Quiet Waters [Kenichi, Sabre]

"Ha, and there's my sixth drink in a row! I'm getting the hang of this alcohol business! It's probably not wise to go any further, though, right? I might pass out and end up somewhere I shouldn't be."

Somewhere he shouldn't be. That's right. Wasn't that why he was engaged to a woman he hardly knew outside of a few days here? Well, he didn't find any issue with it. At least, he didn't think there should be a problem with it. Although this was a significant divorce from how he typically handled his problems in life, he enjoyed washing his hands of any responsibility for a change. Beyond feeling out of place now and then, it was nice here. There were exciting men and women who enjoyed partying with him, hyped him up as some great guy they could hang around and interact with until the sun rose.

What was there to complain about? Everyone here had his best interest in mind, so what was there to complain about? Nothing. He grinned to himself as he straightened his clothes and departed from the bar in search of something else.... until he felt an approaching spiritual pressure closing in on him. Oh, he knew this one from anywhere! As clear as day even! Sabre?

What was she doing here? Had the presence of other arrancar attracted her to this place? Was she looking for a good vacation spot... or had she followed him here? Psh, did it really matter? She was here now and it was time to greet her accordingly. Turning to face her with a grin, his features somewhat disheveled, Kenichi waved his hand up at the woman who stood over him. He took care not to look to unpresentable, though. Moving his hair around a little and straightening his clothes. Alright, now he could properly say hello.

"Sabre! I didn't expect to see you! What brings you here? Enjoying a vacation of your own... or was it the presence of other Arrancar that brought you here?"

"H-hey! Where are we going all of a sudd-"

It wasn't a difficult task to secure the man by his shirt. His reflexes were sort of compromised at the moment, which made traveling from Point A to Point B relatively easy. Now, he found himself tossed out on another part of the beach where there was no one to interrupt them. Confusion definitely fit his expression at the moment, but he didn't get the idea she was upset with him. At least he hoped that wasn't the case. Looking at the canteen for a moment, he nodded his head and grabbed it, drinking the water to slowly but surely wash away whatever buzz had been threatening to set in. He was of able mind to host a conversation now without looking like a bumbling idiot in front of her.

He supposed that was her intention, and if it was something important, he would've felt pretty awful if he forgot about it because he was under the influence. Okay, he took a few deep breaths, consumed the remaining few sips, and slapped himself across the face in comical fashion. Sheepishly rubbing the back of his head, he handed the canteen back to her as he curiously glanced back at her?

"Sorry about that... uh... haha, I partied with some of the people on this island... and got pretty close to getting drunk. Hopefully, that didn't make you upset or anything. Still, I... didn't expect to see you here. What's up? Something on your mind?"

At the end of the day, he still genuinely cared about her. Even now, he wanted her to thrive and assist her whenever she needed. His only question now was... what did she want to speak about? And why had she come here of all places?

"..."

Speechless. Quite simply, there were no words with which he could offer a meaningful response. His words were rendered null the moment she opened her mouth. What was there to say? What could he say? What did he want to say? Here he was, a mess of a man at the moment, someone who was slowly but surely feeling like something closer to a shell of his former self, faced with a woman who hit him with a revelation that cut through his soul like an executioner's blade. Her head pressed gently against his own. There was no humor in her expression. I love you. Three words from the heart.

Those three words turned his current state of mind on its head. After all, he had never thought he crossed her mind to that extent, possessed wholly of the belief that he was a nuisance, that through his assistance he had unintentionally doomed her by fighting alongside her during her hunts. In his mind, each of those feasts had warped her, altered her mind in a way he couldn't quite grasp as a human.

Even so, he still felt he owed it to her to help her, to assist her wherever she needed. After everything they've been through, he was still here. She had given him a route to escape, surely. That moment where he rescued his boss only to learn that she was the culprit certainly could've been the end. He had every right to be angry, to wash his hands clean, and tell her he never wanted to see her again, but he persisted. In his stubborn mind, he thought she deserved another chance.

To his genuine surprise, she rose to the challenge. She stood before his friend and revealed everything, speaking at length about how she wished to amend things because of the impact he had on her life. When it was time to answer, she stood strong. She faced the challenge despite how much it might well have gone against her nature. He came to admire that about her. And though he certainly wouldn't have said it aloud - she had evolved into an undeniably attractive woman. Above all, she rose to her challenge.

What had he done? What was he doing? When he couldn't accept his current state of affairs or address his feelings properly, he simply vanished. He came here to wash away his troubles in an unfamiliar environment with unfamiliar people. Nothing felt ideal. Everything felt imbalanced. Even so, he stayed here in the belief that it would correct itself. Now, here he was, face to face with Sabre expressing her true feelings. Without water, he shuddered at how foolish he might've looked.

...Everything felt like it was slowly but surely spiraling out of control. And it was his fault. His eyes grew wet with tears, and his face turned to the ground, unable to face her directly.

"What's there to love about an idiot like me...? You've done so much to change. Even if it might have gone against your pride, you stayed true to your word. Don't you see how much of a mess I am right now? When you stepped up, I stepped away. I've been here... with these people. Isolating myself away from the people I know. You should be ridiculing me right now. Telling me how stupid I look.That I've been nothing but a nuisance to you.."

