Several Weeks Later | Somewhere in Hueco Mundo
(Third Person POV)

Coyote Starrk sat within a large, hollow cave in a meditative position. He was going through breathing exercises —a method he was taught by Aizen Sōsuke along with others that would help him control his reiatsu enough to not kill everything around himself.

The only sound to be heard was his controlled breaths.

Inhale. "Hmm," he breathed in through his nose, feeling his lungs expanding.

Exhale. "Haaa," he sighed, the breath escaping through his lips in a steady stream, releasing the tension with it.

His reiatsu flickered around him like massive bright blue flames that engulfed his body and splatted light against the cave walls, casting a glow.

During his time struggling to control this potent energy he now suddenly possessed, he realized that his reiatsu had increased immensely compared to before.

He recognized that his sheer power exceeded Aizen's, but the Arrancar knew that even with his immense reiatsu, he would be no match for the treacherous Shinigami once Kyōka Suigetsu, Aizen's Shikai, came into play.

The Primera had theorized that Lilynette merged their souls back together in order to keep him alive, thus resulting in him regaining the power lost during the time he split his very soul.

His reiatsu then proceeded to put his body back together, slowly with his minor regenerative abilities.

What surprised Starrk was that his reiatsu now surpassed itself before splitting his soul and he had no clue as yet how that was possible but he knew it would be a hassle to control.

Last time around, with Aizen's guidance it had taken him two years to achieve control, and back then he just barely did it within that time.

It would take much longer with his new power.

So once Starrk found a suitable and desolate place that was devoid of Hollows and Arrancar in Hueco Mundo, he settled into the cave, calling it his 'home' and had been trying all the methods he knew to get his uncontrollable reiatsu under control.

He sighed, and his concentration wavered at this new wave of thoughts, his control slipped and reiatsu lashed out at the cave around him, destroying parts of its walls and causing rocks and dripstone to crumble. He hastily focused himself and struggled to grasp for control.

This was becoming an increasingly frequent and annoying occurrence for him.

Controlling his reiatsu felt like trying to calm a raging sea using a blanket—simply futile. He let himself fall back into a daze of the breathing exercises as he hurriedly repeated the process.

Several hours of attempts later, he stepped out into the grey, barren desert that was stuck in eternal night, the area as remarkable as a fly, its only noticeable features were the rocks scattered around the cave entrance, a dead tree as tall as a house and the cave itself which was hidden by sand and rocks. The Espada let his reiatsu control slip from his grasp as his reiatsu surged forth destroying the things around him. He fell into deep thought, thinking of ways to control this raging power.

His mind ventured towards his time as a Hollow.

Back then, nearly 5 years ago, Starrk, or whoever he was back then had tried multiple times to get his power under control and ultimately gave up after numerous failures.

It was only after splitting his soul into two—Starrk and Lilynette—that he could at least grasp some control.

But now, unlike back then he has much more experience under his belt, so at the very least it would not be impossible, just extremely challenging.

And suddenly a thought popped up in his mind.'What if instead of thinking like a Hollow, why not look at it like a Shinigami.'

You see, during his training with Aizen, Starrk was once told about how some powerful Shinigami would seal the majority of their reiatsu into their Zanpakutō. And this method would have definitely worked for most Arrancar, except for the fact that Starrk wasn't like most of his kind.

He didn't have a Zanpakutō, the blade he carried was simply a katana, made of reishi, given and created for him by Aizen. And he couldn't access his released form, Lilynette was gone and she was the only way.

So Starrk felt helpless. This helplessness led to a strange feeling to well up within him—frustration— something within him told him.

So he gave into this foreign feeling, not truly understanding but curious, and impulsively formed and fired a bright blue cero, in an instant, aiming it at a large boulder that towered over him.

"BOOM!"

A massive explosion of blue reiatsu, as a result of the beam attack hitting the rock, ensued as a shockwave crashed against him and he was pushed back.

His eyes widened as he witnessed the power he had just showcased. That cero had the power of a Gran Rey Cero.

Starrk spent so much time trying to control his reiatsu that he'd forgotten to test how strong he had become after the merging.

The Arrancar felt a sense of pride well up within him as the explosion finally settled, allowing him to see the damage he caused. The attack incinerated the boulder nearly 10 meters tall and left a large crater in its wake.

Then that impulsive feeling was gone, vanished, leaving him feeling strange.'Is my reiatsu the cause of these... 'mood swings'?'He thought to himself.

