"Wild Card" Parts 2, 3 and 4
Continued from this is the next three parts of my self-twewy thing ... as hell, I can't draw, so I'm going to write. If you were brought here by my pimping out to subarashiki_ds then ... you already know that.
Part 2 has spoilers for Week 2
Part 3 has spoilers for Week 3, as does Part 4
PART 2
Beat pulled and tugged at his hat as he sat on a ledge on the Miyashita Park overpass, knowing he had to get back to Towa records, where Neku and the prissy kid were going to be soon. Rhyme, now a noise, chittered softly and nipped at his ear. "What am I gonna do? I can't ... it's Phones, y'know? Plus I ain't got a partna outsida you." She chittered sympathetically and nuzzled his neck. "Guess I gotta go it alone."
"You're not going alone." Beat scrambled to his feet and raised his fists, seeing a Tenor Reaper before him. "Lower your fists, I'm here to help you, Beat."
"Why should I trust ya?" Beat demanded. "You wain't even showin' me yer mug!"
"Fair enough." The Reaper reached up and pushed back the hood, revealling a young woman with brown skin and black, layered hair that had a layer of dyed pink hair on the lower layers. "My name is Sasha. You're not the only one playing like you've got nothing else to lose. I'll help you take them on."
Beat lowered his hands, but he was still iffy. "Why'd you become a reapa, den?"
"I didn't have a choice," Sasha replied simply. "I won the game but the Composer changed his mind and we weren't allowed to get the ressurection we were promised. There's someone I have to get back to, and I'm willing to do anything to get to the Real Ground."
The younger teen paused, then rubbed his shoulder, sympathetic but clearly uncertain. "What's in it f'you? Helpin' me?"
"Headphones' partner. I have unfinished business with him."
"Was he yer partna first?"
"...he aws the reason I couldn't go back. So what do you say?"
"I..."
"What is it?"
"I dunno if I did da right thing, y'know?" Beat sighed and flopped down on the ground, legs loosely crossed.
Sasha sat down beside him and rubbed her neck. "I feel you. This isn't very easy for me either, but I'm .... out of options. I have two evil paths, and I've picked one and I have to go full force. It's all you can do when your back's to the wall and you've got no where else to go but down that road." She sighed. "It's what I keep telling myself, anyway."
Beat looked at Rhyme, who chittered quietly, then looked back over to the older girl. "Yeah ... I busted outta Coffee King's hideout 'cause I had t'find out how t'get Rhyme outta her pin and da Reapers knew how. But dere's no turnin' back now dat I'm here, rite? -- d'you regret it? Choosin' dis way?"
"Like I said, I didn't have a choice ... it was either become a Reaper or nothing. We played by the Composer's rules and he screwed us over," Sasha answered, twisting a silver ring that was around her right index finger. "That was ... a while ago. But now I have an out: a plan. It's risky, but it's going to get me out of the UnderGround. So ... if I can give you any kind of advice for you, it's .... do whatever you can to get what you deserve, Beat. No one's going to make sure that you're going to get it but you. If it's important enough, you'll do anything to get it. Right?"
"Yeah ... YEAH!" Beat agreed, grinning as he jumped to his feet. "You all right, lady! I'm not going to stop until I get Rhyme's body back, and her memories ...!"
Sasha smiled faintly; Beat's energy was contagious, and highly similiar to her twin brother, Rick. She pushed herself up to her feet. "Ready?"
"Yeah! I'm ready to ROCK! And ... thanks, Sasha. You're pretty cool."
"Thanks, Beat. I am pretty awesome."
=TBC=
PART 3
Week 3. It was unheard of that a Game would go for more than the standard week, and this one had gone on for three in a row. Even more alarming were the measures that were being taken to ensure that this week was the last: virtually all the other players had vanished - erased, she figured - and the effects of the second week's seventh day were still being felt. Minamimoto was defeated on order by the Conductor himself, and the Composer's whereabouts were unknown. On the books, one partner gave themselves up to protect the other against Minamimoto's final attack, but Sasha was unconvinced that the Composer was really out of the picture. Not him. As per Minamimoto's orders, however, she had intervened when a veritable herd of taboo rhino noise were going after the pair.
