Wishes Chapter 11: Stage 11 The Song, a world ends with you fanfic

Wishes

Stage 11 - The Song

When Joshua awoke again, he was, once more, alone, but this time he was in Neku's bed in his apartment, and the other end of the bed had its covers thrown aside a little haphazardly. Which meant that the fox in question was most likely up, though when he strained his hearing, he couldn't hear the shower going. So, a little worried, Joshua got up, noting that he was wearing what he believed to be a spare set of sleepwear from the Proxy, and headed for the bathroom.

However, as he had already expected, it was empty. With that confirmed, he walked to the living room.

There, he had a little more luck.

"Morning, dear!" he chirped, and Neku looked up from where he was standing by the coffee machine with a small frown.

"Don't call me-cough cough!-urgh… dammit," the Kyuubi hissed, before he turned to the sink and spat out something into it. "Just some slime," he mumbled upon noticing Joshua's frown, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Coffee?"

"Hmm… just some tea for now, if you please."

"Figured as much…"

Joshua merely giggled as he moved to the kitchen table, while Neku finished making coffee for himself and a cup of tea for the Composer. Neither of the two spoke as they nursed their respective drinks, content for the moment with being lost in their own thoughts. As they did, though, Joshua couldn't help but feel like the entire thing was a bit… surreal.

Two months ago, Joshua would've never thought such a thing to be possible, but here they were, not even speaking and merely drinking a warm beverage. Quietly, he swirled his tea around in his cup, watching the liquid slosh around a little and take on some rather peculiar shapes.

"Penny for your thoughts," Neku said suddenly in perfect English, making Joshua look up in surprise.

"Pardon?"

Neku chuckled. "It's an English saying. I'm pretty much asking 'What's on your mind?'"

"Ah." Joshua shook his head briefly. "Nothing, really. Nothing important, anyway."

The redhead cocked an eyebrow in silent question, but after a moment, he shrugged and took another sip of his coffee. Joshua was a little surprised when Neku didn't prod, but he wasn't about to question it and looked down at his cup as the liquid stilled, before downing the rest of his tea.

"So… what did you have planned for today?" he asked after a moment.

Neku blinked, before he frowned in thought. "Today…? Well… we were supposed to meet the others for karaoke, but that isn't until tonight… So… no clue, really. …although…"

"Hm? Although… what?" Joshua asked casually, not sure if he liked the deep frown on Neku's face.

"Well… I was actually considering going on a 'fox hunt'."

"Oh? Going to look for your runaway brother, hm?"

"Yeah… I really doubt he already left after just that last meeting… That's just not him." Neku paused to down the remainder of his own beverage. "I'm not going to ask you to come along… might have a better chance if I'm alone…"

"Oh, I beg to disagree," Joshua quipped with a chuckle as he twirled a lock of hair around a finger.

"Hm? How so?"

"Think about it; isn't it me he appears to be after? Wouldn't it be better for me to come along as, shall we say, bait?"

"…you serious?"

"Hmhmm."

Neku seemed to be seriously considering the concept, a deep frown on his face, and finally he sighed heavily. "Whatever… don't blame me if you get hurt, though."

"Hihi. Roger, sir."

Given the recent shift in temperature, the pair decided against their usual dress code and had opted for some long-sleeved sweaters, dark jeans and sneakers. They also made sure to grab some jackets and scarves, just in case. And, also just in case, Neku grabbed along a handful of his pins from his time during the Game, and Joshua couldn't help but be amazed at the amount of pins Neku actually had; one of each of the pins that were available during that time, including the Yen and rare metal pins. Neku had been keeping them in a large, leather bound collector book that had been meant for Tin Pins, allowing them to retain their sheen, even after five years.

When questioned about why Neku still had them all, the only response was: "Why not? Spent so much time collecting them, seemed a waste to throw 'm out."

And once they were packed, they left the apartment and began the trip through Shibuya. It was dry, but there were more than a few puddles that they had to be weary off, especially with the cars racing past. Despite the threat of rain, however, Shibuya was as busy as ever, and this made their small mission a little bit difficult.

"Goodness… sometimes I wonder if Shibuya ever quiets down," Joshua chuckled out.

"Hahah… don't count on it," Neku laughed, adjusting the collar of his turtleneck sweater to cover his whole neck. "I'd go as far as to say that Shibuya never sleeps."

"Hihi. That wouldn't surprise me at all."

They spent a long time just walking, sometimes going into shops and survey some new stock, saying hi to the shopkeepers that they had come to befriend throughout the Game, and finally pausing at the place it all began; Hachiko.

"…I actually think this is a 'safe zone'," Neku murmured, looking up to the bronze statue.

"Hm? How so, dear?"

"Don't call me that! Anyway, Kamui's scared to death of dogs."

"…Heheh. Really now?"

"Yeah… course, he'll never admit to that. Would anyone, really?"

"Hmm… I don't believe they would, no."

"That was a rhe—OOF!" Neku staggered back after colliding with someone who had been coming from the other way. Since he'd been looking at Joshua, he hadn't seen the other until they'd already collided.

"Urgh…"

Neku blinked as he recognized the slightly annoyed growl and looked up. "Oh! Jin. Sorry, man. Didn't see you there."

The brunette looked up wordlessly, before he snorted and looked aside, obviously not caring one bit. Joshua quirked a curious eyebrow, but didn't say anything in response.

"What're you doing here, though? I wasn't expecting to see you this far out," Neku continued.

"…stuff," Jin mumbled under his breath. However, as he did, his eyes suddenly flicked back, and looked past Neku and Joshua, and then he frowned. "…you know you got a tail on you, right?"

Neku briefly tensed, and almost reached back with one hand, but Joshua quickly asked: "A tail? Whatever do you mean, Jin-kun?"

"…same guy that's been tailing you few days ago…" the brunette said solemnly, reaching up briefly to adjust his cap over his eyes. "…think you ticked off a youkai or whatever…"

Upon hearing those words, both men froze in surprise, before they shared a look with each other. They were both thinking the same thing, but also wordlessly asking the other if they had even noticed. Neither had, of course. That's what Neku had said, after all; Kamui can blend into an environment and no one would know he's there…

But apparently Jin could.

"STOP THAT GUY!" someone suddenly shouted, startling the pair and making them whip around.

Jin however… did something that was highly unusual of him; he smirked, and then he bolted, a loud bark of laughter erupting from his throat as he ran. Both Neku and Joshua stared after him in surprise, before another, older man, a cop, by the looks of it, ran past them and after Jin.

Said brunette, however, darted between the crowd of people, never once colliding and spiraling out of the way of near collisions, while bounding off of benches and walls, sliding down railings and spinning on poles before he disappeared completely within the mass of people and almost easily lost the man on his tail. (*)

"…Well… that was awkward…" Joshua murmured softly after a long moment of silence.

"…Borderwalker…"

Upon hearing the soft murmur from beside him, Joshua blinked in surprise and turned to Neku. The Proxy had a strangely distant look on his face, his pupils actually slitted across the center. "Hm? Did you say something, dear?"

The redhead jumped, as though startled awake from a daydream, and his eyes returned to normal when he blinked. "Huh? Wha…? Oh uh… n-never mind… don't mind me… just rambling…" Neku mumbled, bringing up a hand and running it through his hair absently.

Of course Joshua was suspicious, but he had a feeling that Neku wouldn't tell him anything even if he asked. So, for the time being, he shrugged the matter off and went back to the situation at hand. "If you say so… Now, shall we go see what had Mr. Police Officer so bothered?"

"…Sure. Think he was coming from the station underpass."

