TWEWY: A Fall Into Honour:
This story is about how Joshua became the Composer. The story is from Joshua's point of view, and others if the story needs to. This is a prequel of the game The World Ends With You. TWEWY is made by Square Enix. And I own the OCs. This is a FAN FICTION and not the real prequel. Enjoy! =3
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EeveeGen9988: Somehow a burst of inspiration hit me... I have no clue what happened but I finished this chapter and the next one is almost (maybe not, I dunno) done as well... O_O I can't believe how long it took for it to finally hit me. *shrugs*
It took a long time to write this chapter because I had to go through different scenarios for this part of the story, and I wanted it to come out right! Sometimes point form planning doesn't do me good... -_-
As you can see, the chapters will be at longer lengths. Not just because I want them to, only because it works out that way. And I will also note that the poll for your opinion on long chapter lengths is still open. Also, the chapter lengths will go as long as the scenes are drawn out, and I hate to take out stuff if I'm worrying about the lengths of chapters (which isn't the type of person I am). But because of the lengths they will be, it will take longer to edit them. I just wanted to let you guys know so you're not worried!
I shall not abandon this story, people! *EeveeGen9988 is filled with determination to finish the next chapter soon*
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Week 2, Day 3:
Chapter 51: Reunion:
Joshua led Ayumu over to the route entrance, giving Izo and Mayu a wave gesture when he greeted them. However, Izo snorted at him and Mayu didn't meet his gaze, making him falter in his composure.
It hurt, knowing his friends weren't on good terms with him. Especially Mayu... he could tell she was timidly watching him when he wasn't watching her. Joshua knew Ayumu was right, he scared his Partner... Her trust in him must have fallen back to square one, with Mayu waiting for his first move to determine whether or not he was a threat. Or... was he overreacting? Presuming the worst for no good reason? He hardly could tell, considering how Mayu wasn't sidling up to him like she did normally.
He sighed, feeling his shoulders droop as he closed his lavender eyes. 'I really messed up... Hopefully the mission won't be as bothersome as our relationships right now...'
Joshua snuck a look to Mayu, desperately searching for an opportunity to break the ice. However, how she held herself made him abandon all options he had planned in his head. Instead he glanced at her unstable leg, watching it twitch sadly.
"H-Hey, Mayu...?" he started quietly, nervous as he braced himself. "A-Are you going to be alright?"
At once Mayu flinched, shooting him an uncertain glance. Joshua rubbed the nape of his neck as he inhaled shakily, hesitantly ambling towards her a bit. "I-I could heal your leg... I-If that's okay with you?"
She bit her lip a little, tentatively nodding. Joshua hesitantly continued his way to her, feeling his heart flutter as he came into her presence. He was aware of how she quivered, shuddering as though preparing to bolt from him. Upon seeing that, Joshua paused before he directed his Pin's Psych towards her, reaching his energy towards her. As soon as her leg stopped twitching, he stepped away and closed his eyes. He didn't want to overstep his boundaries with his Partner for the moment, there was a chance he could scare her more than he already had. Especially when she displayed it in front of him...
He felt soft hands come in contact with his shaky ones. "Th-Thank you, J-Joshua..."
The ashen blond cracked open his eyes as he noticed Mayu's slight smile, noting how she was blushing slightly. He felt his lips twitch upward a bit, but then remembered how scared she was a few minutes before.
He stepped back, looking away as he replied, "You're welcome..."
Suddenly from the corner of his eyes he saw Mayu frown, looking hurt. His heart clenched at once, and he took in a shaky inhale as he continued to not look at his Partner.
Joshua didn't want to hurt her, but to scare her more like Izo usually did was worse. If he had to keep his distance from her in order to make sure she wasn't frightened of him more, it was better this way...
To drift the strain he felt between them away, he idly mused, "Wow, some Reaper... Not even bothering to show up..." As bitter as he sounded, it was true. Reapers had a duty to the Game, and if one decided to shirk their work, it wasn't his fault they'd receive less points for their existence.
Ayumu bobbed his head, slightly moving it to gaze sightlessly around. "That's true. We can't proceed without them removing the Wall."
"M-Maybe the Wall's open!" Mayu squeaked meekly, ambling over to wave her hand in front of her, only for her fingertips to tap the diamond gleam. "O-Or not..."
"Exactly..." Izo drawled icily as he snorted. "Thanks for the futile demonstration, Craven!"
Her expression sank, and she whimpered as she scooted away from the unguarded Wall.
Joshua at once scowled at Izo, stepping forward to rebuke him when heavy steps caught his ears. As he turned around to check behind him, a force sent him crashing to the ground. "Gah-"
For a few seconds a heavy weight crushed him, making him squirm until it let up and his body was locked in a relentless hold.
As he heard Mayu scream, he attempted to break free from his captor. He yelled as he tried to claw at them, "Release me! You're breaking my body!"
"How rude!"
He froze.
"Y'know, Aleck, I'd thought you'd like a hug!"
"R-Rei!?" Joshua choked out in astonishment.
He was released from the crushing 'hug' and he scrambled back to gaze at the lanky lady. Now decked out in an obnoxious red hoodie like the other Support Reapers, her black satchel swaying beside her hip, she tipped her fatigue cap up with a jab of her fingers and gave him a toothy grin. "Yep, it's me."
