"God curse it." Starrk growled as he rapped strongly at a window. He was feeling beyond exhausted now. The pain of his still not entirely healed injuries was taxing him, deeply. Along with the first use of his bankai, he simply needed to rest.

He couldn't rest. He needed to get out of the Living World while he still could, before anyone could be dispatched to find him. That meant he had to keep moving, no matter how much his body might be screaming for mercy. The window was finally yanked open and a sleep mussed head glared at him sleepily, then blinked.

"Lupe? What's going on?" Ichigo muffled a yawn as he moved away from the window, letting the young shinigami climb inside. Starrk grimaced as his hand briefly caught on the edge of the window. They were still aching, despite all the power Juushiro had pumped into healing them.

"Nothing good. Do you have any canned food I can borrow?" He asked and the substitute shinigami looked confused. Food was the big weakness of his plan, though. How much of the food stores meant to feed shinigami would still be intact? How much had there been to begin with? "I'm fleeing Soul Society." Starrk admitted and Ichigo's eyes widened. "It started at a party…" He told his story again, trying not to feel the pain of it. Ichigo's reaction surprised him, though.

"And they're hunting YOU? What the hell? That's fucking absurd!" Starrk blinked at the exclamation, the absolute outrage on Ichigo's face. "I'm going to give them a piece of my mind! This is crazy! And where's your boyfriend in all this? You did go to him, didn't you?"

"They can't help me." Starrk said and then mentally cursed as Ichigo immediately noticed his lapse.

"They? There's more than one of them?" He demanded and Starrk put a hand over his face. He hadn't meant to let that slip. "Why aren't they supporting you? Who are they?"

"Ichigo, I can't say. Please, stop asking." Starrk said, feeling exhausted to the bone. He just didn't have the energy to go into it and that was not his story to tell anyway. "It is their choice and I will not force them into the open. Please, I didn't come here for this." He couldn't help the stress in his voice. He was, without a doubt, in dire need of a quiet place to pass out. "I just want someone to know where I've gone. Please, don't tell anyone except Ukitake taichou or Kyoraku taichou, and only if they give you very good reason." Starrk wanted someone to know where he was at, just in case he was wrong and everything miraculously ironed itself out. "No one is hunting me yet, but I need to get out before they start… do you have any food I could borrow?" Not that he would be likely to return it. Ichigo scowled at him, but the scowl faded a bit as he registered his friends' utter exhaustion.

"I can get you some things. Just rest for a while, okay?" He said quietly and Starrk nodded tiredly before settling down onto the bed. He could close his eyes for a few moments, take a quick nap. He vaguely heard Ichigo moving around downstairs, the clink of cans, but his body quickly gave in to the need for rest. It seemed like no time at all passed before a gentle hand touched his shoulder. "Lupe? I've got some stuff here." Ichigo said quietly as Starrk pulled himself into a sitting position, rubbing his face. The teen had filled up a second backpack for him and Starrk took it gratefully.

"Thank you. Ichigo, I'm going to Los Noches." He said quietly and the teen's eyes widened in shock. "I remember how to make a garganta. Please, only tell Ukitake taichou or Kyoraku taichou. They're the only ones who know about my past." That was the reason he would give Ichigo, at least. The teen nodded, but there was a very resolved look on his face.

"I'm going to talk to Yamamoto about this. It's not fair and it's not right." He said firmly and Starrk sighed before laughing softly.

"At least give them a chance to order my arrest, first. Right now they don't even know I'm gone." He said warmly and Ichigo blushed slightly. "You don't want to be premature… again." He teased gently and the blush darkened before Ichigo scowled and slapped him on the shoulder. Lilinette was giggling in his mind at the joke.

"Oi! Get going. And if you see Grimmjow tell him he's an asshole." Ichigo said firmly and Starrk didn't have the heart to tell him that he knew the Sexta was dead. He'd asked Juushiro about it over tea and found out that the unconscious arrancar had been found by a cleanup team in Los Noches and been given konso. The same was true of Halibel. He was the last surviving Espada. At least a battle was unlikely, when he reached Los Noches.

"Later, Ichigo." He said quietly before departing, his new backpack in hand. It joined his old one as Starrk concentrated, ripping a hole in the fabric of reality. The distinctive energies of a garganta filled the air, but Starrk wasn't too worried about them being detected. Even if they were, no one except Juushiro and Shunsui would have any idea it could be him. The knowledge of how to open garganta's so easily had died with Aizen and the others… or so Soul Society thought.

