A Mistaken Past

A/N: My program is still messing up so copy/paste again. I'll just have to indicate the dreams and so forth. For the Orihime pairing someone has indeed suggested either Renji or Ukitake, either of them would work. (Sorry but I got plans for Mr. 69.) I will give it a few more days until I make a final decision. But I'd like to give fair warning, if I happen to change the pairing to one that is not liked then sorry. I have asked, and as I said, if you'd like to see a certain one then let me know. If I'm not told then I will assume readers are okay with any pairing. Thanks to those that have reviewed and made suggestions.



Chapter Seven



Why did each spell have to have a number? Tatsuki pondered the question as she focused on the next incantation. With all these words what opponent would stand there and let you recite them all? She’d be dead five times over before she got to the damn number.


Her gaze dropped to the metal weapon lying not far away upon the tile floor. Last week she and Orihime had moved further and had received their zanpakuto, their official shinigami powers. She hadn’t been thrilled to learn that there was still a long way for them to go before graduation. What she wanted to know was why was hers shorter than others? Orihime’s blade was definitely longer.


She couldn’t remember what the stages were for unlocking their potential. Did that blade really have a name? Couldn’t she just name it herself? A few choice names came to mind, that would suit well. But no, supposedly it would tell her its name in time.


Orihime said that Ichigo knew his and so did most of the captains. The aspect of bankai thrilled and confused her at the same time. This was to be the ability to unlock her weapon’s full potential, or that’s the gist she got.


Centuries, would it really take that long to get to that point? Which made her wonder; how old her husband was? It would be rude to ask him his age and she didn’t want to make him angry. Being at home she was forced to walk on eggshells.


Their nightly ritual hadn’t changed in the last few weeks but his disposition seemed to be worsening. She was tempted to ask if she grinded her teeth at night since he woke up every morning in a foul mood. It might have something to do with the report that had gone out about missing shinigami. Was work stressful for him? Had to be with all the captains having to keep a close eye on those stationed under them.


She promised herself she wouldn’t pressure him or retaliate. Her days had to be a cakewalk compared to his. He was cold to her whenever he was awake but she had to admit that he made quite the pillow. Twice she’d woken up to find herself practically lying on top of him. His personality resembled an iceberg but his body was rather warm. It was warm and very hard; oh she loved that in a man. Knowing he’d likely snap her fingers off she’d resisted the urge to run her hand along his chest and explore.


She wasn’t the only one that had a lonely bed. Orihime appeared to be just as lonely as she. The two of them were really sad when it came to the male species. She had a husband that was a complete stranger and Orihime was just sulking. There was no other way to describe her friend’s attitude as of late.


Which Tatsuki couldn’t understand, considering Ishida had returned to visit her friend several times in the last few weeks! If the Quincy was still that hung up then why didn’t Orihime want to work things out? No one had yet to give her the details of the breakup but it couldn’t have been that bad. The two were still speaking and on friendly terms. True, Orihime was training to be a shinigami and Quincy were supposed to hate them, but they were together before any of this happened.


In a way it was ironic. Orihime had a male constantly coming up seeking her attention while she had a man that liked to pretend she didn’t exist. What she wouldn’t give for some affection, hell she’d settle for a hello now. Her body was saying she’d take something else but she wasn’t going there. Perhaps having a kid had kicked her hormones into overdrive.


That would go over well with him; she scoffed at the very idea. ‘I could always get a bottle of sake.’ What was she thinking! Things weren’t going to change and her growing agitated was only going to make things worse for herself. He’d given her everything he’d promised, she wouldn’t expect more. Not once did he say he’d be up for a booty call.


What a booty call it would be too. “Shit,” she took a deep breath before turning her attention back to the students up practicing their kendo. Orihime was sitting on the other side of the room with a bored expression as well.


Damn but she was bored to tears. It sucked having to watch others while being forced to recant them silently. Luckily, they had plans to go for a jog after training today. She’d lost any signs of giving birth months ago but Tatsuki wanted to be in decent shape.


‘Why am I so tired?’ A yawn escaped her lips before she could muster the strength to stop it. Last night she’d received plenty of rest, what gave? The drained feeling made her wonder if someone had spiked her tea at lunch. There were a couple drugs she could think of that would have this effect. If she didn’t stand up soon she’d likely fall on her face. Reaching her hand out to stand, it came in contact with the cold metal of her zanpakuto.


