[FIC] Neku's Misadventures: Redux (Chapter V)
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. A freshly crowned Conductor, Neku is sent to Shibuya no. four-ninety-one to protect Yoshiya - a popular stripper and counterpart of Joshua - from Sakuraba - a counterpart of his own who is going around killing Joshuas for unknown reasons.
Chapters: Chapter I | Chapter II | Chapter III | Chapter IV
Notes: We're speeding along with Redux at a relatively fast pace, so you'll get more chapters every couple of days now =3 Enjoy~♥
The soft whisper of Shibuya's distress was beginning to fray his nerves as she caressed his ears gently. She was worried for him and for Neku as she tinkled quietly in the background of the Room of Reckoning, where Joshua sat in the chained throne, looking at the same paperwork he had been looking at since this mess had started. All the Joshuas with their profile photographs and murder scenes. What he had sent his proxy to handle. An untrained Conductor.
He slapped the papers down onto his lap and pressed a hand to the bridge of his nose. "What, Sanae?"
"You knew Phones didn't have the right training," Sanae started, hand in the back of his pocket as he took hold of the cigarette between his lips, exhaling smoke. "Any training for that matter. Hell, J, you didn't even tell him he was your Conductor. You sent him in there unprepared and possibly to die."
"Shut. Up." Joshua turned a pair of smoldering violet eyes to his Producer. "I have no time or patience to be lectured by you of all people."
Sanae sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. He knew the Composer's moodswings enough by now to be wary of them. "You're worried about him, ain'tcha?"
Joshua gave a tiny, near impersceptible twitch, his fingers still hovering near his face. His eyes stared off into the distance as if he were remembering something from a long time ago. "...I have a migraine. Some headaches never leave, even after death."
The barista rolled his eyes. Josh wasn't fooling anyone, especially not him. He placed his cigarette back between his lips, other hand on his hip. "J, you could have at least told Phones what he was. You should've seen the look on his face when I introduced him to my counterpart by title."
"He would have been able to refuse then," Joshua said matter of factly, rising from the throne and starting toward the pad, intent on a drink.
"Somehow I doubt that Phones would have done that," Hanekoma said, following the Composer casually down the tunnel towards the pad, placing one of his hands in his pockets and exhaling some smoke. "He cares about Shibuya. He would have done it either way."
"Cares about Shibuya...yes," Joshua snorted, pushing the door open to the pad and slipping inside. The cool airconditioned air hit him like a balm and he sighed, unbuttoning another button on his shirt. "But not about me, right, Sanae? I have a Conductor who despises his Composer. How wonderful for Shibuya. How long shall this partnership last. You feared it in the second week, didn't you? That my power would tear his soul apart? Well, I wonder how long it will take for his to rend mine asunder?"
Sanae scratched the back of his neck, tilting his head. "I did think you were going about it the wrong way, yes," he said, walking over to the bar and getting himself a coffee, his eyes closing at the last part. "I got a call from Hanekoma earlier. Apparently Neku's power spiked this morning and just about caused a blackout in four-ninety-one."
Joshua blinked just as he lifted the edge of the cold coffee can to his lips. "...he had sex?"
Sanae shrugged, depositing his cigarette butt into an ash tray and raising his coffee mug to his lips, taking a sip. "I dunno."
"That deceitful little whore...I knew I shouldn't have allowed him to go there," Joshua growled and slammed the can down on the counter. "He was mine by right. Not his."
"Jealous much, J?" Sanae asked with a raised eyebrow, blowing against his coffee before taking another sip from its mug, closing his eyes in bliss. "Y'shouldn'ta gone about things the way ya did. Maybe if he'd had training..."
"Damnit, Shibuya, shut up!" Joshua shouted, pressing his palm to his forehead, his teeth gritted in pain. "Sanae, please. Not now."
"She calling for 'im, boss?" the barista asked, his eyes softening. Though he heard Shibuya's Music himself, he didn't hear it as much as Josh did, and he took another sip from his coffee.
Joshua nodded quickly as he took a deep breath. "She's worried. Just as I am. She doesn't understand why he can't hear her."
"Shibuya wants him back..." Sanae closed his eyes, then opened them again, his expression one of worry. "Do you think she might drag him back here by force if he stays in four-ninety-one for too long...?"
He gave a sudden gasp, as if something hit him in the stomach, and leaned on the counter with more force. "S-sanae...he hasn't much time, I'm afraid. He can only be away for a week. Shibuya isn't very pleased with her Composer. I...I need to lie down. Would you keep an eye out for me?"
