Here we go again

Prologue

The two men sat together at a table in a otherwise deserted coffee shop. Not that anyone would notice them if they looked past the clearly labled "Closed" front glass window. The older-looking man, who most would place as being in his late twenties, took a sip of the steaming bevarage in his hands and spoke: "First reaper's game in almost a year, huh?"

The younger man, who was still a lot older that most would place him as, replied with a simple:"Shut up, Hanekoma."

"Hey, don't take it out on me, okay? Demotion isn't the end. Besides, field work is fun!"

Taking a sip of his drink and sighing, the younger man responded: "Look, I'm sorry. I'm just feeling drained. After being a composer for so long, harrier rank is so low to fall."

"You, apologizing? Who are you and what have you done with Yoshiya?"

"I'm serious. What if the game falls apart?"

Hanekoma put a reasuring hand on the boy's shoulder. "You know as well as I do that all angels were once composers. They'll be fine. Jeez, Josh, you're acting like a mother hen."

The boy shook the hand off. "But I personally set up this game so I would hold it together. It's the reason I wasn't promoted to angel after ninety-four years of running the game, and it's also the reason I had it off so lightly when it came to handing out my punishment."

Hanekoma sighed and drained the last of his coffee. "I know. For goodness sake, Josh, lighten up. You'll give yourself an ulcer. What's really bugging you?"

Joshua went silent for several seconds before saying tiredly "…I don't know."

"We both can tell that's a lie. You don't have to tell me."

Josh sighed again and took another sip of his drink. Sanae would never admit it to anyone but himself, but seeing Joshua depressed like this worried him. The young man was surprisingly sensative once he actually opened up to someone, which was rare. Josh stood up, emptied the remains of his smoothie into the trash can, and spoke: "…Fine. If you must know, it's Neku."

To be completely honest, he wasn't unduly surprised. "Huh. I had a hunch that was it. How long has it been?"

"A long time. I wasn't counting."

Sanae waited a few moments before adding : "...You could still go back, you know."

"All of those people have special ones and friends… they don't need someone like me, who only brings trouble, to complicate matters…"

This was bad. This was very bad. How could he not have noticed Josh slipping this far into depression? In despairation, he played the last card in his arsenal of 'make Joshua stop dwelling on his masochistic issues' deck: "…What about Rhyme?"

"…I'd rather not talk about it. She's messed up enough without me. All her dreams are gone. Besides, I can't get involved. Associating with players was one of my charges. I get so much as spotted in the same building as her and I'm finished. You're on shaky ground too, given you're a fallen angel. Come to think of it... how did you not get exiled?"

"I have powerful friends…"

Joshua chuckled darkly. "My ass. You used Neku as blackmail."

"Is it my fault his power level is on par with most composers?"

Josh, who Hanekoma could see was getting into complete douche mode, respoded: "Actually, it is. You added to it with CAT. And in addition, you…"

OK, douche mode was not fun. But it was better than depressed. Best to stop this now and try to find something better to talk about than the past. "I don't like where this is going, Joshua."

"Heehee, looks like even you have nerves you don't want hit."

It was as Josh started that infernal giggling that he realized this was going to be a tough one to get out of. "Stop giggling. That's probably one of the reasons Neku thought you were gay."

"Sorry, it's an old habit."

"Pissing people off or giggling?"

"Both."

Ok, now that Josh thought he had the upper hand, he just needed to change the subject. "Cut the sarcasm. On a different note, you hear the eternal player is joining?"

"Really…"

"Yeah. It's not supposed to be public knowledge yet. Last guy couldn't handle him and lost his cool after E.P. refused to become a Reaper. Again. Then he beat the crap out of the conductor."

"What happened?"

Josh's sadistic laugh told him all he needed to know. "E.P. finished the conductor with a single blow and brought the composer to his knees. He was dictated unfit to administrate by upstairs, and they exiled him and brought in a new composer. E.P. was sent over here."

"Huh. Shibuya always get the interesting ones."

"Though, I honestly didn't believe anyone could play for ten years straight. It's almost impossible!" The former composer's voice showed actual surprise and respect, something very few could make him do.

"Why hasn't he come back to life, or at least become a reaper? I thought they still make you a reaper automatically after ten games?"

"Well, apparently, not only does he not want to return to life, but he doesn't want to be a reaper either. Anyone who objected got their ass kicked after his fifteenth week, though he was briefly one."

Josh fake shuddered. "Scary. Still, what composer looses to a player with a single blow. Heeheehee, what complete weaklings."

Hanekoma sighed. "Josh, what did I tell you about the giggling? Seriously, stop."

"Or what? Do tell me, what dreadful punishment awaits me if I don't right this moment?"

Now it was his turn to smile sadistically. "Or I'm going to tell Beat you kissed his sister. I happen to have it on tape."

Josh looked shocked for a minute, then almost shouted at him: "Oh, you did not just pull the Rhyme card! We both swore not to ever talk about that again! I didn't even do that intentionally! She fell off the counter! I just caught her at the wrong angle! Not romantic at all!"

Sanae smiled, knowing victory was inevetable. "But you wish there was…"

Josh sighed in defeat and rubbed his face in his hands. "Screw you, backstabbing son of a bitch. Now lets go get something to eat. I'm already getting a headache."

Sanae smiled, knowing Josh would try to get him back later, but he let it rest. "Whatever."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - About the same time as he was being discussed, Neku found himself in dire straits. Shiki had somehow talked him into shopping for a new outfit. Of course, he had made the mistake of assuming that Shiki had meant an outfit for herself. In all honesty, he would rather fight a Progfox without pins.