The Composer had airily given thanks, but she ignored it - his words were as empty then as they were when she first heard him speak. She was certain he was catching onto her role in things, but he had said and done nothing. And now, with him out of the picture and an emergency call issued, things had gone topsy turvy in wonderland's bizarro room.
How was she going to get out of this one?
(--No time to think! Just go! Get to WildKat!) she told herself as she ran across the rooftops. (I have to stay ahead of Konishi-san .. as if things weren't impossible enough.) Soon she caught sight of the cafe and jumped down, landing in front of the entrance. She entered, and looked around. "...?"
"Good, you made it."
"--Hankeoma-san. Just .. how deep does your involvement go?"
He paused, and admitted, "pretty deep. But there's no time now. There are no pacts now, no alligences. Are you comfortable with operating that way, despite the consequences?"
She didn't hesitate to nod. "Yes. I'll do anything to end this and get me out of here."
"Good." Hanekoma nodded. "Here's what you're going to do: protect Beat and Phones, and get them to the River. If everything goes proper ... this will be over."
Sasha nodded, watching as Hanekoma walked to the back wall of the shop, putting something into a safe. She was first approached by the "Producer" when she was temporarily "partnered" with Beat during the Game's second straight week. He then dispelled any misinformation she was given, giving her a new direction to take. She was running down a dangerous path, true, but it was no where as dangerous as the one Hanekoma himself was on as he was helping not only Minamimoto, but Neku as well.
"Once they find the key, I stay with them until the end?"
Hanekoma nodded. "We're already breaking rules left and right, what's a few more? But since you'll be confronting not only Konishi but Kitaniji, you should be very careful."
She swallowed a little. "Yeah."
He grinned lazily. "Scared?"
"A little," she admitted.
"That's good. Keep your head on straight and don't look back," Hanekoma advised. "You know the power that a strong imagination carries. Use it to the fullest extent, which means you've got to live ev --"
"--ry moment as if it were my last. I remember," Sasha finished, smiling. "Hey, Hanekoma-san ... is Phoenix ... is he..?"
Hanekoma nodded. "Yes, he's fine and he's waiting for you."
Sasha visibly relaxed and looked incredibly relieved. "Good. Good. I can do this, then. Right. Yes? No .. No! I can."
"Get going!" Hanekoma suddenly urged, as he looked sharply to the door. "He's coming." Sasha didn't have any time to ask 'Who?' as she felt an insanely strong presence approaching. She turned and booked it out of the store.
(Hang on for me, Phoenix .. everyone. I'm going to come back!)
Seconds later, she heard the crashing of glass as Minamimoto descended upon WildKat.
=TBC=
PART 4
She stood silently beside Beat and Shiki as Joshua, who had revealed himself to the three as the Composer, spoke to Neku about the true purpose of this Game: to determine Shibuya's fate. Everything was done to reach that final decision and this was it. She felt terrible for Neku as he wrestled to comprehend that everything that had happened during his weeks in the game was done under guise of someone who had masqueraded as his partner, and was in fact the person that killed him. Where could you even start, to look at the factures that this caused in their relationship?
As Neku gripped his head, Joshua turned to face Sasha, his smirk darkly smug. "And you... our little wild card. I will admit you surprised me; I didn't think you had such rebellion in you."
"When you screwed me over, I vowed I'd do anything to get my life back," Sasha answered, her hands resting inside the front pockets of her hoodie. "I'm not the kind of person to accept when I've been wronged."
Joshua raised an eyebrow, his slips slightly parted as a slender finger rested on his chin. "Oh? News to me. Do you think I'll give you back your life now that you've broken all of my precious little rules?"
Sasha narrowed her eyes. "I haven't broken any rules, since there obviously isn't any that we can follow and win, when it comes to you. I played the Game the way you play it. You denied me my right to ressurection because you felt like changing the rules that day."
