The end is coming! Not yet, but soon...final chapter is typed and will soon be sent to betas, so you won't have to wait for it too long...oh, were you expecting the end of our world instead? Sorry to disappoint; it's still here XP.
Another lengthy chapter, though not as long as the last one. Mostly explanations this time.
From here on, I will put quotes in front of the chapters. Eariler chapters will be edited with quotes later.
Disclaimer: I do not own TWEWY. Though having a set of Reapers under my command would be nice...assuming they would listen and not lounge around playing Tin Pin all day...
IIIIII
"The thought manifests as the word. The word manifests as the deed. The deed develops into habit. And the habit hardens into character. So watch the thought and its ways with care." - Buddha
"If you judge people, you have no time to love them" - Mother Theresa
Scale 4: Grace, Period
The traveler wasn't in the best of moods when he arrived in the next world. The gray-maned boy folded his arms, glaring at the concrete bridge of Miyashita Park below.
"I don't understand it," Joshua muttered. "Neku was about to evolve, was evolving, but then that strange aura appeared and reversed it. What could reverse an evolution when it's progressed that far?"
He rubbed his forehead, trying to drive off the inevitable migraine and general body aches that occurred with a sudden dimension jump.
The stress of dimension traveling was starting to catch up to him, he could tell. Soon he would have to return to his own world, with or without his answer, or wait for Mr. H to pick him up in a strange dimension. The latter wasted valuable time, and, more importantly, would be rather embarrassing.
He scanned the expanse of the park. Normally this was an area where Reapers gathered and thrived, hanging out here to play invisible pranks on the living. But the park was unusually empty, save for a lone Reaper uneasily stalking through the grasses. Such a lack of Reapers was strange, unless they were gathering elsewhere.
Suddenly another Reaper erupted from a bush, wings spread and flickering in the rapture of evolving. Screaming, the sane Reaper fled from the other, until he was caught and forced into the Noise dimension. There, he would be consumed, or forced to consume.
Now Joshua understood, still holding his head. It must be time for mass consumption.
During particularly stressful Games or other events, many Reapers were pushed past their physical or emotional limits, but didn't actually start to evolve until the incident passed. Usually this was because most of their energy required for evolving was needed for coping with the current situation. Thus a mass evolution is triggered afterward, which soon is followed with mass consumption, and mass fear.
Many Reapers, especially the younger ones, do not fully understand the act of consumption and evolving, if they know about it at all. Consumption itself is not mentioned in Reaper public, a forbidden subject. On the rare occasion where it slips out, the younger ones rarely believe the details. You have to eat your partner? That's absurd!
Then mass consumption occurs, and suddenly everyone understands that the concept of consumption is to be taken literally, and not literally. Many evolving Reapers, lacking partners except for their shadows, seek out other Reapers to consume. The other Reapers, most of whom do not want to be consumed, hide. Hence, the mass fear.
A mass consumption had been starting in his own world before he left, actually. The berserk-inducing Red Skull Pins had caused many Reapers to go past their limits. He wondered if the same thing had happened here too. This world was close to his own, at least much closer than the previous one.
The throbbing in Joshua's head and limbs lessened. The mania of mass consumption, terrifying as it was, was a necessary part of the Reaper life. This was what their little "Reaper games" of tag and hide-and-seek trained them for.
Of more immediate and pressing concern was Neku, and the apparent block on his power.
"Now, does this apply to all Nekus, or was that just a flaw of that Neku?" the indigo-eyed boy mused. "That last world was a bit out of the way…"
"Well, it seems to apply to my Neku too, if you're curious."
Joshua spun around to find another Joshua floating right beside him, smiling. This native Joshua appeared to be the same age as he was. When had he arrived?
"Is that so?" asked Joshua, regaining his usual aloofness and giving his other self a condescending smirk.
"Yeah," the native replied casually. "Have you being seeing the end of the world too?"
"Yes, actually," Joshua answered. "It's starting to get old, to be honest."
