Authors Note:
I do not own TWEWY.
Well, looks like everything is over, Shibuya is safe, most of the reapers are erased... man, it's a bad day to be the Producer of Shibuya. From what I heard, Josh challenged Phones to a duel. With guns and everything. Of all of the things he could have done... well, Shibuya hasn't been destroyed. And Phones isn't the Composer. Which means Josh won. Which means, he actually decided to spare Shibuya. Heh, something for sure must have changed him... Phones did a good job. He's in the RG now. Wonder if he'll come visit the cafe? Lately, I've been thinking more about the past. You need to leave the past behind you, and concentrate on the future, but it's hard to forget the past when you've done things you've regretted. And you have a lot of spare time. That always plays a part too. I've been trying to concentrate on my art, but the past has been creeping up again. The past... I've been in this job a long time. Maybe I should retire? ...Ha, as if. I like this job. Much better than some of the others I've had...
A much younger Sanae Hanekoma stood in the centre of the Scramble Crossing. He held a Player pin in his fist. Slowly, remembering what the Conductor had said, he ran towards Hachiko, trying to avoid the Noise drawn to Players with no partners. Luckily he had made it in time; there were plenty of Players left. He made a pact with a guy who had orangey hair and blue eyes. The rest of the week was a mad dash to complete missions, and eventually managed to defeat the GM. Only one person was allowed another chance at life though, the person with the most points...
Heh. My 7 days as a Player were years ago, yet I remember them as if I was yesterday. The one who came back to life... the one with the second chance... it was my partner. The one who looked exactly like Phones... well, I should really stop calling him Phones. He's abandoned them now. Like Neku, then. There were two options for the other surviving Players. Be erased, or become a Reaper. After the other Players had made their choices, The Conductor turned to me. My entry fee was returned...
Suddenly Sanae felt a rush of creativity, confirming what he thought his entry fee was. His creativity, his ability to create art for others to enjoy. That would have explained why he wasn't very good at improvising strategies during the game, anyway. The Conductor told him that the Higher Plane was always looking out for exceptional Players to become Angels, and that they had noticed him. Erasure and becoming a Reaper was out of the question, so he agreed. Sanae suddenly found himself in the Higher Plane, along with some other Angel candidates from other UG's...
I remember my first few years as an Angel. It was mostly training and procedures, the boring stuff they love to stick to. Well, I did pretty well. Quite the genius I was, apparently. My art was the only thing I was really concentrating on. Eventually, after a lot of hard work, I became a Producer. Of Shibuya, the city that had started all this no less. I've seen a lot of things happen in Shibuya, not all of them good. Countless Composers, Conductors, Reapers and Players have passed through, whilst I watched from my cafe. Mostly I stuck to being in the RG, staying in my cafe and helping out Players and Reapers with their problems, and occasionally, a person who was still alive. You don't get many of them visiting the place. You get even less who can see the UG. In fact, only one in the entire time I've been Producer. The current Composer...
Hanekoma, looking the same as he does now, watched the kid with the silvery-white hair. He was looking out of the window whilst sipping on a cup of coffee, his violet eyes reflecting the scene outside. He had been visiting more and more often, Hanekoma noticed. He was definitely from the RG, but the scene he was watching wasn't. Two Players ran around outside, trying to avoid the rather large Noise that had gathered. Unfortunately, one of them was caught and they were transported to the Noise Plane to fight. Hanekoma watched all of this with interest, noting the fact he could actually see it. It took a large amount of Imagination to even slightly see the Players and Noise, which was the fact behind most of the 'ghost' sightings. But to be able to watch them as clear as a cheap TV soap opera... It took an immense amount. Probably why most of the Noise had gathered around WildKat. Hanekoma grabbed himself a cup of coffee and sat next to the kid. They sat in silence for a while, before Hanekoma decided to ask.
"Can you see that?"
The kid paused before replying. "I haven't a clue what you're talking about." Hanekoma grinned.
"Sure you do. Every time you come in here, you've been watching them, right?" He stopped for a sip of coffee. "Y'know, the people no-one else sees?" The kid stared into his cup for a while, before replying.
