[Fanfic] Neku's Misadventures: Redux (Chapter VIII)
Title: Neku's Misadventures: Redux
Authors: takatohedgehog and kohakutenshi
Ratings: PG-15 for this chapter, for Neku's potty mouth
Warnings: sex in later chapters, profanity
Summary: Neku's Misadventures rewritten. Bonding takes place. Neku learns a bit more about Joshua and his place, and Joshua is still an ass XD
Chapters: Chapter I | Chapter II | Chapter III | Chapter IV | Chapter V | Chapter VI | Chapter VII
Notes: Sorry it's been so long since I last posted a chapter! Things have been rather hectic for me =P in any case, enjoy.
"Ah ha! Read 'em and weep, pretty boy!" Yoshiya's giggling voice echoed in the bedroom as they arrived. He was standing there in full lolita getup and Joshua was sitting across from him in only a petticoat and platforms. "Take it off! I have a Royal Flush!"
"You unforgiving slut," Joshua hissed and kicked the pettitcoat off, tossing it aside to join the rest of his clothes. He was now wearing white lace underwear with tiny bows, stockings with little bowed clips, and shiny white platforms.
"This is what happens when you play strip poker with a stripper, dear." Yoshiya was pulling his spoils closer on the table. "Your deal."
Neku poked his head into the bedroom door and snickered at what he saw, leaning against the doorframe with one of his hands in the pocket of his suit pants. "Remind me to thank you later, Yoshiya," he said, grinning from ear to ear. Sakuraba was free from trial and he got to see Josh lose. How often did that happen?
Yoshiya heard the voice and squealed as he turned, forgetting the mound of chips on the table to launch himself toward the door. "MASTER, NEKU! YOU CAME BACK!"
Sakuraba appeared beside Neku and gave an 'oof' noise as he found himself with an armful of Yoshiya. He smiled softly, ruffling his hair. "I told you I'd come back, didn't I?"
"Look what I did!" He pointed at Joshua with a proud smile. "I won a lot of money and I made him all naked. I was good, wasn't I? I didn't lose one hand, Master. Because I promised I never would get naked without you."
The taller redhead took one look at Joshua and promptly snickered, then let out a full grown laugh, clutching at his sides as he leant against the door frame for support. Neku smiled at the sight and walked over to plonk himself down next to Joshua.
Joshua was furious as he tried not to flush, covering his chest with his arms. "He cheated. He must have. No one ever wins against me."
"I never cheat," Yoshiya said, sticking out his tongue. "I won fair and squared. Or would you like to take that up with my Master?"
Joshua flinched and then shook his head. "No. I will have the money deposited into Sakuraba's account tomorrow, since you share. I'm sure he will buy you something nice with it. Perhaps a dress or a new...toy..."
"Trust me, Josh. I saw Yoshiya playing strip poker with the others from the strip club and he didn't cheat," Neku said, poking his Composer in the cheek teasingly.
Sakuraba rose an eyebrow at what Joshua was suggesting, then tilted his head down and kissed Yoshiya's cheek. "Neku says hi."
"Neku...?" Yoshiya blinked and then shivered. "M-my Neku? He...he's in heaven? Oh...God..." After all this time of worrying and looking for him in Noise and dark alleyways and corners...he was an angel...a sweet, unaging angel.
Sakuraba nodded and wrapped an arm around Yoshiya's shoulder, hugging him lightly. "He said you shouldn't blame yourself for what happened, because he doesn't, and that you should continue on living for the both of you."
"But..." Yoshiya whispered, his voice muffled as he wrapped himself around Sakuraba. "I...I guess I should...if he says I should. He would smack me for being stupid, wouldn't he?"
"He did say he was a brat when he was younger," the taller redhead said, kissing Yoshiya's forehead. "And he said he'd haunt my ass if I ever made you cry, so..."
"Don't you worry, Sakuraba-san, I'll thwack him in the forehead if he tries to hurt you," Yoshiya giggled, tilting up to kiss his master softly. "Can we go home and make lots and lots and lots of love? Where you beat me and lick the wounds and do it again?"
Sakuraba grinned at the concept, then turned his head to address Neku. "I guess I'll be seeing you in a few days." He meaningfully glared at Josh before opening a portal to their world and ushuring Yoshiya through, closing it behind them.
"Asshole," Joshua growled and waved the remains of poker away, "I send you to save him and he thanks me by getting an attitude."
His elegant legs crossed at the knees, foot bouncing in the air. Joshua apparently forgot he was dressed as he was and he turned to Neku with a sigh. "Are you feeling alright? Heaven can be a bit heavy for first timers."
"I'm fine. Hungry though." Neku sighed and shed his jacket, feeling a bit of relief as he tossed it aside, not caring where it landed. He stretched back on the bed, hands holding him up behind him.
Joshua smiled and rose from the chair, curling his hands together behind him. "Oh? What would you like to eat, dear? A nice, thick steak? Perhaps a juicy burger, or another bowl of Shio ramen?"
He said these things while walking forward with deliberatly slow steps, his hips swaying slowly. Each movement was calculated and smooth, and his eyes were warm and soft. "Neku..."
Neku took note of Joshua's swaying hips and slow steps, looking up at him with a furrowed brow before he raised an eyebrow. "What's up?"
His left foot stamped onto the bed next to Neku and Joshua leaned on it as he pressed forward, lips curving into a smile. "Do you like it? The outfit? I designed it myself, right down to the last bow. It has an optional skirt attachment like so."
He swept his hand over the edge and a sparkling half skirt, like a cape at the hips, appeared. "I was inspired by the dancing girls of my time. Does it light a fire inside of you, Neku?"
Joshua's hand slid down to cup Neku's crotch and he pressed down, gently massaging it as he tilted his head down to kiss him.
Neku let himself be kissed, his eyes fluttering closed before he reached down and pulled Joshua's hand away from his crotch, opening his eyes to look at him. "Josh..." He frowned. "What the Hell's going on? You've...been really weird since I practically yelled at you last week."
"What do you mean?" Joshua asked, his voice at first soft, but rising to a normal pitch. "I'm Joshua, just the same as always. Does it offend you? I could take it much more slow but considering where you've been I thought it was the right pace. But if you prefer dinner and a date I can do that, too."
His frown deepened and he shifted himself away with a tilt of his head. "No, you're not the same as always, Josh. And what do you mean where I've been? You think that because I was in Yoshiya's dimension I've...what? Become some sort of slut?"
