Now You Feel Like Number None [Bleach Arrancar Quest]
- Thread starter Omicron
- Start date
- Users' Choice!
Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
Coshiua
An Autistic Kyogre~!
- Location
- The Ocean
*eyes open blearily*
*yawns*
*opens up Google*
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Now You Feel Like Number None Fan Art
Nemo & Cirucci: Watching a Movie
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Now You Feel Like Number None Fan Art
Nemo & Cirucci: Watching a Movie
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- Location
- Brittany, France
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Finally working on the next update. Will get to fanart afterwards. Brace for, well, you know what to expect.
- Location
- Texas
Don Kanonji?
Sole Purpose
Clueless
- Location
- Spread Across Several Miles
Salt and Pain?
XLV. Descorrer
- Location
- Brittany, France
- Pronouns
- He/Him
XLV. Descorrer
It takes you time to come around to the only solution you can trust.
You try to avoid it. You try to think your way around it. You imagine Esmeralda and you fighting together, her living in Cirucci's new fort, you imagine defending her against anything and everything. You imagine teaching her how to avoid the anger of the powerful, crafting tokens of Marana with which to help her survive.
And it all rings false. Eventually, these pictures fade away, and you're left alone with your empty glass and her patient eyes on you.
You look up at her, and she starts in surprise.
"What… What's wrong?" She asks.
You smile faintly. Nothing is wrong. That's the problem.
You stand up from your seat, pacing across the room, a slight shaking in your hand. You turn on your heels and you point one finger at her.
She has to go. It's the only way she'll be safe.
At first, she stares in blank surprise. Then she giggles.
"Did the drink get to you? Nemo, I can't go. Medic or no, I'm a soldier. I have a duty to all the people of this fortress, and if I escape, I will be hunted down."
You shake your head, draw a door across the air. You can take her to the Living World, where no one will find her.
This time she realizes you're not joking, or drunk. You're serious. Her eyes widen and she leans away in her chair. Yammy's dog shakes and whimpers, and she rubs its head until it calms down; even so it feels like an ill omen.
"The Living World? Where all the Shinigami work? We came here to escape this place, Nemo. You know that. No matter how bad it gets in here, it's still better than back there."
You shake your hand, motion to your mask. You're Arrancars. You don't need to eat souls, and your spiritual pressure is different. And Esmeralda's pressure is… Almost unnoticeable. She won't be in any danger.
"Nemo, that's treason." The words come out in a hush, fear on her features. And you just answer with an angry slash of your hand. She has no duty to put herself in danger working with people who'd as soon kill her as look at her. And if she fears the Shinigami in the Living World, what will she think when Lord Aizen actually goes to war with them? Will she be safer then?
"Nemo, please, calm down. This is reckless. It's not like you."
Of course it's like you. You stole the fragment of crown. You burned your house down to fight Findor, escaped and threw yourself at Cirucci's mercy, sent Yammy into the forest on a hunch, headed off into the salt pan on a vague rumor.
You're not strong, you're not bold, you're not proud. But reckless, yes, that you are.
And it's gotten you so far.
"What are you saying?" She says, worried and afraid. But you can't let that stop you. You know the only way to keep her truly safe.
You can open a door to the Living World, a door no one will notice. You can take her there, and find her a place to shelter in. You know people - vaguely, but they are friendly, and they will help her if you ask. You can visit; you've been to the Living World plenty of times before, and you know where to go, what to steal, how to make an empty building into a home. You can visit any time.
"Nemo, please, stop."
You pause in your motions. You realize your breath is fast and harsh. You were gesturing wildly, overcome with your idea. Esmeralda looks at you and there is a sadness in her eyes, but no rejection.
"Do you really think… That's the only way?"
It's not the only way. You could give her power, you could teach her as Cirucci taught you. But it's the safest way. What is there for her in Las Noches? Monsters - you remember Yammy's anger as she tried to help him. You can find friends for her in the Living World, to replace the ones she'd lose here-
"I don't have friends, Nemo," she says with a mirthless chuckle. The dog shudders and she scratches behind its ears, at the edges of its mask. "Just you. And this dog, now."
You'll visit her. You'll make sure she's safe and comfortable.
"If it's what you think is best, I trust you."
