It's Your Fault It's Complicated (Files 01-03)
Title: It’s Your Fault It’s Complicated
Author: anigirl15
Rating: PG-13 for the f-word (though not yet), will eventually get up to NC-17.
Warnings: Eventual Joshua/Neku. Spoilers for EVERYTHING! (Well, you don't actually have to have read the Secret Reports, but I'll spoil them for you if you haven't.) My theories and ideas about various things in the TWEWY universe. Swearing. Boysex (but not for a while. A long while, in fact).
Summary: Neku knows he shouldn't agree to anything Joshua proposes any more. He knows, yet he willingly starts a chain of events that will eventually shatter the boundaries of his world and shake Shibuya to its core. Stupid Joshua.
Notes: This is the companion fic to Because Life Can Never Be Simple, which is posted at subarashiki_ds. These are the exact same story told in two different parallel worlds: one world where Joshua falls for Neku, and one world where he does not. This also means that both stories are VERY similar, and you should probably just pick one and stick with it, since reading both will involve a LOT of re-reading. In fact, right now the two stories are exactly the same. If you wish to read the other story, you can find the link below, or click the cut to read this one.
It’s Your Fault It’s Complicated (Files 01 - 03)
[first] [back one] [forwards]
[jump to the other side]
[File01]
Neku told himself he kept going back for Mr. H. It was fun to sit and chat with him, when the man was around at least. And come on, it used to be that it was practically his dream to get to talk to CAT! Now he got to do it every few days.
But that didn’t explain it. It didn’t explain why every time he walked into WildKat, why he quickly glanced around the almost constantly empty coffee shop, even though Hanekoma was always standing somewhere up front. Neku didn’t understand it himself for the longest time. Not until that one day when he must have spent a bit longer than usual looking around.
“He’s still not here, Neku.”
Neku had been confused for a moment; then suddenly he realized what he was looking for. Who.
Joshua.
For someone who claimed to be on such good terms with Mr. H, he was never around the shop. Not that Mr. H. was around all the time, either. Maybe they met up whenever the shop was closed?
It didn’t matter anyway, he told himself. He was here for Hanekoma. And the coffee, but it wasn’t actually that good. Mostly to chat. He just happened to look for Joshua because… well…
It tripped up his thought process, that he didn’t actually know why he wanted to see Joshua. So he wrote it off and ignored it. Stopped looking around when he walked into WildKat.
He started up again a few weeks later.
[File02]
The bell over the door rang out though the empty shop, and Neku nearly jumped three feet in his chair. His gaze quickly shifted to the door, part of him hoping that he’d see a familiar blond walk through the door. But no, it was just a couple of teens. A couple of…
“I’ll have… a coffee,” the girl said in a voice that was soft yet not intimidated. She glanced at the boy, who instead of looking at the menu, was staring at the glass case off to the side. A small rush of heat spiked up Neku’s back as he remembered what was in the display. Hanekoma seemed to know exactly what they were there for.
“A coffee for the miss. And for you, kid?”
“Uh, how much is this one?” He pointed into the case, and Hanekoma glanced over to see which one he meant.
“Oh that one? It’s 1584 yen, but it’s not that simple. 99 1-yen pins, 99 5-yen pins, and 99 10-yen. Ya got enough?”
The boy started shuffling around with something, and Hanekoma handed the girl her coffee. She finished paying just as the other sighed. “Well, thanks anyway, sir.”
Hanekoma chucked. “Eh, ‘sir’ is too familiar. Call me Hanekoma. I’m always here for a chat if you need it.” Neku cast a glare in his direction, which he almost seemed to feel without seeing. “Except when I’m not, I guess.”
Neku swallowed the lump in his throat. “Hey, you two.” All three of them turned to him. He looked briefly into the eyes of both the teens, studying their faces, knowing this was likely to be the last them he’d see them. Ever. He caught a glance from Hanekoma which was amused surprise, but something in the expression seemed to be a warning. Neku turned away and stood up. He walked over to the trash and threw out his now-empty coffee cup. A silence hung over WildKat for a few moments. Then… “… Good luck.”
“Huh? W-wait!” Neku turned and walked out the door. Behind him he could hear the two running after him. “Are you a-…?!” But the sound of the bell was all that finished the sentence. He was outside now, and so were they. But now, he knew, he could no longer see them. It was another one of those weeks.
“Isn’t it, Josh?” he whispered under his breath.
