Starrk woke up to excruciating pain and the sound of soft crying.

It took him a moment to organize his thoughts enough to understand what was happening to him. There were ropes around his chest, holding him against some kind of pole. He was in a kneeling position, his ankles tied behind the pole to keep him there. The pain was coming from his hands and Starrk looked up. His hands were above his head, palm out, and his own sword had been shoved through them, pinning him in place. The pain of it was sickening and he gritted his teeth, struggling against the urge to throw up. The only place it had to go was on him, which would only compound his misery.

"Well, sleeping beauty just woke up." That voice… Starrk lifted his head with a pained grimace.

"Who are you?" He asked as he realized what the sobbing was… it was Lilinette. Of course she would be in agony, being forced to harm him this way. But her voice was strangely muffled. The stranger in front of him was the man with yellow hair but now Starrk remembered him. He was one of the ones who had ambushed him in the Division, the ones who hadn't been identified. "Kira will have your balls for this." Starrk said through gritted teeth. It wasn't like there would be any doubt at all of who had removed him from the party. The man in front of him grinned.

"I have a plan for that, not that it'll matter to you faggot." He said and Starrk caught a very unsettling gleam in his eyes. The man was enjoying this. He wasn't alone, either. He let his gaze travel over the others. Kyoraku Iso was there, looking anticipatory. Several others he didn't really know, but could recognize, including a few nobles from minor clans. The Kuchiki fellow wasn't there. No doubt he'd heeded his clan head's warnings. Byakuya was very respected and more than a little feared. "We were just going to kill you, slowly." He said casually and Starrk wasn't terribly surprised. The way his hands were suspended was a hint. "But now… look at you." Hands slid over his shoulders and Starrk grimaced as the slight motion increased the already agonizing pain. "Someone likes to bite. Who left these marks on you, fag?" He whispered and Starrk desperately wished his last sexual encounter with Shunsui and Juushiro hadn't involved love nips. They'd used his little trick for enhancing orgasm. "Who is your lover?"

"I'll never tell you." Starrk said evenly as he noticed the heavy weight of stone and steel on his neck. That was why Lilinette's voice was muffled and why he couldn't sense his own reiatsu. A retaining collar. Was it enough to hold a taichou class reiatsu, though? He narrowed his eyes then grunted as the man laughed and slapped his arms, sending a wave of horrifying pain through his body and spilling more hot blood over his palms. It was trickling down his arms, sliding down his shoulders and sides.

"Never is a long time, pervert. Let's see how long it really takes." The man smirked before drawing a knife. Starrk set himself, trying to mentally prepare for torture. He knew it would be hard. Aizen had punished him a few times, mostly for being lazy, but that had only been a few whippings. He'd never experienced anything like this.

The next several hours were incredibly unpleasant. Starrk was beaten, pinched, burned and cut. He hated the pinches. 'Pinch' sounded so cute, like something you would do to a granddaughter, but not when it was done so hard, with such intent to hurt. Starrk was sure he would have blood blisters from that if he somehow managed to survive. Being burned with cigarettes and hot knives wasn't much better. They spat on him, taunted him, but Starrk refused to care too much about simple humiliation. He wanted to survive or at the very least, make them kill him before they could learn anything about his lovers. Eventually, they might wear him down. Although he could always lie. Who could he do that to, though? It was so hard to think.

Then they tried something new. One of them put a blindfold over his eyes. Starrk heard some shuffling, something coming out of a box? A rustle of paper. What were they doing? Then he tensed as he felt more than heard someone kneel in front of him. Then they were touching him, sliding a hand over him far too intimately and Starrk's breath hissed between his teeth. If this was what he thought it was…

Even with that tiny bit of warning, the pain of what happened next was shocking. Starrk went rigid as something hard and plastic was jammed into his asshole. He'd had plenty of rough sex in Los Noches but in all his young life, no one had ever taken him completely unprepared and unwilling. His pleasure had always meant something to his partners, no matter how hard they were on him. He'd been the Primera, with the power to make them pay if they hurt him too much. This was so different… the man in front of him was laughing and jerking the toy back and forth, simulating thrusting. That created a raw, jagged agony that made him want to cry. He held back the shameful sobs but couldn't stop a few tears, trickles of saltwater that slid down his cheeks and dripped off his chin. The blindfold came off and he was left looking at his primary tormenter.

"You like that fag?" The yellow haired man whispered in his ear. Starrk still didn't know his name, but he knew one thing about him. He was in charge of this. Nobles or not, the others were his lackey's. "Tell me who's been fucking you and I'll take it out." He said and Starrk felt the most intense hatred he'd ever experienced in his life.

