"Gosh, what a day it's been..." Miyuki stretched her arms into the air before allowing them to drop to her sides once more. Her eyes seemed to glaze over with fatigue, yet she was capable of keeping her pace with Yumichika, who had offered to walk her back to her room. "Wasn't expecting things to go the way the did today, and now I'm beat because of it."
"You can never really expect things to go the way you plan them," said Yumichika, earning a look from Miyuki, "especially if you're in the company of the Lieutenant."
She smiled and giggled, moving her arms behind her back as she gazed up at the sky.
"You're right about that," she responded. "Though, I never would have imagined she would choose me, of all people, to be her victim of the day. I wonder what changed her mind."
Yumichika glanced down at her.
"Maybe that's the reason," he answered with a smirk. "Maybe the Lieutenant knew that fact and decided to change that today for the fun of it."
Hearing him say that made her sigh as her head sank in defeat.
"Yeah, for the fun of it," she grumbled. "I hope she did have a good time because I'm exhausted now."
"Well, I'm glad I decided to walk you back to your room," he said with a chuckle. "Wouldn't want you passing out along the way here, now would we?"
Miyuki giggled as she straightened herself, once again moving her arms behind her back, as she looked ahead.
Despite the toll it had taken on her body, the day had gone relatively smoothly for Miyuki and the others. Kidnapping Yukie from her barracks was certainly something she was only half expecting, though it was one hell of a trip. The trek back seemed much shorter than the walk to the barracks, making Miyuki wonder if Yachiru had taken some secret path to get back faster only to remember that Yachiru was never good with directions in general. The fact that they did not get lost was truly a miracle.
When they reached the dojo, Yachiru wasted no time in proclaiming the arrival of "Baldy's girlfriend," which only flustered the poor Sixth Seat since the man in question was in the room, and that the fun could actually begin. Even though he was confused by the nickname she had given to Yukie, Ikkaku did not bother asking; he was already back into fighting the newbies, almost as if he had a brand new resolve flowing through him. It was certainly an entertaining duel, Miyuki recalled, but no one was a match for the Third Seat no matter how many times they got back up. Veterans who knew Ikkaku well cheered him on as the opponents were defeated left and right, rooting for the man they knew would put them in their place. Akemi and Yachiru were right there with him, calling him by his special nickname every so often to rile him up, while Miyuki decided to watch from a much safer distance alongside Yumichika and Yukie. They knew how Yukie was with being surrounded by people for extended periods of time, and they were more than happy with keeping themselves separated from the group at the cost of not being able to see what was happening. After all, there were plenty of other days to see it unfold.
After all the fighting had ceased, and most of the people watching had left, Miyuki watched as Yukie approached Ikkaku and spoke with him, no doubt talking about the fight at hand and how she was happy to have caught it despite the means of getting there in the first place. Miyuki remembered seeing Ikkaku smiling cockily as his sword rested against his shoulder, though it is hard to tell what was said between them. However, she was able to see Akemi in the middle of being the special friend she was; from afar, Miyuki was able to see the Fourth Seat making faces toward her, expressions that were distinctly mischievous. No doubt it was because Miyuki was near Yumichika, who did not even notice the faces Akemi was making, and the Fourth Seat was her reminder that she still believed they were a thing. In an attempt to ignore her, Miyuki decided to walk up to Yukie and Ikkaku, noting how Yumichika was soon to trail behind her, just as Yachiru approached the two.
"That reminds me," Ikkaku spoke when Miyuki and Yumichika were within hearing distance. "Where did that nickname come from, anyway? Is that new or something?"
Yachiru looked him questioningly. When Miyuki glanced at Yukie, she was able to notice the growing shade of red slowly forming on her pale cheeks.
"You mean Blue?" She inquired before smiling. "That's 'cause her eyes are really blue, so it suits her!"
Ikkaku shook his head.
"I know that one, but I'm talking about the one from today," he explained to her, not even noticing Yukie shifting uncomfortably as she began playing with her hair.
It took some time for Yachiru to remember, but when she did, her face immediately lit up as she said, "Oh! You mean when I called her your girlfriend?" Ikkaku nodded quickly, still oblivious to the fact that Yukie was on par with the color of a tomato. "Well, she's always acting strange around you, and she even turns really red sometimes, too!" Without missing a beat, she quickly pointed to Yukie. "Like what she's doing now! You see how she gets all red? Snake Eyes said that people act like this around someone they like, so she must be your girlfriend!"
Miyuki could not help but steal a glance at Yumichika, who had placed his face into his hand as he tried his best to hold back his laughter. Apparently, without Yachiru taking it into consideration, the Lieutenant may as well have confessed how Yukie felt about Ikkaku right in front of him. Unfortunately, though more fortunately for her, Ikkaku laughed heartily at the notion, earning different looks from everyone over what his reaction would be.
