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Long Dream –Live Remix– (A Side)

Title: Long Dream –Live Remix– (A Side)

Rating: T

Word Count: 7598 total, 3758 this chapter

Characters: Coco, Joshua, Neku, Beat, OMC, OFC

Warnings: Major character death

Summary: Her Magnum Opus nears completion, and as her audience approaches, she hurriedly arranges one final rehearsal. Elaboration on a pet theory of mine, built out of Final Remix spoilers.

Every day streets are crowded with people

Every night streets are jammed with these noises

Things are so strange, are they real or a dream?

Where am I now, trapped in this city of illusion?

***

Neku surveyed his surroundings. It didn’t take him long to recognize them.

“This is Cat Street…”

“Yo, finally!” Beat said, running a few steps ahead. “We can get outta Shibuya from here! I’m so ready to be done with this crappy Game!”

Neku looked up the street, murmuring, “Unless the way ahead has been rearranged too…”

He tensed a bit as Coco stepped up behind him, the tiny Reaper saying, “No worries fam! See, the way ahead looks, like, totez clear! That super tough wall you guys just made it past must’ve been the last challenge!”

Neku’s eyes caught on the café just ahead. Even in this situation, it still sparked a very complicated emotion in his heart.

“Yo, whatchu waitin’ for,” Beat said, “an engaged invitation? Le’s go, man!”

Beat took off. Neku followed at a slower pace, saying, “Hold on! While we’re here, shouldn’t we ask Mr. H what’s going on?”

The other boy skidded to a halt. “Huh? You think the H-Man’s gonna tell us anything?”

“He might. We have time to spare—it can’t hurt to ask.”

Coco made a face as she walked up next to him. “Uuuuh, source? That guy, like, oozes bad vibes. You should totez just finish the Game! That’s all that matters, yeah?”

Neku shook his head. “I still want to know what’s going on. Out of the people who might actually know, Mr. H is the only one with an address. We might not get another chance.”

The Reaper rolled her eyes and shrugged. “I mean, I guess, but like, why risk it? The finish line is literally right in front of y’all—just cross it and end the Game. Then if you still wanna talk to Coffee Weirdo, just walk right back in and do it then! It’ll totez be less stressful once we’re off the clock!”

Beat nodded. “Yeah, man! We gotta get this over with either way. Plus we might get an explanation jus’ for winnin’! We’ll keep the H-Man as a back-up plan, aight?”

Neku crossed his arms. “I still feel like this would be less risky.”

“Aw c’mon!” Coco said, skipping down the sidewalk. “You srsly need to chill, Neku! Let’s just finish the Game already. Besidez…while we stand here chatting, the other Players are still fighting Noise and stuff. Like, uh, Shiki? Do it for her!”

“Right: Shiki and Rhyme is still out there, Phones!” Beat said. “We gotta end the Game now!”

With a sigh, Neku grumbled, “…Alright, I guess we shouldn’t keep them waiting. But soon as we’re done, I’m coming back to get answers.”

The three of them ran down Cat Street, with Coco trailing farther and farther behind. Eventually she came to a stop, and just watched the boys continue with a wide grin on her face.

“Ugh, finally,” she said to herself. “This pair was WAY more stubborn than the last, 7.8/10 too much effort.”

Neku noticed they had lost her just as he and Beat ran over the city limits. The next thing he noticed was pain. Intense, searing pain, like his entire body was on fire. Judging by the way Beat had toppled over on the ground, the same thing was happening to him. Neku fell to his knees as the agony worsened.

“What’s…happening…?!”

Coco slowly approached them, taking care to not actually cross the limits. “This is fine! All according to keikaku. Congratz on winning the Reaper’s Game: Expert Mode! Oh btw, keikaku means plan.”

Beat cried out suddenly. Black and red flames consumed him, burning brightly for a few seconds before vanishing, leaving not even ashes in their wake. Neku’s eyes widened in horror.

“What did you do to him?!” Neku demanded.

“Erased him, duh,” Coco said. “Though technically wasn’t me, actually my baby that did it.”

