By the time Ganta had reached the hospital, he was out of breath from running, his school uniform soaked in sweat. The hospital had called him in the middle of class, the nurse's voice on the other end of the line sending shivers down his spine.

He has bolted out of the class without a word, and ran straight to the hospital, ignoring the stitch forming in his side. By the time he had reached her room, he was completely out of breath. But he didn't care. All he cared about was seeing if it was true.

He hesitated outside the door for a second, unsure of what to do. What would be waiting in there for him? Closing his eyes, Ganta took a deep breath, and stepped inside the room. The second he saw her, he felt his heart stop.

Sitting up in the hospital bed, the sterile white bedsheets pooled around her waist, was Shiro. She wore a pale white nightgown, which compliment the pale white of her skin. Her red eyes were distant and far away, almost as if her mind and her body was separate. But seeing her awake, after 6 long months of her being asleep, it made Ganta feel an incredible happiness. Shiro was alive. She was awake. She was OK.

But something was stopping Ganta from walking over to her. He had visited Shiro every day for the past 6 months, telling her about his days at his new school about the new friends he had made. But seeing her awake like this, it brought back so many memories. His classmates and friends dying, Mimi's head, severed from her body. Everything that had happened at Deadman Wonderland. The Carnival Corpses, the Dog Race. The Undertakers, watching as his friends put their lives on the line all over again. And at the centre of it all had been Shiro. The Wretched Egg.

But Ganta knew as well that it hadn't been Shiro's fault. The torture and experiments she had endured as a child, it warped her. That...that was his fault. His Mother's fault. For the longest time he had hated the Wretched Egg, hated Shiro when he knew who she really was, but he loved her. She had protected him in Deadman Wonderland, helped him become strong. And he understood her. No, he no longer hated her, only felt a fierce love for her. But could he ever forgive her? He wanted to...he wanted to forgive her. But he wasn't sure he could.

Ganta was still standing at the door when Shiro finally turned towards him, her eyes focusing and locking onto his. They stared at each other in silence for a moment, neither of them seemingly able to speak. The last time they had seen each other, it seemed like maybe they would be OK. Their crystals had shattered, rendering them no longer Deadmen. It seemed like they would be able to live happily ever after until, until she had fallen into the coma.

But now, now she was awake again, and Ganta wasn't sure what he should do. This Shiro wasn't the Shiro he knew in DW, but nor was she the Wretched Egg. She was something in between. The real Shiro.

It was Shiro who broke then silence that lingered between them.

"Ganta." She said slowly, almost as if she was testing the name on her lips. "You came."

Hearing her words, Ganta couldn't help but smile. "Of course I came you idiot." He said, and walked over to her bed. "I've been coming here for the past 6 months to see you."

Shiro seemed taken aback by his statement. "I've been asleep for that long?" She asked turning away from him as he neared her. Ganta nodded as he sat down in the chair he had become so well acquainted with while visiting her.

"Yeah. I was so scared you wouldn't wake up." Ganta whispered, looking at her. She had lost weight, and it hurt to see. What hurt more was the scars that covered her arms and fingers, scars that really should have been his. Not that he didn't have his fair share of scars now.

Shiro's face turned red and she quickly looked down at the bed, and away from Ganta. There was more silence for until Shiro spoke up again.

"I could hear you." She said hesitantly. "I was lost in the darkness, after our crystals shattered. I was so lost, I thought I was losing myself. But then I heard Ganta's voice, and bit by bit, I was able to crawl out of it. I didn't know if it was really you or not, but it didn't matter. It still gave me the strength to come back."

Ganta listened to her silently, his heart racing as she spoke. He had helped wake her up. He helped bring Shiro back to this world. It made him feel happy, and he couldn't help but smile. But why wouldn't she look at him?

"I'm just glad your awake." Ganta said as he gentle placed his hand on one of her scarred ones. Shiro flinched slightly, but didn't pull away. Ganta wasn't sure what she was thinking, couldn't possibly know what she was thinking. But right now, despite his own hesitations and insecurities, he knew one thing. He wanted Shiro to be safe. To be happy. "Shiro." He said, taking a deep breath. "I want you to come with me when you are released. I have an apartment thanks to student housing. And since DW was destroyed, I know you have no where else to go. So...come with me."

For the first time since Ganta had entered the room, Shiro looked up at him, her eyes wide with disbelief. Ganta watched as she swallowed, and slowly nodded. "If that's what Ganta wants, then I'll come with him." She said quietly.

Ganta smiled at her, and she returned it weakly. Ganta knew they had a lot of things to overcome, the both of them. But Shiro was precious to him, more precious than anyone else in this world. And he was willing to overcome anything if it meant he could be with her. Even if it was his own personal demons.

"G-Ganta." Shiro said, turning away once more, her face turning red. "Do you think...it is possible for me...to maybe go to school?"

The question caught Ganta off guard, but he did remember Shiro saying that she wanted to go to school back when they had been fighting in DW. He couldn't help but chuckle and nodded. "I'll do anything in my power to get Shiro into school." He said. "I promise."

They had a lot to overcome. Ganta knew this. But, as Shiro smiled at him, the first true smile he had seen since she had woke up, something told him they were moving in the right direction.