Notes: This is probably my longest fic yet. I finally crossed that 1,000-word mark! :D Then again, that includes excerpts from The North Wind and the Sun . This is post-reunion fic when everything is finally alright.

Disclaimer: I don't own No. 6~

It was a god-given gift, an astonishing feat regardless of the repetition, his majesty's talent—whatever Shion was doing at the moment to silence and capture the attentions of the otherwise noisy, and most of the times, downright annoying bunch of children within his vicinity.

The actor watched in what he hoped discreet staring as Shion effortlessly gathered the children in their regular reading group. It had come to his attention that the setting had become a familiar sight, if not a norm, to his eyes.

More often than not, Nezumi found himself in the audience of people belonging in the cohort that he would entirely avoid, e.g. children, if not for a certain white-haired man's gentle, and sometimes mischievous, prodding. Granted, his halfhearted reluctance towards the other man's endeavors was easy to submit these days as long as they will not kill them.

It has been a common knowledge— a misconception, Nezumi would argue, that the great Eve has a soft spot for the orphans of the state orphanage. It was, for the theater trope at least, given that the star of stage would reserve a day every week for the children. Therefore, granting the bewildered man a leave on a not so busy day. The said man would begrudgingly accept it. After all, a leave is still a leave. Nezumi is not a workaholic unlike a certain someone. It was that and the another well known fact that Nezumi just couldn't give a fuck about what other people would think about him.

A light snort escaped the brooding man. "That isn't completely true now, does it?", he thought, staring at the blatant exception in the form of a bouncing white fluff. Nezumi watched as Shion waved his white paw-padded hands in a wild gesture of a bristling cat.

Nezumi came home one practice night loaded with a box of stage props and a stinging cheek. The box was basically shoved to him by their stage designer in the guise of a donation for the little reading club in the orphanage. "Yeah right. You're just taking out the trash.", he remembered replying to the the stage manager. Along with it came a painful squeeze on his right cheek which was, in turn, a reply for his cheeky comment. Shion was delighted of course and spent the entire dinner planning on the itinerary of stories that he and children could incorporate in the new supply of costume and props.

Collective laughter and squeals told him that Shion must have reached the critical part of the story. If a story about a cat, a mouse, and a dog blundering around a house can get a proper plot development at all.

In the end, Nezumi never know what happened in the story, opting to stare wistfully at the upright piano behind Shion's little reading club. A happy ending, he bet. Shion tends to gravitate towards those kinds of stories after all.

Happy endings. He used to sneer at those literatures, the tangible records of man's naivety. Transcribed and reproduced to parrot one man's idealistic bullshit to those who are easily conformed by life's beautiful lies. However, life taught him that it is unfair, that those who wait in hopes of better times are the first to perish in this damn world. Hope is the morphine of the weak and the lazy. He waited, yes, but did not idle. His hatred controlled him, moved his tired body to reach its ultimate goal. With the goal fulfilled he was left with nothing but the emotions that came crashing in place of the hatred.

Nezumi remembered the confusion. The emptiness it followed in spite of the freedom. He can still feel the remnants of the staggering need to move and get away from this place and the constant need to go back home— to the home he lost and the home he found.

The familiar sound of applause reached Nezumi's ears and even more familiar giggle followed it.

"Home never sounded this noisy," Nezumi thought, catching Shion's fond eyes.

Shion tentatively stood to reached for another book. Nezumi watched as a knowing smile graced his features and subsequently start when the white-haired man announced,"It would be the greatest honor if my lovely company can grace us and the stage his presence."

"Not a chance."
"Please."
"No."
"Yes."
"No, I won't."
"Yes, you will."

This happened in some milliseconds of eye contact and the next thing Nezumi saw was the eager faces of his audience. He sighed and looked at the book he was sharing with the grinning man. "Oh you…"

"The North Wind and the Sun," Nezumi recited.

"—by Aesop." Shion added.

With an air of graceful power, the actor captured his audience and continued, "The North Wind boasted of great strength."

"The Sun argued that there was great power in gentleness." Shion read in a soft yet audible voice. " "As a test of strength," said the Sun, "Let us see which of us can take the coat off of that man." "

" "It will be quite simple for me to force him to remove his coat," bragged the Wind. " Nezumi sneered, adapting the Wind's character whilst silently pondering at Shion's choice of story. He glanced at his partner while delivering the next lines and saw understanding. "You airhead… I know. I understand too."

The children were particularly amused when Nezumi heaved a deep breath and blew hard as the book said. The children blew and blew while Nezumi read about the world full of dust and sailing leaves. "But the harder the wind blew down the road, the tighter the shivering man clung to his coat."

Nezumi listened as Shion narrated the Sun's similar warmth that filled despite of the fever that struck him that fateful night. The warmth that was emanated in that underground room, The same warmth that melted the cracked walls that used to separate them.

"Soon the man felt so hot, he took off his coat and sat down in a shady spot." Shion read.

""How did you do that?" said the Wind. " Nezumi prompted, calm eyes asking the same question to the man in front of him.

" "It was easy," said the Sun, "I lit the day. Through gentleness I got my way." " Shion answered.