Coup D'Etat

Ch. 6

He had one day left. One day to erase the threat, reclaim his UG, and restore power and order throughout both planes. The constant reminder of his dwindling time remained beating hotly on his palm, invisible to the naked eye, but obvious to the Composer's.

"All right, your break is over," Joshua stated after a moment, getting back up from the couch, arms folding to his chest. "We need to train more to prepare for whatever is coming our way."

Neku struggled into a sitting position and held a hand to his head. His vision had gotten better after the impromptu nap but was still a bit blurry at the edges. The temporary reprieve that sleep had given him felt all too short and he was still far from being fully rejuvenated. "What exactly can we do in less than two days?" he asked, trying to sound less tired than he felt.

"...Neku, are you seriously asking me that?" Joshua deadpanned and rolled his eyes. His hand lifted up and dragged through his hair before once more falling away. "If you can't handle this, say so now and I'll go find some random civilian to take your place."

"Forgive me if I have no fucking clue about what I'm doing," Neku shot back. "You didn't exactly give me a manual with the job." After the biting words left his mouth, he felt a bit of remorse for taking out his frustration on Joshua, but the other boy was too good at ruffling his feathers.

Joshua averted his gaze, saying nothing for a moment. "You do know what you're doing, Neku. No one's been able to listen to my Music before. Not even Megumi."

Neku furrowed his eyebrows. "But... I sort of just... heard it. I didn't consciously know what I was doing."

Joshua rolled his eyes and refused to make eye-contact, still. "Just forget I said anything. Let's just get back to work. Try to fix this," he mumbled and idly tossed a broken, random melody towards Neku.

The Music wafted through the air towards the Conducter, like spider-silk caught by a breeze. Neku reached out a hand and touched it but winced as a harsh grating filled his head. Desperate as he was to get rid of the awful sound, instinct made him reach out and grasp the strand, and he imagined strangling it. To his horror, Neku felt it pulse once as if alive, before it was smothered and dissipated, leaving only silence. "Uh... Joshua? I think I did something wrong."

"I said fix it, not destroy it," Joshua growled and brought a hand up to his temple. Wearily, he rubbed his forehead before sparing a glance at his Conductor. "Fix the melody, don't beat it over the head like Noise." He tossed the red-head another.

This time, Neku concentrated hard on keeping his mental hold on the Music gentle. The melody squirmed and quivered; its notes completely out of synch. The newly minted Conductor squeezed his eyes closed and envisioned the sounds as individual notes on staff lines. As the broken Music flowed through him, he was able to pick out the offending notes and he reached into it and plucked them out. But now the melody was left with gaping holes. His hold on the Music weakening, Neku gave the Composer a helpless look.

"...Must I do everything myself, Neku?" Joshua sighed and walked over to his Conductor, placing a hand gently on the other's shoulder. His pale fingers curled as he closed his eyes, mind drifting to the melody between them. Carefully, he tossed in a few chords and eighth notes in the holes before letting it trickle away into the depths of Shibuya, hopefully doing some good somewhere. However, Joshua remained close, hand still on Neku's forehead, this time focusing on the boy's own Music. He mentally reached out to touch the melody, marveling at its purity, unable to resist stroking and indulging in it.

Neku let out an involuntary gasp as a shiver of crept up his spine. Blinking away stars and feeling inexplicably (but almost pleasantly) lightheaded, the boy's tensed muscles unclenched and his stiff back eased into a comfortable slouch. "Why don't you just tell me how to do it, for once? ...and what did you just do?"

"You have to figure out how to do it yourself, Conductor," Joshua mused under his breath, focusing more so on Neku's music than his voice. He said nothing as he let strands of his own Music mingle with Neku's, letting the two melodies twine together, if only briefly.

The redhead felt the powerful music that was uniquely Joshua's wash over him and overtake his senses. The momentary connection took away his breath and left him feeling strangely alone after it receded. "We... We should get back to the training," he stated shakily.

Joshua nodded and gave one last tug to Neku's Music before removing his own entirely. He stepped back, violet eyes now open. "You have to imagine a correct chord or note to fill in the gaps. Imagine real-music."

