Nice to Meet You (Again)
by
Raining Sky Guy
Ever since Ichigo had chosen to give up his life, Rin had stopped having sequenced dreams. He still dreamt about this other life, but now of particular events. As if Ichigo would have liked certain events to be of particular note. Which was probably the reason why Rin had very vivid, nostalgic and sad dreams about a certain blond.
If Ichigo was real for starters.
It could all still be hallucinations, his brain had always seemed odd.
But still, it didn't help him at all. As he struggled to open his eyes, Rin caught sight of the very same blond he had been dreaming about. He squinted at the blond, not letting him speak before he murmured, "fuck, I hate waking up inside a dream." But when he heard muffled laughter, he was suddenly aware that he was not sleeping. He never blushed in his dreams. But, if this was not a dream, "what are you doing in my room?" he asked, more confused than he should be angry. He began to sit up and he regretted immediately as the worst hangover he'd ever had, began to act up.
"Do not worry, I didn't break into your house. You passed out during our encounter, and I felt bad just leaving you." A distorted voice said, as hands helped him sit up and held a bucket in front of his face for him to puke in. "You're in my humble abode."
"Y'didn't strike me," Rin croaked out, once he had emptied his stomach's content. "As someone who would just drag strangers into their homes."
"I'm not. Usually. But I guess what you told me last evening struck a chord in my Good Samaritan side."
Rin felt a distant part of his brain seize up in worry. Most of him wasn't even awake yet. "The fuck I told you?"
Glinting silver eyes assessed him. Rin felt embarrassed that he probably looked like a drunken fuck, hair all messed up, suit wrinkled and probably stained with vomit.
"That you were not born in Tokyo…"
"Wassat? Yeah, born and bred." Rin murmured, not lucid enough to realize Kisuke was trying to bait him into confessing anything.
"You're thirty years old. You had never stepped foot in Karakura before. You got into a car accident. You have no family here and you're living on the expenses the guy that ran you over offered you as an apology. You are suppressing your reiatsu and are probably hungry."
Glossy brown eyes –just the perfect shade to hurt– stared at him in mild confusion. "Wassat last thing you sai'?"
"You're hungry?"
"No, I mean…" The drunken stranger looked confused for a moment. "Oh, yeah. Was' Reiatsu'?"
"Hm? Thirsty too?"
"Yeah, no wait, what?"
"I'll get some water for you."
"I don't think I ever introduced myself to you, my name is Urahara Kisuke. What is yours?"
A much fresher Rin was still trying to massage the migraine away, sitting at a low table and clutching a glass of water for dear life. As Kisuke introduced himself, Rin felt tension building up inside of him. Again. He had known his name. He had had dreams about this person.
He had –hesitatingly– accepted that this Ichigo character had existed – he had concluded as much when he stared at a grave for Kurosaki Masaki. He gave a little prayer before proceeding to drink himself into a stupor as if he had just visited his own mother's grave, as fucked up as that probably sounded (and thankfully not the case). He still had no idea what that had got anything to do with Rin. This Kisuke person had probably been Ichigo's lover, before his death –supernatural or otherwise, one thing was to acknowledge Ichigo existed, another altogether to simply accept all the extra supernatural crap of another world. Somehow it hurt a little that he had to say, "I'm sorry. My name is – "Not Kurosaki Ichigo. "-er, Takahashi Rin."
"Nice to meet you, Takahashi-san."
"Likewise. Urahara-san."
The blond had insisted he stay at least one more night, seeing as Rin couldn't walk a straight line without puking. Or walk a straight line at all. "I'm sorry." He had mumbled, face protected by his propped arms. "I can normally hold better my alcohol. Don't know what happened this time."
"Do not worry, dear friend. God knows I've overestimated myself several times." Kisuke laughed again and Rin was starting to fear the flip-flop of his stomach wasn't all because of his hangover.
"No but really, you- I don't know how I can repay you. If you ever go to Tokyo give me a call or something. Or just if you ever need something. I'll answer." Rin said, his Japanese upbringing forcing him to at least offer that promise as compensation. "I'd tell you I'd repay you now, but I'm not really high on cash right now. My apologies."
"No, no. It is quite alright. I did not do this to make you feel indebted to me." Kisuke said.
"Indulge me, Urahara-san. I'm a man of honor." Rin answered scrawling his number on a clean napkin stolen from the table. The man proceeded to stare at the napkin somberly before rummaging his winkled suit for a presentation card. He scrawled his personal number on the back and finally offered it with a small bow and an embarrassed smile. "Here's both my email, work number and personal number at your disposal."