"Never. I would never think that of you, Neku. I just...I figured..." Joshua took a deep breath and gave Neku a little more space. "I thought you might be more at ease with this because Yoshiya trained you on it. But if it makes you uncomfortable I can give you time and space. I am comfortable with that."
"Josh..." Neku sighed a little and ran a hand through his hair, sitting up properly and crossing his legs. "It's okay..." He closed his eyes. "Yeah, I'm used to the way Yoshiya trained me. But he...we never went further than blow jobs." His face reddened slightly but after a week in Yoshiya's world, he was only slightly desensitized. "Oh God, I can't believe I said that..."
Joshua relaxed, kneeling slightly on the bed as he reached out to run his fingers over Neku's face. He brushed away the fine hairs of his bangs and he sighed, watching him as if he had grown tired or had already lost him. His eyes were sad, and he turned away, sitting on the very edge of the matress.
"Josh?" Neku noticed the look, the feel of Joshua's fingers on his face lingering as he slid to the edge of the mattress, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Is everything okay?"
"It's fine," Joshua smiled, waving his hand. "I'm going to change. Feel free to get some food from the Pad. I'm sure you can figure it out. Everything is music here."
Joshua slid away and collected the clothes he had left on the floor to carry them to the closet, letting them hang themselves up. He then hummed as he tried to decide what to wear.
The redhead bit his lower lip and slid off the bed, walking over to the closet where he stepped up behind Joshua and wrapped his arms around the Composer's waist. "No. It's not okay. It's anything but fine. Didn't I already tell you that I don't like lies, Josh?"
"It's what I do best, isn't it?" Joshua smiled wistfully and reached out to touch a red dress that looked as if it had been pulled out of a Western. "I lie and manipulate. I use people as chess pieces on a board. You are pawns and knights and bishops. Nothing more. But what does that make me?"
Neku shrugged and let go of Joshua's waist, standing off to his side and looking around the wardrobe. So many outfits... "It makes you human. Everyone lies. You just do it more than others."
"Wrong. It makes me the Queen, Neku." Joshua turned and folded his arms. "Who will capture me? Who will turn the pieces against me? When will I fall on my knees in surrender?"
"I...I don't know." Neku shrugged again, shoving his hands in the pockets of his suit pants, nibbling on his lower lip. "I don't know, Josh. I can't answer those questions."
"I am afraid," Joshua whispered, his eyes not betraying the emotions of which he spoke, "I am frightened, Neku, that it will be you."
"Me?" The redhead's eyebrows rose to his hairline before he frowned. "Josh...I wouldn't do anything like that. Okay, you've lied to me on more than one occasion, you've killed me twice, but we're still friends." Neku shook his head. "I wouldn't betray you like that."
"Do you trust me, Neku?" Joshua stared him straight on, his eyes warm like liquid. "Do you?"
"Didn't I already say that?" Neku turned his head towards him with a small smile. "I trust you, Josh."
"That is what is wrong, Neku." Joshua looked down, and if one was perceptive they would have seen the shiver that coursed through his thin frame. "I cannot trust you, though I cannot find a reason not to."
The boy Conductor stepped forward, lifting his hand and cupping Joshua's face, grazing his thumb over his cheek. "Then start trusting me." He smiled a little. "If you can't trust your Conductor, who can you trust?" He tilted his head forward, kissing Joshua gently.
Joshua kissed back, a tiny, chaste kiss at first. "But I..." and he kissed again, unable to deny himself, "I want..." another kiss, "to get...to know you..."
"You've probably..." Another kiss. "...been stalking me..." Mmm... "...my whole life." Neku pulled back with a smirk. "And know things about me that nobody else does."
"Why would I do that?" Joshua whispered, sliding his hand into Neku's hair before tugging him back until he met the closet door with his own back. "I could go up to heaven and check your record at any time if I were that desperate. I want to hear it from you."
Neku's hands found purchase on Joshua's hips and he leaned forward, pressing his lips to the Composer's neck and kissing the line of his jaw afterwards. "Mmm...what's there to tell? Not much really. I'm nobody special."
"God, you're more special than you think," Joshua sighed, tilting his head back as he urged Neku on with his fingers on Neku's scalp. His other hand splayed against the closet door and he took in a slow breath. "Want to be in my show? I could make you famous."
Now this was the show that God had warned him about, right? Neku gave a smirk and shook his head, tilting it back so that he could graze his lips along Josh's neck. "No thanks."
"Please? I want to show you off to the world." Joshua ground his hips against Neku and sighed. "Is this too fast? I can wait, if you would rather eat first. Strawberries and lobster, perhaps?"
"No, this is fine." Neku nipped Josh's collarbone. "And no. I don't want to."
"Neku...I..." Joshua swallowed and tiled his head back, quieting as he fluttered his eyes shut. "Might I offer another position?"
"Position?" Neku drew his head back, looking a little confused as his hands kept themselves on Joshua's hips, hair falling over his eyes from not being gelled up into the usual spikes. "What do you mean?"
Joshua gave him a sultry smile and tossed his hair as he laced his fingers together behind Neku's back. "I was hoping to perhaps persuade you to join me in the bathroom. I do so love a great fuck in the shower. Or hot tub. Whichever you wish. The heat...and the water...on your wings...is so...well...there is no words..."
Neku could swear his mouth went dry at the thought, running his tongue over his lips to wetten them. The notion of having sex with Josh of all people made him rethink things a bit, biting his lower lip. "You don't think we're taking this a bit too fast?"
"I asked you, silly," Joshua giggled and ran his fingers over Neku's arm. "I want to take it slow with you. Very slow. We have eternity. You are immortal. Now. About dinner. What would you like to eat? Italian? Mexican? Chinese?"
"Well..." Neku blinked a little at the first part, his grip on Josh's hips loosening a bit. "Immortal?"
"More or less. Just don't get killed," Joshua teased before sliding away, letting the skirt and other lacy fabric slide away as he walked. It shimmered into a sort of gauzy nothingness and then became clothes, much like the ones Joshua wore when they first met. "I feel like Chinese."
"But..." There was no way he was going to get answers from Josh, he should have known that by now. Neku sighed deeply and ran a hand through his hair. "Sure. Chinese is fine by me."
"What do you want to know?" Joshua asked, walking casually from the bedroom to the hall, and then further into the darkness until he had led Neku into the Room of Reckoning. "I sense in your music that you are questioning something."
