dreamcrystals | open 💀 first recording

Entry tags:

open 💀 first recording | passive dream

Sender: Beat
To: Everyone
Subject: Passive Dream Recording
Warnings: Some spoilers for the OG The World Ends With You.

Whenever this time of the year came around, a sense of dread would bubble up deep within him. It would start in his stomach and slowly make its way up to his throat, settling itself there. It was uncomfortable and no matter what he'd do to try to gulp it down, it remained stuck.

This day was no different.

Beat seems to be a few years younger, wearing a slouchy beanie with a skull sewn onto it, his hair pulled back and tucked underneath it. His usual headphones are absent from his head. He’s dressed in a school uniform, but his surroundings do not depict him to be in any such place.

Instead, he wanders Shibuya aimlessly—riding down the streets of Dogenzaka on his skateboard, perusing new albums available in Tower Records, even just hanging out at the convenience store by the Moyai statue. Everywhere but where he was supposed to be.

He reaches into his pocket to pull out his phone, navigating his way to the unread message from someone named “Rhyme”.

Are you coming home soon?

A moment passes before he types up a reply:

ill head home when i feel like it

His message was cold and he knows it deep down. But he sends it anyway, tucking his phone away before he continues loitering about the city.

By nightfall, he finds himself staring up at a modest two-story home, standing just outside its gate. He doesn't know how much time has passed since he's gotten here, but he lets out a sigh, steeling himself for what was to come. The gate’s hinges creak slightly as he pushes it open, a plaque on the gate reading the family name “Bito”.

The lump in his throat still remains.

It isn’t before long that he finds himself standing in front of a Japanese man, dressed in business attire, his tie loose around his neck after a long day at work. To his side sits a rather tall woman with blond hair, an apron draped in front of her dress. He’s filled with dread once again, the pit in his stomach growing larger and deeper as a tightness begins to form in his chest.

Beat reaches out and hands over a card toward them. On it are his grades for the semester. They are well above the passing grade, but nothing spectacular. He knows they’re nothing spectacular. He knows he isn’t anything spectacular. Not in their eyes.

The expression on his face is hard to read as they go over his grades and Beat hasn’t said a single word throughout. His lips remain a straight line and his eyes appear to be downcast. Is it apathy? Is it fear?

He opens his mouth, ready to put himself down, ready to fight them. That’s how it always is after all.

“Good job, son.”

The words catch in his throat before they could leave him. Beat’s eyes widen and his mouth hangs open, staring at them. They look back at him with proud smiles on their faces.

“You did well, Daisukenojo,” said the man.

Beat recoils when he hears the name but doesn’t say anything at first. He continues to stare at them for a moment longer, dumbfounded by the turn of events. “Are you two serious?” he finally asks. His usual manner of speech is missing, but the same inflections and brash tone of his voice remain.

“Of course we’re serious.” This time it’s the woman who speaks, looking back at him incredulously. “You did your best, didn’t you? As long as you do that, we couldn’t be any prouder of you.”

The man stands from his seat and walks to Beat, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Let’s eat out tonight to celebrate, all four of us. How does hot pot sound?”

Beat looks at the man, then the woman. Finally, the surprise on his face disappears and he lets out a laugh. His voice almost cracks when he speaks. “Yeah, hot pot sounds great, dad.”

He hears a quiet ring of a bell nearby. Turning towards the source, he sees a young girl with blonde hair and blue eyes smiling at him, a bell pendant hanging from a leather strap around her neck. He smiles back at her, blinking back the tears that begin to pool at the edge of his eyes.

And then he wakes.

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[ There is a quiet chuckle that starts to escape, but she pulls back her hand and uses it to cover her mouth. ]

It is kind of a mouthful... [ God forbid someone from the West try to pronounce that. ] I like Beat just fine.

[ She looks over him, a natural silent pause passing them by like a cool night breeze. ]

Do you wish to change? I can brew us a new pot, if you don't mind me using your kitchen.

[He smiles at that, glad to hear that it doesn't sound like he needs to argue about how he preferred to be called. Getting back on his feet, he offers a hand to Susato to help her up.]

Already said it's aight if you do. Sorry 'bout the mess though.

[Once they get inside, Susato will see that his place is quite the mess. A few used clothes were strewn over the backs of chairs, a few torn pages from his sketchbook are scattered over the kitchen table, and parts of a half-made skateboard sits on another open surface.]

Pot's in the left cabinet and the tea's in the second drawer. I'mma be right back.

[It doesn't take long for Beat to change. Once he's back, this is probably the most casual Susato's seen Beat, their time at the beach aside. He walks back in dressed in a sleeveless shirt and a pair of sweatpants. That jacket he usually wears definitely hides a lot of his toned body.]

Find everything okay, Loops?

[ Susato automatically takes the time to take her shoes off, because that sort of thing, among others, has been what's been ingrained in her ever since she was a child. She blinks when she can finally take in the state of the room, but doesn't say anything and allows Beat to take his time and change.

It is not her place, but she can't help it. On her way to the kitchen, she finds herself picking up the various torn pieces from his sketchbook, even the ones he probably never meant to be seen. Then one thing becomes another, and when she goes to neatly place the pages onto a nearby table, she also straightens out some of his clothes that are thrown about.

She also admires the remnants of his skateboard, but when Beat walks back in, Susato will already be in the kitchen. She hears him from a distance however and quickly pokes her head out. ]

Ah, yes! Not to worry, it'll be ready any moment now.

