Story: Mind the Gap (French version available : "Intervalles")
Date: 13 April 2022
Beta: None
Fandom: The World End With You
Disclaimer: No, I do not own TWEWY and do not make money with this story
Summary: Just after the Long Game, Joshua saved the rest of the Hashiko Gang but have been condamned by the Angels for his choices : He is bound to Shibuya whith half his powers restrained. Worst, the futur judgment of M.H depend of his good behavior.
Trigger du chapitre: None I can think of
Enjoy your Reading !
It had been almost a month since the Long Game. For the fourth Saturday in a row, Joshua found himself, in spite of his promise to Sanae, in front of Hachiko, sitting next to Neku. Not that the ex-player knew he was there, of course. Neku was slumped on the bench, one earphone screwed into his ear and the other hanging around his neck, seemingly enjoying the moment. His gaze jumped from passerby to passerby, watching them curiously. Yet, unlike the first Saturday, he was no longer frantically looking for Joshua, his eyes shining with hope every time a blonde head popped out of the masses. No, he just watched people go about their business, a notebook on his lap and a pencil loosely held between his fingers. Joshua was secretly glad that he was still coming in a little early to wait for him, even though he'd more or less given up on Joshua arriving. In less than an hour, the rest of their partners would join Neku and the four of them would go to Miyashita Park to enjoy what was surely the last beautiful Saturday before autumn took over. Last week, Shiki had asked if Éri could join them so maybe she would be there too.
Joshua wanted to go too.
He was already imagining the scene. He could go down to the RG, right now, he was sure it would take Neku at least a few minutes to realize he was there, absorbed as he was. Although, his time in the Game had made him particularly sensitive to changes in the UG so maybe he'd feel him coming down right away. Joshua would make a witty comment and Neku would roll his eyes, his righteous anger muted by the sweet mix of exasperation and excitement at seeing Joshua again. They'd sort things out and when the others joined them, they'd all go on a picnic in the park.
It would be so simple...
But he wouldn't. His situation was perhaps less precarious than it had been just after the Game, since having received his punishment, he knew he wouldn't disappear from one second to the next, but it wasn't any better. If he still had all his powers, maybe he could have let himself be tempted... but as it was, just giving himself those few minutes in his unconscious company was already pushing it a bit too far. Joshua should really just observe him from afar, keep an ear to the ground for Neku's Vibe while continuing his own tasks. But he'd needed to be a little closer today.
The day after tomorrow would be the first day of a the new Game. The first since the Long Game. In a month, a good number of souls had accumulated in the Sorting Hall. To be honest, they had sorted a little less than usual, letting in even those with less imagination or motivation. There were going to be a lot of players but that was for the best. They needed to replenish the ranks after all, and for those who didn't pass, it would be extra points for the Reapers. Having studied the candidates, Joshua thought he might be able to get two, maybe three new Reapers, depending on how one of the players developed. She had the potential to be resurrected but Joshua wasn't sure she would choose that knowing her difficult family life. Four others also had a good chance of coming back to life, depending on their progress. But despite his intuition polished by hundreds of games, Joshua wouldn't ignore the other players either. After all, he didn't expect any evolution from Neku, and look where it got them.
Joshua ran a hand over his chest where a phantom pain had been pulsing since the Tuner had sealed off some of his powers. Mentally, he knew this was one of the lightest punishments he could have had. After all, he was still the Composer of Shibuya and was more or less free to do whatever he wanted. For Angels, it was practically a slap on the wrist and an injunction to go to his room and think about what he had done wrong. But, well, it was like anything else: it all depended on perspective. For beings that are practically omnipotent, immortal and whatever else you want, a few years was nothing at all. For Joshua, who was relatively a very young Composer, "a few years" could quickly turn out to be a very, very long time. And already feeling like he was choking, amputee as he was, he wasn't sure how much longer he'd make it.
