jida | ᴛʜᴇ sᴀᴍᴇ sᴏɴɢs ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ sᴀᴍᴇ ᴏʟᴅ ʀʜʏᴍᴇs

ᴛʜᴇ sᴀᴍᴇ sᴏɴɢs ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ sᴀᴍᴇ ᴏʟᴅ ʀʜʏᴍᴇs

[ The four months since the castes were reversed have been... strange, mostly because of how strange it isn't. It was easy to adjust to walking around Tanagura freely, since he'd done it in Midas all the time. It was easy to adjust to the way he and Eichi's responsibilities and schedules had changed. It was easy to adjust to being actually in charge of Eichi now, instead of just managing his life for him.

Truthfully, it's actually kind of nice to be an Elite instead of a Mongrel, and that's what makes it so strange. Because Eichi is miserable, because Eichi can't adjust, because he's never felt quite so helpless about actually fixing a problem that Eichi is facing. Giving him the majority of his monthly wage hadn't helped. Letting him keep his bedroom hadn't helped. Leaving the apartment exactly the way it was (except for his) bedroom hadn't helped. Making it easy for Eichi to keep in touch with his other Elite (well, Mongrel now) friends hadn't helped - if anything, Tori's miserable sobbing coupled with Yuzuru's thinly veiled mania in the face of the swap probably made things worse. It's frustrating and he hates it and that's why he's shopping.

Not because shopping make him feels better, mind, but because Eichi's birthday is soon and maybe a gift with more meaning to it beyond 'please feel less depressed soon' will be helpful. Thus, Keito has tracked down and traveled the one pottery shop in the whole city that still makes their wears by hand. A cute new tea set will definitely make him happy, and if it doesn't then Keito will just throw him off the balcony and--

Why is Eichi here?

It takes Keito a second to realize that it is Eichi standing across the street from the shop (it's been so long since he's seen Eichi fully if a bit sloppily dressed), and once he does recognize him Keito is staring at him with a mix of confusion, horror, frustration, and somehow also relief. Because Eichi is up and moving around and not full starfish on the floor, but of course he decided to celebrate his return to normal function by immediately putting himself in an incredibly dangerous situation. Of course.

Keito charges across the street in a flash, heart racing just from anxiety. He grabs Eichi by the wrist, gentle enough to not hurt him but firm enough that he won't be wiggling away any time soon. ]

What are you doing here?!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Not only is Eichi standing here like he's just stumbled out of a closet, but his eyes are lit up in exactly the way that spells disaster. Like clockwork, he doesn't miss a beat in Keito grabbing his wrist, using the grip in a reversal to give him a little tug in the way he wants him to look. To be honest, he has no idea why he's here. He appeared just moments ago, crashed on the floor like he'd passed out, and that was normal enough...

But he's caught up in the magic of it all.]

You're here as well, Keito? [There's at least a brief recognition as he smiles back at him, but then he's turning, pointing with a free hand to the flashy advertisements, shops, clothing— various types of neon and insane technology he's never seen before.]

Look! Can you see it? All of these colors are incredible. ♪ It looks like I've stumbled into a fun place, doesn't it? Fufu... If my heart weren't beating so fast, I'd try to run through all of this now and see how the colors might blur together. You weren't keeping this place from me, were you?

[ On one hand, at least Eichi is acting like Eichi again.

On the other hand, the reversal in his attitude is so abrupt and jarring that Keito can't really be happy about it and can't really resist Eichi tugging him along for the red. This is definitely a bad sign. Eichi either totally cracked or is being totally passive aggressive, and given that it's Eichi... ]

I'm not keeping anything from you.

[ God, is that what he thinks is going on? That... honestly, might explain a lot. Keito hasn't given Eichi much freedom to leave on his own - violence against unattended ex-Elites is still too high to risk it - but it hasn't like he's put him under house arrest either. It's a perfectly safe, perfectly reasonable decision to make in the current climate. Even so, Keito feels immediately compelled to defend himself. ]

You could have come whenever you wanted if you'd just asked.

[ He didn't need to do this and-- ugh, no, Keito is done thinking about it. He finally digs his heels in, trying to shake Eichi's grip on him loose. ]

Come on, let's go back. We can go out once you're dressed for the weather.

