Book One, Chapter One
Disclaimer: Lighting-sama does not own the book/anime/manga series 'No.6'. Lightning-sama does not receive money for writing fanfiction and is not doing this in any way, shape or form to receive money. Any and all recognisable franchises mentioned do not belong to their respective owners.
Bold is the book.
Italics are either people's thoughts or Elyurias speaking.
This is set in episode 7, before the kiss. I wrote this originally for but decided to re-write it both here and on . The translation I use is not by me, it was done by Nostalgia on 9th Avenue on blogspot. Also this is very long because I have put all three parts of chapter one together.
Enjoy
Elyurias smiled, affection resounding within Her as She studied the last of Her children and his companions, each of them unaware of the strands of fate that intertwined all of their lives. Her child, who had cast away the name She had given him for another, Nezumi, the boy-who-was-not-yet-a-man-but-would-be-soon Shion, who had saved Her child's life and continued to do so again and again, who loved Her child freely and without conditions. Karan, Her heart-child's precious one's mother, who loved as fiercely as her son did. Inukashi and Rikiga, with hardened hearts but who would rise to the occasion and help to destroy the parasite city that had killed Her people and poisoned Her land.
But still... They were children, just children who, for all of their trials and fights, did not understand what they were getting into. They could not possibly hope to understand what they were getting into...
The idea came to Her slowly, it would be difficult, it would change everything and She couldn't be sure if it was for the good or not but...one last look into Her child's heart told her, it needed to be done. Stretching out Her power, Elyurias reached out to four separate souls and gently pulled them, Her song reaching out to them.
"Kaze wa tamashii o sarai, hito wa kokoro o ubau*..."
Nezumi stared frozen at Inukashi it-it couldn't be true. Shion...was asking about the Correctional Facility? Inukashi, the stupid mutt, had to be wrong, had to be. 'But what if he isn't? What if at this moment Shion is getting ready to go leave for the Correctional Facility? To leave you? But you don't need anybody, right? Nezumi beat back the thought, Shion wasn't going to leave, and even if he did. It wouldn't be Nezumi's problem. In fact, it'd be better if he did. Then Nezumi wouldn't have to work as hard to have enough money to eat, wouldn't have to worry when he was walking through the market. 'Wouldn't have anyone to welcome you home. Wouldn't have anyone to have dinner, warm and ready, for you when you got home. Wouldn't have anyone to keep the loneliness and nightmares away. Yeah you'd be better off alright.'
Before Nezumi could respond - though how would he respond, how could he? - wind rushed around him, through him. And a song, like a dream, one he had almost forgotten.
"Daichi yo, amekaze yo, ten yo, hikari yo*..."
Nezumi gasped, his legs unable to hold him anymore, he had never felt weakness like this. From far away he heard Inukashi's voice, panicked but weak, calling out to him, demanding to know what was happening. Inukashi collapsed and then Nezumi knew no more.
From within her darkened bakery Karan sighed, setting the last of the newly cleaned trays onto the bench, she flicked off the lights and moved toward the staircase that would take her to her small home above the bakery. It didn't seem so small anymore though; in fact it felt far too large without Shion's happy presence there to warm it. Shaking her head, Karan dismissed the thought. She had sworn to herself that she wouldn't cry again, not until she had her son safe in her arms once more. Karan had only placed her foot on the first step when the glass on the bakery door exploded inwards, wind rushing over her, around her, consuming her. And words, from a song. The most beautiful song she had ever heard.
"Koko ni subete o todomete, koko ni subete o todome, koko de ikite*…"
Warm air and that echoing song was the last thing's Karan was aware of before she fell into darkness.
From within his plush room, Rikiga paced. A bottle of whiskey hung from his hand as he strode from one end of the room to the other. Worry for Shion, fear at what he might do because of the jacket and anger at himself for being the one to take Shion to the shop that had held it raged within him. With a sigh Rikiga allowed himself to sag onto the bed, the nearly empty bottle of whiskey being brought to his lips then he tossed the, now empty, bottle aside and fell back to lay on the bed.
"Hoo boy, what am I gonna do?" He scrubbed a hand across his face, "Shion's gonna get into trouble, I just know it… Maybe I should talk to Eve* and the dog brat about keepin' an eye on Shion. Just for a little bit." Even as his face twisted in disgust at the thought of going near that phony Eve, Rikiga began planning how to get both of them away from Shion. Then an unholy gale of wind burst in through the window, smothering him. Echoing around him like the tolling of some great bell was a song. A song unlike any other, the closest thing he could compare it to was the sound of Eve singing. Even through his panic he could hear the words clearly.
"Tamashii yo, kokoro yo, ai yo, omoi yo*…"
Rikiga didn't even have time to gasp before the darkness consumed him.
Despite what that bastard Nezumi thought, Inukashi wasn't actually an idiot. Yeah Inukashi might not have a bunch of books written by dead guys that no one really cares about anymore, but Inukashi did have his dogs. And dogs are good for more than just attacking or being personal heaters. Dogs could sense things, things no human could. And Inukashi's dogs told him that Shion should be dead. That he stunk of some kind of, not poison, but something –almost a kind of venom- and those eyes and his hair, even his strange scar. All of them were apparently because of the same not-venom that he stunk of, that had been why he hadn't been surprised when Shion had explained about the parasitic bees to Rikiga and him.
Inukashi didn't bother denying that he had been worried for Shion when he explained that if it wasn't for the rat bastard he would be dead, even though Inukashi believed you should only look out for yourself, he couldn't stop himself from caring for Shion. He was like one of Inukashi's dog's pups, young and weak and curious. Sniffing around and sticking his nose into everything because he hadn't been taught not to yet. But as long as the bees stayed in No.6 and Inukashi had food and money, Inukashi didn't really care much about what happened with them.
