Reunion, headcanon fic, role-swapped Shion/Nezumi. Give it a try, it's horribly different, but maybe you might like it as much as I do. Mild romance. Actually nearly non-existant, until the end that comes 4000 words later. It's long and draggy. Forgive me.
All gender references are intentional, because Eve plays a huge part in this fic as well.
Thanks to Takoizumegane who helped me edit some stuff!
Enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own No.6, or Hamlet.
There were two graves now - one for his childhood friend/playmate/girlfriend? and one for his mother. On a hill. Somewhere in between No.6 and the old rubbish dump. Perhaps the line of graves would form another wall. A morbid one.
Frustrated, tortured, defeated, he curled up on the grass next to his mother. His deceased mother.
Maybe he would join her someday.
Not yet. Not yet.
His mother's voice resounded within him, filling him with purpose, as he slowly uncurled himself, and stood up.
Not yet.
She (he?) sat in her dressing room, absently dabbing the sponge with foundation and smothering it on her face. The lipstick stood on the table, next to the blush and liquid eye-liner, waiting to be used.
A cold wind blew in from the exit door at the side, sending shivers down her spine.
Eve set down the powder, moving on to the pink blush, just as absently dusting the rose coloured pigment on her cheeks. Show was going to start soon.
The bone-chilling gust was cut short by a thud of the door, shut by one of the new stage hands who was in an anxious tizzy to please the manager. Dear little interns.
As he rushed past her to prepare the costumes and bring them out, she noticed it was a mop of white - it wasn't HIM, was it?
Snapped out of his stupor, Nezumi swivelled, gaze chasing after the young boy.
Nope.
White hair was simply the fashion these days.
Lasers. Cuts, blinds and illuminates easily. Perfect for travelling with it's light-weight and small size. Order them in your local stores today!
He examined his new weapon of choice before slotting it into his coat pocket.
She applied her lipstick, and was duly shuffled by the hyper newbie from backstage to the wings.
It's for the audience, she reminded herself, it's because I love theatre, it's because I want this.
The opening address was made by the owner of the stage company, the applause was enthusiastically given, and the tall, thick, crimson velvet curtains were drawn open.
Obviously the intern didn't know the story of Hamlet, which was quite surprising to Eve. As an intern, one would be expected to be studious, hard-working and eager to please his betters. Ophelia was only supposed to come out after the meeting of the friends, followed by Hamlet's meeting with his father's ghost. There was still plenty of time to spare before it was necessary for her to make her way to the wings to prepare for her semi-grand entrance.
It was too late to say anything though, and whatever one said in the wings behind the curtains could be easily heard by the audience. Annoyed, Eve rolled her eyes in the poor intern's direction, and found a seat not too far away.
She smoothed out her skirt, and watched the mute performance from the little television in the backstage.
He stepped into the library, the scarf flapping against his back abruptly going limp at the sudden lack of wind inside.
It was warm. Nice and warm. And carpeted, and big. Welcoming and cozy.
One of the ten computer terminals were empty, the rest being used primarily by teenagers with their juvenile fingers, tick-tacking away at the keyboards. Someone's music was playing a little too loud through her headphones. How disturbing.
Maybe the white-haired man had a great fraction of his innocence drained from his face, but he still looked young enough, and not too suspicious yet. If one looked closely, they could observe that an eyebrow was singed, but that was it; the only hint of anything slightly violent. Besides that, it was happy, healthy Shion all the way.
Internet Explorer was the only browser they had? How sad. Some people just didn't know how to upgrade.
His now nimble fingers typed three words in the search bar: hamlet tour eve.
"He hath, my lord, of late made many tenders, of his affection to me," Ophelia confessed, as Eve gave a convincing lovestruck face to accompany the dramatic line.
"Affection! pooh!" Lord Polonius rebuked. "You speak like a green girl, unsifted in such perilous circumstance. Do you believe his tenders, as you call them?"
"I do not know, my lord, what I should think."
Stepping on the brakes, he slid off the bicycle he'd picked up along the way to the pier. It was even colder here - way, way colder, and he tucked his hands under his armpits as he made his way through the mist.
There was a rustle behind a stack of crates.
Shion whipped out his laser.
A huge mutt, with a scrawny body, limped out from it's shelter, whimpering, tail between its legs. Dark brown fur, tangled and dirt-laden. Scars littered it's body - and part of its neck where the skin had been ripped off, probably by another dog; revealed a pink, raw layer of flesh beneath.
Shion's eyes widened when he saw the dog, attempting to walk without putting pressure on it's right front paw.
Slowly, he knelt down in front of the animal as it approached him. Warily, his eyes scanned the surroundings to ensure that no one would witness their interaction. The stray took a whiff. At once, the stray identified the stranger in front of it - he'd recognise the smell of his scrubber any day. The white hair gave him away too.
For the first time in 5 years, he was reunited with one of the dogs he'd come to care for so much. It reminded him of the past. The good times; with Inukashi, with Him.
"I'm sorry I can't do anything about that, Rover," one infected whispered to the other, letting down his queer facade for a while, tongue becoming acquainted with the pronunciation of words. "Would it trouble you to come along with me?"
Eagerly, as if comprehending his request, Rover's eyes lit up, tail wagging in enthusiasm.
"It's a deal, then." Shion shook his companion's paw.
He got up and continued trekking through the mist towards the port, this time with Rover happily tagging along at his heels.
There is a willow grows askant the brook…
There on the pendant boughs her coronet weeds
Clamb'ring to hang, an envious sliver broke,
When down her weedy trophies and herself
Fell in the weeping brook. Her clothes spread wide,
And mermaid-like awhile they bore her up,
Which time she chanted snatches of old lauds,
As one incapable of her own distress…
- Ophelia's death, as told by Queen Gertrude (Act 4, Scene 5)
Bouquets of exotic flowers in every colour, hair ornaments embossed with gold and embedded with jewels, dresses imported from everywhere made with luxurious materials. Such was the familiarity of Eve's "after party". Not that all the gifts were hers to keep. She could only keep a fraction of them. The rest were pawned and the money went to the funds for the company.
How captivated by Ophelia's insanity at the dinner table, and how losing her mind was so REAL, it's like the actress herself had lost her mind along with the character! Of course it wasn't so, yeah?
A bunch of young men were making a racket behind the backstage exit, yelling for an encore. They would do whatever to get her autograph, a drink, sex even - they wouldn't stop at anything. What would they do when they find out that their precious Eve-sama was a male? Hah!
Either way. It's not like he held much interest in those of the female gender. Then again, he wasn't attracted to guys. Just one. Just him.
Travelling to a destination halfway across the world isn't exactly the easiest task, not on a cargo ship at least. It requires a large investment of your time and requires good hiding skills.
Shion managed to bypass a bunch of security personnel, and Rover supplied distractions whenever needed. He was a good dog. The best dog. The laser also did wonders - along with the blueprint of the ship pick-pocketed from an official, it was easy to move through the vents and locate the holding area for crates containing online shipping goods. Although it wasn't the most comfortable environment to be in, it would have to do. It was by far better than a room full of fresh slippery fish.
Food would have to be snitched from the galley, just five doors down. The bathroom was also a short distance away, and any creature with eyes that might be encountered could be blinded temporarily with a laser.
In dire need of sleep, Shion lay his head down hidden behind boxes, with Rover standing guard.
The theatre company didn't like staying in one spot for very long. More venues gone to, more money, more popularity.
Which was a pity, especially for those who happen to like the city they're in - this city especially happens to have a lot of historical monuments, like a crumbling lady in the harbour. It would be really nice to go sight-seeing, and really make use of this opportunity being in a new place. Enriching, and new, and blahblahblah-
-well. Eve didn't really like sight-seeing.
It'd always kinda been this way? He/she was always fine curled up in a corner and reading a book. And maybe with a mug of coffee or hot chocolate, sitting up in the bed, blankets pulled up to the knees, and the domestic sound of, uh, someone, going around doing little duties like dusting the bookshelves or fluffing the cushions or feeding the fake mice or cooking dinner. Only one person could create such a calming, homely soundscape back in his humble abode on the outskirts of No.6.
Warm, and comfortable, and not-so-solitary. That was his idea of a holiday.
Unfortunately, he didn't even get this sort of break in the theatre company. There might have been coffee, but the cheap kind, the type crammed with caffeine which tastes vaguely like black dishwater. No beds, for sure. The hard plastic chair would have to do. No blankets, definitely. Definitely no sweet domestic sounds, but instead the noise of footsteps made by the people scurrying around like ants to prepare, prepare, prepare. Drunks hollering in the corridors and the smell of booze seeping through the cracks beneath the door. Falsetto voices permeating through the walls. Voices much too high for Eve's liking-made his ears itch and bleed internally.
