Story: Mind the Gaps (French version available: "Intervalles")
Date: posted the 10 of December 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 others reach out with an offer of friendship. But Shinjuku's Reaper strike a coup and Joshua lose a lot of power. He still tries his best to make the city survive. He became friends with the Hashiko Crew, kept in touch with Neku in his dream and, finally, after 3 years, succeed in launching a game with his Tuners which will decide of the future of Shibuya. He chooses a proxy, Rindo Kanade and then wakes up Neku.
Trigger of this chapter: None I can think of
Thrice as long as usually, but the Tuners had a lot of things to say :3
Enjoy your reading!
Joshua was lying on the roof of 104, his eyes closed. For the first time since... at least the end of the Game with the Executioner, he had absolutely nothing to do. Uzuki and Kariya had everything in hand for the next game and, better still, it wasn't for another two weeks. The Shinjuku Reapers, or at least those who hadn't wanted to integrate permanently into Shibuya, had returned home. This had momentarily dealt a blow to the administration, but with the return of the Shibuya gaming system, they had been able to cope.
That and, Joshua was always surprised to say, the help of his partners.
Joshua had promised himself he wasn't going to avoid them after their meeting at Hachiko but... well, work was a valid point: there was far too much of it. But that wasn't the only reason... Neku had little recollection of their dream rendezvous and... Joshua had been a little worried that he'd become a stranger to Neku again, just this weird entity that had ruined his life three years before. But getting killed and resurrected and killed again and resurrected again apparently left its mark, because when Rhyme had called him and Joshua had come to them, tired and a little nervous, Neku had held out his hand. Literally, shaking it at him as he introduced himself, eyes piercing, as if they were starting again from scratch. Uh. Joshua had felt a little empty, he didn't want to pretend everything that had happened between them hadn't happened, but he couldn't spit on such an opportunity to get what he wanted either. So he'd played Neku's game but, once again, he'd surprised him.
"I want us to start again on a clean slate." He'd said, his hand still clenched in his. "You haunted my death and, I'm an idiot, but I want you in my life too. That doesn't mean I forget everything that happened." Had threatened Neku but it sounded more like comfort in Joshua's ears. "But... I trusted you and from what I've been told, you did your best to keep it so... I forgive you. Thank you, Josh."
Joshua had been, embarrassingly, completely speechless. He hadn't known how to respond, no sarcastic retort, so easy usually, had come into his head. And not even a heartfelt response. Fortunately, Neku hadn't left him in his panic for very long, asking instead how they could help.
"What?" Joshua croaked very inelegantly, and a point of amusement lit up Neku's eyes. No doubt he was enjoying shaking the Composer. It was this thought that managed to reboot Joshua's brain: he wasn't going to let Neku have his fun at his expense.
"Lollipop told us you were underwater trying to get Shibuya back on its feet after Shinjuku left. So we got together and... everyone wants to help. What can we do to make Shibuya better?"
Joshua wasn't sure if he was annoyed that Kariya had told them about the UG's problems, or glad that he had. But either way, it was done, and despite his attempts to deflect, his partners seemed determined to help the city. So be it. So they found tasks they could do, although Joshua was careful to keep them away from the current players, not wanting to hurt their hearts unnecessarily. For Beat and Neku, it wasn't complicated: they were sent straight to work with the Reapers lieutenants to kill as many Noises as possible. They had a real infestation after Kubo's shenanigans and they needed all hands on deck.
Especially those of the two boys, who were experienced fighters. Joshua didn't even have to pull them into the UG most of the time, as Neku tended to go up too easily. Joshua had to put them back in the RG after each session, but they still found it very difficult to come down without Reaper wings to channel their Vibe. As for Rhyme, she teamed up with Kaï to develop the RNS even further, creating a management application that greatly reduced the pile of paperwork for Joshua and the Officers. Shiki and Eri redoubled their efforts on their shop, organising events in the streets of Shibuya to boost the imagination of the inhabitants and nourish the city. They weren't the only ones in this vein, with Death Märch making a comeback with a surprise concert that was still being talked about weeks later.
