands of sharp needles shooting through my blood stream. I hunched forward, face slamming into both my knees just as a terrible scream ripped from my throat until I had no more air left to expel.

They were getting worse, and they were getting worse very quickly.

Izaya, calm down, you're alright. You're alright, just breathe.

I wasn't breathing. I was choking on my own throat, one hand clenching my abdomen painfully while the other remained trapped beneath Shizuo's grip. the world was spinning and I was spinning with it, darkness encasing me and leaving me in terrifying silence. After the searing white explosion of pain, the world seemed to resemble itself again, and I hardly noticed that I was drooling, my mouth refusing to close when I couldn't get enough air.

"What am I supposed to do?" I didn't think Shinra had an answer for him, and his discussion with the doctor slipped my conscious mind as I focused on enduring the pain, and riding it out until it went away again.

Crying, I lifted my head another minute later, the world spinning and the sounds foggy. Shizuo was yelling into the phone still, or maybe he was just speaking loudly – I couldn't tell, not with the blood rushing through my ears and my heart throbbing in my skull – and he refused to let go of my hand, the iron grip like an anchor to keep me bound to this world. I felt so light headed that I could honestly just float away.

Izaya, get a grip. Calm down.

Calm down? The little shit had some nerve, telling me to calm down in a situation like this. Anger and irritation flushed my face, but the lingering pain was too much for even me. I couldn't move, could hardly shift around, and I ended up falling forehead first back into my own knees out of exhaustion. It took a couple of minutes for the painful high to come down, a terrible headache blossoming in my skull from the lack of breath, and Shizuo was pulling me up and onto him, letting me rest my head against his chest. Panting and wheezing, I couldn't really resist. He rubbed at my shoulders for a moment, trying to calm me before standing up. The call had ended long ago, and he gently let me lie down on the couch, his hands never leaving me as he knelt beside me.

"I have to let Shinra in." He said quietly. I nodded – or at least tried to – hands wrapping around my stomach protectively while rolling on to my side and curling up, as he stood up and moved away. It literally only took him thirty seconds to answer the door, but those thirty seconds felt like hours. He was too far away, and safety was not a luxury I had at the moment. How long had it been since my last attack? Would another one come so soon? How much time did I even have left?

"They were about ten minutes apart." Shizuo was saying, and the next thing I knew, the living room light was being turned on and Shinra, clad in his white lab coat, was rushing over to me and dropping his bag. Celty was following not too far behind Shizuo, and Shizuo looked like he was about to faint. He smiled gently as he dropped to his knees beside the couch, arms raised and already reaching out for me. "How long since the last one?"

Shizuo glanced to his phone, forehead furrowing before looking up. "Maybe... I'm not sure. Seven minutes? Does that sound right?"

Shinra nodded, and I suspected that Celty had broken several laws in order to get them over here so fast. "Hey Izaya," Shinra said, and I couldn't even muster up a glare for how he was basically talking to me like I were a small child. "How are we feeling?" Not fucking good.His hand landed on my forehead. I closed my eyes out of reflex, sighing as deeply as I could. My breathing was still erratic, but that quick deep breath seemed to clear my mind for a short moment.

I couldn't pry my eyes back open. I weakly muttered out "bad," feeling Shinra's hand move from my forehead and down to my hands, laced over my stomach.

"Can you tell me what's going on?" He asked softly, hands gently curling around my own and prying my fingers away from my abdomen. "How much pain is there?" He easily removed my shaking fingers before pulling at the hem of my shirt. I let out a shuddering breath before gasping for air again. I couldn't talk. Couldn't evenbegin to explain. "No? You're pulse is sky high, are you still in pain?" I nodded, face pressing into the couch with a weak sob. A cold hand landed on my stomach, fingers gliding over the sweaty skin with just enough pressure to have me cringing. "You're quite swollen," Shinra noted before retracting his hands and standing up. He bent over, grabbing his medical bag to move it onto the table.

"T... time." I managed to mutter, eyes fluttering open. I laced my fingers back over my stomach just as Shinra turned back to me. His eyes were quick to meet mine. "It... needs out."

