X Days -Marked- Chapter 10: 7th Day, a world ends with you fanfic

Chapter X - Prelude

Room of Reckoning
04:02 until Time Zero
04:01…
04:00…

I have seen a great deal of strangeness in my time.

In fact, from my first moments in the Scramble Crossing… I've seen nothing but strangeness. And as the days flew by, the oddities only increased in number.

'Amnesia'?

'Reaper's Game'?

'CHECKMATE'?

It all seemed so silly. Surely this couldn't be my life; it had to be some nonsensical dream, some kind of fairy tale… Written by another's hand.

And yet… As I knelt beside the body of my Partner, Magokoro Muki, lying motionless upon the harsh, stone floor … I knew that I would have given anything to go back. To let the halcyon days continue on, forever and ever… How content I would have been.

… But all things come to an end.

All things live.

And all things die.

Life is not a fairy tale.

Nobody is guaranteed a 'happy ending', regardless of how much or how little one may deserve it.

None of this is a case of 'good' or 'bad'.

Nor a case of 'righteous' and 'evil'.

It's simply the way that things are.

6th Day: Part III
Pork City
21:04:33 until Time Zero
21:04:32…
21:04:31…

Reaper Side

As it had done countless times before, the air rippled and burst apart, opening a void to the Imaginary Plane. Almost immediately, somebody was forced, backwards, out of the portal.

That somebody was 'Katy'.

"Ow…!" Involuntarily, the young Player let out a grunt as she hit the rooftop; using her shoulder as a lever, the girl utilized her momentum to roll backwards, up onto her feet. "Didn't see that coming…" She had no time to gather herself, however; another figure flew out of the passageway. "Magokoro!" She exclaimed, readying herself to catch her Partner, 'Magokoro Muki'. "Got you- whuff!" Katy's reassuring cry was interrupted by Muki's full weight knocking her off of her feet, causing her to once again fall back down. Hello again, rooftop… Nice to see you, too. She silently remarked, noting the solid, physical state of the world, compared to that of the unusual place that she had just been.

Player Side

Imaginary Plane
21:04:42 until Time Zero
21:04:41…
21:04:40…

"Go, Mr. Mew!"
"Get her, Piggy!"

The force of Sakuraba and Misaki's Fusion sent out a rippling wave of wind; instinctively, I raised my arm in front of my face. Did that do it? The thought entered my mind just as quickly as it left; a flash of light burst out from beneath Mr. Mew's arm, momentarily blinding me.

Swash!

Startled, I felt the sensation of a blade passing through me, as if I had been bisected from shoulder to hip. My hand flew to my torso, but upon examining myself, I found that I was still completely intact. "What was…?" I had no time to understand what had just happened, however; from behind me, a sound caught my attention; like one of fabric tearing. Throwing a glance backwards, I saw that a shimmering gateway had been torn into the wall; an otherworldly passageway that led to…

"Watch out!" Sakuraba's warning brought my focus back to my front.

Just in time, I raised my arms and stopped the Queen's strike from connecting with my face; her katana's pommel buried itself into the back of my left hand with an unbelievable force, pushing me off my centre of gravity. That's going to leave a mark…! With that thought, I was unceremoniously thrown through the tear, out of the Imaginary Plane, and returned to the 'real' Shibuya.

Pork City

21:04:21 until Time Zero
21:04:20…
21:04:19…

"Magokoro… If you would kindly get off of me…" I wheezed; he had made some light-hearted comment on my weight, earlier… It seemed far more appropriate that I should say it here.

"Sorry about that…" Magokoro rolled to his right, allowing air to once again enter my lungs. "You alright?" Getting to his feet, he offered a hand to help me get to my own.

Wasting no time, I allowed him to pull me up. "We should get back to the battle…" I trailed off; my eyes flitted back to the portal to the Imaginary Plane, just in time to see it close. "Did she just…?"

"What'd you think she was doin'?" Magokoro grunted, stretching his arms. "Yeah. She just locked us out of the battlefield, so to speak."

"How-… Why would she do such a thing…?" Disbelief ran through me. The possibility had not occurred to me; such a stratagem was beyond the scope of my imagination. 'Actually forcing us to discontinue participation in the fight'… As childish as it was, I found myself thinking that it wasn't very fair of the Queen to do this. As if I had expected an 'honourable' bout. What made me expect that, I wonder?

"CHECKMATE doesn't follow the code of the Bushido, Katy," Magokoro stated simply, now nonchalantly cracking his knuckles, "they'll do whatever it takes to achieve their goals, and if that includes cutting the enemy's forces in half…" He paused, and looked around the area. "… Then of course, they'll take that action, without hesitation."

"I… Ugh…!" I berated myself. In truth, it was a totally legitimate plan, and one that we should have anticipated… After all, there was no reason not to separate us… "… Wait…" I changed gears from 'frustrated' to 'uneasy', in a moment. "Magokoro… Why did she do that?"

"Hm?" Magokoro's attention seemed to be elsewhere; he was looking around Pork City's spacious rooftop, as if checking for potential threats. "I already said; it's a better situation for her, if she only has to deal with two opponents, rather than four-"

"No, that's not what I meant…" I rested a finger on my lip, and tilted my head down, thoughtful. "… If she wanted to take the 'more advantageous' route, why didn't she just pull Sakuraba and Misaki into the Imaginary Plane, rather than all of us at once? She could've avoided a four-on-one conflict from the beginning… In fact," another idea crossed my mind, "couldn't the Queen have dealt with us one at a time? Even the Rook and the Bishop had no obligation to fight… 'Beat' and 'Rhyme' on fair terms; if they each took a Player into the Imaginary Plane with them, they would have secured an easy victory for themselves, after all, a Player can only fight with a Partner."

"Don't forget," Magokoro chose this moment to get a word in, stopping my train of thought, "they're ex-Players; but even then, you can't pull Partners into separate Planes; their Pact keeps them together."

"Okay, that still doesn't explain why the Queen chose to pull the four of us in with her, rather than dealing with us two at a time; an undeniably lesser task."

"Who knows?" Magokoro shrugged. "She probably thought that she could take us all at once, but changed her mind after she got hit with Neku and Shiki's Fusion-"

"That's another thing, actually…" I spoke again; I didn't mean to be rude or aggressive in any manner… I was mostly thinking out loud; something that I had not done much of, for the majority of the game. "… The Queen got hit by their Fusion." I looked back up. "For someone as cautious as the second-in-command of CHECKMATE, it seems odd that she allowed herself to be hit by an attack of that degree… And I don't think she underestimated the four of us, either."

"… They do seem to know these… ex-Players…" Magokoro ceased his calisthenics, and scratched the back of his neck. "But the Queen wouldn't have that good of an idea of how strong we are, right?"

"No, that's not entirely correct," I shook my head, "while this is indeed the first time that we've encountered the Queen, we faced off against the Bishop on Day 4. If you'll recall." I thought back to when the Game Master and the Bishop had duelled each other; neither one had seemed to go beyond testing the other, and yet, they were certainly on an already very high level… "That skirmish ended in her retreat, so I'm sure that the Queen was able to grasp our general level of ability through her subordinate-" I stopped dead in my tracks.

I stopped talking.

I stopped breathing.

All the muscles in my body contracted, forcing my body into a noticeably motionless state.

"Uh… Kate?" Magokoro, having noticed something wrong, waved a hand in front of my face. "You okay there, girl?"

My blood ran cold. The world didn't make sense. Nothing did. Out of all the surprises and twists and turns that the Reaper's Game had provided for me up to this point, this was, by far, the hardest hitting and most unsettling…

"You're… Kinda freakin' me out, Katy." Magokoro chuckled nervously, as my wide eyes stared, unfocused, into the distance. The revelation had hit me.

I knew the Game Master.

I just hadn't made the connection until now.

In fact, he was the one who had suggested that I travel to Shibuya… Not only that, but he was the one who had taken me there.

Yes… Out of all of the places that I had been in my life, it seemed that I had met him in the most unexpected of places.

The bus driver, 'Mr. Gentleman'… He was the ringleader of this nightmarish Reaper's Game.

Reaper Side

"Katy, over there!" Muki's alarmed voice rang out; after a bit of effort, he had found what he was looking around for. Katy, meanwhile, wasn't even allowed a moment to process the revelation that had just hit her.

"Uh… What?" Still in shock, it was all that she could do to muster a reply; if not for the urgency in her Partner's voice, it's likely that she would've said nothing at all.

"Against the AC units!" Muki ran off, sprinting past Katy without saying anything else.

"What's…?" Katy reacted sluggishly, taking a second or two to turn around and follow him. Her mind was struggling to contain all of the thoughts racing through it. The Game Master didn't seem to recognize me on Day 4; did he forget that we'd met? Why was the working as a bus driver? Was he not in the Game at that point in time? He didn't have wings, like other Reapers in the UG-… Wings…! That girl and the three musicians all had Reaper Wings! Were they Reapers, too? But I was in the RG back then, and I could see them… I wasn't in the Game, back then… Right? I can't have been, since people on the bus, and that 'Eri' girl in Dogenzaka could all talk to me… What is going on…?

Back when the Reaper's Game had first started, Katy's mental state could have been summed up in a few words: 'Unstable'… 'Volatile'… 'Self-Destructive'… Any one of those would be accurate, truly. The loss of one's memories is no trifling matter; to wake up one day, and realize that you don't recall ever going to sleep in the first place… It frightened her. She looked inside herself and saw nothing but an abyss; a vast, empty void where her life should have been, could have been… And when she gazed long enough into the abyss, the abyss gazed back.

What could she do?

She had no idea how to help her fellow Players, she couldn't even help herself. Despite her best efforts, Katy was undoubtedly still being guided, led by the hand, through the Reaper's Game by her Partner, Magokoro Muki. She knew this full well; she had accepted this fact some time back… When, exactly, is uncertain, but what's important is that at a certain point in time, Katy had come to fully trust Magokoro Muki. She had decided that she would keep moving forward with him, no matter what; she didn't have to be the strongest, nor the smartest Player, not the most helpful, nor even the team optimist… Whether or not she had proved to be of little use in the Reaper's Game, Katy was content with trusting in her Partner, believing that he would overcome this twisted Game. Everyone would surely survive; that's all that mattered.

In the end, hope would defeat despair; the four of them would leave this horrible place, and walk on to a better tomorrow… She honestly, truly believed in this idealistic outcome, with all of her heart.

Katy had never considered that a worse outcome could come about.

Maybe she just didn't want to.

That's why the sight of Muki cradling a mangled Koushi Tetsuyou hit her so much harder.

Player Side

What… This can't…

…

…
Once again, I felt my surroundings slow to a crawl… What was in front of me? I didn't understand.

"… She's still here… She hasn't been Erased, yet."

Who had said that…? It sounded like a man speaking, but his voice was so far away… So far away…

"The Knight must've waited until the rest of us were busy with the other CHECKMATE members… Then he attacked when they were alone."

He sounded concerned… I think. Who was he? Who was this girl? Why was she so…? Where… What was happening…?

"He's the only CHECKMATE member that didn't show up for the battle… That's why the Queen took the four of us on at once: To leave the twins unguarded…!"

The man sounded angry… I think. The girl said nothing. Not that she could, considering…

…

… Didn't that girl have a brother?

With that thought, the world went quiet, and my consciousness fell into the welcoming arms of darkness.

6th Day: Part III – Stalemate
21:00:00 until Time Zero
20:59:59…
20:59:58…

This chapter's a little anachronic in its storytelling, as you may have noticed… I hope I've done a good job…

And, uh, of course I hope that you enjoy it; I've very much enjoyed writing this story, certainly… And so, without any idea of how many people I'm speaking to, I'd like to say…

'Thanks for reading'.

Also, a warning? This is almost forty-thousand words long.
Yeah, I know; I need to control myself :P

But that's enough from me, so without any further ado, here is the final chapter of X Days -Marked-!

P.S. Happy Birthday to Chronic Guardian! Everybody, check out his works; he's a rather skilled fanficcer ;)

Chapter X

Room of Reckoning
03:45 until Time Zero
03:44…
03:43…

"M-… Magokoro…" My hands trembled as I brought them to his face.

Ice-cold.

I gritted my teeth; tears stung my eyes, threatening to flow out at any moment. "… Magokoro…!" My voice shook. I had called his name a little louder… But not much. "M-…" I tried a third time, but my throat closed itself up before I could get any words out. The sensation hurt like nothing else that I had encountered in the Reaper's Game.

The horror of waking up alone… The painful burn of a Noise… Even the sight of a bruised and battered Koushi… All of that was incomparable to the aching that I felt in my chest.

Crick… Crackle…

As I held Magokoro in my arms, his form began to flicker, slowly disintegrating into static… The sound sent a horrible torrent of emotions raging around my heart, building higher, higher, and higher; rising to a crest… Before finally crashing down, leaving my heart crushed beneath the horrible weight of my own grief.

7th Day

Player Side

Beep, beep

"Ugh…!" A familiar, sharp pain in my left hand roused me from my dreamless slumber. "What… Where am I?" Disoriented as I was, I made the effort to push myself into a sitting position.

"Hey." Magokoro's grim voice welcomed me. "How're you feelin'?"

"I'm…" Reflexively, I had almost answered his question; I decided to hold off for a few seconds longer, just until I could assess the Mission.

[Bout VII: The Game Master lies past the Station Underpass. Defeat him. You have 300 Minutes. Fail and be Erased.]

Ramen Don
05:29:48 until Time Zero
05:29:47…
05:29:46…

Simple… As always. I briefly considered the challenge that lay ahead, before checking a nearby wall clock. About 10:30am… Right. The clock ticked down, in-sync with the dreaded Timer on my palm.

04:59:42…
04:59:41…
04:59:40…

It's almost as though 'Mr. Gentleman' doesn't even care, really… "I'm fine; don't worry about me," I spoke rapidly, pushing the phone back into my pouch, "where's Koushi?" I thought back to the last thing that I could remember: Magokoro had noticed the girl on the rooftop; upon closer inspection, it became apparent that she had been in some sort of altercation. Her entire figure covered in marks, bruises, and scuffs of dirt; a mess of red and black contusions on her throat, however, stood out above the rest… As if that wasn't enough, her doll-like clothing was tattered, torn here and there, her hair was all frayed and messy, and her glasses… The lens were badly cracked, and the neat little silver frames were warped; bent out of shape… A stark contrast to her previously immaculate appearance. "Is she alive? How badly was she-… How did we- and where's-"

"Slow down, girl." Magokoro placed one reassuring hand on my shoulder, and clamped another over my mouth. "She's… 'Alive'. Hiro's still with us, too. So just…" He sighed, and slowly inhaled. "Take a deep breath."

"… Mmngh." Reluctantly, I complied, closing my eyes, I breathed in… And out…

"Right… Now," Magokoro continued, "I'm going to tell you about the situation. It is not a good one, by any means; you're going to hafta listen to me, and let me explain. Questions can wait until I'm done. Alright?"

After a moment's thought, I nodded.

"Good. First issue," Magokoro turned his head, and peeked outside, "this is the last Day of the Reaper's Game. In addition to the GM being able to directly attack Players, Harrier Reapers will actively be huntin' down any remaining Players themselves. Given our standing right now, we should be avoiding any form of conflict. Don't draw attention to yourself; we'll stick to crowds if we have to. UG denizens can't tell other UG denizens apart from those in the RG. Got that?"

Again, I nodded. It was a fairly obvious point.

"Next issue: According to the Mission, we can't avoid fightin'; if we don't take the GM down within 5 hours… We'll all be Erased."

'Erased'… A feeling of dread swept through me. We had to defeat that man. No other course of action would save us… Or at least, so I thought.

"Finally…" Magokoro's voice seemed to catch in his throat. Lowering his head, he sighed; thick, long bangs obscured his face, which I could only imagine was twisted into an expression of pain. "… CHECKMATE's got Hiro."

My eyebrows immediately shot up. Hiro…? "Mwemoof…" Stopping myself, I removed Magokoro's hand from my mouth before continuing any further; worry and confusion spread through me as I considered CHECKMATE's actions. "… When you say 'got Hiro', you mean…"

"… That they've taken him; the Knight attacked the twins while the rest of us were in the Imaginary Plane… After neutralizing Koushi, it looks like he knocked Hiro out, and took him… Somewhere." Magokoro shook his head, uncertain. "At the very least, we know that he hasn't been Erased. Partners have a symbiotic relationship; if one's Erased, so's the other. Koushi's still with us, in other words…"

"The Knight…?" I whispered to myself. The Rook is the Persian man. The Bishop is the Black Cat, and the Queen is the swordswoman. Come to think of it, we haven't once seen the Knight… Have we?

"Yeah…" Magokoro nodded; he was likely thinking the same thing. "It had to be the Knight. He's the only member of CHECKMATE that didn't show on Pork City. However," Magokoro brought a hand to his forehead and grunted, thoughtful, "from the progression of events yesterday, it would seem that he cleared the Mission for us. I doubt that Koushi and Hiro had the time to do it themselves."

"Oh, that's right…" I turned my left hand over and stared at my palm. "We weren't Erased, were we…? In fact, we fell unconscious right after finding Koushi…"

"For the Knight to be able to find and Erase yesterday's target so quickly… I wonder, could he…?" Magokoro paused. I could practically see the wheels turning in his head; to what end, however, was beyond me. "… No," he dropped his hand and gave me a light smile, "I'm probably overthinking it."

"'Overthinking'?" I repeated. "Are you quite sure?" I raised a singular eyebrow; this was perhaps Magokoro's least impressive moment, for me… Though considering his constant reliability, it wasn't that serious of a thing, anyway. "'Only member of CHECKMATE'? It could easily have been the King, Magokoro."

Magokoro looked surprised. In fact, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that he was as surprised as I was; it was an odd, simple detail to miss. "Right… I suppose it could've been… Him."

Frowning, I subconsciously raised a finger and waved it left, right, then left again; the movement was clean and rhythmic, like a ticking metronome… It distracted me. Huh. There's that motion again. The action that I had witnessed through my own flashback. It felt quite natural. Too natural.

"I guess that I…" Magokoro scratched the back of his neck. "… Assumed that it would be below him… Or somethin' like that."

"So, assuming that CHECKMATE did indeed clear the Mission yesterday. That makes it twice that they've helped us stay alive."

"Yeah. First time being Day 4, right?" The incident that had occurred at the midpoint of the Game; the Bishop had unexpectedly shown herself, and personally engaged the Game Master. I racked my brain for answers, but I could think of nothing; it was difficult to comprehend what CHECKMATE's motives were.

"Look," Magokoro spoke, derailing my train of thought, "I did have a contingency plan for something like this… But at this point, it's kind of our only option." He raised a thumb and pointed behind himself, towards a door behind the counter of Ramen Don. "That's the storeroom; it's pretty large, so I was able to find an out-of-the-way place for Koushi. She's resting right now. We'll talk with her when she wakes up… If that's okay with you. We have plenty of time as it is, and CHECKMATE's not going to have to do anything else to Hiro, now that they've separated him from his Partner."

"Are you absolutely sure…?" Part of me wanted to sprint outside right at that moment… But the other half didn't want Koushi to wake up in some dark room, tired, injured, and alone

Magokoro's next words brought me a little comfort. "I know CHECKMATE… And while they might be 'ruthless', as I've said," Magokoro looked right at me; he wanted me to know that he was being totally honest, "they're also not wasteful; they wouldn't hurt a prisoner, especially a powerless one… And they don't take lives when it's unnecessary. They have nothing to gain from further hurting Hiro at this point." Magokoro's expression turned a little grimmer. "In the case that Hiro was… Erased." First checking to see if I was okay, Magokoro carried on. "… Koushi would disappear as well, and I can still feel her. In fact, if Hiro was hurt at all, Koushi would be feeling his pain; her Soul's holding relatively steady."

I nodded; I wanted to confirm Koushi's well-being as soon as possible, but I decided that it wouldn't be the best idea to bother her during her recovery. "And what about… 'Ken Doi'?" I took a moment to think about the eccentric chef's equally-eccentric name.

"He went shopping, I think…?" Magokoro once again peered outside. "He'll be back soon, but he probably won't go into the storeroom; I'll Imprint him to leave, if need be."

"'Imprint'…?" The word struck a chord with me. "What exactly… Is…" At that moment, a collection of hazy memories swam to the surface of my mind. There was a man in the Imaginary Plane… The empty Scramble Crossing… Was it a dream? I struggled to remember… Something about 'Imprinting'. His face. There was something… I looked at Magokoro's own face, still draped in that unkempt hair of his… Very familiar. "I've heard that term, before."

Magokoro raised an eyebrow. "Oh." He let out a single syllable, and chuckled. "Is that right? I guess I never needed to teach you about Imprinting, huh? So, then. Where'd you hear it?"

I stayed silent. Truthfully, I was unsure whether that had been a real experience, or whether I had merely imagined it… But either way, it had left a strange, lingering feeling in my heart. "… Not sure." I responded, honestly.

Bemused, Magokoro cocked his head to the side. After a moment's silence, he gave me a comforting smile, "hm." I suppose that he had decided further pressing would yield nothing, as his next action was to stroll over to the counter and take a seat; resting his arms on its polished surface, he simply… Waited.

With my back leaning against an adjacent wall, and my mind thinking up new outcomes for the Game every other second, I closed my eyes and decided to do the same.

Reaper Side

"Not to worry…" The King drew out a Black King Piece as the others held up their own Pieces in recognition. "Even without a Promotion on our side, it's still far too early…" Suddenly, Mushin ferociously slammed his Black King Piece onto the White King, knocking it over. "… For a Checkmate."

The Imaginary Plane – CHECKMATE HQ
Exact Time Unknown

"… We have…" Goumaki Mushin released the Black King from his grasp, leaving it standing on the now-cracked surface of his chessboard. "… But a few hours before the Reaper's Game commences tomorrow." The rooms seemed to creak and rumble as the King breathed in… And out… The man displayed an otherworldly pressure that would choke lesser Souls to death, simply by being in his presence. "As you know, the Pawn's Imprinting has only just been completed; hundreds of years of continuous effort from the Queen has made the impossible possible… And we commend her for that."

The Rook grinned lightly, nodding his head in enthusiasm. "That's our Queenie."

The Knight merely smirked and clapped his hands a few times, with a quiet, "bravo, bravo."

The Bishop said nothing at all.

And the Queen herself? She merely closed her eyes and lowered her head by a small amount, bowing to the King. "Not at all, Sir."

"Hm." The King smirked approvingly, before continuing. "As I said, 'hundreds of years'. Such a complex and powerful Code, capable of destroying Shibuya itself, lays within our Pawn. It was only expected that it should take this long." Crossing his legs and resting his chin on a fist, the King appeared to have relaxed to some extent; though he remained a little tense. "Of course, in the Imaginary Plane the rules of the world do not always apply; though we have been here for many millennia," tilting his head back, the King clenched a hand into a fist, cracking his knuckles, "it is likely that the flow of time in the outside world has progressed but a few months. That said…" the King turned his attention to the man with the crimson eye. "Knight. Being our UnderGround scout, would you care to give the others the report that you gave me?"

With a casual, but respectful two-fingered salute, the Knight stepped forward, and waited for the King to finish speaking.

"Yes, I'm sure that they'll find it… Inspiring."

Player Side

"Irasshai! Wait, that's not right…" A shout cut through the long, long silence that Magokoro and I had kept up; more than a little startled, I gasped as my eyes snapped open.

That familiar, overly-enthusiastic voice… Now who could that be?

Ramen Don
03:37:16 until Time Zero
03:37:15…
03:37:14…

Pushing off of the wall, I smiled and walked over to give the new arrival a warm greeting. "Hello, Mr. Ken Doi. It's lovely to see you again."

"Ah, young lady!" Ken Doi exclaimed, clearly surprised. Dropping a bag full of groceries, the excited proprietor grasped both of my shoulders, and proceeded to shake me back and forth… Quite vigourously. "It's been so long! Gahahahah!"

"Iiiit's," my voice wobbled uncontrollably as my head was thrown about like a ragdoll, "been twooo dayssss…!"

"Ah," mercifully, Ken Doi released me, sparing my neck from further injury, "and where would young master Magokoro be?"

"Right here, actually…" Magokoro stood up from the counter, grinning. "Did you just not notice me? You wound me, Mr. Doi!" Magokoro took a moment to give me an amused once-over.

Rubbing my neck, I took a moment to gather myself, and watched Ken Doi pull Magokoro into a bone-crushing embrace.

An appetizing aroma filled the air as I carefully pulled the lid off; steam billowed outwards and upwards in a great cloud of white before dispersing, leaving the area a little more humid than it was seconds earlier. "Not quite done, yet…" I judged the murky contents inside the pot: A soup of garlic cloves, soy sauce, salt, sugar, miso, chilli powder, and… 'Mystic Stock'.

No, I have no idea. Don't bother asking.

"Hey, Mr. Doi!" Magokoro called out from the counter; his voice's tone was like that of a hungry child's… Though its pitch was considerably deeper. "Are you two done yet? I'm starvin' over here!"

