On the Way to a Smile

by Regiss

Axel made a promise that he'd always be there to bring them back, but now Lea finds that he can't remember who one of "them" was. With his heart weighed down by guilt, Lea will do anything to get his friend back—and his memories with her. Part 3 of Remember the Tides.

10. See You in Shibuya

Chapter 10: See You in Shibuya

Same streets. Same crowds, too.

The stoplight changed from red to green, and the crossing was in a flurry of activity. Hundreds walked across the intersection, each one in their own little world. Advertisements played on gigantic screens up above, only adding to the flood of noise coming from each and every one of the conversations, whether it be on the phone or in person. Speaking of phones, some people moved without ever watching where they were going, furiously typing away on their handsets whether for professional or personal reasons. It was all a gigantic mess, a cacophony of a thousand different voices, each world confined to one person but melding into something larger.

Yeah. Shibuya hasn't changed a bit.

"Brain wave, main wave
"Psycho got a high kick
"Collect and select
"Show me your best set
"Crystals, blisters
"It's all over now
"Psycho cane
"You're so keen
"I need more candy canes"

Among the crowds, just one more unforgettable face in the sea, was a young man with orange hair dressed in purple and white. Music blared in his headphones, but where once upon a time Neku Sakuraba would have shut the world out, kept to his values and let others keep to theirs, he moved with his head held high and taking in the sight of each and every stranger who passed him by. The song just happened to be a favorite of his, was all.

But still, I don't think I can forgive you yet.

But that wasn't to say he was all fun and games. No, he still had some pretty heavy thoughts weighing on his mind.

"Cold cake, cold break
"Freak got a high kick
"Mr. Twister
"Moist with roistering
"Stick it up
"Take it up
"Step aside and see the world
"Effect has defects
"Take a bow to the moon (Bow-wow to the moon)"

Neku came to a stop in the middle of the Scramble Crossing and looked up at the 104 building towering above the sea of people. Whatever was playing didn't really register to him, but he watched it all the same.

You don't see it, but...those few weeks were very hard for me. Learning to trust people; having that trust broken. Finding out the town I pegged as small, and stifling, and empty...wasn't any of those things.

He turned away and turned the volume up a bit as he continued crossing the street. Music helped him think.

I'm glad I met you guys. You made me...pick up on things I probably would've just gone on ignoring. 'Trust your partner'... And I do. I can't forgive you, but I trust you. You took care of things, right? Otherwise, Shibuya would be gone and my world with it.

"Morning rays, Hairspray Queens
"Get on their way to their nests, the west
"Honest, they once had a dream
"Belles of society, in the shells of their unity
"Cornet'n spinet
"The sound flows, follows till they're home
"Dragged by the power of dreams
"That power is yet unknown"

As Neku stepped onto the sidewalk on the other side, his head was slightly but suddenly jerked back as his headphones were pulled away from him. Turning around with irritation, Neku found the thief holding onto the wireless headset with a teasing grin on his face. Neku sighed and held his hand out. "Give 'em back, Beat."

Beat grabbed Neku in a headlock, one that the thinner boy struggled to get out of but was all in good fun. "C'mon, Phones! You had that song set so loud the whole crossing could hear it!"

Neku looked around at the crowds, not a single one of them paying attention. To them it was just another weird sight that gave Shibuya so much of its charm, it'd frankly be stranger if they did catch attention. Beside the two boys, a smaller voice spoke up. "Beat, you could've just asked Neku to turn it down a bit."

"He couldn't hear me anyways Rhyme, I been tryin' to talk to him for the last five minutes!"

With Beat distracted, Neku slipped out of his hold and snagged his headphones back. He opted to hang them around his neck and flicked off the MP3 player in his pocket in one motion. "Well you got my attention now Beat, what's the deal?"

"Oh, uh, just that!" Beat laughed and rubbed the back of his beanie-clad head. Beside him his little sister, Rhyme, let out a soft sigh.

