Oceans (Tier/Ichigo)

Once more, Ichigo stepped onto the neverending sands of Hueco Mundo, every footstep creating a faint crunch as the ground beneath compacted. His zanpakuto remained in one hand as always, slung over his shoulder with confidence rather than dragged along as it had once been. In the other hand, however, was the gift he'd promised to bring to the woman he was visiting.

"Hey."

It was always centering, in a way, to visit Tier. She was a presence that ran counter to the vast majority of the hollows Ichigo had ever run into, and certainly the only one that ran counter to the ones currently in his life. She provided a more grounded view of things than most did, and that was something he appreciated, when he had already resolved to distance himself from so much of the world. After another moment or so, he held out the gift he'd brought for her, deciding perhaps that was the best way to start.

A shell he'd picked up during his time near the hole in Africa, at the water's edge. Was it the sort of fine treasure that most would associate with the notion of a "gift?" No, not really. After all, in theory, one could find shells anywhere. But even without considering the fact that it was a particularly lovely shell, there were other factors in mind when it came to having chosen it.

"Sorry. I didn't have any money to buy you something, and I didn't think you'd appreciate if I just took it."

Just getting her something would have seemed pointless if it was something she'd disapprove of as far as how he'd acquired it.

Obviously, Ichigo was here to tell her about his impending plans to attack the Soul Society. He couldn't sit around forever; he'd long since committed to this course of action, and it would be a disservice to the woman before him if he walked away from it now. However, that didn't mean he was going to drag her down that path with him.

"With how things are in Africa, we'll be going to the Gotei soon, I think. I've gotten some support from other Arrancar who've got their own grudges to settle."

He paused, unsure of how he ought to word this to her. Perhaps because it was hard to ask, or perhaps because it was so antithetical to how he'd chosen to be. Even so, after a tense moment or two, he continued.

"You should stay here."

If he had wanted her to come along, the firm stance that Tier had maintained on the matter would have probably wounded Ichigo. He knew that was the case simply because he still felt that faint sting, even having told her not to come. She was a friend, after all. Having friends at his side was perhaps the only thing that had kept him still centered through all of this. The name he'd spoken was like a knife to his chest, but his expression gave little of that away. A bit more grief in his eyes, but unlike her, Ichigo was not intent on hiding anything.

"I'll be alright. I'll make sure everyone comes back safe."

He said nothing about the woman for whom he had already done so much. There was, really, nothing to say. He knew that, and Tier assuredly did too. That was a rift that Ichigo doubted could be repaired, but he hadn't walked this road thinking that would ever be the outcome. He'd simply done what he did a century ago; thrown himself into hell to save her. Even if she despised how he went about it, that didn't matter.

"I can find somewhere else to go, if you think the Gotei would catch on."

Ichigo wasn't so foolish as to think Tier would really want him just disappearing elsewhere. He understood exactly how much it meant that she had so unflinchingly spoken of his return. But, precisely because of that, he couldn't go without making it clear that he still respected her own aims, and would make his own journey harder for her sake.

"You think so?"

Ichigo had, in a way, meant that as a response to everything Tier had said. He didn't really think he and Orihime were much alike anymore, at least not in any of the same way they'd once been. He had to admit that he was self-centered, though. It wasn't as if what he was doing was altruistic, and he didn't pretend it was.

But the matter of friends being irreplaceable, that was something that gave him a bit of pause. It wasn't that she'd said they were forever, or he would have disagreed. Ichigo knew that all his friendships that had once been simply weren't still in place. These new friends wouldn't ever replace those, and that was an inarguable fact.

However, Ichigo didn't want them to simply replace those friendships. What he'd built with Tier, with Ignacio, with Lilynette, was something different. Something new, and ultimately, something just as valuable. A different place, a different time, didn't make it any worse. Not even the circumstances, no matter what most would assuredly say.

"I don't intend on being replaced. I'll be back soon."

For a few moments, Ichigo thought he ought to offer her a hug, or at least a hand on the shoulder. But something like that simply didn't feel within his grasp, and so all he could offer was a kinder tone of voice, a softer gaze than usual.