"It's in my right as Composer to do so," Joshua replied easily, smiling. "Such as it is to destroy Shibuya if I see fit to do so. Perhaps you've forgotten, that, little Reaper. Let me guess, you'll give me a rousing speech as to why I should stay my hand, yes? I'll save you the trouble: There is nothing here that is worth saving anymore. It's gotten stale."
"It's because you have."
"I beg your pardon?"
"Your imagination .. your soul, it's stalled and you're disgusted with it and people in general. Shibuya changed to mirror that, and that's why everything's slowly becoming more self-centered ... why people think no one else is worth saving, because that's how you think," Sasha stated, her stance hardening. "That's probably a side-effect of being Composer. Perhaps you've forgotten about that."
Joshua's jaw stiffened, and his lips pursed. He seemed ready to either strike her or erase her, but he chose to do neither. Instead, he turned around and regarded Neku. "How about one last Game, Neku? This one decides everything~"
"You did what you could," Shiki whispered, reaching for Sasha's arm to hold onto. "Let's ... hope that things work out."
"..I hope so," Sasha murmured, watching as Joshua tossed Neku a pistol. "I really hope so."
***
Sasha groaned, feeling as if she was dropped from a high height, and flattened by slab of rock for an extended period of time. As she opened her eyes, she saw a pair of worried amethyst eyes, slowly realizing who it was that was staring down at her. "--Phoenix..?"
"Sasha! Thank God," Phoenix breathed, his long, pale blond hair that was tied into a ponytail coming over his shoulder as he leaned over her, pulling her into a tight hug. "I was taking a walk and then I saw you just lying there.. I nearly had a heart-attack! Where have you been?"
She gave a weak smile. "Doesn't matter," she said, swallowing thickly. "I'm back." (Why did he bring me back? Maybe he learned something ... oh, thank God ... I'm back.. I'm really back.)
"--Can you stand?" Phoenix asked gently, worriedly, reaching over to brush her hair back with a gentle touch, and Sasha was pleased to see he still painted his nails black. When she nodded, Phoenix helped her stand, and kept her stable. "Come on, everyone's been worried sick."
"Sorry for worrying you," Sasha whispered. She looked up at the sky, and smiled thinly. (Thanks, "Joshua" ... you'll see that this is a pretty good place to live.)
=END=
Part 2 has spoilers for Week 2
Part 3 has spoilers for Week 3, as does Part 4
PART 2
Beat pulled and tugged at his hat as he sat on a ledge on the Miyashita Park overpass, knowing he had to get back to Towa records, where Neku and the prissy kid were going to be soon. Rhyme, now a noise, chittered softly and nipped at his ear. "What am I gonna do? I can't ... it's Phones, y'know? Plus I ain't got a partna outsida you." She chittered sympathetically and nuzzled his neck. "Guess I gotta go it alone."
"You're not going alone." Beat scrambled to his feet and raised his fists, seeing a Tenor Reaper before him. "Lower your fists, I'm here to help you, Beat."
"Why should I trust ya?" Beat demanded. "You wain't even showin' me yer mug!"
"Fair enough." The Reaper reached up and pushed back the hood, revealling a young woman with brown skin and black, layered hair that had a layer of dyed pink hair on the lower layers. "My name is Sasha. You're not the only one playing like you've got nothing else to lose. I'll help you take them on."
Beat lowered his hands, but he was still iffy. "Why'd you become a reapa, den?"
"I didn't have a choice," Sasha replied simply. "I won the game but the Composer changed his mind and we weren't allowed to get the ressurection we were promised. There's someone I have to get back to, and I'm willing to do anything to get to the Real Ground."
The younger teen paused, then rubbed his shoulder, sympathetic but clearly uncertain. "What's in it f'you? Helpin' me?"
"Headphones' partner. I have unfinished business with him."
"Was he yer partna first?"
"...he aws the reason I couldn't go back. So what do you say?"
"I..."
"What is it?"
"I dunno if I did da right thing, y'know?" Beat sighed and flopped down on the ground, legs loosely crossed.
Sasha sat down beside him and rubbed her neck. "I feel you. This isn't very easy for me either, but I'm .... out of options. I have two evil paths, and I've picked one and I have to go full force. It's all you can do when your back's to the wall and you've got no where else to go but down that road." She sighed. "It's what I keep telling myself, anyway."