“What?!”

“He needs loads of food to grow up big and strong. I’ve tried, like, a gazillion different things, and the Soul of super tough Players like you two is what works the best by far! ty so much!”

The pain only grew. Neku screamed, doing all he could to endure it despite knowing he was failing.

Coco put a hand to her ear. “Mmmm whatcha say? Couldn’t make that out.”

It wasn’t long before the flames consumed Neku as well, and then he too was gone. Coco put her hands on her hips and smiled. The world around her shifted, wavering like a mirage until it all melted into one swirling void of bluish clouds. Before her spawned a massive creature: a tapir with purple skin and six tusks, yellow tattoo-like protrusions in the shape of flames erupting all across its form. Its red eyes focused squarely on Coco.

“Yay! Look at you, you absolute unit! You’re, like, so strong now you could body anyone!”

Coco threw herself onto the tapir’s trunk, hugging it tightly—the creature gave a guttural rumble in response. She could sense its power increasing, and giggled happily as she took a step back. The tapir lowered its head and nudged her gently.

“Okay, okay.”

Reaching up, she scratched the tapir’s trunk. It tilted its head and squeaked.

“Aw, who’s a good boy?”

Coco hopped up to the top of its head, lying down so she could reach far enough to scratch behind its ear. The tapir lifted its trunk and trumpeted happily, then floated up and down in place, jostling Coco only the smallest amount.

“Haha, very good, such cute, wow!”

Soon it settled down. Coco propped up her head with one hand, continuing to slowly pet the tapir with the other, and let out a long sigh.

“Tapez my dude, I’m, like, so glad I have you. ngl you’re kinda my bff.”

The tapir grunted, swinging its trunk slightly. Coco swayed along.

“I dunno when it’s going down…but I’mma make sure you get through it. You’re one of my peeps too now! So it’s a legit promise!”

Coco extended her pinky. The tapir inclined its head a little and flexed its claws.

“Oooooh right. Well, still totez binding lol.”

She pressed her face against the tapir’s skin, letting her eyes close.

“Aaaaaah, we’re almost there, Tapez. Should just need, like, another few rounds and you’ll be a prime example of the ideal Noise body! Though tbh if the next pair is as annoying as this one, totez just gonna yeet them straight into your stomach.”

Her phone chimed. She opened one eye to look at the screen, and then rolled onto her back and groaned loudly, kicking her legs about in frustration.

“Uuuugh for real? Fine, whatevs.” She paused to pet the tapir one more time. “Sorry Tapez, I gotta bounce. brb and then we’ll go find you some more treats!”

The tapir squeaked a farewell, and then Coco stood up and shut her eyes again. Focusing her power, she elevated her Vibe and reached out with her mind to feel for the world she wanted to travel to; after so many times, it was easy for her, and in mere seconds she had concrete beneath her feet. Opening her eyes, Coco looked up at the skyline of Shinjuku and smiled brightly.

I love my city tbh.

***

Feel the people, hear the voices

They are reaching out to catch you

Feel the rhythms, hear the noises

You are beating all the visions

***

Coco moved through the city at a slow pace. Shinjuku was a travel hub, a place that was purely transient for most: each moment was fleeting, but each brought something new, something different, and that everlasting tumultuous tide of life fascinated Coco in a way nothing ever had before. Each second was something wholly unique, and she never wanted to miss even one of them. She spun around on a corner, taking it all in, and just laughed to herself.

“Having fun, Atarashi?”

Her good mood was spoiled instantly. She grimaced over her shoulder to see Joshua standing there, looking every bit as smug as she remembered him.

“fml what are you even doing here Kiryu?” she asked, turning around and crossing her arms in a huff. “Can’t you, like, take a hint?”

“Nice to see you too.” He raised a hand to his chin. “Hm. I’m curious: why is it you hold onto your wings even in the RG?”

Gesturing to them, Coco said, “Aesthetic.”

“…And what aesthetic would that be, exactly?”

