Shiro-chan! Juushiro paused, a teacup halfway to his lips, and wondered if he'd really heard that faint, tinny voice. Was he imagining things?
He was on the balcony of their rooms, just enjoying the breeze and the bright sunshine. It was very barren and extremely white, but still quite pleasant. Juushiro vaguely wondered if Soul Society would try to rescue him, but he knew better. They had probably assumed he was a casualty or worse. There was no point in risking the living for the dead. As far as he knew, not even Mayuri knew about hollow Claims. His state of involuntary servitude would not have occurred to them.
Shiro-chan! We need you! Juushiro's eyes widened as he realized his mind was not playing tricks on him. Lilinette was speaking to him through the Claim? We're outside Los Noches! Kimono-chan's getting mad and Starrk's gonna throw a wobbler any minute now! We need you!
"Throw a wobbler?" He asked as he got up and tried to orient himself. With Lilinette's tugging it wasn't hard and he leapt off the balcony, flying down to the sands below before launching into shunpo.
Have a tantrum. Juushiro blinked at the thought. Starrk, having a tantrum? He couldn't picture that at all. The Espada was usually so calm and composed. Well, done Starrk style. So a lot of whining and probably some crying. Maybe some flopping over and refusing to move… but Kimono-chan won't let him do that. That's more what he did with me.
"You'll have to tell me what you did to drive him to this state some other time." Juushiro said, entertained. Lilinette could be a brat, certainly, but she must have been massively bratty to make Starrk flop over and refuse to move.
Whatever. Hurry up! Starrk just got kicked in the face and he's starting to go floppy. Juushiro frowned as he increased his pace. What did Shunsui think he was doing? Part of training students was knowing when they'd had enough. It sounded like Starrk was reaching the limits of his mental endurance, if not his physical limits.
When he arrived, what he saw appalled him. Shunsui had a hand in Starrk's hair, dragging him up by the top of his head. The Espada looked very different – it was Juushiro's first time seeing his release – and his face was damp with sweat and the beginnings of tears. Shunsui was also released and Juushiro glanced him over for a moment, feeling a bit of pain as he saw the hat of bone he was wearing. Quite similar to his old straw hat, it was marked with a pattern that reminded him of a snake's hood.
"Do you really relish the thought of a sword going through your guts, Starrk?" Shunsui asked, roughly yanking Starrk's head back. "You have three months. Three months!" He snarled and Juushiro suddenly knew why Shunsui was pushing Starrk so hard. Aizen had given them a timeline. "Get up and fight!" He roared and Starrk climbed unsteadily to his feet. He was holding two guns and as Juushiro watched he launched into a clumsy sonido. It was fast, very fast for someone in his condition… the guns blazed as Starrk did his very best to follow Shunsui's orders.
It wasn't enough. Shunsui zipped through the air, avoiding the cero and countering several with his large, wickedly curved swords. They were gold now instead of black, but otherwise identical to his old shikai. Then a booted foot hit Starrk in the stomach and the arrancar flew away, spit and a bit of blood flying from his mouth. He hit the ground hard, wheezing and retching as a sword was pressed against his neck.
"You're dead." Shunsui said, his voice rough with anger. Starrk lay on the ground and whined, a sound that was more animal than human. "Get up." He reached down to grab the Espada again but Starrk jerked away.
"No!" Starrk said, his voice ragged and his eyes wild. Juushiro could tell he'd been pushed to his limits. Why couldn't Shunsui see it? "We have our second release – " He said and Shunsui laughed. It was a sharp, bitter sound.
"Oh? And what if Aizen wants us to fight two opponents? What if he wants one of us in Los Noches and one of us in the Living World? What then? You can't depend on me! Get up!" He commanded but Starrk was doing what Lilinette had said… refusing to move. "Starrk." Shunsui's tone was dangerous as he reached down and grabbed his mate again. Starrk tried to avoid him but couldn't and his head was pulled up. His face was streaked with tears as he gripped Shunsui's wrist, trying to ease the pain from his hair. "You…" Juushiro saw it as Shunsui lost his temper and moved, catching his old friend's wrist before he could backhand his lover. Shunsui's head turned and the arrancar glared at him, licking his lips. Juushiro knew the warning sign but stared back fearlessly. He wasn't going to let this go any further.
