Quite obviously, I don't own TWEWY.

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Back to The Knife

He felt it cut into his wrist. He felt the feelings pent up inside him flow out with the red liquid. He picked up the headphones on the desk. He snapped off the microphone he had added a year ago. He threw on his white music player, hitting 'Play.' He felt his cell phone vibrate in his pocket. He looked at the monitor. Shiki's name flashed on the screen. Neku threw the phone onto the ground. He stepped on it as he walked out of the apartment into the sun.

He had been like this since the funeral, Shiki thought. He hadn't answered her or Beat's calls. He had his headphones on at school, something he hadn't done when the new year had started. They had moved to a new high school that year, but Beat hadn't enrolled, meaning to start his career as a skater. But the day that Rhyme died…

"Thanks for bringing me to the fair, Neku!"

"No problem, Rhyme. Anything for you."

SCHREECH!

"RYHME!!"

Neku blamed himself for Rhyme's death. When they started their new lives in the RG, Shiki had learned that Neku's parents had been murdered when he was young, bringing on his first traumatisation. But now it was back. He had shut himself up in the apartment the city had given when he got back from the UG.

Shiki decided to take the bus to Neku's apartment, hoping to talk to him.

"Beat, get out of my face."

"Yo, man, it aint yo' fault!"

"Yes, it is!"

"Look, man, she prob'ly would have died if I hadn't been busy, too!"

"No, she wouldn't! It's my fault! Now if you don't get out of my way, I'm going to MAKE you get out of my face."

Neku wandered his way to the WildKat café.

"What's up, boss?" Hanekoma asked.

"Coffee, ASAP."

"Hey, Neks, Shiki was around a while ago looking for you."

"I don't care." Hanekoma slammed his hand on the counter.

"Snap out of it, Phones!" Neku scowled, taking the cup, throwing a 1,000 yen bill on the counter. He turned to walk away when Hanekoma grabbed his shoulder.

"Phones, she's worried about you." Neku shrugged his shoulder away.

"We are here today to honour Raimu 'Rhyme' Bito. It is sad that such a young child has died, but at least she is in a better place now. She died from a crash at the country fair, which was in Shibuya this year."

"Neku!"

"Go away, Stalker." Neku kept walking down the streets of Towa Records. She chased after him, thinking about the lasst time she had had to do this. It was exactly the same. They had come a full circle.

"Neku, this isn't you! You changed! Rhyme wouldn't want you to do this!" Shiki said.

Neku, she's right. The thought popped into his head, but it wasn't his own. He stopped short, whipping around.

What? But… you should be back by now! Or erased! Rhyme, what's happening!?

You aren't the only one who had to do it more than once. Joshua doesn't want to let let me go. I'm on Week 3 tomorrow.

Neku drew the knife from his pocket.

"No! Neku! You can't do this!" Shiki cried. He stabbed the knife into his left wrist, drawing it back, and forth. New blood fell from his wrists.

"Neku! Please!" Shiki sobbed. Neku flinched, then reverted to his cold expression. He hailed a cab with his bleeding arm. The driver rolled down his window.

"Hey kid! You all right?" He asked Neku nodded, wiping his arm on the front of his sleeve.

"I'm fine. Don't let the girl in."

"Fine, fine." Neku stepped into the car, and slammed the door. Shiki ran up to the window.

"Neku, please! Listen! Neku!" he rolled up the window. Shiki watched as the yellow cab drove Neku out of her life.