A/N: Hey guys, here I am again! And this time, it's not Pokéshipping! XD This'll be my first TWEWY fanfic, and I actually started writing this before playing the actual game (Thanks to the TWEWY wikia and Kingdom Hearts 3D XD)! I thought I would have to end up warning you that I haven't played before, but I finally managed to get ahold of it and see what it really was! :) Still, I do hope the characters aren't OOC, since I don't know them completely, and if there's anything nickname-wise I should change, don't hesitate to let me know! Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the story, and please R & R :D P.S. Joshua is my favorite ;D
Disclaimer: Dang it, if I was Joshua I could probably get away with saying I own Shibuya and all of the TWEWY cast, but sadly, I'm not and I don't! :P Too badXD
Chapter 1: Road Trip!
"They're what?" Joshua asked, wide-eyed and slightly paler than usual. While it was rare for even the greatest challenge to faze the young Composer, Hanekoma's news was too important to dismiss. "Why would the Angels want to do that?"
"They're afraid you may have been right from the start. According to them, Shibuya's just getting worse," Hanekoma replied, shaking his head.
"But you and I both know that isn't true, Mr. H. We see Shibuya change every day ever since Neku and the others were brought back."
"Now you see how I felt when you decided to erase it." The thoughtful look on Joshua's face did little to surprise Hanekoma, like it would've so many others. "You've already got a plan, eh?" Joshua smirked.
"I'm afraid I'm not willing to admit that, Mr. H. You'll see though. Soon enough." He turned for the door but paused, as if realizing he forgot to mention something. "Oh, and if you would, tell Neku and the others to meet me at the Statue of Hachiko at noon today. If they ask why, tell them I have…a surprise."
He smiled, stepping out into the busy streets of Shibuya. Streets he'd gotten quite used to over the past few months. While Shibuya did have its flaws, Joshua still failed to understand why the Angels would choose now to erase it. Sure, he thought the same thing when he made that bet with the Conductor, but it'd changed a lot since then. At least, Neku and the others had.
Which was why he must save them, before the Angels destroyed them as well. He made his way down the street, not really looking for anything in particular, as his plans weren't to happen till later on in the day, and ran straight into Shiki. She looked slightly distressed, but he couldn't imagine why. "Shiki? Why, fancy seeing you today. You look troubled," he pointed out, raising an eyebrow at her.
"Oh, Joshua! I-I'm fine! Just…fine." She averted her gaze, knowing Joshua could tell that she was lying.
"Shiki Misaki, you and I both know that's not true. What did Neku do this time?" he asked, crossing his arms and tapping his foot expectantly.
"Well…" she trailed off, unsure of what to say. "He told me he had a crush on Eri."
"Oh." Despite humans and their wishy-washy hearts, Joshua was not expecting that. But Shiki was his entry fee, he thought, scratching his head. He had to be lying. But why?
Joshua rolled his eyes, recalling something he'd once told Neku: "Understanding people isn't hard, Neku… It's impossible." Guess he'd hit the mark with that one. But sympathy, while it wasn't past Joshua, was certainly not one of his strong suits. He shrugged his shoulders. "So?"
"So? Wow, Josh. For someone so omniscient, you sure can be clueless," Shiki answered, rolling her eyes and chuckling softly.
"Well, I made you laugh, didn't I?" She considered that, finally nodding her head in compromise. "Oh, reminding me! I want to meet with you and the others at the Statue of Hachiko today at noon. Would you mind letting them know in case they don't see Mr. H today?" Shiki nodded again, smiling warmly.
"Sure will. What's it for?" she asked, though she didn't expect a straight answer from the boy. No one ever did.
"Oh, you'll see," he grinned, giggling lightly before turning away. "You'll see."
"What're we meeting here for anyway?" Neku asked, looking over at Shiki, who quickly averted her gaze.
"He didn't say."
"Typical Prissy Kid." The sky was blanketed lightly with clouds, threatening nothing but a break from the bright sunlight, and the scent of flowers pervaded the entrance into Shibuya Station. Hachiko's statue sat peacefully in the midst of all the daily chaos, as it had become quite the meeting place for the people of Shibuya. However, at the moment, no one was there aside from Neku and his friends, which he found quite strange.