Beat looked at Rhyme, who chittered quietly, then looked back over to the older girl. "Yeah ... I busted outta Coffee King's hideout 'cause I had t'find out how t'get Rhyme outta her pin and da Reapers knew how. But dere's no turnin' back now dat I'm here, rite? -- d'you regret it? Choosin' dis way?"
"Like I said, I didn't have a choice ... it was either become a Reaper or nothing. We played by the Composer's rules and he screwed us over," Sasha answered, twisting a silver ring that was around her right index finger. "That was ... a while ago. But now I have an out: a plan. It's risky, but it's going to get me out of the UnderGround. So ... if I can give you any kind of advice for you, it's .... do whatever you can to get what you deserve, Beat. No one's going to make sure that you're going to get it but you. If it's important enough, you'll do anything to get it. Right?"
"Yeah ... YEAH!" Beat agreed, grinning as he jumped to his feet. "You all right, lady! I'm not going to stop until I get Rhyme's body back, and her memories ...!"
Sasha smiled faintly; Beat's energy was contagious, and highly similiar to her twin brother, Rick. She pushed herself up to her feet. "Ready?"
"Yeah! I'm ready to ROCK! And ... thanks, Sasha. You're pretty cool."
"Thanks, Beat. I am pretty awesome."
=TBC=
PART 3
Week 3. It was unheard of that a Game would go for more than the standard week, and this one had gone on for three in a row. Even more alarming were the measures that were being taken to ensure that this week was the last: virtually all the other players had vanished - erased, she figured - and the effects of the second week's seventh day were still being felt. Minamimoto was defeated on order by the Conductor himself, and the Composer's whereabouts were unknown. On the books, one partner gave themselves up to protect the other against Minamimoto's final attack, but Sasha was unconvinced that the Composer was really out of the picture. Not him. As per Minamimoto's orders, however, she had intervened when a veritable herd of taboo rhino noise were going after the pair.
The Composer had airily given thanks, but she ignored it - his words were as empty then as they were when she first heard him speak. She was certain he was catching onto her role in things, but he had said and done nothing. And now, with him out of the picture and an emergency call issued, things had gone topsy turvy in wonderland's bizarro room.
How was she going to get out of this one?
(--No time to think! Just go! Get to WildKat!) she told herself as she ran across the rooftops. (I have to stay ahead of Konishi-san .. as if things weren't impossible enough.) Soon she caught sight of the cafe and jumped down, landing in front of the entrance. She entered, and looked around. "...?"
"Good, you made it."
"--Hankeoma-san. Just .. how deep does your involvement go?"
He paused, and admitted, "pretty deep. But there's no time now. There are no pacts now, no alligences. Are you comfortable with operating that way, despite the consequences?"
She didn't hesitate to nod. "Yes. I'll do anything to end this and get me out of here."
"Good." Hanekoma nodded. "Here's what you're going to do: protect Beat and Phones, and get them to the River. If everything goes proper ... this will be over."
Sasha nodded, watching as Hanekoma walked to the back wall of the shop, putting something into a safe. She was first approached by the "Producer" when she was temporarily "partnered" with Beat during the Game's second straight week. He then dispelled any misinformation she was given, giving her a new direction to take. She was running down a dangerous path, true, but it was no where as dangerous as the one Hanekoma himself was on as he was helping not only Minamimoto, but Neku as well.
"Once they find the key, I stay with them until the end?"
Hanekoma nodded. "We're already breaking rules left and right, what's a few more? But since you'll be confronting not only Konishi but Kitaniji, you should be very careful."
She swallowed a little. "Yeah."
He grinned lazily. "Scared?"
"A little," she admitted.
"That's good. Keep your head on straight and don't look back," Hanekoma advised. "You know the power that a strong imagination carries. Use it to the fullest extent, which means you've got to live ev --"
"--ry moment as if it were my last. I remember," Sasha finished, smiling. "Hey, Hanekoma-san ... is Phoenix ... is he..?"
