#Hanekoma knows that best |D

[voicefromthecorner]

44. Show Us A New Day

Original Song: Blow Us All Away

Some time after everything that happened, Neku and Beat find themselves thrust into the Reaper’s Game for a mission of “Expert Mode” along with the company of a strange new Reaper named Coco...

At long last! This is all I’ve got for now and possibly forever. It’s kind of a shame to stop three songs short of having covered the whole of Hamilton, but after all the effort it took to get this far, I’m not complaining. I have some thoughts on what could be done going forward if I were to keep at this but I won’t revisit them for a while nor am I sure anything will come of them. For now, I’m content.

Honestly, I had this idea in mind a long time ago, since finishing the song for Another Day at least. Doing a song adaptation for AND was an obvious missing piece and Blow Us All Away was a solid fit for it, with a lot of characters, engagements and more guns at the end of it! Even the tone feels fitting, with this light-hearted jaunt and rosy pink silliness that ends with a character getting gunned down. It was too perfect, even if it doesn’t feel much like an ending, which AND certainly didn’t making it all the more fitting.

Writing for Coco and trying to match her speech quirks was a challenge. I do have to say though, I really appreciate her character design a lot more now. It’s so at odds with the goth/punk style that the Reapers tend to gravitate towards, which makes her a fun outlier element of the Reapers. Still dying to know what her deal is.

And of course, I did my best to include Yoshiya as much as possible. Bless him.

First Song: Neku Sakuraba

Previous Song: Another Day

Index

Transcript:

[COCO ATARASHI] Meet the cutest member of all the Reapers! I totez shouldn't brag but, dag, there's just nobody sweeter! People think my cutesy personality and look are just fake But hearts aren’t the only thing My child-like wiles can break I, like, look nineteen but my mind is older And I’ve gotta big plan, no one else could be bolder It’s colder than some other noobz But there’s no other way So today I will—

[ENSEMBLE] Show us a New Day

[NEKU] Beat? What’s going on? What’s with this “Expert mode”?

[BEAT] How come I’m here without Rhyme? We wasn’t on this road!

[NEKU] We’re back in the Reaper’s Game, but neither of us are dead On top of that, I’m seeing weird visions in my head

[SHIKI?] Rhyme and I are partners now, we're in the Game too We should just win the mission

[RHYME?] And so should both of you!

[BEAT] Wait, izzat true?

[KARIYA?] Hey, I've a promotion to pursue!

[UZUKI?] Really, Kariya? Isn't there something else to do?

[NEKU AND BEAT] …Okayyy?

[COMPANY] Show us a New Day!

[NEKU] Josh!

[YOSHIYA] Gah!

[NEKU] Joshua!

[YOSHIYA] G-Gosh! W-Why this crass display of brawn!?

[NEKU] Something weird is happening here; You must know what's going on!

[YOSHIYA] I d-don’t appreciate you being unrefined

[BEAT] Yo, what? Priss-kid sounds like he's lost his damn mind!

[ENSEMBLE] Ooooooooooh!

[COCO] Inorite?

[NEKU] Yeah, what do we do next?

[YOSHIYA] Perhaps Hanekoma will know Since you appear to be so vexed?

[NEKU] That's it! Mr H can tell us what we need to know now

[YOSHIYA] If you're satisfied with that exchange I’m just going to go now...

[NEKU] Mr H, please help us! Everyone's been acting strange We need to know how to get out. How do we start enacting change?

[HANEKOMA] Slow down

[COCO] Are you sure we can trust this guy? His beard is sketchy AF We should, like, totez bail on him; he can't help us, so whatevz!

[HANEKOMA] Who's the pint-sized sugar-plum princess of sweets?

[COCO] Uhh, WTF? I'm the sweetest petite Reaper you could meet!

[BEAT] Yo, tell us what's happening!

[HANEKOMA] Well, this isn't your Shibuya

[HAMILTON (NEKU/BEAT)] Everything's a Noise in this Shibuya (Everything's a Noise in this Shibuya??)

[HANEKOMA] That's right. So this is what you've gotta do: Know the mischief-maker behind this is right next to you Defeat the source of her Noise, rising in the air That will put an end to the whole affair

[BEAT] Wait, pixie chick is Miss Chiff? Yo, you was a liar!

[COCO] Um, duh? You had one job but now I have to take this higher! You just had to get involved, you couldn't let it go, Fuzzface, STFU and GTFO!!

[NEKU] What the—?

[HANEKOMA] I can't help more, but I promise One fight and you're done, honest

[BEAT] Okay, we got this

[HANEKOMA] You'll be home when it's destroyed. Kill the Noise. Be smart. Make me proud, boys!

[COCO] My name is Coco I am a Reaper They found me out but I'm still no weaker I’m not sorry, I have to see this through! You take away my options, there's one thing left to do

[NEKU] We beat the Noise! Are we back in the RG?

[BEAT] I gotta make a quick phone call and see! Rhyme, you okay?

