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Dec. 22nd, 2008 11:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sozettaslowTitle: A TWEWY Christmas Carol
Series: The World Ends With You
Genre: AU gen-fic
Rating: PG-13 at most for swearing
Summary: He doesn't go around saying ba-humbug, but Neku still needs a little help from the spirits of Christmas.
Arthur's Note: Izumi is the name I made up for that unnamed kid in Another Day. If you've played it you should know what I mean. This was written quickly and unbeta-d, so I'm sorry for any mistakes. Also my spell-check wasn't working. =/
It was snowing this Christmas Eve, promising a beautiful white Christmas the next morning. People lined the streets, finishing up their shopping or ringing bells for donations.
Neku Sakuraba hated Christmas.
He pushed through the crowds in irritation, just trying to get to work. Nevermind the day, his music store was going to be open for business. He pushed open the door, seeing his assitant and only employee, Daisukenojo Bito, already present.
“Sup, Mr. Sakuraba!” he greeted, while Neku merely gave him a deadpan look. Bito got the point and returned to his work. Neku started back to his office, dumping his things on his desk before getting to work. The business was pretty small, but it brought in enough money... he could have easily hired someone else. And it wasn’t as if he paid Bito extremely well either, especcially considering how much he worked. Neku just couldn’t be bothered to sit through interviews, and he didn’t want to deal with any more people than he had to.
“Hey, uh, Mr. Sakuraba?” Bito poked his head in, “Since it’s Christmas tomorrow an’ all, I was wond’ring if I could take the day off then.”
Well, Neku had no objection to that. It would get the guy out of his hair. “Yea, go ahead.” He made no effort to hide the disinterest.
Bito grinned. “Thanks, yo!” He rushed back into the shop before Neku could protest the ‘yo.’
The day passed pretty quickly, for Neku at least. He stayed in the back and did all the management things and let Bito deal with the customers. The only incident happened around noon when the door to his office burst open.
“Nekkun, are you really going to sit in here all day?” The young man resisted his urge to hit his head on his keyboard when he heard one of his least favorite voices. A girlish laugh echoed through the office and a pink-haired girl looked over his moniter at him. “I mean, geez. You really can’t have any fun, can you?”
“Uzuki, leave the kid alone,” the orange-haired man still in the doorway said with his lazy drawl, “If he wants to sit inside and waste away working, that’s his choice. You’re like the sometimes.”
Uzuki gave a ‘hmph’ and frowned over at Kariya. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting a promotion! And anyway, I’m still more fun than him.”
“Sorry, Nekkun, can’t argue in your favor there,” Kariya said cheerfully.
“Why are you guys even here?” Neku asked, wishing they’d just go away.
“Aw, don’t be like that.” The man pulled a lollipop out of his mouth and took off the wrapper. “You know that big Christmas bash we hold each year? Just came to invite you!”
“It’s gonna be a blast!” Uzuki looked thrilled at the prospect.
“Thanks, but no thanks. Not interested.”
“WHAT?!” The previously playful young woman looked furious. “Why not?”
Kariya sighed, sticking his treat in his mouth. “Let it go, Uzuki. We figured that’s what he’d say.”
“Well, yea... but..!”
“No buts. We asked, he said no. Nothing we can do about it.” He shrugged waving goodbye to Neku as he tugged Uzuki out. “Just hope you don’t regret it.”
“Why the hell would I regret it?” Neku muttered, turning back to his computer. Like he needed to go have ‘fun’ at some noisy party.
He started home that evening with his headphones firmly over his ears, music drowning out both the merry and the beggars. Pushing open the door to his apartment, he went to his room and feel down on his bed, expecting that to be the end of his day.
He was wrong.
Neku.
The boy sat up, looking around. What was...?
Neku. Neku Sakuraba.
“Man, I need sleep...” he mumbled, rolling over.
“Neku!”
The boy yelled and tumbled onto the floor. He looked up at the figure, and his eyes widened.