[ And with that said, Keito reaches up to pull the scarf loose from around his neck and drape it around Eichi's shoulders. Maybe he should give him his coat, too... ]

[Something about this is strange, and it's out of nowhere, too. That's enough to stun Eichi into releasing his own grip, focusing instead on the scarf now around his shoulders. Keito always does overthink things and grump around and force him to stop his (dangerous) fun activities, but the tone to this seems difference. He was worried, but was it really about the weather?]

You're in a strange mood today, aren't you? The weather isn't so bad. I feel warm and relaxed. Inhale, exhale~.

[He says that, but he's as cold as an ice cube, if his grip said anything. But really, what's he going on about? He could have asked? How could he have asked to come to wherever this place is, in this kind of weather? Keito would scold him and say no, why would he go out at a time like this, and it would be a whole thing.

He's just making up things to get him back to school, or home, or something like that, right? Wherever "back" is... But from what he's understanding now, Keito definitely didn't know Eichi was passed out next to a building. If he knew that, he'd be yelling a lot more and calling an ambulance for sure. If Eichi stops to question where they're moving "back" to, and admits he remembers nothing, it'll be revealed that he blacked out for a bit there, and Keito's irritating concern would show up even more.

He'll keep that a secret. In the meantime, as he sighs over-dramatically and stops his attempts to pull the poor guy around himself, pulling the scarf closer to himself and fully giving in.]

How unfortunate... just when I found something interesting, you have to worry like that and put a stop to my fun. I hope you'll make it up to me. It's not as if we can go back and forth again and again like this, you know? I'll grow tired and I won't be able to enjoy it at all.

[Plus, by the time he's well dressed, he won't feel like it anymore.]

You're always too relaxed, but right now you feel like an ice sculpture.

[ Next he'll start insisting he feels fit to take a stroll through Midas - though he might just to vex Keito. But how now he's agreeing to return, which is... again, not exactly what Keito expected. That's three times now Eichi has at least startled him and it's barely been five minutes. He's definitely trying to throw Keito off balance.

Still, even though he knows Eichi is just messing with him, he can't help but feel a little guilty at what he says. Keito pauses for a moment, before he gives up and haves a sigh. ]

If you're too tired today, then we'll come out tomorrow. Or the day after that. Or the day after that, or whenever you want. Just say when.

[ Even when Eichi was the Elite it wasn't like Keito to make those sort of concessions, but right now his typical exasperation with Eichi is overshadowed by concern. If Eichi finally wants to do something then Keito will take him (almost) anywhere he wants, just this once.

But for now, he's taking him home. The district they're in isn't too different from what Eichi is used to. It's an 'old fashioned' district more concerned with preserving the aesthetics of the past than anything else... though the holographic displays, strange ships that pass overhead, and occasional glimpses of a wholly unrecognizable Tokyo between the buildings.

Then, as they get further and further away from the district, more and more strange and unusual things pop up. The holographic displays get more elaborate, the assorted strange ships become more numerous, robotic sentries make an appearance, and the train that Keito finally leads the two of them onto appears to be hovering above the tracks.

Everything is very, very clean, at least, but that might just make it all the more unusual. ]

[The entire walk "home" has Eichi unusually silent. At first, it's because he's thinking more about Keito's mood. That was a kind sentence, and he wasn't really expecting it... so was something on his mind? Something had to be, but what? Eichi trying to puzzle this out becomes quickly overshadowed by his distraction from the world around them.

Tokyo, but not. Technology that wouldn't fit the level of a prank at all, not that Keito would ever go along with one in the first place. Everything combined that makes him feel a little sick for a handful of reasons he doesn't want to address but will likely have to.

Is he so sick that he's hallucinating? Is he actually in the hospital again, when he was just trying to enjoy time with fine? There's no way it could be something like magic or whatever might come out of a fairy tale, or one of those strange books that Tsumugi might be into. Still, no matter how many times he pinches at his own skin or holds his breath to see how his body reacts, it all tells him the same thing: he's awake. This is real.

