(The name's 777 ("Triple Seven")) Neku's eyes slowly opened as his clock radio went off.
"Good Morning Shibuya! Another beautiful morning to rise to."
"Hold on Baako. Seems like we've got an overcast coming in from the east. Looks like we'll have some rain in a few hours."
"So much for that game of soccer. Right Eichi?" Both men chuckled as Neku groaned and sat up in his bed. (Those two are too chipper for seven in the morning.) "It's a good thing the Def March concert is coming up."
"Yep! And remember, if you want to be there, make sure to be the tenth caller tonight at nine to win five backstage passes for you and four of your friends." (Pass. Last time I was with Def March they almost killed me.)
"Wish I could win those. Now, here's a new song by-" Neku smacked down on the snooze button and stood up from his bed, stretching out as he fully woke up. (I wonder what weirdness I'm going to deal with today.)
Neku adjusted his school blazer as he exited his room and finished by slipping his headphones over his ears. From the hallway he could see his mother enjoying a simple breakfast of cereal and orange juice, looking over the morning paper. Neku looked over her shoulder and noticed a small article on children going missing, and some found but dead. (Guess Eri wasn't the first attack.) His mother turned to see her son and smiled.
"Good morning dear."
"Morning Mom." Neku replied stepping over to the nearby toaster and placing a slice of bread in. Neku looked back at his mother and noticed she seemed to be trying to say something to him, "Something wrong?"
"Well…I've read that children are going missing lately. You were out very late last night, did anyone try to hurt you?" (Yeah…but I can't tell her that.)
"No. Everything was fine." Even as he said that, the look of worry on his mother's face didn't go away.
"Well…just make sure you don't go anywhere alone when it gets dark. Alright?"
"Don't worry mom. I'll be careful." The toaster gave a chime and ejected a piece of toast, signifying the end of the heavy conversation. Neku swiped up the toast and spread on a slab of butter before heading for the front door, "Oh, the weatherman said it could rain today so be sure to take an umbrella with you to school." Neku nodded before grabbing the umbrella from the cylinder next to the door. With a quick goodbye wave, Neku headed out the door and on his way to school.
As Neku approached the front gates of the school the clouds in the sky started to gather around, darkening the sky in a grey shroud. Leaning against the school building was Nina who looked up at the clouds with a gentle smile. As Neku came closer, Nina turned her attention to him.
"Morning Neku."
"Hey Nina. You know it's supposed to rain soon right?"
"Yeah…but I like the rain. It feels cleansing and refreshing." Neku gave a small chuckle at her admiration of the rain. He looked at his phone and saw it was seven forty-five.
"Well, class is starting in a few minutes. We should probably head in." Nina nodded in agreement as she stood up straight and walked in with Neku, "You adjusted to the school yet?"
"K-Kind of. Everyone has been very helpful. The only downside is the curriculum being a bit less advanced than what I'm used to."
"Well knowing Eri and Shiki, you'll be climbing up the social ladder pretty quickly."
"Th-That might be a b-bit much for me." Nina said cowering slightly at the thought. "I'm fine with you and the others."
"Well, without people your world can't expand. The world ends with you." Nina giggled at this comment.
"Sounds like an interesting theory." (For me it's more than a theory. It's an important lesson.) "I-I think that choices expand the world personally. What we choose to do makes an i-impact on our world." Neku thought about that idea.
"Yeah, to some extent at least." As they turned the corner, Nina and Neku looked to see Joshua standing next to the door to their homeroom.
"Enjoying your chat?" (I know that look.)
"You need something?" Neku asked.
"Of course. Mind if I take him away Nina?"
"O-Of course not." Neku followed Joshua into homeroom, noticing Beat, Rhyme and Shiki watching them as they approached.
"So what do you need?" Neku asked.
"Yeah, you called us here and told us to wait." Shiki said.
"Just some business." Joshua informed her. "Last night Neku had a run in with some Reapers."
"Oh my god!" Shiki gasped. "Did Eri-" She stopped mid-sentence as Neku looked at her skeptically, "Did Eri…hear about this?" Joshua smirked at her.