Suddenly his heart swelled at the sight of his friend's familiar face, feeling the urge to just... jump for Round Two of hugging. However, he composed himself, lifting himself up to his feet then dusting himself off. As much as he was happy to see Rei, he felt uneasy enacting that friendly action himself.
"Whoa! Where's my hug!?" whined Rei as she rubbed her eye, turning her head away as she huffed, "Some friend you are!"
"I didn't think glomping Aleck would owe you the privilege," growled Izo gruffly, tipping his small oval glasses up with a snort.
"Fos-Bro!"
Before Izo could act, Rei tackled him to the ground, earning a yell of shock from the frozen boy. Joshua snickered as Rei promptly nuzzled Izo, wearing a wide grin while Izo withered in her hold, growling and spiting out curses.
"I missed you sooo much!"
"Release me, Tyke!"
"Aw, don't be a grouch, Fos-Bro!" tutted Rei as she patted his head, earning snarls from Izo. "I know you love me!"
"Hell no!" snapped Izo as Rei giggled, squeezing the air out of him. "Terminate this puerile stratagem!"
"C'mon!" Rei grabbed Izo's jaw and attempted to make his mouth open and close. "Say 'I love you Rei!'! C'mon, I know you wanna say it!"
"Non!" spat Izo, attempting to seize Rei's hands away from working his jaw.
"You know he won't say it, Rei," said Ayumu as he blinked.
At once Rei had darted nearby him, opening her arms in a gesticulation of welcoming Joshua's half-brother into her clutches. "Ayumu!" she exclaimed happily. "Come and give me a hug!"
Ayumu did not move an inch.
Rei shook her arms, expectantly, as her cheerfulness shone strong as she waited.
Ayumu still didn't make a move towards her.
Promptly Rei pouted, dropping her shoulders as she sadly whimpered, "One hug? Please...?"
"I can't hug you, Rei." Ayumu said emotionlessly.
"What!?" Rei cried out in dismay, frowning as her bright brown eyes flashed with hurt. "Not you too!" She shook her head as she mused in confusion, "Jeez... this reunion is NOT turning out the way I thought it would."
Joshua sighed, walking over to grab Ayumu and led him over to Rei. As soon as Rei gave Joshua a funny look, Joshua coaxed Ayumu's arms out and gently pushed him to Rei. As soon as Ayumu wrapped his arms around Rei, she instantly threw her arms around him and gave a grin… a sort of puzzled yet pleased one…
After a moment or two she released Ayumu and grinned, writing things down on her clipboard as she chirped, "At least I got a hug..." Instantly she spun to Joshua and looked down at him. "What's up with Ayumu, Aleck?"
"I don't have my psychic powers, Rei." Ayumu replied as he blinked absently.
"What!?" Rei jumped back, balancing briefly on one foot as her wide brown eyes flashed in alarm. "That is so messed up!" She put her foot down, hovering her hand up and down while it was above Ayumu's head. "Like him? Without his powers!?"
"Yep." The petite blond nodded. "It's what I said, Rei."
The lanky lady shook her head, pointing at Ayumu abruptly. "But he doesn't-"
"He depended on them," growled Izo bitterly with a snort, narrowing his maroon eyes. "Clear enough for your paltry mind?"
Suddenly Rei puffed out her checks, swinging her clipboard at Izo as she yelled out in frustration, "Hey! I'm just trying to get it in my noggin! Jeez, Fos-Bro... lighten up will ya?" As soon as Izo ducked and weaved to safety, growling at her with a scowl, she placed her hand on her hip as she sighed. "I don't get why everyone has to be so serious."
"And is that the reason you were late?" queried Joshua flatly. "We sort of have a mission to do, Rei... Y'know, survival and all."
"I overslept!" cried Rei with frustration, shaking her head as she sighed dramatically. "Argh! I didn't get the memo that I'm takin' this post over until I woke up!"
"Wait, so are you going to be guarding this Wall...?" Joshua asked as he raised an eyebrow.
"Yes!" Rei screamed, half in frustration and half with excitement. "The other guy..." Quickly she put her finger on her chin. "Or was a gal...?"
"Get on with it, Tyke!" snapped Izo gruffly.
Rei froze, slowly bringing up her clipboard and pointed at it, flicking her finger between Izo and the clipboard while mouthing something out with an irritated expression. Izo instantly took a step back, grimacing at her.
Soon she huffed, tutting before she finished simply, "Person sick, I'm in!" She placed a hand on her lip, with a smug smirk. "Isn't that great?"
"No..." Izo wrinkled his nose.
"Of course it's great! Why wouldn't it be!?"
"You're the one who's safeguarding the Wall," Izo snorted as he rolled his eyes.
"Wow, only you would think that, Fos-Bro!" The ashen haired lady let out a bout of laughter, patting Izo's head. "And don't you worry, I'll be there for you for the rest of the week..."
"I'd rather enact parley with the Noise, Tyke," grumbled Izo with a growl of annoyance. "Your subsistence bequeaths me affliction..."