"Hold your horses, kid!" Ken Doi barked back, "this is an art! Can't rush art, right, young lady?"

"R-… Right." I stuttered, quickly giving Magokoro an apologetic look.

Avoiding my gaze, Magokoro grumbled and rubbed his cheek, which was still sore from earlier.

Ken Doi had returned to his store, full of energy; according to him, he was able to get many 'vital ingredients' from a store named 'Mind & Body Foods', due to them restocking his 'secret ingredients'… Or something along those lines. Throwing the ingredients into the kitchen, he had turned to Magokoro and insisted that he teach me to cook, in preparation for… 'Marital duties'… Or some other nonsense.

"Perfect idea!"

"Gahahahah!"

"What." Without hesitation, I reached for Magokoro's collar and tightly clenched my fist over its fabric. "Excuse me." With a curt nod towards Ken Doi, I dragged a protesting Magokoro outside.

"Hey, hey, what are you doing?" Magokoro shook free and adjusted his hoodie; his face was unassuming… But looking closely, I could see him attempting to stifle his laughter.

"That's my line." I responded in a monotone voice, a light frown set in my brow, and my eyelids half-closed and unamused. "Why are you trying to rope me into a cooking class?" I set my hands on my hips and sighed.

"Look, I know that we have other priorities, being in the middle of a life-and-death situation and all…" Magokoro held up his Timer.

03:06:24…
03:06:23…
03:06:22…

"… But currently, we're giving Koushi time to recover, so I can explain the plan to her." Magokoro lowered his hand, and shrugged his shoulders.

"What exactly is this plan, if you don't mind me asking?" I inquired, holding up my left hand in a gesture of request.

"I don't like repeating myself," he stated simply, waving me off, "I'll be telling the both of you when Koushi wakes up, so be patient until then, 'kay?"

Seems like a flimsy excuse, but I suppose I can wait…

"But my point is," Magokoro gave me a wide grin, like a certain Cheshire Cat's, "we shouldn't be moping around durin' this time; might as well spend it recuperating, yes?"

In spite of his childish manner, he did have a very good point… The Romans were already exhausted before they engaged Hannibal at Trebia; if we were not careful, we could end up walking into battle already half-dead, and perish in a similar fashion. "… Yes, I understand. You're certainly not wrong." Accepting his point, I laid my forehead upon my palm. "… Though, I would've been grateful if you hadn't described me 'learning to cook in preparation for marriage' as a 'perfect idea', Magokoro."

"Aww," Magokoro leant in close, and chuckled," don't tell me I embarrassed you, girl."

"…"

"Or perhaps," cupping a hand over his mouth, Magokoro stifled an overly dramatic gasp, "do you want us to be 'Partners' in that way?"

Smack!

Ramen Don
02:37:32 until Time Zero
02:37:31…
02:37:30…

"That's that taken care of…" Taking care not to burn myself, I used a tea towel to transfer the large, heavy pot over to an inactive hotplate. "The soup is just about ready, Mr. Ken Doi…!" I called over to the chef, who was busy with his own workstation.

"Ah? Let me have a look…" Within a few strides, he had trotted over to me. Taking a clean ladle, Ken Doi scooped out a small amount of soup and tasted it; his eyes were wide with anticipation.

"Is that… Satisfactory?" I cringed at the thought of wasting so many good ingredients. Perhaps I should've taken a simpler task…

"… It's not bad," the older man reassured me with his trademark wide grin, sending relief flooding through me. "It's definitely a little sweeter than I usually make it…"

Ugh…

"… But it's a good first try; just keep at it, and you'll be as good as me in no time! Gahahahah!" Roaring with laughter, regardless of whether he was pleased or disappointed, Ken Doi took a vial of soy sauce and set about adjusting my soup.

Well… I shouldn't expect it to be perfect. I told myself, thinking about what he had just said.

"… Tell you what." Ken Doi laid the lid back over the pot, and set everything back down on the benchtop. "I wouldn't normally use this in my Mystic Ramen…" (I flinched again,) "… But it's an interesting take on the recipe, so I'll leave it as it is for us. How's that sound?" Ken Doi turned back to me, his perpetual grin still plastered on his face. "Just promise to keep trying. Remember, young miss: The future is a clean slate, and you're the chalk!"

"…That's very kind of you." I smiled, bowing in gratitude.

"Though it doesn't sound like the wisest idea…" Magokoro interjected, suspiciously eyeing the pot.

With some effort, I resisted the urge to throw it at him.

Reaper Side

The Imaginary Plane – CHECKMATE HQ
Exact Time Unknown

"Is that right…?" The Queen's facial expression changed, almost imperceptibly.

"Whoa, are you serious…?" The Rook cocked an eyebrow; the news sounded a little too good to be true.

The Bishop shifted around in the darkness; her form a little more visible. "So the Game Master is…"

"Indeed." The Knight responded pre-emptively. "As everyone knows-… Well…" The Knight stared at the Rook for a brief moment, before turning back to the group as a whole. "… As is common knowledge…"

"Hey, what was that look?" The Rook interrupted, incredulous.

"He's calling you an idiot." The Bishop clarified.

"Don't allow yourself to be provoked so easily, Rook." The Queen sighed.

"… The Game Master is given full power over the Missions in the Game, as well as the placement of Walls, the positioning of Reapers, et cetera, et cetera." The Knight waved his hands around in the air to illustrate his point. "For the Boss to be able to execute his marvellous plan with maximum efficiency, the Game Master would need to be manipulated to suit our needs… Or at the very least, be insipidly predictable.

"Could you explain to me exactly how Jack the Ripper got picked as GM?" The Rook questioned the Knight's report, somewhat unconvinced.

"He has been in the Reaper ranks for quite some time, now," the Queen acknowledged, "the current Conductor has no reason not to elect him."

"Even if he's, uh, completely insane?" The Rook threw his arms up.

"Play nice, Rook." The Knight closed his eyes and smiled pleasantly.

"That guy's the most unpredictable Reaper there is, and you really think that the Conductor just straight-up chose him to be next Week's GM?" The Rook addressed the Queen, certain that she shared at least some of his apprehension regarding the Knight's report.

"You're blowing this out of proportion, Rook." The Queen turned to the Knight, her stoic expression unchanging. "The Knight says that he was chosen as Game Master; we have no reason to doubt him." (The Knight inclined his head, and gave the Queen a pleased 'thank you'.) "In any case, 'Jack the Ripper' is the best choice that we could have hoped for; with this, it should be a relatively simpler task to remain undetected by the Composer… Though, by no means will it be an easy one. Exercise caution at all times." The Queen cast her gaze around the room, addressing the three members beneath her.

"Do not forget, Rook," the King, who had remained silent during the exchange, finally stepped in, "the Bishop has been aiding the Knight with her Soul Revel… The potential of her gift is not to be underestimated."

Hearing this, the Rook grew quiet, knowing that the Bishop's 'ability' was amongst CHECKMATE's most versatile.

"Furthermore, the current Conductor is a nobody." The King grit his teeth, unimpressed. "He is but a mere temporary stand-in for the Composer's old favourite, Megumi Kitaniji. That man was a true Conductor, worthy of his title. But as for the one who has taken his place…" The King shifted in his seat again, returning to a more formal position. "… He's not even worth remembering."

Player Side

Ramen Don
02:08:17 until Time Zero
02:08:16…
02:08:15…

Click, clack, click, clack

"Well, well. You're rather good at this, aren't you?" Ken Doi noted as he watched me slice and dice the variety of ingredients that he had given me.

Magokoro sulked in the corner, unable to help in the kitchen due to being, in Ken Doi's words, 'more than a little clumsy'.

With one hand, I slowly pushed the ingredient to the left; with the other, I held my knife. An automated guillotine on the cutting board, it rose and fell to a constant tempo, slicing its victims into diabolically uniform, delicious, bite-sized pieces…

"'Ginger', 'English Spinach', 'Green Spring Onions'," I quietly read out the names of different items as my eyes flitted up and down the 'to-cut' list that Ken Doi had given me, "'Curious Mushrooms', 'Cordyceps', 'Swallow's Nest'…" I raised an eyebrow, but kept reading, "'Ginseng', 'Choice Meat', 'Sweet, Sweet Onions'…? Mr. Ken Doi…" I requested his attention, my voice laced with apprehension.

"Hai?" He responded, instantly.

"Some of these ingredients… I feel that I need to ask about them. And in addition," I picked up a different list from the workbench: A recipe that was titled 'MYSTIC RAMEN. NOT-SECRET RECIPE. GA HA HA', "you've listed something called 'Mystery Liquid' here, and I'm just…" I looked at the list, then back to the chef. "… This is what you served us last time, yes?"

"Well," (really, he already looked proud of himself; only one word into his sentence,) "that there recipe won't tell you everything; I'll add the secret ingredients myself, after you're done." He shook his head, as if to say 'need to keep the secret a secret'.

I was now more than slightly worried about what I had ingested a few days prior… Particularly the 'Mystery Liquid'; it was a vial of fluorescent neon liquid that appeared to radiate a strange, pulsing light… Not something I'd readily drink.

"But in a nutshell, that's it, young lady!" Ken Doi beamed, and left me standing with the anomalous lists in my hands.

"… And could you please tell me why we're putting, um…" I squinted, to make doubly sure that I wasn't misreading the type before my eyes. "… 'HP Tablets' into the ramen…?"

"… Beginner's luck, perhaps." I deflected the compliment, feeling I didn't deserve that much praise for 'cutting'. It's certainly easier than making the soup. I took a moment to think out loud as I reached for my knife's next target…

"No, no, I can see it!" Ken Doi asserted, rapidly nodding his head up and down. "You have a great sense of rhythm; are you by chance a musician, young lady?"

As soon as he said that, I stopped. "… Musician?" I echoed. I hadn't really thought about my occupation before I had entered the Reaper's Game, nor had I thought about my hobbies, my likes and dislikes… I didn't really have the time to think about those things. "… Why do you say that, Mr. Ken Doi?" I avoided answering, and resumed the task at hand.

"Like I said, you're very rhythmic!" Gesticulating wildly, he flicked off the stovetop that he had been using, and turned his full attention to me. "And you know… I don't see many left-handed people around here."

Unexpectedly, I felt a rush of insecurity run through me; before I knew it, I was saying something on instinct. "I prefer that people don't know I'm left-handed; it makes me stand out." … Huh? Did I just say that?

"Ahh, you don't like attention, miss?" Ken Doi asked me. "Well, I'm sure that you get a lot of second looks on the street, thanks to those eyes of yours." His comment was accompanied with his own gruff laughter… But as for me, I was on a sort of 'autopilot'.

"That's why I don't tell people that I'm left-handed. I already stick out enough as it is." Again, I had spoken without thinking; I couldn't remember ever saying or thinking anything to this effect… But somehow, I could feel that it was a sentiment that held true: Being left-handed wasn't something that I advertised. I 'don't like attention'…? Involuntary thoughts and reflexive actions have been showing me more and more of myself than I ever knew… Raising my left finger, I replicated the metronome-like gesture that I had shown Magokoro. This. I remember doing this to the bus driver, Mr. Gentleman… The Game Master. Recalling my first encounter with him, my mind began to wander… And that's when I felt it.

"Katy." Magokoro notified me, but I had already noticed.

Casting a look of acknowledgement in his direction, I nodded… Koushi's awake.

Reaper Side

The Imaginary Plane – CHECKMATE HQ
Exact Time Unknown

"In any case, that's enough on the Game Master." The King twisted his head from side-to-side, crick-cracking noises emitted from his neck, and reverberated throughout the room. "I am adequately convinced that we will be able to manipulate the events of the upcoming Game… Though, as the Queen said, we must take care to not reveal ourselves while doing so." Having said that, the King turned back to the Knight, who was standing stock still. Patient. "Knight, you have done well to deliver this information to us; your skill at avoiding detection deserves commendation… Even if you have been aided by the Bishop." The King added, throwing his fellow comrade a knowing smirk.

"Heh. Thanks, Boss." The Knight smiled before stepping back, no longer the focus of attention.

"Now… Our finalized strategy." The King's hands tightened around the ornate, carved rests of his throne, clenching them so tight that they threatened to crumble to dust. "If we are to fail, the odds of us receiving another chance will be… Next to nothing." Rising to his feet, the King raised his arms in a show of grandeur. "That is why I am counting on each and every one of you to deliver us a perfect victory. Knight," he affirmed with a stern nod, "your part is clear. Queen, without you we would not have the 'weapon' that we now have at our disposal, but I hope that I can now count on you to… Keep our pursuers at bay, if any should happen upon us."

The Queen did as she always did, and gave the man a curt, formal nod; she was a woman of duty, not one to linger on compliments, praises or any other similarly trivial, unnecessary nonsense.

"And you, Bishop…"

As the King turned to face her, the Bishop's ears twitched below her long hair; she gave no indication that she had heard her commander, and simply waited for him to continue.

"… During these hundreds of years, you and your Soul Revel have been critical in ensuring the Knight's success, but when the Game commences tomorrow…" The King raised up a hand, and clenched it into a fist; as if trying to crush the air in front of him. "… I want you to extend its influence across the whole of Shibuya!"

Now, there was a surprise. Only a request as unreasonable as that could have thrown the Bishop off-guard. "… You want me to cast my Revel over the entire city at once?" The Bishop spoke quietly.

"Can your Soul not handle the strain?" The King questioned, his voice lacking any malice or mockery.

"… Wouldn't know." The Bishop had never considered using her fickle 'ability' on such a large scale before; its nature was far too risky for that. In the long, long time that she had protected the Knight with it, it was a miracle that it had never turned against her. "But if by chance it fails-."

"It won't." The King's jet-black eyes stared straight into the Bishop's own golden eyes. "… I have faith in you, Bishop."

It'll take a bit more than 'faith' to avoid the backlash of my Bad Time Revel… The Bishop thought to herself, choosing to keep her observations to herself; typical of her. I've never seen my Revel go berserk on such a magnitude before. But considering what happened to me… The Bishop cast her eyes downward, beneath her cloak, and examined her bandage-clad body… It could very well reduce Shibuya to a city of bloody corpses.

Player Side

Ramen Don
02:05:43 until Time Zero
02:05:42…
02:05:41…

"That's it!" Ken Doi screamed to the heavens; his voice boomed throughout the kitchen and out of the building.

A young couple on the street stopped and stared.

I clutched at my chest and caught my breath; I was so startled that I had almost knocked over half of the equipment on the kitchen counter. "Wh-…" I took a moment to allow my heart to calm itself. "… Did you figure something out, Mr. Ken Doi?" I took another moment, this time to look over at Magokoro. He didn't seem the least bit surprised.

"Both of you, don't move! I have a great idea to improve on the noodles!" Without waiting for an answer, Ken Doi raced out of Ramen Don; his laughter faded into the distance as he sped down the street. "Gaaahahahah!"

"Let's go." Magokoro stood up, motioning for me to follow.

"Was that you?" I asked, still in shock.

"Yeah. Now that Koushi's awake, he had to leave." Magokoro quickly explained, making his way towards the storeroom door.

"Is that what Imprinting can do…?" I continued to ask him questions as I made to join him in the storeroom.

"Yes and no," Magokoro opened the door, waving his hand at me, "come on, after you."

"Oh… Thank you." I stepped through the doorway, realizing that the 'storeroom' was far more spacious than I had anticipated… As well as far, far, darker.

"Imprinting sends an idea into someone's mind as a subconscious suggestion," Magokoro elaborated as he closed the door behind him, and walked up beside me, "but it's not like you can 'force' someone to do something that they don't want to. Watch your head, by the way."

The warning came too late; my temple collided with a cardboard box protruding for a nearby shelf. "Ow…!" I stopped walking and pushed the box further in, so as to prevent any future mishaps. "This is quite the storeroom," I mused as I caught up with Magokoro. "It's more of a warehouse, really…" It was true. Boxes upon boxes were stacked on top of each other; shelves full of other unidentifiable paraphernalia formed a veritable maze through which to navigate.

"Turn left here; be careful not to trip."

"Whoa…!" This time, I was more fortunate; with Magokoro's advice, I skipped over a bundle of cable ties on the floor, avoiding what could have been a nasty fall. "Isn't there a light switch in here?"

"Didn't really check… Left, again." Using his hands to guide himself along the various shelves and boxes, Magokoro squeezed through a narrow gap."

"So… Ken Doi." I circled back to the subject of Imprinting as I sidled through the opening that Magokoro had used. "He did all of that because you 'suggested' it to him?"

"Well, like I said: It's a suggestion; you can't force someone to do something that they don't want to, but if one is already inclined to make a certain decision, or in a scattered state of mind…" He paused, noticing that I couldn't quite make it through. "… Well, that's when Imprinting works best." He finished, pointing downwards, indicating my skirt.

Following the imaginary line that extended from his finger, I realized that my skirt had snagged onto some sort of plastic toy. "How troublesome…" I sighed, carefully working myself free. "How far in did you place her…?"

"Just around here…" Magokoro dusted me off, and inclined his head to a nearby corner. "Made her a little bed from some bags of rice; didn't want Mr. Doi to be able to walk in and spot her right away."

"Of course." I agreed, trailing behind him. "… Still." Once again, I backtracked to the subject of Imprinting; it seemed a fascinating, if potentially malevolent ability. "Ken Doi was quite worked up. I would've thought that he had the idea himself, if you hadn't acted so calmly."

"Hm," Magokoro gave me a warm smile, like a teacher proud of his student, "and now you've arrived at the crux of it." Changing his pace, Magokoro manoeuvred behind me; taking hold of my shoulders, he steered me through a particularly cluttered section. "See, Ken Doi already had an undying passion for his craft; though he doesn't particularly enjoy resorting to gimmicks to please customers, he's certainly always looking for ways to improve his dishes… Duck through here."

There are so many things in here… Most of it, I wouldn't have expected. I thought, captivated by the sheer number and variety of paraphernalia in the storeroom.

"So you see, he already wanted to add something, anything, to make his Mystic Ramen that much better… I simply offered him the chance to do just that." Magokoro released me, and patted my back; we had made it through most of the debris. "Passion and apathy, determination and desperation, love and hatred. When a human's state of mind is at an 'extreme' point… It's child's play to manipulate them." Magokoro concluded his explanation, flicking his Player Pin high into the air, drawing my attention to it. "As an example: The spider on your back."

"Spi-…?" I almost fell for the bluff, but looking at his eyes, it was clear that he was lying. "… I'm not that afraid of bugs, Magokoro." Though now that he brings it up, there probably are some spiders in here.

Click

"Huh?" Hearing something behind me, I whipped around; my eyes frantically scanned the area, but… Nothing. "… Where- wahhhh!" An uncomfortable skittering feeling crawled up my back, causing me to arch my back and flail around wildly; it felt as though a large pair of hands were scuttling over my spine. In fact… "Magokoro Muki! What are you doing?" I shook my body around in an attempt to forget the unpleasant sensation that my 'Partner' had just put me through.

"Heh, heh…" Magokoro let out a bit of a laugh before strolling past me, and picking something off of the ground.

"Ah…" The metallic sound. It had been from his Player Pin, landing behind me.

"You see, miss," Magokoro grinned obnoxiously, stowing the badge away in his pocket, "the way that I tricked you just now… That could be compared to Imprinting."

"Is that right?" I replied stoically, now rubbing my back with my fists… Well, as far as I could reach, anyway.

"First," he continued, unperturbed, "I introduced the concept of 'spiders' to you; no doubt, the thought stuck in your head even after it was apparent that I was lying." He certainly wasn't wrong there. "Next, I distracted you with an 'unfamiliar' stimulus. I imagine that you didn't expect a sound such as that; your surprise was only amplified by the fact that you were considering the disagreeable notion of 'spiders'… And of course, my Player Pin also turned you around, away from me." Magokoro shrugged, as if he hadn't planned it out at all. "At that moment, your mind had been placed in an 'extreme' state," he continued to talk, as we continued to walk, "your concentration was focused on imagining my 'meme', 'spiders could be in the vicinity', so the sound of my Pin startled you all the more, you see." Scratching the back of his neck, Magokoro brought his lengthy exposition to an end. "For the briefest of moments, you weren't thinking as straight as you normally would. That's when you made an error that could never happen in any normal circumstances: You mistook my hands…" Wearing a very accomplished expression, Magokoro held up his hands and wriggled his fingers, much to my chagrin. "… For a 'spider'."

"… You're still full of surprises." I smiled, relenting. He had yet again, despite his questionable means and demeanour, managed to teach me something very interesting.

The human psychology is very complex, but it can also be very simple. If I had just remembered Magokoro's words in the storeroom; if I'd just kept them in my heart… Then perhaps Shibuya would have been left unscathed.

Reaper Side

The Imaginary Plane – CHECKMATE HQ
Exact Time Unknown

"If I may," the Queen's voice caught the Bishop's attention, "there is no need to extend the Bishop's area-of-effect from herself to the very edges of Shibuya's borders…"

The King chuckled; he was fairly certain of what the Queen was about to suggest, as he had already thought of it himself. "Please, continue." However, he wasn't one to dismiss his second-in-command so easily.

At the King's jovial nod, the Queen confirmed to herself what she had already suspected; the King had considered her solution before she had even envisioned it. "… Yes, Sir." However, she wasn't one to dismiss herself so easily, either. "The Bishop's Soul Revel has a chance of backfiring with a negative effect proportional to that of the scale that it was initially cast at; with that in mind," The Queen's eyes flickered to the Knight and the Rook; they seemed to be listening, "it may be more prudent for her to lay deposits of her Imagination across the city, with each 'Revel Point' acting as a beacon for the Revel itself."

Exactly what he was thinking. "A fine suggestion, Queen." The King congratulated her, a shrewd look on his face.

"… Sir." The Queen bowed her head; a signal of respect, as well as one of apology. Anything that she could Imagine… Clearly, the King would be able to Imagine better.

"And that's your play this Game, Bishop." The King brought the briefing back to his original request. "Maximize the efficiency of the time you are given. Whereas the Queen will be our last line of defence in remaining out of the Composer's reach, you will be our first, and, I daresay, most important; with your Soul Revel, you will deter any and all potential interferences before they can even form."

'Faith' was now a more relevant word in the Bishop's eyes; weaving a web of Imagination across the vast metropolis of Shibuya was already no easy task, but to hold together and remotely manage the entire network for 7 Days… It would take more than a little Willpower to prevent her from Erasing herself. "… Understood." The Bishop agreed, only considering the difficulty of the task for the briefest of moments; 'difficulty' was another word which held little meaning to the woman, after all, what use is gauging the difficulty of a task if you intend to complete it? If you know that any given challenge is 'possible to complete', and you advance with 100% of your skill… There's nothing else to think about, is there?

"And Rook," the King laid his eyes on the final member, "your move isn't exactly… 'Tasteful'. But it is crucial to the endgame concluding in our favour."

The Rook eyes narrowed.

"I trust that I have your loyalty, Rook." The King stated; it was not a threat, nor did the King consider that the Rook would disagree… The King only wished to convey the confidence that he had in his comrade; the confidence that he had in all of his comrades.

"You don't have to ask that, 'your Majesty'." The Rook returned, a smug look on his face. "I am sworn to protect you, after all." He finished, dropping to one knee, and lowering his head.

"Hmph. The theatrics are unnecessary, Rook." The King chortled. "Well, then… I'll be instructing you on your movements for the next Week…"

Player Side

Ramen Don
01:49:01 until Time Zero
01:49:00…
01:48:59…

"Koushi." Magokoro propped the girl's head up on his hand, allowing her to sit up. "Koushi, can you hear me?" He spoke slow; deliberate.

She may have now been conscious, but it was clear that she was struggling to even move her body; her eyes periodically darted around half of the time, and simply stared into the distance the rest of the time. She was virtually catatonic… A sad state to behold.

"Was it this bad when she told you about Hiro…?" I sat beside the two of them, silently sending my best wishes.

"It was worse earlier, so that's… Good. That she's 'improved', I mean." Magokoro grimaced. "Just give her a moment to wake up; she'll be more responsive." Magokoro advised, still cradling the injured Player in his arms…

A few minutes passed as Koushi slowly began to develop more and more awareness; her breathing came in regular intervals, and her hands stopped trembling. Finally… "Khhi-… -rrrroh…"

"Hey…!" I practically leapt forward. "Koushi, it's us… Just relax, we're here." I smiled at her as best I could; at the very least, she was still alive. That was a result that I was willing to accept. I grasped her hand in mine, and waited… There was still something strange about her breathing; I couldn't put my finger on it.

Hearing me speak, Koushi slowly, slowly turned her head towards me; her eyes wandered for a second, before settling on my face. "M-… -isss…?" Her voice was dry and rasped; each syllable she uttered made it sound as if she was choking.

Panic rose within me. "Magokoro… She's having trouble talking." I whispered, fearful.

Magokoro looked away, hiding his face beneath his hood and staying silent.

Bringing my other hand to her face, I softly brushed it across her cheek in an attempt to comfort her… It was all I could think of. "Shh… It's okay, it's okay… Don't strain yourself." It became more difficult to keep a level expression… My mouth trembled; the corners started to turn downwards, no matter how hard I tried to smile, I couldn't maintain it… And how badly I wanted to.

