Chapter 13

Note: Yes, my dear readers - this is the last chapter (I'm not counting the epilogue I'm contemplating) for this fic. Like all the fans of No. 6, I'm left with the nagging question of what happened to Nezumi and Shion. It's like an itch I was trying to forget but can't and, after resisting it for so long, I succumbed to it and wrote the first chapter of this fic without knowing how it would end. That time, I just knew that I needed to get it off my chest until I somehow ended up having a plot (with the help, of course, of my lovely readers) and as we all know, the rest is history. I was able to write 13 chapters about two characters that I love so much.

CamrytheGreat, thank you for helping me. :*

Thank you, dear readers. I wrote this to fulfill my own NezumixShion fantasy and along the way, found fellow readers who enjoyed the emotional torture of this fic (C'mon now, aren't we all masochists when it comes to these two?). :D Happy reading!

"Shion, are you trying to turn me into a roll?" Nezumi grumbled as Shion covered his body with white bandage to ensure that Nezumi's wounds wouldn't open again. Exasperated, Nezumi did his best to get off the bed and away from Shion who was doing his best to mummify him. He walked quickly towards the balcony and didn't pay much attention to the protests of his loved one.

"Nezumi, stay in bed! You don't want to reopen your wound, do you?" Shion scolded the other man lightly, trying to hide his smile at the very princess-like and childish behavior of the dark-haired man. Mature beyond his age and older than him by few months, Nezumi still couldn't get rid of his childlike quirks and over-the-top reactions to simple things. Shion found this enchanting.

"I'm not going back there," Nezumi called back while clutching his side where the wound was.

"Come now. The doctor instructed us to do this."

"He didn't say anything about turning me into a mummy, Shion!"

Shion laughed loudly at that. It was a classic Nezumi line and Shion realized that if he had appreciated Nezumi's dry humor from the onset of their relationship, he would have died merrily laughing at the older man. As Shion wiped the tears away from his eyes, he dropped the bandage and the scissors onto the bed and held his hands up in the air. "Okay. I give up. Now stop sulking," he cajoled as he walked towards the other man..

"I'm not sulking. My wounds are fine. The doctor said to cover them for extra precaution, not to mummify me with that thing!" Nezumi snapped in a whiny tone, looking even more pissed as the words came out of his mouth.

Shion chuckled as he reached the balcony area and leaned against the screen door. He took in the man before him – with his disheveled hair, his hospital robe barely clinging on to his lithe form, his eyes tired yet alight with fire – and had to admit that Nezumi was a very beautiful man even when weak and sulky. He moved until he stood beside his love and apologized, "I'm sorry for coddling you."

"You are! You're treating me like a doll!"

Shion laughed at the theatrical response. "Okay, okay, I'll stop. Now would you be good and go back to the bed? I don't want to risk having your wound open up."

Nezumi eyed him suspiciously for a moment before nodding. He knew he was being a brat, but he was going nuts in the hospital. But if he could make Shion happy by doing this, he would. After all, he knew where the white-haired man was coming from. He might have smothered the other man as well had the situation been reversed.

Shion took Nezumi's fair hand and kissed it. "I love you, Nezumi. I'm sorry for all the pain I've caused you."

Surprised at the sudden declaration, Nezumi tightened his hold on Shion's hand and replied shakily, "I, I- There's no need for you to say sorry. I endangered your life. The one apologizing should be me." Nezumi caressed Shion's hand and gave him a gentle smile as he added, "Thank you, Shion. I never thought that Nitori would go that far."

At the mention of Nitori's name, Shion's frame stiffened and his eyes turned sharp.

Nezumi cupped Shion's cheek and let his warmth remind the other man that he was here, alive and well, and there was no need for him to get angry over someone that was dead. "He isn't here. He will never hurt us again," he reassured his beloved, hoping that his presence would calm the other man.

Shion closed his eyes and inhaled and exhaled deeply to collect himself. When he was calm, he asked, "What was he to you?"

The question was not suppose to surprise Nezumi, but it did. Memories of all the nasty things he did in the past in order to survive sent a wave of disgust through him. If it still disgusted him, it would definitely disgust Shion more.

