Wishes
Fandom: The World Ends With You (TWEWY)
Pairing: Neku/Joshua
Setting: Post-game, takes place after "Purification"
Summary: Joshua knew he would regret making that promise with the almighty daiyoukai, but he wasn't counting on the complications that followed it.
Stage 18 - The Farewell (Option 2)
"Sh-shut up!" Joshua cried out without even thinking about it. "Just shut up!"
Neku said nothing in response. Joshua wasn't sure what he had been expecting from him, but the silence that answered his words was… grating on his nerves. The entire situation was, in fact.
The news that Sanae was a Fallen Angel and had actually helped Minamimoto in creating not only Taboo Noise but turning himself Taboo had definitely hit him hard, but that didn't mean he was ready to just give him up. He trusted Sanae. He still trusted him! And yes, he also trusted Neku… but… but this… this person sitting across him… wasn't Neku anymore. There was no way it could be…
Neku respected Sanae. Neku idolized CAT. Neku knew that Sanae was CAT, and that made the youth respect him even more than he already did. Thinking of bringing harm to Sanae… that was something Neku would never even consider…
The person sitting across him… was Kurasa…
"What the hell… were you planning to do with Sanae… if… I chose… either of those options?!" he snarled out softly, clenching his fists tightly.
The Kitsune took his time to respond, but when he did, his voice was barely, if any at all, different from what he had said before. "I've stated what my intentions were and the possible results of your decisions before already, Composer. My mission is to deliver Hanekoma Sanae to the Higher-ups. Whether you choose to assist or hinder, my mission will not change."
"…that's all this is about, isn't it?" Joshua ground out, clenching his fists into the material of his jeans. "Your mission… that's all that matters… isn't it?"
Again, the daiyoukai chose not to respond. There was no need to when the answer was obvious, after all.
"So… my decision… wouldn't have mattered at all… would it?"
At this, the Kyuubi no Kitsune sighed softly, sounding almost exasperated. "Do you wish me to continuously repeat myself, Composer? I've already said that your decision will affect how things will transpire…" At this point, the Kyuubi sighed once more. "It saddens me that you have made this particular choice, however."
"…sad?" Joshua repeated slowly, before he raised his head to glare at Ne–Kurasa. Of course, his expression had not shifted at all. "You? Sad? Ch. You surely don't look like you're sad!"
"…I suppose I do not," the Kyuubi admitted solemnly. "However, I fear I have little time to… 'show', my sadness."
'No time to sh–…oh no…!'
Soundlessly, Kurasa rose to his feet and said, expression as blank as before: "I am afraid that the time to decide your course of action is up, Composer. I have no time to stay and talk any longer than I already have."
'Oh hell no!'
Joshua was in motion before he even had the time or chance to think about it; he bolted up from his seat and lunged at the Kyuubi, his hands immediately going for his throat and this, with its suddenness, knocked Kurasa off his feet and onto the ground back first with a thud and a grunt.
Silence followed for a long while, with neither of the men moving even an inch, although Joshua was panting from the adrenaline that was pumping through his body. After a minute more of just lying there, the Kyuubi lifted his head to properly look at Joshua, his expression still perfectly blank.
"…you intend to kill me again?" he murmured softly, although he didn't seem surprised in the slightest (though it was hard to tell if one is surprised if their face is blank).
The silver-haired Composer struggled to regain his breath, his hands clasped firmly around the base of the daiyoukai's throat, thumbs on opposing side of the windpipe. He wasn't moving, nor was the silverette, and this sparked panic and alarm in the Composer's mind. Not only because he knew that the Kyuubi should've been able to stop him (and still could whenever he wanted), but also because Kurasa's words had briefly caused him to freeze.
Joshua had never thought twice about killing or erasing; it came with the territory of being Composer. Taking the life of another person was not something Joshua had considered to be something to concern himself over, even though most his kills had always happened in the UG, and usually only at the end of the Game with those who were unable to rake up enough points and didn't want to play again.
His only exception to that… had been a single boy called Sakuraba Neku.
Not once, but twice had he shot him, both times only so as to prove that Shibuya was, indeed, corrupted. Something that ended up being as far removed from the truth as could be, and something that had haunted him in the back of his mind for all those years despite him telling himself he was not sorry about what he had done.
…was he really prepared to kill again?
"…if you do…" came Kurasa's solemn voice again, "then do it. Prove that you will fight for someone who has betrayed your trust behind your back. Prove you have what it takes… to be a murderer."
Those words… snapped something in Joshua's mind just then.
"Sh… shut up! Shut UP! You have NO right to say that! You're the real murderer here! Just how many did you kill only because you were ordered to?! How many innocent lives did you take?!" Joshua almost shouted out, as his thumbs shook subtly against the Kyuubi's skin. "How… how many victims did you make?! How many times do you go out to kill on a daily basis?!"
"…"
"Goddammit ANSWER ME!" he roared out, even as his thumbs pushed down hard.
The Kyuubi released a sound like a choked gasp, as he began taking rapid gulps of air though it took much effort to let it go past the digits that were blocking his air flow. However, even as his eyes shut tight instinctively against the pain, his hands remained flat on the ground.
"Were you even telling the truth about letting Sanae live?! Or were you just planning to kill him anyway once you got him out of Shibuya's sight?! Were you?!"
If Kurasa had any kind of answer ready, the lack of air made it impossible to formulate the response. And still he refused to move his hands to stop the ashen-haired Composer.
"You bastard… I-I should… I should just kill you and be done with it!"
"…so… do… it…" the Kyuubi choked out, and Joshua froze once again. "…do… it… prove… it… mur… de… rer…"
With his entire frame shaking, Joshua's hands slowly relaxed, the thumbs lessening the pressure on the daiyoukai's throat, allowing him to breathe again, and then, ever so slowly, he moved his hands away.
The Kitsune moved so swiftly that Joshua didn't even it happen. The redhead's eyes snapped open, his hands shot up and grabbed Joshua's wrists and he threw his weight sideways, spinning until Joshua was on his back, his thighs held down by the fox's knees. When Joshua blinked, he was already on his back, staring up into the dark blue eyes of the Kitsune, the slitted pupils watching him soundlessly.
"…you cannot do it… can you?" said the redhead solemnly. "Even when it could mean your own death… or that of someone close to you… you cannot do it…"
"Sh-shut up!" Joshua bellowed as he struggled against the Kyuubi's hold, but he knew it was useless. Even without the seal blocking his powers, the Kyuubi was still stronger than him. "Let go of me!"
He didn't let go, of course, and after only two minutes of fruitless struggles, Joshua had worn himself out and collapsed. He felt tired, angry–furious, even–but above all… he felt betrayed.
"…I trusted you…" he wheezed out, his eyes shut tight to prevent the tears from spilling. "I… trusted you…"
"…" Kurasa was silent in response, and Joshua almost wanted to scream, but he was well aware that even if he did, it would have no effect. But then… "…I trusted you as well… Joshua."
The Composer blinked and he looked up to the Kyuubi. Since the beginning of today, the daiyoukai had not once called him by name. Not once. And when he looked into the fox's eyes, he could almost swear he saw sadness inside those dark blue pools.
"Out of all the wards I've been too… all the Composers I confronted… all the missions I've cleared… during all of that… you were the only one I've ever trusted as much as I have…" the Kyuubi spoke solemnly, before he briefly shut his eyes. And when they opened again, they were a sharp, ice blue color and Joshua froze. "That is why… it saddens me you chose to take this option, Composer…"
"Y… why do you–?!" Joshua began, but he cut himself off when Neku ducked his head down, his mouth barely an inch away from his own.
"…I never killed a human before… nor have I ever killed Angels."
The Composer blinked, confused, but he wasn't allowed to wonder about it.
"Death begets only sadness, sadness begets anger, anger begets revenge, revenge begets more death, and the cycle continues endlessly," the fox said solemnly as he briefly shook his head — causing his red hair to swish back and forth before it fell down to frame his face. "If all lived by the phrase 'an eye for an eye', the world would be blind within a sparse few months."
