Hey everyone! Sorry it's been so long, but here's the next chapter! The story is starting to pick up, so follow along :)

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Chapter 11

Beat slammed his fist against the table as he stood up. "So why didn't ya tell me if ya knew that prick was here?" he yelled.

Neku held his head in his hands, stricken with a worse headache than he had the day before. Shiki looked up at Beat, her face flushed with embarrassment. Everyone in the ramen shop was staring at them, and Beat didn't seem to care.

"I meant to tell you, I'm sorry," she said in a soft tone, hoping that Beat would calm down. "We only found out yesterday."

"That ain't no excuse," Beat said loudly, still angry. "Ya got cell phones, don't ya?"

"Please…don't…yell," Neku said in a harsh whisper. He pushed his headphones closer to his ears, hoping to block out some of the sound.

"I'll yell all I want," Beat said as he sat back down. "That asshole got near Rhyme, and I ain't happy bout it!"

"Well he didn't do anything to her, did he?" Shiki asked.

"He bought her breakfast," Beat muttered, staring down at his untouched bowl of curry and noodles.

"You're pissed…because Joshua…bought your sister breakfast," Neku stated.

"Can it, emo boy!" Beat said as he raised a fist.

"Well, Mr. H would never let Joshua do anything to hurt Rhyme," Shiki said, trying to calm the tension. "I don't think Josh would hurt her anyways."

"Whatevs," Beat said, seeming to quiet down now. He picked up his chopsticks and shoved a big bite of noodles in his mouth.

"Ugh," Neku pushed his own bowl of ramen away from himself, suddenly feeling nauseous. He wished that he was back in his bed, sleeping away the hangover that was pounding through his skull. He wished that Joshua hadn't gone to Hanekoma's café and seen Rhyme, thus pissing off Beat. Then Beat wouldn't have called Shiki, and Shiki wouldn't have came to Neku's house and forced him to get up. If Joshua had just stayed home, Neku could have been back in his bed, sleeping peacefully.

"I didn't tell Rhyme who he was," Beat finally said. "Josh, I mean. I never told her that was him."

"I think she'd be smart enough to figure that out for herself by now," Shiki said as she played with her chopsticks. "After you nearly crushed him."

"I dunno," he replied, setting his bowl down. "She's back at home right now. I told her to stay until I got back."

"Shiki is right, you know," Neku muttered. "Joshua wouldn't have hurt Rhyme."

"I don't trust him," Beat said as he stood up.

"Trust your partner," Neku hummed, still not looking up from the table. "You trust me, right?"

"Well…yeah, Phones, a'course I do," Beat said as he looked up at the ceiling, clearly embarrassed.

"Then believe me," Neku said, looking up at him. "Joshua wouldn't hurt her."

"Aight, Phones," Beat said sincerely. He dropped the money for his food onto the table. "I gotta get back to Rhyme. I'll catch ya later."

"See you, Beat," Shiki smiled, waving as he left. "That was real sweet of you, Neku," she said once Beat had left.

Neku shrugged, looking down again. "Do you want my ramen?" he asked, shoving the bowl her way.

"No thanks, I'm stuffed," she laughed.

"Ugh…," Neku gripped his head again. "I need to go home."

"Are you feeling okay?" Shiki put a hand on his shoulder, clearly concerned.

"Y-yeah," he lied. "I just think I'm gonna puke."

Neku and Shiki paid for their food and exited the ramen shop, Shiki having to guide him outside because he refused to look up from the ground. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his sweatshirt as they walked. His head was still throbbing, and he regrettably admitted to himself that Joshua was right, that he shouldn't have been drinking. He swore to himself that he wouldn't do it again.

"Thanks for walking me home," Neku said as they approached his home.

"No problem," Shiki said with a smile. "You should go rest, you don't look good."

"Yeah, I will…," he said, turning to her. "Uh, let me know when you're home? I just, I mean…with everything that's gone on, I just want to make sure you're safe."

"Of course," she smiled, her cheeks blushing slightly.

To Neku's surprise, he found that his bedroom door was still closed. That must mean that Joshua is back… Already dreading what the Composer was going to say to him, Neku reluctantly shoved the door open.

"You should really knock first," Joshua said as the door was opening.

"It's my room, why should I-" Neku stopped short when he stepped into the room and saw Joshua.

The Composer was sitting on the floor, surrounded by books and papers. His shirt was wrapped around his wrist while he wrote on a notebook with his other hand. And on his chest, a nauseating yellow-green bruise was beginning to form. Joshua's eyes conveyed the usual ominous glint that they always did, though his face portrayed a look that Neku could only describe as agony.

"I really wasn't expecting you home so soon," Joshua said, turning his attention back to what he was writing. "I figured you would be out all day gossiping about me."

"I wasn't…we weren't really…," Neku tried. Every moment he looked down at the Composer brought a sinking feeling in his stomach.

"Relax, dear, it was only a joke," Joshua smirked. "Go on, sleep off your hangover. I'll try to work quietly."

"What happened to you?" Neku finally asked after a long minute of silence. "You're bleeding…"

"Hm?" Joshua looked down at his wrist to see that his shirt had become soaked with blood. "Oh, so I am." Then, as though it were nothing, he returned his attention back to whatever he was writing down.

Neku sat down on his own bed, his eyes glued to the Composer, unsure if what he was seeing was real or not. Joshua…hurt? Bleeding? Is that even possible? The pounding in Neku's head seemed to get worse with every thought that passed through it. Silently, he laid down and fell asleep almost instantly.

Upon making sure that Neku was asleep, Joshua pulled the shirt off his wrist and smoothed it out. He hated having to put wrinkles in one of his best shirts, but it was necessary. He closed his notebook and sighed as he stood up. The Composer placed the precious notebook in the hands of his dear proxy and smiled down in a mournful way. Reaching into his bag, Joshua pulled out a shiny silver gun.

"I'm sorry to put you through this again," he sighed, and looked down at Neku, a smirk forming on his lips. "Well, I'm almost sorry."

The Composer points his gun at Neku's head and pulls the trigger.