Joshua didn't wait for a response as he started off toward his rooms, disappearing in a sparkling of light in mid-stride. Shibuya wasn't just displeased with him. She was livid.
"Of course, J." Sanae ran a hand through his hair and sighed. Well, fuck...
----------------
Sakuraba's hand shook as he held the phone to his ear, perched on the couch in his hideaway and his other hand to his mouth, wrapped around the cigarette there. "Damnit...don't pick up..." He really hoped she wouldn't pick up...he hadn't spoken or sent word in so long... He closed his eyes, his nerves just about on their last strand.
The other end of the phone clicked as it was answered and for a long moment there was no reply. Silence reigned uncomfortably and then there was a strained. "Misaki Shiki speaking."
His soul stung at the sound of her voice, his own nearly cracking when he spoke into the receiver. "S-Shiki...?" Sakuraba's hand gripped around the phone but he didn't break it, his other hand shakily taking hold of his cigarette and pulling it away from his mouth.
"Neku...?" She whispered, relieved. She sounded exhausted, as if every reserve of her energy had been sapped and then some. "Oh...Neku...what are you doing out there? Please come home. I...I'm tired of yelling at you. This place is falling apart and I can't do this without you. Neku. Come home. We need you."
He wet his lips, trying to find the words to say to her before he closed his eyee. "I'm sorry," he murmured into the phone, opening his eyes to stare ahead as though at nothing, unwanted memories appearing in his mind though they weren't called for. "This will be the last...then...then I'll come home...for a while..."
"Neku...please..." she begged, her voice cracking along with the phone's connection, "don't do this anymore. They...they sent angels...they came looking for you...with a summons."
"I have to." Sakuraba's eyes closed as a grimace of pain flashed across his face as he curled up into a half-ball, knees to his chin. "I have to, Shiki...I can't stop...they all have to die for what happened to me!"
There was a long pause and Shiki's voice was soft, understanding, and filled with so much motherly love that Sakuraba could almost feel her hand on his shoulder soothing him. "I know, Neku. I know. Come home soon, okay? Don't forget about what's important."
Sakuraba almost broke down then and there. He missed her. He missed her and Beat and Rhyme and his Shibuya. But still...he had a duty to do. "I'm sorry for the trouble," he whispered into the phone, closing his eyes. "Just take care of Shibuya for a little while longer, Shiki...I love you." He hung up.
Shiki stared at the phone for a long moment, her eyes burning with the need to cry before she dashed them away. She hadn't the heart to tell him the details of the summons she had received.
"....Neku Sakuraba...Composer of Shibuya...if found guilty of one more count of murder against Yoshiya Kiryuu...sent to Hell...lowest level..."
She crushed the paper in her hand and snapped the phone shut. "Beat! I want those reports on my desk by one o'clock yesterday!"
-----------------------
The weather was perfect for laundry. A bright, sunny day in Shibuya with light tempuratures and only a few clouds. The workers from the strip club who lived near Yoshiya had all gone down to the basement to wash their delicates this morning. They were now hanging them up to air dry on the roof of the building, while laughing and playing like children with each other. Panties were thrown like slingshots while strippers squealed and ran around in skimpy bikinis, and Neku tried not to laugh and flush at the same time. He took position as guard on the opposite end of the building to practice his psychs, letting the orbs of lightening and flame curl around his hands and grow.
"You're getting better."
Neku, who normally would have flinched or jumped at the voice, simply curled the power tighter and smirked. "Yeah, I've been practicing on how to kick your ass."
"I look forward to it." Sakuraba skulked in the shadows of the roof, leaning against the exit to the lower levels and a cigarette dangling from his hand. He raised an eyebrow as he looked over his shoulder, narrowly avoiding getting a panty to the face. He turned his attention back to Neku. "By the way, you're the only one that can see me right now."
"Heh. What, afraid Yoshiya might smack you in the face with a thong?" Neku teased, standing up to face Sakuraba in his new boots that Yoshiya had picked out two days prior. He was also wearing a brand new leather coat with tinkling buckles and a high collar. "I'm not afraid of you. You're just afraid of a stripper."
Sakuraba raised an eyebrow at the comment, but did nothing. Instead he tilted his head, smirking back. "Copying my style, are you?" he teased back, leaning off the wall and shoving his hand into the pocket of his own leather coat.
"Ah...it was...Yoshiya's idea..." Neku stuttered, flushing at the scrutiny. "He said it made us both look hot and that- Oh...I can't say it..."
"Panty attack~!" Yoshiya laughed, snapping another pair of wet, frilly undergarments at Masuoka before running from another stripper who caught him about the waist. "Ah! Traitor!"
