Present
…
Las Noches
…
"Starrk?"
A voice called out to him.
Starrk blinks into awareness. He was unaware of himself reminiscing for so long that Starrk had forgotten about Ulquiorra inquiring about Grimmjow.
Honestly, he is not sure how to answer.
The chances of Ulquiorra knowing may cause a ripple effect on his decision, which is risky. In fact, everything about this situation is dangerous, and one of two options could be even more precarious.
The first option is to tell Ulquiorra about Grimmjow being alive. The Cuatro's reaction could be anything or nothing at all, plus he doesn't doubt Ulquiorra would give Starrk his opinion on the matter. He may not even agree with Starrk's brash decision to leave Grimmjow with Hiromi. Starrk isn't sure if he should say anything about the kind woman. That is a risk in itself.
The second option, which is probable at this point, is to lie.
The only thing Starrk feared was Ulquiorra finding out the Primera lied to him. But how would he know? He doesn't plan to tell anyone else. Maybe he will be okay to tell Ulquiorra that Grimmjow is alive.
Although, from the way his gut is feeling, he shouldn't chance it.
"That's a peculiar question to ask," he responds.
Starrk noticed Ulquiorra's hand twitch within his hakama pocket, and his frown deepened.
"I assumed you saw the trash," Ulquiorra says.
"I didn't say I did," Starrk replies. "I find it odd that you would be curious about his living status."
He might be taking this in the wrong direction, but some questions might ease his suspicions. Starrk wants to rule out Ulquiorra being responsible for Grimmjow's sudden abandonment.
"Can one simply be curious?"
"You could but at what benefit?"
This time Starrk noticed a muscle twitch near Ulquiorra's brow.
"No benefit, just simple curiosity."
Starrk wanted to press further and question if Ulquiorra had anything to do with Grimmjow's departure but knew he would be pushing it. He doesn't doubt Ulquiorra would hide something from him if it meant getting something he wanted. So, it's probably best to give Ulquiorra an answer that would satisfy him. Even if it is to cover up his ulterior motives.
He sighs heavily, then turns away from the short man.
"He's dead, Ulquiorra."
Starrk instantly resumed his trek to the throne room, uncertain if he should give the same answer to Lord Aizen. As he ambled, Starrk could feel Ulquiorra's eyes bore onto his shoulder blades.
"You're lying," Ulquiorra says abruptly, causing Starrk to stumble.
He probably should have made a smoother stop to keep his calm facade, but that caught him off guard. How would the guy know he was lying? Does Starrk have a tell like a facial tick or even bodily function that gave him away? Starrk thought back to how he answered, not remembering anything of the sort except not looking Ulquiorra in the eye. Was that it? No, it couldn't be. Was it his tone? He sounded pretty relaxed if Starrk were honest. So, how in the blasted hell did Ulquiorra realize Starrk was lying?
"Why would I lie?"
"You tell me. I may not interact with the higher-ranked Espada members, but I know when someone is being dishonest. Especially when your tone wavered."
Starrk deadpans and inwardly kicks himself in the ass.
Damnit, he cursed to himself.
"With your silence, is presume Grimmjow is alive. Isn't he, Starrk?"
He sighs heavily, runs a hand through his hair, then lazily regards Ulquiorra.
"Yeah," Starrk drones unhappily. "Grimmjow is alive."
Ulquiorra stares at Starrk, then scans the hallway, perplexed.
"Where is he then? The infirmary?"
Starrk's brow quirked at this.
"No, not there."
"Where is he then?"
Starrk considered his options again but knew he couldn't lie since Ulquiorra knows the truth already.
"In the living world."
Ulquiorra silently looks at him, searching Primera's gaze critically.
"Why is he there, Starrk," he questions after a long moment of contemplating.
"He was not in the best condition to travel."
"That seems rather vague. You just left him there to tend to the injuries General Tōsen laid upon him?"
Starrk knew what Ulquiorra was doing. He's trying to get information about his former colleague, who shouldn't care about or be concerned about. Yet, he is doing so in his usual Ulquiorra way that many would dismiss, as he said earlier, as simple curiosity. Starrk now believes the cuatro has something to do with Grimmjow's departure. What that could be is a mystery. He could continue to bait Ulquiorra into admitting his involvement. The only problem with that is the fact Ulquiorra is doing the same. It's a stalemate.
He huffs loudly and then starts walking again, more smoothly this time.
"Let's just forget this conversation ever happened," he says.
Starrk could have sworn Ulquiorra scuffed, saying, "Yeah, right."
