Disclaimer: I do not own No.6

Author's Note:
Wooh~ I've actually been wanting to start on this for a while, now, but never seemed to find the time... Anyways, here it is; the first chapter of my No.6 multichapter. It is rated M for possible smut later on, (which I said I might work on in my Lipstick No.6 fanfiction) possibly violence, and maybe even the occasional swearing. I'll be switching P.O.V.'s on occasion, so if you don't like that format... Too bad. Review, please! Oh, and enjoy~

Shion's P.O.V.

The ivory haired boy sat at a table in his mother's bakery, watching as she lit the four candles on a beautiful chocolate cherry cake. She brushed some of her brown hair behind her ear and dimmed the lights. Another woman was there, as well. She was tan, and had very long, dark brown hair pulled back into a messy ponytail. She was holding a child at her side, who was now at the age of three. He had light brown hair, and a small dribble of snot running down his nose from a miniature bubble that grew and shrank as he breathed. His curious eyes searched around the room, mesmerised by the light from the candles. There were several dogs, Rico and Karan, Rikiga and Shion's mother, all gathered around the table and looking right at him with glowing grins on their faces from the candles in the center of the table; on the delicious looking cake.
"Happy 19th birthday, Shion!" His mother said, her voice in a slightly praising tone. Shion managed to force a smile. And, they believed it, although it was fake. He hadn't truly smiled since Nezumi left. Nor did he really plan on it. Without Nezumi and Safu, his life was rather boring. He didn't have many friends, other than Inukashi and possibly Rikiga; although Rikiga and him had more of a father and son relationship than a friendship. His mother was always busy with the bakery, so he had been spending more time with Inukashi due to the fact that he still volunteered to help out with shaving the dogs. He said he didn't want to be paid, but Inukashi insisted, telling him to stop mooching off his mother, and such. The commute from West Block to what once was No.6 wasn't as much of an intense journey anymore, because the wall was gone. Not only that, the crime in West Block had gone down atleast 75%; well, in Shion's mathematics, that is.
"What are you waiting for?" Rikiga said as he put a hand on Shion's shoulder. His hands were rough and heavy, he had a firm grip on Shion's shoulder and shook it encouragingly. "Blow out your candles!"
Shion instantly snapped from his daze of thought and nodded his head. He heard one of the children tell him to make a wish as he leaned towards the candles, and then blew them out. Everyone clapped.
There was socializing, cutting of cake, a board game and then Shion and Karan said goodbye to everyone as they eventually left. And, it was then, that Shion turned to his mother. "Thank you, mama. That was fun." he said as he hugged her, and began to pull away to get his coat and walk back to Nezumi's small home in West Block. He had stayed there after Nezumi left, although he visited his mother's bakery every chance he had. But before he had the chance to pull away, his mother grabbed his arm and looked at him with a change in expression. She had a very serious look on her face.

"Shion, we need to talk before you leave."
He looked at her, surprised. It was rare for her to act so serious. She was always warm and easy going. He knew something was wrong. "Yes? What is it?"
"You're 19, now." She said bluntly and paused.
"... Of course I am, mama. We just had a party for it and everything-"
She interrupted him. She was struggling on how to say what she meant.
"And do you have a love interest?" She asked.
Shion paused, at a loss for words. A love interest? Where did this come from so suddenly? He'd never really considered it. When he looked at himself, he couldn't imagine ever really dating someone.
"Mama, is something wrong?" He asked, a bit concerned for her and himself. He was hoping she wasn't going to say what he assumed.
"I'm almost 50, Shion. I'm getting old. I want to hear the sound of children's feet on the wooden floor again before I die. I want to be a grandmother." She said sincerely.
Bingo, that's what he had expected.
He hesitated, suddenly feeling uncomfortable, suddenly wanting to leave sooner than he had before. "Uhhh..." He said, once again not sure what else to say.
"It's fine, Shion. I understand, you're not ready yet. But, please..." She looked at him in the eyes; it was hard to break her begging gaze, he truly pitied her. "Just consider it. And get home safely."
With that, Shion picked his coat from the coat hanger by the door, kissed his mother on the cheek and did the usual goodbyes, and made his way back to the small underground living space in West Block.
The entire walk, Nezumi never left his mind.

Karan's P.O.V.

She sat on a wooden chair in her bakery, now alone, and let out a tiresome sigh. She thought to herself that maybe she shouldn't have brought that up just yet; it was her son's birthday after all, she needn't pressure him on a day he was supposed to be celebrating. And, while in her lapse of regret in the slightly lit room, there was a knock on the door. She jumped slightly, surprised. She hadn't expected a customer on a Sunday, especially at this hour. She stood up, approaching the door. She was going to tell whoever was there that the shop was closed, maybe give them a free piece of bread that she was going to be forced to throw out in the morning anyway. But she felt a strange tingle up her back as she approached the door. She remembered that ever since the wall had been destroyed there was an uprising in crime in No.6, although it had lowered in West Block. She shrugged it off as paranoia and opened the wooden door.
"I'm sorry, we're closed," she began. Her eyes looked upon a man with a hooded, dark cloak. She had never seen this man before, yet he somehow felt familiar. He looked back at her, his ash grey eyes shined in the moonlight. "Oh, I apologize for the intrusion," he began. "Would you mind telling me your name, if I may ask?"
As if slightly hypnotized by the smoothness in his voice that reminded her of marble, she told him her name. "My name is Karan."
The man's eyes lit up a bit and he smiled, as if that's what he wanted to hear. "It's nice to finally meet you, Karan." He said as he began to remove his hood. He had long, dark hair, almost a navy blue tint. "I'm Nezumi. It's been a while."
Karan's jaw dropped ever the slightest at his statement. So this was Nezumi, the Nezumi that had saved her son, the Nezumi that had befriended him, the Nezumi that sent her messages through rats? She could hardly believe it.
"You're welcome to come in for some tea." She offered, gesturing for him to enter.