Kisuke accepted the card, absently looking it over with an undiscernible expression. He proceeded to smile at him genially. "Alright then, Takahashi-san. Maybe this will be incentive enough to get to know Tokyo at last."
"Wait, you've never been to Tokyo?"
Kisuke raised an amused eyebrow at the incredulous tone. "You had never been to Karakura before."
"Not to be offensive but Karakura is a little town. I can't really believe that in all of your years you have never gone there." The Tokyo man said with some sort of amusing pompous pride.
"How old do you think I am, Takahashi-san?" Kisuke chuckled perfectly in a way Rin found himself staring at. There was a bit of a silence and Kisuke looked down at himself suddenly flustered. "Certainly not too much?"
"I-eh-no. Older than me, certainly." Rin managed to sputter, blushing softly as he noticed his words might sound offensive; though the acquiescing nod from the blond made him relax again.
"Well, that is true enough."
"So? How old are you?"
"Hmm? Why don't you take a guess?"
Rin pondered about it, trying to go for a number not high enough to actually offend. He stared intently at the shabby stubble, the pale blond hair, at the creases of his eyes –that weren't there before, a little part of his mind said in a sad tone– and then he mused looking at his clasped hands. "Forty?"
"Hmm."
"Too high." Rin said immediately with a little cringe and an apology on the tip of his lips. Kisuke polite-smiled and raised a hand to stop him.
"Not quite."
"Oh, uh, forty-one?"
"Little bit higher."
"Forty-two?"
"Almost."
"Forty-three?"
"Yeah." Kisuke closed his eyes as he nodded, the hat effectively hiding his eyes.
"You look older to be honest."
"Oh, really? What about eight-hundred and forty-three?" Kisuke then said with an amused smile. Rin blinked owlishly. "Would you believe me?"
"Sure why not?" Rin said with a shrug, making Kisuke falter. The Human propped his chin in his hand as he shot an amused smile at the other, "I'm hungover, not retarded, Urahara-san. Nice try though."
Kisuke blinked, a little bewildered, before offering back a smile that if Rin squinted a little, was a little hesitant, its owner lost in thought.
Rin was offered a simple breakfast, consisting of several leftovers. Kisuke smiled contritely, saying that he hadn't had time for grocery shopping these last few days- Rin assured him that it was nothing, he knew what that was like. It was him who was imposing anyway.
He was offered then a cup of coffee to battle the in-coming migraine.
"What day is it today?" Rin asked as he washed his breakfast down with a nice and hot coffee. Kisuke finished pouring for himself to glance at the calendar stuck to the wall behind him.
"Saturday."
"Oh, great. I still have one last day before I return to work." Rin said with a smile, not remembering he had asked for some off days in addition to his holiday.
"May I ask what is your profession?"
"…I work as an IT." Rin answered, trying not to feel down that Kisuke hadn't even glanced at his presentation card –he hadn't been interested in the least in Takahashi. Not like it made any sense since he was asking right now.
"Oh, I see." Kisuke said, he swirled his cup before grey eyes focused on caramel ones. "Do you have family here Takahashi-san?"
Rin blinked at the non-sequitur, but shrugged and answered anyway. "Nope."
Kisuke looked pensieve, which was never a good thing in Ichigo's books. Not that he was Ichigo, and not like it was even true. "If that's the case, may I ask what are you doing here in Karakura?"
Takahashi's demeanor changed. He stared into achingly familiar eyes, before he dropped his gaze to his own hands, a wry smile in place. "I'm… I'm not really sure." He whispered. He chuckled, closing his eyes briefly, "I'm just an old man chasing after fantasies."
Kisuke stared at him, a distant, mocking voice in his head saying, 'aren't we both?'
Kisuke had insisted that, if Rin was going to stay in Karakura another day he could as well get himself a tour guide. Rin felt a little uncomfortable since what he was doing –trying to do – was something he'd rather do alone, but also he felt his chest lighten as he thought that he and Kisuke could go sightseeing together…
'As always, getting your hopes high. Now with a gay twist. You the MVP.' Rin laughed at himself rather unkindly, and reality was quick to correct his misgivings as the doorbell rang and Kisuke was suddenly ushering in an auburn woman into their small cramped kitchen.
Even worse.
He knew this person too.
