Greetings everyone, and happy new year! Thank god 2020 is finally over with. I know that year must have been hard on everyone, but at least now it's done and over, and I figured what better way to celebrate the start of the new year than with another chapter. I really hope you guys enjoy what I have this time around because I'm taking a few more liberties this time around. It would mean a lot if you could all let me know what you thought. Without any more delay, let's begin.
Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo and Shounen jump. Fairy Tail is owned by Hiro Mashima and Weekly Shounen Magazine. I own NOTHING. This is all just for fun!
"We should be getting outta here."
Shinji sounded moodier than usual. He sat on two travelling cases stacked on top of each other, his head slumped over, hands clasped together as he stared sullenly into space.
"You've said that three times already," Rose remarked.
"It don't make it less true."
They had packed. They had made ready to flee the moment there was an opening. They probably would, before everything really went to shit. But, as it was they had each packed their things, set them up in the middle of the warehouse, and waited for somebody else to take the first step toward the door. It had been a good twenty minutes of sitting there, mostly silently, each one of the visored hoping for somebody else to take the initiative. Shinji usually would lead, but he had been… despondent.
"I don't know what the hell we're waiting for," huffed Hiyori. "Let the Gotei burn. See what I care."
"Too right," Shinji muttered.
"I care… at least a little," Rose admitted. "I mean, I'd rather not find out what a world where Aizen rules looks like. I'm not saying I want to go out there and fight, but…"
"You want to see how it turns out," said Kensei firmly. "I do, too. I… man, I worry about Mashiro. I've been looking out for her since forever, you know?" He shook his head resignedly. "Fuck it, man. I'm staying behind until it's over. I'm not asking any of you to stay with me, but I can't leave her behind."
"What, you gonna rush in like the big damn hero?" Shinji said acerbically. "Gonna swing in at the last second with some cool line? Maybe hope the world works out like a neat little storybook?"
"Nope," Kensei said, shaking his head. "I am done being their attack dog. I don't owe the Gotei jack. But, I ain't leaving Mashiro and Lisa behind, either. If they die, they die, but I'm gonna be here to feel it."
"This is fucking idiotic," Shinji snapped. "We should be getting a move on. We should be getting outta here now, while Aizen is occupied."
"So, why haven't you walked away?" asked Hachi gently. "You could have at any point now."
"…Too dangerous outside," Shinji muttered. "Too many people who can see us. Don't wanna risk it just yet. When there is an out, I'll be the first one out the door."
"Damn right," Hiyori said, nodding a bit too eagerly. "Screw 'em, right?"
"Screw 'em," Shinji agreed.
"You know," said Love, "I don't know about you all, but I've been listening in. Sensing the battle, I mean. It's… I never felt anything like it. The fight of the century, I'd say. The fight of several centuries."
"And we're all cowards for sitting it out, or what?" Shinji sneered.
"Not at all," said Love. "I agree. We don't owe them anything. But… it's hard not to want to see it. It's like having a good view of Mt. Vesuvius burying Pompeii, or something. Or, like watching an empire fall in real time."
"If I'm honest," said Rose, "it is the Gotei. It's not like they're all bad. I spent most of my life there. Even if it's a past chapter, I want to know what happens to it."
"We can do that from anywhere but here," Shinji grumbled.
"We're not heroes," Kensei said, "but I'm staying, at least. If Aizen wins, we're legging it, but until then…"
"I'm leaving the moment I got a chance," said Shinji firmly, "and if any of you got any sense, you'll do the same."
"Then leave."
"When it's safe," Shinji said. "I toldja already, it's too hot outside."
"We're several blocks away from the fighting," Hachi said mildly.
"It's… we got this far by not taking any risks. You know that," Shinji muttered.
"Right."
"Right."
They sat there in silence, on their luggage, drinking in the endless sensations of battle from afar, and not one of them made a move toward the door. Not yet. After all, it wasn't safe outside.
Things could be going better, Lisa figured. She and Mashiro had merrily and effortlessly slaughtered their way through scores of lesser arrancar, defeated a few stronger arrancar with some effort, and they were now putting about as much effort as anyone possibly could into the thick old man before them without anything resembling results.
"Pitiful," Barragan said gruffly, his gigantic battle axe casually rested over his shoulder. "I know not what type of misbegotten pretend hollows you are supposed to be, but I am not impressed."
He was broad, stocky, and muscular. It was the speed that had thrown her off most of all. One would expect the kind of nauseatingly strong, raw, destructive power he emanated, but the fact that he could move as well as he did, swing that axe with such ease…
"The bigger they are, the harder they fall, and all that," Lisa said, keeping her cool. She adjusted her glasses, biting back the fear creeping at her. She was used to being the most powerful thing around. The visored had never slacked off, never stopped honing their skills, and along with their hollow powers she was confident almost nothing could match them. It was just that one of those few things was looking at her right now.
It was like staring at death, itself. He was unflappable, having deflected their every attack so far. Nothing had done more than scratch his iron hide. Nothing seemed to faze him.
"Mashiro, one-two," she said, pulling her mask down over her face. Mashiro nodded, needing no more information than that. As airheaded as she was, the girl was a savant in combat. Lisa charged in, blade raised. Just like before, Barragan parried it with ease. Mashiro came in from above, a spinning axe kick aimed at the old man's head. Barragan shoved Lisa back, raising an arm to parry the kick. As he momentarily looked away, Lisa released a cero she had been charging in her hand since she had started her charge in. Palm out, she thrust her arm forward and the world went a little red for a moment.
