Hi there!

It's been a while, i know! Actually i was planning to take a pause of a couple of months or something from writing any bleach stories. I also had some doubts regarding if i should continue this story or not because of the Haruna issue and not only, but then i kept receiving update requests...so here i am once again!

I know that with this story there are only two ways. You're loving it or you're hating it :)), but thanks for all the messages and the reviews sent for the last two months (more,less i don't remember when i last updated). Each and one of them counts!

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The curse and the cure part 3

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From the last chapter:

Still standing on the porch, Haruna turned to her father with a pitiful look:

"Judging by your look it appears that you still remember the content of that letter… Then you must also remember that I asked you to guard my happiness, not to destroy it!" she snapped angry.

Goroza only bowed his head silently. He loved his daughter and in that moment he thought he had done the right thing. How could he explain her that?

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"Father... love is a losing game!" Haruna suddenly said in silence of the rainy night. "I'm glad you never were in love with mom"

She finished her cigarette and headed to her room, but Goroza grabbed her hand.

"Don't you dare to try to comfort me!" she growled angry. "Who's fault is for all this? I told you to guard my happiness not to destroy it! Toto never looked at me after his parents died! Do you understand? It's because his parents died!"

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~~Flashback~~

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Haruna startled in her sleep as she felt some soft cold lips on her the back of her head. She opened her eyes smiling as she embraced the owner of those lips: Byakuya.

"I don't even know when i fell asleep... I guess I was tired. You're exhausting me, Toto. Did you know that?"

"I'm sorry Miss Ryoing, i will make sure that won't happen again." he said with an ironic but formal voice as he got and put some clothes in him.

Her eyes widened and grabbing him by his waist, she pulled him back on the bed. She approached him with a playful smile and as she slightly bit his earlobe, she whispered:

"Don't even joke with that!".

"I see... is this your way of asking for more?

"More…" she groaned and purred like a kitty as he kissed her lips. He started to look for her naked skin underneath the sheets as she was slowly putting her legs around his waist. He kissed her again, but then he suddenly stopped. He backed off with a serious glare.

"Nene-cha! It's late "he stated. "My parents, your father... they're waiting for us. We were supposed to be there half an hour ago!

Haurna gasped annoyed.

"Just when i was starting to enjoy myself!"

He got up from her.

"Nene-cha, we did nothing but this for the last three weeks..." he said while he started to pack.

"You sound displeased... don't tell me that you got bored already!"

Closing the suitcase he approached her piercing with his grey eyes.

"Nene-cha... we can continue this later. No, i correct myself: we will definitely continue this later, but now i really want to meet my family. I haven't seen then in a year!"

And after he said that he forcedly removed her from her gigai. When they were both in their shinigami uniforms, Byakuya grabbed her hand and he said:

"At three... 1...2...

"I will certainly miss the human world…" she said with a sight.

3!"

And they shunpoed.

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When they reached for the Kuchiki manor, the army of servant immediately surrounded them. Ignoring them, Haurna let go of Byakuya's hand and ran inside the house calling for he father.

"Daddy!" she shouted as she jumped in his arms like five years old child.

"You're finally back! I thought i'll never get to see you again. Oh...but you got thinner! Did Byakuya take good care of his wife?"

But Byakuya stopped in the threshold of the main room with a disquieted expression. His grandfather was there. Goroza Ryoing and the Elders were present, as well, but they were all dressed in black. A little confused, he approached his grandfather and made a bow.

"Welcome back, Byakuya!" Ginrei said.

Byakuya frowned. His grandfather's voice sounded strange.

"Grand father... why is everybody dressed in black?" Byakuya asked.

Ginrei lowered his gaze, but didn't say a word. A heavy silence suddenly filled the room and Haruna parted from her father. She returned to Byakuya with a worried expression and she grabbed his hand. Byakuya didn't respond to her gesture, his eyes scanning the room in order to find his parents.

"Grandfather... where is my father … where is my mother?" he asked with a white voice.

On that question the whole room froze. Byakuya's heartbeats slowed, as a dark feeling took over him.

"My child..." Goroza broke the silence. "There are moments when..."

"Where are my parents?" Byakuya asked once again with a voice colder than eyes.

This time Ginrei approached him.

"Byakuya...your father along with your mother are now an eternal part of Soul Society" he said.

"They're dead..." Goroza completed. "I'm sorry"

In that moment Byakuya violently let go of Haruna's hand.

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A day passed... a week... a month...two months. Haruna moved to the Kuchiki manor before the wedding, but she didn't get to talk to Byakuya. She was seeing in the garden or at his headquarters, but they never exchanged more than five words. He was changed. His parent's death affected him more than anyone presumed. He didn't shed a tear when he saw the graves. He just closed himself in his inner world, not wanting anything... not wanting anyone...

And one night, Haruna considered that this situation had gone too far and Byakuya needed to pull himself together. She headed to his room and entered without knocking. She found him standing on his feet, in the middle of the room like a statue. The sight gave Haruna the creeps.

"Toto?" she asked.

"What do you want, Haruna?" he answered without facing her.