Neku rolled his eyes, but he didn't turn the music back on. His exasperation turned into a smile as he shook his head, laughing at the whole situation. Beat punched him in the shoulder. "Yo, don'tchu laugh at me!"

Neku matched Beat's grin from earlier. "You just make it too easy."

"Hey, watch it!" Beat grabbed Neku and put him in a headlock once again. Laughter filled the air around them, and even if it was drowned out by the chatter, it was their world right now.

After Neku struggled some more, the fourth member of their group – a girl with short brown hair, a green sweater, and a black stuffed cat hanging from her bag – finally intervened. "Beat lighten up a bit, you'll hurt him."

Beat released his grip immediately. "Aw, you're right. Yo, sometimes I forget how scrawny Phones is!"

Neku took a few breaths before speaking, but he kept his grin on his face the whole time. "Hey, I'm not that scrawny."

Beat burst out laughing. "Oh yes you are, man! I betchu even Shiki could beat you in a fight!"

The girl put her hands on her hips. "Hey! What do you mean 'even' Shiki, huh?"

"Bwaaah!" Beat jumped back when Shiki took a step forward, looking at him with narrowed eyes through her glasses.

Rhyme couldn't help but giggle at her brother's reaction. "I think Shiki could beat any of us in a fight, honestly."

Neku and Rhyme started to laugh again and Beat turned his attention on them. "Yo, that's not fair! You know I don't hit girls!"

"Such a gentleman," Shiki said while hiding a smile of her own. "I'm sure you wouldn't mind holding my bag for me either, would you Beat?" She didn't give him a chance to respond, dropping it into his hands, stuffed cat and all. "Easy on Mr. Mew, okay?"

"Wha—?!" But Shiki had already gone ahead, Neku walking beside her. Rhyme gently patted Beat on the back before following after them, leaving him dumbfounded and staring after his three friends for several long moments before he finally started running through the crowds to catch up with them.

Neku looked over to Shiki, who was typing away on her phone. He lingered on her for only a second, then looked ahead as he spoke. "That was pretty gutsy of you."

Shiki glanced up at Neku then over her shoulder at Beat. "I couldn't resist. Should I take it back from him?"

Neku waved a hand. "Nah. He's not complaining, right? Besides, I didn't say gutsy was bad."

Shiki's face turned a shade pinker and she looked back down at her phone. "I think I still have a bit of Eri in me."

Neku nodded. "After all we went through—not just in the Game, but with those Heartless and Nobodies and everything in Traverse Town—we're bound to be different. I don't think it's a bad thing though." Shiki looked up at him at that. "Wasn't that the point of it all?"

"Guess so! And you know Neku, you changed too."

Neku averted his gaze and rubbed his neck. "…You think?"

"Yeah. You're less dorky."

"Hey!"

While Shiki giggled once again, Beat ran up to catch up with the two of them. "So, where we headed anyway?"

Shiki came to a stop and pointed up, right up, at the roof of the building they were stopped in front of. "I thought we'd all spend lunch up there today. That's kind of a change of pace, isn't it? It'll be fun!"

Beat rubbed his head. "What, way up there? Why?"

But Rhyme disagreed with her big brother. "It sounds like a great idea, Shiki."

"Right? Come on, the way up is over here!"

x-x-x

The stoplight changed from red to green, and the crossing was in a flurry of activity. Hundreds walked across the intersection, each one in their own little world. Advertisements played on gigantic screens up above, only adding to the flood of noise coming from each and every one of the conversations, whether it be on the phone or in person.

Standing in the middle of the Scramble Crossing, still in a bit of a daze from the star shard depositing them there, was Lea. But that wasn't the main reason he was still as a statue. On the contrary, Lea was utterly bewildered by just how many people were here. It was insane! It was like a solid wall of people, everywhere he looked. Even in Radiant Garden at its height, even in Traverse Town when the Heartless were at their worst, he had never seen such a gigantic crowd before.