While the Reapers hadn't fully emerged from their artistic Hiatus for at least a good month and a half, they had been able to restart certain events. What's more, as soon as the Game was more or less working again, Joshua had been quick to push them into their second Job. It hadn't been easy, as most of them weren't like Death March, famous enough to disappear for three and a half years and come back as if nothing had happened. Some had also lost their passion and found it hard to get back into something they no longer enjoyed. Others, like the not so young anymore Hanako, had simply never had the opportunity to develop their artistic career and had to start from scratch.
Surprisingly, the Twisters had wanted to help too, and it's true that Fret and Nagi's special abilities would have been incredibly useful in solving the problems of the Noises source people. But Neku had put his foot down, saying, without a doubt, that Joshua would listen to him, that he didn't want them in the UG, not so soon after what had just happened. They needed time to breathe, realise and heal, he'd said. It was a bit hypocritical of him, apart from those few weeks between the Long Game and his Games in Shinjuku, Neku himself had never stopped, and he still wasn't taking a break now. But, well, he wasn't wrong, there was no point in getting in the way of their development and, in any case, Joshua didn't really want to deal with them. So most of the Twisters remained in the RG, volunteering for the events at Gatto Nero.
"Well, that's quite a story, Josh. I missed a lot." whistled the man beside him. Opening his eyes, Joshua turned his head towards his Producer with a smile.
"Well, what an idea to leave for so long, Sanae." Joshua scoffed, as if it had been his choice. As if he'd just come back from a holiday and not a forced internment, courtesy of their Tuners.
Sanae gave a little laugh before shaking Joshua's hair. Or tried to, the Composer having sat up quickly enough to dodge the brunt of the attack. Sanae smiled before looking back at the city. Or, if Joshua suspected correctly, listening to her, rather. "To be honest, I expected to be away a lot longer." He said suddenly. "While I didn't doubt your resourcefulness, I didn't think our Tuners would let me back in Shibuya. They've considered me a bad influence on you for years, after all."
Joshua blinked in surprise. He'd never thought about it, but... it's true that Sanae wasn't exactly common either. He was particularly attached to the city and to humanity for a Producer... In fact, he was a fabulous example of an Angel intervening far too much for Mother's taste. That was probably why she'd sent him to the lower planes, so he'd only have to report the facts instead of playing with them.
"I think... I think we've reached a certain mutual understanding. They don't doubt my future ascension, but they said they wouldn't insist on it while Shibuya remained on track." Or, as Joshua mentally translated it, as long as he himself remained on the right path.
"Surprisingly magnanimous." Sanae exclaimed before murmuring, as if Father and Mother were suddenly under the same roof, "Just goes to show, even they can change too."
Joshua smiled. Far be it from him to say it to their faces, but he liked the thought nonetheless: even Angels could change.
"Speaking of change... they're getting impatient, you know." Sanae noted with a little downward nod.
"Oh, they're used to it, and they won't mind me being a bit late welcoming you."
Sanae laughed before standing up. "Still, I wouldn't want to bother DJ any more than I already have. I'm going to take a look around the city and see how it's changed. Not today, but stop by WildKat with them when I get it back in shape, okay Josh?"
Joshua nodded and at his next blink, Sanae was gone. Lowering his eyes, he stared at Hachiko in the distance. To a human it would have been difficult to discern anything other than ants, but as a Composer and, more importantly, with the pact, the five people below stood out easily from the rest. Spreading his wings, he let himself fall into the void without a moment's hesitation, stopping his fall a metre from the ground with a gust that even disturbed the RG people.
"Eri, come down, they'll see us!" a familiar voice suddenly exclaimed. Joshua looked up to see Shiki tugging at her flatmate's jacket. Eri, with one foot on Hachiko's first pedestal, was struggling to touch his ears.
