A/N: The Great Russian Philosopher Fyodor Dostoevsky once wrote, "There are things which a man is afraid to tell even to himself, and every decent man has a number of such things stored away in his mind." Fear is the poison of the mind which is administered with each passing time that we let our minds wander. Some people may say that fear is to be fought and conquered; however, I think that people should always be afraid of something. Fear is a natural thing and having a fear lets us know that we are truly human. We are scared of what we do not know or do not understand. We humans are creatures who were born into the unknown. Thus, we were born into fear. So I propose my own philosophical question to you readers. If we weren't afraid of anything, could we even exist at all?

Disclaimer: I don't own the World Ends with You.

Chapter Twenty-One: Week 1, Day 4-"Doux Rêves", Part 2: Two Weirdos and a Neku

Regular POV-

Fourth Floor,"Doux Rêves" August 5, 2009, 10:00 A.M. (August 4, 2009, 8:00 P.M. EST).Three hours remaining in the Mission.

Neku slowly opened his eyes, expecting to see the blue cloudless sky of another summer day in Tokyo. But instead of seeing the familiar sky, he saw a white plastered ceiling with a gold candelabra chandelier hanging down from it. Neku used what little willpower he had over his hands to try and pull himself off the sidewalk pavement which he had grown accustomed to waking up on. However, he didn't feel the warm, sun-kissed pavement under him. He was on something soft and cushy. Neku knew something was up at that point and he bolted upright into a sitting position to better observe his new found location. He wasn't in Shibuya anymore, at least not on the outside. He was in a small single-sized bedroom, and he was lying on top of a bed with a plaid comforter under him. "What the hell?" he asked himself. He looked to his left and he saw a little nightstand that had some familiar objects on it. Neku's arm sweatband, his cellphone, his two Pins, Rhyme's bell, and two photographs. One picture was the photo of Neku and his friends at the beach in Odaiba, and the other was a selfie photo taken of him, Joshua, and Eri that was neatly put inside of a picture frame. Neku quickly grabbed the framed photograph and observed it closely. He was in the middle of the photo, Eri was to the left of him and she was scrunched into Neku like she was stuck to him with glue, while Joshua was overlooking the two of them and giving them both bunny ears as he flashed a gigantic smile. All three of them looked very happy.

Neku just stared at the photo with confusion. "When was this taken?" Then all of a sudden a loud clacking sound interrupted the silence. There was a slight pause and the sound of a PA system turning on came into full hearing. Neku looked up and saw that there was a loud speaker in the corner of the ceiling. Then a feminine voice came over the loud speaker.

"Good morning Players. Consider this your wakeup call. I know that all of you would probably like to lay your heads down back on your pillows and go back to sleep, but unfortunately you have a big day ahead of you and there is no room for slouchers or lazy bums in today's Mission. Now let's get one thing straight before we talk turkey, I'm not like the others, all of them like to be mysterious and tickle your noses with hints and jeers at who they are to the point where it just pisses you off. I like my toys to know exactly who they're playing with. My name is Uriel and I am the Composer of Ginza. And this is my doll house, so I guess that makes you the dolls."

There were a few giggles over the loud speaker and then Uriel cleared her throat. Meanwhile, outside of Neku's room there was a hallway that was made of hardwood floors, covered in crimson red wallpaper, and full of paintings and flower vases. Along the hallway there were many doors with room numbers on them, Neku's room number being #404. All the doors to the rooms were closed except for one room which was directly across from Neku's room, room #405. This door was slightly ajar and an eye with a red iris was scanning the hallway. After a few seconds the door was pushed all the way open and a familiar person was revealed. Shatter. She crept across the hallway while her shoes made creaking sounds on the hardwood floors, but no one heard her sneaking around because the creaking sound was muffled when Uriel began to talk again.

"Anyway, this place is called "Doux Rêves", that's French for "Sweet Dreams" for those of you are ignorant of foreign culture. This is the place where your thoughts come to hide. Everything there is to know about you exists here within these walls. Memories of the past, personal ideas, and your worst fears. "Doux Rêves" can read each and every one of you like an open book. With its power I know all your dirty little secrets, but don't worry I won't tell anyone."

Another series of giggles came over the PA system. By that time a lot of the other Players who were inside the other rooms of the long hall, opened their doors and peered out of them. Murmurs started to fill the hall. Uriel must have heard the commotion because a few moments later she yelled over the loud speaker.

"Shut the hell up! And stay in your rooms!"

Her anger drove the Players to become silent and obediently shut their doors.

