Disclaimer: The following series and characters belong to Square-Enix and Jupiter. I only own one character and that is Nikolas 'Niko' Underwood. Artwork credit goes to The-Blue-Wind at DeviantArt.
THE WORLD BEGINS WITH Y'ALL
—My American Brother—
"NEKU!" screamed his mother, "Where have you been, Danshi? We've been worried sick!"
Neku looked confused, "But mother, father." He began, "Didn't you all saw me died?"
"DIED?!" Neku's father, an eccentric geek, barked, "What's all this nonsense?!"
Neku was loss of words, "Well… I…"
"Say no more." Neku's mother, an overzealous perky large lady, stopped him from stuttering further, "We got good news!"
Neku smiled at her and his father. But then silence fell on the family for half a second and Neku anxiously answered, "Yeah?"
"Your mother and I signed you up to an International Big Brother Program, and we got you a big brother!" Neku's father cheered.
Neku was still smiling. But it felt like time has frozen to his face, "Wait." He finally spoke, "A big brother?" he exclaimed, "But I thought I was an only child!" his smile quickly faded.
"You are!" Neku's mother said with a beaming smile on her face.
"No I'm not!" he argued.
"Who cares?" Neku's father sounded overjoyed, "He's from America! Say hi to your big brother Niko!"
"An American big brother?" Neku looked like he was about to scream.
In came into the room Neku's new adopted big brother. He was six feet tall with a chiseled good shape body like a football player, and his hair was golden-brown. He had on a football jacket over a white shirt, a pair of blemished denim and casual shoes. He had green eyes and a haughty smile.
"Hey, what's up playa?" he greeted Neku.
Neku couldn't stand seeing him. Not only because he was new (and Neku hates everything new: new people, new stuffs…) but he was a slob. The American teen was chewing on rice dumpling and spilling bits all over the floor.
"You must be my lil' bro yo parents was talkin' about! Hey, c'mere you." Niko grabbed Neku with his arm by the throat and shoved a knuckle down on his orange hair, messing up its style, as the parents laughed along and Neku struggled in pain.
"Hey! Let go! Cut it out!" he cried out.
-Wildkat Café (Cat Street)-
"Can you believe that? I mean I hate that guy SOOOO so much!" Neku was venting his feelings to his friends Beat, Rhyme and Shiki (in her real body of course) who was by the way a geek (yeah, she ain't beautiful :(
"I hate him especially when he shovels that knuckle down on my head like it's some sort of chiffon and calls me squashed orange or something because of my hair color! He makes me sick!" Neku complained further.
Beat, Rhyme and Shiki stifled. Neku glared. They stopped and collectively made excuses, "Oh yeah. Chiffon Orange. Terrible. Terrible."
"Don't get all worked up in this Neku." Rhyme told him, "You've accepted to hang with us since the Game. So the least you could do is to give your brother that same chance too."
"Speaking of game, isn't that weird how no one we know ever remembers us dying?" Beat pointed out.
"I know." Shiki replied, "I saw my family and friends, and even saw Eri and no one remembers what happened."
"Really? You guys too?" Neku replied, "I thought I was going crazy, 'cuz my parents don't remember a thing also!"
"At least we don't have to deal with Reapers anymore." Beat pointed out.
"Yo, Neckhead! Think fast!" Niko's voice called out from outside. Before Neku knew it, a football nailed him to the ground. His friends quickly helped him out.
"Oh my gosh! Neku, you're okay?" Shiki exclaimed.
"Ow…" Neku rubbed his sore head, "I'm fine…" he glared at his American brother he just spotted, "No reapers for us but instead, I have to deal with an annoying Yankee brother!"
"Is that your brother?" Shiki gasped at his sight.
Beat, Rhyme and Shiki who were helping Neku up, dropped him back to the ground, rushed toward Niko, and pulled him into the café where they, and all the girls in the café, huddled over him like he was popular. And that was no big deal to Niko since he was quite popular in his country.
"So!" Shiki blinked her eyes flirtatiously at him, "Tell me everything."
Niko stared back clueless, "About what?"
" 'bout life in America, man?" Beat wrapped his arm around his shoulder like he was one of his BFFs, "I heard you stay healthy and rich and get all-you-can-eat junk!"
"Oh, shucks." Niko grinned, "That's not what America is all about."
