[fanfic: uprising] ch. 2
TITLE: Uprising
RATING: PG-13
PAIRING: eventual JoshNeku
SUMMARY: The thrumming of Shibuya was anything but alluring, especially after Joshua's little stunt. It's Game-Over and Shibuya is being forcefully taken back by its Creators, yanked from the hands of her Composer. Oh, and the Feral Noise are a slight problem too. Worst of all, the Angels 'ace-up-their-sleeve' refuses to be seen, but could spell complete and utter chaos, revolution, and betrayal. So what was that about a normal life, Neku Sakuraba?
PREVIOUS CHAPTERS: Chapter One
The unmistakable, cold sensation of the nuzzle of a gun pressed to his temples broke through his senses. His eyes were screwed shut, but even then, he knew where he was: the Shibuya River, just outside the Dead God's pad. His knees, bruised and bloody, threatened to give way any second. Threatened to cause him to drop to his stomach in agony and await the unforgiving Angel's valediction.
"Why this time?" Raw. A voice so raw and drenched in fear.
"What was that? I can't hear you when you mumble." A soft lilt. A serpent's tongue whispering in his ear, hissing splendid evils into his mind.
"Why are you killing me?!"
"I thought you were smarter than that," the gun cocked and a strange whimper fled from Neku's lips. He wouldn't - he couldn't - not again!
"Do you want to live, Neku?" The gun kissed the skin below his ear, along his jaw, "Do you have the right to?"
"Every living being has the right to live - You can't play god, Joshua!" A scream. A desperate, last-hope drenched scream. And then a laugh.
"You think? That shows how much you know."
Lavender eyes met deep blue and Neku barely was able to keep from crying, from flailing, from anything. It didn't take long before slim fingers curled around his throat, the gun long forgotten somewhere in the fray. Small, hail-sized bruises surfaced as his air-supply was cut. Neku's eyes widened desperately, his hands flying up to battle with the Composer, but as that happened, a sharp, piercing light burst through his body.
"You can't escape fate, Neku. Stop trying."
His eyes clamped in response to the searing pain that was tearing him apart. He could feel his consciousness slipping.
"But Neku, I thought you couldn't afford to lose. Give up on yourself, and you give up on the world."
And his world became a dark red splatter as the are resonated with a final bang.
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
It was always with that dream, wasn't it?
"Wake up, Sunshine."
Sunday; it was already Sunday. Birds chirped over the cafe, greeting the new morning with warm songs. Crickets descended back into the cover of the night in fright as a few notes rose up in coordination with the sunrise of Shibuya. No, that wasn't a bird's song, that sounded more like a - piano.
Neku sat up, an overwhelming sense of deja vu slaughtering him. That was right: Joshua had been about to divulge to him what was happening, and then everything had gone block. That had been Saturday, as Neku last recalled, and definitely in the late afternoon hours. So why was it all of a sudden morning? Where had the hours escaped to? Neku couldn't recall falling asleep, nor could he remember when he had wandered into the bedroom he was currently dwelling inside of. There he was, sprawled out on a large bed and - and Joshua was seated beside him, sipping coffee at a desk, looking like the picture of patience. Confusion was suddenly paramount.
"Where am I?"
"Wildkat," Joshua explained. Dismissively, he waved his hand. "You have a tendency to keep showing up here, you know."
"Fancy that," Neku grumbled and groggily rubbed at his eyes. "I never left yesterday?"
"Nope~" Joshua nursed his coffee, not bothering to look at Neku when addressing him. "You passed out halfway through my explanation."
"Why would I do that?" Neku's nose wrinkled in disapproval. He had never been a math person, but things were obviously not adding up. "Joshua, what's going on?"
"Last time I tried that, you fell asleep on me."
"Funny."
A pregnant pause.
"Hmm…. good, you're laying down. Stay like that."
"Uh… okay."