[NEKU] We confer on our phones But we end up leaving that Reaper alone

[ENSEMBLE] Lying prone!

[COCO] Let ‘em turn a blind eye, LOL Then take a Player with me down to hell I quickly get up and aim my gun at Neku’s back—

[MALE ENSEMBLE] One two three four

[FULL ENSEMBLE] Five six seven—

[petitprincekiryu]

Who wants a cup of tea?

✘;; RoseHaven Starters.  

(♚)┊ ❝ Bless me with one House Blend, if you would be so kind, JiJi. ❞ He’d chirp and snatch the nearest stool by the counter. Despite not having the privilege to meet all the alternates out there... the Composer didn’t act any different; in fact -- his demeanor seemed comfortable at best around his dearest baristas. He did tend to diverge his composure from time to time, needless to say, he had overall respect & trust for them. Thus, he didn’t see the need to become guarded with this one.   

[pahrak-the-sinnoh-slizer]

Okay so 1: there is almost certainly a spam incoming, blacklist “NEOTWEWY” if you so desire

2. I got to see the announcement live, but was at work, and took to bugging my sister and mashing my keyboard to cope until I could leave, re: the latter below is me stream of consciousness reaction to this momentous occasion because it is a lot

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaa I can’t think this is so good thank God oh my gosh WHAT it looks so good I’m so excited what is Neo what does that stand for PLAYABLE MINAMIMOTO Hype-chan still mysterious af no Coco so that’s sus aaaaaaaaa these CHARACTER DESIGNS why Kariya but not Uzuki DID SHE GET PROMOTED IS SHE GOING TO BE A GAME MASTER not to be That Guy but TWEWY’s Switch sequel > Pokemon’s Switch sequel they didn’t show Hanekoma or Joshua so WHO KNOWS what’s going on there hell what about anyone from the first game how have the shops changed will we see some minor NPCs whose lives have continued Tonberry emote who’s the new Conductor NEW PSYCHS gosh can you imagine if they push the Switch to its limits the way they did the DS I mean this is also going to be PS4 and that’s also SUPER cool so it probably won’t go quite as far but there’s still so much they could do also that probably means no motion controls and that’s probably for the best HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO JUST CONTINUE WITH MY DAY while I am curious about old/returning characters focusing on new ones does help sell the idea of Shibuya as a living breathing place and it’ll be cool to see that expand plus it’ll make it more newcomer friendly and Minamimoto and Hype-chan being shown indicate there is some connecting thread so EVERYONE WINS gosh I fucking love this game I hope the sequel is as good as it looks I’M SO P U M P E D like HOLY SHIT we got TWO pieces of news IN THE SAME DAY WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME THAT HAPPENED aaaaaaaaaaaaa NEW 7 DAYS NEW 7 DAYS NEW 7 DAYS NEW 7 DAAAAAAYS it’s been like 20 minutes at this point and I’m still non-functional deep breaths hoo hoo WOOOO this is what serotonin feels like neat WAIT ARE PRE-ORDERS OPEN YET I HAVE TO CHECK I mean probably not I should wait until later and that time frame it’ll probably come out just as the anime finishes up that’s so cool TWEWY IS OFFICIALLY A SERIES HOLY SHIT okay better now WAIT I HAVEN’T EVEN WATCHED IT WITH SOUND YET HOW GOOD IS THE MUSIC AAAAAAA 2021 is shaping up to be the best time to be a TWEWY fan oh man I just noticed the scorpion Noise that looks so dope and what does the new Player Pin design mean gosh I haven’t hyperfixated like this in I don’t know how long but not enough time has passed so there’s nothing I can really DO with it I’m going to e x p l o d e still it’s so cool I was able to see this live thank God this is so cool aaaaaaaaaaaaa BRAIN WAVE MAIN WAVE PSYCHO GOT A HIGH KICK COLLECT SELECT SHOW ME YOUR BEST SET

[subasekabang]

Ties We Bind (& Break), Chapter 5

Author: composeregg Rating: T Word Count: 15435, Chapter total: 4170 Pairings/Characters: Joshua/Neku, Shiki/Eri, Joshua & Neku & Shiki & Beat & Rhyme & Eri in a queerplatonic poly-pile relationship. Hanekoma, Kariya. Warnings: Includes depression heavily, and mentions of suicide. Summary: One year after the Long Game, a tall boy named Yuuto Kimura, who has messy black hair, glasses, and bright green eyes, stumbles into Neku’s life, and he can’t help but let him get close, letting him join the circle of friends.

One year after the Long Game, Joshua aches to hang out with Neku again, but the restrictions he’s gained for his transgressions are very clear: Yoshiya Kiryu, Composer of Shibuya, is not to interact with Neku Sakuraba.

(But every rule has a loophole.)

Author’s Note: Each chapter is also being added to ao3! Here! (Small delay per chapter).

Featuring autistic/neurodivergent characters, the “Joshua is Neku’s Dead Best Friend” theory, and lots of headcanons abound.

“Where is he?”

Yuuto looks over at Neku from his place sprawled on Neku’s bedroom floor. The declaration makes him raise an eyebrow, and Beat, Shiki, and Rhyme sigh.

Neku is sitting on his bed, flopped over Beat’s lap with a sketchbook in front of him. Rhyme is leaning against its base, and Shiki has staked a claim on the desk chair. Yuuto himself has his back against the wall, laying on his side so he can look at the others. With Neku talking, he sets down his phone.

“Where is who?” he asks.

A sigh escapes him as Neku looks back. “My second week Partner.” Oh. “His name is Joshua, and I haven’t seen him since the last day of my Game.”

“You don’t talk about him much, Neku,” says Shiki, eyebrows scrunched as she looks up from her current sewing project.

“Yeah,” he mutters. “It’s complicated, guys.”

More than you know.

“He did somthin’ to ya, we know that, but you’ve never said what,” Beat chimes in, and oh, they’re prompting Neku. Trying to get the full story out of him.

Neku wavers, fingers tapping at the paper in front of him as indecision flickers across his face. He needs to tell them. Neku can’t keep this bottled up forever, nor can he wait for Josh to emerge.

All it takes is one Imprint. He doesn’t even notice the subtle sway wriggling its way into his head, urging him on, strengthening his impulse to spill the secret.

Tell them. What’s the worst that could happen? They deserve to know, and if Joshua protests, well, you were never told not to tell them.

“Joshua is the Composer, and he shot me. Twice.” The words spill past his lips, tumbling off his tongue, before he slaps a hand over his mouth, eyes widening.

Rhyme gives Yuuto a Look, making sure no one else notices. He shrugs back, sending a thought over to them: He needs to get it out, he’s bottled all this up. There’s nothing against the rules… Explicitly.

“What the fuck?” Shiki is staring at Neku, and Beat is too.

“It’s complicated–”

“Okay but what the actual fuck? He shot you!?” She stands, huffing and pacing the room, running fingers through her hair. “You still want him to show up after he did that to you?”

“Shiki please–”

“I’m wit’ her man, why would you want that?” Beat says, fist clenched.

It should concern Yuuto more, honestly. Rhyme is still glaring at him. Yet, all he can do is frown, and tap a finger to his chin. “I’m sure Neku has his reasons, why don’t we let him speak them?”

Neku shoots him a grateful look as the others quiet down, and Shiki flops back into the chair, keeping her mouth shut but her eyes on Neku, ready to judge if the explanation is satisfactory.

“Joshua is… Complicated.” Neku sighs, sitting up and leaning against the wall, instead of lying on Beat’s lap. It’s no doubt easy to pull away, pull into himself.

“I think he’s a lot like me. Or, before and during the Game he was similar to how I was when you all first met me. Only worse. Depression and loneliness gave him a misanthropic view of the world, and I could feel it.” He runs a hand through his hair. Gelled spikes don’t agree with the treatment, so he switches to twisting the end of one between his fingers.

“I related to him, we had the same sort of humor and outlook, except seeing his helped me re-evaluate my own. It hurt, when I thought he shot me, even though he was an annoying git. It hurt even more, when I thought he got himself Erased to save me, and I thought he hadn’t killed me for that last week.”

Yuuto keeps his expression neutral, a blank sheet of paper. The sacrifice might’ve been over-the-top, it might’ve been what kept Neku from shooting him. Neku knew what it was like to lose him, and he didn’t want to cause himself that pain. Again.

“I dunno…” Neku continues, “I don’t forgive him, but he was my Partner, and you all know what that’s like. He chose me as a Proxy, playing some fucked-up game with the Conductor. At the end…”

“You don’t talk about what happened in that final room,” Rhyme says, moving away from the bed so they can look up at Neku.

“The Conductor got Erased, and he challenged me to a duel. Whoever won got to choose what to do with Shibuya, he wanted to Erase the UG. Even with that motive, even knowing everything he did, I couldn’t pull the trigger. And he shot me. Again.”

A slight tremor runs through Neku’s body. His Music is a cacophony of noise, but Joshua keeps the Noise at bay, even when he looks like Yuuto. There are no tears, but grief wells within Neku.

“If he won, why is Shibuya still standing? Why did any of us get brought back?” Shiki asks.

“Erasing the UG wouldn’t destroy Shibuya,” says Yuuto. “Just the UnderGround, and a shiny new one would grow back. Erasing the UG, however, would Erase the Composer. If the Composer is Erased with no one there to take his spot, no Conductor or person who beat them, then the UG collapses.”

Neku freezes, the guitar strings of his Music snapping as he whips his head toward Yuuto. For a second, he thinks Neku’s caught on, he’s been caught, but… “Oh my god. Did he want to die?”

“I can’t answer that. You did say he seemed depressed, though.” Yuuto doesn’t look up, grabbing a safety pin off his clothes to pick at his nails with.