"Aw..." Rei suddenly hugged Izo tightly, her wings fluttering as she giggled. "You actually want to be social~"
"No! That wasn't what I meant, dammit!"
As Izo tried to escape from his foster sister's clutches, Joshua felt a smile form on his face. It was nice seeing Rei again. Even if she was a Reaper, it was comforting that she was the same as always...
"Wait-" Rei suddenly gasped, her eyes flashing in alarm as she darted over and hooked onto Joshua's shoulders abruptly. "You don't have a Partner, Aleck!? We need to get you one-"
"I do have one..." Joshua said with sigh as he cocked his head to one side. He pointed behind himself, despite how difficult it was by how Rei was limiting his arm's mobility. "What are you talking about, Rei?"
Rei gave him a funny look, craning her head over his body. "Hmm... I didn't think you'd be one to have an imaginary friend, Aleck...?"
"What!?" Joshua shouted out in vex. "I do not have an imaginary friend!" He tussled out of Rei's strong hold and turned to gesture to Mayu. "She's right here..."
Mayu wasn't there.
"Um..." Rei blinked, frowning in confusion. "Imaginary girlfriend?" She shrugged as her wings twitched a bit. "You're really pushing your imagination, Aleck. I would never have an imaginary boyfriend..."
"I- what-" Joshua gaped as he looked for his Partner. "S-She was-"
"She must have ran for safety," supplied Ayumu emotionlessly.
"I don't see any Noise..." Rei said as she placed a hand sideways against her head as she turned her head back and forth. "So I dunno why Aleck's Imaginary Girlfriend would run away...?"
"I don't have an imaginary girlfriend!" shouted Joshua hotly, feeling his checks flush as he spat, "In fact, I don't even have a girlfriend, Rei!"
Rei's expression brightened as a smirk crept onto her face. "Ooh~ So you're single, Aleck!"
'I can't believe I just told her that.' Joshua facepalmed with a groan. 'I gave her something to tease me about, ugh...'
Izo shook his head. "The Blind Brat was talking about you, Tyke..."
"I'm running away?"
The maroon eyed boy rolled his eyes. "Feh."
Joshua drooped his shoulders. 'Mayu... where are you?'
"Oh!" Rei gasped as she pointed towards something. "Is it the person who's practicing to be a streetlamp!?"
The ashen blond flinched then spotted his Partner, quivering behind the said object. He sighed and went over, slowly moving his hand to tap Mayu's shoulder to get her attention. However, the moment he did, she flinched and banged her head against the pole.
"Are you alright!?" Joshua cried out in concern as he instantly placed a hand on her shoulder. He watched her nod timidly, although, her eyes looked unfocused. He felt his worry spike at once and he used Rosetta Restore on her, drawing her in for a hug as he blurted out, "Feel lightheaded? Does it hurt still? I didn't mean to shock you-"
"...T-Thank you, Joshua..." she whispered, giving him a weak smile. "I'm o-okay..."
"So this is your Partner!?"
"Ahh!" The next moment Joshua had landed on the ground with his Partner. He let go of Mayu and sat up, scowling as he growled, "Rei! What was that for!?" Half a second later, he bent over and helped Mayu up. "Are you okay, Mayu!?"
"I-I th-think..."
As soon as they stood up, Mayu sent a nervous glance to Rei who suddenly had narrowed eyes. Joshua was surprised as Rei walked over and crossed her arms, tipping her head back and forth until she began to circle Mayu like she was a tiger examining her prey... Joshua could only wonder if Rei disliked Mayu. Hopefully the lanky lady wasn't annoyed or threatened that another girl was among her, because Joshua didn't want Mayu to pose a problem to Rei now.
After a few seconds, Rei stepped back then clapped her hands and held them together afterwards. "Hmm..." Suddenly, before Joshua could stop her, she grabbed his right hand and Mayu's left one and held them up high. "I, Rei Shuuito... give my blessings to these two!"
'What?' Joshua's heart stopped, slowly glancing over to his Partner whose face burned a cherry colour. Joshua was baffled as to why Rei was proclaiming this... it made no sense whatsoever!
"I-I don't follow...?" Joshua mumbled as he felt his own face heat up.
Rei turned her head in his direction. "I gave my blessings, Aleck!" she piped boldly as she giggled. "What more do I say?"
Mayu's mouth opened and closed, tiny flustered sounds escaping it.
Suddenly Rei pulled Mayu's hand and his close and clasped them together. "Look... you two look great together! I say it's a fantastic pair up!"
"P-P-Pair up!?" Joshua felt like he was going to vomit from the weirdness of the situation. "Wh-What the hell, Rei!?"
"Say no more!" Rei exclaimed as she grinned toothily. "I'm happy for the both of ya!"
She released the both of them before she abruptly gave a pat to Joshua's back, which sent him stumbling into Mayu. He scrambled back, letting go of his Partner, feeling his warm face with his hands. 'Why... Why is Rei doing this!? She grinds my nerves enough as it is... but this!?' He lowered his wide lavender gaze. 'This... I can't even find this to be... I don't understand any of this!?'
