Work together to defeat the hounds scrambling around Shibuya. The dog of war welcomes you to record near the mural. Fail, and face Erasure. You have an hour.

"Work together, hmm? It's like they want me to fail." Neku sighed heavily and placed his hand over his face for a minute before slowly sitting up and heading for Hachiko. He expected Apollo to follow his lead, seeing as the Higher Being had been a Player before and thus should be familiar with the tradition of meeting at the place.

He didn't have long to wait.

"It seems this next mission is going to negatively affect both of us." Apollo said as he sat on a bench. "You are less than thrilled to cooperate with me, and I feel your mortality is a disadvantage."

"I abhor your existence." Neku growled "I usually am content to shut out things I abhor, but this is for someone who surprisingly means a lot to me, so I'll tolerate you." He sat down and sighed, looking again at the mission. "Anyway, we don't have time to argue."

Apollo nodded "Indeed we do not. Now then, our initial task is simple enough...to eliminate Wolf Noise in specific places around the district. From the hints, we can conclude there are three specific locations. Two of them are obvious."

Neku snorted and glanced at his phone "The two are Towa Records and Udagawa. But the 'Dog of war...I mean...Hachiko's a dog, but he's usually associated with bravery, loyalty, and friendship, not war."

Apollo sighed "Well then, Sakuraba...we best get thinking then." He suddenly cocked his head and looked towards Cat Street, a contemplative look on his face.

"Interesting."

Neku shuddered and fell to his knees, clutching his stomach. "Tch!"

Apollo looked at him curiously, "Sakuraba, now is not the time to take a knee."

"Like I want to! This is your fault, asshole!" The proxy spat, sinking further to the ground and assuming the fetal position, arms wrapped tightly around his stomach "Using psyches on a human...idiot...of course there are side effects!"

The Higher Being sighed "I gave you a heal. Honestly, how did you survive the Game again? Pathetic. Well then, I suppose I have no choice but to wait for this fit of yours to pass."

"Asshole! Heal me with that pin in your pocket!"

Apollo cocked his head "Why would I waste it when you're almost done anyway?"

"RAAAAAAAWR!"

TWEWYTWEWYTWEWYTWEWYTWEWYTWEWY

"Mister H!"

The frantic cry from upstairs spurred the Barista to action immediately. He set down the coffee pot he had been brewing from and literally flew up into the spare room, wings raised. "Little Skulls?!"

The girl simply pointed with a trembling hand at the occupied cot with the Composer, her other hand on her mouth, tears running down her face as she silently screamed.

The body was seizing, thrashing wildly, blood spewing out in both froth and stream form. No sound came from the rasping throat. His mouth hung open in a wail, tongue straining as if the lollying muscle was trying to force air past the bubbling liquid that spouted everywhere. Sanae quickly flipped Joshua on his stomach to help expel the red into a direction away from his windpipe. The action was rewarded as globs of crimson vomit expelled themselves from the teen's mouth.

"That's it, J." Hanekoma soothed, rubbing the trembling back "Get it all out. Good...good."

The Angel frowned deeply as he reached into Joshua's being and found that his boy was howling in agony, a pain he'd never experienced racking his Music and cutting what was left of his Soul. The Composer pressed forward, sifting and diving against the horrible barrier that kept him locked away. The field repelled the Producer's reassurances and empathy, turning the sentimental energy into irritating sand. Despite these symptoms, there was a small glimmer of hope.

"What's wrong with him, Mister H?" Rhyme asked, placing a hand on her Composer's shoulder before immediately removing it in suprise and a bit of fear. "He's shaking so hard...and he's hot. Fever?"

"No." croaked the older man "It's worse than that. But believe it or not, this is a good thing."

"How?" the girl whispered, "He looks like he's in so much pain." She brushed ashen locks away from closed, crying eyes, fondly twirling the lightning-bolt before tucking it behind an ear red as a tomato.

"It means he's trying to come back to us." Sanae said with a small smile that didn't quite erase the worry in his eyes, "Josh is fighting. He's getting tired of staring at the inside of his eyelids, so he's trying to push past Apollo's bull and his own weakness to stoke his soul. Once he breaks through, he'll open his eyes again."

"Can he do it?"

"Without his wings? I honestly don't know." The Angel said softly "I really hope he can."

Rhyme looked on as the seizures continued. She placed her hand on the weedy back, trying to steady herself while bringing him comfort with what she hoped was her song. She had not forgotton that her efforts on that front were all but useless. Where Joshua had gone there was no sound penetrating it, not even from Shibuya.

"I wonder what he's really listening to in the deep corners of his mind. He's the Composer. I refuse to believe inside his heart is just silence. What melody does he hear in a place where music can't reach?"