Epilogue

The fated moment came a few years later on a winter night just like any other, with the skies clear and a very dark shade of blue; a perfect state to see the shine of the faraway stars that twinkled in the distance. Away from the crispy cold air of winter's atmosphere, they were both wrapped warmly with blankets in the same bed together, the one where the both of them always slept.

Nezumi had been wide awake though, not because he knew that this was the awaited day, but because for some odd reason, he just couldn't find sleep. With his sharp senses and keen hearing, he had been fully aware at the very moment Shion's heartbeat started to slow, and he had known then and there that their time together was coming to an end.

Under the covers, Nezumi made his way to grasp Shion's hand and felt its warmth, knowing that it would soon no longer emit heat. He glanced over at Shion in the darkness, and with his eyes that had grown accustomed to the dark long ago, watched his lover's face; Shion was fast asleep.

It's for the best, Nezumi thought, knowing that it would be easier and much more peaceful for Shion to go when he was still asleep. But Nezumi knew he still had the choice. For the next few minutes, he probably still had the ability to wake Shion just with a mere call, as Shion was never much of a deep sleeper. However, Nezumi refrained himself, deciding that it wasn't fair to disrupt his lover from departing in tranquillity.

It didn't come as a surprise, Shion's departure. They had both been aware of Shion's depleting time on Earth and had spending each and every minute of their lives, of which they could, together. Over the past few years, Shion's cancer had gradually spread and his body had grown much weaker as well as frail. Some had mentioned that it was a miracle for Shion to have been alive even then, despite the horrible condition of his body, and although grateful for the extra time they had, Nezumi and Shion had braced themselves for the day Shion had to go. Shion had made Nezumi promise—a promise to not struggle for Shion's life when the time came for him to go—for he knew that fighting would only make things harder on Nezumi, especially when the outcome wouldn't change.

And so, true to his words, Nezumi didn't struggle as he lay in bed, despite knowing that Shion was soon gone. After all, they had already spent lots of time together, spending everyday as if it was their last, and had looked back on the many memories of which they shared together, talking about them every night before they slept. The time they had had been enough. And now, it was time for Shion to leave. Nezumi had accepted it. He had accepted it a long time ago.

And yet…

Suddenly, all at once, Nezumi's emotions flooded him, and despite the large amount of time they had spent together, it didn't feel like it was enough at all. Not even close. Unable to restrain himself, Nezumi squeezed Shion's hand and called out.

"Shion."

His voice sounded so desperate. He had never heard himself sound like that before. Nezumi's heart beat faster as he felt so many things at once—the fear, the apprehension. Was it too late?

The seconds ticked by… But there was no reply.

His lips trembled as a lump formed in his throat and tears started to form in his eyes. Nezumi slowly turned his face towards the ceiling to stare blankly at it as the tears rolled down the sides of his face. Time moved slowly before he inhaled deeply and let out a large sigh to calm him down.

I see, he mentally thought to himself. That's what it had to have meant—Shion's conscience was already gone. He had been too late. All that's left is his lover's body, still warm, still intact.

But Shion's mind is already…

"Nezumi…?"

Nezumi jerked his head to face Shion and stared at his lover, his eyes wide open with shock. It was soft and weak that he almost thought that he had just imagined it, but that voice had definitely come from Shion. Shion was awake. Shion's conscience was still here. Shion hadn't gone yet.

Shion's eyes were shut but his mouth was moving slowly. "What's… Wrong?" His voice sounded so weak, so weak that he seemed to have to breathe the words out.

It took several seconds for Nezumi to regain his composure, not wanting to slip up by becoming emotional and make Shion realise that his time was almost up. "Shion," he said clearer this time, his voice gentle. "Tell me something," he pleaded. He just wanted to hear Shion's voice, to cherish every last second he had with him.

"…Okay," Shion replied softly, a smile evident in his voice. Shion didn't question as to why Nezumi was doing something he rarely ever did, even though it was more bizarre that it was in the middle of the night. Whether it was because perhaps Shion already knew that these were his last moments or because Shion was too weak and tired to think, Nezumi would never know.

However, only silence followed, and panic filled in Nezumi. Had Shion fallen back asleep? That wasn't the case though, for after a pause, Shion gave a response, his sentence spoken very slowly. "What… Should I… Say?"

Relief set in Nezumi, and he let out a soft sigh. "Anything," Nezumi answered simply, giving Shion's hand a light squeeze.

Another short pause came, and this time, Nezumi knew that it was because Shion was thinking.

"…Orion," Shion breathed. "Canis Major…"

It didn't take long for Nezumi to realise that Shion was reciting the names of the constellations that they saw moments before they went to bed.

"Canis Minor…" Shion was going off about something that didn't really hold any meaning, no story or anything, but even then, just hearing his voice, Nezumi felt relaxed and he shut his eyes, treasuring the moment.

"Vela…"

Shion's voice was so soft.

"Pictor…"

So weak.

"Monoceros…"

Almost breathless.

"Eridanus…"

Yet so, so beautiful.

Once Shion was done naming all the constellations they had seen, silence followed, and nothing except for Nezumi's breathing and Shion's slower one was heard. Salt water flowed slowly from Nezumi's eyes. From the sounds of Shion's breathing, he knew that it wasn't much longer till his lover was gone.

It came as a surprise that Shion broke the silence. Nezumi didn't think he had the energy to speak anymore but apparently he did, and thus he spoke, his voice extremely weak, yet gentle and full of emotion. "Nezumi…"

Nezumi's eyes snapped open in surprise. The hand he was holding applied pressure on his. The pressure was very light, but Nezumi instantly knew that Shion was trying to squeeze his hand. He gave a gentle squeeze back. "What is it?" he murmured softly, and patiently waited for his lover to reply.

There was a long pause until Shion managed to gather enough strength to speak again.

"… I love you," he breathed his last words.

The small pressure Shion had been applying was released and his muscles relaxed. Nezumi grasped harder, squeezing the boy's hand.

"I love you too," Nezumi's voice cracked. Nezumi could sense it—Shion's presence was already gone—and he could only hope that Shion had heard his reply.

Nezumi didn't budge from the bed though. He just shut his eyes and faced the ceiling while his hand grasped onto the remaining warmth of Shion's body. With tears rolling down the sides of his face, Nezumi lay there, listening to the sound of Shion's decelerating heartbeat as Shion's life slipped away, until it gradually came to a stop.

Well! I do have to apologise for the extremely long delay in posting up this epilogue. Didn't quite have the time last year and have been busy with some lessons the past few months. I wasn't actually planning to do the epilogue like this, to be honest. I was initially planning on doing an extra chapter of a bit of fluff as the epilogue and leave it at that, but from the reviews, I could tell that most of you wanted a proper ending i.e. Shion's death and therefore I decided to do this instead. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it! Reviews are most appreciated. Please do feel free to give constructive criticism as it will help me improve.

Oh! And also, I'll be posting up another No.6 fanfic sometime soon when I get the time to write it. Hope you'll all stay tuned for it! xD

Another thing, I got a review asking about the use of blood of a cancer patient to create a serum. There's actually a logical explanation for that but I didn't find it necessary to write it out in the fanfic. However, if any of you are curious and would like to know, feel free to PM me your questions and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

Once again, thank you all for sticking with me through this fanfic! I really hope you liked it!