Starrk walked through the streets of Karakura town, a rather mischievous smile on his lips. Lilinette walked beside him, just as amused at what was happening.

"Wow, that took a long time, didn't it Starrk?" She said and he nodded.

"A very long time." Normally a hollow heat was a monthly occurrence. It was very annoying, much like menstrual cramps. Betas just learned to live with it, when they weren't interested in mating. On his transition to arrancar, though, Starrk's heats had stopped completely. He'd assumed that meant he was sterile.

Now, however, he was in the throes of the most massive heat of his life. The desire to mate was singing through him and Starrk was not going to rest until he found someone to mate. However, that posed problems.

Grimmjow was god-only-knows where, probably killing things. If Starrk had been able to find him, he would have mated the cat instantly. He wasn't really ideal – Starrk was relatively sure he'd be abandoned as soon as the heat was over – but he was decently powered and an arrancar. Acceptable, if just barely.

But he hadn't been able to find the cat and the other arrancar were unacceptable. So now he was trying to attract the attention of the only other hybrids who might be capable of seeding him.

"My my. What is the Primera doing here? Taking a stroll?" That voice. Starrk sighed to himself, turning to look at the owner. Then his heart did a dance as he saw who else was with him. He'd brought the two strongest ones! Normally that would have worried him – clearly they'd decided to send a very powerful group to bring the hammer down – but not today.

"I'm not interested in you." He said to the man in pink. Screw him. He might as well not exist. "But thank you so very, very much for bringing these two." He fixed his gaze on the man with the disturbing smile and the one with the silver hair. "I am Coyote Starrk." He said, breathing out just the faintest touch of his mating pheromones. He could feel the hollows inside those two instantly perk up. "Tell me, what are your names?"

"Hirako Shinji." The one with the smile said. He was grinning right now, in fact.

"Muguruma Kensei." The other one said shortly. Starrk smiled as the one with the other one spoke again.

"Now, what d'you think you're doin' here? I thought you said you'd be staying in Hueco Mundo." He said as Starrk put a finger in his mouth, teasingly sucking on the digit. As he did that, Kensei frowned and Starrk could feel the energy in him fluctuate. He pulled the finger out, allowing the wetness to gleam in the light of the moon. He could practically feel the hollows inside these two twitching, but the shinigami seemed largely oblivious. Interesting.

"Well, I wasn't expecting this to happen." He said idly, examining his finger for a moment before wiping it off on his uniform. He could sense Lilinette beginning to grow impatient but he was honestly having fun teasing them. The man in pink, oddly enough, picked up on what he was doing.

"Are you flirting, Espada-san?" He sounded very amused and the two Visored exchanged a glance. Starrk smiled, also quite amused.

"Something like that." Although rather more profound. Lilinette sighed in irritation.

"OI! Stop playing with them Starrk!" She said and he sighed. "Just do it! Do it!"

"Oh… alright." He rested a hand on her head and called on his power. "Kick About, Los Lobos!" He called forth his resurrection in a burst of surprisingly gentle blue fire. But most of the power was directed in a completely different way than usual and both the Visored reeled as his aroma went from enticing to irresistible.

"No… I can't…" Shinji was just barely hanging on, but then Kensei lost control completely. A hollow mask went over his face, and more. Strange projections formed on his back and black and gold eyes stared at the Beta in front of him with feral intent. Then he noticed the Alpha hollow beside him and turned, punching Shinji in the face. The blow caused the other Visored to lose control as well and his mask appeared as he leapt at Kensei with a roar.

"What the…?!" The only one unaffected by what Starrk had done was Shunsui and he was utterly appalled. "What is going on here? Stop!" The two hollows ignored him, concentrating on grappling each other as Starrk watched calmly. They were causing a great deal of property damage but he didn't care. In fact, he didn't even think about it. "What have you done?" Kyoraku had his swords out and was glaring at him but Starrk met his gaze with complete unconcern. He knew if the other man actually tried to harm him, the two Visored currently fighting it out would turn on him viciously.

"I am in heat and now, they are in rut." Starrk said calmly, watching as the battle continued. It was getting vicious. "They fight to see who will have the privilege of mating me and seeding me with offspring." That was a perfectly logical thing to do. If he'd been a weaker Beta they might have made HIM seek their attention. They were both very powerful Alphas. But he was not a weak Beta… he was an obscenely strong one, the kind of Beta powerful Alphas dreamed of someday encountering. The two hollows within the shinigami desperately wanted this prize. Shunsui absorbed that for a moment before taking a deep breath.