There was a shimmer around the old man. Barragan had taken the hit dead on, not even bothering to parry. His clothes were slightly singed, but nothing else had come of it. Lisa was forced to jump back, as he lashed out with a massive one-handed swing. As she slid to a halt, Mashiro landed right beside her. There they stood, in the sky over Karakura, facing the enemy that would not budge.
"Didn't work, huh?" said Mashiro.
"Didn't work the last four times," Lisa muttered, "but you give it your all until you got nothing else to give, and all that."
"Yup."
Lisa sighed. That was when Barragan raised his voice.
"This bores me. I humoured you at first because your peculiar nature interested me somewhat, but if you have nothing else to offer, I will leave this to my minions. A monarch like I need not be bothered by small fries."
"Monarch?" said Mashiro, blinking. "But aren't you, like… number two in rank?"
"Accounting for Aizen, that means he's only third in the whole organization, and that's assuming Aizen's traitor lieutenant isn't ranked higher," Lisa sneered. "Seems like somebody is holding on to past glories."
Barragan's eyes narrowed. "You test my patience."
"That was the idea," said Lisa. She looked to Mashiro. "All out?"
"Already?" said Mashiro.
"This guy is the real deal. I've never met a hollow like this. We pull out all the stops, or we die."
"…Yeah, I guess," said Mashiro, shrugging. "Besides, I don't want someone else stealing our thunder. We gotta make an impression now that we're helping the Gotei out, you know."
"I'm glad one of us is an optimist, at least," Lisa muttered. Her reiatsu rose in power, Mashiro matching it flawlessly. The both of them raising their weapons, as one they cried,
"Bankai!"
"Tetsu tonbo no su no sentou!" (Spire of The Iron DragonFly Nest) Lisa cried. She let go of her spear-like shikai, and it drifted out into space behind her, extending and growing into a massive spire, literally towering over them all. Flat, menacing and unassuming, it looked like a gigantic spear-like tower floating in the air, at least forty yards tall.
"Ten no Kinzoku Ryu!" (Emperor Metal Dragon) Mashiro cried, and in a blinding flash of light her blade extended, growing all around her. Mashiro seemed to disappear, enveloped by its lights. Bizarrely, the released form took the shape of some sort of enormous, bipedal, metallic lizard, with a thick tail and massive shoulder-mounted cannons, and long-barrelled, thinner, quadruple-linked cannons in the place of arms. Not quite as tall as Lisa's tower, it still towered over their opponent.
"Alright, Lisa!" Mashiro cheered, her voice somewhat dampened as it came from inside the gigantic mechanical construct. "Let's show him what we got!"
Barragan looked at both manifestations, seeming unimpressed. He hadn't flinched at two fully released bankai- why should he, when nothing they had done so far had even dented him?
The aged hollow quickly realized his mistake.
Lisa, holding a metallic, pointed sceptre, aimed its tip at Barragan. Near the apex of the tower she had summoned, beneath its pointed tip, an opening began to form. Pure white, it didn't seem to have a clear border between reality and whatever place it led to. Suddenly, with tremendous speed a black spike shot out. Three feet of black steel speared Barragan in the shoulder, cutting right through his hierro. The old man reeled back, half a foot of black steel embedded in his shoulder. The first spike was rapidly followed by a second, and a third, and within moments a seemingly endless stream of dark projectiles rained down from above, directed by Lisa's hand. Barragan growled, forced to move back. The barrage was relentless, firing the bolts like a machine gun, the tower slowly rotating to keep a fix on the espada.
"Over here!" Mashiro cried, her gun-arms opening fire, intercepting Barragan's flight path. Bright white explosions barrelled right into him, sending him flying. The old espada managed to keep himself in flight, but the barrage was absolutely relentless. Behind them, the shots Mashiro missed struck one building after another, doing grievous damage wherever they struck.
"Stop messing around and blow him away!" Lisa cried, narrowing her eyes as she focused on the moving arrancar. He regained his bearings, charging toward them now.
"Got it!" Mashiro cried, and the mechanical construct came aglow with a sinister red. Its jaws opened wide, and a massive red beam of energy flared out. If Barragan had attempted to dodge, it would have been a wasted effort; the sheer breadth of the blast was enough to catch him. Lisa briefly paused her barrage, turning her eyes away to avoid going blind. Mashiro's destructive potential, fully unleashed, was a thing to behold. Between them, they had the firepower to decimate legions of hollows.
When the blinding light finally lessened, Lisa looked up again.
"Where'd he go?" Mashiro said, peeking out from her cockpit in the mechanical beast's chest. "Did I get him?"
"No," Lisa said, shaking her head. She could sense him still, a large, ugly lump of raw and malicious power. "Keep an eye out. And… try and aim a bit next time."
She gestured toward the cityscape around them. Half a building was collapsing, dust kicked up for blocks around them.
"Oh. Oops," Mashiro said, laughing nervously.
They had no time to ponder the consequences as a bloodied figure emerged from the dust, rising with a contemptuous look on his face. Barragan Luisenbarn stood before them, battle-axe rested over his shoulders. His crown-like mask fragment was fractured and broken, and his left arm was a broken mess. He was bleeding from several places where Mashiro's cannon had impacted, leaving crater-like holes in his decrepit, old body. Despite the grievous injuries, he seemed quietly infuriated more than anything.
"You wretched little shinigami worms," he said, with a calm that belied his ravaged state. "You dare to challenge me? Have it your way, then. Rot, Arrogante!
