Songs and Poetry
Hope
"…Once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it."
~***~
He was neglecting his Composer duties.
By all means he should be back at the Shibuya River.
He wasn't.
Didn't care.
What were they going to do about it anyway?
There weren't any Games going on at the moment, so he had all of this free time on his hands that simply couldn't go to waste. The UG wouldn't blow up if he was gone for a few hours. Besides, lately his mind had been elsewhere, drifting off to what he considered forbidden territory.
However, he was never one to deny himself. If there was some form of entertainment that kept him happy, or at least interested, he would find some way to get it. Right now, he wanted to see her, hear the sweet music of her pure thoughts, and make sure she was safe.
Of course, he told himself it was just because he couldn't bare the idea of Neku losing a friend, or maybe because she simply lost her entry fee already. Taking another would be cruel, would it not?
Lies that echoed in his ears as if his heart still beat…
He closed his eyes, trying to locate her. As Composer, his scanning drifted farther than any other, and he was used to the flow of her mind. He located her heading down the street, away from her house, her thoughts directed elsewhere.
It didn't take him long to reach her, and he followed her in the UG, comforted in the knowledge that she had no Noise floating around her, and thus her thoughts must be in order.
Rhyme was smiling, eyes shining, watching the people mingle around her. Joshua eavesdropped on her thoughts as he walked.
I'm glad Beat is beginning to lessen up, though his concern is touching.
Joshua smiled at the pureness of that statement; the way it sounded in her mind was soft and gentle.
I hope he didn't hold me back too long though, what if he already started the operation?
He frowned. Operation? Who's? His question was soon quickly answered as Rhyme skipped around the corner, the local children's hospital coming into sight. She went inside the doors, nodding politely to the nurse, her thoughts still riveted on the subject of her visit, which she annoyingly didn't bring up directly.
The moment she pushed open the doors, Joshua still following, (and secretly glad there wasn't a decal on the hospital), little kids all ran into Rhyme's arms.
"RHYME!" They shouted, dancing around her and jumping up and down. Several pulled themselves onto Rhyme's back, and she stumbled before falling onto her stomach. She laughed as the little kids, ages two to six, tugged at her hair and clothes.
"You came, you came!" One kid shouted, apparently unaware of how loud he was compared to the others. The sight of Rhyme laughing and smiling with the poor kids made a helpless smile cross the Composer's face.
This is charming.
"Of course I came." She chirped, sitting up in a cross-legged position and taking the youngest in her lap. She rocked him gently in her arms, looking up and greeting each kid before turning to one boy who hadn't run forward, but was standing near her. He looked like seven, Joshua guessed, and he had dark brown hair and white clothes on. On his pale face rested a pair of sunglasses.
Rhyme stood up, gently placing down the toddler, and walked over to the sunglasses kid. A curious Joshua followed. She knelt down, taking the kid's shoulder and smiling.
"Isn't the operation today, Daichi?" She said.
The kid smiled, looking nervous. "Y-yeah. Do you think it'll work, Rhyme?"
She hugged him close, whispering in his ear, and Joshua had to step close to hear.
"I know it will. You have to believe. Hope is the essence of courage, be brave for the others here, and inspire them."
"I-I'll try my best. I thought you wouldn't come." He pouted. The tremor of fear in his voice was audible.
"I just got held back, but I never go against a promise." She replied, releasing him. Joshua stared, fingers forming an arch, as he studied the scene in front of him.
How can you say that? You have no hard proof. Placing false hope in the child's heart would only make disappointment all the more painful.
A doctor came in, a soft smile on his old features.
"Daichi, it's time."
Rhyme hugged him again, holding his hand. "It'll be okay."
He smiled, and then walked forward, his small hand slipping from hers. Rhyme knelt there, waving and smiling, until Daichi and the doctor vanished behind the door.