[File03]
Something was wrong. WildKat had been closed for three weeks now. Three weeks, going on a fourth. He hadn’t seen Mr. H in all that time. After the second week, he’d started going by every day, just to check. It had never been this long since he’d seen Hanekoma. Did something happen again? He didn’t think that Mr. H had any enemies, but then again, there was that one time that the Grim Heaper had trashed the place for… why had he done that again?
He took a long, wistful stare at the “CLOSED” sign still hung prominently on the door. Neku let out an involuntary sigh, turned, and nearly walked right into someone.
“Sorry,” he mumbled, turning away, “I wasn’t looking where I-”
“Hee hee. I figured you’d be here, Neku.”
His eyes went wide, and he instantly turned and took an involuntarily step back. “J-Joshua?! What… what are you… why…?”
Sure enough, there he stood. His former partner, the Composer of Shibuya, the one who shot and killed him… And he stood there smirking, almost no change from half a year ago, when he’d last seen him lined up in the sight of a gun Neku had been given for the sake of one final, twisted game. Was that the same shirt?
“Why are you here?” he finally managed to get out, his mind still reeling with thoughts he couldn’t quite piece together properly. The frustration that he’d always felt around Joshua, even when he wasn’t doing his best to piss off Neku, had returned again.
“What, I’m not allowed to walk around in my own Shibuya? That’s mean of you, Neku.” He crossed his arms, but the smirk hadn’t left his face. Neku felt the anger, the hurt that he’d felt when he’d last parted with Josh. But at the same time, he was relieved. He was relieved that despite the fact that Joshua was nearly a god, and Neku had only been of interest as a specimen in a Game which had, so it seemed, not mattered at all in the grand scheme of things, he still was worth something, something, no matter how little, to the Composer. To his partner. To his friend.
“But you… I… where have you been these past months?”
“Oh, around.” Joshua waved his hand dismissively. “Attending my duties. Playing Games. Running Shibuya. You know, the usual.” He smiled, a smile which wasn’t quite a smirk but unnerved Neku all the same. “And you, Neku? What have you been doing? I see you’ve been staying alive, at least.”
“And I’d like to keep it that way,” he muttered, taking another step back. Just because he trusted Joshua didn’t mean he wouldn’t be on his guard. “I’ve been taking to Mr. H., and… speaking of which, do you know what’s happened to him? You two are good friends, right?”
In front of him, Joshua’s face went blank. Neku couldn’t help but be surprised. It almost seemed like the face of someone trying to suppress an emotion. But what would Joshua of all people possibly want to suppress?
“Getting right to it, huh?” Suddenly the smile was back, as if it had never been gone. “Neku, do you love Shibuya?”
“Huh?” Neku startled, then crossed his arms, eyeing Joshua. “Is this some sort of trick question?”
“Hee hee. Wouldn’t you like to know?” Joshua played with a strand of hair, keeping his gaze on Neku. “But I’ll answer you. No, it’s not a trick question. But I make no guarantees about the rest of what I ask.”
“Encouraging,” Neku responded, his voice dripping sarcasm. “In that case, yes. I love Shibuya.” His expression softened. “… You were the one who showed me that, Joshua. I love this city, its people, its-”
“Spare me the details, Neku,” Joshua said with a hint of boredom in his voice, but there was a gleam in his eyes that hadn’t been there before. “So let me ask you another question: would you mind staying here for the rest of your life?”
Neku bristled as the feelings of friendliness he used to sort of feel for Joshua were quickly disappearing. “Cut the crap, Joshua. What do you want from me?”
“Oh, Neku, what makes you think I want something?”
Joshua giggled as Neku glared at him. “You’re asking me a bunch of questions just because you’re curious? I don’t think so.”
“Alright, you caught me.” Joshua shrugged as if he were conceding a fight, which only served to agitate Neku more. “I’m looking for a new Producer, and I think you have the necessary qualifications. What do you say?”
“Hell no. I’m not erasing people for you.”
Joshua started giggling, but couldn’t contain himself and instead quickly started a full-out laugh. Neku’s eyes went wide. “Josh…!”
“Oh, silly Neku. It’s nothing like that. A Producer doesn’t have to erase Players. Quite the contrary, in fact. Of all my…”
“Minions?”
“Sure, minions. Of all my minions, he’s the one who has the least interaction with Players. You remember Mr. H? Of course you do. He was my Producer.”