"How can you want to kill that?" Neku snorted, holding his hand out to point at Yoshiya laughing and squirming as he was tickled by three others. "His worst crime is killing himself."
"He's a Joshua," was the only reply Sakuraba gave him as he took hold of his cigarette, exhaling smoke from his mouth. "That's the only reason I need."
"Why?" Neku folded his arms and looked up at Sakuraba. "And don't give me that 'he's a Joshua' crap. Why because he's a Joshua? What did Joshua ever do to you?"
A sneer curled on his lips and he closed his eyes. "If you really want to know..." The taller redhead paused, his mind recounting everything up until now. "The Joshua from my world kidnapped me when I was five."
Neku's arms slowly relaxed. "...and?"
"You know what? Why don't I just show you what the fuck happened?" he snarled, and without warning his hand pressed itself to Neku's head, his eyes closing.
He stumbled, but didn't go too far, his hands flying up to grasp Sakuraba's wrist. Neku's mouth worked as if he wanted to scream but he couldn't. Oh God he couldn't...
---
Joshua froze, the mug of coffee he had been carrying back to bed shattering in his hand to fall to the marbled floor in shards. He felt Neku's music begin to unravel. "S-s-san-san-SANAE! SANAE!"
The Producer appeared in the room, his arms wrapping around Joshua's waist and holding him up. "J? What's wrong, kiddo?"
He was biting his lip so hard that blood was running down his chin. Shibuya was screaming in a high voice that her Conductor was in pain, that he was hurting and in trouble. Joshua was squeezing his hands around his middle, the broken mug embedding itself in his fingers as he whimpered and sucked in a breath. "N-neku...he...he's...b-break...breaking...apart..."
---
"S-stop...stop...please...S-sakuraba-san...please stop..." Neku begged, falling to his knees as the hand squeezed tighter, showing him more of the horrible images. His hands were massaging Sakuraba's wrist as he tried to soothe the other, despite his own torture. "Please...stop it..."
Sakuraba's eyes opened and he wrenched his hand away from Neku's head, backing away to slump against the wall and slide down it. Not only did transferring memories take a lot of power, but he hated reliving them. He raised a hand to his cigarette, taking hold of it shakily and squeezing his eyes shut again.
Neku fell to his hands and promptly vomitted into the gravel of the rooftop, his shoulders heaving as he shuddered violently. He could see why but...even still...Yoshiya was...
He felt sick. So...dizzy and nauseated. Neku sat back, wiping the back of his hand over his mouth as he tried to gain his bearings. He could feel something clicking back into place, like tiny puzzle pieces, and a distant worry nagged at him. Yoshiya had turned, seeing his distress, and started to come closer.
"Stay back!"
"Fuck..." Sakuraba should have known that this would happen. His eyes opened and he stood from where he had collapsed against the wall. He could feel Neku's power unravelling, his Music straining to break free. He gritted his teeth as he closed his eyes again, Music beginning to lace his hands as he tried to patch his counterpart's Music back together.
Neku's own music reacted, reaching out and interlacing with Sakuraba's like a parasite, patching holes without thought, and sliding through that which was discordant to repair it. Neku didn't understand what he was doing when he rose shakily to his feet and grabbed Sakuraba's lapels, yanking him down into a hard kiss. Yoshiya watched Neku kissing the air, his eyes wide as he realized what was going on. "Oh. My. God."
The strain of his Music and power and his surprise at the kiss caused Sakuraba's frequency to change, becoming visible. He blinked, a little shocked before he growled and took hold of Neku's shoulders, feeling his Music being sapped from his body like it was being sucked up through a vacuum cleaner. Shit...if Neku took anymore...
"Let him go, Neku!" Yoshiya shouted, smacking him in the face with the only thing he had.
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Neku sputtered and flailed as he pulled away. "What the hell, Yoshiya?"
Sakuraba fell back onto the rooftop on his backside, giving a groan. "Shit..." Holy fuck his body hurt. His Music was stretched so far already, and he truly thought that had the little harlot not interrupted when he did then Neku might very well have killed him.
Yoshiya leaned over him, offering a hand. "Are you okay, Sakuraba-san?"
Neku was too preoccupied with trying to sort himself out, the music in his head and the sudden connection between himself and Sakuraba. There was so much to be repaired...
He looked up at the offered hand and smacked it away, scowling. "Fine. Just a bit fried is all," was what he replied with, going to kneel on the gravel of the roof and fell back again. "Shit..."
"Just rest, please. There's no shame in taking a breath." Yoshiya smiled and turned to Neku. "Are you okay?"
