"You're very rude, Neku."

"She doesn't need to know the gory details of your ass kicking by the higher Bastards, Josh!"

"She needs to know the truth, Neku. Unpleasant as it is, she needs to know why I'm like this."

"Oh, so you'll tell her, but you won't tell me?"

"You never asked!"

Neku was struck silent by the note of hurt in his patient's voice.

"In all these weeks." The ash-blond croaked "You never once asked me to elaborate on my punishment. Raimu did. I'm not saying you don't care, but...that girl cares on a whole deeper level. A level that...that I can't comprehend...I just can't grasp it!"

Neku turned away, waiting until Joshua couldn't see his face.

Then he smiled.

It's called love, Josh. I'm not about to deny you that, not now of all times.

"All right. But I want to know too. Not now though. Since Apollo is out of our hair, I can finally go shopping. All we have left is a six pack of Minestrone."

Joshua's disgust was almost palpable, "Go forth, my Proxy, get thine ass out and bring forth food that will not poison us!"

"Shut up I'm going" Neku muttered, but he was still smiling as he went out the door.

Rhyme came down the stairs, having gotten four blankets, and set them down gently.

"Alright, I'm ready. Tell me your secrets, oh wise and stalwart Composer!"

"Raimu." Joshua said seriously, placing a hand over her own, "What I'm about to tell you...it may be hard to hear..."

She stopped him by putting a finger over his lips

"Josh, all I want to know is how and why you got this hurt. I can take it. You know what I've been through...what I've seen. I want to share your pain. So just...be honest with me, ok?"

He looked at her, small in body but a giant in guts. She could handle whatever horror he threw at her. At last, he sighed.

"I promise, Raimu."

She smiled at him, and gripped his hand firmly.

"When one gets arrested by the Higher Council, there are no handcuffs. You just get teleported on your court date and are unable to leave until your sentence is carried out. These things rely on dignity and honor in order to work. As the accused, I did a lot of standing. I don;'t like just standing, it bores me. So they made me do an awful lot of it just to tick me off. I stood for days, Raimu. I had to stand there, listening to them bicker and whine...for days. Then when they stopped, I had to stand there while they told me my crimes. I vouched for Sanae, they pardoned him, and I took on his punishments along with my own."

"Which punishments were on his account?" Rhyme asked softly

Joshua pursed his lips,

"You know, they never differentiated between mine and his. They then stuck me in a rack for several days, turning up the stretcher until I swore my spine would snap. Then they left my like that for over a week. THEN they took four days deciding if I should come off it. The Council never does anything quickly."

"But...that's cruel." Rhyme said disapprovingly.

Joshua snorted. The young Bito didn't like the sound of that snort, nor did she approve his nonchalantness when he said glibly

"That was cake. The beatings...those were cruel. The rack was just annoying."

Rhyme didn't like the sound of that at all "Beatings? Is that what happened to your arm and ribs?"

"Most likely. I was a bit busy keeping my dignity intact and spitting out blood to really pay attention to where the hits were landing. Except for those damn kidney punches.. Those I had to pay attention to, or I'd end up coughing up my spleen. I was unable to acess my true body at the time, but they made it so I couldn't be erased from my punishments. Even if they ripped my heart out, I'd instantly just have a new one. So, I had to take it as they took turns beating up on me until I fell unconscious. I'm sure they kept going even after that. I was basicly crushed when I woke up. They healed me enough so I could do more standing."

Rhyme felt her stomach churn. "You endured all that...just because you brought us back?"

"No. THAT was for stepping out of line and initiating the Long Game behind Their backs. The flogging was for the rest of it, possibly for Sanae as well."

"Flogging?!"

Joshua grew silent. "I'd...rather not go into too much detail there, Raimu. I swore I was going to face erasure...wether They wanted me to or not. It was the main reason why I had a fever when they threw me down here. It was literally beaten into me."

"Roll over."

Joshua slowly shook his head "They healed the evidence Raimu. They didn't want me bleeding to erasure. Besides...they weren't just flogging my back."

The girl gasped, putting her hand over her mouth and turning away so he wouldn't see her tears. She forgot, however, that he could hear her Song.

"Raimu...Raimu don't mourn over what's past." He said softly, putting a hand on her arm

"I can't help it! You...they tortured you!"

"I tortured Neku. I considered it a penance. My proxy suffered just as much mentally as I did physically, so I suppose we're just about even."

"No you're not!" Rhyme said, shaking her head in denial.

"I did shoot him twice."

"JOSHUA!"

He looked at her curiously. She clutched his hand in both of her own.

"You nearly wiped out Shibuya. You shot Neku dead so he'd be your proxy. You trapped us in a three week long game of survival. You brought us back and decided not to destroy our home. You brought me back when I lost the Game. Tell me, then, Composer of Shibuya...what is your crime? What did you suffer countless torments for? What warranted beating you until you coughed out your insides? What warranted lashing you until your blood was so thick on the floor you could swim in it, and your body shook itself so violently with a fever so horrible it still lingers now?!"

She looked at him with her honest eyes still wet with tears.

"Because where I'm standing, Yoshiya Kiryu...the instant you decided to give us a second chance, all of Shibuya another chance...it cancelled out your previous wrongs. And it didn't cost you one drop of blood."

"Raimu..."

"So don't you dare lay there and try to justify what those monsters put you through by saying you deserved it. Because you didn't. Not one single bit."

She leaned down and pecked him on the forehead, blushing as she pulled away.

She then covered him with a blanket and whispered "Now, get some sleep. You'll need it. Neku tells me your physical therapy starts tomorrow."

The Composer groaned, but lay back, eyes closing as he fell into a blissful sleep, while trying to come to terms with the fact that...

She just...kissed me?!