And for a moment you don't see her anymore. You see Mantis, staring at you with awestruck eyes, amazed of your power, as little as it was.
I trust you.
If you keep her close, she could meet the same fate as he did. You are dangerous. Being close to you is dangerous. Only Cirucci is strong enough that you don't fear to bring her harm.
So you have to send her away.
You nod. It is the best way. Esmeralda looks away, but she nods.
You can't stop to think about it. You wave your hand and it comes easily, far more than ever before. The fabric of the world is soft and yielding, and you only have to push to make it tear. It slides open like two heavy curtains, opening on endless darkness.
She looks at it with fear. You extend one arm and open your hand. She looks at you, hesitates.
Then her hand clasps yours, and you pull her into the darkness with you.
It's like the pressure of the deep ocean. It squeezes on you, damp and oppressive. It mocks you, giggling at the edges of your earing. It gnaws at your skin, making your fingers and feet numb. You feel Esmeralda's hand twitch in yours, although you cannot see her; you squeeze tighter, hasten your steps. You do not listen to what the darkness says. You thrust your hand ahead of you, part the curtains again, and there is light.
You are standing on a concrete roof, showered in sunlight. This is not the sun of Las Noches. It is the living sun, and it does not watch, it does not care. It is vast and far away and indifferent to your struggle, and this is perhaps the most comforting of thoughts you've had today.
You pull gently on Esmeralda's hand, and she steps closer to you. Then her hand slips from yours and her eyes are wide as she watches everything: the buildings around you, the sky and clouds (there are no clouds in the Fortress of Nights), the crowds down below, scurrying like a gigantic hive. Her breath is taken away for a moment, and you try on a smile. It falters.
"I'd forgotten how it was," she whispers.
You nod. The last time you faced a crowd up close was on the day you met Riruka. You think if you had come close to one today it would have overwhelmed you again. It is enough to withstand the colors, the wind, the smells, the distant sights. Las Noches feels so quiet in comparison.
There is a rail on the rooftop, and Esmeralda leans on it, folding her arms, watching it all. She holds the dog close to her, and it is no longer sleeping; it sticks its head out of her embrace, watching all around you, and whimpering in fright. You say nothing, and there is silence for a while. You touch her shoulder, point to a nearby building you remember. This last floor is empty, easy for an Arrancar to squat in while waiting for better. You used it before. Esmeralda nods slowly, and the silence comes again.
She's the first to speak again.
"Do you remember what it was like? To live here? Or… To be dead here."
You shrug, uneasy. Some fragments, that's all. Bits and pieces. This world is foreign to you now.
"Really?" She asks, turning to you, her eyes puzzled, and somewhat sad. It makes you uncomfortable. "You don't remember anything?"
No, you do remember some things. It's just…
You sigh and close your eyes. You think back, reach down into the dark.
You remember a little girl running. You remember sitting and watching moths dancing in the firelight. You remember faceless figures pressing around you. You remember a tall figure holding your hand.
You reach deeper, and you feel them.
Tens, hundreds, thousands. Moaning and gnashing and weeping. Writhing and squeezing against one another. Their maws snapping on empty air and each other. And endless sea of souls, and each of your memories a tiny dot of light in that ocean of bodies-
You shake your head. You don't remember much.
"Of course. You're an Adjucha," Esmeralda says, and it sounds like an apology. She turns her eyes away and looks out on the skyline.
"I remember," she adds, and you fall silent.
"There was a little boy. He was sick, and it made me feel so awful. I would visit him every day, and every day he'd smile when he'd see me. I would steal… Little things. Toys and trinkets that I would put onto his bed for him to play with. It made him so happy. The doctors thought it was his family bringing them, his family thought it was his friends. He would talk about me, but they'd smile sadly and talk about his 'imaginary friend.' But I never left. Nobody else could see me, but he could, and it was enough."
You bite your lip as you watch her, waiting for her to say more, but she does not. After a moment she looks at you, smirking.
"You told me a story of yours, but you never asked for a story of mine. Do you want to hear it?"
You don't. You know how it ends. And yet, almost against your own will, you nod.
"Nobody could help him. He wasted away in spite of all his doctors' efforts and his family's pleas, and then he was gone. He was my anchor, the only thing giving me happiness and a sense of self. When he was gone, I wept and howled, and there was a chain, and I was bound and consumed myself in my grief. And when the chain broke… Well, there was only anger. I found the doctors who had failed him, and I made sure they wouldn't fail anyone else. Ever again."
