dazlious | Where the stars are all broken, so are the ties. But the one thing remaining is you.

Current Location: Portland, Maine
Current Music: "Wonder", Megan McCauley

Entry tags:

Where the stars are all broken, so are the ties. But the one thing remaining is you.

WHO: Heather Mason (Silent Hill) and Kaito Kuroba (Detective Conan/Magic Kaito)
WHERE: A shabbily nondescript apartment building somewhere in Portland, Maine.
WHEN: Six months after Kaito returned home from Johto (

route_29)
WHAT: ~~And then Styx and Kit got really sad and needed sappy fluff~~ And then two friends were reunited.
RATING: DIABETES.

After the the warmth and color that bubbled up in every last corner of Johto's world, even in the dead of winter, good old planet Earth could seem like a very gray place.

That pine-covered chunk of land called Maine that sat at the top of New England like a precariously-placed hat seemed even grayer than most.

Or maybe that was just because it was winter here.

... And somewhere in the city, where there were fewer pines than there were telephone poles.

... And the very top floor of an ugly apartment building, a hideous product of some architectural dark age that looked more like what would happen if you filled a waffle-iron with concrete than anywhere that someone would actually want to LIVE in, nestled between a warehouse and a law firm.

It had taken awhile for the search to actually lead to this last destination, which was hours away from the place where it had actually begun.

The town of Silent Hill could be called a city only by the blind and perhaps those who had grown up there and knew nothing bigger. The place was different at first glance, perhaps, to anyone who'd heard of it only by a description from someone who'd seen its true face.

On the surface, the place was downright pleasant. A steadily-declining but still somewhat-known New England tourist trap, the old historical town sat in two halves around a large lake, nestled in by mountains and forests, with patches of farmland dotting its outskirts. It was tiny and remote-- hardly a blip on the radar to anyone who wasn't some newlywed looking for a Honeymoon spot.

Research would show that the place was rich with history, from the pre-European civilizations that once considered the land a sacred place, all the way through colonization, plagues, the industrial revolution, even the Civil War. The promotional material hyped it all up to the max, boasting historical buildings and artifacts-- a nice place to vacation with the whole family.
Needless to say, a look at more recent records told a slightly different story. Mysterious accidents and disappearances throughout the entire 20th century, a strange local religion, rampant drug abuse (the investigation of the supposed drug ring had been left dangling ever since the late eighties, ever since its key investigator had been murdered ...), and strange rumors coated the town's reputation like poison.

A visit would prove pleasant enough, but, well...

Kaito would know better, wouldn't he?

The town, as important as it was, would not yield what he was looking for.

Neither would the first apartment he found in a city rather far from Silent Hill, a shabby and depressing little downtown complex called Daisy Villa. Apart from ugly striped wallpaper, a few scraps of magazine cutouts that may once have been part of a collage, and an old armchair covered in a rust-stained sheet, there was nothing to be found there.

But this.

THIS was the place. Hopefully.

According to the superintendent, who had recognized the name 'Cheryl Mason' (as given, along with the address, by P.I. Douglas Cartland) and directed him to the top floor.

Where there was a door.

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_{[The power of sap overwhelms even the snarkiest from time to time.]

[Groceries completely forgotten, Heather squeezed him like she was worried he'd evaporate if she let go. You'd think a sensible person would know that was impossible, but... well, until twenty seconds ago, she'd thought it would be impossible that she would ever see him again, too.]

[But a lot could change in twenty seconds, apparently.]

[She didn't want to pull away to speak, so she didn't. Holding him just as tightly, she just twisted her head upwards with her chin on his breastbone so that she could SEE him. Hell, even with her arms wrapped around him, even with HIS around HER, she wasn't entirely sure her friend was really here.]

[The shocked surprise had twitched into a half-disbelieving grin as a low laugh escaped her.]}

I swear to god, if I'm just having one of those nostalgia dreams and I wake up and realize I'm hugging a pillow or something...

[a snort, half-amused]

Oi, don't say that, I'll start worrying about whether I'm imagining things or not too.

[and he'd much rather go on believing that this was real]

_{[She laughs again, a little clearer this time. Okay... he was real.]

