-Day 7: Lonely Throne-

Day seven had come at last, though it almost seemed too soon an ending for Joshua. Still, he, Megumi, Akane, and Katsu had fought their way through enough trials and tribulations by now to earn the right stand before their final destination: the sewers.

Akane wrinkled her nose in disgust as she stared into its depths. "What's with this GM? Is he a dirtbag or something?"

"If only he was that fun," Joshua quipped.

"We seem to be the only ones left," his Partner pointed out.

"Well," the last added as he stepped in front, turning to all of them with a smile, "no matter if the Composer picks Josh or Aka, let's win this together with no hard feelings." He put his hand between them, palm down. "Agreed?"

Joshua stared at it as the other two each piled a hand on. He hadn't forgotten the kiss the previous day, and he hesitated to touch Katsu again. Who knew what the older teen would try next. Though, was it really that bad? Joshua didn't know. Any thought of it came with the same blank feelings, like he could care less, even though he knew he should care one way or the other.

After a moment, he placed his hand on top of the pile, and Katsu put his other hand on top of Joshua's to hold it. "How are you feeling?" Katsu asked as he stroked the back of it with his thumb.

"Just fine," he replied, drawing his hand away. "Let's get this over with. I'm sure Blondie's waiting for us with baited breath."

With a sigh, Akane took the lead, ready with her martial arts pins. Megumi followed, and Katsu went third. Joshua took up the rear, but just one step made him stop, his vision blurring. His hand shot to his head as he fought to get his senses together, and he found a throbbing he hadn't noticed before. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths, pulling himself together as much as he could before following the others. His sight soon eased back to normal. His head, though, wouldn't stop hurting.

Daichi waited for them in front of a bridge, which crossed over the murky, urban waters below. Though dark, they found it bright enough to see their enemy clearly, and they all prepared to fight. "So, you made it, Yoshiya Kiryu. You really are talented."

"I would say the same about you, but your missions were dreadfully boring," the boy taunted. "Really, week two was the most fun. It's an utter shame that GM's gone!"

"Just how long have you been doing this?" Akane muttered, not that she expected a response. Instead, she used a pin to summon a katana to her hands. "Whatever, let's just get this over with already so I can take the throne!" The others prepared as well, and Daichi smirked at their efforts.

"Fine then... I'll erase you all," the man challenged, and a Noise symbol flashed in front of him. Large, black Reaper wings emerged from his back, circling around his body as he transformed. His arms turned into blades, unattached save for the familiar wisps of green that somehow seemed to hold the Noise together. Four thin legs replaced his two, and a leaf emerged on his back, curling into the same wisps at the end. His whole body grew to twice their size, completing his transformation into a praying mantis.

"Well well," Joshua taunted with a hum. "No wonder you always seem to bug me so much. To bad a win is only in your prayers." A blade swept towards him the moment the last syllable left his lips, and he jumped to the side in an effort to avoid it. He watched as it sent out a copy of itself-

His vision blurred again, and he barely caught his footing. He touched his head, only to draw his hand back in surprise. Was he sweating? The battle had hardly even begun, and his fighting style never made him sweat. No, there had to be something more at play. But what?

He had no time to ponder, though, for the battle raged on. Daichi's insect wings spread, and he took to the air to charge through the others. Joshua fought to focus, tapping the buttons on his phone. They dropped a steady stream of cars and vending machines behind the GM, but not one hit. Cursing internally, Joshua drowned out his comrades. His breath grew heavy as he narrowed in on his enemy, and this time, his attacks smashed down on the Noise. Daichi crashed into the ground, and Joshua noticed Akane rush for him out of the corner of his eye.

Quickly, Joshua thought as his fingers pressed the buttons on his phone, more furious than ever. I need this to end.

And end, it did. Akane's sword sliced into the mantis' neck, severing it as the Noise vanished into thin air. They'd won.

And yet, despite that, Joshua felt no better than before. His head still ached, and his eyes still strained to keep up with everything around him. Why? Had he not won already?

"Joshua!" Akane's voice broke through the fog that threatened to engulf him. "It's me versus you now. Let's settle who'll be Composer."

Joshua cringed. Part of him knew something like this would come, but now? He couldn't fight properly like this.

With a sigh, the boy pinched himself, using the pain to hold his senses. He stared down at his arms, a blank expression capturing his face as he proceeded to ignore the girl.

"Joshua?" he heard his Partner ask, but the boy ignored it. He swayed, spreading his feet out to stay up. His eyes rose to find Akane, with the world around her black as she charged in.

Ah, but she really was too gullible. Joshua regained his composure and slid out of the way. He tapped one key on his phone to summon a gun to his hands-a gun that he held to the back of her head. "I'd rather not kill you," the boy said. "You'd make a skilled Officer. Give the throne up, and in return, I won't kill you. Deal?"

Akane bit her lip, but she knew she'd lost. She'd fallen for his ruse far too easily, and going easy at that crucial moment came with a price. "I want one wish when you become Composer," she compromised. "Grant me that, and I won't come after you ever again."

