Hi! Since I'm new here and not everyone is my beta, just a little warning: There'll be some Japanese words towards the end of this one shot. I know some people get annoyed with that, but I chose to do it anyway. I'll explain why at the bottom.

"Hey, I think the rain's letting up!"

Beat and Rhyme, who sat with their backs to the window, turned around at the exclamation.

"Oh yeah! You're right, Shiki!"

"Looks like we gonna make it home dry, yo!"

A pleased smile spread on Shiki's face and she let out a giggle. The group had really lucked out by reaching the Sunshine just in time to escape the rain shower. They hadn't exactly meant to eat there, but no one was complaining – the Sunshine in Shinagawa was nowhere near as busy as its two Shibuya counterparts and they'd scored a nice, quiet corner table right by the window facade. Shiki had even been doubly excited because she'd prepared a little surprise for everyone, but the right moment had eluded her so far. Gathering her friends around the same table was just the thing she'd needed, and it was a welcome place of rest, too. After walking around all day, Shiki's legs felt like lead and her feet like smoldering embers.

However, the absence of the overwhelming background noise made the lack of response from their fourth and last group member all the more deafening. Shiki's face fell and she sent a concerned glance at her seat neighbor.

The problem wasn't so much that Neku was quiet. They all knew and accepted it as part of their group dynamic, because that was what you did when you had an introvert in your midst.

The problem lay in the fact that he wasn't – an odd slurping sound emitted from him, courtesy of a straw vacuuming the soggy bottom of an empty paper cup.

It only took a few seconds for Rhyme to catch up, too, if the way her head tilted was any indication. Eventually, even Beat dropped his fries.

"Ya okay, Phones?"

The slurping continued without interruption.

"Neku!" Shiki tried, her voice raised, and this time, her friend actually let go of his straw and blinked the distant look from his eyes.

"Huh?"

Shiki sighed. "You know you can't drink from a cup which has been empty for the last five minutes, right? We're not mind readers, Neku. If there's something you want to tell us, you need to use words."

She could see Neku's grip tighten around the innocent paper. His face hardened, and he set the cup down with more force than necessary before abruptly turning away. "Bold of you to assume I want to tell you anything."

"Nekuuuuu..."

"Just leave me alone, okay?!" Neku snapped, then blanched before Shiki even had time to register that he'd just yelled at her, with the result that Neku ended up a lot more shocked than she did. He turned away again, eyes trained at his half-eaten box of nuggets, and started pushing around his empty cup by the straw. "I'm sorry, I'm just... stressed."

"That ain't givin' you no right to roar at Shiki like that," Beat joined the conversation again, but the censure in his voice did nothing to hide his worry. "You not yourself, man. Whatchu got on your mind?"

"We're here for you, Neku," Rhyme piped up, too, smiling gently. "A sorrow shared is a sorrow halved."

By now, Neku was running a hand through his front spikes, close to tearing them out. "Come on, guys, give me a break!" he complained, but at last, he dropped his arms on the table and relaxed a little, ready to face his friends again. "Look, I get what you're trying to do, and I appreciate it. But is it so hard to accept that I just don't want to talk about it?"

A clear statement like that warranted nothing but silence, and Neku resolutely stood up from his chair, cup in one hand, the other uncertainly fiddling around with the headphones around his neck. Shiki knew him well enough by now to take it as a sign of how truly stressed he was. (Not that she had any reason to suspect he'd been lying, and not only because he'd made his stance on lies abundantly clear when they first met.) She was not surprised when he announced he'd go get a refill, and sent him off with a simple "Okay."

As soon as Neku was out of earshot, Beat shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck. "What's gotten into Phones? He wasn't actin' weird at the aquaricum, yo."

"I'm sure he's just tired," Rhyme pointed out. "We all are."

"That's true," Shiki said with a small chuckle. "But it was so worth it! I mean, the dolphins were adorable, right? We should totally catch the night show next time!"

"I don't think our parents will allow it," Rhyme reined her friend in. "But it's definitely worth keeping in mind."

"Yo, Rhyme, you think our 'rents would go with us if you ask them?"

Rhyme visibly deflated and let out a long-suffering sigh. "You could ask them too, Beat..."

Awkward silence ensued, during which Beat made a show of dusting off his shirt. Eventually, however, he pulled himself together. "I'm workin' on it, Rhyme. But not yet."

Shiki suddenly felt like an intruder (she really did miss out on a lot those two weeks), but fortunately, Neku chose that precise moment to make his reappearance. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Oh no!" Shiki waved her arms frantically. "We were just talking about the dolphins. Right, guys?"

Beat hummed uneasily and rubbed his shoulder. "'S alright, Shiki. Can't nag Phones about shuttin' down, then turn around and pull a fast one like that." He visibly took a deep breath and relaxed a little, and a grin that looked only slightly forced appeared on his face. "'Sides, it ain't a big secret or somethin'. Just the usual."

Neku nodded. "I see," he said in a detached monotone and dropped into his seat, where he proceeded to occupy himself with his orange juice again.

Shiki shared a look with Rhyme and Beat, then went back to observing Neku. "Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?"

