A/N: I'm not taking eight years to upload? Enjoy!
Day 2 Taboo
"Only five pairs survived to the second day. Those that were burnt by the psychs have been returned to the Imagination's current hold. Our footsoldiers managed to collect 85% of the imagination left behind by the dead before the Taboo Noise had Eaten them. Losses account to our own forces account to 15% and 20% are incapacitated or heavily wounded. The remaining players are asleep and will be woken up later this morning to help account for our injured."
Kariya quickly listed off a few more points off the list in front of him. In his honest opinion, the Game should not have been started. Protecting the imagination from the Heartless and Taboo Noise will be even more difficult.
"Thank you Kariya. Is that all?" Yang Gui leaned back into the crisp white sofa. Fish slowly circled in the aquarium underneath his feet. Dead God's Pad was where the Reapers connected with the Conductor, but it has mostly been empty since Yan Gui took up the title. Kairiya stared downwards, koi fish circled around his seat as well, seemingly sensing his unease. His own drink was left untouched on the coffee table.
"No sir. The Game Master is still unaccounted for. I've been sending mission mails in his place. Is this acceptable to the Composer?"
The smile didn't budge. "I don't believe the Composer expected much out of our current Game Master anyways. Thank you for taking up the mantle. Oh, and Kariya?"
"Sir?"
"Use my full allotment of points to feed the injured first and the rest of our men. I have no need to make new pins for this game; it will be better off in the hands of the men. Make sure they are well taken care of for the duration of the Game."
Kariya faltered for a moment. The Conductor was using his own points to- It was unheard of. Points are needed for the survival of both Reaper and Players at the end of the Game. The new Conductor will probably lose his position at the end of the Game. If he isn't erased out of the results of the failed game, with no points, Yan Gui will probably be erased in a desperate attempt to get fresh flowing Imagination in Shibuya. "Are you sure, sir?"
"Morale is at an all time low and your Game Master is working against you. The City and her people are turning on each other. Surely you have noticed from your reports? She's a toxic nightmare right now. She's crying out for help."
"Excuse my hubris, but is the new Composer aware of their duties? Was our current Game Master the wisest choice?"
The dark haired man closed his eyes and let out a small sigh. It was the most emotion that Kairiya had seen out of Yan Gui. "The City will stand through the trials of the Game, no matter what outside influence may say."
The ginger haired man scowled slightly. Sho Minamimato will not be tamed and will most likely cause more trouble. They didn't have the man power to deal with his trash heaps let alone his tendency to go wild. Kariya bowed his head slightly. "I see. I will make sure that the Reapers will be attended to. Thank you."
Uzuki Yashiro was at her wits end. She pulled at her pink hair and snapped her knee high boots against the pavement. "I get having to fight those things for points instead of playing with the Players, but come on! Delivery duty for ramen?"
"Come on, Ms. Yashiro. This was a request directly from Officer Kariya and the Conductor. Dogenzaka isn't that far off from A-East." A small girl in a white dress chided the older Reaper as she walked past, lugging a large crate of take out ramen with her. The two players followed after her, each with their own bundle of hot food.
"Shut up, Watanabe! This is the sixth delivery today! I want to slurp some down for myself!" Uzuki grumbled, but she followed the lead set by her junior and charges. She narrowed her eyes. Kumiko Watanabe irritated her in a completely different way than Kariya did, but the kid was alright. Watanabe worked hard and was handy in fights, even if she looked like she was nine. It was the two Players that were assigned to her that took her interest. The gangly brown haired boy didn't worry her, but the other child in the group?
The brat was in the last game.
She narrowed her eyes. Uzuki knew she wasn't the brightest tool in the shed (or whatever Kariya called her that one time), but even she sensed something was wrong. Did the girl kick the bucket twice in the last eight months? She could have sworn she had seen the child in RG with her Skullheaded friend.