Wordlessly, the pair made their way to the station underpass, though Neku did occasionally look back over his shoulder, as though expecting to see his fellow Kyuubi somewhere. Thankfully, the daiyoukai didn't show up, and this suited both of them just fine.

The moment they stepped into the underpass, they both gasped and almost jumped backwards. Joshua hadn't been there for a while, but he was certain the place did not have such a powerful pulse of Imagination running through it last time he was there. It took them only five minutes of walking to find the source.

Joshua whistled softly as he stared at the wall before them, before he said: "Okay, I admit; that's impressive."

"You can say that again…"

What greeted them on the wall, was an incredibly detailed image of a furious, snarling three-headed hound, its snake-headed tail primed and hissing with its tongue lashing out, as the beast stood poised over a bed of flames and polished white skulls, its poisonous saliva dripping from its jaws; an image of Cerberus, the Greek hound that guarded the gates to hell.

"Interesting he put that up around here…" Joshua murmured.

"Yeah… given how the path along the Shibuya River is named 'Rubicon'."

"Point exactly."

"…I wonder how much he knows…" Neku murmured in thought, to which Josh only hummed softly.

Joshua wanted to believe that it was all a coincidence, but after Jin's comment about them being tailed by a youkai, let alone the fact that he could manipulate his own Imagination to fight Noise (whether it was consciously or not), that theory became less and less plausible. The image was certainly not all that attractive for most people, and here in the underpass, the dark lighting made it a lot less noticeable, but Joshua had a feeling Jin had done this purposefully. He just didn't know why…

"Guess that's why the cops are after him, now…"

"Hmhmm… must've caught him as he was finishing up."

Neku hummed in thought, hand on his hip as he fiddled with his bangs. "Not sure why he would, but I guess you might just owe him one, Josh."

"Hm? How so?"

"If this works as I think it works… this might just keep Kamui away. Dogs scare him enough, but three-headed, poisonous dogs with a snake for tail? Yeah, that would scare him half to death if he ever came across that."

Joshua blinked, before he chuckled. "I suppose it would. So I guess we can be almost certain that he won't jump me when a Game is going on, hm?"

"As long as you don't leave the Room of Reckoning, I guess so…"

The pair stood there for a few moments, just staring up at the mural in silence and taking in the Imagination that seemed to pour out of it. Joshua was beginning to understand why Neku said he had potential to be a Conductor; if he could somehow convince Jin to become his Conductor when he died, then he was sure he'd have no problems healing the remainder of Shibuya's wounds.

"…!" And somehow, that reminded him of something that he really should have wondered about much earlier. "…Say, Neku?"

"Hm?"

"I was wondering… when I get a new Conductor, finally, what will you do?"

At that question, Neku actually looked at him in slight surprise, for a moment, before he turned back to the mural with a frown on his face, deep in thought. "After that? Hmm… to be honest, I'm not sure. It depends on how much Shibuya's healed, I suppose."

"…And… what about when it's completely healed?" Joshua asked, cursing the hitch in his voice, but waiting breathlessly for the answer.

"Then… I'll probably be leaving Shibuya behind."

He knew that. He knew that it was coming. The Kyuubi was there only to ensure Shibuya's stability and 'health', so if Shibuya was doing fine, there'd be no more reason for him to stay there. He knew that!

…but… why did that confirmation just now twist his stomach into knots?

"…? Joshua?" Neku called out suddenly, turning to face the Composer properly. "What's wrong?"

"N…nothing…" the silverette said solemnly, turning away with his hands shoved deeply in his pockets. "Nothing's… wrong."

Neku frowned deeply for a moment, a little confused, though, also, a tad bit hopeful, upon hearing how the last word almost sounded choked. If he was reading the signs right, and he hoped – honestly hoped – that he was, then the Composer might just… just might…

"Josh… hey, look at me," he said softly, placing a hand on the silverhead's shoulder.

The Composer didn't respond immediately, though he was breathing just a little faster than he normally did, but he finally turned his head to Neku. "…Yes dear?" he asked with what was supposed to be a cheeky smirk, but it came out as a sort of sad smile.

"…" Just this once, Neku consciously ignored the annoying nickname, opting instead to ask: "Why are you crying?"

Joshua tensed sharply in response, then bit his tongue and mumbled: "W-who's crying? I-I'm not–"

But Neku didn't let him finish and reached up, using his thumb to wipe away the tear that was threatening to roll out from the boy's eye. "You are…"

"N-no I'm not! I-I just had some dust in my–"

"Do you actually believe yourself… Yoshiya?"

Joshua winced when Neku used his given name like that. He never used it so casually. Never.

Then, Neku's other hand came up to rest upon his other cheek, and now both thumbs were wiping away tears that were steadily rolling down. "Tell me, Yoshiya…" he whispered, as he placed their foreheads together, forcing Joshua to look the Kyuubi in the eye. "Tell me… what's wrong?"

Joshua blinked once, twice, tears rolling down his cheek every time he did, and every time Neku would wipe them away before they reached his chin. His breathing hitched at that point, and he bit his lip briefly, before he screwed his eyes shut and clenched his fists tightly in his pockets.

"I… I don't know…" he choked out softly. "I just… I… it just… it… it h-hurts…" he whispered, and the quiet admission startled the Kyuubi, though he said nothing. "It… it hurts… s-so much…"

"…Where?" Neku whispered softly, moving some of Joshua's hair aside. "Where does it hurt?"

Joshua sucked in a breath, and it sounded like a sniffle, but he didn't care as he pulled his right hand from his pocket. He moved it over his chest for a moment, trying to isolate just where the pain was coming from, and finally found it on his left breast. "He… here… r-right here…"

If Joshua could see Neku's expression, he would probably have a good laugh at the surprise on his face, but at that particular moment, he both couldn't see it, and he couldn't bring himself to care. The expression was soon gone, however, and Neku sighed softly, before he pulled the Composer to him, ignoring the slightly startled gasp, and held him close.

The Composer blinked strangely for a moment, unsure, but slowly, he brought up his arms and wound them around the redhead's shoulders, burying his face in his shoulder and allowing his tears to flow quietly, an occasional sob escaping his throat. He didn't even understand why he was making such a big fuss out of this… but it just hurt so much!

And Neku said nothing. He merely softly shushed him and held him close, one hand on his back and the other resting in his hair. And when Joshua's legs gave out on him, he lowered them both down to rest upon their knees, never once relinquishing his hold on the Composer.

However, as they remained like that, Neku slowly looked up, his pupils contracting before they slashed down vertically across the iris, and his eyebrows angled down into a deep frown as he felt a sizzle of power that was far too familiar.

'Kamui…'

As he waited, however, he realized that the other Kyuubi refused to approach, but it was obvious that he was close. The redhead was expecting Kamui to lunge at them, but nothing. It was as though something was preventing him from-

Neku blinked once and looked from the corner of his eyes to the mural beside them, and he wondered…

'Could it…? I know I said it was possible… but I wasn't expecting it to happen…'

And still he held on to Joshua, even when his body ceased to shake and his sobs abated, and only once he was sure that all the tears had gone did he pull back to look the Composer in the eye again. "Better now?" he asked softly, making sure his eyes were back to 'normal'.

"…Yeah…" Joshua murmured, wiping away the last of his tears. "Sorry 'bout that."

"…Whatever…" Neku mumbled, bringing them both back to their feet. "…Hey, mind if we stop by your place for a tad?"

"Hm? Whatever for, dear?"

"Would you–…oh whatever. Let's just go. I wanna see something."

"Hihi. Sure thing."