"No, Shiki, unlike Josh, I am unwilling to wear a dress. I am not confused about my gender. I am a male and proud of it!"

"It's not a dress! It's a kilt! It's traditional in Scotland! Not a dress!"

"This is not Scotland! This is Shibuya. I know your geography score isn't that bad!"

Shiki laughed and smacked him. Neku's train of thought was interrupted by the sight of a red-hooded man standing outside. Support reapers were far from rare, as Neku knew from the infamous noodle city incident, but he wasn't dead… or was he? He turned to Shiki.

"I want you to look out that window right there, and please don't freak out."

Shiki turned and then swore under her breath. After a brief pause due to Neku's surprise that his normally shy friend could talk like that, he asked:

"So, you can see him too."

"Yeah. Have you noticed? People are walking right through him! Why the hell are we seeing the UG?"

"I don't know. If we had died, people would be freaking out… so… we're seeing dead people?"

She turned to him, eyes wide with concern and fear. Swallowing it down, she responded with:

"Neku, I want you to call Joshua. Now. I saw him give you his number after he removed the noodles from his hair."

"Shiki, I haven't seen him in almost two years. I don't know if he'll even pick up!"

"Call him! Now!"

Shiki's voice rose high enough to prompt a few people standing nearby to give them strange looks. Neku realized Shiki was panicking and wouldn't listen to anything he said. Partly to avoid a scene with the mall's security, he took out his phone and began dialing. As much to his surprise as Shiki's, Josh picked up on the second ring.

"Yoshiya Kiru speaking." Joshua sounded curt and businesslike, unlike the Josh he knew.

"Josh. It's me, Neku. How are you doing?" Neku waited for him to recover from the shock for a minute before he came on again.

"Not bad… dear." Neku swore like a sailor inside as the other boy's tone switched into the irritating voice Josh normally used. He tried not to throw up as he held back a scathing remark.

"Josh, I'll get right to the point. Shiki and I are seeing the U.G. What the hell did you do?"

Joshua laughed (wait, since when did Josh not giggle? His voice was lower too…) before responding.

"I flattered you think that I could do something like that, but I wouldn't have that kind of power or authority as a simple harrier. The new composer probably has something planned for you."

"Wait, you're a harrier? When did that happen? More important, why?"

"Why? I believe you should be able to tell me that. How's this for an answer… YOU happened! The angel plane though I was unfit to rule after the Shibuya game, after you crashed the place and screwed Megumi over."

"There are people above you?"

"Obviously. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go kill things. And we shouldn't be having this conversation. According to the rules of Reaperdom, I can't get involved with formal players. Ciao!"

Neku swore again as the monotonous beeping of the dial tone filled his ear. He lowered the phone and looked over at Shiki, who was looking at him expectantly.

"So?"

"Apparently, the new composer wants us to see something. It's a long story and Josh can't intervene anyway. Well, this totally ruined our date."

Shiki looked at him with one eyebrow raised.

"I don't recall this being a date."

"Excursion. Slip of the tongue. Sorry. We need to see if Beat and Rhyme are seeing this too. I'll explain on the way." And with that statement, Neku left the store, Shiki trailing him.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Janet was having a very bad day. She woke up, ate breakfast, and walked up to her balcony. All normal, everyday things. Then the banister broke, and she fell 200 feet down, through two glass overhangs, to gently kiss the pavement where some strange guy had just completed a chalk drawing that looked like a skull… then gravity, being the cold heartless bitch that she is, took effect and splattered her intestines all over the street. When she hit the ground, some massive impact shoved her away from her body. As she stood up, rubbing her back where it had hit a wall to stop her flight, she reflected upon the revelation that had come to her as a result of death:

"Damn, I look ugly as a splattered mess."

She began to walk away, as watching people cry and clean up her mess was not how she wanted to spend her day. Then, out of nowhere, with no regards for logic or sense, she was transported to a large white room. And that was how she came to be standing here, listening to the rules of a game apparently run by reapers. Seriously, reapers? The man had no life.

"That concludes my explanation. Any questions I can answer without having to think very hard?"

"One. How come I have to put up with this shiiiiiizznit? Aren't I just supposed to go to heaven or hell of something?" she said, biting off a curse at the last second. Best not to offend crazies.

"That's how it is. Suck it up. Oh, I almost forgot to collect your entry fee…" he retorted, stretching his gloved hand toward her. Janet freaked.

"No touching, creeper! I have an A+ in bitch-slapping, ok?" he laughed. Not a good sign…

"No, no. Nothing like that. I've already collected it."

"Huh? I don't feel any different…"

"You'll figure it out soon enough. Meanwhile, you have fun out there!"

And then Janet blacked out.

CHAPTER 0 FINISH

Author's notes:

This took WAY too long to upload. Like, two months because of freaking school. Before I go any farther, allow me to explain some things. Firstly, because of the two-year time gap, there will be OCs, like Janet, most of whom will be minor characters. If Janet seemed unrealistic, that's because she's in shock. Also, she is not the main character, but the character with a perspective in the game's standpoint, the eternal player (NOT an OC, by the way!), hasn't made his appearance. TO avoid confusion, he is not the main character. Neku is. If want any questions answered, PM me and I will try to answer you. I'll try to update a chapter every 2-3 weeks, but I have school, so I don't know if that's gonna happen. Please rate and review! I would love to hear what you think! Flames will be fed to my shredder, Mr. Spinny Vortex of Deadly Blades. Thanks for reading!