AN: Well this admittedly comes at a weird time in my own writing. I have a very odd relation with any of the big three but admittedly I did always find this one at the very least tolerable which cannot be said for another member.(One Piece) Anyway while I have no desire to produce any narrative of serious length for the series I have given a great deal of thought of just what I could do in the setting and I came upon this idea. Admittedly it was aided by a recent rewatch of all the episodes revolving around the False Karakura War arc.
And my rediscovering of a appreciation of a handful of sadly very underutilized characters that made it up. Specifically the Primera. One Starrk and Lilynette. I must admit that watching it reawoke some feeling I had for the pair and I found myself basically pushed into writing this as the notion sprung into my head and wouldn't leave me. So basically this was done entirely so that I could be rid of this pang of temporary nostalgia so I could refocus on my other ongoing works.
Basically my idea blends the outcome of Starrk's final battle between the two formats(manga and anime) in which you have Lilynette defeated earlier in the bout but is only within Starrk recuperating until his own death. Hopefully this explanation will explain away a few of the questions that will no doubt be brought up about just how this little outcome occurs.
Well enough with the intro and my rambling, no doubt you are all eager to read what is below...if you aren't why are you even here?
Disclaimer: If I owned Bleach it likely would have ended ages ago and not be anywhere near as well renown as it is given that my style of narrative pacing and structuring is entirely differing from Kubo's.
Its dark.
That one thought was all that was present within her mind, she could see nothing even though her eye was plainly open. She could hear nothing yet she knew her ears were trying intently to listen. She felt nothing, heard nothing, saw nothing. All that was, was darkness and silence...loneliness. She hated being alone, he hated it as well, it was the very construct responsible for their birth after all, whomever they may have been before had been so desperate for companionship in the barren and dead world of Hueco Mundo that that being's very soul and had split into two separate beings. That was their birth, their beginning, and since that day they had always walked together.
'We'll go together. No matter where.' That single voice cascaded down upon her from the darkness and for a brief moment it was shattered by the sheer weight of that statement. It was a pledge of devotion, of a absolute conviction that couldn't be expressed through word or deed but through unshakable belief. For a brief moment she felt like she was truly where she needed to be, apart of something wondrous and beautiful, whole and complete.
It was all too brief however as it seemed just as soon as she was enveloped by that sense of oneness, that completion it was torn from her. The collective perfection fractured and splintered downward, cast to the wind as if it was just broken glass caught in a breeze. Mourning internally at the loss of such closeness was not her way however, no matter how she might desire it, after all she was a being of action, they were a being of action.
More to the point however that sensation left her more puzzled then anything.
What had that been? It seemed like such a long time since she had heard that voice and yet it at the same measure it was familiar, comforting.
Pain sprung into existence from where there had only been a blissful nothing. Searing, and filled with agony that rocked her small lithe frame from head to toe. How was that she could feel such a thing and not simply die from it? How could it be that she had saw her own end come to her and felt the disconnection of her own life from reality and yet still be able to feel this? Was she alive? Was she dead? What had that sensation as the focused wind ate into her frame been if not the ending of her own life?
Yet if she was not dead then did that mean they had survived? They had won against that pompous dandy bastard? Yet if they had won then why was she still experiencing such sensation? She recalled their fight, recalled her sacrificing her body to give to her...other half advantage yet if he had won then no doubt she would have reformed at his side the moment he had recovered enough power. Was he still fighting? Was this a shared sensation? Was she feeling his injuries as if they were her own? 'Damn Shinigami bastards...' the thought echoed with as much malice as she could pull together, all they had wished to do was find somewhere to belong to, some cause that bound them up with comrades that were strong enough to withstand their full might.
A cause found them, He found them and for a time they had been content within it, surrounded by those strong enough to endure their overwhelming power. It didn't matter what that cause was, it could have been anything, anything to shatter the ever present loneliness that had birthed their collective existence. Yet it seemed to be all unraveling at the seams, everything they had fought for, everything they had believed for, their comrades were falling one by one. Even her more aloof other personality felt the sting of loss, after all it was not everyday that one found a being strong enough to survive in their presence for more then a few moments before death came to them.
Because of him, Lord Aizen they had found a collection of those strong enough to withstand their unshackled power. Those who wouldn't simply drop dead in their shadow, the pain came in steady ebbs now replacing the sudden jolts that had broken her from whatever trance or sleep she had been within. Were they dying? Was she to die again? This time without even being conscious of the fact? Without even having the benefit of seeing it coming? Was she to break apart and die? Disappear from the realms without so much as a glimpse of what had occurred? Had Starrk truly fallen? 'After I went to all the trouble of sacrificing myself for that final attack...' Knowing the apathy and sloth that was trademark of the other portion of her soul did not bring her comfort, after all it was equally likely he had simply allowed himself to die rather then fighting onward.