"This is gonna be worse than finding a needle in a haystack," Lea commented as he continued to stand in the middle of the crossing, watching everyone go by. They moved past while caught up in their own little worlds, as if he and Cissnei weren't even there. "Where do we even begin to look for this Joshua guy?"

Cissnei rubbed her head, pushing away the last of the star shard's effects. "Well, just standing around here won't do. Come on, we'll go pick up information."

"Any idea where? I mean, not that there's exactly a lack of people, but no one really cares we're here. It's not like we can just press a button and read their minds."

Cissnei looked around with an expression somewhere between intrigue and concern. Behind her face Lea could almost see the gears in her mind turning as she took it all in. "Sheer numbers aside, it seems like an ordinary city. Which means there's got to be somewhere people congregate—and I don't mean just to walk around. Bars, restaurants. Things like that."

"Pick up rumors at a tavern, huh? You been playing some of Yuffie's video games?"

"Hey, clichés exist for a reason. This works, trust a Turk on this one."

Lea shrugged and then waved his arm forward, into the sea of people. "Lead the way, then. Let's find our metaphorical tavern." Someone bumped into him, causing Lea to stumble. When he regained his balance he shot a glare at the back of the salaryman's head then turned to Cissnei. "Though keep an eye out for me, alright? Seems like it'd be pretty easy to get separated."

Cissnei shot him a smirk. "It won't be easy to lose you with that hairdo, don't worry."

Lea ran a hand through his red spikes. "I'm proud of it, and it comes in handy. Two for two."

The two of them made their way out of the middle of the crossing and onto the sidewalks, which while slightly less crowded was still a mess far bigger than one either of them were used to. As opposed to the chaos in the crossing the flow of this crowd moved one way, one that Cissnei and Lea found themselves forced into like a raft drifting downriver, directing them toward a bus terminal. The crowds lightened up as they approached an area that could almost but not quite be called a small park, with a statue of a dog standing in front of a train station. A few people lingered around the statue, looking around as if waiting for others.

"See anything?" Cissnei asked.

Lea looked around at the various fast food establishments in this urban sprawl. "No dark, medieval taverns to hear rumors over a mug of ale, I'm afraid. There's a burger shop though."

"Better than nothing."

"What, you serious?"

Cissnei was already moving ahead of him into the shop labeled 'Sunshine Stationside'. Seemed like a pretty typical fast food on the inside, with high school age kids working behind the counter and people sitting at the circular tables around them. Cissnei walked up to the counter and tapped a finger against her lips while she looked over the menu.

"Welcome to Sunshine!" exclaimed a girl with a forced smile. "What'll it be?"

Lea jumped right to the point. "Don't suppose you know anyone named Joshua around here?"

The girl gave him an odd look but spoke with an over-the-top cheerfulness. "Joshua is a pretty strange name around here, I haven't. Can I interest you in our spicy bacon burger?"

Lea rolled his eyes. They weren't going to get anywhere with some teenagers working minimum wage. But Cissnei kept going as if she was actually interested in ordering from this place. "You know what, I'll get a small chocolate shake."

Lea shot her a look – why was she actually ordering? – but Cissnei returned it with a small, enigmatic smile. While the girl took her order and Cissnei paid, Lea, with nothing else to do, looked around at their surroundings and wandered the window. He stared out at the crowds, watching them go by, until Cissnei walked up to him sipping her shake.

"It's not half bad, actually."

"If you were hungry you could have just told me, instead of going through all this. Are you taking this seriously?"

"Of course I am, Lea. You have to be subtle about these things." Cissnei shook her head and motioned back to the girl at the counter. "Of course she wasn't going to know this Joshua guy in a city this big, but we got information out of her nonetheless. Didn't you hear what she told you, without telling you?"

Lea raised an eyebrow. What?

Cissnei lowered her voice to a whisper. "She said that Joshua is a weird name around here. That means we're looking for someone most likely not from around here. Which means he's going to stand out in a crowd."

