Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or make any profit from this.
20-year-old Tatsuki saw her unrecognized worst fear, across the street, at 3:05 PM on a Sunday.
Ichigo was kissing Rukia. Ichigo, Tatsuki's boyfriend, was kissing another girl. Something inside her wanted to snap, but she slowly realized that this was her fault. She'd been the one that believed him when he had told her that he had dumped Rukia. For once, Tatsuki didn't feel so confrontational, just guilty and pretty damn heartbroken. And stupid, she felt so, so stupid. Tatsuki refused to hang her head, though she didn't look at Ichigo as she kept walking. Eye contact was void; she refused to make eye contact with anyone.
Heading for her apartment, she spotted a familiar face, the one person that was just what she needed right now. "Hey, Chad!" She waved her arms around so he could spot her.
"Hey." Chad blinked as he edged his way around the people walking down the sidewalk. "Is something wrong, Tatsuki?" Damn his intuitive ways, Tatsuki made a face to let him know she didn't want to talk about it.
"What are you up to today?" Tatsuki forced a smile onto her face, though it felt completely and totally unnatural there.
"Looking for a roommate." Chad sighed slightly. "Do you know anyone who would want to-"
Split second, out of nowhere, Tatsuki jumped in. "Hey, can I move in with you?" She laughed to try and alleviate her nerves for being so sudden. "I can definitely help with the rent, I've got that job down at the dojo." Tatsuki's smile was becoming more and more real. Her apartment had been lonely, and it would be even more so once she texted Ichigo – the rudest way she could think of to dump him. He deserved that. She'd stoop to someone else's level for once in her life because he deserved it.
"You... You want to?" Chad blinked, his eyes wide underneath his hair.
"It'd be great to live with a friend!" Tatsuki's grin was actually enthusiastic now. "If you're game, so am I."
"Alright." Chad was smiling, just the least bit now. "When can you move in then?"
Tatsuki laughed. "When do you want me?"
"Is that everything?" Chad eyed the boxes Tatsuki had brought from her apartment. There wasn't much, and Tatsuki was perfectly ok with this. She knew she didn't live a luxurious life, the job as a sensei at the dojo helped her get by, with a spoil here and there, but she wasn't rich by any means.
"Yeah." Tatsuki smiled. "Thank you for helping me move. Anything you need help with around here, just tell me alright?" She grinned up at Chad. "I definitely owe you."
Chad shook his head briefly, leaving Tatsuki to wonder which comment that was directed at. "Do you want help unpacking?" He eyed the boxes on the floor of the guest room. Tatsuki took brief inventory of what was in those boxes in her head – mostly clothes and pictures, with a few other things. God forbid Chad stumble upon the box with her underwear in it.
"Nah, I got it." Tatsuki sat on the guest bed – now her bed – and looked at the boxes before glancing up at Chad again. "Hey, to be clear, I will help out with anything. I want to be an active member of the household."
Chad nodded... and was that the ghost of a smile on his lips? Slowly, he slipped out of the room.
Tatsuki stared at the boxes for a long moment before lying down on the bed. Ichigo had cheated on her. She had sent him that text that would end their relationship, sure, and it was over. But that didn't mean he wouldn't do it to Rukia again. Tatsuki just didn't feel confrontational about the whole thing, otherwise she would've told Rukia, would've smacked Ichigo upside the head a few times and... She wouldn't feel so cowardly. Orihime had tried to convince her that it had merely been a misunderstanding. That Ichigo would never do something like that, and Tatsuki had chosen not to argue with her. She'd seen it with her own eyes, she knew. Orihime, despite being far past her infatuation with Ichigo, and being months away from marrying Renji, just couldn't bring herself to see the bad sides of Ichigo still. Tatsuki didn't blame her, not really. After all, it had taken seeing it loud and clear for her to realize what was happening. Tatsuki took a deep breath and sat up. No, self-pity was not her thing. She refused to let herself get down over something this... Ok, it wasn't small. But it wasn't huge in the grand scheme of things either. She could handle this. She wouldn't pout or cry, she refused, just refused. She quickly busied herself with unpacking what little she had, and ignoring the fact that the guy she had known since childhood had used her to cheat.
"Why did you want to move in so suddenly?" Chad glanced at Tatsuki as she busied herself trying to cook. She'd insisted that she cook her first night there, as thanks, and she had certainly made herself busy.
"No one told you?" Tatsuki paused, the knife poised above a tomato. "No one told you at all?" She'd wondered how word had gotten around – or if it had – and here was her answer. Chad shook his head. "Ichigo was dating Rukia. And two timing her with me." Tatsuki kept her voice as even as possible. "I didn't know. I found out right before I ran into you, and... Well, clearly I had to break up with Ichigo, and I didn't want to be alone, I guess." She focused on cutting up the tomatoes again. "You're a good guy, and..." Now, where could she go from there that it wouldn't feel totally awkward? "I needed a friend like you. I know you're close with Ichigo, but you love all your friends regardless. So... I felt like I could turn to you even though you might be on Ichigo's side." Tatsuki didn't like spilling her guts, but it had come so naturally in that moment that she didn't regret it.
"Tatsuki-" Chad began, his voice acquiring an urgent edge. A second later, Tatsuki realized why. She had been done slicing the tomato, and then she had sliced finger. Swearing, she put her finger over the sink as blood began to come off it in a small waterfall. With her free hand, she grabbed the small piece of tomato she had bled on and threw it in the sink, to deal with later. Running cold water over the cut to try and ease the bleeding, she frowned as the water ran red. "I'll get the first aid kit." Chad slipped from the room, heading for the bathroom. Tatsuki stared at her finger, willing the bleeding to stop. She didn't want to go the hospital – too much drama – and she certainly couldn't face Isshin Kurosaki after the drama with Ichigo. As she listened to Chad rattle around in the bathroom, rather urgently, it appeared, for the first aid kit, she tore off some paper towels and applied pressure as best she could. She could deal with pain and she could deal with blood, but the idea that she might have to go to see Ichigo's Dad? That thought was painful and dizzying worse than anything physical she was going through. "Let me see." Chad returned with a first aid kit, opening it and patiently waiting for her to unwrap her finger. Tatsuki did so, and tried not to look. Though blood didn't bother her, she didn't much care for it either. Chad frowned as he studied her finger.
"That bad? It doesn't hurt that much." Tatsuki studied Chad's face as he gently pulled the cut open to see the exact extent. His eyebrows were drawn in, not a good sign.
"We're going to the hospital." It wasn't a question, it was a statement. Chad ripped off several more paper towels and wrapped them tightly around Tatsuki's finger. "Hold that."
"Is it that bad?" Tatsuki eyed her finger. She absolutely hated trips to the hospital, not out of fear, but out of the fact that they always treated her like a kid. That said, her other option was the Kurosaki clinic, and she was not going there.
"Bone is showing." Chad's tone was even as ever. "Come on."
Tatsuki heaved a sigh. This was just not her week.
A/N: Just so you know, the whole story is done, I'm just editing it. Second chapter to come soon! Tell me what you think, will you? Thank you for reading this chapter!