Of course Neku hadn’t caught him. He shouldn’t even want that. And yet, the idea of Neku piecing together the puzzle fills him with a soft fuzz, warm because it’d mean Neku knew him well enough to see through his disguise.

Maybe if he had all his memories…

But that’s an impossibility.

“Still… I trust him, he and I were Partners. We had a bond.” Neku waves a hand in the air. “The least he could do is meet up with me, because I want an explanation, he owes me one. But no! It’s been two years, and he’s nowhere to be found!”

Silence falls, until: “Maybe he can’t?” Rhyme asks.

Neku’s head snaps to look at them, eyebrows furrowed. “What?”

“Maybe… What if there’s rules you don’t know about, and he’s not allowed to see you?” they explain.

Joshua would hug them, if he could, but alas, it would be weird if he did that now, as Yuuto. He’ll send them a thank-you text tonight.

“If there’s a rule against visiting me but not one against shooting me then the rules are messed up. And if there is one, then he’s a hypocrite.”

Yuuto snorts, rolling his eyes. “Fair enough.”

“He still deserves to get punched in the fucking face,” Shiki says. “If I see him, I’ll chuck something at him for you.”

Neku laughs, and oh, no matter how much he gets to hear that nowadays, it still sends a buzz of energy through his stomach. Like being zapped by a lightning bolt psych.

“Well, if you get the chance, go right ahead, but make sure to tell him to stop being a coward, too.”

White light cascades from the rooftop of 104, obscured by the sun. He sits, legs dangling over the edge.

Rhyme climbs the stairs, and pops the door open.

Joshua doesn’t move. His edges are blurred, ink smeared and blended, and they can’t tell where he ends and Shibuya begins. Not RG, maybe not even UG, a frequency buzzing in the back of their head that sends static stabs through their skull.

They shove it to the side, and plop down by him. “So, sitting on the roof, huh? Wistfully staring out at the city?”

He snorts. “You know how it is: doubting life, and death, choices, being the emo seventeen-year-old you never got to be in life. Having a vague existential and moral crisis.”

“Is this… About what Neku said yesterday?”

“He’s right,” Joshua says, light surrounding him starting to dim. The harsh glow fades, and Rhyme can feel him slide down the vibes, into the RG. “I am a hypocrite. He deserves better.”

They headbutt him, leaning against his side. For all that Josh proclaims to be cold and dead, the warmth emanating from him is full of life. Maybe it’s fake, meant to comfort, or habit so he doesn’t alarm any of the group with clammy skin claimed by the grave, but they think it helps his mental state, too.

“He doesn’t want better though, he wants you. Tell me your side of the story.”

He sighs and flops onto his back, staring up at the sky. “He was meant to be my replacement. I wanted to be gone. I’d messed up bad, and he was so much like me, in so much pain, that I thought the Game could make him better, and he could free me from my misery.”

Looking down, the distance to the ground is far, the people below flowing like rivers, intermingling and dispersing. Individuals are lost to the crowd. “There’s more, isn’t there? You fixated on Neku for this, instead of anyone else.”

“Neku deserves to be the first to learn about that reason. Sorry, but it wouldn’t be fair.”

They nod, and swing their feet.

“You shouldn’t be so close to the edge, you know,” he says, and they laugh.

Pulling their legs up, they flop around so their head dangles instead, hair blowing in the wind. “If I fall, you will most certainly catch me.”

A rustle is the only sign they get that he moves, until he sits right on their feet. “And now you won’t fall at all. Beat would skin me if he knew I let you do this.”

“Nah, Neku and I wouldn’t let him.”

“So,” says Shiki, “you like him, don’t you?”

It would be useless to flail his limbs, sputter and deny her words, so instead, Yuuto sighs and nods. “What gave me away?”

She laughs, rolling her eyes. “You’re pining, it’s obvious to anyone with eyes. You sprawl yourself over him whenever he gives you permission, like a cat seeking affection. You’re always staring at him when he isn’t looking!”

A cat seeking affection, he snorts. “I’m just a big, cuddly snow leopard. I’m touchy-feely with all of you, how is it different with him?”

“Even on your bad days, you lean against him. You don’t let anyone else touch you, but he’s always allowed,” she says.

“I guess,” he shrugs, tapping his pencil against the paper in front of him.

Since becoming friends with everyone, his apartment had become lived in. Trinkets and gifts from the past year fill the space. Shiki has given him some plushies, and pillows with pretty designs rest on the couch where she sits. Eri’s gifts are clothes picked from the rack, if it’s not a joint-gift from her and Shiki in the form of clothes they’ve made.

Beat has taken to cooking, and Yuuto keeps his kitchen stocked. In return, he gets good food and a skateboard resting in the entryway closet. Rhyme gives stim toys, from the reversible-sequin snap bracelet to the rainbow tangle.

