What Do You Mean iOS?

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AU. Everyone has their own opinions about the iOS release of the game but… what about the cast themselves? A short conversation between the main characters (players) of TWEWY and their individual reactions. Spoilers.

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"Hey, have you heard? We're getting a rerelease!"

It was the understatement of the year which coincidentally was the hype at the moment. The gang thought it was time for another bonding session since the last anniversary. This time, they now have something new to talk about. But even if they hadn't, they'd always just hang out with each other. It was a given after the first gruelling game. They were never the same.

"No way! The company's finally coughing up some cash?" The skater did a fist pump in triumph.

"Yeah, it's totally official." The reserved girl held her stuffed cat and made it do its own victory dance.

"Console?" The orange haired kid was a bit less sociable since he was pretty much preoccupied with playing a game at the moment: KH3D. What? Victims of Squeenix had to look out for each other.

"Not even. It's iOS."

"So we need either an iPhone or an iPad. Our needs are few, our wants are many." The wise one sighed.

"What?! I can't even afford those things."

"I know right?" Sure, they were characters of the company so you'd think they'll be rich, right? Wrong. They don't get much unless it's earned in-game. And even then, it's hard when they have to actually play the game again. Shiki wasn't that too excited to be in Eri's body again. "It's nice that we get a second chance but I was kind of hoping for a sequel."

"Me too. We never even got to see your real face, Shiki."

Silence stretched. All eyes were on her. "Oh, you know Square… 'Sides, I'm okay with that." She was caught off guard, she felt like she was about to freeze right then and there.

Someone very close to her sighed. "How many times do I have to tell you? You're you. If they don't want the world to know your face then let them be. Their loss."

Shiki immediately looked at him when he spoke. He didn't. His eyes were on the game console but even then, she knew that he only had eyes for her. Even when he wasn't looking.

"Thanks, Neku." Right, she's over her insecurity now. That's all in the past. It's always nice to have friends who remind you just how much you mean to them. With newly regained confidence, she smiled. "How about you, Rhyme?"

"Yeah?"

"You never did get enough screen time in the game."

"Live up to your role and status, and fulfil your required duties. Someone had to have that role so it's no big deal that I had it." Her bell chimed along with her grin and even though what she said was deep, you can't help but notice that she's still a child.

"Still, no sequel? Man, that sucks!"

"Speak for yourself. My life got screwed enough last time. What else do they want? Let me guess… Kill me. AGAIN."

"Someone's confident he'll still be the main character." The prissy one was playing with his phone as usual but never forgot to add that mocking edge to his tone.

"Cautious. And they can keep the freaking protagonist role." Neku snarled. That once in a lifetime chance should stay being just once. Privileges be damned.

"I'd be careful of what you say, Neku. Lots of fangirls would kill just to play with you." Joshua twirled a lock of his hair in mirth.

"No. Just. Stop." Change topic. Please. Not going there. "What's with the timer anyways? Some kind of sick joke?"

"What if the timer is for everyone who sees it and then they're the players?"

"Never mind sick, that's just sinister." Then he added. "Something only you would come up with."

"Creepy thought." And scary but Shiki never said the latter out loud. "I guess it's kind of like a publicity stunt."

"Well, it's just stupid yo. What kind o' sucker would fall fo' dat?"

"But weren't you the one who hyped the most when we first saw it?"

"Bwaaaaah! You didn't have to tell them that, Rhyme."

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about, Beat. I was pretty excited too. I mean, the songs were totally rad." Each day it just got better. Day zero had the best.

"Yeah! I am digging those beats!"

"Shibuya could use the amp revamp."

"I liked almost all the songs in the soundtrack and the KH remixes were nice too but I didn't think any more remix would be great. It does get better!"

"And don't we all look better?" Joshua smirked.

"Wha' chu say? Something 'bout our faces?"

"He meant our graphics." She tried to fix the misunderstanding in her brother. "We've all been redrawn."