"It's all right, they're far away and Hachiko's been through worst!" Eri protested.
Joshua could confirm that. In the last week alone, a flour fight between high school students had covered a good part of the square and the poor dog in white. Not that Joshua was complaining, he wasn't the one cleaning up and that had attracted a wave of intrigued tourists.
"Leave Shiki alone, the cops are far away, and it won't do him any harm." Beat interjected.
"Besides, I'm sure Hachiko would love to be petted." Rhyme rejoined.
"You know she's not going to give up, so better to do it as soon as possible than give the police more time to see us." Concluded Neku, himself gently patting the dog's side.
"Okay, okay..." sighed Shiki and she let go of Eri, who immediately stood on tiptoe with a victorious noise.
"Who's a good dog? Yes, you are!" Eri purred as she rubbed the statue's skull, making Shiki laugh despite herself.
"A very good dog, yes. Poor thing, having to put up with you all the time..." laughed Joshua, finally reaching their level. Neku turned round unsurprisingly, he must have sensed the Composer coming, if not subconsciously.
"We wouldn't be bothering him so much if you didn't take so long to show up." Neku replied smoothly before presenting his fist with a smile. "Hey Josh, tough day?"
Joshua meticulously clinked their fists together with a shrug. "More busy than tough. Sanae's back so I had to brief him on what happened."
Neku's smile turned a shade conflicted, but he was restrained from responding when Eri, still perched on the dog's pedestal, exclaimed happily. "Your Uncle? CAT?"
"Shhh, Eri!" Shiki instantly exclaimed and her flatmate immediately laughed apologetically before blinking.
"Ooooh, but wait a minute, come to think of it, is he really your Uncle? Because you told me... but with the whole... you know." She said, waving her hand, which surely had to include everything to do with the UG.
Joshua felt uneasy for a second, not quite sure how he wanted to respond to this question. Fortunately, he was spared this pain when Beat took over.
"Naaah, M.H works in the UG too, but he's more of a wachter, checking to see if the Game's working properly, 'ya know?"
Eri didn't really need to know, no, but enough for her to nod.
"Watcher, Beat." Rhyme corrected gently, and her brother pointed his hand at her as if to say: Yeah, that. "Do you know if he's going to reopen the cafe, Josh?" Asked the younger girl.
"Oh and what about Gatito? Are they coming back to Shibuya?" Shiki exclaimed.
"Yes for WildKat and I don't know what he plans to do about CAT and Gatito. But he'll probably start again, knowing him." Replied the Composer as he approached Hachiko himself, slipping between Eri and Neku. Thanks to his new height, he barely needed to get up on his tiptoes to touch Hachiko's head, bringing a sulky pout to Eri's face.
"Hey, that's cheating! You're not allowed to be thi-...!"
"Beat? Neku?" Called a voice and Joshua turned uncomfortably. If the boy who had just spoken wasn't as important to him as the five beings beside him, he was still very aware of his presence. On his own, he would already have kept an eye on him, but with his companion? Joshua hadn't taken his spiritual eyes off them since they'd crossed his border. Suffice to say, he wasn't surprised to see Rindo Kanade and Hazuki Mikagi behind him.
"Oh Rindo! How's it going man?" Beat exclaimed happily as he reached over to pat the High School boy on the shoulder. The boy smiled, seeming genuinely happy to bump into Beat although Joshua didn't know why.
" Good, good, finally finished with finals." He replied and Rhyme nodded loudly. As the only High School girl in the Hashiko Gang, she easily sympathised with Rindo.
"Same here. Are you taking advantage of our new-found freedom to go out too?" She smiled, nodding towards her companion.
"Oh! Ah yes sorry, I don't know if you've all met him, yet? This is Hazuki Mikagi, a, um, friend." Introduced Rindo, barely stumbling over the last word. It was understandable, if they'd hung out enough over the last few months to certainly qualify as such, Rindo still had trouble naming the relationship with the equivalent of a god. Joshua looked smugly at Neku: he was far from intimidated.