"When the Game ended, the Higher Plane wasn't too happy. In fact, they were enraged at what I had done. Naturally, I shrugged it off. At least until they paid me an unwelcome visit. As expected, things turned violent fast. But that's not what these cuts are from, don't flatter them, Neku. That's simply the feral Noise running amuck that's leaked into the UG recently. I assume it's their work. After all, they want to level Shibuya and start over. Why not use Feral Noise and pin it on me? It's the perfect plan; I'm the perfect scapegoat, really. And once that's done…"
"You won't be Composer…"
"Glad you're following so diligently, Neku. I was afraid I had lost you after the visit," Joshua teased, though a rather melancholic tinge was detectable in his voice.
"Go on."
"I'm afraid it runs deeper than that, though. Shibuya will cease to exist if their plan is executed."
A cold chill winded its way down Neku's back. Throat dry and mind suddenly overcome with vertigo, Neku found it difficult to remain focused. Had he heard Joshua right? Yes, he probably did, because the smug bastard actually looked distraught - nostalgic, fearful, even. It was a hard sight to swallow.
"You've got to be kidding me," Neku trailed off and his fingers clenched the bedsheets in perfect sync. This was not happening.
Another poignant pause. "Why are you telling me this, Josh?"
"You were curious, weren't you? Besides, who could say no to you."
A soft red surfaced on Neku's cheeks, positively annoyed at the Composer's haughty words. "You explained all that yesterday. I want to know why you were coughing up blood."
Joshua refused eye-contact. Instead, he took to rising from the chair at the desk to move over to the windowsill. Once there, he flicked off the small stereo that was thrumming out classical music and fell silent. His back remained to Neku and his body was inert.
"Well…answer, please?"
"I really don't know why," the Composer admitted.
Neku sucked in a deep breath before flopping back against the bed, completely at wits end. His eyes glued to the ceiling, forcing himself to try to relax. After a few soothing breaths, he spoke, "You know, there's this funny, but pretty cliche, saying I keep hearing?"
"Oh?"
"Trust your partner."
Heaviness dropped like a bomb between them.
"Even though you lied to me, killed me, and god only knows what else…. even though I want to punch you in the face… I trust you. I trusted you to take care of Shibuya and you did. Dick-Composer or scrawny-jerk, you're still my friend, and like hell will I let anything destroy what everyone worked so hard to save."
Joshua was silent for a good minute. When he spoke again, he was back at Neku's side. "That was a beautiful speech," he teased.
That earned Joshua a sufficient jab to the gut. Nothing an almighty Composer couldn't handle, though. "Well, if you don't hate me, I suppose I can find it in my heart to allow you on the chessboard. Just this once, just for a little bit. I don't like getting the living involved. It's not my style."
Neku's expression softened. "Good."
And then the awkwardness settled back in like an overused blanket. "I should be heading home. I have school tomorrow," he said as he rose.
"Ah. Can't miss that," Joshua lilted.
"I'll swing by after school, I guess."
"Who's to say I won't be busy?"
"Be here."
"So demanding…" Joshua feigned a pout, which really did look ridiculous on the face of a person who ruled Shibuya from a throne in the sewers and had an intellect that could easily rival any certified genius. "Get going, Neku."
With a nod, the redhead headed downstairs.
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
"Morning, Phones!"
Neku froze at the landing of the stairway. Ah right, Mr. Hanekoma's cafe. Logically he would be awake and bustling about. "I'm going home," he announced, pressing past the counter. "Thanks for the place to crash these past few days. Sorry that it was … unannounced and stuff."
" 's no problem. Thank you for not chewing Josh's head off."
Neku awkwardly allowed his shoulders to roll into a shrug. "I was bound to meet up with the ass sooner or later."
A chuckle. "Fate's a funny thing."
"I guess…?"
"So did he tell you anything interesting?" Mr. Hanekoma pressed on, brows arched at such comical angle that Neku found it hard to believe any of this was happening.
"Angels," Neku said, nose scrunching up some in bafflement. "Do you know anything about that? He only talks in circles…"
Out of nowhere, Mr. Hanekoma appeared extremely uncomfortable. Something wasn't right about him that Neku could not properly place. Not outright surreptitious behavior, but a pervading uneasiness to his movements.
"Listen, Phones…"
"It's Neku, but what…?"