"Hhh… Khhh… Hii-… Hiiiro…"

The name sent a dagger through my heart. 'He's not here'… I couldn't bear to say it. How would she react? Would she cry? Scream? How I could I possibly understand the feeling of having your only remaining family taken away from you? I couldn't.

I simply couldn't.

"Koushi… We're going to get him." Even the level-headed Magokoro's voice shook when he assured her. Just by the slightest amount. "You need to stay here. You-…" As my Partner tenderly ran his finger over the marks on Koushi's neck… It became apparent to me that her throat had been crushed. It was no wonder she couldn't breathe normally. "… You need to rest." He finished; his voice catching in his throat.

"Hi-…-rrro…?" Koushi repeated again, tears formed in her eyes as her gaze drifted between the two of us; she was confused… She didn't understand. "-whhhe-… -re isss… heee?"

They took him, Koushi… But we're getting him back. We promise. I couldn't even bring myself to say that. "He's…" I blinked repeatedly, wishing that the stinging feeling in my eyes would leave. "Just… stay here, okay, Koushi?" I finally managed to pull together a small smile… But its arrival was dampened by a tear rolling down my cheek, and onto her tiny hand.

"… -hhhy… -ou khhrr-… -yying…?" Koushi stared at me, pitifully.

"Me? N-No, I'm…" I turned to Magokoro for support, but he looked just as pained as I did. "… It's just… It's just raining, K-Koushi." I couldn't say her name without gasping out a cough, as I did whenever I cried. I hoped that she had heard it as a laugh.

"M-… -ss…" Koushi looked through me; her metallic, steel-grey eyes were moist and reddening.

"Ye-… Yes?"

"Whhh-… -rrre's… Hiii-… -rrro…?"

"Koushi, I…" I gripped her hand tighter, feeling more helpless than ever.

"… We'll get him for you." Magokoro managed to sound somewhat confident. "But you need to wait here… Okay?" Magokoro pulled out a pair of spectacles, Koushi's spectacles, from his pocket; shiny, and looking brand-new… It seemed as though he had repaired them for her. With loving care, Magokoro rested the glasses upon her face, neatly tucking the ends behind her ears… Right where they belonged.

Koushi merely continued to breathe heavily; each wheezing gasp seemed to last an eternity.

"… Come on." Magokoro spoke to me in a low voice, and softly stepped away. But I didn't move; I was given a moment alone with the girl.

Unable to think of anything to say, I merely pulled Koushi's small body close; holding her head against my chest, I gently stroked my hand over her head.

Weaving my fingers through her warm, brunette hair, I was reminded of the golden-orange leaves of autumn. All those times that I had spent a day walking aimlessly through dry, dying forests; simply to experience the joy of returning months later… And finding my old friends bright and green; full of life and vigour…

Is that the kind of person I was?

I couldn't be sure if I was truly recalling my past, or if my imagination was running away with me… But as I pondered this, Koushi stirred again.

"Hi-… -ro…" Koushi's small arms weakly wrapped around my waist, only to fall back down, seconds later. "… Where… -re you-…?" With a final, miserable plea, Koushi Tetsuyou ceased to move. I was left with nothing but silence, and a cold pool of tears over my heart.

Reaper Side

The Imaginary Plane – CHECKMATE HQ
Exact Time Unknown

The Rook could only stare at the King, half-exasperated, half-amused. He wasn't kiddin' when he said 'not exactly tasteful'.

"After you have selected your candidates," the King elaborated, "that is when you will Erase any other Players or Reapers that may prove to be unnecessary in the Game; distractions, interferences… You need to Erase them all, and this includes any Harriers who are sent out specifically to investigate our actions… You have my permission." The King twisted his neck, sending an audible 'crick' through the hall. "If the Composer even suspects that we have infiltrated the Game, He won't be taking any chances. At that point, it's likely that any further attempt at hiding would be pointless; better a show of force, to misdirect Him. In a word, it's 'containment'; understood, Rook?"

"Perfectly." The Rook shrugged, wondering how he would go about achieving the objective that the King had laid out before him. "And are you planning on taking a nap, while we're all running around next week?" He joked. "Would you prefer to watch from the sidelines like a 'King' does, or…?"

"Hm." The King regarded the Rook's question, and turned to face the marble throne in which he had been using. "One thing, Rook." The King spoke with his back turned. "I am not the Composer. I do not sit idly by as my brethren fall before the enemy; I do not find it befitting of a King to order his subjects to fight on his behalf as he trembles behind the walls of his stronghold; I do not believe that a man who sits idly by the battlefield and watches for amusement could ever be worthy of the title of 'King'." With those words, the King swung his arm and vaporized his seat with a burst of energy, leaving him standing above the other members of CHECKMATE. "And that is why I will be at the front lines, leading the four of you to victory. Nobody… Not the Reapers, nor the Composer… Not even Sanae Hanekoma will not stop me. None of us, for that matter." Turning to face his comrades, he smirked once more. "Of that, I am certain."

Player Side

West Exit Bus Terminal
01:19:16 until Time Zero
01:19:15…
01:19:14…

As we reached the entrance to the Station Underpass, the two of us slowed to a halt; I considered the challenge that lay ahead of us. If the Game Master was indeed as fearsome as I gathered, I shuddered to think what kind of ordeal awaited us beyond this point.

"We've got about 50 minutes left… Should be enough time to end this." Magokoro estimated, likely wanting to encourage himself just as much as me. His face now bore no sign of the light-hearted mirth from earlier; my Partner's sharp features were set serious, carrying a hint of anxiety. I reminded myself that for all his qualities, my good friend was still 'only human', the same as me.

I nodded, gathering my thoughts, preparing myself for what was to come.

"Like I told you on the way here." He spoke without looking at me. "CHECKMATE won't be able to interfere as long as the GM's in control. But as soon the Game's over…" Magokoro looked away, twisting a lock of hair around his finger. "… Well, we'll need to basically draw the Composer's attention to them as fast as possible."

"And how will we do that, exactly…?" I murmured, gazing into the dark abyss that was the Station Underpass.

"… Prob'ly need to break a lot of stuff, really. Just make a lot of noise." He snickered at the word 'noise', before returning his face to its previous, serious cast. "Doesn't matter. The Composer's likely deep within the River; we should race over to Him first, but…" Magokoro took a moment to look behind us, then at the buildings, the road, the sky… Almost as if he was appraising the city itself. "There's something preventing Him from Seeing CHECKMATE. I think I can feel it, too… Maybe."

Not really understanding, I examined the area, just as he did. Nothing.

"… It's almost as if we're… Inside someone else's Soul, 'swhat it feels like."

Trying to understand, I closed my eyes… Perhaps Magokoro was referring to something outside of the visible realm.

Reaper Side

The sounds were the first thing that she noticed when she blinded herself.
Streetlights turning green.
Steps. People walking.
Music. People talking.
And then she opened her eyes.

She couldn't grasp it. The girl's Soul had slowly, surely been recovering from the fragmented state that it had been in a week prior, and though she had not really noticed it, Katy was gradually returning to the way she was in the RealGround; her personality, her mind, how she viewed the world… Having started out as 'less than Katy', the girl was now close to completely reverting to her normal.

But she still couldn't grasp it.

Katy had missed what was so obvious to Magokoro Muki; there was something encasing Shibuya. That something was manipulating every single choice that had been made since Day 1 of the Reaper's Game. Not just her choices, or Muki's choices, but everyone's. Nobody in the Game had been spared from its effect; not even the Producer… And certainly not the Composer.

They just didn't know it yet.

Allowing herself to relax, Katy threw a sideways look at her Partner. After a moment's consideration, she chose to believe that Muki was simply paranoid, and that everything was fine.

Just another 'choice' that wasn't really hers.

"I don't know, Magokoro." Katy tilted her head, slightly worried about her friend. "You know that I trust you more than anyone… But I think that this time you've gone just a little too crazy on me." She joked, allowing herself a very small smile.

"… Yeah," lowering his head, Muki let out a breath that he wasn't aware he had been holding, "I'm a little on edge. Guess I'm imagining things."

I paused, looking him over. "Don't worry." She held his shoulder and gave it a reassuring shake, grinning at him; a real, meaningful expression. "We can do this, Magokoro Muki. You and me."

"… Ugh." He groaned playfully. "I guess it's gotten real bad if I need you to reassure me." He laughed, and held up a fist. "I'm counting on you. 'kay, 'Kay'?"

She responded with a laugh of her own, and knocked the side of her fist with his, "'kay, 'Mago'."

With their spirits seemingly rejuvenated, the two of them walked into the Station Underpass, ready for anything… And that's when they saw it. Or rather, that's when they didn't.

"Where's… The Game Master?" The cold, empty passageway greeted Katy, laughing at her confusion.

Player Side

West Exit Bus Terminal
01:19:16 until Time Zero
01:19:15…
01:19:14…

Left. Right. Up. Down. Nowhere.

Lastly, I twisted my head around, and searched behind me.

Still nothing.

"… Nobody here." Magokoro highlighted to me what was already becoming apparent.

"It would appear that way." I quietly agreed; uneasy, I continued to stare at the empty Station Underpass. Not even a pedestrian to break the composition. I mused, taking the gloomy atmosphere in.

44:46…
44:45…
44:44…

The never-ending ticking of our Timers had become all the more audible, thanks to the stark silence that the area provided. Almost as if pining for our attention, they beep, beep, beeped… Boring a sense of insanity into our heads.

"Say, Magokoro." I spoke, if only to hear something other than that constant reminder of our impending doom.

"Yeah?" Even in this clearly empty environment, my Partner remained tense, anticipating an ambush at any time. As one should.

"Did you know… That in Japanese, the word for 'four' is pronounced the same as 'death'?" Attempting to bring some light-heartedness to the situation, (ignore that fact that I was speaking about death,) I gave him some trivia, still trying to ignore the fact that I wasn't sure if we were already speaking Japanese or not.

"Huh. That right?" Magokoro seemed mildly interested, but most of his attention was directed towards searching for the Game Master.

"'Four' and 'death' are both pronounced as 'Shi'. This has led to some superstition regarding the number, in a similar fashion to the way that Westerners treat the number 13." I continued my exposition, though, like Magokoro, I too was looking for an indication of the Game Master's presence.

"You mean like how buildings skip the numbering of their levels when they reach thirteen floors?" Magokoro offered, examining an empty space near the middle of the underpass.

"Something like that. I thought that you might find it interesting, since our Timers just passed 44:44." I added, explaining my rationalization of my train of thought.

"Heh, that's worrying," Magokoro chuckled, now circling around the spot that he had been staring at, "are you saying that it's an omen of death, or something?"

"No, not at all." I smiled; having now inspected the perimeter of the underpass, I stopped, and stretched my arms. "Temperance comes after Death in the Major Arcana. That's because 'Death' doesn't necessarily mean a grisly end. It can just as easily indicate a new beginning; a rebirth of sorts." Raising my hand, I once again swayed my index finger from side to side; my other hand on my hip. "No need to be so pessimistic, Magokoro." I grinned, winking at him in a playful manner.

Magokoro stopped his pacing, and stared at me for a moment; his expression calm, but curious. "… You're quite fascinating, miss. I kinda wish I had more time to get to know you." Smirking, he ran a hand through his hair, letting it come to a rest on the back of his neck.

"And I, you, Magokoro." I beamed. "But there'll be plenty of time for that after the Game's over."

"Funny you should say that…" Letting his hand drop, my friend cricked his neck and pointed to the space that he had been so intrigued by. "I think I just found our way forward."

Reaper Side

Station Underpass – Noise Plane
01:13:58 until Time Zero
01:13:57…
01:13:56…

The Game Master tilted his head back, narrowly avoiding being struck in the head. His attacker? The Bishop. "That's a mean swing you've got there, Kitty." Chortling, he habitually sliced at the air a couple of times; his weapon, a blade concealed within an ornate cane, not something that he would randomly draw out in, say… A bus full of passengers.

"Shut up and fight, man." The Bishop's companion, The Rook, spoke up; his voice was brimming with irritation. "If you don't want to hit a girl 'because you're a gentleman', then I'll take you on." Cracking his knuckles, the Rook threw a punch at the ground, causing the concrete below the Game Master to shatter, offsetting his balance… Or at least, it would have, if he hadn't already jumped to another location.

"So hasty, Rookie." The swordsman twirled his sabre around; the very picture of nonchalance. "Take a tip from your friend there; she's as level-headed as they come… Oh?" Feeling that his hair was slipping out of its usual style, the man raised a hand and ruffled it back into a more-familiar tangled mess, through which only one of his eyes could barely be seen; bright and blue against his platinum blond locks. "Dear me, perhaps I need a haircut… What do you think, Kitty?" He turned to the Bishop, only to find that she was gone.

Swash!

Clang!

Without blinking, the Game Master raised his sword behind his head, and stopped another of the Bishop's strikes.

Immediately upon touching the ground, the Bishop jumped away, so fast that it was almost as if she had disappeared, then reappeared elsewhere.

"No, no, no. Bad kitty." The Game Master shook his head in exasperation. "Don't go picking up bad habits from your escort."

"God, you're annoying…" The Rook complained, staying light on his toes, wondering how he should attack next. "When I heard that Jack the Ripper was chosen as GM, I couldn't believe it, really… You're so shifty, I can't believe that the Conductor trusts you."

"Yes, yes, I'm aware, Rook. You've expressed your displeasure three or four times now, I think." The Game Master yawned, apparently having minimal difficulty fending off his opponents. "You're taking up a lot of my time here, really though. I'm expecting company soon, you know." Alleviating himself of a little boredom with an improvised rhyme, he tittered, a decidedly un-masculine action.

"That would be us, I'm guessing?" a man's voice interjected.

Hearing the familiar voice from behind him, The Game Master turned his head, just in time to see a pair of Players materialize into the Plane.

"Well, well… If it isn't the Pawn…" The Rook muttered under his breath, observing the new arrivals.

Player Side

"I'm sorry, what'd you just call me…?" Magokoro raised an eyebrow, looking slightly offended.

Having noticed a tear in the UG, Magokoro had suggested the possibility that the Game Master was waiting for Players in the Noise Plane; having not much else to go on, I had agreed.

He managed to get us here… But what's this…?

Upon touching down, I was surprised to see who the Game Master was currently battling. Magokoro had gone on to say that another pair of Players had most likely engaged the Game Master before us… But these two were certainly not Players, no.

They were CHECKMATE.

"Nothin', man. I didn't say anything." The Rook waved off my Partner' question with an inconvenienced look on his face.

"Not enough that I pulled my back getting' us here, but now people are calling me names." Magokoro clicked his tongue in irritation before turning to me. "Did you hear what he called me?"

"He said something, but I couldn't really make out what." I answered truthfully, sighing at my companion's childish side coming out at such an inappropriate time. "Just let it go. Maybe he said that 'you made a cool entrance', or something to that effect."

"I don't think he said that." Magokoro sulked.

"Definitely didn't say that." The Rook confirmed, bluntly.

"Didn't sound that way to me, either." The Game Master chimed in; cheerfully adjusting his black jacket to sit straight on his shoulders.

The Bishop maintained her unamused, trademark poker face. "We're leaving." With that, the Bishop vanished into nothingness, having apparently decided that the situation had become too troublesome to deal with.

"Wh- hey!" The Rook voiced his objection too late. A few seconds later, he turned to us. "Well, if it were up to me, we'd be wiping the floor with the three of you… But I guess you got away this time." Finishing his boast, the Rook left in a similar fashion to his compatriot, giving us no time to stop him.

"… Well, then." Without moving the rest of his body, the Game Master contorted his neck, twisting his head around to look at us. "This is rather awkward, but I'm afraid that we have to fight now." Raising his weapon towards us, the Reaper prepared his attack…

"Wait, wait, wait." Magokoro waved his arms around; hands open, denoting a lack of ill intent. "This isn't the best way to go, trust me."

The Reaper paused. "And whatever do you mean by that?" Intrigue lay in the man's voice, though he kept his guard up.

"Those guys… Why did they attack you?" Magokoro looked concerned. "In fact, how'd they get this close to the River without being detected?"

"Oh. You know of the River, then?" The Game Master looked amused. "Well, as for your question, it would seem that the many of the Reapers that I've stationed throughout Shibuya have been… Dealt with."

A shiver ran down my spine. Now that I thought about it, I hadn't seen as many Reapers as I thought I would have. Not only today, but throughout the entire Game… Why was that?

"However," the man's voice brought my attention back to him, "that's not to say that they're all gone. In fact, only the ones that I sent out to investigate. Everyone else is untouched." He frowned. "In fact, they've reported a startling level of inactivity around their posts… Almost as if these CHECKMATE hooligans know exactly where my Reapers are situated each Day. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?" The tall man regarded us with undisguised suspicion. Clearly, the Game wasn't running as it normally did.

"That wouldn't be us, no." Magokoro answered, keeping his hands up in a sign of cease-fire.

"But what do you mean 'investigate'?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.

The Game Master slowly drew his eye over to me, piercing me with his leer. "You see, child," he stated simply, "I caught wind of some interference on the Day 4 of the game, so I sent out a squadron to probe the city… They didn't come back, obviously." He added, indifferent.

"You sent out an investigative squad?" I repeated. Day 4. That was the Day that the Bishop attacked the Game Master…

"Yes, and my reward was a disagreeable stray cat, as you may recall." He groaned. "… Well, I suppose that the Conductor was the one who ordered the search; not me. But I wasn't about to disagree with him, was I?"

"In any case," Magokoro brought the conversation back to his control, "those two… They're from CHECKMATE; they're all bad news. You need to call off the Game right now, and alert the Composer, or at least warn the Conductor."

"Whatever are you talking about?" The Game Master replied in a bored drawl; his patience seemed to be wearing thin.

"I didn't think that it was possible, but if they've gotten this close…" Magokoro looked back at me, most likely checking to see if I was alright. Upon seeing my serious, collected face, he continued to talk to the Game Master. "Listen, it's entirely possible that other members could have walked right past you, since you were occupied with the Rook and the Bishop. They're about to ambush the Composer, I'm sure of it. We need to get-"

"Do you honestly, truly think that any one of those CHECKMATE ex-Reapers are a match for the Composer of Shibuya?" The Game Master brought up a point which I hadn't really considered.

Just how powerful was the Composer? I had no idea, having never witnessed His power firsthand, or even second-hand… It occurred to me that the Composer could be on another level that I hadn't even imagined. If that was the case, was there really even a need for us to interfere?

"No, you don't understand." Magokoro persisted. "They may not be in a position to Erase Him, but they've been preparing something else; a method that will assure their victory without the need to overpower the Composer altogether."

"And I assume that you're willing to tell me what, exactly, this method is?" The Game Master enquired as soon as Magokoro had finished speaking.

"I…" Magokoro looked slightly downcast, his speech slowing for the first time. "… I don't know what it is."

"Of course you don't." The Reaper established. "That's because you're delusional, sir. And having said all that…" Finally lowering his sword, the blond man smirked. "You were the one who attacked Yashiro, weren't you? She said that her attacker looked like a 'scruffy weirdo', I believe."

"Yashiro?" I echoed. I hadn't spoken for a while; my voice felt dry.

"You mean the pink-haired Reaper? Actually, I think you'll find that she attacked me, first." My Partner defended himself. "But that's not important," with single-minded focus, he attempted to get back on-topic, "while we waste time here, CHECKMATE's getting closer to the Composer-"

"And he was so vicious, too." The swordsman spoke to me now; talking about Magokoro as if he wasn't even here. "Did you know? He almost killed the poor girl; she was just doing her job, trying to survive… And all of this in the first few minutes of the Reaper's Game. Did he tell you that, young lady?"

I remained silent. Magokoro seemed to have a downcast look on his face… Though, being behind him, I couldn't really tell.

"I'll tell you another thing. Do you know how many Players are still in the Game at this moment? Four. Four Players. And that count has been the same since Day 3." Clearly, he was referring to Magokoro, myself, and the Tetsuyou twins.

Day 3…? I took a moment to recollect; that was, in fact, the first time that we had met the children.

"Do you see what I'm getting at? Without first making a Pact, he managed to fight off a Reaper, by himself." the three syllables had such emphasis on them that the Reaper managed to empty his lungs of air completely just by speaking them. "Not only that, but he was able to critically injure his opponent. And then, two days later, all of the other Players vanish and you just happen to run into only other remaining pair of Players. Do you understand now, miss?" Unrelenting, Mr. Gentleman drove his point home. "This man that you've had the misfortune of Pacting with… This 'friend' of yours that you trust; he's not who you think at all. He's planned out everything so that the four of you would survive! Clearly, he's a Reaper!"

Reaper Side

Well. He went there. Despite the situation, Magokoro Muki was still oddly curious to see just how betrayed Katy would look. He always had been a curious man. There were no ulterior motives behind that particular attribute; it was just how he was.
Curious.
Like a 'cat', you might say.

However, when he turned his head to examine his Partner, he was met with the sight of Katy looking… Thoroughly unfazed.

"What are you trying to do, Game Master?" She posed the question with a complete lack of worry in her voice. "Make me distrust Magokoro? Are you attempting to drive some sort of wedge between us? Allow me to tell you something important." Katy clapped her hand against Muki's back. "Magokoro and I- whoops, sorry."

Not exactly expecting it, Muki had his centre of balance offset by Katy's hand; it took a momentary stumble to right himself again.

Though her dramatic moment was somewhat ruined, the female Player cleared her throat and said what she had to say. "Magokoro and I are Partners, and unluckily for you, my Entry Fee's technically made Magokoro my first ever acquaintance. So I just have that much more faith in him." Amused at her strange, somehow logical reasoning, Katy crossed her arms and stood in a relaxed stance. "So, do you… 'See what I'm getting at', Mr. Gentleman? There's nothing that you can say that will cause me to doubt Magokoro. Because we're not merely Partners… We're friends."

A wave of emotion hit Muki; a smile began to form on his lips. I was right to choose her. Muki eyed Katy, content. She's such an… Such an…

…

Player Side

Silence.

I hadn't really expected such a long silence after I had said my piece. It made me a little embarrassed, actually.

That feeling was somewhat amplified by the sight of my 'friend' avoiding eye contact with me, clearly holding in a bout of laughter.

However, a split second before I was able to reprimand my Partner, the Game Master asked me something unexpected. "And who… Is 'Mr. Gentleman'?" A quizzical look was on the man's face; he most certainly knew that it was him whom I had referred to. Perhaps he disliked the nickname itself?

"Well, seeing as you labelled yourself as such, I took it upon myself to indulge you."

Demonstrating remarkable flexibility, the Game Master turned his head to the side by at least 90 degrees; not the most pleasing sight. "I called myself… That?" Producing a familiar cane, (or at least, a segment of it,) the Reaper sheathed his sword, and rested the now complete wicker upon his shoulder. The carvings caught on the fabric of his coat as he rolled it from side to side. "I… Called myself… A 'gentleman'."

I observed him closely. He's acting, I quickly decided, he must be. Though, to my astonishment, no matter how hard I looked, I could not see any trace of deception upon his face. Furthermore, having familiarized myself with his sarcastic persona, I was that much more certain that this… Wasn't it. He genuinely could not recall. "… The first time we met." I prompted him.

"The first time we met? Day 4, you mean."

"No… The first time we met." I corrected him; a slight amount of frustration ran through me, strengthening my words.

"… Dear me, how terribly rude I've been." The Game Master clenched his temples with his free hand, hiding his face in… Shame? "My apologies, miss. I make it a point to not forget one's face once I meet them, but in your case… It seems that I have done just that."

Silence.

"You're saying that you don't recall the first time that we met…?"

"I truly am sorry." He bowed his head. And the funny thing is that… He really, really was. "I could hazard a guess to say that we met in the RG, before the Game; even I could not forget meeting you within such a span of time as short as 7 Days… Still, it is inexcusable-"

"Black Jupiter."

Bright as day, and yet dark as night: A bolt of black lightning shot out of an adjacent wall, and raced towards the Game Master; almost too fast to see.

"Nngh…!" For the first time, the Reaper showed some form of effort in avoiding an attack; the bolt flashed past him, blasting into the opposite wall and kicking up a cloud of dust.

The entire exchange took about a tenth of a second.

"Magokoro, what are you doing?" The thunderous sound had caused me to instinctually sink toward the ground, keeping my centre of balance low.

"We have half an hour left. Less than half an hour." He stated, emotionless. "If he's not going to cooperate with us, then… We'll do what we have to."

29:52…
29:51…
29:50…

"That's the Mission he gave us in the first place, anyway." Pulling a new set of Pins out, Magokoro took his stance.

"That's more like it, Monsieur Muki." Our opponent redrew his weapon, tucking the comparatively useless cane portion somewhere into his coat. "These kinds of battles are meant to be all-out, after all…!"

It appeared as though the time for talking was over. Drawing out a set of my own, I prepared for the final showdown.