"Can you move them? If they unleash ceros here many people could be killed." He said and Starrk blinked. He hadn't thought of that… but then, his own reasoning capacity was centred on one thing and that was mating. The heat burning through him demanded it. Starrk frowned as he realized this was a real problem.

"You're right." He said before flying into the air. A quick shot of his weapon into the sky caught their attention, since it could signify the Beta was in danger. "We need to move this so you can fight without interference. Follow me." He said before vanishing in a quick sonido. There was a pair of protests but he could feel the two Alphas following him. Of course they would. How could they not? Interestingly enough, Shunsui did not follow them. Likely he was going to summon help to corral the hollows. That briefly concerned Starrk but there wasn't much he could do about it. He just hoped these two finished their battle quickly.

As soon as Starrk found a new spot, safely out of the city, the battle recommenced. He watched their techniques with interest. They weren't just fighting with pure hollow abilities, now. Starrk had a feeling the rut was reaching the shinigami within as well. After all, shinigami felt a need to breed. It might not have been as hormonally driven as what hollows experienced, but it was powerful.

The battle was very near to done and Starrk thought Shinji would win when suddenly, a third combatant appeared.

"Getsuga Tenshou!" That eerie, double toned voice caught the Beta's attention and he turned his head in time to see a blast of black and red power. It hit the two hollows, making them scream.

"Hey! That's not fair!" Kensei protested, his voice carrying the same double tone as the strangers. It reminded Starrk a little of a soul scream. Odd, but there was nothing normal about these hybrids. The one above them tittered, a truly unnerving sound.

"Life's not fair, motherfuckers!" He said before attacking full force. Starrk's eyes widened a little in appreciation. True, Shinji and Kensei were both slightly exhausted but he thought maybe this stranger could have taken them both even when they were rested. Who was he? The hair was pure white. The Espada honestly had no idea.

It didn't take very long for the newcomer to completely destroy the two Visored. They were both lying in smoking craters, still alive but badly hurt, when the victor turned towards him. Slate grey eyes, gripped with the fever of the heat, met equally crazed black and gold. Then the other hollow leapt and Starrk didn't try to evade. This one had won the right to mate him, without a doubt.

"Shit you are so strong!" The Alpha said as he pinned the Coyote to the ground, biting his throat. Starrk grunted, tilting his head back for his new Alpha. He tasted the blood, making a sound of utter desire. Starrk knew what he was doing… sampling the power in the blood, evaluating his strength. "I'd mate anything, no fucking chances in here, but you're so damned perfect!"

"Thank you." Vaguely, Starrk supposed it would be different for the hollows trapped in these hybrids. How many chances for mating could they have? Practically none. Whatever sex their 'hosts' were having probably didn't count. "You are wonderful too." Truly, he'd found more than he'd hoped for. Just a single powerful Alpha would have been enough but three? His day was full.

"Enough talking, more fucking." The hollow said and Starrk agreed. Clothing was pulled away impatiently and then Starrk took the right position, hands and knees in front of the Alpha. His body was breached by one smooth thrust and Starrk grunted, lowering his head for a moment at the pleasurable burn. His body flexed and shifted, struggling to accommodate that length. His Alpha was large… "Shit! So tight… this your first heat?" The absurdity of that question made Starrk laugh, but it ended in a gasp as the other began to move.

"No. But if you live… first successful… mating…" He'd tried many times, when he'd still been an adjuchas. But the potent reiatsu that marked him as a future vasto lorde had killed his partners before they could fill him with seed. The Vizard behind him laughed.

"Now that won't be a problem." Starrk was glad he was confident. The power in him was already rising, like a tornado of force. He wouldn't be able to hold it back.

But the other hollow was right to be confident. That hard length tortured his insides, drawing howls and barks from the Primera, the primal sounds of a dog hollow satisfying a heat. His power began flowing out of him, meshing with the power behind him. That was the dangerous point… if the other was too weak his Beta power would utterly destroy him. But he was strong, so very strong and the potent force of his reiatsu merged with Starrk's fearlessly. That combined power stroked them both, feeling like the best caress in the world, sinking into their bodies and leaking out, driving them to even wilder mating. There were no words now, only animal sounds and pants. The hollow behind him hissed violently, reminding Starrk of a lizard as he ground against his body, struggling to get as far as possible into the wet heat of his chosen Beta.

