Bleach (c) Tite Kubo
Once More To See You Again
Where you least expect
The Hollow dissolves into reishi. That last strike was magnificent and Ichigo's first Konsou goes off without so much as a hitch.
All and all it was a wonderful performance his first mission as a Shinigami.
Rukia tells him as such but Ichigo dismisses her compliment with a scoff and rises to his feet. He grunts. "I'm leaving."
"I-Ichigo?!"
Rukia's head jerks up at the voice and her heart freezes when she locks eyes on the source.
At the park entrance stands a ghost from the past. Blue eyes, dark spiky hair. Her mind's eye superimposes a much taller man, older, wearing a black Shihakushou and the 13th Division's Lieutenant badge on his left arm, wearing a wide proud grin that beams like the very essence of sunlight.
She blinks the image away and its replaced with a teenager, the carbon copy of Ichigo, save for the few cosmetic differences of darker hair colour and brighter blue eyes. He's wearing a casual hoodie patterned by a flock of birds midflight, jeans and sneakers. Incomprehension dances across his face.
Rukia doesn't know what to say for a minute. She's stunned into silence. Her knees feel weak but she cannot let herself fall. Her voice is a hoarse whisper, and the word slips from her mouth unbidden. "L... Lieu-"
"Kaien, uh..." Ichigo looks sheepish, uncharacteristically self conscious, looking back between himself and Rukia.
By some miracle, she'd managed to compose herself before either of them saw her faltering expression.
"Look, I can explain this." Ichigo tries and this lookalike - Kaien stares between him and the space where Ichigo just defeated the Hollow.
"Did, uh... did you join the theatre club while I was at swim camp or something? What's with the get-up and that huge sword? And what was that monster? I, uh... I didn't know the school had the funding for animatronics?" Kaien asks unsteadily, scanning around for something, "I... don't see any cameras?"
"Gez. Slow down, one question at a time." Ichigo inhales, "Okay. So... I'm a ghost."
Kaien looks at him blankly like he's grown a second head for a long minute. "A ghost."
Uh, technically a substitute Shinigami. She's the actual Shinigami. Yes, they're real. Freak out about it later. Apparently she was supposed to be patrolling this town until she bungled it up." Ichigo tossed a thumb over his shoulder to Rukia.
The backhanded remark snaps Rukia out of her daze and she barks a protest. "Hey! I wouldn't have been in that situation if you hadn't charged in blindly like an idiot."
Ichigo scoffs with a dismissive wave over his shoulder and the overwhelming urge to knock him upside the head with her sketchpad surges, "Whatever; to make a long story short; a lot happened while you were at camp. The house sort of got blown up by a spirit monster called a Hollow. That thing I killed just now was a Hollow too. And if you saw that light, I helped a wondering spirit cross over to somewhere called Soul Society. And... yeah, that's pretty much all I got."
Rukia watches them; watches Kaien's reaction. The teenager's just staring uncomprehendingly at his sibling.
"Bullshit."
Ichigo groans, frustrated and thrusting a finger in Rukia's direction. "Did you just see me kill that damn thing? How can you not believe that?"
Kaien leans back, folding his arms and lips pressed in a thin line. Rukia doesn't say anything, doesn't know what to think about this situation and Ichigo's just scowling at his (twin?) brother.
Another minute passes before Kaien spots someone.
"Excuse me ma'am?" He asks an elderly woman passing them by, his face lit by a bright charming smile (the same one the other Kaien used to give), "I'm looking for my brother. Looks just like me but bright orange hair. Me and my friend over there were meant to meet him here for a school project. You wouldn't have happened to see him roaming about, would you?"
"Just what the hell do you think you're doing?" Ichigo demands, exasperated, and Rukia finally moves slowly but steadily over to join them.
The elderly woman just shakes her head slowly, "No. No I'm afraid not. Would you like some help finding him, young man? Perhaps he's gotten lost?"
Kaien raises a polute hand to decline, that oh-so-painfully familiar smile still present, "No that's alright. Thank you. He probably just got bored waiting around for us and went for a walk. I'm sure he'll be here any minute now. No need to trouble yourself. Have a lovely day, ma'am."
He boys his head respectfully in farewell as the woman continues on her way.
Kaien then turns back to his twin, eyebrows raised in astonishment. "Hot damn, you're the real deal."
"Ow! Why'd you pinch me for?" Ichigo grumbles, take a step back and rubbing his shoulder.