You fold your arms against your chest, holding yourself tightly for warmth. Even so, your body shivers. Esmeralda looks up from her rail.
"It's why I went to him, you know? Why I wanted him to break my mask. So that I could have a chance to pay back what I had taken. To heal a life for each one they could have healed, if I'd let them live long enough. And yet, throughout it all, what I really wanted was to find another little boy like the one I'd lost, and this time to help him, to save him. But when I did, well…" She smiles bitterly, looking down at the crowd. "My little boy was immortal, and all my healing was of no use to him."
You are frozen in silence, watching her without a word or sign. After a while, she turns to you.
"You never needed me, and I accepted that, I accepted that you were strong. But I needed you, Nemo."
You don't know what to say. You hate yourself for it, but it doesn't change the fact of it. You never know what to do when confronted with such words. They haunt you, hurt you, empty you. You look at her, and you are only a silent facade.
So you step back, and let her look on at the city. You wait for as long as she needs, watching the sun angle its way towards sunset. You know in another world Cirucci is waiting for you, but this moment you set aside, for yourself and Esmeralda.
At last she pushes herself off the rail and looks at you.
"Show me these friends of yours, then."
You nod, and let a bell ring inside your mind. Your Pesquisa rolls over the land like a single wave, and you see bright dots shine in your mind. There are a few you do not know, and you dismiss them; then you feel two dots close together, and one of them you recognize. You hold your hand out for Esmeralda to take, and she does; and then you are off leaping across the roofs.
Riruka is buying toys, and the young man at her side, fair-haired and shorter than her, is utterly uninterested. All his attention is to the handheld console in his hands. Riruka talks on and on about the plushes and figurines she sees in the window, but you know she doesn't expect him to listen, she is just filling in the silence.
You appear in front of her with an awkward smile, Esmeralda behind you.
"Cutiebug!" Riruka shouts, eyes wide in surprise. "I thought I'd never see you again! How are you? Gosh, you are still wearing one of these ugly uniforms - although, hm, this one is a lot better than the last one, much more fetching…" She leans down, examining you from every angle, and you rub your hair and try an uneasy chuckle. The young boy behind Riruka cocks an eyebrow and looks at you, then goes back to his game with complete indifference.
"And who's your friend?" She exclaims, standing straight up and looking defiant. You bow slightly and introduce Esmeralda with a curtsey. She bows in turn.
"My god, you're awful," Riruka says with a frown. Esmeralda flinches, taken aback. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean - it's not your fault, like it wasn't cutiebug's fault. But a tallnecked, ankles-length striped green robe? That's just no good. It's wasting your potential. That haircut, that mask, your size and posture… God I can't let you go on like this. Yukio, we need to help her!"
The boy looks up from his game with a dubious expression.
"Shut up! Fashion is more important than those idiots' bar! Come with me! And bring your dog, I know just how to make him complement the outfit I have in mind for you!"
The boy sighs, and pockets his handheld. Esmeralda stares, blinking, then turns to you with a silent question. The dog looks out from her folded arms in utter confusion. You try on your best smile and shrug.
"Come on, you two! We have work to do and they'll close shops soon!"
Your eyes meet Esmeralda's, and you smile sadly. You can't stay, Cirucci is waiting for you. You will come back to check on her soon, to help her get set up in whichever place she chooses, whether it's the squat you showed her or with Riruka. Whatever happens, it… It will all be okay.
Esmeralda nods slowly, and it makes you feel uneasy. But she doesn't say anything, and neither do you. She turns and follows after Riruka and her distracted friend, into the clothing stores.
And then you're alone.
You watch the street for a while, unknown humans pressing on each side of you, unconsciously avoiding your presence. You wait, for a time, and you have no idea what you are waiting for.
Eventually you turn back from the path Esmeralda took and wave your hand. The curtains part and the darkness is there, welcoming you. This time you do not hold anyone's hand as you step through.
You thought you were the one helping Esmeralda cross the path, and now you see how foolish that was. She was helping you as much as you were helping her. You are crossing the darkness back to Las Noches, and all the while it whispers to you the same sentence repeated endlessly:
"You never needed me, and I accepted that. But I needed you."