“You have minions that don’t erase Players?”
Wait…
“Mr. H was your Producer?!”
Wait…
“Mr. H worked for you?! Like, you the Composer?!”
Wait…
“‘Was’? Why do you need a new one? What happened to Mr. H?!”
Joshua chuckled. “So many questions, Neku. And here I thought I was going to be questioning you. So, will you do it?”
“Answer me first!” Neku snapped, without actually meaning to. It didn’t faze the Composer in the least. “Where’s Mr. H?”
“Hell if I know,” Joshua shrugged again.
“Why isn’t he here?”
“Things got complicated,” Joshua responded just as unhelpfully.
“He’s not coming back?”
“No, probably not.” Well at least it was a concrete answer, sort of.
“…” Neku’s gaze lowered to the ground. Mr. H… not coming back? What exactly happened to him? Like hell Joshua would give him a straight answer… “So what does a Producer do, exactly?”
“Ooh, a better question! I was wondering if you’d ever start to ask. A Producer produces. Simple as that.”
“Produces… what?” Neku looked back at Joshua, more confused than anything else. Joshua simply grinned and held up his phone.
“Produces whatever I ask for, of course.” He took a picture of Neku, who quickly looked up to make sure a vending machine wasn’t about to fall on his head. This only served to make Joshua giggle, and after a moment he turned the phone around. On the screen was Neku shouting something in the direction of the camera. The time said it was from a couple minutes before.
“… I have no idea how to make cameras that are time machines, Joshua.”
“I know that, silly.” He flipped the phone closed and put it back in his pocket. “But you’ll learn. I’ll give you the power to, and with that power, you’ll be able to make whatever I ask for.” He smirked. “But only if you agree to be my Producer.”
Neku eyed him warily. “And I won’t have to erase anyone?”
“Not a Soul.”
“Why can’t you just make things yourself?”
“I have better things to do than that, Neku,” he said in a tone of voice that indicated it was the most obvious thing in the world. Neku found himself wondering how important something could be to Joshua if he didn’t want to bother with it personally.
“… Will I be able to leave Shibuya ever again if I agree?”
There was a curious smile on Joshua’s face, like he was genuinely debating the answer to that question. “Yes and no, I suppose.”
“What does that mean?”
“You will be able to leave Shibuya, yes. But you won’t be able to go where you think you might be able to.”
Neku found himself getting frustrated again. “Doesn’t help me, Josh.”
He giggled. “I know it doesn’t. So?”
“Will I have to take orders from you?” The question was so deadpan that Joshua couldn’t help chuckling.
“Of course you will. You’ll work for me. But then again, it wouldn’t be much different from your state of existence now.” He took out his phone and aimed the camera at Neku again, a dangerous smirk on his face. A smirk which sent panic coursing through Neku’s every fiber. “There’s a reason you’re afraid of a simple little camera, after all.”
A heavy silence hung between the two of them, and Neku almost thought Joshua just might in fact drop that vending machine on his head if he didn’t agree that second. He certainly wouldn’t put it past the murderer. But after a few moments, the phone was safely pocketed again.
“I will only ask you once more. Will you be my Producer, Neku Sakuraba?”
“… Are there any more catches I should be asking about?”
Joshua smirked and played with his hair. “I don’t know. You tell me.”
Neku crossed his arms and glared at the ground. He was doing his best to internally bash with a very large stick the part of him that still screamed the word ‘trust’ despite all the betrayal Joshua had already heaped on him. But there was a reason that part of him hadn’t been silenced long ago. A reason why it was still shouting at him. A reason why he was listening.
This could be the worst decision he ever made in his life. Both of them. Death, too.
Ah, screw it.
“All right, fine. I accept. As long as I don’t have to erase anyone.”
Joshua smiled cheerfully and held out his hand. “OK, then. Welcome to the team, my Producer.” Neku looked warily at Joshua’s hand, then back up to Joshua’s face, then back to the hand. After a moment’s hesitation he reached out and took it. Joshua didn’t shake, just gripped him tight. “It’ll be a bit rough at first, but don’t worry, you’ll get used to it.”
Suddenly Neku felt his hand heating up. He looked at Joshua in a panic, but the Composer’s eyes were closed and the smile gone from his face. He tried to pull away, but Joshua held him fast. After another second the heat exploded, sending what could only be described as a shockwave throughout Neku’s body, quickly knocking him unconscious.
