With the Captains suffering casualties and heavy injuries on their side, all hope seemed to be lost... until Shinji Hirako appeared, along with the rest of the former Shinigami. Though the aid of the Vizards certainly helped to draw the battle in their favor, it seemed Aizen's power alone proved too much for them.
Yumiko told him that he didn't have to show her all that much respect anymore. Apparently when you were friends you got to loosen up on everything. Wait, when did they become friends? Thus far this had been such a short encounter that Izaya didn't really think a friendship could formed in that amount of time. Apparently it didn't take long when you just showed the respect that was reasonable in a social situation. Maybe Kin and Tels had just been excessively frugal with their trust.
He simply flashed her a small smile at this. It wasn't much, but it was enough to show that he appreciated being called her friend. He had gotten so lonely without anyone around. Maybe being around Yumiko would at least ease that pain. It was so strange for him, feeling like this. To be honest, he didn't like being so codependent. But, what could he really do. His self confidence was shaken and he didn't know how much longer he could actually continue to be a Shinigami. It was nice to have the silence filled and not be left alone with his thoughts.
After she spoke about her family being important to her, he removed his hand from her shoulder. That had done its purpose. Having gotten her to open up and feel safe, he no longer needed the contact. It was just something he had used to prolong this encounter. Izaya was tired of having people walk out on him. Rotating his shoulder a bit, he tried to get the stiffness out of his arm. It had been held up for a while.
"Well... I had found out about my brother's death around three or four months ago, and it's still rough to think about it, or even talk about... It's weird that I am actually talking about it right now..."
Izaya simply nodded a bit at this. It was both uncomfortable and satisfactory to know that she was actually opening up to him. It was uncomfortable because he didn't much care for these kinds of interactions. At the same time, however, it was satisfying to know that he didn't have to worry about how long this encounter would last. If she trusted him and could open up around him she would talk to him for a while at least which would mean he wouldn't be all alone for that amount of time.
"It's okay for you to talk and vent if you need to. It's good to get things like this off your chest. Letting things dwell up inside of you will only cause them to bubble up into something you can't control."
Izaya showed a slight smile to Yumiko at her comment about being friends. He must not be use to it if he is happy about having friends. Yumiko wasn't exactly use to having friends, except for the few that she made. Having new friends always made Yumiko feel better, made her feel like she was actually liked.
Then, the hand on her shoulder was removed. He had used it to get her to open up, and it worked. For being somewhat awkward around Yumiko, Izaya seemed he knew what he was doing to make someone open up, or at least feel better. It was nice. Yumiko could get used to hanging out with this guy.
"It's okay for you to talk and vent if you need to. It's good to get things like this off your chest. Letting things dwell up inside of you will only cause them to bubble up into something you can't control."
Yumiko sat thinking about it. She twiddled with her hair listening to Izaya. He made a good point. It was good to vent. Everything he said was true. Venting, getting things off your chest, not letting things dwell changing to something that wouldn't be able to control. These were things that she would know, she just didn't realize it until he had mentioned it.
"Hmm... Yes, you're right. It is always good to get things off your chest. I wouldn't want to explode on someone or something. That might be bad, but then again, that's why I'm a smart ass sometimes."
Yumiko had stood up to stretch. Her arms stretched out wide and she stood on her tippy toes while she stretched. She then turned around and looked around. Then, she turned back to Izaya and smiled.
"Izaya-kun, do you wanna do something? Like go get some food, or maybe have some sort of spar, I mean, I know you are hurt and all, but I can go easy on you~" Yumiko winked with her teasing gesture.
He sat and watched her just twiddle her hair in her finger as he spoke. In typical Izaya fashion, he analyzed it. If he knew his shit, and he typically did, it was a very precise kind of body language. It typically entailed flirtation of affection. Izaya didn't know for sure because it had most certainly never been used around him before. He didn't have much in the way of people close to him and the ones that were were typically not the affection-showing type.
"Hmm... Yes, you're right. It is always good to get things off your chest. I wouldn't want to explode on someone or something. That might be bad, but then again, that's why I'm a smart ass sometimes."
