It was never especially hard to tell who was different and who was not, all one really had to do was watch and listen and all would be clear. So when a young lady (she couldn't have been much older than her late teens) with curious eyes and strawberry blonde hair entered WildKat, Sanae Hanekoma knew that today could be interesting.
"Why hello there," Hanekoma greeted casually, hand raising in an unmoving wave as he smiled.
The young lady turned a honey-brown gaze towards the black haired man, eyes heavily lidded. If the Angel had not known any better, he would have merely pegged her as being bored or disinterested. But no, the young lady had a curious tint to her stare like a child staring at a new math problem. She could not have been any taller than five foot and her hair looked like it had not had a decent brush in a number of days. The strawberry locks fell to about her mid back and seemed to go in any direction they wanted to. "Oh, good afternoon, sir," she replied after a pause, voice rather quiet; it was as if there was something leaving her forever awed.
Hanekoma gave a slight wave of his hand as well as a little laugh. "No need to be so formal! You here for a cuppa coffee? It's the best in Shibuya," he stated in his usual, relaxed tone. The cafe had been rather quiet lately, there having only been a few Players that had stopped by earlier. It was a nice change to have someone from the RG wonder in. There seemed to be some rumors going around about his little heaven, or so he called it, in the Real Ground... Though it probably wasn't without reason.
"...Yes, please. The House Blend," the lady replied after another thoughtful pause, a hand fiddling with the green shoulder bag she wore absently. Turning without quite moving her feet to look out the cafe windows, the lady asked, "Would it be alright if I took one of the chairs by the windows?"
"Yeah, sure- No problem." Hanekoma found himself giving his hand another wave. He seemed to be doing that a lot around this young woman. "Cream and sugar?"
The young lady removed her bag and placed it next to one of the window chairs, eyes focused on something outside. "Yes, please. Two sugars," she said, glancing back towards him.
"A sweet tooth, hm?" the man replied, his own eyes going back to the girl. She was watching him in fascination again, or rather, she might have been looking past him. "Never seen someone use a coffee machine before or is there something on my face or something?"
At the questions, the girl frowned a little bit. She seemed to be thinking hard about something. "...I, hmm..." she started, only to stop herself with a small sigh. "Never mind, it's nothing important. May I ask if this place is always so quiet?"
Hanekoma followed the change of subject easily. He gave a laugh. Why did everyone poke fun at the quietness of the place? "Sometimes," he stated, putting some sugar and cream into the little coffee cup. "Anyways, here ya go! One House Blend."
The young woman walked over to the counter, picking up the cup gently. Looking into the cup for a moment or so, she almost seemed to get lost in it. "Thank you," she stated politely, before taking gliding steps back towards the window. Placing the cup down on a little table near her chair, probably to let the drink cool, the girl withdrew a pad of paper and a little zippered pouch from her shoulder bag. Removing a pencil from her little pouch and making herself comfortable in the chair, legs drawn up a bit, she began to sketch passerbys.
Ah, so she was an art student. The quietness of the young woman, though she herself was appreciated (a customer was customer, after all), was somewhat disappointing. It was not all that often he got to chit chat with those from the RG. Watching the girl sketch at her pad for a few moments, Hanekoma had resigned to reading one of the books from his book shelf.
The hip cafe barista was not sure how much time had gone by before he glanced up at the bell on his cafe door giving a soft ting. The young lady had also paused in her sketching at the sound. It seemed to have given her quite the surprise from how her eyes had widened for a moment or so. "Hey, Joshua," the Angel greeted with a grin. "Not very often I see you around here this early." Or rather saw him outside of the Composer's room at all.
"Even I need a change of scenery sometimes, Mister H," the young-looking man replied with a pinch of sarcasm in his tone. The ash haired Composer glanced at the young lady by the window and stated in mock amazement, "oh my! It's not empty today! This might as well be rush hour."
"That's pretty harsh, Josh," Hanekoma replied with a light hearted wince, though he found himself watching the young lady by the window curiously once more. Her curious stare was now on Joshua and the Composer seemed not particularly bothered by it. He was probably used to it, since the air around him said wonders of his position of power. The girl looked confused, as if she had just been given a challenging riddle.
"Is something a problem?" Joshua asked, a smirk on his lips as his violet gaze met hers.
The young lady blinked in slight surprise, as if she had not been expecting the other boy to speak to her. "No... No, not a problem," the woman replied after an almost flustered second or two. Then, with that having been said, the lady returned to looking out the window without another word.
Joshua and Hanekoma shared a look before the pair gave a small shrug. They spoke easily, as if old friends, as Joshua took a seat at the counter. They spoke about useless things, really. This and that, and other things. It was surprisingly hard to not talk about things directly related to the UG, though they hardly expected the young lady to understand any of it anyways.