Resigned, Nezumi motioned to the chair inside the room and walked towards it. He sat and looked up at Shion. After a beat, he replied, "Nitori was a client. He was just like any other client I've had, but he was rather fond of me. Ever since I left you and No. 6, I performed odd jobs. He knew me as Ophelia and he tried to get to know me; showered me with gifts. I didn't care as long as I got paid. Of course, being an actor is a perfect cover to prostitute oneself." Nezumi chuckled darkly. "People adore you and people hear things about you and that's how people talk about you. Desire you, even. Nitori was one of them. He was obsessed with me and spent his money on me until the day I left. I heard that he was searching for me and lost his sorry little brain. That's why when he saw us in No. 5, I knew that he was gone. Gone, but harmless."

"But he wasn't harmless," Shion rebuked.

Nezumi smiled up at him sadly. Shion was oblivious to how he sparked fear unto Inukashi and the dogs and how he killed Nitori. It was enough that Shion had stabbed the man, but what made his bones freeze was how Shion didn't stop at that and proceeded to take the other man's breath away, further mutilating the body of Nitori. While the thought of someone killing for you was eerily romantic, he knew that Shion's extreme reaction was because his life was in danger.

"Shion, do you regret killing him ?" Nezumi asked quietly.

"No. I almost lost you, Nezumi. I don't regret it," Shion's calm voice responded.

Nezumi shook his head. "I made you a murderer. Do you realize that?"

"I don't regret killing the man. I know what I did and he deserved it."

"And if this happens again?"

"Then I will do it again."

"Shion, I don't think you understand what's happening. I can't let you kill other people for me. That's not who you are."

"No. I think it is you who doesn't understand. I will always be ready to protect you if anyone threatens to take you away from me. It's as simple as that."

Exasperated, Nezumi's lips quivered as he tried to accept the reality of Shion's actions. It wasn't the first time this extremity happened, he thought to himself as the memory of Shion attacking Rikiga after the man had insinuated that he whore himself out or that time in the tower when Shion had killed a guard to protect him. Shion was not aware of the danger of his personality switching to the extreme just for him.

"Why?" was all Nezumi managed to say.

Shion moved towards Nezumi and sat beside the man. He searched for his pocket and drew out his cigarette and lighter but hesitated as he felt Nezumi's eyes on him. Instead, he clasped both his hands together. "Because I love you, Nezumi. That's how simple and easy it is," Shion said while smiling timidly. "I know you can't understand my reasoning, but that's how it is for me. It's not like I don't have an idea of how hot-tempered I get and how my reasoning goes away when it comes to you. I do, but I simply accept that part of me. I even tried to find it on my own through the use of the research facilities, but nothing. Maybe it has something to do with the bee that stung me, but regardless of that, if there is a reason behind my reaction everytime I feel you are threatened or not, I will always choose to protect and avenge you. I will always choose you." Shion licked his lips nervously as he looked away. He was not the type who would get shy from confessing his feelings but maybe, this time, what he said was the sincerest explanation of how important Nezumi was in his life. The desire was suffocating him, engulfing him like a man drowning in the ocean. He needed to look away to not drown himself further in the abyss called Nezumi.

The raven-haired man nodded at Shion, expressing his acceptance of how Shion felt for him. He tinkered with the idea that maybe Shion was just exaggerating, that he didn't know what he was saying, that he was a naïve boy who had no idea of how the world worked, but he hurriedly snatched himself away from that train of thought because he knew his thoughts were all lies. Shion was a grown man capable of sound reasoning. He needed to accept that, just like him, Shion grew up in a world that wasn't kind. He had seen people die and killed people too. He was a victim of No. 6, just like him.

He lowered his eyes and focused instead on how Shion's hands shook because of wanting to smoke but not because he was here with him. It dawned on him the number of times Shion offered himself to him and how he kept on refusing him because of his own personal demons. In the past, he just wouldn't accept Shion's declaration of love because he felt that he didn't deserve it. His own insecurities drove him away from Shion. Nezumi wanted to laugh at himself now for thinking that he deserved anything at all. In fact, he still didn't deserve it no, but what he learned from the past few days was that it wasn't about entitlement. It all boiled down to love and acceptance. And, for the nth time, Shion was offering him again his heart as his home and who was Nezumi to refuse that?