"But... I don't know how to write music," Neku admitted with a sigh, the giddiness fading somewhat. "I only listened to it; I didn't take piano lessons as a kid or anything. How am I supposed to know what's the right one to use?"

"It'll sound right to you," Joshua reasoned. He shrugged indifferently and then paused. "Or are you just giving up already, Neku?"

If there was anyone who hated to back down, it was Neku. "I never said I was giving up," he said indignantly. "Let me try again."

"Mmm... convince me to give you another chance," Joshua teased.

Neku impatiently swatted at the other's head. "I don't understand how you can even joke at a time like this," he complained.

Joshua grinned and tapped Neku's nose. "Listen to my Music for a few moments--get used to the way the notes are strung together."

The boy grumbled, but complied. Joshua had an extremely complicated melody, enigmatic with layers upon layers of notes and completely unlike anything he had ever heard before. It was dizzying and at times gave him a bit of a headache but there was a sweet and soothing tune, almost hidden within its depths. "I... I think I sort of get it," Neku spoke up, after several minutes of just listening. After the little exercise, he felt as if he could understand the Composer's intentions a little better.

Joshua nodded. "One more thing before you try again," the Composer advised as he closed his eyes and reached out to Neku's Music again. His mind plucked at a few chords sounding at random intervals. "These right here," he murmured aloud, "are the most effective and easy to use..."

"Er, thanks," Neku said, a little unused at Joshua's helpfulness. He took a deep breath. "Ok. I'm ready to try again."

Joshua pulled back yet again, hand finally slipping off Neku's shoulder. He tossed him another melody, eyes carefully watching him.

Once more, Neku reached out, cradling the warped strand of Music. Concentrating as hard as he could, he removed the flawed sounds and coaxed the remainder of the notes until they settled, the tortured sounds fading into a simple, tinkling melody that reminded the boy of rain. Energy spent, Neku just held the Music and marveled at the transformation. He lifted his head and met Joshua's gaze with wide eyes.

"Good job, Neku" Joshua lilted. "Perhaps I should give my Conductor a prize for being such a talented boy?"

"No thank you," Neku declined politely as he let the strand escape back into the depths of the UG. "I don't think I'll like your prizes."

Joshua feigned a pout. "You're no fun," he decided and let his gaze wander away from Neku's. "Neku, once this fiasco ends, you are still going to be my Conductor, right?"

Genuinely perplexed, Neku asked, "What else would I be? I was under the impression that this was for keeps."

"Good," Joshua breathed out, visibly more relieved than he wanted to be.

Neku raised an eyebrow. "You didn't think I was just going to... I dunno, walk out on you after we clean up this mess?"

"Of course. You'd want your normal life back and to be free of the UG once again," Joshua pointed out with an indifferent shrug.

In truth, Neku wasn't sure if that was what he really wanted anymore. "I... I don't... That doesn't matter; I chose this." He attempted a casual shrug that was more of an awkward jerk of his shoulders. "Besides, it's not like you'd let me hand in any resignation papers."

"If you don't want to be around me, I won't hold you in the UG against your will," Joshua stated apathetically and pinched his fingers together, messy bangs concealing his pale eyes.

Realization slowly dawned on the redhead. The Composer was... actually afraid that he would leave him. Sighing, Neku pushed himself off the couch, unsure of how to console the other boy. "Hey, I'm supposed to be the emo one, remember?" he joked feebly, and gave Joshua a light punch on the arm. "I said I chose this."

"Neku... there's something I think I--"

Joshua was cut short when the door opened. The Composer's gaze drifted over to the form that now stood in it. Hanekoma wore a deep frown, looking far more weary and troubled than ever before. Joshua cocked a brow, temporarily forgetting what he was going to tell Neku, and instead concentrating on his Producer.

"Is something wrong, Sanae?" Joshua questioned, tearing his gaze from Neku.

"I think you and Phones need to hear somethin'," the cafe owner decided as he walked across the small room and took a seat on the couch that the pair had earlier been on.

Though he was a little off balance from the sudden interruption, Neku went right to business. Turning away from Joshua, he fixed his idol with a look of concern. "What is it, Mr. H? Did something happen?"

