Touched

Disclaimer: Creator Tite Kubo owns the manga and anime Bleach and its characters. No offense or infringement is intended.

A/N: Alright, I'll admit that the last chapter left on a fairly cruel cliff-hanger. I'm guessing this chapter is one that many of you have been anticipating, with answers to some of those probing questions about what's been going on with Tatsuki. Some of you have had your suspicions- let's see how close you were. So without further ado…

Chapter 5: Awakening

Shiba Inn, Tatsuki's room…

She knew she was dreaming, yet unlike other nightmares she'd had, Tatsuki couldn't wake herself. She was falling again, into an endless darkness. She felt the wind whipping mercilessly at her body but she couldn't breathe- couldn't get air into her starving lungs despite inhaling with all her might. It was as if the fall was creating some sort of vacuum, stealing precious oxygen from the deepest corners of her chest until her whole body burned from the inside out.

Then suddenly her head was tilted back and an intense ring of energy sealed around her mouth. She felt her lungs expand and empty- once, twice, three times- until she began to cough and shake and moan.

"Arisawa? Arisawa! That's it! Breathe, Tatsuki. Slow down, you'll be fine," a too-near voice reassured her. Still sucking in great gouts of air, Tatsuki opened her eyes only to look up into the spectacled face of Uryu Ishida.

'What the holy 'effen hell…?'

He was way too close, hovering over her so near that wisps of his long hair were brushing her cheeks. One of his hands cradled her head while the other was pressed into the floor just next to her ribs supporting his weight; she realized she had a death-grip on his sleeve- likely the reason he was still leaning so near.

"Www… what… happ-" she couldn't finish the sentence. Her chest hurt too much and the place on her neck where her wounds had been was burning like a fresh cut. Her whole body felt freezing except for her lips, which for some odd reason felt hot and tingly.

The sound of people crashing through the door startled them both. Even without being able to see him, she recognized Ichigo shouting, "What's going on? Tatsuki?~! Uryu, what the hell are you doing?~!"

From her position on the bedroll Tatsuki bent her head back until she had an absurd upside-down view of her friends hustling through the doorway- at the front of the pack was the newest Soul Reaper from the breakfast table with Ichigo and Orihime just behind. They were followed immediately by the other two Shinigami- Rukia and the tattooed Lieutenant. She saw Sado towards the back with Keigo and Mizuiro peeking around the giant's arm like curious pre-schoolers. She noted with increasing trepidation that everyone had confused and frightened looks on their faces.

Just above her Uryu sighed, answering all too matter-of-factly, "I was resuscitating her, Ichigo. Arisawa stopped breathing so I had to breathe for her. She seems to be recovering…" At that he finally sat back on his heels, giving her some much-needed space. However, Tatsuki was too busy squeezing her eyes shut in embarrassment; his words had confirmed it- for the second time in the past 24 hours she'd had another boy's lips on hers.

Ichigo tried to get closer, however Hanataro held him back, "Guys, give her some space. Let me check on her, okay?" When he was sure the teen was going to heed his words, he pulled the pack off his back and crouched next to Uryu. He gave Tatsuki a reassuring smile when she opened her eyes, "Hi there, Arisawa-san. We met at breakfast- my name's Hanataro and I work with the medical division. I'm going to check you over, okay?"

When she responded with a hesitant nod he opened his bag and retrieved some strange looking instruments and laid them out on the floor. While he pulled on a pair of exam gloves he asked Uryu, "Ishida-san, can you tell me anything about what happened to her?"

Uryu shrugged slightly, "We're not really certain what happened. After Arisawa didn't come down for lunch Inoue wanted to check on her. The last anyone had seen her was shortly after breakfast when she was heading to her room. Once we arrived up here we found her unconscious on the floor. She was barely breathing and her carotid pulse was slow and weak. I sent Inoue for help then began administering CPR."

Hanataro listened intently as he waved a small device several inches over Tatsuki's head and chest. She eyed both it and the Shinigami with apprehension but lay still as he proceeded. "Alright, and how long was it before she was revived?"