"Ah, right, hello! I think we met at Shoka's party? But you must not have met Eri." Smiled Shiki, ever polite, waving a hand towards her co-worker.
"Hey! Nice to meet you!" Smiled Eri, waving the arm that wasn't holding Hachiko before suddenly snapping her fingers as if she'd had an idea. "Ooh, I didn't want to disturb people, but seeing as we know each other, would you mind taking a picture of us?"
"Er, yes, of course." Rindo replied, raising his mobile phone. Rolling his eyes, Joshua tried to climb down from the pedestal where he was still perched, but a hand slipping over his shoulder stopped him. Looking to his right, he saw Neku also climbing the step, using Joshua to balance himself. The composer immediately supported him by reflex and soon found himself sandwiched between Neku and Eri with Beat, Rhyme and Shiki crowding in front of them.
"I want a funny picture! So let's strike a pose, everyone." Eri ordered, and she slipped an arm around Shiki's shoulders before grabbing Hachiko's ear again. Laughing, Rhyme was the first to follow her example, leaning back on her brother while stretching her arms out in front of her. On either side, Shiki shyly raised a hand and Beat crouched down with a feral grin, seeming to strike a pose worthy of a shonen cover.
"Smile, Josh." Neku murmured as he raised his hand, forming a...
No.
With an incredulous laugh, his right hand still wrapped around his partner, he raised his left, also forming a gun.
It was stupid, Joshua would never have thought Neku would laugh at this and yet... An easy smile broke out on his lips, he felt good, here, surrounded by his partners on all sides, with Hachiko standing guard at his back, with Shibuya pulsing in his ears... This wouldn't have even been conceivable for his three years earlier self, and this fact alone showed how much everything had changed.
And would continue to change.
Because Joshua didn't need to be reminded by his Tuners: it wouldn't last. They were going to grow and grow, move away, maybe, find their own life partner, surely. They were going to start a job, start a family, they wouldn't have time for a bored pseudo-god. And then, after a few years, too few, no matter how many, they would leave this world and Joshua behind.
So, yes, he knew that it could end at any moment, that, in the grand scheme of things, it will have been just a speck of dust in his life as a Composer. But if Joshua was afraid of it stopping all the time, he wouldn't even have the chance to live it. But... was it better not to experience it at all? That's what Joshua thought before, better to spare himself a bit of pain... But not now, "enjoy the moment" eh? Joshua tightened his grip on Neku, smiling all the more when Rhyme whistled a "Cheeeese" that the others were quick to repeat. Yes, enjoying the moment was what Joshua was going to do:
He was going to live life to the fullest, with his partners at his side.
Here we go, another novel finished! I'm starting to have quite a collection of them... it was interesting to work on extracts over such a long period, I find it hard not to tell EVERYTHING, so it was a good exercise! Many thanks again to Oddvector (on AO3) who helped me find Coco's voice in chapter 6, and to Gramoturtle whose Father and Mother were a big influence on my Tuners. I'd also like to say hello to my Big Bang partners, John (TWEWYCrimes from twitter) and Soundofez (Soundofez fromTumblr/Twitter) who illustrated a scene in chapters 7 and 8 respectively. You can see their drawings on their websites or directly in the Ao3 version. Special thanks to Regalli, who has left me a review on every chapter from almost the beginning. I would have finished this story on my own, but it was nice to have some company along the way :)
If you've made it this far, even after years, don't hesitate to leave me a review! What's your favourite scene? The funniest, the saddest, the one that made the biggest impression on you? What did you think of the Tuners? What would you have liked to see more of in this story? What was the little thing that kept you reading to the end? Let me know what you think, it'll help me improve!
As for what I'm going to write next... I'm going to concentrate on my original novel, the correction of NLN/STB but also on AILES/WINGS! It's another long Twewy fic focusing on the Hachiko gang! The first three chapters are on my profile, so feel free to check them out.
See yah!