“fyi I’m headed to a super important meeting rn so unless you’re finally ready to fite me irl then I, like, don’t even want to hear it.”

Joshua chuckled and brushed aside a lock of hair, which only made him seem even more smug and made Coco even angrier. “Stimulating as that has the potential to be, we’d both be in quite a bit of trouble with the folks upstairs if we were to have a skirmish.”

“Oooooh good point,” she said as she turned away. “And I bet you’re, like, already in hot water after the way you went off.”

“Nothing to worry about on that front. I’ve spoken with my Producer and he assures me the matter has been put to bed. Things in Shibuya will be staying the way they are.”

Coco spun around. “WTF?! You two are out of trouble just like that? I literally have no words!”

“Hm? Why, I would assume your Producer has been apprised of the details as well. Has he not passed them along to you yet?”

There was a short delay, and then Coco glanced aside and grumbled, “That must be why he sent me that txt…”

“I take it you’ve been too busy with your side project to stay on top of the paperwork.”

Coco locked eyes with Joshua. He was still smug, that would never change, but now there was a deadly undercurrent to his words that demanded Coco’s attention.

“tf are you even talking about?” Coco asked. “You really need to stay in your lane, Kiryu.”

“That’s rich, coming from you.”

“Explain.”

“Well for starters, I know you’ve been poking around my city.”

“omg! Tourism is a crime now?”

“Considering our circumstances I believe it falls more under ‘corporate espionage’.”

“It’s totez hilair to me that you consider the UG a corporation.”

“Setting that aside for the moment, there’s also the fact that you’ve been shirking your duties as Composer to jaunt off to an alarming number of parallel worlds as of late.”

Coco smirked. “Aw, u just jelly I can travel between worlds without needing to call an Uber to get back.”

Joshua shrugged. “I admit, it’s a skill I’ve yet to master—even my alternate selves seem to have difficulty with it. One came to call on me recently, you know. Said something about a bizarre Noise erasing two former Players in his world.”

Yawning loudly, Coco said, “Kiryu can I, like, get a tl;dr?”

Joshua’s face began to darken, the undercurrent gradually rising towards the surface. “Well Atarashi, it certainly sounds like you’ve been attacking alternate Shibuyas. If so, that’s something I believe qualifies as ‘in my lane’. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Coco cackled. “Pffft omg are u srs? I am DECEASED y’all, the guy who just tried to wipe his whole city is acting protective up in this bitch! lmaoooooo!”

Joshua stared hard at her. “Coco, do think for a moment: how do you suppose the Higher Plane would react to this news?”

“What, are you, like, planning to tell them? If you’ve got some proof then hmu.”

Joshua didn’t answer.

“lol that’s what I thought, smdh you better sit down Kiryu. Even if I were, like, messing with parallel worlds or whatevs, why would the Higher Plane even care? Angels from this world have no jurisdiction there. It’s free real estate.”

Slowly, Joshua nodded. “…Alright. Perhaps you have a point. Let’s leave the Higher Plane out of this hypothetical. The only one you need to be concerned with…is me.”

The air suddenly felt very heavy. Coco actually needed to remind herself to breathe, but she made sure her reaction wasn’t obvious.

“So, Atarashi. Explain to me why you’ve been killing Neku in so many parallel worlds. And, do try your best to make it a very good explanation.”

Coco brought her hands up to her face, twisting slightly away. “lololol I’m confused. Mad cuz I beat your record? Or want to make sure I don’t off this world’s copy of Edge Head before you can tell him he’s worthy of your grace? Honestly? I ship it.”

Joshua paused. “Neku himself isn’t the issue here. But if you’re making a move into my territory—“

“Yeah yeah yeah, cuz you care, like, SO much about your territory! I am SHOOK seeing you come in here acting like the authority on protecting your peeps! I could learn so much about my job from watching you!”

“I’m feeling a bit of déjà vu. I could have sworn I’ve already told you that a Composer’s job is simply to judge their people, and that it is only the existence and boundaries of their respective UG that require protection.”