"But… you… your job is to–"
"Merely to confront Composers with the fact their city is corrupt. If a city is still salvageable, I am to confront them again and force their hand into action. The same as what I have done to you."
"…!" Joshua froze when he heard those words, and it felt as though a bucket of ice water had been dumped into his stomach, as a flash of realization hit him. "Y… you 'devour' them…!"
"…Yes."
Joshua knew very well what the Kyuubi meant with 'devour'. If he used that particular phrasing, he did not mean he would literally eat them up, but instead he would punish them sexually, forcing the person to submit to him and to reflect on their mistakes. He knew what that meant, of course, but he had never stopped to think he had not been the only one to suffer from the Kyuubi's actions.
"How… how ma… many did you…?" he choked out breathlessly.
The Kitsune did not speak immediately in response to the half-formed question. Instead, he merely tilted his head to the side, as though he was considering his own options, which made his long hair fall over his shoulder to tickle at Joshua's cheek. Finally, though, he opened his mouth and spoke. "…do you want me to be truthful… or do you want a lie to make you feel better?"
Joshua opened his mouth to speak, but snapped it shut almost immediately. He didn't want to know… he really didn't want to know…
He shut his eyes tight and whispered: "Never mind… never mind I… I don't want to know…"
"…Very well."
It wasn't until after those words had been spoken that another thought suddenly crossed his mind that made Joshua's eyes snap open again, this time in alarm. "Wait…! You aren't… y-you wouldn't…!"
Kurasa refused to speak, but the look in his eyes said enough.
He would…
"No please! You can't just–not after we… dammit let me go!" the silverette howled, renewing his struggles to get loose, which made the Kyuubi back off a tad. "I swear… if you even dare t-to… to do that! I-I will–!"
"You will… what?" Kurasa asked solemnly, clearly unimpressed with both the struggles and the half-finished threat. "Kill me? I believe we have already established that you cannot do that. You cannot bring yourself to do it."
"There's more than one way to skin a cat!" Joshua bellowed out, trying to pull his wrists loose, but the Kyuubi would not relinquish even an inch. "Dammit I swear…! I swear I… I'll… I swear I'll devour you if you dare!"
That comment earned him a cocked eyebrow from the Kyuubi but not much else. Kurasa did not even bother to grace the threat with a verbal response, as a sharp burn began to ache on Joshua's left wrist, draining away his powers as Composer.
"D-damn you…! Un… fair…"
The redhead merely watched Joshua as his struggles gradually lessened. He waited for a moment more, before he lowered his head again so that their mouths were barely a breath apart. Joshua didn't even have the strength left to object to the close proximity.
"…I'm sorry, Josh… farewell…"
The words were quiet. A mere whisper on a nonexistent wind.
And then their lips connected, and Joshua wanted to cry.
It was just a kiss with just their lips, no tongue-play whatsoever, but it was soft, tender, and almost loving, but also desperate and pleading, commanding and submissive at the same time. It was one giant mass of contradictions even though it was only such a little thing, but it got the point across to Joshua perfectly;
It was over…
Sakuraba Neku… had ceased to exist…
"Hey, Jin, whatever happened to that girl you were with?" the redhead asked as he sipped a cup of coffee.
"…she's around," Jin replied without looking up as he worked quickly and efficiently on the reports in front of him, occasionally changing something in them. Given the ease and speed with which he worked, it was almost impossible to believe that the brunette had never actually worked on anything like this prior to becoming the Conductor. Not that anyone really knew of that, of course.
Ichi hummed softly, sipping the bitter liquid every now and again. He was sure that Jin was well aware he wasn't his Master, and yet the Conductor seemed to not see the need to say anything about it. He supposed it made little difference, but how could not help but think that Jin was difficult to get a good read on.
Ichi.
The redhead blinked once, his left ear (as human as it was) giving a small twitch, the action hidden by his hair. 'Yes, Master?'
Is he still there?
Ichi sipped his drink and looked to the side, toward the counter. '…Yes, Master. He is still here. He is reading the paper and drinking coffee, possibly waiting for customers.'
Good. Did you see the summons?
'It has been left on the counter, Master. Unopened and unnoticed.'
Unfortunate… Set up a warp and then come to me.
'…As you wish, Master.'
As Ichi finished his drink, he had to resist the urge to sigh in disappointment. While he had no reason to question his Master's orders, there were some orders he did not enjoy following. And this was one of them.
Nevertheless, he rose to his feet and picked up his cup before walking to the counter. As he did, though, he summoned up a small fragment of his Master's Imagination to create a miniscule seal upon the cup's side, hidden by the black decorations.
"Hey, Mr. H, I gotta go. Shiki said she had something to announce to us," he said to the barista.
"Heh. A'ight, Phones. I'll tell J ya stopped by when he comes back," the man said, not even paying attention to the cup as it was set down.
"Thanks, Mr. H. Ja ne."
With that said, Ichi turned and walked away, waving goodbye to Jin as he went, even though the brunette didn't even bother to look up. Once he was outside, Ichi picked up the pace and hurried along down the Miyashita Underpass and down the crowded streets…
But halfway through one of those streets, the Bunshin's body shifted and became smaller until he was no more than a red-haired fox that darted through the streets, completely unseen by everyone.
"Hai! Irrashai—Kurasa! Well I'll be damned, how're you doing?" Ken laughed as the redhead entered the almost abandoned shop.
"Good to see you as well, Kunkai-san," the fox said as he took a seat at the counter. "So, how is business?"
"Haha! You should know," the shop owner laughed out. "You and that boy were the ones who helped me rekindle interest amongst people for the old fashioned ramen. Have to say, though, I almost didn't recognize you back then."
"I'm well aware. In fact, that was the point of my 'disguise'."
"Heh. Of course it was… So! Almost done with your latest mission, huh?"
"Yes. I will likely be leaving Shibuya for good today."
"That so, huh? That's a little depressing. You and your friends were my best customers, after all."
"I am sure you'll manage. I mean, you were able to survive this long in modern Japan, right? Not many of your kind would ever be able to stand the human race for so long."
"Hahah! Suppose you got a point there, kiddo. So, one last bowl before saying goodbye, huh?"
"If you don't mind…"
"Course not! So, what would you like?"
"…I think… I'll have shio," the Kyuubi murmured thoughtfully.
"Huh? Shio? But I thought you said you hated that bland taste…"
"I do."
"So… why do you…?"
"…I don't know, Kunkai-san. I just… feel like having it, I suppose."
"You… suppose?"
"…Yes."
"…Hrrm… well, if you say so, kid."
As the shop owner got to work, the door opened barely a crack, allowing something to zip inside before it fell shut, and then the small creature hopped up onto one of the stools. Kurasa looked over to the small fox as it sat there, before he questioned solemnly: "Is it done?"
The fox yipped twice with a small nod in response.
"Very good," the Kitsune said as he brought down his hand and let the fox walk up his arm to his shoulders, where the vulpine creature seemed to disappear.
"Finished with the last part of your mission, huh?"
"Not yet, I'm afraid… I still have one more thing to do."
"That so, hm?" the old man asked, before he walked over and handed the redhead a steaming bowl of ramen. "Here ya go, kid!"
"Arigato," the Kyuubi said with a small nod before he brought his hands together and murmured: "Itadakimasu," and then picked up his chopsticks without another word.
Ken waited a few moments for the redhead to eat before asking: "Well? What's it like?"
Kurasa did not respond immediately and instead swallowed his mouthful of noodles. "…Bland and flavorless," he said after a moment more, but in spite of his own words, he continued eating them.
"Yet you're still eating them, why?" Ken asked, more than a little confused.
"…Saa…" the Kyuubi murmured, as he silently continued his meal.
Joshua blinked slowly, unsure for a few brief moments, before he bolted up in alarm with a shout of the Kyuubi's (former) name — "Neku!" — before he came to the realization that he was alone in the room. But that wasn't what surprised him the most; it was the state of the apartment that did.
