101 Cycles:Peratio Tempus (Part 1)
“Is…is this what you hear all the time? As Composer?...Is this what it’s like away from the RG?”
He had so many questions, so many comments; he didn’t know how to get them all out at once, so he didn’t wait for a response from Joshua and settled for rambling.
“Do all cities have such pretty music? And how can I hear this? How could I not hear this?”
And then it struck him. Why did Joshua let him hear such a beautiful, moving thing; this beautiful song: the Music of Shibuya?
“…Something is…gonna happen… Isn’t it?”
Neku hated being lied to, even if it was the half-truth kind.
Neku had no clue what was happening. He just wanted to fix it.
“None of this: Not the buildings, The people, This Music-- None of it can disappear.”
Especially not Shiki. Or Beat, Rhyme, and Eri. Not you either…
“I don’t care what it is. Whatever it is, nothing can be worse than the Game. I want to help you this time.”
Joshua watched Neku gape, and waited for the patiently questions to cease. He knew very well how much of a high it was the first time- Okay, so he really had to hold that one back. Nothing could ruin this right now. He’d behave for the sake of effect. He kept a knowing gaze the whole time, but was taken a bit off guard by the last response. He sighed, and hoped Neku would get the hint if he simply ignored it.
“Yes, I hear this all the time. You can hear it because I’m allowing you to, and No, I’m not really fond of the music of other cities, but…I’m a little bit biased.” He answered, chuckling on the last part.
To be perfectly honest, He couldn’t really remember the first time he heard the Music of the city. Well, it was actually something that he’d heard forever…It really didn’t strike him as amazing. That is-- Not until he climbed to the top of this building, and heard everything all together as one piece. He fell in love with it, and became fixated on the idea of becoming the Composer, so he could be a part of it.
He wasn’t sure where that had gone wrong a month or so ago. It was a mystery why he thought something like this should die. Pity that once he came to his senses, it was all going to go away.
I really wish he could help.
Neku didn’t say anything more. He knew Joshua was ignoring half of what he’d said, and when he got like that, nothing would get through to him.
Bastard. You’re always like this, thinking everything is under your control. But be that way…I’ll help whether you like it or not. Just think of it as minor revenge for my month in hell.
“You’re so self centered. Spoiled and freakin’ selfish too.”
The two were still being watched from the courtroom.
“Isn’t there a law against this?!” The angel was infuriated, her hair likening to a firey mane, and her face flared up to nearly match the color.
‘But, whatever, do what you want, as usual. I’ll get out of Shibuya later today.’ The voice over the screen came from Neku.
“Whatever! Just go arrest that child. And don’t forget about Sakuraba…” She paused to watch them with disdain.
‘Selfish and self-centered mean the same thing, Captain Redundancy.Hehehe.’
“Actually, nevermind. I’ll do it myself.”
The auburn haired angel quickly lowered her frequency, appearing before the two boys.
“My name is Thiera, First Member of the Angel Counsel, and you, Yoshiya Kiryuu are under arrest. There will be no trial for you, you skipped out on it, and you will be punished immediately. Come willingly, and let’s make this easy on the both of us. You too, Sakuraba Neku.”
Joshua wasn’t a bit surprised that the Angel’s approached him at the time, or that there wouldn’t be a trial. But why on earth did they need Neku? He frowned and stepped between the two of them, glaring at the Angel before them.
“What do you want with him? He’s a mortal. He’s not yours to judge.” He replied steadily. Get out of here. Don’t do something stupid, just listen to me. He thought, imprinting into Neku’s mind.
They could have Shibuya. They could kill him and destroy every bit of his leftover data just to make sure he never existed again. What Joshua wasn’t okay with, was them torturing Neku. That was his territory only. Besides, his plan would be ruined if Neku never escaped this city.
“And I am not yours to command, Shibu- Yoshiya Kiryuu. Both of you will follow me, refuse and I’ll just have to use force.”
Fury burned cold as ice in Thiera’s blue eyes, seeming to radiate off of her, especially when neither showed any signs of going willingly. She didn’t care as much what the Composer’s proxy did; only that he did not cause any problems, and it seemed as if he was completely set on being one.
“No, we’re not going anywhere!”
“Are you stupid!?” she practically hissed.
Neku wondered if the angel would have a snake as a noise form.
“Promise me that Shibuya stays safe, and unharmed.”
“Oh we won’t harm it we’ll-“ she caught herself and found it better to keep herself on the boy’s good side.
“…We’ll keep your precious city safe.” She finished carefully.