Afterwards, she straightened up, and for just a moment Joshua caught a terrible pain in her blue eyes, filled with fear and desperate hope, and then it was gone. She clapped her hands together, attracting the attention of the kids in the room that had gone deathly quiet since the departure of one of their own.
"Okay, what about a story?"
Cheers erupted at this, and while Rhyme approached a cart full of books, Joshua scanned her mind. He was stunned; the usual soft melody was now rather depressing.
Oh please let it be okay. He's too young to go blind; he has his whole life ahead of him! I'd switch places, if only I could!
"You worry about everyone." Joshua murmured, watching her turn around as a young girl spoke up.
"Can we have a new story?" Someone asked.
Rhyme crossed her arms, thinking. "Hmm, okay. I've got one."
She sat down on the brown leather furniture, closing her eyes as the kids sat around her.
"There was once a boy named Joshua."
He blinked, staring hard at her, double checking his vibe to make sure he wasn't visible on their realm.
"He had an elegant way of speaking." Rhyme adopted a haughty tone, obviously meant to mimic his own. She succeeded in earning several giggles from her audience. "And he liked to use word play, to better confuse his enemies."
"What enemies?" Asked one girl.
"Oh, he used to see the world as his enemy, Mai. The whole of Shibuya was his foe."
"Why?" Asked another kid.
"He didn't trust people, for reasons that even he had forgotten. He saw them as tools, things to be used, all equal in his eyes."
"Sounds like a jerk." Sniffed one kid. Rhyme smiled.
"He was, at first."
Joshua scowled.
"Then, he earned the trust of someone, and he began trusting that someone in return. Let's just say he gave that someone a new chance at life."
"Was he a doctor? A miracale worker?"
"Miracle worker, Tatsu. And yes, I guess you could say that. That person he trusted had friends too, after a difficult journey himself. Soon that someone's friends began to talk to Joshua, and he talked to them. A girl wished she could get Joshua to completely open up, so she could talk to him and get to know him. Because she knew that he had an interesting story that he had to tell someone, he needed a friend who he could tell everything to, he needed someone to understand." That adopted haughty tone again. "But of course he needed no help, he was Joshua."
"Is there a moral? I love morals!" said Mai.
Rhyme smiled. "There is, I'm not done yet. Joshua decided to finally talk to the girl, and afterwards he found he felt better. The two-"
"Got married and lived happily ever after?" spoke up one boy.
Rhyme blushed, and Joshua giggled a little at her expression.
"W-well no. I mean, err-"
"Kids? Time for lunch." A nurse said, coming in. The kids all rushed out, some coughing on the way, and the nurse stepped aside to let them pass. "Are you going to stay for lunch, Rhyme?" She asked.
Rhyme stood up, smiling and shaking her head. "No, sorry. I'll go somewhere else to eat, but I'll hang around for a little while longer afterwards."
"Okay, dear. Thanks for coming; they look forward to your visits."
"It's the least I can do, ma'am." Rhyme responded politely.
"You're an angel." The nurse cooed, closing the door.
Joshua looked around, judged the room empty, and then glared at the security camera. He could hardly materialize with it there. He followed Rhyme outside, and then appeared a little ahead of her, in an alley. While she walked by, oblivious, he said,
"Want to get to know me better, hmm?"
She froze, then turned around, smiling gently at him. Joshua smirked back.
"Oh, hi, Josh. I had a feeling you were there."
"Of course you did." He murmured, stepping close beside her. She smiled up at him.
"I meant every word I said, you know."
"Did you really?" He flicked a strand of his ashen hair from his face. "I see. That's so utterly adorable, using me as the subject of your morale stories."
Rhyme surprised him by laughing.
"Of course, Joshua. You call me naïve, but you have so much to learn yourself." She walked ahead, turned back and stunned him some more by winking, (was that an almost smirk on her face?!) and headed for a ramen place.
After a moment of pause he went after her.
"Me? I have so much to learn? Explain." He didn't bother to hide his irritation.
She waggled a finger, pushing the door open. "I would like to Joshua, but I have a condition."