"I'll find out eventually, Starrk."
"I'm sure you will. For now, I need to meet with Lord Aizen. He is expecting my arrival right about now."
"Of course. Just one thing before you meander to Lord Aizen's feet."
Starrk momentarily stops and glances back at Ulquiorra, curious about what he will be inquiring about next.
"What is it, Ulquiorra?"
He noticed the cuatro heave a silent sigh, then slid his gaze on him.
"What will you report to Lord Aizen?"
Starrk doesn't visibly react but inwardly gaps with widened eyes.
None of your damn business is what Starrk wanted to blurt out but thought the better of it.
"What I know," he eventually responds.
"The truth, apparently."
Starrk curtly nods.
"Apparently. For now, Grimmjow is in the presence of good company instead of being alone and not amongst us. It might do him some good anyway."
"What does that mean?"
Starrk doesn't answer, just rudely turns away and towards the throne room. He didn't bother to look in the other direction to see if the Cuatro was watching him leave. He didn't care. Starrk was done talking to him. Besides, his meeting with Lord Aizen was prolonged enough. Starrk doesn't want to disappoint.
The plain corridors of Las Noches seemed endless as Starrk slowly dragged himself to the large throne room where Lord Aizen waited for him. It's a long enough trek that gave him additional time to think of the current situation that Grimmjow is in. He did take a good look at the guy and noticed the injuries that he still has. That broken arm of his is nearing its healing process, just from observation, and whatever happened to his chest is proof enough.
The guy is not in the best shape right now. Starrk knows reporting Grimmjow alive would cause Lord Aizen to take immediate action and demand that he return for proper "accommodations" and address his punishment. A punishment that Starrk knew would be Grimmjow sentenced to death because of his betrayal. That is what Lord Aizen would have in mind anyway. At least, that is what Starrk thinks.
Grimmjow left for a reason, and he's certainly not going off the fact that he was tired of being here. Something triggered his immediate dismal. The Cuatro's questions were baffling that Starrk feels Ulquiorra has something to do with it.
Aside from that, having Grimmjow return here to hear his fate from a former superior like Lord Aizen would not be justice. From Grimmjow's point of view, he would much rather die in battle for his freedom than return and be sentenced like a criminal awaiting the death penalty.
After putting that into perspective, Starrk realized that Grimmjow doesn't just need several more days to recover. He needs more than that. General Tōsen's recovery may have taken him two weeks since these walls provide spirit energy to accelerate his healing. Grimmjow, on the other hand, is in the human world. It's taking him much longer to heal, and Starrk knows if General Tōsen ever found out about Grimmjow being alive, he would probably want to finish the job… maybe.
Starrk, at this point, feels empathetic for Grimmjow. For someone that never got along with anyone and was obnoxiously loud at times, he could use a friend right about now. Hiromi may be the only one, but she is not an Espada member. He knows what must be done. Starrk made that decision the moment he left the living world. It became his mission to keep Hiromi and Grimmjow safe once he walked into the throne room, where Lord Aizen sat high above him.
He trailed his gaze to his supervisor, whose cold chocolate brown eyes stared down at him and had this small smile that unnerved Stark for some reason. It almost feels like Lord Aizen already knows the answer to the question that he is about to ask him. And Starrk is prepared for whatever inquiries are to follow immediately after.
"Welcome back, Starrk," Aizen starts coolly. "How was your day in the living world?"
"Short and boring," he answers tiredly.
"Understandable. What are your findings on Grimmjow's whereabouts?"
Starrk took a moment to regard the question, then sighed heavily through his nostrils.
"I couldn't find anything."
Aizen stared at Starrk briefly, then blinked away his confusion. "Meaning?"
"Given the lack of evidence of his whereabouts, I concluded Grimmjow to be dead."
"Do you have anything to back up your claim?"
"For one, I couldn't find his body within my three-mile radius limit. Hell, I couldn't even find his zanpakutō. Although wouldn't we have felt him dying, rather he was here or not?"
Aizen was silent for a moment as he processed Starrk's findings. He found it rather odd that there wouldn't be a single clue to the former Sexta Espada's whereabouts. So now Aizen wonders if Grimmjow is truly dead or if he is alive and sought out the shinigami for assistance. Before he could even draw himself to that conclusion, there were a few more questions he needed answers to.
"Well, that is certainly peculiar. Did you use Pesquisa to locate him?"
"It would just be an unwise move on my part. Using Pesquisa would be an open invitation for the shinigami to take action when my sole objective was to locate him."