"Good, you sheep do know how to listen. Now my question to you is why couldn't you have done that in the first place? The Reaper's Game has been going on for three days now, and only one Team has shown any interest in completing the Missions. Team Hikari. Now do you know what I think about only team of four people being the only ones to play in a Game of hundreds? It's boring! That's why we're having this little punishment Mission for you naughty Players who haven't abided by the rules. The lazing around, the hopeless wandering around the UG, the secret plots and ploys to win the Game without competing. It all ends today! For the rest of the Game, every Player must participate in the Mission, but the same rule of only one Team completing the Mission still applies. If one Team wins, everybody wins. However, if any Player does not play the Game like a good little toy, they will be automatically Erased!"

Neku sat on his bed and listened to every word that Uriel spoke. He began to get an angry look on his face, and then he glared at the loud speaker. "Bitch," he simply said.

"Which brings us to today's Mission. It's very simple; all you have to do is find some way to escape "Doux Rêves". But be warned, the structure of this place is not simply based around going through doors and using staircases. With every door you open you see one of your thoughts. It can either be pleasant or gruesome, think of it like "Schrodinger's Cat". You have no idea just what door to open, but certain doors lead to certain places. Like I said the structure of this place is very odd, and it's also a little mental challenge because wrong doors have Noise hiding inside. And I should probably tell you this so you can all know the odds that you face. My prediction is that only one-hundred Players will make it out of here. One-hundred exactly. And I'm the Recorder of Fate so my predictions are never wrong. If you don't want to be trapped in here forever, and trust me when I say that you don't, you'll be in that small faction of escapees. Good luck with finding a way out, this place is a fuckin' maze. Time limit's three hours. Sayonara."

Neku twitched in pain as a new Timer was burned into his right palm. Neku glared at the Timer. 'Josh, I know you said that your brother Metatron was different, but if you have a bitch like that as your sister then I don't really want to meet anymore of your family members,' he thought to himself. He heard a lot of motion going on outside and lot of anxious murmurs as well; most of the other Players were already on the move to find the exit. Then Neku grabbed his things off the nightstand and hopped off the bed. But then he turned back and grabbed the picture frame with the photo of him, Joshua, and Eri. He removed the photo from the picture frame and stuffed it in his short's pocket along with his other trinkets. Then he ran for the bedroom door, unlocked it and slowly opened it.

What was on the other side was beyond weird, "Holy shit!" he exclaimed in surprise and awe-struck. The hallway was extremely large and standing in the middle of it was an old Noise from Neku's past. Vespertilio Candor, the giant Noise bat. When the bat saw Neku it immediately shrieked at him, giving off a firm conviction of ferocity. Then it slammed the floors with its paws as it turned to face Neku. Neku glared at the Noise and then he reached into his pocket and pulled out the "Phoenix Glow" Pin. After a few moments he became cloaked in its familiar aura. "Alright let's go ugly," Neku said as he motioned for the bat to come to him.

Meanwhile, in room #408, a familiar curly blonde-haired boy was lying down on the bed in his room. This was the boy known simply as Willow, and he was a boy despite his many feminine attributes and feminine voice. Willow was lying down on his bed with his arms behind his head and his feet propped up in a relaxing manner. He started to hum to himself as he tapped his foot on the side of the bed. "What to do? What to do?" he asked himself aloud, letting his Irish accent flow. "That Uriel girl said that only one-hundred of us would make it out of the house. There are hundreds of Players and not that many spots to be in her percentage. The logical thing to do would be to find my own way out of here and hope that Michel will do the same thing too, but then there's Michel's helpful personality. He'll try to get as many other Players out of the house as he can. He might end up forgetting to get himself to safety so that means that I should go and look for him and then make sure that both of us manage to escape this doll house prison."

Then Willow sat up right on his bed. "Hmm, then again Michel told me that if we were ever separated in the Game to just worry about myself. I don't want to disobey him; he usually knows what's best for me." Then he brought his hands up to the top of his forehead and grasped onto his temples, and then he furiously shook his head in frustration. "Ugh," he groaned, "I just don't know what to do!" Then Willow calmed down a little and caught a glance at the Ankh tattoo on his left wrist. He touched the tattoo with his right hand and then he traced over the mark with his fingers. Willow closed his eyes and continued to rub his tattoo for a few moments, and as he did this a smile began to spread across his face. Willow opened his eyes again and continued to stare at his tattoo. "The mark that unifies us," he said to himself. Then Willow jumped off his bed and ran to the door. "Michel, like it or not, I'm going to find you," he said with confidence. He grasped onto the door latch and unlocked the door, and then he twisted the knob and pushed the door open. His eyes widened at the sight before him. "What the heck?"