"Sounds like Akemi's been telling you some strange stories, Lieutenant," he stated. Then, he draped an arm over Yukie's shoulders and pulled her close, grinning from ear to ear. It was a gesture of friendship, though Yukie's darkening face would have said otherwise. "As you can see, Yukie and I have been through plenty over the years. If anything, I would have figured out how she felt a long time ago, but she acts like that all the time. Right, Yukie?" He looked at her, finally taking notice to how silent and red faced she had become, before blinking with confusion. "You alright there? You look a little red in the face."
"Y-yes! I'm fine!" She quickly blurted out, though she quickly covered her mouth and glanced away. "I-I'm just not used to being around this many people, that's all." She sent him a reassuring smile, or at least she tried to do so. "B-but I'll be okay! Don't worry."
Looking back at that moment made Miyuki frown ever so slightly. Even though the moment was rather comical in many ways, she realized that Yukie backed out of expressing how she felt due to her fear. She was afraid of showing any romantic feelings not only because she was worried about what he would think of her but because she had a feeling their friendship would become awkward and would distance them. From the way Yukie acted when she expressed those feelings to Miyuki, it was plain as day to see that Yukie cared deeply for Ikkaku and did not want to soil that with petty emotions that may or may not be reciprocated. As humorous as it may have been, it was hard for Miyuki to deny that seeing Yukie in that position was extremely hard. She could only imagine what was going through her head.
"Miyuki?" She jumped at the sound of her name, looking at Yumichika and notice his look of concern. "Are you okay? You appear to be troubled by something."
Miyuki blinked for a moment before realizing what she was doing; her expression of worry over Yukie's well being made Yumichika think something was wrong.
"O-oh! Y-yes, I'm fine!" She quickly assured him, putting on a smile to match her words. Her gaze fell ever so slightly. "I was just...I was just thinking about something that made me a little worried."
He raised a brow at that, keeping his purple eyes on her the whole time, before asking, "Did you want to talk about it?"
She took a moment to consider the thought, wondering if asking Yumichika a question about Yukie was an okay thing to do. Yukie may have been good friends with Yumichika, but how much information did she give away regarding her feelings for Ikkaku?
"Well..." She slowly spoke. "It's...not so much about me...but it's..." She paused as she tried to find the right words, slowing down her pace at the same time. He began to slow down as well so he could remain by her side. "I don't know how to word it, to be honest..."
He smiled at that.
"Take your time," he assured her. "We've got some time before we arrive, and you know I'm a very patient man."
Miyuki chuckled at that before she began thinking again. After another moment had passed, she pursed her lips briefly before looking at him.
"Alright...so, I have a rather...odd question," she began to speak. Yumichika remained silent as she went on, "In a...hypothetical scenario...say you have someone that you've known for a long time – for many years – and you're really good friends with them and all that. You talk as often as you can, you enjoy one another's company, and everything is splendid."
Yumichika looked forward as he began thinking.
"Okay..." He spoke slowly. "Go on..."
With that said, Miyuki inhaled deeply as she also looked ahead.
"Well, say one day, that friend of yours...they, uh..." She paused as she looked for the right words again. "They start to have these...these feelings. These feelings aren't just any feelings, though. They're, uh, they're the special kind of feelings." She looked at Yumichika for a moment, who still appeared to have a thoughtful look in his eyes, before looking ahead. "These...'special feelings'...they-they want to come out. They want to come out and show themselves to the world without fear, but...but fear is what's holding them back."
She stole another glance as he slowly looked at her once again, keeping his gaze fixated on her.
"Why would they hold this friend back?" He inquired curiously. "Don't they want to be released?"
She turned to look at him as she stopped walking, which he mimicked the same action.
"They do!" She responded quickly, but immediately pulled herself back a bit. "They do want to be set free and show the world that they exist, but..." Her gaze fell as she looked away. "But this friend is...afraid...that if these 'special feelings' are revealed, you'll think they were weird. They're afraid that their friendship with you will be..." She hesitated, folding her hands in front of her. "They'll be soiled...or it could result in losing their friendship with you altogether." She paused as she slowly glanced back at him, noticing that he had never taken his eyes off her as his hands returned to his side. "I guess…I guess my point is..." Inhaling, she turned her gaze to look him directly. "Hypothetically speaking, how would you feel if...someone you've known for a long time had romantic feelings for you, but they were too scared to tell you because they were afraid of ruining their friendship with you?"
