@swordsank | cont. from x
Izuminokami sees it happen before he can react, and before he can begin
to push himself onto his feet, the tray goes spiraling towards the floor, and
its contents scatter.
He’s tries his best to move on from recent events, and Horikawa, too, has
put forth an effort astonishing even for him in attempt to make amends for
his reckless actions. The wakizashi never seems to accept his assurances
of forgiveness, and though the tachi resigned himself to a long process of
healing and re-establishing the trusting relationship they once shared... he
knows that words alone will never be enough.
He doesn’t speak for a short while, though that isn’t to say he doesn’t
listen intently to Horikawa’s rambling, as scattered and incoherent as the
thoughts he voices tend to be. Izumi is almost meticulous, carefully
scooping up spilled food in his hands, depositing it back on the tray by the
handful ( though he wipes his hands off upon his clothing as if without a
second thought)—and then moves closer to Horikawa, on his knees, in an
attempt to stop him from fleeing the room before Izuminokami himself can
voice his own mind.
“Kunihiro.” He’s certain to assert himself, meeting the other sword’s
eyes, tightening his grip on the elder’s shoulders. “I thought I already told
you this, but if I have to repeat myself, then I will.”
He holds off for a moment, gaze drifting, and in the span of a moment,
his voice calms, gentle as the hands that carefully wipe away the food
splattered across Horikawa’s jacket.
“Stop apologizing. What happened has happened, and the future is our
concern now. I meant it when I said that I forgave you, as did everyone
else.You made a mistake, and we all expect you to learn from it... but we
don’t judge you for it.” Could he, when Izuminokami himself came so
close, felt his own resolve waver in the span of a moment, at the bat of an
eye? Is that even why he feels guilty at all? Though he hides it well, he
feels the surge of emotion in himself.
“You weren’t being selfish. You were misguided, but... you were trying
to do it for me. I don’t think that’s selfish at all,” he says, and turns his
head away, concentrating on the tray, eyes flickering across the ruined
mess of his – their – meal. “And you know better now. That’s... all that
matters.”