"Enough. You're going too far." Juushiro said firmly and Shunsui hissed, exposing his fangs. "He's not going to learn anything like this. You need to stop, Shunsui." Starrk's advice paid off in that moment. Juushiro could see that Shunsui was aching to bite him, but the Espada held himself back.
"He needs to learn! If he doesn't, he'll die like – " Shunsui suddenly stopped, a confused look passing over his face. It made Juushiro's heart ache because he knew exactly what was behind it.
"Like your sister." He completed the sentence softly and saw Shunsui's eyes widen, the arrancar's attention fixing on him as he let go of Starrk. The other Espada collapsed in an exhausted heap, breathing heavily and rubbing his face with a shaking hand. "Her name was Amiko. She was your older sister and you loved her very much." Juushiro said, remembering. Shunsui had confided this in him after a night of drinking. He'd been so heartbroken, thinking about it. "She went to become a shinigami but she died in training. You were only a child… you asked your father why she had to die. He told you she hadn't tried hard enough." Shunsui swallowed and shook his head, reaching up with one hand to grip his hair beneath his hat of bone. Juushiro didn't think he was really remembering but he was feeling something, if his stricken expression was any indication. "It was a cruel thing for him to say and I doubt it was even true. She was probably just unlucky. Things like that happen, Shunsui." He said compassionately. That was almost exactly what he'd said to his drunken friend, so long ago. "You need to stop. I know you just don't want to lose Starrk, but this isn't working." Some people would rise to this kind of training style. Kurosaki Ichigo came to mind… from what he'd heard, this was the same kind of training that Urahara had put him through. But it wasn't working for Starrk. Instead of igniting a fire in him it was moving the arrancar to give up.
"Yeah, what he said!" That tinny voice made Juushiro look down, surprised. Starrk was asleep… no, unconscious… and his guns were lying on the ground. The voice had come from them? "Starrk just flops when you step on him too hard! You know that, Kimono-chan!" Lilinette protested and Shunsui bit his lip, closing his eyes for a moment.
"I know but it's the only way I know to train him quickly enough." He said lowly and Juushiro's heart ached for him. Because he was probably right. Starrk would eventually fight taichou and with his vast reiryoku, he wouldn't be fighting weak ones. Aizen might even pit the powerful Espada against the Soutaichou. Starrk would fight valiantly but he would certainly die if that happened. "He will be fighting opponents with literally centuries of experience and he's not a natural warrior. He has no real killing instinct." Shunsui sounded frustrated. "Absurd, for a hollow to not have that! I don't know what to do…" Juushiro took a deep breath before gripping Shunsui's shoulder.
"I'll train him." He said firmly. He wasn't going to let Starrk refuse this time. Shunsui looked at him thoughtfully. "You're too close to him, too emotionally involved. I'll take care of it, Shunsui." He said and Shunsui looked down at Starrk for a moment before heaving a small sigh and nodding his head.
"It hurts but you're right. I will leave him to you, and we won't let him refuse this time." Shunsui said and Juushiro smiled at the echoing of his thoughts. "He's being very silly. You could easily say he ordered you."
"Yes, that's true." Juushiro said with a small smile. Of course, the Claim couldn't really force wholehearted compliance. He intended to teach Starrk to the best of his ability. Shunsui knelt by the unconscious arrancar, sliding his arms under him to scoop him up from the sands. Juushiro picked up the guns, regarded them with fascination. "Lilinette?"
"Yeah, that's me. This is our release. Don't worry, we can hold it forever, not like the others." She said cheerfully and he nodded although he hadn't been aware the other arrancar were limited in how long they could release. "Kimono-chan's like that too, he can stay in release forever… we can't stay in our second form forever though. That burns us up really bad."
"What is this second form? Will I see it?" Juushiro asked as they headed back to Los Noches. There was a slight pause before Lilinette answered.
"Not unless we go really far away from Los Noches. When we do that Starrk goes all sucker again and anyone nearby dies." She said and Juushiro blinked. "Starrk doesn't have much killing instinct because he's death on a stick. Remember Kimono-chan?"
