The World Begins With You

Living Forever

Ultimate God Training:

Apart of the Universe

Joshua then explained to Neku how he and Mr. H’s human forms are nearly identical to a real human adding that they’re aware that Neku knows this already, however Joshua then added why this is a flaw in having a human form.

“As you know we use these forms to power down since humans are good vessels for storing energy since that’s what a real human does, storing the energy that allows them to exist, they’re souls. But this also presents a problem for us at the same time Neku. Think back to when we fought the Noise in the UG do you remember a time when I got hurt?” Joshua asked

Neku then hid his face again to sort of disconnect from Joshua for a moment to focus on those thoughts

“Yeah…that time when we fought Pi face up on that skyscraper in Pork City…the time when…I thought you gave up your life for me, when you protected me. Before all of that even happened though, when he’d attack us in his lion Noise form I could sense you being in pain from time to time” he said weakly

“Exactly so that means that if I can get hurt in my human form, than I can also…be killed in this form too” Joshua said darkly

Neku then looked up at Joshua startled to hear that to the point he gasped

“What?! I mean, I figured that when you wanted me to shoot you that you would get killed but I didn’t when you shot me” Neku said shocked

“That’s because I have complete control over the UG Neku, If I had done that to you in the RG…well…technically I already have but that’s besides the point, what I’m saying is, that I’m just as vulnerable as a real human in this form and because of this I have all the same FWS’s as a real human” Joshua said seriously

“FWS’s?” Neku said confused

“Fatal Wound Spots, the nickname we Death Gods made for the areas that are often times targeted when trying to kill a human. When enough damage is inflicted on these spots the human either dies or suffers a fatal wound putting them at the brink of death” Joshua explained

“Unfortunately I have those too when I‘m like this, all humans do, that’s what lead to your death in Udagawa. I shot you in the chest. The chest, spine, head and neck are the most vulnerable parts of the human body but especially, the side of a human’s skull” he continued



“Huh? Why the side of it?” Neku said weakly

“Because Neku, the skull is like a shield for your brain, it protects it. The side of the skull is the most vulnerable part of it. If you were shot there, you would’ve died instantly” Joshua said with a smug smile

Joshua getting a little to into the topic of the conversation lets out his sinister laugh and pulled back his hair smiling at Neku

“No…” Neku said quietly “So I would’ve died either way when that Gunman came to school? If he had shot me at the side of my head...and the same thing would've happened if I was shot in between my eyes?”

“exactly Neku, that’s because the bullet would’ve gone straight through your head with the slim chance of you surviving the shot if it was between the eyes. Hee hee however, If I had shot you in Udagawa in between the eyes, the bullet would not only have more to penetrate but it would miss the vital parts of you brain that are needed to live Neku. In other words there would be a 10% chance for you to survive that” Joshua said slyly

Joshua then saw Neku’s eyes tremble at the thought of surviving a shot in a the head…or in the chest like in Udagawa

“What‘s wrong?” Joshua asked slyly

Neku then hid his face and took a deep breath and sighed

“Nothing, I‘m fine” Neku said weakly trying to hide how he felt scared at the moment

“Glad to hear it” Joshua replied knowing better, sensing Neku’s fear

“Anyways, think back to when you killed Hunters in the Angels’ Game. Did you notice how once they would go to their human form, and were killed in that state that they would Fade a little slower and would Fade into Orbs that dissolve into thin air after a few seconds? This is only when they’re shot in a Fatal Wound Spot or with the Instant Kill Shot. If they were hit in an area that they could survive than their human form would die much more slowly.” Joshua said crossing his arms

“As a god I’m kind of Omniscient, I’ve seen this happen before and I’ve sensed how Composers and other Angels feel when they’re dying in that state.” he added

“Joshua, what’re you to tell me?” Neku said a little nervous for the answer raising his head to look at his menacing friend

“I’m saying that if they die a slow death from being stabbed in the stomach as opposed to the chest, that if they die from that as opposed to instantly Fading, that their Composer or Angel form is locked inside their human bodies. They become so weak that they can’t even revert back to their true form. In this moment, once they start to shut down, the only way to save them, is to tear apart their human form and release their Angel or Death God form so it can be healed.If they die in their human form then their true form Fades as a result of it getting so weak in the process of them dying" Joshua said sternly