Neat and tidy, not a single piece of furniture out of alignment, almost methodically, not a single sign of electronic equipment like a television, computer, laptop or anything of the like. Not even a water boiler or a coffeemaker. A quick check of the cupboards and fridge revealed them to be just as empty as the rest of the apartment. The bedroom was bare, and there wasn't much of a bed to speak of; just an old mattress and some thin blankets.
It was little more than an empty apartment, as though no one had lived in it for a long time.
"No way…" Joshua breathed out.
Panic struck then, and, without second thought, he raced out of the apartment. When he almost went flying head over heels over the railing outside the apartment, he stopped dead and looked to his left wrist. The seal that the Kyuubi had placed there was still there, though it was no longer active, therefore giving him free reign of his powers again. For which he was glad, because he needed them to stop…
To stop…
'…what… what was his name again…? …oh god no…!'
Joshua immediately leaped over the railing, upped his vibe back to the UG and flew off to WildKat. But as he flew, he felt like someone was gradually probing into his head, as though searching, and, bit by bit, he felt sections of his memories leaving him… and he understood what that meant well enough…
I'm not having a conversation you'll end up forgetting again anyway!
He was forgetting who the Kyuubi was…
When he arrived at WildKat, the only one who was inside the cafe was Jin, who was crouched down and examining some shards on the ground. When the Composer entered, Jin looked up and rose to his feet again.
"…where… where's Sanae?" he asked quickly.
Jin didn't respond immediately, but finally, he said: "I'm not sure, sir… When he picked up this cup to wash it, he just… disappeared."
One of the Kyuubi's tricks, no doubt. Joshua was able to keep most of his memories pieced together by blocking out whoever was trying to remove them, but it was straining on his mind. If he overexerted himself, he could lose control of the thin barrier keeping those memories locked up.
"Dammit… where did he take Sanae?!" he hissed out softly.
"…Sakuraba may have sent him to the most obvious place, sir."
Joshua blinked, twice, as the name sparked a memory he had believed to have lost, before he turned to Jin in alarm. "You… still remember?!"
"Yes, sir," Jin said solemnly. "I was able to set up a protective barrier around my memories before I lost them. Unfortunately, the person responsible was able to remove my memory of his appearance…"
Joshua could not have asked for a better Conductor, but he didn't let his thoughts linger long on the matter. "How did you know it was him?"
"One of his dolls was here, sir. Why, I'm not certain, but he was the one using this," the brunette said as he held up the shards of the cup.
"I see…"
Shaking the matter off (for now), Joshua immediately started to rake his brain over where the Kitsune would have brought Sanae. If what Jin said was true, it would be at the most obvious spot, because, as is common knowledge, that place is often the last place to be searched.
Which meant…
"…Udagawa. Jin! Come with me!"
"Yes sir!"
With that said, the pair bolted from the cafe and then rushed for the Udagawa district.
"The power's yet unknown…
The power's yet unknown…"
Blinking, the nine tailed fox reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, flipping it open and putting it to his ear after swallowing a mouthful of noodles. "Is it done?"
"…yes, sir. He has picked up the cup and has been transported to Udagawa as per your orders."
Kurasa gave a wordless nod as he shut his eyes, before he said: "Very well. I'll be there in 10 minutes. I expect you and Hachi to ensure the mission succeeds, Kyuu."
"Understood, sir. We will not allow for any unforeseen occurrences to disrupt the mission.
"See that you don't…"
And with that, the redhead flipped his phone shut again.
"Heh, almost done with your work, huh?" Ken asked good-naturedly.
"Yes. I merely need to wrap up a few more loose ends," Kurasa said solemnly after tucking the phone away.
"That so, huh? Hmm… do the others know you're coming?"
"I have informed them ahead of time, yes. Niisama has already arranged a ride home for me, as well."
"That so, huh? Heh. Always the busy bee, that Ruka…"
"Indeed…" the redhead murmured as he carefully raised the bowl to his lips and finished the remainder of his broth with his eyes lightly shut. Once he had finished, he exhaled slowly and rose to his feet while pulling out a few bills. "I apologize I cannot stay longer… but I am afraid I am on a time limit," he said as he placed the bills on the counter, before he bowed politely. "It was good to see you again, Kunkai-san."
"Heheh. Same, kiddo. Don't be a stranger, ya hear?"
"If my missions allow me, I will make sure to pass by again." The Kyuubi finally turned and walked out the door without another word said.
Udagawa was not a place where a lot of people passed by, even in broad daylight, and the few people that passed by rarely stayed for long. Most of the bikes parked there were either abandoned by their owners or dumped there by bicycle thieves. But despite its rather grim apparel, it housed some of CAT's most impressive pieces yet.
Which was probably the reason that said artist had been warped there.
"Nurgh… damn… what just happened?" Sanae groaned out as he sat up, bringing up a hand to his head — which alerted him to the manacles that kept his hands bound by the jingle of chains. "…ah shit, you're kidding…"
"Morning, Sanae-kun!"
The barista froze, before he turned to look to the figure that was standing off to the side. "Yoru…"
"Heheh. Ohayo-nyan! How're you-nyan?" asked the Bakeneko cheekily with a bright grin as though he had just devoured a tasty mouse. He had black, smooth hair and his left eye was covered by an eye-patch, while a silver tag with the word "Pluto" hung on a silver chain around his neck. He had two cat ears poking from his hair and two cat tails swayed about behind him. "Haven't seen you for a long time-nya!"
"…why are you here, Yoru?"
"Hey-nyan! That's mean-nya! I come all this way-nya and that's all you say-nya?!" Sanae didn't even bother to respond, and this made the Bakeneko pout unhappily. "Well, fine! Then I won't tell you!" He declared, crossing his arms over his chest and turning away pointedly.
"Yoru…"
"No."
Sanae watched the cat for a moment, before he sighed and looked away. '…I can guess why you're here…' he thought to himself. 'Looks like Kurasa's back… and likely out for my head… Guess I'm fucked whether I like or not…'
The barista tried not to think about just how literal that phrase truly was as he dropped his forehead to his knee to wait.
"…sir, wait!" Jin called out suddenly, and the Composer stopped on impulse.
"Dammit, Jin, we don't have the time to-"
"There's a barrier blocking us, sir," Jin called out as he moved closer and struck out at the air in front of him, which caused the barrier he had mentioned to ripple violently. It wasn't the same as the ones Reapers summoned to keep Players out; this one pulsed a deep red now that it had been disturbed once.
"…Dammit! Figures he wouldn't make it easy…" Joshua cursed angrily.
"…Sir, someone is standing at the base of the barrier…"
Upon hearing that, Joshua blinked before he looked down to the ground. And, like Jin had said, there stood two figures, one of them leaning back and the other merely standing there, staring ahead of himself. And it only took a moment for Joshua to recognize the second person.
With a snarl, Joshua dropped down from the sky, and Jin was quick to follow. When they touched down, the figure who had been staring ahead looked up and allowed a small, cheeky smirk.
"Oh, good day, Composer," he said in a voice that was far too familiar to Joshua. "We were not expecting to see you so soon…"
"…Hachi," Joshua snarled out.
The silver-haired double merely chuckled softly as he twirled a strand of hair around his finger, while his fox ears peeked out from his hair and his tail swayed by his feet. He was dressed in a simple dark blue kimono and he had a Kitsune mask resting upon his left temple. His eyes were now pale yellow-orange and the eye shadow surrounding his eyes was a light purple.
The figure that stood beside him was dressed in a deep green hakama and long-sleeved shirt, all in a traditionally old-fashioned Japanese style with golden embroidery. He, like Hachi, was wearing a Kitsune mask, only his actually covered his face, and his light brown ears were almost invisible behind it, and his tail only flicked back and forth every now and then.
"So… given the speed with which you've come, I assume you have arrived to take away the Fallen Angel, hm?" Hachi asked, his expression remaining a perfect cheeky mirror the one Joshua often saw on his own face.