"Excuse me," the young woman stated quietly, placing her empty cup onto the counter.
Joshua and Hanekoma paused in their talking to look towards her. The girl must have walked over while they were speaking. "Thinking of having another cup?" Hanekoma asked with a grin, pointedly ignoring the little giggle that came from Joshua.
"No thank you," the young lady replied gently. She then paused again, her eyes watching the black haired man curiously. All of her actions struck him as curious, really. She seemed like the type of person to look at one of his murals for hours, only to find something new the moment she would try to leave. "The both of you... Are you... Hm..."
"Are we what?" Joshua asked, leaning an elbow on the counter and resting his chin delicately on his knuckles. The young-looking man seemed amused by the exchange, violet eyes glinting like a cat in the dark.
"... Never mind. I'll have another House Blend, if that's alright," the young woman stated after a second. Her eyes moved to Joshua as she continued, expression somewhat awed. "This may be an odd request from a stranger... But may I sketch you both?"
"Well, I don't see why not," Joshua replied with a rather flamboyant shrug. "I'm sure most are awed by my appearance, but just never have the backbone to ask."
Hanekoma, on the other hand, put a hand to the back of his neck in thought before merely shrugging himself. "Why not?" he replied, picking up the cup and once again making a House Blend.
The young lady moved to collect her things, moving them closer to the counter and also placing yen coins onto the counter top to pay for her drinks. Honey-brown eyes flickering between the two men and her pad of paper, the young woman began to draw after taking a seat at a stool. Quietly, she began to speak, as if thinking out loud. "You are... Very dear to this place, aren't you? I can feel it. It's warm, like the kindling of a fire: Warm and gives light... but can also cause a burn if one were to get too close," she stated quietly. It was hard to tell if her voice was naturally just an octave above a whisper, or if she purposely made it sound so. "Not good, nor bad... But just carrying on. Not especially kind, but watchful and thoughtful. Forever thinking, forever watching- Forever in a lonely bubble of a world."
The girl looked up at the pair, her expression somewhat sad. Joshua and Hanekoma stared right back at the girl, Hanekoma having paused in his coffee making and Joshua's expression becoming slightly curious himself. "What a sad sound. Your form doesn't match your color, and your sound is getting drowned out by your mind- Like you're pretending there isn't even a sound at all," the young woman stated softly before her eyes flickered between the two men. "You're both... Very important people, aren't you?"
"As charming as that little speech was, I'm afraid to say that I have no idea what you're talking about," Joshua replied almost instantly, mouth curved up in a smirk after he gave that little giggle of his.
"No... I don't suppose you do, but..." the young lady placed her pencil on the counter and turned her pad of paper so Hanekoma and Joshua could see it clearly. "I can't help but wonder if what I see is the same as what other people are seeing... You all- You all have a special sound that's all your own."
"So that's what you were staring at earlier," Hanekoma mussed after a second. Though the pictures were fairly scribbled, it was not especially hard to tell what was on the paper. To the right, there was Joshua sat on a stool with something looming over his back. To the left was Hanekoma with his back to the viewer, a pair of wings coming of the back of his vest. "Can I take a closer look?"
"...Yes, I'm sorry if this is strange," the young lady replied, handing over the pad of paper gently.
Joshua gave a hum as Hanekoma looked through the papers, "Have you always been able to see these things?" the black haired man asked, holding each page with an odd delicacy. It was the only respect one artist could give to another.
"I'm... Not sure," she replied after a moment. "I... Hm... I think I might have- but I also have a hard time remembering it."
"How so?" the Composer asked curiously. Of course he was curious. It was not often that those that could see were so bold about what their eyes showed them or what their ears heard. It sure beat the usual routine of talking about nothing particularly interesting.
The young lady gave another moment of pause, as if trying to pick her words carefully. "I... I sometimes see people in stores, kids mind you- they can't be much younger than me, that I simply... Suddenly forget when they leave. As I got older I started to remember them more- but only vague things... Such as if they're a boy or a girl, tall or short. It's almost like I'm not supposed to remember they even existed... When I asked if someone had left the store, I would just get odd looks from people- as if I had been seeing things. There are also people with wings, but they're black and bony and no one else seems to notice them-" the young woman then stopped herself again, her fingers going to her lips. "I'm not sure what's gotten into me today- I... I don't normally speak so much about these things."
"Oh dear, it seems she noticed," Joshua stated with a smirk playing on his lips. The girl was watching him now, eyes still more curious than fearful. When Joshua said nothing more, she was looking towards Hanekoma.