As for Neku… Art hangs on the once-barren walls. A landscape of Shibuya in watercolor hangs behind the couch, and a portrait of the entire gang is framed and placed near the entrance.

Papers and pencils are scattered everywhere. Neku keeps a case of art supplies here. Everyone has small projects that have taken up residency, and Shiki is working on one of them now. Stitching a snow leopard into existence.

“The thing you’re working on, it’s for Neku, isn’t it?” Shiki asks, breaking the silence.

He nods. “I’m composing. I’ve got most of it down, in fact it’s pretty much finished, but I’m worried… Will he like it?”

She looks over at him, a quick glance before her eyes dart away again. “What? Are you gonna serenade him or something?”

“Yes, actually, I am,” he says, tossing the paper to the side and himself to the floor. It’s pointless to sit on the chair when it impedes his creative flow. “But it’s so impossible to know if he’ll appreciate it. If he’ll understand my reasoning. I don’t even know if I want him to know yet!” he moans, rolling onto his side.

“Then play for me,” she says, like it’s the most simple conclusion in the world. “I can tell you if he’ll like it, at least.”

Yuuto perks up. “You’d be cool with that?” When she nods, he jumps, dashing to his room to retrieve the violin.

She doesn’t see it appear from thin air in his hands, doesn’t see his form flicker ever so slightly. He comes back looking like Yuuto as always.

“Serenade me, music boy.” She stabs the animal in her hand with the needle again, something to fiddle with so she can enjoy the music more, no doubt.

A laugh. He sets up the stand for his music, and positions the violin. “Now, ideally, this is somewhere like, WildKat, and I’m wearing one of your super fancy suits, but we can discuss that later.”

Yuuto raises the bow, and lets the magic happen.

Fast-paced, running through Shibuya streets with the beat, weaving through crowds and ducking into back alleys. It starts soft, then crescendos. He closes his eyes, letting the high notes weave together with the low.

The pulse matches time with the heartbeat of the city, spray paint graffiti hits the wall. The echo of a drum plays through his tune, noticed by its absence. A solo player is not a quartet, is not a band, and he does not have techno parts to add for a violin solo, but he lets the music do the talking.

Imagination weaves through the notes, calling forth the memory of other instruments, adding the illusion of more than there is.

Yuuto steps in time, sways, pacing a fluid circle to match his song. Not his song. Neku’s song, Neku’s Music. Music warped and persuaded into playing on a single violin, playing over the strings to describe him.

Magic is kept to a minimum, he doesn’t call forth the actual sounds, or implant them as more than elusive notes, but it’s impossible to give off the feel he wants without it. Impossible to transcribe the flashes of orange and piercing blue, the splash of color he brings everywhere, the conflicting notes and discord of life.

Joshua does his best, but there’s only so much he can do without dropping his disguise.

The final note draws out as the song comes to a close. The real one plays on elsewhere in the city, but he cannot play his violin all day.

Opening his eyes, he looks to Shiki, finding her staring on with awestruck wide eyes, and a jaw dropped far enough to catch flies. The snow leopard in her lap left abandoned.

He bows with a flourish, before setting his instrument down.

“So, think he’ll like it?” Yuuto asks with a grin that wavers like the final note.

“If he doesn’t fall head-over-heels for you after hearing that, you’re shit outta luck my dude.”

She stays unnoticed, trailing behind Yuuto after the weekly meetup. Shiki doesn’t want to suspect a friend, but he’s suspicious, plain and simple.

Yuuto doesn’t make it to every meeting, which she can understand, but it’s a regular occurrence every few weeks. He’s had lunch with a Reaper, chatting like old friends. He knows too much about the Game, more than any of the Players should know, more than Neku ever learned.

WildKat is the destination, and she hangs back to watch through the windows as Yuuto enters. Standing in the shadow of a nearby building, staying out of sight, she expects to find some shady business going down.

Shiki doesn’t expect him to have a fucking magical girl transformation.

Bathed in a glow of light, his features blur, glaring against the window. As it fades, black hair grows and turns white, his body shrinks, and the glasses he wears are removed. His skin goes pale, and–

She’s seen him before.

She doesn’t need to see the violet eyes or the smirk to know that frame. He’s talking to Mr. Hanekoma, facing away, but the picture rings clear in her brain.

Neku has filled pages upon pages of his sketchbook with that person. She’s seen him in the ink staining paper while he vents far too often.

The bell chimes above her head, and she’s faced with Yuuto again. The last vestiges of creamy light fading from view, dismissed as aftereffects of being in the sun if she didn’t know any better.

“Hey, Shiki, what are you doing here–”

The steel in her eyes leaves no room for him to finish that sentence as she marches over to him, her voice a snake’s hiss. “You have ten seconds to explain to me what the fuck I just saw, starting now.”

He slides off the stool, taking a step back from her pointed finger. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He laughs, rubbing his neck.

“Try again. You changed. I saw that. I saw who. Six seconds.”

