DV: Hello loyal subscrubbers (and those of you who are not), as you may have noticed, this is not the rewrite for Memento Mori. No, this is something far grander. I assure you it is both relevant and very important. For those of you who have read Memento Mori, this will have many elements that have changed to accommodate the updated universe of the rewrite (which is currently on hiatus while I do more world building in my notes on it).
US- Basically, this is a collaboration thing. I am Undying Soul 98, and effectively highjacking this section of the Author Notes (Insert shameless advertisement for my fics here). Due to various Reasons I was approached about the idea of a collaboration crossover thing between my fic and his, and this is the strange, strange lovechild. You don't need to have read both stories to enjoy this, but it would probably help if you WERE familiar with Upon the Wingbeat of Butterflies or Memento Mori.
DV: Also, this is AU to the original fanfictions included in this. What that means is that don't assume any backstory is a spoiler for the original works, it may or may not be. Furthermore, this first chapter has two POV's in it. This will not be the norm, so don't expect long chapters all the time, and only expect one POV per chapter.
US- Just throwing it in there that this Marcus is particularly AU, and way ahead of where things presently are in the UWB timeline. Just saying. Anyway… BEHOLD! The crossover nobody asked for, between two fanfics barely anyone has heard of, from two authors nobody likely cares for! So sit back, and enjoy...
Disclaimer: Neither of us own Bleach. It belongs to Tite Kubo, while the individual fanfics we're crossing over belong to each of us respectively.
Marcus I
At the end of the day, Marcus had known that it would inevitably come to this. From the very first time he'd met Omega, there had been no doubt that either Marc would kill him, or be killed in return.
Killing a friend tends to evoke that reaction in a person. Killing all of their friends one by one doubly so.
"Well Marc, it appears we've reached the end, doesn't it?" the man said calmly, looking off into the distance. Around him were the buildings that Marc had memorised long ago from years of patrolling- Marcus couldn't help but think of all the people that would be put in danger due to him deciding to confront the killer.
Then again, Marc could admit that he wasn't exactly the most morally upstanding person at the moment, and that with all of his closest allies dead, he really didn't care if the people of Karakura Town were harmed. It was a price he was willing to pay to finally wipe the smugness from the masked features of the bastard, and finally end his wretched existence.
Because that was the only way Marc could describe Omega- wretched.
He'd been in the fictional world of Bleach for around sixteen years, survived the Academy and became a Shinigami, quickly climbed the ranks, picked fights with many people way out of his league, somehow avoided playing into the hands of Aizen's schemes, and had made lots of enemies.
Yet even among people like Sosuke Aizen, Ulquiorra Cipher and the rest of the monstrosities the Gotei 13 regularly fought, Omega still counted as the enemy Marcus could stand the least.
"Got nothing to say?" Omega asked, crossing his metal plated arms. When somebody's entire body is hidden by bronze armour and a mask, and has his voice filtered and distorted, it's difficult to tell their emotions, but Marc could still feel traces of disappointment in the Bloody Knight's tone. It was almost sad that Marc has spent so much time with his nemesis that he had been able to learn how to effortlessly recognise all these things purely through his body language. "No harsh comments, promises or threats?"
"There's nothing that needs to be said." Marc admitted, body loose and relaxed. "You know what I want. This battle was going to happen eventually, and I'm ready for it. Ready to make you bleed."
Omega sighed, and straightened his posture. While he still looked casual, he was certainly more prepared for trouble. "Yes. This was the only possible outcome. One final battle between two great enemies. Omega, the Bloody Knight, and Marcus, the Ryoka Shinigami, face off in the slumbering town of Karakura Town! A worthy battle ground for two people to try to kill each other, though we may want to get started soon, before the other battle occurs."
Marcus knew what the other man was referring to. When the events of Bleach had been nothing but a story, he'd known precisely what the endgame was, having watched the entire series all the way through. There was no greater conflict in the series than the final battle of Aizen and Ichigo.
And that battle would soon begin. Marc had left to head through the Dangai to reach the Soul Society just when the events of Fake Karakura Town were concluding, and so he knew that it wouldn't be long now before the Big Bad himself appeared.
It'd be in his best interests to kill the murderer before his former Captain arrived. That way even if Aizen slaughtered him with his nigh unbeatable powers, he'd at least go out with the satisfaction of killing Omega first.