The Producer bent his finger, gesturing the teenager closer. It was like some strange, strange scene out of a movie. Like he was a ghost walking through Hollywood, or whatever it was in America that all the film critics flocked to. "Phones, you gotta keep this underwraps. Just between you and me."
"Of course… what's up?" Would he regret that? He wearily stepped closer.
They took a seat together after that. Mr. Hanekoma laced his hands together over the counter, eyes hidden behind shaded glasses. If Neku could see his face completely, he would have realized the topic at hand held more gravity than he previously anticipated.
"Back during those Games…those three weeks, you see…"
"Uh-huh…."
"I did something that was sorta against the rules."
"Who didn't?"
"Funny."
"Yeah, well uh, what did you do?"
"Bet against Josh."
"What?" Neku stared at his idol for a long while. "Bet against him? Like…with friends or something?"
"Helped his enemies, so to speak. Simple as that."
"Wait…" It clicked a bit too late. Neku blanched. "You made those crazy mind control pins?" His eyes slightly widened and his palms began to sweat. "The ones Shiki and I had to make crazy-popular in order to survive?"
Sanae Hanekoma gave a sheepish rub to the back of his neck. "Since you already know more than you ought to about the UG… a bit more can't hurt. So listen up. I only take orders from two people: the Conductor and the Composer. 'course there's the Higher Plane, but we're talking about the Game right now. So when Kitanji came to me asking for an ace, I couldn't refuse it."
Neku's brows furrowed. "So you're the reason he got ahold of those…"
"I make pins on a daily basis. Trial and error, you know. It's kinda a hobby I've grown to love. When it's too dark or too crappy out to do real art, I work on that."
"Neat, I guess."
"You don't sound too enthused, Phones," Mr. Hanekoma chuckled heartily. "Anyhow… I couldn't stand to see J throw Shibuya away. He was born and raised here. He should know better than anyone what value this city holds. So I… entrusted the city to the Conductor since the Composer wasn't thinking straight. It was part of my job, anyhow, to see to it that Shibuya didn't fall. Josh was pulling a few illegal moves himself."
Neku rubbed his forehead. Okay. Conductors, Composers, Pins, Mr. Hanekoma helping Shades, got it. "Wait…you said enemies…?"
His gaze lowered. "And here's the part I'm not too particularly fond of. Can't blame you if you don't look at me the same way after it."
"That's not ominous at all…" Neku hesitantly rubbed at the back of his neck this time, trying not to look at CAT directly. What else could he have possibly done. "Well?"
"Someone had to teach Minamimoto how to drag those sigils."
"You-"
So that was why they looked so reminiscent of CAT's work. Because, essentially, they were. Neku's head began to throb, his stomach dropped and knotted, and his mind spun and spun. "You were the reason… the taboo noise and… dude, Josh and I were almost Erased!"
"Phones, don't you think I know that?!"
Neku winced. "…Yeah… I just… Mr. H, what are you?"
Quiet.
Neku blinked and passed a glance to the stairs. Good, Joshua was still moping around. "Josh mentioned something about the Angels being behind all this. Are you telling me…?"
"Fallen Angel, actually," Mr. Hanekoma laughed weakly. "Too many transgressions against the rules to be considered a true Angel, anyhow. I'm on the blacklist. Teaching Reapers how to make a sigil like that is extremely forbidden. J and I's reputations are pretty much done for."
Neku lowered his gaze, heart clenching. "Does Josh know any of this?"
"No."
"You never told him…?"
"I don't need another reason for the kid to hate me."
Neku left it alone. "Why are you telling me all of this?"
"You give me hope, Phones. Expand your horizons… open your world. You've done it. Hell, you're a walking model of my words. If anyone can fix this mess, it's you."
Neku shook his head. "No. No I really can't. I have a life now, friends, family and… god, Mr. H, I'm alive. I can't do this."
"I'm not asking you to get involved in the Game," Mr. Hanekoma amended hastily. "I'm asking you to keep an eye on things and figure out what's up with Josh-"
"They're going to restart Shibuya."
It was all Neku needed to say to cause the stubbled old man to drop his coffee cup with a piercing shatter.