Reaper Side

West Exit Bus Terminal
44:46 until Time Zero
44:45…
44:44…

14:46…
14:45…
14:44…

Approximately a quarter of an hour had passed since Katy and Muki engaged their final opponent in the Reaper's Game. Dust clouds dispersed, sparks flew… The very air seemed to be charged with an electrifying energy. Minutes into the battle, the two Players had noticed that they were beginning to fade from each other's perception; the Game Master was steadily pushing the pair into separate Zones, where they belonged…

But that was in the Station Underpass.

Unbeknownst to the combatants, another Player was making their way towards the field of battle. "Haaah… Haaah…" The Player's short frame shook as a couple of harsh gasps coursed through them. Having run here from across Shibuya, the young Player was… More than a little tired.

A sudden thunderclap startled pedestrians everywhere; seemingly out of nowhere, a storm had arrived. A torrent of cold, heavy water crashed down to Earth, noisily pelting the asphalt, and soaking the already tired Player to the bone.

"H-… Hiro…" Still calling for her beloved brother, Koushi Tetsuyou limped towards her destination.

Player Side

"Blast it!" The Game Master cursed, having once again failed to deliver a fatal blow.

To his credit, the numerous cuts that he had already given me were stinging to no end. Fortunately for me, the glowing green shroud around me prevented the wounds' conditions from worsening.

Spinning his weapon into a reversed-grip, the Reaper attempted to take my head off from my right.

Planting my own right foot into the ground, I propelled my upper body in the opposite direction, left, and watched the sharp edge fly past me; the scent of rusted metal filled the air. Without the Light Puck, that might've been the end of me… Thanks, Magokoro…!

Employing the use of his momentum to somersault forwards 180 degrees whilst simultaneously wheeling around by a full 360 degrees, the Game Master skilfully flipped over me. Now both upside-down and behind my flank, the swordsman allowed his blade to continue in its path, aiming slash at my shoulder from my left.

Unfortunately, having already pushed myself to the left, I had picked up too much inertia to now change my mind. With only one option imaginable, I closed my eyes and braced for the incoming pain. This one's really going to hurt. "Thunderbolt…!" Before the blade could reach me, I raised my right hand and slammed it into my own chest. "Ggaaahhhh!" Lightning-hot fury surged through my body; stabbing pain enveloped me as I was thrown backwards by the force of my own Psych.

Swish!

The Game Master's sword missed me by the tiniest amount; I gave a silent farewell to a few strands of my auburn hair as I tumbled backwards along the hard concrete ground, only coming to a stop when I hit an equally hard concrete wall.

Crash!

"Kuh…" Coughing out wisps of static, I slumped against the now-shattered stone; small bits of rubble fell around me, click-clacking in a rhythmic fashion as they went. Feeling as if I had broken a few bones, I raised my head to the less-than-welcome sight of a blade being pointed at my face.

"Any last words…?" My opponent queried, his voice carrying a hint of respect for my plucky, if idiotic, stratagem.

"W-Well…" I coughed again. How long had we been fighting? It felt like an eternity. As it was now… I could barely twitch my fingers. My body flickered around the edges, losing its sharpness; patches of my visage blinked in and out of my vision as a mirage would. I was a radio with a bad signal. A broken clock… Close to its end.

In that moment, it all caught up with me; all the fatigue, all of the effort… The pointlessness of it all. Everything that I had tried so hard to stave off hit me like a brick wall. I had hit my limit. Simple as that. Why was I fighting? What did I have to go back to? I had Magokoro, I suppose… But he would be better off without having to babysit me, really. I had rebuffed the idea of him being a Reaper earlier, however that was merely a front… Deep in my heart, I knew that Magokoro had hidden something from me; what it was, I had no idea. Regardless, I trusted that he had left my mind unburdened with his secrets for good reason, but… Did it even matter at this point?

The Light Puck wavered, and disappeared.

"… You're rather strong. Could I have a moment, please?" A cheeky grin spread across my face, as I closed my eyes in acceptance of my fate.

"That'll do nicely, actually." The Game Master smiled alongside me, no doubt amused by the dark, if humorous mental image of the epitaph on my gravestone. With that last romanticism, he raised the executioner's axe skyward… And brought it down on my head, ending my Existence.

7th Day…

… No, I'm only joking.

My eyes snapped open. No doubt, shining their usual fiery violet. "THUNDERBOLT!" Shouting my best hope to the heavens, I willed my arm to move; intercepting the Game Master's sword, I simultaneously activated my Psych, channelling as much power through the blade as I could, right into its wielder.

A bright flash of light burned my eyes as my opponent was flung away, directly into the opposing wall. The subsequent crash was similar to all others that had preceded it. We may have broken the record for 'most walls destroyed in one day'.

The large, deep gash in my palm bled static profusely. I hissed in agony; my hand seemed ready to break in two at any moment. "C-… Cure Drink." I coughed again and downed the can that materialized in front of me; welcoming the warm sensation that spread through my veins. That's a bit better. Both my Thunderbolt and Cure Drink Pins had now dimmed; no matter how I tried, I couldn't get a response out of them. They're Rebooting. Considering the scale to which I just used them, it might be a while. Wincing, I forced myself into a standing position; the Psych had certainly improved my condition, but I was far from fully recovered. Last I checked, Magokoro wasn't doing too badly… Let's hope that's still the case. Scraping up whatever reserves I had left, I formed a new Light Puck and sent it his way.

The Game Master wrenched himself out of the wall, and took a few steps towards me; his breathing slightly heavier than it had been a few moments earlier. "… You don't give up, do you?" My adversary regarded me with interest, crouching low; preparing to pounce.

"Lying down never struck me as something fun, no." I managed another shaky smile, holding my right shoulder for fear of my arm falling off.

"Then die standing…!" With a flourish of his blade, the enemy charged at me one more time, his blade glinting green in the light.

… Green?

"Black Saturn!" A Light Puck-empowered Magokoro, having seemingly torn a void between our Zones, leapt out of a shimmering passageway and cast a protective barrier around me.

Before my Partner had even finished speaking, the Game Master had retreated, leaping several paces away; a look of surprise on his face.

Landing squarely beside me, Magokoro dropped the barrier, and gave my tattered form a once over. "… Man, you look like hell. I kinda hoped that you'd be doing better."

"What?" I glared at him, irate. "What about… Actually, you look rather well." I conceded, releasing my shoulder and standing straight. "… I'm glad." I added, not wanting my friend to think that I would ever wish him ill.

"Don't worry, you've done well to survive." Magokoro assured me, keeping an eye on the Game Master, who was keeping his distance. "In fact, I can see that you're already much stronger than you were before this fight. Stable." He complimented me, looking somewhat pleased.

"Is that so?" I considered it, taking a moment to twist my arms here and there, giving them a good stretch.

"Oh. I'm, uh… Sorry that you picked up that habit from me." Magokoro sounded a little self-conscious, watching me as I pulled my arms behind my back.

"… People stretch, Magokoro; it's fine." I brushed it off the observation, but also ceased my aerobics, (which, I admitted to myself, I had indeed been doing more frequently after seeing my friend doing it himself.)

"At any rate… Shall we?" Magokoro passed the Light Puck to me, ready to carry on.

"… Yeah. Let's go."

Hearing our conversation, the Game Master decided to strike first; spinning once on the spot, he…

He just vanished…! My eyes widened as the shock hit me; where had he gone?

"Black Mars!"

Hearing an inferno-like sound behind me, I jumped forward, orienting myself to see behind me as I did so. Magokoro's wall of jet-black flames erupted from beneath the ground, just in time to protect us from the Game Master.

Extraordinarily, he had been quite prepared to attack us from our rear.

"Good reflexes," the Reaper smirked, "but let's see how long you can keep it up!" He shouted, dashing towards the barrier of fire.

"What's he doing?" I looked on in disbelief. It didn't matter how fast he was; that fire was clearly too intense to simply charge through.

But once again, the Game Master blinked out of sight, and reappeared on the other side of the firewall; our side.

"Magokoro!" I cried a warning out, but it was unnecessary.

"Black Uranus!" As the swordsman closed in, Magokoro thrust his hand upward, summoning a piercing pillar of blackened ice from the ground to stop his attacker.

"Far too slow." The Game Master boasted, having already circled around behind Magokoro, he coiled his arm back; ready to bifurcate my Partner.

"Psychokinesis!" Just in time, I launched a sizeable chunk of rock at the man, knocking him off of his feet before he even had a chance to…

No, no… Too late. He had once again disappeared from view.

Magokoro stepped out of the way as my projectile careened past him, sliding harmlessly along the ground. "I'm seeing a pattern, here…" He noted, displeased.

"Again…!" Disoriented, I whipped my head around, my eyes scanning the area for the swordsman. "… There!"

Following my gaze, Magokoro was able to get a lock on the Game Master, who was standing on the far side of the Station Underpass.

He almost looked… Bored, really.

"He's fast…!" I panted; my eyes couldn't keep up at all. Now that I think about it, it's not that my eyes can't keep up… It was unlike the Queen, or the Bishop; even when my eyes were physically unable to follow them, I could identify their general vector of movement through other factors, such as sound, air movements… And other small elements. I can't perceive him at all. He's way too fast; almost as if…

"'Warp'." The Reaper confirmed my suspicions, before grabbing one of the loose sleeves of his jacket and twirling it around like a toy. "It's only on a small scale, but I can manipulate space." The statement carried so much meaning behind it, and yet he had divulged the information as if it meant nothing. "You see? It's not that I'm 'moving fast'. I just… 'Don't have to move' at all, really." He snickered.

"What kind of ability is that…?" I was mortified. Psychs were one thing. Imprinting was another. But this… This was beyond my comprehension.

"It's my Soul Revel, dear." He stated, as if were the most obvious thing in the world. "What's yours? I'm dying to know." Grinning, he swung at the air, before crouching back into a battle-ready position.

"'Soul Revel'…" The term was alien to me, though I was able to infer that it represented some kind of 'skill'… Other than that, I had no idea.

"A Soul Revel is a Psych that's unique for each person." Magokoro clarified, still wary of any incoming assaults by the Game Master. "Most Psychs are executed through usage of Pins as a conduit for Imagination… But it's possible to use your own Soul as an outlet for a Psych. Only-"

"Only," the Game Master interrupted, "the unique composition of your Soul will cause you to produce an equally unique Psych; just as a Pyrokinesis Pin produces a fire Psych because of the recognizable design that it bears, or the way that a Cure Drink Pin heals you by instilling the prospect of a rejuvenating beverage in your mind… Oh, and since we're on the subject, I believe that the old Conductor could stop time. If I recall correctly…" The swordsman looked upwards with a nostalgic look on his face. "'Time Be Still', and all that."

So the qualities of his Soul are allowing him to manipulate space…? Seems a little unfair.

"And so, I ask you again, young lady," The man posed his question to me a second time, "what is your Revel? I'm truly, very curious."

"Who knows?" I replied without hesitation. I certainly had no idea; the concept had only just been introduced to me, after all.

"Ah… Now that's a real pity." Looking slightly downcast, the Reaper raised his sword, and shifted the position of his feet…

"Black Mercury!" Magokoro yelled, swiping his arm through the air and creating an orb of water it shot off, whizzing past our startled opponent, before deciding to settle in the far corner of the battlefield.

"That was… Impressive?" The Game Master attempted to compliment my Partner; it was evident that he was placing a noticeable of effort into not sounding completely underwhelmed. The effort was almost as noticeable as the fact that he was, indeed, completely underwhelmed.

"One more, then!" Magokoro generated another, and then another. Then five, then ten…

Within a few moments, the entire underpass was littered with a minefield of liquid orbs; some here, some there… Some high up, some almost resting on the ground…

"Katy, you're fine; they aren't deadly… To you." Comforting me, Magokoro held his arms up in a gesture of grandeur, and walked forward; the orbs silently floated out of his path, like servants before their monarch. "Keep one as a pet, use another as a ball… You could even drink one. If you're feelin' particularly thirsty." Cheerfully grinning at his own joke, my Partner's face suddenly turned sinister as he shifted his gaze back to the enemy, "the Game Master on the other hand, is going to find their deadliness a lot less funny."

"If I don't touch them, I'm fine, yes?" The Reaper shrugged, having already thought of a solution. "I'll stay here then, if you don't mind. Come at me when you're ready. Oh, and…" The Game Master indicated our Timers.

11:14…
11:13…
11:12…

"… I would say that playing the waiting game is really not in your best interests." With a final, smug look, the man raised his sword, and simply stood there.

… I suppose in this case, 'a strong defence is the best offence'. I examined my remaining Pins; I had a few long-range Psychs left in my arsenal. That would be the best strategy at this point…

"Say, Katy." Magokoro leant in close, and whispered.

"Wh-… What is it, Magokoro?" I tilted my head away by a minute amount, somewhat uncomfortable with just how close he was.

"Mind if I borrow that Light Puck for a moment?" It wasn't exactly what I was expecting.

"Are you going to… Attack him?" I asked, transferring the energy over to him.

"In a manner of speaking, yes… But no, not really." Letting out a calm breath as the Light Puck settled, Magokoro pulled out two Pins: One had a yellow graffiti design that I didn't recognize… And the other was the Harmonizer. "Follow my lead, okay?" He looked at me, confident.

I had no idea what was about to happen, but I complied, stowing away my deck of Pins, and drawing out my own Harmonizer. "Okay… Ready when you are, Magokoro."

"Then let's do it." Taking in the longest breath that I had seen anyone take, Magokoro raised the yellow Pin, and calmly activated its Psych. "Black Venus."

Before I could even blink, a multitude of black energy bolts shot out of the Pin, each one heading for a different target; one for each of the orbs that Magokoro had laid.

Boooom!

With a deafening sound, the Black Mercury orbs all exploded into vapour, obscuring anything more than an arm's length away from my sight, and encasing the Station Underpass in a scalding sauna of steam.

He told me to drink that?! I shivered at the thought of what caustic substance the Psych was made of; at worst, I felt a light burn upon my skin… But our enemy was no doubt affected to a greater degree, being the Psych's target…

"Now!" My Partner's voice rang strong, signalling the beginning of the end.

"Ah, right!" I flew forwards, guided by the Light Puck that shined through the white fog. He's blinded now. It's just a matter of-

"Surprise." A familiar, playful voice shook my composure; he was close. Sooner than I could react, the Reaper's sword arced through the air, cutting the steam apart as it moved.

From my left…! Caught off-guard, the world seemed to move in slow-motion as the Game Master's blade swung towards my throat… But then I felt a familiar resurgence of strength. Moving swiftly, I turned and caught the sword edge-first; it barely left a scratch on my palm.

"What…?" The Game Master's only visible eye widened as he stared at me in bewilderment, before promptly being blasted across the battlefield by Magokoro. "Gaghk…!"

The explosive force of Magokoro driving his knee into the Game Master's side blew away a good portion of the steam that masked the arena… Just enough to see our surroundings clearly.

As our Sync reached its highest point yet, Magokoro and I roared our twin battle-cries, shaking the stone structure around us.

"Here comes the Endgame!"
"Let's finish this!"

My hand subconsciously flew to the black Pin in my pouch; gathering all of my Imagination, I concentrated on forming 'that object' as Magokoro began our assault.

Blazing silver flames formed around both of my Partner's hands; sparkling and shining like a gaseous gemstone. With a considerable amount of effort, he wound back and launched the Psych towards the Game Master. Just as soon as the fire had left his fingertips, Magokoro flitted out of visibility, and reappeared at the enemy's far flank; launching another, Magokoro then leapt high into the air and fired off a final, burning fireball.

"Tch…!" Having only just touched down after being thrown by my Partner, the speedy swordsman found himself facing another challenge: Three infernal comets hurtled towards his location; one from the left, one from above… And the last one, dead ahead. "Cut." With a single, resolute word, the Game Master thrashed his sword about, skilfully intercepting each missile before any could cause him harm; the impact of his blade colliding with each of Magokoro's shooting stars produced a sound like a bell tower's, subsequently causing the three projectiles to explode into a sparking stardust.

And by that time, I had already flanked the man myself.

Clang!

Seemingly possessing eyes on the back of his head, the Game Master had spun around and parried my weapon with his own.

The swordsman's steel-coloured blade ground against my own, golden-bronze staff; scintillating sparks scattered, leaving tiny, pinprick burns down the length of my arm.

Not wasting a moment, my adversary flicked his wrist and deflected my staff away from him.

The power behind his arm made me take a step away, but it was only a temporary setback; allowing that movement to carry me backwards, I exploited the push he had given me to swivel around, and aim another swing at him. Leaving a wide arc behind it, the far end of my staff crashed against the man's sabre, which had once again been brought up in a defensive fashion.

The rings on the end of the shakujou rattled against one another, like the sound of a lightning bolt exploding on the surface of the Earth.

Not even bothering to force me off a second time, the Game Master opted to immediately aim his blade at my jugular.

My head swayed to the side, easily avoiding the swipe.

Cling! Clang!

Consecutive strikes.

Whoosh… Crash!

A strong swing.

Cling! Clang! Whoosh! Clang!

Defensive manoeuvres.

Our weapons spun around us in a dance, constantly wanting to hit the master of the other, but never reaching; always falling short, one way or another.

"It's about time that you kick the bucket, lass!" Neatly sidestepping two of my swings, the Game Master whirled around; fast enough that his jacket flew off of his shoulders. The article momentarily drifted between us, obscuring his form from me. Quite unexpectedly, I saw his sword stab right through it, and race towards my heart; the Game Master had cleverly used his discarded garment as a blind spot.

A disagreeable grinding noise rang out as my off-hand shot up and caught the blade in its grasp; the metal slid between my fingers for a moment, before being locked in my grip.

"I'll settle for just kicking… You!" Punctuating the last word in the sentence, my leg shot out from behind my wrap skirt, driving a boot into my opponent's stomach. I was fairly sure that I'd just felt something snap.

"Gah…!" Clearly winded, the Reaper struggled to maintain his balance as he skidded several paces back; his feet left a cloud of dust in their wake.

Spinning my weapon around in a final flourish, I kicked off the ground and shot towards him… "Bullseye!" With a last word, I used all of my strength to propel my staff forward like a javelin, and watched as it pierced the Game Master through the chest. Accompanied by a sound like a sonic boom, our Fusion forcefully impaled the man against the concrete wall of the Station Underpass.

Reaper Side

Station Underpass
39:42 until Time Zero
39:41…
39:40…

09:39…
09:38…

…
…

Timer's gone… We've done it. We survived…! Katy felt a wave of relief hit her; though she was bruised, cut in several places, and out of breath… The girl was simply grateful to be alive.

A harsh bout of rasping coughs snapped Katy out of her inattentive state. The Reaper grabbed at the golden spear that had run him through, weakly pulling at it; his feet shuffled around on the ground, failing to gain any traction. He coughed again, spurting static. "Oh… I appear to have lost." With his head hanging limp, the young man laughed feebly, before descending into another coughing fit. "'How can this be?', 'this isn't possible', 'curse you', et cetera, et cetera…" Acting as carefree as always, the man's melodramatic performance was halted by another violent cough.

Katy shivered. In the heat of battle, she had delivered a fatal blow to her enemy… But now that the adrenaline began to wear off, the victorious Player was able to fully take in what she had just done. "Mr. Gentleman…" With a desolate look, the girl watched the maimed Reaper; without thinking, she had referred to him with the nickname she had thought up.

"Please… My name is Jack." He managed to get the sentence out without expelling any more of his Soul than he already had. "I think you… Know me well enough by now to go on a first-name basis… Katy." As a sign of respect, the young man ceased the usage of his playful epithets, and did the same for her.

"Hey, girl." Muki quietly laid a tender hand on his Partner's shoulder, and observed her for signs of destabilization. "… You alright?"

Katy said nothing; she couldn't take her eyes off of her pitiful, dying victim. "… You don't have to go." She couldn't bring herself to say the word 'die'; riddled with guilt, she prepared a Cure Drink.

With a great deal of effort, the disappearing Reaper wrenched his head upwards and stared into Katy's eyes… Though his own were completely concealed by his messy head of pale hair. "Sure I do." Jack shrugged, uncaring. "We're enemies, you and I. You being a Player, and me being a… Well, I was the Game Master." Another cough. "Not anymore. I'm just plain ol' Jack, now." A frail chuckle escaped his mouth.

Ignoring his words, Katy prepared to patch her old adversary up; first she would have to dispel the staff, but…

"And even if that Pin had Rebooted, which it hasn't, by the way," In spite of his body steadily disappearing, Jack demonstrated an unusual amount of vitality, lazily gesturing with his arm, as if he were completely fine. "I've already returned us to the UG. You can't use it here."

Startled, the two Players examined their surroundings; all of the destruction wrought during their clash had vanished, with the exception of the fragmented slab of rock that Jack was pinned to.

"Why would you-"

"To teach you a lesson, Katy." Jack's arm dropped as he appeared to once again lose his strength; a wilting wallflower inside the cavern of the underpass. "Like I said: You're a Player. I'm a Reaper. You're the 'light', and I'm the 'dark'. You're the 'day', and I'm the 'night'." Giggling a little, the man continued. "You and Master Muki executed me, so that you and your friends could survive. So it goes." Showing a somewhat disturbing lack of attachment to his own life, the man rolled his head around in a circular motion, looking as uninterested as ever.

"Don't you…" Having only been 'born' several days ago, the girl known as 'Katy' had found herself possessing an extraordinary drive; a will to survive that was as strong as anything. Seeing Jack display such a passive view on whether he lived or died… It saddened her. "Don't you care… Jack?"

"'Care'?" The man repeated the word as if it was foreign. "I don't. Should the deer hate the lion? Should the plant-life hate the deer? No," he sighed, speaking as an exasperated parent would, "I hold no ill will towards you. To do so would be childish and hypocritical. But speaking of children…" Jack turned his head, shifting his hair to the left and revealing an amused glint in his eye. "Here comes your little friend."

Katy and Magokoro's eyes flew to the entrance of the Station Underpass, just in time to see an exhausted Koushi Tetsuyou stagger in.

Player Side

Station Underpass
37:36 until Time Zero
37:35…
37:34…

Koushi…! Seeing the young girl, my heart leapt into my throat; she walked like one who was already dead.

"Tetsuyou." Magokoro acted first; dashing over, he crouched next to Koushi and supported her weight with a helpful embrace. "Now, whatever do you think you're doing here? Crazy child…" He laughed, and helped her over to me.

"Koushi, you shouldn't be so reckless…" Kneeling in front of her, I took her face into my hands; it was clean again… In fact, her entire frame was saturated; I realized that she must have gotten caught in the rain. "… You might catch a cold." I beamed, hoping that it might warm her up, even if just a little.

"… Hiro." The youngster's voice was sounding much better, if still slightly hoarse. It seemed that time really did heal all wounds.

"That's right, Koushi. We're going to go get him now." I promised her, my face resolute. We had come too far to fail. Seeing the girl quiver, I swiftly removed my knitted pullover, threaded her arms through the sleeves, and pulled it over her head.

The name was well deserved.

Unfortunately, that left me in nothing but my skin-tight black tank top. Modest? Reasonably, yes. Warm? Not so much. I was in no position to complain, however. Huh? As I was fitting the garment onto the young girl, I saw it from the corner of my eye; there was something on the back of my pullover. I turned Koushi around, thinking that something had gotten stuck on it… but oddly enough, it was completely clean. That's strange. I was sure that I saw something… Black. Had a spider crawled onto my back, (I smiled at the thought,) and crawled off of Koushi's? I searched the ground, but found nothing there, either…

How curious.

Barely noticing that she was now wearing an article of clothing several sizes too large for her, the tiny Player sluggishly shook her head. The giant, woollen sleeves that encompassed her arms swayed around, almost touching the ground. "… Took… Hiro." She spoke again, on the verge of collapsing; it was taking all that she had just to stay conscious.

"I know. I know." I comforted her, stroking her clammy hair. "We know who took him. He's called the 'Knight'." I explained to her in an understanding voice, hoping that by giving her a bit more information, she would be satisfied. "We're going to find them now. Both of them, okay?" Giving her a little shake, I smiled again.

Strangely, Koushi shook her head again. "No…" She spoke in a low voice.

"'No'? What's wrong, Koushi?" I bit my lower lip, hoping that she wasn't going to cry…

"No… I said…" Koushi took a breath, and slowly raised an arm. "… He took Hiro."

Time stopped. The raindrops were suspended in mid-air, leaves rested on the wind, and various wisps of dust froze above the concrete, forming small, spiralling shapes around the ground…

What is she talking about…? Not breathing, I slowly ran my eyes down Koushi's arm, following her outstretched finger… I finally saw who she was pointing to.

Jack the Ripper ran a hand through his hair and pulled it out of his face, laughing as he began to completely fade from sight. His laugh was soft, almost inaudible… But it belonged to a man insane. For the first time since I had met him, I could see both of his eyes… I was filled with a deep-set, instinctual fear.

One was as blue as the sky.

And the other was a deep, bloody crimson.

Heterochromia.

