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Description
You're not me, Ichiru.
You can't fight for her.
You won't win.
You're going to be left behind.

It was like someone was talking to me over my shoulder. Every time I was with Ami, and whenever I was alone. Sometimes I even saw whoever it was, the voice that sounded so much like mine.
It was like a ghost of who I could have been. If I hadn't joined CC. He was so much more care-free, running around me like an annoying little kid, laughing when I stumbled. He was something that I just wanted to go away.
"Ichiru, what's wrong?" he'd always say when I was silent. Then he would laugh.
Whenever I was alone in my room, I would always try to talk to him. If someone walked in, I'm sure I would die.
"Ichiru, you're going to give up on her, aren't you?" he said one day.
I was getting sick of him telling me what I was going to do.
"No. Just... Leave me alone!" I said. I ran my fingers through my hair, getting tired of him teasing me. Would I really be this cruel if I hadn't joined CC?
"You wouldn't be this cruel to everyone, Ichiru. Just yourself," my other self answered for me.
"Heh. You read my thoughts now, too?" I say.
"I've always known what you've been thinking. I'm you, remember?"
I've never noticed before now that his mouth didn't move when he talked.
"I wish... why would I be like this to myself then?" I say finally.
"Because you would regret not making what you believed what was the right choice. Joining with CC."
"So I didn't make the wrong choice?"
He laughs, his transparent shoulders shaking.
"You thought you made the wrong choice? No. When you're CC's partner, you can protect the ones you love. I can't say that much."
"Protect? It seems as if all I'm doing is hurting them and keeping secrets."
"Sometimes not letting them know, is protecting them that much more. In the world I'm from... The mirror of this world, Ami is gone. And I couldn't do anything. She's been missing for so long, and she doesn't even realize that I loved her."
A hurt look flashed across his eyes for a second but it disappeared just as quickly.
"Ami is gone?"
He laughs once, his laugh holding no humor.
"Yeah. And I know where she is. But CC won't let me get to her because I declined."
"So... Ami is safe as long as I stay with CC?"
"Yeah. But I'm so much more free, less stressed. I can do much more than you can."
"So?" I reach toward him but he dances away, like he always does. I'm sure that even if he hadn't, my fingers would slip right through him.
"So... I can live life the way I want to. Without CC trying to control it all."
"But...CC doesn't try to control my life... does he?"
"You'd be surprised. Why don't you leave the city?"
"CC said there was nothing out there. Just us."
The other me cocks his eyebrow, an expression that I'm sure I've used before.
"CC lied?"
"There you go Einstein."
"So why are you showing yourself to me?"
"To let you know how you would be without CC in your life, telling you lies, making you believe things that aren't true."
"I'll leave the city tomorrow then. I'll call Ami, make her come with me."
"Good luck. That's all I'm going to say. CC isn't going to let you go willingly."
He looked at me one last time, then he faded to nothing. I stumbled, trying to grasp his arm or something, but I fell through him
I heard his laugh before he disappeared completely, never to be seen by me again.

Description
You're not me, Ichiru.
You can't fight for her.
You won't win.
You're going to be left behind.

It was like someone was talking to me over my shoulder. Every time I was with Ami, and whenever I was alone. Sometimes I even saw whoever it was, the voice that sounded so much like mine.
It was like a ghost of who I could have been. If I hadn't joined CC. He was so much more care-free, running around me like an annoying little kid, laughing when I stumbled. He was something that I just wanted to go away.
"Ichiru, what's wrong?" he'd always say when I was silent. Then he would laugh.
Whenever I was alone in my room, I would always try to talk to him. If someone walked in, I'm sure I would die.
"Ichiru, you're going to give up on her, aren't you?" he said one day.
I was getting sick of him telling me what I was going to do.
"No. Just... Leave me alone!" I said. I ran my fingers through my hair, getting tired of him teasing me. Would I really be this cruel if I hadn't joined CC?
"You wouldn't be this cruel to everyone, Ichiru. Just yourself," my other self answered for me.
"Heh. You read my thoughts now, too?" I say.
"I've always known what you've been thinking. I'm you, remember?"
I've never noticed before now that his mouth didn't move when he talked.
"I wish... why would I be like this to myself then?" I say finally.
"Because you would regret not making what you believed what was the right choice. Joining with CC."
"So I didn't make the wrong choice?"
He laughs, his transparent shoulders shaking.
"You thought you made the wrong choice? No. When you're CC's partner, you can protect the ones you love. I can't say that much."
"Protect? It seems as if all I'm doing is hurting them and keeping secrets."
"Sometimes not letting them know, is protecting them that much more. In the world I'm from... The mirror of this world, Ami is gone. And I couldn't do anything. She's been missing for so long, and she doesn't even realize that I loved her."
A hurt look flashed across his eyes for a second but it disappeared just as quickly.
"Ami is gone?"
He laughs once, his laugh holding no humor.
"Yeah. And I know where she is. But CC won't let me get to her because I declined."
"So... Ami is safe as long as I stay with CC?"
"Yeah. But I'm so much more free, less stressed. I can do much more than you can."
"So?" I reach toward him but he dances away, like he always does. I'm sure that even if he hadn't, my fingers would slip right through him.
"So... I can live life the way I want to. Without CC trying to control it all."
"But...CC doesn't try to control my life... does he?"
"You'd be surprised. Why don't you leave the city?"
"CC said there was nothing out there. Just us."
The other me cocks his eyebrow, an expression that I'm sure I've used before.
"CC lied?"
"There you go Einstein."
"So why are you showing yourself to me?"
"To let you know how you would be without CC in your life, telling you lies, making you believe things that aren't true."
"I'll leave the city tomorrow then. I'll call Ami, make her come with me."
"Good luck. That's all I'm going to say. CC isn't going to let you go willingly."
He looked at me one last time, then he faded to nothing. I stumbled, trying to grasp his arm or something, but I fell through him
I heard his laugh before he disappeared completely, never to be seen by me again.