Neku's silent wish came true, in the cruelest possible way.
Joshua had a relapse. A bad relapse. A relapse that threw him off the couch and onto the floor in a crumpled heap, gasping and screaming silently in a grinding hiss. He then thrashed around, and Neku had to grab his skinny limbs and pin him to the ground. The result was disheartening to say the least.
The Composer not only stopped struggling, he also went dead-weight limp, eyes completely blank and tongue lolling out the side of his mouth. His spirit seemed totally gone, body once again succumbing to the helpless situation he found himself in. A complete opposite of his recent self.
There would clearly be no rematch anytime soon.
"Mister H!" Neku called desperately as Joshua began hissing weakly, eyes lidded and slowly going more and more dead. It was as if...but no...he refused to think on it too much. He needed help and fast. "Mister H! Please!"
The man appeared as quickly as an arrow, snatching the boy away from the panicking Proxy and setting him gently back on the couch. He was eerily calm, his eyes sharp and head held high despite his shaking hands as he felt the forehead of the pale body before him.
"He's burning up. Get me cold water and water in a bowl. I don't think his condition is a result of a psych. He's fighting his own body at this point, and it's shutting both body and mind down as a result."
"His eyes…" Neku couldn't help staring into the blank orbs, his hands trembling and his body feeling nauseous as Joshua continued to give him a half-lidded abyss stare. "They're so...dead."
"Relax Phones. His eyes'll spark back up once we get some liquids into him. I don't know why his body didn't absorb his broth from lunch, and it does concern me that he's reacting like this now, right after we thought he was almost out of it."
"Joshua…." Neku hung his head "He asked me to negotiate a rematch you know. I wished that something would happen to have me not have to even try asking Asshole...then this happens."
Sanae chuckled softly, and Neku glared at the man with sparks in his blue orbs.
"I fail to see how any of this is funny."
"Oh lighten up, Phones! That's the funny part of all this...you still believe that this situation is entirely your fault! Look, Phones...things can 'just happen' you know. Whether you blame yourself or not, there's absolute truth in the fact that...well...all this 'just happened.' It's no ones fault, least of all yours. J knows this as well as anyone. So stop blaming yourself!"
Neku returned his gaze to the 'dead' eyes, and shook himself slightly. Joshua's state at this stage was perfectly normal. The Higher Plane refused to give any kind of assistance, and since the Composer was still being punished, his healing ability was still locked away. This was Their fault just as much as anyone else's, he decided. In that case...there was no point in blaming himself anyway.
TWEWYTWEWYTWEWYTWEWY
He really had to thank the Proxy for everything that had happened so far. It was true, he seemed to be lenient at the moment, and that was also thanks to the teen. He gathered his thoughts as he walked the streets of Shibuya, stopping next to the entrance to the Shibuya River and leaning against the wall, folding his arms with a hungry grin.
"Sakuraba...it is all thanks to you that Yoshiya will eventually break. No...he will shatter completely! You may think you are helping his spirit, but in reality the peace you forced serves only to tape up my Kiryu's wiil-power, only to have it be torn asunder even further once I resume his training."
He threw back his head and laughed "The more you thrash, the tighter my bonds get around Yoshiya's throat. So keep asking for reprieve...I will grant it, if only to keep digging Yoshiya a larger grave and push him into it!"
The man pulled out a picture he had kept for all these years, a picture taken at a social event when he and his prey were children. The picture depicted him giving the skinny boy a 'friendly' choke hold with one arm, though if one looked carefully, they could see the panicked look in the purple orbs, and see that the grin was forced...not to mention the face had a barely noticeable blue tint. Apollo chuckled and ran a finger over the image, relishing the memory.
A shadow of the darkest pleasure veiled his eyes for a minute "Just like the good old days, before the Games...when your weakness prohibited you from fighting back...I remember the days well. You were young...weak and frail. I was growing into my arms...and my hands ached to wring your tiny neck. You kept quiet because if you squeaked...I would have made you suffer more than I already did...my Yoshiya."
"Apollo, is it?" A soft voice asked from nearby him, "Can we talk? I have an offer you might be interested in."
The speaker clutched the stuffed cat to her chest, wary of the blond being, but kept her eyes fixed on his own.
"You have to promise...to leave Neku out of it, though. Completely. If I give you what you want...Neku Sakuraba goes free."
Apollo cocked his head, his eyes lighting up in cunning and curiosity.
"Although I like things as they are, young lady...your offer intrigues me. So go on...I'm listening..."
