Wishes

Stage 12 - The Battle

It was 15 minutes before Neku and Jin came back, but when they did, Neku was looking better than when he had left, and he was carrying a box of what appeared to be popsicles.

"Whuh? What's with the ice cream, Phones?" Beat asked before he could stop himself, nearly resulting in him getting socked to the head by Eri.

"Ah, my dad would always buy me these if I was feeling down," Neku explained as he put the box down and pulled out several wrappers, handing them out. "Don't know why, or how, but it works…"

Beat frowned a bit, but took one of the popsicles, unwrapped it and stuck it in his mouth almost immediately. "Gah! Cold!"

"Oh really? I was under the impression it would be lukewarm, at best," Joshua quipped, earning a round of laughter from the others as they unwrapped their own pops.

Eri looked at the blue pop for a moment, frowning a bit curiously, before she licked it cautiously. "…huh. Salty… but sooooo sweet!" she called out, immediately attacking the blue pop with her tongue. Shiki was equally occupied with the pop, though she was taking moderate licks to savor it.

Joshua usually wasn't much for ice cream (let alone sweet stuff), but he had to admit, the pops did have a rather unique taste… even if he couldn't tell what it was…

"Hmmm… what flavor is this, Neku?" Rhyme asked with a pleased hum before she popped it back into her mouth.

"Yeah, what is it? I don't recognize the flavor at all!" Eri added.

"Sea salt."

Silence.

"…Say wha?" Beat asked with a dumbfounded look.

Neku chuckled and lifted up the box, showing it to the gang as he spoke the words written upon it. "Sea salt ice cream."

"Sea salt, hm?" Joshua murmured before he placed the ice cold treat to his lips and licked it for a moment. Eri hadn't been kidding; it was salty, but at the same time, it was so sweet that it had you craving for more. And because of that, he said exactly what he always did when he found something like this; "Mmmm… I'm in paradise."

Neku merely chuckled, before he focused back on his own popsicle, his eyes shut and one of his arm wrapped around his waist. For a long time, everyone fell silent to enjoy their popsicle, and even Jin had one stuffed in his mouth, even though he'd gone back to his seat with his legs dangling over one of the armrests. And like that, they stayed for quite a while.

When they finally finished their popsicles, they began to debate on what to do next. Given the news Neku had just received, they were all ready to call it a night, but Neku claimed it was okay for the moment and that he needed to clear his head and not think about what had happened for a moment, which is why they were soon back to singing and dancing for all they were worth.

It was almost 10:30 when they finally decided to call it quits, and they all made to go home. However, not before Rhyme had gotten up to her tiptoes to plant a 'goodnight kiss' on Jin's cheek, which had earned her a startled exclamation from Beat, and a series of laughs from the others – which almost doubled when Jin shifted his face before her mouth could connect to his cheek so that she hit his mouth instead. If not for Neku, Beat possibly would've ripped Jin to shreds, but Rhyme just giggled happily, whereas Jin adjusted his cap without a word.

Once everyone had calmed down again, they went their separate ways after saying goodbye, and it was only after they were alone that Neku released a long, suffering sigh and covered his face with both hands.

"Frickin… dammit! Why didn't anyone… shit!"

Joshua frowned a little, before he reached out and placed a hand on Neku's shoulder. "Neku, calm down… it's done with. You can't do anything about it now…"

"I know that!" Neku snarled out angrily, before he sighed again and ran his hands through his hair, the beginning of tears pooling in his eyes. "Just… I just…"

Joshua sighed softly, shaking his head briefly before he squeezed Neku's shoulder. "C'mon. Let's get back, shall we, dear?"

"Don't call me—!" However, before he could finish his sentence, the Kyuubi cut himself off and froze in his tracks. "…"

"…Neku?"

Neku didn't respond immediately, before he looked around at the thin crowds, seemingly in worry, before he hissed: "Tune up to the UG. Don't ask why, just do it!"

