A/N: EEEEK. I can't believe I wrote this 6 years ago and only am uploading the last chapter now. =( I didn promise myself I won't leave a story unfinished but hey it doesn't mean this ain't gonna suck. The ending sucks-sorry!

7: Culmination

The terror hadn't been imaginary, nor were its consequences. With no power accorded to him other than his own presence of mind, Ichigo had to rely on the infallibility of his will and nothing else. He told his companions,

"I will need to borrow from you guys the vials of holy water I handed you last time. Looks like we'll be needing buckets."

Everyone except Tesla and Ulquiorra hesitated. This was because the two were the only ones who had their vials and their rosaries with them.

"Er, the thing is, Ichigo-chan…" Szayel stammered.

The teen had to inspect the expression on Octava's face twice to make sure his annoyance wasn't making him judgmental as shit. But thereupon he deduced that, out of all the male Arrancars in the room, only two had possessed enough brain cells to have been able to take him seriously in the beginning; Szayel, Starrk, Nnoitra and Grimmjow had left their vials somewhere.

"What the hell is the meaning of this? Didn't I make things clear right from the start, or we all jut simply retarted? Starrk, you too? And you bastards are wondering why you've been relentlessly being harassed by this horror? I don't believe you!" Ichigo bellowed at them.

"Sorry." Starrk, Grimmjow and Szayel murmured indistinctly.

"Really, who fucking needs enemies when you have housemates who would just as easily make you see red?!" The teen's onslaught continued.

"She ordered me to get rid of mine." Jiruga explained, referring to the possessed Halibel.

Ichigo sighed. Even though the situation had been out of hand in the first place, there was still room for this surprise. Some people's idiocy assured him of that. And so now that he was aware he would not be able to deliver the best of results, he appeared remarkably admirable still just by the fact that he was making every effort to accomplish what he was set out to do. The demon was a nasty thing. In the process, Ichigo was bombarded with profanities and verbal abuse, among other things, that could've easily put him off his food had he subscribed to any religion. Apart from that, each and everyone of them had to suffer personal humiliation during the period when the demon had mouthed things it had no way of knowing,

"Sexta, they call you. A formidable title, and yet you find the best comfort in plush toys. Your only friends, you call these lifeless children's things."

Grimmjow reddened at that, either in fury or humiliation no one could've guessed.

"Kurosaki, shut this fucker up now!"

"And you, one they call Octava, what would you give to be reborn as a woman? Your soul, maybe?"

Szayel attempted to phrase words, with enough failure at it to suggest there was no defending himself from the truth in the demon's accusation. But he gave it a shot anyway,

"My soul is worth much more than a pair of tits and a vagina, you fucking fucker!"

"Ah, Cuatro, the one who never tires of pretending to be heartless, is all the while faithfully waiting for someone who'd show him what a heart is."

"I beg your pardon but I happen to know what it is. The heart is the center of the cardiovascular system. So I can't really relate to what you are cackling about, you filthy hound of hell."

"And then there's you, strongest one, Primera. Sleeping is what you do best, but it's what you do to escape. The mightiest among the army, after all, is the weakest in spirit. How you long to have someone to hold, each day and night."

"Hell, if you have time to spout crap, you disgusting monstrosity, just crawl back to where you belong and kill yourself already."

"Now, Quinto, it would be long before you admit to yourself what your manifest hatred actually means. Lusting carnally for two people at a time is quite a dilemma, isn't it?"

"Look here, ya bitch of hell; I am ignoring you and I hope you figure out why, for the fucking life of you. Or are you gonna continue being a complete moron?"

"Tesla Lindocruz. What a loyal servant you are. But how many times have you desired to flee this ingrate you have for a master? If you are sure of one thing, it's that he more than just treats you inconsiderably; he's breaking your heart every day."

"I… Kurosaki, do I have the permission to deal a physical blow on this abominable beast?"

"And lastly, the human boy, the young Death God. How many temptations in the past week have you failed to resist? Four, if I may be warranted a guess?"