The Tuner had been very strict with their restrictions and Joshua was no longer able to even climb above the UG, or barely so. Gone was the Composer form and the handy teleportation, gone were the resurrections and his gifts of prescience. Joshua had never felt so weak and vulnerable. Even when he was a human or a player or even a young Composer, he always had someone by his side. But now... Sanae was no longer able to protect him, and there was nothing to stop a neighboring Composer or a rogue Angel or whoever else from wiping him out. The only mercy was that his punishment had remained a private matter between him, his Tuners and the higher-ups who, fortunately for him, cared very little about what the lower Angels did. Thus, he had not yet had to prove that he was still in the game, as his fearsome past reputation took care of eliminating opponents before they came along.
But it would happen one day and Joshua was... yes, he was terrified of being totally helpless at that moment.
And that was the main reason why he couldn't stay with Neku.
If one of his enemies chose to target Neku because they saw Joshua hanging out with him, there wasn't much he could do in his condition. If Neku was killed again... he couldn't resurrect him. He could make him a Reaper, which would allow him to keep his life with just... a little extra work, but he doubted Neku would be very happy selecting who could live or (definitely) die. That was the worst situation but there was also the option of someone trying to steal Neku. His soul had had a very nice evolution in three games and whether it was as a power battery or an underling, it was a prime prize. So it was best to avoid drawing attention to him. Fortunately, Sanae's meme to cloud Neku's thoughts and Joshua's meme to minimize his Vibe had been implemented when they were still at full power and that was enough for now to hide Neku. At least, to those outside of Shibuya. His Reapers were already having a field day with the rumours, but they were surprisingly contained in the city for now. They too must have felt that this was not the time to attract the attention of the other cities.
So no. Not now. But in a few months maybe...! The next time his Tuners visited, it would probably be Father who came to see Joshua. He liked gossip far too much to stay away for very long. And he was far more aware than Mother. Joshua was sure that if he played the model son and cajoled him enough, he would be able to get some of his powers back. Probably not all of it, or even the level of an average Composer, but at least at the level of a Conductor instead of a mere Officer.
At the same time, efforts to stabilise the Shibuya UG would have to continue. It was already more or less out of danger due to the fact that Joshua was no longer planning to purge it, but, well, the source of the problem was still there. They were going to have to get closer to the problem and encourage some young creators to start their business. Motivate some Reapers too, not all their imagination was for show after all. If everyone pitched in, the city should regenerate enough to be carried along in its own momentum and continue without his constant help. Or at least he hoped so.
There was the UG's ranking to consider too. His Tuners... well, Mother in particular to be exact, was particularly attached to the rankings and it was their unwavering placement at the top that had drawn most of Joshua's affection. In their last month and with the loss of his Reapers, they had plummeted in the rankings, reaching a position that Shibuya hadn't held since Joshua had taken over. Reclaiming a good position would certainly help his case with Mother.
In a pinch, there was always the option to chan-... "What now..." Joshua grumbled as he pulled his phone out of his pocket, it had been buzzing for several seconds. "Yes?"
"Josh, are you with Phones?" Sanae's voice replied, unsurprisingly. Joshua considered avoiding the subject for a second knowing that even though Sanae couldn't get out of the café, that didn't mean he couldn't perfectly sense Joshua and his company in Shibuya. "You know what? Don't bother answering and get over here."
"Oh it's okay, he doesn't even know I'm here." Joshua muttered, reluctant to leave his bench.
"And it better stay that way." Sanae replied before taking on a softer voice. "Come on Josh, this isn't a good time."
But when will it be? The Composer thought gloomily before hanging up without a word. Taking one last look at Neku, he let himself dream for a second of leaving him a sign, a feather on his notebook or something... but quickly buried his thought before heading towards Cat Street.
Fifteen minutes later, he was silently curled up on the upstairs studio couch, a steaming cup of coffee between his fingers and Sanae painting beside him.
He took a sip.
Soon...
Hope you liked it ! Go see the other Big Bang fics, you won't regret it ;)
Think about letting a review on your way out and see you on the next chapter !