Standing in front of him was his old friend, Izumi. There were two problems with this, though. One was that Izumi had died when he was hit by a car several years ago. The other was that he was transparent. “‘Bout time you paid attention,” Izumi said, grinning good-naturedly.
Neku scooted back until he was backed up against the wall, staring at what he could only assume was a ghost of his past best friend. “W-What the hell...” he muttered.
Izumi’s ghost kneeled down in front of him. “Hey,” he said, “Don’t look so freaked. I just need to tell you something...”
“You can’t be here. You’re dead,” Neku muttered, taking his head in his hands, “You’re dead and...”
“Don’t even start thinking it was your fault. That car hit me ‘cause I wasn’t looking. Not dragging me to see that mural you liked wouldn’t have changed a thing,” Izumi said, “Now listen up. You gotta stop this isolating yourself. You’re hurting yourself, and it’s not like opening up to people is gonna kill you or anything.”
“Never know,” Neku muttered.
“Shut up. You’re gonna be visited by there spirits. They’re going to guide you help you out. Listen to them, got it?” Izumi smiled, waving as he started to fade, “See you, Neku!”
Neku looked up, reaching out. “Hey, wait--!” But it was too late, the boy was already gone.
It took a few minutes for Neku to get back on his feet, and still he only used them to get back to his bed. “Why would I change?” he muttered, pulling the sheets over him, “I don’t mind being this way. And I don’t think any ‘spirit’ would change my mind.” He thought about what he had just said and groaned. “Sounds like a bad anime...”
He closed his eyes and started to drift off to sleep before the clock struck midnight. “Heeey!” a voice beside him, followed by a shove, “Get up, sleepy-head!”
Groggily, Neku turned. He was faced with a young girl, dressed in pretty skimpy outfit considering the weather, and long pink hair framing her face. “Who the hell are you and how did you get in my apartment?” he mumbled.
“I’m Eri!” she replied, “And I’m the Ghost of Christmas Past. Nice to meetcha, Neku!”
The boy stared for a moment before covering his head with the sheets. “Go away.”
“Hey!” Eri frowned at him, grabbing his arm and tugging, “This is for your own good, so we’ve got to get going. I don’t have a whole lot of time for this, you know!”
“So what?” Neku replied, pulling his away, “It’s not like it’ll change anything.”
The girl looked very stubborn, arms stiff at her sides. “Well, you’re coming anyway!” She grabbed him, and within seconds they appeared in front of a large building.
“Wha-what the...” Neku wrapped his arms around him against the cold, looking up at the building, “This was my high school...”
“Yup! Let’s head inside, ok? No one’s gonna be able to see us, so we’ll be fine.” The pink-haired girl dragged him inside. Loud music was playing, and when they looked inside the gym they saw a big Christmas party. People were dancing and laughing, and Neku found himself smiling a little. It seemed like this had been such a long time ago now...
“Hey look! There you are!” Eri pointed across the room, where a younger Neku was dancing with a girl. Her large glasses covered her eyes, but her smile was bright and the two of them were obviously very cheerful. Neku’s heart fell as he saw her.
“Shiki...” he said quickly. Eri merely nodded.
“Yup,” she replied, “You two were pretty happy then. But let’s look at a little more recent of a past, ok?”
“No, really that’s--” Too late. They had been whisked away into a time where Neku was just moving into his apartment. Shiki was standing at the door, looking very upset.
“Neku, I know you’re upset about him, but you can’t keep it locked up!” she was insisting, “Please, let me in! I want to help!”
“Why can’t you just leave me alone?” Neku snapped at her, pulling his headphones on, “I don’t need your help!”
The scene faded as the present Neku looked down towards his feet. “That wasn’t the first or last time she tried to talk to you,” Eri said quietly, “But you kept pushing her away, and... people can’t deal with that forever.”
“I know that,” Neku muttered, “I know. Can I go home now?”
Eri sighed, but she faded out of sight as Neku’s room faded in. “Remember, there are two spirits left...”