"That's right… I took the boy." Jack spoke to me one final time, before flicking his eyes to Magokoro. "What was that you said, Master Muki? 'While we're wasting time, CHECKMATE is advancing towards the Composer'? Well you'd be right. That was our plan… The whooole time." Imparting a shocking revelation upon me, the Knight fizzled into nothingness, grinning as he faded into oblivion.

Reaper Side

The Imaginary Plane – CHECKMATE HQ
Exact Time Unknown

"Consider the Pawn's Programming." The King raised a finger, and tapped it against his temple. "The Queen has Imprinted our Pawn with five specific functions." Showing the back of his fist to his comrades, the King extended his fingers outward, obviously indicating 'five'.

"The first is the Proximity Conduct protocol." The Queen volunteered, stepping forward. "Part of our King's Soul has been spliced into the Pawn's; a point has been reached where the Pawn has become an extension of the King himself." Turning to her leader, the Queen continued. "Sir, this would of course be an emergency measure, but if the Pawn were to endanger the operation, you must place yourself in their immediate vicinity, and channel your Imagination through them. Direct control should be simple enough from that moment." The Queen laid out the workings of her Programming, explaining it to the other members more than to the King himself.

"So, you're telling me that the Boss can actually force the Pawn to obey his commands?" The Knight snickered, his differently coloured eyes sparkling mischievously. "Now that's something else. A little time and effort can go a long way, I suppose."

"I think that this level of Imprinting goes beyond a 'little time and effort', Knight." The Rook grunted, thoroughly impressed. That kind of power's broken… But did it really take her a thousand years to Encode this? "… And is there any kind of restriction on this?"

"So long as the King can manage to get close enough to the Pawn to give a verbal command? No, there is none. Don't insult me." Despite her comment, the Queen wasn't offended. Rather, she simply expected the Rook to know her better; she would never even consider using substandard, half-finished Code. "Now then… Shall I explain the next function?"

Player Side

Station Underpass
37:36 until Time Zero
37:35…
37:34…

"That's not good." Magokoro spoke almost instantaneously. "If the Game Master was a mole for CHECKMATE, then the situation is far worse than we thought." Striding over to my staff, still embedded in the rock, my Partner smoothly pulled it out. "He managed to stall us for approximately 20 minutes; that's quite the head start that they have on us." As my weapon left its stone sheath, it briefly glowed white before reverting to its original form; the Black Pin. Flicking it over to me as one would a coin, Magokoro indicated a murky entrance on the far side of the underpass. "We need to go, now."

Catching the Pin with one hand, I kept Koushi held against me with my other. "What about Koushi? Are you saying that we just leave her here…?"

"No," he spoke quickly, "the girl will wake up and simply trail us again. And with CHECKMATE around, she should be staying close to us anyway." Returning to my side, Magokoro lifted Koushi up onto his back. "I'll carry her, let's move."

He wants to bring her into the battlefield? I almost expressed my worry out loud, but he wasn't exactly wrong… At the very least, we could keep an eye on her at all times. And, out of the three of us, it's not as though the enemy will attack the one who is already unconscious.

"Calm yourself," he comforted me as we walked, "her condition's improving, even if at a very slow pace. We must be getting closer to her Partner." Having said what he had to say, Magokoro accelerated to a brisk jog, carrying the unmoving younger Player with him.

As we crossed the threshold to what I could only assume was the Shibuya River, I stopped; my vision blurred, and my breaths became ragged. I clutched at my chest as a heavy pressure weighed down upon me, making it difficult to breathe… Difficult to move, even. The sensation could have been compared to the effect that the thick, charged atmosphere that Pork City had on me… But this was something slightly different.

"Can you walk?" Magokoro's voice snapped me out of my trance. He looked just a touch apprehensive. "We're approaching the core of Shibuya. Your Soul still hasn't fully stabilized; with the concentration of Imagination that we're walking into, you might be feeling a little light-headed. Do you need a moment?"

'Stabilized'…? Vague understanding fluttered through my mind, but it left as quickly as it came. I felt as though I were in a dream; nonsensical thoughts ran through my mind; sounds echoed, stopped, and started without my consent… But we had no time for this. Hiro needed us. I took a couple of deep breaths as an anxious Magokoro watched me, and focused. Pulling myself out of hypnogogic state, I settled on 'mostly awake' and flashed my friend a confident grin; I walked past him. "I'll be alright. Let's not stop." Even as I said the words, one of my eyelids was fluttering between 'open' and 'closed'. My stride was clearly slower than usual; scrappier than usual.

"Sure. Let's go." He said simply. Of course, I couldn't see his face, (this time due to being positioned in front of him,) but I was quite certain that he could see through my shaky front.

An overhead train zoomed by, rattling the ramparts of the Station Underpass and unsettling loose, powdery rock from the ceiling; the two of us marched further into the Shibuya River, one passenger in tow.

Trail of the Sinner
32:59 until Time Zero
32:58…
32:57…

"Say, Magokoro…" I puffed. Dragging myself along, I soon found that I was growing accustomed to the detriments of being within the River… But I was still running slow enough that my Partner had to adjust his own pace by a small margin to accommodate mine. "We have won the Game, right?"

"Correct." He replied; there was no joy in his voice, and yet no sadness either. I supposed that he was thinking that the worst had yet to come.

"In that case, are we back in the RG?" And… When are our Entry Fees returned? The questions came to mind naturally enough, though as I thought on the latter one, it did occur to me that I might come across as sounding a little selfish… I decided to stop at one question, for now.

"Ordinarily, following the completion of the final Mission, the Conductor summons all of the remaining Players for an evaluation and returns their Entry Fees. Passing the evaluation allows you to withdraw from the Game."

"Wait… You're saying that surviving the 7 Days isn't enough? There's an 'evaluation' at the end, as well?" The more I learnt about the Reaper's Game, the more twisted it seemed. The way he had phrased his explanation made it sound as though one Partner could leave another behind. "And what does this evaluation entail?"

"It's a point system." Magokoro replied as we continued forward. "Players are awarded points depending on their performance in the Game. The Player with the highest amount of points gets to go home, simple as that." He seemed unfazed by the inherent cruelty of this system… But perhaps it was just that he had long since accepted it. "Remaining Players can enter the Game again, join the Reapers, or just… Give up."

'Give up'… His meaning was clear: Face Erasure. A cold despair crept over me as my boots crunched against the damp ground of the Shibuya River. Only one person could really 'win' the Game; was Magokoro going to leave without me? Or, even worse… Would I be forced to leave without him?

"Like I said, 'ordinarily'." My Partner placed a great deal of emphasis on that last word. Certainly, none of the described events had come to pass; quite a bit of time had passed since we had cleared the last Mission. "The fact that nothing's happened yet means… CHECKMATE has most likely interfered in some fashion. The most likely possibility being that they have long since Erased the Conductor."

I gritted my teeth. I was moving faster, now; almost at full speed. "The Conductor… The commander of the Reaper forces, yes?" I re-established, just to be sure of myself.

"Right. Not really counting the Composer, of course."

I nodded. "As for the Conductor… Who were they? Do we know them?"

At this, Magokoro shook his head. "No. I'm afraid that I don't even know his name. But there is almost no doubt that he has been Erased. That would be the reason as to why our Entry Fees have already been bestowed back unto us."

I stumbled, and crashed to the ground. One reason for my sudden fall was my waning strength, of course… But the shock that his words had given me was undoubtedly another.

"Hey, you alright?" Magokoro stopped running, and circled back to me. Taking one hand off of Koushi, my friend helped me back up.

"You have your… Entry Fee back, Magokoro?" I winced, brushing bits of dirt and cold mud off of me; my fully-exposed arms had received the worst of it.

"Yeah. Got it back as soon as the Timer disappeared." He raised an eyebrow. "You got your memories back, right? Forgive me for not inquiring… I had assumed that you wanted some time to reflect on them."

"… You could say that." I avoided the question, not wanting to waste any more time than I already had. "Let's hurry, shall we?" Without waiting for an answer, I dashed down the long, dark corridor.

"Very well." He agreed in a quiet voice and sprinted after me, not contesting my answer.

I took a good, long, hard look inside myself. What had changed? Had anything changed? I felt no different. I knew nothing more than I did, nor did I remember anything that I previously hadn't…

…

No… A wave of anticipation hit me as I realized the truth. There's something… There's a new memory from before the Reaper's Game…! The wave, however, ended up gently washing over me before fading away into nothingness; a second realization hit me. Is this… All there is?

I could visualize a hazy recollection of me, lying in one of Shibuya's many streets… On the corner of an alleyway, to be precise. Far away, down one end, was a main street. Presumably. Around the corner on the other hand, not more than 10 metres away, was something far more interesting: A wall of graffiti; colourful, artistic designs danced up and down its surface, decorating the otherwise plain slab of concrete.

…

A man walked over to my past self; he wore a black hoodie and green cargo pants… A Reaper. "You have a rather strong Soul, don't you? I feel like you'd make a good addition to the Game."

Game? I… She had repeated, internally; she had no idea what was happening, or where she was…

"The Reaper's Game. A second chance at life… If you win." The man replied. "Won't you join? You're very close to death, young lady."

She opened her mouth to speak, but was suddenly distracted by a hot numbness on the surface of her neck.

"Somebody appears to have slit your throat open." He commented, casually watching as I slowly bled out.

At this point, she could feel a noticeably deep cut along her neck; clearly, she had clearly lost a great deal of blood… She was lying in a pool of it.

"Not a very nice thing to do to someone. Especially to a pretty young girl such as yourself." He smiled in a friendly, unaffected manner, as if this was the kind of brutality that he dealt with every day. "So then… Would you like to join my Reaper's Game? I'm sure it would be an exciting one." The man encouraged me, his tone as casual as a father suggesting some trivial event to his son.

My memory failed me momentarily. She could feel an overwhelming urge to say 'yes', to agree to take part in this 'Reaper's Game' that she had never even heard of before… But I couldn't recall why.

Why did she… I feel so inclined to participate in the Game? I couldn't say.

Unable to speak, I had merely nodded; my head slid along the wet ground of the alleyway, staining my auburn hair with more crimson than it already had been.

"Settled, then. I'll be taking your Entry Fee now…" The man grinned, and placed his hand on my head. "Oh, but before I do… I'm the Conductor of the Game. Nice to meet you, Player. I'll be rooting for you." Still grinning, he posed one last question to me. "And what's your name, miss? I'm sure it's a lovely one." He added; a twinkle in his eye.

Her eyes had begun to wander; she tried to respond… But she couldn't remember. She couldn't remember her own name.

"You don't know who you are?" The Conductor cocked his head to the side, curious. "All the more interesting then, eh?"

With that, the vision ended.

I could recall no more… But I knew that very soon, she would awaken to a nightmare without end. A wakeless dream where she would befriend a somewhat unkempt man and a pair of close-knit twins. She would discover the existence of a mysterious, ruthless organization who would take her young friend captive, driving her to rescue him, and stop whatever shadowy goals that the organization was attempting to achieve… Finally, she would be here, where I now stand.

Looking back on her entire life.

My entire life.

All seven days of it.

Reaper Side

The Imaginary Plane – CHECKMATE HQ
Exact Time Unknown

"Why don't you run everybody through our defence against the Producer?" The King suggested. "I'm sure that our comrades are quite apprehensive about how we will prevent Sanae Hanekoma from making contact with the Pawn."

"We're usin' the Bishop's Revel, aren't we?" The Rook raised an eyebrow.

"Naturally, yes, we are," the Queen stepped back into the conversation, "however, 'luck' alone will not deter the Producer; something a little stronger is required, Rook."

"And that 'something stronger' is what you've spent so much of your time Programming, I expect?" The Knight cackled, referring to the millennium that the Queen had spent on the Pawn's Code.

"Of course. What else?" The Queen stated before moving on. "Working in tandem with the Bishop's Soul Revel, the Pawn has a twofold precaution against the Producer's interference: The Proximity Lock being the first, and the Proximity Erase procedure being the second; both Codes instil an innate desire to reject any form of contact with Sanae Hanekoma's Imagination".

"So at the moment, there's a bit of his majesty and a bit of Producer transplanted inside the Pawn's Soul?" The Rook asked, looking surprised; so far, he was asking most of the questions.

"Samples of the Producer's Imagination were simple enough to obtain," the Queen stated matter-of-factly, answering her solder's query, "the rest was simply a matter of perseverance; the Proximity Lock has Programmed the pawn to actively keep a distance from any object, area, or person bearing traces of the Producer's Imagination. If, for instance, a choice is offered between travelling down one street or another, the Pawn will feel compelled to choose the direction that places the Producer at a greater distance. For this purpose, I have also modified the sensitivity of the Pawn's Soul, though this is only a temporary measure; as the Pawn slowly regains a sense of self, that particular modification will begin to fade."

"Any 'restrictions' on this one, Queenie?" The Knight smirked, imitating his compatriot.

"Very few; the Pawn's subconscious commands are absolute. Aside from the Pawn's Soul not functioning properly in and of itself, or the Pawn being rendered completely unconscious-"

"Ah, so then the Pawn will be vulnerable in-between Days, seeing as Players are forced asleep at that time." The Knight ran a hand through his hair; if Hanekoma was to strike at any time, it would be while the Pawn was sleeping.

"The only other possible event that could cause an upset would be the Producer changing the precise composition of His own Soul."

"Is that gonna happen, though?" The Rook stood up straight, looking somewhat put off by the idea.

"Highly unlikely." The swordswoman replied almost instantly. "As impressive as the Producer is, He would need quite a bit of time to rewrite himself… And time is something that He does not have."

The Rook hoped that she was correct.

Rubicon
24:46 until Time Zero
24:45…
24:44…

After an eternity of walking, we had arrived at some sort of… Well. A river…? Ahead of us lay a low canal; snow-white rapids swiftly flowed through it, like a current in a stream. "Is that the actual 'Shibuya River'?" I asked Magokoro as we approached the watery barricade.

"This particular point would better be described as a drainage system…" He answered, holding his hand up in front of him. "But that's irrelevant. A barrier has been placed here by CHECKMATE; we can't move forward."

Surprised, I flicked my eyes back over to the blockade. He's right. I can feel… Something. Testing the sturdiness of said barrier, I took a few steps forward, but found myself unable to cross the bank. It wasn't as though I physically couldn't… It's more that my body simply did not want to, an invisible force compelled it not to. "I can't move ahead."

"That would be the barrier doing its job, yes." Magokoro quipped dryly.

Undeterred, I tried again… But it made no difference. It felt like I was attempting to walk myself off of a cliff; my survival instincts forcefully rebuffed me at every attempt.

Magokoro only stood there, observing the unseen barrier as I continued to attack the obstacle from different angles: Walking and running yielded equally fruitless results, and when I thought of jumping over the gap instead, I found that my legs would freeze up before I could leave the ground; closing my eyes did nothing, and walking backwards helped in similarly indecisive manner. Even when I spun myself around and leapt in a random direction, it seemed that I would always subconsciously choose to jump away from the stream.

"Magokoro… We've lost at least a few minutes here." I panted, worn out from the multitude of hands that I had played against the barrier. "Is there nothing you can think of?"

"Removing the barrier would take an 'authorized individual', such as the individual who laid the blockade in the first place," he mused, stroking his chin, "the other option would be forcing it open with a collection of strong Souls… And the two of us aren't going to be enough."

"Then what can we do?" Just as another idea formed in my head, I heard something from far behind us. Footsteps…?

"While we alone won't be able to cross the River…" Magokoro turned and grinned at the new appearances, pulling his hood up over his head. "The cavalry will help us out in that regard."

"Yo, yo, yo, who you callin' 'cavalry', man? We came here on th' Beat-wagon!" The young blonde boomed, skidding to a halt. "We late to th' party?" Propped a skateboard up on his shoulder, and proudly thumped his fist on his chest.

"Beat, warfare is based on deception, so let's keep it down…!" The younger blonde pressed a finger to her lips and lightly slapped her brother's arm.

"Looks like you've been stuck here for a bit, huh?" The girl in green adjusted her glasses, holding her stuffed cat close to her chest.

"Sorry to keep you waiting…" The boy pulled on one of his spiky, orange locks; he sighed in irritation. "Let's get going, alright?"

Neku Sakuraba and his friends walked up beside us, and faced the barrier with apprehension.

Reaper Side

The Imaginary Plane – CHECKMATE HQ
Exact Time Unknown

"And what of the Producer's Pieces?" The Knight posed. "Seeing as the four ex-Players are acquainted with Sanae Hanekoma, would the Pawn's Programming prevent contact with them as well?"

"The likelihood is considerably lower," the Queen narrowed her eyes, "after taking on the mantle of Fallen Angel, the Producer has ceased all contact with Sakuraba and His friends."

"After this amount of time, those ex-Players won't be carrying His 'scent' anymore." A rare occurrence; the Bishop spoke, elaborating upon the Queen's argument.

"So, seeing as the Producer spent so much of his time in Wildkat, that area would be off-limits to the Pawn, right?" The Rook offered another point.

"Yes, the Producer's Imagination is practically enshrouding Cat Street altogether. The Pawn won't feel a need to travel down there, any time soon.

"And from what I've seen," the Knight added, circling back to the original topic, "He hasn't communicated with the Composer for quite some time, either."

"Hanekoma must tread lightly. He is Fallen, after all." The King cracked his knuckles, bringing everyone's attention to him. "If the Angels were to notice His presence, He would almost certainly be hunted down and Erased. The Angels are no doubt watching His old café, any ex-Players in the RealGround… And of course, they are watching the Reaper's Game; every day without fail." Descending the stairs, the King signalled for the others to follow. "Perhaps He would be able to evade their detection for a short amount of time, but if He enters the playing field of the Game for more than, say, a few hours… He's finished. That's why we can count on Him being unable to interfere with our plans."

Player Side

Trail of the Bygone
18:53 until Time Zero
18:52…
18:51…

"Are you guys chasing CHECKMATE?" Sakuraba asked us as we continued down the ever-darker Shibuya River.

"Correct; the Rook and the Bishop managed to slip by while we were confronting the Game Master." Magokoro replied, and pulled his hood further down; hiding his face even more than it already had been. "The Queen could be with them, as well."

They know about CHECKMATE… Well, they were at Pork City, before we were, after all.

"Our bad, yo," Beat apologized, "bastards jus' took off after a few minutes of fightin', you know?"

"'Live to fight another day', is it?'" I quoted, glancing at the girl who seemed to have a fondness for adages.

Rhyme giggled at me before expanding upon Beat's recollection. "After they escaped, we were stranded on the rooftop for a bit," she noted with a calm voice. "Neku and Shiki returned from their battle moments later; I guess that the enemy didn't feel that they had a decisive victory in reach."

"You could say that…" Magokoro looked at me, then at Koushi, who was still unconscious. "But we think that it was more of a distraction to capture this girl's Partner."

"What!? Why?" Misaki exclaimed, a horrified look on her face.

Good question. Why did they bother to drag Hiro away with them? I had previously wondered about CHECKMATE's reasoning, but I hadn't managed to reach a plausible conclusion.

"That's the kid, Hiro, right?" Neku established. "He looked pretty strong… Are they gonna use him for something?"

"They might…" Magokoro looked down and shifted Koushi's weight into a steadier position. "… They might be planning on using his Soul as a sort of 'battery'."

A 'battery'? Magokoro had previously commented on the raw power of Hiro's Soul… Was CHECKMATE planning on utilizing that?

"And what would they be powering with this… With him?" Rhyme pressed, her face now more solemn.

"Haven't the slightest." My Partner shrugged. "It's just a theory, in any case; I can't imagine many other reasons."

"Maaan, who even knows, yo." Beat punched at the air, looking rather confused. "Ain't no way these CHECKMATE punks got their heads on straight, they all be crazy. Eckspecially th' Queen, yo. Reminds me too much a' Ironface."

What in the world is he talking about…? Just as the thought crossed my mind, I saw that Misaki was looking at Beat with an expression similar to mine.

Somewhat amusing.

"Anyway…" The bespectacled girl spoke, taking one hand off of Mr. Mew and pointing ahead to a large, ornate set of double-doors.

It practically screamed 'endgame'.

"We're close; that door leads to this…" She glanced at Sakuraba, before finishing. "… Ritzy kind of pad. There might be someone waiting for us, so let's stay on-guard, okay?"

"Gotcha, Shiki."

"My thoughts exactly."

"'En garde''s my middle name, yo!"

Magokoro and I both nodded, staying silent.

As we closed in, I took point. "Let's proceed." Re-summoning my staff, (at this point, it felt like second nature to me,) I kicked off and blasted through the doors; touching down in a battle-ready stance, my eyes flew around the surprisingly luxurious room for signs of an ambush… But they landed on something far more shocking. "Hiro…!"

The boy was slung over the shoulder of a tall man; he stood near a table-football unit of all things, staring at the far wall as if waiting for something. The man turned his head towards me. "Oh. Hello, Katy." The Knight laughed smugly. "Good to see you again, but I'm in the middle of something… 'Could I have a moment, please?'"

Reaper Side

The Imaginary Plane – CHECKMATE HQ
Exact Time Unknown

"And if even if He were to somehow come into contact with the Pawn, there's the Proximity Erase protocol." The Queen's continuous explanation accompanied CHECKMATE as they stepped down the long, gloomy staircase.

"Let me guess," the Knight ruffled his hair to cover his right eye, allowing his remaining red one to stare the Queen directly in the face, "it involves Erasure on proximity… Yes?"

"It's an expansion of the Lock protocol," The Queen spoke calmly, as if she hadn't even heard the Knight, "I've fine-tuned the Pawn's Soul. While its frequency may be far beneath the level of the Producer's, the wavelength has also been adjusted to mirror that of Sanae Hanekoma's."

"So… If you inverted the Pawn's wavelength, you'd get a wavelength identical to the Producer's?" The Rook's words came slowly; he was unsure as to whether or not he had fully understood.

"For all intents and purposes, yes…" As she answered, the Queen pulled her hair back, and began to tie it into place with a simple, red cord. "… The two wavelengths will cause destructive interference in their structures; simply put: As the two near each other, the Pawn's Soul will cause the Producer's Soul to break apart; eventually leading to His Erasure… And vice versa."

"And of course, the Pawn is already instilled with purpose from the Proximity Lock; an ingrained animosity towards Sanae Hanekoma's Soul. With the additional danger of imminent Erasure, the Pawn, if in the right mental state… Just might attack Him on-sight. Correct?" The King looked over to the Queen, even though he knew that what he had said was accurate.

"Indeed. The Pawn will crave to be freed from the feeling of the Producer's Soul; if the easiest path is running, then of course, that action will be taken." With her dull, blonde hair now in a high ponytail, the Queen drew her stone-grey eyes back to her teammates. "But given the right conditions… Be it that the Pawn has been backed into a wall, developed a strong revulsion to Sanae Hanekoma Himself… Or is simply not in an adequate state of mind, the Pawn will endeavour to Erase the Producer with all possible effort… And that brings me to the Lockout Implementation."

Player Side

Dead God's Pad
16:37 until Time Zero
16:36…
16:35…

The recreational room, (or, as I would later come to know it, 'Dead God's Pad',) was an oasis in the desert of the Shibuya River. Water flowed beneath a glass-tiled floor, carrying schools of fish below our feet. A pair of cream-white designer lounges sat at opposite ends of the room on either side of an artistic glass table. On the far side of the pad lay a bar with several kinds of expensive-looking bottles of alcohol; none of which were familiar to me. An old-fashioned jukebox adjacent to the bar immediately caught my eye, as did the rather out-of-place table-football set.

Unfortunately, in spite of the relatively relaxing environment of the room, my head only had one thought running through it. That man… He's still alive…! To be completely honest, I thought that we had a problem on our hands. I was not enjoying the prospect of fighting Mr. Gentleman a second time, especially considering the difficulty that the ordeal had earlier posed.

But Magokoro seemed to think otherwise. "Leo." A new Pin in hand, my Partner vanished into the air, leaving Koushi on the floor beside me, and reappeared behind the Knight; moving swiftly, he lunged at the man's flank.

"Watch it…!" With a coy grin, the Knight swayed to the side, almost managing to avoid Magokoro's grasp… All of a sudden, the Knight's visage seemed to waver and twist, like a mirage on a hot summer's day… And before I knew it, he was gone.

He Warped…! But where to? All too aware of Jack the Ripper's dangerous ability, I spun around once, twice… There! "Rhyme…!" I shouted her name as a warning.

"Off with your head…!" A wicked expression on his face, the Knight rematerialized behind the younger sibling, and brought the guillotine down on her skull…

"Booyaka!" With an odd bellow, Beat swung his skateboard and fended off the Knight's blade; I could see that it had been left with a superficial nick in its wood.

"Thanks, Beat!" Rhyme huffed. Looking more closely at her, I could see that she had a Pin in her hand; she had been prepared to defend herself, even without her elder brother's assistance.

"Hm. Rather unexpected." The Reaper, who had retreated with a single bound, considered his sword; casting his eye over Beat's relatively un-damaged board, he sighed. "It would seem that the damage I sustained from earlier has slowed me down… How vexatious." The Knight shifted Hiro to better sit on his shoulder, and smirked, looking at me in particular.

