Characters: Chizuru Hosho, Tatsuki Arisawa

It wasn't fair, Chizuru thought. It was slightly drizzling and the soft rain seemed to soak memories with sorrow. She might not be the most perceptive of people but she knew that there was something horribly wrong with the girl. There was something wrong with the way she held herself, as if something had died inside.

Chizuru didn't know what to do. There was something terribly wrong, but who was she to ask her, Tatsuki Arisawa? The two were hardly friends in the first place and got acquainted only through the wonderful assets of Orihime, one "protecting", the other "fondling" them. That was the extent and totality of their relationship, a constant state of war, with Tatsuki mostly winning, not that she'll ever admit defeat of course, she thought manically.

But Orihime was gone- and so were Ichigo, and Chad, and Uryuu, and Rukia and they were all alone (well, not technically, considering Mizuiro, Kiego and the girls.) However, even with all that bustle about them, Tatsuki seemed alone to her, just quiet in the background. Sure, she was still the same Tatsuki Arisawa that everyone knew, but there was something missing and Chizuru just didn't know what.

Sure Tatsuki trudged through as if everything was fine after Ichigo vanished, as if she had not roared and breathed fire in his. But after everything, it just wasn't the same. Chizuru sighed as she watched the raven-head go through the motions of life. There was only two of them, bound by the sorrow of Orihime's disappearance. Would that be enough to bind them into a vague friendship?

'Oh for the love of-' "Hey, Tatsuki," she greeted sitting beside the girl.

"Hey Chizuru," she greeted back, tearing her eyes away from the sky.

"Do you want to talk?"

The raven-head raised a brow. "About what?"

"Well, anything," the redhead shrugged.

"What brought this on?"

"Nothing really." Tatsuki didn't reply. "We're friends right?"

The raven-head snorted. "What kind of question is that, Chizuru?"

"A curious one obviously," the other retorted.

"It was rhetorical."

"Well it didn't seem like you were answering."

"Of course we're friends. Why do you ask?"

"You look like you need someone," Chizuru murmured in reply. "Don't you?"

A silence surrounded them a while. "Hey, Chizuru?"

"Yeah?" Chizuru glanced at the raven-head.

A bittersweet smile filled the others lips. "Thanks."

Chizuru chuckled. "No problem."

Tatsuki was a strong woman. But at times like these the armor falls away, leaving behind the woman within bare and vulnerable. Chizuru is happy to be there to help her pick the pieces back up. What they had... it seems pretty much more than a vague friendship now.

A.N. Sorry life gets in the way sometimes. :3

Thanks, 1XxKiraXx1. Chizuru's all served up. And, yeah, CurrentlyOccupied, she's my favorite character so I get stalkerish with her. I'm happy you loved my drabbles of her. :3