(Do over.)
How many people would give anything, anything at all, to do a single day of their life over? To correct a single error or prevent a catastrophe, turn the odds in their favor with their knowledge of the future? How many people do you think would do a single day over?
(Do their entire lives over?)
Most people would try.
Megumi Kitaniji was not like most people.
His Game with the Composer was almost over and he stood there, waiting for the arrival of His chosen proxy. Waiting as the remaining minutes imprinted on his hand slowly disappeared.
What was taking Neku so long?
Megumi leaned against the wall and covered his face with one of his hands. No, it would do no good to get annoyed over the proxy's slow arrival. He and his Neanderthal of a partner still had to deal with Konishi, the traitor.
Konishi. Megumi bit back a bitter laugh at how far he had fallen. He hadn't even begun to suspect that she would have stabbed him in the back. He had been too busy planning everything, fixing everything. He hadn't even noticed Konishi's intent until he overheard Minamimoto shout about becoming the new Composer.
Megumi had been suprised, hearing Konishi take down the barrier for him and hearing Minamimoto's approaching footsteps. He wasn't surprised, however, to hear the footsteps suddenly cut off by a sound akin to thunder.
The Composer would never have allowed anything to interrupt the finale of their Game.
Of course, Megumi had noticed Minamimoto's agenda; the Taboo Noise had been obvious proof of Minamimoto's treachery. Once again, Megumi had been caught off guard with Minamimoto's resurrection through the Taboo Noise refinery sigil that he had created last week. Minamimoto's knowledge of the Taboo Noise still baffled Megumi; after he won his game against the Composer (because, damn it all, he would win), he'd personally look into it.
If Megumi were to be completely honest with himself, he hadn't expected most of the events that had transpired during his Composer's Game.
Neku Sakuraba was an exception. He had just the amount of Imagination and strength to make it through three of the Reaper's Games. Megumi had doubted Neku's worth in the beginning, but he saw his error in judgment clearly now. He should never have thought that the Composer's proxy would be anything but spectacular.
It was a pity that the child had to be Erased, but this was one Game that Megumi was not going to be losing.
(Would you change someone else's life?)
What a grand Game it was, Megumi mused. He idly removed his sunglasses and wiped them on his shirt. Even though he tried, he was unable to ignore the exact number branded onto his hand. Twenty minutes.
It was then that Megumi heard the shrill, ear-rending, dying screech of Mitsuki Konishi's Noise form echo down the Trails.
The Singing Tiger was no more.
The thought of his betrayer's demise did not fill Megumi with any kind of pleasant or uncomfortable feeling. He was neither relieved nor remorseful for the Iron Maiden's passing. He felt tired.
Megumi was tired of the Game he was playing, tired of his duties as the Conductor. He was tired of pretending that the Composer wasn't absent, that he hadn't given up on Shibuya, that he didn't want to destroy it. He was tired of planning for night after sleepless night and tired of the betrayals. Megumi knew that he should have gotten used to the betrayals long ago, but he had been too busy trying to prevent everything from being Erased.
Funny, how one could get so tired in his supposed 'eternal rest.'
Even though Megumi was very familiar with the feeling of being weary, he would continue to fight for his life and, more importantly, his Shibuya.
(Don't you have any regrets?)
Megumi was content in the knowledge that he had done everything in his power to save it. He had done what he had told his Composer he would do and made Shibuya a better place. In the stripping of their freedom, he had shone the light of redemption that would lead Shibuya into becoming a paradise. A utopia.
Without their will, they do exactly as Megumi Conducted, exactly as the Composer pleased.
Wouldn't that be much better?
Of course it would be. Megumi knew that people were naturally selfish. Everything that they did, they did in the pursuit of happiness, their own happiness. They ate because it filled their stomach and the taste pleased them. They helped others because doing so made them happy in turn. They were selfish, even when they tried not to be.
Megumi knew that he was no better, and admitted it. He knew that not everyone was happy. Even with all of their easy selfish desires that could easily be sated, not everyone could be happy.
Not anymore.
Everyone in Shibuya would be happy now that they wore the O-Pins. Their desire to be happy would be fulfilled automatically as they went about their day by day lives. They would no longer gain any satisfaction from any kind of sin. It would fill everyone with revulsion, without fail.
Shibuya would be a society of complete humility, kindness, temperance, chastity, charity, patience, and diligence. The cherished Seven Heavenly Virtues would be law.
Such a wonderful world, wasn't it?
The Composer in all of His love and knowledge would agree, wouldn't He?
After all, in spite of everything, the world ended with Him.
(AN): I wrote this after getting a sudden inspiration to write and deciding that Megs needs more love. He really does. He's such an interesting character and I tried to show that through this drabble.
I really hated Megs at first, but after I beat the game and discussed him with some of my friends and thought a lot, I found that I didn't hate him anymore. Not really. I mean, he's going on his way and trying to save Shibuya so Joshua doesn't hit the self-destruct button.
I would also like the send a super big thanks to my two wonderful betas: Mizu and Thief!
The style of this story was inspired by my best friend Ratt9.