After waiting a few more dreadful minutes, Joshua finally showed up, looking calm and collected as always. But Neku could tell something was up. He'd never called a meeting at the Statue of Hachiko before. Ever.
"You're probably wondering why I called you all here today, and I want to start off by sharing some…unsightly news with you, if you please."
"This better be good," Neku mumbled, rolling his eyes. He'd turned down the chance to hang out with Eri and Shiki for this.
"Depends on your definition of good," Joshua answered, frowning slightly. "As you all know, a few months ago, I'd wanted to erase Shibuya for how evil it had become. I later changed my mind, thanks to Neku's change of heart. This time, I'm afraid it isn't me who wants Shibuya destroyed." He paused, waiting for a reaction from the rest of the group. Shiki gasped.
"But who would want to destroy Shibuya now? I know it isn't perfect, but it's so different from the way it used to be!" she exclaimed, narrowing her eyes at him.
"Yo, Pretty Boy, she's right! Why would they wanna do something like that?"
"Well, the Angels have decided it's only gotten worse since I made my decision to spare it. They plan on erasing it tonight."
"But we've gotta stop them!" Rhyme chimed in, crossing her arms.
"Yeah!" Beat agreed wholeheartedly with his younger sister, and wasn't afraid to admit it.
"Yeah? Well how are we supposed to do that? These are Angels, for Angels' sake!" Neku, ever the cynic, pointed out, throwing his hands up in frustration.
"As much as it pains to me to say this, Neku's right. These aren't just some low-vibe Reapers we're dealing with. Which is why I have a plan." He came a few feet closer before continuing with his explanation. "I'll need every single one of you to help, in order for it to work."
He kept inching closer, which was something Neku found quite odd. "What're you up to, Joshua? I'm not sure I like the looks of this."
"Just close your eyes and count to ten. It'll be over before you know it, Neku. I promise." His words, laced with an ether of the strongest sort, enticed the four into giving in. Neku, with the strongest Imagination, could tell what was going on, but had little power to stop it.
It was unfair to Neku how much power the Composer had, considering he apparently had enough of it to erase all of Shibuya. And now, he saw, the Composer had a power with words. He shut his eyes unwillingly, starting his monotonous count to ten, as the others already had. Joshua had executed the first part of his plan perfectly, so it was time to put the next step into action. Focusing every last speck of power he had, a blinding white light appeared seemingly out of nowhere, enveloping the entirety of the group along with Joshua, and took them to a dimension far, far away from the city of Shibuya they'd so lovingly called home.
Trees. Lots and lots of trees. That's the first thing Neku noticed when he finally reached consciousness again. Where…am I? He scrambled to his feet, his body still tense and fatigued from the sudden dimension shift. At least, he guessed that's what Joshua had done, despite the drugged murkiness that clogged his thoughts.
Plus, the trees kind of gave it away. He looked around, trying to figure out where in the universe they'd ended up, and spotted Joshua just a few blocks away from himself and the others, who were still unconscious from the shift. Joshua was fully awake, undoubtedly having never lost consciousness in the first place. He was staring up at the sky, which was a bright cloudless blue. He probably wished to fly away, if only for a while.
Neku knew about his wings. None of the others did, but he'd seen them, out of the corner of his eye the day he and his friends met for the very first time at the Statue of Hachiko. The first time he'd seen Shiki Misaki for her true self. She still had Mr. Mew, and Neku couldn't help but stifle a laugh. She looked so different, but not in a bad way.
She was still Shiki Misaki, his first true friend ever since the accident that had turned his entire world upside down. He sighed, the memory almost faint compared to all he'd been put through since, and by the Composer, nonetheless. And yet, he still trusted Joshua. Fully and totally. But that didn't mean he had to like him.
"Where'd we end up this time, Josh?" he asked, thinking back to how they'd ended up in Sora and Riku's "dream world" less than a month ago. Joshua turned to face him, his violet eyes glistening in the world's effervescent sunlight.
"Oh, you're finally awake! Excellent timing, too. This means the others should be up in no time," he commented as he strolled over to where Neku was standing.
"Where'd we end up, Joshua?" he repeated, hoping his persistence would earn him some kind of answer, no matter how vague it ended up being.
"Well, not according to plan, I'll tell you that. But, this world works just as well as the other," Joshua replied, smiling over at the stubborn boy.