"Only a minute or so. She didn't seem to respond to the chest compressions, but when I gave her, well, that is to say… once I administered rescue breathing she came around quite suddenly. You all arrived only moments after she regained consciousness," Uryu confirmed, slightly flustered.

Hanataro checked a reading on his device, then flipped it around and clicked on a beam of light. Propping each of her lids open, he checked Tatsuki's pupils. "Arisawa, do you remember what happened? Did you fall or hit your head?" As he asked he pressed his gloved fingers against her scalp and then down along the back of her neck.

Tatsuki hesitantly replied, "I don't… know. I don't believe so. I just… I just laid down for a nap. I didn't feel well."

"How do you mean you didn't feel well?" Hanataro prodded, checking her arms and hands.

Tatsuki gave a small shrug, "I'm not certain… rather tired, I suppose."

"Do you have pain anywhere right now?" he asked.

"No," she replied, and then sat up slowly to look herself over as if to confirm, "But when I woke up my neck and stomach were quite painful." She raised a hand and tentatively touched her throat, "They don't really hurt anymore."

Seemingly satisfied with his preliminary exam, he nodded, "Okay. And how do you feel right now?"

She winced a little, "Somewhat nauseous… and, um," she mumbled something incoherent and Hanataro bent his head, urging her to speak up. She rolled her eyes and then muttered softly, "my lips feel… I don't know, kind of tickly."

He smiled at her reassuringly, "Well, that might be from not breathing. We'll keep an eye on it, okay?"

Ichigo finally piped up, unable to contain his worry any longer, "Hanataro, is she okay? I mean what happened to her? Why was she unconscious?"

Hanataro finally noticed all of the expectant eyes trained on him- everyone had formed a sort of semi-circle around him and Uryu. "Well, I'm not really sure, Ichigo. I should probably do a few more tests to exclude an illness or an underlying health issue, but right now all of her vital signs are good. She seems fine, if only a little weak."

Keigo, who had moved closer towards Tatsuki's feet, scratched his head in confusion, "Yeah, that's all fine and everything but why is she talking funny?"

Hanataro shot the boy a puzzled look, "Talking funny? How do you mean?"

But Orihime chimed in, "Tatsuki's going to be okay, right Hanataro?"

Tatsuki answered for him, "I'll be fine, Orihime. It's just this ridiculous dimensional transition- it doesn't feel like the real world. But I'll adjust- it's nothing to worry about, alright?" In truth she still felt a little woozy but she figured that putting on a strong front now would probably save her some hassle down the road. Still, she wasn't fool enough to get up on her own power; noticing Keigo standing the nearest she motioned toward him, "Hey, Chuckles- give a girl a hand up, would you?"

Keigo wrinkled his nose at her but complied. "Sure thing, your highness," he mocked and, grabbing her hand with both of his, hoisted her up. Tatsuki tried to ignore the strange warmth that instantly seeped into her palm as he held her hand and concentrated instead on staying upright. "Glad you're gonna be okay, dude. For a minute there we were… we were… afraid… wha-"

The rest of Keigo's words were lost as he fainted dead on his feet, nearly pulling Tatsuki back down as he slumped to the floor.

Orihime screamed, Mizuiro yelled in protest and Tatsuki immediately stepped back from the unconscious boy, utterly bewildered. She looked down at her hand, still warm and tingling from touching him.

Hanataro and the others looked in confusion from Keigo to Tatsuki to Keigo again as the girl backed away further, mumbling, "Oh shit. Oh shit! Dude, what the hell…?"

The Shinigami medic turned his full attention to the unconscious Keigo even as he instructed everyone in the room, "No one touch this boy. And no one touch Arisawa-san- not until we figure out what's going on."

Tatsuki stumbled numbly away until the back of her knees hit the edge of a chair at the far end of the room; she sank into it heavily, never taking her eyes off of Keigo as Hanataro examined him. Her mind was reeling- last night, the journey, the fatigue, the healing, the breakfast, the tingling… the conclusion she was drawing towards seemed too bizarre to be real.