"I'll… tell you…" Starrk rasped out and the stranger leaned closer, struggling to hear him. Then he spat in the man's face. It was a lot of spit too, with a bit of blood mixed in. He had a brief glimpse of wide brown eyes, absolute disbelief, before it morphed into homicidal rage.

"You motherfucking - !" A hard fist went into his gut and the air was driven out of him. Starrk gasped, trying to catch his breath. Then he lost the struggle as a hand tangled in his necklace, yanking it tight and throttling him. The leather with the wolf's fang had been left to dangle over the retaining collar and his captor had just made use of it.

Starrk! Do something! Lilinette's voice sounded so far away. Everything was started to feel far away, as he was remorselessly choked. Starrk could vaguely hear alarmed cries and knew this wasn't what his enemies had planned, they still wanted their information, but the yellow haired man was lost to his rage. Lupe! Stop him! Lupe!

Lupe… The name seemed to echo through his mind and something abruptly settled in his soul. Lupe… But that wasn't quite right. No, he knew what was right. The leather abruptly parted as his reiatsu breathed out, causing the collar to expand and contract with the force of it. The yellow haired man yelped in anger as he lost his grip.

"Loup… garou." Starrk said, his voice raspy and strange. Then he grinned as he lifted his head, meeting angry brown eyes. "Bankai." The sword pinning his hands in place dissolved in a welter of blue sparks. Then his reiatsu exploded with a force the collar just couldn't hold. It had held a great deal of pressure, but it couldn't cope with the full might of the Primera Espada in bankai. It shattered, falling to his feet. The ropes abruptly parted as he exerted a strength that was too much for them to hold.

The rest was a bit of a blur in Starrk's mind. There was definitely a lot of screaming and futile attempts to stop him. He was vaguely aware of ebony claws and fur, the changes to his body his bankai had created, but they didn't matter. What mattered was the taste of blood and the feel of flesh rending under his hands as he tore his enemies apart.

When there was nothing left but finally divided pieces, Starrk came to a halt. As the frenzy faded he realized he was cold, covered in blood and that horrific toy was still lodged in his body. Hissing it utter agony, he extracted it and dropped it to the ground. How had he managed to fight like that? But he'd lost his mind, given in to a berserker rage.

Starrk, are you okay? Starrk? Lilinette sounded both extremely worried and faint with relief. Relieved because he was free and alive, worried about his condition. Starrk was vaguely aware that he had to be in shock. His hands weren't hurting as much as they should.

"Yes, I'm… fine…" Of course he wasn't. He was an incredible mess. "…I'm naked." That was a problem. Why hadn't he killed someone more neatly? The clothes around him were utterly ruined. And where was he?

Starrk! Try to focus. You're in the Rukongai. There's some houses over there, go see if someone left any clothing on a line. That sounded like a reasonably good plan although Starrk wondered how likely it was, that someone would have left clothing on the clothesline overnight.

At that, he got lucky. Starrk managed to find a loose fitting yukata. It was dark green with a pattern of flowers and clearly meant for a woman, but he absolutely didn't care. He pulled it on with shaking hands, flinching at the pain. The shock was wearing off and his hands were making him quietly whimper. Soon, he was sure they would be close to unusable.

"We're in a bad place, Lilinette." Starrk said and felt her sad agreement. "I've murdered three nobles." And one from a very prominent clan. A clan that was very likely to take revenge.

That wasn't murder Starrk. That was flat out self-defense! Lilinette snarled and Starrk sighed to himself, rubbing his forehead. He agreed with her completely. He just didn't think it would matter much, in the end.

"It doesn't matter. They will campaign against me." He said softly. He knew it was true. The noble clans exerted a huge amount of influence on the justice process. And it would be easy for them to make a case that his self-defense had been far too spirited, indicative of someone who was mentally flawed. He'd used a bankai against men who mostly didn't have a shikai. And his sexuality would work against him. It wouldn't even need to be stated… the general feeling against it would do the work. "I would be executed, or worse." Worse would be the mukan. Starrk did not want to be imprisoned indefinitely.

Wouldn't it have a time limit? They'd put you away for a hundred years or something, right? Lilinette said and Starrk struggled to think. Perhaps she was right and that wouldn't be a fate worse than death. The regular prisoners were allowed to interact with each other. But…

"What if they examined me? And this thing in my belly… ah! I can't give myself up." He just couldn't take chances on Soul Societies' idea of justice. "I need to… to…" What did he need to do? It was getting so hard to think. He desperately wanted to rest but he didn't have the luxury.

