Chapter Eleven

Where… Am I..?

My nose took in the scent of faint antibiotics and dried chlorine. When I opened my eyes, it seemed that I was blinded for a moment by a sudden bright light. The white walls and the smell and the bed I'm lying on, I'm at the hospital. A machine sounded next to me as my green eyes wandered around the room. It didn't take long for me to spot Celty, who stood out the most with her black clothing against the white. She was snoozing on the plastic chair provided only for visitors. Smiling contritely, I made myself sit up on the bed. The heart monitor constantly gave off steady beats.

I touched my face and explored my body; everything was bandaged and patched up. My skin looked pale, probably because I lost so much blood. Letting out a soft chuckled I reached out to my metal IV pole and slowly got up from bed, ignoring the shooting pain coming up to me. Careful as to not wake up the sleeping Dullahan, I put on my slippers and began to walk, little by little. My legs screamed like it was on fire as I gripped onto the pole tightly and strutted away.

Since it's the hospital, I better go visit her.

My emerald green eyes glared at the 'No Visitor' sign and pushed past it. Ever since I heard she was hospitalized and has not moved since, I visited her every day. I didn't care about the staff. If they give so much as an act to make me stay away from her, I will not hesitate to kill them. Sliding the door closed, I took a deep breath and put on a fake smile. I pulled open the curtains.

There she is. Lying on the hospital bed with the white sheets camouflaging her already white skin. She lay unmoving, not a single move as it was since the day he saw her here. Sure, the first time he did saw her, he shed tears so much that the staff heard him and took him away. Her long brown hair splayed under her petite form, remaining where it was in the first place. There is one thing missing though, he thought to himself as he moved to sit on a chair beside her, it's her eyes. If someone were to see them here, wide open and bright, they would notice that we have the same shade, almost identical pair of eyes. They would have noticed that we are truly twins, and we can't live our life without each other. I weakly placed my hand over hers and smiled, "Hello, Noelle."

~0~0~

I'm going to tell you how she got into this. It's simple really; it's Heiwajima and Izaya's fault. But let's go before that. To how it actually happened.

It was a nice spring day. The sun is shining bright and the casual clouds were dotted here and there. The breeze is uplifting, even amidst the chaotic city of Ikebukuro. In the middle of the crowd at Sunshine 60, the trio, Tom, Shizuo, and Noelle, stood out like a sore thumb. Shizuo, now a full grown and handsome young man, walked with them with the cigarette in his mouth and his hands in his pockets. Beside him, a little short to be called a full grown yet beautiful young woman is Noelle. She wore her usual clothing; a simple white and loose blouse with a buttoned up black vest and coal knee length skirt, dark stockings, and a pair of sexy Audrey's heels. She looked like she's a waitress or a female bartender since she looked exactly like Shizuo. Her chest however, to add to his dismay and satisfaction, gave more emphasis than ever. She's talking to Tom while laughing at something he said.

Sometime later, after Shizuo beat the shit out of some of Tom's clients who refused to pay up, they stopped for lunch at Russia Sushi. Simon, the kind yet a little weird sushi chef, gave them discounts and served them delicious sushi. The man in the dreadlocks smiled at the two as Shizuo shyly accepted to be spoon fed by Noelle. Honestly, Tom sipped some sake as he watched them, they're such a cute couple and they truly belong to each other.

Just then, a loud crash came from outside. He and the blonde stood up on instinct while Noelle looked around nervously. "What's going on?" She said as Tom shook his head. "It came from outside, let's go." The trio nodded and sprinted off out of the sushi restaurant (after Tom threw their payment on their table). The loud ruckus is being caused by none other than Izaya Orihara, a friend of Noelle, and an enemy of Shizuo. He was shouting for the blonde to come out and fight him, a bottle of brandy held at his left hand while his knife sat unsheathed at his right. Obviously, he's drunk, which is unusual at this time of day. "Oh, Shizu-chan! Where on heaven, hell and earth are you..?" He slurred just as people moved from his range. Immediately, the blonde bartender flew into a fit of rage at the mere sight of him and stomped away to rip off a nearby stop sign from the seat.

"You sure got a lot of guts to come here in Ikebukuro again, Izaya!" He grinned sarcastically as he swung it around. Too much sake got Shizuo drunk too, so a little while later he and Izaya aren't even hitting each other. They staggered all the while until the raven haired bastard took off as Shizuo ran after him. Noelle, who was worried for his safety turned to Tom and smiled innocently, "Well, I got to follow him then. Who knows what trouble he'll get into..?" She added her cute giggle as the debt collector waved at her, "Be careful alright?" He called out as she looked back to wave good bye. Unknown to them all, it was probably the last farewell she has given to them.

I paused my musing as I gazed at her sleeping form, longing to see her healthy, awake, alive. I took a deep breath and continued.

Izaya dashed off to a street that was very familiar to both he and Shizuo, although, the guy in question isn't thinking straight so he has no idea what is going to happen. Pretending to be drunk is way too hilarious and needed a lot of guts for the informant but he was proud to do so. He smirked as he peered over his shoulder to see the raging plus angry blonde still following him with the stop sign. Izaya would do everything and anything to get his 'dear friend' Shizu-chan sent straight to hell. He wasn't actually thinking of losing one of his only friends though.

Noelle tried her best to keep it up but her small frame against the tide of the crowd made it difficult to do so. When she finally caught a glimpse of Shizuo, she sighed to herself, mentally reminding herself to scold him later on. They darted into a street while she kept up her pace. "Shizu-chan! Wait!" She began to wheeze, her asthma's kicking up already. She began to lose focus as she coughed and wheezed. 'I have to get to him!' She thought as she came out of the alley and onto the street.

"HEY! LOOK OUT!"

The sound of a truck honking. The screech of the tires as it tried to break and stop. How that girl turned her head to look at what was going on…

How it hit her as she flew through the air, the wind knocking her senses, the lights blaring her eyesight.

How she was tossed around like a common rag doll, and that she already lost her consciousness before she even hit the ground.

"OH MY GOD!"

"MISS! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!"

"SOMEBODY CALL AN AMBULANCE!"

She just lay there with her eyes closed, her body crumpled like paper as it creased her clothes. She didn't feel the blood pooling under her. She didn't hear Shizuo's voice scaring the shit out of the citizens as he knelt before her and gaped his mouth, his eyes widening and his hands trying to reach out for the girl he promised to protect. She didn't hear him scream her name, crying out in between gasps and sobs as she is being carried into an ambulance.

She didn't see Izaya's incredibly shocked face or how his eyes glistened with fresh tears rolling out of their ducts. She didn't see Tom bowing his head and crossing his arms, looking thoroughly depressed. She didn't see Shinra nor her headless best friend Celty sobbing for her health. She didn't see Simon's shoulder slump upon the news of her being, completely forgetting to drag in customers. She forgot how to breathe in a moment, and the world stopped spinning in her mind.

But most of all, Noelle Strife never saw the drastic change in Shizuo Heiwajima's life.

Thank you, Darth Zannah, for your review. Although I must say, I find it really funny. So, I must say thank you again, since it lifted my spirits into continuing this. Again, thank you.