Author's Note: This is the same concept of Starrk that I used in Survival. :) He's unbelievably ancient. Now, on with the show!


"We're in big trouble Starrk!" Lilinette hissed as Starrk crouched behind a pillar.

"I am well aware." He grunted, trying to think of how to get out of this trap.

The situation wasn't good. He shouldn't have come back to Los Noches. He knew that. He'd done it anyway because he'd wanted to pick up his art supplies out of his wing. How was he supposed to replace those? Going to Soul Society and stealing them would be every bit as risky as braving Los Noches. And he wanted them, damn it! He might be condemned to wander the wastes for all eternity but he could at least make some sketches of it.

It had been the wrong decision. He'd zigged when he should have zagged, to quote Grimmjow. Now he was in quite a fix, with literally four taichou stalking him through the bowels of Los Noches. He knew the place better than they did and that was all he had going for him. If he couldn't think of something a bit better they were well and truly screwed.

Starrk ruffled through his mind and memories for any kind of idea or strategy that could save him. He was unutterably ancient – the shinigami had no idea – so surely he could think of something. One idle memory caught his attention and he latched onto it.

Dug a pit and lined it with stakes. Hidden beneath the ground. Great predator wants to eat us but stupid, stupid. Lure it closer… Into the trap.

Predator is prey. We feast.

Starrk licked his lips. Szayel's wing. It was full of traps, if it was still intact. Could he lead the shinigami into those vicious, deadly, lethal traps?

"Worth a try." He muttered before slipping away. The damned shinigami could track him all too easily. Aizen's dampening had let him stand among the weak without killing them, but nothing could hide him. And his own control of his reiatsu was as abysmal as it had always been.

In this particular case, though, that might be a good thing. Ducking and dodging through Los Noches, Starrk dodged potentially lethal attacks as he tried to bring the shinigami to Szayel's area of the place. Then a voice reached him.

"Espada-san!" Oh, that voice… Starrk despised it. Not because the shinigami had tried to kill him but rather, because he had failed. His last hope for freedom from this pathetic excuse for a life, gone. Not even one of the most powerful taichou of Soul Society could cleanse his soul. Well, if they could not do it then he would just have to live. And he was damned if he would live in a cage. "We just want to talk!"

"You began that rather poorly, Kyoraku taichou." He called back laconically as Lilinette hissed angrily.

"He has some balls to say that after that big guy tried to nail us!" Starrk nodded as he kept going. A huge man with an eyepatch had attempted to destroy them, laughing the entire time. Starrk had managed to put the man in his place but that action had attracted far, far too much attention.

"We would like to apologize for that! Zaraki taichou wasn't supposed to be here…" Starrk tuned the man out. He was almost to the right area. Just a bit… further…

"Oh shit!" Lilinette spat as Starrk stopped, staring at the devastation in front of him with an absolutely blank expression. "What now, Starrk?" She asked and he thought carefully. He had another tactic. It was an act of desperation that he and Lilinette had come up with once, when they were idly talking. They'd never, ever needed to use it. But now… "Oh no, seriously?" She could see what was in his mind.

"I'm afraid so." He said quietly, gazing over the ruins of Szayel's laboratory. There was nothing for him to use here and nowhere to go. Nothing but emptiness. Turning around slowly, he watched as the four shinigami following him materialized. Two of them he had never seen, a stranger in makeup with an unholy grin on his face and a man with long black hair and silver clips. The other two consisted of the boy who had fought Halibel and the man in pink. Kyoraku Shunsui. Starrk met his smile with a blank, empty gaze. He had existed before this man had even been a dream in his grandmother's mind. He would exist long after he was nothing but dust, even his memory forgotten.

"Ah, arrancar! I cannot wait to examine you!" The man in the makeup said with far too much interest. Shunsui frowned before snapping.

"Mayuri! Enough. Starrk-san, please do not resist." He said gently, like a man trying to talk another off a cliff ledge. He didn't realize how apt that comparison was. "Come with us to Soul Society. Halibel and Grimmjow are already with us, being given a second chance. You can have one too."