"No. She only heard about the recent disappearances…but she doesn't know they're Reapers." (Weird situation to be bringing up Eri.)
"So I'm taking a guess that those disappearances aren't just random." Neku said. "Reapers?"
"Well, this weeks game did have quite a few more players than usual."
"That's bad right?" Beat asked.
"Well, considering that more players means more Reapers looking over them, yes."
"Why does that matter?" Neku asked.
"I can only do so much, even as composer. Some things will slip through the cracks with my attention diverted…and that's exactly what whoever is coercing my Reapers wants. How they got the few they have is still a mystery to me."
"Yo, what about those weird pins. The red ones with the skull?" Beat asked.
"…You mean the red-skull pin?" Neku asked matter of factly.
"Yeah, those ones!" (Ugh, Beat…learn to read a statement.)
"Not a bad guess." Joshua commented. "But no. Those only have simple imprints. This method seems more complicated." As Joshua said that, he pulled out three tickets from his pocket, "Luckily, I have reapers on the ground." (Wait…those are Def March tickets.)
"Yeah, because heavy metal concerts are prime meet up spot." Neku said. "Perfect place to whisper and be discrete."
"These are security. Unfortunately, I couldn't get my hands on backstage passes. But that's where Shiki comes in."
"Me?" Shiki said in surprise.
"Yes. Aren't you one of Def March's biggest fans. You must have some way of getting passes."
"I think you're confusing a fan for a scalper." Neku cut in.
"Well Shiki?" Joshua asked, ignoring Neku's comment. Shiki thought for a moment before sighing in defeat.
"No. All of the backstage passes went out of sale a few seconds after they were announced…and not even scalpers got a try at them." (My god she actually tried scalping.)
"Explains how I was only able to get three tickets."
"Why can't you just phase in there?" Neku asked. "It would get you past any security."
"While a good point, the reaper sigil is plastered all over the concert building. Even I can't break the rules of the sigil." (So much for being the boss.) "So, I have to play by these rules now." Neku's thoughts drifted to the morning radio show he woke up to.
"How about the radio contest?" Neku suggested. "They were giving away five back stage passes to the tenth caller."
"Really!?" Shiki asked in shock. "I could have sworn the message boards would have blown up over this."
"I'm sure they would have." Joshua said making Neku groan.
"You knew already, didn't you?"
"Of course. But I wanted to make sure you're paying attention as well." (That makes no sense but whatever.) "So one of us has to be the tenth caller."
"Well, there are five of us." Rhyme said. "That increases our odds."
"Not enough though." Joshua mused. "We could increase our odds with some help."
"How about lollipop and pink?" Beat asked.
"Not without breaking my cover. You think they would help willingly?"
"Not without selling our souls." Neku said.
"Then that leaves us two alternatives." Joshua motioned to Eri who was walking into class chatting with different trendy girls and hunky boys, and Nina who quietly looked over a notebook at her desk.
"You think Nina would even like Def March?" Shiki asked.
"I don't know. But maybe a fan should find that out. Maybe get another White Maiden?" Shiki's eyes lit up at that offer and she quickly shuffled over to Nina with a large smile on her face.
"Anyone else you feel like exploiting today?" Neku asked sarcastically.
"Don't be cold. After all, I need you to convince Eri to share."
"Come again?"
"That girl will be on board for free backstage passes. That's a given. But I'm sure she'd be willing to give one to Shiki, maybe even Rhyme. But that just means you need to be with Shiki in that backroom."
"Why? Just give her a pin for protection." Joshua sighed at this comment.
"Some rules are unbreakable Neku. I figured you would have known that better than anyone. The pins are useless without a partner." (So I was only able to fight last night because Joshua was there.)
"And why should I risk being killed by the football team next to Eri?"
"Would you rather Shiki and Eri end up hurt at the concert?" This comment made Neku growl.
"…Not much of a choice I guess."
"No, you have a choice. It's just a question of whether you care about your friends." (Sick bastard.)
"Well I care. Happy?"
"Are you?" Joshua asked with a smirk.