RATING: PG-13
PAIRING: eventual JoshNeku
SUMMARY: The thrumming of Shibuya was anything but alluring, especially after Joshua's little stunt. It's Game-Over and Shibuya is being forcefully taken back by its Creators, yanked from the hands of her Composer. Oh, and the Feral Noise are a slight problem too. Worst of all, the Angels 'ace-up-their-sleeve' refuses to be seen, but could spell complete and utter chaos, revolution, and betrayal. So what was that about a normal life, Neku Sakuraba?
PREVIOUS CHAPTERS: Chapter One
The unmistakable, cold sensation of the nuzzle of a gun pressed to his temples broke through his senses. His eyes were screwed shut, but even then, he knew where he was: the Shibuya River, just outside the Dead God's pad. His knees, bruised and bloody, threatened to give way any second. Threatened to cause him to drop to his stomach in agony and await the unforgiving Angel's valediction.
"Why this time?" Raw. A voice so raw and drenched in fear.
"What was that? I can't hear you when you mumble." A soft lilt. A serpent's tongue whispering in his ear, hissing splendid evils into his mind.
"Why are you killing me?!"
"I thought you were smarter than that," the gun cocked and a strange whimper fled from Neku's lips. He wouldn't - he couldn't - not again!
"Do you want to live, Neku?" The gun kissed the skin below his ear, along his jaw, "Do you have the right to?"
"Every living being has the right to live - You can't play god, Joshua!" A scream. A desperate, last-hope drenched scream. And then a laugh.
"You think? That shows how much you know."
Lavender eyes met deep blue and Neku barely was able to keep from crying, from flailing, from anything. It didn't take long before slim fingers curled around his throat, the gun long forgotten somewhere in the fray. Small, hail-sized bruises surfaced as his air-supply was cut. Neku's eyes widened desperately, his hands flying up to battle with the Composer, but as that happened, a sharp, piercing light burst through his body.
"You can't escape fate, Neku. Stop trying."
His eyes clamped in response to the searing pain that was tearing him apart. He could feel his consciousness slipping.
"But Neku, I thought you couldn't afford to lose. Give up on yourself, and you give up on the world."
And his world became a dark red splatter as the are resonated with a final bang.
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
It was always with that dream, wasn't it?
"Wake up, Sunshine."
Sunday; it was already Sunday. Birds chirped over the cafe, greeting the new morning with warm songs. Crickets descended back into the cover of the night in fright as a few notes rose up in coordination with the sunrise of Shibuya. No, that wasn't a bird's song, that sounded more like a - piano.
Neku sat up, an overwhelming sense of deja vu slaughtering him. That was right: Joshua had been about to divulge to him what was happening, and then everything had gone block. That had been Saturday, as Neku last recalled, and definitely in the late afternoon hours. So why was it all of a sudden morning? Where had the hours escaped to? Neku couldn't recall falling asleep, nor could he remember when he had wandered into the bedroom he was currently dwelling inside of. There he was, sprawled out on a large bed and - and Joshua was seated beside him, sipping coffee at a desk, looking like the picture of patience. Confusion was suddenly paramount.
"Where am I?"
"Wildkat," Joshua explained. Dismissively, he waved his hand. "You have a tendency to keep showing up here, you know."
"Fancy that," Neku grumbled and groggily rubbed at his eyes. "I never left yesterday?"
"Nope~" Joshua nursed his coffee, not bothering to look at Neku when addressing him. "You passed out halfway through my explanation."
"Why would I do that?" Neku's nose wrinkled in disapproval. He had never been a math person, but things were obviously not adding up. "Joshua, what's going on?"
"Last time I tried that, you fell asleep on me."
"Funny."
A pregnant pause.
"Hmm…. good, you're laying down. Stay like that."
"Uh… okay."
