Disappointment

He would have preferred to make a clean getaway. He would have preferred to put off meeting with Kurosaki until it could not be avoided. Of course, Ywhach just had to announce to the entirety of Soul Society his plans and draw all the attention to them. The blinding light was evidence enough. Did he really need to tell Kurosaki he was leaving?

Clearly he wants Kurosaki to follow, which the idiot will, Ishida thought with an inward sigh.

Yes, Ishida would have preferred to avoid that. Kurosaki treasured his friends and family more than life itself. To see this perceived betrayal would definitely hurt him and Ishida was prepared to see his surprised face. He'd prepared himself to take on Kurosaki's anger. He was tough. He could handle it. Besides, he knew Kurosaki would probably understand later on. The idiot was so remarkably forgiving that it was saint-like.

That's why he could fire the arrows without a moment's hesitation. First, he knew Kurosaki would not allow himself to get hit with such a weak attack. It would take much more to take the great Kurosaki Ichigo down even in his base form. Second, if an arrow actually hit, there would not be much damage. This was only a display to show that Ishida meant business; that he did not want Kurosaki to follow. The idiot would eventually, but the time was not now.

Ishida had been prepared to listen to Kurosaki's pained screams and look of betrayal; asking what he was doing and why. But he had not anticipated one thing. He had not expected to see the familiar luminescent shield appear to protect the orange-haired idiot. Nope. That was something Ishida had not anticipated. He only knew of one shield with that color and radiance. Putting his bow away, he looked towards the sky.

There she was, dressed in white and looking like the angel she was.

"Ishida-kun..."

No. Not here. Not now, he thought.

Ishida was not prepared for this. He'd tried, but he could not prepare himself to face her. Every scenario that he'd built in his mind had him feeling shame and guilt. Like Kurosaki, he knew she would eventually find out. That was unavoidable. Everyone would. They would all be angry and feel betrayed. He was prepared to shoulder that. What he was not ready for was the look on Inoue's face.

Disappointment.

Anger, he could take. But Inoue was not the type to get angry. An expression of confusion would have been easier to handle. Maybe even the look of betrayal he could better shoulder. They were expected and appropriate responses when one experiences betrayal. But her round face held none of those expressions.

Instead, she looked disappointed.

Inoue was the princess of their inner circle. No one ever wanted to see her hurt. Even though she was more than capable of protecting herself (and even them) these days, the urge to shield her from all harm was still there. But they stood back and let her do her thing unless she needed help. Ishida knew this would hurt her. He knew she would feel betrayed like the rest of them. She put so much faith and trust in her friends.

Before they could make proper eye contact, Ishida turned away from her. He did not want to meet her eyes. He did not want to see what they held. Ywhach said something and he answered with the practiced response mechanically. Below them, Kurosaki was still calling out to him, demanding an answer to his queries.

At this point, Ishida just wanted to get away. He wanted to get away from this place as quickly as possible. He knew Inoue's face wearing that pained expression would be etched into his mind for the rest of his days. No matter if she forgave him, he would never forgive himself for being the cause of such an expression.

Ishida-kun... Even hearing his name in her soft voice caused him to cringe. He could only hear it in her voice. Ishida wanted to scream. He'd lost her trust. If they all lived through this, he'd probably never earn it back. As the light surrounded them, he could still see her face in his mind. Ishida-kun...

She had looked so very disappointed.

A/N: Yes, yes! I know I have stories that desperately need updating but ever since Bleach 586 I've had this floating around in my mind and if I didn't get it out immediately I was going to go crazy. Don't worry. I haven't forgotten about my other stories. This was just a one-shot I had a few minutes for.