Songs and Poetry
Star
"Promises are like stars, the darker the night the brighter they shine."
~***~
Oh my gosh.
These were the first words Rhyme thought of when she woke up. She rolled over in her bed, cracking open her eyes to study the alarm clock.
8:01 AM
Why do I wake up so early? She asked herself, sitting up and pushing stray strands of hair from her eyes. She went through the usual morning rituals, brushing her hair and changing her clothes, then headed down the hall of their small apartment to the kitchen.
Beat was there, eating cereal, rolling it around in his mouth, making a face.
"Mornin', Rhyme. Ya think this is…" He made another face, chewing the cereal slowly. She smiled in return, greeting her brother cheerfully, fixing some toast.
"Do I think it is what?"
He paused, spoon still in his mouth, before he leaped up with a gag and raced out of the kitchen, knocking over his chair, the yellow cereal box, and the bowl all in one smooth motion.
Rhyme winced at every impact, counting the noises in her head.
Thump.
Bump.
Crash, clatter.
That would be the chair, the box, the bowl, and the spoon. Rhyme sighed, opening a cabinet to search for the paper towels.
She picked up everything, cleaning up her brother's mess, her thoughts wandering.
Today's the day I'm supposed to hang out with Joshua…was he serious?
When isn't he? She asked herself with a frown, preparing to have an internal monologue with herself again.
He's just toying with you; remember what Shiki said about him?
Rhyme grimaced, remembering her friend's surprisingly harsh words on him.
True, but on the other hand he hurt Neku, who Shiki likes, right? And he's my friend too, I should feel the same way…but he's changed lately, and I can see it. I'd like to think I'm doing it…but am I? Maybe he's changing himself. He changes with Shibuya, I guess.
Tossing out the soiled towels, she straightened the chair, still deep in thought.
Maybe he's just tricking you again! Joshua may mean well, but he can go through the world's most twisted routes to show it. Is he worth giving a chance?
Everyone deserves a second chance, or maybe a third or fourth chance…
Rhyme blinked as Beat staggered around the corner, clutching his stomach.
"I don't feel well, yo. It's like…it's like…there's somethin' jumpin' in my stomach…and it's got big feet…"
"A kangaroo?" Rhyme asked. He really did look pale; his forehead was breaking out in a sweat too.
"Y-yeah. Ugh." He stumbled into the kitchen chair he had previously vacated, eyes closed.
Rhyme studied the cereal box, "Golden Wheat Flakes", turning it over in her hands.
"We haven't had this cereal in a while, where did you find it?"
"Th' back of the cabinet." He moaned in response. Rhyme raised her eyebrows.
"What? Beat, we…oh, why did you even eat this?" She placed her hand in the box, removing a "golden wheat flake", which was in reality just a flat, thin corn shaving. She held it up for her brother to see, and then she snapped it. It made a soft crackling noise, instead of a crisp pop, and then shed bright yellow crumbs across the brown surface of the small table. Closer inspection revealed it to be very pale compared to the picture, and there were tiny holes were it had steadily broken down.
"This expired months ago, almost a year!I hope you'll be okay…"
Rhyme's gaze softened, and she sighed, helping Beat to his feet and leading him to his room. He followed sluggishly, leaning against Rhyme for support, and when she kicked his door open he dropped down on his bed, facedown. His sister smiled, rolling him over, and pulled the blankets up.
"Hey, I'll be right back." Rhyme informed him, heading for the bathroom. She quickly wet a cold facecloth, then got Beat a glass of water with a pill.
She knelt down by his bed, placing the cloth on his head.
"Here, take the pill, okay? Sometimes I wonder who the older sibling here is."
Beat did as he was told, making a face, then he smiled at her.
"Hey, thanks, Rhyme…You won't tell our parents, will ya?"
"'Course not. Hopefully it's just food poisoning. Get some sleep, then."
Rhyme turned on the radio, set the volume down, and then closed the door, stepping out into the living room. Her parents were at work, so she guessed she was alone, since Beat was probably snoring loudly. She snatched her almost forgotten toast out of the toaster, and then sat down.
"I find it amusing that you have to take care of him."
She froze, moving her eyes from the TV to look beside her, and then she leaped back.
"Yikes! Ever try knocking?" Rhyme sighed; dropping back on the couch after the initial surprise had passed.
"Whatever do you mean? I simply came to pick you up." Joshua replied, purple eyes narrowed in silent laughter.
She smiled nervously in return, looking down at her clasped hands. "Well, I don't know if I can go today, Joshua."
"That's awfully rude of you, seeing as you agreed." His tone carried a hint of annoyance.
"I know, but Beat's sick now, and I don't want to leave him…what if he needs me while I'm gone?"
