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New Grounds	By : Xenos_Helia Category: +S through Z > World Ends With You, The (Subarashiki Kono Sekai) > World Ends With You, The (Subarashiki Kono Sekai) Views: 1636 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I have no ownership of The World Ends with You or the characters therein. It all belongs to SquareEnix and I make no money from the fiction I write.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
- 3
Chapter Two
Two weeks had passed since I had come to the river and I’d been given my own room, my things had been collected from home. My poor mother, when she learnt of my ‘moving out’ she had a fit. She rambled about how I had only just gotten myself on track, that I’d just started doing well at school and had only just made friends and that I should stay there with her. Joshua was with me when I went there and picked up where I couldn’t handle things. I had gone quiet and closed off and he began to understand why I had been the way I had been before the game. My mother had said that my leaving would take me out of the family so...I guess I haven’t got a family anymore. I’m just glad that my father hadn’t been there. Joshua went with me to see Shiki and Beat and explain to them as well. It was strange to have walked around the city again with a forced younger Joshua at my side. Shiki had started crying and hugged me. She had taken to hugging me over the past year and I wasn’t sure I would ever get used to it. But generally Shiki had come out of her shell more, she was genuinely bubby; the way she was during the game but in her own way. She gave me a stuffed animal she had made, and this one actually was a pig, while frantically getting assurances that she would be allowed to come visit. Beat had done the same, refused to accept that I may just disappear. He gave me a gift too to tie me over, a wad of photos that he had been taking over the last couple of years. He had needed to do a frantic search for the ones he wanted to give me. They were all taken fairly well and were all of our group and different points in our lives. Our first slam off, which I won. A photo Mr H took of us all at wildcat. That kind of thing. They were nice to have. Joshua had given them each a specially made keypin, it was blue, and it would get them into the Shibuya River and only the Shibuya River. They would be able to come visit whenever they wished. And then we’d gone back. I hadn’t seen them since. But it was getting near exam time, they must be busy.
I’d been blacking out more often. I fought, by god I fought; but the pain would eventually get too much and I’d be gone. The cement walls of my room were already covered in scribbles and images. I didn’t like opening my eyes to find images of noise everywhere, it seemed like I could get attacked at any point, like they could jump out of the wall at me. Being in the UG surrounded by noise while being alone made me nervous, even if they were only images; ‘They can’t just jump out of the wall,’ it had been explained to me, ‘They need to be refined through sigils or through special pins that only reapers can use, you’re perfectly safe.’ Kariya and I had become almost friends since I’d arrived, other than Joshua he was the only one I really spent time with, and when I pointed out that well, whatever was happening to me didn’t happen either, the fact that noise don’t just jump out of pictures didn’t make me feel any better he had understood and given me a bowl of ramen. I almost never left my room, despite the encouragement to explore and get to know the reapers from Joshua and Kariya. My room had been formed next to Joshua’s, in case of emergency, and I always had access to the Room of Reckoning. But they were really the only other places I ventured to. Though, occasionally in the middle of the night I would go to the Dead God’s Pad with Kariya to play fooseball or videogames.
There wasn’t a game running at the moment, but everyone still seemed surprisingly busy; especially Joshua. But then, I reminded myself, he was Shibuya’s composer. Mr H would come by from time to time, not for long – just an hour or two, and he and Joshua would talk intently about things that I didn’t understand. This was one of those times, the three of us were in my room and I was drinking a coffee and eating a muffin that Mr H had brought with him saying ‘A growing boy like you needs real coffee, Phones!’ My eyes had seemed to settle slightly, the colours in them mixing and swirling less chaotically, but otherwise nothing much had changed; the pain was generally less but would spike up more painfully but I seemed to ‘black out’ more here in the UG.