Yet at the same time, he, she, they owed Lord Aizen, to fight for him, to bring his ambitions to their proper outcome. That was a debt that could not be ignored, could never be ignored. It was the first cause they had ever fought for, the first time they had ever been given comrades, allies, a goal, a outcome, for the first time in their existence there was purpose. No Starrk had not given up, they never could abandon such a thing, it was intrinsic to them as their own overbearing loneliness.
It was then for the first time that she realized that darkness that had encompassed her was not as all bearing as she had first made it out to be. Through a single weary and light shy eye she regarded the ruined interior of the building, she knew nothing of the human realm, perhaps at one point the being she had been prior to the separation of their souls had known of such places but not her. Tomes and manuscripts flooded the floor, more had seemingly fallen from tilted or overturned shelves and racks, was this some sort of repository? Or rather a imitation of one given that was indeed a false world.
Trying to gather the energy to right herself was a chore in and of itself, where once their power and been bountiful and overbearing it now seemed depleted, finite...
Dark ichor and blood trailed from her frame as she slowly stood, glancing downward she noted two things-this body was indeed heavily injured as the wear and wounds that covered it were dire indeed. The second however was more pressing, a single vertical indention cut across her rather modest figure leaving uniform in tatters. Shakily placing a hand against her own chest upon the wound she still feel the bite of the blade as it cut through flesh, sinew and into bone with equal ease. Scowling deeply at the wound her hand dropped her to side as she tried to taking a single step only to nearly fall to her knees as the pain once more resurged.
Where? Where was he? 'Where is Starrk?' Why wasn't he helping her? Why wasn't he protecting her? They always looked out of each other, they were all they had for such a long time. Yet he wasn't here, wasn't at her side, wasn't watching her every action from a suitable distance away. His sight something that always been present, a comfort, a reliability, was now absent. Blood pooled from the laceration on her chest, clenching her teeth even as it dribbled downward into the hollow hole that gave away her descent she once more steadied herself. She couldn't feel his Reiatsu, their Reiatsu...it had always been like a beacon and yet now it was gone and she couldn't help but again ponder upon the fact here she was.
Alone, bloodied, and near death, had they truly fallen? Had those final moments in the darkness been the last instances of their collective life? As it stood it seemed she wouldn't last much longer even if she wasn't found and finished off...she didn't even have the strength to manifest her own sword. 'We'll go together. No matter where.' Again those words rebounded within her bloodied horned skull and the realization hit, Starrk hadn't talked like that in such a long time, not since before Aizen, not since their birth. 'No...' She could deal with death, dying together would be one thing, but if he had already fallen and she yet remained...'You left me alone.' No this wouldn't do, this couldn't be right.
They were the same being, their lives were bound together just like their power, the destruction of one warranted the loss of the other, and yet here she remained and Starrk was nowhere to be seen. Yet if her own state was any indicator, if her own level of power was any giveaway...the end couldn't be far from either of them. Taking a single step forward took a immeasurable amount of willpower to snuff away the pain that continued to eat into her, flesh whitening and death approaching all she could do was ensuring that she was not alone. He was not alone. That truth resounded within her, forcing to take step after step, casting her own blood and bile over the fallen tomes as she stepped past them unsteadily, leaning against the wooden frame of the door breathes came in shallow and frantic effort. Her facsimile lungs were burning with exertion as they continued to fruitlessly draw breath to continue her own existence.
Pushing that hunk of wood, artificial creation or not seemed to take a eternity as it slowly pushed away revealing the light radiating from the sun of the artificial world. A single light pinkish eye glared at the sun, she had found the thing to be obnoxious and irritating, unlike the passive and peaceful moon that hung over Hueco Mundo in its enternal night. "What a horrible thing to die under." She mumbled gruffly from blood stained lips as she glanced from side to side, if they had collectively fallen then it would only stand to reason that Starrk would be nearby as well. Even as ichor and blood bubbled and frothed over from the chest wound she pressed onward, she possessed the drive and motivation of their pairing and she would endure this.
Endure until she saw him again, she wouldn't be alone, never again. That was the entire purpose of their allegiance to Aizen, their continued existence, what brought them to war here in this fake disgusting world. She hated this feeling, this pain, it was all too familiar. What if he was already gone? What if she was all that was left? Even if by some twist of fate that she survived these wounds then what? Was she supposed to continue onward in his absence? All that she left where the final words that he spoken so pointedly to her, words that she would return to him again and again if she only had the chance. 'We'll go together. No matter where.' Hazarding a guess at where he might have been pulled herself along the smoothed pavement of the street, step by step, only the sound of her footsteps could be heard, all else was inconsequential.
She would find him, she had to then...then it could end, but only then.
