Story: Mind the Gaps (French version available : "Intervalles")

Date: posted the 20 of May 2023

Beta: None

Fandom: The World End With You

Disclaimer: No, I don't own TWEWY, and I'm not making any profit from this story.

Summary: Just after the Long Game, Joshua saved and resurrected the rest of the Hashiko gang but was condemned by the Angels for his actions: He is confined to Shibuya and half of his powers have been sealed. Neku dies again, but without his powers, Joshua cannot resurrect him. He takes him to safety anyway, which leads to M.H being banished by the Angels. Joshua is left alone to manage Shibuya, well not quite since he's got Shinjuku's scum on his hands. Months pass, Joshua is struggling to manage the UG without Sanae and Kitaniji and Shiki and the other reach out with an offer of friendship. But Shinjuku's Reaper strike a coup and Joshua loose a lot of powers. He still tries his best to make the city survive.

Trigger of this chapter: None I can think of


Enjoy your reading!


It was a huge burst of anger that startled Joshua. Blinking, he looked down at his paperwork without understanding. Sure, the proposals for new shops to be approved for visibility in the game weren't particularly interesting, but it didn't merit this much hate. What the... oh! Closing his eyes, Joshua concentrated for a second to find the pacts inside him. It wasn't hard, the anger was burning and lighting up his thoughts like a fire. Yet he was surprised when he arrived at the cause. He who had expected a whirlwind of emotions, courtesy of his favourite skateboarder, or even his frustrated hacker apprentice, was in fact because of his passionate seamstress.

Hu.

Blinking twice, his lips loose, Joshua immediately stood up, abandoning his paperwork in favour of this extraordinary event. Joshua had never felt Shiki so angry. It was a mixture of rage, sadness and betrayal, a putrid potion that did not bode well.

Joshua joined Shiki with morbid curiosity. All the way there, her emotions had trembled through their bond, barely fading and seeming to reignite every few seconds. Just the place where he found her was strange. The girl was in her room at her parents' house. Usually she was almost always at the workshop or at the Gatito building or at the High School. Even when she was doing her homework, she still preferred to be in Cat Street. But here she was cross-legged on her bed, angrily sewing up a torn jacket sleeve. She didn't even seem to notice Joshua when he came in, even though he made sure to appear in the RG on her doorstep. It took a knock on the panel behind him for Shiki to jump, scratching herself with the needle as she went, and look up.

"Joshua." She greeted in a deceptively calm voice, "I'm not in the mood."

Well, at least he was warned, Joshua thought. Not that he was going to take notice, of course. "Hello Shiki, far be it from me to bother you for long, but at least let me point out that you're bleeding." He replied nonchalantly, waving his hand in the direction of hers.

If possible, the girl frowned even more, ready to ignore him until she saw that, indeed, a large red drop had already crashed onto her half-repaired jacket. "Shoot!" Shiki swore before immediately putting her finger under her tongue. She stood staring at the stain for a moment, not moving and not speaking either.

It was as if she had forgotten that Joshua was there. He was wondering if he should remind her of his presence when big tears started to roll silently down her cheeks.

Ho, ho...

If this had happened two years ago... No, even one, Joshua would have lost all curiosity and immediately moved to the UG. Unfortunately, he'd more or less got tangled up in some nasty "friendship" business since then and could hardly run away when Shiki was in such a bad state.

Sighing silently, Joshua pulled out the desk chair and sat down opposite Shiki. Close enough that she knew he was there, but far enough away that she could have her own space to calm down. It's crazy to think that through trial and error, he knew how best to comfort his partners. Although, feeling their emotions certainly helped, that was for sure. And if really, he could always read their thoughts, even if he tried to avoid it.

"So..." Joshua began, playing with a strand of hair. "It's surely not that jacket that's got you in such a state." Shiki flinched and Joshua froze, unsettled. "Or it is?"

Shiki remained silent for a little while longer, passing the needle over and over again to try to repair the tear. "It's related..." She finally muttered, but said no more.

Shiki was clearly less talkative than she had been in the Game, when she had done her best to imitate Eri, but still! He had never seen her so recalcitrant. Joshua barely restrained himself from glancing at her thoughts. It would satisfy his curiosity, sure, but it wouldn't help Shiki. Ugh... every once in a while, it was better to go straight for it. "Shiki... what's wrong?"

