Fic: The Silent Playground 2/2
Jul. 8th, 2012 08:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cloversworldThe Silent Playground, 2/2 by ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
clover71
Written for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
casestory 2012
Fandom: No. 6 (anime) | Pairing: Nezumi/ Shion
Rating: R | Warning:Death of minor characters, inhumane experiments, child abuse, (slight) graphic violence
Disclaimer, Summary, Author's notes and other info: MASTER POST
Part 1
Part 2
Nezumi never had any visitors, except for the kids living a couple of blocks away who came to see Shion but even that was occasional. Rikiga and Inukashi didn't count since they only came whenever it was of utmost importance.
So when light, timid knock came, Nezumi had to stand by the door for several dubious seconds. When he thought that the chances of getting slaughtered upon opening the door was less than eighty percent, he finally swallowed the thick lump of wariness and checked to see who it was.
To say he was stupefied would be an understatement. Karan stood diffidently at the hallway, looking somewhat forlorn.
"Hello Nezumi," she said, sounding strangely unsure. "Is Shion here?"
Nezumi could feel the creases forming on his forehead. "No. Didn't he stay at your house last night?"
Karan shook her head. "I know he planned to. But he never came home from work. I thought he came straight here, but I got a visit from his colleague just moments ago and she said Shion didn't show up at the institute either."
That's strange. Nezumi was hit with the sense of courtesy and invited Karan inside. "How did you know where I live?"
A small smile slid on her lips. "I come here with Shion sometimes, help him clean up."
The mere mention of Shion's name reminded Nezumi of the current predicament. It wasn't like Shion not to show up either at his mom's place or Nezumi's. There was no other place he could spend the night. Except.
"When was the last time you saw Shion?" he asked Karan.
"Yesterday morning. He came by the house to change before heading to work like he always did whenever he spends the night with you." A cloud of unease surfaced in Karan's eyes. "I'm worried that something might have happened to him. I know he was awfully concerned over the missing children lately."
"I'll go look for him," Nezumi promised and as soon as Karan left, he made his way to the old hotel.
Inukashi was out near the pond, feeding the dogs. Nezumi was greeted with a derisive huff but he ignored the less-than-congenial reception and asked, "Did you happen to see Shion?" not wanting to beat around the bush.
"Why should I? He doesn't work for me anymore, does he now?" was the catty response that Inukashi barfed and he got up on his feet but didn't move from his spot.
Nezumi regarded him skeptically then and when he found no trace of deception, turned on his heel and started to leave. There was no point staying for a pointless conversation. He had to find Shion.
"Wait." There was a telltale sign of desperate curiosity in Inukashi's voice. "Why are you looking for Shion? Isn't he supposed to be with you?"
Nezumi didn't turn, didn't even move to face Inukashi. "If he was, then I wouldn't be looking for him now, would I?"
"If you're going to be sarcastic, suit yourself. Don't come seeking help in my territory," Inukashi said, obviously hiding her frustration in a bored tone.
In a selfish perspective, Nezumi found no need to share his worries but if his hunch was correct, then he might need Inukashi somewhere along the way. So he told her about Karan's visit, that Shion didn't spend the night at his home or at Nezumi's. "I don't know why but somehow, I have this uncomfortable gut feeling that Shion may have been caught in the middle of it." Trouble, after all, was Shion's twin.
"Maybe he spent the night at a friend or a colleague's place."
"Nah. I doubt that."
Shion wouldn't do anything to worry his mom. He wouldn't. Besides, his mom did say that a colleague came over looking for Shion which made Inukashi's theory almost improbable.
Inukashi gave an exasperated sigh, shoulders drooping, eyebrows tight, and his gaze falling on the floor. "All right. I'll send out a couple of dogs and see what I can find."
There was only one thing left for Nezumi to do. "I'm going inside the city."
*
Cold. Damp. Dark.
These were the first things that registered when Shion slowly crept out of his subconscious state. The smell of mold was so strong that it made breathing painfully difficult.
It took a while before his eyes adjusted to the dimness that engulfed him. A faint beam of light sneaking through the barred pane on the door was the only source of light.
The low hum of voices reached his ears, growing louder every second. Shion blindly felt around until his hand touched the icy surface of the concrete wall.
Before he could reach the door though, it swung open and the silhouette of a heavyset man stood menacingly at the threshold. "I see you're awake," the man said in a throaty baritone that grated on Shion's skin.
Soft click reverberated in the room followed by a radiant light that flooded the small space. Shion had to blink desperately several times, trying to get used to the brightness. Only when he was able to see properly that he noticed the man was carrying a tray. He settled it on the floor, said, "Enjoy your dinner," and then shut the door close without giving Shion a chance to speak.
Dinner? How long had he been out anyway? His mouth felt dry and his throat felt like he had swallowed a sack full of burning coals.
It was a bit dark that he couldn't see what was on the tray but if his sense of smell wasn't betraying him, he could make a wild guess that it was mushroom soup.
Beggars can't be choosers. He was famished. His stomach felt so hollow as if his entrails had been scooped out entirely.
The soup was warm at least, though it could use a bit of salt. When Shion was certain there wasn't any weird ingredients thrown in his not-so-copious meal, he gobbled it up like a starving animal, ignoring the tightness in his throat.
Once he had satisfied his belly with enough contents to digest, Shion huddled in the nearest wall and for the first time since his mind decided to bring him back to the world of conscious thoughts, he wondered where he was, why he was here and who took him.
*
The wind blew past his face bringing with it a stench close to blood or rust or melted iron. Nezumi couldn't really distinguish what it was but the smell was too sharp he could taste it on his tongue. He stood on top of the hillock, eyes traveling as far as the empty expanse of the North District. Below him – several yards from where the high walls of No. 6 used to be – sat a derelict playground with swings and slide and everything else covered in rust. The vast city of No. 6 loomed behind him like some promise land compared to the barren wasteland that stretched for miles northward.
A threat vibrated in the air. Or maybe it was just Nezumi's misplaced imagination. But something lured him to this place – voices singing a song similar to the one he heard four years ago, one of Elyurias. There was a distinct difference, something that Nezumi couldn't put his fingers on.
The distant sound of an engine thrumming somewhere behind him prompted Nezumi to look over his shoulders and saw Rikiga's car winding down an unpaved path. He wondered how the old man found him but as the vehicle drew closer he found the answer. Inukashi was at the passenger seat and two of her mutts were at the back. Rikiga forehead was creased, clearly displeased, perhaps over his traveling companions.
The car stopped right at the bottom of the hillock. The two dogs hopped out of the back seat and bounded up to Nezumi. Behind them, Inukashi and Rikiga climbed up the slope.
