The brown haired man walked through the endless twilight, playing with the hilt of his sword as he moved.

"What shall we do today?" He asked his sword spirit. There was a grumble and a yawn inside his mind and he smiled as he manifested her. The little wolf girl rubbed her eyes, before yawning. The light of the moon glittered on little fangs.

"Why don't we play chase the girl?" She asked and Starrk considered it. The sight of her tail decided him. It was wagging in excitement.

"Why not?" He agreed and she laughed. Soon they were dancing over the sand dunes, happy and playing.

They had no names. No past. Nothing but this moment in time, and the many endless moments that had proceeded it. They knew they were a shinigami and a zanpakuto, but they only knew that because sometime in the past, a hollow had told them so. The adjuchas in question had tried to kill them a moment later. He'd died bare seconds after that.

They were very alone here. Very few hollows so much as spoke to them before attacking. And when they did, they were wiped away, stricken by the barest touch of his power. The man hated it but there was very little he could do. He could not let them attack him and live. Somehow, he knew that his own death would be a very bad thing. Just the thought gave him a feeling of primal dread.

So the two of them continued their endless dance over the dunes, oblivious to the passing of time. They happened to be resting when something very unusual found them.

"…?" The brown haired man looked over his shoulder as he felt the shinigami approaching. His sword spirit yawned, stretching before joining him in looking at the stranger. He had warm brown hair and a kindly expression. The lost shinigami frowned as he looked at him. Then two more shinigami appeared, one with silver hair and the other with very dark skin and hair. The man blinked and stood, feeling a deep concern. "You are not supposed to be here." Of that, he was certain. Somehow, their presence in the barren wastes bothered him. It was not right.

"What do you mean?" The kindly looking man asked and the nameless man hesitated.

"…I don't know." He said honestly. It was just a feeling, there was no logic behind it. "…Who are you?" He knew other people had names. He didn't, but the lack didn't bother him.

"I am Aizen Sosuke. This is Ichimaru Gin and this is Tosen Kaname." He said and the man nodded. For now, he would remember, although in a while he would likely forget. The past trickled away from them, like sand through an hourglass. "Who are you?"

"I don't know." He said with just an edge of sadness. The man lifted an eyebrow and he tried to explain. "I have no name."

"We can't remember." His zanpakuto spoke up, which seemed to make the strangers uncomfortable. "We're just us and we've always been here." She shrugged, reaching up to scratch her wolf ears. They were nestled in a mass of wild green hair. "It's where we're supposed to be." He nodded. They both felt that, that it was right for them to be here. Why that would be, they did not know.

"The lost prince. I thought it was only a story." The dark skinned one whispered and they both blinked at him. Aizen shushed him with a gesture before smiling.

"Would you care to join me?" He asked and the nameless man tilted his head. The thought of having companions, not being so lonely, was a great attraction. "Although you will need a name." That made him blink in surprise. A name? A name of his own? Suddenly he wanted that. He wanted it so much.

"I will go with you. What will you name me?" He asked and the man considered it, his gaze falling on the zanpakuto. She was a slender girl, wearing furs and leathers. Her ears and tail were grey and very wolf-like, although perhaps more scraggly. She had only one eye. The other was covered with a leather eye patch.

"I will name you Coyote Starrk." He said after a moment. "Starrk will be your first name, in the shinigami way." He said and the newly named Starrk nodded. "But she is your zanpakuto. You do not know her name?"

"I don't have one." The little girl said, scratching her ears again. "I know… that's not right… but it's gone too. He can use me just like he did when I had a name, but I haven't got one anymore." The shinigami looked at each other and Starrk could sense how taken aback they were.

"Then you will be… Lilinette." The man in the lead said after a moment and the zanpakuto nodded, accepting the name. "Come with me, and I will introduce you to the others." Others? That made the man smile. Perhaps he could make friends!

Thinking no more about their misgivings, the two of them followed the three shinigami trustingly. They couldn't know it, but they had been placed in the desert of Hueco Mundo to avoid just such a scenario.

But nothing lasted forever. Although it had lasted a very, very long time.

Starrk's time in Los Noches was rather interesting.

The other Espada were afraid of him, of course. He was a shinigami yet accounted an Espada, and his power was both deep and strange. Also, his mind just wasn't right.