Though a bit surprised at the words, Joshua was wise enough to do as Neku said and not question it. In a few seconds, he had moved his frequency up until he was in the UG – and no sooner had he done so or he yelped as Neku's sword was just barely in time to slice through an incoming red Noise that had lunged for his face.

The redhead was once again in full Kyuubi mode, including his black and silver kimono and the black eye shadow around his eyes, all of his tails swaying and his ears laying almost flat against his head threateningly, his sharp canine teeth poking out over his lip as he snarled dangerously. And one look around revealed why…

They were surrounded by a large pack of Noise of blood red coloring, a color he had never seen, even as Composer. The strange part was that they didn't even seem like the traditional Noise he was used to; their limbs were more rounded instead of jagged, but they still had claws and razor-sharp edges where they needed them. There were minks, bears, a few porcupines, and several large felines like panthers or lions, but the majority of them were foxes with a total of up to 6 tails.

"Don't let your guard down…" Neku mumbled suddenly, startling Joshua. "These are 'Pandemonium'. A type of Noise that borders between standard and Taboo… and these follow orders of their 'master'."

"Oh?" Joshua asked curiously, despite how he was actually frowning darkly. "Dare I ask… who is the 'master'?"

"Do you have to ask?" Neku snarled, glancing back and forth between the horde. "Grrrr… enough of this! ICHI! ROKU!"

Two of the Kyuubi's tails quivered briefly, before they snapped forward like a pair of whips and two figures landed on the ground before the redhead. One of them was the redheaded double of Neku, wearing easy JotM clothes and a Kitsune mask resting over his left temple, displaying his white eyes surrounded by black eye shadow and the Kanji for "one" on his forehead. The second one was a perfect copy of Beat, with blonde hair that had become longer over the years and now reached his shoulder-blades, where it was secured in a ponytail, clothed in the black leathered dress-code of Wild Boar, skateboard held across his shoulder. The only difference between him and Beat besides the Kitsune mask placed over his right temple were the dark garnet colored eyes and orange-red eye shadow, and the Kanji for "six" on his forehead.

"Crush them," Neku hissed out, and the pair immediately kicked off for the Pandemonium as the Red Noise lunged, dragging the Noise into their own realm and away from the Composer and Kyuubi.

Ichi tapped the dark purple headphones that covered his ears as his head and foot moved a bit absently to the beat pulsing through his head, before he opened his eyes and brought up his left hand, Imagination solidifying around the limb as the Noise came into being just a little after him.

Roku placed his free hand on the opposite shoulder and rolled his shoulder, before he cocked his head left and right with a few soft cricks of the joints snapping back into place, and he glared darkly with a bit of a cocky grin on his face as the red Noise appeared.

"Ready for a beat-down?!"

No sooner had he finished the shout or one of the fox-Noises lunged, but Roku dropped the skateboard, got on and then spun out of the way before he kicked up and slammed down on the Noise from behind, somersaulting away as the green light-puck zipped away from him.

Ichi pushed himself back just slightly on his feet as the bear-Noise slashed at him and immediately warped five feet away. But as the light-puck centered on him, he kicked off with both feet and dashed into the bear, sending it flying backwards and into a number of its allies.

Roku laughed loudly as he smashed down with the skateboard on another of the porcupines, avoiding its spines by a hair even as he kicked off and landed on one hand, keeping the skateboard on his feet as he spun around and then shoved off against the ground and into the feline preparing to leap for him, crushing it against the ground.

Ichi lashed out with one hand and a long string of barbed wire snapped out and sliced through the Noise as they attempted to approach. He easily darted aside and away from the Noise when it came for him, sometimes warping away and sometimes merely stepping to the side. But either way, he managed to not get touched without showing any sort of effort.

Roku let out a roar as he jumped up and away from a bear and then dropped right down on top of the Noise with a sickening crunch. Just as he was about to get up, there was a brief flash and a grin spread over his face.

Ichi allowed a small smirk that was mostly hidden by the funnel neck of his shirt, but, wordlessly, he pressed down on the pin secured to his left sleeve.