There was an explosion of sheer power, growing rapidly and morphing as Barragan's form shifted. The dust that had been kicked up was scattered by the winds, leaving the segunda's majesty on display. His flesh was gone; in its place was a mere skeleton wrapped in a fur coat of rich purple. A golden crown rested on his skull, and his axe was larger and sleeker than before, its simple black design a stark contrast to the excess and complexity of his attire.
"Mashiro," Lisa said, "you know what I said about aiming?"
"Yeah?"
"Forget that. Full power, now."
"You got it!"
The mechanical lizard opened fire with all of its guns at once, and red laser beams shot from its eyes with a high-pitched whine. At the very same moment, Lisa showered Barragan with spikes, firing with impunity. He felt overwhelmingly powerful, and if they let him go wild…
Through one blinding blast, the skeletal form emerged, shockingly fast. He sailed over the gunfire from Mashiro; the cannons tried to get a bead on him in vain. He closed the distance and swung his axe just once, raking the weapon across the chest of Mashiro's bankai. The mechanical creature rocked back, nearly knocked over, its metal body creaking and whining like it was about to burst.
That wasn't far from the truth, Lisa realized. Where it had been struck, the bankai had started to dissolve, blackness eating away at it rapidly. Parts of it fell off toward the ground, dissolving into nothingness before they could even drop the full distance. The chest cavity was dissolving rapidly, and Lisa could see Mashiro inside, exposed. Barragan, looking like Death himself, raised his axe to strike a second time.
"Mashiro, get out!" Lisa snapped, aiming a storm of spikes at the espada, momentarily throwing him off balance. "Get out now, or you're next!"
"But-"
"GO!" Lisa shouted.
With a yelp, hesitation written across her face, Mashiro opened a hatch at the back and jumped out while her bankai corroded into nothing. Barragan, barely affected by the spikes Lisa had sent his way, turned to look at them. His skull seemed to grin at them, as if mocking them. She could see several spikes lodged in his coat, turning to ash before her eyes.
"Those should be impossible to break down like that…" she mumbled, eyes wide.
"Fool children," said Barragan confidently. "Do you think I became king of Hueco Mundo for nothing? Before my power, all things rot. Time itself speeds up at my touch. You will soon follow."
Lisa's eyes narrowed. She contemplated fleeing- but what use would it be? He would catch them anyway. No, she wouldn't flee. She had come here because she was tired of hiding. If this was death, so be it, but she would not go gently into that long night.
The spire aimed its brightly shining portal down at Barragan, firing off an intense volley of spikes. Barragan raised his axe, parrying them with contemptuous ease. Almost as soon as they had hit, they started to break apart, hardened steel rusting and breaking down in milliseconds. As the burst of fire concluded, Barragan raised his axe and swung it once. Rather than some shockwave of overwhelming force, it was but a haze that reached out from his axe, enveloping the spire.
Lisa's eyes widened as before her eyes, the entire spire started to corrode. Sheer black turned to dark brown as pieces of it started to fall away and rust, and large chunks of it plummeted to the ground, dispersing into ash where they fell. Within a minute, her bankai suffered the same fate as Mashiro's. In her hands was but a zanpakutou, sealed and weak.
"It is not limited to touch, either," said Barragan, slowly stepping toward them. "My regal aura of rot will touch anything I so please, wherever you may run. Fall to your knees and die, or defy me, it matters not. Either way, you will fall, like everyone else before you."
Lisa shot Mashiro a look. She looked scared, but she wasn't trembling, wasn't falling apart. Lisa took some comfort in her bravery. Gently, she reached out, taking her by the hand. Mashiro squeezed back.
"He got rid of Ten no Kinzoku Ryu just like that, Lisa," she said weakly. "I… I don't know about this."
"I don't either," said Lisa somberly, "but let's not just roll over, okay?"
Mashiro nodded spiritedly.
"Together."
"Till the end," said Lisa, a fatalistic sense of finality coming over her. She curled her free hand over her face, manifesting her hollow's mask again. They raised their blades, crying out in defiance. Barragan raised his, and down it came. There was a wave of corrosion, and-
Suddenly, it divided, the haze splitting in two different directions before them. A figure in white stood in front of them, blade raised.
"Well done, Minazuki," said the new arrival.
"Out of all people…" Lisa said, breathing out in shock. She had been ready to go. Now… now, there was hope. Maybe.
Erza landed on a half-ruined piece of street, sinking to her knees on impact. She was drained, totally drained, too weak to even properly stand. Armadura had eaten almost all of her spiritual power; she only barely had enough left to function. She managed to keep herself from falling by leaning on her hands, staring down into the ruined asphalt for a good minute or so, just breathing. The crash was equally as breath-taking as the high had been awe-inspiring.
"Come on. Can you at least stand?"
Halibel, reverted back to her normal form, was leaned over her. Erza nodded, taking another laboured breath.
"Just- just a second," she said, feeling woozy. The world was spinning a little, and a not insignificant part of her just wanted to fall, to pass out and rest. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them, she saw a tan-skinned hand extended. Gratefully she took it, allowing herself to be pulled to her feet. Halibel looked not much better, wounded and with torn and raggedy clothes, but she was standing. It was lucky Erza had managed to convince her, or she would have been easy prey even as Halibel was now.
"Don't die on me," Halibel said sternly. "You are my way out. You owe me that much."
"I'm not dying," Erza said, grimacing as she leaned on Halibel's shoulder, "just… really, really exhausted. I don't think I could do more than move right now, and even that's a stretch."
"To think you were so overwhelmingly powerful but a minute ago."
"Power has its price," Erza muttered.
"Indeed it does," Halibel said, nodding approvingly.
"Erza!"