"Not recently, no Phones," Sanae murmured, rubbing his nape with a shrug.

"We don't have time to be ambiguous, Sanae. Now, tell us," the Composer demanded, refusing to look to his Conductor briefly.

"How should I start this?..."

"...The beginning?" Joshua suggested and sat close next to Neku, feeling the need to 'prepare' himself for whatever the Angel was going to announce.

Neku worried his lip in apprehension. Something told him that he wouldn't like whatever it was.

Joshua absently curled his fingers around Neku's slim wrist, without once passing his gaze. "Go on."

"...The kid you're dealin' with, crazy guy?" Joshua nodded. "Well...it's kind of my fault."

"...Pardon?" Joshua stated slowly, arching a brow. "Your fault?" he echoed skeptically.

"You see...a few months back, the kid came to me talkin' about these odd symbols floatin' about and monsters that disappeared at random. And these spells, he called them, that made the monsters vanish. He reminded me of you, Josh. Able to see into the UG while being alive. We talked some over those months. He learned about the UG and I learned about him. I thought he'd be perfect as a Conductor. He had that feel, you know? A mixture of both you and Phones." He shrugged and chuckled uneasily. "I taught him how to change his frequency so that he could enter the UG alive. Bad move on my part, I suppose...didn't know the kid was out for blood and power..."

Dead, stilted silence met the Producer's explanation.

Neku stared at the man in abject horror. "Why," he whispered brokenly, "why are you telling us this now, Mr. H?" He buried his face in his hands, unable to muster up the energy to scream or come to terms with what the Angel just revealed.

"Sanae..." Joshua seemed far more reserved and unperturbed by the information. "...I thank you for trying to help me, but you should have been aware that I wouldn't allow anyone the position apart from Neku."

Sanae sighed. "I was willing to try for Shibuya."

Joshua laughed emptily. "I seem to always bring destruction to Shibuya and the ones closest to it for my own selfish reasons..."

Neku powered up a glare and aimed it at the Composer. "Stop blaming yourself. It's not your fault. You didn't know this was going to happen."

Joshua growled under his breath and dropped Neku's wrist. He got to his feet and headed towards the door. "I'm going for a walk. No further than Cat Street. I'll be back in five minutes."

"...Boss," Sanae grumbled, watching Joshua leave the room and the cafe. His gaze drifted back to Neku with a frown. "Go after him if you want..."

Now would be a really bad time for one of Joshua's tantrums. Neku got up and walked briskly to the door. "Of course I will," he answered firmly, but then hesitated in the doorway. "Mr. H...? I... I don't blame you. It's not your fault either." And left.

Sanae nodded and leaned back against the couch, shaking his head. "Damn...and I thought I couldn't get any deeper in trouble than I already was for Minamimoto." With a shrug, he left the room and headed back to the bar itself to make himself a cup of coffee.

Outside, Joshua was quietly walking, arms hugged tightly to his chest.

Though the other boy had a bit of a head start, Neku soon caught up to him but made no move to talk. Keeping a few feet between them, the Conductor followed his Composer silently.

Joshua stopped at the corner, already knowing Neku was behind him. He said nothing, uncertain what to say for the first time ever.

Neku continued to watch the silver haired boy's back, providing a quiet but reassuring presence.

Joshua turned around, saying nothing. His gaze did not meet Neku's. Rather unexpectedly, the silveret moved closer and simply leaned against the other, resting his head against the side of Neku's.

The spiky-haired boy stiffened slightly at the initial contact, more out of surprise than anything. Slowly, he relaxed into the odd sort of embrace, even bringing up a hand to Joshua's shoulder.

Joshua breathed in deeply, eased into relaxation due to Neku's Music and Soul being so close. Before he realized what he was doing entirely, the silveret tilted his head and claimed Neku's lips in his own briefly, hands rest barely on his hips.

Neku blinked slowly as he registered the other's audacity. Gently, he pushed at Joshua's shoulders until they separated with a small plop. "Does that mean you're feeling better?" he asked dryly.