That was… Lea chuckled and ran a hand over his forehead. "Okay, I have to hand it to you, that's pretty clever. But there's no way you could have known that girl would give us any sort of hint."

Cissnei shrugged. "I took my chances. I also wanted a shake though."

Lea frowned and looked back to the crowds. It was a pretty big mass, everyone sort of blended together, but… He gasped, catching Cissnei's attention. "What is it?"

"Oh someone in there definitely stands out. It's not Joshua though, I can promise you that. Come on!"

Lea hurried out the door without paying attention to the employees asking them to come again. He wasn't running, but he moved quick and with purpose toward the statue of the dog. Through the ever-shifting wall of bodies, amidst the chattering hustle and bustle, he would occasionally catch a glimpse of blue. If he focused hard enough, he could just make out a familiar voice.

"…please, do you know…"

"Excuse me, but…"

"…sorry, I'm just trying…"

There she was, in front of the dog, haling down anyone who passed her by. People were ignoring or otherwise unable to help her. Lea wasn't sure he'd be able to either, but her merely being here was something completely unexpected. "Aqua!"

The Keyblade Master turned around to see Lea approaching her, and her eyes flickered behind him to Cissnei catching up. "Lea! Cissnei! What are you two doing here?"

Lea slowed down as he reached Aqua in the center of the madness. "I could ask you the same thing. Sora told us to stop by this world and ask for someone named Joshua, said he might be able to help with my missing friend."

Aqua's face brightened. "You too? Sora suggested this Joshua person to me as well, to help try and get Terra back."

Cissnei smiled. "So we're on the same mission, huh?"

"Looks like," Lea agreed. "Makes things easier for sure."

Aqua's shoulders slumped. "Well, it would if anyone here would give me the time of day. If someone isn't passing me by and ignoring my question, they don't know who this guy is."

Lea crossed his arms. "We're not doing much better. All we got is he might maybe possibly be a foreigner so stand out in a crowd."

"Yeesh… But three heads are better than one," Aqua continued. "You two willing to help me out?"

"Don't even need to ask, Aqua. What kind of friends would we be if we didn't? Even if we weren't looking for the same person." Cissnei said.

"Yeah, what she said. Though I don't know where to even begin to look…" A grimace crossed Lea's features as he looked around. "Maybe we need a higher point of view, somewhere to get a better look down on the crowds to find someone standing out."

Aqua waved her hand in an arc around them. "Take your pick, there's plenty of tall buildings here."

"More back at the crossing than near this station, though. What's a train station without a clock tower, I ask you?" The joke was left without laughter from the two women, the reference going right over their heads. Lea sighed. "Anyway, yeah, let's go back a bit and find a way up around there."

Aqua stepped aside, allowing Lea to pass. "Lead the way."

Back into the chaos again. Navigating the crowds was hard enough with two people, but three people trying to stick together while dodging and weaving past people who pretended like they didn't exist was even more difficult. Not to mention doing that while trying to uphold a conversation, since Lea wasn't quite comfortable yet with coincidentally running into Aqua here.

"Don't suppose you came here to keep an eye on us?" Lea asked Aqua from the other side of a pair of chatty teenagers.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, you know. Ven's told me you go after him when he goes off-world."

Lea just barely saw Aqua frown before an older couple passed between the two of them. "Well I'm not going to deny that, but after everything that's happened I'm just looking out for him, and I hope he knows that. But no, I didn't come looking for you two—though I'm glad I ran into you. You both just vanished last night."

"Sora didn't say where we went?"

"No, he did, but you both left without warning. What did you find at the La— …At Castle Oblivion?"

Lea let out a sigh. For a moment he caught Cissnei giving him a worried glance, and before he was able to speak up she was already replying to Aqua. "I don't suppose the term 'Replica' means anything to you? I mean, as a proper noun?" At Aqua's headshake, Cissnei continued. "They were a project of Organization XIII's Vexen to create artificial—"

"Don't use that word," Lea snapped. The two women stared at him for a moment before Cissnei continued.