"You can see them as well?" He asked quietly, even though there was no-one else in the cafe.
"Wouldn't be asking you about them if I couldn't, would I?"
"True enough..."
"Oh yeah, where are my manners... my name's Sanae Hanekoma. Nice to meet ya."
"Yoshiya. Yoshiya Kiryu." The kid smiled. "My parents call me Joshua." Then he turned back to watching the Players, who had, by the looks of it, completed a mission. "So who are they?"
"Well, Josh... I can call you Josh, right? They are..."
The first time I talked to Josh was in my cafe. He visited frequently, and eventually was coming every day. We talked about the Game, and I told him about the rules, the Reapers, the Noise... pretty much everything I could. He was so interested in it, it was almost funny... Then one week, he didn't turn up. For seven days... I just presumed he was on holiday, or didn't have the time to come. When he came back, he seemed a lot more withdrawn. Turns out his parents had pretty much grounded him. He never talked about his family, and when I pointed this up he just clammed up. We sat in silence for the rest of that day, and just before he was about to leave, he turned around and said "I'll tell you about them tomorrow, okay?" Then he smiled, and left. The rest of that night, as well as doing the paperwork and everything related to the Game, I wondered just what Josh's family was like. That also brought about another thought. If Josh came to the cafe every day, that means he wouldn't see much of his family. So, I guessed that they were either dead, or he didn't know them. Both of these were wrong... I have never really been one for guessing games. Honest.
Still, I was wondering about Josh's family, and the thought stayed on my mind for the next day, until he came. I didn't have any customers, as it was getting near the end of the week, so while I waited, I wrote reports that were only a tad overdue. Eventually Josh came in, looking a lot more cheerful than the other day...
"I said I'd tell you about my parents, right?" He asked. Hanekoma grinned.
"Sure did."
"Well..." Joshua dropped his bag onto the floor and sat down, sighing. "...I honestly don't know where to start."
"Eh. It's not like we're in a rush here, right? There's not much happening outside, it's the end of the week after all." Hanekoma grinned, and started making coffee.
"Well... I suppose I could start by saying that they are religious... Very religious. That's where my name comes from, after all."
"The Bible or the Greek for Jesus?" Hanekoma leant on the counter whilst he was talking.
"Both, I guess." Joshua started to twirl his hair between his fingers, as if he was thinking hard about something. "They're not really around much, so I don't get time to talk to them. When I do talk to them, they start talking about religion, and how I need to concentrate on my religious studies... I don't get the idea of God. How can there be a being that governs everything? It's impossible, really..." He trailed off, going back to playing with his hair.
"Well, I guess you could think of God like the Composer. He has people to do it for him. Well, maybe the Composer isn't as righteous as God, but close enough." Hanekoma tried to explain. He grabbed the coffees and sat opposite Joshua.
"So the Composer's like God?" Joshua repeated, taking the coffee. "How do you become the Composer anyway?"
"Dethrone the current one. Either as a Reaper or a Player." Hanekoma paused. "There hasn't been a new one for... about a decade."
"So you can't become the Composer while you're living?" Joshua asked, with a serious face. Hanekoma looked at him for a second, and then took a mouthful of coffee.
"Nope. Why, you thinking of going for it?"
"Hmm... Maybe."
"Well, you have to die first." Hanekoma said with a laugh. Joshua joined in. Then they started discussing the previous Game...
Now that I remember, Josh was interested in becoming the Composer. I didn't think much of it at first, but he kept asking me questions about it the whole day. I explained what I could, and went over the stuff I'd said before. And over it again, and again. I wasn't really that bothered about it, but Josh was listening to every word. Like I said, I didn't think much of it, and when the time came for him to leave, he did. But before he did, he asked a strange question.
"What would you say if I became Composer?"
I just laughed, and replied "I'd say enjoy the moment." Of course, enjoy the moment being one of the statements I imprinted into my art. Josh smiled and walked out the door. He didn't come back the next day, or the next, or the next week. I was actually starting to get pretty worried about the kid. I busied myself in my work, and my art, and tried not to worry. There wasn't much work to be done though, so my plans were countered. Eventually, a new Game started. That was the day he came back...
