Maybe I'm your Soulmate
Maybe I'm your Soul Mate
Maybe I'm yours
I'm yours
Those four little words were bouncing around in Yusuke's head as he watched her walk away to sit for tea. What the hell was he supposed to say to that? What was he supposed to do? His brain wasn't functioning but the rest seemed perfectly content and dare he say, relaxed at the prospect. Especially when he cut out all the other words and those two were ringing in his ears like a lullabye. The faint sound of Hiei chuckling didn't help Yusuke feel better, but it was starting to click. Was this why Hiei and Hokushin kept saying Saiai instead of girlfriend? Beloved wasn't really a phrase you heard in the demon world so hearing either of them say saiai had been odd, but if it was a title reserved for a demon's mate, soul mate, then it made sense. What did demons love more than a good fight? More than power? The one thing that could make Hiei leave all of his friends behind without a second glance.
The thing that made Yusuke's heart beat again. He made his way up the steps and took the empty cushion beside Tatsuki feeling a bit more at ease with himself.
"Hey!" Tatsuki tried to grab her cookie back from him. Just because he felt better didn't mean he'd stop teasing her. If anything it gave him permission to keep being annoying.
"They're over there," Yusuke leaned back and took a bite. "Yours was closer."
She didn't respond, merely grabbed another and continued listening to the tale they'd walked in on. Ichigo had been keeping an eye out for any strange spirits in Karakura, and he'd even let the Gotei in on what was happening. Nobody seemed to have an idea what they were looking for though. Telling a shinigami to keep an eye out for a 'dead' feeling spirit was about as dumb as telling someone to look for a woodsy looking forest.
"But we're keeping an eye on all the shrines in the area and all of the miko who work there," Ichigo finished.
"Hey Kuwabara, did you manage to get a hold of Boton yet?" Yusuke asked. "We still need information on Tennyo."
"No, but we did get a hold of Kurama," his carrot topped friend replied. "Someone tried to poison his mom. He thinks it might be to lessen the amount of protection Tatsuki has. I think whoever did it is probably mulch for Kurama's plants by now."
"That's a fact," Yusuke frowned. "You need to check in on Shizuru?"
"I actually need to go back to school on Monday," Kuwabara scratched the back of his head.
"So when do I get an invitation?" Ichigo asked lowly.
"To what?" Tatsuki frowned. Her partner was talking to Kuwabara about keeping an eye on their hometown for a while just in case the would-be assassin was an old enemy returned instead of a weird ghost. She should have been listening in to their discussion, if only to know what might come after her as a way to get to Yusuke. That was a role she was very familiar with.
"Also," Tatsuki cut Ichigo off and glowered at Ishida. "Why the hell didn't you say shit? Even I know you hate Seireitei so what the hell kept your mouth shut?"
"I don't know you," Ishida blinked at her.
"So why the hell are you even here?" Tatsuki snapped. She could feel everyone watching and waiting for what would happen next. "Some sick fascination? Which one of you invited him? Or Chad, who's been just as bad about all of this."
"They tagged along," Orihime explained. "I didn't think it would be a good idea."
"I figured they could help with the investigation," Ichigo defended.
Tatsuki exhaled slowly and felt the world start to blur into noise. She stopped paying attention to what they were arguing about or who was talking. It didn't matter. Everything they said was the same thing it always was. It was their egos and goals being placed before her yet again, it didn't matter that they were here under the guise of 'helping' to hunt down her killer. Her mother had called someone and suddenly her life wasn't hers. Last night she'd felt like herself. She'd been training with her gramma and laughing over dumb jokes the boys told. Her mother was explaining more about the fascinating new world she was in and Yukina was telling her embarrassing stories about the detectives. She'd felt normal.
Something bumped her thigh and she looked down to see the screen of Orihime's phone looking up at her with a simple message.
I told him I'd be fine coming here alone.
Tatsuki bit her lip before picking the device up and replying. Why was it so hard to communicate? Just getting words out was something she wasn't ready for.
Why'd he bring them?
I don't know. He said 'just in case' but wouldn't say more.
A chunk of rice cracker was flicked over at them from where Yusuke sat. He was still arguing with the other boys but a sideways glance showed that he was paying attention to Orihime and Tatsuki.
"Obviously I knocked something loose when I hit you," Yusuke leaned forward with a scowl. "I think I need to smack it back into place."
"You said to keep an eye out and I trust these guys," Ichigo countered.
"If they're here, who's watching Karakura?" Tatsuki asked. Orihime's confession of 'just in case' made her more than a little wary and his excuse was starting to fray.