The way his face went pale had my stomach sinking in despair. "I thought so," He nodded hurriedly, before abandoning the bag and motioning for Shizuo to come over. "You need to pick him up. Careful! Take him into the room where there's more room. Celty, go line the bed with some towels. My father will be here soon, Shizuo, put him on the towels, but be extra careful." His voice was comfortably steady, even as he dug through his bag. You're getting out.I tried to even my breathing again, but the demon stirred and the panic was reset.

I know.

Shizuo bent over me, gently scooping me into his arms. He easily lifted me to his chest, his heart beat quick and panicked in my ears. It didn't help ease my own. "Hey, you're not gonna die, you hear me?" He briskly made his way back to the bedroom, door already open and Celty was just finishing with the towels in record time. I nodded my delayed response into his chest, breathing becoming uneven at every little slight pinch in my belly. The anticipation and stress were high; the demon said earlier that I might not make it. It was very possible that this pain alone would kill me, and no mental will alone could save me.

You just need to breathe, and Shinra needs to get me out fast. You're okay. You'll be okay.The idea of the creature being selfless and encouraging had me calming – even if I didn't believe it's lies for a second. It began licking at my insides again, comforting warmth slowing my erratic heart rate and breathing. I was willing to accept any support I could get.

A gentletap tap tapalerted me that Celty was communicating, and with a gruff growl, Shizuo was responding just as silently. I had no idea what they said, but my pain riddled mind didn't really care. Just help me. I was gently placed down on the bed just as Shinra hurried in, already out of breath. "Hey, hey, how are we doing?" He tried to sound cheerful, but the downcast mood was ruining it. The physical pain was subsiding quickly, and that had me on high alert for when it came back. I grabbed onto Shizuo's hand just as he rested me on the mattress, eyes lazily drifting over to him.

"You'll be fine." He said simply, even though his face was conveying an entirely different message. I squeezed his hand, shaking my head, fresh tears streaming from the corners of my eyes.

Shinra was suddenly beside me, leaning over me and grabbing my right arm. "I'm just going to get some fluids in you, okay?" He rolled my arm so that it was palm up before snapping an elastic over the nearest pole on the headboard. He clipped a clear bag to it, tube trailing down, and gently probed at the crook of my arm with an alcohol patch. I clutched Shizuo's hand like it was the only thing keeping me in this realm. "How are you feeling?"

"Shinra," I said, voice coming out even among the gasps and pants. I was watching him, trying to mentally prepare myself for the onslaught that was to come. How much time was left? My face was creasing, eyebrows pinching, vision blurry. The demon was trying to instruct me on how to properly breathe, but my own panicked thoughts drowned it out. "Hurry."

"You'll be fine. Just relax a bit, alright?" He tried to smile comfortingly as he leaned over with the needle end of the tube, his motions quick and sure. Just before he could prick my skin, there was a quirk of pain in my abdomen and I flinched, hands snapping to my stomach and eyes widening in fear. "Are you okay - "

Shizuo was the first to react, already experiencing this once, and his hands were suddenly on my shoulders to try and keep me still as I cried out, forcefully tearing myself from his grasps and rolling over, silently screaming into the towels beneath me. My vision exploded white again, ears popping and going silent longer than the previous flash of pain, and it felt like I was drowning. I was choking, body convulsing as the muscles in my abdomen began to spasm, leaving me breathless and winded and miserable. I couldn't function after, breathing hysterical, eyes wet and blurry, and I was vaguely aware that the ceiling was moving, Shinra rolling me back over and finally pricking my arm. I didn't feel it, didn't even notice. I also didn't notice the addition of another human in the room – make that two humans in the room – both in white lab coats as they rushed in. My mind was swimming, eyes rolling left to right and the bed seemed to move in awkward motions beneath me.

"What happened?" The voice was briefly registered as Shingen's and I let my head roll to the side to glance over at him. He was standing beside me in a flash, hand swiping out and clipping something to my pointer finger. "His heart rate is too high, why did you let it get this bad?"

"Dad, he was like this when I got here." Shinra tried to defend himself, moving another bag – larger than his own – onto the end of the bed by my feet. "I don't think we can drug him, and I really hope you figured out how to remove that thing."

