Last chapter. Hope you like.

Call of Childhood

Chapter 3: Reaper

Joshua found himself slipping into a routine. Every day he would do his chores and homework as he had always done, but he would slip out of the house to visit the WildKat café. Every day he would sit with Sanae, discussing the 'Reaper's Game' that Joshua had identified as his afterlife hallucinations. He had found that he did enjoy the taste of coffee, especially Sanae's. They would sit and talk for hours, until Sanae sent him home well after dark.

Sanae watched the light slowly return to Joshua's dead eyes as they discussed the Game. They talked about the missions, the Pact, and the Noise. They talked about the Reapers and their roles. The Reapers were Joshua's favorite subject. "So the Reapers control the Game?" Joshua verified one day, looking thoughtful. "What would happen if one decided they wanted to be more than that?"

"Well, it's not like they can just rise to power," Sanae shrugged. "I've told you how there are Support Reapers and Harriers, but they're just small fry. The ones who run the show are the higher-ups."

"Higher-ups?" Joshua repeated, frowning slightly.

"Well, every week a Game Master is assigned. He or she gives out the missions and gives orders about which walls are set up," Sanae explained. "Above the Game Master is the Conductor. The Conductor watches over Shibuya and makes sure the Music flows properly. The Conductor creates and Erases Noise, and passes now specific orders to the GM."

"So the Conductor runs everything?" Joshua questioned. "He must be very powerful."

"He is," Sanae nodded. "But he's definitely not the most powerful. There's one person above the Conductor." Joshua's eyes lit up.

"Who?" he questioned, lowering his voice.

"The Composer," Sanae smiled. "He's the one who creates the Music. He picks his Conductor, and he picks the entry fees for the Players. There's one for every area where a Game takes place."

"The Composer…" Joshua murmured. He was silent for a moment. "Sanae." He looked up at the shopkeeper, a strange light in his eyes. "How do you become Composer?"

"Well…" Sanae knew where the conversation was going. "Sometimes, the Composer…'retires', and so the entire chain of command moves up. More often though, someone defeats the current Composer." Joshua said nothing, his lips turned down in a frown. He stood suddenly.

"I should be getting home," he said suddenly. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Don't do anything rash," Sanae called after him. Joshua held up a hand in an acknowledging wave. Sanae didn't like the look in the boy's eyes.

--x--

Joshua sat in his room, deep in thought. The Composer controlled the entire game…The Composer must be the one that brought the winning Players back to life. The more he thought about it, the more determined he became. He rose from his bed, heading downstairs. It was well past midnight, but time was hardly a factor to Joshua anymore.

"Don't do anything rash," Sanae had told him.

It won't be rash, Joshua thought, a grim smile playing on his lips. I've been thinking about this for a long time… Joshua heard the rumble of the car, its driver too drowsy to turn the headlights on. With a sad smile, he stepped onto the road.

--x--

It was a week of hell. Completing missions that most people would classify as suicidal in under an hour, with a hopelessly incompetent excuse for a partner. Joshua found himself saving the man frequently, then having to brush off his thanks. Being distant and rough seemed to come naturally to him after a while. How they managed to survive all seven days was beyond him. But they did. They both got a choice. Joshua's partner chose to return to life. Joshua chose the opposite.

It was a strange feeling, having an immense power placed into you. It was like the ultimate adrenaline rush, but it was somewhat painful, as if having an electric current passed through him. The Conductor was surprised. He said he had never seen a new Reaper with such large wings before. So Joshua stored them away. This seemed to surprise the Conductor even more. It was a great feeling.

--x--

The first five years blurred into monotony. Five years of Games, five years of Erasing Players. Every now and then, he got in a scrap with some stubborn Players. None of them survived. Even the higher ranking Reapers acknowledged his power.

So, when the Conductor was eliminated by an extremely powerful Player, it was Joshua who took his place. And several more years passed. It was torture, being only steps away from ultimate power. He knew the Composer's every weakness, being the only one who saw him in person. In a fit of frustration, Joshua fled Dead God's Pad. He needed to talk with someone.

"Hey there, Josh. Haven't seen you in a while. Sit down, I just brewed some of your favorite." Joshua could honestly say he was surprised. Sanae wasn't at all surprised to see him. He wasn't angry, or upset, and acted as if Joshua had just been on vacation. "That was a really stupid thing you did," Sanae noted as he set a cup down in front of Joshua. "But I guess it was only a matter of time."

"I needed to see," Joshua said simply. "I had to find out for myself."

"You sure did that," Sanae laughed. "Conductor in only a decade. That must be a record." Joshua looked at Sanae, frowning. "What's on your mind, Josh?"

Joshua was silent for a moment. He sighed loudly, shaking his head. "It's maddening," he said in frustration. "I'm so close! I'm the only one who even knows how to defeat him, but I can't! He's right there!" Sanae's dark eyes watched him.

"Look Josh, I understand what you're going through, but listen. Being Composer won't get you what you want. If anything, it will only make things worse. Just be happy where you are."

"I'm tired of where I am!" Joshua cried. "All the Reapers see the Conductor as the second-in-command, but it's nothing like that! All I do is pass on the Composer's will. I have more say as a Harrier! I want to be the one making the rules, not enforcing them." Sanae shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Josh. I can't help you." Joshua growled in frustration. He stood, storming out. Sanae sighed.

--x--

It was some sort of miracle. The Composer knew when He had been surpassed. He was ready to hand down His city to another. Joshua approached the imposing throne, heart thudding frantically. A small orb of light floated at chest height, inviting him closer. Joshua reached out a hand, and the light flickered. There was a blackout in Shibuya that night.

Sanae checked in every month or so. After a few years, he found Joshua deep in thought. "So Boss, how's everything going?" he asked cheerily.

"This is what I joined the Reapers for." Joshua sighed, smiling. "I've been examining some of the older Souls." Sanae caught on immediately.

"Boss, you don't want to do that," he warned. "You don't want to mess with a previous Composer's work. It never ends well."

"His Soul is still out there. I can restore his entry fee." Joshua murmured, eyes half-closed. "I've brought back enough Players by now to understand the concept.

"You don't understand," Sanae insisted. "He was Erased in the previous Composer's time. It won't work the same."

"It will. Just you watch." Joshua's lips turned upwards slightly, a sort of mist captured in one hand.

"He's not going to be the same!" Sanae warned. "His previous life has been totally wiped from his memory."

"That doesn't matter to me." Joshua murmured. "I'll know who he's supposed to be." That's all that matters." The rose to the almost invisible ceiling high above them, vanishing.

"You have no idea what you've just done, do you?" Sanae sighed. "You can't be attached to him. He doesn't know anything about himself. He's just another Soul. He won't look or act anything like Marcus."

Joshua placed a hand to his chest. He felt lighter, as if a weight he had forgotten he carried had suddenly been lifted. "Marcus…" he whispered. No apathy clawed at him. "He won't remember me…but I remember him. That's the most important thing." An image flickered into life in front of him, like a large television screen. The image of a little boy, probably only two years old with dark blue eyes and wild orange hair appeared there.

"So this is Marcus's new body…" Joshua smiled sadly. He looked up at Sanae. "Take care of him, would you?"

Sanae sighed, not thrilled with the idea of being a babysitter. Still, he understood how important this was to Joshua. "Sure thing, Boss." He turned, walking out.

Joshua looked back at the image of the small boy. "Neku Sakuraba..." The name sounded so familiar to him already.