"Get out of the way," Joshua snarled out without even bothering to respond to the Doll.
"Awww… sorry, but I'm afraid not. Master gave Kyuu-kun and I the orders to watch the Kitty-cat until he arrives," Hachi said, before he turned to Kyuu. "Isn't that right, Kyuu-kun?"
"…sir…" Jin whispered as the other Bunshin – Kyuu – raised his head, "…this could be bad…"
"…? Why do you say so?" Joshua asked quietly as Kyuu raised a hand to his mask.
"…that 'Kyuu'… if I'm not mistak—…crap…"
When Joshua looked back, he resisted the urge to curse as well. For the face that greeted them from under the Kitsune mask, was none other than Jin's own, though Kyuu's eyes were black and white – as in, the eye white was black and the iris was white – and his eyes were surrounded with dark green eye shadow.
"I fear… you may be right, Jin-kun…"
Hachi merely giggled as he reached into his sleeve and produced a simple, but familiar orange-colored phone. "Well then… As I said; I'm afraid we cannot let you by, Composer," he quipped as Kyuu punched the palm of his hand and cracked the knuckles all at once.
"…" Joshua sighed once as he prepared his own phone at the same time as Jin fell into a combat position beside him. "Ready, Jin-kun?"
"…Yes sir."
Hachi merely giggled. "Iko, Kyuu-kun."
"…Ryoukai."
If Jin's normally dark frown was considered off-putting by some, then Kyuu's gaze could only be called creepy. The inverted eye colors gave him an actually intimidating glare, but Joshua pushed that aside as they were dragged into the Noise's zone. Somehow, it didn't surprise him that Kyuu was to be his opponent while Hachi would be Jin's.
It seemed only natural.
Jin cricked his neck a few times and briefly stretched his legs before he rose to his feet and fell into a battle position as Hachi merely watched with a cheeky smirk on his face. The Conductor had a feeling that this was not going to be a pretty fight, but they had little choice. If they wanted to get past the barrier, they would have to deal with these guys first.
Jin took a deep breath in preparation as white wisps of Imagination circled around his arms, before he lunged forward.
When Kyuu lunged forward, Joshua quickly twisted to the side to avoid the punch that would've surely broken his nose had it hit. Silently, he brought up his phone and pushed down on the buttons in rapid succession, summoning a vending machine over Kyuu's head.
Jin back flipped away quickly to avoid being smushed by the vending machine that had almost come down on his head and snarled angrily. He quickly turned his foot on the ground once, before he spun around into spin kick –
– which launched a wave of blood red energy straight at Joshua, who was barely able to avoid it by ducking. Frowning, Joshua pressed down on a few more buttons, but just before he finished, he twisted it and said: "Smile!" –
– which made the phone give off a bright flash that had Jin crying out and shut his eyes to try and get rid of the sudden stars in his vision. He probably should have been expecting that, and the fact that he hadn't had him cursing his own foolishness, but he didn't have overly long to worry about it. For while his vision had gone, this only heightened his senses, and this allowed him to sense the shift in the air around him and thus punch upward –
– to knock the small car away from him and straight toward Joshua, who was barely able to dodge it in time, and he cursed quietly. If he didn't know any better, he could almost swear that the Bunshin was reading his every move. Either that or he was just overly lucky…
'Well, luck has to end at some point!'
Joshua lightly kicked up from the ground and quickly warped so that he floated almost 7 feet in the air and only typed in a few buttons on his phone before he threw his arm down –
– making Jin jump out of the way of the beams of dark blue energy, though he was unable to dodge the entire attack, and he hissed as the blast scorched his shirt and a good piece of his skin, turning it a hideous coal black due to the heat.
'Damn that fuckin' hurts!'
Jin frowned in suspicion, though, as a thought began to brew in his head. So, just to test something, he flexed his hand and then lashed out, releasing a White Noise shaped like a vicious wolf at the Bunshin –
– and while Joshua was able to leap aside from the red hound easily enough, the beast immediately spun around and bit him in his shin, making the Composer yowl before he promptly kicked the wolf away. 'Dammit! What is going on?!'
'Sir, how is your leg?' Jin's voice asked him through his head suddenly.
'My leg is fine! Urgh… stupid mutt!'
'…let me guess; it bit you in the shin, sir?'
'…! How did you…?!'
'…I was afraid of that…'
'…? Afraid of what?'
'…there is something I wish to verify. Sir, at the next attack, do not move.'
'Are you crazy?! If I do that–'
'Please, sir. Just trust me. If my theory is correct, this might prove to be a bigger problem than I initially thought.'
Joshua wanted to reprimand his Conductor for trying to give him orders, but he exhaled sharply and glared at Kyuu, who had not moved an inch after the last attack. He did trust Jin, and if he wanted to ensure that Shibuya was fine, he realized that he had to continue to trust Jin in even this.
'…Alright. I trust you.'
Jin took a deep breath before he exhaled slowly and crouched down, placing the fingertips of his left hand on the ground. He kept his focus entirely on the Doll that stood before him, immobile yet still smirking cheekily.
'Right… san… nii… ichi… ikuze!'
With that, Jin vaulted forward toward Hachi, who, despite his cocky smirk, didn't move an inch. And then Jin threw his fist forward –
– and then it stopped barely an inch away from Joshua's nose. The Composer had almost moved at the last second, but had managed to stop himself from doing so just as the punch was thrown. Which, had it actually continued and connected, would've likely broken his nose.
'…did it hit, sir?'
Jin's voice snapped him out of his stupor and he frowned softly at the slight dread he heard in his Conductor's voice. '…No. He stopped about an inch away…'
'…fuck!'
Joshua blinked, not just because of the curse, but also since Kyuu jumped back just then, never once lowering his guard. 'Jin?'
'They aren't fighting us… we are.'
'What?!'
'They're merely copying exactly what we do. All the damage they receive, we receive as well because our fights are–'
"–perfect mirror images of each other," Kyuu finished at the exact same time as Jin. When Joshua gawked at Kyuu in surprise, the Bunshin merely snorted. "…now that you know… what will you do? You cannot harm us…"
"Not without harming each other, anyway," Hachi giggled out.
Jin frowned darkly at the Doll's words. He was well aware that, no matter what they did, the two Dolls would copy everything they did. This meant that actually hurting them without hurting each other was almost impossible…
'…almost… but not quite…' Jin fought against the smirk threatening to break across his face as an idea hit him. 'Sir, there is a way to beat them…'
Joshua listened to Jin's idea, and when the man had finished, the Composer was equally struggling against a smirk. 'Very nice, Jin-kun. Very nice indeed… so, shall we?'
'As you command.'
Without another word said, Joshua brought up his phone and typed rapidly to summon a vending machine –
– which Jin easily avoided by spiraling out of the way before he rushed at Hachi again. As expected when he was in range, Hachi spun away – right as planned.
"Gotcha!" Jin cried as he reached out and snagged onto Hachi's tail as it zipped by him because of Hachi's spin. The Doll's eyes widened in alarm just before he released a frightened/pained yowl as Jin yanked and spun the Bunshin around before releasing him to smash into the nearby wall with a cry.
"Hachi-san?!" Kyuu choked out in alarm, but before he could do anything else, he screamed as another flash of light blinded him and made him reach for his eyes. And then there was the sound of energy exploding behind him and he howled as pain flared up in his own tail and made him leap away from the Composer while trying to douse the flames licking along the fur of his tail.
"Hihi. Perfect copies? I beg to differ," Joshua said casually. "I'll admit you're close, but not quite there."
Kyuu said nothing in response as he snapped his tail at the air once to rid it of the last few embers. However, he was definitely not pleased, as was obvious by the expression on his face.
Hachi hissed in pain as he climbed up again, rubbing the area around his tail with a wince as he looked to Jin with a dark frown. "…he's picked well, I see…" he said simply, as he flipped the phone shut. As he did, tough, a cold smirk crossed his face. "…however… I'm afraid your little deduction came too late."
