If you listen to Sideways by Citizen Cope the feels go through the saying.

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Christmas Eve and Shion is back. Almost.

"Your Highness?" Nezumi questioned from the living room.

"Hmmm?" Shion was worlds away, trying to put together, mentally, the present he had prepared for Nezumi.

"You forgot to turn off the soup." Upon hearing this, Shion snapped out of his daze and ran to check on the soup. Stirring it, he turns off the old stove and got bowls out of the cabinet. Three little mice skittered to the counter and stood on their back paws.

Without even thinking about it, Shion threw them some bread and cheese and turned back to pouring the soup.

Nezumi watched as he turned around to put them on the table. Ever since Shion's 'regeneration', the white haired male had been... different. His normal awkward clumsiness was gone and instead replaced by an annoying, mechanical like movement. Everything he did mirrored on robotic,and when they got in bed at night, he was always tensed up, as if gearing for a fight. Nezumi had taken to massaging his back before bed, but that only did so much to loosen him up.

Shion looked up and nodded to Nezumi, a huge smile on his face.

"I have a surprise for you too, Nezumi!" Reaching into the back of their rusty refrigerator, he pulled out a plate covered in chocolate.

"Shion? Hiw did you get that? Where?"

Sweets like chocolate cake were rare in West Block, and Nezumi was starting to question it's origins. It looked nice enough, what Nezumi thought was fondant was laid over the cake and patted down, making it visually appealing. In Shion's messy handwriting the words 'Merry Christmas' was spelt out and written with both smiley faces and exclamation points. Shion's face looked like it was about to split as he ignored Nezumi's question.

"It was supposed to be for tomorrow, but I think we should get started on it tonight. What do you think, Nezumi?"

"Well first of all, I'm not to keen on eating a mysterious chocolate cake, especially if it has unknown origins. Shion... are you trying to poison me?" Nezumi fell back onto their bed dramatically, hand placed over his heart and the other on his forehead.

"After...everything! Everything that I've done for you, and this is how you treat me? Poison! As if no better way to kill me? Well, fine! I'll eat your poisonous cake, but let it be known that-"

He was cut off with a kiss. As he ran his hands through his assailant's hair, a giggle reaches his ears.

"Just trust me Nezumi. You do trust me, don't you?"

Shion was doing the puppy dog face, his big, round eyes were at their widest, his chapped lips were deliciously pouted, and Nezumi couldn't help but to take them back into his.

"Of course." He whispered into Shion's hair. Lips parting, Shion leaned forward and nipped at Nezumi's neck, his hands resting on Nezumi's waist.

This was another thing that had changed since the regeneration. Shion was a little more...hungry. Nezumi had woken up this morning to Shion's hand in his pants, whining 'again!' as he attached him with kisses. Honestly, Nezumi didn't mind, but he knew that if he kept letting Shion get the best of him, he was gonna explode.

"Shion...the soup." He sounded as if he had just ran a marathon. With one final kiss on the nose, Shion left him and resumed getting dinner ready.

Just a few minutes later, Shion had the cake cut, a slice for each one of them, and poured two bowls of soup. Calling Nezumi to their cramped table, they both started to eat.

About halfway through Shion's bowl, Nezumi was already finished eating. He stood to rinse his dishes in the sink when he heard a little 'oops' coming from Shion's direction.

Shion had managed to drop the bowl in his lap, his hand left in the air with the spoon still locked in his grip. His eyebrows furrowed together as he slowly lifted the bowl from his lap. He grimaced as more soup slashed out from the sides and landed on his pants.

Nezumi watched as Shion, whose face was starting to contort in pain, slowly put his spoon down on the table. He kicked back his chair and started to rise. It was at this point that Nezumi intervened. He brought over a cold wet towel and started to dab at Shion's pants while he stood and held on to Nezumi.

His footing was a little unstable so he just leaned into Nezumi.

"Do I need to feed your Highness? What's wrong with your arms?" Shion shrugged his shoulders and sagged on Nezumi. Nezumi lead them both to the bed and sat them down. Shion had a slight fever at this point, and as painlessly as he could, snuggled underneath the sheets.