That did explain a lot. So, sarcasm was her defense mechanism. How quaint. His was a lot more unique. A lovely blend of condescension, arrogance, and subtle belittlement made for a nice "Touch-Me-Not". It kept him going. If nothing else, it kept away those that would most likely just annoy him. But, it had its fair share of adverse side effects. The people he wanted close to him were also pushed away. The loneliness was suffocating. Especially now that Haishutsu Megami was silent. His nodachi was little more than pointy metal.
"So, you use sarcasm to defend yourself emotionally? Defense mechanisms are competent I suppose. Just don't get some kind of complex."
Then Yumiko stood up to stretch completely. She was so tall. At least two inches taller than him. That fact was simply solidified as she was standing up and stretching. In the stead of stretching, Izaya rolled his shoulder uncomfortably. It got so stiff and nothing helped it. He had been to the infirmary about it but they couldn't do anything. He figured it was a problem with his reiryoku. That wasn't getting fixed anytime soon then.
"Izaya-kun, do you wanna do something? Like go get some food, or maybe have some sort of spar, I mean, I know you are hurt and all, but I can go easy on you~"
Izaya stood up beside her at this and thought about what he wanted to do. Sparring was out of the question. A good shot to the ribs and he could have a lung punctured or something even worse. It didn't matter, when he went to get it checked out they would find out about his fucked up reiryoku. Then he would most likely be discharged. That just wasn't a good set of circumstances.
But food was a completely different scenario. Soup did sound good right about now. Plus, he could sit down and minimize the height difference. It did bother him when people were so much taller than him. Looking up at her, he decided that he would go to eat somewhere. That was just a no brainer at this juncture.
"I'd much rather get some food. If you hit my ribs anytime you'd probably puncture a lung."
"So, you use sarcasm to defend yourself emotionally? Defense mechanisms are competent I suppose. Just don't get some kind of complex."
Yumiko looked over to Izaya, who was rolling his shoulder. It must of been stiff, that could of been the only reason, unless he was considering sparring, which Yumiko doubted. He had one arm, and he was injured to boot! Yumiko didn't really want to be responsible for sending him back to the E.R. So, it had to be stiff, that was the only reason, or at least how Yumiko seen it.
Then he stood up next to her. It seemed he was in fact shorter than her. This made her giggle. It was like he didn't like, or at least that was a vibe Yumiko was getting from him. Maybe he didn't like be shorter than people, or and sort of "lower" than someone. Up on his high horse if you ask her.
Yumiko continued the conversation at hand, "Complex? Eh, I think I'll be just fine. I do have close friends that I'm not all sarcastic around." Yumiko folded her arms while she spoke.
Then it was time for Izaya's decision. Spar or eat. It would seem more likely to eat rather than spar, but Yumiko didn't really know. Yumiko looked slightly down at Izaya, and waited for the response.
"I'd much rather get some food. If you hit my ribs anytime you'd probably puncture a lung."
Yumiko giggled slightly. That was exactly what she thought. Food over a fight. Maybe some other time they could spar, but it really didn't matter. It would be interesting to actually cause that kind of damage on someone, Yumiko hadn't done it before, but right now was not the time, especially to someone she had just recently met.
"Ok! You lead the way, I don't know any places around here, but I'm sure you do." Yumiko turned slightly and held her hand in the direction of an exit, as if saying that Izaya should lead.
"Complex? Eh, I think I'll be just fine. I do have close friends that I'm not all sarcastic around."
At this, Izaya simply chuckled. The very notion of this obnoxious, tall, and random girl being anything less than sarcastic was humorous to say the least. However, as he thought more about it, it did seem logical that she would tailor her personality based upon her current company. If she were to get to know him better she would most likely be nicer to him. Was he willing to invest the time in order to test that hypothesis? Yes, yes he was.
"Well, I find that kind of hard to believe. I guess I'll just have to test that out."
At that, Izaya tested the height difference them mentally; she was about two inches taller than him for sure. It was no surprise to him though. He was typically correct when it came to things like observation. That was just his forte.
