Sanctuary

It's everywhere.

It's there when I close my eyes, and when I open them again, nothing changes.

I feel light.

Weightless.

There's something missing. The sound is missing.

All of the sound is missing.

Where…am I?

Oh…I don't feel light anymore.

I'm sinking.

I call out to someone, anyone.

Where am I?

"I think I remembered something."

Finally. This girl could finally give him a lead. "What is it?"

"If I tell you, don't be scared."

Neku couldn't think of why he'd be scared. "Okay."

"It came to me while you were asking me where I was. I remembered I was somewhere before I was here, but I can't remember where and I can't remember anything else that happened before I was here except that there was pain and…" She paused in hesitation.

"What is it?"

"I think…after the pain…and it would make sense…ending up in this place…but…"

"You're not making sense. Speak up."

"I'm not too sure about this myself but…Neku...am I still alive?"

Chapter Three - Weight

He hung up.

Nothing about that phone call made any sense. The girl had been going on about being around 'nothing' which was impossible, and then she asked him if she was alive. It was obviously a prank - you had to be alive to make a phone call.

Right?

He stared at the screen of his phone, innocently displaying the home screen.

The girl did sound extremely desperate and it didn't sound like she was joking either. If she was, that would have made her an extremely good actress.

Or it could have even been Joshua. The guy could freakin' fly, so who was to say he couldn't change his voice to sound like a girl's; he kind of looked like one anyway.

But what if it isn't him? A voice whispered at the back of his mind.

If it wasn't Joshua, then it had to be a girl with some serious mental problems, a girl that was lost and needed help.

Pushed on by a very faint sense of what might possibly be guilt, Neku checked his recent calls list.

[22.35] Unknown Number - 191143-20211-1825

It didn't look like any typical Japanese phone number; it was too long and out of the typical pattern. It seemed too long to be from any country, as a matter of fact.

Which had to mean it came from...nowhere?

The gears turned in his mind. A phone call from nowhere meant that there was nothing there.

Crap, maybe the girl was telling the truth.

He jammed down the re-dial key and lifted the phone back near his ear.

He was greeted by the noise of static. He tried again - same result.

This was just too bizarre from him. The phone number just didn't work, but that girl had just called him with it a few minutes ago. The only reason Neku could come up with why it wouldn't connect was that she had turned off her phone.

If that's the case, then fine, I don't really care what happens to you. I don't even know you. He wasn't obliged to call anyone.

Neku flopped back onto his bed, pulling his soft, warm blanket over him, inviting him into the realm of sleep.

He quashed down his uneasiness by thinking, "It could still have been Joshua. She didn't pick up anyway. She didn't make any sense."

But as the sandman swept his gold dust over Neku, his mind wandered.

What if she just ran out of battery?

What if she's like Joshua, an 'angel' or something?

What if she really is dead?

xxxxx

He sat alone for lunch, of course. Many of his classmates had pushed their tables together (the table's dragging sound hurt his ears) and took out packed lunches to eat together, some in pairs, others in large groups; he was the only one not eating together with someone.

No one had invited him to join them today, which came as a welcome change from the week before, when his classmates had pestered him to join them, attempting to get him to socialise with them.

Neku knew it had to do with his outburst the day before; there was no point in trying to make friends with someone who didn't want any friends.

He was glad that they managed to figure out that he wanted to be left well alone.

Getting out his own packed lunched, Neku smiled inwardly at the sight of it.

Back when he was living with his relatives, he still preferred to do things for himself, even making his own lunch. Only, he realised that he wasn't much of a cook, with daily trial and errors and getting shouted at by his relatives for almost setting the house on fire. Eventually, he finally managed to cook up a decent meal.

Fine, his pack lunched was just some onigiri with a roll with spiced tuna. Hey, it took effort to make it, okay?

"Thanks for the food," he muttered quietly, putting his hands together for a moment before starting on his meal.

"There you are, Phones!"

Really?

He was trying to eat here.