Slowly, his hands curl into the scarf around his neck, and he allows his steps to carry him even closer to Keito, shoulders brushing. He has no idea that they're practically on the doorstep of what this Keito would call "home", let alone anything else. He just knows that if things are this serious, he probably shouldn't be playing a game of hide the truth.]

Keito... [Even the way he calls his name is different, hesitant, cautious, but still commanding his attention.] Where is this place?

[ It's not like Eichi falling silent is exactly unheard of. It's not like having him suddenly press close is that strange, either. To have him speak in a hesitant, cautious voice is odd, but not necessarily a cause for alarm.

When all those things happens at once, however, it leaves Keito feeling a bit more concerned, a bit more like he needs to do something about it now. At frist all he does is glance around, puzzled, like he expects himself to have gotten on the wrong train or zoned out and missed his stop. But it only takes a moment for him to determine that such a thing hasn't happened. Which means that rather than doubting himself, he now thinks it's time to doubt Eichi - though rather than doubt, it's more like concern. ]

What do you mean?

[ There's a chance Eichi's messing with him again, of course, but Keito doesn't find it terribly likely. With the way he'd been behaving just a moment ago, Keito can't help but think (with some alarm) that he seems perfectly sincere. ]

This is the same line we always use. It passes right by the tower.

[ Whatever the 'tower' ends up being. ]

This isn’t anything we normally use.

[ He’s form on that, trying to hold onto his sanity, still afraid he’s lost it in some way. Hallucination, fever dreams, drug reactions— ]

This isn’t anywhere near my mansion or the temple. Which way is Yumenosaki Academy? This is some sort of dream, right? If it were Keito, seeing my expression as stressed as it is right now, he’d drop any first time pranks or jokes, right? It should be a dream, but my chest still hurts terribly right now, and I can feel every pinch...

[ He’s rambling anxiously now. ] Where are we?

[ Eichi's right about one thing: if there had been any joke being played, Keito would have already ended it, yelled at everyone involved, and whisked Eichi to safety. As it is he wants to do that last part right this second, but they're all already on the train and being whisked as fast as possible.

He still wishes it was faster. The various things Eichi is saying right now are becoming increasingly alarming. Why would he think they were near his mansion, or the temple Keito's family runs? Why does he want to know anything about Yumenosaki? That part might be most alarming of all, in fact. ]

Eichi.

[ Keito reaches out, grabbing hold of Eichi's elbow and holding him steady. Even if he's not swaying right now Keito fully expects him to collapse at any moment. It's a risk whenever he gets worked up and Keito doesn't think he's ever seen Eichi quite like this before. Not since the night they learned of the flip, and even that has been - different. ]

Stay calm. We're almost home, and I can have a doctor come right away.

[ In fact, he can call him right now. He releases Eichi just long enough to lift his wrist and press a button on his watch, calling up a little holographic screen littered with icons, not dissimilar to a normal smartphone. It doesn't occur to him that the display itself might come as a shock. ]

[It's almost calming to have Keito grab at him like that, speak so sternly, try to tell him reassuring things. He doesn't know if a doctor might help right now, so he can't even argue that— but the sight of such a foreign screen makes him jolt in his shock, immediately reaching out with his hand to yank his arm closer and stare at it.]

Even something like this...?! [This isn't an iWatch. It makes an iWatch look primitive. There's no way— with how big his family is, he'd know about technology like this in an instant. His face would be on some of those fancy billboards, advertising something for them as well. Instead, he's left bringing his free hand to his head, his rocketing pulse making him feel dizzy.

But Keito is right about one thing. Panicking isn't helping. Okay, breathe, like he's practiced. He may not be dying or close to death. It might be fine. He'll just quietly hyperventilate a little until they're... "home." Wherever that is.]

[ Eichi is being so forceful today. It would be reassuring, if not for the fact that he's clearly not himself and having some sort of episode. Keito lets himself be yanked without any protest beyond a startled sound, and even though the display is backwards from Eichi's perspective he might still recognize 'Jin Sagami' in Keito's contacts.

... It's a little awkward, but right now Keito is a little worried about what Eichi will do if he doesn't get to look, so Keito simply leaves his arm right where it is, tapping through the contact menus until he gets to the messaging app (which has several prefilled options like 'I'd like to make an appointment', 'There's an emergency', and 'Please come right away', the last of which he selects). Once he's send out the distress signal he'll let Eichi keep starting at or messing with his watch.

