Those words echoed in his head, over and over, the words of the man he had come to love and trust, even during the four years he had been absent from his life. Never his heart, no, but removed from everything else around him. He did not know what had become of the man, but he knew their paths would cross again. In that, he was sure.

The small boy he had taken from the dead mother had grown to be a healthy toddler in the time the two were apart, with sandy hair and bright eyes. Inukashi came around sometimes, albeit discreetly, to see him. The two were rather attached to each other, and Karan found it sweet. The young girl who had once upon a time helped with the bakery, Lili, played with him from time to time, and he seemed like a happy little fellow.

In the slowly-forming makeshift towns the citizens lived in now, life was simple, and most of the people who had survived became quite helpful to those around them, building up what had been lost; trust, friendship, and the city. He found it amazing to watch as the days went by. It felt like a blur, and the atmosphere had turned from the sterile utopia to a safe, contented community.

To everyone but himself.

x-x-x

Shion yawned as Sai bounced into the room, his happy squeals mixing with Shion's grunts of pain as the boy jumped onto his stomach, effectively awaking him fully. Sai looked like his mother; even now, Shion could still see her lifeless face as she clung to her crying baby. That same baby was now running around in a hyperactive state, talking nonstop about breakfast.

"Sai," Shion groaned, smiling, "Calm down, please…"

"Sorry, Papa!" Sai apologized, still bouncing on his toes as he stood before the twenty-year-old. A few stumbled steps and one sticky hand in his white hair later, Shion had made it downstairs and had started breakfast with a recipe his mother had given him a while back. Speaking of his mother, Karan came slowly down the stairs, stretching and smiling as she saw her son at the stove, doing what she loved best.

"Morning, Mother." Shion said, smiling sweetly at the woman. Sai jumped up from his seat at the dining room table and hugged Karan's legs, hiding his face in the creases of her knee-length dress.

"Goomornin" he mumbled, the words muffled against the fabric. Shion laughed and turned back to the oven, taking out the muffins just in time, before they burned. As he set them on a plate for his jumping son, he anticipated just another normal day in New 6. He might go to Safu's empty grave, or go to town square to meet up with Rikiga… but other than that, everything would be ordinary. Walking Sai over to the sitter's place, then going to help with the building of the meeting hall. Picking him back up three hours later, helping his mother with the newly re-established bakery, washing the dogs Inukashi sent over… routine.

Slipping on his red coat, he stepped out the door, Sai in hand. "I'm heading out now, Mother!" he called, then walked quickly down the steps, smiling softly as Sai took them one at a time, still gripping his hand.

The sitter was an older woman who had been fortunate enough not to go to Twilight House, and was now too old to help with any physical labor, so watched the children of the families, although Shion thought that could still be counted as pretty hard work. After leaving Sai in her capable hands, he headed towards the building site. They expected to finish the frame today, and Shion was pleasantly excited. He wanted the people in the city to have the meeting hall, so they could feel more organized, more tightly knit… more family. Maybe that would fill the hole in his heart that had appeared when Nezumi failed to.

-x-x-

Speak of the devil and he shall appear.

Nezumi picked up the small mouse that had scurried up to his foot and was now tugging at his pant leg, smirking. "Hello, Cravat. Any news?" He pressed a small spot on the mouse's neck, and a screen appeared on the wall, illuminated from the eyes of the small creature. It showed a white-haired boy- no, man now. Nezumi couldn't help but remember him the way he had left him, with a still-youthful face and wide, loving red eyes. At least, he hoped they had been loving, with all his heart. He knew he shouldn't have left after kissing him, but he was a free spirit. He could do nothing about it.

With his attention reverted back to the recording, he noticed the light brown-haired squirt by Shion's side, skipping along as his adoptive father walked slowly, greeting the others who waved and made small talk. Same old, friendly Shion, Nezumi thought, trying to hold back the smile that wanted to grow. He would have to wait. For now, he couldn't face Shion. He was too nervous. Imagine, nervous! He had never quite felt like that before, not even when the sixteen-year-old Shion had shot the man because he had hurt him. No, that had been fear, fear that the person closest to his heart was changing. It was good to see that he was still the way he loved him best.