"You've got a pretty special gift, even if it's pretty weak- hence the loss of memory," the Angel stated with a shrug, as if that answered any and all questions. He handed the pad of paper to Joshua, who looked through it with little to no interest. Probably the only thing keeping him even sitting in the cafe was the fact that the girl could actually see Hanekoma's wings and the Composer's true self, or perhaps the energies their souls gave off.
The young woman looked anything but impressed with the responses, but stayed quiet. After a long moment of silence, the girl let out a little sigh. Doubts flickered over her features for the whole world to see- or in this case, Joshua and Mister Hanekoma.
Though Joshua seemed rather amused by the whole thing, Mister Hanekoma gave a light shake of his head and rubbed the back of his neck in thought. After a second he gave a usual smile at the girl. "Well, now that you know you're special- you might as well ask some questions. I mean, we" -he shot Joshua a glance, to which the ash-haired boy shrugged once more- "obviously can't answer too many questions, but we can try."
The girl's eyes had a hint of suspicion in her honey gaze. "...Is it real?" she asked after a second, hand still by her mouth.
"Why wouldn't it be real?" Joshua surprised the Angel by replying to the question, and evidently the girl as well as she blinked and turned in his direction quickly. "What you're seeing is the Reaper's Game. The people with the black wings? The Reapers. You can't remember some of the people that enter and leave stores, because... Well, they're dead. They're the Players. Technically, you aren't supposed to see them- so yes, you aren't supposed to know that they even exist," the Composer stated easily, as if he were just talking about the weather.
"...What is the point of the Reapers Game?" the girl asked after a moment or so, having once again chosen her words carefully.
"Oh~ You don't waste questions, very nice," Joshua grinned, once again giving a giggle. "Think about it: Why would there be a game for dead people?"
"Because the person in charge is perhaps a bit sadistic?" the young lady replied almost instantly, only to cover her mouth again. Her cheeks took a momentarily pink hue. "Oh dear- I didn't mean to say that out loud..."
Hanekoma gave a hearty laugh while Joshua looked absolutely scandalized. "No. That is not the reason," Joshua stated, looking a touch sour. "Honestly. Every time I think someone might actually use their brain, it turns out they can't." It was the young lady's turn to make a sour expression.
"They're fighting for their right to live," Hanekoma stated. "The Players complete a series of... tasks. Whoever finishes them all wins a second chance."
"...Their... Right to live?" the young lady repeated in an obvious confusion, before she asked a little clearer, "But then... What, excuse me if I sound rude... What are you both? You both don't look the same. Your souls, they... They are much brighter- a bit like flames. It's both terrifying and... awe-inspiring, to say the very least. The sound is different as well. More like a... controlled song instead of impulsive chimes."
"We're a more... advanced form of a Reaper," Hanekoma stated.
"Think of us as the very special snowflakes," Joshua added with another giggle.
"Oh... I see. "The young lady give a little nod, only to give a slight jump of surprise and take a phone out of her pocket. Flicking it open, her eyes flickered over the screen quickly. The girl then moved off of the stool and placed her things into her shoulder bag, only to glance towards Joshua. He still had her pad of paper. "Thank you for answering my questions- And the coffee as well, it was very nice," the young woman stated, giving a bow to the pair. "I... I won't tell anyone. About the Reaper's Game, I mean."
"It's not like anyone would believe you anyways," Joshua stated with a shrug, handing the girl the pad of paper.
With that said, the young lady took the sketch pad gently back into her hands and noticed something somewhat puzzling. The pictures had been changed- though only slightly. Hanekoma was missing his wings and the other form of Joshua was missing as well. There was no doubt the the reapers in the other pictures were missing their wings as well. "...Yes, true... But I still felt the need to say it," the young lady replied.
"We appreciate it," Hanekoma stated with a grin. "Almost forgot to ask ya- What was your name, again?"
Giving another bow of her head, the girl went to leave, though she paused with her hand on the door with a thoughtful expression. Honey-brown eyes looking back at the pair at the counter, the girl gave a smile. "Ayumi Hitomi. And you both are..?"
"Sanae Hanekoma, and this kid is Yoshiya Kiryu."
"Mother and father call me Joshua, thank you."
Again the girl, Ayumi, gave a smile. "Though it isn't any of my business... Joshua- I... I hope you find whatever your soul is calling out to. It's a little lonely, but a lovely sound nonetheless. Fight it as much as you want... But souls like yours tend to have strange ways of getting what they want. Have a nice evening, Mister Hanekoma, Joshua." With that last comment, the girl exited the cafe without another word and only the door's bell tinging after her.