Neku tried to ignore the idiot approaching him, but it was hard when he stood right next to his desk and started talking to him.

"Wanna come have lunch with me?"

"No," was the quick answer.

"C'mon! I eat on the roof an' the view there is wack," Beat urged him.

"I said, no." At the same time, he could hear more whispers emerge from all corners of the classroom.

"Isn't that Dai-something Bito from class C?"

"What's he doing talking to Sakuraba? I swear Sakuraba was shouting at him yesterday."

"Maybe Sakuraba's getting money from him. I bet he wants money because he's a loner."

"No way, moron. Sakuraba's half of Bito's size. If anything, I'd say Bito's the one that's taking the money."

"There ain't anyone but me an' Rhyme there," Beat said. Now that caught his attention.

He glanced up out of the corner of his eyes to the grinning blond. Did he notice the leering mood that the classmates were giving Neku? Had he offered so that Neku wouldn't be feeling unease? Neku had been fine when everyone had outright raged at him, but this silent disapproval was way too familiar to...no, he didn't want to think about that.

His theory would make sense since it definitely seemed that Beat was getting the same crap. Maybe Beat was more observant than he looked...

"I'll go," Neku said suddenly, packing up his packed lunch and walking on ahead of Beat. Maybe this meant that he wasn't as dumb as Neku first thought he was. Besides, three people were a smaller number than nineteen others.

"Rhyme! Look who I've got," boomed the taller boy as they reached the top of the stairs and opened the door leading to the roof. Neku noticed the 'no entry' sign posted on the front of it. Noticed it, but ignored it.

The younger Bito looked up at her food, surprised at the sight of Neku. She was sitting on a white and red chequered piece of cloth, legs folded to the side beneath her.

Beat bounded towards her, sitting down across her and immediately stuffing his face with rice balls.

There's no way that guy's observant, Neku thought, he just brought me because he felt like it. Instead of joining them, he walked towards the steel railing lined the edges of the roof. Hm, guess the school knew people came up here and put them up so that idiots wouldn't fall off.

He sat down, crossing his legs and leaning his back against the cool, hard metal. Taking out his food again he resumed with his lunch.

He had put on his headphones and started to listen to one of his favourite playlists, full of electronic music. Mostly to block out the sound of Beat's disgustingly loud eating habits.

I should eat here every day, he thought. His eyes felt back on the Bito pair. Beat seemed content that Neku had come up to the roof and Rhyme, though sneaking Neku curious looks now and then, did not bother him after he arrived either.

That was fine with him, as long as they didn't bug Neku, he didn't mind too much eating up here with them.

At least he wouldn't have the feeling of people glaring daggers at him all the time.

xxxxx

The second call came while he had been making dinner.

"Calling...someone is calling..."

It wasn't 'Twister' but it still wasn't his ringtone.

He hit the answer button more frantically than he ever had done before. "Is anyone there?"

"Yes, I'm here," came the same voice as he had heard yesterday.

Neku felt a weight lift out of him. He hadn't really been thinking about the call much today, but he guessed it must have been nagging at him in some small corner of his mind; he wanted to know just what was going on.

"I can't believe you hung up on me yesterday," the girl shouted through the phone, surprising him and making him wince. "I was scared to death there. Well, maybe not death since I'm probably dead already."

"Keep your voice down," he said, starting to regret picking up. What happened to Miss Sleepy?

"Why? No one besides you can hear me!"

"Seriously, where are you?"

"I told you yesterday, I don't know! I don't remember anything. There's nothing here except me and my phone and just...nothingness." Her voice turned small again.

"That's just not possible, how can you be in a place with nothing?"

"I don't know! I didn't ask to be here when I died."

There it was again. "...you keep on saying that you're dead-"

"- I am dead," she insisted.

"How do you know?" Neku snapped at her, his patience wearing thin. "Because I swear, if this is some sort of prank- "

"No!" Neku was taken aback by the pure desperation suddenly in her voice. "You've got to believe me, Neku. I just...something's telling me I'm dead. I know that you think that it's impossible but please, believe me."

