Clothes are a Necessity

~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~

"This thing's in season again?"

It was only due to unforeseen circumstances that Eri had found herself in a Lapin Angelique shop with Neku. Only. In her mind, she thought she'd have to tie him down for his complaining mouth but remarkably, he's been quiet all the time. Usually, when they went shopping like at 104, he'd be grumbling and whining all about it like a kid. But now he's just… there. He's being unusually calm all about this. It was eerie.

So when Neku finally spoke up, she thought that he'd have some snarky complaint he'd been wracking his brain off all the time. Never in a thousand years would she have thought that he would even try to be a fashion critic. And most certainly not of the LA threads. Aren't these mostly for the gothic lolitas? Okay, maybe not lolitas but just the gothic people. Sure, Neku can be depressing and detached but, really? Gothic?

"I don't even get how people could mistake this torture device for a jacket." He grimaced as the memory unfortunately flashed through his eyes. Never again.

"Sounds like a good story." She pretended she was the least bit curious.

He pretended he didn't care. "More like a horrible memory. Tried this thing once because it was in. The threads suck."

Eri gasped at his audacity. Either he really didn't care if anyone heard him in enemy territory or he was really stupid. Thankfully, the employees and other customers were out of earshot. "Are you out of your mind? Keep it down!"

He blatantly ignored her and bashed on. "Sure it covers skin but it ain't exactly the most comfortable out of the hanger. If I had more cash back then I would've bought this other one." He held a Double-breasted Suit to his liking. "It's lighter and lasts longer. Not to mention the design's better. Not really that much of an improvement in functionality."

A fashion critique on not just one but two LA branded clothes? Did she miss the memo of the end of the world? "Okay, what gives? Did Shiki set you up to prank me?"

"You lost me." He tossed the offensive clothing back where it came from. He hoped it would stay there.

"You're talkative today. You do know that, right?" She chirped.

"Yeah. Guy doesn't talk and guy gets hated for it. Guy does talk and still guy gets hated for it." He scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Girls."

"Well, sorry." In hindsight, at least he chose that as a reference. Had he pulled out a Cape then that would be the green light for the end of the universe. "Still, wearing this takes some guts. Didn't think you were brave enough." She added thought fully.

"It took me a while to get some." And then his scowl deepened. "Wish I hadn't. It wasn't worth it."

Wearing it wasn't healthy. Literally. It felt heavier than it looked. It also didn't boost his defense or attack nor did it have any special effect when he wore it. Talk about total waste of yen. But the fact remained that he wore it once. And maybe, despite all its flaws, its popularity had an effect in his battles. And maybe, it may have indirectly saved his life. But even so, it was still a crappy outfit.

"Alright, you proved your point." She sighed. She should have never walked into that. Could his voice get any louder? "But I still don't see why you're making a big deal over an Asymmetric Jersey."

His eye twitched.

"Try hitting a penguin (noise) while wearing it."

That's it? She expected a better reason than that. Obviously, he was still an amateur in this whole critique business… "Wait. What?"

Did he just say penguin? What does that even mean?

"Nothing." Facepalm. Note to Neku: you did not make any sense. At all. He forgot that he was with Eri not Shiki. Yeah, he's still getting used to their totally different faces. It's only been a few weeks since the last Game so he still sometimes mistake one for the other. "Never mind. Look, you done here or what?"

"I repeat… what?" And being the infuriating Neku that he was, he didn't answer. She sighed.

Sometimes she still wondered how Shiki met this guy much more last with him. If Eri had a list of names which she thought her BFF would mostly likely befriend then Neku's name was virtually non-existent. Yeah, she knew how they met but believing it was another thing. She gave him a onceover. He doesn't seem the type to know anything about style either.

"You know, for someone who worships J&M so much, I didn't think you'd be the least updated in fashion." She droned on while browsing through the clothes. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were actually absorbing all those lectures me and Shiki drilled into you."

"That's because you did know better." He never did listen on those talks since they were pretty much one-sided. Neku was sure that Shiki knew this unless he already hadn't made it painfully obvious. He hated the subject. He hid his face in his muffler. In truth, it gave him a dark look. "I don't give a rat's ass about fashion."

"So why did you– "

"Why did I even bother?" His voice grew darker and if only Eri could see his face, she could've seen the morose gaze his eyes held. "It's not like I had a choice. I had to."

And for the briefest of moments, in his slightest movements, she finally saw his face. It was that of a boy who had seen as much as any man. Maybe even more. He wore a weary look that held more wisdom than his age. She didn't expect that clothes would evoke such an emotion in him. He was like a different person. His sentence echoed in her head.

"In Shibuya, fashion is survival."

You're the last person I thought I'd hear that from.

~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~

Shinra-ex-SOLDIER

This had and would have (in the following chapters) some dark themes underlying it. It could be darker but I limited it since I've added Eri as an element. Why would I even use her in the first place? Well, the idea started with her getting to know Shiki's friends. Unlike in "Saturday Sewing Sessions" where they're all first meetings, this delves into character development.

Everyone's still coping after the Game. Next up are the Bito siblings. Heh, you ready?