Summary – It's said that the red string of fate binds soul mates together. When Ichigo cuts the cord between himself and Tatsuki, she starts to fall deathly ill.
Disclaimer – I own nothing. Not Bleach, not D. Gray-man, and certainly not any kind of religion. Tiny bits of inspiration taken from Vathara (Embers) and Sweet Anise (Tatsuki: Vampire Slayer/The Silent God). Look all three stories up, they're seriously amazing.
Note – In this fic, there is use of CPR for First Aid. ICU is Intensive Care Unit, for those unfamiliar with the abbreviation. Also, fiancé is for the man, and fiancée is for the woman according to my dictionary. Please correct me if it's wrong.
Warning – Contains strong language. Not suited for younger viewers, or people who take offence to swearing. Also, Allen is a girl called Ellen and there is mention of Slash. If this offends you, click the back button.
Strings of Fate
"Don't concern yourself with me anymore." Tatsuki's heart broke as the last thread of hope she'd had of Ichigo's so-called 'friendship', snapped under the pulling strain of despair. When the orange haired teen had finally gone, Tatsuki gave up. Her body grew heavy, and her lungs grew short of breath. She could just barely hear Keigo roaring at Mizuiro to call the hospital, demanding classmates to stay out of the way as the aspiring Vale Tudo Champion fell to pieces in the school corridor. The usually flamboyant teen was back at her side with Ryo, the only one not scared of the sudden rage that had overcome Keigo. The track star was counting Tatsuki's pulse against her watch, a panicked tone to her voice as she announced that Tatsuki's heart rate was too high – Keigo had placed his palms over Tatsuki's ears, asking her to focus on the sound of his heart beat. Slowly, ever so painstakingly slowly, Tatsuki started to calm down enough to follow Keigo's orders. With the sound of blood pulsing through her ears, and the concerned faces of Keigo and Ryo before her, she blacked out.
She never saw Keigo scream as though the world had fallen out from under his feet. She never saw Ryo spring into action, feeling for a pulse, but turning desperate when she couldn't find one. Keigo started compressions while Ryo gave the breaths for CPR, Keigo angrily asking where the hell the medics were. They arrived almost a quarter of an hour later. By then, Keigo and Ryo had managed to get Tatsuki breathing again, this time with a steady pulse. The late paramedics quailed under the furious death glare they received from the two tired teenagers, who stated, by use of violent words, that in no uncertain terms, Keigo would be riding in the back of the van, with Ryo in the front. When an affronted medical officer (an intern, new to the job), tried to stop her, Ryo just slapped him across the face, before climbing into the vehicle, which quickly drove off.
Upon arriving at the hospital, Tatsuki was transferred into ICU as the doctor's tried to find out what had happened to her. A nurse made the other two teens some hot chocolate, while another scribbled on a notepad furiously as Keigo gave a description of what had happened, along with the panicked and hastily made first aid applied when she'd stopped breathing. The first nurse – a kind woman called Ms. Li – handed the stressed teens a mug each before turning to her co-worker. This nurse was a striking woman with snow-bright hair and a scar over her left eye, her nametag introducing her as Ms. Walker, the nurse in charge. She turned to Ms. Li and said, "It's another red string case, Lena-chan. Please inform Dr. Reever immediately." Ms. Li darted off, heeled boots speeding her to the operation room to inform the doctor. Ms. Walker turned back to the two teens and sighed, gently pulling them over to an unused room. Shutting the door behind them, Ms. Walker motioned them to sit down, and began to speak.