"…I'll do it." Joshua made a sweeping motion towards Eri. Neku moved closer to Eri and felt his pulse rise as the boys around her became bulkier in his eyes. Then the bell for homeroom rang and Konishi came strolling in on cue.
"Everyone quiet down and get in your seats. Class is beginning." (Oh thank god. Felt like I was walking into an angry gorilla colony for a second.)
As Neku sat down at his seat he took notice of the rain starting to come down outside the window. As he watched it, he could see someone walking around the entrance of the school, holding a white umbrella with a strange feather pattern. (Are they looking for someo-) The sound of a stack of books slamming onto a desk cut Neku's thought short as he turned his head back to face Miss Konishi at the front of the classroom.
"We will be looking at the classic English tragedy of Romeo and Juliet this week, and its themes Love, Fate and Chance, Duality, and Time." On the front desk was ten copies of the book. (That's not enough books for a class of twenty.) "Now, I do not have enough copies for everyone so pair up with another student to share the book." Before Neku could get up from his seat, Eri slid her chair over next to him.
"I'm surprised you didn't leave a smoke double in your spot."
"Sorry but I don't want to be swarmed by all the guys again." Neku looked to see every guy except Beat and Joshua glaring at him with pure jealousy, "Besides, you seemed like you wanted to talk to me before class started."
"Actually yeah, I did." Eri smiled proudly at her own assertion being correct, "I was wondering if you knew about that radio concert for Def March."
"Which one?" Eri asked, slightly surprising Neku. "The one for a vintage t-shirt form their first concert or the one for their winged microphone they had when they first got together?" (I thought that ended up in one of the Grim Heaper's piles?)
"I was actually talking about the backstage pass contest."
"The one three weeks ago? Yeah, but even using three disposable phones and a payphone at the bus stop I wasn't able to win." (…I'm guessing that she has a napkin 777 once coughed into.)
"Well, I heard about another radio contest for five backstage passes." Eri's eyes threatened to bulge out of her head at this news.
"O.M.G!"
"Quiet!" Miss Konishi yelled.
"Are you positive!?" Eri asked keeping her voice to a whisper. Neku nodded in reply, "I still have a chance! This will be perfect!"
"I brought it up for a reason." Neku cut in pulling her from her silent glee. "Me and the others are going to be trying for those tickets too. I figured we could all try for it and share the tickets."
"That's a great plan! Who else is with us?"
"Shiki and Nina. Rhyme, Beat and Joshua volunteered to help out too."
"Wow, that's a strong force. But there are only five backstage passes."
"Joshua already has three tickets so no matter what we all get to go."
"Awesome! This is going to be great!" (That was less dangerous than I expected.) Suddenly she pulled him into a tight hug, "Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou! You're the best Neku!" Without even needing to look, Neku could feel the cold glares of every boy on him…and Miss Konishi.
"I thought I told you two to be quiet!"
When the school day finally winded down, Neku stayed behind to get a tongue lashing from Konishi before making his way home.
"Didn't expect her to be so eager to yell at me over nothing." As he grabbed his umbrella, Neku noticed the inordinate group of boys waiting at the entrance to school as the rain poured down. (Great, just what I needed. A group beat down.) Neku eyed the exit, looking for any spot he could use to slip through the group without being seen. (…Found you!) In between a rather skinny nerd and a large jock was a spot just big enough for him to slip through without bumping anyone's shoulder. Reaching into his pocket, he found a ten-yen coin and took aim at the trash can to the left of the group. With a quick flick, he threw the coin and heard it clatter against the metal of the can, catching the groups attention and allowing Neku to slip by undetected. (Morons.) Once he was far enough away from them, he opened his umbrella and made his way home.
Neku passed through the streets of Shibuya, still finding it as busy as ever despite the heavy rain. He came to a stop though, as he passed through Miyashita park and found Shiki standing under a nearby patio. Her hair was soaking wet and her school jacket was dripping as she tried to shake the water off of herself. Neku strode over as Shiki looked up in surprise at the appearance of her friend.
"Oh, hey Neku."
"Someone got soaked." Neku said and she chuckled in embarrassment.
"Yeah…I didn't think it would rain all day." (Better safe than sorry.)