"Le's step it up!"

"No! Let's end it!"

There was no way for the group of Noise to defend itself against the massive tidal wave that washed over them, and both Ichi and Roku howled out in laughter as they surfed across the massive wall of water and did as the Kyuubi had ordered them; Crush the Noise.

As the pair landed safely on the ground, facing away from one another, a blood red, intricate seal appeared in midair, which lasted for only a few seconds as Neku lashed out with his sword and cleaved the seal in half, causing it to burn up without a trace.

"Done and done," Neku murmured with a quiet sigh. "Attacking from the LG… sure, that's fair!"

Joshua sighed theatrically as he twirled some of his bangs around a finger. "It would appear his patience has run out, hm?"

"He never did like waiting games…" Neku snarled even as Ichi and Roku returned to his side after scanning the area properly.

"Yo, Bossman, we still gots a few portals scattered 'round," Roku said immediately as he came into range. "But looks like they's hidden in the Noise's zone sumwhere…"

"…Meaning we can't see the Noise until they're right on top of us, huh?" the fox mumbled, rubbing his temple. "Great… just peachy…"

"Hm? Something the matter, Neku?" Joshua asked, deciding to leave off the nickname for the time being.

"I can't explain everything right now, but let's keep it at that I can't enter that zone without being sighted," Neku said simply. "I'm not permitted to do so… and he knows that!"

"Oh? And letting them go is allowed?" Joshua asked slightly in jest.

Before Neku could reply, however, Ichi was a little faster than the Kyuubi. "We have no Music of our own once we enter the zone where the Noise exists. Thus, we cannot be sighted there," the double said in a tone of voice that was quiet, yet firm.

"That so?" asked the Composer, experimentally reaching out in an attempt to hear the two doubles' Music…

…but nothing.

Not even a whisper of sound

"Hmm… interesting…" he murmured, before he shook his head. "But, anyway, we were talking about portals, I believe?"

"The portals allow the Pandemonium to take shape," Neku explained quickly as he looked around. "The only way to remove the threat of more Pandemonium is to destroy the portal."

"I see… and your double can't do this… why?"

"There was never need for him to learn it before… I was able to do it myself just fine until now…" Neku grumbled. "And before you start, no, I can't teach him now, because that would take several weeks."

"Hmm…"

Neku sighed one more time, before running his hand through his hair, scratching a little behind his ear. "…There has to be a loophole… has to be…"

Joshua hummed softly, considering what to do, when…

"Meeeooow…"

Blinking, the Composer glanced down at his feet, spotting a mysterious black cat with, oddly enough, a blood ruby for an eye, and a nametag that read "Pluto". (*) As Joshua looked at it, it mewed loudly once more, as though wanting attention.

Had this been any other situation, Joshua would have probably petted the cat… but he wasn't stupid. He was in the UG, and he wasn't visible to anything living, including cats. For this being to be able to see him… it had to be in the UG as well.

Meaning…

"…Be off with you, now," Joshua hissed softly, turning away. "I'm busy."

However, because he was looking away, he failed to notice the small, almost evil smirk playing along the cat's face… as its two tails swayed behind it and blood red markings spread toward Joshua from its paws.

Neku's ears snapped up in alarm suddenly as a shift in the air made him aware of something. But his deduction came too late as a flash of blood red light lit up the area and almost blinded them…

Joshua hissed at the pain in his skull, and then at the horrible static that was filling his ears, covering them in an attempt to stop the sound, but it was all for naught. The pain reminded him of the first days of his Game with Megumi, when his lack of contact with Shibuya had almost caused him to relapse and rush back to the sanctuary of the UG. That's what happened to Composers who left their wards, after all; they start to get a relapse like drug addicts and more often than not rush back "home" to soak up in their ward's Music.