"Really?" Rhyme looked surprised. Her friends too were, "It's not?"
"No, it's WAY BETTER than that!" Niko exclaimed and the friends laughed along.
"Omgosh! You are sooo cute!" one of the girls told Niko and the large girl group all squealed in agreement. Niko couldn't help but pop his collar haughtily, "Why thank you sweet thang."
The girls giggled some more and Neku's friends laughed along, as they were all over Niko and completely occupying the table. Neku sat alone at the bar stand, staring angrily at his new rival, who seems to be enjoying stealing his social life.
"Angry about something?" Sanae Hanekoma caught Neku's attention.
Neku faced Hanekoma, "Mr. Hanekoma?" he looked surprised, "Wait, aren't you supposed to be…?"
"Living in the UG with the Composer? Nah." Mr Hanekoma said, "I decided to take a bite out of life and continue running my Wildkat Café shop here instead. It's quite fun!"
Neku couldn't care less. He was too busy growling under his breath over Niko's popularity. Hanekoma noticed, "Hey, so I heard you got a new brother."
Neku didn't reply.
Hanekoma continued, "Hey, sorry about… whatever you're feeling right now, but hey, if it makes you feel any better, you still can read minds."
That caught Neku's attention, "Really?" he then scoffed in disbelief, "Yeah right."
"No really, you try it! No pressure."
Neku pondered for a second, "All right. But just for a test drive."
Neku saw someone drinking coffee at a table nearby and slowly and sneakily leaned toward him to hear his thought.
I've been undercover here long enough now that I can finally tell the different types of Shibuya kids apart.
Neku looked a bit freaked out. He started stepping away from the coffee drinker but the coffee drinker caught his eyes.
Aha! There's the suspect!
Startled Neku tripped on a bar stand, and his arms pushed another bar stand off the ground, which went flying toward a waiter and slammed him on the head. The waiter let go of some hot coffee he was transporting and is splashed all over a woman who screamed in agony, catching the entire café's attention.
Neku quickly stood up and tried to act as if nothing happened. But Hanekoma had noticed his fall and the attention he just caused. He leaned toward him and whispered, "You okay?"
"Yeah…no thanks to you." Neku then looked over his table to stare at his popular brother some more.
"You're welcome." Hanekoma said before muttering, "This is what I get for helping people in need. Mhn!"
Three days past and Neku grew bitter and bitter at the sight and behavior of his American brother Niko. Niko was cheery and sociable to anyone he met. Even to the elderly. And to Neku, that was not too amusing, to act all buddy-like to your elders. In fact it's frightening.
His parents and friends however enjoyed Niko's company. Whether it was at lunch or dinner time around the table (where Niko would either try to handle sticks, or eat like a pig if the sticks are too complicated), or it was on the street (where he sometimes made disturbing noises on trains and all, and flirting with hot girls walking down the street), it was no bother to them. No bother to the friends because they wanted to learn more about Niko's country. No bother to the parents because they got an American guest they get to brag about.
Neku had to find a way to get through his parents' thick heads once and for all!
He entered to Zen room, hoping to find them there. Instead he saw Niko, bare-chested, pumping on a weight bar as the parents were quietly meditating around a still candlelight.
"Yo! Neku!" Niko greeted him, grunting and pumping up muscles, "You're just in time! Wanna feel like chest? Haaard!"
"Mother! Father!" Neku gasped, "What-?"
"In a minute, Neku." Mrs. Sakuraba said.
"Didn't your mama ever teach you not to disturb us during our meditation moment?"
Mrs. Sakuraba glared at Mr. Sakuraba. Mr. Sakuraba gulped, "Hey, don't look at me. Niko taught me that mama word. So popular in America!"
"Ooh!" Mrs. Sakuraba squealed, "Mama. Looove the phrase."
"Mother! Father!" Neku angrily burst into the room, grabbed the weight bar with one hand and dropped it on the ground, startling everyone in the room. The candlelight went off.
"Can I speak to you too? Alone? NOW?" Neku hissed.
"NEKU!" Mrs. Sakuraba sounded outraged.
"What is the matter with you?" Mr. Sakuraba exclaimed, "Do you realize the trouble that you are in right now?"
"Bah, who cares? I get into so many troubles anyway!"
The parents' jaws dropped. They've never seen such appalling behavior from their son before.