The two continued to look into each other's eyes, neither of them making a single movement or flinching in the slightest, as silence began to set in. The only sound Miyuki could hear was the sound of their own breathing as well as the light breeze that brushed by. She was worried that she may have given away the fact that Miyuki was referring to Yukie, but at the same time she was concerned about saying things in a way that may have referred to someone else. Whichever it may have been, the look on Yumichika's face was evidently fixated on an expression that clearly showed him pondering her question.
It was not long before she watched him break the gaze as he turned his head away, pushing some of his hair behind his ear in an almost unconscious manner. He still appeared to be thinking about what she said, but Miyuki could tell that he was about to respond.
"Well..." He finally spoke, his eyes shifting as he tried to find the right words. "I suppose it all depends on what their friendship is like." He looked back at Miyuki. "Just because they're a friend of mine for many years doesn't necessarily mean they're a good friend."
Miyuki nodded in agreement and said, "That's true, but hypothetically, you are good friends, as in you talk often – well, as often as you can – and you really enjoy having their company. They're always there for you if you need them, you have great conversations with them, all that stuff. You name it, you've...probably done it." Yumichika began to think again, but he kept his gaze on her as she continued. "The only problem is this friend wants to express these…'special'..." She paused and shook her head. "No, these 'romantic feelings.' This friend wants to express their romantic feelings for you...hypothetically, of course...but they don't want to ruin the friendship they have with you. That's what's holding them back."
He continued to ponder the thought for a moment, his gaze still locked onto hers as though they would give the answer he needed. After a long moment, his eyes widened ever so slightly with realization, as though he had just learned something before he began smirking and closed his eyes. Before Miyuki could ask, he immediately spoke.
"Ah, I see what's going on here," he stated coolly. "It took me a bit, but now I get it."
Miyuki blinked with confusion as he opened his eyes again to look at her.
"H-huh?" She responded. "W-what do you mean by that?"
He chuckled, causing Miyuki's face to turn pink.
"Come on, Miyuki. I know what you're trying to do, but I've figured it out." He told her, crossing his arms over his chest. Miyuki blinked again; she genuinely had no clue as to what he was talking about, or at least she thought she did. When he realized this, he said, "I know who you're talking about, Miyuki, so there's no need to speak that way anymore."
Her face turned pale as her eyes widened, almost like a deer in headlights. Did she actually give away too much information when explaining?
"Y...you do?" She slowly asked, unconsciously toying with her strands of hair and shifting her eyes. "But...but I didn't say who I was referring to..."
"I know," he stated in a matter-of-fact tone, "but from the way you explained it, I can already tell who you're talking about." Miyuki frowned as she shrunk away a little, feeling oddly guilty for keeping the information secret. He noticed this and, with a more genuine smile, gently placed a hand on her chin and made her look at him. "Don't feel guilty, Miyuki. I understand that you'd want to help Yukie without mentioning her name, but trust me. I've been on that road for a long time."
Despite the ever growing blush forming on her cheeks from the contact, Miyuki could not help but blink with surprise.
"You...you have?"
"Yes, and it's been a rather tricky path to be on, to be completely honest," he responded, retracting his hand before he began walking again.
She remained in her spot for a second, contemplating what he said before she quickly caught up with him.
"What do you mean?" She inquired, looking at him with a curious gaze. "How long has she been this way?"
He closed his eyes and shook his head.
"I can't say for certain," he explained, "but for as long as I've known the two, I could tell how she felt about Ikkaku. After all, she's known him for much longer than I have."
She looked away and placed a hand on her chin.
"Yeah, she did mention that..." She muttered to herself. Then, she looked at Yumichika once again. "But why would it be tricky, though? It sounds like she really wants to say something to him about it, but she just can't."
"Well, it's just as you said when you were explaining it before," he told her, looking down at her. "Fear is what holds her back. She's so afraid of tampering her friendship with him that, no matter how much she tries, she just doesn't have the courage to tell him the truth." He sighed as he looked to the sky. "Not to mention Ikkaku isn't very bright when it comes to things like that, so he just assumes she's always been like that."
Miyuki looked at him for another moment before looking forward with a saddened expression.
"I wonder if he'll ever pick up on it," She muttered, though it was loud enough for him to hear. "I'd hate to see Yukie doing this to herself any longer than she has to."
"It is a little saddening to see, but there's nothing either of us can do for her," he explained. "I've offered to say something to him in her stead, but she refuses every time. She would rather do it herself than have someone else take the opportunity from her." After a moment, he smiled. "But I get the feeling it'll happen. Sooner or later, it will."
Miyuki did not say anything in response to that, instead choosing to keep her gaze forward.
