❝ ♔to return?↗ fw event&open!
He couldn't even remember falling asleep at any point, honestly. He'd been so hellbent on not falling asleep in the other world, because there were so many other things that needed to be done, and rest wasn't quite an option. But apparently he had -- and when he finally woke up, he was greeted by white walls, and a white floor. There was even the sound of people chattering to be heard if he strained his ears to listen long enough ..
A second more to piece everything together, and the teenager jumped up from where he was sitting -- he'd been leaning up against the wall right next to a painting that looked like a bunch of scribbles and paint-blotches.
It was the "Fabricated World". He didn't even need to look over at the plaque beneath the painting to make sure. After what had happened to him the first time he looked at it, how could he forget what it looked like? The teenager shook his head, rubbed his eyes, even pinched himself -- just to make sure that this wasn't a dream, that it was real. And, he found after a minute or so, it was. It was all real.
Then .. everything was okay. He was back in the art gallery -- no, he was home, and a nap was all it took to bring him back here. How silly he'd been for not going to sleep sooner! Maybe that was why he was so tired in the first place -- his body was trying to tell him the way out of that other place. A laugh escaped his lips as he started down the hall, though, it sounded more exhausted than it did humored. How long had he spent in that other place, anyway? Minutes, hours? His sense of time felt like it had been warped back there, and it didn't help that he hadn't had a watch on him. So he couldn't quite recall how long it had been, but it didn't matter. He was back, and all he had to do now was find his sister and they could --
No sooner had he thought of the younger blonde did he find her a few feet away -- and she was with company. Neku, Rhyme and Shiki were crowded around one of the smaller paintings on the wall ahead. They must not have heard Beat calling his sister's name, because they didn't stop what they were doing to turn around. It was a bit strange, because the skater had a pretty loud voice .. But it didn't matter; he would just surprise them while their backs were turned. It would be more fun that way, anyway .. At least, that was what Beat figured.
It was only when he got close enough to the trio that he saw what they were looking at. It was a painting. It was a painting .. of Beat. And if that wasn't enough, the title underneath the frame was no more reassuring than the image itself: It was titled, "The Forgotten Portrait". "What the --?"
The trio turned towards him then; they looked at him, but they didn't say a word. It was almost like .. they were looking through him. Like they were looking at something behind him.
The blonde turned around at that thought, and he found that he could not have been any more right about the situation. Because, standing there behind him was .. well, it was hard to believe, and Beat rubbed his eyes furiously before he actually believed what he was seeing. Standing a few feet away was a person that looked exactly like him, and could have been him, but it wasn't -- obviously not, he was standing right there! He was where he was, but that Beat still remained; it was no illusion of the eye, either .. rubbing his eyes had proved that much to him. Not only that, but the three standing behind him were acknowledging this other Beat as opposed to him -- the real Beat. "Yo, guys, what's all 'a this --?"
But they went on with what they were doing, as if he hadn't spoken to begin with. The blonde turned towards his friends, waving his hands, doing anything that might have caught their attention, but to no avail. They started to speak to one another; Shiki suggested that they head home, but this other Beat suggested that they stay a little longer. He wanted to look at all the paintings once more, from what it sounded like. Everyone had been in agreement with him, nodding their approval. Rhyme, in particular, looked especially excited -- she'd loved the gallery, and she was happy that Beat was enjoying it so. It .. Almost hurt Beat to see it, because it wasn't him she was happy about. It was this .. this imposter.
They then started to walk away, "fake Beat" following close behind the trio. However, as the other three teenagers went down the steps to the first floor, the imposter-Beat stopped walking. He stopped himself at the top of the staircase, and turned to look over his shoulder. He was looking at exactly where the real Beat stood, as if ..
As if he knew that Beat was standing there. As if he'd known this entire time that Beat was there. The smirk on this other Beat was sinister, and the teenager felt himself tense up. He advanced on the imposter, fists clenched tightly; whoever this guy was, he was going down.
"Yo -- Yo, You get the hell away from 'em! You touch one hair on any 'a their heads, and you're as good as dead! You hear me!? I ain't playin'!"
There was no response from the imposter in words, but as Beat screamed at him, his smirk grew wider. A moment of silence fell between them before any words were spoken; they were from the imposter, and they made Beat feel a chill all down his spine.
"They don't need -- no, they don't want you anymore. They asked me to join them .. and so here I am."
It was then that Rhyme came back up the steps, grabbing the false-Beat's arm with both of her hands. She'd asked him why he was standing around, and she told him to hurry up, or else they'd both lose the others. His eyes still on the real Beat, he answered her with a "'Course, sis", and put an arm around her shoulder before starting down the steps with her. He wasn't smirking any longer, but the gleam in his eyes was vicious. His words floated through the air long after he'd left, and they made Beat weak.
It was for this reason that he'd hung back; he legs felt like jelly, and if he took a step, he felt that he might fall over. He couldn't even find the proper words to speak; his throat felt constricted, his tongue felt ten times larger than it actually was, and it was getting hard to breathe. If it couldn't get any worse, he felt tears stinging his eyes, and he clenched his fists, forcing them back for as long as he could.
Feeling his legs starting to give out even more, to the point that he could no longer stand, Beat leaned up against the nearest wall and slowly sank down to the ground. He'd been replaced. They had replaced him. His sister had replaced him. All the "real" Beat was to them was a portrait hanging on the wall, and they had this "new Beat" to take care of them now. Rhyme would look up to him as his older brother, Neku and Shiki would look to him as a friend.
And him? Well, he was nothing. Just a shadow in the background, someone they used to know but no longer needed to.
It made no sense when he tried to think about it, but he couldn't be bothered to figure it out -- not in his current condition. His head pounded, and he couldn't think straight. Finally giving into the tears of frustration that he'd held up for so long, he leaned his head back against the wall and pulled his skull-cap down, so that his eyes were covered. "Neku, Shiki .. .."