The spirited cry raised Erza's spirits, and she looked up. Momo descended from above, three arrancar dragged behind her, levitating and bound in golden chains.
"Hi, Momo," Erza managed, waving at her weakly.
Momo cried out with happiness, a high-pitched squeal, and ran toward Erza, wrapping her arms around the taller woman. Halibel took a step back, as Momo pulled her in close, giving her a quick kiss on the lips.
"I knew you'd pull through," she said proudly.
"Thank you," said Erza, and for a moment she forgot the war, what was at stake and all the death and suffering. For a moment, she just stared into Momo's eyes.
"Ahem," said Halibel, letting out a polite cough.
"Oh!" said Momo, as if noticing the espada only now. "So… are you two okay now?"
Erza nodded. "Yeah. You can let those three go, actually."
"Are you sure?" said Momo, looking at the three fracciones, each of which were staring menacingly at the both of them.
"Yeah," said Erza. "We worked something out."
"Okay," said Momo, and with a snap of her fingers, the chains dissipated. Sun-Sun, Mila Rose and Apache all stood up, assuming their stances, but Halibel held a hand out.
"No," she said firmly. "At ease, all three of you."
"Lady Halibel?" said Sun-Sun.
"She is right. We have worked something out. It's not entirely clear what that something is, but we're done here."
"…Lady Halibel," said Mila Rose slowly, brows furrowed, "we're doing whatever you ask of us, but…"
"But you wonder what's happening and why. It's a fair question," said Halibel, and shrugged. "Suffice it to say, I came to some realizations. Aizen cannot be trusted, for one. He threw us all into a meat grinder with no concern for our safety. All his grand talk about a better tomorrow is lies. I am tired of being used like a tool. We are taking our chances with the shinigami."
"But… Halibel, they're shinigami," Apache said exasperatedly, throwing both hands into the air.
"We're already being lorded over by a shinigami," said Halibel wearily. "It might as well be one with more character than him."
"So… that's it? We're just their bitches now?" Apache said frustratedly.
"Ask her," said Halibel, nodding to Erza.
Leaning on Momo for support, Erza spoke up. "I'm not going to talk about doing the right thing, or anything like that. I'm offering you shelter and my protection. If you cooperate, I'll do my best for you. I don't know where that leads, but you won't die, and you won't be anyone's guinea pig. Hopefully not prisoners, either. I'm pretty sure they will find you useful. You can understand that, yes?"
"…Sure," Mila Rose said. "Hell, this isn't much of a deal."
"Better than being disposed of," said Halibel, sitting down with her back to a ruined piece of wall. "You don't have to follow me if you don't want to. I know I ask a lot-"
"Respectfully, shut up," Apache said bluntly. "Where you go, we go. That's the way it's always been. Doesn't stop now."
Halibel nodded, and although Erza could only see half her face, she could swear the espada was smiling.
"Still," said Sun-Sun, "we have to survive this whole ordeal first…"
Neliel awoke and knew she was alive, because being dead didn't hurt this much. She was face down against the street, breathing heavily. She rolled over, groaning in pain. The sky over her was blue, looking so strangely peaceful. Slowly, she raised her right arm to her chest. Her left side felt numb. Her fingers traced over the cut running over her chest and down to her hip.
She steadied her breathing, and focused on the pain. Her mind cleared some, and she realized she wasn't dying. She knew what that felt like, and this wasn't it.
"That don't tickle, does it?"
Neliel turned to look, but couldn't see from where the voice came. It was Kenpachi- the same man who had brought her low, against all odds. Slowly, feeling nauseous from blood loss and pain, she managed to prop herself up into a sitting position, leaning herself against a half ruined traffic sign. There, only a couple yards away, sat the warrior brute.
"No, it does not," Neliel said wearily, "but I could say the same for you."
Indeed, the kenpachi looked even worse than she did. Impaled, bloodied, and broken, he sat slumped against a building wall, cradling his jagged blade across his lap. His head was leaned back, and he looked strangely peaceful. Drying blood stained most of his torn clothes, and the naked injuries on his body were brutal to look at.
"Eh," said Kenpachi, shrugging and then wincing from the pain of doing so. "These are some good hits you got in. They'll be good scars one day. Not my best fight, but I ain't gonna complain about it."
"You are bizarre," Neliel muttered. "You act more like a hollow than a shinigami, but no hollow would ever be that… cavalier about this kind of hurt."
"Yeah, well, I'm in a good mood," said Kenpachi, staring into the distance.
"Why?" Neliel muttered. She wasn't even sure why she was speaking to him. He was an enemy, and if she felt able to move at all, she would be trying to kill him. But, right now, anything to take her mind off this…
"You know why I'm Zaraki Kenpachi?"
"I feel like you're about to tell me," Neliel muttered sarcastically.
If Kenpachi noticed her tone, he took no notice of it. "I don't remember where I came from or what I used to be. I even forgot my name. Zaraki's just a district, and Kenpachi is a title. It's who I am now. But, ya see… there was one person who made me want it in the first place."
"Who is that?"
"The greatest Kenpachi of 'em all. Yachiru. The first. The finest damn warrior I ever met, and she gave me the finest beating I ever took. Knew there and then that's what I needed to beat." He grinned, continuing to stare into the distance. "I ain't ever been good at reading reiatsu or any of that shit, but even I can feel it. She's here. Enough to make a man feel nostalgic."
"Who?"
"Unohana Yachiru," said Kenpachi, smiling a toothy grin. "She finally decided to show up."
"Unohana… Yachiru? You mean Unohana Retsu?"