"Y-yeah. Just...a little...weird..." Neku whispered, his cheeks flushed and his eyes glazed as he looked around in a drunken stuper. "Hey."
"Oh...Sakuraba-san...? Could you help me with him? I think he's drunk." Yoshiya sighed. "I mean...could you carry him to bed for me? You're stronger than I am and I was hoping I could talk to you in private."
"If you haven't noticed, I can barely stand at the moment," the taller redhead said, running a hand through his hair before trying again and bracing himself against the entrance to the lower levels. "And that's what usually happens when you practically suck the Music out of someone."
"I meant when you felt a little better, silly," Yoshiya said, kneeling next to him. "And he was just trying to help you, I think. Neku's just a baby Conductor, you know. It's not fair that you're going to fight him. I thought if you saw him dressed like you, you might feel a shred of pity and stop being such an ass."
Sakuraba raised an eyebrow at Yoshiya, though for once found himself not jittery around the boy like he had before, as he did with all Joshuas. He snorted at the concept, standing and once he was sure his legs were working he stepped away from the wall. "You have got to be kidding me..."
"What? Which part?" Yoshiya tilted his head and looked up at Sakuraba in curiousity. "I bought something for you, Sakuraba-san. I was hoping to give it to you in person, but if you poof out on me again I'll leave it on the roof for you to pick up later. But I really could use help with ditzy over here."
As if to punctuate the point, Neku giggled like and idiot. "Wow. I think I see notes, Shiki."
Yoshiya covered his face and sighed.
Sakuraba's eyes glanced to his counterpart at the mention of Shiki, then he calmed himself down, also pressing a hand to his face before running it through his hair. "...Fine. I'll help you drag loverboy downstairs before he hurts himself." He walked over to Neku and practically threw his counterpart over his shoulder by taking hold of one of his arms and wrapping his own around the boy's waist, hoisting him up into the air and leaving him on his shoulder.
Yoshiya smiled and led the way down the stairs, nodding to the others that it was okay and not to worry about them. He led Sakuraba to his little suite, and to the bedroom in the back corner where he could toss Neku on the bed. Neku was still going on about music notes and Noise symbols, not to mention something that sounded oddly like sushi rolls.
The stripper made a mental note later to pick some up for him.
He adjusted the straps on his lavender bikini as he picked up a bag he had left near the entrance and offered it to Sakuraba. "I hope you like it. I know you said you liked instant noodles but...they aren't very cost effective and cooking is much more fun."
Dumping Neku on the bed, Sakuraba blinked at the bag, a little confused by the offering.
"I don't like it when people don't like me. It's just...I try to do my best to make it up to them, even if I haven't personally offended them. Sakuraba-san, I care about you. Even though I don't know you, I care about you because you're a person, too. You live and breathe and eat just like me. Please accept my gift." Yoshiya bowed a little, his hand still holding the bag.
"Fine." Sakuraba took hold of the bag and tilted his head, closing his eyes. "And don't think I'm accepting this because I like you." His eyes opened, swallowing a little. It was always hard to look at them after having nightmares, even reliving those memories like he'd done when showing them to Neku... He lit a fresh cigarette, sighing around it.
Yoshiya's lips twitched and he nodded. "I also wanted to thank you for not killing me outright. For giving me time with Neku. I have enjoyed these past few days with him. Might I have until the end of the week? Then I will let you kill me willingly. I will scream and squirm and cry as much as you want. But I won't run unless you want me to. Neku has to return home in a week. He doesn't know that. I do. Hanekoma-sama told me about it."
"He doesn't know anything, does he?" Sakuraba said, then laughed, his shoulders shaking a little. "God was fucked up to send an untrained Conductor to stop me."
"Yes. Please. I'm not afraid to die." Yoshiya shakily reached forward and touched Sakuraba's chest, right over his heart. "Not if it's you."
The taller redhead glanced down at the hand on his chest, taking hold of it and pulling Yoshiya forward, so they were closer than before. "You're a little fool, you know that?" he asked, a slight purr in his voice as he tilted his head down, brushing his lips over Yoshiya's.
Yoshiya's face flushed and his eyes widened at the strange reaction of an almost kiss. He remained perfectly still, neither pulling away nor pressing closer as he looked up at Sakuraba with curiously adoring eyes. "I've been told that, yes."
"You have three more days," Sakuraba said, letting his hand leave Yoshiya's and trail up his face before running down his jawline. "Use them wisely." And with that, he disappeared from the room.
He closed his eyes, hand touching his face as he shivered at the gentle caress. "I will save you. I will. I promise."
