(Right, so this idea struck me while I was at the beach, and I need to get back into the habit of writing. One, ow, this desk is evil and cutting into my wrists. It hurts. :( Two, I told you I loved this shipping.

RANDOM JOSH/NEKU YESSSS

Haha, what can I say. Besides, I doubt Uzuki would recognize Josh in his "human" form so there you have it. Poor Neku.

Sorry if this is short; really, I just wrote it to get myself back into shape. School starts tomorrow and that makes me a very sad panda. :(

Yes they can fly with those wings. I don't think it's ever shown in game, but FUCK IT THEY CAN NOW. Besides, what the hell is the point of wings if you can't use them? They'd be like ostriches, and those things are evil bastards. No one wants to be like an ostrich.

I don't know when this is set in Week Two, to be honest, but just assume that it's a time when Sho gets off his lazy ass and bothers to assign a mission or something. He was too busy building ironic lawn ornaments to care or something.

I assume they can bleed, even in the Game; it's still a way to warn them they're injured, so it makes sense, even if they're dead...I'm honestly not sure how it works, but there you go.

All right! So, newest little ficlet go! Presenting to you my first foray into the TWEWY fandom!~

Don't own TWEWY, duh.

Dedicated to my little brother because it's his birthday. :3)

Uzuki recognized the look on Kariya's face and knew he was up to no good almost immediately.

Her fellow Reaper and best friend had a very expressive face; even though he was laid-back and placidly cheerful on the surface, his face always betrayed his thoughts whenever she took the time to observe him. Not that it was any hardship searching his face; he was cute, which Uzuki readily admitted to anyone who brought it up to her. Of course, she doubted that sticking with him would get her anywhere, romantically...but hey, can't fault a girl for trying, right?

At any rate, his face had shifted as they stood on top of Towa Records and watched the people below them scamper through the streets. His eyes had lit up, and a small, crooked smile had spread across his lips. The clincher for her that alerted her to his new plan was his lollipop; he had the stick in his mouth and let the candy stick out past his lips like a lure. Uzuki swallowed; raspberry chocolate. Her favorite. What she wouldn't give to steal that lollipop from his mouth...

"Hey, Uzu." Kariya's voice interrupted her thoughts and she started violently, jolted from her fantasies as he turned to face her. She tried desperately to school her expression into one that wouldn't betray her thoughts as she smoothed out her skirt and smiled at him.

"Mm, Koki? Something the matter?" She asked, purposely keeping her voice high and airy so as not to betray her nervousness. Kariya smiled, letting the lollipop in his mouth shift as he opened his mouth and took it out, tapping the candy against her nose. Uzuki inhaled, trying not to shiver at the scent of the candy invading her senses.

"Nothing's the matter, Uzu; of course, when I'm with you, nothing could bother me." He teased. Uzuki rolled her eyes.

"Get to the point, Kariya." She snapped, trying to hide a small flare of red spilling across her cheeks. Kariya laughed, stretching out his wings and yawning.

"Oh, it was nothin' much, sister. Just a game. Interested?" He asked. Uzuki nodded, curious at his proposal. He grinned. "Knew you would be. All right; it's simple, but our normal prize has changed." He bit down on his lollipop, crunching the candy between his teeth before continuing. "Erase as many Players as possible, but instead of ramen as the prize...the winner gets the loser to take them out on a date." He said.

Uzuki felt the skyscraper collapse under her feet as she tried not to lose her cool in front of him. She shoved her emotions to the back of her mind in time to smile. "Sounds like fun, Kariya. Ready to lose?" She replied. Kariya snorted with amusement, shaking his head.

"Oh, I don't think so; I'm totally broke, so I could use this." He teased. "Plus, maybe it'll get you to loosen up. Ta, Uzu." He said, jumping from the balcony of the skyscraper and spreading his wings, soaring off across Shibuya to take his role in the Game and win. Uzuki howled, slamming her fists against the railing.

"One day, Kariya, you're gonna end up with a hole through that damn afro of yours, you hear me?" She screamed. Her only response was the wind swirling around her, sounding far too much like Kariya's laughter for her comfort as she caught the updraft and flew off, cursing his name all the while.