You cringe, focus inwards to shut off the voices, ignore them as best as you can. You rush across the dark, refusing to listen to them.
And then you're back. Standing alone in Esmeralda's infirmary.
You look around you, and it hits you at last. There will never again be a healer using this place as headquarters. There will never again be someone who knows what all these tables and counters, what all these jars and bottles of strange decoctions are for. Never again someone who knows how to weave the needles through an Arrancar's wounds to close them.
You are alone in an empty infirmary.
[ ]Take the strange bottles full of oddly-colored liquids. She made them herself, and used them to save your lungs. Maybe you will find a use for them.
[ ]Take her odd robes. Esmeralda never wore a proper Arrancar uniform, and they must have been a reason for that, even if you don't understand it. Maybe you can put them to some use.
[ ]Take a surgical kit, needles and cloth and fluids all designed to operate on an Espada. She was the weakest of all, and still brave enough to operate on them. You will make her proud.
It takes you time to come around to the only solution you can trust.
You try to avoid it. You try to think your way around it. You imagine Esmeralda and you fighting together, her living in Cirucci's new fort, you imagine defending her against anything and everything. You imagine teaching her how to avoid the anger of the powerful, crafting tokens of Marana with which to help her survive.
And it all rings false. Eventually, these pictures fade away, and you're left alone with your empty glass and her patient eyes on you.
You look up at her, and she starts in surprise.
"What… What's wrong?" She asks.
You smile faintly. Nothing is wrong. That's the problem.
You stand up from your seat, pacing across the room, a slight shaking in your hand. You turn on your heels and you point one finger at her.
She has to go. It's the only way she'll be safe.
At first, she stares in blank surprise. Then she giggles.
"Did the drink get to you? Nemo, I can't go. Medic or no, I'm a soldier. I have a duty to all the people of this fortress, and if I escape, I will be hunted down."
You shake your head, draw a door across the air. You can take her to the Living World, where no one will find her.
This time she realizes you're not joking, or drunk. You're serious. Her eyes widen and she leans away in her chair. Yammy's dog shakes and whimpers, and she rubs its head until it calms down; even so it feels like an ill omen.
"The Living World? Where all the Shinigami work? We came here to escape this place, Nemo. You know that. No matter how bad it gets in here, it's still better than back there."
You shake your hand, motion to your mask. You're Arrancars. You don't need to eat souls, and your spiritual pressure is different. And Esmeralda's pressure is… Almost unnoticeable. She won't be in any danger.
"Nemo, that's treason." The words come out in a hush, fear on her features. And you just answer with an angry slash of your hand. She has no duty to put herself in danger working with people who'd as soon kill her as look at her. And if she fears the Shinigami in the Living World, what will she think when Lord Aizen actually goes to war with them? Will she be safer then?
"Nemo, please, calm down. This is reckless. It's not like you."
Of course it's like you. You stole the fragment of crown. You burned your house down to fight Findor, escaped and threw yourself at Cirucci's mercy, sent Yammy into the forest on a hunch, headed off into the salt pan on a vague rumor.
You're not strong, you're not bold, you're not proud. But reckless, yes, that you are.
And it's gotten you so far.
"What are you saying?" She says, worried and afraid. But you can't let that stop you. You know the only way to keep her truly safe.
You can open a door to the Living World, a door no one will notice. You can take her there, and find her a place to shelter in. You know people - vaguely, but they are friendly, and they will help her if you ask. You can visit; you've been to the Living World plenty of times before, and you know where to go, what to steal, how to make an empty building into a home. You can visit any time.
"Nemo, please, stop."
You pause in your motions. You realize your breath is fast and harsh. You were gesturing wildly, overcome with your idea. Esmeralda looks at you and there is a sadness in her eyes, but no rejection.
"Do you really think… That's the only way?"
It's not the only way. You could give her power, you could teach her as Cirucci taught you. But it's the safest way. What is there for her in Las Noches? Monsters - you remember Yammy's anger as she tried to help him. You can find friends for her in the Living World, to replace the ones she'd lose here-
"I don't have friends, Nemo," she says with a mirthless chuckle. The dog shudders and she scratches behind its ears, at the edges of its mask. "Just you. And this dog, now."