Mr H was saying something about having gone to other planes and talking to his selves in them, and having spoken to other angels but having come up with nothing in his search for more information about what was happening to me. Joshua mentioned his theory of ‘self evolution’, that the imagination and power in my body, already high but after having fluctuated from the game was becoming too much for my body to handle and was expanding and growing exponentially. His theory was that the pain I felt was it all trying to expand into space that I just didn’t take up, that my body was getting too small for the powerful soul that I was. Or something along those lines. Mr H seemed to think that was a plausible theory since he nodded and rubbed the stubble on his chin.
“But was it the general exposure to the game, like everyone, or was it exposure to the UG? If it was because of the excess soul and intense imagination floating around the UG...”
“I had thought of that, but there’s no real way we can know. And this is the safest place for him.”
“...I am right here.” I took another sip of coffee and Joshua came and knelt before me with a sigh.
“I’m sorry Neku, we’re just throwing ideas around, not ignoring you or meaning to talk like you’re not here. Has anything changed? I’d like your input on these theories too.”
“I don’t really understand a lot of what you’re saying but, it sounds like you think my soul is getting too big for my body?” I rubbed my head again before drinking more coffee. When Joshua and Mr H both nodded I continued, “If that’s what’s going on then there isn’t really anything we can do for me. I’m not like you, Composer, I don’t have multiple forms that I can change between to accommodate my soul. I don’t know what will happen but given how much it hurts now I guess it’ll be painful...eventually I guess my soul will just break out of me.” The pair’s eyes widened slightly, and I could have sworn that Josh’s eyes looked sad for a few moments before he regained his composure.
“That’s not going to happen, Neku. The soul doesn’t just break out of its body.”
“The soul doesn’t just grow too big for its body, either.” I pointed out and Joshua sighed.
“We’ll think of something, Phones,” Mr H put his hands in his pockets and let out a hearty chuckle like he usually did when discussing things he pretended weren’t important. “We can’t go losing our favourite former player for no good reason could we?” I looked down and gripped my coffee cup a little tighter.
“...You could always give him rank.” Another voice came from the doorway. At some point Kariya had filled the place in the doorway without any of us knowing.
“Kariya! This is a private conversation!” Joshua stood and glared at Kariya who simply shrugged,
“All I’m sayin’ is you give the boy rank. The human body changes after being given rank in order to contain and control that rank’s powers. Almost seems like he’s got the powers without the needed rank and he needs a rank so that his body won’t crumble, eh?”
“What do you mean rank?” I asked. I didn’t understand, I remembered from the game that we progressed through ranks as ESP’ers but...somehow I think he was talking about something else. Joshua sighed and shook his head.
“Kariya, Hanakoma, I would like some time alone with Neku please, I don’t think he’d particularly like to discuss that option in front of the two of you.” The two men nodded and left the room, and judging by the way Mr H was looking at Kariya I couldn’t help but think that the Conductor was going to be reprimanded.
“What did he mean by ‘Rank’, Composer?” Joshua moved to sit on the bed opposite me and went quiet, thinking of how to word what he wanted to say. He had stopped telling me off for calling him Composer, realising it was my way of dealing with being around him while still angry; though that anger was quickly subsiding. It seemed pointless now.
“He...he wants me to make you a Reaper.” I dropped the, thankfully now empty, coffee cup and my jaw dropped. I started shaking my head fervently but no words would come. “Neku, it’s okay; calm down. I would never just do that to anyone, and I don’t even know if it would work. There are different ranks of reapers and I’m not sure which one, if any, would be high enough to contain your soul. I can’t just say “okay, you’re a tenor and have the problem go away.”
“I won’t be a reaper. I won’t go into the game and try to kill players off. I won’t do that.”
“If it ended up being the only way to save you, Neku, I would turn you into a reaper with exceptions. I would never try and make you erase players. I know what players and the game mean to you. Though Kariya may have had a point, it may be the only way to save you.”
“I don’t want to be a reaper. Not a reaper.” We had started to chart the colour my eyes turned depending on my emotions, and it wasn’t fair, unlike everyone else I couldn’t keep my emotions secret anymore. So I knew that my eyes would be blue and green, sad and afraid.