"How did you find me?" he asked although Nezumi might know the answer to that as soon as the dogs started sniffing on his legs.
"The dogs," was Inukashi's offhanded response.
Rikiga took the last few steps to reach Nezumi's side, panting, hand resting on his chest when he said, "Going on a hunt without us now, eh, Nezumi?"
"I had no plans of coming here. I was on my way to the institute where Shion works," Nezumi said in defense. "It's just that," he added, dragging his eyes back to the ruins, "…something brought me here."
"Something?" Inukashi's tone bordered between skeptical and curious. But then again, that was how Inukashi often spoke.
Nezumi had no desire to explain but he knew his companions would only subject him into an endless interrogation if he didn't. "A voice. I heard a voice singing some song, similar to the one I heard from Elyurias eight months ago. This time though I didn't feel like my heart was being crushed and my head didn't feel like it was about to explode. This time, I felt a tug in my soul and the next thing I knew, I was here."
"I hope this doesn't mean that history is repeating itself," Rikiga said, wistfully looking out into the sea of nothing but dry ground. Nezumi doubted there was any connection at all. If there were still citizens that remained loyal to the tyranny that once grasped this region, then Nezumi could only presume they wouldn't try the same thing twice. Could there be a new conspiracy rising within No. 6? Or was this, as Nezumi had feared, an isolated case?
Nezumi moved his eyes down to the playground when he heard the dogs yelp, watched the animals circle around the child-size, decrepit slide until curiosity enticed Nezumi to amble to the spot. "What's wrong with them?" he asked as soon as Inukashi caught up and went straight to his mutts.
"I don't know." Inukashi crouched over to the ground where the dogs had been pawing. "Nezumi, Look!" he exclaimed, beckoning frantically with his arm.
There was a cloth stuck near the ladder, a red bandana and on the corner, the name 'Akina' was embroidered.
"Akina. Akina. Now why does the name sound familiar?" Inukashi muttered. Then something sparked in her eyes, as if the proverbial light bulb in his head lit up. "Of course. That name was on the list of missing children. That was why I came looking for you, Nezumi. I just got word from my contact who works at the Security Bureau."
*
Time no longer mattered to Shion. He had no way of telling how long it took before he could see or feel any signs of living within the perimeter of his lonely prison.
The single, most reliable means of determining the hour of the day was when his meal was served and his twenty-four-hour babysitter announced whether it was Shion's breakfast or lunch or supper.
In this case, it was lunch. Shion held onto the hope of striking a conversation with his captor so he feigned delight upon seeing the contents of the tray and said, "Ooh, mushroom soup. My favorite!" while completely disregarding the queasiness already rumbling in his belly. "What is this place anyway?" he asked, hoping he sounded casual.
The man just grunted in response.
"Must be they mysterious dungeon in No. 6, eh?" Shion tried again but the hostile glare he got made him clamp his mouth.
"You'll find out soon enough." With that, the man slammed the door shut.
Shion waited until the man was gone and the hallway was void of any noise. When he was certain that he was alone once more, he moved the cot and pulled off the steel cover on the floor. He discovered it this morning when a fair amount of light came pouring through the bars on the door.
There seemed to be a considerable space in the hole, just enough for him to slip through it. He had no idea where it led to, presumed that the duct would lead him outside the building. It was a far better idea than sitting around, waiting for his captors to realize that they didn't have any need for him and dump his dead body somewhere where wild animals can feast on.
No thank you. He'd been through hell with Nezumi before, he certainly possessed the capability to escape or he would die trying.
It was like a claustrophobic maze and Shion struggled to slither through the gap until he came across some sort of intersection where he would need to choose to go either left or right or forward.
Leaving his choice to fate, he turned right then a few yards further he heard noises. Quietly, he slid past the metal cover but froze when he heard one of them say, "That Akina girl is running a very high fever and her heart is failing. If we don't remove her soon, she might die."
A soft gasp escaped Shion's mouth.
"Fine then. Unhook her from the machine until she recovers. Meanwhile, we could use that teenage mentor to take her place," another said, voice low with an intimidating drawl.
"You mean Shion?"
"Yes. He's also an elite, was classed rank A, at least according to his records. He should do well. In fact, his brain may do wonders that we might not need the other children anymore."
Children. Shion felt his heart surged up his throat. Oh no. Are they talking about the missing children?
"Is that why you had him kidnapped in the first place?"
"No. I asked you to bring him here because he was a menace, sticking his nose where it didn't belong. There were rumors that he was one of those responsible for the destruction of the correctional facility eight months ago so I wouldn't underestimate him. But now, we have better use for him. Attend to the child. Then bring Shion to me."
Shion had to get out of there. Fast. But no. If the children were here, if they were holding Akina somewhere in the building, Shion couldn't just leave them. He had to go back.
It proved difficult since he had to crawl backwards until he came upon the intersection once more. But he managed to find his way back to his holding cell before someone came by to get him.
*
There was a building, an old factory it seemed, hidden between walls of rock around two miles north of No. 6. This was where the dogs led them.
"Shouldn't we have a plan before bursting inside?" Inukashi asked and Nezumi agreed it was the logical thing to do but they knew nothing about the facility, knew no one in the building and they have no clue what its purpose is in the first place.
"You can use the dogs to distract the guards at the side entrance over there." Nezumi pointed straight at the double doors at the side of the building. "Then we break in."
Inukashi huffed, said, "Right. And we don't know if there are more armed men inside," then whispered something to the mutts.
The dogs took off but didn't head straight to where three men stood guard at the entrance.
"Where are they going?" Nezumi asked.
"I asked them to find us a safer way in."
It didn't take long before the dogs returned and they followed the animals straight to a sewerage opening about fifty yards from the back of the building.
The stench of garbage and moldy water greeted Nezumi's nose when they pried the bars open. "And this is a better way?"
Inukashi shrugged. "Beats getting shot because of the lack of stealth." She crept into the large pipe, leaving Nezumi and Rikiga with no choice but to follow.
The stench and the rats occasionally running past their feet didn't bother Nezumi. It was the fact they were blindly stumbling into an unknown territory that kept his head reeling.
They didn't even know what to find here, just trusting the instinct of two animals who used their sense of smell to track down the scent that clung to the bandana they found.
Exactly what would a child do in a place like this? But then again, if that child had been abducted, this would be a perfect place to hide her.
*
Shion felt like he was an accused criminal waiting for verdict. He knew someone would come to take him away, take him to where they were possibly holding the children. But minutes turned into hours and the waiting became unbearable.
The sound of heavy footsteps alerted him someone was coming, probably the man who brought him his meals since, if Shion's calculation was correct, it was dinner time.
The door swung open to reveal not just the same man he'd been seeing since he got here but there were three others, one of them garbed in a long white lab coat, similar to a doctor's.