However, one look around, and Joshua could see he was still in Shibuya, and yet he couldn't sense her Music at all, and everything was in various shades of red, and it was starting to make him sick. He could see red, blurry, almost smoky visages of people walking back and forth, but that was it. And he had no idea where he was…

But as he stood there, wondering, a growl resounded from behind him, and Joshua had a feeling he knew what he'd find when he turned around. And he wasn't mistaking when he found himself looking at several blood red fox Noises—Pandemonium, as Neku called them—snarling furiously at him.

"Oh well, that's just lovely," Josh sighed out, rubbing his temples. "All alone… in a place with Noise… disconnected from my precious Shibuya… whatever will I do?"

"…haaaa…"

That noise made Joshua turn in surprise, and what he saw had to be the first speck of true color he had seen since he had been brought there; a small, blue flame-like spirit, two tendril like arms that beckoned for him and a pair of white eyes that watched him almost eagerly.

"Will-o-wisp…" (**)

Joshua knew that, in the Celtic myths, a will-o-wisp could lead a person to their destiny, but in Japan, it wasn't usually like that. But when Joshua saw multiple others appear and form a long line, and then glanced to the Noise as they began to approach, he had only one true choice…

"Whatever doesn't kill me," he murmured, taking a few deep breaths to prepare himself, before he spun around and then took off running for the wisps.

The Noise roared and immediately gave chase, as the wisps disappeared before he reached them. But for every wisp gone, a new one joined the end of the line, drawing Joshua a path through the blood red streets he used to know so well and yet seemed so different to him now. The Composer usually didn't run this much, as he was not one to sweat, but adrenaline forced his legs to keep moving and spurred him on.

And he could only hope that chasing the wisps was not a bad idea.

"Run however long you want…" snarled a quiet, cold voice. "No matter where you run… I'll hunt you down and end this!"

For however long he ran, Joshua wasn't even sure, but after a while, he actually reached an area he recognized, even through the red haze his vision had become; Hachiko.

The wisps disappeared when he reached the statue and he fell against the pup's stone pedestal, gasping for breath with one hand held against his chest. Sadly, the Pandemonium were still coming, and Joshua had a feeling that the wisps couldn't offer any help to him now.

"Hah… hah… hah… heh… heheh… yanno… if you're going to lead me somewhere… some help would be nice," he mumbled, as one of the foxes lunged with its long claws aimed right at his throat—

And instead crashed into the ground when a blur of white jumped it, huge jaws clamping shut on the fox's jugular and forcing the Noise to the ground. The Noise squealed in pain, and then silenced as the blur of white snapped its head sideways and crushed its windpipe. And as the Noise sizzled out of existence, Joshua had a few moments to study the 'white blur' that had just prevented him from being ripped to shreds.

Standing in front of him was a snow-white hound, possibly a Doberman, judging from its pointed ears, with tribal-styled front limbs, with wing-like marking following the curvature of its shoulders. The canine snarled at the Pandemonium as it dug its claws into the ground, briefly making the Noise pause, before it lunged again, this time for the white Noise. And Joshua whistled as the newcomer managed to rip through the Pandemonium quite rapidly, though it could not prevent itself from getting hurt, given the amount of Noise rushing it.

'Well now… this is interesting… now who would…?'

"…urgh… so noisy…"

When Joshua heard those words, he almost laughed. 'Aaah, but of course.'

Jin pushed his ear buds as deep into his ears as he could whilst leaning back against the side of Hachiko, but he winced as the noise only got worse and worse. "….nnnrrrgh! Shut up!" he shouted out as he blindly threw a punch to his side – a burst of Imagination following the trajectory of his punch and shaping itself into a wolf's head, opening its jaws wide—

—and then bit down on the bear Noise's arm as it tried to strike Josh, smashing its jaws together and ripping the limb off before it snapped out and chomped its head off before the Noise had time to move away.

As the wolf head disappeared though, several other white hounds rushed to their ally's side and began to cut through the ranks of Noise.

And Joshua merely watched, a small, amused smirk playing on his face. 'Well… I most definitely can see now why Neku believes he'd make a good Conductor… if he has such control in the RG… what potential could he unlock in the UG? Hihi… this will be interesting.'