"Hi there, Aleck's Partner..." chirped Rei merrily as she grabbed Mayu's hand without warning, shaking it and making Mayu look like she was going to collapse from dizziness. "I'm Rei Shuuito! That grump over there is my Fos-Bro!" She jabbed a finger in the dark blue haired teen's direction, in which Izo coldly turned his back to her. "Well, he's my adopted brother actually... B-But I'm not a grouch like him, no siree!" Leaning forward a bit, she grinned at her. "...Now! What's your name?"
Mayu moved her mouth, producing air instead of words. Rei cupped her ear and had to bend down close to Mayu's face, nodding and making weird expressions. Soon the lanky lady withdrew and gave Mayu a gentle hug, which surprised Joshua how she acted like Mayu was made of glass, considering how rambunctious Rei normally was.
"Oh~ I just want to eat her up!" Rei cried excitedly as Mayu timidly returned the hug. When Joshua widened his eyes in dismay, she clicked her tongue as she piped, "Hey! Don't gimme that look, Aleck! You're so lucky that you got such a sweet girl for a Partner! Jeez..."
"Uh... thanks?" Joshua replied in confusion.
"She's like an itty bitty cupcake I just want to cram in my mouth! Oh- I like her... y'know, like in a way that I don't dislike her?" Rei exclaimed merrily as she let go of Mayu and winked. "A shy, quiet girl... every movement and reaction isn't scripted! I love it!" She gave two thumbs up. "I approve!"
'...That's a relief...' Joshua thought, pleased with the outcome as he exhaled. 'I didn't think Rei would gush so much about Mayu, though... I'm glad Rei and Mayu are hitting it off well.'
"It's so great to talk to another girl again! Well, you guys, anyway!" Rei giggled as she bounced on the spot, soon stopping as her expression screwed up. "All the other Reapers... they're so bleh! And I mean bleh!"
"You don't like them?" Joshua asked, a bit surprised that even Rei wouldn't like people, seeing that Rei was a social butterfly. "I would never have expected that, Rei..."
"Yeah, me neither! Talk about a bummer!" Rei practically sobbed as she frowned, dropping to her knees dramatically. She shook her fists in the air. "All they do is have tea, read books, spy on Players... They don't- don't understand the definition of FUN! It's driving me off the wall for crying out loud!"
"It's beneficial to read…" Ayumu tilted his head to one side. "You learn new things-"
"No it isn't! If it isn't manga, it numbs my brain from boredom!" Rei cried as her eye twitched. "And tea- don't get me started on that flavored water! It tastes like water, with next to nothing that distracts you from it!"
The petite blond raised his hand. "I agree."
"Yahoo!" Rei high-fived Ayumu's hand. "Someone understands me!"
"So, you don't like any of the Reapers?" asked Joshua puzzled. "No one? And here I thought you were an extrovert..."
"Uh… a Whatavert?"
"Never mind..." The ashen blond bit his lip, shaking his head lightly. "Anyone you hate?"
"What a question!" Rei threw up her hands, letting out a sigh. "The Reapers are not all that interesting... so you could say they're boring with their whole 'we must work to survive in the UG and be super serious about what we do' addittude... Which is SO boring!" She tipped her head to one side, sharply remarking, "Although, some are not all that uptight, but some can be. Espeiclaly that gentleman we met last week, Day 6. He's polite and nice to everyone, but can be uptight at times with any of the Reapers' behaviour..."
"Of course, considering his job, it has to be important that he keeps the Reapers in line," replied Joshua with a nod, frowning. "So, other than that. Do you hate anyone, or...?"
"Only one," Rei retorted quietly, clenching her fists as she growled, "The only person I hate at the moment is the Vampress!"
"'Vampress'?" echoed Joshua as his eyebrows knitted together. "I don't quite understand who that is, Rei..."
"The GM!" yelled Rei in exasperation as she ran up to shake him. "Hello? Who else would I be talking about?"
"You didn't make it clear in the first place, Rei," Joshua said baffled. "And what is a 'Vampress'?" He was unable to remember a term such as this had existed. If it was one of Rei's infamous dubbings, that made sense.
Rei let out a harsh exhale, slouching down a bit to slap a hand to her face as she groaned, "Aleck, what are you talking about? It's one of my most creative nicknames I have ever made!" Suddenly she shifted through her clipboard's pages and shoved it into Joshua's hands, using her crimson pen as a pointer. "Vampire…" she pointed at the stylishly inscribed word. "Empress…" she pointed at the next word. "Vampress!" She stabbed down on the nickname that was at the bottom of the page. "Ya get it?"
Joshua read through the neat handwriting, seeing many red lines that were slashed and scribbled across the page. When he was done, he understood. Rei cut and pasted parts of the words to form the word Vampress, a word that would probably be the dictionary now if Rei had authority and assent for it. He figured it out the moment he saw Vam- and –press under the words vampire and empress respectfully.
"Wow, Rei…" Joshua mused in amusement as he handed it back to her, soon chuckling as he remarked, "I can't wait to use it the next time I see her!"
Rei gasped, "You want to use it!? Whoa, I'm so honoured!" She slammed her hand on his shoulder then whisked her hand in front of her. "Use it! Let us spread the nickname around! Muehaha!" She soon smirked smugly as she put away her clipboard. "I'm glad you like it, Aleck!"
