AU - Set in - about now.
Summary: Sion and Nezumi are high school students from different schools. They meet due to an unforeseen "catastrophe".
Sion's school is called Noshikkusu (anyone see the pun?). And Nezumi's school is called Nishi High (West).
- I hope it's not too much OOC.
Notice: I'm not a native English user.
Disclaimer: I do not own No.6 or its characters - both are the property of Asano Atsuko.
Chapter 1: Turning Point
It all begun when their high school Noshikkusu Private Academy was destroyed.
The cause was a flood, after passing typhoon, that damaged the foundation soil.
Thankfully, no one was hurt or died, except for the property damages, because that day was Sunday - a public holiday, and furthermore, it happened at night as well.
No one could have known that the soil where their school was situated at wouldn't hold out. The prestigious high school for geniuses and rich was built atop of a hill that was a private land of the school's headmaster. The school had its student dormitories (of course, most of the students commuted by their private cars or used the school bus - those were mostly those who were not rich but accepted on recommendation) at the foot of the hill and the hill itself was covered by beautiful green woods from which the white and sand-colored school building emerged like a castle.
This school that was supposed to withstand even the strongest earthquake fell like a house of cards.
The students, though, were overjoyed about the unexpected cancellation of all classes which meant that the students got an unannounced holiday that should last for who-knows-how-long, because, something so big like a school can't be rebuilt in a few days time. However, their joy was short-lived.
After only two weeks of "freedom", they were all called to the school ground. What awaited them was an announcement - until a further notice they'll be temporarily attending classes at a near public high school - Nishi High.
Not to say, it was a high school famous for its herd of delinquents, low test scores and - the facilities were also awfully miserable. That was a hard blow for the geniuses. It was a school for the poorest of commoners, but unlike stuck-up students from Noshikkusu, the students from Nishi High were more free and more alive.
Those students, living in two completely different and separate worlds, now have to mingle together, much to the discontent of both sides.
←№.6→
It was a parching summer morning.
Cicadas, crickets and other noisy insects were buzzing like there was no tomorrow.
It was awfully hot and it would get even hotter as the day goes on. And the insects would get louder and louder.
But still... The summer's just starting. And something like a summer holiday was still way ahead. Schools are still in session.
Two teenagers were walking side by side.
One was a pretty girl with brown hair with length just above her shoulders and straightforward brown eyes dressed in her school uniform that complimented her refined face. She was what one would call a natural beauty. A person had to look only once to understand that she was a smart girl. Her name was Safu.
The other person was more interesting to anyone at the first glance. A white-haired red-eyed boy with a red tattoo, or was it a scar?, that coiled around his whole body like a snake. Dressed in his school uniform, however, only the part of it that started on his cheek and continued around his neck was visible. What happened to him? Is he an albino? were the questions that people wanted to know the most. His name was Sion and he's this story's main hero.
Their names, unbeknown to outsiders, are known to readers. It should stay like that. And it will. That's why, it should be safe to reveal what's the cause of Sion's unusual look. It was actually quite simple. More than half a year ago, when winter was just starting, he overcame an unknown virus he probably came in contact with when he was working with a newly imported plants from tropical forest. Sion was doing research on those plants with one more person. They must have made a mistake accidentally while handling them. They were both infected, however only Sion lived. So Sion became depressed over the death of his supervisor, Yamase, and couldn't forgive himself for living. But he was able to go on living after the doctors told him that those hair and scar were the price and proof he lived. And because he lived, just from simply examining his blood they can surely make a serum that could save more lives in the future.
That experience made Sion understand just how valuable a life is. And he will never forget that fact.
Summer starting and Sion and Safu were on the way to their new school. But it was an old school, to be exact. Does it sound weird?
Their own school was destroyed beyond repair in a flood nearly three weeks ago. It was unfortunate, but at least no one has died. That's great. Sion was pondering about that and every once in a while he smacked mosquitoes that were trying to feed on his blood.
Safu was also doing the same as him when she unexpectedly voiced her discomfort and complained. "Useless. Those insect repellent sprays are utterly useless! I sprayed myself whole, but it doesn't help a tiny bit. I should sue the companies which make them. Those sprays do nothing more than pollute air."