Either way, however, it doesn't take much longer to get 'home', which turns out to be a huge, sleek apartment tower with a seriously luxurious interior. He leads (drags) Eichi to the elevator, which is at least a normal elevator, if a very fast one. The trip up to 'their' apartment (which seems to occupy up the entire floor) doesn't take very long, and once the elevator door is open Keito usher him across the foyer and through the 'front' door, giving him firm directions to go sit and wait somewhere. ]

In here?

[Immediately as he steps through the door, Eichi is questioning it. He's pale, from all of his panicked thinking and limited breathing, and his expression isn't a masked smile like it normally is. It's more lost, distant in a different way, and Eichi is looking around at everything.]

Can a doctor truly fix something like this? This isn't some ache in my heart or a weakness in my body, but a lack of recognition... Is this "home?" I don't know it at all. You see, back when you found me, I had just woken up on the street...

[He'll admit this now.]

[ The only reason Eichi gets up is because he's hungry, and having Keito make him food is a much preferable option to making himself food, because Eichi is nothing these days if not needy. He enjoys the quiet reaffirmation that even if his entire life has been thrown upside down, his relationship with Keito is still the same, so when he hears the door alert chime, he starts to head over, rubbing at his eyes blearily with the sleeve of a delicate silk pyjama shirt. ]

Keito, I want avocado toast-- [ Eichi starts, and then stops, looking at.

Himself? No. That can't be right. Eichi's mind shudders to a confused halt, then jumps ahead, and he turns towards Keito looking deeply offended. ]

Keito! Are you replacing me with a robot? I haven't been that bad off, you know--

[ Okay, he has been, but this is a betrayal of the highest level. ]

[ Keito is in shoulders deep in the closet at the moment, completely unaware that there are two Eichis. To him, the progression of the conversation is rather odd. Eichi expresses doubt about what a doctor can do and admits to having collapsed, and immediately after that starts whining about toast and robots. Keito all but drops the shopping back and yanks himself out of the closest, whipping around with an expression of frustrated alarm. ]

You--?!

[ ... What?

Keito stares at the scene in front of him with wide, uncomprehending eyes, gaze bouncing back and forth between the two Eichis. In a moment he might be able to come up with a logical reason for why he's seeing what he's seeing, but right now those thoughts are impossibly far away and hard to grasp. He takes a step forward, then lurches to a stop. ]

You...?

[Avocado toast sounds ni— wait.

He stares in clear shock once he registers that the new person standing in front of him is himself. That dizziness increases, and he wobbles a bit after Keito's second "you," catching himself on the edge of something.]

H-hold on, now everything makes even less sense than before...? [Lord help him is he dying, is this some sort of Buddhist step of death? He wants to ask Keito, but he seems just as clueless right now. Instead, he has to lower himself to sit down, bringing a hand to his head.

You know, he has the thought that he really doesn't want to appear like this in front of himself, it's embarrassing— and even that is making his head spin.]

Perhaps they really have changed my drugs. I need a nurse.

Did you think he was me--? [ There's a faint note of something almost like hysteria in Eichi's voice, because Keito's expression is very clearly stating that this isn't something Keito intended or did with any knowledge. Eichi takes in a breath, trying to lower his abruptly skyrocketing blood pressure before it gets away from him. The last thing he needs is to wind up passing out when he has a -- double? Robot? Clone? Assassin? ]

If you're trying to steal my identity, you're four months too late for it to be doing any good, you know.

[ Eichi says it very matter of factly, with something almost like self-deprecation in his voice. This kind of thing... it would have made more sense, back when Eichi was still an elite, back when Eichi still had power and money to his name.

Ah, he really is getting too worked up. Eichi sinks back against the wall with a confused huff, spreading his hands against the surface and trying to steady himself. His health has been terrible, even for him, ever since the changeover happened; his body isn't made for these kinds of shocks. ]

[ There are two Eichi's swooning in his living room, and Keito barely has enough hands to take care of one. He hurries to the 'new' Eichi's side at first, hovering anxiously as he makes sure he doesn't simply collapse. He's ready to help him up and guide him elsewhere, but then the 'old' Eichi is slumping against the wall and Keito hurries to his side, too, making sure to usher him to the couch so that he can rest properly. ]

This is a-- skin. A digital skin.