“I’ve been trying to think of other options for you Neku, but unfortunately it is seeming to become your only one.”
“So...if you can’t find anything else for me, it’s either become a reaper or die?”
“Yes,” He nodded sadly, “But like I said, I don’t know if it would even help. I don’t know if there’s a rank of reaper high enough to contain the issue. Kitaniji and Kariya, Conductor former and present, the highest rank of reaper. Neither of them have anywhere near the amount of soul you do at the moment. Even Minamimoto, who had alot of soul and imagination was easily contained in his rank and he wasn’t even a fraction of what you are. I don’t even know if you can learn to control it in any way. I just don’t know Neku.” I nodded sadly.
“You swear I wouldn’t have to partake in the game? Not ever?”
“Never. I would include in your contract that you’re an exception and have no obligation to the game.”
“...I don’t want to die, Josh.” He nodded and moved closer, putting a hand on my shoulder reassuringly.
“...I’ll try and find an appropriate rank for you then write up a contract. Is there anything you need?”
“No...Nothing...”
*******
It was days before I saw Joshua again. He was busy trying to make arrangements for me and while he did I, more-or-less, barricaded myself in my room, allowing no one in. Kariya would come to the door and talk at me through it and leave food for me. I never spoke back. I just wanted to be alone to come to terms with the idea of becoming a reaper. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense that it was the only course of action I could take.
When I had finally spent what I felt was enough time brooding over the situation at hand, four days after I first shut myself away, I removed the barricade blocking the door and stepped out of the room. I knew it was a Friday afternoon, and I knew that I hadn’t really eaten much lately, but it didn’t feel that way. Everything seemed kind of numb. I walked towards the Dead God’s pad where I could see light and hear voices. I stopped near the door to listen; the female reaper I hadn’t been introduced to yet and Uzuki seemed to be making a bet, the winner would receive ramen. It seemed to be a bet about when the next game would be. I stepped into the room.
“...If you’re going to bet Uzuki, stop being a wuss and bet with money.” Several sets of eyes snapped to me and everything went quiet. There were six reapers in the room, Def March, Uzuki, Kariya and the new girl I didn’t know. All of them but Kariya were staring at me, this having been the first time they had seen the difference in my eyes.
“He’s got a point Uzuki, if the stakes were higher than a bowl of ramen, more people would partake.” He pulled the lollipop out of his mouth and looked to me, an eyebrow raised. “How’re you feeling today, Neku?” He’d been ordered by Josh to call me by name and to help document my behaviours and changes, but even if it was Josh’s orders I didn’t like feeling like I had a watchdog.
“Why?”
“You’re a bit...Grey today.” There was glass around the room so it was easy to find my reflection to look at myself. He was right, my eyes were a dead slate colour. Numb, distant, detached...that must be grey.
“I’ll go through it with the Composer later...”
“Neku, you know that I-”
“Are not Josh. Yes, I know that. Now, Uzuki,” I turned to the pink haired reaper, “You were making a bet on when the next game would take place?”
“Uh...yeah.” Uzuki seemed slightly unsettled by the tone in my voice and still a little thrown by my eyes. “I was saying next week, Sara was saying in three weeks time.”
“Sara?” I turned to the new reaper, obviously her name was Sara. I nodded, “Right, of course you are. Uhm...If you’re taking bets, put me down for 1,000 yen...twenty...twenty-six days the next game will start. Yeah, Twenty-six.” I coughed a little and looked around everyone, Kariya nodded to Uzuki who wrote down my bet and changed it to a general thousand yen minimum bet.
I walked over to stand beside Kariya, since I knew him better than the others. It felt weird to be around these people. Def March were okay but there was something about Uzuki that really made my skin crawl, and the new girl Sara...there was something about her too.
“So, Neku,” I continued to look around the room I was in while listening to Kariya talk, “It’s nice to see you out here with us. I hear there are big plans for you?”
“The Composer is trying to decide on the appropriate rank for me, and then a contract will be written up.”