Joshua didn't know if he could trust that, but once he was Composer, it'd hardly matter. "Deal," he agreed as he drew the gun away, letting it disappear like the rest of his digital summons. Surely, once he saw Kotone again, even this dizziness would go away. Joshua looked around, wondering what took her so long.

"Ehhh, you're really something, Josh," Katsu spoke up, and he pulled Josh into a backwards hug. Joshua blinked, staring up at the older boy's grin. "To think you've gone all day poisoned and can still hide it so well."

Wait-poisoned? Joshua's eyes widened, and he pushed Katsu away. "You..." The boy trailed off as it suddenly became clear. His mind flashed back to the kiss the previous day. More than that, the fist Katsu had stuffed in his pocket-had it held a pin?

"Katsu, what are you talking about?" Akane demanded with a frown.

"Yoshiya 'Joshua' Kiryu, the prodigal son." The elder boy's grin widened, demented as his eyes danced on Joshua. "You had everything. You were their only child, destined for the top seat in all of the living Shibuya! And yet you gave it up so easily. Why would you do such a thing?"

Joshua could feel his body grow weak by the second, but he refused to let it show. Akane took a step back at her Partner's tone, and even Megumi's calm demeanor shook with anger. Joshua threw a glare as he replied, "You should know the troubles that come with a family like that."

"Oh, I do. That's why I tried to poison my brother." Katsu paced, scratching his cheek. "I was never going get the company, really. I thought if I killed him, I would then, but I died instead. Haha, it was all such a mess!" He stopped, leveling his gaze on each of his former companions. "But then I got invited to this Game, for the ultimate ruling position. And better yet, you were in it, Josh!" Reaching out, he yanked the boy's wrist, and Joshua tripped right into Katsu's twisted arms. "Fighting for a throne you don't deserve after committing suicide. That's why I want to make you my toy-to torment you for all the times you ran away like a coward."

Was this the true purpose of Eden's Game? It was never for Katsu or Akane, but a lesson that Joshua understood all too well. Power brought out the worst in people and drove them to fight.

In the end, Joshua had no friends.

A chuckle rose from Joshua, merging into a twisted laugh. "Poisoned?" he asked as he pushed himself up straight. "Looks like you're not very good if that's how you were trying to end me. It didn't work-I'm feeling perfectly chipper and golly." A lie, yes, but he'd have to hold to it now. He couldn't show any weakness, or he'd surely lose his life.

Katsu opened his mouth to say something, but a purple note stopped him. He held his arms up in defense as more pelted him, and the owner stepped next to the boy. "Joshua, are you all right?" Megumi asked, placing a hand on his Partner's shoulder.

Well, there was one person not interested in the power struggle, at least. Joshua nodded and pulled out his phone. "Keep him busy." Megumi nodded and rushed in, summoning his purple balls around Katsu.

The healer jumped away, only for Akane to rush him from the side. With a grin, Katsu grabbed his Partner's arm when she missed, channeling a psych through it. "Maybe I should turn it up a notch." Megumi tried to save her with his notes, but it was too late. Akane cried out in pain as her body twisted, her arms and neck bending further back than they should. She stumbled, unable to take it, and as if reveling in the sight of her mangled agony, the teenage boy pulled her close to whisper, "Thank you, Akane. I couldn't have done all this without such a great Partner." He then shoved her, sending his most trusted companion beneath the cold waters of the river for good. "Now time for you to sleep."

He was a monster, and he needed to be stopped once and for all.

Katsu turned to Joshua, not deterred in the least. "Well, that one works. How 'bout it, Josh? I'll try some new psychs on you, too! Maybe I'll even keep you alive when I become Composer-to suffer for all eternity."

"Pass," Joshua replied with a shrug. "My beautiful face doesn't deserve that level of pain. Rather, I think you're the one who needs to pay for invading the future Composer's space. That's a capital offense."

Katsu's smile continued as he said, "You, Josh, are what's wrong with this city."

Joshua didn't listen, though, for he called out to his Partner as he finished his preparations. Megumi slid over next of them, and each held one arm up. A blue blast shot out of it, the front weaving with the face of a dragon before engulfing their enemy in a bright light that threatened to blind Joshua's already weak sight.

When it cleared, they saw Katsu barely holding on, clutching his arm in pain. Both Joshua and Megumi prepared to attack again, especially when they saw how much more malicious their enemy's smirk had grown. "Josh... Hey, Josh. You don't really want to kill me. I know! I'll mix some more kisses in with your torture-"

Crash. A digital car fell on the elder teen, and Joshua stared down his nose at the twitching figure that struggled to keep moving. The writhing soon stopped, though, and both car and boy vanished. Katsu was no more. And better yet, Joshua's body no longer felt so weak.

As the two took a moment to breath, Joshua glanced at the water. There was no sign of Akane, but he could only guess she didn't survive her Partner's madness. The reflection of two weasel Noise blinked in the water, disappearing in a flash like they were only an illusion. Either way, the girl was no more.