"What's the situation?" Cold and steely, Namie came up beside Shingen, on hand landing on my forehead and brushing the hair from my face. I suddenly felt safer. They were all experts in slightly different fields, but together, my chance to survive greatly increased. Or at least it did in my mind. She glanced up to Shizuo, who was still standing on the other side of me. He looked grim, face taught and eyes slightly downcast.

Shinra answered for him, voice quivering with the end of his statement. "We need to take the thing out now. We do it now, or it comes out itself."

I shuddered at the words, eyes fluttering closed for the briefest second while the worst of the pain continued to embrace me.

"We need to slow his heart rate." Was Namie's first response, her hand running through my hair just over my ear. I rolled my head, leaning into her fingers. "Leave the drugs to me." She said, fingers curling gently against my skull before she pulled away and headed over to Shinra.

Shingen was nodding, muttering to himself, pulling up my shirt again and running a hand over my stomach.

"Dad, what's the plan?" Shinra was coming back over to me, leaning over my face and placing a cool, wet towel onto my forehead. He glanced to me, worry etching into his features. "I don't think we can do anything too drastic at this point. He hasn't recovered enough, strength is below poor. Surgery will be risky."

Shingen sighed through the mask. I let my eyes slip closed again as Shizuo squeezed my hand. "We don't have a choice."

"Move," Namie was quick to shove the men aside, and another quick prick in my arm had me hazily looking up at her. She had a syringe stuck in my vein, and a second later it was popping out. A forced sort of calm instantly washed over me. My eyelids suddenly became very heavy and my limbs refused to move. My grip weakened on Shizuo's hand, and he was suddenly glancing up to confirm that I wasn't going to die. "You'll be fine." Namie said to me without a smile, a gentle hand patting my arm. She turned to Shinra. "Check the heart rate."

"He's better." Shinra stated, peering a quick glance to the box attached to the finger clip. "But not good. We need a plan, and we need one quick."

Tap, tap tap.Celty showed Shinra her screen. "It's been just over five minutes, meaning we have less than five minutes until the next attack. I suggest we figure something out before then." Shinra moved closer, gently grabbing the cloth and wiping my forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"Bad." I said much more readily than the last time. The pain was still present, but I almost didn't notice it. I felt tired, sleepy, and weak instead, the drugs doing both wonderful and terrible things to my system. "Bad." I glanced down to my stomach warily.How much... time? Even my brain was sluggish.

The demon swirled, startling Shingen who had yet to have the luxury of seeing the beast, before it answered me.Less than fifteen minutes. The pain will come sooner. Tell him to hurry.

I swallowed thickly, eyes glancing back up to Shinra. Thanks to Namie, it was much easier for me to speak now. "Fifteen minutes."

Shinra stopped what he was doing, wide eyed. "What?"

"Fifteen?" Shingen glanced to Shizuo, as if the blonde could make sense of it or explain.

"Come," Namie suddenly walked away, her face more serious then normal, grabbing Shinra's arm and dragging him towards the door. "I have an idea." Shingen followed her, the three most knowledgeable people in the room leaving me with Celty and Shizuo. They disappeared into the hall, only the murmur of their voices drifting in.

"You'll be okay." Shizuo was rubbing my hand, and I had no problem with looking over to him. Celty came over too, but just as she went to type out a message, she received a text. Seconds later, she too left the room. "You're going to be fine, all right?"

I shook my head in disbelief. I doubted I would ever be okay after this.

My stomach suddenly pinched and I tensed, hand squeezing around Shizuo while the little monster suddenly squeaked in pain. I gasped, mind going blank and everything going white and silent as the pain crashed into me once again. The after math of the early attack left me screaming, Namie's drugs doing nothing to calm my system. I didn't even have words to describe it anymore, except that it was bad. It was very bad.

The next thing I knew, everyone flooded back into the room. Namie looked indifferent, more so than usual and Shinra looked incredibly unsure. Celty followed Shinra quickly, her body language telling me that she too was unsure. I didn't overly care. I couldn't really think or even function properly. I just wanted it all to end. Even if you have to kill me, just make all of this stop.

"Shizuo," Shinra crossed his arms while Celty tapped out a message, showing it to the blonde. Perhaps it was for my own safety that I didn't hear the plan.

"Are you sure?" Shizuo asked, eyes glancing over to me in worry. "Will he..."

