Green orbs opened as pain shot through his body. A strangled scream erupted, choked as blood pooled in the back of the owner's throat. Pale, shaking hands flew to a mangled chest as vicious coughs followed immediately after the scream.

Starrk glanced over from the small fire he had made, looking at the Shinigami that was convulsing on the ground. White hair splattered with blood whipped around, the aggressive force of the wind leaving no strand untouched, a more pained expression on his face than Starrk had seen yet.

In silence, Starrk got to his feet and moved to the Captain's side. He sat beside the Shinigami and reached out, pulling the black kosode they wore down in order to check the bandage he had wrapped around the wound. Blood was spilling out, staining the white fabric, making the black material sticky as well.

Starrk wasn't sure what this Death God's name was. He had only fought briefly against the white-haired male before Wonderweiss had impaled the Captain through the chest, sending him falling to the earth.

The Primero Espada had never been one for socialising, much preferring to spend his days asleep than anything else. He didn't know much first aid, but he did know a small healing kido he had learnt for Lilynette's sake.

Green aura surrounded his hand as Starrk laid it to rest upon the blood-soaked bandage, hoping he would be able to do something. It took a few minutes but, at last, the Captain's harsh coughs stopped and his breathing evened out.

"Better?" Starrk questioned monotonously, seeing the way green orbs scanned his face warily. He wasn't surprised the Captain tried to pull away, but he couldn't help but feel hurt over the action; he had gone out of his way to bring comfort to this Shinigami, and all he got in return was distrust.

Getting back up to his feet, Starrk returned to sit by the fire. He ignored the way the Shinigami behind him tried to get to his feet, only to continue collapsing back to the ground, and instead focused on staring at the red flames.

There was pitiful whimpers accompanied by shuffling and breathless grunts as the Shinigami collapsed to the ground again and again, unable to even so much as crawl away. When at last there was silence behind him, Starrk turned around once again. What he saw was the single most pathetic thing he had ever seen.

The Captain was lying on the ground, as still as a corpse, breathless moans that were barely audible escaping his lips. Blood pooled around him, and his body soon started shaking as violently as a seizure.

Starrk couldn't stare at this any longer. Making his way back to the Captain, he pulled him into his arms and dragged him over to the fire. The male's body was ice cold to the touch, and his teeth were starting to chatter.

The Primero Espada was no medic, but he could tell that this Captain was sick. He shrugged off his jacket and wrapped it around the slim form, hoping to ease some of the discomfort the cold night was bringing.

The Captain was barely awake for two minutes before his eyes slipped closed and he fell into unconsciousness.

Starrk didn't know what to do; what could he do? Should he just leave the Shinigami there? Should he try and warm him up? Change the bandages? What was he supposed to do?! He didn't realise it at first, but soon the biggest question on his mind was, what do I do if he dies?

With a sigh, Starrk laid down, pulling the Captain to rest against him. He kept his arms to his own body, but he was sure that the other would be close enough to still receive body heat. He hoped that it would be enough – surely if he were a Captain, he'd have to be strong enough to survive this, right?

With a sigh, Starrk closed his own eyes, following the Shinigami into sleep.

~~The next morning~~

When Starrk awoke, he was relieved to find that the Captain hadn't died through the night and was now curled up in his arms, breathing steadily, only a hint of pain on his face. The Espada sat up, pulling away from the older male, and rubbed his eyes. He didn't usually like getting up so early, but he knew that, unlike Arrancars, Shinigami had to eat, and this one was probably very hungry.

The brunet rubbed his chin as he thought about what he could do for the pale Death God, never having been in this situation before. He got to his feet and wandered away from the other, knowing that he wasn't far from a town. He started walking, hoping he could get there and return with food before the Shinigami awoke.

When Coyote returned what felt like years later, he was surprised to find the Captain curled up by the dying embers of the fire, his face drawn in a large, fearful frown. He sat down and handed over the bag of onigiri he had managed to snag without alerting humans to his presence.

The Shinigami's frown widened and he recoiled, as if he were afraid of the bag coming alive and biting his hand. However, when Starrk remained silent, the bag in front of him, he bit his lip, deciding to take his chances and see what the Arrancar was trying to do.