Yuuto scrambles, holding his hands in the air as he retreats, back to the window. “Okay, okay. It’s. Shit, it’s complicated. Give me a moment.”

She holds up five fingers. In the silence, she ticks it down to four.

“I can’t, okay? I can’t. There’s… A lot. Where do I start?”

“Start with why the fuck you’re hiding your identity from all of us!” He’s down to three fingers now, and as Mr. Hanekoma slips out of the room, she takes note of the steaming cup of coffee on the counter.

“Well,” two fingers. “I wasn’t hiding it from all of you. Rhyme figured it out in a month.” He takes another step back. “I just… I can’t tell Neku who I am, okay?”

“So you’re a liar, then?” One.

“No! Well, yes. It’s complicated, give me some time to–”

Gravel escapes her throat as she huffs, grabbing the cup and throwing it.

The scalding coffee never reaches its target, suspended in midair, lid popped off as some splashes over the edge.

Yuuto’s eyes glow violet.

The glow washes over the rest of his body, and vanishes when he blinks.

Joshua stands in front of her. Coffee hangs between them. His hand is still outstretched.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t walk over there and punch you. Or take a picture and tell Neku.” Her voice is flat, buried deep in the anger boiling in her stomach.

“You can’t tell Neku. If he knows, Yuuto will have to leave without a goodbye,” Joshua says, waving his hand so the coffee settles on the table. “I’d hate to do that to him, but you’d give me no choice.”

“You coward,” she spits, acid burning her tongue. “You’d do that to him? What, can’t face the truth? Can’t face his judgement of you?”

It burns. Fire burns in her, eating away at her stomach as the fumes leave her mouth. She’s biting back the flame, for now.

“It’s beyond my control! Give me a chance to explain, please!” His voice cracks, wavers like a pane of glass balanced on its edge.

“Explain what? How you’re lying to us? How you’re trying to manipulate me, so I don’t tattle? How do you explain shooting someone in the face? How do you fucking explain what you’ve done to Neku? What you’re doing,” she flings her arms wide, “to him!”

Reality splinters.

Time tips on its axis. Cracks run through her body, she vibrates a pitch just out of reach, on a different frequency. Static leaks into the air, humid and heavy. She’s frozen, an ancient crumbling statue ready to collapse, unable to hold back the torrent of power coursing through her.

It wants to escape. She gives it a channel.

Mr. Mew launches himself from her purse at Joshua, who scrambles back, collapsing on a chair as he tries to get away from the stuffed cat. Curses fly from his mouth as the echo of light flies from his fingertips, trying to bat the cat away.

All it takes is one hit and Mr. Mew stills, dropping to the floor like his strings were cut. Shiki stares.

She’d done that. She had made Mr. Mew move in the RG. She’d used a Psych.

Joshua is staring at her, she’s staring at the plushie. Her anger stewing in her stomach is stirred by confusion, cooling for a second to digest this.

Joshua stands, inching closer, but not too close. “You’ve still got your power, but don’t worry. You’re firmly RG right now, WildKat is on a thinner part of the boundary between the planes, and nobody in this group of friends has been left untouched by the UG.” Hesitance is scrawled on his face, and his hands bounce, fingers tapping at his leg.

While it helps her to know she hasn’t flipped to the UG, this draws her attention back to him, and she pierces him with an icy glare. “Don’t test your luck by trying to change the subject. Tell me what you’re trying to accomplish. Or I’ll try doing that again.”

“I want to be friends, is that too much to imagine?” he asks.

“After everything you’ve done? Yes! You’re playing at some kind of game here, and I don’t trust it. I don’t trust you.” She steps forward and picks up Mr. Mew, so he doesn’t go flying off again. She’s ready for some retort, some proof, or a laugh.

She doesn’t expect him to go blank. To shut down. He closes his eyes, and they stay closed for a few seconds. Arms go slack, mouth drops into neutrality.

When he opens his eyes, she takes a step back, because they’re dead.

Yuuto is known for his energy, his laugh, the glint of mischief in his eyes. He doesn’t sit still, he can’t. It only happens when he hits a slump.

Joshua very much resembles that rare Yuuto, cold and tired. Dull violet eyes meet hers for one second, before he glances away. HIs voice has slipped into a monotone as he says, “If that is what you believe, then there is no point in me saying anything right now. If you choose to listen to one thing I have said, let it be the fact that if you tell him, he will lose a friend.”

She must blink, because one second he’s there, and the next he’s gone.