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. A freshly crowned Conductor, Neku is sent to Shibuya no. four-ninety-one to protect Yoshiya - a popular stripper and counterpart of Joshua - from Sakuraba - a counterpart of his own who is going around killing Joshuas for unknown reasons.
Chapters: Chapter I | Chapter II | Chapter III | Chapter IV
Notes: We're speeding along with Redux at a relatively fast pace, so you'll get more chapters every couple of days now =3 Enjoy~♥
The soft whisper of Shibuya's distress was beginning to fray his nerves as she caressed his ears gently. She was worried for him and for Neku as she tinkled quietly in the background of the Room of Reckoning, where Joshua sat in the chained throne, looking at the same paperwork he had been looking at since this mess had started. All the Joshuas with their profile photographs and murder scenes. What he had sent his proxy to handle. An untrained Conductor.
He slapped the papers down onto his lap and pressed a hand to the bridge of his nose. "What, Sanae?"
"You knew Phones didn't have the right training," Sanae started, hand in the back of his pocket as he took hold of the cigarette between his lips, exhaling smoke. "Any training for that matter. Hell, J, you didn't even tell him he was your Conductor. You sent him in there unprepared and possibly to die."
"Shut. Up." Joshua turned a pair of smoldering violet eyes to his Producer. "I have no time or patience to be lectured by you of all people."
Sanae sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. He knew the Composer's moodswings enough by now to be wary of them. "You're worried about him, ain'tcha?"
Joshua gave a tiny, near impersceptible twitch, his fingers still hovering near his face. His eyes stared off into the distance as if he were remembering something from a long time ago. "...I have a migraine. Some headaches never leave, even after death."
The barista rolled his eyes. Josh wasn't fooling anyone, especially not him. He placed his cigarette back between his lips, other hand on his hip. "J, you could have at least told Phones what he was. You should've seen the look on his face when I introduced him to my counterpart by title."
"He would have been able to refuse then," Joshua said matter of factly, rising from the throne and starting toward the pad, intent on a drink.
"Somehow I doubt that Phones would have done that," Hanekoma said, following the Composer casually down the tunnel towards the pad, placing one of his hands in his pockets and exhaling some smoke. "He cares about Shibuya. He would have done it either way."
"Cares about Shibuya...yes," Joshua snorted, pushing the door open to the pad and slipping inside. The cool airconditioned air hit him like a balm and he sighed, unbuttoning another button on his shirt. "But not about me, right, Sanae? I have a Conductor who despises his Composer. How wonderful for Shibuya. How long shall this partnership last. You feared it in the second week, didn't you? That my power would tear his soul apart? Well, I wonder how long it will take for his to rend mine asunder?"
Sanae scratched the back of his neck, tilting his head. "I did think you were going about it the wrong way, yes," he said, walking over to the bar and getting himself a coffee, his eyes closing at the last part. "I got a call from Hanekoma earlier. Apparently Neku's power spiked this morning and just about caused a blackout in four-ninety-one."
Joshua blinked just as he lifted the edge of the cold coffee can to his lips. "...he had sex?"
Sanae shrugged, depositing his cigarette butt into an ash tray and raising his coffee mug to his lips, taking a sip. "I dunno."
"That deceitful little whore...I knew I shouldn't have allowed him to go there," Joshua growled and slammed the can down on the counter. "He was mine by right. Not his."
"Jealous much, J?" Sanae asked with a raised eyebrow, blowing against his coffee before taking another sip from its mug, closing his eyes in bliss. "Y'shouldn'ta gone about things the way ya did. Maybe if he'd had training..."
"Damnit, Shibuya, shut up!" Joshua shouted, pressing his palm to his forehead, his teeth gritted in pain. "Sanae, please. Not now."
"She calling for 'im, boss?" the barista asked, his eyes softening. Though he heard Shibuya's Music himself, he didn't hear it as much as Josh did, and he took another sip from his coffee.
Joshua nodded quickly as he took a deep breath. "She's worried. Just as I am. She doesn't understand why he can't hear her."
"Shibuya wants him back..." Sanae closed his eyes, then opened them again, his expression one of worry. "Do you think she might drag him back here by force if he stays in four-ninety-one for too long...?"
He gave a sudden gasp, as if something hit him in the stomach, and leaned on the counter with more force. "S-sanae...he hasn't much time, I'm afraid. He can only be away for a week. Shibuya isn't very pleased with her Composer. I...I need to lie down. Would you keep an eye out for me?"