"He can call you." The Composer said with a roll of his pretty amethyst eyes.
When did they become amethyst? They're just violet, or purple. Not like gems.
"Well…"
Joshua leaned forward, smirking. "He can call you, and I promise if he does, we'll come right back, provided it's an emergency of course." His eyes sparkled with a look she wasn't sure she could trust.
Rhyme toyed with her necklace, thinking hard. "Well…okay. But how much do your promises mean?"
"My promise is my word, and I never go back on my word." He drawled.
Rhyme gave him a long, intelligent look, puzzling over every detail to the words he had said. She was silent for so long, she felt a little amused when he began to fidget with his phone, flipping it open and closing it, patiently waiting for her response.
He could wait forever, because she learned that Joshua can be patient whenever he needs to be, but he'd rather make events happen earlier, if he had any control over it. Her eyes lifted upward, and she smiled.
"What's the temperature out there?"
"Might want to get a jacket." He replied smoothly.
Rhyme stood up, heading to her room and grabbing a jacket, heart pounding in her chest for reasons she couldn't figure out. She opened her cell phone and quickly left a message for Beat.
I'm going out with Shiki, be back in a bit. Message me if you need anything!
Afterwards, she stepped into the living room and called Shiki, who picked up on the third ring.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Shiki. If Beat calls, tell him I'm with you, okay?"
"Hmm? Where are you going?" Shiki's voice was muffled, she probably had a needle in it and by the pop music in the background, she was most likely at Eri's house.
"I'm…going out with a friend." Rhyme said uneasily.
Shiki giggled. "A boy friend?"
"Er-yeah." It was easier to say that than to explain.
Shiki said something in the background, and Rhyme winced, hearing Eri squeal with her.
"Who's the lucky gentleman?" Eri asked faintly, while Shiki repeated the question.
"I'll tell you later."
"Okay, but I want all the details. We've got your back, have fun!"
Rhyme hung up, and then she smiled apologetically at the smirking Joshua.
"Sorry about that. Let's go." She narrowed her eyes, studying him. She could have sworn he hadn't been wearing a jacket when she had left him alone a minute ago and now he was wearing the light tan jacket she had selected for him back in the mall.
If he noticed her scrutinizing stare, he didn't say anything. He just opened the door and bowed.
"Shall we?"
~***~
"Where exactly are we going?" Rhyme asked him as she slipped elegantly around the hundreds of marching feet, blue eyes lifted toward him.
Joshua smiled, enjoying the confused look on her face. He disliked giving out direct answers if it could be avoided, and of course this could easily be avoided.
"Nowhere in particular."
"Josh…"
"Oh alright. We're going to a store." He replied vaguely.
Rhyme looked like she was going to roll her eyes, but she just smiled instead. "Okay."
Joshua searched the crowds as they walked, picking out Reapers from among the average folks, and Players who were hopelessly wandering the streets, trying to figure out what to do. He winced, glad Rhyme couldn't see, when a Grizzly Noise pounced on a partner-less girl, almost tearing her apart before she escaped. Rhyme walked through the Grizzly, and faintly shivered, as if she had felt it.
Here and there the wind would blow a sharp, biting gust that carried a hint of rain inside it. The scent disturbed the other city smells, ramen, hot dogs, and fumes from the cars…
He paused, noticing Rhyme had stopped somewhere back. He turned around, feigning surprise.
"Oh? Is there a problem, Rhyme?"
Joshua noticed she hesitated in answering, and then she just shook her head and smiled.
"Good. This way, then."
They ended up inside a pet shop, and he smiled at her expression as she paced back and forth from cage to cage, surveying the species in each of their little prisons. He found himself smiling more often in her presence, but that never stopped his mind.
These animals are very similar to some people. They have their own personalities and lives, and each of their worlds end at their cages.
Joshua smirked, rubbing the ears on a fluffy orange kitten.
They are also different from people, peeking through holes in their worlds, trying to desperately get the attention of someone to take them with them, so they can get a home and a family that hopefully will love them. They can't get their own world until someone opens it for them….
"Would you like one?" He said unexpectedly, eyeing her as she bent down to look at something.
Rhyme paused, lifting her head from petting some rabbits in a bin.
"Sorry?"
"Would you like a pet?"
She frowned. "I can't, my family wouldn't be able to support it."
"Hmm, pity." He made a mental note to fix that. Someone like Rhyme didn't deserve to be almost poor.
Rhyme shook her head, studying some singing birds.
"No big deal, I can have plenty of pets at the shelter, and I can make sure each one gets to a good home."
Joshua resisted the urge to make a snide comment, and instead just offered they take a walk.
"A walk sounds fine." She replied, puzzled at his abrupt change of pace.