A shiver ran down her spine as the instructor began a loud tirade at the idiot that just hit him with the wrong incantation. Should she draw attention to her state? No one was looking her way, not even Orihime. The frown wrinkled her brow and her eyes closed without effort. It was like falling, she could feel herself sinking into the darkness.



*Begin Dream*

Smoke, why did she smell smoke? Fire! Tatsuki jerked upright as fear laced her veins and panic surfaced. Was the house on fire? Where was Byakuya? Where was Kouji? Who had her baby? They’d have to get out and to somewhere safe.


Her eyes adjusted to the room and her confusion only grew. This wasn’t her home! As many times as she’d woken up in her husband’s bed, she knew instantly that this wasn’t his style. Plus, not once had he made her sleep on the floor like a dog. The concrete was cold against her bare flesh; thankfully she was still wearing her clothes. The red and white of her uniform stood out in the dismal surroundings. Who would do their bedroom suit in all black? The large bed was covered in black silk if she were correct and so was the furniture. What was the purpose of a black eating table? She just landed in the room of the Seireitei Emo!


“Great, I have to be dreaming,” Knowing so she sat up and rubbed her eyes. This had to be another one of her freaky dreams. They didn’t come often but could remember how they made her feel. A girl like herself didn’t like the feeling of being helpless, controlled or cornered. She’d always been able to take care of herself so when these emotions tried to consume her it pissed her off.


A better inspection of the room showed that there was only one exit. She was just glad that this time she was alone. That eerie voice wasn’t whispering in her ears as she ran for her life. Hoping this was just another weird dream, she managed to stand up. The earlier feeling of wariness was no longer present.


A yawn did have her stretching both arms and wishing for her own bed. The sooner she woke up the better, she wanted to go home. Hands paused midair as a scream caused every nerve in her being to cry in fear. It was so sudden and unexpected that a tiny squeak echoed in the room. What the hell was that? This was new; never had she heard that voice before.


Not one to give into her fear she took a few steps forward and opened the sickly looking door. What greeted her was a stretch of hallway, eerily familiar. Hadn’t she seen this place before? ‘I can do this, it’s just a dream.’


The cry of pain did have her hesitating in the frame. What was she going to find at the end? Herself being beaten? No, because that was definitely a male voice and she was far from being one of those. She might not have an abundance of cleavage but she was female where it counted. There was a man near and he was in pain. What if it were Byakuya?


But why would she dream about him being injured? The man was too stubborn to become injured. And why did she care anyways? Curiosity and anxiety got her feet moving in the general direction of the sound. It had turned into a low mewling sound, that wasn’t much better than the loud yelps.


A door opened three feet in front of her and something stepped out. Tatsuki froze as it came into the hall. She had nowhere to go! It would see her before she could make it to another room and the possibility of her outrunning it in a nightmare were slim to none. The body was mostly human except for the head, that was overly large and it had on one of those strange masks. A hollow mask, it had to be one.


What was a hollow doing in her dream? Said hollow turned its head in her direction then in the other. If it saw her it gave no indication. Instead it closed the door behind itself and walked in the opposite direction. What was that about? She could see her hands, so she wasn’t invisible. Why hadn’t it questioned her or attacked?


Another scream had her dismissing the hollow and her attention to the door it had just exited. The screams were coming from within. Had that thing been torturing someone? If it was over why were the screams getting louder?


Her hand reached for the knob and a nervous hiccup made her laugh. If she’d been watching this on a movie, this would be the part she’d be screaming for the dumb broad not to do it. Why go down into a situation where you might possibly be killed or worse? Wouldn’t it be smarter to make a run for it?


‘Call me a dumbass,’ the knob clicked and the wood slid open without making much fuss. Did she really want to do this? A whimper made her heart cringe and she knew there was no way she’d be able to walk away without knowing who was making the noise.


The doorway led to a set of wide stairs heading down at an angle. There were no lights along the walls but black candles. The word creepy didn’t begin to cover the feeling she was getting from the passageway. Placing a hand on the wall, she carefully made her way down the stairs.


As she got deeper the musky smell of blood and sweat had her wanting to retch. The sweat she could handle on most occasions but this reeked of something foul. She’d bet her favorite kimono that there wouldn’t be a gym waiting on her at the end.


A wet ripping sound echoed as her foot hit tile and she left the wooden staircase. It opened into a very large room, it was huge. It was wider than her parent’s home and the ceiling was astounding. If she had to guess it went up three stories. It was too much to take in all at once. There were a few lights in the place, almost like a school gym. Those candles still lined the walls along with many weapons and accessories she had no name for.


