"...Death is just another path, one that we all must take. The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass, and then you see it."

-J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

ix.

His eyebrows wrinkled in concentration as he wrestled the flattened earpads off his old headphones. The wind moaned outside, carrying the clouds over the light. He stretched his arms out, digging a new pair from his drawer and slipping them on.

Gone. That's what she was.

Sliding on a violet and black JM jacket, he looped a signature mp3 around his neck. Memories, good and bad, flowed into him through the battered piece of machinery.

But…

With slight difficulty, he stamped white sneakers on. He checked his pockets. Keys, right. Pins, left. Good. He pulled the headphones from his neck and slid them on, thumbing the play key on his mp3.

Like hell he'd let her go without a fight.

i.

"Joshua." He, a little surprised, said in acknowledgement to his friend at the door. "What're you doin-"

"It's Shiki."

Let's begin

"I'm…. I'm sorry."

vi.

In the soft light of the dawn, he watched Neku slowly pick himself up and wobble away from the altar. The soft creak of the old oaken doors signaled his leave.

"So you think this is possible."

"Yes." The figure murmured under his breath, reaching up to place a flower into a black stuffed animal's lap. Even though unanimated, its stitched eyes gazed up at him sadly.

"...It's going to be a heavy burden on him."

"I figured. But we have no choice."

"'The ends justify the means', was it?"

"You make it sound so cold."

"Because that's all that it is."

"What's the concern? This is Neku we're talking about. The proxy."

"Your confidence in him is asto- …...Oh, I see. Isn't this touching. It's for his benefit."

"In a way, yes."

"How sweet."

"You won't be laughing once you realize how crucial he is. To your survival, and mine."

"You're too naive. In grief, people are unpredictable. Your proxy won't do as you plan."

The shimmering white figure hummed. "I'm afraid he will either way." He took a glowing finger and brushed the motionless girl's bangs to the side, covering the patch with soft brown strands.

"...The clock is ticking, Composer. We need results."

"And I will deliver."

A rustle of feathers.

iii.

"I don't get it! What are you doing?! Save her!" Neku whirled around around onto the young Composer, black dress shirt fisted in the teen's hands.

"Yo, Phones…" He shrugged off the hand on his shoulder.

"She's in the UG, isn't she?! You will take me there!" His voice, hoarse with panic, frantic, eyes wild. Pain flickered in Joshua's eyes. Violet was unable to meet blue.

He placed a rare hand of compassion on the wrists that held him up. "I… I can't do… anything Neku."

"I can't find her." The whisper rose between them, into the silence of the great stone structure around them.

The gravity of his words sunk into them, standing amongst the sickeningly sweet smell of flowers. A beat of silence passed between them as agony appeared afresh in Neku's eyes.

The head of dyed spikes swayed. "You have to." He released his prisoner. "Please."

xiii.

"Ph-Phones! Phones! Oh God, Rh-Rhyme-!"

Her own blue eyes were wide, trembling at the expanse of red seeping into the cracks of the pavement. "...No….. No….. Not…. Not Neku too…." She whispered again and again as grief fell from her eyes.

"Somebody!" Beat screamed; his tears dripping down his cheeks. "Anybody! Help! Please!"

Everything was a blur. Sirens. People. Murmurs. Footsteps. All the two could see and forever remember were lonely headphones in a river of scarlet.

Prissy. Beat's mind slowly registered. Joshua's lips set in a grim smile. His hands brushed the siblings' foreheads, watching them topple over, unconscious, before turning toward the form of his proxy.

Picking up the gun from his still-warm fingers, The teen's unique eyes narrowed dangerously at him. "Be careful what you wish for… Neku." Joshua mumbled to the bloodstained smirk on his face.

v.

He wasn't sure what time it was. He wasn't sure what he was going to do without her. He wasn't sure what he was still doing here. He hated this place.

But he was still here.

Liquid moonlight slid gently past the tremulous smile on his lips. For the nth time that day, night, whatever, his trembling fingers grazed her cheek. It was cold. So, so terrifyingly cold. His teeth held his bottom lip tightly. The tips grazed the bandage on her brow and suddenly malice poured out from those raining eyes.

If only he had gotten there before the bastard killed himself. His digits coasted over the fabric, barely feeling the little pea-shape depression it made. He cursed the hole underneath. He cursed her for being so heroic. He cursed the deranged man no doubt sent with a one way ticket to hell. He cursed everyone for not attempting to stop her. He cursed and cursed until he ran out of things to be angry about. Leaving only an empty, broken vessel going by the name of Sakuraba Neku.