"All right," Nezumi sighed happily. After a while, the older man got up, thinking that he would leave Shion for a while to smoke when he remembered what they were supposed to do the day he was stabbed. He thought of mentioning it but chose not to. He would not ruin this day with some petty concern of his.

"I'm heading back to bed. Come to me after you smoke."

"Nezumi, stop moving around so much! Your wound might open!" Shion yelled frantically from the kitchen while preparing a pot of tea.

"You're exaggerating!" Nezumi shouted back at the snow-haired man as he reached for and took a book at the topmost shelf. It had been three days since the two returned to their home and Shion was cute bordering on annoying for looking after him. Rikiga, Inukashi, and baby Shion had already visited him numerous times, teasing him as always. Nezumi felt relieved knowing that at least the closest friends he had still wanted to be friends with him after all this time. He might not ever say it to them, but he was grateful, not only for himself but also because they took care of Shion while he was away.

Shion interrupted Nezumi's thoughts when he placed a cup of green tea on the table in front of Nezumi and sat beside him on the couch. "Here you go."

"Shion, you know that I appreciate what you're doing, but this is too much. You don't have to treat me like a baby, you know," Nezumi said, his lips curling into a smirk.

"Well, let's just say that I'm doing this for myself and not for you," Shion said back as he tried to hide the way his cheeks were turning pink.

Nezumi eyed the white-haired man with interest. He smiled fondly, knowing that Shion was still the innocent man he once met. He liked that trait of him – the fact that he never lost his childlike quality. Shion might have turned into someone he didn't expect him to be, considering what the man was capable of doing, but he regained his innocence every time he looked at the world with such purity in his eyes. And, of course, when Shion blushed like a lovestruck girl because of him.

"If it's not for me then what do you get from doing all this?" Nezumi teased.

"It makes me happy," Shion answered quietly, this time his ears turning red.

"Are you sure? You aren't expecting anything in return?" Nezumi prodded even more. He dropped his voice an octave lower, making Shion gulp.

"Y-Yes...and no," Shion stuttered.

Nezumi drank his tea and placed the cup on the table after finishing it. He scooted himself closer to Shion and gave his beloved his trademark smirk.

This man, this pure and beautiful man, was indeed the abyss Shion was willing to down in every time. If only he had known pleasure at an early age just like Nezumi, he would at least know how he would explain his attraction towards the other man. Nezumi was beautiful, charismatic, and had grace. None of his temporary lovers ever took his breath away like this.

"Even a kiss?" Nezumi taunted the man further. He was only a few inches away from Shion's quivering lips, enjoying the tension and how he was making the other man nervous.

"D-Don't tease me like that!" Shion yelped as he jumped off the couch to give himself space from the other man. He watched Nezumi laugh heartily on the couch and struggled to not stomp his foot. His skin felt too tight. Yes, he wanted to kiss the man, but he was shy. "Nezumi, stop that! You're horrible!"

"C'mon, Shion! I was just teasing you," Nezumi drawled in between chuckles. He leaned his body back and propped his legs on top of the table. He patted his lap, motioning at Shion. "Come here."

Shion tugged the sleeves of his white polo shirt as he moved towards Nezumi. The older man had his eyes closed as he hummed a sweet tune. He positioned himself next to Nezumi, placed his head on Nezumi's lap, his feet dangling over the edge of the sofa, and clasped his hands together. He waited for the other man to pull another trick but he just continued to hum. After a minute or two, Shion relaxed himself and just listened to the man's soothing voice. Shion didn't remember falling asleep.

"Wake up, Shion," Nezumi whispered against his ears, making the white-haired man tingle from the sensation.

As Shion opened his eyes, he saw the image of his lover looking down at him, a smile on his lips. He rubbed his eyes with his hand. "How long have I been sleeping?" Shion asked groggily.

"Well, you've been sleeping for more than an hour, princess," Nezumi quipped.

"I'm not a princess. Sorry, your legs might feeling sore right now." Shion tried to get up but was stopped when Nezumi grabbed his shoulder and pushed him back down.

"Not really. Just stay like this," Nezumi answered back, his hand moving to rest itself on top Shion's clasped hands. He suddenly had a frown on his face.

"What's wrong?" Shion inquired. He had seen this look on Nezumi's face way back in the hospital and did not say a word because he thought that it was just an effect of the medicines.