Opening the bag warily, the Reaper's nostrils filled with the wonderful scent of food, making his stomach rumble. He glanced at the brunet, reaching in slowly, ready to fight at the smallest sign of danger – though he didn't know where his Zanpakuto was, he felt strong enough to Kido the Primero Espada if he needed to.

"What's your name?" Starrk asked, watching the Captain bite into the food.

The Shinigami chewed for a few seconds before he swallowed, answering the other's question. "...Ukitake Jyuushiro..."

Starrk nodded politely. "Coyote Starrk."

The Shinigami – Ukitake – nodded back before he focused his attention on the onigiri once again. He wanted to ask about everything that had happened after the War, but he was too afraid to hear the answers. Starrk didn't seem to take this into consideration as he spoke again, his voice soft.

"We were the only two survivors," the brunet said. He noticed that Ukitake's eyes had a faraway look in them as he dropped his half-eaten onigiri onto his lap. "I don't know what happened to Aizen. The other Shinigami are dead. So are the Espada."

Ukitake slowly lowered his face into his hands. Surely... Surely not... His best friend... his lover... his everything... He couldn't be dead...

"...My friend..." Ukitake's voice was strained, his eyes wet as he struggled to fight back tears. His shoulders heaved with the tremendous effort he was putting in to keep himself controlled. "...Shunsui... Is he...?"

Starrk nodded, his face expressionless. He didn't speak, knowing that, after having lost Lilynette, Ukitake was probably in a lot of pain, too. After all; the Captain had lost more than just one person; he had lost his fellow Captains and Lieutenants.

Thoughts ran through Ukitake's head, leaving him with no fluent passage; all he knew was that he was alone. He was alone – with the one who had killed Kyōraku Shunsui, his world. He lifted his head, his eyes glazed over with tears he was too proud to allow falling. He blinked, biting on his lip, as he mustered his exhausted energy into a glare.

"You killed Shunsui..." Ukitake's voice was weak, but the bitter tones were still prevalent. "You killed him...!"

The brunet shook his head, not intimidated by the reiatsu that was now flaring, once so powerful, it would have crushed all but a select handful. Now, it was nothing but a mere shadow of its former glory. "I did not. I fell unconscious after one of his attacks."

"Liar!" The force of Ukitake's shout reduced him to a coughing mess. He gripped his chest and moaned between bloody coughs, his anger unable to be calmed; all he could do was blame Starrk for his loss, knowing that if they had not fought him, Shunsui would still be alive. "It's all your fault!"

"Maybe it is," Starrk agreed, his voice soft. "Maybe. But I did not go without suffering loss, too, Ukitake-san. I lost Lilynette, as you have lost the others."

Ukitake fought desperately against his emotions, wanting nothing more than to join his loved ones. He didn't want to be here if he had no one left to love. He dropped his face into his hands again, ashamed at being seen so weak; was it not enough that he had to be looked after because of an illness? Why did the enemy have to see him like this? Why couldn't he had just died with the others?

"...Why did you save me...?" Ukitake didn't sound angry; instead, he sounded defeated, exhausted, just sick of everything. "...Why couldn't you have left me to die...?"

"Because I'm selfish." Starrk wasted no time in replying. "I am afraid of being alone. I did not wish for any of this; I merely wanted the loneliness to cease."

Ukitake laughed, such a depressed sound that Starrk knew there was no humour behind it. "...You are selfish... I do not want to be alone, either... But you killed the one I love most... And you spare me because you are afraid..."

Starrk nodded. He knew that the other was in pain, so it was no surprise he was lashing out, needing to blame someone for his losses. The pale Shinigami accused him of being the killer of his loved ones, unable to accept the fact that he would never see them again or say goodbye. He needed an outlet for his emotions.

The Primero Espada honestly didn't mind taking Ukitake's pain; he knew he would need the other by his side, whether the Captain wanted to be there or not. He fingered the pink kimono hidden inside his jacket, wondering if it were time to give it to the older male or not.

Shaking his head, Coyote knew it was too early; Ukitake needed to accept his friend's death and mourn first. He wanted to give the kimono to the Captain as a reminder that, despite having lost someone important, they could still fight the loneliness together, that though the white-haired male may always be in pain, he would still remember the one that was so precious to him.

They wouldn't have to be alone anymore – not as long as they had each other.