~***~
They were wandering around one of the green areas of Shibuya, this apparently used to be some old Emperor's private gardens that were now open to the public. The wind had picked up some more, but it had yet to rain. The sky above them was a stormy grey, the sun having long since vanished. It was roughly 1:30 right now, and still Rhyme had no idea where Joshua was taking her, even though he insisted he had a destination in mind.
She wasn't hungry, despite having only eaten toast, and she closed her eyes, just to enjoy the feel of the wind around her, and to listen to the rustling of the trees.
Suddenly, Joshua spoke, his voice close to her ear.
"Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven, having some business, do entreat her eyes, to twinkle in their spheres, 'till they return."
Rhyme froze, and then laughed nervously, stepping a little to the side, a little farther from him.
"Do you know what that is from?"
"Romeo and Juliet." She murmured.
"You read it?" He didn't sound surprised.
Rhyme giggled. "That's right, I do." She clasped her hands together, walking a little down the path. "The star crossed lovers idea is so overused, but I find it sweet. Sometimes I wish it was all real, but then again Shakespeare seemed to favor death scenes…Where are the happy endings in that?"
Joshua laughed, but it sounded humorless. "Oh, for me, life is one long Shakespearian play."
She closed her eyes, stopping near a tree.
He's right. He can't find anyone, can he? We're all alive, and isn't he dead? We're all going to leave Shibuya soon, for whatever life has to give us, but he'll be stuck here, while we grow up and get married…
"Don't give up, you'll find your special somebody."
"Ever consider I might have found her already?" He spoke like this was overly obvious, his tone scathing, slender arms crossed.
"Really?" Rhyme hopped around, staring at him thoughtfully. "Who?"
Joshua started that giggle again, and she realized why Neku thought it could get annoying.
"So naïve, dear Raimu. Try again. How many girls do I know?"
Shiki, Eri, Konishi, and Uzuki. Probably more.
And…me.
When her expression finally changed, Joshua smirked.
"Come on, let's head back to Hachiko's Wish, and I'll tell you what I wished for."
~***~
Rhyme's eyes were on the side of the road, walking close to him as if he was steering her through the crowds.
She blinked, her expression pensive. Sometimes he wondered why she was always thinking, eyes focused on nothing, as if she could call forth her lost dreams with the slightest beckon of her thoughts. He could still hear it now, amid the other thoughts around him, her golden mind now tinged with shadow.
Then, Rhyme would smile at him whenever he caught her eye, closing her eyes in her honest, carefree grin that now seemed slightly less happy-go-lucky…
Oh, but that wouldn't stop the Composer of Shibuya from telling her what he felt. He was going to tell her today anyway, and what better place than a fountain where things supposedly come true? He was irritated with himself for dragging her around town simply because he was reluctant to get to the point, but he had an excuse for that.
The wind hissed loudly, sending a pinkish tint across Rhyme's pale face as she buried her face deeper in her jacket.
"We're here, Rhyme." Joshua informed her, hands clasping around his cell phone in his pocket, resisting the urge to fiddle with it.
"Oh."
They leaned against the fountain, and Rhyme said nothing, patiently waiting for him to speak first.
"So…you want to know what I wished for."
"Mmhmm." She hummed.
He flicked a strand of hair from his face. "Simply put, I wished you would find your dreams Rhyme."
There was a little intake of breath from her, and his smirk widened.
"What did you think I wished for?" He chided. "Honestly."
She stammered for a little bit, and then let it go. "That's sweet of you, Joshua. Thanks."
He put a hand up. "Oh please, it was easy. I'll be disappointed in this fountain if it doesn't work."
Rhyme turned around, brushing her fingers through the cold liquid, looking at the coins on the bottom.
"Can you make wishes come true?" She asked him quietly. Joshua shrugged.
"Can I? Perhaps. It depends on what wish that is, but an even more important question is…why I should. It'd be a waste of time and energy." His voice hardened, despite his best efforts.
He scoffed, thoughts darkening just at the idea of anyone in Shibuya deserving-
Ah wait, the city is a lot better than it once had been. It's clear we need more people like her though.
"Thanks for keeping your promise, and I'm glad your wish came true." She told him.
Snapped out of his thoughts, the Composer raised his eyebrows.
"Pardon, dear Rhyme? You have a dream now?"
"Mmhmm."
"Mind telling me, or do I have to scan you?"
Rhyme looked thoughtful, her eyes flicking to the side. She smiled.
"I can tell you, I guess." She did a little twirl. "I want the whole world to have a dream, there's no such thing as a bad dream, just a bad way to execute it. My dream is for others to find their dream."
"I disagree. If someone wanted to, say, destroy Shibuya…" He trailed off, giggling at her terrified expression.