Starrk had been largely unaware of it when he was lost in the sands. He'd known he couldn't remember his own name, of course. He'd also known he couldn't remember his history or much of anything else, but it hadn't struck him as strange. Now, he knew it was odd. His mind was strangely porous, dropping information if he didn't concentrate hard on it. Aizen had taken to writing down his orders so he would have a constant reminder. And while Lilinette's recall was as bad as his, she was good at reminding him to look at his notebook.

The other Espada found it incredibly annoying, how he would gradually forget their names and faces. If he was separated from one of them long enough he would forget them entirely and require a new introduction. Starrk knew it wasn't right but he was helpless to stop it. It seemed that memories just slid from between his fingers like grains of sand.

One thing, though, gave him great joy in this place. That was Aizen. The kind man who had taken him out of the sands had taken him into his bed as well. Starrk had completely forgotten the pleasures of sex and he relearned them in Aizen's arms. His trust in the other man was absolute and it soon began to deepen into love. Starrk had no idea that this, too, was something that his stay in Hueco Mundo had been meant to avoid. All he cared about was the feelings he was being given, the warmth and love that had entered his life.

Starrk didn't understand most of Aizen's plans. He was intelligent but lacked any reference point for most of it. What was a Jurueichi? What was a town? It all had to be explained to him and then he forgot the next day. All that really mattered was helping Aizen. He would do anything his lover wanted, anything at all.

So eventually, he found himself facing a pair of taichou. His appearance clearly puzzled them and his zanpakuto puzzled them more.

"You seem to be shinigami. Who are you?" The man in pink said after a moment. Starrk shrugged.

"Coyote Starrk. Could we just pretend to fight? I don't want to kill you." And somehow, he was absolutely certain he could. But then, he'd defeated absolutely everything Aizen had tested him against. The other Espada, Gin, Tosen… not one of them had been able to stand against him. His power was an endless well of strength. The man in pink smiled.

"Ah, a man after my own heart! That's how I prefer to fight as well. Unfortunately, I cannot." He said lightly and Starrk sighed. He hadn't thought it would work.

"Then I most humbly apologize for what I must do." He said before drawing his sword. This was going to be messy.

He was dead right about that. They fenced for a while as Lilinette annoyed the white haired man. Eventually, though, Starrk decided it was time for his shikai. He called her to himself with a mental command and the shinigami across from him looking a bit surprised.

"Why have you called the girl?" He asked and Starrk blinked at him. Couldn't he tell? But perhaps not. He knew from Gin and Tosen that shinigami usually did not manifest their zanpakuto this way.

"She is my zanpakuto." He answered truthfully and the man looked taken aback. "…Did I ask your name?" Had he asked or had he just forgotten? It was so hard to know.

"Kyoraku Shunsui. And yes, you did ask." He sounded a bit bemused at the repetition. Starrk just shrugged as Lilinette scoffed.

"Hey, it took us weeks to remember our OWN names! You'll have to tell us yours five times 'fore we've got any hope of rememberin'. And since you're gonna be dead soon you won't make it that far." She said boldly and Starrk sighed before gently calling her to his inner world. Then he summoned his power.

"Scatter, my sword." That was how he preferred to summon the power of his nameless zanpakuto. He examined his guns for a moment, enjoying the feel and heft of them. They really were marvelous –

The shinigami tried to take advantage of his brief distraction. Starrk reacted with practiced skill. He lifted an arm, sheathed in a kido shield and raised his gun simultaneously. When the sword slashed through the hat it met his arm and the returning blast nearly killed the shinigami. But he was fast, that one, and managed to evade. His eyes were wide with surprise, though.

"Ah… that was… unexpected." He said after a moment and Starrk cocked an eyebrow at him. "You have an amazing reaction time, Espada-san."

"Mhm. I don't suppose we could pretend to fight now?" He asked wistfully. He hated killing. The shinigami smiled at him regretfully.

"Alas, I have my orders. And the stakes are a bit too high." He said and Starrk wondered what he meant. What was Aizen's goal again? He couldn't remember. It was important to Aizen, though, and that was enough. "Tell me. You are not an arrancar. Who are you really? And why are you fighting for Aizen?"