“You’re becoming a reaper?!” The other reapers were looking my way again, and again it was Uzuki that had commented, “If you wanted to be a reaper why didn’t you become one after your game? And what do you mean ‘decide on the appropriate rank’? You’ll start at the bottom, kid, just like we all did.” I sighed. It seemed that Kariya really was the only reaper that was in the loop about me.
“There are special circumstances surrounding my case Uzuki, you should have realised that by now. After all I’ve been here a while without any obvious reason. I should never have been able to make it to the river, let alone make it here and be made to stay here for weeks and now, indefinitely. Look at my eyes Uzuki. I’m not a reaper, not a player, not anything at all that would normally be in the UG. If my circumstances weren’t exceptional do you really think I’d be here at all? And do you really think I’d just choose to be a reaper after the shit I had to put up with from you, lollipop here – no offence Kariya – and from the Grim Heaper, Iron Maiden, Shades...and whatever the other guy’s name was...the big beef of a guy. I mean you know, Def March,” I turned to 777, and the others and nodded, “You guys are alright, but other than you three during the game I had the shittest time with reapers. Do you really think I would be here, with the man that killed me twice and his reaper cronies who tried like hell to do the same if I had any real choice in the matter? Seriously woman...” I sighed and looked to Kariya, “No wonder you were promoted, you were the only one left with any brains.”
“Oh SNAP!” There was an uproar from Def March and Kariya demanded a high five which I had to give him as Uzuki glared at me and walked away in a huff. Apparently no one ever gave back to her what she did to them. Well...it looked like I was soon going to be a part of this group, but just like in the game there was no way I was going to be pushed around by a reaper, especially not her.
“So,” Sara piped up, watching me carefully, “What is up with your eyes? They’re trippy, its kinda cool.”
“No one knows, and it’s not cool.”
“Drinks all around!” Kariya took the opportunity to save me from going into the situation by going behind the bar and pouring drinks for all those present.
I had fun that afternoon. For the first time in weeks I actually had some fun. Drinking soda, eating junk food and playing videogames with Kariya and Def March; Uzuki didn’t return and Sara, who still irked me for some reason, had long since gone in search of her and also hadn’t returned. We were in the middle of yet another round of Street Fighter, Tenho Vs. Kariya when Mr H walked into the Pad, a smile on his face.
“Hi all! Where’s the boss?”
“Where do you think? Oh fuck OFF Tenho, HA! SPECIAL ATTACK!”
“Damn you Kariya!”
Mr H nodded and headed towards the Room of Reckoning, but as he passed me he gently grabbed my sleeve and pulled me along with him. Apparently I too was going to see Joshua today.
We entered the large room to find Joshua, wearing long flowing robes and on the cement floor. He had what seemed to be a calligraphy brush in his hand and he was painting what looked like a large white sigil on the floor, though I wasn’t sure what it was for. But since I was there as well, I could only guess it was for my contract.
“Mornin’ J.” Mr H locked the room’s door behind us and then made his way around the sigil toward the throne where I noticed there were other sets of clothing.
“It’s afternoon Hanakoma, probably evening by now in fact.” He looked to me and smiled, “Hey, Neku. How’re you feeling?”
“I’ve actually been having a pretty good day,” I walked over to where Joshua was now kneeling, upon closer inspection the flowing white garment he wore was actually a kimono. “Is all this...is this to do with my contract?”
“Sure is, Phones!” I looked over to Mr. H’s place near the thrones where he was now already half dressed in a kimono of his own, but where Joshua’s was plain, simple and elegant, the one he was wearing seemed much more chaotic. It was a bright myriad of colours and really didn’t seem to suit him at all. “Come over here and get changed too Neku, you’ll be in silver and black.”
I hesitated for a moment before walking towards Mr. Hanakoma. I was a little nervous about getting changed in front of Joshua but shook it off as general nerves about officially becoming a reaper. Josh and I hadn’t spoken since he first explained the possibility to me, and I honestly think he might’ve felt a bit guilty but...I wouldn’t have to erase players. He promised. I found myself wondering what rank I was going to be. My family were a rather traditional one, so I had no problem with my kimono dressing myself and tying it with ease.