"Anyway," Neku went on, dismissing their regards, "Who cares about me? Can't cha see what's this guy's doing to our lives?"
Mrs. Sakuraba shrugged, "He's making it better." She said, "More fun and stuffs."
"Something that you should be following." Mr. Sakuraba said.
"Something that I should be following?" Neku gasped, "He burped at Grandma's Annual Tea Ceremony!"
"And we agree. It's bad." Mrs. Sakuraba said.
"But when a foreigner like an American does that, then I guess it's okay." Mr. Sakuraba shrugged.
"Really, father? Really? 'cuz the last time I burped at a tea ceremony, let alone dinner, was like… uh… I don't know… NEVER! 'cuz you threatened me to have me sent to the military if I ever did that!" Neku exclaimed, "And you're not doing that to this guy, because he's from another country?!"
"Boy, you need to start showing your brother and his culture some respect." Mr. Sakuraba pointed the finger at him, "We raised you better than that."
"And he is cy-ute!"
"Mother!" Neku gasped. Mr. Sakuraba glared at his wife.
Mrs. Sakuraba shrugged, "What? Just taking a bite out of flirting. See what the fuss is about. Y'know, you should be more like your brother."
"AUGH!" Neku stormed out of the house, but not until he heard his mother say, "Don't forget to bring home some chicken!"
Neku stopped walking to boil in rage. He spotted Shiki who was coming in, "Hey Neku!" she greeted, "Is Niko here? I heard he's working out at this very hour, and I sooo…"
"Wanna check him out?" Neku finished her sentence, "Yeah. Why don't you marry him instead and have children?" he said sarcastically before walking out.
"Hey, that's a great idea!" Shiki exclaimed.
Neku reached the Crossing when he spotted two familiar figures. He suddenly recognized them.
"Hey!" Neku approached them, and pointed at one guy with spiky hair, "You're 777!"
777 looked stunned, "Heyy… you."
Neku looked dumbfounded. 777 went on, "Wait, I don't know you. Why in heru are you talking to me?"
"We met in the…" Neku paused, then changed his mind, "nevermind. I'm just a big fan. Anyway, nuff about me. I overheard you and—!"
"Oh, so you heard huh?" one of 777's friends interrupted, "About Hudagawa now turning into a gang turf?"
Neku looked surprised, "A gang turf?"
"Yeah, people are afraid to go there now, thinking that the gang people are gonna hurt them or anything." Another one of 777's friends reply.
"Of course, they wouldn't hurt a fly." A third friend of 777 said, "It's just people's hypothesis."
"Really?" Neku grinned. An idea came into mind. A mischievous idea.
"So, kid. Ya wanna autograph or what?" 777 asked the mischievous Neku.
Neku was back home, facing Niko, still carrying that mischievous smile on his face. Niko, who was lying on his bed, reading a Playboy magazine, couldn't help but to stare at his brother instead of the inappropriate pictures of women in too-revealing clothing.
"Dude. Is that how we call you back in the states? I owe you an apology." Neku told him.
"Err… Neku…" Niko sounded uncomfortable.
"No, no, don't Neku me. I wasn't too welcoming to you when you got here. It's just that I had too much issues going on in my head." Neku started speaking.
"Well… can I…!"
Neku cut him off again, "So as a token of condolence on my part, I was wondering, how about I take you on a quick trip to Udagawa?"
Niko raised an eyebrow, "Udawhawha…"
"There's a street spray-painted mural there! It's totally cool, man! You'll love it! So, are you in?"
"Ohh-kay. But can you do me a favor?" Niko grinned, "Can you like, not get close to me when I have a magazine like this?"
Niko waved his magazine. Neku immediately got the message and shut his eyes, "Ohh, unchi! You're nasty, man! NASTY!"
Neku, along with Niko finally reached the street behind Shibu-Q Heads, facing Udagawa from across. Neku turned to stare at his confused brother.
"Wow, who knew your city could be this big?" Niko said before facing Neku, "Is this Udagawa?"
"The street across is Udagawa." Neku said with a smile.
Niko looked over the street and saw it was shrouded in darkness and there were thousands of posters and papers plastered all over. Most of them were Wanted signs and announcement of expired concerts. Niko looked skeptical, "…I dunno."