[Drawing away at last but not letting go entirely, she looks up at him, gesturing blankly with one hand for lack of actual WORDS to describe the situation.]

[She remembered his farewell note, of course-- how could she forget? But that part about knowing they'd see each other again... she hadn't bought that. It'd made her bad, really-- for not being as hopeful as he was. But hope is hard to muster sometimes, especially when you don't have a whole lot of it to begin with.]}

When did... how did you get here?

I never thought-- ...

_{[And then, like she'd suddenly gotten tired of stammering like a fool, she points at him, almost accusingly.]}

I'm gonna unlock the door. You tell me what the hell you're doing here, and I swear to god if you disappear while my back is turned, I'll-- .... be totally pissed off and just sort of stomp around here in the hallway, I guess.

[... and that makes him snicker, because it's the very same Heather-brand humor he had come to miss over the past few months]

Geez, you're just as scary as I remember.

But 'm not going anywhere. I promise.

_{[Some things don't change, not even after six whole months.]

[Her sense of humor, apparently, was one of them. Luckily for him.]

[Finally letting go, she turned to the door, yanking the mittens she'd been wearing off so that she could dig her keys out of her pocket.]}

Good.

Wouldn't want to've gone soft or anything...

_{[After bullying the lock into clicking, she let the door drift open, keys still in the keyhole as she bent down to gather up the fallen groceries. Her words had a bit of a blustering quality to them-- she wasn't sure WHAT to say so when all else failed, reverting to the matter-of-fact seemed safe, and hunching over to yank cans off the ground was a fair way to hide just how much his words meant.]

[She could save the emotional outbursts for when they weren't standing in a public hallway...]}

[Kaito followed suit, crouching down to the ground to sling his travel bag back over his shoulder while he helped Heather collect the fallen groceries. Every so often his gaze would flick up toward her, just to make sure she was still there, but the disbelief that he had actually found her was already beginning to fade]

Can't imagine you going soft. [He commented as he handed her a jar of peanut butter] You're not really the type.

_{[Between them, they're able to gather up the supplies without much difficulty-- it's mostly the basics. Lots of canned soups. Coffee, bread, apples, a bunch of cheap microwavable junk...]

[A snort escaped her at his comment, as she straightened up with an armful of cup noodles.]}

Yeah, well... given that I'm not hiking through the countryside on a daily basis anymore, my rock-hard abs have started to fade. Remember my epic six-pack? It doesn't exist anymore.

_{[Heather you didn't have a six-pack. You NEVER had a six-pack.]

[But although she'd been wearing a bit of a grin, it faded when she was abruptly reminded that talking about Johto hurt. So it was with a slightly more subdued smile that she motioned towards the door.]}

C'mon in. Mi casa es tu casa.

[There was no way he was suppressing his amused snort at her mention of a six pack, and once the groceries were properly picked up, he straightened and adjusted the strap of his bag, shooting her a somewhat amused look]

You couldn't try hiking through the cityside instead to keep it in shape? I think that would've been an appropriate alternative.

[But his own joke muted when her grin faded slightly, and he nodded at the door, trying to keep the tone as lighthearted as he could]

I hope you plan on giving me a thorough tour of your humble home.

Eh.

_{[She kicks the door open a little wider as she heads in.]}

It's just not the same, you know?

_{[Not that she didn't do a lot of hiking around the city ANYWAY-- Heather had always been a restless person. But... well, it wasn't the same.]

[As soon as she was in the door, she set the groceries down on a low chair sitting by a mini-fridge and spread her arms.]}

No tour necessary-- this is the whole damn thing.

_{[It was a tiny, cluttered apartment-- just one room, if you didn't count the bathroom, which was off to the side through a narrow door.]

[It had a bed in one corner by the window, with a dresser, desk and a little TV nearby. Despite the cramped-ness, though, it looked lived in. There were some hanging mobiles and Christmas lights of varying brands strung around the room, and most of the walls were plastered with cutouts and pictures.]

[Sort of bright and homey-- although judging by the giant nest of blankets on the bed, the heat wasn't too good.]}

[Small... but very Heather. He grinned as he stepped inside, gaze darting across the walls, taking in every bit as he did so. It was a little surreal-- never in his life before Johto had he thought he'd be crashing in the house of a blonde, American girl who lived halfway across the world. But at the same time, it was completely believable]

'S nice. [He reached out to shut the door behind him, giving them both some much needed privacy]

A lot better than tents and sleeping bags in the middle of the woods, right?