"Josh, don't play with me like this!" Neku exclaimed, Joshua giggling in reply.
"You should see the look on your face."
"Hm, haven't heard that one before," Neku snorted, grabbing Joshua by the collar. "Tell me where we are, Josh. I don't wanna play your stupid guessing game!"
"Or you'll what? You don't have the heart to kill me, Neku Sakuraba. You proved as much in our little game to determine Shibuya's fate when you refused to shoot me."
"Oh yeah? Just because I won't kill you doesn't mean I won't hesitate to break a few fingers," he acidly replied, gripping Joshua's collar even tighter.
"What an asinine way to look at things," chuckled Joshua, unable to contain his laughter any longer. Neku hated that stupid laugh, mocking him in every possible way. The owner of the laugh was just as condescending. He lifted his fist, ready to teach Joshua a little lesson he wouldn't soon forget, when he heard a voice scream his name.
"Neku! Just what do you think you're doing?!" He dropped his fist, as well as Joshua's collar, before answering.
"Uh, nothing at all, Shiki," he lied, hoping she wouldn't notice.
"Yeah, nothing but trying to punch the Pretty Boy in the face. Real heartwarming, Neku," Joshua scoffed.
"My pleasure, Pretty Boy," Neku taunted, smirking. "Now where are we, Josh? Everyone's awake to hear it. Well, almost anyway." He glanced over at Beat, who was still coming to.
Joshua sighed. No matter how much he'd been around the four over the past few months, he would never understand Neku's obstinate attitude. He just wouldn't give up, would he? Joshua finally relented. "We're somewhere on a planet called Earth. Maya, Alabama, to be quite exact."
Neku was puzzled. What kind of a name was that? "So we're in some random city thanks to you and your stupid teleporting? We should be busy trying to save Shibuya, not stuck in some other dimension while the Angels erase it!"
"Ah, but there's where you're mistaken. Here, time flows at a remarkably slow pace, with about one year equal to less than a day in Shibuya, so Shibuya is in no real danger as of now."
"Really?" Neku sneered. "I never would've guessed."
"So why are we here, Josh?" Shiki asked, hugging Mr. Mew closer as she awaited his vague answers.
"I have a plan to save Shibuya, Shiki. But I need more time to perfect it. In order for it to work, it has to be completely foolproof."
"Yo, if you're gonna save it anyway, why'd you take us with you?" Beat asked, rubbing his head, most likely from the headache Joshua's dimension shift gave him. One of the many possible side effects of shifting while being mortal. Joshua raised an eyebrow, surprised they hadn't already guessed his motive for doing as such.
"Just in case," he stated simply as an officer approached the group of seemingly juvenile school-skipping delinquents.
"Say, what're you doing out of school this time of day?" the officer drawled, his thick Southern accent very prominent to the young Composer and the others. Joshua turned to face the officer. He was thin, though not near as bony as Neku and himself, with thoughtful blue eyes and wisps of dusty brown hair sticking out of his cap. He didn't seem to be much of a challenge, as far as the Composer was concerned, so he opted for the obvious reply.
"Oh, sir, we're new here, and we seem to have lost our way. Would you mind pointing us in the right direction?" he asked, lightly coating his words with his seemingly endless reserves of power.
"Uh…sure," the officer replied, scratching his head. "As soon as you leave the park, go south for about ten blocks, make a right, and you should spot it right away. It's…not that hard to find, really."
"Thank you, officer. Have a nice day," Joshua faked a smile, turning to face the others as the officer absentmindedly went about his way. "Looks like we start school today, everyone."
Neku groaned. As if school in Shibuya wasn't bad enough. Now they had to go to one in an alternate dimension too?
It just didn't seem fair. "Great," he mumbled, rolling his eyes.
"Won't they realize we're not from here if we aren't on the school roster?" Shiki asked, eyeing Joshua warily. She too trusted Joshua, but wasn't sure how she felt about him quite yet. He was too intriguing to bother describing in one word. Or even a paragraph really, if she was completely honest with herself.
"That's why we're new, Shiki. They can't refuse us over forgetting to fill out our registration papers. That would be foolish on their part." Shiki nodded. She kind of understood now. And besides, if anyone could get them into school illegally, it would be Joshua.