"Dammit..." Light, faint but getting strong by the moment, cascaded gently on the slumped figure next to the casket. But the dawn couldn't pierce the endless abyss widening in his chest. "Why...?" He tasted salt and iron. "What the hell!?"

ii.

The mindless gaggle of students seemed muted today. Upset. Neku barely acknowledged their gossip, half lidded eyes lost in his sanctuary.

Beat glanced at the ever silent boy sitting at his desk. Following his line of sight, the vibrant white of flowers on her desk answered his question.

The shuffle of footsteps behind him alerted him of her presence. "He's not getting any better… Is he?"

"Naw, he's… He just-" Her brother clenched his teeth, brutally flicking off the water welling up in his eyes with a swipe of his forearm. "I dunno what t'say, Rhyme! You always got sum'in smart t'say!"

Rhyme's little hands scrunched and unscrunched her signature beanie. "'Sometimes, the best thing to say is nothing at all.' ...Well, if that helps at all when Neku retreating into himself and the only person that can stop that is…"

Smoky blue rolled over to the pair of siblings; dull eyes closed to block the sound of her name.

viii.

In the cold silence of his apartment, he stumbled to the bathroom. Deft fingers spun the knob all around, steam collecting in the little room quickly. Scalding drops hit his skin as he sighed in content, taking the spray full on.

"I've already taken the liberty of collecting your entry fee for this game."

He scrubbed suds into his hair, letting the water rinse it out slowly as his eyes, a thousand degrees colder than the liquid pelting him, narrowed in thought.

"That's the first time you used my name!"

The water stopped, and he stepped out of the shower, grabbing the towel on the rack. He sauntered over to his cabinet to draw out clothes when a reminiscent shade of purple caught his eye at the very back of it.

"Once you see the real me, will we still be friends?"

"Count on it. You'll always be…..."

Rubbing his flat mop, he placed the object on the table and sat to tiredly drop his head on his arms. The damp towel was getting cold on his neck, but his gaze was firmly on the cans* he brought with him.

He furrowed his brows at this, alarm bells ringing in his mind. His memories were still there… So what did he-

Mind working furiously, he reached out slowly and traced the double triangle symbol on the back of the device.

"This time you'll be playing for…"

ATH-M50** in faded white letters stared back at him as his thumb sliding over the already flat earpads of his headphones from excessive use. He preferred his open backed ones nowadays. It made it easier to listen to her.

"Let me in! Tell me what you're thinking!"

But now, his closed ones didn't look bad anymore.

Misaki Shiki.

Bingo.

xi.

In the murmuring roar of the ever shifting crowds of the scramble crossing, one particularly loud voice whined: "Yo Rhyme, why we gotta do this? Shoppin' ain't my thing, and it ain't a good time. Shi-"

The younger Bito quickened her pace to keep in time with her brother, but not before raising a factual finger. "It wouldn't be smart to starve because we were too busy grieving. And I don't think you'd want to visit the UG again?"

Her query wasn't met by an indignant response. Rhyme stopped; her brother suddenly not beside her anymore. "Beat?" She found him easily though, standing dumbfounded in the middle of the crossing. "Beat, c'mon-" Then, the all too familiar shades of orange and purple caught her eye.

Worry flitted on the siblings' faces, but the older one turned on his heel to leave. And sighed angrily.

"Aw man, dammit!" Slamming down his board, he swooped up his little sister and weaved through the crowd after his friend. Sum'in's wrong. And he knew he wasn't the only one thinking it too. Beat's eyes never left the headphone-clad head, dead set on blocking the world out again.

xiv.

"As impressive as ever."

"...The imprinting?"

"All of it."

vii.

Rain… Bleak eyes watched the a bleak sky, far away from the present. Two syllables on his lips.

"Um…. Hey?"

"What the eff are you doing here?" Said a very disgruntled Neku to a very wet and sheepish girl standing at his door.

"I was sorta home alone and you know how I told you that I might be kinda, sorta scared of lightning and stuff so I was wondering if, I could, well, um, no…. I don't mean-! Ah, wait, I actually. Argh, what I meant to say was… May I….. stay with you….?" In the midst of her ramble, her shoulders scrunched higher and higher around her head. "Your house was the closest! And Eri's a little…. busy and we're almost adults and responsible and my parents know and I thought it'd be nice…. to…." She trailed off this time, her eyes everywhere except for his face.