Still, he had been worried about what Shion might do once he and that pervert Rikiga had come to see him asking about the Correctional Facility, so he had gone to speak to Nezumi. And it had been surprising, seeing Nezumi, who would rather die than show emotion, stare at him with barely concealed fear. Fear that wasn't for himself, not really, but for Shion though Inukashi felt like it shouldn't of surprised him, Shion made people care, about him, about each other. Inukashi turned to leave, he had said his message and now he wanted to go home, when wind whipped around both of them and Nezumi gasped. Weakness unlike any other filled Inukashi as Nezumi started to fall. Desperately Inukashi called out to him but his voice was weak and Inukashi fell. The words of the song ringing in his mind.
"Koko ni kaeri, koko ni todomatte*..."
The four humans floated in Her arms, cradled against Her chest as She began to speak. "My child, this is My gift to you. To you and your companions, those who stand by you or will stand by you. All of you're joined together through fate and will change the world… However My child, I have seen what will happen and wish to share it with you."
She sensed Her child's confusion mixed with fearful awe and tentative love, "Yes My heart, all your questions will be answered. You will awaken in a place outside of time. Time will go neither forward or back until it is time for your return. Do you understand?"
Elyurias felt bursts of understanding from all of the precious humans She held and allowed them to feel her love and pride. "Good luck, Niyol, you will need it…"
With a choking gasp, as if resurfacing from a deep pool of water, Nezumi woke up. Sitting bolt upright even as the three other figures stirred, Nezumi heard the Elyurias-sama's - and it had to be Her, only She would of known his name for before - words echo through his mind. '"Joined together through fate"? What does that mean?'
While these thoughts had been running through Nezumi's mind the other occupants of the room had woken and now began to take in the surroundings. It was Rikiga who broke the silence with a loud cry of, "Karan! You're here!" He flung himself at the bewildered woman, hugging her gently. Inukashi sneered at the display, wondered briefly who 'Karan' was and why her name sounded familiar and turned away to study the room. Large, with four separate futons and two doors, both open one showing a bathroom and the other a kitchen. But what drew Inukashi's eyes was the pile of small books, sitting on the kotatsu. A folded piece of paper rested atop them. Inukashi staked forward and grabbed the letter, ripping it open. His eye started twitching when he finally read it,
'Read the books. First to last.'
"Well, what does it say?"
Inukashi turned around and glared at Nezumi, hiding his surprise at being snuck up on. "What rat bastard, can't you read?" The question was biting and sarcastic and Nezumi's eye's narrowed.
"I can. I just didn't know if you could. After all you were raised by a bunch of mongrels. I wonder," He plastered an innocent expression on his face, "What is a person who's raised by dogs? A person or a mutt?"
"Are you saying something about my mother? Huh?"
Before Nezumi could respond a new voice broke in. "Excuse me but…who are you?"
Even before the woman opened her mouth Nezumi knew who she was. Shion had clearly gotten her curiosity from his mother if the way Karan was looking at them now was any clue. Before Nezumi could open his mouth to say – 'Say what? I'm sorry that your son is away from you and living with me where you can't touch him or see him but I'm not sorry because if he were with you he wouldn't be with me.' – Rikiga began speaking,
"As you know dear Karan, I am Rikiga, The dark-haired brat is Inukashi and the other one is Eve but he's a phony. You should stay away from him."
As one Nezumi and Inukashi frowned. Inukashi stalked forward and smacked Rikiga, "If the lady needs to stay away from anyone it's you, pervert." He turned to the startled woman, "So who the hell are you?"
Nezumi stayed silent, unable to think of a single thing to say to the woman whose life he ruined, when Rikiga spoke again. "Inukashi you brat! You should have more respect for Karan! And anyway, Karan is Shion's mother, can't you tell from her beautiful face. Her and Shion look so alike." Inukashi jerked, suddenly intense eyes focused on Karan.
"Heh, what do ya know? You do look like the airhead. Oi, Nezumi, get yur ass over here." Both Karan and Nezumi jerked, Karan spun around to stare, wide-eyed, at Nezumi and finally, finally, Nezumi could move, could speak.
"Hello Karan…it's good to finally meet you…"
Karan began to tremble and a shaky smile spread across her face, "Y-You're Nezumi?" She reached out and pulled Nezumi against her chest, "Thank you. Thank you so, so much."
Nezumi froze, arms hanging loosely and stared down at Karan. 'Why…? Why is she…? Holding me like this… Doesn't she blame me? I'm the reason she lost her comfortable life. The reason why she has to work to survive.' Nezumi slowly brought his arms up to wrap awkwardly around Karan's trembling shoulders. "Why…?" His voice broke, "Why are you thanking me?"
Karan pulled her face away from his chest and smiled brilliantly, "You saved him, my Shion. You saved him. I can't ever thank you enough."
"He saved me first." The words were intimate, only to be shared between the two of them. The two people who loved Shion the most. The moment was shattered by Inukashi's uncomfortable voice.
"So what are we gonna do about these?"
The three turned to Inukashi who still stood by the kotatsu. Nezumi and Karan separated and Rikiga moved to lean over Inukashi, reading the note still held within his hands. "It just says that we should read those books," Rikiga noted.
The four exchanged looks and Karan shrugged, "It wouldn't hurt, would it?" Mummers of agreement rang out from the other three and slowly they settled themselves at the kotatsu. Karan gently lifted up the first book, emblazed on the cover was an image of a boy's silhouette running towards what looked like No.6's Moondrop, the word, 'NO.6' written above it.
