Sanctuary
Here.
I can feel it coming.
Sometimes it comes at the most inconvenient of moments and I don't know what to do.
When it arrives, all I can do is wait, until I feel myself falling forwards.
The wind pushes me down, making everything go black.
I can't control it.
I hate that.
Chapter Two - Unknown
The streets of Cadoi City were full of pedestrians, most walking at a faster pace than normal to escape the unusual blistering heat of the day. Neku wondered why the hell the weather changed so quickly. It had been perfectly decent not just an hour ago whilst he had still been at school.
A small smirk played across his lips. He wasn't usually one to enjoy aggravating people, but they had really brought it upon themselves; their overly dramatic reaction was just plain amusing.
Although, thinking back on it, maybe he had just let out his frustrations caused by Beat towards them.
It didn't matter, he decided. He wasn't going to make friends with any of them and he could always count the incident as an advance payment for when they did do something to annoy him.
Because people always did have something against him in the end, no matter which school he went to.
He made his way through the underpass, noting the graffiti that covered its walls. It brought back a sense of nostalgia to him. While the graffiti was ever-changing, with each new artist who spray-painted on its walls bringing something different along, it still held the same essence to it.
Kind of takes me back…Oh? He had been aimlessly wandering through Shibuya and now found himself having ended up all the way in Miyashita Park. He hadn't visited the park since he had arrived. He might as well take a look around.
As he drew closer to the park, his eyes fell to the orange cones and yellow tape that enclosed a section of the road just beside the park.
Right…there was a crash yesterday. Neku had forgotten all about it. He was drawn straight up to the nearest cone to have a better look, curiosity getting the best of him. He had never seen a car crash up close before.
It seemed like the officials hadn't finished clearing up the road yet. What once might have been an expensive, navy- blue, foreign car that any owner would have been proud of was now a wreck. The car's back half looked crushed, as if it had been a soda can that somebody decided to step on. The front half didn't look too damaged in comparison, though the windows on either side of the seats had been shattered. There weren't any fragments of glass lying on the floor; they must have cleaned it up either yesterday or earlier this morning. He didn't spot the truck that had caused the crash, so they must have got that out of the way too.
The car was the last sign that the crash happened and soon it would be carried away, the road would be open again and Shibuya would carry on as it always did.
"Ouch," Neku muttered, as a light shined into his eyes without warning. The windshield of the car had been severely cracked and the rays of light just had to freaking hit it an angle that almost blinded him.
Is it me, or is that light getting brighter? Either the path of light was seriously messed up or he was hallucinating because the windshield of the car seemed to be illuminating.
Neku covered his eyes with his right arm until gradually the light died down. He slowly lowered his arm and his eyes widened. He could see himself reflected in the windshield.
And there was a glowing figure reflected there too, just beside him. Feeling chills run up his spine, he whipped around.
Only there was nothing and no one there. What the hell?
He quickly looked back at the car but the windshield glinted back at him innocently, empty of any glowing figures that might have been there. The only figure he could see was of him.
It was a trick of light, that's all. That's what he told himself because to think it was anything otherwise would be crazy.
It's not like it could be a ghost or something like that, why would there be a ghost haunting – the car stared at him not-so innocently this time. Someone died in the crash, he remembered.
Neku didn't believe in ghosts, so there was no reason to be afraid.
…But if there were ghosts, he didn't want to be the one to find out, he concluded, as he speed-walked into Miyashita Park.
Only, the park didn't make Neku feel all that better. Firstly, he could hardly recognise it. When he had first heard that it had been revamped he didn't think it meant this.
There were multiple ramps of differing sizes and a deep bowl to complete the area. Neku thought that it looked strange in contrast to the surrounding patches of trees and grass.
If the skating area is here, then that might still be around. Neku followed the path away from the skating area and followed the path that bore left. He was met with temporary metal fences that barred his way. It was closed for maintenance apparently, so Neku headed the other way. Well, it didn't matter, Neku had the feeling that he had been going in the wrong direction. After walking down the path on the left for a while longer, the area he entered started to become more familiar.
As a tall fountain came into sight, Neku smiled, relieved it was still here. If there was anything he liked in Shibuya, it would be this fountain. There wasn't any real reason except that he felt calm here. At peace, even.
He watched the water cascade down the circular edges of the fountain down to the base, where it shimmered and glittered. There were many coins of varying value, sitting at the bottom of the fountain, each representing a wish. A dream.
Neku was reminded again of the commotion earlier. A small part of him that he usually kept locked away felt guilty. After all, he used to have dreams too.
Back in the day, he used to always leave a coin here whenever he visited. He rummaged through his pockets and managed to find a ten yen coin. He threw it up and caught it again. He didn't have a wish for the fountain this time; he hadn't made wishes for a while.