"Oh, come on, don't be a nagaremono! Get in there!"
Neku shoved Niko into the street. Niko saw Udagawa from up close: empty and messy all over. He saw some small stores were closed or demolished. Some that were opened were more creepy than regular stores.
"Wow." He muttered, "Even my armpit has more trash than this."
His eyes fixated on a mural, and he stared at it in awe, "Whoa… Neku was right. This place isn't so bad after all, with all of this drawing on the wall…"
A shadow lurked behind Niko, watching him.
Neku entered CAT Street, a smile broadly spread on his face. His friends who were there took notice.
"Yo, wha'chu smilin' about?" Beat asked.
"I'm smilin' over this beautiful day today, Beat. A day with no brother around." Neku dished out.
"Wait! No brother? What happened?" Shiki asked.
"Well, see here's the story: I ran over 777 the other day…"
"Wait, you saw 777?" Beat looked surprised, "How's he?"
"Surprisingly, he didn't recognize me either." Neku revealed, "But y'know, let's not deal with that now… so, I saw him and he told me that Udagawa is…" Neku paused briefly before adding, "…the best hangout place for all American to check out. So I sent him there and he won't bother me for awhile."
"Udagawa?" Rhyme pondered, "But isn't that the place where you got shot and died?"
Neku gulped. His friends were onto him, but he quickly replied, "Yeah, but see, it's no longer a place to get shot and die! It's now a state park! And everybody feels safe there. No worries."
"Huh! Sweet!" Beat said, "Then that means we get to hang out there again!"
Neku and friends hanged out for a good while at the Wildkat Café, but it didn't take long until he saw 777 and his posse entering the place. They were speaking and he suddenly overhears them talking when they mentioned Udagawa.
"So you won't believe what I've been hearing on the streets." The first of 777's friends began speaking, "It seems that American boy Niko Underwood has entered the forbidden junction of Udagawa."
777 who was sipping on his soft drink spewed it out. The second friend screamed, "Oh my gosh! You're lying!"
"That's what the streets are saying!"
I for once consider myself lucky for not daring m'self to go into that cursed place!
Neku heard the first friend's mind and got stunned.
"What can you say, man?" 777 said, "Americans are daredevil! I won't be surprised if those gang members kill him before a second!"
Those gang members can hurt! Whoot!
"HURT?" Neku jumped out of his seat, surprising his friends and everyone in the café.
"Neku?" Shiki exclaimed, "Are you-?"
"Heyy! It's 777 and his posse!" Beat pointed at the group sitting at that table.
Neku rushed to the table and slammed his palms on it, jumping them.
"Please tell me you did NOT just said that those gang members were gonna hurt!"
777 looked surprised, "I didn't say that! I was about to though. Hey, how did you-!"
"That's not important!" Neku glowered at the third friend, "I thought you said that those gang people wouldn't hurt a fly!"
"They don't!" the third friend then admitted, "It's flies they don't hurt. I didn't say anything about people."
"Aye, Unchi!" A panicked Neku took off and his friends followed.
"Neku! What's their beef 'bout gang members in Udagawa, man?" Beat asked.
"I thought you said Udagawa was now a state park, that it was safe!" Shiki said.
"I LIED! OKAY!" Neku snapped.
"What?!" his friends gasped in horror.
"Wh-Why would you send Niko there, knowing that?!" Rhyme exclaimed.
" 'Cuz everybody, including my parents and you people are all over him just because he's American!"
"But Americans are cool!"
"Really? Spitting in the streets is cool?" Neku pointed out, "That's disrespectful to our Japanese honor!"
The three friends looked at each other, realizing what Neku meant.
"And I thought I was doing you all a favor by sending him there just to make his habits even worse than ever before turning him into the bad boy my parents would regret adopting, and forcing them to discipline him or even better send him back to America! Ohh crap, the trouble I am in! Gotta go!"
"We're coming too!" Shiki proposed, but Neku turned around and stopped them, "Uhn-Uhn! Stay!" He said before taking off.
Niko was still staring at the mural, admiring its beauty, unaware that the shadow that was watching him pulled out a gun and pointed.
"HEY!"
Niko jumped. He turned around and saw Neku.
"Hey, what's up, Neck-!"
Neku tackled him to the ground hard. The gunshot fired. Both Neku and Niko were on the ground, unharmed yet jumpy.