He had managed to pull a decent pokerface before snorting; a wheezing laugh made it past his lips. A groan came back in response as she covered her face with her bag.

"Fail, right?" Her speech came out muffled, peeking up at him from behind it. The telltale brush of red under her glasses gave away her embarrassment.

Neku gave her a faint smile while pulling the bag from her icy hands. "As usual. C'mon, you're here anyway, come in." She visibly relaxed, stepping in and closing the door behind her.

She fiddled with her glasses while she watched his thin form go into a room and search through something. "I-I'm really sorry about the hassle and all..." He passed into another room, and she noted his messier than normal hair. "Were you sleeping?"

"Yes." Came the flat reply from down the hall.

Guilt prodded at her, and she found herself watching the droplets of water as they oozed from the tips of her hair and hit the linoleum. "S-Sorr-" A towel dropped on her head and hands rubbed it a bit roughly. From beneath the fuzzy edges, she could see his bare feet, big toe sweeping over the second one slightly every few seconds.

"Shut up. I said it's fine, right?" She raised her head to stress her point a little more.

"B-But-!"

Suddenly, she was staring into a pair of deep blue eyes. But then again, that was the second thing on her mind.

He moved away, red pouring onto his ears, neck and cheeks, his eyes suddenly finding the ceiling very interesting. "There. I stole your first. Crashing at my place shouldn't be a big deal."

Her recently violated mouth opened and closed like a fish, redder than anything he had seen. She sputtered for a little, squeaked and settled for quietly walking past him. Confusion and hurt washed over him, but he continued to watch in silence. A familiar, slightly sodden Piggy came out of the bag on the table, and she approached him again.

A deep, quivering breath. He craned his neck to look into her face. "I-I-Idiot!"

"Ow! The hell?!"

Ah, idiot. A sardonic grin stretched over his face. I've got it. He laughed softly in his grey room, eyes filled with watery mirth as he choked and chuckled into his shoulder. He threw his head back, body convulsing with laughter as it rained.

The skies beamed blue.

x.

"Joshua."

"Neku." The ashen haired boy was taken aback at his sudden appearance, or rather his sudden recovery. A dry smile pulled at the intruder's lips. It was like a fucked up replay of the breezy afternoon only - was it only? - a few days ago.

Without explanation, he held out his hand. "Give it to me."

"But... The setting is so public. Please, Neku, control yourself." The coy lilt of his voice reminded him of how infuriating this kid really was. But not this time.

"You've shot me twice with it. I think I'm entitled to some quality time with your gun."

Joshua gave him a sullen look. "You can't seriously be cheating on me."

The patch of skin under his eye twitched. "Then you'll be glad to know I'm not."

Violet eyes blinked. "You actually played along." A troubled expression came across his face. "Well this is a disturbing development; you're not as straight as I thought you were."

Neku tugged a spike, muttering a "Knew it was a bad idea to humor him" under his breath. "Whatever, I'm not here to discuss your sexual orientation-" ("Oh Neku!") "-Give me the gun."

"But dearest," He blew a stray lock out of his eyes to avoid the murderous look his proxy gave him. "I don't have it."

"That's bullshit, and you know it."

"It's only bullshit if you think it is."

He lashed out, grabbing the slightly smaller boy's collar and drawing him near. "Bet you can guess what I'm thinking." Joshua stared back impassively at his companion's snarling face, blue eyes aflame.

He felt Neku find the holster by his hip and tug the gun from it. "Neku." He murmured warningly.

The said teen threw the Composer back into his stool, and his hands tucked the weapon into his pockets. "It doesn't matter. You're going to see me anyway, whether it be in the RG... or the UG."

With that said, he turned on his heel softly and exited the cafe, the soft jingle of the bell ringing through the silent store. The familiar tick-tick-tick of the clock sat through the air as he ran a hand through pale hair.

I told you so.

iv.

The tinkles of glass and silver echoed in the nothingness of the cafe as a man shuffled around behind the counter; his ensemble as dark and forlorn as his features. He sighed, sliding the shades off and rubbing tired eyes, gently setting his beloved glasses on the counter and putting his head down after it. A soft jingle, the creak of front door and the familiar scuffs of footsteps approached.

Hanekoma picked his head up to give the "customer" a hard look. "Hey buddy, can't you read? Wildkat's clos-" He faltered at the sight of a slightly amused Kiryu Yoshiya.

"What a surprise. CAT has his slump moments too."

For the first time in a few days, his lips quirked up in a semblance of a smile. "Shut up." And the shades were back on. In business. "Neku?"