Leaving the Living World behind, Starrk took his first step into the garganta. From here on out, he would be alone.

Starrk yawned, blinking his eyes and coming into focus on the familiar face above him.

"Are you going to sleep forever Starrk? Come on! We should go check out Szayel's lab." Lilinette demanded and Starrk wanted to ignore her. But he knew if he did, he would be asking for a kick. And demanifesting her was rather rude as well as dangerous for his eardrums. Lilinette was shrill when she was upset. "And you need to eat something! You haven't eaten anything since yesterday at lunch!" That reminded him of his stomach and Starrk grimaced as it growled. Unfortunately…

"I don't want anything." Actually, he knew exactly what he wanted. He wanted eggs, over easy, with ketchup and toast. And cottage cheese. Yes, that sounded excellent. Starrk closed his eyes, just picturing it for a moment as he felt his mouth water. Then a foot covered in a knee high, soft leather boot impacted his head. "Lilinette!"

"You need to eat! I don't care if we don't have what you want. Up you lazy bastard! Up, up up!" Lilinette chivvied him to his feet and Starrk had to laugh. It was like he'd gone back in time.

It wasn't just Lilinette that made him feel that way. Starrk had discovered that his Espada wing was intact and largely untouched. Someone had clearly looked through it but finding nothing of interest, had moved on. Starrk's Espada uniforms were still waiting for him and with only a very soiled yukata to his name, he'd decided to wear them. They were familiar and comfortable so why not? Then he had settled in to some serious lounging on comfortable cushions. It was like he'd never left.

Of course, he did need to eat. Starrk sorted through his things before settling on a can of baked beans and some extremely old, slightly stale tea biscuits. The food stores of Los Noches were in better condition than he'd feared, holding plenty of canned items and bags of these biscuits. Some had become infested by weevils but some were still perfectly edible. Starrk thought the bug ridden ones might be fine, too. After all, wasn't it just more protein?

He was going to eat the good ones first, though. Forcing himself to go on, he dutifully chewed on his food as Lilinette watched him warily. He knew she thought he might just stop halfway through and she was right to think so. Despite the great hunger he was feeling he often wanted exactly what he wanted, or nothing at all. The strange pickiness was getting worse, not better. And some of the things he was craving were extremely strange. Pickled plums with lemon curd and sweet adzuki beans… that suddenly sounded appetizing and he licked his lips.

"You get the weirdest looks sometimes. Want another biscuit?" Lilinette offered him one and he took it with a sigh. "That thing in your belly is draining you Starrk. We really need to figure it out." She said warningly and he nodded.

"Although what I'll do about it…" That was the question. He was no specialist at healing kido and even if he was, healing himself for something so intricate would be difficult. At least, he assumed it was intricate. After Orihime's problems, though, Starrk thought it was a good bet. Lilinette nodded with a sigh.

For half the day, Starrk tried to sort through Szayel's lab. It was very rough going. The whole thing had been quite thoroughly trashed and all the computers were non-functional. That was no surprise… about the only thing still working in Los Noches was the plumbing. At least that did work, he would have been in dire straits without it.

The rest of the day was spent on his bankai. After he finished practicing Starrk stood in front of a mirror, admiring himself.

He had changed a great deal. When he took his bankai his clothing remained much the same, but he had fur on his lower arms and his lower legs. His hands were also furry on the backs, with thick black skin on the palms and fingers. He had black claws. They weren't fully retractable but when he deliberately extended them they became wicked, curving weapons. Starrk smiled as he admired them. This was how he'd torn his assailants apart with his bare hands.

Then his smile vanished as that thought abruptly brought back the pain. For one awful moment he felt the ropes on his body, the pain in his hands. Starrk put a hand against his mouth as his lunch threatened to come back up. Somehow, it stayed with him but the nausea pulsed through him as he breathed heavily. Then warm arms went around him from behind.

"Shhh. It's okay Starrk. It's okay." Lilinette. Starrk swallowed and nodded, closing his single eye. His other was covered by an eyepatch that matched hers. To his shock, he realized that he was still seeing but the angle was completely different.

"What…?" Starrk opened his eye, still aware of that peculiar Doppler vision. He realized quickly that he was seeing through Lilinette's eye. In his bankai, she became a deadly weapon. He was using that to good effect, practicing his skills by sparring against her. But this… "I… didn't notice. This is so strange." It was taking his mind away from his trauma, too. Lilinette laughed.