"Shall I start?" Upon hearing no disagreement Karan opened the book, "Book One, Chapter One. Nezumi, Dripping Wet,
"Nezumi was in a tunnel. In the darkness, he drew a quiet breath. The air smelled faintly of moist dirt. He inched his way forward carefully. The tunnel was small. It was just big enough for Nezumi to squeeze through, and it was dark. Light was nowhere to be seen, but it soothed his soul. He liked dark and small spaces. I these spaces, no large living things could come to capture him. Momentary relief and tranquillity. There was a dull pain from the wound on his shoulder,"
Nezumi twitched, 'So it's that day…' His fist clenched, 'So I'll find out if you really don't regret saving me, huh Shion?'
Privately Inukashi wondered about the book. It was clear that the 'Nezumi' that had been written about was the same one in front of him, but Inukashi couldn't see how the Nezumi siting across from him could be the same one I the book.
"-but it wasn't enough to concern him. The problem, rather, was with the amount of blood he had lost. The wound wasn't deep. It had only grazed a little bit of his shoulder. By now, the blood should of begun clotting and closed the open wound. But the wound was still… He felt a warm and slippery sensation. It was still bleeding.
Anticoagulant. They had coated the bullet with it.
Nezumi bit his lip. He wanted to stop his bleeding. Thrombin, or aluminium salt. No, not even so much as that. At least, clean water to wash his wound.
His legs buckled. Dizziness overcame him.
Not good.
Fainting from lack of blood, maybe. If it was, that would be bad. Soon, he wouldn't be able to move at all."
Karan's mind and heart raced. Nezumi, the mysterious being whose name her sons would whisper in his sleep and who had saved her son from imprisonment was, according to the book, in severe danger. Karan knew, logically, that Nezumi was fine. He was sitting beside her after all, the heat from his body warming her side. She took in a deep breath and continued to read.
"But maybe I wouldn't mind.
He heard a voice inside him.
Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to curl up, unable to move, shrouded in damp darkness. He would nod off to sleep, a long sleep – and peaceful death. It wouldn't hurt, not that much. I might feel a little cold.
Inukashi froze, he couldn't believe that, Nezumi who irritated and annoyed him, had thought about giving up, of laying down and dying. It seemed so impossible.
"No, that would be taking it too lightly. His blood pressure wold plummet, he would have trouble breathing, his limbs would be paralysed…of course is wouldn't be painless.
I want to sleep.
He was tired. Cold. Hurting. Unable to move. He only had to suffer for a little while, he told himself. Stay still, rather then struggle fruitlessly. There may be people pursuing him, but none who would rescue him."
Nezumi's lips twitched, his mind conjuring up an image of Shion, both as a child and as he was now, 'Guess I was wrong about that. There was someone who had saved him.'
"Then, he should just put an end to living. Curl up here, and just go to sleep. Just give up.
His feet continued forward. His hands ran along the walls. Nezumi gave a forced smile. His voice was telling him to give up, but his body still doggedly carried on. How troublesome it all was.
An hour left. No, thirty minutes.
Thirty minutes was the time limit for any free movement he had. In that time, he had to stop his bleeding, and secure a spot to rest. The bare requirements to keep living.
There was movement in the air. The darkness before him was gradually becoming lighter. He took each step painstakingly. He emerged from his dark and narrow side-tunnel to a wider area surrounded by white concrete walls. Nezumi knew this was part of a sewer tunnel that had been in use until ten and some-odd years ago, the end of the twentieth century. Contrary to the ground above, No. 6's underground facilities were not very well-maintained. Much of it had been left in the same state as they were from the last century. This sewer tunnel was just another one of those, abandoned and forgotten. Nezumi couldn't have asked for a better environment. He closed his eyes and visualised the map of No. 6 that he had extracted from the computer.
There was a good chance that this was the abandoned route K0210. If it was, then it should extend close to the high-income residence area called Chronos. Of course, it could very well also lead to a dead end. But if he had decided to live, then moving forward was his only option. Nezumi in his current state had neither choice nor time to deliberate.
The air shifted. It wasn't the stale dampness of before, but fresh air carrying plenty of moisture. He remembered that it was raining hard up above. The passage was definitely connected to the upper world.
Nezumi inhaled, and smelled the scent of rain.
September 7, 2013 was my twelfth birthday. On this day, a tropical low pressure-system, or hurricane, that had developed a week ago off the south-western area of the North Pacific Ocean, made its way north, gathering power, until it hit us directly in the city of No. 6.
It was the best present I had ever gotten. I was filled with excitement. It was only past four in the afternoon, but it was already getting dark. The trees in the yard bowed in the winds as leaves and small braches were torn off. I loved the clamorous noise they made. It was the bare opposite of this neighbourhood's usual atmosphere, which hardly involved any loudness.
My mother preferred small trees over flowers, through her enthusiastic planting of almond, camellia and maple trees all over the place, our yard had grown into a small grove. But thanks to that, the noise today was unlike any other. Each tree made a different groaning sound. Torn leaves and branches smacked against the window, plastered to them, but then were whipped away again. Time and time again, gusts of wind burst against the window.
I itched to open it. Even strong winds like these were not enough to crack the shatter-resistant glass, and in this atmosphere-controlled room, humidity and temperature remained stable and unchanged. That was why I wanted to open the window. Open it, and bring in the air, the wind, the rain, a change from the usual.
"Shion," called Mother's voice from the intercom. "I hope you're not thinking of opening the window."
"I'm not."
"Good... did you hear? The lower lands of the West Block are flooding. Terrible, isn't it?"
She didn't sound like she felt terrible at all.
Outside No. 6, the land was divided into four blocks ― East, West, North and South. Most of the East and South blocks were farmland or grazing pastures. They provided for 60% of all plant-made foods and 50% of animal food products. In the north, there was an expanse of deciduous forest and mountains, under complete conservation by the Central Administration Committee.
Without the Committee's permission, none could enter the area. Not that anyone would want to wander into the wilderness, which was completely unmaintained.
In the centre of the city there was an enormous forest park that took up more than a sixth of the city's total area. In it, one could experience the seasonal changes and interact with the hundreds of species of small animals and insects that inhabited it.
