Chapter 1: Day Break
The Old West. A time of Bandits, Heroes, and gold in whopping amounts. Thieves and outlaws tried to rein supreme, but the justice system itself was always high above them. But it wasn't strong enough to defeat the dangerous group of bandits known as the 'Arrancar'. Crime rates were high, but all of that was sure to change when two bandits join forces to take out another, much more dangerous outlaw who threatens to destroy all of humanity: Aizen Souske.
Wanted: the "Los Lobos"
Reward: 100,000,000
Caution: Skilled with guns and seem to speak with wolves. Second most dangerous outlaws.
Wanted: "Red Star" & the Sister Stars
Reward: 95,000,000
Caution: Teamwork is key to take down these bandits! They are highly skilled with explosives and other dangerous weapons. Third most dangerous outlaws.
Coyote Starrk admired the posters, "Check it out, Lil. Our bounty went up-Lilynette?"
Lilynette Gingerback was struggling to get down from her brown and white smudge-coated pony-er, undersized horse-Peaches, "Starrk! My spur is stuck in the stupid thingy you put your foot in! Don't just stand there! Help me get it out!"
Starrk sighed. He didn't even want to bother correcting her for the eighth time this week. "I'm coming..."
Even though they didn't seem like much, Starrk and Lilynette formed Los Lobos-bandits who mainly stole to serve their own purposes. OK, and they've killed a few people here and there. But Starrk was forced to shoot them because their actions hurt Lilynette.
And he HATED when anyone hurt Lilynette. If she hurt herself...well, that was a different story.
After all, she was a bit of a klutz.
"Ow...Yeah, got it-WAH!" He loosened her up and she landed on her head. "Oof! OW!"
He tied his pitch black stallion Casco to the post and then Peaches who purposely kicked some sand into Lilynette's face and sputtered at her reaction. "I'm gonna get something to drink, stay here and watch the horses..." Starrk stormed into the bar.
The doors swung open and everyone instantly glanced up at him. Uneasiness hung in the atmosphere as Starrk moved to the bar tender, his spurs clinking against the floor, and sat at the counter.
The Bartender seemed unnerved, "C-Can I help you with something?"
"I need a shot of..." Just as he was about to order the doors slammed open again. Starrk risked a glance over his shoulder, and after realizing who it was snapped his head back towards the counter.
"Red Star" if Starrk could remember correctly. She was a blonde with dark skin and two lightning bolt tattoos-one on either of her cheeks. Her cleavage was rather...large...and she had on a red turtle-neck shirt that ended just above her belt-line, a cream long-sleeved vest that went just below her rib cage, and matching jeans. Her hat matched her outfit color-wise, but her sea-green eyes clashed with everything.
Starrk himself wore a dark shade of brown outfit with blue padding along his sides and thighs, and he added his overcoat as a nice touch-up. He adjusted his hat to avoid her gaze as she came over and sat beside him. There was a large red star printed on her back-just like the outline of a wolf on Starrk's jacket.
Two of the three most wanted were sitting together in a bar that was just about ready to fall into an uproar. Oh, the irony!
"Long time no see, Tia."
There was no response from the outlaw. "I'll just have some sake, bartender."
Starrk felt a smirk pull at his face muscles but he forced it back-just act casual. It seemed like she was in no mood to talk. Especially since she had worked a few months for her bounty, and Starrk had only obtained his glory in about a week and a half. And they had been on the run for several months from-
"Harribel-sama!" A young follower of Red Star with short blue hair and a set of different colored eyes (Heterochromia) stalked in, "We've been looking for you! You slipped off without telling us where you were going! How-" she paused at the sight of Starrk, "-Is this guy bothering you?"
After a few moments the bartender shakily passed the bottle of sake down to Harribel and a cup. She popped the cap, poured herself some and sipped it silently. "No," she finally replied.
"Hey... I know you!" The girl exclaimed, "You're Coyote Starrk! From Los Lobos."
"So what if I am?" Starrk shot her a glare through icy eyes that caused her to take an unintentional step back, "You plan on turning me in?"
"We're bandits, too, dumbass!" She barked, "That's like us turning ourselves in! There's no-"
"Apache," Harribel warned, "That's enough. Go get Sun-Sun and Mila Rose and meet me outside this bar. I'll be out in a few minutes." Apache seemed skeptical at first-but eventually just strode away.