Nezumi let go of Shion's hands and ran his hand through his hair instead as he tried to pull his thoughts together. "Shion...What's your plan?"

"What do you mean?"

"The treatment, Shion. You're not gonna drop it like just that because of what happened, are you?" the dark-haired man asked. He wasn't provoking Shion nor was he questioning him. He was just stating a fact.

"We aren't going to undergo that treatment."

"Why?"

"Because I don't want to and there is no need for us to do so," Shion stated calmly.

Nezumi felt his brows knit in confusion. Shion looked like and sounded like he had thought about this for a while now. "You really wanted it to happen. If Nitori didn't show up that day, we could have done it."

"And that would have been the greatest regret of my life. What's worse is I might never have realized it even."

"There's no need to feel guilty," Nezumi said quietly. He didn't want Shion to feel conflicted because he was almost killed. All he wanted was to make Shion happy and, if it meant for the treatment to push through...

"I will not deny the fact that I feel a little guilty, but it's not just that," Shion replied.

"Then what is it? You can't just throw your happiness out the window just like that. You told me yourself that that treatment is our chance to be happy, that you can't live life anymore with all the conflicts we've had, that everything's too much," Nezumi reminded.

Shion pushed up from his position and crossed his legs. He looked so calm, something that Nezumi could not comprehend. "I almost lost you. I thought I lost you." Shion smiled at him sadly. "You might be tired hearing that from me. But I cannot live without you. I've thought about us, the treatment, and the past and I realized how wrong I was. I knew that you didn't want that treatment but you agreed, right? You were willing to commit suicide just to keep me happy. You want my happiness so much you'd give up yours." Shion's eyes were glistening with tears. "I'm a fool. I didn't realize you were hurting too and I forgot to acknowledge that you returned to me despite of that. And what did it cost me to realize all this? Your life. I don't want us to undergo the treatment anymore. I don't want any other version of Nezumi in my life. Who I desire is the one in front of me now. Just you and not a version of you. Please forgive me. Please still love you."

"Shion, there's no need to ask. I'm yours. You're my home." Nezumi cupped Shion's cheeks and caressed them the way he used to. He looked at him with such longing and gratitude that perhaps what happened to him wasn't bad at all. That almost losing his life was worth it for this moment. Finally, their hearts were one and their flaws, mistakes, and past were all just part of their bond.

Nezumi wanted to open his mouth and thank the man for giving him another chance. He wanted to say a lot of things yet he couldn't. His heart was beating too fast, making his chest hurt. This was too overwhelming and whatever he couldn't convey into words were said when his lips touched the other man's.

He kissed Shion earnestly. He tasted the man's lips as if it was their first time to explore each other's mouths – slowly and carefully. As they explored, their hands started to roam over each other's body. Seconds turned to minutes and while the two of them were reluctant to part, they were out of breath.

"You've had too much practice, Shion. What the hell have you been doing while I was gone, hmm?" Nezumi growled as he wiped his lips with his forearm. He was huffing for air and beads of sweat were glistening on his forehead.

"Nezumi!" Shion gasped and squirmed as he tried to hide his face. He knew that Nezumi was teasing him but it didn't stop him from turning red.

"Tell me everything. I wanna know when how you became this sexy."

"You're really asking me this?" Shion asked, panic evident in his voice.

"I can't let go of the image I saw when you were in our house in West District," Nezumi prodded.

"It wasn't serious! I was devastated and you never did anything beyond kissing!" Shion blurted out. He was so embarrassed that it registered late to him what he had just said and covered his mouth. Nezumi, on the other hand, was smirking evilly.

"Oh, so you want something to happen? Why didn't you ask? I must say that my performance in bed outweighs my performance on stage even," the dark-haired man said.

"Stop it," Shion begged as he buried his face into one of the pillows on the couch. It was a mistake to answer back to Nezumi's taunting.

"Now, Shion, why didn't you ask me? If kissing wasn't enough then I would happily perform other things."

Beyond exhausted and embarrassed, Shion's head snapped up and he blurted, "You never ask me! I thought that maybe you love me but didn't want me to be your partner in bed. I even thought that you might prefer women. Or maybe you find me unattractive!"