You'll visit her. You'll make sure she's safe and comfortable.
"If it's what you think is best, I trust you."
And for a moment you don't see her anymore. You see Mantis, staring at you with awestruck eyes, amazed of your power, as little as it was.
I trust you.
If you keep her close, she could meet the same fate as he did. You are dangerous. Being close to you is dangerous. Only Cirucci is strong enough that you don't fear to bring her harm.
So you have to send her away.
You nod. It is the best way. Esmeralda looks away, but she nods.
You can't stop to think about it. You wave your hand and it comes easily, far more than ever before. The fabric of the world is soft and yielding, and you only have to push to make it tear. It slides open like two heavy curtains, opening on endless darkness.
She looks at it with fear. You extend one arm and open your hand. She looks at you, hesitates.
Then her hand clasps yours, and you pull her into the darkness with you.
It's like the pressure of the deep ocean. It squeezes on you, damp and oppressive. It mocks you, giggling at the edges of your earing. It gnaws at your skin, making your fingers and feet numb. You feel Esmeralda's hand twitch in yours, although you cannot see her; you squeeze tighter, hasten your steps. You do not listen to what the darkness says. You thrust your hand ahead of you, part the curtains again, and there is light.
You are standing on a concrete roof, showered in sunlight. This is not the sun of Las Noches. It is the living sun, and it does not watch, it does not care. It is vast and far away and indifferent to your struggle, and this is perhaps the most comforting of thoughts you've had today.
You pull gently on Esmeralda's hand, and she steps closer to you. Then her hand slips from yours and her eyes are wide as she watches everything: the buildings around you, the sky and clouds (there are no clouds in the Fortress of Nights), the crowds down below, scurrying like a gigantic hive. Her breath is taken away for a moment, and you try on a smile. It falters.
"I'd forgotten how it was," she whispers.
You nod. The last time you faced a crowd up close was on the day you met Riruka. You think if you had come close to one today it would have overwhelmed you again. It is enough to withstand the colors, the wind, the smells, the distant sights. Las Noches feels so quiet in comparison.
There is a rail on the rooftop, and Esmeralda leans on it, folding her arms, watching it all. She holds the dog close to her, and it is no longer sleeping; it sticks its head out of her embrace, watching all around you, and whimpering in fright. You say nothing, and there is silence for a while. You touch her shoulder, point to a nearby building you remember. This last floor is empty, easy for an Arrancar to squat in while waiting for better. You used it before. Esmeralda nods slowly, and the silence comes again.
She's the first to speak again.
"Do you remember what it was like? To live here? Or… To be dead here."
You shrug, uneasy. Some fragments, that's all. Bits and pieces. This world is foreign to you now.
"Really?" She asks, turning to you, her eyes puzzled, and somewhat sad. It makes you uncomfortable. "You don't remember anything?"
No, you do remember some things. It's just…
You sigh and close your eyes. You think back, reach down into the dark.
You remember a little girl running. You remember sitting and watching moths dancing in the firelight. You remember faceless figures pressing around you. You remember a tall figure holding your hand.
You reach deeper, and you feel them.
Tens, hundreds, thousands. Moaning and gnashing and weeping. Writhing and squeezing against one another. Their maws snapping on empty air and each other. And endless sea of souls, and each of your memories a tiny dot of light in that ocean of bodies-
You shake your head. You don't remember much.
"Of course. You're an Adjucha," Esmeralda says, and it sounds like an apology. She turns her eyes away and looks out on the skyline.
"I remember," she adds, and you fall silent.
"There was a little boy. He was sick, and it made me feel so awful. I would visit him every day, and every day he'd smile when he'd see me. I would steal… Little things. Toys and trinkets that I would put onto his bed for him to play with. It made him so happy. The doctors thought it was his family bringing them, his family thought it was his friends. He would talk about me, but they'd smile sadly and talk about his 'imaginary friend.' But I never left. Nobody else could see me, but he could, and it was enough."
You bite your lip as you watch her, waiting for her to say more, but she does not. After a moment she looks at you, smirking.
"You told me a story of yours, but you never asked for a story of mine. Do you want to hear it?"
You don't. You know how it ends. And yet, almost against your own will, you nod.
