Hourglass

A catlike smirk curls the features of a young boy standing beside the body of another kid. That kid has a shock of orange hair, like fire, stuck to the back of his neck by the blood on his clothes. The boy reaches into his pocket, dropping a single black and white Pin on the corpse of the boy he had just killed.

Unnatural violet eyes gleam in the shadows as he giggles mostly to himself, turning away.

His words float in the air forebodingly as he speaks; disturbing the still silence that had settled in the alley after the last peals of the gunshot had faded away. His voice is light, and has an elegant lilt to it.

"Have fun Neku."

~***~

He prowls in the RG now, his thoughts turned darkly to the city, his city. The flickering fires of scorn burn in his eyes. Yes, there he was. Neku was "safely" in the UG…and there was that other girl, what was her name, the jealously gripped one.

Yes, if anything, she was a prime example of why Shibuya should be erased. So much crime and general immorality, it simply wasn't worth the trouble. Not that his Proxy was any better, he had never seen such a withdrawn, contemptuous kid.

So much to do, so little time, but he had never rushed before, and he wasn't going to start now. Let the Games begin…

~***~

How sweet, if his heart hadn't stopped beating long ago he would have sworn it almost broke.

Pure, utter sarcasm of course, he didn't really care what happened to her. She wasn't even going back to the RG yet so these scenes were quite pointless. She wasn't worth his attention.

No, wait, he takes that back.

The girl, Shiki, had positively affected his Proxy throughout his week. Not only that but she had changed herself, but that didn't matter. Shibuya was still a mess, and to be honest he was certain she would have broken out of it on her own, eventually.

Now was the time to intervene, so much to teach him, so little time. Smile now, because a smile always calms people down. That apparently wasn't the case with his Proxy, but ah well, whether or not they actually became friends wasn't important.

What a single minded determination, he thought; listening to his Proxy as he basically kept muttering to himself, "Do it for Shiki."

How charming, did someone just steal his heart? His sardonic comment on "the world's tiniest violin" resulted in an angry outburst from Neku.

Oh well.

Some more missions, some more conversations. He appeared to really grate on the nerves of his "friend".

"Did you kill me?" Neku basically asks one day. His eyes were suspicious.

A giggle, a smirk, a dangerous, teasing smile from narrowed purple eyes as he replies, "What if I did?"

Entertaining. He couldn't recall how long ago he had had fun like this.

Watching his poor understudy try to work out if he had killed him really made his day.

Behind his façade he felt something like pity for the kid whose life he had just uprooted.

It was a rather unwelcome emotion.

~***~

What do you know, a level i flare.

The ashen haired teen couldn't really even pretend to care, until he remembered his Proxy wasn't quite as resilient to such things as he was. That attack would quite possibly erase his dear partner.

The boy wondered when the term "his dear partner" had stopped being sardonic. Surprising his Proxy by shouting out about the flare, he then shoved aside Neku with one hand. He smiled at the shocked expression on his…friend's…face as he pushed him down.

But Neku… He chided softly, turning to look at the flashing light with a sort of detached interest. I thought you couldn't afford to lose. He echoed Neku's earlier words with a slight, gentle chuckle. His eyes reflected the flare as he continued to speak, addressing his Proxy and hoping he'll take these words to heart. Give up on yourself, and you give up on the world.

How can one believe in anyone else if you don't have faith in yourself?

Right before the light hit him the teen slipped away.

There was no sound, no flash, not a single white feather or otherwise any sign the task had been performed. He was just gone.

~***~

Not that the Tin Pin world wasn't comical beyond measure, but he did have something he was supposed to be doing. What a pity, he'd have to come back here later.

What was happening at the present…? Ah yes. Neku should be nearing Megumi now. How fortunate.

Striding through the sewers, the teen realized to his irritation that Sho had appeared again. Dealing with him was hardly even worth the effort, but time was running out and his Proxy didn't need to deal with that particular character again.

Now, where was he? He idly clicked one more button on his cell phone, dropping a vending machine on top of the junk pile that was stacked on the limp form of the Reaper. "Rest in peace," he laughed delicately, stepping lightly away.

What's with everyone lately and thinking if they kill me, they get my job?

Honestly. Some people. Where were their manners? He was always one for playful banter, so when one doesn't comply he gets snippy, just like with Sho who had declared he wasn't going to mess with words on the matter today.

The prize was a bicycle rack to the face. And some high level flares for good measure. All before his Proxy was done with Konishi.

A sweat had yet to break.

~***~

Just as he had expected, how predictable.

Megumi had tried his little Pin trick on Neku, and the extra Player Pin had protected him. Oh, now they're fighting. Neku gets to fight with his dear Shiki again, and with that rather rambunctious Bito sibling…Beat. Trying to save his darling little sister.