Coco covered her mouth. “omg! Why would you say something so controversial yet so brave?” She dropped her hands and stuck out her tongue. “jk obv you’re full of it.”

“I don’t see why I should need to divulge my motivations to you of all people,” Joshua mumbled, “but if you must know…I was under the impression that Shibuya was not worth keeping around. Now that I’ve seen it still holds potential, I of course have every intention of preserving the seeds that I’ve sown.”

Coco scowled at him, but didn’t speak at first. Nearly a minute passed before she said, “Then tbh? I’m not your enemy.”

Joshua’s eyebrows went up.

“It’s, like, only a matter of time before a new kind of Game starts up Kiryu. Their Game. And I’m gonna be mad prepared when it does. If you had literally a single brain cell you’d totez be doing the same thing.”

By the time she was done, Joshua’s eyes had narrowed down to a suspicious glare. “Surely you’re not referring to the party I’m assuming?”

“Like, who else?”

Joshua stared down his nose at Coco as he considered his next move. Coco grunted, drew out her phone, and checked her messages.

“My, you truly are impossible to figure out,” Joshua sighed.

Coco gave her best Clearly Fake Smile and replied, “Because you’re an expert at that lol. I’m nothing compared to your galaxy brain.”

“I think I could do it if not for that absurd…shall we call it a dialect?”

“Uh, this is how people talk now? Hello? If you knew anything about people, then like, you’d already know that, but as always you have 0 friends so buh-bye.”

“…Hm. And, exactly how many friends do you have, Atarashi?”

Coco frowned.

Joshua turned. “But, alright. If this is some plan to deal with the Inferno, then I’ll drop the matter for now. But, one thing I’d like to make clear before I go.” He took one last glance back at her, eyes full of ice. “I will not tolerate any interference in this world’s Shibuya.”

He was off without another word. Coco suppressed the urge to shudder, turning back to her phone and mumbling half-formed syllables as she made herself look busy. She looked back up to be sure that he was gone, and then sighed and tucked her phone away, gazing over Shinjuku once more as she waited for the tension to leave her body. It was immediately replaced by joy.

“omg whoops. Rōjin is totez still waiting orz.”

***

Is it angels? Is it devils?

Whispering in my ears

Is it emotions? Is it illusions?

I need to be with you

***

Coco poked her head through the shrine’s gate. Looking up the path, she could see a bald, tan-skinned man with a stoic face sitting at the building’s entrance, his eyes already locked onto her. She flinched.

“Uuuuh what’s up gamers?” she blurted as she stumbled forward. “I know I’m, like, totez late, but I have a tru legit reason for it, get a load of this!”

The man was Seiji Rōjin, owner of the shrine and also Shinjuku’s Producer. He offered not a single word as Coco hurriedly explained her encounter with Joshua to him. When she was done, he nodded and closed his eyes; Coco looked around awkwardly for a few seconds, and then took a seat next to him.

“You must leave your Opus be,” he ultimately said.

Coco started. “Uh, excuse me? Abandon all my hard work just because that nerd doesn’t want me near his bf? I think the heck not!”

Rōjin opened his eyes to look at her.

“…Um? Something else?”

“The Higher Plane demands a Game.”

Coco blinked. Then she rolled back, digging her fingers into her scalp and shouting, “AAAAAAARGH, srsly?! I know I haven’t held a Game in, like, forev, but can’t they just let me handle thingz down here? Please say sike!”

Rōjin said nothing. As she accepted the reality of the situation, Coco’s heart sank.

“But…Tapez…” She groaned. “…Is, like, a teeny bit of faith in me too much to ask? They know I’ve got mad skillz! When you taught me how to make Tapez, you said I was one of only, like, three Composers whomst’ve ever been able to control Magnum Opus Noise—they should be totez impressed with me already!”

“The Higher Plane demands more of your position than mere talent,” Rōjin said. “It demands discipline.”