It still seemed crazy to Neku...but he hadn't imagined meeting an angel either. "Alright, I believe you." Or he partly did, anyway.

He could hear her let out a relieved sigh. "Oh, thanks Neku. Thank you."

"..." Now what? He turned to face the window as it began rattling suddenly. Huh. Windy night, he guessed. "Wait, how did you know?"

"Know what?"

"How did you know my name?" He had been wondering about it for a while now. "Did Joshua tell you?"

"Joshua...do I know a Joshua?" She sounded genuine while asking that question.

Meaning that although this was Joshua's intended 'contact' for Neku, she didn't actually know who he was. Or maybe he wiped her memory after he met her... Either way, in her present state she didn't know who he was.

"I'm not sure," Neku admitted. "You still haven't answered my question."

"Oh, right. I was all alone in the darkness...kinda just floating there. It's weird, I can float but I can also stand on this nothingness. I don't know how you can stand on nothing but I'm doing it. And I think...I think I fell asleep for a while..."

"Standing?"

"No, I was floating at that time! But that doesn't matter. When I woke up, there was a phone floating in front of me so I just took it." She paused. "I wonder how it got there..."

"Stick to the subject."

"Hold on, I'm getting to it. The phone was pretty much blank. There wasn't any service and even if there was I couldn't remember anyone to call. I checked the contacts and your name was there. I called, because I thought, 'hey, maybe he knows who I am!' But then you asked me who I was so..." Her voice trailed off.

"So what is that you want from me?" he questioned, getting to the real point.

"Huh? Nothing really. I just want someone to talk to," she said.

"That's it?"

She said back cheerfully, "That's it!"

Once he processed this information, it occurred to him - why again was he still talking to her? They didn't know each other and she didn't know that angel-guy so Neku didn't need to do anything to help with a favour that she didn't remember. He didn't even know if he could help her anyway, even if she remembered. She claimed she was dead, and if that was true, he couldn't really do anything about it.

"Whoever you are, I get that you're scared, but I'm kind of busy right now and - " The window started rattling again, though more vigorously. Okay, this was really starting to worry him. The sudden shaking just seemed so abnormal.

The window glass started to form cracks.

"Neku! Your food's going to burn!" Neku's attention was brought back to his previously forgotten dinner and it was true, his fish was on the verge of being overcooked. He put down his phone briefly, hurriedly removing the pan from the stove, switching off the gas.

That was a close one...any longer and it would've caught on fire.

"Is the fish okay now?" she asked as soon as his phone was back against his ear.

Neku gripped his phone tighter. "How the hell did you know I was cooking fish?"

"I just did."

"What do you mean by that?!"

"I mean, I just did. Look, I don't know how this whole being-dead thing works," she replied, sounding equally frustrated. "Maybe I've got ESP now or something."

"Or maybe you're really haunting me and can actually see me," Neku said, eyes shifting to each side. "If that's the case, please stop."

"I'm not haunting you," she said, sounding indignant.

"Then stop calling me." Using his free left-hand, Neku started getting out a plate from a cupboard and placing it on the counter.

"But you're the only one I can talk to..."

"Just key in some random number. I'm sure someone will pick up," he suggested, now taking out his cutlery.

"I tried that already! After you hung up yesterday, I tried that! Your number is the only one that works. I just want someone to talk to."

He pulled out a high chair and sat down, with his food ready in front of him. "I'm about to eat. Honestly, I could care less about some spirit who just wants to talk to me, so I'm going to hang up now."

The vigorous shaking of the flat's windows was now so strong that the cracks grew large enough that a piece of it fell, causing a sharp shattering noise. Damn, I've gotta get that fixed tomorrow...

"Neku," said the girl in an unexpectedly calm voice. "You owe me."

Huh? "What exactly do I owe you?"

"I warned you so that your dinner wouldn't burn."

He looks down at the still-edible fish. "Yeah, but that's not really enough of a reason for me to talk to you."