“Knowing how crafty Anthony is, he’ll do anything to get to you Neku" Joshua said darkly

Neku then squeezed his Angel pin desperate to ignore the thought creeping into his mind

“So…if Anthony doesn’t kill me, and keeps trying to kill everyone in his way…my friends…he might try to do that to them?!” he thought horrified

“I don’t want to lose them, I can’t…

Neku then hanged his head as he felt his eyes burn at the thought of Joshua and Mr. H Fading right in front of him

“CAT” Neku thought “I don’t want it to be like that, I don’t want it to be that way…I’m NOT SCARED but…What the hell am I suppose to do if that happens?! What if I mess up and I don’t heal you in time if this happens, what if I--

He then feels someone place their hand on his left shoulder making Neku look up at the person

“This wasn’t suppose to hurt you Phones. Come on now, where’s that confidence you had before? Nothing’s going to happen to us, it’ll be okay. Joshua only told you this so just incase something like this happens, that just incase this isn’t avoidable that you’d know what to do. This is sort of like why I taught Shiki how to make a human form, as a last resort, not for her to really use it.”  Mr. H said sternly

“How can I enjoy the moment when I know that all of you could get yourselves killed…because of having to protect me?” Neku said looking down

“You can enjoy the moment by being happy that we’re right here. We’re not going anywhere Phones. Besides once you achieve God Status you’ll finally be able to make all of these problems with Demons hunting you come to an end. You’re stronger than me now you know? You’ve gotten so strong since when you first came here, so I know you can do this. You have a strong spirit Phones.” Mr. H said smiling

“Yeah I know…it’s cause I’m a Proxy” Neku said weakly

“No, it’s who you are” Mr. H said causing Neku to look up at him

“Who…I am?” he said confused

Mr. H then nodded

“You’re not a quitter Phones, if you were you would’ve just given up on yourself and not try to put up with what the world did to you. Sadly, that’s what happened to Shiki, the world made her Soul weaker and weaker to the point she gave up on herself making her body her entry fee. But she became strong just like you. Sure you get overwhelmed, you get discouraged, even in the Reapers’ Game I could sense it beginning to overwhelm you, but even then you never gave up, when you know you could have.” he continued

“You could’ve let the Noise kill you, and not even put up a fight, or give up when you were the last Player. But even then you kept fighting, it’s who you are Neku. That powerful Mind of yours is what contributed to your Soul becoming that strong, to the point you were the perfect pick to be a Proxy. So don’t worry about this cause I know you’ll pull through.”

Mr. H then patted Neku on the head causing him to smile

“There you go Phones” Mr. H said smiling

“Heh, you always know what to say Mr. Hanekoma. You just…understand me. In a way…I’m actually kinda glad I died in Udagawa that day” Neku said smiling

“Really? How come?” Mr. H said a little startled

“cause I got to meet the person, that inspired me, and…see how amazing he is” Neku said scratching his neck feeling embarrassed

Mr. H feeling extremely flattered scratched his neck and then placed his hand down smiling at Neku

“Heh, you know you really know how to butter me up kiddo. Enjoy the moment more, remember?” Mr. H said happily

“Yeah…thanks” Neku said smiling too

Mr. H then thought it would be good to let Neku relax after all of that turmoil and stress he felt. Joshua agreed (since he knows that after they review Neku’s progress, that the final half of his training would start) and decided to take advantage of that and catch him by surprise to make his reaction as authentic as possible. Neku sat in the grass and meditated on his other forms again.

“I’ve got this, I’m almost there. Then when this is over I can finally take him out, and I’ll be free” Neku thought as he meditated

As Neku relaxed and focused on his Composer and Angel forms Mr. H and Joshua approached him as white orbs glad that Neku was in such a state of peace that he doesn’t suspect them.

They then became their human forms and dove at Neku, he then sensed their presence causing him to open his eyes and teleport away from them. Joshua stepped in and attempted to punch Neku in the face and do high and low kicks in an attempt to hit him.