The hallway had grown at least a hundred feet in width and height, but Willow had not noticed the change as he wasn't one of the Players who stuck their heads out of the doors previously. The things that had Willow surprised were the gigantic yellow-green bat in the middle of the hall that was fighting with a boy who had spikey-orange hair. Willow didn't know but this was of course, Neku. Neku was cloaked in his familiar "Phoenix Glow" aura and was furiously punching away at the stomach of the bat as it was air-born. The bat flew up higher to avoid Neku's punches, forcing him to jump up high to land blows on the bat's feet. However, the bat just kept flying higher and higher until he was at the very top of the ceiling, making it hard for even the power of "Phoenix Glow" to get Neku to reach the Noise's height. The bat began to flutter around a large glass chandelier that was hanging from the center of the ceiling, and then the bat grasped the bars of the chandelier with its feet and hung itself upside down on the chandelier. Neku stared up at the bat with an annoyed expression on his face. "Shit," he said. Then the bat's red eyes began to glow and after a few moments he let out an ear-piercing shriek. The shriek was so powerful that it started to shake the room and managed to ward off the "Phoenix Glow" cloak. Neku and Willow faltered and desperately tried to block out the horrible noise.

Eventually, Neku was sent flying back into the wall due to the intense vibrations of the shriek. He tried to move forward but he couldn't budge. "Dammit," he cursed, only to be muffled by the bat's shriek. 'This Noise is much stronger than I remember him, is it because of this house?' Neku wondered as he glared at the bat Noise. Then Neku saw Willow wading through the shaking room while holding his hands over his ears. He was coming over to him. 'Who's that kid? What does he think he's doing?' Neku thought to himself. After a few more moments, Willow made it over to Neku and reached out his hand, motioning for Neku to take it. "Are you insane?!" Neku tried to shout, being made only into a whisper, "Get out of here now! I can handle this myself!" When Willow saw that it was a useless effort of getting Neku to take his hand, he simply grabbed Neku's right hand and pulled him over to his own person. Then Willow closed his eyes and a moment later Neku couldn't hear the bat's shriek anymore. Neku looked up and saw that the bat was still shrieking, but for some unknown reason, he couldn't hear it.

Willow let go of Neku and then he said, "The Noise shouldn't be able to attack us while we're in my "Reflect Bubble", the shriek should just bounce off the walls."

Neku gave Willow a confused look. "Reflect Bubble?" he repeated.

Willow ignored Neku and started looking for something in his shorts' pockets. When he seemed to find what he was looking for he smiled and then pulled several cards out of his right pocket. Then Willow looked over the cards and saw that he had a total of three. One card had a depiction of a beautiful man petting a lion, and the word "Strength" was written on the bottom of the card. Another card had a depiction of a man wearing gaudy and ragged clothes and carrying a knapsack on a stick that was slung over his shoulder, and the words "The Fool" were written on the bottom of that card. The last card had a depiction of a large wheel with several winged creatures around it, and the words "Wheel of Fortune" were written on the bottom. After examining the cards, Willow gave Neku the "The Fool" card and then he pointed up at the bat. "Just plant that card on the Noise and then it'll disappear. It looks like its stopped screaming too, so you should be able to pull it off." Then Willow closed his eyes again and whispered the word, "Break." A moment late, a shattering was heard throughout the room.

Neku looked around him to find the source of the loud sound. "What the hell?" he said to himself.

Willow grasped Neku's hand again and shouted, "No time to explain now! Look!" Willow pointed to the bat again and Neku saw that it was begging to cough up several smaller Gabba Bats.

"Ugh, that move is still disgusting," Neku said as he clenched the card in his right hand and his "Phoenix Glow" Pin in his other hand. Neku knew that he couldn't reach the bat while jumping normally so he used "Phoenix Glow's" power of enhanced abilities to run up the side of the hallway wall and then catapult himself towards the bat. The small bats tried to block his way but Neku made quick work of them with a few mid-air punches. Then Neku threw the card onto the bat and fell back down to the hardwood floor below.

Willow closed his eyes again and then he traced his Ankh tattoo with his right hand. "In the name of the Gods, let the planets align and summon forth the spirits of Tarot," he said to himself. Then Willow opened his eyes and shouted, "Come forth, Fool!" As if on command, the card on the bat started to glow and then a white light came out of the picture on the card.

"What the fuck?" Neku mouthed as he saw the scene before him.

An astral projection of the card's picture came out of the card and then attacked the bat by swinging his knapsack at it, making it disappear in one blow. After the Noise was gone, the walls and ceiling started to shift until they were back to normal size. Willow smiled and began to hop up and down. "Yeah we did it! We showed that nasty Noise whose boss!"

Neku sweat dropped and put away "Phoenix Glow". Then he stared at Willow with more confusion until he just asked, "Who the hell are you? And why do you have such weird ass Psyches?"