[CloseFiles]
Comments/critique are much appreciated.
Author: anigirl15
Rating: PG-13 for the f-word (though not yet), will eventually get up to NC-17.
Warnings: Eventual Joshua/Neku. Spoilers for EVERYTHING! (Well, you don't actually have to have read the Secret Reports, but I'll spoil them for you if you haven't.) My theories and ideas about various things in the TWEWY universe. Swearing. Boysex (but not for a while. A long while, in fact).
Summary: Neku knows he shouldn't agree to anything Joshua proposes any more. He knows, yet he willingly starts a chain of events that will eventually shatter the boundaries of his world and shake Shibuya to its core. Stupid Joshua.
Notes: This is the companion fic to Because Life Can Never Be Simple, which is posted at subarashiki_ds. These are the exact same story told in two different parallel worlds: one world where Joshua falls for Neku, and one world where he does not. This also means that both stories are VERY similar, and you should probably just pick one and stick with it, since reading both will involve a LOT of re-reading. In fact, right now the two stories are exactly the same. If you wish to read the other story, you can find the link below, or click the cut to read this one.
It’s Your Fault It’s Complicated (Files 01 - 03)
[first] [back one] [forwards]
[jump to the other side]
[File01]
Neku told himself he kept going back for Mr. H. It was fun to sit and chat with him, when the man was around at least. And come on, it used to be that it was practically his dream to get to talk to CAT! Now he got to do it every few days.
But that didn’t explain it. It didn’t explain why every time he walked into WildKat, why he quickly glanced around the almost constantly empty coffee shop, even though Hanekoma was always standing somewhere up front. Neku didn’t understand it himself for the longest time. Not until that one day when he must have spent a bit longer than usual looking around.
“He’s still not here, Neku.”
Neku had been confused for a moment; then suddenly he realized what he was looking for. Who.
Joshua.
For someone who claimed to be on such good terms with Mr. H, he was never around the shop. Not that Mr. H. was around all the time, either. Maybe they met up whenever the shop was closed?
It didn’t matter anyway, he told himself. He was here for Hanekoma. And the coffee, but it wasn’t actually that good. Mostly to chat. He just happened to look for Joshua because… well…
It tripped up his thought process, that he didn’t actually know why he wanted to see Joshua. So he wrote it off and ignored it. Stopped looking around when he walked into WildKat.
He started up again a few weeks later.
[File02]
The bell over the door rang out though the empty shop, and Neku nearly jumped three feet in his chair. His gaze quickly shifted to the door, part of him hoping that he’d see a familiar blond walk through the door. But no, it was just a couple of teens. A couple of…
“I’ll have… a coffee,” the girl said in a voice that was soft yet not intimidated. She glanced at the boy, who instead of looking at the menu, was staring at the glass case off to the side. A small rush of heat spiked up Neku’s back as he remembered what was in the display. Hanekoma seemed to know exactly what they were there for.
“A coffee for the miss. And for you, kid?”
“Uh, how much is this one?” He pointed into the case, and Hanekoma glanced over to see which one he meant.
“Oh that one? It’s 1584 yen, but it’s not that simple. 99 1-yen pins, 99 5-yen pins, and 99 10-yen. Ya got enough?”
The boy started shuffling around with something, and Hanekoma handed the girl her coffee. She finished paying just as the other sighed. “Well, thanks anyway, sir.”
Hanekoma chucked. “Eh, ‘sir’ is too familiar. Call me Hanekoma. I’m always here for a chat if you need it.” Neku cast a glare in his direction, which he almost seemed to feel without seeing. “Except when I’m not, I guess.”
Neku swallowed the lump in his throat. “Hey, you two.” All three of them turned to him. He looked briefly into the eyes of both the teens, studying their faces, knowing this was likely to be the last them he’d see them. Ever. He caught a glance from Hanekoma which was amused surprise, but something in the expression seemed to be a warning. Neku turned away and stood up. He walked over to the trash and threw out his now-empty coffee cup. A silence hung over WildKat for a few moments. Then… “… Good luck.”
“Huh? W-wait!” Neku turned and walked out the door. Behind him he could hear the two running after him. “Are you a-…?!” But the sound of the bell was all that finished the sentence. He was outside now, and so were they. But now, he knew, he could no longer see them. It was another one of those weeks.
“Isn’t it, Josh?” he whispered under his breath.