Sensing someone, she looked over to find Ichigo crouched next to her, intimately close yet still carefully avoiding direct contact. The look of pleading concern in his eyes took her by surprise as he asked, "Tats, do you know what's going on?"

"It's me," she whispered, barely able to give it voice.

Ichigo's eyebrows huddled together, "What? What's you?" Then he looked over at Keigo on the floor. "That?"

She hurriedly nodded in response, "When he held my hand I could feel it. And then he fell…" She crossed her arms protectively, fighting the urge to rock on the chair like a child, "And last night with Orihime- when she tried to heal me… something wasn't right… I heard the spirits from her hairpins…"

Tatsuki saw the calm concentration on his face even though she knew she wasn't making much sense. She bit her lip nervously and another realization hit her, "…Oh God, and just now with Ishida! When he…" she tentatively touched her lips with her fingertips, "…and that's why I woke up! It's me! Ichigo, it's me!"

She searched his eyes for some sign of comfort but found only worry reflected in them. Still, he made a valiant effort to soothe her, "Tats, I'm sure there's another explanation for all this."

But she shook her head, "No Ichigo! There's something wrong with me! I did this!"

A shadow falling over her had them both looking up to a stern-looking Lt. Abarai, tattooed forearms crossed over his chest as he stared down at them, "There's little doubt about that." He raised a sharp eyebrow at her before glancing back at the unconscious teenager on the floor behind them, "Little girl, we need to talk."

Shiba Inn kitchen, forty five minutes later…

Hanataro Yamada wasn't certain what it was about the prodigal substitute Soul Reaper, but ever since he'd first met Ichigo Kurosaki his own life just seemed to get more and more interesting. Take Ichigo's newest batch of friends, for example- the girl, more specifically…

Arisawa was currently seated on the kitchen table- legs dangling lazily over the edge as she waited for the next portion of his exam. By all outward appearances she seemed a normal-looking human teenage girl- thin, fit, a bit rough around the edges but pleasant enough. However, after witnessing the miraculous scene upstairs the young medic knew he needed a closer look at her.

While seemingly an odd setting, the kitchen provided him with an environment most like an exam room, with clean surfaces and minimal extraneous furniture. Most of the chairs had been pushed against the wall to form a makeshift bed for the still-unresponsive Keigo. The alarm over the boy's well-being had subsided after the medic had assured the teen's friends that he was in no imminent danger and that his vital signs were good. That and the fact that Asano was now softly snoring had put everyone more at ease.

Now Hanataro could finally concentrate on his primary patient. True to his word, Lt. Abarai had spent nearly twenty minutes interrogating poor Arisawa before he and Rukia had finally left for Seireitei; regrettably, Yoruichi had to be informed of this latest development. No one was certain what this might mean for the current negotiations on behalf of the Ryoka, but the young medic had an inkling- the counsel had fairly narrow and rigid views when it came to outsiders. He knew he needed to gather as much data as possible while he still had the chance.

As he looked at his diagnostic scanner readings for the fifth time he couldn't stifle a muttered exclamation of "Fascinating…"; he was surprised that after only a short time he'd formed a fairly plausible theory for what had happened to the girl. Now he was eager for her to confirm what he'd learned, "So, Arisawa-san, you say your main symptom is weakness and fatigue, which you first noticed last night?"

The girl causally tilted her head in thought before answering, "Yeah, I think so. While we were walking through the Rukongai."

"And you didn't have any of these symptoms before traveling to the Spirit World?" he prodded.

She shrugged a shoulder, "I don't think so. I wasn't exactly in the best shape after that guy grabbed me, but I was alright."

He referenced an entry in the small notebook he'd been writing in, "Right, the attempted abduction by the Arrancar. And now that we've laid out a very detailed timeline of your last twenty four hours, we've found that the symptoms went away whenever you touched someone? Fascinating!"