A vast majority of the citizens were content with the wildlife inside the park. I didn't like it much. I especially disliked the City Hall building that loomed in the centre of the park. It went five stories underground and ten stories above, and was shaped like a dome. No. 6 had no skyscrapers, so maybe "looming" was a little exaggerated. Nevertheless, it gave off an ominous feeling. Some people called it The Moondrop from its round, white shape, but I thought it resembled more of a round blister on the skin. A blister that had erupted in the centre of the city.
'So Shion, you were already fighting against the chains No. 6 had wrapped around you… A blister, huh? The name suits it.'
As if to surround it, the city hospital and Safety Bureau building stood close by, and were connected with pathways that looked like gas pipes. Surrounding that was a green forest. The forest park, a place of peace and tranquillity for the good citizens. All the plants and animals that inhabited this place were minutely monitored, and all flowers, fruits and small creatures of each area in every season were thoroughly recorded.
Citizens could find out the best time and place to watch or gaze at these through the city's service system. Obedient, perfected nature. But even it would be raging on a day like this. It was, after all, a hurricane.
A branch with green leaves still attached smacked into the window. A gust of wind followed, and its roar resonated for some time. At least, I thought I could hear it resonate. The soundproof glass cut me off from any outside noise. I wanted the window out of my way. I wanted to hear, to feel, the raging wind. Almost without thinking, I threw the window open. The wind, the rain, came blowing in. The wind rumbled as if coming from deep within the earth. It was a roar I hadn't heard in a long time. I too, raised my own hands and let out a yell. It would scatter on the storming winds, and reach no one's ears. Yet still I shouted, with no meaning. Raindrops flew into my throat. I knew I was being childish, but I couldn't stop. It began raining harder. How exciting it would be to take off all my clothes and burst out into the rain. I tried to imagine myself naked, running around in the torrential storm. I would definitely be declared insane. But it was an irresistible temptation. I opened my mouth wide again, and swallowed the droplets. I wanted to repress this strange impulse. I was afraid of what lurked inside me. At times, I find I'm overwhelmed by a tumultuous, savage surge of emotions.
Break it.
Destroy it.
Destroy what?
Everything.
Everything?
There was a mechanical warning sound. It was notifying me that the atmospheric conditions in the room were deteriorating. Eventually, the window would close and lock automatically. Dehumidification and temperature control would commence, and all wet things in the room, including me, would be dried instantly. I wiped my dripping face on the curtain and made my way to the door to turn the air control system off.
What if, at that moment, I had obeyed the warning sound? Sometimes, I still wonder about it. If I had closed the window, and chosen to stay in the adequately dry comfort of my room, my life would have been entirely different.
Almost overwhelming panic flowed through Nezumi, did Shion regret it? Regret leaving his window open. Regret letting him in, healing him and giving him food and shelter. What would Nezumi do if Shion did regret it?
It wasn't regret, not anything like that.
Nezumi almost sighed in relief, he didn't regret. Thank Kami.
It was just a peculiar thought. The one thing that changed my whole world, so meticulously controlled up until now, happened from that one small coincidence ― that on September 7, 2013, on a stormy day, I by chance had opened the window. It was a very peculiar thought.
And though I don't have a particular God I believe in, there are times when I do feel a certain conviction toward the term 'Divine Hand'.
I turned the switch off. The warning sound stopped. A sudden silence fell over the room.
Heh.
I heard a faint laugh behind me. Instinctively I whirled around, and gave a small cry. There was a boy standing there, soaking wet. It took me a while to realize that he was a boy. He had shoulder-length hair that almost hid his small face. His neck and arms that protruded from his short-sleeved shirt were thin. I couldn't tell whether he was a boy or a girl, whether he was very young or older than he looked. My eyes and conscience were too focused on his left shoulder, which was stained red, to think about anything else.
It was the colour of blood. I had never seen anyone bleeding as profusely as he was. Instinctively I was extending my hand out to him. The intruder's figure vanished at my fingertips. At the same time, I felt an impact, and I was slammed against the wall with a strong force. I felt an icy sensation on my neck. They were fingers, five of them, closing around my throat.
"Don't move," he said.
He was shorter than me. Choked from below, I strained to get a look at his eyes. They were a dark, yet at the same time, light, grey. I'd never seen a colour like that before. His fingers clenched. He didn't look strong at all, yet I was completely unable to move. It wasn't something a normal person could do.
"I see," I managed to gasp. "You're used to doing this."
"Wait. You," Inukashi pointed at Nezumi, "Have your hand around Shion's throat, and he's complimenting you?" He shook his head, "Jeeze he's such an airheaded idiot."
"Eve!" Rikiga roared, "How could you attack Shion?!"
Karan however had turned to Nezumi, horrified. "You strangled him?!" Nezumi flinched, cringing away from Karan's horrified whisper.
"I didn't really hurt him…"
Karan forced the hysterical rage down, yes Shion was her son but Nezumi had shown that he did care for him. This had happened years ago, it was over. Shion was fine. "It's alright. Le-Let me, just keep reading…
"The pair of grey eyes were unblinking. Their gaze still fixed, they grew calm like the gentle surface of the ocean, and I could read no colour of menace, fear or murderous intent from them. They were very quiet eyes. I could feel my own panic subsiding.
"I'll treat your wound," I said, licking my lips. "You're hurt, aren't you? I'll treat it."
I could see myself reflected in the intruder's eyes. For a moment, I felt like I would get sucked into them. I averted my gaze and looked down, and repeated myself.
"I'll treat the wound. We have to stop the bleeding. Treat. You understand what I'm saying, right?"
The grip around my neck loosened slightly.
"Shion."
My mother's voice carried over from the intercom. "You have the window open, don't you."