"The injured take priority, Ms. Yashiro. Come on! Two more deliveries and then we are done!" Egads, the brown hair kid drove her up the wall with his optimism. "Maybe we can get a fight or two so you can vent your stress on something."
"Shut it, brat!"
"I have a name; It's Sora." He slowed down to match her tired pace. Little Skullhead Jr. was quietly chatting with Watanabe. They had stopped a little ways off of the intersection for a break. "Are you doing alright? You don't look so good."
"I'm just frustrated. It's nothing to be worried about." She gently placed the take out on the ground and stretched her shoulders.
He reached over and picked up her bags of food with one hand, lightening her load. His comically sized shoes stopped and Sora turned towards her. "I'm willing to lend an ear. Sometimes it's not good to keep it pent up. Emotions are a good thing, but if it blinds you, you will fall down in a trap. I learnt that the hard way."
And here she was, getting advice from a PLAYER. Uzuki screamed internally. "Look, it's none of your business, alright?"
"Our mission today is to help guard the Reapers. If you are distracted to the point where you nearly failed to jump into a fight with your partner, then it is a problem. Besides, it's nice to talk with a friend."
Red flushed upwards and Uzuki looked away. It was true. The last fight with the Taboo Noise was sloppily executed on her end and Watanabe struggled with the Taboo Noise by herself. Hell, even the Players finished their fights before they did.
"I'm just tired of fighting these things… and I miss my best friend. I… don't make friends easily with my personality." She slowly walked forward. Sora didn't seem to mind her pace.
"Oh."
"He's not dead or anything. He just got a promotion. Normally he refuses, the idiot, so he can stay with me. I was holding him back because I'm far too brash and not experienced enough. He did most of the thinking and stopped me from making bad choices. Maybe he left because he was tired of waiting for me. I haven't seen him since. We text, but…"
Uzuki had no idea why she was talking to this blue eyed idiot. Something about him seemed trustworthy. Normally, this would raise her alarm bells, but the teen seemed sincere.
"I'm mad at myself. For not being able to keep up with him. For not being able to keep up with Watanabe. Watanabe has the gist of my issues, but she is still so young. She's talented like my best friend. I'm afraid of getting her killed because my idiocy and love for fighting. I have… to be the bigger person and I'm not used to it."
"Have you talked to her about this? Partners should be able to talk to each other. Maybe we can have lunch early and have a chat."
"Like I said, Watanabe gets it. That's why she puts up with me." Uzuki let out a little laugh. She pulled out her gun and spun it in her hands. The girls had ran ahead to look at Lapin Angelique's newest display, and more importantly, out of earshot. "We are harriers. We erase without a thought and don't blink twice when things turn sour. It's a part of the Game. But what if I misjudged the opponent? What if I can't see the bigger picture? It's kept me from growing in the past and it's… frustrating."
"I think your friend would be proud of you for trying to take care of your new partner." Sora glanced at the tweens in front of them and didn't seem to catch Uzuki's bewildered stare. "Rhyme seems to know so much more than me, but I get it. She's little. You can't help but want to help them, especially if they are helping you back. I'm used to working alone, let alone working with someone younger. It's a hard process, but when you see them happy, all of the efforts seems to be worth it. I'm sure your friend felt the same way."
Uzuki nodded. Her Reaper wings relaxed for the first time in what felt like ages. Kariya… Kariya was a good senior. She missed him, but she was going to make him proud or else he would never let Uzuki live it down. She looked up at the kids in front of them. Rhyme. So that was the kid's name. "Oi! Brats! Stop gawking, we have two more deliveries!"
"Hey, Ms. Yashiro?"
"What?" She glared at the boy as the girls scampered over.
"I'm glad to have spoken with you. This world is filled with interesting people. I'm glad that you are one of them."
The woman made a face of confused disgust. This optimistic cheery-cheery mood was getting to her. HER. "You're weird, you know that?"
Sora just laughed and brought the food in to the sick bay.