"I can't...I can't be immortal." Neku followed Joshua out of the closet and bedroom to the Room of Reckoning, hands in the pockets of his pants as he looked at the floor, his shoes scuffing the marble. "It...ugh..." He ran a hand through his hair. "How long?"
"Immortal means forever, dear," Joshua smiled, trying not to laugh. He sat down on the throne and pulled out his phone, punching in a few numbers as he began entering in orders for food. "What would you like? Everything? I bet you're starving after all that happened. Our caloric intake is somewhere around five-thousand."
"Not that!" Neku scowled a little as he sat on the armrest of the throne, seeing as there wasn't anywhere else to sit and he sure as hell wasn't going to stand. "I know that immortal means forever, douchebag. I meant how long have I...you know...?"
"How long have you been dead?" Joshua asked, snapping his phone shut. "Since the beginning."
The bluntness of the answer made Neku blanch and the hand on the armrest gripped it as tightly as he wanted to throttle Joshua. "You mean...I was never given a second chance like the others? What about mom? What...?" He gritted his teeth and placed a hand to his forehead, suddenly feeling a headache.
Joshua took a deep breath and sighed. "No. You were never given that chance. I temporarily upped your frequency to allow you to have a little fun with them, and you will still get that chance while they live here, but they will eventually forget you."
"Forget me?" Neku looked at his hands, wondering what it felt like to be forgotten. He had once said that as long as Yoshiya still remembered his counterpart, Angel Neku would never be forgotten, but... He stood from his seat, running a hand through his hair. "I..."
"Forgive me, Neku, but it is for the best," Joshua smiled and then looked down at his phone. "Forty-five minute wait. Would you like some wine? I have a fully stocked bar in the next room."
"No!" Neku whirled around and glared at the Composer, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. "It's not for the best! I don't want to be forgotten! It might have been the way for you, but it's not... I won't have it!"
"Neku, this is not your choice," Joshua said, standing to give him a stern look. "Stand down."
"Of course it's my fucking choice! It should be my choice whether or not people remember me!" Neku clenched his hands tighter, looking much like a child who had been told that they couldn't do something (which it was). He lowered his head, closing his eyes. "Once upon a time I wouldn't have cared whether people remembered me or not. But...I have friends now. I've...dad and I started doing things together..." He raised a hand to his face, rubbing his eyes. "Don't...don't take it away from me before I've had the chance..."
"Neku, this is not. Your. Choice." Joshua looked at him, eyes softer, and once he had Neku's attention, he looked up. "Neither is it mine."
"It's not fair." Neku was crying, not outright, fullblown sobs, but quiet tears were streaming down his cheeks. He shook his head and kicked the ground again, this time feeling the room shake with the ounce of power he'd put behind the kick. "It's not fucking FAIR!"
"Neku, stop. You're being childish," Joshua scolded, but it held little force. After a moment's hesitation he reached forward to enfold Neku in his arms. "Shh, baby. Just...please...shh...I know. I know."
Neku knew he was being childish, but at this moment he didn't really care. Hell, the Queen of fucking England could walk in and he wouldn't care. He clung to Joshua's arms, his head dipped down and shoulders shaking with his tears. "What do you know?" he asked, voice tight as he closed his eyes. "I bet you didn't have anyone that would forget you. Even if you did, I bet you were glad to be forgotten."
"I was," Joshua whispered. His body was stiff and his voice was taught with control. "Very much thankful that they would not remember their son."
Once Neku had calmed down a bit, he pulled back, wiping his face with the sleeve of his button up shirt and he glanced away from Joshua. "Sorry...I shouldn't have said that..."
"Neku, I apologize that you will lose things. However, that is what it means to be immortal. It is better that you lose them now, instead of watching them grow old and die." Joshua stared at him evenly. "It is better to walk away, than to cling to them like drops of oil to water."
"Right." Neku rolled his shoulders, then scratched the back of his neck, a little embarrassed that he had lost control of himself there. "I guess...is there any way to make them forget me? For me to forget them?"
"I can make you forget, but is that what you want?" Joshua brushed his fingers over Neku's temple and then his hairline. "Or do you want to remember them? Keep them in your heart?"
He shook his head. "I was just asking...just in case it becomes too much when they...when they forget me."
Joshua smiled. "I would give you anything in my power, Neku Sakuraba, you know that. Unless I'm feeling playful. Then I'll tease you."
"You ass," the redhead said, though he couldn't help but smile too.
"Well," he huffed, "you call me the ass and yet you haven't yet asked me anything about myself. Tsk-tsk. Shameful!"
Joshua smacked Neku on the nose playfully and started off toward the Pad. He was thirsting for a citrusy drink.
Neku rubbed his nose at the smack before he smirked slightly and started to follow after Joshua towards the Pad, hands in the pockets of his pants. "Well...I guess the first question that comes to mind...how did you die, and how long ago?"
Joshua didn't say anything as they entered the Pad. His hands busied themselves with making a sweet, yet tart green drink with a sparkling edge on the glass. His eyes were focused and he took a sip before sighing. "Poison. 1851."
That took Neku by surprise, the boy Conductor leaning against the pool table and resting back on his arms. "1851? Shit, that..." He grimaced a little and scratched the back of his neck. He'd just been making out with someone who could pass for his ancestor...scary thought.
"California was where I was born, but I died in Shibuya," Joshua said, sipping again as he started toward the sofa. He picked up a remote and clicked a button, turning on a flatscreen that was above the door that led outside. Hundreds of numbers scrolled by he knew Neku wouldn't understand, but that interested him.
Neku hefted himself up onto the pool table, turning his head briefly to look at the flatscreen but as Joshua predicted, he didn't understand what was so interesting about a bunch of numbers. He turned his head back to look at the Composer, suddenly intrigued. "California, huh?"
"Yes. It was...different," he swallowed another biting mouthful, "but we don't always choose our place. Father was from Japan originally, but learned English from the missionaries and Mother. She was a sweet woman, but easy to control. I detested that. She sickened me." Joshua paused the screen and frowned. "Fourty-five percent Erasure rate. Not good. They will get a talking to by the Higher Plane."
Neku looked over his shoulder at the screen again, pursing his lips together. "Is that what that's all about? Erasure rates? Like a stock market or something?"
"Player Erasure, Noise Control, Refinement," Joshua pointed each one out, "Reaper Erasures, Officer Erasures, and Game Master Erasures. Oh, in the off chance that one of us are knocked out. There is a line here. Thankfully, it remains blank. Aside from the week Megumi was Erased."