A pity, because one of the stagehands (not the new one) had managed get his hands on a copy of the limited edition Fifty Shades of Grey, and Nezumi was desperate to read and ridicule at how bad it was. He needed a laugh.
Anything to distract him from the emptiness echoing in his temporary room.
Rover was such a good dog. He knew better than to bark in certain circumstances.
He crawled over to Shion and nudged his master's shoulder. Nudge nudge. Nudge nudge nudge. Slobber. Slobber slobber slobber. Lick.
Shion couldn't detect any sign of danger after being abruptly awoken. In fact, there was nothing different about the setting. However, Rover kept nudging and nudging, and frantically licking his master's feet. His nose was telling him something. And Shion realised that it would be wise to follow his dog's nose, to prevent any possible complications. One must never doubt a dog's nose.
Footsteps. Getting louder by the second. Shion doubled up his pace and scrambled up the mountain of crates. Rover lept easily from one crate to another, while Shion did his best to heave himself up onto the crates, using the edges as levers. The vent was on the top of the wall in the corner. Any time now...
There! Finally.
Quickly, Shion whipped out his laser and trained it on the metal bars. All he needed was one bar open for him to squeeze through...
The footsteps were fast approaching. A hand grasped the doorknob from the outside. The rattling of keys.
Mr. Fugitive was panicking now. The men would spot him. Even more desperately, he kept slashing the laser beam across the bar, but at last it fell off, and in he crawled, Rover close behind, narrowly missing the two men who strode in.
Shion breathed a sigh of relief. They were safe. For now. Nobody would care to check if the vent was a little wrecked. Right?
Their last show was over. Finally. It'd been a tiring week and an extra exhausting night.
The flowers were given to a childrens' home, the props wrapped in bubble-wrap, the costumes ironed and stored away in a trailer. Meanwhile, a whole troop of people climbed aboard the double-decker bus, set to head to their next performance venue approximately 1200 miles away. It would be a long ride, and they'd only reach their destination next evening at the earliest. Meanwhile packed lunches and the small toilet at the corner of the bus would suffice. How did the food stay fresh, anyway? (or maybe it wasn't fresh. Gasp!)
Nezumi took the seat right at the back of the top deck and wrapped himself in a thin blanket, head resting against the window. The director was undoubtedly insane, insisting on getting the actors to the next venue right after a performance.
It took a little while to get to sleep - a bunch of the younger actors were still awake and playing strip poker, and making a loud noise at that. Ugh. They'd learn to treasure their sleep after a while of being in the show business.
That statement made Nezumi sound so old. Gosh.
He dreamed of body heat.
He daren't even whisper. Echoes carried easily in the vents, and he had no intention of being found out.
At the same time, staying in the musty vent was not exactly the best hideout - especially since he'd have to survive there for a couple more days. Food would become a problem as well, after a while; he only had a loaf of bread, two cans of tuna and a couple of apples. He planned to save the can fish for Rover.
He was grateful to Rover, he understood how difficult it must be for a dog to keep quiet for such a long period of time. Rover had been a good dog for the past day, reading the tension in the air and knowing that it wouldn't do to whimper or bark in the situation they were in.
Well, that was what Shion thought was going on in his dog's brain. He couldn't read minds.
He rolled out the blueprint of the ship again, and pointed the laser somewhere off the paper but near enough to create a light. Narrowing his eyes, he examined the floorplan of the vessel.
They had come from Point A, the room all the way at the port of the ship. Now they were travelling to the kitchen, Point B, which was a few intersections away now. Then hopefully he could restock his food supply by taking some choice morsels, breathe a little, perhaps take a leak, and go back in to find another place.
It seemed like a pretty easy plan, provided no one saw them. And white hair wasn't exactly the best colour for stealth.
True enough, the kids were in deep sleep by the time Nezumi opened his eyes again, slumped on the floor, cards scattered around. Some still half dressed and snuggling together.
The poor kids couldn't even last through the night? Not that he could blame them, actually. There's no business like show business, and if anything show business was tiring.
Outside, the sun was rising, casting a warm orangey glow on the city. It would still be awhile before they'd reach their destination, and meanwhile the lead actress wanted his breakfast.
Rubbing his eyes and giving a very soft yawn, he slowly stood up and trudged down the stairs to the first storey of the bus for his food. They handed over a box of mushy carbonara with bits of rubbery ham, and he duly accepted the plastic container before heading upstairs again. Cracking open the box, he twirled his spoon in his right hand before digging in.