"Ok! You lead the way, I don't know any places around here, but I'm sure you do."
Giving a brief nod, Izaya followed the direction of her gesture. He knew a place nearby that specialized in Sushi but had a soup that wasn't half bad. He could almost taste the broth now that he had picked the place out in his mind. It was almost absurd how many places he knew around the Seireitei. Being observant and shirking one's responsibilities paid off indefinitely.
"Just follow me, I know a place that's close."
As he spoke, he tossed his nodachi in its sheath to the ground near the opening of the training grounds. He would pick it back up later; or maybe he wouldn't. Meh. Rounding a corner, he continued walking at a very nonchalant pace. He really didn't care about rushing to go eat. Hunger was not the driving emotion that he felt...ever. He continued this nonchalant pace until he reached a small building that looked very much like a regular shop.
A chuckle? Did Yumiko say something funny? Or was he laughing AT her?! Yumiko wanted to take it as such, but decided to let that one slide, besides she didn't want to assume that he was laughing at her. Izaya began to go into thought a bit more, or that is what it looked like. But what about?
"Well, I find that kind of hard to believe. I guess I'll just have to test that out."
What was that suppose to mean? Was she really that good at being sarcastic? Wait, test it out? Did that mean that he was gonna try to be close to her? Hearing about it kinda made her blush. She did want to know the enigma known as Izaya.
"You'll have to do your best to try. It's pretty hard to get through this tough exterior." Yumiko smiled and patted her chest when she said 'exterior'.
Izaya then nodded and followed her direction for him to take point to the food place. Wonder what kinda food it would be? Where would it be for that matter? Yumiko wanted to know more about this place, but she decided not to ask at this point in time.
"Just follow me, I know a place that's close."
"Mmkay. Better not make me walk to far now, I might disappear before then." Yumiko smiled and giggled lightly. She began to follow him. He tossed his zanpaktou to the corner next to the exit. Strange, they both had nodachis. Probably just a coincidence, but Yumiko did notice this.
Izaya continued around the corner at a very easy pace. It was more of a stroll for little ol' Yumiko. It was a pretty relaxing pace and Yumiko wasn't really in a rush for food, although she did want to eat. It wasn't like it was the only thing on her mind, there was other things. They had arrived at their destination, a very small shack, much like a normal shop.
"Here we are. I hope you like sushi, or soup."
"Well, soup is always good. What are you going to have?" Yumiko asked and sat down at a small two person table.
"You'll have to do your best to try. It's pretty hard to get through this tough exterior."
As Yumiko said this, she patted her chest. Wait, did she think that Izaya was trying to get her into bed?W Is that what she meant by "exterior"? Clothes? He did his best not to react to this in any way to show how he thought about it. After all, for all he knew she had just misspoke; or maybe she was just being sarcastic again. Either way, this kind of behavior didn't need to be responded to. He would just ignore that comment.
"Mmkay. Better not make me walk to far now, I might disappear before then."
At this, Izaya gave a small chuckle. Did she not understand that he didn't like to move around that much? He had the talk with her about not wanting to spar because of his mid-section. It should've been an easy assumption for one to make. After all, he had more of a jigsaw puzzle than a rib cage at this point.
"Yumi-chan, you don't seem to understand. My rib cage is really just a loose assortment of bone fragments right about now. So, moving around a lot isn't high on my list of priorities. Taking steps, jumping, or even breathing too heavily aren't pleasant on my end."
Then they continued on to the shop. As he approached, he thought about how it would be to have a sit-down meal with a person who wasn't Kin. That was kind of a foreign concept to Izaya. Really, the only person he had ever really eaten with was her and Izaya realized that he didn't know anything about usual "luncheon conversation". Typically, he just ate in silence while staring down Kin and thinking about how things were going.
"Well, soup is always good. What are you going to have?"
"I'm going to get soup as well. I typically always get soup. It's my favorite."