"Like Grimmjow has said, I will make you shut your trap, you black vomiting of hell. Eat this: I renounce…In the name of…"

He started reading a passage from the pages of the book he had been holding. Of course, it had been easier said than done. He was agnostic—in fact nearly atheistic, and that made him question the viability of what he was attempting. But somehow the thing worked. For a moment there, he fancied that maybe he wasn't so much of a nonbeliever after all. Maybe, just maybe, deep inside, faith hadn't been altogether absent all this time. At any rate, the expulsion took nearly two hours

"Is she fine now, kid?" Nnoitra pulled himself up, following the dawn of silence.

"I suppose so."

Had he just accomplished a successful form of divine deliverance? He could not have said, and never would he know the answer to that.

…

He had perhaps saved Tercera's life, and Nnoitra Jiruga was making him aware that he was at least entitled to some respect on that account. Quinto had, in point of fact, ceased referring to him as 'brat' or 'kid'. The ordeal, however, wasn't done yet. Primera, as he was being hounded by another form of demon, continued to find himself experiencing recurrences of his nightmares. Suffocating in his sleep and finding it difficult to force himself awake made Starrk sure he was being ruled by what he never saw and didn't know.

"You are in a spiritual warfare." Ichigo told him one day.

"What does that mean?"

"Starrk, be honest here; are you always lonely?"

As a matter of fact, Primera Espada was nothing if not lonely. In the course of his existence, he had met solitary creatures, but not one of them as prone to loneliness as much as he was. It was as if escaping solitude in his case would have been the same as ceasing to exist altogether. It had been, and still was, a great source of wonder to himself.

"Let's just say happiness has always, always, made it a point to elude me."

"Well, you need to change that. Demons like to prey on vulnerable individuals. I'm not saying you're weak, because we all know that's the last thing you are, but at least have something to believe in, like some source of…" Ichigo faltered upon realizing he was beginning to chatter away sentimentalities he never suspected he had. And so he resumed, "What the hell am I saying? I barely know a shit about life. I'm seventeen, for crying out loud."

"Are you talking of an inspiration?"

"Most likely, or some positive force."

Primera had no choice but to welcome this vague answer. A slight shrug of the shoulders, casual glance, through which nothing of importance was revealed, was all it took to make reality assert itself. He kissed Kurosaki just then. With the deep, relentless passion thus established and well on its way to a higher form of sensuality, Starrk knew he had wanted this right from the start. Pulling away at length, he said,

"I think I've found one."

Ichigo averted his eyes, leaving his imagination to fit this man before him into a plausible role in his life. Their predictably short-lived romance had its own charm, alright, but it only had to be pondered upon, savored for the moment. Nothing awaited it but dismissal. At least he knew that much.

"This is just so wrong."

"I knew you'd say that. I happen to be one of the most pessimistic bastards in the world. But don't deny me the pleasure you're more than willing to give."

Concession and surrender—these were the only two things to be accomplished now. They breezed past doors and walls, in search of the seclusion they so badly wanted. Finally, inside a room where not even shadows prevailed, heat and what seemed like the promptings of their unreliable urges were exchanged. Just what did he know of this man? Ichigo thought. Nothing, except that he wanted him, wanted him enough to allow a part of himself to be taken away, without a fight. Starrk was gentle in bed. Gradually, Ichigo's vague ideas on carnal satisfaction narrowed themselves to this night. What a way to lose my virginity, he thought. Half an hour later, the teen was heard saying,

"This is goodbye, Primera Espada. I need to go back where I belong, soon."

"So be it."

Because he was the last man to rebel against misfortune and the different forces in life, for good or for evil, Starrk submitted. Gathering their clothes and putting them on to serve their usual purpose, they both became aware of the ultimate end to their temporary affair.

"You need to square your affairs. Fight your demons. Quit being lonely and shit. Then and only then will you be acquitted of this horror."

"Yeah, I think I will attempt just that. But don't you say this is forever."

"Of course not. One of these days we'll find ourselves crossing paths and walking the same road. For now, it's bye bye."

"Return to me, Shinigami. I'll be right here."