Starrk, you need to go to Kimono-chan and Shiro-chan. Maybe they can help you. Lilinette said and Starrk blinked as a bit of hope suddenly came to him. Shunsui and Juushiro were both nobles. Maybe they would have some idea of how he could survive this. Focusing all of his attention, he launched into a clumsy shunpo. He needed to be careful…

Starrk was well aware of the fact that this wasn't his best work. On the other hand, he didn't think he was being followed either. That was some comfort as he slipped into Shunsui's and Juushiro's home. His injuries made everything so much harder and he was panting in agony as he finally allowed himself to collapse onto a couch. He was aware of the fact that he was getting blood on it but he simply couldn't care. His reserves were about done.

Starrk, you need to – no. Manifest me and I'll shake them awake! Lilinette commanded. Starrk knew that wasn't the best idea but he simply couldn't move any further. Biting his lip, he found the mental gear and turned it, watching as Lilinette materialized beside him. "I'll get 'em!"

"No kicks." He said weakly and she sniffed at him before leaving. There was a muffled yelp and he could vaguely hear Juushiro's voice, rising in surprise. Starrk hoped Lilinette wasn't threatening to kick his ass. She might very well be, she could hold grudges almost forever. He closed his eyes, feeling tired, weak and in such pain.

"Oh my kami." Starrk opened his eyes to see Juushiro. He was wearing a robe and looking at the man on his couch with horror. "Lupe, what happened?" Juushiro knelt beside him, healing kido filling his hands. He paled further as he got a sense of the extent of the injuries. Shunsui was behind him, wearing his kimono like a robe, his hair unbound. He looked grim and very unhappy.

"The party last night…" Starrk gave them a quick rundown of what had happened. All he left out was his achievement of bankai. Instead he told them that when he was about to die, he'd managed to snap the retaining collar. That was enough. It wasn't that he distrusted them in particular, but he still wanted to conceal his full strength. Shunsui's expression became even grimmer, if possible, and Juushiro looked sick. "Please, I need your help." He appealed to them and Shunsui closed his eyes for a moment.

"We cannot help you." Starrk stared at that blunt declaration. Shunsui opened his eyes and they reminded Starrk of grey agate, they were so hard. "You are on your own with this."

"But… I…" Starrk didn't know what to make of this sharp rejection. He looked at Juushiro but the taichou just avoided his gaze, continuing to work on his wounds. It was Lilinette who spoke, her voice sharp.

"What the hell?!" She tried to kick Shunsui, who blocked her easily with a lifted eyebrow. "He loves you! You love him! You're just gonna throw him away Kimono-chan? Is a secret worth all that? You gonna be scared forever? What the hell!" She protested, glaring at the taichou. Starrk winced.

"Lilinette. Stop it." He said in a low tone, feeling a deep pain in his heart. "Get back in my head." He said firmly and she tried to protest but he shut her off, demanifesting her. Both his lovers stared as the little girl abruptly vanished.

"So she is still your zanpakuto. And you can manifest her…" Shunsui mused but Starrk shook his head, pulling his hands away from Juushiro. They were only half-healed, but he had an idea.

"At least tell me why you can't help me. At least that." He said, meeting grey eyes and holding them. There was a moment of tension between them before Shunsui looked away. Then he spoke, his voice filled with bitterness.

"My family. Juushiro is different – his family would stand behind him through anything – but mine would turn on me. They would try to have me declared insane and sent to the Mukan, like Mayuri. That's what happens to those who are mentally unstable yet powerful." Shunsui said and Starrk swallowed at the thought. "Without the support of the Gotei 13 and my grandmother, they would succeed." He sounded so certain. Starrk had a horrible suspicion.

"They've tried before." He said softly and there was a pause before Shunsui nodded. He looked at Juushiro and saw he was looking down, his face pale and his hands clenched into fists. Of course he knew what had almost happened to Shunsui. How could he not? "Do you have a camera?" He suddenly asked and Juushiro looked up, surprise in his face.

"I… think so. Why?" He asked as Shunsui nodded.

"I understand. It's in the bedroom, I'll get it." He said and Starrk nodded, relieved that one of them understood. Although Juushiro was still confused. He turned his attention back to the taichou with a wan smile.

"Evidence. If I am to be condemned for my 'crime', I think we should at least be able to show them why I killed them." He said quietly and Juushiro swallowed before nodding. "And it's the most natural thing in the world, me running to my taichou after such an attack." That would raise no eyebrows. Nor would Juushiro letting him escape. After all, his arrest had not been called for yet. Starrk tried to rest his face in his hands, forgetting the wounds, then pulled back with a gasp of pain. Juushiro took his hands again, cradling the abused flesh, but did not try anymore healing. The wounds were still bloody and ugly, perfect for the camera.

Starrk tried to feel nothing as he was photographed, but it was hard, particularly when he had to take off the yukata. He'd used a blanket, also on the clothesline, to sponge off most of the blood. But he was still heavily stained with it and the marks on his body were ugly beyond words. So was the blood still oozing from his abused entrance. Shunsui was hesitant to take pictures of that but Starrk quietly insisted. That would help explain the condition of the corpses, perhaps. Tearing people apart with bare hands was not the usual method of killing, but he had been enraged.