Uzuki would not complain about the fact that there were no Players on Spain Hill. No she would not. Not even if it seemed like Kariya had already gotten to every goddamn Player in the whole fucking town. No, she was far too above complaining.

And then the Grim Heaper struck again.

Sho's newest "arts and crafts" project, (a giant metal flamingo that he claimed was an "ironic lawn ornament," whatever that meant), had started to "molt" bits and pieces of junk, and as a result, Uzuki had greeted a nice chunk of aluminum with the back of her head.

Sho Minamimoto was so zetta dead.

In her rage, she didn't stop to think as she passed people by, not even bothering to check if they were Players. Before she knew it, she realized she had found herself in Molco...right near that phone booth. She stared at it for a long, slow minute, surveying it and weighing her options.

She didn't let herself think as she opened the door and shut herself inside, yanking the phone off the hook and dialing Kariya's number. The phone chimed in her ear, the little jingling mocking her with its' cheerful humming as it rang and rang. Finally, almost as she'd given up hope, the phone clicked in her ear and Kariya's voice piped up, "Hey, Uzuki, you all right?"

She nodded, forgetting he couldn't see her affirmation as she twirled the cord around her finger. "Aah...fine, I'm fine. I just wanted to know if you were really serious...about, you know, the date thing." She cursed herself for sounding like an anxious schoolgirl, but it was too late now. Kariya laughed, the sound pleasant and comforting, even through the phone.

"Of course, Uzu. There's that cute little tea shop that opened up near Lapin Angelique, and maybe 777's playing tonight for an after-dinner treat, I forget. Anyways, it'll be fun. I already snagged about three or four Players, too; ready to lose?" His teasing was so comforting and familiar that she smiled, cooing back at him through the phone.

"You wish, Koki. See you tonight, with the win in the bag!" She said, hanging up and making sure the phone was off before she swore heavily, storming out of the phone booth with crimson cheeks and a sinking feeling in her stomach.

Thankfully, right outside Molco, a Taboo Noise had grieviously wounded two Players; Uzuki refused to let herself feel pity as she erased them with a single swipe of her wings; they were beyond saving anyway. Besides, that was two down...

She yawned, spreading her wings out again and soaring off for the Scramble; there was bound to be a few Players there for her pickings. She observed the familiar sights of Shibuya underneath her as she flew, eyes half-closed as she let herself feel at peace. The Scramble wasn't too far away, so she could slow down and watch the people below her move on with their lives like the whole world was their entire existence...like they were players in their own shows, living their own dreams in webs of other people's lives.

She shook her head; what the hell was she on about? It was time to wise up and head to the Scramble!

She sped off, the breeze rushing through her hair as she felt the air through her wings and managed a smile.

Once she arrived, she winced with disgust. The screeching in the air...it could only be Taboo Noise.

She tensed for a fight, but before she could locate one of them, a scream tore its' way through her senses. She snapped her head towards the direction of the sound and shuddered.

A teenager with white-blonde hair had gotten trapped under one of the Drakes; its' wings had torn open their leg and they losing blood fast. There was a boy beside them, tugging on their shirt and screaming for them to move. Uzuki paused.

She could let the Drake finish the teen off and erase both the teen and their partner. It would give her a leg up with Kariya and give her a clear shot at winning. But...the boy beside the teen was crying and screaming, trying frantically to stem the flow of blood as he tried to help his partner stand, tugging him in vain to pull him into his arms, ignoring the blood getting splashed across his jacket as he desperately gave him words of comfort and promises of safety while he dragged him away from the Noise.

Uzuki groaned. She was getting too soft for this job.

With a swipe of her hand, she sent out a group of the Grizzly Noise to dispatch the Drake before it could finish the kill. As it faded away, the two stared up at her in shock, unsure of what to say.

"Are you absolutely fucking stupid, orange-top?" She shouted, shaking him and gripping his shoulders. "What the hell were you getting at, letting your girlfriend take on the Taboo Noise! Don't you idiots know they're stronger than the other Noise! We call them Taboo for a reason, dumbass!" She continued to rant, not noticing the orange-haired boy trying to cut into her spiel.

"If you're going to protect your partner, you need to do a better job! This is a rough fucking job, all right? You can't let them get at what you're supposed to keep safe!" She roared. "If I catch you within ten feet of another Taboo Noise without some better pins, I am gonna kick both your asses, you hear me?"

