No.6 is so beautiful. It's subtle, psychotic, poetic and it echoes.
Their relationship. The heartbreaking realization of it.
How bright Shion is, a blue flower.
How broken and cruel Nezumi is, a faltering rat, a fragile child in the presence of the boy who saved him.
He sings souls away with the wind, showing them how to embrace the light, become one with it, though he knows little of light himself; there is so much self-disintegration and in his moment of darkness, of drowning - as he was surrounded by the tar of his own black rotting heart- he called out for that boy.
The one he loves. The one he has loved since the day of the screaming in the wild rain. How the boy had taken care of him. How he cured his loneliness in an instant. How strange he was to simply accept this unpredictable intruder and help him. Four years that boy suffered for him, not once regretting his decision.
Without second thought, Nezumi saved this life that had so innocently saved his, scraping away a thick black layer of disease from his only friend's neck, watching with quiet eyes as that friend changed form. Shocking white hair and a spiraling stripe of pink, starting around his middle wrapping around only once leaving a thick blushing mark that kissed just one cheek. They danced in the room full of books and music and poetry; aged and cracking sheet music taped to the wall. The wind sang of haunting and cruel things. Nezumi saw the other. Sinking. Cried out.
Love. What did he know of it? What would he learn of it.
And then in a cave of answers with the one who named him, he sang a song. It was madness and magic. It shifted every particle in the room until watery molecules danced in a wild blue frenzy sparkling and exchanging harmonies like galaxies of stars singing to each other. Each awakening the other. Shion, the white haired boy with the sweetly blushing scar finally understood where he had come from. The lie he had believed. The corruption eating away at the very reason for humanity. This bright hearted boy suddenly felt himself with a metallic robotic dead place crushing and disposing of all who didn't comply.
A best friend entirely consumed by the only goddess who could save their toxic metal world. She tore through the plastic and iron with her butterfly teeth. She watched as the rat sang a song for his only friend's soul. She broke into reality with unwavering light, the pollen of an open bright life falling like petals of snow. The petals kissed shion and nezumi. Healed them of all that was physically broken, granted them the hope to finally truly live.
A mother racing towards her only child as a wall between black and white, darkness and light, crumbled. Another gift from the goddess who rained a poem of light from the crying sky. Her son stood with the boy he had come to love with an ache most could never dream of. He wanted so badly to say something as they stood together, facing the sunset from a lonely mountain; everything was peach sunlight and honey. They were finally together.
He wanted. He NEEDED. He longed for Nezumi.
Nezumi stood by his side but turned to leave with no words exchanged. Tears brimmed Shion's eyes. How could he possibly-?
But then- suddenly Nezumi was there.
He gently touched the chin of the boy he had loved since the moment he heard such an honest scream: a howling at all that he had come to accept as reality. He loved him. He loved him. Always. He lifted shion's trembling chin, lifted the face of the white flower. He wanted to taste him one more time. Those lips that had screamed, the ones that had broken into a lonely demon who crawled the earth ever afraid and shown him love. He wanted everything from him. He slowly slowly leaned in towards shion, he could hear a euphoric breath escape from shion's lips and he almost came undone. He pressed his lips to the bright and beautiful boy's mouth and melted into that honey peach sunset. His lips were soft and swollen and Shion's lips opened under Nezumi's, begging for a release of emotion. He wanted to breathe all of his feeling into this boy's mouth until his longing flowed through his blood, pumped the heart he wanted to taste. Their mutual need grew stronger and the kiss increased in intensity, each attempting to reveal all that was within him. But Nezumi kissed with more intensity. So much more. Because he knew he was going to leave this boy; knew they couldn't be together yet. He pulled away to take a breath. Both breathing raggedly, wildness in their eyes. Breathing into each other. On the brink of madness, Nezumi grabbed Shion by the fragile waist, pulling him in closer. His hand making it's way up shion's back to rest at his neck, tilting him back to kiss him more deeply, taste him more fully.
"N-Nezumi...nn..." Shion whispered breathlessly.
He sounded close to tears. He knew. He knew Nezumi was going to leave him. It darkened his heart; he felt an unbearably black pain crawling through his bones, his blood, squeezing his fracturing heart. He didn't know how he was going to survive without Nezumi by his side.
"You'll be fine..." Nezumi said softly against shion's quivering lips.
Nezumi looked into his wide eyes for only a moment, knowing any longer would break him, tear him apart beyond the point of repair. He would be broken glass-shattered- if he remained looking into those liquid eyes. The eyes of a vulnerable angel who had saved him so many times. Nezumi's grey eyes grew cloudy. There was no moonlight left in them. His expression darkened. Shion looked confused, unsure. But Shion decided he would give Nezumi one small gift for the parting. This time, he leaned in to close the space, the galaxy between them. but this time Shion barely touched his lips to Nezumi's. Softly. So softly. A heartbreaking kiss of tenderness. Like a kiss on the cheek. It was the sweetest thing anyone had ever given to the forgotten child of the dying forests. Nezumi returned the kindness, pressed a little bit harder into their whispering kiss as though to say I love you, I will always love you, come find me when you are ready to accept all that I am, all that we are. God he was breaking shion into pixels, he could feel himself floating away, loosing all sense of self and being. Wanting only this. Only him. But he knew Nezumi was right. Nezumi cradled Shion in his arms for too short a moment, another goodbye their breaking hearts and warmth pressing in to each other's. And then Nezumi was gone. But somehow shion knew that it was ok, that he had a mother to heal, a child to watch over and a lot to learn before he and nezumi could truly freely be together. He was grateful Nezumi was strong enough to make the better choice for both of them. He cried out into the descending sun, into the rising moon. Into all that was light. All that was darkness. All that was night. All that was, and would be. He howled at the existence of himself and life and love and everything and nothing and he was free. And he knew they would be together in the end. Nezumi heard that cry echoing through the mountainrange. A smirk crept up at the edge of his mouth. An answer. A happy ending. They would meet again. And the next time it would be the beginning of a wild and beautiful forever.