Thanks to his training Neku reacted quickly and dodged all of Joshua’s attacks. Mr. H then attacked him from behind blasting Angel energy at him. Sensing the energy Neku then teleports away from the energy blast

“Guys what’re you doing?!” Neku shouted

Joshua then pounced at Neku with Composer energy in his hands and swiped at his Proxy causing Neku to dodge the attacks again, generate Composer energy in his hands (so Joshua’s energy wouldn’t burn him) and then grabbed Joshua’s right arm and swung him at Mr. H causing him to get knocked back.

The two immortal friends rolled on the ground from the impact and then got back up with Joshua running towards him. Mr. H then teleported behind Neku sensing how he was getting nervous from his friends suddenly attacking him and decided to hint at what they were doing.

“Don’t let your fear slow you” Mr. H said sternly

Neku then gasped and turned around (briefly taking his focus off of Joshua) Joshua then wrapped his arms around Neku’s chest and shocked him with Composer energy. Mr. H then charged at Neku with Angel energy surging in his hands. Finally understanding what they were doing Neku closed his eyes and opened them activating his armored form while simultaneously sending a blast of energy at Mr. H and Joshua causing them to teleport away from him.

Neku then teleported over to Joshua and grabbed his left leg and swung him at Mr. H, teleported over to Joshua again and blasted energy at him.

Joshua then retaliates by blasting energy at Neku. When Neku’s energy dissolved Mr. H and Joshua noticed that Neku had disappeared and to in their fighting stances preparing to track Neku’s energy.

They then looked up to see him holding an orb of his energy the size of a boulder and blasted it at his mentors.

“How did he…I’ve never seen a Human Soul make an orb that big” Joshua thought as he dodged the orb alongside Mr. H

Feeling empowered Neku finally unleashed the strength of his soul at them.

“I’ve got this, they want to see how strong I’ve gotten” he thought

He then flew at them at incredible speeds to the point he was a blur and attempted to slash Joshua and Mr. H who had made a dome of their energies to block Neku’s. he then teleported above the dome and blasted his energy into it causing Mr. H and Joshua to go flying back.

“Now let’s see what you can really do” Joshua thought

He then snapped his fingers and became his true form along with Mr. H doing the same, they then went full vibe frequency and blasted energy at Neku. He then blasts a massive amount of energy at them making it surge like fire.

Neku then holds out his left hand  and redirects the energy making it wrap around him like a wall to block the energy.

Knowing that he can’t when they’re in their true forms, he disappeared again once his energy wall dissolved and unleashed dozens of orbs at them causing Mr. H and Joshua to create a massive dome of energy and blast it away making Neku’s orbs dissolve

“He just recreated an advanced Angel technique with his own energy? Heh, he just keeps getting better and better” Mr. H thought proudly

Neku then unleashed a massive blast of energy making it act like lightning and then held out his hand focusing on making the energy stronger. Mr. H then blasted the energy making Neku’s begin to dissolve, he then snapped his fingers, became an Angel (making the energy he shot become Angel energy) and made the energy blast through Mr. H’s energy blast.

Mr. H, Joshua and Neku then all flew at each other and became white beams of light (with Joshua’s being a little gray) and they all clashed trying to push each other back. They pushed for a few minuets until Mr. H and Joshua both dissolved back to their Composer and Angel forms.

Neku then flew at them seeing them return to their human forms causing Neku to power down too. Mr. H then charged at Neku causing him to swing his right leg underneath Mr. H causing him to trip landing on his back.

Mr. H chuckled and smiled at Neku who extended out his hand to help him get up. Mr. H then grabbed Neku and stood up feeling so proud of him

“heh, you’ve really come a long way you know” Mr. H said smiling

Neku then chuckled

“You think?” Neku said smiling

“Definitely I’m proud of ya Phones” Mr. H said giving him a thumbs up

Joshua then stood with his hands in his pockets smiling too

“Good work Neku, I noticed you were unleashing more Angel techniques on your own, as a Human Soul. Very impressive” Joshua said pleased

Mr. H and Neku then noticed he became very serious causing them to do the same

“But you know what happens next don’t you? You remember why I told you…about who I am? You can’t mess this up Neku” Joshua said sternly

Neku then hid his face

“You told me that…for me to know you…before I died” Neku said darkly “that attempting to achieve God Status is like a death sentence…that if I mess up and don’t let the energy flow properly that I’ll…face Soul Obstruction”

“I know that this seems impossible Neku, but Beat, Shiki, and Rhyme did the impossible, they became Angels so they could save you from Clarissa. So I know that you’ll…find a way Neku…you always do” Joshua said with his hands in his pockets

“He’s right Phones” Mr. H said smiling “I know you’ll make it through this. Come on, I’ll take ya to the outskirts of the Composer district, then we’ll get started”

Neku then raised his head and smiled glad that Mr. H would there for him through all aspects of his training. Mr. H then opened a portal and walked into it, with Joshua and Neku not too far behind him.