Joshua didn't wait for a response as he started off toward his rooms, disappearing in a sparkling of light in mid-stride. Shibuya wasn't just displeased with him. She was livid.
"Of course, J." Sanae ran a hand through his hair and sighed. Well, fuck...
----------------
Sakuraba's hand shook as he held the phone to his ear, perched on the couch in his hideaway and his other hand to his mouth, wrapped around the cigarette there. "Damnit...don't pick up..." He really hoped she wouldn't pick up...he hadn't spoken or sent word in so long... He closed his eyes, his nerves just about on their last strand.
The other end of the phone clicked as it was answered and for a long moment there was no reply. Silence reigned uncomfortably and then there was a strained. "Misaki Shiki speaking."
His soul stung at the sound of her voice, his own nearly cracking when he spoke into the receiver. "S-Shiki...?" Sakuraba's hand gripped around the phone but he didn't break it, his other hand shakily taking hold of his cigarette and pulling it away from his mouth.
"Neku...?" She whispered, relieved. She sounded exhausted, as if every reserve of her energy had been sapped and then some. "Oh...Neku...what are you doing out there? Please come home. I...I'm tired of yelling at you. This place is falling apart and I can't do this without you. Neku. Come home. We need you."
He wet his lips, trying to find the words to say to her before he closed his eyee. "I'm sorry," he murmured into the phone, opening his eyes to stare ahead as though at nothing, unwanted memories appearing in his mind though they weren't called for. "This will be the last...then...then I'll come home...for a while..."
"Neku...please..." she begged, her voice cracking along with the phone's connection, "don't do this anymore. They...they sent angels...they came looking for you...with a summons."
"I have to." Sakuraba's eyes closed as a grimace of pain flashed across his face as he curled up into a half-ball, knees to his chin. "I have to, Shiki...I can't stop...they all have to die for what happened to me!"
There was a long pause and Shiki's voice was soft, understanding, and filled with so much motherly love that Sakuraba could almost feel her hand on his shoulder soothing him. "I know, Neku. I know. Come home soon, okay? Don't forget about what's important."
Sakuraba almost broke down then and there. He missed her. He missed her and Beat and Rhyme and his Shibuya. But still...he had a duty to do. "I'm sorry for the trouble," he whispered into the phone, closing his eyes. "Just take care of Shibuya for a little while longer, Shiki...I love you." He hung up.
Shiki stared at the phone for a long moment, her eyes burning with the need to cry before she dashed them away. She hadn't the heart to tell him the details of the summons she had received.
"....Neku Sakuraba...Composer of Shibuya...if found guilty of one more count of murder against Yoshiya Kiryuu...sent to Hell...lowest level..."
She crushed the paper in her hand and snapped the phone shut. "Beat! I want those reports on my desk by one o'clock yesterday!"
-----------------------
The weather was perfect for laundry. A bright, sunny day in Shibuya with light tempuratures and only a few clouds. The workers from the strip club who lived near Yoshiya had all gone down to the basement to wash their delicates this morning. They were now hanging them up to air dry on the roof of the building, while laughing and playing like children with each other. Panties were thrown like slingshots while strippers squealed and ran around in skimpy bikinis, and Neku tried not to laugh and flush at the same time. He took position as guard on the opposite end of the building to practice his psychs, letting the orbs of lightening and flame curl around his hands and grow.
"You're getting better."
Neku, who normally would have flinched or jumped at the voice, simply curled the power tighter and smirked. "Yeah, I've been practicing on how to kick your ass."
"I look forward to it." Sakuraba skulked in the shadows of the roof, leaning against the exit to the lower levels and a cigarette dangling from his hand. He raised an eyebrow as he looked over his shoulder, narrowly avoiding getting a panty to the face. He turned his attention back to Neku. "By the way, you're the only one that can see me right now."
"Heh. What, afraid Yoshiya might smack you in the face with a thong?" Neku teased, standing up to face Sakuraba in his new boots that Yoshiya had picked out two days prior. He was also wearing a brand new leather coat with tinkling buckles and a high collar. "I'm not afraid of you. You're just afraid of a stripper."
Sakuraba raised an eyebrow at the comment, but did nothing. Instead he tilted his head, smirking back. "Copying my style, are you?" he teased back, leaning off the wall and shoving his hand into the pocket of his own leather coat.
"Ah...it was...Yoshiya's idea..." Neku stuttered, flushing at the scrutiny. "He said it made us both look hot and that- Oh...I can't say it..."
"Panty attack~!" Yoshiya laughed, snapping another pair of wet, frilly undergarments at Masuoka before running from another stripper who caught him about the waist. "Ah! Traitor!"