"My name is Ellen Walker. I have been a nurse at this hospital for almost fourteen years now. Almost every year, there are several patients with the same symptoms you described your friend as having. Recently, the number has been growing a lot higher however. Much higher then I'm comfortable with. The red string of fate is the thread that binds soul mates together, the legends say. Due to an accident in my youth, my left eye has been able to see things in a different way than my right. Because of this, I've been placed in charge of these cases. Those that I can help, I do my best. But for those whose thread has been irrevocably broken...the best I can do is make them comfortable. When a red thread is broken," she explained, "the souls it ties together start to weaken, and die. When one of the pair rejects the other, the one who was rejected, depending on why they were rejected, will become ill. The extent of the illness suffered by the rejected soul varies on the situation of which they were rejected. Usually, the cases are fairly minor and easily repaired. But, if a soul that was paired, was rejected when it was in its darkest hour, at a time when it needed help the most..." Here she paused, giving the two teens a chance to absorb the information she had given them, before continuing on several heartbeats later. "The soul falls to the darkest side of the spectrum, becomes deathly ill, and dies."
The stunned silence that follows has never been something that she's enjoyed. Ellen sighs, before asking, "How close were the patient and the one you call Ichigo?" her voice rouses some semblance of life to Keigo, who says, "They were sparring partners at a dojo when they were kids. She's always worried about him when he pulls his disappearing acts, or gets into fights with the local thugs. She was close to a girl our age, Orihime, who has supposedly gone to a relatives place to care for her ailing grandmother, but nobody believes that. She considered Orihime and Ichigo her best friends."
Ellen nodded and said, "Keigo-kun, I need you to tell me the exact words Ichigo-san said to my patient." The flamboyant teen repeated every word back to her. Ellen's face took on a dark, contemplating look. "When Ichigo-san 'disappeared', did any of you try and follow?" Keigo nodded. "Mizuiro-san, another of our friends, followed him to a place called 'Urahara's Shoten'. Every time he disappeared for more than a week, that's where he went."
Ellen's face darkened as she reached for the innocent looking phone sitting on the desk. Dialling a number, she waited several moments before someone picked up. "Kanda? This is Ellen. I have another case that requires your abilities." The white haired nurse then gave the Kanda person on the other end of the line the details of the case, including the directions to get to the Shoten. After several tense minutes discussion, Ellen visibly relaxed and smiled. "I'll have it ready by six, dear." She promised Kanda, before hanging up the phone.
"That was my fiancé, just now. He's tracking this Ichigo person down." And with that last sentence, she gave the failing hope of the two teens a rope to hold onto.
Hair so dark it bordered on the line between blue and black swung behind a tall man who moved with a quiet swiftness that startled the people around him. A scowl was set on his otherwise handsome face, scaring off any would-be pursuers. Turning off onto a small back street, he made his way to the location his fiancée had given him. Mere moments later, he stopped in front of an unassuming candy store. The man's glare kicked up a notch. This was going to be taxing. Pushing down the hint of worry he felt for his fiancées new patient, he strode inside, coming face to face with a pair of brats, a dark skinned giant and a man in a green and white striped hat. A predatory smirk grew on his sharp features. Bingo. Let the interrogations begin!
Several hours later, the tall dark haired man strode into the hospital, immediately walking to Ms. Walker. He handed her a small set of papers, murmuring into her ear as she read the information he had collected. The nurse sighed in disappointment, glaring at the paper as if she wanted it to spontaneously combust. With a kiss to the man's cheek, she bid her fiancé farewell as she turned to her two companions to tell them the news on their friend's condition. Before she could open her mouth to speak to the teens however, Ms. Li ran up to the group of four. "Your patient is stable, ma'am. Also, Dr. Ishida is attempting to interfere again." The Chinese woman hurriedly informed her superior. Pale eyebrows narrowed in outrage. Motioning to Keigo and Ryo to come with her, she stalked off in the direction of her patient's room, the two teens darting after her, followed by Kanda and Ms. Li.
