Week One
He's panting, out of breath, running. Those weird-as-fuck frogs hunting him down for whatever the hell they want to. He can't take much more as he passes the hubbub that is Scramble Crossing. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees a flash of orange and pink on the roof. It's an orange-haired man and a pink-haired woman, and even though he can barely make them out, he must be hallucinating the clearly defined wings on their backs.
Next is a brown-haired girl with a pinkish tint to it, clutching a black stuffed piggy. Her expression is one of surprise though he doesn't wait long enough to see the knowing flash in her eye. She has found her partner.
A blonde with a skull beanie is next, only this time they're charging in opposite directions. His face is fierce and determined, as if he's searching for someone. He would stop and help him possibly, but he doesn't enjoy interaction and he still has those drug high frogs chasing him.
He passes a purple-eyed, silverette boy with a brooding expression. The boy really doesn't strike him as someone he'd get along with and he's only too happy to leave him behind. If only he had turned, he would have saw the boy look at him and smirk that god damn annoying yet knowing smirk.
Finally, he bursts into what he later knows is called Hachiko, clutching his arm while struggling to catch his breath. And in that briefest of moments, before the girl with the stuffed piggy whom he would later call Stalker and Shiki called out to him, he caught a glimpse of ash-gray silver hair and those teasing purple eyes. The little remark in his head almost seemed welcoming.
Welcome to the game, Neku dear~
And before he could decide anything, a voice rose above the rest.
"Found one!"
Week Two, Day One
Again, he's running, but for a completely different reason now. He needs to find a partner, and fast. It's not just about him anymore, it's also about her. Reaching the now fondly thought of statue, he starts in surprise as he finds himself cornered on the first day yet again. At least this time the Noise shouldn't be too har-oh wait, fuck, they're crabs. Who knew he would miss those tribal tattoo frogs?
"Isn't there anybody-" he begins and suddenly a flash of light fills his vision. Now he knows it was him Jesus-beaming the shit out of those crabs-but for now, he is confused.
"Huh? What was that!?" he yells out in surprise and there is the telltale blue light, the sign of a pact. And he can't but ask himself, "A pact? With who!?"
But he receives no answer as he goes into battle(except a playful remark of, "Have fun Neku~"), hoping that his new partner proves to be a good a fighter as Shiki. Oh, how horribly right he was.
By the fight's end, he's met with a simple, "Howdy," which would be strange if not for the fact that Joshua had said it. He has (or in this time tense, will say, but I digress) said stranger things before.
Who the-
"The name's Yoshiya Kiryu," he says by way of introductions. "But Mother and Father call me Joshua."
Please don't tell me... And at the time, he really did hope for that.
"I guess you can call me Joshua, too-seeing as how your my dear, dear partner." Cue the giggle.
"Your what?!" he can't help but burst out. This pipsqueak is my new partner!? Thus started the false assumptions.
"You seem like such a pro at this, I just... helped myself." He somehow senses that there is a double meaning behind those words.
"A pro?" he questions. "How could you know that?"
"I've been watching you, silly. Very impressive, by the way." His mind flashes back to Day 1, the first time, the glimpse in the crowd, at the statue. Come to think of it, how'd he get there so fast anyways?
Huh? Was he a Player last time, too? But wait... No, there was nobody like him at the end. Who the hell IS this kid?
"Today's the first day and all..." Joshua says, jerking him out of his internal monologue. "Let's just take it easy, hmm? Why don't you start by giving the area a scan, partner?"
And though his temper is quick to flare up, those starring amethyst eyes unsettle him. "F-Fine." Something about him just... grates.
He makes the mistake to scan him, an instant decision that leads to massive headaches and painful heartaches. There is good ol' Udagawa and his precious CAT mural, implanted in his memory. If only the pain would go away. He lets out a pained growl. Nngh! ...What? What did I just see? That place looked like... the Udagawa district?
"Something wrong? Are we not feeling well?" his partner asks, a mask of innocent curiosity on his face.
Wait, did I... did I just scan him?
"Is this going to be a problem? I need you to pull it together. Unlike some people, I'm new at this. I'm expecting a bang-up job from you, Mr. Escort." Right, he needs to pull it together, if not for himself or Joshua, for Shiki. Because she deserves that second chance at life, not be cheated out of it.
"...I'll be fine."
"Will you? Wonderful. Then we can go." And secretly, he's asking himself the same question.
Something's weird here... How was I able to scan him? He's a Player.
"Hmm? What's the holdup, Neku?" Right, what is the holdup?
"It's nothing."