[ Robots aren't this lifelike, and a clone this accurate wouldn't be allowed to roam free even if it did exist. That means this can only be some impostor that got a hold of a skin that makes him look like Eichi... for some reason? Even if it's the most likely of the possibilities, it still seems kind of silly. What's the point?

Even so, Keito turns to look at the newcomer. ]

Who are you? What do you want?

[ He tries to go for 'firm', but he mostly just sounds confused and a little anxious. Even if he tells himself the new Eichi is a fake, he looks, acts, feels, and even smells like the one Keito knows. Seeing him in such a poor state isn't easy. ]

[This is... a strange feeling to have. He's overwhelmed, and then on top of that, Keito leaves his side to go to the side of someone else. No, not someone else— another him. A better him? He swats away that thought quickly, but his eyes are already expressing more than he wants them to as he looks up.]

What? You addressed me by name when we first ran into each other, didn't you? I'm Eichi Tenshouin, you know, and you're still Keito. So how is it that this place is so foreign to me? Do you expect me to know an answer to that?

[Why is he being accused of things he doesn't understand!! Keito is the first one he addresses because he feels familiar, even in this strange place. He's still wearing his scarf, which he's grasping at, and it's not enough. He turns his gaze on the other Eichi, now, not sure what he feels. Jealous, maybe? Irritated, but intrigued...

His heart hurts.]

If it were possible for me to steal an identity so easily, I'd choose someone with a healthier body. [How can this both be such a dig on himself and other Eichi and yet so full of himself at the same time.]

This doesn't make any sense. [ Eichi can't even manage to make it sound light when he says it; he's just confused and a little distressed. It doesn't make the slightest bit of sense that someone would chose to steal Eichi's identity and do it so poorly -- a replica of him sent to his house, when Eichi has nothing to his name? When Keito has everything, and Keito is hardly the easiest mark in the city?

Eichi looks from Keito to the other version of himself, frowning faintly. It isn't as though Eichi doesn't pick on his own health with startling regularity, but... it's different, hearing it from someone that. Might be him? Might not be? ]

I've never had any siblings, and there shouldn't be enough of my DNA on file to clone someone so exactly. [ He rules out the possibilities smoothly, even though he feels like every part of him is wavering dangerously. ]

If you're Eichi Tenshouin -- then where are you from?

[ Eichi steps over, keeping in mind that there's still a vague chance that this is an assassin sent to kill himself or Keito, and offers out his hand, laying it palm up next to his copy's. ]

Are the fingerprints the same?

[ Even if acts (tries to act) otherwise, being cold to Eichi isn't an easy task for him. Being firm with him when he's sick or injured it one thing, but denying him something when he's so distressed - especially when it seems to be something as simple as attention - isn't easy.

He'd like desperately to say something, but for the moment he stays silent and lets Eichi (both of them) figure it out. The question about fingerprints is a good one, but it makes Eichi realize there is another, probably better alternative he can use. He doesn't so much as glance at Eichi's finger tips, instead grabbing the 'old' Eichi's wrist and dragging it up to the 'new' Eichi's face. ]

Ask it to tell you your schedule for tomorrow.

[ That should settle things for good. No one but Eichi himself should be able to tell the holowatch to do anything, and never mind something as sensitive as a personal schedule. ]

Certainly not from here, it seems...

[When his eyes meet Eichi's, the other Eichi's, it tells him enough. It's no mirror image, and that odd way of looking at himself is what makes him so sure. He can feel it, and there's some sort of spark that he's not sure what it is, and now he's being interrogated. He doesn't resist, showing his own fingerprints and blinking expectantly at Keito, but this is better opportunity for proof than what he would have thought.

He looks at the watch, recognizing it as the same one Keito has on his wrist, and brightens a little. Ah, he gets to hear his schedule?

He gestures out with his hand grandly even though there's no reason to.]

