The Dark Side of the Blade

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, nor any of the Bleach cast. I do own this story though. No stealing please! Thank you bunches.

This is the last chapter. It was quite a hard story for me to write, but I think it turned out pretty decently, don't you?


What is bothering me, you ask? Maybe I'm in love.

With who?

What does it concern you?

It doesn't.

You.

What?

You. I love…you.

Lie…


I remember…the darkness, the cold, rushing water all around me. The feeling…of my body being tossed about like a doll. The water…as it filled my lungs, the burning sensation as I tried to take a breath. I can remember it…and yet, I could no longer feel it. All I could feel….was a warm numbness. All I could hear was the soft sound of breathing and the deep vibrations of someone's voice. A deep, quiet interruption into my dark world.

"Mina? Come on, wake up….Please…" My eyes slowly opened in response to the voice, and I realized that I was alive, more or less. I was in one piece, a soaking wet piece, but still whole. The first image to greet my tired, burning eyes, was that of a wet Kuchiki-san, staring down at me from above. The gaze was so intense that I felt embarrassed just to know it was directed towards me. My chest ached horribly, and I felt as if my breath wanted to stand still.

"Ow…." I mumbled, my voice raspy and raw. I shifted, trying to sit up, feeling a large, steadying hand upon my back.

"You big idiot! I told you not to stand near the railing! Now look at what you've gone and done! You nearly drowned! " I blinked, taken aback by the pure heat of Kuchiki-san's sudden anger. I brushed a mass of damp hair from my eyes as I turned to face him.

"Kuchiki-san, why are you so upset? It was just an accident." He cast me a glare so fierce that I nearly fell backwards. I couldn't quite wrap my water-logged brain around his anger. Was it because I almost died? Or did he simply enjoy getting mad at me?

"What if you had died? Do you not care about your own life?" So that was what this was about. I gave Kuchiki-san a smile as big as my face would allow, which wasn't much, as bruised as it was.

"If I died, then I would be very lucky. I would have someone who actually desired to send me off. I would have no worries, wouldn't I?" There was a sharp rap to my head and I blinked, raising a hand to the spot as I watched Kuchiki-san divert his gaze.

"That's not a good reason to be so relaxed about death." I gave a little sigh, partially from the headache forming behind my eyes, and partially because I got the feeling that there was something else bothering him.

"What else is bothering you, Kuchiki-san?" He ignored my question, much to my growing annoyance. So I tugged on the damp sleeve of his haori until he looked at me, a dark glower in his eyes.

"You want to know what is bothering me? Alright then. I'm in LOVE. Now stop abusing my clothing." I released his haori, a little more then shocked, to say the least. In fact, it was way past shocked. I was in disbelief.

"With who?" I asked, as I couldn't help but feel curious.

"What does it concern you?" That was a very good question. What Kuchiki-san did in his private life was no concern of mine. I wasn't even sure he had private life.

"It doesn't." He seemed a little disappointed at my answer, though I wasn't sure why. His expression confused me more then his words.

"And if I said it was you, Mina?" I gave a little chuckle, convinced that it was a joke. I tried to ignore the happy shiver that went through my body as he called me by my first name, and attempted to give him a comprehendible reply.

"That would be a nice laugh." That, of course, earned me a glare, and Kuchiki-san reached towards me. That was when I noticed the large shadow looming over me. I looked up, just as Kuchiki-san cursed. It couldn't be a good thing if he was cursing.

"This thing is persistent! Didn't I just kill you?" The thing, was a wall of water, at least on the surface. I had no clue what was behind it, although I was sure, judging by his expression, that Kuchiki-san did. He cursed once more and grabbed hold of my hand, just as the water crashed down on us. I felt my body being pulled upwards and I hit the surface, sputtering. Kuchiki-san had me pressed tightly against his chest, one arm wrapped around my waist. His free hand was still grasped firmly to my own.

"Kuchiki-san?" I was going to inquire as to why I was being held like a child, but quickly thought better of it. I technically was a child.

"Don't let go of me. Not even for a second." His expression was so serious that I couldn't object. My lips simply refused to form the words, or any words for that matter. I simply clung to him the best that I could and prayed that I would get out of this alive. My eyes clenched tightly shut, all I could concentrate on was the feeling of his muscles, the pure strength flexing under me as he struggled against the water. This was not a good time for my heart to race out of control, but it seemed to think otherwise. I was relieved when he finally broke free of the water's grip, and had pulled the two of us onto dry land, far from the river's bank.

"Keep hold Mina. It's not over yet." I looked up at Kuchiki-san from where I had collapsed on the grainy soil beneath me, watching as he pulled out his sword and cast me a look. What a sword was going to do to water, I couldn't fathom. My hand obediently took hold of his haori, and I began to feel like a pet again, but in a good way. The ground under us began to shake, and I gulped. The water was coming at us once more, as was something strange from above.

"More of them?" The tone of Kuchiki-san's voice was strained, and I couldn't help the growing feeling that this might end poorly. No, for some reason I was sure of it. This wasn't good at all. Kuchiki-san seemed to notice this as well, as more and more…things began to appear. I could feel my fear begin to eat at my insides, tears building up in my eyes.

"Scatter, Senbonzakura." The soft words that floated from Kuchiki-san's lips confused me. The sight of his sword falling to the earth didn't exactly help me either. I was startled to see his sword turn into thousands upon thousands of small, pink petals. I couldn't understand how the sword had managed to do this in the first place, and I couldn't help but wonder what these pink, frail looking petals were going to do to the monsters surrounding us. At least, until I touched one. I had to suppress a yelp as the single petal sliced deep into my finger. That was when I understood. These pale, pink objects swirling around us were blades. Thousands, possibly millions, of small, obsessively sharp blades. Blades that managed to keep almost everything at bay. Almost. The one thing that they couldn't keep out, was the water.