Hanekoma looked up from chewing the end of a pen. He pushed the report to one side, and went to the door of the cafe. Another knock. He frowned. "Don't people know what closed means nowadays?" He muttered to himself, before seeing who was knocking. He opened the door.
"...This is just a coincidence, right? You're not... you didn't, did you?!" Hanekoma asked quickly. Joshua and another, taller kid walked into the cafe.
"You've got to be dead to play, Mr. H. You said it yourself." Joshua shrugged, as if he didn't see what the fuss was about.
"I didn't mean you had to play now!" Hanekoma exclaimed angrily. "Do you mean that... that you died because... of what I said?" He added quietly, after asking to speak with Joshua privately.
"Well, you did say you had to be dead to play. So I guess so." Joshua shrugged again.
"...What are you planning to do if you don't come back to life?"
"I didn't do this to come back to life, Mr. H. My plan is to become the Composer."
"...You're serious about that? What if you're erased in the fight?"
"I won't be. I do know what I'm doing, thanks to you."
Hanekoma felt a pang of guilt at the whole situation. "Well, what can I do to help?"
"Well... you could help my dear partner out with some pins. Wouldn't want him to get erased." Josh grinned.
"I...I'll see what I can do..." Hanekoma muttered, staring at the floor. Then he glanced out the door. "Who's your partner anyway?"
"Ah, him? His name's Megumi Kitaniji. I made a pact with him just as he was about to be erased by some Noise, and he's pretty much worshipped me ever since." Josh grinned further, obviously happy with that. "He does whatever I want. Pretty handy guy to have around, really."
"Well, you need to trust your partner to survive in this Shibuya, so I guess it's a good thing..." Hanekoma rummaged through some drawers, and pulled out a small box. He found a couple of pins, and threw them to Joshua. "Here. These ought 'a do it." Josh's face stayed as a grin, and he went to give them to his partner. Hanekoma stayed in the kitchen, and looked up at the ceiling.
"Man... what have I started now?" He murmured to no one in particular, and walked out. "While you're here, do you wanna coffee or something?" Hanekoma asked the pair.
"If it wouldn't be any trouble, Mr. Hanekoma." Was the response from Megumi, whilst Joshua just nodded.
"Ah, I see Josh has already introduced me?" Hanekoma smiled. Megumi had longish black hair, wore a large pair of sunglasses, and a pair of red headphones around his neck. Hanekoma seemed to recall a report from the Composer that his entry fee was the ability to keep calm at all times. He didn't remember seeing Joshua's name anywhere, but Hanekoma supposed he must have filled out the paperwork for him. A cough from Joshua brought him back to reality.
"Right, right... two coffees coming up, boss." Hanekoma turned on his heel and started to make some coffee. When it was ready, he took it over to the table.
"Here ya go, Megs." Hanekoma put the coffee in front of him. He noticed the guy visibly flinch from the nickname.
"Ah... Megumi is fine, Mr. Hanekoma."
"Whatever you say, Megs." Hanekoma grinned as he flinched again. He handed the coffee to Joshua, and then glanced at his watch.
"Almost time for us to sleep, right Mr. H?" Hanekoma almost jumped at Josh's voice.
"Heh, almost as if you read my mind..."
After that, Josh and Megs went to 'sleep'. Well, they were transported to a room under Shibuya, where they temporary sleep, until they are called out for the next day. It is also where the Players are stored between Games... Heh, I say stored as if they aren't people... They are, don't get me wrong, they are just Players, or for those who's Game hasn't started yet, they are simply Dead. It is rare to have several Games in a row after all, so we need somewhere to store them all. Can't just keep them in Dead God's Pad or WildKat. We'd run out of room, not to mention it'd kill the mood. And it probably wouldn't look good to have bodies in the cafe. It's a bit incriminating if you ask me. Anyway, it's the Composers job to keep the Players sleeping... As they say, a friend helps you move, but a best friend helps you move the body.