Neku scratched the back of his neck at that, biting his lip before he turned to look at Joshua. "How long was he your Conductor?"
"Since the 70s, obviously," Joshua laughed, "couldn't you tell? He was such a disco diva."
The redhead rolled his eyes, though really he should've guessed. With those kinds of threads...ugh, he was starting to think like Shiki. He rubbed his forehead, pursing his lips together. "Back to you. You said you were thankful your parents forgot you."
"With a father who poisoned you because you were a failure? Would you not be pleased he forgot you?" Joshua smiled and set his empty glass aside. "Food should be here soon."
Neku blanched a little at that. Josh's own father poisoned his son? He looked down at his lap, now wondering whether or not he should have said what he did earlier. He then blinked, looking up at Josh. "You mean the shopkeepers are all in on the Game? They know about things?"
"You know why I could wear Lapin Angelique in the Game?" Joshua smiled and folded his arms over his chest as he leaned into the sofa. "It's because I'm on staff as a designer under a pen name. The Higher Plane has that set up. Similarily, there are those who aspired to be chefs or restaurant owners. We all have side jobs. And if we need something...we share."
"I...guess that makes sense." Neku hopped down from the pool table and walked over to the couch, sitting down on it on the opposite end. He scratched the back of his neck. "I guess even the dead need to make a living."
"More like...the dead wish they were living," Joshua whispered, but said no more as the thumping of containers sounded on the glass table between the two sofas. "Delivery is interesting here at least."
Neku blinked as the containers landed on the glass table in front of them, a little taken aback but not enough to scare him. He waited for Josh to open his, still finding this all confusing. It was going to be hard to imagine life without Shiki and the others, without his mom... "So people on the RealGround can see the shops because the frequencies are upped, is that right?"
"No. They are real shops. We are hidden workers. People in the background. Like..." Joshua took a bite, "those who you usually see in the papers as, 'no one is sure who he is' and 'she has never been glimpsed in public', that sort of thing. We are the makers of dreams that are never to be given the praise we deserve."
"That's...kinda sad when you think about it," Neku said, picking a piece of meat out of his meal and biting into it, chewing, his gaze softening. "Nobody knows who you are, nobody knows it was you who did that..." He poked at the food in his container with his chopsticks, then picked up another bit to eat.
"We get to do what we enjoy. Is that not what's important?" Joshua nibbled the food and smiled. "This is the best Chinese you will ever have, by the way. Oh! There's some ice cream in America called Dipping Dots. It's amazing. I love that stuff."
"I think I remember that." Neku paused, his chopsticks holding some food to his mouth before he looked at Joshua. "I used to move around a lot, cause of dad's job. We lived in America for a year before we came back to Japan. I think..." He tapped his chin with his chopsticks after chewing, swallowing. "I think I was maybe...five?"
"Aw~! Neku-chan would have been so cute at that age," Joshua giggled and slurped up a bite of noodles. "With a little hat and backpack, holding his daddy's hand. Wait. Where was your mother again?"
Neku's face burned brightly as he stuffed a bit of fried rice into his mouth. "Mom was with us." He looked away. "She and dad split up when I was eight, and I started living between them. Dad lives in Shibuya, while mom lives in Hokkaido."
"Hokkaido is nice," Joshua hummed while he dug in his box, stuffing food into his mouth as he talked, "frosty, but they have nice hot springs. I once went on a retreat with the Composer up there but she was a real ice queen. I think it took two weeks for my holly and ivy to thaw out."
Neku blinked a little at that, then went back to his food. "I didn't have any brothers or sisters, so I was mostly left to myself until..." He pursed his lips together and shook his head. "Nevermind."
"Please tell me," Joshua whispered, reaching out to touch Neku's hand. "I want to know everything."
"I met Hoshiro in sixth grade." Neku nibbled on his lower lip before popping more fried rice into his mouth. "We became friends through a mutual appreciation of CAT, and...well, he was my best friend for a long time."
"Then he died," Joshua supplied, his hand sliding over Neku's wrist. "I see. He made it to day three."
"I knew when I started the second week that Hoshi couldn't have won the Game, because he didn't come back." Neku's fingers curled around his chopsticks, shaking under Joshua's touch. "I blamed myself for the longest time. I found the Udagawa mural and called him to come check it out. He died in a convenience store shooting, there at the wrong time." He linked his fingers together and placed his head on his hands, closing his eyes. "I didn't find out until his mom called me. She told me he was dead and that it was my fault...and I believed her."
"She was needing someone to blame." Joshua squeezed his wrist and lay his forehead against Neku's hair. "She was being hurtful because she needed someone to hurt as she did. Neku, she didn't mean it. You didn't kill him. He made a choice. That was what killed him."
"I know...I know there's probably a dimension out there where he didn't chose to come out and meet me," Neku said, his head on his hands still and he opened his eyes. "But at the time I was so wrougth with guilt. I didn't need his mom to tell me that it was my fault he'd died. I already believed that. That was when I started shutting myself off from everyone. I inherited his headphones, because he wanted me to have them, and I used them to close myself off from the world."
There was a long pause while Joshua tried to think on what to say and he couldn't. Once again he simply came up with something cute off the top of his head. "Neku, you smell nice."
Neku blinked, then choked back a laugh and shoved him away, grinning the whole time. "I do not!"
"Musky and wet. Like a man," Joshua teased, his eyes half-lidded, "I like that. Mmm~"
"Don't make me fling my rice at you," Neku warned with a teasing tone to his voice, suddenly feeling a lot lighter than he had before. Maybe sharing his story with Josh had helped, he didn't know.
Joshua giggled and flung himself onto his back on the sofa, grabbing the remote as he smirked. "Let's watch some porn!"
"JOSH!" Neku made a desperate grab for the remote, but only ended falling on top of the Composer with an 'oof!' sound. He scowled when he was met with a face-ful of Josh's crotch before scrambling back...or he would have had he not fallen off the couch. "Ow!"
"Interesting." Joshua turned the channel to a relatively tame news channel and then set the remote on Neku's bottom, which was upturned into the air. "I don't recall having a Neku shaped table but I'm not complaining."
He scowled up at the Composer before moving so he did a tumble and picked the remote control off the floor when it slid off his backside, scratching the back of his head. "You wish."
"No, I would rather have a..." Joshua snickered. "Oh, too easy."