"Why can I touch you?" Kaien ignores his brother's protests in favour of poking his chest. "I mean you're supposed to be some kind of ghost right now, aren't you? Shouldn't you be intangible? Shouldn't my hand be passing straight through you?"
Ichigo bats Kaien's hand away, cross his arms and glaring. "Quit it. Poke me again and I'll hit you."
Kaien looks at him, but only a blind man would miss that glint of mischief in his eye. Swift as lightening, Kaien pokes Ichigo again. Ichigo slaps him upside the head in retaliation and Kaien just guffaws (a hauntingly familiar laugh).
"Ow! No fair. I didn't know it'd work both ways!" He complains, rubbing his new lump.
"Of course it would, you moron. Why the hell wouldn't it?" Ichigo snaps irritably.
The haunting nostalgia evaporates and Rukia's left with a resigned realization. "This is insane."
"Yeah, this is my brother in a nutshell. Pushing all my damn buttons." Ichigo grumbles.
"Then don't make it so easy. If you stopped responding then I'd be less inclined to do it." Kaien retorts.
"No you wouldn't."
"No I wouldn't." Kaien agrees cheerfully.
Rukia groans, head in her hand. "Idiots."
"Yes he is." Ichigo concurs.
"Idiots, plural. She's talking about both of us. Open your ears next time, Mr 'Literature is my favourite subject'." Kaien teases.
Ichigo surges forward, snatching his collar, vein popping on his temple even as Kaien grins unrepentantly. "I'm doing to drown you."
The grin vanishes and Kaien titles his head in innocent curiosity as a thought occurs, "Actually. Better question; if you're supposed to be a spirit right now, what happened to your body? Did you dump it somewhere or is this whole Shinigami spirit-y stuff a permanent thing?"
"Oh crap, my body!" Ichigo panics, dropping his twin (who lands on his backside with a thump and reflexive 'ow') and spins towards Rukia, "My body's okay right?!"
Kaien points to Ichigo, turning his attention to Rukia, "Yeah, he's not dead or anything like that, is he? 'Cause that'd be awkward to explain to our Dad and sisters. And to all our other friends too."
"I need to go get it!" Ichigo promptly turns on his heal and bolts back to the High school.
Kaien watches him go. "Well, that was dramatic." He hoists himself to his feet, dusting off his clothes turning his attention to Rukia. "... So, while that bonehead's freaking out, he never actually got around to introducing you. Which... was super duper rude. Unless you'd rather I call you Shinigami? Which I doubt 'cause that seems kinda impersonal."
A chuckle bubbles up from Rukia's chest before she could stop it and she can't help the little smile pulling at her lips. "My name isn't Shinigami. Its Rukia Kuchiki. And obviously it goes without saying that I am a Shinigami."
Kaien offers a grin and holds a hand out which she shakes, "Pleasure to meet ya, Rukia. Kaien Kurosaki at your service."
Later that night, Rukia is biting her tongue, trying her best not to make any sound from her secret hideaway (their closet) while the twin brothers argue just outside her temporary door.
"Shinigami are real? There's an actual afterlife? And spirits don't just linger on earth until they vanish?" Kaien unleashes an incredulous hurricane of questions, freaking out a little.
"Look, I get it. Its all kinds of weird and crazy, but I've known about all this stuff twenty-four hours longer than you; why the hell do you think I have any more information on this than you?"
"I-I don't know, its just," Kaien flops down on what Rukia presumes is his bed, "What the actual crap? I mean, sure, we've been seeing ghosts for as long as I can remember but... I just figured them disappearing was a fact of life - or, un-life I guess? But this...?"
Kaien sighs, "This is just nuts."
There's a creak, the shifting of weight on a mattress and a heavy sigh. "Hey Kaien... you think that maybe Mum's there?"
"... I'll be honest, little brother. I don't know."
Even hidden away, Rukia can feel the tension, the melancholy and the forced attempt to push their mutual mood out of the morbid and towards the lighthearted.
"Dude, I'm older than you."
"No you're not."
"Yes I am."
"Nope."
"Yes I am!"
"Lies and slander."
"Kaien, I'm five minutes older!"
"I reject your reality and substitute my own."
Author's note:
Kid!Kaien is an unrepentant troll and you cannot change my mind. With someone like Ichigo, its hard not to poke fun at him (literally in this case).
Regards,
Aurora313