"Of course I would." Joshua smirked as he blinked. "I would do anything to get back at her for what she has done! She clawed into Ayumu's nose!"
"No way! That Vampress!" Rei narrowed her bright brown eyes, clenching her fist as she shook it in the air. "The next time I see her-"
"Pray tell, what has she peddled to you?" Izo growled, folding his arms and scowling at the both of them.
"She hasn't!" Rei screamed which caused Izo to let out an irked sigh. "I saw what she did to you guys! Y'know, at our Reaper's Game screenerama room-"
"We don't, Tyke!" growled Izo as he shoved his fringe to the side, closing his eyes with a grumble as they returned. "What are you blatheri-"
"It's like a mini cinema!" Rei piped as her eyes sparkled. "Now that- that it a plus for being a Reaper! You guys would love it!" She began tapping her index finger on her palm. "We get popcorn, pop, some candy bars to munch on… and it's all free! Nothing like the ones in the RG!" She then placed her hand on her chin, frowning. "Although… we can't change the channel… or have a choice for which one we want…" She sighed. "Its stuck on any Player that's chosen to be seen at the time, which plain sucks, ugh!"
"That… I wouldn't mind seeing for myself," Joshua mused, closing his lavender eyes. He wasn't big on all those atrocious oleaginous (and exceedingly unhygienic) snacks, but learning of the technology that allowed Reapers to watch them on the other hand spurred his fascination. Personally, he wished he had questioned Sanae about the matter when he was still alive…
"Aw, I feel so horrible for you guys!" Rei cried sadly as she sniffled, motioning with her fingers. "It's 'Reaper Personnel' only-"
'Dammit…' Joshua grimaced at once. 'This Game never fails to crush my hopes and dreams…'
"-I wish I could sneak you in… but…"
"It's alright, Rei," Ayumu replied hollowly. "We need to focus on the missions and not our leisure anyway."
"We can have fun along the way though," added Joshua quickly and shot Ayumu an uneasy look. "If we stay serious all the time, our faces may look like Izo's in the end."
Izo hmphed at that.
"Oh my gosh, you're so right!" wailed Rei with appall, slapping her hands to her cheeks as she widened her eyes. "I don't want Izo's face on mine!"
"You could use it, Tyke," grumbled Izo bitterly. "Considering how you don't yield anything seriously… ouch!"
Rei huffed, returning her clipboard to her black satchel while Izo growled and rubbed the poor spot on his head that she bashed.
"Anyways, I hope she didn't mess up your heads too much…" The pony-haired lady sighed.
"What do you mean Rei…?" Joshua asked uneasily. Leiko merely used her evil umbrella on their hearts, not their heads. So he was curious as to what the lanky lady meant.
"Well… her abilities are different than any of the Reapers," Rei explained as she tipped her head to one side. "I eavesdropped on some Reapers the past few days… and well, she's an Imprinter."
"So wait… she can Imprint!? How!?" Joshua yelled in shock as he instantly ran through his memories, remembering Leiko had a certain disliking to technology, so there was no way she could have used a phone to Imprint them in any way. "We didn't see any phones or-"
"She doesn't use that form!" Rei waved her hands like she was casting a spell from a videogame, starting to speak with a tone one would make when pretending to be a ghost, "She uses her Heartbreak Parasol to get into the hearts of men… ooh~ Only men… through their emotions… ooh~"
"That puts us at a disadvantage then!" Joshua noted worriedly.
"Not for me." Ayumu pointed to himself. "I can't feel anything."
"Oh! That's a good call, Ayumu!" Joshua remarked as he ruffled his younger half-brother's hair. Although, his half-brother having no emotions in general wasn't a good thing...
"Feh, will you drop the gratuitous chronicle and convey to us what we dearth to know facilely!?" snapped Izo in frustration, lashing his arm out as he huffed, "Being puerile gives us partial the au fait and partial the tribulations to figure the rest of your cryptic storytelling out! Hmph!"
"Yeesh! Stop criticizing me, Fos-Bro…" Rei sighed with a shake of her head, and she soon continued in an angry tone, "Okay, so- Y'know that parasol she carries around…? Its called Heartbreak Parasol and it's her main source of attacking, got it? She draws her Psychs out with it, which is darkness and Imprinting."
"So that's why she disappeared into her shadow!" Joshua exclaimed in astonishment, sharing a look with his quiet Partner. "And the attack that hit me yesterday- darkness!" After he calmed down a little, he frowned as he mused mindfully, "Although, it puts us at another disadvantage… She could pop up everywhere!" He paused, frowning as he regarded Rei. "Wait- she's been Imprinting us the whole time!?"
"Yes!" Rei replied fearfully with a nod. "She's been messing with both your head and emotions, Aleck! She normally makes it so men go all googly-eyed and want to serve her because she'll make them believe they love her! But that's just it! You don't, you're Imprinted to feel like you love her and will do anything she tells ya!" She huffed, soon growling out in frustration, "Why do you think I hate her for crying out loud! She's messed up! Anything she does is messed up! She messes everyone up! Mess up this, messes up that! Messes everything up! And I wasn't able to find out why!"
"That explains why you acted like that to her, Izo!" exclaimed Joshua with a grin, but then frowned and backed away as soon as Izo let out a snarl and threw daggers at him.