Joshua stared at Neku, saying nothing. "What do you think?" he quipped, gaze now meeting Neku's.

Neku let out a long suffering sigh. "You have way too much fun harassing me."

"You can't deny it was a nice kiss." Joshua's smug demeanor returned, for reasons unknown, as he walked behind Neku, headed back to Wildkat.

"I wouldn't know. Don't have anything to compare it with," Neku grumbled.

A small smirk crept up onto the Composer's lips. "I was your first kiss, Neku?"

"That was what I said, wasn't it?" Neku bit out, a tad irritated. Perhaps he should have protested a bit more. Now the ass was bound to try to make a habit of it.

Joshua giggled and leaned over and stole another kiss, lingering, before pulling back, proving Neku very correct. "Oh my Conductor, you're so amusing."

Neku twitched, clapping a hand over his mouth to dissuade further violating of his mouth. He glanced around to see if they had been spotted by anyone he knew and stopped. "Joshua... Why is the street completely empty?"

Joshua paused, glancing around curiously. "...More than likely his doing," he sighed and absently glanced down to his hand where an invisible timer lay. "Never thought I'd actually have one of these."

"A bit of a change from the usual, isn't it?" Neku quipped, rubbing his own palm and feeling the phantom ache from his days in the Game. Then he frowned. "Hey... There were still people out here when we left the Wildkat a few minutes ago."

"...That's really not good," Joshua stated quickly under his breath and grabbed Neku's hand this time, dragging the red-head back with him to the cafe.

As luck would have it, the two of them slammed painfully into an invisible barrier that cut the area in half with the Wildkat Café being on the opposite side.

"S-Shit," Neku growled, slamming a fist into the wall. "They blocked us off!"

"Damnit..." Joshua cursed and interlaced their fingers together before dragging Neku back the way they came, body aching from the collision. He refused to stop hurrying or to drop Neku's hand.

"Where are we going to go?" Neku yelled as they ran. Already, he could feel the beginnings of the twisted Music that the Rogues were fashioned from gather around them.

Joshua didn't answer and continued sprinting. He dragged Neku through Shibuya, headed towards the Scramble at a surprising speed. Once there, he headed straight across the busy shopping area, past Hachiko and down towards the Shibuya River.

Before he could get on the road that would lead them to the sewers, a dark-pelted wolf lunged at him, paws being nothing more than sharp edges. "Neku, get to the river!" the silveret demanded and pushed Neku out of the way of the wolf's next swipe, taking the blunt of the blow.

"Joshua!" Neku cried out. Stubbornly, he went straight back to the other's side, checking for injuries. Facing the warped Noise and pulling out a mastered Lightning Rook, he focused his energy into it, knowing for sure that it would work. "I said I wasn't going to leave you. We're going together!"

Joshua watched weakly as the noise vanished. He was about to reply with a growl to Neku's statement but was cut short when another wolf leaped towards them. Quickly, the Composer shot at the wolf with a carefully cast beam, almost grinning when it disappeared.

"We need to get there," Joshua stated harshly and tugged on Neku's hand, dragging him once more towards the River.

"Why are we going to the River?" Neku demanded as they shot through the Underpass, occasionally stopping to fight off Noise that got too close.

When they finally arrived at the river, the small stream that separated parts of the sewer, Joshua tightened his hold on Neku's hand. "If something happens, tell Kariya that you're in charge," he stated, looking to Neku with rather distant eyes before closing his eyes and using every ounce of energy in his body to dangerously change both his and Neku's frequencies, the change being his last resort.

"What do you mean, 'if anything happens'?" Neku demanded, yanking his hand away as soon as he felt the shifts in the Composer's Music, before the change could fully take place. "Tell me what you're trying to do, Joshua!"

Joshua paused all together, opening his eyes to stare at Neku. "I'm going to manually change our frequencies. I don't know how badly it'll effect me, considering it's quite a bit of work with the UG weakened, but it's better than nothing," the silveret quipped.

Neku gave the other a rather reproachful look. "You... you were going to risk yourself again! Damnit, you have to tell me before you do something like that. Last time you couldn't even manage your own Frequency; you're not going to try to change mine too!"