"Yes, well, he can't just up and devour taichou with his horrifying reiatsu. And Aizen has blocked it anyway. So he needs to become stronger." Shunsui said firmly as Juushiro wondered what they were talking about? Death on a stick? Perhaps he would ask Lilinette later. They reached their rooms and Shunsui gently settled Starrk on their bed mat. The arrancar stayed completely limp, a sign of how exhausted he was. "Ah, I did push him too hard. Starrk, my love, I just want you to survive." Shunsui pressed a kiss against Starrk's forehead as he slept. Juushiro hesitated before laying the guns down on the bed beside him. Lilinette yawned and muttered something about needing a rest as well. "We'll have to handle supper. Ah, that will be fun!" Shunsui suddenly sounded cheerful and Juushiro shot him a curious look. "It's always so amusing when I deliver things. The look on their faces, like they might wet their pants at any moment!"
"Oh." Juushiro couldn't help but smile at that. Shunsui was the most feared Espada and for good reason. Only Yammy might compare and he was as stupid as he was powerful, which dulled the terror the Numeros had of him. Shunsui was, if anything, smarter than he was powerful. Tricks that would work on Yammy were utterly useless on him. After Starrk was settled he spent some time with Shunsui, just talking with him about various things. Then they went to deliver the meals, letting Starrk and Lilinette sleep.
Tomorrow, Juushiro would begin training the Espada in earnest.
"I feel fat."
"You're completely insane." Starrk said as he lay limply in the hot pool. This was the communal bathing area. Normally Juushiro avoided it – there was some hostility towards him as the only 'real' shinigami in Los Noches, and the Primera Espada's suites had a shower – but Starrk and Shunsui had both wanted him to come for a dip after practice. "Ah, this feels so good." He murmured as Shunsui hissed in frustration.
"I know it's crazy, but I feel fat!" Shunsui complained as Juushiro frowned at him. He'd been complaining of this off and on for days. "Or maybe, I don't know, bloated? Like there's tension under my skin. And now my mouth is starting to hurt, especially when I unfold my fangs. I don't know what's wrong with me." He growled before scratching at himself. Starrk lifted his head, blinking, as Juushiro spoke.
"Your mouth is hurting? Have you spoken to the medics yet?" That actually sounded like it might be something serious. Shunsui hissed softly, trying to extend his fangs before wincing and putting them back.
"Yes, they told me I was being silly and sent me on my way." He grumbled and Starrk pushed himself up before swimming over to his mate.
"That's probably because you told them you were feeling fat. Bloated sounds better. Can you open your mouth for me?" Starrk asked and Shunsui nodded before opening his mouth. "This would be easier with some kind of light… hmm. Don't bite me, please." Starrk cautioned and Shunsui made a muffled affirmative sound as the Coyote gently explored his mouth with his fingers. "It feels very hot. Does this hurt?" He asked just as Shunsui jerked back.
"Ow! Yes, that did hurt, very much! What did you do?" He asked and Starrk frowned, standing up. Water sleeted off his body but Juushiro wasn't in the right mindset to appreciate it.
"I touched your venom glands. They feel hot and inflamed to me, but I'm no medic. You should go to see them immediately, or perhaps Szayel. In fact… yes, it should be Szayel. This might be peculiar to your base form." Starrk said after a moment's thought and Shunsui grimaced but didn't protest as he stood. Juushiro went with them as they went to dry themselves and get back into their clothes.
"May I come too?" He asked. The two arrancar seemed to have forgotten about him. He wasn't eager to see Szayel's lair but he was honestly worried about Shunsui. What could be wrong with his fangs? Starrk smiled at him warmly as Shunsui muttered and fiddled with his mouth.
"Of course." He said as Juushiro returned his smile. He couldn't help but feel deeply attached to Starrk. Despite being a hollow and an arrancar he was just genuinely a very nice person. There was nothing false or heartless about him. Moving quickly, they made their way to Szayel's lab.
"Careful." Starrk gripped his arm, guiding him away from a particular spot on the floor. Juushiro looked at it carefully and frowned. He couldn't see anything unusual about it. "The traps here are mostly a nuisance for myself and Shunsui, but they might harm you. Just follow after me." Juushiro nodded as he followed. It was true, he didn't have hierro to protect himself with and it was logical that most of the traps would have been set to deal with shinigami intruders rather than fellow Espada.
