Fic: The World Ends With You (Joshua + Neku, gen)
Originally supposed to be inspired by 31_days prompt: Your road to freedom that you build with flesh and bone
Fandom: The World Ends With You
Rating: G
Genre: Genfic, maybe hint of slash?
Synopsis: Post-game, Joshua reflects on what being a Composer really means.
Characters: Joshua, Neku
He stared up at the wall. CAT's graffiti; a landmark of sorts, at least for Neku. For Joshua, as well. Maybe.
He had not heard or seen him since their last meeting. Since the smell of gunpowder and lead, head meets the floor, game over. Game reset.
Neku won the Game, he supposed. Won his freedom, his friends, his worth. His proven worth. Trials and tribulations for the sake of existence.
"You didn't do it," Neku said, behind him. Joshua was hardly surprised to see the boy.
"No. I didn't," was all he said in reply.
"Why?"
"After all this time," he jested, "That's all you have to say to me?"
"What else do you expect me to ask?" Joshua didn't answer. Neku was laughably predictable, and annoyingly incomprehensible. He supposed that was what drew him to the boy at first. "Why did you want to erase Shibuya in the first place?"
"I told you."
"No, you didn't. Not really."
"No, I didn't," Joshua agreed. Neku waited. No answer came.
"I haven't forgiven you, you know," he stated, almost defiantly. The childishness of his tone made Joshua laugh.
"No, I didn't expect you to."
"Aren't you going to ask me why?"
Children, always demanding, always wanting, always exaggerating their importance. It was endearing, in a way. "I killed you. It was purely intentional and hardly regretted at all."
"Even now?"
"Especially now." They stood in silence, reveling in the presence of the graffiti wall, almost like a buffer. "I am very old," Joshua said, after a while.
For the first time, he saw Neku's face turn toward him, in confusion. He did not look back.
"I've been here, replaying, creating, and watching this Game for so long." Joshua paused. "I am very old."
Neku sputtered for a bit, "What-What does that have to do with anything?"
"I used to be like you. Like all of you, full of life and energy." He chuckled. "Still, I am very old."
"You keep saying that," Neku pointed out, now irritated.
Joshua turned to Neku, eyes meeting eyes. For a moment, a split second, Neku had a sense for what Joshua was trying to say with just those eyes. "I am also very tired. You will find, one day," he paused. "One day, you will find that you grew old and tired." He looked back to the graffiti on the wall. "What was beautiful is homely, and everything that had such promise and potential becomes..." Joshua shrugged. "Stale."
His meaning was not lost on Neku. "Why didn't you erase Shibuya?" he finally asked, looking intently at the other's face.
"I remembered what it was like. To be young again."
Neku's mind raced with questions and confusion. "Why did you bring me back?"
Joshua turned around, his half smirk never quite meeting his eyes, "Could you have afforded to lose?"
"No-but. But, you...that doesn't explain anything, why would you.."
"Once, I couldn't have afforded to lose either." Joshua interrupted. "Like I said, I was once like you. Or did you think I was born the Composer?" The smirk turned into a half smile, one Neku found himself involuntarily returning.
"Still. You killed me..." Neku struggled with his thoughts, his hands fidgeting in his pockets. "You killed me, and never...never really..."
"Sometimes," Joshua said, not unkindly. "When music gets stale, I find that the best solution is to start over." Neku quirked an eyebrow at him. Joshua laughed. "Have you forgotten what a Composer does?" He turned back to the graffiti. "Megumi remembered, that music could never really be thrown away, forgotten. What makes music great is the love and passion, the weaving of drastically different notes together into a melody--be it harmonious or cacophonous."
"Why did you erase him, then? The Conductor? I mean...if you agreed with him, why did you..." Neku asked, befuddled.
"That was the rule of the Game," Joshua said, simply. His time was up, he knew. He had, unfortunately, more important things to do than soul-search in Udagawa with Neku. He laid a hand on the wall in front of him. "It is beautiful, isn't it?" Neku didn't answer. He didn't have to. "Shibuya once was, too. Long ago."
"Shibuya still is!" Neku demanded, clenching his fists. "Shibuya's beautiful and large and...special."
Joshua chuckled, tapping a tune on the wall for a minute before walking away. "That's why I killed you," he said, with a spring in his step. He tossed a Player Pin at the boy, and chuckled again. "A souvenir."