"…! What?!"
Joshua choked in alarm. "Wh-what are you…?!"
"…Kurasa-dono has already finished…" Kyuu said solemnly. "Our mission… has been completed."
And just as suddenly they were back in the UG, and both Hachi and Kyuu darted back, then turned tail and ran, smashing headlong in the barrier that dissolved the moment they touched it. And then their forms shifted into a pair of foxes – one silver and one brown – that ducked into the fur of a pair of long fox tails.
Joshua gasped softly, before his anger got the better of him and he snarled. "Kyuubi!"
The daiyoukai silently looked over from where he stood over the crumpled form of a motionless man. His face was covered by a Kitsune mask, his limbs were thicker and tipped by dangerous claws, which made him stand taller than Joshua could remember, two elongated fox-ears poked out from his hair and nine powerful tails swayed lazily behind him.
"…so you've come…" the daiyoukai said solemnly, his voice void of any emotion, still.
"Y-you—…!" Joshua started, and he likely would've rushed him if Jin had not held him back.
"Sir! Please calm down," the brunette hissed out under his breath. "If you lose your temper, you'll lose the fight before it begins."
Joshua snarled, but he stayed where he was and made no more move to rush for the youkai again. That didn't mean the urge had gone, though.
"What… what did you do?!"
"…That is not your concern," Kurasa said solemnly. "Yoru."
"Nya-nya!" quipped the brunette bakeneko as he popped out from behind the fox.
"Take the Fallen Angel away. The Council expects him."
"Aye-aye-nyan!"
"Don't you–"
But Joshua's shout came too late; the other youkai had already jumped toward the downed man and didn't even look up as he and his charge disappeared in a burst of light.
"No!" Joshua cried out, and once again, Jin had to stop him from blindly rushing in. "Kurasa, you bastard!"
"…call me what you wish…" said the fox without ever flinching.
"…why are you still here, Sakuraba?" Jin asked after a moment.
Kurasa didn't bother with a response right away, but finally, he reached up and wordlessly removed his mask, revealing a solemn expression not unlike the one Joshua had seen on his face that morning.
"I am still here… to finish the last part of my mission…" the fox said solemnly, as all of his tails swayed behind him.
And in the next moment, as a burst of light blinded them both briefly, the daiyoukai's form had shifted into what could only be called a Noise form; tribal markings covered his bare skin, as his kimono and hakama had gone to be replaced by blood red fur lined by the same black markings.
"Show me, Composer! Show me if your heart has healed from the injuries you inflicted!"
There was no time to question the Kyuubi as both Composer and Conductor were drawn into the Noise's zone, but this time, something was different; both of them were in the same zone, facing off against the powerful daiyoukai. Though this startled them both, they quickly shook that away and focused instead on the Kyuubi.
"Show me what you've got…" the beast growled out, before it dropped down onto all fours and snapped its tails forward like whips.
Jin immediately back flipped out of range while Joshua spun on his heel, barely avoiding being hit. After exchanging both a glance and a nod, Jin punched the palm of one hand and then dashed toward the Kyuubi while Joshua armed his phone and pressed down on the buttons rapidly. And as he pressed the final button, a vending machine materialized above the fox, who was unable to dodge in time since he'd been trying to swipe at Jin.
Sadly, the fox didn't flinch from the hit, which made Joshua wonder if the hit was even doing damage. Jin, on the other hand, did not even bother with it and aimed a spin kick to the daiyoukai's face. While the actual kick was dodged, the burst of Imagination that followed after was faster and struck the fox to the jaw, forcing him backwards – right into a flying car that threw him against the wall.
The fox hissed angrily as he shook the stars from his vision and Joshua bit his lip in worry. This form of the Kyuubi was completely new to him, and despite how Jin and he appeared to be doing considerable damage, he couldn't help but feel like this was too easy. He still recalled the fight with the Kyuubi from 25 years ago, and how Sanae and he had struggled with holding the daiyoukai at bay.
This fight couldn't possibly be this easy…
'What the hell are you planning, Kyuubi?'
No answer to Joshua's question came, and just then the fox spun around and lashed out with his tails at Jin. The Conductor immediately leaped away – only to yowl as something sliced open his arm even though he had clearly been out of range of the tails.
"Jin!" Joshua shouted out as Jin landed a few feet in front of him.
"Ch…! It's his Dolls!" Jin snarled out. "They're attacking from his tails!"
The Dolls… of course.
Somehow Joshua wasn't as confused as he possibly should've been. Maybe because somewhere in the back of his mind, he had always known.
"Well… guess we have little choice… Jin-kun, would you mind?"
"Not at all, sir."
"Good. Then… fetch."
Jin crouched down low with his hands digging into the ground, and then he growled low in his throat with his teeth bared, that gradually got a more prominent "bite" to them, as a dark purple liquid slowly dribbled down his chin from the corners of his mouth. And as he twitched his fingers briefly, familiar tribal marks now covered his arms like a pair of claws that perfectly overlapped with his limbs, while at the same time, a tribal-like snake formed from his tailbone and it hissed angrily at the Kyuubi as Jin rolled up his sleeves, revealing the black markings shaped into wolf heads upon his shoulders. And then, Jin opened his mouth and released a furious, canine howl, which unleashed a powerful burst of Imagination, just before he lunged for the Kyuubi.
The daiyoukai growled and dodged to the side to avoid the swipe from Jin's large claws, only for its shoulder to be caught in the jaws of the wolf's head on the right, drawing a yowl from the fox. The lupine was able to lash out at the head to force it to let him go, so instead it lashed out with its tails. This forced the Conductor to let go and allowed the daiyoukai to dart backwards while continuously lashing out with its tails again.
Joshua only smirked as he saw the motions of the fox become slightly slower, before he regarded Jin's powerful Noise form.
It shouldn't have come as a surprise, and really it hadn't (to Josh, at least), that Jin's form had taken on the shape of the very beast he had once drawn to "protect" the Rubicon; Cerberus, the dog who guards the gates to the underworld.
After taking a deep breath, Joshua shut his eyes and focused all of his power to center upon him, and found that nothing was blocking it at all, and nothing was stopping it from responding to his call. First his wings formed, then they shifted so that they ran parallel with his arms, and then they curled around his arms entirely as he spread his arms wide once more as his own Noise form materialized.
As it did, however, he suddenly realized something; this would be the first time he ever used his own complete Noise form, ever.
He breathed in once, held it, and then exhaled, before he kicked off from the ground and spiraled upward into the air as Imagination coiled around him entirely. The surge of energy that surrounded him was like a veil and engulfed until a massive bird-like creature with its eyeless and mouthless head shaped like the head of a serpent hovered in place (*) As his form solidified entirely, his beat his wings once more and then released a screech that reverberated through the air and unleashed a blast of pure light at the Kyuubi just as Jin leaped away.
There was no way the daiyoukai could jump out of the way, and he howled in pain as the blast scorched a good part of his fur.
Joshua growled softly under his breath as the fox righted himself again. 'I won't let you… I won't let you get away with this!'
"Goodness me… I certainly was not expecting this," Ruka murmured softly as he watched the fight continue on from within the LG.
He was sitting upon a nearby bench in said sub-realm, nursing a cup of herbal tea as he watched the three Noise forms dart back and forth in something akin to a dance, while Shibuya's Music played the tune to guide them. Unlike his little brother, Ruka could not hear the Song of the Composer and had to strain his senses to even remotely feel any sort of melody from a city, but Shibuya's Music seemed to call even to someone as unmusical as himself. It was truly inspiring.
Ruka took another sip of his tea as his smaller brother once more jumped forward into the fray. For the other Kyuubi, it was easy to see that the redhead was adapting his power to what was thrown at him. The more power was thrown at him, the more power he would throw back. It was an easy trick of reflection that Ruka had taught him shortly after the kit had come under his care, and it was not something so easy to figure out, especially in the midst of battle. While he was sure that Shibuya's new Conductor would be able to understand, again, it would take time.