A knock at the door sounded, and Nezumi whipped around, his dark hair flying across his neck untied. Who could know he was here? Was it someone he knew, or was it just someone checking if anyone was here? Were they going to demolish the place?

He hurriedly tied his hair up, and, sighing, answered the door.

There stood Inukashi, his lopsided smirk in place and shining bright. Nezumi raised his eyebrows in question.

"My dogs could sniff you out any day, Nezumi." Inukashi said disapprovingly, pushing his way past the other and plopping down on the old sofa. "Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if you were dead by now. Why'd you come back to this dump, huh?" His dark eyes showed disapproval and curiosity, even though he would never admit that he cared.

"... the memories." Nezumi answered truthfully, looking over at the table he and Shion had sat at so many times, all those years ago. The metal cup he had used was still there on its side, left there before the pre-Holy Day 'clean-up'. The place had been spared from the destructive government vehicles of its underground location, and Nezumi was glad. He would've missed his home, had it been destroyed. The home he had shared with Shion.

"Never thought you'd be the nostalgic type." Inukashi commented, resting his head in his hand, his elbows on his knees. Nezumi just smirked and turned back to the mouse still resting on the backboard of the bed, eyes trained on the back wall.

"Go to Shion." he whispered, then straightened as the mouse scampered away, squeaking. Inukashi shook his head.

"You've fallen hard, haven't you?"

-x-x-

The mouse was a completely unexpected surprise. Sai grinned as he held it out to his papa, wanting praise in regards to his catch. Instead of struggling, like a normal mouse would, it sat perfectly still in the four-year-olds hands, its only movement the occasional twitch of a whisker. There was something familiar about this mouse, something that reminded him of pastries…

"Cravat?" he said out loud, reaching toward the animal. Sai looked especially happy to see Shion reaching out, as if the prospect of the man and the tiny mouse making friends was the miracle he wanted to happen the most. As he cupped the brown-furred mouse in his hands, he looked into its eyes and noticed an unnatural light. This was one of Nezumi's mechanical mice! But it looked so much like the other, live mouse that had lived in the corner of his old home he had shared with the former VC…

He wanted to set the mouse down and follow wherever it went, but Sai came first. He strained a smile and walked in the direction of his home, itching to run after the miniature robot. As soon as Sai had run to Karan's arms, Shion raced after the mouse.

"Nezumi… Nezumi!" he muttered under his breath, trying desperately to keep the rodent in sight. He dodged small houses and the occasional pet dog, workers lifting heavy loads and shoppers walking home. He apologized to several of them, even though he never made contact, and finally caught up to the mouse, breathing heavily and rubbing the pink mark on his cheek, a habit that showed he was nervous. What had the mouse brought him to?

He looked up to see the half-buried entrance to the underground rooms he had shared with Nezumi. Had the mouse come from here? If so… could he possibly be back? Shion didn't dare hope, but slipped through the door, taking a deep breath to steady his pounding heart.

Preparing himself for what he might find.

He stepped into the room and glanced around, almost feeling a sense of deep disappointment, until he finally spotted a crouched figure in the corner, hunched over a book.

"Ne-" he started, recognizing the tied-back blue hair and the thick scarf wrapped around his neck.

"Doubt thou the stars are fire;

Doubt that the sun doth move;

Doubt truth to be a liar;

But never doubt I love."

Shion stood stunned for a moment, before recognizing the lines he hadn't heard in four years. They were from Hamlet, and one of his favorite quotes, for it had reminded him of Nezumi when he had first read them. A slight blush grew on his cheeks as he realized what the other had just said.

He walked over and kneeled down beside him, placing a hand on his back. "Hello, Nezumi."

The blue-haired man turned his head and smiled, searching the pale face for signs of change. Any sign at all. There were none- just older, kinder eyes. Nezumi loved those eyes.

"Hello, Shion. Happy to see me?" The smile morphed into a mischievous grin. Shion nodded and hugged him, startling him, but not in an unpleasant way. The embrace felt like he had finally come home.

