A/N: There will be a second "story" posted later, so be ready for a double-dump. I thank the beta-reader Wild Blue Sonder for taking the time to look over my work. Thoughts and so are much appreciated.

Reunion

By KindredWriter

"Hm. Sesame or hot and spicy shrimp?" Rachel Alucard debated between the cup noodles in hand, a shameful reminder she needed to go to the supermarket once she received her paycheck that afternoon. Conveniently enough, the local market a little ways from where she worked was having a sale, so it wouldn't put much of a dent in her wallet. A nice change of pace as managing money the past two years had been difficult thanks to being laid off her last job. Minimum wage going up didn't help much either.

Rachel chose hot and spicy shrimp. She boiled water, poured it into the cup and jotted down a list of what she needed to buy: bread, eggs, cereal, fruit, jelly, mayonnaise, peanut butter, and orange juice. Those were her staples, generally cheap. Rent wasn't bad for a one-room apartment, and since she didn't have to worry about transportation because her job was just a few blocks away –a nice walk to stay in shape– she could save some money.

She changed for work, giving the noodles another few minutes to cook. She had showered and brushed her teeth earlier, and just had to don her uniform: jeans and a red shirt with the company logo in a small white font. She was more of a skirt girl but policy prohibited it. Rachel moisturized her face –makeup was a luxury she could not afford– and tied her hair in pigtails. Putting on lip gloss in the mirror, she smiled at a distant memory involving her hairstyle, but her growling stomach didn't seem to care for reminiscing. She fetched her cup noodles, then plopped down on her sofa and ate. The clock soon struck eight. She slipped into her black pumps and black leather jacket, threw her purse over her shoulder and headed off to work, umbrella in hand for the rain forecast.

A clamor of honking horns and chatter assaulted her ears the moment she opened the apartment complex entrance. When she first moved to Kagutsuchi, the unbearable noise kept her inside unless she had to leave, but the year spent here had numbed her to it. Rachel's eyes darted about, keenly aware of her surroundings since muggings in broad daylight weren't unheard of. She recalled her first day in the city. Once she'd had a home in Naobi, but a series of unfortunate events resulted in her being fired as a professor and she had to move someplace more fitting of her new income. Rachel had no mind to take out loans. Blasted loan companies knew exactly how to scam people right out of their livelihoods.

On the way to her job interview a homeless man had attempted to rob her. If not for the pepper spray she made a point to carry everywhere she went, Rachel would have lost her ID and social and that spelled game over for her. She took a self-defense class one summer during her high school years. She didn't keep at it, but felt the need for a refresher course before arriving in Kagutsuchi. The three months of aikido came in handy whenever anyone attempted to get frisky, like a far-to-persistent customer who insisted she go on a date with him. One of the reasons why she couldn't blame the store for having a no skirt policy was because it prevented perverts from sneaking peeks.

Bells drew Rachel's attention. A man walked out of the tattoo shop that opened a few weeks ago, and she gave the "Now Hiring" sign a lingering glance. There was some interesting artwork in the window, and she had to give credit for the originality of the designs. They always had something new posted every other week. A few of her co-workers spoke highly of the place, mostly her fellow female associates who went on and on about how hot the owner was. Rachel couldn't care less about that, but it had been two years since her move and not once had she laid eyes on the so-called dreamy owner. Whatever.

Rachel continued on to the convenience store that employed her, greeting her fellow coworkers. She didn't converse much, but it was a general courtesy to say hi to one another. It livened the atmosphere in an otherwise dull environment, though it didn't make the walk any less monotonous. Rachel hung up her coat and purse in the back room and came out to begin her day. They weren't having a sale like the supermarket a few blocks down, but they received more than enough patronage to make the day go by. She did general tasks around the store: restocked items, checked storage, dealt with any unsavory customers that walked in and started fights… This was her life now, and she couldn't help but sigh constantly at the imbecility around her.

Today felt longer than usual, and she was glad when closing time hit. They always closed early on Mondays. She just finished reorganizing the shelves and her co-workers had no problem dropping whatever they were doing before completing their assignments. Rachel rolled her eyes at them despite wanting to do the same. She climbed down the ladder, retrieved her belongings, and left for the supermarket once she received her pay. She had clocked in some extra hours last week and felt at ease knowing she wouldn't have to worry about rent that month. Even after groceries and utilities she should have enough pocket change left to buy some clothes.

As she expected, people packed the supermarket buying whatever they could before the sale items ran out. Rachel grabbed a handbasket and started in the bread aisle, her eyes widening at the price. "Three for four?" Now THAT'S a steal. She moved on to orange juice where an equally low price of two for four made her smile, but she couldn't go overboard and picked up only what she needed. She ambled down the cereal aisle, a little disappointed to find no Frosted Flakes and called to a man walking by. "Excuse me, do you have any Frosted Flakes by chance?"

"Uh, sorry, lady. I don't work here," he answered.

"Oh. Forgive me for troubling you."

"Nah, it's… fine…" His voice trailed off and Rachel stiffened as he scrutinized her. Ready to tell him off, his eyes suddenly widened. "Wait a sec, Rabbit?!"