It tasted horrible. Couldn't they serve something a little more heartwarming like stew? The stew he made was the best. Slightly spicy with sweet carrots, potatoes and the occasional chunks of beef- there he went, reminiscing again. No use fussing over what would never be.
The coast was clear, and once again Shion briefed Rover on the details.
"I get inside, raid the fridge for frozen meats, and get a loaf of bread and some other biscuits. If time permits, I can check out the pot on the stove and see what they've got inside that's bubbling. You stand guard at the door and tell me if you smell anything. Okay?"
Rover nodded solemnly.
"Good dog." Shion ruffled his head in approval, and both of them jumped from the vent to the floor. At once, the human opened the fridge and grabbed all the food he could stash - a slab of ham, a couple of cheeses and carrots. Slotting them into his backpack, he closed the fridge and opened a cabinet in the corner, revealing a few loaves of bread, cans of baked beans and sardines, and jumbo sized packs of crackers. He took one of each. Grabbing an extra loaf of bread just before he closed the cabinet.
Rover hadn't spotted anyone yet, and his bag still had a little space for more. Hesitantly, he pried open the cover of the big pot, revealing a huge mass of hot, bubbling, tasty meat stew. Brown and rich, with carrots and onions and potatoes floating at the top, along with morsels of beef here and there. The smell wafted all over the room, causing both Shion and Rover to salivate.
That was it. They were taking some stew.
He borrowed a bowl and plate from the cupboard, and heaped ladles of stew into the bowl. After that he closed the bowl with the plate, wrapped it tight with cling film, and slowly lowered it into his bag, and they were done.
Making sure they had left no trace, they climbed back up.
Mission accomplished.
Finally, after hours and hours and hours of having his ass stuck to the seat in that jerky vehicle, they reached the next theatre they would be performing in for the next two weeks or so. It felt good to stand on solid ground after the long hours cooped up in that poor excuse for a coach. What a luxury.
There was a long list of things to do the moment they alighted from the bus- unload the luggage, prepare lodging and food for everyone, iron out the costumes, get the coffee brewer going, set up the lighting and sound equipment, keep the kids pacified, keep the cast content, and keep everyone in between hard at work.
They were transferred from the theatre to a nearby hotel. A cheap one, with a faulty air conditioning system and mould growing on the walls, but a hotel all the same.
Yawning, Nezumi stepped out of the bus. "Where are we now?" he asked the stage manager, rubbing his eyes in an attempt to snap out of his state of sleepiness.
The stage manager looked up from her clipboard as she ticked off props being unloaded from the truck. "Hexagon, or the old community No.6. Best be off to your hotel room now Eve. Can't have our star coming to work with eyebags and a grumpy mood now can we? Run along, the producer has the keys."
At that time he hadn't fully gained his bearings and had not processed the significance of the place they were in, but later on in the comfort (or not so) of his room, he thought a bit, and thought some more, and woahwoahwoah wait what?
He resisted the urge to look outside the window, and instead opted to fall back on his bed in frustration. He tried to catch some zzzs.
He never did.
Finally, the ship entered the port. Thank goodness. Staying in the cramped up makeshift home of a vent was extremely annoying.
It was hard to sneak out of the ship without anyone seeing, especially with an overexcited Rover, but eventually they got out safely. Shion never thought he'd ever be so happy to see dry land, instantly planting himself on the ground and kissing it with utmost respect.
He squinted into the distance. There he was, back in his old home of No.6, and he still didn't know where to go or what to do. It was late at night, and he needed somewhere to stay.
(even though housing really wasn't a problem, and after living in a vent for an extended period of time, crashing in the streets would be deemed as comfortable.)
Dizzily, he wandered through the streets, attempting to regain his land legs. By the time he found an inn it was 4am, and he was glad to collapse into his not-so comfortable bed with not-so crisp white sheets to have a nice, well deserved rest.
He never did.
Opening night!
As always on opening and closing nights, there was an extreme flurry about the theatre. People moving around carrying huge sets or small bits of furniture, the make-up artists outdoing themselves and making the cast look like clowns. "You'll thank us later!" they said. "If you had any less you'd all look like ghosts!" they said.
The actors and actresses were all backstage getting prepped. Last minute changes to the script, or sudden needs for alterations of outfits were all dealt with in the last few hours.
Eve sat at her dressing table expressionlessly, staring back at herself.
Whoooo is that girl I seeee, staring straaaaaight back at meeeeee-
HahahahahaNO.