"You're a relic. Just die," then Marcus allowed no more talk, preferring to limit the prefight banter. Without another word, his Zanpakutō appeared in his hands, and he was charging with a massive burst of Shunpo.
Omega shifted into his fighting stance easily and blocked the swing with one hand, shattering the blade with a single touch. Marcus could tell he was grinning beneath that spherical mask, and vowed to wipe that look of his face. "Now that almost hurt!" the knight announced, dashing forwards at speeds easily equaling that of the Shinigami, forcing Marc onto the defensive. Luckily, a shattered blade meant nothing to Marc, and it was easy to dismiss the weapon and re-summon it in perfect condition.
That required time though. It was just lucky that Marc's real talents had never laid with his Zanjutsu, but rather his Kido. A silent spell to make distance between the two was an effortless action on his part, while Omega could hardly just ignore the spells and required a pause of his own to counter or deflect the attack with his Disruptive powers, effectively giving Marc the time he needed to prepare his next attack.
Back and forth the two combatants went, circling around each other and leaping between offense and defense. It was a fairly standard beginning, and was a pointless action done by both fighters for the sole purpose of judging the ability of the other and seeing just how their own skills equated to the others.
After half a dozen skirmishes, Omega seemed to have found what he wanted and had changed his tactics. In this final battle, it was time for him to stop pulling his punches, and now was the time to show just how bullshit he could be.
"Disrupt," Omega announced, for it was a command, and his sole weapon. Suddenly he was rocketing forwards at speeds far greater than anything he had ever shown the Shinigami.
Marc was ready though, and was already moving to dodge.
It would have been a pointless endeavour on his part to try to block or rival the coming attack. Marc had realised long ago that since Omega's power operated on being able to Disrupt anything and everything, including concepts and even the metaphysical, that he would never be able to directly rival the sheer effect the murderer could have.
When Omega Disrupted the air around him, making air resistance ignore him to bolster his own speed, then it would take way more effort on Marc's part to try and rival such stupidly quick speed.
When Omega Disrupted any defenses you put up, making them as effective as wet toilet paper, then it would be stupid to try and block him.
When Omega did both at once, the only option was to preemptively dodge.
"Either way, I've been preparing for this day for years." Marc thought darkly as he moved. He could just see the fist shooting towards his face, and was able to throw himself to the side just enough that it missed him by centimeters.
"Offense fails, as he Disrupts any ranged attacks and just uses close combat as an excuse to get close enough to touch you- the worst possible outcome. Defense is futile, as he can Disrupt any physical or supernatural shield. So the only option is…"
"To counter!" Marc roared, coating his fist in fire and slamming it into the murderers side. As soon as the flames touched the armour, its power receded. However, Marc wasn't using just any fire. He was using the flames of Hadō No 54 Haien, reinforced and powered up, forced into a denser, smaller form, and specifically modified to explode outwards on contact.
Dousing a fire will put it out, but a bucket of water on an inferno can only do so much.
The calibre of the attack was still enough to send Omega flying. The knight skidded several meters, and the patch where the Kido had struck was steaming.
"So you mastered it." Noted Omega, brushing himself down.
The Shinigami merely smirked, not needing to say a thing. The Kido he had modified in his Academy days and used to help kill a Menos Grande had been perfected and streamlined in the years since, and now Marc could happily say that he'd mastered it.
"Cast silently and in the space of a second, and even with the power lost due to doing so it almost pierced my defenses. Kids these days are scary!" Omega said melodramatically, the back of his hand poised against his forehead. "But… not scary enough!"
The scale of the battle was nothing like the first bout, and Marc felt the strain. Omega had only gotten faster and harder, and he was finding it hard to keep up. It was time to go to the next level.
"Rekindle, Gankona Hoski." (Stubborn Star)
"Shikai will not be enough," warned the renegade.
"I'm aware." Marc agreed, settling into his stance with his new sword. It was a western style sword, and was shorter than his sealed blade- perhaps only 20 inches. Its colour was no longer a pale grey, but a brighter silver, while the edge of the blade was now a sapphire colour. The hilt had remained roughly the same, but had its colours inverted to be navy with black criss-crossing across it.