"Found you!" a familiar voice called out, and when Joshua looked up, it was in time to see Hachi drop down on top of Hachiko. The double was wearing a deep blue kimono with a Kitsune-mask on his face, a pair of fox-ears poking out from his hair and a tail swaying behind him as he hopped down. "Thank the goddess… we have to get you out of here! It is too dangerous here!"

"Won't hear me complaining," the Composer said calmly, taking Hachi's band as it was held out to him. "It's too noisy in here, anyway."

Hachi nodded once and lowered his head slightly in concentration, and then it was almost as though he was tugged upward by the back of his neck before he was set back down on his feet.

Shibuya's Music immediately assaulted him from all directions and Joshua sighed in relief. As he soaked up the Music, he wobbled just slightly, but Neku was already there to catch him.

"Shit! You alright, Josh?" the fox asked with a hint of worry.

"I'm fine, dear…" Joshua slurred out, holding his head. "But you may want to do something about that brother of yours… this is getting out of hand."

"I'm well aware of that!" Neku hissed as he propped Joshua up against Hachiko. Turning around, the redhead snarled, before he screamed: "KAMUI! ENOUGH OF THIS! SHOW UP!"

Silence followed, but then Joshua felt Kamui's presence – appearing out of nowhere, just like last time – and he looked up to watch the other Kyuubi. One look at Neku determined that the fox was pissed, and Kamui wasn't looking too happy, either.

Meaning that this could only end in disaster…

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Neku screamed out. "You almost destroyed all of Shibuya with that stunt!"

"…Yes, and?" the bluish-purple haired fox asked almost lazily.

Neku almost, almost, dropped his jaw in surprise at the response, but instead his glare only deepened. "'And'?! That's all you have to say?! Just 'and'?!

Kamui remained impassive, despite that his own expression was set in a deep frown, and he remained smoking his pipe. "What difference does it make? This ward is doomed to collapse, anyway."

"That's not for you to decide!" Neku roared out. "That's my job! Your job is to eliminate Composers who refuse to change and choose to become corrupt! If Shibuya was truly unsalvageable, I would've told you!"

"Then why are you still here?!" demanded Kamui, pointing to the redhead with his pipe. "Your mission is finished! Has been for years! Why do you persist in remaining in a city that you claim is no longer corrupt?!"

"Because if I leave right now, Shibuya would fall apart!" the younger of the two bellowed. "My mission also includes ensuring that the ward will not fall into relapse the moment I disappear! You know that!"

"Then why haven't you fixed it yet?! Why do you insist on staying here if you can fix it in—"

"Stop right there!" Neku said immediately, raising his hand with a furious snarl. "Don't you dare finish that sentence, Kamui! You know… you know damn well that some things DON'T heal that fast! Some things never do! And even when it's almost gone, it'll itch and itch and itch until you scratch it wide open and draw blood! Then it'll heal again, and it'll itch again, and again, you'll scratch at it and rip the skin open again!" The redhead was beyond furious… he was positively livid; his tails bristled and swayed, and one of them smashed into the ground with a loud slam, and almost cracked the streets as his power was starting to creep out and was almost noticeable. "Don't act like you understand, Kamui, because you don't! You don't know what it means to be haunted like that! You don't know and you can't understand! So stop acting like you do!"

Silence.

Kamui had nothing in response. His arm, having been aimed almost threateningly at Neku had dropped to his side, and his gaze almost appeared to have softened somewhat. He was still frowning, but certainly not as darkly as before.

Joshua remained silent throughout the entire exchange, recalling Neku's words from the first time when Kamui had appeared and he how he had to stay silent and shouldn't move from his spot. This was a fight between Kyuubi, and this wasn't something he wanted to interfere in.

But the words Neku uttered made Joshua tense briefly, because he had the distinct feeling Neku wasn't talking about Shibuya anymore. After what he had seen of Neku's past, he couldn't even begin to understand how Neku must've felt. Joshua had only felt rage toward the Kitsune's attacker, but the fox, so small still back then, must have been terrified. How he had managed to withstand such torture… Joshua didn't know, he admitted to that, but it was a fact that the Composer greatly respected of the redhead, even if he'd never say so to the daiyoukai's face.