"Sounds we're in the same predicament then," the native stated, before spotting a certain orange-haired boy emerging from the underpass. "Though it shouldn't be long until my problem is solved. Care to watch?"
The other Joshua did not wait for the traveler's response, but instead drifted down to where Neku was walking, headphones blaring rock music. The blue-eyed boy looked up, stopped, and stared at the twin Joshuas.
"…This is so not what I need today."
The other Joshua smiled.
"Neku! What a coincidence. I've been wanting to talk to you," the native greeted cheerfully, as his feet touched the cement. "Don't mind the other one, he's just visiting."
Joshua huffed at the trivial address. He would have preferred more of an introduction than that.
"Somehow this doesn't feel like a coincidence," Neku replied curtly, massaging his forehead.
"It doesn't?" the native asked almost innocently, smiling.
"No," Neku answered bluntly. "Look, can this wait until later? Otherwise I might puke in the middle of your grand speech."
"You're still not feeling well?"
"Not really…"
The traveler's eyes narrowed. This Neku was terribly flushed, and seemed a bit out of breath. Dark circles amplified his tired blue eyes.
His own Neku had been feeling ill when he had left his world. Would he become this sick too? Was he that sick already?
Between this and the mass consumption starting up, perhaps his dimensional traveling had been badly timed…a mistake, even…hopefully Sanae was holding down the fort without too much trouble.
"It's precisely because you're sick that I want to talk to you," the native stated.
"…I don't have to enter the Game again, do I?" Neku asked miserably.
The native laughed, startling Neku.
"No, Neku, you're not that sick," he assured, pushing a few gray strands behind his ear. "However…"
"However?"
"I suspect you have what the Reapers have got."
Neku froze.
"What?" he breathed.
The native smirked.
"You act like you just got diagnosed with cancer or something."
Neku swallowed.
"It…makes them mad. I don't want to go mad."
"It's only temporary madness. And besides…" the native assured, before sighing. "Well, I suppose I should start from the beginning."
He turned to the scenery beyond the bridge.
"First…well, first you die, I suppose, and then get invited into the Game…then you must find and pact with a partner if you want to survive the first day. You bond with that partner. Then you part, or perhaps not, depending on who wants to be alive and who wants to stay dead. But most likely you'll part. Consider them a crush. It almost never lasts."
Neku eyed the native suspiciously.
"So you become a Reaper," the native continued. "You'll probably pact with your shadow for awhile, maybe make some Noise into pets, but it's not the same. So you pact with another Reaper. A new relationship begins. You bond with your new partner, get even closer to them than your first partner. You're with them longer than a week, after all. Of course it might not be your first, second, or even third that you stay with. But you'll find somebody, or they'll find you."
"What does this have to do-"
"Patience, Neku," the native replied. "But you and your partner can't be equal forever. Eventually one must provide while the other leads. Will you swear to take the burden of your partner as well as yourself, or will you be the one who sacrifices in order to protect and support your partner?"
The other Joshua turned to Neku.
"What would you choose, Neku?"
"I…I dunno," he admitted. "But I still don't see-"
"Most don't know the answer, until that key moment," the native went on. "Put simply, The Reaper who agrees to the burden consumes. The Reaper who agrees to support is consumed. Together they evolve to the next stage."
"Wait, you mean they're supposed to attack and absorb each other?!" Neku exclaimed.
"Yes," the native answered. "But like most who have never experienced it for themselves, you only see its ugly face. Hasn't anyone told you not to judge a book by its cover?"
Neku glared.
"Reapers, and to a lesser extent Players, are part Noise by nature," the native explained. "This personal Noise is created from your suppressed desires and emotions, and, being a Noise, is a malevolent being. Without a partner, their inner Noise will eventually overcome them and turn them into a full Noise. They become Boss Noise, to be exact."
"…So I've got a Noise inside of me?"
"Pretty much."
Neku groaned.