They then walked out of the portal to see they were on another mountain but from here he could see the entire district. He saw endless valleys, gardens and mountains in addition to the floating islands. He’d never seen such a natural, rural place other than the forest in the Angels’ Game

Everything was vivid in color like he was staring at a painting.

“Whoa…this is…the whole district? This is where you live?” Neku said amazed

Mr. H then chuckled at how Neku was looking in awe

“Yup, home sweet home. It’s quite a view huh?” he said smiling

“Yeah, I think I even see that sort of worm whole looking energy not too far from here, you know, the pool of arrival?” Neku said enjoying the view remarking on how he saw some forms of energy appearing from it

Joshua then chuckles

“it really is a nice view. This is…my home Neku” Joshua said with his hands in his back pockets

“When this is all over, you can visit this place anytime you know” Mr. H added

“yeah in a way, I guess this is my home too” Neku said smiling

Joshua and Mr. H then began the final half of his training, they opened a portal into outter space and began to instruct Neku on what he needed to do.

“well now, let’s see how this turns out” Anthony said smiling at Izawa

“Do you really believe that Neku will Fade sir?” Izawa asked

“Of course, but on the miracle that this little boy somehow succeeds I already have a plan for that as well. After all, he won’t be able to access that form, if he’s too weak” Anthony replied

“Did I ever tell you about how one becomes an Angel Neku?” Joshua asked

“No…is it like achieving God Status?” Neku asked

“yes, but on a much larger scale. When a Human Soul becomes an Angel, they’re absorbing the energy of the afterlife itself. To become a Death God, one would have to absorb the energy of the afterlife but also absorb only part of the universe as well, or the way it‘s done in the UG. Since I too, am a god, but not what you’re going to become” Joshua answered

Neku then felt his eyes widen

“wait so…to become a Limitless God, to be even stronger than you I--

“Would have to embrace the universe itself. Energy exists all around you, the energy that gave your human body life, your Soul, what you are now, has a connection to the universe Neku. All living things have a soul, enabling you to do this” he said seriously

Neku then stared at the portal that lead to space naturally feeling a little nervous

“That explains one of the fusions I did with you Joshua…I felt weightless, like I was in space…I…I have to go…in there?” Neku said looking at the portal

“That’s exactly it Neku, you actually were in space when we did that fusion, but since we were in the UG and you were technically dead, it didn’t affect you. Also to answer your question, yes Neku, you need to go in there and absorb the energy of the universe to achieve God Status” Joshua said flicking a piece of his hair

“And don’t worry Phones, I’ll be here incase you don’t feel safe or something happens” Mr. H said reassuringly

Neku then took a deep breath and sighed

“Yeah…thanks Mr. H” he said smiling

Mr. H then smiled at him

“You’ve got this, just don’t worry” Mr. H said laid back as usual

Neku then leaped into the air causing him to float and nodded at his Guardian friend. He then slowly flew over to the portal, looked back at Mr. H and Joshua then flew closer extending out his hand. He then entered the portal and was surrounded by stars, asteroids and galaxies.

“It feels…cold here but…not too cold, just chilly” Neku thought “Is it because I’m dead and wouldn’t be affected by space the same way?”

Joshua then instructed Neku on what to do next

“Good job Neku…now just let the energy flow inside you, close your eyes and just relax. Remember what I told you about breathing, just do that if it helps” Joshua said telepathically

Neku then closed his eyes and did as Joshua instructed, causing him to drift deeper into space as a sign of him beginning to merge with the universe.

“I’m…drifting, but why? Is this part of the process?” he wondered

Neku then held out his hands as he attempted to absorb the universe but remembered what Joshua had told him, that this process usually kills souls, that he only had one chance to get it right. He could sense that a sun was near him and so were a few planets.