"That was a Shockwave, yo! You want anotha'?" Flicking his wrist, the eager teenager challenged the Knight with a 'come on' gesture.

Rhyme flicked her own Pin into the air and caught it with a determined look, never taking her eyes off of the enemy.

"Leo." Using his Psych again, Magokoro mimicked the Knight; he teleported behind him in the blink of an eye.

"Don't use the same trick twice." The Knight scoffed; whirling around, he slashed at my Partner without hesitation.

Unfortunately for him, Magokoro had pre-emptively jumped locations again; flanking the swordsman again, my Partner tackled the Reaper and wrestled him to the ground.

"Why, you…!" Struggling to keep a hold on Hiro, the Knight aimed to plunge his blade into Magokoro's back.

Rolling to the side, my friend narrowly avoided a fatal wound by seizing the swordsman's wrist and forcing the weapon away from him.

"Really, you're so violent, Master Muki…!"

The two combatants grappled with each other, rolling around the clear floor, and fighting for control over the Knight's sabre; after a few moments, my Partner succeeded in driving it into the aquarium below, sending remaining fish scattering.

At this point, I was already running over to assist Magokoro. But as I closed in, a familiar distortion began to ripple around the Knight…

"STAY BACK!" My Partner roared, freezing me in place; I'd never heard him shout so forcefully. A moment later, I understood why.

His form winding around like a vortex, the Knight's body whirled into a single point in the air and disappeared completely from the room, stealing the off-guard Magokoro away with him, and leaving only the unconscious Hiro behind as a small consolation.

Reaper Side

Room of Reckoning
15:48 until Time Zero
15:47…
15:46…

The air contorted over itself, twisting and turning like a maelstrom in a storm-ridden sea.

Spiralling out of the spatial opening, Magokoro Muki fell to the stone floor, followed by a smirking Knight.

"We've finally arrived here… The spine of Shibuya; the Room of Reckoning." The Knight marvelled at the construction of the chamber; cryptic white trails ran across the smooth, polished surfaces of the walls and floor, converging at a large throne, upon which sat a figure shrouded in white.

"Well, now… How did you get here without My noticing?" The Composer, Yoshiya 'Joshua' Kiryu, found Himself feeling rather surprised; an emotion that He had not had much experience with. Suddenly, the painted, white symbols adorning the Room of Reckoning flickered blood-red; gritting His teeth, the Composer clenched His fingers around the supports of his throne, and concentrated… Their colour slowly faded back to their previous, clean shade.

"Having trouble holding it off?" The Knight chuckled, watching Him from afar. "I see, now. Even if the Bishop were to fail to contain it… There's no way that You would sit back and watch it destroy the city."

The Composer observed the intruder. Of course, it was CHECKMATE. As I feared. 7 Days prior, when the Reaper's Game had begun, the Composer had sensed it; the dangerous group of individuals that had long since been exiled from the UG had returned… And they had brought 'something' with them. He could feel it; something looming over Shibuya; something with the potential to completely raze it to the ground.

But what was 'it', exactly?

By Day 3, that 'something' had almost fully surrounded the bounds of the city; wary of the entirety of Shibuya being wiped out at once, the Composer had called on the help of an old friend. And that was Sanae Hanekoma, the Producer.

"That would be our Bishop's Soul Revel: 'Luck Out'." Absurdly confident, the Knight looked the Composer directly in His blazing white eyes. "Although, it's apparently prone to… Misbehaving, she says." The Knight casually strutted about, keeping one eye on the seemingly-unconscious Muki. "In that event, she refers to it as her 'Bad Time' Revel. See, her's is a little special, even by Soul Revel standards… But I'm sure that You can already feel that, can't You?" A single bead of sweat formed on the man's temple; steely as he was, being in the presence of the Composer was no joke. Regardless, he continued. "The Bishop, or rather the Black Cat… She can affect 'luck'. 'Chance'. 'Destiny', 'fate'… Whatever you wish to call it. We have her providence smiling upon us, Composer. Can you say the same?"

The Room of Reckoning wasn't just the 'heart' of Shibuya. In a way, it was Shibuya. If the Room were to be destroyed, calamity would soon befall the city itself; conversely, any harm that was inflicted upon the city were translated directly back into the Room… Or in this case, the Composer Himself; holding a special bond to the UG, the Composer had thus far been able to stave off any ill effects of the Bishop's Soul Revel with His own Imagination; unfortunately for Him, this had only been made possible by remaining physically fixed to the Room itself; leaving the Room of Reckoning would leave Shibuya defenceless to the doom that hung over its neck… However, thanks to Hanekoma, the Composer had one last line of resistance in place.

It was only a matter of time.

Player Side

Dead God's Pad
14:57 until Time Zero
14:56…
14:55…

"Magokoro!" Without a doubt, his warning had saved me; if I had approached even a step closer, I may have been caught in the Knight's Warp as well… Though, truthfully, I might have preferred that. "He took him…! What do we…?" Panic rushed through me; my form flickered, beginning to destabilize into static. Just calm down… You can't help anybody if you aren't calm. With a few breaths, I pulled my body, and mind, back together.

"Bwaaah!" the blond teenager recoiled in shock. "Th-th-th-that guy just disapparated, yo!"

"Your Partner…!" Misaki's brow furrowed in anxiety; clutching Mr. Mew, she turned to the orange-haired boy.

"Crap… Didn't see that coming." Sakuraba cursed to himself.

"Beat, you should take Koushi." Rhyme spoke next; she seemed to be the most level-headed out of the five of us. "Neku, take Hiro; we'll need to keep them safe until they wake up, at th' very least." Her young face held a steady composure as she talked; it seemed to help sturdy the rest of us, as well.

"Oh, uh… Yeah, yeah; good one, Rhyme." Still slightly flustered, Beat dropped his skateboard on the ground, and carefully lifted Koushi into his arms; mounting his board, the blond turned to Neku. "Yo, Neku. You gots this?"

"No… I'm good, I'm good." Hiro stirred, startling Neku, who was just about to pick him up. "Where… Are we…?" Rubbing the back of his head, the young boy turned his head from side to side, clearly perplexed. "Sis!" Noticing Koushi's limp frame resting in Beat's arms, the rust-eyed youth sprinted past Neku over to the two, demonstrating his remarkable vitality. "Mister, is sis hurt?!" Bouncing on the ground impatiently, Hiro shuffled around with a worried look on his face.

"Ah… N-nah, yo, she's… Jus' takin' a nap. Ya dig, kid?" The older boy stuttered, but otherwise managed to reassure the child in a fairly convincing fashion. Seeing that Hiro wanted to hold his sister himself, Beat reluctantly let Koushi down, and propped her next to her brother.

Without a word, Hiro raised his arms up and tenderly held his sister's face in his hands; standing on his toes, the boy brought her close and touched her forehead against his own.

A few seconds later, Koushi's breathing seemed to slow, and the ever-present, pained expression on her face faded away, leaving the girl looking much more peaceful.

Hiro's sullen expression broke into a heartfelt smile. "Yeah. I'm here, sis." He told her in a quiet voice, before motioning for Beat to release his sister.

Beat hesitated, looking to us for a moment before relenting; if he refused, Hiro would likely ask for his sister until he complied, anyway. "Here ya go… Careful." The young blond slowly handed Koushi's tiny figure over to her brother, keeping an eye on Hiro to ensure that her weight wasn't too much for him to handle.

With minimal effort, Hiro took Koushi into his arms, piggybacking her slightly larger frame onto his own. "Oh, guys… The Game Master's with CHECKMATE! The jerk beat me and sis-"

"Wait, what did you just say?" Neku narrowed his eyes, looking quite serious. "The Game Master's on CHECKMATE's side?"

Right… I probably should have brought that up, earlier.

"Yo, Mr. H's mail didn't say nothin' about CHECKMATE intrilfatin' th' Reapers, yeah?" Beat looked to Sakuraba.

His friends did the same.

"No." The boy shook his head; his orange locks swayed with it. "He just warned me that they were trying to Erase Jo-… The Composer. He also told me that he'd placed a Reverse Reaper Decal on the River for us to use." Apparently this 'Mr. H' was some kind of informant for these four. "Other than a few other bits of advice, he didn't tell me much…" Looking down at the floor, Sakuraba seemed to fall into a contemplative state; he was pulled out of it very quickly.

"We can think later; for now, let's just get a move on!" Punching the air, Misaki encouraged everyone with a charged, optimistic shout.

As ready as everyone else, I re-prepared myself. I'm coming, Magokoro. Taking a resolute step forward… I collapsed to the ground; my strength unexpectedly drained away from my body.

Reaper Side

Room of Reckoning
14:57 until Time Zero
14:56…
14:55…

"Think of it as a 'gamble' of sorts." The Knight continued. "The Bishop's Revel-" At that moment, the Knight was hit with a terrible presentiment; intuitively, the man Warped to the far end of the Room of Reckoning. And not a moment too soon.

With a deafening boom, the point that the Knight had just stood at was struck by a column of light; photons danced around the shining pillar, forming phantom images of angels and cherubs descending to the ground… But then, it was all gone.

The Composer eyed the Knight with curiosity. Thinking that his goal was to stall Him, the Composer had simply elected to eliminate him without further ado. After all, if ever there was a time to be cautious, it was now; with almost all of his focus on preventing the effects of the Bishop's Soul Revel from reaching Shibuya, the Composer had a significantly smaller pool of resources from which to defend Himself. Another surprise, however: The odd man had anticipated His attack, and seemingly bent the fabric of space itself to evade it. Curious.

"Well, now…" The Knight panted heavily; he was certain that if he had been a second slower, he would have been completely obliterated. "That's the Bishop's Revel for you." Catching his breath, the Knight wondered if he would have, in fact, been able to survive that assault without the effects of the Bishop's Luck Out on him. "You should really keep all of Your attention on keeping Shibuya alive right now. In fact, I'd say that the blast took a great deal of effort on Your part…" In spite of his own analysis, the Knight crouched low and readied himself for the possibility of a subsequent assault. Maybe it'd be better if I just left, for now…?

Side

Dead God's Pad
09:45 until Time Zero
09:44…
09:43…

The scent of dechlorinated water passed by me. Does that aquarium have a leak? Realizing that I was capable of thought, I reasoned that I must have been conscious to do so. Or, at the very least, been lucid enough to force myself awake. Wrenching my eyelids open, I pushed myself into a standing position and pinched my cheeks a couple of times to keep myself awake. Huh… I'm wearing my pullover. Who put it back on me…?

"Ms. Vio!" Hiro's voice helped to cement myself to a state of cognizance… Just a little.

"What happened…?" Our situations had been reversed; now I was awakening, and it was Hiro who was greeting me. "Where are the others?" Looking around the room, I could see that only Hiro, Koushi, and I remained. A slight aching throbbed in my temples; I stopped moving my head.

"You just sorta conked out there." Hiro walked around, checking me from all angles. "The others went ahead to rescue the Big Guy." He clarified, adjusting his grip on Koushi. "They told me to stay here with you until you woke up." He added, a proud note in his voice.

"… Well. Then we should go and assist them, shouldn't we?" I replied, more or less fully awake. "But… Where's the exit?" Re-examining the room, I found that I could see no other entryway other than the door that I had broken down.

"Ah, I got that." The boy grinned, laid Koushi down on one of the lounges, and scratched the tip of his nose. Keeping one hand on Koushi's, Hiro pulled out his Player Pin and began to Scan the area. "Just follow me." Eyes closed in thought, Hiro was searching for something. Searching, searching… Then he flickered and disappeared from the room.

A little taken aback, I pulled out my own Player Pin; admittedly, I was a little rusty at Scanning. Just focus. Open up your senses… Drawing in a strangely earthy breath, I executed my own Psych… Hm. What's that? Over by the bar, there was a concentrated deposit of Imagination… Scanning the blip on my radar, I soon found a mental image of another set of carved, wooden doors pushing its way into my mind's eye.

Reaper Side

Trail of the Judged
08:39 until Time Zero
08:38…
08:37…

"Never thought we'd come down here again." Neku Sakuraba gave a passing look to the graffiti, CAT's graffiti, which decorated the walls. Old memories of all kinds resurfaced, instilling a hybrid of mixed feelings in Neku's heart.

"Yeah, man," Beat piped up, pointing at an odd pair of objects; a vending machine lay against an upturned car; the glass panels on both articles were cracked; some were even fully shattered. A few cans from the vending machine were scattered about the cracked stone ground; it was almost as if the two things had been dropped from a height, "see that? Tha's where Tabooty got crunched, yo." By the time that he had finished the sentence, the four compatriots had run a distance past the crime scene.

Shiki looked at the two boys, a relatively blank look upon her face. "I never met him, myself… But judging from the way you two always talk about him-"

"Yeah, you're better off, Shiki." Neku assured her, glad that she never had to face that man, Sho Minamimoto.

"True," Beat agreed, "he was hella wack, Shiki. And I mean hella wack, yo."

"If it makes you feel any better, I never even saw his face, Shiki." Rhyme chimed in; she had been a Noise sealed into a Pin at the time; not an experience that she could fully recall; thankfully, she didn't much care to in the first place.

"Quiet… We're here." Neku hushed his associates, and took a long, hard look at the passageway before him. Past it lay the Room of Reckoning. Last time I was here, Josh shot me. He smirked, thinking about how anguished he had felt upon waking up for the fourth, final time in the Scramble Crossing. Thinking that he had been forced into the Reaper's Game for yet another round, Neku had cracked; crying, the boy had screamed at the sky. He screamed and screamed; he screamed until his throat was torn and bloody, and then he had screamed even more. But when he had finished emptying the contents of his heart out for the world to see, Neku had discovered something wonderful: The world could, indeed, see. At that moment, the entire Scramble Crossing came to a halt; the one place in Shibuya that was always filled with noise and commotion was silenced by the agony of a 15 year-old boy. When a random passer-by had edged over to ask him what was wrong, Neku's first reaction was disbelief. Surely, this man was a Player. That was how he was speaking with him… Right? After a few interactions with the other street-crossers, Neku finally accepted it: Joshua had decided to spare Shibuya after all.

But here we are again… Dragged back into this hell. Only this time, it's not us who needs saving. Nodding to his friends, Neku led the three into the Room of Reckoning.

Casually striding in the path of the group, the King of CHECKMATE greeted them with a chilling smile. "Surprise."

Room of Reckoning
07:28 until Time Zero
07:27…
07:26…

A terrible pressure weighed down on the four ex-Players as the King took a step towards them.

"Careful, everyone." A calm, if strained, voice cautioned the four. "The Knight only just now retreated… But do not take this man lightly."

Who said that…? Neku's attention briefly moved to the figure on the throne. Is that… Josh? Of course, the boy had never seen the Composer in His true form before. The sight was rather… Shocking.

Cloaked in light, the Composer's ever-moving aura made it difficult to determine where His body began, and even more difficult to figure out where it ended.

The runes on the walls flashed red again.

"Eyes on me, Sakuraba." The King snapped his fingers. "You don't even realize that I've played you. None of you do.

"Wait… What do you mean?" Shiki eyed the King, confused.

"Yo, why is you talkin' like that, man? Snap out of it!" Beat fumed, slamming his fist against the wall in an aggressive manner.

"Here is what is about to happen." The King whispered, his voice trembling with anticipation. "You are going to… No." He shook his head, and corrected himself. "I am ordering you all… To kill 'Magokoro Muki'." Raising a hand, the leader of CHECKMATE pointed at Neku and his company. "You cannot refuse me. With your very own hands, you will break 'Katy' by murdering her beloved Partner before her eyes." He finished, laughing quietly.

"Did you hit your head or something, punk? We ain't gonna do jack!" Beat shot back, quite infuriated.

"Beat… Calm down." Rhyme advised her brother in a low voice.

Neku stayed silent; the wheels in his head slowly began to turn…

"Well, I suppose that you don't have to kill 'Magokoro Muki'." The King tilted his head to the side, thoughtful; his long hair swayed to the side. "If you want to roll over and die now, by my hand… That's an outcome that I wouldn't mind terribly-"

"That's enuffa that, Mushin." A gruff voice called from behind the King.

"Hey, you're…!" Shiki cried out.

"Mr. H…!" Neku exclaimed, seeing the familiar face of his old friend and mentor, Sanae Hanekoma.

"Sanae… You took your time." The Composer managed to greet Hanekoma; the toll of holding off the Bishop's Revel from Shibuya was becoming more draining by the second.

"Oh, you're up." The King taunted. "I had assumed that you were taking a nap somewhere, Hanekoma." Mushin spat; his tone venomous.

"You weren't very smart to come here, Mushin." Hanekoma responded evenly. "I've already Erased your Proxy's Programming; if you thought you could just sneak in here and Erase Josh while he was vulnerable… Well, you'll have to get past the five of us, first." He concluded, winking to Neku. "Got my mail, Phones?"

"… Yeah." Neku couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, I did."

"Enough talk, puppets." The King tilted his head back, looking down upon his enemies. "You'll all bend to me soon enough…!" Quite abruptly, The King interrupted the exchange, lunging towards Neku, his eyes burning with a mysterious light.

Player Side

Trail of the Judged
05:41 until Time Zero
05:40…
05:39…

"Graffiti…" My mind wandered as I observed the wall of art that encompassed this new passageway.

My Entry Fee had at last been returned… Imagine my surprise, though, when my 'life's memories' turned out to encompass a total of about two minutes' worth of time. Where was the remainder? Was there even a remainder? My earliest memory was still my arrival in Shibuya and my subsequent walk around the city. I could recall finding my way to Udagawa… A few minutes were irretrievable, however; the next thing that I could remember was me, lying on the ground; bleeding out…

Then, I was in the Reaper's Game.
And now, I was here.
Who had killed me? That was the last piece of the puzzle… It was so close…

"Ms. Vio, you okay?" Hiro's query pulled me back to the present. "You look worried."

"Maybe just a little." I smiled. "… You should stay behind, Hiro. You might be strong enough to carry Koushi," I watched as Hiro ran alongside me; the weight of his sister not affecting him in the slightest, "but if we find ourselves in an altercation…"

"I'm not leavin' you, Ms. Vio!" The boy declared, confident in himself. "Even without all th' others, I have you and Koushi on my side." Turning his head, Hiro checked on his sleeping sister. "When I need her, she'll be there. I know it."

Before I could protest further, I realized that we had arrived at the end of the tunnel; white light, (occasionally turning red,) emitted from the next entryway. "Very well, just… Be cautious. Run, if you need to."

Hiro simply grinned again, the same confident expression on his face.

And so, we had arrived at our final destination. The Room of Reckoning… How did I know that? I knew quite a few things that I shouldn't have; when was I told that the contestants in the Reaper's Game were all deceased? Nobody told me that; in fact, I was the first one to mention it… But as I have just stated, nobody told me.
The majority of this was attributed to my own Partner. Magokoro had theorized, much, much earlier, that I was a 'vacuum'. He wasn't entirely wrong; with a Pact linking the two of us, Magokoro's knowledge was bleeding from him into me; combat data, battle instincts, strength of Soul… And many other things, besides. It left Magokoro no weaker than ordinary; after all, I was more 'borrowing' his power, than anything else. The negative effects on Magokoro were negligible.

Yet, for all of Magokoro's ability… I had walked into the Room of Reckoning, only to see him half-dead upon the floor.

Room of Reckoning
04:02 until Time Zero
04:01…
04:00…

Speechless, I slowly walked over to my friend, falling to the ground beside him, I brought my unsteady hands to his face. "M-… Magokoro…" He was so cold. "… Magokoro…! M-…" I couldn't. It took all of my willpower to keep myself quiet.

Crick… Crackle…

His body began to break apart.

I couldn't breathe. Beyond the fact that we were Partnered, the idea of living on without Magokoro to… Accompany me…

It hurt. To say the least.

"… Hey." After what seemed an eternity, a weak word caught my attention.

"H-Hey…!" The paralysing fear that gripped me faded away… Only an abnormal anxiety remained at this point. "Who… Did this to you, Magokoro?" The lump in my throat would only allow me to choke out a whisper; if I spoke any louder my voice would no doubt break.

"… You okay, girl?" Magokoro was speaking even quieter than I was… It was all that he could manage. "Best be… Careful." With a great deal of effort, my friend managed to bring his hand to mine. "They've… Turned on us."

I could feel it when he touched me; his emotions had flooded into my Soul, raw and unchecked.

Rage. Pure, unadulterated fury; a feeling of betrayal that burned more fiercely than the heart of an exploding star. Such a feeling… As if Magokoro's very closest friends had been killed, right in front of him.

I couldn't think straight. Hot tears spilled out, and rolled down my cheeks. My already unstable Soul shaken even further by this unacceptable reality. "You can't die, Magokoro…!" I gritted my teeth, trembling with emotion; my vision blurred.

"Get away from him."

Who…? Somehow, my mind registered words being spoken to me. I turned, subconsciously moving in front of Magokoro, like a lioness protecting her cub. "Sakuraba…?"

I couldn't believe it; Neku Sakuraba, an ex-Player, stood before me. His hand was outstretched towards me, glowing with a sinister light. "I said," his entire demeanour was threatening; his face, his voice… He even had a Psych prepared. For what? To use on me?

I had believed in him. No, this… No, no, no, this can't be… I shook my head in denial, pulling Magokoro closer to me. They're being controlled, they have to be. Terror and desperation overtaking logical thought, I scrambled to think of an explanation.

"Listen to Neku, Katy." Misaki joined her Partner, her eyes opened wide; they shone with an ominous glare behind her neat spectacles.

"Misaki… Why-" I had so many questions, but I was interrupted before I could ask even one.

"You'd better back off 'fore you do somethin' you'll regret, yo." And now Beat, as well; the three towered before me, sending spikes of fear through me.

"Beat… You…" A shuddering gasp escaped my body.

"Don't touch him." Even Rhyme, the 'voice of reason' had joined the others, all talking at once, telling me to abandon Magokoro… A splitting headache began to form in my skull.

"Rhyme… You, too?" I felt as cold as death; my senses began to fail me.

"What's wrong?"
"Katy, don't you trust us?"
"Come over here, let's talk about this."
"Leave him there."
"Hey, you don't look so good."
"Listen to us, Katy."
"Feelin' sick?"
"We can explain, really."

I couldn't tell who was saying what; their voices overlapped, meshing in with each other, swirling around and trapping me in an echoing twister of sound. I was seeing red; I had never felt such revulsion before… How dare they do this to him…! My heart rate increased, my breathing rate increased… Everything was going off of the charts. I was now seeing double; ten figures in all: Two of Sakuraba, two of Misaki, as well as two of each of the siblings… Oh.

That's right… There was one more individual present, standing by the ex-Players' sides. From the way he carried himself, I could see that the man was their leader; their commander. Their 'King'.

00:09 until Time Zero…

An older man wearing a grey vest over a white shirt with rolled-up sleeves, accompanied by a pair of dark jeans… He reached over to me, a smile on his face.

How sickening.

"It's all over now, girl. Don't worry; we've won." He chuckled. Was he boasting to me? "Just take my hand. Walk right this way." The man laughed again, as if trying to comfort me. But just as he leaned in closer…

00:04 until Time Zero…

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" At last, I had snapped. Screaming, I felt something take over; having lost control, I merely observed, almost as if I wasn't even in my own body, as my hand thrust forward and forcibly shoved the man backwards. "I'LL KILL YOU!" I let loose a bellowing roar, shaking the Room of Reckoning to its centre. "I'M GOING TO KI-"

"Execute the Lockout, Katy."

00:01 until Time Zero

Reaper Side

The Imaginary Plane – CHECKMATE HQ
Exact Time Unknown

"As even the newest of Support Reapers know, the title of 'Composer' is not merely inherited. It's earned." The King adjusted his vest to better sit underneath his hooded cloak. "How does one become the Composer? Simply Erase the Composer, and the 'job's yours', so to speak." The King then pulled his hood back over his head, as CHECKMATE reached the lower end of the grand staircase; their footsteps echoed throughout the narrow, stone passageway that they were now travelling through. "Shibuya recognizes you as 'worthy', and Pacts with you, the new Composer."

"Whoa, what's that about Pacting with Shibuya?" The Rook blurted out. "You're sayin' that the city's alive, or something?"

"I'd like to think so." The King smiled. "When I say 'Pact with Shibuya', I am of course not referring to the physical city… Rather, the 'consciousness' that has developed from the steady amalgamation of stray Imagination and bits of Soul, constantly being respired by the citizens of both the RealGround and the UnderGround; the source of all free-roaming Noise… That is the living 'will' of 'Shibuya'."

"Never heard you talk about it like that, your majesty." The Rook shook his head, slightly sceptical.

"It is only a theory of mine, Rook." The King returned.

"As such," the Queen took control of the conversation once more, "one of us must decisively Erase the Composer if we ever hope to take control of the UnderGround."

"Problem is, none of us are even close to being strong enough to do that." The Knight joined in. "The Composer is taking the strain of preventing the Bishop's Revel from touching Shibuya; even with that, the Boss wouldn't be able to Erase Him, right?" The question was clearly rhetorical, but the swordsman had asked in such a playful manner that it was fairly difficult to discern.

"The Composer's vitality is impressive; recent events involving Neku Sakuraba have renewed His hope in Shibuya; His Will to keep it alive, and by extension, Himself."

"So this 'Lockout Implementation' thing's gonna help us Erase the Composer, you're saying." The Rook tried to connect the dots in his mind, frowning.

"Not directly." The Queen sighed, recalling the centuries that she had spent developing this Code. "The Lockout Implementation, which is activated by the King through Proximity Conduct, has one, simple function: The Lockout is a one-use Psych with a range of about 108 metres; it is capable of identifying the specific Soul signatures for Daisukenojo Bito, Raimu Bito, Shiki Misaki, Neku Sakuraba, the Composer, and the Producer. Our penultimate goal is to activate Lockout whilst all six relevant parties are within its reach. The Code stored inside of the Pawn will induce an immediate halt of activity in the targets' Souls, placing them into a 'frozen state' of sorts."

"It would only last for a few seconds… However, in this state, their natural defences would be reduced to a woefully insignificant level. It is at this point that the Composer will be vulnerable to Erasure."

"Brilliant." the Knight tittered, eyeing the King. "And I assume that you'd take the opportunity to rid yourself of the other five… Pests."

"Yes." The man confirmed with a nod. "Naturally."

Player Side

Room of Reckoning
Time Zero

Someone had said that… But who? "Execute the Lockout, Katy."

The words had stopped me in my tracks; for a full second I couldn't move, speak, think… I was frozen in time.

But then, it happened.

Preceded by a high-pitched, wailing screech, streams of numbers burst from my body; blood-red digits not unlike the Timer that I had grown so accustomed to. Tendrils of digits shot out from my arms, my torso, my legs… Splitting into little clusters, the vines each shot off to a different person. Sakuraba, Misaki, Beat, Rhyme… And even the man in the vest.

My back felt as though it was on fire; as if someone had branded me with a white-hot iron.

Turning to my left, I realized that there was one more. Someone who I hadn't had the chance to take note of: A godlike figure upon a gargantuan throne of concrete; His form wrapped in blazing white… He had to have been the Composer. "Sanae…!" He called somebody's name; His voice was low and tense with worry. Who was He talking to?

"Sorry, J… He got us." From behind me, I barely made out someone speaking over the continuing shrieking sound.

The network of chains that had ensnared the Room began to emit a bright light, and the unrelenting noise heightened in both volume and pitch… the ex-Players seemed to be yelling, but I couldn't hope to hear them, now.

Louder, louder, even louder… At this point, I had already been completely blinded; the Room of Reckoning was pure white…

And then, it all came to an end.

The sound ceased, and the light faded. Falling to the ground, I took several deep breaths. What… Was that a Fusion…? Still on the ground, I twisted my neck upwards; everyone had disappeared; only I remained… Well, I, as well as a few others.

"Ms. Vio!" I felt Hiro grab me from behind; turning me around, he pulled me up into a sitting position. "That was radical! How'd you do that?!" He exclaimed, his voice full of appropriately childlike wonderment.

"What did I do…?" As I answered, it occurred to me that I could think clearly once more; the powerful, disorienting emotions that had unexpectedly flooded into me had left just as swiftly.

"It would seem as though you've transported the King away, somewhere. Though, the others were all caught up as well, I think…?" The girl's tired eyes intently surveyed the Room.

"Koushi!" I gasped, happy to see her up and about.

Though she seemed a little exhausted, she was without a doubt much better than earlier.

"Hello, miss." Hiro's elder sister smiled warmly. "I'm sorry for worrying everyone… I feel much better, now."

"Not 'miss', sis," Hiro insisted, "it's 'Ms. Viiio!" Her brother stressed the second word, wanting to get his point across.

Examining the young child once more, I speculated that she had revived while I was with my own Partner. "Oh, Magokoro!" Feeling rather selfish for having forgotten my friend, I quickly looked back to where I had last laid him.

There. He hadn't moved an inch… But he was still disintegrating; tiny bits of his form broke off, before fluttering into the air and dispersing into wisps of light.

"Magokoro!" I cried, running over to him, I lifted his head off of the ground, and attempted to shake him awake. "Look, they're gone! It's… Its's done…!" Guilt and hesitation flitted through me, but the feeling quickly passed. Of course, I was not even remotely sure as to why or how the others have disappeared; I wasn't about to complain, however. "It's all over; we've survived! Just stay with me, please!" I looked at his unconscious face, longingly. All he had to do was wake up. He just had to pull through this, and nothing else would matter. We were all alive.

"… Gone?" The faintest word escaped from Magokoro's lips.

"They're gone," I repeated, cradling him in my arms, "it's only the four of us, now." I looked back at the twins.

Koushi was still smiling, despite looking as if she was about to collapse.

Hiro, on the other hand, was standing around, making faces with his tongue sticking out.

"… Tetsuyous?" Another whisper; if the Room was not dead-silent, I likely would have missed it.

"That's right, just us and Hiro and Koushi, " I nodded, hoping with all of my heart that he would just get up, "we can all go back to Ramen Don. How does that sound?" I did my best to sound cheerful. "I'll make you my personalized Mystic Ramen; I'll add some sea bream, or-or maybe I could try some natto…You'll need to tell me what you like, okay?" I gave my friend an enthusiastic shake, hoping to at least get him to open his eyes.

"Hate… Natto…" Magokoro coughed, forcing a small laugh.

"No, natto then; understood, loud and clear," I nodded my head rapidly, "how about you just tell me what you want? I'll work off of that, Magokoro."

"What I want?" He echoed in an absent-minded manner.

"Yes, anything you want." I smiled as his eyelids began to flutter.

"Anything, huh…?" Magokoro croaked, now smiling ever so slightly. "Well… Truth be told …"

Shunk!

My eyes widened in shock; I might have dropped Magokoro to the floor if he hadn't already pulled himself into a sitting position; it was a very smooth movement.

Perfectly synchronized with the way he had stabbed his hand into my stomach.

"I'm running low on energy, here. Would you mind terribly if I took some of yours?"

Reaper Side

Imaginary Plane
21:59:23 until Time Zero
21:59:22…
21:59:21…

"Greetings, Queen." The King modulated into the depths of the Imaginary Plane, greeting his second-in-command as he did so.

"I'm currently stalling Sakuraba and Misaki." The swordswoman had given the King a sort of situation report without his asking.

"Excellent. Wait, say, 5 minutes more before releasing the two." With that minor detail out of the way, he switched topics; the reason he was visiting. "The Pawn's modified Programming has stabilized; would you care to fill me in on the new mechanism?" The King had a rough idea of course, but the Queen was the expert in this field, not him.

"New effects? Well, it's what you've already hypothesised," the Queen looked around the empty space that they were standing in, "the Lockout's Code has been spliced with the Erase and Reset Protocols' remaining Code, using the Proximity Lock as a base. Going into more detail than I had earlier… The targets' Souls would be broken apart and blended together, forming a new entity entirely; this individual would be part-Composer, of course; Erasing it would still achieve our ultimate goal."

But you did say that the Producer would be contained separate to the other five?" The King recalled their meeting.

"The Producer's Soul is on a different level to the others'; as an outlier, it would be sealed in a different form, yes… But as to what that 'form' is, it would depend on what's available."

"Not to worry, then," the King chuckled, and turned to leave, "I have a most fitting idea in mind."

Player Side

Room of Reckoning
Time Zero

"M-Magokoro…" I coughed up a small amount of static, though it was nothing compared to the volume that was bleeding out of the gaping wound in my abdominal area. Magokoro's hand had completely pierced my skin; I could feel it moving inside me…

Not very pleasant.

"Hold still, please… I need to drain you a bit, here." He clicked his tongue, sounding quite like an inconvenienced dentist.

As he dug a little deeper, the shock triggered another flashback…

…

But there was somebody else.

It was Sakuraba, the boy with the orange hair. He was on the ground, right next to the graffiti wall. What was he doing there? I wondered. And for that matter… Why am I on the ground? The answer was the same, for the both of us.

Pushing myself to remember more, I saw it: a sickeningly red colour; blood, flowing freely out of an open wound in the boy's body.

I soon discovered that he wasn't the only one. The past instance of me brought her hand up in front of her face; it was dyed a disturbingly similar shade of red. I could feel the deep, deep gash in her stomach… My stomach.

"Seems that we've stumbled onto something interesting, here." A deep, commanding voice caught my attention. "The Composer just shot that boy… Now, why did He do that, I wonder?" The voice's owner was a man wearing a dark pair of business pants, and a white, collared shirt that sat underneath an expensive-looking vest; his unshaved face was mostly obscured by the hood of a ragged, black cloak, though from what I could see, his chin was rather strong-set; his nose and cheekbones equally so. "No matter, that does not concern us, does it? You just happened upon this scene by chance, did you not?" Chuckling, the man kneeled next to me, and placed his hand upon my head.

That's right… I had found my way to Udagawa, eventually. My arrival had quickly been interrupted by a number of gunshots ringing throughout the district; just around the corner, in fact. I poked my head out around the bend in the alleyway, just in time to see a tall man running away.

… I believe that his shoulder was bleeding.

Two were left at the shootout; the boy, Sakuraba, and another young man who I had never before seen. His hair was platinum blond, almost snow-white, in fact; dressed in a simple white shirt and jeans, his only other feature that had particularly caught my attention was the colour of his eyes; a deep, sparkling violet.

Just like mine.

Bang!

I had no time to react; the violet-eyed boy had shot Sakuraba dead-on; curiously, he dropped what appeared to be a Pin onto the orange-haired youth's shirt before walking away.

I pulled my cell phone out, and quickly dialled the emergency number… Should I have requested an ambulance? The police? The former would have been better, I'm sure.

Unfortunately for me, I had never made it that far.

"Oh, you're left-handed? That's interesting."

Startled, I began to turn around… Only to have a short blade plunged into my gut; my body dropped to the ground, its strings cut.

So, now I knew. I knew how I had died. But why?

The same question ran through my past self's mind as she continued to bleed out in the dirtied alley.

"Goumaki Mushin's my name. What would yours be, candidate?"

The moniker confused her; what was she a candidate for? She was too weak to think.

The King's grip tightened on her skull. He grinned as she cried out in pain. "Actually, don't bother… You'll forget it soon enough."

She blacked out.

I reflexively clamped my hand over Magokoro's wrist. "Magokoro…" I could feel my strength fading.

Magokoro's body, on the other hand, had begun to repair itself.

A thought crossed my mind; it wasn't the best time nor the best place… But I had just realized something.

"Timer…!?"

"Did you miss it? Maybe it disappeared before you looked…? Come to think of it, since you're left-handed, maybe the Timer was applied to your dominant hand…"

A chilling uncertainty coursed through me. "… How did you know that I was left-handed?" I cried out again; he had twisted around inside of my injury. "You're hurting me…!"

"That's a little better." Ignoring me, Magokoro made a passing, nonchalant comment and carelessly ripped his hand out of me.

I yelped in discomfort, clenching at my stomach with one hand, and supporting my own weight with the other; my arm trembled as I leant on it.

"Hey, Big Guy!" Hiro raised his voice, alarmed. "What're you doing?!" His small hands balled into fists.

Koushi gasped, and brought a hand to her mouth. "Mr. Muki…!"

"Oh, you two." The way that Magokoro spoke… It sent a chill down my spine. "You've both served your purpose well; there's no reason for you to be here anymore." Casually, he waved the siblings off.

What's going on…? With the majority of my vitality stolen, I was teetering on the edge of unconsciousness. All I could do was observe.

"Screw that!" Hiro yelled, pulling a Harmonizer out of his pocket. "Why'd you hurt Ms. Vio?!"

"I was actually on the verge of death there for a moment, you see… I needed a bit of a 'top-up'." Magokoro laughed for a moment, before taking on a deadly, serious expression. "Though you really are being bothersome. If you don't leave now… I'll have to make you. 'kay?" He took a step towards the two, slow and deliberate. The air grew deathly cold.

"Sis, hit him with a Level 3 Fusion!" Hiro called upon Koushi.

Recognizing the imminent threat, the girl reluctantly complied; the two let loose their full power, shining with a solar incandescence.

"Please excuse us…!"
"Nah, don't bother!"

Koushi raised her hand upwards and generated a sparking lance of blinding light.

Hiro, meanwhile, was already flying towards Magokoro at breakneck speed.

"Stop…!" I choked out, unable to stop the conflict myself.

With a feral growl, Hiro wound back and struck my Partner with the force of a meteor… Or rather, he might have, had Magokoro not already flickered into nothingness. "Where'd he go…?!" Hiro shouted, whipping his head around; after a moment of searching, he found him; we both did.

Magokoro callously seized Koushi by the neck, and lifted her up into the air; Koushi feebly struck at him with her spear, but he easily caught it with his other hand.

"Sis!" Hiro again leapt off of the ground, cracking its smooth, stone structure and sending him back the way he had come. Too late, however.

Magokoro spun the lance around in his hand and admired is craftsmanship for a brief second, and promptly ran its user through the chest.

The light faded from Koushi's metallic eyes, turning them a dull grey. Her entire body convulsed before going limp; her limbs swaying around like a doll's. And her face, usually so full of life and energy… Now bore a frighteningly blank stare.

Crick… Crackle…!

An instant later, Koushi Tetsuyou's figure cracked, and exploded into static; the last wisps fading into oblivion without so much as a 'goodbye'.

Reaper Side

Silence.

Koushi Tetsuyou's Erasure was followed by silence. Not the peaceful kind of silence that you might find in a library, no. It was the kind of silence that encompassed a graveyard; an absolute vacuum, devoid of any kind of noise. Nobody breathed, nobody moved; not even the wind could be heard; no rustling of clothing, no feet scraping along the ground… Nothing. The whole world stopped had stopped for a moment, mourning the loss of the pure, young soul who had never even seen her end coming.

And then, time started to flow, once more.

Hiro was the first to react… Though, perhaps, it would be better to say that he was the first to not react; having failed to reach his sister in time, the boy fell to his knees, staring in disbelief. Whereas Katy had rejected the idea that her Partner could die, Hiro Tetsuyou couldn't even comprehend the notion in the first place. Wordless, he looked on as Koushi's body dissolved into static; her dust scattering into the air. What was happening? Why had his sister disappeared? It didn't make sense. Hiro couldn't even form a coherent thought in his mind, much less form a sentence to express himself. There was nothing much to express, after all. There was only a feeling; the young boy could only cling, not understanding, to the idea that he had always lived with: Koushi was supposed to stay with him. But then, why had she vanished?

Though Hiro was incapable of grasping what was happening before him, a weak presence caught his attention. Sis…! Instinctually, he turned to his right, detecting Koushi's Soul. It was weak, but it was still there…!

…

No. She wasn't. A scrap of fabric had fluttered past him; part of Koushi's dress. Hiro's mind once again ground to a halt. Why was he sensing his sister from that fragment? Koushi should look like… Well, Koushi. Not a small piece of cloth. But if she wasn't there, then… Where was she?

Hiro watched as the little shred of material floated around him, slowly dissolving into bits of static. Moving on its own, Hiro's arm reached out and caught the tattered remainder of his sister out of the air. He held it close to him. Close to his heart.

Why did she feel so far away?

Turning his fist over, Hiro slowly opened his hand; his fingers uncurled, allowing him a good, long look at what he had grabbed… But there was nothing there. Nothing left of his sister.

A single, bitter tear escaped from Hiro's rusted eye as he began to register the reality of what had happened to Koushi. She was dead. Erased.

… And she wasn't coming back.

Player Side

I couldn't believe what I had just seen. Surely, my eyes were playing tricks on me; we were so close to all escaping… We had all survived…!
… Why, then, had this happened? Why did it have to be this way? Honestly, looking back on Koushi's tragic, unexpected demise… I can't chalk it up to some greater meaning.

Life is… Simply unfair. Don't you think?

Hiro let out a guttural scream; a howl of complete despair for his beloved sister. The Room of Reckoning shook again, but with a much greater force than before; the ground below him cracked and split; whole sections of the walls broke and fell apart under the pressure, the rubble clattering to the ground in an unceremonious pattern.

I couldn't move. Even if I was physically able… I was far too taken aback by what I was seeing to command my body.

"You see, this is why I hate children." Magokoro threw his head back and rolled his eyes as Hiro continued to scream. He seemed like a totally different person. "They never listen. They don't consider consequences." Flickering out of sight, Magokoro materialized next to Hiro, and delivered a brutal kick to his small frame, launching him over to where he had impaled Koushi.

Motionless, I could only look on, horrified. Was this really the same Magokoro that I knew?

Winded, Hiro sobbed, gasping for air.

"There; she left something behind." Magokoro pointed at the ground near Hiro. "Take that and leave. Consider yourself lucky."

Hiro caught site of what he was indicating: Koushi's silver bangle was lying on the fractured stone surface of the Room. Taking it into his hands, Hiro stared at the bracelet; his tiny fingers tightened around its intricate surface.

"And you, girl… You've performed admirably." My Partner strolled over to me and crouched down, so that we were face-to-face. He smiled.

"What… What's going on…?" An overwhelming fear suffocated me. He started to speak a little different after he had received his Entry Fee… But this… What is this…?

"I'll admit, even I couldn't imagine what my Entry Fee would be, before I entered the Game. And without it? Well, interestingly, I felt a lot lighter," He stressed the word, his smile now bittersweet, "I felt like I had regressed to my younger, more optimistic, naïve days… But now that I have my 'pride' back… I know that I'm better off for it." Magokoro's face was inches from my own, but unlike previous instances where I had grown flustered, or simply felt uncomfortable… Here, there was only a poisonous kind of dread.

"Your Entry Fee was your… Pride?" I shivered. They way that he said the word worried me.

"It's an abstract concept, but I think that 'pride' describes it adequately." Magokoro smirked. "The way I conduct myself. The way I see myself and others. My standards, goals, and aspirations… The harsh lessons that I've learnt throughout my life. Can you think of a better term than 'pride'?" Magokoro laughed, standing up before taking a step backwards. He raised his arms. "And you know, that's how the name 'Magokoro Muki' came about. You're at least part-Japanese, aren't you, girl? Tell me, what do you get when you add 'pride' to 'Magokoro Muki'? And that's the ancient Chinese character that I'm talking about." The man chuckled, observing me like a child awaiting his parent's reaction to a job well done.

My mind stalled for a moment before I considered the etymology of his name: 'Magokoro Muki', or, in its kanji form, '無気真心'. Quite literally, it translated to 'airless sincerity', however it could be interpreted as 'emotionless sincerity', if you pushed it a little. I had always considered it a rather nice name, though I had never commented on it before.

Now, what do you get if you add 'pride', '傲', to '無気真心'? Not much, as it turns out… But what if I were to rearrange the characters into a different order?

After a few permutations, I found the answer…

'無'
'心'
'傲'
'真'
'気'

'Goumaki Mushin'.

My Partner was the King of CHECKMATE.

Reaper Side

Station Underpass
31:05 until Time Zero
31:04…
31:03…

"So, do you… 'See what I'm getting at', Mr. Gentleman? There's nothing that you can say that will cause me to doubt Magokoro. Because we're not merely Partners… We're friends."

A wave of emotion hit Muki; a smile began to form on his lips. I was right to choose her. Muki eyed Katy, content. She's such an… Such an…

…

Such an… Idiot.

Player Side

Room of Reckoning
Time Zero

Funny thing about puzzles… Once you know the end result, it becomes so much easier to fit all of the pieces together. All the tiny details finally make sense.

Why did Magokoro assume that the Knight had taken Hiro?
How did Magokoro know that the Knight was a 'he'?
How did Magokoro have so much detailed information on CHECKMATE in the first place?
And so many more…

All the little inconsistencies, every little discrepancy that I had ignored… They all added up to one 'truth'.

'Magokoro Muki' was, in reality, the King himself… Goumaki Mushin.

And I had just assisted him in eliminating the Composer.

"Sir, I would advise that you select a less conspicuous alias next time." The Queen stepped into my field of vision, she now referring to Mago-…

… Now referring to the King with a more respectful tone, though traces of her more casual manner remained.

"Seconded." The Bishop's voice revealed her presence; it appeared as though she had been standing next to the wall for quite some time.

"I thought it was pretty great, personally." The Rook grinned, joining his comrades.

The Knight, too, returned, Warping behind the other members. "Looks like it went off without a hitch… Huh, Boss?"

The King ran a hand through his hair, and acknowledged his compatriots… Every one of them was noticeably more relaxed than they were during the Game; not really something that I wanted to see. "Queen. Your comment on how I 'caused trouble for CHECKMATE', and about how you could 'do without my convoluted plans'… Tell me, was all that part of your act, or is there some truth, there?" The King didn't seem to bear any ill will towards his subordinate; it was more a case of pure curiosity.

The Queen closed her eyes, and took a single breath. "… Those words were for 'Magokoro Muki'. Not 'Goumaki Mushin', Sir." The Queen responded.

"Hn. Very well." Seemingly satisfied, the King turned to me… Me, who had been playing on the wrong side for the entire Reaper's Game. "Feeling unwell, girl?"

I was at a loss. My closest friend had, in the end, been taken away from me…But not quite in the way that I had feared. One could argue that he had never existed to begin with. "Magokoro, why would you-"

"Don't." The King cut me off. "My name is 'Goumaki Mushin'. The man you knew, 'Magokoro Muki'? He died as soon as the Reaper's Game ended; the instant that his Entry Fee was returned to him." Watching the static slowly escape the hole in my abdomen, the King gave me a look… Almost sympathetic. "I have grown fond of you, however. That is the truth. When I first met you, you seemed… Interesting. But out of all of the Knight's candidates, you were the clear choice for my Pawn."

There was that word again. "'Candidate'…?" What did that mean?

"Oh, my apologies, Katy." The Knight avoided my eyes, instead peering off into the distance. "You see, working that job as a bus driver, I was able to meet many potential selections for the Boss; whenever I spotted someone with a particularly strong Soul, I simply… Encouraged them to go to Udagawa, where the Boss would pick them up and take 'em to HQ." The indifference in the Knight's voice disturbed me; was I just one of many potential 'Pawns' who had been killed and forced into the UG by the King?

Udagawa. Where that girl who 'left her umbrella' supposedly lived. The way that the Knight enunciated the word 'Encouraged'… It sounded a touch ominous.

"Being slightly pre-occupied with my scouting, I never was informed on which of my picks made the cut…" The Knight mused, tapping his cane on his shoulder. "… Again, I do apologize. I saw an awful lot of faces during that time. Couldn't exactly remember each and every person."

I shuddered. How many other 'picks' had CHECKMATE abducted? I was the 'winner'… So, what had happened to all of the 'losers'?

"After 'meeting' a candidate, it was a simple matter of taking their Soul into the Imaginary Plane, beyond the Reapers' reach," the King resumed his exposition. For what purpose was he telling me this? I got the strangest feeling that the King felt as though he owed me, "once there, the Queen began Imprinting them… That 'seal' that you performed? That was a direct result of the Queen's Programming." The King paused, basking in the afterglow of his victory.

I, meanwhile, was hit with another harsh revelation; in my panicked state of mind, I had thought that Sakuraba's company had turned against us… When in truth, it was more likely that 'Magokoro' had attacked them, first.

What had I done?

"Most of the potential contenders, however, were simply not strong enough to survive the Imprinting process; their Souls self-destructed before the Queen could even half-finish her work… But you," the King looked down on me with an arrogant, proud expression, "you endured the Queen Programming you, Imprinting you… Dissecting you, rearranging the contents of your Soul, and putting you back together again… For almost 1000 years…! Early on, it became very apparent to me that you would be the best choice. And the best choice, you most certainly were, girl. That is why you're my Proxy, my Pawn… You were always Marked for greatness by us."

At last my arm gave out; unable to prop my upper body up, it buckled, dropping me down to the ground once more; I continued to bleed out a steady stream of static.

The King didn't seem to notice. "And when your Code was at last completed? I brought you back to the RealGround; the very same place at which I had… Well, 'almost' killed you." The King fondly looked back on his first meeting with me… Although, I was significantly less enthusiastic. "This time, I imparted you with a decidedly more fatal wound, and left you for dead… The Conductor, sensing a strong Soul near death, decided that you would make a… 'Good addition' to the Game, if I recall correctly." The King smirked again, the same smug look on his face. "After entering the Game myself… Well, that was when I personally got to know you. And though I was not 'myself' for the duration of the Game, it would seem as though I have formed a small attachment to you. I'll even say that I was somewhat worried when Hanekoma managed to steal you away on Day 3." He let out a small, bittersweet laugh. "Finally, I attacked Sakuraba and his friends; Hanekoma came to their rescue, and of course… I 'lost'. Seeing me in such a state was enough to push you over the edge, and seal our enemies all at once." Letting out a forlorn sigh, the King approached me once more. "I'll make sure that your end is painless, girl. It's the least I can do for you… After all that you've done for me."