"Hihi! So Kisuke told me he had a guest over. Your first time here?" She said with an ungodly amount of cheer for the recently-hungover man. Rin cringed softly, even as he tried calming his racing heart.
Because staring right at him was none other than Inoue Orihime. Maybe.
Seeing as he remained silent, the shopkeeper was quick to step up. "Ah, Orihime-chan, thank you for coming, as I was telling you, he's Takahashi-san, he's still getting over his hangover so maybe we could be a little quieter."
"Oh!" She exclaimed, still rather loudly with perfectly puckered lips. "Alright! Oh, woops. Well, nice to meet you Takahashi-san. My name is Ishida Orihime. Oh, I have some really good recipes for hangover so maybe I could make something for you before we depart?"
Kisuke immediately interjected that there was no need, he wasn't that bad off and just wait maybe another half an hour, actually he hadn't been expecting her until later. He started rambling to protect Rin's stomach and taste buds and the man couldn't help but feel something flutter in said stomach. But he inadvertently raised a hand to cradle his head because.
Because he had gotten her name wrong.
Ishida Orihime. Not Inoue Orihime.
But still…
Ishida was the family name of the doctors in town.
Rin really wanted to ask if she was married.
Because if she was. Then it all would make sense.
A horrible amount of sense.
Instead, Rin smiled. "Thank you Ishida-chan, I hope this wasn't too much of a bother- "
"Oh, haha, nonsense. I love doing these kinds of things. All unexpected and stuff. So, shall we go?"
"Uh…" Rin managed, taken off guard by the suddenness, barely even dressed to be in presence of sort-of-acquaintances, less so for the outside world. As always, Kisuke came in to his rescue.
"Maybe our dear visitor could have an hour or two to wash up and prepare before this, Orihime-chan?"
And thus, three hours later, the businessman trailed behind the busty woman, feeling light-headed as everything the girl pointed out to him was far too familiar for comfort. The zoo, the best kiosk for some ice-cream, the wonderful coffee shops, and lastly…
Rin stared at his guide dubiously. This was just a riverbank. Everything else had been interesting and insightful of this little town but he couldn't figure out why the last stop was at this regular-
"I know this is not relevant for you, Takahashi-san, but I think this is a fitting place to end the tour. In a few minutes the sun will begin to set, and you will see how the river tints orange, just like…" Here Orihime's smile dimmed, eyes downcast, and Rin was just figuring out if he should call out to her when she bounced back with the same smile as before. "It is a beautiful sight, you'll see! Also, if you ever feel like brooding, this place is notorious for this! Let your pains go away like the water of the river!"
"That… doesn't sound very appealing, Ishida-chan." Rin said with a little wry smile, having gotten comfortable for some soft banter with the woman. The airheaded girl merely smiled at him.
"Haha! Sorry! But the sunset is very pretty, come on!" She exclaimed with all the joy of a little kid as she dragged the unsuspecting Rin by the hand down the gentle slope and basically forcing him on his butt as they sat down at the incline of the riverbank.
Rin was going to complain about his bones in a joking manner but he was suddenly suffocated by the feeling of familiarity. He looked around, at the orange-tinted grass, at the sunset-colored river and found himself drowning in unbearable longing and nostalgia and-
"Takahashi-san! Are you alright!? Oh my god don't tell me you broke your butt! Was it my fault? I'm so sorry!"
As soon as he noticed he was crying, the man stopped abruptly, as embarrassed as he could be, he quickly turned away, wiping the tears and snot with his sleeve. "Sorry, Ishida-chan," he said, trying to be polite and not give her the wrong impression that it had been her fault. "It's just… I don't know what came over me. It's not your fault, I'm just… just…"
Going fucking insane.
"It's okay," she said in a suddenly soothing voice. "It's alright." She continued, rubbing his arm, then his back like a mother would her child. Rin grew even more flustered at this condescending act but then he looked her in the eye. She had tears in them. Why?
She looked away from him into the darkening river. "This is a special place, Takahashi-san. Of things lost… and of things found. Sometimes memories linger and resurface. Even if you do not know the cause, or do not recall the event, memories linger and certain things will trigger them. I am sorry for whatever made you this sad, though. But it's okay. It's probably for the best."
Mom?
Rin started shaking his head.
Mom, get up. Please.
The man shot upright, posture rigid.
"Takahashi-san?"
Please, mom! Get up!