"…Okay, the Reapers I can understand. I mean, they've got tattoo wings and stuff," stated Neku, rubbing his forehead again. "…But how the hell does a Player get a Noise growing inside of them?"
"Well, when you're alive the Noise can possess you or be drawn to you, but it can't live in you, can't be you, because your Soul is too stable," the Composer went on. "Now when you die, as you might expect, your Soul initially becomes unstable. The great stress of the Game and your pact with your partner add to the instability. That volatile state of your Soul makes it very easy for a Noise to form and to become part of that Soul."
"So Shiki and the others-"
"Have their own inner Noise, most likely," stated the other Joshua. "I wouldn't worry about them, though. Their Noise isn't nearly as developed as yours. Trust me, you would know if they were."
Neku looked away.
"Anyway, it's impossible to beat it yourself, because it is yourself, see? But if you bond with someone else, they can save you. Or you can save them, if you prefer. Either way, it takes an extraordinary amount of bravery and trust on both sides."
"But what about those Reapers who are attacking other Reapers at random? Those aren't long bonds of trust," Neku pointed out.
The other Joshua sighed.
"Those attacks aren't as random as you think. Evolving Reapers who have no partner seek out those they know best, such and friends and siblings. Often it is an inferior relationship, but that doesn't mean it can't work. It's just less likely to, and yet another reason to be involved in a strong partnership to start with."
He brushed a few curly hairs aside.
"…Which brings us to what I wanted to talk to you about."
"…And what's that?" Neku asked warily.
"This world is in danger of being erased."
"Erased?!" Neku shouted, straightening up. "What did you do now?!"
The traveler laughed.
"…Why must you assume everything's my fault?" the native replied, sighing, before shooting the traveler an annoyed glance.
"Because you're the Composer. You're in charge of everything here."
The native smiled and shook his head.
"Anyway, what we're dealing with is the Noise of Regalement," the native Joshua explained, turning his gaze back to the park below. "It is a Noise of mammoth proportions that lives to consume worlds. Greedy beyond bounds, it's said to exist to prevent overcrowding in the universe. Parallel dimensions multiply at an endless rate, after all. But I'd rather not lose this world to its massive appetite, would you?"
"Can't you stop it?! You're the Composer!"
The other Joshua smiled darkly.
"Yes, if I consume you."
Neku's breath caught.
The native smirked and leaned closer.
"…Does that scare you, Neku?"
Neku jerked back and glared at him.
"Now don't be like that," the native drawled. "Only by consuming you will I be to obtain the power needed to drive away the Noise of Regalement. I could force it, but things would progress much more smoothly if you let yourself be consumed without a struggle."
Neku took a step back.
"Now I understand if you need time to think about it. I just thought I'd warn you of what's to come. Give you a little time to prepare."
"…Why me?" Neku finally asked.
"Why you?" the indigo-eyed boy echoed, smirking. "The same reason I picked you as my proxy for my three-week Game with Megumi; you possess incredible Soul, Imagination, and potential. In fact, I made that Game specifically to refine that impressive power of yours."
"What? But I thought you made that Game to decide the fate of Shibuya!"
Of course. If I didn't bond with a worthy proxy, then the Noise of Regalement would swallow Shibuya. If I succeeded, I'd have a proxy to consume when the Noise of Regalement does come. It was very much about the fate of Shibuya."
"Then…you never planned to erase it yourself?"
"Not in the least," the Composer assured. "Megumi, though incredibly passionate and loyal, didn't possess nearly enough power to serve for consumption. He was the ruler used to measure your own power by the end of the three weeks. But I didn't want him to know that, so I told him I was fed up with Shibuya and wanted to erase it, unless he beat me in a special Game. Let him be erased with a sense of dignity."
"So you just used him," Neku growled. "Like you want to use me."
"Now Neku, end justifies the means," the native replied. "What are a few people compared to saving the world?"
He stretched.
"Well, that about sums things up. You need to think about the world and how your noble sacrifice will save it. Of course, it's not noble unless it's voluntary."