As they went, with Joshua leading, Neku looked back briefly… but Kamui had vanished, leaving no trace of his presence behind. The redhead frowned darkly, before he wiped the expression from his face and walked after Joshua.

He'd deal with Kamui later… there was something he really wanted to check before that.

They reached Dead God's Pad relatively quickly, and the pair was glad to note that none of the Reapers were there, though Joshua hadn't been expecting them to be. As they walked over the glass floor, the fish beneath it curiously followed their footsteps, as Joshua walked up to the bar.

"So… care for a drink, dear?" he asked cheekily.

"Don't call me that, and I don't drink, period," Neku said simply, hands in his pockets.

Joshua merely chuckled as the redhead proceeded to move toward the pool table, a number of fish following after curiously. After shaking his head, he moved to the small mini-bar. Joshua didn't keep any alcoholic drinks in it, of course. He said it was to keep his Reapers sober during work, but it was actually because he hated the substance so much that it made him sick.

After pulling out a small bottle of juice, he turned around to Neku. "Sure you don't want—"

But the question died in his throat when he saw that Neku had snagged up one of the cues by the pool table and was in the middle of a small solo game, bent over the table with one hand on the soft velvet surface and the other holding the cue steady. The redhead seemed completely focused on the end of the cue, his breathing slow and steady. And then he struck the white ball and watched as it sailed right past the two balls he had set up, bounced against three walls, and then slipped right in between the pair, striking both as it did.

Joshua whistled a little as he walked over, while Neku moved around the table and seemed to study the positioning of the balls. "Wasn't aware you knew how to play, dear."

"Don't call me that. And it's just a matter of math. It's not that hard," Neku said, and so as to prove his point, he struck the white ball once again. And, effortlessly, it struck the other balls after hitting three walls. (**)

Joshua hummed a little, as he unscrewed his bottle of juice and took a sip, watching as Neku walked around the table in thought. The fox didn't even seem to care and just kept playing quietly, sometimes tapping his finger to his lip, before moving to the other side of the table. He played a few more times, before he finally stood up, put the cue down and stretched out his arms with a slight groan.

The Composer allowed a small giggle before he quipped: "You came all this way to play a game of pool, dear?"

Neku shot him a dirty look at the nickname, before he placed his hands behind his neck and cracked the joints there with a hiss. "No, I was checking something, but I can't really hear from here…" he mumbled with a sigh. "Guess I got no choice… can we go to the Room of Reckoning real quick?"

When asked to go the Room of Reckoning, Joshua had to admit, he was a little surprised. Just a little.

"Sigh… if you wish," he said, though he had to make a lot of effort to not let his discomfort show.

The last time the Kyuubi had been in the Room of Reckoning, after all… things had not ended well at all.

The trip to the Room of Reckoning was uneventful for the most part. The only exception was that Neku occasionally stopped to look at CAT's artwork. When they finally reached the room, it was still the same as the last time when they had been there, though the snake drawings had been removed from the floor. After all, that had been proof of Megumi's rank as Conductor, and without a Conductor, the floor would remain blank until Joshua found a suitable replacement.

"…Here we are," Joshua said as he turned to Neku, trying to appear confident of himself despite the dread that coiled in his stomach. "Happy now?" he asked as he twirled a lock of hair, a small nervous habit he had yet to grow out of.

"…Yeah," Neku mumbled, his eyes shut as he raised his face upward, as though to look to the sky (though with his eyes closed, he couldn't see much). "…This is much better…"

Joshua blinked a few times, as the fox's silent admission had been the last thing he was expecting. "Hm? You alright there, dear?"

"Yes… you need not concern yourself about me," the redhead said quietly, and Joshua couldn't help but bite his lip in slight worry.

He remembered the last time the Kyuubi had come here, of course. That had been when he had purposefully ignored the daiyoukai's texts and calls. And the result had not been pleasant…

Even as his phone rang for the who-knows-how-manyth time, Joshua didn't even bother to answer it. He knew who it was; there was only one person it could be, after all. He was sitting on his throne, leafing through some files about the current Game's Players and occasionally adjusting the scores they had received. He had done that for a few hours already, but he didn't feel like taking a break any time soon.

He just wanted to clear his head a little.

But just as he corrected one Player's score, a quiet exhalation by his ear made him freeze up in alarm, as a voice breathed out: "Should you really be giving such a low score now, Composer?"

Joshua wanted to speak, but something was blocking his voice and he couldn't swallow it down. Even as the pen in his hand was grasped by the end and lightly tugged from his slackened grip, he was unable to utter a sound as the seal on his wrist began to burn almost painfully.

"So… tell me, Composer, was there any pressing reason for you to ignore me today?" the fox breathed out into the silverette's ear.

However, just as Joshua was about to respond upon finding his voice again, Neku's hand snapped forward and covered his mouth, preventing any sound from escaping, at the same as the Kyuubi's tails shot out and coiled around each off his limbs and easily lifting him up from the throne.

"You know what? I don't even care about your reason…" the Proxy purred out as Joshua attempted to get loose from his hold (which he was failing at). "Have you forgotten already? Until I say otherwise… your body belongs to me."

Riiiiiiiip

Joshua would've cried out when the fox's other hand easily ripped his clothes to shreds without even trying, had his mouth not been covered up, though this did increase his struggles. He knew what was coming now, after all… and, as always, he was powerless to stop it.

Neku merely chuckled as he walked around and sat down on the throne almost casually before he deposited the Composer onto his lap, making the silverette yelp and moan behind the fox's hand as the Kyuubi's clothed need dug into his backside. His tails effortlessly kept Joshua where he was as he began to kiss and lick along the boy's throat, drawing a long, muffled moan from Josh. And the Proxy merely smirked as he let his hand play along the silverette's chest before sharply pinching his nipple and making the boy yowl behind the redhead's hand.

"I'll make sure you remember for next time… until I say otherwise…" the fox murmured, reaching down slowly, nails dragging along the skin and making Joshua whimper, "this body…" and then cry out when the daiyoukai's hand grasped his own awakening arousal, "belongs to me."

Snap

Joshua almost, almost, yelped when someone snapped their fingers right in front of his face. As it was, he merely jumped in surprise.

"Lost in thought again, Josh?" Neku chuckled out.

"Oh um… sorry about that…" he said quickly, trying to distract his mind from going too far back. That was the last thing he needed… "So… satisfied?"

Neku shrugged his shoulders a little, before he said: "Almost. Few kinks here and there, but it's getting somewhere, finally."

"Hm? Whatever do you mean?"

The redhead considered what to say for a few moments, whatever for, he wasn't sure, but, when the Kyuubi smirked slowly, Joshua felt a twinge of dread form in his stomach. "Are you sure that that's the most pressing matter on your mind right now?"

"H-huh? Wh-what do you-"

"Do tell… Yo~shi~ya…" Neku crooned as he stepped closer, causing Joshua to step back instinctively, "before I 'woke you'… what were you thinking of, hm?"

Joshua gulped briefly as he stepped back another few paces. "I… I wasn't really thinking of anything…!"

"Were you not?" the Proxy murmured, as they gradually ascended the staircase behind Joshua. "Are you sure… sweetheart?"

"D-don't call me-" But before Joshua could finish, Neku's hands shot up and he was shoved backwards to land right into his own throne with a yowl. And he didn't get the chance to get up, since Neku pinned his wrists to the armrests and kept him there. Of course, this made the silverette gulp in slight alarm, since the Kyuubi was now hovering right above him, a small, devilish smirk on his face.

"Are you sure?" Neku whispered, his face barely an inch away from Joshua's.