"For all you know I might have saved your life! What if the fish burnt the building down?" Exaggerations.

"Is that really the best you can come up with?"

She didn't reply right away, but when she did it's unexpected. "You're right, I'm sorry." Another piece of glass shattered against the floor. "I shouldn't force myself on you. It was just a bit of wishful thinking, I guess."

"Wishful thinking?"

"Yeah." She chucked dryly. "Before I fell asleep that first time in the darkness, I wished that I wasn't alone anymore. I don't know how long I'd been there at that point, but it felt like forever. I wished for someone to talk to even more than wishing for my memories back. I felt so tired when I first talked to you, but after you hung up, I felt happy. Even if you stopped our conversation, at least I knew that the number worked and I could talk to someone. A wish come true in a sense." She gave another weak laugh. "Oh well, maybe someone else's phone number will pop up later." In doubt, she muttered an almost inaudible, "If only…"

Neku had closed his eyes, head tilted upwards as he listened to her. A wish…

'I guess…sometimes…I wish I had something to wish for…'

He inhaled deeply then started to speak again. "You can call me again."

"...Neku?" Her voice sounded hopeful, but as if she was holding back, in case she heard wrong.

"I changed my mind," he told her firmly, opening his eyes to stare at the ceiling.

"Y-you did?" The pure relief in her voice made Neku uncomfortable about almost having cut off with a person that had sounded that much troubled before.

"You can call me only if you really need to," he said, trying to draw a line. "Not all the time."

"Oh thank you Neku. This means so much to me. I promise I won't call too much. Maybe once a day! I mean, I think I can roughly tell when a day has passed. Like how I know it's night time now. Again, it's some weird ESP thing I think I developed. Haha, guess being dead does have its perks -"

"-and stop talking my ear off. Having an undead stalker is bad enough as it is."

"I'm not a stalker," she said, sounding insulted.

"What am I doing right now?"

"Sitting on a chair I think - wait - no! That's a trick, isn't it? I mean..."

"See? You know exactly what I'm doing. Sounds pretty stalker-ish to me."

"H-hey!"

"In fact, why don't I call you 'Stalker' from now on. Since I don't know your actual name and all." It seemed perfectly reasonable to him but she still protested for at least the next five minutes.

"I really do have to eat now," he informed her after a while.

"Oh, right, okay! I'll talk to you tomorrow..." She hesitated. "Promise?"

"Yeah, yeah, I promise," he said, rolling his eyes as he picked up some rice with his chopsticks.

"Great! Goodnight Neku!" This time it was Stalker who ended the call, and Neku didn't feel that strange heavy feeling he had got from the last time they stopped talking.

Neku shook his head, still not sure what he had gotten into. Shibuya must be making making me soft. It was then that his eyes focused back to his window and widened.

The window was back in perfect condition as if nothing had ever happened to it.

Xxxxx

Plop. That was the sound that Neku's coin made when it fell into the Miyashita Park fountain. There were no flashing lights this time and no freaky-ass 'Angel' that appeared and gave his number to Stalker. He repeated this a few more times until he realised that he would probably go broke if he kept this up. Also, he was starting to get strange looks from the other people in the park.

Why was he doing this, again? Oh right, he wanted to talk to Joshua to ask him why Joshua put him in contact with the dead girl. His window had started cracking when he was thinking of refusing to speak to her again, but when he finally agreed, it had repaired itself. That was definitely not something normal, and Neku blamed anything that wasn't on him.

Putting aside self-repairing windows, if the purpose of this whole thing was for Stalker to have someone to talk to, why the hell did Joshua pick him? He didn't talk to people. It wasn't his thing.

That day, didn't he say something about a wish? Maybe Neku had to make another wish.

He rummaged through his pocket and found the last coin he had on him that day.

A hundredth time lucky, hopefully. It hadn't been a hundred coins but it had been a hell of a lot of coins. I wish for…er, for uh…crap he already flipped up the coin, and it was too late to catch it…a…a…his eyes looked frantically for something around the park…a cat!