Concert Stage was filled with injured Reapers. Rhyme sat idly with Sora's jacket wrapped around her. Her eyes were glazed over. Sora walked over with two plastic cups of water. He quietly placed one next to her, but the child didn't respond. The hall itself was deathly quiet, save for some of the medical units rushing back and forth. Yashiro and Watanabe were outside guarding the facilities with a few other able Reapers. Screeching of the dying Noise echoed through the gates.
Yashiro's gleeful cackling was the only good noise coming out from the chaos outside.
"Rhyme." He sighed and sat down beside her. His fists were tightly clenched into a ball and he could still feel the adrenaline pumping through his veins. "That was bad, wasn't it?"
She spoke in a small voice, curling up into a smaller ball. "Yeah... It was. I wish we could have helped them somehow."
Sora and Rhyme jumped out of their battle with a wave of static. Rhyme giggled and tentatively raised her hand; "High-five?"
Sora raised his arm and gave a hearty smack to the proffered arm. "That was a quick and easy battle!"
She gave a bright smile and nodded. "We're totally going to get to Mr. Hanekoma's shop in no time!" Rhyme faltered for a bit, "But I guess we should wait for the other two, huh?."
"Yeah. Come on, let's sit on the bench. It's free." They settled on the bench and Sora stared up into the sky. Today was cloudy, but the sun had finally peeked through. He closed his eyes, letting the warmth soak through, ignoring the other mass floating in the sky. He could worry about that later, when he had full access to his keyblade. Rhyme started humming. "I'm surprised at how much you know, Rhyme. Even the other Players don't know as much as you do when it comes to the Game."
Rhyme giggled again. "Say thanks to Mr. Hanekoma with Tamaki and Kara later; I only know so much because my friends introduced me to him."
"Alright. Say, do you know anything about that heap of garbage over there? It isn't in RG as people are walking through it."
Rhyme tilted her head in the direction Sora was pointing at. "Nope, I have no idea what that is."
A familiar static filled the air and the two immediately shot to attention. The others were here. Tamaki exited out of the discoloured space.
No.
Tamaki's torso fell from the static. Black and white crabs clung to his body and almost a dozen more materialized, biting fresh new wounds into the man's body. His legs were missing and arms flailed hopelessly against the armoured crustaceans. Tamaki's screams bit through the background noise of RG.
"Hey! What's wrong- oh shit!" Yashiro and Watanabe rushed over. The pink haired woman kicked several of the Carcinopunks away from the flailing body. One of the crabs had Tamaki's arm dangling out of its jaws. Watanabe shoved the rest of the crabs onto the mess and started their battle, sending the Taboo Noise away with a dizzying static of colour.
The arm fell down with a noisy splat. The city didn't stop for a moment. People walked by as if nothing happened. People were unaware of the screaming man thrashing on the pavement. Rhyme stared in shock. Sora stared at the arm.
New Taboo Noise, attracted to the fresh scent of blood, materialized and inched towards the dismembered limb.
A man in a yellow sweatshirt jumped in front of them. Another Reaper in a black hoodie conjured up a colourful, purple porcupine. The creature gently nuzzled Tamaki and Tamaki's screaming body instantly dissolved into static.
The arm twitched.
Yellow picked Rhyme up and shoved her into Sora's numb arms. He nearly dropped her. "Run to the shelter! Get to safety, NOW! Get us back up!"
"They were Eaten."
"Yes." It was worse than being attacked by the Heartless. Heartless stole your heart and sent it to Kingdom Hearts. If you were lucky, you could be reunited with your body and live. Sora was used to being able to work around the Heartless. If they were too strong, you could retreat and try again. The brunette unclenched his fist. Foggy memories of a warning of danger whifted in and out his mind and the boy downed his water. Perhaps he had bitten off more than he could chew alone, but he didn't know of any other keyblade wielders who knew he has here. Sora operated alone.
