A breeze shook the maples planted around the campus. When Nezumi closed his eyes, he was reminded of the time he'd spent in No. 4. The voices of students arguing about something at a table near him, the soft murmur of the wind, and the laughter of kids playing in the distance. A place with a bright future.

But the sight of it was something different. Everywhere you looked, there were high-tech gates, checkpoints and walls, long deactivated and graffitied all over. The city was still littered with relics of the old No. 6, especially the area formerly known as Chronos, where Shion went to university now. Combined with the sterile, minimalist architecture, it all looked... Nezumi suspected that some of the citizens in this neighborhood weren't quite ready to let go of their glorious past yet.

The sliding glass doors of the main university building opened and a handful of students came out, Shion among them. They exchanged a few more words before he split off from the group laughing. Nezumi stayed perched on an old checkpoint pylon a few paces away. Shion spotted him immediately and came rushing over with a radiant smile. Nezumi tried holding back a sigh of fondness, but it escaped him when Shion touched his arm to say hello.

"What are you sighing about?" Shion asked curiously.

"It's good to see you." Nezumi smiled.

"You too. Did you find something to do?"

"Just some light sightseeing. I found all the statues and gave every one a kiss."

"Oh, Nezumi." Shion looked a little grossed out. "That's so unsanitary. I'll give you some mouthwash when we get home."

"About that... Are you sure you want me to stay at your place?"

Shion started walking ahead. "Yes, I want you to. I wouldn't invite you if I didn't. I'm not that much of a pushover."

"... Thank you."

Truth be told, Shion, I want to stay by your side from now on. No matter how far away I went, I heard your voice. Whatever I did, at some point I would wonder what it would be like if you were with me. It was my choice to travel, and I don't regret it. But I had to admit that it felt like I was running away, after some time. Shion, I never manage to put it into words, so I want to let you feel it through all of my actions.

Since I saw you open that window and scream into the storm, you've been my home.

Shion stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Are you coming?"

"Yes." Nezumi wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "No need to rush."

It was obvious that the supermarket had been part of Chronos as well. The building had a large glass dome, decorated with a honeycomb structure. The sight sent shivers down Nezumi's spine. In contrast, the inside presented a peaceful scene, flooded with the orange light of the setting sun and quiet voices of other shoppers.

Much of No. 6 was still just beautiful artifice. Suppose it wasn't easy to just erase the identity of a city in a few years. Large areas of the West Block had stayed shabby and dangerous too, even though the market and many of the buildings had been renovated and reborn. Lost Town, formerly the low-class neighborhood of No. 6, had turned into a makeshift city center. Close to the West Block, but still unmistakably part of No. 6, it became a place of exchange in the new city. It had been renamed to Lost and Found, which sounded a bit cheesy to Nezumi.

The class system No. 6 had been founded upon didn't just vanish because there was some more exchange. Some former Chronos residents refused to participate in redistribution and restructuring efforts and places like this supermarket were a testament to it. The sterile architecture reminded him too much of the Correctional Facility. Nezumi instinctively kept to the walls and found his gaze wandering the room in search of surveillance cameras.

Shion seemed unusually calm. But maybe he was suppressing his reactions to the environment, too. Nezumi still couldn't see all the way through him.

"So, care to enlighten me, why we're in a hoity-toity market like this? It's not even on the way to your apartment. Some special delicacy the peasants don't have access to?"

Shion smiled, more relaxed than Nezumi had thought he would. He didn't seem to be feeling on edge at all. "I used to come here for lunch when I was in the Restructural Committee."

"Trying to relive your heyday, my lord?" Nezumi mocked.

"They have the best meat in the city." Shion replied straightforwardly while he picked out vegetables from a display."I want to make stew."

"If we go home right away, it won't smell." Nezumi reassured him. But the look Shion gave back, full of resolve, told him he was alright on his own. "I think I could deal with a little smell."

"Shall I grab a bottle of wine, while we're at it? Or two, if you can handle your drink a bit better now?" Nezumi teased.

"Good idea. Find something that pairs well with beef."