Neku leered, and then began to walk away.
The native followed. So did the traveler.
Neku looked over his shoulder, kept walking, looked over his shoulder again, and stopped.
"…Do both of you have to follow me?"
The native turned to the traveler.
"Perhaps you could disappear for a little while?"
Taking the hint, the traveler smiled and raised his vibe to a level beyond Neku's detection. Neku, thinking the other had left, kept walking, though he kept a peeved eye on his native companion.
"Can't you disappear too? Or are you going to stalk me to Scramble Crossing?"
They entered the darkness of Miyashita Underpass, welcomed by the wayward graffiti on the gray walls.
"What do you have to do at Scramble Crossing?"
"I'm meeting my friends there," Neku answered, as his headphones began to blare rock music again. "By the way, you don't count."
"I don't?" he asked with a smile. "Well I think we have much more important business than your friends at the moment."
He snapped his fingers, and Neku's headphones started blasting an ethereal tune instead of rock.
Neku stopped, banged his headphones with the palm of his hand, and glared at the native.
"Dammit Joshua! Change it back!" he protested.
"You don't like it?" asked the native, smiling. "I wrote it myself."
"That's all the more reason not to…"
The traveler noticed how the orange-haired teen's eyes suddenly grew drowsy.
"…like it…"
The traveler chuckled.
Of course. If you want to influence Neku, you can use his passion for music to your advantage.
The native ambled over to where Neku had halted.
"Nekuuu…" he drawled.
"Whaaaat?" the blue-eyed boy answered sluggishly, turning around slowly.
"You like this music now?"
"Uh-huh…"
The traveler vainly tried to suppress his laughter. Neku looked like he was high, with his pupils dilated and his body swaying slightly. Maybe he should snap a picture with his cellphone and show his own Neku later, to remind him of the dangers of drugs. Or of eating Mr. H's pumpkin soup on the wrong day.
"Neku, can you dance for me?" asked the native.
The normally surly teen began to dance without a question or protest, his movements slow and graceful to match the otherworldly melody pouring out of his headphones.
"Very good, Neku," Joshua praised, as if talking to a well-trained dog. "Now, this way."
The native began to walk the other way, Neku following in his dance-like manner. The traveler chuckled as he tagged along.
If nothing else, this will be a nice distraction.
"Now Neku," the native began, not looking back. "You're scared of your Noise."
Neku paused, his eyes squinting as if he had trouble seeing.
"...Am not."
"You're a horrible liar Neku. Don't even try," the native replied casually. "No more lies, Neku. I want only the truth."
"…Fine."
"No more attitude either," the native added, as they began to cross the Miyashita Park bridge again.
"…Alright."
"So you're afraid of your Noise," the other Joshua went on. "Why?"
"I don't…I don't want to hurt anyone," Neku spoke quietly.
"You don't want to hurt anyone?" the native echoed, smirking. "But sometimes you have to hurt people. You can't make everyone happy. Sure, sometimes it required a little harsh verbal guidance, but in the end you've only helped the ones around you."
"But…everything's fine now…"
"Is it? Aside from the impeding end of the world, are you really content with things the way they are now?"
Neku stopped.
"…No…"
The native smiled, also stopping. They were at the end of the bridge, just a few steps away from Cat Street.
"You feel a rage, don't you?" he asked, his expression unchanged. "Life is good, and yet you're angry. The slightest thing brings it up without warning. Either it whiplashes on you, or it strikes someone else. But they're not the source."
He turned around.
"It's your Noise. Your very own personal demon. You try to deny its existence, try to pretend that it's not there and that it's not interested in upsetting your meek little life and friends. But it is there. It's always been there, ever since you've died. Only now it's all grown up and wants to tear everything apart. Right?"
Neku shivered, as a red light flashed his pupils.
"You wouldn't want anyone to find out about that side of you, would you?" the native went on quietly, walking over to Neku. "But I know. I know about that mad Noise of yours."
He stopped.