[File03]
Something was wrong. WildKat had been closed for three weeks now. Three weeks, going on a fourth. He hadn’t seen Mr. H in all that time. After the second week, he’d started going by every day, just to check. It had never been this long since he’d seen Hanekoma. Did something happen again? He didn’t think that Mr. H had any enemies, but then again, there was that one time that the Grim Heaper had trashed the place for… why had he done that again?
He took a long, wistful stare at the “CLOSED” sign still hung prominently on the door. Neku let out an involuntary sigh, turned, and nearly walked right into someone.
“Sorry,” he mumbled, turning away, “I wasn’t looking where I-”
“Hee hee. I figured you’d be here, Neku.”
His eyes went wide, and he instantly turned and took an involuntarily step back. “J-Joshua?! What… what are you… why…?”
Sure enough, there he stood. His former partner, the Composer of Shibuya, the one who shot and killed him… And he stood there smirking, almost no change from half a year ago, when he’d last seen him lined up in the sight of a gun Neku had been given for the sake of one final, twisted game. Was that the same shirt?
“Why are you here?” he finally managed to get out, his mind still reeling with thoughts he couldn’t quite piece together properly. The frustration that he’d always felt around Joshua, even when he wasn’t doing his best to piss off Neku, had returned again.
“What, I’m not allowed to walk around in my own Shibuya? That’s mean of you, Neku.” He crossed his arms, but the smirk hadn’t left his face. Neku felt the anger, the hurt that he’d felt when he’d last parted with Josh. But at the same time, he was relieved. He was relieved that despite the fact that Joshua was nearly a god, and Neku had only been of interest as a specimen in a Game which had, so it seemed, not mattered at all in the grand scheme of things, he still was worth something, something, no matter how little, to the Composer. To his partner. To his friend.
“But you… I… where have you been these past months?”
“Oh, around.” Joshua waved his hand dismissively. “Attending my duties. Playing Games. Running Shibuya. You know, the usual.” He smiled, a smile which wasn’t quite a smirk but unnerved Neku all the same. “And you, Neku? What have you been doing? I see you’ve been staying alive, at least.”
“And I’d like to keep it that way,” he muttered, taking another step back. Just because he trusted Joshua didn’t mean he wouldn’t be on his guard. “I’ve been taking to Mr. H., and… speaking of which, do you know what’s happened to him? You two are good friends, right?”
In front of him, Joshua’s face went blank. Neku couldn’t help but be surprised. It almost seemed like the face of someone trying to suppress an emotion. But what would Joshua of all people possibly want to suppress?
“Getting right to it, huh?” Suddenly the smile was back, as if it had never been gone. “Neku, do you love Shibuya?”
“Huh?” Neku startled, then crossed his arms, eyeing Joshua. “Is this some sort of trick question?”
“Hee hee. Wouldn’t you like to know?” Joshua played with a strand of hair, keeping his gaze on Neku. “But I’ll answer you. No, it’s not a trick question. But I make no guarantees about the rest of what I ask.”
“Encouraging,” Neku responded, his voice dripping sarcasm. “In that case, yes. I love Shibuya.” His expression softened. “… You were the one who showed me that, Joshua. I love this city, its people, its-”
“Spare me the details, Neku,” Joshua said with a hint of boredom in his voice, but there was a gleam in his eyes that hadn’t been there before. “So let me ask you another question: would you mind staying here for the rest of your life?”
Neku bristled as the feelings of friendliness he used to sort of feel for Joshua were quickly disappearing. “Cut the crap, Joshua. What do you want from me?”
“Oh, Neku, what makes you think I want something?”
Joshua giggled as Neku glared at him. “You’re asking me a bunch of questions just because you’re curious? I don’t think so.”
“Alright, you caught me.” Joshua shrugged as if he were conceding a fight, which only served to agitate Neku more. “I’m looking for a new Producer, and I think you have the necessary qualifications. What do you say?”
“Hell no. I’m not erasing people for you.”
Joshua started giggling, but couldn’t contain himself and instead quickly started a full-out laugh. Neku’s eyes went wide. “Josh…!”
“Oh, silly Neku. It’s nothing like that. A Producer doesn’t have to erase Players. Quite the contrary, in fact. Of all my…”
“Minions?”
“Sure, minions. Of all my minions, he’s the one who has the least interaction with Players. You remember Mr. H? Of course you do. He was my Producer.”
“You have minions that don’t erase Players?”