"You're coming with us," one of the armed men said then grabbed Shion by the arm and dragged him outside.
The elevator that took them to the higher level whirred but the sound wasn't enough to slice through the thick cloud of silence. No one uttered a word and Shion could hear his own breathing echoing in his ears. The wordless exchange between the men surrounding Shion triggered an immeasurable apprehension that caused his heart to hammer fiercely against his ribcage.
They stepped out of the lift and into a brightly lit hallway. Men and women garbed in blue and white uniforms, some wearing lab coats, littered the corridors.
Shion was taken to a large room, the walls lined with computer panels and monitor screens.
"It's about time." A man with large glasses, messy brown hair falling over his otherwise clean shaven face, stepped up to them. "Welcome Shion. My name is Doctor Kumori. And I'm here to make sure you get the honor of taking part in the revival of Number Six."
Revival of what? Shion wasn't sure what the man meant but his initial reaction was "but Number Six doesn't need revival. It's fine on its own."
Dr. Kumori broke into a condescending laughter, shoulders shaking, chest jouncing. "Not after what you've helped defile it."
Shion's eyes widened and he donned an innocent mask. "What do you mean?"
"You don't think I know, do you? The city and its citizens were under strict control of the government so that it would be the utopia everyone so deserved. But you and your friends had to come destroy our hope for a better world. So now, we will fix what you've ruined."
Rage started to boil deep in Shion's gut. He remembered what the authorities did with Safu and countless others just so they could see their experiment through, had tried to reincarnate Elyurias using a human host at the cost of the citizen's life. He should know, he was a survivor of this abomination.
It was a feat to keep Shion's voice steady when he asked, "What does it have to do with me?"
"Let me show you." Dr. Kumori strode over to the panel, pressed a button and shutters on one wall slid open to reveal a glass window. Beyond it was a sunken room with a round machine in the middle. What made Shion's innards turn violently was the sight of five gurneys around the machine – four of them held children with their heads cracked open and wires from the machine were attached directly to their brains.
"Such a pretty sight, isn't it?" Dr. Kumori said with a poisonous lilt. "This machine was built along with the creation of Number Six. It was supposed to control the entire city but the scientists assigned on the project all agreed not to activate it." The doctor's hand moved up to the panel and pressed a series of buttons. The children's faces appeared on the screen before them.
"You see," the doctor went on explaining with a wave of his hand, "for this machine to work, it needs to be hooked on a human brain, one with exceptional intellect. When we decided to bring this project out of the box, we all agreed the best candidate – or in this case, candidates – to make the machine work were children belonging to the elite class."
"This is sick." Shion clenched his hands, fists digging on the side of his thighs. "You are sick!" Shion made to launch at the doctor, wanting to throttle the man but his arms were grabbed by the armed men.
"Now, now, Shion." The doctor leered at him but Shion wasn't fazed. "You should be proud because I chose you to replace one of the children whom we had no choice but to pull out because of… well, side effects."
Akina! "What did you do to her? Where's Akina?"
Dr. Kumori raised an eyebrow. "So. You do know the child after all. A student of yours if I'm not mistaken?"
"Where is she?" The words scraped against Shion's throat when he screamed. "Where is she?"
"She's none of your concern now." Dr. Kumori's gaze skipped to the armed men still holding Shion. "Get him to the operating room. We shall begin with the procedure soon."
Shion struggled with all the strength he could muster but the men were stronger and he was dragged straight to a room, strapped into an operating table and all he could do was send a desperate thought, hoping that by some miracle, Nezumi would hear him.
Nezumi. Help me. Save me.
*
Nezumi was in the process of tying the knot on the rope he just wrapped around the three guards they managed to knock unconscious when he felt the stab somewhere at the back of his mind.
Shion. He could swear he just heard Shion's voice calling him, asking for his help.
"What's the matter, Nezumi?" Inukashi's voice yanked Nezumi out of his stupor.
With a shake of his head, Nezumi said, "Nothing. I thought I heard Shion."
"Do you think he's also here in the building?" Rikiga asked, the hand clutching the gun he snatched from one of the guards trembled.
"Maybe." Nezumi heard it again, this time though, it was as if the sound guided him to where he needed to go. "This way," he said, gesturing for Inukashi and Rikiga to follow him. They left the dogs to stand guard in the room where they snuck in.
"How do you know this is the right way?" Inukashi sounded skeptic, but she followed Nezumi nonetheless.
Nezumi didn't bother explaining it. He didn't even know what it was, just that he felt the sharp tug and let his instincts take the lead.
They encountered a handful of other guards before they found a hidden flight of stairs that led to the level where Nezumi could feel Shion's presence the strongest. He's here. Shion's here, I just know it.
When they burst through the trap door, armed men lingering along the corridors started firing at them. Bullets went past Nezumi's head before he could duck in an alcove with Inukashi and Rikiga.
"Go." Inukashi said. "We'll cover you."
With a nod, Nezumi took off, leaping to kick a man's hand, effectively disarming him. He snatched the weapon and began sending bullets to anyone who got in his way. He was almost at the end of the hallway when he heard it – the scream so loud and bloodcurdling that it sent a surge of fright ripping through his skin.
"Shion!" He no longer cared about stealth. He had to find Shion. He slammed against a door from where he was certain the scream emanated and found Shion strapped on a metal table, two men and a woman wearing lab coats surrounded him.
"Nezumi! Get me out of here!"
Shutting the door behind him, Nezumi ordered the men and woman to step into what looked like a storage closet then locked them inside. He removed the straps that held down Shion and asked, "Are you all right? Did they hurt you?"
"No." Shion rubbed his wrist. "I wouldn't remain still long enough for them to administer anesthetic so they threatened to cut my head open without it." It was then Nezumi took notice of the drop of blood leaking out of a small cut on Shion's forehead.
Nezumi rummaged through the table and found a roll of bandage. "Here." He wrapped it gently around Shion's head. "We have to go."
"Wait." Shion's hand curled around Nezumi's arm. "What are you doing here? How did you find me?"
An explanation was in order but they had little time to spare so Nezumi made a quick narration about how Inukashi's dog found a bandana with Akina's name embroidered on the corner then led them here. "I sort of felt you calling for me. That's what led me to this part of the building."
"Akina! She's here Nezumi. Along with the other children who had been reported missing." Shion gave a brief account on what he had witnessed and Nezumi could feel his jaw drop.
The resounding sound of alarm startled Nezumi out of his momentary shock. He shouldn't give a shit but he found himself acquiescing when Shion asked for his help to save the children. "Let's go."
People rushed across the hallway, the noises they made blended with the resounding wail of the distress signal.
