Back to angst for me.

Mainly, I'm trying out a different writing style from my usual. Tell me thoughts.

Let It Die – Three Days Grace Inspired

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No sane person could possibly comprehend what Ikkaku and Yumichika had going on. One minute, Yumichika would be off by himself, flirting or just in general ignoring his boyfriend. The very next, he'd be all over Ikkaku.

And the other wasn't any different with his unpredictable behavior towards the supposed object of his affections, out some nights without taking his eyes off Yumichika, and others getting so drunk he'd hit on anything that resembled a human.

It seemed to work for them, though. At least, to someone without studying how they behaved away from work, only with each other. They'd been together since before they'd even joined the Soul Reapers, hundreds upon hundreds of years.

No one really understood them. No one cared to understand their weird co-existence. If someone was looking for an example to follow in order to make a relationship last, they wouldn't want to be like those two, only co-operating when it was convenient or if they had something to distract themselves from one another.

Kenpachi was the first one to wonder about the two, them being happy with each other, that is. He thought, like everyone else did at first, that they were amazingly suited for one another and happy with one another in nearly every circumstance. But, after they followed him since his match with Ikkaku for a long enough time, it was evident that just the opposite defined them.

As Soul Reapers, they were quite a pair. Yumichika relentless and graceful, taking out scores of hollows next to his partner, working in wordless but perfect harmony. It was as if they were putting on a show for the world.

When not fighting, or working, they bickered quite a bit. Ikkaku would complain about his partner's psychological existence, telling him he wasn't half as beautiful as he thought himself to be.

Yumichika would complain about Ikkaku's habits more than anything, how he spent most of the day drinking and the rest being anywhere away from home. Both of them made points, both of them contributed to the overall annoyance they felt, but neither thought they were wrong and in turn did not wish to change.

After their loudest arguments, it seemed that the one who instigated it all would be the one acting lovey-dovey in order to apologize, after they'd cooled down. More than often, days after big arguments they'd be the picture of happiness and contentment before once again going into trivial matters and quarreling about nothing in particular.

For quite awhile, it was entertaining, like living with a married couple that simply had grown tired of their partner but neither angry enough to leave. A bad sitcom that you tuned in just because there was nothing else to occupy yourself with.

Yachiru was somewhat fond of all the fighting, it was comical most of the time. Eventually, Kenpachi learned to ignore them, and let the girl clap and laughed at the ceaseless bickering if she wanted to.

In the Soul Society, the Soul Reapers took them to be perfectly happy at first glance, as they were only seen when working together in combat. It took hundreds of years and keen eyes before the rumor got out that there was very little they had to be happy about with each other.

After some time, they'd stopped trying to put on shows, stopped pretending to hide their problems, and stopped caring altogether.

"Where are you going?" Yumichika asked with a tinge of tired annoyance lacing his otherwise innocent words.

Ikkaku, having drank most of the day slurred his response to the point of not even seeming to be any language in particular. If his partner hadn't grown accustomed to his drunken mumbling, he'd have no clue. He understood, though, that he was going out with some friends.

"I'd rather you not," Yumichika insisted. Ikkaku going out was one never ending process. If he went out one night, he wouldn't be seen for the next three, and when he was found he would be face down in a random section of Seireitei, drunk and missing half his clothes.

"What're you, my mother?" Yumichika had to interpret, but understood.

"Don't compare me to that ugly, nagging old hag."

"Fits ya pretty well."

"You're such an insensitive, uncaring bastard," the man hissed out. He started the fight by bothering, but didn't regret it. Ikkaku was so insufferable when he drank more than he could handle.

"Oh, fuck it. I'm leaving."

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Whatever's wrong with us," Ikkaku began slurring his speech to the point where Yumichika had to second guess the words, but did notice the emphasis and extreme annoyance. "Ain't just me. We lost whatever we had awhile 'go."

"Don't say things like that," Yumichika said softly. "It's not true."

"Hm? I ain't the only one," Ikkaku paused, as if he'd forgotten the words he was going to use. "Ain't the only one who noticed. You ain't seen it 'cause you don't see nothin' but yourself."

"Well, I hardly see you, I'll give you that much. You don't spend two days without getting fallen down drunk."

"Wonder why."

Was there any love between them anymore? Yumichika wondered. Or, did he have it wrong? Maybe there was no love in the first place, just mutual need for someone else to seem to care. Not really care, but at least pretend.

"Just get out," he said softly. "I don't want you to be here. Just get out, and do whatever you want."

"The hell 're you talkin' about?" Ikkaku asked, noticing Yumichika's strange behavior, despite his drunken haze blurring just about everything.

"Leave. Do what you want. I don't care."

"Don't care 'bout what?"

"This whole thing we're doing. You're right."

"Me? You just say I was right 'bout somethin'?"

Yumichika shrugged and sat down on the bed, which had a mirror attached to the wall across from it. He, as usual, was staring at himself. "Yes, you. You're right. I don't see beyond myself, and you," Yumichika scoffed. "You don't see past your bottle of wine."

"You're talkin' out of your ass."

Ikkaku's rudeness was met with a glare that could have stopped a wary heart from beating. Yumichika wasn't the type of person to stop an argument like the one they were having so abruptly. He could have gone on for hours yelling and not run out of things to critique. Ikkaku wondered if something was said to make his beautiful lover give up before anything had even started.

"Ikkaku, We've been like this for awhile, haven't we?" Yumichika asked softly.

"Yeah, I guess. Does it matter?"

"No, I don't think so. Nothing will change, it hasn't in so long."

"Are you..." Ikkaku saw clear as day the sadness in his lover's eyes. He wasn't sure how much he cared about Yumichika if it was weighed in with how much he cared about anyone else in his squad, it'd be about even. Surely, he cared enough, though, to be mildly concerned. "You gonna be okay?"

"I said, leave. When I said that, I had meant it. Get out," Yumichika said soft but firmly.

"The hell ever. See ya later."

"Doubt it," Yumichika mumbled under his breath, going unheard by Ikkaku as the man stumbled out.

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