A shimmer caught Joshua's attention, and a light flew up to them. Both looked, only to see it fly further in. After exchanging glances. they followed deep into the sewer's depths.

The light led them to a door before disappearing inside. They held their pins ready as Megumi pulled it open, revealing a bright room. Stepping in, they found a glass floor with fish swimming beneath it, surrounded by white furniture-from a couch to tables to extra chairs. Bottles of all sorts of alcohol lined the shelves, and an old jukebox sat in the corner.

A folded note on the table caught Joshua's attention, and he walked over to pick it up. On the outside, it read, "Congratulations, Joshua. Now for your final test." The boy flipped it open, only to halt when he read his final mission: "Erase your Partner."

"Joshua? What does that say?" the man asked, blissfully unaware.

After folding the paper back up, Joshua stuffed it in his pocket. "It's nothing," he lied. "Surely this isn't just a dead-end. Perhaps there's a hidden door."

Megumi nodded, and he began searching the walls for such a thing. The Composer candidate watched him for a minute, considering the newest mission. Why Megumi? He had no want to be the Composer, but the one who stood in the light for the Composer. Joshua stared down, remembering the man's decision to join him a second time, or perhaps their stop in the ramen shop, when Megumi opened up for the first time. Could he really just erase that man so easily?

The sound from the jukebox flickered, jumping to static. After a moment, one voice came on, repeating and overlapping the same sentence: "Kill your Partner."

Megumi blinked before turning to Joshua, surprised. "Josh...?"

More words were added to the jukebox. "If you want to be Composer..." It kept repeating over and over, like a broken record that wouldn't stop. The man took a step back, weary as he watched the Composer candidate.

He couldn't take it. The sound kept getting louder and louder, drowning everything else out, even his own thoughts. Wanting to just end it all, Joshua pulled his phone up and pressed a button.

A couch fell on the jukebox, crushing it and ending all its noise. Joshua and Megumi stood in the silence, neither daring to speak for a moment. It was the younger of them who dared talk first, saying, "Sorry, but I'm done listening to missions. Now show yourself, Kotone. You wanted me to win, and here I am."

The room seemed to pause this time before a door finally revealed itself smack-dab in the middle. Joshua opened it up, only to find another long hallway ahead.

"Stay here," he told Megumi. Turning a cocky grin back to the man, he added, "I'll summon you when I've taken her seat."

"Very well. And thank you, Joshua..." He paused, only to correct himself. "No... Thank you, Sir."

With that, Joshua took his sweet time on his stroll down the final hall to win his prize from Shibuya's goddess.

Kotone took a deep breath, letting her sight return to normal. Her eyes flickered to the other person in the room before turning away, and she rested her head on her hand. "You should get going, Sanae. You won't want to see this."

"Are you even sure he'll pull the trigger?" Hanekoma asked, though he also didn't dare to look at her. "I don't think he knows that you plan on dying."

"He will," Kotone answered. "And I'm sure he'll make a great Composer-much better than I was."

"Hey, Kotone..."

"It's true, and you know it," the woman said. "I lost all hope, and Shibuya has as well. The city feeds of its Composer's feelings... It's time it had new feelings to inspire it." Staring up at the ceiling, the woman let one last smile make its way on her face. "Before you go, though, I want you to promise me one thing."

Hanekoma looked, but he didn't need to say anything, for she continued before he could: "Protect Shibuya. No matter what might happen, no matter who might threaten it... Keep this city alive for me. That's my final request."

The man sighed, rubbing his head. "You don't even need to ask that, you know. I'll protect it."

"Thank you, Sanae... And goodbye."

Both could feel the boy approach, and Hanekoma vanished. He didn't like either outcome of this battle, but he knew he couldn't stop them now. Either way he went about it, he'd lose one of them.

And soon enough, a bang rang through the deepest depths of Shibuya, where no one save the lone survivor of the duel could hear.

Years passed, and the Game changed-but came around again with the same basic structure. Shibuya, too, underwent a number of changes since the days of Eden's Game.

Joshua stood in front of the mural at Udagawa, letting the RG's sun wash over him. It'd been seven years since his last visit to this plane, and back then, he thought he'd spend forever playing in the UG.

But "forever" was a long time for one with no friends his age to share it with.

"Friends"... Who even needed that. People were the problem-they always had been. The world was better off without the people who insisted on crowding Shibuya with their selfish squabbles.

Movement caught his attention, and Joshua hurried to a back alley. Though the boxes he'd once used as a fort no longer sat in it and the posters had changed, it still offered the same strategical vantage he'd used during that Game so long ago. And as if on cue, an orange haired boy came into view.

Neku, wasn't it? My, how he'd grown into a handsome teenager. But what caught Joshua's interest more was the way the other boy stared at the mural, captivated by it.

Well, he did owe Joshua his life. Perhaps he'd be a good proxy... but the Composer still had a few days to make his final decision. He turned and walked away, his lonely heart set on winning this new Game.

He would destroy Shibuya with his own hands.