Disclaimer: As I've said ones of tens of hundreds of thousands of millions of times: I really don't own anything! Just. Ugh! Stop pestering me about it!

Warning: Contains tragic angst, Rukia thoughts (may come very close to suicide thoughts), guns (kiddos, I'm not kidding, just stay away!), a maybe character death, and unexplained plot. Read at your own leisure.

Twist of Fate

By Yours Truly,

anaime

Chapter 0 (Just a fragment of time)

Rukia swallowed weakly, surveyed her surroundings, and then moved her gaze to the man standing in front of her. She gulped back a stream of tears, I don't cry, damn it!, but as she stared at the expressive pools of golden amber that spoke an unknown, bittersweet language of the deepest betrayal, she let one lone crystal drop from the corner of her right eye.

The glittering droplet slide down her cheeks and hang momentarily at her tilted chin before dropping splat on the cold concrete floor.

That sound seemed to have awoken the man opposite Rukia, he glared, gaze full of hatred, and whispered harshly, "You lied to me."

Unable to speak, Rukia nodded, her whole body trembled to reach that small movement.

The helpless, shaken move seemed to anger him more, now his eyes were a bright fire, one that could rival his shining hair. He gripped his gun tighter, almost choking the handle, and he growled low.

"Rukia...!"

The word was laced with so much pain, so much anguish, that it smashed open the dam that was holding all her emotions, her stronghold was ripped apart by his one word, and she could feel her soul rip in half. The tears rushed forward, and she dangled her head, and thanked the darkened light that hid her face.

"Why?!"

Why... That word cut across her heart, and without her dam -her barrier- to lessen that blow, she felt the fresh wound gape open.

"I trusted you, Rukia! Answer me!"

A choked sob escaped her throat. She knew. Of course she did. She played with his trust. She deserved nothing but to die and rot in hell over and over and over again. Well, she would. She knew that even if everything on earth compelled her to, she could never fire her gun at him. She would rather put a gun to her own head first than hurt him. And she had. Hurt him, that is. She might as well have cut his insides open with a knife and set his body on fire.

...And now she'll pay.

New resolve lit like the last morning sun in her heart, yes, she'll repay him with her own life. Anything, anything, to erase her past transgression.

She looked up, ignored the gasp on his face at her tear-soaked face, and rasped, "Just kill me, Ichigo. I owe you at least this much. I would repay what I'd done to you for the rest of my life, but I know you'll rather me dead. So kill me. Just... Just know this before I die," Rukiapaused. Her deepest secret, the simple fact that made her life worth living and killing the same time was rushing forward from her lips, "I love you... I will always love you." Tears squeezed out of her eyes, so that was her last words to him, so untimely stated. Regret filled her soul. The three words... The only words in this world that brought so much happiness to her soul, so much grief to her heart, and so much confusion to her mind.

Her words seemed to freeze him, and her inner self laughed bitterly, did he not think that she'll give him her life? She'll give him anything. Her life was just something not worth of significance. Or was it rather the part about her loving him that he did not believe? Rukia snorted softly, well, if it was that, then it's too late now to make amends...

Her eyes caught something flash ominously in the dark alley suddenly. A burrow. Her whole brain screamed alert. She heard that slight click of the gun. Ichigo seemed to have heard it, too. His head snapped to the sound, but it was already too late. Rukia knew where the gun was pointing towards. She leaped forward as the sharp sound of a gun screamed out. The millisecond that it took for her to reach him seemed like ages. Rukia made a grab for Ichigo's jacket -how ironic, she'll die holding unto his body and breathing in his scent- and shielded him with her small body.

Rukia's last satisfied thought before everything went black with pain was that at least she'd die protecting him.

Rukia didn't even hear Ichigo crying out her name.

Muwah. Don't kill me. My muse has been jumping erratic ideas lately, I jump from one idea to the next. So I said I'll start Breaking My Soul (the lack of reviews for the preview of that depressed me... TT), but I got to the second chapter and had new ideas, and new ideas lead to newer ideas, and now I've so much ideas I think my head will burst... And I still have Flying On Ice to do... eep. Also, yes, next chapter will be sort of six months before, five months before, etc.

Other than that, this is going to be a M, for violence, for trickery, for high-class conning, for smex scenes, etc. Just tell me what you think. If you don't, well, I might abandon this idea and start another unfinished idea. Reviews matter, people! Review! (Also, point out mistakes I missed. My self-checking abilities are not great, and my grammar is not epic.)

Love ya all very much, anaime.