She froze. His voice was cold... and he had never called her "Haruna" before. Yet she took the courage in her hands and approached him:

"It can't go on this way any longer!"

"You are right..." he replied emotionlessly. "But an engagement of such importance can't be easily broken"

He eyes widened. She couldn't believe what she has just heard.

"Toto... is it about us now? Have i done something that i wasn't aware of?"

"No, Haruna. This is not about you or us, because i can't think about us anymore. I have other things on my mind now."

Those words hurt her, but she was not planning to give up so easily. She approached him and took his face her hands.

"Toto stop it! You're hurting yourself!... Stop pretending you're strong and none of this affects you. " Cry! For Kami's sake! You can cry! No one can see you! I swear I'll take care of you pain and your tears!"

He frowned, but his eyes were void. He suddenly leaned and kissed her. She thought that he was back to his senses, ready to go retake their old relationship, but something was wrong. His kisses lacked the emotion. He just kept pressing his lips on her. Harder and harder until it started to hurt her.

"Toto... stop it!"

But he didn't listen. He pulled her closer.

"Toto..."

She missed to have him close. But she didn't want him this way. He was kissing her, but his mind was elsewhere, while his heart was made of ice. He didn't want to make love with her. He just wanted comfort. Something that could entertain him for a couple of hours and distract him from the memory of his parents. She gathered all her strength and pushed him away.

"Have you gone mad?" she hissed. "Come to your senses, Toto! Do you think that my body could actually chase your pain away?"

He turned around and took a few steps toward the porch.

"You are right, it can't... nor you or your body can't chase away my pain" he replied.

And Haruna understood in that moment: Byakuya didn't need her anymore.

"But don't worry, Haruna... I promised to marry you and so i will because I won't ashamed you or your family."

She put a hand over her mouth to her chin from trembling. In that moment she could see her whole life in front of her eyes: and endless string years spend in loneliness. She could see Byakuya trapped in a loveless marriage. She could see herself trapped in a one sided love.

She left his room.

In that night Haruna disappeared from Seireitei. She was nowhere to be found for the next four months, right before the wedding.

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~~End Flashback~~

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Despite all her reproaches, Goroza kept holding his daughter's hand.

"Haruna, my child... it's been almost 70 years and you never cried one...You don't have to be that strong... You can stumble from time to time because I'm here to catch you..."

Her eyes widened and slowly fell on her knees, as Goroza took her in her arms.

"You can cry. No one will hear you in this poor rain..." he said and he felt her body trembling along his her warm tears.

And she cried. Louder than the rain. Louder than her love and her regrets. Goroza knew she hated the sound of her own tears so he begun to sing in order to cover her sob. He always used to sing her that song whenever as a child, she was getting herself in troubles.

"Haruna, quit living on dreams

Haruna, life is not what it seems

Such a lonely little girl in a cold, cold world

There might be someone who needs you

Haruna, you're lost in the night

Don't want to struggle and fight

There's someone who gone mad needing you..."

Goroza's voice was slowly mixing with the rain's music both trying to cover Haruna's grief. But both of them were useless. She needed something stronger to make her tears stop. And that's when a strange spiritual pressure made its appearance in Seireitei.

Haruna suddenly raised her face from her father's lap. Her tears stopped and her eyes sparkled wildly:

"She's here!"

Goroza stretched his neck and turned his gaze to the direction of the Seikamon gate.

"Why is her reiatsu so strong and unstable?"

Haruna's eyes widened horrified.

"No way! I'm going to kill her!"

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Rukia passed through the Seikamon gate, but the moment she stepped on Seireitei, she felt on one knee as she couldn't control her reiatsu anymore. She felt exhausted. She felt like she couldn't recognize her reiatsu or her body anymore. After a few seconds of confusion, her eyes suddenly widened and she fell on both of her knees.

"No! It cannot be!"

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"Impossible!" Rukia's reason kept shouting, while back at the hotel room Ichigo's was pretending that he didn't hear the sound of the closing door.

"I'll kill her! I'll kill them both before Central 46 will!" Haruka kept yelling from the father's arms that were holding her tighter and tighter since she was slowly going insane.

"You're my curse, Haruna!" The father's inner voice kept repeating. "You and Oza… and this whole damned Kuchiki clan! We are all monsters and Oza will be right to kill us. We deserve it!"

But miles away, Oza had other curses to fight with: like a mad man he was hitting with the Kazuki Blade all that came across him. "There's no cure!" he yelled and threw away the sword with hate. "I paid with my life for this blade… and now I have to learn that I trade my life for nothing! There's no cure for my curse!"

And Oza wasn't the only one who knew everything about curses without cure. Byakuya reached his hand in the darkness and whispered the name of his beloved one: "Rukia". She was close. She was back. And yet all he could see was Haruna's shadow on the porch, beyond the paper widow… beyond the night that was slowly turning into day. It was the longest night… the most unexpected one…and now it was finally coming to an end.

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Next time i'll FINALLY bring Byakya's and Rukia's confrontation. Until then let me know what you think. The reviews are encouraging me to continue this story.