Chapter Text
The pain radiating through his entire body was both unlike anything he had ever known, and somehow familiar in its sheer magnitude. The pain of calling for the other part of his soul and receiving no answer was the worst pain of all, though.
When Starrk tried to move, he found to his surprise that it was possible, albeit at the price of his entire torso flaming up. It did feel like he had been speared through from the back, then being sliced clean in two across his hollow hole, which pulsated continuously with blood. Holding his own chest, he managed to crawl to a nearby collapsed building and used it to prop himself vaguely up. From there, he could see a bit of what was going on. There was no enemy near him, the battle had moved toward where Aizen and Gin’s reiatsu echoed.
Starrk sighed deeply, but the move made him cough and more blood spilled over his chest from his mouth. Well, the internal bleeding was obvious without this additional piece of evidence. The wounds on his torso had not healed at all while he was passed out. His reiatsu pool was much too depleted to heal himself. Besides, he didn’t know how to. He had never suffered such a defeat before today.
Still he wasn’t dead. Lilinette was dead.
It was the heat that had woken him. All over the fake city, great columns of fire stood erected, The source of them was the powerful old shinigami with the number one on his back. He was facing Aizen-sama, unaware of the trap Aizen had planned for this very shikai. Starrk had not slept during the explanation on Wonderweiss’ abilities and his purpose in defeating the captain of the First Division. Soon this position would become unsafe.
It seemed strange to Starrk that heat could wake him, when Lilinett’s absence weighed like the coldest burden on what was left of his soul. The gaping emptiness inside of him seemed to call on him. Following the call sounded like a most appealing option.
When Lilinette’s last wolf vanished and he could hear her voice no more, Starrk had hoped the cunning shinigami’s blade would cut his meaningless existence short. He had done his best, fighting alongside the espadas even when it was the last thing he wanted. He had failed, but Aizen-sama would still win. Wonderweiss’s sacrifice would not be in vain, Starrk knew the ancient taichou stood no chance. If luck was on his side, the flames would end his own life too. Starrk let his reiatsu expand. Yes, they were rapidly approaching the building he was leaning on.
But before the flames reached him, they would consume the life of many shinigamis laying inert in their path. Starrk could feel the taichou who defeated him so soundly’s reiatsu among those who would soon be consumed. Why did the taichou let the flames approach him without reacting? It was hard in his state, but Starrk focused. Ah, his reiatsu and that of the people close to him were even weaker than his own. They couldn’t move, and most of them were unconscious, some on the verge of dying.
What a waste. They weren’t like him, missing the living half of their being, the will to live that spurred him on. Losing all of these lives in a battle not their own was such a meaningless waste. It was a pain to move, but he had just about enough of death.
Summoning all the strength he had left, Starrk left in a clumsy sonido heading straight to the street where the flames were about to ignite the two hollowfied shinigamis who had fought against him. He grabbed them, one under each arm, in spite of the agony holding their weight caused to his injuries. The pain in his body would soon cease to matter. Once he had prevented a few more deaths, his wounds were severe enough they would surely lead him to where lilinette was.
But just as he was leaving with slow, aching steps, a hand materialized from the rubbles and grabbed his leg. Starrk almost stumbled, causing him to gasp from the surprise more than from the hurt. At the end of the hand was a determined man with blond hair in a bob who crawled out of the rubble. His reiatsu was seeping from a bad wound cutting him from shoulder to waist. Starrk recognized him. It was not a shinigami, but one of the Vizards, like the ones he was holding. That’s right, he was the one who fought against Gin.
“Hoy”, the injured Vizard called, “where are you going with my friends? Let go of Rose and Love!” To his surprise, he saw that it wasn’t that the man was out of reiatsu, like he first assumed, but that he had concealed it in an effort to stop him. His spirit had strength, although his body betrayed him. Considering the columns moving in their direction, he answered.
“Away from the flames. You should come too, or you’ll die.”
The Vizard laughed. “Idiot. There’s no point to that.” The hand tightened its grip on his ankle as the Vizard coughed. Despite his injuries, he had a very decent grip and wouldn’t let go. WIth two passed out men in his arms, he didn’t dare start a fight and let him speak. “Soon the fire will cover this entire town. There’s no use fleeing from Ryuujin Jakka’s shikai. Moron.” Starrk sighed. He Considered kicking the dying Vizard who called him names, but he was the only other one conscious around them, and he seemed to know what to expect from the zanpakuto whose flames would soon reach them.
“Then I’ll take them to a place that blade can’t reach.” There was a way to escape the flames, but he needed one free hand. Besides, it was hard to hold the man on his left side, what with the blood making his grip slippery. “Hold that one,” he said and ungracefully dropped the man with the star-shape hairstyle into the blond’s arms, who was forced to relinquish his death grip on his ankle.