I sucked in a breath. I felt alright. It was alright, I reassured myself. I could talk with a normal voice.
"The window? ... Oh, yeah, it's open."
"You'll catch a cold if you don't close it."
"I know."
I could hear my mother laughing on the other end.
"You're turning twelve today and you're still acting like a little boy."
"Okay, I get it ... Oh, mom?"
"What?"
"I have a report to write. Can you leave me alone for a bit?"
"A report? Hasn't your Gifted Curriculum just started?"
"Huh? Oh... well, I have a lot of assignments to do."
"I see... don't overwork yourself. Come downstairs at dinnertime."
Cold fingers drew away from my throat. My body was free. I stretched my hand out to restart the air control system. I made sure to leave the security system off. If I didn't, it would detect the intruder as a foreign presence, and would set off a piercing alarm. If the person was recognized as a legitimate resident of No. 6 that wouldn't happen, but I couldn't imagine that this soaking intruder would have a citizenship.
The window closed, and warm air began to circulate in the room. The grey-eyed intruder half-collapsed into a kneel, and leaned against the bed. He let out a long, deep breath. He was weakened considerably. I took out the emergency kit. First I took his pulse, then tore his shirt open, and started cleaning the wound.
"This..."
I couldn't help but stare. I wasn't familiar with this type of injury. It had carved out a shallow ridge in the flesh of his shoulder joint.
"A bullet wound?"
"Yeah." It was a casual answer. "It just missed. What's your term for this? A graze wound?"
"I'm no specialist. I'm still a student."
"Of the Gifted Curriculum?"
"Starting next month."
"Wow. High IQ, huh?"
There was a tinge of sarcasm in his voice. I lifted my gaze from his wound, and looked him in the eye.
"Are you making fun of me?"
"Making fun of? When I'm being treated by you? Never. So what's your specialization?"
I told him I specialized in ecology. I had just been accepted into the Gifted Curriculum. Ecology. It had the least to do with how to treat a bullet wound. My first experience. It was a little exciting. Let's see, what do I have to do first? Disinfect, dress ... oh yes, I had to stop the bleeding.
"What are you doing?"
He stared as I took a syringe out of the disinfecting kit, and swallowed.
"Local anaesthesia. Alright, here goes."
"Wait, wait a minute. You're gonna freeze it, and then what?"
"Sew it."
Supposedly I had said this with such a grin that I looked like I couldn't have been enjoying myself more. It was something I found out much later on.
"Sew it! Can you get any more primitive than that?"
"This isn't a hospital. I don't have state-of-the-art facilities, and besides, I think a bullet wound is pretty primitive itself."
The crime rate in the city was infinitely close to zero. The city was safe, and there was no need for the average citizen to carry a gun. If they did, it would only be for hunting. Twice a year, rules were lifted for hunting season. Olden-day firearms slung over their shoulders, hobbyists would venture into the northern mountains. Mother didn't like them. She said she didn't understand how people could kill animals for enjoyment, and she wasn't the only one. In periodic censuses, 70% of citizens expressed discomfort at hunting as a form of sport. Killing poor innocent animals―how violent, how cruel...
But the bleeding figure in front of me was no fox or deer. It was a human.
"I can't believe it," I muttered to myself.
"Believe what?"
"That there are people who'll shoot at other people... unless... don't tell me that someone from the hunting club shot you by mistake?"
His lip curled. He was smiling.
"Hunting club, huh. Well, I guess you can call them that. But they didn't shoot by mistake."
"They knew they were shooting at a human? That's against the law."
"Is it? Instead of a fox, they just happened to be hunting a human. A manhunt. I don't think it's against the law."
"What do you mean?"
"That there are hunters, and the hunted."
"I don't get what you're talking about."
"I figured you wouldn't. You don't need to understand. So are you seriously going to give me a needle? Don't you have spray-on anaesthetic or something?"
"I've always wanted to try giving a needle."
I disinfected the wound, and applied the anaesthetic with three injections around the wounded area. My hands shook a little from nerves, but somehow it went smoothly.
"It should start getting numb soon, and then―"
"You're gonna sew it."
"Yeah."
"Do you have any experience?"
"Of course not. I'm not going into medicine. But I do have basic knowledge of vessel suturing. I saw it in a video."
"Basic knowledge, huh..."
He drew a deep breath, and looked at me directly in the face. He had thin, bloodless lips, hollowed cheeks, and pale parched skin. He had the face of someone who had not lived a decent life. He really did look like an animal prey who had been chased relentlessly, exhausted, with no place left to run. But his eyes were different. They were emotionless, but I could feel a fierce power emanating from them. Was it vitality? I wondered. I had never met anyone in my life with eyes as memorable as those. And those eyes were staring unblinkingly at me.
"You're strange."
"Why would you say that?"
"You haven't even asked for my name."
"Oh, yeah. But I haven't introduced myself either."
"Shion, right? Like the flower?"
"Yeah. My mother likes trees and wildflowers. How about you?"
"Nezumi."
"Huh?"
"My name."
"Nezumi... that's not it."
"Not what?"
That eye colour wasn't that of any rat. It was something more elegant. Like... the sky just before the crack of dawn ― didn't it look like that? I blushed, embarrassed at catching myself spouting off like some lame poet. I purposefully raised my voice.
"Right, here goes."
Remember the basic steps of the suture, I told myself. Set down two or three stable threads, and use them as support threads to make a continuous suture ... this must be conducted with utmost care and precision ... in the case of a continuous suture...
My fingers trembled. Nezumi watched my fingertips in silence. I was nervous, but a little excited too. I was putting what used to be just textbook knowledge into action. It was exhilarating.
Suture complete. I pressed a piece of clean gauze onto the wound. A bead of sweat slid down my forehead.
"So you are smart."
Nezumi's forehead was also damp with perspiration.
"I'm just good with my hands."