"Retsu is what she goes by now, sure. But, I remember. I remember the terror she was. The fear she inspired. Oh, she was a sight to behold then…"
There was something profoundly strange about the situation. The barbarian Kenpachi, at peace, waxing lyrical about a woman…
Genuine respect. She hadn't known he was capable of that. Carefully, she reached out to feel. Now that she focused, it wasn't too difficult. She felt a great and powerful energy source in the distance, surely a captain, and…
"I'm sorry for your loss," she said resignedly, surprised that she meant it, "but she is already gone. She faces Barragan. None of you can stand against his power, except maybe your captain-commander."
"That's what you think," said Kenpachi. He had absolute confidence, and the smile never seemed to fade.
"You get 'im, Retsu…" he said quietly. "You show 'em what it means to be the best."
There was Unohana Retsu, standing in between them and death itself. Lisa had never felt more relieved.
"It's been a while, Lisa," said Unohana, her tone as kind as ever, "but now is no time for reunions. Will you and Mashiro please get somewhere safe?"
"S-sure," said Lisa, still holding on to Mashiro's hand. "Let's go, yeah?"
Surprisingly, Mashiro just nodded, following Lisa's word without a single word. As they walked away, Lisa shot a glance past her shoulder. Unohana was undoing her elaborate hair braid, letting her black hair flow freely from her shoulders. The captain gave them one last look, and the face Lisa saw was cold and determined, frightening to look at. Unohana Retsu had always been feared despite her gentle demeanour, and in that moment, Lisa knew this fear was not just hype.
As Unohana undid her hair, she gave Barragan a long, calculating look. Very slowly, with great care, she slid her captain's coat off, folding it neatly and setting it down by the pavement.
"Thank you so very much for your patience, Luisenbarn," said Unohana. She made no move for her blade just yet. She seemed fearless, speaking calmly and politely as if she were holding a conversation about how rainy it's been lately.
"For you alone, I will gladly wait," Barragan rumbled.
"How long has it been?" said Unohana, brushing a few strands of hair over her shoulder.
"At least four hundred years, as time passes in the human world. No more than four hundred and fifty, I am sure."
"Do you still rely on that very interesting power of yours? You should recall how that worked the last time we did battle."
"This time," said Barragan, pointing his great axe at Unohana, its edge stopping only inches away from her face, "I am different. Stronger. Aizen's methods has given me new strength. Perfected my form. I, too, wield a zanpakutou now. Whereas you stand before me dressed in the features of an angel, needing to shed your mask just to face me. Time has worked in my favour, as it always does. You have grown fat and weak while I have grown strong."
"Barragan Luisenbarn finally bent the knee, I see." Unohana said, ignoring his boast. "I had thought that impossible. A hollow of such great pride, I would have expected to die before he yielded."
Barragan's features were pure bone, but something about his demeanour still seemed to turn sour. "I was not given the choice."
"A shame. I changed my ways because I wished to do so. A warrior like you should have been given the same courtesy."
"Pity, from you? You may have been the kenpachi once, but I will accept nothing of the kind from you," snarled Barragan. "No, this day I will avenge myself on the defeat you gave me all those years ago. Today, you will rot!"
"I will say this exactly once," said Unohana coolly, "for the sake of all I have built since I last saw you: surrender now, and mercy will be given."
"You dare mock me with such foolishness?"
"I thought as much," said Unohana, slowly pulling her blade from its sheath in one elegant motion. "There are no more words left to spare. Come. Let us test this new strength of yours."
As she spoke, a cruel smile spread across her features.
Barragan struck first, his corrosive aura hanging about him like a deathly haze. His axe came down in a fierce, heavy swing, but he was elegantly deflected. He pulled back just in time, as Unohana's blade caught him in the eye socket in a fierce riposte.
"You're lucky you have no real eyes to speak of," she said dryly, and launched into an attack of her own.
The former Kenpachi was like a juggernaut. Her black hair flowed through the air with her movements, spreading like wicked, predatory wings as her sword arm went to work. Every swing was precise, fast, and deadly, and Barragan was quickly pushed back. The hard, heavy swings of his great axe struggled to keep up, and he could only parry. More than once, her blade struck home against his bony form, shredding his regal coat where it hit.
Letting out a furious growl, Barragan opened his jaws, and a powerful cero blasted at Unohana. She elegantly pivoted to the side, guard still up.
"So little has changed," she said, eyes narrowed. "You are still too focused on power to understand what makes a warrior."
"So little has changed, indeed," said Barragan, pointing a finger at her. Unohana's eyes twitched, and she raised her left hand. A small, black spot had appeared on her little finger, less than half an inch long. It was growing.
Irritably, Unohana muttered a word, and the rot started to undo itself, closing up on her skin- but no sooner had it closed than it started to erode again, close again, erode again…
"Even your kidou cannot keep it at bay forever. It is impressive magic, but it only staves off the inevitable." said Barragan pridefully. "What is such abstract foolishness as what makes a warrior to the power of time itself?"
"You command no such power," said Unohana, shaking her head.
He was right about one thing. There was no known cure for that ability of his- except to kill him. Her kaidou was keeping her safe for now, but the continuous drain of using it would wear at her if the fight dragged on. This was no time to hold anything back.
"Bankai," she said coldly, and felt the blade shift. It was an undramatic transformation, simply turning the blade red with blood. It made her blade a vessel of destruction even more potent than his corrosion. "Minazuki."
"And so it goes," said Barragan, pointing his great axe at her. "Let us see who can reduce the other to ashes first, Kenpachi!"