"And what of the human girl that Kaname spoke of?"
"I wouldn't even know where to begin to locate her for questioning. General Tōsen can't give us a physical description, only that she has a particularly powerful spirit energy. It would be the same as trying to find a flea on an elephant's ass."
"That leaves the possibility that he is still alive. If he is, then it's quite possible that Grimmjow sought aid from the shinigami and is suppressing his reiatsu in a gigai."
"If that were true, it would explain a lot." Starrk voiced blandly. "Given my time constraint, locating him the good old-fashioned way would have only delayed our meeting."
"And we certainly couldn't have that."
Aizen paused to think of options they could take with their current predicament. Of course, some risks are involved in locating the former Espada leader, especially when a human girl is involved. A human girl that Aizen wonders how she could see either of them. She has a tremendous amount of spirit energy, and because of that feat, she could greatly help further his current goals.
However, there are always surprises when you least expect them. There is something about the girl that has Aizen more concerned about her than locating Grimmjow. For all Aizen knew, this girl could possess more than just the combat skills she had unwilling advertised to Kaname, which he recalls she got him to back down. That is impressive, but that triggered a red flag for Aizen to investigate further in her involvement.
Although, it made him realize that she could be an unknown ally to the shinigami and has Grimmjow in her care. If he could locate her, he may also be able to find Grimmjow. It's like killing two birds with one stone, or maybe a win-win situation.
After a few minutes of contemplating silently, Aizen acknowledged Starrk with a determined glare in his eye.
"I have a new objective for you," Aizen started.
Starrk straightened slightly to recognize Aizen's authority, preparing for whatever order he has for him. "Yes, Lord Aizen?"
"Three days from now, I want you to return to the living world and search for this girl Kaname spoke of."
A thin brow rose, yet he was inwardly cursing himself and somewhat panicking.
"Just the girl?" He inquires as calmly as possible.
"Yes. Your objective is strictly a search and retrieve mission. If you find the girl, you should be able to find Grimmjow. If he is alive, as I'm led to believe, he is either seeking refuge with the shinigami or is in the care of the human girl. No harm is to become of her or Grimmjow. I want them brought here alive for questioning."
Starrk blinked. He's so confused at this order that he has to question Lord Aizen's thought process. He wants Grimmjow alive? And for questioning? Why is he taking this approach? At the same time, trying to keep Grimmjow's secret has proven to be somewhat beneficial for Starrk as this is giving his former colleague extra time to heal and figure out how to protect Hiromi.
However, if it weren't for Hiromi's insight, he would have never considered helping the guy. Hell, if she weren't around, Starrk would have dragged him back here to await punishment if he was injured or not. Now that Hiromi's involvement caught Lord Aizen's attention, his sole objective is to protect Hiromi but Grimmjow as well. Why he feels the need to do so is confusing to him.
Fuck me. This is an even bigger mess than I thought it would be, Starrk thought to himself.
After contemplating what step to take and trying to calm down, he carefully expressed his thoughts to ease his discomfort.
"Assuming that Grimmjow is alive, you want him to return here for questioning, then execute him for insubordination and abandoning his position, am I correct?"
"It's not a matter of assuming, Starrk. I believe that Grimmjow is alive, given the evidence you provided, of course. Under normal circumstances, I would have resulted in immediate termination for his crass actions. However, a more reasonable approach is to listen and understand why he chose to abruptly leave instead of the opposite. I hope that answers your question."
"Very much so. If those are your orders, I'll do what you ask me. I do have to ask why in three days, my Lord?"
Aizen smiled widely then, a mischievous smile that sent an unwanted shiver down Starrk's back. He then knew he shouldn't have asked. There's a reason for going on this second mission in three days, and he is not exactly looking forward to the answer either.
Aw, hell, Stark groaned inwardly.
"I certainly can't have you waltzing around Karakura Town in your current attire now, could I? You will certainly draw unwanted attention from the shinigami during your search. So, I will assign Szayelaporro to design a gigai specially made for you."
Starrk stared blankly for a moment before a deep frown started to form on his lips. The thought of the creepy scientist creating a gigai for him is unnerving as it is but the choice of attire is a whole other problem. With his luck, Szayelaporro would gather articles of clothing that would resemble his release form. Just the thought of that made his skin crawl even more.
"Oh, don't be like that, Starrk. Szayelaporro is the only person with this skill. Asking Gin Ichimaru would be a bigger mistake." Aizen grinned.
"I don't have a problem with him creating the damned thing. It's the possible mishmash of an outfit he would put me in."