Similar impulses—strange feelings and urges had begun occurring during the weeks following the events of Fake Karakura Town—of the Winter War.

Another thing that surprised him was that Starrk strangely didn't feel like lazing around. As if something within him was telling him to get something done for once, and quite frankly, he agreed.

He knew it wasn't grief or a sense of duty causing these feelings of determination.

This strange productiveness felt similar to the impulsive occurrences and so he associated them with each other.

Starrk's mind eventually went back to the matter at hand and he came to a decision.

He was going to figure out how to regain Los Lobos. He would try his best.

But that didn't mean he would put his attempts to develop his now poor spiritual energy control on halt. He wasn't planning on stopping until it was perfect—Until no one would die.

And that was how Coyote Starrk fell into a daily routine of sorts. He would experiment and test himself, and he would try all sorts of reiatsu controlling methods.

So the Espada spent the next three months—which were unfortunately lost to him—developing his control. Enough to at least be harmless towards powerful Arrancar but he knew any Hollows less than Vasto Lorde would perish from his mere presence and he felt sorrow.

It was during this routine of his where the powerful Arrancar was meditating in his cave, struggling to hold his control over the raging reiatsu that he sensed a powerful presence approaching his location. He struggled not to lose control, but he held firm.

Its presence was nearly identical to that of a Hollows yet it held hints of Shinigami reiatsu—An Arrancar—The Primera concluded.

'Why would an Arrancar be this far away from Las Noches though? This place is over several thousand miles away from the palace.'The Espada pondered, as he focused on keeping his reiatsu under control in order to not kill the Arrancar as soon as they stepped into his presence.

Suppressing his reiatsu was still quite a difficult task but it was becoming easier even if it was a minuscule difference.

Although to Starrk, this process felt more like multitasking several complicated tasks at once, while trying to carry a bucket of water on top of his head without spilling a droplet.

So Starrk slowly opened his eyes from his meditation, the shift in his body weight helped him regain control momentarily over his body as he stood up straight, not moving a muscle to not lose concentration and let loose.

His Pesquisa warned him that Arrancar was nearing the cave entrance.

They probably sensed him during the time he let his reiatsu roam free after an intense session.

Their reason for approaching, whether to fight or simply out of curiosity or some other reason, Starrk didn't know.

They finally arrived near the cave entrance, which the Espada had to give them credit for was, not easy to find amongst the various rock formations.

They stood still at the entrance for several minutes before moving to stand at the cave entrance, their footsteps the only noticeable sound.

A short figure stood at the cave entrance and he took his time observing them. He noticed their frame was short and petite, most likely a female.

Their features were blocked by the light but he noted neck-length hair, from deep within the cave, his eyesight carrying his vision much further than that of a human's.

Feeling their reiatsu, Starrk noticed that they were stronger than most Arrancar, not quite strong enough to classify as an Espada.'A Fracción perhaps..'

So, with no clue of their motives, he stayed silent and observed them carefully, all the while trying to keep his reiatsu under a vise grip.

"..."

"..."

An awkward silence fell upon the two Arrancar.

It lasted nearly 5 minutes until the unknown Arrancar's patience seemed to run out and they snapped, screaming out;

"Just come out already! Are you seriously just standing there?! I don't have time for this bullshit!"

'It seems my observations were correct..' Starrk noted yet the former Espada made no move to obey.

Nearby | Several Hours earlier
(? POV)

As I raced through the barren wasteland that was Hueco Mundo using Sonído, skillfully avoiding annoying Hollows looking to try and consume me for power.

While most of the time I would've killed those pathetic excuses for hollows in an instant, I was on a mission for Harribel-sama and didn't want to disappoint her by failing.

In Las Noches, there weren't many Arrancar since most of the dumbasses went and got themselves killed, including some Espada. We all knew of Aizen's defeat, and that he was sentenced to over 10,000 years in that Shinigami prison—That immortal egotistical bastard dared strike down Harribel-sama after everything she's done for him!—so Harribel-sama took control over Las Noches, despite the fact that she refused to rule Hueco Mundo(which she deserves much more than Aizen or Baraggan!) so that the remaining dumbasses don't end up killing each other.

My mind went back to my path and I noticed a wide ravine coming up and skillfully crossed it in less than an instant. I grinned wickedly when I noticed I knocked a bear Adjucha into the ravine "Hahaha! Dumbass!"

