"You are a bastard."

Apollo opened his eyes and looked towards the window. The Proxy was there, looking delightfully pissed off.

"So you have said many times before, Neku Sakuraba."

"You just couldn't let him be happy, could you?! You had to take away the one thing that could have changed his whole outlook...his future! No wonder he doesn't see the world like the rest of us do...he can't! If I looked at Shibuya through his eyes before the Long Game, I would have wanted to destroy it and start over too, this place was ten kinds of messed up if you couldn't see relationships. When he looked at a couple who're arguing, he saw the anger, the frustration, the hurt...but he can never see the love, or understand that just because they're arguing, they don't hate each other. That concept, the concept of that type of love, eludes him because he can't see it, because thanks to YOU he can no longer feel it himself! You are a bastard!"

Neku glared at the lounging being, a promise in his voice as he growled,

"And he's going to beat you. I know you can sense it...your power over him is weakening."

He glared daggers, a challenging note entered his snarl

"In four weeks, you won't even be able to use your psych on him."

Apollo's eyes narrowed, and he licked his lips The proxy was visibly disgusted by his presence, by the hungry look that always entered his eyes when he even thought about his Kiryu.

"Are you so sure that you would place a small wager on that, Sakuraba?"

The proxy grew silent, contemplating.

Yoshiya's voice crowed from inside, a bemused tone in his snooty voice "Neku, are you negotiating a bet over my freedom behind my back?!"

"Trust me, Josh." The proxy soothed "Just trust me."

"Mmmm." The voice became haughty "I approve. Do it."

"Wait what?"

Apollo chuckled as the Proxy poked his head back inside to no doubt ask Yoshiya if he'd lost his mind.

"I have a perfect record, Neku. I've never lost a gamble. Especially one where I'm one of the stakes. Whatever he wagers, raise him double what he asks."

"I can't...what...There isn't...we are not doing this!"

"Your Composer has spoken. Unless..." his voice became hard "You doubt your methods of helping me."

The Proxy reappeared in the window looking defeated.

"Fine. What's the wager?"

"If you let me inside after four weeks, and I fail to beat the fight out of those purple eyes of his, and crush his spirit under my boots, I will leave him alone. I will never come near him again, and he will be free from me. Forever. However...if I win..."

His sick smirk told the Proxy everything he needed to know before the words even left his mouth.

"He's mine. I won't let him become erased. I will crush his spirit into dust. I will break him over and over again until he becomes just an empty, compliant shell. For eternity, he will finally be my Kiryu."

Neku grit his teeth and said in a whisper, confident that his houseguest couldn't hear him.

"Fine. But I'll raise you one better. If you win, it means I failed him as his trainer...as his friend. As his Proxy. If you win...I'll come too. We have a deal?"

He held out a hand.

Apollo thought about it, though he didn't have any use nor desire to take the Proxy on as a new pet, he supposed he could find some use for him. Yoshiya would need someone to feed and water him after all, as well as tend his injuries so erasure would not become an option. He smiled and shook the offered hand

"We have a deal, Neku Sakuraba."

TWEWYTWEWYTWEWY

Neku paced.

Apollo was going down. He had no doubts about that. Joshua had made a leap in progress ever since the fires, and he didn't seem to have any interest in slowing down.

But getting the Composer ok with being manipulated had always been the second most important thing in the Proxy's master plan. The most important part...was getting him to fight for control on his own terms, not on the terms of the one trying to break him.

In essence, he needed Joshua to learn to re-take control after he'd already lost it.

"You have a bad habit of either shutting down, panicking, or throwing a fit." He told the stubborn Composer "I need you...to fight with a clear head."

"I always have a clear head."

"Oh really..." Neku took out rope and tied his bewildered guest to the couch with it. Joshua let him, as soon as the ropes touched his skin he went limp, trusting his partner completely.

"Please, Neku dear, I've gotten comfortable with this much trust."

Neku took a deep breath..."Ok now...struggle!"

Joshua gave a half-hearted attempt, testing to see if his Proxy was testing him or not.

He got his answer when his left arm was suddenly pulled into the couch cushons. His eyes went wide and panic slowly creeped into his being

"Joshua...struggle! Don't freeze! Freeze and you die. Fight, and survive!"

He felt his other arm get pinned. He looked at Neku and realiuzed his Proxy wasn't controlling the ropes.

Now he was panicked.

"FIGHT Josh!"

He had to get control. Something was restricting his movements and he had to get control.

"Get control Josh, you're dying..."

His chest was pinned. He gasped and arched, eyes wild.

You're MINE, Yoshiya! ALL mine!

"Too wild...more control. You know what you want...you always know. Don't let then take what's yours."

Apollo gripped his throat, shutting off his breath and activating his will-draining psych. His tongue flicked out, licking the gasping throat slowly, savoring his fear...his...loss of control...

"GET CONTROL!"

Focus...

"You know what you want...you always know."

He wanted control...he always had...

"Good Josh...good...now. TAKE IT BACK!"

He closed his eyes, focused...

And struggled.

Instantly, the pressure was off. The ropes came loose and he nearly fell off the couch. His proxy looked as tired as he felt, gasping for air on the floor and shaking his orange spikey head, a relieved chuckle escaping his throat.

"That's all, Kariya...he did good He's done. He's done. Hey, Mister H dropped off a bunch of shio. Do me a favor and whip him up some."

The lollipop-loving Conductor came out of hiding and smirked Neku chuckled

"Yes, get yourself some too. Consider it your payment."

"Don't mind it." The familiar drawl of the strawberry blond snickered "It's my week off and I'm feeling lucky. Can't let some high and mighty sicko weed out our Composer now, can I? Method is questionable though."

"He trusts me. I won't betray that trust. My goal is to help him. Not break him. I already explained that to you once."

"Ok ok...you're the Proxy. Can't argue with that either. Hey boss."

This last was aimed at Joshua, who had regained his cool, uncaring composure and was flipping his hair with a smirk.

"Kariya. Nice to see you taking an interest in my well-being. I'm flattered really. Although, I'll have to dock you one bowl for trying to strangle me to death."

The Conductor pouted then shrugged "Eh, fair's did good though, boss. I know it ain't easy for you."

Joshua shrugged "I manage. So, have you placed your bet yet?"

"Naw, you're my Composer and I seen you in action eight times prior to that. You can take this jack easy. I don't place bets if I know the winner. Its no fun, you know."

"JOSHUA!" Neku protested loudly, "The hell!?"

The Composer snorted "He's my Conductor, Neku. He's aloud gambling rights."

"This isn't a damn game!"

"It's the best kind of game. A game with life changing stakes."

Neku groaned

"Between Apollo and your morbid ass...I'm going to go completely emo by the time this is over..."