They were very close to finishing when Starrk vaguely detected the energy of approaching shinigami. That wasn't good… this mating had to finish. Trying to signal his urgency he whined and the other responded, taking him even harder. Starrk could feel the swell inside him, the knot forming to keep the other's semen and power in place. It was not just physical, but reiatsu based, a powerful instinct. And for good reason… when they were done the defeated Alphas might still have a chance, if they recovered quickly enough. The form behind him finally stiffened and Starrk cried out as his orgasm came over him. Powerful reiatsu, blue and black and red exploded from them as the other pumped him full of reiatsu and semen. The coming shinigami faltered in the face of that reiatsu storm, which bought them just enough time.

"Shit! We have to get out of here." The Vizard beside him hissed as the power died down. Starrk looked over his shoulder with a blink.

"We?" He'd assumed that whatever mating he managed with the Vizard would result in his abandonment. He honestly didn't mind. Most Betas raised their pups alone, although they always appreciated it when an Alpha stayed. The Vizard chuckled, running a hand through his chestnut hair, petting him as their bodies remained linked. He was giving his body time to subside, which was necessary.

"I'm probably never going to have a proper mate again. I'm not letting you get away. Fuck King, he managed to sleep through this, the idiot." Starrk frowned at that and wanted to ask a question, but they were truly out of time. The other pulled out of him and he immediately grabbed his clothes. "Come on, make a garganta, I can't."

"Yes." Starrk had always wondered why the Vizard couldn't make garganta. Perhaps they didn't have the natural navigation instinct that was required. It hardly mattered at the moment, though. He created the garganta and they both stepped through.

It had already closed by the time the shinigami arrived.

Ichigo yawned, shifting slightly as he woke up from the most wonderful dream he'd ever had.

It was a strange dream though. For one thing, it had felt shockingly real. He'd dreamed that he'd gotten out of bed, smelling something absolutely wonderful that he needed to find. Why he needed it he wasn't sure, but he'd gone to find the source of the tantalizing aroma. He'd defeated the hollows – Vizard? – fighting over a brown haired man. Then he'd had sex with the man and it had been beyond amazing.

That scent though. He could still smell it. Slowly opening his eyes, he became aware of a head of brown hair right in front of his own.

…! Ichigo stared in shock, vaguely aware of his hollow laughing in the back of his mind. The man from his dream was in front of him, deeply asleep on some rather grubby cushions. A little girl was with him, curled up beside him. Ichigo was on his own cushion and they were in a cave?

"Wh-what… what…" There was a stutter in the soft breathing beside him and the man's head turned. Ichigo's breath caught in his throat as he recognized him. "You!" The man stared at him blankly for a moment before blinking.

"Oh… you? But your hair was white." He sounded confused and Ichigo scowled, reaching for his sword. Then his hollow's voice rang out.

No way King! And abruptly, the white psychopath went into full rebellion. Ichigo grit his teeth as he tried to fight through it. He was going to –

Then warm fingers ran over his chest and Ichigo's eyes went wide as the hollow beside him kissed him full on the mouth. His mind cushioned in shock, he stared at the other man. He was looking at him with eyes that were full of warmth and desire.

"Fuck me, Alpha." He said, his voice husky and Ichigo shuddered. He was attracted to men and the way this guy was looking at him and that strange scent in the air… he was getting hard. He couldn't help it. Why was his hollow laughing? "Mate me, fill me with your seed." A warm tongue laved his throat and he abruptly lost control.

Grabbing the stranger – who was he again? Aside from the guy who had taken Orihime? – he got on top of him and ground their cloth covered erections together. The man beneath him moaned, letting his head fall back and exposing his throat for Ichigo's attentions. He gave it, feeling a compulsion to bite that pale column. So he did, tasting the blood in his mouth. It was filled with that beautiful scent and he whimpered deep in his throat, desperately needing more. His fingers bit into that pale skin, raising more tiny droplets of blood and releasing more of the scent into the air. Gasping, Ichigo completely gave up control to his instincts and just let himself feel.