"No." Starrk said it with absolute finality. He knew better than that. When they had any chance to examine him they would realize what they had. And when that happened they would never, ever let him go. Now that he didn't kill everyone simply by breathing, he had some hopes for companionship in the sands of Hueco Mundo. Soul Society would give him nothing but shackles and chains.

"You cannot escape." The man with the long black hair said.

"You are correct." Starrk said calmly, acknowledging the truth of the matter. "You have me." He couldn't hope to evade them now and he couldn't outrun them. As good as his sonido was, it wasn't that good. "But you will not take me alive." He said, lifting his guns. The shinigami readied themselves but Kyoraku held up a hand, holding them back.

"Please Starrk-san. You survived once. Don't make us kill you now." He said and the sincerity and honest concern in his face and eyes made Starrk wish he could take the man's offer. But he didn't know. Shunsui didn't understand the monster that stood in front of him, the force that his fellows would see as the deadliest of threats.

"You misunderstand, shinigami. I will not make you kill me." He said before looking at his weapons in sadness. "I'm sorry, Lilinette." He said softly.

"It's okay Starrk. I can be brave!" She said bravely and he smiled, sadly. Then he looked up, deliberately meeting grey eyes.

"Goodbye, Kyoraku taichou." He said before raising his gun. The shinigami spread out, readying their weapons and Shunsui's hands dropped to his blades… and his eyes went wide as Starrk abruptly reversed his weapon, resting the barrel against his temple.

"NO!" Shunsui leapt forward but there was simply no time. The eruption of the incredibly powerful cero illuminated the body in front of them in an unholy light. As the energy dissipated the body in front of them slowly collapsed, falling to its knees before slumping forward in a crumpled, smoking heap. "No…" Shunsui knelt beside what was left of the Primera Espada, reaching out to touch it. The head and part of the shoulders were gone, obliterated by the power the Espada had unleashed on himself.

All three of the other taichou stared, still caught in a web of shock and surprise. Even Mayuri was slack jawed and dazed. None of them had expected the deadly confrontation with the Primera Espada to end with such gruesome finality. As they recovered, though, Byakuya exchanged a glance with Toshiro. Neither of them knew what to say. Kyoraku was staring at the corpse, his expression devastated.

"I never wanted this." He whispered, looking at that broken form. Then a flash of silver caught his eye and he looked down, seeing the gun where it lay beside a lax hand. Reaching down, Kyoraku picked up the weapon. "Lilinette?" No response. "Lilinette-chan, are you there?" Surely that would provoke the little arrancar to an angry response. Nothing. Tears misted his eyes as he gently set the gun down beside its' deceased wielder.

"…Can I dissect him now?" Mayuri finally said. "Although he's in rather poor condition…" Now that half of his potential specimen had been obliterated, he wasn't nearly as interested.

"No." Shunsui said firmly before taking a deep breath. He carefully picked up what was left of the man. "I will take him to my Division for an honorable burial." He said. "Toshiro, can you get the guns for me?" He asked and his fellow taichou nodded. "Byakuya, Mayuri, can you collect Zaraki?" Starrk had really put the pain on the big man. He would survive but he wouldn't be happy for a while. Although Shunsui was sure what would really upset him was the fact that Starrk was dead and would never be able to fight him again. Kenpachi had been beaten before and only seemed to consider it a challenge.

But it was not a challenge Starrk would be able to meet. Shunsui tried not to look at the broken man in his arms, holding back his grief and guilt. Was there anything they could have done differently?

He would never know.


Honorable burial? Shit! Why can't they treat us like worthless hollows like they always have before?

Hush Lilinette. There will be an opportunity. Concentrate on suppressing the reaction.

I know, I've got it Starrk. You keep hiding our reiatsu.

Believe me, I'm trying. Being dead does help but if you slip up…

I know. I know!


Shunsui gazed into his sake, feeling sick with pain and guilt.

It wasn't his fault the Espada had committed suicide. He knew it wasn't. The man had made his own choice. Yet, a tiny inner voice kept tormenting him. He shouldn't have let Kenpachi tag along after them. He should have done something to stop that comment from Mayuri. Had that been what put Starrk over the edge? He would never know.

"Shunsui." He looked up as the door opened. A familiar, concerned face was there. He smiled sadly at the sight. "Are you alright?" Juushiro stepped into the room as he shook his head.