I cackled as I sonído'd pass, avoiding rocks and hollows.

The mission I was given was simple, find powerful Hollows and recruit them to join Harribel-sama's cause. Same with Sung Sun and Mila Rose. We split up and went in different directions across Hueco Mundo.

I went East, Sung Sun went South, and Mila Rose West.

So while I sped across the forever-stretching desert, I made sure to look out for powerful Hollows to recruit.

My Pesquisa was alert and ready for anything

Hours passed, and as I engaged in my hunt, I relished the chaos I caused—dispatching Hollows with merciless precision, their cries echoing into the void as I cruelly consumed some of their weaker brethren to bolster my power. I reveled in the thrill of the chase, the taste of their fear mingling with the satisfaction of each kill.

Suddenly, my Pesquisa picked up a distinct presence, something more potent than the usual riffraff I'd been encountering. It sent a shiver of anticipation down my spine. I halted mid-stride, focusing intently on the energy signature that flickered in the distance, like a beacon calling to me.

I darted in that direction, heart racing, ready to confront whatever powerful Hollow awaited. The thrill of the hunt surged within me, and I could already imagine Harribel-sama's approval once I returned with my prize.

"A surge of reiatsu surged through the air, so potent that it stole the breath from my lungs, leaving my eyes wide in shock as I fell to my knees.

My Pesquisa took me they were far away, yet this pressure was still this potent. The need to flee nearly overwhelmed me and I nearly did as such but Harribel-samas words came back to me:

"This task I have given you three is dependant on our survival." The calm, cold voice of the stoic Espada reached my ears, seemingly emotionless. Despite this, I knew how kind and sympathetic she truly was deep inside.

"Las Noches is in a vulnerable position and it is risky residing in Hueco Mundo with less than half of our forces, we never knew when the Shinigami might try to get rid of us. You may go." She turned and left, leaving the Tres Bestia to their tasks.

Snapping back to reality, I noticed my trembling hands and clenched my fists so hard, blood seeped from my palms. I tried desperately to distract myself by observing the reiatsu.

'It surpasses most of the Shinigami that were present during the battle of Karakura! Wha- I-It rivals Aizens!' My mind raced with endless possibilities such as:

—What if this was Aizen and his defeat was just one of his illusions?!

—What if they're aiming to kill Harribel-sama?!

—What if they're trying to rule over Hueco Mundo like Aizen was?!

And many more as I struggled to comprehend what was going to happen to me. I calmed down a bit once I realized this was an Arrancar—maybe they're an ally—she tried to think hopefully.

And then suddenly the powerful reiatsu seemed to disappear briefly before returning back several times weaker, as strong as the Quinto Espada—Nnoitra Gilga.

I let out a shaky breath and reluctantly followed the reiatsu at memories of all that Harribel-sama has done for me. This led me to a large rock formation—a cave. I noted

The reiatsu flared violently once more before settling down to the level of the Segunda Espada.

Before I knew it, I was reluctantly standing before the entrance to a large cave where my Pesquisa was telling me they were.

I prepared myself, hastily wiping off the sweat that formed on my brow.

I walked up to stand at the entrance with trembling legs, looking into a cave devoid of light, the only thing noticeable was glowing blue eyes.

I noticed couldn't quite make out their features in the darkness of the cave but they seemed familiar. The figure stood silently in the middle of the cave, not moving a muscle as his eyes moved along my figure, making me feel uncomfortable and I had to once again fight the urge to flee.

We stared at each other for several minutes, observing each other before my patience quickly ran out, temporarily forgetting about his immense strength, I voiced my frustrations and snapped at the mysteriously powerful Arrancar.

"Just come out already! Are you seriously just standing there?! I don't have time for this bullshit!"

'Harribel-sama chose me for this mission. And this guy has the nerve to make me wait?!'She huffed

The Arrancar continued to stare at me, his gaze now feeling deadpan. "Well?! Aren't you gonna show yourself? Don't make me beat your ass!"

"Why don't you come here..." The Arrancar finally replied, his deep voice reverberating in the cave like a distant rumble as if he hadn't spoken in a long time.

"And why should I?" I knew I shouldn't have been this rude to someone who could probably kill me in an instant, but my anger and frustrations took control of me and I found myself ignoring the fact.