Well, fuck that, Neku thought. He turned back to his bed before a hand clapped down on his shoulder. “What, tired already Phones?”
“Phones?” Behind Neku was a tall man with sunglasses and a bright grin. “My name’s Neku.”
“Right, I knew that Phones.” He patted the young man’s shoulder again before moving away. “Name’s Sanae Hanekoma, but you can call me Mr. H. I’m here to be your ever helpful Ghost of Christmas Present!”
Neku sighed. He could tell this was going to be bad already. “Look, I really don’t think--”
“Don’t worry. We only have one stopped planned,” Mr. H replied, “But we better get going!”
Before Neku knew it, they were in a completely different apartment. It was more than a little rundown, and there wasn’t much furnishing it. “Who lives here?” he asked Mr. H.
“Your lone employee, Daisukenojo,” he replied, “and his little sister, Raimu. They don’t have anyone else around, and she’s still in school, so they can’t really afford all that much.”
I didn’t know that, Neku thought as a small blonde girl entered the room, putting two plates on the small table. “Beat!” she called, “I’m done setting the table.”
Bito walked into the room, giving his sister a thumbs up. “Tha’s great, Rhyme! We’re almost all ready, but uh... how do I turn on the oven again?”
She giggled and went off into the kitchen to show him, limping a little as she went. “What’s up with her?” Neku asked.
“Accident,” Mr. H replied, “Beat ran way more than once as a kid, and Rhyme always follow. One day a car was heading straight for him and she pushed him out of the way. She barely made it, and she’s had a ton of health problems since...”
Neku didn’t say a word, watching the siblings interact. “This is going to be a great Christmas!” Rhyme was saying, “We’ll have to thank Mr. Sakuraba.”
Bito looked irritated. “Whu? Why? S’not like he did anything to help.”
“You have a job, don’t you?” Rhyme scolded lightly, “And you have the day off. ‘Wherever there is a human being, there is a chance for kindness.’ He’s done some nice things for you in the past too. Maybe he just needs someone to show him some kindness first!”
“See, she’s got faith in you!” Mr. H said, slapping Neku on the back, “Don’t let the girl down, Phones!”
“Nothing’s seriously wrong with her, right Mr. H?” He looked up at the man, but he was gone. So was the rest of the apartment. Wherever he was now, it was dark and cold. The fog surrounding him cleared, and he discovered that he was standing in the middle of a cemetary. A man with a black hoodie hiding his face stood next to him.
Neku suppressed a shudder. “You’re... the Ghost of Christmas Future, right?”
The figure nodded, pointing towards a tombstone in the distance. In front of it was a sobbing Bito, a bell pendent lying on the grave.
Neku shouldn’t have cared. He didn’t even know the girl. But somehow, he found himself wanting to and now--
“This isn’t definite, right?” he asked the silent spirit, “This doesn’t have to happen if something changes, does it?!”
There was laughter from the side, two gravediggers filling in a grave. “Some funeral that was,” one of them was saying, “Not a single person to show. Made it nice and quick, though!”
“No kidding,” the other said, “Let’s take a break for a minute. He’s not going anywhere.”
The two went off, and Neku slowly approached the grave. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know who this was. “This grave...” he mumbled, “Whose...?”
The spirit giggled, making Neku’s skin crawl as violet eyes from under the hood flashed maliciously at him. “Why, yours of course, Neku dear~” he chimed, “All here by your lonesome in the grave. Not that you’ll mind, I’m sure. You’ll have died as you lived, after all~!” With a laugh, he shoved Neku into the grave, and he fell--
Neku woke with a start on the floor of his apartment, the clock striking outside. “It’s morning...” he mumbled, staring out the window, “Christmas morning.”
He pulled himself to his feet, trying to focus on the important facts. He wasn’t dead. It was Christmas.
Things couldn’t stay the same.
He pulled on his clothes in record time and ran out into the streets. He wasn’t exactly paying attention, so it wasn’t much of a surprise when he crashed headlong into someone.
“Where’re you going so fast, Nekkun?” It was Uzuki and Kariya. “You look awfully excited about something.”
