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

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.

"Pet?"

[Being stared at like that was hardly pleasant, and Eichi is still staring back at himself with almost puffed out cheeks, like he's offended. It's distracting enough to put off commenting on any sort of doctor's appointment right now. Of course, he's a big name, but he can hear those quotations. And now Keito is saying something confusing? The word "pet" falls from his lips like a foreign concept, and his brows furrow as he looks towards him now.]

I'm not sure what you mean? I'm Yumenosaki's top idol. ♪ There's nothing about pets... Ah, though more than a few idols do own animals, I believe...?

[ Eichi considers that for a moment, holding up the wrist that has the bracelet denoting him as someone's property and considering it for a second. An idol... that certainly sounds different than anything Yumenosaki would actually produce.

Does this Eichi really not know...? Eichi can't fathom that -- pets have been in his life since he was born; Keito has been with him for so long he can barely remember a time when he wasn't. To not know... ]

To train the lower-caste in the ways of entertainment, conversation, and pleasure. [ Eichi says it like he's reciting something in an easy sing-song. He doesn't specify sexual pleasure, but -- well. ]

Blondes like us are very highly prized. Someone would absolutely have snapped you up immediately, if you'd been at our Yumenosaki!

[ Really, the only person Eichi can think of that's more coveted is... Wataru, probably. Izumi and Koga might technically have lighter hair, but please, they're such ill-tempered beasts. ]

[ This conversation just keeps getting worse and worse. Eichi-kun brings up animals and Keito looks uncomfortable, and even more so when Eichi explains in a little more detail. Still, he suspects that isn't quite enough information. He hesitates, then speaks. The two of them are being a little catty, aren't they? Heading them off is hopeless, but Keito can at least try. ]

Pets doesn't mean animals, it means people.

[ This is really strange to explain. How could Eichi-kun not know? ]

Yumenosaki trains people who want to be pets, then sells them later - or if someone already knows a pet, they can send them there for extra lessons. But they only would have accepted- [ He falters. ] -someone like you a few months ago.

...

[He's trying to wrap his head around this, he really is... But... entertainment, conversation and pleasure? Even without saying sexual pleasure, that sounds shady. And Keito's attempt at words after that. People who are pets?]

Is this an entire city filled with people who have interests like that pet of UNDEAD, Oogami-kun? [Eichi please, don't kinkshame.] Ah, but even before understanding all of this, there's something else that I realized... You're not my Keito, either.

[His Keito, he says.] I hope he isn't lost here. He'll go around calling "Eichi, Eichi, where are you?" and draw attention to himself, and it'll be embarrassing.

[ Eichi raises his hand up to laugh at the sheer confusion he could imagine an alternate universe Keito having when confronted with a situation like this. ]

He'll be easy to find, if that's the case. No one would dare touch him when he looks like an elite...

[ Eichi pauses, considering things for a moment. If this Eichi doesn't know about Yumenosaki, and doesn't understand where he is, and is missing a Keito...

Well, Eichi has no interest in seeing himself die, even if it's an alternate version of himself, and certainly not at the hands of the kind of brutes that live within the city. He'll just have to bring this Eichi up to speed.

Two Eichi's are better than one, or something. ]

People like you and I, Eichi-kun -- we're known as "mongrels" these days. We don't have the slightest bit of autonomy. It wasn't like that before, of course, but I was toppled off the throne several months ago...

[ He's still upset. ]

But Keito was here to take care of me! ♥

[ Keito shakes his head. No, he's not 'his' Keito. ]

I've lived here my entire life. [ He pauses, then: ] In Nerima when I was younger, then here in Minato after Eichi registered me as his pet.

[ He doesn't sound the least be dismayed or embarrassed about having been a pet at any point. That's just the way life is here. ]

It used to be that people with dark hair - like Rei and I - were mongrels, and people with light hair - like you and Wataru - elites. But a few months ago there was an uprising, and now everything works the other way around.

[ ... Yeah, explaining something that's just common, every day knowledge to Keito is still really weird. ]

So Eichi is right. If there is another... me... wandering around, he'll get plenty of help so long as he doesn't leave the special wards.

Mongrels?

[The distaste is clear as day, and his head whips over to Eichi in disbelief. It's only at the mention of a throne that he brings a loosely curled fist to his mouth in thought, staring at the ground. He knows himself, of course, and even an alternate universe-him would never use a metaphor like that unless it was personally serious. So he also lost his "throne"...

They meant very different things here, it seems, and he doesn't want to reveal any of his own troubles here, right now. Even if the idea of alternate Wataru and the others is terribly intriguing, he has to focus on the here and now.]

I believe I'm starting to grasp the situation. [No he's not. He's a cat and will get out.] But in this case, what should someone like me do? It seems I'm trapped here, somehow, and now you're telling me I've been stripped of all of my power? Even with this weak body of mine, I won't lay down and be treated like that so easily. I'm not so ignorant as to think slavery doesn't still exist in the world, but isn't this a bit much?

[ Eichi does not trust his other self in the slightest when it comes to actually grasping this situation versus not reacting to it -- but the idea of admitting that he himself has spent the past several weeks in bed watching television instead of actively trying to change his situation...

Please understand, it's very hard when his bank account isn't unlimited anymore. ]

We were stripped very efficiently of both wealth and power. [ It's very matter of fact, and Eichi can almost hide his bitterness when he says it. ]

Keito will take care of you. [ Eichi tilts his head, considering it. ]

Even if he isn't your Keito -- he's still Keito, of course. He could never allow harm to come to either of us.

[ Eichi brightens, because this is getting on slightly easier ground -- ]

You'll just have to be a pet, as well. We'll be the envy of everyone, you know -- twins are very popular.

[ There's a lot to address and unpack right now, so of course Eichi jumps right in with the idea of both of them being pets. Keito doesn't hesitate to shoot him a sharp look and an even sharper: ]

Eichi.

[ Seriously, what the hell? The last thing he needs is for either of them to get even more worked up than they already are. ]

The only thing either of you are doing right now is waiting for Sagami-sensei to get here and make sure you're alright. We can discuss what to do next after that, alright?

[ Hah. He may as well tell a tsunami to turn around, and he knows it - but still, letting Eichi just tantrum his way through the situation isn't anything he's ever put up with or ever will. ]

Hold on.

[Slowly, he unwinds the scarf from his neck and steps closer to Keito to return it to him. They're inside now, so it shouldn't be a problem. He can tell that Eichi-kun is speaking to put him at ease, and in a way, it works. They have similar thinking, after all.]

Though the idea of being a pet is distressing, being Keito's pet doesn't sound bad at all. [Ah, it's a shame if he can't fluster him by saying that, though. He drops his hands away once they're free of the scarf, stepping back next to the other Eichi.] Once again, and just like always, I'll entrust it all to Keito. Fufu, you're always so capable... Even with something like this, I can almost feel at ease.

[A pause, and he glances back to Eichi, leaning in and covering his mouth with a hand to shield his words from Keito. Barely.] By the way, wasn't he saying it was an appointment for just one of us, and now he's included both...? Let's revolt.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject