(A/N: Here's chapter thirty three of 'The Flower Princess and the Alchemist'! Yep, I'm back! Did you think I was lying? Unfortunately, this chapter would be short because it is a Bleach snippet. Alrighty then, enjoy!

Guest (Wandabou): Thanks for reviewing! I kind of figured as much. And don't worry, it didn't bother me. I just couldn't stop laughing when he had 'My Immortal' as one of his faves. I didn't know if he was serious or not until I saw some of the reviews he posted for it, and laughed even harder!

ovrwrldkiler: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you are enjoying the story. I think you are forgetting that neither Edward nor Alphonse can actually see spirits. The only reason they could see mod souls is because they possess actual living, albeit, dead bodies. Corpses, if you will, which is why Ed, in particular, find them so disgusting. It's basically desecrating someone's grave, and defiling their body. They are not spirit beings, like souls and Hollows. Well, at least, not in a way that souls and Hollows are. I think it's been stated several times in the story that Ed and Al are unaware of Hollows for the most part. They may have come across it, but Ed and Al are oblivious to it. Remember, a person without spirit energy can not see spirits. That's like saying why don't most people in Bleach don't realize that Hollows and Soul Reapers are roaming the World of the Living? Well, for the same reason why Ed and Al don't notice. But if you haven't watched Bleach, then it's understandable. I'm also guilty of reading crossovers of fandoms I never seen before, and often get confused by what's going on. So, it's understandable if you made that mistake because you are unfamiliar with the canon of Bleach.

sacke110: Thanks for the review! I love writing jealous Ed, and I'm glad you enjoyed it! Hey, three chapters is better than one, right? You can read more! And I'm glad you really enjoyed Eria as a character, and you'll be seeing more of her, definitely.)

Apart

Again. She was gone again.

Tatsuki wondered how many times has it been since Orihime suddenly vanished from her sight? How many times has it been since unexpectedly disappeared without a trace? Slipped from right under her nose, and there was nothing she could do about.

Even if she was, the dark haired tomboy knew she stood no chance to all the supernatural crazies rampaging around. She was helpless, useless, and, above all, powerless.

Tatsuki could not protect Orihime, even if she wanted to. No matter how much her heart aches, desperately yearning to protect her best friend, her sister, she was highly incapable. It was times like these where she cursed her lack of power, cursed her helplessness.

The dark haired girl had to rely on others to protect Orihime in her stead. All she could do was defend her precious friend from bullies and perverts. She didn't stand a chance against those supernatural, non human monsters.

All Tatsuki could do was rely on Ichigo to protect her sister in all but blood. Have faith that her childhood friend would be able to protect her best friend from all types of dangers she's unable to. Count on him to do whatever it was in his power to keep her safe, even if he had to sacrifice his life for hers.

The first time Orihime vanished was during the summer a little over a year ago. Her auburn haired friend had told her at the time she was some relatives who lived far away. She had bought that lie at the time, unaware of her best friend's newly acquired powers. After all, the excuse was thoroughly plausible, and she completely ignorant of the world outside her own.

That excuse should have been the first sign, indicating to Tatsuki that something was off about Orihime. It is not that Orihime doesn't tell her the truth. In fact, she tells her almost everything. It's just that her ginger haired has the tendency to exaggerate her experiences, or go off on a tangent with her vividly, active imaginations.

However, that summer… It was vastly different. Extraordinarily different. Tatsuki had chalked it up to Orihime being serious in an unusual and gentle no nonsense kind of way. It's not that it doesn't happen. It's just such an ultra rare occurrence.

But she should have known. She should have known that something was off. The way Orihime spoke, her body language… It was all so normal that it was surreal. There was no sense of exaggerated movements or outlandish details.

It was all just so normal. So unbelievably normal that it was ridiculous. And that should have tipped Tatsuki that something was...off. In addition, the way her auburn haired friend as if...there was a possibility of her...not coming back at all. Why would Orihime think she might be gone? She was just visiting her relatives, Tatsuki convinced herself. At the time, she should have caught on.

But she didn't. She didn't catch on at all. Because she could still feel her auburn haired best friend's presence. So, there was nothing to worry about.

Why would she? Sure, Orihime could be an airhead at times, often spaces out, and has an overactive imagination, but, for the most part, she could take care of herself. Hopefully. Tatsuki won't lie when she worries about Orihime being on her own sometimes. That girl tends to walk into trouble.

Although, the dark haired tomboy was oblivious to the supernatural world. Sure, she could see ghosts, but she thought they were nothing but harmless annoyances. Nothing threatening, just bothersome spirits with too much time on their hands that they spend it on 'haunting' people in the most pointless and aggravating ways possible.

Tatsuki did not come face to face with soul sucking, human eating, monstrous ghouls, or Hollows, as they are called until much, much later.

She remembered almost dying once. However, the memory was so vague and unclear that she could barely recall what happened. All she remembered was going out for a jog one morning to blow off some steam and release some tension in her muscles, and then next thing she knows she collapses, her mind diving into a blank, dark abyss.

It was only month after that when Orihime suddenly vanishes from the face of the earth. All trances of her existence completely evaporated like the wind. Her presence faded away, dissipated into thin air, never to be felt again.