"Nagareboshi No Taiho," (Shooting Star Cannon) he announced, calling out his attack. He thrust the blade forwards, and from its edge bright yellow Reiryoku erupted, shaped itself, and was fired. It was a thick blast of energy, which travelled fast and hit harder.
Omega slipped into a position to block it, placing one foot firmly in front of the other and readying his hands as if to catch a ball.
Marc smirked and used to Shunpo to instead outright run faster than his attack, bringing him into position to perform his proper attack while Omega was busy blocking.
"He has two main weaknesses. One, he's open to attacks and counters when attacking. Two, when defending he can be overwhelmed, and is less able to see or react to what the enemy does when he's stationary."
So while the cannon was the false attack, so too was it the false ability.
"Hado No 91: Zangerin No Hoshi," (Cutting Flower Star Ring).
Large amounts of energy built up in Marc's Zanpakuto, far greater than the Kido spell had ever been designed to amass, then with a single slash up close he unleashed a curved blade of azure energy from his swing with the cutting power to carve through even diamond.
He'd checked.
Omega's head tilted just the slightest to the left, as he recognised what Marc was doing. The cannon struck the waiting knight, and was dispersed by his palms, while the Kido struck his side.
Marc panted in exherstion as he Shunpoed away, aware that his spell wouldn't be nearly enough to put the Bloody Knight down for good.
"Disrupt," The killer announced, then for a moment everything stopped- like reality itself was taking a moment to process what was happening. A ripple of power spread out from where Omega was stood, creating a massive boundary around himself of which Marc was caught in. "Motion."
As he suggested, anything and everything that was considered to be in 'motion' had its motion disturbed, and its velocity halted.
In that second though, Omega was completely unaffected. "Or perhaps he Disrupted the effects of his Disruption upon himself… Disruptionception." thought Marcus without humour even as Omega shot towards him while he was defenceless.
Then the boundary faded, the proper order of the world reasserted itself, and Marc's high speed travel returned to what it was.
The moment of stillness was enough though, as it had given Omega the chance to get close enough. By the time Marc was rushing off again, the bronze knight was almost close enough to touch.
"Ten inches… while Omega prefers direct contact, he can still do most of his more deadly stuff at ten inches or so for a higher cost… only beyond that am I safe. Technically he can Disrupt things at a range, but it's so costly that it's honestly not worth it, and so will only use low effort Disruptions there."
Marcus was within ten inches.
The high speed sprint turned into a high speed trip, as all electrical signals running through the body were affected.
"Oooof!" Marc really felt it when he struck the ground face first and skidded, before crashing into a wall.
"High speed tripping is a baaaaddd idea…" Omega chastised, as he walked casually forwards. The only sight to show that he was straining himself was the occasional pause between words as he regained his breath. "Shoulda learnt that at the Academy."
The Shinigami pulled himself to his feet, and ignored the pain and blood now rolling down his face. Marc might have been mostly human, but years spent in the Soul Society and as a Shinigami had both literally and figuratively toughened him up. As his Shikai suggested, he was a Stubborn Star, and wouldn't let anything stop him from burning the one that had extinguished so much that was close to him.
"Still, that was a good effort." Omega applauded, "You almost got me then. You channeled a medium strength energy blast to focus where I'd be Disrupting, then hit me hard when I'd be able to put less attention to Disrupt the real attack."
He nodded carefully, taking the moment to catch his breath. He tried not to show it, but he was upset at how little damage he'd done, even with preparation. Marcus was sure that Omega had been unaware of him adding Hadō No 78: Zangerin to his arsenal, and was doubly sure that the upgraded version he'd made and reinforced further with his Zanpakutō ability would have at least made him bleed.
"You scarred my armour though, and I think I can actually see a bit of skin there." Omega marveled, prodding the area in question where the thin trench existed in his otherwise perfect defense. "Much better than when we first met. You're learning… remembering."
"I didn't learn that to get your approval." Grunted Marc, raising his blade and twisting his body to begin preparing his next attack. "I did it to kill you, so just stop complimenting my murder attempts and DIE already!"
Marc would be unable to escalate the conflict though, as when he prepared to attack something quite unusual happened.
The world itself seemed to blink.
No. It twisted and broke. From a single point the oddity emerged, and then expanded faster than the speed of light until it expanded to its maximum radius.
Marc didn't even have the time to wonder what the hell was happening, and even Omega didn't have time to react or Disrupt what was happening before whatever was happening did whatever the hell it was supposed to do.