"What's going on Nezumi?" He shook his head.

"I don't know Shion. I was hoping you could tell me."

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Christmas day and Shion thought he was going to explode.

"You got me a bear?! A huge teddy bear? Thank you so much Nezumi! I love it. I'll name her... Ayako I think."

"Calm down Shion, it's just a toy. Get over yourself. Plus, aren't you a little too old to be playing with stuffed animals? Let's just hope none of your friends see. Now, I hope you got me something..."

Shion nodded his head and pulled out a few boxes from underneath the bed. Each one was wrapped in old newspaper, the date on it about three months old. Shion had had these for awhile.

"I guess you Higness couldn't be bothered to use actual wrapping paper, or to wrap them neatly." Shion's fce turned red at the accusation.

Secretly, Nezumi was having the time of his life. Shion's reaction to the bear was more than he could have hoped for, and he was also tickled pink by the idea that Shion had gotten him something in return. Nezumi wrecked his brain trying to remember when he saw Shion bringing in presents. And where did Shion get the money from? He new Inukashi wasn't paying that well.

"I hope you like them! I was going more for practicality, trying to find you something that you would actually use. Here open this one up first."

Shion gave Nezumi his first present and sat down at his feet, Ayako at hand.

It took Nezumi a little over an hour to open up all of the presents. Not because he had a lot, but because he stopped after each one and kept getting lost in the pretty covers, the smell of all his favorite books, brand new and ready to be broken in. Every other book, he would act out his favorite scene from a play, turning Shion into a giggling mess every time. Shion was clapping like crazy, shouting 'encore, encore!' after every performance. He even had a little bit of saliva forming a little pool at the corner of his mouth.

"Oh Nezumi,you're so great!" Nezumi bowed to his audience. Turning his head to the side, he struck a pose.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer."

Shion made a strangled noise on the back of his throat.

"Speechless, Shion? As you should be." Nezumi turned around and choked.

Shion was lying on his back, his legs and arms spasming out to the sides of him. He was making gurgling noises as his mouth filled up with spit, like he was drowning himself. His head was thrashing back and forth on the floor, and a small line of blood leaked from his scalp from where his head had hit something under the process.

Nezumi had no idea what to do. He stood there and shook, his mind trying to figure out how to help Shion.

'A seizure, that's what this is. The doctor warned me about these. Now what did he tell me to do in case one happened? Oh Yeah.'

Nezumi calmed himself down and knelt on the floor next to Shion's moving body. He turned him on his side so he wouldn't drown himself in spit and vomit.

'Was there anything else? I can't remember. I can't remember..I can't remember! How am I gonna save Shion!'

Nezumi backed up until his knees fell out from under him. He landed on his butt, curling his knees up in front of him. He watched as Shion's spasms got smaller and smaller until they ceased. He crawled over to where Shion laid and felt for a pulse. It was there, but his chest was not moving as much as it should. The pulse started to weaken under his fingertips, and Nezumi saw his eyes roll into his head.

He was braced for the best. He had prepared himself mentally for this day: the day Shion would sleep. That's what he coined it. Death was to harsh for Shion, and he deserved a nicer word. Nezumi cradled his head in his lap and let the tears fall. He was sure that it wasn't going to happen so soon, so what happened?

Nezumi was cursed. That was the only reason he could find for Shion's death. Some great god or something was out to get jim and make him pay for those that he had murdered shamelessly.

"Well! You've got what you wanted! Everything is gone now so please, leave me alone!" Nezumi shouted towards the ceiling. In the background he heard faint thunder, and decided that that was the best reply he'd get.

He fell asleep like that, hunched over Shion's body with rain pouring down outside. He dreamed, Oh did he dream, of Shion and flowers and mice and grand theaters. He dreamed of life.

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I actually cut this chapter in half lol. Is this too much? I feel like it's very reminiscent of the last chapter, but this one is very important for establishing the rest...

Do you love it, or hate it?

Also, there will be two endings to this. The next update will be the original one.