The Forbidden Psychs.

Four techniques that were deemed too cruel, powerful, and addictive to make readily available to the citizens of the UG, Player and Reaper alike. Even the Composer was prohibited from learning all but one of them.

One, it was written, could rip the Imagination or parts of the Soul out of an individual.

Another, changed the very nature of a Soul to suit the whims of the user. After this psych wore off, the victim was erased.

The third stopped , then reset time itself, negating any injuries done to the user. For the target, it was an infinite loop of futility. Or pain.

The fourth, and last, deprived an individual of up to 5 of their senses, then enhanced them a thousand times stronger, causing sensory overload. Victims of this psych were driven to insanity, and erased themselves shortly after exposure.

In reality, during the Battle for Supremacy, two Forbidden Psychs had been used against the ash-haired teen.

Apollo had simply combined them to form a new, more powerful one.

"You realize these are very serious charges, Sanae" A councilman stated, folding his hands. "To use one Forbidden Psych is criminal. To combine two is even more so."

"Apollo didn't just want to win, Markus. He wanted Yoshiya to suffer, by any means necessary."

"Which were used?"

Hanekoma rubbed his neck,

"Have you ever really wondered...Why Shibuya's Composer remains...alone? Even his Proxy has someone special."

"The first, then. Most unfortunate."

"And the fourth. Mostly the fourth."

"You have proof?"

Sanae sighed "I was witness. My eyes saw all. There was no doubt."

"Show us your Mind's Eye, Sanae Hanekoma!" The High Councilman boomed.

The producer cringed, but obeyed. He had very little desire to watch Joshua suffer again, but he'd do anything to keep his boy out of Apollo's clutches.

TWEWYTWEWYTWEWY

"Mister H sure's been gone a long time." Neku observed, manipulating all four of Joshua's limbs, including the wrists and ankles. The Composer was less than thrilled about it, but ever since the fire, his tantrums had gotten shorter.

Joshua snorted

"The High Council always takes forever to decide anything. It took them two days to decide if I should come off the rack, and that was after they left me in it for over four days on the highest possible setting that wouldn't snap my spine."

Neku cringed. How the hell is he ok just...flippantly talking about that?!

"Moving on..." he said warily, "Twenty Questions?"

"Anything to get my mind off of the absolute strangeness of my limbs moving without my concent, and being ok with it! You go first."

"Ok. Eight times huh? Anyone we know have the misfortune of being your Partner?"

"Funny you should put it that way...No, no one you encountered during the Long Game had been a previous Partner of mine, although Megumi was an officer reaper at that time. Sho had died shortly after my eigth Game, so by his Game, I was already Composer."

Neku nodded "Ok your turn."

"Why does your phone keep lighting up at the same times every day? I thought Sanae fixed that spam filter."

Neku nearly dropped the strings he held.

"He did. That's...that's just Shiki, texting to make sure I'm ok, or to ask what's up, or just to...you know, say hi."

Joshua 'hmm'ed and fell silent. His Proxy cocked his head, and suddenly needed to know something very badly. Something no one who'd ever been around the ash-haired teen had ever thought to ask.

"You ever been in love, Josh?"

Joshua stiffened

Black hair fanned out on the ground. A hand reached out and clasped his own.

He closed his eyes.

Silver eyes met amethyst one last time

"Go...Yoshiya. GO, you prissy bastard...and remember me."

"Once." He said softly.

"What happened?"

"My turn." The tone was sharp. A warning.

Neku sighed reluctantly. There was a story behind that one-word answer. He noticed Joshua had shut down a little, so he decided to end the session a bit early.

"That's a day." He said "Ask away."

"Actually Neku...I'm hungry."

"Yeah, me too. We're out of shio though. I'll see what else we've got."

As Neku rummaged around in the pantry, Joshua closed his eyes and relaxed.

"Her name was Haineko."

The orange teen nearly dropped the bowls he'd been carrying. Joshua...volunteering information?!

"She was...one of my last partners. She was less of a burden than all of them combined. Actually, she was quite the smart-ass, and challenged me...like no one else had. She pulled her weight during Noise battles." He smiled in memory "She even strangled a Noise to erasure once, when her pins had been deactivated. Most if not all of my previous Partners would have frozen up, freaked out, and got themselves erased. Not Haineko. She'd punch the Noise to erasure if she had to."

"She sounds kinda like Beat."

"She was considerably smarter than Daisukenojo, Neku. Her wit matched my own at times. I thought...well we talked about...her becoming my Conductor when I became Composer. But Fate is very cruel, Neku."

Tentatively, Neku asked again, gently "What happened?"

"Yoshiya! Yoshiya we're trapped! Spoolhead got us!"

"You worried?" he smirked.

She smirked back, flipping her hair off her neck "You wish, prissy ass! Let's blow this place wide open!"

"The Game Master happened. He had a psych that trapped his enemies in the Noise Plane. There was only one way out."

"Go, Haineko! Just go...GO! I'll be right behind you!"

"There was a tear in the dimension, leading back to the UG. But only one of us could go at a time, and the tear was rapidly closing. She fit through but...he pushed her back in. She got attacked by a Noise...I erased it but...but I was too late. She...she used her body to keep the tear open wide enough so I could get through. When I reached through to get her..."

"Go...you prissy bastard...and remember me."

"...She was gone."

Neku was silent, sensing that he should be. Joshua actually...really cared for someone other than himself. The one time he did...he got hurt. I wonder if that's why he doesn't anymore...at least not to that extent.

The Composer just sat in solemn silence.

I should feel something. Something deep in my chest should stir when I remember her. I should feel warm...a connection...something inside...those memories should have sparked something! But...but all I feel...

Joshua's hand moved subtly to clasp his heart, a confused scowl on his face.

Is sorrow.