One moment Marcus and Omega were stood in a battle to the death, taking advantage of a lapse in hostility to recover, and then the next they were gone along with a much of the floor and air they were standing in.
With a POP the air rushed in to fill the spherical gap where Reshi matter had once been, leaving the area vacant of anything.
No people, particle or structure remained from before the Event.
It was undeniable.
Marcus D Solus- once Marcus Drake- the Ryoka Shinigami, was gone.
So too was Omega the Bloody Knight.
Gone from the area. Gone from that moment. Gone from that world.
There was no telling if they'd ever return.
XXXXXXXXXX
Minato I
The day could, at best, be classified as nice. There were no singing birds, few clouds and the heat of the sun beat down in all its stellar glory. Not exactly brilliant by fairy tail standards, but fairly reasonable nonetheless. Not exactly the type of day one would expect anything interesting to happen on.
Minato sat in the corner of small cafe, reading the daily paper. Across from him sat a blonde woman, wearing a white sundress and casually drinking a cup of tea.
"Anything interesting?"
Shifting his eye toward his soul mate, he slowly folded up the newspaper, "Nothing terribly interesting. The market keeps rising far too quickly...it's making me nervous. Should probably pull out soon. You remember what happened last time."
After resting her cup on the plate, she idly examined her expertly painted nails, "Yes, I do indeed. That was what? Seventy-eight years ago? Wow, really? Seems like the second world war was just last week. We got lucky. I don't think I could have gone without for so long."
Minato snorted in amusement, "You went without for centuries. A decade would hardly have hurt, Ren. Though I do agree, seventy-eight years has gone by in a flash."
Renzokutai (Continuum), his zanpakutō manifested in physical form through a constant application of his power, gave her companion the long-suffering look that all spouses perfect, "It's been so long, you know. Since you've used my name outside of a battle, and even then, there are few that require my strength."
He raised an eyebrow, "Does it bother you? I can if you'd like. I thought you preferred this."
"Don't lie to me. You'd do it for a week, then back to business as usual. That's one thing I'm glad I didn't pick up from you."
Quickly counting out the proper change for two blueberry muffins, fresh out of the oven, Minato walked over to the counter and hands it off the cashier. After receiving his food, he lightly took her hand and guides her out. Meandering their way over towards the local park, they sat down on one of the benches overlooking the river.
"It's always so peaceful here."
Renzokutai leant head against Minato's shoulder, as he shifted to accommodate her enormous sun hat now pressed rather uncomfortably against his neck, while she murmured, "It is. That's why we always come here, even though it makes me feel so old."
Wrapping an arm around her waist, he laughed for a moment before quipping, "Ren, we are old. Older than anyone else here. Considering that we've been kicking since the Sengoku Period."
"That long, huh?"
He gave her a nod, mostly content with life, "Yeah… ."
They leant back on the bench, simultaneously closing their eye(s), taking in the mildly salty air and the cool breeze which provided respite from the harsh sun. If anyone were to say anything, they didn't much care.
But of course, the peace couldn't last.
"Hey! This is my bench! You geezers are gonna have to clear out!"
Minato just sighed while Renzokutai gracefully moved to sit up, intentionally making a motion of clearing her ears, "Dear, did you hear a fly? I think I may have and I'd like to know I'm not just hearing things."
They both looked at the disturbance. Late teens, lots of muscles, little hair and a letterman jacket. Basically a walking, talking cliché. Besides him is lanky dark-haired girl of similar age, looking quite appalled at her apparent boyfriend's actions.
"I-it's okay, w-we can find some-somewhere else."
They say opposites attract, and it's proved as once again the guy opens his mouth, "No it's not okay! These geezers took our bench! How can you just accept that?"
Minato rolled his eye at them, "Did no one teach to respect your elders, boy?"
The teen raised a clenched fist, "Get out, or I'll make you."
Minato rose to his feet while pulling Renzokutai up with him, "This isn't worth a fight, let's go."
As they walked down the path parallel to the river, he offhandedly remarks, "Kids these days. Why if he was my son-"
She cut him off with a glare, "If he was your son, he'd be in prison for the next twenty thousand years for attempting and almost succeeding with a coup d'état. Don't forget so easily exactly what you've done."
"We both know that I did what I thought was best given the circumstances."