_{[Hell, they're in the same boat, because Heather never thought she'd wind up with a teenage Japanese supercriminal popping by her apartment. She never even thought she'd see him again.]

[But here they are.]

[As he shuts the door, she bends down to shove some of the more perishable items into the fridge, whose door is covered in colorful magnets. Some are letters-- "THE FREEZE MACHINE" is spelled out in a wobbly line across the door.]}

Well, it's not much, but... s'home. More or less.

_{[Not really. Heather hadn't felt 'home' in a long time.]

[But even so, she'd clearly made it her own.]

[Kaito would likely notice that the decorations taped up all over the walls were just as varied as all the odds and ends hanging from the ceiling-- but most notably were a series of torn-out sketchpad pages with some familiar shapes on them... a tiger-striped dog in the center of a myriad of other creatures.]

[Heather had not forgotten Johto. Judging by the grin she has when she straightens up, as well.]}

Definitely better than tents.

... Gotta admit, though... I kinda miss camping.

[He stops at those sketches, feeling a sharp pang of nostalgia coursing through him as he reaches out to touch them gently, fingertips gliding across the paper. He hadn't forgotten either, and his grin falters every so slightly-- he may have tracked down Heather, but there were certain non-human friends he knew he'd never see again]

... only kinda. [He adds with a snort, withdrawing and turning back toward her] I miss everything surrounding the camping more.

_{[... Yeah.]

[For Heather, that had been ... probably the hardest part of coming back.]

[She'd been able to come to terms with most other things... even with her father. But her team... waking up without a warm wriggly mass of Growlithe next to her had left a cold, hollow feeling in her chest for the first few months, and it still did, sometimes...]

[She catches him looking at the drawings when she turns around, and smiles a little tiredly.]}

... Yeah.

Something tells me it wouldn't be the same if I tried it here.

_{[Without the others...]

[For a second or two, she just sort of... stares blankly in his direction, as though trying to COMPLETELY buy the fact that he's THERE, standing in her apartment. That awkward freeze-up that sometimes happens when you unexpectedly run into an old, too-long-unseen friend wasn't really at play here so much as... well. It's just a lot to take in.]}

... How'd you find me?

Good hunch.

[He takes a few steps toward her, hands resting in his pockets, and gives a little shrug]

Wasn't easy. I wasn't kidding when I said you were pretty difficult to find. Geez... I wasn't even sure we actually shared a world when I started.

But I looked up Silent Hill, and when I actually got something, I went from there.

_{[... So he'd started from the beginning.]

[The town's name gives Heather an uncomfortable twinge somewhere deep in her gut, but it's hardly important right now. He's HERE, not there.]

[A grin tugs at her mouth again and she nudges the fridge door shut with her foot and starts fiddling with her hem of her coat in preparation to pull it off.]}

I guess if Douglas could track me down with nothing but my dad's name, previous residence, and some kook saying that he'd kidnapped me, it's not too surprising that YOU'D be able to.

_{[Yanking the coat off abruptly with one hand and standing on one foot to pull one of her boots off with the other, she rolls her eyes.]}

Dude, I'm an awful host... Go ahead and take your coat and shoes off. I'm not lettin' you go anywhere so you're not gonna need them.

_{[WELCOME TO HEATHER'S APARTMENT you're not allowed to leave. :Ib]}

C'mon, you say that like I plan on going somewhere.

[Nevertheless, he follows suit, tugging off his own jacket and draping it across the nearest chair (his shoes had already been disposed of near the door)]

Hey, better safe than sorry, okay?

_{[After all, he hadn't planned on going anywhere back in Johto... not that the real world worked like Johto. ... It was so strange. Considering this place the 'real' one again.]

[She doesn't ask him to hang up his coat or anything-- judging by the 'organized clutter' status of the entire room, she doesn't much care about that. Instead she just shoves her own boots onto a pile of newspaper by the door and then dumps her own coat on top of his before flopping down onto one end of the bed/chaotic blanketnest.]

