Plans
Title: Plans
Fandom: The World Ends With You
Characters/Pairings: Joshua, Hanekoma, discusses Neku and Shiki... and there can be Neku/Shiki if you look for it. It doesn't have to be there... but if you want it to exist, it's not not there. (Does that make any sense?)
Warnings: Spoilers for everything. Everything. The secret reports and all.
Author's Note: This was written for the TWEWY Secret Santa exchange for ironside! I am horribly, horribly late in posting it, and I'm so, so sorry that I'm so late with it!! But, um, better late than never, y/y? ^_^;; Anyway, here it is... and even though it's late, I hope you still enjoy it! :D
“You know, Josh, what you’re doing is technically stalking.” Hanekoma slid a cup of the WildKat House Blend over to the blonde across the counter from him, and grinned. “Not that it matters to you, obviously.”
The Composer took the cup, and stared into it for a moment before looking back up at the man who had made its contents. “Mr. H, what are you talking about?” he asked with perfect innocence. “I’m not stalking anyone.”
“What about those two players that you ‘just happen’ to keep seeing around? Neku Sakuraba and Shiki Misaki?”
“Hee… you even know the Players’ names for this Game? My, aren’t you taking a special interest in them?”
“Joshua. You had planned to pact with one of them, didn’t you? That Sakuraba kid?” Mr. Hanekoma asked, guessing a bit too much correctly for Joshua’s comfort. Joshua himself became unusually silent, and looked back at his coffee. He had planned to pact with Neku the moment he entered his Game. He originally wanted to make the Game with his Conductor quick, and end it early- why else would he have taken the time to go down to Hachiko? And he had really hoped that his Producer wouldn’t notice anything, as he wasn’t really supposed to interfere with the game, and pacting with one of the key Players would most certainly count as interfering.
But that girl had gotten to Neku first, pacted with his proxy before even asking his name, and was about to ruin everything. Joshua had, obviously, planned everything out beforehand. He had decided to choose his proxy, put him in the Game, pact with him, and then be so difficult that Neku would feel the need to show off his Imagination and win the Game, just to get away from him. And, in winning the Game, Neku would have helped Joshua beat the Composer, and he would be able to continue with his original plan of destroying the UG Shibuya. Sakuraba had never been a people person; Joshua knew that he could be pushy enough to get him to push back in exactly the way he needed to take out his Conductor.
But then the girl came along. Shiki Misaki. And she started changing his plans. Not only had she gotten to Neku first, but she started affecting him in ways that Joshua had never imagined for his proxy. She was all bubbles and sweetness and cute- a far cry from what he had planned to be in order to get the reaction he needed. But… Neku still began to push away from his Partner, and Joshua realized he might get the same results even if he didn’t interfere. After all, his proxy now had a Partner who he had yet to call by her actual name. Neku tried to push Shiki away a little too much that second day, but his Producer was an able man, and things seemed like they were going to flow smoothly from there.
Things quickly began to change though, and Joshua wasn’t entirely sure he was even in control, anymore. The girl began to change, and she began to let her imperfections show. And Neku, miraculously, accepted them and continued to work with Shiki… and the two of them grew stronger, together. The Composer became even more interested in his Players, and began to follow them even more closely after that. He watched as they became close, as they explored each other’s worlds. Neku even became willing to try new things, like those arm warmers from the gothic lolita shop nearby A-East (one of Joshua’s own favorite stores- Princess K was one of the sweetest, and most useful and helpful, shop owners in Shibuya). Shiki had liked them because she thought that they were cute but would still go with Neku’s outfit, and Neku accepted them because he was beginning to admire her enthusiasm about fashion and how much she cared about things. (Although, if you were to ask him, he would stubbornly insist that it was to get her to shut up about how he needed to buy more clothing, and they were the least awful item in the store.) Clearly, neither of them had any idea about the defensive powers it had for them when fighting Noise, but they would figure that out soon enough. Joshua was becoming concerned, though. If his proxy had gained something from the Game, like the true friendship of his Partner, would he really be willing to help beat it entirely?
The week progressed though, as even in the Reaper’s Game, time still moves in only the one direction. And Joshua noticed something. As Neku and Shiki became closer, and opened up to each other more, their Imaginations increased exponentially. They became better at what they did together, and… they both seemed happier. And as Joshua realized just how good the Game could be for Neku, his plans changed in an instant. If it could help someone as stubborn and as strange as Neku feel humanity, imagine the good it could do for other, more regular people who might survive it! He no longer wanted to destroy Shibuya and beat his Conductor. He wanted to give him a good fight… but ultimately help him win. Or at least get what he wanted. He sighed inwardly- he hated being wrong about the future of Shibuya- but still felt a warm glow of pleasure at knowing what his course of action ought to be.
Mr. Hanekoma’s voice called him back forward a day to where he was in the present- in WildKat, having a chat with his friend. “Hey, Josh? You aight?”
The Composer looked up at him, and grinned. “Worrying about me? How sweet. But I’m fine, really.” He drained the remainder of his House Blend and shifted the cup over, towards its owner. “Delicious coffee as always, Mr. H! Keep it up, will you?”
Hanekoma raised an eyebrow. “And where would you be headed off to?”
“It’s Day 7, isn’t it? An epic battle is about to go down between the GM and the Players- I couldn’t possibly miss that, now could I?” And without another word, the Composer stood up, left WildKat, and walked through his Shibuya, but turned away from where he knew the final battle was taking place and waited by Hachiko again instead. He may be the Composer of the Reaper’s Game, but he still wanted to make sure he got to his proxy in the next Game before any other Player did.
Besides, he may have been one of the only ones to know it at the time, but there would be other Day 7 battles with Neku to observe. He could surely wait to see one of them.