Joshua's eyes narrowed slightly before he turned his back to Neku, taking out his cell phone. He dialed in a number absently and lifted it to his ear. After a few words with his Producer regarding the current 'wall situation' and 'rogue noise' that only they seemed to be encountering and seeing, he hung up, looking a bit more flustered than before.

"What did he say?" Neku asked anxiously, restlessly shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

Joshua sighed and shook his head. "Things just seem to keep getting worse..." He looked over his shoulder to his Conductor, eyes far more distant than usual. "Neku...if the time comes and things look bleak, I want you to erase me."

For a moment, Neku's heart forgot how to beat. "That's not funny, Joshua."

"I'm rather serious," Joshua responded. "Instead of seeing Shibuya destroyed and ultimately dying a shameful death, I'd rather die at the hands of someone I--...I respect," he murmured.

"That...that's just..." Neku shook his head in denial, his expression concealed beneath his bangs. "That's just... so damn selfish of you!" he yelled. "How... how can you ask that of me?" Something glinted in the dim light as it rolled off his cheek onto the pavement.

"I shot you twice, Neku. The least you could do is return the favor if the time comes," Joshua murmured, tone emotionless. He shifted awkwardly, having only vaguely noticed the condition the other was in.

"I couldn't do it then, what makes you think I can do it now, you bastard?!" Neku choked out. He had clenched his fists so hard that thin trails of blood ran down his fingers.

Joshua sucked in a shaky breath, seemingly unperturbed from the outside. Quietly, the Composer walked back over to his Conductor. He reached out wordlessly and took one of Neku's hands, saying nothing. He did not proceed to interlace their fingers nor stroke it--just held it in his own. "What was I thinking? I really don't deserve an honorable erasure after the things I've done to this city."

"That's not what I meant, you dumbass!" Neku snarled, and a second later he tackled the other to the ground and held him down, hoping to shake some sense into him. "You don't deserve to be erased. Don't fucking talk like you're going to die! If you die, there won't be a fucking city left. And I--" Neku broke out of his angry tirade to glare at a spot on the empty wall. "Just... don't talk like that, you idiot."

Joshua said nothing for a long moment. "It's wise to plan for the worst and hope for the best," he stated slowly, unable to meet Neku's gaze right away. "It's foolish to act as if we're both going to come out of this thing unscathed."

"In that case," Neku said calmly. "Both of us will come out of this, or not at all."

"...Why are you willing to die for me, Neku?" Joshua questioned, unmoving.

"I..." Neku couldn't answer right away. He closed his eyes and thought back to his weeks in the Game. He thought of Rhyme who was erased by the shark Noise to save Beat. He thought of Beat, who had once dived in front of a car to save Rhyme, and later, in front of him to take the brunt of an attack by a possessed Shiki. And lastly, he thought of Joshua who had pushed him out of the way of Pi-Face's psych. "Because... some things... are just more precious than life."

"You have no idea," Joshua breathed, seemingly lost in his own thoughts for a moment as he laid against the cold ground, eyes shut. "I'm honored you still consider me a friend after all of this."

Growing a bit uncomfortable at the sappy direction their conversation was heading, Neku fidgeted. "Yeah. Well." He cleared his throat. "Let's... Let's talk about what we're going to do now. And don't ask me to kill you again."

Joshua nodded absently. "Sanae informed me, a bit belatedly, that our little friend managed to break through the first line of defenses at the River," he murmured, gesturing with his eyes around them. "There's another shield, at the end before the Conductor's room. I want to get us both there before anything else happens. Hopefully there I'll be able to change frequencies more easily...that is, if I can enter it in the RG."

The thought that Psycho had gotten so far in such a short time was unnerving. "Then we'd better get going," Neku decided. "Let's hope we don't run into anything on our way."

Joshua nodded but then paused. "...Neku, I can't really move with you on top of me like this. I won't deny the fact that I'm enjoying it but..." he hummed, a bit more life flooding back into his voice as he managed a small giggle.

Flushing a horrified red, Neku flung himself off of the other boy, landing painfully a meter away on his ass. He twitched, wondering why he had ever thought of the insufferable Composer charitably. "I'm glad to see you're feeling better. But why is it always at my expense?"