He flipped it again. Wishes were for dreamers. Dreaming had many downsides. Pain, hurt, betrayal; if only people could dream without hurting others.
Even so, there was no harm in keeping traditions.
He threw it up one final time, and watched as it fell towards the water.
I wish for…well, I don't know. I guess…sometimes…I wish I had something to wish for…
The water rippled as the coin broke the surface.
A sudden brightness entered his vision, forcing his eyes to close almost immediately.
"Argh!" Neku yelled out loud.
As if the light responded to his voice, it started to die down again.
Neku opened his eyes only to step back from the fountain, shocked. The fountain had stopped. He didn't mean that it was switched off; he meant that it had literally stopped. The water that had been flowing was stuck in mid-motion. The ripples that his coin had made were still visible, and the coin had been paused in its fall towards the bottom of the fountain.
He blinked repeatedly, trying to get rid of the weird hallucinations he was seeing.
Only, it backfired because now he could see the figure he had seen before again in the water's reflection, right next to his own image.
"What is going on?" He asked himself, reaching out to touch the figure in the water. The figure's mouth moved in the reflection.
At the same time, he heard voices from beside him say, "You made a wish, Neku Sakuraba."
He jumped to his left as he realised that this time the figure was not just in the reflection but had actually been standing next to him.
The figure was a man. Or at least it looked like a man. Except that the man's whole body was luminescent. The man seemed to be wearing clothes that blended into him, though Neku didn't know if he could trust his eyes as he found his vision didn't allow him to even see the man's figure all too clearly. Looking at his face, which Neku could just barely do, it seemed to have certain feminine qualities to it.
At the same time, he was sure this thing, whatever it was, was not human.
"You are right. I certainly am not human," he said. Neku realised that he hadn't heard voices earlier but one single voice; one voice that echoed eerily and had several pitches to it at once.
He was more stunned by the fact that the thing could read his mind, really.
It occurred to him that the park was now unnaturally silent. He looked around him and found that not only had the fountain frozen, but the few other people in the park were also stock-still. A mother sitting on a bench was about to turn the page of her book; her son was about to throw a stick to a dog that was stuck standing on its hind legs.
This is unreal. It's like...time stopped. Can they see what's going on?
"No, Neku Sakuraba. They are not aware of the pause in time," said the figure, making Neku look back at him.
"W-who - no - what are you?" Neku didn't want to seem scared but he was freaked out as hell.
"My name is Joshua. I am an angel," he said, calmly as if this was the most normal thing was the world.
Neku took another step away from the 'angel'. An angel. Haha... someone wake me up. Please.
"I am sorry to inform you that this is no dream." He didn't look sorry at all. In fact, it looked like he was enjoying Neku's reaction to all of this. What kind of angel took pleasure in someone who was troubled? "Ah, I am not the kind of angel you would imagine, though I call myself one. Perhaps I'm more of a genie or a spirit. Some would even go so far as to call me a demon." He said the last sentence with a sly smile, which did not improve Neku's mentality at all.
The boy clenched his fists. "What do you want from me?"
"What makes you think I want something from you?" he asked, with a strange sort of giggle at the end.
"I'm the only one here not playing musical statues, so you've gotta want something from me. So, what is it?"
"Straight to the point, I see. You waste no words - that is a good trait to have." Neku suspected that he meant that as a compliment, but it sounded more condescending to him. "It is not exactly what I want from you, though I feel the need to give you a notice in advance."
"That doesn't answer my question," he pointed out.
"I know. Have a bit of patience, I am getting there," the man – no, angel – wait – demon…ugh…Joshua said. "You see, I am in the process of doing...a favour for a certain person." He extended an arm towards Neku, palm facing towards him.
Oh shit. There was only one thing a favour from a supernatural being could mean. This time-stopping demon was going to kill him. He held his breath as Joshua's palm glowed even brighter.
He expected to be instantly disintegrated, or for beams of lights to fry him, or even for something ridiculous like, say, a car to fall on him and kill him.
He did not expect to feel his phone vibrate and he almost choked on the scream he had been getting ready to let out.
"Now, now, Neku. You cannot assume that 'favours' refer to killing someone, just because I am a demon. I fear that you may need to read less manga," said Joshua, with a chuckle. "I am assuming that you are wondering what happened to your phone." More like reading my mind… "I simply adjusted it a tiny bit. You shall soon be acquainted with the person whose favour this is."
"Exactly who are you talking about?" Neku demanded, feeling sour about his embarrassing panic earlier on.
"That is the surprise, Neku." Joshua was suspicious. Definitely suspicious.
"Okay, whatever. But why does this person want to contact me?"
"I might suggest that you learn the meaning of 'surprise'," said Joshua in an infuriating tone. Before Neku could retort, he continued, "Although I suppose I could give you a hint." He paused (for dramatic effect, Neku was sure). "You will get a call and from someone that you would not expect."