"He'll be fine." Shinra answered in a clipped tone, eyes not meeting mine. "Just hurry before the next attack, alright."

What are you doing? What's the plan? I felt dizzy and nauseous, the demon spinning and shifting uncomfortably. It was feeling the effects too. Why is this happening?

They're simulated contractions. The demon decided to explain, and I rolled my eyes, glancing up towards the head board. They're pointless, seeing how you're a guy. That's why they hurt so much.

Gee, thanks for the clarification.

"Alright," Shizuo hovered over me and I could have sworn he mouthed the word sorry. In the next moment, I was being hauled up to my weak feet, standing beside the bed with Shizuo holding me up. Shinra was barking out instructions, or possibly a game plan, and everyone seemed to have somewhere else to be but near me. What are they planning? "You'll be okay," Shizuo was saying, but I didn't believe it. Namie was standing back, eyes cast away while Shinra was looking at me in absolute terror. I had to glance down to make sure that my limbs and stomach were still intact. What could possibly warrant that look? Shizuo's grip even trembled on me as he held me up.

Izaya! Izaya!

A faint clawing sensation in my stomach had me cringing and glancing up, just in time to see Celty swinging her scythe my way. Realization on what was happening hit me fast and hard, just like the threat pain that came with it. She's going to try and kill it? But isn't it attached to my...

Stop her! I will kill you!

Her shadowed scythe swiped through me, and the scream that bubbled up my throat was a mixture of the demon's and my own. Everyone in the room cringed as the noise tore through the silent room. Searing pain rippled through both my body and my soul, my knees giving out as I almost dropped to the ground. Shizuo was the only thing keeping me up, and Celty swung again, catching the demon head on and rendering it immediately silent.

Everything went black.

He was the only reason why Izaya did not hit the floor. Shizuo caught the informant by the shoulders just as he passed out, body going eerily limp in his own hands, air rushing out from the others lungs at an alarming rate. Why it had to turn out this way, he wasn't sure. The only thing he was sure about was that he trusted Shinra to figure it all out, and he trusted that Izaya would be stubborn enough to hold on until Shinra fixed the problem.

There was nothing he could do, and for once, the fact that he couldn't change the situation in any way scared him.

"On the floor!" Shinra was rushing forward, and Shizuo blindly complied, gently lowering Izaya to the ground and rolling him onto his back. His head bobbed to the side, eyes firmly closed while his lips parted just enough to allow air to pass through. His breathing was rough, and hardly existant. Shizuo felt his heart clench, the first signs of fear and nervousness coursing through his veins. "Celty, grab the IV before it gets ripped out." The Dullahan rushed over to the side of the bed where the drip bag was straining, unclipping the bag and simply assisting by holding it. She turned around expectantly, but Shinra was already moving on, the gears in his brain turning at an alarming rate as he tried to decide on the best and fastest course of action.

"What's the plan?" Shizuo asked, voice light and just a little bit shaky. Izaya looked so little on the ground, so little and fragile and almost dead.

"My crash explanation is that Celty knocked the demon unconscious. We know it's down for sure, because Izaya passed out too. We can't assume it's dead – there's no way to know for sure until we pull it out. Father's going to perform an emergency C-section – which is probably the most accurate thing to call it because we're literally going to cut him open and remove it – and then we'll just have to go from there. I don't know if we'll have time to move him first... He'll be okay if he's still being stubborn..." Shinra's voice faded off, one hand pressed to his chin, and for the first time in all his years as a doctor, he was unsure about what he was about to do. "Namie,"

"On it," Namie had another drip bag in her hands, filled with another clear solution, and she rushed over to Celty, shoving it to the Dullahan. "Hold this," she said none too politely before dropping down to the ground beside the unconscious informant. Celty clutched the bags with duty, her shaking shoulders the only sign that she was just as nervous as the rest of them. "Heiwajima-san, don't just stand there like a wall. Come sit by his head." She pushed another line into the crook of Izaya's arm, taping it in place just as Shizuo dropped cross-legged to the ground beside Izaya's unmoving head. Shizuo didn't say anything, didn't even dare breathe too hard like doing so would wake the monster and prematurely end Izaya's chance of survival. Izaya's face was rapidly loosing colour, sweat beading along his brow and his hair sticking too it. He gently reached out, brushing a strand of hair from the others forehead.