"…Ruka-niisama… sh… shouldn't we… do something?"
"…What's your hurry, Kamui?" Ruka asked without ever looking over to the other youkai, who sat on his knees beside the bench, his head down but his eyes watching the same fight from under his bangs.
"…but… K-Kurasa is…"
"Doing just fine," Ruka said firmly as he shut his eyes and took a long sip. "Face it, Kamui; little Kurasa has finally grown up."
"…"
The other Kyuubi said absolutely nothing in response.
The power that the Kyuubi was giving off was almost surreal. Joshua had already known the Kyuubi to be strong, but this was just crazy. The Ninetailed Fox was bearing the brunt of all the attacks while at the same time countering with equal or more power than was thrown at him. This definitely complicated matters quite a bit, and Joshua wasn't certain if they'd win like this.
'…! Sir! Don't move!'
'What?!'
'Don't move! Please, just trust me, sir!'
'…alright.'
All three beasts leaped away at the same time… and then all seemed to stop.
Jin merely stood, with only his tail hissing angrily as all three heads glared.
Joshua hovered in place, barely needing to beat his wings to keep afloat.
And the Kyuubi remained with his tails primed and swaying ever so slightly, but nothing else.
'…why isn't he…?'
'…mirrors… that's what this was all about…'
Joshua didn't have time to question it, however, since Kurasa wordlessly pushed himself up to his feet again. "…Congratulations, Composer; you pass."
"What…? I… what…?"
But Kurasa said nothing more as he waved his arm once, as a burst of energy slammed into both Joshua and Jin, dispelling their Noise form and throwing them backwards into a wall. Joshua hissed as pain blossomed from where his head hit the wall, and he wasn't at all surprised when he found that his body wouldn't respond to him anymore. And one look to the side showed that Jin was having similar troubles.
After snarling, he turned to the daiyoukai and demanded: "What do you mean I 'passed'?!"
"…Have you forgotten already?" Kurasa asked solemnly, as he briefly moved his hair out of his eyes. "My mission is to ascertain the safety of Shibuya. For that safety, a proper Conductor is required, one that the Composer can trust explicitly. And you have found one in Akataiyo Jin."
Joshua snarled angrily, and even Jin was close to snarling, though his sounded more like a growl.
"Kurasa."
The Kyuubi's ears perked up at the call, and after blinking once, he turned his head.
"…Niisama. Kamui," Kurasa said solemnly as he turned fully to face the two Kyuubi. "You're early… I was not expecting you so soon."
"Well, tis better to be early than late," Ruka said solemnly. "So… are you ready to go home?"
"…" Kurasa didn't reply right away, and instead looked back to the Composer and Conductor. "…could you give me five minutes?"
"Kurasa, we don't have the time for—"
"…Five minutes," Ruka interrupted the other Kyuubi. "No more."
"…arigato, Niisama." Kurasa didn't even look up when he said that, and instead only walked over to the Composer silently.
Joshua glared as the fox stopped in front of him. As much as he wanted to say something, anything at all, nothing he said would make a difference. Nothing would change…
"…you really hate me… don't you?" Kurasa asked softly, as though the question had not been meant to be heard.
The Composer didn't even grace that with a response; it just seemed so unnecessary. And, judging from his expression, Kurasa didn't need it anyway.
"…that's fine…" he said softly, as he brought up both his hands and placed his fingertips upon the side of his head, nails lightly scraping over his scalp–
–making him whine as those long, slim fingers gently massaged his scalp, and he leaned back against the other almost wantonly.
Joshua almost–almost–gasped in alarm when the memory suddenly sprang to the surface unbidden. He couldn't explain from where the memory had suddenly come, or from when it had been, but his body instinctively tensed, expectant, though for what, Joshua didn't know (not anymore, anyway…).
"…You'll forget it soon enough anyway," the Kyuubi suddenly said, just before he leaned in until their mouths were barely a breath apart. "So hate me all you want… while you still can."
And then their mouths connected firmly–
–and Joshua moaned from the back of his throat as he was forced back against the wall, the redhead's mouth moving against his own before his tongue slid out and demanded entrance.
Joshua was unable to stop his gasp this time, but the moment he did, the Kitsune's tongue slipped past his defenses and into his mouth–
–across his teeth, his gums, his tongue, and even his palate. It was hot and wet… and Joshua wouldn't want it any other way.
The memories just kept coming… they just wouldn't stop, even when the Kyuubi had pulled away slowly, with his fingers absently trailing down to his throat–
–where they slipped off the loose material of Joshua's button-up shirt. Joshua whimpered as they slipped downward, and then he opened his mouth…
"…Neku?"
The word/name was out before he could stop it, but the result was instantaneous.
Kurasa very nearly jumped back, startled, as the expression on his face said (the first real expression Joshua had seen that day). "H… how did you…?"
"…Kurasa," Ruka called out, which made the Kitsune look over in surprise. "Time is running out. I suggest you hurry.
"Y… yeah, alright…" the redhead said–
–and his voice made Joshua shiver and gasp for breath, as the words seemed to caress his skin. He didn't even have to say much; just hearing his voice seemed to be enough for Joshua.
"Guess I have to be quick, then…" the fox whispered suddenly as he ran both hands through his hair and let the strands fall onto his back. The redhead didn't give Joshua the time to respond as he reached into his left sleeve and pulled out a kris; a dagger forged into a zigzag pattern. "I suppose there's nothing to do about it…" he said then as he took hold of the long strands of hair and then brought up the dagger as he pulled them taut.
"W-wait, Neku what re you–?!"
But the words came too late as the kris cut through the strands, separating them from the remainder of his hair. Joshua could only stare as the fox's long mass of hair had been reduced to spiked strands that barely reached his shoulders. Briefly, the Kyuubi ran his hand through the strands, and as he did, the strands on the side of his head spiked up into the style he had used for almost 20 years, while the rest remained smooth and hung down in his neck.
"You… why did you…?" Joshua whispered, only to gasp as the locks of hair ignited in the Kyuubi's palm.
The blood red flames danced on the daiyoukai's palm, their image reflected upon the Kitsune's ice blue eyes, before they turned pure white in color and began to diminish. Kurasa watched in silence without ever blinking, before he curled his fingers around the flames, snuffing them out. He held his hand like that for a moment more before he uncurled it again… revealing a silver pendant shaped like the emblem that Joshua recalled seeing on the Kyuubi's back, a silver chain linked through the small loop.
"You can consider this as prize for your victory, Composer…" Kurasa said solemnly as he tucked away his blade again before he stepped closer and silently secured the chain around Joshua's neck, letting the pendant fall lightly upon his collarbone.
"W… wait… Neku please!" Joshua cried out as the Kyuubi made to move back.
"…"
Whether it was because of the call or something else, Joshua couldn't care, but the redhead stopped moving away and that was all that mattered.
"…don't go…" Joshua whispered softly. "…please… don't go… don't leave me again…"
Something in the fox's gaze changed then, if only for a moment, and for that brief moment, it was not Kurasa who stood there, but an unsure, scared young man called Sakuraba Neku…
"…" He didn't speak, but his mouth did move a few times, as though he wanted to say something. Nothing would come out, though, no matter how many times he tried. So, instead, he slowly brought up a hand and reached for Joshua's cheek…
"Time's up, Kurasa," Ruka called out.
Kurasa's hand stopped barely an inch away from Joshua's skin when the other Kyuubi said that, and he stepped back while retracting his arm as well. The forlorn expression on his face didn't go away, but he said nothing more as he turned around and wordlessly walked away.
Joshua clenched his teeth together tightly before he called out: "Neku! Don't go! Please!"
Kurasa didn't respond to the shout, but the hitch in his step revealed that the words did have some kind of impact on him. Rather than reply, though, the Kyuubi just kept walking until he stood by his brothers' side.
"Neku!"