Now would be a good time to make his entrance, get a few comments in, and then let Megumi make his final stand. The timer was still clicking, and the light burn in his Conductor's hand would hardly let him forget. He'd be frantic soon, sensing his end.

And thus the mouse ran into the cat's claws…

The ashen haired teen got little more pleasure out of watching Neku's startled expression, or his Partners' stunned ones as he appeared. He needed to take a picture to remember it by.

Oh dear. He was right. Here come the tendrils.

As the tendrils drilled into his flesh, he smirked, feeling them pull him across the room and he didn't resist. Neku's other Partners were trapped also, now his Proxy would have to fight a Noise by himself.

But if he was right, and he almost always was, if anyone could do it…Neku could.

Spurred on by encouragements from his friends, and little boosts of energy to the Light Puck, (the trapped teen himself even helped; after all, Neku needed some assistance). Neku then performed a fastidious little attack that ended Megumi's Game rather nicely.

He knew it, he thought to himself, watching Megumi disappear. Now for one more pressing issue.

Make that several…How unfortunate.

Informing his Proxy, his friend, that he was in fact the Composer, he had to remind himself to remember the time so he could take a picture of his face. It was adorable. He then told him about his Game with Megumi, the whole scheme behind his death, and finally about the outcome of Shibuya.

Some more priceless expressions all around, but now he had all the time in the world. The hourglass for Shibuya was running out, the sands trickling sluggishly now as the Composer murmured to Neku he might need to pick up that gun.

Freezing his friends, so they wouldn't intervene, he looked calmly and somewhat amusedly at his Proxy as the boy looked like he was about to fire.

But he wouldn't. The Composer knew him too well now, and the boy didn't have it in him.

Oh? Tears?

That was unexpected. Pity jerked in the teen's dead heart again, the sensation unnerving and uncomfortable.

The count of ten.

Ten.

Nine.

Eight.

Seven.

Six.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

Waiting one extra second, should Neku decide to fire, the Composer smirked and coiled his finger around the trigger.

The shot echoed loudly. The pain and hurt in Neku's eyes when he lifted them to look at him made the teen uneasy again, and then he collapsed.

Walking slowly, barely moving his feet, the Composer flicked his eyes downwards.

The Games had been intended to determine what would happen to Shibuya. He had already made up his mind. Or had he?

Neku was the worst person in Shibuya. Reclusive. Distant. Cruel. He was a prime example of what was wrong with the place.

But he had changed. Changed due to the efforts of a girl that had once been the best representation of envy incarnate in Shibuya. And he, in return, had changed her. They were both better now.

Then there had been that rebellious teen, anger prone and aggressive, pushing away his little sister. But he too had altered his nature, caring only about her now, and that was all he thought about now.

And his little sister…Surely Beat's little sister was at least a good example; there was little wrong with the girl.

Too bad she couldn't get her Player Fee back, mused the Composer as he knelt down by Neku.

He, just like the people around him, suddenly distorted his original idea. The figurative hourglass of Shibuya, the single grain of sand balancing on the edge of infinity, seemed to tremble in fright at what the change meant.

The teen shifted into his Composer form, brilliant light shedding into the darkness around him and those frozen, unaware.

He felt the power, it flexed around his fingers. A single twitch and it would be done.

Or not. What would he do afterwards, anyway?

A soft bout of laughter escaped him, and he pressed his hand on the bleeding wound on Neku's body.

"Well played."

~***~

There they were.

Meeting at Hachiko like they had promised.

The boy didn't miss the wistful, expectant stare Neku had as he stalked around the statue, but after it was clear he wasn't going to show up, he left with his friends.

He'd rather not spoil the moment, giggled the Composer as he watched from the rooftops. So many questions he didn't feel like answering, and he only did what he wanted and not a moment sooner or later.

He was rather languid, he supposed.

There was the issue of Sanae to deal with, but right now, he wanted to observe his Proxy for a while longer. Though he had heard the heartfelt, unspoken plea for his presence once Neku rejoined his friends, he didn't answer.

I don't forgive you. But I trust you.

That works well enough, dear, Joshua mused. And then he smiled. Unsure why, he started laughing, and the whole of Shibuya seemed a bit brighter for it.

~***~
Was it noticeable? If not I FAIL EPICLY.

What, you ask?

Joshua's drabble was written with what I hope was a very obvious, powerful feeling of sarcasm. He was also one of the freaking hardest to do. I rewrote it almost three times.

In case you're wondering, the "not writing their name thing" throughout the whole plot is intentional. Just like with Rhyme's and Shiki's.

Okay, want to drop a review? I'm aware it's sorta rocky so flames will be used by Joshua to roast marshmallows for Rhyme.