Pulling back on his yukata with shaking hands, Starrk allowed Juushiro to continue the healing. He wouldn't be fully healed, but he would be fit enough to hold a sword and that was what mattered. He knew where he would go although he would not tell them. No, he had someone in mind to hold that secret, and it was not his two lovers. As much as he cared for them, they had duties and obligations. He would find someone outside, unaffected by such things. Someone who would deeply sympathize with his predicament.

"Lupe, I'm so sorry." Juushiro's voice was heavy with tears and Starrk felt his heart breaking as he met those warm brown eyes. Arms went around him, hugging him very gently and Starrk buried his face in his hair, breathing in his scent. Was this the last time he would have this? Very likely.

"It's alright. I would never want to put you in such danger." He said softly, gently patting Juushiro's back as he heard him stifle a sob. Shunsui just watched and Starrk could feel the regret and pain in him. "Shunsui…" He offered the other man an arm and there was a hesitation before he sat down on the couch beside him, putting an arm around him. Starrk let himself be held, just breathing in their combined scents, feeling the warmth of their bodies. Then he sighed, lifting his head. "I have to go." It hurt… how it hurt!... but he could not stay.

"Where will you go?" Shunsui asked and Starrk paused before giving them half of the truth.

"The Living World." Although that was not where he would stay. Los Noches was his ultimate destination. "I'll be fine. I have friends." He said quietly as Shunsui shook his head. Juushiro just looked hopeless.

"They will find you there. Lupe…" He looked down and Starrk managed a weak smile.

"I'll just have to hope they don't want me alive, then." He said lightly and saw Juushiro go pale. But if he had to choose between death and life imprisonment, he would take death every time. "Don't worry, I'll be fine." He had to be. Pushing himself to his feet, he made his way out, not looking back.

This was his past, now. He needed to look towards his future.

"…I didn't think it would be like this." Shunsui murmured as Juushiro tried to hold back his tears. "I thought… he would die, like the others, and we could mourn him before moving on. I never thought he would survive."

"I didn't either." Juushiro whispered, although the admission brought him more pain. It was sickening to think of, but it was the usual pattern. When someone was revealed as being homosexual, it always seemed to happen the same way… in a few months, a year at the most, they would be found murdered. Or perhaps they would be killed by hollows, but always in a rather suspicious way. As if someone else had deserted them, left them to their fates. That was the ending they had anticipated for Lupe. He'd already survived much longer than any of the others and Juushiro had entertained some hopes that he would continue to outwit those who hated him.

Neither of them had imagined it would end like this. Lupe would be hunted soon although Juushiro suspected that Soi Fon would quietly give orders for him to be killed resisting arrest. It would be much simpler than the kind of ugly trial he would be facing, if the young man was caught. Soutaichou Yamamoto would do nothing to help. Taking action would mean putting himself into conflict with the Kyoraku clan as well as general public sentiment. Many people would feel badly for Lupe, but plenty of others would feel that he'd deserved it. The Seireitei had not moved with the times.

"I feel like such a coward." Shunsui admitted, his voice heavy with remorse. Juushiro shook his head before turning, embracing his lover.

"It's not your fault." He whispered, trying to give him comfort. He felt Shunsui stiffen, felt his rejection.

"But it is! Why the hell can't my family just leave me alone?" He asked, his voice full of anguish. "If the bastards would just disown me…" Then he wouldn't be in quite so much danger. Right now, the Kyoraku clan had power over him, in many ways. "I'm so sorry Juu." Shunsui said softly and Juushiro just shook his head. "I – I have to think." Shunsui said and Juushiro blinked.

"Think about what? Shunsui?" He asked cautiously, his heart clenching. He'd always left the decisions about this sort of thing up to Shunsui, because he would be taking the most risk. But was he actually thinking about taking that risk? That honestly terrified him. Juushiro had been his friend and lover for hundreds of years. The thought of losing him… he didn't think he could survive it. Juushiro bit his lip as he realized his words to Shunsui had been truer than he'd thought. It wasn't his fault. As much as he loved Lupe, he would probably have made the same decision. That made him feel deeply ashamed of himself. Was he really such a coward? Shunsui gave him a small, troubled smile, still holding him close.

"I just have to think." He said and Juushiro was not reassured. "About… everything." He closed his eyes for a moment before taking a deep breath. "When should we report this? Delaying too long might look suspicious." He said quietly and Juushiro nodded.

"We can give him a few hours." That would give Lupe more than enough time to leave Soul Society. And it would be some time before anyone would be sent to hunt him down.

Hopefully, that would be enough.