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Rabbit Rabbit
Summary: A side-game from TWEWY, Neku battles alone to find the Alice pin in a reminiscence of Alice in Wonderland. The game resets every time a member breaks a rule, and all the players are trying to find the one rule. In doing so, though he does not change throughout the story, a story about him watching a rabbit get slaughtered in front of him is slowly revealed.
Rabbit Rabbit
His partner wore a broken watch.
“It’s the only way I can tell time,” he apologized, tapping at the cracked screen. Spider web-thin lines etched onto the glass surface, where it was perpetually twelve ‘o clock. The black time on his hand continued to tick.
“That doesn’t make sense,” Neku said. “We only tell time by day.” Like it was a Wednesday when Neku was five and his mother took him out for a walk down by the yard, where her precious tulips grew, which she tended with care and love, and a delicacy that sprouted the brightest red petals, with a drop of honeydew yellow down the middle.
“Have a nice day,” Sato, his partner, said immediately, and then grinned.
“Um . . . thanks?”
“Nah, man, it’s like a rule.” He scratched the back of his head, tipping his glazed sunglasses further upward in his bleached hair. “You’ll figure it out soon.”
The game reset.
--
Neku felt vaguely suspicious. Nothing that Joshua offered could be any good, and this offer smelled like fish. But Joshua continued to smile cattily.
“It’s called the Alice pin,” he said, “And it’s very rare. Not many people can use them.”
“Then what’s the point of—“
“But if it’s you, Neku,” Joshua said, with a false warmth, “I know you can do it.” It wasn’t as if Joshua had not been sincere. Neku did not doubt that Joshua meant his words, but there was a hollowness to them all, as faint as the floral stench on Joshua.
“So what?”
“So, I’ll let you play a game. It’s a mini-game, and only a few players hear of it. Even the Reapers don’t know about it.” Joshua smiled, lightly toying with his hair. “It’ll be our little secret.”
“I don’t know . . . “
“The Alice pin is said to take care of an entire city of Noise in one blow,” Joshua said. “Why don’t you take the chance, Neku?”
“. . . I don’t want to.”
“It’s called Mao.” Joshua brought his hand to his chin, half-hiding his smile. “I heard they only need one more contestant. Come on, Neku. It’s only a small game.”
“. . . I guess,” Neku finally said. “So how do you play the game? Is it like the Reaper’s game? Who runs the game?”
“The Game runs this,” Joshua said, tapping on his chin, “Even I don’t have any control over it. So make sure you come back safely, Neku.” He smirked. “And you’re only allowed to know one rule of the game.”
“What?” Neku jerked back, startled. A creeping feeling already started to squirm in his stomach. He had seemed to have signed a terrible deal.
Rabbit Rabbit
His partner wore a broken watch.
“It’s the only way I can tell time,” he apologized, tapping at the cracked screen. Spider web-thin lines etched onto the glass surface, where it was perpetually twelve ‘o clock. The black time on his hand continued to tick.
“That doesn’t make sense,” Neku said. “We only tell time by day.” Like it was a Wednesday when Neku was five and his mother took him out for a walk down by the yard, where her precious tulips grew, which she tended with care and love, and a delicacy that sprouted the brightest red petals, with a drop of honeydew yellow down the middle.
“Have a nice day,” Sato, his partner, said immediately, and then grinned.
“Um . . . thanks?”
“Nah, man, it’s like a rule.” He scratched the back of his head, tipping his glazed sunglasses further upward in his bleached hair. “You’ll figure it out soon.”
The game reset.
--
Neku felt vaguely suspicious. Nothing that Joshua offered could be any good, and this offer smelled like fish. But Joshua continued to smile cattily.
“It’s called the Alice pin,” he said, “And it’s very rare. Not many people can use them.”
“Then what’s the point of—“
“But if it’s you, Neku,” Joshua said, with a false warmth, “I know you can do it.” It wasn’t as if Joshua had not been sincere. Neku did not doubt that Joshua meant his words, but there was a hollowness to them all, as faint as the floral stench on Joshua.
“So what?”
“So, I’ll let you play a game. It’s a mini-game, and only a few players hear of it. Even the Reapers don’t know about it.” Joshua smiled, lightly toying with his hair. “It’ll be our little secret.”
“I don’t know . . . “
“The Alice pin is said to take care of an entire city of Noise in one blow,” Joshua said. “Why don’t you take the chance, Neku?”
“. . . I don’t want to.”
“It’s called Mao.” Joshua brought his hand to his chin, half-hiding his smile. “I heard they only need one more contestant. Come on, Neku. It’s only a small game.”
“. . . I guess,” Neku finally said. “So how do you play the game? Is it like the Reaper’s game? Who runs the game?”
“The Game runs this,” Joshua said, tapping on his chin, “Even I don’t have any control over it. So make sure you come back safely, Neku.” He smirked. “And you’re only allowed to know one rule of the game.”
“What?” Neku jerked back, startled. A creeping feeling already started to squirm in his stomach. He had seemed to have signed a terrible deal.