backyardbbq | STUPID BLEACH SHIT FOR ESKI AND MEEEEE

[Well I mean. They've probably already met before. Since Rin totally started going to Ichigo's school like a week ago and is in Ichigo's class. But this is when they're REALLY going to meet, and he's finally going to talk to Ichigo about stuff.

That stuff being 'time to get your training on', mostly. Shinji was counting on him to do this right since he's the one who actually looks and acts like a high-schooler, so he can't let the boss down! Not if he doesn't want to get yelled at again.

So, after school, Rin is totally going to casually approach Ichigo. And by 'casually' I mean 'jump down from a fucking wall right in front of him'. He's not hiding his presence so he's expecting Ichigo to have already sensed that he was nearby.]

Yo, Kurosaki~

[No honorifics, because that's not how Rin rolls.]

You got a minute?

[Jesus Christ -

Honestly, he'd known shit was up with Rin the moment he laid eyes on him - because no one else seemed to notice the Ears and tail beyond the rest of his nakama, but none of them wanted to say anything about it.

So when Rin jumps down in front of him, Ichigo just sighs.]

I guess. What do you want to talk about?

[Like he doesn't know.]

Camping!

[Y E P]

We should go camping tonight! I've got the perfect spot for it and all. And since we're gonna be such good buddies that'd be the perfect time to get to know each other.

[He's being cheerful and a little goofy, but the offer is a genuine one. Rin also probably knows something Ichigo doesn't, because of course he would.]

So what do you say?

[Out of everything he could have said -

camping? really??

It takes Ichigo off guard, eyes widening as he blinks and says the only thing he can think-]

...Al...Alright...I guess?

[Wait hang on-]

How the hell do you know we're going to be Buddies? I've barely talked to you!

Because you didn't punch me! That means we're gonna be buddies.

[YEP AGAIN apparently a lack of physical aggression is a sign of friendship.]

And that's what the camping trip is for anyway: to talk more!

So meet me at the school at 8 pm tonight, and we'll go from there. You know how to sneak into the school after dark, right?

[Rin who raised you. He just..keeps staring, numbly caught up in Rin's pace. God, he doesn't know what to do here? He's pretty sure Rin is up to some Shady Shit, what with his sudden dramatic appearance and how he's trying to worm his way into Ichigo's life, but...

...Well. He'll just have to go along and see where this goes.]

O...Of course I know how to sneak into the school! God...fine. We'll go camping or whatever, but -

[He points directly at Rin, face serious.]

- if you try anything, I'll kick your ass. Got it?

[What's shady about FRIENDSHIP? Come on Ichigo it's not like everyone who suddenly meets you has some nefarious plans for you!

No, Rin honestly wants to be friends. He doesn't know the full extent of what Shinji has planned. He just thinks he's supposed to recruit Ichigo and then they'll be fantastic teammates and friends and stuff.]

No worries! I'm not up to anything worth an ass-kicking, I promise.

['Save the town from a menos by being right there when it arrives' isn't shady, right?

But anyway Rin will be up on the roof of the school by 8 pm that night. And he brought supplies! Namely, a backpack with some food in it and a few other materials. In fact, he's got two bowls of already-made ramen ready up there. There's no tent or sleeping bag though, unless he's hiding both in that backpack of his.]

[HISTORY WILL SHOW THAT STATEMENT IS ENTIRELY FALSE.

But he shows up around the time - though he has to run all the way up to the roof, and when he opens up the door and sees Rin there...well.]

...I can't believe you were serious about this.

[He hasn't brought anything, but he walks over anyway - looking over at the ramen with a blink.]

Of course I was. You think I'd make an offer if I wasn't serious?

[He indicates to the styrafoam container of ramen sitting on the ground next to him. It's already been prepared, and he's waiting for Ichigo. Rin is beginning to eat his own.]

The fireworks are gonna start any minute now, so we gotta eat up before then.

Fireworks?

[He gives Rin a look, but sits down and digs into his own ramen all the same.]

