A/N: Hello everyone! I've once again returned to the face of the planet, bringing to you my very first fanfic for The World Ends With You. Though the idea was forged in a caffeine-stimulated all-nighter, I assure you this is far from being a crackfic.
This is dedicated to my darling TWEWY role-players on Twitter. (I invite all of you to join in! We can definitely use more people.) Also, consider this my Valentine's Day present to you, the FFN community.
Disclaimer: I do not own The World Ends With You. This is for the common good.
Major spoilers for the game.
It is night in Shibuya, though it is hardly dark. Neku stands before Joshua, somewhere off to the side where they are less likely to be seen. It has been almost a year since the Composer and his proxy have last met, and the former player still remembers everything.
"You took away everything from me…"
Countless things happened in those three weeks. Neku begins to recall a number of them. There was, of course, his murder. He never got a choice in the matter. Chances are your murder is not your choice, but his situation was different. His was all because of a game− the game− and nothing more. He never would have been murdered if it weren't for that silly game.
Then he was plunged into said game, where he had to make a "pact" with a complete stranger. Neku recalls the disgust he held for people. Though he had finally broken free of his comfort zone, it was the greatest challenge of his life thus far. This, once again, would never have happened if it weren't for the game.
Neku ended up making friends. There was Shiki, Beat, Rhyme, and Joshua. He had lost Shiki as his entrance fee for week two. Beat had become a Reaper, because Rhyme was erased. Then there was Joshua, who had sacrificed himself for Neku… or so he thought. Though it was hard to have to make friends, it was even worse when he was forced to watch them disappear, powerless to help them.
The game was nothing more than that- a game. For the Players, of course, it was more than that. It was their second chance at life. Not for the Composer, though. Neku hated the Composer. He hated being played with like toys. Who was this "Composer" to decide who was worthy to have another chance at life? It was all his fault. Everything was the Composer's fault.
That led to the next factor: Joshua's true identity. Of all the things that transpired, this was likely what hit him the hardest. At first, he believed him to be somebody he could actually relate to. He soon learned that everything was his fault. It was all because of Joshua.
Neku lets a tear hit the pavement below him.
"I can't forgive you… but…"
The boy still trusts his partner, even after everything he had to go through.
He then recalls the very end of the ordeal. Every bit of trust he had in Joshua was broken. Joshua was the Composer. All of Neku's suffering was due to him, and it was all so he could win some stupid bet- a game- he made with Kitaniji. He felt like he had been toyed with. Neku's run in the game had finally ended when his partner murdered him for the second time.
"You were the only one like me… But you were just toying with me…" He begins to cry. "It hurts…!"
Joshua frowns, and for once, it is not out of displeasure or irritation.
He walks up to his proxy and embraces him. The unexpected action out of the light-haired boy shocks Neku, and he quickly starts trying to pull away.
"Let go! It hurts!"
Joshua remains firm in his grasp of the orange-haired boy, though Neku's shoves and pleas are unrelenting.
"Neku… You're forgetting the most important parts. Didn't you learn anything at all?"
Neku goes silent, as if urging his companion to keep going.
"If it weren't for the game, would you have your friends right now?"
He remained silent. Joshua continued.
"Would you have ever spoken to Shiki or Beat?"
Nothing.
"Would you be "living every moment with all you have?""
Neku recognizes the words to be that of CAT- or Mr. H, as he discovered- yet he still does not speak up.
"Neku… Would Shibuya be here right now, if not for you?"
Joshua's words finally hit home, and the former player lets out a soft cry. He gives a hint of a smile in satisfaction, chuckles, and begins to close in the short distance between himself and the other. "Neku…"
The orange-haired boy looks up and gasps as Joshua's lips brush against his gently. He is too stunned to move, and can only listen to his partner as he giggles and speaks.
"Stop thinking about what you lost. I gave you something better than all of that."
Neku finally relaxes into Joshua's hold, calling him a "stuck-up prick" in his head, as he hears the words that are spoken against his lips the second time they meet.
"I gave you the world."
A/N: It's a little rough, but I think I'm happy with it. I'll probably come back in and improve it sometime.
Please review! I would love to get some constructive criticism so I can work on this further. I hope you enjoyed this!
See you on Twitter, perhaps?