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In the end, it was the normally reserved Neku who suggested it.
“Shiki, let’s go on a date.” He was blushing, of course, and so was she. She didn’t use Eri’s overdramatic gestures anymore. The Real Shiki, as he’d termed her, was less emotionally expressive, but Neku had seen how her emotions rose and fall in the Game, and was best of all their friends at sensing how she really felt. His voice didn’t hold any hesitation.
“Uh...like, as friends?” she asked, not dropping her Wiimote. Neku was sitting on the couch, watching her play The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. He couldn’t see her blush, but he knew it was there. She still had a little of the old insecurity in her, and she wanted to be sure he meant what it sounded like.
“As girlfriend and boyfriend. I promise not to bite...much.” He grinned, rubbing at the headphones he’d now taken to wearing around his neck.
“I’d love to.” Shiki expertly sliced a Bokoblin from head to groin with the Master Sword. “When?” Neku checked his watch.
“Why not now? Just give me a minute to change.” And before she could protest her own style of dress, he’d darted upstairs. The dilemma facing him now wasn’t one of being brave enough to ask out the most precious person, or indeed the most precious thing in his life. It was what to wear.
When the Composer (Neku tried very hard not to think of him as Joshua) had reset the universe at the end of that final Game in the Room of Reckoning, he’d seen fit to let Neku, Shiki, Beat, and Rhyme have all the clothes, pins, and money they’d accumulated over the course of the game. Neku, having alone of the foursome spent all three weeks as an active player, was now the best-dressed and richest of his friends. He quickly stripped out of his usual J of the M outfit and was greeted by another one of the Game’s effects: he was in really good shape.
It must have been all that running and fighting, using muscle motions most humans would never have to. He’d learned to leap-dodge across streets, direct energy bullets using only his wrist strength, and slash like a maniac. Accordingly, he now looked like a lean version of Beat under his clothes.
He immediately decided against Tigre Punks, Wild Boar, Lapin Angelique, and D+B. The first three made him feel like a poser, and the latter would probably remind him too much Eri, who was as bubbly and pleasant as Shiki promised. After a moment, he crossed out Mus Rattus, too. He had no intention of looking like Shiki’s twin brother, dressed in matching clothes.
In the end, he decided on J of the M. It was comfortable, trendy, and not something Shiki was ever likely to wear. He threw on bleached jeans, a bright red parka slim enough to show off his new figure, high tops, and a sporty messenger bag, then descended into the living room only to find Shiki having something of a panic attack. Seeing him only worsened it.
“I can’t go out looking like this!” she snapped, all in one breath. Neku shrugged.
“Then why don’t we go shopping, buy you some stuff to wear when we eat? I guess it’d make a nice afternoon, right? Shopping in someone else’s store for a change.” As usual, Neku had hit the nail on the head. Neku and Shiki both worked at WildKat, as Hanekoma had left it and all his money to Neku prior to his mysterious disappearance. It would be a breath of fresh air to be customers for a change.
“You’re right, of course,” said Shiki, grabbing one of Neku’s scarves. It was winter, and chilly. She laced her fingers through his. “Let’s go!”
They only made it as far as Edoga the Shop before something new happened, something inevitable. A pair of teenagers, eyes wild and clothes wrinkled, stumbled into the shop panting, hid behind a few racks of clothing. The shop was small and not well known to non-Players, so they got no strange looks. Neku, Shiki, and Aily Ueno were the only other people there, and Aily was in the back finding a skirt in Shiki’s size. So they were alone.
“Do you think...do you think the Noise can follow us in here?” asked one of them, a tall black girl with purple-dyed dreadlocks. She clutched a small pin in desperate fingers, and Neku realized it was Sunday. The Game had begun.
“No, I don’t think so,” said her partner, another girl with six piercings above her neck alone. “I hope not. But listen, what the hell was that out there? You could barely make your psych work. God, of all the partners, I get the one who can barely fight...” Neku had heard enough. He walked over and pulled pins out his pockets. He rarely mentioned it, but he frequently worried that he might die again, and his Imagination (as Mr. H’s reports had called it) would land him another seven days in hell. He always carried pins...just in case.
Now he gave a very special one to the black girl.
“Listen to me. You’re Players, right? Well, it looks to me like you’re on the fast track to erasure.” They gasped. The punk grabbed his arm forcefully.
“What the hell are you on about?” Neku yanked his arm back.
“If you don’t trust your partner, you won’t make it. Believe me, I know. That pin there can bring out incredible power in you two, if you foster your connection as partners.”
“And why should we believe you?” sneered the punk. Neku laughed, surprising everyone. Aily had returned, and was watching him with one eye and haggling with Shiki with the other.