She did believe it would happen someday, but the thought of Yukie being afraid of exposing her secret reminded her of herself a little too much for her liking. Granted, the situation was different from Yukie's in a way, but it was hard to deny the fact that she had an understanding of how Yukie felt. For Yukie, she was terrified of the idea of losing such a close friend because of her feelings, believing they would be the factor that would tear them apart. In Miyuki's case, she was fearful of exposing the secret of her appearance out of the fear of losing all her friends. Having them figure out the truth would be devastating for the both of them, and it was hard for them to tell if the people they cared about would truly be around once their secrets were out or if they would turn their backs on them as they feared. It was thoughts like that that made Miyuki wonder if telling them the truth would actually be worth it or if it would be a waste of time, both on her part and on Yukie's part.
"Miyuki?" Just as before, Miyuki jumped at the sound of her name and looked at Yumichika again, who had stopped walking. A look of concern was evident on his face. "You look troubled again. Are you okay?"
"Uh..." She lost her train of thought for a moment before she quickly smiled. "Y-yeah, I'm okay! I'm just thinking, that's all!" Her smile slowly faded as she glanced away. "Just...thinking about how I can relate to how Yukie feels..."
"Is that so?" Yumichika blinked curiously. "Why is that?"
It was after he said that that Miyuki realized what she said, causing her to pale as she raised her hands in front of her chest in an almost defensive manner.
"U-uh, I-I mean, I understand how she feels!" She tried to explain frantically. "Like...like I can see how she would be afraid to tell a close friend about her romantic feelings 'cause she doesn't want to harm the relationship she has with him!" She laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of her head, while Yumichika began smiling at her flustered state unbeknownst to her. "I-it's not like I feel the same way she does about anyone or anything." She panicked when she realized what she said. "Gah! I-I-I mean...not that I have f-feelings for anyone or anything like that! Which I don't! I just...I...uh..." Instead of trying to find the words, she sighed and lowered her head in defeat. "I-I'm sorry. I'm just a flustered mess right now."
Yumichika laughed at that as he walked up to her, earning a shamefaced look from Miyuki as her cheeks began to burn with embarrassment even further.
"I told you that you don't have to apologize for that, Miyuki," he said to her. "It's not necessary."
Her eyes shifted as she turned her head away and pouted.
"I know that, but..." She grumbled but trailed off. He chuckled once again, earning a look from her. "W-what?"
"I'm just admiring how cute you look again," he replied honestly.
Miyuki flinched and covered her face with one hand, attempting to hide the red that was practically covering her face.
"O-Oh, stop that!" She stuttered over her words, using her other hand to try and cover her face more to no avail. "You're making it worse!"
He laughed before leaning toward something, a door, and opening it.
"Well, if it makes you feel better," he started, looking at her with a bright grin, "we're already here, so I won't have to pester you for the rest of the night."
With a small pout, Miyuki sent him a light glare before approaching the door into her place of living. When she entered, she turned around and looked up at him, trying to force away the blush that still radiated on her cheeks, before smiling warmly.
"Thank you for walking me back, by the way," she said, placing her hand against the door in the process. "I'm surprised you offered to do so, to be honest. You've never done that."
He shrugged.
"I thought a nice change was in order," he explained. "And besides, we didn't have time to talk after everything that happened today, so I thought it would be appropriate to do it tonight." Her smile grew as she looked away, but she looked back at him when he said, "But it is rather funny..."
"Hm?" She blinked curiously. "What's funny?"
He seemed to have a thoughtful look in his eyes, staring at the floorboards for a moment, before he looked back at her.
"I thought it was funny when you were explaining that story about Yukie," he responded. Miyuki sent him a confused look as he went on. "Not because I think the situation is humorous, but because, for a little bit, I thought you were referring to yourself." Miyuki's eyes widened ever so slightly, unable to form words as her breathing hitched. However, she was able to force a quick smile as he looked at her. "It was probably the way you worded it that threw me off a bit."
She laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of her head.
"Y-yeah, that must have been it..." She replied, slowly trailing off at the end without him realizing.
"In any case," he stated as he took a step away from the door. "Sleep well, Miyuki."
She nodded and muttered a small, "And you as well, Yumichika."
With that said, he disappeared from sight right before she was able to slide the door shut, leaving her to her thoughts once again. The silence had begun to set in, yet Miyuki was incapable of moving from her spot. Her smile faded slowly as she, once again, felt her cheeks burning intensely, thinking about what he had said to her moments before departing.
He thought...I was talking about myself…? She thought, brows furrowing as her cheeks began to burn more intensely. She took a moment to look back on everything that she told him, every last detail to see how he could have been confused. At the time, she did not believe so since her thoughts were only on Yukie, but when she looked back at it, she came to the horrible realization. Every word she spoke could have spun to sound like she was referring to herself instead of to Yukie. In other words, Yumichika honestly thought Miyuki was about to confess to him.
After a moment, she sighed, placed her heated face into her hands, and groaned.
"Ugh. How embarrassing..."