"I don't know who I am. I remember nothing. And Aizen is my lover." Starrk said simply and saw complete shock on the other man before he controlled it. "I will do anything to make him happy." The man had earned his utter devotion. Starrk truly wanted to make him happy, more than anything.

"…Oh. So no talking you out of it, then?" He asked after a moment and Starrk shook his head.

"No." Starrk began to fire then. The golden flashes of pure energy danced through the air, deceptive little patterns. The man tried to launch a cyclone at him, some kind of elemental attack? Starrk countered it with a particularly strong blast from his second gun. Then the shinigami began taunting him about the nature of his zanpakuto, how difficult it was to hit a moving target with a gun. So Starrk decided to demonstrate another power of his shikai. "Wildfire." The rain of power would – what?

Starrk just barely dodged the blast of his own power, tossed back at him. It was unmistakable. Briefly, he decided to do his best to try to talk the white haired man out of it.

"You know, two against one is not very fair." He said, although not as though he was angry. The man with white hair just smiled at him, grimly.

"War is not fair, Espada-san." He said and Starrk sighed. He knew the truth of that in his bones.

"I know." He did. Briefly, he considered warning off the man before deciding he couldn't afford to. Starrk couldn't remember but somehow, he just knew what to do. A bit of careful concentrating on his gun and he unleashed a shot at the white haired man.

The blast was very powerful but contained a hidden, deeply dangerous instability. The powers within it clashed against each other, which made it difficult and dangerous to fire. But when the man tried to absorb and redirect it…

"JUU!" The second man's voice rang out as the white haired man blew himself up. The explosion was rather impressive and Starrk watched emotionlessly as the white haired man fell out of the sky. "You…!" Then he was attacking, his expression angered. Starrk simply reacted with practiced skill, holding up his end of the battle. He knew what he was doing. Sooner or later, he would win.

"Is there some reason you don't use bankai, Kyo…. Taichou?" He asked, the name already gone from his mind. There was no answer, just more fierce attacks. This man was very good. He would have lasted a long time against… Starrk paused, puzzled, as he almost remembered something. But then it was gone like a whisper in the wind. "If you show me yours I'll show you mine."

"You have a bankai?" The man asked, his voice tight and controlled. Worried about failure, no doubt. Somehow, Starrk knew that feeling although he wasn't experiencing it now. When had he been afraid of failure? A long time ago, perhaps, in the times he couldn't remember.

"Of course. Mmm… I think I will show you." He decided before summoning his power. The other man leapt back as a corona of blue energy surrounded him. "Loup Garou." That was the command word of his bankai and he could use it, despite not knowing Lilinette's true name. The blue fire cleared and Starrk leapt forward, claws clashing against black blades.

After that, the outcome was assured. Starrk didn't know why the man across from him refused to use bankai. He was sure he had it. How could he not? But perhaps it was one of the rare powers that could cause as much damage to allies as enemies. If so, that was too bad. And his white haired friend was no longer in any condition to use his bankai. Starrk wasn't even sure if he was alive or dead.

It took a while but black claws finally bit deeply into flesh. Starrk felt genuinely bad about it, as the shinigami fell from the sky. Hesitating, he considered what to do. Glancing at Aizen he saw that he was looking away, his attention on Tosen and his battle. Flying down to the stricken shinigami, Starrk looked at the wide pool of blood he was lying in. It wasn't good, but…

"Hm." Kneeling beside the man, Starrk allowed his bankai to fade. Then he rested his hands on those brutal wounds, beginning to heal the damage he had inflicted. Not enough to bring the man back into the battle, of course. Just enough to ensure his survival. Eyelids fluttered and opened, grey eyes clouded with pain meeting his.

"Why… are you…?" He rasped out and Starrk gave him a gentle smile.

"I hate killing. And there is no reason for you to die." He said as he slowly mended that broken flesh. He had to be careful, with the power of his incredible reiatsu. He could easily damage the man, especially in his drained condition.

"And yet, you are helping Aizen." The man… what was his name again…? Said with a weak chuckle. Starrk frowned, not really understanding. Then he shrugged, uncaring.