Nezumi gazed down at Shion, amused. Oh yes, he was definitely enjoying this. After everything he had been through in the past just by staring at the pale body of Shion and the sexy red snake mark coiling around him, he deserved this. "You could ask me now, Shion."

"Nezumi!"

"Just ask, Shion. That's all you need to do." Nezumi watched his beloved. While he was excited to see Shion like this, he could never forget and forgive the idea that Shion had other men before him. That he had had other men in their house... Good thing that he never saw the man Shion was with or he would have killed him.

"You're really going to make me ask you!" Shion shouted in disbelief. No matter how so much of a genius Shion was, Nezumi was a master of mind games.

Nezumi just smiled at him.

"Fine. Nezumi, could you please sleep with me?" Shion said almost in a whisper. He lowered his head and felt mortified with what he just asked. He thought that the memory-deleting treatment could be very helpful in this kind of situation.

Nezumi smiled at him triumphantly and got up from the couch. He looked like he was about to walk away from Shion when he bent down and kissed Shion on the lips, surprising the other man. He trailed kisses along his cheek until his lips found Shion's ear. "I'll make you forget all the men you've had in the past and replace them all with me," Nezumi promised. He then headed upstairs to their bedroom, not looking back at Shion.

Shion's mouth dropped open. Nezumi was jealous. Snapping out of his daze, he moved and followed Nezumi upstairs. Never in his life had he been so turned on.

Shion blindly reached out for a pillow when a tendril of cool air ran across his naked back. The sun's warmth was caressing his sated body yet the bed felt too big, too cold. He remembered what happened last night and smiled. No wonder Nitori got crazy. Nezumi was really good.

Shion's opened his eyes when he realized that Nezumi was not with him. He turned around, thinking that he was behind him, but no. Suddenly, all the good memories of last night were now being replaced by fear and panic that Nezumi was gone.

This time, for good.

Shion hurriedly got up on his bed and picked up the clothes at the foot of their bed.

"Nezumi?" Shion called out, his voice was breaking from panic as he put his clothes on haphazardly. He opened the door of the guest room but all he could see was that the cabinet door was open. Shion turned pale at the sight as panic set in. He slammed the door shut and hurriedly went down the stairs, shouting Nezumi's name again. The older man was not in their living room nor was he in the bakery.

Shion's body was shaking. Nezumi wouldn't leave him. He promised he'd stay.

He left the house and was greeted by cold air. People were still asleep and the streets were quiet. He called Nezumi's name as he walked down the road. He didn't care if he was waking up everyone. Nezumi was missing. He kept on walking and yelling Nezumi's name until he reached the playground.

There. The silhouette of the man he thought left him. He ran up to Nezumi, surprising the other man with his sudden appearance.

"Shion? What are you doing here?" Nezumi asked. He was startled to see the man huffing and coughing early in the morning.

"Why are you here?" Shion asked breathlessly in return. He was trying to catch his breath from his sudden adrenaline rush.

"Watching the sunrise," Nezumi answered. He looked at Shion's eyes and saw the fear in the other man's eyes. "Did... Did you think that I left you?"

"Nezumi..."

"I'm not leaving you, Shion. I promised, remember?"

"Then why didn't you wake me up? You- I was so scared!"

"I'm sorry. It's still too early. I didn't want to disturb you."

"I searched for you and you didn't answer! I thought that you left me again. You're never leaving me again, right?" Shion cried.

"I… I'm sorry for putting you through this. Of course I'm never leaving you. I'll never hurt you again for as long as I live," Nezumi confessed. Never again. He wouldn't let his fears and his insecurities hurt Shion again.

"Don't ever leave me again," Shion whispered as he reached out and clutched Nezumi's shirt. "If you want to go, I'll go with you. I'll follow you. It was a mistake to make you leave on your own before. I won't make that mistake again."

Nezumi closed the gap between them and embraced the other man. He rubbed Shion's back, calming the other man as desperate sobs shook his frail form. After a moment, he pulled back and stared into Shion's wet eyes.

"I love you, Shion. I promise you, I'll never leave you again. You're my home," Nezumi declared before sealing their lips in a deep kiss.

The sun blanketed the sky red, orange, and yellow, reminiscent of the sky the day he left Shion ten years ago. But this time, he wasn't leaving.

Nezumi chose to stay.

THE END