“hey, heh heh, it’s the solar system…the one that I’m from, that all people are from. Maybe I should go further” he thought

As he thought about going deeper into space he started to leave the solar system and eventually floated outside the milky way

“Just go a little further Phones, you can do this. You’re doing pretty good right now” Mr. H told him mentally

Neku then raised his head (still eyes closed) and took a deep breath

“The world ends at my horizons” he thought pushing himself “I have to go further. Just…accept it, I won’t falter anymore…I’m gonna do this, I’m gonna get this right”

As Neku began to focus more on succeeding rather than the huge chance of him losing his afterlife, stars (though not as big as suns) began to fly towards him. The moment they collided with his soul Neku grunted as he felt a jolt from the energies colliding. More and more stars all flew into Neku causing him to go from short little grunts, to whimpers of pain

“Nnngh! What’s happening to me?!” Neku screamed in his head

“It’s okay Phones just relax, this is part of the process” Mr. H said reassuringly in Neku’s head “those jolts are your energy and the universe crashing into each other. What you need to do now is head for a galaxy to absorb it, so don’t go to the milky way, that‘s where humans live…you know, Earth”

“Nnngh! O-Okay, I’ll try” Neku said out loud

Mr. H and Joshua couldn’t help but feel worried as they sensed how Neku’s energy began to weaken, it was starting to overload him from trying to take in the Universe’s energy.

As Neku desperately tried to become the Ultimate God his friends were trying to preoccupy themselves while he was gone in his training. Shiki then sighed as she was hanging out in her house

“I should probably go see Eri…it’s sort of boring now being here doing nothing” she thought

Shiki then got up and began to walk out of her half of the house

“I wonder how Neku’s doing…is he okay? He’s too far away for me to sense anything…I hope his training isn’t too much for him” she thought worried

She then went to Eri’s house and knocked on her door (a force of a habit from being alive for so long)

“Hey Eri it’s me, you wanna hang out?” Shiki asked

Eri (who was working on a design) stopped what she was doing and walked to the front door and opened it greeting her longtime friend

“Sure” Eri said being her bubbly usual self

They then began to walk around Shibuya when they spotted someone

“Yo!” someone shouted

“Over here” another voice shouted

Eri and Shiki smiled seeing Beat and Rhyme by the Hachiko statue and walked over to them

“heh, this is sort of like when we all hanged out for the first time isn’t it?” Shiki said smiling

“Yeah, I know whatchu mean yo. Except Phones ain’t here, but I’m sure we’ll see him soon yo. His trainin’ gotta be almost done now…right?” Beat said smiling

Rhyme then giggled

“Yeah I can’t wait for all of this to be over, so we can do this again with Neku here. You know…sometimes I still can’t get over it Shiki” Rhyme said happily

“Get over what?” Shiki said a little confused

“How the girl I spoke to in the UG wasn’t even you, heh heh. I’m glad you got your body back” Rhyme said smiling

Shiki then couldn’t help but grin knowing that without him, she would still hate herself and still want to be Eri.

“Yeah me too. I really owe a lot to him you know? I’m glad Neku was my partner” Shiki said smiling

“I guess in a way then when we’re together it’s like one of those before and after pictures huh?” Eri added giggling a little

Beat and Rhyme then giggled

“yeah it really is” Rhyme added

“You know” Shiki said smiling at Beat and Rhyme “I’m glad I got to know you guys too. I didn’t really know you two either and yet you still helped me and Neku from time to time in the UG”

They all smiled and laughed happy to have each other’s company and discussed what to do while Neku trained

“man I dunno, it don’t feel right hangin’ out widout Phones yo” Beat said scratching his neck

“yeah but knowing him, Neku would want us to be happy and not worry about him while he trained” Rhyme added

“yeah, that’s a good point” Eri said smiling “I may not know Neku like the rest of you do, but knowing that he went from being hurt by the world, to being able to face the world making him so…sweet and nice…I know he’d want us to be happy…and that…he sees me as a friend too”

“Well of course he does Eri” Rhyme said smiling “You’ve put yourself at risk to save him multiple times. You didn’t have to do that you know since you don’t really know him. But even so, you’ve been there for him, just like the rest of us”

“thanks Rhyme” Eri said happily

Rhyme then giggled happy to just be with everyone

They all smiled and continued hanging out, walking around the city eager for Neku’s return, and as they did this Neku began to struggle in his training

He felt himself begin to burn as his soul was starting to fall apart. He drifted towards a galaxy and felt his soul begin to weaken even more causing him to be surrounded by his energy as he flew closer to a galaxy.