Shion led the way to the laboratory with Nezumi crippling anyone who dared stop them by shooting them on their legs. Shion didn't say a word, didn't chastise him.
When they stormed inside the large room, there were few people left inside, most were unarmed and Nezumi was forced to take out two men who aimed their weapons at Shion before they could even press the trigger.
"Doctor Kumori isn't here," Shion said, crouching to snatch the gun from one of the fallen men. He aimed it at some random guy and never had Nezumi heard Shion so threatening when he said, "Where is he? Where's Doctor Kumori?"
The guy visibly shivered and stuttered, "A-at the m-ma-main lab. E-experiment room."
There was fire in Shion's eyes. "How do you get in there?" When the guy didn’t respond, Shion said, "How. Do you. Get. In there?" in a raised, piercing voice.
A trembling hand gestured at a panel on the wall.
"Get out of here." It was flat, void of emotions but frightening all the same. When no one moved, not even flinched, Shion shouted, "Get out here. All of you!"
The occupants of the room scampered toward the door, Nezumi standing in the corner to make sure no one would try anything funny.
The panel turned out to be a door that led down a secret passage. Underneath was an equally large room and Nezumi knew from the first glance that the large machine that occupied the center was the one Shion mentioned earlier. It looked similar to the blue prints that he and Rikiga saw from the microchip the elder gave him weeks ago.
Of course! Nezumi recalled reading the data and learned that this machine was never activated because it required a human brain to operate.
A brown-haired man emerged from the shadowy corner and stared at them with a sinister glint on his eyes. He held a small gadget in his hand. "One wrong move and I pull off the plug," the man said.
"Game's over Doctor Komori. You might as well give up." Shion held his head high, shoulders tight. Nezumi could only guess the experience at the correctional facility still clung to Shion.
The doctor gave a shuddering laugh. "You see, Shion, when I press this button, it will turn the machine off and that will certainly not bode well to these children. Their brains are now connected to the machine. You turn it off, they die. You try to unhook them, they die as well."
Shion raised his arm, aimed the weapon straight at the doctor. "Give me the remote," he demanded but that wasn't enough to deter the doctor. "Give it to me!"
Dr. Kumori simply shook his head, his thumb moving over the button.
Nezumi saw Shion's finger move but Nezumi had a quicker reflex and he shot the doctor right through the head before Shion could even pull the trigger, before the doctor could press the button to deactivate the machine.
The doctor fell on the ground with a thud, blood spilling out of the hole on his forehead.
"You should've let me kill him." The impassiveness that seeped through every word made it seem less that they tumbled out of Shion's mouth.
"No Shion. You killed once. For me. And that was enough." Nezumi knew it was impossible for Shion to regain his old self – the Shion that Nezumi knew before No. 6's downfall. But he would never stop hoping.
"He said the children would die if we unhook them." Shion gazed down at the innocent faces, eyes no longer clouded with fury.
"We have to get some neurosurgeons to remove them."
"I'll send the dogs to get help." Inukashi was standing at the bottom step of the stairs, eyes wide and staring inconspicuously at the immobile bodies.
"Come, Nezumi." Shion held out his hand, which Nezumi took without hesitation. "Let's go find Akina."
*
It had been a month since the incident at the North District and the memory of it still haunted Shion in his dreams.
They didn't find Akina at the lab, nor any trace of her. Two days later, he was told they found the child's body in the swamp, three kilometers from the facility.
Shion felt like his soul was torn into pieces when he saw Akina's mother break down upon hearing the news.
It was Shion's choice not to return to the institute. He didn't even go home to Lost Town until recently. His mother didn't say a word about it. Her silence could only mean she understood.
Shion was more at peace in the West Block, with Nezumi by his side. Nezumi had been his rock, his support system. Slowly, Shion's wounds from the horrible experience healed.
Rikiga encouraged Shion to try his hand at writing. The man decided to revive the Latch Bill newspaper, holding office at the heart of the West Block and thought he could use Shion's intelligence to run it.
The quiet hum of the night provided a perfect atmosphere for Shion to try and string words together, maybe write an essay about life in the district.
He brought out the laptop that Rikiga had generously provided, turned it on and watched the screen flicker. The stimuli in his brain though coaxed him to recapture the unsettling episode at the facility that Shion had to tear his fingers away from the keyboard and stare at the cursor blinking on a blank page.
A minute must have passed. Maybe a couple. Maybe ten. But Shion only snapped out of his trance when a new window popped open and black background spread across the monitor, the words 'Hello, Teacher Shion' appeared.
Shion stared for a moment, flummoxed, before his fingers danced on the keys and typed 'Who are you?'
It took a while for the response to come but when it did, Shion couldn't help but gape at the words 'It's Akina, don't you remember me?' with a slack jaw.
The first thought that landed into his befuddled brain was oh shit but then Shion realized the possibility that this could be a hoax – a sick practical joke – so he quickly typed 'That's impossible. Akina's dead.'
The words 'My body is but my brain is very much alive' rolled onto the screen and the idea seized at Shion's heart. What if…?
'My body was failing but Dr. Kumori didn't want my brain to go to waste so he kept me hooked into the machine' were displayed next.
But. Shion couldn't believe he was falling for this. 'But the machine was destroyed before it can even completely boot.'
'The machine was already working, though not connected yet to the city's network. But since it was only my brain that was hooked into it, without a body to anchor me, I managed to infiltrate the main operating system, clung there until I could find an open network.'
The only reaction Shion could offer was 'Why?'
'So that I could find you, thank you for all your help and maybe say goodbye to my mom.'
Shion nearly jumped when the door opened and Nezumi held him with a curious glance. "You look like you've seen a ghost," Nezumi said, lips curving into a small smile.
"I think I just did." Shion recounted what had just happened as concisely as he could.
Nezumi studied the chat window with no trace of skepticism in his expression.
'I have to go, Teacher' appeared before Shion could ask for Nezumi's opinion.
'Wait. Where are you going?'
'The connection to the city's network isn't fully established. Without the support of the machine, the connection will fade and my brain will eventually die.'
The 'die' element of Akina's phrase was what struck Shion the most. As bizarre as the situation was, Shion felt his heart bleed at the thought of losing Akina for the second time.
Warm hand rested between his shoulder blades and he was prompted to lift his gaze up to Nezumi's face. "Maybe this is the closure you need," Nezumi said in a soft, consoling way.
'Good bye, Teacher' was the last sentence that Shion read before the screen dissolved back to the blank page that Shion had been staring at.
There were a thousand pieces of the puzzle Shion doubted he would be able to solve hovering above his head. If it weren't for Nezumi's presence, he would have lost grip on his sanity.