What kind of fireworks are we even talking about here?

The best kind of fireworks, of course! You think I'd invite a new friend like you to some sort of piddly display? Nah, this one's gonna be great.

[He glances down at his phone to check the time, and then nods before putting it away.]

So, quick question before the fun begins: can you see color yet?

[It's not like it matters too much, the display will go on even in greyscale, but Rin's curious.]

[He bristles a bit at the question, because...well.]

Pretty personal question, don't you think?

[Really, that's like asking if you have a third nipple or something. The colorblindness is assumed, and never spoken aloud except by close friends and family - not by someone who he's only known about for a week and never really spoken to before this.

But...fine. He'll answer it - grudgingly - just because he wants to see where Rin is even going with this.]

....No, I can't. What about you?

Not yet.

[There's no 'maybe' about it, Rin is sure he will meet that special person someday. He's just grown more curious about it as he has spent time in the world of the living, since everything is apparently more colorful here.]

But I can't wait to see what the world looks like in color. Some of my friends can see colors, and they tell me about it sometimes. But it's hard to understand what 'blue' is without seeing it, you know?

['Blue' being an important color for him, going by what others have told him.]

I understand that - the old man and my sisters can't see color, either, so it's not like they can tell me what colors look like.

[He shrugs - people being able to see color wasn't that common an occurrence, so things tended to be made for the colorblind anyway. The only thing he wondered about was the color of his hair - it was light, but the looks he got from the few people who could see color was enough to make him wonder.

Ichigo finishes his ramen, setting down the styrofoam cup easily.]

'Not yet', huh? You that convinced you'll find your soulmate?

[See, people live way longer where he's from, so it's more likely that they will encounter their soulmate at some point. It's not a majority of the population, but it's still a higher rate than the people on Earth at least. And it means that enough people have told Rin about how much blue he has that he knows he will look blue. Whatever that means.

Rin is done with his food too, so he wraps up the cups in a little bag to throw away later. He's not a litterbug!]

Yeah. If we're soulmates, then we'll find each other eventually. I just hope whoever they are, they're really pretty.

[Rin is Bi as hell but he still imagines his soulmate as a girl. Because he REALLY likes cute girls.]

[As Rin moves to wrap the cups up, Ichigo's eyes land on his tail - and he frowns, half-listening while wondering about what the tail is actually for, and what it makes Rin. He's seen Komamura, so is Rin something like that? Is he even aware he has the tail and the ears?

...Hell. If Rin was rude and blunt about the previous question, then he shouldn't mind if Ichigo - just reaches out -

and grabs the tip of his tail.]

...Huh. This thing is pretty fuzzy.

[Like a cat's tail...]

[Rin jumps a little at the sudden contact. He's lived long enough to know more than enough about that tail, so he's already aware of 'certain things' involved with it, but just grabbing it like that isn't enough to do anything. So he'll let it be for now.

Though the tail is twitching a bit in Ichigo's grip, not unlike what a cat's tail does when a human starts to bother them.]

Well yeah, it's a tail. What did you think it'd be?

[Hey, his curiosity is sated - and he lets it go. No harm no foul, right?]

I don't know - you don't exactly look like Komamura, and I've never met anyone in either the living world or soul society who has a tail like that.

[And he levels his gaze at Rin, eyes narrowing - because he's tired of beating around the bush, and he wants to get everything out now.]

So cut the crap. You didn't come here to camp with me at all - who are you, and what do you want with me?

[The tail is free! But it's still flicking around a bit, betraying the annoyance Rin feels right now. He invited Ichigo for hangouts and food, and this is what he gets in return.]

Okay, first off, I was serious about wanting to be friends. Just because I had to go with instant ramen instead of good, home-cooked stuff doesn't change the intent at all.

[He'll make REAL ramen for Ichigo later. Maybe Ichigo will be less suspicious when he tastes Rin's cooking.]

Secondly, I don't know why I was born with it. You'd have to ask Obaa-chan about that, she knows more about it than I do.