-x-x-

The two walked across the busy town square, towards Shion's house where Karan and Sai were waiting. Nezumi was saying something, but Shion wasn't listening. He was too busy thinking about the hand clasped in his own. It had grown stronger since the last time he had seen him; stronger and more sure. And he was ecstatic to be holding it once again.

They came to his doorstep, and Shion walked in, leading a hesitant Nezumi inside. It was oddly quiet, but Shion didn't show any signs of panic. Instead, he headed upstairs and peered into his mother's room, seeing Karan and Sai sound asleep, hugging each other like any normal grandmother and grandson. It warmed Shion's heart, and he glanced back at Nezumi, who was staring quizzically at the young boy.

"Is that-" he started, but Shion shushed him.

"Quieter. And yes, that's the baby that I saved four years ago." he smiled, squeezing the other's hand. Nezumi responded to the squeeze by glancing down and grinning slyly.

"Know what we should do?" he asked, already pulling Shion down the stairs.

"W-what?"

The blue-haired man walked into the front living room and located the makeshift radio the family kept. He flipped it on and music streamed from the speakers, enveloping the two. "Let's dance."

Shion hadn't danced since Nezumi had taught him, and was afraid he would be a bit rusty and embarrass himself, but his feet moved right along with Nezumi's, in sync perfectly. He laughed, feeling the tension from the day, and in fact many that had passed, lift from his shoulders and spiral away. Nezumi started singing along to the music playing, and the room seemed brighter.

Nezumi's voice brought back memories of the last time he had sung for Shion, the song of Elyurias he had heard, the sweet melody drowning him and refusing to let him die and rest in peace.

The song he had thought of over and over again the last few years, just waiting for Nezumi's return. It made him happier even now, as he slowly waltzed across the room with the one part of the darker years of his past he had wanted to keep close to his heart forever.

"Hey Shion," Nezumi said, shattering the reverie Shion had been wandering in. "I missed you."

The white-haired man was a bit surprised. That wasn't really Nezumi's style, to say something like that. "Yeah…?"

He leaned in, and before Shion knew what was really happening, his lips were too preoccupied to ask anyway.

The kiss was long and sweet, as if apologizing for the years of absence, and shion welcomed it. Maybe even deepened it himself.

After breaking apart, Shion took a deep breath. His red eyes flicked over to Nezumi's dark blue ones, shining in the fading light of the sunlight.

"You know, Nezumi," he started, "You were wrong."

The other looked over. "About what? I'm never wrong."

"You said a song could never save anyone."

There was a pause as Nezumi looked away for a second, then looked back, nodding slightly.

"It's saved hundreds of people. It saved those people in containment as we were driven away from the West District. It saved Safu, which in turn saved lots of citizens of No. 6…"

The other obviously didn't know where he was going with this. His hand tightened over Shion's smaller one.

"And it saved me. Plenty of times."

He stood up on tiptoe for another kiss.

"Your song is what saves me..."

x-x-x

Karan and Sai stood in the hallway, leaning forward to look at the two, asleep on the floor, their arms interlocked, as if nothing could ever get in their way again. Karan had to stifle a giggle as she lifted her adopted grandson. "Looks like we'll have another boy to take care of, huh, Sai?" she asked, happy for Shion.

He had found his precious Rat.

A/N: Hey~! I watched No. 6 a while back, but... just got around to finishing this. After rereading the manga for the third time, hahahaha... So yeah, these two are soooo cute together, and it's just... gyaaah. I wrote them terribly, didn't I? Yeah, I did. Whatever, right? I'll try harder next time [tentative]. And I know that the baby was named Shion by Inukashi (Dog Keeper), but I changed it so it wouldn't be confusing. I wanted something that started with S, like Safu, as a reminder that she played a role in Shion's story, too. I also played on the fact that Shion had muttered the Japanese word for 'rat' a lot before he had started working, after Nezumi left when they were kids, and his mom overheard him... that's why he's referred to as his 'Rat' at the end. Anyway, thanks for reading, bye!