"Why did you follow me here?" Starrk questioned, stealing a sip of sake from Harribel's cup.
"I need your help, Starrk," She replied solemnly, snatching it back, "Aizen's moving again. He's built up his forces and he's planning a come-back on Karakura... Very soon. I'm not the one for being a hero, but... I fear we may get caught in the middle. Again..."
-from Aizen Souske. One of the most powerful outlaws to have ever come into existence. He had attempted to take over the west one time before-but two of his best gunman had escaped him by then, and gone their separate ways.
Those two were sitting right next to each other now.
"Seven months, Harribel," Starrk remarked matter-of-factly and folded his arms on the table, "Think he's forgotten about us by now?"
"I highly doubt it," She said grimly and scowled at the cup in front of her, "But I have this feeling... Oh, never mind. It's not important."
At the same moment, two dark figures entered the bar. This time, whispers echoed about danger...about whomever had just walked in. "Hey. Whoo-hoo! Take a look at that, Yumichika! The two most wanted outlaws sitting in a bar! How pathetic!"
"How beautiful!"
"What's wrong with you?"
"What? It's such a charming sight! I think it's kinda cute. Don't you, Ikkaku?"
Heavy boot steps against creaky wood-and the barrel of a gun pressed up against the back of Starrk's head. "No. I actually find it quite sickening. You're from the "Los Lobos" aren't you? Coyote Starrk? And you're Tia Harribel, "Red Star"! Check it out, Yumi, we got 'em right where we want 'em!"
The other man aimed a pistol at Harribel.
"Starrk..." Harribel growled, "I don't like the way these guys are talking about us. Should we teach them a lesson about why you don't mess around with an Espada?"
"Just don't be too loud. I have a headache and I haven't gotten much sleep lately, either."
"Will do."
Before the two men could blink Starrk had nailed Ikkaku in the gut with a single punch and knocked the pistol from his hand-pushing him to the floor. Harribel drew her gun and in the same second shot the weapon from Yumichika's grip and pointed the smoking nose at his distraught face.
"Was that too loud for you?"
"Yes. You didn't have to use your gun. Why do you think I didn't? BECAUSE IT'S TOO LOUD."
She ignored him. Ikkaku jumped to his feet and reached for his spare revolver-when the sounds of three guns being cocked drew everyone's attention. Apache was back with the other two girls and followers of Harribel, Sun-Sun and Mila Rose.
"How about these guys?" Apache asked disarmingly, "Are they bothering you?"
Harribel holstered her gun and flipped a coin onto the counter, "Yes."
A shot gun was cocked and aimed at them, the bartender's finger on the trigger, "Get out my bar! Now! I don't want any blood all over my brand new floors!"
The group stared at him, nerve-racking. His finger slipped and a bullet shot straight for Harribel's face-Starrk's arm snapped out and caught the small object mid-air, fresh smoke rising from his gloved hand.
"We can't have any of that, now can we?" Starrk chided and dropped the bullet on the floor; leaving everyone in shock.
"We don't have any time to kill them. Come now, Starrk; girls." Harribel exited the bar, followed by her scowling team and Starrk who actually turned and waved at Ikkaku and Yumichika before leaving.
They shot him crooked expressions.
Except the bartender. He was on the floor, hysterical.
"We're going where? Why? For what reason did you decide this? and who the hell are these guys?" Lilynette was fuming now-she was lost. Very lost. "Starrk! You just agreed like that? What were you thinking? That's in the complete opposite direction of where we were heading!"
"And?" Starrk untied Casco and Peaches from the post.
Lilynette saddled on Peaches, "Karakura? Isn't that where-"
"That's exactly why we're going," Starrk leapt up onto Casco, "You ready?"
Harribel's rare white horse, Tiburon, hoofed at the sand and nodded her head. "He wasn't asking you," Tia muttered and mounted her, "Come on girls. We've got to make it somewhere before sun-down!"
(Mila Rose rode a gray stallion with black dots spotting her coat-named Leona. Sun-Sun's horse was pure chestnut with a ridge of white down her nose-named Anaconda. Apache's ride looked like a cow more than a horse-Cierva's color was so black and white it was to the point where she could have easily pulled off to be a zebra.)
"Let's go!" Starrk ordered, and the group took off towards the setting sun in the western horizon. Onwards for a new day.
For a new hope.