"Nobody could help him. He wasted away in spite of all his doctors' efforts and his family's pleas, and then he was gone. He was my anchor, the only thing giving me happiness and a sense of self. When he was gone, I wept and howled, and there was a chain, and I was bound and consumed myself in my grief. And when the chain broke… Well, there was only anger. I found the doctors who had failed him, and I made sure they wouldn't fail anyone else. Ever again."
You fold your arms against your chest, holding yourself tightly for warmth. Even so, your body shivers. Esmeralda looks up from her rail.
"It's why I went to him, you know? Why I wanted him to break my mask. So that I could have a chance to pay back what I had taken. To heal a life for each one they could have healed, if I'd let them live long enough. And yet, throughout it all, what I really wanted was to find another little boy like the one I'd lost, and this time to help him, to save him. But when I did, well…" She smiles bitterly, looking down at the crowd. "My little boy was immortal, and all my healing was of no use to him."
You are frozen in silence, watching her without a word or sign. After a while, she turns to you.
"You never needed me, and I accepted that, I accepted that you were strong. But I needed you, Nemo."
You don't know what to say. You hate yourself for it, but it doesn't change the fact of it. You never know what to do when confronted with such words. They haunt you, hurt you, empty you. You look at her, and you are only a silent facade.
So you step back, and let her look on at the city. You wait for as long as she needs, watching the sun angle its way towards sunset. You know in another world Cirucci is waiting for you, but this moment you set aside, for yourself and Esmeralda.
At last she pushes herself off the rail and looks at you.
"Show me these friends of yours, then."
You nod, and let a bell ring inside your mind. Your Pesquisa rolls over the land like a single wave, and you see bright dots shine in your mind. There are a few you do not know, and you dismiss them; then you feel two dots close together, and one of them you recognize. You hold your hand out for Esmeralda to take, and she does; and then you are off leaping across the roofs.
Riruka is buying toys, and the young man at her side, fair-haired and shorter than her, is utterly uninterested. All his attention is to the handheld console in his hands. Riruka talks on and on about the plushes and figurines she sees in the window, but you know she doesn't expect him to listen, she is just filling in the silence.
You appear in front of her with an awkward smile, Esmeralda behind you.
"Cutiebug!" Riruka shouts, eyes wide in surprise. "I thought I'd never see you again! How are you? Gosh, you are still wearing one of these ugly uniforms - although, hm, this one is a lot better than the last one, much more fetching…" She leans down, examining you from every angle, and you rub your hair and try an uneasy chuckle. The young boy behind Riruka cocks an eyebrow and looks at you, then goes back to his game with complete indifference.
"And who's your friend?" She exclaims, standing straight up and looking defiant. You bow slightly and introduce Esmeralda with a curtsey. She bows in turn.
"My god, you're awful," Riruka says with a frown. Esmeralda flinches, taken aback. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean - it's not your fault, like it wasn't cutiebug's fault. But a tallnecked, ankles-length striped green robe? That's just no good. It's wasting your potential. That haircut, that mask, your size and posture… God I can't let you go on like this. Yukio, we need to help her!"
The boy looks up from his game with a dubious expression.
"Shut up! Fashion is more important than those idiots' bar! Come with me! And bring your dog, I know just how to make him complement the outfit I have in mind for you!"
The boy sighs, and pockets his handheld. Esmeralda stares, blinking, then turns to you with a silent question. The dog looks out from her folded arms in utter confusion. You try on your best smile and shrug.
"Come on, you two! We have work to do and they'll close shops soon!"
Your eyes meet Esmeralda's, and you smile sadly. You can't stay, Cirucci is waiting for you. You will come back to check on her soon, to help her get set up in whichever place she chooses, whether it's the squat you showed her or with Riruka. Whatever happens, it… It will all be okay.
Esmeralda nods slowly, and it makes you feel uneasy. But she doesn't say anything, and neither do you. She turns and follows after Riruka and her distracted friend, into the clothing stores.
And then you're alone.
You watch the street for a while, unknown humans pressing on each side of you, unconsciously avoiding your presence. You wait, for a time, and you have no idea what you are waiting for.
Eventually you turn back from the path Esmeralda took and wave your hand. The curtains part and the darkness is there, welcoming you. This time you do not hold anyone's hand as you step through.