"Y… yes," Joshua nearly squeaked out, his entire body shivering from the proximity with the fox.

"I think you're lying…" Neku murmured, his smirk morphing into a grin. "I think… you were recalling… that time, ne?"

Joshua froze up in alarm. It was moments like this that he started to wonder if Neku wasn't actually able to scan his thoughts in one way or another. Either that or he was just really perceptive.

"You did, did you not?" the redhead chuckled out, moving forward until their lips were only a breath apart. "It's useless to deny it… I can smell it on you."

He wasn't sure which of them moved then, but those were the last words that were spoken, before their mouths clashed together. He only knew for sure that he was moaning loudly as Neku's tongue slipped inside to play and he turned his head just slightly and allowed his own tongue out to play. And when Neku's hands released his wrists, finally, to slip under his shirt, he let his hands move up and grasp onto the Kyuubi's shoulders, humming pleasantly as the fox's fingers played over his bare skin and sent shivers down his spine.

When Neku finally pulled back, he started to place kisses along the Composer's neck and throat, instinctively making Joshua tilt his head to the side and grant him better access. The silverette whimpered as one of the Proxy's hands slipped downward and undid the button and zipper of his pants before sliding inside, palming his obvious hard-on.

Joshua groaned Neku's name as the Kyuubi squeezed and rubbed in just the right way to drive him insane. "Ne… Ne…k-kuuuu…! Please… m-more…!"

"Heh… insatiable little Composer…" the fox murmured softly as he slipped the boy's pants down along his thighs with his free hand. "Maybe I should just not let you come, ne?"

"N-no…!" Joshua wailed out, even as his right leg was lifted over the armrest. "P-please… please I… I-I need…!"

"Need?" Neku purred in the Composer's ear as he nipped on the lobe, drawing a whine from the boy. "What is it you need, Yo~shi~ya?"

Joshua whined unhappily, clinging to Neku's shoulders as he, unwillingly, called to mind what had happened that time, coloring his cheeks a bright red. He knew what it was he wanted—needed—right then… but saying it was… embarrassing.

"Tell me, sweetheart…" Neku crooned into his ear, making Joshua whine again. "Tell me what you need…"

The Composer whimpered as his entire body trembled, Neku's fingers skimming along his thighs and gradually moving higher but never close enough, teasing him. He tried to get the Kyuubi to get closer, but Neku kept moving back every time. This caused him to whimper pathetically, his fingers tugging on the material of Neku's shirt.

"Ne-Nek… kuuu…"

"Tell me, Composer…" the fox murmured softly. "What is it you need?"

Joshua whined unhappily, but he already knew the daiyoukai would not be satisfied unless he said it. So, with no other alternative, the silver-haired boy gasped out: "I… in… ins-side… please… I-I n-need…!"

"Need… what? You'll have to be a little more specific, Yoshiya…"

"Nrgh… N… Nek… Ne… ku…"

"Tell me. Yoshiya…"

His body was shaking almost violently at this point; he needed it so badly…

"I… I… y-your… ngh! I-I… I ne-need… ah… hah… hah…" Joshua swallowed, keeping his eyes shut tight, because he didn't want to see what kind of expression would be on the youkai's face when he said it. "Y… your… t-tail… pl-please… I-I…!"

Neku smirked slowly as he released just enough of his powers for one of his tails to materialize. And, without a word, the furry limb slithered down and flicked out at Joshua's entrance and the Composer yelped slightly in surprise, before he moaned anxiously as it slipped inside gradually, the tip wriggling almost anxiously.

He sunk his nails into the Kyuubi's shoulders, and he was about to open his mouth to beg again, but all that came out was a gargled scream as the furred limb was thrust inside without the slightest warning. Unable to say or do anything, Joshua could only hold on tight as Neku forced his tail further inside, before he pulled it out and slammed it back in, hard, over and over and over.

And the only thing that ran through Joshua's mind was…

Harder faster more give me more please I want it I need it please take me harder move faster please please…

"Ne… ku… I… I…"

Neku merely chuckled and moved forward, licking up the trail of saliva that was running down the silverette's chin, taking the time to kiss along the boy's face, and then connected their mouths together. The Composer of Shibuya whimpered and wrapped his arms tightly around Neku's neck, as though he was trying to disappear into the taller redhead.

The fox moved away finally, and whispered, his mouth barely a breath away from Joshua's: "Come for me, Yoshiya."

Joshua hissed slightly as all his muscles felt like they bunched together, heat pooling into his stomach, before he choked on a cry as his vision blanked out.

Neku chuckled softly as the Composer slumped entirely, removing his tail and letting it disappear once again as he used his sleeve to clean the boy up, shaking his head. "Silly little Composer…" he murmured softly, as he placed a small kiss on the boy's temple.

As he did, however, he shut his eyes, listening, before he lowered himself and placed his ear over Joshua's heart, breathing quietly. A normal person would have a steady, bumping heartbeat, one that was meant to point out 'I'm alive' to others, but for the Composer, it was different.

The heart of a Composer… was like a Song. For each Composer, the Song was different, with different notes and different instruments, different musicians and different singers. Every Song was unique, and it was through this that he could determine the state of the city which the Composers oversaw. The more frantic and more out of tune a Song was, the more a city was leaning to its corruption. It was such a waste of such beautiful music, and that's why he had first accepted this job; to ensure that such wonderful Songs would not go to waste.

"…Almost there…" Neku whispered quietly, as if he was speaking to himself while he listened to the Composer's Song. "You're almost there… Yoshiya…"

"YO PHONES! Hurry it up will ya?!" Beat shouted out as Neku and Joshua walked over, and the redhead in question chuckled.

"Coming, coming!" he called out as the pair hurried over, knowing better than to get into an argument with the blonde. "Are the others here already?"

"Hehe. You bet, yo! Ya guys were the last ones! C'mon! Let's go, yo!"

Joshua merely smirked as he followed after Neku and Beat into the karaoke bar. The place was thrumming with Imagination from all the customers that came to have a good time by singing their cares and worries away, and while it was a place that made Joshua feel just a tad bit woozy from the rush of energy, he certainly didn't complain. It just meant that Shibuya was not a completely lost cause.

Soon enough, the group of three reached one of the rooms, from which Joshua could already hear Shiki and Eri hyperly conversing with each other even through the closed door, and stepped inside.

As they did, the small group looked up at the new arrivals.

"Hey boys! About time you showed up!" Eri called out with a grin.

Shiki merely smiled and waved Mr. Mew's paw at them in greeting and Rhyme giggled. Josh was about to call a greeting, when he realized the girls weren't alone. Jin lay sprawled out along the armrests of one of the chairs in the room, his cap pulled over his eyes and his arms crossed over his chest. It was very difficult to determine whether he was really awake or if he had fallen asleep waiting for them.

"Sorry we're a little late," Neku said with a small smirk. "Delayed train cart. You know how it goes."

"Yeah yeah, sure, Neku, now come on! Let's get this gig started!"

"Well now… Eri certainly is the busy bee, isn't she?" Joshua asked as said redhead started moving about their room to get everything in order.

Shiki smiled absently from behind Mr. Mew. "Yeah… she says she's finally got the song to get Neku out of breath."

"Not going to wooork," Neku crooned with a small chuckle as he dropped down on a seat, as he picked up one of the drinks that had already been prepared ahead of time. "You're free to try, but you're gonna fail."

"Oh I don't think so!" Eri cried out as she finished selecting a song. "Because you'll be singing this one!"

Neku looked at the screen for a moment, before he quirked an eyebrow. "'Two-faced Lovers'? Seriously now?"