Nezumi held him, arms wound loosely around Shion's middle. And Shion melted in Nezumi's embrace, wondering if this was their last battle against No. 6.
- END -
clover71Written for
casestory 2012Fandom: No. 6 (anime) | Pairing: Nezumi/ Shion
Rating: R | Warning:
Disclaimer, Summary, Author's notes and other info: MASTER POST
Part 1
Part 2
Nezumi never had any visitors, except for the kids living a couple of blocks away who came to see Shion but even that was occasional. Rikiga and Inukashi didn't count since they only came whenever it was of utmost importance.
So when light, timid knock came, Nezumi had to stand by the door for several dubious seconds. When he thought that the chances of getting slaughtered upon opening the door was less than eighty percent, he finally swallowed the thick lump of wariness and checked to see who it was.
To say he was stupefied would be an understatement. Karan stood diffidently at the hallway, looking somewhat forlorn.
"Hello Nezumi," she said, sounding strangely unsure. "Is Shion here?"
Nezumi could feel the creases forming on his forehead. "No. Didn't he stay at your house last night?"
Karan shook her head. "I know he planned to. But he never came home from work. I thought he came straight here, but I got a visit from his colleague just moments ago and she said Shion didn't show up at the institute either."
That's strange. Nezumi was hit with the sense of courtesy and invited Karan inside. "How did you know where I live?"
A small smile slid on her lips. "I come here with Shion sometimes, help him clean up."
The mere mention of Shion's name reminded Nezumi of the current predicament. It wasn't like Shion not to show up either at his mom's place or Nezumi's. There was no other place he could spend the night. Except.
"When was the last time you saw Shion?" he asked Karan.
"Yesterday morning. He came by the house to change before heading to work like he always did whenever he spends the night with you." A cloud of unease surfaced in Karan's eyes. "I'm worried that something might have happened to him. I know he was awfully concerned over the missing children lately."
"I'll go look for him," Nezumi promised and as soon as Karan left, he made his way to the old hotel.
Inukashi was out near the pond, feeding the dogs. Nezumi was greeted with a derisive huff but he ignored the less-than-congenial reception and asked, "Did you happen to see Shion?" not wanting to beat around the bush.
"Why should I? He doesn't work for me anymore, does he now?" was the catty response that Inukashi barfed and he got up on his feet but didn't move from his spot.
Nezumi regarded him skeptically then and when he found no trace of deception, turned on his heel and started to leave. There was no point staying for a pointless conversation. He had to find Shion.
"Wait." There was a telltale sign of desperate curiosity in Inukashi's voice. "Why are you looking for Shion? Isn't he supposed to be with you?"
Nezumi didn't turn, didn't even move to face Inukashi. "If he was, then I wouldn't be looking for him now, would I?"
"If you're going to be sarcastic, suit yourself. Don't come seeking help in my territory," Inukashi said, obviously hiding her frustration in a bored tone.
In a selfish perspective, Nezumi found no need to share his worries but if his hunch was correct, then he might need Inukashi somewhere along the way. So he told her about Karan's visit, that Shion didn't spend the night at his home or at Nezumi's. "I don't know why but somehow, I have this uncomfortable gut feeling that Shion may have been caught in the middle of it." Trouble, after all, was Shion's twin.
"Maybe he spent the night at a friend or a colleague's place."
"Nah. I doubt that."
Shion wouldn't do anything to worry his mom. He wouldn't. Besides, his mom did say that a colleague came over looking for Shion which made Inukashi's theory almost improbable.
Inukashi gave an exasperated sigh, shoulders drooping, eyebrows tight, and his gaze falling on the floor. "All right. I'll send out a couple of dogs and see what I can find."
There was only one thing left for Nezumi to do. "I'm going inside the city."
*
Cold. Damp. Dark.
These were the first things that registered when Shion slowly crept out of his subconscious state. The smell of mold was so strong that it made breathing painfully difficult.
It took a while before his eyes adjusted to the dimness that engulfed him. A faint beam of light sneaking through the barred pane on the door was the only source of light.
The low hum of voices reached his ears, growing louder every second. Shion blindly felt around until his hand touched the icy surface of the concrete wall.
Before he could reach the door though, it swung open and the silhouette of a heavyset man stood menacingly at the threshold. "I see you're awake," the man said in a throaty baritone that grated on Shion's skin.
Soft click reverberated in the room followed by a radiant light that flooded the small space. Shion had to blink desperately several times, trying to get used to the brightness. Only when he was able to see properly that he noticed the man was carrying a tray. He settled it on the floor, said, "Enjoy your dinner," and then shut the door close without giving Shion a chance to speak.
Dinner? How long had he been out anyway? His mouth felt dry and his throat felt like he had swallowed a sack full of burning coals.
It was a bit dark that he couldn't see what was on the tray but if his sense of smell wasn't betraying him, he could make a wild guess that it was mushroom soup.
Beggars can't be choosers. He was famished. His stomach felt so hollow as if his entrails had been scooped out entirely.
The soup was warm at least, though it could use a bit of salt. When Shion was certain there wasn't any weird ingredients thrown in his not-so-copious meal, he gobbled it up like a starving animal, ignoring the tightness in his throat.
Once he had satisfied his belly with enough contents to digest, Shion huddled in the nearest wall and for the first time since his mind decided to bring him back to the world of conscious thoughts, he wondered where he was, why he was here and who took him.
*
The wind blew past his face bringing with it a stench close to blood or rust or melted iron. Nezumi couldn't really distinguish what it was but the smell was too sharp he could taste it on his tongue. He stood on top of the hillock, eyes traveling as far as the empty expanse of the North District. Below him – several yards from where the high walls of No. 6 used to be – sat a derelict playground with swings and slide and everything else covered in rust. The vast city of No. 6 loomed behind him like some promise land compared to the barren wasteland that stretched for miles northward.
A threat vibrated in the air. Or maybe it was just Nezumi's misplaced imagination. But something lured him to this place – voices singing a song similar to the one he heard four years ago, one of Elyurias. There was a distinct difference, something that Nezumi couldn't put his fingers on.
The distant sound of an engine thrumming somewhere behind him prompted Nezumi to look over his shoulders and saw Rikiga's car winding down an unpaved path. He wondered how the old man found him but as the vehicle drew closer he found the answer. Inukashi was at the passenger seat and two of her mutts were at the back. Rikiga forehead was creased, clearly displeased, perhaps over his traveling companions.
The car stopped right at the bottom of the hillock. The two dogs hopped out of the back seat and bounded up to Nezumi. Behind them, Inukashi and Rikiga climbed up the slope.
"How did you find me?" he asked although Nezumi might know the answer to that as soon as the dogs started sniffing on his legs.
"The dogs," was Inukashi's offhanded response.