Blood splattered downward in thick trickles and globules staining the black asphalt dark red, wiping her mouth she couldn't help but find this somewhat amusing. Usually her other half was the lethargic one, yet she couldn't seem to muster any of her usual alacrity or energy. 'We are the same...' That thought brought comfort but also a sense of loss, if he truly had died then...she supposed she would have to die as well. They would be together, if not in this world, not in this reality, then perhaps in the next...She was brought to her knees by a sudden surge of Reiatsu it was familiar, potent and strong, the energy was outpouring and concentrated. "The battle's still going on then...must be three." She grimaced as she rose despite the thick density of the concentrated energy and continued forward, she wished her...ally the best but she couldn't stop now, besides she was hardly in the shape to go into battle anyway.
'Not that I would be much help to begin with'...her earlier bout with that white haired old man had proven that, she wasn't up to the task of engaging their level of opponents evenly. She needed Starrk for their true power, their true potential to be unleashed, without him she was...weak. Wasn't that what they had always wanted on some level? To be weak, to be normal, so they would be among others without them simply dying in their presence? Hah, perhaps it had never been her that been truly strong, perhaps their divide in powers had been more then a split but rather a majority going to the other half. She found that she didn't mind if that train of thought proved accurate, either way they would be one. They were of the same soul after all, it didn't matter about power or Reiatsu or killing ability, at the end of the day those things were transitory, beneath their bond.
Whether they were strong or weak, they would always have each other.
Her footsteps became uneven as her vision swam from her singular eye. 'Where are you?' That thought continued onward forever within her mind. They had never been separate, not truly, he had always been there, always at her side or close enough nearby to come to her aide if she required it. As the road forked however she noted a dip, stepping a single step further she stopped in her tracks. Dead center within the road, the pavement was chipped and fractured, torn by the hard impact of battle, glancing downward into the meter deep passage she continued to stare downward.
Resting amid the rubble, broken and bloodied lay her other half.
This couldn't be real.
She couldn't be all alone, he would never leave her side, he couldn't. He understood, he understood the pain. How had this happened? How had he died and not herself? Pain radiating outward from her chest reminded her all too clearly of the severity of her own injury. 'Correction...how had he died, and I merely got off with a mortal wound?' How was she alive to begin with? She had cast aside herself to obliterate the enemy, to ensure Starrk's victory. Yet she obviously retained some amount of herself and power, her form still existing was proof enough of that.
But her other half, the reminder of her soul...stepping downward into the trench that had been dug by his body, into the cool and dried blood that stained his grave she felt nothing but horror at this sight. This explained the absence of his spiritual pressure, the absence of his collected and calm sight upon her, the absence of him at her side. He no longer could be her companion, but this wasn't how it was supposed to be. This was as far wrong as it possibly could have gone, for him to just go ahead and die, without her? To leave her alone, to slowly die in his grave? Did her other half hide a sadistic streak from her? Was this just some sort of warped and morbid joke?
Would he rise in a moment and play it as if he had been sleeping? If that proved true she would pummel him! Or kiss him! Or pummel him and then kiss him and ensure that he would never leave her side ever again. Yet she knew that wasn't true, he did not draw breath, the blood that caked his chest was far too present and his total absence of Reiatsu gave pressing evidence that he was in fact dead. 'Don't leave me alone...' That singular thought comprised all she had on this matter, the entirety of her thought on it. Sinking to her knees, flesh grating against twisted fragments of stone, gravel and blood it was ignored in favored of just staring at the bare face of the other half of her existence.
Summoning up her energy she tried to shake his cut and torn arm, the flesh felt cold and clammy beneath her fingers. Rocking it back and forth did not wake him, no matter how hard she shook him, no matter how many times she pinched, scratched or punched his flesh remained deaden and unresponsive. Tears streamed from her one present eye as it regarded, the rest of her being, the other half of her soul, what was the point of living now? Even if she survived whatever had been done to them, would there be purpose to that? She was absent all of the strength that had made them so valuable to Lord Aizen, they truly were now incapable of repaying their debt to him.
That was unfortunate, she didn't like leaving things off as they were now but what choice did she have? To continue onward without him, it would be unthinkable, even if she eventually recovered their total to power, to be able to house within her being, what would she do? Continue to serve Aizen, she supposed he was owed that from her but even still...The thought of pressing onward alone until the end of this war, whenever that was...it was too much.
"Starrk!" Her voice cracked and broken from equal parts disuse and blood frothing upward from her throat. Her mournful howl did not rouse him just as her assault upon his body hadn't. Her head dropped downward in acceptance, at the very least she wouldn't have to linger here alone for much longer. Her internals were crying out for restoration and healing and she was in no mood to oblige even if she had been capable of such a feat.