"Hey, you ain't scaaared, are ya, Phones?" Beat laughed out.

"Hell no," Neku grumbled, as he got up again. "I'm assuming you're expecting me to dance too, huh?"

"Don't we always?" Eri giggled out.

Neku rolled his eyes in slight annoyance as he walked over, while Joshua watched a bit curiously. Rhyme noticed and clarified, since this was Joshua's first actual time joining them. "Eri believes that if you dance to the music while singing you do better. Plus, it's a good way to lose some weight," she added the last part with a giggle.

"Hmm… I see. I'll pass on the dancing part, though. I don't do the whole sweating thing."

Beat laughed as he dropped into a seat. "We'll see 'bout that, yo!"

Meanwhile, Eri had shoved the mic in Neku's hand and scurried back to the couch, jumping onto her seat right next to Shiki. "Okay! Show us what you got, Neku!" she cheered out.

"Seriously…" Neku mumbled, but he pressed the switch to start the song anyway.

A few moments later, the screen shifted and Neku took a few long, deep breaths, before the music kicked off. Joshua stared in slight surprise when Neku shut his eyes quietly and began to move in time with the fast-paced tune, while some strange blue-haired anime girl dressed in black and white did the same thing on the screen behind him. And then Neku opened his eyes, took in a large breath and opened his mouth.

"Ii koto tsukeme no yume kara sameta watashi no nounai kankyou wa, / What goes through my mind, after waking up from a dream filled with goodness,
LOVE to iu etai no shirenai mono ni okasarete shimaimashite, sore kara wa. / Invaded by this love that has no nature, After that.
Doushiyou mo naku futatsu ni saketa shinnai kankyou wo / There was nothing I could do, for my heart that split into two
Seigyosuru dake no CAPACITY nado ga sonzaishite iru hazu mo nai no de / The capacity to control it shouldn't exist so
Aimaina taigai no INNOCENT na kanjouron wo buchimaketa koto no hano naka / The words I threw out into this ambiguously innocent argument
Dou ni kou ni ka genzaichi-ten wo kakuninsuru medama wo hoshi gate iru, sei. / Somehow I want the eyes to affirm this current spot, naturally."

Even as he finished the rapidly sung string of words that Joshua wouldn't have been able to follow if it hadn't been for the subtitles on the screen, the redhead barely seemed the slightest bit out of breath. That in itself earned him a lot of points, but there was also the fact that he was still dancing while doing so.

And then Neku took another deep breath.

"Doushite tsukume no mainichi soushite aashite koushite SAYONARA BABY / Why are all the days filled with doing this doing that and doing all that, See ya baby!
Genijtsu chokushi to genjitsu touhi no hyouri ittaina kono shinzou / The two sides of this heart, that face reality and escape from reality
Doko ka ni ii koto nai kana, nante uragaeshi no jibun ni tou yo. /Isn't there anywhere with goodness, not caring about the upside-down me.
Jimon jitou, jimon tatou, tamon jitou tsuremawashi, AHHH! / Going around answering my own questions, mine being answered, answering others, AHHH!
Tada honnouteki ni furechatte, demo iitai kototte nainde, / I just instinctively felt it, but I don't have anything to say,
Itainde, sawatte, aeide, ten ni mo noboreru ki ni natte / It hurts, feeling, gasping, feels like I'm going up to heaven,
Dou ni mo kou ni mo nicchi mo sacchi mo acchi mo kocchi mo / Somehow, with no other way, here and there
Ima sugu achira e tokibon de ike. / I want to fly over there right now."

This time Neku only had a split second to take another gulp of air before the song continued again.

"Moo LOVE-LOVE ni nacchattee / I'm completely in love
Oukakumaku tsuppacchattee / Expanding my midriff
Kyouretsuna aji ni buttondee / Sprung by the strong taste
Toushindai no ura-omote / Life-sized duplicity
Kyouhaku teki shibacchattee / Bound by the menace
Moumaku no ue ni hacchattee / Pasting over the retina
Moo LOVE-LOVE de ichatte yo! / Just go at it, in love!
Aitai tainai, nai! / I want to see you not, not!"

At the brief pause that followed, Neku took that time to regulate his breathing again, even though there was still no sign of a lack of air for the redhead. Flawlessly, he continued to dance to the beat, his eyes shut lightly as his body seemed to move almost unconsciously. And then he brought up the mic again and opened both his eyes and mouth.

"Iyana koto tsukeme no yume kara sameta watashi no nounai kankyou ga, / What goes through my mind, after waking up from a dream filled with unpleasantness.
LOVE to iu etai no shirenai mono ni okasarete shimaimashite, sore kara wa / Invaded by this love that has no nature, After that
Doushiyou mo naku futatsu ni saketa shinnai kankyou wo / There was nothing I could do, for my heart that split into two
Seigyosuru tame no LIMITER nado wo kakeru to iu wake ni mo ikanai no de / I can't exactly raise a limiter just to control this
Taigai wa aimaina INNOCENT-na daisaigai wo furimaita EGO wo haramase / Almost all of the ego scattered by this ambiguously innocent disaster was filled
Dou ni ka kou nika genzaichi-ten wo kakuninshita kotoba wo te ni tsukanda you da. / Somehow I want to catch those words that affirmed the current spot with my hands"

This time, unlike earlier, there was no pause and Neku was forced to continue immediately.

"Doushite tsukume no mainichi soushite aashite koushite SAYONARA BABY / Why are all the days filled with doing this doing that and doing all that, See ya baby!
Genijtsu chokushi to genjitsu touhi no hyouri ittaina kono shinzou / The two sides of this heart, that face reality and escape from reality
Doko ka ni ii koto nai kana, nante uragaeshi no jibun ni tou yo. / Isn't there anywhere with goodness, not caring about the upside-down me.
Jimon jitou, jimon tatou, tamon jitou tsuremawashi, AHHH! / Going around answering my own questions, mine being answered, answering others, AHHH!
Tada honnouteki ni furechatte, demo iitai kototte nainde, / I just instinctively felt it, but I don't have anything to say,
Itainde, sawatte, aeide, ten ni mo noboreru ki ni natte / It hurts, feeling, gasping, feels like I'm going up to heaven,
Dou ni mo kou ni mo nicchi mo sacchi mo acchi mo kocchi mo / Somehow, with no other way, here and there
Ima sugu achira e tobikome. / I want to fly over there right now."

Neku had slightly longer than the last time, but again, it was barely two seconds before he sang again.

"Moumokuteki ni iyacchattee / Disliking it so blindly
Kyou iku yotei sacchattee / Making plans to go out today
Doushite motte iwasecchattee / Making me say no matter what
Toushindai no ura wo mate! / Wait for a life-size other face!
Chouhatsuteki ni sasocchattee / Inviting them provocatively
Shoudouteki ni utacchattee / Singing a song impulsively
Moo LOVE-LOVE de ichatte yo! / Just go at it, in love!
Daitai, ai, nai. / Mainly, love, don't have it"

But before Joshua was about to raise his hands to applaud, Neku continued within a split second.

And then the song was over and Neku wasn't the slightest bit out of breath, which earned him two things; applause and cheering from Shiki, Eri, Rhyme and Beat, and a surprised stare from Joshua. The young man grinned as he set the mic aside and walked back to drop down on the couch again.

"Dude! I was so sure we got you there!" Beat laughed out as he caught the redhead in a headlock.

"Hahaha! Didn't I tell you? You're not gonna get me like that!" the redhead in question laughed, trying to get rid of Beat's arm around his neck, even as he looked over to his first Partner. "Shiki! You're up!"

