I don't feel very confident about this fic... It's just a scene I had stuck in my head that I wanted to write. It's actually been sitting on my computer for about two months now because I've been so hesitant in posting it.

Oh, and sorry about all the OCs, but we never get to meet any Restoration Committee members in canon, so I had to invent some myself.

Disclaimer.

Closer To You

Haruka sighed irritably. "Where is he? He said he'd meet us at HQ at eight. It's half past and he's not here. Does he not understand the meaning of 'emergency meeting'?"

"Don't be so impatient," her sister snapped from across the room as she poured herself a mug of strong coffee. "He probably got caught up in traffic."

"Nah, Haruhi," Rikiga drawled from behind a cheap magazine. "It's not like Shion to be late. Besides, he can't have got caught in traffic. He doesn't own a car, and he walks to work."

The various other Committee members in the large meeting room – the official headquarters of the Restoration Committee – murmured in agreement. Shion always submitted work early. He arrived to work early in the morning and left late in the evening. He organised everyone else's work for them, for god's sake.

If Shion told them he'd be there at eight, he would be there at eight.

A young man muttered from the head of the desk, "He's been looking really worn out lately. Maybe he just fell asleep."

Haruhi snorted a laugh.

"Where does he live?" Haruka demanded, ignoring her sister's laid-back attitude as her nails rapped on the polished wood with agitation. "We can go to his house and have the meeting there."

"Bad idea," Rikiga piped up again. "He can't even fit twenty people in his house, let alone hold a civilised meeting there."

Haruka raised an eyebrow. "You know about his accommodation?" She paused. "He's always so secretive and vague. I assumed he lived in some top-secret mansion somewhere. Oh well, maybe only a few of us could go, then - the ones in charge of relevant sectors. Surely he can fit five people in his house?" she mocked good-naturedly.

Rikiga dumped the magazine on the table in front of him and rolled his eyes. "We can just hold the meeting tomorrow, Haruka. It's not like we're gonna manage to stretch the electricity grid into the West Block overnight."

She pursed her lips, and a dark-haired man sighed from beside her. He shot Rikiga a sympathetic look. "Let's just pay him a visit?" he pleaded. At least it'll calm Haruka down some, he added silently.

Rikiga got the message.

"Fine, okay," he grumbled as he stood up and pulled on his coat. "I'll show you the way."

"Where does Shion live, anyway?" Haruhi wondered aloud as the small group of six meandered down a rubble path. "We're getting near the edge of the city."

"Does he still live with his mother? At the bakery in Lost Town?" the dark-haired man – named Ryo – asked the plumper man.

Rikiga buried his face into his scarf. "Nah, he moved out few years back. At eighteen. Said he didn't want to leech off his mother anymore, said he should start fending for himself."

"Oh. Where then?" Ryo pushed. "There's nothing much past Lost Town."

"There's West Block," Rikiga replied, taking a sharp left turn into an alley.

"Wait," Haruhi exclaimed from somewhere behind him. "Shion? In the West Block?"

Rikiga smirked into the fabric. "I was kinda surprised, too. He doesn't seem like the kind of guy to survive there – but he manages pretty well, actually." He learned from Eve, after all.

It was another twenty minutes of curious questions about Shion's life in the West Block before Rikiga hit the main street. It was dark, lacking street lights and the market stalls were closed – which only served to make the dilapidated surroundings more intimidating.

"Now, where was it…" He ducked into a narrow, steep alleyway. "Mind your step."

He emerged in a side street that looked as if it had once been a prosperous housing estate. Unfortunately, most of the grand buildings were falling apart.

"Here?" someone murmured.

Rikiga answered by descending down a chipped flight of stone steps, and the group huddled together awkwardly in front of the faded wooden basement door. He knocked before shoving open the door with his shoulder – the lock had broken some months back, and Shion hadn't bothered to fix it.

"Shio- fucking hell," he muttered through a cough as he was assaulted by thick cannabis fumes. "Shion, what the fuck you been smoking?" he grumbled, pushing the door fully open in an attempt to find the man in the dim candlelight.

"Weed," came a calm, floaty voice from the far end of the room. As Rikiga's eyes adjusted, he spotted a flash of pearly white hair – and a pale blue blur.

"What-!"

Rikiga ignored the shock behind him. "Is this why you didn't come to the meeting? 'Cause you were busy getting stoned?"

"Mm, yeah – yeah, probably." The voice sounded entirely unconcerned.

The room lit up with a warm glow as Ryo finally found the kerosene lamp and successfully lit it with a nearby candle.

Shion was draped over the bed tucked against the far wall, his foot against the wall and his head hanging off the edge as he gazed at them upside-down.

However, that was not what attracted their attention. The focus of Shion's colleagues' astounded gaze was not on Shion himself – but on his choice of attire.

Shion was gracefully wrapped in a pastel blue evening gown.

"Uh…" Haruhi muttered. "Are you okay, Shion?"

He smiled widely, and when he spoke, his voice was smooth and the words flowed slowly. "Yeah, I'm great. It's great. This dress is really comfortable – bit roomy, though."

Slender fingers lifted a joint to his rouged lips.

"Shion," Rikiga said quietly, and the room hushed at the tone – was it somewhat – pained? "Shion, is that… Are you wearing Eve's dress?"

"Mm," Shion murmured in assent. "Yeah, I am. It's a really pretty dress, don't you think? It's a bit big on me though and when I walk it drags on the floor… I didn't realise Nezumi was so tall…" he trailed off thoughtfully.

"Course it's too long for you," Rikiga said softly. "Eve always wore heels with that dress."

Shion's pale brow furrowed. "He didn't leave any heels behind. Must've taken them with him…" Shion sighed contentedly and closed his eyes, not attempting to make any more conversation with the party.

After roughly five minutes where only the sound of breathing and drizzle outside pervaded the heavy silence, Rikiga wordlessly turned and left the small flat. His colleagues followed, and as soon as the heavy door was shut behind them, he was buried in a barrage of questions.

"Why was he wearing a dress?"

"Since when did Shion do drugs?"

"Who's 'Eve'?"

"It's none of your business," Rikiga said gruffly, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "It's not my business to tell and it's not your business to hear. It's Shion's business. All I can say is that a couple of years ago Shion turned to an underground rat like me for comfort and the best I could give him was marijuana – and it's Eve's fault Shion needed drugs in the first place."

"Again," Haruka pressed, "who's 'Eve'?"

Rikiga shot her a sideways glance. "Maybe something like Shion's 'true love'."