Neku simply rolled his eyes and got back onto his couch, picking up his meal and chopsticks again and continuing to eat.
Authors: takatohedgehog and kohakutenshi
Ratings: PG-15 for this chapter, for Neku's potty mouth
Warnings: sex in later chapters, profanity
Summary: Neku's Misadventures rewritten. Bonding takes place. Neku learns a bit more about Joshua and his place, and Joshua is still an ass XD
Chapters: Chapter I | Chapter II | Chapter III | Chapter IV | Chapter V | Chapter VI | Chapter VII
Notes: Sorry it's been so long since I last posted a chapter! Things have been rather hectic for me =P in any case, enjoy.
"Ah ha! Read 'em and weep, pretty boy!" Yoshiya's giggling voice echoed in the bedroom as they arrived. He was standing there in full lolita getup and Joshua was sitting across from him in only a petticoat and platforms. "Take it off! I have a Royal Flush!"
"You unforgiving slut," Joshua hissed and kicked the pettitcoat off, tossing it aside to join the rest of his clothes. He was now wearing white lace underwear with tiny bows, stockings with little bowed clips, and shiny white platforms.
"This is what happens when you play strip poker with a stripper, dear." Yoshiya was pulling his spoils closer on the table. "Your deal."
Neku poked his head into the bedroom door and snickered at what he saw, leaning against the doorframe with one of his hands in the pocket of his suit pants. "Remind me to thank you later, Yoshiya," he said, grinning from ear to ear. Sakuraba was free from trial and he got to see Josh lose. How often did that happen?
Yoshiya heard the voice and squealed as he turned, forgetting the mound of chips on the table to launch himself toward the door. "MASTER, NEKU! YOU CAME BACK!"
Sakuraba appeared beside Neku and gave an 'oof' noise as he found himself with an armful of Yoshiya. He smiled softly, ruffling his hair. "I told you I'd come back, didn't I?"
"Look what I did!" He pointed at Joshua with a proud smile. "I won a lot of money and I made him all naked. I was good, wasn't I? I didn't lose one hand, Master. Because I promised I never would get naked without you."
The taller redhead took one look at Joshua and promptly snickered, then let out a full grown laugh, clutching at his sides as he leant against the door frame for support. Neku smiled at the sight and walked over to plonk himself down next to Joshua.
Joshua was furious as he tried not to flush, covering his chest with his arms. "He cheated. He must have. No one ever wins against me."
"I never cheat," Yoshiya said, sticking out his tongue. "I won fair and squared. Or would you like to take that up with my Master?"
Joshua flinched and then shook his head. "No. I will have the money deposited into Sakuraba's account tomorrow, since you share. I'm sure he will buy you something nice with it. Perhaps a dress or a new...toy..."
"Trust me, Josh. I saw Yoshiya playing strip poker with the others from the strip club and he didn't cheat," Neku said, poking his Composer in the cheek teasingly.
Sakuraba rose an eyebrow at what Joshua was suggesting, then tilted his head down and kissed Yoshiya's cheek. "Neku says hi."
"Neku...?" Yoshiya blinked and then shivered. "M-my Neku? He...he's in heaven? Oh...God..." After all this time of worrying and looking for him in Noise and dark alleyways and corners...he was an angel...a sweet, unaging angel.
Sakuraba nodded and wrapped an arm around Yoshiya's shoulder, hugging him lightly. "He said you shouldn't blame yourself for what happened, because he doesn't, and that you should continue on living for the both of you."
"But..." Yoshiya whispered, his voice muffled as he wrapped himself around Sakuraba. "I...I guess I should...if he says I should. He would smack me for being stupid, wouldn't he?"
"He did say he was a brat when he was younger," the taller redhead said, kissing Yoshiya's forehead. "And he said he'd haunt my ass if I ever made you cry, so..."
"Don't you worry, Sakuraba-san, I'll thwack him in the forehead if he tries to hurt you," Yoshiya giggled, tilting up to kiss his master softly. "Can we go home and make lots and lots and lots of love? Where you beat me and lick the wounds and do it again?"
Sakuraba grinned at the concept, then turned his head to address Neku. "I guess I'll be seeing you in a few days." He meaningfully glared at Josh before opening a portal to their world and ushuring Yoshiya through, closing it behind them.
"Asshole," Joshua growled and waved the remains of poker away, "I send you to save him and he thanks me by getting an attitude."
His elegant legs crossed at the knees, foot bouncing in the air. Joshua apparently forgot he was dressed as he was and he turned to Neku with a sigh. "Are you feeling alright? Heaven can be a bit heavy for first timers."
"I'm fine. Hungry though." Neku sighed and shed his jacket, feeling a bit of relief as he tossed it aside, not caring where it landed. He stretched back on the bed, hands holding him up behind him.
Joshua smiled and rose from the chair, curling his hands together behind him. "Oh? What would you like to eat, dear? A nice, thick steak? Perhaps a juicy burger, or another bowl of Shio ramen?"
He said these things while walking forward with deliberatly slow steps, his hips swaying slowly. Each movement was calculated and smooth, and his eyes were warm and soft. "Neku..."
Neku took note of Joshua's swaying hips and slow steps, looking up at him with a furrowed brow before he raised an eyebrow. "What's up?"
His left foot stamped onto the bed next to Neku and Joshua leaned on it as he pressed forward, lips curving into a smile. "Do you like it? The outfit? I designed it myself, right down to the last bow. It has an optional skirt attachment like so."
He swept his hand over the edge and a sparkling half skirt, like a cape at the hips, appeared. "I was inspired by the dancing girls of my time. Does it light a fire inside of you, Neku?"
Joshua's hand slid down to cup Neku's crotch and he pressed down, gently massaging it as he tilted his head down to kiss him.
Neku let himself be kissed, his eyes fluttering closed before he reached down and pulled Joshua's hand away from his crotch, opening his eyes to look at him. "Josh..." He frowned. "What the Hell's going on? You've...been really weird since I practically yelled at you last week."
"What do you mean?" Joshua asked, his voice at first soft, but rising to a normal pitch. "I'm Joshua, just the same as always. Does it offend you? I could take it much more slow but considering where you've been I thought it was the right pace. But if you prefer dinner and a date I can do that, too."
His frown deepened and he shifted himself away with a tilt of his head. "No, you're not the same as always, Josh. And what do you mean where I've been? You think that because I was in Yoshiya's dimension I've...what? Become some sort of slut?"
