Random idea. Enjoy. If you don't know how to play chess, you probably won't understand this story.
~DISCLAIMER: Unfortunately, I do not own The World Ends WIth You or any of its characters. They belong to Square Enix + Jupiter.
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The Composer of Shibuya took a big gulp of his piping-hot drink.
"Mmm..." Joshua said as he swallowed. Nothing like a cup of WildKat coffee to sooth your worries. Maintaining Shibuya is a hard job, after all.
"Hey, Josh! Come 'ere!" a voice bellowed from the back of the cafe.
The ash-haired boy put down his steaming cup of coffee, rolling his violet eyes.
"What now, Sanae?" Joshua reluctantly got up and strolled toward the back of the cafe.
"Look what I found," the shopkeeper said. He held something square in his hands, made of polished wood, with different colored squares plastered on it. Joshua recognized it at once as a chessboard.
"...yes?" Joshua replied.
"It's a chessboard," Hanekoma said.
No. Joshua thought to himself sarcastically.
"I thought, you know, we could play a game," said Hanekoma.
"Maybe," Joshua answered. He went back to his table, taking another swig of his coffee.
"Come on, Josh. It's a game of chess. Fun, actually." Hanekoma urged. He sat down opposite of Joshua and set down the chessboard.
Joshua sighed. "If you must."
"All right!," Hanekoma said, gathering the pieces. "You know how to play, right?"
"Of course," Joshua said with an annoying tone. "Chess is a board game played by two people that includes a board with 64 alternate colored squares, arranged in 8-by-8 grid pattern, in which the two players must face off against each other using sixteen pieces, each moving and attacking in its own unique way."
Hanekoma looked at Joshua out of the top of his sunglasses.
"Yeah, but do you know how to play?"
Joshua sighed once more. "Yes..." he said, exasperated.
"Good. Now, which color would you want? White or black?" Hanekoma asked.
"White," Joshua answered. The two set up the chessboard accordingly, then started the game.
"You first," Hanekoma nudged.
"I know," Joshua said. He picked up his pawn and pushed it forward two squares.
* *
After a while, Joshua, although reluctant at first, gradually got into the game. He never was a serious chess player, but he never knew how intriuging the game was. It was similiar to his Game. The pawns were Players. Frequent and common at first, but few make it through the game. Bishops, knights, rooks, they were all Reapers. Bringing swift death to Players, the pawns, and opponents. The king was like a frail Angel, too weak to fight effectively, but valuable and precious.
As for the queen, he saw it as Himself. The almighty Composer, being able to bring Erasure quickly and painlessly, having the greatest power of them all. But even the all-mightiest one can be brought down.
When a pawn reached the other side of the board, it reminded himself that even a Player can be promoted to Reaper, then eventually Game Master and Composer.
Hanekoma was a skilled player, giving Joshua and his intellect a challenge. The two were pretty much equal; both had lost numerous pawns, a few bishops and knights. Hanekoma had managed to snag both of his rooks, but Joshua payed him back by destroying his queen.
One move could turn the game upside-down. One move.
That one move happened to put Joshua in a bad position. He was in check, and the only safe spot for his king would allow Hanekoma to capture his queen. Joshua looked for a way out of the trap, but to no avail. He reluctantly pushed his king one square, and Hanekoma snagged the queen.
The Composer had fallen.
At least he still had his rooks, both bishops, and a knight. Three pawns were left.
He had to get them to ascend. He picked one of his pawns up and moved it forward. Hanekoma saw what he was doing.
"Oh, trying to get promoted." Hanekoma moved his rook to capture the pawns.
Joshua aligned his bishop so that if the rook captured his pawn, it would be taken. Hanekoma moved accordingly out of the way, and Joshua continued his pawn movement, guarding them with his other pieces.
Several moves later, Hanekoma had managed to capture two of his pawns, leaving only one. The last one was one square away from the edge. Joshua pushed it.
Ascension. A new Composer.
With his newfound queen, Joshua managed to eventually capture Hanekoma's pieces one by one, eventually leaving only his king left.
"Checkmate."
Hanekoma scanned the board with his eyes. With a sigh, he knocked over his king.
"Looks like you win, Joshua," Hanekoma said as he leaned back. "You're not a bad player."
"Neither are you, Sanae, neither are you," Joshua said, getting up. "Well, I must be going now."
* *
The next Game had started. Joshua, instead of usually staying in his throne room, observed the Players throughout the Game. He had the game of chess stuck on his mind all week.
He had to look for some of them.
Skilled pawns. Skilled Players.
Potential queens.
New, potential Composers.