"But it's okay. I accept that monster of yours. Do you know why?"
A red light flared in the native's pupils.
"It's because I have my own inner demon," the Composer explained, the light slowly dimming back to black. "I know what's it's like to have a will separate from your own inside your body. A will you can barely control."
The traveler, hovering above, smirked.
As if you really have no control over your Noise. You're the Composer. Your Noise was tamed long ago. Of course, Neku doesn't know that.
Neku began to step forward, but then he scuttled back like a frightened animal, breath quickened.
The native smiled.
"Why aren't you dancing, Neku?" he asked, red pinpoints burning in his pupils again. "Dance!"
The orange-haired teen began to a dramatic stop-and-start manner as the music in his headphones shifted to a slow but intense rhythm. His eyes, though still dilated, were widening with confusion and alarm.
"Oh? Are you just realizing you're not in control?" teased the native, darkly smirking. "Well, believe me when I say it's for your own good."
The native turned around and ambled forward.
"Well, time to visit Sanae."
IIIIII
"Welcome to WildKat. How can – oh, it's you guys," greeted Mr. H, as the two teens entered the coffee shop. "…Josh, leave Neku alone. Both of you."
"I have nothing to do with this. I'm just watching," the traveler assured, remaining at his higher vibe. There was no point in descending if the Angel's superior senses had already detected him.
The native snapped his fingers, turning off the headphone's music. Neku stumbled forward, his eyes clearing and pupils returning to normal. As soon as he regained his balance, he glared at the native.
"…If you ever do that again," he growled. "…you are so DEAD!"
"I'm already dead, Neku," the native said calmly.
"Then I'll break you down to the last Soul particle!" Neku retorted, before turning to the black-haired man behind the counter. "…Anyway, thanks Mr. H."
"Why are you thanking him?" asked the native. "This is all his fault."
"What are you talking about?" asked Neku, before wincing and gripping his forehead.
"Yes, what are you talking about?" echoed the traveler, turning to the Angel. "Sanae…"
"I dunno. What'd I do?" asked Mr. H, rubbing the back of his head and smiling.
"Yeah," Neku added, bent over with one hand on a table. "What…What…"
Neku hit the floor with a thud.
"Neku!" exclaimed Mr. H, but the native stood in the way. The unconscious teen was levitated into the air behind him, as if being carried with invisible arms.
"…Stop screwing with me, Sanae," he hissed, a savage smile on his face and a bright scarlet light in his eyes. "What did you do to Neku?"
The traveler's own countenance became more somber.
"Hmm…"
Neku was placed carefully in a nearby chair, his head and arms resting on the countertop as if he had just fallen asleep. Mr. H's expression hardened.
"I never touched him," stated the Angel.
"Of course you didn't touch him. You didn't need to," the native responded, his smile returning to normal but his pupils still burning red. "You specialize in imprinting suggestions, through art or otherwise. Neku, as unstable and insecure as he is, is especially vulnerable to suggestions. You may not have been able to directly imprint on him because of the Player Pin's walling effect, but you could easily do so by using your artwork or anything else you gave him, like pins, or even coffee. Just "suggest" that he has no power, or to fear that power, and it's as good as putting a physical seal on him. Am I right?"
The traveler's eyes narrowed, waiting for Mr. H's response.
"…That's not quite it, but it's close enough," replied the Angel.
"Close enough?" asked the native. "Care to tell me the details?"
"You're bright, boss. I'm sure you can work it out on your own."
The native's smile grew vicious again, but then both his grin and his eyes became humanized as he took a deep breath and let it out.
"Well, it doesn't matter how you did it," he continued, brushing a few strands back. "I know you did it because you didn't want me to win that Game. You thought I was going to destroy Shibuya, after all, like everyone else. But I need you to release Neku's ability to evolve now, or else Shibuya really will be erased."
Mr. H remained quiet, and the native's smile slipped.
"You can reverse it, right? I know you're not oblivious to the Noise of Regalement's impeding arrival."
