Alter-Ego

"I can't believe they got him." Alisa whispered, tears falling down her cheeks. Sucking in a breath, she slammed her palms on the table, barely holding back a cry of anger. "After Raishun made his way back from his journey, they really betrayed him like that!"

The 3 members of Team Regalia sat solemnly around a library table. Warm sunlight shone through large slit-like windows on the walls, illuminating dust that lazily floated through the air. Rows of bookshelves were spaced equally apart, leaving room between them for tables where students sat pondering over books. While Alisa had her outburst, Gil's eyes focused on the quickly growing number of students shooting them dirty looks.

"It's nothing more than the consequences of his actions." Laura replied bluntly as she flipped through the pages of her textbook. "Even if he was scared, disappearing into the night without informing anyone could be considered treason by Vale's government. If he had been a little smarter, he would've considered his position before-"

"You're heartless you know that!" Alisa glared at her leader, her teeth audibly grinding in anger. "He was our former leader, and you're partner! Don't you dare slander his name!"

Gil sighed and waved apologetically at several of the other students in the library. Unable to stomach their annoyed glares, he turned to the girls and spoke in a tired voice. "You both know... he's still here right?"

The two girls turned to their right and saw the tips of Raishun's blue hair sticking out from a meter-high stack of papers. He was sniffling sadly while struggling to work through a particularly difficult page of homework.

"That's what happens when you run off for a month." Laura chastised, "You're lucky Ozpin only told you to catch up, he could've expelled you if he so pleased."

"Laura, help!" He sobbed, poking his tear streaked face over the stack, "I don't know how to do this problem."

"Be patient, I'm coming. Honestly you're such a child." The white-haired beauty rose from her chair and stood by the Legion. She started explaining the problem to him as best she could, but it only seemed to confuse him more. In fact, the others could practically see the gears struggling to turn in his head as he tried to process the information.

The loud gong of the school bell seemed to bring him back to reality as students started to move to their next class. Everyone save for Raishun, that was, who was desperately trying to cram all the papers into his schoolbag. By the time he'd managed the task, he was alone. Or at least he would've been, had it not been for the buzzing of the scroll in his pocket.

Opening the device, he couldn't help but smile when a message from Carmila appeared on the holographic screen.

{Have fun at school today! We're both rooting for you! She misses you a lot, so make sure you come visit when you can!}

Attached to the message was a picture of Carmila and Morgan posing for the camera. Both of them had smiles on their faces, though Morgan's eyes seemed a little puffy, no doubt from crying when she'd discovered he'd left.

{I just needed a pick me up. Thanks you two. I'll do my best!} He typed back, smiling as he walked to his next class. Oddly enough, the weight on his shoulders didn't seem so heavy anymore.

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Snapping his textbook shut, Raishun let his forehead slam into the desk. He'd been working for hours and had only made a small dent in the large backup of work that had accumulated in his absence. Ozpin had ordered him to complete it all, otherwise he'd be stuck in remedial lessons, and be held back a year. He was surprised the Headmaster wasn't stricter with him, though he knew it had to do with his status as a Legion.

[I'm dying. I can understand Grimm studies since we hunt them, but why's there so much damn history homework?]

There was a sudden pressure against the back of his consciousness. Like two bubbles pressing against each other, he felt the presence merge with his own. It felt like being splashed with cold ice water, and he couldn't help but shiver in discomfort.

[You have so much because the teachers don't want history to repeat itself.] Serah's voice echoed throughout his head. [Didn't you say you needed to learn about Remnant anyways? You should be grateful to have such diligent teachers.]

[Don't use big words to make yourself sound smarter, what are you, Laura?] He retorted.

After the events of the Forever Fall a week prior, he had discovered that Serah was able to talk to him outside of his dreams. These moments, while welcome, were short-lived due to the immense strain it put on Serah. But they made a habit of doing it frequently, to build up their stamina, and extend the duration of their talks.

He heard her chastise him, but pushed her consciousness aside when he felt his scroll vibrate. He quickly opened it, only to frown when he saw it was a system notification. With a disappointed sigh, the device flopped onto his desk, along with his forehead.

[Ooooh. Looks like someone's got a crush~.] Serah teased in her songbird voice, [That's the eighth time you've checked your scroll this hour. I bet you're hoping to get another cute pic of your girlfriend aren't you?]

Raishun blushed and scratched his cheek in embarrassment. [She's not my girlfriend. We're just-]

[Oh no, don't give me that excuse!] He felt her poke at his consciousness with her own, creating an unpleasant sensation that bloomed across his forehead. [The woman gave you a ring around the neck and a smooch on the cheek. Girl if that's not a crush I don't know what is.]