"Rabbit?! Excuse you! Wait…" Rachel tempered herself as she processed the name. Now that she was really looking at him, she recognized certain features, specifically his eyes. Platinum hair, heterochromia… Rabbit. "Ragna? Ragna, is that you?"

"Holy shit, it is you!" Ragna laughed. Rachel couldn't believe her eyes. She had lost all contact with him shortly after high school graduation. They went their separate ways and life had kept her too busy to search for his number. He'd gotten taller, it seemed. "What the hell are you doing here? I thought you were teaching and shit?"

That vulgar mouth of his hasn't changed much, but Rachel couldn't help smile at that. "I was, but an unfortunate turn of events forced me to move out here. What are you doing here?"

Ragna pointed to the direction of the cash register. "Let's walk and talk. Don't want the line to get too long, yeah?"

"I am not ready yet."

"Oh, right." Ragna rummaged through his basket and took out a box of Frosted Flakes. "You might want this."

Rachel gave him a blank stare. "So you took the last one, hm?"

"Do you want it or not?" Ragna groaned.

Rachel smiled and accepted the box. "Yes, thank you." They headed for the long line and memories of high school –of better days– came back to her. After fourteen years Ragna hadn't changed much. He still had a quick temper in response to her verbal slaps, but there was a sense of maturity from him, like he'd finally straightened out and moved on from his delinquent ways. And she was surprised to hear what he had been up to. "You opened a business?"

"Yeah, a tattoo shop a little way from here."

"You are the owner of that shop?" Ragna nodded, his expression telling his pride in it. "I pass by it on my way to work. It's a convenience store a few blocks away."

Ragna frowned. "And you shop here?"

"They do not have sales where I work. Also, shopping where I work feels somewhat… strange to me." Rachel didn't want to be there any longer than she had to, honestly.

"Yeah, I get that. Did the same when I worked at one back in high school."

Rachel giggled. "Ah yes. The job you could not hold down for more than a week? Did you ever give me that twenty dollars?"

"Yes." Ragna laughed her off but made sure to avoid eye contact. Rachel chuckled, then looked outside as rain battered the windows. Thankfully she had an umbrella unlike those who whined and complained behind her while she readied her groceries for checkout. The cashier packed her bags at breakneck speed and shouted "Next!" once finished. Rachel waited for Ragna and walked out with him. "Guess they didn't watch the forecast," he remarked.

"I suppose not." Rachel unstrapped her umbrella, none too pleased when the blasted thing didn't open. She felt Ragna's gaze on her and found a smug grin on his face. "What?" She didn't know what to say. Her cheeks burned, feeling a bit foolish.

"How far is your place from here?" Ragna asked.

"I live on 19th Avenue," she answered.

"Alright, that's a stone's throw." Ragna popped his umbrella open and stepped out into the rain. "C'mon, I'll walk ya home."

"Have you learned to be a gentleman?" Rachel quipped.

"I could always leave you."

She was quick to stick to his side when he moved the umbrella from over her head. "You brute!" she laughed.

"Ready now?" Ragna started to walk, Rachel right beside him. They chatted the whole way, ignoring the torrential rain and winds, absorbed in conversation. He'd gotten taller and his facial features were more defined, very handsome. It would appear her coworkers weren't spouting hot air when they described the owner of the tattoo shop to be straight out of a fantasy.

She felt a blush coming on when he flashed a smile at her, blaming the long duration apart for her teenage-like awkwardness. Ragna didn't seem to have any problems communicating and acted as if no time had passed between them, like he just stepped out of his last period class to find her waiting by the door so they could walk home together. Absorbed in conversation and recollection, Rachel didn't realize they reached her complex. She couldn't deny feeling a bit sad, but at least now she knew where to find him. Rachel took out her keys and unlocked the door. "Thank you for walking me home," she said.

"Was nothin'."

Rachel gave him a soft smile. "Hopefully we can talk more in the coming days."

"Definitely. How about you give me your phone number? Saves me the trouble of lookin' for ya if I can't find you here." Ragna almost busted up laughing when Rachel revealed her less than state-of-the-art flip phone. "Behind the times, aren't ya?"

"As long as it works," Rachel returned, sneering. She wanted to smack the brute upside the head, but let it slide in honor of their reunion. After exchanging numbers and a hug, one that turned her cheeks crimson upon feeling how warm he was and how defined his muscles were under his coat, she took her groceries to her apartment on the third floor. Rachel set her keys and purse on the catch-all table, then placed her bags on the kitchen counter. Throughout the unpacking process her thoughts remained on Ragna and their talk.

It had been a long time since she spent more than a minute chatting with someone. Conversations were never casual, nothing but business. Even during her college days and the road to her career as a professor at one of the world's most prestigious schools, Rachel treated idle chit-chat as a waste of energy best saved for work and didn't bother building trust or friendship among her peers. That ended up biting her in the butt when her university let her go like they had; she'd had no one to take her side.

Rachel headed into the bathroom to take a bath and relax for the rest of the day. No need to stress herself over meaningless things. It wasn't like she could do a damn thing about them.