Shiki: ^Rhyme listen trust me.^

^I need you to kick Yuuto from the group.^

^He’s trash we don’t need him around but you’re the one with admin powers in the game chat.^

Rhyme: ^Oh did you find out too?^

Shiki: ^Wait what?^

^You actually know?^

Rhyme: ^Of course. If he told you I do, then yeah, I do.^

Shiki: ^And you’re just???? Letting him stick around? You haven’t said anything!?^

Rhyme: ^I’ve always been able to tell.^

^I still have residual instincts from when I was a Noise.^

^I sensed something off about Neku’s second week Partner when I was Noise, and I remembered that. It felt the same around the Composer. And Yuuto. I put it together and he told me what was up.^

^He can’t mention the whys directly, so he dances around the subject until you figure it out. Hints and clues because I don’t think he’s allowed to say it or anything.^

Shiki: ^He’s been lying to us for a year now! And you heard from Neku what he did!^

Rhyme: ^I’ve gotten to watch him as both Yuuto and Joshua for a year now, though.^

^He’s the same person, always. A different face, a different name, but he’s got the same personality. Just, as Josh, he’s more open and honest.^

^I trust him. He’s helped me work through some of the residual Noise stuff, and he wishes he could tell Neku, tell everyone.^

Shiki: ^Then why DOESN’T he? Why not tell us all? He could’ve told me and Beat way earlier!^

Rhyme: ^The more people who know, the more likely someone will slip up and reveal it to Neku.^

^And besides, he plans on telling everyone after he tells Neku. Once he’s allowed, he will. I’ve seen how it’s eating at him, he wants to, but he can’t right now.^

^So no, I won’t remove him from the group. I don’t think he has many people he can befriend, and we’re some of the few he does. I’m not going to take that away from him. Besides, we’d have to explain it to the others, somehow, and I don’t want to reveal the truth and force him away.^

[strawberista]

⚅— @the-composer​ asked: —⚅ ⚅— "... Listen. I respect you. I was extremely put off by your abusive pseudo-partner and I think that blinded me to the progress you were making. I truly do not have beef with you. Maybe... we can try to let bygones be bygones. Besides, fighting with you is only fun if it's playful." —⚅

— ��� ⚄ ★ —

Hanekoma’s chest tightened, and he was silent for a long moment as he tried to think of how to answer his counterparts’ Composer. There was a lot of tension left between them, but more than that, there was so much left unsaid from so many incidents that had occurred and this was not how he wanted this to go. His jaw clenched and his brows furrowed as he tried to work through the well of emotions that boiled behind his eyes and threatened, threatened to come closer and burn his vision. But he couldn’t allow this. He couldn’t let himself falter in front of this Joshua. Not when he’d already humiliated himself over and over again.

“I get it,” he said flatly. “I know I was being stupid. You’ve had all the reason in the world to try to push me under your heel, for letting him do what he did to everyone. I just got so sick and tired of you persistently trying to push me underfoot and treat me like a toy and act like I was so damn useless. But... I guess you were right after all. I want to be respected, but I don’t really deserve it, do I? I don’t hate you, Queenie. Believe it or not, I’ve never hated you. Even when I was trying to beat you down, I didn’t hate you. I just wanted you to acknowledge me, to treat me with respect, to... To just admit I wasn’t some powerless kitten you could toy with all damn day long... I didn’t really wanna hurt you. I didn’t...”

Should he keep going after all this? Should he walk away with that? No, he couldn’t. Even though he was having to focus on his own chest, to ensure his breathing was controlled, he knew he couldn’t stop. He couldn’t stop until he’d gotten everything out that he needed to.

“I’m sorry for everything I’ve done, for all of the trouble I caused. I’m sorry I tried to hurt you. I’m sorry for upsetting Ancestor the way I did, and for whatever you had to suffer as a result of that. I’m sorry... Your lot? You’re all so damn lucky. I wish someone cared about me the way you and Ancestor care for each other, the way Ean does D.... I wish someone could make me feel so safe. I wanted that so damn bad and I acted like a dumbass because of it. I caused so much trouble for so many fucking people all because of that desire. It was never meant for me, and I suffered the consequences. I’ll never be as strong or as smart or as lucky as anyone that lives in your universe, but I’m not gonna try to keep standing on equal footing anymore. You don’t have to forgive me, Queenie. But watch me. We may never see each other or speak to each other ever again, but you watch me anyway. I may never stand on the same ground as you or Ean or Ancestor, but I’m going to become the best damn Producer my universe has ever seen. I’m going to shape Joshua and Shibuya into something worthy of your respect, of theirs. I’ll become the figurehead of my city that I was always meant to be. I will be obedient to my city alone, and I will dedicate myself to my Composer. I’m not going to look for things I was never meant for anymore. I’m not going to try to fill those desires. I’m going to put all of myself into my work, and you watch me become the angel I’m supposed to be. Can you do that?”

He felt so hollow right then. A porcelain doll that threatened to crack under the pressure, containing nothing inside. All of himself taken away, nothing left but the dull sensation of knowing his experiences meant nothing. That he would always be foolish and wanting and far far too emotional for his own good. But he at least had his determination now, and he knew what he wanted to accomplish. They would be proud of him, finally, wouldn’t they? When they saw how his Shibuya would thrive under his deeply focused care. Surely then he could finally, finally make them proud of him. He would never get to see it, but he wanted them to smile. He wanted to make them smile, just once. He’d pretend it was so, and he would work hard, and he hoped he never saw a single one of them again after this. He didn’t want to face that reality the same way he had had to face the reality of what Haruto had been all along. He could live thinking he was doing good no matter what, even if he would miss them all deeply.