“Yea, I... guess,” Neku said, looking up and scratching the back of his neck. How to say this. “Uh... I was wondering... is that invite still open? For the party.”
Both looked surprised, but Kariya recovered faster. “You serious?” he asked.
“You actually want to come?!” Uzuki said, looking shocked still, “Really?”
“Well, yea, if it’s... ok.” Man, his social skills really were out of whack.
Kariya grinned. “Yea, that invite’s still open. Guess we’ll be seeing you there, then.”
Neku waved goodbye as he headed towards the Bito apartment. He’d grabbed some groceries from his house, though he wasn’t sure how to present them. ‘Hey, I kind of saw that you didn’t have all that much food in a really messed up dream-spirit thing, so here have some!’
He knocked, young Rhyme opening the door. “Hello!” she said brightly, “Merry Christmas!”
“Yea... Merry Christmas,” Neku said. This was going to be awkward. “Is Daisukenojo home?”
There was a loud ‘BWUAAAH!’ from inside, the boy sticking his head out. “Mr. Sakuraba?! What ‘chu doin’ here?”
“Well, I uh. Brought some...” This wasn’t working. “I had extra food and didn’t want to waste it, so I brought it over to you.” He shoved the bag in Beat’s hands. “And... since it’s Christmas and the New Year’s coming up, I figured I should tell you that you can have the rest of the week off.”
Beat looked completely taken aback by this, and maybe a little suspicious. “You for real?”
Rhyme whacked his side lightly. “Don’t look the gift horse in the mouth,” she reprimanded.
Neku grinned a little at them. “Yea, I’m serious. By the way, I’m not that much older than you... so you can call me Neku. I don’t care.” That was enough progress for today. Time to go.
The blonde stared at him for a minute longer before hitting him rather hard on the back. “A’ight! Thanks, yo. This kind of reminds me of tha’ one story, with that kid who said something about dressing for everybody.”
Rhyme giggled. “I know what he means.” She beamed at Neku and stated, “God bless us, everyone.”
Series: The World Ends With You
Genre: AU gen-fic
Rating: PG-13 at most for swearing
Summary: He doesn't go around saying ba-humbug, but Neku still needs a little help from the spirits of Christmas.
Arthur's Note: Izumi is the name I made up for that unnamed kid in Another Day. If you've played it you should know what I mean. This was written quickly and unbeta-d, so I'm sorry for any mistakes. Also my spell-check wasn't working. =/
It was snowing this Christmas Eve, promising a beautiful white Christmas the next morning. People lined the streets, finishing up their shopping or ringing bells for donations.
Neku Sakuraba hated Christmas.
He pushed through the crowds in irritation, just trying to get to work. Nevermind the day, his music store was going to be open for business. He pushed open the door, seeing his assitant and only employee, Daisukenojo Bito, already present.
“Sup, Mr. Sakuraba!” he greeted, while Neku merely gave him a deadpan look. Bito got the point and returned to his work. Neku started back to his office, dumping his things on his desk before getting to work. The business was pretty small, but it brought in enough money... he could have easily hired someone else. And it wasn’t as if he paid Bito extremely well either, especcially considering how much he worked. Neku just couldn’t be bothered to sit through interviews, and he didn’t want to deal with any more people than he had to.
“Hey, uh, Mr. Sakuraba?” Bito poked his head in, “Since it’s Christmas tomorrow an’ all, I was wond’ring if I could take the day off then.”
Well, Neku had no objection to that. It would get the guy out of his hair. “Yea, go ahead.” He made no effort to hide the disinterest.
Bito grinned. “Thanks, yo!” He rushed back into the shop before Neku could protest the ‘yo.’
The day passed pretty quickly, for Neku at least. He stayed in the back and did all the management things and let Bito deal with the customers. The only incident happened around noon when the door to his office burst open.