“Because I survived three weeks of what you’re facing with all the odds against me,” he said, in a strange voice. “Ask any Reaper about Neku Sakuraba, or the Long Game...I promise they’ll tell you a story you won’t forget. Trust your partner, understand?” They both nodded, then ran off without buying anything. Neku sighed.
“Mr. H was so much better at this...” To his surprise, Aily was the one who replied.
“Hanekoma? He was in my Game, too...” Neku wasn’t all that surprised that she’d been a Player. After all, her store did have the Reaper decal. But now he was unnerved—months after that experience was over, the UG just couldn’t leave him alone.
They finally made their way to Shibukyu Stationside, laden with glossy shopping bags, and ordered themselves lunch. In the Game, Shiki’s obsession with being like Eri made her scorn fast food. Now, she was comfortable enough with herself enough to eat what she liked, and damn what others thought. She had a cheeseburger, and Neku ordered nuggets. They had a milkshake to share. Everything was greasy and delicious and wonderful.
Until the waitress brought no less than six orders of nuggets.
“What the— I only ordered one!” he nearly shouted. “I’m not paying for these, I’ll tell you that right now.” The waitress sighed.
“Thank that weird guy over there. He said to tell you they’re a “peace offering”.” Neku looked where she pointed, saw a young-looking man in brown chinos and a soft-looking skeleton hoodie sipping out of a milkshake shared with a certain pink-haired dominatrix. He stood up immediately, put all their food in the bag, and left. Why couldn’t the Game leave him be for one damn afternoon?
As he stormed out, hand-in-hand with Shiki, he felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around. They’d followed him out into the street.
“Look, I didn’t mean anything by it, aight?” said the orange-haired man in the skeleton hoodie. Kariya?
“Seriously,” said the pixie-cut woman with him. “Who gets mad when people treat them? Besides, we had to—we had to—ugh! I’m not saying it, Kariya.” He laughed, unwrapped another of his lollipops.
“What Uzuki’s trying to say is thanks for, y’know, not erasing us. You could’ve, but you didn’t.” Neku shook his head.
“Don’t thank me. I was going to erase you. Beat’s the one who told me not to. You know, that guy whose little sister you killed.” Uzuki shrugged.
“Erasure’s the name of the game, kid. We did our jobs. But you helped us out, so thanks.” She bumped Kariya with her elbow, and he nodded. Their eyes glowed, and for a brief moment Neku could swear they had wings. Then they were gone, vibes now tuned in to a plane above Neku and Shiki’s.
“Don’t let it bother you,” said Shiki, giving his hand a little squeeze. “We’re past that, past them.”
“Yeah, but I get the feeling that the other Shibuya isn’t quite ready to let go of me, yet,” Neku replied, with a shrug. “Well, where are we going to eat all these nuggets?”
“Why don’t we go to the CAT mural in Udagawa?” Shiki suggested. “I think Beat’s working today, and you know Rhyme won’t be too far behind.” Neku agreed heartily, and they set off.
Shibuya in winter was brisk and ever beautiful, neon lights cutting through the cold. Neku and Shiki were completely at ease in it, having experienced the city on a deeper level than most ever got to. After a quick stop in AMX to buy the new SAWA CD, sprinting past Stride to avoid being roped into a few rounds of Tin Pin Slammer, and saying hello to the cute nurse at Shibu Q Heads, they arrived in the somewhat shady Udagawa district.
Shiki insisted on buying Neku the newest Wild Boar hoodie, as he loved to wear them around the house. They were thick, soft pullovers, and they make him look simultaneously tough and adorable. Then they sat underneath the mural and munched on nuggets, listening out for what would not doubt be a noticeable entrance by their fastest friend.
The first sign of trouble was when a small girl wearing a cute two-tier goth loli skirt and roller blades got knocked over by a tall man rushing out of the Wild Boar store. The tall man turned, saw the girl fall, and quickly began to walk away.
“OH, HELL, NO!” yelled a familiar gritty voice. Neku and Shiki looked at each other, then sprang up and ran down the street. A young man wearing a red baseball cap with a black W on the front, a green hoodie with a red logo, and green camo cargo pants . “Slam!” cried the young man, and kicked up off the rail, smashing his very expensive limited edition CATxWild Boar skateboard into the tall man’s face.
“Beat, stop!” yelled Neku, nearly there. The young man, Beat, kicked his board up into his hand, shoved it up into his black backpack, and punched the tall man square in the face.
“Don’t fuck with my little sister!” he said, then ran over to help up the girl in the skirt. She was cute as a button in a bunny-eared black and purple hoodie, black platform shoes, and a tiny crown, and her knees were a little scraped.