"Whoa, what was that?"
"A gun! What do you think?"
"A car backfired, maybe? But… you saved me."
"Well, I had to!" Neku exclaimed, "I made a mistake, 'kay! I was supposed to bring you here to-!"
"Err… Neku?"
"What?"
"Get off me."
Neku noticed he was on top of Niko. He quickly jumped off him and helped his brother up.
"Nice reflex!" a familiar voice spoke, catching Neku and Niko's attention. Neku immediately recognized the person who just spoke.
"Oh my gosh! Sho Minamimoto?" Neku exclaimed.
"You know him?" Niko asked.
"I don't know any of you!" Minamimoto, still pointing his gun at the duo exclaimed.
"Then why did you shot at me?" Niko asked.
"Oh, wait. You don't know me like anyone don't remember what happened in the-! You know what? Does it matter?" Neku exclaimed.
"It matters to me for trespassing on gang property! You don't know who you're messing with, pal! You're messing with the Reapers' Gang!" Minamimoto exclaimed.
"Reapers? Ah-HA! So you do know your heritage, Grim Heaper!" Neku exclaimed, "Admit it! You and your crappy pal Joshua were involved in the Game weren't you? Me and my friends were sent to the UG, we had to spent seven days to play the Reapers' Game. Counting my days in the UG that's 21 days straight, we had to battle Konishi, then Kitaniji then Joshua-!"
Minamimoto laughed, "Okay, seriously. Are you like psychic or something, or are you—! Oh, wait a minute! You must be a math genius!"
"Huh?" Neku looked confused.
"You must be a spy from the Octoga Academy trying to mess up my mind before the big mathematical decathlon aren't ya? Well, that's zetta NOT gonna happen, pal!"
"What?" Neku looked surprised, "HEY I don't even know math! Not even ½ plus ½!"
"Oh-Ho! Nice try. It ain't even ½ plus ½ for me. It's (x 2) death for you, punks!"
Minamimoto fired his gun. Everything went in slow motion. Neku couldn't believe what he saw. Niko was in front of him!
Niko, his arm tucked toward Minamimoto had stopped the bullet midair! After a few seconds, the bullet fell on the ground and time returned to its pace again.
Niko gasped for air, kneeling, prompting Neku to go help him out.
"Whoa! You're okay?" he asked.
"I'm… I'm fine…" Niko huffed.
"What was that? You—!" Neku couldn't believe what just happened, "You're… psychic?"
Niko didn't say a word. He just stared at Neku, still shortened of breath.
Minamimoto couldn't believe what happened either, "Oh, no. You di'nt, you zetta son of a DIGIT!"
Neku and Niko faced the shaken Grim Heaper. "You are SO subtracting from my arts and crafts time!" He snapped at Niko, "And for that—!"
Minamimoto aimed his gun again, this time targeting Niko, "I'm gonna subtract you from LIFE!"
He didn't get the chance to pull the trigger and he heard police sirens getting close. "Shoot. FOILed again by the radians." He faced the two brothers, "I'll be back for you two. Count it out!" He quickly took off without hesitation.
"Okay, seriously. How does he talk?" Niko frowned. Neku shrugged, "Beat me."
Niko tried standing up, but he felt too dizzy to do so. Neku helped him out. Shiki, Beat and Rhyme reached the two brothers.
"Hey! You guys okay?" Shiki asked.
"Yeah, but I thought I told you guys to stay back at CAT Street!" Neku said.
"Why we would do that?" Beat said, "If we did do that, we would've called the police and they wouldn't have chased Minamimoto away right before he was about to bombard you all with his gun. Seriously, and I thought Reapers were done."
Niko still felt exhausted. That psychic power had drained him completely.
"You sure you're okay?" Neku asked him.
"Yeah… I'm fine." He then glared at Neku, "No thanks to you man."
Neku gulped, knowing the trouble he was in.
Beat whispered to Neku, "You think he knows?"
Neku and Niko glowered at him. Beat backed away, "Just askin'!"
"I think we should leave you two brothers alone, talk this out a bit, 'cuz that ain't our problems." Rhyme proposed and the three friends took off.
"So if I understand it all too well," Niko began, "you sent me here in this Uda-what-what place, to have me killed?"