The hollow rose up within him, not taking control but sharing in a strange Doppler effect. Ichigo felt a half-mask forming and didn't care. He worked on the ties to the other man's hakama, yanking down the fabric. To his pleasure, he wore nothing beneath it. Then his own hakama and underthings came off. Vaguely he noticed that the young girl had just woken up and he hesitated… until the hollow reached out to brush a hand over her helmet.

The girl vanished in blue sparkles and the man in front of him changed. Suddenly he had a mask fragment bracketing an empty eye socket, with a flame marking that matched the girl. And that scent just exploded. Ichigo knew there were things he was supposed to do – anal sex wasn't easy – but suddenly that knowledge didn't seem important. What he needed, what he wanted was to be inside, right now.

So that was what he did. Griping those long, limber legs, he flicked them over his shoulders before slamming into the other man. That should have hurt, he vaguely knew, but the stranger reacted as though it was the best thing he'd ever felt in his life. The cry beneath him was satisfying and it became moreso as he continued to take that man with a rough, harsh rhythm. It seemed like there was nothing he could do that would hurt him, which was good because right now Ichigo had no control. Although even in the frenzied sex, there was still one thing he wanted to know.

"What… is your name…?" He gasped out, before kissing the man. Their tongues fought for supremacy before the other submitted, allowing the young vizard to plunder his mouth.

"Coyote Starrk." He groaned out and Ichigo did know that name. One of the surviving arrancar, the Primera Espada… he'd promised to stay in Hueco Mundo. Why hadn't he? Then the pleasure wiped all coherent thought away and Ichigo bit down on a pale shoulder, tasting that intoxicating blood. "Oh sweet kami more…" More was definitely what he wanted to give this man.

As they had sex, Ichigo felt the other's spiritual pressure leaking out in a vortex like storm. His own responded without thought and he was left gasping at the feel of it, the urgent caresses that seemed to mimic their physical bodies. He groaned as he felt his completion coming, so close yet teasingly out of reach.

Then, wish an abrupt suddenness, he found it. The intense pleasure almost made him scream and the arrancar beneath him howled as their spiritual pressure almost exploded, flowing outwards in a powerful wave. Anything too weak died and those few who were strong enough fled. There was nothing in sensing distance powerful enough to challenge the Alpha and safely mate the Beta. They could only flee.

As he came down from his instinctual high, Ichigo wondered what he was doing. He had just…? With someone he didn't even know, except that he was one of Aizen's former lackey's and had taken Orihime away from him?

Why not ask him, King? His hollow sounded amused and Ichigo scowled. The hollow he was lying against, still entangled with, registered the expression and reacted with a soft whine. Ichigo blinked as his lips were nibbled. What was he…? Oi. He's a canine and he thinks you're mad at him for something. He's saying sorry in dog language.

"Oh… uh… I was just upset with my inner hollow." He apologized to the man beneath him, who immediately relaxed and looked at him with trust in his single grey eye. Was this really an Espada? He was acting so… strangely. "He said I should ask you what's going on." He was sure the white lunatic could tell him, he was just choosing not to. The man… Starrk… looked a bit surprised.

"Oh… I am a Beta in heat. You are an Alpha in rut. So we are mating, for as long as the heat lasts." He said and Ichigo swallowed as a hand went over his chest. "I'm honestly not sure how long that will be. Nothing about this is typical. I thought I was sterile… this is my first heat as an arrancar." He sounded very pleased and Ichigo wondered why. "And you are the first partner I have ever had who could take my spiritual pressure and live." Ah, that explained it.

"Mmm." Ichigo slowly separated from the stranger before glancing around. Then he blinked, going stiff as the surroundings registered. "Where am I?" This was not his rooms. This wasn't even the clearing from his dream. This was a cave, set deep in the stone and surprisingly comfortable. The man yawned and his body sparkled with blue light before that little girl reappeared. Ichigo blushed violently and grabbed for his clothes.

"Hueco Mundo… what's wrong?" He asked in concern and Ichigo stuttered as he pulled back on his pants.

"You just – she's – I'm naked!" That was a little girl and he was naked in front of her. The man just stared at him blankly for a moment before snorting and the girl rolled her single eye.

"Oi, he's a dumbass. I'm half of Starrk's soul, moron. You just mated me too." She informed him and he stared at her in horror. "Look, just think of me as his zanpakuto. Your zanpakuto could feel what's going on, couldn't he?"