[He's. Not specifying who 'Obaa-chan' is, of course.]

And thirdly-

[The timer set to Rin's phone finally goes off, playing some ringtone that sounds like it belongs in a cheesy fighting anime or something. At that moment, a crack forms in the sky, and Rin's demeanor immediately shifts from 'annoyance' to 'anticipation'.]

Oh, the show's here! You better get ready, I don't think he'll wait forever for you.

[Who's 'he'?

The menos peeking out from that crack, of course.]

[Ichigo's silent through the talk, still looking dubious - He doesn't trust this guy at all, Especially since his hollow is still in the back of his head, laughing away -

But then he hears that timer go off (and who fucking puts a sentai show theme song on their phone???) and automatically turns to the reiatsu peeking through, even ignoring his badge screaming 'HOLLOW! HOLLOW!' as he realizes -

that's a fucking menos.]

What - ?!

[It only takes him a second of comprehension before he turns back to Rin, eyes wide and accusatory before slamming his badge on his chest, instantly grabbing his sword as his body falls to the ground.]

Shit-!

[And off he goes.]

[Yeah, it pretty much zones in on Ichigo right away. Rin will hang back though and let Ichigo do his thing for a while. He's here to observe, after all.

He does grab Ichigo's human body by the shirt and drag it out of the way, though. No need for that to get involved in this.

The menos, meanwhile will start slowly heading towards Ichigo. It's totally gonna smash Ichigo to bits, yep. Or so it will try to do.]

Try not to die! I'm rooting for you, Ichigo!

Shut up!

[Ichigo angrily fires that back at Rin while he faces off against that Menos, glad that it's focusing on him. He shouldn't need to bankai for this, but the laughter inside of his head makes it hard to focus -

And he nearly gets clipped by a wave of it's hand, wincing to himself. Come on, focus and get this done!]

[Rin was all set to just watch and not participate, but then Ichigo goes and gets too close to getting hurt. And he seems pretty unfocused too, which isn't good when fighting a menos like that.

Rin summons his sword, though it appears on his back and is still sheathed. He's just getting ready to jump in if he's needed.]

Come on, you're stronger than that! Take him down already!

[The menos shows no sign of slowing. It will bring another hand down towards Ichigo, and then start charging a blast from its mouth. That one wouldn't be good to dodge, since it might actually destroy some stuff.]

I've got it, stop yelling-

[He's able to dodge the hand, but in the moment it takes him to yell back down at Rin, attention diverted for just a second -

The menos fires, and he has to make a snap judgement to keep the rest of Karakura safe.]

-fuck! GETSUGA TENSHOU!

[He manages to split the cero in half as well as the menos itself with the blow - but he's still roughly clipped by the cero itself, being slammed hard by the energy and sent flying away in the air.

You still gonna sit by, Rin?]

[Well, not anymore he's not.

Does he feel bad for distracting Ichigo? Maybe a little. But really, those were supposed to be encouraging cheers! Have you never had a cheerleader before, Ichigo?

But yeah, as soon as Ichigo gets knocked flying in the air, Rin will jump up and grab him by the wrist. He can't go losing the hero like that, now can he?]

That's not your limits, right? I'd be disappointed if it were.

[So he'll just. Casually toss Ichigo down towards the school rooftop again. And on his own way down, he'll finally draw his own sword.]

AO NO KIYOME!

[And with that, a burst of flames erupts from both Rin's sword and Rin himself, bathing him in its light. He brings the sword down right on the menos' face, cracking the mask and making it howl in pain.

It's not enough to kill it in one blow, but it's enough to weaken the menos, and the fire is spreading all over its body, eating up every bit of hollow it can to fuel that pale blue fire.

Yes, blue.

Surprise~]

[He's had cheerleaders, but they had the good grace to stay out of his way and not yell at him while he's fighting. He jerks when his wrist is grabbed, feeling the hollow trying to gain control due to the tenshou he just fired off, eyes squeezed shut and shaking his head to stabilize himself before he opens them -

and all the angry comments and harsh words die in his mouth as he realizes that, for the first time in his life, he's seeing color. That pale blue fire is -

so incredibly, obscenely beautiful that it burns into his mind, stopping his breath and thoughts even as he slams into the rooftop, giving a cry of pain and knocking the wind out of him.