"When the Game ended, the Higher Plane wasn't too happy. In fact, they were enraged at what I had done. Naturally, I shrugged it off. At least until they paid me an unwelcome visit. As expected, things turned violent fast. But that's not what these cuts are from, don't flatter them, Neku. That's simply the feral Noise running amuck that's leaked into the UG recently. I assume it's their work. After all, they want to level Shibuya and start over. Why not use Feral Noise and pin it on me? It's the perfect plan; I'm the perfect scapegoat, really. And once that's done…"
"You won't be Composer…"
"Glad you're following so diligently, Neku. I was afraid I had lost you after the visit," Joshua teased, though a rather melancholic tinge was detectable in his voice.
"Go on."
"I'm afraid it runs deeper than that, though. Shibuya will cease to exist if their plan is executed."
A cold chill winded its way down Neku's back. Throat dry and mind suddenly overcome with vertigo, Neku found it difficult to remain focused. Had he heard Joshua right? Yes, he probably did, because the smug bastard actually looked distraught - nostalgic, fearful, even. It was a hard sight to swallow.
"You've got to be kidding me," Neku trailed off and his fingers clenched the bedsheets in perfect sync. This was not happening.
Another poignant pause. "Why are you telling me this, Josh?"
"You were curious, weren't you? Besides, who could say no to you."
A soft red surfaced on Neku's cheeks, positively annoyed at the Composer's haughty words. "You explained all that yesterday. I want to know why you were coughing up blood."
Joshua refused eye-contact. Instead, he took to rising from the chair at the desk to move over to the windowsill. Once there, he flicked off the small stereo that was thrumming out classical music and fell silent. His back remained to Neku and his body was inert.
"Well…answer, please?"
"I really don't know why," the Composer admitted.
Neku sucked in a deep breath before flopping back against the bed, completely at wits end. His eyes glued to the ceiling, forcing himself to try to relax. After a few soothing breaths, he spoke, "You know, there's this funny, but pretty cliche, saying I keep hearing?"
"Oh?"
"Trust your partner."
Heaviness dropped like a bomb between them.
"Even though you lied to me, killed me, and god only knows what else…. even though I want to punch you in the face… I trust you. I trusted you to take care of Shibuya and you did. Dick-Composer or scrawny-jerk, you're still my friend, and like hell will I let anything destroy what everyone worked so hard to save."
Joshua was silent for a good minute. When he spoke again, he was back at Neku's side. "That was a beautiful speech," he teased.
That earned Joshua a sufficient jab to the gut. Nothing an almighty Composer couldn't handle, though. "Well, if you don't hate me, I suppose I can find it in my heart to allow you on the chessboard. Just this once, just for a little bit. I don't like getting the living involved. It's not my style."
Neku's expression softened. "Good."
And then the awkwardness settled back in like an overused blanket. "I should be heading home. I have school tomorrow," he said as he rose.
"Ah. Can't miss that," Joshua lilted.
"I'll swing by after school, I guess."
"Who's to say I won't be busy?"
"Be here."
"So demanding…" Joshua feigned a pout, which really did look ridiculous on the face of a person who ruled Shibuya from a throne in the sewers and had an intellect that could easily rival any certified genius. "Get going, Neku."
With a nod, the redhead headed downstairs.
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
"Morning, Phones!"
Neku froze at the landing of the stairway. Ah right, Mr. Hanekoma's cafe. Logically he would be awake and bustling about. "I'm going home," he announced, pressing past the counter. "Thanks for the place to crash these past few days. Sorry that it was … unannounced and stuff."
" 's no problem. Thank you for not chewing Josh's head off."
Neku awkwardly allowed his shoulders to roll into a shrug. "I was bound to meet up with the ass sooner or later."
A chuckle. "Fate's a funny thing."
"I guess…?"
"So did he tell you anything interesting?" Mr. Hanekoma pressed on, brows arched at such comical angle that Neku found it hard to believe any of this was happening.
"Angels," Neku said, nose scrunching up some in bafflement. "Do you know anything about that? He only talks in circles…"
Out of nowhere, Mr. Hanekoma appeared extremely uncomfortable. Something wasn't right about him that Neku could not properly place. Not outright surreptitious behavior, but a pervading uneasiness to his movements.
"Listen, Phones…"
"It's Neku, but what…?"