With one free hand, he waved two fingers and tried to gauge if his wounds would prevent him from finding the way to the path that could always be found at the tip of a hollow’s finger. To his relief, a Garganta opened before them, and Starrk stepped gratefully inside. This came so naturally to him, he had barely used any of the energy he had left. This plan was not such a bad gamble. Already, on the other side of the Garganta, the air was more breathable. This could work, with a little cooperation from the man who was currently gaping at him.
“There is no ground on this side. You need to come and create one. You should have enough reiatsu to create a small platform. Can you keep those two from falling in the depth before I come back?”
“You… you could flee to Hueco Mondo from the start? What are you still doing here? For what purpose are you taking my friends?”
Stark exhaled sharply. “Aizen didn’t ask me to, if that’s what worries you. This is not part of any plan, I just think there's been enough death.”
“You’re a strange one,” the man said. But he stood up with his friend passed out over his shoulder and stepped into the garganta as he created a path of reishi. The columns of fire were almost upon them, so Starrk wasted no time to close the Garganta before opening another not far from the first, where he had felt a couple of weakening reiatsu.
“Stay here, I will catch as many of the remaining reiatsu signatures as I can.”
Before the blond could protest, Starrk stepped out, next to two bodies whose reiatsu felt very young and distraught. The one crouching was the one who fought against Harribel. The young shinigami was attempting to heal a dying female shinigami. Starrk doubted she would survive the hour, but out of respect for the fervor with which the young taichou worked on her, he would bring the two of them.
But before he took the first step, a volley of sharp ice crystals almost impaled him. He slipped and almost lost his footing, which ended up saving him from another crystal that shattered just a few inches from his ear.
“Hoy, shinigami! Don’t go killing our way out of this dead zone!” The boy in the taichou uniform turned to the Vizard shouting at him from inside of the Garganta.
“You. Don’t you know he’s one of the espadas ?” He was trembling, wether from injuries or emotion, Starrk couldn’t tell.
“Espada or not, that guy is our best ticket out of here. If you want to save that girl, you’d better do it outside Ryuujin Jakka’s range.”
This sounded like a very sensible suggestion to Starrk, but it infuriated the shinigami.
“I can protect Hinamori without help from the enemy myself! I won’t step into a trap just because you ask nicely, Vizard!”
“The real trap is those two columns that will soon converge somewhere close to here. But that girl will cease to breath long before that happens, from the heat and the ash.” Starrk pointed out.
“Hey, little taichou, if this bites us in the ass you can blame me later. But for now that espada is our best chance.’ The boy looked like he was about to protest, but the Vizard went on. ‘Except if you can somehow run otide of the range of Ryuujin Jakka with this girl without aggravating her injuries.. Or you can step into this place where the fire won’t reach.”
In the end, it was the unconscious girl who decided for them. The ash in the air made her cough softly and throw up some blood. That was actually a good sign. With her airway freed, maybe the girl would yet live. After that, the shinigami didn’t protest any more.Starrk stepped away when they approached, the situation seemed volatile enough. The shinigami did glare at him when they crossed, but once they were inside, Starrk felt a bit lighter, knowing five people were now safer. Or was that the blood loss?
The shinigami Hitsugaya-taichou, as he called himself, took over the creation of the platform of reiatsu, as he was much less injured than the Vizard, who introduced himself as Hirako. Starrk didn’t introduce himself as they organized the healing of their friends. None of them seemed to have any talent in the area, so Starrk looked on dubiously as he tried to remember where in the spatial continuity he had sensed the other reiatsu signatures. There was a trick to finding the exact right place one wished to reach from inside a Garganta, but his exhaustion meant he had to focus more than usual to find the right state of mind.
At the next place he opened a Garganta laid the two taichous he had fought against. The Garganta had opened a little too far away, his ability to locate the real world compared to the world inside the Garganta truly impaired. It might be easier to use sonido to reach his next targets and open the Garganta from there. It would use his reiatsu much more quickly, but the risk of messing up was lesser.
The two taichous had both suffered grievous wounds and seemed unconscious, but the white-haired one looked the worst of the two. It was strange though, Starrk contemplated. The white-haired taichou had fallen much earlier in the fight, yet here he found them lying right next to each other. Did the other taichou aim his fall to join him? This seemed likely, as Starrk felt the residue of a healing kido over the deep jagged wound at the center of the white-haired shinigami’s chest. The wound still seemed life-threatening though, so Starrk wasn’t sure what the man’s friend had intended to do.
Their unconscious self suited Starrk fine for the moment, it would make the move easier. But when Starrk’s hand clenched unsteadily at the back of the first shinigami’s clothes, the one who defeated him, with the intent to haul him over one shoulder, he was suddenly caught in a forceful grasp. The force of it made him gasp, how could someone with such a weakened reiatsu be so strong? The hands that grasped his arms just over some painful gashes didn’t tremble. The sudden pain made his knee go weak and he let himself fall knee first while still holding onto the back of the man’s kimono, lest they both fell.