"What is that?" Shizuo asked, eyeing the second drip suspiciously. He wasn't sure what was going on – who knew so many of them had some sort of medical training – but he did know that one wrong move could end in a disaster. Talking also seemed to ease some of his stress, and it seemed to help Shinra too.

"Morphine, to keep him both out and comfortable." She answered simply, not bothering to indulge him with added details until he curiously quirked an eyebrow. She suddenly glanced up, eyes harshly meeting Shizuo's. "We don't want him waking up during the procedure. His chances aren't too good. You know this, right?"

Shizuo grunted, looking away just as she pulled out an oxygen mask from her bag. She gently placed it over Izaya's mouth, and it didn't help his look at all. It made him look worse, more like he was dying than struggling to survive. "Shinra?"

"His heart rate is too low," Shinra complained, dropping down by Izaya's side and unraveling a travel pack of medical instruments. He kept his hands busy, just to keep his nerves in check. "Don't give him too many drugs, his system isn't fighting very well. Should we wait? Dad?"

"His chances are just as bad if we wait." Shingen answered, walking through the bedroom door even though no one had seen him leave. His hands were freshly washed, and he was snapping on a new pair of gloves. "We're not waiting. Who knows if that thing will wake up first, before we get back to my lab? We ready?"

"Pretty much," Shinra was standing, glancing over the body on the floor and everything around him. He had done a quick check to make sure that Izaya wasn't bleeding out or dying at their fingertips, but judging from the look on his face, Shizuo knew that Izaya wasn't doing too good. His face was more serious then it had been in the bathroom. "He's not quite stable."

"Is it the best we'll get?" Shingen asked, walking over to the still man. He glanced down pensively.

Shinra nodded, though his face was rather solemn. "Unfortunately."

"Then this will have to do."

Shizuo remained rooted to his spot, eyes trained on both the miniature heart monitor and Izaya's gently rising chest. At least he was still alive, right? For now. The last time he had had to sit down with the informant possibly dying on the floor, back at Shinra's when the dumbass decided to slice open his own abdomen, Shizuo had genuinely worried for his well being. And right now, he was very concerned about the informants well being.

He just hoped that now, Izaya would once again pull through, even though his face was becoming deathly white as the seconds ticked slowly by. "Is this the best plan?" He asked, just to make sure.

Shinra sighed in response before nodding. Tap, tap tap, "It's been almost ten minutes since the last attack, and he doesn't look like he's about to go into another one. We should start before it's too late."

Shingen dropped down to the floor and immediately got to work. He pushed up his shirt, getting a few tools ready by his side. "I'll cut along here," with one finger pointing out, he traced a straight line over the jagged, healing wound on Izaya's abdomen. "Seeing how it's in the right spot, and it's already scarring." His finger traced over the solid lump in Izaya's stomach. "Judging from the x-ray's we got, it's surrounded by a fluid sack, so treating it as a birth should do this situation justice."

Shizuo flinched at the words, and Namie's face seemed to darken as she stared at the bare skin. She didn't comment though, simply giving Shizuo a quick glance before checking Izaya's heart rate. "He's slowly dropping. I suggest you do it now."

"I'll do it." Shinra said simply, forcing his father out of the way. "I'm sure my cut will be straighter, and we don't want to go too deep without knowing what's in there."

Shizuo's face paled. "Will he be okay?"

"We'll find out." Shinra sighed, readying himself, while Namie pulled out a couple more syringes. "Do you want to stay? You don't have to watch..."

"I'm staying right here." He said, pointing at the floor in which he was sitting on, one hand gently sitting on Izaya's forehead. If someone was going to get cut open in his own bedroom, then there was no way in Hell he was going to leave.

Shinra didn't even bother arguing with him. It would be a losing battle, anyway.

"I'll get him set up. We need to minimize the damage, if he ever hopes to recover." Namie said quietly, doing what she needed to do to prepare the Kishitani's, as quickly and efficiently as she could. When she was finally out of the way, Shingen gave Shinra some space. Celty was sitting on the edge of the bed with the bags, and she suddenly turned her helmet to face the other way. Namie had the heart monitor and another box with numbers on it in her hand.

