Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN THE WORLD ENDS WITH YOU.

Phones

Neku and Shiki were walking.

Tap, tap, tap, tap

The sound of 2 pairs of feet walking against cement. Side by side.

Neku still felt like this was all a weird fantasy. He had friends. Friends. Other human beings caring about him. To think he used to not even give a crap about any other living creature. But that sure changed.

And the person responsible for opening his eyes was walking right next to him.

.....And kept looking over at him....

Neku met glanced at her, met her eye, and she looked down.

...Okay....he thought.

As they kept walking, he could feel her green eyes looking at him. He flet the stare.

He looked at her direction again. She quickly looked away.

....What's up with her?....he thought.

Neku kept looking forward hoping the staring would stop, but her green eyes turned to him again.

"Um, is something wrong?" he finally asked puzzled.

"Neku, you like me, right?" she asked.

Neku's eyes widen, avoiding her eyes, as his cheeks became a light shade of red.

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"Well, you like people now, right?"

Neku was mentally relieved at the subject she was really refering to.

"Um sure, I guess."

"Then, why wont you take off your headphones?" she asked.

Neku frowned, this was clearly planned out.

Beat and Rhyme had been bugging Neku about his headphones ever since the Game. They could never convince him to take them off. Even by force Neku didn't allow it. It's not that she used them to tune out people....it was just too weird to walk around without them, like he was forgetting something....

And knowing Beat and Rhyme...they had gotten the one person Neku could never say "no" to, to convince him to take them off.

"Did Beat and Rhyme put you up to this?" he asked.

"N-no," she looked away nervously. Shiki was so easy to read when she was lying.

Neku arched an eyebrow.

"Okay, yes, but they're right!" she said.

"Not you too-"

"Well, I was already used to your headphones and all, but it still feels like your tuning us out...."

"Am not." He said, and he knew he couldn't tune Shiki out even if he tried.

"Then, prove it, take them off," she said.

"Ugh, they're no big deal. I don't know why you guys keep bugging me about 'em," he shrugged.

"Because!...think about it, it's like you're caring around a piece of your old self with you," she reasoned.

This was true. That was his trademark before he met Shiki: wear the headphones and tune people out. Also the reason Beat had given him the nickname "Phones". But everything changed after those couple of weeks.....he didn't tune people out anymore. He actually showed a somewhat interest as to what they had to say....

But his headphones really weren't a big deal.

"Just let it go Shiki," he said adjusting them.

"No! I had let it go before but not this time!" she crossed her arms angry and determined.

She put a pouty frown on...the one that Neku thought made her look cute...

He shook his head, "They are just headphones!"

"Yes, but they mean something MORE!" she insisted. Shiki had a lot of reason to her words. But Neku was stubborn enough to ignore them. He just grabbed his shoulder and looked the opposite direction.

"Neku!"

"I don't think they're a big deal!"

"Then take 'em off!"

"Jeez Shiki, can't you just let it go?"

"No! Come on Neku! Just grab 'em, and pull!"

"Shiki, just let me be!"

"Why do you care about them so much?" she asked.

"Because....."he thought about it, he did have an attatchment to these headphones now that he thought about it..."Because, I....everything changed when I met you....this is the only thing I got from my old life now...."

Shiki looked at him. And understood. It wasn't because he wanted to tune anyone out, not because he wanted to make a fashion statement, but everything changed drastically in those weeks, the only familiar thing was his headphones.

"But, aren't you the one who likes to live in the moment?" she asked

He looked at her.

"You always say to live in the moment...."

He pondered this. It was true....at this exact moment....he didn't need his headphones right now...he wanted to be involved with people not tune them out.

With shaky hands he reached for his headphones.

Shiki's face lit up when she saw him grabbing the ear pieces.

And slowly and carefully....he gently lifted them off.

Shiki smiled, "Better?"

And it was.

"There you are!" Rhyme's voice called from a few yards away. She ran to hug Shiki.

"Yo, we've been looking all over for you," Beat followed. And noticed that Neku's head was...Phones-less.

"HA! TOLD YA YOU COULD GET 'IM TO TAKE 'EM OFF!" he laughed.

Beat and Rhyme had picked a good person to convince Neku. After they all greeted each other, they started moving towards the WildKat(sp?) cafe. Neku started walking, leaving his phones, and his old way of thinking, behind.

And now, he was happy, because there was one voice he could hear much better.

He looked over at Shiki.

One voice he could never tune out.