“You look very nice, Neku.” I almost blushed at the compliment from Joshua. He was standing now, the sigil finally completed. It was huge, taking up most of the Room of Reckoning’s floor. I was nervous and shaking a little but Joshua came over and put a hand on my shoulder. “Your contract is written and, with the exception of Kariya, we’re all here to begin the ceremony of transformation. After this your body will be able to contain all your soul and you’ll be able to control your powers. I can’t guarantee that your eyes will return to normal, or that you won’t go through any other physical changes...Do you understand that once we go through with this, you still won’t have the life you had before. It’s not a fix-all. You won’t be able to go back to school. You won’t be able to live normally amongst your friends and the other people of Shibuya. You’ll be neither alive nor dead. You will be unable to die by natural causes, but neither can you live a normal, natural life.” I nodded sadly.
“I understand.”
“It’s a big thing, Phones, and I know you must be scared. But you’ll live. You’ll still be here for your friends, both present and future. Eternity might seem like a long time, but when you have people to share it with it can be just one big party.
“Or in the case of your life Hanakoma, one big hangover.” Joshua smirked and Mr H laughed heartily the way he usually did. It was as he was laughing and Joshua was watching me as I contemplated an eternity as a reaper that a knock came on the door. Mr H headed to answer it and Joshua’s face moved closer to me to whisper in my ear
“Don’t worry Neku, you’ll be fine. I’ll be here to make sure you’re alright. I promise you’ll be fine.”
“You seem confident that this’ll work, that I’m not going to just explode anyway.”
“Trust me, Neku, like you used to. Trust in me that I’m coming through for you. Hanakoma and I found a rule loophole, the rank you’re obtaining can hold infinite soul.” Infinite soul. I was going to be okay. I was going to survive. I was going to have a life back, not the life I once did, but I would live and the pain would be gone. I smiled slightly and nodded.
“Dammit Kariya, are you Japanese or not?!” Hanakoma was laughing at Kariya, causing Josh and I to look over to see him struggling with his black and orange kimono.
“Shut up, Kitten! Some of us aren’t as old as you and haven’t had much practice with these things...why the hell are they so complicated!?”
“And I can’t even help you, never put one on another person before, not in all my years.” Rolling my eyes I walked over to the pair and took hold of the thick fabric hanging over Kariya’s shoulders.
“Here...let me help.” I started moving and pulling the kimono into place, and finally tied his obi perfectly. By the time I was finished he looked surprisingly good, I would never have thought him the type to look good in traditional dress. “There. It’s not difficult Kariya, you really should learn.”
“Impressive.” Kariya looked down at himself and moved a little, taking in the look of it, “I’ve worn one a few times but never had it tied this well. It’s kind of surprising you’re such a pro at it. I mean you’re only sixteen and young people really don’t seem to care about these kinds of things as much anymore. Or...maybe they do. More than I thought at least.”
“Neku’s a shrine boy.” Joshua said and I turned to walk away, it wasn’t something I usually liked people knowing. I quite liked my upbringing, but it was a little embarrassing at times, “His parents have a shrine on the other side of town. Neku’s probably worn them his whole life, and probably taught a lot of the younger shrine assistants how to put them on.” When I nodded, silently stating that it had been exactly that way Kariya nodded as well, silently stating his approval.
“Very cool. Now let’s get this show on the road.”
In the middle of the sigil, amongst the symbols and verses there were four circles, one in the very centre where I was directed to stand, and three surrounding me in a triangle, Joshua stood in front of me, looking me in the eye. To his right, behind me to my left, was Kariya, and on the third point – to Kariya’s right, was Mr H. I didn’t quite understand why Mr H was here...