"Never. I would never think that of you, Neku. I just...I figured..." Joshua took a deep breath and gave Neku a little more space. "I thought you might be more at ease with this because Yoshiya trained you on it. But if it makes you uncomfortable I can give you time and space. I am comfortable with that."
"Josh..." Neku sighed a little and ran a hand through his hair, sitting up properly and crossing his legs. "It's okay..." He closed his eyes. "Yeah, I'm used to the way Yoshiya trained me. But he...we never went further than blow jobs." His face reddened slightly but after a week in Yoshiya's world, he was only slightly desensitized. "Oh God, I can't believe I said that..."
Joshua relaxed, kneeling slightly on the bed as he reached out to run his fingers over Neku's face. He brushed away the fine hairs of his bangs and he sighed, watching him as if he had grown tired or had already lost him. His eyes were sad, and he turned away, sitting on the very edge of the matress.
"Josh?" Neku noticed the look, the feel of Joshua's fingers on his face lingering as he slid to the edge of the mattress, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Is everything okay?"
"It's fine," Joshua smiled, waving his hand. "I'm going to change. Feel free to get some food from the Pad. I'm sure you can figure it out. Everything is music here."
Joshua slid away and collected the clothes he had left on the floor to carry them to the closet, letting them hang themselves up. He then hummed as he tried to decide what to wear.
The redhead bit his lower lip and slid off the bed, walking over to the closet where he stepped up behind Joshua and wrapped his arms around the Composer's waist. "No. It's not okay. It's anything but fine. Didn't I already tell you that I don't like lies, Josh?"
"It's what I do best, isn't it?" Joshua smiled wistfully and reached out to touch a red dress that looked as if it had been pulled out of a Western. "I lie and manipulate. I use people as chess pieces on a board. You are pawns and knights and bishops. Nothing more. But what does that make me?"
Neku shrugged and let go of Joshua's waist, standing off to his side and looking around the wardrobe. So many outfits... "It makes you human. Everyone lies. You just do it more than others."
"Wrong. It makes me the Queen, Neku." Joshua turned and folded his arms. "Who will capture me? Who will turn the pieces against me? When will I fall on my knees in surrender?"
"I...I don't know." Neku shrugged again, shoving his hands in the pockets of his suit pants, nibbling on his lower lip. "I don't know, Josh. I can't answer those questions."
"I am afraid," Joshua whispered, his eyes not betraying the emotions of which he spoke, "I am frightened, Neku, that it will be you."
"Me?" The redhead's eyebrows rose to his hairline before he frowned. "Josh...I wouldn't do anything like that. Okay, you've lied to me on more than one occasion, you've killed me twice, but we're still friends." Neku shook his head. "I wouldn't betray you like that."
"Do you trust me, Neku?" Joshua stared him straight on, his eyes warm like liquid. "Do you?"
"Didn't I already say that?" Neku turned his head towards him with a small smile. "I trust you, Josh."
"That is what is wrong, Neku." Joshua looked down, and if one was perceptive they would have seen the shiver that coursed through his thin frame. "I cannot trust you, though I cannot find a reason not to."
The boy Conductor stepped forward, lifting his hand and cupping Joshua's face, grazing his thumb over his cheek. "Then start trusting me." He smiled a little. "If you can't trust your Conductor, who can you trust?" He tilted his head forward, kissing Joshua gently.
Joshua kissed back, a tiny, chaste kiss at first. "But I..." and he kissed again, unable to deny himself, "I want..." another kiss, "to get...to know you..."
"You've probably..." Another kiss. "...been stalking me..." Mmm... "...my whole life." Neku pulled back with a smirk. "And know things about me that nobody else does."
"Why would I do that?" Joshua whispered, sliding his hand into Neku's hair before tugging him back until he met the closet door with his own back. "I could go up to heaven and check your record at any time if I were that desperate. I want to hear it from you."
Neku's hands found purchase on Joshua's hips and he leaned forward, pressing his lips to the Composer's neck and kissing the line of his jaw afterwards. "Mmm...what's there to tell? Not much really. I'm nobody special."
"God, you're more special than you think," Joshua sighed, tilting his head back as he urged Neku on with his fingers on Neku's scalp. His other hand splayed against the closet door and he took in a slow breath. "Want to be in my show? I could make you famous."
Now this was the show that God had warned him about, right? Neku gave a smirk and shook his head, tilting it back so that he could graze his lips along Josh's neck. "No thanks."
"Please? I want to show you off to the world." Joshua ground his hips against Neku and sighed. "Is this too fast? I can wait, if you would rather eat first. Strawberries and lobster, perhaps?"
"No, this is fine." Neku nipped Josh's collarbone. "And no. I don't want to."
"Neku...I..." Joshua swallowed and tiled his head back, quieting as he fluttered his eyes shut. "Might I offer another position?"
"Position?" Neku drew his head back, looking a little confused as his hands kept themselves on Joshua's hips, hair falling over his eyes from not being gelled up into the usual spikes. "What do you mean?"
Joshua gave him a sultry smile and tossed his hair as he laced his fingers together behind Neku's back. "I was hoping to perhaps persuade you to join me in the bathroom. I do so love a great fuck in the shower. Or hot tub. Whichever you wish. The heat...and the water...on your wings...is so...well...there is no words..."
Neku could swear his mouth went dry at the thought, running his tongue over his lips to wetten them. The notion of having sex with Josh of all people made him rethink things a bit, biting his lower lip. "You don't think we're taking this a bit too fast?"
"I asked you, silly," Joshua giggled and ran his fingers over Neku's arm. "I want to take it slow with you. Very slow. We have eternity. You are immortal. Now. About dinner. What would you like to eat? Italian? Mexican? Chinese?"
"Well..." Neku blinked a little at the first part, his grip on Josh's hips loosening a bit. "Immortal?"
"More or less. Just don't get killed," Joshua teased before sliding away, letting the skirt and other lacy fabric slide away as he walked. It shimmered into a sort of gauzy nothingness and then became clothes, much like the ones Joshua wore when they first met. "I feel like Chinese."
"But..." There was no way he was going to get answers from Josh, he should have known that by now. Neku sighed deeply and ran a hand through his hair. "Sure. Chinese is fine by me."
"What do you want to know?" Joshua asked, walking casually from the bedroom to the hall, and then further into the darkness until he had led Neku into the Room of Reckoning. "I sense in your music that you are questioning something."