Mr. H sighed.
"Yes I'm aware of it, and yes the imprinting can be reversed. In fact, Neku can reverse it himself, if he wants to," the Angel explained. "If he isn't evolving for you, then he doesn't want to evolve for you. There are several other Reapers on the verge of evolving. Consume one of them."
Both Joshuas were taken aback by his blunt words.
It's true I could use someone else, thought the traveler. But I want Neku, and I'd rather not take the chances with a weaker Reaper anyway. Why is Sanae being so difficult? Unless…
"You want to protect Neku from me," the native continued, regaining his smile. "That's why you blocked his power. You knew that I wanted to consume him eventually, even if you didn't know why."
The crimson light shone in his pupils again.
"Now why is that, Sanae?"
Mr. H sighed and shook his head.
"Now Josh, after you evolve and drive away the Noise of Regalement, what will happen to you, the Composer?"
"I'll ascend to the Angel Plane due to my high Soul level, I imagine."
"And who will rule in your place?"
The native started to speak, before a blank look came across his face. Then he laughed.
The traveler himself smiled.
Who would I choose? I suppose the only real candidates at the moment are Kariya and Minamimoto…but Kariya despises large workloads, and I've already seen the results of a Shibuya under Minamimoto's influence…
"I get it. You want Neku to be my heir," the native concluded. "He would make a fine Composer really. Of course you'll need to unlock his power to evolve, but I'll assume you'll remove the block once I'm up on the Angel Plane. The Composer also has to be dead. Mind if I suggest using a method other than poison?"
"I suppose you would shoot him. Again."
"It's quicker," the native answered. "Though you know this assumes that there is a Shibuya to rule after the Noise of Regalement comes to visit. And that there is a Neku left to rule it.
The native glanced at the unconscious Neku.
"So he can break the seal himself, you say? But will he break it in time, before his Noise consumes him? Even if the seal is broken, all the stress caused by the struggle would leave his body and Soul vulnerable to a Noise takeover. Is it worth the risk?"
Mr. H glanced at Neku, and then at the floor.
"Tell you what," the native went on. "Why don't we let Neku decide? Does he want to be a Composer on this plane, or an Angel on the Angel Plane? Break the seal on him, Sanae. If he chooses me, then he'll be ascending with me. If it's someone else, then I'll choose someone else and perhaps our evolved forms can fight side by side. How about it, Sanae? It's only a matter of days before the Regalement comes."
Mr. H rubbed his chin.
"…Alright boss. I'll undo the imprint. I need you to scram though. Both of you."
"Fair enough," the native replied, before turning to the traveler. "It doesn't count as a choice if Neku doesn't seek me out. Let's go."
Both Joshuas abandoned the WildKat.
IIIIII
The thought occurred to the traveler as they passed a junk heap near the Shibuya River. He began to laugh.
"What?" the native asked crossly, a red spark lighting briefly in his eyes.
"Minamimoto," the traveler replied, smiling. "He used Minamimoto as a tool to seal Neku's powers. Sanae taught everyone's favorite math whiz not just how to refine Taboo Noise, but how to imprint with art."
"Art? What art…?" asked the native, before passing another junk pile created by the Grim Heaper. "…Oh. But is it art?"
"To him it is, so it counts," the traveler went on. "Probably there's some Taboo power involved with the imprint, to amplify its effects."
"Now that I think of it, everyone seemed weaker when Minamimoto was the Game Master," the native replied. "And Neku always had severe headaches around Minamimoto as well. I wrote it off as a symptom his instability and memory repression, but…"
"But it was really a reaction caused by the imprint," the traveler stated. "And a Neku I observed elsewhere went through a similar exposure, and had similar results."
"So that explains that," replied the traveler.
Anyway, Sanae was using him as a counter to Neku and me. But Minamimoto's crazed actions caused him to fall out of favor with Sanae, while Neku's improvements impressed him. So he began to favor Neku instead, though he couldn't use him against me."