Tatsuki sighed in frustration- this was the third time she'd answered that question, "I guess so. Last night 'Hime held my hand and I felt better. After she healed me I was fine for the whole night and the next morning. The weakness came back at breakfast, and it just got worse from there."

"And no one touched you for the rest of the day until Ishida-san revived you? I see…"

Tatsuki rolled her eyes again before remembering something, "Actually that's not quite true. Ichigo caught me on the steps before my nap." Her eyes slid guiltily over to the startled teen in question, "He touched me and nothing happened…"

Orihime and Mizuiro exchanged curious looks with each other as Hanataro absorbed this new information, "Really? Tell me more about this encounter! Where did he touch you?"

Tatsuki instantly reddened and Ichigo hurried to correct the medic, "Actually, I didn't touch her. I only touched your zipper, Tatsuki." When Mizuiro couldn't stifle a meaningful cough, he amended, "The zipper of her jacket, smartass." He shrugged at Tatsuki, "I only touched your clothing."

"Fascinating! Perhaps it requires skin to skin contact? That would explain why nothing happened when I touched you with gloved hands!" and Hanataro scribbled excitedly into his notebook. "I think we've finally compiled enough data to begin the experiment."

Tatsuki scrunched her nose into a small frown, "Yamada-san, I hate to interrupt, but before we do any 'experiments' could you fill me in? You know what's wrong with me, don't you?"

He suddenly looked up at her from his book and blinked a couple of times, then he shook his head, "But of course! I'm so sorry, Arisawa-san. I'll be happy to explain what I've discovered so far. It's all a matter of spirit energy." He looked around the room, "Does anyone here know about the Spirit World and reiatsu?"

Ishida, who had been quietly observing everything from a seat near the doorway, finally spoke, "I do. As a Quincy I am intimately acquainted with reiatsu, or spirit energy, as our clans are taught to detect it at the youngest of ages. In the living world every living thing possesses some measure of spirit energy that composes their soul. This energy is different than any other kind of tangible or measured energy- kinetic, potential, atomic, caloric, etcetera…"

Looking around, he realized that everyone was quite attentive to his little tutorial so he continued, "When a living thing dies its spirit energy is no longer tethered to the vessel of its body and must therefore pass into the spiritual plane- more commonly referred to as the Spirit World. Due to its complexity, the human spirit has significantly higher levels of spirit energy compared to other living things. After death, a human soul that clings to the physical world for too long will eventually sustain damage to their soul- it will fracture or dissipate; its humanity will be lost and it will become a Hollow."

Hanataro nodded, "That was well put, Ishida-san. Now let me add more information about the Spirit World. He is right that the Spirit World is another plane of existence. In it all things are composed of reiatsu, or spirit energy. The vast majority of souls have a finite level of spirit energy and that is the way they exist until they live out their spirit lives and are reborn.

"In the Spirit World strength is measured by an individual's level of spirit energy. A very small percentage of souls have significantly higher reiatsu by comparison, which allows them to have enhanced abilities fueled by this surplus energy. These souls are the Shinigami who are chosen and cultivated so that their energies can be put towards the betterment of the Spirit World- for ushering human souls here and for defending this world and the human world from the fractured souls. The strongest of these are our Captains."

Tatsuki interjected, "This is starting to sound way too much like school. Okay, let's back up a sec. So based on what Ishida said, instead of traditional matter everything in the Spirit World is composed of energy- specifically spirit energy? So when Shinigami come to the real world are they still made of spirit energy, too?"

Hanataro replied, "Yes, which is why most humans cannot see them. Only a very small portion of humans have high enough levels of reiatsu within themselves to see spirits or Shinigami. For hundreds of years only the Quincy had such levels, whether by genetic predisposition or some other means. Ichigo is one of the most unique cases we've ever encountered- a human with some of the highest levels of spirit energy we've ever seen. His proximity to his friends seems to have in turn enhanced or altered their spirit energy as well, resulting in you guys- the Ryoka."