Rikiga took the last few steps to reach Nezumi's side, panting, hand resting on his chest when he said, "Going on a hunt without us now, eh, Nezumi?"
"I had no plans of coming here. I was on my way to the institute where Shion works," Nezumi said in defense. "It's just that," he added, dragging his eyes back to the ruins, "…something brought me here."
"Something?" Inukashi's tone bordered between skeptical and curious. But then again, that was how Inukashi often spoke.
Nezumi had no desire to explain but he knew his companions would only subject him into an endless interrogation if he didn't. "A voice. I heard a voice singing some song, similar to the one I heard from Elyurias eight months ago. This time though I didn't feel like my heart was being crushed and my head didn't feel like it was about to explode. This time, I felt a tug in my soul and the next thing I knew, I was here."
"I hope this doesn't mean that history is repeating itself," Rikiga said, wistfully looking out into the sea of nothing but dry ground. Nezumi doubted there was any connection at all. If there were still citizens that remained loyal to the tyranny that once grasped this region, then Nezumi could only presume they wouldn't try the same thing twice. Could there be a new conspiracy rising within No. 6? Or was this, as Nezumi had feared, an isolated case?
Nezumi moved his eyes down to the playground when he heard the dogs yelp, watched the animals circle around the child-size, decrepit slide until curiosity enticed Nezumi to amble to the spot. "What's wrong with them?" he asked as soon as Inukashi caught up and went straight to his mutts.
"I don't know." Inukashi crouched over to the ground where the dogs had been pawing. "Nezumi, Look!" he exclaimed, beckoning frantically with his arm.
There was a cloth stuck near the ladder, a red bandana and on the corner, the name 'Akina' was embroidered.
"Akina. Akina. Now why does the name sound familiar?" Inukashi muttered. Then something sparked in her eyes, as if the proverbial light bulb in his head lit up. "Of course. That name was on the list of missing children. That was why I came looking for you, Nezumi. I just got word from my contact who works at the Security Bureau."
*
Time no longer mattered to Shion. He had no way of telling how long it took before he could see or feel any signs of living within the perimeter of his lonely prison.
The single, most reliable means of determining the hour of the day was when his meal was served and his twenty-four-hour babysitter announced whether it was Shion's breakfast or lunch or supper.
In this case, it was lunch. Shion held onto the hope of striking a conversation with his captor so he feigned delight upon seeing the contents of the tray and said, "Ooh, mushroom soup. My favorite!" while completely disregarding the queasiness already rumbling in his belly. "What is this place anyway?" he asked, hoping he sounded casual.
The man just grunted in response.
"Must be they mysterious dungeon in No. 6, eh?" Shion tried again but the hostile glare he got made him clamp his mouth.
"You'll find out soon enough." With that, the man slammed the door shut.
Shion waited until the man was gone and the hallway was void of any noise. When he was certain that he was alone once more, he moved the cot and pulled off the steel cover on the floor. He discovered it this morning when a fair amount of light came pouring through the bars on the door.
There seemed to be a considerable space in the hole, just enough for him to slip through it. He had no idea where it led to, presumed that the duct would lead him outside the building. It was a far better idea than sitting around, waiting for his captors to realize that they didn't have any need for him and dump his dead body somewhere where wild animals can feast on.
No thank you. He'd been through hell with Nezumi before, he certainly possessed the capability to escape or he would die trying.
It was like a claustrophobic maze and Shion struggled to slither through the gap until he came across some sort of intersection where he would need to choose to go either left or right or forward.
Leaving his choice to fate, he turned right then a few yards further he heard noises. Quietly, he slid past the metal cover but froze when he heard one of them say, "That Akina girl is running a very high fever and her heart is failing. If we don't remove her soon, she might die."
A soft gasp escaped Shion's mouth.
"Fine then. Unhook her from the machine until she recovers. Meanwhile, we could use that teenage mentor to take her place," another said, voice low with an intimidating drawl.
"You mean Shion?"
"Yes. He's also an elite, was classed rank A, at least according to his records. He should do well. In fact, his brain may do wonders that we might not need the other children anymore."
Children. Shion felt his heart surged up his throat. Oh no. Are they talking about the missing children?
"Is that why you had him kidnapped in the first place?"
"No. I asked you to bring him here because he was a menace, sticking his nose where it didn't belong. There were rumors that he was one of those responsible for the destruction of the correctional facility eight months ago so I wouldn't underestimate him. But now, we have better use for him. Attend to the child. Then bring Shion to me."
Shion had to get out of there. Fast. But no. If the children were here, if they were holding Akina somewhere in the building, Shion couldn't just leave them. He had to go back.
It proved difficult since he had to crawl backwards until he came upon the intersection once more. But he managed to find his way back to his holding cell before someone came by to get him.
*
There was a building, an old factory it seemed, hidden between walls of rock around two miles north of No. 6. This was where the dogs led them.
"Shouldn't we have a plan before bursting inside?" Inukashi asked and Nezumi agreed it was the logical thing to do but they knew nothing about the facility, knew no one in the building and they have no clue what its purpose is in the first place.
"You can use the dogs to distract the guards at the side entrance over there." Nezumi pointed straight at the double doors at the side of the building. "Then we break in."
Inukashi huffed, said, "Right. And we don't know if there are more armed men inside," then whispered something to the mutts.
The dogs took off but didn't head straight to where three men stood guard at the entrance.
"Where are they going?" Nezumi asked.
"I asked them to find us a safer way in."
It didn't take long before the dogs returned and they followed the animals straight to a sewerage opening about fifty yards from the back of the building.
The stench of garbage and moldy water greeted Nezumi's nose when they pried the bars open. "And this is a better way?"
Inukashi shrugged. "Beats getting shot because of the lack of stealth." She crept into the large pipe, leaving Nezumi and Rikiga with no choice but to follow.
The stench and the rats occasionally running past their feet didn't bother Nezumi. It was the fact they were blindly stumbling into an unknown territory that kept his head reeling.
They didn't even know what to find here, just trusting the instinct of two animals who used their sense of smell to track down the scent that clung to the bandana they found.
Exactly what would a child do in a place like this? But then again, if that child had been abducted, this would be a perfect place to hide her.
*
Shion felt like he was an accused criminal waiting for verdict. He knew someone would come to take him away, take him to where they were possibly holding the children. But minutes turned into hours and the waiting became unbearable.
The sound of heavy footsteps alerted him someone was coming, probably the man who brought him his meals since, if Shion's calculation was correct, it was dinner time.
The door swung open to reveal not just the same man he'd been seeing since he got here but there were three others, one of them garbed in a long white lab coat, similar to a doctor's.
