Rindo had heard in passing of others that had slipped through the crack, landed in the same spot as him, trapped in a time not their own. In hindsight, he should’ve thought of it, should’ve gone looking for them, asked more questions- but really, what could’ve been the odds of this? Hearing his own brother’s name from those people as if he had always been there. It was almost like a punch to the gut- 3 years spent searching, waiting, dreading the worst, and yet.
And yet here he was now. Neku in the flesh, older than the last time he saw him, Rindo almost afraid of not recognizing him after so long. And now almost afraid of saying anything too, now hesitant, realizing that he hadn’t truly thought of this moment, like it might’ve never happened. Maybe it was a bad idea to try, it had been so long already, who knows what reply he might get, right? Who knows if he even missed him after 3 whole years, maybe he should just-
Absol’s gentle nudge snapped him out of his thoughts, a deep purr as he rested his head on Rindo’s back for a moment in an attempt at comfort. Right… this was his brother they were talking about. Why was he so nervous now after so long? He knew he could trust Neku, more than he ever trusted anyone else. It would be ok.
And finally, Rindo steeled himself and stepped forward, Absol steady at his side to keep him at ease.
He stood by the Galaxy Team Headquarters, chatting idly with Ingo as he watched Zorua out of the corner of his eye, just in case he got into too much trouble. The pair discussed vague, blurred memories of whatever their lives were before winding up here. Three years later and Neku was still searching for answers. He thought trying to compare what he knew to someone who was more or less in the same situation as him might help him piece some things together, but from the way Ingo spoke, Neku wasn’t even sure if they’d both come from the same time or even the same world…
He sighed to himself, a bit disappointed in their lack of conclusions as Ingo left to attend to whatever warden duties he had to take care of. (Neku still wasn’t really sure why they’d let that guy become a warden, honestly.) He raised his hand to see the other off with a small wave, but froze halfway through the motion as he heard his name in a voice that sounded somehow familiar, despite not recognizing as it as any of the people he knew in the village.
Blue eyes, a bit wide in his dazed state turned towards the other- a boy, only a few years younger than him. He recognized how out of place his jacket was compared to the rest of the villagers’ apparel in an instant. That seemed familiar too. He’d been here three years, and he’d never felt such an intense wave of nostalgia before coming across this kid who… knew him, somehow. He felt Zorua knead at the side of his leg, and he blinked, forcing himself back to reality.
Right, no. It was a small village, and it’s not as if Neku’s bright orange hair made him hard to recognize. Someone probably just told this kid his name, or something… Judging by his clothes, he probably wasn’t from this time, either.
“…Yeah, hey.” After an awkward amount of silence, he gave the younger a small wave, still looking the boy up and down as he tried to figure out what about him was so familiar. Had they known each other before arriving here, or did he just remind Neku of someone he’d known back home? Were they from the same world? The same time? His mind raced with questions, but he only asked a simple one-