"I'll stay here," Orihime spoke up. "The bakery caught fire a few days ago so I have the freedom and I could use the extra time to train. Plus, I have a barrier I can set up if things get nasty."
"Then we-"
"No," Orihime cut her boyfriend off. "I'm staying here. You're going to watch for anything weird back home. Yuzu was starting to exhibit healing energies, right? And isn't there a nurse at the hospital who has them as well? Tatsuki and I can even share a room!"
For some reason that made Tatsuki vaguely annoyed. Not because the redhead was taking the bold step of staying here or speaking against her own team, but because it meant Yusuke would no longer be her pillow.
"That's an excellent idea," Genkai set her cup down. "Ichigo and his clowns will return to Karakura, Kuwabara will attend his classes, and the girls will begin training together."
"But-"
"End of discussion," Genkai snapped. "Girls, get changed and get to the dojo. The rest of you, get out."
Ichigo sat on the steps leading up to them temple. He knew he was supposed to be leaving but with everything he'd seen and the sparring match when he arrived, he had a few questions for Yusuke. Just the two of them talking about the two women in the dojo. Well, four. Chad and Ishida were reluctant to leave after the fight and the latter kept insisting that they're taken Orihime as a hostage. He couldn't exactly explain that Orihime had taken refuge with the Arisawa clan for years before she came into her power. Ichigo didn't remember it too well, he'd been getting involved with street gangs and trouble, but when the news of Sora's death had come to school, he could recall seeing Orihime smile a lot more. Only after they'd moved in together did she tell him more of the abuses she'd dealt with at the hands of her parents and her brother.
"Staying for round two?" Yusuke asked as he approached the steps. "Or is this round gonna be three on one?"
"Next round takes place on my turf," Ichigo brushed the suggestion away. "I wanted to ask about the two of you."
"Same as it's always been. We're going to go live in a castle and you're going to be an ally from another kingdom, fighting monsters and shit."
"She know that?"
"Hell, I barely knew until this morning. Is this why you hung around? To ask about my sex life?"
"No!" The idea of his old friends beign physical was the last thing he'd been thinking about. "I wanted to make sure you weren't going to pull some stupid shit like I did and that my girl would be safe up here."
"As safe as she'd be on any other case," Yusuke stuck his hands into his pockets. "Gotta ask some of my kin in Makai about the details, but I'm pretty sure nobody's dumb enough to copy your mistakes."
If it hadn't been for the grin, Ichigo would have gotten upset. But this was Yusuke.
"Course not, but I'm asking if you're dumb enough to try and outdo me."
"Maybe," Yusuke shrugged with a laugh. "I am about to ask her to play bait. Might need you guys to flush him out of Karakura by talking a big game about her and pulsing your ki or something. From what Kuwabara was saying, either he figured out who the rest of us are by stalking her, or I have some Makai bullshit to deal with on top of the ghost."
"What's Tatsuki going to be doing if it is Makai stuff?"
"She's mine, so she'll be directly involved." Yusuke seemed to catch the confusion and surprise on Ichigo's face, not to mention the sounds Ishida made further down the steps. "I gotta ask some questions, track down my kin in Makai, but she's safer than anyone else in this place."
Ichigo supposed that was the best answer he could hope for. He knew exactly what Yusuke meant when he claimed Tatsuki as his. It sounded the same as when Ichigo called Orihime his. That lacing of instinct that carried through a person's voice when they spoke and told you they meant what they said from the bottom of their soul.
"She safe from you?" Ichigo asked. The sound of the leaves was his only answer as Yusuke visibly thought it over. Ichigo understood the internal struggle better than anyone. The shift from human to something more and the uncertainty that came with it. The rush of power and comfort that came when you gave in to your instinct instead of relying on those frontal lobes was unlike anything else. It felt good in the moment but the pain and guilt that came after wasn't always worth it. It took months for Orihime to talk him into giving an inch of control over.
"Once Genkai trains her up she'll be able to kick both our asses just like old times."
"I'll be back next weekend Orihime." Ichigo stood up and dusted himself off before he faced Yusuke once more. "You fuck up and I'm bringing these guys again."
Training in the depth of Karakura's underground hadn't been this grueling. Her torture in Hueco Mundo was the only thing remotely close to what Orihime was undergoing at the hands of the psychic. The difference was the emotion and reasoning behind each blow she was forced to block or counter. That and the wretched knowledge that Tatsuki's training was much harsher than her own. Tatsuki was training with Genkai exclusively while the brunt of Orihime's training was with Hisoka and Yukina. Yukina claimed to be a noncombatant but there was a good deal of evidence showing the opposite.