He raised an eyebrow by way of reply, standing next to a booth while Rhyme ordered the food. She came back, handing him his favorite noodles, sitting down across from him. He leaned back, sighing.
"Hmm, I'm in paradise."
Rhyme smiled into her food, her head lowered.
"So," he said between bites of the noodles. "What was your condition?"
"I want to know what you wished at Hachiko's fountain." She replied, looking nervous but determined, her slim fingers finding their way around her bell necklace.
"Hmm…" He drawled, to stall for time. Should he tell her? Would it improve the situation? His own curiosity was dying to get the meaning of her words; of course he could just scan her…
"Why shouldn't I just scan you?"
"I thought you enjoyed a challenge." She playfully pouted.
"Ah, but the back route is so much easier."
She shrugged, looking defeated. "Okay, I guess I can't make you. I just really wanted to know, it bugged me a lot last night." She sighed, looking so crestfallen that Joshua felt just the faintest pang of guilt.
"Hmm…I'll tell you my wish, but on…" He held up two fingers. "Two conditions of my own."
"Okay." Rhyme brightened considerably, which caused Joshua to smirk, violet eyes shining.
"I want you to spend the day with me tomorrow, as the first condition."
"L-Like a date?" She stammered.
"Please, I do not participate in just trivial matters, dear Rhyme. No, but sometimes I really have nothing to do, and you're such good company." He drawled the word, but the way he said it made Rhyme shiver noticeably, and he giggled.
"Th-the other?"
"I want to know how I have something to learn. That bit first."
"Okay. You and Neku are similar…"
Joshua pursed his lips.
"Not trusting others. You need to open up more, Joshua, and stop seeing others as tools and objects. We're people with feelings, and we can help you with any problem, if you just let us. Okay? Take my advice, please." She pleaded. Joshua's smirk softened into smile.
"I see." He murmured.
"I-I've got to get back to the hospital." Rhyme blurted, looking nervous. "See you. Unless, you're coming?"
"No, I've got to get back to the UG." Joshua lied. Truth was, he didn't, but he wanted some time to think. Rhyme smiled, turning to leave, and Joshua couldn't stop himself from saying,
"See you soon, Raimu." Her name sounded so smooth but foreign on his tongue, and she paused, looking embarrassed, before waving quickly and leaving the shop.
Leaving the ramen place and entering the UG, Joshua once again heard poetry, as if Rhyme induced it, playing in his mind. He smirked.
A part of you has grown in me, together forever we shall be. Never apart, maybe in distance, but not in heart.
~***~
"Yo, you doin' alright Rhyme?" Beat asked, looking away from the TV to look at his little sister. She smiled, looking up from her book.
"I'm doing fine, Beat."
He shrugged, looking back at the sport game that was on. "Aight, aight. You jus' bein' real quiet, yo. Somethin' on your mind?"
"Hmm nothing I can't handle." She murmured, too hushed for him to hear.
Her thoughts raced ahead of her, even though her eyes were on the book, the words on the page seemed like gibberish at the moment.
You're insane. This can' be happening. Surely. He's dead, first of all.
However, the other part of her responded:
Is he really? He doesn't seem like it.
She tapped her fingers on the table.
Of course he doesn't "seem like it"! Besides, who knows how old he is?
Doesn't look that old to me.
Aren't you a little young to be dating?
It's not a date.
Whilst in the middle of her internal monologue, Rhyme's eyes finally noticed the words in her book, and when she did, she held it closer to her face, studying the letters that finally formed words, then sentences. Rhyme smiled then, and read the words aloud.
"The human heart, at whatever age, opens to the heart that opens in return."
~***~
Guess what? This chapter was COMPLETELY rewritten twice before I finally thought it acceptable enough. *Waves a little flag* Go me. Would you like to review? They make me happy. =)
Also, I know Sota and Nao are dead. *sad face* I just decided to give them a little cameo. I wanted to do a story on them…Maybe.