Disclaimer: Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. I'm not Tite Kubo, therefore I don't own Bleach. This is logic, no?

This is meant to be a one shot but it's got potential for more. My head is running with this as a beginning to a bigger story, but my track record with multi-chaps is rather...sketchy to put it nicely. However I'm going to put this up anyway and see what becomes of it. *shrug* Maybe I'll manage to write up something of a follow-up to it.

Name: The End of the Beginning (?)
Pairing: ByaHime
Songs: Never Meant to Belong Bleach OST

It was a surprise.

The world spun around her in a rolling mess that she could not keep up with nor make sense of. The shriek of twisting, buckling metal and the shattering of glass mixed with the thuds of the vehicle colliding with the asphalt was all that filled her ears.

But it was still a surprise.

Of all the shinigami she had befriended over the years, she had not expected him to be the one to be there to perform Konso on her soul.

Even though all her other senses were in disarray her keen ability to detect Reiatsu was fully operational. It was difficult for someone like her to miss his powerful presence as he stepped though a freshly opened Senkaimon. Even though her eyes were shut she could sense enough to paint a good enough picture of the spectator shinigami.

Finally the car stopped rolling, dropping heavily onto its tyres and the fuel tank popping from the turbulent crash and ensuing flips. Orihime's eyes barely opened. Blood trailed over her right eye obscuring half her already poor vision. She could just make him out, standing solemnly on the sidewalk and looking at her mangled wreck of a car. Looking at her.

And suddenly now that Death had come to take her, she felt scared and guilty. Sado had died younger than them all. His strong body could only take so much of a thrashing. He was still a mortal. He had gone out valiantly; fighting against a foe with far more power than he. Ichigo and Uryuu were still protecting Karakura Town and there was no doubt in her mind that they would defend it until they died. They wouldn't die like her; in a car crash. It was a shameful way for her to go.

Despite the pain that screamed throughout her body, she began to cry silently and quickly blurred her remaining sight. She vaguely heard the scuff of sandals stop beside her broken window. After a few moments something touched her cheek, wiping away her tears. She tried to talk to him but all that came out was a faint wheeze. His hand gently reached down to settle over her, his fingers mirroring her shaking ones.

It was odd to have Death holding your hand. But she was grateful for the steadfast companionship he provided in her last moments.

"You must let go of your body, Orihime."

She knew he was right. She had to let go if she wanted to pass on. But she wasn't ready to. The more she thought about who and what she was leaving behind, the more she wanted to live on.

"I know you can do it."

All she could do was loll her head toward him in her attempt to shake her head and say 'I can't.'

"Orihime, you have nothing to fear. All you have is friends in Soul Society. People who love you and will take care of you."

Her bloodied lips struggled to form anything let alone an 'I know.'

"…I've grown too fond of you to see you linger here and suffer the fate of a bound spirit…"

He might not have realised she heard him. He cared…about her. Of all the things that had happened to her today, to hear those words from him was the most surprising.

But he was right, again. If she stayed she would never want to leave. She didn't want to follow her brother's path and begin to hurt the ones she loved so much.

'I have to go. Tatsuki…I'll miss you. Please don't be sad. I'm sure I'll see you again, and Uryuu and Ichigo for sure!'

She felt cool night air on her face suddenly as her soul and body separated with a pop. Her Soul Chain rattled as she fell forward and was caught by two strong arms. But they didn't let go of her. Instead they held her close to a warm chest in a hug that was comforting and protective.

When released from the embrace Orihime stood on her own feet and gazed up into eyes that mirrored a shade of grey only slightly darker than her own.

"Byakuya…Thank you."

He lowered his head slightly to look downward, as if embarrassed at his actions. Orihime glanced back at the wreckage and her face fell into shock. Her body was covered in blood. Her legs were squashed under the steering wheel , crushed by the engine bay, and there was glass embedded in the pale skin of her arms. Blood left a trail down over the right side of her face and lips, mixed with her final tears.

Orihime turned her back to the scene and looked down. Her Soul Chain jangled again, the only thing binding her to the corpse, and even that was beginning to slowly flake away as the life left her body. A hand reached out to touch the chain and when skin met metal a jolt ran through her soul; her soul that was still fresh and sensitive.

He traced the links up to the anchor just below her collarbone and rested his palm over it. She shivered slightly at the raw unfamiliar Soul-to-Soul contact. Suddenly she knew what most of the shinigami meant when they called a gigai 'heavy'. She felt light; lighter than anything she'd ever felt before.

Another tremble rolled through her as he ran a finger over the circular edge of the cold metal plate. She reached up and held his hand still, surprising him as she grew accustomed to his touch. At first his fingers had brought on a cold foreign sensation, the kind that you received when touching metal. But the longer she held onto him the warmer he felt. It gave her a sense of being whole.

Suddenly remembering something, her free hand moved up to her head and eased her two blue hairpins out of sunburnt orange locks and cradled them tenderly in her palm.

'Ayame, Shuno, Baigon, Lily, Hinagiku, Tsubaki…Thank you all so much…'

She heard all of them reply and smiled slightly. The she pressed the two pins into his hand that she was still holding. Looking back up at him and noticing his surprise she offered a smile.

"I'm entrusting them to you until we meet again. If I give you my Shun Shun Rikka I'm sure that we will!"

Slowly his long slim fingers curled around the delicate pins and he nodded. Orihime let go of his hand and bobbed her head once, the now loose strands falling around her face.

"I'm ready."

He drew his blade, cutting the Soul Chain in one swift motion. Orihime flinched and the sound and the feeling that seared through her. He waited until she gave the word once again. One deep breath later and she looked at him, smiling warmly.

"I'll see you again in Soul Society, right Byakuya?"

Something of a smile found its way onto his face.

"Without a doubt."

Her grin widened as he raised the bottom of his sword to her forehead. After a second he gently pressed Senbonzakura to her soul. Orihime's being erupted with pale blue glowing light. After one last glimpse of her radiant smile, her soul shrank into a blindingly bright ball of light and soared up into the sky. Maybe it was because he hadn't done a Konso in a long time, but her soul looked brighter than any other he'd seen.

When she faded from view he looked down at the hairpins in his hand. Apparently her incredible powers, her Shun Shun Rikka, what he held in the palm of his hand, stemmed from her soul. If that was indeed the case then Byakuya was sure that he would be able to find her in Soul Society.

He too had felt the warm that was created at their touch. It was unlike anything he'd ever known but somewhere deep inside he knew that they had forged a connection. Their souls had resonated so deeply, he wondered if the bond would ever fade.

As usual, R&R if you like it/think it could be better/think I used the same word too often/think I should continue it, etc etc.

P.S. Orihime's in about her early-mid 20's here so she's known the Shinigami for about 7-9 years I suppose.

IMPORTANT NOTE!: If I decide to continue this it would be in a seperate fic. The title wouldn't exactly fit a continuation.