A/N: Not my best work. Not by a long shot. Hopefully the rest of my chapters will be better.
Dedicated to my friends the primrose path and Prospit.
Neku growled in annoyance as the bright sun shone into his eyes, ducking his face into his collar in an attempt to shield himself from the blinding light. Stupid sun. Why did people even like cloudless days? Rain was only water- it wouldn't kill someone. He didn't get people.
Headphones fitting snugly over his ears, drowning out the sounds of everyday life, Neku glanced down the street. Scramble Crossing was packed with people- a human traffic jam. To be fair, it was what Neku had been expecting. It was lunch hour- hoping for anything else on a sunny day was wishful thinking. Still, it didn't hurt to check.
"Screw that," he decided. There was no way he was dealing with that mess. It would take far too long for him to get through without going insane. His music could only muffle so much noise.
Sure, other routes would take longer, but at least he'd retain his sanity. That would be nice. It wasn't like he was in a rush, anyway- his parents wouldn't be home for a few more hours, anyway.
Neku paused, considering what options he had. The quickest alternative route, he deduced, was also the riskiest. It featured many streets, and very few pedestrian crossings. Then again, drivers on those streets were relatively careful. He would be safe enough.
Adjusting his headphones, Neku turned on his heel, headed in the direction of his newly chosen route. Much to his relief, a cloud had hid the sun. Being was not exactly at the top of his to-do list.
It didn't take long for Neku to fall into a rhythmic walk, the music emitting from his headphones the only thing breaking the monotonous simplicity.
He crossed the first few streets without difficulty, as he had expected. Apparently some people still took the Scramble Crossing route in these circumstances. Idiots.
Neku was halfway across the final street when the car came swerving out of nowhere. His eyes widened in the 'deer in headlights' look, his feet frozen in place despite the imminent danger and he was pretty sure his heartbeat wasn't that fast before.
The collision wiped his thoughts as he crumpled to the ground, breathless. His skull smashed against the ground, and through hazy vision, Neku saw a sticky crimson liquid seep onto the road.
A few critical minutes later, his vision faded to black.
