A/N: So well guys... this could honestly be considered my first fanfic. Basically. (If you don't count an atrocious Naruto x Sakura thing I wrote when I was 14. I don't even-)

I'm going for the long-run and probably going to write about 7 or 8 chapters for this, so brace yourselves, WOOT!

Shion and Nezumi might be OOC sometimes. I will try my best to keep them believable, but this is a High School AU after all, haha. I want to try to include as many characters from the series as possible to make it more diverse, so expect lots of Safu, Inukashi, Karan, Yoming, Lily, etc.!

REVIEWS would be great, since this is my first fic and all. I'm thinking updatingwith one new chapter weekly every Sunday or Monday – something along those lines.

Disclaimer: No.6 belongs to Asano Atsuko.

*Many, many thanks to my friend Kas who beta'd this and made it readable! I adore you!

Rating: I'm rating it "M" because TBH there was no way I was going to write a Nezumi and Shion fic without squishing some smut in there (later chapters though). Most of it will be plot though, so don't expect pointless sex anywhere in this writing. It will all go with the progress of the story.

That being said, hope you guys enjoy it!

o-o-o

Chapter 1: Nostalgia

o-o-o

The memory was kind of overcast now, but for some reason he could never forget it. Maybe it was the deep-gray color of his eyes; maybe it was the deviating connection they felt – or perhaps it was nothing at all. Since the start of the semester Shion often found himself thinking about 'that day' four years ago for reasons he couldn't quite grasp. He thought the hazy dreams about Nezumi had stopped completely a few months back, but they had returned full force a fortnight ago to haunt his psyche.

He cringed when he recalled how sad his days had been spent after that first meeting with Nezumi. Nezumi had promised they'd meet again and in Shion's eager, childish mind at that time "again" translated to "tomorrow." Shion had returned to the park repeatedly after that for a month, to no avail. He never saw the twelve year-old again and Shion had been depressed, to say the least. He'd wandered about his house aimlessly feeling betrayed and hurt, but at the same time hopeful about reuniting with the boy someday. He wondered-

Someone clapped loudly in front of Shion's face, wrenching him from his musings. He sprung up in his chair at the sudden noise.

"Man, were you far away. What's gotten into you these past weeks? You look kind of pale actually, now that I take a good look at your face. Are you eating enough? We're only on our first year, but you should pay more attention in class, Shion. This isn't like you," his friend Safu mercilessly, but caringly reprimanded him as Shion was shaken back to reality by the hurried manner in which she spoke her sentences.

Shion looked around the classroom to find most of his peers sitting about, chatting and munching on sandwiches and crackers. He then looked up at Safu lazily. She was staring at him with hazel eyes which were uncovered by her short-trimmed dark brown bangs. He managed a strangled smile that looked pretty believable.

"I'm fine Safu," he began, "I've just been having some nightmares lately and can't seem to get enough sleep." It wasn't really a lie.

Safu looked at him as though she didn't buy it at first, but sighed and smiled back brightly.

"Then why don't you go to the nurse? I'll escort you there so you can sleep through last period and I'll let you copy my notes. I can't stand seeing you like this!" she was genuinely concerned for him.

Shion's face lit up a bit when he established that idea might not be half bad.

"Alright, I'll take that offer. Thank you," he felt a little cheered-up.

o-o-o

Shion found the bed at the nurse's office very comfortable. Not two minutes after he lay down, he drifted into a restless dream – about Nezumi no less. It wasn't so much of a dream as much as it was a torn haze of memories from the day they had met; it usually jumped across random scenes of their forgotten conversations and frivolous games together.

He was awoken an hour later by the nurse to be told classes would be over in a few minutes. She was gentle and asked Shion if he was feeling a bit better. He simply nodded and proceeded to stride down the first floor to his locker. He settled his notebooks in his bag, and waited for Safu at the entrance. The bell would ring soon, but at the moment the school grounds were completely empty and the silence was calming.

Shion leaned back against a nearby wall and closed his eyes. He embraced an unfamiliar peace and relaxed into his position, while a curious wind licked at his face and exposed arms, and ruffled his long black pants and tie…

"Shion?"

He jumped and his eyes shot open at the sound of a familiar voice calling his name in inquiry. It wasn't Safu's – it was too masculine a timbre. Nezumi. His amazement at his own ability to remember the tone and pitch of that voice had him even more dumbfounded. He looked around him in alarm, trying to find the source of the voice, but there was no one around him.

"…Nezumi?" he tested calmly. Nothing.

So I'm finally losing it.

"You really did wait for me!" Safu called from behind him, a little out of breath. Shion spun around to meet her face to face – he was still a bit on edge. Students had started to leave their classrooms and some were already walking toward the gates.

"I hurried up because I thought you might be here. Are you feeling better? You look a bit jittery; I guess that's better compared to your earlier mood."

Shion's heart rate hadn't returned to normal yet, and he was put-out by Safu's sudden appearance.

"W-What?"

Safu stared at him as if she was about to repeat what she just said, but no words came out. Not only had Shion been acting strange in the last few days, but this was the first time she saw him go through so many emotions in such a short amount of time. He had a faraway look in his eyes, as if he were looking or waiting for something or someone, and she wondered who or what could be the cause of this behaviour in Shion. She figured she had nothing to do with it, and her chest tightened at that.

She pulled Shion's arm instead, "Forget it. Let's just go home."

Shion let himself be led for a bit, but after a few minutes they just walked in silence side by side, enjoying each other's company. Safu's house was on the way to Shion's, so he dropped her off first. She waved goodbye lovingly and Shion strolled the rest of the way to his home alone. It gave him some time to think and gather his thoughts about what had happened a little while ago.