"Whoa-whoa!? She did what!?" Rei yelled in dismay, her bright brown eyes popped wide open as she threw her hands over her mouth. "Oh, my god, what did that Vampress do, Aleck!?"
"Nonentity!" spat Izo furiously as he shook. "Pay no concentration to the etcetera that brat aforementioned!"
"Oh, now I'm interested!" Rei dashed over and sat cross-legged on the ground, her eyes shining with excitement. "Tell me, Aleck!"
"Don't you fucking dare, Brat!" Izo snarled exasperatedly, his eyes became maroon slits and his hands were clenched and pale as snow. Joshua felt that if he could sense Izo's aura, his whole soul would be crushed by how vicious it was. "If you breathe one, damn, word…"
"Look, Izo…" Joshua started out uneasily as he noticed the air was becoming chilly, he bit his lip before he went on, "Rei will find out eventually then you'll have to deal with her then-"
"Yeah! Aleck's right!" chirped Rei in a singsong. "Give me the dirt now and I'll try- try to be soft on ya, 'kay?"
The frosty poet let out a stifled, aggravated growl from his clenched mouth, shaking his fist as he growled out in a low, frigid tone, "If you tell the Tyke anything, ANYTHING… I WILL-"
"Leiko Imprinted Izo," Ayumu said emotionlessly.
Instantly Izo started to swing his hand in front of him, "YOU, BLIND BR-" his words died as he stiffened in shock as icicles hurled from his finished half-circle motion, heading straight towards Ayumu.
"AYUMU!" Joshua yelled out in alarm before he threw himself in front of Ayumu, letting out a pained exhale the moment he felt the attack skewer through his chest. He grimaced, slumping to his hands and knees as the tattooed spear-like ice made his chest burn in agony. He wondered how the icicles merged into one as he sat there, trying to breathe in as the tattooed ice made his chest hurt.
"ALECK!?" Joshua heard Rei shriek franticly, faintly aware that she was darting to him. "OH MY GOD!? WHAT WAS THAT!?"
Joshua found that Rei was too loud, even as she let him lean against her as her words slurred for some reason. He felt a bit dizzy as he noticed white squirt out extemporaneously in specks from where the long icicle lay wedged in his chest. He felt someone trying to tear it out, someone yelling, someone sobbing… then he let out a harsh long-drawn exhale as he felt the ice slide out.
As soon as he used Rosetta Restore to heal himself, he took in the situation at hand. Seeing that he was still leaning against Rei, he moved himself off, as painful as it was when he drew in a breath. He felt slightly sluggish, but he managed to understand that Rei's face was flushed in anger as she continued to yell… muted. He figured he was in a bit of shock for him to not hear her words, so he tapped more energy into his Pin and stayed where he was until the process was complete.
He soon stood up, finally able to hear that Rei and Izo were arguing.
"You nearly got Aleck erased! That is not cool!" Rei's eyes filled with tears as she stepped closer to Izo, who Joshua noticed was silent as his back was turned to everyone. "Y-You have to say sorry to him, Fos-Bro!"
In response, Izo was silent. Joshua could see his hands were clenched into fists and a slight mist swirled around his ankles.
Joshua turned to his other companions to see that Mayu was hiding behind Rei and Ayumu stood beside her, his pewter eyes blank and his lips flat. Joshua furrowed his eyebrows as he noticed Mayu was quivering while fear flickered in her eyes. 'This… this isn't good…'
"Talk to me, Fos-Bro! What's going on!?" Rei finally cried, and Joshua found she had been pleading. "You never-"
Izo at once stalked away, a field of ice materialized from every step he took. Joshua could only watch with worry as Izo finally stopped, within their view but his back remained turned to them.
"Okay, that was rude!" Rei exclaimed with frustration as she placed her hand on her hip, grimacing as she shook her head. "He's never been that rude to me!"
Ayumu blinked as he spoke up, "The element hasn't been in his control lately. He likes to control his elements, but now…"
"Uh…?" Rei merely tipped her head to one side. "Why are you being confusing again!? I thought the Boss Woman fixed that!"
"I merely said the obvious…" Ayumu replied emotionlessly. "But that doesn't change how it was my fault he-"
The ashen blond merely grimaced at that, instantly joining Ayumu's side as he patted Ayumu's shoulder. "It's not your fault, Ayumu. It's mine... I started it."
Ayumu tilted his head, blinking, as he said nothing.
"So…" Rei blinked, looking back to the dark blue haired boy again. She grasped her chin before she mused in confusion, "Did someone throw wasabi in his coffee or something? You guys still need to tell me what's going on…"
"Well, part of it's from…" Joshua grimaced before he sighed. "What you saw… And I guess he's still angry about what Leiko did to him."
"Ooh!" Rei grabbed his neat shirt collar, yanking him to her as excitement lit up in her eyes. "Tell me! He's not here to throw ice at us!"
Joshua let out a sigh, letting his lavender eyes travel to Rei's bright brown as he grumbled, "If you let go, I will…"
At once Rei let go and beamed at him.