"How can you want to kill that?" Neku snorted, holding his hand out to point at Yoshiya laughing and squirming as he was tickled by three others. "His worst crime is killing himself."
"He's a Joshua," was the only reply Sakuraba gave him as he took hold of his cigarette, exhaling smoke from his mouth. "That's the only reason I need."
"Why?" Neku folded his arms and looked up at Sakuraba. "And don't give me that 'he's a Joshua' crap. Why because he's a Joshua? What did Joshua ever do to you?"
A sneer curled on his lips and he closed his eyes. "If you really want to know..." The taller redhead paused, his mind recounting everything up until now. "The Joshua from my world kidnapped me when I was five."
Neku's arms slowly relaxed. "...and?"
"You know what? Why don't I just show you what the fuck happened?" he snarled, and without warning his hand pressed itself to Neku's head, his eyes closing.
He stumbled, but didn't go too far, his hands flying up to grasp Sakuraba's wrist. Neku's mouth worked as if he wanted to scream but he couldn't. Oh God he couldn't...
---
Joshua froze, the mug of coffee he had been carrying back to bed shattering in his hand to fall to the marbled floor in shards. He felt Neku's music begin to unravel. "S-s-san-san-SANAE! SANAE!"
The Producer appeared in the room, his arms wrapping around Joshua's waist and holding him up. "J? What's wrong, kiddo?"
He was biting his lip so hard that blood was running down his chin. Shibuya was screaming in a high voice that her Conductor was in pain, that he was hurting and in trouble. Joshua was squeezing his hands around his middle, the broken mug embedding itself in his fingers as he whimpered and sucked in a breath. "N-neku...he...he's...b-break...breaking...apart..."
---
"S-stop...stop...please...S-sakuraba-san...please stop..." Neku begged, falling to his knees as the hand squeezed tighter, showing him more of the horrible images. His hands were massaging Sakuraba's wrist as he tried to soothe the other, despite his own torture. "Please...stop it..."
Sakuraba's eyes opened and he wrenched his hand away from Neku's head, backing away to slump against the wall and slide down it. Not only did transferring memories take a lot of power, but he hated reliving them. He raised a hand to his cigarette, taking hold of it shakily and squeezing his eyes shut again.
Neku fell to his hands and promptly vomitted into the gravel of the rooftop, his shoulders heaving as he shuddered violently. He could see why but...even still...Yoshiya was...
He felt sick. So...dizzy and nauseated. Neku sat back, wiping the back of his hand over his mouth as he tried to gain his bearings. He could feel something clicking back into place, like tiny puzzle pieces, and a distant worry nagged at him. Yoshiya had turned, seeing his distress, and started to come closer.
"Stay back!"
"Fuck..." Sakuraba should have known that this would happen. His eyes opened and he stood from where he had collapsed against the wall. He could feel Neku's power unravelling, his Music straining to break free. He gritted his teeth as he closed his eyes again, Music beginning to lace his hands as he tried to patch his counterpart's Music back together.
Neku's own music reacted, reaching out and interlacing with Sakuraba's like a parasite, patching holes without thought, and sliding through that which was discordant to repair it. Neku didn't understand what he was doing when he rose shakily to his feet and grabbed Sakuraba's lapels, yanking him down into a hard kiss. Yoshiya watched Neku kissing the air, his eyes wide as he realized what was going on. "Oh. My. God."
The strain of his Music and power and his surprise at the kiss caused Sakuraba's frequency to change, becoming visible. He blinked, a little shocked before he growled and took hold of Neku's shoulders, feeling his Music being sapped from his body like it was being sucked up through a vacuum cleaner. Shit...if Neku took anymore...
"Let him go, Neku!" Yoshiya shouted, smacking him in the face with the only thing he had.
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Neku sputtered and flailed as he pulled away. "What the hell, Yoshiya?"
Sakuraba fell back onto the rooftop on his backside, giving a groan. "Shit..." Holy fuck his body hurt. His Music was stretched so far already, and he truly thought that had the little harlot not interrupted when he did then Neku might very well have killed him.
Yoshiya leaned over him, offering a hand. "Are you okay, Sakuraba-san?"
Neku was too preoccupied with trying to sort himself out, the music in his head and the sudden connection between himself and Sakuraba. There was so much to be repaired...
He looked up at the offered hand and smacked it away, scowling. "Fine. Just a bit fried is all," was what he replied with, going to kneel on the gravel of the roof and fell back again. "Shit..."
"Just rest, please. There's no shame in taking a breath." Yoshiya smiled and turned to Neku. "Are you okay?"