Unohana charged, silent but with an expectant look on her face. She remembered this feeling, of her life on the line, the anticipation of the kill, knowing it could all end any moment… She had missed it. As much as she had tried to deny it, she had loved battle, and she felt the same bloodlust she once had, as strongly as ever. Axe met blade, clashing mercilessly, and it was all she could do to not cry out with joy.
Barragan reeled back, shooting out a stream of corrosive energy from his mouth. Unohana jumped, elegantly spinning through the air, landing on her feet and surging forward for a stab. Barragan caught the stab with a deftness that would have surprised most. Unohana leaned into the blow, her weapon grinding against his. There was a hiss, and the edge of her weapon started to sink into the blade of his axe, eating away at the steel like it was tissue paper.
"What's the matter, Luisenbarn?" she said coldly, smiling wickedly. "Don't you remember what happens when you touch this?"
Barragan shoved her back, fragments of his axe chipping off as the weapons parted. Unohana pushed the attack forward, leaning into her attacks. Her swordplay was fast, vicious, and precise, and the espada struggled to keep up. As his axe met her blade again, he launched a cero at her from his mouth, but Unohana spun to the side, coming in for a stab to counter. Barragan suddenly found himself giving ground, one step at a time, as Unohana's blade spun in a series of deadly arcs. It was clear who the better fighter was; despite his grim-looking weapon, Barragan's blows never seemed to land, and that was when he even had the chance to attack instead of just defending.
Barragan floated back, spinning his great axe in a wide arc to keep her from pursuing, charging another cero in his free hand. He met her next attack directly, axe grinding into blade. Barragan aimed his arm, thrusting it forward with the near-complete cero firing almost point-blank. Unohana simply twisted herself aside just a little, and as the blinding red light flared, she reeled back, blade held out.
She looked a right mess. Half of her was severely burned, the right side of her face red and crackled, with the flesh melting off her bones. Despite this, she smiled, and right before Barragan's eyes her horrendous burn injuries started to knit themselves together, the burnt muscle and fat on her face, arm, and leg moving almost like a liquid, reshaping itself.
"Reckless," Barragan taunted her.
"You think you got the better end of that exchange?" Unohana said mockingly. "Look at your feet."
Insofar as it was possible for a skull-faced monster with no facial expressions to look shocked, Barragan did. There on the street lay his left hand- or rather, what was left of it. The bone was rapidly eating itself up, corroding before their eyes.
"That's the difference between you and I, Luisenbarn. I can replace what I lose. You cannot."
"You impudent bitch!" snarled Barragan, swinging his axe at her recklessly. Furiously he hacked at her, and suddenly Unohana was the one defending. But, where he had been hard pressed, she was patient, measured, and careful. She caught an overhead swing, her feet grinding across the ground as he pushed her back. Barragan let out a triumphant roar, and his corrosive aura surged forward, catching her point-blank.
"Die!" he cried triumphantly. "Let's see you out-heal that, you bitch-"
Then suddenly she batted his axe aside and thrust forward, her blade sinking right into his chest, into his core.
"Too close," Unohana said calmly, taking a step back.
She was haunting to look at. The corrosion had caught her dead-on, and in just a few seconds it had eaten away muscle and sinew, revealing the bone underneath. Patches of her face seemed more like a skull stripped of flesh than anything else. Her right bicep had corroded entirely, flesh and bone nakedly exposed. Her ribcage was starting to show through holes in her clothes. Her healing magic was frantically fighting the decay, little bits and pieces of her eroding body trying to stick together. She looked like she would be dead in seconds.
Yet, despite this, despite half her jaw being exposed and her right eye leaving behind a naked hole into her brain, Unohana looked entirely calm.
"It is over, Barragan."
"You think… you can…" Barragan wheezed, clutching at his chest. Where Unohana was slowly turning into dust, he seemed no better off, smoke trailing from the wound he had taken to the chest. His axe dropped to the ground, and as he raised his hand, two of his fingers dropped as well, hissing like acid where they fell. The rest of his hand was eroding, too.
At the centre of his chest, a cavity was forming, a great dark hole. Unohana was collapsing quickly, but not as quickly as Barragan.
"It will be close," said Unohana, "closer than I'd like. But, it's like I said. I can replace what I lose. You cannot."
"Time… cannot… be beaten…" Barragan wheezes, taking a few stumbling steps toward her, extending his handless arm. He reached out as if to strike her, but he collapsed to the ground before he could come within striking range. His bones clattered against the street before they, too, disappeared, leaving only his cloak and crown. The cloak followed next, and then, last of all, the crown decayed, the gold turning black and melting away into a puddle.
Slowly, Unohana's decaying body started to heal up. She took a series of long, deep breaths, closing the one good eye she had left. She was burning through her spiritual reserves quickly, but she was healing.
Eventually she stood there, whole again. Her clothes were more rags than a uniform at this point; she had just half a sandal left as she took a step forward, sheathing her blade.
This had been… interesting.
With little else to do, Erza had sat down on a relatively stable piece of rubble, just resting. Momo, although tired, had the strength to fight but outright refused to leave her side, taking it upon herself to stand guard. Erza wasn't sure how much use that would be with Halibel seated next to them, formidable even in her injured state, but she was not about to argue. She had given all she had to give, and she did not begrudge Momo her decision. It was a little endearing, actually.
Her quiet appreciation was replaced with mild nausea as she saw Grimmjow walk around the corner. The former espada was mostly covered in blood, some of it clotting, some of it quite fresh. He walked on unsteady legs, looking like he might fall over any moment. There were cuts, scrapes, and gashes across his chest, arm, and legs, and Erza suspected a lot of the blood staining his once-white clothes was his own. The lower half of his face was especially thick with gore and blood, as if he had bitten into something like an animal. Erza tried not to think too hard about it.