"It could have been us." She buried her face into her sleeves. Sora inched closer and sat silently. "I remember being Erased. I lost the last Game, you know? I was eaten by a normal Shark Noise. Not a Taboo one. I came back… I don't know how I survived the Game. I lost my entry prize. I remember being erased. It didn't hurt. It felt like a warm static-ey blanket overcoming my Soul."
He let her cry.
"But they… they…"
Sora closed his eyes. He could still hear the Carcinopunk's claws crunching on bone.
"I-I guess that's why… they're taboo." She hiccupped and finally picked up the water. Sora nodded approvingly as she took a few sips of water. The older teen rummaged through his pockets and pulled out a packet of tissues (that a nice lady gave to him when they browsed through the clothing store earlier) and held them out. Rhyme took the proffered tissue paper, blew, and whispered, "T-hey pop out of thin air and chase you. They don't let you run. Y-You have to beat them or- or it's over."
They stayed silent for a long moment.
"Sora?"
"Yes, Rhyme?"
"Can we still go see Mr. Hanekoma? I want to ask him about some questions."
"Of course. I need some answers as well."
It felt pointless, but Rhyme held onto Kumiko's hand as they crossed the busy street when the pedestrian light flickered on at Towa Records. A foggy voice reminded her to do so. Who's voice? She couldn't remember. It wasn't important right now.
She had asked Ms. Yashiro and Kumiko to come with them to Hanekoma's coffee shop. Even if Sora was super strong, Rhyme felt a little better with the two Reapers nearby. The younger black haired reaper had to help her convince Ms. Yashiro: she said something about treating her to hot chocolate to make up for the morning. The pink haired reaper cursed up a storm, but agreed begrudgingly.
The blonde looked at the one of the displays as she walked past. An up and coming idol group had commissioned CAT to make their album art. She paused for a moment. Kumiko, holding her hand, stopped as well. Sora wandered ahead seemingly attracted to the green space of Miyashita Park.
Ms. Yashiro peered over the girls' shoulders. "Rhyme, was it? Did something catch your eye? We don't have a lot of time left before your sleep timer activates, so make it quick." Rhyme flinched at her voice. The Reaper was intimidating and Rhyme didn't forget her cruelty from the last Game. "Relax. Even if I wanted to play with you, the rules specifically state that we are not to create conflict and focus on the Taboo Noise and the-. You didn't stop for any reason. What's up? Do you stan any of these boys in this boy band?"
"No. I just saw some art of a friend. Let's go before we lose sight of Sora." Rhyme appreciated the woman trying to make things less awkward, but it didn't change the fact that she was the reason why Rhyme failed her first game. Towa Records, as usual, was busy, but it didn't change the bad memories haunting this place. The three women quickly shuffled towards Miyashita Park. Sora was perched on the overpass, watching the crowds. "Hey Sora. What do you see?"
"I guess I'll be blunt." He hopped off, landing on the sidewalk in front of them. "So what do you Reaper guys do about the Heartless swarming the people? They're actively hunting the people in RG, but don't target us and people don't seem to know that they exist. The hearts don't have anywhere to go other than converting into more of them or-" He pointed upward, tracing an invisible heart in the sky, "amassing in the sky into an artificial … power source. That will definitely be a problem."
Kumiko tightened her grip on Rhyme. Heartless? Rhyme glanced at Sora. She looked up. There was only the sun, hidden behind the clouds. A few sparrows darted in and out of her vision. The young girl squinted.
Nope. Nothing.
Ms. Yashiro spoke first, "You… can see them too?"
Sora nodded. "I'm technically not supposed to be talking about this, but I had a feeling that you Reapers knew about them. Districts with heavy Reaper presence seem to deter them. I didn't see them when the game started, especially when Tenho and BJ protected me. A-East was practically empty; I was expecting them to target the weak and injured, but they seemed almost fearful."