“Nekkun, are you really going to sit in here all day?” The young man resisted his urge to hit his head on his keyboard when he heard one of his least favorite voices. A girlish laugh echoed through the office and a pink-haired girl looked over his moniter at him. “I mean, geez. You really can’t have any fun, can you?”
“Uzuki, leave the kid alone,” the orange-haired man still in the doorway said with his lazy drawl, “If he wants to sit inside and waste away working, that’s his choice. You’re like the sometimes.”
Uzuki gave a ‘hmph’ and frowned over at Kariya. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting a promotion! And anyway, I’m still more fun than him.”
“Sorry, Nekkun, can’t argue in your favor there,” Kariya said cheerfully.
“Why are you guys even here?” Neku asked, wishing they’d just go away.
“Aw, don’t be like that.” The man pulled a lollipop out of his mouth and took off the wrapper. “You know that big Christmas bash we hold each year? Just came to invite you!”
“It’s gonna be a blast!” Uzuki looked thrilled at the prospect.
“Thanks, but no thanks. Not interested.”
“WHAT?!” The previously playful young woman looked furious. “Why not?”
Kariya sighed, sticking his treat in his mouth. “Let it go, Uzuki. We figured that’s what he’d say.”
“Well, yea... but..!”
“No buts. We asked, he said no. Nothing we can do about it.” He shrugged waving goodbye to Neku as he tugged Uzuki out. “Just hope you don’t regret it.”
“Why the hell would I regret it?” Neku muttered, turning back to his computer. Like he needed to go have ‘fun’ at some noisy party.
He started home that evening with his headphones firmly over his ears, music drowning out both the merry and the beggars. Pushing open the door to his apartment, he went to his room and feel down on his bed, expecting that to be the end of his day.
He was wrong.
Neku.
The boy sat up, looking around. What was...?
Neku. Neku Sakuraba.
“Man, I need sleep...” he mumbled, rolling over.
“Neku!”
The boy yelled and tumbled onto the floor. He looked up at the figure, and his eyes widened.
Standing in front of him was his old friend, Izumi. There were two problems with this, though. One was that Izumi had died when he was hit by a car several years ago. The other was that he was transparent. “‘Bout time you paid attention,” Izumi said, grinning good-naturedly.
Neku scooted back until he was backed up against the wall, staring at what he could only assume was a ghost of his past best friend. “W-What the hell...” he muttered.
Izumi’s ghost kneeled down in front of him. “Hey,” he said, “Don’t look so freaked. I just need to tell you something...”
“You can’t be here. You’re dead,” Neku muttered, taking his head in his hands, “You’re dead and...”
“Don’t even start thinking it was your fault. That car hit me ‘cause I wasn’t looking. Not dragging me to see that mural you liked wouldn’t have changed a thing,” Izumi said, “Now listen up. You gotta stop this isolating yourself. You’re hurting yourself, and it’s not like opening up to people is gonna kill you or anything.”
“Never know,” Neku muttered.
“Shut up. You’re gonna be visited by there spirits. They’re going to guide you help you out. Listen to them, got it?” Izumi smiled, waving as he started to fade, “See you, Neku!”
Neku looked up, reaching out. “Hey, wait--!” But it was too late, the boy was already gone.
It took a few minutes for Neku to get back on his feet, and still he only used them to get back to his bed. “Why would I change?” he muttered, pulling the sheets over him, “I don’t mind being this way. And I don’t think any ‘spirit’ would change my mind.” He thought about what he had just said and groaned. “Sounds like a bad anime...”
He closed his eyes and started to drift off to sleep before the clock struck midnight. “Heeey!” a voice beside him, followed by a shove, “Get up, sleepy-head!”
Groggily, Neku turned. He was faced with a young girl, dressed in pretty skimpy outfit considering the weather, and long pink hair framing her face. “Who the hell are you and how did you get in my apartment?” he mumbled.
“I’m Eri!” she replied, “And I’m the Ghost of Christmas Past. Nice to meetcha, Neku!”
The boy stared for a moment before covering his head with the sheets. “Go away.”