"Oooooh…" Orihime was nodding slowly, taking it all in.

However, Ichigo, who knew most of this already, was getting impatient, "So Hanataro, what does this mean for Tatsuki?"

"Oh, glad you asked," Hanataro said, "As Ishida mentioned, everything in the Spirit World is composed of spirit energy- regular matter cannot exist in this plane. Urahara-san has discovered an ingenious way for humans to travel through a special portal that essentially converts or translates matter into spirit energy! My theory is that with Arisawa, something went wrong with this process. Here, I'll demonstrate," and the young medic retrieved a small device that he'd been using only moments before.

"It was lucky that I even had this in my travel pack- this device detects reiatsu, among other functions. Its technology is based on that of the soul phones that Shinigami carry in the physical world to detect and track hollows, except this device does a better job of quantifying that energy. It's not exact, but check this out."

Hanataro held the device in front of Tatsuki and scanned her. After glancing at the display he held it up for everyone to see. Mizuiro and Orihime leaned in to get a closer look. Hanataro commented, "See how only a third of the bars are illuminated? Here is the reading I got upstairs right after Arisawa was revived by Ishida-san." After pushing a couple of buttons he held the device up again for everyone to see.

"It's four bars higher!" Mizuiro exclaimed. "So from the time you checked her upstairs to now she's lost that much energy?"

"Precisely!" Hanataro confirmed, "A normal soul's spirit energy is typically stable, however for some reason Arisawa is unable to retain hers. It's literally draining away from her!"

Tatsuki had a sick look on her face, "Wait… So you're saying my energy is just slipping away? It's just gonna keep fading out until it's all gone? Does that mean I'm… dying?~!~?"

Hanataro thought on this for a second, "Well, I suspect you are losing energy at a constant rate, Arisawa. I can confirm this with more measurements. But if you continue to lose reiatsu like this then in all likelihood, yes, you would either die in this world or you would become a Hollow- as fractured souls do in the human world."

At the sight of her stricken face he quickly added, "But… a funny thing has happened to you! For whatever reason, you have adapted the ability to absorb spirit energy from others! Hence the next experiment…" He gestured to Mizuiro, "Kojima-san, if you would come over here…"

After a wary glance around, Mizuiro stepped hesitantly towards the girl seated on the table. Once in front of her he muttered towards Hanataro, "Yeah, I dunno about this, Yamada-san. You sure you know what you're doing?" He couldn't help but steal a look at the still-snoring Keigo against the wall.

Hanataro reassured him, "Oh yes, this will just be a small demonstration." He then positioned Mizuiro a step closer, "Now, hold out your hand- we'll only use one finger. Come on, Arisawa- your participation is essential!"

Tatsuki noticed how once again everyone was staring at her. After a resigned huff, she held a finger out towards Mizuiro, "Don't try anything funny, dude."

He shot her an accusatory glare as though this was all her fault, then tentatively raised his index finger and touched it to hers. Everyone stared at their fingers expectantly- at first it appeared as though nothing was happening. However, after four or five seconds Mizuiro started to look ill; all too soon he pulled his finger away, "Okay, that's enough! Jeez that was weird!"

Hanataro smiled excitedly, "There! Did you feel anything, Arisawa?"

Looking at her finger, she shrugged, "Yeah, a little."

"Well, I sure felt it," Mizuiro complained as Ishida helped him to a chair.

Hanataro replied, "Sorry about that, Kojima-san, but you were the best candidate for this demonstration. I've estimated that you and Asano-san have roughly 5 to10 times the amount of spirit energy of a regular human."

Mizuiro looked up from his seat, "Really? Wow! Well, that's cool."

Hanataro nodded, "Yes, quite remarkable… until you consider that Arisawa here has at least double to quadruple that- roughly 20 to 30 times the reiatsu of a regular human."