"Mm... maybe I just like you," Joshua pondered aloud with a smirk as he arose from the ground. The silveret gracefully walked over to Neku and extended a hand.

"I doubt it," Neku muttered. Grudgingly, the redhead grabbed the proffered hand and let himself be pulled up, but quickly let go afterwards, still feeling awkward. Jaw set, he stalked off ahead to their destination.

Joshua giggled a second time before following behind his partner moments later, hands nestled back into his pockets. "Neku, are you blushing?"

"NO!" Neku hollered without an ounce of hesitation. He was lying.

"Come now, Neku. It's normal for a boy of your age to start to develop ah...how should I put this?..." He didn't stop giggling.

"Don't finish that sentence!" Neku warned, turning even redder.

"Unexplainable desires," Joshua finished regardless.

Neku twitched. "Oh, I think I can explain this desire. It's called wanting to punch your face in."

Joshua shook his head. "And you blush when you want to inflict pain?"

"This," said Neku, gesturing at his face, "is red because I'm angry."

Joshua snickered to himself. "Somehow, I don't believe you."

"Gah," Neku replied in frustration. He really shouldn't have bothered.

"Hm... am I really that unattractive of a person, Neku?" Joshua questioned with a hum, walking alongside the red-head now as they continued down along the side of the sewer.

This made the Conductor growl and speed up... rather childishly. "No way. I'm not answering that."

"And why not?" Joshua huffed, arms crossing to his chest as he faithfully followed.

"Because... Because I don't want to!" came the agitated answer.

Joshua offered a smirk at the other. "Oh, but you'll let me kiss you and not throw a fit," he lilted.

He knew he should have protested. A lot more. "That's only because you'd get a kick out of making me scream at you."

"Mm...perhaps screaming my name in another context, yes" Joshua agreed with a firm nod, eyes sparkling with a mixture of mischief and playfulness.

"JOSHUA!" Neku bellowed, shaking a fist at the Composer in outrage.

"Hm. Next time try to moan a bit," Joshua suggested, shrugging his shoulders as he held back a grin.

"You... you're so impossible!" The poor boy positively howled.

"Neku, honestly, you need to learn to relax," Joshua urged.

"... I don't think now's a good time to be doing it," Neku complained.

Joshua was about to remark but was cut short when a chuckle interrupted his thoughts. The Composer froze, eyes narrowing at the demonic noise that drifted about like an unsung melody.

"So I was right..." the male stated as he stepped closer to the pair, his red-hood still pulled tightly over his head.

"Shit, not you again!" Neku reacted by pushing Joshua behind him, a pin at ready.

"Boss will really be impressed if I manage to take ya both out at once," the man sniggered from the shadows of his hood, black wings extending, clear as day in the RG.

"If you're going to insist on fighting for me," Joshua stated abruptly, stepping close to Neku's back to whisper in his ear, "let me channel some of my power through you."

"You should save your energy, Josh," Neku replied in an undertone, sparks beginning to appear at his fingertips. "I think I can handle this guy. He's not that tough."

"I have plenty of energy," Joshua remarked stubbornly as he rested his hand on the back of Neku's arm. The pads of his fingers illuminated in the darkness, a faint white, transferring some of his power into his ex-proxy.

"You two really think you can beat me?" the Reaper chuckled and cocked his head, dark tendrils forming around him. "No wonder Shibuya's in rough shape--you two are morons."

One hand clutching at a Distortion pin, Neku lashed out with his other, sending electric charges at his enemy's limbs. "You're way too overconfident!"

The Reaper howled in surprise, clutching his now wounded arm. "Since when did...did you get so damn powerful?!"

Joshua giggled under his breath, possessively keeping his fingers wrapped around Neku's arm. "I think he's complimenting you, dear."

"Yay," Neku cheered in an unenthusiastic monotone. Wanting to press his advantage, Neku swapped his Discharge psych for Pyrokinesis, materializing a towering wall of blue flames and hurtled them at the Reaper.

The Reaper shifted to the side and was hit, regardless, with the scorching flames. "Shit..." he groaned and shot a few shards of ice towards the other.