That was a load of help. I don't expect any calls from anyone anyway. "That's brilliant news for me. It's the moment I've been waiting for my entire life. Thanks," he said as sarcastically as possible.
The angel giggled, raising his hand just in front of his face. "The pleasure is mine." Looking like that, Joshua looked harmless enough but Neku couldn't shake the feeling of uneasiness. After a moment he stopped laughing and raised his head, turning to the right. He seemed to have sensed something, his eyes gaining a more serious quality.
"What happened?"
"Nothing, really," he replied, though he didn't convince Neku. "Though I think it is time for us to part ways for now."
Before Neku could protest that Joshua hadn't really explained anything to him, there was a flash of light and suddenly he could understand why he might choose to call himself an angel. Two majestic, pure white wings could be seen emerging from Joshua's back.
With a flap of his wings, so powerful that Neku almost fell back, Joshua pushed himself off the ground.
"Farewell, Neku," he said, before speeding past him, causing another gust of wind, that made Neku squeeze his eyes shut.
The moment he opened his eyes again, sound entered his ears - the sound of the fountain flowing again, of the kid saying 'fetch' and the dog barking.
His coin finally touched the bottom.
He took out his orange phone from his pocket, flipping it open. The time was 5:00 PM so judging by the time he left school, the whole talk with Joshua must have really been while time had stopped. It also confirmed that he had actually conversed with him and not just experienced a prolonged hallucination.
A ringing sound started coming from his phone.
Neku almost swore out loud in surprise, which wouldn't be good with kids around. What? Yes, he didn't like people, but kids who swore always grew up to be irritating people. Neku didn't need more of them in the world. Never mind that he was being hypocritical, not having the cleanest mouth in Japan.
His phone displayed the words 'unknown number'. Dammit Joshua, you could've told me the call would come right after our conversation.
It was stupid but his heart started beating too fast for his liking. He was nervous - he'd just been confronted some supernatural thing who, from what Neku had observed, could probably hurt him if he really had the mind to.
The caller could be one of Joshua's enemies, if he had any - maybe other demons. Joshua seemed like the type who could piss off both ordinary people as well as the extraordinary.
Well, only one way to find out...
He clicked the 'accept call' button and lifted it to his ear.
This only led to being deafened by a high-pitched, girlish voice. "Finally! Did you watch Hattori's Secret Fashion Show on TV last night? I swear, I almost died from screaming - the designs they made were the most amazing -"
"Hello?" Neku interrupted. "Who is this?"
The girl paused. "Huh?"
"I said 'who is this?'"
Another silence. Then another flurry of the fastest talking Neku had ever heard. "Ohmygosh, I'm so sorry! I just got a new number since my phone got stolen and I wanted to call my friend since I thought I knew her number off by heart but I obviously got the wrong number since you don't sound her at all." She paused once more for a breath, but before Neku could reply - "Again, I'm so sorry for bothering you. It won't happen again! Bye!" The line went dead.
The wind whistled mockingly as it passed over Neku .
Angel or not, Joshua was a prick.
He felt rage bubble within him. He got worked up for nothing. Although he couldn't say that Joshua was a normal being, he looked fishy enough to pull this kind of prank just to mess with him if he ever felt bored.
Even the angels are out to piss me off.
xxxxx
The teen lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling as he tried to fall asleep. It was almost ten at night at the moment, and Neku had again already finished all his homework again. He could probably have left it for a few days, but after this afternoon, a little normalcy was welcomed.
There was something that was nagging him at the back of his mind. When Joshua first appeared, he said it was because Neku had made a wish, but at the time he was so caught up with the weirdness of it all that he didn't press Joshua on the subject.
He didn't know why, but he felt that maybe his wish had significance.
He turned his head to the left to gaze at his bedside table. Maybe that was why he left his phone on tonight.
Because surely, an angel wouldn't talk to him just to annoy him. That would be absurd...Of course, the notion that angels themselves existed sounded absurd too.
Ugh, I need some water. Although he felt groggy, his thirst beat it out and he dragged himself to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water. His eyelids felt like they were about to shut at any moment…
"Brain-ware, main-wave, psycho got a high kick…"
Neku almost jumped when he heard the electronic tune start up. Where is that song coming from? His eyes wandered to the ceiling. His one-floor-up neighbours occasionally played loud music, but never at night.
And he recognised the song - 'Twister'. It had been the chart-topper for the past month, and he admittedly really liked it. It was much better than the crap his neighbours usually played.
The song sounded like it had originated from his flat. Neku glanced at the TV hurriedly. No, it was still switched off.
Wait. It was coming from his room.
Could it be -? He ran back into his room, flicking the light switch as he entered.
"…effects has defects, take a bow to the moon…"
His phone. The song was coming from his phone. He hadn't set this song as his ringtone - it must have been the work of Joshua. He read the screen message: "Unknown Number Calling."