Although logic was, perhaps, a rather strong term to apply to Szayel. Or rather, sanity. Juushiro glanced around, feeling like he'd stepped into the Twelfth's deep secret laboratories. There were plenty of tubes and jars holding things that he preferred not to know about. All kinds of glass beakers and scientific equipment filled the room. The arrancar at the centre of it all was working on something and Juushiro almost gagged as he recognized the body. It was one of the shinigami that Shunsui had murdered. The man had clearly been taken and preserved so the arrancar could dissect the corpse at his leisure.
"Oh. I thought he was done with those… I'm sorry." Juushiro met Starrk's eyes and saw both sadness and apology there.
"What are you sorry for?" Shunsui said and Juushiro shook his head as Starrk sighed. Trying to explain would be pointless. "Oh, that body? Szayel actually wanted us to bring him a few alive. It's better this way, no? Otherwise I likely would have brought him your pretty little fukutaichou." Shunsui said and Juushiro flinched at the heartless cheerfulness in his voice. Then Starrk slapped him upside the back of the head. "Ow! Starrk?"
"I know you have trouble with the concept of caring about people, but that man was like a fraccion to him. Stop it." Starrk said severely as Shunsui blinked, rubbing his head thoughtfully. Then he looked at Juushiro and a flash of guilt crossed his face.
"Oh, I just thought of them as like numeros. No one really cares about them at all. I'm sorry." Juushiro managed a wan smile at the apology. Shunsui wasn't guilty for killing the man, just hurting his feelings. Still, it was something.
"What are you two idiots doing here?" Szayel looked up from his work, distracted from the dissection by their voices. He jabbed the scalpel he was holding into the corpse before turning to look at them with a frown, adjusting his glasses. "Really, I have better things to do than listen to you babble."
"I'm sure. But Shunsui here is not feeling well. From what I can tell his venom glands are swollen. Can you help us?" Starrk asked and Szayel looked mildly interested.
"Perhaps… come here, please." Szayel said politely, probably because he was as wary of Shunsui's bite as anyone. Judging from the reiatsu levels Juushiro was sensing, it might very well kill him. Shunsui sat down and it was a measure of his misery that he tolerated the exam so easily. "Open wide…" Szayel used a small light and a tiny mirrored implement to get a better look. "Yes, they do look swollen. Interesting. When was the last time you bit someone?"
"Um… I think nine months ago? It was Starrk." Shunsui admitted, looking down. Starrk gently rested a hand on his shoulder, silently giving him comfort. Szayel gazed at the arrancar thoughtfully.
"You know, that's not at all normal for a snake. They use their venom partly to hunt prey and so naturally, it gets used quite a bit. Have you been expelling it at all?" He asked and Shunsui frowned as Juushiro suddenly thought of something.
"That smell on your breath has been getting stronger." He volunteered. Shunsui's breath always had an odd, acrid note. Lately it was almost overwhelming his sake taste and it wasn't very pleasant. Shunsui chewed his lip as Starrk nodded.
"I noticed that as well." Starrk said as Szayel began putting something together. "What are you doing?"
"It's only a theory but it should be easy enough to confirm. I believe your venom might be stagnating from lack of use. Depending on the composition of it, it might be forming crystals. Ah, here." Szayel offered Shunsui a jar with an odd layer of rubber on the top. "Bite into that, force your venom out. We'll see if my theory is correct." Shunsui took it with a slightly apprehensive expression and unfolded his fangs, wincing as he did. Then he bit into the lid of the jar.
"Hurtz!" He muttered, his voice muffled. Juushiro watched, fascinated, as very thick venom oozed into the jar. "Owowowow…"
"Hmm, yes, it appears your venom was crystalizing. Force as much of it out as you can. It would be better to do this naturally than resort to surgical measures." Szayel said and Shunsui closed his eyes before intensifying his efforts. His throat moved as more and more venom spilled out. Juushiro winced as there was a small popping sound and a few heavy grains dropped into the jar. He was quite sure the venom wasn't supposed to look like that. Finally Shunsui withdrew his fangs from the jar and folded them back up.