"Not just your hands. That brain of yours. You're only twelve, right? And you're going into the Gifted Curriculum of the highest educational institution. You're super elite."
This time, there was no tinge of sarcasm. Nor any hint of awe. I silently put away the soiled gauze and instruments.
Ten years ago, I was ranked highest in the city's intelligence examination for two-year-olds. The city provides anyone who ranks highest in skill or athletic ability with the best education they could wish for. Until the age of ten, I attended classes in an environment outfitted with the latest facilities amongst other classmates like myself. Under the eye of a roster of expert instructors, we were given a solid and thorough education of the basics, after which we were each provided with our own set of instructors to move into a field of specialization that was suited for us. From the day that I was recognized as the highest ranker, my future was promised to me. It was unshakable. No small force could make it crumble. At least, that was how it was supposed to be.
"Looks like a comfortable bed," Nezumi murmured, still leaning against it.
"You can use it. But change first."
I dumped a clean shirt, a towel, and a box of antibiotics into Nezumi's lap. And then, on a whim, I decided to make cocoa. I had enough basic cooking appliances in my room to make a warm drink or two.
"Not exactly fashionable, is it?" Nezumi sniffed as he plucked at the plaid shirt.
"Better than a dirty shirt that's ripped and covered in blood, if you ask me."
I passed him a steaming mug of cocoa. For the first time this evening, I saw what looked like a flicker of emotion in his grey eyes. Pleasure. Nezumi sipped a mouthful and murmured softly―good.
"It's good. Better than your suturing."
"It's not fair to compare like that. I think it went pretty well for my first try."
"Are you always like that?"
"Huh?"
"Do you always leave yourself wide open? Or is it normal for all you Petri-dish elites to have zero sense of danger?" Nezumi continued, holding the mug in both hands. "You guys can get along just fine without feeling any danger or fear toward intruders, huh?"
"I do feel danger. And fear, too. I'm afraid of dangerous things and I don't want anything to do with them. I'm also not naive enough to believe that someone who comes in through my second-floor window is a respectable citizen."
"Then why?"
All of them leant forward, interested despite themselves. Why had Shion helped Nezumi? What reason could he have to help Nezumi?
He was right. Why? Why was I treating this intruder's wound, and even giving him hot cocoa? I was no cold-blooded monster. But I also wasn't teeming in compassion and goodwill enough to extend a hand to anyone who was injured. I was no saint. I hated dealing with hassles and disagreements. But I'd taken this intruder in. If the city authorities found out, I would be in trouble. They might see me as someone lacking in sound judgment. If that happened...
My eyes met with a pair of grey ones. I felt like I could see a hint of laughter in them. Like they could see right through me, everything I was thinking, and laughing at me. I clenched my stomach and glared back at him.
"If you were some big, aggressive man, I would have set the alarm off right then and there. But you were short, and looked like a girl, and was about to fall over. So... So I decided to treat you. And..."
"And?"
And your eyes were a strange colour that I'd never seen before. And they drew me in.
"And... I wanted to actually see what sewing a vessel was like."
Nezumi shrugged, and drained the rest of his cocoa. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he ran a palm across the bedsheets.
"Can I really go to sleep?"
"Sure."
"Thank you."
Those were the first words of gratitude I'd heard since he had come into my room.
Mother was sitting on the couch in the living room, engrossed in the flat-screen television mounted on the wall. She noticed me coming in, and pointed at the screen. A female newscaster with long, straight hair was broadcasting a warning to all of the residents of Chronos.
A convict had escaped from the Correctional Facility in the West Block, was last seen fleeing into the Chronos area. With regards to the hurricane as well, the area was to be put in a lockdown that night. Everyone in the area, excluding special cases, was forbidden to go outside of their homes.
Nezumi's face appeared on the screen. Underneath, the words "VC103221" floated up in the red letters.
"VC…"
I lifted a spoonful of cherry cake into my mouth. Every year without fail, Mother baked a cherry cake for my birthday. It was because Father had bought home a cherry cake on the day I was born.
From what Mother said, my father was a hopeless case who indulged lavishly in money-spending and women, but above all, the bottle,"
Inukashi and Nezumi both turned to study Rikiga, who stared back at them in confusion before blurting out, "No! No! I'm not Shion's father! I was stuck in West Block before Shion was even uh," He blushed and scratched his cheek, "Umm, conceived."
Karan interrupted then, "Rikiga is right, he isn't Shion's father." She sighed gently, " I'm not sure where Shion's father is anymore."
– he was just a step away from being an alcoholic. He had come home one day, in his drunkenness having bought cherry cakes – three of them – that were so good she couldn't help but remember their taste every time September 7th rolled around.
My parents divorced two months after the cherry cake. So unfortunately, I have no memory of my hopeless case of a father who was one step away from an alcoholic. But it was no inconvenience. After being snagged as a top ranker, Mother and I received the right to live in Chronos, along with complete insurance of our living conditions, including this modest but well-outfitted house. There was no inconvenience at all.
"I just remembered, the yard's security system is still turned off. No harm in leaving it off, right?"
Mother raised herself slowly. She had gained a lot of weight recently, and it seemed like an effort for her to move.
"It's such a pain in the neck, that thing. Even a cat jumping over the fence sets the alarm off, and people from the Security Bureau come every single time to check. What a hassle."
Almost as if in correlation with her gaining weight, she had started to call things "a pain in the neck" more and more often.
"But look at him, he's still so young. A VC... I wonder what he's done."
VC. The V Chip. It was short for Violence-Chip, and was originally a term used in America for a semiconductor that was used to censor television content. With this chip, you could set the television not to display violent or disturbing scenes. If I remembered correctly, this term was first used in the 1996 revision of the Telecommunications Act.