Before I could react I was wrenched away, my grip on Kuchiki-san's haori slipping. I struggled against the strange tentacle of water, but I couldn't get away. He noticed just as the water tugged me through the protective barrier of petals, my grip on him lost. He reached for me, but his hand just barely missed mine, our eyes going wide almost in unison.

"Byaku……ya…." His name was the last word to leave my lips as the water forced it's way down my throat, the only sound I could hear was a cry of anger.

That's when I knew I was dead. I didn't just think I was dead. I knew this time, because, for one, I was floating in the air, and I could see my body at the bottom of the river. Kuchiki-san was only a few yards below me, standing at the edge of the river. He was covered in blood, surrounding him was a multitude of mutilated bodies. It was nearly impossible to tell what they had once been. I made my way over to Kuchiki-san's side, just as the bodies started to fade away. His sword had returned to being just a normal sword, and he was clutching it so tightly that his knuckles were white.

"Ne, Byakuya? Is it nice, this place I'm headed?" He turned his gaze towards me, a dull look in his eyes. The response he gave me was a simple nod, followed by a half-hearted smile. I could tell that he was holding back a lot of emotions. It made me sad, seeing him like this.

"You won't be hungry, or thirsty. You won't have to worry anymore." The reassuring tone of his voice didn't quite reach his eyes. His expression was a placid one, almost as if he were about to give up. "Just…try to stay somewhere I can find you." I gave him a mischievous grin. I really wanted to cheer him up. Being so glum really wasn't suited to him.

"Alright. I'll stand on a bridge." The expression he gave me made me want to laugh.

"You go near a bridge, and I'll kill you again myself." I couldn't help but giggle at this as the end of a sword touched my forehead.


3 months later…

Byakuya Kuchiki was sitting at his desk, quieter then he usually was, signing papers. His Lieutenant, Abarai Renji walked reluctantly into the room, not wanting to see the scene he knew would greet his eyes. It was depressing, how the Captain was almost like a robot, performing his duties in an icy cold manner. There was no thought in them at all. Renji watched this for a few moments before he had built up enough courage to speak to the colder then usual Captain.

"Taicho…? I have the report." These words caught Byakuya's attention almost instantly, as he looked up at his Lieutenant. There was a small amount of life in his eyes, as if he were hoping for something.

"Did you find her?" Renji gulped. The question made him not want to answer. He almost didn't, but the intent gaze of his Captain brought it out of him.

"Not yet…" As soon as the sentence left Renji's lips, Byakuya ceased to pay attention. Renji sighed, and walked from the room. He couldn't quite understand his Captain's sudden new obsession with girls standing on bridges.


6 months later…

I was hungry, thirsty and more annoyed then I had ever been in my actual life. For a place where you weren't supposed to feel such things, I sure as hell felt them. I sighed to myself, knowing that being angry about it would solve nothing, and pulled my hood over my head in an attempt to block out the noon day sun from my eyes. There had been a strange commotion going on near all of the bridges in the Rukon, for several months now. This bridge in particular was more active then usual. Apparently, one of the Captain's of the shinigami was there, checking on the squad he had assigned to watch the area. The bridge was actually all they were supposed to watch, but they still looked out for the area around it. None of this concerned me anyway, I wasn't going to go near a bridge. Even if I was on fire. At least, until I heard something familiar.

"What's your report?" The voice was deep and cold, yet so very familiar. I couldn't help but peek out from under my hood, just this once was what I told myself. There, behind a large crowd and surrounded by shinigami, was none other then Byakuya Kuchiki. I knew it was useless but I still got up and slowly made my way from my spot against a nearby building, towards the edge of the crowd that had formed several yards away from him. I was glad the spot was far from the bridge, but disappointed because I couldn't get closer to him. It was very noisy, but I tried to speak anyway.

"Ne, Kuchiki-san. I would have thought you'd be doing something constructive. And yet here you are, terrorizing people who are just trying to cross bridges. For shame." I didn't think that he could have heard me over the noise of the crowd, but I was shocked to see his gaze train directly upon me. There was a strange clatter as the crowd went deathly silent, and I realized the noise was a sword being dropped. I was swept up into an awkward embrace so quickly that I nearly lost my breath. I had no time to react.

"Mina…This is most defiantly not a bridge where you are standing." I smiled at the man who's head was buried against my neck, placing a hand upon it.

"Obviously. You said that if I went near a bridge that you'd kill me. So why would I go and stand on one, Kuchiki-san?" He lifted his head to glower at me, and I laughed. That laugh was quickly cut off by his lips against mine. I couldn't help but be surprised, but I had a feeling that the other shinigami, who had fainted, were more surprised then I was.

"Kuchiki-san…"

"Mina…use my name properly." I had no clue how that wasn't a proper way to speak his name, but I wasn't in the mood to question it.

"Byakuya….What was that for?"

"That was punishment." I gave him a strange look, not quite understanding what he meant. For one, how was that a punishment, and two, what was I being punished for? He could say some confusing things sometimes.

"For what?"

"For listening to me and not standing on a bridge."

"Ah I see. Makes sense." It didn't. "Can I ask you for something?" He nodded as he ran his fingers through my hair, completely ignoring the interested stares of the people around us. It was making me nervous, but if he didn't mind, there wasn't much that I could do. He was quite an unreasonable person to fall in love with. "Got anything to eat?" His response? The truest laugh I have ever heard come from his lips.


Author's note: Well, that's the end of the story. If you want any more of it, let me know. I'll think about it. It might take awhile though, I do have a few other projects to do. Thanks for reading!