Joshua took time to adjust his neatly buttoned shirt collar before he sighed. Rei was not one for subtly…
After he explained to her what happened, her jaw basically dropped as she let out tiny gasps of appall, "Oh, my, god…" At once she ripped out her clipboard and pen she shook them both towards the sky. "Erase her! I want her erased!"
"In due time," Joshua growled bitterly as he clenched his fists. "When we face her on Day 7, I'll make sure she knows the devastation she has caused when she draws her last breath…"
"You have to!" Rei shouted with frustration.
"Don't worry, I will, Rei…" Joshua nodded, feeling his blood boil and his heart rate speeding up at the thought of the cruel Gamemaster.
"No, no!" Rei shrilly spat as she snorted. "That Vampress made Izo waste his first kiss on her! You have to!"
"Well, I'll-" Joshua's heartbeat stopped. "What!?" He slowly met Rei's eyes as he choked on his breath. 'No… that can't be! Th-That was… That was Izo's first kiss!? That can't be true! He- h-how!?'
"How do you know that?" Ayumu asked quietly as Rei glared at the sky. "It's unlikely you would know."
"Oh no, no, no…" The lanky lady stuck out her tongue as she snarled, "I know so! Izo has never gotten close to anyone like that! He's antisocial for life! He would never fall in love even if I paid him! Sheesh! He wouldn't fall for the Vampress!" Clenching her pen and clipboard harder, she let out a growl through her gritted teeth, "I won't forgive her for doing that to my Fos-Bro!"
"That doesn't explain how you would know," Ayumu replied as he closed his eyes.
"Poor Izo…" Joshua was slightly startled from his daze; regarding his Partner to see her eyes were glittering from unshed tears. "That's horrible… Izo didn't deserved that, he never did..."
Rei's eyes, which were crazed in fury, softened into sadness as she slumped a bit. "I know… especially how…" Rei's eyes flashed for a split second before she shook her head and wiped at her eyes. As soon as her eyes hardened, she growled bitterly, "Just make her pay… please."
Mayu lowered her head, blinking as Joshua noticed some of her tears were silently rolling down her cheeks. He stiffened before he walked over, smiling sadly as he placed his hand on her shoulder. "Izo will be okay…" He turned his head to Rei as he nodded. "And Leiko will learn to not mess with our emotions. I'll make sure of it. She will pay…"
At that, Rei nodded and grinned as happiness shined in her eyes.
Joshua checked his timer to see that they had two hours and ten minutes left. He didn't think they spent that much time with Rei, which was quite shocking when that they did. They were definitely wasting more time than they needed to, so he felt Rei would understand the need to call off their chatter.
"We have to go," said Joshua with a sigh as he looked at everyone. "I'm sorry, Rei, but we have a mission to do."
"Oh- That's right!" cried Rei with alarm as she grabbed onto Joshua's wrist and held it up, scanning his palm carefully. "Whoa, you guys have so much time! That's nuts! We never had that much time!"
Joshua grimaced in pain, trying to not yell at Rei as he grumbled, "Yeah, but we shouldn't waste anymore of that time..."
Dropping his arm, Rei pouted a bit before she gestured exuberantly to the Wall. "Then what are you waiting for? Go!"
"Hmm…" Joshua frowned, staring at her blankly. "We would, but we would need the Wall to go down first, Rei."
It took a few seconds until it seemed to dawn on Rei what he meant. She frowned a bit as she breathed quietly, "Oh..." Slapping her hand on her forehead, Rei let out a sheepish giggle. "Of course it needs to go…" She got out a strange shaped Pin and held it above her head. "I got ya covered, Aleck! Don't worry about a thing!"
Joshua anticipated to hear the Wall open, instead he heard a yell from nearby, "That would be flouting the rules, Tyke!"
At once Joshua turned to see Izo standing behind him, and he flinched. 'How did he-' Quickly turning to look at the former location Izo was standing in before, Joshua widened his eyes. 'How did he get behind us!?'
"Err, what?" Rei gawked at the dark blue haired poet for a few seconds, blinking slowly in dumbfoundment before she frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Have you overlooked the fact that you're a Reaper, Tyke, or do I have to reprise myself!" snarled Izo as his maroon eyes burned in anger behind his slightly cracked glasses. "We don't need to have free passage, Tyke!"
"Hey, I was just doing you guys a favor!" cried Rei as she narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms as she sighed. "What's wrong with that, Fos-Bro!?"
"Yeah, and I wouldn't mind getting a favor like that," added Joshua with a sigh, gazing at Izo with frustration. "As much as I would love to do a little Wall Objective, I rather not, Izo."
"We don't need that! It contravenes the rules, dammit!" spat Izo as he coldly glared at him, grumbling under his breath before he continued, "Do I need to prompt you that you broke plenteous of rules last week!"
"Well, it wasn't like I-" Joshua paused, biting the inside of his lip briefly. "Like we were aware of that! Were we, Izo?" Joshua jabbed back as he narrowed his lavender eyes, frowning deeply as the breeze pushed some of his scraggly bangs onto his face. "Do I need to remind you of that?"
Izo growled as he narrowed his eyes into slits. "I purely broke one rule, unlike you brats!"