[It's at this point that Beat makes his way to the kitchen, immediately noticing how much cleaner the entire place suddenly was. While he knew where to find things in his own mess, he had to admit that the place looked much better than the sorry state it was in only a few minutes ago.

While he pads in barefoot, his footsteps could still be heard as well as the rustle of papers as he looks through his sketches, one of which having a mostly crossed out drawing of a squirrel like creature with decals for arms and its tail.]

D'you do all this, Loops. Youse already makin' tea. You didn't haveta clean up my mess too.

[The last time person who did that for him was Rhyme after all.]

. . . [ The worst part is, she held back. She can probably point out another three things that could be picked up or otherwise straightened. There is still a sheepish smile, however. Despite how much better it looks, Beat might find it harder to find some of his things for a little while. ]

Sorry. I simply can't relax when things are untidy, but I promise I haven't thrown anything away.

[ A pause. ]

...Quite the opposite, in fact. I... have something for you.

[The thought that she might've thrown something out hadn't even crossed his mind until she said it. Not that he would've thought she would.

But before he is even able to say anything about it, a look of confusion crossed his features. There's a bit of a tilt to his head at his, similar to that of a curious dog.]

Something for me? It ain't my birthday or nothin'.

[Because why else would she be giving him anything?]

[ Birthday? ...Huh. She would have to ask when that was. But no, it's not for his birthday. Susato shakes her head. ]

It's not for that, but I want you to have it all the same.

[ There's a brief pause. She reaches into her kimono sleeve, and it doesn't take long before she pulls out something that shines against the palm of her hand. As she holds it out to him, closer inspection will reveal that it is a necklace. The chain is silver, and the main attraction is a small round bottle made of rainbow glass, making it appear similar to the beads they won together against the fae in the game of dodge ball.

Inside the bottle are numerous origami cranes which are equally colorful, and a silver skull charm hangs next to it, clinking against the glass. ]

...Here.

[Not sure what to expect, Beat stares at Susato's hands once she presents the item to him. He takes it from her to give it a closer look, twisting and turning it in his hands.

He doesn't notice that the glass had a familiar shimmer to it, but the cranes reminded him of the senbazuru he had tried to catch a while back. And the skull wasn't a surprise considering the designs depicted in how he usually dressed.]

Yo, this seriously for me? [He looks back up at her, a smile on his face.] Did ya make all this, Loops?

[ Honestly, Beat strikes her has being easy to please, but there was no telling. She waits, unsure of what to expect of his reaction, but she automatically nods at the question.

Sadly, the Dream Faire hasn't happened yet, so she can't say she made the bottle from scratch, but at least that means it is perfectly round in shape. ]

Well, I folded all the cranes at least. They say that the crane lives for a thousand years... Did you know that?

[She'd be right in assuming that, and it's easy to see in how fascinated he looks as he inspects the bottle in his hand.]

Yo, you serious? I thought the only thing you can do with them is make a wish when you got a thousand of 'em.

[He then slips the necklace on to hang around his neck. The usual chain necklace he wears is absent, allowing this new one to take center stage. Looking back at Susato, he flashes her a huge grin.]

How's it look?

[ Susato perks up. He's got the right idea, bless his Japanese heart. She looks on approvingly as he slips the necklace on, grinning. ]

Wonderful! And, yes... that happens to be where I got the inspiration.

I'm quite short of a thousand, of course, but... at least this way you can carry them with you. It's meant to be a protection charm.

Nah, this is plenty, yo. 'Specially 'cause you made 'em.

[Her mention of it being a protection charm gives him pause though, tilting his head to the side.]

Ain't never seen a protection charm like this before. Usually, it's them pouches you can get in shrines, you know?

[ She gives him a nod, because of course she's familiar with omamori. That time of year is coming up soon, isn't it? ]

Well, this is a slightly different flavor of charm. [ Just call it 'Susato' or 'Mikotoba' flavored. ] The first time I made one, it was for Mr 76. He was hurt badly early last year, and I wanted to wish him a speedy recovery.

But because of the nature of this place... I've found that the charms actually work.

[ There's a pause. Maybe Beat would remember the glow he saw beneath the water, but even if he doesn't... ]

I am sure mine kept me alive that night until you could get to me.

[The reminder definitely helps. He remembered being overcome by fear when he swam to the figure underwater after realizing it was her, not knowing if she was still alive at the time. While he vividly remembers the glow, he never thought to ask about it. It seemed like everyone else had something on their mind after everything that happened after all.

He holds up the charm as it hangs on his neck, handling it with unexpected care. If it did keep her alive back then, who was he to doubt that it didn't work?]

Heh, dunno if I need protectin', but leas' I got it if I need it. Thanks for havin' my back, Loops.

...You're welcome.

[ There's a smile. He may not know if he needs it, but there's comfort in being prepared, isn't there? From the kitchen, she can hear the kettle sound, and she'll glance back in that direction. ]

Now, come! After we have tea, I must finish what I've started here. Honestly, I don't know how you and Naruhodo-san can live like this. [ They haven't met yet, but perhaps one day they'll learn that they are kindred spirits. ]

[He smiles back at her, finally letting the charm go to hang around his neck. But what she says after the kettle whines from the kitchen gives him a momentary pause.]

Hold up. What ya started? What d'you mean by that?

[And she did exactly that, cleaning up after him once they were done, with him helping out all the while. And despite it all, Beat couldn't help but shake the feeling that he'd have trouble finding his things for a little while.]

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open 💀 first recording | passive dream

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