Willow stopped jumping and smiled at Neku as he leaned in and chained his hands behind his back, giving him a sort of playful demeanor. "You know, you really shouldn't curse so much. It's a filthy habit and not very attractive at all." Then Willow leaned back and stretched his arms out. "But I suppose you don't have to worry about being attractive since you've got someone who already loves you despite your many, many faults."

Neku looked even more confused. "How do you know that I have someone who loves me?" he asked.

""The Lovers" told me," Willow said as if it was common knowledge.

"The Lovers?" Neku repeated. "What are you talking abo…?" Neku was interrupted when Willow stuck out his hand at him.

Willow smiled at Neku again. "My name is Willow; it's nice to meet you."

Neku paused for a moment before he shook Willow's hand. "I'm Neku," he replied in an uncertain way.

Willow returned Neku's handshake and then he giggled. "Neku? That's a funny name," he said in between his laughter.

Neku glared at him. "Isn't Willow a weird name too?" he asked.

Willow smiled at him again and then he replied, "Touché." Willow threw his arms behind his head again and started swaying from side to side again. "Hey Neku?" he asked after a moment of silence. "This might seem like an odd question, but do you think I'm a boy or a girl?"

Neku's expression seemed to grow more confused with each thing Willow said. "Um, a girl?"

Willow giggled again and then he replied, "No silly, I'm a boy. Couldn't you tell?"

Neku raised one eyebrow and simply said, "No," as he shook his head. Then Neku turned to face the long and narrow hall ahead of him. "Well thanks for your help Willow, but I've got to go find my friends now and get out of this hell house."

Willow gasped and then ran ahead of Neku, and then he turned to look back at him. "I've got find my friend too. Why don't we go look for them together?" he asked in an innocent way.

Neku sweat dropped. 'This guy can't take a hint, can he?' he asked himself. "Um actually I…" Neku was cut off when someone else appeared behind them.

"That's a splendid idea. On a deadly Mission like this, the best thing for any Player to do is work together in groups with other lost Players." Neku and Willow turned to see that someone else had approached them from behind. And from Neku's point of view, this guy seemed much weirder than Willow, and that was definitely saying something. He wore a pair of long dully gray pants and a matching long gray dress jacket, one of those white puffy dress shirts that you usually see pirates wearing under his jacket, a pair of black dress shoes, a black top hat, a pair of white gloves, and a red and black cape. This person also carried a black cane made out of petrified wood and a handle and tip made out of brass. He also wore a large white mask laced with velvet that completely covered his head, making it impossible to see his face or his hair. But Neku and Willow knew that this guy was definitely male because of his voice and considering how tall he was. The man's white mask was most peculiar; there were no significant details on it besides two narrow slits that were meant for his eyes. In conclusion, this guy was beyond strange.

"Who are you?" Neku asked.

The masked man tipped his hat off to Neku and Willow. "My dearest apologies, I have not properly introduced myself yet," he said. Then he bowed and said, "Satori Matsuda, Professor of the Supernatural, at your service." Satori placed his cane on the floor in front of him and then continued to speak. "Neku and Willow, correct? For the time being, I suggest that the three of us from a temporary Team. Just until we find your friends and escape "Doux Rêves"."

"Professor of what?" Neku asked.

Willow gasped and then he said, "I know you. You're that traveling novelist who writes books on the supernatural aspects of Japan."

Neku looked back at Willow and mouthed, "What the fuck?"

"Yes indeed, I see you recognize my work," Satori said. "There isn't a place within our country that I haven't studied every tale, myth, and legend about. I have chased many ghosts, youkai, and rumors abound. However, each time I came up empty-handed." Satori brought his gloved right hand up to his face. "Who would have guessed that death would be nothing more than a game show?" he asked himself. "If I ever get back to life, this will make an interesting book, indeed." Then Satori returned his attention to Neku and Willow. "So if isn't too much of a bother, may I accompany you two young lads on your quest?"

"I'm not so su…" Neku was interrupted by Willow.

"Sure, the more the merrier!" Willow exclaimed in excitement. "Come on guys, we're off to find Michel, Neku's friends, and the exit of the doll house!" Willow shouted as he began to run down the long hall.

Satori immediately picked up his pace and ran after Willow. "Wait for me, Young Master Willow. I'm not as spry as you!" he shouted after Willow.

Soon Neku was the only one left behind. He sighed to himself. "Is it too much to ask for me to meet just one normal person?" he asked himself. Eventually, Neku gave in and he hurried to catch up to Willow and Satori.

A/N: We'll just leave Neku alone with his thoughts for now. Next time, see what happens to Madoka and Joy.