recolle | [closed]

[closed]

WHO: keigo & orihime!
WHERE: orihime's place!
WHEN: sometime during the week, evening time.
WHAT: keigo and orihime try desperately to force-trigger memories from their shared past life with... inconclusive results.
WARNINGS: none, other than the both of them talking about a shared love of their past lives, probably, LAUGHS

[ keigo had always been fairly superstitious before all the nonsense with retrospec and those bizarre memories had flooded his mind, so orihime's suggestion to try and force a memory regain was initially met with some resistance. not much, of course, because as time went on and keigo started to dwell on his memories more often, he found it exceedingly difficult to speak against anything she said. it was like feelings from that former life were clouding his actions, but they were easy enough to work through. that life was supposedly long-past, or at the very least, inaccessible to them, so it was best to look at things objectively.

but still, the idea of trying to forcibly regain another memory seemed dangerous to him for reasons he couldn't place. nevertheless, he came over to orihime's dorm and agreed to binge-watch a plethora of movies with supernatural or occult edges to them. some were pretty corny, while others legitimately got a startle out of keigo more than once. he never claimed to be brave...

once the last movie finished, keigo called for a break. he needed to tap out. orihime was a force to be reckoned with... ]

Ne, Orihime... [ even calling her that felt weird anymore. ] ...did that work for you? Did you remember anything different?

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[ Orihime has seen some scary things from her other self. And she's also seen some scary things happen in Recolle. Though its understandable to struggle between what to put importance on, what to learn from and take to heart, Orihime has decided that she can be both people--the person she was before and the person she is now. The people she loves in Recolle are too important to her to forget, but she still wants to learn from what the other Orihime has gone through, even if it was scary like nearly getting eaten by your dead brother turned into a monster.

Really, after that she feels like she can weather anything.

So spooky movies to see other things wasn't a terrible idea, as far as she was concerned. But it did help quite a bit to know that she wouldn't be going on that journey alone. She's seen Keigo once before in her memories and she can only assume that she'll see him more if they spend time together.

Plus, she likes movie marathons and an excuse to cook.

She even made the cookies look spooky to fit the theme. Ghost cookies, anyone?

Speaking of, she's stuffing another into her mouth as the credits roll. ]

Mmm...

[ A thoughtful hum before she concentrated on chewing, and then swallowing. ]

I don't think that Wes Craven was where our other selves were from.

[ keigo's own motivations were similar to orihime's, in the end: spending time with her in an attempt to uncover more. but, at the same time, keigo didn't want to uncover more. though he distinctly remembered the creature she had encountered in the fog all those months ago, he had hoped that was the extent of her troubles in that life. though part of him new it was childish to assume that. wishful thinking.

at least the cookies were edible this time. or at least edible to keigo; he wasn't always picky, so long as the flavors weren't entirely clashing... picking up a cookie for himself, he glanced at orihime and her cheeks, full of food. relatable, for sure. what she said was pretty succinct to the situation, too. keigo could only laugh in that defeated way he was known for. ]

Ahaha... Well, at the very least, none of his creations seemed familiar...

[ keigo took a bite out of the cookie and leaned back against the couch with a sigh. ]

Maa, at least this isn't a total waste of time...

[ he raised his eyes to look at orihime, and he smiled. ]

This is actually pretty fun.

[ Orihime smiled back, wide as she could around the cookie that she was finishing off. She nodded in agreement. ]

We should really spend more time together! Even if we don't remember anything from the other us-es, I still like getting to know you.

[ Though she had been hoping to see something familiar, perhaps, she didn't mind that it just turned into hanging out. Sometimes it's easy to feel reclusive when people around them keep disappearing and reappearing and forgetting and maybe remembering. ]

I am glad that we don't know anyone like Eddie Fruger, though. Those wouldn't be nice memories.

[ keigo finished the cookie with a contented sound, nodding in agreement to orihime's suggestion. ]

I agree! I really like getting to know you, too, Orihime.

[ it was... actually a bit candid, even for him. he found it kind of embarrassing, really, and he had to turn away for a moment to hide a nervous flush that colored his face. easy enough, since orihime changing the subject drew his attention away from the flustered way he felt. ]

Hah, yeah... [ ...because keigo had to admit, a lot of his memories weren't much better than a horror film. but telling orihime that... it felt unfair. maybe it would be better to gauge exactly what he was working with before going further. ] Though... you've had pretty scary ones come up, haven't you?