"I have the same opinion. They're not helping but people still use them and create unnecessary pollution. And even more contaminating materials escape to the air when those sprays are made. Also, when factories create the containers for those sprays it comes with a price," Sion answered in monotone. His voice also lacked energy. It wasn't hard to tell that all of his energy has melted away due to the heat.
"As expected. An answer from an ecology freak," blunted out Safu.
"Hm? This is not like you, Safu," said Sion, observing her.
"What?" she asked, frowning.
"Well... You're complaining," he answered her inquiry with a concern in his voice. Safu doesn't complain about things that are a small matter.
"Maybe, but that's not what you should be saying. The one who's an expert on human reactions and psychology is me, no? So rather, why are you taking it so apathetically?" Safu retorted and ended her answer with a question.
"They're just mosquitoes. And only a few of them. If there were hundreds of them, I would mind it, though," answered Sion with his ever-so-undefeatable airheaded logic.
"Sion..." Safu sighed heavily in disappointment. "I didn't mean that."
"Eh? Then what?" Sion stared at her, puzzled.
She was in a bad mood from all of the happenings. "School. We're going to another school. And we will be going for a long time because having a new building built takes a lot of time. We might even graduate in that school. I searched on the internet. It doesn't have facilities or equipment appropriate for any kind of research. I doubt their library has any of the books I need. Our futures were washed away with that flood, do you realize it? We can just flush all the knowledge we have down the toilet. What's going to happen to us?"
"Now now, calm down, Safu. It's not that bad. At least there were no casualties. Besides, to flush knowledge down the toilet... Girls shouldn't be saying such things," Sion smiled at Safu softly.
Safu stared at him blankly. Suddenly a thought floated in her mind. "Hey, Sion."
"Yes?"
"You're right. I'm a girl. And maybe this situation's not so bad," Safu smirked.
"Well, OK then?" Sion inclined his head. Safu was trying to get somewhere with it. But Sion could never tell what.
Safu continued. "Then promise me you'll protect me."
"Eh?" Sion uttered and looked into Safu's eyes. She had a serious look in them.
"Sion, you're a male, aren't you? And males have to foremost protect females who are physically weaker than males, that's a law of nature, right?"
"Technically yes, but why? Protect from what?" Sion nodded, then asked. There was something about the way Safu said it that bothered him.
"Didn't you hear? That school is full of delinquents. Delinquents are dangerous and especially if they form gangs," said Safu. She was used to the fact that Sion's an airhead, but nevertheless, sometimes it was too much even for her.
"Aah- If it's that, then I heard about it. But we just have to evade them. It's not like we'll be having classes with them, we will just in the same building," answered Sion in a matter-of-a-fact tone.
"But something still could happen."
Safu wasn't going to give up. She was in a love with Sion for a long time. If Sion's not going to realize it by himself, I just have to push him myself.
"That's true. There's a lot of possibilities. I understand that well. But, Safu... why me?" Sion inquired, becoming more and more puzzled.
"Why why?" she asked, looking annoyed.
"Well, I mean... Shouldn't you find someone stronger than me to protect you? That would be the best opinion for you. You know that I'm having a hard time at Physical Education. And-"
"Sion."
Safu uttered, but Sion didn't notice. He was too deep in his thoughts and even started to reminiscence as he went on and on.
"-I think that you're even stronger than me. You were like a ferocious lioness that time in elementary school. I thought it was cool. You won't have any problem, Safu."
"Sion."
"Yes?" when Sion ended voicing his thoughts on the matter he finally noticed that Safu was calling out to him. It took him a second to understand that Safu was displeased.
"Firstly, what you said last. Was that supposed to a compliment?" she asked, her voice void of emotions.
She's starting to be angry, why though? thought Sion. Due to his past experiences with his mom and Safu, he realized a long time ago that women are scary when they're angry.
"Uhm..." Sion thought about it seriously for a moment. Then with the most serious expression he could make, he answered. "Yes."
Safu sighed. "Then, thank you for the compliment... I want to say, but... you shouldn't say such things to a girl! No, you shouldn't say it even to boys, and not even to anyone else! You sound way too rude if you say it like that. I wouldn't be surprised if someone took it the wrong way and beat you up."
"Uh," a muffled groan escaped Sion's lips. Of course he didn't want to be beat up, so he decided to take Safu's advice to heart.