Frowning, she placed her hands on her hips and leant forward, "Perhaps, but it doesn't change the fact that you knew, and did nothing to help. You didn't even try to make things better for everyone. It wasn't right, but it was the safest option."
"And yet? Everything worked out well enough in the end. Trying to go against fate can be a dangerous thing."
Minato reached down and deftly plucked two Virginia Iris' from right near the water's edge, tucking them in the ribbon on her sun hat. She smiled and moved closer, but the moment was interrupted by a roar.
Her face contorted into a visage of towering rage at the unintentional interloper, "That stupid beast! A reaper better take care of it soon, or I'll do it myself!"
A cloaked black figure flew past them, broadsword in hand. A single strike from the heavy blade split the mask in half. The figure watched the hollow dissipate into reishi for a moment before turning and moving on, presumably to the next target.
As the couple made their way home, Renzokutai inquires with a dangerous edge, "Dear, you haven't forgotten what today is, have you?"
Minato raised an eyebrow at the sudden interjection, "Should I have?"
"Not if you don't want to sleep on the couch."
Opening the door, Renzokutai walked in first, followed by Minato. Locking the door behind them, they made their way into the kitchen. Upon the center island is blue vase of blood red roses, with a card propped against it.
"Oh! You remembered!"
Minato just deadpanned, "Have I ever forgotten before? Someone almost killing me is not an event to forget. Of course I remembered our anniversary."
Suddenly, an obnoxious buzzing sound resonated from Minato's pocket. Reaching in, he pulled out his smart phone, "Sorry dear, work."
She walked towards the living room, lamenting the now inevitable ruination of the day, "I know, time waits for none. But couldn't it wait till tomorrow?"
Minato walked to his home office, angrily trying to argue his point, "Yes, I know it keeps rising! ...No, I think we should pull out. This is unnatural. ...I told you those loans were risky, didn't I? ...Yes, I'm familiar with high risk, high reward! But have you ever known the term too much risk? ...Fine, this is on your head then. You can explain to the boss when this all collapses!"
Switching out his khaki jacket for a more traditional black one, Minato grabbed his stuff and starts to head out when Renzokutai grabbed his hand, "Sorry dear, I have to go explain to my dear co-workers just why sub-prime mortgages are a bad idea. I'll undoubtedly fail, but I can say I tried. And it gives me plausible deniability when I pull out of the market right before it crashes."
"It'll get boring here, take me with you."
He rolled his eye at her, "You always say that. Don't you have friends you could visit?"
Renzokutai mimed parentheses with her fingers, "Friends. The local housewives are so...boring. All they want to do is gossip about their husband's promotion, their children, or worst of all, whichever of them didn't show up that day. It's horrible!"
Minato snorted before exasperatedly adding, "Hurry up then, I don't have all day. You can complain on the way there."
Renzokutai acted hurt, "You know you can't rush perfection."
"Exactly."
Her eyes gained a warning glint, "I'm sorry, what did you just say?"
He sighed, "Certainly not whatever you think. But time is of the essence here."
That was the point everything went downhill. The ground started shaking, which was quite unusual in area that hadn't been on the edge of a tectonic plate in millions of years. Not to say it didn't happen, but it was extremely rare comparatively.
But that certainly wasn't the most interesting part. At that moment, the very fabric of an already stressed reality temporarily tore apart.
"Ren."
She nodded as her physical body shattered into particles of light before dissipating, returning to her original spot, the entire section of the power used to maintain her corporeal form returning to its owner in a blaze of dull silver energy which somewhat resembled the consistency and appearance of fire.
Then the world itself seemed to blink.
No. It twisted and broke. From a single point the oddity emerged, and then expanded faster than the speed of light until it expanded to its maximum radius.
Minato didn't even have the time to wonder what the hell was happening, nor have time to react to what was happening before whatever was happening did whatever the hell it was supposed to do.
One moment Minato was enjoying a nice, if tiresome day, then things went to hell.
With a POP the air rushed in to fill the spherical gap where Reshi and matter had once been, leaving the area vacant of anything.
No people, particle or structure remained from before the Event.
It was undeniable.
Minato Tatsushiro -former Captain of the Tenth Squadron-, was gone.
Gone from the area. Gone from that moment. Gone from that world.
There was no telling if he'd ever return.