#Junko is the Conductor. Izuru is the Composer

[allgoodthingsflowintothecity]

Naegiri Week 2018 Day Six - Game

I just replayed The World Ends With You so I read the prompt and of course my mind yelled “Reaper’s Game AU” at me. Enjoy this very specific crossover between two niche fandoms that probably only appeals to me.

“Mission #7:

Come see your headmaster for your final grade! I’m waiting in the principal’s office. No time limit, but don’t take too long~! ʕ ᵔᴥᵔ ʔ

IIIIIIIT’S GAME TIME!!!”

Kyoko grimaced as she read the text, just as falsely saccharine and grating as the last six she’d received. Next to her, there was a yawn as her partner began to awake. Wordlessly, she held her phone out so he could read the mission text as well. Makoto let out a mirthless chuckle as he fumbled for his own phone, hidden in his pants pocket. “I’m really glad we’re not gonna be getting these messages any more,” he said.

His statement made excitement and anxiety both flutter to life in her heart. He was right; this was the last day. Either they’d win, and be given the right to come back to life in the real world, or they’d lose, and never feel anything ever again. “Do you know where the principal’s office is?” she asked, not quite ready to admit that she didn’t, even if he already knew about her amnesia.

Makoto nodded. “It’s on the second floor of the dorms.”

Well, that explained why she’d never seen it before—well, not that she could remember. There was only one stairway to the upperclassmen’s dorms, and it had been blocked by a barrier every day that week. The support Reaper posted outside of it, an absurdly muscular man with a voice like an airhorn and black hair styled like devil’s horns, had waved them away with an amicability unbefitting of a Reaper every time they asked about how to remove the barrier. “It’s not part of the playing field today. Good luck, Players!”

As always, they’d awoken in the entrance hall, meaning it wasn’t a very long walk to their destination at all. And with no time limit today, they were in no hurry.  They discussed strategy as they made their way haltingly to the dorms, keeping an eye out for stray Reapers and Noise. “Our one advantage is that there are two of us, and only one of her,” said Kyoko. “If you go on the offensive first, she should be distracted enough that I’ll be able to use my psych.” She clenched her hands instinctively, feeling the soothing leather texture of her gloves. The gloves had manifested as the source of her powers in the Underground, allowing her to visually identify her enemies’ weak spots from afar. It was her only psych, and not a particularly offensive one at that, but fortunately Kyoko had been trained in self-defense long ago. It wasn’t enough to keep her from dying, apparently, but it might be enough to keep her from staying that way.

Makoto, on the other hand… “Right, the offensive… so you think I should attack from up close?” He was something of a jack of all trades and a master of none. He had a myriad of usable psychs, the power drawn from pins he’d received from the gacha machine in the school store, but his control over them left something to be desired. She’d snapped at him quite a bit for his missteps in the early days of their partnership, though she was making a concentrated effort to be kinder now. Makoto was doing his best for both of them; she knew that.

“It shouldn’t matter, as long as you’re doing enough damage to keep her attention,” reassured Kyoko. “Once I know her vulnerabilities, we can make more informed choices as to how to proceed.”

They had met the week’s Game Master only once, before she had been allowed to attack them directly. As such, they knew very little about her powers as a Reaper, only that she was emotionally volatile and a sadist of the highest degree. She hardly looked older than Kyoko and Makoto, and she’d spoken with the cadence of a clueless valley girl, but the look in her eyes held a mad intelligence that had left Kyoko speechless. She didn’t want to admit it to Makoto—and fortunately, she was skilled enough at withholding her emotions that she didn’t have to—but Kyoko was genuinely afraid of the upcoming battle.

“Hey, Kyoko.” Makoto’s voice made her stop and turn around, but not before giving the hall in front of her another once-over to ensure it was clear of Noise.

“Do you need to stop by the school store again?” she asked, gesturing at the cluster of pins decorating his hoodie.

“Uh, no, I think I’m good, I just…” His eyes darted away from hers for a moment. “Once we get out of here, we’ll still be friends, right?”

Kyoko took a measured breath. “Getting out of here isn’t a sure thing yet,” she reminded him. His face fell a little, but recovered quickly.

“I know, but…” Makoto ran a hand through his messy hair nervously before meeting her eyes again. “I just want you to know that… I’m glad I got into this with you. I mean, obviously I’m not glad that either of us got into this in the first place, but…”

“No, I understand.” Oddly enough, she felt the corners of her mouth turning up. “We make a good team.”

“Right. I mean, even if…” he trailed off and shrugged. “We’ve made it this far. And I’m glad I met you. I, uh, I really like you, Kyoko.”

Her cheeks burned faintly. After a moment of silence, she admitted, “I’m glad too.” She could have ended it there, but instead Kyoko felt compelled to continue. “When we’re alive again… let’s meet up. We can spend time together doing something other than fighting, for a change.”

It was an irresponsible thing to promise when the prospect of living again was so close yet still so far off, not yet a surety but a rapidly-coalescing possibility. But the smile on Makoto’s face was worth the niggle of guilt in the back of her brain. They might not win, but they would fight. For each other, as well as themselves.

