"Good, Josh! You're doing real good!" Neku encouraged as he literally puppeteered ther reluctant Composer to walk around the couch. Joshua could barely stand on his own power, and was actually somewhat greatful for the exercise.

"What in the name of Heavenly Brew is going on here?!"

Both boys turned ever so slowly towards the irate voice and then realized how their current situation looked.

Neku grinned nervously and shrugged.

"A lesson in control."

"Phones..."

"Or, to put it more accurately...a lesson in giving up control."

Hanekoma folded his arms and glowered.

"Let him go. Then you and I are going to have a talk."

Neku did as he was told. Joshua smirked as he was gently eased back onto the couch. He raised a hand, a note of warning in his tone as he drawled,

"Sanae, do not disintegrate my Proxy."

"You, rest." Sanae snapped lightly. He pointed to Neku, "You, your room. Upstairs. Now."

Neku trudged upstairs like a man condemned. Hanekoma followed close and shut the door. He then fixed the teen with a glare that could melt solid stone.

"What. The Hell was that? I come back to check on you guys, and find Josh strung up like a marionette! Talk, Neku! NOW!"

Neku trembled under the barista's glare, but regained his composure quickly.

"I'm forcing him to face his fear. This is only step one. I'm taking control away from him. Soon though, he'll be ready to learn...how to fight to get it back. He trusts me, Mister H...can you?"

Hanekoma ran a hand through his hair, his ire washing away and getting replaced with a deep relief.

"Forgive me, Phones. It's just...considering who's lurking outside...and everything I know he's capable of...I just..." he let out a breath, "I panicked inside when I saw—"

"I understand. I know how it musta looked." Neku smiled "So, we cool?"

Sanae chuckled "Yes, Phones, we're cool."

He went to open the door, but Neku stopped him.

"Um...Mister H...you've known Joshua a long time and well...we were talking the other day and I brought up Shiki, and well...I noticed Josh had this...thius look on his face like he couldn't understand mine and Shiki's relationship. I thought it was pretty straightforward."

Hanekoma gave a sad sigh.

"He doesn't understand, Phones. And he never will, no matter how obvious it may be."

"But why? Don't tell me it has something to do with being Composer, like...it's forbidden or some shit."

"No! no...though it would be kinder if that were the case."

"Then why-?"

"Because, Phones." Hanekoma said softly, "The ability to understand was literally ripped from his Soul."

Neku gasped "WHAT?!"

Sanae clenched his fists with a nod "Of all the things Apollo did to torture him, he just had to be so, so much more cruel. He took away the only happiness Yoshiya could ever hope to find and experience."

He turned serious, pitying eyes to the teen and stated sadly,

"Josh can't ever fall in love."