"I'm sure whatever he assembles will be fine. So, I wouldn't worry about it too much." Aizen replies with a wink that only made Starrk groan outwardly this time.
"Relax, Starrk. I'll ensure that whatever wardrobe he chooses will be approved to my standards. Having you look ridiculous is not what I intend for my number one."
Starrk felt a little relieved at Aizen's attempt to soothe his discomfort. Although, there is that underlining suspicion that something wasn't right. He's not sure what is making him apprehensive, but he'll figure it out eventually.
"Go and rest up now. I'm sure you could use it. I greatly appreciate you meeting me." Aizen then waved a hand of dismissal to Starrk, who immediately turned heel to return to his chambers.
He informed Lord Aizen of what he needed to know, but now Starrk has a lot of questions and concerns of his own. He's unsure if a nap will help him when his mind is swarming with various thoughts and those unanswered questions. He hopes his chambers will give him the peace he needs to sort out everything and maybe figure out a way to keep those two individuals safe. More specifically, to keep Hiromi safe.
When Starrk returned to his living quarters, Lilinette was not within eyesight, which should have worried him slightly. Instead, he nonchalantly entered the room and lazily approached his bed of pillows. He caught a glimpse of the outside, a clear blue sky and tan sand, which is most likely the same in Hiromi's world, minus the sand, of course.
He heaves a sigh as he stops at the edge of the mountain of pillows, eyeing them absently. Starrk debated if he should faceplant into the plush cushions or fall backward and let the comfy material cradle the impact. Either way would cause him to sleep, which he highly doubts will be accomplished. His head is swarming with unanswered questions and thoughts on the woman he met earlier.
Like Lord Aizen, Hiromi has caught his attention. Starrk doesn't understand why she is constantly entering his mind or the fact her kind smile is burned into his brain. There is something about her that he is drawn to. Maybe, he'll discover what that is when he returns to the living world.
He sighs one more time and then falls forward. Starrk lands on the cushions with a plop, grunting and groaning from the day he had.
Not like it can get any worse, he thought to himself.
Starrk sighs into the plush pillows, his arms at his sides and feet laying on the slick floor. With his eyes closed and in the fabric, he slowly and steadily breathes.
In… and out, in… and out.
He does this for several minutes, letting his mind slowly clear and relax his body.
Starrk then started to softly snore, falling asleep… briefly.
He is startled awake when Lilynette comes bounding out of nowhere to plant her butt at the small of his back.
"AGH!"
"Wakey, wakey, Coyote!"
Starrk coughs and groans before snapping at the teenager.
"What the blasted hell, Lilynette! Can't a guy sleep around here? Ouch!"
Lilynette pokes his rib.
"There is no time for sleep, you lazy ass. Besides, you just got back from your mission."
"Yeah, and I need a damn nap! Now, get off!"
"Nope, and no sleeping! I want to know how your mission went."
Starrk rolled his eyes, groaning.
"What is there to know?"
"Uh duh, you went to look for the dumbass in the living world. Did you find him?"
He said nothing as Lilynette remained to sit on his back. Starrk heaves a sigh, grabs a pillow, then backhands at Lilynette. The cushion makes contact with a soft plop, causing her to squeak loudly, and falls sideways and off his now aching back.
"Hey, what the hell was that for, you jerk?"
He doesn't respond, just adjusts his head to stare out the window.
"Uh, hello, earth to Coyote!"
"Will you be quiet for a while?"
Lilynette blinks, her lips slightly pursed as she tilts her head.
"Huh?"
He ignores her as he turns on his side, covering his head with the pillow.
Lilynette stares at her other half, her eyes widened.
"Woah, what is up with you?"
Starrk remained quiet, just breathed steadily and purposely.
"Coyote?"
He sighs heavily while curling into a fetal position before speaking.
"I just have a lot on my mind."
He said nothing further, just stared out the window absently. He wants to tell her what's weighing on his chest and the things swarming his mind. Except, Starrk is unsure if he can trust Lilynette with these thoughts or the dilemma he found himself in. He doesn't doubt she would give him a slew of snarky remarks and get on his case in going to Lord Aizen. He doesn't want to do that, though. He straight up lied to the man to protect Hiromi. Why he did so is baffling to him and is one of the many questions in his head. What is it about Hiromi that caused Starrk to lie?
What the hell am I doing, he questions to himself.
Starrk sighs deeply, his gloved hand grips the pillow covering his head, and attempts to sleep.
Updated 09/10/2022 with dialogue fixes, scene adjustments, and additional content