"…" And still Kurasa refused to answer, even as Ruka turned on his heel and began to walk away without a word, Kamui right behind him. The redhead waited for a brief moment more, however, as though he was considering his options, before he spoke without turning around, his voice a mere whisper on a non-existent wind…
"I'm sorry, Yoshiya… but your wishes… cannot come true…"
But he didn't give Joshua the time to reply as the youkai sprinted off after his older brothers, disappearing in the darkness of the alleyways.
"…no…" Joshua choked out, clenching his fists tightly. "…Dammit! Why?! Dammit you bastard! Get back here and answer me! Why?! Goddammit why?!"
No answer came, of course, but really it didn't matter anymore…
Nothing did…
"…sir…"
Jin's voice startled him a little and he looked over to the brunette, who seemed to be struggling to keep his eyes open. "Jin…? What is…?"
"…he's… he's back… the one who… was removing our… memories… I… can't… I… I apologize I…"
Jin was unable to finish his words as the energy he had left was completely drained away, after which his binding fell away and he crumpled to the pavement.
"Jin!" But before Joshua could start to say more, he felt it as well; his energy was being drained, and as he lost his focus, gradually, his memories slipped through his fingers. "No!" he cried out and focused all his remaining energy on safeguarding the memories that remained. "Stupid cat! I won't let you! I… won't let you take them away from me!"
"Don't call me 'dear'!"
"…for every life you save… you kill another…"
"I'll probably leave Shibuya behind…"
"…Sakuraba Neku… will cease to exist."
"I won't let you! I WON'T!" Joshua shouted, and then, in a last ditch effort, he pushed all his memories into the nearest empty space he could reach and shut the door tight, to keep whoever was attempting to erase them out…
And then he passed out…
"…ir… Sir, wake up!"
Joshua groaned briefly, before he blinked his eyes open. "…hm? What just…?"
"Are you alright, sir?" Jin's voice called out, and, as Joshua rolled onto his back, he saw that Jin was crouched over him.
"…Hmm… yes, I'm fine," Joshua said, as he briefly yawned, before sitting up and looking around. "…Do help remind me, Jin; why were we here again?"
"…I'm not certain, sir…" Jin admitted, as Joshua climbed back up to his feet again.
Joshua ran a hand through his hair as he thought for a moment. It was odd, but it was like parts of his memory had become fuzzy around the edges, as though someone had tried Imprinting them on him, which was impossible, given that he was the Composer, after all. So… why were they here in Udagawa…?
"…oh, right…" Joshua murmured as his expression became solemn.
The Higher-ups had come for Sanae, and Joshua had come to Udagawa sometime after, to calm himself down. Jin had come after him afterwards, but… he wasn't sure what had happened after to make him pass out.
"…Sir, if I may ask… where did you get that pendant?"
When Jin asked that, Joshua blinked and looked down to his chest, where he immediately spotted the silver pendant of a nine-tailed fox looking ready to pounce. "Hm? What is…?" he murmured, taking it in hand and looking it over a few times. "…Hmm… no idea. May as well remove it then… …hm?" Joshua frowned. "Jin-kun, would you mind helping me look for this thing's clasp?"
"…Yes sir." Jin solemnly moved over and examined the chain for a moment. "…there isn't one…"
"I was afraid of that," Joshua grumbled with a sigh. "Oh well. Hard way it is."
And Joshua focused a small part of his energy on his finger with every intent of cutting the chain—
—but he couldn't break the chains and he wailed as burning hot fingers trailed along his bare sides.
"…!" Joshua immediately withdrew his hand in alarm at the sudden image that flashed over his eyes, startled. 'What… what was that…!?'
"…Sir?"
"..nothing… never mind. Let's just… let's just go…"
Jin (thankfully) didn't question it and instead only followed after the Composer as he walked away. As they went, however, Joshua's hand was itching to reach up for the pendant again, and he couldn't understand why.
'What… was that…? Who… who was doing… that…?'
But no matter how long he searched, all he remembered was the color red…
"…you're touching it again, sir."
Joshua jumped when Jin's voice called out so suddenly and immediately lowered his hand from where it was touching the pendant around his neck. "Ah, sorry, Jin-kun. What were we discussing again?"
Jin didn't respond right away, and he seemed to want to say something about the matter, but he eventually chose not to. "About the replacement Producer the Higher-ups will be sending us today, sir," he said instead.
"Ah, right…" Joshua murmured softly.
They had received a notice from the Higher-ups about Sanae, almost a week after the events in Udagawa, and while they clearly stated that he would not be erased for his actions, he was dismissed from his position as Shibuya's Producer, as well as banished from the city itself, for an indefinite amount of time. Hence, they had declared that they would send a replacement within two days.
Which was today.
While Joshua knew it was useless to think about it, he couldn't help but worry slightly. Sanae had been like a guardian to him and, regardless of his reasons why, the man had become very important to the Composer. It just didn't feel right to have someone else take the role of the person who had helped shape Shibuya into what it was today.
Regardless of that, the pair was waiting in the WildKat cafe, with Jin absently working on tidying the place up, given that Sanae had been away for so long, and Joshua was sitting in one of the booths, his back to the door. There had not been any customers as of late, though that was mostly due to the weather; it had been raining for several days on end already, and while there had been a few pauses in between, it tended to start raining again within the hour.
"…you're doing it again, sir."
"Gah! Dammit!" Joshua hissed as he let go of the pendant again. "Why do I keep doing that?"
"…perhaps you should worry about it later, sir," Jin said solemnly. "It seems he's here already."
"Hm? What do you–"
But before he could finish his question, the door gave a click to signal it was unlocked, and then it swung open inward with a merry jingle from the bell installed above it.
Joshua sighed and turned around to watch the new arrival close up his umbrella and set it against the wall by the door before shutting the door again.
He was a young-looking man a little shorter than Jin, and his deep black hair was secured in a ponytail on top of his head, with two locks hanging beside his face and his bangs shaped like a point in the center of his forehead. When he looked up, it was with eyes that were, while slightly larger than that of the average male, a deep brown that was almost black, and the expression on his face was a kind, gentle one.
With another small sigh, Joshua rose up from his seat and turned to face the young man. "So…" he began after a moment. "I take it you've been sent here by the Higher-ups, hm?"
The man lightly moved one of the long strands aside, before he gave a small smile. "That is correct. My name is Ikuro," he said, before he bowed politely. "Please take care of me."
Joshua nodded slowly in response. While the phrase seemed a bit out of place, at the same time it seemed to be perfect for this newcomer. "Alright. Well, as you may already know, I'm Kiryuu Yoshiya. But Mother and Father call me 'Joshua', so feel free to do so as well."
"…Akataiyo Jin," the Conductor said solemnly, one hand in his pocket.
Ikuro continued to smile and nodded politely. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
The silverette merely nodded. He couldn't say that Ikuro was a "bad" choice of the Higher-ups… but he wasn't Sanae.
And…
Slowly, the Composer reached up, and briefly ran his finger along the silver pendant hanging around his neck…
…and as he shut his eyes briefly, hungry lips claimed his own in a soft, but possessive kiss.
Joshua let his hand fall back to his side as he opened his eyes again, and turned to see that Jin had already taken Ikuro aside to discuss a few things, for which the silverette was glad. As kind and helpful as Ikuro would turn out to be… he just couldn't accept it…
Yet he had no choice… since not all wishes can come true, after all…
"I'm sorry, Yoshiya… but your wishes… cannot come true…"
Joshua froze and shook his head quickly. 'That voice… who…?'
"Sir?"
When Jin called out, the Composer tensed briefly and turned back to the pair. "Ah, sorry, Jin-kun. Guess I was a little lost in thought there."
Jin chose not to address the matter, and even Ikuro did not seem to mind overly much.
