For the rest of the week, the Composer of Shibuya teetered between unconscious, conscious, and semi-conscious. His fever flip-flopped as well, going from dangerously high to almost normal. This puzzled his Proxy, and Neku soon became downright frustrated.

"What the HELL!" he exclaimed on the fifth day, when the fever had dragged Joshua against his will to the bowels of a near-coma. "Day five, and the damn fever just flared up so hot it knocked his ass out! The flogging was FIVE DAYS AGO!"

Hanekoma looked at him expectantly. The orange-haired teen narrowed his eyes and groaned,

"He isn't healing himself is he?"

"Afraid not, Phones. The higher-ups took his hyper-healing away with his true form. Josh has to heal just like everyone else in the RG."

"That doesn't actually explain his fever though." Neku pondered, "I would think he would heal from that in a day. There's no blood-loss, no stress on his body...his fever shoulda sorted itself out by now."

"Unless he caught cold from laying in a puddle, in the pouring rain, in fifty-degree weather." Hanekoma pointed out "Josh could have the flu."

"That would be over in three days. No, I think the Bastards Upstairs inflicted him with something, and then flung him into a puddle in the pouring rain in fifty degree weather."

"That could be. And if that's the case...I really don't know if we can help his RG body heal any easier. I may have to go and talk to a friend of mine to get the details. Maybe he could teach me how to brew Shadow Blend 9 while we talk..."

Neku shook his head "Mr. H...Josh-"

"Will be fine. Like I said before, this wasn't an execution. J will live through his fever spikes. Believe me, kid, Josh there is as tough as nails." He has to be...simce he came out as unbroken as he's always been after going through Their 'justice!'

As Hanekoma left, Neku looked at the violenbtly shivering being on the couch. "I hope you're right, Mister H..."

Sanae turned out to be right, much to Neku's relief. Joshua's fever subsided, but his frailness did not. Soon, also, the pain started becoming an issue, going from 'a minor annoyance' to 'excruciatingly agonizing' and everywhere in between. The pain itself wasn't an issue...

For Neku.

The painkillers became the real problem.

For Neku.

Because apparently, no matter how small the dose. No matter what the brand. No matter what form it took...Joshua became high as a kite after ingesting it.

There was no reason.

"Neku-kuuuuun! I have ten fingerzzz!"

The proxy sighed "Mmhmm..."

A hand raised up and drunkenly pointed to him, a goofy grim pasted on the clearly doped-out Composer's face.

"You has three eyezz. Neku-kuuun, there's a Noizze on your face! White Noizzze!"

"Damn...you had one spoonful of painkiller, Josh! Just one!"

A giggle pierced the tense air, "I like peanuts, and I like butter. But I do not like peanut butter. Weird!"

"Just...ONE!"

So, painkillers were soon out of the question. The poor Proxy just couldn't stand any more stupid. His sanity couldn't take it.

Neku wasn't about to let his friend just suffer either. So, remembering how calm and peaceful the ash-blond was when he could hear his city, the teen opted to open the window as often as possible to 'let Shibuya in'.

This proved the perfect solution. The Composer's muffled sounds of discomfort always ceased shortly after his Proxy let in the Music he loved so much. He spent hours lost in a cocoon of bliss Neku would never understand, the pain forced out of his senses.

Having solved the issue of agony, Neku and Sanae were then tasked with the ultimate challenge:

Keeping Joshua from getting bored.