Tell me my schedule for tomorrow. [Give him the tea]

[ Eichi falters a little when Keito grabs his wrist, but only because he really doesn't know what's on his schedule. He hasn't had a schedule in weeks, because nothing has mattered and everything is pointless and he hasn't had the motivation to do a single thing. (He briefly considered trying for world domination, then realized he'd have to go up against Rei Sakuma, and didn't have the energy to convince Keito it would be a good idea.)

The watch, however, responds in a measured, even tone: ]

Tomorrow's schedule is open. Projected wake-up time: 10'o'clock. Projected tasks: drinking tea in bed, watching the latest--

[ Hastily, Eichi butts in before the watch can embarrass him anymore. ]

-- cancel schedule! [ He jerks his wrist away from them both, putting his other hand over the watch like it'll somehow shield it from hearing any further commands. He's bracelet shifts, and the objects ping off each other gently. ]

Keito, don't be rude.

[ Keito doesn't know what exactly he was expecting, but it definitely wasn't this. Definitely not concrete proof that this Eichi is definitely Eichi and that there's no way to deny it any longer.

What the fuck? What a mess. Keito sighs softly, ignoring Eichi's comment about being rude. Instead-- ]

Schedule a checkup for Eichi tomorrow afternoon.

[ His own watch blips out a confirmation - it's deeper toned than Eichi's - but he's already put it out of his head. He supposes he's taking care of this Eichi now, and he's so worn out from everything this afternoon he can't even be mad at himself for accepting this new responsibility so quickly.

He looks to the new Eichi again, expression tired. ]

You said you went to Yumenosaki. How long have you been there?

[ Maybe... Eichi secretly has a twin, that was secretly sent to Yumenosaki instead of home with his family? Even thinking it sounds dumb. ]

[Just like that, he's no longer with his back against the metaphorical wall. His heartrate has eased down a fair amount to the usual level of "too high", and with the other Eichi embarrassed, this Eichi feels a little more comfort. It's a sacrifice that he's sure will be like a never-ending hourglass, but that's interesting on its own.

Right now, he leans closer to the other Eichi with a not-so-innocent innocent smile on his face, peeking at the watch. It's only when Keito addresses him that he turns back, seeming almost disappointed.]

Hm? Ah, but I wanted to hear about whatever that Eichi-kun was watching the "latest" of...

[Tell him more... It's a playful sort of teasing, one he hopes will earn teasing back, but maybe less of the venom he'd gotten earlier. Venom from yourself is no fun.

Seriously, though, he guesses he should focus. Crossing his arms, he brings one hand up to his own chin.]

It's my third year, and I'm nearing graduation. Do you really suppose they're connected in some way? This city is nothing like what I'm used to at all, so while I don't believe it could be something like magic or voodoo, it doesn't seem to be adding up.

Yumenosaki? [ No, wait, he'll tease you back later, Eichi-kun -- he makes a note to delete all the recordings he has of Chiaki's latest sentai show before anyone can find out he was watching them -- there are more important things to discuss.

When he looks at Eichi, he isn't quite embarrassed anymore. There's curiousity and something almost like distaste on his face, like he's sipped at some oversteeped tea. ]

You've been at Yumenosaki for three years and it hasn't killed you...?

--No, that doesn't make any sense; it would be all over the papers if "Eichi Tenshouin" were at a school like that.

[ And then he finally gets to the teasing, glancing back at Keito out of the corner of his eye: ]

You're taking him to the doctor, right, Keito? [ Don't make him put on real clotheeeees. ]

[ Eichi's teasing - Eichis' teasing - just gets a tired look from Keito. Now's really not the time, though he knows the futility of trying to stop Eichi from being himself. So for the moment, he ignores it.

Regardless, it's clear that Eichi(-kun, now, apparently) has a very different understanding from the two of them when it comes to Yumenosaki. Hearing 'three years' alone is enough to make Keito look alarmed, and he doesn't look any happier about the prospect of graduation. He slides Eichi a worried look before he turns it on Eichi-kun. ]

Yumenosaki is a pet training facility. There's no way you were there for three years.

[ The castes only recently flipped, after all. As for the other question, Keito nods. ]

Yes, that checkup is for him. Yours is next week.

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