"Neku..." Joshua warned and lifted his free hand, throwing up a shield to keep his Conductor from being hit.

The redhead nodded at his partner in thanks. He fished out yet another random pin from his pocket and grinned when he saw what it was. Now drawing on the Grizzly pin, he screamed out his frustration and in doing so, sent out a powerful shockwave that sent the Reaper back, along with the Rogues that he had summoned. Despite their dire situation, Neku realized that he had missed this; the adrenalin pumping through his veins and the thrill of fighting a life or death battle. "Still think we can't beat you?"

"...Is...that all you got?" the Reaper groaned, struggling to get up from his feet.

Joshua said nothing to Neku and lifted his hand, eyes suddenly dark and void of emotion. The Composer glowed momentarily, now beside his partner. Within seconds, the Reaper vanished into a dark cloud of erasure, leaving a few Rogue Noise creatures to scurry away in fear and pain.

"That's..." Neku blinked, surprised by the rather abrupt defeat. "...sort of nifty."

Joshua was silent for a second. "Don't ask me to do it again," he stated distantly before turning around and heading further into the sewer, glow disappearing.

"I'll keep that in mind," Neku sighed, trailing after him. It looked like it had taken quite a toll on the Composer. "Why didn't you let me finish that guy off instead?"

"Because taking lives eventually makes you a less than pleasant person," Joshua answered apathetically and shrugged his shoulders, staring deeply into the sewer.

Neku looked at his feet, unable to bring himself to look at the other's back any longer. "I... I killed so many of your Reapers. Ram Crotch, Iron Face and... A whole bunch of other guys during that last week."

"Don't dwell on it, Neku," Joshua murmured and shrugged again. "Let's just finish this."

"Yeah..." Neku agreed over his rising anxiety. He swallowed, steeling himself for the final boss battle. "Let's."

Joshua nodded and crossed the last few feet of the sewer. His gaze settled upon a grimy wall, violet eyes narrowing. Carefully, the Composer set his hand gently on it, letting his body glow faintly. A slight breeze ruffled through his hair and clothes as he closed his eyes, concentrating on the wall. After a moment, he cracked open an eye to look at his Conductor, body and skin still glowing.

Neku turned slightly pink for a moment. Radiating with ethereal light and with his gossamer-like hair framing his face in a halo, Joshua truly was a stunning sight. He quickly banished the absurd notion. "How is it? Can we get through?"

"I need you to focus your power on the door, too," Joshua instructed, eyes settling solely upon his Conductor. "It won't open if you don't as well."

"I can do that," Neku replied with confidence. Placing his palm on the wall, he unconsciously mirrored Joshua's pose as his eyes flew shut in concentration.

Joshua closed his eyes again. He seemed deep in thought for a moment until his body pulsed brightly with a faint yellow burst, something not brought on by just power. The outlining of a door appeared moments later as the Composer's body returned to its normal appearance.

"You ready, Neku?"

A wry smile tugged at the redhead's lips. "What do you think?"

Joshua nodded and then paused. Before opening the door that was fairly reminiscent of the one from the third week, he looked to his Conductor. Wordlessly, he slipped his hand into his pocket and removed an extremely small letter. He smirked faintly, handing it to his Conductor.

"Don't open it until this is over, okay Conductor?" He didn't wait for an answer and opened the door to the Dead God's pad.

Neku glanced at the letter in sheer bafflement, before stowing it safely in a pocket. Why couldn't Joshua just tell him whatever was written on it? Taking a deep breath, he stepped through the large ornate doors and into blinding light.

A surge of power rushed through the Composer at once. Quickly, he stole his Conductor's wrist and set about changing their frequencies, the added power of the River making the feat possible and far less dangerous.

A wave of vertigo made Neku stumble as the world around him wavered, momentarily winking out of existence before coming back in focus. The only thing that kept him grounded was the solid grip on his wrist. He blinked to clear his vision only to see about a hundred Reapers blinking back at him in utter shock.