Wait…
“Mr. H was your Producer?!”
Wait…
“Mr. H worked for you?! Like, you the Composer?!”
Wait…
“‘Was’? Why do you need a new one? What happened to Mr. H?!”
Joshua chuckled. “So many questions, Neku. And here I thought I was going to be questioning you. So, will you do it?”
“Answer me first!” Neku snapped, without actually meaning to. It didn’t faze the Composer in the least. “Where’s Mr. H?”
“Hell if I know,” Joshua shrugged again.
“Why isn’t he here?”
“Things got complicated,” Joshua responded just as unhelpfully.
“He’s not coming back?”
“No, probably not.” Well at least it was a concrete answer, sort of.
“…” Neku’s gaze lowered to the ground. Mr. H… not coming back? What exactly happened to him? Like hell Joshua would give him a straight answer… “So what does a Producer do, exactly?”
“Ooh, a better question! I was wondering if you’d ever start to ask. A Producer produces. Simple as that.”
“Produces… what?” Neku looked back at Joshua, more confused than anything else. Joshua simply grinned and held up his phone.
“Produces whatever I ask for, of course.” He took a picture of Neku, who quickly looked up to make sure a vending machine wasn’t about to fall on his head. This only served to make Joshua giggle, and after a moment he turned the phone around. On the screen was Neku shouting something in the direction of the camera. The time said it was from a couple minutes before.
“… I have no idea how to make cameras that are time machines, Joshua.”
“I know that, silly.” He flipped the phone closed and put it back in his pocket. “But you’ll learn. I’ll give you the power to, and with that power, you’ll be able to make whatever I ask for.” He smirked. “But only if you agree to be my Producer.”
Neku eyed him warily. “And I won’t have to erase anyone?”
“Not a Soul.”
“Why can’t you just make things yourself?”
“I have better things to do than that, Neku,” he said in a tone of voice that indicated it was the most obvious thing in the world. Neku found himself wondering how important something could be to Joshua if he didn’t want to bother with it personally.
“… Will I be able to leave Shibuya ever again if I agree?”
There was a curious smile on Joshua’s face, like he was genuinely debating the answer to that question. “Yes and no, I suppose.”
“What does that mean?”
“You will be able to leave Shibuya, yes. But you won’t be able to go where you think you might be able to.”
Neku found himself getting frustrated again. “Doesn’t help me, Josh.”
He giggled. “I know it doesn’t. So?”
“Will I have to take orders from you?” The question was so deadpan that Joshua couldn’t help chuckling.
“Of course you will. You’ll work for me. But then again, it wouldn’t be much different from your state of existence now.” He took out his phone and aimed the camera at Neku again, a dangerous smirk on his face. A smirk which sent panic coursing through Neku’s every fiber. “There’s a reason you’re afraid of a simple little camera, after all.”
A heavy silence hung between the two of them, and Neku almost thought Joshua just might in fact drop that vending machine on his head if he didn’t agree that second. He certainly wouldn’t put it past the murderer. But after a few moments, the phone was safely pocketed again.
“I will only ask you once more. Will you be my Producer, Neku Sakuraba?”
“… Are there any more catches I should be asking about?”
Joshua smirked and played with his hair. “I don’t know. You tell me.”
Neku crossed his arms and glared at the ground. He was doing his best to internally bash with a very large stick the part of him that still screamed the word ‘trust’ despite all the betrayal Joshua had already heaped on him. But there was a reason that part of him hadn’t been silenced long ago. A reason why it was still shouting at him. A reason why he was listening.
This could be the worst decision he ever made in his life. Both of them. Death, too.
Ah, screw it.
“All right, fine. I accept. As long as I don’t have to erase anyone.”
Joshua smiled cheerfully and held out his hand. “OK, then. Welcome to the team, my Producer.” Neku looked warily at Joshua’s hand, then back up to Joshua’s face, then back to the hand. After a moment’s hesitation he reached out and took it. Joshua didn’t shake, just gripped him tight. “It’ll be a bit rough at first, but don’t worry, you’ll get used to it.”
Suddenly Neku felt his hand heating up. He looked at Joshua in a panic, but the Composer’s eyes were closed and the smile gone from his face. He tried to pull away, but Joshua held him fast. After another second the heat exploded, sending what could only be described as a shockwave throughout Neku’s body, quickly knocking him unconscious.
[CloseFiles]
Comments/critique are much appreciated.