[I've been meaning to ask about that ring, by the way.] He thought, desperate to change the subject. [I saw some of the other villagers wearing those. Heck, Yona, Castor, and Carmila were all wearing one.] Curling his finger around the ring, he gave it a tug to prove his point. [What's it mean?]

[Fufufu. Wouldn't you like to know. That's something only Carmila can tell you, as per Dadabarunga tradition.] She let out a yawn, and for the slightest moment her consciousness flickered. [I'm getting sleepy, so I'll be going on ahead. Don't keep me waiting too long, 'kay?]

Like a light switch being flicked, her presence pulled away from his mind,. Left alone to his own devices, Raishun decided to pack up and headed back to his dorm.

He hadn't walked more than a few minutes when he heard it. A soft, melodic tune echoing through the dimly lit halls.

[It's beautiful.] He thought, doing his best to track down the source of the music. The trail of sound eventually led him to a bright light coming from one of the classrooms. Mustering his courage, he peeked around the corner and saw Gil holding his throat as he sang. The ethereal green glow of his semblance surrounded his body, seemingly the source of the music.

[Gil!? He sings!] Raishun blinked in disbelief, [I took him for the strong silent type. Guess I was wrong.]

When the song ended, he politely cleared his throat, hoping to avoid an awkward conversation. To his surprise, Gil jumped a foot in the air and shot him the nastiest glare he had ever received. The taller man was on him in seconds. He took him by the shoulders and tossed him into the room before throwing the doors shut behind them.

"How much did you hear?" He hissed, his cheeks burning red with embarrassment.

"Haha not much... okay I heard all of it." Raishun replied in a quiet voice. "In my defense you left the door open a crack, and the sound carried all the way to the library."

"Shit!" Gil cursed, "Listen here, you better not tell anyone about this. Hell I'll sweeten the deal and give you and autograph if it helps keep your mouth shut."

"Why would I want my teammates autograph?" He said in a confused voice, "What are you famous or something?"

Gil blinked in surprise. He stepped around the blue-haired boy without a word and retrieved a white shortcut wig from a schoolbag on a desk. He threw it on and looked at Raishun.

"Do you not recognize me?"

"What is up with you and you're cousin asking if I know you guys. No, I don't recognize you." Raishun shot him a quizzical look. "But you do look good with white hair, and you're a really good singer too. Hell you almost remind me of a idol-"

Raishun froze as things started to click in his mind. "Are... are you a popstar? There's no way you are right?"

Gil thought for a moment, then sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "I figure it's safe to tell you. The gap between reality and fiction in this case is so large, I don't think anyone will believe you if you decide to talk."

Leaning back against the table, the brown-haired man began to spin his tale. "Laura and I ran away from home at a young age. I was 12 at the time, and Laura was only 9. Laura's father was overbearing, he demanded too much too often, and I didn't want Laura to grow up in that environment. That meant I had to look out for her. But no one wants to hire a 12 year old now do they? I used to sing for Laura when we were younger, so I figured I'd do that to earn some money."

Pressing a finger to his temple, Gil extracted several strings of green light, which he began to twirl between his fingers. "One day, some bigshot heard me sing and hired me for a one time gig. When I got on that stage and sang for all those people, that's when my semblance awakened. Laura called it Siren, but it's pretty useless as far as semblances go. It can only amplify the powers of another, but it has the added bonus of projecting the song of ones soul. I projected the song of my own soul that day, and the crowd was entranced by it."

Swiping his hand through the air, he let the strings float around the room freely. "I don't want Laura finding out about what I do, not only would it look bad for her image, but it would also make her feel bad. This disguise of mine makes sure it never happens."

Gil turned and looked Raishun in the eyes with a humorous grin.

"You know what they call me? My stage name I mean."

"No idea." Raishun said with a shake of his head. "Gil The Green?"

"Beat." He said and broke in a fit of laughter, "Of all the names, they ended up choosing Beat! It sounds cheesy doesn't it?"

"Beat?" Raishun smirked, "God you're pulling my leg aren't you?"

With a shake of his head, Gil withdrew a small rectangular case, which he threw at Raishun. "See for yourself."

The Legion caught it, and upon closer inspection, saw it was a CD. On the front was a picture of Gil wearing his wig. On his face was a black mask that hid his face, as well as what looked like reflective clothing.

"Damn you really weren't kidding. That's crazy!" Tossing the CD back at his teammate, Raishun tapped his own chest in reassurance. "Don't worry I won't tell a soul."

"Good. Wouldn't want anyone to come listen to the famous idol Beat try to work through his new song." Gil laughed. Suddenly his brow furrowed, as if he were trying to figure out a complex idea. Out of nowhere, his face lit up and his clapped the Legion on the shoulder. "Actually, I think I just got an idea. And you're gonna help me with it!"