"I love him." That was all that mattered, the love and warmth that had entered his life. Looking into the other man's face, he saw something that surprised him. The man's eyes were wide and his expression was completely shocked. Why would he look like that? Starrk had already told him…

Then the pain hit him. It was massive, all-encompassing, and radiating from his chest. Starrk gasped and looked down, his horrified gaze resting on the sword that had just impaled him from behind. How had he not felt it coming? Who could have surprised him so completely? Someone… he trusted… completely…

Starrk turned his head, looking over his shoulder, his grey eyes wide. That kindly smile, those warm brown eyes… Aizen knelt beside him as he struggled to breathe, his mind still cushioned by the shock. A hand went through his hair, stroking the heavy chestnut strands as Starrk heard Lilinette screaming in the back of his mind.

"Ah, Starrk. You remind me so much of Hinamori… and just like her, you must die." He said before freeing his sword. The gush of blood was massive and Starrk was vaguely aware that his heart had been pierced. He coughed, bringing up blood just before he slumped over, falling on top of the man whose life he had just saved. It was a pity he couldn't return the favor… Starrk lifted his head, looking into that man's eyes. Arms went around him and he could see the grim look on his face, the compassion in his eyes.

So strange. Starrk thought vaguely, as darkness began to eat away at his vision. The man I thought I loved just killed me. The man I tried to kill… is holding me as I die. It seemed so terribly wrong. And why was he so afraid to die? Why did he feel such dread at the thought? Lilinette was crying. He could hear her voice, echoing in the back of his mind. Chattering things seemed to gather at the edges of his mind. When he died, something bad was going to happen…

Then the darkness dragged him under and he knew nothing more.

"Kami." Shunsui whispered as he looked at the dead man in his arms. Pale grey eyes were wide and empty, his blood covering them both. It was still warm, just starting to become tacky. "Why?" Why had Aizen killed a man who was so intensely loyal to him? Shunsui thought he would remember the look on Starrk's face forever. Had that been how Hinamori had looked, when Aizen had stabbed her? "…" Was there nothing he could do? But the man was dead and he was too badly hurt to battle further.

Then his head went up as he felt something familiar. Unohana and… Orihime? His breath catching in his throat, he forced himself to his feet, carrying the man. There was one person who could heal even this and Starrk's body hadn't dissipated yet. He could be saved. And somehow, despite everything he had done, Shunsui didn't want him to die. The kind, rather confused man with the sad grey eyes.

He deserved better than to die this way.

Starrk reached up to touch his reiatsu restrainer, wishing he was still dead.

We have to tell them, Rouga. His zanpakuto whispered and he sighed.

"Please, call me Starrk." It wasn't his name, of course, but his real name brought him so much pain. Why had they brought him back to life? Kami, it hurt so much. He winced as he felt his zanpakuto's ire.

Stop being a wuss! You have to tell them and soon! Or they're going to execute you! She said and he honestly wished he could just let it happen. Both because he'd killed that one poor man – Juushiro's body had been destabilized by the blast he'd taken, there hadn't been enough left for Orihime to save – and because of what was going to happen. The fact that Aizen's love had been nothing but manipulation hardly impacted him at all, now. With the fullness of his memories he knew he'd been very vulnerable to that sort of thing.

"I know Mai. I know." He whispered before sighing. He had to do it. He simply had to. Going to the front of his cell, he spoke to the guard there. "Please, can you tell Kyoraku Shunsui that I wish to speak to him? I have something important to say." Starrk had observed the man trying to save Juushiro, after his own life had been restored by Orihime. He remembered the agonizing pain the man had suffered as his best friend had dissolved in front of his eyes. And the near hatred that Shunsui had turned towards him, just afterwards. Starrk hadn't been able to do anything but look away. His own healing powers were great, but not as good as Orihime's.

It took a while for Shunsui to arrive. Starrk was honestly a little surprised that he came at all. If he hadn't, what would he have done? He wasn't sure. Asked for someone else, perhaps. But he didn't know many of the taichou by name.

"What is it?" Shunsui didn't come into the cell, just staring at him from the other side. Starrk could see the anger and the pain in him, the suffering in those grey eyes. Sighing, he looked down. It might be better for Juushiro that he was dead and gone for rebirth, but Shunsui didn't know that yet.

"I'm sorry. But I have a story I must tell you." He said softly and Shunsui frowned. "You have heard that I am the lost prince?" Several of the Espada had been taken alive and they had mentioned Tosen's beliefs. Starrk had always forgotten about that, partly because he sensed it was untrue anyway. Shunsui nodded.