Brown stains told a story all their own and she couldn’t help but tremble. A feminine moan had her glancing to the left and up, a cage dangled from the top. Long black hair was flowing through the bars but Tatsuki couldn’t make out who was inside. The female had on torn black garments and appeared to be unconscious.


What had she found? Wait, it was just a dream, this wasn’t real. She’d fallen asleep during class and this was coming from her worrying about Byakuya. Yes, she knew he was worried and stressed about the missing shinigami and her mind was giving her nightmares. Please don’t let it be him that she heard screaming.


There, she could see where it was coming from. But the person was hidden behind two others. A rather enormous figure blocked her view except for black clad pants that rested across the floor. Whomever it was screaming was on the floor where she couldn’t see the rest of him. The large man, instinct told her it was indeed male, had to be three feet wide and even covered up the third person.


Backs were turned to her so they couldn’t see her. Would they see her or look through her as the other had done? The third person stood and moved aside from the others, this one was just as tall and a cord of recognition stirred in her soul. Where had she seen him before?


Wanting to see their faces and calling herself several choice names, she edged around the room until their profiles came into view along with the person on the floor. A scream lodged in her throat, her lungs contracted and she couldn’t breathe, or move. Horror paralyzed her limbs, her brain refusing to compute the scene before her.


It was a shinigami, one she’d never met before, his upper body chained to the wall. The uniform was shredded, limbs were covered in blood, and even the pale tresses were marred with crimson. Her gut jerked as the rest sank in. His chest showed no visible wounds but the flesh had been completely removed from his abdomen. Intestines were trailing out, the long cord reaching up into the air.


“Oh,” she flinched seeing the ends wrapped into the fist of the slender male. Blood dripped from the man’s knuckles and the drop hitting the floor penetrated her brain like a loud bomb going off. It was horrid, the shinigami was still twitching, and the two were laughing. Brown eyes swung up to see what kind of monster could do such a horrible thing.


Crimson eyes met hers and the man finally turned to face her. Where did she know him? Terror that she’d felt only one other time in her life had her screaming. It was the same one but without the mask, she was sure of it. Her soul cried out that she was in danger and to flee. Not him again!

*End Dream*




“NOOOOO!!!”


“Tatsuki,” Orihime placed a hand on the trembling shoulder. Class had just finished and the others were already leaving. She had wondered why her friend hadn’t risen like the rest. Upon looking Tatsuki had looked fully awake and aware. Brown eyes had been open and flickering over the training, so what was wrong?


“I……” she took a deep breath and blinked rapidly. Tatsuki shivered in the evening breeze and took a deep breath. Another nightmare, she’d been dreaming. She’d known it while it was happening so why was she still scared?


“Are you okay?” Orihime wasn’t sure what was wrong. Had her friend been deep in thought? These days she could understand if that had been the case. They both had a lot on their plates and things were growing tense. There were rumors of people disappearing and some being found dead. They weren’t official shinigami yet but students would still gossip.


“I’m fine, just a little dizzy.” And cold, she felt like ice was pumping through her veins. She could do without another nightmare like that. Luckily no one had noticed that she’d dozed off during the lesson. The only warmth she could feel was coming from her palm. Her zanpakuto was clenched in her fingers, the hilt bringing an odd comfort.


“Hai! Why don’t we forgo the run for today and have some tea? We could head back to my place and talk.” Orihime didn’t feel up to running but didn’t want to be lazy. After today’s lesson she just wanted to relax and hang out. There was also something she wanted to discuss with her friend.


“Sure, I’m a little tired anyways.” In truth she felt like complete shit. It was like that dream had drained everything out of her. She really needed to have a talk with her inner-self. Why couldn’t she dream of hot, sweaty, naked and available guys?


“Did you get any sleep last night?” Orihime knew that the two were now sharing a bed. She found that to be odd because the two weren’t doing anything sexual. They had to find each other attractive because they had slept together once to make Kouji. Even without love she wasn’t sure how her friend could be in bed next to a man like Byakuya Kuchiki and not be tempted.


“Yes, I got plenty of rest. I went to bed early and woke up late. I slept through the entire night so don’t go getting any ideas. I swear you’ve been hanging around the wrong crowd or you need to get laid. I saw that smirk just now.” Tatsuki blushed at the implication. As if that man would deem it worth his time to bother her.


“Sorry, I’m just curious is all.” Orihime wasn’t sure she’d be able to do anything if she were in Tatsuki’s shoes either. With Ishida things had just happened and she hadn’t been given time to think about it. Was she ready for another relationship? “Don’t you get lonely?”


