SORRY FOR THE DELAY AGAIN!

Summer blues eh? Well I had to get ready for the school semester, yes I am human…but still I shall and have returned to writing thank god I have too…but yes sorry for the month-long delay and to my fans here is the long-awaited chapter four.

Ben Zephyr

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Start of Day 2

Neku woke up with a familiar yawn seeing them back in CAT Street.

"So we aren't moving now?" he asked no one pleasantly returning to the nothing of the area around him.

He looked over at Joshua; he still had some major explanations to do.

"Neku…heh what are you doing with that…oh that feels so…" Shiki spoke in her sleep a light blush on her face as she turned over looking as if she where holding something.

Turning away he looked over at Beat and Rhyme who where still sound asleep; Beat's snoring had not diminished whatsoever.

It actually felt quite peaceful outside, with very minimal traffic.

But then again whoever the new composer was had succeeded in clearing out most of town anyways, including Eri. This made him wonder why…

Why was Shiki now Eri again? Although personally he found Eri a bit more appealing and how Shiki looked as her but he could not put a finger on it, but he felt as long as he was with Shiki those simple facts did not matter.

This was a large character change from the self-serving egotist he was before. Although who could blame him after what happened with Ryu. Ryu was his best friend and he died in a car accident near the scramble.

He had almost begged him to meet him in front of the mural and drove him to rush in front of traffic. He drove him in front of the car and drove him to his death.

Ever since then he could never let himself open, never let himself feel this pain again. Then his parents divorced further hurting his ego and isolation.

Then they died separately in separate plane crashes and so then he was alone, held up by inheritance. His mother was flying from the New York area in September, 2001 when her plane hit a building. His father died during a storm collision in 2003. Neither of them had acknowledged his existence and where both work-obsessed.

For as long as he could remember he was always alone in life and left it that way, then Eri changed it like an angel from above. Divine interference? He was not one to believe in that but, that isn't to say it was not possible.

Especially since two demi-god like beings where lying down near him, that still confused him to the moment too.

What exactly are Joshua and Mr. H? He had a suspicion for sometime since his name was Joshua…but he would believe the son of god to be a little less sarcastic and…a basic asshole then Joshua.

But there was still a bit of grey area between them that confused him very much the same.

"Morning Nekky…" Joshua said with a sardonic smile right on cue.

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"Look Joshua…I don't want to wake up to…"

"Aww how sweet you want to wake up to your sweetheart now Neku? Whatever happened to the selfish, stoic Neku I used to love and enjoy?"

/Must resist…attacking…/

"Now what's with…?"

"What's going on?"

Beat and Rhyme had just woken up from their daze.

"Neku…GAH!" Shiki yelped with a start staring upwards, getting up from the noise.

"Well this is a good morning" Mr. H retorted with a small yawn.

"Very good indeed" Joshua said with another soft yawn.

"Well that's all fine and great…" Neku answered with a hint of resentment.

"You still got to tell us though…why the hell are you EVEN DOWN HERE!"

"Good question Neku…mind you I am not here because I want to…I was made to…"

"What?"

"Neku, do you know what an Angel is?"

"Aren't they those Christian symbols of those little kids floating around with tiny wings?"

"Close…we do have wings…"

"We?"

"Come Neku…you don't think they can give the composer job to anyone do you? You have to get to the top follow a certain guideline…"

"Which is…?"

"You have to be an immortal Christian allegory that's what" Mr. H said finally. "Joshua and I here are from a higher plane…angels so to speak…"

"That still doesn't answer anything…"

"Yes it will…when I get to what happened…"

"What happened!?"

Joshua sighed. "You do not like theatre well do you? Very well then…the only thing that can beat an Angel like me, which Sho had to find out the hard way, is another Angel…"

"So wait another angel you mean?"

"From the higher plane…first I thought they where here for some special errand until I noticed he was not…well he had a signature as if he had been on Earth…"

"Earth so you mean?"

"He was another composer of another game…and well he took me out of the picture end of story…"

Mr. H took another breath "They don't get it still…"

"Fine…look when another's game gets a little too big they can takeover the neighboring one's game for space…at this point counting this one…there are 123 games in the world encompassing every great city center from San Francisco to…either Honolulu or Sydney or however you want to see it…"

"So this new person is from another game?" Shiki asked getting it slowly.

"Right green…"

"Shiki…"

"Right…well this new composer walked to my door after a game and requested space…I declined for the reason the most populated city and largest metropolitan area in the world needs all the space it needs…but he would not say no…"

"So you guys like fight?" Beat asked patiently pondering what has happened.

"No he was a bit more…underhanded…I had to leave on an errand and the new guy decided to rudely just take my seat in the river…"

"And…why did you not pull him off?"