In the future, he'll know that was the moment he found his favorite color.]

[Rin was about to give a follow-up attack to finish off the menos- probably in a flashy manner because he likes to show off like that- but that pained cry from Ichigo draws his attention back to the rooftop. This time he's going to ask if Ichigo is okay instead of chastising him, since that did sound like it hurt and all.

Those words never make it out, though. Mostly because he's now seeing orange for the first time ever and it's left him unable to utter a sound. He had tried imagining color based on the descriptions others gave him, but anything he had ever imagined paled in comparison to this.

For a moment, Rin is left standing there speechless.

He was never one to believe in love at first sight, but now he might be changing his mind on that.

And then Rin's thoughts are rudely interrupted by the menos swatting at him and knocking him down into the rooftop next to Ichigo.]

[Right. Well.

This was not how he expected to see his soulmate - He didn't expect to ever meet his soulmate at all - but as Rin thunks against the rooftop, Ichigo groans and gets to his feet, walking over and offering a hand to help Rin up.]

Come on. Let's...let's finish this.

[The menos is starting to thrash around, and Ichigo wants to focus on that before really comprehending what's just happened, and all of the new color around him, somehow bright even though night has muted them.]

[Yep, that hurt. Almost enough to make Rin see stars, and a certain nagging voice at the back of his mind is telling him 'I told you so' and 'you should've let me handle it'. But he ignores that, and he reaches out to take Ichigo's hand.

The fire is still crackling on his body, and Ichigo will definitely be able to feel it when the two grab hands, as it seems to spread out to whatever Rin touches. But instead of burning, it feels warm. Warm like the comfortable warmth of being inside on a cold winter's day, or maybe the warmth of taking a nap in a sunny spot. Whatever fond memory Ichigo attributes it to, it's probably a positive one. Because this fire doesn't hurt allies. Rin won't let it.]

A quick one-two kinda deal?

[Rin is fine with that. He's really good at shunpo, and he definitely uses speed to his advantage. The question is, can Ichigo keep up?]

[The warmth does make him blink - and reminds him a little of Inoue's powers, how it feels warm when she heals damage - and he lingers maybe a little too long on holding Rin's hand before (reluctantly) letting go.]

Ah, yeah - I'll follow your lead.

[Regardless, he feels like he's fat enough to keep up - speed is one of his strengths - and he takes a deep breath and quickly gets back in the air, heading towards the thrashing Menos while trusting Rin'll follow him.]

[Rin spares another glance to Ichigo's hair- a sight that he doesn't think he'll ever grow tired of- before focusing on the battle. The menos is hurt, but nowhere near dead, and even with their combined efforts it might be a bit of a struggle. Rin's fighting style relies on him going in quick and getting the first strike before the enemy knows what's going on, and now that they've been revealed he's going to have to fall back on skills he's not quite as good at.

'Let me handle it' the voice at the back of his mind says again. And this time, Rin is inclined to agree. It's something Ichigo is going to find out about eventually anyway, so why not now?]

Oi! I'll trust you on cleanup, then!

[If Ichigo glances back, he'll see what looks like a hollow mask in Rin's hand. It has sharp-looking fangs on it that are long and overlapping, and there's a pair of small horns sticking out of the forehead. The mask is mostly white, but around the eyes are little marks of flames, as if the eyeholes themselves are on fire.

And when Rin slips on that mask, his power absolutely explodes. Even the flames surrounding him get bigger. But the power itself also changes, feeling a bit more hollow-like.

Surprise! Ichigo, your soulmate is somewhere between 'shinigami' and 'hollow'.]

STUPID BLEACH SHIT FOR ESKI AND MEEEEE

OH LOOK THEY'RE MEETING

SORRY IT TOOK ME SO LONG

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