"Uh, don't we need our birth certificates and stuff? Schools kind of expect those, right?" Rhyme asked hesitantly, putting a finger to her lips and shooting Joshua a confused look.
"Just trust me. I've got it completely under control," he answered. Neku huffed.
"Sure you do. You always do," he added sarcastically. Which technically, he was right. Joshua normally did have things under control, even when it didn't seem like it. He'd never admit that to the arrogant bigot though. Reluctantly following Joshua, the group made their way to Maya High, some finding his narration of the foreign world incredibly annoying, others quite amusing. Neku found it a mixture of both.
"It was named after an old mayor's wife, originally holding the same name of about three other cities in the area. Much of the wildlife is limited to the occasional rabbit or deer, if you live far enough out, and while the artwork isn't near as impressive as Shibuya's, this town still has pretty good taste. Ooh, dibs on the rainbow!" The group glanced up at where Joshua was pointing, and sure enough, a rainbow had formed overhead.
Neku sighed, grabbing Joshua by the arm and dragging him toward the direction of the school. "You can call dibs later, when we're not late for alien school, Josh. It was your genius idea to make us enroll, after all."
"Fine, Nekky, no need to get your panties in a twist," Joshua crooned as he pulled away. He brushed his arm off and took the lead once again. Grrr… Neku despised that nickname, especially coming from Prissy Kid's mouth.
"Watch it, Pretty Boy," Neku growled, which earned him another annoying giggle from the condescending Composer.
"Jeez, you guys, you could at least try to get along," Shiki muttered, "Would it kill you?"
"Don't I wish," Neku answered. Shiki rolled her eyes. Boys. They were the most stubborn and obnoxious people in the entire universe. She'd never understand them.
"Well, looks like we're here," she pointed out, looking up at the medium-sized two-story building. It was built of faded blue and yellow brick, presumably the school's colors, with a patio out in the front hedged with flowers of various sorts, mostly pink, red, and orange chrysanthemums. There was a lone rose in the middle of the school property, along with a plaque dedicated to an old principal of the school. Car after car dotted the parking lot, filling up every possible parking space and even spilling over into the grassy area across from the school's baseball and football fields. It had two entrances, and she wasn't quite sure which one to go through. Joshua obviously knew what he was doing though.
He strolled up to the first one, quickly pressing the button for the office personnel to unlock the door. "Come in," the speaker belted out, presumably one of the office aides' voices. Joshua needn't be told twice. He tugged lightly on the handle, holding it open for Shiki, Rhyme, and Beat, but letting it fall shut in Neku's face. Joshua turned toward him, smirking as he opened the door back up.
"Oops." However, Neku could tell he wasn't sorry for what he'd just done. He enjoyed teasing Neku, and as annoying as it had become lately, Neku found he'd rather gotten used to it, and truth be told, learned to find the humor in it. Like he'd ever mention such a thing to Joshua though.
"Wow!" Rhyme exclaimed. "This is way cooler than the middle school back home!"
"Oh yeah, Rhyme's only thirteen…" Shiki trailed off, realizing that Rhyme probably shouldn't be there after all.
"No worries. They don't have to know that, you know," Joshua pointed out, walking into the front office. Neku and the others followed closely behind. He tapped on the glass, attempting to get one of the office personnel's attentions, and succeeded in his efforts when a short blonde girl came up to the glass. One of the aides, he figured.
"Y-yes?" she stuttered. Joshua tended to have that effect on people in a foreign world, especially the girls. If only they knew the real me, he thought, frowning softly to himself. Then they wouldn't be so eager to know my name.
"Hello. My friends and I"—Joshua flicked his hand in the others' general direction—"are new to Maya, and while we filled out our registration papers, we seem to have forgotten them at home. Would you mind giving us some more?" The blonde girl nodded, shuffling through the desk papers until she found the registration sheets she'd been asked to look for. She held up a finger to let him know she would be back, and went to make copies in the next room.
She came back pretty quickly, handing him exactly the amount needed for all of four people. "Excuse me, ma'am," he said, attempting to disguise his accent to that of the Southern twang the locals used. "But I believe you're miscounting. There's only four sheets, and I'm pretty sure there are five of us." The blonde peered through the glass, a confused expression on her face.
"Yes, I see that. But the little one… She looks a little young to be in high school. I thought she was a middle schooler."