The traveler shook his head.
"Then, when he found Minamimoto's revival sigil, he screwed it up so the Grim Heaper couldn't access his Noise form, putting him in a similar situation to Neku."
"So Minamimoto only thought his resurrection was successful."
"Pretty much," the traveler responded. "Either way I'll need to keep a closer eye on him when I get back."
"You let him live?"
"He's amusing. And good for an emergency."
"As in consumption?"
"Exactly. Though he makes a good scapegoat too."
IIIIII
The Room of Reckoning, the throne room of the Composer, was a black room. Three tall, flat pillars rose behind the throne itself, where the native sat. The traveler floated around boredly in the area's wide expanse.
"He's getting closer," stated the native, a feral smile curling his lips. He paid the traveler an annoyed glance, a faint scarlet spark in his eyes.
"You don't need to hang around if you don't want to. You've got your answer."
"But I do want to hang around," the traveler answered with a smirk, turned almost upside down.
"…Fine," the native grumbled, turning away. "I suppose you want to know whether Neku will come here or not."
"Actually, I find you the most interesting."
"Me?" the native asked skeptically.
"This isn't about saving the world for you, though it's a nice bonus," the traveler replied, gliding over to the other side of the throne. "This is about saving yourself."
"What are you talking about?" the native growled, the red shine in his eye burning brighter and his countenance growing more vicious.
"Your Noise. You're losing control over it, even though you should have absolute command of it," the traveler continued. "You don't even need to unlock Neku's seal; you just want to know the answer to Neku's lack of evolution. That, and you don't want Sanae or anyone else to know that your Noise is influencing you rather than the other way around."
The native glared. The traveler smiled.
"I thought we were similar, but actually we're quite different."
The native offered a primal grin.
"Who says we are so different?"
There was a growing shift in vibe.
"You feel that?" asked the traveler.
"Of course," the native replied, the feral smile still in place. "He's coming. I knew he would."
"Why would he choose you, instead of one of his friends?"
"You're me. You would know, wouldn't you?"
The traveler smirked.
"He's afraid of hurting his friends. He said so himself," the indigo-eyed foreigner stated, floating upward and then downward again. "But you're not a friend. He's not afraid of hurting you. He knows how impossible it is to hurt you. And you know about the Noise inside of him. Whom else could he turn to?"
"Well maybe Sanae, but he can't consume a divine being like him. Beside, Sanae's the inadvertent cause of his suffering, past and present. I doubt he trusts Sanae much right now, especially since he's released his dreaded Noise."
"My thoughts exactly," said the traveler.
The native turned to the open entrance.
In the darkness beyond the door, two red pinpoints of light burned.
The native's own pupils glowed crimson as the whites of his eyes darkened.
"Hello, Neku."
Neku glided out of the blackness, his human body being swallowed by bright red tattoos. His arms, already half transformed, ended in clawed hands linked by invisible joints, while sideways lightning bolt marks adorned his cheeks. Behind him a large tail swished, its edges shaped like long fur. His feet, changed up to the ankle had become large, dog-like, no, wolf-like paws.
But what were most interesting were the wings. They were not the bat-like wings of the Reapers, but wide and bird-like like his own, except that they were black instead of white.
Those wings were Composer-rank wings, despite, or maybe because, of the seal long imposed on his power. It was even better than Joshua had hoped for.
Perhaps Sanae knew what he was doing after all.
The wings of the native flashed into existence, sharp white feathers shining. He paid a Noise-eyed glance to the travel behind him.
"Things are about to get rather chaotic," he stated casually. "You might want to leave."
His smile turned savage, as white tattoos spread from the corner of his eyes.
"In fact, I insist."
The traveler floated back, smiling and holding his hands up in mild surrender. He knew his own limit, and this self would soon plummet past it.
"Fine. Have fun, my other self," the traveler replied, his voice fading as he himself evaporated away.