Despite the fact that she was still facing away from their destination, Kyoko took a step forward, towards Makoto. His smile only brightened as he took his own step forward, hand reaching out to hold hers. Abruptly the thought of skin-to-skin contact, without the barrier of her gloves, appealed to Kyoko, though she didn’t think she was quite ready to take them off in front of Makoto yet. Of course, there were other ways to satisfy that urge… her head leaned in closer and so did his, cheeks rosy and eyes wide with something like awe. “Kyoko…” he started, breath teasing her lips.

“Go, my Dark Devas! Show these foolish mortals the folly of love!”

Kyoko spun around with a curse, both at herself for failing to notice the Reaper sneaking up on them and at the Reaper himself for ruining the moment—not to mention his downright embarrassing choice of words. A tiny rodent-like Noise sprang up in front of her and she kicked it away before it could attack, prompting an appalled and dismayed gasp from the overdressed Reaper. Behind her, she heard a squeak as Makoto fended off another with a well-placed psychic bullet.

“One more warm-up fight, then,” he said with a labored chuckle.

Kyoko smiled. “We won’t need it.”

They were going to win. And once they won, there would be no Reapers around to interrupt their moment.

[eludum-a]

for @loveshct and anyone else who might be interested, my ideas for the twewy au (that i might write as a fic some day) are below the cut

chiaki dies in a car accident crossing the street. hinata witnesses it and is the one who calls the ambulance, which is unable to save her, leaving him with trauma that may or may not lead to his own death a few weeks later.

when the reaper’s game begins, chiaki and hajime become partners. hajime’s cost of entry was his memories (obvious reference to his amnesia in dr2), while chiaki’s was her love of games. hinata is overall an average player, while chiaki is beyond exceptional, given her skill at games and gaming. hinata eventually promises chiaki that when they come back to life, they can be friends.

eventually, they win the game (possibly through a sacrifice on chiaki’s part). however, hinata’s performance was found wanting and overall Very Average, so chiaki is the only one permitted to return to life, while hinata must take part in the game again.

hinata returns to the game, the cost once again being his memories, including those of chiaki. he is partnered up with komaeda, who over the course of the week reveals that he is a living player. he was born able to see into the UG, and decided after a while his life was meaningless. he took part in the game in order to see hope conquer despair.

however, this means he’s an illegal player. the game master, junko, sees all this going on and attempts to mess with hinata and komaeda as much as possible. during all of this, hinata is being followed by a strange reaper, a girl who seems to be familiar with him. he’s suspicious, especially given that she’s a reaper, but eventually it comes to light that she seems to be protecting him.

during the 4th day, komaeda (who has liked hinata this entire time) suddenly does an about face and starts treating him like shit bc he found out he’s nobody special? during the fifth day, komaeda is killed. literally killed, not erased, which can happen bc he was Alive the entire time. hinata has five minutes to find himself a new partner before he, too, is erased-- and that’s when chiaki fully reveals herself and offers to partner up with hinata, even though it’s risking her status as a reaper and her very existence.

also, a scene before chiaki reveals herself w komaeda and chiaki talking that reveals they were classmates before? idk

on the seventh day, their challenge is to defeat junko herself, the conductor and the game master all in one. (aka the second most powerful reaper, just under the composer)

junko makes this part a lot harder by turning chiaki into her noise form. still, with chiaki’s support and things he learned from komaeda (who’s been observing the game his whole life, so he’s got some tricks up his sleeve) earlier, hinata’s able to defeat junko. at the end, he’s brought before a council, and it’s determined he will be allowed to return to life…

...his ordinary, dull, average life, they sneer…

...or he could do something far more interesting. the underground had been operating without an official composer for a while now, the power of that role spread between the council as they deliberated on who would next play the role. hinata seems to be a perfect candidate for that power, if he allows himself to be overwritten, becoming a new person entirely. he would be given the power to do as he pleases with the game, so long as he continues to run it.

against chiaki’s wishes, he agrees, thanks to his memories coming back, including the memory of chiaki’s death, making him feel powerless and like he’s not able to do anything worthwhile.

the next time she sees him, he has become izuru kamukura, the new composer. his memories as hinata are gone, possibly forever. due to his interest in her and her potential power as a reaper, he decides to make her his conductor, and chiaki uneasily agrees.

also komaeda participates in the next game, becomes a reaper too, has his unhealthy fascination w izuru so theyre all an unhappy family at the end

(bonus: Season Two with junko coming back like a cockroach and bringing taboo noise into the mix in her efforts to take everything over? being unable to heal w pins from damage taken from taboo noise? chiaki beginning a rivalry with izuru by trying to defeat him in combat to take his place as composer to bring hinata back, but she loses, and eventually gets a mysterious note saying the producer is retiring and the spot will be open? settling into an uneasy partnership w izuru? chiaki vs junko? Komaeda Is There?)