As he spoke, he sat down at the two person table with Yumiko and placed his order with someone who appeared to be the owner, or at least an employee. Then, he rolled his shoulder back and took some slow, shallow breaths. Then he looked at Yumiko and flashed a rare smile. He wanted her to feel comfortable and what not. After all, he wasn't the most popular person and didn't like having to do everything on his own. Kings didn't fight their own battles.
Last Edit: Sept 30, 2012 13:19:58 GMT -5 by seraki
Izaya chuckled at Yumiko not wanting to walk far. Oh, right, he didn't want to move around that much, and Yumiko just remembered this. It was interesting to say the least. Yumiko began to think about how his ribs looked on the inside... She pictured a jigsaw puzzle that was scattered about inside of him. She giggled a little bit.
"Yumi-chan, you don't seem to understand. My rib cage is really just a loose assortment of bone fragments right about now. So, moving around a lot isn't high on my list of priorities. Taking steps, jumping, or even breathing too heavily aren't pleasant on my end."
"Oh, right. Kinda skipped my mind. You must really wanna kill whoever did that to you, huh?" Yumiko looked down at this, thinking about if she ever got that badly hurt that she would try to come after them with everything.
"I'm going to get soup as well. I typically always get soup. It's my favorite."
The orders were placed and now all there was, was the before food conversation. What could they talk about? They had been talking for a while now, and now it got awkwardly quiet. Well, he did like soup, as did Yumiko. There was something they could talk about!
"So, uhh, you come here often?"
The words Yumiko uttered sounded like a cheesy pick up line guys in the human world would use to get girls. She only knew this from the books she read. Either way Yumiko didn't mean it in that sort of way... Hopefully he wouldn't notice.
"Oh, right. Kinda skipped my mind. You must really wanna kill whoever did that to you, huh?"
Izaya kind of stopped for a second before continuing again. Yes, he did want to kill Celia. He wanted to make that bitch pay. He wanted to do so and he wanted to make those fucking fraccion of hers watch what he did to her. He wanted to slit her throat. No! That was too quick for her. He wanted to tear off her arms and beat her to death with them. That was his plan; he just needed to get stronger first. That wouldn't be hard once he got his arm back.
"Yes, I really do. That bitch almost took everything from me and she's going to pay what she owes. Honestly, how could I not want to just destroy her after what she did to me? It just makes sense to me."
"So, uhh, you come here often?"
Wait, was that some kind of come-on? Giving Yumiko an odd look, Izaya kind of laughed. It was really kind of surprising to see her acting that way. Yumiko was often more subtle about this. Wait, no she wasn't. This sort of forwardness was pretty commonplace for her. Not everyone was a subtle manipulator like himself. It was an acquired skill and Yumiko had yet to acquire it. However, it only took a second for him to compose himself. He would downplay this as much as he could. Why acknowledge something he didn't care for.
"No, I just know where things are. When I'm supposed to be working I'm just roaming about looking for new stuff. Then I remember it."
"Yes, I really do. That bitch almost took everything from me and she's going to pay what she owes. Honestly, how could I not want to just destroy her after what she did to me? It just makes sense to me."
Yumiko listened to Izaya, speaking his mind about the one who did it to him. It did make sense... Revenge was a good motivator, but it could get him killed, or at least it seemed like it could. He almost did last time from the sound of it, so why would he chance it?
"Is revenge really everything? I mean, sure, this person almost killed you, but what if they have back up? What will you do? You can't go it alone..." Yumiko wasn't really worried but she still didn't want he new friend to get hurt... again.
"No, I just know where things are. When I'm supposed to be working I'm just roaming about looking for new stuff. Then I remember it."
Yumiko laughed. He just kinda aimlessly wonders and finds random things, then remembers them later. It was kinda weird how he could do that, but maybe it was just how he worked. Either way, Yumiko would have to get use to it, especially if she wanted to join the third division. Wait, where would she join?
Well, she had only just met someone who was in a squad. There was only three other people she knew... and she didn't really know what squad they were in... Where would she go?
"Completely off subject, but I don't have a squad yet... Maybe I could join ya here in the third?" Yumiko winked as she suggested that she be a part of the third division.