"Hiya, Red," said Grimmjow, wobbling over to her and sitting down on the street next to her. He sounded exhausted, but also deeply satisfied.
"What happened to you?" Erza muttered. "You look like you went through a meat grinder."
"Oh, this?" said Grimmjow, gesturing dismissively at his wounds. "Ain't nothing. Had me a good scrap with Lanza, or Jellal or whatever he calls himself these days. After I pounded his face into the pavement, I decided that the city was full of things to kill, so I had my fill. Finally ran into a gang of semi-decent fighters. Killed 'em all, but they got a few good licks in, so I figured now was as good a time as any to sit back and take a rest. I earned it."
"I bet," Erza muttered, looking at his blood-covered skin with morbid fascination. "You really had a good time, huh?"
"I'm a god-damn war hero," Grimmjow said with a grin, "and if you got medals, I deserve every last one of 'em. Pretty sure I saved the necks of hundreds of shinigami out there when all is said and done, and I took a pound of flesh from Aizen's braindead dipshit followers, too."
Erza might have dismissed his words as empty bragging or at least an exaggerated boast, but knowing his power and looking at the state of him, she was actually inclined to believe him.
"I'll mention it to the head-captain," she said. "I'm sure you'll be proud to have shinigami applauding you."
"You just gotta shit on everything I say, don't you?" Grimmjow snorted, and laughed.
"You certainly haven't changed," Halibel said disdainfully, looking down on him from where she stood.
"Oh, if it ain't Tier," Grimmjow said cheerily, unfazed. "You got no idea, sis. No idea. Yours truly beat the shit out of Jellal, who I fucking hate, and I didn't even kill 'im. I'm a changed man, me. Reformed. Real hero now."
"Yes, right," said Halibel, glancing at his morbid, bloodied state. "Nothing quite spells 'hero' like being covered in the guts of your enemies."
"Hey, you don't make omelettes without smashing eggs," Grimmjow said, shrugging. "It's a human saying," he explained smugly, as if this were sage knowledge. "Picked up a thing or two while I was here. Betting I'm more cultured than you are at this point."
"You are insufferable," Halibel muttered. "Erza, do I have to let him live?"
"Unfortunately, yes," Erza said, rolling her eyes. "Not killing allies is part of the deal, I'm afraid."
"A deal?" said Grimmjow, lighting up. "So, Halibel… we're on the same team, now, huh?" He chuckled, enjoying it a little too much. "Don't ya worry, being on team hero is the best decision ya ever made. All the butchering you want, and you get to feel good about it afterward."
Halibel gave him a look like he was something that had crawled up from under a rock and scoffed, looking away.
"Wait a second…" said Erza curiously. "You… spared Jellal?"
"Uh, yeah," said Grimmjow, shrugging and leaning back, supported on his hands. "Guess I did."
For whatever odd reason, Erza felt relieved. Curious, she decided to prod. "I thought you hated him."
"Fuckin' right."
"You joke a lot, Grimmjow, but… I think maybe you are not so bad, actually. You might not be a hero, but maybe one day you'll be a decent person."
"Hey, hey, hey!" Grimmjow snarled. "I did it so he could live to feel humiliated when Aizen loses, okay? Get outta here with that dumbfuck talk about bein' good."
"Sounds like something somebody who doesn't want to admit they're good would say."
A chuckle escaped Halibel, which seemed to infuriate Grimmjow even more.
"Hey, I could have vaporized his ass any time I wanted!"
"But you didn't."
"Fuck you, Red!"
"I like you, too."
"You're impossible, woman," Grimmjow growled, shaking his head. "Way to kill the fuckin' mood."
"Just close your eyes and think about the last helpless victim whose throat you ripped out," Erza teased.
"Joke's on you, I'll actually do that. And I'll feel good about it!"
"Good."
"Good!"
"It is true. And… I am grateful."
The voice caught them both off guard. Just a little further up the street, there was Jellal, practically hanging by the arms from the shoulders of Findor and Ggio. He looked like he had been worked over by a wild animal, which really wasn't far from the truth. He seemed conscious, but not much more than that.
Immediately, Apache, Mila Rose, and Sun-Sun all tensed up, hands on their weapons. Momo followed suit, her hands glowing with power.
"Stand down," Halibel said irritably. "That one poses no more threat than any of his petty servants."
"More or less, yeah," said Erza, gesturing for Momo to relax as well. Reluctantly, the four of them eased up.
"Halibel," said Jellal, "I'm glad to see you're alive. But, perhaps I shouldn't be, given your familiarity with an enemy?"
"I won't justify myself to you," Halibel said plainly. "I will not be used by the likes of Aizen anymore. If you wish to remain a tool, that is your choice."
"As you wish," sighed Jellal. "It's not as if I can do much about it."
"Fuckin' right," Grimmjow said, the grin back on his face. "But, hey, there's always more room on team hero. Ain't too late to switch sides. Just admit that you were wrong, and a little bitch, and Red here'll write you a full pardon."
"Grimmjow," Erza said, standing up on weak, wobbling legs, "shut up for a second."
"Alright," said Grimmjow, raising his hands mockingly. He chuckled gleefully, but otherwise kept quiet.
Erza shot him an irritated glance, and approached Jellal. "So, you lived."
"For now," said Jellal. "Ggio, Findor, can you set me down?"
Reluctantly, the two fracciones sat him down on the street. Jellal just barely held himself up. Erza sat down opposite him, legs crossed.
