Disclaimer: I own TWEWY. This should be obvious, as I am not a lowly civilian, but clearly a high-ranking title owner, and I'm clearly not posting this on a website entitled FANfiction dot net. (Disclaimers are stupid. v_v)

The tinkling of the little bell that hung above the door caused Sanae Hanekoma to look up in surprise. He smiled even before the customer came into view; though the thought left him slightly bitter, the fact remained that he really only got one customer. He could pretend to be bothered by this (and did so rather convincingly), but the truth was he was never too upset... for that one particular customer made up for the lack of anyone else, and the barista was always pleased to see him.

"Hey J," Sanae greeted, rising from his seat in the back room and crossing through to the counter. "You should have called beforehand. I would have had your usual all- oh." Stopping mid-sentence, Mr. Hanekoma blinked at the boy standing before him. "You're not Josh at all, are you?"

Neku scoffed. "Definitely not," he muttered, taking a seat on a revolving stool at the counter and tapping his fingers idly on the smooth surface.

Mr. H. grinned. "Well hey, it's not like I'm not glad to see you, too." Turning around, he quickly grabbed a coffee pot and filled a Styrofoam cup with the steaming liquid. "You just weren't who I was expecting," he explained as he slid the drink down the counter. "What's up, Phones?"

"Actually," Neku began, wrapping his hands around the cup and letting the steam swirl in front of his face, "it's about Joshua, now that you mention him." He paused and looked upward from the coffee, searching the cafe owner's eyes for a reaction. When he got none, he continued. "You know him well, don't you?"

Sanae watched Neku carefully from his position behind the counter, lounging against it unprofessionally. "I suppose you could say that," he answered after a moment, peering over the dark lenses of his shades. "We go way back."

"Tell me about him," the boy demanded rather than asked. Hanekoma grinned at his forwardness.

"Tell you what?"

"How'd he die?" Straight to the point. That was just like Neku.

Outside, a group of fashionable teens passed by the cafe. A frown tugged at the edges of Sanae's lips, though whether it was in regard to the lack of business or Neku's question, the boy couldn't tell. CAT shifted his gaze back to his customer, the unhappy expression quickly replaced by a sly smile. "Couldn't tell you, Phones."

Neku looked annoyed. "You don't know?" he challenged, only seeming to become more agitated when the response was a short laugh.

"I didn't say that," Mr. H. grinned, tapping his fingers on the counter. "I just said I can't tell you."

So he does know, Neku thought disdainfully. For a guardian of the Players, Hanekoma could have given a little bit more info when questioned. Granted, Neku supposed part of his duty was protecting all Players - Joshua included - but there was something strange about the relationship between the boy in question and the man standing before him. If there was information that would help him win this stupid Game, Neku wanted to know. He wouldn't give up that easily.

The Player finally took a hesitant sip of his coffee, quickly setting the drink down when Hanekoma chuckled. "Let me guess - you were waiting for me to take a drink so you could charge me?" he asked flatly, but the barkeep simply turned and grabbed the coffee pot, topping off his own cup.

Taking a sip and letting the steam fog up his glasses, Sanae's gaze softened. "Come on, Phones, you gotta lighten up. Enjoy each moment-"

"With everything you've got," Neku finished, a hint of a smile finally peeking out from behind his collar.

Mr. Hanekoma grinned. "Attaboy. Now, let's get back to the situation at hand," he suggested, intent on keeping Neku on track. "What's up with you and Josh?"

Pausing a moment to raise the cup to his lips, Neku's expression soured. "I don't get him," he muttered, turning to look out the window. "He said he was here because he wanted to be."

It was a concept Neku couldn't even fathom - he'd already been through a week and a half of hell because of the Game. There was nothing he wouldn't give to be out of it for good. How could Joshua be playing voluntarily?

"Did he kill himself?" Neku asked suddenly, quietly, his eyes cast downward into his drink's dark depths. He jumped in surprise when Sanae forcefully brought his palm downward onto the counter.

"No." The answer was firm, and Neku studied the man's grey eyes. They had a hard, knowing glint that made him almost uneasy. "Make no mistake, Neku," Mr. H. continued, meeting his gaze. "Joshua values human life above all else."

"Then why?" Neku almost choked out, surprising himself by his sudden rise in volume. "Why would he..." The boy trailed off, composing himself. He didn't look up, suddenly embarrassed by his outburst. I can't make that kind of accusation without being sure, he thought, unable to look Mr. Hanekoma in the eye. What would Mr. H. think if I told him I thought Joshua killed me?

A few moments passed in silence, punctuated by the rhythmic ticking of the clock on the wall. Sanae placed a gentle hand on Neku's shoulder and sighed. "Look Phones, Josh may be a bit hard to process... but he's a good kid. He's got good intentions."

Neku nodded silently, suddenly aware of the hand on his shoulder and shrugging it away. He pondered what he had just been told. He sure as hell didn't trust Joshua... but he did trust Mr. H. That was enough for now.

"By the way, where is the Petite Prince?" Hanekoma asked with a small grin. Until that moment, he'd nearly forgotten that it was Joshua who he was expecting in the first place. Sure, getting a visit from Neku was fine, but the one he truly wanted to see remained absent. "Shouldn't you stick with your partner?" he asked, only slightly accusatory.

Arms crossing, Neku scoffed once more. "There's only so much Natural Puppy shopping I can take," he replied flatly. This elicited a laugh from Sanae, who stood and reached for two cutely decorated crepes in the counter's glass display case.

Wrapping them in a bag, he handed it to Neku and smiled lightly. "Better get back to supervising him," he suggested, nudging him to stand as well. "And tell him to drop by later."

Neku took the bag hesitantly (he had a feeling these would end up on his tab) and nodded. "Thanks, Mr. H." Sending the cafe owner a last grateful smile, he turned to make his way out the door, bell tinkling as he exited.

Sanae watched him fall into step with the Shibuya crowds until his fiery hair disappeared from sight, lost in a sea of colored fabric and accessories. Swiping up the abandoned coffee cup, he emptied what was left into the nearby drain and shook his head. "Good luck, Neku," he muttered quietly, taking a seat back behind the lonely counter. "You're the only one who can stop him now."