“Yes,” they exited the building and stepped into the crowded street. Tatsuki wasn’t sure how to explain her situation. “I am at times but I made this choice. Sometimes I wish I had more. I mean I’d like a relationship where I could be happy.”


“I know what you mean. It’s lonely lying awake at night and sometimes I start to cry.” Orihime missed her brother at times, others she missed simply having someone near. “I start to wonder if I should move on and find someone else. I miss having someone with me.”


“I see,” she really didn’t. Tatsuki wouldn’t be spiteful and point out that she’d never really had a relationship. Technically she’d never had a boyfriend and had been single her entire life. Her virginity had been lost on a drunken whim and she wasn’t in a real marriage. Unlike Orihime she’d never experienced what it felt like to be loved and cherished by a man.


“Do you ever consider wanting more from him?” Orihime didn’t have a relationship for them to work on so she figured she might as well help her friend be happy.


“Keh, you’ve got to be shitting me. Are you serious?” Tatsuki paused in their journey to seriously contemplate it. “Okay, yes, I have thought about it. How can I not when I share his bed every night? I would like to experience being a wife but I’m not young or naïve anymore. As far as that man’s heart is concerned his wife is dead and I’m just a responsibility.”


“I’m sorry. I didn’t meant to upset you.” Seeing the tears threatening her friend she felt like a heel. Orihime didn’t want to make anyone cry and it was a touchy subject. “But I think Tatsuki-chan is a wonderful person. There is no reason he can’t see it too.”


“Apology accepted and thanks.” Tatsuki wasn’t about to debate her assets or bad points. If he couldn’t find it in himself to care for her then she couldn’t change that. What mattered most was their son and him growing up in the best environment.


“Look, its Renji-kun and Hisagi-taichou.” Without fail, Orihime raised her hand and called out to the two strolling males. Their features were bleak but they turned at their names.


Tatsuki groaned at the display her friend was making. An uneasy feeling settled in her gut as she scoped out the dark captain. Until this day he had yet to return to her and speak about a place in his squad. She wasn’t stupid; she knew what was going on. The man hadn’t really been interested in her joining, he’d come to seek out Orihime. Knowing her friend Orihime had mentioned her and the man had been polite in return. He couldn’t likely score if he told the hot chick that he wasn’t interested in her loser friend. Yay! She’d be stuck serving under her husband; her life couldn’t get much better.


“Renji-kun,” Orihime greeted the redhead with a wide smile. She was hoping he had news to impart and it was always nice to talk to someone that got to visit the other side. It still bothered her to speak to Kurosaki and Renji was always pleasant if a little loud.


“Orihime-chan, it’s good to see you again.” Renji crossed his arms as the two females walked over to join them. He hadn’t realized they were that close to the academy. He and Hisagi had been caught up in the conversation.


“Hai, good evening to you also Hisagi-taichou,” she greeted the tattooed male next. If Tatsuki was too busy to stop by maybe she could invite the redhead over more often for company.


“How are you two doing?” Renji took over the conversation noticing how tired the brunette looked. He could remember the days when he’d felt like giving up but Rukia had kept his hopes high. “You look tired Tatsuki-chan.”


“A little,” an understatement if she’d ever spoken one, she was dead tired. The walk had begun to drain the last of her energy. At this rate she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to manage to gulp down Orihime’s tea. A migraine was forming behind her eyes at a fast pace, it was going to be hell later.


Hisagi didn’t like the pallor of her skin. The girl didn’t look tired, she appeared ready to collapse. He knew things were getting hectic but how strict were they being in training? The girl wouldn’t accomplish anything in a worn out state. His company was now making small talk with Orihime-chan leaving him a few minutes to watch Tatsuki.


He’d been meaning to come discuss a few things with her but hadn’t had the time. Several of his squad had gone missing during their last assignment. The reported hollow had been slain and they’d been about to return to Soul Society. Within ten seconds two out of the five had suddenly vanished into thin air. Soon he’d make the time to come speak to her about her options.


What the hell were they talking about? Tatsuki caught every other word as Orihime gossiped with the redhead. Why the hell were they smiling so much? It should be against the law to smile that much. If they didn’t hurry up she was going to go home and forget tea. Her head was swimming and bile was rising in her throat. At this rate she’d be likely to puke on someone’s shoes. That nightmare must be having lingering effects on her person. As the seconds ticked by her vision blurred and her throat dried out. Laughter resembled far off thunder as darkness swarmed and her knees buckled.





Next Chapter: An offer of comfort & an offer of help....