[ If Orihime noticed, she doesn't comment. She's never had much problem telling her friends that she enjoyed their company or found them special. If anything, Retrospec has reminded her how important it is to do that.

Though, Keigo's question does sober the mood up, despite the original purpose--yes, it was to trigger some memories, but Orihime has been enjoying the movies for the most part. Her expression softens and she nods. ]

...Mhm. After meeting my brother, I got the memory of meeting him. There has been a lot of fighting, too. Sometimes like we're excited and hyped to do something great, and other times it's more...dire?

[ as keigo listened to orihime, he felt himself become tense. it sounded... pretty comparable to his own memories. sometimes happy-go-lucky and jubilant, other times, downright terrifying. he frowned; even though they were clearly a part of each other’s past lives, keigo really didn’t want orihime to have to remember those horrible things. he stared down at his lap, hands clasped at his knees. ]

Yeah... y’know, that’s how it is for me, too.

[ keigo didn’t often open up about his memories to anyone, even though he knew he should. but with orihime, it felt more natural. probably because she was in his memories and he was in hers. there were in this together. ]

I have a lot of really fun memories, but most of them are actually kind of stressful... Dangerous, even.

[ She watches him carefully. Orihime has always been a fairly perceptive person and she knows that people don't always feel comfortable saying what they're thinking, so sometimes they show it. They're both clearly on the same page. ]

You've seen the monsters too. The Hollows.

[ She'll call them what they are. ]

[ though keigo was desperate to tiptoe around the actual heart of the matter, when he heard orihime speak up, his fingers tightened at his knees.

hollows... he raised his head up and looked at her with a mixture of relief and concern. ]

Hollows? Is that what they're called?

[ admitting to it in this way seemed easier than outright agreeing with her, but that was really all anyone needed to know that keigo was in the same boat. relatively. ]

[ Orihime nods. Though her expression is somber, it's not exactly unfriendly. Just...thoughtful. She has spent a lot of time thinking about this, after all. ]

I've heard it a few times from different people in the visions. They come in all different shapes and sizes, don't they?

[ keigo's eyes drifted away from orihime. he stared down at the floor, his hands moving to clasp together. he appeared to be in thought for those brief moments of silence that moved over him. letting it all sink in, he breathed out softly. ]

Yeah... they do. I saw a lot of really violent things with them, actually. Up close.

[ his lips thinned into a line. ]

I'm honestly surprised I never got injured by one of those. At least not so far, I guess.

[ It's a lot to think about. She has seen her fair share of scary things, too, and they take time to sort out and accept. And accept she does, realizing that her other self must have had it way worse, so she should be thankful for what she has now.

Still, she doesn't like see him look so down. ]

That means that you're strong...don't you think?

[ though keigo rarely opened up about the things that bothered him regarding his memories, orihime had a certain effect on him that was hard to replicate in anyone else. maybe it was the shared difficulties they experienced, but more than that, it was keigo's desire to not close her out. she was a link to that past life, and though keigo wasn't entirely sure he wanted to relive that, he could at least take comfort in the fact that she knew where he was coming from, to an extent.

but the question she posed was a difficult one to answer. strong? keigo hardly felt he was strong. if anything, he seemed fairly cowardly in most of his memories... lifting his head up, he looked at orihime with a lopsided smile. ]

I dunno about that. It seemed like I was being saved during most of those memories... That's not really a sign of strength, is it? Luck, maybe.

[ There's a pause. Orihime has seen a lot of that, too. Visions of preparing for battle, but always watching others fight. She's on the sidelines, wanting to help but never finding her footing or someway to be useful. It bothers her quite a bit.

But... ]

We don't have the whole picture. Everything is bits and pieces...but the fact that you make it through everything and you're still you is very important, too.

I guess you're right.

[ keigo breathed out, still trying to keep himself looking ... at least somewhat optimistic. ]

You really know the right things to say, you know that?

[ Orihime laughs and shakes her head. ]

I don't know about that! I have just had the same thoughts as you. But I keep seeing our friends over and over, and I think...if I were that much of a burden such amazing people wouldn't keep me around all the time, right? And I also realize how lucky I've been here. We can learn from double the experiences.

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