They kissed again, for the nonspeaking cycle to be repeated. This kiss, this nearness, was exactly like adding a gesture, another proof, to what was already established. He began to wonder if there ever had been a man as beautiful as Coyote Starrk. They parted soon, not bitterly but inevitably.

…

Farewells were some of the most difficult things to conduct. Sadness was expressed, so was disappointment, but then his life had regularly involved either. Now standing apart from the people whose regard to him had forever altered from here on out, Ichigo Kurosaki was bidding the necessary farewells. Szayel was shaking hands with him.

"I won't hesitate to drug-I mean-call you again when something turns up, Ichigo-chan. And, oh, say 'hi' to your Quincy pal and the redhead Shinigami for me, ok?"

"I do hope I don't get a call from you anytime soon, Szayel-san."

Ulquiorra had shoved Octava aside, holding out his hand,

"What the hell was that for, you stupid, misbehaved emo 'tard?" Szayel demanded, indignant.

"Don't call me stupid."

"Oh, sorry, was it a secret?"

Cuatro ignored Octava, and turned to Ichigo,

"It's #15, Yuhei Street, Karakura Town, isn't it?"

"That's my exact address, Ulquiorra. What do you want with it?"

"For convenience… and emergencies."

"Let's wish we don't get another emergency of this type again." Ichigo forced a laugh.

But Starrk had pushed aside Cuatro, who staggered backward. Stretching his hand to Ichigo and pulling him away from earshot, Primera started,

"If it isn't obvious enough, these morons are planning to show up your door in the future. Knowing Ulquiorra, the future might have meant two hours from now. In any case, you can tell them to go to hell or something. It's me that you want and we both know it."

Ichigo's senses grew dim at that. And then this illusion was lifted, leaving behind a clearness of mind he never knew he'd acquire while he remained tarrying into this place. He spoke just then,

"Starrk, it's obvious you belong with your fellow Arrancars. As long you're with them, you and I can never be in peace. You guys were attacked by demons because there had been too much strife between you. That made each and everyone of you the easy prey. As I see it now, you guys are heading to something better, after all the ordeal. Maybe somewhere in the future, there's a place and time for us, but not now. Maybe, just maybe, we'll find ourselves under circumstances where nothing should stand in our way. Until then, I'll be staying where I belong."

"Someday, things will go our way, Shinigami."

Starrk's face started to descend on his, in full view of everyone, their desire to demonstrate some manner of intimacy taking a subtle but a lasting form as the mouths around them lapsed into silence. But Primera Espada was thrust aside by Grimmjow, who had been unusually silent during the whole time they were outside. 'Asshole' was the sound heard from Starrk as far as the human language was concerned. Lethal gazes were exchanged, but soon Grimmjow's lips pressed against Ichigo's left ear,

"I may not go down in history as the strongest, like the bastard Primera over there, but I am Sexta and I can go down on you. I'm better in bed, if ya still don't get it."

It wasn't that Grimmjow's explicit remark made an enormous difference, but it also meant Sexta had a thorough knowledge of what had been occurring between him and Starrk-not to mention it just about made him blush down to the roots of his hair. He pulled his head away from Sexta, passed on a glance to each and everyone of them. Quinto was flanked by Halibel and Tesla on either side of him, their relationship to one another remaining as indistinct as the invisible line separating dawn and dusk. All Ichigo knew was, Jiruga was in love with Tercera in the same sense that he could not live without his Fraccion. Meters away, Octava was flashing him a peace sign. Ulquiorra and Starrk on the other hand, were watching Grimmjow with contempt. And Grimmjow, for his part, was taking advantage of the proximity he had just drawn between himself and this Shinigami whom he had long ago resolved to take as his property.

No, it would take long to establish the ever blurring line that separated him from these people. He was a Shinigami and they were Hollows; that served enough proof to establish the endlessly converging roads they walked on. Singling out Coyote Starrk or Grimmjow Jaguarjaquez, indeed anyone of the four, for a special place in his heart would've meant severing out ties with the rest. And that he could never do. Ever.

"Catch ya later, Grimmjow, everyone."

He disappeared at that, knowing he would meet with them again sooner than later.

END