Rover had to stay outside, because it was the theatre and posh people didn't like furriness unless it was on them-styled as a coat or something. The moment Shion left him, however, Rover went exploring in the streets, and ended up in someone's familiar embrace.
Shion paid for the ticket and found a nice seat somewhere in the back corner. Near the exit. Just in case.
The performance went by in a blur, marvellous as always. And as always, Eve never failed to capture the hearts of all with her lovely monologues and her going batshit crazy. They simply flocked to watch her go berserk. Honestly, Nezumi didn't see why he got so much attention for that, it was easy! or maybe it was something that just came naturally for him.
The performance ended smoothly and Eve retired to her dressing room. It had been a good opening night, and most probably they'd have full houses for the rest of the nights as well.
Theatre company staff gave their congratulations for a fantastic performance. Eve spotted a familiar face among the whole crowd: Rikiga!
"You did good, Eve-sama." he noted with a smile, looking the same as always. Nezumi smiled back, completely out of character, but there was a special reason this time.
"As much as I hate to say this, it's good to see you again." A sudden rush of memories flooded his head. "What of Inukashi and the dogs? Karan?"
Rikiga thought a little. "Inukashi's married now - yes, a wonder, isn't it? She's the mother of that baby you sent her just before you left. Most of the dogs dispersed, although Inukashi still takes care of the mother."
A pause. "Karan passed away a while back." A remorseful look. "I'm not sure where Shion went. He stayed in Hexagon for a while, but when Karan died he left. It's been a few months now, almost a year."
He then scratched his head. "No one's heard from him since."
Nezumi furrowed his brows and bit his lip.
He crept out the door just before the performance ended. He already knew how things were going to end up anyway.
Somehow he managed to enter backstage through the door at the back of the theatre, unnoticed, or maybe he happened to look like someone there or something. And now all he had to do was follow the commotion and cheerings in the dressing area, and wait for the right time.
He would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous.
The seconds dragged on.
The cheering ended, and they all went back to their individual dressing stalls to change out. Placing her hand on the cold door knob, she twisted it open, dying to get the dress off her shoulders and slip into something more comfortable.
She did not expect to see what she did.
White hair? Red eyes? This white-haired boy's face seemed so, so familiar, yet not. The red scar at his cheek was still there, and she knew it wound down all the way to his feet, but yet she refused to believe that this man, this man... Her companion? His companion? How long?
Where had all the baby fat gone to? Who was this man standing in front of her?
Shion's lips curled into a smirk, very much like how Nezumi had back then- "Don't remember me, Nezumi? Or maybe now I should call you," he swept into a smooth bow. "Eve-sama?"
He wasn't used to this at all, this change in character, was this truly Shion? And, and how did he ever get so suave and heavens how did he get so goddamn SEXY?!
Nezumi's tact with charisma went right out the window.
Eve's wig swished behind her back as she nervously looked around for an exit (although she knew that deep inside she didn't want to go), and as shock and fear crept up to capture her mind she didn't notice
as he possessively grabbed her arms and pulled her towards him in a tender, passionate kiss.
The second there was contact between their lips, she couldn't stand it - lust overcame her. She thrust so much into the kiss, trying to convey loveyouloveyouloveyou by pressing harder, as his cold fingers trailed over her cheeks and her arms wrapped him closer to her, but Shion broke it off and that kiss ended a lot faster than it should have and left her begging for more.
Damn, when did he become such a good kisser?
Nezumi had to restrain himself from just yanking Shion back and full-on slobbering over this man he'd been wanting for so, so long...
The air suddenly became somewhat more anticipating, more tense, and for a while both of them were silent as they stared at each other.
No talking. Just staring now.
"This isn't me." Shion spoke, interrupting his thoughts. "This isn't you either. You need to get out of this company, swap roles with me, and we need to go back to how it was." Serious and technical as ever.
Nezumi paused, stuttered, still not too used to this whole thing yet. "Uh, how are we going to do that?"
Shion simply held out his hand. "Run."
"Okay, but first,"
Nezumi ripped off his wig and tore off his dress and slippers, grabbing the shirt and jeans on the dressing rack and slipping them on. He looked up, and took his lover's hand. "Let's go."
They left hand in hand.
That's a wrap!
Clairvoyance as the title refers to their intuition subconsciously finding them together again. Does that make no sense at all? Good. This fanfic was not as tension-building as I would have liked it to be, but it was good practise all the same!
Thanks for reading till the very end. It would be nice if you left me a review on how you felt about the fanfic. Have a great day filled with love and chocolates.