Shoes drummed a war beat as Ellen led the march. Flinging the doors to the room open, she snarled "Out!" to the general populace of medical staff in the room as her steely grey eyes promised death to the interfering doctor, who had been attempting to manipulate Tatsuki's spiritrons to 'cure' her. All he was doing, however, was making her paler. An animal like growl echoed in her throat, Kanda laying a restraining hand on his fiancée's shoulder to calm her down, before he strode over to the doctor. Said man paled and stumbled away from the bed of the young Arisawa heir as the scowling man pressed a small button on the wall beside Tatsuki, before taking a seat at the young woman's side, eyes watching the movements of the now panicking doctor. "I believe my fiancée is the only person on staff with the correct qualifications to care for the patient's assigned to her. You have been intruding with intent to interfere in her work and her patients' recoveries due to your belief that the Quincy clan are supposedly 'superior' to us Exorcists." Kanda stated, barely pausing as Ryo sat next to him, holding Tatsuki's hand. Keigo's arms were crossed and an ugly look – a mix of contempt and disgust – adorned his visage. Ellen on the other hand, looked very smug as she let the hospital security guards into the room, who then proceeded to escort him to Director Komui Li's office, where he was promptly dismissed from the premises. Ellen set to work immediately, working to stabilise the girl once more. After several minutes, it was visible that she had succeeded, as Tatsuki returned to a healthy pallor once more.
Once he was certain he was not in the road of Ellen's work, Keigo moved to Tatsuki's other side, threading his fingers through hers as he watched the sleeping teen. With a look from Kanda, Ellen sighed as she brought out the sheets of information that Kanda had gathered. Clearing her throat, she began to tell the two concerned teens what Kanda had found. Almost three hours later, she was finishing up the tale, it having been dispersed with questions and various points of view.
"So in recap - Ichigo-san has been turned into a Shinigami (proper term would be Soul Reaper), and after a series of conflicts – including Rukia's almost execution – has now gone to retrieve Orihime Inoue, to prevent Aizen from creating an army of Arrancar and Espada, but in doing so, has cut the tie to Tatsuki-chan here. Which leads us to our current position." She finished, placing the papers on the nearby bedside table for the patients. She rubbed her temples and grumbled to herself about a headache. Kanda rubbed a thumb over her knuckles in support. An uncertain silence fell across the group, as they prayed for Tatsuki to recover enough to wake up. There was no change for two weeks, yet Ellen assured the two teens that Tatsuki was pulling through. All they could do was wait for her to recover.
Flames licked at her soul, threatening to consume her. And she was so confused, hadn't fire always been her friend, comfort, motivation, ally, comrade...? Now her soul fought against a foreign wish – no, not a wish, but a command – that she fold beneath its might and forfeit her soul to destruction to end the pain. Yet the fighter in her soul snarled like her Dragon namesake as she rallied her strengths to fight this enemy. She was the second strongest girl in Japan – and most importantly, heir to the Arisawa Clan, an old family rooted in the spiritual history of Japan. She was Dragon-child, Warrior-heart, Moon-girl, Fire-disciple and Hunt-soul! She would not fall because of some pathetic bond that her supposed 'intended' was bent on breaking. She could smell the power of her enemy, the scent so much like the orange haired teen that she growled in outrage. Girding herself with flame, pain, blood, soul and life, she howled her challenge as she poured forth her vengeance. If she was to be forced to endure this painful torture, then so would he!
Arriving at the Shoten, Orihime safely rescued and everyone else in (mostly) one piece, Ichigo breathed a sigh of relief. Now all he had to do was tell Tatsuki about everything, and his reasons for not telling her. He knew she'd be mad, but he was confident that if he explained to her why, she would forgive him in time, and they could be friends again. All his thoughts about how he'd make things up to her were cut off by the sudden feel of burning pain. With a chocked gasp, he fell to his knees, struggling to breathe from the sudden onslaught of pain. Panicked voices were heard, but not understood, and he was soon bustled under Orihime's care. The pain disappeared momentarily, before returning ten-fold with an audible roar of rage that everyone heard as Ichigo blacked out. He was rushed to the clinic, but nothing his father tried helped, so he was shifted to the hospital. With worried family and comrades all panicked for the orange haired teen, they were all surprised at Isshin's reaction to a Nurse who was glaring the group down. She had a scar over her left eye, and stood in a Western military stance. Her mere presence spoke of long, hard won battles where the blood that was spilled dyed the streets red. Her steel-sharp grey eyes spoke of untold and horrible happenings. Her voice, in an amazingly sharp contrast, was sugary sweet. And it was her voice that caused all personnel – including Keigo, Ryo and Kanda – to either evacuate the floor, or take a strategic position that placed them as far away from a fight and made them as small as was humanly possible.