But in No. 6, the term VC carried a heavier meaning. Perpetrators of murder, attempted murder, robbery, assault and other violent crime were subject to having this chip planted inside their body. This enabled computers to track every location, condition and even emotional fluctuations of the convict. VC was a term we used for violent criminals.
But how did he take the chip out?
If the VC was still inside his body, his location could be instantly pinpointed with the city's tracking system. It should have been easily possible to arrest him without any citizens noticing. To make news of his escape public, and to enforce a lock-down would only mean that they hadn't been able to find his location.
Could that bullet wound have...? No, that can't be.
I'd never seen a bullet wound on a human before, but I could tell it definitely came from being shot at a distance. If he had blown the chip off himself along with the flesh of his shoulder, he would have had a more serious wound, with burns and all. Much more serious.
"Rather dull, isn't it? A shame, since it's your special day."
Mother sighed as she sprinkled parsley flakes into the pot of stew sitting on the table. "Dull" was another word Mother used more often these days.
Mother and I were very similar. We were both a little over-sensitive, and didn't like to socialize much. The people around us were nice, so nice there was nothing bad to say about them. My classmates, the citizens around us, were genial, intelligent, and minded their manners. No one raised their voice to insult anyone, or treated people with hostility. There were no strange or devious people. Everyone kept up such meticulously healthy lifestyles that even slightly plump figures like my mother's were rare. In this peaceful, stable and uniform world where everyone looked the same, my mother grew fatter, every other word "a pain in the neck" or "dull"; and I began to find the presence of other people oppressing.
Break it.
Destroy it.
Destroy what?
Everything.
Everything?
The spoon slid out of my hand and clattered to the floor.
"What's wrong? You were miles away."
Mother peered inquisitively at me. Her round face broke into a smile.
"That's rare of you, Shion, spacing out like that. Want me to disinfect that spoon?"
"Oh, no. It's no big deal," I smiled back at her. My heart was racing so fast it was hard to breathe. I gulped down the mineral water in one go. Bullet wounds, blood, VC, grey eyes. What were all these things? They had never existed in my world until now. What business did they have, so suddenly intruding into my life?
I had a fleeting premonition. A feeling that a great change was coming. Just like a virus that enters a cell and mutates it or destroys it altogether, I had a feeling that this impostor would upset the world I lived in, and destroy it entirely.
"Shion? Really, what's gotten into you?"
Mother peered into my face again, her expression concerned.
"Sorry, mom. That report is bothering me. I'm gonna eat in my room," I lied, and stood up.
"Don't turn on the light."
A low voice commanded me, as soon as I entered the room. I didn't like the dark, so I usually left the lights on. But now it was pitch-black.
"I can't see anything."
"You don't need to."
But if I couldn't see, I couldn't move. I stood helplessly, with the stew and cherry cake in my hands.
"Something smells good."
"I brought stew and cherry cake."
I heard a whistle of appreciation in the dark.
"Want some?"
"Of course."
"You're gonna eat it in the dark?"
"Of course."
I carefully inched my foot forward. I could hear a quiet snicker.
"Can't even find your way in your own room?"
"I don't happen to be nocturnal, thanks. Can you see in the dark?"
"I'm a rat. Of course I can."
"VC 103221."
In the darkness, I could sense Nezumi freeze.
"You were all over the news. Famous."
"Hah. Don't I look so much better in real life? Hey, this cake is good."
My eyes were getting used to the darkness. I sat on the bed, and squinted at Nezumi.
"Can you get away alright?"
"Of course."
"What did you do with the chip?"
"It's still inside me."
"Want me to take it out?"
"Surgery again? No thanks."
"But..."
"It doesn't matter. That thing is useless now anyway."
"What do you mean?"
"The VC is just a toy. Disabling it is like a piece of cake."
"A toy, huh."
"Yup, a toy. And let me tell you something, this city itself is like a toy, too. A cheap toy that's pretty only on the outside."
Nezumi had polished off the stew and cake. He gave a sigh of content.
"So you're confident that you're going to escape when the city's on high-alert?"
"Of course."
"But there's a strict security check for trespassers who aren't registered. There's an entire system in place throughout this area for people like that."
"You think so? This city's system isn't as perfect as you think it is. It's full of holes."
"How can you say that?"
"Because I'm not part of the system. You've all been programmed nicely to believe that this holey fake mess is the perfect utopia. Or, no, maybe that's what you guys want to believe."
"I don't."
"Huh?"
"I don't think this place is perfect."
The words tumbled out of my mouth. Nezumi fell silent. In front of me, there was only an expanse of darkness. I couldn't feel his presence at all. He was right, he was like a rat. A nocturnal rodent, hidden in the darkness.
"You're strange," he said quietly, in a voice even lower than before.
"Really?"
"You are. That's not something for a super elite to say. Aren't you in trouble if the authorities find out?"
"Yeah. Big trouble."
"You just took in an escaped VC and didn't report it to the Bureau...If they find that out, that's even bigger trouble. They're not gonna let you off easily."
"I know."
Nezumi suddenly grabbed my arm. His thin fingers dug into my flesh.
"Do you really? I mean, it's not my problem what happens to you, but if you end up being wiped out because of me, I wouldn't like that. I'd feel like I did something horrible..."
"That's considerate of you."
"Mama always told me, 'don't cause trouble for other people," he said lightly.
"Then are you gonna leave?"
"No. I'm tired, and there's a hurricane outside. And I've finally got a bed. I'll sleep here."
"Make up your mind."
"Papa always told me to separate my public manners from my private feelings."
"Sounds like a great father."
His fingers withdrew from my arm.
"I guess I was lucky that you were strange," Nezumi said softly.
"Nezumi?"
"Hm?"
"How did you get to Chronos?"
"Not telling."
"Did you break out of the Correctional Facility and get into the city? Is that even possible?"
"Of course it's possible. But I didn't get into No. 6 on my own. Someone let me in. Not like I wanted to come here, though."