No...she would die here and she would welcome it. burying her head in Starrk's bloodied tunic was comfort enough for now, she would at the very least be at his side for her own passing. Leaving here alive was now a non-factor, she doubted she would leave his side even if she had been capable of further movement. No it was inconceivable, perhaps her own death had been staved off by the fact her physical body hadn't been in existence at the time, that she had been recalled back to Starrk's own form to recuperate within. Perhaps in that time she had been able to regain enough energy to manifest in this way, but by the time she had been roused...would it have been different had she returned to his side? Could they have defeated that Captain together? At the very least in that scenario even had they lost, it would have been together in close proximity.
Breathing in shakily and letting out a shuddering exhale she couldn't but find this somewhat right. Even if they were separated briefly, it would only be until her body gave out, and at the current rate of its failing that wouldn't be too far off now. Staring into those blank bluish gray orbs that regarded the sky above them with such disinterest and apathy she couldn't help but smile. Even in death he remained the same, nothing could rouse him from his sleep, nothing was important enough to be considered pressing to the extent required to expend even the smallest amount of effort. Even now she could hear the his voice chiding her for holding him so closely, for refusing to quit his side. "I'm dead Lilynette, you don't need to remain any longer." Yes even now she could hear the words that he would undoubtedly speak.
"You moron, I'm never leaving your side." She shot back quietly without heat. Yes it wouldn't be too much longer now, then she could rejoin him and properly scold him for leaving her alone to face death. She would forgive him though, she knew that, and he undoubtedly knew that. Even as she faced her own end however, it seemed death had not stopped coming to their side of things, she felt the sputtering of third's Reiatsu as her own life undoubtedly came to a end. 'Another comrade dead...' Those Shinigami did nothing but take away reasons for existing, to remove anything that they might have had if this had gone a differing way.
Yet the same time as the Third Espada fell she felt something familiar, that oppressing and overpowering aura that clung to a man that commanded even more power then they had in their prime...Lord Aizen himself had taken the field it seemed. 'Hope he kills you all...' That was her prayer, her desire, Aizen would go on and claim his destiny, and rule over whatever he dreamed of ruling, and that would be that, their deaths, would nothing but a small stepping stone to him but to them, his ascendance would make this all worth while. Perhaps there had been some merit to their destruction then, if their debt could be repaid so easily, then so be it.
Yes it would have to be enough...Their lives given in service of weakening Lord Aizen's enemies would have to be...even if it wasn't sufficient, what else could she offer by this point? She had nothing left to give the man who had saved them from their crippling loneliness. Nothing save the one thing she had left, her life and that was coming to a end in leaps and bounds. Her wounds had slowed their bleeding to a trickle, if it was if she was already dead and her body hadn't realized it yet. Her frame tightened as she was rocked by a bout of struggling for breath as yet more blood cascaded from her lips to stain the already crimson attire of her other self. As the seizing ceased she found she could no longer make out Starrk's face through her blurring sight but that was alright.
She knew what to look for in the next world if such a thing existed for their kind...She could never forget that face. Fingers tightening on his thick duster she left out a held breath.
It was time, her Arrancar heritage and former power had bought her as much as it could and finally even that had been expended.
'Time to die...' Tilting her head back into the chilled blood and gore that decorated his chest, nestling next to his bloodied wounds and viscera she felt...at peace.
Coughing weakly and regarding the sky a final time staring up at the false world that was to be their tomb, vision swimming and heart shuddering to a halt Lilynette Gingerbuck, the surviving half the First Espada died atop the frame of the other half. 'I don't regret it...I don't regret coming here, dying here...as long as I am with you...Wait for me Starrk, I'll be along soon.'
AN: Well...Fuck I need a drink. *Goes to fetch whiskey* First off this shit was just depressing as hell to write, those two deserved such a happier ending to their tale but given that their end was so profound and tragic it inspired me to write this depressing little tale. I mean its saddening to me at the very least as I found the pair pretty compelling, but what the hell do I know anyway...I mean I write fanfiction for goodness sake. Speaking of that this is basically my first Bleach fanfiction that has ever been even vaguely completed past the rough draft phase, and this is including the time when I was actually a active member of the fandom which coincidentally ended about the same time these two fell in battle.
In my opinion the series just sunk into the shitter once the White Invasion concluded and we had to wait a billion episodes until Aizen was finally defeated.
Still this note isn't about me griping on Bleach, its about me sending my love to the two characters in the series that most captured my attention.
Rest In Peace Coyote Starrk and Lilynette Gingerbuck...You guys sure as shit deserved better then you got and I am sorry I was unable to give you that, all I can do is writing more depressing bullshit like this and you guys had enough of that in the actual canon.
:(
Well as heart rending as this was for me, I will still request favorite, follows and reviews especially given as I stated above this is my first Bleach fanfiction and would like to know just how well I did with capturing personalities and what have you.
Till next time
-Reborn Akatsuki