Story: Mind the Gap (French version available : "Intervalles")
Date: 15 April 2022
Beta: None
Fandom: The World End With You
Disclaimer: No, I do not own TWEWY and do not make money with this story
Summary: Just after the Long Game, Joshua saved the rest of the Hashiko Gang but have been condamned by the Angels for his choices : He is bound to Shibuya whith half his powers restrained. Worst, the futur judgment of M.H depend of his good behavior.
Trigger du chapitre: None I can think of
A HUGE thank you to Oddvector (on AO3) for their help with Coco among other things, I was having a lot of trouble writing her and I almost deleted this excerpt because it didn't work before their intervention.
Enjoy your Reading !
"Open up!" Coco shouted before throwing a furious kick at the barrier. Of course, as with her other thirty-six thousand attempts, the barrier did not budge. Letting out a huge frustrated yell, Coco tore her hair out, feeling the panic creeping into her now that anger could no longer be a barrier. She hadn't slept for days, her nights plagued by terrifying visions, and almost as long as she'd been trying to get into Shinjuku. But the whole city was impeccably sealed off from anyone with any imagination. The living could still live their lives without noticing anything, but as soon as a soul had changed plan even once before, bim! Impossible to pass. No one could enter...
And no one could get out.
"Tsugumi..." Coco whispered. How to do it, how to do it... Every second counted, Coco had no idea when it would happen. Maybe if she could-...!
"Shinjuku is on Lockdown."
Startled, Coco looked up, frantically searching for who had spoken. On the other side of the barrier, clearly visible through the troubled mirror, a gangly teenager was facing her. Knowing that Coco was in the UG, there was little doubt which family of individuals he might belong to. "Of freaking course Shinjuku's on Lockdown! Like, do you think I'm some stupid scrub? GTFO!"
The boy tilted his head, looking puzzled. "Why are you trying to get in, then?"
About to send him packing again, Coco froze for a second. A strange feeling had gripped her chest and held her breath. Something was wrong with this guy... "My bestie works in Shinjuku, I just... wanted to see her." Coco muttered defensively.
"Are you a reaper from Shibuya?"
"Ummm, who TF are you for asking?" Coco barked, uncomfortable. Sure, Coco was a member of the Shibuya Reapers, but she was currently reinforcing Minato, and they were right on the border between Minato and Shinjuku. There was absolutely nothing to distinguish her from Minato's other Reapers except perhaps a discreet pattern in her Vibe. But if the teenager could spot and match it correctly, he must have been an experienced Reaper! Like, at least a Officers-Reaper if not a Game Master. Still... "Hey, I was stationed in Shinjuku before, but I've nevz seen you there, are you a noob Reaper or what?"
The teenager smiled and Coco instinctively took a step back. There was something wrong with his smile, something not human. "I saw you." He said before looking thoughtful. "Atarashi Coco, Lieutenant-Reaper of Shibuya, currently on a mission to help Re-Stabilize Minato's UG for the past eight months. Previously Reaper of Shibuya on exchange in Shinjuku for four years. Teamed up with Matsunae Tsugumi and Bondu Takahiro and was in charge of organizing the special events of the Games. Oh, you may not know, Reaper Bondu got wiped out last Tuesday."
"Takahiro?! But like, he wasn't even on the field, he was just doing papershit!" Coco exclaimed, not wanting to believe it. But, the teenager was right about everything, how could he even know about her partners or how long his jobs were? If he was right about that then... "Tsugumi! Is Tsugumi okay?" she exclaimed as she threw herself at the barrier, trying to get as close as possible to the information.
"Matsunae Tsugumi was stripped of her Reaper rank yesterday. She will compete in the next Game scheduled for the day after tomorrow." Replied the other in a calm voice without seeming to care how much his words were destroying his conversation partner.
Takahiro, dead, and Tsugumi demoted to player?! But, according to Shinjuku rules, a Reaper who became a player was erased after one week. If Tsugumi didn't win her game and ask to be returned to life or reinstated then she would...! What the hell was going on? First her visions, then the Shinjuku Lockdown now Takahiro erased and Tsugumi reduced to a poor player?! "Hey, listen! I totez gotta get into the city, it's not like Minato, you gotta be a team player for Shinjuku's Game. She'll get rekt without me!"
"You would risk your life for her? When you're not concerned and safe in Minato?" Asked the boy curiously and Tsugumi growled, kicking the barrier again.
"Not concerned? STFU! She's my BFF, asshole!"
"Friend..." murmured the other. "Okay. But you'll need a team. It's not enough with two of you, there would have to be... at least six, but I suppose four might do."
"Four?! Where the frig am I going to tap in two other jerks willing to help us? Like, I'm not totally craz-craz. Like, Shinjuku's totez a PvP server." Coco snarled.
"I heard some interesting things about a Long Game in Shibuya..." smiled the other. "Bring the former winning players of that Long Game back to Shinjuku by tomorrow and I'll get you all into the next Shinjuku game with Matsunae."
"Get us into the Game...? If you have admin power like that, who TF are you?" Coco said warily but the boy only smiled. That same smile that sounded fake and made her insides quiver. "I… If you can do that for real… then you have a deal, asshole. But if you lied to me, I'm going to fucking erase you."
As soon as she agreed, the other disappeared before Coco's eyes. What the...? Shaken, the girl took a few steps away before instinctively turning to her left where, a few hundred meters away, Minato's border with Shibuya called to her like a beacon.
Recruiting two former players and dragging them to Shinjuku... shouldn't be too difficult... right?
Hope you liked it ! Go see the other Big Bang fics, you won't regret it ;)
Think about letting a review on your way out and see you on the next chapter !