"Awe, man…"

But Tatsuki was not excited by this news, "Big whoop. I bet Sado and Orihime have way more than that- they have cool powers! Wait, does that mean that this is my power?" She asked worriedly. Then a look of disgust soured her features, "Oh God, that means I'm some sort of spirit-sucking vampire, aren't I?"

"No Arisawa, I don't think this is a special power. This is more like a fluke- an unfortunate and unforeseen outcome from a highly experimental procedure. Before Urahara came up with the Senkaimon portal, humans were unable to come to the Spirit World. I'll have to confer with him on how this might have happened and how to reverse these effects."

"So they might be temporary?" Ichigo asked.

"Quite possibly, but I have no way of knowing right now- this is the first time I've ever seen anything like this. I'm not even certain we've had a Shinigami with an energy-absorbing Zanpakuto on which to base our expectations or observations. After Kurosaki, Arisawa might just be the Spirit World's scientific discovery of the century!"

Tatsuki frowned, "He's waaay too excited about this. My spirit form is defective and he's excited."

However, Ichigo tried to remain focused, "Okay, so you need to do more research. Fine. But what do we do for Tatsuki in the meantime? She's still essentially bleeding off her spirit energy."

"Right. Um, that's where it gets tricky…" Hanataro added quietly.

"Oh, I don't like the sound of that," Tatsuki groaned.

"Arisawa will likely need infusions of reiatsu at regular intervals to avoid the dissipation of her soul. We'll need some volunteers…"

Mizuiro looked worried, "Uh, is this where I come in?" He still appeared weak from their last experiment.

Hanataro shook his head, "I'm afraid not, Kojima-san. As I said before, Arisawa has a significantly higher level of reiatsu than you or Asano-san- the risk to your soul from a prolonged transfer would be too great. Humans with stronger reiatsu would be better suited-"

"Oh, me! Me!" Orihime interjected, "Can I do it? Do I have enough energy for Tats-chan?"

Hanataro nodded, "Orihime, with your unique abilities you and Sado have several hundred times the reiatsu of normal humans. It's an extraordinary amount, certainly more than enough at this stage. And based on previous experience we know energy transfers work between you two."

Chad offered, "If I have enough spirit energy then I would also like to help Arisawa."

Ishida cleared his throat, "And I will offer my services as well. I am certain I have adequate levels of reiatsu to be of help; we've also already had a successful transfer of energy between us… of sorts," he glanced briefly at Tatsuki who blinked in surprise at him. "Also I would like to assist with your research for a solution to her condition. My Quincy knowledge and abilities may be of help to you."

Hanataro agreed, "Yes, thank you, Ishida-san. You and Yasutora-san would both be acceptable candidates. The three of you all might take turns donating spirit energy to Arisawa until we can figure something out."

No one seemed to notice that Ichigo had been unusually quiet during the last few minutes, except Tatsuki. She watched him as he moved with purpose towards Hanataro, one of his more stern looks set on his face. That look made her nervous, especially given the current subject. When she shot him a discrete questioning look of her own his features softened for a split second- just long enough for him to give her a quick wink.

'Wait, what?'

In a flash it was gone and he was putting a firm hand on Hanataro's shoulder, "Guys, I appreciate what you're all trying to do here, but let's be honest. We all know that it's my fault that Tatsuki's in this situation- why all of you are in this situation- in the first place. It's time I started taking responsibility for at least some of it. And we all know that with my levels of spirit energy, it's a no-brainer."

The Shinigami medic turned to him in surprise, "Ichigo, you're saying-"

"I'm saying that from here on out I'll be the one to handle Tatsuki's energy needs."

A/N: The irony is that even though I'd planned the scene months ago, I was working on my ACLS recertification (Advanced Cardiac Life Support) when I finally got to work on the beginning of this chapter. So who was right about Tatsuki's situation? If you thought that was fun, just wait- it gets better! Working on the next chapters right away!

For those of you who have left reviews- thank you so much! I love reading the notes you guys leave me- keep 'em coming. And to those of you who have read and marked this for an alert or a favorite- y'all are okay, too! :-p