Hoping to Help

Author's Note: Just imagine that in this AU, Rindo and Shoka just fall for each other because of the Game and the Game alone:)

'Don't worry, Rindragon. I'm coming to get you,' Eri thought, as she typed a message to her most recent friend and prayed beyond measure that Neku and Shiki might be able to get him out of the Game.

For you see, Eri was none other than Swallow: Rindo's online friend he'd been worrying about so much during his Reapers' Game.

And Eri, honestly, was only ever in the UG a few times (the instances that Joshua would let her in to help Neku and Shiki with whatever mission they were on about something called an "Inversion". And the Composer was far more lenient with Shiki coming and going from the UG than her… probably because if Josh had his way, Eri never would have been told about the Reapers' Game at all). So Eri sometimes being in the UG (the times Josh would let her) explained some of the reason that she and Rindragon were still able to text.

But the other, Eri imagined, was that maybe in being around so many Ex-Players… they had somehow touched her, so that fate itself thought she was one of them and always in the UG, too.

And Eri would of course happily take being able to still talk with Rindragon this way, over Neku's situation… where he wasn't a Reaper yet, but every day Joshua was getting closer and closer to breaking his defenses down so he would choose that, Eri thought. Though part of her did wish that she was in the UG constantly, so she might be able to do anything for Rindragon.

And, yeah… Eri had technically lied to Rindragon, something she never wanted to do, about her being in the UG (all the time)—but it had been simpler than explaining her actual situation. And she really wasn't even supposed to do that, according to Joshua, since he warned her that the Higher Plane would probably strike her down for knowing so much without being a former Player, if she wasn't careful.

So, most of the time, Eri was mum's the word about it at all, over anything that could be traced, and wouldn't talk to Shiki, Neku, Beat, or Rhyme about other Plane stuff over the phone and might even go so far as to only whisper to them about it in their houses… but now Eri was almost willing to the risk of being murdered by the Higher Plane, just if it gave her one shot at saving Rindragon!

He was younger than her—Eri had been able to tell that right away—but she didn't mind it. She'd always been popular with most ages, honestly, and he had been there for her when she'd been somewhat left out of Reapers' Game talks with her friends (they tried with her. They really did. And Eri appreciated them for it, but it was clear that there were some things about it that they could really only share with each other) and wanted to start a game of her own with a new friend, like Shiki had new friends… it was why Eri had started playing FanGo to begin with.

But now, it almost seemed like her dream of playing FanGo with Rindragon was going to fade, too. And Eri was a go-getter, who worked so very hard and usually achieved her dreams that way… so lately, the fact that she'd been losing so much (like with Neku's death, that had mortified her until she got to see him again) didn't sit right with her at all, and she wanted to fix some of it… somehow and someway. And so, she'd try.

"Neku… I feel like you're the key to going in and saving him, oh, Legendary Player. Any chance you can do that for a friend here?"

And if Eri wouldn't have known better, she would have thought it was just a normal night with the three of them, sitting around her apartment, casually eating pizza… but of course with her luck lately, it was anything but.

"I'll try, Eri," Neku promised her, sending a small smile Eri's way (he saved his big one's for Shiki), while he pulled the cheese off his pizza (he was thinking about going vegan lately, Eri knew). "Even though the Reapers are trying hard to create walls I can't pass—and will be on my ass the moment I try it-…but you do know there's a chance we'll have to fight him, right? If he remains Kubo's lapdog? I'd say it would just be me doing that… but the way Josh is, the asshole may try to recruit you guys into the UG, too."

And as Neku was clearly starting to get worked up here (at the idea of having to fight an innocent, or the two of them entering the UG again like him), Shiki reached over on the couch they were on together and ran soothing circles all over Neku's back. And Eri found that she couldn't blame Neku for being stressed… especially since he was pretty much a murdered specimen right now. Eri was stressed, mostly for Rindragon, but she didn't even have the half of Neku's issues going on for her.

"Hopefully it won't come to that!" Shiki encouraged Eri too, sending the large smile her way that Neku had been incapable of—but Eri thought it was kind of nice, in that regard. This couple clearly completed each other… even if it made her feel a bit lonely to see sometimes. "I'm sure Neku—and us, if it comes down to it—will find a way. Like when Neku got the Red Skull Pin off of my person, so he wouldn't have to defeat me… We'll think of something, Eri, I know it. And Rindragon seems strong," Shiki continued on, proving that she was still very much was the new Shiki who believed in things, and not the old one who so easily got tripped up.

But Rindragon most certainly was that, Eri knew. You didn't become one of the top FanGo players for nothing; you had to walk all over and work hard for it, to be strong enough and savvy enough catch the best creatures. So Eri knew that Rindragon was clearly fit—and had gamer's hands, and therefore fast reflexes—but she was still so paranoid about him here.

"Shiki's right, Eri," Neku promised, squeezing her hand—that had still been on her keyboard—in an aim to comfort her even more now. Was she really that shaken up? "I've been in so many Games now, that I'm not going to make them say that I can't have my way without a fight. And even though I don't think I'm as reassuring as Beat would be here… If I need to carry all of us in the Game, I'll do so."

