Author's notes: This story is partially AU. If you have any questions about the plot line, send me a pm and I'll try to help you out as much as I can. Of course, I wouldn't spoil anything though.

Warnings: mild language and violence (I blame Grimmy (for the most of it at least) :P)

Disclaimer: Bleach and all its characters belong to Tite Kubo.

Hounoku no Ai (Love of the Magnolia/ A Magnolia's Love)

Chapter 14

And the last petal falls

"This is goodbye," I said quietly to his obliterated body. I sheathed my zanpakuto and walked away. The remaining hollows would all fall quickly now that their leader was gone.

"You shouldn't turn your back to an opponent in a fight."

"What?!"

The lines of hollows suddenly regrouped and increased in strength again, but that wasn't the main problem.

His energy, his presence surged greater than the time he fought the hardest during our fight. A strong gale blew the dust away from here and towards the mountains.

I made an effort to move, but I felt soft cloth press against my cheek and the gently whispered words in my ear.

"Bala"

I felt my knees touch the floor, saw the color of the world pale, and tasted the salty iron taste in my mouth before I felt the tearing pain in my stomach.

Blood rushed out of my mouth in coughs as I hit the floor once again.

I forced myself to crawl back onto my knee and I held my stomach, hoping that in some way, the wound would close quickly and before I lost too much blood. It did not.

"You… how?" I managed to choke out as I looked at him. He stood so close now, yet so far away. He was only a few feet away, but I couldn't cut him, I couldn't reach him.

I couldn't kill him.

"You should know better than anyone that that was the stupidest move you could have made." His voice rang out clearly.

How?

Pulling Seiishi out of its sheath, I immediately released it without calling its name. I felt him appear from behind me. Stay Away! I swung Seiishi at him, but he caught it with his hands.

"Is this supposed to be hurt?" he asked with malice as his stared me straight in the eye. I felt myself shiver against my will and control at his words. I tried to force my spirit energy into the blade, but only then did I notice how weak Seiitsu no Ishi's light had gotten. I saw a cero forming at his finger tips and I quickly reared back to counter it. Suddenly it disappeared and I felt a palm thrust really close to my face. "Just kidding." He said. I let out a muffled cry of agony as I barely blocked his attack with my arm but was sent flying back.

I knew that if I had not blocked that last attack, my head would be rolling.

I knew because my arm was now broken in at least four places. My head hurt from lack of blood and I wondered if I began hallucinating.

Ulquiorra stood with his hands in his pockets and his sword sheathed. Did he deem that I was no longer a threat to him? His major wounds (which I had relied on to poison and hurt him if I had failed) were gone, all that was there was the ripped cloth of his shirt. His burns were gone and everything except for the smallest dot where a needle had been able to sink its way completely into his upper wrist was gone.

"It's true that Seiitsu no Ishi is a weapon crafted perfectly and solely for the destruction of evil beings and that there are no weaknesses in the weapon itself. The weakness lies in the user."

I glared at him and using one arm, I tried to force myself into a sitting position and straighten the bones in my broken right arm.

"You know more than anyone that that Zanpakuto's energy is derived from your purity and your emotions. But if your purity and your emotions clash, what will happen? Something will have to give. That was your first mistake, depleting Seiitsu no Ishi of the pure energy it needs to function. Second," he began walking towards me and I began to fear him. I felt myself attempt to slink away from him while reaching for Seiishi that was knocked out of my hand in his last blow. Did I have enough energy to attempt that?

In one undetectable sonido, he stepped on and crushed the bow in half and, for a moment, seeing it break made me feel like my heart was breaking all over again. Seiishi had been my hope and support for the last thousand or more years. I had seen it break plenty of times when fighting, but seeing Ulquiorra break it crushed my spirits all over again.

I had little time to spend on that though before I felt something solid (his hand most likely) pierce through my already open wound and continue all the way through till my body was split by a new hole in my abs. I felt the air leave me and I struggled to breathe as blood decided to try to become the new air. This time, the injury was much more poignant and potent. I could not, no matter how much I begged my legs and arms, stand up again. Pain, numbness, pain, numbness, was the pattern of feelings I felt. I felt my head grow light and my body grow heavy. I remember falling, remembering being caught by something hard that I had become too acquainted with known as the floor. I couldn't speak for my chest and throat felt constricted.

Then I heard his voice penetrating through the heaviness in soft and painful waves.

"You're arrow of hatred might have worked against a few low leveled hollows, but for someone of my caliber, it is easy for me to deflect and/or absorb. Remember, I can not be hurt by your type of darkness. Grey will look black on a white canvas but grey will look white on a black canvas. Seiitsu no Ishi is a projection of personality. We both know that it isn't in your nature to harbor such hatred."

Strangely, I felt cold and saddened as darkness threatened to over take me. I had failed.

"Ul-quiorra," I managed to gasp out, I struggled to make my eyes focus. I could see a gargantuan pathway opening in front of me.

I felt warm tears flood my eyes further destroying my vision.

"Why? Why must it be this way every time!? Will you just kill me in one blow for once or am I not worth killing?!" I cried softly.

"I have no orders to kill you," he said in an indifferent tone. I felt more coldness flood me and more tears come streaming out. There was so much more I wanted to say. So much more I wanted to yell at him for, yet I felt helpless and useless. I felt myself succumbing to exhaustion.

He hesitated before he spoke.

"Let's meet again,"

"Let's not,"

"Hime."

My mind became instantly alert as his words reached my ears even though my body did not. I stared at his retreating form through glassy eyes.

He didn't look back as the pathway closed.

He said it, I can't believe he said it.

I ground my fist into the floor in agitation as the sleepy feeling began irritating me beyond belief.

"Damn him!" I gritted out hoarsely.

How dare he! How dare he remember and disregard? How dare he mention it in front of me. How dare he say those words again?!

With the departure of their leader, the hollows which were actually low class Adjuchas (AN: That explains why they were so tough! :] ), disappeared as well. Urahara and Ichigo ran forward to meet me, but no one dared approach me in my distraught state.

I felt too weak to sob anymore and, after closing my eyes and releasing the few tears that slipped out regardless, I gave up trying to fight either death or unconsciousness. I didn't know which I was falling into this time. I had failed, I didn't have the right to live. "I'm sorry, everyone," I whispered quietly. My wounds weren't healing on their own at all like they usually did. I felt myself grow cold and drown in the ocean. I didn't care anymore. Whether it was death or a coma I was falling into, it was all the same to me. There was nothing left for me anyways.

-*-*-*-*-

I have always been this way,

Even before I met you again.

What do you expect?

You weren't there to heal me.

You left me on my own.

Hey you, did you know?

I have always felt ready to crumble,

But the moment I met you again,

I think I did.

Author's notes

I wouldn't like to call everything up until now a prologue, but this is the end to the introduction of my story. I apologize to those of you who would see more soul society interaction because it's not going to be coming back for a while. From here on out begins our Alternative Universe/AU section. This part of the story was completely my creation. I hope you enjoyed it so far and I hope you will continue to enjoy it. Leave your comments in the review box! I still welcome pictures!

-Aisumi