"Well, do you mean destroy, as in blow up, or destroy, as in get rid of what is already there? Destroying Shibuya could be taken in the form of…say…changing it for the better…destroying the aspects that made it bad…" Even she looked unsure, thin fingers tapping each other.
Suddenly, her phone rang. Rhyme flipped open the device, reading the message.
"Oh, sorry Josh. I've got to go."
"Oh really? Is it an emergency?"
"Beat's feeling worse; I may need to take him to the hospital…"
"I'm afraid you can't."
Was that a glimmer of steel in her eyes?
"I'm sorry? Why not? You said I can go for emergencies!"
"But I didn't say your version of an emergency. I don't see this as an emergency." He said in a dismissive tone, secretly laughing, just to see how she'd react.
"I'll make it up to you later, but I have to go." Rhyme turned around, walking a few steps.
"Raimu, are you going back on your word?"
Rhyme froze, hands clenching at her side before they relaxed.
"N-no. I'll get back to you, but Beat comes first." She prepared to run off, but Joshua grabbed her arm.
"Careful, all of this worry could attract Noise." He reprimanded, as if he was explaining something incredibly simple to a very unintelligent person.
"Please, Joshua." She pleaded.
Well, now or never.
He placed his slender fingers on either side of her face, and he suppressed the urge to smirk at the red blush that spread across her features.
"Raimu, you intrigue me like no one else can." He dropped his voice, smiling, getting directly to the point. "Do you know that? Your thoughts are impossibly pure, despite everything that has happened to you, things you didn't deserve. So, I decided to observe you. I took you to different places today to see how you react to things, and to learn more about you." A brief pause, where he waited for her response, but when she said nothing besides her blush turning deeper, he giggled.
"What, no wise saying?"
"T-there is no nobler occupation in the world than to assist another human being…to help someone else achieve that of which they desire most." She mumbled it at first, but her voice grew stronger at the end.
Joshua puzzled over that statement, and then he nodded slowly. "That's your dream, isn't it? To help others find the way?"
She smiled in response; it was such a soft, nervous smile, as if she was afraid that he'd mock her for it that Joshua felt like laughing.
"Not just the way, their way." Rhyme said.
Joshua cocked his head to the side.
Yes, we do need more people like her.
"I'll be happy to spend my life doing that, starting with Beat. Whom I need to go see." She reached her hands up to gently remove his own hands, but he quickly took her hands in his own, squeezing them gently. Her hands felt much warmer than his…
"Very well, Rhyme. On one condition."
She looked at him curiously, just waiting for the inevitable.
Joshua kissed her, even as the long awaited rain began to fall, moving in slow motion around them as thunder rumbled in the distance.
Almost like a bad omen.
Hesitantly, Rhyme reached up touch his hair, the action so unsure and innocent he wanted to laugh again.
Everything about her was as sweet as she was; in fact, the kiss was so perfect that he considered just letting it go on and on and on…
But he wasn't going to do that. He had a promise to keep.
Joshua pulled away, albeit a bit reluctantly, and smiled.
"Go on, you have to help your brother."
"Joshua…" She looked stunned, her hair flattened to her head by the pouring rain. He gently trailed his fingers across her face, smiling when she lifted her head a bit, eyes closed, then she blushed, blue eyes wide in confusion as she snapped them open, as if unable to believe she had done such a thing.
"Raimu…your brother?" He reminded her.
"O-oh. See you…" She turned to run off into the downpour, and when she looked back, she saw a glint of purple in the darkening maelstrom around her.
When she blinked, nothing was there.
Joshua, safe in the UG, the rain now following easily through him, muttered,
"Meeting you was fate, becoming your friend was choice. But falling in love with you was something I had no control over."
~***~
Later that night, Rhyme couldn't stop Joshua's face from floating across her mind. Whenever her eyes closed, she could imagine the…almost affectionate way he had looked at her by the fountain, and still feel the feather soft touch of his fingers on her face…
She looked out the window at the moon, which was rather lonely looking in the black sky, the harsh city lights blocking out its softer radiance.
I thought Joshua was like the moon in the city, watching over everything, but having no other celestial company…
Even as she watched, a single star appeared beside it. Just one.
Maybe that's how he is now.
That night was the first night he appeared in her dreams. Not as prominent as the rest of her friends, but still there.
Thanks for keeping your promise.
***
This chapter was actually edited quite a lot, but I still don't really like it…
Hmm. Review anyway?
And, no worries LT. You're still the undisputed master of all Joshyme, I mean, if you look up "Perfection" in the dictionary, your name and face is right next to it.
Thanks to everyone that reviewed so far, about two or three more chapters to go. This is about as in character as I can make it, to be honest. School's tomorrow...But I promise an update a week. That should work out fine.