"…Experimental humans. Like Maleficent's ally Garland—in fact I'm pretty sure Garland served as the inspiration for Vexen's project."

"But what does this have to do with Castle Oblivion?" Aqua asked. They had crossed over to the other side of the street and were now standing against the wall of a tall office building, standing under the shade of an overhanging balcony.

"What we found in Vexen's notes on the castle was that one of the Replicas—one called no. i—was a part of Organization XIII. Thing is, Lea doesn't remember any of this."

A grimace painted Lea's features as he looked aside. "It wasn't hard to put two and two together." Aqua opened her mouth, but Lea didn't want to talk about this anymore. He was still angry they hadn't gotten a name out of that visit. "Anyway, if you came to get help with Terra is Ven with you?"

Aqua closed her mouth. She peered at Lea, trying to read him, before seeming to give up and going along with the change in topic. To Lea's surprise, Aqua shook her head. "I left him in Radiant Garden actually, though I'm sure he probably ran off to find Terra himself as soon as I was out of sight."

"Aren't you worried about that?"

Aqua shrugged. "Well yes, but while I've pulled him back to Radiant Garden before I know I can't keep him from doing what he wants. Ven's not a little kid and he's proven he can handle himself. Doesn't mean I'm not worried, of course, but I can't be too overprotective. Doing that is what led to him running off in the first place years ago."

Aqua seemed to turn inward, thinking something to herself. Lea let her do that while he examined the buildings around them, trying to find a good location to scout out the crowds. Cissnei beat him to the punch, calling Lea and Aqua around the corner into an alley where a fire escape made its way up the side of the building they had been gathered under.

"Do you think anyone will mind?" Aqua asked.

Lea moved toward the first step. "No one will know."

The stairs were a little shaky going up, but they held. The building was kind of stupidly tall, though, taller than Lea had thought from the bottom. Halfway up the climb he was already starting to feel out of breath, and he could almost feel Cissnei and Aqua burning their eyes into his back as he started to slow down. By the time they reached the roof Lea leaned over the edge of the building, resting his arms on the railing, and paid more attention to catching his breath than scanning for any standouts in the crowd. Maybe if he had been more aware of his surroundings he wouldn't have been shocked by the voice coming from behind him.

"HEY! Who let you up here, yo?!"

The gruff accusation made Lea jump slightly, and he turned around to find that he, Aqua, and Cissnei had intruded upon a group of teenagers who had also come up to the roof of this building. There were a few boxes of food laid out. What the heck, were they just eating lunch up here?

The one yelling at them was a guy in a beanie who looked like he was probably the oldest of the group. He was standing up and pointing a finger at Lea, but his own friends seemed just as confused as Lea was. A girl in an orange shirt, sitting beside him, reached a hand up and grabbed his wrist. "Beat, calm down. It's not like we own this rooftop, you know."

Beat muttered something under his breath and sat down with crossed arms. Beside Lea, Aqua spoke up. "We're sorry if we're intruding on something. We came up here to get a better view of the Scramble Crossing but if you'd like us to leave we can."

The other girl, a brunette, shook her head. "No, that's fine, really! We were just sitting up here people watching. Truth is it's kind of a hobby we all picked up once."

Lea shook his head. "Well it's not a hobby but we're here for pretty much the same reason. We're trying to find someone in that mess," he jabbed a thumb back over his shoulder, "and a vantage point would make that easier."

The first girl, the one in the orange shirt, stood up. "Well, maybe we can help! I'm Rhyme, this is my brother Beat, and Shiki and Neku." After pointing out who was who, Rhyme smiled. "What's this person look like?"

"We don't know," Cissnei answered.

Shiki tilted her head. "So it's someone you haven't met?"

"Right. All we know is that he probably stands out, since his name apparently isn't too common around here."

