Noise King
Chapter 1: Proxy
"Ugh… where… am- NO! No! NOT AGAIN! What THE HELL?!" Neku screamed. "Joshua- you did this to me- and not only me, Beat and Shiki, too- once I find you, Joshua, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!!"
"Neku?"
"What, Shiki?" Neku growled.
"Um… I was wndering… since we're in the Game again… you want to make a pact?"
Neku sighed and thought of what happened his last pact with her.
C'mon, you know you want to, Neku.
Shut up! As if she felt that way.
Proxy. Your time has come.
What?!
The UG is in danger.
What? Find someone else! I'm perfectly happy living my new life, and now you want me to risk it again? And Shiki's, too! I'm not letting Shiki die!
The UG and the RG are linked, Proxy. If it dies, she dies.
Not if I get her out of Shibuya.
Not just Shibuya. The whole UG is collapsing. The Composer's integration by Kitaniji weakened the Reapers, causing the Noise to go astray. A pact cannot save you now, Proxy. You must find and eliminate the Noise King.
The Noise King? What the hell is the Noise King?
…
Fine.
"Neku? Neku?!" Shiki's voice called.
"Unn- what?"
"Oh, thank God! We thought a Noise hit you!"
"No. But we need to make a pact. Now."
"OK. Now we can fight the Noise." Neku said.
"But what about Beat?" Shiki asked.
"I don't know. Where is he anyway?"
"Asleep on a bench in Ten-Four."
"Hmm.. Who could he pact with…"
"ERIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!"
"What?!"
"I-I—it's ERI!"
"Oh no- oh no no nooo… Shiki, make a pact with her now! You're the only one who can save her. She must have been at the Dëf March concert!"
Shiki shook her head.
"No Neku. I want to stay with you. She has more Imagination than maybe even you! Beat can pact with her!"
Neku stared at her, then exclaimed,
"WHAT? You need to save your friend!"
Shiki shook her head again and said,
"Neku. You're more than a friend."
Neku stared and stepped back.
What are you doing? You've wanted this for a year, you idiot!
What the hell do you think I'm doing? I can't be with Shiki! I'm Joshua's Proxy! He came after me once, he'll do it again. My parents DIED from grief when Ryuo was shot! I don't want that to happen to Shiki. Plus, Joshua…
Screw what Joshua wants! Shiki wants YOU, you IDIOT!! She doesn't even want Eiji Oji, she wants YOU!
"I… love… you- agghh.." Neku said. He slowly fell over.
"NEKU!! NEKU!!" Shiki screamed.
"PHONES?!" Beat cried.
"So, you're all awake."
"Yo, Coffee Man?"
Sanae Hanekoma stepped forward, grinning.
"He's the Heir Angel. He won't die if I can help it."
Neku…
Neku…
"What the hell…?" Neku whispered.
Aah, our young Savior wakens.
Crap, not again.
Your wings are waiting.
What?
Your wings. The Heir Angel has to have wings.
What? Heir Angel?
The Producer is much like The Composer, except he has a life span, he isn't defeated. The Composer chose you to be the Heir. Hanekoma's life is ending.
Mr. H? He's… dying?
He isn't dying, just retreating to the Higher Plane. He needs a replacement. And that is you.
His time is coming, Heir. He has chosen you to take his place. Accept his wings, and replace him as the parallel of the Composer, just as Hikaru was Composer before Joshua, and Sho tried to kill him their first game.
Sho? Sho!? What?!
"Neku? Neku!"Shiki's voice cleared the darkness.
"Beat? Pact with Eri, please. I can't worry about her all the time… I need to protect Shiki. You helped me a year ago, can you help Eri- whoah, wait, what? Shiki, you- you're… Eri!"
"Yo, kids, what're you doin' jus sittin' there?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, are you a Player?" Neku asked.
"Whas'sa Player?"
"Oh, no. Oh, no. Nonono!!" Neku whispered to himself.
"Yo, kid, whas' wrong? You havin' a seizure?"
Beedldydeedee! Erase Game Master 12950. Complete, and Face Erasure. Fail, and Face Erasure.
Voices all around, saying, "What the hell?", "What is this spam?" etc.
"No! Everyone in Shibuya's a Player! The UG and the RG have merged!" Neku gasped. He stood up, looking for his pins.
"Here we a- wait, what! My pins… I only have my Harmonizer Pin and the Player Pin! Where's my Enju, or Rakuyo, or my Mitama, or Unjo, or Dope Line!? Crap, I've only got my wallet, too!"
Neku, Shiki, Beat, and now Eri stood there sullen. Neku shook his head, running for CAT street.
"Phones. I'll drive you." Sanae said.
"Mr. H? Oh, thanks! I need to get to the J of the M store on CAT street! They have all my good pins, like Blade, and Vortex Saber."
"Neku? I'm coming with you." Shiki said.
Neku smiled, walking over to her.
"Of course you are. But it's Day One and they're already asking us to beat the Game Master-
"Game Masters, Neku. The Noise King's made every Reaper a GM, and he's changed the rules, too. There are 365 days to this Game, Phones. And three missions a day. He's screwing with Joshua's well-thought-out system." Mr. H said.
Neku chewed on this for a second, thinking, until Beat yelled out,
"SO WE TAKE OUT THE COMPOSER! We know who he is, where he is, and when he is!"
Eri stared at him for a second, then looked at Shiki as if to say, I'm partnered with this idiot? Shiki shrugged as Neku mouthed the words, So was I.
"Beat, it isn't as simple as that. Joshua's disappeared, and the Reapers are to afraid to take out the Noise King, even Shades' replacement." Mr. H said.
"But yo, who is Shade's replacement?" Beat asked.
"Well, he was the Conductor of Shibuya, so it has to be a Reaper of High Rank. Let me check." Hanekoma turned around opening his cell. He murmured something, then turned around again. "I've found two things. 1, the new Conductor is Koki Kariya, who recently climbed the ranks of the Reapers quickly. And 2. Game Master 12950 is Uzuki Yashiro. Erase Uzuki or YOU will be."
"Alright, done. Now we track down Uzuki." Neku said, flipping his new pins around.
"Who is this 'Uzuki?'" Eri asked.
"Uzuki is a Reaper Beat and I befriended during Game 3. Her and Kariya, the new Conductor. So now we track her down and see whoever wants us to take her out. There's no way I'm taking her out." Neku responded.