"Don't tell me your still stuck on the mission mail," Joshua asks, a bit of a condescending tone coming into his voice. "Please. It's painfully obvious."
"..." He will not rise to this guy's taunts.
"x marks the spot. 30 + 74, Neku. We're headed to 104. If you ever find yourself stumped, I'd be happy to help you along. Just say the word. I promise you, my advice is spot-on. Lucky you, having me as your partner."
I'm going to choke this kid. And while that may had been his thought at the time, Joshua did more than just help him and his friends (maybe the term 'their friends' is better) along. He gave them a chance, a second chance at life.
"Oh! I can't say I'm particularly interested, but... I'll go ahead and ask, for the sake of convenience. Do you have a name?"
"...Neku."
"Neku, hmm?" Oh, his irritating giggle. "Charming."
Gaaah! It took all his willpower not to throw him to the Noise.
"Well then, Neku. Shall we?"
And it was only until later, as the mission was cleared and the day ended for him, that he wondered as he closed his eyes, how did Joshua know his name before he told him? Ironically, the last thing he glimpsed was Joshua.
Week Two, Day Seven
Bright.
Beautiful.
Deadly.
Blinding.
Loud.
All those words and more could describe that moment, that person. Was this really it? Was this his glimpse of his end...
"But Neku..."
A light touch, like an angel. Jumbled, everything was so twisted.
"Howdy. The name's Yoshiya Kiryu. But mother and father call me Joshua. I guess you can call me Joshua, too-seeing as how your my dear, dear partner."
"Did you think you were special? Every Player had to give up something. Everybody makes sacrifices."
"...I thought you couldn't afford to lose..."
"And here's me, playing the world's tiniest violin."
"Only by allowing strangers in, we can find new ways to be ourselves."
"Understanding people isn't hard, Neku. It's impossible."
"...Give up on yourself..."
"Life's little crossroads are often as simple as the pull of a trigger."
"By ourselves we're no one. It's when other people look at us and see someone... that's the moment we each start to exist."
"...And you give up on the world."
BANG!
Hey, Joshua... I don't know if you killed me or not... but I'm sorry... so, so sorry... sor-
BANG!
Week Three, Day One
"Ha! How ya like dat? Two cards on the ground, pick up one in the air, lay on the skull, and Kablam! I'm there," Beat, his new partner/kinda friend/ex-reaper enemy, said with excitement and certainty, though it made no sense to him.
"That's... confusing." Really, it was the only way to put it without hurting the other's feelings.
"Well... un-fuse it! I can't figure it out, so you gotta!" Beat snapped, despite all his best efforts not to anger him.
"What? But it's your technique!" he cried in surprise, backing up and letting his expression contort to show this.
"I only know what I know 'cause..." Beat faltered, looking away and grabbing his own shoulder, like it could help steady himself. "'cause Rhyme explained it."
"Rhyme..." He hid his face beneath his bangs, like he had always done. It was bad enough thinking about those thoughts earlier, but at least he was by himself. Now... Beat was here, feeling all his misery times ten and yet showing it to the world, demanding it be seen in the face of everything, whereas all Neku could say was, "Shut up! Stop talking. Just go the hell away!" It was laughable; their strengths, their weaknesses, their worlds, it was all so different and frail, like anything could break it. So, why wasn't it?
"...Wanna pound stuff again?" Beat asks, getting into what can only be described as a 'bring-it' pose. And whether or not it's to lift the mood, or just a release to vent their anger, Neku is grateful all the same. It really is a shame that they have bigger issues to worry about. "Aight. Now you know how it's done."
"Objective met. Wall clear!"
...had that Wall Reaper been there the whole time? No time to worry about it, they were already running to the 104 Building.
"Booya, we made it!" Beat shouts out in joy.
"No timer," he reports, looking at his empty hand. "All clear."
"One day down, six more to go!" Beat enthuses.
"First I have to ask you something," he interrupts, before anymore eagerness escapes the skateboarder.
"Like what, yo?" Beat replies, hand going to the back of his neck as his eyes aimlessly search the sky for who knows what. "Let's just play the Game."
"'Trust your partner.'" he says, recounting Mr. H's words. "That's the key to survival here. So I gotta know:" He's bulleting on now, like a freight train with no emergency brake. "You said you helped me so you could repay a favor."
"Yeah. So?" Comes the weak answer.
"Is that the only reason? I can't afford any surprises in this Game. Why put yourself in jeopardy?" He crosses his arms, feinting ignorance to his cold tone. It doesn't seem to affect Beat though.
"What's a 'jeppardy'?" Is the oblivious question.