It's probably the lack of sleep and the recurring dreams.

o-o-o

The shop bells chimed as Shion pushed open the door to Karan's Bakery. The place was free of clients and he figured his mom had already closed for the day. He popped his head into the kitchen and found her sitting at the small table there. She still had her auburn hair pulled back and was wearing her white apron and bandana while reading a newspaper article. There was an empty blue teacup on the table in front of her.

"I'm home, ma'," Shion interrupted.

She stirred at the sound of her son's voice and grinned warmly, "Hi sweetie! How was your day? Didn't even hear you come in." She put down the paper and propped her chin between her intertwined fingers while her elbows rested on the table.

"Oh nothing overly interesting," Shion grabbed an empty glass from the cupboard and filled it with water. He took a few gulps, "Just the usual – I walked Safu home today. What about you?"

"That's nice," Karan replied, "My day was brilliant. Customers were coming in and out of here by the minute. It was tiring, but very fun! Lily came to help me out too."

"Ah, did she?" Shion looked happy to hear that.

"Yes, she's such an adorable child. I enjoy having her over a lot!" she giggled a little. "Is there anything specific you want to have for dinner, Shion? There's cherry pie on the counter – it's from just a few hours ago. Want some?"

Shion sighed as yet another wave of nostalgia hit him.

"Are you sure I'm going to like it?"

"I promise. My mom makes the best cherry pie in the world! She made this one for my birthday and I took some to school. I couldn't finish everything though – just take a bite, Nezumi. It won't kill you."

Nezumi eyed the slice of sweet baking suspiciously before giving it a quick bite at a corner. He gazed at Shion while he tasted it, as if waiting for the flavor to turn unpleasant or poison him so he could attack Shion. When neither of those things happened he looked down at what was remaining in his hand and commented, "You're right… it's the most delicious thing I've ever eaten."

Shion beamed happily at Nezumi, "Told you so!"

Nezumi smirked.

Shion flinched. "I-I think I'll pass… I'm not very hungry anyway, and I have homework to do. I'll go up to my room."

"Hmm, alright honey. Just let me know if you get hungry later?"

"Yeah, thanks ma'." He poured the remaining water in the glass down the sink, set it down, and climbed up the stairs to his room.

He slept dreamlessly that night.

o-o-o

"Here are your notes, Safu," Shion handed Safu her notebook he had borrowed yesterday, which she shoved back in her bag nonchalantly while she walked. "Thanks a lot!"

"No problem Shion, you can count on me always," she smiled. "Oh, by the way, there's something I forgot to tell you yesterday. There was an announcement last period while you were with the nurse."

"Oh?" Shion asked. He was looking down at his moving feet and not paying much attention.

"Apparently there's a new transfer student joining our class today. It seems he's an only child and his parents travel a lot because of their jobs. Rikiga-san told the class to try to make him feel at home because he may not stay the whole year. He also mentioned he's a sort of local idol and has been in quite a few movies and magazines. I don't know his name though, he didn't mention it. Doesn't that sound exciting, Shion! It's been a while since anything interesting has happened around here."

"Mmm," he replied languidly.

Safu seemed assuredly pumped-up about the whole situation, but Shion was only half listening to her. He wondered why he hadn't dreamt of Nezumi last night, when he had been every night for the past two weeks. Safu continued rambling on about sweet nothings—something Shion found relatively calming; Safu's talking kept him from drifting too far away into his thoughts, and it was familiar. When they entered their home room Shion took his regular seat next to the window and admired the scenery available from the third floor. Safu sat one desk in front of him and turned her chair around to resume her partially one-sided conversation.

She stopped abruptly mid-sentence and turned back around when their homeroom teacher, Rikiga-san, entered the classroom. The school bells had just rung and the students were beginning to settle down. Silence filled the room and Rikiga began taking attendance. When Shion's name was called he answered with a simple "Mmm". He was gazing out the window still, lost in thoughts of Nezumi. He suddenly admitted to himself that he liked thinking about him.

I wonder what he's doing right now…

"Alright, as I told you all yesterday, we have a new transfer student coming in today. Please be polite."

Does he have any friends?

The moment Rikiga-san finished his sentence an assistant teacher opened the door to the classroom from the outside as if to escort someone in. A tall, slender boy with black-blue hair held up in a high ponytail strode toward the front of the room.

What are his parents like?

The boy's long bangs drooped over his forehead, framing his handsome face, and his dark-gray eyes were void and piercing.

Who is he with right now? Is he happy?

He had a bored look on his face, and his hands were shoved deep within the confines of his black trousers' pockets. His tie was a bit loose as well.

Is he healthy? What are his favourite foods?

"Hello… I'm Nezumi," he introduced himself to the class while holding his right hand up in a form of salute.

Shion's thoughts came to an abrupt halt when he heard that voice again. He sat up sharply and gaped toward the front of the room. He suddenly felt as if the air around him was suffocating him.

In shock, he was unable to properly speak. "Nezumi…" the name came out of his mouth as a mere whisper to himself. Shion's eyes wouldn't tear away from him. His heart was beating a mile a minute while the rest of his body was unmoving.

Am I dreaming again?

"I moved here from –"

Just as Nezumi was going to continue his introduction, he spotted Shion's eyes on him, and the actor stuttered on his words. He stared back at Shion with wide eyes, his complexion paling. There was an awkward silence in the room as the students waited patiently for something to happen. Rikiga-san was about to ask Nezumi what was wrong when Nezumi spoke very quietly.

"Shion."

TBC