[She pats the spot next to her-- he can sit down if he wants. There's not many other places to sit apart from the floor and the chair at the desk-- well okay there's what looks like an old beanbag in the corner but it looks like it's composed more of duct tape than fabric at this point.]}

[softening his teasing tone, just a bit]

... haa. Maybe.

[And he flops onto the bed with her without hesitation, linking his hands behind his head and streeeetching a bit as he stares up at her ceiling. A few moments of silence pass before he speaks again, tone still soft and inquisitive... and maybe just apologetic]

'M sorry.

_{[The ceiling is covered in ugly stucco-- pretty much everything ABOUT this building is ugly, really. But Heather had at least tried to remedy that by criss-crossing it with lights and various hanging baubles. Most look old, or home-made.]

[When he flops down, she turns in her seat a little bit to look down at him with a crooked, slightly-sad smile. Now that they've both gotten over the initial shock, the little differences are starting to pop out, loss of imaginary six-packs aside. The tan that Heather had picked up over the course of her time in Johto is gone entirely, for instance-- when she'd come back, it had been like it had never existed. Same with the scars on her hands.]

[She shakes her head at the apology.]}

For disappearing?

You don't need to apologize.

... We all knew it could happen.

... Would happen.

_{[Even if she'd foolishly assumed that it wouldn't. Not to him. Or to HER, eventually.]

[When he'd disappeared, she had been angry. Angry at everything and at nothing. Angry at herself for once again taking things for granted, and... well, admittedly, angry at him. Angry because she'd known he had wanted to go home.]

[... But, well... that had been a long time ago, and even then, she'd known the anger was nothing but grief. It had faded eventually, as she'd known it would.]

[Reaching over, she lays a hand on his shoulder.]}

... I did get your letter. ... And two of your... your team.

When you went.

[His differences are a bit less obvious... though perhaps his hair is a little less scruffy. And he doesn't look like he's spent months upon months trekking through the wilderness, either]

-- you did? [Her talking about his team (his team, the same one that he hadn't realized he'd miss so much when he finally went home) causes another small twinge of loss and guilt to pinch at his stomach, and he sits up to lean into her hand a bit]

Which two?

Biz and Flapper.

Crow got Komi.

_{[The rest... she's not sure what happened to the rest.]

[But she tries to brighten her expression a little as she gives his shoulder a squeeze, speaking in a tone as cheerful as she can manage when talking about their left-behind friends.]}

Biz and Wren wound up inseparable... they got me in SO much trouble, you would not believe...

And Flapper and Butch were happy together. Butch didn't steal my Gear as much once he was able to talk to his girlfriend in person, heh.

[There's some comfort in hearing this... in knowing that at least Biz, Flapper and Komi managed to find their way to good, caring owners. But it's not completely comforting... what about the others?

With a deep breath, he nods, forcing a smile onto his lips, though it's a bit bittersweet. He can't think about that now, can he?]

Biz and Wren, huh? I would've predicted that one from miles away.

_{[There's a reason she didn't bring them up... because she doesn't know. ... And hell... she doesn't want to think about what might have happened to her own after she disappeared.]

[She'd rather think about the good times. And hey, it has a purpose. Filling him in on the deets, right?]}

Heh, right?

It got to the point where I couldn't take them in any stores with me.

They figured out teamwork.

The number of times I got a Jenny running after me because it turned out my bag was full of shiny things that didn't belong to me...

[He snickers, though there's something a bit off about it-- but hey, he's trying]

Sounds like Biz all right. 'S good to know he didn't stop making people's lives hard after I-- y'know.

_{[Laughter's contagious, but the chuckle Heather gives off in return is a little bit weak, and trails off quickly.]

[She's quiet for a few seconds, before taking her hand off his shoulder and letting it rest on the bed behind them, looking off at the rest of the tiny room that had become her home after she'd been uprooted from Johto, and then proceeded to uproot herself from the apartment she'd spent high school in.]}

... I didn't... think I'd ever see you again.

_{[She looks back over at him.]}

I know your note said-- .... but I didn't really believe it. ... If I'd known, I'dve... I'dve stayed in one place. Sorry you had to go on a wild goose hunt for me.

_{[She feels bad for not believing it would happen, but...]}

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