The pink haired woman could barely keep her lower jaw attached to her head. "How can you see them? They are on the wave length of-"
"Our Reaper Pins keep us safe from them, sometimes, if we don't screw up." Kumiko interrupted her senior. The shorter girl pulled Rhyme along with her, walking past the two older members of the group. Red and yellow eyes of both Taboo Noise and Heatless watched the loitering party. "Can we get to the coffee shop first, I don't like being in the open for Taboo Noise or the Heartless to notice us. Cat Street and the access to the underground station is infested and is generally a no go zone. We need to move."
Rhyme stared at the three as if they each grew a third head. "Is this a part of the Game?"
The short haired girl didn't slow down. Rhyme nearly missed the barely audible reply, "I don't know."
They made it to CAT Street. Heartless swarmed the streets and Sora was secretly glad that his Keyblade was sealed away in the pin. They didn't seem to notice the Keyblade Master as they scurried around them, giving them a wide berth. He waved clutching his Player Pin and the mass of black Heartless surged away from them like soap to oil. It didn't change the fact that those yellows eyes followed their every move.
"Which shop was it, Rhyme?" He glanced at the lines of shops. Each was eerily empty, save for the staff and the occasional Heartless crawling in the displays. The city was alive, but this district almost seemed dead. She lifted her arm up, finger barely peaking from her salmon sleeves, and pointed at the cafe with an obvious skull decal. The decal itself seems to repel the Heartless, making the shop stand out from the sea of black and yellow. Sora could barely make out the Taboo Noise watching them from a distance with their beady red eyes. "Huh, there is a lot of enemies over there. Should we turn back?"
"No." Yashiro shoved him forward and Sora stumbled slightly. He looked back at her, confused. "Move. We're not dealing with this."
Sora looked past her. There were two Dragon Taboo Noise flanking them on the left, a RHINO Taboo Noise on the right, and the Heartless seemed to be happily cooperating with them in a unified shift towards them.
"Right." The brunette swallowed and spun on his heel. Sora hauled each of the children up, tucked them under each arm, and bolted. A flailing arm hit Sora in the face. Sora snapped through the surprised shrieks of the girls, "I have longer legs; you two, stop complaining!"
Watanabe unhelpfully transformed her complaints into inappropriate airplane noises. Rhyme giggled for the first time since the Taboo Noise incident. Yashiro bolted past him (how did she do that in heels?) opening the door to the cafe for the four to slip through. Sora leapt through as the woman slammed the door behind them, ignoring the splats from Heartless colliding with the glass pane. The two adults heaved, trying to catch their breath.
A deep laughter filled the air. Sora turned to face the source, while Rhyme raised an arm and waved. "Hello Mr. Hanekoma!
"Hey kiddo. Welcome to WildKat." A man with an obvious five o'clock shadow waved, smiling past his round shades. He was dressed in a well fitted waistcoat and had his collar popped. He lazily pointed behind them. "That's quite the entrance, Rhyme. You have quite the fans."
Sora glanced backwards. A Neoclassical Drake was sitting outside the door, watching them with unblinking red eyes. Shadows sat patiently beside it, almost doll like compared to the heaving lizard. Sunlight failed to pass through the window panes as more and more enemies huddled against the glass. He nervously laughed as he put both girls down.
Yashiro narrowed her eyes, "You-"
"One hot chocolate, please!" Watanabe bounced back as if nothing happened, interrupting the scowling woman. Rhyme carefully climbed up to the abstract barstool next to the excited girl. Sora quietly joined her, nervously glancing back at the growing audience of Heartless behind the glass window. Yashiro only glared at the barista.
"Sorry kid. I only serve the best cuppa joe in town." Hanekoma laughed at the sheer betrayal on the tiny child's face. "Would you like the usual, Rhyme?"