"You do not understand…whoever sits on that seat 'literally' runs Shibuya. The city's working frame and all the power that makes the game is held in the seat and only works to whoever sits there and happens to be an angel…"

"So the machines took it as you…"

"Until he said he defeated me and now the city belongs to me…making the count turn to 122…but I would like to keep the balance at 123 thank you" Joshua finally rushed out tired and exhausted.

"The man has no self-respect for the rules I set…"

"Wait I thought you could not pass through game-"

"If you are human…when you are an angel your vibe…lets save that conversation for another day" Joshua spoke as if he had a monstrous headache.

"I need answers!" Shiki yelled finally pointing at her new self.

"All assured later…" Mr. H with a sigh hearing his phone vibrating on the counter.

"Mission…?" Beat asked getting at his phone.

"Yah…an interesting one to boot."

"How interesting?" Neku asked nonchalantly.

"You will see…" Mr. H said showing them the text.

"Defeat your partner…you have fifteen moments, enjoy you sons of digits"

"What…is the mission…"

"They are not playing by our rules" Joshua said placing a palm on his face… "This man is insane…even with the first thing he did he could tear…"

"Joshua?" Neku asked a little worried now that the Angel child had lost his mind now.

"Damnit…he is really trying to destroy the world isn't he?"

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Sho laughed a little as the bits of soul caressed his face from the top of 104.

A billion little hands where now floating in the sky, piece by piece recycled into the stray noise. The sounds of partner and partner going at it at their hardest made such a cacophony for his early morning breakfast.

He could be an angel now…that is a promotion beyond all others, he just had to win and to win he had to play every dirty handed scheme he could.

Of course he could not issue an 'everyone dies' mission, or play this like Ninja Gaiden at hard. A feat he held to esteem that he was one of the first to complete the impossible task of beating that game at hard and never restarting once.

This was when he was alive once and variables where his life. For at eighteen in one of the tougher districts in Tokyo, life was not easy.

He was in a township controlled by the Yakuza, whose bullets would kill him one day at the dock he worked at. He had to work there to pay for his schooling at the esteemed Tokyo University in mathematics.

People spoke that he would in the future be the next Fibonacci or even the Archimedes of the new millennia.

Although, in his upbringing everything he had was ill-gotten through stealing and devising solutions to get ahead in life.

His game systems and computers where black Market made, and even he self-created from stolen machine parts.

That is where he gained a true love for the machine and the chaos to create it. His only love, since his physical self was that of just grey and not pleasant in the culture-washed city.

But he persevered until he died and became who he is now, a near god.

Now chaos again ruled around him. He could never recreate that game which he got stolen, but he could make things tricky and difficult to make it to the simple man seem like you must kill the other to win…

… In effect, that would make the players die for their stupid move.

So in the blind, players began firing lightning rooks across the field to scorch the other.

Others, it made them fire lead pipes and other telekinetic objects at each other until one would die and become static in the air.

Then of course, the noise would come at the single player and consume him. Then recycled soul, and life would once again go on in the UG.

This was the perfect solution, no problems whatsoever.

Now it was time to go and build one more scrap heap for the day.

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Joshua smiled…"He isn't playing…"

"Defeat…you mean kill?" Shiki spoke shaking slightly.

"Or…" Mr. H spoke smacking Joshua across the head making him fall to the floor. Or Joshua just fell upon a whim.

"Just make them fall and act like you beat them in nothing more than a fistfight…" Rhyme said smiling.

Beat reacted quickly and went after Rhyme, wrapping her neck around his arm giving her one of his familiar old noogies. For the first time, Rhyme accepted this little loving gesture and fell to the floor defeated.

Shiki resorted to a simpler measure.

A swift kick later, Neku was on the floor holding on to his groin in obvious pain.

"MISSION COMPLETE!" the message sparkled in the café.

"So we won?" Joshua said getting up.

"I guess so…still no idea on if everyone has to win this new game" Mr. H said with a soft sigh.

Rhyme stared up and regained her balance. "Well another day is another day I suppose…simple too"

"Too simple…" Shiki said a little worried.

Neku was still on the floor holding on to himself, screaming in pain.

Shiki let out a soft giggle and slowly stepped over and kissed his cheek. Then she leaned down closer and let a soft whisper.

"I'm up!" Neku yelled out, getting up and ignoring the pain by leaving his hand on his side. He was obviously blushing.

"What did she say to him delinquent?" Joshua said with a light sigh.

"Dude…I don't want to know…AND THE NAME'S BEAT!" Beat yelled at him. Joshua only laughed a little

"So…what?"

"DO YOU WANNA GO OUT SIDE PUNK!?" Beat asked angered now.

Shiki could only blush and giggle again. Whatever she said it did work. Only issue was what the next day was going to bring them now.

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"That boy is such a good puppet…" The man said with a ferocious laugh. "Now everything is going to plan…everything…"

END OF DAY 2