Prologue

Let me tell you a story, a tale of two boys. No―not 'boys'―they have been through enough to earn the respect of being called 'men.' What these two gentlemen have endured―is an amount of pain unbearable for a normal human to tolerate. Do not misunderstand, they are human. They are indeed human beings…living, breathing lifeforms. Homo sapiens are such a wonderful class of organisms.

They have complex thought processes, hundreds of emotions, mobility beyond that of any common animal, and the ability to reason. This factor plays an important role in the story that lies ahead. It is the sole cause for any of this being possible. I, Elyurias, know that for a fact. Now, you may be curious as to why I'm telling you any of this at all. It's simple, really…I believe all humans deserve to hear about the partnership of the two unlikeliest of friends. And how they went on living after defeating the greatest global force of the 21st century.

Well, before I was born, my mother was the ruler of this planet the humans call Earth. She witnessed the demise of the largest, government controlled, utopian city in the world: No.6. That was its name, and, in 2 years time, that name would be written in every history book across the globe. Everyone now knows of the utopian city, once called No.6, and how it strictly dictated over its citizens' daily lives. 'Ignorant humans' I remember my mother saying. 'They are all ignorant, selfish people.' Yes, the people inside No.6 were ignorant and selfish..all…except one.

Shion, 16 years old (in 2017)―At age 2, after taking an examination test, he was classified as a candidate for the Gifted Course. Once he turned 12, Shion had been accepted into a special institution to study Ecology. September 7, 2013. It was his birthday and a hurricane had moved across No.6, to the Chronos area. He opened his window to let out some pent up anger, then went back into his room without letting the Climate Control System seal the window.

This is how he met another...by the odd name of Nezumi. An odd name indeed, although, Shion knew it wasn't his real name. He may have never learnt Nezumi's true name, but that didn't change Shion's view of him. He was Shion's friend. And not just any friend, someone Shion felt obligated to protect.

When Shion got into some trouble with the Security Bureau, Nezumi rescued him, and continued to save him, time and time again. All throughout their time together in West Block, Shion had never felt more devoted to a person, before or after meeting Nezumi. He cared deeply for the person who'd stuck his arm out for a crass, negligent child from No.6, which Nezumi despised.

Now, on to Nezumi's role in this adlibbed play of optimism and animosity… He was brought into the world with hopefulness in his spirit. And I'm sure he was just as lively and playful as Shion when he was 5. But this 5 year old had to witness something that no child should ever experience. His entire family was burnt and slaughtered in front of him.

His people, the Forest People, were a peaceful group. They made the forest thrive, treated it with respect, and protected it. Nezumi's people were in harmony with the wind, the earth, the water and the sky, and with animals and plants. They were able to converse with the wind, water, trees, and grasses, and align their hearts with them. They did not wish for growth nor development; they only lived quietly within the laws of nature.

This fact was the cause of their fall from society. They were people of the forest―they obeyed the laws of the forest, but refused to worship anything else. They refused to become part of No. 6. So, in response, No.6 destroyed them. The military was brought in, and an illegal operation was carried out in order to gain control of a superficial goddess: my mother, Elyurias.

No.6 wanted her, wanted her power. The power of destruction. Ironic, is it not? No.6 destroyed a civilization to obtain a destructive weapon that would eventually destroy itself and the city along with it. However, Elyurias was not truly a destructive force. After all, she lived in the Mao Forest, whilst allowing the Forest People to remain unharmed.

All she wanted was for civilization to realize its mistakes and act upon fixing them. She wished for a world where everyone belonged, and everyone felt wanted. In the end, she saw how selfish man was, and decided to give up on her false fantasy. She had lost all hope in humanity, until a couple of foolish boys caught her attention.

My mother had respect for these two: Shion and Nezumi. She admired Shion's ignorance, and his ability to think of rational solutions to the problem facing No.6. On the other hand, Nezumi was especially important to her. She had been observing him since he was a tiny infant, and also witnessed him escape the Mao Massacre. At that moment, she knew he would hold a grudge against No.6 for the rest of his life―and that his hatred would eventually annihilate her.

It had been decided…Nezumi would one day go to the Correctional Facility, with Shion's help, and plant a microbomb in The Mother, ultimately destroying my own mother along with it. Doing so would cause No.6 to slowly fade away into oblivion. Now, people don't cheer for or praise the city. They regard it as a wasted opportunity. Teachers don't tell students how wonderful or satisfactory it was, they only explain how terrible and controlling it initially was. Even today, the lingering fragments of No.6 still haunt the memories of its former citizens.

After Shion became No.6's new mayor, its walls were removed, and the government was changed to a democratic reign. Now, everyone is free to do as they please, within legal guidelines, that is. There is no overpowering régime to control them. The districts―North, South, East, and West― were combined. The Moondrop was demolished and replaced with a lush park. Libraries were introduced, upon Nezumi's suggestion, along with theaters and museums.

Nezumi was Shion's secretary advisor in the Reconstructional Committee. He handled all of the forestry verdicts, environmental concerns, and weather calculations. He also managed the ecological status of the city's parks. With Nezumi's help, Shion didn't need to run all over the city observing the flora and fauna, even though he wanted to. He missed being in the path of science, but he had a job to do as mayor.

Contrary to Nezumi's position, Shion managed legal matters, economic balances, world affairs, government programs, ect. If any new law was presented, it had to be approved by him. And all of the funding used for administrative curriculums―such as schools―went through to his personal account. Many skeptics would see it as embezzlement, but Shion wasn't stealing the funds, he was protecting them. No one else knew the password to his account, other than Nezumi, so all of the finances were secure.

I may not know very much of Shion's thoughts, but I can assume that being mayor, a student, a parent, and a husband, must be stressful. Yes, you heard me correctly, he is indeed a spouse and a dad―but it's different than you would expect. Shortly after becoming mayor, which was in June of 2018, one of Shion's colleagues proposed to him. Mind you, it was someone he knew very well, but he never thought they liked him in that way. This person just happened to be the one with whom Shion had spent months with in West Block. That's right, it was Nezumi.

Then, Inukashi suddenly disappeared, leaving 2 year-old Shionn all alone. So, Nezumi and Shion adopted him. Since the two regularly visited Inukashi, there was no problem with Shionn being uncomfortable around them because he knew Shion pretty well. Due to him and Shion sharing a name, it got confusing. So, Nezumi ended up nicknaming him Junior.

Now do you see why I feel everyone should hear about their story? These two men are incredible. They overcame so many obstacles, good and bad. No one could hope to match their level of maturity and reliability. Furthermore, I want to take you through the lives of two humans, polar opposite to each other―and tell you how they rebuilt their lives after conquering reality.

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I started writing this fanfic about a year ago, and it's the greatest piece of literature that I've written so far. Also, this is the PROLOGUE to my story, so there will be more. As you can tell from how this chapter is worded, Elyurias's daughter is narrating it. I figured it would be an interesting touch and it puts in perspective how long it's been since the walls of No.6 were destroyed. Anyway, I hope all of the No.6 fans enjoyed this. Oh, I'm also taking requests or suggestions for future one-shot extras to place within this fanfic. Bye, love you guys! ;)