Sighing, the girl stopped her needle and looked up at him. Seeing his serious look, her anger vanished like a breeze in favour of deep weariness.

"I had a fight with Eri." She finally confessed.

"What does the jacket have to do with it?" Joshua asked when she again seemed to revert to silence.

"I... It's the first design I've done since Mr. Mew. Eri was super happy, she said it was really good! And... She even wanted us to put it in our next collection."

Joshua frowned. That was good... right? "But...?" He encouraged.

Shiki bit her lip, looking down at the jacket. "But I made this jacket for Neku and I don't want anyone else to put it on."

"Ah." Joshua replied, examining the garment more closely. "And you told that to Eri?"

Shiki nodded. "She said... she said I had to stop thinking about him all the time, that he was d-... dead for over two years and... and... that we should all move on."

Joshua felt a pang of annoyance at Eri at these words, but immediately exhaled softly to calm himself. "Eri doesn't really know what's going on, she didn't want to-..."

"I know!" Shiki immediately exclaimed. "I know she only wants to help me, and for sure from her point of view, it's not good for us the way we talk about him all the time but... but..." She exhaled softly, looking up at Joshua again, dropping her needle to grab his hand. "Please, Joshua, tell me the truth... Is he really coming back?"

"He's not quite back yet, but of co-..." He began to answer, but Shiki shook her head.

"Think about it. I mean, really. Because Neku's dead, isn't he? Really dead. And it's only because of you that he has a chance to join us again." She squeezed his hand, her breath shaking. "But what if he never recovers from the Shinjuku Game? What if you never get your powers back? We've waited so long... I don't know what I'd do if he disappeared for good."

"Shiki..." Joshua muttered, but the girl shook her head.

"But... sometimes I think... wouldn't it be even worse if he came back? It's not just me, Rhyme, Beat... even you, especially you... We've only known Neku for two months, and it's been two years since we've seen him, since we've experienced anything together. If he comes back, will he recognize me? I've changed so much with the end of the Game and high school and the creation of Gatto Nero..." She stammered, the words rushing out of her lips until she suddenly seemed to realize something. "I'm afraid. I'm afraid we've held on to him too tightly, that we've made something of his memory that he isn't. If he doesn't come back, we'll always be attached to this idea, really haunted by a d-...dead. But what if he does come back? What if he's nothing like the idea we've kept of him? What if we are not what he hopes we are? That would be a new grief, and I... I don't know if I can handle it."

The weight of those words resonated distinctly inside the Composer. It was even worse for him. For in reality? Neku had only known him for a week, a very small week. Whereas Joshua? Joshua had spent far more time than he cared to admit watching him. Before the Game, during the Game, after the Game... even in his dreams! And Joshua knew that Neku cared for him, their bond was still strong, even stronger, and a pact could not be maintained unilaterally (and Joshua carefully did not consider what that meant to him.) but what would happen when Joshua finally resurrected him? Would Joshua watch from afar as he became just an old nightmare in Neku's memory? Or would Joshua continue to be part of the group?

And in that case, Neku would have to get to know him, and what if he didn't like who he really was? Far from life and death issues, it was much harder to accept anything. It was the same for Beat, Shiki and Rhyme... without the weight of Neku's life in the balance, would they still stand Joshua? Would they even want to spend time with him?

"I... don't know, Shiki." Joshua sighed, and it was as if a weight was lifted from his shoulders. Hu. Maybe he should admit it more often. Tightening his hand around Shiki's trembling fingers, he pulled her to her feet, eliciting a small, surprised cry. "Come on, I think we should go see Rhyme and Beat. And, if you like... Eri too."

"You mean...?" Shiki murmured, eyes wide, and Joshua shrugged.

"As Rhyme has told me many times, the UG is a big part of our lives. She belongs to the group after all, so... I don't mind explaining a few things to her if everyone agrees." Joshua bent down, grabbing the fallen jacket to hand it to Shiki. "It's a beautiful piece of work, it would be a shame if it wasn't appreciated for what it is."

Shiki gently took the jacket, a thin, trembling smile on her lips. "Yes, you're right. Thank you, Josh."


Think about letting a review on your way out, and see you the 30th for the continuation!