“Beat, was that really necessary?” she asked with a sigh. “It’s not good to be so eager to fight.”
“Aw, Rhyme, he did you so wrong! He coulda stopped to help you up, but he just walked past. I couldn’t just let him get away with that!” The situation had mostly diffused—if Beat was calm enough to protest a lecture, the fight was over. The man ran away, nursing a bleeding nose and mouth, just as Neku and Shiki pulled up. Shiki helped Rhyme brush the gravel off her clothes, while Neku and Beat exchange a fist bump and a hug. Then Neku gave Rhyme a hug and a kiss on the forehead while Beat and Shiki exchanged embraces.
These four had lived and died together, had found themselves together. They were long past being embarrassed of public affection. Not, apparently, public brawling.
“Dude, you’re a freaking rhino!” he exclaimed. “I didn’t know you could still pull off those board moves without the psych.”
“Man, don’t doubt me! It’s easy, you just...flick your leg...and...uh...I just do it, Phones, don’t question it!” Beat zipped up his backpack to keep his skateboard in place. “Anyway, I was coming to buy some stuff. Got all As this semester, so the ‘rents gave me a little shopping money.” Neku and Shiki blinked.
“You got all As?” cried Shiki, eyes wide. “Congratulations, Beat!”
“Aw, it ain’t that hard,” muttered Beat, blushing. “I just had to do the work for myself, ‘stead of worryin’ about what other people think. It’s like Neku said. Don’t go the distance for...uh...what was it?” Neku smiled.
“”Don’t go the distance for other people. Do it for yourself.””
“You’re quoting yourself now?” teased Rhyme, smiling. Neku realized just how different she was post-Game. Her style had completely changed, and she’d acquired a new dream in singing. Her sweet, clear voice and cute looks coupled with her eccentric style made her a hit in the competitions and shows she performed in.
“Ha, I guess,” murmured Neku. “Maybe it’s being in his shop, but I catch myself sounding like Mr. H a lot these days.”
“Maybe you always did,” said Rhyme, then shook her head. “Are those chicken nuggets I smell?”
“Yeah! I’ve got plenty if you guys are hungry.” Neku hadn’t even finished the sentence before Beat had run off for the grease-stained bag.
A while later, after they’d eaten and shopped, the four of them sat under the mural, full of energy and happiness. A few faint notes were coming from Neku’s headphones, and they spoke with the casual easiness of fast friends.
“Hey, it’s getting a little late. You wanna race back to Hachiko?” asked Beat. Everyone agreed, as that had become something of a tradition—they always parted in front of the dog statue that had become their meeting spot.
They lined up, and Neku put his headphones over his ears. The volume was low enough that he could hear both his music and what was being said around him. That’s how he liked it—enjoying his soul’s melody, but in touch with the world around him.
Run, run far away
Run, run to a better place
Somewhere we can laugh truthfully...
Neku felt hope and joy and love rise up in his heart in rhythm with the melody and the singer’s voice, and he said:
“On your mark....get set...go!”
Instantly, Beat lunged forward, jumped, pulled out his board, and began boarding. Rhyme followed him in a skater's crouch, Neku’s powerful legs slammed his high tops into the pavement, and Shiki pulled Mr. Mew out of her purse and clutched him to her chest as she ran full speed. They got more than a few strange looks, but there was a fierce feeling in each of their hearts that made it somehow beneath their notice.
A few blocks down, their lungs began to burn, but they didn’t care at all. In the other’s faces, they could see huge smiles even through panting and sweat. Soon, Hachiko loomed in the distance, and they ran and rolled like hell, intent on victory. With a massive lunge, Neku managed to reach the statue first, touching it with outstretched fingers. The other three slammed into him, and somehow the crush of bodies turned into a little group hug. They all heard the last strains of Run Away as they stood catching their breath.
Dear friends, come with me
This time we can make it right
Let’s be on tonight, start over again
Beat and Rhyme left first, citing parental punishment if they got home too late. Then Neku and Shiki stood together, cheeks flushed. Shiki’s mom called, and she nodded, looking at Neku where he leaned against the statue. After a moment, she hung up.
“Well, that’s my cue! See you, Neku.” He nodded, sprang up, and pulled her into a hug. He squeezed her, then pulled back and gave her a soft kiss on the lips, blushing furiously.
“See you, Shiki.” Red-faced and smiling, she walked off, waving until he was out of sight. Neku sighed, watching night fall. Just before he started back to his own place, a long white feather fell onto his hand. He looked up, saw a tall white figure atop Shibukyu Stationside, and smiled.
He took the long way home.