“Nnngh! I have to do this!” Neku screamed

He then drifted into it causing the energy to surge like lightning, it was becoming too much for a mere human soul to absorb, making Neku squeeze his hair as he screamed in pain.

Mr. H then looked at Joshua who smiled at him

“You’re not going to start doubting him are you?” Joshua said slyly

“You know that this will kill him if he can’t absorb the energy properly, it’s already tearing him apart” Mr. H said darkly

Joshua then became serious and crossed his arms

“I’m aware of that but it’s not like we can interfere now. He has to pull this off on his own. It’s the only way” Joshua said sternly

Mr. H then scratched his head and sighed knowing what Joshua said is true

“Don’t let your fears slow you. I know you can do this” Mr. H said telepathically

“Mr. H! HOW?! How the hell am I gonna pull this off?!” Neku screamed in his head

They then saw that Neku became white outlined in darkblue with the acception of his clothes remaining (while having a bluish tint from the energy glowing beneath them) and Neku’s hair color becoming distorted, being a yellow orange instead of it’s vibrant, fiery mixture of colors.

“Don’t let your fears slow you?” Neku thought “Wait a minute…that’s it! That has to be it! I have to do this. Shiki, Beat, Rhyme and Joshua all put themselves at risk to save me…

He then flashed back to when he was the Demon Lord beating his friends to the point they were nearly Fading hearing their screams of agony, like a vision. He remembered nearly killing Mr. H during the false invasion and remembered how as Damien, he suspended Shiki into the air choking her while simultaneously summoning red orbs of Demon energy to kill Shiki with

“I did that to them…I nearly killed them, and they STILL had my back! They knew that that wasn’t me, that I would never do that to them and they STILL took that risk!” Neku thought beginning to focus on what and who this training is for

He then flashed back to when he met Cedric and how helpless he was seeing himself surrounded by his energy

“If Joshua hadn’t had saved me when he did then I…I wouldn’t even be here…

He then remembered when he was in Clarissa’s War and how a Demon shot lightning at him and how Shiki took the hit for him.

“They’ve all been there for me, I’ve always been helpless here! I’ve always been over my head!

He then flashed back to when the Higher Ups nearly killed him for failing to kill Mr. H and Joshua in the Angels’ Game, and how all his friends were there for him.

“They all put their afterlives on the line, knowing that the Higher Ups could kill them too!

As he focused more on his goal, his powerful thoughts caused his energy to surge with strength causing his energy to back into him with a darkblue aura glowing around him surging like fire

“I’m not letting that get wasted, all the things they’ve done for me!

He then felt his energy burn him like he was getting a sun burn as his entire body turned white and the galaxy he was inside of began to fly into him shocking Mr. H and Joshua simply watching in awe

“If I Fade now, then everything they’ve ever done will be for NOTHING!”

He then lets out an inhuman roar sounding a lot like a lion as he lets go of his hair and felt his head tilt up as the energy surged even more causing the darkblue energy to become gold. Neku then closed his eyes and takes a deep breath letting it out slowly, as he drifted downwards towards Mr. H with his palms faced upward and gained a pale yellow tint. once he landed on the gorund he then opened his eyes and saw his mentors staring at him in disbelief

The portal of space then dissolved and all the Composers and Angels stopped what they were doing looking at Neku in shock, even the Higher Ups (still in their domain were filled with shock and teleported to the Composer district) all the Composers and Angels then gazed at Neku as some of them began to create a crowd near Mr. H and Joshua, including the Higher Ups

Everyone (including Mr. H and Joshua) then bowed to Neku going full blast, with the acception of the Maestros removing their hoods revealing themselves to Neku, and then going full blast as a way of admitting that he was now stronger than them.

Being the most powerful being in all of the afterlife, Neku had now finally achieved God Status