To come out on top of his own fears as he had, managing to move on with your life the way he had… it was, in one word, admirable.

"…oy… Stalker!"

The sudden call made the Kyuubi, double and Composer jump before they turned their attention to Jin, who, they just realized, had never actually left.

"…excuse me?" Kamui demanded with a small snarl.

"…yanno… if I were you… I'd run…" Jin murmured, but as he finished those words, his face twisted into an evil smirk and his eyes glinted dangerously from under the brim of his cap. "I don't think the owner of those will-o-wisps will be happy to see you here, after all…"

The second he finished that, both Kamui and Neku froze and their expression shifted from anger and confusion to sheer terror, much to the surprise of Joshua.

"W-wi-will-o-wisps…?" Kamui managed to choke out.

"Yep. So you should… …oops. Too late…" If anything, Jin's grin only turned more evil as he almost sing-songed: "He's heeeeeere."

Kamui paled in horror and was about to turn and bolt, but…

"KAAAMUUUIIII!"

The Kyuubi in question screamed in terror as he was suddenly smashed into the ground when someone leapt at him and—painfully—locked their legs around his throat, blocking his air off almost entirely as nine massive silver tails flailed around the figure. Furious forest green eyes, pupils slitted to the point where they were barely visible, glared down upon the downed fox, the glare on the silver-haired daiyoukai's face even more threatening than either Kamui's or Neku's, and a pair of powerful claws kept the other where he was.

Joshua blinked once, a bit surprised at the appearance of a third Kyuubi – when the redheaded one suddenly bolted and actually cowered behind him, tails coiling up around them both and his ears pressing back against his head as his entire frame shook.

Kamui whimpered as his own ears pressed down slowly, shaking even worse than Neku was. "R-R-R-Ruka-niisama…"

"DON'T YOU 'RUKA-NIISAMA' ME, YOU DAMN PUP!" the furious Kyuubi hollered out. "HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU TO NOT INTERFERE WITH OTHERS' MISSIONS?! HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU TO NEVER RUN OFF WITHOUT EXPLICITLY TELLING ME EXACTLY WHERE YOU'RE GOING?!"

Joshua winced at the volume of the shouts, and he was starting to get an idea why the pair of foxes was so scared right then; he wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of that either…

"Ru-Ruka-niisama…! I-I can explain! R-really!"

"DID I ASK FOR AN EXPLANATION?!"

"…! N-n-no, R-Ruka-n-niisama…"

"Fuckin' BRAT!" the fox snarled out furiously. "And here I went thinking you were actually learning! Guess I'll just have to drill it in even harder!"

At those words, Kamui paled to the point where he looked like a ghost. "W-w-w-wait R-Ruka-niisama! I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry I'll never do it again I swear! Please just don't—"

However, the silver-furred fox's eyes narrowed dangerously and he hissed icily as his muscles bunched together: "Too late."

And then Kamui screamed…

(*) Reference to a Hidden Object game I've played that's based on "The Black Cat" by E.A. Poe.

(**) Yes, I've recently seen "Brave", so?

A/N: Well, that's one obstacle removed…

Actually… I've been thinking on something; what if Sakuraba Neku had not been stillborn? What then? Since the Kyuubi would've been unable to be in the Game and get close enough to Joshua for it. Hmm… Anyone interested enough to find out at some point?

.

Name: Roku "?"

Number: Six

Actual eye-color: Garnet (dark red) with orange-red eye-shadow

Source: Daisukenojo "Beat" Biito

Info: Roku is an absolute powerhouse and he's not afraid to display it as he easily crushes Noise wherever it's needed. He doesn't much care if he's only summoned when the Kyuubi requires him to deal with a batch of Noise and instead tackles it head-on with a shout, much like his source would.