"Well, if it isn't Kurosaki Isshin! I haven't seen you since the last time you interfered with one of my patients." She said cheerily, a sunny smile on her youthful face. Rukia, seeing but not quite understanding the standoff between the two, decided it would be a good time to remind all present of their current situation. "Nurse-san, could you please call a doctor? My friend here collapsed almost half an hour ago, and none of us know why." The young Kuchiki heir soon had the unnerving steely gaze turned upon her.
"Name?" the nurse asked, tone turning clipped and professional.
"Kurosaki Ichigo, Nurse-san." This time, it was Orihime who answered, her bubbly reply and expectant replying smile dying immediately when she saw the woman huff.
"So this is the piece of trash that placed my patient into her coma." Tutted the nurse. She turned to two orderlies nearby. "Take him to Doctor Komui." She ordered. "He's to be placed under observation. I want to know why and how he's suddenly being affected by this." The orderlies did as they were told; wrestling Ichigo out of the grip that Isshin had on his son, and dragged him down a hallway. With that done, the nurse turned back to the assembled group. When she addressed them, her tone was glacial cold and frigid polite and stern seriousness.
"If I find a single one of you so-called 'Spiritualists' interfering or attempting to interfere with my work, I will execute you in the most painful and creative ways I can think of. I've already had to deal with a so-called 'superior Quincy', I may as well find out how sturdy you freaks are. In this hospital, Priests from the Holy Black Order are the rulers. We decide who lives and dies when our work is interfered with. My division is dedicated to cases such as the one regarding that brat you brought in."
Isshin looked about ready to blow his top as the strange Nurse called his son a brat, so Chad stepped in. "Cases?" the Mexican teen asked, tenor voice rumbling in confusion. His palms turned sweaty under the gaze of the attentive Nurse.
"Cases in which the red string of fate is cut. I have it on reliable information that Kurosaki tore the thread between him and his soul mate before he left to rescue the busty ditz next to you. It seems as though she's had enough, and is making him shoulder the burden. Serves him right, in my opinion." Her voice was stern, which quickly turned into a mutter at the end. When the others voiced their displeasure at her speech, she glared them down as she clasped her hands behind her back, body held firm and ready to attack any one fool enough to irritate her further.
The group fell silent under her gaze, and she gave them a slightly abbreviated version of her explanation to Keigo and Ryo. "The red string of fate is the thread that binds soul mates together, the legends say. When a red thread is broken, the souls it ties together start to weaken, and die. Usually, the cases are fairly minor and easily repaired. But, if a soul that was paired, was rejected when it was in its darkest hour, at a time when it needed help the most..." Her eyes narrowed and a snarl etched itself upon her face as she finished her explanation. "The soul falls to the darkest side of the spectrum, becomes deathly ill, and dies."
The snarl eased to a satisfied smirk at the deathly silence around her, before giving them some information that she had withheld from Keigo and Ryo, in the hopes that Tatsuki would wake back up. She'd spent so many nights praying that the girl was strong enough in her sense of self that she wouldn't fall – besides, Keigo and Ryo had grown on her. She didn't want to tell them that Tatsuki wouldn't just die physically...she'd die spiritually too. Meaning her soul would be destroyed, with no chance of re-incarnation. 'But if the brat's really a Shinigami', she thought to herself, 'then I hope he does disappear.' "You see," she addressed the room at large. "When a thread is cut between souls, I don't mean the person dies so that you can send them to heaven or what-have-you. The soul is completely destroy with no chance of re-incarnation at all." Stunned and horrified silence greeted her words, before the Mexican spoke up once more.
