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Ikkaku was very reluctant to return. The odds would be horrible on getting out of there alive, it would be hundreds of bandits against two. There was a feeling tugging at him, he felt that he had an obligation to go because he knew even if he didn't tag along, Yumichika would pay them a visit anyways. Then he'd never be able to feel like he properly apologized for what he had done with the beauty dead and Ikkaku having the opportunity to have been there and saved him. With his katana strapped to his waist and little else by means of weapons, nothing by means of a shield, he set off to the spot he met with Yumichika earlier. Hopefully he'd be able to dissuade the eccentric of the stupid idea. If not, he'd march to almost certain death, and at least protect the Yumichika the best he could.
That was all he had been asking for in the past few days. To make amends in a way that he felt he was really absolved. If he had to die in the process, he was almost without issue, the only problem being; He didn't want to leave Yumichika alone anymore. He wasn't happy with the prospect of dying, but at this time, death seemed like a much more passable alternative than letting Yumichika die on a suicide mission. Maybe Yumichika was doing fine by himself and Ikkaku was being self centered when he worried about leaving the man alone, but he knew neither of them wanted to spend their life alone in the district. They'd already expressed their feelings about that in the time they shared living together.
When Ikkaku returned, he saw that Yumichika hadn't moved, except to fasten his katana to his waist, and he even returned to the spot they had been talking earlier. His face lit up when he saw Ikkaku making the journey back. "Hey, Ikkaku!"
"This is a bad idea."
"Come on," Yumichika pouted. "You love fighting, what's with that attitude all of the sudden? Is it because you think I'm not strong enough?"
"Yes," Ikkaku answered truthfully. "Neither am I, to take on a giant number of bandits on a whim. This is suicide."
"They took something from me. I'm teaching them a lesson, so you can turn back if you don't want to go with me," Yumichika said that last sentence sincerely. He was angry with the bandits, but he didn't want Ikkaku with him if he didn't want to. "I'll be fine by myself, they're a bunch of idiots you know."
"Yumichika-"
"Actually, I don't want you to go anyways. Go back," Yumichika stood up. "Thank you for bringing me the katana, it'll be more than enough. In any event, you'll only aid in the process of slowing me down, the only thing I have going for me really is my speed. With the attitude you have towards this whole thing, you'll complain and get us caught."
"I'm not letting you go alone, moron."
Yumichika looked back and frowned. "I've decided already, you're not following me there. I'm going to go there quickly and show them not to ever mess with me again, and you're going to go home and do whatever you want."
Ikkaku scoffed and started making his way inward, towards the bandit's base, following Yumichika who had taken off already. He wasn't exactly sure where it was, but there were trails carved out by the bumbling oafs thundering footsteps and Yumichika seemed confident with his movements. He'd find it as soon as he make his way to one of the sections of the forest that got more sunlight and didn't stay muddy with nowhere to gain any ground. There was no point in arguing with Yumichika any longer though, he really had his mind up on the issue. What was somewhat annoying Ikkaku though, was the fact that he didn't even seem to want to get back whatever was taken. He'd just angry that something was taken from him.
"Didn't you hear me?" Yumichika asked angrily as Ikkaku followed him. "I said that you should go home, and I'll do this by myself. It'll be easier that way."
Ikkaku shook his head. "I'm letting you go on some stupid suicide mission, just so you can get back at someone for theft. It would be very ugly of me, don't you think?"
"Very funny," Yumichika replied, angrier than before now that Ikkaku was not only insisting on going, but also making fun of the person he was attempting to help. "But if you're going with me, what do you think that will change? You're only going to get hurt in fighting my fight. What are you going to gain?"
"I'm going to prevent you from dying, apologize again, and leave you alone," Ikkaku said simply, jumping carefully from tree to tree, though the last thing wasn't something he was sure he would follow through with. "I'm not going to stand by knowingly letting you do something stupid by yourself."
"I'm going to be more busy protecting someone as headstrong as you, which is why I don't want you to follow," Yumichika insisted, gracefully moving from the branches of trees with what seemed to be an effortless endeavor. "But, I've forgiven you already for what you did, you weren't even in your right mind. You're not doing this to get something you already have, surely?"
"I'm doing it so I can forgive myself, alright? I don't accept the fact that you don't even pause in forgiving me after doing something really fucking stupid even though I didn't do anything to earn being forgiven. I don't work like-" Ikkaku started ranting angrily, cut off by falling while trying to get on another tree, being too upset while talking to pay enough attention to where he was stepping.
Yumichika, somewhat amused by Karma, or whatever force cause that to happen, smiled and sat. "I think I'll leave you there for awhile, 'kay, Ikkaku?"
Still in the muddy portion of the forest (actually seeming to go further into the depths of it, rather than coming to it's end), Ikkaku was swallowed by a pit of mud, nearly up to his chest after the fall. "Like hell you're going anywhere!"
"Don't drown, I'll be back after awhile to get you."
"Drowning isn't exactly a choice, you bastard!"
Yumichika, oblivious to what Ikkaku was shouting, winked at the slowly sinking man and hopped away. He wasn't the type to take orders, especially not from someone who was groveling for absolution less than an hour before.
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