He met the open eyes of his adversary. They were just as sharp as in the middle of their battle. The taichou held his gaze, but after a few seconds when Starrk thought he might have to knock him out, he seemed to reach a decision and surrendered himself to unconsciousness. When his hands unclenched from his tired shoulders, he almost collapsed
Lifting them up both at once as he had intended proved to be a challenge. They weren’t much heavier than the others before, but he was losing his blood and his strength at an alarming rate. It was a pain, but he would have to make two trips. But as he was about to drop the white-haired one, someone took the body from him. Starrk was really out of it, because the woman with the glasses and the braid who stood before him was not hiding her reiatsu. He should have sensed her. His reiatsu sensing was usually impeccable, but right now his head was spinning too much for him to keep track of each reiatsu signature in his surroundings.
“My name is Lisa. Shinji sent me”, she said. Starrk had no idea who this Shinji was.
Without a word, she stepped toward his Garganta, the second taichou cradled in her arms. Since this suited Starrk just fine, he followed her at a slower pace.
Inside the Garganta were two additional Vizards. One of them, a girl with green hair, was unconscious and laid next to the three other people who needed urgent medical attention. The other was a very muscled man with short white hair who immediately started a conversation with the woman. While the woman quickly laid down the man she carried next to them, The taichou who manipulated ice didn’t acknowledge any of them, focused as he was on his task. The girl had a few more colors on his face, so Starrk thought his dedication would pay off.
To his dismay, Starrk was forced to keep on holding onto the man in his arms for a few minutes longer. That man was not light, and no matter how he held him, it put pressure on his wounds. But the blond Vizard, Hirako, addressed him before he could drop him next to the others.
“Ah, espada-san. I hope you don’t mind, but I called a few of my friends! They’re going to gather the rest of the shinigamis with you.”
Starrk nodded. “That’s good. I couldn’t catch them all before Wonderweiss incinerates this town.”
The white-haired Vizard seemed surprised. “Wonderweiss? Don’t you mean the soutaichou will incinerate us?”
Starrk seemed to think. “Is the soutaichou that scarily powerful old man? If so, look. around The columns of fire are gone. Wonderweiss has sealed his fire.”
“That’s impossible!”
“It’s what Wonderweiss was created for,” Starrk said sadly. He took the opportunity to deposit his charge next to his white-haired friend. The movement pulled on his injuries, but he kept his face blank. “Wonderweiss was created for the sole purpose of sealing your leader’s shikai. But he can also release all of the power sealed inside of him in one huge explosion. This was aizen-sama’s plan and it would surely kill us all. We should hurry.”
Even talking was getting harder. If they didn’t gather everyone soon, he would close the Garganta anyway. They would need him to reopen it when it was safe, and then Starrk could finally let death take him. The thought brought him peace, so much so he forgot the pain of his numerous wounds and prepared to leave for the next location.
The woman stopped him, a shocked look visible behind her glasses. “You mean all of the flames of Ryuujin Jakka could be released at once?” Her two companions looked as shocked as her.
“Yes. That is the purpose of his existence. Aizen-sama created him for this very goal.” It was a painful truth, but Aizen-sama had asked Wonderweiss if he would help him achieve his objective, and Wonderweiss had agreed, so there was nothing Starrk object to. In hindsight, that plan was also quite reckless.
“Kensei, I will bring all of the people on the East. You go North. Espada, how long can you maintain this door?”
Starrk considered his answer. “The flames are down, there’s no risk in letting the Garganta open here. It will hold as long as I am alive to maintain it. I will take the three reiatsu signatures I sense over there”, he pointed in a direction opposite their chosen ones, “and then I will take the remaining arrancars I can find.” No one else would bother to save them. He could sense that Harribel and her fraccion’s reiatsu not too far from their position. “When I come back with them, I will close the garganta. Otherwise it might be too late.”
The Vizard who’s name he didn’t know issued a few orders. “Shinji, you’re too injured. Stay there and take care of them. Lisa, you know what to do. I’m counting on you,” he said as she left. Starrk was about to follow her, but the Vizard called after him. “We’re counting on you too, espada… just…” he looked like he didn’t know how to address the enemy who offered his help so freely. “Just be there on time. Please.”
Starrk could only nod. Before he left, a thought occurred to him. “Oh, and if you intend to kill me, wait until you’re out of the Garganta. Otherwise you might be trapped with no way out.”
The tall Vizard seemed surprised by his statement, but Starrk left in sonido before anyone could answer. Human conversations were awkward.