The boy nodded numbly, struck dumb by the Reaper's shouting. Uzuki shoved a pack of bandages and a healing potion into his hands. "Fix your girlfriend up and get her a treat on me, damn it." She muttered, storming off as the two Players watched her in shock.

"Neku...did she just call me your girlfriend?" Joshua asked, his eyebrows almost rising into his hairline. Neku nodded, unsure of what to say to him. Joshua sighed, letting him cinch the bandages around his leg. "Well, that's interesting." Joshua mused. "And she did tell you to treat me, dear." He teased. Neku frowned, hiding his eyes behind his hair again as Joshua rolled his eyes.

"Well, Neku, let me ask you a little question; did you mind being called my boyfriend?" He purred. Neku was quiet for a minute, before he suddenly lifted his head up and met Joshua's eyes. He slid his headphones down around his neck and off of his ears, giving him a tenative smile.

"Not if you didn't." He murmured.

Joshua didn't respond. He was already mapping out the different ways to rip Neku's clothing off as quickly and efficiently as possible.

As Uzuki stalked the streets of Shibuya, cursing herself for losing such a choice prospect, she couldn't help but let her mind wander back to the reason she was playing this game. A date...why did Kariya want that? All they'd ever done was screw around with each other, tease each other and talk about random, silly things that no one else would discuss with them...she had felt safe. Kariya wasn't like any other partner she'd had; he didn't pressure her or flirt with her, and he was always up for a game. They were just friends, and that was...good. It meant she didn't have to live up to any expectations...

But...well...even if it was dangerous to step outside her boundaries...hell, wasn't being a Reaper in and of itself dangerous? What with insane Game Masters, Ironface breathing down their necks, and now this whole Taboo Noise nonsense?

Uzuki had to smile. Yeah. Living outside her boundaries and stepping past the safety lines might be dangerous, but what wasn't in this city? And what kind of danger could be more fun?

Well, that was that. She wanted more than good now; she wanted perfect. The perfection was worth the danger.

With a soft bark of laughter, Uzuki flitted off back for Towa Records, hoping to catch a few more prospects before the sun sank and dusk arrived.

Kariya was already waiting for her when she got back, standing right on top of the railing with a small smile on his face. Uzuki flew up to meet him, standing on the railing right next to him. Damn, how had she not realized how lucky she was to have this closeness? She could practically taste the lollipop in his mouth from how close she was!

"So, Uzuki...I got eight Players." He said. "You?" She groaned, knowing she'd been beat.

"Ah, hell. I got two." She muttered. "Woulda got a few more, but my damn sappiness got in the way." Kariya laughed.

"Aww, c'mon. I kinda like your sappiness. Plus, you know, you got to take the break today, huh?" He teased. Uzuki shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess." She shivered. "Well...Kariya, still up for that prize?" She asked.

Kariya's face changed again as he looked at her. For once in her life, and for the very first time in their partnership, she couldn't read the expression on his face.

A small smile spread across his lips. His eyes softened as he leaned in for a gentle kiss. It was nothing more than a quick brush of lips against lips, but it sent a shock through her entire body anyway. She resisted the urge to melt into his arms, but the second he took the lollipop gently from his mouth and pressed it against her tongue, she threw her dignity out the window and buried herself in his arms, inhaling the soft, musky smell of his skin.

"So, Uzu." He whispered. "It's a date?" He asked. Uzuki laughed, looking up at him.

"Sure, sure..." She replied, snuggling deeper into his embrace as a wicked grin spread across her face. "But if I can make a quick change to our rules..." She leaned in and pressed her lips against the shell of his ear, nipping at it gently and purring with delight as he gasped quietly and tried to fight down a shudder.

"Well, to help the poor loser's broken self-esteem...they get to, well, feel like they're back on top tonight, if you catch my drift..." She teased. "Sound like a good consolation prize?"

Kariya laughed, holding her tighter against his chest. As he flew up into the air and tossed her up lightly, catching her with graceful ease and settling her against his hips, holding her steady and smiling, he whispered, "Sounds wonderful," into her ear...but she didn't need the words, because really...

His expression said it all.