They came back at the end of every mission, every day except the last one. The last day... where most remaining Players were erased. I was quite worried, even though I refused to admit it. I was confident they would succeed, but even Angels aren't exempt from doubt. Or worry. Actually, there's not much We are exempt from... But the time had come for the final day. There were numerous Players left... Enough to not worry about the mission. Josh had told me his plan, and it wasn't much depth to it... It was pretty much barge in there and try to kill him. Megs was doing well, he had easily figured out his entry fee, and was helping Josh with his plan. They had enough trust in each other to succeed, which they did...
Hanekoma sat in the bus shelter, just past the statue of Hachiko. Countless buses went past, but he didn't get on them. He had his eyes closed, sensing the amount of Imagination being used in the fight. When the current Composer's was weak enough to count as defeated, and spread out enough to suggest he had been erased, Hanekoma set out towards the Shibuya River. He crossed it with ease, and walked right up to the large, highly detailed metal doors that marked the entrance of the Composers lair. Hanekoma peered round the edge to check the battle was over, which it was. Josh and Kitaniji were lying on the large white sofas, breathing heavily. From the looks of it, it had been a long, hard and tiring fight. They were both fairly injured, but they had managed it. From the looks of it, the Conductor had been erased beforehand. So there was another higher up that needed replacing.
"Enjoy the moment, Josh." Hanekoma said. Joshua turned around, and slowly got to his feet.
"Mr. H? That you?" He asked cautiously. He had every right to be cautious really, the Composer and Conductor were powerful enough to hide their Imagination. Hanekoma slowly walked round the door.
"Of course it's me. I told you I'd say that if you became Composer, didn't I?" Hanekoma grinned. Joshua flopped back onto the sofa.
"So I actually did it, then? I'm actually Composer?" He asked, as if he didn't believe it.
"Yep. You did well, both of you... The only problem is, we're also lacking a Conductor. Your job to appoint one." Hanekoma sat down next to Josh, and handed him a coffee in a take-out cup. He gave another one to Kitaniji, and then started sipping a third.
"Hmm... Well, who would be a better choice for the job than my dear partner?" Josh giggled and looked towards Kitaniji.
"Me? I would be honoured, sir." Kitaniji had obviously been given his entry fee back. Before, he would have freaked out about this.
"Well, it's settled then. You can be my Conductor." Joshua giggled again. Hanekoma looked at Kitaniji.
"Would you mind stepping outside please, Megs?" He didn't flinch at the name anymore, just nodded and left.
"So, Josh... There's something I need to tell you, now that you're the Composer." Hanekoma said seriously.
"What? If it's about the responsibilities and stuff..." Josh was cut off by Hanekoma laughing.
"No, no. It's about me. I'm the Producer of Shibuya."
"...The what? You never told me anything about a 'Producer'."
"Wasn't allowed. Only the Composer's allowed to know." Hanekoma proceeded to explain everything to Joshua, and then helped him remake the rules...
The rules Josh decided to implement were specifically made to try to stop anyone who attempted to take his job before they got to him. Players only having five minutes after the mission is finished, etc. He changed how the Game was played. It's been going like this for a while, he's been Composer for ages. Megs has gone now... erased by Pho- I mean Neku. Might have to gather his Imagination back up into himself again, he was a good guy. Hard working and stuff. Same goes for Higashizawa and Ms. Konishi. Well... Ms. Konishi was very...ambitious so to speak. But, she did a lot of work...
After Josh and Megs became Composer and Conductor, Ms. Konishi came along. Next came Sho, and then Higashizawa. The various Harriers have been coming and going, and even faster are the Support Reapers. Poor guys get erased so easily, by Players and the Taboo Noise that's been floating around recently.
The Taboo Noise... Sho summoned them. He and I are the only ones who know that I taught him how to do it, and then corrected the Sigil when he got it wrong. He hasn't been erased for it though... Josh always did play favourites towards him. Meanwhile, I don't know what he'd do if he found out I was the one who helped him summon them... and if the Higher Plane found out... Man, I don't even want to think about it.
Anyway, I have crossed the line that we Angels normally respect and leave alone. For this, and for saving Shibuya, I...
...happily accept the stigma of Fallen Angel.