"It's not like you to answer questions so nicely," Hanekoma hummed after a minute or so.
Joashua gave a little wave of his hand, dismissing the statement. "I was feeling generous today and the picture was nice," he stated simply.
"Wouldn't have anything to do with how similar she was to Phones, would it?"
Joshua giggled and smirked at that. "What could possibly give you that idea? She was much more manageable than my dear proxy ever was."
"Just a feeling," the Angel replied with a hum. "Maybe you should listen to her."
"Don't you even start," Joshua replied evenly, his chin resting in his palm and his elbow resting on the counter. "Why would I do that? Just because she said my soul sounded lonely? I highly doubt that she can see or hear souls if she can't even remember something as simple as a Player."
"It's a wonderful world, Joshua," Hanekoma replied simply with a shrug, moving to collect the money Ayumi had left and then washing out her coffee cup. "But nothing's gonna happen unless you try to make it happen, because-"
"-The world ends with you," Joshua finished with a frown, expression stating that he had clearly had this discussion before.
"Exactly."
"Anyways- As I was saying before she interrupted our conversation, you-?" Joshua continued, only to be cut off at another small ting of the cafe door's bell. Giving an irritated sigh and glancing back at the door with only a slight curiosity, any words that might have been ready to leave the Composer's mouth died on his tongue.
"You open, Mister H?" a young man with a head of orange hair asked, not quite looking into the cafe as he had somehow become the designated door holder. "There was a girl that looked like she got into a fight with a leaf blower leaving so we thought we'd stop by. She said something about you having a quiet day anyways."
A girl with short brunette hair and glasses gave the boy a playful shove on the shoulder. "Don't say that! She was a nice girl!" she scolded, holding a black and white stuffed cat in her arms.
"What? It's true."
"Yeah, Phones! Who would fight a leaf blower, anyways?" a boy in a beanie stated with misplaced enthusiasm and causing the smallest girl of the group to give a little sigh.
"Oh, Beat..."
"What, yo? You ever fight a leaf blower? Those things are evil, bro!"
The young man with the orange hair gave an amused grin as the others laughed and he followed them into the cafe, his eyes going towards Hanekoma. "Sorry about all of the noi-" the young man started, only to freeze mid-sentence. His eyes had finally landed on the ash-haired Composer sat at the counter. He seemed to take a second to find his voice again, and even then it had a hard time getting out, "...Joshua."
The room went quiet, as if everyone were holding their breath.
Joshua, for once in what felt like a very long time indeed, was at a loss for words. The two boys stared at each other for only a breath of silence that seemed to stretch on for hours, before Joshua gave a half-smirk that was rather unreadable.
The soul has a strange way of getting what it wants.
Oh how hard he had fought against it; how right that girl had been.
There was no hope of avoiding it any longer.
Joshua took a small breath:
"Hello, Neku."
Author's Note:
I do not own The World Ends With You/ A Wonderful World
Alright, so, if you can probably tell by how all over the place this is: I didn't quite have a direction to go with this one-shot beyond "Someone that can see the UG meets Joshua and Hanekoma". I was trying out a writing style that didn't delve into a characters thoughts and more so said what someone was doing- body language if you will. I also made a point to leave certain things unexplained, but I'll explain them here:
+Ayumi was likely watching people walk outside of the windows, possibly watching Reapers and Players doing as they do.
+The reason Ayumi ends up being surprised at all of her talking is a kind of call back on how Neku commented on wanting to continue speaking with Hanekoma, even after he is shown to be fairly quiet and unsociable himself. I'd like to think the pair can imprint on others like Players can, thus getting information they're curious about.
+Who is Ayumi? Well, that's a good question. She just is as she is. As you can tell, there is a lot of lying in this one-shot, so who is to say it isn't on both sides?
+Name Translation:
Ayumi: Wonderful and step
Hitomi: Beautiful virtue; the pupil of the eye
After replaying The World Ends With You, I decided to try my hand at fanfiction again. The characters are interesting and complex and they really are a joy to interact with. I relate to Neku a lot- But have you seen Joshua's hair? It is the most fabulous thing I have ever seen, like, I could easily sit and doodle him for hours just to draw his hair. And I realize Joshua isn't nearly as condescending in this as he probably should be... But I can't help but try and bring out the slightly more mature side of him? I mean, everyone need to take a break every now and then. Also, his level of sass is far superior to mine. Most of the characters are probably out of character actually, even mine.
I might try and do a prequel one-shot to the game with Joshua, showing his perspective on the decaying Shibuya and his decision to finally wash his hands of it... but eh, we'll see haha.
And I'm pretty sure that is that. Feel free to review, thanks for reading!