"You're coming with us," one of the armed men said then grabbed Shion by the arm and dragged him outside.
The elevator that took them to the higher level whirred but the sound wasn't enough to slice through the thick cloud of silence. No one uttered a word and Shion could hear his own breathing echoing in his ears. The wordless exchange between the men surrounding Shion triggered an immeasurable apprehension that caused his heart to hammer fiercely against his ribcage.
They stepped out of the lift and into a brightly lit hallway. Men and women garbed in blue and white uniforms, some wearing lab coats, littered the corridors.
Shion was taken to a large room, the walls lined with computer panels and monitor screens.
"It's about time." A man with large glasses, messy brown hair falling over his otherwise clean shaven face, stepped up to them. "Welcome Shion. My name is Doctor Kumori. And I'm here to make sure you get the honor of taking part in the revival of Number Six."
Revival of what? Shion wasn't sure what the man meant but his initial reaction was "but Number Six doesn't need revival. It's fine on its own."
Dr. Kumori broke into a condescending laughter, shoulders shaking, chest jouncing. "Not after what you've helped defile it."
Shion's eyes widened and he donned an innocent mask. "What do you mean?"
"You don't think I know, do you? The city and its citizens were under strict control of the government so that it would be the utopia everyone so deserved. But you and your friends had to come destroy our hope for a better world. So now, we will fix what you've ruined."
Rage started to boil deep in Shion's gut. He remembered what the authorities did with Safu and countless others just so they could see their experiment through, had tried to reincarnate Elyurias using a human host at the cost of the citizen's life. He should know, he was a survivor of this abomination.
It was a feat to keep Shion's voice steady when he asked, "What does it have to do with me?"
"Let me show you." Dr. Kumori strode over to the panel, pressed a button and shutters on one wall slid open to reveal a glass window. Beyond it was a sunken room with a round machine in the middle. What made Shion's innards turn violently was the sight of five gurneys around the machine – four of them held children with their heads cracked open and wires from the machine were attached directly to their brains.
"Such a pretty sight, isn't it?" Dr. Kumori said with a poisonous lilt. "This machine was built along with the creation of Number Six. It was supposed to control the entire city but the scientists assigned on the project all agreed not to activate it." The doctor's hand moved up to the panel and pressed a series of buttons. The children's faces appeared on the screen before them.
"You see," the doctor went on explaining with a wave of his hand, "for this machine to work, it needs to be hooked on a human brain, one with exceptional intellect. When we decided to bring this project out of the box, we all agreed the best candidate – or in this case, candidates – to make the machine work were children belonging to the elite class."
"This is sick." Shion clenched his hands, fists digging on the side of his thighs. "You are sick!" Shion made to launch at the doctor, wanting to throttle the man but his arms were grabbed by the armed men.
"Now, now, Shion." The doctor leered at him but Shion wasn't fazed. "You should be proud because I chose you to replace one of the children whom we had no choice but to pull out because of… well, side effects."
Akina! "What did you do to her? Where's Akina?"
Dr. Kumori raised an eyebrow. "So. You do know the child after all. A student of yours if I'm not mistaken?"
"Where is she?" The words scraped against Shion's throat when he screamed. "Where is she?"
"She's none of your concern now." Dr. Kumori's gaze skipped to the armed men still holding Shion. "Get him to the operating room. We shall begin with the procedure soon."
Shion struggled with all the strength he could muster but the men were stronger and he was dragged straight to a room, strapped into an operating table and all he could do was send a desperate thought, hoping that by some miracle, Nezumi would hear him.
Nezumi. Help me. Save me.
*
Nezumi was in the process of tying the knot on the rope he just wrapped around the three guards they managed to knock unconscious when he felt the stab somewhere at the back of his mind.
Shion. He could swear he just heard Shion's voice calling him, asking for his help.
"What's the matter, Nezumi?" Inukashi's voice yanked Nezumi out of his stupor.
With a shake of his head, Nezumi said, "Nothing. I thought I heard Shion."
"Do you think he's also here in the building?" Rikiga asked, the hand clutching the gun he snatched from one of the guards trembled.
"Maybe." Nezumi heard it again, this time though, it was as if the sound guided him to where he needed to go. "This way," he said, gesturing for Inukashi and Rikiga to follow him. They left the dogs to stand guard in the room where they snuck in.
"How do you know this is the right way?" Inukashi sounded skeptic, but she followed Nezumi nonetheless.
Nezumi didn't bother explaining it. He didn't even know what it was, just that he felt the sharp tug and let his instincts take the lead.
They encountered a handful of other guards before they found a hidden flight of stairs that led to the level where Nezumi could feel Shion's presence the strongest. He's here. Shion's here, I just know it.
When they burst through the trap door, armed men lingering along the corridors started firing at them. Bullets went past Nezumi's head before he could duck in an alcove with Inukashi and Rikiga.
"Go." Inukashi said. "We'll cover you."
With a nod, Nezumi took off, leaping to kick a man's hand, effectively disarming him. He snatched the weapon and began sending bullets to anyone who got in his way. He was almost at the end of the hallway when he heard it – the scream so loud and bloodcurdling that it sent a surge of fright ripping through his skin.
"Shion!" He no longer cared about stealth. He had to find Shion. He slammed against a door from where he was certain the scream emanated and found Shion strapped on a metal table, two men and a woman wearing lab coats surrounded him.
"Nezumi! Get me out of here!"
Shutting the door behind him, Nezumi ordered the men and woman to step into what looked like a storage closet then locked them inside. He removed the straps that held down Shion and asked, "Are you all right? Did they hurt you?"
"No." Shion rubbed his wrist. "I wouldn't remain still long enough for them to administer anesthetic so they threatened to cut my head open without it." It was then Nezumi took notice of the drop of blood leaking out of a small cut on Shion's forehead.
Nezumi rummaged through the table and found a roll of bandage. "Here." He wrapped it gently around Shion's head. "We have to go."
"Wait." Shion's hand curled around Nezumi's arm. "What are you doing here? How did you find me?"
An explanation was in order but they had little time to spare so Nezumi made a quick narration about how Inukashi's dog found a bandana with Akina's name embroidered on the corner then led them here. "I sort of felt you calling for me. That's what led me to this part of the building."
"Akina! She's here Nezumi. Along with the other children who had been reported missing." Shion gave a brief account on what he had witnessed and Nezumi could feel his jaw drop.
The resounding sound of alarm startled Nezumi out of his momentary shock. He shouldn't give a shit but he found himself acquiescing when Shion asked for his help to save the children. "Let's go."
People rushed across the hallway, the noises they made blended with the resounding wail of the distress signal.
Shion led the way to the laboratory with Nezumi crippling anyone who dared stop them by shooting them on their legs. Shion didn't say a word, didn't chastise him.
