Boo.
~***~
Books have always fascinated the human mind, filling the mind with incredible ideas and thoughts about never-ending worlds of life and adventure. From Harry Potter, the story of the Boy who Lived, to the Series of Unfortunate Events, stories about the Baudelaire children and the one day where their life was destroyed.
Funny how stories can combine to form the story known as one's life.
Raimu Bito, 14, her birthday had come around recently, had a number of books on her table, some to her left in a neat stack with the covers bending slightly over the edges, showing the reading spent on the volume. On her right were books, perfectly set from the library. Different sizes and shapes made each book unique for the readers. Some books in the stack were around 600 pages, while others had around 200 for a quick(er) read. Her eyes traced the pages slowly and carefully, never skipping or speeding up. If she did, she might miss a foreshadowing detail or a secret, written in a way unable to be seen if one skims. Jumping to the next page, she smiled and swung her legs peacefully.
A loud knocking made Rhyme jump slightly, but she had gotten used to it, it wasn't too rare in this household. She walked over calmly and opened up the door, revealing her brother, his signature skull cap on tight as well as his skateboard under his arm.
"Yo Rhyme!" he said with a raised hand, smiling as he looked at the book in her hand. "Wanna head to the skate park? Mom and Dad said yeah."
"Hey Beat," Rhyme chimed, giving him a signature smile. "Yeah, let's go!" She picked up the book and walked out with him, hopping on her black and light red scooter and dashing off with her brother with novel in hand. They arrived at their destination within a few minutes.
The skate park had a few people here and there, making it relatively clear to skate. Beat had already charged through and hit a half pipe, leaping up and dismounting from his skateboard.
"Hey, Rhyme!" the boy called, holding his board in one hand. "Watch this one yo! I've been workin' on this!" He leaped down and mounted the skateboard. He flew over to the other half of the pipe, grabbing his deck and doing a gravity-defying (and maybe physic-defying) flip of his skateboard. The CAT design, courtesy of Mr. H, flashed and turned over twice, maybe three times, before Beat came back down on it, hitting the top of the halfpipe and sliding back down. As he slowed to a stop, applause came forward, earning a large bow from Beat.
"That was awesome Beat!" Rhyme called, bouncing up and beaming from ear to ear. She rushed her brother in a hug and looked at the others around them. She turned back to Beat and her smile widened just a little more. "Are you going to try another?"
"Hell yeah!" he said, grinning and pointing to his chest. "That's why I'm here!" At that, he turned and jumped up, hitting the pipe with a running start. He charged up the side...
And fell flat on his face.
He slid down and grumbled slightly, walking over to pick up his board.
"This is gonna take a while, yo," he muttered, glancing around. He tried again, and managed to hit the rim of the half-pipe once before attempting the trick again. He failed, landing on the pipe with his head on the ground and the board under his stomach. Rhyme winced slightly, but continued to watch, her face content. After a few more (five to be exact) falls, Rhyme's eyes found their way down to her book again, flipping it open and reading along. With a small giggle, she flipped the page and began reading, glancing up at Beat to clap or smile for him.
A small gust of wind blew through the park, sending a shiver down Rhyme's spine, but she continued to read, looking up at Beat as he fell to the ground. She stood up and walked over, smiling and tapping him on the shoulder.
"Want to take a break?" she asked, walking over to pick up his skateboard. She held it out to her brother as he stood up, smiling as the boy took it and grinned back.
"Hell yeah, yo," he replied, grinning as he rubbed his cheek. "Man, that hurt... Let's grab some food yo!" He shot up and grinned, looking around and pointing to a small stand of Yakitori, skewered chicken. "Let's go have somma that!" He jumped over and glanced back at a white dog, sitting down and looking forward at the stand. Its ear cocked, but didn't make any motion that it saw Beat. Ignoring the nagging suspicion that the dog was familiar, Beat slowed to a stop in front of the stand.
"Heya son!" the stand owner said, smiling as he flipped over one of the sticks. "I saw what you did over there, great job! You here ta buy from our nice old stand?" A few others working at the stand smiled and glanced to the skateboarder's direction, but continued to work.
"'Course yo!" Beat said with a smile. "I'll take two!"