"Because if I don't stop concentrating on controlling my reiatsu, you'll die from my very presence." He replied, his voice now sounding smoother. "You are a fairly powerful Arrancar, not quite a Espada—a Fracción. And a female one based on your frame and voice. There are few female Fracción. The most likely is that you serve and belong to Tia Harribel."

My eyes went wide in shock at his supposed observations, the guy hadn't even seen me and he still managed to figure out that much?!

"W-Wha- H-How d-did you...?!" I stuttered and took a step back, fear overtaking me. Yet he still did not move—she didn't want to believe it at first but maybe he was telling the truth. "You.. Who are you?!"

I flinched but held my ground, forcing myself to step forward as I steadied my mind. 'How do you know that?!' My voice came out sharper than I intended. 'What are you planning?! If you try anything against Las Noches, I'll kill you! I won't let you get anywhere near Harribel-sama!' My hands tightened around my Zanpakutō as it slipped into my grasp, the cold metal brushing against my palms slick with dried blood.

I held them in a defensive position. I knew it was futile to try and fight him but I wasn't going to let him do anything to Harribel-sama, even if it cost me my life.

I felt all my fear vanish and give way to fury.

"You're quite impulsive." His voice rang through the cave, a cold calm that sent shivers down my spine.

His words caused anger to well up within me and I yelled out. "Fuck you, bastard!" I spat and released my Resurrección, "Thrust upwards, Cierva!" Reiatsu surged and covered my form and dispersed to reveal my body covered in brown fur, sporting deer-like antlers above my brow, my feet were replaced with deer-like hooves, and a small tail emerged from where my tailbone would be located. My heterochromatic eyes changed to an amber color, with a red outline around them, with small lightning bolt-shaped markings on both sides of my face.

My Zanpakutō disappeared.

"That's impressive. Except it not going to do anything to me." The arrogant bastard responded, not showing a hint of fear or surprise.

"Hah?! We'll see about that!" I lunged forward, my hands forming into fists. I began to charge up a crimson red cero in my mouth as I dashed towards the unknown Arrancar.

(Third Person POV)

As she neared, Starrk finally saw her features, "Emilou Apacci, huh?" She froze once she heard the male state her name, her fists inches away from his form.

Unfortunately for her, the Fracción lost control of the cero with the shock, and the beam rocketed straight towards Starrk, slamming into his face and resulting in a violent and crimson explosion that sent various rocks and dripstone scattering in all directions and caused a dustform that covered the Espada.

The force of the explosion was enough to send Apacci flying into a damaged cave wall and out of her released state, quickly scuffling to her feet.

The attack caused Starrk's concentration to momentarily slip and his violent reiatsu caused the dust to dissipate, which revealed an unharmed Primera Espada whose expression was briefly that of rage because snapping back to normal in a heartbeat.

"The sight of him was enough to make her heart momentarily stop before Apacci's face paled, becoming whiter than Ulquiorra's at the sight of the supposedly 'dead' Primera Espada.

"Ho- Y-You. I-Al-alive..!" She stuttered, fear overtaking her mind, as she stood frozen in disbelief.

"Th-This isn't real- Y-You are s-supposed to be d-dead..." Her mouth was dry

The Espada in question simply sighed, struggling to maintain his usual stoic demeanor as a deep anger welled up in his chest at her actions and denial. Fortunately for her, he had impressive control over his emotions and quickly controlled himself.

"Why are you here?" He asked, changing the subject so as to not get even angrier.

The shocked Arrancar was snapped out of her fear-induced daze, her heterochromatic eyes struggling to meet the Primera's own grey digits.

However, once she finally worked up the courage to do so, she felt fear overtake her at his powerful reiatsu, feeling compelled to answer, she stuttered out; "H-Harribel-sama o-ordered me to recruit p-powerful Hollows to join L-Las Noches..." She choked on fear and her gaze dropped to the floor, her usual rude and short-tempered behavior nowhere to be seen, "...s-since most o-of our f-forces were k-killed during the w-war."She finishes

Starrk looked at the Arrancar with a scrutinizing gaze, "I see. So Harribel is alive after all..."

Thoughts flooded his mind momentarily.

To Apacci, his voice seemed more firm and powerful compared to before his defeat. 'He's different.' and that was what terrified her so much.

The Primera finally seemed to relax and sat down, getting back into his meditative position, as he looked at the Arrancar, several meters away.

"Tell me everything that's happened since my defeat." He ordered, his reiatsu calming down until it reached the level of a Vasto Lorde—bearable for Apacci.