Hanekoma nodded. "Yes, he's fine and he's waiting for you."
Sasha visibly relaxed and looked incredibly relieved. "Good. Good. I can do this, then. Right. Yes? No .. No! I can."
"Get going!" Hanekoma suddenly urged, as he looked sharply to the door. "He's coming." Sasha didn't have any time to ask 'Who?' as she felt an insanely strong presence approaching. She turned and booked it out of the store.
(Hang on for me, Phoenix .. everyone. I'm going to come back!)
Seconds later, she heard the crashing of glass as Minamimoto descended upon WildKat.
=TBC=
PART 4
She stood silently beside Beat and Shiki as Joshua, who had revealed himself to the three as the Composer, spoke to Neku about the true purpose of this Game: to determine Shibuya's fate. Everything was done to reach that final decision and this was it. She felt terrible for Neku as he wrestled to comprehend that everything that had happened during his weeks in the game was done under guise of someone who had masqueraded as his partner, and was in fact the person that killed him. Where could you even start, to look at the factures that this caused in their relationship?
As Neku gripped his head, Joshua turned to face Sasha, his smirk darkly smug. "And you... our little wild card. I will admit you surprised me; I didn't think you had such rebellion in you."
"When you screwed me over, I vowed I'd do anything to get my life back," Sasha answered, her hands resting inside the front pockets of her hoodie. "I'm not the kind of person to accept when I've been wronged."
Joshua raised an eyebrow, his slips slightly parted as a slender finger rested on his chin. "Oh? News to me. Do you think I'll give you back your life now that you've broken all of my precious little rules?"
Sasha narrowed her eyes. "I haven't broken any rules, since there obviously isn't any that we can follow and win, when it comes to you. I played the Game the way you play it. You denied me my right to ressurection because you felt like changing the rules that day."
"It's in my right as Composer to do so," Joshua replied easily, smiling. "Such as it is to destroy Shibuya if I see fit to do so. Perhaps you've forgotten, that, little Reaper. Let me guess, you'll give me a rousing speech as to why I should stay my hand, yes? I'll save you the trouble: There is nothing here that is worth saving anymore. It's gotten stale."
"It's because you have."
"I beg your pardon?"
"Your imagination .. your soul, it's stalled and you're disgusted with it and people in general. Shibuya changed to mirror that, and that's why everything's slowly becoming more self-centered ... why people think no one else is worth saving, because that's how you think," Sasha stated, her stance hardening. "That's probably a side-effect of being Composer. Perhaps you've forgotten about that."
Joshua's jaw stiffened, and his lips pursed. He seemed ready to either strike her or erase her, but he chose to do neither. Instead, he turned around and regarded Neku. "How about one last Game, Neku? This one decides everything~"
"You did what you could," Shiki whispered, reaching for Sasha's arm to hold onto. "Let's ... hope that things work out."
"..I hope so," Sasha murmured, watching as Joshua tossed Neku a pistol. "I really hope so."
***
Sasha groaned, feeling as if she was dropped from a high height, and flattened by slab of rock for an extended period of time. As she opened her eyes, she saw a pair of worried amethyst eyes, slowly realizing who it was that was staring down at her. "--Phoenix..?"
"Sasha! Thank God," Phoenix breathed, his long, pale blond hair that was tied into a ponytail coming over his shoulder as he leaned over her, pulling her into a tight hug. "I was taking a walk and then I saw you just lying there.. I nearly had a heart-attack! Where have you been?"
She gave a weak smile. "Doesn't matter," she said, swallowing thickly. "I'm back." (Why did he bring me back? Maybe he learned something ... oh, thank God ... I'm back.. I'm really back.)
"--Can you stand?" Phoenix asked gently, worriedly, reaching over to brush her hair back with a gentle touch, and Sasha was pleased to see he still painted his nails black. When she nodded, Phoenix helped her stand, and kept her stable. "Come on, everyone's been worried sick."
"Sorry for worrying you," Sasha whispered. She looked up at the sky, and smiled thinly. (Thanks, "Joshua" ... you'll see that this is a pretty good place to live.)
=END=