"'Bout time." Neku commented.

"How 'bout we watch the vid?"

It was Joshua who just so happened to be bringing his laptop with him. Then again, he didn't even need to bring one, he could just pop one out of thin air. Not to mention how fast the video loaded and all, heck, it was even the home page. He's definitely exercising those powers or at least he's not being discrete about it. Regardless of the large screen, everyone huddled to see as much as possible after all, their reputations and lives were on the line.

"Looks the same to me." Leave it to Neku to be brutally honest.

"Look closely, dear. We're sharing the same screen."

"Huh? No we don't–" His eyes widened when he saw himself beside the blond on the gameplay trailer. The screen wasn't split. "Oh shit."

"Oh, yeah. Doesn't that take us a bit off the originality mark?" If they heard any curse words, they pretended they didn't.

"But this makes fusion so much easier."

"It ain't as challenging as it was. Bunch of wuss."

"On the same screen..."

"Still score. The graphics are way out of our league."

"Yeah, it's hard to believe it's the same game."

"It is but at the same time it isn't."

"I have to share the screen…"

"Hello? Earth to Neku?" Shiki sighed as she placed a hand to her hip. "Really, is it that big of a deal? We've all been sharing the screen the whole time."

"You don't get it." He shook his head. "There's no boundary here. That means I'll see his face during battles!"

"Oh, would you rather prefer our previous long distance relationship?" The ash blond said it with every malicious fiber in him or so the orange spiked one thought.

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder."

"There wasn't even one to begin with! He's a guy!"

"Neku…"

"What? Not you too, Shiki!"

"That's just sick, yo…"

"Guys! We're getting off topic here!"

"Tee hee, don't worry. We'll continue this later, dear."

"There is no later! Uggh! Just stop!"

Rhyme smiled to herself. Everyone looked like they were really enjoying themselves, well, at the expense of Neku, so she thought it was time to address the last of the features. Mustering all the innocence she could get, she said. "Twitter, huh?" And everything else just flowed.

Joshua caught the hint. "It's really hip. Makes things highly ergodic."

"Yeah, what he said. Er- what?"

"Ergodicity. Kind of like dynamic."

"It means as a player, you have more control of the game."

"Got it… Hey, wait a minute! How come you know that, Phones?"

"It was in last week's exam."

"I know that! Number seven, right?" Shiki snapped her fingers when recognition struck her.

"Yeah."

"Not all battles can be won. Don't think too much about it. Lose a few, live a little." His sister squeezed his arm as a gesture to comfort.

"Thanks, Rhyme. 'Sides, I ain't need school to be a skater." And soon enough or a little bit too soon, he was already back in high spirits.

"I don't think that's what she meant."

They were going astray again and Rhyme didn't want to crush her brother's enthusiasm so soon so she reared them back to course. "The only adventure greater than exploring the world itself is exploring other people's worlds."

"With tweets as NPCs' thoughts, Shibuya won't just end within the game." And as usual, Joshua would back her up as if reading her mind. He probably could though. He also probably won't.

"And the personalized avatars give the players a sense of identity."

"Heck, yeah! Shibu just got cooler."

"So aren't we supposed to give this thing a score or something?"

"Too tacky. Not really our style."

"He's right. I also don't think that anything we say would be fair."

"How s'bout a votation?"

"Still not fair."

"There's only one way where there'll be equal rights." Neku shot a glare at the person farthest to him (because he made sure of that). "And no powers, Joshua!"

"I wasn't even thinking about it."

"Just saying. Fans are counting on us. No… the world."

Everyone nodded in agreement. This was it. The decisive battle. No holds barred. The Composer brought out the arsenal and handed out iPhones and iPads. To truly evaluate something, one must experience it first and only then can one truly judge it right. And since they were together, they would do it the same way they always do in the DS version.

"Tin Pin Slammer."

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Shinra-ex-SOLDIER

Fanart: d5d0g6d (remove spaces) [can be found at deviantart]