And Neku did end up attempting to do that for them—which Eri knew she would always appreciate him for—but she ended up helping Rindragon (Rindo, who she properly knew the name of by then) against the Plague Noise, too (and Shiki aided in it as well, whose Imagination had gotten so powerful, that she didn't even have to be a Player or Reaper to use some of her powers now. Eri got desperate and did kill herself for Rindo's sake—and entered the Game that way—and that was something that Rindo gave her a mouthful for: and Eri had smiled amusedly at that, because in some ways… it felt weird to be chewed out by a kid. But it was a kid she adored, so she would take it… especially since she knew that if she survived, Josh had promised he would bring her back, so Rindo would no longer be able to be mad at her for throwing her life away for him then).

But it was no easy thing. Eri imagined she had as much trouble finding a psych she could use, as Shiki once had. But eventually, Eri had learned that if she carried pieces of fabric around, and something to draw on them with, the clothes would transform into what she'd drawn on them and she could then use them for a bomb… that took a while to set up this way, but did massive damage when it was done, so she could try and really best the bird that giant phoenix.

Then, everything was finally over. Peace rained in her friends' lives again, and Eri couldn't have been happier for it… and that Joshua kept his promises.

And now, Rindo was meeting up with Eri after he had aided his girlfriend, Shoka, find a better apartment to stay in, than the one Joshua had rented for her.

"It's still so weird to think that you're Swallow…" Rindo remarked, as the two of them played FanGo on their phones and headed towards 104 to shop some. "One of the lead designers of Gatto Nero. Damn, what are you doing hanging out with a loser like me?"

And at that, Eri had to laugh and give Rindo a quick hug around his waist, because he didn't even know! "…Actually, I was starting to feel like the loser in not having played the Game… it was why I got into FanGo and met you. And I'm so glad that I did! But then when I found out you were in the Reapers' Game… well, it was ironic, for sho, but I was afraid I would send Shiki and Neku to save you, and I would do nothing… and so you'd have no good opinion about little old me, when you finally met me at all! So, it meant a lot when you actually chewed me out for joining you in it, and throwing my safety away!

"You're a good kid, Rindo. A good kid, I'm happy to be friends with," Eri said, as the two of them dug out the lollipops they'd bought and sucked on them now… She hoped she wasn't sounding too much like a mom here now, and scaring Rindo off, but when she looked over at him, she could tell that he still looked happy and deep in thought about this all. Good. "And you should totes intern with me for Gatto Nero, if you want. Your friends can too, really!"

Rindo was guffawing now, as the two of them decided not to go into her and Shiki's store, but rather up the stairs of the 104 building just to get a nice view.

Eri had no doubt that the girl who had given Rindo lots of advice in the past had finally reared her head, unlike the scared version of her, who had only been able to send him a few scared words in texts lately. And Rindo must have realized that, and been moved by it, because Rindo suddenly took Eri's hand to shake it, and he smiled. "Sounds like a good deal, Swallow. Count me in!"

Author's Note: Man, I had so many theories about Swallow while I played the Game… that all turned out to be wrong. Hahaha.

At first, I REALLY thought it was Rhyme, because Swallow sent Rindo a squirrel picture (essentially) and her name is "Swallow." And I was like, "Squirrel Noise? And Rhyme got SWALLOWed by a Shark Noise?" And she's about the same age as Rindo. Ehh?!), but it quickly became clear that that wasn't the case.

Then my next best guess was Eri for the longest time (which I wrote here), mainly because for a second, I was thinking the person at the computer (Rhyme) and Swallow were the same person, so all of this jumped into my head as to how it COULD have been Eri, even though I really didn't think they would go this way (because I kind of figured they wouldn't include Eri, sadly). Though it would have been cool.

Then I thought it was Shiki, for the same reasons I thought it was Eri (and I know that when I was thinking girl at their computer—Rhyme—was Swallow, the color palette should have been a dead giveaway that it was Rhyme. And really, it was. But I thought they MIGHT try and pull a fast one on us, sort of like they did with the Neku and Beat twist, and change the character's color palettes or something), though clearly they didn't. But then I didn't think they would do that, because it might seem like Shiki was in love with Rindo over Neku or something… even though that would be kind of silly, because girls CAN have guy friends that are JUST their guy friends. So, I was really thinking Eri the most, out of the two of them.

I also thought it could be Joshua, for obvious reasons, but mostly I knew Swallow was a girl from the way they talked… typed.

And I think I thought it could have been Neku for five seconds, because when I thought the person at the computer desk and Swallow were the same person, and we then saw "Neku" come and save the Wicked Twisters (like computer-desk-person, Rhyme, had said about coming to save him [Beat], but at the time I thought she meant Rindo), I thought it was Neku because of that, fulfilling the promise, maybe. But I don't really think I ever truly thought it could have been Neku. I think he was the one I imagined the least, because it would be too obvious.

Somehow, I missed the Shoka thing entirely… even though it seems so obvious now. But I'm kind of glad that I did, because it was a cool twist for me that way.

But here's the Eri idea. I might the rest of them for fun, too (I already wrote the Shiki one… before this actually, so I hope in doing that, I didn't steal some of this one's thunder). Who knows?:)

Hope you all enjoyed!