Fandom: The World Ends With You
Characters/Pairings: Joshua, Hanekoma, discusses Neku and Shiki... and there can be Neku/Shiki if you look for it. It doesn't have to be there... but if you want it to exist, it's not not there. (Does that make any sense?)
Warnings: Spoilers for everything. Everything. The secret reports and all.
Author's Note: This was written for the TWEWY Secret Santa exchange for ironside! I am horribly, horribly late in posting it, and I'm so, so sorry that I'm so late with it!! But, um, better late than never, y/y? ^_^;; Anyway, here it is... and even though it's late, I hope you still enjoy it! :D
“You know, Josh, what you’re doing is technically stalking.” Hanekoma slid a cup of the WildKat House Blend over to the blonde across the counter from him, and grinned. “Not that it matters to you, obviously.”
The Composer took the cup, and stared into it for a moment before looking back up at the man who had made its contents. “Mr. H, what are you talking about?” he asked with perfect innocence. “I’m not stalking anyone.”
“What about those two players that you ‘just happen’ to keep seeing around? Neku Sakuraba and Shiki Misaki?”
“Hee… you even know the Players’ names for this Game? My, aren’t you taking a special interest in them?”
“Joshua. You had planned to pact with one of them, didn’t you? That Sakuraba kid?” Mr. Hanekoma asked, guessing a bit too much correctly for Joshua’s comfort. Joshua himself became unusually silent, and looked back at his coffee. He had planned to pact with Neku the moment he entered his Game. He originally wanted to make the Game with his Conductor quick, and end it early- why else would he have taken the time to go down to Hachiko? And he had really hoped that his Producer wouldn’t notice anything, as he wasn’t really supposed to interfere with the game, and pacting with one of the key Players would most certainly count as interfering.
But that girl had gotten to Neku first, pacted with his proxy before even asking his name, and was about to ruin everything. Joshua had, obviously, planned everything out beforehand. He had decided to choose his proxy, put him in the Game, pact with him, and then be so difficult that Neku would feel the need to show off his Imagination and win the Game, just to get away from him. And, in winning the Game, Neku would have helped Joshua beat the Composer, and he would be able to continue with his original plan of destroying the UG Shibuya. Sakuraba had never been a people person; Joshua knew that he could be pushy enough to get him to push back in exactly the way he needed to take out his Conductor.
But then the girl came along. Shiki Misaki. And she started changing his plans. Not only had she gotten to Neku first, but she started affecting him in ways that Joshua had never imagined for his proxy. She was all bubbles and sweetness and cute- a far cry from what he had planned to be in order to get the reaction he needed. But… Neku still began to push away from his Partner, and Joshua realized he might get the same results even if he didn’t interfere. After all, his proxy now had a Partner who he had yet to call by her actual name. Neku tried to push Shiki away a little too much that second day, but his Producer was an able man, and things seemed like they were going to flow smoothly from there.
Things quickly began to change though, and Joshua wasn’t entirely sure he was even in control, anymore. The girl began to change, and she began to let her imperfections show. And Neku, miraculously, accepted them and continued to work with Shiki… and the two of them grew stronger, together. The Composer became even more interested in his Players, and began to follow them even more closely after that. He watched as they became close, as they explored each other’s worlds. Neku even became willing to try new things, like those arm warmers from the gothic lolita shop nearby A-East (one of Joshua’s own favorite stores- Princess K was one of the sweetest, and most useful and helpful, shop owners in Shibuya). Shiki had liked them because she thought that they were cute but would still go with Neku’s outfit, and Neku accepted them because he was beginning to admire her enthusiasm about fashion and how much she cared about things. (Although, if you were to ask him, he would stubbornly insist that it was to get her to shut up about how he needed to buy more clothing, and they were the least awful item in the store.) Clearly, neither of them had any idea about the defensive powers it had for them when fighting Noise, but they would figure that out soon enough. Joshua was becoming concerned, though. If his proxy had gained something from the Game, like the true friendship of his Partner, would he really be willing to help beat it entirely?
The week progressed though, as even in the Reaper’s Game, time still moves in only the one direction. And Joshua noticed something. As Neku and Shiki became closer, and opened up to each other more, their Imaginations increased exponentially. They became better at what they did together, and… they both seemed happier. And as Joshua realized just how good the Game could be for Neku, his plans changed in an instant. If it could help someone as stubborn and as strange as Neku feel humanity, imagine the good it could do for other, more regular people who might survive it! He no longer wanted to destroy Shibuya and beat his Conductor. He wanted to give him a good fight… but ultimately help him win. Or at least get what he wanted. He sighed inwardly- he hated being wrong about the future of Shibuya- but still felt a warm glow of pleasure at knowing what his course of action ought to be.
Mr. Hanekoma’s voice called him back forward a day to where he was in the present- in WildKat, having a chat with his friend. “Hey, Josh? You aight?”
The Composer looked up at him, and grinned. “Worrying about me? How sweet. But I’m fine, really.” He drained the remainder of his House Blend and shifted the cup over, towards its owner. “Delicious coffee as always, Mr. H! Keep it up, will you?”
Hanekoma raised an eyebrow. “And where would you be headed off to?”
“It’s Day 7, isn’t it? An epic battle is about to go down between the GM and the Players- I couldn’t possibly miss that, now could I?” And without another word, the Composer stood up, left WildKat, and walked through his Shibuya, but turned away from where he knew the final battle was taking place and waited by Hachiko again instead. He may be the Composer of the Reaper’s Game, but he still wanted to make sure he got to his proxy in the next Game before any other Player did.
Besides, he may have been one of the only ones to know it at the time, but there would be other Day 7 battles with Neku to observe. He could surely wait to see one of them.