"Not really." He said sadly, looking down and into his sake. He could see his own reflection there. "…I didn't want him to die." Shunsui said as Juushiro took a seat across from him. He was very concerned about his old friend. "And he deserved so much better than to die like that." The surprisingly peaceful arrancar he'd fought over Karakura town, the man who'd shown mercy to every single opponent he'd defeated… he'd deserved better. Shunsui had been shocked to see him alive at all. He'd been absolutely certain he'd killed the Espada, and that had hurt his heart. To see him again and lose him so quickly… it was a terrible blow. Juushiro reached out to touch his hand.

"There was nothing you could have done." He said comfortingly. Shunsui took a deep breath before he nodded and took a deep drink of his sake.

"I know Juu. I know. It's just… the look on his face, right before he…" He would never forget that moment where Starrk had turned the weapon on himself. There had been such a peaceful look on his face before he'd pulled the trigger and destroyed himself. Shunsui had never seen anything like it and hoped to never see it again.

"Do you want to play shogi?" Juushiro suggested and he swallowed some more sake before nodding. Perhaps playing with his oldest friend would take his mind off the traumatic thing he had witnessed. Even with all his thousand years of experience, he'd never seen anything quite like it.

Halfway through their game there was a hard rap on the door. Shunsui looked up with a blink as Juushiro glanced behind his shoulder.

"Come in!" He called and the door slid open. To both their surprise, a pair of arrancar were there.

Halibel was wearing a jacket, designed much like her Espada one and meant to hide her bone fragments. This one, however, was dead black with a golden zipper. Her hakama was also black, denoting her new status as part of their forces. Grimmjow was also in black, with the insignia of the Eleventh on his arm. He was fitting in extremely well there, although he was loathe to admit it.

"Kyoraku taichou. Ukitake taichou. We have been told that Coyote Starrk is deceased and his body is being held within your Division?" Halibel asked and Shunsui winced to himself before managing a faint smile.

"I'm afraid so. I most deeply apologize. We wanted him to join us, not…" He looked down again, hardly seeing the board. All he saw was that dreadful moment in time. Halibel shook her head, her braids waving. Grimmjow was looking like he'd rather be somewhere else, grimacing slightly.

"It is we who must apologize to you. I am afraid I thought he was dead." She said and Shunsui blinked at her as Juushiro frowned. Then Grimmjow spoke.

"Yeah, that suicidal motherfucker had hopes, ya know? He figured if Aizen didn't win he could at least die on a shinigami's blade and that would finally do the trick. No luck, seems like. So where'd you put him? You checked on the body lately?" Grimmjow grinned then, his blue eyes flashing. "It's gonna get ya!" He chortled as Shunsui stared at him. Halibel shot him a glance of flat dislike.

"What?" He asked, perplexed. Halibel sighed before responding.

"As I said, we must apologize. We both thought he was dead. If we'd had any idea of his survival we would have warned you." She said before continuing, her tone uncomfortable. "Coyote Starrk is… highly unusual. He is a soul collection of surpassing age and complexity. As a result, he cannot die."

"He regenerates. Usually it starts happening right off but maybe he can hold it back. Anyway, you checked that body lately? Bet you a thousand yen it ain't there no more." Grimmjow said as Shunsui struggled to absorb what they were saying.

"That's not possible! I saw… he… he blew his own head off!" There had been no doubt whatsoever of the fatal nature of the wound. Grimmjow shrugged.

"He did that a few times in Los Noches. Cleaning brains off the wall is so much fucking fun. You should've heard the Numeros bitching. The last time the bastard did it, Aizen made him clean it up himself. You should have heard Lilinette going on!" Grimmjow maundered on but Shunsui wasn't listening. He came to his feet in a lurching move and practically dove out the door. They couldn't be right. They couldn't be…

But when he reached the room they'd placed the body, he saw nothing but an empty mat. The flowers he'd laid on the man were sitting on the floor, the petals already wilting. And there was a small piece of paper laid out on the mat. Picking it up, he began to read.

We play dead quite convincingly, do we not, Kyoraku Shunsui?

Coyote Starrk

Feeling the most profound relief he'd ever felt in his life, Shunsui began to laugh.