She only cared about getting them both where she wanted anyway.
“Good.”
“Well?”
“Well, what?” Neku looked at her as if she was crazy. It seemed Joshua was rubbing off on him. Just a little.
“Are you two coming or not?!”
The silence said it all. The angel gave up and tossed her hand in the air. When they came back down, she was forcibly pushing their frequencies down.
Maybe this’ll cool their attitudes too, make my job easier. Way easier.
It was like nothing Neku had felt before, he felt as though he was suffocating but life was still being pumped into him. His frequency was being lowered far too fast, and even with his usual level of power in the RG, he had no idea how to handle the feeling.
It wasn’t pain, but a censuring, a limitation on how much he could exist. Not only was his frequency being drastically lowered, but everything that made Neku exist as he had been in the RG and even the UG was being filtered. The power of his Imagination had been decimated, the world seemed to spin around him and Neku blacked out.
Joshua reacted quickly, but not quickly enough. He grabbed onto Neku and tried to hold his ground. He tried to pull them both back and away from the descending angel that was dragging them with her, but he couldn’t handle both of their frequencies with such a high level of power pushing him down. Neku slipped from his grasp and he collapsed under the weight of the power the angel possessed.
Joshua’s fighting cost him dearly. He felt a terrible pressure all around him-a feeling akin to being crushed under three or four buildings while the ground was rising. He tried to cry out in agony, but the pressure stifled any noise he tried to make. He choked on the sound, and felt a terrible emotional rift run through him when Shibuya’s Music fled from his ears, becoming a mere hum.
He then was overwhelmed by the hundreds of negative thoughts and anguish and hurt and pain, but that too soon died away into a soft rumble. He could breathe again, he could hear again, and he was pretty sure he could speak, but that was about it. Every bit of power he had was chained inside him, and he barely had enough energy to react to the sound that came from above.
“Mmm~ Little toys to play with!” a high-pitched voice cooed.
Joshua had opened his mouth to remain defiant, and snipe at the angel, but his composure fell at that voice.
No…
The person was shrouded in the blackness of this terrible place, but Joshua would know that horrible voice from anywhere.
“Y-Y-Ya-su….” He shook. How was that even possible? He’d wiped every last bit of that woman into noise food years ago. No…It can’t be…Please let this be some alternate form…She can’t be MY Yasu…
“Well HEL-LO there mister Shibuya! Still playing with little boys, I see. Ahahahah~!” the girl’s laugh was cold and taunting. She grinned, her teeth shining from the shadows. “You don’t look very happy to see your old boss. Wassa matter? Was I a little too hard on you?” She mock pouted “Awww~, well that’s a shame… seeing as it’s my JOB to hurt ya now!” She remained hidden, walking around them like a predator. Her eyes glinted from the darkness resembling that of a ravenous wolf.
Neku thought he should be angry for being called a little boy or even be annoyed at the fact that her voice was ridiculously high for however old these dead people are, but he was in too much inner turmoil to care.
Of course, nothing would soothe him from the emptiness of existing without Shibuya’s music.
He heard shaky breaths but his senses were to jumbled from the drop to who knows what frequency to figure out if they were his or not. The high pitched voice was unmistakably new, and even with the pressure of their frequencies being lowered gone, Neku still felt as if there were an immovable weight surrounding him, willing him from moving.
“Urrgh.”
It was like waking up.
Right after seven trucks ran him over and every single organ in his body was removed without anesthesia then consecutively thrown to the wolves.
Yeah, Josh…today was lots of fun.
“Hurry up and get this over with so I can get out of this hellhole, Ya-chan.”
Neku’s senses began to clear a bit. He felt the focus on this terrible world shifting in, but he was still in a great amount of pain.
Ugh. At least I know I’m alive…
He glanced towards the two standing figures. One looking cheerful, but seeming like the type that could switch moods in a moment, and the other, who was standing still was the idiot who thought it would be fun to make him want to kill himself just so he could ascend and kill her.
Of course, things don’t really work that way.
…Bitch.
Neku remembered something and panicked.
Where’s Joshua?!
He forced himself up to look around. Thankfully, he was right next to him, as he had been when he blacked out, but Neku saw something he’d never thought he’d see in his life. Or death for that matter.
The prince of ridicule, the same person that refused to lose at anything, and made sure that any loss was negated by making the other miserable, had lost his composure, and Neku could see surprise and anger all over his face. He was shaken. No, He was terrified.
At that point, Neku really did think he’d died, and gone straight to hell.