“...Before we start...can someone explain to me exactly how it’ll go and what’ll happen? And why is it Mr. H here? Not another reaper?” Mr. H opened his mouth to start explaining but Joshua held up a hand to stop him, taking a few steps forward to put his hands on my shoulders.
“Hanakoma’s an angel, you know this yes?”
“Yes.”
“To ordain someone a reaper, a normal run of the mill reaper, he wouldn’t be here. It would probably be 777 in his place. But for the inauguration of anyone receiving the rank of Conductor or higher an angel needs to be present. It is preferable to have a demon as well. But there are very few of them these days, and it’s not essential. We’ll start by you receiving your contract and signing it, then the three of us join our powers to activate the sigil which will transform your body into the body you will live in for the rest of your days. You may come out exactly the same, you may come out with an older appearance, or a younger one. But afterwards you will be bound to your rank unless you are promoted or someone takes it from you.” I nodded, that seemed to make sense.
“Conductor or higher? I didn’t think there was a rank above that...I thought Composers and Conductors were the highest...”
“You’re right.”
“Well then...I still don’t understand.” I turned to look at Mr H but Josh put a hand to my cheek, directing my gaze back to him.
“Do you remember the throne you sat in when you first came to see me?” I nodded and he continued, “That throne is usually reserved for a partner of the Composer. If, for example I had been married to before the game where I had become composer, she would have received the rank of Secondary Composer by default. If a Composer has family, UG law states that there is an obligation for them to be brought to the UG if the Composer so wishes it. Hanakoma and I soon realised in our research that even the Conductor rank would not be able to hold the growth happening to your soul for very long if it continues at the rate its going, you would need to be a Composer.” He picked a book up off the floor that I hadn’t noticed earlier, and opened it to a bookmarked page before handing it to me; indicating for me to read a section he had highlighted.
“Uhm...A Composer may bring anyone whom he holds truly dear to his heart to share his rank should they meet one or more the following criteria: 1) They are legally wed, intend to legally wed, or have been in a monogamous relationship for more than 1 year. 2) There is a parent/child relationship between the Composer and the person in question. 3) The Composer can present proof to the Hierarchical Order that the person in question has a hold on them emotionally and they will be unable to function in their duties as composer without their input/advice. 4) The Composer and person in question met through extenuating circumstances of The Game and can prove a connection that transcends plane, rank and vision. Composer and subject must be able to provide proof of such a connection.”
“We’re making you a Secondary Composer under criteria 4.”
“I don’t understand what it means...What connection can transcend plane, rank and vision?”
“There’s only one, kiddo,” Mr H was finally piping up again, “Basically it means that you have to prove to the HO that the two of you met during The Game and fell in love through the game, and that you were invited by the Composer to share his life here in the UG.”
“WHAT!?!?!”
“Don’t worry Neku,” Joshua’s grip on my shoulders tightened a little, reassuringly, “We can easily prove that extraordinary circumstances led to our meeting in the game. All our official records show as such. As for proof of a relationship between us, that’s easy to forge. We’ll simply move your things into my quarters, though if you don’t wish to sleep there you won’t have any obligation to. And...I may have to give them copies of your sketchbooks, I noticed all the drawings were dated.” I went bright red. He had a point, put my stuff in his room, show them my drawings of us in very intimate and compromising positions and well...anyone would think we were in a relationship. Secondary Composer...that was a huge title. But I nodded.
“Okay, I understand the situation properly now. Let’s do this thing.” Joshua smiled and made to pull away but before he could move to far I grabbed his wrist, a little rougher than I meant to, “Save me Josh…”
“I will. Trust me.” He smiled and stepped back to his place to begin the ceremony, picking up a scroll from beside his circle and a beautiful quill of white plumage. He unwound the scroll I looked to Kariya and then Mr H; they were both standing with hands clasped in front of them looking very serious, and so with a deep breath I looked back to Josh as he began to read the terms of my contract.
I don’t remember much after signing my name. I remember signing and then the sigil lighting up as the others started chanting...
And then there was blackness.
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New Grounds