"Uh…" Ichigo was sure Zangetsu would never do such a thing. The pained feeling he got from his sword spirit confirmed that. "Maybe my inner hollow is a better comparison." He certainly had felt everything. "But you're a child?" That seemed strange to him. Starrk sighed, laying back and putting his hands beneath his head.

"Her appearance is more true to our nature. We both died very young." He said softly and Ichigo swallowed at that, looking at the girl. She shrugged slightly. "Please, don't worry about it. We're strange but it's just how we are. Her name is Lilinette." He said, gently touching her helmet again. She smiled at him cheerfully.

"Ya! And I'm so glad you're here. We really needed to mate, it was starting to hurt when we found you." She said and Ichigo swallowed before nodding. Although…

"So, um, when this is over what will you do?" He had no way to leave Hueco Mundo. Although Kisuke and the others were probably trying to find him. Starrk yawned before smiling.

"If you wish to leave I will make a garganta for you." He said, which was a great weight off Ichigo's mind. The Espada saw that and his smile turned bittersweet. The little girl beside him sighed and grumbled something, but he hushed her gently. "Tell me. The human world looks so strange to me now… what is it like, living there?" He said and Ichigo blinked. When had this guy died, exactly?

"Um, well, it's pretty nice…" Hesitantly, he tried to tell the arrancar about his life in Karakura town. It was difficult and he often had to stop to explain basic concepts. The Espada didn't know what a car was, or a computer. Ichigo began figuring out how to explain it to him, though. 'Horseless carriage' helped him understand cars and 'calculating machine' seemed to work with computers.

Then the heat built up again. Ichigo could feel it, like an energy in the air, a need singing along his skin. There was no point in resisting and it was impossible anyway, when the Espada took his zanpakuto/fraccion/soul fragment back and the pheromones exploded again. Soon he was sheathed in that wet heat again and didn't question it.

The power of the heat was too much to be denied.

It was three days before the heat began to fade.

Starrk was almost sad to feel it go. He was finding he liked the young Vizard. His stories about the Living World were fascinating. Starrk hadn't been able to go there before he met Aizen, and his power was restrained by both his teachings and the hogyoku. And after that, Aizen had forbidden his Espada to visit the Living World. So Starrk simply hadn't been able to go see how it had changed.

Then, in the aftermath of defeat, he'd managed to escape back to Hueco Mundo. He'd encountered some shinigami in the ruins of Los Noches. They had been too few in number to reliably defeat him but could have given him a nasty battle. So when they'd asked him to promise that he would not visit Soul Society or the Living World, he had acquiesced. Now he rather regretted that. Perhaps he could take it back? He wanted to see some of the things Ichigo was describing…

Starrk had done his best to reciprocate, as well. Not with stories of his past as a Living man… that had been both short and unpleasant… but about his time in Los Noches. It had been a cold, empty place, filled with cold, bitter people, but there had still been amusing stories to tell.

Eventually, though, it had to come to an end. Starrk created the garganta and regretfully bid the young man farewell. Ichigo gave him a shy smile before purposefully heading down the garganta. Given the time difference, he would only have lost a single day. Likely the shinigami were still readying the garganta generator to go after him. Starrk and Lilinette both watched as the garganta closed and Starrk sighed. He was not surprised to be abandoned. It was the way of things, in Hueco Mundo.

"…Hey Starrk?" Lilinette suddenly said and he looked down at her. "You know, that hollow of his… he must know but… do you think he told Ichigo that we're knocked up?" She asked and Starrk paused in surprise.

"Er… I don't know." That was interesting. Although… "I told him we were in heat. Surely he understands?" Although their gender might have confused him. "That's interesting. I'm not sure what difference it makes, though." Starrk said after a moment. "I'm definitely not going to the Living World in this condition. In fact, we should find a new den." This one might be compromised and he did not trust the shinigami. Lilinette nodded.

"Yeah. I just wonder if he would have left if he'd known." She said and Starrk frowned before turning away.

"It wouldn't be right to keep him here. He has a life there and many people in it." He said firmly. "We are hollows and we will do what hollows do." Raise the pups on their own. "Come." He set off purposefully, Lilinette skipping behind him.

They would find a nice, secure den and begin to hunt. The pups would need more energy than just their bodies could provide.