"Secondly. And answer me really seriously here, Sion," said Safu as she stared at Sion intensely.
Sion gulped from the strength of her gaze. What kind of question would she ask?
"Did all of your brain cells die during the holiday or what?"
Huh? Sion looked at her completely speechless. Where did that come from? It had no connection to the reason why would Safu ask for his protection. But, he was asked to answer seriously so he would. "That can't be, right? We were together almost everyday these past two weeks, no? I didn't hear about any case where a healthy person's brain cells rapidly died. I would understand your worry if I were on drugs or smoked or hit my head, but I'm healthy? And I'm not dying either. Dying person's cells die fast. But you should have learned all of this before, no?"
Safu exhaled. This conversation has really drained all of her energy. "Yes," she nodded. "But I didn't mean that. I don't know if you're just half-asleep or if the heat's affecting you, so I will say it plainly."
"Eh?"
"Sion, are you stupid?"
"? Whaaaa-? Wait you don't mean..." Sion blushed hard when the realization of his own stupidity and ignorance hit him.
Seeing his reaction, Safu started laughing out loud.
Sion made a fool of himself and he didn't even notice. He took the things she said word for word. Never once he realized what she really meant by them.
The one to protect Safu could be no one other than him. He was the person she trusted and wanted to depend on.
She was just scared, he thought. "What's going to happen to us?" that's exactly what she asked.
It's normal to be scared of future possibilities. What's going to happen... no one knows. It's not that hard to understand that when a person is in fear from the uncertainty that future gives off, that person would want to be ensured that everything's going to be alright.
Sion understood that feeling when he was at the point of dying. It's a scary feeling. That feeling grasped on him tightly every night when he was recovering after his body won against the virus. He couldn't sleep well, afraid that he would die. During those sleepless nights it was Safu and his mom who stood by his side. His mom would pat his head, just like every time he's fallen ill when he was a kid, as he went to sleep and whisper him "It's alright, I'm here, just sleep soundly." And Safu came straight after school and just like always they had everyday conversations about nothing in particular, and when she was leaving she would always say in a sullen tone "I wish this one person would hurry up and return to school. I'm getting bored when that person's not around. Do you know who it is? You wouldn't know, right? He has white hair and I worry because he started to show signs of AD. He didn't wear his work gloves properly like he should because he forgot. Don't you think he's a senile fool?" Sion would always laugh at that.
Now, it was Safu who was scared and it was up to him to stand by her side. Because she was a girl, he would protect her. Because she was a precious friend, he had to protect her.
"I'll protect you," said Sion in a serious tone, but then he smiled.
And Safu returned his smile. A shy smile that turned into a big one in a second. "Yeah. Thank you, Sion."
Safu skipped a few steps ahead of him and turned to him. "Let's go! I don't want to be late on the first day after the school catastrophe!" she said and grinned. Then she swung her bag around as she turned his back to him and started running.
"Wait for me! Safu-!" was all Sion managed to say, taken aback by Safu's sudden action.
Sion panting behind Safu who was laughing, they ran all the way to their new-but-old school building, all the way to their unforseen future. What exactly has the fate in store for them?
Future chapters preview (it can change):
His name was Nezumi. It seems as everyone has forgotten that he could even have a last name. It was because he made them call him Nezumi. There were those who called him Eve as well. But he wasn't Eve when he was off-stage. It seems they understood. As long as it was when he was acting for the drama club it was fine calling him that. But once he's stepped down from the stage he was just plain old Nezumi. A lone wolf, or in his case "rat", who no one dared to approach. Not even those delinquent gangs in the school. From time to time a challenger tried his luck, but Nezumi made it a point that no one can touch him and if they don't touch him, he won't touch them either. But not everyone liked that.
...
That white-haired kid stuck to him like a glue. But Nezumi couldn't shake him of that easily. Reason number 1, he owed him. Reason number 2, they would be going to school together for a while. And skipping school wasn't an opinion for Nezumi. He had to graduate. Kids who graduated only from middle school don't have such great work opportunities.
...
Please review!
I'm going to decide if I'll continue writing this story or not only when there'll be at least 10 reviews.
Please say your opinion on my story telling, not only complain about how Nezumi didn't appear yet, or writing "I want to read more."
I want to know the reason why would anybody want to read more.