When they stormed inside the large room, there were few people left inside, most were unarmed and Nezumi was forced to take out two men who aimed their weapons at Shion before they could even press the trigger.
"Doctor Kumori isn't here," Shion said, crouching to snatch the gun from one of the fallen men. He aimed it at some random guy and never had Nezumi heard Shion so threatening when he said, "Where is he? Where's Doctor Kumori?"
The guy visibly shivered and stuttered, "A-at the m-ma-main lab. E-experiment room."
There was fire in Shion's eyes. "How do you get in there?" When the guy didn’t respond, Shion said, "How. Do you. Get. In there?" in a raised, piercing voice.
A trembling hand gestured at a panel on the wall.
"Get out of here." It was flat, void of emotions but frightening all the same. When no one moved, not even flinched, Shion shouted, "Get out here. All of you!"
The occupants of the room scampered toward the door, Nezumi standing in the corner to make sure no one would try anything funny.
The panel turned out to be a door that led down a secret passage. Underneath was an equally large room and Nezumi knew from the first glance that the large machine that occupied the center was the one Shion mentioned earlier. It looked similar to the blue prints that he and Rikiga saw from the microchip the elder gave him weeks ago.
Of course! Nezumi recalled reading the data and learned that this machine was never activated because it required a human brain to operate.
A brown-haired man emerged from the shadowy corner and stared at them with a sinister glint on his eyes. He held a small gadget in his hand. "One wrong move and I pull off the plug," the man said.
"Game's over Doctor Komori. You might as well give up." Shion held his head high, shoulders tight. Nezumi could only guess the experience at the correctional facility still clung to Shion.
The doctor gave a shuddering laugh. "You see, Shion, when I press this button, it will turn the machine off and that will certainly not bode well to these children. Their brains are now connected to the machine. You turn it off, they die. You try to unhook them, they die as well."
Shion raised his arm, aimed the weapon straight at the doctor. "Give me the remote," he demanded but that wasn't enough to deter the doctor. "Give it to me!"
Dr. Kumori simply shook his head, his thumb moving over the button.
Nezumi saw Shion's finger move but Nezumi had a quicker reflex and he shot the doctor right through the head before Shion could even pull the trigger, before the doctor could press the button to deactivate the machine.
The doctor fell on the ground with a thud, blood spilling out of the hole on his forehead.
"You should've let me kill him." The impassiveness that seeped through every word made it seem less that they tumbled out of Shion's mouth.
"No Shion. You killed once. For me. And that was enough." Nezumi knew it was impossible for Shion to regain his old self – the Shion that Nezumi knew before No. 6's downfall. But he would never stop hoping.
"He said the children would die if we unhook them." Shion gazed down at the innocent faces, eyes no longer clouded with fury.
"We have to get some neurosurgeons to remove them."
"I'll send the dogs to get help." Inukashi was standing at the bottom step of the stairs, eyes wide and staring inconspicuously at the immobile bodies.
"Come, Nezumi." Shion held out his hand, which Nezumi took without hesitation. "Let's go find Akina."
*
It had been a month since the incident at the North District and the memory of it still haunted Shion in his dreams.
They didn't find Akina at the lab, nor any trace of her. Two days later, he was told they found the child's body in the swamp, three kilometers from the facility.
Shion felt like his soul was torn into pieces when he saw Akina's mother break down upon hearing the news.
It was Shion's choice not to return to the institute. He didn't even go home to Lost Town until recently. His mother didn't say a word about it. Her silence could only mean she understood.
Shion was more at peace in the West Block, with Nezumi by his side. Nezumi had been his rock, his support system. Slowly, Shion's wounds from the horrible experience healed.
Rikiga encouraged Shion to try his hand at writing. The man decided to revive the Latch Bill newspaper, holding office at the heart of the West Block and thought he could use Shion's intelligence to run it.
The quiet hum of the night provided a perfect atmosphere for Shion to try and string words together, maybe write an essay about life in the district.
He brought out the laptop that Rikiga had generously provided, turned it on and watched the screen flicker. The stimuli in his brain though coaxed him to recapture the unsettling episode at the facility that Shion had to tear his fingers away from the keyboard and stare at the cursor blinking on a blank page.
A minute must have passed. Maybe a couple. Maybe ten. But Shion only snapped out of his trance when a new window popped open and black background spread across the monitor, the words 'Hello, Teacher Shion' appeared.
Shion stared for a moment, flummoxed, before his fingers danced on the keys and typed 'Who are you?'
It took a while for the response to come but when it did, Shion couldn't help but gape at the words 'It's Akina, don't you remember me?' with a slack jaw.
The first thought that landed into his befuddled brain was oh shit but then Shion realized the possibility that this could be a hoax – a sick practical joke – so he quickly typed 'That's impossible. Akina's dead.'
The words 'My body is but my brain is very much alive' rolled onto the screen and the idea seized at Shion's heart. What if…?
'My body was failing but Dr. Kumori didn't want my brain to go to waste so he kept me hooked into the machine' were displayed next.
But. Shion couldn't believe he was falling for this. 'But the machine was destroyed before it can even completely boot.'
'The machine was already working, though not connected yet to the city's network. But since it was only my brain that was hooked into it, without a body to anchor me, I managed to infiltrate the main operating system, clung there until I could find an open network.'
The only reaction Shion could offer was 'Why?'
'So that I could find you, thank you for all your help and maybe say goodbye to my mom.'
Shion nearly jumped when the door opened and Nezumi held him with a curious glance. "You look like you've seen a ghost," Nezumi said, lips curving into a small smile.
"I think I just did." Shion recounted what had just happened as concisely as he could.
Nezumi studied the chat window with no trace of skepticism in his expression.
'I have to go, Teacher' appeared before Shion could ask for Nezumi's opinion.
'Wait. Where are you going?'
'The connection to the city's network isn't fully established. Without the support of the machine, the connection will fade and my brain will eventually die.'
The 'die' element of Akina's phrase was what struck Shion the most. As bizarre as the situation was, Shion felt his heart bleed at the thought of losing Akina for the second time.
Warm hand rested between his shoulder blades and he was prompted to lift his gaze up to Nezumi's face. "Maybe this is the closure you need," Nezumi said in a soft, consoling way.
'Good bye, Teacher' was the last sentence that Shion read before the screen dissolved back to the blank page that Shion had been staring at.
There were a thousand pieces of the puzzle Shion doubted he would be able to solve hovering above his head. If it weren't for Nezumi's presence, he would have lost grip on his sanity.
Nezumi held him, arms wound loosely around Shion's middle. And Shion melted in Nezumi's embrace, wondering if this was their last battle against No. 6.
- END -