"Let you in?"
"Yup. I was being escorted, you might say."
"Escorted? By the police? To where?"
Rikiga, Inukashi and Karan leant forward, curiosity welling up within them. Where was Nezumi being taken?
The Correctional Facility was located in the West Block, a high-security zone. Anyone who wanted to enter No. 6 from there had to apply for permission from the bureau. Those who had special entry permits were free to go in and out, but new applicants I heard had to wait at least a month for their form to even be accepted ― and usually only less than ten percent are admitted. The number of days allowed inside the city were also severely restricted. Naturally, people began to accumulate in the West Block. More people waiting for their permits to be processed meant more accommodation and dining establishments lined the streets to serve them. Still more people poured in to work or make business there. I've never been to the West Block myself, but I've heard that it's a haphazard but lively place. The crime rate there is high. The majority of VCs that fill the cells in the Correctional Facility are residents of the West Block. Sentences ranging from one year to life are given based on age, criminal history, and the degree of violence of the crime. There is no death penalty. The West Block served as a sort of fortress that contained all people and things of criminal nature, and prevented it from entering the city. So for a VC to be escorted from there to within city walls ― where were they headed? And for what reason?
Nezumi crawled into bed.
"Probably the Moondrop."
"City Hall!" I exclaimed. "The centre of the city? Why?"
"Not telling. You probably shouldn't know, anyway."
"Why not?"
"I'm tired. Let me go to sleep."
"Is it something you can't tell me?"
"Can you guarantee that you can completely forget everything once you've heard it? Pretend you didn't hear? Outright lie that you don't know anything? You might be smart, but you're not an adult. You can't lie as well as that."
"I guess, but..."
"So don't ask me in the first place. In return, I won't tell anyone either."
"Huh? About what?"
"About how you were yelling out the window."
He had seen me. I could feel my face burning with embarrassment.
"It totally caught me off-guard. I snuck into your yard and was wondering what to do next, and suddenly the window opened and you stuck your face out."
"Hey, wait a minute―"
"I was watching for what you'd do next, and then this time you started screaming. I was caught off-guard again. I don't think I've ever seen anyone screaming with a face like―"
"Shut up!"
I lunged at Nezumi, but all I felt was the pillow as I fell on top of it. In a flash, Nezumi was up. He slid a hand under my arm, and with a quick twist, I was effortlessly flipped over onto my back. Nezumi climbed over me and pinned both my arms down with one hand. His legs straddled my hips and pressed them down hard. For an instant, I felt a tingle of numbness run through my legs all the way down to my toes. It was impressive. In the space of a split second, I had been trapped, immobilized, and pinned to my own bed. With his free hand, Nezumi spun the soup spoon around. He pressed the handle against my throat, and lightly slid it across. He crouched so that his lips were at my ear.
"If this was a knife," he whispered, "you would be dead."
A muscle in my throat twitched. Amazing.
"That's amazing. Is there a trick to doing that?"
Inukashi burst into hysterical laughter, "Oh Kami, what an idiot! Nezumi you must have your hands full trying to keep that idiot from getting killed." He rested his head on his arms, still shaking with helpless laughter.
"Huh?"
"How can you immobilize someone so easily? Are there special nerve points you press down or something?"
The force pinning me down relaxed. Nezumi sank down on top of me, trembling ― he was laughing.
"I can't believe this. You're hilarious. What a natural," he gasped.
I circled my arms around Nezumi and stuck my hands up the back of his shirt. It was hot. His burning skin was damp with sweat.
"I knew it...you're catching a fever. You should take those antibiotics."
"I'm fine... I just wanna sleep."
"If you don't bring your fever down it'll drain you even more. You're burning up."
"You're pretty warm too."
Nezumi gave a deep sigh, and murmured absent-mindedly.
"Living people are warm."
He became still, and not long after, I could hear quiet, measured breathing coming from him. With his feverish body still in my arms, before I knew it, I too was drifting off to sleep.
When I awoke the next morning, Nezumi was gone. The plaid shirt, towel, and emergency kit were gone with him."
Slowly Karan closed the book, eyes far away, "So that's it…"
"That's what?" Rikiga inquired.
"That's what had such a great effect on Shion that he didn't even care that he'd lost his place in the Gifted Curriculum…" She turned to Nezumi, studying him. "I wonder… Do you even know how much that one night with you changed him?"
Frozen Nezumi simply stared at the woman. He couldn't think of any words. Despite the thousands of words Nezumi knew for any and every situation, he couldn't think of a thing to say to this woman. Woman who cared for Shion, loved him. Who hadn't judged him, or hated him for making her loose her comfortable life.
Thankfully Inukashi broke in then, "What are we gonna do now?" His voice was uncharacteristically quiet, shadowed eyes staring at the closed book.
"Keep reading I suppose…" Karan answered quietly. "But who should read now?"
And it's done.
The * means the following lines of 'Kaze no Requiem' -
The winds sweep away souls, and people snatch away hearts.
Oh earth, oh rain and wind, oh sky, oh light,
please harbor everything in this place. Please harbor everything in this place, and thrive in this place.
Oh souls, oh hearts, oh love, oh yearnings,
please return to this place, and abide here forever.
Now I know this chapter was long, (a whopping 9,297 words and 27 pages on a word document!) but I know that (unlike me) some people don't like reading long chapters, so I've put a poll on my profile so vote on what kind of chapters you like.
Also do you guys like that I've added a lot more description and dialogue, or would you prefer more book less character interaction? (and did you know I found it surprisingly hard to write Rikiga? I just can't seem to get into his head ;A; sorta like with Shion I guess (Shion's airheaded-ness is too much for me…))
Lastly who are YOUR favourite characters in the No.6 franchise? I'll tell you mine in the next chapter so tell me yours!