"Uhh… no?" Neku then admitted in defeat, "Okay, yes, but not intentionally! I was just trying to make your attitude worse— seriously, how did you know?"
"I'm an American, not stupid." Niko said, "Why are you so determined to get rid of me?"
Neku sighed, "It's just that… I'm just so used to have my world my own way; I don't want a new addition to my family disturbing it."
"But what about your friends? Aren't they part of your world?" Niko asked.
"Yeah, but…" Neku paused, "with them, it was an impulse… not a bad one at least, but… okay. I met them when I was sent to the UG to play the Reapers' Game."
That caught Niko's attention. Neku went on, "You see, I died before, and I had to play that cursed game to return to life—!"
"Wait a minute, Reapers' Game?" Niko sounded surprised, "Hate to tell you this man but—!"
"I know, I know. It's stupid and senseless."
"No!" Niko replied, "I too was in the Reapers' Game, man!"
Neku looked surprised, "You? In the Reapers' Game? Wait a second, is that how you got your—!"
"That psychic power?" Niko responded, "Yeah, I know. I didn't know how I could do it, but I just got that power to control things with my mind from this Player Pin! Hate using it though 'cuz it drains too much of my energy. Long story short, I survived the Game after 21 days, returned to the RG and got doomed with that power forever!"
"Same thing with me! I got psychic powers from that same Player Pin!" Neku admitted, "But instead of controlling things with my mind like you do, I can read inside people's heads!"
"Sweet, man! But does it drain you?"
Neku shook his head, "No man, but I got out of the Game also, same time, only to see that I still have that power without the pin!"
Neku then breathed a sigh of relief, his back resting on the mural, "Man," Neku shook his head, "I can't believe that we actually have something in common."
"I know." Niko said.
"Hey, man. I'm sorry for almost having you killed up here." Neku told him.
"Hey, no sweat bro." Niko said before the two bros slapped five and fist-pounded, "I'm sorry about ruining your life. I know the feeling. I have a sister back home. Oh Ho! You don't wanna meet her."
"Oh, good." Neku laughed, "At least we agree on one thing. So, umm…" Neku felt nervous about asking him that next question, but he took the chance, "you're stayin'?"
Niko faced Neku, "Only if you want me to."
Neku smiled at Niko, "I'd like for you to stay… big bro."
Niko smiled back and nodded, "Then it's settled, Neckhead."
Neku stopped smiling. Niko recovered, "I mean… Neku."
-Sakuraba Residence-
Shiki crossed the residence bridge and entered the massive Sakura gardens to see Neku and Niko at their house' porch, facing each other on Tin Pin Slammer.
"There's no way you can defeat me, bouya!" Neku shouted.
"Oh yeah, cuz?" Niko exclaimed, "That's because you didn't feel my wrath yet!"
"So, are you guys okay with each other now?" Shiki asked.
"Yeah," Neku smiled, "We're the best of friends now."
"Get ready, bestest friend!" Niko pushed a button on his handheld remote and his Pin pulled out a hammer and swung, knocking Neku's Pin near the border. Neku's Pin was seeing stars.
"HEY!" Neku tried to recover his Pin, but Niko's Pin dashed toward it and knocked him out of the ring. Niko raised his arms in victory, "Whoo-hoo!"
"Fantastic." Neku mumbled.
"Neku! Niko! Lunch is ready!" called out Mrs. Sakuraba from the kitchen.
Neku stood up, "Time to eat now." He faced Shiki, "Since you're here, you're coming?"
Shiki shrugged, "Sure, why not?"
"Nah, I prefer the other way around." Niko said before calling out to Mrs. Sakuraba, "Yo, mums! How about you bring in my lunch to me, yeah? Got more Tin Pin Slam to practice!"
Shiki and Neku stifled at the sight of a pissed Mrs. Sakuraba approaching them. Niko saw Shiki and Neku laughing but didn't get the joke, "What?"
Mrs. Sakuraba grabbed Niko by the ear and pulled him away from the Tin Pin Slam board, "Oww!"
"You maybe American, but here in Japan, we sit down, whether you like it or not, to eat with your shuzoku!"
"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!"
"Now that's my brother." Neku said, and the two teens laughed.
End of Chapter
Author's Note: Consider this a one-hit wonder episode. If you want more World Begins with Y'all episodes, reviews are required to grant your request.