Rin dashed away trying to clear the images in his head of his mother- no, of Ichigo's mother lying dead in a pool of blood. He unwisely closed his eyes as he ran, not even caring who he ran into. He needed to stop getting these images! It was not real! It was not his mother! It was not his life!
"Just leave me alone!" He hollered.
A concussion. He had gotten a concussion. He had gotten Ishida-chan's husband to come over to the Urahara shoten because he had passed out after falling down and hitting his head against a sharp corner of a bench.
How much lamer could he get?
"Is there anything else you need, Takahashi-san?" Kisu- Urahara-san asked amiably enough, but the other man could only grumble under his breath, embarrassed. The man looked mildly amused but Rin was certain he was mostly irritated as his uninvited guest would stay there a while longer.
"It's really a mild concussion, Takahashi-san, you can take over-the-counter painkillers if it starts hurting, which is normal, you did hit your skull rather badly. Avoid alcoholic drinks and abundant exercise. If you notice any symptoms, neurological or physical –like you can't think straight or that you can't walk properly– come visit me again at the Karakura Hospital." Ishida junior said in a clinically cold tone. He faltered near the end as he glanced at his worried wife. "My wife was telling me you had planned on returning to Tokyo this night. I really don't recommend it; in case any late symptoms kick in whilst commuting. Head injuries aren't always clear-cut."
Rin mentally moaned in frustration. "Yes, thank you Ishida-sensei. But are you sure? My bones are sturdy, I'm pretty sure I'm okay. I can handle a little nausea."
"You won't be using any sort of vehicle until I say so. Am I understood, Takahashi-san?" The raven-haired man declared in a rather threatening way that had Rin immediately giving in to. He glanced briefly at his haggard face. "You could return home if someone could come pick you up, however."
"All the way onto another prefecture? Nah, I'd rather not bother. Besides, I suppose I have enough cash to rent someplace for another night." Rin immediately replied, getting up and ready to depart right at that moment, highly unnerved and uncomfortable and embarrassed and just wanting all this nightmare to be over already.
"Ah, you can stay here if you'd like, Takahashi-san. I don't mind if it's just one more night." Kisuke said in a quiet voice. Rin froze and he noticed how the two Ishidas swiveled their heads in unison to stare at the shopkeeper in surprise.
Rin really wanted the earth to open up and swallow his miserable self whole.
"No, I- it's alright, really. I've imposed too much…" He tried, trying not to wheeze out his words, feeling a blush creeping up his cheeks. He also wasn't completely comfortable with the way the married couple had gone from staring at the shopkeeper to staring at each other to staring at him. But of course, he had to stare past the dark inscrutable eyes of the doctor to glimpse for one second a vulnerable-looking Kisuke. It made his heart clench. "I mean- "
"Takahashi-san, if he's offering I think you should accept. A concussion is no light matter and knowing someone else will be there with you should anything arise will give everyone some peace of mind." Inoue- no, Ishida Orihime said with a little smile, looking briefly at the silent blond.
"You should not worry about his morale. I suppose we can vouch for him in that regard." Ishida added almost exasperated. Sharp eyes bore into his again, assessing, scrutinizing. "What do you say?"
Rin really, really wanted to leave.
And he was perfectly sure there was no way that was happening.
He did the next best thing he could think of (besides running away into the night like some wacko job) and he forced on a smile, coupled with a frown he couldn't really erase. "Well, then. I suppose I'll be in your care once more Urahara-san."
Kisuke closed his eyes briefly as if hurt. He smiled. "I hope we get along, Takahashi-san."
AN.
I like this story - is what I decided after writing the second chapter, lol. I am not completely decided on what to do with the plot, or the story at all, but hopefully I'll figure out how. I hope everyone reading this enjoys it as much as I am.
Also, a quick reply to my dear anon reviewer, friendly:
I'm pretty sure I've read a book about dual dreamers (but it was the exact same person, I'm iffy on the specifics), but I'm glad you like my approach! It is reincarnation, but as we know, with Ichigo nothing is ever as expected. And yes, as soon as Rin gets his ass moving, he's going to seek out a friend.
I hope you like Rin. He's a little of a loser, older guy with an old soul, more mundane and less of a hero as Ichigo was. But they have the same heart. Though with a whole life of normalcy it's no wonder he can't wrap his head around these supernatural events that are suddenly popping in his life. Also the parallelisms between both iterations of one World Savior and Strawberry will annoy not only Rin, but also Kisuke.
I really hope you get to see this, or at least the following chapters, and live up to your expectations!
Thank you for reviewing!