During her ginger haired friend's first disappearance, Tatsuki felt surge of panic and dread echo inside her, like never before. Fear swelled up inside her heart and nausea began filling her. In her disquieted desperation, the dark haired tomboy checked everywhere, dashing madly around town to see if she could find her dearly and beloved not blooded related sister anywhere.

As more time and time passed, she began fearing the worst, hiding her tears behind burning desperation, frightful anger, and sickening horror. She couldn't find her best friend anywhere! She continuously cried out her friend's name in anguish, but every burst of agony and distress from her lips was meet with a cruel, windless greeting.

Unfortunately, in such a frightening and unforgiving way, Tatsuki endeavors became horrorifically fruitless. Her only option her panicked and disconterted driven mind could think of was to confront Ichigo about Orihime's disappearance.

And that oranged haired punk… That bastard...just dismissed her so callously! A surge of unbridled rage and fury coursed through Tatsuki, and, in split second, her fist connected to the side of his head, causing his head to whiplash and shatter the window behind them.

How could he? How could he act so cold and dismissive towards her after everything she's done for him when they were little? Helping him out when he was bullied for his hair color, or silently watching over him, making sure he doesn't do anything drastic when his mother passed away.

Tatsuki was deeply hurt, sad, and angry at the time. Furious, hot tears spilled from her eyes in silent streams of miniscule rivers. The only thing holding her back from pummeling the guy until he was black and blue was Mizuiro, Keigo, and the thought of Orihime's saddened facial expression if she found out her two closests friends were fighting over her. The ginger haired girl always hated when she was the source of other people's problems, whether intentionally or not. She was too gentle hearted and sweet tempered.

Days of agony and weeks of affliction and torment later, Orihime finally returned home. Tatsuki felt a surge of overwhelming joy and tears of happiness. All that waiting, apprehension, and fear finally and gloriously dissipated into a wave of elated euphoria. No words could describe the ecstatic exultation she felt.

And just like that, Tatsuki spent the next few weeks staying as close to Orihime as possible at every chance she could get for heavily obvious reasons. She was wholly fearful that this was all a dream, a terrifying nightmare in which her auburn haired best friend was gone, presumably dead.

Soon enough, months later, everything was completely back to normal. Orihime's disappearance felt like nothing nothing more than a bad dream. Tatsuki fully embraced the idea that she could see ghosts and Hollows now. Often times, she even becomes a little on edge whenever Orihime goes out to fight Hollows, but Uryu and Chad are often with her, supporting her and protecting her. The dark haired tomboy could trust them to keep her auburn haired best friend almost sister safe. They were reliable. And it was better them than someone like Keigo.

But that… That blissful happiness and peace didn't last long.

Once again, again, Tatsuki was reminded of her powerless she was, how helpless she was to the beings that could crush her like an insignificant bug.

Orihime was taken away again! And there was nothing she or anyone could do about it!

The same feeling fearful dread and uneasy anxiety courses through her. A wave of torment and agony constricted her heart.

In her bout of anger, fear, and confusion, Tatsuki accused Uryu and Chad for not protecting Orihime better.

But she realized she was making the same mistake again. They already felt guilty enough for their failure. They didn't need a horrifying reminder from her.

So, once she cooled off, the dark haired martial artist immediately apologized to them for behaving so irrationally.

Though, the one affected more than her was Ichigo. At this point, Tatsuki had gotten used to the feeling of helplessness and powerlessness. She begrudgingly accepted her place on the sidelines.

But not Ichigo.

The poor bastard was taking it especially hard. His moods became even sourer, and he was more hot tempered and grumpier, snapping at the slightest provocation.

Then suddenly, he began days of class once again. Tatsuki paid it no mind. If Ichigo was skipping school, then it only meant he was doing some sort of spirit business. Maybe he found a way to regain his long lost powers. Whatever the case, Tatsuki was deeply and sincerely happy for her orange haired childhood friend.

Tatsuki just currently left the grocery store when she suddenly, and, unexpectedly felt something sharp stab her in the back.

A wordless gasp escaped her lips. The only thing she saw was a wave of black hair before everything went blank.

(A/N: That's the end of chapter thirty three! Hoped you enjoyed it! Sorry, sorry, I would have gotten this chapter done sooner, but I was busy with school and such. No time to work on writing chapters for stories/fanfics when I have piles of homework gnawing on my face. This is also my first time writing something in Tatsuki's perspective. So, the experience was completely new. The next chapter would be back in the FMA world, and Orihime and the others would finally make it to Rush Valley. So, look forward to it!

And also, while I was writing this I noticed when Tatsuki punched Ichigo in that one scene, she broke the window behind them. I know this is minor and has nothing to do with the story, but still… That was hundreds of dollars of property damage, and several people saw her break the window, not just Mizuiro and Keigo. I know this is anime and windows break all the time, but, most of the time, it's played for comic effect. This was a completely serious scene. This isn't condemning Tatsuki. She had every right to punch Ichigo. She was angry and hurt. Her best friend was gone, in her eyes, possibly dead. Although, in an adult's point of view, I'm surprised the teachers and faculty didn't punish Tatsuki for costing nearly a thousand dollars in property damage. Like expel her from school, or, at least, suspicion. Well, huh, maybe she did get punished, but it was offscreen. Who knows? Sorry, maybe I'm looking too much into that one, particular scene. Sorry, it just felt off to me.

Anyway, leave any thoughts, comments, suggestions, or questions in a review, and thanks for reading!)