Bleach 6
ブリーチ
Argumentation
アーギュメンテイシュン
oOo
"Why can't you just leave it alone?" I shout, furious beyond belief. I square off against him, my hands tightly clenched at my sides as I stare him down with a heavy glare.
"Because I just want to know the truth!" he growls back, a forceful scowl on his face. "Is that so difficult to understand?"
"No, but is it oh-so-difficult to understand when I don't feel comfortable talking about it?" I shoot back, moving to the door wearily.
"Wait, where are you going?" he asks, surprise overriding his anger.
"I don't know; somewhere," I reply enigmatically; then I open the door and head out into the world. My feet beat an uneven path along the pavements; rain falls steadily overhead, slicking the paths and roads, making my already faltering steps damn-near treacherous. I simply allow one foot to step in front of the other, ignoring direction in favour of devoting my mind fully to fathoming the solution to the awkward situation. "Damn it, Ichigo," I growl out-loud needlessly. "Why do you keep insisting on making this so difficult?"
"Kuchiki-san." A male voice breaks through my ruminations; glancing about myself, I notice him: tall; lean; and dressed like a monk from a fourteenth century monastery; there is simply no doubt as to who it can be.
"Ishida," I respond evenly; at least, as evenly as I can manage considering the circumstances. "You're out late," I say conversationally. "Hollow?"
"There was," he answers, "however, Sado-san had already dispatched it ere I came close." He looks at me thoughtfully. "Did you not notice it?"
I start in surprise. "Um.…No," I admit sheepishly, feeling embarrassment course through me. "I was…preoccupied." My voice fades into insignificance as I recall our argument. "Damn it," I curse quietly.
A hand on my shoulder shocks me back to wakefulness. "Would you like to talk about whatever is bothering you?" Ishida asks calmly. I look at him, my mind a whir of activity. "Perhaps it would not hurt to have a second opinion," he shrugs. I think, pondering and agonising over my choice. He waits quietly; patiently.
At length, I sigh deeply. "Ichigo and I," I begin shakily, "we had a…disagreement."
"That is to be expected," he replies briskly. My eyes widen in shock and sudden outrage.
"How exactly do you reckon that, Ishida?" I demand hotly, my chest heaving.
Ishida doesn't shrink away from my outburst; rather, he stands stoically, almost as though bracing himself against the onset of a wind-storm. "Neither you nor Kurosaki are exactly the calmest of people," he explains calmly, looking at me as though it is the most obvious observation in the world. I begin to simmer in shame. "Put two volatile forces together; eventually, an explosion is bound to occur; such is nature."
"We aren't volcanoes, Ishida," I respond.
"Neither are you tranquil lakes, Kuchiki-san," he succinctly replies. "Still, perhaps my similes are not the most helpful to you at the moment. What was your disagreement due to?"
I pause as I consider how to answer him. Finally, I release a pent-up breath and attempt to explain. By the time I conclude, Ishida is staring at me with an unusual intensity and his brow is furrowed.
"You are certain?" he asks, to which I nod briefly; joltingly. "I can see how that could become an issue of contention. Is he aware?" he asks tenuously.
"I haven't told him yet. I…I was afraid.…Afraid of his reaction."
"I will not claim to understand the workings of Kurosaki's mind; frankly, I do not want to consider half the things that occur to him," at that, I snigger, "but I do know that he will stand by you regardless."
"I'm not sure.…" I reply despondently.
"You have come through far too much for this to pull you apart," Ishida says sagely; with conviction. I look at him through hazy, tear-filled eyes and smile from the bottom of my heart.
"Thank you, Ishida," I say with meaning layered in my tone.
"You are welcome, Kuchiki-san," he replies, before placing a hand on my shoulder in companionship. "Would you like me to walk you home?"
"No, that's fine, thank you," I shake my head. "You have a home to go to yourself," I say pointedly and he flushes faintly.
"You are correct," he agrees. "You are certain you do not want my company?" he asks with a faint pouting edge to his voice. Clearly, he has been spending too much time with his beloved.
"I'm fine, Ishida. Please, don't coddle me."
He flushes again, this time from embarrassment. "Very well. In that case, I will be off."
"Okay. Say hello to Inoue for me when you get home."
"I will. Be sure to change out of those sodden clothes when you return home," he says with a hint of irony, considering he's just as wet as I. Yet, before I can retort, he waves a hand in farewell. "Stay safe, Kuchiki-san," he says, then bounds into the air, leaping from rooftop to rooftop with practised ease. I remain for a few moments longer, contemplating exactly how to say to Ichigo what must be said. Once my thoughts become less turbulent, I begin a slow pace back to our home where I will have to face this most daunting of obstacles.
oOo
Author's Notes: So, yet another story demanding another chapter to conclude it; honestly, I keep finding too much inspiration to make long stories. I shan't complain, however, as if I concentrate on completing each of these stories fully in one go, I would never meet my self-imposed deadline so I can keep posting daily. I hope you'll forgive me for the lack of conclusion; Argumentation will be completed when we return to it. I realise there isn't much Ichigo/Rukia in this one, but this is simply a precursor to one almighty discussion; one I've had in my mind for a very long time. I hope you'll like my thoughts. My thanks to the alerters and my most humble gratitude to Katsumi Hatake, Rukia's Reflection, Hinata-Rae 7-3.15, bubbleboss1022, SomethingInTheWater (x4) and Kaoru Kato for their kind words. As always, see you all tomorrow morning for a new tale from the annals of Black Sun Rising, White Moon Soaring.
finaldragonquest
13/11/2011