“Hey!” Eri frowned at him, grabbing his arm and tugging, “This is for your own good, so we’ve got to get going. I don’t have a whole lot of time for this, you know!”
“So what?” Neku replied, pulling his away, “It’s not like it’ll change anything.”
The girl looked very stubborn, arms stiff at her sides. “Well, you’re coming anyway!” She grabbed him, and within seconds they appeared in front of a large building.
“Wha-what the...” Neku wrapped his arms around him against the cold, looking up at the building, “This was my high school...”
“Yup! Let’s head inside, ok? No one’s gonna be able to see us, so we’ll be fine.” The pink-haired girl dragged him inside. Loud music was playing, and when they looked inside the gym they saw a big Christmas party. People were dancing and laughing, and Neku found himself smiling a little. It seemed like this had been such a long time ago now...
“Hey look! There you are!” Eri pointed across the room, where a younger Neku was dancing with a girl. Her large glasses covered her eyes, but her smile was bright and the two of them were obviously very cheerful. Neku’s heart fell as he saw her.
“Shiki...” he said quickly. Eri merely nodded.
“Yup,” she replied, “You two were pretty happy then. But let’s look at a little more recent of a past, ok?”
“No, really that’s--” Too late. They had been whisked away into a time where Neku was just moving into his apartment. Shiki was standing at the door, looking very upset.
“Neku, I know you’re upset about him, but you can’t keep it locked up!” she was insisting, “Please, let me in! I want to help!”
“Why can’t you just leave me alone?” Neku snapped at her, pulling his headphones on, “I don’t need your help!”
The scene faded as the present Neku looked down towards his feet. “That wasn’t the first or last time she tried to talk to you,” Eri said quietly, “But you kept pushing her away, and... people can’t deal with that forever.”
“I know that,” Neku muttered, “I know. Can I go home now?”
Eri sighed, but she faded out of sight as Neku’s room faded in. “Remember, there are two spirits left...”
Well, fuck that, Neku thought. He turned back to his bed before a hand clapped down on his shoulder. “What, tired already Phones?”
“Phones?” Behind Neku was a tall man with sunglasses and a bright grin. “My name’s Neku.”
“Right, I knew that Phones.” He patted the young man’s shoulder again before moving away. “Name’s Sanae Hanekoma, but you can call me Mr. H. I’m here to be your ever helpful Ghost of Christmas Present!”
Neku sighed. He could tell this was going to be bad already. “Look, I really don’t think--”
“Don’t worry. We only have one stopped planned,” Mr. H replied, “But we better get going!”
Before Neku knew it, they were in a completely different apartment. It was more than a little rundown, and there wasn’t much furnishing it. “Who lives here?” he asked Mr. H.
“Your lone employee, Daisukenojo,” he replied, “and his little sister, Raimu. They don’t have anyone else around, and she’s still in school, so they can’t really afford all that much.”
I didn’t know that, Neku thought as a small blonde girl entered the room, putting two plates on the small table. “Beat!” she called, “I’m done setting the table.”
Bito walked into the room, giving his sister a thumbs up. “Tha’s great, Rhyme! We’re almost all ready, but uh... how do I turn on the oven again?”
She giggled and went off into the kitchen to show him, limping a little as she went. “What’s up with her?” Neku asked.
“Accident,” Mr. H replied, “Beat ran way more than once as a kid, and Rhyme always follow. One day a car was heading straight for him and she pushed him out of the way. She barely made it, and she’s had a ton of health problems since...”
Neku didn’t say a word, watching the siblings interact. “This is going to be a great Christmas!” Rhyme was saying, “We’ll have to thank Mr. Sakuraba.”
Bito looked irritated. “Whu? Why? S’not like he did anything to help.”
“You have a job, don’t you?” Rhyme scolded lightly, “And you have the day off. ‘Wherever there is a human being, there is a chance for kindness.’ He’s done some nice things for you in the past too. Maybe he just needs someone to show him some kindness first!”
“See, she’s got faith in you!” Mr. H said, slapping Neku on the back, “Don’t let the girl down, Phones!”