"You want me to walk you home? My umbrella can at least keep you from catching a cold." Shiki's eyes lit up at Neku's offer.
"I-If it's not too much trouble."
"Not at all. I'd feel like a jerk if I didn't help you out." Shiki giggled.
"Then let me clear your conscience for you." She quickly slipped in under Neku's umbrella.
They passed through the center street entrance, taking notice of all of the posters for Def March's concert next week. As Shiki looked at them, she felt a twinge of worry hit her at the thought of her favorite band somehow being involved in something sinister.
"I really hope they're not involved."
"You mean Def March?" Neku asked and Shiki nodded. (While they aren't the nicest of guys, I don't think they would take out people.) "Remember, Joshua said they were his ground troops. That means they're not causing the problem."
"Yeah…but Joshua said that he hadn't been in contact with them for a week." (He did?)
"When did he say that?"
"Oh, me and him were paired up for the reading. I asked him a few quick questions." (Good to know he's still keeping stuff from us.)
"I'm still saying that they're not killing people." Shiki nodded.
"Yeah, me either. They were so nice to us, I can't imagine them doing something so horrible." (…Yeah. But if they are…then I have to make sure they don't hurt Shiki or the others.)
"You've got my back in case anything happens right?" Neku asked and Shiki winked.
"Of course. I'm your partner after all." Neku smiled.
"Right." They came to a stop as soon as they reached Shiki's apartment complex. Shiki hurried inside and gave a quick wave to Neku before shutting the door. (…Then why do I still feel so uneasy about this?)
When the night came around, Neku sat in his room with Beat and Joshua who had come over an hour prior and were now poking around his room.
"I still don't see why you two had to come over." Neku said trying to hold back his frustration with his two friends.
"Oh don't be so glum Neku. Your mother seemed glad that we came over." Neku's mom was over the moon to see Neku's friends. With how withdrawn he had been the idea of Neku having someone over was close to a breakthrough that his mom was more than happy to encourage. Despite Neku's displeasure at Beat and Joshua inspecting his room.
"Yo, I knew you were a CAT fan but I never realized how much!" Beat said holding up Neku's scrapbook of everything he had collected about Cat. News articles, promotional posters, rough practice sketches and booklets.
"My my Neku. How stalkerish of you." Joshua teased. (If me being a fan is wrong I don't want to be right.)
"Can we focus on WHY you came here?" Neku asked, desperate to get them to stop poking around.
"Well, it is almost ten." Joshua brought up. Neku turned to the clock to see it was 9:55. Neku flicked on his radio and was immediately greeted by one of Def March's song. (Of course.)
"Yo, not bad. I could get behind them." Beat said.
"It is an expression of the soul." Joshua added. Eventually the song ended and the clock hit ten.
"Alright, time for the giveaway! Everyone get ready." Neku, Beat, and Joshua all quickly put the number into their phone, ready to hit call at his cue. "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand go!" They all hit call, only to be followed by a dial tone. (Come on…come on…come on…) "Congratulations caller ten!"
"That's not me." Neku said in defeat.
"I got nothin." Beat said. Joshua sighed.
"Unfortunately, same for me." (Great, none of us won.)
"OMG!" (Well…one of us won.) Joshua turned to Neku and smiled.
"Told you she would come in handy." Before Neku could say anything his phone went off. The caller ID was Eri.
"Hey." Neku answered.
"Neku, I won!"
"Nice work."
"Thanks! So you want one of them?"
"Sure. As long as Shiki gets one too. She's a bigger fan than I am."
"Of course! I'm not leaving her out of this. Oh, I gotta go. I left the radio on the line." Neku groaned.
"Why the long face?" Joshua asked.
"Yeah man, we got the tickets!" Beat added.
"I don't want Eri in a dangerous situation." Neku said. "This doesn't seem the safest for her."
"Then you better keep a keen eye for any danger." Neku just grumbled at this comment. (Don't think I won't.)
"Hey look! I found Neku's journal!" Beat cheered.
"Interesting. Let me get a look." Joshua added.
"Alright, that's enough. Out."