He did find the three reiatsu signatures he had sensed, though there were rather far apart and using his sonido was taxing on his body. First he found the taichou who looked like a great red wolf. He was passed out, a tattooed shinigami bent over him with healing kido. He seemed alert enough to take on a defensive position when he saw him arrive, which seemed like a pain. To avoid further complications, Starrk decided to open another Garganta leading to where the Vizard and the young taichou were still tending to all the injured. Opening a Garganta from this side was much easier. The number of escapees inside of it had already increased, including a few awake shinigamis. Starrk left them do the convincing. The young man agreed to join them without protest and Starrk left them to drag the huge body of the wolf taichou themselves.
He arrived too late for the third reiatsu signature. It was Barragan’s fraccion Nirgge, whose body vanished with the last trace of his reiatsu as Starrk reached him. There was nothing left to pay respect to, so Starrk left with an additional pain in what felt like his heart.
Shaking his head, Starrk headed for where he could sense Harribel and her fraccion. None of them were aware, the three fraccions passed out in a heap, on top of each other. Starrk thought they’d never be so close to each other if they were awake. Harribel was collapsed on top of a nearby building. His physical condition was worsening by the minute, so Starrk chose again to open a new Garganta, as it only took few of his energy and would be much more painless than dragging each body across the town.
He didn’t ask the shinigamis and Vizard to help him with his fellow arrancars though, and brought them one by one inside of the Garganta. The last one he carried was Harribel. Something stopped him though. The deepest wound on her smelled like Aizen’s blade. When Starrk managed to focus on her, he saw Aizen’s reiatsu still clinging to the edge of the cut. Did Aizen-sama cause this? He shook his head, but even that caused him to wince. He couldn’t think about the implications of his discovery right now. Time was running out. Throwing Harribel over his shoulder, he started to walk. He swayed with each step, but at least this was the last trip he had to take. However, as he was closing the space between him and the Garganta, ready to collapse in exhaustion, Aizen-sama calmly stepped between him and his goal.
Starrk stopped dumly in his tracks, too weak to think about fleeing. Aizen-sama didn’t have a scratch on him, despite his fight with all of his adversaries, all the shinigamis and Vizards he had fought, and the scary taichou with the flames. Fleeing would serve no purpose.
“Coyote Starrk,” he said with great calmness. ‘What do you think you’re doing.’
“Aizen-sama…” At a loss to what to answer, Starrk could only watch him. He was very bad at reading people, and Aizen-sama’s face was harder to read than most. But even he could hear the barely restrained anger in his calm voice. In his state, he decided, all he could do was beg for their safety.
“Aizen-sama, please don’t be angry. Your victory is near, I thought you would not mind if a few of us escaped from your fight. There is no need for all of these people to die.”
Behind Aizen’s back, the shinigamis and the Vizards prepared to defend their position, but Starrk knew if Aizen rejected his plea, they would stand no chance. There were many of them now. Maybe if he could close the Garganta now, even with him on this side, they would find a way to survive. But Harribel was still on his back, and he didn’t want her to die with him.
“When you gain the power you seek, we will all be at your mercy, whether alive or dead. Aizen-sama, please allow us to await your judgement when you return.”
It was hard for Starrk to tell, especially since his vision was blurring around the edges, but Aizen-sama’s eyes seemed to soften, and a smile graced his lips. “Ah, I should have known you would take such an unexpected path. Among all of my espadas, you are the only one who could surprise me. You even survived the attacks of four taichou-class shinigamis. I had truly thought you dead.”
Emboldened, Starrk found the courage to meet his gaze. “Aizen-sama? May I take Harribel-san back to Hueco Mundo? Surely Wonderweiss will finish your plan soon. She won’t survive that.”
Before he could comprehend it, Aizen was no longer standing a foot from him, but a few inches from his face. He felt a sudden and deep pain in his stomach, but didn’t dare to look away from the face smiling kindly at him, even as his legs failed him and gravity pulled on him.
“Ah Starrk, you exceeded my predictions. Yet I’m afraid your usefulness is way passed.”
Finally the pain forced him to look at his abdomen, from where Kyouka Suigetsu’s handle was unsurprisingly sticking out the blade embedded deep into his body. So the reiatsu he found on Harribel was not a mistake.
With a firm move, Aizen slashed upward, cleaving most of Starrk’s torso in two. The blade slipped away when it met the edge of his hollow hole, but continued on it’s way upward, slicing his chest in two, only stopping short at his hollow mask. As he fell, Starrk could hear exclamations coming from the Garganta, and had the presence of mind to close it before Aizen could turn his attention to them. But before he touched the ground, he felt a pair of hands enclosed his weight and stopped him before he touched the ground. As his eyes closed, he felt the force of a powerful kido enveloping him and Harribel.
A voice called out to him.
“Starrk!”
Then he knew no more.