"How can I forget something like that..."

He voiced that question to himself, muttering the words under his lips. His eyes turned in the distance. That was a realistic option here. He could tell her to take him back and treat this as if it never happened. He could resume whatever section of his life he currently found himself in and act as though none of what she said ever crossed his mind. She reminded him that she had that right, acknowledged that she had some hand in his circumstances, but here she was. It probably took everything she had to reveal her feelings, and here he was, rambling on about things that he wholeheartedly knows she likely can't comprehend.

For his sake, she was willing to act as though her confession was meaningless in the grand scheme. And he wondered how painful that might have been. To announce your feelings and lock them away without a second thought. Exhaling loudly, momentarily turned away. In the next moment, he smacked his face with such resounding force that it wouldn't be difficult for the tall woman to hear it. When he turned back, there was a noticeable palm mark on his face. It would have been easy to act like this never happened, but that wasn't the reality of the situation... and he didn't want it to be. Slowly but surely, he walked toward her.

"Of course I would. You've come to mean more to me than you can imagine. Sure, you've caused me trouble. I can't deny that, but you've done so much better since then. Trouble this, trouble that. Cut it out. I don't want to hear that. Not when you're improving each day since then."

Without hesitation, in his own characteristic fashion, he hugged the woman's hip as he chuckled sheepishly. Sheesh, he hadn't really realized the size difference until now. He felt somewhat small being near her, but he didn't care about that. Sighing softly, he posed but a single question, a small shade of red playing across his features.

"Sabre... can we go somewhere else? Away from the resort? I... don't want to go back. Not right now. I want to spend time with you."

They probably wouldn't notice he was gone, anyway. Was it a heavy thing to throw on him out of nowhere? Sure, but there was never a perfect time for love confessions. Was he still out of sorts? NO doubt, but that was his own cross to bear. It had nothing to do with her.

The gentle pat on his head felt nice. Being close to her like this... felt nice. It felt warm. It felt familiar. Of course, he couldn't remain there forever, and once the Garganta opened, he followed the woman along as he walked beside her. Whether the trip was long or short-lived, it allowed him to regain his composure and speak his thoughts.

For him, that was enough. Once they arrived, he took a deep breath to soak in the familiar air of his surroundings. This was where it all began, wasn't it? There were so many things to talk about, but he didn't really intend to leave her hanging on an answer. Which one was better? Tell her what he'd ended up in or reveal his feelings?

"I'd ask how you ended up at that resort, but that's not important right now. I also want to know how you've been, but then I guess that isn't the subject to go with here, either...."

Scratching his head for a moment, he chuckled sheepishly until he gave up on trying to think of a proper way to voice his thoughts. He simply spoke the first words that came to his mind. That was who he was at heart, after all. Circumstances were less than ideal, but for something like this, there never was an ideal moment.

"Sabre, I never got to tell you how happy you've made me now, how proud I am to know you. Each effort, each attempt, all for my sake... and it's all been genuine. I can't overstate how much joy that's brought me." His hazel gaze looked to the moon for a moment, as he reflected on everything that led them here. There were terrifying times, and yet... there were good times. Memories he wouldn't exchange despite what he had endured.

"At times, I genuinely thought... I doomed you in a way. All those hunts, all those times I helped you so you could eat hollows and I could protect civilians. When I noticed those subtle changes, when I saw you becoming something else altogether, I... thought I was the one to blame. I thought; "Maybe if we avoided each other that day, she would've been better off." "

Gazing up at the woman, he reached out to grab at her hand. He didn't want her to suddenly vanish or anything, as childish as that sounded in his head. It was just that... right now... she was the best thing in existence right now in his eyes, and those words she uttered moments ago still lingered in his mind, filling his cheeks with a shade of crimson. Why did it feel like his heart was beating a little faster now?

"And there was... an opportunity for you to run away. After our incident in Hueco Mundo, I wouldn't have blamed you, as much as I know it would have hurt. Yet, you still came to see me. I could have turned you away, too, but... I didn't. I was stubborn even in my weakest moment. I wanted to believe that you were still worth saving. Even though you say you've caused me plenty of trouble, you've done everything in your power to show me that I made the right choice. To me, that's been as great a symbol of devotion as any."

Turning his head to the side, hiding his expression, he thought of how to frame his words, how to avoid sounding like an idiot. At the very least, he thanked the heavens that he was fully sober, otherwise, he'd never forgive himself. Turning back to face her, he took a moment to gather himself before speaking again.

"And I can't imagine letting someone like that get away from me. I won't be an idiot and say the past doesn't matter, and I'm sure... I still haven't forgiven myself for everything that transpired, but... I know I can't imagine a day without you in my life now, Sabre. You don't need to tell me to be yours. I'll go ahead and be the demanding one... and ask you to be mine. Ah, well, no! Uh, I'll ask you to be mine!"

Even with his best efforts, he still slipped up. He truly was terrible at this.