Shiki giggled as she stood and walked over to the karaoke machine. And it didn't take her long to pick a song either as she picked up the mic. In only a scant few seconds, the peppy music poured from the speakers and Shiki was practically beaming before she opened her mouth.

"Kimi to watashi de HYUU HYUU / You and I together. pant pant
ATSUi kodou kizandara / If we engrave this hot beat
Kawaii nekomimi tsukete / Let's put on cute cat ears
Futari de GOROGORO shimasho / And just roll around together"

Joshua allowed a small chuckle at the third line, and Neku especially, as they watched the same blue-haired girl from before, only now wearing a pair of cat ears on her head, kitty paws on her hands and feet, tail included, dance in tune to the music, and occasionally batting at the air like the cat she was supposed to represent.

"NATSUi ATSU da ne FUU FUU / It's blistering hot, huff huff
Senpuuki no kaze abitara / We bask in the breeze from the fan
AISU ga tokete PATAPATA / Our ice cream melts, drip drip
Arara choppiri setsunai ne / Huh, I'm a little bit sad"

It was an easy enough song; not nearly half as hard as the one Neku had sung, and so Joshua lost interest soon enough. Instead of actually listening, the Composer spent his time sipping some lemonade and watching the others enjoying the brunette girl's singing, which was only a little off-key and only where it involved some high notes. The only one who didn't seem the least bit interested was Jin, who had remained in his 'sleeping' position even when the speaker above his head blared both music and song.

Upon close inspection, however, it became clear that the boy had a pair of earbuds in his ears, effectively blocking everything out. Smirking slightly, Joshua tapped into his powers as Composers, and tried to locate the music that Jin was listening to. It wasn't something he used often, but it was handy in figuring out how people ticked.

…but he heard nothing from Jin's headset.

Merely static.

Blinking slightly in confusion, Joshua stared long and hard at the brunette, but he showed no signs of noticing that he was being watched. And if he did notice, he wasn't making it apparent.

He was shaken from his musing when the others suddenly began to applaud and cheer, signaling the end of Shiki's song.

"Wait wait wait!" Eri called out as Shiki made to head to her seat, hurrying over. Though the brunette blinked curiously when Eri ran over, when the redhead whispered something in the girl's ear, the bespectacled girl flushed bright red. However, she let the other girl scroll through the selection of songs.

"Hm? Whatever is Eri doing?" Joshua murmured, but Neku chuckled.

"Oh I can guess."

Eri and Shiki both grabbed some of the glasses and guzzled them down quickly before hurrying back as the music began again. And then the song began and Shiki opened her mouth first.

"Kabosoi hi ga kokoro no hashi ni tomoru / A feeble fire is lit at the edge of my heart;
Itsu no ma ni ka moehirogaru netsujou / without my knowing, it spreads into burning passion.
Watashi no chou fukisoku ni tobimawari / My butterfly flapped about aimlessly,
Anata no te ni rinpun o tsuketa / leaving behind some powder on your hand."

Eri then brought up her own mic and brought up her mouth to sing the next part.

"Karamiau yubi hodoite / Pulling apart our intertwined fingers,
Kuchibiru kara shita e to / moving from our lips to our tongues,
Yurusarenai koto naraba / what we're doing do might be unforgivable,
Naosara moeagaru no / and that's precisely why we're so fired up."

And then the pair began to sing as one, both of them with silly, but happy smiles on their faces.

"Dakiyosete hoshii tashikamete hoshii / I want you to embrace me closely and gauge my limit.
Machigai nado nai n da to omowasete / Please make me believe that this is not a sin.
Kisu o shite nurikaete hoshii / I want you to kiss me and repaint my body.
Miwaku no toki ni yoishire oborete itai no / I want to be intoxicated and drowned in your charm."

Unlike Shiki's song from earlier, this one was much more pleasant to listen to, and Joshua felt himself paying a little more attention to the lyrics. There was no mistaking that it was a love song, despite how the original singers (judging from the image on screen) were two girls as well. And strangely enough, no one really seemed to care.

They sang and danced, still smiling and with Shiki continuously holding on to Mr. Mew, and before Joshua was even properly aware of it, the song had already ended and the others were cheering and applauding again. Of course, Jin had yet to move at all.

"Phew! How 'bout we cut in a small break real quick?" Eri offered once she had plopped down on the couch againwith Shiki right beside her.

Beat, in response to those words, laughed. "Hehe. That's fine, yo! We got the time, eh?"

Joshua begged to disagree, but he didn't say that out loud, of course. He just took one of the drinks and sipped casually as the others broke out into conversations about everything and nothing. The Composer didn't really have anything to add to half their conversation, so he wisely kept quiet, though mostly because the Kyuubi was sitting right next to him. He wasn't exactly too eager to see what the fox had in store right then.

And, as expected, Jin didn't move an inch.

"Oy, Phones?" Beat suddenly called out, and the way he was rubbing the back of his neck showed he was feeling a little uncomfortable. "You a'ight, actually? Eri said your mum was… uh…"

"Hospitalized, yes," Neku said with a small nod. "Yeah, I'm fine. She's going to be fine with some time. I spoke to her on the phone few hours ago, actually, and she sounded fine."

The Composer allowed a small smile. He remembered that; Neku's phone had rung as he was rechecking his homework, and he had just blindly answered it without looking up from what he was doing. So when he had recognized the voice on the other end as his mother's, he had been almost ecstatic.

The Kyuubi had been on the phone for a while already, when Joshua had decided it would be funny to interfere. Which, in hindsight, backfired quite badly on him.

"Um, Neku? What happened, exactly? E-Eri said she'd… uh… s-she suffered a stroke…" Shiki stammered out, holding onto her stuffed cat a little tighter than usual.

"Yeah," Neku confirmed. "And we're not sure yet… she stopped smoking and drinking long ago, so unless she's been doing those things behind our back, it's a mystery how she got one."

Rhyme just listened with a neutral expression on her face for the time being, her socked feet on the couch and her hands on her ankles. Finally, however, she allowed a smile and said: "Well, she pulled through one way or another, so we shouldn't worry too much. All's well that ends well, after all."

Neku blinked curiously, but finally just smiled at the girl. "Yeah, I guess you're right, Rhyme," he said with a nod, before he blinked once and cocked his head a little to the side.

When the redhead did that, Beat frowned darkly before he snarled. "Oy, Phones! Don't go thinking of making any moves on Rhyme, yo!"

At those words, Neku actually chuckled with a smirk. "Wouldn't dream of it; I'll leave that to Jin."

The responses to those words were almost instantaneous; Shiki and Eri stared in surprise, Joshua turned to Neku with a raised eyebrow, and Beat…

"BWAAAAAH!? What the hell's that mean, yo?!" the blonde demanded, but Rhyme merely giggled.

"Oh? You noticed?" she giggled out, even as Jin finally moved, lazily moving his cap up enough so he could look out from under the rim.

"Whaaa?!"

Neku chuckled as he turned his attention to Rhyme again while Beat tried to process his little sister's words. "Well, it's very uncommon for girls to walk around with snake anklets, and Jin is the only guy we know who likes being 'out of the ordinary'."

"…sharp, Sakuraba," Jin mumbled as he pulled his cap back down, while Rhyme smiled at him (which he didn't see, naturally).

While Beat spluttered a few moments longer for something to say, Shiki and Eri finally caught on and smiled and grinned respectively.

"Wow! Way to go, Rhyme!" Eri congratulated immediately, pulling the younger girl into a bear hug. As she pulled away, she instantly began her list of 20 questions. "So how long and who asked?"