Joshua gasped sharply before he slowly let himself glare at Izo coldly. "…We only did what we had to do," retorted Joshua in frustration, shaking as he clenched his fists. "Why are you trying to push the blame on me, Iz-"
Suddenly a hand tapped Joshua's shoulder, causing him to flinch. "I…"
Joshua slowly breathed in, feeling himself slacken slightly despite how much anger he felt. He turned, slightly surprised to see Mayu timidly gazing back at him before looking at the ground, shifting her feet a bit. "Joshua..."
"Yes?" Joshua breathed softly, trying to soften his expression as he faced his Partner. "Do you have something to say, Mayu?"
He could already tell she was becoming scared again, and he didn't want to do that to her. He tried to calm himself down at once, trying to relax his body and unclench his hands as he faced her. He couldn't believe he was nearly ready to blow up at Izo if it hadn't been for her. In fact, he was already starting to feel guilty that he let himself get riled up so quickly. It was unlike himself to do that… which made it even worse.
She shifted her hands a bit, looking away slightly as her black bangs swayed a little. "Y-Yes…" Slowly she looked up again, blinking her blue green eyes sadly. "I-I th-think we sh-should go with th-the rules." she said quietly.
Joshua at once frowned at her, not believing what he was hearing. He wondered why Mayu wanted that, so he asked at once, "Why's that, Mayu?"
"It's…" She hesitated before she whispered gently, "It's fair. I… I don't want to cheat, or break any rules, Joshua." After a second or two, she added nervously, "I th-think Izo has a p-point."
At once Joshua's heart dropped, and he stared at her feeling dazed suddenly. He didn't understand why but he couldn't help but feel dismal from hearing that.
"Yes, we shouldn't break the rules," said Ayumu hollowly, nodding as he almost managed to look at Izo perfectly. "I also agree with Izo, Josh. Our chances at a second chance could be ruined if we risk breaking rules." Joshua was about to reply to that when Ayumu put in emotionlessly, "It doesn't matter if it's 'a one time thing' or 'a favor', we need to keep in mind that we are to follow the Reaper's Game's guidelines, just like any game should be played."
'A-Ayumu!?' Joshua felt his spirits drop more as he turned to his half-brother, who stayed still. 'Not you too…' Joshua thought Ayumu would at least agree that it was an advantage they should take willingly, but hearing Ayumu reject Rei's proposal… he could hardly believe it! He felt like Ayumu was becoming less and less of himself lately, and Joshua hated it!
"Aw, c'mon!" exclaimed Rei with disbelief, breaking Joshua out of his thoughts as he saw her looking at all of them while shaking her head with disapproval. "I can't believe you guys would stomp on my favor!"
"We should abide by the rules, Tyke," growled Izo with snort. "And you should do the same."
"Wait a minute, Fos-Bro!" cried Rei as she frowned at him. "If you are so set on sticking to the rules, then why aren't you a Reaper like me!?"
Izo was about to open his mouth to answer when Rei cut him off in a raised voice, "Hey, wait a minute!" She at once smirked, running over to rest her arm on Izo's shoulders. "You should become a Reaper too, Fos-Bro!"
"What!?" spat Izo in deride.
"Yeah! You should!" continued Rei happily as she grinned. "It could be a great sibling activity, Fos-Bro! We could be together ag-"
"Not, interested!" snarled Izo irately as he glared daggers at her, causing her to flinch and drop her grin. "If you deem that I want to peddle my soul over to the Composer, you must have misplaced your brain, Tyke!" he hissed slowly in deride.
"Whoa, and here I thought you would!" cried Rei with confusion, looking ready to fall backwards as though Izo's response was unthinkable to her.
"Yield an instant, and think, Tyke!" spat Izo furiously, clenching his fists again as he took in a shaky breath. "I would never, never take the métier of a Reaper!" After a moment he frowned at her uglily. "If you ever deliberate that again, I will ceaselessly renounce you!"
"You wouldn't!" exclaimed Rei with appall. "You were adopted and you can't magically steal the contract and change that!"
Izo facepalmed, grumbling crabbily under his breath.
After a few seconds, Joshua closed his eyes as he sighed. "Do you really want to go with the rules?" he crossed his arms and reopened his eyes before he asked downheartedly, "All in favor of that?"
Ayumu nodded at once. Izo snorted with a roll of his eyes, as though deeming Joshua was uselessly asking that. And Mayu shyly nodded, offering a sad frown to him.
The ashen blond again sighed, turning to Rei. "Looks like we're outvoted, Rei," he said dryly with a weak smile.
"No kidding…" replied Rei with a grimace. "And I didn't even vote!"
Joshua disliked the outcome. He had hoped that some people at least had a change of heart, but it would seem he was indeed outvoted, and that gave him a bitter feeling inside of him. Even though he would have liked to be almost at their destination, he felt he could spare the decision-making to the group for once. After all, this was a group effort. It wasn't like he was the sole leader of the group… however, he felt that reminder made him feel somewhat inadequate… And the bitterness he felt didn't help.
Trying to shove away that feeling, he asked with a faint smile, pretending it wasn't just for show, "Well, what task do you wish for us to accomplish, Rei?"
Somehow, despite his efforts to crush the feeling, he felt bitter about the arrangement.
To be continued… hope you enjoyed the chapter! =3