"Losing his sparkle."

The man ran his hand through his hair with a sigh. "I can't find Shiki on my end." He poured pungent brown liquid into two mugs, sliding one over to the Composer.

Joshua made a noise of agreement. "Can't say I have either."

The soft rhythmic tick-tick-tick of a clock hung in the heavy silence. The two watched steam rise from their mugs, neither of them touching theirs. A cloud passed over the sun, dropping the room in shade.

"You don't think…"

"...It's definitely possible."

"It would have to have been her choice."

"Like hell it was."

xii.

"Beat. Calm down."

"Calm down? CALM DOWN!? Yo're holdin' a fucking gun to yo're head!"

Neku sighed, leaning against the sticky brick of the alley wall. His hand, however, didn't move the muzzle from his temple. "I'm sorry."

Rhyme approached him slowly, very slowly. "N-Neku. This isn't going to solve anything."

"This solves everything. Don't you get it?" He growled, nostalgic exasperation all over his face.

"Neku." Rhyme tried again, voice shaking this time. "Please. Put the gun down."

"No."

Beat's turn. "Phones, you gonna make Shi-"

Cobalt sparked angrily, trigger finger jolting. The Bitos froze in their tracks. "Shut up. I'm not depressed. I'm not crazy. Get it through your head. But it's something for me and me alone."

"That don't justifice what youse 'bout t'do!" His friend howled back at him. He was… scared. "Neku! Dis ain't right!"

A slight smile stretched Neku's face for the first time since her death. "You never change. Thanks, man." Relief poured over the tense atmosphere like water on red-hot metal; the two visibly relaxed.

"But..." A chill blew over and his smile grew cold. "I got my values. So you can keep yours-"

He pulled out a black object from his pocket and flipped in into the air. Two pairs of cerulean widened. Beat sprinted for him; both voices screamed for him to stop. Regret flickered through the teen's eyes for a fleeting second.

"-Alright?"

Crack!

"Life's little crossroads are often as simple as the pull of a trigger. Isn't that right…"

"NEKU!"

"Is it?"

The player pin landed softly on the soggy red collar of his jacket.

*audiophile slang for headphones

D'ouf, rereading this kinda hurts since its a little old, but it's been sitting and collecting dust and I felt guilty since it kept staring me down every time I entered my Google Docs -_-. This is a repost of a story on my old account some years ago that I had to unfortunately take down. Thanks to Amulet Misty for reviewing this the first time around, even if you don't remember. I really appreciated it. And no, it wasn't skullcandy :) And sorry for stealing your formatting, Sanctuary actually influenced this a lot.

Feel free to read it in accordance to the numbers after if you're confused. If you're still confused after following the numbers, then... that's okay? :D The whole story is up to interpretation, so have fun. (Haha, I feel like scum.)

**If you can guess what brand of headphones that I gave Neku, except his should have a custom paint job to match in-game (It's a pretty famous headphone, shouldn't be hard), I'll get to writing a bloopers or mini part 2 sometime. Sometime :/

Sorry to 0re0 for using her character, Weiss, without permission. He was just too cool; I had to. Go read her TWEWY fic if you haven't. It's one of the long reads that are worthwhile. (On a sidenote, where is her story? I can't find it since I was planning of putting the title here. If some of you remember what it's called, please PM me a link. I thought maybe she changed her user so I can't find her. Thanks. It was about another reaper game some years after Neku's game and followed OCs. I know, sounds weird, but really good.)

I welcome constructive criticism. Flames will be ignored. Or cussed at from my side of the computer screen haha, depending on how offending it is. Hope you like it; I'm not too sure I do lol

~Cel

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"...So that's how it's gonna be." The young man finished, adjusting slick black shades.

The other, newer, glanced around the white-washed room and whistled appreciatively. "So this… game is essentially-"

He nodded approvingly. This guy adapted fast. "Another chance at life, yeah." He didn't miss the slight twitch of the newly deceased lips however. Rookies.

"Well," The guy started, stretching and rolling his shoulders as if he was preparing for a marathon instead. "Let's get the show on the road."

A white eyebrow raised into equally white hair. "Confident, aren't you?" He moved aside to reveal a glowing door. "I'll be taking your entry fee." Frowning as his brief guest started making way for the door anyway, he yelled: "You fee is-!"

The orange-haired teen, almost at the door, turned and gave him a knowing smirk.

Behinds shades, golden eyes widened.

"M-Misaki…"

"Shiki."

xv.

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New 7 Days: Start