She nodded, and Shinra took in a deep breath.

It was quick, much quicker than Shizuo had anticipated. Shinra made a slit across Izaya's abdomen, perfectly straight and slightly curved with blood welling up, following the blade, and then Shingen was right there pushing a hand inside.

Shizuo almost gagged, turning his head but not looking away away as fresh blood welled up from the wound. It was gross – the entire situation was somewhat disturbing – but for some idiotic reason, he refused to look away, even when Shingen moved and a sickening squelch sound echoed through out the bedroom.

"Did it pop?" Shinra was sitting back, simply observing with professional curiosity. Liquid suddenly seeped out from the wound, Shizuo's face cringing in horror.

"My fluid theory was correct." Shingen said almost happily, and Namie cringed this time, taking the moment too look at the devices in her hands.

"He's dropping."

Several seconds later, after a hiss from Shingen, he was pulling his hand out, fingers wrapped around something metallic and black in the general shape of a lizards tail. He had to use both hands in order to drag the rest thing out, a black beast the size of a watermelon stretching the whole and easily slipping out of Izaya's body. Shizuo almost threw up this time, face contorting in disgust as some creature was hauled from inside Izaya's stomach. The face of the black mass slipped out with a soft pop, and Shinra was immediately taking Shingen's place, doing his best to ignore the beast, tending to the wound with a cloth and preparing to stitch it back up.

The whole situation seemed to breeze past Shizuo. Celty had her head turned away so that she didn't have to see. Namie was staring intently at the black mass and almost dropped the roll of bandages she was handing Shinra.

"Pay attention." Shinra snapped, finishing up and dressing the wound as quickly as he could. There was blood everywhere, and the white bandage was instantly soaked red. He sighed, running a cloth along the rest of Izaya's exposed skin, eyes briefly flickering over to Shingen who was standing up with the limp creature firmly in his hands. "How's his heart rate?"

"Lower, but still beating," Namie commented, glancing over to the numbers carefully. "His breathing isn't as good as earlier, but he's not necessarily in the danger zone."

"We need to get to my lab." Shingen said suddenly, setting the creature down on a towel and prodding at it. He suddenly raised his right hand, glancing at a fresh gash. Shizuo glanced over, taking a good hard look at the still creature before he finally gagged. It was black like Celty's shadows, it's spine rigid with flattened scales. Bristling, he imagined that the scales would rise, sharp as razors blades. Four long, supportive legs were curled up underneath it's body with talons safely curled in so that it couldn't hurt anyone. It's tail was long enough to easily wrap around the entire thing at least once, sharp looking knobs protruding from the end like a medieval torture device. That was what was inside of Izaya? This whole time? He couldn't even imagine how the beast had fit, let alone imagine how much Izaya must have been in the majority of the time. "I'll treat him at my lab. Namie drove me here, so I'm assuming it would be no problem for you to drive us back?"

"It's fine," She agreed, glancing up to Izaya's face. He face darkened, and she gently placed her hand against his cheek. "I'll go get the car ready, we really should hurry. We can take him out on my stretcher."

"You have a stretcher in your car?" Shizuo asked, eyebrow quirking even though his eyes never left Izaya.

She chuckled, standing up and carefully stepping around Izaya. "Of course I do. Never know when the perfect specimen might walk by you." She said it sarcastically, but her expression never changed. Shizuo felt himself shiver.

His skin began to crawl, but Shinra saved him from whatever it was that she was about to elaborate on. "Quickly, I don't want his pulse dropping any lower."

Nodding, Namie rushed from the room without glancing back.

"Celty, just hold those bags for a little longer." Shinra tried to smile, but the exhaustion was plastered across his face. He sat beside the motionless informant, eyes trailing over his body. Shingen was busy wrapping the demon, and packing up the supplies.

"Will he be okay?" Shizuo asked once again. He brushed some hair off of Izaya's forehead, frowning at the way Izaya's skin stuck to his fingers. It was clammy to the touch, and the whir of the oxygen mask didn't help ease Shizuo's stress. It all looked to be going down hill.