"The prince who committed a grave, terrible crime and was exiled to Hueco Mundo for his savagery. His name and past taken away from him, as punishment for his blasphemy." He said, his voice harsh. Starrk only smiled sadly, taking no offense.

"That story is a lie. It was put out by the Soul King of the time, although it caused him much pain to slander his son's name." He said softly and Shunsui frowned at him, clearly not believing him. "Unfortunately, I remember everything now. And I will give you the true story."

"Long ago, the primary duty of shinigami was not to purge hollows. That was a secondary duty, at most. Our primary duty was to fight demons." He said, knowing that Kyoraku would be aware of it. But it was truly ancient history. The man across from him nodded. "It was a never ending war and souls were the currency. In that time, there was a man, a prince of the highest royal blood. His name was Fukumi Rouga." The last name had been from his mother. Only the actual heir to the throne took the Soul King's name and he had not been that. "He was a general, a warrior without peer. He faced thousands of demons on the battlefield, defeated demon lords personally. He obliterated them, allowing the souls they had consumed to escape to their rightful places. He led his people to hundreds of victories and they revered him, despite their own losses." Starrk said, remembering those losses. It had cut into his soul, seeing his friends and allies fall. "Those deaths pained him, deeply. But he fought on and on, because there was nothing else he could do."

"Finally, the greatest of victories came." Starrk said, remembering. How sweet yet bitter it had been. "The great mother of demons was dealt an enormous blow. She could not be destroyed but her power was shattered and she was forced into rebirth. Of course, all that meant was a brief reprieve. In a few hundred years she would have been back to torment us again. So… we devised a binding." Starrk took a deep breath as Shunsui frowned but did not interrupt. He was clearly wondering what the point of this story was. "The binding was six pillars of stone, each sealed with the blood and soul of a bankai wielding shinigami." Starrk said plainly and his eyes widened. "A sacrifice of blood and death, but it was required to seal such a horrible thing away. However, more was needed. And that was a sacrifice of life."

"To cement the seal and make it eternal, a connection to the Soul King's throne was forged." Starrk said, remembering the situation. "The great general, the man who had gained the victory, volunteered to be the sacrifice. Six of his shinigami were already giving their lives. He could do nothing else." Starrk shuddered slightly, his voice rough as he continued. "He gave up his memories, his history, even his name. He became nothing but a vessel for the King's power, endlessly flowing to the binding."

"But this arrangement had a critical weakness and that was the prince himself." Starrk said softly as understanding began to dawn on Shunsui's face. "The Soul King knew that his son would be hideously vulnerable to manipulation and with his power, he could be used in various ways. Worst of all, he would be vulnerable to treachery and someone, unknowing, might slay him and so end the binding. So he sent his boy to Hueco Mundo and put out the story of his hideous crimes, all to keep anyone from seeking him out. Even his name was erased from history, so no one would know to look." He paused, looking at the shinigami across from him. Shunsui seemed uncertain now. Wanting to think that Starrk was lying, but deeply afraid that he wasn't. "I'm sorry. With one blow of his sword, Aizen did more damage than anyone could have imagined."

"For a moment, I was truly dead and my link to the King's throne is broken. Even as we speak, the pillars are shattering as the souls of the dead go on to their well-deserved rest." Starrk could not regret that. Those six brave, amazing men and women had given enough. It was time for them to rest. And yet… "I'm sorry. Within the month, the binding will fail completely and the land of demons will return to your reality. The great peace is over, and the great war begins again." Starrk wondered, as he looked at the man, if he would be alive by next year. He was great and powerful but he'd fallen to Starrk. Admittedly, very few demons and demon lords could hold against the Wolf Prince. But they rarely fought individually. No, they loved to attack in groups, especially against powerful shinigami like Shunsui. "I'm sorry." He whispered, feeling the pain of it. "So very, very sorry." He reached up to rub his eyes, feeling the wetness there. Looking up, he met Shunsui's eyes again, seeing the disbelief and dawning horror in his face. "I ask you to please execute me. I can't do this again. I've fought too much, done too much. I just… can't do it again." He knew that was cowardly. But hadn't he done enough? He'd bought them ten thousand years of peace. "I'm sorry." All he had now were futile regrets.

The binding had lasted a long, long time. But ultimately, nothing lasted forever.