Joshua had to resist the urge to sigh. He wasn't sure what he was missing… but it wasn't just Sanae… and whatever it was… it hurt… it really hurt…
As the others turned to each other again, Joshua reached up again, and clutched his pendant tightly…
"…Ne…ku… Ne…ku…"
That whisper… it gnaws on his heart and is screaming at him that it's important, but he can't understand how or why, and yet he's too afraid to push it to the back of his mind to be forgotten, because he feels like the things that constantly flash through his head are things that should never be forgotten… Things that he's supposed to cherish and hold dear…
And so he does…
Why, he doesn't know… but he knows he has to…
Has to…
Epilogue
Time passes quickly, like time tends to do when you have all of eternity. Within a couple of blinks, ten years have come and gone, and Joshua finds himself passing the time in WildKat, sipping on a cup of coffee.
There weren't any customers yet; it was still too early for that (only 5 in the morning, and the shop opens at 6:30 sharp), but Joshua wasn't expecting too many people to pass by that day.
"It may be a wise idea to not spend so much time thinking so early in the morning," called a casual voice, and Joshua sighed as he looked over.
"I know, Ikuro, I know… It just happens."
Ikuro merely nodded in understanding and said no more as he continued to sweep the dust toward the door. As he did, Joshua took a moment to regard the young man.
He certainly looked very professional in the barista outfit he was dressed in, and while he hadn't changed his hairstyle, it seemed to fit just fine. He often smelled of coffee as well, and it was yet another aspect of the whole thing that reminded him of Sanae.
Joshua resisted the urge to sigh as he sipped his drink. He knew it was pointless to think about it, but he really missed Sanae. It was in the small things that Ikuro did that kept reminding him of the other; they both read the newspaper as it was splayed over the counter when there was no one around, left hand on the edge of the next page and the right holding up a cup of coffee, or how they handled the broom or dishrag, small things like that.
He knew he should forget about it… but it was just so hard…
Just then, the door clicked open and in walked Shibuya's Conductor, who gave a small hiss as he wiped some sweat out from under his bangs.
"Good morning, Jin," Ikuro greeted with a nod, and Jin merely nodded in return.
Jin adjusted his shoulder bag briefly and then walked over to where Joshua was sitting, and the Composer nodded as the brunette took a seat across from him. When he had, though, he seemed to consider some things, before he asked: "…Rough night again, sir?"
Joshua glared up to his Conductor from under his bangs. "Yes, and I can do without you stating so every day, thank you."
"…" Jin was wise enough to not say anything in response to that. …for a while, anyway. "…about him again, sir?"
Joshua winced. He should've known Jin would know immediately. "…Yes. However, that's not important now," he said after moment, waving it off. "Have you been able to gather up any potential Players, Jin-kun?"
"…Yes, sir," Jin said, as he flipped open the manila folder he had brought with him. "I was able to gather several Souls with potential… but there were quite a lot who lacked the Imagination to believe."
"Hmhmm.. so, how many were left?"
"Roughly 36%."
"Ooh… that isn't overly much, is it?"
"I wasn't able to make more of it, I'm afraid."
"… sigh… Well, nothing to do about it. Decided on the Game Master, yet?"
"Not yet, sir. I'm still hesitating between two Officers."
"Hmm… Your ex-Partner being one of them, I assume?"
"…is that a problem, sir?"
"Hihi. Not at all. Alright. I'll leave the main preparations to you, then. Objections?"
"None, sir."
"Good. Well then… let's check their files, then, shall we?"
Joshua sighed heavily as he leaned back against a light post just outside Shibu-Q. The day was just crawling by, and nothing interesting had happened at all that could somehow ward off the wave of boredom the Composer was now feeling. After arranging everything for the next Game with Jin, the Composer had left WildKat to explore, with no real goal in mind.
And yet somehow, his feet had brought him here…
He wasn't even certain why. They just had…
Ever since Sanae had been taken away, he had avoided the area around Udagawa, as he had attempted to not think about the Angel any longer. Sadly, this method had had an adverse effect and he only seemed to be thinking about him more and more. As he stood there, he couldn't help but wonder if he'd ever see Sanae again, but that chance was likely very small…
With a sigh, Joshua shut his eyes and leaned his head back, and listened quietly to Shibuya as the people around him continued with their daily lives, unaware of their great overseer standing right in their middle…
"Ate mo naku samayotte ita (I was wandering without a destination)
Tegakari mo naku sagashi tsuzuketa (I continued to search without any clues)
Anata ga kureta omoide o (Making the memories you gave to me)
Kokoro o iyasu uta ni shite (into a song to heal my heart)"
At those words, Joshua blinked in surprise, and then frowned as he looked around. That voice had sounded rather close, but not close enough that it was right beside him. His curiosity piqued, Joshua pushed off from the light post and began to search for the source of the voice as it continued to sing.
"Yakusoku mo suru koto mo naku (The days when, without making any promises,)
Kawasu kotoba mo kimetari mo sezu (without exchanging words or consciously deciding,)
Dakishime soshite tashikameta (you embraced me and sought me out;)
Hibi wa nido to kaeranu (those days will never return)"
Joshua slowly walked down the damp backstreets of Udagawa, and while, at any other time, he would have never come here after Sanae had left, the meaning of the song… it just struck something in the Composer.
And then he turned the last corner to the mural and he stopped in surprise.
Standing only a few feet away from the mural, was a teen, possibly somewhere around 15, 16 at the most, with fiery red hair that seemed to stand on end in certain parts. He was dressed in only black as far as Joshua could see and he carried a simple duffel bag along his left shoulder. And he was definitely the source of the singing…
"Kioku no naka no te o furu anata wa (The you who touches my hand within my memories)," he sang, in a way that seemed almost distant while he continued to gaze up to the mural, "Watashi no na o yobu koto ga dekiru no (can still call out my name)…" (**)
Just as he was about to move on to the next part, though, he tensed briefly and fell silent. After a few more moments, though, he turned around, blinking curiously with his head tilted sideways. A pair of dark blue eyes that were framed by black eye shadow regarded the Composer quietly.
In turn, Joshua watched the teen just as silently, his hands placed casually in his back pockets. Like that, they stood for a few moments more, before Joshua spoke with a small chuckle.
"No need to stop," he quipped, a bit cheekily. "It was just getting good."
The redhead tilted his head the other way and then turned around to properly face the silverette. "I hadn't actually been planning to sing…" he admitted as he reached up and lightly fiddled with his spiky bangs. "But… this place… I'm not certain why, but it just called to me." He allowed a small smile as he finished those words. "It's almost as though this place is telling me 'Enjoy the moment'."
That was a shocker; not many people these days recalled Sanae's old catchphrase since "CAT" had disappeared from Shibuya. It was becoming rarer and rarer and to find people who were susceptible to what remained of the great artist's words in the city.
This kid was certainly something else… especially when Joshua remembered that he had never tuned himself down to the RG.
"Hihi. You're interesting, kid," Joshua said honestly as he tucked aside a few strands of hair. "My name is Kiryuu Yoshiya. But you're free to call me Joshua."
The boy allowed a chuckle of his own and said with a half-wave. "Pleased to meet you. My name is Sakuraba Shintora. But my family and friends call me 'Shin'."
(*) Has anyone ever played Final Fantasy 8? If you have, think the GF Quezacotl.
(**) Kudos if you know what song this is.
-DOLL UPDATE-
Name: Kyuu "?"
Number: Nine
Actual eye-color: Inverted (white irises and black "eyewhite") with dark green eye-shadow
Source: Akataiyo Jin
Info: Vicious and nimble, Kyuu is born solely for battle and that appears to be just fine for him. He has a lot of respect for his "maker" and the older Dolls, but other than that, there's very little known about him.
So the majority of you asked for this option, but if you're curious, you can still read the other option and see what changed and what remained the same despite the change in Joshua's decision.
Also, sorry 'bout the long wait everyone; life caught up to me, plus I've been helping out an old friend of mine with beta-reading a book he wants to publish sometime this year. So I'll likely be sidetracked until he's done with it.
Speaking of, he's actually looking for illustrators for his book, so if any of you feel confident enough in your drawing skills (or if you know someone who may be interested), you can drop by his DA site (alnewbrink deviantart com) for the exact details on his project.