"Nurse-san, who is Ichigo's soul mate? You called them 'my patient." Noted Chad, eyes filled with concern. A feeling of Holy rage swept over her as the rest of the group turned inquisitive eyes on her. 'How dare they?!' her blood thundered in her veins as her teeth grinded in rage. A glittering spark of pure malice glinted in her now storm-grey eyes. "I am not in the habit of sharing the identities of my patients' without my patient's permission. I am deeply offended that you would even think to harbour such a suggestion. To silence any questions, all you need to know is that she is stable and," a mischievous glint emerged in her eyes now as she added, "that she's also from a very prominent family in matters of the supernatural. She's the only one preventing all the demons and spirits out there that love to eat hollows and so-called 'Shinigami' for trying to interfere, from wreaking their judgement on you." With that, she turned on her heels and marched away, leaving the group to be escorted out by a group of nearby security officers.
Ms. Li raced over towards her with the results from Dr. Komui's examination of the orange haired brat. Taking the clipboard from the exhausted young woman, Ellen said, "Take an extended lunch break Lena-chan. You look absolutely exhausted. Tell those two that if they don't keep it down I'm coming after them. You're the most competent assistant in this town, I need you at your best." Ellen was referring to Lenalee's two neighbours, lovers Tyki Mikk and Lavi Bookman, their co-workers in the medical records department. The Chinese woman gave her superior a grateful smile as they parted, Ms. Li for her break, and Ellen for Tatsuki's room, where Keigo, Ryo and Kanda had retreated to. A real smile on her face, Ellen prepared to tell them the news she had from Komui.
Blue flames ate away at his body pain consuming him. Why was there so much pain? He had to fight this pain, he had to see Tatsuki! She had to know why he refused to keep her in the loop. She had to know why he refused to take her with him. She had to know that he hated the thought of her in danger, and so had pushed her away to protect her! With flames slightly wavering in their resolve, his last conscious thought was – she has to know I love her...
The flames desire to consume vanished from both teens' souls. A mournful chime sounded as the flames to green, violet and gold, building to a peak before vanishing, leaving the two souls healed, with no trace of torture to be found.
Ellen had been in the middle of explaining to Keigo and Ryo as to why Ichigo was suddenly affected. "It looks like Tatsuki's gotten tired of bearing Ichigo's 'burden of judgement' and now he's bearing it as well. This really only happens when the soul in pain is strong enough to demand retribution and turns the pain onto their rejecter." She said, chuckling at Keigo's cheering. Kanda nodded and left the room after saying goodbye to his fiancée. Ryo just smiled and watched over Tatsuki's vitals. Once Kanda had left, Ellen checked her patient when a flash of blue and gold spun through the room. When it vanished, Tatsuki's eyes were blinking at them in confusion.
The Dragon was awake once more.
Not long after, Ichigo woke as well. The strawberry was confused about the entire situation and only realized what had happened when a white haired nurse with a scar over her left eye explained everything to him. "You mean, when I told Tatsuki...that... I was killing her?" he trembled, hands clenched in fists around the sheets of his hospital bed. The nurse nodded. "I trust you'll actually talk to her and explain things now? Because if she comes in her again because of you..." the woman trailed off threateningly, making a final note on her clipboard, before leaving the room. The strawberry was too caught up in how he'd almost killed the girl he loved to hear her threat, or notice her leave. Chocolate eyes glinted as he made a plan to apologise...and to bear all to his heart.
Several days later, the orange haired teen and Tatsuki were both released from the hospital. He pulled her over to a quiet corner of the street while they waited for a cab. Looking at her wary and guarded face, he almost broke down. 'What had he done?' he despaired for all of a moment before starting to talk. "Tats, I –", he broke off with a growl as a bunch of older teens walked past, wolf-whistling at Tatsuki. Turning back to the easily enraged spitfire, he almost cried in frustration when he saw her with her arms crossed, booted foot tapping impatiently on the sidewalk, eyebrow raised in a challenge. "About the other day, when you asked about where Orihime was –" he tried again, only to be cut off by a scornful snort of disbelief from the one person he was trying to reach. He pushed forwards, determined to make her see the truth. "I didn't mean to hurt you! I just...I just wanted to protect you." He finished, sounding and feeling miserable. Seeing the complete and utter hysteria rising in the dragon-child's eyes, he quickly elaborated. "Whenever people get close to me, they always end up getting hurt. Orihime was kidnapped, Rukia was nearly executed, Mom..." he broke off and tried again. "I couldn't lose you too. I figured, if you hated me, or even just barely tolerated me, I wouldn't lose you." He stared at the ground, face flushed with embarrassment.
