A/N: Well, I was pretty upset one night and wrote this thing up... Hope it's not too depressing. ~" I feel bad yet proud that my friend was close to tears when she read this.

I don't own No. 6 - never have, never will. Sadly. ;~;

Shion was afraid.

He had been forced to leave his childhood friend behind to die with the collapsing Correctional Facility. His best friend has multiple wounds, and he had killed a man to protect said best friend's very life. Shion had supported the struggling body though the blank white halls as walls and ceilings broke and fell.

He valued that man's life over his own, yet he was still frightened when he suddenly heard a bang as a bullet shot from a No. 6 official's gun straight through his heart. He wanted to cry out, make any kind of noise to warn the teen on the floor in front of him. It was if some invisible force prevented him from doing so.

He only had to wait mere seconds before an unusually warm hand grasped onto his. Shion allowed the raven to tumble down the tunnel with him.

Unable to keep a strong grip on the other's hand, Shion fell first with a loud thump that jarred his quickly fading senses. He could see white, but he was not sure whether that was his hair or his cold unconsciousness seeking his attention.

He fought to keep his eyes open, to stay alive for his dear companion, but this play doomed the star to crash down to reality with the harshest of sentences. He felt himself being moved, voices buzzing around him. He couldn't hear the sound he begged for.

It wasn't until he began to truly sleep that he heard the song. His friend was going to sing him to peace. With that conclusive thought, he allowed himself to slip into the darkness that swallowed him whole.

"Nezumi…"

The sound of a gun going off behind him didn't scare him. If he were to get hit, at least it would've been to protect his dear friend. What truly scared him was the growing patch of blood on the bright white fabric of Shion's shirt. The younger teen had been shot instead of him.

In a moment of panic, unsure of whether his brain registered the thoughts or the rapid movement, he lunged forward and grabbed the other's hand before they both fell down the metal passageway.

He tried to shift them in a way where he would hit the conveyor belt first and shield the turned-albino from the impact, but it was in vain. Nezumi heard a loud, dull thump as his friend fell first, his own body reaching the end of the path not a moment or so after.

Inukashi screamed at them, slamming the button to stop the moving floor, but he was barely listening. All he could think about was the dying boy beside him. Rikaga carried Shion to the floor as Nezumi stumbled over, collapsing to his knees a few feet away. Already, he was feeling the effects.

The two fought against Nezumi's breakdown at the loss of their friend. In the end, the only thing they could do was leave the two teens to their fates in the crumbling building.

Consumed by grief and sorrow, Nezumi attempted to sing Shion's spirit to heaven. It didn't matter that his voice was rasping and broken. He only thought about the body beside him. Slowly, he dropped down to the floor, laying next to the boy and gently stroking his cooling cheek.

Nezumi was startled by the spirit of Elyuurias and Safu, who petted Shion's hair and took over singing the ancient song. As the light formed into a golden wasp, he slowly stood in shock at the shinging gold flecks of light still falling from the sky.

The rat suddenly realized he was no longer in pain. He could feel his arm and leg again, and he had no difficulties standing there in awe. But what he found a second later was the most memorable thing in his life.

"Nezumi…" Shion slowly cracked his eyes open, blinking in an almost tired state. "Shion?!" he heard and there was a sound of something dropping down heavily beside him. Shion rubbed his eyes as he sat up, turning to his dark-haired friend. "It's really you…"

Shion could only laugh. "Of course it's me, you idiot." He was more surprised when Nezumi hugged him out of the blue, their lips locked in a desperate need of love and reassurance.

"Nezumi…" Shion murmured as they parted. The teen shook his head and patted the other's white hair. "Come on you, we've got some people to see, don't we?" Shion smiled. "Yeah. Let's go, Nezumi." Shion grabbed the rat's hand and they walked together back toward the destroyed wall.