Here goes nothing...
Neku answered the call, but the song continued playing. He was debating whether or not he should just put it back down. No one was speaking to him…
Suddenly, he felt stunned, as if an electric current had run through him.
"…cornet and spin it…"
My head is spinning all right. Neku gripped his head with his free hand. His head was throbbing, as if the song was the thing hurting it. He needed to get away from the phone.
"…the sound flows, follow to the home..."
Crap, I can't take much more of this. But he couldn't even move his thumb to hang up. He was completely paralysed.
"…dragged by the power of dreams…" The words echoed in his head painfully.
The power of dreams…
….of dreams…
…dreams…
…DREAMS.
"ARGH!"
And as suddenly as the pain had started, it had stopped.
"That power is yet unknown."
That last line… It wasn't from the song; it was by a different voice. It was spoken...by a girl. It sounded like she was in a trance.
"Hey! Who's there?" Neku said urgently.
Silence.
"Can anyone hear me?"
"…I'm...here." The girl sounded tired, as if she had struggled to get just those few words out. "Are you...Neku...Sakuraba?"
"Yes," he answered immediately. "Who are you?"
"..."
"Who are you?"
"You…don't know…me?"
"No," he didn't recognise her voice at all, "I'm only going to ask one last time, who are you?"
"I...don't know."
Neku felt cold all of a sudden. He didn't know why but it was as if the temperature in the room just dropped. "You don't know? What do you mean?"
"I can't...remember." This was getting stranger by the minute. "I don't know...my name...or anything...about myself." This girl sounded like she had amnesia. Was she really the so-called 'contact' Joshua was talking about?
"Is there anyone else around you?"
"...No. I'm alone." Her voice cracked at the end. Neku knew what that was; the girl was scared.
"Okay. Could you tell me where you are? You're not in a hospital are you?"
"No...I don't know where I am."
Neku groaned. He wasn't getting any clues from this girl.
"I'm scared...it's...so dark."
That's it. "Hey you, tell me what's around you. We can figure out where you are from that."
"There's...nothing here."
"Nothing?" He repeated. "What do you mean by nothing?"
"It's empty."
"So the room you're in is empty?"
"I'm not in...a room."
She couldn't be out on the streets, because those were not empty at this time. He was sure there wasn't a place in the whole of Tokyo that could be empty. If she's even in Tokyo. She was definitely speaking Japanese so he assumed she was calling from somewhere in Japan. "Are you somewhere grassy or is the ground concrete?"
"No. No. No." Suddenly she doesn't sound tired anymore. More like desperate. "It's empty. There's nothing here. There's nothing beneath me or around me or above me. There's just me and this phone...and darkness."
Darkness. Just darkness. This was insanity. A place like that couldn't exist.
"Neku, are you still there?" The voice comes through, now quiet again. The girl seemed to have calmed down.
"I'm here," he confirmed.
"I think I remembered something."
Finally. This girl could finally give him a lead. "What is it?"
"If I tell you, don't be scared."
Neku couldn't think of why he'd be scared. "Okay."
"It came to me while you were asking me where I was. I remembered I was somewhere before I was here, but I can't remember where and I can't remember anything else that happened before I was here except that there was pain and…" She paused in hesitation.
"What is it?"
"I think…after the pain…and it would make sense…ending up in this place…but…"
"You're not making sense. Speak up."
"I'm not too sure about this myself but…Neku...am I still alive?"
A/N: Tadaa! Here's chapter two, on time as promised. I think it turned out quite nicely and I'm pretty happy about it ^-^ Oh, and I suppose I kind of left you on a cliff-hanger there. Haven't done that in a while (or at least it feels like I haven't).
Thanks to those who favourited/started following this story: Eidorian999, Ennis Shibuya, Heiwa-Higurashi,ImagineBreaker13,InsanoCommander, Probableconfusion, RBPhones16, Rhyme13kh14Xion8, Shinra-ex-SOLDIER, Vixen's Shadow, khheroxasoray and pants the musical
And to those who reviewed: Inita, B.A.G-GOMEZ, Tensei Kano (thank you for your advice on descriptions!), Sunkist Angel, Shinra-ex-SOLDIER, and khheroxasoray.
And thanks to everyone who's read this chapter! Hope you enjoyed! :'D
P.S. Oh my gosh, my little introduction thing looks like a bird. Bird. Wind. Geddit? Even though that was completely coincidental…-sigh-
Chapter Three - Weight
You know, you're not being the most comforting person at the moment...
"Wanna come have lunch with me?"
Also, can't you tell that I'm scared at the moment? Really, you need to work on your tact!
"...you keep on saying that you're dead-"
I didn't ask to be in this situation, you know.
"Is the fish okay now?"
H-hey, you're not going to hang up, are you?