"Well, you're roughly mistaken, ma'am. She's Beat's younger sister, and she's a freshman this year," Joshua replied, again taking on a more Southern vernacular.
"Ah, that explains it," she answered, smiling. "Freshies always look like middle schoolers to me. Here, let me go make one more copy." While she was gone, Neku and the others glanced down at their registration papers.
"This is going to be impossible, Josh! Why don't you just use your magical Composer powers and poof us into the computer?" Neku asked, glaring up at Joshua.
"I'm afraid that isn't exactly one of my powers, Neku," he replied, smirking. "Besides, that wouldn't be any fun. And it gets you out of the classroom an extra hour. I'd take it, if I were you." Neku rolled his eyes. Did Joshua always have to prove a point like that?
"Fine," he growled. "But you better not be lying, Pretty Boy." He took a pen and started jotting down the information they asked for. Lucky they didn't ask for a parent signature. They'd never be able to explain that one.
We'd just end up forging it anyway, Neku thought, smiling. Beat and Shiki did the same, while Joshua handed Rhyme his copy and waited for hers. When the blonde girl came back, she handed Joshua the final paper. "Sorry to make you wait. Uh, what did you say your name was again?"
"Joshua," he replied, opting for his more universal name. Yoshiya tended to offer a slightly different reaction on Earth, one he didn't much care to repeat.
"Oh, Joshua. Nice to meet you. I'm Tiffany," she told him, twirling her hair through her French- manicured fingers. He looked for a fifth pen, but noticed there wasn't another on his side of the glass.
"Uh, Tiffany, was it? Would you mind handing me a pen? There doesn't seem to be enough on the counter."
"Certainly," she answered, plucking a pen from the desk and handing it over, carefully making sure her fingers brushed against his.
"Thanks." He was unperturbed by her light attempt at flirting, knowing the devious game well enough to understand its mechanics. She thought he was attractive, and that was about as far as he would ever let it go, since he never felt like that toward anyone himself. Why bother leading her on, like so many other boys would? He was a murderer, not a heartbreaker.
What's the difference? He snorted, knowing that's just what Neku would've told him. It's still killing someone emotionally to break their heart. But, while that logic wasn't completely past Joshua, he thought it simply best to ignore it. Besides, he didn't regret killing Neku. Not the first time. Not even the second.
If he hadn't, Shibuya wouldn't have changed like it did, he'd never have met these four, and Neku would've never become someone he could almost consider a friend. Hm, a friend. Never had one those before, he thought, writing down his real name. At least... "Hey, what's our address, Neku? It completely slipped my mind," Joshua asked, glancing back at the boy. Neku glared at him.
"Uh, I don't"—Joshua raised an eyebrow, his violet gaze penetrating Neku's train of thought—"I mean, here, I'll write it down for you," he grimaced, taking Joshua's sheet and scribbling down his address. "Jerk," he added, handing it back to him.
"Thanks, Neku. Knew I could count on you," Joshua smiled warmly as he started back on his own papers. Neku shook his head. Completely pointless of Joshua to do that. But Neku never understood Joshua anyway, so why start now?
Shiki finished first, setting down her pen and handing Tiffany her papers. Tiffany glanced down at them, seemingly confused.
"Shiki Misaki?" she asked, her Southern accent singing Shiki's name rather than saying it. "But, Shibuya's in Japan isn't it?"
"Uh…" Shiki had no idea how to reply.
"Actually, her paper's just fine. Isn't it, Tiffany?" Joshua countered, once again lacing his words with his persuading powers. Tiffany nodded slowly, going over to the computer and beginning to type out Shiki's information. "Also, the others' papers are as well," he added, passing his and the ones Neku had just finished through the glass.
"Certainly," she nodded again, coming back and taking the next set of papers. "Yoshiya Kiryu?" she asked, not recognizing the name out of the bunch. The first blond boy was Joshua, the second was Beat, the redhead was Shiki, and the carrot top was Neku, but…Yoshiya?
"Oh, that's me," Joshua answered, "Joshua is just what Mother and Father called me." Tiffany scratched her head, but didn't question it. Rhyme was next to finish hers, and finally, Beat handed his over as well. When Tiffany saw Beat's, she barely stifled a laugh.