"I can't...I can't be immortal." Neku followed Joshua out of the closet and bedroom to the Room of Reckoning, hands in the pockets of his pants as he looked at the floor, his shoes scuffing the marble. "It...ugh..." He ran a hand through his hair. "How long?"
"Immortal means forever, dear," Joshua smiled, trying not to laugh. He sat down on the throne and pulled out his phone, punching in a few numbers as he began entering in orders for food. "What would you like? Everything? I bet you're starving after all that happened. Our caloric intake is somewhere around five-thousand."
"Not that!" Neku scowled a little as he sat on the armrest of the throne, seeing as there wasn't anywhere else to sit and he sure as hell wasn't going to stand. "I know that immortal means forever, douchebag. I meant how long have I...you know...?"
"How long have you been dead?" Joshua asked, snapping his phone shut. "Since the beginning."
The bluntness of the answer made Neku blanch and the hand on the armrest gripped it as tightly as he wanted to throttle Joshua. "You mean...I was never given a second chance like the others? What about mom? What...?" He gritted his teeth and placed a hand to his forehead, suddenly feeling a headache.
Joshua took a deep breath and sighed. "No. You were never given that chance. I temporarily upped your frequency to allow you to have a little fun with them, and you will still get that chance while they live here, but they will eventually forget you."
"Forget me?" Neku looked at his hands, wondering what it felt like to be forgotten. He had once said that as long as Yoshiya still remembered his counterpart, Angel Neku would never be forgotten, but... He stood from his seat, running a hand through his hair. "I..."
"Forgive me, Neku, but it is for the best," Joshua smiled and then looked down at his phone. "Forty-five minute wait. Would you like some wine? I have a fully stocked bar in the next room."
"No!" Neku whirled around and glared at the Composer, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. "It's not for the best! I don't want to be forgotten! It might have been the way for you, but it's not... I won't have it!"
"Neku, this is not your choice," Joshua said, standing to give him a stern look. "Stand down."
"Of course it's my fucking choice! It should be my choice whether or not people remember me!" Neku clenched his hands tighter, looking much like a child who had been told that they couldn't do something (which it was). He lowered his head, closing his eyes. "Once upon a time I wouldn't have cared whether people remembered me or not. But...I have friends now. I've...dad and I started doing things together..." He raised a hand to his face, rubbing his eyes. "Don't...don't take it away from me before I've had the chance..."
"Neku, this is not. Your. Choice." Joshua looked at him, eyes softer, and once he had Neku's attention, he looked up. "Neither is it mine."
"It's not fair." Neku was crying, not outright, fullblown sobs, but quiet tears were streaming down his cheeks. He shook his head and kicked the ground again, this time feeling the room shake with the ounce of power he'd put behind the kick. "It's not fucking FAIR!"
"Neku, stop. You're being childish," Joshua scolded, but it held little force. After a moment's hesitation he reached forward to enfold Neku in his arms. "Shh, baby. Just...please...shh...I know. I know."
Neku knew he was being childish, but at this moment he didn't really care. Hell, the Queen of fucking England could walk in and he wouldn't care. He clung to Joshua's arms, his head dipped down and shoulders shaking with his tears. "What do you know?" he asked, voice tight as he closed his eyes. "I bet you didn't have anyone that would forget you. Even if you did, I bet you were glad to be forgotten."
"I was," Joshua whispered. His body was stiff and his voice was taught with control. "Very much thankful that they would not remember their son."
Once Neku had calmed down a bit, he pulled back, wiping his face with the sleeve of his button up shirt and he glanced away from Joshua. "Sorry...I shouldn't have said that..."
"Neku, I apologize that you will lose things. However, that is what it means to be immortal. It is better that you lose them now, instead of watching them grow old and die." Joshua stared at him evenly. "It is better to walk away, than to cling to them like drops of oil to water."
"Right." Neku rolled his shoulders, then scratched the back of his neck, a little embarrassed that he had lost control of himself there. "I guess...is there any way to make them forget me? For me to forget them?"
"I can make you forget, but is that what you want?" Joshua brushed his fingers over Neku's temple and then his hairline. "Or do you want to remember them? Keep them in your heart?"
He shook his head. "I was just asking...just in case it becomes too much when they...when they forget me."
Joshua smiled. "I would give you anything in my power, Neku Sakuraba, you know that. Unless I'm feeling playful. Then I'll tease you."
"You ass," the redhead said, though he couldn't help but smile too.
"Well," he huffed, "you call me the ass and yet you haven't yet asked me anything about myself. Tsk-tsk. Shameful!"
Joshua smacked Neku on the nose playfully and started off toward the Pad. He was thirsting for a citrusy drink.
Neku rubbed his nose at the smack before he smirked slightly and started to follow after Joshua towards the Pad, hands in the pockets of his pants. "Well...I guess the first question that comes to mind...how did you die, and how long ago?"
Joshua didn't say anything as they entered the Pad. His hands busied themselves with making a sweet, yet tart green drink with a sparkling edge on the glass. His eyes were focused and he took a sip before sighing. "Poison. 1851."
That took Neku by surprise, the boy Conductor leaning against the pool table and resting back on his arms. "1851? Shit, that..." He grimaced a little and scratched the back of his neck. He'd just been making out with someone who could pass for his ancestor...scary thought.
"California was where I was born, but I died in Shibuya," Joshua said, sipping again as he started toward the sofa. He picked up a remote and clicked a button, turning on a flatscreen that was above the door that led outside. Hundreds of numbers scrolled by he knew Neku wouldn't understand, but that interested him.
Neku hefted himself up onto the pool table, turning his head briefly to look at the flatscreen but as Joshua predicted, he didn't understand what was so interesting about a bunch of numbers. He turned his head back to look at the Composer, suddenly intrigued. "California, huh?"
"Yes. It was...different," he swallowed another biting mouthful, "but we don't always choose our place. Father was from Japan originally, but learned English from the missionaries and Mother. She was a sweet woman, but easy to control. I detested that. She sickened me." Joshua paused the screen and frowned. "Fourty-five percent Erasure rate. Not good. They will get a talking to by the Higher Plane."
Neku looked over his shoulder at the screen again, pursing his lips together. "Is that what that's all about? Erasure rates? Like a stock market or something?"
"Player Erasure, Noise Control, Refinement," Joshua pointed each one out, "Reaper Erasures, Officer Erasures, and Game Master Erasures. Oh, in the off chance that one of us are knocked out. There is a line here. Thankfully, it remains blank. Aside from the week Megumi was Erased."