IIIIII
Waiting was going to be such a bore, the traveler thought, as he floated among the skyscrapers while the world trembled below. It wasn't a terribly strong earthquake, just the usual occurrence resulting from Composer-level skirmishes, enough to tumble things over and panic the general populace. To think ordinary people believe such shaking to be the result of volcanoes and shifting earth plates…
He caught a glimpse of something interesting.
Galloping through different streets were two Noise, one a purple horse and the other a yellow fox. He could tell instantly that the horse was Uzuki and the fox Kariya, apparently having consumed different Reapers instead of each other. Neither form was nearly as strong as when one had consumed the other, the traveler noted. But that wasn't what interested him.
Riding on Uzuki's back was Beat and his sister Rhyme, both bearing the same determined expression as the world below them quivered in fear. Aboard Kariya's back was Shiki, clearly worried but also brave-faced. Both groups seemed oblivious to the frightened people, and the frightened people seemed just as unaware of them, which suggested the valiant teens were traveling in the UG rather than the RG.
They were searching for Neku, he finally realized.
Of course their search would be in vain, as Neku was already locked in battle with his other self below the streets, a battle the blue-eyed teen was unlikely to win. Though he had surprising power, he had no experience in this kind of combat. For higher-level consumption, skill was just as important as strength.
Still, he admired their loyalty. He was fascinated by it, really. It proved Neku's value.
He almost felt bad about the whole ordeal, and the one to come. Almost.
IIIIII
"…You're a brutal one, you know," said the traveler, standing on one of the neighboring buildings of the 104 Building as he watched the sunset. "I've been called a diabolical bastard during my trips, but I can only imagine what they would call you."
The native, curled up on top of the 104 Building, said nothing, also watching the end of the day. The coiled form of the silver mink Noise took up the entire rooftop, its scythe-like claws resting on the edges.
Its sinewy body was comprised almost entirely of interwoven white-to-silver tattoos, its flesh mostly hidden inside the armory marks. The long, flowing mane was red, and seemed to float as if it was made of fire.
"Dealing with Neku? I can only imagine how angry he is now."
The mink remained silent and immoveable. The traveler gave it an annoyed look.
"Hello?"
The mink gave a surprised bark, and turned its gaze to the traveler. The tattoos abruptly retreated and reformed into real silver wings with real silver feathers. The boy revealed had straight white hair with sapphire blue eyes.
"Ah, sorry about that," he replied, smiling casually. "I got struck in the middle of a vision, and then I had to explain things to Neku. You know how complicated clairvoyance can be to explain."
"Indeed," the traveler answered. "What did you see, by the way?"
"Shiki beating Rhyme at Tin Pin, and Uzuki getting into an argument with Kariya over a bet, probably about said Tin Pin game."
"In other words, life goes on," the traveler concluded. "And your world will go on after the Noise of Regalement comes to visit."
"It appears so," answered the white-haired boy. "See Neku? Wasn't that worth your sacrifice?"
The native was quiet, apparently listening to the reply, and he laughed.
"Well I must get going, my other self," spoke the traveler, starting to drift away. "I have my own world to attend to, after all."
"Have fun, younger self."
"Younger?" asked the traveler with indignity.
"Well you've yet to evolve, and I have, which makes me your future self," replied the native with a smirk. "And you know you should respect your elders."
"Since when have I ever respected elders since I've died?"
"…You've got a point."
Smirking, the traveler elevated himself out of the world. Finally, he could go home.
IIIIII
I know the main Joshua doesn't do much in this chapter, but he'll be plenty busy in the final one. It's in his world, after all. I hope all the explanations make sense.
Next time : (De)Fault - Joshua vs Neku!
Btw, the next chapter's title and this chapter's title (Grace, Period) share a connection, beside the weird punctuation. Can you figure out what it is? Hint: It may take a college student to understand, but not because of their smarts XP.
As a side note, I have an unrelated TWEWY one-shot coming out in a few days, The Cat and the Mink, so keep an eye out for it if you're interested.
Cya!