"Twelve days… and she asked," Jin said without looking up before Rhyme could reply, making said girl giggle again.

"Huh? Really? Well… I guess that makes sense… in a way…" Eri murmured thoughtfully.

"Um… h-hey, Jin? Why did you say yes?" Shiki added, her head tilted to the side curiously.

That question was answered by silence, which didn't surprise Joshua in the least. Jin didn't strike him as the kind of person who would willingly share every detail of his own, private thoughts. And this obviously included his reason for agreeing to date Rhyme.

And, finally, said girl's big brother managed to find his voice again. "Wait a sec! Rhyme, why didn't ya tell us, yo?!"

"Oh, well, we were curious to see how long it would take for people to realize," Rhyme answered with a smile.

"Whaaaa? How was anyone supposed to know with you just having an anklet, yo?!"

"…it's not our fault you didn't notice such an obvious difference…" Jin mumbled under his breath.

"Whatchu say?!" Beat shouted out as he leaped from his seat.

"Uh-oh…" Neku murmured softly.

"This won't end well…" Joshua agreed with a small frown.

"…maybe you should get your hearing checked…"

"Why you!"

"Oh dear…"

"Not good at all…"

It took both Neku and Eri to keep Beat from throttling Jin for those comments, who didn't seem to care about it all in the slightest. But despite Beat's anger at the insults, he didn't make an actual comment about not approving his sister's relationship with the brunette. And even the current squabble was relatively easily dealt with, and it was Joshua who pulled that off.

Joshua proposed the two men settle it with a match on the karaoke machine. Of course, Beat was quick to jump to the challenge, Jin… not so much, but Neku arranged that one.

Rhyme was allowed to choose the song, and, as Joshua later learned, it was about a judge who lived in a kingdom where the innocence of people wasn't determined by evidence, witnesses, or anything similar, but by the person's wealth. The corrupt judge accepted any and all bribes for the sole reason of getting enough money to pay for the cure that would allow his invalid daughter to walk. A tragic story, really.

And, while Beat had sung the song of Rhyme's choice very convincingly, Jin's variation…

Jin did not do dancing. He pointed that out from the get-go, and they were all okay with that, as long as he sang. But while he didn't dance, he made up for it by using his hands and his facial expressions. The latter one especially.

Given Jin's personality, it was hard for people to expect that much in the expression department, but surely, Jin surprised them all. In the second part of the song, there was a line sung after a short pause in which the judge said "Jigoku no sata mo kane shidai / Money is the best lawyer in hell", and just before he was to speak those words, Jin pulled down his cap to half cover his eyes, and then, as he sang them, he looked out from under it with a downright evil smirk and glimmer in his eyes that made even the Composer of Shibuya shudder.

For the lack of emotion he showed normally, it was amazing how Jin was able to school his features to perfectly match what was being sung.

So, naturally, despite his lack of dance act, Jin was declared the victor, and even Beat grudgingly agreed to that (eventually).

After a brief break in which the group chattered amiably and discussed their course of action, it was Rhyme's turn, finally. The song she picked started out with a loud laugh from the girl, followed by "Saa, hizamazukinasai! / Now, kneel before me!"

The song was about a girl of merely 14 who had been made queen of an entire country and who had everything she could ever ask for, and yet all she did in return to the people was wring them dry of all the money they had. And when she fell in love and her beloved loved another, she didn't do what any woman or girl would have done, which was to try and win him back.

No, this little tyrant had the other woman's entire kingdom massacred. And all she said in response when she heard the news that it was done; "Ara, oyatsu no jikan da wa / Oh my, it's snack time".

Of course, that wasn't meant to last and the people rebelled, and eventually, the girl was sentenced to death. The song ended with how the girl was known among the people as the "Daughter of Evil"

An interesting story, to be sure, though Joshua would not necessarily feel sorry with the little girl.

And then it was Beat's actual turn, and he changed that around entirely.

The song Beat had selected was the 'sequel' of Rhyme's song and was about the same queen's minister, who also happened to be the queen's twin brother. The two had been separated as children when the girl was made queen, and he became the girl's minister. In fact, as the song revealed, it was he who massacred the people of the country in Rhyme's song, but to make it even more tragic, he had fallen in love with the same girl he had been sent to kill, and yet he killed her anyway because his sister commanded him to.

And when the end came, it was revealed that it wasn't the queen who was killed, but the minister, as he and the queen switched clothes so that the queen could run and keep living.

Then came the ending of the song, and it almost had the girls burst into tears, even though they had already claimed to know the song.

"Moshimo umarekawareru naraba / If we could be reborn in our next life,
Sono toki wa mata asonde ne / then please play with me again."

After Beat's song ended, however, there came a part of the evening that Joshua had been dreading for a while now; his turn.

He had already feared that the song collection he could choose from would only include songs he didn't know (not without using his powers as Composer, at least), and that fear was soon confirmed as he scrolled through the list of songs.

"Just pick something, Josh!" Neku called out after a moment.

Joshua, in response, sighed dramatically and selected the first song he found. However, when he saw the title, he almost blinked, since he did know this particular song. "Fine, fine, dear. No need to get antsy."

"Don't call me 'dear' already!" Neku snarled out, even as Eri and Rhyme giggled, while Shiki was barely able to hide her amused smile behind her plushy.

Unfortunately, Joshua was prevented from any further banter as the song began. He'd heard this song so many times when the anime it belonged to had been a big hit, so he barely had to think about singing; he just did it naturally as the words flowed into his head.

"Tooku no sora mawaru hana no enjin no kamabisusisa ni / In the distant sky, twirling flowers form a clamorous circle.
Ano hi ya ano hi ni koetekita bunki ga me wo samasu / And it wakes up the turnig point you passed through on that day, on that day.
Kagerou ni mi wo karite michi wo sasu musume wo oi / In a form of a shimmer, you chase the girl who points the way.
Takadai ni arawareta na mo shiranu hirono ha natsukashiku / Then you find a nameless and nostalgic field on a hill.

Are ga yume de miseta machi to kage no koe ga sasayaita / "That is the city I let you see in your dream", whispered a shadow.
Kuru hi mo kuru hi mo ikusen no bunki wo koeta toki / Day after day , day after day, when you have passed through countless turning points,
Kuragari no kennjin ga suterareta hibi wo atsume / a sage in the dimness will collect discarded days.
Umi zoi ni umi zoi ni mimo shiranu honou wo odoraseta / Along the shore, along the shore, he makes an unknown flame dance.

Aa manntoru ga jozetsu ni hi wo hukiagete / Ah mantle loquaciously throws up a flame
Suterareta no ni tatsu hito wo iwau yo / to congratulate the person who stands on the abandoned field.
Aa sizukana sizukana musume no shiya de / Ah in the girl's silent, silent view,
Aa mishiranu miyako ni hi ga tomori dasu / Ah lights begin to shine in the unseen city.

Takaku sora syu ni some hi no moeru gotoku no kumo moyou / High up in the sky, dyed in vermillion, clouds arise like a fire burning.
Ano hi ya ano hi ya ano toki ni nakusita michi wo mise / It shows you the way you lost on that day, on that day.
Kurikaesi yume ni fuku kaze wo oi toki wo kudari / Chasing the wind blowing repeatedly in your dream, you go down the flow of time.
Kawa zoi ni kawa zoi ni mimo shiranu shihuku no hana wo mita / Along the river, along the river, you saw an unknown flower of felicity."

