Angsty, fluffy, Joshua loving Neku. Oh, and the all-too-well-known Red String of Fate deal. Hope you like it.
36. Precious Treasure
When Yoshiya Kiryu became a Composer, he never wondered about what would happen to that one who was connected to the other side of the string. That red string he grew up hearing about in tales from his parents and his older siblings, but once he decided living wasn't for him, he gave up on that legend. Besides, who cared about that stupid string anyway? Undoubtedly it rent in two when he chose this afterlife.
On the anniversary of his appointment, an angel visited him. "Do you wish to meet the other tied to your string?" The young Composer declined and the angel responded, "Do you wish to be lonely for the rest of your nonlife?" At this question the Composer paused before shaking his head. No one truly wished to be lonely. "Then I shall return a year from now and ask the same question."
The angel left Yoshiya's territory and the young Composer returned to his job. Despite the job being solitary in nature, he found comfort in his Conductor and the officers below him, and in the angel that appeared every year on the anniversary of his appointment as a Composer. And each year the angel asked, "Do you wish to meet the other tied to your string?" and he would respond the same every time.
After twenty years of being the Composer, Yoshiya stopped responding to the angel's questions, refusing to acknowledge the angel or his purpose. Sanae had explained that the angel existed only to reveal one's destined mate, and the longer one went without the angel's help, the more likely the person was to lose their mate forever. Yoshiya wasn't worried, he thought he had lost the chance when he died.
But still, every year the angel came to him and asked that question. "Do you wish to meet the other tied to your string?"
More time passed, and Yoshiya grew bored with his nonlife. No longer had the Conductor or the officers amused him, and the little conversations he occasionally overheard from the Reapers no longer held any interest. It was as if his dear Shibuya was stagnating.
And then, the angel came again and asked that same question. And this time, Yoshiya's heart clenched. He wanted to meet that one who he was meant for, that one who was born just for him. So Yoshiya nodded. And the angel smiled. "You'll meet him soon."
But time passed some more, and the angel stopped showing every year. Time was no longer traceable in the Composer's vision. There was no event to time his inner-clock by now the angel had no reason to visit him. Shibuya became worse and he couldn't take it anymore.
When Yoshiya decided to go and pick his proxy after the conversation he had with his dear Megumi, he felt the tug, the pull of something much greater than himself. He listened to the music of his territory, of his Shibuya and found himself in the Ugadawa backstreets. Standing at the mural was a boy who glowed with an inner light. The light of imagination, he called it. His mind cried for the boy, knowing immediately he was perfect for his plans, and his heart screamed in anguish when he fired the bullet that took the boy's life.
The Composer dropped the Player pin on the teen, his eyes alight with an inner fire he hadn't felt in eons. And while his temporary form begged to touch the boy, to make sure this was who his heart claimed to be, he took a couple steps away and returned to planning the next three weeks.
Yoshiya found himself stalking the boy, being a bit too obsessed with his actions more so than that of his Conductor's. But the Conductor was nothing in his mind now that he found this dear boy called Neku. As far as he was concerned, Neku was all that mattered. And when he finally had the chance to fully interact with the boy, Yoshiya was so… happy. Just having him nearby made him practically scream in glee, like some odd fan girl. Separating from Neku, even if it was to save him at the end of that week truly caused his heart to crumble up. Nothing felt right unless that spit-fire was nearby.
Then, finally that last game came. He took Neku's fee and aimed the gun at Neku's chest. What was disappointing was the fact no matter who won this little game, Neku's fee would be taken away, permanently. When the Composer pulled the trigger, and the bullet hit the teen in the heart, he felt his own rend completely to shreds. Nothing was worth anything unless Neku was able to be involved.
Because Neku was something precious. Something worthwhile. Something that made Yoshiya Kiryu feel so bittersweet. He'd finally found his destined, the one who his string of fate connected him to, across time, space and mortality. And he'd only have to wait just a little longer before he could keep his Neku forever.
Because that boy was his precious treasure. His alone.