"Yes please and one for Sora too." Rhyme smiled slightly as she watched the man work. Sora joined her. Swift, but graceful movements betrayed the tension in the room and hot filtered water was carefully measured out and placed into the machine. Hanekoma hummed as he carefully measured out roasted beans. Sora let his guard drop instantly, despite the monsters outside. A voice whispered to him as the bright notes of coffee filled the air. It was safe here.
"Thanks Rhyme."
"You're welcome."
Yashiro sighed and joined the three at the bar table. "I didn't expect it to be you, Mr. "Guardian." Decaf dark with extra milk for junior and a straight dark roast for me. Who are you, anyways?"
"Sure thing, I'm Sanae Hanekoma. I'm the sole hip barista of the WildKat. I was born on March 3, blood type A, Pisces, and a born gambler. My favourite word is "windfall" and "natto" gets my tummy rumbling." He gave the woman a teasing wink as he placed down Rhyme and Sora's orders. "You still interested, sister?"
"No tips for you," was the stony reply. He just laughed again and started working on another set of drinks. "The Players have some questions."
"Slow down. Enjoy the moment. I'm not going anywhere."
Sora looked down to his mug and took an appreciative whiff of the drip coffee. The aroma was invigorating and the acidic notes danced with the sugar and milk and left Sora energized. Maybe he could take on the Heartless swarm outside. The group slowly relaxed to the acoustic beats on the stereo systems. Sora smiled, "This is really great."
Hanekoma grinned. "I'm glad you like it, tourist. Are you enjoying the city?" Rhyme shot a quizzical look to her partner. Sora gave a reassuring smile.
"Yes Rhyme, I am from some far off islands. It's quite different from what I'm used to." And the rest of the universe, apparently. "It's nice though. I never thought I would such tall buildings or see this many people in one place. It's exciting, in its own way."
The barista barked out another laugh. "Now here's a lad who knows how to appreciate the little things in life."
"Mr. Hanekoma?" Rhyme interrupted the man's laugh. The barista gave the child an interested glance through his half lidded eyes.
"Yeah?"
"I have a lot of questions about this Game. Can I ask some?" She stared into her mug.
"Fire away."
"What are Taboo Noise? Why can't the Reapers control them like normal Noise?" Rhyme clenched the mug and shivered. "Their Erasure is not gentle. It's… not kind."
"They are forbidden Noise that chase Players and Reapers alike. They will not stop until they are dead or their prey is dead."
"I-I know that! The Reapers can tell me that Mr. Hanekoma." Frustration entered her voice. Sora closed his eyes and remembered. What it was like to be twelve? Fourteen? He could barely remember. Rhyme continued, "What do they want? If the Reapers aren't in charge of them, what do they want? Why are they hurting everyone? This Game is so much worse than the one I was in and that was horrible already. Where do they come from?"
Hanekoma remained silent for a moment. "They are stealing Imagination from Shibuya. This Game is flawed in that Shibuya has no way to return Imagination back into the cycle."
Yashiro slammed her hands down, "This is the first Game in eight months! What does that mean? Is the new Composer stupid? They are supposed to be taking care of this city!" She paused. "I mean, there is a new Composer, right? There's no other explanation for the long ass wait and this confusion, right? Why isn't the Composer giving directions about the new monsters, the Heartless? Kariya said that they were stealing off Imagination too!"
The barista remained silent.
Sora sighed and rubbed his forehead. Today has been a long day. He asked, "What do the Taboo Noise need Imagination for?"
Tempered glass shattered, bursting inwards like sugar candy panes. Sora dived over Rhyme, shielding her from the brunt of the blast. Dust replaced the warmth of coffee and the stereo systems screeched in protect shuttling out chunks of static at irregular intervals. The stinking breath of the Drakes flowed inwards, but it wasn't the great dragons that destroyed the wall. Sora squinted past the settling dust, trying to make out the one responsible for the interruption.
