Take It Back To The Sidewalk Where We Met

Another day in the Soul Society that Tatsuki had dreaded. She didn't mind the aging process here, for she still seemed to be sixteen when she was actually to be four hundred years older. She didn't mind the people there either. It was just that she hadn't seen one person in so long. Tatsuki wanted to go jogging that morning, but she didn't have anything suitable. All she had was her Shinigami robe. Walking gave her more time to think about her life, or maybe her death; Tatsuki didn't want to think of that. She still didn't understand why Ravana hadn't talked to her since she brought up her murder.

Tatsuki sighed as she paced out of her room and around the block. She had a blank expression and she didn't want to examine other's faces in the little hope she had to see him again. She never should have trusted him; she never should have loved him. Anger came upon her as she thought about it more deeply, and she began to pace faster. The sillouettes became blurred and insignificant.

There was something different about today to Ravana, the ex-captain vizard. For some reason, he had decided to visit the Soul Society today. Sure, he may have still been an ally of the Gotei 13 and welcome in the Soul Society; but for some odd reason he had felt some kind of urge to come here. As he walked around the streets of the Seireitei, it seemed that not many of the current Shinigami even recognized who he was. It may have been 400 years, but Ravana thought that he would be remembered more than this. Still, this really had no reason to do with why he was here. Then again, Ravana still had no real idea why he was here today in the first place. This, however, would soon change; for as soon as he rounded the next corner, he ran into a familiar face.

"T-tatsuki?" Ravana said, more of a questioning tone to his voice. It wasn't that he didn't recognize her, it was simply that he didn't expect to have run into her. After seeing her again after so long, many memories began to flood his mind as an ashamed look crossed his face. His thoughts were taking him back to the war with Aizen, almost 400 years ago; when he was still a captain of the Gotei 13. He would have been one of the people fighting Aizen, but instead, fate seemed to have a crueler idea in mind. Instead, Ravana's inner hollow had awakened, and for the entire fight with Aizen, he had been forced to face his inner hollow. This, however, was not the worst part. While he was fighting his inner hollow, Tatsuki Ariwasa, the human girl he had started to fall in love with, was killed; and by Aizen no less. After learning of this, Ravana was filled with a deep sense of self-loathing, as well as feeling responsible for Tatsuki's death. To him, if he hadn't been fighting his inner hollow, then Tatsuki would not have died that day.

Even now, 400 years later, these thoughts still plagued Ravana's mind; keeping him from being able to even see Tatsuki without feeling a sort of hate at himself. This was the reason Ravana had not talked to Tatsuki for so long; he still felt responsible for her death. As these thoughts continued to stay in his mind, a tear actually formed from Ravana's right eye; slowly sliding down his face and dropping on the ground. "Tatsuki...I'm so sorry...it's all my fault..." Ravana managed to get out; trying to fight back his emotions. To be honest, he really had, and still did love Tatsuki; making what had happened and these feelings even worse.

Right as Tatsuki had heard her name, she bumped into a familiar sillouette. Perhaps the person she was thinking about a moment before. As she looked up, the pain and anger became even more distinctive. Her blank face became strict, her eyes were focussed on him. As she her his petty little words, an instinct arose. She punched him right in his cheek/jaw area.

As Tatsuki stepped back she asked, "What do you want Ravana Ichiro? Why are you here?" The name tasted like vinegar. Ravana Ichiro. She dreaded it like every lonely day she lived in the Soul Society. She punched him once more in his stomach.

As Tatsuki's fist collided with his face, Ravana made no attempts at reacting; he just stood there and took it. To be honest, Ravana believed that he deserved it and much worse; still blaming himself for Tatsuki's death. Of course, even though he was strong and fast enough to block Tatsuki's attacks, he didn't. No, he let her punch him in the stomach, coughing out as her fist collided with his stomach; the hit leaving him out of breath. Still, Ravana had the same ashamed look on his face; showing the weight of the heavy guilt within his mind. "...It was all my fault" he said again, recovering from being punched in the stomach. Even though Ravana had a pained look on his face, it was not because of the physical pain of being punched. No, hearing the anger in Tatsuki's tone hurt him more than any wound, like a dagger in his heart. Yet, it also felt right to him; now at least he wasn't the only person blaming himself for her death.

"...I was too weak...to do anything" he said, now a look of anger crossing his face. Yet, this anger was not at Tatsuki, but at himself. With that, he dropped his guitar, the form his sealed zanpakuto took, showing that he had no intentions of defending himself. Yes, Ravana believed that he deserved to suffer for what he did, or more correctly, what he had failed to do. Hell, he even went so far as thinking that it should have been him who died that day, not Tatsuki. "I should have been there to protect you...It should have been me who died that day" he said, looking down at the ground. All of this was so painful for Ravana, because he really did love Tatsuki, yet he was unable to protect her.

"I died when I was suppost to die, Ravana," Tatsuki said strictly. Her hands were tight fists at her side. She honestly didn't care of her death, yes it did ruin her dreams of her karate, but she still didn't care. "You left me the same way a teenaged boy would leave his girlfriend when she got pregnant." She punched him once more, again in the stomach.

It was obvious that they were worried about two different things. Tatsuki wanted to give up on the conversation. She turned around ninety degrees, and she cursed at herself under her breathe. She didn't know how to describe her feelings in words, so Tatsuki turned her back towards him and walked away slowly. Maybe she wanted him to follow her, or maybe she just wanted to forget about Ravana forever.

Tatsuki remembered the days before she actually loved him. He was the first guy outside of her group with Ichigo and Orihime that she had actually trusted. She used to simply beat up the guys who came close to her and never saw them again because they were stuck in the hospital, transferred to a different school, or they just knew to stay out of her way.

Once again Ravana didn't do anything to block or dodge Tatsuki's punch, letting her fist collide with his stomach yet again. To be honest, Ravana had thought that Tatsuki would have hated him for letting her die and would have been glad to see him leave. So now he stood there, not knowing exactly what to say. He had been so blinded by the anger he felt towards himself t being too weak to protect her that he hadn't stopped to think that maybe Tatsuki didn't blame him; maybe him leaving hurt her ever more. "I-I...I couldn't protect you...so I didn't think I deserved you" he managed to say, his voice shaking a bit. About now, Ravana was beginning to hate himself even more for being so stupid as to have not realized any of this earlier.

Slowly, Ravana bridged the gap between him and Tatsuki, slowly placing his hand on her shoulder. As he did this, he managed to look up at Tatsuki; even if her face wasn't turned towards him. "Tatsuki, I'm sorry...I...I thought that you would hate me for not being there to protect you" he began, a true look of apology on his face "But because of that assumption...I hurt you more that anyone else ever could." By now, another tear had fallen from his cheek, showing how much pain he felt in his heart about what he had done. "Tatsuki, I loved you...I still love you" he said, once again trying to keep his emotions in check.