Coco pulled herself back into a sitting position. “I am, like, sooo disciplined! I legit wanted to tear Kiryu’s face off, but I didn’t!” She got back on her feet as she went on, “Like, sure, this is about Shinjuku, but the whole reason I’m working on Tapez is so he can protect my peeps! Making sure he’s bad enough to dunk on anyone is literally The Best Thing I can be doing rn! The Inferno is out there, you know, somewhere, and we dunno when they’re gonna throw hands! And now I have to take time out of my counterattack schedule to run some basic-ass Game?”

She whirled back to face Rōjin. He didn’t say anything. Coco stared at him for a few moments, realizing she was getting a headache.

“…heck. We don’t really have much of a choice, do we? If the Higher Plane wants a Game so bad, then like, we gotta pull together a Game. Tapez will just have to chill for a week I guess.”

Coco put a hand to her head as she trudged past Rōjin for the door.

“Ugh, lemme see, the Conductor obvs needs to show, and we should probably @ all the Officers too. idk who’s gonna be the GM this week but they—“

The pain in her head suddenly turned sharp. She paused mid-step.

“…they…”

Her vision blurred, then went dark. And then she saw Shinjuku again, but it was…different, somehow. As if viewed through some sort of filter. She saw the streets, the people, and then a glowing red symbol up in the sky—and then the streets were empty. Not a single soul was left in Shinjuku. No, not quite, next she saw one person: a girl who slowly walked forward with a blank look in her eyes. The girl stared straight ahead, but couldn’t see Coco. Still, she opened her mouth to speak.

“All that’s left in the world is me.”

Coco gasped as the shrine came back into focus. At first she was too surprised to make any sense of the event. But as she breathed, she processed it, and her eyes shot wide as pure dread came over her.

“Uh…a-ah…I…”

Rōjin stood, watching her with furrowed brow. Coco’s entire body shook as she turned to face him.

“I…I saw it again…!”

She jumped forward and grabbed Rōjin’s shirt.

“It was the same vision! You remember, right? From, like, WAY back when I first asked you about Magnum Opus Noise? I saw it again! Shinjuku was erased—it was an Inversion! I-I…” She looked down as tears started to form in her eyes. “I haven’t seen anything since that day…why now? Is…is the Inferno about to attack Shinjuku? Is that what this means?! Are we out of time?!”

She felt a hand on her head. Looking up, she saw Rōjin staring back at her, his face as calm and stoic as ever. Coco swallowed hard, and then exhaled slowly.

“R-Right…right.” She managed a chuckle. “Like, look at me, crying in the club like a little bitch! Thanks bunchez, Rōjin.”

She stepped away and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. Coco found herself looking up at the sky, as if to verify what she had seen hadn’t actually come true…at least, not yet. The same skyline greeted her. But this time, she just couldn’t feel happy about it. This time, it made her feel resolute. She turned back to Rōjin.

“Sorry fam. But I, like, can’t just sit on my ass and play a Game rn. The Higher Plane might not be convinced, but I just know the Inferno’s on their way to end my whole career, and I’m not about to take that.”

Rōjin paused. Then, with a single nod, he said, “Mood.”

Coco giggled. “omg, you’re, like, literally the worst!”

She left the shrine and made her way back up the street, thinking, Dunno how much more time I have to beef up Tapez. My boi’s totez strong, but I can’t be too careful, and probs don’t have much time for last minute boosts. I need to, like, think of how else I can improve his chances…

Her feet slowed, and she looked back at the shrine.

…Hm. I wonder what she would think?

Coco crossed her arms.

I mean, she’s gonna be totez disappointed there’s no Game. But like, she’s still my Conductor, yeah? If I can’t trust her to back me up, then who can I trust?

She turned and got moving again.

At the v least I gotta ask. Whatever it takes…my Shinjuku is going to survive.

***

Every day noises are killing these people

Every night noises are waiting for me but

Don’t run away, we’ve got no time left to fear

Where are you now, still it’s showing me illusions

#TWEWY #TWEWY Bang 2019 #The World Ends With You #Subarashiki Kono Sekai #World Ends With You #fanfic #submission

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