When Joshua arrived in the UG, he purposely raised his Frequency further so that none of the Reapers saw his true-RG form, and instead the glowing, older, ethereal form. "Neku, introduce yourself," he urged, voice deeper in this form.

Neku spun around at the unfamiliar voiced and just gaped, resisting the urge to cry out something embarrassing. Oh, Composer, duh. Quickly collecting himself, he faced the silent mass of Reapers who were all glaring at him. "I..." He gulped. Why didn't Joshua ever tell him anything important?

Joshua sighed. "This is your new Conductor," he explained simply, his hand never having fallen from Neku's wrist.

Neku fidgeted, unused to being gawked at by so many people. He raised a hand, feeling lame. "Hi."

"Ph-Ph-Phones?!" shrieked a hooded Reaper who Neku identified as Tenho.

"You'll respect him and abide by every command he gives you," Joshua stated slowly and glanced around. "Kariya? Are you still here?"

"Right over here, Composer, sir," came the unmistakable lazy drawl from the ex-Conductor from somewhere in the frantically murmuring crowd. Kariya raised a hand, partly in greeting and partly to be seen.

The Composer nodded.

"S-s-sir you can't be serious. He's not even dead," Uzuki interrupted, eyes narrowing as she tried not to meet her superior's gaze.

"I'm quite serious," Joshua deadpanned. "Are you questioning my judgment, Uzuki?"

"No sir!" she chirped and gave a salute before grumbling to herself.

Kariya patted his partner comfortingly on the shoulder with a gentle hand. His other held his beanpaste. "You'll get your promotion, Uzuki."

"Neku, as your first order, I want you to instruct all the Reapers to report back to Pork City. This battle is ours alone," the Composer stated quietly to Neku.

Neku frowned uncertainly, overwhelmed by the how sudden everything was. He was definitely in over his head with this Conductor thing. He faced the room and in doing so, became aware of the onslaught of mostly hostile stares, though there were a few encouraging ones. In his peripheral vision, he caught sight of the leader of Def March giving him a thumbs up.

Taking a deep breath, Neku took a step forward and the room quieted immediately. No matter how much the Reapers didn't like it, none of them dared to question the Composer's judgment. "I... I want you all of you guys to re-station at Pork City." Neku forced the words out, trying and failing to channel Megumi Kitaniji.

"But!" Uzuki reasoned but was silenced from an intense stare from the Composer. "Oh, all right," she sighed heavily and snapped her fingers, disappearing at once.

The various Reapers looked over at each other and shrugged, following Uzuki's lead. One by one, they disappeared until only Kariya was left. The lazy Reaper gave Joshua a nod before turning to Neku. "I'm glad you said yes," he offered before he too vanished.

Neku stared at the spot that Kariya just vacated. He wasn't sure if he was glad.

Upon the Reapers' leave, Joshua's frequency lowered so that he was once more standing beside Neku in his RG-form. "Sticklers aren't they?" he sighed dramatically.

Relief flooded Neku at not having to bear the scrutiny of his, oh shit; they were going to be subordinates, weren't they? He turned back to the Composer's now familiar form. "Some warning would have been nice," he pointed out, glaring.

"But that would have been no fun," the silveret giggled and dropped Neku's wrist at once. "We're going to wait for him in the Room of Reckoning," he stated softly, the humor fading.

Neku nodded jerkily. "Ok," he agreed, just as soft. "You up for this?"

"Of course," Joshua replied at once, though deep down he wasn't entirely certain. Quietly, the Composer headed towards the black door at the end of the room. Once there, he looked to Neku quietly and then to the door before opening it without a word.

The Conductor of Shibuya took slow, careful steps forward until he was next to his Composer. He gritted his teeth. "This is it, then?"

"That it is," Joshua agreed solemnly and closed his eyes, listening to the faint Music of the city. "If something happens to me, I want you to take my place."

"Oh, shut up," Neku replied in exasperation. "Nothing's going to happen to you."

"So naive, Neku," Joshua sighed and shook his head, flexing his hand in front of him.

"It's called 'faith'," Neku explained.

Joshua glanced over at Neku for a moment, surveying the Conductor. "Whatever you say, Neku."

Neku sighed again. "Let's just go in."