I do not own No.6. Enjoy!
Shion looked out the window of his bedroom, smiling softly at the sunset he saw. It had been five years since No.6 fell, five years since he and other willing former citizens began rebuilding a new life in the wasteland over the walls of No.6. It had been a trying five years (after all, a project to build a new way of living from what was basically sand and dust would encounter its roadblocks from time to time) but Shion was proud of what everyone had accomplished. His smiled faded drastically as he thought of the other things that had happened five years ago.
It was five years ago that Shion lost one of his closest friends, a girl that had always felt like family to him...
and it had been five years since Shion had last seen Nezumi, five long years since he had felt the softness of his lips and heard that rich voice, somewhat hardened from all the tragedy in his life.
"You'll be fine."
It seemed, like always, Nezumi had been right. Shion had survived all these years without much threat to his life. He'd been able to rebuild and help others with their own projects, which had included the building of houses in the past year. Still, when he would pass another house in progress, its skeleton humble yet standing proud, he couldn't help but wish a certain person was with him, the man who had saved his life countless times and the man who Shion had been worrying over since he left. While Nezumi had hated No.6 and the people living it (for admittedly very good reasons), Shion had a feeling he would have been proud of him for helping them out, he might have even gotten some kind of perverse pleasure out of seeing the people like they were, struggling in a way similar to how Nezumi struggled all that time.
With a small smile, Shion turned away from his window, shaking his head. Like always, thinking of Nezumi had only served to make him miss him even more.
'Thinking about him won't bring him back, Shion. It's already been five years, do you really think he'll come back now because you're thinking of him? Think realistically, just think-'
His inward scolding of himself was interrupted by four sharp taps on his window. Shion turned around, his eyes growing wide at the sight he saw.
He was taller, but not by much. His hair was exactly the same, still confined in the usual up-do. Really, with the exception of his height and the build of his body now slightly more muscular, he looked exactly the same. Once he got over the initial shock, Shion smiled.
"It's good to see you again...Nezumi."
Nezumi raised his eyebrows and shrugged his shoulders, gestures that made Shion realize he hadn't heard him through the window. He hurried to the window, lifting it up and repeating his greeting.
Nezumi smiled, his eyes soft as he looked at the man who he had left a boy all those years ago.
"It's good to see you again, too. You know, Shion, from the outside, your house isn't too shabby...now, will you let me see if I can say the same for the inside or am I gonna stand outside all night?" Nezumi asked, his tone teasing.
"Oh! Sorry! Um, let me go to the front door and-"
"No need. Back up a little, Shion."
He did as he was told and watched as Nezumi gracefully entered through the window, landing on his feet in a way that reminded Shion more of a cat than a rat.
Nezumi looked around Shion's room, nodding approvingly at what he saw.
"Not bad. I always did think a smaller house suited you better." Nezumi nodded again and looked at Shion, giving him a tender smile.
"It's like old times, huh?"
It took Shion a moment to realize what he meant before smiling back at him.
"Mmhmm. Once again, you show up at my window. This time, though, you aren't hurt or bleeding...right?" Shion asked, his voice going up slightly with the last word.
Nezumi chuckled and shook his head, walking toward Shion and taking his face in his hand.
"I'm perfectly fine, Shion. You really haven't changed a bit."
Shion, whose heart had started pounding as soon as Nezumi touched him, cocked his head, confusion showing on his features.
"H-How so?"
"Well, for one, you still worry too much about other people. Your eyes are still kind, though, and your smile is still so innocent." Nezumi frowned and placed his hands on Shion's waist, causing him to exclaim in surprise. Nezumi ignored this and ran his hands up and down his sides, studying them disapprovingly.
"You're still too skinny, though! Really, Shion, it feels like you haven't had a decent meal in weeks!"
Shion blushed a deep shade of red at the contact, shaking his head furiously.
"I'm f-fine, Nezumi, really! I-I, well..."
Nezumi looked up at Shion, smirking as he leaned in closer. Their lips nearly touched as Nezumi spoke.
"What's wrong, Shion?" he asked, his voice low and husky. "Rat got your tongue?"
Shion, after trying to create a witty response, decided to take the initiative and kissed Nezumi. It was a soft yet passionate kiss, one that expressed all the longing that they had accumulated for each other in those five years. After a few long moments, the two broke apart. Nezumi smiled and embraced Shion, the shorter of the two's head resting on Nezumi's shoulder.
"So," Nezumi whispered into Shion's ear, "it appears we meet again."
Shion nodded, his eyes getting slightly misty.
"Yes," Shion agreed. "It appears we do."
Fun fact: I wrote this fanfiction almost a year ago for my friend Emmy's birthday, who was going to be seventeen when I wrote this and is going to be eighteen on Tuesday. I have no idea how I forgot about it for so long, but that's me for you!