Neku spat out the straw with a long-suffering sigh and searched Shiki's gaze. He looked pretty done with the world, like he hadn't slept well, but there was a spark in his eyes Shiki couldn't quite place. "Remember what I said after we beat the Swing Shark?"

Shiki blinked as it suddenly dawned on her that the spark was guilt, and where Neku's reluctance was coming from. "Oooooh..."

"Mh-hm."

Beat looked from Neku to Shiki, then from Shiki to Neku, his eyes wide with a mixture of curiosity and the same discomfort they all felt. Eventually, however, the curiosity won out. "What? Whatchu say, Phones?"

"Something I'm really, really glad you weren't around to hear."

"Hey man, I knew that the second you went all contriticent about it." It took Shiki a second to decipher the Beat speak there. "'Sides, it can't be any worse than goin' all Reaper-y on you an' Prissy's asses. I ain't judgin', yo."

"I wouldn't mind you handing Joshua his..." Neku trailed off when he caught the stares he was getting from three directions. "Okay, fine! Jeez, don't look at me like that!" He shook his head before squaring his shoulders and nodding at Rhyme. "You're fine with this, too?"

She smiled reassuringly. "Sure, let's hear it. None of us came out of those couple weeks covered in glory, and if getting it out in the open helps you deal with it, then please! Go ahead!"

Neku leaned back and crossed his arms. He'd taken to wearing his headphones on top of his massive collar, so they would weigh down the fabric and leave his face uncovered. However, they must've gotten dislodged when he'd fidgeted with them before, and he made no effort to correct the situation. "'Not covered in glory'? That's a weird statement, coming from you."

Rhyme sighed. "You know, you're all so busy putting me on a pedestal you're missing the obvious. If I hadn't run after Beat like a headless chicken, I never would've ended up in front of a car in the first place."

Silence settled over the group like a smothering blanket. With Neku disappearing into his collar, Shiki took over as the one awkwardly sipping orange juice while Beat was looking out the window, pretending to watch the clouds.

Rhyme clapped her hands. "But we're all here now, and we were talking about Neku."

"Right..." Neku muttered. "Swing Shark."

"Swing Shark," Shiki repeated, then looked at her friend to encourage him to resurface.

Neku ran a finger along the hem of his collar in response, but it took him a moment to hook it in and pull the fabric down. Even then, his eyes were downcast and narrowed. "Now, I don't remember the exact words, but the sentiment... Thing is, I'm just trying to understand why I acted that way... I felt horrible, but I just... I don't..."

"You ain't makin' a lotta sense, Phones," Beat cut in. "Just take a deep breath, yo, we in no rush."

"Beat!" Rhyme chided. "Give Neku some space. Some people manage their thoughts better by saying them out loud."

"For real?"

Neku chuckled softly. "It's fine. I'm not one of them." He finally let go of his collar, revealing a rueful half-smile. "I guess that's what's really bothering me. I was acting like a complete asshole, pushing everyone away, even got myself tricked into attacking Shiki... And I had no idea why. I had no memories, zero experience to base my behavior on. I remember how I exploded at Shiki once, and she asked me what was going on. I had no damn clue. All I knew was that I was angry, and that I couldn't let anyone get too close." At this point, Neku hunched into his collar again. "I guess I'm just... scared. Of all the things to carry through an amnesia, that's the part which made the cut. That's what my subconscious looks like. That's raw, undiluted Neku Sakuraba, and..." A shudder raked across his whole body, and Shiki could only watch helplessly as her former partner curled up in his seat, arms folded and gripping his elbows. "I get goosebumps just thinking about it."

Shiki exchanged looks with the Bito siblings again, and she could see her own hopeless confusion and dismay reflected on their faces.

She turned back at her friend, heaving a deep breath. "Neku? How long have you been carrying this around?"

She wasn't even sure if he could hear her at this point, or if he was back in that dark corner of his mind where everything was bleak and he was better off alone.

Or rather, where everyone was better off without him.

"Neku..."

"Hey, Phones! Don'tcha think you got it all backwards?" Beat's voice seemed unnaturally loud all of a sudden, but it did the trick – Neku looked up.

"What?"

With all the attention on him, Beat awkwardly looked away, but after some subtle prodding from his sister, he finished the thought: "I dunno what 'undilutided' means, but I'm plenty sure our memories are what makes us who we are, not that supper thing." He gave a hearty grin. "I don't care who you think Neku Sakuraba is, because I know who Neku Sakuraba is, and he's my friend. Got it, Phones?"

For a moment, Neku looked at Beat like he just fell off a flying saucer. Then the tension drained from his shoulders, and he leaned back and wiped his eyes. "Got it."

"Yeah!" Shiki joined in, relief turning into elation. "We all love you, Neku. Memories or no memories, you aren't getting rid of us!"

"Is that a threat?"

Shiki, Beat and Rhyme burst out laughing. Neku watched them silently, with eyes moist enough to reflect the sunlight, until a corner of his mouth twitched into a wistful half-smile. "I guess I did have it backwards. Thanks, guys."

