The World Ends With Conflict

Disclaimer: I don't own The World Ends With You or the associated characters.

Also, this is NOT a story for the faint of heart, thus the M rating.

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Chapter One- The Reaping

It's been quite a while since the Game. If I can trust my own memory, it's been about a year… Even now, it's still tough. I'm still adjusting to the world. And her… It's been really hard for me to adjust to her. She usually understands when I call her "Shiki," but she has some problems of her own. I guess it makes sense, though. She lost her closest friend for almost a month, knowing she was dead, with her final words sounding awful… I didn't even get any last words from anyone… But that's a different story. Today, I've been walking around with her, still trying to avoid the Game… It comes up a lot, whether I want to talk about it or not. I just wish she didn't remind me of that damn Game! Every time I see her, I think of the Noise, the Game, Joshua, all of it! It changed me, that's certain, but I hate it all the same. Mr. H, though, he's been nice. He seemed depressed for a while, but he made me a new shirt about a week ago… about the time he stopped being so distracted. I'm bringing her down to WildKat today. Maybe Mr. H can help her understand why I don't want to talk about the Game. Change… I don't wear my headphones as much anymore. I only wear them… whenever I'm getting through the Scramble. Still as loud as ever…

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I wonder why he's taking me to WildKat. That place never gets any business, unless you count him and that white-haired kid business. Then again, his friends always come down to visit too. Maybe I can convince him to stop by Cadoi… wait… we already passed it, duh. It's been a year, and he's still calling me "Shiki" sometimes. He must have a crush on her or something, because they never, EVER look at anyone else when they're together… She's not as close to me anymore. I still love her, she's still my best friend, but… He's the cause of it all. Him and that stupid Game. Why did he have to care? Couldn't he go on hating the world? Why did she have to open him up?

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Neku and Eri had reached Miyashita Park, only a short walk from CAT Street and the Café.

Neku: "So, Eri…"

Eri: "…What?"

Neku: "…How was school today?"

Eri looked at him, unable to prevent her internal conflict from contorting her face into an unpleasant glare. However, something caught her eye off beyond Neku, something that drained the color from her face and obliterated all emotion except shock. Neku turned to see what Shi- rather, Eri was seeing. It was lucky that Miyashita Park got few visitors; because the sight was something none should ever see.

Five teenagers, only one older than Neku or Eri, were completely disemboweled and hung from the trees. In a distorted, half-aware sort of way, Neku noted that the oldest, obviously a girl, had a family of birds already turning the carcass into a demented home. It was an alien scene, with ripped flesh loosely hanging around gaping emptiness, punctuated only by bloody ribs. The lower halves of two, a boy, and a girl with some sort of "rockstar" hairstyle, had fallen on the ground, laying like some trick prop of a magician. This alone, however, was not what caused Neku and Eri to release the remnants of their breakfasts onto the pavement. Laid on the ground, tacked to the trees, and spread across the road were what used to be the internal organs of the five victims. The intestines had been arranged to spell, if one was willing and able to look long enough, "SCREW TOURISTS."

??? : "Like it? It's my masterpiece."

These were the last words Neku and Eri heard before a profound darkness enveloped them. Neku recognized it, having experienced it once before.

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No! No! I'm not going to die again!

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Meanwhile, a girl was listening intently to her Mp3 player while walking through the underpass, headed towards CAT Street to get some tunes from the Jupiter of the Monkey store's shopkeeper. She was listening too intently, however, and within moments was struck by a car. The owner of the car was stopped mercifully short of the scene quickly developing in Miyashita Park as he got out of his vehicle. He dropped to his knees as he looked to the sky, wondering why he had the fate to take an innocent life from the world.

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