"You know I hate being told what to do, Kurosaki." He winced at Tatsuki's cold, curt tone, and hunched over further. "You know I hate being told what fights I can take part in without an explanation as to why I can't partake in them. You have one chance. Don't make me regret trusting you again." She stalked to the curb and hailed a taxi. "You'll explain everything to me on Saturday at the Winter Festival. I'll meet you at the gates." With that, she left, leaving Ichigo with a sense of hope, that maybe, just maybe, he might still have a chance.
That Saturday, Ichigo met Tatsuki by the gates of the Winter Festival. She was wearing a pair of blue skinny jeans and booted heels that gave her an inch or two in height. Her hair, which had grown longer, was down, draping over a red jacket that clung to her frame. He swallowed; mouth and throat suddenly dry as he walked over to her, his shaking hands stuffed in his pockets to hide his nervousness. She greeted him with fairy floss, the only kind she'd ever eat, from the only vendor she'd ever buy from. Accepting the sugary offering as an indication to begin, he started to explain everything – from how he'd become a Shinigami, to how he'd rescued Orihime. After three hours of wondering around, and talking, Ichigo finally finished speaking and looked at the dark haired girl, wondering if she would punch him.
When she finally did speak, her voice was tight. "After every damn thing we've been through Ichigo, you should have known better than anyone else that I hate worrying about people I care about when they're in trouble." Ichigo bowed his head and laughed self-deprecation evident in the sound. "I told myself after every fight I got into, that I was protecting you and the others by not telling you. Everybody else had said that the more people knew about it, the more likely Hollows would go after those who knew. I couldn't bear the thought of you getting hurt like that." He admitted to her.
"And what would happen if I didn't know about anything Shinigami or Hollow related, and I got targeted by one of them? Attacked by something that I couldn't see, so that I wouldn't even be able to run away from it, because I wouldn't know if it had brought reinforcements, or where the hell it was!" hissed the enraged teen, eyes lightening from their normal dark chocolate in rage.
Ichigo grasped the sleeve of her jacket as she turned to leave, desperation fuelling his actions. Spinning her back around to face him, he pressed a small kiss to her cheek, before letting go of his grip on her, and shuffling in his spot awkwardly, a blush fiercely decorating his face. "You're telling me, that the reason for all this bullshit you've been telling me the past few months, and the reason you didn't want me getting involved in all this, because you were too scared to lose me... All that was because you had a crush on me?!" Tatsuki asked incredulously. Ichigo's face got redder as he gave a defensive; "I never said it was a good reason!" he pulled up short when he noticed the tears start to fall from her eyes. A balled up fist dashed them away as she gave a choked, "I thought it was because you hated me, or something. I couldn't figure out why you didn't want anything to do with me."
"You thought I hated you?" asked Ichigo, a rather large part of his heart ready to break as he realised the extent to which he'd harmed one of the only people who'd ever really mattered to him. Tatsuki turned away to try and leave again, but Ichigo had already pulled her back and into a hug, burying his face in her hair as she buried her face in his chest. He gave a short laugh. "Guess we both stuffed up, huh?" he murmured. Tatsuki gave a sniff and looked at him with red-rimmed eyes. 'No, you stuffed up. If you'd told me, I wouldn't have been led to assume that you didn't want anything to do with me." She counted, leaving his embrace, but not his side. "We square?" he asked softly, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. She shrugged. "You've gotta prove you're worth it, Ichigo. I can't waste my heart on some boy who'll say one thing, and do another, friendship or otherwise." She told him, starting to walk off. Ichigo fell in step with her. "Ah, I think I can do that."
The End.