Something short I wrote out of boredom. Enjoy. Don't own TWEWY.

Deceptive Cadence

Her son was dead.

Neku was dead.

It had been hard to believe at first. She had simply stared dumbstruck at the officers that had arrived on her doorstep, refusing to believe what they were telling her. She had refused to believe that her son had been discovered dead in an alleyway in Udagawa...it couldn't of been Neku, it just couldn't.

She blocked out their questions as they wondered what he was doing there in the first place, if he had been involved in any trouble in school, if she had any idea who could of done this...they were wrong, her son was going to come in through the door at any minute, listening to some tune as he dropped his bags by the door as he announced his arrival in a bored tone. Pretending that the reporters at her door days later with their inquiries of gang-related violence didn't exist.

But it was getting harder to convince herself that the boy lying dead on the table in the morgue wasn't her son, even after they had pulled the sheet back to reveal Neku's face. It wasn't until they presented her with a familiar set of headphones, in a clear plastic bag marked "Personal Affects" that the reality of the situation hit her like a ton of bricks, sinking to her knees as she clutched the headphones to her chest and cried for her loss, asking over and over again what kind of monster could shoot Neku, her precious son, in the head and just leave him for dead.

The days leading up to the funeral were spent sitting in the living room, unable to sleep; too many "ifs" wandering around in her mind. If she had payed more attention to Neku, then perhaps it might not have happened. If she had shown more concern for his apathetic nature. If she had not always been so busy to spend more time with him and his interests.

She wasn't sure how she could of possibly gone on without him, but there was this feeling; like a voice, reassuring her that everything was going to be fine, it wasn't her fault, Neku was going to be okay. She couldn't place where this feeling came from, but it was enough to keep herself going for the next couple of days (soon to be weeks).

The funeral, six days after his passing, was small and quiet, a few (mostly curious) students and (either feeling obligated or actual genuine empathy) teachers from his school in addition to herself and scattered family members she may have only saw every now and again at family affairs. There was even a man who, as he introduced himself to her, was the owner of the coffee shop that Neku sometimes frequented. (Which, as she politely shook his hand and was vaguely confused by his use of present tense as he says "Neku is a great kid", reminded her that she didn't know her son as well as she had thought-she never knew he had liked coffee)

Hours later it's just her, standing over Neku's grave, speaking aloud how much she loves him and that she is proud of him. She hoped that he could hear it, wherever he was. She had to trust that he was in good hands now, in a better place, that the police would find the culprit that had taken her son's life.

Please, God..., she prayed, Look after him...take care of my son...

Perhaps if she had listened hard enough, she might have heard the voice from before, accompanied by a quiet, amused giggle, reply "I will."

----------

Deceptive cadence - A music term used to describe a chord progression that seems to lead to resolving itself on the final chord; but does not.