"I want it, you useless yoctograms. I want Imagination." A lean man stalked forward. Tattoos covered his entire torso and black ink covered his arms like gloves. The ink markings reminded Sora of the Taboo Noise that quietly followed the stranger in. Shaggy silver hair framed a handsome face, but it was distorted by a gruesome snarl. Sora shuddered. This man was steeped in Darkness, and not in a positive way. The smile that the Reaper offered was predatory and offered nothing nut malice. "I want enough Imagination so I can erase that pale, demeaning bastard and take my rightful place that I was primised. I'll use any tool at my disposal to drain his power and win."
Sora blinked. Was this man talking about the Conductor, Yan Gui? The Game wasn't to kill the Conductor or Game Master. The Game was to live and help the Reapers. Rhyme said that this Game was different in that way. What was the intruder talking about?
Watanabe peered over her mug, barely phased from her seat, "Ah. It is Mr. Game Master. What brings you here -" She flinched and dodged a metal napkin holder hurled at her head. Furniture was tossed aside as the Reaper cleared his path to the party. The child soldier gave the two Players a worried glance and Yashiro nodded.
Sora blinked again.
"Look, I know I'm not the one to talk, but attacking civilians is a major no-no in the Reaper Code." Yashiro rubbed her temples and walked forward, trying to diffuse the situation. Watanabe shifted slightly, making a Reaper wall with her senior against the Heartless and Noise tentatively inching in. "I know, it's tempting and the barista has a really punchable face, but Shibuya is in a bit of a pickle and we can't exactly afford more complications and more dead people."
Sora blinked again. His friends were trying to protect them. Sora looked at the café clock and cursed. The sleep timer will be fully active in a few minutes. Could they hold out? He carefully rummaged through his pockets, looking for the familiar warmth of his keyblade. He could cast Sleep or Stop if he had-
"Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally! He is definitely not a civilian; he's not even mortal." The GM gave off a maniacal giggle before settling a level stare at his fellow Reapers. Skeletal wings bloomed, slamming into the walls and cutting through drywall, blocking off all escape routes. Heartless filled in the holes, disoriented, but still scuttling forward. Taboo Noise curled up around the the Game Master, hungrily staring at the occupants of the small cafe. They were too close for Sora's comfort. "Interfere and I will eat you both. Be good little pawns and stay there."
Rhyme stumbled against him, eyes drooping. Sora let her lean against him. He clenched his hands. He was a Keyblade master and he could do nothing against the clock. Sora hopelessly watched as his newly made friends stood ready against a force that HE was trained to deal with. All it would take is just… one…
Hanekoma sighed and rubbed the back of his head, ignoring most of the occupants in the room. "Damn it, it's hasn't even been a year! Insurance is going to murder me. Can't you use the door like a normal person, Sho Minamimato?"
"My drakes told me that you came back to hide in this little hole, you factoring hectopascal. Why would I go off on a tangent?" Minamimato swept forward, slamming a hand into the counter top. The quartz table top cracked under the pressure. Hanekoma didn't blink. "Where is he? WHERE IS THE COMPOSER?"
Sora's head drooped down. His eyelids were too heavy. His keyblade pulsed for attention between his fingers. The young blond girl beside him was already softly snoring, slowly fading into the realm of sleep. Sho… Minamimoto… is the Game Master? Why was a man who could seemingly control the Taboo Noise a Game Master?
The barista just rubbed his chin and ignored the angry man in front of him. Hanekoma gave an understanding nod to Sora. "Ah, right. The sleep timer. Sora! Rhyme! I'll need your help handling the Game and Heartless. Follow your instincts and you'll find me tomorrow."
"You have the gall to USE these fractals like you used me?"
"Girls, go out the back! Get out of he-"
Sora's eyes shut into a dreamless sleep.
A/N: Uzuki's opinion of Hanekoma's face being punchable remains entirely her own.
Thanks for reading! What does Hanekoma have in store for our two heroes? Why is this part of Shibuya overrun with Heartless? Will Uzuki ever get her ramen fix? Find out in the next chapter of- *shot*
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