The Producer bent his finger, gesturing the teenager closer. It was like some strange, strange scene out of a movie. Like he was a ghost walking through Hollywood, or whatever it was in America that all the film critics flocked to. "Phones, you gotta keep this underwraps. Just between you and me."
"Of course… what's up?" Would he regret that? He wearily stepped closer.
They took a seat together after that. Mr. Hanekoma laced his hands together over the counter, eyes hidden behind shaded glasses. If Neku could see his face completely, he would have realized the topic at hand held more gravity than he previously anticipated.
"Back during those Games…those three weeks, you see…"
"Uh-huh…."
"I did something that was sorta against the rules."
"Who didn't?"
"Funny."
"Yeah, well uh, what did you do?"
"Bet against Josh."
"What?" Neku stared at his idol for a long while. "Bet against him? Like…with friends or something?"
"Helped his enemies, so to speak. Simple as that."
"Wait…" It clicked a bit too late. Neku blanched. "You made those crazy mind control pins?" His eyes slightly widened and his palms began to sweat. "The ones Shiki and I had to make crazy-popular in order to survive?"
Sanae Hanekoma gave a sheepish rub to the back of his neck. "Since you already know more than you ought to about the UG… a bit more can't hurt. So listen up. I only take orders from two people: the Conductor and the Composer. 'course there's the Higher Plane, but we're talking about the Game right now. So when Kitanji came to me asking for an ace, I couldn't refuse it."
Neku's brows furrowed. "So you're the reason he got ahold of those…"
"I make pins on a daily basis. Trial and error, you know. It's kinda a hobby I've grown to love. When it's too dark or too crappy out to do real art, I work on that."
"Neat, I guess."
"You don't sound too enthused, Phones," Mr. Hanekoma chuckled heartily. "Anyhow… I couldn't stand to see J throw Shibuya away. He was born and raised here. He should know better than anyone what value this city holds. So I… entrusted the city to the Conductor since the Composer wasn't thinking straight. It was part of my job, anyhow, to see to it that Shibuya didn't fall. Josh was pulling a few illegal moves himself."
Neku rubbed his forehead. Okay. Conductors, Composers, Pins, Mr. Hanekoma helping Shades, got it. "Wait…you said enemies…?"
His gaze lowered. "And here's the part I'm not too particularly fond of. Can't blame you if you don't look at me the same way after it."
"That's not ominous at all…" Neku hesitantly rubbed at the back of his neck this time, trying not to look at CAT directly. What else could he have possibly done. "Well?"
"Someone had to teach Minamimoto how to drag those sigils."
"You-"
So that was why they looked so reminiscent of CAT's work. Because, essentially, they were. Neku's head began to throb, his stomach dropped and knotted, and his mind spun and spun. "You were the reason… the taboo noise and… dude, Josh and I were almost Erased!"
"Phones, don't you think I know that?!"
Neku winced. "…Yeah… I just… Mr. H, what are you?"
Quiet.
Neku blinked and passed a glance to the stairs. Good, Joshua was still moping around. "Josh mentioned something about the Angels being behind all this. Are you telling me…?"
"Fallen Angel, actually," Mr. Hanekoma laughed weakly. "Too many transgressions against the rules to be considered a true Angel, anyhow. I'm on the blacklist. Teaching Reapers how to make a sigil like that is extremely forbidden. J and I's reputations are pretty much done for."
Neku lowered his gaze, heart clenching. "Does Josh know any of this?"
"No."
"You never told him…?"
"I don't need another reason for the kid to hate me."
Neku left it alone. "Why are you telling me all of this?"
"You give me hope, Phones. Expand your horizons… open your world. You've done it. Hell, you're a walking model of my words. If anyone can fix this mess, it's you."
Neku shook his head. "No. No I really can't. I have a life now, friends, family and… god, Mr. H, I'm alive. I can't do this."
"I'm not asking you to get involved in the Game," Mr. Hanekoma amended hastily. "I'm asking you to keep an eye on things and figure out what's up with Josh-"
"They're going to restart Shibuya."
It was all Neku needed to say to cause the stubbled old man to drop his coffee cup with a piercing shatter.