Atonement.1

To feel is to have sentient thought. He could see, could hear, could speak yet did not have this simple sensation. Did not understand why the humans and the like put such emphasis behind something so trivial. So meaningless. A feeling was something he could not see therefore it did not exist. He believed in only that which the emerald eyes of his that chilled the Shinigami before him to the bone could see. It was as if he could see right through her to her absolute being.

The fragile, frail part of her that supported the meager life system upon which all life is based. Defiantly she dared to raise her sword, hesitance in her manner for it was quite obvious she could not take him. Fear, coppery, and almost metallic tasting he could sense it in the air. Did she know she was to die? That the white sands were to be stained red with her blood? He would devour her soul and all that it contained within it.

~~~*~~~

The Hollow made the first move. Unafraid for the horror of that night and the nightmares it entailed still hadn't left her. That's what she was here for wasn't she? For atonement. To atone for murdering Kaien-dono. Rukia remembered the words he said and thought briefly: please give me strength, wherever you are.

She swung out, dealing a partial slice to the Hollow's arm. Evading a swipe aimed for her torso, she leapt upward, bending her body and twisting to the side as she skimmed the sand and delivered two diagonal cuts to the snow-white skin. Her feet skated and then she twirled her blade, bringing it down across the creature's neck. The cold blade landed heavily in the sand as the Hollow had vanished in a fast moving blur. Rukia spun around, her eyes darting, catching faint movements in a semicircle around her. Calculating the odds of landing a strike, she lunged to the left and sharply felt pain tear into her side.

Liquid seeped wetly, causing the black kimono to cling stickily to her skin. Gritting her teeth, she jerked around and met the face of the Hollow only inches from hers. Unruly jet-black hair stuck out from the bottom of the horned mask, jaws gaping neared her cheek. Foul breath rattled noisily from the confining airways beneath the bone. Rukia felt herself sway, perhaps it was a combination of the sleeplessness that had plagued her in Seireitei, or the guilt she felt since that night over a month ago…but as her sword hit the sand with a soft thump she collapsed along with it.

~~~To be continued or not?~~~

A/N: don't own Bleach. How on earth did this get done? :o ? I may end up deleting it just to let you guys know…Not sure myself…ahem, well obviously au and um…hmm please review and tell me what you thought of it!