"That's an advanced part of your bankai! Having two perspectives will be REALLY useful on the battlefield, Starrk. But you'll have to learn to use it." She warned and he frowned. How could he ever get used to that? "It'll come easier than you think. Your mind is made to comprehend it."

"…Hm. Interesting." That was something he would really have to work on. "What else can I do?" He asked and she was not loathe to answer.

"You see those spots of you covered in fur? They're invulnerable. Nothing, and I mean nothing will get through that fur. Not even Yamamoto's fires could do it." She said and he blinked. "'Course, that ain't true of the rest of you. Just those spots." Starrk looked down at his arms. That would make it easy to block attacks, but his main body was completely free of fur. No help there. "You can summon me, you know that already, and I'm really strong. You can also call up your dopplegangers." She said and he looked at her wide eyed. "Try it! Try it right now."

"Doppleganger." Starrk said commandingly and grinned as he suddenly had two duplicates. He could command them easily, letting them move quasi-independently. "Lilinette, this is incredible!"

"Yeah, you've got a sweet bankai. I'm kind of mad at you, you know." She said and he blinked at her in surprise. "If you'd had this the first time I could have totally kicked Shiro-chan's ass! And I'm going to, if I get another try at it!"

"Mmm, good luck with that." Starrk honestly didn't think it was too likely, even with her bankai power. Lilinette was quite powerful but still not as strong as him and Juushiro was a taichou. She made a face at him and he smiled back. "At least it won't be laughable this time."

"Oi! I'll show you laughable, jerk face! Come on, let's practice some more!" She snarled before grabbing his arm and pulling him out of the room. Starrk went with her readily, chuckling.

Looking through Szayel's ruined files was hard work. He could afford to have some fun.

"Obaa-chan. I'm glad you agreed to see me on such short notice." Shunsui murmured as he took a seat. The woman across from him smiled as she poured him some tea.

"Anything for my darling grandson." She said as she sipped her tea. Shunsui picked up the cup, wishing it was sake, and took a careful sip. The tea was excellent but that was no surprise. His grandmother loved tea and used only the best.

Shunsui examined her for a moment, feeling a pain deep in his heart. His grandmother was quite old. She had been very powerful in her prime, with a bankai to her name, but her strength had faded over time. Sometimes it was like that… she had a hard time mustering the energy to make it to shikai now. Her bankai was just a faded memory and he vaguely wondered if that would ever be him.

Physically, his grandmother was a tiny, wizened woman with surprisingly black hair. He happened to know she didn't dye it, it was completely natural. She was wearing a lovely kimono of bright red with a gold phoenix pattern. It suited her quite well and matched the combs in her hair. They were gold with red jade, in the shape of seashells. Her eyes were a very familiar grey. They matched the ones he saw in the mirror every morning.

"Please, have a bite to eat. Botamochi, your favorite." She said encouragingly and his gaze dropped to the food on the table. It was true, he'd loved those when he was a small boy. He still liked them, although not as much. The memories were too bittersweet.

"Thank you." He murmured before taking one. "Have you heard of what happened to my nephew?" Iso had been the son of one of his brothers. Not that they were remotely close. Shunsui could hardly remember the boy, he'd hardly seen him outside of formal occasions. His grandmother sighed softly before picking up one of the tea biscuits she favored. It was orange and almond and he knew they were delicious.

"How could I not? Your brother has been baying for blood." She said but with the faintest touch of exasperation. She bit into the tea biscuit and her teeth were badly stained from centuries of tea. Shunsui felt a little queasy at the sight. "He should have followed Kuchiki taichou's example and nipped the thing in the bud. But it's too late now. What interest do you have? I know you owed the man a debt." She said and Shunsui nodded. "But there's nothing you can do."

"No, there isn't." He agreed. Despite his age he was still far too young to be a member of the Council. They were true elders, all of them former shinigami and mostly on par with the Soutaichou for age. "But you can, if you choose to." Although he wasn't entirely certain how much his grandmother could do. She was only one member of the Council, although she was the head of it and the most respected of the Clan elders. Her unwavering support had been both a boon and a curse, throughout his life. A boon because she'd saved him from all kinds of punishments but a curse because she'd flatly refused to consider someone else as his father's heir. She frowned at him, putting down the half-eaten cookie.

"Why would I do that? Admittedly, Iso-san was far from my favorite but he was my great-grandchild." She said and Shunsui sighed, looking into his tea.