Plop! Neku groaned out loud. Flipping it before thinking of a wish was a stupid move. The damage was done though, so all he could do was wait.

And wait.

And wait a little longer.

And then wait some more - oh screw it, Joshua was not going to show up.

Neku narrowed his eyes at the black cat that was curled up on the park bench as if it was its fault that Joshua hadn't appeared. He stretched up his arms, stiff from just standing around for so long. He better head back home; he hadn't really been planning to come here this afternoon but had decided to come back here again on his way back from school, though obviously it had been a complete waste of his time.

"Look out!"

Too late. The lanky teen found himself being hurled head-first towards the fountain, and landed with a painful splash. Not only was the water freezing cold, but now his school uniform was wet and that meant that he'd have to wash them tonight instead of tomorrow.

What the hell had hit him anyway?

He slowly rose from his knees onto his two feet and send glares at his unfortunate-attacker.

Of course.

The skull hat was unmistakable and neither was the annoying tone that the boy used to try to apologise to him.

"Sorry 'bout that. Lost control of my skateboard for a sec. You 'kay?"

"…if I have a cold tomorrow it's going to be your fault," said Neku, barely containing how pissed off he was at the moment.

"Don't say that, yous really gonna get sick if you do," Beat replied with a frown, as Neku stepped out of the fountain.

"Just stay away from me." Neku shoved his hands back into his pockets, not caring if they were wet.

"Man, I feel real bad. Yo, how 'bout I treat you to some dinner?"

"No thanks."

"I told you 'bout the ramen, didn't I? It's the best 'round here."

"I'm okay, really."

"I'm tellin' you. You ain't have lived 'till you tried the ramen at –"

"Beat! Where are you? Something's happened!" A voice that Neku vaguely recognised as Rhyme's called out from a distance away.

"What? Rhyme? Somethin' happened to Rhyme!"

This was his lucky break, finally. With Beat distracted, he could get away. He quickly started to walk in the opposite direction from Rhyme's voice. "Well, I'll be going now –"

"C'mon, you're comin' with me!"

Before Neku could so much as open his mouth to resist, Beat pulled him by his arm, reducing him to something akin to a rag-doll. I should have known, he thought bitterly.

Shibuya was never going to give him a break.

A/N: Tadaa! Woohoo, I'm on time again. Being on time is a big thing for me xD Well it would be on time, since I always have the next chapter written up before posting the present chapter. That way, if I'm ever too busy during the month, I'll have that period of time where I have a chapter ready in waiting.

Thanks to those who favourited/started following this story in the last chapter: B.A.G-GOMEZ, Coalacious, mariposablossom, stealthclaw, Airhead259, BlazingKaiogra , Kiomori, Symphonic Demon , PatrickL, ToTheSkye and, Witch of Tragedies.

And to those who reviewed: Leige of the Crimson Nightmare, B.A.G-GOMEZ, Airhead259, Shinra-ex-SOLDIER, Tensei Kano, Chronic Guardian. Thanks to those of you who give me criticism on my work, it really does help me.

To my anonymous reviewers:

Guest - Thank you very much :'D I update regularly so don't worry.

Blue blue blue - To be honest I don't really think about my pacing all too much, but I'm a bit more aware of it now, so thank you. Also, I do try my best to keep them close to their original characters.

And also thank you to my silent and invisible readers. I do like to look at my traffic graph (I like statistics) so I know you're there! (Or you guys are just reading this many times, which is just as cool). Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Edit: Thanks to Shinra-ex-Soldier who pointed up some mistakes I made with the timeline. It should be fixed now. (9/3/2013)

Chapter Four - Ramen

Yo, I'm real sorry 'bout that, man.

"No worries. I gots this."

But we've gotta check out what's up with Rhyme.

"Read the signs, boy. It's Telepathic Thursday."

An' then we've gotta go get that ramen that I was talkin' 'bout.

"Some things aren't meant to be told."

Bwaaah! I didn't know you knew him, shoulda' told me, Phones.