You thought you were the one helping Esmeralda cross the path, and now you see how foolish that was. She was helping you as much as you were helping her. You are crossing the darkness back to Las Noches, and all the while it whispers to you the same sentence repeated endlessly:
"You never needed me, and I accepted that. But I needed you."
You cringe, focus inwards to shut off the voices, ignore them as best as you can. You rush across the dark, refusing to listen to them.
And then you're back. Standing alone in Esmeralda's infirmary.
You look around you, and it hits you at last. There will never again be a healer using this place as headquarters. There will never again be someone who knows what all these tables and counters, what all these jars and bottles of strange decoctions are for. Never again someone who knows how to weave the needles through an Arrancar's wounds to close them.
You are alone in an empty infirmary.
[ ]Take the strange bottles full of oddly-colored liquids. She made them herself, and used them to save your lungs. Maybe you will find a use for them.
[ ]Take her odd robes. Esmeralda never wore a proper Arrancar uniform, and they must have been a reason for that, even if you don't understand it. Maybe you can put them to some use.
[ ]Take a surgical kit, needles and cloth and fluids all designed to operate on an Espada. She was the weakest of all, and still brave enough to operate on them. You will make her proud.
[x]Take a surgical kit, needles and cloth and fluids all designed to operate on an Espada. She was the weakest of all, and still brave enough to operate on them. You will make her proud.
Yesss neeedlesss....
Yesss neeedlesss....
- Location
- Texas
Boo! Boo to sending Esme away! Shun the author!
[X]Take a surgical kit, needles and cloth and fluids all designed to operate on an Espada. She was the weakest of all, and still brave enough to operate on them. You will make her proud.
We have an Espada to take care of now, and no one to help with that. Nemo seldom needs medical help, but Cirucci might, and having the right tools for the job seems like the smart option.
Better than a set of mystery fluids, or robes Nemo could make herself.
[X]Take a surgical kit, needles and cloth and fluids all designed to operate on an Espada. She was the weakest of all, and still brave enough to operate on them. You will make her proud.
We have an Espada to take care of now, and no one to help with that. Nemo seldom needs medical help, but Cirucci might, and having the right tools for the job seems like the smart option.
Better than a set of mystery fluids, or robes Nemo could make herself.
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- Location
- United States of America
[X]Take a surgical kit, needles and cloth and fluids all designed to operate on an Espada. She was the weakest of all, and still brave enough to operate on them. You will make her proud.
chocolote12
A Penguin Flailing Against The Keyboard Of Life.
[X] Take a surgical kit, needles and cloth and fluids all designed to operate on an Espada. She was the weakest of all, and still brave enough to operate on them. You will make her proud.
Mundane Skill get.
Mundane Skill get.
Chronobreak
Chara Appreciator
- Location
- Chicago
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X]Take the strange bottles full of oddly-colored liquids. She made them herself, and used them to save your lungs. Maybe you will find a use for them.
That chapter of their lives is closed. We will toil away at ghost chemistry to fill the void. Nemo seeing Esmeralda as Mantis, even if only for a scant moment, really stands out. It's the culmination of all that regret and impotence she and we felt when we chose are past, when the omake authors breathed life into her first friend, and our decision to share their story. This feels....right.
That chapter of their lives is closed. We will toil away at ghost chemistry to fill the void. Nemo seeing Esmeralda as Mantis, even if only for a scant moment, really stands out. It's the culmination of all that regret and impotence she and we felt when we chose are past, when the omake authors breathed life into her first friend, and our decision to share their story. This feels....right.
ChildishChimera
A umbran summon
- Location
- New York
[X]Take a surgical kit, needles and cloth and fluids all designed to operate on an Espada.She was the weakest of all, and still brave enough to operate on them. You will make her proud.
Doc Nemo reporting for duty
Doc Nemo reporting for duty
RoninSword
Sky God
- Location
- Canada
I do hope we visit her, even if its small check ins to ensure she has proper living arrangements.
Wouldn't mind her staying with the fullbringers, but don't want her turned into a doll or memory altered. Would probably have to explain what an Arrancar is though.
Wouldn't mind her staying with the fullbringers, but don't want her turned into a doll or memory altered. Would probably have to explain what an Arrancar is though.