And so that's how Coyote Starrk and Emilou Apacci spent the next few hours discussing the events that took place after his defeat. They discussed Aizen's betrayal, the conflict between the Gotei 13 and the Visored against the traitors, Tōsens death, the battles with the Shinigami Head Captain, Aizen's confrontation with Isshin Kurosaki, Kisuke Urahara, and Yoruichi Shihōin, Aizen's subsequent evolution, Gin's betrayal, and finally, Aizen's ultimate defeat and imprisonment.

"I see. That's a lot to take in... Wait, did you just say Tōsen had a Resurrección? You mean to tell me the Visored have that ability?" Starrk's voice was filled with surprise, which did not happen often.

The other Arrancar, still trembling with fear but managing to steady her voice, quickly responded, "I-I don't know for certain. I wasn't there for the fight. We heard about it secondhand—from that Orihime girl when she healed Harribel-sama and the rest of us."

Starrk nodded reluctantly, the detail having piped his interest, "But this might mean that Arrancar could develop Shikai or at the very least use Kidō." He trailed off, his mind racing.

Apacci was caught off guard. The idea hadn't even crossed her mind when she first heard the story, but instead of voicing her thoughts, she chose to stay silent.

What struck her even more was how much he had truly changed. His reiatsu had multiplied several times over, but it wasn't just his power that was different. His entire demeanor had shifted—gone was the laziness she'd heard about. Now, he was more talkative, engaged, and surprisingly invested in what was happening around him.

She sat several feet across from him on the cold, cave floor as he maintained his meditative stance.

Starrk's mind began to organize all the information his mind had just received and he realized just how dangerous the Hōgyoku truly was,

'Glad that orb wasn't used on me.' he thought in relief. Starrk, unlike most Arrancar, didn't need the Hōgyoku to go from Hollow to Arrancar. He evolved from a Vasto Lorde to an Arrancar on his own(through the splitting) and is one of the few natural Arrancar to exist. The only other being...Ulquiorra.

"Apacci. How many of the Espada are dead? Outside of Harribel and Grimmjow." His voice was grim as he addressed the tomboy Fracción.

Starrk's words cut through her throat and she struggled to get her thoughts in order, before finally answering, "O-Only three—sorry two Espada remain. All of them are dead except for Grimmjow and Harribel-sama. It's three if you count Nelliel—it turns out she was aliv-."

The Arrancar trailed off, her murmuring stopping once she felt an immense pressure that pushed her to her knees.

Starrk's reiatsu rose astronomically, rising to its full potent output becoming visible bright, blue flames that seemed to fuel off of his emotions. Apacci's instincts seemed to take over her as she sonido'd backward several meters, likely avoiding certain death, having barely gotten away.

Starrk's eyes were filled with sorrow at the news that so many died. Firstly more than half of the Numerós are dead, and now a fifth of the Espada remain. His camaradas—'friends'—dead.

"Fuck." She cursed, spitting out the word like poison.

"...Leave before my reiatsu kill you..." He murmured so quietly, that if it weren't for her animal-like hearing, she wouldn't even be aware that he was speaking.

So Apacci vanished, trying to get as far away from the Espada as possible—feeling immense fear overwhelm her at his display.

Later, she would come to regret her haste as she would struggle to retrace her step to find the cave after reporting everything to Harribel who would then ask for the location she found him.

The sorrow was brief, just like Starrk's sorrow over Lilynette's sacrifice. He was an Arrancar—a Hollow, not a human.

After the events, Starrk would begin to have more and more impulsive occurrences where he'd let his emotions control him.'At the very least, it helped him understand his emotions.' He'd later think.

Starrk continued his journey in order to satisfy the determination he felt at every waking moment—because to him, he felt it would honor his camaradas and Lilynette.

"Why the hell am I so emotional..?"

(Chapter End)

Author's Note: Beside you ask no, Apacci will not be a love interest. I'm using her as a plot device so Starrk's can get all caught up with the Winter War and to show how he's improved in his training. Speaking of ships, I'm not sure if I'll add any in the first place(don't quote me on that).

Also just to clarify: Starrk's reiatsu = Aizen(Arrancar Arc). Which means he is not strong enough(yet) to negate Kyōka Suigetsu and would lose against Aizen's kido, swordsmanship, etc.

Thanks for reading. Peace.