No.6 [Manga] Extended Ending: Reunion

Reunion

The sunlight outside is bright. And warm.

I push the windows out, as hard as I can, as I have done every day for the past two years.

I have waited in patience, but so far, there is no Nezumi flying through to reach me.

I miss him.

I have been busy, but I have missed him terribly. I still do. It's a routine now.

No. 6 has fallen apart, and a new city stands in its place. It does not aim to be Utopia, because we've learned our lesson that there is no such thing as a truly Utopian society. But now we have Hope.

The City of Hope, a fitting reincarnation, growing from the ashes that had been No.6, a city that stifled all hope.

Rebuilding had been challenging. Because there is no Utopian society, difficult decisions had to be made. There were compromises. But it is better this way.

At least now, we mean what we say. We treasure each life the way we should have from the start.

Life is busy. I try my best. I owe it to so many people, and I promised myself I will not forget.

I owe it to Safu, who I wish could have lived to see this city as it is now. I'm sure she would've loved it much more than she could ever love No. 6.

I owe it to all the corpses I've stepped over, climbed on, pushed aside. I owe it to all the living bodies writhing in agony that I chose to ignore because I could not save them. I owe it to the lives I had taken, with my knife, with my gun, with my hands.

I did inhumane acts. To stay human, I need to remember each and every life I have taken, each and every life I couldn't save.

But most importantly, I owe it to Nezumi, whose name I still don't know.

No.6 represented the darkest times of his past. He had lost too much because of No.6. He demolished it, and now I want to rebuild a city that Nezumi can live in, contentedly, safely, without regrets, with me.

But it is so difficult. I know it is important I do all I can, and I will do this for the rest of my life. But it is so difficult, without Nezumi by my side.

I know I should not think like this, but nothing has real meaning without Nezumi.

The brightness of the sun is ebbing. Twilight is falling. I feel the warmth leaving my body, the way I feel the familiarity and closeness with Nezumi fade away. I am afraid.

I am afraid I will never see him again.

At the end of my room, right opposite these large glass windows, is a small enclosed room. It is our room, Nezumi's and mine's. Everything inside was retrieved from the West Block. Nezumi's books, the surprisingly sturdy chair, the bed, the heater....everything I could salvage of Nezumi's.

I always spend some time in there every day. But I can never sleep there.

Nezumi is not there.

I sleep beside the window. When Nezumi comes to me, I will be here, by the window, waiting for him.

But I am so lonely.

In my sleep, I feel a familiar weight on my body. I smell a familiar scent that is uniquely Nezumi. I dare not open my eyes. I have been disappointed far too many times.

I want to be strong. All this way I had relied on Nezumi, I had been a burden, a baggage. Even though I'd tried my best to do what I can, I always needed Nezumi's support to be strong. After Nezumi left, I had wanted to be strong independently. I wanted Nezumi to be able to rely on me one day.