[reno-the-himbo-turk]

"You sure? I feel bad." Reno offered feeling horrible that the man was going to have to clean up his mess. However once he was told to take a seat Reno just sighed and complied. Moving to the counter he worked himself into the seat hissing in pain as he did so. Yup he had fucked himself up even worse, this was going to be a bitch later when he got home.

Taking the offered tea towel Reno used it to wipe up and wring out some of his clothing as best as he could. He didn't notice the faint red splotches that wound up covering part of it when he moved to dry his dress shirt, it seemed a few of his stiches had ripped. He was more concerned with getting the coffee out of his shirt so it wouldn't be as sticky on him. "Mmm thank you, I appreciate it and sorry for making a mess on the floor. I needed to be paying better attention to things."

Reno watched as he prepared the beverage his eyes glued to the man as he could tell the man seemed to not like Reno's request yet he did it anyways. He supposed given his current state he wouldn't blame the man for not being overly fond of it as were the shoes revered he was pretty sure he would do the same thing, do it whilst judging him silently.

"You dunno the fucking half of it…. So I work for Shinra …. pretty much I get stuck doing glorified body guard duties for people who don't know anything about the working class life, and making sure the staff aint stealing shit. For some reason I got stuck dealing with the grand royal bitch herself Scarlet for the day… She's part of R&D and has been on the news a fair bit… but her whole thing is she's one of the only people at that rank thats a woman so she hates all men and has no qualms reminding those lower rank than her she's the damn boss. She just had to go out and about and went ordering me to follow a bunch of side streets to get her to some random ass shop for a snack only for some dudes to think they could mug her… then what does the cow do. She insults the lot of them so I end up in a four on one fight…"

Reno was rambling at this point, Hanekoma had done it now, offering him an out to vent his frustrations. Reno could honestly tollerate just about anyone else at the company the only ones he could not stand Heidegger, Hojo, Scarlet, and the actual president of Shinra. They were collectively the biggest assholes in the company and he hated them half the time because they were so stuck up. Were it not for Rufus Reno was pretty sure he'd be out a job by now, but the man paid him well and made sure they were all well cared for.

reno-the-himbo-turk​:

reno-the-himbo-turk​:

Reno could not help but curse his luck and he was about to let loose more profanity when he realized he ran into someone, or someone ran into him he was slightly disoriented and trying to process everything. At this exact moment he knew his clothing was soaked and fuck if he didn’t land wrong and screw something the fuck up. Hissing in pain he looked up when he noticed someone covered in his shitty d-tier coffee that he wouldn’t even feed to his worst enemy.

Taking the offered hand Reno forced himself upright face pinched in a tight line as he struggled not to let the pain show. Standing there he cringed at the feeling of his usual Turk outfit coated in coffee, this was going to be a bitch to get dry cleaned later. The stench of hospital antiseptic and coffee both clinging to him. “Uhhh sorry bout this …” Reno mumbled his face flamed slightly with embarrassment as he realized this was most likely his fault given how angry he was and his lack of situational awareness because of his anger.

“Uhhh you got a mop and bucket? I’ll clean up the floor since it’s my fault. I was coming in here looking for something that will either keep me awake for a few long days or something at a minimum strong enough i’m hearing colors and seeing sound.” Reno explained, he had come in looking for something to keep him wired since he knew it would be painful and cumbersome to sleep since he’d have to sleep upright so he might as well push his body to the limits for a bit so hopefully when he crashed he would crash hard enough to sleep properly.

Hanekoma waved his hand dismissively, “Naah, don’t worry about it, brother. I’ll get it in a sec. You look like ya’ve been through enough for one day, eh? Go ahead an’ pop a squat and I’ll getcha a drink ready… Heh, and a napkin or somethin’ too.”

His grin stretched out to something more friendly, he gestured with his chin over to the counter before making his own way there himself. First order of business was to attend to the customer, but Hanekoma knew he had plenty of time to deal with the mess anyway. It wasn’t often that he had more than one or two people in the place. And even if someone did come in, it wasn’t like the situation really needed any explanation.

When he reached the counter Hanekoma slid in behind it and got a tea towel that was hanging form one of the drawer handles to hand to Reno. Again, he ignored his own mess and went right to work making up the coffee, being sure to create something concentrated and strong. Even if he didn’t think it was smart to be doing this when someone was clearly supposed to be recovering, he didn’t exactly have the social space to deny him either. This customer wasn’t his friend, yet, and so it’d be best to honor the order as it was given.

“So, bad day, huh?” he spoke over his shoulder as he worked, his voice turning in a playful lilt. “Wanna talk about it, or should I just shut my trap an’ keep to my work?”