Shinra sighed, standing up and peeling the gloves from his hands. His face was glum, his eyes dim and displaced. "If we hurry, he will be. He's... the thing was bigger then I thought..." He glanced down, eyes sweeping over Izaya's form, the weight in his stomach suddenly completely gone, leaving nothing but skin and bones behind. Shinra doubted Izaya had much muscle mass left, let alone anything that would help him pull through. "He might not have enough strength... and even if he does... the recovery is going to be really difficult..."

Namie suddenly appeared in the door, breathless and slightly more frazzled than before, carrying the promised stretcher. "Let's go. Quickly."

Shizuo worried that this might actually be the end.

Shingen shook his head slowly as he moped up the remains of Izaya's blood from his floor. Shinra and the others were already gone, the informant with them, and he couldn't help but feel slightly responsible for the ending result. He would never admit it, but even then, smearing the red around, he was coming up with things he could have done differently.

If anything, the looks on the kids' faces would haunt him for some time. They were but children in age comparison, and Shingen felt as though he hadn't done enough. Especially that blonde one, the one Shinra had been trying to get a blood sample from for so long now, he looked completely heart broken when everything was all said and done.

He had looked lost, hopeless.

Time would only tell how this story would end.

But while Shinra took care of the finer details, Shingen had a creature to take a look at. Cleaning up the remains of the blood as best as he could, Shingen abandoned his mop in favor of taking a peak at the little monster who had managed to wreck so much havoc. Curiosity killed the cat, after all, and Shingen didn't really see a reason to wait any longer. He could only imagine how much he would learn from probing at the little thing.

Popping open the freezer, he pulled the container out, face contorting behind the mask because the demon had felt ten times heavier when he had put it in. He carefully took the box over to his desk before setting it down, frown deepening when the box didn't rattle, scales supposed to be clicking against the plastic, like he had expected it to.

Carefully popping the lid off, he glanced in. He wasn't as shocked as he thought he'd be upon discovering that the container was empty.

Scratching his head, he had a moment of contemplation, before slamming the lid back on the box and taking it back to the freezer.

Things from other worlds played by different rules, after all.

I groaned as the darkness behind my eye lids slowly began to fade away. There was a throbbing in my forehead, alerting me to a brain splitting headache, and I couldn't even move to press a hand to it. As the darkness began to fade some more, I became vaguely aware that everything was beginning to pulse. Slowly but surely, the numbness that had come from the darkness began to wear off, and it felt like my limbs were on fire. I felt heavy, and my stomach hurt more than anything else.

Groaning, I struggled to try and pry my eyes open, before freezing completely.

Last I remembered, Celty had sliced me with her scythe.

…

Did I die?

I squeezed my eye lids together, refusing to open them just yet. I was cold, my skin was prickling from the coolness of the air, and my lungs were burning. Oh no. If I opened my eyes to nothing but never ending darkness and candles, I might actually cry. Please no. There was warmth and pressure coming from my left side, but I couldn't move it, or distinguish what it could have been. It wasn't hot enough to be fire, but it was warm enough to be an ominous presence. I can't lose, not now. Vaguely aware of my surroundings, I could tell that I was lying down, my chest lightly rising and falling. My nose burned, and the headache was settling in behind my eyes. My resolve to fight was becoming weaker already, and I hadn't even confirmed anything.

The brightness behind my eye lids evened out to a darker tone. Where ever I was, it wasn't lit up. It was dark. And it was cold. And there was a little flicker here and there, suggesting a light off in the distance.

This could be bad.

My breathing began to labor as I finally forced my eyes open, blinking once, twice to try and clear away the blurriness. When the darkness remained, minus a dim light off in the distance, I couldn't hold back the whimper that left my throat. Squeezing my eyes shut, I tried to calm my racing thoughts. It felt like I was floating, and I instantly imagine myself to be falling through an endless black void with nothing to stop me. I failed, I failed, I failed, oh no...

Something stirred to my right, and my eyes snapped back open, right hand retracting lightning fast as something warm wrapped around it. Those shadow spirits took me. Shit. Shit. Fuck. No. Struggling to see through the darkness, a figure lifted itself head to stare at me, before sleepily rubbing at it's eyes.

Wait...