"Huh?" Beat was so confusing; it was easy to take him as a stupid idiot skater, force the cool-tough guy doesn't-give-a-shit stereotype on him. Yet when you looked, there was so much more; Beat's world seemed so simple but complex at the same time. His 'skater' side; his 'softie' side. His tension towards his parents; his love towards his sister. His rowdiness, his ability to push forward even in the worst of times; his quiet suffering, his falling at the drop of a pin. There was so much he would never understand about Beat, no matter how much (or how little, depending on this Game's outcome) time he spent with him. But somehow, seeing those opposing sides made the whole thing worth it.
"Look, man. I dunno your big words. But I do got another reason." So there was some reasoning behind it.
"Ok. What?" Back to cool-and-calm mode.
"I wanna set Shibuya up widda new Composer. Me!" ...apparently, sensible reasoning does not extend to Beat's own.
The darkness began to creep in, bringing with it the cold and promising a dreamless sleep. Or maybe that was his dream. Maybe Joshua, wherever he was, was dreaming this too.
He really is senseless, isn't he dear?
Ah, speak of the devil and he shall appear.
At least he's more sensible than you. And even though he couldn't tell, he had the vague sense that he won.
Week Three, Day Seven
"Ten, Nine."
His hand was shaking as he held the gun. He was just smirking at him, daring him to pull the trigger. All he had to do was pull the trigger.
Just pull the trigger, just pull the trigger, justpullthetriggerjustpullthetriggerJUSTPULLTHETRI GGER!
"Eight, Seven."
He had lied to him, He had played him, tricked him, killed him. A tear hit his hand. Since when had he started crying? Since when had his hands fallen?
You monster! I trusted you, I thought that we were-
"Six, Five."
"Enjoy every moment with all ya got."
And how exactly is this moment 'enjoyable'?
His hand began to lower.
"Four, Three."
"Don't let limits slow you!"
Limits, huh? I wonder what exactly is the 'limit'. Shibuya... or Joshua?
His hand fell to his side. He couldn't shot him, no matter what was at stake. Joshua gave him a surprised look but instantly returned to his cocky one.
"Two..."
"There's only one way to stay alive in Shibuya. Trust you partner."
I do... I trust you Joshua, with all my heart.
He smiled through the tears.
BANG!
And before Neku plunged into darkness, the last glimpse he had was of Mr. H-and Joshua.
Post-Game
"See you later!" Rhyme called back to him as Beat dragged her away, pausing only to wave a quick goodbye before disappearing completely into the crowd. Shiki and Neku looked on in amusement.
"So, do you know the story of Hachiko?"
"...What?"
"I'm just asking, after all, it's an important spot to us."
"Shiki, I'm not mad. That question was just random."
"Oh, sorry. It's kinda hard to tell when you always have that look on your face."
"What look!"
Shiki giggled. "Not telling!"
"Shiki-"
"Anyways, the story starts with a dog-"
"No, the bronze statue of a dog doesn't say that already."
"As I was saying Mr. Grumpy, the story goes that this man found a puppy on the streets, abandoned. He took the puppy in and they became fast friends. Everyday, the man would go to the station and the dog, Hachi, would wait for him. But..."
"But?"
"One day, the man never came back. He had died from a stroke on a business trip. Still, Hachi waited and waited. He stayed so long at the station that eventually the stationmaster bought him a bed to lay on! He waited for ten whole years, up 'till the day he died."
"And that story's true?"
"Of course! Well, actually, it's the romanticized version, but you get the point!"
"Yeah, I do."
"Shiki! Shiki!" a voice called. Both turned to see Eri waving frantically at Shiki. "There's going to be a signing by the Prince at 104! We need to go now!"
Shiki shrieked in delight. "Coming! Coming! Bye Neku!" And she and Eri ran off.
Neku stared in awe for a moment before laughing to himself. That's Shiki and Eri for you. There was a smile on his face as he sat down, his back resting against the statue's concrete support. He slipped his headphones onto his ears and started humming along to some of the songs, like 'Twister' or 'Calling'.
The air was just right, not too cold but not too hot, just a warm blanket. His eyes started to droop. The song 'Lullaby For You' came on, and he stopped humming. Now his actually listening, eyes half-lidded as his chin dipped towards his chest. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a hazy image of someone settle down beside him. Without thinking, he leaned against him. A giggle cut through the air as sleep overcame him.
"You make a cute Hachi, dear."
"...Shut up... you better not... run away... again..."
"Wouldn't think of it, dear."
"...Don't call me... that...
And Neku slept peacefully for the first time in months.