"No problem, Phones!" Beat announced, still grinning. "No bawling your eyes out on our watch, yo!"

"You're one to talk, Beat!" Rhyme cheerfully pointed out, and her brother dissolved into incoherent sputtering which earned him a chuckle from the two remaining table occupants.

"Well, we all need support sometimes," Shiki spoke up, then made a show of clearing the table in front of her so she had everyone's attention by the time she dumped her belt bag on the stone surface. "Which reminds me, I have a gift for everybody."

"Awesome!" Beat yelled, causing his sister to let out a half amused, half embarrassed sigh while Neku remained quiet, but no less curious. All those eyes put a bit of a damper on Shiki's excitement and she blushed slightly, but she pulled herself together (she should've expected it, really) and pulled a set of four bracelets out of her bag, all with different colors and patterns.

"Whoa, Shiki!" Rhyme began. "Those are–"

"Awesome!" Beat repeated and reached out a hand before abruptly pulling back and scratching his temple, flustered. "Sorry, Shiki."

"It's fine," Shiki smiled. "Go ahead. I mean, they're probably not that good, I haven't done any embroidery outside of faces for stuffed animals, but, you know–"

"They're great," Neku interrupted in that matter-of-fact tone of his that brooked no argument. He picked up the dark blue band with the little white and yellow music notes. "Wait... are those yellow notes... buttons?"

Shiki giggled. It was answer enough for Neku, who groaned and shook his head while Beat enthusiastically showed off his yellow bracelet.

"Look, Rhyme! It's even got curry on it! And a skateboard!"

"Yeah, looks like Shiki worked really hard on them." Rhyme turned to beam at Shiki before picking up one of the two remaining bands – a black one with a golden bell and a silver animal design. "Oh, is that a wolf? That's so cool, Shiki!"

Shiki chuckled awkwardly, head slightly tilted. "It's supposed to be Hachiko, actually. But a wolf's good, too."

"Yeah!" Beat agreed. "Wolves are badass, but they can still learn a thing or two from my badass lil' sis!"

"You're overdoing it, Beat!"

"There's something written on it," Neku cut in. He'd moved over to the window while no one was looking. He uncertainly turned the sliver of fabric in his hands, eyes narrowed in concentration. "It's a little hard to read because it's the same color as the background, but I think it says... se... ka... i... World?"

"Great catch, Neku!" Shiki smiled brightly and waved a hand. "I knew you'd be the first one to notice!"

Rhyme and Beat looked at each other, then turned their bracelets around, too.

"You right, Phones!" Beat shouted. "Mine says 'kore wa'..." He curled his lips. "So, does 'this' have some great meanin' I'm missin'?"

"Maybe it's a puzzle?" Rhyme suggested. "Look, mine says 'subarashii'. Let's put them together!"

And so they did. Shiki nearly burst with pride while her friends arranged their bracelets. For once in her life, she felt like a genius.

"'This is our wonderful world', huh?" Neku huffed fondly. "Go figure. But it is, isn't it? It's ours, and no one's taking it from us."

Shiki didn't ask. She had a vague idea what she'd missed, thanks to Beat, but there still were gaps in both of their memories. She also knew that Neku would sometimes call her in the middle of the night, incoherent from nightmares and tears, and it was all she needed to know. (Though hopefully, only for now.) It was part of the reason why she made the bracelets in the first place, and she was really glad they went over so well.

She nodded, her face still a little red from the mixture of awkwardness and joy. "It is."

With that out of the way, they each picked up their new wristbands again (Shiki's own band was green, with an image of Mr. Mew and a set of needle and thread, and said 'our' on the back) before digging into their food with renewed appetite. Especially Neku had barely eaten anything, and Beat had more hollow legs than his body could fit anyway. However, it didn't keep him from putting down his burger mid-bite when he had a sudden epiphany.

"Yo, Phones!"

"Hmm?"

"You never told whatchu said."

"Umm..." Neku hummed and exchanged a skeptical look with Shiki, who shrugged. She'd help him out if he needed his memory jogged (given she remembered whatever he didn't), but the rest was his business.

Apparently, it inspired him to shrug as well before he returned his attention to Beat. "So you really wanna know, huh?" The breath he took in preparation to speak was deep, but still weirdly sharp – definitely ominous, and a tad overdramatic. Shiki preemptively covered her ears. Rhyme followed without hesitation, but Beat was a little too slow on the uptake and got blasted with the all-inclusive Neku experience.

"BACK OFF!"

Sooo... The complete sentence is kore wa watashitachi no subarashii sekai. Spelled out purely in hiragana, it looks like this: これはわたしたちのすばらしいせかい. Japanese does not have spaces, so you just gotta trust me when I say the sentence is made up of six words, but four parts.

Now, 'This is our wonderful world' has five words/parts, since English works differently. And that distinction is kind of important to me, because five sentence parts invite... associations. Much as I love Joshua, I do believe he needs to get out of everyone's lives yesterday and the sooner they forget about him, the better for their mental health. Neku's especially. (Poor kid needs all the hugs. Though he probably wouldn't want them.)

So yeah. That's how it went. Zentauria over and out!