By now, Beat had warmed up to them. "Well, what is his name, yo?"

"Joshua," Lea said.

Quiet descended on their new friends. Rhyme, Beat, Shiki, and Neku all looked at each other, some sort of silent conversation occurring between them all. Finally, Neku stood up from his spot and locked eyes with Cissnei, Aqua, and Lea in order. "Why are you all looking for Joshua?"

Lea jumped up from his leaning on the rail. "Wait, you know him?"

"He's our friend." There was a sort of edge in Neku's voice that didn't go unnoticed by Lea and the others. It wasn't directed at this Josh guy though. No, he didn't trust their intentions. Understandable, if he really was Joshua's friend.

Lea took a step forward. "A friend directed us to him, too. Said he could help us out. I don't suppose you know anyone named Sora?" Even with Neku's face partially hidden behind the collar of his shirt, there was no mistaking the way the kid's eyes bugged out. That was a familiar name to Neku. "We're looking for someone—well, two someones. Sora told us that Joshua is good at bringing people back, so we came here looking for him."

"Sora did?" Shiki asked.

Neku lifted his head, and Lea was surprised to see a smile on his face. This kid didn't seem the type. "Then if Sora sent you, there's no reason not to trust you."

"How do you know Sora?" Aqua asked.

"He came here before, helped us with a problem with those Organization XIII guys, him and…" Neku trailed off. A look of confusion crossed over his face, he grasped the side of his head for a moment, then turned to look at his friends. "Guys, who was Sora's partner?"

"Partner?"

"You mean Donald and Goofy?"

Aqua and Cissnei's own questions just seemed to confuse Neku more. Shiki, Beat, and Rhyme were obviously trying to recall the answer to his question, too. "He wasn't with anyone named that…" Shiki murmured.

Lea had a sinking feeling in his gut. "You sure he didn't come here on his own then?"

"Yo, absolutely not." Beat shook his head adamantly. "He wouldn'ta been able to do nothin' if he was here on his own. He musta had a partner but… I don't remember either, yo."

Shiki's eyes shined with worry behind her glasses. "And when we were in Traverse Town, Rhyme and I went shopping with…somebody… It wasn't Sora, he was with Beat and Neku…"

Cissnei and Aqua both looked over to Lea, who took in a deep breath. "Yeah," he answered their unspoken question. "Sounds like Sora was here with my lost friend."

Neku turned from his friends to Lea. "Lost friend?"

"Someone who I can't remember but is missing from my life, she's one of the two people we're looking for. I came here hoping Joshua could get her back. Sora was a friend of hers, too."

Neku let out a sigh. "No memory? Join the club."

Rhyme nodded solemnly beside him, but then she looked up at Lea with another smile on her face. "Don't worry about not remembering for now, Lea, because they'll come back to you for sure. You know what they always say—'Sometimes memories just need a little help getting out.'"

Beat, on the other hand, looked unsure. "But yo, not even a name? That bites."

"Not a name, but we have some sort of identifier at least," Cissnei said. "We found a journal calling her 'no. i'."

"Oh, the imaginary number," Neku stated matter-of-factly with an almost sagely nod, eyes closed. When he opened them gain to find everyone just staring at him, he asked a defensive "What?"

"You don't exactly look like a math nerd," Lea commented.

Neku crossed his arms and hid a blushing face behind his collar. "N-No, I just fought a guy who was obsessed with numbers. He named an attack after it."

Shiki giggled. "Though you can also drop the first twelve digits of pi at the drop of a hat."

Neku grumbled under everyone's lighthearted laughter. Shiki turned to Lea, Aqua, and Cissnei. "Anyway, we don't know where Josh is right now, but we know someone who can get in touch with him. You mind following us? It's a bit of a walk."

Lea smiled. Finally, they were finally getting somewhere. A real lead. "Absolutely, lead the way."

"Awright!" Beat pumped a fist in the air. "Next stop, Cat Street!"