Disclaimer: I don't own No. 6

Shion struggled against the ropes as they bit into his chest. "Where am I?!" he shouted in the dark room.

There was no answer. Shion yanked at the ropes once more before slumping against the wall. He was starting to get a strange sense of claustrophobia, when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

"How are you doing?" The voice seemed eerily familiar, and Shion recognized that it was Nezumi's.

"What's going on?!" he demanded, struggling against the ropes. "Nezumi, help me!"

Nezumi knelt down and caressed Shion's face. "I'm afraid I can't do that, Shion. You see, I have to keep you safe." He scowled. "No. 6 and them all… They're all trying to hurt you."

"Why did you tie me up?"

Nezumi smiled at him psychotically. "To protect you, of course." He embraced Shion. "I'll never let you go," he whispered.

Shion felt a rising hysteria reach up and swallow him. He screamed and struggled, trying to force Nezumi away.

Nezumi backed away and looked at him. "I'll bring you lunch later." He left and Shion sat there for a moment.

He blinked and shifted his weight a little. Now what? I'm stuck here. I'll just have to wait and see. He closed his eyes as he drifted off into a light sleep. He snapped awake as Nezumi set the tray of food down on the floor.

"Eat up," Nezumi said to him. "I can't have you starving on me."

After he left, Shion managed to paw the tray up to his mouth and ate the rice. Despite the damp and dark conditions of his prison, he did find solace in the rice. It tasted rich and delicious. After a few minutes, he began to feel drowsy. There was something in that rice, he told himself. As he struggled to stay awake, he felt his eyelids slam shut. He felt himself lose his last grips on reality.

Shion awoke to a pleasant sensation vibrating through his skull. He leaned towards the center of the pleasure. That's right. Keep going. Right there..! He opened his eyes to find Nezumi petting his hair.

Shion yanked his head back. "Stop touching me, Nezumi!"

Nezumi smirked lecherously at him, but withdrew his hand. "You looked like you were enjoying it a few moments ago."

Shion blushed and refused to meet his gaze. "I-I was enjoying a nice dream!"

Nezumi traced a finger down Shion's side. "Ah, but your body language was telling me different."

"Only because you drugged me with that rice!"

Nezumi frowned at Shion and crossed his arms. "Oh, you're mad about that? It was just to make you relax. After all, you wouldn't let me get near you otherwise."

Shion glared at him. "Of course I'd be mad! Let me go!"

Nezumi started laughing. It exploded out and reverberated against the walls as he doubled over.

Shion felt a chilling, icy feeling make its way through his blood. It was the kind of feeling you get after you nearly fall down the stairs, but manage to catch yourself in time.

Nezumi grabbed his shirt collar and yanked Shion towards him. "Look, I'm doing this for your own good. They're going to hurt you, Shion." He leaned close and whispered in his ear, "I'm not going to let them do that. I'll take care of you."

Shion whimpered in protest and struggled limply.

Nezumi finally released him and walked away. "Tell me when you need to use the bathroom," he said finally as he disappeared around the corner and up the stairs.

Shion kicked a nearby bucket. "Shit!" he yelled angrily. The metal container resonated loudly as it hit a bookcase against the wall. As the reverberations finally died down, Shion began to feel scared and lonely. The basement was completely silent besides Shion. He twisted against the ropes, hoping to perhaps find a weak spot. They did not give in the slightest, however. Shion finally gave up and accepted his situation. Nezumi had drugged him and held him imprisoned in the basement. The truth was simple to state, however, much harder to accept. The real question, however, was how would he escape? Nezumi was a lot smarter than he looked; he'd figure it out right away if Shion tried anything.

Suddenly, Shion realized how dry his throat was. He licked his lips and considered for a moment whether he should call out to Nezumi or not. After a second, basic human needs took over and he opened his mouth. "I'm thirsty!" he called out.

After a few moments, Nezumi appeared down the stairs once more. "So soon, Shion?" He smiled. "You really are coddled."

"Just shut up and get me some water," Shion grumbled.

Nezumi quickly headed upstairs and came back with a glass of water. As Shion gulped it down, he turned around and started looking at the wall. "I'm just really relieved now."

"Why are you so happy about imprisoning me?!" Shion snapped irritably.

"Why?" Nezumi smiled to himself. "Because I love you. As long as you're here, I don't need to worry about you getting hurt." Nezumi stepped aside moments before the glass shattered against the wall. "Now, Now, Shion. Do I have to tie up your hands, too?" He sighed and shrugged. "I really hoped it wouldn't come to this."

"No, Nezumi! You don't have to do this!" Shion protested as Nezumi knelt down and started to bind his hands.

"What other choice do I have?" Nezumi replied bitterly as he finished. He walked upstairs and left Shion alone.

Shion groaned as he stirred. As he straightened his neck upright, he could immediately feel that familiar tingle. He stifled a yawn as he called out, "I have to use the bathroom!"

Nezumi soon appeared down the stairs carrying a bucket. Once Shion had finished, Nezumi headed back upstairs. The only thing that unsettled Shion was the look in Nezumi's eyes. He was jittery. Shion was starting to see that Nezumi's actions were starting to catch up with him mentally. He had kept Shion down there for a month. Shion knew people must have been getting suspicious. Hopefully, Dogkeeper would get over his aversion to people and confront Nezumi. If that never happened, well, Shion knew deep in his heart that he would die there. Perhaps one day Nezumi would forget about him. Or maybe Nezumi would get too paranoid some day and try and get rid of the evidence.

A sudden fear rose up and clawed at him.

I don't want to die.

The brutal truth to it made him shudder. He knew what would probably happen. And he sure wasn't happy about it. He began to struggle against the ropes. "Help!" he screamed, wide-eyed. "I don't want to die! Get me out of here!"

Nezumi pounded down the stairs. "Shut it, Shion!" he yelled.

Normally, Nezumi seemed calm in the face of Shion's temper tantrums. This time, though, he seemed on-edge and nervous. That gave Shion hope. He stretched out as far as he could. "Somebody help me! I'm being imprisoned in the basement!"

Nezumi pulled a knife out from behind him. His face was pale and strangely devoid of any emotion. "Make another noise and I'll kill us both," he threatened.

Somewhere upstairs, Shion could hear people pounding on the door. "Now, Nezumi," he reasoned, "we don't need to do this. Just put the knife down and go back upstairs."

"You're lying!" Nezumi screamed. "They're coming through the front door right now!" He ran towards Shion. "There's no point. I'll just end it for us both."

"No, Nezumi, don't do this," Shion pleaded, getting more panicked by the second. "No!" he screamed finally in desperation. His scream was cut short, however, as Nezumi cleanly sliced the blade through his throat.

A splintering crash could be heard as the front door gave way. As people started to head downstairs, Nezumi pulled himself closer to Shion's corpse and pressed the knife against his throat. "I'll never let you go," he whispered hoarsely as he swiped the knife to the right.

Fin

Really happy with this one. Thanks to Shion Kawaii for the request. I don't have much to say about this. I was just listening to the hidden meaning behind famous songs and stumbled across this one about a guy getting questioned by the police for the disappearance of a girl in the area. I don't exactly remember the rest of the song meaning, though. Anyway, hope y'all enjoyed~

~Listening to: Spell by Lama~