"Daisukenojo Bito? Wow. No wonder they just call you Beat," she commented, mispronouncing Beat's first name. "And Raimu is the little sister, I'm guessing. How sweet." Beat shook his head.
His parents had to give him the complicated name. Raimu was definitely much simpler than Daisukenojo, and he'd never be able to live it down, not even in another world. Tiffany quickly typed the questionably vague information in, printing out the schedules as each one was registered and handing them to Joshua, who willingly passed them out.
"They have math here too? What's up with that?" Beat complained, pointing to his first class of the day.
"Says the boy who got stuck in the easy class," Rhyme remarked, comparing their schedules. "You're lucky. You have Algebra 1B; I'm stuck taking the entire class. Hey, we have P.E. together!"
"Well, at least we have Physical Science together. And Home Ec.," Neku pointed out, comparing his and Shiki's schedules. "And I have P.E. with Rhyme and Beat, by the looks of it." Joshua was the last to receive his schedule, and seemingly less willing to share its contents. "Well, what's on your schedule, Josh?"
"Eh, probably completely different from yours," he answered, waving the question away. Truthfully, he had a class with either Shiki or Neku in every block except the first.
"Then it wouldn't hurt to tell us what you got, Joshy," Shiki teased, smirking over at the young Composer. Joshua rolled his eyes, amused by her newest nickname for him.
"Fine. Well, I have Geometry first. And then I have English second—"
"So do I!" Shiki chimed in, smiling enthusiastically.
"I have American History third"—Neku couldn't suppress a groan with that one. He just had to have a class with Pretty Boy, didn't he?—"And fourth I have Home Economics, with both of you."
"Ugh, I'm always stuck with the Pretty Boy, aren't I?" Neku remarked, shaking his head.
"Look at it this way, Neku. At least you'll know someone in all of your classes!" Shiki pointed out, laughing softly. "Plus, you might find some friends, so you're not totally stuck with Josh." Instead of lifting his spirits like she'd intended, her words drug his mood even further down.
Friends. He hated trying to make those. It's a wonder he'd befriended the four he had. Well, three. He still wasn't sure what to consider Joshua.
He was his partner, making him his friend and trusted ally. But he was also a betrayer, his killer, his enemy. That would make him…a frenemy? Whatever. It didn't matter much at the moment.
"What class are we in now?" Joshua asked, glancing up at the clock.
"Uh, should be the middle of second…" Tiffany answered, sifting through the desk papers for the bell schedule. "Ah, here it is!" She lifted up a bright yellow paper, looking slightly pleased with herself. "Yep. Second period ends at 11:13."
"What kind of a random time is that?" Neku asked, running his fingers through his spiky orange hair. "What happened to 11:15? Or 11:30? How the—"
"Thank you, Tiffany," Joshua answered, interrupting Neku's latest complaint.
"Oh, no problem. Would you like someone to show you around? I'm sure one of the student ambassadors would love to help you." Joshua considered it for a moment, then nodded in reply.
"That would be great."
"Alright then, hold on a second, and I'll get them to send Sarah down," she answered, smiling at Joshua as she walked over to the intercom and pressed the button. "Sarah Greene, come to the office. Sarah Greene."
"Is she also a tenth grader?" Joshua asked, glancing down at the pen he was twirling through his fingers.
"Eleventh, I think. She's normally the guide for a lot of newcomers though." Joshua nodded, drumming his fingers against the counter to a melody he'd thought of earlier.
Rat-a-tap ta-tap ta-tap. Tap ta-tap ta-tap.
"Yes, Tiffany?" he heard a girl asking as he swerved in her direction. She was about as tall as Shiki, with light, wavy brown hair and dark hazel eyes. As soon as she noticed Joshua, her entire expression changed. Joshua met her gaze, but she quickly looked away and started fidgeting with her t-shirt hem. However, he knew it wasn't for the same reason Tiffany had.
She wasn't shy or nervous because of how cute he was or anything. And it wasn't because of his odd-colored eyes or Neku's crazy orange hair, either.
Then why was she nervous?
She knows, Joshua realized, a smile playing at the corners of his lips. She knows everything.
She looked up momentarily, and this time it was Joshua's turn to gape at her in disbelief. No, it can't be… Can it? She looks just like her…
Nisai?