"So, here we are," she said slowly. "Funny how it turns out, huh? It will all be sorted soon, and neither of us can do much about it. We're both spent. We're still enemies, but for now, I'd rather not fight anything at all."
"Agreed," said Jellal. Despite himself, he smiled.
"What?"
"I'm so glad to see you're still you," he said simply, shrugging. "Even after all you've been through, even though we're opposed, it's nice to know some things don't change."
"Don't be stupid," Erza muttered.
"What will you do if your side wins? Will you see me executed?"
"I… don't know. It won't be up to me. Unless you really do want to change sides."
"I… I don't know," said Jellal, shaking his head. "I believe in Aizen's vision. But…"
"But?"
"I don't know. I hope Aizen does, too."
Erza's heart beat faster. She wasn't sure why. She had not held warm feelings for Jellal for a long time now. She was used to thinking of him as an enemy. Why would it matter to her if he changed?
"What makes you say that?"
"I…. don't know. I've seen this battle. There's so much carnage, and there's no rhyme or reason to it. It's… it's worse than anything I've seen out in the wastes of Hueco Mundo. Lord Aizen just threw us at these defensive positions like a tidal wave, and waited. I've asked myself why he didn't lead the charge himself, why there was no plan…"
He shook his head.
"I want to believe in him. Truly, I do. All… all I want is peace. A chance for hollows to be better than they're forced to be."
"I do, too," said Erza severely.
"Maybe you're right," Jellal admitted with a shrug. "I can't know. I… I'm not ready to throw in the towel, yet. I won't fight you. If it comes down to us losing, then do what you must. I'd rather die by your hands than anyone else's. It'd only be fair."
"First of all," said Erza firmly, "I don't think I could kill as much as a normal, weak hollow right now even if I tried. Second, even if I could I'd never kill something already beaten and defenseless. I will see to it that you're cared for fairly if it comes to that."
"Then I'll make you the same promise," Jellal said, nodding and smiling. "You really are still you, Erza."
She had no reply to that. She slowly stood up, nodded, and walked back to sit beside Grimmjow and Halibel.
They had given it their all. Their part in this was over and done with. All they could wait for now was for the last of the battles to be settled. Soon, very soon, they'd know.
Shunsui's blades worked at double time, whirling like a dervish. Despite the tremendous speed at which he moved, despite a lifetime's worth of experience, he was only just keeping up, parrying Starrk's strikes. Every strike he made was unbelievably precise. There were no feints, no attempts to deceive, only ferocious power and speed.
Ukitake came in from the side, his blade arcing toward the primero's head. Without even looking, the espada raised his left arm to parry the blow. Ukitake's sword cut through his sleeve, but didn't make a dent in his steely skin.
"And I thought you were supposed to be the lazy one," said Shunsui, grinning.
"I am. That's why I'm trying to make short work of you."
"Consistency. I can respect a man with principles," said Shunsui, thrusting his short blade forward. It didn't accomplish any more than Ukitake's, and Starrk gave him an unimpressed look. He twisted his left hand around, and grabbed Ukitake's zanpakutou. He surged forward, his skull slamming into Shunsui's, and not a moment later he yanked at Ukitake's blade, sending the captain tumbling through the air. Shunsui, reeling from the headbutt, took a few steps back.
Ukitake steadied himself, turning the tumble into a slide, and stood up in the air. Starrk gave them both a cold stare, elegantly twirling his blade around.
"Damn it, Ukitake, he's handling us like a couple of kids," Shunsui muttered.
"I know the feeling," Ukitake said. His breathing was getting a little ragged, Shunsui noticed. "It's like we're back with sensei in the dojo again. We can't keep going like this. No more testing the waters. If we want to make progress, we need to up our game."
"Agreed," Shunsui said with a nod.
"All ye waves," cried Ukitake, holding his blades pointed out, "become my shield! All ye thunder, become my blade! Sougyo no Kotowari!"
Just like that, his blade split into two. Long and elegant, each with a prong on the dull end of the blade facing backward, they were connected by a long, flowing red ribbon.
Shunsui likewise held out his blades.
"The flowery winds become disturbed," he chanted, "and the god of flowers sings. The heavenly winds become disturbed, and the devil of Heaven sneers. Katen Kyoukotsu!" His two blades grew longer, thicker, each with a semi-circle carved into its backside.
"Took you long enough," said Starrk. "Are you ready to get started, shinigami?"
"Together, Ukitake, but carefully," said Shunsui, nodding at the espada.
"I'll cover you," Ukitake agreed.
Shunsui felt his heart beating. It was time to roll the dice and see how they fell.
Well now, that sure was something, wasn't it? I bet a lot of you didn't see some of those twists coming. Personally speaking, I'm really happy with what we did. Some of you may be confused why I gave Mashiro and Lisa Bankai, but it'll all make sense in due time. Besides, Lisa became captain of squad 8 at the end of bleach, and both should by all means have had the time and experience needed to acquire a Bankai after their exile.
But my personal favorite part was the use of Unohana. While I do immensely enjoy the revel of her being the first Kenpachi in the Thousand Year Blood war (and she still is.) I feel the revelation should have come sooner and we got to see her do more amazing things. Baragan felt like the perfect opportunity to really show what she can do. Considering she was able to kill Kenpachi over and over without the use of a Shikai while he had his eyepatch off, it should be no surprise that she could defeat the king of Hueco Mundo.
Now all that remains is Stark when it comes to the Espada, but trust me when I say this... things are going to be much different here than they were in the cannon story.
I eagerly await your reviews to let me know how we did, It really would mean a lot to us.