Shibuya's Composer walked away, humming a tune and lightly dancing, like he had never done in years. He may have been old and tired, but he heard music again--music like that he could not remember hearing before.
Fandom: The World Ends With You
Rating: G
Genre: Genfic, maybe hint of slash?
Synopsis: Post-game, Joshua reflects on what being a Composer really means.
Characters: Joshua, Neku
He stared up at the wall. CAT's graffiti; a landmark of sorts, at least for Neku. For Joshua, as well. Maybe.
He had not heard or seen him since their last meeting. Since the smell of gunpowder and lead, head meets the floor, game over. Game reset.
Neku won the Game, he supposed. Won his freedom, his friends, his worth. His proven worth. Trials and tribulations for the sake of existence.
"You didn't do it," Neku said, behind him. Joshua was hardly surprised to see the boy.
"No. I didn't," was all he said in reply.
"Why?"
"After all this time," he jested, "That's all you have to say to me?"
"What else do you expect me to ask?" Joshua didn't answer. Neku was laughably predictable, and annoyingly incomprehensible. He supposed that was what drew him to the boy at first. "Why did you want to erase Shibuya in the first place?"
"I told you."
"No, you didn't. Not really."
"No, I didn't," Joshua agreed. Neku waited. No answer came.
"I haven't forgiven you, you know," he stated, almost defiantly. The childishness of his tone made Joshua laugh.
"No, I didn't expect you to."
"Aren't you going to ask me why?"
Children, always demanding, always wanting, always exaggerating their importance. It was endearing, in a way. "I killed you. It was purely intentional and hardly regretted at all."
"Even now?"
"Especially now." They stood in silence, reveling in the presence of the graffiti wall, almost like a buffer. "I am very old," Joshua said, after a while.
For the first time, he saw Neku's face turn toward him, in confusion. He did not look back.
"I've been here, replaying, creating, and watching this Game for so long." Joshua paused. "I am very old."
Neku sputtered for a bit, "What-What does that have to do with anything?"
"I used to be like you. Like all of you, full of life and energy." He chuckled. "Still, I am very old."
"You keep saying that," Neku pointed out, now irritated.
Joshua turned to Neku, eyes meeting eyes. For a moment, a split second, Neku had a sense for what Joshua was trying to say with just those eyes. "I am also very tired. You will find, one day," he paused. "One day, you will find that you grew old and tired." He looked back to the graffiti on the wall. "What was beautiful is homely, and everything that had such promise and potential becomes..." Joshua shrugged. "Stale."
His meaning was not lost on Neku. "Why didn't you erase Shibuya?" he finally asked, looking intently at the other's face.
"I remembered what it was like. To be young again."
Neku's mind raced with questions and confusion. "Why did you bring me back?"
Joshua turned around, his half smirk never quite meeting his eyes, "Could you have afforded to lose?"
"No-but. But, you...that doesn't explain anything, why would you.."
"Once, I couldn't have afforded to lose either." Joshua interrupted. "Like I said, I was once like you. Or did you think I was born the Composer?" The smirk turned into a half smile, one Neku found himself involuntarily returning.
"Still. You killed me..." Neku struggled with his thoughts, his hands fidgeting in his pockets. "You killed me, and never...never really..."
"Sometimes," Joshua said, not unkindly. "When music gets stale, I find that the best solution is to start over." Neku quirked an eyebrow at him. Joshua laughed. "Have you forgotten what a Composer does?" He turned back to the graffiti. "Megumi remembered, that music could never really be thrown away, forgotten. What makes music great is the love and passion, the weaving of drastically different notes together into a melody--be it harmonious or cacophonous."
"Why did you erase him, then? The Conductor? I mean...if you agreed with him, why did you..." Neku asked, befuddled.
"That was the rule of the Game," Joshua said, simply. His time was up, he knew. He had, unfortunately, more important things to do than soul-search in Udagawa with Neku. He laid a hand on the wall in front of him. "It is beautiful, isn't it?" Neku didn't answer. He didn't have to. "Shibuya once was, too. Long ago."
"Shibuya still is!" Neku demanded, clenching his fists. "Shibuya's beautiful and large and...special."
Joshua chuckled, tapping a tune on the wall for a minute before walking away. "That's why I killed you," he said, with a spring in his step. He tossed a Player Pin at the boy, and chuckled again. "A souvenir."
Shibuya's Composer walked away, humming a tune and lightly dancing, like he had never done in years. He may have been old and tired, but he heard music again--music like that he could not remember hearing before.