"Hey," Shinra. Shinra was sitting beside me, arms folded on the bed, one hand wrapped around mine still, even though I had it pressed to my chest, over my pounding heart. "Good to have you back."

Choking on my own voice, I swallowed quickly before glancing over to my left. Shizuo was curled up on the remaining space in the bed, almost lying on me, with his face hidden in the pillow by my neck. He was warm, the only thing warm around me besides Shinra's hand, and my restraint snapped at the realization that I had made it.

I made it.

Fresh tears pricked at my eyes and I glanced down quickly, noticing that my stomach was flat beneath the blankets, and sunken in more then it should have been. In that quick sweep of my own body – making sure all my limbs were still attached – I noticed that Celty was passed out in another chair at the end of my bed. How long had I been out for?

"You're alright. And the demon is gone." Shinra said, catching my attention again. I looked back to him, eyes glistening with joy and – oh I was so happy – he chuckled, squeezing my hand before yawning. "It's the middle of the night, and even though I'm glad you're back with us – Oh, it's only been three weeks, you're doing pretty good considering how you left Dad's lab." Shinra smiled, though it wiped from his face when he noticed my lip quivering. "You should rest some more." He nodded at his own words before dropping his hand back down into his arms, eyes glancing back up at me sadly. "You're still in the danger zone, but if you take it easy and rest, I have faith.

"Shinra..." I squeezed his hand, butterflies floating around in my chest. It's over, this is all over! Three weeks unconscious, and I was still in the danger zone. That was still better than being dead. I could work with that. Shinra sat back up, humming in acknowledgment to his name. "Thank you."

He smiled like an idiot, patting my arm. "No problem. Just, no more demons after this, okay? You're going to get better if we're careful. You're already doing better than I expected. You'll be okay. Because you're Izaya." His grin reassured me, and the glee radiating off from him was contagious.

I laughed weakly. I had no doubt that I would come to learn that Shinra and Shizuo both had slaved away to make sure I hung on to my final thread of life. I had no doubts that the road to now had been treacherous and grim, and that they had sacrificed more than enough to make sure that I made it to now. I was truly grateful. Words couldn't even express how grateful I was for a second chance, demon free. Rolling my head back to the side, I let my eyes close again before inhaling gently. It was over. It was finally all over. Danger zone or not, I was Izaya Orihara, and if I could land myself in Hell and then live to tell the story, then I was truly a force to be reckoned with.

Maybe even a God.

There was no more demon. No gift. No more trips to Hell. No more fears – or so I hoped – and I was still here, breathing, and smiling. I had my best friend on my right, eyes dropping closed and drifting back to sleep with a smile on his face, and the man I had possibly come to like – read that love – curled up to my side on my left.

There were no words to express how happy I was.

Satan, I believe this is checkmate.

A/N: I just want to say thank you. To all of you for sticking with me until the very end... because guys, this is it. I have literally NEVER finished a story. Never. Ever. This ending is better than some of my plotted endings, I mean I was gonna use this total stupid major mind fucking plot twist ending, but then decided that the events wouldn't allow it (though do stay tuned, I might one-shot the alternative ending cause it's so ridiculous) and - I hope this ending is okay guys really I do - There will be a bonus chapter -purely Shizaya fluff just for you guys for being so awesome and because this ended kind of on a melancholic note, and I really want to add some more closure that these scenes cannot allow and also some more happiness because damn this stuff got too serious - (And because I can't believe this is over what the actual fhchjkgf)

I can't even type straight anymore.

Thank yooou. Without your support, I might not have ever come back to this. Please leave me reviews, anything and everything that I can use to improve my writing, or that can encourage me to write (And yes, I am aware that I am a lazy editor, and I am also aware that my plotting sucks and sometimes things just happen in very weird ways, and I am aware that I have quite the strange mind, and my ideas are completely abstract and crazy.) Also feel free to PM me for whatever reason you may need. I mean. I do plan on writing more in the future (After exams and my health gets better) and I most definitely cannot bite through the internet, I am already plotting something else. ;P

Guys. GUYS! Thank you! The bonus chapter should be up probably within the next few days, and then I will officially mark this as complete.

-Ashsjfldgjrkegqnkv *dies from excitement*- Until next time!