“Nothing’s seriously wrong with her, right Mr. H?” He looked up at the man, but he was gone. So was the rest of the apartment. Wherever he was now, it was dark and cold. The fog surrounding him cleared, and he discovered that he was standing in the middle of a cemetary. A man with a black hoodie hiding his face stood next to him.
Neku suppressed a shudder. “You’re... the Ghost of Christmas Future, right?”
The figure nodded, pointing towards a tombstone in the distance. In front of it was a sobbing Bito, a bell pendent lying on the grave.
Neku shouldn’t have cared. He didn’t even know the girl. But somehow, he found himself wanting to and now--
“This isn’t definite, right?” he asked the silent spirit, “This doesn’t have to happen if something changes, does it?!”
There was laughter from the side, two gravediggers filling in a grave. “Some funeral that was,” one of them was saying, “Not a single person to show. Made it nice and quick, though!”
“No kidding,” the other said, “Let’s take a break for a minute. He’s not going anywhere.”
The two went off, and Neku slowly approached the grave. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know who this was. “This grave...” he mumbled, “Whose...?”
The spirit giggled, making Neku’s skin crawl as violet eyes from under the hood flashed maliciously at him. “Why, yours of course, Neku dear~” he chimed, “All here by your lonesome in the grave. Not that you’ll mind, I’m sure. You’ll have died as you lived, after all~!” With a laugh, he shoved Neku into the grave, and he fell--
Neku woke with a start on the floor of his apartment, the clock striking outside. “It’s morning...” he mumbled, staring out the window, “Christmas morning.”
He pulled himself to his feet, trying to focus on the important facts. He wasn’t dead. It was Christmas.
Things couldn’t stay the same.
He pulled on his clothes in record time and ran out into the streets. He wasn’t exactly paying attention, so it wasn’t much of a surprise when he crashed headlong into someone.
“Where’re you going so fast, Nekkun?” It was Uzuki and Kariya. “You look awfully excited about something.”
“Yea, I... guess,” Neku said, looking up and scratching the back of his neck. How to say this. “Uh... I was wondering... is that invite still open? For the party.”
Both looked surprised, but Kariya recovered faster. “You serious?” he asked.
“You actually want to come?!” Uzuki said, looking shocked still, “Really?”
“Well, yea, if it’s... ok.” Man, his social skills really were out of whack.
Kariya grinned. “Yea, that invite’s still open. Guess we’ll be seeing you there, then.”
Neku waved goodbye as he headed towards the Bito apartment. He’d grabbed some groceries from his house, though he wasn’t sure how to present them. ‘Hey, I kind of saw that you didn’t have all that much food in a really messed up dream-spirit thing, so here have some!’
He knocked, young Rhyme opening the door. “Hello!” she said brightly, “Merry Christmas!”
“Yea... Merry Christmas,” Neku said. This was going to be awkward. “Is Daisukenojo home?”
There was a loud ‘BWUAAAH!’ from inside, the boy sticking his head out. “Mr. Sakuraba?! What ‘chu doin’ here?”
“Well, I uh. Brought some...” This wasn’t working. “I had extra food and didn’t want to waste it, so I brought it over to you.” He shoved the bag in Beat’s hands. “And... since it’s Christmas and the New Year’s coming up, I figured I should tell you that you can have the rest of the week off.”
Beat looked completely taken aback by this, and maybe a little suspicious. “You for real?”
Rhyme whacked his side lightly. “Don’t look the gift horse in the mouth,” she reprimanded.
Neku grinned a little at them. “Yea, I’m serious. By the way, I’m not that much older than you... so you can call me Neku. I don’t care.” That was enough progress for today. Time to go.
The blonde stared at him for a minute longer before hitting him rather hard on the back. “A’ight! Thanks, yo. This kind of reminds me of tha’ one story, with that kid who said something about dressing for everybody.”
Rhyme giggled. “I know what he means.” She beamed at Neku and stated, “God bless us, everyone.”