"I already feel a bit better." He said with relief as Szayel took the jar, raising it up and looking at it curiously. "Thank you. Ah, should I be doing that regularly?" He asked and the Octava nodded.
"Definitely, definitely. There's no need to let it get like this. Hmm, perhaps you should milk yourself once a month. Here, I'll make you some more jars. Please deliver the venom to me, perhaps I can create an anti-venom for it…" Shunsui looked less than thrilled with that idea but shrugged before nodding. Szayel took the jar to a wall, labelling it before adding it to his specimens. Starrk made a strange sound and they both looked at him curiously.
"I just… milk yourself… heh…" Starrk's lips were twitching with amusement and Shunsui looked surprised for a moment before he grinned. Juushiro smiled, shaking his head.
"Oh, Starrk, I'm rubbing off on you! You can milk me later, how about that? Ah, thank you!" Shunsui accepted several jars with rubber tops from Szayel with good cheer. "Thank you very much, I quite appreciate it."
"I'm glad to hear that. Now, if you could leave me to my work?" Szayel said and they gladly escaped. Juushiro was quite glad that Shunsui and Starrk had only brought Szayel corpses to work with. He shuddered to think what the arrancar would do with a living shinigami.
Hopefully, he would never find out.
Juushiro woke up to the sound of Shunsui singing.
For a moment, he was absolutely certain he'd stepped back in time. The sound of his love's voice brought back so many happy memories of waking up this way… Shunsui had always sang in the morning as he prepared breakfast, after they'd had a beautiful night together. Stretching, Juushiro expected to be alone in the bed. The illusion was broken, though, as he found he couldn't move freely. Opening his eyes in puzzlement he saw the white walls, the gently moving curtains and the crescent moon. And the little girl by his side.
"Lilinette." He smiled at her as she yawned and shifted, blinking her single eye. As strange as it was, he was getting used to waking up to the other half of Starrk's soul. She sat up, rubbing her eyes, and he was grateful for the frilly nightgown. It was bad enough that he was naked, it simply wouldn't have been right if Lilinette was as well.
"Oh, Kimono-chan's singing! I bet he's dancing too! C'mon, c'mon, we should get in on this!" Lilinette streaked out of the room as Juushiro smiled and looked for his clothes. This sounded interesting. Dancing? He would definitely like to see that. It had been so long since he'd saw Shunsui dance…
Shunsui was indeed dancing. He had Starrk in his arms and was twirling with the other arrancar around the balcony. Juushiro paused and watched them, just soaking up their zest for life. He'd so missed that about Shunsui, how much he enjoyed living. It was strange that even after his death, he'd kept that joy.
"Hey! I wanna dance too! Dance with me Kimono-chan!" Lilinette ran out, her gown flying and Shunsui laughed as he separated from Starrk to catch the little girl. She squealed in glee as she was lifted and twirled through the air. Starrk stepped back with a smile, giving them room, then looked towards him and offered him a hand. Juushiro stepped forward with a smile and took it. They danced together to the sound of Shunsui's voice and Juushiro smiled as Lilinette began to sing. Her voice was high and sweet, very pure and it harmonized with Shunsui's beautifully.
"Do you sing, Juushiro?" Starrk asked as they danced and he laughed lightly before shaking his head.
"No, not really. It often sets off my attacks." Oddly, he hadn't had an attack since he'd come to Hueco Mundo. That was a bit strange, he should have had one by now. "Do you sing, Starrk?" He asked and the arrancar shook his head with a small smile.
"I'm forbidden to sing. I'm slightly tone deaf, I don't hit the notes." He explained and Juushiro laughed at the thought. Starrk was tone deaf? He would never have guessed that! "I like music well enough, but I can't sing."
"Switch!" Lilinette called and Starrk laughed as he let go of Juushiro. Starrk caught Lilinette and Juushiro's breath was taken away as he found himself looking into Shunsui's eyes. Then his warm voice washed over him, singing an old, old song. Juushiro just let himself flow into the dance, smiling in pure happiness.
Shunsui's joy for life had always been infectious.