Once the song had concluded, Joshua almost sighed in relief, but he kept it in even as the girls cheered and applauded while he walked back to his seat. Sadly, he missed the small, mischievous smirk that played along Neku's face as he sat down again.

"Oy, Josh."

"Hm? Something wrong, de–mmph!?"

Joshua wasn't sure why he had not seen that coming, but there was no denying that the lip lock he was pulled into upon turning his head was both sudden and unexpected. He didn't hear Beat's surprised shout, Rhyme's curious "oh?", Shiki and Eri's squeals of glee, or Jin's uninterested scoff as the Kyuubi's tongue ran along his mouth about 3 times before he finally pulled away.

"That was for the nickname, sweetheart," the redhead nearly purred out, and Joshua felt his cheeks heat up (just slightly, mind you) at the endearment.

"Holy… dude! What was that about?!" Beat asked in a combination of surprise and suspicion.

Jin scoffed again and leaned back into his seat with his arms crossed over his chest. "…that should be obvious…" he grumbled out. "Perhaps you should try and learn some common sense…"

"Whatchu say, ya punk?!"

Neku merely laughed and opened his mouth to respond, only to be cut off when his phone went off, the song Twister coming from his pocket. "Oh snaps…!" Neku hissed as he reached into his pocket and pulled the contraption out. He only barely glanced at the screen before flipping it open and bringing it to his ear. "Dad, what's up?" he asked immediately, as though he was already dreading the answer.

The others watched, a little curiously and a little anxiously as the redhead listened to the other side of the conversation. Neku remained silent for a few moments, barely seeming to dare to breathe, before he tried to speak. Unfortunately, his voice wouldn't work with him, and it took him a few times before he managed.

"…when?"

The group wasn't sure they liked the tone of Neku's voice; it was quiet, and sounded… empty. And the expression on Neku's face wasn't any better.

"…oh… n-no it's not your… …I know… yeah, 'kay… a'ight… I know… yeah, I'll be there… love you too, dad…"

Slowly, Neku lowered the phone and ended the call… and then, slowly, the phone slipped out from between slack fingers to land somewhere along the room's carpeted floor. The redhead made no move to retrieve it, however, and for a long time, he only stared down at the floor, his gaze empty and unseeing.

"Um… N-Neku…?" Shiki called out slowly, unsurely.

"Y-yo… Phones? Wha happened?"

Joshua, however, didn't even need to ask; he could tell from the few snippets they had heard and from Neku's blank expression exactly what was wrong. However, he wasn't sure if he should be the one to bring it up…

"…she's gone…" Neku whispered softly, and, as he blinked, a tear rolled down his cheek. "Mom… she's… gone…"

"…oh… shit…" Beat hissed out softly, rubbing the back of his neck while he bit his lip to keep himself from saying anything else before he swallowed his own foot.

Eri and Shiki looked like they wanted to say something, but this time it was their voices that failed. In the end, they could only stare at Neku sadly, and even Rhyme looked slightly stricken and at a loss for words, one hand covering her mouth as though she was about to chew her nails and the tips of her fingers off.

The only one who showed even less emotions than Neku did at that moment was Jin. The brunette just watched as a steady stream of tears started rolling down the redhead's cheeks after the first one had landed, and yet the Proxy made nary a sound. He did so for a few moments longer before he sighed, stood up while at the same time snagging up one of the drinks and walking over to Neku as he opened it.

"Here," he stated simply, holding the drink in front of the redhead, who looked up silently. "Drink."

Wordlessly, Neku reached out and took the beverage, and took a silent sip, not even questioning why Jin was even giving it to him as he was. Once he had it to his mouth, however, the redhead finally just tilted his head back and emptied the can in one go. Jin nodded once, as though confirming something, and then grabbed Neku under one arm and pulled him to his feet. "We'll be back in a few," was all Jin offered to the others as he guided Neku out of the room before they could question him.

As the door shut, though, Beat growled. "The hell's his problem, yo?! Phones' mum just–"

"That may be exactly why, Beat," Joshua stated casually, the first thing he'd said since Neku's phone call. "If I'm not mistaking, Jin also lost his parents before, correct?"

"Well… yeah, but–"

"In which case, he probably knows better than any of us what Neku needs. So, let's just leave them be for a while, shall we?"

Beat clenched his fists tightly while he gritted his teeth. One glance at the girls, though, was enough to make him snag up Neku's can and crush it in his hand. "Fine! But I don't like this waiting game, yo!" he snarled as he threw the can into the trashcan.

"Easy, Beat…" Eri murmured. "It'll be okay. Let's just try and think of what to say to Neku when he gets back, kay?"

"Nrgh… fine!"

Joshua allowed a small chuckle, tucking some loose strands behind his ear. However, even though it didn't show on his face, he couldn't help but wonder about something. There was just something… odd, in the air. It smelled a bit familiar, but he just couldn't place it…

"…you can let go now, Akataiyo," Neku said once they had stopped into the washroom, and Jin let him go, shutting the door behind them. "…so you noticed, huh?"

"…Yeah," Jin mumbled as Neku walked to the sink and opened the faucet, letting the water pour over his hands before he splashed his face.

The redhead sighed briefly in what sounded like relief, before he raised his head and looked up to Jin through the mirror, his pupils slitted and black eye shadow surrounding his eyes, as well as two lines that followed the lines of his cheeks and a circular mark on his forehead. "You're sharp, Akataiyo."

Jin merely scoffed as the Kyuubi shook his head a few times, his long ears flying back and forth a few times. "I also know about that double you sent in a few times…"

"You do, huh?" Neku murmured as he moved his hair out of his face. "Won't ask how…" After saying that, he scooped up some water and drank it all down. "You really are sharp…"

"Whatever… you pulled off quite the act, though… acting like you actually cared…"

"Actually, I wasn't acting," Neku pointed out, cricking his knuckles as his nails sharpened and clacked together a few times. "I might merely be a Kyuubi, but that doesn't make me heartless."

"…whatever…"

"You're free to believe what you want, but I don't lie," Neku said casually, taking another sip of water. "I just phrase things differently."

"…uh-huh…"

"So anyway… what? You wanted me to show off or something? That why you gave me alcohol?"

Of course Neku knew the second he put the can to his mouth that there was alcohol in it; his ears and tails had begun itching to show themselves the moment he took the first sip, but he'd managed to hold himself back until Jin had taken him out of the room.

"…No." When Neku looked at him curiously through the mirror, Jin said: "I was told to ask information from you."

"Information about what?"

"… the Reapers' Game."

(*) When I wrote this, KH:3DS wasn't out yet, but I played the demo and I was SO fired up about getting it, that I just had to put that in.

(**) This variation of pool is played with only three balls, and the point is to have the white ball hit the other two after hitting a minimum of three walls. I don't know how to play this (or any other type of pool), but I do know that the basis of the game is based around math.

Vocaloid songs;

"Two-faced Lovers" by wowaka, sung by Hatsune Miku

"Nekomimi Switch" by daniwell, sung by Hatsune Miku

"magnet" by minato, sung by Megurine Luka & Hatsune Miku

"Judgment of Corruption" by mothy, sung by KAITO

"Girl/Daughter of Evil" by mothy, sung by Kagamine Rin

"Servant of Evil" by mothy, sung by Kagamine Len

"The girl in Byakkoya" original by Susumu Hirasawa, sung by KAITO

A/N: Finally done! Took forever, mostly because I had to look up lyrics. Anyway, next chapter will be, slight spoiler, the confrontation with Kamui. I'll try to work on it ASAP, but I think I might be getting distracted by Three Stages of the Collapse…

Well, see you guys later.