So today I woke up like a normal person- but then I chose violence soo... introducing: an AU where Foliage is just a figment of Lilac's imagination! Not really, but oh well. Also, they never get together in this thing- how sad is that?

Anyways, this is set in the past once again- they're about 8-9 because don't we love childhood trauma?

Per tradition: Ready! Steady! GO!

~

     "Hey- I found something!" Lilac hollered, waving one hand in the air and using the other to dig something up. "I might've found- oh, it's just another one of those really big rocks."

     "What are we digging for, exactly?" Foliage yelled back.

     "Anything metal! I'm gonna need that, and I can't steal any more from Dad- he's starting to catch on," Lilac called back.

     "Oh, okay! But what's the metal for?"

     "I- don't mind that... I just think they're cool- and I've been experimenting with some simple machines. I've got to get Dad to teach me some Python or Lua, y'know?"

     "I don't know what any of that is..." Foliage's face was almost apologetic, and Lilac stifled a giggle as he looked over.

     "It's coding! I want to be able to make all sorts of cool machines so everyone's life can be easier!"

     "Oh, that's cool! You gotta make one for me too- I mean, if you ever get the chance..." Foliage looked down at the pit he was digging. He looked sad, and his eyelids were half closed as if part of a truth was hidden behind a gaze.

     Lilac shrugged it off. "I'll make one for you whether I get the chance or not- and then I'll give it to you the moment I see you again, how's that?" 

     "Sounds good to me," Foliage replied with a smile.

     For the past ten minutes, Lilac and Foliage had been digging through the forest- they were trying to find scrap pieces of metal as Lilac had heard some rumors and wanted to see if it was true. He'd somehow managed to drag Foliage along without having to bribe him. Only a few months ago, the vine-headed boy would've been reluctant getting his hands in the mud- when did he start getting so agreeable?

     That didn't really matter right now- Lilac had his hands on something- and it was definitetly a lot shinier than the average "shiny rock".

     But it was also harder to dig out- what sort of scrap metal would be this smooth?

     "Fooliage... can you give me a hand here?" Lilac was on all fours, ignoring the amount of dirt that was staining his knees and the ants that were crawling over his hands. He could figure that out later. "I really should've gotten a shovel."

     "Alright!" Foliage bounded over, kneeling next to him and scooping out even more mud. The pair stayed there for a few minutes, complaining about the bugs and accidentally uprooting some grasses along the way- until, finally, Foliage gripped a sharp edge and managed to haul the whole thing out of the earth.

     "Is that- did we just find a helmet? From the Washable Kingdom?" Lilac stared in shock, almost unable to comprehend what he was seeing. "I can't just destroy it for some machines, let's go show it to Dad and Purple!"

     "Yeah- but, here- you hold it," Foliage said, rather quickly and hurriedly, "Who knows the amount of bugs there are on this thing?"

     Lilac hit the large gunk of metal against his knee, dumping out most of the dirt that was trapped inside before tucking it under his arm. "Alright, let's go!"

     Bouncing across the forest with Foliage close on his heels, he skidded to a stop at the front door and kicked it with his foot. "Daaad! We found something!"

     "We?" The door opened, and Lilac hopped inside, beckoning for Foliage to follow and putting the helmet on the coffee table. Wild Marker smiled, picking up a bottle of water and unscrewing the cap. 

     "Yeah, we found it! I was originally going to just try and dig up whatever, and then I found this and after a really long time Foliage managed to pull it out of the ground- Dad, are you okay?"

     Wild Marker had spat out his water in surprise, staring at Lilac in a worried expression displayed across his face. "Lilac... you do know we haven't been able to find Foliage for... at least 6 months now?"

     "What?" Lilac said, whipping his head back up at Wild, mouth hanging half open in disbelief. He looked from Foliage, who was making an x with his arms, and Wild, his dad, who was denying his best friend's very existence. "He- but- he's right there! What do you mean you couldn't find him? Is this some sort of joke? This- this isn't funny..."

     "He went missing about 6 months ago- did no one tell you?" Wild muttered quietly, a somber tone wavering his voice. "We tried looking for him, we really did..."

     "No! He's right there!" Lilac was almost yelling now, pointing in Foliage's direction. "He- can't you see him? He's standing there! Right there!"

     "There's no one there... Lilac, are you sure?"

     Lilac wasn't able to speak. He could see Foliage, standing in front of him with an alarmed expression on his face, motioning for him to be quiet, but no- why couldn't Wild just understand? He was-

     But the closer he looked, the more he realized- Foliage was somewhat transparent, he didn't have a shadow, and despite having been digging through the muddy forest not long ago, his skin was perfectly clean and there were no dirt stains on his clothing whatsoever. All the scars and scrapes he used to have all over his arms were no longer there, instead replaced by a smooth, uninterrupted tan color that Lilac wasn't even able to remember Foliage with.

     What was happening? He gripped both of Foliage's hands, trying to feel if they were there- and they were, solid things that he could hold- but they were cold, felt fake- where did all of the calluses and rope burns go?

     "He's right, Lilac," Foliage whispered. "I..."

     "Shut up!" Lilac was on the verge of tears, barely able to keep his hands from shaking as he loosened his grip on Foliage. "I can feel you, you have to be real..."

     "There's no one there, Lilac-"

     "STOP IT!"

     He had his hands over his ears, refusing to hear any more- he didn't want to accept the fact that his best friend was- no, not dead, just missing. Just missing- he could find him if he tried, couldn't he?

     "...Lilac?" Wild Marker's voice was quiet and subdued, and he put a hand on Lilac's shoulder as he knelt down. "Lilac, please, just listen-"

     "Don't touch me!" He made a run to his room, slamming the door as he went in. He was crying; tears were streaming down his face but he didn't have the will to wipe them away. Lilac slid to the floor, pulling his knees against his chest as he tried to pretend that Foliage was still there- for all he was worth, he wanted to just believe in something that was stupidly and obviously wrong just because it made him feel better. But he wasn't made that way. No matter how hard he kept trying to convince himself, his ever so logical brain just didn't let him.

     There was a soft rap on the door, followed by a gentle voice that Lilac only knew one person had.

     Reluctantly, he pried open the old, wooden door, letting Foliage in before he slammed it shut again.

     "Lilac... I'm sorry."

     "About what?" Lilac responded curtly, knowing but not caring how harsh he was.

     "I can't stay much longer- half a year was already hard to keep up with, but now..." Foliage looked down at his hands, and Lilac peered into them, too- there were small cracks starting to form, glowing with a soft sage green light that seemed to be escaping before their eyes.

     "The others couldn't see me because they were already aware of the situation, but now that you are too, I don't think this is going to work out anymore."

     "You're bluffing," Lilac spat out. "That- we can fix that, we just need some bandages, I think-"

     "I've always known you for identifying the truth when you see it, Lilac," Foliage's eyes were imploring, staring into Lilac's eyes with a sad filter. "Why can't you just accept it now?"

     "I don't want to, that's why! You were one of the only people who stuck around, but now- what's happening to your hands?"

     The cracks had gotten bigger. Bits of skin were crumbling off, and while Lilac was trying to piece everything together, Foliage just held his hands out with a sad smile.

     "It was nice knowing you, Lilac, it really was..."

     "NO!" Lilac was screaming, squeezing his eyes shut while holding on to his friend for dear life- not his own, but for Foliage. "Don't-"

     But when he opened his eyes, there was nothing there.

     Foliage was gone, and there was nothing else to deny.