The Imaginary Plane – CHECKMATE HQ
Exact Time Unknown

"Hmph. The theatrics are unnecessary, Rook." The King chortled. "Well, then… I'll be instructing you on your movements for the next Week…" The King allowed himself a moment to take a breath, and delivered his instructions. "Simply put… I need you to find a pair of Partners, two Players, that the Pawn will be able to develop a sense of loyalty towards."

The Rook narrowed his eyes, intrigued.

"Platonic, romantic, familial, it matters not." The King particularized. "What matters is that the Pawn cares enough about their wellbeing that they will be willing to place themselves in danger to protect them. These two Players must be left alive, and every other Player removed from the Game before the Game reaches its first half.
The Rook could only stare at the King, half-exasperated, half-amused. He wasn't kiddin' when he said 'not exactly tasteful'.

Reaper Side

Room of Reckoning
Time Zero

Katy was not in a good position; she may as well have already been dead, considering that she was neither able to speak nor move… Regardless, the King was about to make it official.

Something shone on Katy's back… The Mark. The Sigil which she had only once caught a glimpse of; normally jet-black, the Reaper Crossbones painted upon her shone with a golden light, still in the process of completing its last function. This Mark was the embodiment of the Queen's Programming, only ever appearing on the Pawn's back; when Katy had removed her pullover, the Mark on it had faded away and transferred over to her tank top… Not that she could tell. And of course, when Hiro had pulled the garment back onto its owner, the Mark had become momentarily obscured, before re-establishing itself on Katy's outer-most layer of clothing… Not that Hiro had noticed.

The Mark burst, splintering into fragments of light, dancing through the Room of Reckoning; the space now appeared as though it had been invaded by a swarm of fireflies. Drifting freely for only a moment, the multitudinous shards all focused on a single point: The throne. Fusing into an orb of burning luminescence, the mass sizzled and spit molten liquid from its surface; the spectacle was comparable to a star being born.

"Here it comes…!" The King observed in awe as the sun before him sparkled and shined, lighting the inside of the otherwise darkened Room.

After a moment, it began to twist around itself, warping and distorting its spherical shape into a more humanoid silhouette… And then the light faded, like a lightbulb's filament cooling down.

Left sitting on the throne was a lone figure, her legs bent inwards in a stance reminiscent of Raimu Bito.
At a glance, she seemed like an ordinary teenager; a young girl with pale grey-blonde hair, holding a little more colour than Yoshiya Kiryu's.
Interestingly, she wore two skirts: A short, red-checkered skirt over an ever-so-slightly longer white-hemmed black skirt. As for the rest of her attire, there was a clean white top with short, puffed sleeves, with a slightly oversized plaid-red bow around its collar; the overall colour scheme of her outfit brought Daisukenojo Bito to mind.
Upon the girl's head rested a pair of white headphones; red accents on the metal, as well as the clear usage of wires on the device, differentiated the accessory from the ones that Neku Sakuraba once wore.

But there was one thing more recognizable on the mystery girl's person: A stuffed animal lay on her lap; Shiki Misaki's very own Mr. Mew.

Player Side

My eyes began to adjust; the area had once again dimmed. Still lying on the ground, I managed to keep a hand on my sizable wound in an attempt to stem the flow of static. It was just one peculiarity after another. From what I could tell, something on my back had shattered into shards of glowing glass; the floating fragments had then fused into a ball of energy, which then transformed into a… Girl. She was someone who I had without doubt never seen before; why, then, did she feel so familiar…?

"Marvellous…!" The King seemed to have forgotten about me; he only had eyes for the amber-eyed youth, unconscious upon the throne of Shibuya. "She would possess some qualities from her original counterparts, of course. But this is, without a doubt, an 'original' Soul that we have just created!"

What is he saying…? I struggled to make sense of it all. That girl… Is she made up of the six who vanished?

"That kid is technically the Composer, then?" The Rook turned to ask the Queen, but she was already walking away; her attention elsewhere.

The ground rumbled.

"Feel that…?" The Rook looked to his comrades, worried. It felt as though an earthquake was approaching.

"Shibuya's rejecting the girl." The King answered, calmly walking towards her. "Do you know what would happen to Shibuya without its Composer? The 'end times', as it were; Shibuya and the Composer are very much like a pair of Partners. Without one, the other cannot exist." Standing before the sleeping adolescent, the King flexed his fingers, sending an audible 'crack' through the Room.

"As it stands, that thing is only a 'psuedo-Composer'." The Queen commented as she advanced on Hiro, her blade drawn. She didn't seem to be as merciful as the King.

I struggled to pull myself up.

The ground shook again; slightly stronger, this time.

"Satisfactory as a placeholder, but not nearly sufficient to pass for the real thing. Erasing it would nevertheless allow one to claim the full title, however." Standing over the boy clutching his sister's bangle, the Queen raised her weapon; before bringing it down upon the silent youth, she turned her head to the King. "I would advise that you dispatch it before the situation worsens. A quick, clean kill as you did with the other Player." The Queen turned back to her mark, just in time to see that Hiro had vanished. But then, she froze; no doubt feeling the way that his Psych had just raked her across the eyes.

Reaper Side

"Aaaaaaauuuuuuuggggggghhhhhhh!" The Queen's calm demeanour shattered into pieces as she clutched at her face; it spurted static from a grisly row of gashes across its width.

Hiro landed behind the woman, and glared at her; tears of fury surging out of his eyes. "Don't you… Dare talk about Koushi…!"

"Queen!" The King resounded; his powerful voice reverberating off of the already vibrating walls.

"Hiro… Just run…!" Katy finally found a scrap of strength; just enough to choke out a few, precious words.

Still holding her hand over her injured eyes, the Queen panted. "You little whelp- kuh!" Interrupted by a Psychokinesis blast from the boy, the Queen was flung into the far wall; the stone splintered and exploded, sending out a cloud of dust.

"How's he using Psychs without a Partner?!" Recoiling, the Rook shouted; the trepidation was evident upon his face.

The tremors were worse, now. A fault-line ran from one end of the Room to another, splitting the ground in two.

Katy, Hiro, and the Queen were unfortunate enough to be caught on the lesser portion of the two halves; the fragmented stone structure began to sink downward, taking the three of them with it.

"Ms. Vio…!" Hiro jumped over to Katy, and lifted her onto his shoulder; a fruitless effort. It didn't matter how strong he was; unlike his sister, who he had barely managed to keep off the ground, Katy's body was simply too large in comparison to his own, small frame. The best he could do was drag her.

"Hiro, leave me," Katy gasped, bleeding more static by the second; at this point, her figure was flickering, sputtering in-between translucent and transparent, "I haven't got long, anyway; just go!"

"No, I'm not leaving you!" Hiro stubbornly refused, shaking his head as he attempted to lift me up.

Acting first, the Rook leapt down to the plummeting half of the Room of Reckoning and grabbed the Queen by the shoulders. "Come on, we need to get off this thing!"

With the danger level reaching a fever pitch, the King turned back to the mystery girl and aimed a fatal strike at her neck…

Clang!

"What…!?" A spherical barrier shone around the girl, deflecting the King's attack; it faded away as quickly as it had come. "That's not possible…!" The King attempted again, a true sense of urgency on his face; to no avail, every assault ended in failure.

"What are you playing at?" The Bishop growled, holding a hand to her head; a throbbing pain coursed through her temples. "Without the Composer, I can't hold my Revel steady for long; hurry up and Erase her-" Before the Bishop could finish speaking, a blade erupted from her chest; her golden eyes widened in surprise.

Everything seemed to be going downhill.

The Knight tightened his grip on the sword which he had just rammed the Bishop through with, and cackled; his eye glinted a malevolent crimson. "If you can't just drop it, I'll drop it for you…!"

"Knight, control yourself!" The King jumped behind the laughing swordsman, and struck him in the side of the head, knocking him down to the ground.

"Oh, now that one hurt!" The Knight threw his head back and laughed again; faster than anyone could perceive, he had Warped over to the two remaining Players. Strolling over to their sides, the Knight's body shook, convulsing with a mad merriment. "Looks like you've just created something you don't fully comprehend, 'Boss'."

The rock between the fault-line ground against itself, generating a sharp, piercing noise; the earthquake had just hit its worst point.

The Bishop knelt on the ground, watching the Knight with stoic incredulity.

"Well, you know me. I get bored very easily. So, I think that maybe…" Clamping a rough hand over Katy's shoulder, he sniggered again. "… I'll say goodbye to CHECKMATE, for now."

"Knight, stay where you are! That's an order!" The King bellowed, leaping towards the three gathered individuals.

"Ooh, scary." Just as he engaged his Warp, Jack the Ripper left his old friends with a few parting words. "Good luck fixing this mess, gang; I'll see you all later."

The Knight teleported out of the Room of Reckoning, taking the two Players with them.

Player Side

Dogenzaka

The thunderstorm above Shibuya continued to roar as the Earth shook, sending a terrible set of shockwaves throughout the city. Pedestrians screamed in terror, grabbing for the nearest solid object that they could use to steady themselves with. I could hear the crumbling of multiple buildings in the distance; it sounded like an ungodly thunderstorm… No; much, much worse than that.

It was like nothing that I'd ever heard before.

"And there goes Cat Street! Brilliant!" Jack's usual playful persona had been replaced with the insane, laughing-mad Reaper that I had caught a glimpse of at the Station Underpass.

Nothing made sense.

We had won the Game. But my Entry Fee had turned out to be a few minutes' worth of memories.
The Game Master was the Knight.
Magokoro was the King.
Koushi had died.
Sakuraba, Misaki, Beat, Rhyme… As well as the Composer and the other man… I had sealed them all into some sort of new entity.

Shibuya was falling apart.

And now, as it turned out… Jack the Ripper had decided to leave CHECKMATE?

I had long since fell behind the unbelievable succession of events. I had no idea where any of us stood; whether we had 'won' or 'lost', what we were to do from here, who was an 'ally', who was an 'enemy'…

"Psychokin- rgh!" Hiro's cry was interrupted by Jack unsympathetically forcing a hand over his mouth, and pinning him to the ground; his blade at the boy's throat.

"Hiro…!" I writhed on the street, frustratingly incapable of any physical task. The sound of my body breaking apart was quite audible; I felt as if I were inside a store full of broken televisions. White noise assailed my ears, generated by each and every vibrating atom in my form.

"Hush! You'll bring the whole place down, brat." The man chortled once more before taking a step back, avoiding a swift kick from the infuriated youngster.

"Get away from Ms. Vio!" Hiro yelled, ready to unleash another Psych.

"Pffft," Jack was characteristically unworried, "I just saved the two of you, kid. Maybe let that sink in before you do anything rash, hmm?"

The quake was lessening, now. A few items of produce fell from the nearby shelves of various shops.

"Nngh…!" Hiro stopped, seeing some truth in the man's words. But still, this man had put the Players through 7 Days of hell; if that wasn't enough, he had kidnapped Hiro's sister at one point. Not the easiest act to forgive… Or to forget. "Koushi… Koushi's dead because of you!" Hiro seemed to be trying to convince himself as much as anyone else, but, then again… I can't even begin to imagine what the mental state of the boy must have been like.

"That's subjective." Jack placed a hand over his face and took a few deep breaths, before once again revealing his face; the calming blue of his eye shone in the afternoon sunlight. "If I had not taken your sister, would the two of you still have walked into the Room of Reckoning? Actually, I suppose not. That was the point of taking her, after all… And, the Boss would've been waiting there, regardless." Jack mused, walking back over to me in an absentminded fashion; his personality had again taken another 180.

"H-Hey, I said 'get away'…!" Hiro reared back again.

"I'm fixing your lady friend, shush." Jack grinned, taking a Cure Drink Pin out from one of his coat's sizable pockets.

A welcome sensation washed over me; a familiar healing light ran through me, pulling my body back into a better state. I remained silent, however; unsure of how to respond to Jack's assistance.

"Why are you…?" Hiro froze again, unable to decide whether or not to follow through with his attack.

"Oh, now that's fascinating." Jack helped me off of the ground, staring curiously at his Pin the entire time. "The Psych took. It would appear that the 'rules of the world' have changed with the Composer's demise… Though it's very likely that Pacts are still needed for survival, even if Psychs are now restriction-free-"

"The… The Composer isn't dead!" I protested; an involuntary response, fuelled by the desire that it wasn't so.

"Well, yes, I suppose not. Technically speaking." Jack ruffled his hair, and dropped the Pin back into his pocket. "But to Shibuya? For all intents and purposes, the Composer is dead, without a doubt." Showing his usual lackadaisical attitude, Jack adjusted his jacket to sit straight on his shoulders. "Hm… The quake's stopped," he observed, "perhaps there's some part of that girl that was able to stabilize Shibuya… Either that, or the King managed to Erase her, and is now the Composer himself."

I shivered at the thought, but I had other questions on my mind. "Why did you help us? Aren't we your enemies?"

"My enemy was the Composer. That is the only 'absolute' that you would find relevant, 'Katy'." The man enunciated my 'name', having long since dropped the usage of nicknames. "As for what I'll do next…" Jack stopped himself, and let out a short, sad 'heh'.

A clinking sound on the pavement caught my attention; I turned, but before I could locate the source of the sound, I caught sight of something else.

Hiro was running away, his head lowered; one arm over his eyes.

"No, wait-" I moved to pursue him, but my legs failed me; yet again, I found myself falling to the ground…

"Whoa there." Jack grinned, catching me by the arm. "Don't hurt yourself; I only just finished patching you up."

"Hiro! Come back!" I pulled against Jack, wanting to free myself; unfortunately, his grip was quite firm.

Hiro turned the corner, heading in the direction of the 104 Building.

"Don't bother," Jack advised me, disinterested," he's too far away to catch up to, especially in your condition.

"Why don't you stop him? You can Warp!" I struggled again, with no result.

"I took the two of you with me because I could. On a whim, as it were," Jack smiled, finally releasing me; I stumbled a few steps. He closed his eyes and sighed "it's not my concern what the two of you do with yourselves, now." When he opened his eyes again, I was already hurrying after my friend.

I was grateful that Jack had saved me, of course. But I couldn't leave Hiro; I chased after the boy, going as fast as my broken body could carry me.

"You won't be able to find him!" I heard Jack call out from behind me.

Refusing to lose anyone else, I kept running.

I never saw Hiro again.

Arriving at the Scramble Crossing, I was faced with a number of paths to choose from; I was certain that the boy had run back to the Shibuya River. I passed the Statue of Hachiko, the station at which I had first arrived in Shibuya by… However, I was met by an impassable Wall when I had approached the entrance to the River; unable to break through it, I was forced to look elsewhere.

In hindsight, I'm glad that someone had placed that Wall there; without that, I likely would have perished, walking back into the lion's den like that…

The new moon slowly rose over Shibuya, watching as I searched and searched; some places old, some places new.

The Shibu Department Store. Cadoi City. Nothing.

Rain began to fall over the velvet night sky as I took a new road; I passed Towa Records, the Miyashita Park Underpass… But at Miyashita Park itself, I was met with a horrible sight: Multiple buildings had fallen in the earthquake; the ground had been fractured like a broken mirror… It looked like something out of a dystopian, apocalyptic film-set; the only sounds to be heard were the laments of the injured, and the wailing of the ambulances' sirens. With no way to enter Cat Street, I backtracked.

Molco. Spain Hill. Tipsy Tose Hall. Nowhere to be seen.

Finding myself at another crossroad, I sprinted down a familiar path; past the Shibu-Q Heads, and down into the Udagawa Back Streets. Taking a moment, I walked up to the artistic graffiti decorating the far wall, and placed my hand on it.

This was where Sakuraba died. And as for me… Walking to the right, I shuffled through a narrow passage between buildings; barely wide enough to accommodate two people. I turned the corner, half-expecting to find my corpse… But of course, there was nothing there. Not even a bloodstain; any evidence of our deaths had long since been cleaned up, naturally.

…

There weren't many places left; next, I returned to the Scramble Crossing, checking AMX and the Center Street Entrance as I went.

No luck there, either.

Growing desperate, I circled back to my starting point, this time travelling from the 104 Building to the Shibukyu Department Store, and from there to A-East; another familiar location.

Finally, I thought to check Pork City; impatiently waiting for the elevator to take me to each level, I made sure to scour the entire structure, but…

… Well, I've already told you the end outcome, haven't I?

That wasn't enough to deter me, however. I did another lap of the city.
And then another.
And another after that.

I even tried to leave Shibuya at one point, but another Wall stopped me. That was at least somewhat comforting; Hiro was definitely somewhere in Shibuya. But the sad truth about the city is that… It's big. Far too big for me, a single needle in a haystack, to even hope to find another smaller, faster needle.

After hours and hours of optimism, (or 'obstinacy', if you'd prefer,) even I, with all of my tenacity, accepted that I would not be locating Hiro Tetsuyou any time soon. I trudged back to Dogenzaka, dead inside; a lump of lead sat in my chest… Once, I would have called it my 'heart', but now I couldn't even remember what it was used for. Water soaked me to my core, making each step even heavier than usual; the downpour had transformed the sloped district into a miniature river of its own

A middle-aged couple walked past me, protected from the elements by a large, clear umbrella; they seemed to be talking about the disaster in Cat Street, but I couldn't quite hear them over the endless pelting of raindrops against the ground. The couple were accompanied by two children, a boy and a girl; they marvelled at the watery spectacle around them, playing together in matching raincoats, smiling as siblings do.

I looked away.

Walking up the street, I approached the entrance to Ramen Don, wanting to feel some form of comfort and warmth… I stopped. I didn't want to go in there looking like I did.

Ken Doi stood at his workstation, no doubt working hard at his next recipe; his face alight with the joy of an artist at his craft. If I walked in there right now, how worried would he be? I didn't want to do that to him. I couldn't. I simply collapsed against the wall of the building; sinking into the muddy, watery ground.

I just… Sat there. My head hung to the side, my neck too tired to even hold it straight. My eyelids fluttered half-closed.

A rat skittered over my hand.

This was the end result of my participation in the Reaper's Game. Was it my fault that things had turned out the way they had?

Well… No. I mean, not entirely.

Of course, some blame lay in me. In my poor choices. In my naïve nature. The rest of it could be attributed to various other parties, their evil intentions, and even just… 'Bad fortune'.

The thing is, in a case such as this… Well, if you have ever played a key part in a horrendous outcome such as this one, you'll know what I mean. You know what it feels like. To you, there is no 'shared blame', no 'probably', no 'maybe', and no 'what if'.

You alone feel responsible. Even if you know the truth in your logical brain, you still feel like utter garbage. Everyone is so sad, after all. 'How could it not be your fault?'.

That's the human mind for you. Or maybe that's just me… Who knows? The closest thing to a psychologist that I had was Magokoro Muki.

And he didn't even really exist to begin with.
Not in the way that I thought he did, at least.

Not the way that I thought.

"Young lady… Are you quite alright?" It took a few seconds to register that he was talking to me. If I didn't know him personally, I may not have heard him at all.

I tilted my head upwards by the slightest amount. Ken Doi was standing in front of me; with only his bandanna protecting him from the storm, his glasses had quickly fogged up.

It appeared that the Reaper Decal's reach was a bit further than I had initially thought.

When I didn't respond, the man leant down and hoisted my arm over his shoulder, bringing me close to him. Warmth.

"I'm… Covered in mud, Mr. Doi." My throat felt surprisingly dry, considering the surroundings.

"Well, now I am, too, aren't I?" He stated in a matter-of-fact voice; his signature loud, energetic manner nowhere to be seen. "Before anything else, let's getcha inside, huh?" Helping my fatigued legs carry my equally-fatigued body into Ramen Don, Ken Doi left his sandals by the entryway and Ken Doi opened the door to the storeroom; the man led me inside. "Watch your step; it's dark in here." Turning right, the man opened another door; inside was a rather spacious washroom; a sliding door of fogged glass obscured what I could only assume was a shower room. "Here; leave your clothes on the bench, and I'll throw 'em in the machine while you clean yourself up." His voice was calm. Caring.

Subconsciously, I found myself marvelling at how people could act so different, become so different, in certain circumstances… It was something that I had seen many examples of, during the Game.

"Hey now, miss." Seeing that I was still unresponsive, the man gave me a small shake. "Don't make me bathe you myself." He grinned, attempting to incite a reaction out of me.

Nothing.

His smile faded, turning into a slight frown. "Come on, if you don't laugh, I just end up lookin' like a creep."

Still nothing.

Ken Doi sighed. "Okay, I get it. Everybody hits rough patches in life." Leading me over to a wooden bench, the man carefully sat me down. "I'll wait outside as long as ya need. When I hear the shower start, I'll come back in and grab your laundry. That okay, young miss?"

Take a guess at how I responded.

Ken Doi simply smiled, his positive attitude unaffected. He stepped outside, closing the door behind him with a resounding 'clack'.

I must have stayed in that room for a long, long time. I may have even fallen asleep, really. When I finally stepped out, my clothes were neatly laid out for me; completely dry. Ken Doi had even gone to the trouble of polishing the soft surface of my boots clean.

Taking care not to waste his kind effort, I walked out into the storeroom; cautiously avoiding scuffing my clothes on any of the obstacles in my path.

He greeted me with a smile.

Laying down a bowl of Mystic Ramen for me, Ken Doi pushed me into a seat and took the adjacent stool. He laid a cuff of metal upon the tabletop.

It was Koushi's.

"An odd young man dropped by… He told me to give it to you."

The clinking noise that I had heard when Hiro had run away… He must have dropped it. Had Jack recovered it?

I made no move to accept it.

"… Young lady." Ken Doi sighed, a knowing, wise look on his face. "I can't quite imagine what you went through to end up like that… But I know a thing or two about life." Resting his arms on the counter, the man looked up. "Listen. Life is full of bad times. In fact, it's… Kinda brimmin' with 'em." He chuckled. "Sometimes you can feel like the whole world is pressing down on you, leaving you unable to breathe. Leaving you feeling like you'll never do anything right again. But everyone makes mistakes, miss. Even so…" He placed a kind hand on my head, and ruffled my slightly damp hair. "… If you feel in your heart that there's at least one more good day… Just one more good day to be had in your future, you gotta have the resolve to keep going; keep pushin' forward; keep growing. Don't stand still. Clash; change. Jus' so long as you remember," he paused, trying to put something that he clearly knew into word, "all the mistakes that you've made; all the people that got you this far. All the different kinds of 'Katy' that you used to be." His first usage of my name resonated with something inside of me, touching something in me heart. "Because you're not the same. I can see that you've grown quite a bit since I met you few days ago, and trust me, miss… It's a change for the better." Turning to face me, Ken Doi asked me a question. "And speaking of the future, do you remember what I said to you before? When you, uh… Didn't quite get my recipe right?" He grinned, cheekily

"… 'The future's a clean slate… And I'm the chalk'?" I used my voice for what felt like the first time in an eternity.

Ken Doi smiled. "There ya go. You got it right, miss. And that's all you need." Ken Doi stood up and started to walk outside; the bright morning rays shining in through the entrance. "And don't ever think that you're a 'burden' here, young miss. You're always welcome. I might just be a silly old ramen chef, but… I'm here if ya need me." Pulling his sandals on, Ken Doi's tone slid back to its usual, boisterous rhythm. "Now eat up before it gets cold!"

"Ah… Of course. Thank you." I took a bite. When was the last time I had eaten…? Oh… This is… It tasted exactly like the batch that I had made. The same slightly-too-sweet soup that I had produced on my first attempt… But it tasted better than I remembered. I couldn't help but smile a little.

"Now, see that?" Ken Doi beamed. "The smile on a satisfied customer… That's what I live for, you know." A cheery expression on his face, he looked both ways before departing, as if he was crossing the street. "There's a sale on some ingredients, today. You'd better be done when I get back!" Ken Doi stepped outside and walked away, leaving me with my chalk. I gazed at the sun, greeting me from behind the horizon; its brilliance illuminated the dark corners of my soul, giving me new hope.

My fingertips slid against the polished surface of the countertop as I picked up Koushi Tetsuyou's bangle. With a bit of effort, I slid it over my left wrist; I'd hold onto it for now.

Many terrible tragedies that had taken place. But even so, even with all of the hurt, all of the bad choices, the betrayal, and all of the scars that had been inflicted upon Shibuya… At the very least, we would all keep moving forward.

The sun would still rise for a bright new day.

7th Day – CHECKMATE

Wow. You know, this took a long, long time. Longer than I estimated by far.

But once I was in the last 500 words or so, I thought, "huh. It's almost over…" and a little part of me wished that it wasn't ;)

Naturally, it's not the greatest piece of fiction that you'll read, but I feel very happy that I could bring this to a conclusion that I wanted… And I hope that it was a 'conclusion' that you didn't mind, either.

Now, since you've been so kind as to read this 'chapter', I'd recommend that you check out the Twelve Shots of Summer and Shibuya Operation – Story Storm Communities; both full of wonderful, talented people who I'm rather privileged to know :P

Have an excellent day,
-X

P.S. I'll be doing a short epilogue; I might put a trivia section in there or something… If anyone has any questions or requests like that, let me know :P
If you're just tired of how much I'm writing, I apologize; please, go and do something you enjoy; play outside, and appreciate this 'wonderful world' of ours.