Rhyme walked over and beamed, pulling out yen and holding it out. Within a few seconds, the food was in their hands. Beat quick dunked his down, chewing it quickly before swallowing. He flicked the stick into a trash can and grabbed his deck, grinning as he propped it over his shoulder.
"You ready?" he asked with grin. Rhyme nibbled on the food before nodding.
"You going back to skate more?" she asked as the boy jogged off. With a crooked grin, Beat called back a quick yes before hitting the pipe again. Rhyme glanced at the now filled bench before sitting on the ground, opening up her book again. She popped her Yakitori in her mouth and sucked on it, drawing the sauce from the chicken. Beat jumped up and hit the pipe again, grinning as he swerved around on the surface.
Another gust of wind blew through the park, the same, or so she thought, as the last wind. With a quick glance up, she bunched up her shirt and sighed, reading further. As her eyes reached the end of the page, she moved her hand to flip the page.
"Wait. I'm not done."
The voice was calm, as if the girl knew he was there. Which she didn't, making her almost flip the book into a puddle beside them.
"Who's there?" she asked as she glanced around. She looked over her left shoulder, then her right, coming rather close to a set of amethyst eyes. "Joshua?"
"Yes?" he responded, watching her with a small and amused smirk. "Is there something wrong Raimu?"
"No, just," she paused, glancing to Beat. He was currently occupied trying to scrape himself off of the ground. "What are you doing here?" Beat glanced up to Rhyme and grinned before frowning and standing up. "Beat's coming; you may want to get going."
"I know dear, I have eyes you know," Joshua said with a smirk. "What are you reading?" He lifted up the cover and frowned. "Interesting book. Do you like it?"
"Of course!" she smiled. "It's an excellent book, but sort of sad."
"Sadness is part of life, dear," Joshua remarked as he stood up. Beat stormed up to him and grabbed the Composer's shoulder.
"Whatchu doin' here prissy boy?" he snarled. "Rhyme, he botherin' you at all?'Cause I can punch his lights out. Can't trust 'im, y'know?"
"Beat, no, he isn't," Rhyme said politely, looking into Joshua's eyes. "We were just chatting about books. Why don't you show Joshua your new trick?" She looked up at her brother and smiled. Beat sent a glare to Joshua before jumping back to the pipe.
"I could have handled him myself, you know," Joshua said as he watched the girl's brother leave. "You didn't have to stand up to him. And he's right."
"I didn't want you two to start to fight, it wouldn't end well. For either of you," Rhyme replied, absentmindedly flipping through her book. "And what's he right about?"
"You can't trust me," Joshua said bluntly, flicking a strand of hair from his face. "I could have come here to kill you. I did it to Neku; I can do it to you." As if to mock her, he put his hand up to her head in the shape of a gun.
"I guess," Rhyme shrugged. "But if you wanted to, you could do it at anytime. You are the Composer." She opened the book and glanced to the Composer's hand. "Bang," she said as the girl pushed his thumb down.
Joshua smiled bitterly before dropping his hand. "Your lives are so fragile. A single bullet. A simple disease. It's sad really. How can you live, thinking you are so..." He paused, debating between "weak" and "inferior". He smirked before spitting out, "Frail."
Rhyme pondered his question before answering again, "Because we know this and take it together. It's bad when you suffer, but it's better to suffer together, than alone." She smiled and put a hand on the Composer's, lacing her fingers between his.
Joshua glared at the girl, making her shiver, but Rhyme continued to hold onto him. He smirked and pulled his hand out, resting it on his knee. "What a sad bliss," he muttered. "I need to go. The Game calls, if I may." He stood up and gave Rhyme's head a quick pat before walking away. The girl blinked before smiling and opening up her book. She read on, but paused at a certain line.
"It's the way they live. It's the life that was created for them," she read quietly.
A warm breath came from behind her, whispering, "It's the same life that you would have, if you had not been chosen as my successor." However, this time, when Rhyme turned, there was nothing there.
~***~
Kudos to whoever can name the book Rhyme was reading. I'll say it in the next chapter, if there is one. Oh, and I have another reference in here for TWEWY. Cookie for he/she who finds it.