"Y-yeah. Just...a little...weird..." Neku whispered, his cheeks flushed and his eyes glazed as he looked around in a drunken stuper. "Hey."
"Oh...Sakuraba-san...? Could you help me with him? I think he's drunk." Yoshiya sighed. "I mean...could you carry him to bed for me? You're stronger than I am and I was hoping I could talk to you in private."
"If you haven't noticed, I can barely stand at the moment," the taller redhead said, running a hand through his hair before trying again and bracing himself against the entrance to the lower levels. "And that's what usually happens when you practically suck the Music out of someone."
"I meant when you felt a little better, silly," Yoshiya said, kneeling next to him. "And he was just trying to help you, I think. Neku's just a baby Conductor, you know. It's not fair that you're going to fight him. I thought if you saw him dressed like you, you might feel a shred of pity and stop being such an ass."
Sakuraba raised an eyebrow at Yoshiya, though for once found himself not jittery around the boy like he had before, as he did with all Joshuas. He snorted at the concept, standing and once he was sure his legs were working he stepped away from the wall. "You have got to be kidding me..."
"What? Which part?" Yoshiya tilted his head and looked up at Sakuraba in curiousity. "I bought something for you, Sakuraba-san. I was hoping to give it to you in person, but if you poof out on me again I'll leave it on the roof for you to pick up later. But I really could use help with ditzy over here."
As if to punctuate the point, Neku giggled like and idiot. "Wow. I think I see notes, Shiki."
Yoshiya covered his face and sighed.
Sakuraba's eyes glanced to his counterpart at the mention of Shiki, then he calmed himself down, also pressing a hand to his face before running it through his hair. "...Fine. I'll help you drag loverboy downstairs before he hurts himself." He walked over to Neku and practically threw his counterpart over his shoulder by taking hold of one of his arms and wrapping his own around the boy's waist, hoisting him up into the air and leaving him on his shoulder.
Yoshiya smiled and led the way down the stairs, nodding to the others that it was okay and not to worry about them. He led Sakuraba to his little suite, and to the bedroom in the back corner where he could toss Neku on the bed. Neku was still going on about music notes and Noise symbols, not to mention something that sounded oddly like sushi rolls.
The stripper made a mental note later to pick some up for him.
He adjusted the straps on his lavender bikini as he picked up a bag he had left near the entrance and offered it to Sakuraba. "I hope you like it. I know you said you liked instant noodles but...they aren't very cost effective and cooking is much more fun."
Dumping Neku on the bed, Sakuraba blinked at the bag, a little confused by the offering.
"I don't like it when people don't like me. It's just...I try to do my best to make it up to them, even if I haven't personally offended them. Sakuraba-san, I care about you. Even though I don't know you, I care about you because you're a person, too. You live and breathe and eat just like me. Please accept my gift." Yoshiya bowed a little, his hand still holding the bag.
"Fine." Sakuraba took hold of the bag and tilted his head, closing his eyes. "And don't think I'm accepting this because I like you." His eyes opened, swallowing a little. It was always hard to look at them after having nightmares, even reliving those memories like he'd done when showing them to Neku... He lit a fresh cigarette, sighing around it.
Yoshiya's lips twitched and he nodded. "I also wanted to thank you for not killing me outright. For giving me time with Neku. I have enjoyed these past few days with him. Might I have until the end of the week? Then I will let you kill me willingly. I will scream and squirm and cry as much as you want. But I won't run unless you want me to. Neku has to return home in a week. He doesn't know that. I do. Hanekoma-sama told me about it."
"He doesn't know anything, does he?" Sakuraba said, then laughed, his shoulders shaking a little. "God was fucked up to send an untrained Conductor to stop me."
"Yes. Please. I'm not afraid to die." Yoshiya shakily reached forward and touched Sakuraba's chest, right over his heart. "Not if it's you."
The taller redhead glanced down at the hand on his chest, taking hold of it and pulling Yoshiya forward, so they were closer than before. "You're a little fool, you know that?" he asked, a slight purr in his voice as he tilted his head down, brushing his lips over Yoshiya's.
Yoshiya's face flushed and his eyes widened at the strange reaction of an almost kiss. He remained perfectly still, neither pulling away nor pressing closer as he looked up at Sakuraba with curiously adoring eyes. "I've been told that, yes."
"You have three more days," Sakuraba said, letting his hand leave Yoshiya's and trail up his face before running down his jawline. "Use them wisely." And with that, he disappeared from the room.
He closed his eyes, hand touching his face as he shivered at the gentle caress. "I will save you. I will. I promise."