Neku scratched the back of his neck at that, biting his lip before he turned to look at Joshua. "How long was he your Conductor?"
"Since the 70s, obviously," Joshua laughed, "couldn't you tell? He was such a disco diva."
The redhead rolled his eyes, though really he should've guessed. With those kinds of threads...ugh, he was starting to think like Shiki. He rubbed his forehead, pursing his lips together. "Back to you. You said you were thankful your parents forgot you."
"With a father who poisoned you because you were a failure? Would you not be pleased he forgot you?" Joshua smiled and set his empty glass aside. "Food should be here soon."
Neku blanched a little at that. Josh's own father poisoned his son? He looked down at his lap, now wondering whether or not he should have said what he did earlier. He then blinked, looking up at Josh. "You mean the shopkeepers are all in on the Game? They know about things?"
"You know why I could wear Lapin Angelique in the Game?" Joshua smiled and folded his arms over his chest as he leaned into the sofa. "It's because I'm on staff as a designer under a pen name. The Higher Plane has that set up. Similarily, there are those who aspired to be chefs or restaurant owners. We all have side jobs. And if we need something...we share."
"I...guess that makes sense." Neku hopped down from the pool table and walked over to the couch, sitting down on it on the opposite end. He scratched the back of his neck. "I guess even the dead need to make a living."
"More like...the dead wish they were living," Joshua whispered, but said no more as the thumping of containers sounded on the glass table between the two sofas. "Delivery is interesting here at least."
Neku blinked as the containers landed on the glass table in front of them, a little taken aback but not enough to scare him. He waited for Josh to open his, still finding this all confusing. It was going to be hard to imagine life without Shiki and the others, without his mom... "So people on the RealGround can see the shops because the frequencies are upped, is that right?"
"No. They are real shops. We are hidden workers. People in the background. Like..." Joshua took a bite, "those who you usually see in the papers as, 'no one is sure who he is' and 'she has never been glimpsed in public', that sort of thing. We are the makers of dreams that are never to be given the praise we deserve."
"That's...kinda sad when you think about it," Neku said, picking a piece of meat out of his meal and biting into it, chewing, his gaze softening. "Nobody knows who you are, nobody knows it was you who did that..." He poked at the food in his container with his chopsticks, then picked up another bit to eat.
"We get to do what we enjoy. Is that not what's important?" Joshua nibbled the food and smiled. "This is the best Chinese you will ever have, by the way. Oh! There's some ice cream in America called Dipping Dots. It's amazing. I love that stuff."
"I think I remember that." Neku paused, his chopsticks holding some food to his mouth before he looked at Joshua. "I used to move around a lot, cause of dad's job. We lived in America for a year before we came back to Japan. I think..." He tapped his chin with his chopsticks after chewing, swallowing. "I think I was maybe...five?"
"Aw~! Neku-chan would have been so cute at that age," Joshua giggled and slurped up a bite of noodles. "With a little hat and backpack, holding his daddy's hand. Wait. Where was your mother again?"
Neku's face burned brightly as he stuffed a bit of fried rice into his mouth. "Mom was with us." He looked away. "She and dad split up when I was eight, and I started living between them. Dad lives in Shibuya, while mom lives in Hokkaido."
"Hokkaido is nice," Joshua hummed while he dug in his box, stuffing food into his mouth as he talked, "frosty, but they have nice hot springs. I once went on a retreat with the Composer up there but she was a real ice queen. I think it took two weeks for my holly and ivy to thaw out."
Neku blinked a little at that, then went back to his food. "I didn't have any brothers or sisters, so I was mostly left to myself until..." He pursed his lips together and shook his head. "Nevermind."
"Please tell me," Joshua whispered, reaching out to touch Neku's hand. "I want to know everything."
"I met Hoshiro in sixth grade." Neku nibbled on his lower lip before popping more fried rice into his mouth. "We became friends through a mutual appreciation of CAT, and...well, he was my best friend for a long time."
"Then he died," Joshua supplied, his hand sliding over Neku's wrist. "I see. He made it to day three."
"I knew when I started the second week that Hoshi couldn't have won the Game, because he didn't come back." Neku's fingers curled around his chopsticks, shaking under Joshua's touch. "I blamed myself for the longest time. I found the Udagawa mural and called him to come check it out. He died in a convenience store shooting, there at the wrong time." He linked his fingers together and placed his head on his hands, closing his eyes. "I didn't find out until his mom called me. She told me he was dead and that it was my fault...and I believed her."
"She was needing someone to blame." Joshua squeezed his wrist and lay his forehead against Neku's hair. "She was being hurtful because she needed someone to hurt as she did. Neku, she didn't mean it. You didn't kill him. He made a choice. That was what killed him."
"I know...I know there's probably a dimension out there where he didn't chose to come out and meet me," Neku said, his head on his hands still and he opened his eyes. "But at the time I was so wrougth with guilt. I didn't need his mom to tell me that it was my fault he'd died. I already believed that. That was when I started shutting myself off from everyone. I inherited his headphones, because he wanted me to have them, and I used them to close myself off from the world."
There was a long pause while Joshua tried to think on what to say and he couldn't. Once again he simply came up with something cute off the top of his head. "Neku, you smell nice."
Neku blinked, then choked back a laugh and shoved him away, grinning the whole time. "I do not!"
"Musky and wet. Like a man," Joshua teased, his eyes half-lidded, "I like that. Mmm~"
"Don't make me fling my rice at you," Neku warned with a teasing tone to his voice, suddenly feeling a lot lighter than he had before. Maybe sharing his story with Josh had helped, he didn't know.
Joshua giggled and flung himself onto his back on the sofa, grabbing the remote as he smirked. "Let's watch some porn!"
"JOSH!" Neku made a desperate grab for the remote, but only ended falling on top of the Composer with an 'oof!' sound. He scowled when he was met with a face-ful of Josh's crotch before scrambling back...or he would have had he not fallen off the couch. "Ow!"
"Interesting." Joshua turned the channel to a relatively tame news channel and then set the remote on Neku's bottom, which was upturned into the air. "I don't recall having a Neku shaped table but I'm not complaining."
He scowled up at the Composer before moving so he did a tumble and picked the remote control off the floor when it slid off his backside, scratching the back of his head. "You wish."
"No, I would rather have a..." Joshua snickered. "Oh, too easy."
Neku simply rolled his eyes and got back onto his couch, picking up his meal and chopsticks again and continuing to eat.