Nezumi gave a mock bow to Shion, who chuckled absentmindedly, and went deeper into the store to find the drink section. He picked out a cheap, heavy red wine and wandered the aisles for a bit.

Passing shelf upon shelf of fresh and luxurious foods, it felt like he was visiting a different world. Did anyone really buy any of this? He saw a woman leading her wailing son through an aisle filled with sweets and confectionery. She tried over and over to shush the child and calm him down, but the kid kept crying and pulling toward the shelves, grabbing for the sweets. Nezumi furrowed his brow. These people might as well live on another planet. What was it like to have too much of everything, form the moment you were born? He couldn't help the old resentment welling up in his chest, and on some level, he didn't even want to.

Suddenly, Nezumi felt a presence behind him. He whirled around, slapping the hand that had reached out to tap his shoulder into a shelf. Shion's wide eyes greeted him with an accusing stare.

"Oh." Nezumi winced a bit and quickly grabbed Shion's hand, planting a kiss to his knuckles. "My liege, I apologize."

"You better." Shion sighed, cracking a smile. He looked around the aisle. "You want a treat now, boy?"

Nezumi scowled.

"Sorry." Shion chuckled "We could pick something to bring for Inukashi and the kid tomorrow, if you want?"

"Always thinking about others... Let's get two of those chocolates over there. One for us and one for the dogs."

"Oh, those look good. Inukashi might get a sugar rush, though."

"I'd like to see that." Nezumi laughed. "But he might be used to luxury now, you know. He turned me, a paying customer, away when I wanted to tried to rent a bed in the hotel last night. And then I had to sleep outside, since Someone made good on his ideas and turned my house into a kindergarten." He flashed Shion another mock scowl.

He'd found a one-story building sitting on the slope above the old library storeroom they had called home. Children were playing on the slope, and he had heard a gentle voice from the house, maybe a teacher. In truth, Nezumi had been relieved. Nothing would go unused here, even if he was gone. The room would shelter someone from the rain, even if the wind still blew through the cracks. The Books might even give them a shot at changing their lives. Better not to hold any regrets.

"Hmm. He's a lot more mature now, I can't imagine he'd turn you away because you're... you. Maybe he was just booked out... A lot of people out there still need a place like that..." Shion's gaze was wandering far away again. Was he still trying to solve every little problem No. 6 had left behind?

It doesn't seem like you were waiting around for me at all Shion. You rebuilt this place with clever words and endurance and your endless kindness. That's no different from our life in the West Block. I want to tell you again and again, Shion. You're amazing. I'm proud of you. Me, who saw this place as the black hole that would swallow all the world, who had every reason to hate and destroy and raze it to the ground.

"Hey." Nezumi turned to face him. He wanted to reach out to Shion. Don't get lost in your thoughts. Look ahead and stay close to me. "Everyone out there is working hard, Shion. It's not just in your hands." What an awkward thing to say. He couldn't get it all across, not quite the way he wanted to.

But it reached Shion nonetheless, who sighed and seemed to return to himself. "You're right." They started walking back around the store to the self-checkout machines. The air felt a little heavy.

"There's even a kid out there with your name." Nezumi reminded Shion while they were scanning their items. "I'm sure Inukashi and Rikiga are overjoyed that he's so much like you. Must be like you never left."

Shion grimaced "It's a little scary. I... thought I had to adopt Shionn after you left. I tried to talk to Inukashi about it, but he didn't let me get a word in. It's amazing how good a father he turned out to be." He chuckled. "You remember how adamant he was that I'd have to take care of the baby, back then? Now when I visit and someone asks if I'm Shionn's father, Inukashi gets so angry you wouldn't believe it."

"I believe it." Nezumi grinned and elbowed Shion, who was paying. "Are you sure you shouldn't have gotten with Inukashi instead of me? He wouldn't have to be so jealous."

Shion snapped around. "Idiot. Do you need me to say it again? You're-"

Nezumi quickly put his hand on Shion's mouth. "I get it, I get it. Don't say it again. Ow!" Shion was biting his hand and laughing.

"You little- !"