Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.
PROLOGUE: A Dream
{Begin Dream}
I reached out and grasped the hilt of the long knife I kept hidden under my sleeve. It felt smooth and cold in my hand, familiar though distant at the same time, an unmistakable feel that spoke purely of it. As I slowly withdrew it from its sheath, it lengthened until it grew into a traditional katana, the blade sharp and deadly. It mirrored the sunlight perfectly.
"A beautiful blade," a voice said neutrally from behind me.
I didn't bother to turn; I had waited for his coming. I knew who it would be, the way his sandy hair would be tied loosely back into a ponytail and the way his chocolate brown eyes would be so uncharacteristically filled with emotion. Handsome, but that beauty only hid a cruel and malicious personality that I myself had seen many times unleashed.
His expression twisted, his own sword in his hand. The killing intent he sent towards me was powerful enough that it forced me to blink in disguised shock. "A pity it won't save your soul."
We moved quicker than any other could see, dancing together as we dodged blade after blade. However, as we fought, it became painfully obvious that he could not even compare to my speed or skill.
I easily slashed him from his left temple to the corner of his mouth, and he fell to his knees, hands trying to stifle the red blood that ran from them and stained the ground.
"I'll kill you!" he hissed, his voice muffled by his hands and blood.
"I have no doubt that you shall try," I replied coldly, my voice cool and emotionless despite the inner turmoil I felt. I had planned for this moment for so long, but now, it was hard to say the words that I should. "Do you hate me, then?"
His answer was a wordless snarl.
I took that as a yes. "Then pursue me and the power to kill me. I'll be waiting for you, brother. I'll be waiting until you show me you deserve to be killed by me."
{End Dream}
I awoke with a small, inaudible gasp, my hand immediately reaching for the blade I always kept attached to my arm.
Finally, I recognized my surroundings. I was in the present. My breathing slowed.
Memories, I inwardly sighed. Of all nights to remember such a thing…