"Obaa-chan… there's something I need to tell you about myself." He said before reaching into his robes for his sake. Ignoring the disapproving twist to her lips, he took a drink. He was going to need it. "It happened when I had just turned sixteen…" The story was still painful to repeat and didn't get better with retelling. Shunsui had to pause to fortify himself several times as he retold the painful past. When he was done, he just looked at her. Her grandmother was practically vibrating with rage and he braced himself for her reaction.

"You stupid child!" She moved with astonishing speed and a fist suddenly hit him in the chest, making him wince. There was a surprisingly amount of force behind it for such an old woman. "You silly little boy! Why didn't you come to me when this happened?!" She snapped and Shunsui suddenly blinked as he was soundly hugged. Then he realized, with a shock, that he had misread her anger. She hadn't been angry at him. She'd been angry for him. "I would have gotten you help! Why didn't you come to me?" She demanded and he swallowed, putting his arms around her. She felt so fragile, her old body so light against his.

"After… after what father said, I couldn't face anyone. And mother… I just couldn't. I was so ashamed." He said, his voice husky with emotion. She sniffed, resting a hand against his hair. "Obaa-chan…" He pressed his face against her neck, feeling comforted by one of his family for the first time in centuries. They stayed that way for a moment before she slowly pulled away and resumed her place on her cushion.

"Shunsui… I never wanted to say this to you children, but perhaps that was a mistake. Your father, my son, was never a man I admired." She said as she picked up her teacup, taking a calming sip. Shunsui took another drink of his sake. "I loved him because he was my boy, but he was not a good man. He was intelligent but also arrogant, difficult and often cruel." She paused before sighing softly and looking down into her tea. "To be honest, when you were a boy, I was afraid you would grow up to be just like him. You idolized him so much and you were such an arrogant child… that seemed to change overnight. I suppose now I know why."

"Oh yes. That man humbled me most thoroughly." Shunsui said bleakly. She winced, reaching up to rub her forehead. "Obaa-san, it's more than that. Lupe is very dear to me." Shunsui swallowed, hard, before telling her the rest. "Juushiro has been my lover since our last year at the academy." His grandmother almost choked on her tea, her expression full of disbelief. "We included Lupe in our relationship, despite the dangers. He's a remarkable man… I'm sorry." He looked down into his tea as she shook he head, rubbing her throat this time.

"Kami! So all those women you… no. You did sleep with them, I got all the complaints. Ah, I see. You were overcompensating." She said shrewdly and Shunsui winced before nodding with a sigh. "Well, congratulations grandson. You fooled me completely. I can honestly say I can't remember the last time I said that." She said and he laughed softly, putting the sake away and reaching for his tea. "So you want me to take action for your lover." She summed it up and he nodded before speaking again.

"Please Obaa-san. If you love me, please do this for me. I'm going to go to Yamamoto soon. I'm going to come out." Shunsui said and she sighed, resting her head in her hand. He sympathized with her mental pain. This was a lot to have dropped on her at once. "Even if you can hamstring the Council, it would help." This was honestly going much better than he'd expected. His ideal scenario, in fact. Shunsui had been prepared to completely lose his grandmother's support today. He'd never imagined that she would be outraged on his behalf. But he still wasn't sure she would support him as he publicly announced his sexuality.

"I'm certain I can keep them debating themselves in circles for months, particularly if you add your relationship with this young man to your revelations." She said dryly and Shunsui felt a bit of hope. "You realize, though, that I am only one person. I likely cannot stop them from eventually making up their minds and it's quite likely you will suffer some consequences." He nodded immediately. He'd been aware of that reality before he'd come to visit her.

"Does that mean you will help?" He asked, hardly daring to hope. His grandmother was so old, she came from a generation who considered such things a mortal sin. She suddenly gave him a smile as she picked up her tea biscuit again.

"You know, Shunsui, I was not always an old woman. And once I had a rather effeminate younger brother whom we most carefully did not question about his comings and goings." She said lightly and Shunsui stared, shocked almost speechless. "He was also an idiot, but not a malicious one like your father. His death was quite absurd. Remind me to tell you the story someday… but yes, I will help you. You've always been my favorite grandson and I still would like to see you as the Clan Head." She said and he almost choked on his tea. That, still, after all this?! "You might be far too fond of sake but it's not like that's unusual around here. And I know you would lead us to great things."

"Obaa-chan…" Finally, all he could do was laugh at the absurdity of it all.

Really, what else was there to do?