"You're fast," Orihime gasped from the floor.
"Hiei has been teaching me when he comes to the human world. It's our way of bonding," Yukina laughed as she extended a hand to help Orihime stand. "He still thinks I don't know we're siblings."
"Really?" Orihime blinked. "You're practically twins though!"
"We are twins," Yukina laughed. "Kazuma hasn't realized it either, but I'd like him to have a happy human life instead of being shackled to the two of us."
Orihime wondered at that. She'd thought the same thing about Tatsuki for a time until it was obvious that her friend was being hurt because of it.
"Shouldn't that be his choice too?" Orihime asked. "If nothing else, he deserves a clean break."
"Maybe," Yukina smiled softly before attacking once more.
Big
Fucking
Mistake!
Orihime had used her healing powers on them before dinner. It had seemed like a good idea, and for the five minutes afterwards, it had felt amazing. Her muscles no longer ached and the microfractures in her hands and ribs weren't grinding against one another for the first time since leaving the hospital. Her mother had been shocked, Yukina and Genkai even moreso, and the teen girls had been so tired and relieved that they hadn't caught the glint in the old woman's eye.
Now her lungs and muscles burned as sweat seeped into the many scratches Tatsuki had gained by running through the brush.
If you can heal so easily, you must be ready to keep training.
Except this round, Tatsuki was running from Yusuke as Orihime was forced to flee Genkai. As children it has been fun to play tag with Yusuke but now she dreaded the little things he'd done as a child. The way he'd pretend to almost catch her and then let her dart away once made her squeal in delight. She'd have to stop running soon; he always caught her.
Tatsuki stopped at the edge of the clearing and willed the hagoromo to wrap tightly around her. It wasn't much in terms of armor, but she'd seen how it stunned her gramma to strike the garment. She only hoped Yusuke might feel the same effects.
He flickered into the clearing with a grin. The bastard was pretending he couldn't see her hiding behind the trees.
"You're almost faster than Kuwabara," Yusuke goaded her. "Maybe we'll do this every night until you manage to outrun me. C'mon Tatsuki, I can hear your heart racing. I know you wanna punch me too, especially since I saw you changing earlier." Yusuke's face popped around the tree Tatsuki was hiding behind. "I didn't know you had a birthmark under your right tit."
Tatsuki ducked to try and get under him and felt her lips quirk when he grabbed hold of her arm. A stuttering sound erupted from his lips as his skin came into contact with her hagoromo and his grip loosened enough for her to break free. Tatsuki's right hand swung up to jab Yusuke in the throat before her knee rose to strike his side. Her knee had barely made contact when he started moving again; the stunning effect didn't last as long on Yusuke even if it was stronger. One of his hands had gripped her thigh just between the folds of her hagoromo though the other was grazing it by her wrist.
Except the son of a bitch kept pulling her closer every time he recovered.
"Let go," Tatsuki tried to break free. In the brief seconds he was freed she found herself pinned against a tree. "Yusuke!"
He released her arm but still held her tightly. The bark was digging into her back and his stupid grin was bigger than before.
"Pretty neat trick, but between those little stun attacks I can still move fast enough to take you down." Both of his hands were gripping her thighs now, lifting her high enough that he only needed his hips to keep her in place. Not that he let go, if anything his fingers were drifting. "Not to mention it makes catching you a lot easier."
"Weren't we supposed to fight it out once you caught me?" Tatsuki wiggled against him. She was careful not to touch him with the hagoromo, going so far as to release it from her skin. "I turned it off."
A shriek erupted from her lips when he hefted her up further and captured her hand with his own.
"You probably shouldn't have," Yusuke leaned closer. "How are you gonna stop me from kissing you?"
"I'm not."
Tatsuki exhaled softly as his lips grazed the edge of her jaw. The hand which gripped his shoulder for balance moved along his neck to slide her fingers into his hair. She could feel his breath fanning hotly across her skin, eliciting chills of anticipation with every inch it covered.
"Kiss me," Tatsuki breathed.
Tatsuki could not claim to have been actively dating anyone, nor to have had a great deal of experience, but Yusuke's kiss was unlike the clumsy mashings of teeth she'd had behind the scenes at tournaments or in the dead of night at camp. The taste of him was intoxicating, his lips firm as they teased one another and maddeningly gentle with her. She couldn't help but catch his bottom lip between her teeth. A light growl rose from his chest as she tugged it, suckling the flesh before she let it pop from between her lips.
"I said, kiss me."